About
William Nelson, Jr. (1754-1813) was a Virginia lawyer, judge and a lifelong friend of William Short. He and Short attended the College of William & Mary, where they participated in organizations such as Phi Beta Kappa, the Constitutional Society, and a student militia corps. While Short went abroad with Jefferson, Nelson first became a lawyer and then judge of the General Court of Virginia in 1791 until his death in 1813. In their letters, Nelson updates Short on Virginia and interstate politics and advises Short to resume practicing law in Virginia and to avoid foreign romances.
Citation(s):
“Thomas Jefferson to William Nelson, Jr., 28 April 1794,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-28-02-0060. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 28, 1 January 1794 – 29 February 1796, ed. John Catanzariti. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 63–64.]
George G. Shackleford, Jefferson’s Adoptive Son: The Life of William Short, 1759-1848 (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky Press, 1993), passim.
Peter Thompson, Heir through Hope: Thomas Jefferson's Lifelong Investment in William Short (New York: Oxford University Press, 2023), passim.
Places William Nelson, Jr. wrote from:
Each marker represents a document written by William Nelson, Jr.. Select a number to see a group of documents written from the same location.
Places written from
Author
- A friend of William Short relays news from home, including health issues, Virginia politics, and foreign relations, and he compares the culture of…Written by:
- A friend of William Short updates him on political, legal, and cultural events in Virginia and the backcounty, relays information about relations…Written by:
- A friend in Virginia writes to Short lamenting the irregularity of their correspondence and discussing recent events in the state.Written by:
- A friend in Virginia writes to William Short expressing disappointment at not having heard from him recently, updates him on various local, state and…Written by:
- A friend of William Short relays news from home and asks Short to compare France to Virginia.Written by:
- A friend updates William Short on events in the United States, in particular relating to the Episcopal clergy, and informs him he has seen his…Written by:
Recipient
- William Short offers condolences to a friend upon the death of a loved one, approves of his travel plans to help him deal with the grief, and invites…Written by: