DEAR MADAM :

GUNSTON, 12th March, 1764.

I have your letter by Peter yesterday, and the day before I had one from Mr. Scott, who sent up Gustin Brown on purpose with it. I entirely agree with Mr. Scott in preferring a funeral sermon at Aquia Church, without any invitation to the house. Mr. Moncure's character and general acquaintance will draw together much company, besides a great part of his parishioners, and I am sure you are not in a condition to bear such a scene; and it would be very inconvenient for a number of people to come so far from church in the afternoon after the sermon. As Mr. Moncure did not desire to be buried in any particular place, and as it is-usual to bury clergymen in their own churches, I think the corpse being deposited in the church where he so long preached is both decent and proper, and it is probable, could he have chosen himself, he would have preferred it. Mr. Scott writes to me that it is intended Mr. Green shall preach the funeral sermon on the 20th of this month, if fair; if not, the next fair day; and I shall write to Mr. Green to-morrow to that purpose, and inform him that you expect Mrs. Green and him at your house on the day before; and if God grants me strength sufficient either to ride on horseback or in a chair, I will certainly attend to pay the last duty to the memory of my friend; but I am really so weak at present that I can't walk without crutches and very little with them, and have never been out of the house but once or twice, and then, though I stayed but two or three minutes at a time, it gave me such a cold as greatly to increase my disorder. Mr. Green has lately been very sick, and was not able to attend his church yesterday, (which I did not know when I wrote to Mr. Scott;) if he should not recover soon, so as to be able to come down, I will inform you or Mr. Scott in time, that some other clergyman may be applied to.

I beseech you, dear madam, not to give way to melancholy reflections, or to think that you are without friends. I know nobody that has reason to expect more, and those that will not be friends to you and your children now Mr. Moncure is gone were not friends to him when he was living, let their professions be what they would. If, therefore, you should find any such, you have no cause to lament the loss, for such friendship is not worth anybody's concern.

LETTER TO Mrs. Moncure.

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I am very glad to hear that Mr. Scott purposes to apply for Overwharton parish. It will be a great comfort to you and your sister to be so near one another, and I know the goodness of Mr. Scott's heart so well, that I am sure he will take a pleasure in doing you every good office in his power, and I had much rather he should succeed Mr. Moncure than any other person. I hope you will not impute my not visiting you to any coldness or disrespect. It gives me great concern that I am not able to see you. You may depend upon my coming down as soon as my disorder will permit, and I hope you know me too well to need any assurance that I shall gladly embrace all opportunities of testifying my regard to my deceased friend by doing every good office in my power to his family.

I am, with my wife's kindest respects and my own, dear madam,

Your most affectionate kinsman,

GEORGE MASON.'

It seems probable that Colonel Mason was suffering at that time from his lifelong enemy, the gout, from what he says of his health in this letter. He gives testimony in his own will, written nine years later, of the affection he had felt for good Mr. Moncure. He therein says: "I give to Mr. John Moncure a mourning ring of three guineas value which I desire him to wear in memory of my esteem for my much lamented friend his deceased father."

'Meade's "Old Churches and Families of Virginia," vol. ii., p. 201.

CHAPTER III.

"GUNSTON HALL" AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD.

1745-1769-1772.

George Mason's early church associations must have been with Overwharton parish and its two church buildings, "Aquia" and "Old Potomac," as they were called. And he may also have attended sometimes the ministry of the Rev. James Scott, Dettingen parish, Prince William County. This was the brother of the Rev. Alexander Scott, of Overwharton parish. His wife, as has been said, was one of Colonel Mason's cousins, and a sister of Mrs. Moncure. He lived at his glebe on Quantico Creek, and officiated also in two churches, one at Broad Run and one near Dumfries.

