To George Washington from Charles Carter, Jr., of Culpeper, 14 May 1794
From Charles Carter, Jr., of Culpeper
Fredericksburg [Va.] May 14 1794
Dear Sir
I have examined the records in the clerk’s office of this County & have found a deed from Colo. F. Lewis to you conveying two Lotts, No. 111 & 113 which Lotts were again convey’d in 1784 to Mr Jas Mercer by John Lewis as heir at Law & executor of Fielding Lewis Decd1—The above Numbers do not point to the Lotts purchased from you by me & I cannot find any mention of them upon the books of this office—These circumstances induce a belief that Colo: Lewis made a mistake in the number of the Lotts conveyd to you & that the Lotts No. 107 & 108, upon which the houses lately occupied by yr mother stand, have not been convey’d to any person.2 from this view of the business I think it would be well to apply directly to Mr John Lewis for a deed, who knowing that the right is in you, could have no objection to executing one to any person you may appoint—Mrs Carter desires me to express her gratitude for yr handsome present communicated in Howells letter some time since3—Be pleasd also to acccept the acknowledgements of yr Most respectfull & Obedient servant
Chas Carter Junr
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Fielding Lewis’s deed to GW of 1-2 June 1761 did indeed convey lots 111 and 113 in Fredericksburg (Spotsylvania County Deed Book E [1751-61], 866-70, ViSpoCh). The 1784 conveyance has not been identified.
2. Carter had purchased lots 107 and 108 from GW (although he had not completed payment) and wished to include them in a sale to Richard Dobson (see Carter to GW, 14 Oct. 1793). In consequence, he was concerned about the confused title to those lots. Carter was correct in his presumption that Fielding Lewis had conveyed the wrong lots in the 1761 deed. However, in 1772 GW had purchased lots 107 and 108 from Michael Robinson, to whom Fielding Lewis had sold the lots in October 1761 (Spotsylvania County Deed Book H [1771-74], 224-25, ViSpoCh). For a fuller discussion of the confusion, see Cash Accounts, 1761, n.69 (, 7:9-10).
3. The letter from Howell Lewis has not been identified, but it evidently conveyed GW’s forgiveness of the Carters’ remaining debt for the purchase of lots 107 and 108 in Fredericksburg.