Description:

Jefferson Commissions a Siege of Tripoli Participant in the U.S. Navy

With this commission, President Thomas Jefferson appointed James Tootell as a purser in the United States Navy. Tootell served aboard the USS Nautilus during the First Barbary War and continued to serve in the Navy until he died in 1809. In this auction, another lot, is the magnificent eyewitness correspondence of Tootell during the siege of Tripoli.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, Partially Printed Document Signed, Commission of James Tootell as Navy Purser, May 5, 1803, Washington, D.C. Also signed by Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith. 1 p., 13" x 7.875". Some sticky residue on top verso from previous mounting; folds; foxing; small loss to upper right corner.

Excerpt

"THOMAS JEFFERSON, President of the United States of America, / To all who shall see these Presents, Greeting: / Know Ye, That reposing special Trust and Confidence in the Patriotism, Valor, Fidelity and Abilities of James Tootell I do appoint him a Purser in the Navy of the United States:"

Historical Background

In May 1803, the United States Navy purchased the merchant schooner Nautilus (launched in 1799) in Baltimore and commissioned it as the USS Nautilus, becoming the first American naval ship to bear that name. Its first commander was Lieutenant Richard Somers (who later became famous for a daring raid on Tunis harbor that went tragically wrong). James Tootell served as the first purser for the USS Nautilus, as it sailed for the Mediterranean for service in the First Barbary War. The purser was the person on each ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board.

James Tootell (d. 1809) was born in Annapolis, Maryland. From 1803 to 1805, he served in the U.S. Navy as the purser on the USS Nautilus. From 1807 to 1808, he served as purser on board the USS Wasp and in 1809 on the USS President. He died in Annapolis in September 1809. A Philadelphia newspaper declared, "Seldom have we had occasion to discharge a more melancholy duty than recording the decease of this amiable young man."

Robert Smith (1757-1842) was born in Pennsylvania. He fought in the American Revolutionary War in the Continental Army and later graduated from Princeton in 1781. He began to practice law in Maryland. After Smith served in the Maryland State Senate (1793-1795) and Maryland House of Delegates (1796-1800), President Thomas Jefferson appointed him as Secretary of the Navy in 1801, a position he held until 1809. President James Madison appointed Smith as Secretary of State in 1809 but demanded his resignation in 1811.

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.

October 18, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 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