Facts About Nailmaking at Monticello
Jefferson set up a nailmaking operation to provide additional income. The nailers, mostly teenagers, probably worked and slept in the nailery. (Pictured: Nails from "L’Encyclopédie" by Denis Diderot and Jean Le Rond D’Alembert, 1783)
For 10 to 14 hours a day, up to a dozen boys pounded out nails in the small, smoky shop—a tedious, repetitive job. (Pictured: Nails found along Mulberry Row)
Jefferson carefully monitored their work. The most productive went on to learn skilled trades. The rest became field hands. (Pictured: Jefferson's record of nail production, 1796, William A. Clark Memorial Library, UCLA)
People to Know: Brown Colbert
Brown Colbert, a member of the extended Hemings family, worked as a nailmaker and household servant.
At age 18, Brown sabotaged the work of a fellow nailer named Cary. Cary hit him over the head with a hammer, nearly killing him. (Video running time: 1:32)
At age 48, Colbert and his family sought freedom in Liberia, in West Africa, but their story ended tragically. (Pictured: "View of the Colonial Settlement at Cape Montserado, Liberia,” 1825, Library of Congress.)
Nailmaking Basics
How nails were made at Monticello (Running time: 1:03)
How many nails could a nailboy make in one day? (Running time: 0:30)