GW: Life & Times
Questions — Master of Mount Vernon: Farm Reports and Slavery
| Use the transcription of the Farm Report below to answer questions. |
| 1. This report is written in the middle of winter. What types of work are the slaves engaged in during this season? What are the major crops at Mount Vernon? |
| 2. Were there any births at Mount Vernon this week? Deaths? Injuries? |
| 3. How do jobs seem to be divided up between male and female slaves? |
| 4. The overseer who wrote this report, James Anderson, makes a suggestion at the end for Washington to read. What is it? |
[12-18 February 1797] A Meteorological account of the Weather Kept at Mount Vernon Feby 1797 |
|||
| 12 In the Morning | 47 N.W. clear | 49 W. clear | 50 S. clear |
| 13 | 46 E. cloudy | 48 E. raining | 48 N.E. raining |
| 14 | 45 N. raining | 46 N. rainy | 45 W. cloudy |
| 15 | 45 S.w. clear | 47 W. clear | 45 W. clear |
| 16 | 36 N.W. clear | 42 W. clear & Blowing | 40 W. clear |
| 17 | 40 S. & cloudy some showers | 42 S. cloudy | 40 S. cloudy & raining |
| 18 | 41 E. Rain | 42 N.E. Rain | 40 N.W. clear |
| Feby 18 1797 | |||
| Dr. | Mansion house for the Work of 8 hands Amot. per Week |
48 |
days |
| Cr. | By Hauling Hay 2 days & Timber 2, flatt Rails 2 days |
6 |
|
| " 3 Horse Cart hauling Hay & Straw 3. & Manure to Garden 2 |
5 |
||
| " do Hauling Meal from the Mill &ca |
1 |
||
| " 2 Horse Cart hauling Wood to Mansion &ca |
4 |
||
| " do Wood & leaves &ca to Coal Kill |
2 |
||
| " Joe Pruning of Trees |
6 |
||
| " Grubing & burning Brush 9 & cuting Wood 6 |
15 |
||
| " Cuting coal wood & Attending at Kill |
6 |
||
| Sick Lucey |
3 |
||
|
48 |
|||
| Dr. | Ditchers for the work of 4 hands Amount. per Week |
24
|
days |
| Cr. | By working on the Old Mill Race |
8
|
|
| " cuting coal wood 4 & Mortoising Posts 6 |
10
|
||
| " planting a Hedge at the Mill |
6
|
||
|
24
|
Stock 1 Stud horse 3 Stud Jacks. 3 Young do. 7 Horses. & 10 Jeanets, 9 Working & 16 mules unbroke 15 Cows & 8 Wedders
| Dr. | Mudy Hole for the work of 14 hands Amt. per Week |
84
|
days |
| Cr. | By Hauling Corn & Wheat to Mill 1. Carting Rails 4 days |
5
|
|
| " Ploughing |
19
|
||
| " Making & repairing fences |
34
|
||
| " cuting & Mauling Rails
5 days Grubing at M. House 2 days |
7
|
||
| " Shelling Corn in Wett Weather |
13
|
||
| " Sick Nancy |
6
|
||
|
84
|
Stock 7 Horses 4 Mules 37 H. Cattle 2 Calves 49 Sheep & 10 Lambs--the increase 2 Lambs
| Corn Sent to Mill |
9 Bu.
|
Wheat Sent to Mill
|
8 | |
| do fed to Stock |
3
|
do in Tailings
|
15¼ | |
|
12
|
Oats fed to Stock
|
4 Bu. |
| Dr. | River Farm for the Work of 27 hands Amot. per Week |
162
|
days |
| Cr. By ploughing 28 days & fencing 15 days |
43
|
||
| " hauling wheat & Corn to Mill |
4
|
||
| " Loading Carts & Hauling Straw |
8
|
||
| " Hauling wood 2 days & Manure 2 days |
4
|
||
| " Repairing old Post & Rail fencing |
25
|
||
| " Spreading Manure |
8
|
||
| " Grubing 26. And attending to Stock 12 days |
38
|
||
| " Stoped by Rain |
25
|
||
| Sick | John 1 day & Agnes in Child bed 6 days |
7
|
|
|
162
|
Stock 11 Horses 1 Colt & 21 Mules 84 H. Cattle 6 Calves--203 Sheep & 67 Lambs. Increased 1 Calf & 13 Lambs.
