LIST OF THE DIARIES of George WashINGTON REGENTS' NUMBER 1781, Nov. 6-Dec. 31. 1782-1783. 1784, Jan. 1-Aug. 31. 24. 1784, Sep. 1-Oct. 4. 25. 1784, Oct. 5-Dec. 31. 26. 1785, Jan. 1-May 16. 27. 1785, May 17-Sep. 26. 28. 1785, Sep. 27–1786, Jan. 16. 29. 1786, Jan. 17-Apr. 30. 30. 1786, May 1-July 26. 31. 1786, July 27-Oct. 18. Not kept. Not kept. Missing, or not kept. Journey to western Pennsylvania and Vir- Original in the Library of Congress. 32. 1786, Oct. 19–1787, Mar. 30. Original in the Library of Congress. 33. 1787, Mar. 31-Oct. 27. 34. 1787, May 11-Nov. 15. 35. 1787, Oct. 28-1788, Apr. 17. Journey to Philadelphia (Constitutional Convention). Original in the Library of Congress. (Rough diary from which Nos. 33 and 35 Original in the Library of Congress. 39. 1789, Oct. 1-1790, Mar. 10. Journey to New England and tour of Long REGENTS' NUMBER 55. 1797, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 56. 1798, Jan. 1-Dec. 31. 1799, Jan. 1-21. 1799, Jan. 22-Feb. 9. 57. 1799, Feb. 10–Dec. 13. In the 'American Repository.' Original in the possession (1924) of John Gribbel, Philadelphia. In 'Brigg's Virginia and Maryland Almanac; or Washington Ephemeris for the year of our Lord 1798. Alexa.' Original in the possession (1921) of Charles Moran, Jr., New York. Journey to Philadelphia. Missing. Original (a few leaves only) in the Dreer Collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Original in the Library of Congress. (This entry for Dec. 13 is the last diary entry made by Washington and are, more than probably, the last words written by him.) Regents of Mount Vernon No. 1 March 11-April 13 'A Journal of my Journey over the Mountains began Fryday the 11th of March 1747/8' Original in Library of Congress This is Washington's earliest known diary: it records his adventures on his first journey beyond the Blue Ridge at the age of sixteen. Lord Fairfax had arrived in Virginia in the spring of 1747 with the intention of spending the remainder of his life on his Northern Neck proprietary. He went to stay with his cousin and agent, William Fairfax, at Belvoir on the Potomac, the neck of land lying immediately below Mount Vernon. Lawrence Washington had married William Fairfax's eldest daughter, Ann, in August, 1743, and in the resulting intimacy between Belvoir and Mount Vernon, Lawrence's young brother George was included. It was thus that George met Lord Fairfax at Belvoir in the summer of 1747 and was promised employment as a surveyor on the manors Lord Fairfax was planning to lay out beyond the Blue Ridge. It was on that duty that Washington set out in the spring of 1748. His companion was George William Fairfax, eldest son of the Belvoir household, who was eight years Washington's senior and with whom thenceforth Washington maintained an uninterrupted friendship for nearly forty years. George William Fairfax had come to Virginia in the spring of 1746, after being educated in England, to take over his father's agency of the Northern Neck. Before setting out on this journey to initiate the young Washington into wilderness life, he had himself had a considerable experience in such adventures: he was one of the party engaged in the arduous survey of the Northern Neck back line in the summer of 1746, when he had carved his initials in a tree at the head spring of Potomac; and throughout 1747 had been engaged in similar work in the Shenandoah Valley. It was only a few months after this journey with Washington that he was married, at Williamsburg, while serving in the Assembly as the representative of that frontier community (Frederick), whither we here see him again bound. The now meaningless survey measurements (see entry for April 4) are purposely omitted, but every name mentioned in the diary itself is included in the text given herewith. THE DIARIES OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 1748 MARCH Fryday March 11th 1747/8. Began my Journey in Company with George Fairfax, Esqr., we travell'd this day 40 Miles to Mr. George Neavels in Prince William County Double date is due to the fact that England did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar, as did the Continent of Europe (Russia excepted) until 1752. The proper year date for this diary is 1748. George William Fairfax (1725-87) was the eldest son of the Honorable William Fairfax and his second wife Sarah Walker. He was born at Providence, Bahama Islands, January 2, 1724/5, and took up his permanent residence in America in 1746, at his father's estate, 'Belvoir.' Lord Fairfax, whom George William had visited at Leeds Castle, was favorably impressed, and to this visit seems to have been due the later appointment as proprietary agent for Lord Fairfax in America. George William became a Burgess for Frederick County, 1748/9, and married Sarah, eldest daughter of Colonel Wilson Cary, in December, 1748, who became, on the death of her father-in-law's third wife, Deborah Clarke, the mistress of 'Belvoir.' George William was again a burgess in 1752-55 for Frederick and in 1756-58 for Fairfax. He was colonel of Frederick militia in 1755-56 and seems to have been Collector of Royal Customs for the Eastern Shore before he was appointed to that office for the South Potomac. He became a member of the Council in 1767 and served as such until 1773, when he was called to England to look after the affairs of Towlston Manor, in Yorkshire, to which he had succeeded under a family entail. He inherited 'Belvoir' from his father and Shannondale, in Frederick and Piedmont, in Loudoun; but his affairs in England prevented his return to Virginia until the Revolutionary War cut off all opportunity of maintaining his Virginja relations. He was sympathetic toward the Colonial cause, and there are grounds for belief that, had he been in America at the time, he would have aligned himself with the Colonists. He died at Bath, England, April 3, 1787. They had set out from Belvoir, crossed the Occoquan Ferry, and struck into the old road leading from the head of Quantico to the Prince William CourtHouse of the day on Cedar Run; whence they pushed on west to George Neavil's Ordinary. 4 ♦ George Neavil, whose will was proved in Fauquier in 1774, lived and kept an |