Charles Clay to Thomas Jefferson, 26 May 1812
From Charles Clay
may 26. 1812
Sir,
I came to the Forest the morning you left it for Albemarle, to see you about the land, I wished to know how many acres you found upon the calculation you proposed Making the last time I was with you, as also to know if you would not divide the payment into four Annual instalments, as I found I could with More propriety engage for the payment of Such a Sum upon them terms than for a shorter period and from taking a cursory View of the upper part of the Land1 the day before, I found the most elegible situation to be the Hill on which the barn stands, as being the most elevated, & most Centrical & convenient2 to the whole tract, & did not know but you Might agree to Streighten the road there & turn the Barn over to the other side, which would compleat that fine situation to build upon, & encourage the purchase by the addition of the barn & machine, & would be no great Sucrafice to you, as you propose building one more Convenient to the great body of the remainder of Your Estate to go by Water, I also wanted to know if Messrs Yancy & Radford Consented Clearly that the road might be turnd to run as deleniated on the platt you Shewed me with out requiring any damage therefor
RC (MHi); dateline at foot of text; at head of text: “C. Clay to Mr Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 10 June 1812 and so recorded in SJL.
The morning you left Poplar Forest was 20 May 1812 ( , 2:1278). No transaction between TJ and Clay for a tract of land has been found in the Bedford or Campbell county deed books.
1. Reworked from “tract.”
2. Preceding two words interlined.