To George Washington from Gabriel Christie, 20 October 1796
From Gabriel Christie
Havre de Grace [Md.] Octr 20th 1796
Dear sir
I am informed that you have some intention of disposing of part of your Negroes for a term of years1 I want to purchase about 10 or 12 boys from 13 to 15 years of age to put into a Nail Factory which I have lately established at this place2 should you be inclined to sell any of them I will if the price is sutable purchase that Number and will ingage that they shall learn a trade wherby they may get a good living after their time of servitude expires you would greately oblige me by letting me hear from you on this subject and I will send my manager down to look at them and to fix the price.3 I am respectfully Dear sir your Ob. servt
G. Christie
ALS, DLC:GW.
Gabriel Christie (1755–1808) represented Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1793 to 1797, and again from 1799 to 1801. He served as one of the commissioners of Havre de Grace at the beginning of the nineteenth century and briefly was collector of the port of Baltimore.
1. Since early 1796, GW had attempted to lease his Mount Vernon farms and tentatively considered leasing or hiring out slaves along with the farms (see Lease Terms, 1 Feb. 1796; see also GW to Tobias Lear, 13 March; and GW to William Pearce, 13 and 20 March 1796).
2. Christie may be referring to the nail factory in Havre de Grace, which he was operating by 1799 in partnership with Samuel Jay under the firm of Samuel Jay and Company. The factory manufactured nails and anchors (see Samuel Jay to William Kilty, 25 July 1811, MdAnMSA).
3. No reply from GW to Christie has been found.