Thomas Garth

Thomas Garth (c. 1740-1812) was a resident of Albemarle County and a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson. The two men shared several business connections. Jefferson's memorandum books are dotted with notations such as "beef had of T. Garth" and "tobacco purchased of Garth."^[1]

From around 1772 to 1775, Garth, along with Shadwell overseer Walter Mousley, leased parts of Jefferson's Albemarle county lands for farming.^[2] The lease worked well for Jefferson, who reported receiving corn, fodder, and pork from Garth and Mousley.^[3]

By 1775, Garth had sold Jefferson more than 800 acres of land adjacent to Jefferson's property at Shadwell. Jefferson then leased the land back to Garth, and a deed for the sale was not executed until 1783.^[4] This was the tract that Jefferson would call "Lego."

Between 1776 and 1782, Garth served as Jefferson's steward at Monticello.^[5] He also appears to have acted as Jefferson's financial agent for the latter's properties in Bedford and Goochland counties.^[6]

Thomas Garth later moved to the western part of Albemarle county where he owned a large tract of land. He was appointed as an Albemarle county magistrate in 1791 and served as sheriff in 1807.^[7]

-Nancy Verell, 10/15