To George Washington from George Muse, 6 January 1775
From George Muse
Caroline Jany 6. ’75.
Sir,
I rec’d your letter dated the 5th Decr by the hands of the Rev. Andrew Moton.1 I approve of the method for dividing the land between Capt. Brenau Doctor Craig & my self; and instead of deeds being made to me for the 2000 acres of land, You will please to make them in the name of my son Battaile Muse as I have trusted my right to him, my infirmness and old age rendering it impracticable for me to go thro’ these fatigues.2
You may treat with my son for the Land who lives at Col. Warner Lewis’ in Gloucester County. There are some few expenses concerning the land. I hope You will settle them when matters are brot’ to a conclusion, which, I hope, sir may be done with all expedition.3 Yr obedt servant,
Geo. Muse.
6 Jany 1775
Sprague transcript, DLC:GW. The original cover is with the transcript.
1. Letter not found.
2. In a letter of 18 Jan. 1775 GW sets out in detail for William Bronaugh how the tract of 7,894 acres on the Great Kanawha allotted jointly to Bronaugh, James Craik, and Muse in November 1773 should be divided among the three of them. In addition to the 100 acres assigned to Muse in the allotment, Muse was now entitled to 2,000 of the 6,000 acres that had been allotted to Bronaugh. These were the 2,000 acres that GW had bought from Bronaugh to swap with Muse for Muse’s allotment on the other side of the river (see Muse to GW, 30 Nov. 1774). Battaile Muse (1751–1803) later became GW’s rent collector in Loudoun, Fauquier, Frederick, and Berkeley counties. See Battaile Muse to GW, 12 Sept. 1784, and GW to Muse, 3 Nov. 1784, and notes 1 and 2 of that document.
3. There is in DLC:GW an undated document entitled “A List of Balances due from Sundrys on Account of their Claims to Land under the Proclamation of 1754.” The list, dated circa 1772 by the Library of Congress, seems actually to have been compiled in 1774 or 1775. It contains eighty-eight names of officers and soldiers, indicating how much was due to each and which ones had been paid. Most of the names are marked in the paid column as paid by “C. Crawd” or “C.C.,” Capt. William Crawford.