n 



Min'/horoii(rJi ^// its Ascend (iiic]\ 



1741-1750 



TRAVEL 



( )n April 12, 1741, Mercer was adiiiittecl to practice 

 at the General Court in Willianusbur^.^ His trip 

 there on that occasion was typical of the journcy-s 

 which took him at least twice yearly to the capital. 

 On the first day of this Willianisburj? trip he rode 

 "To CxA" Taliaferro's," a distance of 19 miles. 

 The following day "To Caroline C^ourt" (18 mili-s), 

 the next "To M' Hubbard's" (30 miles), then as far 

 as "M' J"" Powers" (24 miles), and finally "To 

 Furneas & Williamsburg" (30 miles). The route 

 was usually to West Point, or Brick House on the 

 opp>ositc shore in New Kent County, and thence 

 either directly to Williamsburg, or by way of New 

 Kent courthouse. Stopovei-s were made either at 

 ordinaries or at the houses of friends.'* 



Mercer's travels, summarized in the joiirii.il ih.it 



•• John Mercer's journal, kept in the back of \jr<.\f,ct B. 



'• Col. John T.ili.ifrrro w.is .i justice of Spotsylvania Ckiunly 

 court and one of the orixinal trustees of Frederirk!ibun{. lie 

 lived at the "Manor Pl.intatioii," Snow Oeek, Spotsylvania 

 County, and died in 1744 ("V'irRinia C^Hincil Journ.ils. I7i!t> 

 175;1," VHM (Richmond. I>W71, vol. .».i, p. 4IM Benjamin 

 lliilili.ird lived in f-iroline Cuunlv ("The Lovel.ice Family and 

 lU c:onnections.' I7/.V/ [Richmond, I'r.'l], vol. :"•, p ;«.7); 

 John Powers w.is apparently a resident of Kinij William Omrity 

 I Ida J. I.ee. ".\hstr.icts from KinR William CVmnty Recorils," 

 WMQ [i\ [WilliamsburR, I'C'o!, vol. ti. p. 7'.'); "Furnea's" 

 seems to have been an ordinary l>etweeii Willianubum aixl 

 New Kent. 



he kept in the back of Ledger B from 1730 until his 

 death in 1768, were prodigious. In 1735, for ex- 

 ample, he journeyed a total of 4202 miles and was 

 home only 119 days. This pace had >•! '.l.-"''! 

 considerably in the period we air now c<>: 

 but, nevertheless, he was not at home more than JUt 

 days out of any one year of the decade 1741-1750. 

 This energetic and restless moving about was common 

 among the leading planters, but in Mercer's ca.se it 

 seems to have reached its ultimate. Practicing law, 

 playing politics, acquiring property, and becoming 

 acquainted with people led him all over \'ii-ginia. 



.•\ representative .sample ivx)i\\ the journal covers tlie 

 period of .Septeinl>er and October 1745. It will Ix- 

 noted that the days of the week an* indicated alpha- 

 lietically, a through g, as in the calendar of the Book 

 of Common Prayer. The mileage traveled each day 

 is entered at the right. 



** Peter O.iniel w.m -i Inirc*"^^ .>iu! Ir.ulmi; * iti.*»-ri ..; ^! tlKw^l 

 Coimty, who, iu v t>»d» 



to build ,1 new .Nqu... i. Ikik- 



il. I7.'il. 



••The Reverend Mr. John MoiKint ».ii hiiui«ci im Ovri- 

 wharlnii Parish. 



27 



