To James Madison from Abraham Van Bibber (Abstract), 21 February 1805
§ From Abraham Van Bibber1
21 February 1805, Baltimore. “The bearer Mr. William Jolley is one of the party concerned in the unfortunate Brig Neptune.2 He with all the owners are anxious to Know what hopes you entortain of her recovery as it is so serious a loss to some of those concerned that will oblige them to strike, but from your attention they all have great hopes of a speedy recovery—be so good as to inform him of your opinion generally on this subject, & your attention to this buisiness will confer additionly obligation on all concerned.”
RC (DNA: RG 59, ML). 1 p.; in a clerk’s hand, signed by Van Bibber; docketed by Wagner.
1. Maryland native and merchant Abraham Van Bibber (ca. 1744–1805) had an estate called Paradise in Baltimore County, Maryland, where he maintained a mill. In 1776 and 1777 he was the agent at St. Eustatius for Maryland and Virginia (Robert Armistead Stewart, The History of Virginia’s Navy of the Revolution [Richmond, 1933], 22–23; William B. Marye, “Baltimore City Place Names,” Maryland Historical Magazine 59 [1964]: 79–80). For more on transactions between Van Bibber and Virginia, see “Virginia Legislative Papers,” 15 (1908): 291–92, 16:163–70.
2. For the Neptune, see JM to Van Bibber, 26 Dec. 1804, 8:424 and n. 1.