The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia Part 8

Weaving and spinning evidently were done at Marlborough, as they were at most plantations. In 1744 Mercer recorded under "General Charges" that he had sold a loom to Joseph Foxhall. In 1746 he bought a spinning wheel from Captain Wilson of Whitehaven, England, purchasing three more from him in 1748. Wool cards also appear in the accounts. In January 1748 Mercer charged William Mills with "3 months Hire of Thua.n.u.s the Weaver, 3," which suggests that Thua.n.u.s was an indentured white servant (his name does not occur on the list of slaves) employed at Marlborough and hired out to Mills, a Stafford County weaver.

PERSONAL ACCESSORIES

In contrast to the elegancies of dress materials and clothing, Mercer left little evidence of jewelry, toilet articles, or other personal objects. In Ledger G we find "2 horn combs" bought for fivepence, an ivory comb for tenpence, two razors, two strops, snuff-boxes, bottles of snuff, "a smelling bottle," and "buck-handled" and silver-handled penknives. From John Hyndman, a Williamsburg merchant, Mercer acquired a set of silver buckles for 1 10s., and from William Woodford he bought "a gold watch, Chain & Swivel" for the not-trifling sum of 64 6s. 3d.

Like most successful men, Mercer had his portrait painted. During the General Court sessions held in the spring and fall of 1748 in Williamsburg, he lodged with William Dering, the dancing master and portrait painter. Dering lived in the house still standing on the capitol green, now known as the Brush-Everard house. In Dering's account we find: "by drawing my picture, 9.2.9."[90]

FOOTNOTES:

[90] See J. HALL PLEASANTS, "William Dering, a mid-eighteenth-century Williamsburg Portrait Painter," _VHM_ (Richmond, 1952), vol. 60, pp. 53-63.

FOOD AND DRINK

Good food and drink played an important part in Mercer's life, as it did in the lives of most Virginia planters. In the ledger accounts are found both double-refined and single-refined sugar, bohea tea, coffee, nutmegs, cinnamon, mace, and chocolate. Most meats were provided by the plantation and thus are not mentioned, while fish were caught from the plantation sloop or by fixed nets. However, Thomas Tyler of the Eastern Sh.o.r.e sold Mercer a barrel of drumfish and four and one-half bushels of oysters, while Thomas Jones, also of the Eastern Sh.o.r.e, provided a barrel of pork for 47s. 6d. in 1749. Earlier there appeared a ledger item under "General Charges" for 1775 pounds of pork.

Mola.s.ses was an important staple, and Mercer bought a 31-gallon barrel of it from one "Captain Fitz of the Eastern Sh.o.r.e of Maryland" in 1746 and 30 gallons the next year, charging both purchases to his wife. In 1750 he received 88 gallons of mola.s.ses and 255 pounds of "muscovy sugar" from Robert Todd. Muscovy sugar was the same as "muscavado"

sugar, the unrefined brown sugar of the West Indies, known in Spanish as _mascabado_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 9.--FRENCH HORN dated 1729. Mercer purchased a "french horn" like this from Charles d.i.c.k in 1743. (USNM 95.269.)]

Beverages and the fruits to go with them were bought in astonis.h.i.+ng quant.i.ties between 1744 and 1750. Major Robert Tucker, a Norfolk merchant, exchanged a "Pipe of Wine" worth 26 and a 107-1/2-gallon hogshead of rum valued at 22 in return for Mercer's legal services.

Again as a legal fee, Mercer received 55 gallons of "Syder" from Janet Holbrook of Stafford and bought 11 limes from John Mitchelson of York for 12 s.h.i.+llings. From William Black he purchased "11 dozen and 11 bottles of Ale" at 13 s.h.i.+llings, and from John Harvey "5-1/12 dozen of Claret" for 11 6d. "Mark Talbott of the Kingdom of Ireland E^{sq}" sold Mercer a pipe of wine for 3 3s.

