On October 9, 1799 President George Washington wrote a letter to William Thornton asking him to show the City of Washington to Col. John Walker (1744–1809) and Hugh Nelson (1768–1836), son of Gov. Thomas Nelson (1738–1789), who had just  married Eliza Kinloch (1781–1834), the granddaughter of Col. John Walker (1744–1809), the son of Washington’s old friend, Thomas Walker (1715–1794). Thornton was to show them around since Mr. White, District of Columbia commissioner, Alexander White was not available. 

Provenance: The letter from George Washington To William Thornton is in the Dixon-Welling collection at Connecticut Historical Society. How did the family acquire this letter?

Possibly the connection may be traced back to the original autograph collector, Elizabeth L. C.  Dixon.  It is possible she acquired the letter with help from her stepmother, Jane Eudora Kirkpatrick Cogswell (1799-1864), her aunt was Mrs. Margaret Bayard Smith (1777-1844) and close friend of Wm Thornton. – suggested by Caroline Welling Van Deusen (1956-


Located at Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Dixon-Welling Collection, Manuscripts and Ephemera