To Thomas Jefferson from Nathaniel Perkins, 8 March 1805
From Nathaniel Perkins
Goochland County Va. March 8th. 1805
Dr Sir,
The Liberty that this Your Unworthy fellow Creature are about takeing with you I hope Your Goodness will excuse as Need only would have emboldened him to take It—
From Misfortune I am in Need of One or two Thousand Dollars on Loan for a few Years If therefore Your Goodness and entire Convenience Can Supply my Great wants the favour will be Greatly Acknowledged by me. If not Convenient to You I hope this you will Commit to the flames and let the Application Sink in forgetfullness—
I am Dr Sir. truly Your Most Obt. Hbe Sert &C
Nat Perkins
PS. I have Been and am still in the Mercantile Line & from Other men’s misconduct I am brought to Need as Above which would fully reestablish me in the Business
RC (MHi); at head of text: “Mr Thomas Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 4 Apr. and so recorded in SJL.
Nathaniel Perkins kept a store at the Goochland County courthouse and was appointed as postmaster there in January 1799. He resigned in December 1800 after receiving criticism for relocating the office to a site better suited to his personal business concerns (, 258; Vol. 32:286-7).