End of the fellowship

Six weeks in America and what has been achieved? I have come home laden with an 18th century brick from the Pamunkey river bed at Page's/Hanover Town (Donald HQ) and the bottom part of an 1760s century bottle from the same location. Sure the Donalds would have admired the brick - it is pretty and from the centre of the kiln so very shiny - and drunk from the bottle. Anything else to show for my trip?
I still can't believe how much of a paper trail one life can leave behind from the 18th century. Alexander Donald was just the son of a merchant from Glasgow, and was a merchant himself although not nearly as successful as his father. He never held high office - baillie of Glasgow was the peak of his career I suppose - yet so many documents and letters concerning him still exist.
From these it is possible to illustrate his life - and I know I have been through this over and over again - but it was quite an amazing life when you consider the times that he lived through and who he came into contact with. I knew about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George III and James Watt before I came out to America - but to hold the ledger of Patrick Henry full of references to Alexander was a very exciting discovery, which led on to my claim that Thomas Jefferson wrote to Alexander from Paris about the Constitution knowing he would give it to Patrick Henry who would use it against James Madison, which happened. Said it before - but I feel rather sorry for the revolutionary firebrand Patrick Henry - he seems rather ignored, and his father was from Aberdeen after all. Not sure why there seems to be such indifference towards him - I think he was a great catalyst for the Revolution. Whilst Jefferson wrote amazing things - you were hardly going to follow him into battle.
Letters and documents I have found in the US and of course in the UK also illustrate the highs and lows of Alexander's life and the different locations he lived in illustrate the exciting life he led  - remember he was the youngest of four and was orphaned by the age of 14 - and his elder sister died the following year. Not a good start to things. Presume he was born at Lyleston, then family moved to Geilston, Cardross; Glasgow; inheriting a fortune at 14; travelling across the Atlantic in a Donald ship many times; Hanover Town/Page's; jovial days with Jefferson; using his neighbour Patrick Henry as his lawyer; Court of St James to kiss the king's hand; Albermale; Williamsburg; Richmond, Virginia; weekending with Washington at Mount Vernon; lived in Paper Buildings,Temple and at Winchester Street whilst in London - here's his entry from the London directory - not sure which Robert Donald that was:

Hogmanay at King's Bench Prison in 1800 and stayed on for six months - here's the entry for that:

Coal mines in Nuneaton; brick making; trips to Boulton and Watt in Birmingham; dying at Haunchwood House; buried at Chilvers Cotton Church, Nuneaton. One idea I keep having is to have an illustrated life of Alexander Donald in the style of the Rake's Progress. They certainly visited similar places in London - although I admit 50 years or so apart from each other.
But these are just the bones of the story, his letters I discovered in America help bring the 18th century and indeed, Alexander, to life. Alexander writing to a mother back in Scotland about her boys' progress in America "I expect to be in Edinburgh about the middle of next month on my return to London, I will thank you to give me such directions as will enable me to find your house, as I am very anxious to pay my respects to the mother of such promising and discerning children." This was to Mrs Brown and we know how that was to end.
Alexander writing thank you letters and inviting people to stay: "I shall expect the pleasure of your company at my house when you come here - I have a bed at your service and you will I hope find yourself intirely at home - I beg my comps to your mother". Alexander always banging on about having people over for a glass of punch.
Alexander's health was something I never knew he suffered for until last week. One of his letters he says he will travel to Hanover Court and then on to Louisa Court - "if I am well". Then in a letter in the William Lee Letterbook, held in the Virginia Historical Society written to Alexander in 1786:
"I congratulate you on the happy success of your expedition to the springs and hope that your health is now so firmly established that you will not again be reduced to the necessity of making so disagreeable a Journey." 
Then really illustrating the Donald life in America - the ledgers which show what the Donalds were buying at the time. Here's a picture of Robert Donald's account with Captain William Dabney, taken in the Virginia Historical Society.

Mentioned in a previous blog, you can see the plaid hose in the middle of the list - on the same line as Robert's chaffing dish, what every gent should have on his travels. Loads more of these in the Rockefeller as well as the VHA.
So what do I think of Alexander? I have read enough of his letters etc. Bit of a snob and name dropper - .here's Alexander in a letter to Jefferson: "The wine you were so kind as spare me from your own stock, is very excellent. It is universally admired, and whenever it is produced (which is only on particular occasions) I am prompted either by my gratitude or vanity to declare from whence it came, and give me leave to add, that we never fail to take a toast to your health." 
Could be quite rude to his friends: "and tho you pass by my door frequently, yet I will behave more civilly to you" - which I think is quite a put down. Most of the time struggling to keep business afloat and not above stooping to quite sneaky tactics to get his way in business:
"Pray does not Mr William Duval owe you a good deal of money? I hope you will pardon me for asking the question, my reason for doing so is that a few days ago I heard him say he had received advices from England of his having recovered 14 or £15,000 - which he says he wants to draw for, it immediately struck me that this would be a proper time for you to urge him for payment if any money he may owe you." Little sneak. Alexander then volunteers to go round and get the money for Mr Jerdone.
The Jerdone family papers have lots of great material in them - my favourite is about the four chariot horses that Mr Jerdone ordered through Donald and  Burton from London. All ends up badly and Jerdone sues them for being so rubbish about their delivery - I think the clue that things hadn't gone so well are probably in the first line of Alexander's letter:
"About an hour after Mr Macaulay went from here yesterday the groom arrived with your three horses. They appear very strong, but in low order ... I inclose you the bill for the groom's maintenance alone for ten days, which is no less than the scandalous sum of £5.5 - I have given him a sever scold about it, grog and rum swells the account - one day it is four shillings. from this specimen of his sobriety I question much if he will answer you, indeed white servants do not suit this country and I do not apprehend that you are under any necessity of keeping him." 
Yet another case that drags on and on - at least six weeks between each message - loads of letters from Robert Burton in London explaining that they had booked a ship for passage and told the captain nothing else was to go into the hold, they hired a good "sober groom", but when he got to Gravesend, he found the stables he had built in the ship had been taken down and the ship was now full of earthenware, so he refused to go as it wasn't fair on the horses - hence I presume the drunk groom was hired. Every now and again letters from Alexander not really helping - trying to get the money in the gentlemanly way I wrote about in an earlier post: "by this intend to remind you of the balance you owe to Donald and Burton (which I am confident would have been paid long ago, had it been convenient to you.)"
My overall impression of Alexander at the moment is that he would have been very good company - especially at dinner - and as long as you didn't have to rely on him for anything, or he didn't want something from you which he would go on and on and on about, just like another Alexander Donald I happen to know when he wants something - he was a good friend to have. On the down side, don't really like the way that he was quite so vindictive towards the Browns by selling the land he had promised to them in Richmond in 1804 and he wasn't particularly nice to his son James Donald either in 1806:
“I give and bequeath my son James Donald who I now believe to be resident in the Island Jamaica the sum of five shillings. The undutiful behaviour of my said son James toward me is the reason why I have withheld from him an equal share of my property with my other children.” 
But the 1800s were not kind to Alexander - as stated above, not helped by spending Hogmanay in 1800 being admitted to prison - and things didn't really improve. He died in 1808.

