1[April 1775] (Washington Papers)
Aprl. 1. At home all day, Mr. Magowan came here. 2. At home all day. Mr. Magowan went to church & returnd to Dinner. Mr. Wilper came in the Afternoon—as did Captn. Curtis also. Philip Curtis was the captain of GW’s brig Farmer , just arrived at Mount Vernon from a voyage that had carried 4,000 bushels of “Indian Corn” to Lisbon and returned with 3,000 bushels of salt from the Turks Islands in...
2[Diary entry: 19 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
19. Mrs. Blackburn & Mrs. Brown went away after Dinner. Mr. Rutherford who came yesterday to Dinnr. went away after Breakfast today. Dr. Rumney came in the Afternn.
3[Diary entry: 20 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
20. Genl. Lee, & Doctr. Rumney both went away after Breakft.
4[Diary entry: 21 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
21. Captn. Curtis dind here. In the Afternoon my Brother Jno. Billy Washington, & George & Charles Lewis came. Capt. Philip Curtis and GW were settling the accounts of the brig Farmer , which GW sold ten days later to Thomas Contee, of Maryland ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. , folio 192). Billy was...
5[Diary entry: 22 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
22. I rid with my Brother to Alexa. & returnd to Dinner.
6[Diary entry: 23 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
23. At home all day. In the afternoon Mr. Leitch & his Wife & Mr. Robt. Adam came.
7[Diary entry: 24 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
24. My Brother John, Mr. Adam & Mr. Leitch & his Wife went away. I continued at home. Andrew Leitch married Margaretta Augustina Brice Leitch (1755-1781) in 1772.
8[Diary entry: 25 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
25. At home all day. A Mr. Johnson—a Muster Master dind here & went away afterwds. Thos. Davis came Express & returnd. William Johnson was sent by the Fairfax County Independent Company to consult GW on its new uniform. The members wrote GW to ask if they could “take the fashion of the Hunting shirt Cap and Gaiters from you,” and inquired “whether you Intend to send yours up that we may get...
9[Diary entry: 26 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
26. Went up to Alexa. to meet the Indt. Company. Mr. Hepburn came home with me & Mr. Loyd I found there. William Hepburn, of Alexandria, owned a ropewalk from which GW had bought rope for refitting his brig Farmer ( HEADS OF FAMILIES, VA Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Virginia; Records of the State Enumerations, 1782 to 1785 . 1908. Reprint....
10[Diary entry: 27 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
27. At home all day—those Gentlemen continuing.
11[Diary entry: 28 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
28. Mr. Hepburn & Mr. Loyd both went away.
12[Diary entry: 29 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
29. At home all day.
13[Diary entry: 30 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
30. Went up to Alexandria & returnd in the Afternoon.
14Acct. of the Weather in April [1775] (Washington Papers)
Apl. 1. Cool, with the Wind at No. Wt. 2. Wind in the same place, and weather Cool. 3. Wind at No. Wt.—fresh & Cool all the forepart of the day—latter part moderate—Wind Southerly. 4. Misting, & Raining more or less all day with but little Wind and that Southerly. 5. Wind very fresh and Cold from the No. West all day. 6. A hard frost—day colder & wind harder from the same Quarter than...
