To James Madison from James Oldham, 28 March 1815
From James Oldham
Richmond March 28th. 1815.
Sir
I se in the news papers that you have appointed commissioners for the Superintendance of the repairs to be dun on the Publick Buildings at Washington City, and I Suppose the work will Immediately be commenced, if there is A vacancy for A foreman I would offer for that burth, I know Sir you are not acquainted with me, but I feale confident that I can Produce to youre Excellency or the borde of commissioners such Testimonials of my competency as A mecanick, in theory or Practice as will be satisfactory; Thos. Jefferson Esqr. is Personally aquainted with me; and in the City of Richmond many Gentlemen whome I have bin Imployed by of the first Standing and no dut nown to you will give me there Support. I am Sir an American, born in Talbot County on the eastern shore of maryland neare Easton and Served my time of Seven years to the House carpenters business in Philidelphia. My relatives on the easters shore of meryland and those on the westers at Baltimore are able and willing to aforde me any security that I may be in need of. I remember Sir when those Building ware first commenced as also the Superintenders of them, A fact well known that there was A Grate deception in workmenship as also A Grate waste of money, those undertakers or Superintenders ware all foriners and they would not Imploy any but forriners.1 With Grate Respect I am Sir your Obt. Humble Sevt.
Jams. Oldham 2
P. S. be plas’d to direct a Line to me as early, as conveniat.
RC (DNA: RG 42, entry 5, General Records, Letters Received—Application and Recommendation). Redirected by JM to “The Commissioners for the Public Buildings / City of Washington.” Marked “ansd.” in an unidentified hand.
1. The commissioners appointed to repair the public buildings at Washington (see JM to John P. Van Ness, Richard Bland Lee, and Tench Ringgold, 10 Mar. 1815) advised that workmen “who had formerly proved themselves worthy of trust, and who were now on the spot, & suffering in the cause of the city, were entitled (if their merit were only equal) to a preference above others from a distance.” Architect of the Capitol Benjamin Henry Latrobe accordingly hired “Shadrach Davis as Clerk of the Works, Harbaugh carpenter, Blagden Stone cutter, Farrell & White bricklayers, Howard overseer,” all of whom were in residence at Washington. James Hoban, charged with repairing the President’s House, “chose Mr Lenox as his foreman” (Latrobe to Thomas Jefferson, 12 July 1815, Looney et al., Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, 8:591–92, 596 n.).
2. James Oldham (d. 1843) did joinery work at Monticello from 1801 to 1804, after which he settled in Richmond and continued to serve Jefferson as a supplier of building materials. He was employed in the construction of the University of Virginia but sued the institution over a financial dispute in November 1823 (ibid., 3:520 n.; 3:30, 31 nn. 2–3).