John Augustine Washington III and family papers, 1789-1994 SC.JAWIII

John Augustine Washington III and family papers, 1789-1994 SC.JAWIII


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Special Collections at The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

PO Box 3600
Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Telephone: 703-799-3600
URL: http://archives.mountvernon.org

Katherine Hoarn, Special Collections Librarian; Audrey Abrams, May 2021; revised by Caroline Sharp, 2024.

Repository
Special Collections at The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
Identification
SC.JAWIII
Title
John Augustine Washington III and family papers 1789-1994
Quantity
approx 4 Linear Feet, 15 boxes
Creator
Alexander, Hannah Lee Washington, 1811-1881
Creator
Alexander, Judith Ball Blackburn, 1796-1866
Creator
Alexander, William Fontaine, 1811-1862
Creator
Washington, Anne Madison, 1882-1966
Creator
Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861
Creator
Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920
Creator
Washington, Patty Willis, 1880-1971
Language
English .

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain items for preservation purposes.

Preferred Citation

[Name and date of item], John Augustine Washington III and family papers, [Folder], Special Collections, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.


Biographical / Historical

John Augustine Washington III (1821-1861): John Augustine Washington III was the great-grand nephew of George Washington and the last private owner of Mount Vernon. The fourth of five children, he was born on May 3, 1821 to John Augustine Washington II and Jane Charlotte Blackburn Washington. John Augustine spent his childhood at his parents' Blakeley plantation near present day Charles Town, West Virginia. After the deaths of Bushrod Washington and his wife Julia in 1829, the Mount Vernon estate became the possession of John Augustine Washington II. After John Augustine Washington II passed away in June 1832, the estate was left to his widow Jane Charlotte. John Augustine Washington III graduated from the University of Virginia in 1840, returning to Mount Vernon in September 1841 with a proposition to manage the estate for his mother. She agreed, loaning him twenty-two slaves and contracting his employment for five hundred dollars per year for seven years. Upon Jane Charlotte's death in 1855, as the oldest living male heir, John Augustine Washington III became the last owner private owner of Mount Vernon.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and other documents related to John Augustine Washington III and his family, especially his son, Lawrence, as well as his granddaughters, Anne and Patty. The bulk of the correspondence series are letters sent to John Augustine Washington III and concern family affairs and the management of various family plantations, including Mount Vernon.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in the following series and subseries:

Series 1. Correspondence (Three subseries: John Augustine Washington III, Lawrence Washington, Washington Family)

Series 2. Legal, Financial, and Real Property (including surveys, deeds, receipts, etc)

Series 3. Miscellaneous (typed manuscripts, various papers relating to genealogy research or publications)

Series 4. Prints and Photographic Materials

All series are arranged chronologically, with undated materials listed last.

Related Material

John Augustine Washington III and Eleanor Love Selden Correspondence ; John Augustine Washington III and Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) Collection

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Series 1. Correspondence
1797-1969English.
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Series 2. Legal, Financial, and Real Property
1789-1964English.
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Series 3. Miscellaneous
1833-1994English.
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Series 4. Prints and Photographic Materials
1800-1910English.
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