LIFE OF THE CHILDREN

During the 1740's Mercer's first four surviving children, George, John Fenton, James, and Sarah Ann Mason Mercer,[91] were growing up, and the accounts are scattered through with items pertaining to their care and upbringing. There are delightful little hints of Mercer's role as the affectionate father. On May 17, 1743, "By Sundry Toys" appears in Hunter's account; an item of "1 horses 1^d" in d.i.c.k's account for 1745 was undoubtedly a toy. Most charming of all the entries in the latter account is "1 Coach in a box 6^d. 4 Toys. 8^d, 2 Singing birds." The birds may have occupied a birdcage and stand bought from George Rock, the account for which was settled a year later.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 10.--MERCER LISTED A HORNBOOK in his General Account in 1743. It probably resembled this typical hornbook in the collection of Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood.]

"1 french horn" and "3 trumpets" are listed in the d.i.c.k account. The horn was probably used in hunting; the three trumpets were bought perhaps for the three boys. Mercer's library contained one book of music ent.i.tled _The Musical Miscellany_, which may have furnished the scores for a boyish trio of trumpets. Music and dancing were a part of the life at Marlborough, and in 1745 an entry under "General Charges" reads "To DeKeyser for a years dancing four children 16," while in the following year ninepence was paid William Allan "for his Fidler." In 1747 "Fiddle strings" were bought from Fielding Lewis in Fredericksburg for 2s.

4-1/2d.

From the ledger we also learn much about the children's clothing: child's mittens and child's shoes, boy's pumps, boy's shoes, girl's shoes, boy's collared lamb gloves, two pairs of "girl's clock'd Stocking," "2 p^r large boys Shoes 6^l 2 p^r smaller 5/ ... 1 p^r girls 22^d, 1 p^r smaller 20^d," boy's gloves, and "Making a vest and breeches for George" in October 1745. In 1748 Captain Wilson brought from England "a Wig for George," worth 12 s.h.i.+llings. George then had reached the age of 15 and young manhood. Hugh MacLane, the Stafford tailor, was employed to make clothes for the three boys--a suit for George, and a suit, vest, coat, and breeches each for James and John.

That the children were educated according to time-honored methods is revealed in the "General Expenses" account for May 1743, where "1 hornbook 3^d" is entered. The hornbook was an ancient instructional device consisting of a paddle-shaped piece of wood with the alphabet and the Lord's Prayer printed or otherwise lettered on paper that was glued to the wood and covered for protection with thin sheets of transparent horn. Elaborate examples sometimes were covered with tooled leather, or were made of ivory, silver, or pewter. The mention of hornbooks in colonial records is a great rarity, although they were commonplace in England until about 1800.

The Mercer children were taught by private tutors. One, evidently engaged in England, was the Reverend John Phipps, who was paid a salary of 100 annually and, presumably, his board and lodging. Mercer noted in his journal on November 18, 1746, that "Mr Phipps came to Virginia."

That Mr. Phipps left something to be desired was revealed years later in the letter written in 1768 by John to George Mercer, who was then in England, asking him to find a tutor for his younger children: "... the person you engage may not pretend, as M^r Phipps did that tho' he undertook to instruct my children he intended boys only, & I or my wife might teach the girls. As I have mentioned M^r Phipps, it must remind you that a tutor's good nature & agreeable temper are absolutely necessary both for his own ease & that of the whole family."[92]

In 1750 George entered the College of William and Mary. He had a room at William Dering's house, and the account of "Son's Maintenance at Williamsburg" provides an interesting picture of a well-to-do college-boy's expenses, chargeable to his father. Such items as "To Cash p^d for Lottery Tickets" (7 10s. 6d.), "To Covington the Dancing Master ... 2.3," "To W^m Thomson for Taylor's work" (1 9s. 6d.), "To p^d for Was.h.i.+ng" (1 1s.), and "To Books for sundrys" (22 4s. 7-1/2d.) show a variety of obligations comparable to those sometimes encountered on a modern campus. The entire account appears in Appendix J.

FOOTNOTES:

[91] Born 1733, 1735, 1736, and 1738, respectively.

[92] _George Mercer Papers_, op. cit. (footnote 51), p. 202.