However, to illustrate Alexander being a good friend, above is a picture taken in Virginia Historical Society last week and I am holding the letter from Thomas Jefferson written to Thomas Pinckney. The one in which he describes Alexander:
Th: Jefferson takes the liberty of presenting Mr. Pinkney the bearer hereof Alexander Donald esq. one of his youthful friends and found a constant one, even unto the end. He long resided in Virginia, is now established in London, and Th: Jefferson will be responsible to Mr. Pinkney that any esteem he may honor him with, will be worthily placed. 
Here is the letter itself, with Jefferson's signature:

I know I am running the risk of getting obsessed with hands across history and worshipping historical relics etc, but not a bad note to have from Thomas Jefferson, the author of these not insignificant lines:
"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
So Alexander can't have been all bad - and there it is, preserved for evermore in Richmond, Virginia having made the trip from Philadelphia to London and back to America again. Can't say enough how fantastic I think the libraries and centres are that I have visited are:

• University of Virginia (UVA) special collections library - home of Capt. James Donald's book and a recipient's copy of a Jefferson to Alexander Donald; 
• UVA also home to the great microfilm library that I spend many a happy hour locked in the basement - and where I found the Alexander Hamilton letters including the one from his father that talks about Mr Donald ; 
• The Valentine in Richmond - where the Patrick Henry ledger books are kept and the document from the Mayor of London in 1804 about Alexander selling part of Richmond and finally severing all links with the Browns; 
• The Rockefeller in Colonial Williamsburg - loads of Donald business material here; 
• the Library of Virginia in Richmond - again loads of material in here, and home to the Colonial Project which covers the Donald Loyalist claims etc - and loads more to be uncoverred about Alexander in Richmond; 
• the Swem Library at William and Mary College in Williamsburg - amazing collection of Alexander Donald original letters in here; 
• the Jefferson library at Kenwood; 
• And of course the Virginia Historical Society (VHS), where I am pictured above. Home to lots of "neat stuff" - and the letters from Robert Morris to Alexander Donald. 

Everyone I met on my research was so friendly and helpful and I can't thank them all enough.
The other part of my research which I have really enjoyed, but which I want to do a lot more on is learning about BAD - Benjamin Andrew Donald. Such a great opportunity to get into Fancy Farm where his father lived (and his mother was murdered!) and from this discovered some letters from him and his wife in the VHS collection. His wife's ones are mostly about health - but in his he is sharing fairly robust views on the future for ex slaves after the civil war. I think from these we can definitely confirm that he as the same BA Donald who put in a design for the confederate flag. Colin is in the Mitchell Library at the moment reading about BAD's second cousin - Colin Dunlop Donald (CDD1) - and his involvement with the West India Association after the end of slavery for the UK. Must also try and track down BAD's portrait.

That reminds me - must also chase up William and Mary College - left them a note when I was there about Alexander introducing Rev James Madison, their President - to Granville Sharp - the anti-slave campaigner in 1791. They are very interested about the college's involvement with slavery.

Another picture, taken on the same day last week as the one above - and yes, I did get good wear out of my tweed jacket - here I am paying my respects before I left America to Thomas Jefferson himself. Alexander couldn't make it to Monticello, otherwise detained at his majesty's pleasure, but there I am with "The Teej" as I heard one UVA student calling him.
Surely an excuse to put in that quote from Jefferson's last letter to Alexander again?
Come then, since you cannot have Monticello, and fix yourself along side of it, and let us take our soupe and wine together every day, and talk over the stories of our youth, and the tales of other times. We shall never see better. Only do not be too long in thinking yourself rich enough for retirement; otherwise we may both first make our great retirement to where there is neither soupe nor wine, and where we are told that neither moth nor rust doth corrupt. From this the lord preserve us both for many good years, and have us always in his holy keeping. 
Adieu. 

Regrets from the trip? That I never found a portrait of Alexander. I am sure his vanity would have led him to have one, actually, knowing him, many more, painted. We have portraits of his uncle, his father, his brother, his nephew - but where is his portrait? It must be there somewhere. Was hoping to find it over the fireplace at Monticello, probably dressed in a toga, as I bet he and Jefferson liked to dress up with their worship of all things classical, reliving their jovial days in Hanover Town. Didn't see it.
Also regret that never tracked down the missing letter from Alexander to Jefferson - the last letter he wrote to him - and the one that "closed" the correspondence. I went right to the top to try and find that - to Princeton, but they said unlikely I would ever find it. I still hold out hope though! Maybe there is a copy in Scotland that Alexander kept - we must get into the family attics and see what is there. We must have more about Alexander hidden away in boxes at home.
Wish I could have had more time in America of course - I am never happier than when in a library rummaging through a box of papers not knowing what I might find and so much more I could have looked through - but of course that regret is obviously offset with the knowledge that I have just had the most amazing opportunity and I am incredibly grateful to the ICJS for giving me the fellowship, and also incredibly grateful to my family for also giving me the chance to go off and do what I did. Very indulgent! And how fantastic that we were all able to get together in Virginia - here are the Donalds in November 2010 in America at Tufton Farm.

