Description:

Washington George

Displayed in an ornate circular floral frame, 20" diameter base, rising to 18" diameter, are copious strands of George Washington's grayish tan hair tied together with a thread and copious strands of Martha Washington's light gray hair. Each lock is encased in an small ornate oval frame, mounted on a blue felt base between a gilt American bald eagle with raised wings, a shield with 13 stars and 13 stripes, an olive branch in the eagle's right talon, and three arrows in the left talon; there were three arrows in the left talon of the eagle on Washington's 1789 inaugural button. Appearing beneath each lock are separate engravings of George Washington and Martha Washington.

Anne Aylett Robinson (1783-1804) was the daughter of Col. William Augustine Washington (1757-1810) and Jane (Jenny) Washington (1759-1791). Anne's mother's father was John Augustine Washington (1736-1787) whose brother was George Washington; Anne Aylett Robinson was the grandniece of George Washington. She was the granddaughter of John Augustine Washington and Hannah Bushrod Washington (1738-1801). After Anne's grandmother died, her husband William Robinson (1782-1857) and Hannah's son Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington (1785-1831) became co-executors of her grandmother's estate.

Provenance:

(1) Autograph Document Signed "Anne H. McNeil" at top center, 1 page, 7" x 10". Dated September 7, 1982. In full: "Anne Henry McNeil, daughter of George Garr Henry, granddaughter of Elizabeth Lloyd Lee. Reference to the above can be found in The Lee Chronicle, Cazenove Gardner Lee, Jr., N.Y. Univ. Press 1957 and Lee of Virginia, Edmund Jenning Lee[s], M.D., Editor and Publisher., Philadelphia, 1895."

(2) Autograph Letter Signed "Anne H. McNeil," 1 page, 7" x 10". Dated September 7, 1982. In full, "To Whom It May Concern - The piece of George Washington's hair that accompanies this letter was in the best of my opinion, given to Cornelia Lee Hopkins by her cousin Anne Aylett Robinson on her 21st birthday. (This also includes the lock of Martha Washington's hair).

"Anne Aylett Robinson: Granddaughter of Hannah (Bushrod) Washington. Hannah was the sister-in-law of President George Washington. She was married to John Augustine Washington, brother of George. (George Washington left Mt. Vernon to John Augustine's son Bushrod Washington)

"Cornelia Ludwell Lee Hopkins: Daughter of William Lee (brother of Richard Henry Lee, Signer of Declaration of Independence), and Hannah Phillipa Ludwell Lee. She was born in 1781. Cornelia Lee married John Hopkins and lived in Alexandria, Va."

Included are photocopies of two family trees of the Lee families.

(3) Autograph Note not signed, 1 page, 5.25" x 2.75". In full, "Mrs Washington's Hair - presented by her to Cornelia Lee at Mt. Vernon - Feb. 7 th - 1802." Two vertical and two horizontal folds.

(4) Autograph Note Signed "Anne H. Griggs / 1975" [later Anne H. McNeil] on an empty 9.5" x 4.75" brown envelope (torn at edges). In full, "Please Do Not Destroy any of the enclosed papers! Clippings of Geo. Garr Henry's daughter, Geo. & Mary Washington's Hair, General Robt. E. Lee's signature. & many other interesting papers should be retained fir Family History. Anne H. Griggs 1985".

Corroborating Family Papers:

(5) Autograph Letter Signed "J no Hopkins," 2 pages, 8" x 9.75". Winchester [Virginia], October 14, 1826. Separations at folds, some repaired with plastic tape, minor tears, not affecting legibility. Darkly penned. Hopkins was most probably the father-in-law of Cornelia Ludwell Lee Hopkins who had married his son John in 1806. Mostly concerning letters sent and received. Begins, "My dear daughter." In part, "I have selected all the Letters to & from your Mother (& some other papers of & Concerning her) that were passed between us & am about to put them up, which will make a large bundle & consign them to you … In the confused state of my papers I have not been able to lay my hand upon the Copy of your account nor do I know where to begin to look … your affectionate Father J no Hopkins" Good condition.

(6) Autograph Poem, not signed, 1 page, 7.75" x 7". Unknown writer. No place, no date. Partial separation. Old mending on folds at verso. Penned on verso in unknown hand "Miss Hopkins." Prefaced by "Lines addressed to a Ring, taken from the finger of a Lady by a Gentleman and put on his own and which he refused [last two words indecipherable]." The eight-line poem, in part, "That which her taper finger bound / Shall now my joyful triumph sound … " Good condition.'

Ex - George Washington family:

To coin and autograph luminary Robert Batchelder circa 1989

To John Reznikoff, University Archives, Guiness Book World record holder for historical hair collection

To Scott Winslow Historical Documents

To a gentleman collector

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000