William Shaw (died c.1774), an Alexandria cooper, had been appointed an inspector of flour by the Fairfax County court 18 Dec. 1769, and Adam Lynn (died c.1785) of Alexandria had received his appointment as inspector from the justices 2 Feb. 1770 (Fairfax County Order Book for 1768–72, 278, 287, and Fairfax County Order Book for 1772–74, 312, Vi-Microfilm). By law, inspectors could charge mill owners a 3d. inspection fee for each barrel of flour weighing 220 pounds net or less and 6d. for each barrel over 220 pounds (HENING description begins William Waller Hening, ed. The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619. 13 vols. 1819–23. Reprint. Charlottesville, Va., 1969. description ends , 8:143–44). On 17 June 1771 GW had credited Shaw with £3 2s. 1½d. for inspecting 497 barrels, half the lower legal rate, and today credited him with £1 14s. 1½d. for 273 barrels, again half the lower legal rate. Although Lynn may have received the other half of the inspection fees, no cash payments to him for that purpose are recorded in GW’s ledger (General Ledger A description begins General Ledger A, 1750–1772. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 341; General Ledger B description begins General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 58).

GW did much business with Robert Adam & Co.’s store during the next 2½ years, and there is some evidence that he obtained “better terms than common” in return for his patronage (General Ledger B description begins General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 42, 133; GW to Matthew Campbell, 7 Aug. 1772, DLC:GW).

Benjamin Tasker Dulany (c.1752–1816), younger son of Daniel Dulany the younger and Rebecca Tasker Dulany, had been a student with Jacky Custis at Boucher’s school in Annapolis. Dulany became a frequent visitor at Mount Vernon during this period, for he was courting Elizabeth French, whom he married in 1773.

The new church in Alexandria was still not finished, but the Fairfax vestry agreed with John Carlyle during this year to complete work on it for £220 (see main entry for 31 July 1768; POWELL description begins Mary G. Powell. The History of Old Alexandria, Virginia: From July 13, 1749 to May 24, 1861. Richmond, 1928. description ends , 87).

Mr. Norton is John Hatley Norton (1745–1797) of Yorktown, who, after his father’s return to London in 1767, became the Virginia agent for John Norton & Sons of London (PRICE description begins Jacob M. Price. “Who Was John Norton? A Note on the Historical Character of Some Eighteenth-Century London Virginia Firms.” William and Mary Quarterly, 3d ser., 19 (1962): 400–407. description ends , 401–2). Mr. Prentis is Joseph Prentis (1754–1809) of Williamsburg, a ward of Norton’s father-in-law, Robert Carter Nicholas. Both Norton and Prentis had been invited by George William Fairfax to accompany him this summer to Warm Springs, “not so much for the recovery as for the Establishment of his [Norton’s] Health” (Robert Carter Nicholas to John Norton, 4 Aug. 1772, MASON [1] description begins Frances Norton Mason, ed. John Norton & Sons, Merchants of London and Virginia, Being the Papers from Their Counting House for the Years 1750 to 1795. 1937. Reprint. New York, 1968. description ends , 263).

Daniel Jenifer Adams (b. 1751), only son of Josias and Ann Jenifer Adams of Charles County, Md., had been taken into a trading partnership with GW, John Carlyle, and Samuel Brodie. Flour from GW’s and Carlyle’s mills was to be shipped to the West Indies on board the brig Fairfax, captained by Brodie. Adams was to be the supercargo, or agent, who would accompany the flour and decide on which island and at what price it should be sold (FREEMAN description begins Douglas Southall Freeman. George Washington: A Biography. 7 vols. New York, 1948–57. description ends , 3:295, 307, 345; see “Remarks” entry for 24 July 1772).

Mrs. Cox may be Elizabeth Cox (d. 1792), wife of Presley Cox of Fairfax County. She was at Mount Vernon “making and altering Gowns for Mrs. Washington [and] Miss Custis” (General Ledger B description begins General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 55).