1[January 1771] (Washington Papers)
Jany. 1st. Rid to my Mill in the forenoon and afternoon. 2. Did the same thing again. Met Colo. Robt. Fairfax there, & upon my return home found Mr. Piper, Mr. Muir, and Doctr. Rumney here who dined & lodged. Robert Fairfax was preparing at this time to return to his home in England, Leeds Castle, where he lived until his death in 1793 ( GW to Jonathan Boucher, 3 Feb. 1771 , CSmH ). He became...
2[Diary entry: 1 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
Jany. 1st. Rid to my Mill in the forenoon and afternoon.
3[Diary entry: 2 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
2. Did the same thing again. Met Colo. Robt. Fairfax there, & upon my return home found Mr. Piper, Mr. Muir, and Doctr. Rumney here who dined & lodged. Robert Fairfax was preparing at this time to return to his home in England, Leeds Castle, where he lived until his death in 1793 ( GW to Jonathan Boucher, 3 Feb. 1771 , CSmH ). He became the seventh Baron Fairfax when his brother Thomas died in...
4[Diary entry: 3 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
3. The above Gentlemen stayed all day and Night. My Brother John and Mr. Lawe. Washington came here to Dinner.
5[Diary entry: 4 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
4. After Breakfast Mr. Piper, Mr. Muir and Doctr. Rumney returnd to Alexa. My Brothr. Mr. Lawe. Washington & self went to the Mill.
6[Diary entry: 5 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
5. My Brother & Mr. Lawe. Washington set of for Frederick. I went a hunting with the two Mr. Triplets and Mr. Peake but killd nothing.
7[Diary entry: 6 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
6. At home all day alone.
8[Diary entry: 7 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
7. The Two Colo. Fairfaxs and Mrs. Fairfax dined and lodged here. Besides the Fairfaxes, Dr. George Steptoe (d. 1784), of Westmoreland County, apparently visited Mount Vernon about this time; on 8 Jan., GW paid him £2 3s. for examining Patsy Custis and giving her a prescription ( General Ledger A General Ledger A, 1750–1772. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial...
9[Diary entry: 8 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
8. The Same Company dined here again but went away in the Evening.
10[Diary entry: 9 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
9. Rid to the Mill in the forenoon and Afternoon.
11[Diary entry: 10 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
10. Mr. Robt. Adam & Mr. Josh. Watson dined and lodged here. Before they came I had rid to my Mill in the forenoon. Robert Adam had recently entered into a business partnership with two friends, Matthew Campbell (d. 1782) and James Adam (died c.1787), both merchants of Alexandria. Known as Robert Adam & Co., this firm dealt in several agricultural commodities including wheat, corn, flour, and...
12[Diary entry: 11 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
11. The above Gentlemen dined here again to day and went away in the Afternoon. In the forenoon we all went to the Mill.
13[Diary entry: 12 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
12. Went a huntg. with the two Mr. Triplets Mr. Manley and Mr. Peake. Run a Deer to the Water but killed nothing.
14[Diary entry: 13 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
13. Mrs. Washington Patcy Custis & myself Dined and lodged at Belvoir.
15[Diary entry: 14 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
14. Dined there this day also and Returnd home after it.
16[Diary entry: 15 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
15. Rid to the Mill & Race in the forenoon and afternoon.
17[Diary entry: 16 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
16. Rid to the Mill and up the Mill Race in the Afternoon.
18[Diary entry: 17 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
17. Rid to the Mill &ca. in the Afternn. and went up to Alexa. with Mrs. Washington & Patcy Custis in the Afternoon.
19[Diary entry: 18 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
18. Rid to my Mill and the Race above it in the forenoon—at home afterwards.
20[Diary entry: 19 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
19. Went a hunting in Compa. with the two Mr. Triplets, Mr. Manley & Mr. Peake. Killed a Fox after two hours Chase. In the Afternoon rid to where my People were at work on the Mill Race. GW’s workers were now extending the millrace a few hundred yards northeast to a point on Dogue Run, a short distance above the mouth of Piney Branch.
21[Diary entry: 20 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
20. Went to Pohick Church with Mrs. Washington and returnd to Dinr. Mr. Ball dined here.
22[Diary entry: 21 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
21. Went up to Court Mrs. Washington & Patcy Custis with me. Returnd in the Afternoon & Mr. Hr. Ross with us. The January court met only today. At this session Lund Washington and James Wren, two witnesses to the signing of Valinda Wade’s deeds to GW 17–18 Dec. 1770, took oaths verifying those deeds, and the justices ordered the documents to be certified (Fairfax County Order Book for 1770–72,...
