Volume 4 of this series begins with letters following the birth of Emily Frances Judson. Emily and Adoniram Judson had been away from the United States for eighteen months, and had been in Burmah for about a year. These letters reflect correspondence between home, family and friends; they also reflect the life within the missionary society in Burmah with letters between the missionaries. The letters of 1849 show serious health issues for both Emily and Adoniram, and towards the end of the year we find the correspondence detailing his final illness, his departure for a sea voyage on April 3, 1850, and the conclusion of his life on April 12, 1850. Emily was not to learn of his death until August 1850, and there are a number of hopeful letters written to Adoniram by Emily, not knowing of his earlier death. The volume has numerous letters of grief and condolence, Emily's determination to remain in Burmah to continue Judson's work, and her return to the United States