Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 49
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Thomas Jefferson Unique 1773 Autograph Document Signed, the Only One to Appear on the Market Acting as Attorney, and the Second Earliest Jefferson Ever Offered!
Thomas Jefferson Unique 1773 Autograph Document Signed, the Only One to Appear on the Market Acting as Attorney, and the Second Earliest Jefferson Ever Offered!
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Description:

Early Thomas Jefferson Autograph Document Signed as Arbitrator

This early legal document records the decision of Thomas Jefferson as one of three arbitrators commissioned to settle a series of cases between David O. Coupland and John Leitch. Jefferson and the two merchants who served as arbitrators ruled in favor of John Leitch but gave Coupland seventeen months to settle the accounts of the estate of his uncle James Coupland (d. 1772) of Chesterfield County, Virginia. In August 1772, Coupland had offered for sale his uncle’s dwelling house, six slaves, livestock, and various household items.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, Autograph Document Signed, "Th: Jefferson," Arbitration Award in John Leitch v. David Coupland, David Coupland v. John Leitch, and David Coupland, administrator of James Coupland v. John Leitch, December 2, 1773, [Chesterfield County, Virginia]. Also signed by James Buchanan and James Donald. 4 pp., 9" x 14.75". Expected

Excerpts
"Chesterfield Sc, County Vizt
"This day John Leitch came before me, One of His Majesties Justices of the Peace for the County aforesaid, and made Oath, That the Above is a Just State: Balance in His favour Thirty two Pounds Ten shillings and four Pence ¼d, exclusive of Interest: Given under my hand this 14th Day of June One Thousand Seven Hundred & Seventy three
"Bernard Markham"

"We the subscribers appointed by consent of the parties to arbitrate the several actions beforementioned do award in the first of the sd actions that the def. do pay to the pl. the sum of £399..15..4¼ with interest from the 17th of April 1773 and costs of suit, that the second suit be dismissed and the pl. therein pay to the def. his costs of suit: and that execution on both the sd 1st & 2d suits be staid till the 1st day of May 1775. till which time the pl. in the third action has to settle the accounts of his administration in order to see whether there be not debts of greater dignity than that to the sd Leitch which may render it necessary for the sd Coupland to insist on a payment for the articles purchased of the estate by the sd Leitch without any deduction.
"Th: Jefferson
"James Buchanan
"James Donald"

Historical Background
After graduating from the College of William and Mary in 1764, Thomas Jefferson read law under the supervision of George Wythe, for whom he served as a law clerk. Jefferson was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767 and practiced for several years until quitting his practice in August 1774 to devote more time to agriculture and architecture.

In the case of Gatewood v. Lindsay, decided on November 29, 1773, just days before this case, Jefferson received 50 shillings to act as an arbitrator.

Although arbitrators did not have to be lawyers, Jefferson’s legal training likely aided him in untangling the complicated debt relationships between Leitch and Coupland in these cases. Coupland was more than a casual acquaintance for Jefferson. Before Dabney Carr, Thomas Jefferson’s brother-in-law, died in May 1773, he named Jefferson as the sole executor of his estate. David Coupland served as one of two sureties on a bond for £4,000 that Jefferson had to file with the Goochland County Court in July 1773 to ensure that he properly administered Carr’s estate. On December 3, 1773, the day after this arbitration award, Jefferson paid David Coupland £4-18-3 for an unspecified reason. In 1805, future President William Henry Harrison wrote to President Thomas Jefferson, asking him to appoint Harrison’s brother-in-law David O. Coupland as a judge in the Indiana Territory to relieve his "embarrassed circumstances." There is no evidence that Jefferson made the appointment.

