Thomas Jefferson Papers

William Caruthers to Thomas Jefferson, 26 March 1813

From William Caruthers

Lexington 26th Mar 1813

Sir

Your Kind Offer of a pair of Lambs I Will accept With many thanks I Will contrive Some Way to Get them Over & from your Discription of that Breed of Sheep I have Written to Mr Randof to Save me all the Ewe Lambes he Will Spare, (for which I Will pay him his price) I Wish to commence a flock this Summer and We have paid no attention to improveing our Breed of Sheep in this country if I Should Succeed in Getting a Marino Ram I Suppose a Cross of him With your Old Spanish Breed Will Make Good Wool I Would be Glad to Get a Couple of Shepherds Doggs also as I purpose as Soon as my flock1 is of Sufficient Size to Graze them in the mountain in Summer2

Accept My Best Respects3

Wm Caruthers

RC (DLC); between dateline and salutation: “Thos Jefferson Esqr”; mistakenly endorsed by TJ as a letter of 26 Nov. 1813 received 2 Apr. 1813 and recorded in SJL as a letter of 2 Apr. 1813 received that same date.

1Manuscript: “flouk.”

2Manuscript: “Sumer.”

3Manuscript: “Respets.”

Index Entries

  • Caruthers, William; and sheep husbandry search
  • Caruthers, William; letters from search
  • Caruthers, William; TJ offers sheep to search
  • dogs; shepherd search
  • merino sheep; and W. Caruthers search
  • merino sheep; breeding of search
  • Randolph, Thomas Mann (1768–1828) (TJ’s son-in-law; Martha Jefferson Randolph’s husband); Spanish sheep of search
  • sheep; and dogs search
  • sheep; Spanish search