To George Washington from Bernard Moore, 21 October 1766
From Bernard Moore
21 Oct. 1766.
My dear Sir,
Your favor I received1 & should have answered it long before this, but expected to have had the pleasure of seeing you at Williamsburg this court, but am prevented by a long spell of the ague and fever, and am so unwell as not to attend the Genl court.2 I am extremely obliged to you for your Kind offer in taking my bond for principal & interest of my old Bond. I declare to you it is not in my power to collect in what moneys are due to me or else should be able to pay you the interest. I shall be obliged to you to let me know what sum I owe you and then I will give you the bond with security; such as I have no doubt you will approve of.3 Your great kindness to me heretofore convinces me that You will not distress a family as large as mine is; and you may depend no one shall fall on more speedy and honest methods to extricate themselves out of their troubles than I will do.4 With Great truth yr affece
Berd Moore
Sprague transcript, DLC:GW.
Col. Bernard Moore (1720–1775), of Chelsea in King William County, one of the commissioners appointed in 1759 to settle Daniel Parke Custis’s estate, borrowed from Martha Custis in 1758 before her marriage to GW £1,200 sterling. He repaid to the Custis estate £200 in 1760 and also paid £210 for three years’ interest on £1,000 in 1761. At that time, Moore’s bond for £1,400 current money was assigned to Martha Parke Custis as a part of her inheritance. See Settlement of the Daniel Parke Custis Estate, 20 April 1759–5 Nov. 1761, particularly doc. III-B, nn.16, 21, and 24. Moore seems to have paid nothing on his bond, neither principal nor interest, to Martha Parke Custis before her death in 1773. See note 3 and Moore to GW, 29 Dec. 1766.
1. Letter not found.
2. The General Court of the colony of Virginia was directed by law to begin its fall session on 10 Oct. each year (6 325–50).
3. When Martha Parke Custis died in 1773, Moore’s indebtedness to her had grown from £1,400 sterling to £1,747.8.8 sterling, £408.17.8 of which was unpaid interest (Guardian Accounts, 3 Nov. 1773). See note 24 cited in source note.