1From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 14 October 1769 (Washington Papers)
I congratulate you upon your easy passage over the Sickly Months: We have had a much more troublesome time of it in this Family, but are now tolerably well recoverd of those disorders which prevaild pretty generally in this part of the Country. Business of an unexpected kind, will detain me so long at home, as to leave no time to spend on the Road otherwise we shoud with great pleasure call...
2From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 20 October 1768 (Washington Papers)
This Letter will be delivered to you by Jacky Custis, who has been detained from School longer than was intended, owing first to his own ill health, and then to his Mamma’s; who did not care to part with him till she had got the better of an Indisposition which confined her some days. He now promises to stick close to his Book, and endeavour by diligent study to recover his lost time—he will...
3From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 2 January 1771 (Washington Papers)
Jack’s return has been delayd, as well from a belief that you might not be well settled, or from a desire of gratifying him in his favourite amusement of Hunting, these Holliday’s —He returns now he says, with a determination of applying close to his Studies; and I confide entirely in your promise of making him do so, as time slips of a pace, and other Idea’s & pursuits, will soon render it...
4From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 4 May 1772 (Washington Papers)
After a tiresome, and in my opinion, a very unimportant Session, I return’d home about the middle of last Month accompanied by Colo. Bassett &ca. The expediency of an American Episcopate was long, & warmly debated, and at length rejected. as a substitute, the House attempted to frame an Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, to be composed of a President and four other Clergymen, who were to have full...
5From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 18 December 1772 (Washington Papers)
I send my Carriage up but cannot undertake to promise for the Horses bringing you down, as two of them are unused to drawing, & but one Postilion accustomd to drive, the other, with my lame Horses not being return’d from Williamsburg—Mrs Washington &ca join in Compliments to Mrs & Miss Boucher, who, together with yourself, we shall expect to see at Dinner —I am Dr Sir Yr Most Obedt ALS...
6From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 20–25 February 1771 (Washington Papers)
When Joe, with your favou⟨r found his way⟩ to this place, I was from home, & did not re⟨turn for some days the⟩ High Winds and Ice, have been the cause of hi⟨s very natural⟩ disappointment of getting to Marlborou⟨gh as it was quite im⟩possible for him to cross the River in these ⟨storms of wind and⟩ now, it is attended with some risk. Mrs Washin⟨gton has⟩ packd up what Books the Portmanteau...
7From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 5 May 1772 (Washington Papers)
As I wrote to you yesterday, I should scarcely have found any thing to have said today, had not Mr Ballendine’s desire of laying before Govr Eden & the Gentlemen of Annapolis, a Scheme which he has been encouraged to adopt, of visiting the Duke of Bridgewaters Works, & other things of the kind in England, with a view of bringing himself better acquainted with the true principles of that sort...
8From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 27 July 1769 (Washington Papers)
By Jackey Custis you will receive the amount of your Acct against him, to wit £42.1.11, for which Sum you will please to send me a receipt (when oppertunity offers) as vouchers are necessary to pass my Accts by. I am unable to say whether your charge for his Horses, is high or low, that depending wholely upon the manner of their keeping, of which you only can judge—A horse not in high feeding...
9From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 31 July 1768 (Washington Papers)
Your favor of the 15th Inst. covering Master Custis’s Letter to his Mother came to hand a few days after date.—In looking over the Books I find Cicero: De Officies and send it, as also his own Grammer which he forgot—a Livy I cannot find. —If the pain which he complained of in his stomach should return, with any other Symptoms of worms, it might be very proper for Doctr. Mercer to prescribe...
10From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 2 October 1772 (Washington Papers)
I snatch a few moments from Company to inform you, that it is my intention at present to be with you on Sunday, in my way to Annapolis—perhaps I may dine with you, but as I have a Gentleman here (Colo. Robt Burwell) who has ninety nine minds to see the Races for one to attend his Duty in Williamsburg; and who, tho. beating about for excuses, is not willing to have it thought that his presence...
11From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 30 July 1770 (Washington Papers)
The Books you wrote for, I hope you will receive in good order by Joe, as I desired Lund Washington to pack them up carefully & see them put into the Portmanteau —No thread came from Mr Addison’s, nor any from Mr Digges’s to which place I sent, thinking it might be contrivd there along with Jacks Key’s. We coud easily have carried down, & most certainly shoud have done so if it had ever got...
12From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 16 December 1770 (Washington Papers)
According to appointment Jacky Custis now returns to Annapolis—His Mind a good deal relaxed from Study, & more than ever turnd to Dogs Horses & Guns; indeed upon Dress & equipage, which till of late, he has discoverd little Inclination of giving into. I must beg the favour of you therefore to keep him close to those useful branches of Learning which he ought now to be acquainted with, & as...
