Overseer / Farm Manager

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An overseer is a person who oversees others; a supervisor, a superintendent; a person in charge of a job or workforce. Each of the individual farms at Mount Vernon had an overseer.

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John Alton (d. 1785) was GW’s body servant in Braddock’s campaign and remained in his service until his death in 1785. At different times Alton was overseer of one or another of the Mount Vernon ... Read More

By 1761 Josias Cook (Cooke) was serving as an overseer at Creek farm (also called Creek plantation), which consisted in a farm on Little Hunting Creek that had been turned into a Mount Vernon ... Read More

Thomas Hardin (Harden) appears to have been an overseer of a plantation near Mount Vernon, which had been part of the estate of James Steptoe.

Hardin ocasionally made use of the blacksmith ... Read More

Thomas Bishop (c.1705–1795) came to America with Edward Braddock’s forces in 1755, and became GW’s personal military servant in the army in the fall of that year. Bishop served in that capacity  ... Read More

Hiland Crow was hired in 1790 as overseer of Ferry and French's farm.

Henry Jones of Fairfax County, Va., acted as overseer for the Dogue Run farm at Mount Vernon for one year, beginning in December 1791.  According to the agreement Jones had signed with George ... Read More

James Bloxham (died c.1793) came from England in April 1786 to serve as GW’s farm manager and was generally referred to by GW as “my Farmer.” Before coming to the United States Bloxham worked for ... Read More

Turner Crump was the overseer of GW’s slave carpenters. According to GW's account with Crump in Ledger A, 121, Crump was entitled to £30 for “your hire for looking after my Carpenters one ... Read More

Nelson Kelly rented from GW on 20 Feb. 1762 the 135–acre farm on Dogue Run at Mount Vernon that GW bought from George Ashford in January 1762. In September 1762 Kelly, a planter, agreed to serve ... Read More

James Butler of Ireland was hired by GW in Philadelphia in 1792 as overseer at the Home House, or Mansion House, plantation at Mount Vernon. Although Butler came with good references, GW had ... Read More

Hezekiah Fairfax, overseer at the Ferry plantation for several years, was a son of William Fairfax (d. 1793) of Charles County, Md., and his first wife, Benedicta Blanchard Fairfax, and was a half ... Read More

Humphrey Knight was overseer of GW's farms at Mount Vernon in 1757 and 1758 until his death in the fall of 1758. When closing out his account with the deceased Knight, GW wrote: “Note, this ... Read More

In 1763 John Chowning became overseer of the dower plantation called Bridge Quarter, located in York County, Virginia. The following year he began serving as overseer of River farm at Mount ... Read More

John Foster was the overseer of GW’s Dogue Run farm at Mount Vernon. As compensation for his services, GW allowed Foster a share of the crops he raised at Dogue Run (see Ledger A, 127). In ... Read More

On 8 Feb. 1773 GW signed a one-year agreement with Caleb Stone, of Prince William County, Va., as overseer of his slave carpenters. Stone worked as a carpenter at Mount Vernon until 1776.

Alexander Cleveland was overseer of Muddy Hole farm in 1765, and was later an overseer at the River farm plantation.

William Garner of Charles County, Md., signed a contract in December 1788 in which he agreed to serve as overseer of River plantation in return for £36 a year. Garner was employed until 1792 when ... Read More

Edward Violet (Violette; d. 1773) was overseer at Muddy Hole until he moved to the Bullskin plantation in 1762.

In 1765 James Cleveland of Loudoun County, Va., began working as the overseer of GW’s River farm on Clifton’s Neck. He served in that capacity until before the Revolution, when Alexander Cleveland ... Read More

Thomas Green worked at Mount Vernon at least since 1783. He was employed first as a joiner and later as overseer of the plantation carpenters. GW accused Green of misconduct, which included ... Read More

Anthony Whiting, a native of England, was an overseer of two of GW's farms - Ferry and French's.

See also: “Anthony Whiting.” The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington.  ... Read More

Oliver Cleveland was one of the overseers at the Mount Vernon farms.

In December 1774, Cleveland owed GW for the cost the latter had incurred for the fabrication of a coat by a tailor. ... Read More

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