... She is now thank God as well as can be expected and the pleasure of her Daughter give Her compensates for the Pain She suffered. ...that the General may obtain a compleat Victory over his Enemys, which I sincerely pray God may be the Case.
... I wrote to the General the last two Posts. I shall write you again next Post, and ask Him to stand with yourself for my little Lady. ...
In the summer of 1775 a belief persisted that he (Governor Dunmore) intended to sail up the Potomac and capture Mrs. Washington, but nothing came of it.”
21. p.183
To Burwell Bassett, Mount Vernon July the 18th 1780
“...we were sorry that we did not see you at the Camp – there was not much pleasure thar the distress of the army and other difficultys th’o I did not know the cause, the pore General was so unhappy that it distressed me exceedingly. MW”
32. p.223-224
To Mercy Otis Warren, New York December the 26th 1789
“...for you know me well enough to do me the justice to beleive that I am only fond of what comes from the heart....
.... it is owing to this kindness of our numerous friends in all quarters that my new and unwished for situation is not indeed a burden to me. When I was much younger I should, probably, have enjoyed the inoscent gayeties of life as much as most my age; - but I had long since placed all the prospects of my future worldly happyness in the still enjoyments of the fireside at Mount Vernon-
I little thought when the war was finished, that any circumstances could possible have happened which would call the General into public life again. I had anticipated, that from this moment we should have been left to grow old in solitude and tranquility togather: that was, my Dear madam, the first and dearest wish of my heart; - but in that I have been disapointed; I will not, however, contemplate with too much regret disapointments that were enevitable, though the generals feelings and my own were perfectly in unison with respect to our predilections for privet life, yet I cannot blame him for having acted according to his ideas of duty in obaying the voice of his country. The consciousness of having attempted to do all the good in his power, and the pleasure of finding his fellow citizens so well satisfied with the disinterestedness of his conduct, will, doubtless, be some compensation for the great sacrifices which I know he has made; indeed in his journeys from Mount Vernon – to this place; in his late Tour through the eastern states, by every public and by every privet information which has come to him, I am persuaded that he has experienced nothing to make him repent his having acted from what he concieved to be alone a sense of indespensable duty: on the contrary, all his sensibility has been awakened in receiving such repeated and unequivocal proofs of sincear regards from all his country men. With respect to myself, I sometimes think the arrangement is not quite as it ought to have been, that I, who had much rather be at home should occupy a place with which a great many younger and gayer women would be prodigiously pleased. – As my grand children and domestic connections made a great portion of felicity which I looked indemnify me for the Loss of a part of such endearing society. I do not say this because I feel dissatisfied with my present station – no, God forbid: - for everybody and everything conspire to make me as contented as possable in it; yet I have too much of the vanity of human affairs to expect felicity from the splendid scenes of public life. – I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learnt from experianence that the greater part of our happiness or misary depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances; we carry the seeds of the one, or the other about with us, in our minds, wherever we go.
I have two of my grand children with me who enjoy advantages in point of education, and who, I trust by the goodness of providence, will continue to be a great blessing to me, my other two grand children are with thair mother in Virginia. –
...I wish the best of Heavens blessings...MW”
45. p.371
To Janet Livingston Montgomery, Mount Vernon, April 5th
“... your affliction I have often marked and as often have keenly felt for you but my own experience has taught me that griefs like these can not be removed by the condolence of friends however sincere—If the mingling tears of numerus friends – if the sympathy of a Nation and every testimoney of respect of veneration paid to the memory of the partners of our hearts could afford consolation you and myself would experience it in the highest degree but we know that there is but one source from whence comfort can be derived under afflictions life ours To this we must look with pious resignation and with that pure confidence which our holy releigion inspires. ...but as you justly observe it is certainly a consolation and flattering to poor mortality to believe that we shall meet here after in a better place.”
87. WGW, vol. 33, 9-25-1793. “My dear Sir: I have not written to you since we parted, but had just set down to do it when your letter of the 13th. instt. was brought to me from the Post Office in Alexandria.
