1To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 10 January 1791 (Washington Papers)
In requesting your attention to a subject of the greatest importance to Myself, and in begging your permission to communicate it with freedom and confidence, I trust I shall not trespass on the respect which your goodness toward me has deeply impressed on My Mind. My opinions of happiness, and the inclinations of My heart have determined Me to change my situation in life—with a view to this...
2To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 26 March 1793 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Robert Lewis, 26 Mar. 1793. An ALS of this letter was abstracted and offered for sale in 1906 in George H. Richmond, Autograph Letters, Manuscripts . . . , item 237. According to the catalog entry, which provides the date of 26 Mar. 1793, Lewis wrote: “I have had uncommon good success among the tenants of this County the last fall in the collection way. They have one &...
3To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 4 January 1793 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 23d ultimo with one inclosed of the same date, came duly to hand this day. The contents I have noted well, and shall sett off the day after tomorrow for the purpose of carrying into effect your instructions with respect to the purchasing of Major Harrisons tract of Land in Fairfax County adjoining your Mill tract. Should we bargain (as I expect we shall) no time shall be...
4To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 17 July 1793 (Washington Papers)
Since writing to you last, I set off with an intention of visiting your land on Potomac, and examining into the state of your lotts in Winchester and at Bath as you requested, but was unfortunately taken sick on the road, and confined by it so long, that I was obliged to return home before I could complete the journey, in order to begin my Harvest, and have the wheat secured as soon as...
5To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 5 February 1794 (Washington Papers)
Inclosed I send you the Deed which you re-acknowledged at Mount Vernon and a fair copy of the same which I will thank you to sign. Thro’ the neglect of Doctor Stuart & Colo. Ball who did not attend to prove your re-acknowledgment, the Deed is out of date, and the Court of Frederick will not admit it to record —I therefore request you will be so obliging as to sign the new Deed (as the old one...
6To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 1 September 1795 (Washington Papers)
I received your favor dated the 27th July, which laid in the office at Fredericksburg a fortnight or three weeks (my Mother being from home, on a visit to my Sister in Culpepper) before it came to hand. I have made no purchases of your Leases in consequence of the great rise in the prices of land and produce. I also thought you had limitted me to too distant a day (as the first of September...
7To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 7 May 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 16th of March, I have already acknowledged the receipt of, and shou’d have given you ere this the information you request with regard to the number of your tenants—the amount of the Rents, and particularly the arrearages which may be due; had I not been so frequently disappointed by the High Sheriff of this County in the payment of all monies which has come into his hands...
8To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 17 January 1795 (Washington Papers)
I have just returned from Berkley and Frederick where I have been in order to receive your rents; and as they are low, and the land very good, I am generally very successfull in my collection’s in that quarter. I wish I cou’d say as much for the tenants in the County I live in. I have not collected one shilling of the arrearage money which I gave you an account of in my last Rental —Justice is...
9To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 12 August 1793 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 26th ulto was forwarded to me a few days since by my Mother. I am sorry you shoud think Majr Harrisons land “sliped thro’ my hands” from neglect. I can assure you that I followed your directions implicitly, or endeavored to do so, as near as possible. You always charged me not to be too forward in the negociation. Majr Harrison never discovered from the first conversation I...
10To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 26 July 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your favor dated the 24th ultimo came duly to hand, altho’ it remained a fortnight in Fredericksburg before an opportunity offered to this place. I am felicitated with the idea of your becoming a private Citizen once more. Indeed I might venture to affirm that it is the ardent wish of every friend and relative you have in this world. I shall leave home in a few days for Frederick and Berkley...
11To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 5 May 1796 (Washington Papers)
Your last letter dated the 17th ultimo, I have this instant received, and as I shall leave town this afternoon, will leave this in the post office for the next mail. My business here was to have ejectments issued against those persons who are in possession of the Land on Accoceek which you were so good as to say I might have, provided it cou’d be come at. All the previous and necessary...
12To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 6 April 1796 (Washington Papers)
I am duly favored with the receipt of your letter of the 10th of March (in reply to mine of the 17th of February[)] with its several inclosures—Why so long ⟨on⟩ the road and getting to your hands, I am unable to say, unless it proceeded from the neglect of a Gentleman who took charge of it and promissed to leave it at the Post Office. We have no regular Post Rider in this part of the Country,...
13To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 17 February 1796 (Washington Papers)
I have delayed answering your last letter until I had made another collection and examined more attentively into the exact situation of your property over the ridge and in this County—I felecitate myself extremely when I inform you that my success in the collection business has been far more favorable than my most sanguin expectations cou’d have supposed—Out of fifty or sixty tenants not more...
14To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 19 August 1794 (Washington Papers)
Your letters of the 18th of May and 18th of July came safe to hand. As I could not reply to the first without making myself acquainted with the particular circumstances which you requested; and, as that could not be done but by visiting the different places alluded to in both your letters, I can now, as I have just returned from a three weeks peregrination answer your queries. Your Land on...
15To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 4 December 1796 (Washington Papers)
As some of your leases which were given for the term of ten years, on the Goose-Creek tract of Land in the County, will expire the 25th of this month, and as you seemed undetermined when I was last at Mount Vernon, whether you wou’d let them for a term as long as in the first instance, or by the year only; I have suspended giving the tenants in possession any encouragement with respect to new...