| Wheat Sent to Mill |
65
|
Bushels |
| Corn to Mill |
25½
|
Bu. |
| do fed to Stock |
27
|
do |
|
52½
|
| Dr. | Union Farm for the Work of 23 hands Amounting per Week |
138
|
|
| Cr. | By Ploughing 18. & planting Hedges 8 days |
26
|
|
| " Grubing in the Mill Swamp |
40
|
||
| " cuting & Mauling Rails |
15
|
||
| " making fences 20 & cuting in Mill Swamp 12 days |
32
|
||
| " Hauling Manure. & Rails |
12
|
||
| " Hauling Wheat. & Wood to the Mill & Distillery |
2
|
||
| " Making Post & Rails fences 4 Hauling Stalks into Cow Yard 3 |
7
|
||
| " cleaning of Wheat |
4
|
||
|
138
|
Stock 16 Horses 6 Mules 68 Horned Cattle 13 Year Olds & 2 Calves 118 Sheep Decreased 1 Sheep died
| Corn sent to Mill |
20
|
Bush. | Wheat Sent to Mill | 56 | |
| do fed to Stock |
5
|
do | Tailings sent to Disty | 35 |
| Dr. | Dogue run for the Work of 16 Hands Amot. per Week |
96
|
days |
| Cr. | By cuting & Sawing Timber for flatt rails |
10
|
|
| " making Posts. & Mauling Rails 12, puting up Post. & Rails 17 |
29
|
||
| " Grubing & burning Brush |
30
|
||
| " Carting Rails 5 And wood 1 day |
6
|
||
| Sick | Sall twine 6. Charity 6, Agnes 3 Judith 3 & Simons 3 days |
21
|
|
|
96
|
Stock 4 Horses 1 Colt & 8 Mules 69 H. Cattle 1 Calf And 138 Sheep And 1 Lamb Increased 1 Lamb
| Corn Sent to Mill |
12
|
Bushels |
| do fed to Stock |
5
|
do |
|
Dr.
|
Mill |
Wheat
|
Corn
|
|
|
To
|
Mudy Hole |
8
|
9.2
|
|
| do in Tailings |
15¼
|
|||
|
"
|
Dogue run |
12
|
||
|
"
|
Union |
56
|
20
|
|
|
"
|
River Farm |
65
|
25.2
|
|
|
"
|
Union Farm | |||
| Tailings |
35
|
|||
|
Wheat
|
129
|
tailings
|
67
|
|
|
50¼
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Contra
|
Cr. |
C. meal
|
Flour
|
H.
|
Bran
|
|
|
Fine
|
Med.
|
|||||
|
By
|
Mudy hole |
8.2
|
||||
|
"
|
Dogue run |
12
|
||||
|
"
|
Union Farm |
15.2
|
||||
|
"
|
River Farm |
13.2
|
8.2
|
|||
|
"
|
Mansion house |
19.2
|
1.2
|
14.
|
||
|
"
|
John Violet |
1
|
||||
|
"
|
Jas Anderson |
1
|
5.
|
|||
| & his Servts |
3
|
|||||
|
"
|
John Neale |
1.2
|
||||
|
"
|
William Stewart |
1
|
||||
|
"
|
Mansion house of <screenings> |
1 Bu.
|
||||
| Delivered the Stills of Sheep Stuff |
200
<cut.> |
|||||
| Cooper Miller & boys |
1.1
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
75.2
|
1 Bu.
|
1.2 | 27.2 | |||
|
200 <cut.>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Packed this Week 37 Barlls Super fine flour fine 3 med. Superfine in Mill 80 Barlls fine 9. & midlings 1
|
Dr.
|
Coopers for 1 Man & one boy Amot. per week |
12
|
days
|
|
Cr.
