The Indenture and Hired Workers of Mount Vernon and their Economic and Social Lives
There are many times during George Washington’s life that he decides to buy the indenture of or hire an artisan to help complete projects at Mount Vernon. The indentured and hired workers worked side by side some of the enslaved artisans on the estate. Washington’s overseers tended to be hired or indentured workers. His farm managers were always hired workers, either other members of the gentry, or individuals who had a lot of knowledge on keeping an estate running. When Washington hired or bought the indenture of a worker, he preferred single men. But if that man were to have a wife, she was expected, “to be a Spinner, dairy Woman, or something of that usefulness.”[1] Many of Washington’s indentured and hired workers had wives that found themselves working for Washington in some capacity, usually with textiles or as a dairymaid. There are a few records historians are able to use to figure out the economic lives of people hired or indentured at Mount Vernon. One instance is in 1774 when Washington bought the indentures of four artisans, right before he started the second major phase of rebuilding the main house. Another record that historians have is when George Washington is looking for a gardener for the main house. In John Ehlers contract with George Washington, it is state that, “Lastly Agrees Henry Willman’s Esqr. in the Name of his Excellency to give the Whife of the aforesaid John Christ: Ehlers a free Passage to America in case she should resolve to follow her Husband.”[2] Washington then gets a letter from Wilmans, the gentleman who found Ehlers for Washington, “the Gardeners Wife is determined to follow her husband, and she is a Woman who can be of great service to Your Exellence Lady as she is capable in every respect.”[3] The work of the indentured and hired servants are detailed in farm reports and Washington’s diaries. He expected his employees to work extremely hard for him, and often found fault with them.
The social lives of the indentured and hired workers while at Mount Vernon are hard to trace. The little information there is comes from letters, runaway ads, and wills. Although indentured workers were slightly higher than the enslaved when it comes to social hierarchy, it was not uncommon for the indentured to run away. Thomas Spears and William Webster, two men that were indentured to George Washington ran away and Washington advertised rewards for their capture. John Winter, another indentured man ran away from the estate with tools meant for work on the Mansion. Another indentured painter ran away in 1775, and one of the worst painters for Washington, ended up joining the British army.[4]John Broad, an indentured artisan for Washington died after suffering from an infection from a fencing wound, he got while playing with an enslaved person.[5] Not much else is known if the indentured, hired, and enslaved artisans mixed in their social lives, there are little to no records that would help to determine this.
REFRENCES
[1] Washington, George, Diary Entry: 14 November 1788 (Founders Online: National Archives).
[2] Washington, George, Diary Entry.
[3] Wilmans, Henrich. Henrich Wilmans to George Washington, 28 February 1790 (Founders Online: National Archives).
[4] Dalzell, Robert F. Jr. and Dalzell, Lee Baldwin, George Washington’s Mount Vernon: At Home in Revolutionary America (Oxford University Press, 1998) 166-168.
[5] Dalzell, Robert F. Jr. and Dalzell, Lee Baldwin, George Washington’s Mount Vernon.