George Mason letters to John Augustine Washington III

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Preferred citation:

George Mason letter to John Augustine Washington III, C0315, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.25 Linear Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Mason, George, 1797-1870
Abstract:
Two letters from George Mason (the grandson of George Mason IV through his son William) to John Augustine Washington III (great-grandnephew of George Washington) after John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

George Mason letter to John Augustine Washington III, C0315, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

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.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection.

Physical location:
R54, C3, S4
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard