12. Rid all over the Plantn. at the Ho[me] House, & then went to the Quarter and rid all over that & returnd to Dinner Colo. Lewis & my Brothr. Charles being there. In the Afternoon went over to Fredg.
the plantn. at the ho[me] house: Ferry Farm. At this time it consisted of about 600 acres of land, and by the terms of Augustine Washington’s will, it was legally GW’s to do with what he wished (Va. Gaz., R, 5 Nov. 1772).
the quarter: the plantation at Little Falls, which apparently contained about 400 acres. During this visit GW agreed to take over the quarter at the beginning of 1772, paying his mother an annual rent for it thereafter. Because the livestock and slaves at both Ferry Farm and the quarter were hers, he further agreed to buy her livestock and to rent her slaves. The price of the livestock and the rents for the land and slaves were to be determined within the next few weeks by Fielding Lewis and Charles Washington (GW to Benjamin Harrison, 21 Mar. 1781, DLC:GW; Mary Washington’s account with GW, 14 Sept. 1771–30 Mar. 1775, PHi; Gratz Collection).