15[Diary entry: 19 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
19. Wind hard from the same Quarter till Night & clear.
16[Diary entry: 20 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
20. Wind very hard from the Southwest. Clear.
17[Diary entry: 21 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
21. Wind more moderate from the Eastward.
18[Diary entry: 22 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
22. Not much Wind in the forenoon but pretty fresh afterwards from the Southward and very warm.
19[Diary entry: 23 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
23. Wind Southerly and very warm all day.
20[Diary entry: 24 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
24. Wind, what little there was of it, Easterly but warm notwithstanding.
21[Diary entry: 25 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
25. Wind fresh from the Westward all day & rather hard from thence in the Morng.
22[Diary entry: 26 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
26. Clear & pleasant but rather warm.
23[Diary entry: 27 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
27. Lowering & Misting with rain at Night.
24[Diary entry: 28 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
28. Clear and a little warm. Wind Southerly.
25[Diary entry: 29 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
29. Wind Southerly & warm.
26[Diary entry: 30 April 1775] (Washington Papers)
30. Lowering—Wind Easterly with Showers of Rain.
27[May 1775] (Washington Papers)
May 1. Went up to Alexa. to meet the Independt. Company. Mr. Herbert came at Night. 2. Messrs. Hendks. Dalton & others Breakfasted here & Majr. Gates & Mr. B. Fairfax dind & lodgd here. James Hendricks, an Alexandria merchant, was one of ten Alexandrians who formed a town committee of correspondence in May 1774; he later served in the Revolution as a major and colonel with the Virginia troops...
28[Diary entry: 1 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
May 1. Went up to Alexa. to meet the Independt. Company. Mr. Herbert came at Night.
29[Diary entry: 2 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
2. Messrs. Hendks. Dalton & others Breakfasted here & Majr. Gates & Mr. B. Fairfax dind & lodgd here. James Hendricks, an Alexandria merchant, was one of ten Alexandrians who formed a town committee of correspondence in May 1774; he later served in the Revolution as a major and colonel with the Virginia troops ( VAN SCHREEVEN William J. Van Schreeven et al., eds. Revolutionary Virginia: The...
30[Diary entry: 3 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
3. Mr. Fairfax went away. Majr. Gates stayd all day. In the Afternoon Colo. Richd. H. Lee & Brothr. Thoms. as also Colo. Chas. Carter came here. Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) married Anne Aylett (1738–1768), whose half sister, also named Anne Aylett, had married GW’s half brother Augustine Washington, of Pope’s Creek, Westmoreland County. Lee built his home, Chantilly, just a few miles down...
31[Diary entry: 4 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
4. Set out for the Congress at Phila. Dind in Alexa. & lodgd at Marlborough. GW left Mount Vernon in his chariot, probably accompanied by Richard Henry Lee. He may have met several of the other delegates on the road between Mount Vernon and Baltimore, because GW, Lee, Peyton Randolph, Edmund Pendleton, and Benjamin Harrison of Virginia and Joseph Hewes and Richard Caswell of North Carolina all...
32[Diary entry: 5 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
5. Breakfasted at Mrs. Ramsays & Lodged at Baltimore. Although GW had traveled the Baltimore-Marlboro road on his return south in 1773, he still was unfamiliar with the route and paid 7s. 6d. for a guide to Baltimore ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. , folio 193). The roads in this part of Maryland ran...
33[Diary entry: 6 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
6. At Baltimore all day. Reviewd the Companies there & dind at an Entertainmt. given by the Townsmen. “Four companies of the town militia were drawn upon the Common, where they were reviewed by Col. Washington . . . accompanied by the other delegates. . . . In the afternoon the delegates, accompanied by the Rev. Clergy and principal gentlemen of the town, preceded by Capt. [Mordecai] Gist’s...
34[Diary entry: 7 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
7. Breakfasted at Cheyns’s. Dind at Rogers’s & lodged at Stevensons this side Susqueha[nna]. cheyns’s : probably the tavern located about 13 miles east of Baltimore at the head of Bird River, a tributary of the Gunpowder River. It was operated for a number of years by a series of different keepers, and at one time was called the Red Lion Tavern. John Rodgers (c.1726–1791), a Scot who came to...
35[Diary entry: 8 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
8. Breakfasted at Charles Town & Dined & lodged at Wilmington. Charlestown, a flourishing port on the Northeast River, was the county seat of Cecil County, Md., until 1786, when the courthouse was moved to Elkton (Head of Elk). The road followed by GW from Charlestown to Wilmington led him through Christiana Bridge, or Christiana ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of...
36[Diary entry: 9 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
9th. Breakfasted at Chester, & dined at the City Tavern Phila. Supped at Mr. Jos. Reads. The arrival in Philadelphia of the delegates from Virginia and other southern colonies was celebrated, according to Christopher Marshall, by a large reception and parade at the outskirts of the city ( Duane, Diary of Marshall William Duane, ed. Extracts from the Diary of Christopher Marshall, Kept in...
