JII 



Mercer s Coiiso/idiifioii 

 of Miir/horoiigli^ 17 30 - 17 M) 



MERCER THE YOUNG LAWYER 



The 1730"s opened a golden age in the \ irginia 

 colony. There was an interval of peace in which 

 trade might flourish ; there were new laws which 

 favored the tobacco planter and led to the building 

 of resplendent mansions along \'irginia"s shores. 

 John Mercer wasted no time in grasping the oppor- 

 tunities that lay about him. With shrewd foresight 

 lie made law his major objective, thus raising him- 

 self alxjve most of his contemporaries. At the same 

 time he began an extensive purchasing of property, 

 so that within a decade he was to become one of the 

 major landed proprietors in the colony. Planting and 

 lenal practice each augmented the other in Mercer's 

 prosperity, which was assured by a classic combina- 

 tion of energy, ability, and outgoing personality. As 

 with many succes-sful men, Mercer had an eye for 

 meticulous detail; the documents he left behind were 

 a treasury of methodically kept records. 



His Ledger B reveals that as early as 1730 \\\-, i'i;.ii 

 career was becoming firmly established. It records 

 fee accounts, charges for drawing deeds, writing 

 bonds, and representing clients in various courts. 

 In that \ear he ■■sub.scrii)ed to Laws of \ irginia" 

 through William Parks, the Williainsl)urg printer and 

 >tationer. and began to build up a .substantial law 

 library, which was augn\ented by the purchase of 

 Ml lawlxraks from Robert Beverley. 



DIFFICULTIES IN ACQUIRING MARLBOROUGH 



On October 13, 1730, .Mercer obtained title from 

 David Waugh to the Ballard house and lots on the 

 basis of the "Statute for transforming uses into 

 possessions." At the same time he acquired the three 

 lots originally granted to John Waugh, while nine 

 months later he was given the release of the three 

 lots inherited by George Ma.son from his father."" 

 Mercer's foothold in Marlborough was now secure. 



Following these developments, he "employed the 

 County .Sur\eyor to lay ofT the •several Lots he had 

 purchased." which led to the disco\er>- of the pre- 

 viously mentioned disparities and coiiflicts between 

 the Buckner survey of l(>9l and the mi.ssinc Gregg 

 sur\Ty of I 707. For some rea.son the town now lacked 

 feoffees, so Mercer "applied to the County C«urt of 

 .Stafford on the tenth day of June one thousand seven 

 hundred and thin-one and the s.iid C^ourt then 

 .ippointed Henn,' Fit/hugh F-squire and Jamn 

 Markham Gent. Feofees of the said Town." Merrrr 

 stated that he "projxjsed making gre.ii Improve- 

 ments . . . and wanted to take up several other Lots 

 to build on." The court thereupon ordered John 

 .Savage, the county surveyor, to m.ike a new .viir\ey, 

 "having regard to the Buildings and Impro>en»ents 



'John Mrrcrr'* I..and Bosk. lor. rit. (fcHiln-jlr I.' 



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