James L. Jefferson to Thomas Jefferson, 18 February 1816
From James L. Jefferson
Scotts Ferry Febr 18th 1816—
Dear uncle
I received your letter by Guilley you advice1 in respect to my situation I thank you kindly for your advice. I went to Buckingham C. H on monday last and spoke to the Curator in respect to my situation and he refused to let me have money out of the estate; I then appealed to the Court for justice the court would not authorise the Curator to let me have money out of the estate unless I would choose2 a guardian I then choosed a guardian and he will no doubt do justice by me. I have not been in want of clothing but I thought that I was entitled to funds out of the estate I should be verry happy to come and live with you but I have rented the ferry and the man that I rented it of wont I am affraid compromise with me but if he will I will come over. My anxiety is to travel and that westardly The plantation snowden is to be rented out next week and I had a thought of renting a part of it. the widow has moved to her mothers She had not moved there more then two days before the house caught on fire and bournt everything into ashes. I will let you know in a few days is soon as I can see Mr Thomas the gentleman that I rented the ferry of he is gone to Ricmond.
James L. Jefferson—
RC (ViU: TJP); at foot of text: “Mr Th Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 18 Feb. 1816 and so recorded in SJL.
guilley may have been TJ’s slave Gill Gillette. Although Jefferson claimed he had no want of clothing, a 25 Mar. 1816 receipt to TJ from the Charlottesville firm of Bramham & Jones documents his purchase of “5 p stockings” for his nephew at a cost of 9 shillings per pair, for a total of £2.5 (MS in ViU: TJP; in an unidentified hand; endorsed by TJ: “Jefferson J. Lilburne”).
the widow Mitchie B. Pryor Jefferson had moved in with her mother, Susan B. Pryor, just before fire claimed the house at Snowden she had shared with her deceased husband, TJ’s brother Randolph Jefferson (Edythe Rucker Whitley, Genealogical Records of Buckingham County, Virginia [1984], 106).
1. Manuscript: “advic.”
2. Manuscript: “shoose.”
Index Entries
- Bramham & Jones (Charlottesville firm); receipt from search
- Buckingham County Superior Court of Law, Va. search
- Buckingham Court House, Va. search
- clothing; stockings search
- Gillette, Gill (TJ’s slave; b.1792); as wagoner search
- Jefferson, James Lilburne (TJ’s nephew; Randolph Jefferson’s son); and will of R. Jefferson search
- Jefferson, James Lilburne (TJ’s nephew; Randolph Jefferson’s son); letters from search
- Jefferson, James Lilburne (TJ’s nephew; Randolph Jefferson’s son); TJ invites to live at Monticello search
- Jefferson, Mitchie Ballow Pryor (TJ’s sister-in-law; Randolph Jefferson’s second wife); family of search
- Jefferson, Randolph (TJ’s brother); will of search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; and R. Jefferson’s will search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Family & Friends; relations with J. L. Jefferson search
- Pryor, Susan B. search
- Snowden (R. Jefferson’s Buckingham Co. estate); fire at search
- Thomas, Mr.; J. L. Jefferson rents ferry from search