This however leads me on to my other great regret. That my father was not alive to be with us all in America and to be with us and to see what we had uncovered. He was the inspiration behind all this, and I only wish that he was here to share what we have found - he would have loved to have known all this. I know he visited Monticello over 30 years ago, but I wish he had been with us on this trip as well.

Adieu!

Back in the UK

Six weeks have come to an end and am now back in Dorset. Trip back to Dulles airport was not without incident - firstly managed to lock keys in the car outside Michie's Tavern near Monticello. Fortunately Mr McDougall was on hand who was able to get into to the car for me. His family comes from Scotland. Then was driving through Gordonsville which has the only roundabout I had seen in 4,000 miles of driving in America. Told Kristy that American's don't know how to use roundabouts as they have so little experience as I looked, saw nothing coming and drove straight across the roundabout. Suddenly blue flashing lights behind me, so pulled over to let the police car overtake and carry on his important business of police work and catching real criminals - but instead he parked directly behind me.
Watching too many American films left me in a dilemma. Did I get out and put my hands on the bonnet and spread my legs? Put my hands where he could see them on the steering wheel? Get out the car into the road and go down on my hands and knees and put my hands on my head? Think I watch the wrong type of films - actually what you do is just sit in the car apparently as I found out after I had went and stood next to the police car for a bit. Officer got out and asked me if I was in a hurry. Despite the fact that it took sometime to break into the car at Michie's, decided that it was probably not best to focus on the fact that yes, I was actually in a hurry come to mention it, as I had a plane to catch, so instead said, no, no, sir, just passing through.
He then asked for all my registration documents etc, which fortunately I found in the glove compartment and he told me to go and sit in my car whilst he went and sat in his. Children very excited. After what seemed like an age, but was probably a few minutes, he came back and said that it was my lucky day and handed back my documents. Great relief.
Nearing Washington, in the pouring rain, a huge motorcade went by on the other side. Hundreds of police bike outriders, buses, police cars etc. If it wasn't the President's, I can't imagine whose it was.
This was taken just as we were leaving Kenwood - that's the library in the background. The weather reflected my mood at leaving.

American weekend

Always wanted to make sure that if the children came out at the end of my fellowship that they were given the full experience of being in America. You could happily spend a lot of time in Virginia and not realise you had left home - so wanted to make sure they realised that this was not Dorset. Took Alexander to an American football game on Saturday - UVA against Miami. Ale who we saw on Friday at Hanover Town was incredibly generous and gave us two tickets.
Annoyingly didn't have my good camera with me so these are from my phone. The marching band at half time did a tribute to Star Wars and not sure if you can make it out - but they marched into the shape of Darth Vader's helmet. You don't get that at North Dorset rugby club - or a chap on a horse brandishing aCavalier's sword at the start of the game when UVA came onto the pitch.

We sat looking very bemused for the first quarter, but then really got into it and didn't leave until the pitch invasion after the end of the game as UVA won a fantastic victory. Go the Hoos! Certainly the devotion to your university is different from at home - everyone sitting around us had been at UVA and the gentleman I sat next to said it was all part of the alumni network. British universities I know keep trying to whip up the same dedication - but not sure if they will ever make these levels.
Sunday took everyone for a walk in the hills - managed to get quite lost in the woods, but found part of the Appalachian trail. I can see now why Bill Bryson's book was called A Walk in the Woods - there really is very little else to see except trees. No birds, bears or even wolves to be seen - ps on that - it has been confirmed that the noise I hear at night is indeed coyotes howling. They really do sound spooky.
Speaking of spooky, Sunday was also Halloween. Here we are at the lawn of UVA, having rushed there from the Blue Ridge Parkway - sure this is exactly what Jefferson had in mind when he designed the lawn and the Academic villas around it.

 The lawn was a bit of a scrum to be honest, so we were lucky enough to have been invited trick or treating with Max and his family - I had met Max with Peter Onuf. This was trick or treating as we see in the films and was great fun - all the houses in the neighbourhood were decorated for Halloween and we went around with this motley crew. Fierce or what? And yes, that is a real werewolf just next to Harry Potter!

Constant Friend

Another highlight of the Virginia Historical Society was to find the letter of introduction, written by Thomas Jefferson, introducing Thomas Pinckney to Alexander Donald in 1792. I have read the text before, but never seen - or of course held - the original before. Colin was with me, so I am afraid we did take pictures of me holding the letter, which I will add on later.
Th: Jefferson takes the liberty of presenting Mr. Pinkney the bearer hereof Alexander Donald esq. one of his youthful friends and found a constant one, even unto the end. He long resided in Virginia, is now established in London, and Th: Jefferson will be responsible to Mr. Pinkney that any esteem he may honor him with, will be worthily placed. 
I have always loved this letter - as it seems such a genuinely warm letter of introduction and it showed that Alexander was more than just a business associate of Jefferson's and that their friendship was long standing. Jefferson enclosed a copy of this in a letter he sent to Alexander, in which he also wrote:
He is a good man to whom it is addressed, and he is himself the bearer of it.
Alexander was not in London when the letter arrived, but was in Glasgow, so replied:
I had much pleasure in receiving your letter of the 8th. June, and I beg you will accept of my thanks for the warm and Friendly introduction to Mr. Pinckney. I shall certainly wait upon that Gentleman as soon as I return to London. 
Thomas Pinkney was the Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St James - or US Ambassador. Although born in South Carolina, he was educated at Westminster and Oxford, and then a stint at the French Military Academy at Caen. Returned to the America in 1774. Distinguished military record during the Revolutionary War, although captured by the British at the Battle of Camden in 1780. Released on prisoner exchange and in 1781 fought under Lafayette in Virginia. Here is the dashing captain.

