7901[Diary entry: 28 December 1773] (Washington Papers)
28. Cold with fine Snow on & off all day. Wind fresh from the No. Ward. The Snow about 4 Inches deep.
7902[Diary entry: 29 December 1773] (Washington Papers)
29. Clear & moderate in the forenoon, Wind Southerly tho the River was quite shut up in the Morning opening afterwards. Afternoon Cold Wind getting to No. Wt.
7903[Diary entry: 30 December 1773] (Washington Papers)
30. Wind at No. West & the River quite shut up again. However it opend and was more moderate the wind dying away.
7904[Diary entry: 31 December 1773] (Washington Papers)
31. Little or no Wind & quite Warm and pleasant.
7905[January 1774] (Washington Papers)
Jan 1st. Fox hunting with Mr. George Digges, Mr. Robt. Alexr. & Peake who all dind here, together with Mr. Jas. Cleveland. In the Afternoon all went home but Mr. Alexander. 2. At home all day. Mr. Alexander went home after Breakfast. Mr. Benjn. Dulany Mr. Peale & Mr. Cox came here to Dinner, & stayd all Night. 3. Mr. Dulany & Mr. Cox went away after Breakfast as also did Mr. Custis to...
7906[Diary entry: 1 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
Jan 1st. Fox hunting with Mr. George Digges, Mr. Robt. Alexr. & Peake who all dind here, together with Mr. Jas. Cleveland. In the Afternoon all went home but Mr. Alexander.
7907[Diary entry: 2 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
2. At home all day. Mr. Alexander went home after Breakfast. Mr. Benjn. Dulany Mr. Peale & Mr. Cox came here to Dinner, & stayd all Night.
7908[Diary entry: 3 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
3. Mr. Dulany & Mr. Cox went away after Breakfast as also did Mr. Custis to Maryland. Mr. Peale stayed, Captn. Jno. Ashby came in the Afternn. & stayd all Night. Jacky was now in the midst of preparations for his wedding to Nelly Calvert, to be held the following month. On this day GW advanced him £24 “to provide your Wedding Cloaths” ( CUSTIS ACCOUNT BOOK GW’s Accounts Kept for Martha Parke...
7909[Diary entry: 4 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
4. Captn. Ashby went away and Mr. Grafton Dulany—Mr. Anthy. Addison—Mr. Saml. Hanson & Mr. Fitzgerald came to dinnr. & stayd all N. Anthony Addison was the youngest son of John Addison (1713–1764), of Oxon Hill, Md.
7910[Diary entry: 5 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
5. All the above Gentlemen stayd here this day & Night also, except Mr. Fitzgerald who went away after Dinner.
7911[Diary entry: 6 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
6. Mr. Fitzgerald came down again this day in the Afternoon together with Mr. Herbert and a Mr. Stewart from Philadelphia—the whole staying all Night. Mr. Stewart may be Andrew Stewart, who, in a mercantile partnership with William Herbert, purchased commercial property on the corner of Water and Princess streets in Alexandria later this year (Fairfax County Deeds, Book M–1, 1–4, Vi Microfilm).
7912[Diary entry: 7 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
7. Mr. Peale & all the other Gentlemen went away after Breakfast. Mr. Robt. Adam came to Dinner & stayd all Night.
7913[Diary entry: 8 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
8. Rid with Mr. Adam (who dind here & went away in the afternoon to my Mill). Mrs. Slaughter & Mesr. Peake also dind here.
7914[Diary entry: 9 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
9. At home all day. In the Evening Captn. Posey came here.
7915[Diary entry: 10 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
10. At home all day. A Mr. Young recommended by Mr. Adams came here and dind—going away afterwards. mr. young : GW was facing a deadline for establishing his rights to the Kanawha land in the Ohio Valley that he received under Governor Dinwiddie’s 1754 Proclamation. Having been unable to attract settlers either from the colonies or from Ireland, Scotland, or Germany, GW was now planning at...
7916[Diary entry: 11 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
11. Rid into the Neck. Captn. Posey still here.
7917[Diary entry: 12 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
12. Rid to the Mill—Mill Plantn. Dogue Run & Muddy hole before Dinner. A Rope Maker one Paterson Dind here. Thomas Patterson was one of eight artisans with whom GW contracted for repairs to his brig Anne and Elizabeth (see main entry for 28 Mar. 1774 ).
7918[Diary entry: 13 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
13. Dind here no body but Captn. Posey. I walked out with my Gun. In the Afternoon Mr. Geo. Young came here to live. GW hired Young at £25 for one year to accompany the Kanawha expedition ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. , folio 107).
7919[Diary entry: 14 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
14. Captain Posey went away to Maryland after Breakfast. Mr. Craven Peyton came to Dinr. & went away afterwards. Craven Peyton came to Mount Vernon to receive a power of attorney from GW “for all & singular the purposes within mentioned as also for the further purposes of acknowledging Leases for Land Let & terms agreed on by the said Geo. Wm. Fairfax Esqr. in the Counties of Culpeper and...
7920[Diary entry: 15 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
15. Went out a hunting, & killd a dog fox wch. was found in Hell hole, after a chase of 3 hours. At home afterwards alone.
7921[Diary entry: 16 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
16. At home all day alone.
7922[Diary entry: 17 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
17. Went up to Alexa. to Court. Dind at Arrels. Suppd at Mrs. Hawkins & came home afterwards. Mary Hawkins, a widow with five children, ran a tavern in Alexandria until her death in 1777.
