Thomas Jefferson to Craven Peyton, 10 January [1810]
To Craven Peyton
Monticello Jan. 10. 09. [1810]
Dear Sir
You proposed to me at court the hiring one of the shoemakers of your late brother, which at that time I declined. I will now however be willing to take him and should prefer having the one which can sew the neatest.
I really think the house, garden Etc at Bunker’s hill rents too low. it cannot be worth less than 50.D and I suppose that this is the time for fixing it’s rent at a proper point. for if it is now rented to mr Randolph too low, it will not be possible to raise it hereafter. no one could build such a house for the purpose of renting at less than 100.D. however I leave it to yourself to settle with mr R. will you be so good as to let me know as to the shoemaker, when he will come, & his hire.
Th: Jefferson
PoC (MHi); misdated; at foot of text (torn): “[. . .] Peyton”; endorsed by TJ as a letter to Craven Peyton of 10 Jan. 1810 and so recorded in SJL.
On 15 Jan. 1810 TJ hired Buck, one of John Peyton’s shoemakers, paying $10 a month. He quit on 10 Mar. of that year, having earned $17.76, to which TJ added a $1.25 gratuity ( , 2:1253). TJ soon leased Thomas Eston Randolph the house, garden etc at bunker’s hill, formerly a part of Bennett Henderson’s Albemarle County estate, at an annual rent of $60 (TJ to Randolph, 2 Apr. 1811).
A letter from Craven Peyton of 10 Jan. 1810, not found, is recorded in SJL as received from Monteagle the same day.
Index Entries
- Buck (John Peyton’s shoemaker) search
- Bunker’s Hill (Albemarle Co.) search
- Monticello (TJ’s estate); shoemaker for search
- Peyton, Craven; and lease of TJ’s land search
- Peyton, Craven; and shoemaker for TJ search
- Peyton, Craven; letters from accounted for search
- Peyton, Craven; letters to search
- Peyton, John; shoemaker employed by search
- Randolph, Thomas Eston (TJ’s cousin); leases house from TJ search
- rent; TJ leases house to T. E. Randolph search