The Revolutionary War interfered with David O. Coupland’s ability to administer his uncle’s estate. Because James Coupland’s legal heir was a British subject, the state of Virginia seized his property through escheat, or the right of a government to take ownership of estate assets or unclaimed property when someone dies without heirs or a will. In November 1789, the Virginia legislature passed "An act concerning the escheated property of James Coupland, deceased," which provided as follows:
"Whereas it hath been represented to the present General Assembly, that James Coupland, late of the county of Chesterfield, some time in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two, died intestate, seized of a house and lot in the town of Broadway and some personal estate, leaving his heir at law, a British subject, which real estate escheated to the Commonwealth, and was sold for the sum of twelve hundred pounds in military certificates: And whereas it hath been also represented that David Coupland is the nephew and nearest relation of the said decedent in this country, and that the said David was educated and patronized by the said decedent, who discovered for him the greatest affection, and frequently declared that he had the affection of a father for him, that he had adopted him as his heir, and would leave him his estate, and also that administration on the said decedent’s estate was granted to the said David, who from some unforseen events, hath made himself liable for debts of his intestate, to an amount far exceeding the assets, which have come to his hands to be administered, and it is reasonable that retribution should be made to the said David Coupland:
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly, that the executive shall be, and they are hereby authorized and empowered to cause to be issued unto the said David Coupland, a warrant on the aggregate fund for the sum of three hundred and thirty pounds, being the value of the military certificates, for which the real estate of the said James Coupland, deceased, was sold, and which escheated to this Commonwealth; to be by him applied in the first instance towards the discharge of the debts of his said intestate, and should any surplus remain in his hands thereafter, that it shall be lawful for the said David Coupland to hold and enjoy the same to and for his own proper use and benefit for ever."

Jefferson was also familiar with his fellow arbitrators. On December 12, 1773, ten days after making this arbitration award, Jefferson received from James Buchanan & Co. £8-3-6 "for business done for James Buchanan & Co." and on the same day paid the same amount to Buchanan "on my own acct."

In September 1773, Jefferson represented William Meade of Bedford County in a suit brought against him by James Donald of Chesterfield County. Jefferson charged Meade £5 for his services. On December 3, the day after this arbitrator’s award, Jefferson received £3 from James Donald.

In March 1774, David Coupland, John Leitch, and James Donald all served on a jury who found that Scottish minister of the Church of England Archibald McRoberts (1736-1807) had used hymns or poems other than the Psalms of David after a communion service and sermon.


James Buchanan (1737-1787) was a merchant in Falmouth and Richmond, Virginia. At the time of his death, he was referred to as "the oldest merchant" in Richmond and "most esteemed where he was best known."

James Donald was a Scottish tobacco merchant and slaveholder in Rocky Ridge, Chesterfield County, Virginia, in 1770. In January 1776, he announced his intention of leaving Virginia. Rocky Ridge, on the south bank of the James River, became Manchester in 1769 and was annexed into Richmond in 1910.

John Leitch (d. ca. 1805) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, as the son of a merchant. He became a merchant in Warwick, Virginia, for a time in the early 1770s. In September 1774, Leitch operated a store in Warwick for Dreghorn, Murdoch, and Company of Glasgow, Scotland, but announced that his brother David Leitch (1753-1794) would take charge of it. In 1773, Leitch exported 96 hogsheads of tobacco to Scotland through James Murdoch & Co.; in 1774, he exported 20 hogsheads of tobacco to Scotland through James & Robert Donald & Co. He became a co-founder of Leitch & Smith with Archibald Smith for the West India trade in sugar, cotton, and rum. David Leitch went on to become a major in the Revolutionary War and settled in Kentucky after the war.

David O. Coupland (1749-1822) was born into a planter family in Virginia. In 1775, he married Anne Bassett Harrison (1753-1821), the daughter of Governor Benjamin Harrison (1726-1791), who signed the Declaration of Independence, and the older sister of future president William Henry Harrison (1773-1841). They had eleven children. Coupland served as a justice of the peace for Cumberland County, Virginia. In 1810, he owned 35 slaves in Buckingham County, Virginia.


Jefferson documents pre-dating the Revolution are rarely seen in the marketplace. Indeed, only one earlier document could be found at auction in ABPC and Rare Book Hub.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

December 14, 2022 11:00 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000