Philip Thornton to Thomas Jefferson, 24 January 1816
From Philip Thornton
Richmond January 24th 1816
Dr Sir
I will pay to your order in Town, or remit $150 the sum due you, on account of the Bridge, as you may direct. Your friends here evinced a high degree of affliction at a report of your death, by way of Lynchburg, stated in an extract of a letter from some merchant in that place
fortunately a letter of yours, to a house in this Town, of the same date was conclusive evidence to the contrary—It oftener happens that men suffer the pain of many deaths; than their friends, the pain of lamenting it. May you die but once, and that period be a protracted one is the Sincere wish of your
Philip Thornton
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 30 Jan. 1816 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Alexander J. Dallas, 26 Feb. 1816, on verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson esqr Montichello Charlottsville”; stamp canceled; franked; postmarked Richmond, 24 Jan., and Charlottesville, 28 Jan.
On 6 Feb. 1816 TJ recorded that he had sent Patrick Gibson an order “on Philip Thornton for 150.D. rent for the Natural bridge” (, 2:1319).
Index Entries
- Gibson, Patrick; and payments to TJ search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; and lease of Natural Bridge search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; death of rumored search
- Natural Bridge, Va.; lease of search
- Thornton, Philip; and TJ’s rumored death search
- Thornton, Philip; leases Natural Bridge from TJ search
- Thornton, Philip; letters from search