Bernard Peyton to Thomas Jefferson, 16 July 1821
From Bernard Peyton
Richd 16 July 1821
Dear Sir
Yours of the 15th Inst: reached me last evening covering the Deed of Trust, recorded as required by the Bank, & I have this morning carried it to the Presdt, to be laid before the Board, & filed in the Bank for their satisfaction, for myself, was as perfectly satisfied before as now, but institutions of this sort must be indulged in their whims when one is in their power. I trust you know me better than to immagine for a moment I wished this course taken, or that I believed1 it could possibly be of any advantage to me, more than I enjoyed before, I assure you such is not the case.
Yours by the mail before the last, covering Blanks for the renewal of your notes at Bank, & Powers of Atty for each, was duely recd, & all has since been put to rights.—I regret that you should have been put to any inconvenience about it, & I should not have written you so often on the subject had I not feared my letters were detained on the way, or lost— The plan you have adopted to prevent omissions for the future, I think is very well, as it places me in an awkward predicament
I am very thankful for your views as to the mode of extricating myself, as far as possible, from the situation in which I am bro’t as security for Preston, or at all events, of moderating its rigour. It is a painful thing to have ones property jeopardised in an affair of this sort, but particularly so, when it is so illegally & unjustly done: I have letters from the first legal characters in every section of the commonwealth, pronouncing this the most unprecedented opinion that was ever pronounced in any country; but as you properly remark, the decision is made, & I have only to make the best of it, which I shall set about doing, & in the mode you suggest, which I am sure is the best.
I feel flattered by the sympathy you and my friends generally express, & hope still to merit, & receive the support & confidence of you all.—In the worst possible event, I do not despair of getting on in life, with youth, Health & a moderate degree of industry & perseverance on my side— In haste, with sincere regard D. sir
B. Peyton
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 20 July 1821 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Patrick Gibson, 27 Sept. 1822, on verso; addressed: “Mr Thomas Jefferson Monticello Charlottesville”; franked; postmarked Richmond, 16 July.
TJ’s misdated letter to Peyton of the 15th inst: is printed above at 13 July 1821.
1. Preceding two words interlined.
Index Entries
- Bank of the United States, Second, Richmond branch of; TJ’s loan from search
- Bank of Virginia (Richmond); TJ’s loan from search
- Farmers’ Bank of Virginia (Richmond); TJ’s loan from search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; loan from Bank of Virginia search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; loan from Farmers’ Bank of Virginia search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Business & Financial Affairs; loan from Second Bank of U.S. search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; Deed of Trust of Milton Lands to Philip N. Nicholas and William Nekervis search
- Milton, Va.; TJ’s land at search
- Nekervis, William; TJ deeds Milton land to search
- Nicholas, Philip Norborne; as president of Farmers’ Bank of Virginia search
- Nicholas, Philip Norborne; TJ deeds Milton land to search
- Peyton, Bernard; and TJ’s loan from Bank of Virginia search
- Peyton, Bernard; and TJ’s loan from Farmers’ Bank of Virginia search
- Peyton, Bernard; and TJ’s loan from Second Bank of U.S. search
- Peyton, Bernard; as surety for J. Preston search
- Peyton, Bernard; letters from search
- Preston, John (d.1827); as treasurer of Va. search
- Virginia; treasurer of search