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YALE UNIVERSITY
Xx LIBRARY

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LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
of,:
GEORGE WASHINGTON
OF MOUNT VERNON

THE ONLY AUTHENTICATED. COPY, TOLL AND: ...„¦
COMPLETE, EMBRACING A SCHEDULE 'OF HIS
REAL ESTATE, AJ!}D EXPLANATORY NOTES
THERETO BY THE TESTATOR; TO WHICH IS
ADDED jMPORTANT HISTORICAL NOTES, BIO
GRAPHICAL SKETCHES, AND ANECDOTES ;

PRESENTED BY MR. HEYBURN
August S, 1911. — Ordered to be printed, with illustrations
WASHINGTON .
1911

"^¦r^zr^Ti

62d Congress) oomattt /Document
1st Session / SENATE j No< 86
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
OF
GEORGE WASHINGTON
OF MOUNT VERNON ,

THE ONLY AUTHENTICATED COPY, FULL AND
COMPLETE, EMBRACING A SCHEDULE OF HIS
REAL ESTATE, AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
THERETO BY THE TESTATOR; TO WHICH IS
ADDED IMPORTANT HISTORICAL NOTES, BIO
GRAPHICAL SKETCHES, AND ANECDOTES

PRESENTED BY MR. HEYBURN
August 5, 1911. — Ordered to be printed, with illustrations
WASHINGTON 1911

YALE.

C L> 't € . i

CONTENTS.

Page-
Washington Coat of Arms  iv
Dedication  iv
Preface to first Edition  v
Preface to second Edition  vi
The Will  i to 29
Schedule of Property comprehended in the Will  30 to 33
Descriptive and explanatory notes by the Testator  34 to 42
NOTES OF THE PUBLISHER.
Notb A.. Genealogy of the Washingtons  44
¦j. History of Mt. Vernon and the "Mt. Vernon Ladies' Association of the
Union "  45
4. History of the " Will " before, during and since, the late civil war. Notice
of the death and burial of Washington. History of Fairfax County, Va. 50
5. Mrs. Martha Washington and the Custis family. Anecdote of Col. John
Custis  54
6. " Freedom to Slaves "  55
7. Dower Negroes  56
10. Washington's Body Servant  56
11. Alexandria Academy endowed by Washington  .. ... 56
12. Washington the projector of the "James River and Kanawha " and of the
"Erie Canals"  57
13. Washington advocates the establishment of a University  58
14. Washington and Lee University  58
17. Biographical Sketch of Judge Bushrod Washington  60
19J. Extract from Will of Dr. Franklin  61
21. Biographical Sketch of Dr. Craik  61
22. Dr. Bryan Lord Fairfax and the Fairfaxes  62
22^. Notice of Washington's family Bible  64
23. Sketch of General de La Fayette  64
24. Netice of Tobias Lear  65
25. Lund Washington, the General's farm manager  66
26. The Custis Children  66
27. "Arlington " U. S. Cemetery  66
III

TO ALL WHO CHERISH THE BLESSED MEMORY OF THE GREAT AND
GOOD WASHINGTON,
"THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY,"
" THE FOUNDER OF LIBERTY,"
"THE FRIEND AND BENEFACTOR OF MANKIND,"
THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
IV

THE WILL, ETC., ETC.

STATE OF VIRGINIA.
Fairfax County,

To Wit

I Ferdinand D. Richardson
Clerk of the County Court of said County,
do hereby Certify that, this Copy of the
Last Will and Testament of General
George Washington with the Schedule
and his notes thereto attached, has
been carefully examined and compared
with the Original now on file in my
Office among the Records of the said
Court, and further, that, I find the
same to be in all respects a correct
copy of the same. In Testimony whereof
I have hereunto subscribed
my name and affixed the
seal of the said Court this
14 day of April A D 1868,
and in the 92 year of the
Commonwealth.
F. D. RICHARDSON c c

In the name of God, Amen !
I George Washington 1 of Mount
Vernon,2 a citizen of the United States
and lately President of the same
do make ordain and declare this
Instrument, which is written with
my own hand and every page 3 there-
-of subscribed with my name to be
my last Will & Testament,4 revo-
-king all others.
— Imprimus — All my debts, of which there
are but few, and none of magnitude,
are to be punctually and speedily paid,
and the legacies hereinafter bequeathed
are to be discharged as soon as cir-
-cumstances will permit, and in the
manner directed.
Item — To my dearly beloved wife, Mar-
-tha Washington 5 I give and bequeath
the use profit and benefit of my whole
Estate, real and personal, for the term
of her natural life, except such parts
thereof as are specially disposed
of hereafter, — My improved lot in
the Town of Alexandria, situated on
Pitt and Cameron Streets, I give to her &
her heirs forever, as I also do my

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Last Will and Testament.
household and kitchen furniture of
every sort and kind with the liquors and
groceries which may be on hand at
the time of my decease, to be used and
disposed of as she may think proper.
Item — Upon the decease of wife it is
my will and desire, that all the slaves
which I hold in my own right shall
receive their freedom 6 — To emanci
pate them during her life, would tho
earnestly wished by me, be attended
with such insuperable difficulties, on
account of their intermixture by mar-
-riages with the Dower negroes 7 as to
excite the most painful sensations, —
if not disagreeable consequences from
the later while both descriptions are
in the occupancy of the same propri-
-etor, it not being in my power under
the tenure by which the dower Negroes
are held to manumit them  And
whereas among those who will re
ceive freedom according to this de-
-vise there may be some who from
old age, or bodily infirmities & others
who on account of their infancy, that
will be unable to support themselves,8
it is my will and desire that all who
come under the first and second descrip-
-tion shall be comfortably clothed and
fed by my heirs while they live and

Last Will and Testament.
that such of the latter description as
have no parents riving, or if living
are unable, or unwilling to provide
for them, shall be bound by the Court
until they shall arrive at the age of
twenty five years, and in cases where
no record can be produced whereby
their ages can be ascertained, the Judg-
-ment of the Court upon it's own view
of the subject shall be adequate and
final.  1The negroes thus bound are
(by their masters or mistresses) to be
taught to read and write 9 and to be brought
up to some useful occupation, agree-
-ably to the laws of the commonwealth
of Virginia, providing for the support
of orphans and other poor children
— and I do hereby expressly forbid
the sale or transportation out of the
said Commonwealth of any Slave I may
die possessed of, under any pretence,
whatsoever — and I do moreover
most positively, and most solemnly
enjoin it upon my Executors hereafter
named, or the survivors of them
to see that this clause respecting slaves
and every part thereof be religious-
-ly fulfilled at the Epoch at which it
is directed to take place without evasion
neglect or delay after the crops
which may then may be on the ground are
harvested, particularly as it respects —

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Last Will and Testament.
the aged and infirm, seeing that a re
gular and permanent fund be established
for their support so long as there are
subjects requiring it, not trusting to
the uncertain provisions to be made by
individuals.  And to my mulatto
man, William (calling himself William
Lee 10) I give immediate freedom or if
he should prefer it (on account of the
accidents which have befallen him and
which have rendered him incapable o'f
walking or of any active employment)
to remain in the situation he now is,
it shall be optional in him to do so — In
either case however I allow him an
annuity of thirty dollars during his
natural life which shall be indepen
dent of the victuals and cloaths he has
been accustomed to receive; If he chuses
the last alternative, but in full with
his freedom, if he prefers the first, and this
I give him as a testimony of my sense
of his attachment to me and for his
faithful services during the revolutionary
War.
Item — To the Trustees, (Governors or by what
soever other name they may be designated)
of the Academy in the Town of Alexan
dria,11 I give and bequeath, in Trust,
Four thousand dollars, or in other
words twenty of the shares which I

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Last Will and Testament.
hold in the Bank of Alexandria to-
-wards the support of a Free School, es
tablished at, and annexed to the said Acad-
-emy for the purpose of educating such
orphan children, or the children of such
other poor and indigent persons as are
unable to accomplish it with their own
means, and who in the judgment of
the trustees of the said Seminary, are
best entitled to the benefit of this donation —
The aforesaid twenty shares
I give and bequeath in perpetuity — the
dividends only of which are to be drawn
for and applied by the said Trustees
for the time being, for the uses above
mentioned, the stock to remain entire
and untouched unless indications of
a failure of the said Bank should be
so apparent or discontinuance thereof
should render a removal of this fund
necessary, in either of these cases the
amount of the stock here devised is to
be vested in some other bank or public
institution whereby the interest
may with regularity and certainty be
drawn and applied as above.  And
to prevent misconception, my mean-
-ing is, and is hereby declared to be that,
these twenty shares are in lieu of and
not in addition to the Thousand pounds
given by a missive letter some years ago
in consequence whereof an an-

Last Will and Testament.
-nuity of fifty pounds has since been
paid toward the support of this institution
Item — Whereas by a law of the Commonwealth
of Virginia, enacted in the year
1785, the Legislature thereof was
pleased (as an evidence of it's
approbation of the services I
had rendered the public during the
Revolution — and partly, I believe in
consideration of my having suggested
the vast advantages which the com-
-munity would derive from the exten
sion of its Inland navigation, under
Legislative patronage) to present me with
one hundred shares, of one hundred dollars
each, in the incorporated company
established for the purpose of exten
ding the navigation of James River
from tide water to the mountains ;
and also with fifty shares of one
hundred pounds sterling each in the
corporation of another company like-
-wise established for the similar pur-
-pose of opening the navigation of the
River Potomac from tide water to
Fort Cumberland; 12 the acceptance
of which, although the offer was high-
-ly honorable and grateful to my
feelings, was refused, as inconsistent
with a principle which I had adop-

.<-<

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Last Will and Testament.
-ted, and had never departed from, namely
not to receive pecuniary compensation
for any services I could render
my country in it's arduous strug
gle with Great Britain for it's Rights;
and because I had evaded similar prop-
-ositions from other States in the Union
— adding to this refusal however an
intimation, that, if it should be the
pleasure of the Legislature to permit me to
appropriate the said shares to public
uses, I would receive them on those terms
with due sensibility — and this it having
consented to in flattering terms,
as will appear by a subsequent law
and sundry resolutions, in the most
ample and honorable manner, I
proceed after this recital for the
more correct understanding of the
case to declare —
That as it has always been
a source of serious regret with me
to see the youth of these United States
sent to foreign countries for the pur-
-pose of education, often before their
minds were formed or they had im-
-bibed any adequate ideas of the hap
piness of their own, contracting too
frequently not only habits of dissipa
tion and extravagence, but principles
unfriendly to Republican Govemm't
and to the true and genuine liberties

gfecO

Last Will and Testament.
of mankind, which thereafter are
rarely overcome.  For these reasons
it has been my ardent wish to
see a plan devised on a liberal scale
which would have a tendency to spread
systamatic ideas through all parts
of this rising Empire, thereby to do
away local attachments and State
prejudices as far as the nature of
things would, or indeed ought to ad-
-mit, from our national councils —
— Looking anxiously forward
to the accomplisment of so desira-
-ble an object as this is, (in my esti-
-mation) my mind has not been able to
contemplate any plan more likely
to effect the measure than the estab
lishment of a University in
a central part of the United States
to which the youth of fortune and
talents from all parts thereof might
be sent for the completion of their
education in all the branches of
polite literature in arts and sciences
— in acquiring knowledge in the prin
ciples of Politics and good Government
— and (as a matter of infinite impor-
-portance in my judgment) by associ-
-ating with each other and forming friend-
-ships in Juvenile years, be enabled
to free themselves in a proper degree
from those local prejudices and habit-

Last Will and Testament.
-ual jealousies which have just been
mentioned and which when carried to
excess are never failing sources of
disquietude to the Public mind and
pregnant of mischieveous consequen
ces to this country : — Under these
impressions so fully dilated, —
Item — I give and bequeath in per-
-petuity the fifty shares which I hold
in the Potomac Company (under the
aforesaid Acts of the Legislature of Vir
ginia) towards the endowment
of a University 13 to be established
within the limits of the District
of Columbia, under the auspices
of the General Government, if that
Government should incline to ex-
-tend a fostering hand towards it,
— and until such seminary is estab
lished, and the funds arising on these
shares shall be required for its support,
my further will and desire is
that the profit accruing therefrom
shall whenever the dividends are
made, be laid out in purchasing
stock in the Bank of Columbia or
some other Bank at the discretion
of my Executors, or by the Treasurer
of the United States for the time being
under the direction of Congress, provided
that Honorable body should

io Last Will and Testament.
patronize the measure. And the divi
dends proceeding from the purchase
of such Stock is to be vested in more
Stock and so on until a sum ade
quate to the accomplishment of the
object is obtained, of which I have
not the smallest doubt before many
years pass away, even if no aid
or encouraged is given by Legisla
tive authority or from any other source.
ITEM— The hundred shares which I held
in the James River Company I have
given and now confirm in perpetuity
to and for the use and benefit of Lib
erty Hall Academy14 in the County of
Rockbridge, in the Commonwealth of Virga
ITEM — I release exonorate and discharge
the estate of my deceased brother, Sam
uel Washington from the payment,
of the money which is due to me for
the land I sold to Philip Pendleton
(lying in the county of Berkley) who
assigned the same to him the said
Samuel, who by agreement was to pay
me therefor. — And whereas by some
contract (the purport of which was
never communicated to me) between
the said Samuel and his son Thornton
Washington, the latter became pos
sessed of the aforesaid land without

