Revolutionary War Cavalry Colonel and George Washington's Cousin William Washington Signs South Carolina Deed

Acting as attorney for Robert Patton, William Washington, a cousin of George Washington, signed this deed for a 156-acre plantation on Atchafou's Island between the North Santee and South Santee Rivers near the coast and another 41-acre tract on Washaw Creek, a branch of the South Santee River in South Carolina for £1,500.

WILLIAM WASHINGTON, Fragment of Manuscript Document Signed, Deed, ca. 1800-1810. Signed twice by William Washington as attorney for Robert Patton; witnessed three times by William Drayton and William Washington Jr. 2 pp., 10.5" x 6.5". Also includes a lithograph of Washington in Revolutionary War uniform. 1 p., 5.75" x 8". Fragment is bottom half of two-page deed; tape repairs on recto; expected folds; soiling on one side.

Excerpt
"Received on the day of the date of the above presents fifteen hundred pounds being the full consideration money therein mentioned.
"£1500:0:0                                                                     W. Washington
"Witness,                                                                       Attorney to Robert Patton
"Wm Drayton
"Wm Washington"


William Washington (1752-1810) was born in Virginia to Bailey Washington and Catherine Storke Washington. His father and George Washington were second cousins. He was privately tutored and in 1775 established a local militia company of which he was elected captain. In February 1776, his company became part of the 3rd Virginia regiment in the Continental Line. His lieutenant was future President James Monroe. He played a prominent role in the Battle of Trenton in December 1776 and was wounded in both hands. Promoted to major in January 1777, Washington was assigned to the 4th Continental Light Dragoons, and in the fall of 1778 was transferred to the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons, of which he was made a lieutenant colonel in November 1778. In November 1779, he was transferred to the southern theatre, joining the army in Charleston, South Carolina. After several engagements against Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton's British Legion, Washington rose to command as a colonel and withdrew to North Carolina when General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered the army in Charleston in May 1780. In the reorganized southern army, Washington was under the command of General Daniel Morgan. After the American victory at the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781, Washington personally pursued the retreating Tarleton and wounded him with a saber blow before escaping. The Continental Congress awarded Washington a silver medal for his role in the battle. He engaged in rearguard actions to allow Nathanael Greene's forces to retreat to Virginia. On September 8, 1781, at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, Washington was pinned beneath his horse, wounded, and taken prisoner. He spent the remainder of the war under house arrest in Charleston. In 1782, he married Jane Elliott (1763-1830) and after the war settled on a plantation near Charleston. Washington served in the South Carolina legislature from 1787 to 1804 and served as brigadier general in the state militia from 1794.

Robert Patton (1737-1807) was born in Pennsylvania. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a captain in the Camden District Regiment (1775-1778), the 6th South Carolina Regiment (1778-1779), and the Fairfield Regiment (1779-1780). He also served as a colonel in the South Carolina militia under General Thomas Sumter. He represented the Camden District in the 1st and 2nd Provincial Congresses (1775-1776), the South Carolina General Assembly (1776, 1779-1780, 1785-1790), and the South Carolina Constitutional Convention (1790),

William Drayton (1776-1846) was born in St. Augustine, Florida, and attended preparatory schools in England. He returned to the United States in 1790 and settled in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was admitted to the bar in 1797. He began a successful legal career in Charleston, served in the State House of Representatives (1806-1808), and joined the U.S. Arm as a lieutenant colonel of the 10th Infantry in March 1812. Four months later, he became colonel of the 18th Infantry and served throughout the War of 1812. After the war, he resumed his law practice in Charleston. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Joel R. Poinsett and reelected as a Jacksonian to the next three Congresses, serving from 1825 to 1833. He declined President Andrew Jackson's offers to appoint him as Secretary of War or Minister to England. Drayton's opposition to nullification put him in conflict with the majority of his constituents. He moved his family to Philadelphia in 1833, where he resided until his death, though he retained his property in South Carolina. From 1840 to 1841, he served as president of the Second Bank of the United States.

William Washington Jr. (1785-1830) was born in South Carolina and became a planter. In 1807, he married Martha Ferguson Blake (1788-1830), with whom he had eight children.


This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.