University of Virginia Library

Financial Statement

Brockenbrough's "Statement of the application of the Funds" showed that between 1
October 1819 and 30 September 1820, John M. Perry earned more than any of the other
contractors by his association with the university.[427] First, he received the last payment for
the 48¾ acres of land that he sold to the Central College, $3,615.90. He earned $2,990.54
for the "brick work of Pavilion No 3 and seven dormitories, executed in 1819" and an
additional $8,598.75 for "carpenters work on pavilion No 4 West and 16 Dormitories,
including plastering & lumber, and the brick work of No 4 East with 8 dormitories & the
brick & wood work of Hotel B with 9 dormitories" ($15,205.19 total). James Dinsmore
received $5,314.15 for "carpenters & Joiners work of Pavilion No 2 West and Pavilion No 4
East and eight dormitories including lumber & other articles." Dinsmore & Perry received
$1,544.11 for "Carpenters & Joiners work and lumber for Pavilion No III West and six
dormitories." Altogether Perry and Dinsmore together received a total of $12,063.45 from
the university bursar.

After Perry, Richard Ware and his gang of Philadelphians earned the most at the
construction site during the period. For the "brick work of Pavilions No 1 and 2 East with
four dormitories" Ware was paid $3,891.72, and for "Carpenters & Joiners work & lumber
for Pavilions 1, 2, & 3 and 13 dormitories" he received $6,503.77, or a total of $10,395.49.
Carter & Phillips "for their brick work last year in Pavilions 1 & 5 West & 5 dormitories
&c" were paid $3,506.75. Phillips earned another $898.71 for "brick work this year in
pavilion No 5 East and Hotel C" and Carter received an additional $926.79 for "brick work
in Pavilion No 3 East & Hotel A." Together, Curtis Carter and William B. Phillips took in
$5,332.25.

James Oldham brought in $2,919.99 for "carpenters & joiners work on Pavilion No 1 West
with four dormitories and Hotel A with nine dormitories and lumber." Abiah Thorn earned
only $86.50, that for laying the "stone foundation to Columns to Pav: No 1." George W.
Spooner, Jr., apparently gaining from the proctor's mistake in awarding him extra work,
made $2,084.57 for "carpenters work on Pav: No 5 West and on Hotel C with 10 dormitories
& lumber." John Neilson, on the other hand, earned only $1,486.57 for "work and lumber
for Pav: No 5 West and pavilion No 5 East with 7 dormitories." For "brick work in Pavilion
No 5 west," Peter Myers was paid $11.56.

The former proctor of the Central College, Nelson Barksdale, received $800 "for lumber for
the buildings," $1,101 for "the hire of Negroes for 1819," and $65 for "a horse for the use of
the Institution," a total of $1,966. The Italian stonecutters Michele and Giacomo Raggi
received for "Wages as scu[l]ptors, board, washing &c." $1,294.24, and Giacomo Raggi another
$70 for "wages," bringing their earnings together to $1,364.24. Stonecutters Joseph
Cowden and James Campbell were paid $314.50, and John Gorman got $679.06. John
Cullen "& others for quarrying Stone for Boxes, Caps, Sills, steps &c" received $269.25,
and Thomas B. Conway $75 for "free Stone."

Joseph Antrim earned $681.69 for "plastering," and Edward Lowber was paid $598.25 for
his role in the "painting & Glazing." A. H. Brooks "for Covering pavilions 1 and 5 West and
1 and 2 East with Tin & tin pipes for No 2 W" was paid $798.47. Elijah Huffman got
$242.53 for "boring & laying water pipes," Lewis Bailey for "ditching for the pipes" $25.50,
and William Boin & others for do" $85.67. John Herron for "Wages as Overseer" earned
$106 and Jesse Lewis for "Smiths work" $160.88. Another $1,620.26 was spent "for
provisions for laborers & Overseer paid for hire of laborers, Waggonage and other
unavoidable expences." Charlottesville merchant James Leitch took in $1,332.73 for
"sundries furnished for the buildings in the year 1818 and 1819," and the Richmond
merchant firm of Brockenbrough & Harvie "for nails" was paid $282.96. The largest
Richmond firm supplying the university, John Van Lew & Co., was paid $1,360.76 for
supplying "Tin, hardware" and the smallest Richmond supplier, D. W. & C. Warwick
received for "Sundries" only $37. (The suppliers total added up to $3,013.45.) Finally,
Proctor Brockenbrough received $1,604.85 for his salary and Alexander Garrett $375 for his
services as bursar. All told, the disbursements amounted to $59,158.81.

In addition to recording monies already spent in construction at the university,
Brockenbrough's 30 September statement provided an estimate of the amount required to
finish the "buildings now on hand, and two more Hotels, a Proctors house and twenty eight
dormitories to complete the range on the Western Street." First, "Agreeable to our estimate
on the 1st Oct: 1819. we required to complete the buildings then contracted for the sum of"
$38,898.25. To complete the "3 other Pavilions now building," would require $18,000; the 3
Hotels or boarding houses do," $9,000; and the "45 Dormitories do," $18,000, making a
total of $45,000. "For 2 Other Hotels & proctors house on the West Street with 28
dormitories yet to be put up," $20,200 was expected to be needed. Add for the "Stone work
digging & removing earth and other unavoidable expences at least 25 pr cent," or
$26,024.56, and the grand total needed to finish construction climbed to $130,122.81.
However, $59,158.81 already paid to the "Several undertakers of the buildings and others as
pr the foregoing account since Oct: 1st 1819" could be subtracted from the $130,122.81,
leaving an estimated $70,964 needed to finish all the construction of the buildings. As for
income, the $20,000 balance from the $60,000 loan was yet left, and the 1821 yearly
annuity would be $15,000, although $2,400 had to be deducted from that to pay interest on
the outstanding $40,000. Thus the Balance required to complete the buildings (exclusive of
the library), Brockenbrough estimated, was $38,364.