To George Washington from Lund Washington, 17 August 1767
From Lund Washington
Mount Vernon August 17th 1767
Sir
In my last I gave you an accompt how very seasonable we were at all your plantations but that in the Neck & there last Fryday we had a very great Rain, which was the first since you left home,1 you may judge how much that Field has suffer’d as it was much in want of Rain when you left home, but least you shoud form too bad a judgement of it, three of the Cuts I believe will be good the other (5½ foot) bad, he has sew’d the two Cuts next his house2 in wheat, & begins the 5 foot one this day. tho. ⟨mutilated⟩ will do very little in it this week as Warder begins to morrow to take away the corn,3 I am very sorry our schooner is from home as I cou’d get £10. for dilivering it along side of the Ship at Alexandria.
The Carpenters are layg the Barn floor in the Neck they go on but slow, the plank being much warp’d by laying out so long makes it very troublesome to get the tongues in.
The Brick maker was to be here this day, in order to begin worck but is not yet come he cou’d not attend sooner as he was oblige’d to be at Loudon Court—Davis has been very ill but is now so much recover’d as to be at work tho. very weak & low—last monday & Tuesday he had fits in which ⟨he⟩ lay so long to all appearan⟨ce⟩ Dead that it was thought he ⟨mutilated⟩ the Doctor4—The Negroes are all well—Bishup has sew’d half his field in wheat & made two Casks of Cyder his corn has a good colour but the Ears small5—Morris is now sewing the 18 Inch cut tho. not half done it, Mat: left him last tuesday, which Backwards him much—I suppose you will think Morris goes on Slow, & so shou’d I, if I were not present. I believe he will make a great Crop of Corn.6
Alton will finish sewing this week, I am sometimes almost tempted to believe he will mak 300 Barrils of corn.7
The Children are very well & were Yesterday at Alexandria Church with Miss Guess who calld & carry’d them up in the Charriot,8 let Colo. Fairfax know his family are well & he has a plenty of Rain—this day with us is very Rainy. Am Sir Your most Obedient & Humble Servt
Lund Washington
Catherine can’t Spin the Blue Cotten & is now spining some very fine—the rest do the work aloted them.9
ALS, ViMtvL.
1. Lund Washington’s letter has not been found, but his letter of 22 Aug. 1767 reveals that he probably sent it on Sunday, 9 August. GW left with Mrs. Washington and George William Fairfax and his wife Sally Cary Fairfax on 28 July.
2. This is probably James Cleveland, overseer at the River farm on Clifton’s Neck.
3. This is Jeremiah Warder. See Cash Accounts, September 1767.
4. The brickmaker Thomas Price did not arrive until 3 Sept. 1767. See Lund Washington to GW, 5 Sept. 1767. In his weaving account (see Cash Accounts, May 1767, n.1), GW notes that his weaver Thomas Davis was “Sick from the 6th of Augt till the 17th of Do.”
5. Thomas Bishop at this time was overseer of Muddy Hole farm.
6. Morris was the slave overseer at Dogue Run farm, and Matt was one of the slaves working on the farm. See List of Tithables, c.15 June 1767.
7. John Alton had been overseer of Mill farm since 1765, having been overseer at Muddy Hole farm before that.
8. Nancy Gist, daughter of Christopher Gist, for some years lived with the Fairfaxes at Belvoir.
9. Catherine may be Catherine Boyd whom GW bought from George Johnston’s estate earlier this year. See Cash Accounts, May 1767.