George Washington Papers
Documents filtered by: Volume="Washington-05-02"
sorted by: date (descending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0343

To George Washington from Joshua Mersereau, 10 June 1789

From Joshua Mersereau

Morning Star Staten Island [N.Y.] June 10. 1789

May it Please your Excellency,

To Accept of My best wishes, Boath, for your Temporal, and Spiritual Felicity—May kind Providence, Still preside within the walls of your Tabernacle; and guardian Angels Ever encumpass them; May the ardious task you have been pleasd to accept, be Made Lite; and your Presiding here, be a blessing, to the People.

Then Will your Doings be, as the Balm of Gilliad, and your Name never Can be araisd to Endless Ages.

Should your Excellency be pleasd to accept of this, as an Acknowledgement; of My Gratitude; for your once More attending, to the Call, of the People—It Will give me pleasure, and Cause My heart to Gloo, With ardour When I reflect, on Past Events.

The Day is Coming, When you and I Shall be no More—tho Unborn Children, Shall yet resound thy Sacred Name.

O War, Thou hast been My Sting, and Peace is to Me no Victory.

I Expect Soon to Depart from this, (once Thought) My little Paridice, To the Dreery Banks of the Unidilla, With My little Flock1 to avoid the reproaches, of Why Did You not Stay as We Did—but Sir, previous to My Departure, by your Exceys Permission, Shall take the Liberty of paying My respects in Person, to your Excellency. I am Sr With the Greatest Veneration, and Esteem; your Obedt Hum: Servt

Joshua Mersereau

ALS, DLC:GW.

Joshua Mersereau (1728–1804) was a New York City lawyer and businessman. During the Revolution Mersereau served under Elias Boudinot as a deputy commissary of prisoners for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island and was involved from time to time in intelligence activities for the army. He was a member of the New York legislature from 1777 to 1786. After the war he invested in frontier lands and eventually settled in what is now Tioga County, N.Y., where he became one of the county’s first justices.

1Both Mersereau’s brother and his son moved to Tioga County with him.

Index Entries