1To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 16 June 1768 (Washington Papers)
Altho’ I have already return’d an Ansr to yr obliging Letter of the 30th ult: by a Servt of The Revd Mr Addison’s who went from hence a Day or two ago, yet as You seem’d desirous to hear from Me as soon as possible, & as Collo. Lewis now informs Me that He can furnish Me wth an Oppty directly to your House, I am desirous to convince You, that I have not been inattentive to the Matter of yr...
2To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 1 October 1770 (Washington Papers)
I much wish’d to have accompany’d Jack, but cannot: & what is worse, We part on an Uncertainty, which may be disagreeable. I have some Thoughts of setting off for St Mary’s this Week; & if I do get away, I can hardly expect to return again till I remove finally, which cannot well be sooner than the latter End of next Month. So that, if I do not come by Mount Vernon, Jack needs not come hither,...
3To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 4 July 1771 (Washington Papers)
I am sorry to have thrown any additional Difficulties in your Way, respecting the Affair of Mr Custis’s Tour. At the Time I wrote, Difficulties seem’d to be starting up before me, which I fear’d could not otherwise be remov’d than by dropping all Thoughts of leaving Maryland. I wishd, from many Motives, to accompany Mr Custis: it was, however, as You will readily allow Me to declare, but the...
4To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 9 May 1770 (Washington Papers)
There are some particular Circumstances in my Affairs, at this Juncture, which make Me desirous to know your & Mrs Washington’s final Resolution respecting Mr Custis’s Visit to Europe. Should You think it adviseable for Him to go, & I be thought a proper person to accompany Him, I still am willing to do it, & on Terms which, I can hardly think, You will judge unreasonable. I mean not to take...
5To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 11 January 1769 (Washington Papers)
I have been much concern’d that it has not been in my Power to spend a few Days at Mount Vernon, as I hop’d I should. A very painful Disorder I labour’d under when Mastr Custis left Me, confin’d Me to my Bed a Fortnight, and now it is too late to set out, when I expect all my little Flock to return immediately, as Some of Them already are. You will please therefore to let Mastr Custis know,...
6To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 20 July 1769 (Washington Papers)
In Consequence of your Lr, Mastr Custis now waits on You; & as this is a pretty busy Time with Us in School, I shall be glad He may set off back again at the same Time You do for the Springs. Enclosed You have his Acct for the last Year, which as You were so obliging as to offer Me when I was at Mount Vernon, I will beg the Favr of You now to send by Jack. I hope it will not appear too high to...
7To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 21 May 1770 (Washington Papers)
So hurried as You know Me to be at present, I flatter myself You will not even now expect more of Me than the Outlines of a Plan of Travelling: the filling it up may be the Work of further Leisure, & maturer Consideration. And, as I have Nothing to lay before You, but mere Conjectures & Opinions, unsupported by any Experience of my own, let Me again have Leave to remind You not to pay any...
8To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 15 July 1768 (Washington Papers)
I have just Time to put a Cover over The Enclosed, & to add to the Informa[tio]n I suppose Mastr Custis himself has given You, that He has enjoy’d perfect Health ever since You left Him, exceptg two or three Days that He complain’d of a Pain in his Stomach, which I at first took for the Cholic, but since think it more likely that it might be owing to Worms. As it easily went off, by two or...
9To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 22 May 1772 (Washington Papers)
I send Joe over on purpose to let you know that The Govr & Mrs Eden will not wait on you this Trip: Some unforeseen occasions call them again to Annaps sooner than They expected; they therefore desir’d Me to beg your Excusing Them at this Time. They still talk, if it be practicable, that they will visit you before Mrs Eden leaves the Country; but, of This shou’d I chance to get notice, as I...
10To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 2 August 1773 (Washington Papers)
I persuade myself, You & Mrs Washington, as well as the hospitable & good Family You are in, will readily excuse my not waiting on You, when I assure You that Nothing shou’d have prevented me, but my being in a Situation, which renders me totally unable. It is but the third Time, I ever had the Tooth Ache: & no Ideas I had form’d how painful so slight a Cause cou’d be, were adequate to what I...
