Richard Marshall Scott, Jr. began keeping this diary when he moved back to the Bush Hill plantation from Alexandria, where he had been reading law with Francis L. Smith since October of 1845. On the first page, he records the names of all of his slaves living at Bush Hill plantation. He writes about work done on the plantation; the weather, including a heavy snow; social visits; his joy at having the Bush Hill plantation as his property at last; an injury to his slave, Aaron, while cutting timber; the construction of a new barn; church attendance; his first mention of his future wife, Virginia Gunnell (March 15, 1846); the illness, death and burial of his housekeeper, Isabella, who was treated by Dr Fairfax and Dr. Richard (April 7-21, 1846); his runaway slave, George, eventually sold to Richard Windsor (April 22-31, 1846); his friendship with Dr. Gunnell and his sister, Virginia; his suffering with mumps; attendance at events, such as the Great National Fair in Washington (May 21, 1846), various sessions of Congress, the anniversaries of national events, and his viewing of paintings in the Rotunda at the Capitol; mention of the Mexican War and General Taylor (June 8, 1846); the sale of slave woman, Catherine, for "improper conduct" to Joseph Bruin (August 10-11, 1846); national and state elections; his marriage to Virginia Gunnell (September 15, 1846); the birth of his daughter, Eleanor Marshall Scott (August 7, 1847); and the hiring out of some of his slaves at Samuel Catts on the first of January each year, beginning in 1847. This diary account continues in volumes marked "Notebook" in Box 4.

The originals of these excerpts are labeled "Diary" and "Memoranda Books" on the covers of the volumes they were taken from and in the finding aid.

This private journal kept by Francis M. Gunnell, M.D., U.S. Navy, whose appointment was dated March 23, 1849, describes a cruise in the sloop of war "U.S.S. Falmouth." The crew began sailing for the Pacific on May 16, 1849, where the "Falmouth" was charged with protecting the new American settlements on the west coast. The ship also voyaged to various Pacific islands before returning to Norfolk on January 29, 1852. This account of the cruise occupies pages 1-72 of the volume. The second portion of the journal, pages 74-111, describe Gunnell's cruise aboard the U.S.S. Independence and appears to be written totally in French.

According to Wikipedia, the Independence "was recommissioned in September 1854 and departed New York on 10 October to serve as flagship of the Pacific Squadron under Commodore William Mervine. She arrived Valparaíso, Chile, on 2 February 1855. Her cruising grounds ranged northward to San Francisco and west to Hawaii. Proceeding from Panama Bay, she entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 2 October 1857." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Independence_(1814)

Includes a broadside with a petition issued by the President, Richard M. Scott, and Directors of the Farmers' Bank of Alexandria, to Congress, May 26, 181[8?].

Chiefly describes agricultural activities, but does have some references to events during the period of the American Revolution, such as mentions of mustering with his battalion and seeing Men-of-War ships and transports coming up the [Potomac?] River, in July 1776. Some of the pages record the names of enslaved laborers with the farming activity, and also births, such as the birth of a boy to his "wench" Betty, July [4?], 1776.

The memoranda books of Richard M. Scott, Sr. record agricultural and horticultural events, social visits, activities of enslaved laborers, deaths and births of slaves, and inventories of property, such as the one concerning house linens, knives and forks, earthenware and plate at "Bush Hill" (February 4, 1812). He mentions the anniversaries of the tragic death of his wife, who died in 1812 from injuries sustained in the Richmond Theater fire of December 26, 1811.

He also writes about trips to the District of Columbia, the invasion of the Capitol by the British during the War of 1812 (August 24 and 28, 1814), trips to Warm Springs in Bath County, Virginia, for his health, and a fire at Bush Hill involving the servant hall, barn, stables, equipment and straw (April 8, 1823). Scott also mentions his blacksmith shop to be built by Henry Morris, a free man of color for a dollar a day (August 5, 1824), attended the funeral of "negro Betty, a free woman, wife of my servant Moses" (October 7, 1824), gave a holiday to his servants (slaves) to witness the entry and reception of General Lafayette on the 16th of October (October 23, 1824) and included a list of spirits and wine on hand (July 24, 1824).

Mentions the marriage of his servant and gardener, Townshend Crump, to Molly Turner, a servant of [J].E. Marshall (October 7, 1825); Daniel, a free man of color, a blacksmith, cutting chestnut for charcoal (February 15, 1826), and the death of Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1826). Other topics include the marriage of his servant, Moses Johnston, to Kitty, "Mrs. James H. Hooe's colored servant girl" (December 27, 1826), the death of his brother, David Wilson Scott (1827 September 23, 1827), the bottling of 238 bottles of wine (November 8, 1827), his marriage to Eleanor Douglas Marshall (November 25, 1828), and the birth of a son (August 28, 1829).

Located in Box 1 Folder 6, there is a copy of typed excerpts from the memoranda books and diaries of Richard M. Scott, Sr. and Richard M. Scott, Jr.

