To James Madison from Andrew Parks, 22 January 1824
From Andrew Parks
Kanawha County Virga. 22nd. Jany. 1824
Dear Sir,
While John Payne Todd Esqr. was at the French Seminary at Baltimore,1 he contracted an account with me in the Store I kept there at the time. Soon after the articles were had, I left Balte., and moved to the Western Country. Since which time, I have not had the pleasure to hear from Mr. Todd. I have herewith taken the liberty to inclose you the account, with a request, if it should not materially interfere with your convenience, to have it adjusted for me with Mr. Todd; who I am persuaded will recognize the items of the account, and pay me though it has been of so long standing. Permit me to ask the favor of you to write me on the subject of this a/c, and direct to me at the Kanawha Saline Post office. With sincere regards to Mrs. Madison I am Dear Sir very respectfully Yr. Obt. Servt.
Andw. Parks2
RC (DLC). Postmarked “Kanhawa Salines,” with the incorrect date “Jan 27th 1823”; cover docketed by JM.
1. John Payne Todd attended St. Mary’s College in Baltimore, 1805–12 (, 2:370–71 and n. 1, 4:444).
2. Andrew Parks (1773–1836) was a Fredericksburg merchant who married Harriot Washington, daughter of Samuel Washington and niece of George Washington, in 1796. By 1801 he had moved to Baltimore, where by his own account he kept a store. In 1818, Parks moved his family to Kanawha County, Virginia, where he was justice of the peace. The issue of John Payne Todd’s debt to Parks was not resolved until 1835 (Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, ed., Burke’s Presidential Families of the United States of America (London, 1975), 55; Federal Gazette & Baltimore Daily Advertiser, 24 May 1796; Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser, 25 July 1796; Lawrence A. Washington to JM, 27 Apr. 1801, , 1:122–23; Albert Welles, The Pedigree and History of the Washington Family … [New York, 1879], 182; Ohio State Journal and Columbus Gazette, 13 Oct. 1825; JM to Andrew Parks, 4 Apr. 1835 [DLC]).