Special Collections at The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
PO Box 3600[Name and date of item], Peter Family papers, [Folder], Special Collections, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.
The Peters were a prominent family in Washington, D.C. during the eighteenth and nineteen centuries. Martha Parke Custis, Martha Washington's granddaughter, married into the Peter family in 1795.
George Washington (1732-1799) : George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 at a modest farm in Westmoreland County, Virginia to parents Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. In 1749, George Washington was appointed surveyor for Culpepper County. In 1752, he started his military career in the Virginia militia. During the Revolutionary War he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and later was elected as the first President of the United States of America. He lived with his wife, Martha Washington, at Mount Vernon, where he passed away December 14, 1799.
Martha Washington (1731-1802) : Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was born on June 2, 1731 to parents John and Frances Jones Dandridge. She married her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, on May 15, 1750. Together they had four children, two of whom died in childhood. On July 8, 1757, her husband unexpectedly died, leaving her a widow with their two remaining children, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis. On January 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington. Martha Parke Custis or Patsy, died at the age of 17. On February 3, 1774, John Parke Custis married Eleanor Calvert, and together they had four children who survived to adulthood. However, on November 5, 1781, John Parke Custis passed away, and the younger two of his children went to live at Mount Vernon with their grandmother. Martha Dandridge Custis Washington died on May 22, 1802.
Tobias Lear (1762-1816) : Tobias Lear was born in 1762. He was employed by George Washington in 1786 to manage expense reports to Congress and also as the personal tutor to Martha Washington's grandchildren. In 1790 Tobias Lear married Mary "Polly" Long; however she died in 1793. Lear then married Martha Washington's niece, Frances Bassett Washington, but she died shortly they were married. Lear married for a third time to Frances Dandridge Henley, another niece of Martha Washington. He died in 1816.
Elizabeth (Betsy, Beth, Eliza) Parke Custis Law (1776-1831) : Wife to Thomas Law, Eliza Parke Custis Law was born on August 21, 1776. She was the daughter of John (Jacky) Parke Custis and Eleanor (Nelly) Calvert. Upon the death of her father in 1781, Eliza's two younger siblings, George Washington (Washy) Parke Custis and Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis went to live with their grandmother, Martha Washington, and her second husband, George Washington. Eliza and her other sister Martha stayed at home with their mother. Shortly after, their mother remarried Dr. David Stuart and had thirteen more children. On March 21, 1796, Eliza Parke Custis Law married Thomas Law and together they had one child, Eliza Law. In 1804, the couple separated and their daughter went to live with her father. They officially divorced in 1811. Eliza Parke Custis Law lived with one of her uncles for a time after the separation, and soon purchased a house in Alexandria called "Mount Washington." Eliza Law Rogers died in 1822, leaving behind a husband (Lloyd Nicholas Rogers) and two children. Eliza Parke Custis Law died on December 31, 1831.
Thomas Law (1756-1834) : Thomas Law was born on October 23, 1756 in Cambridge, England. He started his career working for the East India Trading Company and began building his reputation, as well as his income. In 1794, he left England to start a new life in America where he began to invest in lands, particularly in the nation's capital. Over time, Law became extremely passionate about the arts, particularly poetry, which he wrote and published. He even founded the first dance society, theater, and the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences. Thomas Law married Eliza Parke Custis on March 21, 1796. Together they had one child, Eliza Law, who married Lloyd Nicholls Rogers in 1817. Thomas Law died in 1834.
William Costin (1780-1842) : William Costin was a prominent free black man in early 19th-century Washington DC. He was a messenger for the Bank of Washington and ran a hack business in the city. In 1800, he married his cousin Philadelphia ("Delphy"), a dower slave of Martha Washington. Upon Martha Washington's death in 1802, Delphy became the property of Eliza Parke Custis Law, wife to Thomas Law. Delphy and their children were granted freedom shortly after, and the couple decided to stay in Washington, D.C. Together the Costins had seven children. He died in 1842.
John Law (1784-1822) : John Law was born in India about 1784 to Thomas Law and an unidentified Indian woman. In 1794 Thomas Law came to America after living about two decades in India; presumably John and his brothers came with him. Thomas Law married Eliza Parke Custis in 1796 and raised the boys until their separation around 1804. John Law graduated from Harvard University in 1804; he was a member of the Columbian Dragoons in 1811; and was the commissioner to adjust the Yazoo claims in 1814. He died on October 4, 1822.
Lloyd Nicholas Rogers (1787 or 1788-1860) : Lloyd Nicholas Rogers was born on September 20, 1788 to parents Nicholas and Eleanor Buchanan Rogers. Lloyd Nicholas Rogers married Eliza Law Rogers in 1817. Together they had two children, Edmund Law Rogers and Eleanor Agnes Rogers. They lived on Druid Hill which had been passed down by Lloyd's Scottish father. Very shortly after the death of Lloyd's father in 1822, Eliza also died. In 1829, Rogers was married to Hortensia Monroe Hay who was the granddaughter of James Monroe. Together, they had an additional three daughters, Harriet, Hortensia, and Mary Custis. Lloyd was a proprietor of his estate and practiced law out of his home on Druid Hill. Hortensia died in the 1850s, leaving Lloyd all alone. All of his children except for Eleanor had already married and moved out. Eleanor would not marry until 1862, following her father's death. Lloyd Nicholas Rogers died on November 12, 1860.
Edmund Law Rogers (1818-1896) : Edmund Law Rogers was born in 1818 to Lloyd Nicholas Rogers and Eliza Law Rogers. He grew up and lived in Baltimore all of his life, and was a founding member of the Maryland and Harvard Club, as well as a member of various other organizations, such as, the Sons of the Revolution and the Baltimore Historical Society. He spoke several different languages and was a lover of the arts. He married Charlotte Matilda Plater and together they had two children, Edmund Law Rogers, Jr., and Charlotte Plater Rogers. He died of paralysis on January 24, 1896.
Robert Peter (1726-1806) : Robert Peter was born in 1726 in Scotland to Thomas Peter and Jean Dunlop, who were prosperous merchants. He immigrated to the United States around 1745, but there is no definite reason why he chose to leave. He first settled in the town, Bladensburg, along the Anacostia River. In 1751, Georgetown was established, and Robert purchased a lot in the town the following year, and slowly began to build up his land holdings. His land holdings grew to be quite extensive, including owning the entire square from M, K, and 31st Streets, and Wisconsin Ave. From 1789 to 1798, Robert Peter was the first mayor of Georgetown. On December 27, 1767, he married Elizabeth Scott, and together they had 10 children, one of whom died as an infant. Their names were: Thomas, Alexander, Elizabeth, Walter, Robert, Jean, Margaret, David, George, and James. He died in 1806.
Thomas Peter (1769-1834) : Thomas Peter was born January 4, 1769 to Robert and Elizabeth Scott Peter. Thomas Peter married Martha Parke Custis, granddaughter to Martha Washington, in 1795. Together, they had eight children. Martha Eliza Eleanor, Columbia Washington, John Parke Custis, Robert Thomas, George Washington, America Pinckney, Martha Custis Castania (who died young), and Britannia Wellington. In 1805, Thomas and Martha purchased eight-and-a-half acres in "Georgetown Heights." [For more information on Tudor Place, see Tudor Place: Historic House and Gardens.] They later hired architect Dr. William Thornton to design and build Tudor Place located in Georgetown. It was completed in 1816 and still stands today. Thomas Peter was a prominent lawyer of the time and was one of the executors of Martha Washington's will. He died April 16, 1834.
