1To James Madison from William Thornton, [3 March 1817] (Madison Papers)
To prevent any Suspicion of a deficiency in respect to you and your Lady—whom we have never ceased to more than respect & esteem—I am unwilling to permit you to depart without expressing our sincere regret that when your Departure was made known to all our Friends by her farewell visit to them, and they were thereby enabled to pay their parting respects, we remained ignorant thereof, and were...
2William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 19 February 1817 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been waiting till this Day to obtain a Copy of the List of Patents, and lose not a moment in writing to you.— Colonel Trumbull has been here some time, & has expressed satisfaction on viewing the Copy I made of your Portrait. I have placed it in the Congressional Library , in a very superb gilt Frame, that when the members view the works by w ch the inside of your head was so well...
3William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 20 July 1816 (Jefferson Papers)
I lamented very much when you wrote to me for the Portrait by Stewart , that I had not finished a Copy of it; for I was in hopes that the Gentlemen who were engaged in taking the Heads of our worthies, would have done more justice than I could do: but when I saw, on their return, the Portraits of yourself of M r & M rs Madison , I beheld them with amazement.—I did not admire them, but I...
4William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 9 June 1816 (Jefferson Papers)
I have received your very friendly Letter , & I really feel ashamed at putting you to the necessity of writing for the Paintings you were so kind as to lend me to copy;—but still more so to offer any apology for not immediately sending them: however I must do it, for they are yet here. The Head by Stewart I really think one of the finest I ever saw, & having commenced it, I was in hopes of...
5William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 22 March 1816 (Jefferson Papers)
I expected long before now to have returned the fine painting of Stewart & the Drawing of West that you were so obliging as to send to me and for which I am very much obliged, but I have been disappointed in getting the Head modelled, which I wished to have got done by an Italian artist who promised to do it, but has since expressed a wish to do after the original: his name is Valaperta . He...
6William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 4 April 1815 (Jefferson Papers)
W: Thornton ’s respects to the Hon ble Thomas Jefferson, and, according to promise , sends a Copy of the List of Patents for the last Year: he has also the honor of presenting a Copy of the Piece he wrote some years ago, and incloses one for the Hon: Colonel Randolph .— W.T. has this Day seen a model of a machine which prepares Cotton for spinning without Carding. It is a very simple machine,...
7William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 3 April 1815 (Jefferson Papers)
I should before now have answered your esteemed favor of the 9 th Feb y last , but I wished to communicate something relative to the Looms: I find nothing yet worthy of your attention.— I have made several Enquiries relative to the mode of lining the Cisterns for Water. In the West Indies where Pouzzolane abounds, they plaster them in the inside with this Substance mixed with lime & sand, and...
8Enclosure: William Thornton’s Drawing and Description of a Water and Cider Filter, [ca. 3 April 1815] (Jefferson Papers)
Filtering Machine;—which filters per assensum .— A . Under Vessel B . Upper vessel C . Netting or Hair-Cloth when Cyder is to be filtered.— D . Tube of Wood or metal leading from B to A .— E
9William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 11 January 1815 (Jefferson Papers)
I am very much obliged by the kind promise you have been so good as to make of me , of the loan of the two paintings; of which I shall take great care.— A few Days ago a M r Crossbie , formerly from England , called at my Office, and asserts that m r Janes , who took out the Patent for the Loom, obtained the same from one that he ( Crossbie ) had invented, & had then in operation. He means to...
10William Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 11 December 1814 (Jefferson Papers)
I have long owed you a Letter, relative to Clopper ’s Looms: but I wished to see him or hear from him before I should write again. I wrote but received from him no Answer. I wrote to his Brother to enquire where he was, & the proprietor of the Patent right called on me. I said so much to him on the Subject, that I he acknowledged he had done wrong in hold g his rights in Virg a at such a...