(GEORGE WASHINGTON.) William F. Turner. Letter to the president's great-grand-nephew, discussing his sale of Mount Vernon. Autograph Letter Signed to "Gus" (John Augustine Washington). 3 pages, 9¾ x 7¾ inches, on one folding sheet, with docketing on final blank; folds, minimal wear. Ripon Lodge [Rippon, WV], 16 August 1858 John Augustine Washington (1821-1861) was the great-grand-nephew of President George Washington, and the last Washington family owner of the Mount Vernon Estate. Here, a neighbor of his mother's estate in Blakeley, WV reacts to the news that Washington was selling Mount Vernon to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association for $200,000.
"My brother mentioned that you would soon be in receipt of funds from the sale of Mount Vernon, which you remarked to him you would like to invest in real estate." Turner then invites Washington to join him in investing the proceeds in the Chicago Land Company, payable in installments in 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1862.
Washington did indeed invest his Mount Vernon proceeds in real estate, but it was by purchasing the Waveland estate in Marshall, VA. He was not able to enjoy it for long--he soon became a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army, and was killed by a sharpshooter in September 1861.