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Last Will and Testament. II
any conveyance having passed from
me either to the said Pendleton the
said Samuel or the said Thornton and
without any consideration having
been made, by which neglect neither
the legal or equitable title has been
alienated ; — it rests therefore with me
to declare my intentions concerning
the premises — And these are to
give and bequeath the said land to
whomsoever the said Thornton Washington
(who is also dead) devised the same
or to his heirs forever, if he
died intestate.— Exonerating the estate
of the said Thornton, equally with that
of the said Samuel from payment of
the purchase-money, which with In-
-terest agreeably to the original con-
-tract with the said Pendleton would
amount to more than a thousand pounds 15
 And whereas two other sons of
my said deceased brother Samuel, —
namely, George Steptoe Washington
and Laurence Augustine Washington
were by the decease of those to whose
care they were committed, brought under
my protection, and in consequence
have occasioned advances on my
part for their education at college
and other schools for their board
claothing and other incidental
expenses to the amount of near

5007" — S. Doc. 86, 62-1 — 11-

12 Last Will and Testament.
five thousand dollars over and above
the sums furnished by their estate, wch
sum may be inconvenient for them
or their father's Estate to refund. —
I do for these reasons acquit them
and the said Estate from the pay-
-ment thereof. — My intention being
that all accounts between them and
me and their father's Estate and me
shall stand balanced. —
ITEM — The balance due to me from the
Estate of Bartholomew Dandridge de-
-ceased, (my wife's brother) and which
amounted on the first day of October,
J795. t° Four hundred and twenty five
pounds (as will appear by an account
rendered by his deceased son, John
Dandridge, who was the acting Executor
of his father's will) I release & acquit
from the payment thereof.  And
the negros (then thirty three in num
ber) formerly belonging to the said
Estate who were taken in Execution, —
sold — purchased in, on my
account in the year and ever
since have remained in the posses
sion and to the use of Mary, widow
of the said Bartholomew Dandridge
with their increase, it is my will and
desire, shall continue and be in her
possession, without paying hire or making

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Last Will and Testament. 13
compensation for the same for
the time past or to come during
her natural life, at the expiration
of which, I direct that all of them who
are forty years old and upwards shall
receive their freedom, all under that age
and above sixteen shall serve seven
years and no longer, and all under
sixteen years shall serve until they
are twenty-five years of age and then
be free.16  And to avoid disputes
respecting the ages of any of these negros
they are to be taken to the Court of the
County in which they reside and the
judgment thereof in this relation
shall be final and a record thereof
made, which may be adduced as
evidence at any time thereafter if
disputes should arise concerning the same.
 And I further direct that the heirs
of the said Bartholomew Dandridge shall
equally share the benefits arising from
the services of the said negros ac-
-cording to the tenor of this devise upon the
decease of their mother.
Item — If Charles Carter who inter-
-married with my niece, Betty Lewis, is not
sufficiently secured in the title to the lots
he had of me in the town of Fredericks-
-burg, it is my will and desire that my
Executors shall make such conveyances

14 Last Will and Testament.
of them as the law requires to render it
perfect. 
Item — To my nephew, Wm. Augustine
Washington and his heirs (if he should
conceive them to be objects worth prosecuting)
and to his heirs a lot in the town of Man
chester (opposite to Richmond) No. 265 —
drawn on my sole account and also
the tenth of one or two hundred acre lots
and two or three half acre lots in the
city and vicinity of Richmond, drawn in part
nership with nine others, all in the
lottery of the deceased William Byrd
are given. — as is also a lot which I
purchased of John Hood conveyed by
William Willie and Saml Gordon
Trustees of the said John Hood, num-
-bered 139 in the town of Edenburgh in the
County of Prince George, State of Virginia.
Item — To my nephew, Bushrod Washington 17
I give and bequeath all the papers
in my possession which relate to my
civil and military administration of the
affairs of this Country : — I leave to him
also such of my private papers as are
worth preserving; — and at the decease
of — wife and before, if she is not
inclined to retain them, I give and bequeath
my library of Books and pamphlets of
every kind.

Last Will and Testament. 15
ITEM — Having sold lands which I pos
sessed in the State of Pennsylvania
and part of a tract held in equal
right, with George Clinton, late Gover
nor of New York, in the State of New-
York; — My share of land and interest
in the great Dismal Swamp and a
tract of land which I owned in the
County of Gloucester; — withholding
the legal titles thereto until the con
sideration money should be paid —
And having moreover leased and
conditionally sold, (as will appear
by the tenor of the said leases) all my
lands upon the Great Kanhawa 18 and
the tract upon Difficult Run in
the County of Loudon,19 it is my will
and direction that whensoever the
contracts are fully and respectively
complied with according to the spirit,
true intent, and meaning thereof
on the part of the purchasers, their
heirs, or assigns, that then and in
that case conveyances are to be
made agreeably to the terms of the
said contracts and the money
arising therefrom when paid
to be vested in Bank Stock, the
dividends whereof, as of that also which
is already vested therein, is to inure
to my said wife during her life
but the Stock its'self is to remain &

l6 Last Will and Testament.
be subject to the general distribution
hereafter directed. 
ITEM — To the Earl of Buchan I recom
mit, "The Box made of the Oak that
"sheltered the Great Sir William Wal-
" -lace after the battle of Falkirk"—
presented to me by his Lordship in
terms too flattering for me to repeat, —
with a request "To pass it, on the event
" of my decease to the man in my
"Country who should appear to merit
"it best, upon the same conditions
"that have induced him to send it
"to me." — Whether easy or not to
select the man who might comport
with his Lordship's opinion in this
respect, is not for me to say, but con
ceiving that no disposition of this
valuable curiosity, can be more eli-
-gable than the re-commitment of it
to his own cabinet agreeably to the
original design of the Goldsmith's —
Company of Edinburgh, who presen-
-ted it to him, and at his request,
consented that it should be transferred to
me; I do give and bequeath the same to
his Lordship, and in case of his de
cease, to his heir with my grateful
thanks for the distinguished honor
of presenting it to me, and more es
pecially for the favorable sentiments

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Last Will and Testament. 17
with which he accompanied it 
Item — To my brother Charles Washington
I give and bequeath the Gold-headed cane
left me by Doct'r Franklin in his will — 19i
 1 add nothing to it because of the
ample provision I have made for his
issue  "  To the acquaintances and
friends of my juvenile years, Lawrence
Washington and Robert Washington 20 of
Chotanck, I give my other two gold-headed
canes, having my arms engraved on them,
and to each (as they will be useful where
they live) , I leave one of the spy glasses
which constituted part of my equipage
during the late war  To my com-
-patriot in arms and old and intimate
friend Doct'r Craik,21 I give my Bureau
(or as the Cabinet makers called it Tam-
-bour Secretary) and the circular chair,
an appendage of my study  To
Doct'r David Stuart I give my large
shaving and dressing Table, and my Tel
escope  To the Reverend, now
Bryan Lord Fairfax 22 1 give a Bible 22i in
three large folio volumes with notes,
presented to me by the Right Reverend
Thomas Wilson, Bishop of Sodor & Man
 To General de la Fayette 23 1 give
a pair of finely wrought steel pistols
taken from the enemy in the Revolutionary
war  To my sisters in law

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Last Will and Testament.
Hannah Washington, and Mildred Wash-
-ington; — To my friends Eleanor Stuart,
Hannah Washington of Fairfield and
Elizabeth Washington of Hayfield I
give each a mourning Ring of the
value of one hundred dollars  These
bequests are not made for the intrins-
-ic value of them, but as mementos
of my esteem and regard  To Tobias
Lear 24 1 give the use of the farm which
he now holds in virtue of a lease from
me to him and his deceased wife (for
and during their natural lives) free
from Rent during his life, at the ex-
-piration of which it is to be disposed
as is hereafter directed  To
Sally B Haynie (a distant relation
of mine) I give and bequeath three
hundred dollars  To Sarah
Green daughter of the deceased Thomas
Bishop and to Ann Walker, daughter
of Jno Alton, also deceased I give each
one hundred dollars, in consideration
of the attachment of their father
to me, each of whom having lived
nearly forty years in my family. —
 To each of my nephews William
Augustine Washington, George
Lewis, George Steptoe Washington. —
Bushrod Washington, and Samuel
Washington, I give one of the swords
or cutteaux of which I may die pos-

<d^7&<2^&?zj£&x_y

Last Will and Testament. 1 9
-sessed, and they are to chuse in the order
they are named.  These swords 2iV*
are accompanied with an injunction
not to unsheath them for the pur-
-pose of shedding blood except it be
for self defence, or in defence of their
Country and it's rights, and in the latter
case to keep them unsheathed,
and prefer falling with them in their
hands to the rehnquishment thereof.
And now,
Having gone through these specific
devises, with explanations
for the more correct understanding
of the meaning and design of
them, I proceed to the distribution
of the more important parts of my
Estate, in manner following
First — To my nephew Bushrod Washington
and his heirs (partly in consider-
- ation of an intimation to his deceased
father, while we were bachelors and
he had kindly undertaken to super-
-intend my Estate, during my military
services in the former war between
Great Britain and France, that if I
should fall therein, Mt. Vernon
(then less extensive in domain than
at present) should become his prop
erty) I give and bequeath all that
part thereof which is comprehen-

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c^I^i/*£iy5S5D

20 Last Will and Testament.
-ded within the following limits — viz : —
Beginning at the ford of Dogue Run
near my mill and extending along the
road and bounded thereby as it now
goes, and ever has gone since my
recollection of it, to the ford of little hunting
Creek, at the gum spring until it comes
to a knowl opposite to an old road
which formerly passed through the
lower field of Muddy- Hole Farm;
at which, on the north side of the
said road are three red or Spanish oaks
marked as a corner, and a stone placed —
— thence by a line of trees to be marked
rectangular to the back line, or
outer boundary of the tract between
Thomas Mason and myself, — thence
with that line easterly, {now double
ditching with a post and rail fence
thereon) to the run of little hunting
Creek, thence with that run, which
is the boundary of the lands of
the late Humphrey Peake and me,
to the tide water of the said Creek
thence by that water to Potomac
River, thence with the River to the
mouth of Dogue Creek, and thence
with the said Dogue Creek to the
place of beginning, at the aforesaid ford,
containing upwards of Four thousand
acres, be the same more or less
together with the Mansion House,

.—C

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Last Will and Testament. 21
and all other buildings and improvemts
thereon. 
Secondly — In consideration of the consanguinity
between them and my wife, being as
as nearly related to her as to my self, as on
account of the affection I had for, and
the obligation I was under to their father
when living, who from his youth had attached
himself to my person and followed my
fortunes through the viscisitudes of the late
Revolution, afterwards devoting
his time to the superintendence of my
private concerns for many years whilst
my public employments rendered it im-
-practicable for me to do it myself
thereby affording me essential services, and
always performing them in a manner the
most filial and respectful; for
these reasons I say, I give and bequeath
to George Fayette Washington and Laurence
Augustine Washington25 & their heirs my
Estate east of little hunting creek lying
on the River Potomac, including the
farm of 360, acres, leased to Tobias Lear
as noticed before and containing in
the whole, by deeds, Two thousand &
twenty seven acres be it more or less
which said Estate, it is my will and desire
should be equitably and advantageously
divided between them, according to
quantity, quality & other circumstances when

22 Last Will and Testament.
the youngest shall have arrived at the
age of twenty one years, by three judicious
and disinterested men, one to be
chosen by each of the brothers and the
third by these two, — In the mean time
if the termination of my wifes interest
therein should have ceased the profits,
arising therefrom are to be applied
for their joint uses and benefit
Third — And whereas it has always been
my intention, since my expectation of
having issue has ceased, to consider
the grand children of my wife in the
same light as I do my own relations
and to act a friendly part by them,
more especially by the two whom we have
reared from their earliest infancy,
namely, Eleanor Parke Custis
and George Washington Parke Custis ; 2e
and whereas the former of these
hath lately intermarried with Lawrence
Lewis, a son of my deceased sister
Betty Lewis, by which union the
inducement to provide for them both
has been increased. — Wherefore
I give and bequeath to the said Lawrence
Lewis and Eleanor Parke Lewis, his wife,
and their heirs, the residue of my
Mount Vernon Estate, not already
devised to my nephew Bushrod Washing-
-ton comprehended within the fol-