11To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 11 April 1771 (Washington Papers)
I do very cordially sympathize with M⟨rs⟩ Washington in the uneasiness I can easily suppose She must necessarily be ⟨un⟩der during this State of Suspence. Her Son was, last Monday Ev’ning, inno⟨cu⟩lated in Baltimore: and tho’ there really be in his Favour Every Thing ⟨th⟩at could be wish’d for, yet, I know She will be anxious & impatient till it be over. All I can do to ensure Success She may...
12To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 2 August 1768 (Washington Papers)
I do not recollect that Mastr Custis has had any Return of the Pain in his Stomach, which I told You I suspected to be occasioned by Worms: but as it is but too probable that He may have a little of the Ague & Fever in This or the next Month, this Complaint it is not unlikely, may return; and if it does, in any considerable Degree, Dr Mercer shall be consulted. Mastr Custis is a Boy of so...
13To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 15 January 1772 (Washington Papers)
I now take the Liberty of enclosing to You Mr Custis’s Account for the Year & half that He has spent in Maryland. Undoubtedly, it makes a formidable Appearance, and, at first View, may go nigh to Scare You: I cannot, however, believe, that, when You come to descend to Particulars, You will think it very extravagant, unless it be in the Article of Clothes, which He got by your Permission. I...
14To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 19 April 1771 (Washington Papers)
I feel much Heart-felt Satisfaction in having it in my Power to inform You that Mr Custis is now out of all Danger of the Small-Pox, in Dr Stephenson’s own Phrase, He cannot now die if He would. I have been with Him all this Week, & shou’d not yet have left Him, but that I knew You wou’d wish & expect an Acc’t—& I cou’d only give one, by coming down hither, to catch the Post that sets out this...
15To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 18 December 1770 (Washington Papers)
I thank You much for your Intimations respecting Master Custis. Were all Those who have the Care & Direction of Children as attentive to their real Interests, We shou’d not have so many Complaints of Children spoil’d by Parental Indulgence. It is not without much Concern I own to You, that your Sentimts of this young Gentleman have, for some Time, been my own. I have observ’d his growing...
16To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 5 September 1768 (Washington Papers)
I am much concern’d for Mastr Custis’s Indisposition, wc. yet I foresaw, & shd have told You so, as I did Him, had I not been unwell at the Time He left us. He is fond of Fruit, & wt is worse for Him, He is fond of Cucumbers; & to These, I doubt not, in a grt Measure, He owes his bilious Complaints. A better Air, & stricter Attention, I trust, will soon restore Him to his former Health. I did...
17To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 13 June 1768 (Washington Papers)
I think myself much obliged to You for the flattering Preference given Me, in thinking Me a proper person to undertake the Direction of Mastr Custis’s Education. And I will not hesitate to confess to You, that it wou’d mortify Me not a little to be depriv’d of so acceptable an Opportunity of obtaining some Credit to Myself, which I flatter myself there wou’d be no Danger of, from so promising...
18To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 9 May 1771 (Washington Papers)
The Season of Suspence, I thank God, is now over & Mrs Washington, without the Fears that wou’d have been unavoidable during a State of Uncertainty, will have the Pleasure of learning from undoubted Authority, that her Son is happily & easily releas’d from a formidable Disorder, without hardly one Mark to tell that He ever had it. He is as well as ever He was in his Life: indeed has such...
19To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 3 March 1770 (Washington Papers)
It gives Me infinite Uneasiness to find myself under a Necessity of making a disagreeable application to You; but so am I circumstanced that this is almost my last Resort, to preserve Me from a very distressg Situa[tio]n. Doubtless, You have heard of the calamitous Fate of poor Mrs Campbell. At the Best, her Situa[tio]n was piteous; but it was rendered much more so by her being deserted by...
