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The Writings of George Washington, collected and edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1889). Vol. II (1758-1775).

Author: George Washington
Editor: Worthington Chauncey Ford

Part of: The Writings of George Washington, 14 vols.

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TO LORD DUNMORE AND COUNCIL.

5 November, 1772.

My Lord, and Gentlemen;

The whole quantity of 200,000 acres of land granted by the Hon. Robert Dinwiddie’s proclamation of the 19th of Feb., 1754, being now fully obtained (within the number of surveys limited) and the last certificates thereof lodged in the Secretary’s office, I take the liberty humbly to inform your Excellency and Honors that the surveys formerly made are already patented, agreeably to an order of Council of the 6th of Nov., 1771, and that the certificates lately returned and unappropriated, are for 28,400, 21,941, 7,276, 7,894, and 6,788 acres, in all, 72,299 acres. It is also necessary to inform the Board that the following claims, including not only those which were given on the — day of Oct. 1771, but such as have been entered here, are yet to be acknowledged and satisfied accordingly:

Col. Joshua Fry’s heir, being short of his full ninth at the last distribution	7 232	acres
George Washington, also short of his ninth at that distribution	453	acres
Col. Muse & others also short of his ninth at that distribution	199	acres
And’w Waggener also short of his ninth at that distribution	2,672	acres
John Savage also short of his ninth at that distribution	2,672	acres
Dr. James Craik also short of his ninth at that distribution	394	acres
Robt. Stobo’s heir for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	9,000	acres
Jacob Vanbraam for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	9,000	acres
William Bronaugh for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	6,000	acres
James Forest’s heir for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	6,000	acres
Thomas Bullet for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	2,500	acres
John Wright’s heir for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	2,500	acres
Jno. David Wilper for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	600	acres
And’w Touler for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Francis Self for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Arthur Watts, dec’d for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Robert Stewart for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Alex’r Bonny for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Wm. McAnulty for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	200	acres
Thos. Napp for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Jesse May for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Robt. Murphy for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Jno. Smith for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
Wm. Horn, dec’d for his full proportion of the 200,000 acres.	400	acres
	53,432	acres

This ninth of 53,432 acres of land, taken from the amount of the survey on the other side, leaves, of the 30,000 acres, (set apart in Oct., 1771, for satisfying any claims which might thereafter come in, and for the further purpose of reimbursing the few who had been at the trouble and whole risque) 18,867 acres, which if appropriated to those who were full in advance at that time, and distributed according to the former proportions, will go thus:

To George Washington,	3,500;
To Geo. Muse,	3,500;
To Geo. Mercer	2,800;
To Adam Stephen	2,100
To Andrew Lewis	2,100
To Peter Hog	2,100
To John West	1,400	and
To James Craik	1,400	acres.

And if this method of proportioning the 18,867 acres of land is approved of by Y’r Exc’ll’y and Hon’rs, and you are pleased to order, as before, an association of names into each Patent, so as to bring the amount of their several claims as near to the quantity of land in the survey as may be, the following method of doing it probably will be found to answer as well as any other, as it cost some hours in shifting and changing the claims from one survey to another, to bring them so near; but if any other method, better approved of, it cannot but be equally agreeable to the parties concerned, as chance, at all events, must have the government of this matter.

*Tract of* 7,276 *Acres.*
To Geo. Washington for his div. of the last distribution	453
And for his div. of the 18,867 acres	3,500
	3,953
To Geo. Muse the residue,	3,323
		7,276

*The Tract of* 28,400 *acres.*
To Capt. Stobo’s heir in full.	9,000
To Capt Vanbraam	9,000
To representative of James Towners, dec’d.	6,000
To Andrew Fowler,	400
To Thomas Napp.	400
To Arthur Watts, dec’d	400
To Jesse May (assigned to M. Fox)	400
To Frank Self	400
To Jno. Smith	400
To Alex. Bonny	400
To Wm Horn dec’d—	400
To Wm. McAnulty,	400
		28,400

*The Tract of* 7,894 *acres.*
To Wm Bronaugh, in full	6,000
Dr. Craik, for his div. at the last distribution	394
Dr. Craik, for his div. at the 18,867 acres	1,400
Col. Muse, for residue	100
		7,894

*The Tract of* 6,788 *acres.*
To And’w Waggener, for his div. at the last distribution	2,572
Jno. West, his div. to the 18,867 acres	1,400
Col. Mercer, for the remainder of the tract—with what he received over his proportion at the last distribution, it more than pays him	2,816
		6,788

*The Tract of* 21,944 *Acres.*
To the heirs of Col. Fry, for his div. at the last distribution	7,242
John Savage, for his div. at the last distribution	2,572
Thos Bullet, in full of the grant	2,500
Wm. Wright, dec’d full of the grant	2,500
John David Wilfer	600
Adam Shepherd, for his div. of 18,867 acres	2,100
Andrew Lewis	2,100
Peter Hog	2,100
		21,714

As the opening of the patents for these lands will put an end to the business of this tract of 1754, so far as depends upon Y’r Excellency and Hon’rs, I would beg leave to offer two points of material interest to some of the trustees to the serious consideration and determination of the Board. The first is, as none of the patentees, under the mode adopted of granting land to numbers in the same patent, can be ascertained of their particular property therein till a legal division is established, which (as in the case of a late grant of 28,667 acres to sixty odd patentees, is scarcely practicable to accomplish, and, of consequence the saving of the land by cultivation and improvement, next to impossible; by this means the intended bounty offered for a valuable consideration is not only rendered void but to those who have contributed to the expense, evidently injurious, inasmuch as they have paid for that which it is not in their power to come at,) I say, under these circumstances, whether some expedient cannot be hit upon to serve those who are willing and desirous of complying with the theory of the grant, either by prolonging the time of cultivation, if this can be done, or by directing each man’s share in any patent to be laid off, (if the division is not effected by consent of parties) within a certain limited period, of which public notice to be given, as each patentee thereafter shall respectively apply to the Surveyor, who may be instruced, to lay off the same in one body and in a good figure to prevent injustice,

The second matter to be offered is: whether something cannot, and if it can, ought not to be done, compeling those who have never paid one farthing, or taken one single step towards obtaining their lands, (not even the fees of office on their own particular tracts,) to contribute in proportion to the quantity of land they have, and are to receive? Without something of this sort can be done previous to the patenting, or in the patenting of these lands, nothing is to be expected from them afterwards; for where men (I am speaking of those who hold principal shares in this grant, for as to common soldiery, little ever was expected from them,) are found so remiss, after repeated exhortation, as neither to afford time nor money for the purpose of conducting a work which could not possibly have gone without both, little of the latter is to be expected after the business is at an end and their patents delivered to them, unless litigious law-suits are commenced, some of which against infants, and some against persons beyond sea, and without this, I must, after having been already saddled with almost the whole trouble and many expenses peculiar to myself, submit to considerable loss, as I have been obliged to advance all the fees of office, and many drafts of the Surveyor, and considered, I dare say, by him, as liable for his whole fees, assured by having one, in that case, for the before mentioned tract of 28,600 acres patented to the common soldiery to pay for without. (I fear,) their being a penny the better of it, as no step hath yet been taken to obtain a division. One year of the three gone, and one-half of them may never more be heard of.

I have thus, may it please Y’r Excellency and Hon’r, endeavored to draw the whole of this matter into one short view, to save you the trouble of referring from one order of Council to another. I have now to beg pardon for the trouble I have had occasion from time to time to give in prosecuting this matter, and have the honor to be, &c.

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TO LORD DUNMORE AND COUNCIL. - George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, vol. II (1758-1775) [1889]