# Isaac A. Coles to Thomas Jefferson, 5 January 1810 CITATION: “Isaac A. Coles to Thomas Jefferson, 5 January 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0090. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 123–124.] URL (original): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0090 URL (fetched, Wayback Machine capture): https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0090 DATE FETCHED: 2026-09-14 TRANSCRIPTION: scholarly edition text (Princeton, Papers of Thomas Jefferson / Madison Papers, as published on Founders Online); text below is verbatim from the fetched page, including the editors' source note and footnotes. Superscripts are flattened by the HTML-to-text conversion (e.g. 'Oct r' = Oct^r, '11 th' = 11^th). NOTE: On the opening of Lewis's trunks in Washington by Clark and Coles; the five bundles of private papers; the memorandum book 'with Some money & his Will'. ---- VERBATIM TEXT (Founders Online page) ---- Isaac A. Coles to Thomas Jefferson, 5 January 1810 From Isaac A. Coles Washington Jan y 5 th 1810. Dear Sir, I take the liberty of sending you by this day’s mail, all the private Papers of the late Gov r Lewis , & of asking the favor of you to suffer them to remain at Monticello, until called for by M r W m Meriwether, for whom they are intended. On the arrival of the Trunks at this place they were opened by Gen l Clarke and my self, when every thing of a public nature was given to the Dep t to which it properly belonged, every thing relating to the Expedition to Gen l Clarke, & all that remained is contained in the five little bundles now directed to you. A large Trunk which had been left in one of the rooms up Stairs in this House, was also opened, and was found to contain several things of little Value, which, with the clothes sent in the two Trunks from Tennessee, & other articles too bulky to be given to the mail, I shall have put up & shipped for Richmond. His Watch & one or two other articles of value, I will either carry to Virginia my self, or give them to Gen l Clarke should he get off before me. You will find that one of the little Packet’s contains Copies of letters from Gov r Lewis—another letters addressed to him, notes &c—a third Receipts, 1 Acc ts &c—a fourth commissions & diploma’s & the fifth a little memorandum Book with Some money & his Will—The Will Gen l Clarke informs me is not his last, & that there is another in the hands of a Gentleman soon expected to arrive here. I have not been able to learn how it differs from the one inclosed— The President has sent to my Brother Edward to take my place, & I am waiting here to know the decision of the House, & to discharge the very few duties that I am Still permitted to perform until he arrives, which will be in the course of a week, if he comes at all, of which I entertain much doubt. I beg to be presented to M rs Randolph & to add my best wishes for Your happiness I. A. Coles RC ( MHi ); at foot of text: “Thomas Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 7 Jan. 1810 and so recorded in SJL . The public and private papers of the late gov r lewis were inventoried in Nashville and allocated to various individuals and departments on 23 Nov. 1809 ( Jackson, Letters of Lewis and Clark description begins Donald Jackson, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents, 1783–1854 , 2d ed., 1978, 2 vols. description ends , 2:470–4). After some initial hesitation about the offer, by 19 Jan. 1810 Coles’s brother edward was acting as President James Madison’s private secretary ( Madison, Papers description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, John C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison , 1962– , 29 vols.: Congress. Ser. , 17 vols.; Pres. Ser. , 5 vols.; Sec. of State Ser. , 7 vols description ends , Pres. Ser. , 2:151n, 193n). 1 . Manuscript: “Recepts.” Index Entries Clark (Clarke), William; and journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition search Clark (Clarke), William; as M. Lewis’s executor search Coles, Edward; as J. Madison’s secretary search Coles, Isaac A.; and affair with Nelson search Coles, Isaac A.; and M. Lewis’s papers search Coles, Isaac A.; letters from search Congress, U.S.; member of assaulted search House of Representatives, U.S.; honor disputes in search Lewis, Meriwether; executor of search Lewis, Meriwether; Lewis and Clark Expedition search Lewis, Meriwether; papers of search Lewis, Meriwether; personal belongings of search Lewis, Meriwether; will of search Lewis and Clark Expedition; journals of search Madison, James; and E. Coles search Meriwether, William Douglas; as M. Lewis’s executor search Randolph, Martha Jefferson (Patsy; TJ’s daughter; Thomas Mann Randolph’s wife); greetings to search Permanent Link What’s this? https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0090 Note: The annotations to this document, and any other modern editorial content, are copyright © Princeton University Press. All rights reserved. Back to top You Are Looking At Source Project Jefferson Papers Title Isaac A. Coles to Thomas Jefferson, 5 January 1810 Author Coles, Isaac A. Recipient Jefferson, Thomas Date 5 January 1810 Reference Cite as “Isaac A. Coles to Thomas Jefferson, 5 January 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0090. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 123–124.] More between these correspondents Preceding From Coles to Jefferson [29 December 1809] Next From Jefferson to Coles [8 January 1810] All All correspondence between Coles and Jefferson