1From Thomas Jefferson to William Waller Hening, 14 January 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of Dec. 26. was recieved in due time. the only object I had in making my collection of the laws of Virginia, was to save all those for the public which were not then already lost, in the hope that at some future day they might be republished. whether this be by public or private enterprize, my end will be equally answered. the work divides itself into two very distinct parts, to...
2From Thomas Jefferson to William Waller Hening, 27 February 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
It has not been in my power sooner to acknolege your letter of Feb. 4. after repeating that my printed collection of laws, which are in strong bound volumes, are at your service, I must observe as to the Manuscript volumes, that several of them run into one another in point of time, so that the same act will be found in several volumes, and will require a good deal of collating. but what...
3From Thomas Jefferson to William Waller Hening, 26 February 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Altho’ I recieved your letter of the 7th. on the 10th. inst. this is the first moment it has been in my power to take it up, and consequently it is only this day that I write to mr T. M. Randolph to procure a copy of the act of 1691. which you desire. he cannot recieve my letter till the 3d. of March I am much pleased that the legislature has authorised you to publish all our laws, manuscript...
4From Thomas Jefferson to William Waller Hening, 7 June 1808 (Jefferson Papers)
Being to leave this tomorrow for Washington, & not having had the expected pleasure of seeing, and examining with you my collection of MS. laws, I have selected the eight volumes described in the inclosed list, which are all I possess which I suppose can contribute to your work. they are packed in a box and will be delivered to yourself or order. I think they should go down by water, as there...
5Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 25 July 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of the 8 th was recieved only on the 20 th . I do not know that the publication of Newspapers was ever prohibited in Virginia . my collection of newspapers begins in 1741. but I have seen one newspaper of about 3. years earlier date, as well as I can recollect. The first printed laws printed in Virginia , was I believe the collection of 1733. till the beginning of our revolutionary...
6Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 28 August 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
By a letter just recieved from mr George Jefferson I learn that I had deposited with him my volume of ‘Fugitive sheets’ or Session acts from 1734. to 1772. with an injunction not to deliver it out of his own possession, while the volumes of newspapers were delivered to mr Burke , & are consequently lost I fear. knowing your care of such things you are freely welcome to recieve from mr...
7Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 1 October 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
In answer to the request expressed in your’s of Sep. 4. (which came to hand only this morning) that I would transcribe a line or two of the first act in my copy of the laws of 1660. I have to observe that the only copy of those laws I possessed was one made by myself from that in the office of the general assembly, and that it was among those I sent you & described under N o 4. in the list I...
8Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 1 December 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
After my return from Richm od ond I took a journey to Bedford from which I have been returned but about a week. that time has been occupied by an accumulation of letters during my absence which required answers, & have left me time to cast but a cursory eye over the volume of laws you were so kind as to send me. this prevents my being more particular in the inclosed letter , which however is...
9Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 1 December 1809 (Jefferson Papers)
I have duly recieved the 1 st vol. of your collection of our statutes at large, & return you my thanks for it. the opinion I entertain of the importance of the work may be justly inferred from the trouble & expence I incurred during the earlier part of my life, to save such remains of our antient laws as were then still in existence. the compilation appears to be correctly & judiciously done...
10Thomas Jefferson to William W. Hening, 11 March 1815 (Jefferson Papers)
Congress having concluded to replace by my library the one which they lost by British Vandalism, it is now become their property, and of course my duty to collect and put in place whatever belongs to it. this obliges me to request of you the return of the V th vol. of my Collection of the Virginia laws, being that in which the Sessions acts were bound together. should there be in the volume...