While traipsing about the land of historical narrative I have stumbled upon a most unlikely hero. A hat thief from London who defied not only the odds of surviving a harrowing ordeal in prison and at sea but also the gaze upon his life in retrospect. And everything in between. Enamored of a tale yet to unfold I followed a dream. I disregarded the sign posted on a grand oak which read “trail closed” and ended up climbing a mountain (a nod to James Longmire of Mt Rainier fame). Along the way I stopped by Ayers Variety Store, before they closed their doors on an unsuspecting public, and grabbed the proverbial magnifying glass. In so doing I had the gall, a word which will be featured a post or two from now, to disrespect my peers who used their magnifying glass to sizzle ants on the sidewalk while I turned the lens down an historical corridor instead. Hungry like the wolfe I took a gamble and peered into that historical abyss … That cryptic sentence a nod to a couple of gentlemen, one who repeatedly implored me to begin writing my (soon to be written) book, the other who alerted me to this particular map referred to below.

In researching the life and times of William Longmire I find myself immersed in one big problem. And a peculiar one at that. You see, the average convict from London doesn’t just end up on the shores of Virginia to, within a year or so, work for one of the most powerful men in the colonies. Nope, history, and the law of averages, doesn’t work that way. Or so I thought. But then again if you bait your hook with shrimp instead of a worm you might just reel in something bigger than a minnow.

So, here I sit, in the comfy confines of Fairfax County, Virginia. Exorcising one of the foibles of my life. Miles away from DC, Richmond, London even, I am geographically safe from the penmanship of a fellow intrinsically linked to those cities. I can sit back, swig that last gulp of coffee, and contemplate the implications of the historical applecart I am assaulting. And as I gaze east, through a window that hasn’t seen the likes of Windex for several years, I am flummoxed, yet again, by another what if. What if a certain structure which loomed large over me when I was teen while living on Sunset Drive in Alexandria held a fascinating secret? In a place known to harbor many secrets? Perhaps a visit to the George Washington Masonic Temple would induce you to question, as I question myself, whether or not a certain map which adorns the hallowed halls of such a venerated institution was the handiwork of William Longmire? Yeah, sometimes I am as bold as the stroke of William’s pen. But … what if? What if the 1741 survey map by Robert Brooke which depicts the bounds of the John Washington/Nicholas Spencer grant from 1674 was executed by Wm Longmire? Is it within the realm of possibility that he not only produced the survey where George Washington was born but also the very place where he became the icon of our nation? The famed parcel of land which would later become known as Mt Vernon?

Ony time will tell whether it’s noon or midnight.

Update: Before traipsing off to the Masonic Temple to gaze upon this very beautiful specimen of cartography I should give some background to the map in question. Not only is it a fine example of drafting and penmanship but it has such an historical backdrop, a certain gravitas to time and place that this writer shall not ignore. And so I stretch my fingers and prepare to weave a tale, much like Parson Weems, intent on opening some eyes. Just because. Just because history books aren’t always.

So, let’s take a stroll and visit as to the whys and hows that created this survey map. In a big block of text smack dab in the middle of this sheet begins a sentence: In Obedience to an Order of the Honourable General Court dated the 2nd day of May 1741 … Thus begins the attestation of the great Surveyor, Robert Brooke Jr, noting that he and the parties given in the case began to walk the lands beginning at Dogue Run. And on they went, getting their bearings, agreeing on and noting misc topographical features, counting chains and distances and writing it all down. Fighting their way through a dense forest on a peninsula bounded by irregular watercourses, and lord knows what the weather was like as this sojourn would have taken place near the beginning of summer. It would be imperative to get out and survey right away what was supposedly a 5,000 acre tract before the leaves on the trees became a barrier to line of sight. Thus, after a duration of possibly 7 – 10 days the men had a last toast, agreed in principle to the surveyor notes, metes, and bounds and all that jazz, and walked off into the sunset to contemplate the unofficial results of their expedition. And by unofficial, I mean that Mr Brooke had yet to produce the instrument of desire. A formal presentation map which would clearly define the property bounds, neighbors, watercourses, acreages, etc. Brooke had to hop on his horse with all of that day’s calculations, signed agreements as to the propriety of the work, survey equipment and all manner of leftover food, tents, and other survey items and head off to someplace safe and secure. It was now time to make a map. And this is where one Wm Longmire may have entered the picture (pun intended).