Martha (Patty) Parke Custis Peter (1777-1854) : was born to John Parke Custis and Eleanor (Nelly) Calvert Custis on December 31, 1777. She was one of four children in their family to survive to adulthood: Eliza Parke, Martha Parke, Eleanor Parke (Nelly), and George Washington (Washy) Parke. Following the death of their father in 1781, Patty and her older sister, Eliza, lived with their mother and stepfather, Dr. David Stuart, and their large family, while their younger siblings, Nelly and Washy, lived with their grandparents at Mount Vernon. There were frequent visits to Mount Vernon in both childhood and following her marriage to Thomas Peter in 1795. She died July 13 or 15, 1854.
Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon (1815-1911) : Britannia Wellington Peter was born January 28, 1815, as the youngest child of Martha Parke (Patty) Custis Peter and Thomas Peter. In 1842, she married Commodore Beverley Kennon, and together they had one child, Martha Custis Kennon, on October 18, 1843. Commodore Kennon died from a gun explosion on the frigate Princeton on February 28, 1844. Martha Custis Kennon married Dr. Armistead Peter in 1867. When Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon's mother passed in 1854, she inherited Tudor Place, where she lived until her death in 1911.
Major George Peter (1779-1861) : Major George W. Peter was born on September 28, 1779 to Robert and Elizabeth Scott Peter. He was married three times during his life. First, to Ann Plater in 1809. Together they had two children, George and Thomas. His wife and two children all died in 1814. Secondly, in 1815 he married Agnes Buchanon Freeland. They had five children, Robert, Ann, James, Agnes, and David. Agnes, his wife, died in 1825. Only a month later, he again married, this time to Sarah Norfleet Freeland, the sister of his second wife. Together, they had nine children: Sarah Agnes, George, Alexander Scott, Margaret Dick, Elizabeth, Armistead, Walter Gibson, William, and Katherine Norfleet. Major George Peter was an officer in the army, a representative in Congress, and a farmer. During his career in the army, he was first appointed first lieutenant 2nd, Artillery and Engineers on February 16, 1801. He was promoted to Captain on November 3, 1807, and finally was transferred to the Light Artillery in May of 1808. He resigned in June 11, 1809. In 1815, he was elected to Congress to cover the sixth district in Maryland. He would continue this appointment until after 1828. He died June 22, 1861.
Dr. Armistead Peter (1840-1902) : Dr. Armistead Peter was one of George Peter's sons from his third marriage to Sarah Norfleet Freeland Peter. He was born on February 23, 1840. Dr. Armistead Peter was a cousin to his wife Martha Custis Kennon Peter, whom he married in 1867. Together, Martha and Armistead had five children: Walter Gibson, Armistead, Beverley Kennon, George Freeland, and Agnes. He and Martha Custis Kennon Peter both moved into Tudor Place and Dr. Armistead Peter converted a portion of the house for his medical practice. He created a very successful business as one of the best doctors in the city of Washington. During the Civil War he was employed by the U.S. Army as ward surgeon, as well as serving in a smallpox hospital. Martha Custis Kennon Peter died suddenly in 1886. Armistead died in 1902, his mother-in-law, Britannia W. Peter Kennon outliving both of them. The land in Bethesda was divided between their four children. After Britannia W. Peter Kennon died, the house was left to her grandson, Armistead Peter II. Dr. Armistead Peter died on January 28, 1902.
Agnes Peter (1880-1957) : Agnes Peter, born on February 3, 1880, was the daughter of Dr. Armistead Peter and Martha Custis Kennon Peter. She lived in France for a period of time during WWI conducting work for the YMCA. Agnes Peter was the director of a Foyer du Soldat and helped to receive soldiers and refugees. She was also in charge of the Graves Registration Section in Rheims. She was the first woman in France to be awarded the silver Medal of Honor for her distinguished services to the country during the war. In 1946, when she was 73, she married Nobel Prize winner, Dr. John R. Mott, who is most acclaimed for his work creating international Christian programs with a goal to establish peace. She died in 1957.
This collection consists of papers collected by various members of the Peter families. It includes letters from George Washington, letters of condolence to Martha Washington after George Washington's death, estate documents, Major George Peter's military papers, land plats and surveys, photo albums, letterbooks, and notebooks that tell of the life of this prominent family in Virginia and the City of Washington.
This collection is arranged in the following series and subseries. Within each series, materials are generally separated by format and listed chronologically, with undated materials listed last.
Series 1. Papers of George Washington
Series 2. Papers of Tobias Lear
Series 3. Miscellaneous
Series 4. Papers of Martha Washington
Series 5. Papers of Eliza Parke Custis Law
Series 6. Papers of Thomas Law : Subseries 6.1. Legal Documents, Subseries 6.2. Correspondence
Series 7. Papers of William Costin
Series 8. Papers of John Law
Series 9. Papers of Lloyd Nicholas Rogers
Series 10. Papers of Edmund Law Rogers
Series 11. Papers of Robert Peter : Subseries 11.1. Accounts, Subseries 11.2. Financial Documents, Subseries 11.3. Legal Documents, Subseries 11.4. Land Documents,
Subseries 11.5. Estate Documents
Series 12. Papers of Thomas Peter : Subseries 12.1. Financial Documents, Subseries 12.2. Land Documents, Subseries 12.3. Estate Documents, Subseries 12.4. Correspondence
Series 13. Papers of Britannia W. Peter Kennon, 1824-1909 : Subseries 13.1. Financial Documents, Subseries 13.2. Legal Documents, Subseries 13.3. Correspondence
Peter family owned books are cataloged in the Library Catalog. The 23 titles (36 volumes) are searchable in the the Catalog's Peter Family Collection .
Autograph letter signed from Eliza, Hope Park, asking her grandfather for a picture of him. Docketed in Washington's hand on verso.
Autographed letter signed (signature cut out) George Washington, German Town, to Eliza Parke Custis. Washington offers his granddaughter advice on love and marriage.
Autograph letter in Washington's hand, initialed by both George and Martha. George and Martha Washington, Philadelphia, to Thomas Law. The Washingtons congratulate Law on his marriage to their grandaughter Eliza.
Autograph letter signed by George Washington, Mount Vernon, to Thomas Peter, discussing the purchase of English cattle.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Docketed in Washington's hand.Thomas Peter, George Town, to George Washington, Mount Vernon. Peter asks Washington to secure a spot for his brother in the Army and shares rumors about a bill coming up in Congress.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel and seal. George Washington, Mount Vernon, to Thomas Peter. Washington writes about the sale of tobacco.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel.George Washington, Mount Vernon, to Thomas Peter. Washington writes about farming and congratulates Thomas and Patsy on the birth of their son.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. John Mercereau, Union Township, to George Washington. John Mercereau, a businessman who served with his brother and nephew in a spy ring during the Revolutionary War, writes to Washington asking if he may come and visit, reflecting that no memories give him greater satisfaction than those he spent "Devoted to my Countrys Service." Tragically, Mercereau did not know that Washington had died 10 days before his letter was sent.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Bartholomew Dandridge, Jr., London, to George Washington. Bartholomew Dandridge, Jr., writes to his uncle about his business ventures from London. He had not yet received word of Washington's death on December 14, 1799.
Autograph letter unsigned in the hand of Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart and most likely addressed to Tobias Lear. The letter is dated 7 February with no year but was most likely written in 1790, since it mentions Lear's first marriage, which occured in 1790.
Autograph letter signed, undated, with integral free franked address panel. Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart to Tobias Lear, New York. Docketed in Lear's hand as received 2 October 1790. Eleanor writes of her unhappiness at being parted from her children Nelly and Wash.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart, Mount Vernon, to Tobias Lear, New York. Eleanor writes about the lottery and her family, noting that "My Dear Nelly & Wash. are still spoilt by Grand Mama but chearfully obey every word I say to them."
