To George Washington from Thomas Green, 15 May 1788
From Thomas Green
May th[e] 15. 1788
Dear Sr
I Humbley beg your parden for my Neglet of Duty to you and I hope you will take it in Consideration and over look it this time and I will take Care for the time to Come that you never shall have any thing of the like happen any more when my farther and I left work a monday Night a took a little Grog and I found it hurt me the next day so that I was not fit to do any thing the next day and for Mohonys part he was wors then my self so we took a wark as far as Colo. ⟨stiff⟩1 house and there was fool a nough to be perswaded by Mohony to go up to town which he promesed me that he hould not stop half a hour and when we got to town I never Could git site of him any more untill about Nine or ten OClock yesterday when I beged of him to Come home with me which he promesed me that he hould if I hould stop for him aboute ½ a hour which I did to git him home with me which we both set oute to Come home togather and Mohony Come on all most to the turnpike and then turned back a gain and I have not seen him since so I Came home by my self Dear Sr I hope you will take it in Consideration and over look it this time and you never shall have any a thing to find fort with me again for I will not ever be perswaded by any person like him again.2 Sr I am Yours
Thos Green
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. “Colo. ⟨stiff⟩” is probably Buckner Stith who owned about 300 acres on the north and south branches of Little Hunting Creek (deeds of mortgage, Buckner and Ann Stith to William Herbert, 9 Mar. and 9 July 1787, Fairfax County Deed Book Q [1785–88], 495–500). This may be the man of that name who was a son of Drury Stith (c.1718–1770) of Brunswick County, or the Buckner Stith (d. 1800) who was the son of GW’s old boyhood friend Buckner Stith (see Stith to GW, 22 Mar. 1787). Both men had wives named Ann.
2. Thomas Green was the overseer of the carpenters at Mount Vernon for a decade beginning in 1783. For earlier references to his misbehavior, see GW to George Augustine Washington, 1 July and 2 Sept. 1787. Thomas Mahony was a carpenter whom GW had recently rehired (see Mahony to GW, 3 April 1788).