13From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 3 October 1769 (Washington Papers)
On the 26th Instt I expect to be at Fredericksburg on my way to Williamsburg—Mrs Washington and Patcy accompanies me down—the former of whom being desirous that Jacky should embrace the oppertunity of seeing his Relations for a short space, I shoud be glad if you woud permit him to attend us down, & to meet at Fredericksburg for that purpose on the day abovementioned. We shoud be obliged to...
14From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 24 April 1769 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 17th came to my hands this day; the contents of which, or the Letter itself, shall soon reach Mr Addison’s hands —In respect to the Dancing Gentry, I am glad to find you have such choice of them, and that Newman has got the start of his Rival Spooner, because I have heard him well spoken of as a teacher in that Science—The other’s Misfortunes might recommend him to the...
15From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 19 August 1768 (Washington Papers)
Your Letter to the Revd Mr Addison was sent to him immediately upon its getting to my hands—Inclos’d you will receive an answer to it. Being confind to Company till this moment, I mean for two or three days past, & the bearer obligd to depart (in order to meet us in time at my Brothers in Stafford) I have only time to request the favour of you, to permit Mastr Custis to meet us there also...
16From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 7 January 1773 (Washington Papers)
From the best enquiries I could make whilst I was in, and about Williamsburg I cannot think William & Mary College a desirable place to send Jack Custis to—the Inattention of the Masters, added to the number of Hollidays, is the subject of general complaint; & affords no pleasing prospect to a youth who has a good deal to attain, & but a short while to do it in. These consideration’s, added to...
17From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 30 May 1768 (Washington Papers)
Mr Magowan who lived several years in my Family a Tutor to Master Custis (my Son in law & Ward) having taken his departure for England leaves the young Gentleman without any master at all at this time I shoud be glad there fore to know if it woud be convenient for you to add him to the number of your Pupils. He is a boy of good genius, about 14 yrs of age, untainted in his Morals, & of...
18From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 15 August 1770 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 13th this Instant came to hand, & we have to thank you for your care of the Medicines sent by Mr Johnson —We are glad to hear that you and Jack were well—Patcy has been very unwell since we had the pleasure of seeing you, not only with her old complaint, but the Ague and fever also, but from the latter she has recoverd. Miss Boucher favourd us with her Company at...
19From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 19 May 1771 (Washington Papers)
Meeting with your Letter of the 9th Instt upon the Road & being uncertain whether I can get this into the hands of the Post in time, I only mean to inform you, that, it woud be convenient enough to me to pay the Sum you ask, either to Colo. Thornton or Mr Maurey was I to go up that way, but as I set out to morrow for Nomony, in order to spend a few days with my Brother, & purpose to proceed...
20From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 5 June 1771 (Washington Papers)
I should have set Mr Custis off for Annapolis as soon as I heard of your passing by (being very unwilling that he should loose any time from School that [is] possible to be avoided) but it was thought necessary to [keep] him till his cloaths could be Washd & got in readiness [to] take with him, which has detained him till now.—By him I send you £50 Maryld Curry the Sum wrote for [in] your...
21From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 4 December 1769 (Washington Papers)
Jacky will inform you of the Reasons why he brings not the Books you wrote to me for, and to him I refer—perhaps all, or most of them, were Included in the Catalogue I sent to England for him, and if so, I expect they will be in, in less than three Months. The Printer has promisd to have a Musick Book Rul’d for Mr Boucher agt I come up, if so it shall be brought—Jack’s stay has been longer...
22From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 9 July 1771 (Washington Papers)
From several concurring causes, which have assembled upon the eve of my departure for Williamsburg, I have both my head and my hands too full of business to allow me time to write more than a hasty undigested answer to your letter of the 4th. This, however, I shall attempt to do. In my last I informed you, (as well as I can recollect the contents of the letter) that the friends (I do not...
23From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 3 February 1771 (Washington Papers)
Colo. Robert Fairfax, with whom I have often talk’d, & who much approves, of Jacks intended Tour for Improvement, purposes to leave this on his return to England sometime in March; before his doing of which he is desirous of seeing Jacky and has instructed me to say, that he shoud be very glad of seeing you with him. The warmth with which he has made a tender of his Services, & the pressing...
24From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 18 August 1772 (Washington Papers)
Harvest, Company, and one thing or another, equally unforeseen and unavoidable, has hitherto prevented Mrs Washington & myself from paying our respects to Mrs Boucher and you; but if nothing happens more than we at present know of, you may expect to see us the first Week in September, perhaps the middle of it—This I have mentiond, that, in case you should have any call out abt that time you...
25From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 13 July 1769 (Washington Papers)
As we have fixed upon the 27th Instt for our departure to the Frederick Springs, & Mrs Washington is desirous of seeing her Son before she leaves home, I am now to request the favour of you to permit him to come up for that purpose so soon as this Letter gets to hand (by Mr Stedlar, which I am told will be eight days after date). Nothing new in this part of the Country worth a recital, and...