“It gave Mrs. Washington, myself and all who knew him, sincere pleasure to hear that our little favourite had arrived safe, and was in good health at Portsmouth. We sincerely wish him a long continuance of the latter, that he may always be as charming and promising as he now is, and that he may live to be a comfort and blessing to you and an ornament to his Country; as a testimony of my affection for him, I send him a Ticket in the lottery which is now drawing in the Federal City; and if it should be his fortune to draw the Hotel it will add to the pleasure I have in giving it. Note: Lincoln Lear.
“We remained in Philadelphia until the 10th. instr. It was my wish to have continued there longer; but as Mrs. Washington was unwilling to leave me surrounded by the malignant fever wch. prevailed, I could not think of hazarding her and the Children any longer by my continuance in the City the house in which we lived being, in a manner blocaded, by the disorder and was becoming every day more and more fatal; I therefore came off with them on the above day and arrived at this place the 14th. without encountering the least accident on the Road.
“You will learn from Mr. Greenleaf, that he has dipped deeply, in the concerns of the Federal City. I think he has done so on very advantageous terms for himself, and I am pleased with it notwithstanding on public ground; as it may give facility to the operations at that place, at the same time that it is embarking him and his friends in a measure which although it could not well fail under any circumstances that are likely to happen; may be considerably promoted by men of Spirit with large Capitols. He can, so much better than I, detail his engagements and the situation of things in and about the city that I shall not attempt to do it at this time.
“Mrs. Washington having decided to let Nelly Custis have her watch and chain, is disposed to receive substitutes in lieu thereof at about 25 guineas price; and leaves the choice of them to you. The plainness of the watch &ca. she will not object to. 120 dollars in Bank notes are inclose[d] for the purchase of them.”
88. WGW, vol. 15, 5-28-1779. To Lt. Col. Nicholas Rogers. Dear Sir: A few days ago I was hond. with your polite and obliging favor of the 6th. Instt. accompanied by a Miniature picture of Mrs. Washington. I wish it was in my power to express as forcably as I feel, the lively sense I have of the repeated instances of your polite attention to her and myself. Such tribute as unfeigned thanks afford, is presented to you with much sincerity; and, if I knew how to make a more acceptable offering it should not be wanting.
Note: The miniature was of a size to fit a ring and, according to Roger’s letter of Apr. 6, 1779, in the Washington Papers, showed Mrs. Washington in an Elizabethan ruff and hood.
“Difficult as it is to strike a likeness on so small a scale, it is the opinion of many that you have not failed in the present attempt. The dress is not less pleasing for being a copy of antiquity, it would be happy for us, if in these days of depravity the imitation of our ancesters were extensively adopted; their virtues wd. not hurt us. Mrs. Washington joins me in a tender of best wishes for you and with much esteem etc. 91. WGW, vol. 3, 2-3-1771. To Reverend Jonathan Boucher. Rev’d. Sir: Colo. Robert Fairfax, with whom I have often talk’d, and who much approves, of Jacks intended Tour for Improvement, purposes to leave this on his return to England sometime in March; before his doing of which he is desirous of seeing Jacky and has instructed me to say, that he shou’d be very glad of seeing you with him. The warmth with which he has made a tender of his Services, and the pressing Invitation to make use of Leeds Castle as a home, in vacation time, are too obliging to be neglected; I shou’d be glad therefore if it cou’d suit you both to be over sometime before the last of this Month, or as soon, after the loth. of March as may be, as I expect to be in Frederick, indeed am obli’g to be so, from the first of the Month to that time and, I do not know but Mrs. Washington may accompany me to my Brothers. His Horses shall attend you at any appointed time.
“Company, and the suddeness of the oppertunity, prevents my enlarging, or taking notice of the contents of your last Letter further than to say, that it never was my Intention that Jacky shou’d be restrained from proper Company; to prevent as much as possible his connecting with Store boys, and that kind of low loose Company who wou’d not be displeas’d at the debauchery of his Manners, but perhaps endeavour to avail themselves of some advantages from it, is all I had in view.
“Mrs. Washington requests the favour of you to get her 2 oz. of the Spirit of Ether, if such a thing is to be had in Annapolis, for Miss Custis, and send it by Price Posey. Our Love and best Wishes attend yourself and Jacky and I am Dr. Sir, etc.”
