1From George Washington to William Pearce, 10 January 1796 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to William Pearce, 10 Jan. 1796 . On 17 Jan., Pearce wrote GW: “I Receved your Letter of the 10th Inst.”
2From George Washington to William Pearce, 1 January 1797 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : to William Pearce, 1 Jan. 1797 . GW wrote James Anderson on 8 Jan. : “My last letter (this day week) to Mr Pearce.”
3From George Washington to William Pearce, 17 March 1795 (Washington Papers)
You will receive this letter from the hands of Mr Izard, to whom I request you to pay attention, and make his visit to Mount Vernon as convenient and agreeable to him as may be in your power. I am Your friend &ca ALS (photocopy), DLC:GW , series 9.
4From George Washington to William Pearce, 29 April 1796 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : to William Pearce, 29 April 1796. GW wrote Pearce on Sunday, 1 May: “I wrote you on friday last.”
5From George Washington to William Pearce, 14 August 1797 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 24th of July has been received, and I thank you for your ready compliance with my request; but recollecting how I was served last year, I must remind you that the season will not allow me to wait long for your decisive answer—especially too, as persons are now applying in this quarter. I must repeat in this, what I said, or meant to say in my last—that is—that I do not wish...
6From George Washington to William Pearce, 3 October 1794 (Washington Papers)
If this letter should reach your hands, it will be delivered by Mr Weston, who with his lady may take a ride from Alexandria to Mount Vernon. Should this happen, I request you will make their visit as agreeable as your situation will enable you to do. I am Your friend &ca ALS (photocopy), reproduced in Historical Review of Berks County , vol. III, no. 2 (January 1938). GW probably was...
7From George Washington to William Pearce, 9 March 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 3d instt is this moment received. The badness of the roads has occasioned irregularity in the Post. I approve your repairing my house in Alexandria with my own People (preparing every thing that can be, at home) and of your doing it in the manner proposed; that is, to board between the houses in a neat & workman like manner & to do the three sides of the lot with White Oak...
8From George Washington to William Pearce, 5 September 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 31st of Augt from Chester Town, came duly to hand; but as you did not acknowledge the receipt of the one I wrote you from hence, this day week, I presume it had not got to hand; Owing, I conceive to a misapprehension of mine as to the time of closing the Mail for the Eastern shore which I find is an hour and an half earlier than those which go Southerly or Easterly. I put my...
9From George Washington to William Pearce, 3 January 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 27th with the reports came to hand yesterday —and I am glad to find you have met with a supply of twine in Alexandria, as there is no prospect that has yet opened, of getting it from hence in time and I have no doubt that under all chances fishing yourself will be more profitable than hiring out the landing for Sixty pounds. I am not disposed to take any thing less for my...
10From George Washington to William Pearce, 12 July 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 5th, and the reports of the preceeding week, have been received. I am glad to hear your wheat harvest is secured. If it yields well it will be fortunate as there is no doubt of the price being good. The Indian corn will have no cause to complain from the want of heat, for some days past. If nothing more than I foresee at present, happens to prevent it, I shall leave this...
11From George Washington to William Pearce, 6 September 1795 (Washington Papers)
I was glad to find by your letter of the 30th of August, and the reports of the preceeding week, that you had recommenced seeding, ⟨w⟩ith more favorable weather. If the latter should continue good, and the ground can be put in tolerable order, all the Wheat, sowed by the middle of this month will be in the ground in good Season; and if the Autumn is favorable, any time before the end of it,...
12From George Washington to William Pearce, 31 May 1795 (Washington Papers)
I am quite surprized to find by your letter of the 24th instant (which with the Reports came duly to hand) that your crops had stood in need of Rain. There has been no three days together without it, at this place, since I arrived here; and some times for whole days and nights, with little or no intermission. The exhausted state of Provisions (bread) in Europe; the demand for flour there; and...
13From George Washington to William Pearce, 12–13 April 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 5th, with its enclosures, I received yesterday. I propose to commence my journey for Mount Vernon tomorrow—but as the road through Maryland, by information, is almost impassable, & business will detain me a day or two at the federal city, I do not expect to reach home before Sunday (this day week). This being the case, my letter will be short; I shall add however, that I...
14From George Washington to William Pearce, 25 May 1794 (Washington Papers)
I learn with concern from your letter of the 18th instant, that your crops were still labouring under a drought, and most of them very much injured. At disappointments and losses which are the effects of Providential acts, I never repine; because I am sure the alwise disposer of events knows better than we do, what is best for us, or what we deserve. Two or three fine rains have fallen here in...
15From George Washington to William Pearce, 28 August 1795 (Washington Papers)
The enclosed letter for Miss Betcy Custis relates to a matter, respecting which, I have made some enquiry in her behalf — Put it into her own hands, if she is at Mount Vernon—and as she might wish, perhaps, to revolve the subject a little, before she communicates the contents to any oth⟨ers⟩ give it to her when she is alo⟨ne⟩⟨ mutilated ⟩ letter also, which only serves to cover it. I am Your...
16From George Washington to William Pearce, 6 September 1797 (Washington Papers)
. . . but as the Season is now far advanced, and you have hitherto been unsuccessful, and the wages of those you think good, are besides high; I shall, rather than run a risk of doing worse, engage Cask [Cash], who seems to be a sober, active & obliging man, for the coming year, which will complete my wants. . . . The Collector, nos. 9–11 (1962), item r420. Only this printed fragment of the...
