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Disso/iitioii of Miir/hoi-ou^(^Ji 



JAMES MLRCLR S ADMINISTRATION 

 OF THE ESTATE 



Juiiu-s McrciT was now "manager" of Jolm Mcicci"s 

 estate. George, heavily in debt, remained in England 

 never returning to X'irginia. The staugering task of 

 rescuing the estate from l)ankruplcy was left to James. 

 The immediate necessity was to reduce wasteful 

 overhead at .Marlborough and to liquidate non- 

 essential capital investment. On December 1.'), I7()l!, 

 James advertised in Rind's Virginia GttZflU-: 



.\ large and well chosen collection of BOOKS, beini; 

 all the librar)' of (he laic John .\ffner, Esq., deceased, 

 except such as arc rcscrs'cd for the use of his children. 

 Iliosc to be sold consist of more than l2tK) volumes 

 now at home, with which it is hoped may be rcckt.ne:! 

 upwards of 400 volumes which appear to be missing by 

 the said Meritr^s catalcgue .... Tlic Ixirn.weis arc 

 hereby requested to return ihem before the I9lh of 

 Drcfmbrr next, the day ap|X)intcd for the appraising of 

 the estate .... 



.Mso to be sold, about 20 marcs and cults, and 40 pair 

 lit cows and calves. The cohs arc the breed cf llir 

 iM-auliful hnrsf RiinUr, who is for sale: his (vdigree hi:s 

 Imth formerly puhlished in this Gazelle, bv which it will 

 .ipiM-ar he is as well related as anv horse on the loniinriit. 

 lie cost 330 I. currency at his last sale, alKitil 4 yciri 

 ii?o. and is nothing worse except in age, and thai can be 

 but little in a horse kept for the sole use of covering .... 



Except for attempting to dispose of the library and 

 the horses ami livestock, no sigmhcant changes were 

 imdertaken until after .September 7, 1770, when John 



Mercer's widow, Ann Ro\ .Mercer, died. K*... „,,>,■, 

 of the plantation to simpler terms then began in 

 earnest. Purdie & Di.xon's Virginia CiizrHr published 

 the following advertisement on October 25, 1770: 



To bt .SOLD on Monday tht I9ih of November, i/ fair, 



olheruisf nrxl fair day, at \fariboraugh, tht seal of Iht lale 



John Mercer Esq: dt<tastd. 



The greatest part of his i>enional estate (except slavn) 



consisting of a variety ol h' 



to meniion; a nuinl>er of \» i 



diiion; a ver>- large and choice flock of horses, bn>od 



mares, and colts, all blooded, and mcsUy from that vcr\ 



iK-auliful and high bred horse Rantfr a errat numlicr «>t 



black calUe. esteemed the Ijcst in il .1 in 



size to any beyond the Ridge, but ~ , m. 



JM-causc they will thrive in shorter pas! 



ounces of fashionable ; ' " 



not ntore than seven %■ 



for six horses. ITjosr •m- 



ber I7»>8, to 1738 I «c 



since increased, and n .hat 



an . I . , ,j ,,^ ,j, I 



rii 



\ls.i vmII then lie «>ld srveral 

 BRIIW KRY. lie- a copper that I 

 iron Ix.uikI buis that contain 



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