Mercer diid Mcii'/horoudu 

 Zcjiifh to Decline, 1 751-1768 



THE OHIO COMPANY 



The long last period ol Mercers life and of the 

 plantation he created began at a time of growing 

 concern about the western frontier and the wilder- 

 ness beyond it. In 1747 this concern had been 

 expressed in the founding of the Ohio Company of 

 \'irginia by a group of notable colonial leaders: 

 Thomas Cresap, Augustine Washington, George 

 I airfax, Lawrence Washington, Francis Thornton, 

 and Nathaniel Chapiuan. George Mason was an 

 early uieiuber, and so, not surprisingly, was John 

 Mercer, whose prestige as a lawyer was the primary 

 reason for his introduction to the company. We learn 

 from the minutes of the meeting on December 3, 1 750. 

 "[Resolved] That it is alwolutcly necessary to have 

 proper .\rticlcs to bind the Company that Mason .... 

 .Scott & Chapman or any two of them, apply to John 

 Mercer to consider and draw such .Xrliclcs and desire 

 him attend the next general meclinij of the Company at 

 .Stafford Clourthouse . . . ." "» 



.\t the meeting in May 1751, Mercer presented the 

 .\rticles and was "admitted as a Partner on advancing 

 his twentieth part of the whole Kxpence." '•' From 

 then on he was virtually secretary of the companx, 

 as well as its chief driving force. He was made a 

 committee memJK-r with Lawrence Washington, 

 Nathaniel Chapman, James Scott, and George Mason, 



w ho was treasurer. The "Committee" was the central 

 or executive board. 



With the leading members living in Stafford County 

 or nearby, most of the meetings of lx)th the company 

 and the committee were held at Stafford courthouse, 

 and occasionally in private houses of the members. 

 We can imagine with what pride Mercer noted in his 

 journal for February 5-7, 1753, "Ohio Comnultee 

 met at my house." The important role played by 

 the Ohio Company in the Mercers' lives- aixl by 

 them in the Coiupany— is fully recounted in ihc 

 George Mercer Papers Relating to the Ohio Company of 

 Virginia. 



GEORGE, JOHN, AND JAMES 



Mercer doubtless thiew 

 C^ompany's affairs with ch 



"» Ihf Crotfcr Mnerr I'affit. op. cit. (footnote 'il ), p. 5. 

 '" Ibid. 



Ohio 

 and 



enthusiasm. We may surmise that there was heady 

 talk at M "it the fi< ' ;>d of 



dangerous the Imi. i the 



French enough, at least, to ha\T siiired \xHiihful 

 cra\ings for adveiili. ■' \' ' . 



Certain it is that (i-. ' 



and 18, respectively, joined (he Ironlier regiineni of 

 their n^ ' ' ' ' ' ' oUtcers "upon 



the fir>; 

 James, aged tb and (c» yxiung for M.ildiering, 



rrcoinit quo(;itK>ni In ihia •rction at from Purdir 



49 



