To George Washington from John William Bronaugh, 19 July 1796
From John William Bronaugh
Aquia [Va.] 19th July 1796.
Sir
I am anxious to make sale of some Lands given me by my Father on the great Kanhawa River, and having understood that you have lately had an offer of five dollars ⅌ Acre for all your Lands in that country, have taken the liberty to enquire of you from whom this offer was made, I trust and hope if you have it in your power to give me any information by which I can effect a sale at the price above mentioned you will do it.
My Father wishes very much to take in his bond given you some years ago, he mentioned this to you in a letter last Fall, but as you were then at Philadelphia you mentioned you cou’d not send it unless you were at Mount Vernon1 if it is not too much trouble, to come at this bond, will thank you to enclose it by the bearer.2 I am Sir, Yr mo. obt hume Servt
John W. Bronaugh
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. For William Bronaugh’s letter to GW dated 17 Oct. 1795, see John William Bronaugh to GW, 18 Oct. 1795, n.1. GW replied to John William Bronaugh on 26 Oct. 1795. William Bronaugh’s bond had been given for the delivery to George Muse of the 2,000 acres of Kanhawa River bounty lands that GW had purchased to exchange with Muse (see GW to Battaile Muse, 6 April 1789).
2. John William Bronaugh again wrote GW from Aquia on 9 Aug. 1796: “Yours of the 21st July I have received and am greatly obliged to you for your information respecting the Kanhawa Land—You will please direct your letter with my Father’s bond to the Dumf[rie]s post office” (ALS, DLC:GW). GW’s letter to Bronaugh dated 21 July has not been found.
GW replied to John William Bronaugh from Philadelphia on 28 Aug.: “Among the first things I did after my arrival in this City, was to look for the Bond given to me by your father, for conveyance of the land he sold me on the Great Kenhawa; ⟨a⟩nd among my Papers for those Lands I found the Bond; but could find no Deed conveying the said Land, although in the same bundle I perceived conveyances from others, from whom I had made similar purchases. I have, notwithstanding, some recollection that your father has made, or did propose to make me, a Deed for the 2000 acres of land that is mentioned in the Bond; but as there is no such Deed among those Papers which contain my title to the Lands on the Kenhawa, as the recollection of what I have mentioned above (from the deversified scenes I have passed through since) is more like a dream than reality—and as the Bond is of no importance to him—if he has complied with the Conditions of it—but all important to me if he has not—I shall postpone the surrender of it until the fact respecting this matter can be explained.
“Let me pray you therefore to learn from your father when, and where the conveyance was made—and if he is enabled so to do—to info⟨rm⟩ me in what Court it was recorded—for if the event did happen (as I presume it did) the Deed as it is not among my Land Papers must be in the Clerks Office where it was deposited for the purpose of recording” (ADfS, NNPM). John William Bronaugh replied to GW on 7 Oct. (DLC:GW).