Ended up standing with John Adams against Jefferson in the Presidential election.

Plaid hose

Spent part of Tuesday in Richmond in the Virginia Historical Society, which is a fantastic place and very good to go back there as it was one of the first places I visited at the start of the trip which was only a few weeks ago, but seems like much longer. Loads more to be found there - including the account book of William Dabney - who ran his business next to Page's or Hanover Town. There is a Dabney's Mill just over the river from there.
Robert Donald had a huge account with him - the first entry I noticed from him was for two beavers - which was obviously not the real life thing - but I presume beaver skin hats. Then found pages and pages of what Robert Donald was buying in the 1750s in America to make his stay in the colonies more comfortable - loads of silk hankies, nutmeg, ink powder, buttons of all descriptions, yards and yards of cloth - and in 1753 what any Scot abroad should not be seen without, some plaid hose. From a quick google, I see that George Washington, visitor to Robert Donald's house at this exactly time, that he ordered plaid hose in 1765. Can we claim responsibility for that? Actually, disappointingly, I see that plaid hose, despite their name, may not have been patterned.
However, here is the portrait of Robert Donald again - obviously quite a dandy - and this is backed up by all his shopping requirements.

You can see why he needed to order buttons all the time.
When Robert left America in 1758 with Dinwiddie and his family, he went back to Glasgow and threw himself into local affairs - rising to Provost of Glasgow. Here are some Victorian reports on Robert Donald:
“Robert Donald of Mountblow was Lord Provost in the disastrous years of 1776 and 1777, when the revolt of the American colonies brought so much misery and ruin on the trade of Glasgow. By the promptitude and forethought of the worthy Provost and his associates in office, much was done to alleviate the general distress. He was unwearied in his endeavours at the time times to procure some mitigation of the crisis, the pressure of which was greatly intensified by the restrictions of the Corn Laws.”
However, the Victorians also made the point that it wasn't all work, work, work - there was time for the jolly fellows to head out for some punch etc:

“Glasgow, 26 January, 1778 - A procession was made by the magistrates, in their formalities, with the city colours, drums, fifes and pipes – young gentlemen of the city acting as drummers, fifers etc, followed by the town clerks, the council, and the deacons of the trades and closed with the Cap Club – their sovereign in his regalia on his head. The company dined at the Saracen Head [an inn in the city’s Gallowgate]; and in the evening (after a good libation of punch) made a second procession with flambeaux, bonfires, illuminations and ringing of bells etc. What a set of jolly fellows in those days our magistrates and other officials have been – their names ought to be handed down to posterity. Here they are: Provost Robert Donald….etc”

As we now know, it wasn't to end well for Robert. His debtors all met in a vintners in Glasgow in 1787 to discuss the fact that Robert was bankrupt. However, they very kindly made sure that he wasn't left out in the cold - and he was given a job overseeing the dredging of the Clyde. 

History does not relate what happened to his beaver hats. They would have cut a dash in Glasgow. 

Cockpit of history

Friday took family down the road well trodden by Donalds past - to Hanover County. Thursday we were on route 64 which is a very beautiful dual carriageway, but you don't see anything except trees - so today we went the back routes - through Keswick, up to Boswell's Tavern, through Louisa and on to Hanover. Letters from Alexander I read on Thursday in the William and Mary said that he went to Hanover Court and Louisa Court and then on to Albermarle - so he must have taken the same road - and he also had an uncle living at Major Boswell's, which is Bowell's Tavern. Stopped off at the Page's library - an old stage coach house and another place I am sure Alexander would have stopped in - which is fantastic and picked up a history of Hanover Town, our eventual destination.
After Page's library went on to Scotchtown - Patrick Henry's house from around the time that Alexander Donald was employing him for cases and also when they must have been near neighbours. Children being children, when I told them what we were going to see, obviously focussed on the fact they wanted to see the room downstairs where his wife was kept when she wasn't well. Kept asking questions of the Docent about that - another word for guide or interpreter that seems to be used here. Of all the houses I have seen - and I have been to quite a few now - I think it is probably the most accurate for the houses the Donalds would have been in. One of those, if only the walls could talk moments.
From here to Hanover Tavern for lunch. Very good bloody Marys. And a very good lunch. Explored the tavern - again as this is where Patrick Henry was staying whilst he was working in the court opposite - and from his ledger, this is somewhere he and Alexander must have met. The present day Alexander and his sister had a great time running around and also went on the stage which has been put in the basement, which looks great. Annoyingly sold out so we didn't see a play.
Then went in convoy with Darshell leading to Slash Church - the oldest frame church still standing in Virginia. It dates back to 1729. Patrick Henry's uncle was the rector between 1737 and 1777 and he was at the centre of the Parson's Cause, the big case that made Patrick Henry's name - and the judge for the case was none other than Patrick Henry's father. 
From there to Hanover Town and met up with Alastair, my host from dinner last Saturday, so when we turned up at the farm there were quite a few of us I have to admit, so ran ahead and explained, but the owners were charming and said not problem. Went with Leroy and Caroline down to the Pamunkey River - and this time I was shown the remains of the warehouse - which was Page's original warehouse. Just on the banks of the river, you can see some bricks, the remains of the foundations, sticking out from under the roots of some trees. Apparently substantial English and Flemish bond brick foundations were visible in the river bank until they were washed away by the floods of 1972 - now there are very few bricks remaining, they are all slowly being washed away by the river. 
The town was thriving in the 18th century - but now it is very hard to imagine the importance it played, and how it could have only lost out to Richmond by one vote in the race to be the main city of Virginia in 1781. Scots always seem to have been important to Hanover Town - in 1736 there was an advertisement in the Virginia Gazette for a party on St Andrews Day. 

