Dogue Run Farm, Fairfax County, Virginia

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Surnames/tags: Washington Slavery Black_Heritage

Index of Plantations

Virginia Plantations

Mount Vernon Estate

Owners: George Washington and Brushrod Washington, who inherited Dogue Run from GW in his will.

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 1761 Runaways 1.2 List of Slaves from Tithables bet. 1760-1769 1.3 1768 Purchase 1.4 1786 Slaves at Washington's Grist Mill (at Dogue Run) 1.5 1786 Slaves at Dogue Run Farm 1.5.1 Dower Slaves at Dogue Run 1.6 1799 Dogue Run Farm Slaves 2 Sources

Introduction

Dogue Run Farm There are references in George Washington's diaries as early as 1762 to "Doeg Run Quarter," which was likely composed of the western portion of a 500-acre tract purchased from Sampson Darrell in 1757. However, a WikiTree profile suggests that this plot of land was sold to Washington by Verlinda Wade Harvey.

Valinda Wade sells to George Washington “one Moiety of a certain Tract or parcel of Land purchased by her Father Zephaniah Wade of William Spencer and Elizabeth his Wife by Deeds of Lease & Release bearing date the 3d & 4th days of April 1739 for Five hundred Acres (it being part of a larger Tract granted in the year of our Lord 1674 to Colo. Nicholas Spencer & Lieutt Colo. John Washington for 5000 Acres ^[1]

This holding was enlarged by several smaller parcels acquired in the early 1760s. Early references to "Doeg Run" describe it as a "Quarter," a term generally used in the region to designate a remote section of a large farm or plantation. The phrase usually denoted a portion of the farm that functioned separately with an overseer and a basic complement of enslaved workers, buildings, and stock, and probably developed because of the fragmented pattern of larger landholdings common in the colonial Chesapeake. It was one of the farms at Mount Vernon. The others were:

Mansion House

Muddy Hole Farm

River Farm

Union Farm

1761 Runaways

There is an advertisement for runaway slaves Fairfax County (Virginia) August 11, 1761 in his papers which dates Dogue Run before this date.^[2] The following slaves are described:

Peros - age 35 or 40 years, a slave from dower plantation, Claiborne.

Note from Rotunda website - "GW seems not to have brought Peros up to Mount Vernon before 1760; he is listed as being at Claiborne’s in 1760–61 and does not appear on GW’s list of tithables in Fairfax County in 1760."^[3]

Jack - about age 30 - on Dogue Run

Neptune - age 25 or 30 at Mount Vernon's River Farm

Cupid - age 23 or 25 years on Dogue Run

In the advertisement George Washington notes the following: The two last of these Negroes were bought from an African Ship in August 1759, and talk very broken and unintelligible English; the second one, Jack, is Countryman to those, and speaks pretty good English, having been several Years in the Country. The other, Peros, speaks much better than either, indeed has little of his Country Dialect left, and is esteemed a sensible judicious Negro.

Note The names of three of the four slaves whom GW lists here as runaways—Jack and Cupid on Dogue Run and Neptune on Williamson’s farm, also at Mount Vernon—appear in GW’s list of tithables in 1760. The names of all four appear in his list in 1761 two or three months before their attempted escape: Parros, Jack, and Cupid at Dogue Run and Neptune at Mount Vernon’s River farm. Finally, three of the four are named in the list of slaves at Mount Vernon made in 1762 nearly a year after their running away: Jack at Home House farm, Parros at Dogue Run, and Cupid at Creek farm. See Memorandum: List of Tithables, c.May 1760, c.4 June 1761, and c.9 June 1762 deletion, and notes 2, 3, 4, and 5.

List of Slaves from Tithables bet. 1760-1769

1768 Purchase

• Mary (Smith) Ball Lee is recorded in President George Washington's papers as having sold him 4 slaves: ^[4][5]
  • William "Billy" Lee (recorded as Mulatto Will) for £61.15,
  • Mulatto Frank for £50,
  • the “Negro boy” Adam for £19,
  • Jack for £19

It is unclear where they were situated, but there are 2 Jacks and an Adam here.

1786 Slaves at Washington's Grist Mill (at Dogue Run)

Ben - miller

Davy - cowper, aka cooper, one who makes or repairs casks or barrels

Jack - cowper

Tom - cowper ^[6]

1786 Slaves at Dogue Run Farm

From George Washington's Diaries, 18 February 1786. ^[7][8]

Adam - laboring man

Ben - laboring man

Dick - laboring man

Robin - laboring man

Jack - laboring man

Jack-long - laboring man

Charity - laboring woman, 4 children

Sarah - child of Charity, age 6

Billy - child of Charity, age 5

Hannah - child of Charity, age 3

Elly - child of Charity, age 6 months

Silla - laboring woman, 2 children:

Sophia - child of Silla, age 3

Sabra - child of Silla, age 6 months

Jones (deceased) - 3 children

Aggy - child of Jones, age 9

Simon - child of Jones, age 4

Bett - child of Jones, age 3

Moll - laboring woman

Jenny - laboring woman

Andrew - child of Betty, age 1

Dower Slaves at Dogue Run

These enslaved belonged to Martha Washington from her dowry taken from two different sources. The following are taken from The Papers of George Washington^[9]

Upon her marriage to George Washington, all of Martha’s property came under his control during her lifetime, including her share of the slaves from the Custis estate. One of her “dower slaves” that was transferred to Mount Vernon by GW was Morris (born c.1730), who worked as a carpenter 1760–63, a tradesman 1764–65, and overseer of GW’s Dogue Run plantation 1766–94. Morris’s wife was Hannah, who, with a child, had been purchased by GW from William Clopton 16 June 1759 for £80 (General Ledger A, folio 56). Morris and Hannah were married c.1765 when both were transferred to the Dogue Run plantation. Like most large planters, GW referred to his plantation workers collectively either as his “people” or his “family."^[9]

Morris - overseer,

wife Hannah (Cloptan) Washington (abt.1730-), and a child.

