John Gorman to Thomas Jefferson, 12 June [1823], with Thomas Jefferson’s Notes
From John Gorman, with Jefferson’s Notes
June 12th
Sir
Mr Jefferson I will do one floor for you on the terms you purposed If you will Board me while laying and Cutting Which will not Be long as I Will Cut the most of them in the qarry N.B I will Require a hand from you to assist in laying and by this fall I will try and Get one floor done and as for the steps I will see you Shortly about them But at present I will Be Getting Some steps for you. and When I have a Days hawling I will let you Know so as they1 will not Be in my Way—
Jno. Gorman
[Notes by TJ at foot of text:]
the terms I offered were to let him keep Thrimston at a hire by the day of 3. square feet of pavement of the portico, I doing and finding nothing but the hauling.
1823. June 15. I agreed to the above terms, and that Thrimston’s time should begin to be reckoned from this day.
July 3. I agreed if he wd give Thrimston half of every Saturday I would count the week but as 5½ days
deduct from Dec. 25. 1823.2 to Jan. 17. to wit 3. weeks & 2⁄7 @ 5½ days to the week is 18. Days.
RC (MHi); partially dated at foot of Gorman’s letter; addressed: “Mr Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as a letter of 12 June 1823 received the day it was written.
In an undated letter likely sent around this time, Martha Jefferson Randolph wrote to Thomas Jefferson Randolph at Tufton that “The floor of the portico is ript up and the red dirt in it all loosened and partly thrown out. Gormon says that he can do nothing without Thrimston and that it will take him still a week. if it is possible to spare him so long for pity sake let him remain, as we shall all be mired in the very drawin[g] room and dining room if we remain till after harvest in our present condition—necessity has no law so that if you cannot do without Thrimston he must go, but you will be the death of me if you do take him in our present destress of most horrible dirt and discomfort answer if you please your most affectionate and afflicted mother” (RC in ViU: CC; edge trimmed; with repeated “but” editorially omitted).
1. Manuscript: “the.”
2. Manuscript: “1824.”
Index Entries
- building materials; stone search
- Gorman, John; as stonecutter search
- Gorman, John; letters from search
- Hern, Thrimston (Thrimson) (TJ’s slave; b. ca.1799); and J. Gorman search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Dining Room (Breakfast Room) search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Parlor (Drawing Room) search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); slaves at search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); stonework at search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); West Portico search
- quarries; in Va. search
- Randolph, Martha Jefferson (Patsy; TJ’s daughter; Thomas Mann Randolph’s wife); correspondence of search
- Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); and M. J. Randolph search
- Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); as manager of Monticello search
- slaves; at Monticello search
- slaves; cost of hire search