Guide to the George Mason letters to John Augustine Washington III C0315
George Mason letters to John Augustine Washington III
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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Elizabeth Beckman
Administrative Information
Use Restrictions
Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
Preferred Citation
George Mason letter to John Augustine Washington III, C0315, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Purchased by the Special Collections Research Center before June 2018.
Processing Information
Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in June 2018. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in June 2018. Finding aid edited by Amanda Menjivar in November 2024.
Biographical note
George Mason (1797-1870) was the grandson of George Mason IV of Gunston Hall (author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and namesake of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA). He was the second son of William Mason, George Mason IV's fourth son, and was married to Virginia Mason. Many of the descendants of George Mason IV were plantation owners and enslavers until after the American Civil War.
John Augustine Washington III (1821-1861) was the great-grandnephew of George Washington. He inherited Washington's Mount Vernon estate, and (as noted by Matthew Costello) was the last Washington to own the plantation. Washington III, an enslaver, served in the Confederate Army in the Civl War and was killed in 1861 at the Battle of Cheat Mountain.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of a single letter from George Mason to John Augustine Washington III. The letter was written on November 2, 1859, a little over two weeks after John Brown's attempt to begin an uprising of enslaved people at Harper's Ferry in what is now West Virginia. The letter specifically addresses forming a Volunteer Company in the wake of John Brown's raid, and Mason inquires whether Upton Herbert, the Superintendant of Mount Vernon, would be willing to take command of it.
Arrangement
This is a single item collection.
Related Material
The Special Collections Research Center holds other collections from members of George Mason IV's family, including the Mason Family Manuscript Account Book and other materials originating from the greater Mason family.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History -- John Brown's Raid, 1859
- Letters
- Mason, George, 1797-1870
- Militia
- Slavery -- United States
- Washington, John Augustine, 1821-1861
Bibliography
Matthew Costello, "John Augustine Washington III," George Washington's Mount Vernon, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/john-augustine-washington-iii/, accessed June 22, 2018.
Michael Robert Patterson, "Virginia Mason Mason," Arlington National Cemetery Website, http://arlingtoncemetery.net/vmmason.htm, accessed June 22, 2018.
"Upton Herbert." George Washington's Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/preserving-his-legacy-past-directors-of-mount-vernon/upton-herbert/, accessed June 22, 2018.
"William Mason," Gunston Hall, http://www.gunstonhall.org/georgemason/mason_family/william_mason.html, accessed June 22, 2018.
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Mason, George, 1797-1870
- Washington, John Augustine, 1821-1861
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History -- John Brown's Raid, 1859
Container List
- Mixed Materials folder: 1 Mixed Materials box: 1
Letter from George Mason to John Augustine Washington IIIOctober 25, 1859
- Mixed Materials folder: 2 Mixed Materials box: 1
Letter from George Mason to John Augustine Washington IIINovember 2, 1859