Betty- laboring woman, 1 child

Andrew, age 1

Sall - laboring woman, 3 children

Jesse, child of Sall age 6

Kitty, child of Sall age 4

Lawrence, child of Sall age 1

Peg - laboring woman

Crager - child of Peg, age 6 months

Lucy - laboring woman, 3 children

Jenny - child of Lucy, age 9

Daniel - child of Lucy, age 3

Ned - child of Lucy, age 6 months

Grace - laboring woman

Sue - laboring woman, old

Matt - laboring man

Morris - laboring man

Brunswick - ruptured

The following enslaved are taken from Washington's Slave List, June 1799, but combined with the list from GW's papers.^[10]

Lucy (50)- laborer, husband Nat Smith (GW slave); 2 children: Ned (14), Teney (10)

Sall Twine (38) - laboring woman, husband George Washington Gardener (GW slave); children: Barbary (11), Abbey (10), Hannah (4), George (1)

Grace (35) - laboring woman, husband Jack Carter (GW slave); children: Roger (10), Molly (6), Jenny (3)

Peg (30) - laboring woman, husband Ben (GW slave), children: Billy (6), son Fendal (2), Peg (8 mos)

Sue (70) - old, No husband

1799 Dogue Run Farm Slaves

From George Washington's Will, 1799. Owned by George Washington in his own right and by marriage (dower of wife Martha Washington)^[11]

Agnes - age 25; husband Will (dower) lived at Mansion House Farm at Mount Vernon

Guy - child of Will and Agnes, age 2

Ben - age 57

Peg (dower) - wife of Ben, age 30

Billy (dower) - son of Ben and Peg, age 6

Fendall (dower) - son of Ben and Peg, age 2

Peg (dower) - daughter of Ben and Peg, age 8 months

Betty - age 16, no husband

Dick - age 46

Charity - wife of Dick, age 42

Fomison - daughter of Dick and Charity, age 11

Dick - son of Dick and Charity, age 3

Hannah - passed labor, age 60, partly an idiot

Carter Jack - age 40

Grace - wife of Jack, age 35

Roger - child of Jack and Grace, age 10

Molly - daughter of Jack and Grace, age 6

Jenny - daughter of Jack and Grace, age 3

Long Jack - age 60

Molly - wife of Jack, age 45, cook

Judy - blind, age 50; husband Gabriel lived at Muddy Hole Farm at Mount Vernon

Kate (dower) - age 18, wife of "a negro of Moreton's"; Note: Moreton was probably Archibald Moreton who lived near Belvoir on the road from Washington's mill to Boggess's house

Linney - age 27, no husband

Bartley - daughter of Linney, age 6

Matilda - daughter of Linney, age 1

Lawrence - age 14, son of Matilda

Lucy - age 50; husband Natt lived at Mansion House Farm at Mount Vernon

Ned (dower) - son of Natt and Lucy, age 14

Teney (dower) - daughter of Natt and Lucy, age 10

Priscilla (Silla/ Siller?) - age 36; husband Slammin Joe lived at Mansion House Farm at Mount Vernon

Sophia - daughter of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 14, no husband

Savary - daughter of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 13

Penny - daughter of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 11

Israel - son of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 10

Isrias - son of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 3

Christopher - son of Slamin Joe and Priscilla, age 1

Sall Twine (dower) - age 38; husband Gardener George lived at Mansion House Farm at Mount Vernon

Barbary (dower) - daughter of George and Sall, age 11

Abbay (dower) - daughter of George and Sall, age 10

Hannah (dower) - daughter of George and Sall, age 4

George (dower) - son of George and Sall, age 1

Sarah - age 20, no husband

Lucy - daughter of Sarah, age 2

Simon - age 20, no wife

Sue - age 70; passed labor, no husband

Sources

1. ↑ Deed from Valinda Wade, 18 December 1770 Founders Online, National Archives 18 December 1770 Maryland, USA Valinda Wade sells to George Washington. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/56514646/person/262101178387/media/bf61115c-1d43-4639-8764-877ea64ec3ef?_phsrc=RaB1&usePUBJs=true
2. ↑ https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=GEWN-search-1-1&expandNote=on#match1
3. ↑ The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008
4. ↑ Entry for Mary Smith Ball Lee. The Washington Papers, Center for Digital Editing, University of Virginia. (accessed 2 Feb 2022). Live Link and Archived Link
5. ↑ The Washington Papers, Center for Digital Editing, University of Virginia. General Ledger A, 1750 - 1772 p261, image 2 [Washington]. Image 2
6. ↑ http://sankofagen.pbworks.com/w/page/14230471/Dogue%20Run%20Farm
7. ↑ https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=GEWN-print-01-04-02-0003-0002-0018
8. ↑ http://sankofagen.pbworks.com/w/page/14230471/Dogue%20Run%20Farm
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008
10. ↑ “Washington’s Slave List, June 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0405. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 20 April 1799 – 13 December 1799, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 527–542.]
11. ↑ Sankofagen

• Map of Dogue Run Farm
• Slavery at Dogue Run