John Mercer sells Abridgement of the laws book 2 Nov 1759
This book, An Exact Abridgement of all the Public Acts of Assembly of Virginia in Force and Use, was another attempt at gaining income.
He petitions the House of Burgesses to buy copies 2 Nov 1759. Mercer had published a similar abridgement of the laws in 1737 too.
Sales were not enough to stem the tide of increasing poverty.
But, John Mercer was one of the big guys in his day.
George Mason University has a library named after him. John Mercer had one of the biggest libraries in Virginia after Colonel Byrd III's. Take a look at the list of his books here.
John Mercer was a lawyer to George Washington and others.
Mercer was one of the founders of the Ohio Company to gain land.
Many of his sons gained fame and fortune. Other sons got close to that fame and fortune and failed.
That's it.
That's our lead story.
There's always more.
Skip around.
Read bits and pieces.
Compiled by Jim Moyer 10/15/23, 11/5
Table of Contents
His final years
Prompted by his illness, he quit his legal practice in the courts in 1765. In the same year he “gave notice to the members of the Ohio Company, that my health & business would not longer allow me to concern myself in their affairs which they had entirely flung upon my hands.” He also “on account of my deafness, refused to act as a justice, which I should not have done otherwise, as I have the satisfaction to know that I have done my country some service in this station.”
Heavily in debt, disillusioned and embittered by the dwindling results of his struggles, he wrote that “I have attended the bar thirty-six years, through a perpetual hurry and uneasiness, and have been more truly a slave than any one I am, or ever was, master of; yet have not been able, since the first day of last January, to command ten pounds, out of near ten thousand due me.”
Born 6 Feb 1704. Dies 14 Oct 1768.
Hugher Mercer related to John Mercer?
John Mercer (February 6, 1704 – October 14, 1768) was a colonial American lawyer, land speculator, and author.
Born in Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland, he came to Virginia in 1720[1] where he built the colonial estate Marlborough (also called Marlboro; at Marlborough Point on the Potomac River, in Stafford County). He was a leading Virginia attorney and lawyer to George Washington,[2] as well as a colonial prosecutor for the King's court of Virginia, particularly in then-vast Orange County.[3] Source is wikipedia.
They're not related.
Hugh Mercer was born in 1726 in Scotland. George Mercer was born in 1733 in Virginia. George Mercer's father John Mercer moved to Virginia in 1720.
John Mercer had maybe the biggest library in Virgina after Byrd's. The George Mason University's library is named the Mercer Library. John Mercer had become the guardian of George Mason when George Mason's Dad died in a drowning accident.
General George Patton and Johnny Mercer, the singer who cofounded Capitol Records which had a production plant here in Winchester VA, are related to Hugh Mercer.
Now for the confusion.
Our Captain George Mercer later becomes a Lieutenant Colonel under Colonel William Byrd III in the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the Forbes Expedition. At the same time Hugh Mercer was also a Lieutenant Colonel for Pennsylvania in the Forbes Expedition.
In fact many websites a couple of years ago thought Hugh Mercer was in a Friendly Fire fight with Colonel George Washington, but it was really George Mercer.
And Hugh Mercer did move to Fredericksburg Virginia, some time in 1761 after the Forbes Expediton and after fullfilling a role as commander of Fort Pitt. After running an Apothecary in Fredericksburg, he buys Ferry Farm in 1768, after George Washington's mother moves out of Ferry Farm.
What were these two doing in 1759?
Hugh Mercer was put in charge of the encampment at Pittsburgh in Dec 1759. He originally built small. The town was named first by Forbes on 1 Dec 1759. The big fort version of Fort Pitt came later and was named later. Hugh Mercer was still in charge of "Pittsburg" in August while working on building the fort. News of the burning of “Venango LeBeuff & Priscile” reached Pittsburgh by 12 Aug. (Hugh Mercer to Stanwix, 15 Aug. 1759, in Stevens, Bouquet Papers, 3:568), from Founders Online footnote 7.
while George Mercer helped supply Alexander Finnie refurbish the Braddock Road in August 1759. Finnie started 4 Aug 1759 and finished 20 Aug 1759 while also bringing wagons and supplies to "Pittsburg."