Any number of country fiddles to enter the competition, dancing, singing, foot-ball play, jumping and wrestling. And if that wasn't enough - a pair of silk stockings - fine at that - to be given to the handsomest maid on the Green. Who could refuse an invite like that? As the Virginia Gazette went on to say: 

That's good entertainment. Who could ask for more? Merry disposed Gentlemen of Hanover indeed. 
Now, looking at a few bricks on the side of the river, it is hard to imagine all this history - and that there was a tavern there in the 1770s, where "gentlemen may depend on being genteelly entertained", run by John Merriweather. Then Tinsley opened one, offering "as good, or the best entertainment in the colony" in 1772. 
However, Hanover Town had bigger dates with destiny than a few Scots enjoying a drink or two and a couple of taverns vying for business. 
In 1781 a hospital for the American wounded in the Revolution was established there. Cornwallis burnt down the warehouses in the same year. The French supply wagon passed through in 1782, under Generals Collot and Berthier. 
Over 150 British prisoners were there in 1781 as well. They caused quite a few problems - and on November 15 a local resident asked for relief from the "hearty fellows". Slightly stronger letters followed - A Kirkpatrick wrote about the prisoners: "who are daily committing some wanton destruction on either public or private property. Two nights ago they broke open the Issuing house and took several barrels of flour - they have burnt three houses already, that was empty, all fencing within half a mile of town and most pailing around their gardens." 
Count Rochambeau camped at Hanover Town in 1782 on his ways home and indeed the map made during his visit is the only surviving map of the town from that time.

 

Things seem to quieten down in Hanover Town from this time - probably due to the fact the river was being silted up from the neighbouring tobacco fields. Arms were requested to defend the town in 1800 during Gabriel's abortive slave insurrection threatened Richmond in 1800 as Hanover Town was said to be the route of retreat planned by Solomon, Gabriel's brother should the revolt fail. There is no indication that he went there. 
So by the time that US Grant's troops crossed the Pamunkey river there in the Virginia campaign of the Civil War in 1864, little more than a ferry remained. Leroy explained that Custer had also been there and pointed out the spot in the river that he is said to have fallen in as he was impatient for a pontoon bridge to be built to cross the river. 
Then we went to the grave of Latane just over the fields. Captain William Latane of the 9th Virginia Cavalry is famous for three things. 
Firstly being the only Confederate soldier killed during JEB Stuart's ride around Union general George B McCellan's army during the Peninsula campaign in 1862. 
Secondly for having a poem written about his death - which includes the following lines: 

A brother bore his body from the field
And gave it unto strangers' hands, that closed

The calm blue eyes, on earth forever sealed,

And tenderly the slender limbe composed:

Strangers, yet sisters, who, with Mary's love,

Say by the open tomb, and, weeping, looked above.

A little child strewed roses on his bier,

Pale roses, not more stainless than his soul,

Nor yet more fragrant than his life sincere

That blossomed with good actions, brief, but whole.

The aged matron and the faithful slave

Approached with reverent feet the hero's lowly grave.

No man of God might say the burial rite

Above the "rebel"--thus declared the foe
That blanched before him in the deadly fight.
But woman's voice, in accents soft and low,
Trembling with pity, touched with pathos, read
Over his hallowed dust the ritual for the dead
.

And thirdly for having this painting painted of his burial by William Washington, which was then made into a print and became a firm favourite in the South. 

There's the little child stewing roses on his bier and as no man of God, the woman's voice, trembling with pity, reading over his hallowed dust the ritual for the dead. 
Saw this painting years ago and was always struck by its strong message, which I admit with hindsight it does rather lay on with a trowel and is not quite as sophisticated or subtle as I once thought. However, very moving to stand next to his grave and look around the surrounding fields in the setting sun as Leroy pointed out where the Hanover Town settlements had been and where Leroy used to pick up bullets from Civil War camps, where he used to find arrow heads from the Pamunkey Indians, where the slave burial ground is that he had fenced off and where he used to find weights for scales with Lions on them from England and to think of all the people who had been through Hanover Town through the ages, or had lived there, and how important a hub it had been. 
Now it is just fields. 

Colonial Williamsburg

Whilst I was having fun in the library of William and Mary, the children were let loose in CW and had a great time. Here's their choice of pictures.

Multi-talented Ben

OK, slight aside again and call it historical interference once more, but he does have a Donald surname and he is a cousin. After reading BAD's letter about stuccoing consistency and linseed oil, I thought I would do a quick google search to see what else Ben A Donald gave his two bob's worth of opinion on.
Three things leapt out at me -
1. He wrote a letter to Nathaniel Francis Cabell in 1854 on sun dried tobacco.
2. He wanted to build a plank road from Bedford to Lynchburg
3. He put in a design for the Confederate Flag that was presented by Mr Hilton to the Confederate House of Representatives in 1862.
What - BAD designed the Dixie flag? Surely not. Have to admit I think not - there seems to have been lots of flags and designs according to this website. Whilst I like to take credit for Donald involvement in most parts of US history, not sure if I can lay claim to that. If you want a full ruling, may I recommend you try the definitive guide to the subject - Confederate Symbols in the Contemporary South - edited by one William Donald Richardson (spooky).

William and Mary Treasures

So many original Alexander Donald letters in the William and Mary Special Collections library. Amazing - not since I was sent all the letters that he wrote to Boulton and Watt have I come across such a large collection in one day. But these were much more special as they are the real thing - the originals - rather than photocopies. As I said in the last post, they look like they were written yesterday, all in incredibly good condition and I appreciate going back to my relic comment from before, but these were written by the person I have been studying for quite a bit now and written over two hundred and twenty years ago at the time of the French Revolution, in fact some written within a month of the storming of the Bastille. It really was a very special moment to uncover quite so many - although slightly makes me panic that there must be other batches as good, if not better, somewhere else waiting to be discovered!

