A Philadelphia-based dealer of rare historic documents is selling a letter that provides a poignant insight into the family side of a Founding Father.
The July 24, 1805, letter from President Thomas Jefferson to his friend and estate manager discusses the 62-year-old president's desire to have his Poplar Forest plantation in Virginia appraised so he could begin parceling off portions of the property to his grandchildren.
“This important historical discovery shows our nation’s third President as family man, looking to ensure that he would be able to leave something of value to his grandchildren,” said Raab Collection president Nathan Raab.
The Raab Collection in Philadelphia has set the price at $35,000 for the one-page handwritten letter, which belonged to an anonymous collector and has never been available to scholars or the public.
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“This letter is an important contribution to the historical record,” said Raab. “Such discoveries of Thomas Jefferson letters are uncommon particularly when the topic is so important and gives such a rare glimpse into the personal and family lives of people we only know from their public persona.”