Source
The Crazy Custis Estate What was John Mercer doing in September 1759?
He gets paid.
He gets paid for services in 1 Sept 1759 rendered to Geroge Washington who sent him 9 queries on 20 April 1759 regarding the Custis estate. See all the details about this inheritance here.
That inheritance is quite a story. It all starts from a mob determined to kill and mutilate Daniel Parke, Governor of the Leeward Islands. There was a lawsuit on the inheritance, which had festered in the courts for 30 years and reared its ugly head in 1757 and continued on. This was called the Dunbar case, because that murdered Governor had an illigitimate daughter whose husband was Thomas Dunbar who then adopted the last name of Parke, naming himself Dunbar Parke. That murdered Governor also had a legititmate daughter whose name was Francis Parke who married a Custis. Custis' grandson married Martha Dandridge and then died in 1757 and so 2 years later, the widowed Martha Dandridge Custis marries a Colonel George Washington. There's way too much more if you want to dabble for a moment in here.
And John Mercer is the Washington's lawyer on this matter. And his head was spinning.
John Mercer handing Washington's Custis Inheritance
GW brought this book from John Mercer Nov 1759
On 6 Nov 1759 George Washington bought this book.
6—By gave away 2/6—Ditto 2/6—Abridgt of Laws 20/ 1 lb. 5.0
4. On 2 Nov. [1759] John Mercer’s petition “was presented to the House and read; setting forth, That he hath (with great Labor and Expence) compiled and printed a complete and correct Abridgment of all the publick Acts of Assembly of this Colony in Force and Use at this Time” (JHB, 1758–1761, 136). Published in Glasgow, in 1759, it was entitled An Exact Abridgement of All the Public Acts of Assembly of Virginia, in Force and Use. January 1, 1758.
Source:
An Exact Abridgement of all the Public Acts of Assembly of Virginia in Force and Use:
Introduced Friday 2 Nov 1759 to the House of Burgesses
4th Session
page 133, November 1, 1759 to of November 21, 1759
A Petition of Johyi Mercer, Gentleman, was prefented to the Houfe and read ; fetting forth.
That he hath (with great Labor and Expence) compiled and printed
a complete and corredl Abridgment of all the publick Adls of Affembly of this Colony in Force and U£e at this Time,
which, by Reafon of his Majefty's not having fignified his Approbation of the Land Law, and his repealing divers Adls printed in the Revifal, and the many Adls paffed fince, he interfperfed in fo many different Books ;
that it is a very difficult Matter to dif tinguifh which of the faid Afts are in Force and which are not ;
befides their being fo fcarce and difficult to procure, that very few, if any, of the County Courts are fumifhed with a complete Colle<5lion of the faid Adls of Affembly at large.
That as the L/Cgiflature of this Colony has thought it reafonable, from Time to Time, to fupply the Magiftrates of the feveral Cotmties (who ferve without Fee or Reward) with the printed A(5ls of Affembly at the publick Expence, the Petitioner hopes this honorable Houfe, to whom he fubmits the Ufefulnefs of his Performance,
will fo far encourage it as to take off his Hands a fufficient Number of the faid Abridgments to fupply the faid Magif- trates,
as he has not only printed it for that Purpofe, but adapted it particularly to their Ufe, by abridging every Claufe of the faid Adls tmder its proper Title, with neceffary Tables ; and the general Complaint through the Colony of the Want of £uch a Colledlion was his principal Inducement to undertake a Work of fo much Labor and Expence in a Multiplicity of other Bufinefs.
That in Order to render that faid Work as ufeful and beneficial as may be, the Petitioner will undertake, as long as he lives, to publifh at the End of every Seffion (at the moft reafonable Expence that may be) an Abridgment of the publick Adls of fuch Seffion, with proper Notes and Diredlions what Alterations are made by fuch new Adls in the former ones.