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Docketed in hand of George Washington. Lucretia Constance Radcliffe, Charleston, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. Mrs. Radcliffe writes seeking an Army commission for her son and sends a packet of crane feathers and melon seeds. She also sends news of Major Pinkney.
Manuscript resolution of the "Sixth Congress of the United States: At the first session Begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, on Monday, the second of December, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine" stating that a marble monument to George Washington be erected in the City of Washington and that his remains be interred beneath it. It is also resolved that a funeral procession from Comgress Hall to the German Lutheran Church shall take place on Thursday, December 26, 1799, and that the nation will wear crepe arm bands for thirty days of mourning.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Maria S. Ross, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. A condolence letter from Maria S. Ross of Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Martha Washington on the death of her husband.
Autograph letter, copy. Tobias Lear's, Mount Vernon, response to Maria Ross's condolence letter to Martha Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel with seal of John Adams. Abigail Adams, Philadelphia, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. Condolence letter written by Abigail Adams to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Martha Washington's response to Abigail Adams's condolence letter on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter from Mary Stead Pinckney, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington. Pinckney also sends her regards and congratulations to Nelly Parke Custis Lewis, who was recovering from the birth of her first child, Frances Parke Lewis.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter from Jonathan Trumbull Jr., Governor of Connecticut, Lebanon, Connecticut, to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter from Elias Boudinot, New Jersey Congressman and Director of the United States Mint, Philadelphia, to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, to Elias Boudinot. Tobias Lear's response on behalf of Martha Washington to Elias Boudinot's condolence letter.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Bushrod Washington, Walnut Farm, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. Bushrod writes to Martha about purchasing corn from Colonel Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Condolence letter written by Ann Huntington, New London, Connecticut, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear's, Mount Vernon, response on behalf of Martha to Hamilton's condolence letter.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Condolence letter from Reverend Samuel Miller, New York, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, on the death of George Washington. He writes that he is inclosing a discourse he recently delivered on the occasion of Washington's death.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear's, Mount Vernon, response on behalf of Martha to Samuel Miller's, New York, condolence letter on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Stephen Williamson, Philadelphia, State Prison, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. Stephen Williamson introduces himself as the captain of a company in the Rhode Island Regiment who served under Washington in the Revolutionary War. He recounts a dream he had in which she gives birth to a son following Washington's death. He also tells Martha the details of his arrest for buying a stolen horse and requests her assistance in getting him out of prison.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Former Secretary of War Henry Knox, Montpelier, St. Georges, sends Martha his condolences after the passing of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writes on behalf of Martha in response to Henry Knox's condolence letter on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Mayor of New York City Richard Varick offers his condolences to Martha after the death of George Washington. He also incloses, on behalf of the Common Council of New York City, an oration delivered on the occassion of Washington's death by Gouverneur Morris.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writes on behalf of Martha Washington in response to Richard Varick's, New York, condolence letter after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Richard Washington,Bermuda, a former business associate of Washington's in London, offers his condolences to Martha after George Washington's death.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter from Theodore Sedgwick, Philadelphia, to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington. Sedgwick writes that he is inclosing a second edition of General Lee's funeral oration.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writing on behalf of Martha in response to Theodore Sedgwick's condolence letter after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter written by the Marquis de Lafayette, La Grange, to Martha after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. A condolence letter from Auguste Belin, Secretary of the Loge Française l'Aménité of Philidelphia, a freemason lodge of French and Saint-Dominguen émigrés. Belin writes that he is inclosing copies of a funeral oration performed at the lodge in honor of George Washington's death.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writes on behalf of Martha in response to Auguste Belin's, Philadelphia, condolence letter on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter. Condolence note from Reverend William Rogers, Philadelphia, to Martha on the death of George Washington. Rogers writes that he is enclosing a copy of a funeral oration he delivered in Washington's honor.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, on behalf of Martha Washington, thanks William Rogers for sending "a copy of the Religious Exercises, at the time of the Eulogy, at the German Reformed Church."
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writing on behalf of Martha Washington, requests that Gilbert Stuart's original portrait of Washington be given to Martha, in exchange for fair compensation. Lear writes that Martha has expressed no desire for her own portrait, but Lear thinks it would be nice to display alongside the portrait of Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence note written by Charles Humphrey Atherton, Amherst, New Hampshire, to Martha Washington after the death of George Washington. Atherton writes that he is enclosing a funeral oration delivered at the request of the citizens of Amherst, New Hampshire in Washington's honor.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writes on behalf of Martha Washington in response to Charles H. Atherton's, Amherst, New Hampshire, condolence letter on the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Georges Washington de Lafayette, La Grange, son of the Marquis de Lafayette, writes a condolence note to Martha after the death of George Washington. Georges writes of Washington's "parental kindness" when he visited Mount Vernon and says, "How far was I to imagine when I left your family that it would be a last farewell."
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Condolence letter written by Alexandria merchant Thomas Porter to Martha after the death of George Washington. Porter writes that he is sending an eulogy along with the letter.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. A condolence letter written by Revered James Kemp, Cambridge, Maryland, to Martha Washington after the death of George Washington. Kemp writes that he is enclosing a copy of a sermon he delivered on the day appointed by Congress to honor George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, responds on behalf of Martha Washington to James Kemp's, Cambridge, Maryland, condolence letter after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Condolence letter from Peleg Wadsworth, Philadelphia, to Martha Washington on the death of George Washington. Wadsworth requests, on behalf of his daughter, a relic of the late General.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writes on behalf of Martha in response to Peleg Wadsworth's condolence letter after the death of George Washington. Lear writes that he is enclosing a lock of Washington's hair for Wadsworth's daughter as requested.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, writing on behalf of Martha Washington, thanks Reverend John D. Blair for sending his condolences and two orations delivered in Richmond on February 22 in honor of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. William Griffiths, Burlington, New Jersey, offers his condolences on behalf of the citizens of Burlington, New Jersey to Martha after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, responds on behalf of Martha to William Griffith's, Burlington, New Jersey, condolence letter after the death of George Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Theodore Sedgwick, Philadelphia, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon
Autograph letter signed "John Lemayere." Jean Pierre Le Mayeur, Sweet Springs, was George Washington's dentist during the Revolutionary War. He writes his condolences to Martha on the death of Washington, apologizing that his servant lost the first condolence letter he had written on February 24.
Autograph letter signed. Tobias Lear, Mount Vernon, to Dr. Jean Pierre Le Mayeur, Sweet Springs
Autograph letter signed with integral free franked address panel. Bartholomew Dandridge, Jr., New York, to Martha Washington, Mount Vernon. Bartholomew Dandridge Jr. writes his aunt inquiring about letters sent to him from Washington before his death that Dandridge never received.
Autograph letter signed. Sir John Sinclair, London, writes to Martha in praise of her late husband and sends her a volume of his letters.
3 letters written by Elizabeth Parke Custis Law Rogers to her mother between December 5, 1819 - November 21, 1821.
Access to letters may be restricted because of fragile condition.
7 letters written by Brigadier General Simon Bernard, Washington City, to Eliza Parke Custis Law between March 28, 1828 and May 21, 1830.
Lloyd Rogers to Elizabeth Parke Custis Law, Alexandria
Printed legal document: Statement of the defendant's case. Docketed on verso "Papers relating to case of Law v. Morris Nicholson & Greenleaf."
Manuscript legal statement of Thomas Law in regards to a property dispute in Washington City between William Mayne Duncason and Tench Ringgold.
Manuscript memoranda regarding property dispute over square 744 in the City of Washington.
Autograph letter signed. Concerning Tench Ringgold and property dealings in the City of Washington.
