George Washington Papers
Documents filtered by: Author="Washington, George"
sorted by: editorial placement
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/01-01-02-0007-0003-0001

[Diary entry: 2 March 1762]

2. There having fallen a Snow of abt. 2 Inches depth the Night before—I sowed thereupon, at the Meadow at Fosters, where the grass was entirely destroyd by the Winter’s Frosts, Six pecks of Ray grass Seed & three quarts of Timothy Seed mixed well in Ashes.

Also Sowed, from the North Side of the Inclosure by the Quarter, to the Quarter with Ray grass, hop Clover, & Lucerne Mixed—viz. for the whole Inclosure 8 Pecks of Ray seed, 3 ditto of the Clovr., & 1 ditto of the Lucerne—but the Snow dissolving & the Wind coming out very fresh at No. West I was obligd to desist and a prodigious severe frost happeng. that Night ’tis to be fear’d the Seed all perished.

In March GW’s half brother Augustine Washington died; GW records an expenditure of £2 13s. 3d. for a trip to Westmoreland County to attend the funeral. He undoubtedly gave some advice and help to Augustine’s family, but he refused to act as executor, probably because of the distance involved and the press of his own affairs (General Ledger A description begins General Ledger A, 1750–1772. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 146; FREEMAN description begins Douglas Southall Freeman. George Washington: A Biography. 7 vols. New York, 1948–57. description ends , 3:73n; GW to John West, 13 Jan. 1775, DLC:GW). After his trip to Augustine’s home, GW traveled to Williamsburg to attend a meeting of the House of Burgesses which began on 30 Mar. At this meeting Governor Fauquier announced that, according to instruction from the assembly in Jan. 1762, the Virginia Regiment had been disbanded. Now, however, there was a possibility of trouble with the Spanish in Florida, and the assembly voted to raise 1,000 troops to form a new regiment (see FREEMAN description begins Douglas Southall Freeman. George Washington: A Biography. 7 vols. New York, 1948–57. description ends , 3:74–75).

Index Entries