[59]

His faith in Alexandria was supported by his pocketbook. At the first
auction of lots on July 13, 1749, he bought lots Nos. 46 and 47; and he
never lost an opportunity to invest his hard and dangerously earned
money in the soil of his begotten city.

At the outbreak of the French and Indian War he was appointed (on George
Washington's recommendation) Commissary in 1756. Many letters dealing
with commissary affairs, and more interesting, the movement of troops,
written from Rays Town are among the Washington papers.

His partnership with Carlyle was followed by one with John Dixon which
was dissolved in 1757, when Dixon returned to England and his native
Whitehaven. Ramsay incurred a large debt by buying Dixon's interests. He
wrote to Washington in July 1757, saying he had been extremely
unfortunate in all his affairs, and asking for a loan of L250, saying,
"I have made application to the monied ones--My L^d Fx, M^r Speaker, M^r
Corbin, M^r Cary and many others with^t success wch I put to the Acco^t
of my perverse fortune, not to the want of ability to serve me." These
gentlemen were among the richest and most influential men in the colony,
but George, a young colonel of militia, scraped up L80 in August and
another L70 in September, to lend his good friend and mentor.

William Ramsay had given Washington some sound advice in September 1756,
when the young Colonel was somewhat upset by criticism of militia
officers and not too happy in his official duties. Ramsay wrote, "...
Know sir, that Ev'ry Gent^n in an exalted Station raises envy & Ev'ry
person takes the Liberty of judging or rather determining (with judging)
from appearances (or information) without weighing circumstances, or the
proper causes, on wch their judgem^t ought to be founded.... Upon the
whole, S^r, triumph in your innocency, your disinterestedness, your
unwearied Application & Zeal for your country's good, determine you to
continue in its service at a time there may be the greatest call for
you, & when probably some signal Day may mark you the bravest (as
hitherto you have been) of persons ..."[60]

Ramsay served Alexandria some thirty-six years as a public servant. He
was town overseer, census taker, postmaster, member of the Committee of
Safety, colonel of the militia regiment, adjuster of weights and seals
with John Carlyle at Hunting Creek warehouse in 1754, town trustee,
mayor, and did his duty as gentleman justice for many years, beginn