Manuscript descriptions of the architectural plans for the Thomas Law House, designed by architect William Lovering and built circa 1794 on the 689 square in the City of Washington.
Thomas Law, Washington City, discusses his plan for construction of New Jersey Avenue on lot 744 of Washington City, along the public canal.
Gustavus Scott, William Thornton, and Alexander White, Washington City, to Thomas Law
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. George Washington Parke Custis, Philadelphia to Thomas Law, Federal City. George Washington Parke Custis writes to Law of the pleasure he will have in serving Washington City, which is to be "the pride of future ages" and "the metropolis of America."
A manuscript copy of the address read by W. M. Duncanson at a meeting of the Managers of Washington Canal Lottery - Law, Carroll, Young, and Duncanson. Their reply is copied on the verso.
Autograph letter signed. Duncanson writes that Thomas Law has resigned his title to Lot 744 of Washington City in favor of Tench Ringgold.
Unsigned, undated manuscript, docketed "Tench Ringgold Arbitration."
James Piercy, City of Washington, to Gustavus Scott, William Thornton, and Alexander White. Three manuscript copies by Thomas Munroe of letters written by James Piercy to the Commissioners of the City of Washington about his claims to lot 744.
Manuscript copy made by Thomas Munroe of a letter written by the Commissioners of the City of Washington to James Piercy in response to Piercy's claims on lot 744. Scott and Thornton write to Piercy that "no intention exists of granting you the square you mention."
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Elizabeth Parke Custis Law Rogers, Druid Hill, to Thomas Law, City of Washington
Lloyd Rogers, Druid Hill, to Thomas Law, Washington City
Thomas Law to Lloyd Rogers, Baltimore
Writing from New Orleans in 1832, John Taylor reports that fifty to sixty people a day are dying from yellow fever and smallpox.
Elizabeth Parke Custis Law, Washington, to Thomas Law, London
Letter, Lawrence Lewis to William Costin, with postscript from Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, 1813 October 6: 2023-04-25
Letter written by Lawrence Lewis to William "Billy" Costin requesting Costin's service in transporting his family from Mr. Charles Carter's residence in Culpepper County to their home. Lewis provides a suggested route and expected arrival date stating, 'you must not disappoint me.' A postscript in the hand of Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis requests additional and immediate transportation for herself to Philadelphia. She offers Costin's mother payment in Pork if she will accompany them on the trip. Autograph letter signed, 1 page, with integral address panel.
Undated note from Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis asking "Billy" to ask her sister Betsy to send the things by which she [Eleanor] wrote to her for. Directs Billy to be very careful of them as they are easily broken. Autograph note signed E Lewis, 1 page.
Autograph letter signed with integral adddress panel.
Autograph letter signed. George Washington Parke Custis writes William "Billy" Costin at the Bank of Washington. He mentions he expects to go with Lafayette to visit Woodlawn.
5 letters from Eliza Custis Law to her stepson John Law. The first letter is addressed to John at George Town College and the other four to Harvard University.
Edmund Law, Washington, to John Law, Baltimore
5 dated letters from Eliza Custis Law to her stepson John Law.
Letter discussing the court martial of Commodore James Barron, who would later kill Commodore Stephen Decatur in duel in 1820.
4 undated letters from Eliza Custis Law to her stepson John Law.
15 undated letters and notes written by Eliza Custis Law to her stepson John Law.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. John Law asks William Thornton if he can borrow a book on calvary maneuvers.
2 letters written by William Thornton in response to John Law's August 10, 1807 letter.
An undated letter from John Law to his half sister, Eliza Law. He writes that he is sending sweetmeats from Woodlawn by William, as promised.
William D. Sims, Pittsburgh, to John Law, Washington City
Three letters
A series of four letters and their draft copies written over the course of two days by John Law to his father, criticizing his conduct, particularly in regards to Eliza Law's marriage to Lloyd Nicholas Rogers.
5 letters written by Thomas Law to his son John Law, Washington City, around 1817, addressing John's criticisms of him, his divorce, and his friendship with Elizabeth Bordley Gibson.
Autograph letter signed. A letter of reconciliation sent by John Law to his father.
Draft of letter from Lloyd Nicholas Rogers, New York, to Major-General Henry Lee discussing the life of Baron de Kalb.
2 letters about the sale of property in Washington.Lenman and Brother, Washington City, to Edmund Law Rogers, Baltimore.
Documents related to the sale of property in Washington.
Correspondence about the sale of property in Washington.
2 letters about the sale of property in Washington. N. Callan, Washington, to Edmund Law Rogers, Baltimore.
Bond of conveyance for Lot No. 1 in Square 260 in Washington City, District of Columbia.
1 survey plat of lots in Washington along Canal St, and 2 pages of notes listing the prices of lots and the names of their purchasers.
Letter from the Commisioners of the Sinking Fund of the Corporation of Washington. William McCormick, Registers Office, Washington, to Edmund Law Rogers.
An indenture form reassigning a parcel of property in Washington City. The Deed of Trust form is marked at the top of the first page "Printed and Sold by Robert A. Waters, D. st., bet. 9th & 10th."
1 page autograph letter signed by George Washington Parke Custis to Edmund Law Rogers, with additional letter from Martha Custis Williams, Arlington House, written on verso. Custis writes, "From the very graphic account you gave Martha Williams of your visit to Mr Fenno, I see but a poor chance of my Drama being brought out [in Baltimore]." He asks Rogers to inquire of his "theater going friends" if any other Baltimore theatres will perform the work. If not, he asks Rogers to return the book care of William Adam Bookseller Pennsylvania Avenie Washington.
In her letter, Williams passes on a request from "Aunt B" (Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon) to send the "little manuscript book, containing an inventory of the Mt Vernon relics at Tudor Place, as she is much at a loss, with regard to the history of many things in the House." Britannia Peter had inherited Tudor Place the year before, in 1854. Williams adds to Rogers that she hopes he will not make too much effort to have Uncle Custis's play produced because "Cousin Mary Lee and all his family are so much opposed to it." Williams hopes Custis will focus on finishing his Recollections instead.
Bill for $21 addressed to Edmund Law Rogers for advertising the sale of lots in the City of Washington in the newspaper the National Intelligencer.
Unsigned indenture for the sale of lots in the City of Washington. Docketed in pencil "sale not made."
Invoices, notes, and receipts from accounts between Robert Peter and the firm O'Neill and Dearkins. Includes an invoice for tobacco, sugar, corduroy, gauze, linen, chocolate, silk, muslin, paper, wine, ribbons, pins, cotton, and tea.
Unknown list of accounts, believed to be from Robert Peter.
Pages from account book with the note "These leaves was received by James S Webber from Mrs. Esther H Webber wife of Mr Levi Webber of Vassalboro Kennebeck Co. Maine being a part of account Book of Charles Webber, my Grand Father, his own handwriting. Received by me June 22 1878." The accounts include invoices for cod fish, bacon, molasses, tea, rum, sugar, silk, shoes, brandy, wine, coffee, and corn.
Includes accounts for flour, pork, beef, lamb, and veal.
Bond for the conveyance of a parcel of property called Black Oak Thickett in Frederick County, Maryland.
rent paid
Page of rent payment accounts in unknown hand.
Bond of Thomas Nicholls of John to Robert Peter
Bond of Isaiah and Edward Nicholls to Robert Peter
Lawsuit against Robert Peter by James Gordon, Henry Riddell, John Campbell, John Campbell Junior, Alexander Low, and William Ingram
Three documents related to disputed accounts between Robert Peter and Benjamin Ray. One with a note by John T. Mason dated February 27, 1799, "He has no shadow of right to one shilling on this [account]."
List of Robert Peter's court appearances
Court documents and accounts related to Robert Peter, 5 manuscripts.
