James Oldham to Thomas Jefferson, 25 August 1822
From James Oldham
University August 25th 1822.
Dear Sir
I have receiv,d 700 feet of good flooreing plank for you, but it is not all in Lengths as you wanted, the 18 ft Lengths is not to be had except it is of the roughest kind of lumber. the Lengths I have got are 12, 14, 16. ft to Wit 31 bords of 12 ft 51 do 14 ft 14 do of 16 feet. to lay a floore with bords that are shorter than the length of the room requirs a little more labour in makeing the heding Joints which should be groved together and the bords aranged thus
J; Oldham
$27–50c Price of the bords delivered.
RC (ViU: TJP); postscript adjacent to closing; addressed: “Thos Jefferson Esqr Monticello”; endorsed by TJ as received from “Oldam James” the day it was written and so recorded in SJL.
heding joints: in woodworking, a heading joint is “a joint between the ends of two boards made at right angles to the grain of the wood” ().