To George Washington from William Poole, 9 July 1758
From William Poole
July the 9: 1758
Most honourabel Cornal this with Great Submishon and i hope with out a fens and i hope your honour is in good health. i have hear made Bold to let you no the Qualatys of your mill i have in gande now gaind 604 Barels of Corn and Sixteen Barels of wheat and have in gaind a Great Deal of Custum from meariland as well as heare1 and now She fails for want of water By reason of a good Deel of Dry weather which makes me Sorry that i Cant grind faster for your Custumers and by have in so Cloes inploy with the Mill the fore part of the year it has hindard me from tend in the ground which i was to have and by Mr John washintons Desiers i throd up the ground to humphry Knight2 and Mr John washinton told me he would be bound your honour would Sattisfy me for it in which i make no Dout of your honours goodness3 as i am reaDy to obay and have in a Large famalea to maintane i must in Deaver for a maintaneance for them in which i hope youre honour wont tak it a miss and that you will be pleast to let me no in time if i am to minde the Mill argane and up on what tirms as i Can maintane my famalea. i be in very willin to Serv your honour without hurtin my Self the hors which your Brother put here Dyd with a Distemper which is a great Disapointment to the meariland Custumars and now Sur i must begg a line ar to from your honour that i ma no what i have to Doo up on which i Shall rely. and so to Conclud from your humbel Servant at Cummand
William poole miller
ALS, DLC:GW. The letter is addressed “To the Honourabel Curnal George Washinton att Winchester or Elswheare.”
William Poole seems to have acted as GW’s miller only for a year or so, but he remained a tenant on GW’s mill plantation until as late as 1765.
1. GW’s gristmill was on a tract of 172 acres at the head of Dogue Creek about two miles northwest of the house at Mount Vernon. See , 1:227. He acquired the “Mill Tract” in 1754 along with the original Mount Vernon tract, and in time it became a part of the consolidated Mount Vernon plantation. See The Growth of Mount Vernon, 1754–86, ibid., 240–42.
2. GW charges William Poole 500 pounds of tobacco in 1757 for rent of “the Mill Land.” In Dec. 1760 he charges Poole 1,000 pounds of tobacco for the “Rent of a Plantation by my Mill.” Rents due for 1761, 1762, 1763, and 1764 were 1,030 pounds of tobacco. See , folio 69, 137.
3. In 1759 GW credited Poole’s account with £7 for “looking after my Mill this Year [1758]” (ibid., 69).