Court documents and accounts related to Robert Peter, 19 small manuscript receipts
Survey of land called Bealls Plaines in what became Washington City, along Goose Creek, later renamed Tiber Creek.
Manuscript on parchment with large seal attached by a ribbon.
1766, Survey to Forrest, May 12, 1773, (six documents) Bladenburg, Sept., 21, 1766; Rock Creek, Nov. 13, 1766 "to Robert Peter, merchant in Georgetown."
One undated note by Thomas Peter and one letter from William Dearkins and Ben Stoddert to Stephen Chiswell about resurveying about 200 acres called Partnership granted to Elting Williams.
The Resurvey of Brandy and transfer of several named enslaved people.
A letter about resurveying a parcel of propery called Hazard. George Scott to Robert Peter, George Town.
Survey of Cross Basket, Balantyre, and other areas
Certificate and plat of the fragment acres in Montgomery County surveyed for Robert Peter, 1804 June 26: 2023-04-14
Certificate and plat for 5 3/4 acres of vacant land granted by special warrant to Robert Peter out of the Western Shore Land Office of Washington County in the District of Columbia. Surveyed by Joseph Elgar, Jr. Autograph document signed, 1 page.
Hand colored survey plat showing the division of Robert Peter's Square in George Town. Docketed on verso "Plat belonging to Thomas Peter's Square in George Town."
Tobacco sales
Tabacco Sales, Real Estate, Transfer of enslaved people
Deed of trust book is dated 1790
One dollar printed in Annapolis by F. Green, 7 December 1775. Two thirds of a dollar printed in Philadelphia by Hall and Sellers, 17 February 1776.
List of items purchased by Martha Washington from Macleod & Lumsdon, dated at the top 18 February 1800, Alexandria. The accounts, dated 8 July and 9 August, include entries for 47 panes of glass, oil, paint for 30 mahoghany chairs, paint for a wine cooler, varnishing, picture frame gilding, and glazing. Signed by Macleod & Lumdsdon at the bottom, noting that the above money was received in full 9 October 1800.
Receipt signed "Daniel Lecock" for payment received by the hands of James Anderson on behalf of Martha Washington for 790 bushels of corn on 2 May 1800.
Receipt for $25 paid by Thomas Carwood to James Anderson for 100 barrels of fish from Mount Vernon.
Accounts dated February 13, March 11, and April 12, 1800 for newspaper advertisements and handbills purchased by Martha Washington from Ellis Price, printer of The Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette. Items Martha purchased include 26 advertisements for a house to rent, an advertisement about the Mount Vernon fishery, 23 advertisements about the donkey Knight of Malta, and notice about the runaway slave Marcus.
Accounts dated 23 April-23 September 1800 for weaving yards of cotton, wool, and other fabrics. The payments are marked as having been paid "By balance due the Estate of General Washington," by cash, by 41 gallons of whiskey, and barrells of herring. The final payment is marked as received from James Anderson on 10 November 1801.
Bill addressed to the Estate of Mrs. Martha Washington, Deceased for $200 due to James Craik for medical services rendered Mrs. Washington during her last illness and $5 for cash paid Heyskill for the hire of his carriage. A signed oath by Jacob Hoffman testifies to the validity of the charges.
Receipt of payment from Thomas Peter to Lawrence Lewis for three hundred dollars for one hundred barrels of corn sold to Mount Vernon for the use of the estate. Signed by John Anderson.
Receipt written by Dr. David Stuart for the receipt from Thomas Peter for five guineas, the leagcy left by Martha Washington to Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart.
Payment from Thomas Law to Griffith Coombs for repairs to Martha Washington's townhome in the District Columbia occupied by Henry Dearborn. Payment marked by Coombs as received in full from Thomas Peter on August 23, 1802.
Twenty dollars wages paid to Richard Burnett of the City of Washingon by Thomas Peter for the year 1802.
Payment of $50 received by George Smith of Woodlawn from Thomas Peter on 12 January 1803 for hire as a blacksmith at Mount Vernon in the year 1802. Signed by George Smith (his mark) and Lawrence Lewis. George Smith was one of George Washington's slaves who was freed after Washington's death. His wife, Lydia, was one of Martha Washington's dower slaves and was inherited by Nelly Parke Custis Lewis of Woodlawn.
Receipt for one hundred pounds Virginia currency received by Benjamin Lincoln Lear from Thomas Peter, one of the executors of Martha Washington's estate.
Accounts of Mr. James Dunlop with Thomas Peter, for horses, ploughs, and an enslaved woman named Peg. Peg is likely one of the slaves Martha Parke Custis Peter inherited from the Custis estate.
Receipt for funeral arrangements paid by Thomas Peter to William King on December 4, 1820 following the death of his twenty-three-year-old daughter Columbia Washington Peter. The arrangements include a "walnut coffin lined," silver plate and engraving, and rental of horses, a hearse, and attendants.
H. B. Morris, Philadelphia, to Thomas Peter, Georgetown. Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. A letter about bank accounts and stock certificates.
Bill from Dr. Warfield to Thomas Peter for a visit to a "black man in the night" on March 5, 1824 which resulted in the amputation of the man's leg.
Two bills from P.L. Dupont paid by Martha Parke Custis Peter for dancing lessons for her daughter Britannia.
Two stock share certificates for the Patowmack Company (Potomac Company). Share No. 89 is for Martha Peter, and No. 91 for Thomas Peter.
Land office papers for the resurvey of Bear Denn, Daniels Discovery, and Partnership in Maryland
With unknown survey plat on verso.
Aquila Johns to Thomas Peter on sale of Seneca plantation
Autograph letter signed by Sarah Norfleet Freeland Peter, wife of Thomas Peter's brother George, relinquishing right title and interest on a tract of land called Forrest, property of her husband, in order to pay his debts.
Letter about resurveying property owned by George Washington Peter.
List of property in Montgomery County Maryland owned by Thomas Peter
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Regarding financial matters.
Horatio Edmondson of Taylor County, Maryland
Pamphlet stitch binding with marbled paper covers. Contains notes about purchases made by Thomas Peter 1813-1814.
Calling card from Le Baron de Maltitz, Secretaire de la Legation Imperiale de Russie. Manuscript date 1823 on verso.
John Dandridge writes to Thomas Peter, George Town, asking to borrow money from the estate of Martha Washington.
Thomas Peter, George Town, to George Peter
Autograph letter signed, with envelope. Josiah Quincy, Cambridge, to Martha Parke Custis Peter, Georgetown. Josiah Quincy thanks Martha Parke Custis Peter for her generous reeption of his children at Tudor Place and thanks her for the relic of George Washington that she sent back with them.
A contemporary manuscript copy of a letter in which Nelly Parke Custis describes having seen George Washington writing his farewell address at Mount Vernon. When the address was finished, she says he asked her to bring him silk string, and she watched him stitch the address together in front of her. Nelly writes this as a rebuke to one of Alexander Hamilton's sons, who claims his father wrote the farewell address.
A list of accounts between the Estate of George Washington and Alexandria apothecary Edward Stabler, including purchases for Turlington's Balsam, castor oil, arsenic, balsam copaiva, British oil, salts, purified Salt Petre, cantharides, ipecacuanha, laudanum, tumeric, and opodildo. Payments are marked as received by James Anderson.
Manuscript titled "A List of Negroes belonging to Mrs. Washington." A list of 121 enslaved persons who were Martha's dower slaves. Unlike the slaves owned by George Washington, Martha's slaves were not freed after her death and were inherited by the Custis descendants. Men, boys, women, and girls and listed in separate columns, each further broken down into the places where they worked: Mansion house, River Farm, Muddy Hole, and Union Farm. Five women - Amy, Alice, Peg, Agnes, and Old Judy - are listed as "Free but yet remain."