So much to go through - and I obviously need to go back with a proper camera as you can see from above - but this collection, or rather two collections (plus an original William Short to Alexander Donald, recipient's copy, thrown in and more on that later and its provenance), illustrate the social life of a merchant. I think the collection in the Rockefeller Library, just down the road from William and Mary were great to illustrate the economic life - looking at what was in their holds and how many hogsheads of tobacco were involved etc for the nuts and bolts, but these illustrate how wheels of business were actually oiled just to mix my metaphors. And it looks pretty much like a pack of cards to be honest - lurching from one crisis to another, chasing up payments here and putting off payments there.
All illustrates very clearly how the Donald and Burton business was set up - either consigning tobacco to Alexander to sell on your behalf in Europe, and waiting for the money once he had sold it, or selling it to him to do with it as he wanted and getting the money up front - or getting the money against what you had bought from Alexander from Europe. I had focussed on this on the talk I gave last week.
Also the many desperate letters Alexander sent just before his ships arrived in America shows just how important it was to make sure that there was enough tobacco ready in dock to fill up the ships so they could have a quick turnaround as the longer it took to fill up, the more expensive it was. Likewise letters sent to tell people to get in their orders for European goods early - so that everything could be ordered in time to fill up boats on the way from Europe to America. Quick turnarounds were very much imperative to keep costs down
Going to return to these letters many times over the next few days and will show some off these points and more - but the other thing they are fantastic at illustrating is the language of business. All being very civil to each other and behaving in a very formulaic way, but at the same time making sure you get the message across that they are behind in payments etc.
Nothing like veiled threats - just being disappointed that they haven't done something or disappointed when their behaviour has let them down. Alexander seemed to be in a state of permanent disappointment about something - for instance when someone hadn't popped in for a drink of "cool punch" when they said they would as he had wanted to discuss their consignment of tobacco, or a similar one: "When I heard of your being in town lately, I assured myself that you would not have left without calling upon me and settling your account". 
Seemed the best thing to do to get someone to do something was not to challenge them or threaten them, but almost to question their gentlemanly behaviour in a very subtle way - indeed even question if they were actually a gentleman, without of course ever being as crass as to say it like that. Everything is about face - as I said it was all a pack of cards, so you had to just keep up a front.
I think the reaction Alexander wanted to get is for the person he wanted the money from to say: "how dare he suggest in a terribly round about and convoluted but terribly civil way, I am not good for that payment, of course I can pay, I am a gentleman with a great estate/business and all is going so terribly well, and I can prove it, so I had better pay" rather than getting them to say: "if I don't pay, he will do something horrid to me, so I had better pay".
Here is Alexander once again being disappointed - this time someone else hasn't been to see him:
"If I am well, I intend seeing you between Hanover Court next and you Louisa Court. From this last I propose to go to Albemarle - and tho you pass by my door frequently, yet I will behave more civilly to you" 
Tomorrow we are doing the opposite, going from Albemarle to Hanover Court and shall certainly raise a toast to Alexander Donald (would never pass by his door) - and in cool punch of course.

Ben the Builder

Having an amazing afternoon in the Special Collections Library of William and Mary College in Williamsburg. Loads of original Alexander Donald letters from 1780s - amazing to hold and see them - and still boxes to go through. Slight time limit as library closes in a couple of hours and family are let loose in Colonial Williamsburg so will have to go and retrieve them. Loads to report on the A Donald ones - amazing that so many are here and all as crisp as the day they were written.
Slight aside, but just found a letter from cousin Ben A Donald - yes, BAD himself. Dated 10 June 1780 - annoyingly my camera is also on tour of CW - so pictures not of the usual high quality. The letter was sent from Bedford Co, which ties in with everything and was sent to JM Spiller who sent him a letter on the 7th June.
"I duly received yours of 7th Instant and hasten to answer it."

It is basically a very detailed description of how, despite the fact that he has used little Stuccoing "about my house", of how it was done at his house - which I presume is Otterburn. He then goes into a long description of how his house was actually "sand painted" and again goes into a fairly lengthy description of that and how he mixed it with linseed oil to make it work well with a brush.
Then a passage on his anti-rodent work: "To prevent the rats from annoying me, I built the walls close around the joists up to the floors from bottom to top, and filled the wash boards jam up to the brick wall, leaving no vacancies to enable the rats to get between the plastering and flooring".
He then ends his letter:
"You will find that the sand painting I describe will stick well upon planking and preserve it from the weather.
"Yours most respectfully, Ben A Donald"

Trying to find out who JM Spiller was and why his letters are kept here. Still find it very strange the things that are kept for posterity - glad that cousin Ben's paint recipes were saved for the nation.

Endless Donalds

Virginia has been invaded by the second wave of Donalds - not since the early 1770s have so many been in the state - and there are still more to come!

Have had a fantastic two days introducing family to the sites of Charlottesville and beyond.
Tomorrow we go to Williamsburg - I have a lot of letters to uncover in the Swem Library and the family is going to look around Colonial Williamsburg.
Can't wait to get through these letters 17 in the Jerdone family papers and 7 in the Armistead Cocke Papers at least - and many originals from Alexander himself, so quite exciting to get my hands on those if I can. And an original William Short to Alexander Donald - quite excited to see that one as have been chasing up the micofilm and still not seen it.
Some could be quite challenging - here is an extract from the library catalogue:
Reports receipt of three horses, their condition, groom's bill, and that he has forwarded them; questions servants sobriety; makes comment that "white servants do not suit this country".
Very funny - in later letters to James Watt, the industrial giant, he is always questioning a chap who worked for Watt's sobriety - the bog was his mine - and he had bought a second hand steam engine to help drain the mine. Robert Batty he is always giving a hard time to. :
At the same time I wish you to send some person here to take upon him the whole affair, as you don’t consider me a competent judge – I hope he will be a soberer man that Rt Batty who was sent by Mssrs Boulton & Watt, the day Batty arrived at the Bog he was shamefully Drunk, and during the part of two days he stayed in the neighbourhood, never saw him sober
This is from the man who did not so something for Jefferson once as he had made free with the "juice of the grape".
Great to have Alexander Donald - son of a James Donald as well - back in Virginia! Here we are paying our respects to Thomas Jefferson in the Rotunda of the University of Virginia.

