woman named Saiah ti) I'liilcmon C!avanaiit;li "to l)c 

 paid in lu-av y tobacco each lilid to weigh 3(((J Neat." 

 That Mercer was turning in the direction of a legal 

 career is revealed in liis fiist account of "Domestick 

 Expenses" for the fall of 1 72') (Appendix I)). We lind 

 that he was attending court sessions far and wide: 

 "C^ash for Exp' at Stafford & Spotsylvania," "Cash 

 for Exp' Irhanna," the same for "Court Ferrage 

 at Keys." He already was reading in the law, and 

 lent "March's Actions of Slander." "W'ashington's 

 Al)ridt;in' of y'' Statutes," and "an Exposition of the 

 Law Terms" to Mosley Battaley. 



SETTING UP HOUSEKEEPING 



Mercer's domestic-expense account is full of evi- 

 dence that he was preparing to set up housekeeping. 

 He bought "I China punch bowl," 10s.; "6 glasses," 

 3s.; "1 bo.\ Iron & heaters," 2s. 6d.; "1 p'' fine 

 blankets," Is. 13d.; "Earthenware," I Os.; "5 Candle- 

 sticks," 17s. 6d.; "I Bed Cord," 2s.; "3 maple knives 

 & forks," 2s.; "I yew haft knife & fork & 1 p^ Stilds 

 [steelyards?]," Is. lU'.jd.: "1 p'' Salisbury Scissors," 

 2s. 6d.; and "1 speckled knife & fork," 5d. 



In addition, he accepted as payment for various 

 cloth and materials sold to Mrs. Elizabeth Russell the 

 following furniture and furnishings: 



.\t the time of this purchase, the only house standing 

 at .Marlborough was that built by Thomas Ballard 

 in 1 7U8. It was inherited by his godson I)a\id 

 Waugh," who now apparently offered to let his 

 niece Catherine and her new husband iKCupy it. 



.\liTcer later iiliin.iJ to it as "the Huu.se 1 l)\id in 

 built by Ballard."'" From his own records wr kiiow 

 that he moved to .Marllxirough in 1726. He did 

 so jjiobablv in the summer, since on June 1 1 he 

 .settled with C^harles .McClelland for "cleaning out 

 y" house." Unoccupied for years and small in size, 

 it was a humble place in which to sei keeping, 



and indeed must have lu-eded "il' mt." It 



also must have needed extensive repairs, since Mercer 

 purchased 150() tenpenny nails "used alwut it." 



Throughout 1 72b .Mercer acquired household 

 furnishings, made repairs and iinproveinents, and 

 obtained the necessities of a plantation. On Februarv- 

 1 he acquired "3 I rollbacks" (cast-iron firebacks for 

 fireplaces) for £8 4s. 2d., as well as "2 p'' hand Irons" 

 for l.")s. 3d., from Edmund Bagge. From George 

 Rust he bought "3 C'ows & Calves" for £7 lOs., a 

 featherbed for £3 lOs., and an "Iron pot" for 5s. 



His reckoning with John Dogge opens with a 

 poignant note, "Bv- a Child's Collin": Mercer's 

 first-born child had died. f)n the same account 

 was "an Oven," bought for 17 shillings. Dogge 

 also was credited with "bringing over 10 sheep 

 from Surnners" (a plantation at Passapatanzy, south 

 of Potomac Creek). Rawlcigh Chinn was paid for 

 "plowing up & fencing in my yard" and for "fetching 

 3 horses over the Creek." .-Mso credited to Chinn 

 was an item revealing Mercer's sporting enthusiasm: 

 "went on y'" main race . . . 15 ." 



From Alexander Buncle, .Mercer acquired one 

 dozen table knives, three chamlxr-door locks, two 

 pairs of candle snuffers, and two broad a.xes. His 

 iccount with Alexander .McFarlanc in 1726, the 

 credit side of which is quoted here in part, is a further 

 illustration of the varietv' of hardware and consumable 

 goods that he required: 



'John Mrrrrr's Land Book, loc. rit. (foolnotr 12). 



'* Petition of John Strrcrr, loc. cil. t fooliiolc 1 7 < 



17 



