Christopher Ellery to Thomas Jefferson, 29 April 1802
From Christopher Ellery
April 29th. 1802
C. Ellery wishes to peruse, before he leaves Washington, the letters written under a feigned signature, to the President, from Newport, the last summer and respectfully solicits the loan of them—with permission to copy if he should desire it after reading—
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received 29 Apr. and so recorded in SJL.
LETTERS WRITTEN UNDER A FEIGNED SIGNATURE: Ellery refers to the two letters TJ received from Nicholas Geffroy of 1 and 7 Aug. 1801. Ellery exposed them as forgeries and accused John Rutledge, Jr., of South Carolina as being their author. Both of the Geffroy letters to TJ were reprinted in the Newport Rhode-Island Republican on 18 Sep. 1802 (Vol. 35:3–6, 156–7).