Signed certificate from the executors of General George Washington to the Clerk of Fairfax.
Account, George Washington Parke Custis, Esqr. to the Estate of Mrs. M.[artha] Washington, 1802-1826: 2023-06-19
Accounts from 1802 for furniture and household goods purchased by George Washington Parke Custis from the Estate of Martha Washington. The final payment was made in 1826, and the account is signed by Thomas Peter, executor of the estate.
A list of the household belongings sold by Thomas Peter from the personal estate of Martha Washington. Includes a listing of who purchased each item and the price it sold for.
Signed indenture for sale of land in the City of Washington.
Articles of agreement between George Calvert and Thomas Peter with Thomas Law, agreeing that Thomas Law and his wife Eliza Parke Custis Law will live separately. Eliza will receive $1500 per year from Law, and all the interest from her inheritance from George Washington will go to her and her daughter.
3 sheets of accounts between the estate of Robert Peter and James Dunlop, including the sale of "5 negroes willed Mrs. Peter." These are some of Martha's dower slaves inherited by Martha Parke Custis Peter. One additional account between Jonathan Hicks and the heirs of Robert Peter, dated 1809-1811.
Receipt written by Lawrence Lewis acknowledging receipt from Thomas Peter of three hundred and twenty-six dollars eighteen cent left to his son Lorenzo Lewis as a legacy from Martha Washington.
Receipt signed by George Washington Parke Custis acknowledging the receipt from Thomas Peter of one thousand dollars as a legacy left to his daughter from the late Martha Washington.
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Thomas Peter, George Town, to Bushrod Washington, Mount Vernon. Thomas Peter writes to Bushrod about money owed for two purchases he made from the estate of George Washington.
Decree, John Dandridge against George Washington Parke Custis and Thomas Peter, executors of Martha Washington's estate, 1829-1830: 2023-06-19
Two documents related to a settlement made by John Dandridge against George Washington Parke Custis and Thomas Peter, executors of Martha Washington's estate. One is a 1829 decree from the U. S. Circuit Court, signed by William Thomas Carroll; and the other is an account of money owed to John Dandridge signed by Benjamin Lincoln Lear, 1830 June 21. Autograph documents signed (2).
3 documents related to the death of Beverley Kennon, husband of Britannia W. Peter Kennon, who died aboard the USS Princeton during the 1844 Peacemaker accident: a newspaper clipping with an excerpt from a sermon by Reverend Mr. Magoon on the Princeton Tragedy, a plan of the burying ground belonging to Mrs. Beverly Kennon, and a certificate from the Vestry of Washington Parish granting Mrs. Beverley Kennon four sites in the Washington Parish Burial Ground.
Receipts for two legacies received of Britannia W. Peter Kennon, executor of Martha Parke Custis Peter's estate. One is for a grandson named Thomas Peter and another for her grandson John Parke Custis Peter.
Manuscript resolution of the Senate of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, offering sympathy to the families of those killed aboard the USS Princeton during the Peacemaker accident. This copy was given by the President of the United States to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, whose husband, Beverley Kennon, was killed in the accident.
Printed form signed by Britannia W. Peter Kennon and witnessed by William Purcell, esquire, Judge of the Orphans' Court of Washington county, District of Columbia.
A list of collections and payments made to sundry persons to settle the estate of Martha Parke Custis Peter.
Document bound with blue ribbon, with envelope. Last will and testament of Ann Gertrude Wightt, a former nun at the Georgetown Visitation Convent who later lived at Tudor Place. Autograph document, 8 pages.
Autograph letter, with envelope. Ann Gertrude Wightt, Rochester, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Tudor Place
Papers related to the sale of Lot 9 in Square 72 of Washington City to William A. Gordon. Letter from William E. Edmonston to William A. Gordon, 1891 May 30. Two letters from William A. Gordon to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, 1891 June 3 and 1889 October 4. Typescript signed by William Gordon of Declaration of Trust for sale of Lot Nine, Square Seventy Two in Washington City, D.C..
Indenture made between Britannia Wellington Kennon, party of the first part, and Walter Gibson Peter, Armistead Peter Jr., and George Freeland Peter, parties of the second part, all of the District of Columbia, regarding relics and heirlooms at Tudor Place acquired by Britannia W. Peter Kennon from her mother Martha Custis Peter grand-daughter of Martha the wife of George Washington, known in the family as "The Mount Vernon Heirlooms." Other relics are from the estates of Thomas Peter and Beverley Kennon. Britannia wishes that these relics be preserved by her descendants and that none of them be sold or disposed of.
These include pictures, miniatures, engravings, glass, china, silver, jewelry, furniture, needlework, and other relics, including a sago palm formerly belonging to Martha Parke Custis Peter. The relics and heirlooms are to be divided into five parts after Britannia's death and delivered to her grandchildren.
A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Language (New York : Printed and published by William A. Davies) Inscribed Britannia W. Peter.
Autograph letter signed. Beverley Kennon, Navy Yard, Washington, to Reverend W. Hoff, George Town. Kennon asks Reverend Hoff to be present at Mrs. Peter's place in George Town on the 8th to marry him to Britannia W. Peter.
2 autograph letters signed.
Autograph letter signed on mourning stationary, with envelope and black seal. John Tyler, Washington, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon. President John Tyler offers his condolences to Britannia W. Peter Kennon on the death of her husband, Beverley Kennon, during the Peacemaker accident aboard the USS Princeton.
G. T. Kennon to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Tudor Place
Autograph letter signed with envelope docketed "A letter written to Uncle Bev. by my mother while at boarding school given to me after Uncle Bev's death by Aunt G.". Martha Custis Kennon, Georgetown, to Beverley Kennon Jr. Beverley Kennon Jr. was Martha Custis Kennon's half brother.
According to Martha Custis Peter, this illustration was at the Tudor Place.
W. Van Ness, New York, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Tudor Place, Georgetown
Department of the Interior, Pension Office, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Tudor Place, Georgetown
Mrs. Charles Carroll Simms to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Georgetown
Mattie D. Abbot to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, Tudor Place. From the Secretary of the Ladies Aid Society of Christ Church accepting Britannia Kennon's resignation as President.
Letters from James Mackubin, Ellicott City, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon
Two letters from Justine Van Rensselaer Townsend, Vice Regent of New York for the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, to Britannia W. Peter Kennon. In the 26 November 1890 letter, Justine asks Britannia to help the Ladies determine what is genuine at the upcoming 1890 Thomas Birch's Sons sale of Washington relics in Philadelphia. The sale will include "General Washington's papers, a clock, a punch bowl, and many other things."
Invitation from The Board of World's Fair Managers of Virginia inviting Britannia W. Peter Kennon to be present at the ceremonies of Virginia Day at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Enclosed with an envelope and the calling card of Mrs. William Radford Beale.
Calling cards for Martha Custis Kennon and Armistead Peter. At home card with envelope for Britannia W. Peter Kennon, engraved by Dempsey & O. Toole of Baltimore & Washington.
Engraved form ceritifying that "Cream Ladle No 68944 is an exact reproduction of one onwed by General and Mrs. Washington and used for a number of years at Mr. Vernon." The ladle was produced by Galt & Bro. Jewellers, Silversmiths, Stationers, Washington D.C..
Regarding the purchase of a clock.
Typescript lists of letters and items from Mount Vernon that were part of Britannia W. Peter Kennon's collection at Tudor Place.
Unbound notebook with list of items and letters from Mount Vernon that belonged to Britannia W. Peter Kennon at Tudor Place. Includes a list of how the items were divided amongst Britannia's grandchildren.Includes furniture and household items.
