Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson’s Plats of Poplar Forest Boundaries, 14 December 1817

VI. Thomas Jefferson’s Plats of Poplar Forest Boundaries

scale 50. po. to the inch. platted Dec. 14 17.

Course pursued in making this plat. Dec. 14 17.

Began at the white (or Span. o. as sometimes called) corner

S. 88. W. 85. po. a marked line

N. 52. W. 148. po. a marked line to Clarke’s chesnut.

then from the Chesnut, platted his full marked line N. 62. E

that line continued to the Poplar Forest is mine

& the same, stopping at Cobb’s wherever it is fixes his next line, by Mosely’s pat. 62. po.


then I begun again at the w.o. corner

N. 70. W. 31. po. to the 2 piles of stones, along the road.
N. 38. W. 145. po. to a Chesnut marked side line in P.F.
 19.50 to a red oak side line on Cobb’s path.
23. to suspicious pointers 10.f. to the left.

then begun at the 2. stones.
N. 70. W. 100. po. to where my road forks off.
N. 73. W. 69.12
N. 50. W.  2. po. to crossg Cobb’s path.
47.36. along road, then leaving it
S. 70. W.1 3½ po. to w.o. stump
N. 50. W. 10. to our Begg Dec. 9. pile stones
 12½ to fore & aft white oak
 99. to corner beyond N. Lond. road
121½
  [On a separate sheet:]  

 

a. is where the p.o. would be by the survey of our own lines

b. where it would be by that of Cobb’s

it’s place on the line is where Organ’s courses found it.

  [On a separate sheet:]  

Scale 50. po. to the inch   made on the work of Dec. 14.

 

MS (ViU: TJP, TB [Thurlow-Berkeley] no. 1136 [532m–7, 5, 8]); entirely in TJ’s hand; on three separate sheets: the first originally measuring 9⅞ by 7⅞ inches, with a small blank scrap pasted on; the second measuring 7⅞ by 3⅝ inches; and the third originally measuring 7⅞ by 9⅞ inches, with two additional scraps pasted on, on one of which the drawing is continued; with the second and third plats undated but the former probably and the latter definitely prepared after 14 Dec. 1817.

span. o.: Spanish oak. n. lond.: New London. p.o.: post oak.

1Reworked from “E.”

Index Entries

  • Clarke, Mr. (Bedford Co. landowner); and survey of Poplar Forest search
  • Cobbs, William; and survey of Poplar Forest boundaries search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Plats of Poplar Forest Boundaries search
  • Moseley (Mosely), Mr. (Bedford Co. landowner); and survey of Poplar Forest search
  • New London, Va.; road from search
  • Organ, John; and survey of Poplar Forest search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); roads search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); surveys of search
  • roads; at Poplar Forest search
  • surveying; and Poplar Forest boundaries search