Thomas Jefferson to Wilson Cary Nicholas, 20 September 1819
To Wilson Cary Nicholas
Monticello Sep. 20.1 19.
Dear Sir
I recieved yesterday only (altho’ in a letter of the 9th) notice from the bank of the US. that one of the notes endorsed by me would fall due the 20/23 inst. the other Oct. 17/20. instead of a renewal I have thought it better to execute at once a bond for2 both. I therefore inclose it to you as executed by Jefferson & myself & needing only your execution to enable me to inclose it to the bank by tomorrow’s mail, together with a copy of a deed of trust which the bank required to be made to Jefferson to render him competent as the third3 person they required to the bond. this deed is for one of my plantations in Bedford. these ceremonies being executed, I shall place myself entirely under your care, satisfied confidently that you will protect me from loss & from any advance, which I could not meet but by the sale of lands. some sales have taken place in Bedford which shew that lands cannot now be sold there for one year’s rent. indeed the neighborhood of the bank there has desolated the whole county as well as broken up Lynchburg.
All are well at Tufton and I renew the assurance of my affectionate esteem & respect
Th: Jefferson
RC (MHi); at foot of text: “W. C. Nicholas esq.”; endorsed by Nicholas. PoC (MHi); on verso of reused address cover to TJ; torn at seal; endorsed by TJ. Enclosure: Bond of Wilson Cary Nicholas, TJ, and Thomas Jefferson Randolph to the Second Bank of the United States, 15 Sept. 1819, document 2 in a group of documents on Jefferson’s Mortgage of Bedford County Land, 15 Sept. 1819.
On 15 Sept. 1819 Elizabeth Trist reported from Monticello to her grandson Nicholas P. Trist that (one word editorially corrected) “Mr Jefferson and the two youn[g] Ladies returnd from poplar Forest yesterday in time for Dinner he dont boast of very good health being Rheumatick the Girls quite hearty Mrs Randolph has been unwell so much so as to be confined to her bed for three days but is much better the Colonel sett of yesterday morning for Richmond on business Mr Jefferson Seems in pretty good sperits notwithstanding he has 20,000$ in jeopardy they cajole him with the hope that Wilson N will have property enough to pay off all the securityships but this family think otherwise they call’d at Warren yesterday Mr Jefferson told me that Mr Nicholas look’d miserable and so does his Lady Mrs Randolph says that her Father will have to sell part of his estate to redeem his securityship and property will not sell for half its value there never was such a time known before in America even during the Revolutionary War for the Banks have encouraged every species of extravagance by creating a ficticious wealth which Mr Jefferson says that those who borrow’d so much on usurious interest and borrow’d Money of the Banks to make a dash with knew that they cou’d not pay what they borrowd and if the Banks are sufferd to go into operation that our Country will never prosper it is altogether a Gambleing system and will ultimately ruin the Country Lynchburg is deserted almost, not more than 4 Stores left in the place and the Farmers round the country who let out their money 12 pr cent have lost it all the times are bad every where.” Later in the letter, Trist listed those in residence at Monticello: “I will give you the names of our present family in the first place Mrs David Randolph and a protagee of hers a young woman who sits in her chamber and sews is waited upon as a Lady Mrs Hackley her 2 Daughters and her Spanish assistant Mrs Cary and 3 daughters and her Son with James every evening from Charlottesville with Ben and Lewis noisey enough a young Lady a friend of Ellens from Richmond by the name of Bradick so that we muster strong.” She added that “Browse Eppes and Baker always come up on Saturday and stay till Monday so that with the family we seldom sit down to table fewer than twenty beside those who eat at a side table” (RC in DLC: NPT).
1. Reworked from “19.”
2. Word interlined in place of “instead of.”
3. Word interlined.
Index Entries
- American Revolution; mentioned search
- Baker, John Wayles (TJ’s grandnephew); visits Monticello search
- Bank of the United States, Second, Richmond branch of; and W. C. Nicholas’s debts search
- banks; and Panic of1819 search
- banks; TJ on search
- Bedford County, Va.; deeds of trust for land in search
- Cary, Virginia Randolph (Wilson J. Cary’s wife); family of search
- Cary, Virginia Randolph (Wilson J. Cary’s wife); visits Monticello search
- Cary, Wilson Miles (1806–77); visits Monticello search
- Coolidge, Ellen Wayles Randolph (TJ’s granddaughter); friends of search
- Eppes, Francis Wayles (TJ’s grandson); at Monticello search
- Hackley, Harriet Randolph (Richard S. Hackley’s wife); family of search
- Hackley, Harriet Randolph (Richard S. Hackley’s wife); visits Monticello search
- health; rheumatism search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; bond with W. C. Nicholas and T. J. Randolph search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; endorses notes for W. C. Nicholas search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; rheumatism search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Opinions on; banks search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Bond of Wilson Cary Nicholas, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Jefferson Randolph to the Second Bank of the United States search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Deed of Trust of Bedford County Land to Thomas Jefferson Randolph search
- Lynchburg, Va.; economy of search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Cary, Virginia Randolph search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Cary, Wilson Miles (1806–1877) search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Hackley, Harriet Randolph search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Peticolas, Jane Pitford Braddick search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Randolph, Mary search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Trist, Elizabeth search
- Nicholas, Margaret Smith (Wilson Cary Nicholas’s wife); and W. C. Nicholas’s debts search
- Nicholas, Wilson Cary (1761–1820); bond with TJ and T. J. Randolph search
- Nicholas, Wilson Cary (1761–1820); letters to search
- Nicholas, Wilson Cary (1761–1820); TJ endorses notes for search
- Peticolas, Jane Pitford Braddick; visits Monticello search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); portion of offered as security search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); TJ returns from search
- Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); TJ’s grandchildren visit search
- Randolph, Benjamin Franklin (TJ’s grandson); at Monticello search
- Randolph, James Madison (TJ’s grandson); at Monticello search
- Randolph, Martha Jefferson (Patsy; TJ’s daughter; Thomas Mann Randolph’s wife); health of search
- Randolph, Mary (Thomas Mann Randolph’s sister; David Meade Randolph’s wife); visits Monticello search
- Randolph, Meriwether Lewis (TJ’s grandson); at Monticello search
- Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); and W. C. Nicholas’s debts search
- Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); TJ proposes to convey land to search
- Randolph, Thomas Mann (1768–1828) (TJ’s son-in-law; Martha Jefferson Randolph’s husband); visits Richmond search
- rheumatism; TJ’s search
- Trist, Elizabeth House; friends and family of search
- Trist, Elizabeth House; visits Monticello search
- Trist, Hore Browse (1802–56); visits Monticello search
- Trist, Nicholas Philip; correspondence with E. Trist search
- Tufton (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); T. J. Randolph resides at search
- United States; economy of search
- United States; Panic of1819 search
- Virginia; economy of search