Historical interference

One of the problems - or one of the excitements - about researching Alexander Donald is that obviously his letters are not digitalised, are not available online and are not on in neat bound volumes on shelves. Therefore it all involves a lot of rolling up sleeves and going through boxes of papers where you think there might be something, but you are not totally sure. One of my problems is that fact that I get distracted by what is in these boxes and start off on tangents. Call it historical interference.
For instance at the Valentine in Richmond, I was given a huge box of Patrick Henry papers where they thought there might be something - turns out there wasn't, but it was still great fun to go through it. Here's an example - a tiny bit of paper, like a receipt:
In Committee, December 1775. 
Ordered that Colonel Henry be at liberty to give directions to the keeper of the public goal for the discharge of James a mulatto slave belonging to Lord Dunmore
Now, this is a few months after the Gunpowder Incident involving Henry and Dunmore. On April 20th 1775 at the start of the revolutionary war, Lord Dunmore ordered that the gunpowder be removed from the magazine in Williamsburg and taken to a Royal Navy ship. Local militias were not happy and Patrick Henry led the Virginia Militia to force the return of the gunpowder. He was instead given £330 - and this was the beginning of the end for Dunmore, he soon retreated to a HMS Fowey and dreamt of building a pineapple-shaped building in Airth, Scotland, or retiring to it, depending on when you think it was built, before or after he was in Virginia.
So what is the significance of this tiny scrap of paper in an old musty box? Who knows, but I find it diverting. What was James doing in prison and why was Henry getting him out?
Other pieces of interference which threw me off the scent - a letter from a brother to his sister who he had never written to before describing his feelings about his wife dying. That really was very beautiful. A recipe to make minced collops from the start of the 19th century - sound like burgers to me. A letter from 1801 from a landowner to his neighbour telling him to clear up his pond as it stank - early neighbourhood wars:
The remaining stagnant water just below me has become so offensive that a physician called on me this morning supposing it was on my lot, and informed me it was also totally necessary that the water be drawn off, or the hole filled up immediately, as several persons in the neighbourhood of the pond are ill with a fever, which it was believed had been produced from the stagnant water below me, which is very putrid indeed.
Does sound fairly unpleasant.
Then another letter about a slave in prison. This was from Richmond Prison in November 1814
Sir, I will esteem it a favour of you to inform my master that I acknowledge that I have done wrong and I have reflected very curiously upon my conduct and I find myself in fault, there for if he thinks proper to take me out of this place he may rely on my former conduct being better than my latter, you will please to state to him that any acknowledgement that I can make to him that I am willing to do and perform what I promise. 
Jack 
Mr Call's man
The more observant amongst you will have noticed that Mr Call is the chap who Alexander Donald gave his land to  in Richmond in 1804 from that last post. Again, to me a letter like that asks so many questions - but questions which are obviously not relevant to why I am here. However, they do make looking through old boxes all the more exciting as you never know what you will uncover next. And there are lots more to go through in Williamsburg.

Alexander sells off Richmond

Alexander Donald always seems to have something up his sleeve. At the Valentine Museum in Richmond I found many references to letters that are in Williamsburg, so I need to get back there and find those - but then I found a great document from Alexander in 1804. Just to remind those at the back of the class, Alexander Donald has left America in 1790 or so, gone bust in 1793, moved into coal mining on the dawn of the industrial revolution, somehow managed to go bust again, ended up in debtor's prison and is now at large.
The document is signed by the Lord Mayor - John Perring in Mansion House. With him he has Alexander and three witnesses - Richard Pinch of Lawrence Lane, Abraham Hendricks of Lawrence Lane and John Lockyer, servant to Richard Healing of Lawrence Lane. Presume Mr Healing was otherwise engaged so sent his chap. Annoyingly, the seal of A Donald was not there - there was a bit missing. Would have loved to have seen his seal. Toujours Pret do you think, like his nephew's bookplate?
Very long document - but the long and short of it is that Alexander owned two large chunks of land below Main Street in Richmond, which he had rather cleverly kept hold of whilst going bust quite so many times. He had held these since 1789 - and one he received from quite a few people including one James Brown. Before he left Richmond he had written a document saying that James was to inherit it all - just to go back to a letter I found ages and ages ago in the Virginia Historical Society to James's mother, he had described him as such:
I only do your son James common justice when I say that he is the cleverest man in business I ever met with in the whole course of my life and that is impossible for him to be exceeded in industry
So you can see why he wants to leave everything to James Brown.
Now, in 1804, for the sum of One Dollar - he takes everything away from James - and hands it all to Daniel Call and his heirs - with the slight caveat that he has to sell it immediately, so not really for his heirs, and send the money he makes straight to Alexander Donald.
So who Daniel Call? He was a lawyer and the brother in law to John Marshall - the chap whose house I had just been in when I read this document. See, I said it would tie in.
And why was Alexander so upset about James Brown? He had held a grudge against him since 1793 - writing to Jefferson:
It gives me pain however to mention, that you will not trust to Mr. James Brown for shipping your Tobacco to me, for since I left the Country he has shewn a decided preference to Mr. Burton, notwithstanding all my kindness to him. I know Brown’s disposition so well, that I have no doubt of his doing every thing he can to hurt my Interest, but he will find it is too strongly founded to be shaken by his ingratitude. 
He had blamed Burton for Donald and Burton going bust and now Brown was siding with Burton. Forgive me if I have covered this, but the quote from Brown to Jefferson I thought was great.
I am sorry to discover Mr. Donald has Personal Views, that to enforce them he exculpates himself from all Blame of course Rests the failure on his Partners without giving them an oportunity to clear themselves from censure. This conduct every generous Mind will condemn and Suspend Opinions till both Sides are heard. Mr. Donald is also pleased to find fault with my conduct to some of his confidential friends, Without Writing me a Single line on the Subject, however I feel perfectly easy under the charge’s, as I can Satisfy every liberal mind that they are groundless, and this manner of attack below the character of a Man.
Looks like Alexander was taking his personal views out on Mr Brown - and I have to admit, this probably was a little below the character of a Man what he did. History does not - yet - relate what, if any, money Alexander received from the sale. Jefferson being Jefferson wrote a fairly wishy washing letter to Brown - he made his views known, but told him to sort it out. Always keen to avoid a fight.
To whom do you consign my tobacco? I have so much confidence in my friend Mr. Donald that I would rather he should have the selling it than any body, and I learn that this would be the case if consigned to a Mr. John Younger, heretofore a clerk in the house of D. & B. I also understand that Havre is a fine market for tobacco at present. I shall leave this to your decision, but shall be glad to hear from you on the subject
Again, not sure what Brown did, but I think we can guess. Still, I think Alexander had the last laugh.

