Washington, George, 1732-1799 to James Mercer
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06335 Author/Creator: Washington, George, 1732-1799 Place Written: Mount Vernon, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 26 December 1774 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 37 x 23.4 cm. Order a Copy
Written by Washington a month after the adjournment of the first Continental Congress to Mercer as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Informs Mercer of the cost of purchases made for him in Frederick, Maryland including £29 for a slave named Kate. Says the whole of Mercer's purchase was for £2385.14.2. Has heard nothing from Colonel Payton on the Loudoun County land for which Mercer was charged. Washington is involved in a disputed land deal through Mercer for Gray & Adams land, and he writes that it appears that the land in question is 56 acres short of the 1224 he was going to buy. Says he will not be pleased if that is the case and will not be bound by it. Says Mercer's wording of the land warrant is not sufficiently strong and straight-forward. Says he has written to Mercer's brother and has sent along a copy (not present). Makes reference to the wheat crop. Mentions cattle sales in Frederick and says Mercer is too optimistic about the worth of his herd. Says he is not in great need of cattle for Mount Vernon, but might be willing to make a deal with Mercer for some. Says he is most interested in cows and heifers. References Mercer's brother's "affairs" at the end of the letter. A long docket discusses power of attorney to sell G. Mercer's estate in Frederick and Loudoun, and discusses John Mercer's settlement of a debt to Custis. Settlement estimated at £2300. Two small areas of text loss on page three.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.