BUILDING THE MANOR HOUSE

As early as 1742 the ledger shows that Mercer was building steadily, although the nature of what he built is rarely indicated. Hunter's account for 1742 lists 2500 tenpenny nails and 1000 twenty-penny nails, while in the following year the same account shows a total of 4200 eightpenny nails, 5000 tenpenny, 2000 fourpenny, and 1000 threepenny nails. The following tools were bought from Hunter in 1744: paring chisel, 1-1/2-inch auger, 3/4-inch auger, socket gouge, broad axe, adze, drawing knife, mortice chisel, a "square Rabbit plane," and "plough Iron & plains." In Charles d.i.c.k's account we find purchases in 1745 of 16,000 flooring brads, 4000 twenty-penny nails, 2000 each of fourpenny, sixpenny, eightpenny, and tenpenny brads, and 60,000 fourpenny nails.

Beginning in 1744 Mercer made great purchases of lumber. Thomas Tyler of the Eastern Sh.o.r.e sold him 2463 feet of plank in that year, and in 1745 made several transactions totaling 5598 feet of 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-inch plank, as well as 23,170 s.h.i.+ngles. In 1746 Charles Waller of Stafford sold Mercer 5193 feet of 1-, 1-1/4-, and 1-1/2-inch plank. In the same year James Waughhop of Maryland provided "4000 foot of Plank of different thicknesses for 12," and in May 1749, "2300 foot of 1-1/2 Inch Plank at 7/." Mercer made several similar purchases, including 14,700 s.h.i.+ngles, from Robert Taylor of the Eastern Sh.o.r.e.

Where all these materials were used is a matter for conjecture. We know that Mercer made "Improvements" to the extent of "saving" 40 lots under the terms of the Act for Ports and Towns, and that a great deal of construction work, therefore, was going on. One building was probably a replacement for a warehouse, for a laconic entry in his journal on New Year's day of 1746 notes that "My warehouses burnt." These were doubtless the buildings erected in 1732 and officially vacated in 1735.

That at least one eventually was rebuilt for Mercer's own use is known from an overseer's report of 1771 (Appendix M).

The windmill, the foundations of which still remain in part near the Potomac sh.o.r.e, was probably built in 1746. Mercer's cash account for that year includes an item of 2s. 6d. for "Setting up Mill," which apparently meant adjusting the millstones for proper operation. In August he paid Nathaniel Chapman 22 19s. 8-3/4d. "in full for Smith's work." A windmill, with its bearings, levers, lifts, and shafts, would seem to have been the only structure requiring such a costly amount of ironwork.

The most elaborate project of all, however, is clearly discernible in the ledger. In 1746 Thomas Anderson,[93] in consideration of cash and legal services, charged for "making & burning 40^m Stock bricks" at 4 pounds 6 pence per 1000. In the same year David Minitree, described by Mercer as a "Bricklayer," came to Marlborough from Williamsburg.

Minitree was more than an ordinary bricklayer, however, for he had worked on the Mattaponi church, and later, between 1750 and 1753, was to build Carter's Grove for Carter Burwell.[94]

The credit side of Minitree's account in Ledger G is as follows:

s. d.

1746 Decemb^r 5 By making & burning 9 5 7-1/2 41,255 Bricks at 4/6

1747 Septemb^r By stacking & burning 16 9-1/2 11,200 D^o at 1/6 By making & burning 14 2 10 62,849 D^o at 4/6 By making & burning 4 6 1000 D^o at 4/6 By short paid of my 9-1/2 Order on Maj^r Champe By building part of 10-1/2 my House

The last item, in particular, is clear indication that an architectural project of importance was underway and that Mercer had set about to make Marlborough the equal of Virginia's great plantations. Only "part of my house" was built by Minitree, yet his bill was more than five times the total cost of Mercer's previous house, completed in 1730!

Since it was customary in Virginia to make bricks on the site of a new house, utilizing the underlying clay excavated from the foundation, Minitree, as well as Anderson, made his bricks at Marlborough before using them. Mortar for laying bricks was made of lime from oystersh.e.l.ls.

