During his retirement years, Thomas Jefferson was surrounded by his twelve grandchildren, and he took great joy in pleasing them. He traditionally gave each grandchild a watch, and directed in his will that this practice should continue after his death. Although he owned and gave gold watches as presents, during most of his lifetime Jefferson customarily wore a silver pocket watch.

Primary Source References

1783 January 14. "Pd. Clarke for mendg. watch 3/9."[1]

1783 March 1. "Pd. ... mendg. watch 3/9."[2]

1783 April 10. "Pd. ... Wood mendg. watch 18/."[3]

1783 November 21. "Pd. for watchchain 7/6."[4]

1786 March 14. "Pd. for a watchchain 14/."[5]

1786 April 11. "Pd. ... needle for watch 42/."[6]

1786 June 1. "Pd. Meyer balance for watch, & key 507₶–9."[7]

1789 January 1. "Pd. Chanterot for a watch 240₶."[8]

1789 March 6. "Pd. Meyer for works of an alarm watch 168₶."[9]

1789 April 12. "Pd. Charpentier for 6. spiral springs 9₶."[10]

1789 May 11. "Pd. ... Chanterot. watch work in ful 393[₶]."[11]

1789 May 13. "Pd. ... for watch chains 11f4."[11]

1789 September 7. "Pd. for a watch chain 9₶."[13]

1791 April 25. "Leslie mendg. watch key &c. 1.D."[14]

1791 July 22. "Voigt mending watch .5."[15]

1791 November 22. "Pd. Voight mendg. watch 3.D."[16]

1793 August 10. "Pd. Voight for mending & cleaning watch 4.67."[17]

1793 December 30. "Pd. Voight mendg. watches 1.D."[18]

1794 June 3. "... watchmaker 8/."[19]

1797 March 12. "... Chaudron cleaning watch 2.D."[20]

1798 February 10. "... for mending watch 1."[21]

1798 March 5. "Pd. Voight for mending watch 3.D."[22]

1800 March 19. "Pd. Voight mending watch 1.5."[23]

1806 July 11. (Jefferson to Henry Voight). "A friend of mine has requested of me to procure for him a plain, but good silver watch, with a second hand, and the works capped to protect them from dust."[24]

1808 January 6. "Drew ord. on bk. US. for … Henry Voight for 85.D. for a watch."[25]

1808 April 11. "Pd. Joseph Daugherty for Rigden for mending watch 7.D."[26]

1808 May 18. "Pd. Pitman for mending watch .50."[27]

1809 February 20. "Pd. ... Kent cleaning watch 1.50."[28]

1811 June 3. "Repaid Mr. Patterson 5.D. which he pd. Rigden mending watches."[29]

1813 May 20. (Jefferson to Thomas Voight). "[C]ould a gold watch, good and moderately ornamented for a lady, be now got in Philadelphia, for a moderate price, say from 80. to 100.D.?"[30]

1813 July 1. (Thomas Voight to Jefferson). "... In Concequence of the War, watches have taken a Verry Considerable Rise; and I find that I Can get no Good ones of that disscription, such as I Could Recommend, for less than a $100—or a 110 Dollars."[31]

1813 July 30. (Jefferson to Thomas Voight). "... I will now ask the favor of you to procure for me such a gold watch as I described in my letter of May 20. that is to say, excellent in it's quality, but only moderately ornamented, just enough to make it fit for a lady. on a similar occasion of such a watch from your father in 1808. mr Short procured for me a chain of Paris gold (in several strands of very minute links), price 18.D. and a chrystal seal, not set, but in a solid peice, of the form in the margin price 2.D. I should be glad to receive such now with the watch."[32]

1817 October 26. (Jefferson to John Wayles Eppes). "I have procured from Leschot for mrs Eppes a very elegant watc[h] and of the very best construction being of the kind called à cylindre horizontal; the only inconvenience of which is that they require being touched with oil a little oftener than the others. he had no watch of the common construction which was proper for a lady. he required 40.D. boot, allowing only 30.D. for the gold of the old watch, the works being entirely past use. … I know that the Richmond watchmakers are as absolute murderers of a watch as your neighbor watchmaker."[33]

1819 April 8. "Drew on Jas. Leitch in favor of Louis Leschot for 165.64 for watches."[34]

References

  1. ^ MB, 1:526. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  2. ^ MB, 1:528. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  3. ^ MB, 1:530. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  4. ^ MB, 1:540. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  5. ^ MB, 1:612. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  6. ^ MB, 1:620. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  7. ^ This gold timepiece was made by Louis Chantrot who worked under the name of Meyer. Jefferson bought these watches for James Madison and Nathaniel Barrett, as well. MB, 1:628, 1:628n23. Transcription and editorial note available at Founders Online.
  8. ^ MB, 1:723. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  9. ^ MB, 1:727. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  10. ^ MB, 1:729. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  11. ^ MB, 1:733. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  12. ^ MB, 1:733. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  13. ^ MB, 1:741. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  14. ^ MB, 2:816, 2:816n40. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  15. ^ MB, 2:829, 2:829n96. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  16. ^ MB, 2:838. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  17. ^ MB, 2:900. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  18. ^ MB, 2:908. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  19. ^ MB, 2:916. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  20. ^ MB, 2:956. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  21. ^ MB, 2:979. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  22. ^ MB, 2:980. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  23. ^ MB, 2:1015. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  24. ^ Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts, Massachusetts Historical Society. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  25. ^ This was a gold watch that Jefferson gave to Ann Cary RandolphMB, 2:1218, 1:1218n52. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  26. ^ MB, 2:1223. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  27. ^ MB, 2:1225. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  28. ^ MB, 2:1241, 2:1241n27. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  29. ^ MB, 2:1266. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  30. ^ PTJ:RS, 6:117-18. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  31. ^ PTJ:RS, 6:258. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  32. ^ PTJ:RS, 6:338-39. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  33. ^ PTJ:RS, 12:137-38. Transcription available at Founders Online.
  34. ^ MB, 2:1353, 2:1353n7. Transcription available at Founders Online.