To George Washington from Wilhelm Louis Wernecke, 24 July 1796
From Wilhelm Louis Wernecke
at Mrs Hickingbottom
No. 116. North front Street1
Philadelphia July 24th 1796
Sir
I take the Liberty to Address your Excelence Concerning the affair that I waited on your Excelence four weeks ago with Mr Graff as my Nominated Gaurdian, and Mr Erdman as Interpreter,2 at which time your Excelence was pleased to promise Asistance in geting the Estate of my Uncle Col. Wernecke, deceased in Posession according to your Excelence Direction.3
I waited on Mr Nottnagle in order that he might Assist me, but during your Excelence absence Mr Nottnagle turned his Back on me and even left the Sity, it is said he is gone to Long-Island for his Health,4 I am at present in A very poor Situation I have neither Money nor friends, Mr Graff holds the Writings Still, I cannot get them, He lives high upon my Property in German Town, while I am in want of Bread And have been Obliged to serve A Farmer on the Ridge road for Subsistance, I should be very happy if I could have an Oppertunity once more of Speaking to your Excelence, as I am of Opinion that Mr Graff & Mr Nottnagle are United in keeping me out of my right, I have here Inclosed the Copy of A Letter from Ebenezer Stott, to Mr Nottnagle as A clearer Explanation of the Affairs,5 upon which I Ernest Intreat your Excelence advice how to proceed in the Affair,6 Which shall be greatfully Acknowledged by Your Excelence most Humble servant
Wilhelm Louis Wernecke
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Elizabeth Hickenbottom kept a boarding house at this address. She was probably the widow of William Hickenbottom, an innkeeper who died in 1793.
2. Charles Erdman (c.1744–1813) worked as an interpreter until his death. An advertisement in Finlay’s American Naval and Commercial Register (Philadelphia) for 1 July 1796 began “Charles Erdman, Sworn interpreter of the English, French, German and Low-Dutch Languages.”
3. For the estate of Frederick Christian Wernecke, see Officers of the Grand Bailiwick of Nassau to GW, 10 March 1794.
4. Leopold Nottnagel (Notnagel; c.1757–1813) was at this time a partner in the firm Nottnagel, Montmollin & Co., sellers of dry goods and other imported products at Philadelphia.
5. Ebenezer Stott, a merchant in Petersburg, Va., wrote Nottnagel, Montmollin & Co. on 11 July that he had “applyed Unceasenly to Mr Mark, by letter as well as Verbaly for A Settlement of the Affairs of the late Col. Wernecke … I am now perfectly Perswaded that he never will render any Account or give up any part of the Effects untill Compelled by due Course of Law, and I think the sooner you Adopt that Measure the better—He says there are Considerable Claims against the Estate, and that after paying them there will be little left to the Heirs, How far this is true I cannot pretend to say” (DLC:GW).
6. GW’s secretary George Washington Craik replied to Wernecke from Mount Vernon on 3 Aug.: “I am directed by the President of the United States to acknowledge the receipt of your letter to him, dated the 24th of July. To express his concern that your prospect of recovering the Estate, which you are in pursuit of, is so unpromising; and to add, that Mr Erdman who Interpreted between you, either greatly misunderstood him, or you have greatly misunderstood Mr Erdman; for that so far from promising to have any Agency in the business, he requested that Gentleman to inform you, in explicit terms, that he could not meddle in the affair at all. That the Courts of Justice (over whom he had no controul) were alone competent to decide on the justice and equity of your claim. … This he directs me to repeat to you again. and to assure you that it is Law alone not men that govern in this Country.
“His advice to you however, is, to lay all your title papers before some eminent Lawyer in Richmond, (of whom there are many)—and as you are not in Cash to fee him well (which in this, as in most other Countries is essential) to inform the Gentleman you employ (if he thinks your title good, & worth prosecuting) that he shall receive a certain sum—or a certain proportion of whatsoever he shall recover if he succeeds—but that you are unable to pay any thing if he does not” (Df, in GW’s writing, DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW). This letter may not have been delivered (see GW to Bartholomew Dandridge, Jr., 5 Aug., and Dandridge to GW, 10 Aug., both found at GW to George Lewis, 28 April, n.2).