Last Will and Testament. 23
-lowing description. — viz — all the land
north of the Road leading from the ford
of Dogue Run to the Gum Spring as de
scribed in the devise of the other part of the
tract to Bushrod Washington until
it comes to the stone and three red or
Spanish oaks on the knowl. — thence
with the rectangular fine to the back
line (between Mr Mason and me) — thence
with that fine westerly, along the new
double ditch to Dogue Run, by tumbling
dam of my mill,  thence with the
said Run to the ford aforementioned;
— to which I add all the land I possess
west of the said Dogue Run & Dogue Crk
bonded, Easterly & Southerly thereby — together
with the Mill, Distillery and all
other houses and improvements on the
premises making together about
two thousand acres be it more or less
Fourth — Actuated by the principle aheady
mentioned, I give and bequeath
to George Washington Parke Custis the
Grand son of my wife and my ward
and to his heirs, the tract I hold on
four mile Run in the vicinity of
Alexandria containing one thousd
two hundred acres more or less ;27 — &
my entire Square, number twenty
one, in the City of Washington. —

24 Last Will and Testament.
Fifth  All the rest and residue of my
Estate, real and personal, not disposed
of in manner aforesaid — In whatso
ever consisting— wheresoever lying, and
whensoever found— a Schedule of which
as far as is recollected, with a reason-
-able estimate of its value is hereunto
annexed— I desire may be sold by my
Executors at such times — in such man-
-ner, and on such credits (if an equal
valid and satisfactory distribution of the
specific property cannot be made
without) as, in their judgment
shall be most conducive to the inter
ests of the parties concerned, and the
monies arising therefrom to be divided
into twenty three equal parts
and applied as follows — viz : —
To William Augustine Washington
Elizabeth Spotswood, Jane Thornton,
and the heirs of Ann Ashton ; son and
daughters of my deceased brother
Augustine Washington, I give and
bequeath four parts — that is — one part
to each of them.  ' '  ' '  ' ' 
To Fielding Lewis, George Lewis
Robert Lewis, Howell Lewis & Betty
Carter, sons and daughter of my de
ceased sister Betty Lewis I give & be
queath five other parts — one to each of them
To George Steptoe Washington
Laurence Augustine Washington, Harriot

Last Will and Testament. 25
Parks, and the heirs of Thornton Wash
ington, sons and daughter of my deceased
brother Samuel Washington, I give
and bequeath other four parts, one
part to each of them. 
To Corbin Washington, and the
heirs of Jane Washington, son & daugh
ter of my deceased brother John Augus-
-tine Washington, I give and bequeath two
parts; — one part to each of them; 
To Samuel Washington, Francis
Ball & Mildred Hammond, son and daugh
ters of my brother Charles Washington
I give and bequeath three parts — one part
to each of them.  And to George Fayette
Washington, Charles Augustine Washington
and Maria Washington, sons and
daughter of my deceased nephew, Geo:
Augustine Washington, I give one other
part — that is — to each a third of that part
To Elizabeth Parke Law, Martha
Parke Peter, and Eleanor Parke Lewis
I give and bequeath three other parts —
that is, a part to each of them. 
And to my nephews Bushrod
Washington & Lawrence Lewis, — and to
my ward, the grand son of my wife,
I give and bequeath one other part; — that
is a third thereof to each of them — And
if it should so happen, that any of the
persons whose names are here ennu-
-merated (unknown to me) should now

26 Last Will and Testament.
be deceased, or should die before me,
that in either of these cases, the heirs
of such deceased, person shall, not-
-withstanding derive all the benefit of
the bequest, in the same manner as if
he, or she, was actually Hving at the time
And by way of advice, I recom-
-mend it to my Executors not to be pre
cipitate in disposing of the landed
property (herein directed to be sold)
if from temporary causes the sale
thereof should be dull, experience
having fully evinced, that the price of
land (especially above the Falls of the
Rivers & on the Western Waters) have
been progressively rising, and cannot
be long checked in it's increasing
value.  and I particularly rec-
commend it to such of the Legatees (under
this clause of my will) as can make
it convenient, to take each a share of my
stock in the Potomac Company in
preference to the amount of what
it might sell for; being thoroughly
convinced myself, that no uses to which
the money can be applied will
be so productive as the Tolls arising
from this navigation when in full
operation (and this from the nature
of things it must be 'ere long) and
more especially if that of the Shanan-
-doah is added thereto. —

ifeO-J

Last Will and Testament. 27
The family Vault at Mount Ver-
-non requiring repairs, and being
improperly situated besides, I desire
that a new one of Brick, and upon
a larger scale, may be built at the
foot of what is commonly called the
Vineyard Inclosure, — on the ground
which is marked out.28 — In which my
remains, with those of my deceased
relatives (now in the Old Vault) and
such others of my family as may
chuse to be entombed there, may be
deposited. — And it is my express
desire that my Corpse may be inter-
-red in a private manner, without
parade or funeral oration. 
Lastly — I constitute and appoint my
dearly beloved wife Martha Wash
ington, my nephews William Augus-
-tine Washington, Bushrod Washington
George Steptoe Washington, Samuel
Washington & Lawrence Lewis, &
my ward, George Washington Parke
Custis (when he shall have arrived
at the age of twenty years) Executrix &
Executors of this Will & Testament, —
— In the construction of which it will
readily be perceived that no professional
character has been consulted
or has had any agency in the draught
— and that, although it has occupied

S°°7

' — S. Doc. 86, 62-1 — 11-

28 Last Will and Testament.
many of my leisure hours to digest
& to through it into its present form, it
may notwithstanding, appear crude
and incorrect — But having endeavored
to be plain and explicit in
all the Devises — even at the expense
of prolixity, perhaps of tautology,
I hope, and trust, that no disputes
will arise concerning them; but
if contrary to expectation the case should
be otherwise from the want of legal ex-
-pression, or the usual technical terms
or because too much or too little ; has been
said on any of the devises
to be consonant with law, my will
and direction expressly is, that all
disputes (if unhappily any should
arise) shall be decided by three
impartial and intelligent men, known
for their -probity and good understand
ing; two to be chosen by the
disputants, each having the choice
of one, and the third by those two. —
which three men thus chosen, shall
unfettered by Law, or legal construc-
-tions, declare their sense of the
Testator's intention; and such
decision is, to all intents and purposes
to be as binding on the Parties
as if it had been given in
the Supreme Court of the United
States.29—

^eeLJ

Last Will and Testament. 29
In witness of all and of
each of the things herein contained
I have set my hand
and seal this ninth
day of July, in the year
one thousand seven hun-
-dred and ninety* and of the
Independence of the
United States, the Twenty
fourth.

*It appears the Testator omitted the word "nine."

30 Last Will and Testament.
Schedule of Property comprehended in
the foregoing Will, which is directed to
be sold, and some of it, conditionally is
sold; with descriptive and explanitory
notes relative thereto. 
IN VIRGINIA. ACEE8. PEIOE. DOLLARS.
Loudoun County —
Difficult Run  300 6. 666 (a)
Loudoun & Fauquier —
Ashby's Bent  2, 481 $10 24. 810I ,,.
Chattin's Run  885 8 7. 080) *¦ '
Berkley —
So. Fork of Bullskin, ... 1, 600]
Head of Evan's M . . . 453!
In Wormley's Line, .... 183]
2, 236 20 44. 720 (c)
Frederick —
Bought from Mercer ... . 571 20 11.420 (d)
Hampshire —
On Potk. River above B . 240 15 3.600 (e)
Gloucester —
On North River  400 abt 3. 600 (/)
NansEmond —
Near Suffolk H oi\ 0 0
in9 Acres.... ....I 373 8 2.984 (?)
Great Dismal Swamp —
My dividend thereof abt 20. 000 Qi)
Ohio River —
Round Bottom  587
Little Kanhawa  2, 314
2, 901 $124,880.

Last Will and Testament.
Schedule — Continued .
ACRES. PRICB.
Amount brought over. . . 2, 901
16 miles lower down .... 2, 448
Opposite Big Bent  4, 395
9, 744 10
Great Kanhawa —
Near the mouth west. . . 10, 990
East Side above  7, 276
Mouth of Cole River .... 2, 000
Opposite thereto  2, 950
Burning Spring  125
23, 34i
Maryland —
Charles County  600 6
Montgomery County. ... 519 12
Pennsylvania —
Great Meadows  234 6
New York —
Mohawk River abt  1, 000 6
North West Territory —
On little Miami  839
Ditto  977
Ditto  1, 235
3,051 5
Kentucky —
Rough Creek  3, 000
Ditto adjoin'g  2, 000
5,000 2
Lots — viz: —
City of Washington —
Two near the Capital Sqr 634 >
Cost $963, and with Buildgs.
Carried over 

31

DOLLARS.
124. 88O

97, 440 (i)

2O0. OOO (fe)
3. 6OO .(/)
6. 228 (m)
1.404 {n)
6. 000 (o)

15-251 {p)

10. 000 (q)

15.000 (r)

479. 803

32

Last Will and Testament.

Schedule— Continued.

Amt. brought over .
Lots — City oe Washington —
No. 5, 12, 13 & 14, the 3 last water
lots on the Eastern Branch
in Sqr. 667, containing together
34,438 Sqr. feet at 12 cts.
Alexandria —
Corner of Pitt and Prince Strts
half an acre — laid out into
buildgs 3 or 4 of wch are let
on grd Rent at $3 pr foot
Winchester —
A lot in the Town, of half an \
acre & another on the Commons V
of about 6 acres — supposed )
Bath — or Warm Springs —
Two well situated & had buil- )
-dings to the amount of £150. j
STOCK.
United states 6 pr cts  3, 746
Do defered 1, 873

3 prcts 2, 946

2,500

Potomac Company —
24 Shares cost ea £100 Sterl' g .
James River Company —
5 Shares each cost $100 
Bank of Columbia —
170 Shares — $40 each 
Bank of Alexandria — besides )
20 to the Free School 5 j

479. 803

4-132

(s)

4. 000

400

800

(0

(«)

(u)

514- 347

Last Will and Testament. 33
Schedule — Continued. DOLLARS.
Amt. brought over  514. 347
Stock — living — viz . —
1 Covering horse, 5 Coh
horses — 4 Riding do — Six
brood mares — 20 work-
-ing horses & mares, — 2
Covering Jacks & 3 young ones
10 she asses — 42 working
mules — 15 younger ones
329 head of horned cattle \ 15. 653
640 head of Sheep, and
a large stock of hogs, the
precise number unknown —
U3P='My manager has estima-
-ted this live stock at £7,000
but I shall set it down in
order to make sd sum at —
Aggregate amt : $530. 000

34 Last Will and Testament.
NOTES.
(a) This tract for the size of it is valu
able; more for it's situation than the qual
ity of it's soil, though that is good for farm-
-ing, with a considerable portion of gr'd
that might, very easily, be improved into
meadow. — It lyes on the great Road from
the City of Washington, Alexandria and
George Town to Leesburgh & Winchester,
at Difficult bridge — nineteen miles from
Alexandria — less from the City & George-
Town, and not more than three from Ma-
tildaville at the Great Falls of Potomac —

There is a valuable seat on the prem-
-ises — and the whole is conditionally —
sold for the sum annexed in the Schedule
(b) What the selling prices of lands in
the vicinity of these two tracts are I
know not; but compared with those
above the ridge, and others below them
the value annexed will appear mode-
-rate — a less one would not obtain them
from me. 
(c) The surrounding land, not supe-
-rior in soil, situation or properties of
any sort, sell currently at from twenty to
thirty dollars an acre. — The lowest —
price is affixed to these
(d) The observations made in the last
note applies equally to this tract tract

Last Will and Testament. 35
NOTES.
being in the vicinity of them, and of sim-
-ilar quality, altho it lye's in another County
(e) This tract though small, is extremely
valuable — it lyes on the Potomac River,
about twelve miles above the Town of Bath (or
Warm Springs) and is in the shape of a
horse-shoe, the River running almost
around it.— Two hundred acres of it is
rich low grounds; with a great abun-
-dance of the largest and finest Walnut
Trees, which with the produce of the soil
might (by means of the improved navi
gation of the Potomac) be brought to a
shipping port with more ease and at a
smaller expense than that which is
transported 30 miles, only by land
(/) This tract is of second rate
Gloucester low ground — it has no
improvement thereon, but lyes on navigable
water abounding in fish and oysters :
it was received in payment of a debt
(carrying interest) and valued in the
year 1789, by an impartial gentlemen
to £800 — N. B. it has lettely been sold
and there is due thereon, a balance
equal to what is annexed — the Schedule
(g) These 373 acres are the third part
of undivided purchases made by the
deceased Fielding Lewis, Thomas Walker
and myself, on full conviction that

36 Last Will and Testament.
NOTES.
they would become valuable.  the land
lye's on the road from Suffolk to Norfolk
touches (if I am not mistaken) some part
of the navigable water of Nansemond River —
borders on — and comprehends part of
the rich Dismal Swamp; is capable of
great improvement; — and from it's situ-
-ation must become extremely valuable.
(h) This is an undivided interest wch
I held in the Great Dismal Swamp Company,
containing about 400 acres, with my
part of the Plantation and Stock thereon
belonging to the Company in the s'd Swamp
(i) These several Tracts of land are
of the first quality on the Ohio River in
the parts where they are situated; — being
almost, if not altogether, River bottoms. —
— The smallest of these Tracts is ac
tually sold at ten dollars an acre, but the
consideration therefor, not received,
the rest are equally valuable, and will
sell as high, especially that which lye's just
below the little Kanhawa, and is oppo
site to a thick settlement on the west side the River.
— The four tracts have an aggregate
breadth upon the River of Sixteen miles
and is bounded thereby that distance.
Qt) These tracts are situated on the
Great Kanhawa River, and the first

Last Will and Testament. 37
NOTES.
four are bound thereby for more
than forty miles. — It is acknowledged
by all who have seen them (and of the
tract containing 10,990 acres which I
have been on myself, I can assert) that
there is no richer, or more valuable
land in all that Region; — They are
conditionally sold for the sum mentioned
in the schedule — that is $200,000
and if the terms of that sale are not
complied with, they will command con
siderably more. — The tract of which
the 125 acres is a moiety, was taken
up by General Andrew Lewis and myself
for on account of a bituminous spring,
which it contains, of so inflammable a na-
-ture as to burn as freely as spirits, and
is as nearly difficult to extinguish.