As Robert Brooke rode off on his horse one might wonder exactly where he laid his head for the night. Yeah, I’m wondering too. As usual, I have an idea if anyone wants to hear it. You see 1741 was the year that Wm Fairfax picked up and moved to Belvoir, a grand estate on the Potomac River. And a short sail in the breeze from where Mt Vernon would eventually be built and occupied by the nation’s first Commander in Chief. Oh, did you catch that? Yet to be built. That’s right. Nowhere on the map is to be found the home place of Mt Vernon. There is a neat little historical story to this, but next time … Anyways, yes, he could have stayed at Washington’s Quarter or one of several nearby homes. However, there is one mitigating circumstance that should be considered. As Wm Fairfax moved to what would become Fairfax County the following year so too did his Land Office. And a brand new land office would most likely have all the accoutrements a surveyor such as Robert Brooke would certainly need. Supporting documents, quill pens, inks, drafting table, you name it. And Brooke was a well-bred gentleman whose father, Robert Sr, was a prominent landowner, Justice, and Clerk for Essex County. Being of a high social order and the business at hand as it was, he would probably have been welcome in the Belvoir household. And if you take the time to think about it Brooke would not have travelled all the way back to Essex County to draw his map and have to then return north to Prince William County to drop it off at the courthouse. I believe he would have finished, or had finished, the map and departed afterwards.

Okay, this story is moving right along and we come to a point where we ask, what about William? How does he fit in the picture again? Well, our friend from London was recently out of a job as Wm Fairfax had moved away. However, if Robert Brooke did in fact have a chat with Wm Fairfax about the local scrivener scene it would certainly have been noted that a short trip to King George County and a ferry ride over to Fredericksburg to drop off the map might not be such a bad idea. I can just imagine Wm Fairfax remarking “Heck Robert, you can just hang out a bit while Longmire finishes up your map, verify it for correctness, and hit the road with your payment”. Sounds a bit suspect, doesn’t it? Except for two little items I wish to point out to the unsuspecting public. And please forgive the bias here. You’re damned right I am going to stick up for my 7x grandfather. With good reason. Looking back to the Fairfax Harrison article of 1924 we see that not only does he wrongly ascribe the official Proprietary survey entries such as “Manor of Leeds”, “Great Falls Manor” or “Belvoir” to Warner but was not aware of the surveys drawn by Longmire which Warner signed his name to: the 1727 Washington survey and the 1728 Carter survey. So, when I claim it very much possible that Wm Longmire worked on the map and Robert Brooke signed off on it and people say “Where have we heard that before?” Ummm, the previous sentence? In my best Chappelle voice “We got precedent, people, We got precedent”. So yeah, like noon or midnight I seriously find it possible that William and Robert worked together on the map or William drew the whole thing and Robert signed his name to it. It’s all about the handwriting. And so far it’s looking a lot more like William’s hand than Robert’s.

As Warner Wolf used to say “Let’s go to the videotape”. And with that I will trudge on down to the Temple in the next day or two and see what I can see.

Okay, we are now at the moment of reckoning … perhaps. Update 2 will be just a little something akin to an appetizer. Facts, the main course, are being studied and contemplated and reviewed by a couple of folks, who, shall we say, are experts in the field(s) of which I wade through of late. Suffice to say I have brought to the table a veritable smorgasbord of juicy tidbits, innuendo, and some inconvenient facts. And a bowl of cherries lest my insights prove worthy of serious consideration and allow me a proverbial cherry on top moment. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, let’s dig into this 1741 survey once again. And because, you, the gentle readers, will hopefully appreciate my presenting a major point in such a way that even the least facile among you can have a worthy looksee, and judge for yourself. With that in mind let’s take a trip down the internet to the Mt Vernon website and have a gander at this map in question. And guess what? It is high res and you can magnify to your heart’s content. Simply google: 1741 survey map Mt Vernon and it should magically appear.