26From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 13 May 1770 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 9th came to hand last Night, but I do not think myself prepared at this time, to give any conclusive answer to the questian you propounded, respecting Mr Custis’s travelling to perfect his Education. It is a matter of very great consequence, and well deserving of the most serious consideration, especially by one who stands in the degree of Affinity to him that I do—A natural...
27From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 2–9 June 1770 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 21st Ulto containing very judicious remarks on the advantages of Travelling (to youth who have a turn to Improvement) served to convince me of the Utility of the measure. but when I came to converse with sevl Gentlemen who have had some experience of the expence, and of whose judgments I entertaind a better opinion of than my own, I find myself embarrassed; Not because I...
28From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 26 January 1769 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 11th coming to my hands but a few days ago, and Miss Custis’s Indisposition since, are the reasons of Jacky’s detention from School till this time; before your Letter came to hand we were in hourly expectation of the pleasure of a visit from you and are sorry for the disappointment, and concernd for the cause of it, as I can with pleasure assure you that your Company at...
29From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 21 May 1772 (Washington Papers)
Inclination having yielded to Importunity, I am now, contrary to all expectation under the hands of Mr Peale; but in so grave—so sullen a Mood—and now and then under the influence of Morpheus, when some critical strokes are making, that I fancy the skill of this Gentleman’s Pencil, will be put to it, in describing to the World what manner of Man I am. I have no doubt of Mr Peales meeting with...
30From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 4 April 1771 (Washington Papers)
My detention at Dumfries on Doctr. Ross’ & Mr. Semple’s affairs, has been the principal cause of Jack’s remaining here till this time. If you find him in the humour to be innoculated when he returns to you, I beg that he may proceed immediately to Baltimore, so that there may be time to hear of his recovery before I set out for Williamsburg; otherwise, I am satisfied it will be the means of my...
31From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 15 February 1774 (Washington Papers)
Before Mr Beall deliver’d me your Letter of the 10th, which came to hand later than I expected (under a supposition of his willingness to undertake my business on the Ohio) I had conditionally agreed with Mr Vale Crawford for this purpose; who you must know, had Imbark’d in a Courting Scheme (in this neighbourhood) and, as I conceiv’d the task of pleasing a Master & Mistress, equal to that of...
32From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 23 May 1772 (Washington Papers)
The foregoing Letter was designed to go by Jack Custis, who intended, as he said, but afterwards altered his Mind; to take the benefit of a Ball at Alexandria on Thursday Evening, in his own home the next day. In the interim, Joe brought me your favour of the 21st, forbidding us any longer to hope for the pleasure of Govr Eden & Lady’s Company; which we had been flattering ourselves with the...
33From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 2 August 1773 (Washington Papers)
I am sorry to be deprivd of the pleasure of seeing you—& concernd at the painful cause of it; which, if every other remedy faild I should be for drawing. Your Acct I dare say is perfectly right, & I will either leave Bills to the amount of it, under cover with Mr Calvert, or send them to you in a day or two after I get home; drawn at Par, which the Govr tells me is rather less than might be...
34From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 5 August 1773 (Washington Papers)
Under cover with this Letter I send you a Bill of Excha: on Robt Cary & Co. for £65 Sterlg, which is the amount of your acct at 66⅔, more than which the Govr told me might be had for good Bills. I have made no deduction for the sums of £1.5.0 & £2.6.0 Virga Curry paid Rind & Purdie on your Acct nor of £1.4.0 York Cy paid Gaine, Whose receipt I now Inclose; as, to the best of my recollection, I...
35From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 20 April 1771 (Washington Papers)
Your favour of the 10th conveyd an unexpected piece of Intelligence, thoô a very agreeable one —Jack left this place with so many doubts, and difficulties abt going to Baltimore, to be Innoculated with the Small Pox, that we all concluded nothing was more foreign from his Intention—Mrs Washington having fully adopted this opinion, I have withheld from her the Information you gave me in respect...
36From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 3–10 February 1770 (Washington Papers)
The uncertainty of your return from Maryland (as we heard that Potomack was Froze below Cedar Point) added to the difficulty, & indeed danger of crossing the Waters between this and your House are the Reason’s of Jackys detention here so long. We therefore if he shoud be too late in comg hope your excuse for it. He brings down several pair of very good London made Shoes, which being too small...
37From George Washington to Jonathan Boucher, 4 September 1768 (Washington Papers)
Mastr Custis was so much disorder’d by an intermitting fever, attended with billeous vomittings, that we were oblig’d (whilst in Westmoreland) to send for Doctr Mortimer to him —He is now better, but not clear of slow fever’s, & very weak & low (being much reduced) which induces his Mamma to take him home with us, till he is perfectly restord. His Man comes with advice of this matter, & to...