William Armistead to Thomas Jefferson, 15 October 1817
From William Armistead
Treasury Department 3d Auditors Office Ocbr 15th 1817
Dear sir
You will have the goodness to excuse the liberty I have taken in addressing you this letter, when I tell you, that, knowing you to be the friend1 of W C Nicholas Esqr to whom I am indebted through your goodness for the place which I now hold in this Department and whose absence from Richmond at this time prevents me from addressing him on a subject of material importance to me, The recent death of the military agent at Harpers Ferry has become vacant in consequence of the same.
I have therefore to beg that you will have the goodness to address a letter to the President in my behalf on that subject, I feel truly greatful to you Sir for the situation which I now hold, and with which I am well pleased, but the unfortunate situation of Mrs Armistead requires that I should be able to devote more of my personal attention to her than2 the duties of my office in this Department will admit of
Will Armistead
RC (MHi); at foot of text: “Thos Jefferson Esqr Monticello”; endorsed by TJ as received 20 Oct. 1817 and so recorded in SJL.
Lloyd Beall, the paymaster and military storekeeper for the federal arsenal at harpers ferry, died on 5 Oct. 1817 (Charles Town Farmer’s Repository, 8 Oct. 1817; Washington Daily National Intelligencer, 14 Oct. 1817).
1. Manuscript: “fried.”
2. Manuscript: “that.”
Index Entries
- Armistead, Ann (Anne) Cary Norton (wife of William Armistead [ca.1773–1840]) search
- Armistead, William (ca.1773–1840); as Treasury Department clerk search
- Armistead, William (ca.1773–1840); family of search
- Armistead, William (ca.1773–1840); letter from search
- Armistead, William (ca.1773–1840); seeks federal appointment search
- Beall, Lloyd; as agent at Harpers Ferry search
- Harpers Ferry, Va.; armory at search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Correspondence; letters of application and recommendation to search
- Monroe, James; and appointments search
- Nicholas, Wilson Cary (1761–1820); and appointment for W. Armistead search
- patronage; letters of application and recommendation to TJ search