Thomas Jefferson Papers

Jeremiah A. Goodman to Thomas Jefferson, 30 December 1814

From Jeremiah A. Goodman

desember 30 day 1814

dr Sir

this mornning friday dick starts to mounticello with 15 hougs one beaf about fourehundread & Eighteen Bus of wheat is deliver to the mill this is all except the sowed, 18 for my self six to Mr darneel as for mind I will write to mr Clarkson Let you have the same there I Should be Glad to know the price mr mitchell is to give for the wheat per Bus I expect fill hubbard is gon to mounticello but the Cause I do not know for why only from dick he says he belives him & hanner was ingage to be marrid at Crismas and in the Crismas I Slap hanner three or foure times for some words she had bin making use of not thinking of her and fill in that way this mout ofened her and She possiable give him a deniel dick tell me that fill was Like a mad man and Said he would not stay here1 I am very sawry to hear2 it for I nover had a better hand but if fill will Come back & wants a wife I will try and selistit hanner to have him for I have don nothing to him but when I heard of it I told him that if him & hanner did mak up a match I would give them pot & house but had aggey a hous bilt and give them one end of dicks hous I have bought two more horsis one at 55 dollars 8 years old from Lewis3 Brown pay first of may one at 60 dollars 6 years old baught of mr Cob: pay April next4 I Shall write to Mr Clarkson5 to Let dick bring up the beast I have Charge them not to whip the hogs the beaf is very fat I am in hops you have received my Last Letter about the wool as the wants 40 wts Sir the statments above is that I judge which made fill go off but this is no Cause if fill had Come to me and I had said he Should not have the girl it would of Altered the Case or that any person had heard me say so but I was willing for it to be he has went off in drunking madness to me I had put him to take Ceare of the stock at the barn this Conduck I Can not santion and with your approbation after vewing the Case I shall Let him know he is not to do so I do not know the tale may be told to you by him but I am willing to meat him on any ground that I have not done any thing amiss to him, I have sent the butter Also the salt I have Company the waggon to the reaver and send them over safe

Jeremiah A goodman

RC (ViU: TJP-ER); with notes by TJ, detailed below, in margin of first page and on address cover; addressed: “To Mr Ths Jefferson Albemarle Mounticello by dick & people”; endorsed by TJ as received 4 Jan. 1815 and so recorded in SJL.

In the left margin of the first page, TJ tabulated the bus (bushels) of wheat grown at Poplar Forest and the farm products sent to Monticello:

“418 
 18 
 6 
 442 
 215   sown
 130.  eaten
 787 
 418.  B. Corn
 958. ℔ pork to Monto.”
On the address cover TJ inserted a mathematical computation apparently related to the above table.

mr clarkson: probably Goodman’s father-in-law, Manoah Clarkson, a former Monticello overseer and longtime resident of Albemarle County (MB description begins James A. Bear Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:912; Woods, Albemarle description begins Edgar Woods, Albemarle County in Virginia, 1901, repr. 1991 description ends , 168). On the address cover TJ noted the prices of the two horses purchased by Goodman and the dates on which payment was to be made to Lewis Brown and Mr. Cobb (cob). Goodman’s last letter was dated 21 Dec. 1814 (see note to TJ to Goodman, 23 Dec. 1814).

1Manuscript: “her.”

2Manuscript: “her.”

3Given name repeated by TJ in left margin for clarity.

4Preceding three words interlined.

5Manuscript: “Carkson.”

Index Entries

  • Aggy (TJ’s slave; b.1789; daughter of Dinah); house of search
  • Brown, Lewis; sells horse to TJ search
  • butter; sent to TJ search
  • cattle; at Poplar Forest search
  • cattle; transportation of search
  • Christmas; mentioned search
  • Clarkson, Manoah search
  • Clarkson, Mr. search
  • clothing; wool search
  • Cobb, Mr.; TJ purchases horse from search
  • Darnil (Darnell; Darniel; Darnold), Nimrod; Poplar Forest overseer search
  • Dick (Yellow Dick) (TJ’s slave; b.1767); and P. Hubbard’s dispute with J. A. Goodman search
  • Dick (Yellow Dick) (TJ’s slave; b.1767); as wagoner search
  • Dick (Yellow Dick) (TJ’s slave; b.1767); house of search
  • drunkenness.; of P. Hubbard search
  • food; butter search
  • food; salt search
  • Goodman, Jeremiah Augustus; as Poplar Forest overseer search
  • Goodman, Jeremiah Augustus; letters from search
  • Hanah (TJ’s slave; b.1796); and P. Hubbard’s dispute with J. A. Goodman search
  • Hanah (TJ’s slave; b.1796); marriage of search
  • horses; at Poplar Forest search
  • horses; TJ purchases search
  • Hubbard, Phill (TJ’s slave); dispute of with J. A. Goodman search
  • Hubbard, Phill (TJ’s slave); marriage of search
  • livestock; at Poplar Forest search
  • marriage; of slaves search
  • Mitchell, Mr.; and TJ’s wheat search
  • overseers; crop share of search
  • pigs; at Poplar Forest search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); barns at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); cattle at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); hogs at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); horses at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); livestock at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); slaves at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); wheat grown at search
  • salt; TJ acquires search
  • seeds; wheat search
  • slaves; dwellings of search
  • slaves; management of search
  • textiles; wool search
  • wheat; at Poplar Forest search
  • wheat; price of search
  • wheat; seeds search
  • wool; used for clothing search