John B. Benson to Thomas Jefferson, [received 24 December 1819]
From John B. Benson
[received 24 Dec. 1819]
Dear Sir
Be pleased to accept my thanks for Your Kind present, of the two Guinea Fowls—this, is the first opportunity I have met with, to acknowledge the receipt of them
I send you by the Bearer a few Fredericksburg Oysters—tho the quantity is small I trust the quality is Great.
I have sent You Sir half of what I received, I wish I had more to present you with—
J B Benson
RC (MHi); undated; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Esquire Monticello”; endorsed by TJ as received 24 Dec. 1819.
John B. Benson (d. 1832), merchant, was the son of the Fredericksburg tavern keeper John Benson. The younger Benson was living by 1820 in Charlottesville, where he operated a store and boardinghouse. At his death he owned ten slaves (Central Gazette, 6 July 1821; Charlottesville Virginia Advocate, 10 Sept. 1830; Albemarle Co. Will Book, 11:67–70; Fredericksburg Virginia Herald, 7 Mar. 1832).
58 [2000]: 71–2; DNA: RG 29, CS, Albemarle Co., 1820, 1830; , 2:1360; CharlottesvilleA missing letter of 23 Nov. 1819 from Benson to TJ is recorded in SJL as received that day from Charlottesville, with the parenthetical notation: “by Dr McPherson.”
Index Entries
- Benson, John B.; and food for TJ search
- Benson, John B.; identified search
- Benson, John B.; letter from accounted for search
- Benson, John B.; letters from search
- food; oysters search
- Fredericksburg, Va.; oysters from search
- guinea fowl; TJ sends search
- McPherson, Dr.; delivers letter search
- oysters search