To Thomas Jefferson from John G. Jackson, 2 March 1805
From John G. Jackson
Washington March 2d 1805
Dear Sir—
About ten Millions of acres of land in the district I represent, are claimed by the “Indiana Company” in virtue of a grant from the Indians with which you are acquainted; the importance of the stake has induced us to investigate the grounds of our title, as well as those of the Company; & it has resulted in a discovery that independant of the objection that Individuals cannot purchase the indian title, or preemptive right, without the approbation of the Government within whose limits the lands lie—the lands in question were ceded by the six nations in the year 1744, & that the treaty of cession was confirmed at Logstown in 1752, whereas the claim of the “Company” is predicated on a cession to them in the year 1779—The Confirmation at Loggstown can not be found, & I have been informed that you are well acquainted with all the documents upon this subject—I enclose an extract from the Journal of the Virginia Legislature of Novr. 6th 1753—and I will esteem it as a particular favor if you will honor me with such information as you may have
Your Most Obt. Servt.
J G Jackson
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President of the U States”; endorsed by TJ as received 2 Mch. and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: extract of legislative journal, 6 Nov. 1753, noting transmittal by the governor of “a copy of the Confirmation of the treaty at Lancaster, at Logtown, in 1752” (Tr in same).
John G. Jackson (1777-1825) was raised in Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), the son of a politician and attorney, George Jackson. He was elected to Congress in 1803 and served four terms in the House of Representatives before a dueling injury forced his resignation. Jackson later returned to his congressional seat for two more terms and in 1819 was appointed U.S. district judge for the western district of Virginia. Jackson kept a law practice and was active in a variety of entrepreneurial and agricultural enterprises. His first wife, Mary Payne Jackson, was Dolley Madison’s sister (; ).
with which you are acquainted: TJ was the governor of Virginia when the state voided the Indiana Company’s claim to approximately two million acres of land in western Virginia. In 1802, the company resurrected its claim in a test court case against about 60 of the landholders who had settled in the disputed area. Jackson’s father led the settlers’ ongoing legal fight against the company (Otis K. Rice, The Allegheny Frontier: West Virginia Beginnings, 1730-1830 [Lexington, Ky., 1970], 133; , 2:178n; Vol. 3:147-8).