23[Diary entry: 22 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
22. Dined at home and afterwards went to Colcherster with Mr. Ross on my way to Dumfries on the Arbitration between Doctr. Ross & Co. and Mr. Semple. This arbitration, which had been begun in Colchester 27 Aug. 1770, was in GW’s opinion “a very disagreeable” one ( GW to Charles Washington, 25 Jan. 1771 , CSmH ). The arbitrators were obliged to meet in Dumfries for a third session beginning on...
24[Diary entry: 23 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
23. Waited at Colchester till 2 Oclock for Colo. Mason. Dined at Courts’s & went to Dumfries afterwards & to the Play of the Recruitg. Officer. Lodgd at Mr. Montgomeries. William Courts kept an inn, commonly called the Stone House, at the ferry landing in Colchester ( Va. Gaz. , P, 8 Sept. 1775). The Recruiting Officer: A Comedy , by George Farquhar, was a genial satire about the British army...
25[Diary entry: 24 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
24. On the Arbitration.
26[Diary entry: 25 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
25. Ditto ——— Ditto.
27[Diary entry: 26 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
26. Ditto ——— Ditto.
28[Diary entry: 27 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
27. Receivg. News of part of my Mill Wall’s falling in I came home to Dinner and found Miss Molly Manley here. Excavation of the mill site in 1932 revealed a layer of “soft aqueous sand” under the wall separating the water pit, where the waterwheel stood, from the cog pit in which the gears needed for transmission of power were located. It was also discovered that there were “bad subsoil...
29[Diary entry: 28 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
28. Returnd to Dumfries on the above Arbitration.
30[Diary entry: 29 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
29. Employd therein. In the Evening went to a Play.
31[Diary entry: 30 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
30. Employed as above and abt. Oclock at Night finished all the business we coud at this meeting.
32[Diary entry: 31 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
31. Returnd home by my Mill & the Dam where my People were attempting to stop water. The Dogue Run dam at the head of the millrace was apparently under construction, but the heavy rain that fell 29–30 Jan. had swollen the stream, making the job more difficult.
33Acct. of the Weather in Jany. [1771] (Washington Papers)
Jan. 1. Calm & very pleasant—being clear with all. 2. Clear and very pleasant with but little Wind and that Southwardly. 3. Still clear but a little Cooler Wind Shifting to the Northward. 4. A little cool but pleasant notwithstanding being clear. 5. Frosty Morning but clear with the Wind rather fresh from the Southwd. 6. Clear forenoon & pleasant but gloomy Afternoon. 7. Very Raw, Cold &...
34[Diary entry: 1 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
Jan. 1. Calm & very pleasant—being clear with all.
35[Diary entry: 2 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
2. Clear and very pleasant with but little Wind and that Southwardly.
36[Diary entry: 3 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
3. Still clear but a little Cooler Wind Shifting to the Northward.
37[Diary entry: 4 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
4. A little cool but pleasant notwithstanding being clear.
38[Diary entry: 5 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
5. Frosty Morning but clear with the Wind rather fresh from the Southwd.
39[Diary entry: 6 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
6. Clear forenoon & pleasant but gloomy Afternoon.
40[Diary entry: 7 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
7. Very Raw, Cold & Cloudy in the forenoon but clear afternoon.
41[Diary entry: 8 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
8. A little Cool but clear and tolerably pleasant afterwards.
42[Diary entry: 9 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
9. Clear and pleasant with but little Wind & that Southwardly.
43[Diary entry: 10 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
10. Very pleasant and warm with but little Wind.
44[Diary entry: 11 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
11. Much such a day as yesterday only a little Warmer.
45[Diary entry: 12 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
12. Clear, Mild, and pleasant in the forenoon but lowering afterwards.
46[Diary entry: 13 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
13. A little Rain last Night but clear again with the Wind at No. West.
47[Diary entry: 14 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
14. Cold Morning, and hard frost. The Afternoon somewhat milder the Wind having got about to the Southward again.
48[Diary entry: 15 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
15. A little Raw and Cold in the Morning altho the Wind was Southwardly. Afternoon very cloudy and threatning.
49[Diary entry: 16 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
16. Constant Rain the whole day with the Wind high from the Eastward. In the Evening it Shifted to the Southward.
50[Diary entry: 17 January 1771] (Washington Papers)
17. Clear & pleasant, the Wind what little there was of it being still Southwardly.