To George Washington from Joseph Valentine, 25 June 1768
From Joseph Valentine
Yorke County June 25th 1768
Sir
our tobaco is all gon on bord of the ship Exepting the Eastern shore tobaco which is not Come over yet But I Expect it Every day I was told By Mr Bigges neigh bours he had three hhds of tobo and it was gon on bord of Eastin I desired Capt. outtrems people to in Quire ass ⟨mutilated⟩ by the Ship and they told me it was true and I Sent all the tobo on bord of outtrems ⟨Ex⟩cept Taylors1 7 hhds sence that I have had a letter from Biggs and their is But two hhds by that means Eastin ⟨mutilated⟩ have But nine hhds which is out of my power now to help2—I was in great hops of haveing a good Chance for a Crop a small while ago but sence we have had a Spel of dry Cold windy weather which has ben Very hurtful Boath to the ⟨mutilated⟩ tobo the worms has Cut a great deel of the tobaco off and it perishes away and ⟨mutilated⟩ the hi⟨ll⟩ and the Corn is Very low and sorry but if providence favours us with a good season soon we shall have our Crops all in a good way and if weather favours us shall be in hopes of a good Crop.
⟨D⟩eavenport had a prittey good Chance for plants has planted a good deel of his Crop and I hope one good Season more he will get it all in Cluded.3
Sir I can not do any thing with Mr Starke but hav in Closd his Letter to you I have asked him for his Rent but had very small in curagement though he sad he wod try to get it4—I asked the president if ⟨he⟩ had a mind to Send a letter in answer to your Letter I deliverd him but he made me no Reply and I have heard no more of it.5
⟨I⟩ have no more to ad at present But Remain Sir your most Humble Sert
Joseph Valentine
ALS, ViHi: Custis Papers. The cover is addressed “per the Pos⟨illegible⟩ Alexandra.”
1. William Taylor was overseer at GW’s dower plantation, Ship Landing, in York County.
2. For the Custis tobacco sent to Capel and Osgood Hanbury, see GW to Hanbury, 5 May 1768, and Hanbury to GW, 20 June 1768.
3. Joseph Davenport was overseer of Claiborne’s, GW’s dower plantation.
4. Richard Starke’s letter has not been found. For Starke’s rental of the Custis house in Williamsburg, see Valentine to GW, 17 May, n.2.
5. This was undoubtedly GW’s letter of 17 May 1768 to the president of the council, John Blair, regarding the road that the colony was to open through the Virginia frontier to Fort Pitt. Blair forwarded GW’s letter to Thomas Gage, British commander in chief in North America. No reply from Blair has been found.