37[Diary entry: 10 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
10. Dined at Mr. Thos. Mifflins & spent the Eveng. at my lodgings. my lodgings : GW’s cash memorandum lists a payment of £17 13s. 3d. in Pennsylvania currency “By Mr. Randolph Bd. &ca.” on 22 June, the day before he left Philadelphia (Cash Memoranda, DLC:GW ). Benjamin Randolph was a cabinetmaker who lived on Chestnut Street between Third and Fourth streets. Thomas Jefferson also lodged with...
38[Diary entry: 11 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
11. Dined at Young Doctr. Shippens—spent the Eveng. at my Lodgings. In Congress the credentials of the delegates were read and the decision was again made to keep the proceedings secret. A letter was read from colonial agents in London reporting the rejection of the colonists’ petition to the king, the failure of the earl of Chatham’s plan for reconciliation, and the embarkation of more...
39[Diary entry: 12 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
12. Dined and Supped at the City Tavern. GW’s expenses on this day include 6s. 7d. in Pennsylvania currency for “Club at Smith’s” (Cash Memoranda, DLC:GW ). George Read, Delaware delegate, wrote his wife a description of these dinners at Daniel Smith’s City Tavern: “I then dine at the City Tavern, where a few of us have established a table for each day in the week, save Saturday, when there is...
40[Diary entry: 13 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
13. Dined at the City Tavern with the Congress. Spent the Eveng. at my Lodgings. This was Saturday, the day all members of Congress met together for dinner at the City Tavern.
41[Diary entry: 14 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
14. Dined at Mr. Willings, & Spent the Evening at my Lodgings.
42[Diary entry: 15 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
15. Dined at Burns’s & Spent the Evening at my Lodgings. In Congress a question was raised by the New York delegates on how the colony was to conduct itself in regard to the British troops expected there. Recommendations were made in Congress and a resolution passed for appointing a committee to consider what posts in that colony should be occupied and how many troops should be necessary to...
43[Diary entry: 16 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
16. Dined at the City Tavern & Spent the Evening at Doctr. Shippens.
44[Diary entry: 17 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
17. Went to the Commencemt. at the College and dined at Mr. Saml. Griffins—after wch. attended a Comm[itt]ee at the Conistoga Waggon. GW attended the ceremony at the College of Philadelphia in his role as a member of the Continental Congress, which attended as a group. For a description of the commencement, see Pa. Packet , 15, 22, 29 May 1775. The Conestoga Wagon was a small inn on Market, or...
45[Diary entry: 18 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
18. Dined at the City Tavern, and attended a Comee. afterwards at the State House. The president of Congress on this day gave Congress news of the capture of Ticonderoga, which he had received by messenger the evening before. Congress resolved to recommend to New York that the cannon and stores be removed from Ticonderoga to the south end of Lake George, where a strong post should be...
46[Diary entry: 19 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
19. Dined at Mr. Allans. Spent the Evening in my own lodgings. The committee of Congress to consider the defense of New York, which had occupied much of GW’s time for two days past, brought in its report. The report was read and referred to the committee of the whole, which made its resolutions regarding New York’s defense on 25 May (see JCC Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of...
47[Diary entry: 20 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
20. Dined at the City Tavern & Spent the Evening at my Lodg.
48[Diary entry: 21 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
21. Dined at Mr. Richd. Willings and Spent the Evening at my Lodgings. Richard Willing (1745–1798) was a captain in the Philadelphia Associators during the Revolution ( WALKER [3] Lewis Burd Walker. “Life of Margaret Shippen, Wife of Benedict Arnold.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 24 (1900): 257-66, 401–29; 25 (1901): 20-46, 145-90, 289-302, 452-97; 26 (1902): 71-80, 224-44,...
49[Diary entry: 22 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
22. Dined at Mr. Griffins & spent the Evening at my Lodgings.
50[Diary entry: 23 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
23. Dined at Mr. Jno. Cadwalladers & spent the Evening in my own Room.