We first hear of George Mason in connection with parish affairs in 1749 when at twenty-four, in the year previous to his marriage, he was elected vestryman of Truro parish, Pohick church, in Fairfax County. There was some objection to him then, it was said on the ground that "he did not reside in the parish, but this was overlooked."' He was probably living with his mother at "Chappawamsic." The Rev. Charles Green was at this time the rector of Pohick church. Mr. Green was succeeded in Truro parish by the Rev. Lee Massey, whose third wife, Miss Bronaugh, was also a cousin of Colonel Mason's. The ministry of the former incumbent had lasted until 1765, and a list of the vestrymen of the parish was preserved by Washington, with the number of votes given for each one.' George Mason heads

Meade's "Old Churches and Families of Virginia," vol. ii., appendix xx. 2 Sparks' "Life of Washington," appendix iv. At an earlier election in this same year Colonel Mason received 210 votes.

OVERWHARTON PARISH CHURCHES.

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the list of twelve members, with two hundred and eightytwo votes, while Washington comes third on the list with two hundred and fifty-nine votes. Daniel McCarty and George William Fairfax were also among the vestry of this year. Washington was in this same year elected vestryman for Fairfax parish, Alexandria. One of the old churches of Overwharton parish, Potomac church, half-way between Aquia Creek and Fredericksburg, was visited by Benson J. Lossing in 1850, and it was then almost a ruin.' He describes it as more than half concealed by a thicket of trees, dwarf cedars, and brambles. The windows were now gone, so also were the pews and the pulpit. The roof, which was supported by columns painted in imitation of variegated marbles, had partly fallen in, but the Law, the Creed, and the Prayer upon its walls seemed almost as fresh as when the old Virginians worshipped there."

Aquia church, which is not far from the former, when visited by Bishop Meade in 1837, is thus described': "The church had a noble exterior, being a high twostory house, of the figure of the cross. On its top was an observatory, which you reached by a flight of stairs leading from the gallery, and from which the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, which are not far distant from each other, and much of the surrounding country, might be seen." The names of the rector, the Rev. John Moncure, and his vestry for the year 1757, are still to be seen painted on the panels of the gallery. The vestry included John Mercer, of Marlboro', John Lee, William Mountjoy, Thomas and John Fitzhugh, Peter Daniel, and Travers Cooke. Mrs. Wood, a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Moncure, in her account of her parents, contributed to Bishop Meade's chronicles, tells of the experiences of the young couple in their country parish where they lived their early married life in quite Arcadian simplicity and bliss. During their first year in the parish,

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Potter's American Monthly, March, 1875: The Historic Buildings of America."

? "Old Churches and Families of Virginia," vol. ii., p. 203.

My

which was some time earlier than 1750, when Mr. Moncure officiated at the marriage of George Mason, they knew few persons, though the Masons doubtless had not neglected them. But soon after, adds Mrs. Wood, "the neighboring gentry found out the value of their minister and his wife, and contended for their society by soliciting visits and making them presents of many comforts. Frequently these grandees would come in their splendid equipages to spend a day at the glebe, and bring everything requisite to prevent trouble or expense to its owners-merely for the enjoyment of the society of the humble inhabitants of this humble dwelling. In the lapse of a few years, by frugality and industry in the management of a good salary, these dear parents became quite easy in their circumstances. father purchased a large tract of land on the river Potomac. He settled this principally by tenants, but on the most beautiful eminence that I ever beheld he built a good house, and soon improved it into a very sweet establishment." Mrs. Wood goes on to describe the happy life of the good pastor and his family, which came to an end at last by the death of the former in 1764. The Overwharton parish register records the circumstance that George Mason was godfather to three of Mr. Moncure's children: Frances, who was baptized in September, 1745; and Ann,—Mary Mason, his sister, being one of the godmothers—and lastly John, the second son, who was baptized in 1747. Frances married Travers Daniel and Ann married Walker Conway.' Aquia church is in good repair at the present day, and many of the descendants of its old rector still worship there.

Before proceeding in the chronological survey of Colonel Mason's life, it may be interesting to give some further account of the neighborhood in which he lived, that we may picture, as far as possible, his social environment, and ascertain the names, if nothing more, of his immediate friends and associates. And materials are not wanting for a sketch 1 Ibid., vol. ii., p. 201.

Ancestors of Moncure Daniel Conway.