Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson to Patrick Gibson, 13 September 1816

To Patrick Gibson

Monticello, Sep. 13, 16

Dear Sir

Since sending you my letter of the 10th to the post office a call of 200 D. is made upon me which had been agreed to be delayed until my produce should have been sold in the next spring but the party assigned it to another who now required it without regard to that arrangement. I am obliged to draw for it on you in favor of Branham & Jones of Charlottesville. I do this with reluctance because I am sure the state of my account with you does not authorize me. I will immediately after the expiration of the present month hurry down flour both from here and Bedford to cover this, as well as the draughts for my taxes for both places which will soon come upon us, as mentioned in my former letter.

Accept the assurances of my great esteem and respect

Th. Jefferson

Typescript (ViHi: Thomas Jefferson Papers); adjacent to signature: “Mr. Gibson”; with the manuscript from which this transcript was taken reportedly on verso of a reused address cover to TJ and endorsed by him.

TJ’s letter to Gibson of the 10th is recorded in SJL but has not been found. He summarized it at that date in his financial records: “Renewed my note in bank for 2000.D. date Sep. 24. Desired P. Gibson to pay to Sheriff Henrico 42.29 taxes on my 4. lots in Beverly town from 1787. to 1797 inclusive” (MB description begins James A. Bear Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1326).

A missing letter from Bramham & Jones to TJ of 12 Sept. 1816 is recorded in SJL as received the same day. On 17 Sept. 1816 TJ indicated that he had been obliged to draw an “order on Gibson & Jefferson for 200.D. in favr. Branham and Jones assees. of my note to Elijah Ham ante Mar. 24,” a debt resulting from Ham’s service as overseer at TJ’s Lego plantation (MB description begins James A. Bear Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1321, 1326).

Index Entries

  • Bank of Virginia (Richmond); TJ’s loan from search
  • Bramham & Jones (Charlottesville firm); debt assigned to search
  • Bramham & Jones (Charlottesville firm); letter from accounted for search
  • flour; from Poplar Forest search
  • Gibson, Patrick; and TJ’s bank note from Bank of Virginia search
  • Gibson, Patrick; and TJ’s flour search
  • Gibson, Patrick; letters to search
  • Gibson, Patrick; letters to accounted for search
  • Gibson & Jefferson (Richmond firm); account with TJ search
  • Gibson & Jefferson (Richmond firm); payments made for TJ search
  • Ham, Elijah; as overseer at Lego search
  • Henrico County, Va.; sheriff of search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; loan from Bank of Virginia search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; pays taxes search
  • Lego (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); overseers at search
  • Monticello (TJ’s estate); flour from search
  • overseers; at Lego search
  • Poplar Forest (TJ’s Bedford Co. estate); flour from search
  • Richmond, Va.; flour shipped to search
  • taxes; on land search
  • taxes; TJ pays search
  • Westham, Va.; TJ’s lots in search