From Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 29 August 1800
To James Madison
Monticello Aug. 29. 1800.
Dear Sir
Before the reciept of your last favor, mr Mc.Gehee had called on me, and satisfied me that the entry of nails delivered in Aug. & left blank was really of nails charged in July & not then delivered. this1 misconception on my part arose from imperfect entries made on the reports of mr Richardson who generally delivered out the nails. I am chagrined at it’s having been the cause of my holding the whole of the 69.23 D of your order on Barnes, when so inconsiderable a portion of it was for me. I now send a statement of our account and the balance of £13–7–2 shall be sent by mr Barber from our court unless a more direct conveyance occurs.
I have recieved no letters of particular information since you were here: nor do I learn any thing lately respecting N. Carolina. the republican papers of Massachusets & Connecticut continue to be filled with the old stories of deism, atheism, antifederalism &c as heretofore & are very silent as to Pinckney.—P. Carr yesterday lost his son; & his daughter is understood to be hopeless. mr Trist has at length made a purchase of lands, those on which James Kerr lived, on the road to mr Divers’s, @ 7. D. the acre. a purchaser has offered for Colo. Monroe’s land above Charlottesville @ 6. D. he came from Loudon, with a mr Craven, recommended to me as a tenant by Genl. Mason. Craven has rented 5. fields of me of 100. acres each on this side the river,2 with all the negroes belonging to the plantation (18 workers) stock, &c. at £350. a year for 5. years. I had before nearly compleated the leasing all my lands on the other side the river, my nailery & the erecting my mill are now to be my chief occupations. I hope to rent the latter advantageously. lands are rising sensibly here. several are wanting to buy, & there is little for sale. I imagine we shall hardly be summoned to Washington before the fixed time of meeting. present my respects to mrs Madison, & affectionate salutations to yourself.
Th: Jefferson
RC (DLC: Madison Papers, Rives Collection); statement of account written on verso (see below); addressed: “James Madison junr., near Orange court house”; franked. PrC (DLC); endorsed by TJ in ink on verso.
Your last favor: James Madison to TJ, before 14 Aug. 1800.
TJ’s statement of his account with Madison reflected charges dated 25 Julyand 23 Aug. 1799 for 23 pounds of fourpenny nails and one pound of oneinch brads at 14½ pence per pound for a total of £1.9.0; 500 1½-inch brads at 12½ pence per pound for 3 s. 8 d.; 26 pounds of tenpenny nails at 11½ pence, totaling £1.4.11; and 35 pounds of sixteen-penny brads at 10 1½ pence for a sum of £1.10.7½. On 12 May TJ paid, at Madison’s request, £1.10.0 at the office of the Aurora for a subscription for Isaac Winston and on 10 Aug. transmitted to Stevens Thomson Mason, also at Madison’s request, £1.10.0 for Charles Holt (, 2:1018, 1024). The total of these debits, £7.8.2 ½, was placed against Madison’s credit—the January order on John Barnes for £20.15.4½—leaving TJ with a balance owed Madison of £13.7.2 (see note above; Tr in DLC, entirely in TJ’s hand).
TJ’s letter of 11 Sep. to James Kerr of Charlottesville was recorded in SJL but has not been found. Kerr, a Scottish immigrant, came about 1762 to Albemarle County, where he purchased property at the head of Ivy Creek. He later leased and then, in 1773, bought from the trustees of John Dabney, the Birdwood plantation, which became his principal residence for 27 years. In 1800 Kerr sold the Birdwood property to Hore Browse Trist and bought a farm on Mechum’s River. In 1808 he sold this property to James Kinsolving, Sr. and relocated to Kentucky (, 244).
For details of TJ’s 12 May and 10 Aug. payments, see , 2:1018, 1024.
1. Word reworked from “the.” PrC: “the.”
2. Preceding five words interlined.