Thomas Jefferson Papers

Charles Clay to Thomas Jefferson, 29 June 1816

From Charles Clay

Petty Grove Jun. 29. 16

C. Clay to Mr Th. Jefferson

Cyrus brings for your inspection the last Act of Assembly Respecting Appeals from interlocutary decrees of County & Corporation Courts—I have no Idea of Justice from the County Court, & if I must Contend I would wish to take Such Steps & file Such exceptions as might Carry the business Speedily before the Courts above where it might be fully and fairly investigated, as it were de novo, or an original Case—I say Speedily for the waste they are Committing is enormous—every good piece of Tob. land is put under lease, & one only of them had last year a considerable length of time twenty hands employed in getting timber for the Lynchburg Markett &c & others of them have not been idle in that way—accept my friendly & Respectful Salutations

RC (MHi); dateline at foot of text; addressed: “Tho. Jefferson Esqre Poplar Forest”; endorsed by TJ as received 29 June 1816 and so recorded in SJL, in which it mistakenly appears in the column for letters written by TJ.

Clay sent his son cyrus B. Clay to TJ with a copy of “An Act, concerning appeals and proceedings in Chancery,” 26 Feb. 1816. The statute facilitated appeals from interlocutary decrees of county & corporation courts to the Superior Courts of Chancery for the pertinent districts, stipulated that when such appeals were successful the case could not be remanded to the lower court, and provided for appeals from the superior chancery courts to the Virginia Court of Appeals (Acts of Assembly description begins Acts of the General Assembly of Virginia (cited by session; title varies over time) description ends [1815–16 sess.], 17–23, esp. 17–8).

Index Entries

  • An Act, concerning appeals and proceedings in Chancery (1816) search
  • building materials; timber search
  • Clay, Charles; family of search
  • Clay, Charles; legal problems of search
  • Clay, Charles; letters from search
  • Clay, Cyrus B.; conveys letter to TJ search
  • Lynchburg, Va.; timber sold at search
  • tobacco; as cash crop search
  • Virginia; General Assembly search
  • Virginia; judicial appeal process in search
  • Virginia; laws of search