To James Madison from John Willis and Others, 5 May 1827
From John Willis and Others
University of Virginia May 5th 1827
Dear Sir,
The documents of our society having been misplaced and we not being able to ascertain whether you have been informed that you were elected an honorary member of the Jefferson society as a committee have the honour to announce to you your appointment, and that we shall feel ourselves much gratified whenever you visit the University to be honoured with your attendance. We are Sir with respect and esteem Your Obt. Sevts.
RC (DLC). Docketed by JM: “May 5. postmarked 17. 1827.”
1. Thomas Saunders Gholson (1808–68) of Brunswick County, Virginia, settled in Petersburg in 1840 and practiced law with his brother, James H. Gholson. Thomas Gholson served as president of the Bank of Petersburg and became judge of the state circuit court in 1858 before joining the Confederate Congress. After the war, he established a cotton and tobacco commission house in Liverpool, England (James Edmonds Saunders, Early Settlers of Alabama [New Orleans, 1899], 373–74).
2. Richard Howerton (b. 1805), from Clarksville in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, was a student at the University of Virginia in 1827 (Students of the University of Virginia: A Semicentennial Catalogue).