(/) I am but little acquainted with
this land, although I have once been on
it. — It was received (many years since)
in discharge of a debt due to me from
Daniel Janifer Adams, at the value
annexed thereto, and must be worth
more.  It is very level, lyes near
the River Potomac.

(m) This tract lyes about 30 miles
above the City of Washington not far
from Kittoctan. — It is good farming
land, and by those who are well ac-

38 Last Will and Testament.

-quainted with it, I am informed that it
would sell at twelve or $15. pr acre

(n) . This land is valuable on account
of it's local situation and other properties. —
— It affords an exceeding good stand
on Braddock's Road from Fort Cumberland
to Pittsburgh and besides a fertile soil
possesses a large quantity of natural
meadow fit for the scythe. — It is distin
guished by the appellation of the Great Mea-
-dows, where the first action with the French
in the year 1754 was fought

(0) This is the moiety of about 2000 acrs
which remains unsold of 6071 acres
on the Mohawk River, (Montgomery Ct'y)
in a Patent granted to Daniel Coxe in
the Township of Coxebourgh & Carolaca
as will appear by deed from Marinus
Willet & wife to George Clinton (late
Governor of New York) and myself; The lat-
-ter sales have been at six dollars an acre
and what remains unsold will fetch that,
or more

(p) The quality of these lands & their
situation may be known by the surveyor's
certificates, which are filed along with
the patents — They lye in the vicinity of
Cincinnati, one tract .near the mouth of
the little Miami, another seven, & the third

Last Will and Testament. 39
NOTES.
ten miles up the same — I have been
informed that they will readily command
more than they are estimated at. 
(q) For the description of these tracts
in detail, see General Spottswood's letters
filed with the other papers relating to them —
 Besides the general good qual
ity of the land, there is a valuable
bank of Iron Ore thereon; — which when
the settlement becomes more populous
(and settlers are moving that way
very fast) will be found very valuable,
as the rough creek, a branch of
Green River affords ample water for
furnaces and forges.
LOTS— Viz:
CITY OF WASHINGTON—
(r) The two lots near the Capital in
Square 634, cost me $963 only, but in
this price I was favoured on condition
that I should build two brick houses,
three storys high each; — without
this reduction, the selling price of those
lots would have cost me about $1350.
 These lots with the buildings
thereon when completed will stand me in
$15,000 at least
(s) Lots No. 5, 12, 13 & 14 on the Eastern
Branch are advantageously situated
on the water, and although many lots

40 Last Will and Testament.

much less convenient, have sold a great
deal higher, I will rate these at 1 2 cts
the square foot only.
ALEXANDRIA.
(t) For this lot, though unimproved
I have refused $3500. it has since been
laid off into proper sized lots for building
on, three or four of which are let on
ground Rent forever at three dollars
a foot on the street, and this price
is asked for both fronts on Pitt & Prin
cess streets. 
WINCHESTER.
(u) As neither the lot in the Town
or common have any improvements
on them it is not easy to fix a price,
but as both are well situated it is
presumed the price annexed to them
in the Schedule is a reasonable valun
BATH.
(v) The lots in Bath (two adjoining) cost
me to the best of my recollection, between
fifty and sixty pounds, 20 years ago & the
buildings thereon, £150 more. — whether
property there has increased or decreased
in it's value, and in what condition
the houses are, I am ignorant,
but suppose they are not valued too high

Last Will and Testament. 41
STOCKS.
(x) These are the sums which are
actually funded, and though no more
in the aggregate than $7566. stand me
in at least Ten thousand pounds in Vir-
-ginia money, being the amount of
bonded and other debts due to me, and
discharged during the war, when
money had depreciated in that ratio
and was so settled by public authority.
(y) The value annexed to these shares
is what thay have actually cost me,
and is the price affixed by law: — and
although the present selling price is
under, par, my advice to the Legatees
(for whose benefit they are intended,
especially those who can afford to lye ,
out of the money) is that each should
take and hold one; there being a
moral certainty of a great and in-
-creasing profit arising from them
in the course of a few years 
(z) It is supposed that the shares
in the James River Company must also
be productive — But of this I
can give no decided opinion
for want of more accurate information.
(cV) These are nominal prices
of the Shares of the Bank of Alex-

42 Last Will and Testament.
andria & Columbia, the selling prices
vary according to circumstances
but as the stock usually divided from
eight to ten per cent per annum, they
must be worth the former, at least,
so long as the Banks are conceived
to be secure, although circumstan
ces may some time below it
The value of the live stock
depends more upon the quality than
quantity of the different species of it
and this again upon the demand,
and judgement or fancy of purchasers.
Mount Vernon,
9 July, 1799.

?-<

<Z0^?Zy5&&J^&yLj

Last Will and Testament. 43
At a Court held for the County of Fairfax
the 20th day of January 1800, this last Will and
Testament of George Washington, deceased, late
President of the United States of America, was pre-
-sented in Court by George Steptoe Washington,
Samuel Washington, & Lawrence Lewis, three of the
Executors therein named, who made oath thereto,
and the same being proved by the oaths of Charles
Little, Charles Simms and Ludwell Lee, to be in
the true hand writing of the said Testator, as also
the Scedule thereto annexed, and the said Will,
being sealed and signed by him on motion, Ordered
to be Recorded — And the said Executors
having given Security and performed what the Laws
require, a Certificate is granted them for obtaining
a probate thereof in due form. Teste :
G. GENEALE, CI: Fx:
R. L. H. fo: 1
Ex** by G. GENEALE, CI: Fx:

* This endorsement of the clerk is intended to
represent that the will &c is " Recorded Liber
H. folio 1 and Examined."
50070 — S. Doc. 86, 62-1 — II  4

NOTES OF THE PUBLISHER.

Note i, page i— George Washington. The progenitor of the Wash-
ingtons, of whom this Testator was one, seems to have been William
De Hertbern, of Norman origin, whom we find in the century succeeding
the conquest of William, in possession 'of certain estates held of the
Bishop de Pusaz in knight's fee, situated in Durham, England. The
surname De Hertbern was taken from a village on the Palatinate which
he held of the Bishop, supposed to be the same now called Hartburn
on the banks of the Tees. The first actual mention we find of the family
is in the Bolden Book. In this it is stated that William de Hertbern
had exchanged his village of Hertburn for the manor and village of
Wessyngton in the same diocese, paying the bishop certain quit-rents,
&c. — This occurred in 1183, the earliest data to which we can trace,
and it seems that from this period forward the family assumed the name
of De Wessyngton. f About the time of the reign of Henry VI. the de or
d' was generally dropped from surnames, and the title of armiger esquire
amongst the heads of families, and generosus or gentleman, among younger
sons substituted; and we find the family name of the Testator to vary
from Wassyngton to Wassington, Wasshington, and finally to Washington.
The branch of the family to which our Washington immediately belongs,
sprang from Lawrence Washington, Esq., of Gray's Inn, son of John
Washington, of Warton in Lancashire. This Laurence Washington
received from Henry VII., in 1538, the grant of the manor of Sulgrave,
in Northamptonshire, and was known in 1620 as "Washington's Manor."
We have little note of the Sulgrave branch of the family after the death
of Charles I. and the exile of his successor. In 1655 the persecutions
of Cromwell drove many of the adherents of the house of Stuart from
England, and many of their party who had no share in the conspiracy,
sought refuge in other lands. This may have been the case with two
brothers, John and Lawrence % Washington, great grandsons of the
grantee of Sulgrave. These brothers arrived in Virginia in 1657, and pur
chased lands in Westmoreland county, on the northern neck, between the
Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. John married a Miss Annie Pope,
of the same county, and resided at Bridges Creek, § near where it falls
* Irving's Life of Washington, Vol. I, folio 4.
t Probably of Saxon origin. We find the village of Wassengtone mentioned in a Saxon
charter granted by Edgar, 973, to Thorney Abbey, prior to the conquest. — Irving, ., 5.
t Mr. Irving has it "Andrew." From all the facts in our possession, Lawrence was the
name of the brother who accompanied John.
§ Bridges Creek, for generations, was the family place of sepulture.
44

Last Will and Testament. 45
into the Potomac. We afterwards find him as Colonel of Virginia forces,
co-operating with those of Maryland against a band of Seneca Indians.
His grandson, Augustine Washington, the father of our Washington,
was born at Bridge's Creek in 1694. He was twice married; first (April
20, 1715), to Jane, daughter of Caleb Butler, Esq., of Westmoreland
county, by whom he had four children, of whom only two, Laurence and
Augustine, survived the years of childhood; their mother died November
24, 1728, and was interred near the remains of Col. Washington, at Bridge's
Creek. On the 6th of March, 1730, he married in second nuptials, Mary,
daughter of Colonel Ball, the belle of the Northern Neck. By her he
had four sons, George, Samuel, John Augustine, and Charles; and two
daughters, Elizabeth, or Betty as she was commonly called, and Mildred,
who died in infancy.
George, the eldest, the American soldier, statesman and patriot,
was born 22d February, (nth, O. S.,) in the old Washington home
stead on Bridge's Creek.
This house commanded a beautiful view over many miles of the
Potomac, and opposite shore of Maryland; it contained four rooms on
the ground floor, and others in the attic. Such was the birth place
of our great and loved Washington. Not a vestige now remains of it;
only a stone * marks the site of the "old low-pitched farm house,'' and
an inscription denotes its being the birth place of Washington, whose
life and wonderful achievements as a soldier and statesman, are writ
ten as with a sunbeam upon the brilliant historic page which records
the memorable struggle and liberation of the infant colonies, from the
tyranny of the mother country, and chronicles the stupendous growth
of the vigorous young Republic during the first eight years of its exist
ence. Washington's close identification with the early history of our country
during his entire life is without a parallel in the history of men or
nations. Of all the great and good men our country has produced, he,
whom the gallant Lee aptly called "The Father of his Country," stands
foremost in the eyes of our own people, and in the estimation of
mankind. The whole world is filled with his glory, and even after the
moons of a century have come and gone, the radiance of his glorious
character shines with a lustre the ages cannot dim. Let all men study
the life and character of this truly wonderful man. Let him ever be
cited as a model for all who aspire to fame, for their imitation in every
duty which adorns and dignifies distinguished men.
Note 2, page I. — "Mt. Vernon." Familiar as this American Mecca
is to all, it is useless to add either engraving or description here. It is
sufficient to say that this spot, the chosen home of Washington, and
the place of his death and burial, is in the county of Fairfax, Vir
ginia, lying on the Potomac river, 8 miles below Alexandria, and six
teen from Washington city. It was inherited by Laurence Washing
ton from Augustine Washington, his father, and the father of George

? placed there by George W. P. Custis, Irving Vol. ±.