In 1747 and 1748, we learn from the ledger, 61-1/2 hogsheads of oystersh.e.l.ls were bought from Abraham Basnett, an "Oysterman," payment having been made in cash, meat, and brandy. "Flagstones &c" were obtained in 1747 through Major John Champe at a cost of 36 4s. 6d.

These may have been the same stones brought up as "a load of stone" by "Boatswain Davis" of Boyd's Hole in Pa.s.sapatanzy in October 1747 for 4 5s. 5d.

Early in 1748 a new set of developments concerning the house took place.

Major William Walker of Stafford, revealed in the journal and the ledgers as an old acquaintance of Mercer's, then became the "undertaker," or contractor, for the house. Walker was a talented man who had started out as a cabinetmaker, a craft in which his brother Robert still continued. Whiffen (_The Public Buildings of Williamsburg_) shows that he both designed and built a glebe house for St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, in 1739-1740, and the steeple for St. Peter's Church in New Kent the latter year. Also in 1740 he built a bridge across the Pamunkey for Hanover County. At the same time that he was engaged on Mercer's mansion, he undertook in March 1749 to rebuild the burned capitol at Williamsburg. He died 11 months later before bringing either of these major projects to completion.[95]

Walker's carpenter was William Monday. Mercer settled with Monday in March 1748 for a total bill of 126 16s. 2-1/2d., but with a protest addressed to himself in the ledger: "By work done about my House which is not near the value as by Maj^r Walker's Estimate below, yet to avoid Disputes & as he is worth nothing I give him Credit to make a full Ballance."

Meanwhile, William Bromley, a joiner, had gone to work on the interior finish. Like Minitree and Walker, Bromley represented the highest caliber of artisans.h.i.+p in the colony. Eighteen years later Mercer referred to Bromley, "who," he said, "I believe was the best architect that ever was in America."[96] Bromley employed several apprentices, among them an Irishman named Patterson.[97] For the interval from July 9, 1748, to December 25, 1750, Bromley was paid 140 1s. 1/2d., almost entirely for wages. The payment included "3 p^r hollows & rounds / 6 plane irons / 1 gallon Brandy." For the same period Andrew Beaty, also a joiner, received 113 5s. 1-1/2d. On June 19, 1749, Mercer noted in his journal, "Beaty's apprentice came to work." These men were specialists in framing woodwork and in making paneling, doors, wainscoting, and exterior architectural elements of wood.

The opulence of the building's finish is indicated by a charge on Walker's account for "his Carver's work 69 days at 5/, 17. 15...."

Previously, while Minitree was still working on the house, an item had been entered in August 1747, "To Cash paid for cutting the Chimneypiece ... 6.3." A chimneypiece was usually the ornamental trim or facing around a fireplace opening, although in this instance the overpanel may have been meant.

Jacob Williams, a plasterer, worked 142-1/2 days for a total of 22 4s.

4d., while his helper Joseph Burges was employed 43 days for 5 7s. 6d.

Walker charged 3 8s. 11d. for "his Painters work about my house," and a purchase of "42 gallons of Linseed Oyl" was recorded in the general charges account. Three books of goldleaf, which Mercer had obtained from George Gilmer, the Williamsburg apothecary, were charged, together with paint, to Walker.

In May 1750, a charge by George Elliot, "Turner, Stafford," was recorded, "By turning 162 Ball.u.s.ters at 6^d, 4.1...." Another item, for supplying "341-1/2 feet Walnut Plank at 2^d," settled in October, may have been for the wood of which the bal.u.s.ters were made.

Thomas Barry, "Bricklayer," carried on the work that Minitree had not completed. His account for 1749 follows:

s. d.

By Building the Addition to my House 26 22 Arches at 6/ 6 12 900 Coins & Returns at 6/ 2 14 A Frontispiece 3 10 Underpinning & altering the Cellar 2 raising a Chimney 1 5 building an Oven 15 building a Kiln 1 building a Kitchen 9 10 3 Arches at 6/ 18 2 Plain D^o at 2/6 5 500 Coins & returns at 6/ 1 10 -- -- -- 55 19 0