Thomas Jefferson to Robert Saunders, 25 December 1815
To Robert Saunders
Monticello Dec. 25. 15.
Sir
An absence of two months from home has occasioned this very late acknolegement of your favor of Oct. 29. I now inclose the following documents for the settlement of Bellini’s affairs, all duly authenticated by the local authorities.
| No | 1. a Certificate that Charles Bellini was son of Leon Girolamo Bellini with his pedigree |
| 2. do that Aurora Bellini was daughter of the same. same pedigree | |
| 3. do that Luisa Bellini was daughter of the same. same pedigree. | |
| 4. do that Aurora died Mar. 7. 1808. aged 66. | |
| 5. do that Luisa died May 21. 1813. aged seventy some1 odd.2 | |
| 6. Notarial copy of the will of Luisa, dated 1811. Jan. 6. constituting Giovan Batista Fancelli an Ecclesiastic of Florence her universal heir and legatary. | |
| 7. Power of Attorney from Giovan Batista Fancelli to myself to settle, recieve, recover Etc the effects of the sd Charles Bellini brother of Luisa & Aurora, the latter dead intestate the former dead also having instituted him heir. |
I add also a power of Attorney from myself to you, and the letters which have heretofore passed between mr Bracken the admr & myself, except any which I may have written in 1805.6.7. which, in the mass of my papers of that period I cannot readily lay my hands on. mr Bracken’s claim of the suspension of interest from the date of his remittance until he redrew it, and on that sum whatever it was, seems just: your letter supposes this was about 2. years; I think from his letters to me it would seem to have been 3. or 4. years. but during the rest of the period, he certainly would not think it just. because during all that time he has had the balance3 in use, he has not kept it constantly locked up & untouched in his desk. the letters I inclose you will shew that he was not always ready to pay that I would have recieved and remitted it at any time, and his letters prove he was not afraid to trust that channel. indeed Mazzei’s power of Attorney to me would have made any payment to me a legal payment to him—however on this subject of interest you are a better judge than myself; you are recent in the practice & know best the present rules of the courts. I leave it to yourself therefore to settle every thing as you think right without further appeal to me, and to lodge the sum in the Virginia bank in Richmond4 to the credit of John Baptist Fancelli by Thos Jeff[erson, h]is attorney. be so good as to return me the papers whe[n done?] with, with a copy of the whole administration account as finally settled. I was desired to make particular enquiry as to two negroes Bellini had at his death.
Th: Jefferson
PoC (DLC); on reused address cover to TJ; damaged at seal; at foot of first page: “Robert Saunders esq.”; endorsed by TJ. Enclosures: (1) Birth record for Charles Bellini, from the baptismal register of the Church of San Giovanni Battista, Florence, extracted 29 Aug. 1814; providing birth date of 6 Nov. 1732; giving full name as Carlo Maria Marchionne Bellini; and listing parents as Leon Girolamo Bellini and Maria Vittoria Luchini Bellini, paternal grandfather as Carlo Maria Niccola Bellini, and maternal grandfather as Giuseppe Luchini (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35929; printed form completed by the archivist Giuseppe Formigli; in Italian; with attestations dated 30 Aug. 1814; notation by TJ at head of text: “No 1.”). (2) Birth record for Aurora Bellini, from the baptismal register of the Church of San Giovanni Battista, Florence, extracted 29 Aug. 1814; providing birth date of 25 Apr. 1741; giving full name as Maria Aurora Gaspera Bellini; and listing same lineage as above (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35930; printed form completed by Formigli; in Italian; with attestations dated 30 Aug. 1814; notation by TJ at head of text: “No 2.”). (3) Birth record for Luisa Bellini, from the baptismal register of the Church of San Giovanni Battista, Florence, extracted 29 Aug. 1814; providing birth date of 4 Apr. 1738; giving full name as Maria Luisa Eleonora Bellini; and listing same lineage as above (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35928; printed form completed by Formigli; in Italian; with attestations dated 30 Aug. 1814; notation by TJ at head of text: “No 3.”). (4) Death record for Aurora Bellini, from the death register of the Church of Santa Felicita, Florence, extracted 23 Aug. 1814; stating that Bellini died suddenly on 7 Mar. 1808, aged sixty-six and unmarried, and was buried in the churchyard (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35916; printed form completed by the archivist Giulio Ferdinando Pucci; in Italian; with attestation dated 25 Aug. 1814; notation by TJ at head of text: “No 4.”). (5) Death record for Luisa Bellini, from the death register of the Church of Santa Maria al Pignone, Diocese of Florence, extracted 29 Aug. 1814; stating that Bellini died suddenly on 22 May 1814 and was buried there (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35931; in the hand of the parish priest Luigi Chelazzi; in Italian; with attestations dated 30 Aug. 1814; notation by TJ at head of text: “No 5.”). (6) Will of Luisa Bellini, dictated to the notary Carlo Antonio Topi, Florence, 6 Jan. 1811, stating that, as she had no living ancestors or descendants, her sole heir after the payment of taxes and the celebration of funeral masses was to be the priest Giovanni Battista Fancelli; and indicating that Bellini had been living in Fancelli’s home in Pignone, in the canton of Galluzzo (Tr in DLC: TJ Papers, 202:35932–3; notarized copy made on 24 Aug. 1814, with attestations dated 25 and 26 Aug. 1814; in Italian; with notations by TJ, at head of text: “No 6.”; in margin of p. 2: “the will of Luisa Bellini Jan. 6. 1811,” and his penciled translation of final attestation). Other enclosures printed below.
seventy some odd: in enclosure 5 above, the second digit of Luisa Bellini’s age at death is unclear. Based on her birth and death dates above, she died aged seventy-six. The correspondence between TJ and John bracken enclosed here probably included TJ to Bracken, 2 Aug. and 9 Oct. 1811, and Bracken to TJ, 13 Aug. and 25 Oct. 1811. Bracken conveyed funds to London for Charles Bellini’s heirs some time after January 1807, and redrew the unclaimed funds by August 1811 (Bracken to TJ, 13 Aug. 1811).
1. Word interlined.
2. TJ here canceled “(I cannot.”
3. Preceding two words interlined in place of “it.”
4. Preceding two words interlined.
Index Entries
- Bank of Virginia (Richmond); and C. Bellini estate search
- Bellini, Aurora (Maria Aurora Gaspera); and C. Bellini estate search
- Bellini, Aurora (Maria Aurora Gaspera); vital records of search
- Bellini, Carlo Maria Niccola; family of search
- Bellini, Charles (Carlo Maria Marchionne); estate of search
- Bellini, Charles (Carlo Maria Marchionne); vital records of search
- Bellini, Leon Girolamo; family of search
- Bellini, Luisa (Louisa; Maria Luisa Eleonora); and C. Bellini estate search
- Bellini, Luisa (Louisa; Maria Luisa Eleonora); vital records of search
- Bellini, Luisa (Louisa; Maria Luisa Eleonora); will of search
- Bellini, Maria Vittoria Luchini; family of search
- Bracken, John; and C. Bellini estate search
- Chelazzi, Luigi; priest in Florence search
- Fancelli, Giovanni Battista; and C. Bellini estate search
- Fancelli, Giovanni Battista; power of attorney from search
- Formigli, Giuseppe; archivist in Florence search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; and C. Bellini estate search
- Luchini, Giuseppe; family of search
- Mazzei, Philip; power of attorney from search
- Pucci, Giulio Ferdinando; archivist in Florence search
- Saunders, Robert; and C. Bellini estate search
- Saunders, Robert; letters to search
- slaves; C. Bellini’s search
- Topi, Carlo Antonio; notary in Florence search