|
By dressing Barrel Staves 6 cuting hoop poles 4 |
10
|
|
| " doing some Jobs in the Distillery |
2
|
||
|
12
|
|||
| Miller Ben. Working in the Mill |
6 days
|
||
|
Dr.
|
Carpenters for the work of 7 Men Amot. per Week |
42
|
|
|
Cr.
|
By working at the Distillery |
16
|
|
| " working at Dogue run Barn floor |
11
|
||
| " fixing the Bolting Gears in the Mill |
1
|
||
| " Hauling Timbers for the Barn at Dogue run |
1
|
||
| " Davy Burying his Child |
1
|
||
| " Isacc & Joe in the Shop--Making a 3 horse Cart for Mansion house--one plough for Mudy hole. & a Childs Coffin. & hewing of Timber for the use of the Shop |
12
|
||
|
42
|
|
Dr.
|
Brick layers for the Work of 2 Men Amot. per Week |
12
|
days |
|
Cr.
|
By Tom Davis & Muckles at Town with the Boat |
2
|
|
| " Tom Davis Mending Seines |
5
|
||
| " diging Brick Clay 2 at Distillery 1 |
3
|
||
| " repairing Allisons fire place |
1
|
||
| " Working in Shop When it rained |
1
|
||
|
12
|
|
Dr.
|
Spiners, Sewers, & Knitters for the work of 15 Women per Week |
90
|
||
|
Cr.
|
By Matilda Spining |
6 lb. Tow Yarn
|
6
|
|
| " Delia |
5 lb. do
|
6
|
||
| " Betsey Davis |
5 lb. do
|
6
|
||
| " Alsey |
5 lb. do
|
6
|
||
| " Annie |
5 lb. do
|
6
|
||
| " Delphia |
2½ lb. do
|
6
|
||
| " Judith |
4 lb. Stocking Yarn
|
6
|
||
| " Kattey |
2 lb. Sewing thread
|
6
|
||
| " Charlotte Sewing |
6 Shirts
|
4
|
||
| " Dolsey Sewing | 6 do being Sickly |
6
|
||
| " Lucey Knitting | 1 pr Stockings |
6
|
||
| " Lame Alley | 1 pr do |
6
|
||
| " Sall Winding Yarn |
6
|
|||
| Sick, Caroline 6 Doll 6 And Charlotte Lame peter Knitting 2 pairs Stockings 6 days |
14
|
|||
|
90
|
||||
| Dr.Gardeners for the Work of 3 Men Amot. per Week |
18
|
|||
| Cr. By Working in the Garden |
18
|
|||
| Herculus & Siras diging Brick Clay |
10
|
| Stoped by Rain |
2
|
|
12
|
Frank Airing & cleaning the House. And Assisting by times
|
Stud H.
|
Stud J.
|
Horses.
|
Mules
|
Jeanets
|
Total
|
|
| Mansion |
1
|
6
|
7
|
25
|
10
|
49
|
| Mudy hole |
7
|
4
|
11
|
|||
| River Farm |
12
|
11
|
23
|
|||
| Union Farm |
16
|
6
|
22
|
|||
| Dogue run |
5
|
8
|
13
|
|||
|
1
|
6
|
47
|
54
|
10
|
118
|
|
|
Cattle.
|
Calves
|
Total
|
Sheep
|
Lambs
|
Tot.
|
|
| Mansion |
15
|
15
|
8
|
8
|
||
| Mudy hole |
37
|
2
|
39
|
49
|
10
|
59
|
| River Farm |
84
|
6
|
90
|
203
|
67
|
270
|
| Union Farm |
81
|
2
|
83
|
118
|
118
|
|
| Dogue run |
69
|
1
|
70
|
138
|
1
|
139
|
|
286
|
11
|
297
|
518
|
78
|
594
|
|
|
|
||||||
| Jas Anderson |
3
|
1
|
4
|
|||
There are 3 Negroe Children Born, & one dead at River Farm 1 born at Mansion house. Sina 1 And at Union Farm 1 born & one dead--It was killed by Worms. Medical Assistance was called--But the mothers are very innatentive to their Young--A Nurse, & some place set a part for the sick may be <thot> on when Your Ex. returns.