Pearce, William (Farm manager)

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D.S. 1 page. An entirely manuscript check drawn on the Bank of Alexandria, to John Thomas (Tommas) or bearer for $200. Signed by "William Pearce for George Washington, Esqr." Document signed, fragment, canceled.

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A.L.S. 1 page. Alexandria. -introduction of Mr. Potts, a gentleman lately from England-wants to visit the Seat of the President--the residence of the man whose fame all Europe acknowledge-any civilities shown him and Mr. Milburn (his companion) will pleasing and acknowledged. Autograph letter signed, docketed, integral.

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George Washington sends two bank notes of one hundred dollars each for Mr. Butler--is upset that the ice house was not filled during the late freezing spell--wants to know quantity of oats that have been thrashed--instructs them to get seeds from the gardener--has sent a bundle of Poccon or Illinois nuts via Mr. Jefferson--East India hemp seed for sowing--inquires as to the appearance of the growing wheat--using Mr. Whiting's memo book, Mr. Dandridge will settle Mr. Butler's account.

Scope and Contents Frequent rains, not too heavy or too long, will be the making of the corn and buck wheat--directions for plowing wet fields--examine the shocks of wheat frequently--inquires of the quantity and quality of oats--timothy--clover--give John the gardener a dollar on the last day of every month, provided he behaves well--is glad to hear that Pearce's daughter is feeling better--wants to know why Betty Davis and Doll are more than half their time on the sick list--care of grass seeds--little...

Scope and Contents Cultivation in corn of the lots in the Mill swamp--corn is not so much an object with Washington as meadow--rushes, alders and other shrubs--inquires of the corn (grown, shoot well and look promising)--particular care taken with the seed of rare ripe corn Washington sent home--Butler--grass seed sown with flax at Union farm--Mr. McNeil (Oneill)--quarry--use of the young mules by the overseers and plowmen--inquiries for particular concerning Ruth, Hannah and Pegg--their being sick several...

Scope and Contents Favorable appearance of the corn--ground is in good order for wheat--buck wheat--hemp growing in the vineyard--inquires to the appearance of the potatoes--Kate (wife of Will) at Muddy Hole wishes to serve the Negro women (as a granny) on the estate--pay of 12 to 15 pounds per year--in the George Town Gazette it is written that holders of shares in the Potomac Company (treasurer William Hartshorn) are to give 12 pounds sterling per share--Washington holds 5 shares--Col. Lyles Bond--Crow and...

Scope and Contents Col. Lyles bond--gives instructions on writing responses to his inquiries--drilled wheat and barley--the culture of the latter is more profitable than the former--directions for dealing with the ague and fever--Mr. Gunnel--Col. Simms of Alexandria--people have taken liberties with Washington's timber and wood during his absence--Mr. Pierce Bailey--selling a tract of land for 1500 pounds--discusses payment--Mr. Gill of Alexandria--Washington agrees to putting a still at Mt. Vernon--Pearce...

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Col. Lyle's bond is discussed--Washington approves of Pearce's sowing early (or distilled) wheat at different seasons to discover the best for it--double headed wheat at Union farm--heavy rains--problems as a result of it--drains in all the fields that need it--Pearce has the ague and fever--young Boatswain--Washington warns that yellow fever may possibly be in Baltimore.

Scope and Contents Potatoes and corn are likely to turn out well--keep enough buck wheat and potatoes for seed--it is miserable for a farmer to be obliged to purchase his seeds--exchanging may be useful--prices for wheat and flour in Alexandria--Sally Green and her distressed circumstances--James Donaldson into the Green house--Pyne was more a talker than [a worker]--fall plowing--cutting up the fallen timber--hogs for sale--culled sheep--Mr. Hawkins left sundry cuttings of valuable grape vines at Mr. Lund...

Scope and Contents Letters to Col. William Washington of Westmoreland--the easy and simple manners of Donaldson make him unfit as an overseer of the Negro carpenters--he should, however, instruct Isaac and the boy Jem in the principles of making and repairing all kinds of farming implements--quarters for a new carpenter overseer--Mrs. Fanny Washington--descriptions of people who Washington thinks should be obliged to stay at his Alexandria house--Doctor Craik--which wines to serve his guests--claret, madeira...

Scope and Contents Fencing the ground at the Mansion house for corn--rotations for Dogue-run, Muddy hole and River farms--putting oats and clover in the ground where buck wheat grew this year--leaving two or three clumps of trees when clearing the wood at No. 5 at Dogue-run--for the purpose of shade and ornament--importance of reviewing old letters--carpenters preparing frames, shingles, etc., for putting in more dormant windows in the back of the stables at Mansion house--Washington hopes that with favorable...

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Comments on Pearce's health--hopes that all the oat grounds will be in good order for early seeding--allotment of oats for Washington's horses when he comes to Mt. Vernon--asks about a fallen chimney that injured some Negro children--Doll at the ferry--ableness to work--rotation of crops at Dogue-run--asks about two plows that were sent to Mt. Vernon earlier--asks if they have been used yet.

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Fall in prices of wheat and flour--inclosure for corn at the Mansion house--other fences and gates--Washington's plans for the two sheds at Dogue-run--Irish potatoes--will send a bushel and a half of clean honey locust seed--directions for these--French Will--Washington's supposed promised of freedom after seven years of service--Dick at Dogue-run.

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Selling all the fish to one man is best--if Mr. Smith will give five shillings per one thousand for herring and twelve shilling in hundred for shad, Pearce had better enter into a written agreement with him--surveying the boundries--Mr. [Lund] Washington--cedar berries--oznabrigs--flax--Mr. Bayley--price of lands--especially those convenient to the federal city.

