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Farm Bourbon, Sunday, 14th, April 1816

Dear Father

The last eve I recd yours of 19. 22. & 26. March
containing plan of the house &c_ I have purchaisd the negro
man, and given Mr. Prentiss a draft on you including the first
draft for 268,$ 37 cents, dated 5th March, the Negro cost 525.$ 75 cents so thats
the amt. of this draft is $794,,02- it is dated 12th March 1816
payable 75 days after date, at the count.g room Messrs. Gilman
& Ammidon Philadel in current bank notes of that city, of this I
have advised you in letters dated 14th & 26 March which I hope
you have recd_ This man has three trades as I have stated
and is the smartest negro I have seen. Mr. Prentiss said
when I purchased him if I did not like him he would
take him, himself, were he put up for sale I have no
doubt he would bring $700_ as far as I have had an oppor-
tunity of judging he is honest, which cant be said of many
(Wilson was a great thief) he has a wife & boy about 6 years
old living near Lexington, whom he is very anxious you
should purchais, as he wishes to live on the same plantation
with his wife, this is uncommon also among the negroes who
will hardly ever live together that they many have an excuse
for visiting_ he says she is a good cook, & understands house
work well, it iwll be far prefferable to purchase her & her
boy, to Charlotte & hers, for from what I have seen of Charlotte
I am not pleas'd with her, she is quite lazy & I suspect not very
honest - in the mean time I shall if I can hire, Charles
(our negros wife for I am obliged to let him go to see
her every fortnight, which makes it inconvenient,
If I should succeed in hireing her & should not have
employment for both shall not retain Charlotte -
but expect I shall be obliged to employ her in light work
outdoors, for it is almost impossible to procure men or
boys, wether it is owing to our being strangers or that their
masters have full employment for them I know not, - it is
customary to give security for the payment, & I do not
feel at liberty to ask this, lest I may be call'd on to