This volume continues chronologically from the diary of Richard Marshall Scott, Jr. in Box 1, and includes information about weather, the hiring of an overseer, Mr. Joseph U. Sandford from Dranesville, who left after a year (January 11, 1848; January 26, 1849); the sudden illness and death of former President John Quincy Adams while serving in the House of Representatives (February 21-26, 1848); the hiring of his slave, Ellen Ann and one child, to her husband, David Grey, a "free negro living near Claremont," (January 11 and March 1, 1848) who, in subsequent years, was hired out to others; news of a revolution in France with the abdication of the King (March 20, 1848); and the purchase of a slave, Joe, from the estate sale of General John Mason for six hundred dollars (May 4, 1849).

Writes concerning Francis Gunnell, who sailed from Boston aboard the United States Sloop of War "Falmouth" as assistant surgeon (May 10, 1849) and the birth of his son, Frank (July 1, 1849). Scott mentions the amputation of the finger of his slave, Frank, hired out to the Rev. E.A. Dalyrmple, who broke Frank's finger with a blow from a stick causing it to became inflamed (January 11-15, 1850); visits to Congress, where he heard debates on slavery and the admission of new states to the Union, which had prohibited slavery, such as California (February 20, March 13, August 22, 1850); news about the deaths of John C. Calhoun on March 31, 1850 (April 2, 1850) and President Zachary Taylor (July 10, 1850); the construction of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, with stops on his property (September 12, 1850 and June 8-July 4, 1851); a trip to Niagara Falls (October 15-November 8); his slave, Basil, ran away, fearing a flogging (August 4, 1851); and the birth of a son (September 13, 1851).

The volume continues with news of the deaths of Dr. Gunnell (April 28-29, 1852) and Dennis Johnston (July 24, 1852) both sixty-five years of age; a suicide of a neighbor (October 22, 1852); sale of two slaves, Robert and Nancy (November 17, 1852); mention that slave hiring prices were high and slaves in great demand (January 1, 1853); Work by bricklayers and others on a house of his on Prince Street, Alexandria (December 31, 1852-September 17, 1853) and for house on Washington Street to rent to the Cotton Factory (October 8-10); sale of Hannah and three children (September 7, 1853) and Adam (November 17, 1853); birth of daughter, Anna Constance (December 1, 1853); sale of boy, Lewis (February 6, 1854); an eclipse of the sun (May 26, 1854); marriage of his slaves, Charles and Mary Ellen (July 16, 1854); visit to the family graveyard at "Farmington" (December 11, 1854); the arrest of his runaway slave, Basil Gunt, in Frederick City, Maryland, where he had been living as a free man for three and a half years (March 3, 1855); children taken to town to have their daguerreotypes taken (August 4, 1855); and the death of slave, Mary Ellen (November 17, 1855).

The end papers contain a list of books kept in the secretary and bookcase at Bush Hill and a list of land lots [purchased in Virginia?].

This volume completes the diary of Richard M. Scott, Jr. describing the sudden progress of his lung disease and trips to Cuba and the Red Sulphur Springs in Monroe County for relief, up to his death on November 13, 1856. His wife vows to continue the diary for her children's sake. Virginia writes about financial struggles and decisions that are hers as a new widow, sales of slaves that caused her "difficulties" including Margaret (April 25-May 4, 1857), the girl, May (May 3, 1859) and West (July 14, 1859); having a portrait of her husband made from a daguerreotype and sitting for her own portrait (May 14-29, 1857).

She continues to mention her financial difficulties (February 20 and April 3, 1858) since the death of her husband and her hopes for administrative help from her brother, James; notes her brother, Frank, who is going out in the "USS Frigate Niagara" to assist in the laying of the Atlantic Cable between coast of Ireland and Newfoundland (March 5-August 26, 1858); her brother, James, assisting Virginia in arranging slave hires, getting the manumission papers at Fairfax Courthouse for John Allen, who was freed under the will of her husband, and the sale of Letty in Richmond (January 1-18, 1859); the sale of the St. Marysville farm in Stafford to Mr. Hooe (January 27, 1859) and the Waterloo farm to William Hughes (June 2, 1859); an her brother, Frank, ordered to the Gulf of Mexico upon the steamer "Fulton" (July 13, 1859).

This folder contains a stock certificate for four shares in the Exchange Bank of Virginia; a few letters to Dr. Francis M. Gunnell, Virginia Scott, and Emily Gunnell, 1869-1950; an account of the early life of Richard M. Scott, Sr. written for his son, copied by Virginia Scott from the first pages of a book left to Richard M. Scott, Jr.; and two photographs, one of John P. Nelson and a second of Bruce Covington Gunnell.

Most of these photographs have no obvious identification. There are some souvenir cartes de visite from Lima, Peru, and some of famous people, such as the portraits of George Washington and Martha Washington, and a medallion featuring the Empress Josephine.