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Preferred Citation

Letters from Wilson Cary Nicholas to Samuel Smith, Accession #2343-a, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These letters were purchased by the Library on September 20, 1995, from Joseph Rubinfine of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Scope and Content Information

There are two letters, July 23, 1806 and September 25, 1810, from Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761-1820), U. S. senator and governor of Virginia, to his brother-in-law, General Samuel Smith (1752-1839), American politician. Wilson Cary Nicholas was married to the general's sister Margaret Smith (1765-1849) ca. 1783; they were the parents of Jane Hollins (1798-1871), who later became Mrs. Thomas Jefferson Randolph. Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761-1820) was the son of Robert Carter (1715-1780) and Anne (Cary) Nicholas. He had three brothers: George (1754-1799); John (1756-1819); and, Philip Norborne (1773-1849). George married General Samuel Smith's sister Mary (1755-1806); they had several children including Robert Carter ( -1857); Samuel Smith (1797-1869), Georgianna [George Ann?], Betsy [Elizabeth?], Cary, and Nelson [children mentioned in this letter].

On July 23, 1806, Wilson Cary Nicholas, "Warren," Albemarle County, Virginia, writes to his brother-in-law Samuel Smith, Baltimore, Maryland, upon receiving news of the death of sister [Mary (Smith)] Nicholas. He discusses the financial hardships following the death of his brother [George in 1799] and his dealings with the estate, estimating that "the house, lands, and Negroes, which is held in our names, and in mine, at [near] $40000..." Nicholas attempts to make financial arrangements to pay his own debts and the debts of the estate. One major concern of this letter is the disposition of the children of George and Mary (Smith) Nicholas, now dependent on Nicholas, Smith, and [ ] Morrison, who are apparently their guardians. Nicholas thinks it best for Georgianna and Betsy to live with close friends for awhile; and, he entrusts young Samuel to the general. He also mentions Cary and Nelson, who have been educated and supported at his own expense, as being the children of his dearest friends; and, he is concerned specifically about Nelson who "came to me so young, and has lived with me so long, that I feel towards him as if he was my own child..." He is also disturbed by [George's son]Robert being unfit to help with the children, claiming him unfit as a proper guardian for his five sisters.

On September 25, 1810, Nicholas, "Warren," Albemarle County, writes to Smith, Baltimore, upon hearing the news that C[ ] N[ ] would be in the neighborhood and hoping that he would not have the impudence to attempt to visit. He mentions his distress over the silence and absence of Robert [Carter Nicholas], questioning how he supports himself, and further commenting on his neglect of his employers and parents. He also makes financial arrangements with Smith regarding the breeding of Merino sheep.

For further information on George Nicholas, see The Dictionary of American Biography [E176.D56]; The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the Dead and Living Men of the Nineteenth Century [F450.B61 1980]; History of Kentucky [F451.A43 1872]; A History of Kentucky [F451.C63]; and, History of Kentucky [V volumes F451.K46 1922]. Kentucky Marriages, 1797-1865 [F450.K44 1966] lists five daughters and one son of George Nicholas: 1804 March 17 Maria Nicholas married Thomas D. Owings; 1808 July 3 George Ann Nicholas married attorney-at-law Joseph Hawkins; 1811 Nov 4 Margaretta G. Nicholas of Lexington married John C. Bartlett of New Orleans; 1811 Nov 10 Elizabeth Nicholas married James Gabriel Trotter in Lexington; 1818 Nov 13 Hetty [Hettie Morrison] Nicholas married Richard Hawes, Jr. ; and, 1829 May Samuel S[mith] Nicholas married Matilda Prather in Lexington.