251[Diary entry: 3 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
3. Wind hard and cold all day from No. Wt. Mer.—From 28 to 18.
252[Diary entry: 4 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
4. Excessively Cold wind in the same quarter—Mer. 10 to 18. All the creeks & great part of the River froze.
253[Diary entry: 5 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
5. Wind shifted Southerly but still very cold. Mery. as above.
254[Diary entry: 6 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
6. Mer. 18–32. River all most closed. Mrs. Forbes our House keeper arrived here this day. Wd. South. The steady stream of visitors to Mount Vernon put quite a strain on Mrs. Washington. There was no steward or housekeeper at Mount Vernon, and to make matters worse, their slave cook, Hercules, had run away sometime in the early fall. GW wrote several friends requesting them to help him find...
255[Diary entry: 7 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
7. Wind Southerly but still cold. Mer. from 26 to 32. Doctr. Fendall went away, & Docr. Stuart came. Dr. Benjamin Fendall of Cedar Hill in Charles County, Md., was a dentist. He probably came to see Mrs. Washington, who was to have some new teeth made. GW wrote Dr. Fendall several months later, “Mrs. Washington has been long in expectation of receiving what you took away unfinished, and was to...
256[Diary entry: 8 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
8. Lowering, but moderate—Wind Southerly. Mer. 32.
257[Diary entry: 9 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
9. Wind cold again from the No. Wt. Mer. 24 a . Mr. Law & family & Doc. Stuart went away after breakfast & Mr. Welch came to Dinner & returned afterwards. James Welch had come to Mount Vernon to deliver his final proposal for the Kanawha lands. There had been correspondence back and forth since his original proposal on 29 Nov., and GW had received some rather disquieting reports about Welch....
258[Diary entry: 10 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
10. Wind variable—Mer. 26 a . Mr. Burwell came to dinner. Mr. Burwell is probably either Lewis Burwell, Jr., son of Col. Lewis Burwell (1716–1784) of Kingsmill, or Lewis Burwell (1764–1834) of Richmond, son of Lewis Burwell (1737–1779) of Fairfield, Gloucester County.
259[Diary entry: 11 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
11. Calm & pleasant—Wind Southerly—Mer. 28 a 34. Mr. Burwell went away after breakfast & a son of Colo. D. Henley came to dinner. Col. David Henley was at this time War Department agent to the Southwest Territory. He and his wife Sarah Hesilrige Henley (d. 1786) had two sons, Arthur Hesilrige Henley (b. 1782) and David Henley (b. 1784). For information on the Henley family, see WYMAN Thomas...
260[Diary entry: 12 December 1797] (Washington Papers)
12. Lowering Morning, but fine afternoon, Mer. 32 a 42. Mr. Henley went up to Alex. Revd. Mr. Fairfax dined he⟨re⟩. Late in 1789 Bryan Fairfax had been ordained a minister in the Episcopal church, and on 15 Mar. 1790 he was inducted as rector of Fairfax Parish. He served as rector for only two years, retiring on 16 July 1792. In 1790 he moved his residence from Towlston Grange to Mount Eagle,...