Ordered, That the faid Petition be referred to M"^ Landoti Carter, M' George Johnfton, W Attorney, M"" Harrifon, and M'' Cary; that they do examine into the Matter thereof, and report the fame, with their Opinion thereupon, to the Houfe.
updated 10/8/2023
.
The Houfe proceeded to the Confideration of the Report from the Committee to whom the Petition of John Mercer was referred, made on Monday laft, and referred to be confidered4
#165 (p.139)[ 139]
confidered this Day ;
and the feveral Refolutions of the faid Committee were again twice read, and with fome Amendments, agreed to by the Houfe, as follow :
Refolved,
That the feveral County Courts in this Colony be provided with one of the faid Abridgments for each of the a(5ting Juftices at the publick Expence ; and that it be an Inftru(5lion to the Treafurer of this Colony to j)ay the faid John Mercer for the faid Books, at the Rate of twenty Shillings for each Book, upon his producing to the faid Treafurer a Receipt for the fame from the Clerks of the refpedlive County Courts.
Refolved,
That the Clerks of the faid County Courts deHver one of the faid Books to each of the a(5ling Jtiftices of their refpe(5li\'e Counties.
Ordered,
That the faid Refolutions be engroffed, and that M' Landon Carter do carry them to the Council for their Concurrence.
Summary of publications by John Mercer
He authored "Dinwiddianae" (4 November 1754 – 3 May 1757; also known as "The Dinwiddianae Poems and Prose"), plus "Abridgement of the Public Acts" (1737; "An Exact Abridgment of the Public Acts of the Assembly of Virginia"), "First Code of Virginia Laws" (1759), and "Abridgment of Virginia Laws" ("Mercer's Abridgement of the Laws of Virginia").
1759 publication
Mercer's Library
See List of books in Mercer's library:
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia
An Archeological and Historical Investigation of the Port Town for Stafford County and the Plantation of John Mercer, Including Data Supplied by Frank M. Setzler and Oscar H. Darter
C. MALCOLM WATKINS Curator of Cultural History Museum of History and Technology
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION · WASHINGTON, D.C. · 1968
Contents
PagePrefaceviiHistory3I.Official port towns in Virginia and origins of Marlborough5II.John Mercer’s occupation of Marlborough, 1726-173015III.Mercer’s consolidation of Marlborough, 1730-174021IV.Marlborough at its ascendancy, 1741-175027V.Mercer and Marlborough, from zenith to decline, 1751-176849VI.Dissolution of Marlborough61Archeology and Architecture65VII.The site, its problem, and preliminary tests67VIII.Archeological techniques70IX.Wall system71X.Mansion foundation (Structure B)85XI.Kitchen foundation (Structure E)101XII.Supposed smokehouse foundation (Structure F)107XIII.Pits and other structures111XIV.Stafford courthouse south of Potomac Creek115Artifacts123XV.Ceramics125XVI.Glass145XVII.Objects of personal use155XVIII.Metalwork159XIX.Conclusion173General Conclusions175XX.Summary of findings177Appendixes181A.Inventory of George Andrews, Ordinary Keeper183B.Inventory of Peter Beach184C.Charges to account of Mosley Battaley185D.“Domestick Expenses,” 1725186E.John Mercer’s reading, 1726-1732191F.Credit side of John Mercer’s account with Nathaniel Chapman193G.Overwharton Parish account194H.Colonists identified by John Mercer according to occupation195I.Materials listed in accounts with Hunter and Dick, Fredericksburg196J.George Mercer’s expenses while attending college197K.John Mercer’s library198L.Botanical record and prevailing temperatures, 1767209M.Inventory of Marlborough, 1771211Index213
Source
John Mercer Library at George Mason University
Uncle to George Mason, became Mason's legal guardian, along with Mason's mother. Mason studied in Mercer's private library. The Mercer Library at the Prince William Campus of George Mason University is named in his honor.
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