Joel Yancey to Thomas Jefferson, 31 May 1821
From Joel Yancey
P. Forest 31th May 21
Dr sir
Your Tobo was put on board a Boat and left Lynchburg on last Friday, 7 Hhds, and directed to Capt Peyton, I should have informd you immediately, but you know, the mail to charlotteville leaves Lynchburg on friday morning, and the Tobo was not a float, till after the mail had started, this will be put in the P. offeice to day, and will I hope get to hand by the 2 or 3rd June, the boat could carry only 7 Hhds, there is 1 inferior Hhd left, and 500lb also very indifferent, with which and a parcel of my own, I shall make out a Hhd and send it to Lynchburg within a few days. this is all of the most indifferent kind of Tob: and had I think better be sold in Lynchbirg
Should you intend to get any fish for the negroes this Summer, I think it would be best for them, could they get them during Harvest, as I believe their Stock of meat has been consumed long Since, and fresh meat does not agree with Labourers in very warm weather so well as salt provisions, I have received 100 dollars in part for the wheat, there is 43. dollrs and cents due which I expect to get in a few days, which will nearly pay all my old debts that have been pressing, but there are others due to morrow, which will be equally pressing, I mean my assumsetts for Bishop, and the Horses1 which I informd mr Randolp of, and he was good enough to promise2 to provide the means to enable me to meet them, as these People live in the western Country & a desappointment would be a serious injury to them, we have planted Some Tobo and shall plant the next season more than ½ our crop, our plants have grown rapidly for few days past I am Satisfied now, that we shall have the greatest plenty in good time, we are all well, except some old complaints, Billy is still out, he and his comraids, takes a shoat or a Lamb every day or two from us. yrs with the Highest Respect
Joel Yancey
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 4 June 1821 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Thomas Sumter, 23 July 1821, on verso; addressed: “Mr Thomas Jefferson Monticello”; franked; postmarked Lynchburg, 1 June.
1. TJ here interlined “3. horses 135.D.”
2. Preceding two words interlined.
Index Entries
- Bishop, Jonathan; as overseer search
- boats; carriage to and from Richmond search
- fish; at Poplar Forest search
- food; fish search
- Hern, William (TJ’s slave; b.1801); escape of search
- horses; at Poplar Forest search
- horses; TJ buys search
- Lynchburg, Va.; boats traveling to and from search
- Lynchburg, Va.; tobacco shipped to search
- Peyton, Bernard; and TJ’s tobacco search
- pigs; stolen search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); fish for search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); horses at search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); management of search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); tobacco grown at search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); wheat grown at search
- Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); as manager of Poplar Forest search
- Richmond, Va.; boat carriage to and from search
- Richmond, Va.; tobacco shipped to search
- sheep; lamb search
- slaves; food for search
- slaves; fugitive search
- tobacco; grown at Poplar Forest search
- tobacco; in Lynchburg market search
- wheat; at Poplar Forest search
- wheat; price of search
- Yancey, Joel (d.1833); as superintendent of Poplar Forest search
- Yancey, Joel (d.1833); letters from search