Cryptic Ciphers, Treasure, Duels: The Life of Thomas Jefferson Beale

Thomas Jefferson Beale. It’s the name you likely have not heard, but the name behind a story you’ve seen a version of on the big screen.  A 200-year-old mystery in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia begins with TJ Beale. He is credited as the author of the Beale Papers (also known as Beale Ciphers). They are the “treasure map” to the Beale Treasure worth an estimated $65 million.  Consisting of three ciphers explaining what the treasure is, where it is and who is entitled to it the ciphers have never been fully decoded. The cipher explaining what the treasure consists of was decoded using the Declaration of Independence n the late 1800s. Does that sound familiar?  The movie National Treasure is said to be loosely based on the story.  Now it is time to tell the real story of Thomas Jefferson Beale. 

His home life in Virginia was much different than the life he built in New Orleans. His Virginia family considered him the black sheep. The son of a prominent businessman and family, Thomas was left just 5 shillings in inheritance in his father’s unequal estate settlement. This was the equivalent of a week’s wages for a carpenter at the time despite the fact that his father’s estate was among the wealthiest. 

Arriving in New Orleans, Beale met and married Celeste Boucher de Grandpre. Celeste was the  daughter of the governor of western Florida.  He opened the Planters & Merchants Hotel and various other gambling houses. 

He was considered a prominent businessman for the area and noted as a founding family of Jefferson Parrish. This led Andrew Jackson to approach Beale to gather his friends to assist with the Battle of New Orleans.  Beale led the “Beale Riflemen” militia during the battle and is noted throughout the Chalmette Battlefield for his contributions. His riflemen were comprised of attorneys and business owners. 

However, research is tough for Beale. During his time in New Orleans, a few other things were happening that overshadow his contributions. Marie Laveau was just beginning her family, Pirate Jean Lafitte and his brother were likely drinking in Beale’s “gambling hall” and fighting in the Battle of New Orleans with Beale, the Axeman of New Orleans was killing Italian grocers and demanding the city play jazz music to appease him, and Madame LaLaurie was hosting parties as her guests were unaware of the torture happening under the same roof.  

Beale died in September 1820 leaving his estate to his (first) son with Delancy who had recently found him in New Orleans. The will caused several claims against the estate by his current wife, Celeste. 

Morriss describes Thomas Jefferson Beale with seemingly admiration and in detail.  He recounts that Beale arrived at the Washington Hotel in January 1820 with two other men seeking accommodations for the winter. All appeared to be “well-educated gentlemen,” but the other two left within a few days.  They returned to Richmond where they said they resided.  Beale stayed until Spring. Morriss describes him as a favored and popular guest “especially with the ladies.”

Morriss continues via the words of Ward’s pamphlet, “In person, he was about six feet in height, with jet black eyes and hair of the same color, worn longer than was the style at that time. His form was symmetrical, and gave evidence of unusual strength and activity; but his distinguishing feature was a dark and swarthy complexion, as if much exposure to the sun and weather had thoroughly tanned and discolored him; this, however, did not detract from his appearance, and I thought him the handsomest man I had ever seen. Altogether he was a model of manly beauty, favored by the ladies and envied by men. To the first he was reverentially tender and polite; to the latter, affable and courteous, when they kept within bounds, but, if they were supercilious or presuming, the lion was aroused, and woe to the man who offended him.”

“He remained with me until about the latter end of the following March, when he left with the same friends who first accompanied him to my house, and who had returned days before. 

“In the spring, about the same time, he left again, but before doing so, handed me this box, which, as he said, contained papers of value and importance; and which he desired to leave in my charge until called for hereafter. Of course, I did not decline to receive them, but little imagined their importance until his letter from St Louis was received. This letter I carefully preserved, and it will be given with these papers. The box of iron, carefully locked, and of such weight as to render it a safe and secure place, where it could not be disturbed until such time as it should be demanded by its owner. The letter alluded to above was a the last communication I ever received from Beale, and I never saw him again.” 

“The box was left in my hands in the Spring of 1822, and by authority of his letter, I should have examined its contents in 1832, ten years thereafter, having heard nothing from Beale in the meantime; but it was not until 1845, some twenty-three years after it came into my possession, that I decided upon opening it. During that year I had the lock broken, and, with the exception of the two letters addressed to myself, and some old receipts, found only some unintelligible papers, covered with figures, and totally incomprehensible to me.” 

“According to his letter, these papers convey all the information necessary to find the treasure he has concealed, and upon you devolves the responsibility of recovering it. Should you succeed you will be amply compensated for your work, and others near and dear to me will likewise be benefitted. The end is worth all your exertions, and I have every hope that success will reward your efforts.”