Ah, there it is. A thing of beauty. And craftsmanship. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a presentation map of high order. Very legible and just the type of document a court would need, and appreciate for clarity, to settle a property dispute. Oh, look there, that handwriting … but, but … wait a second. That can’t be the work of Wm Longmire can it? Funny you should ask. But, whatever you do, don’t ask me. If you do I will, on a scale of 1 – 10, break out my best Nadia Comaneci act and pull off a perfect 10. Well, maybe a 9.5. I have a couple of things to consider and the nod of an expert or two before I gloat, cherries in hand … However, I can tell you with a high degree of experience researching and wading through probably over 2 thousand documents variously located at Library of Virginia and Library of Congress which were written by Wm Longmire, that we have a near exact match. And of the 2 letters which I can detect show a slight variation of his usual writing, I can show precedent for this aspect as well as share with you an interesting observation made by an expert in this field a couple of days ago. This fellow is very familiar with this 1741 survey. And as he waded through many a Wm Longmire document I brought to him for comparison and advice he calmly pointed out some slight discrepancies. See that letter M right there and those over there? I immediately knew where he was going and told him that William did that all the time for certain letters – changed their form. And with that he said “check this out” and produced several documents and copies of George Washington’s writing. Oh, how interesting I said, peering at 3 different variations of the letter P, 2 of W, and 2 of M. Well now, William and George have more than one thing in common. What? Yeah, this gets better. Not only does George’s handwriting share a startling resemblance to William’s but he also had the audacity to copy other surveyor’s names on documents. Just like somebody else I know …

Okay, Longmire. This one hour episode of Colombo is turning into a two hour pilot episode. What else do you got for us? Well, I will take a page out of his detective playbook, grab my cigar, and plod onwards … Ah, here it is. Page 11 – suspects. When a suspect is to be considered over another suspect, one must be eliminated from consideration. This marries up well with Holmes and his “the dog did not bark” analogy. So, that in mind, if you will turn to google and type: 1734 brooke survey shepherd. Ah yes, that one there. While writing as Clerk for Essex County it shows Robert Brooke’s survey remarks and is then signed by him as to the correctness of said survey. Notice the plat on adjacent page. Notice that there are 2 signatures. In effect attesting to not only the accuracy of his own survey but notarizing it as the Clerk. Neat, huh? Yes, it is. And serves as the perfect vehicle to prove my point about the dog not barking. Let’s look at a few interesting discrepancies that immediately pop up. The letters R, and B, specifically. Where do you see them written on the 1741 survey map as they are on this 1734 survey map? Quick answer, you don’t. Let’s look at white oak on one whereas it is abbreviated on the other. I won’t ruin the game for you and point out a couple more differences but will leave you with this. Notice how Brooke writes the word “marked” on his survey. In perfect ironic fashion which harkens back to William’s days at Newgate Prison where he writes “From Ye Condemn’d Hold Newgate” you see that same word written as mark’d. How interesting. And wouldn’t you know it but if you were to gaze upon the survey remarks for Lord Fairfax’s “Manor of Leeds” and later examples you will see the word markd throughout the entries written by Wm Longmire.

While Robert Brooke did sign the 1741 survey map he did not write the accompanying text. Did he do the drafting? Great question. I will close for now with a couple of thoughts on that. William certainly did know how to draft cartographic documents – very well. William had access to the necessary adjacent survey plats and records as he worked for the Proprietary for many years at that point. And my earlier point about Brooke travelling up from Essex County and possibly passing the work off to Longmire or another scribe so he could return home? Plausible. Heck, is it likely that the map was being worked on while it was still being surveyed? That would entail William, or another scribe, being present which is a big maybe. But, what about the fact that Wm Fairfax had relocated in 1741 to Belvoir, a sailboat’s ride from Mt Vernon? And with it presumably his Land Office? Another great question. Go to Book E of the Proprietary – Grants and Surveys, page 340. You will note the date September 14, 1741. Just before that you will see that the survey, and all previous ones, were “given at our office in King George County”. After that a blank page and then the next ensuing pages are “given” at his office in Prince William County and by 1742 it reads Fairfax County. Fun fact. And, as I wrote elsewhere in this blog recently, William drew a survey map for King George County Court in August of that same year.