- 2119
THOMAS JEFFERSON. AUTOGRAPH DOCUMENT SIGNED, 30 JULY 1812, "WARRANT FOR RESTITUTION" OF HIS LAND
估價
12,000 - 15,000 USD
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招標截止
描述
- Autograph document signed four times in the text (three times “Thomas Jefferson”, and once “Thomas Jefferson of Monticello”), endeavoring to regain land that he believes was unlawfully seized from him
Two pages (7 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.; 197 x 248 mm) 4to, watermarked (dove and olive branch | Amies), Albemarle County [Virginia], 30 July 1812; each leaf separated at central fold and neatly repaired, neat minor repairs at fold edges.
來源
Christie's New York, 22 May 2001, lot 96 (undesignated consignor)
出版
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, ed. Looney, 5:280–281 Malone, The Sage of Monticello, p. 505
拍品資料及來源
The former President endeavors to resore all of his rights to land that he believes was unlawfully impacted by damage from his neighbor's new mill and dam: "...on behalf of the Commonwealth, we charge & command you, that, taking with you the power of the county, if needful, you go to the sd lands, & the same with the appurtenances, you cause to be resiesed, & that you cause the sd Thomas Jefferson to be restored & put into his full possession thereof, according as he [p2] before the entry aforesd was seised, according to the form of the sd statute: and this you shall in no wise omit."
This document marks a late chapter in Jefferson’s troubled twenty-years of dealings and conflicts with the Henderson family. Now widowed Elizabeth (a first cousin) and her ten children, held land adjacent to Monicello. Prior to Bennett Henderson’s death in 1793, they had erected a mill at Mountain Falls on the Rivanna River. With the old mill inoperative, the family began erecting a new mill downstream from one on Jefferson’s property that had been built by his father, Peter. By piling stones to create the dam, the Henderson’s had created a reflux over Jefferson's property line that threatened to impair his mill (Malone 505).
Shortly before his inauguration as president in 1801, Jefferson accepted the offer of his Shadwell tenant, Craven Peyton, to buy property from the Henderson heirs without acknowledging Jefferson's interest. Legal conveyance to Jefferson was completed in 1811, and he could now press his claims openly. Though Jefferson won this legal battle, the Henderson’s continued to be a long-term thorn in his side.
This document marks a late chapter in Jefferson’s troubled twenty-years of dealings and conflicts with the Henderson family. Now widowed Elizabeth (a first cousin) and her ten children, held land adjacent to Monicello. Prior to Bennett Henderson’s death in 1793, they had erected a mill at Mountain Falls on the Rivanna River. With the old mill inoperative, the family began erecting a new mill downstream from one on Jefferson’s property that had been built by his father, Peter. By piling stones to create the dam, the Henderson’s had created a reflux over Jefferson's property line that threatened to impair his mill (Malone 505).
Shortly before his inauguration as president in 1801, Jefferson accepted the offer of his Shadwell tenant, Craven Peyton, to buy property from the Henderson heirs without acknowledging Jefferson's interest. Legal conveyance to Jefferson was completed in 1811, and he could now press his claims openly. Though Jefferson won this legal battle, the Henderson’s continued to be a long-term thorn in his side.