Thomas Jefferson Papers
Documents filtered by: Recipient="Goodman, Jeremiah A." AND Period="Madison Presidency"
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-04-02-0417

Thomas Jefferson to Jeremiah A. Goodman, 1 March 1812

To Jeremiah A. Goodman

Monticello Mar. 1.

Sir

Our distress on the article of hauling obliges me to send for the yoke of steers which were to come from Poplar Forest. you know our situation and will I hope send us a pair which will do solid service. of those which mr Griffin sent while you were here, we have never been able to make any thing. I have given Moses leave to stay a day with his friends. I suppose he can bring on the back of his steers as much corn as will bring them here, on your furnishing him a bag.  I wrote to you on the 21st of February by post; but as I know that letters linger long on the road sometimes, I will repeat here one article of my letter which was pressing. Majr Flood has informed me that mr Duval, his neighbor, can furnish me with 6. or 8. bushels of Burnet seed. two boys on horseback should therefore be sent off immediately with bags which will hold 4. bushels each. the seed is as light as chaff. it is sown half a bushel to the acre. Major Flood’s is 34. miles from Poplar Forest on the great main road leading from New London to Richmond.

I inclose some lettuce seed, and shall be glad if you will sow about 8. or 10. feet of one of the beds behind the stable, and do the same on the 1st day of every month till the fall.Accept my best wishes

Th: Jefferson

RC (PWacD: Sol Feinstone Collection, on deposit PPAmP); partially dated; addressed: “Mr Jeremiah A. Goodman at Poplar Forest near New London by Moses.” PoC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as a letter of “Mar. 1. 12.” and so recorded in SJL.

Moses, one of TJ’s slaves, was born in Bedford County in 1792. He was moved to TJ’s Lego farm in Albemarle County about 1811. Thomas Jefferson Randolph leased him from TJ in 1817 and purchased him from TJ’s estate ten years later (MB description begins James A. Bear Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1246; undated invoice from 1827 estate sale, Jefferson-Kirk Manuscripts, on deposit ViU: TJP).

Goodman’s response of 5 Mar. 1812, not found, is recorded in SJL as received from Poplar Forest on 9 Mar. 1812.

Index Entries

  • burnet search
  • corn; at Poplar Forest search
  • DuVal, William; and burnet seed search
  • Flood, Henry; and burnet seed search
  • food; lettuce search
  • Goodman, Jeremiah Augustus; letters from accounted for search
  • Goodman, Jeremiah Augustus; letters to search
  • Goodman, Jeremiah Augustus; Poplar Forest overseer search
  • Griffin, Burgess; Poplar Forest overseer search
  • lettuce; seeds search
  • livestock; at Poplar Forest search
  • livestock; oxen search
  • Moses (TJ’s slave; b.1792); identified search
  • Moses (TJ’s slave; b.1792); travels to Poplar Forest search
  • overseers; TJ’s instructions to search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); livestock at search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); Overseers at; TJ’s instructions to search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); TJ sends for steers from search
  • seeds; burnet search
  • seeds; lettuce search