To George Washington from Thomas Hanson Marshall, 11 April 1770
From Thomas Hanson Marshall
Wednsday Evining 11th April 1770
Sir
A’m greatly obligd to you, for the Trouble you have Given your self in Leting me no Mr West is to be Down this Evining, or in the Morning; Th’o cannot at this Time Promis my self the Least Prospect of Joining You, as Mrs Marshall (who has been much aleing for sum time Past) is this day so Ill, (that without a Great amendment,) cannot by any meens Leve her,1 Should that be the Case, Weather &c. Permeting You may Depend I will be over in the Morning Arly,2 I am Sir Yr Most Hble Servt
Tho. Han. Marshall
N.B. Should I not be at your Hous by Eight oClock, in the Morning You may take for Granted I cannot Leve home.
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Marshall’s wife, Rebecca Dent Marshall, died in December 1770. She was in her early thirties.
2. GW and John West, Jr., made the survey the next day of the line between the original Mount Vernon tract granted to John Washington in 1674 and the Nicholas Spencer half of the grant to the west along which both Marshall’s and West’s land ran: “Mr Jno. West Junr & myself began to run and mark the Division Line Between Spencer and Washington—Mr T. Hanson Marshall who was also Interested in this matter, was requested to attend, but could not and desired that we might do it without him.
“We first ascertaind the precise course of Spencer and Washington’s back Line, as also the distance, which we found to be s. 72.30 Wt. [ ] poles we then took the exact half of the said at which place we markd, as Corners, the following trees viz. two white Oaks and two red Oaks in level flat land near to a broken topd red Oak—from hence we run and Markd a course rectangular to the back line to the River as may be seen—coming to the River at a Locust which we mark’d for a Corner after passg by a Cherry Tree upon the Bank wch stands in, and is mark’d for a Line Tree.
“At the sametime Mr West & I run & markd the line from the dividing Corner white oaks & red oaks in the middle of Spencer’s back Line to Doeg Run on which we markd a Sweet Gum and 2 Posimon’s for the Corner standing about 10 Rod below a Sweet gum, maple, & Sasafras Saplings blazd 4 ways the 2d of Jany 1768 and about 8 poles below a sweet Gum Saplin, blazd in another attempt on the 5th of Apl 1769 to ascertai[n] the back line of this Tract of Spencer & Washington” (ADS, PPRF).