17From George Washington to William Pearce, 6 May 1798 (Washington Papers)
A few days ago the enclosed a/c was sent in, and others of a similar nature have also been presented. To guard against these afterclaps was the reason why I urged you with so much earnestness to leave no accounts unpaid, of your own contracting. Why the balance, if just, was left unpaid, when you had money to go to, at pleasure, or why it was referred to Mr Lear to pay, I am unable to say—Some...
18From George Washington to William Pearce, 3 February 1794 (Washington Papers)
The Post which ought (in course) to have arrived here On Saturday last, will not be in, it seems, until tomorrow. When it arrives, I shall (if anything requires immediate notice) by the Post of Wednesday write to you—If not, I shall delay doing it until the usual time—that is, on Sunday next. By the last Post I sent you a bank note for One hundred dollars, to pay Mr Dulany—I hope it got safe...
19From George Washington to William Pearce, 4 May 1795 (Washington Papers)
I arrived in this city on Saturday at noon—about which time I recd your letter of the 29th Ulto. It gives me pleasure to hear that your grain and grass have benefitted by the late rains. As both are liable to great changes from the viscissitudes of weather, mention every week what the then appearance of the fields and meadows are; particular whether any grain is to be expected from the injured...
20From George Washington to William Pearce, 7 June 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 31st of last month, enclosing the weekly reports, came duly to hand—yesterday. Let the person who is to supply you with plank & Shingles, have the precise length of the first given to him, that it may not waste in cutting. This length you will be able to ascertain from knowing the uses for which it is intended; & by consulting the plan which I sent you. The plank for the...
21From George Washington to William Pearce, 1 February 1795 (Washington Papers)
I write to you this week, more for the sake of letting you know that your l⟨e⟩tter of the 25th Ulto with the reports, came safe, than because I have any thing to communicate that is in any degree material. I have no doubt of Ceder making a good hedge—but I have very great ones of your getting them to live, when transplanted; and if they should not, your labour as well as the plants will be...
22From George Washington to William Pearce, 20 December 1795 (Washington Papers)
Having received neither the weekly reports nor a letter from you yesterday, as usual, I fear you are unwell, or something else is the cause of it, as I got other letters by the Southern Mail. Flour keeps up to 13½ dollars pr barl. If I have any therefore on hand, to dispose of, I wish it were sold at that price, on a reasonable credit; allowing for the freight to this place; which is all that...
23From George Washington to William Pearce, 17 July 1797 (Washington Papers)
My Overseers at Union and Dogue run Farms endeavouring to play the same game they did last year—that is—to raise their wages; but as I am fully resolved not to do it (especially as the price of produce is reduced a hundred prCt) I am induced to ask you—as Clark who engaged with Mr Craik is dead, & expectation from that quarter is at an end—if you could recommend a person whom you know would...
24From George Washington to William Pearce, 7 September 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 31st ulto with the Reports, I have received. A few days ago I received a letter from Mr Pyne dated in the City of Washington still expressing a desire to be employed at Mount Vernon, and a wish to be there some short time before Butler left it, that he might get a little insight into the nature of the business, previous to his entering upon duty. I referred him for his being...
25From George Washington to William Pearce, 9 August 1795 (Washington Papers)
The day before I left home, I rode by the field at Dogue run called Davy’s field—and intended to have had some further conversation with you on the subject of a second wheat field at that place this seeding time; but the suddenness of my departure prevented it. In looking at the field above mentioned, it did not strike me as sufficient, in addition to No. 5 for a wheaten crop at that farm (if...
26From George Washington to William Pearce, 19 October 1795 (Washington Papers)
Owing to the bad weather, and the sickness on the road of both Washington and one of the Postilions (Joe) I am no farther advanced yet; & do not expect to reach Philadelphia at soonest, before tuesday afternoon. As my Wheat would be a heavy loss to me, if the Weavil should get much into it; I must again request that no time may be lost in getting it out of the straw, and ground up as fast as...
27From George Washington to William Pearce, 20 July 1794 (Washington Papers)
Yesterday brought me your letter, & the Reports of the preceeding week; the first dated the 16th instt & the other the 12th. Frequent Rains at this season, if they do not fall too heavily, nor are of too long a continuance, will be the making of the Corn & Buckwheat; but if they are of such a nature as to prevent plowing it will be bad; however, it may so happen, that if you cannot plow in one...
28From George Washington to William Pearce, 19 August 1796 (Washington Papers)
At this place I have seen Mr Thos Ringgold, who is very desirous of availing himself of your testimony in his pending suit. I have told him, that my consent to this measure has been freely given—and that it depended entirely upon yourself, and the state of your health, whether you attended or not. Mentioning to him the probability of your quitting the Superintendance of my business, he said it...
29From George Washington to William Pearce, 12 August 1795 (Washington Papers)
I forgot to ask you, what prospect there was of your saving clover seed, sufficient for your next years purposes? If it is a good one, there will be no occasion of buying, if it is not, the sooner I am informed thereof, the better. I hope you will, not only of this kind of seed, but of all others, endeavor to save as much as will answer my own demands, as the purchase of them falls heavy upon...
30From George Washington to William Pearce, 13 December 1795 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 6th instt, enclosing the weekly reports, has been duly received. I am glad to find by it that the sickness among my people is abating. If Cyrus continues to give evidence of such qualities as would fit him for a waiting man, encourage him to persevere in them; and if they should appear to be sincere & permanent, I will receive him in that character when I retire from public...