FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164  
165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   >>   >|  
something of an architect himself, with an eye to securing competent workmen near home, is said to have persuaded George Coryell to move to Alexandria. Here Coryell bought a lot on Duke Street in 1794 where he lived for many years. That Coryell set up in the building and lumber business and was very active is better documented, for this advertisement appeared in the _Gazette_ for October 23, 1793: George Coryell Has for Sale At His Board Yard on Mr. Mease's Wharf and at his Dwelling House on Duke Street Two-inch, Inch, and Half-Inch and etc. Plank. House frames of different sizes, Cypress shingles Locust and Red Cedar Post Scantling Many houses in the town are perhaps his handiwork, but the statement that he built Dr. Craik's house or the frame cottage next door, which tradition says was his Alexandria home, is open to grave doubt. Recorded deeds at Fairfax Court House testify that the house and lot east of Dr. Craik were owned by Joseph Robinson, a sailmaker, in 1783, and used descriptively in a deed dated 1795. Coryell's lot was two doors below Dr. Craik's house (the lot now in possession of General Carl Spaatz) which Coryell purchased from William and Sarah Lyles of Prince Georges County, Maryland. Coryell served for a time as clerk of the market and sealer of weights and measures. He did some repair jobs on Washington's town house. At the General's funeral, when Lieutenant Moss was unable to carry the heavy weight of the casket, George Coryell took his place as one of the pallbearers. He remained in Alexandria some fifty-odd years, returning to Coryell's Ferry a few years previous to his death in 1850, at the advanced age of ninety-one. At the first auction of lots in Alexandria town in 1749, the lots numbered 80 and 81 were sold to Anne West. The trustees upset this sale in 1754, reselling lot No. 80 to George Mercer for L9 13_s._ 10_d._ and lot No. 81 going to Daniel Wilson for L10 10_s._ By devious transactions these parcels of land were divided and sold. The property of Dr. Craik was in the ownership of John Short, a watchmaker, in 1783. Due to inability to repay John Harper money advanced, Short, then of the borough of Norfolk, sold his house and lot at auction on November 30, 1789 to John Murry for L234. This same property was sold by John B. Murry and Patty, his wife, of the city and state of New York on October 26, 1795, along with another lot belong
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164  
165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Coryell
 

Alexandria

 

George

 
property
 
October
 
auction
 

advanced

 

General

 

Street

 

ninety


previous
 
securing
 

trustees

 

competent

 

numbered

 

workmen

 

funeral

 

Washington

 

Lieutenant

 

repair


measures
 

unable

 

pallbearers

 
remained
 

persuaded

 
weight
 
casket
 

returning

 

reselling

 

November


Norfolk

 

Harper

 
borough
 
belong
 

inability

 
Daniel
 

Wilson

 

weights

 

Mercer

 

devious


ownership

 

architect

 
watchmaker
 

divided

 
transactions
 
parcels
 

Locust

 

Scantling

 
shingles
 

Cypress