Washington, George, First President

Autograph document signed twice (G:^{o Washington"; "Geo. Washington," in text), oblong sheet (9 1/8 x 14 1/2 in.; 234 x 368 mm), [Mount Vernon], 6 April 1775, being an account remitted to George William Fairfax regarding expenses and income incurred June-December 1774 for the sale of goods at and rental of Fairfax's estate; center fold and 2 horizontal folds strengthened on verso, tear to lower left corner repaired, bottom corners spotted.}

Weyerhaeuser Library, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota — Joseph Maddalena (Profiles in History Catalog 19)

Autograph document signed twice (G:o Washington"; "Geo. Washington," in text), oblong sheet (9 1/8 x 14 1/2 in.; 234 x 368 mm), [Mount Vernon], 6 April 1775, being an account remitted to George William Fairfax regarding expenses and income incurred June-December 1774 for the sale of goods at and rental of Fairfax's estate; center fold and 2 horizontal folds strengthened on verso, tear to lower left corner repaired, bottom corners spotted.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The sale of Belvoir. Washington's lifelong association with the powerful and influential Fairfax family stemmed from the marriage of his half-brother Lawrence to Anne Fairfax who was the daughter of William Fairfax, first cousin to Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baron Fairfax of Cameron. Lord Fairfax was proprietor of all the land between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers, from their mouths to their headwaters. Lord Fairfax held the exclusive power to grand lands in the Northern Neck, as this region was called, as well as to collect quitrents on lands he granted.

Washington's relationship with William Fairfax's son, George William, probably began on a surveying trip in March 1748. Washington was sixteen at the time and an aspiring surveyor.  A few years senior to Washington, George William was a member of the governor's council and a collector of customs for the South Potomac naval district (DGW I:xxii-xxiii). Between 1757 and 1773 George William resided at the first Fairfax family seat, Belvoir, which was located on a bluff overlooking the Potomac about four miles downriver from Mount Vernon. The Washingtons frequented the home of George William and Sarah Cary Fairfax.  Years later Washington recalled that his visits to Belvoir counted among "the happiest days of my life" (27 February 1785, DLC:GW).

In 1773 George William left for London on family property business, leaving a Power of Attorney with Washington, whom he had designated, among others, to look after his interests at Belvoir. Washington would see to Fairfax's affairs until he left for Boston in 1775. In his letter to Washington dated 10 January 1774, he writes: "... the Chancery business, I came here to Prosecute, will probably detain me for some Years, and to You my Friend, I will speak still more plain, and say at present I have no thoughts of returning to Virginia at any distance of time ... But in Case I should ever return, I should not choose to live at Belvoir, but would fix myself in the Southern part of the Country, and nearer to the Metropolis, at a Place of my Wife's Brothers."

"Therefore I have no Objections to letting Belvoir for a Term of Years, seven, eleven, or fourteen, but would not choose to exceed that time, as I don't expect to Live to see the Lease expire ..." George William would never return to America; he wrote Washington on 3 August 1778 that after twenty years in litigation "the Chancery Suit that brought me over, is as far from a conclusion as ever" (DLC:GW). George William died in England in 1787.

He also requests that Washington put up Belvoir's furnishings for sale. "As Furniture is not the better for keeping, I could wish it should be sold and have it sett up, in Currency, which is cost Sterling."  Washington's balance sheet, dated 6 April 1775 indicates costs for an advertisement in an Annapolis paper for the renting of Belvoir in June 1774. Another advertisement was placed in October.  There are also payments received from various individuals for the sale of sundries, a pair of scales, and a Wilton carpet sold at Belvoir 15 August 1774. Washington would refer to this balance sheet in his letter to Fairfax dated 30 June 1786 ("The inclosed acct, commencing with the balle of the one transmitted 6^th of April 1775"; see Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, 4:137, note on 140). The Rev. Andrew Morton rented and moved into the house in early 1775 (see Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series 10:252-253). The mansion and several outbuildings were destroyed by fire in 1783.  The British destroyed what was left of the mansion during the War of 1812.