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Wheat on the ground is in so unpromising a way--inquires to the look of the barley--roller--French's Paul--pains taken to apprehend and bring him to punishment--Dick--Betty Davis--Sarah, possibly a spinner at the Mansion, in childbed--purchase of one thousand yards of German oznabrigs--lucern seed to be had in Alexandria--new overseer at Mansion house--Allison--inquires about the price of flour in Alexandria--both superfine and fine are up again in Philadelphia.

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Postilion Joe--Washington does not expect to reach Philadelphia before Tuesday afternoon--wheat would be a heavy loss should the weavil get into it--let no time be lost in getting it out of the straw and ground up as fast as the mill is able to do it--take the corn out of the field as soon as it can be safely done--gathering white thorn berries--the sooner the potatoes are up and secured the better--trimming the Lombardy Poplar and the Yellow Willow.

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Sickness among the negroes--diminishing prospect of a good crop of corn--breaking up the fields for the ensuing crop--preparing the shelters--for the horses at River farm--asks about Neale--list of work for the carpenters--Isaac and Joe--enclosed copy of the invoices of the oznabrigs and blankets--seine twine--payment of Pearce and the overseers--Peter.

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The sickness at Mt. Vernon is abating-tells Pearce to encourage Cyrus to persevere-he is to use money from last year's flour and corn to pay any debts-good price for wheat in Philadelphia-seine twine-Peter choosing two more mules.

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Mr. Pierce Bailey--land on difficult run--inquiry of the new meadow at Dogue-run--affects of the winter weather on the growing grain, the grass and the fields which are to be sown and planted--Moses at the mill-- Tom and Ben--coopering--Gray--Isaac making ploughs--Donaldson--gardener attending to pease--an English gentleman, named Strickland--red wine and madeira--Mrs. Fanny Washington--porter.

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Carter Ben at the River farm, laid up many weeks--potatoe plan experiment--impediments from the weather in sowing oats--winter grain should now show its spring appearance--roller-cutting small grain before it is suffered to get too ripe--honey locust seed--advertising of Paul.

Scope and Contents Course of crops--objective was to recover the fields from exhausted state-manure-buck wheat-Indian corn-comments on the insufferable conduct of overseers-Col. Ball of Leesburgh promised to send buck wheat-commends on poor quality of common oats brought from Eastern shore-garlick and wild onions-complains about overseers not doing much fall plowing--has little dependence on overseers when left to themselves-gives directions on how Pearce is to treat overseers-warns Pearce not to be like Mr....

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Details on the shingles--additional directions for the barn--removal of all the cabins at River and Union farms--wants to punish the thief who robbed the meat house at Mt. Vernon--Nathan suspected of this sort formerly--Postilion Joe has been caught in similar practices--Sam would not be restrained if he saw an opening to do the like.

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Washington hopes that it rained at Mt. Vernon--insect--distemper among horses--selling hay in Alexandria--Mr. Halley--reducing a lot in Alexandria for an allay--enclosed a newspaper containing some ideas on the culture of potatoes--making them into bread--James Butler--the Academy in Alexandria--Rev. Mr. Muir.

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Washington plans to come to Mt. Vernon about the middle of the month--dormant windows on each side of the pediment--front side of the stable--Donaldson--grain and hay--Davy's lost lambs--very suspicious appearance--he has some sly, cunning and roguish negroes under him--asks how Ben at the mill is employed--Ruth and Ben at the River farm--both Pearce and Groves are ill.

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A pipe of wine and a box of tea sent from Philadelphia--Windsor chairs--Mr. Aimes traveling to the federal city--Mr. Lear will show him the way to Mt. Vernon--inquires of Maria and the two boys--early wheat and other small grains, peas and grasses--India hemp--expects to have many respectable visitors during his stay at Mt. Vernon, and hopes to find everything in good order.

Scope and Contents Washington is under no apprehension of falling price of flour--wishes to rent the mill after the current crop of wheat is manufactured--250 dollars is not sufficient rent--Mr. Digges--Col. Fitzgerald--tenants near Mrs. French's must pay more than 20/. rent for every acre of tillable land--printer in Alexandria does not have enough types for the advertisement--repairs to the north end of the Mansion--Caesar has been absent six days--renting the farms--Pearce is entertaining doubts of...

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On the Commerce, Washington will send eight bushels of field pea, chiccory and eight bushels of winter vetch--directions for the cultivation--wind blowing down trees--selling the flour--Mr. Minor has recommended a Mr. Darnes as a tenant--Mr. Gill and renting the mill--inquires of the dimensions and details on the chimney in the new room at the Mansion.

Scope and Contents It is not likely that Washington will be at Mt. Vernon before the 20th--everything about the houses should be got in clean and nice order--Neal--Caroline--cleaning servants quarters--abundant supply of meat--inquires of the venetian blinds and the dormant windows in the stables--insists that Pearce mention these and the like in his reports--keep a sufficiency of oats for Washington's horses and those of his visitors--keep the grain and hay harvests from interfering with each other--Miss...

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Cyrus--Mr. Frestal and Mr. Lafayette--Mrs. Washington--some butter left in the cellar and some beef in a tub--James--Pearce is to clean out Washington's study and get their baggage and James on the first vessel bound for Philadelphia--Pearce's family is moving to the Mansion house--Dinah--Mr. Blagden to examine the quarry--mules for Washington's carriage.

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James Wilkes--Mr. Law--Mr. Alexander Smith is not able to take up his note--Pearce is to make arrangements for Smith's repaying, including interest from the time the note comes due--security of payment--Richmond made an example for the robbery he committed--severe drought--difficulty with wheat--quarters at River and Muddy-hole farms--venetian blinds--dimensions of the window frames.