46 Last Will and Testament.
Washington, in April, 1743, and was named by him, Mount Vernon,
in honor of Admiral Vernon, of the English Navy, with whom he had
been intimate in the campaigns in West Indies in 1741-42. After his
death (26th July, 1752,) Mount Vernon descended to George Wash
ington. It was willed by General Washington to his nephew, Bushrod
Washington, son of John Augustine Washington, after whose death it
descended to his son, John Augustine Washington, (who was, while
aid to General R. E. Lee with the rank of Colonel, killed near Cheat
Mountain, in September, 1861.) In 1847 there was an effort made to
secure an appropriation of $100,000 from Congress, for the purchase
of Mount Vernon. Mrs. Jane C. Washington, then proprietress of the
Estate, was willing to dispose of the property on the following terms.
The remains of General Washington and of every other member of
the family then in the family vault were never to be removed there
from. Every member of the Washington family then living, (and no one
elsej who might desire it, could be buried there, and the remains were
not to be removed afterward.
The government were never to sell, rent, nor give the whole or any
portion of the property to any third party. In the event of a dissolu
tion of the existing federal government, the property was to revert to
the heirs of John A. Washington, her eldest son; and lastly, the sum
of $100,000 in money, or U. S. six per cent, stock, running not less
than ten, nor more than twenty years, with interest, payable semi-an
nually, shall be paid to Mrs. Jane C. Washington or to her duly author
ized agent, upon the conveyance of the property to the United States.
Mrs. Washington was empowered by the will of her deceased husband
to sell the property to the U. S. Government.*
In 1855, Mrs. Ann Pamelia Cunningham and other ladies conceived
the plan of forming an association, the object of which should be the
purchase of Mount Vernon, or that portion including the dwelling,
tomb, and present steamboat landing. In the Spring of 1856, the
matter was brought before the Legislature of Virginia, then in session,
and on the 17th March, 1856, the association was incorporated as " The
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union," and is as follows,
viz: "Chap. 298. — An ACT to incorporate the Mount Vernon Ladies' As
sociation of the Union, and to authorize the purchase of a part of
Mount Vernon. Passed March 17, 1856.
Whereas, it appears to the general assembly, that the ladies of the
United States, acting in the name and style of the Mount Vernon
Ladies' Association of the Union, have undertaken to raise, by indi
vidual subscriptions, a fund to purchase and improve two hundred acres
of Mount Vernon, with the generous and patriotic design that the es
tate so purchased shall include the late mansion as well as the tomb of
*Niles Register, vol. 73, p. 129.

Last Will and Testament. 47
General George Washington, and shall thereby be converted into pub
lic property and forever held by the State of Virginia, sacred to the
memory of the Father of his country: And whereas it also appears
that there has been already a large sum subscribed and paid in by
them for the purposes aforesaid, and that it is desired by said associa
tion that the State of Virginia shall receive said money, and hold and
take care thereof for said association until an amount is obtained suffi
cient to accomplish said purpose :
1. Be it therefore, by the general assembly enacted, that the treas
urer of this commonwealth shall receive into the treasury all the money
or moneys offered to him by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of
the Union, or by others in their behalf, and shall keep the same there
in, except upon orders from the governor of Virginia. The fund so
raised shall be styled and known by the name of the Mount Vernon
Ladies' Association Fund. But nothing herein shall be construed so as
to make it obligatory on said association, or any branch or agency thereof,
in any State, to pay or deposit their money in said treasury.
2. The said treasurer shall keep separate accounts for this fund, and
shall report its amount and condition to the governor, every six months,
and to the general assembly at every session held while said fund is in
his custody. He shall also procure, at the cost of the commonwealth,
two books of proper size, and shall transcribe into each, in fair hand,
the names of the contributors to the fund, and the sum contributed by
each, so far as those names and respective sums are furnished to him
by said association. One of these books shall be kept forever in the
archives of Virginia, and the other shall be deposited in the least destruc
tible part of any monument or other improvement which may be here
after erected on said Mount Vernon.
3. The governor of this commonwealth is hereby authorized and
required to obtain, as soon as practicable, from John A. Washington,
his heirs or assigns, a contract, signed and sealed by him, and binding
him to convey, by proper deed to the State of Virginia, two hundred
acres of land, out of said Mount Vernon, at any time within five years
from the passage of this act, that the said governor pays to him the sum
of two hundred thousand dollars.
4. The said deed of conveyance shall be in fee simple, reserving to
the said grantor to inter, in or around the family vault, any and all
members of the Washington family, legally descended from the said
John A. Washington; and the further right to maintain, perpetually,
the interment of those already there. It shall recite that the purchase
money was paid by the ladies of the United States, acting in the name
and style of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of fhe Union, and at
their instance the said conveyance is made to the state of Virginia.
And it shall covenant that the estate so conveyed shall be kept free
from injury and desecration, and held in trust for said association, for
ever sacred to the memory of George Washington, whose mortal remains
shall be kept perpetually thereon. And then upon this further trust,
that the said estate shall be subject to visitation by the state of Virginia

48 Last Will and Testament.
and to such proper and becoming improvements as the said association
shall desire and determine to make. But in default of said association
making such proper and becoming improvements, or keeping the same
in proper repair, upon such default being found by a board of visitors,
then said estate shall be subject to improvement and repair at the pleas
ure of the state of Virginia; and to this end, the possession of said estate
shall vest in said state.
5. The said two hundred acres of ground shall include the tomb of
George Washington, mansion, garden, grounds, and the wharf and landing
now constructed on the Potomac river.
6. The governor shall invest the money paid into the treasury on
account of said association, as soon as convenient after he has notice
thereof, in stock, or in loans to individuals or to corporate bodies, on
good and sufficient security, real and personal; at an interest of six
per centum per annum, to be paid semi-annually, as may to said gov
ernor seem best; and the profits arising from such investment shall
also be semi-annually invested, or as soon thereafter as the same can
be profitably done. And the said governor shall so continue to invest
said fund and the profits thereof until the same amount to the sum of
two hundred thousand dollars; and shall thereupon proceed to pay the
same to said John A. Washington, and receive from him the aforesaid
deed of conveyance. The governor shall, in like manner invest all
and any money of said association which is paid into said treasury for
the purpose of improving said estate.
7. The said association may charge, receive and collect, any fee
which may be prescribed, not exceeding twenty-five cents from each
and every person over ten years of age, who may land at and visit
Mount Vernon and the grave, tomb or other place containing the remains
of General Washington; but no greater sum or fee shall be charged or
collected in any case.
8. The governor of Virginia shall annually appoint and commission
five fit and proper men, who shall constitute a board of visitors for
Mount Vernon, with the ordinary powers of a board of visitors, whose
duty it shall be to visit that place and examine and faithfully report to
the governor all the proceedings of said association touching Mount
Vernon, and the manner in which they comply or fail to comply with
this act and other laws of the land. The expenses of said board shall
be paid out of the treasury of this commonwealth in the same manner
that the expenses of other boards of visitors are paid.
9. The said association are hereby declared and made a body politic
and corporate for the purpose of raising money to purchase and improve
the aforesaid two hundred acres of land out of Mount Vernon, and to
possess and manage the same as indicated and provided for in this act,
under the name and style of The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of
the Union; and shall be subject to all the provisions, and entitled to all
the rights, powers, privileges and immunities prescribed in the first and
second sections of the fifty-sixth chapter of the Code of Virginia, in so
far as the same are applicable to and not inconsistent with the provisions

Last Will and Testament. 49
of this act. But the said association shall not be entitled to the benefit
of the foregoing provisions in this section until they shall have prepared
a constitution and by-laws for said corporation, and have the same
approved by the governor of this State; and shall also file a copy thereof,
so approved, in the office of the secretary of the commonwealth.
10. This act shall be in force from its passage."
And on the 19th day of March, 1858, was, by said Legislature, amended
as follows, viz:
1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, that the act entitled an
act to incorporate the "Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the
Union" and to authorize the purchase of a part of Mount Vernon,
passed March 17, 1856, be amended and re-enacted so as to read as
follows: "§ 1. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union as here
tofore organized, shall be and they are hereby constituted a body poli
tic and corporate, under the name and style of The Mount Vernon
Ladies' Association of the Union; and by this name and style, shall
be subject to all the provisions, and entitled to all the rights, powers,
privileges and immunities prescribed by existing laws in so far as the
same are applicable to like corporations, and not inconsistent with this
act. "§ 2. It shall be lawful for the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Associa
tion of the Union, to purchase, hold and improve two hundred acres
of Mount Vernon, including the late mansion as well as the tomb of
George Washington, together with the garden, grounds and wharf and
landing now constructed on the Potomac river; and to this end they
may receive from the owner and proprietor of the said land, a deed in
fee simple; and shall have and exercise full power over the use and
management of the same, as they may by by-laws and rules declare,
provided, however, that the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of
the Union, shall not have power to alien the said land, or any part
thereof, or to lease the same without the consent of the general assem
bly of Virginia first had and obtained.
"§3. The capital stock of the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Associa
tion of the Union, shall not, including the two hundred acres of land
aforesaid, exceed the sum of five hundred dollars. The said associa
tion, in contracting with the proprietor of the same, may covenant
with him so as to reserve to him the right to inter the remains of such
persons whose remains are in the vault at Mount Vernon as are not now
interred, and to place the said vault in such a secure and permanent
condition as he shall see fit, and to inclose the same so as not to include
more than a half acre of land; and the said vault, the remains in and
around it, and the inclosure, shall never be removed nor disturbed,
nor shall any other person hereafter ever be interred or entomb within
the said vault or inclosure.
"S 4 The said property herein authorized to be purchased by the
said Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union shall be forever

50 Last Will and Testament.
held by it sacred to the Father of his country; and if, from any cause,
the said association shall cease to exist, the property owned by the said
association shall revert to the commonwealth of Virginia, sacred to
the purposes for which it was originally purchased."
a. This act shall be in force from its passage.
And on the 6th day of April, 1858, Mrs. Ann Pamelia Cunningham
Southern Matron, Regent, on behalf of the Association, entered into
an agreement with John A. Washington for the purchase of Mount
Vernon, or at least, that part now held by them (the original tract con
tained 4,000 acres) conditioned for the payment of $18,000 in cash;
one bond of the said Association for $57,000, payable ist January,
1859, one other bond of said Association for $41,666.66, payable 22d
February, i860, one bond of said Association for $41,666.67, on 22d Feb
ruary, 1862, with lawful interest on each of the bonds from their dates.
And retaining in him, the said John Augustine Washington, his heirs
and assigns, the title to the property aforesaid, with the possession
thereof, until the sum of two hundred thousand dollars, with all the
interest which may accrue as hereinafter mentioned, shall have been
fully paid to him or them."* (This condition appears in the said
agreement before the dates and amounts of the bonds are inserted.)
A short time prior to the breaking out of the late war, the Associa
tion effected an arrangement by which they were enabled to discharge
the entire amount of their indebtedness and to cancel all their bonds.
Colonel Hollingshead is at present the Agent of the Association at
Mt. Vernon. Visitors will find him attentive and obliging. 
Note 3, page 1. — "Every Page." It will be observed that this
resolution was overlooked at page 23, probably from the word Wash
ington (the city) having been the last word on the page and mistaken
for his own name.
Note 4, page 1.— "Last Will and Testament." The last Will
and Testament of George Washington, admitted to probate and exe
cuted as such, was written, as will be seen by its perusal, in the summer
of 1799, and dated the 9th day of July of that year, but a few months
prior to his death. It will be found singularly complete and minute in
its description and disposition of his immense estate, and these facts
are but in keeping with the traits that marked every act and effort of
his wonderful career. As he was always ready in time for every duty
of his life, so he would seem to have finished just in time, the last
worldly preparation for death — for in spiritual readiness he had been
long prepared, and having "set his house in order," there was noth
ing to shackle his spirit in the last struggle with the great Conqueror.
As the last will and testament of the Father of his Country is of pe
culiar interest to all who cherish his memory, we have deemed it im
portant that a short history of it should be here inserted. As we have
* The entire agreement is recorded in Liber A, No. 4, folios 19 &c, of Fairfax County
Land Records.

Last Will and Testament. 51
before stated, it was written in the summer of 1799,* and dated the
gth day of July, and it would seem the testator omitted the word
"nine" after "seventeen hundred and ninety" in dating his will;
however, it is very certain it was intended to have been so written, as
he finishes the sentence thus; "and of the independence of the United
States the t wenty -fourth. ' '
On the morning of the 14th December, 1799, between 10 and n
o'clock, the great and good man departed this life. "A few moments
before he expired," writes Mr. Lear, he made several efforts to speak.
At length, he said I am just going. Have me decently buried, and do not
let my body be put in the vault in less than three days after I am
dead. He then looked at me again and said, "do you understand me? I
replied, yes. "Tis well," said he. These were the last words that
passed the lips of the Christian Soldier and Statesman. His funeral
took place at Mt. Vernon, December 18th, 1799, without that pomp
and parade that usually attends the obsequies of great Generals or
Statesmen. The Rev. W. W. Davis, read the funeral service at the
vault, and pronounced a beautiful and affecting address. After which
the Masons (to which order Washington had been attached for many-
years,) performed their solmn ceremonies, and the body was placed
in the vault, t
At a Court held for the County of Fairfax on the 20th day of January,
1800, the will of which this is a copy) was presented in open Court
by George Steptoe Washington, Samuel Washington, and Lawrence Lewis,
three of the executors mentioned in said will; and they making oath
thereto, and the same being proved by the oaths of Charles Little,
Charles Simms, and Ludwell Lee, to be in the true handwriting of the
testator, as also the Schedule and Notes thereto attached, on motion
the same were ordered to be recorded,^ and a certificate was granted said
executors for obtaining probate thereof in due form."
This order was taken by the County Court of Fairfax, Virginia, and
entered up by George Deneale, then Clerk of said Court.§ As Fairfax
County contains Mount Vernon and the remains of our loved Wash
ington, we deem it pertinent, and as a matter of general interest, to
give, in brief, the general outlines of its formation and other matter
connected with its history. It was in 1741 a part of Prince William
County, but in 1742, by an act of the Virginia Assembly, Fairfax was
created a seperate county, with the Potomac River as its northern and
eastern boundary, Bull Run as its southern boundary, and Loudoun
Countv as its western boundary; and in the fall and winter of the same

* The first will of General Washington was drafted in 1775 by his personal friend. Colonel
Edward Pendleton [Member of the first Congress and the venerable presiding judge of the
high Court of appeals of Virginia.) Vide letter of Washington to his wife, dated Phila.,
June 18th, 1775- Niles Register Vol. 366, 367.
t k dine Liber H, No. 1, folios No. 1, 2, &c, of the Records of Fairfax County, Virginia.
§ See°copy of Order after Washington's Notes.

