Thomas Jefferson Papers

John Pollock to Thomas Jefferson, 28 February 1820

From John Pollock

Charlottesville Feby 28 1820

Dear sir

yours by the boy I Recd, Wishing me to Send you the ballance Due for the bark—it is With Regret I inform you of my inability to Send it as I had made no Arrangements towards paying it farther than—that Thomas J Randolph told me Some time past that he Would pay off1 the balance due on that Account—you have never been Good enough to Send me a full Statement of my a/c—but Agreeable to Mine the balance is $94.38 for Which I Annex you a Draft if that Will Answer your purpose, if not be Good Enough to let me Know, With the highest Regard & Esteem

I Remain yours &c

J Pollock

NB if on a further Investigation of our accounts more Should apper Due I Will have no hesitation in Setteling it

J.P.

RC (MHi). Recorded in SJL as received 28 Feb. 1820. Enclosure not found.

John Pollock (d. 1842), tanner, sold TJ leather and purchased bark from him for use in tanning between 1817 and 1826. He subscribed $200 toward the establishment of Central College in 1817. Between 1819 and 1822 Pollock was paid for services related to the construction of the University of Virginia, including hauling lumber. He owned six slaves in 1820 and nineteen in 1840 (Woods, Albemarle description begins Edgar Woods, Albemarle County in Virginia, 1901, repr. 1991 description ends , 311, 403; Master List of Subscribers to Central College, [after 7 May 1817], document 5 in a group of documents on The Founding of the University of Virginia: Central College, 1816–1819, printed at 5 May 1817; ViU: PP, Pollock’s accounts; ViU: PP, Proctor’s Ledgers; DNA: RG 29, CS, Albemarle Co., 1820–40; 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 ; Albemarle Co. Will Book, 14:417).

The letter that TJ sent by the boy is not recorded in SJL and has not been found.

1Manuscript: “of.”

Index Entries

  • Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; sells tree bark search
  • Pollock, John; buys bark from TJ search
  • Pollock, John; identified search
  • Pollock, John; letter from search
  • Pollock, John; letter to accounted for search
  • Pollock, John; pays TJ search
  • Randolph, Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s grandson; Jane Hollins Nicholas Randolph’s husband); and TJ’s financial transactions search
  • slaves; errands by search
  • tanning; bark for search
  • trees; bark of search