Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-01-20
EARLY HISTORIC OUTLINES OF
FAIRFAX COUNTY,.
(Concluded.)
No. 8.

| tHO IVA fSSSHe
ing himself from divine service within
this two months last to the knowledge
OF two witnesses. The penalty for
lch offence of this kind was fifty
pounds of tobacco" Certificates were
presented by many of the inhabitants
| Tor pay for impressment Of horses for
mis- msjesty's service in General Brad
decks army. They were allowed and
paid al from $50 to 800 pounds of to-
bacco per head. William Fairfax in
dicted for not keeping public roads in
order. Charles Tyler and John Posey
granted license to keep ordinaries at
Colchester.
1t was ordered by this court that the
following scale OF prices for diet and
rinks be posted at least six feet high
o. the doors of all ordinares in the
county For gallon of rum, s.; for &
Gallon of brandy, los; for quart Of
iier, 4d; for quart OF Madeira, Is g.;
for gill of rum made into punch. 81;
DO with loaf sugar. 4d: one doz. Eng.
strong beer, Is Cd; one doz. Eng
.oIter. Is; hot diet with small beer or
iier, l. cd; cold diet with small beer
or cider, l.; nights lodging with clean
shee.s, Cd; one gallon corn or oats for
norse, 4d; stabling and fodder for horse
- hours, 81.
This scale of prices was continued
me legal regulation for all ordinaries
or taverus for half century. Ordered,
oy the court, that a ducking stool be
~rected at the court house for the
''duckiug OF disobedeut wives aud
g ,sslping. scandal making women Of
he Mrs. Grundy type; also a whip
ping post. The ducking stool was or
dered according to the following act of
assembly passed in 1862; it had an
teuity if not propriety in its favor
! Whereas often times many babblng
| women often SANDER and scaudalize
| their neighbors for which their
Door husbands are often brought into
chargeable and vexations suits and
cast into great dangers,
Be it therefore enacted, That in &C.
lions of SANDER occasioned by the wife
as aforesaid, after Judgment is passed
for the damages, the woman shall be
punished by ducking: and if the SANDER
e so enormous as TO be adjudged a
.reater dammage than 500 pounds of 10
oacco, then the woman to suffer an eX-
cess of ducking accordingly"
The salaries of all county Of
cials, the allowances of Burgesses
and all court changes and all
iues were paid in tobacco. Ware
houses for this staple commodity were
esta blished by law in different parts of
the county and inspectors appointed
to Inspect all deposits made therein.
Tobacco for many years constituted
! nearly the entire currency-gold and
silver were rarely seen. 1t was the
main nope and wealth of the people,
| aud at all times and seesous formed the
chief topic of conversation. Nearly all
| the lauds were planted with it. and the
| area Of its cultivation was only dimin-
ished when the fertility of the soils was
exhausted. None but free-hoders and
house-keepers to have the right OF sui
frage in the viva voce elections for Bur
pesses. Every Burgess to receive an
allowance of one hundred and twenty
| pounds of tobacco day for his services
during the sessions of the Assembly,
and an allowance for expenses for tray
cling to and from Williamsburg-for
these expenses the Fairfax member was
allowed pay for twelve days. George
Mason of Gunston appeared before the
court, took the oath according TO law,
and repeated aud subscribed to the
test, pursuant to receiving his commls-
sion as colonel. II was ordered that
Josedh Brown, Cain, Abraham, Joan,
Harry, Beulah and Frank, negroes be-
longing TO Col. Henry Lee, be added to
the list of titheabes in Cameron par
ish. By an act of Assembly 'all male
persons of the age of sixteen years and
upwsrds, all negroes, mulattoes and
Iudian women of the same age, apd all
wives of free negroes, mulattoes and
Indians were declared to be 1.-THE le
aud chargesble for defraying the pub
lie, county and parish levies.
All through the summer and
sutumn Of 1855, after the dis
astrous repulse of Braddock, the
frontier settlements between Alex
andria and the valley and beyond were
in continual fear of rowing parties, OF
Indians. now bolder and more vindic-
tive than ever against the advancing
settlers. and more persistent in their
encroachments toward the tide waters.
Gov. D;nwiddie, under date OF OCTOBER
is, writes to Col. Washington, then in
command at Winchester 81 wish you
may get troop of horse from Fairfax Fairfax
county. as they will be OF great service s E
in clearing the woods of savages and l
shall be glad if they can send down a
number of scalps." -. !.
Il was ordered that every soldier OF
the militia was to be furnished hre-
lock with one flint we'll fixed to the
same, double cartrouche box and
three charges of powder, and to be COZ 1
tinually in readiness to appear at the
placeI and time appointed for muster
and exercise, and to keep at the place e
| of his abode one pound of powder and
four pounds of shot or balls end 70