In the spring of 1799, John Hancock visited George Washington at Mount Vernon, and in a letter dated May 22, 1799, proclaimed that Washington's slaves were “all as happy as Lords.” This was undoubtedly not true, but first, a bit of housekeeping here. This was not who you think. John Hancock, the founding father, he of the most famous signature in American history, died in 1793. This John Hancock was the nephew of that John Hancock. The nephew had evidently been invited to dine with the Washingtons, and like so many of his countrymen, he obviously worshiped the American hero, so much so that he assumed his slaves were all happy. Hancock attributed 500 slaves to Washington, an exaggeration, though not overwhelmingly so. He says that Tobias Lear, Washington's secretary, estimated him to be “worth a Million of Dollars.” If so, that was a heck of a lot of money in 1799. Hancock reports that Washington lives by a uniform schedule, rises at dawn, has breakfast at 7:00, dines at 3:00, goes to bed at 10:00. “[H]e is a model of the highest perfection – let us try to imitate him & each of his Virtues will be a gem of the brightest lustre to our characters.” By the way, Hancock, who abbreviated his first name as “Jn,” has a nice signature, but nothing nearly so spectacular as that of his famous uncle. $6,500.
Seth Kaller, Inc., Historic Documents & Legacy Collections may be reached at 914-289-1776 or history@sethkaller.com. Their website is www.sethkaller.com.
