1William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 30 August 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I had last Night the honor of your Letter of the 24 th Inst t and am much gratified by any opportunity of testifying in the smallest degree my high esteem & respect. I am exceedingly obliged by your kind wish to have seen me with the President & his Lady , and M r & M rs Gallatin . To see you, and your amiable & excellent Family would at all times be sufficient Inducement, but if any...
2William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 16 November 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of your very friendly Letter of the 11 th Ultimo , and am much pleased with your wishes to colonize so many Objects of utility and delight. In this Country we have every climate & soil, and certainly whatever will flourish on Earth will flourish with us. I am glad the pair of Sheep got safe, & I will with great pleasure send some more Fig trees in the way you mention, or by...
3William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 7 May 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
We came here to spend two or three Days, for the first time these six months, so closely have I been confined by my Duties, which have encreased to six fold, and I am yet without any Assistant, except when I hire, one at my own expense.—The Patents amounted last year to 219! Among them are Inventions that do honor to our Country. I think the coming Season will be the most abundant in fruit...
4William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 10 May 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
On my arrival in Town on monday Even g last I found the Post had departed that Day, & I therefore buried the Figtrees. I was obliged to take very small ones as you had requested me to send them by the Post as the safest way.— On my return I heard that some merinos had arrived, among which there were a male & Female for you, & a pair also for the President . I went to Alexandria to see them, &...
5William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 8 June 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
I am very glad that the young Fig trees arrived safe, and also that the former ones were still alive. I am much obliged by your kindness in reserving one of the Sheep dogs for me, and if not yet disposed of in consequence of not meeting with a good conveyance hither I must request your further kindness in sending them by the messenger you will despatch for your Merinos to the President’s ,...
6William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 4 September 1810 (Jefferson Papers)
I have so long delayed to write a few Lines to acknowledge your last favour , with an intention of making my Ans r more acceptable, by giving you news &c, that I am really ashamed of an appearance of forgetfulness; and, at this time, when exceedingly pressed by Business, I write, lest I may be still more engaged hereafter. I am exceedingly indebted to you for the very kind present you made me...
7William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 20 January 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
I have this Day had the honor of your Letter of the 14 th Inst: enquiring into the goodness of the Domestic Spinner by Ebenezer Hearrick . Having been very much confined by sickness I sent to the office for the Drawing of Hearrick’s machine. It may possibly answer, but I think it cannot spin fast the length of the thread every motion being very short. It consists of a Frame, a principal Band...
8William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 8 May 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of receiving your Letter concerning the Spinning Machine, & am sorry that I did not know sooner your Inclination to have one of them, and that M r Barrett should have hesitated a moment in sending you one.—He purchased some property of me, and not having made sales of his Machine sufficient to pay me, he gave me a power of attorney to sell his rights in Virginia and to pay...
9Enclosure: William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, [ca. 9 May 1812] (Jefferson Papers)
I have had a measurement made of the Box or Case in which the Machine came packed, and I find it is 7 feet 7 Inches long— 3 feet 3 Inches wide, 2 feet 5 Inches deep.— I thought it necessary to give the dimensions, that you might be better enabled to determine in what way it should be conveyed, provided you conclude to take it. I saw M r Barrett spin a good deal of wool on it, & believe it to...
10William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 18 June 1812 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of your Letter of the 24 th Ult o inclosing fifty Dollars, which I delayed answering from day to day till I am astonished at the lapse of time. I waited in daily expectation of the arrival of your Servant, and had the machine prepared accordingly. I have heard nothing of him yet, and cannot remain any longer silent, lest some accident may have happened.— I am still unwell, but...