Includes a list of how the items were divided amongst Britannia W. Peter Kennon's grandchildren.
Manuscript list of books, jewelry, and locks of hair at Tudor Place
Includes both manuscript and typescript inventories of books, furniture, and objects from Tudor Place.
Newsclippings and correspondence related to Washington relics loaned by Walter G. Peter to the National Museum in the early 1900s.
Lent by Walter G. Peter from the Britannia W. Peter Kennon Collection of Washington Relics.
R. Davidson, Pinckneyville, to George Peter, George Town
Includes a $5 charge on 23 October 1813 for a coffin "for a black man." On 9 February 1814, Peter was charged $50.00 for a lined coffin covered with black cloth, among other expenses, possibly following the death of his first wife, Ann Plater Peter, or one of their young sons.
Thomas Anderson, Clarksburgh, to George Peter
Autograph letter signed with printed cash form from the Office of Discount and Deposit, Washington.
Joseph Delaplaine, Philadelphia, to George Peter. Deplaine requests Major Peter's portrait for his gallery.
U. McInder, Petersburg, to George Peter
Letter from unidentified, Annapolis, to George Peter
W. Coor, Rockville, to George Peter
Partially printed form from the District of Columbia. Major Peter grants Charles A. Burnett power of attorney to sell, assign, and transfer his 50 shares of stock in the Books of the Washington Turnpike Company.
Letter from unidentified, Annapolis, to George Peter
Charles Bunting, Montgomery County, to George Peter
James H., Georgetown, to George Peter
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel. Benjamin Lincoln Lear, Washington, to George Peter. Lear writes regarding two suits againist Mrs. Sarah Peter.
John Wootton, Rockville, to George Peter
Benjamin Lincoln Lear, Washington, to George Peter. Printed letter with manuscript additions, from B. L. Lear, Attorney of the Bank, Bank of the United States.
W. W. Ramsay, Washington, to George Peter
Letter from unidentified, Washington, to George Peter
Letter from unidentified, Washington City, to George Peter
B. H., Rockville, to George Peter
Clement Cod, Georgetown, to George Peter
William Thompson, Union School, to George Peter
Michael Keepers, Frederick Town, to George Peter
John Wootton, Rockville, to George Peter
G. D., George Town, to George Peter
J. Orme, Georgetown, to George Peter
W. Sellman, Clarksburg, to George Peter
Samuel C. Ulens, Poolesville, to George Peter
J. Higgins, Poolesville, to George Peter
Jesse V., Poolesville, to George Peter, Darnestown
J. Falls, Baltimore, to George Peter
Geo. Howson Mason, Annapolis, to George Peter
Alfred Spates, Cumberland, to George Peter
Letter from unidentified, Baltimore, to George Peter
W. Matthews, George Town, to George Peter
Geo. Hownson Mason, Annapolis, to George Peter
Benj. Fawcett, Colesville, to George Peter
J. Williams, Washington D.C., to George Peter
A letter from the Treasuries Office of the Baltimore and Ohion Railroad Company, offering Peter free tickets to pass over the roads of their company.
Printed election ballot for "The Constitution and Union Ticket," promising "Civil and Religious Liberty." George Peter is listed as the candidate for Commisioner of Public Works.
A list of clothing purchased by Martha Washington from William Jones of Alexandria. Includes suits purchased for enslaved workers Daniel, Marcus, Christopher, and Frank. According to notes on the verso, payments were received from James Anderson on 12 April 1800 and 15 May 1800.
Five receipts for goods and services paid for by James Anderson in 1800, including repairs to old shoes, paper lampblack, freight for one box from Philadelphia, 93 yards of cloth, and leather.
Promissory notes from George Peter
Promissory notes and bank notes from George Peter. Checks, Union Bank of Georgetown.
Bills and bank notes from George Peter. Checks, Union Bank of Georgetown.
Bills and bank notes from George Peter. Checks, Union Bank of Georgetown.
Promissory notes and bank notes from George Peter
Bills and bank notes from George Peter
Bills and bank notes from George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter
Bills and accounts of George Peter with F. S. Poole and Bro
Bills and accounts of George Peter with F. S. Poole and Bro.
Undated Bills and accounts of George Peter
George H. Peter, Carlise, writes to his uncle asking for money for an upcoming vacation.
3 letters from James Peter to his uncle George Peter.
George Peter, George Town
3 letters sent by James Freeland Peter to his father from Alexandria, Buffalo, and Detroit.
Manuscript acrostic written for Uncle George Peter.
Sarah Peter, Georgetown, to George Peter
4 letters from George Peter, Jr., to his father.
Typescript list of "Things from Mt. Vernon" with manuscript annotations by George Freeland Peter of which Peter heirs inherited the items.
Typescript and manuscript inventories of items fro Tudor Place, with notes on which Peter heirs inherited them.
Identification key to "The battle at Bunker's Hill" engraved by Johann Gotthard Müller after the painting by John Trumbull. Printed in London by A. C. de Poggi.
Accounts for shoes, boots, and repairs, including shoes for enslaved people.
Major George Peter's troops are invited to attend Divine Service. "It is hoped they will attend & conduct themselves with a reverence suited to the character of Christian soldiers, who have taken arms in defence of their homes & country & who look for success & preservation to the favor of the Almighty Giver of all victory."
Autograph letter signed with integral address panel and red wax seal.
2 letters to George Peter from his brother David Peter, George Town.
Deed of sale for land purchased by Peter on Gay Street and Dumarton Street in George Town.
A list of 322 volumes, showing title, number of volumes, size, and type of bookbinding.
8 letters and 1 receipt, mostly addressed to George Peter from his niece, Jane Beverley and her husband, James.
printed pages
Roger Brooke Taney, Annapolis, to George Peter regarding upcoming elections [December 20] to the U. S. Senate specifically the potential election of Mr. [Alexander C.] Hanson as a means to heal and reconcile the differences in the Federal Party. Also discuss Mr. Washington's 'zeal and industry' in supporting Hanson's candidacy. Autograph letter signed, 2 pages. Docketed 'Roger B. Taney - Hanson & Washington'
W. Cook, Hyates Town,
William Brewer, Aix la Chapelle, to George Peter
James Summers, New Market, to George Peter
G. Dalls S., Colesville, to George Peter, Poolesville
Elisha Jones, Clarksburg, to George Peter
Includes the papers granting George and Sarah Peter guardianship of David Peter's children Elizabeth, William, Jane, George H., and James.
trust, property, and expenses of land
material and clothing
Receipt for the purchase of Lot No. 15 in Square No. 170 in the City of Washington.
Receipts from Leonard W. Candler, Darnes Town, to George Peter. Receipts for the purchase of dry goods, clothing, and other household goods.
3 copies of the will of Sarah Freeland, George Peter's mother-in-law.
appraisal authorization of Alexander Broome and Samuel Darby
Accounts of Margaret Dick with William Parson. Includes an account for shoes soled and nailed for James Peter.
Medical bills, pharmacy, doctor
tuition bills
Letter, T.H. Paul to George Peter. Letter, Unknown to the Secretary of the Interior of the United States.
