To George Washington from William Crawford, 10 August 1779
From William Crawford
Fort Pitt Augt the 10th 1779
Dr General
Agreable to my promise the Last time I had the Pleashure of Seeing you I advertised your Lands on Shutee that is Setled by those men I formerly informd you of They Still remain on the Land.1
I Supose you may have hard the Land Office is to be Op[e]ned the first of Ocbr next, all Land Setled is to be Entered now with the Treshurer at Williamsburgh the Purches mony to be paid to him and his recept to the Survayor is the warrent.
Any Land Setled and improved to be Purhist at the old rate, and unimprovd Land is at £40 pr hundred no more than 400 Acres in a Survay This is what I am told of the Acct of Asambly but I have not Seem them as yeat All desputs about improvement is to be sitled by Odetors for that porpose Apinted by the Asambly ho is to Attend on the primesis2 Your round bottom Tract3 I Supose will be Setled that way as a pattant has not bin Obtaind for it as I understand yeat Should I be hear at the time it is Setled I shall attend If I do not you may Chance Loose it as I am better Aquinted with the Sircomstance then any other Person, Young Tumlenson4 ho first improved the Land was with me when I Sirvayd it and Caried the Chain round it and Give up any title he had to you upon my informing him you Claimd that Land, There was no improvement on the Land whin I Sirvayd it for you but Tumlensons as I Saw, Your houses Down the river is all burnt by the Endiens Cantock and they falls5 is Setling very rapedly Your Present Situation will not admit of your Obtaining any of them Lands without Som Assistance Young Harrison6 is going Down Emeditly I intend geting him to take a good Tract of 2 or 3000 Acres if to be had for which I will fall on Som way of being Secured for you and Aquint you by the first oppertunity I mention this as you may want Som near the fall or Som place of Conveyance as all those will in a Short time be taken if not allredy taken I beleve I Shall go there my self as soon as I can be at Liberty from the Sarvice of my Country.
I intend to headquarters as soon as I convenantly can I wish you Sucksess and remain your most Hume Obedit Servant
W. Crawford
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Crawford is referring to GW’s land on Millers Run, a branch of Chartiers (Shurtees) Creek; the land was a 2,813-acre tract about eight miles northwest of present-day Canonsburg, Pa., that Crawford had surveyed for GW in 1771 (see Crawford to GW, 20 April 1771, and n.3 to that document, in 8:449–50; and Crawford to GW, 12 July). For the settlers on GW’s land, see Crawford to GW, 20 Sept. 1776; see also 2:338–356.
2. For these two acts for settling titles of unpatented lands and establishing a land office, passed by the Virginia legislature at their May 1779 session, see [Hening], 10:35–65.
3. Crawford is referring to GW’s 587-acre “Round Bottom” tract on the Ohio River. For a description of the tract and GW’s continuing efforts to make good his claim to the tract, see Crawford to GW, 2 Aug. 1771, n.6, in 8:514.
4. Crawford is probably referring to Jesse Tomlinson (c.1753–1840), son of Joseph Tomlinson (d. 1797), owner of the Red House tavern at Little Meadows, Maryland.
5. Crawford is ferrying to Kentucky and the falls of the Ohio River.
6. Crawford is most likely referring to Benjamin Harrison, Jr., of Berkeley County, Virginia.