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From:
Jon Kukla <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 2 Dec 2005 11:20:42 -0500
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With thanks to half a dozen folks who replied off-list - Tom Costa, Peter
Bergstrom, Henry Wencik, Greg Stoner and Sandy Treadway - I'll summarize a
few findings about TJ & boats etc.
   Jefferson's memorandum books (edited by James Bear and Cinder Stanton)
don't go back before 1767 (because his earlier books and papers burned
at Shadwell) but starting then there are lots of entries for his
payments of ferriage - in fact the index entries under ferries fill
about 3 pages.
Typically when Jefferson went to/from Rosewell, he travelled either via
the ferry at Yorktown across to Gloucester Point (often with an entry for
food and "entertainment) to the innkeeper at York who also ran the ferry.
  And then one typically finds TJ's entries for gratuities paid to
servants at various of the plantations where his friends lived -
Willis's and Burwell's en route to the Pages at Rosewell.  Jefferson
also distinguishes between payments made for "ferriage" or to "ferrymen"
from payments made to "watermen" at Rosewell and elsewhere.  My hunch is
that this distinction is between regularly established public ferries
and ad hoc boat rides by a local "waterman."
  Its been suggested that boats don't turn up in inventories because they
may have been regarded as "real" rather than "personal" property -- and
I've been reminded that Arthur Middleton's under-appreciated Tobacco
Coast has good discusssions of ferries in Va and Md.  -- and of the CW
research reports on many subjects - copies of which are sometimes found
at UVA and/or LVA - and access to which is easy by searching the
Rockefeller Library's on-line catalogue at the CW website.

  The Reverend William Bland and Mary ("Polly") Stith, daughter of the
president of W&M, have also been identified - which gives me 30 out of
32 of TJ's circle of college friends. As to the exact identities of Ned
and Bob - there were a lot Edwards and Roberts among the branches and
generations of the Carter family, but there's no doubt about their
general status within this circle of tidewater gentry 20-somethings,
etc.
   Echoing my private responses - I extend many thanks to VA-HISTers all.
Have a good weekend.


Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President
Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial
1250 Red Hill Road
Brookneal, Virginia 24528
www.redhill.org

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