Receipts from Leonard W. Candler, Darnes Town, to George Peter. Receipts for the purchase of dry goods, clothing, and other household goods.
typescript copy
deed of conveyance
Indenture, George Peter to Thomas Peter, Land from estate of Robert Peter, Jr.
copies of letters
Military exemption for Armistead Peter
Bill, George Peter, Esq. to Dr. Armistead Peter, 1869 February 11; Col. Richard L. Maury, Attorney, to Dr. Armistead Peter, 1876 October 10
Includes story of Abraham Lincoln and the Maryland Barbecue by Agnes Peter
Memento for either Walter Gibson Peter or W. Orton Williams from Mrs. Laura Cassaway, small American flag and small ivory mirror with flower [Fragile]
Includes receipt of letter, 1873 January 24. Letter regarding interest in farm from Robert Dick.
lock of hair
From Binder 1
From Binder 1
From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- Fragmented letter - From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- From Binder 1
Genealogical Studies- From Binder 1
Four envelopes
Goes up to Britannia W. Peter Kennon -From Binder 1
Condolence letter
Signed by Governor Horatio Sharpe
Indenture, September 30, 1791; Resurvey of Forrest, 1796. Document signed by Gov. Haywood
Resurvey of Pipe Tomhock; Copy of Platt (sic) and Illustrations, August 14, 1798; July 11, 1766, Explanation of Survey, September 19, 1797, May 26, 1796, February 16, 1797
Deed, Elizabeth and John Scrivenor, April 18, 1799, June 11, 1799, Resurvey of Brandy, June 9, 1792, June 18, 1792
December 24, 1871, wrapper
Bernard Gilpin firmly bound to Thomas Peter for $5520
wove paper
Photocopy, "Account Book 1, Robert Peter, Esq. with the Commissioners of the Federal Buildings; On division of the Tract, Mexico within the City of Washington, Exclusive of what are called "Old divisions of squares" and water lots of which no account is key by the Commissioners. 21 pp. Note from Walter Gibson Peter re: History of book, how it ended up in the Library of Congress Thomas Peter
signed by James Madison, B. Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy
James Madison signature
The most important ones delivered to F.S. Keys Esq. and recorded in suit pending in Court Dt. Columbia
9 manuscripts
under the orders of Lt. Col. E. Robert, USTE
Building 3044 O Street
copies
Includes Allison's Forrest Enlarged; Fort Grubby Hill, July 1, 1732
Includes Indenture, Daniel Veetch, February 19, 1758 Document signed by Gov. Horatio Sharpe
Bathsheba
First found in Thomas Peter's Letterbooks
Photos, Photos from Survey (4) and Ivory Cross [First found in Papers of Britannia W. Peter Kennon] Interesting small religious carved cross, made from Mother-of-Pearl
Letter, William A. Coffin to Britannia Kennon, February 23, 1889; Brouchure for Exhibition, April 30, 1889; Letter, A. W. Drake to Britannia Kennon, January 29, 1889, May 16, 1889, including: carte de visite of George Washington and calling card of Mr. A. W. Drake (Photo) [First found in Papers of Britannia W. Peter Kennon]
First found in Papers of Britannia W. Peter Kennon
First found in Papers of Major George Peter
First found in Major George Peter's Letterbooks
Frenzel Gallery, Georgetown. Moved from Papers of Dr. Armistead Peter.
Includes Sir Thomas Nicholson, William Scott Blair, General Scott of Malenie, Robert Buchanan, William Dunlop, Elizabeth Roberton, J. Horsburgh, Lord Abbots Hall, Isabel Corbet, Cunningham Scott. First found in Papers of Dr. Armistead Peter.
First found in Papers of Dr. Armistead Peter
Containing photographs of Peter relatives
Pictures of Tudor Place, Vacation, Content Farm, Ellen Beale Peter 1931 (Walter Gibson's Wife) Made by Walter Gibson Peter, [Loose photographs], Half Full.
Elizabeth Peter, wife of Robert Peter. Made by Walter Gibson Peter [Note: Some loose pages]
Book of tobacco sales, list of enslaved persons belonging to Robert Peter, and lots of Robert Peter in the City of Washington with division by squares for the Commissioners and how they are disposed. The bound volume is made up of 178 pages. Pages 52-147 are blank. At some point the volume is flipped and entries are begun at the back of the book from pages 178-154. For viewing purposes those pages have been reoriented and reordered.
"Tobacco Book," All letters received pertaining to his business of selling tobacco in Europe and trading across the Atlantic, including captains, lawyers, and buyers in Europe.
Includes personal letters that were sent to the family, photocopied letters from Thomas and General Washington, various financial papersNot in order [Documents are fragile and book in poor condition]. Made by Walter Gibson Peter.
Contains photographs and letters. Created by Walter Gibson Peter, received documents from Britannia W. Peter Kennon.
Commissions, Letters, Orders, etc. Relating to service in the U.S. Army and Major Georgetown Field Artillery, Created by Walter Gibson Peter. Items signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Corps of the Artillerists, New Orleans and Fort McHenry, Garrison and Regimental Orders, Major George Peter; Order and prisoner tries and punishments, List from Fort McHenry, Morning Reports [Note: Book in poor condition]
Ledger of real estate holdings of George Peter with Robert Peter and James Peter [pages 2-17]. Also includes, "The following Table exhibits a view of the Squares and Lots, the Number of square feet therein contained, and the value of the same, now owned by Capt. George Peter, in the City of Washington" [pages 74-78]. Stitch binding with marbled paper covers, 88 pages. Real estate accounts appear on pages 2-7, 10-11, 14-17, 74, 76, and 78. The remaining page are blank. In 1813, the ledger is flipped and a single page (page 88) includes a list of names under the title 'Rent Roll for 1813.'
First found in Papers of Major George Peter
Lessons and Exercises in Vocal Music by Benjamin Carr
Contains letters, pictures, U.S. Navy Commissions (James Madison, John Tyler, and Franklin Pierce), invitations, and a memorandum of Britannia and Beverley made by Walter Gibson Peter- Grandson to Britannia.
After resigning from the army, notes made from Walter George Peter. Includes letters, a list of enlaved people from Montanaverde, bills, and business transactions.
Repairs made on properties of Robert Peter, Jr. Stitch binding with marbled paper covers, 98 pages. Real estate accounts appear on pages 2-5, 8-23, and 26-33. The remaining page are blank.
First found in Papers of Major George Peter
First found in Papers of Major George Peter
Copies made February 1 and 2, 1849 by Edmund Law Rogers at Tudor Place, the residence of his Great-Aunt Martha Peter.
Communion Alms, Christmas and Easter Offerings, June 5, 1850. In Memory of Mrs. Britannia Wellington Kennon, From the Trustees of the Louise Home, 1911.
Four account books. Account Money paid for the Estate of Mrs. Martha Peter
"Commenced the practice of medicine the latter end of March 1867. Left town the first of May 1867 and returned June 28th- recommended practicing 8th of July, etc., Expense Log and Visiting List"
First found in Dr. Armistead Peter's files. 9 volumes, dated 1863, 1866, 1870, 1873, 1876, 1878, 1889, 1892, and 1896.
List of patients from practice and paid or unpaid, in alphabetical order, Bills Due, Cash Paid to Mrs. Peter, other accounts, small pox vaccination count
Notes on visits, family seal, copied letters, list of articles from Mount Vernon, notes about clothes and jewelry; Copy of Album was acquired by Martha Custis Peter, great-great granddaughter to Britannia W. Peter Kennon, which Britannia had given to her grandson, Walter Gibson Peter. Her father was Walter Gibson Peter, Jr.
contains dried flowers
Includes folders of France and WWI soldiers
Contains deeds, inventories, and papers pertaining to Robert Peter's estates and his sons, Robert, James, David, George, and Thomas. Various notes about David Peter's death, and letters from George Peter. Made by Walter Gibson Peter. [Note: There are loose pages]
Includes voice and music notes for the saxon ground, will you come to the bower, nobody coming to marry me, the rose, rondo, and others.
First found in Papers of Major George Peter
No. 5116, volume 190, covering the coronation of George VI.
Printed volume, includes a facsimile handwritten section entitled "accounts, G. Washington with the United States, commencing June 1775, and ending June 1773, comprehending a space of eight years."