Such itineraries were punctuated by periods of staying at Marlborough, but even then there were day-long journeys to Stafford courthouse, to church, or to a survey. The courthouse, which succeeded that at Marlborough, was situated on the south side of Potomac Creek, about three miles upstream from the old site. Mercer almost invariably took the 10-mile-long land route through the site of the present village of Brook, along the Fredericksburg road past Potomac Church, then along the headwaters of Potomac Run on a now-disused road leading to Belle Plains. Just before reaching the courthouse, which stood on a rise of land some distance back from the creek, he passed "Salvington," the mansion of Joseph Selden.[83] Near the water, and in sight of the courthouse, stood the house of John Cave, whose grandfather in 1707 had bought his land from Sampson Darrell, undertaker of the Marlborough courthouse.[84] Near it, on a foundation still visible, Cave built the warehouse that bore his name, and through him passed much of the tobacco that Mercer raised locally. Occasionally, when he had business to do at Cave's, Mercer would return home by water, as he did on August 14, 1746: to Stafford Court & M^r Cave's 11 home by water 5 FOOTNOTES: [73] John Mercer's journal, kept in the back of Ledger B. [74] Col. John Taliaferro was a justice of Spotsylvania County court and one of the original trustees of Fredericksburg. He lived at the "Manor Plantation," Snow Creek, Spotsylvania County, and died in 1744 ("Virginia Council Journals, 1726-1753," _VHM_ [Richmond, 1927], vol. 35, p. 415). Benjamin Hubbard lived in Caroline County ("The Lovelace Family and its Connections," _VHM_ [Richmond, 1921], vol. 29, p. 367); John Powers was apparently a resident of King William County (Ida J. Lee, "Abstracts from King William County Records," WMQ [2] [Williamsburg, 1926], vol. 6, p. 72); "Furnea's" seems to have been an ordinary between Williamsburg and New Kent. [75] Peter Daniel was a burgess and leading citizen of Stafford County, who, as vestryman, signed the advertisement for bids to build a new Aquia Church in 1751. _Virginia Gazette_, June 6, 1751. [76] The Reverend Mr. John Moncure was minister of Overwharton Parish. [77] See pp. 25, 35-36, 46-47 and footnote 95 for further references to William Walker. Mercer's visit on this occasion probably relates to Walker's tentative appointment to rebuild Aquia Church. [78] Mrs. Ann Spoore of Stafford County. [79] Probably Mercer's sister-in-law, Mrs. Ann Mason, mother of George Mason of Gunston Hall. [80] Dr. Henry Potter lived in Spotsylvania County. His estate was advertised for sale the following April 17 in the _Virginia Gazette_.