74 See WGW, vol. 12, 9-23-1778. To John Augustine Washington. WGW, vol. 3, 7-27-1775; vol. 6, 9-22-1776. ; vol. 7, 7-4-1778. vol. 37, 4-2-1799. To Samuel Washington. WGW, vol. 36, 8-12-1798. To Thomas Peter.
75 Fields, Worthy Partner. p. 163 To Mr. Devenport Eltham, November 5th 1775 “I desire you will lett Mrs Bayly, that lives at west point have corn or wheat as she may want it, while her husband is ill and unable to provide for her, you may let her have a barrel of corn and half a barrel of wheat as sends for it and give her a fat hog.”
p. 165 Washington paid ?39 –9d to Dr. John Witherspoon, president of The College of New Jersey, for the school of young Ramsay. See supra January 14, 1774, n. 4; Ledger B folio 47, The Papers of George Washington, DLC:GW
p.236 From Anonymous
I hope Madam that pity will direct your heart to grant the Boon I have ask’d & I shall, as in deity bound ever pray. Washington also cared for extended family members who were orphaned such as Sally Haney. WGW, vol. 31, 12-27-1790. To Elizabeth Haynie. WGW, vol. 34, 2-22-1795. To Robert Lewis. WGW, vol. 35, 6-26-1796. To Robert Lewis. A young neighboring student, Lawrence Posey. WGW, vol. 28, 6-16-1785. But if the family connection could not be established, the challenge for long term charity was decisively rejected. WGW, vol. 27, 9-25-1783. To Mrs. Ruthy Jones.
76 Custis, Recollections, p. 528, “He wore around his neck the miniature-portrait of his wife. This he had worn through all the vicissitudes of his eventful career, from the period of his marriage to the last days at Mount Vernon. Lossing’s note adds, “This miniature could not have been painted earlier than the visit of C. W. Peale to Mount Vernon, in 1772, by whom it was probably executed. We have no account of any painter in miniature in the colonies previous to that time, except Taylor who painted small heads in water-colors, in Philadelphia, in 1760.”
77 WGW, vol. 2, Diary 1760. January. Tuesday. 1. Visited my Plantations ...And found Mrs. Washington upon my arrival broke out with the Meazles. Wednesday, 2d. Mrs. Barnes who came to visit Mrs. Washington yesterday returnd home in my Chariot, the weather being too bad to travel in an open Carriage, which, together with Mrs. Washington’s Indisposition, confind me to the House and gave me an opportunity of Posting my Books and putting them in good order. Thursday, 3d. The Weather continuing Bad & ye same causes subsisting I confind myself to the House. Morris who went to work yesterday caught cold, and was laid up bad again, and several of the Family were taken with the Measles, but no bad Symptoms seemd to attend any of them. Hauled the Sein and got some fish, but was near being disappointd. of my Boat by means of an Oyster Man who had lain at my Landing and plagud me a good deal by his disorderly behaviour. Sunday, 6th. The Chariot not returng. time enough from Colo. Fairfax’s we were prevented from Church. Mrs. Washington was a good deal better to day but the Oyster Man still continuing his Disorderly behavior at my Landing, I was obligd in the most preemptory manner to order him and his compy. away which he did not incline to obey till next morning.
78 Fields, Worthy Partner. Daniel McCarty and his wife, Sarah Ball McCarty. The residence, “Mount Air,” was in the Pohick Creek area of Prince William County. They were close friends of the Washingtons and frequently visited and dined together. Both men were vestrymen of Truro Parish. They were also fox-hunting comrades. Washington was distantly related to both Daniel McCarty and his wife through
the Ball family.
Ibid. p. 184
Anne Randolph Fitzhugh, wife of William Fitzhugh of “Chatham.” Their daughter, Mary Lee Fitzhugh, was to marry Mrs. Washington’s only grandson, George Washington Park Custis.
Ibid., p.228
To Colonel Clement Biddle
...the list of the things when he has collected them altogether she beggs to know if he has remembered the gin and liquers the General desires to have them sent and they may be the best kind-
