Tatham, William (1752-1819) to Henry Knox
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.05098 Author/Creator: Tatham, William (1752-1819) Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 3 August 1791 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 23.8 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy
Notes he enclosed by his last letter a Virginia sheet of his intended publication "Analysis of the United States" (see GLC02437.05093.02). Reports that the Clerk of the Federal Court thought it proper to suspend his certificate for copyright. Says an attorney working for the government told him the copyright was only good for Virginia. Writes, "This seems to be acting judicialy; and not ministerialy; and the advantages of speedy information to the Community may be somewhat delayd." States since they both know Attorney General Edmund Randolph, he hopes Knox will ask his official opinion. "Free" stamped on address leaf with no signature.
William Tatham, engineer, born in Hutton, England, in 1752; died in Richmond, Virginia, 22 February, 1819. He emigrated to this country in 1769, entered a mercantile establishment on James river, Virginia, and served as adjutant of militia against the Indians. During the Revolutionary war he served as a colonel in the Virginia cavalry under General Thomas Nelson, and was a volunteer in the party that stormed the redoubt at Yorktown. In 1780 with Colonel John Todd, he compiled the first exact and comprehensive account of the western country. After the Revolution he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1784. He was removed to North Carolina and in 1786 founded the settlement of Lumberton. He was a member of the North Carolina legislature in 1787. Tatham went back to England in 1796, and in 1801 became superintendent of the London docks. He returned to the United States in 1805. He was given the office of military store-keeper in the Richmond arsenal in 1817, and while there committed suicide by throwing himself before a cannon at the moment of discharge.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.