John Wayles Eppes to Thomas Jefferson, 27 November 1821
From John Wayles Eppes
Mill Brook Novr 27. 1821.
Dear Sir,
Your letter arrived here while I was absent on a short visit to my sister Lane the management of whose affairs have devolved on me—Firmly persuaded as I am that such a view of the eight years of your administration as would be presented by yourself would be the best antidote to the political poison circulating among us, I should consider myself as violating the duty I owe to my country could I hessitate in putting into your hands the Documents in my possession—I value them highly as comprizing the best materials for an impartial history of the measures of our Federal Government1 from the year 1801. to 1809. Every patriot must look back to this period as the era of sound principles—Why or wherefore we have changed our course & adopted in our measures and above all in our construction of the constitution the old Federal principles is an important question intimately blended with the best interests of your country—
I annex a list of the public documents I have preserved—You can either send for the whole or select such as you wish subject to the condition of being returned after you have done with them—
List of Documents—
1. Journals of the old Congress.2
2. Journals of the Senate & House of Representatives. from the first Session of the 8th Congress to the 1st Session of the 15th3
Public papers laid before Congress
| 1. & 2. Session | 8th Congress. | 4 vols. | |
| 1 & Second Sess. | 9th congress | 4. | |
| 1 & 2d do. | 10. do | 6 | |
| 1 & 2. do. | 11. do | 6 | |
| 1. 2d & 3d | 13. | 3 | |
| 2d Session | 14 | 4. | |
| 1. Session | 15 | 8. | |
| 2. Session | do | 2.4 |
American State papers 1789. to 1815. printed by order of Congress including 1. vol confidential—5
Documents on the subject of our Foreign relations.6
| 1. | Neutral rights— |
| Relations with Spain. | |
| Treaty with Great Britain |
Public accounts from 1801. to 1808.7
American Senator containing debates of Congress During 1798. & 1799.8
I am afraid you will hardly make out to read my letter—The bottle of Ink was left out during this cold weather & is destroyed by the cold—
Present me affectionately to all the family & accept for your joint welfare & happiness the sincere wishes of
Jno W. Eppes
RC (MHi); with TJ’s penciled notes related to his response of 17 Jan. 1822 as noted below; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr Monticello Near Charlottesville Virginia”; stamped; postmarked Raines Tavern, 30 Nov.; endorsed by TJ as received 6 Dec. 1821 and so recorded in SJL.
Eppes had evidently taken charge of the business affairs of his sister Sally (Sarah) Eppes lane following the death on 30 Apr. 1820 of her husband, John Lane (Richmond Enquirer, 5 May 1820). The edition of american state papers owned by Eppes was likely State Papers and Publick Documents of the United States, 10 vols. (2d ed., Boston, 1817). The american senator was a work that actually covered the congressional debates of 1796–97 (Thomas Carpenter, The American Senator. or a copious and impartial report of the Debates in the Congress of the United States, 3 vols. [Philadelphia, 1796–97]).
1. Manuscript: “Governnment.”
2. A penciled opening parenthesis to the left of this entry was presumably added by TJ to indicate that he did not need this material.
3. Following this entry TJ added “8th 9th 10th” in pencil.
4. A penciled opening parenthesis to the left of the preceding five lines was presumably added by TJ to indicate that he did not need this material.
5. Following this entry TJ added “89–1809” in pencil.
6. Following this entry TJ added “this” in pencil.
7. A penciled opening parenthesis to the left of this entry was presumably added by TJ to indicate that he did not need this material.
8. Following this entry TJ added “this” in pencil.
Index Entries
- Carpenter, Thomas; The American Senator. or a copious and impartial report of the Debates in the Congress of the United States search
- Confederation Congress; journal of search
- Congress, U.S.; documents presented to search
- Constitution, U.S.; interpretation of search
- Continental Congress, First; journal of search
- Continental Congress, Second; journal of search
- Eppes, John Wayles (TJ’s son-in-law); and politics search
- Eppes, John Wayles (TJ’s son-in-law); family of search
- Eppes, John Wayles (TJ’s son-in-law); letters from search
- Eppes, John Wayles (TJ’s son-in-law); library of search
- Eppes, John Wayles (TJ’s son-in-law); urges TJ to write history search
- Federalist party; principles of search
- Great Britain; documents on U.S. relations with search
- history; TJ asked to write search
- household articles; ink search
- House of Representatives, U.S.; journals of search
- ink; damaged by cold search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; borrows books search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Public Service; as president search
- Lane, John; death of search
- Lane, Sally (Sarah) Eppes (John Wayles Eppes’s sister; John Lane’s wife); business affairs of search
- Senate, U.S.; journals of search
- Spain; and U.S. search
- State Papers and Publick Documents of the United States; loaned to TJ search
- The American Senator. or a copious and impartial report of the Debates in the Congress of the United States (T. Carpenter) search
- United States; state papers and public documents search
- weather; cold search