Thomas Jefferson Papers
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Joel Yancey to Thomas Jefferson, 14 October 1819

From Joel Yancey

Bedford 14th Octr 19

Dr Sir

I wrote you about a week ago inclosing Hepburns bill and informing you that the Sheriffs were pushing for the Taxes &c Since then, the sheriff has been to see me, and says he must have your Taxes by the last of this month that is, the day after our Court, he is compel[l]d to go to Richmond, your Taxes amounts this year to 145 dollars and Some cents, $12 more than last year, on Saturday last we had rain and cleared off cold, I was satisfied, there would be frost the next night, and you had about 30,000 Tobo plants standing, and gave particular charge, that none of the People should be out of the way, and that we should have to cutt Tobo all day on Sunday, or lose it by the frost; very early the next morning I found I had not been mistaken, and went over, to put all hands to work, but every man except Armstead at B creek, had gone off and 3 of the women to Lynchburg, and 2 men and 2 women from Tomahawk, the overseer met with Hanahs Billy in the Course of the day and ordered him to assist but he possitively refused a battle ensued, he bitt the overseer badly and made his excape, and has not made his appearance Since probably he may go to Monticello to complain, as several others mean to do, for being compelld to work on Sunday However by great exertion of the overseer and the rest of the hands, we secured every plant, before night that was worth saving, I a[m] very anxious to hear f[rom] and see you at the Forest

I am with the Highest1 Esteem & respect
Yrs truly

Joel Yancey

RC (MHi); edge trimmed and torn at seal; addressed: “Mr Thomas Jefferson Monticello” by “Mail”; franked; postmarked (faint) [Lynchburg], 15 Oct.; endorsed by TJ as received 18 Oct. 1819 and so recorded in SJL.

b creek: Bear Creek.

1Word interlined.

Index Entries

  • agriculture; threshing machines search
  • Armstead (Manuel) (TJ’s slave; b.1794); laborer search
  • Bear Creek plantation (part of TJ’s Poplar Forest estate); slaves at search
  • Billy (TJ’s slave; b.1799); escape of search
  • Hannah (Hanah) (TJ’s slave; b.1770); family of search
  • Hepburn, Alexander; repairs machines search
  • machines; threshing search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); taxes on search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); threshing machine at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); tobacco grown at search
  • slaves; fugitive search
  • slaves; management of search
  • taxes; TJ pays search
  • tobacco; effect of weather on search
  • Tomahawk plantation (part of TJ’s Poplar Forest estate); slaves at search
  • weather; effect on crops search
  • weather; frost search
  • weather; rain search
  • Yancey, Joel (d.1833); as superintendent of Poplar Forest search
  • Yancey, Joel (d.1833); letters from search