7923[Diary entry: 18 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
18. At home all day. Mr. Custis came from Maryland yesterday & Hanson Posey came this Eveng.
7924[Diary entry: 19 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
19. Mr. Custis & I went into the Neck a Hunting. Found two Fox’s but killd neither. Doctr. Rumney came to Dinr. & stayd all Nt.
7925[Diary entry: 20 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
20. At home all day. Doctr. Rumney continuing here. Miss Sally Carlyle & her Sister Nancy & Miss Betcy Ramsay & Miss Jenny Dalton all came to Dinnr. & stayed all Night. Jenny Dalton was a daughter of John Dalton, merchant of Alexandria.
7926[Diary entry: 21 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
21. Doctr. Rumney went away after Breakfast. Mr. Custis & I went a hunting in the Neck & after run[nin]g a Fox 3 hours lost it.
7927[Diary entry: 22 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
22. At home all day. Miss Carlyle & the other Girls went away after Dinner—and Mr. Young to Bladensburg before it. George Young, who had been working for Dr. David Ross, merchant of Bladensburg, was now probably returning to his old employer to move his effects to Mount Vernon.
7928[Diary entry: 23 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
23. At home all day. In the Evening Mr. Robt. Rutherford came.
7929[Diary entry: 24 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
24. At home all day. Mrs. Blackburn her Son & Miss Ellzey as also Mrs. Brown, came to Dinner & Doctr. Brown in the Afternoon as also did Valene. Crawford. Christian Scott Blackburn (b. 1745) was the wife of Col. Thomas Blackburn of Rippon Lodge. Her son here is probably her elder son, Richard Scott Blackburn (d. 1804–5), whose daughter Jane Charlotte Blackburn was later mistress of Mount...
7930[Diary entry: 25 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
25. Mrs. Blackburn & those that came with her as also the Doctr. went away after Dinner. The main diary entries for 25–31 Jan. and the weather entries for 9–15 and 25–31 Jan. were inadvertently dated December by GW.
7931[Diary entry: 26 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
26. Mr. Rutherford went away after Breakfast. I contd. at home all day.
7932[Diary entry: 27 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
27. At home all day alone, except Mr. Valentine Crawfords being here. Valentine Crawford was GW’s first choice to lead the Kanawha expedition (see main entry for 11 Feb. 1774 ).
7933[Diary entry: 28 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
28. At home all day. Majr. Chas. Smith & Andw. Wagener came here to dinner. The last went away after it—the other stayd all Night. Andrew Waggener was the heir of Thomas Waggener, who, along with Charles Smith, was a veteran of the 1754 campaign against the French. They were probably at Mount Vernon to discuss their shares of the bounty land promised to all such veterans ( GW to Charles Mynn...
7934[Diary entry: 29 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
29. At home all day. Majr. Smith went away after Breakfast.
7935[Diary entry: 30 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
30. At home all day. Mr. Bryan Fairfax came to dinner and stay’d all Night.
7936[Diary entry: 31 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
30[31]. At home all day—Mr. Fairfax continuing here. Mr. Custis returnd to Mr. Calverts by way of George Town. On this day GW advanced Jacky £37, “given you when you went over to be married” ( CUSTIS ACCOUNT BOOK GW’s Accounts Kept for Martha Parke Custis and John Parke Custis, 1760–75. Manuscript in Custis Papers, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond. ).
7937Acct. of the Weather in Jany. [1774] (Washington Papers)
Jan. 1st. A little Rain fell in the Night. The day remarkably pleasant. Wind in the Afternn. at So. West. 2. Quite calm in the forenoon also clear & exceeding pleasant and Warm. 3. Calm for the most of the day, clear in the forenoon, but very cloudy afterwards with a good deal of Rain in the Night. Wind Southerly. 4. Somewhat Cloudy with but little wind in the forenoon. In the Afternoon it got...
7938[Diary entry: 1 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
Jan. 1st. A little Rain fell in the Night. The day remarkably pleasant. Wind in the Afternn. at So. West.
7939[Diary entry: 2 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
2. Quite calm in the forenoon also clear & exceeding pleasant and Warm.
7940[Diary entry: 3 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
3. Calm for the most of the day, clear in the forenoon, but very cloudy afterwards with a good deal of Rain in the Night. Wind Southerly.
7941[Diary entry: 4 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
4. Somewhat Cloudy with but little wind in the forenoon. In the Afternoon it got Northerly but did not blow much.
7942[Diary entry: 5 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
5. It Began raining in the Night, & continued to do so the whole day without intermission the wind being at East.
7943[Diary entry: 6 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
6. Tolerably clear in the Morning but Cloudy & lowering afterwards. In the Night a good deal of Rain fell.
7944[Diary entry: 7 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
7. A little Cloudy. The Wind fresh from the No. West.
7945[Diary entry: 8 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
8. Still lowering. Wind Southerly & raw. Towards Night a little Snow just sufficient to cover the Ground fell—the Wind blowing hard at No. West.
7946[Diary entry: 9 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
9th. Wind blowing hard all day at No. West. And very cold.
7947[Diary entry: 10 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
10. Exceeding Cold. Wind in the same place & harder than Yesterday. Much Ice.
7948[Diary entry: 11 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
11. Still a good deal of Ice upon the Flats. Wind at So. West, fresh & Cold all day—at Night shifted to No. West again & grew very cold.
7949[Diary entry: 12 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
12. River almost close froze—day cold, Wind fresh at No. West.
7950[Diary entry: 13 January 1774] (Washington Papers)
13. River entirely close in the Morning, but free from Ice afterwards except upon the Flats. Day cloudy with but little wind.