1To George Washington from William Thornton, 3 October 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 3 Oct. 1799. On 6 Oct. GW wrote Thornton : “Your letter of the 3d was recd last Night.”
2To George Washington from William Thornton, 25 December 1798 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 25 Dec. 1798. On 30 Dec. GW wrote Thornton : “Your favor of the 25th instant . . . has been duly received.”
3William Thornton to GW, 8 October 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: William Thornton to GW, 8 Oct. 1797. On 10 Oct. GW wrote Thornton : “Your favours of the 6th & 8th instant have both been received.”
4To George Washington from William Thornton, 28 January 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 28 Jan. 1799. On 30 Jan. GW acknowledged the receipt of Thornton’s “favor of the 28th instant.”
5To George Washington from William Thornton, 24 September 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 24 Sept. 1799. On 29 Sept. GW wrote Thornton : “Your letter of the 24th instant . . . came to my hands.”
6To George Washington from William Thornton, 30 November 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 30 Nov. 1799. GW wrote Thornton on 1 Dec. : “Your favour of the 30th Ulto . . . came to my hands this morning.”
7To George Washington from William Thornton, 13 November 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 13 Nov. 1799. On 18 Nov. GW wrote Thornton : “Your favour of the 13th inst: came duly to hand.”
8From George Washington to William Thornton, 2 November 1798 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to William Thornton, 2 Nov. 1798. ALS , sold by B. Altman & Co., December 1969. Altman’s advertisement indicates that the letter was signed “with very great esteem and regard.”
9To George Washington from William Thornton, 7 December 1799 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 7 Dec. 1799. GW thanked Thornton on 8 Dec. for “the communications contained in your letter of yesterday.”
10To John Adams from William Thornton, 28 January 1801 (Adams Papers)
We do ourselves the honor to present to you a state of the business under our care, and of the public property belonging to the federal seat, with an estimate of its value, founded, not on mere supposition, but on the average of former sales. This report would have been made at an earlier day, had it not been delayed by the unfortunate death of Mr. Scott. We have the honor to be, with...
11To George Washington from William Thornton, 16 October 1798 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from William Thornton, 16 Oct. 1798. On 18 Oct. GW wrote Thornton : “I regret, not having received your letter of the 16th until last night.”
12To Thomas Jefferson from William Thornton, 31 December 1800 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been too long acquainted with your Goodness and Benevolence to hesitate in making to you an Application in behalf of one of the most worthy Men of my Acquaintance.—I informed you of the Death of my much esteemed Friend and Colleague Mr: Scott , and I doubt not that many Applications will be made to succeed him. I have not heard of any, nor have I received any Application direct or...
13To George Washington from William Thornton, 3 July 1799 (Washington Papers)
I have just received your Favour of the 2nd Inst: and am highly sensible of your goodness in estimating so much the little I have yet been capable of doing to serve you. I only lament that I have not had it more in my power to shew my Inclination to repay in part your manifold kindness. The check on the Bank of Alexandria for one thousand Dollars, which you enclosed to me I immediately paid on...
14To George Washington from William Thornton, 19 April 1799 (Washington Papers)
When Colonel Lear was here he said you were desirous of knowing if Mr Blagdin had laid in all the materials requisite for your Houses, as you thought they would not only be likely to rise, but probably be difficultly obtained properly Seasoned. I called on him, but not meeting with him I went the Day before yesterday to his Partner Mr Lenthall, who informed me that every Contract was made, and...
15To George Washington from William Thornton, 6 October 1797 (Washington Papers)
I have sent the Section of Square No. 21, with an Alteration made by the red Line, which is allowing as much as the Surveyor, on attentively considering the Ground, thinks can be made with propriety. I have directed the general plan of the Levels to be made correspondent. I request you will be pleased to accept a Dozen Bottles of what may be truly called The heart of Oak. It is old Spirit that...
16To George Washington from William Thornton, 24 April 1799 (Washington Papers)
I had the honor of your Letter of the 21st, and am afraid that I have not expressed sufficiently clearly my Direction to have the Cills of the exterior Doors of the Basement of Stone. The Cills of the Ground Floor or Entrance are to be, by Specification, as you supposed, of Stone, as well as the Frontispieces. I meant the Cills of the exterior Doors opening from the Areas into the passages...
17To George Washington from William Thornton, 25 June 1799 (Washington Papers)
The Day on which I had the honor of receiving your last favour I waited on Mr Blagdin, and communicated the contents. He had not then gotten the Boxes of Glass, therefore Coll Gilpin would no doubt take the first opportunity of returning the Box which came to him by mistake. I should not have delayed answering your Letter, but at the time it arrived I received one from Mr Anderson, by which I...