52 Last Will and Testament.
year (1742) an organization of the County was completed, with its
Courts, &c. Catesby Cooke, Gent., was the first Clerk of the Court,
whose commission was given by John Robinson, Secretary of the
Colony of Virginia under the reign of George II., at Williamsburg,
December — , 1742, and qualified as such — December, 1742, and was
recorded * in Liber A, No. 1, folios 1 and 2, of said County records.
After the death of Catesby Cooke, which occurred in 1746, John Gra
ham was, by Thomas Nelson, under authority from William Adair, then
Secretary of said Colony, appointed to succeed him, by commission
dated at Williamsburg, December 9, 1746. After this period, the
power being vested in the Court to choose their Clerk, we find Peter
Waggener to have succeeded John Graham, by a record of 17th October,
1752. Mr. Waggener remained Clerk of said County until his decease,
which occurred in 1798, when we find by records of May 21, 1798, George
Deneale, Esq., to have been appointed Clerk, being the fourth since
the organization of said County, before whom the Executors of the
last will and testament of George Washington qualified. Subsequent
to this period, the County was, by an act of the Virginia Assembly,
extended, taking =1 portion from Loudoun County, making Sugar- Land
Run the western boundary and dividing line between that portion of
Fairfax and Loudoun. In 1800 the Virginia Assembly ceded that por
tion of Fairfax which is now known as Alexandria County, to the General
Government, to comprise that portion of the District of Columbia on
the south side of the Potomac which was afterwards retroceded to the
State of Virginia, and is now known as Alexandria County. It is her
pride to boast of men in whose veins course the blood of Washington,
Lees, the Masons, Fairfaxes, and many other old and time-honored
families whose members have been Virginia's and their Country's brightest
ornaments as soldiers, statesmen, and jurists, and who, as their fathers
did, "always keep the latch-string out to both stranger and friend."
In 1853, Alfred Moss (now deceased), then clerk of the County Court
of said County, asked the Legislature of Virginia the privilege of with
drawing the original will of General George Washington from the County
Records, for the purpose of having it lithographed, and on the 22d
March, 1853, the following act was passed:
"1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, that Alfred Moss, the
Clerk of the County Court of Fairfax, be and he is hereby authorized,
under the direction, and with the permission of the County Court of
Fairfax, to withdraw from the records of the County Court of Fairfax,
the original Will of General George Washington, and to carry the same
beyond the limits of the Commonwealth, and to entrust the same to the
custody of an engraver, to be selected by him for the purpose of having
said original Will lithographed; provided, however, that the said Alfred
Moss shall, before removing the said Will, satisfy the said County Court
* The sheet containing folios 1 and 2 was torn from Liber A by Federal soldiers while
Fairfax C. H. was occupied by them during the late war. The original manuscript on which
the commission was written, with the signature of the Secretary of the Colony. (John Rob
inson,) and Seal of said Colony, is now in possession of the Publisher of this volume.

Last Will and Testament. 53
of Fairfax, that he has taken the necessary steps to insure the safe
keeping of the said Will while in the hands of the engraver, and to cause
the same to be restored to the files of the County Court, after the same
shall be lithographed.
"2. This Act shall be in force from its passage."
And afterwards, the said Court having given their consent to the
same, Mr. Moss endeavored to have the Will lithographed, but from
causes unknown, he never accomplished his purpose, and until now the
Will has never been published. Washington Irving, in his life of Wash
ington, publishes only a part of it; and we find upon comparing his pub
lication with the original that the portion he gives as taken from it,
is entirely incorrect.* In July, 18,61, when the Confederate army fell
back from Fairafax C. H., Mr. Moss carefully enveloped Washington's
Will, endorsing thereon: "The original Will of
General George Washington.
Belongs to the Records of Fairfax County Court. To be returned to me,
or any one legally authorized to receive it.
ALFRED MOSS, Clerk.
Fairfax County Court."
The will with other Records of his Court, was then carried to Rich
mond, Viginia, and the will deposited with George W. Mumford,
Esq., then Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1862,
Henry T. Brooks, who had been elected to fill the Clerkship thus va
cated by Alfred Moss, published over his signature, an article which
was copied in many of the papers of the Northern press, stating that
Mr. Moss "had taken away the will of General Washington, and that
it had been sold, and was then on exhibition in the British Museum."
As both of these gentlemen died before the close of the late war, we
would say, in justice to them, that Mr. Brooks had been imposed upon
by some one, or had been badly informed as to its whereabouts, and
that great injustice was done Mr. Moss. Mr Moss having died in the
fall of 1862, Mr. Thomas Moore, his deputy, was appointed in the fol
lowing spring, Clerk, pro tempore, of said Court. In a conversation
with Mr. Moore, he remarked that in the spring of 1863, he, as said Clerk,
called upon Mr. Mumford, who assured him of the safety and preser
vation of the will. He permitted it to continue with the Secretary
of the State, where it remained until the summer of 1865, when Mr. O.
W. Hunt, who had been selected by the County Court of said County,
to look up the missing record and papers of their Court, received it
from Mr. Lewis, then occupying the position formerly held by Mr. Mum
ford who stated that the will had been found in his office among the
papers lying scattered by Federal soldiers, on the floor of one of the
rooms Mr. Munt returned the will, with other records, Sec, to the

* Vide living's life of Washington, V., folio 358.

54 Last Will and Testament.
County, where it is now on file in charge of Ferdinand D. Richardson,
the present Clerk of said Court; and though from frequent handling
has been considerably torn, and can only be deciphered with the great
est patience, and by comparing with the record heretofore referred
to, yet is eagerly sought for, and read by those visiting Fairfax C. H.
In consideration of its condition, the Court, at its November Term,
1865, passed the following order:
"It appearing to the Court that the original will of General George
Washington, of Mount Vernon, has been much worn and mutilated
from frequent handling, and that it is liable to further injury from the
same cause; it is ordered that the Clerk of this Court purchase, at the
expense of the County, a suitable case in which he is directed to
deposit the said will."
This order was not carried into effect by Mr. William H. Fitzhugh,
then Clerk, from what cause we did not learn, but were informed by
Mr. Richardson that it was his intention to carry out the order as soon
as he could have a suitable case constructed, which is to be of glass,
that parties visiting his office in search of it may look upon, without
handling it.
Note 5, page 1. — "Martha Washington." General Washington
first met her in 1758 at Mr. Chamberlayne's near the Pamunky, a branch
of the York river, while he was on his way from Winchester to Williams
burg to lay before the military council there assembled, the destitute
condition of the Virginia troops. At this time, says Irving, "she was
a young and blooming widow, Mrs. Martha Custis, daughter of John
Dandridge, both patrician names in the provinces." Her husband,
John Park Custis, had been dead about three years, leaving her with
two young children.* She is represented as being rather small in stature,
but extremely well formed, with a pleasant countenance, dark hazel
eyes and hair, with those frank, engaging manners so peculiar to, and
captivating in, Southern ladies. Added to these attractions, she was
possessed of a large fortune. It seems that though Washington was
on urgent business, requiring immediate attention, he for once devi
ated from his usual prompt attention to business entrusted to his care,
and instead of leaving Mr. Chamberlayne's that evening, as contem
plated, orders for the horses were countermanded, and it was not until
next morning that he was again in the saddle for Williamsburg.
The White House,-\ the residence of Mrs. Custis, was in New Kent
County, but a short distance from that city. So he had frequent oppor
tunities to visit the beautiful and fascinating young widow; and we
have no doubt that while at Williamsburg he had both engaged her
affection and hand, for we are told by Irving, J that immediately after
the reduction of Fort Duquesne,§ and the French domination of the
* John Parke Custis and his sister. This young lady died at Mount Vernon, in the 17th
year of her age, on the 19th of June, 1773.
t From which the President's mansion in Washington derived its name.
% Irving's Life of Washington, Vol. 1, 264.
§ Now Pittsburg.

Last Will and Testament. 55
Ohio being at an end, and quiet once more restored to his native
province, he retired from the service. His marriage with Mrs. Custis
took place shortly after his return. It was celebrated on the 6th of
January, 1759, at the White House, the residence of the bride, in the
good old hospitable style of Virginia, amid a joyous assemblage of rela
tives and friends.
It does not fall to the lot of many women to have two such noble
men for husbands as had Martha Dandridge. Her first husband, Col.
Custis, was a most amiable, high-toned, conscientious man, he was
warmly loved by many, and highly respected by all who knew him.
"It is related of him, that when on his death-bed, he sent for a ten
ant, to whom, in settling an account, he was due one shilling. The
tenant begged that the Colonel, who had ever been most kind to his
tenantry, would not trouble himself at all about such a trifle, as he, the
tenant, had forgotten it long ago. "But I have not," rejoined the just
and conscientious landlord, and bidding his creditor take up the coin,
which had been purposely placed on his pillow, exclaimed, "now my
accounts are all closed with this world, and shortly after expired." —
Port Folio."
Note 6, page 2. — "Shall Receive their Freedom." "From private
letters which we have been kindly permitted to peruse, and from many
expressions used by him in his will, it seems that it had long been his
earnest wish to emancipate the slaves held by him in his own right;"
but from causes that appear manifest in the perusal of his will, and
show his great forethought and kind consideration of them, it was imprac
ticable and grating to the kind feelings of his good and generous heart.
But when we consider that after providing for the loved one whom
God had given him as a companion for earth's pilgrimage, the first object
that engaged his attention was his loving and faithful slaves, we must
at once see of how great magnitude this great and good Southern soldier,
statesman and patriot, considered this great, moral evil, slavery, though
born and educated a slaveholder. In a letter to John F. Mercer, of
Virginia, in September, 1786, he writes: "I never mean, unless some
particular circumstances should compel me to it, to possess another slave
by purchase, it being among my first wishes to see some plan adopted
by which slavery in this country may be abolished by law." *
"And eleven years afterwards, in August, 1797, he writes to his
nephew, Lawrence Lewis, which we have in our hands, "I wish from
my soul that the legislature of this State could see the policy of a gradual
abolition of slavery. It might prevent much future mischief, "f How
prophetic! Had one been inspired by the Almighty, he could not
have spoken with more truth. He saw that sectional hatred being
engendered and nurtured on its account which burst upon our once
happy country in 1860-61 like some destroying angel of the avenging
eods Washington was not alone in his views upon this subject. Jeffer
son and many other prominent men of their day were of the same opinion.
* living's Washington, V. folio 288.
f living's Washington, Vol. 5, folio 299.

56

Last Will and Testament.

Note 7, page 2. — "Dower Negroes." These Negroes he only had
a life interest in by his marriage with Mrs. Custis, and at her death,
as a matter of course, went to heirs of her husband, John Parke Custis;
hence he says, "it not being in my power, under the tenure by which
the dower negroes are held, to manumit them." Mrs. Martha Wash
ington, in 1801, manumitted all the slaves she held in her own right.
This deed of manumission was recorded in Liber C. Co., folio 323, of
Fairfax County Record, and lost during the war, therefore we cannot
arrive at the number thus liberated.
Note 8, page 2. — "Support Themselves." We find that there were
many of this class, and were a heavy expense, supported by the Exec
utors out of the proceeds of his estate for numbers of years; as late as
the year 1832, when the last estate account of Washington was settled
by John A. Washington, Executor of Bushrod Washington, the last
surviving executor of the will, we find the estate charged as having
paid out for rent, clothing, provisions, coffins and funeral expenses, the
sum of $788.05. The last item of these charges being for funeral expenses
of three free negroes, $12.00, dated December 31, 1829. *
Note 9, page 3. — "To Read and Write." This provision of the
will was never carried into effect, as the statutory laws of the State of
Virginia expressly prohibited schools for the instruction of negroes.
Note 10, page 4. — "William," (calling himself Willian Lee) was
the body servant and constant attendant of Washington during the
Revolutionary war, and until his injuries incapacitated him for the
position. After this, Christopher became his favorite servant, and
attended him with that fidelity, affectionate watchfulness and anxiety
that has ever been the marked characteristic of the Southern slave when
kindly treated and well cared for. William has become quite famous,
having had as many as five different funerals, and each claiming to be
that of the original William; once he died in North Carolina, once in
Missouri, and once in Arkansas; and we are of opinion that we have
seen two accounts stating that the original William had died at differ
ent times in New York; the last time occurring in the winter of 1867.
The William, of whom in all probability these accounts are mere fabri
cations, most likely died at his master's old homestead, Mount Vernon.
Note 11, page 4. — "Alexandria Academy." The corner stone of
this institution was laid on the 7th of September, 1785, by the Alex
andria Lodge (No. 39) of Free Masons, of which Lodge Washington
was a member; he was also a patron and one of the Trustees of the
Academy. The building was erected and is yet standing on the lot
at the corner of Washington and Wolfe Streets. The late Dr. Elias
Harrison, of Alexandria, Virginia, was one of the Professors in the days
of its prosperity. Many of the students of this institution became emi
nent men, amongst whom were General R. E. Lee, the late Senator
* Will Book Q, folio 262, Fairfax County Records.

