Founders Online: Cash Accounts, January 1771
Cash Accounts
| Cash | ||
| 1771 — | To Balle of Mr Jno. Muirs Acct | £ 7. 1. 0 |
| Jan: 11— | To Cash Receivd for a Whipsaw | 1.19. 0 |
| Contra | ||
| By Charity | 0. 6. 0 | |
| By Shrieve and Butcher for Jno. P. Custis1 | 2.18.10 | |
| Jany 2— | By Matthew Lawson Plaisterer | 14. 1. 8 |
| By Willm Bushby Paintg my Ho. in Alexa. | 6. 8. 1 | |
| 4— | By Mr Harry Piper for Vale Crawford | 25.12. 7 |
| By Richd Lake in full for work done to this time on my Ho. in Alexanda | 20. 6. 1 1/22 | |
| By Joseph Goord | 1. 3. 4 | |
| By Cards | 3.14. 6 | |
| 7— | By Sundry’s bot of a New Englandman | 1. 1. 3 |
| By Doctr Steptoe for Miss Custis3 | 2. 3. 0 | |
| By Cards | 0. 5. 0 | |
| 11— | By Bryan Allison’s acct | 6. 6. 0 |
| By Do Do Do agt J.P. Custis | 2.10. 0 | |
| 12— | By Christr Shade4 | 1. 4. 0 |
| By Thoms Bishop | 1. 0. 0 | |
| 16— | By Servants at Colo. Fairfaxs | 1. 4. 0 |
| By Jno. Alton | 8. 0. 0 | |
| 21— | By Barber | 0. 2. 6 |
| 23— | By Mr Auge Seaton5 | 2. 3. 0 |
| 26— | By 2 pr of Shoes from Mr Montgomerie’s | 0.13. 5 |
| 29— | By two Play Tickets | 0.10. 0 |
| By Exps. at the Play6 | 0. 6. 3 | |
| By 5 yds of Black binding | 0. 1. 3 | |
| By Servants | 0. 3. 9 |
AD, DLC:GW, General Ledger A description begins General Ledger A, 1750–1772. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 333.
2. The payments to Matthew Lawson, William Bushby, and Richard Lake (d. 1775) were for work done on the house constructed in 1769 and 1770 for GW on lot no. 118 at the corner of Pitt and Cameron streets in Alexandria. Lake, who with Edward Rigdon supervised the construction, wrote GW on 4 Jan. 1771: “after Deducting out of My account Seven pound Which I Drew on you Infavour to Mr Kirk pray Send the Ballance as it appears By Mr Addams Dedutchon and youl Very Much Oblidge your Humb. Sart Richd Lake” (MH: Dearborn Collection). On the reverse side, in GW’s hand, is the following: “Jany 4th 1771. Then receivd from George Washington for the use of Richd Lake the Sum of Twenty pounds Six shillgs and a 1½ being the full Bale due him as appears by Acct.” This receipt was signed by John Gretter. GW paid Lake a total of £59.16.1½ (General Ledger A description begins General Ledger A, 1750–1772. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. description ends , folio 278, 323, 333). Bushby may have been the same man who painted GW’s schooner in 1766 (see Cash Accounts, July 1766).
3. Dr. George Steptoe (d. 1784), of Windsor in Westmoreland County, graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1767.
4. On 11 Dec. 1770 GW “Agreed with Christr. Shade to drive my Waggon by the year for the doing of which I am to find him in Bed, Board, & Washing, and to pay him Eighteen pounds a year” (Diaries description begins Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976–79. description ends , 2:335). On 18 Dec. 1771 GW “Agreed to raise Christophr. Shades Wages to £20 pr. Ann.” (ibid, 3:80). Shade wrote GW on 27 Dec. 1771: “Please to Pay James Cleveland fifteen Pownd Corrent money of virginia when Due And you would very much obblige your humbel Sarvent Christoper Shades” (DLC:GW). Shade’s name is somewhat uncertain. He, or someone, signed the receipt of 27 Dec., which is in the hand of Michael Gretter, “Christian Shade” (DLC:GW). An account dated 22 Dec. 1773 is signed, in a different hand, “Christopher Sheldes” (PHi: Gratz Collection). The Fairfax court records of the early 1770s yield also the names Christian Shadd and Christopher Shieds. Shade worked for GW at least through 1773.
6. GW was in Dumfries from 23 to 30 Jan. participating in the Ross-Semple arbitration. The American Company of Comedians staged plays in the town during this week.