George Washington’s Purchase of a Horse

This May 19, 1768, receipt, handwritten by George Washington and signed by Burwell Bassett (1734–1793), states that Washington paid £17 for a horse from his brother-in-law, Bassett. Washington notes that he purchased the horse "for the use of Master Custis," his stepson, John Parke Custis, then not quite fourteen years old. An addendum at the bottom of the receipt, written years later by Washington's stepgrandson, George Washington Parke Custis, attests to the fact that the writing was in George Washington's own hand, except for Bassett's signature.