George Washington Papers

[Diary entry: 23 January 1772]

23. Went up to George Town to convey Deeds to Messrs. Montgomerie Stewart & Wilson for the Marryland Tract of Land wch. was accordingly done Mrs. Colvil being carried up in my Chariot returnd to Mr. Jno. Wests at Night.

As arranged at previous meetings, the three merchants today gave the Colvill executors £816 13s. 7d. in bills of exchange drawn on Glasgow firms (see “Remarks” entry for 1 and 4 Jan. 1772). GW received the bills on behalf of the executors and later this year converted them to Virginia currency (General Ledger B description begins General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 21). Although the Merryland tract was not formally deeded to the merchants until this date, they had begun to advertise in the Maryland Gazette on 16 Jan. that they would offer it for sale to the public on 28 May “in separate Lots or all together, for Sterling or Current Money.” Merryland was eventually sold to several purchasers. However, money was still being collected from the merchants in Nov. 1790, and their obligations to the Colvill estate were not fully discharged until May 1795 (Thomas Montgomerie to GW, 17 Nov. 1790, DLC:GW; LEDGER C description begins General Ledger C, 1790–1799. Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, N.J. description ends , 16).

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