Last Will and Testament. 57
Pearce, of Maryland, and others. The old Academy building in the
course of time became private property; and the corporate authorities
of Alexandria assumed the Trusteeship of the Washington endow
ment, and built a larger structure for the accommodation of a greater
number of pupils, and the name changed from "Alexandria Academy"
to that of "Washington School." Col. S. King Shay, an old and
respected citizen of Alexandria, is now its principal, and at different
times in charge eighteen years, once for sixteen consecutive years.
Note 12, page 6. — For many years Washington had been convinced
of the practicability of an easy and short communication between the
Potomac and James rivers and the waters of the Ohio, thence to the
great chain of northern lakes, and saw plainly the immense advantages
that must finally accrue to his native State, Virginia, and had gone so
far as to attempt the organization of a company to undertake at their
own expense, the opening of such communication, but the breaking
out of the American Revolution put a stop to the enterprise. In 1784, in
company with Dr. Craik, he visited the waters of the Ohio, Kanhawa,
and other western waters of his .State, to make observations and collect
information on the subject. After his return, upon his suggesting
the opening of said communication, Benjamin Harrison, the Governor
of Virginia, being struck with his ideas of the plan for opening the navi
gation of the western waters, laid the matter before the State Legis
lature. Washington immediately repaired to Richmond. He arrived
there on the 15th day of November, 1784, and in the latter part of
December of the same year, we find him at Annapolis, at the request
of the Virginia Assembly arranging matters with the Assembly of Mary
land, respecting the communication between the Potomac and western
waters. Through his individual exertions and influence, two com
panies were formed under the fostering care of these States, for opening
the navigation of the Potomac and James rivers, and he was immedi
ately appointed president of both.
By a unanimous vote of the Virginia Assembly, in 1785, fifty shares
in the Potomac, and one hundred shares in the James River company,
were appropriated for his benefit. The aggregate amount of these
shares was about $40,000. This seems greatly to have embarrassed him,
as the reader will perceive. He at first declined, but subsequently
accepted the shares, upon condition that he should be permitted to
appropriate them to public uses, which condition the Virginia Legisla
ture accepted. Thus, to our loved Washington, do we owe the vast
and incalculable benefits derived from these great inland water
communications .
In this connection, a little scrap from the daily advertiser published
at Rochester, N. Y., in 1827, may be of interest to the reader. It is as
follows: " Washington the projecetor of the Erie Canal.  It appears from
1 tter written by Mr. Jared Sparks and addressed to Hon. Jos. Story
• th Summer of 1827, (whilst the former was at Mt. Vernon engaged

58 Last Will and Testament.
in examining manuscript papers and letters of General Washington
preparatory to the publication of his great work) that shortly after the
close of the Revolutionary war, Washington, in a letter referred to by
Mr. Sparks, predicted that a water communication would be opened
through the western part of the state of New York, and spoke of the
immense benefits that would certainly result from such a work, &c.
&c. 
Note 13, page o. — "University" In his message to Congress,
convened January 8, 1790, he says that furnishing the means of higher
education at the seat of government was " well worthy of a place in the
deliberations of the Legislature." Seven years later, in 1797, in his
last appeal to Congress on the subject, he says of the assimilation of
the principles, opinions and manners of our countrymen, by the com
mon education of a portion of our youth from every quarter, that "the
more homogeneous our citizens can be made in these particulars, the
greater will be the prospect of a permanent union." It seems this cov
eted desire was never carried into effect, and the fifty shares thus do
nated reverted to the estate.
Note 14, page 10. — "Liberty Hall Academy," now Washington
and Lee University, had its origin in a classical school established before
the war of American Independence, by the early settlers of the Valley
of Virginia.
During the period of its infancy, it was sustained by the munificence
of its founders, who secured for it in 1782, its present charter, the school
bearing the name of Liberty Hall Academy until 1798, when it was
styled Washington Academy, in honor of its great benefactor, and
subsequently, Washington College.
The Virginia Legislature, attesting their appreciation of the unex
ampled merits of George Washington, in October, 1794, passed an
act vesting in him one hundred shares in the James River Navigation
Company, which he declined, except on condition that the Legislature
would permit him to transfer the donation to some object of a public
nature. In compliance with the wishes of Gen. Washington, the
Legislature substituted for the act of October, 1784, an act of October,
1785, providing that this fund be conveyed to him to be applied as he
might indicate. Gen. Washington determined to appropriate this
gift of Virginia to the endowment of an institution of learning upon the
upper waters of James river, and accordingly, by his will, conveyed it
to Liberty Hall Academy. This munificent endowment now yields
to the College the interest upon $50,000 annually.
Subsequently, the Cincinnati Society, an organization composed
of Revolutionary Officers, and having for its object the relief of indi
gent persons of this class, after accomplishing the purposes for which
they organized, determined to convey the funds in their treasury to
some public institution, and influenced, as they avowed, by the exam
ple of Gen. Washington, bestowed the gift upon Washington Col
lege. From this donation the College now enjoys an endowment of
$23,000.

Last Will and Testament. 59
In 1826, John Robinson, of Rockbridge County, Virginia, a rev
olutionary soldier, bequeathed to the same object, his estate, which
yielded about $40,000, and enabled the Trustees to increase, very ma
terially the philosophical apparatus and the buildings of the College.
In acknowledgment of this generous bequest, the "Robinson Pro
fessorship of Physical Science " was established.
Thus thrice endowed so liberally by revolutionary heroes, Washing-
Ton College became a seat of learning to which were attracted many
young men of Virginia and other States, whose influence became con
spicuous in the pulpit, the forum, and the halls of legislation — among
whom may be named the Alexanders, the Stuarts, the McDow
ells, the Prestons, and many others that fill an enviable place in the
history of our country.
In the Spring of 1861, the College was enjoying a full share of pub
lic patronage, but its regular exercises were interrupted, and for a time
suspended altogether. The students, animated by the spirit that
moved the young men of the South generally, organized themselves
into a military company, joined the immortal Jackson at Winches
ter, and for four years shared the fortunes of the Stonewall Brigade,
winning from their illustrious commander the designation of "more
than brave young men." Many of them do not survive to witness the
present prosperity of their Alma Mater.
In the month of June, 1864, Gen. David Hunter, occupied the
town of Lexington, and under his eyes the College that bore the name
and enjoyed the munificence of George Washington, was sacked:
its chemical and philosophical apparatus destroyed, and its libraries,
to a great extent, ruined.
The Board of Trustees, at a meeting held in the summer of 1865,
took steps to repair these desolations, in which they have been, to a
gratifying extent, successful; and in order to establish the Institution
on a firmer footing then it ever before held, upon the acceptance of
the Presidency by General R. E. LEE, they resolved to expand the
sphere of its operations, and, by an enlarged scientific course to give it a
place among the first institutions of the land, thus responding emphat
ically to the material wants of the country.
Mr. C. H. McCormick, a Virginian, born and reared in the vicinity
of Washington College, and now a wealthy citizen of New York, be
stowed the generous gift of $15,000 by which the Trustees have been
enabled to establish the "McCormick Professorship of Experimental
Philosophy and Practical Mechanics."
The late Mr. Warren NEwcomb, of New York City, made the
liberal donation of $10,000, and thus rendered essential aid in filling
other chairs.
Mr RathmELL WrLSON, of Philadelphia, desiring to repair the
damage done the College Library by the troops under command of
r David Hunter, donated a large number of rare and valuable
soo7»_s. Doc. 86, 62-1— 11  5

60 Last Will and Testament.
books belonging to the library of his brother, the late Thomas B.
Wilson, whose name is conspicuously associated with the Academy of
Natural Sciences, and the Entomological Society of Philadelphia.
General G. W. Custis Lee, is President of the Institution, having suc
ceeded General R. E. Lee. A catalogue recently received, contains
the names of 196 students.
Note 15, page 11. — That generous, fatherly affection and charity
which had ever marked his treatment of and liberality toward relatives,
is here prominently displayed in providing for the transfer of this prop
erty in question, since none of the parties had legal titles thereto.
Note 16, page 13. — This provision of his Will was strictly and reli
giously carried into effect. It would seem that Bartholomew Dandridge
left his estate considerably involved, and to liberate so large a number
of the working force on the plantation of his widow immediately, would
have created great distress to her and her children, and would have
turned upon the charity of the County or State many old and decrepit,
as well as young and helpless slaves, unable to shift for themselves:
hence this wise provision.
Note ij, page 14. — "Bushrod Washington," son of John A.
Washington, said to have been the favorite nephew of the general, was
born June 5th, 1762, in Westmoreland County, Va. Died December,
1829. "He was at an early age admitted to the bar of his native
State, and arrived at such eminence in his profession, that at the age
of 36 years he was selected by President Adams as a Justice of the Su
preme Court of the U. S.
For 31 years he held that important station, with a constantly in
creasing reputation and usefulness. Few men, indeed, have possessed
higher qualifications for the office, either natural or acquired. Few
men have left deeper traces, in their judicial career, of every thing
which a conscientious judge ought to propose for his ambition or his
virtue, or his glory. His mind was solid, rather than brilliant; saga
cious and searching, rather than quick or eager; steady but not un
yielding; patient in inquiry, forcible in conception, clear in reasoning.
He was, by original temperament, mild, conciliating, and candid; and
yet he was remarkable for an uncompromising firmness. Of him, it
may be truly said that the fear of man never fell upon him; it never
entered into his thoughts, much less was it seen in his actions. In him
the love of justice was the ruling passion, it was the master-spring of
all his conduct. Like his distinguished uncle, (the General) he made
it a matter of conscience to discharge every duty with scrupulous fidel
ity and scrupulous zeal. It mattered not whether the duty were small
or great, witnessed by the world, or performed in private, every where
the same diligence, watchfulness, and pervading sense of justice, were
seen. His honesty was a deep, vital principle, not measured out by
worldly rules. His wisdom was the wisdom of the law, chastened and

Last Will and Testament. 6 1
refined and invigorated by study, guided by experience, dwelling little
on theory, but constantly enlarging itself by a close survey of principles.
He was a learned judge. As a magistrate, he was exemplary and
able, one whom all may reverence, and but few may hope to equal.
He was, in private life, beloved by all; there was a daily beauty in
his life, which won every heart. He was benevolent, charitable, affec
tionate, and liberal in the best sense of the term. He was a christian,
full of religious sensibility and religious humility. The departure of
such a man, severs so many ties, interrupts so many delights, with
draws so many confidences, and leaves such an aching void in the
hearts of friends, and such a sense of desolation among associates, that,
while we bow to the decree of Providence, our griefs cannot but pour
themselves out in sincere lamentations"* To this eminently distin
guished man, and to his son, Col. John A. Washington, do we owe the
preservation of all the valuable papers and relics of the great chief.
Note 18, page 15. — "Gt. Kanhawa." We find in many of the
writings, both historical and private, the Kanawha thus spelt, and we
have no doubt that it is the proper spelling of the Indian name from
which it was taken. The pronunciation would remain the same.
Note 19, page 15. — "In the County op Loudoun." This is
clearly an error, as the County of Loudoun never embraced that por
tion of Fairfax. This tract is situated on Difficult run, near where it
crosses the Pike leading from George Town to Leesburg, Virginia, and
was sold by Washington's executors to the Sheppards, of Fairfax, and
is now owned by Mr. Thomas Peacock, of said County.
Note I9}4, page 17. — Extract from the Will of Dr. Benjamin Frank
lin. "My fine cfabtree walking-stick with a gold head, curiously
wrought in the form of the cap of Liberty, I give to my friend, and the
friend of mankind, General Washington. If it was a sceptre, he has
merited it, and would become it." This cane is now the property of
the people of the U. S., having been presented through Congress, f
So, also, the canes bequeathed to Lawrence and Robert Washington,
all three of which are to be seen among the valuable and interesting
relics of the great chief, at the Centennial.
Note 20, page 17. — "Lawrence and Robert Washington."
We are not advised as to whether or not any relationship existed be
tween them and the testator, but from this clause, and no evidence that
any did, we are inclined to the belief they were, as he says, "acquaint
ances and friends of my juvenile years. ' '
Note 21, page 17.— "Dr. Craik." Dr. James Craik, a gentleman
who probably enjoyed as much, if not more, of Washington's confi-
* From a Sketch written in 1829 for " Boston advertiser" by Mr. Justice Story, [an asso
ciate of Justice Washington] upon hearing of the death of the latter, Mr. Story says, in a
letter of that date, "I wrote it without rising from the table. /( is my sincere estimate of
his character. " 
t See interesting account ot Niles Register, Vol. 63, 1843, p. 389.

