Part 4 (1/2)

SETTING UP HOUSEKEEPING

Mercer's domestic-expense account is full of evidence that he was preparing to set up housekeeping. He bought ”1 China punch bowl,” 10s.; ”6 gla.s.ses,” 3s.; ”1 box Iron & heaters,” 2s. 6d.; ”1 p^r fine blankets,” 1s. 13d.; ”Earthen ware,” 10s.; ”5 Candlesticks,” 17s. 6d.; ”1 Bed Cord,” 2s.; ”3 maple knives & forks,” 2s.; ”1 yew haft knife & fork & 1 p^r Stilds [steelyards?],” 1s. 10-1/2d.; ”1 p^r Salisbury Scissors,” 2s. 6d.; and ”1 speckled knife & fork,” 5d.

In addition, he accepted as payment for various cloth and materials sold to Mrs. Elizabeth Russell the following furniture and furnis.h.i.+ngs:

Ster. s. d.

By a writing desk D^o 5 By a gla.s.s & Cover D^o 7 6 By 18^l Pewter at 1/4 D^o 1 4 By 6 tea Cups & Sawcers 2/ D^o 12 By 2 Chocolate Cups 1/ D^o 2 By 2 Custard Cups 9^d D^o 1 6 By 1 Tea Table painted with fruit D^o 14 By 6 leather Chairs @ 7/ 2 2 By a small walnut eating table 8 By 1/2 doz. Candlemoulds 10 By a Tea table 18 By a bra.s.s Chafing dish 5 By 6 copper tart pans 6

At the time of this purchase, the only house standing at Marlborough was that built by Thomas Ballard in 1708. It was inherited by his G.o.dson David Waugh,[55] who now apparently offered to let his niece Catherine and her new husband occupy it. Mercer later referred to it as ”the House I lived in built by Ballard.”[56] From his own records we know that he moved to Marlborough in 1726. He did so probably in the summer, since on June 11 he settled with Charles McClelland for ”cleaning out y^e house.” Unoccupied for years and small in size, it was a humble place in which to set up housekeeping, and indeed must have needed ”cleaning out.” It also must have needed extensive repairs, since Mercer purchased 1500 tenpenny nails ”used about it.”

Throughout 1726 Mercer acquired household furnis.h.i.+ngs, made repairs and improvements, and obtained the necessities of a plantation. On February 1 he acquired ”3 Ironbacks” (cast-iron firebacks for fireplaces) for 8 4s. 2d., as well as ”2 p^r hand Irons” for 15s. 5d., from Edmund Bagge.

From George Rust he bought ”3 Cows & Calves” for 7 10s., a featherbed for 3 10s., and an ”Iron pot” for 5s.

His reckoning with John Dogge opens with a poignant note, ”By a Child's Coffin”: Mercer's first-born child had died. On the same account was ”an Oven,” bought for 17 s.h.i.+llings. Dogge also was credited with ”bringing over 10 sheep from Sumners” (a plantation at Pa.s.sapatanzy, south of Potomac Creek). Rawleigh Chinn was paid for ”plowing up & fencing in my yard” and for ”fetching 3 horses over the Creek.” Also credited to Chinn was an item revealing Mercer's sporting enthusiasm: ”went on y^e main race ... 15/.”

From Alexander Buncle, Mercer acquired one dozen table knives, three chamber-door locks, two pairs of candle snuffers, and two broad axes.

His account with Alexander McFarlane in 1726, the credit side of which is quoted here in part, is a further ill.u.s.tration of the variety of hardware and consumable goods that he required:

s. d.

2 p^r men's Shooes 9 1 Razor & penknife 2 6 2-1/4 gall Rum 6 9 9 gals. mola.s.ses 13 12^1 brown Sugar 6 6-1/4 double refined D^o 20^d 10 5 1 felt hat 2 4 1 q^t Limejuice 1 2 doz. Claret 1 10 2 lanthorns 6 1 funnell 7-1/2 1 quart & 1 pint tin pot 1 10-1/2

By 2 doz & 8 bottles Claret 2 8 By a woman's horsewhip 3 By 1^{oz} Gunpowder By 10^l Shot By 1 wom^s bound felt [hat]

Mercer's comments, added three years later to this record, signify the complexities of credit accounting in the plantation economy: ”In July 1729 I settled Accounts w^{th} M^r M^cFarlane & paid him off & at the same time having Ed Barry's note on him for 1412^l Tob^o (his goods being extravagantly dear) I paid him 1450^l Tob^o to M^r Thos Smith to ball^{ns} accts.”

Another of Mercer's accounts was with Edward Simm. From Simm, Mercer acquired the following in 1726:

s. d.

1 horsewhip 4 1 fine hat 12 9 y^{ds} bedtick 3/4 1 10 1 p^r Spurs 8 1 Curry Comb & brush 2 9 2 p^r mens Shooes 5/ 10 1 p^r Ch.e.l.loes 1 10 2 p^r wom^s gloves 2/ 4 2 p^r D^o thread hose 9 2 p^r mens worsted d^o 8 2 p^r ch^{kr} yarn 3 4 1 Sifter 2 1 frying pan 4 6 7 quire of paper 1-1/4 9 8 6 silk Laces 4^d 2

FOOTNOTES:

[55] John Mercer's Land Book, loc. cit. (footnote 12).

[56] Pet.i.tion of John Mercer, loc. cit. (footnote 17).

ACQUIRING LAND AND BUILDING A NEW HOUSE

Mercer's first actual owners.h.i.+p of property came as a result of his marriage. In 1725 he purchased from his wife Catherine 885 acres of land near Potomac Church for 221 5s. and another tract of 1610 acres on Potomac Run for 322.[57] His occupancy of the Ballard house, meanwhile, was arranged on a most informal basis, three years having been allowed to pa.s.s before he paid his first and only rent--a total of 12 s.h.i.+llings--to his uncle-in-law David Waugh.

In January 1730 the following appears under ”Domestick Expenses”: ”To bringing the frame of my house from Jervers to Marlbro ... 40/.”

a.s.sociated with this are items for 2000 tenpenny nails, 2000 eightpenny nails, and 1000 sixpenny nails, together with ”To Chandler Fowke for plank,” ”To J^{no} Chambers &c bring board from Landing,” and ”To John Chambers & Robt Collins for bringing Bricks & Oyster Sh.e.l.ls.”

In the same month the account of Anthony Linton and Henry Suddath includes the following: