was granted the entire 52-acre town in a release from 

 the feoffees, Peter Daniel and Gerard Fowke. This 

 was made with the provision that he should be "Eased 

 from making improvements on the other twenty-six 

 Lots (those not built upon), to prevent their forfeiture 

 and the County will be wholly reimbursed, which it is 

 not probable it ever will be otherwise as only one Lot 

 has been taken up in forty-seven years last past and 

 there is not one House in the said town which has not 

 been built by the said Mercer." '""' 



While the day-to-day events of Marlioorough went 

 on much as ever, the conflict between the British and 

 the French spread from Canada southward along the 

 western ridge of the Appalachians. This expansion, 

 inevitably, was reflected in the Mercers' activities in 

 many ways, both great and small. As the struggle 

 approached its climax, Braddock's troops came to 

 Virginia in March 1755, and were quartered in 

 Alexandria. Among them was John Mercer's brother, 

 Captain James Mercer, who was a professional soldier. 

 On March 25 John left Marlborough for Alexandria, 

 probably to greet James and to have him billeted at 

 William Waite's house where young son James already 

 was living as Waite's apprentice. This bringing 

 together of two farflung members of the Mercer 

 family had unanticipated results. Captain James was 

 a British gentlemen-officer, untouched by the leveling 

 influences of colonial life and therefore untempted to 

 banish "false pride" by any such radical means as 

 John had employed with young James. Indeed, the 

 sight of his nephew learning a mechanical trade must 

 have been a rude shock, for we learn from John 

 Mercer that Captain James "found means to make 

 his nephew uneasy under his choice; and I was from 

 that time incessantly teazed, by those who well knew 

 their interest over me, until I was brought to consent 

 very reluctantly that he should cjuit the plumb and 

 square" and become a lawyer."" 



Mercer returned to Marlborough by way of 

 George Mason's, near the place where a few months 

 later William Buckland was to begin work on 

 "Gunston Hall." He remained there all day on 

 April 1 — "at M"' Mason's wind bound," he wrote in 

 his journal. The next day he went "home through a 

 very great gust." 



The problems of managing a plantation went on 



through peace and through war. Besides a multi- 

 tude of Negroes, there were also indentured white 

 servants at Marlborough. One of these ran away 

 and was advertised in the J'irgiriia Gazelle on May 2, 

 1 755 : 



... a Servant Man named John Clark, he pretends 

 sometimes to be a Ship-Carpenter by Trade, at other 

 Times a Sawyer or a Founder ... he is about 5 feel 

 7 inches high, round Shoulders, a dark Complexion, 

 grey eyes, a large Nose and thick Lips, an Englishman by 

 birth; had on when he went away, a blue Duffil Frock 

 with flat white Metal Buttons and round Cutfs. red 

 corded Plush Breeches, old grey Worsted Stockings, old 

 Shoes, and broad Pewter Buckles, brown Linen wide 

 Trousers, some check'd Shirts, and a Muslin Neckcloth; 

 had also an old Beaver Hat bound round with Linen. 



On October 24, the Gazette carried another ad- 

 \ertisement related to Mercer's problems of personnel : 

 A Miller that understands the Management of a Wind- 

 mill, and can procure a proper Recommendation, may 

 have good Wages, on applying to the Subscriber during 

 the General Court, at Williamsburg, or afterwards, at his 

 House in StaJJord County, before the last Day of Novem- 

 ber, or if any such Person will enclose his Recommenda- 

 tion, and let me know his Terms by the Post from 

 ]\'illiamsburg, he may depend on meeting an Answer at 

 the Post-Office there, without Charge, the first Post after 

 his Letter comes to my Hands. John Mercer 



In the meanwhile, the war had broken out in full 

 scale, and the disaster at Fort Duquesne had taken 

 place. Mercer apparently learned the bad news at 

 a Stafford court session, for he noted in his journal 

 on July 9, after observing his attendance at court, 

 "General Braddock defeated." We can imagine 

 his concern, for both George and John Fenton were 

 participants in the campaign. 



On April 18, 1756, John Fenton was killed in 

 action while fighting under Washington.'" Curiously, 

 his death was not mentioned in the journal. Instead, 

 we learn of the death of John Mercer's horse on the 

 way to Williamsburg in April and of the fact that, 

 on his return in May, Mercer lost his way and 

 traveled 46 miles in a day. He tells us that he went 

 "to M'' Moncure's by water" on May 26, a distance 

 of 15 miles, and that he made a round trip from 

 Mr. Moncure's to Aquia Church for a total of 1 2 

 miles. On July 14, he noted that he went "to 



'•'John Mercer's Land Book, loc. cit. (footnote 12). 



"•' Purdic & Dixon's Virginia Gazelle, September 26, 1766. 



'^' John Clement Fitzpatrick, ed., The Writings of George 

 Washington (Washington: U.S. Government Printnig Office. 

 1931), vol. I, p. 318. 