62 Last Will and Testament.
dence and esteem than any other man, and who attended him in his
last illness, was a young Scotchman, well bred, and of superior mind
and attainments. He, like Dr. Hugh Mercer, of Revolutionary fame,
fled from Scotland after the defeat of Charles Edward, at Culloden, and
settled in the Colony of Virginia. He was commissioned on the same
day that Washington was, as an officer in the war against the French
and Indians; and we find him with Washington at Great Meadows, in
May, 1754, as Surgeon of a Virginia Regiment, and during the con
tinuance of this war we find him intimately connected with him.
Again we find him, in 1777, with Washington. "About this time,
(May, 1777,) Washington had the satisfaction of drawing near him his
old friend and traveling companion, Dr. James Craik, the same who
had served with him in Braddock 's campaign, and had voyaged with
him down the Ohio; for whom he now procured the appointment of
assistant director-general of the Hospital department of the middle
district, which included the States between the Hudson and the Poto
mac. In offering the situation to the doctor, he writes: 'You know
how far you may be benefited or injured by such an appointment, and
whether it is advisable or practicable for you to quit your family and
practice, at this time. I request, as a friend, that my proposing this
matter to you may have no influence upon your acceptance of it. I
have no other end in view than to serve you.' " * This position he
filled to the entire satisfaction of his friends, and with great credit to
himself. After the termination of the Revolution, he located in Alex
andria, Virginia, where he continued the practice of his profession
until his death. He continued through life the attached and devoted
friend of Washington.!
Note 22, page 17. — "Rev., now Bryan Lord Fairfax," was the
brother of George William Fairfax, and son of old Lord Fairfax, of
Belvoir notoriety, but who, at the breaking out of the Revolutionary
war, and for some time prior, (1752 or 3,) resided at Greenway Court,
near Winchester. Lord Fairfax was a great admirer of Washington's
military genius, as well as his great moral worth and intelligence.
During the French war we find that he was frequently in Washington's
camp, near Winchester, aiding the young commander with his coun
sels or his sword. Washington had been, from his early youth,
warmly attached to the Fairfaxes; owing, probably, in part, to the in
timacy which existed between him and them, — his brother, Lawrence
Washington, having married the daughter of the Hon. William Fair
fax, of Fairfax County — and his frequent visits to Belvoir. When
Washington presided as moderator of a public meeting, held by the
inhabitants of Fairfax County, to discuss the recent acts of the British
parliament, and was appointed chairman of a committee to draw up
resolutions expressive of the sentiments of that meeting, and to report
the same to a general meeting of the County, to be held at the Court
* See Irving's Washington, Vol. v, folio 294, &c.
- t Irving's Washington, Vol. Ill, folio 68.

Last Will and Testament. 63
House on the 18th of July, 1774, he saw, and with painful emotions,
that "the course that public measures were taking, shocked the loyal
feelings of his valued friend, Bryan Fairfax."* When the news of
Lexington reached Mount Vernon, Bryan Fairfax was Washington's
guest. Irving says, "The worthy and gentle-spirited Fairfax deplored
it deeply." He saw too plainly that all his pleasant relations in life
must be broken up and his dearest friends arrayed against the govern
ment to which he was loyally attached and had determined to adhere.
This had rendered his situation among his former friends embarrassing
and unpleasant, and while he disapproved of the measures of the
British government which had severed the colonies from England, yet
he was, as we have above intimated, loyal to his king. He therefore
determined to go to England and remain until peace should be restored
to his loved colony, Virginia. To effect this purpose he visited Wash
ington, at that time with the army at Valley Forge. Washington, who
knew his feelings best, and respected his conscientiousness, we are told,
received him with that warm cordiality of former and happier days, for
with him he brought recollections dearest to his heart, of Mount Ver
non and Belvoir, happy days of invigorating pleasures on the beautiful
banks of Virginia's noble old Potomac. As it was Mr. Fairfax's inten
tion to embark at New York, Washington furnished him with the neces
sary papers to insure his safety to that city. After arriving there, the
conscience of Mr. Fairfax would not permit him to take the oaths re
quired to secure his passage to England; he therefore obtained per
mission from the British commander to return to his home in Virginia,
where he continued to reside until his death, which happened in 1802,
at seventy-five years of age. He became proprietor of Belvoir, and
after the death of his father, heir to the family title, but the latter he
never assumed. In the latter part of his life he became a clergyman
of the Episcopal Church. Old Lord Fairfax, of Greenway Court,
Washington's early friend and patron, lived to be an aged man, at his
beautiful retreat in the Shenandoah, and at his death had attained his
ninety-second year. The reverend historiographer of Mount Vernon
records his death in homely prose and verse, thus:
"When old Lord Fairfax heard that Washington had captured Lord
Cornwallis and all his army, he called to his black waiter, "Come, Joe!
carry me to bed, for it is high time for me to die!
Then up rose Joe, all at the word,
And took his master's arm,
And thus to bed he softly led
The lord of Greenway farm.
There oft he called on Britain's name,
And oft he wept full sore,
Then sighed— thy will, oh Lord, be done—
And word spake never more."
[See Weems' Life qf Washington.

* Irving's Washington, Vol. I, folio 354.

64 Last Will and Testament.
Though frank and open to his adherence to Great Britain, he lived
unmolested by the Whigs, and was popular and highly respected by
his neighbors.
Note 22%, page 17. — This Bible, (in a fine state of preservation) can
now be seen at the Bookstore of Messrs. Porter & Coates, Chestnut
Street, Philadelphia.
Note 23, page 17.— General (Gilbert Mottier) DE La Fayette,
was born on the 6th of September, 1757, was married in 1774, when
not quite 18 years of age, to the Countesse Anastasie de Noailles,
daughter of the Duke de Noailles, a young lady of rare beauty and
possessing an immense fortune. La Fayette himself had an ample
income at the time of his marriage. When the Declaration of Inde
pendence was promulgated abroad, when the story of America's wrongs
and of her heroic struggle for liberty reached the ears of the noble young
Frenchman, he resolved to leave his newly married wife, and all the
pleasing and delightful associations of home, and give his personal
assistance, free of charge, to the patriot cause across the sea. Not all
the blandishments of rank and fortune, the endearments of conjugal
love, made doubly so by promise of offspring, nor the sad tales of reverses
to the American arms at the close of 1776, which every vessel from our
shores carried to Europe, could repress his zeal or deter him from the
execution of his noble purpose.*
He offered his services to Silas Deane, one of the American Commis
sioners at Paris. At this juncture, Dr. Franklin arrived. He was
greatly pleased with the young Marquis and the disinterested zeal
which he exhibited, but honestly advised him to abandon his design
until better hope for success should appear. But this candid advice
was of no avail. The Commissioners had not sufficient credit to com
mand the means to fit out a vessel for the purpose of conveying the
Marquis and his friends, with arms, ammunition and stores to America,
so La Fayette offered to purchase a ship with his own funds. "Hith
erto," he said in the spirit of true heroism, "I have only cherished
your cause, now I am going to SERVE IT. The lower it is in the opinion
of the people, the greater effect my departure will have; and since you
can not get a vessel, I shall purchase and fit out one, to carry your dispatches
to Congress, and me to America." f
He set sail accompanied by Baron DeKalb and eleven other French,
German and Polish officers, all of whom were anxious to aid the patriot
cause. They landed at Georgetown, South Carolina, the 19th of April, 1777.
On the 31st July, following, Congress appointed La Fayette a Major
General in the Continental Army. The following preamble and resolu
tion appear on the Journals of Congress of that date : %
* Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, n, 119.
t Gordon n, 219.
X Journals of Congress, ra, 247.

Last Will and Testament. 65
"Whereas, the Marquis De La Fayette, out of his great zeal to the
cause of liberty, in which the United States are engaged, has left his
family and connections, and, at his own expense, come over to offer
his services to the United States without pension or particular allowance,
and is anxious to risk his life in our cause :
"Resolved, That his service be accepted, and that, in consideration
of his zeal, illustrious family and connections, he have the rank and
commission of Major General in the army of the United States. "
Washington arrived in Philadelphia soon after La Fayette's appoint
ment, and they were first introduced to each other at a dinner party,
where several members of Congress were present.
When they were about to separate, Washington took the Marquis
aside, complimented him upon the noble spirit he had manifested
toward the cause of the Americans, and invited him to become a mem
ber of his military family. His kind invitation was joyfully accepted,
and while he remained in America the closest intimacy existed between
La Fayette and the Commander-in-chief.
After the surrender at Yorktown, La Fayette returned to France,
and by his own exertions was raising a large army of allies for America,
when intelligence of peace reached him.*
The following anecdote of the surrender at Yorktown, and which con
cerns the subject of our sketch, was published in the " N. Y. National
Advocate" 1818. "Baron Steuben commanded in the trenches at the
moment Lord Cornwallis made his overture for capitulation. The
proposals were immediately depatched to the Commander-in-Chief.
The Marquis de la Fayette, whose turn it was next to mount guard in
the trenches, marched to relieve the Baron, who, to his astonishment,
refused to be relieved. He informed General de la Fayette, that the
custom of European war was in his (the Baron's) favor, and that it was
a point of honor which he could neither give up for himself, nor deprive
his troops of — that the offer to capitulate had been made during his
guard, and that in the trenches he would remain until the capitulation
was signed or hostilities commenced.
The Marquis immediately galloped to headquarters and stated the
case to the chief. Washington decided in favor of the Baron — to the
joy of one, and to the mortification of the other of those brave, noble,
and valuable men. LaFayette died in 1834, aged 77 years.
The glorious acts of this pure disinterested friend of America, are
familiar to every reader of American history. The blessings of this
great nation, in whose service he freely and without compensation
risked so much, shall always be his. His precious memory will be
embalmed for all time in the American heart.
Note 24 page 18.— "Tobias Lear." A native of New Hampshire,
and graduate of Harvard College. Washington had long had him in
his service as private secretary and preceptor to his adopted children,
George WashingtonParke Custis and sister. 
* Lossing F. B. R. II, 112.

66 Last Will and Testament.
Note 24%, page 19. — "These Swords, "have all been presented by
the Washington heirs to the people of the United States, through Con
gress. They are usually to be seen among the valuable Washington
relics in the Patent office at Washington City. During the Centennial
Exposition they may be seen in the Government building in Fairmount
Park. Note 2 5, page 21. — "These two gentlemen were sons of Lund Wash
ington, who, though bearing the same name, and as has been said, of
the same stock, does not appear to have been in any near degree of rela
tionship. He was for years manager of Washington's Mount Vernon
estate, during the American revolution, and it was to him that he wrote
from the American camp at Cambridge, in 1775, a short time before
he was joined by his family, the celebrated letter in regard to the hospi
tality of Mount Vernon, which we here insert. Says he: "Let the
hospitality of the house, with respect to the poor, be kept up. Let
no one go hungry away. If any of this kind of people should be in
want of corn, supply their necessaries, provided that it does not encour
age them to idleness; and I have no objection to you giving my money
in charity to the amount of forty or fifty pounds a year, when you think
it well bestowed. What I mean by having no objection is, that it is
my desire it should be done. You are to consider that neither myself
nor wife is now in the way to do these good offices. "
Note 26, page 22. — Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washing
ton Parke Custis." These were the children of John Parke Custis,
the only child of Mrs. Washington by her first husband, Col. John Parke
Custis, that lived to its majority. They were, when very young, adopted
by Washington.
Note 27, page 23. — This is the tract now known as "Arlington," which
the late war has made historic, as "Arlington Height." After the death
of George W. P. Custis, it descended to General Robert E. Lee, who
had married the daughter of Mr. Custis, and is now held by the United
States as confiscated property, and used as a national Cemetery for
the Union soldiers, and a home for Freedmen.
Note 28, page 27. — This was done not long after his death, and is the
one in which his remains, with others of his family, are deposited.
Note 29, page 28. — From a careful examination of Records, and after
having made diligent enquiry, we can safely say that, though so large
and valuable an estate was distributed among so many legatees, yet not
one dispute sufficient to cause litigation ever arose.
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