ALS signed “Jas. Monroe,” one page, 7.25 x 6.5, August 13, 1800. Letter to Peter Carr, his neighbor and the nephew of Thomas Jefferson. In full: “I recd. yr. favor at Richmond the other day. I shod. have been explicit when I saw you or before I left the county but intended back so soon, I presumed it unnecessary. You shall have the servants on the terms proposed, accommodating me with the amt. by the 10 of 1 yr. next; Let me know whether you take them in a few days as in case you do not I must make other arrangements.” In fine condition.
Monroe had permanently settled at his plantation, Highland, adjacent to Jefferson’s Monticello, a year earlier in 1799. He generally lived beyond his means and sometimes had to sell or lease property—including his slaves—in order to attend to his personal debts. In this letter, with a tone of urgency, he agrees to terms with Carr for such a transaction. The son of Thomas Jefferson’s sister, Peter Carr remains best known for his central role in the controversy surrounding Jefferson’s relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. For 150 years, it was accepted that Carr was the father of Hemings’s children; however recent genetic testing has disproved this assertion and revealed Jefferson’s likely paternity. Representing the intertwined relationship between founders and the institution of slavery, this is a revelatory letter of exceptional historic significance. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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