More Richmond

On Friday in Richmond, in preparation for the trip to Fancy Farm - went to visit two houses of the period so I could compare and contrast. The first was directly behind the library - and was the house of John Marshall. He was the third Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1801 and served until his death in 1835. He was also big in Richmond at the time that Alexander was there and he built this house between 1788 and 1790. He is mentioned in a few letters - so I think we can safely assume that Alexander did visit this house - especially after what I found out later.

The oldest surviving brick house in the city of Richmond. Very interesting to see a town house after all the country houses I have been to. Richmond doesn't seem to attract that many tourists - for my tour of this house and indeed of the next house, Wickham House, I was on my own, which was great, so I got a very thorough tour. Mrs Marshall had 10 children and frequently had migraine headaches (not that frequently judging by the 10 children) and secluded herself away in this house. She apparently also suffered from an unknown chronic disorder that made her uncomfortable in public. She died on Christmas Day 1831 at the age of 65, so did ok for such a frail lady. 

Amazing decanters around the house – many of them original to the house as is much of the furniture – so very interesting to see the style of chairs that Alexander would have had seen at the time, and of course, perhaps the very chairs that he sat in. Marshall comes up later in the document which I found next door about Alexander.

In their bedroom they had some metal quoits on the floor. Quoits was a very fashionable game amongst the gentlemen of Richmond - indeed there was a Quoits club which all the great and the good belonged to and which Marshall was a very keen member of.

Now, wherever Donalds are, they always seem to be quite keen to get into a club - awful bores - only disappointed I have not joined the Quoit Club which is still going in Richmond. There was also another club - The Amicable Society of Richmond -"with the benevolent object of relieving strangers and wayfarers,in distress, for whom the law makes no provision".

Here are some details from their minute books:

"A company of gentlemen having met at the Richmond Coffeehouse, on Saturday, 13th December, 1788, viz.: Alex. Montgomery, John Groves, George Wier, Charles Hopkins, John Graham, and Alexander Buchanan, they resolved to form themselves into a Society, by the name of the Amicable Society of Richmond, on the principles and for the purposes expressed in the Rules, which were then considered and adopted; at the same time, the following gentlemen were considered as members: James Montgomery, Anthony Singleton, George Pickett, Andrew Ronald, Philip Southall, John Cunliffe, and Joseph Higbee.

At a meeting on the 2d May, 1789, the following entry is made on the record of the Society: "It having appeared, by advertisement, that a surplus of a fund arising from a ball on General Washington's birthnight, was to be given to this Society, Mr. AlexanderMontgomery, as a manager of that ball, paid this evening to the treasure, the said surplus, amounting to twenty pounds, sixteen shillings and sixpence."

At this meeting, the following new members were admitted: Thomas Mann Randolph, George Nicolson, and James Brown [Alexander's business partner and more about him later]; and on the 7th November, 1789, James Strange, of Manchester, and Alexander Yuille [presume of Darlieth - quite confusing all the Yuilles, they all seem to have the same first name, but I see that one of them married Patrick Henry's fifth son] - at which time a vote of thanks was given to Alexander Donald for a donation of five pounds.

Now - what I can't work out is if Alexander was blackballed, even though he gave a very generous donation. Dad always had a joke about being blackballed. Someone had not been asked to join a club despite putting his name down, so asked a member - "Blackballed? Just the one?" - The member replied "Caviar". Club jokes – they just get better and better with the telling. That would have got the Quoit Club rolling.

The other house I went to see was slightly newer and was built by John Wickham – another club man of his day. Built in 1812 so I admit that Alexander Donald was tucked up in Chilvers Cotton Church in Nuneaton by this stage, hoping to Rest in Peace until a German bomb blew the church up – and that church couldn't be much further from this style of house. Wickham House is gloriously over the top, with classical friezes all over the house, so the Posh and Becks house of its day. At the very top of the stairs - the centre rose, if that is the right word - looks exactly like the one in Park Terrace spare room to me – except of course that it is white. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures inside of course, so you might have to peer closely at this one to see what I mean. And yes, these stairs are slightly grander than Fancy Farms - but they were in a town house built 40 years later.  

Interiors of Fancy Farm

Glad to say my computer has dried out so I am now back up and running. It had been working, but with a very limited alphabet, which didn't seem to include any vowels which was making writing anything a bit of a challenge.
More interior shots of Fancy Farm in all its glory - those stairs are amazing cutting across the window like that. The bottom picture shows the view of the hill that is in the portrait of BAD - the pile of rubble under the trees is all that remains of the slave quarters. Apparently the Virginia Historical Society has pictures of all the outbuildings and much earlier photographs of the house.

The house has had some other very interesting occupants. During the Civil war, Major General David Hunter, US Army was given the task of capturing Lynchburg, the nearby city - he destroyed parts of Lexington on this way down to Fancy Farm - he then set up HQ at the house. He failed to take Lynchburg. The house at the time was owned by the Kelso family - they are all buried on the property and the owner say that an old neighbour claims that Andrew Donald is buried somewhere next to the road, but they are not sure where.
In 1921 the estate was purchased by Sir George Sitwell, Baronet of Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire for his nephew Captain Herbert Cecil Fitzroy Sitwell who had been gassed during the Great War.