The idea for this books dates back to 1996, when I was invited to present a paper at Mount Vernon’s inaugural George Washington Symposium. The topic was the business affairs of Washington, and in a review of the literature, I recognized that the full story of Washington’s innovations in agriculture remained unwritten. I subsequently benefited from conversations with Jean B. Lee, who had done so much innovative research on Washington the farmer and the enslaved laborers at Mount Vernon. Service on the Advisory Council of George Washington Scholars at Mount Vernon and participation in a planning symposium for the George Washington financial papers project gave me further opportunities to consider the outlines of a book. Any book project, however, was on hold while I served as director of the history office at the Federal Judicial Center. Not surprisingly, this book is very different from the one I envisioned long ago, but I remain convinced that a full understanding of Washington depends on a narrative of his life as a farmer and a manager of enslaved labor.
A research fellowship from the Washington Library at Mount Vernon provided the opportunity to begin the project in earnest. I was fortunate to be at the library when the founding director, Doug Bradburn, initiated the programs that quickly made the library an important center for scholarly research and public outreach. As president and chief executive officer of Mount Vernon, Doug has continued to ensure that the interpretation of the past reflects the best scholarship and encourages civic engagement. I am grateful for Doug’s important support of my work on this book, and especially for his friendship.
I received enormous help from the staff at the Washington Library and Mount Vernon. For many years, anyone who has researched the enslaved community at Mount Vernon has been indebted to Mary Thompson for her remarkable knowledge of Washington and the enslaved individuals who labored under his control. Mary generously shared her research and previews of her landmark book on slavery at Mount Vernon. Curt Viebranz, the former president and chief executive officer of Mount Vernon, invited me to speak at a meeting of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and to participate in other programs. Stephen McLeod flawlessly manages the fellowship program at the Washington Library and coordinated several conferences in which I participated. Susan Schoelwer, the executive director for historic preservation and collections at Mount Vernon, readily answered my many questions and has become a valued colleague. Dawn Bonner, manager of visual resources, provided the images for many presentations and for inclusion in this publication. Sara Myers, former access librarian, and Samantha Snyder, reference librarian, opened up the full range of resources at the Washington Library. Michele Lee, as special collections librarian, introduced me to important collections of Washington-related manuscripts and books. Allison Wickens and the education staff at Mount Vernon gave me the opportunity to talk about my research with teachers. Jessie MacLeod offered me a preview of her work on the landmark exhibit “Lives Bound Together,” and directed me to resources for the history of slavery at Mount Vernon. Steve Bashore, director of historic trades, shared his knowledge of farming and milling in the eighteenth century. Mary Jongema made everything at the library work smoothly. Kevin Butterfield, the executive director of the Washington Library, has offered continuing support of my research and writing. I am especially grateful for the support and encouragement of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
My fellowship at the Washington Library was greatly enriched by the support of the other long-term fellows, Kate Brown and Dana Stefanelli, and by enlightening conversations with Cassandra Good, with whom I shared an office for a month.
As Mount Vernon’s inaugural fellow with the Georgian Papers Programme, I had the opportunity to research the agricultural improvements of George III and to expand my understanding of the culture of British husbandry that so interested Washington. At the Royal Archives in the Round Tower at Windsor Castle, I benefited from the assistance of Oliver Walton, Lynnette Beech, Rachel Krier, and Bill Stockting, among others. I appreciated the support of Oliver Urquhart Irvine, who was Librarian and Deputy Keeper of the Queen’s Archives while I was at Windsor. Oliver Walton arranged a memorable tour of the Royal Farms and Windsor Great Park with Oliver Hampton of the Crown Estate Commissioners and Emma Clarke, a farm manager. During many lunches with the staff at the Royal Archives, the other fellows and I were able to discuss our research in what was then a largely uncharted collection of documents.
I am grateful for the permission of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to access and publish materials from the Royal Library and Royal Archives.
At King’s College London, Arthur Burns, the academic director of the Georgian Papers Programme, provided me with the opportunity to present my research to faculty and other researchers, and continues to support the community of fellows. I especially appreciate the comments and suggestions from the audience at the public talk I gave at King’s College London. Angel-Luke O’Donnell, as academic liaison for the Georgian Papers Programme, encouraged my participation in a number of events, and he invited me to meet with his students to discuss Washington. James Fisher, then the administrator for the Georgian Papers Programme, generously shared his research and knowledge of the British agricultural literature that influenced Washington. James has since given me access to his completed dissertation, which helped me to rethink various parts of this book, and I learned a great deal from our conversations when he was a fellow at the Washington Library.
A fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello allowed me to research the other founding farmer from Virginia, and to explore the agricultural collaborations of Washington and Jefferson. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, the Saunders Director of the center, offered important encouragement for my work. Anna Berkes, Endrina Tay, and Jack Robertson made for a more efficient use of resources at the Jefferson Library, and Whitney Pippin ensured I was able to make the most of my fellowship. I particularly enjoyed the informal lunches with the staff of the Center and other fellows, and I received very helpful responses to my presentation at the Fellow’s Forum. I thank Frank Cogliano for our conversations about Washington and Jefferson.
Jennifer Stertzer at the Papers of George Washington gave me an early preview of the George Washington Financial Papers Project, and Erica Cavanaugh guided me through the navigation of the site. I would never have been able to write this book without the ability to search Washington’s financial ledgers. Near the close of work on this book, Jennifer provided important assistance when so many libraries remained inaccessible.
At the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Frances Pollard and John McClure of the Research Library provided me with access to collections, and I thank Jamie Bosket, president and chief executive officer of the museum, for his support. Julie Miller of the Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress answered my queries about unpublished agricultural records in the George Washington Papers and provided images while the Library was closed to researchers. Stanley Cushing, curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Boston Athenaeum, facilitated my research in the volumes from Washington’s collection of agricultural treatises. James Cheevers, senior curator at the US Naval Academy Museum, gave me access to Lund Washington’s Book of Accounts. Evelyn Watson, head of archive at the Royal Society of Arts in London, assisted me in research on the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.
Flora Fraser directed me to the farm-related correspondence of the daughters of George III, and she shared her valuable perspective shaped by her research on the Washingtons as well as the king. Lady Jane Roberts graciously shared materials from her research on George III and his agricultural enterprises at Windsor. I thank Karin Wulf for inviting me to present my research at a conference of the British Group for Early American History and to participate in a Georgian Papers Programme symposium.
Denver Brunsman and Edward Lengel read an early proposal for this book and offered helpful comments based on their expert knowledge of Washington. Cynthia Kierner provided important assistance and good advice. Steven Lawson provided timely help at a critical stage of the project. François Furstenberg offered an extremely helpful review of the manuscript.
My book agent, Christopher Rogers, provided invaluable advice on sharpening my proposal and demonstrated his formidable editorial skills, always with encouraging good cheer. At Harvard University Press, Kathleen McDermott understood the value of this book project and has been unerring in her editorial advice.
My greatest debt in writing this book, as in every part of my life, is to my husband, Richard Scobey. For nearly thirty years, he has always encouraged me to pursue the kind of historical research and writing that I find most rewarding.