18To George Washington from William Thornton, 30 October 1798 (Washington Papers)
I had yesterday the honor of your very kind Letter, inclosing a check on the Bank of Columbia, for five hundred Dollars, to be appropriated to the erection of the Houses you contemplate, which shall be duly applied. The Deeds will require re-copying on stampt paper, which I will take care to execute. I return my sincere thanks for your goodness in offering me the Advantage to be derived from...
19To George Washington from William Thornton, 21 December 1798 (Washington Papers)
I had this Moment the honor of your Letter of yesterday’s Date, inclosing a Check for five hundred Dollars, on the Bank of Alexandria; wch shall be duly appropriated to the prosecution of your two Houses in the City of Washington. I will make the necessary Enquiries of Mr Blagdin relative to any Alteration you may be pleased to direct. It is a Desideratum in Architecture to hide as much as...
20To George Washington from William Thornton, 5 December 1799 (Washington Papers)
In answer to the Letter which I had the honour of receiving from you Yesterday I have the pleasure of informing you that there is nothing to be paid for the Fruit Trees in addition to what you subscribed to Leflet, therefore if you will be pleased to specify the numbers of each Sort omiting any kinds you may not be inclined to have & calculating what you take at 1s. Maryld Cury ⅌ Tree to the...
21To George Washington from William Thornton, 12 February 1799 (Washington Papers)
This morning I received the Statement of the Glass requisite for your Buildings, which I take the earliest opportunity of transmitting. Mr Blagdin has not yet called for any part of the thousand Dollars you deposited in the Bank of Alexandria. If your forbearance to others should render any Application for Discounts at Bank necessary, I would advise that you do not take up any until it is...
22To George Washington from William Thornton, 5–6 June 1799 (Washington Papers)
According to the Desire you signified of knowing how soon Mr Blagdin would require a further Advance of Money, I requested him, the Day after your Departure, to state the Sum and time. He told me that he should shortly have to remit Money to Mr Littleton Dennis, on the Eastern Shore, for Materials, & should want a thousand Dollars by the 15th Instant. I told him that such rapid payments were...
23To George Washington from William Thornton, 14 February 1799 (Washington Papers)
I have this Morning obtained the Prices of the Boston Glass, which is of a very good quality; and, if, on enquiry, no cheaper can be had, equally good, it may be sent for at any time you will be pleased to direct. I should not have failed to make the necessary Enquiries here, but we have no Importers. My Colleague Mr Scott has been for several Days indisposed, and incapable of meeting me. I...
24To George Washington from William Thornton, 18 March 1799 (Washington Papers)
I received your Favour of the 14th Inst. with the present of the three valuable Trees with which you have honored me by Coll Lear—The weather was so bad that he could not send them till the Day before yesterday, so that they were two Days out of the Ground, and there was no mould round them. I know as a Farmer that good mould is very scarce in some places. As soon as I got the Trees I planted...
25To Thomas Jefferson from William Thornton, 7 May 1800 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of your favor of the 23d Ultimo. by Mr Barnes, whose short stay here prevented me from enjoying the gratification of shewing such attentions as I could wish, independent of your friendly recommendation, to which I shall at all times be exceedingly happy to pay particular respect.—Though I believe he is not unfavourably impressed with the Situation & appearance of our new City,...
26To George Washington from William Thornton, 25 October 1798 (Washington Papers)
Some Days before the Board had the honor of your last Communication I had applied to Mr Blagdin to make out all the various Estimates expressed in your Favour to me of the 18th Instt, and I meant to obtain a Specimen of the different mouldings; thinking your People could work better by them, than by Drawings. What I requested was only in proviso; for I thought it might finally be a matter of...
27To George Washington from William Thornton, 31 May 1799 (Washington Papers)
Finding that the Board of Commissrs were exceedingly urged, by Mr George Walker, to lay off and divide certain small portions of Ground, within the lines of his property, between the intersection of various Avenues & Streets, which do not appear in the general plan of the City to have ever been designed for private Occupancy; and perceiving the Board were disposed to adopt the proposal, I...
28To George Washington from William Thornton, 19 July 1799 (Washington Papers)
I was honored, in due Course of post, with your Favour of the 14th to which I should have replied sooner, but was desirous of knowing, from as many quarters as I could, the probable rent of Houses to be built for the accommodation of Congress. The general Idea of renting Houses in America is, to charge 10 ⅌ Ct on the Expenditures, if these are made with Economy; for Taxes are high; the abuse...
29To George Washington from William Thornton, 1 September 1799 (Washington Papers)
As soon as I had the honor of your Favour of the 28th Ulto I made the necessary Enquiry of Mr Blagdin, but did not receive his Answer till yesterday Afternoon, as he had a Statement to make of some Ironmongery wanted for the Houses. This return I enclose, but if it should be inconvenient to you to order the Articles, either Mr Blagdin or I will get them for you. He informs me he shall have...