20To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 21 February 1772 (Washington Papers)
I congratulate You, & the World with Us, on our Restoration to a temperate Zone: for, in Truth, We have had a kind of a Greenland Winter. And, for my own Part, I own to You, I now have a much stronger Idea of the Nature of a Winter pass’d in a Cave, than I could ever have learn’d from Books alone. I sometimes almost regretted, We could not become quite torpid, & sleep out the whole dreary...
21To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 18 August 1770 (Washington Papers)
Jack comes a Day or two sooner than I intended, in Consequence of an Invitation from Mr Galloway, & Mr Magowan, to go to West River, which He does this Day. He brings You some Samples, which I hardly expect will please. Mr Antho. Stewart has a Cargo just arriv’d, not yet opened, in which, He says, are Assortmts of Coating: Shou’d you rather incline to wait for a choice out of These, if You...
22To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 19 January 1773 (Washington Papers)
It is certainly expedient to remove Mr Custis to some Place of publick Education, and speedily. And when there is so noble, so princely an Institution of this sort, in his own Country, it is lamentable to find there still shou’d be a Necessity for sending Him to Another. I had, as You know, been endeavouring to believe the many Stories We are perpetually hearing of the Mismanagement at Wm &...
23To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 5 March 1772 (Washington Papers)
At length I have seen an Abstract of the Will of The Lord Baltimore: more absurd, & more vexing than You will easily believe. It appears to have been made Fifteen months before his Death, in Venice, & is as follows. To Mrs Browning (Sister of Mrs Eden) & Mrs Eden, each—£10,000 on condition, that They sign a Release to all Claim on the Province. To Robt Eden, Robt Morris (a busy Lawyer, &...
24To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 19 November 1771 (Washington Papers)
I have seen your Letter to your Son, &, I will own to you, it has given Me a sensible Concern. That my Attention to Him has not lately been so close nor so rigid, as I wish’d, or, as it ought to have been, is a Truth I will not attempt to deny. The Peculiarity of my Circumstances & Situation, as well as of my Temper & Disposition, are All I have to offer in my Excuse, which, however, I do not,...
25To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 8 April 1773 (Washington Papers)
I hardly remember ever to have been more surpris’d, than I was a few days ago, on being informed by the Governor of the Engagement that had taken Place between Mr Custis, & Miss Nelly Calvert; and, I beg Leave to assure You, on my Word & Honour, that, never till that moment, had I the most distant Suspicion of any such Thing’s being in Agitation. It gives Me great Uneasiness to learn, from the...
26To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 2 April 1770 (Washington Papers)
I felt so strongly the Truth of your Remarks, that I took Shame to my self for having reduc’d You to so distressing a Dilemma. Believe it however, Sir, that it was Necessity & not Inclination that urged Me to the Step, which yet I shd hardly have taken, at last, cou’d I have supposed the Circumstances of Mastr Custis’s Esta. to have been as You represent Them. I have now the Pleasure to inform...
27To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 10 February 1774 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Jonathan Boucher, 10 Feb. 1774. On 15 Feb. GW wrote Boucher and referred to “your Letter of the 10th.”
28To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 6–7 December 1771 (Washington Papers)
By some means or other, Joe contriv’d to miss Me in his Way thro’ my new Parish, tho’ I was there, & way laid Him on purpose. Having been busy in looking out for a House, & providing ways & means for my Removal, I return’d not hither till Yesterday. This will account for the Boy’s having staid so long. Employ’d about packing up, hiring of Carts, & other very troublesome & disagreeable Business...
29To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 17 April 1769 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Jonathan Boucher, 17 April 1769. On 24 April GW wrote to Boucher : “Your favour of the 17th came to my hands.”
30To George Washington from Jonathan Boucher, 13 August 1770 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Jonathan Boucher, 13 Aug. 1770. On 15 Aug. GW wrote to Boucher : “Your favour of the 13th this Instant came to hand.”