Thomas Jefferson to John H. Cocke, 21 February 1823
To John H. Cocke
Monticello Feb. 21. 23.
Dear Sir
You know that the legislature has permitted us to borrow another 60,000.D. from the literary fund. to accept this in form would require an immediate meeting of the board that we may engage our workmen before they are taken off by other engagements for the season. but the weather, the season, the roads & the convenience of our brethren rendering a meeting precarious if not desperate1 mr Cabell & mr Loyall have sent me their written approbation of an acceptance, I expect to recieve mr Madison’s tomorrow & Genl Breckenridge’s2 some time hence. this will authorise us to engage our workmen, & them their aids & to provide materials immediately. there are also some other points for consultation which will require your presence. you need not fix a day, but come the first that the weather & your own convenience will permit, but the sooner the better. you can easily come here between breakfast and dinner, and the next morning we will go to the University and have a consultation with mr Brockenbro’ Nelson & Dinsmore, on necessary points, and the preparations of bricks may commence immediately. to lose no time the bearer is sent express. affectionately yours
Th: Jefferson
RC (ViU: TJP-Co); addressed: “General Cocke Bremo”; endorsed by Cocke as received the day it was written and answered on 22 Feb. Recorded in SJL with additional notation: “to meet at Univty.”
John Neilson (nelson) informed Cocke from the University of Virginia on 22 Feb. 1823 that “According to your advice I went to Mr Jefferson and told him how I was situated as to mony matters, he was good enough to tell me he would attend to it. I have found the benefit of his interference as I yesterday got a check from the Proctor for $500 though far below what I in justice ought to have recd my wants made it very aceptable.” Neilson continued: “Mr Jefferson seems in high spirits in consequence of the mony granted by the Asembly, he said he should write to the Visittors for them to sanction his measures and fall to work imediately. I believe he would be anxious that Dinsmore and my self would undertake the carpenter work but I avoided the subject being resolved to be guided entirely by your judgement.” He described TJ as “full of brick making ideas at present, he said they had or would engage Mr Thorn (a brick-layer who came here in partnership with Mr Ware) as superintendent of the brick-yard Mr Jefferson being better pleased with the colour of his brick in No 2 and 4 than he is with other that was made here, he does not know that Thorn was not the maker he that made them left this at the very time I came up here with Fittz Thorn has since been in the employ of J Perry so that I think Mr Jefferson ought to <consult> look at No 8 Hotel C. and the Proctors House, as it was with those jobs only he was engaged in the making of the brick.” Neilson advised Cocke that security “to the full amount of the mony they are to recieve” should be required of the bricklayers, and he observed that Arthur S. Brockenbrough intended to dispute “a good part of Antrims plaistering.” Neilson estimated that the brickwork could be done “for $9 a 1000” and urged Cocke not to “impute it to vanity or impertinence my thus intruding my opinion upon you, it arises from a sincere desire that the work may be executed in a manner that will reflect credit on all who are concerned in it, in short I would wish it equal to the grandeur of the design, which I have never seen equaled.” Noting further that “Mr Jefferson thinks the funds will barely enable to close in the building and complete the exterior part of it,” Neilson offered suggestions for cutting costs in the finishing of the Rotunda but omitted details “untill I see or hear from you.” Neilson communicated his dismay regarding work at the University, stating that “when I take a veiw of the place and the way things has been conducted the more I get disgusted with it. our workmen are nearly all Africans Peck employs four of the Proctors carpenters.” In closing he stated that he could scarcely “trust myself with a thought of the future work being resolved whilst I remain in Virginia to be wholly guided by your counsel. I have nearly finnished all the drawings I intended and then I may take Holiday” (RC in ViU: JHC).
1. Word interlined in place of “doubtful.”
2. Manuscript: “Brackenridge’s.”
Index Entries
- African Americans; and University of Virginia search
- Antrim, Joseph; and plastering at Central College–University of Virginia search
- Breckinridge (Breckenridge), James; as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
- building materials; bricks search
- Cabell, Joseph Carrington; as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Cocke, John Hartwell (1780–1866); and University of Virginia construction search
- Cocke, John Hartwell (1780–1866); as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Cocke, John Hartwell (1780–1866); correspondence of with J. Neilson search
- Cocke, John Hartwell (1780–1866); letters to search
- Dinsmore, James; as builder for Central College–University of Virginia search
- drawings; architectural search
- Fittz, Mr.; and University of Virginia search
- Literary Fund; and loans for University of Virginia search
- Loyall, George; as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Madison, James (1751–1836); as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors search
- Neilson (Nelson), John; as builder for Central College–University of Virginia search
- Neilson (Nelson), John; correspondence of with J. H. Cocke search
- Peck, Lyman; as builder for University of Virginia search
- Perry, John M.; as builder for Central College–University of Virginia search
- roads; poor condition of search
- slaves; work at Central College–University of Virginia search
- Thorn, Abia B.; as brick mason for University of Virginia search
- Virginia, University of; Administration and Financial Affairs; funding for search
- Virginia, University of; Board of Visitors; and construction of University of Virginia search
- Virginia, University of; Board of Visitors; and loans for University of Virginia search
- Virginia, University of; Board of Visitors; meetings of search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; African Americans (free and enslaved) employed at search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; brick makers and brick masons at search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; building costs search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; building materials for search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; design of search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Hotel C search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion II search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion IV search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VIII search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; proctor’s house search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; progress of search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Rotunda (library) search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; wages for workmen search
- Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; workmen at search
- Virginia, University of; Establishment; and General Assembly search
- Virginia, University of; Establishment; opinions on search
- Virginia; General Assembly search
- Ware, Richard; and builders for University of Virginia search
- weather; effect on travel search