The Raab Collection announced today that it has acquired rare historical documents showing life from inside the household of General and then President George Washington and First Lady Martha. The documents range from 1783 through 1794 and are unpublished. They were last sold in 1951 by the Walter Benjamin firm in New York, and give fascinating insights into important moments in Washington’s life and the birth of our nation. The documents are in the hands of those present at these great events.
Among the pieces:
General Washington Moves His Continental Army To New York to Head Off an Anticipated British Invasion in 1776; An important and unpublished primary resource: Caleb Gibbs, Head of the Washington’s Guard, lists the stops and costs of moving men and supplies from Boston to New York. This includes the Inns where the army stopped
Inauguration Day, 1789: George Washington Orders Cloths for Inauguration Day, 1789, Likely for the Slaves Who Drew His Carriage There
General Washington Bids Farewell: The State of Maryland Welcomes General George Washington to Resign His Commission as General and Return to Private Life; This is a receipt for the grog and other alcohol served at the reception
Dinner and Ice Cream at the White House, 1790: President Washington Orders Dinner Dressings and Ice Cream for Entertaining at the Executive Mansion in New York, 1790; At the dinners were John Adams, John Jay and Thomas Jefferson, among many other notables
Martha Washington: One of the Earliest Documents Relating to a First Lady’s Personal Life and Interests in Private Hands
