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Letter Book - A second and invaluable part of the archive is Lady Rachel Simon's personal notebook of some 182ff. contains some 312 copy letters to her from Sir John Simon (1818-1897). The letter book in its organization clearly speaks to Lady Simon's intellect. One must read the letter book to gain an understanding of that organization. It begins with a preamble of intent and organization. It finishes with an index of certain events. The 1st transcribed letter is one that John sends to his mother announcing his engagement (11 pages). The remainder of the letter book consists of excerpts from letters by John to Rachael (over 300). Sewn into the letter book (page 261) is an original note written by Rachel to John on 11/19/1842. In the ending note pasted to the inside finishes with the following description of the letter book as “The Links of a Chain of Divine Love from Heaven____Unbroken & Forever & Forever___(signed) Rachel Simon.” This second part of the archive spans the period 1840-46, including the couple’s time in Jamaica (1843-45). In the correspondence, Sir John writes of his working & social life, and his feelings for wife, Rachel. This notebook was written in the late 1890's and completed in 06/1898. It includes a clipping of Sir John Simon's obituary as well as one noting their Golden Wedding Anniversary (01/13/1893, the clipping notes that Professor Marks who officiated at the wedding is still living (see letter to John from Marks…. 02/23/1836)). As a note she completed the letter book (06/1898) one year before her own death at the age of 75. Lady Simon kept from her seventeenth year a diary, from which she published a selection covering a period of fifty years under the title Records and Reflections. The book, with which Lady Simon sought "to remove some of the prevailing misconceptions in regard to [her] ancestral religion," was released in 1894 to favourable reviews. She wrote also a work on the Psalms, entitled Beside the Still Waters (1899).

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