About Early Access Washington Documents

The Washington Papers transcriptions made available in Founders Early Access have been checked by project editors and are believed to be accurate and capable of giving a general understanding of the documents. Nonetheless, these documents have not been through all the stages of editorial preparation—in particular the process during which the documents are rechecked and annotated to provide the reader with a context in which to understand the content and with identifications of persons, places, and events mentioned in the document. At this stage of the work, we sometimes find that we have transcribed words incorrectly. Such errors can alter in important ways how one understands a sentence or even an entire document. Therefore, we strongly urge that you do not quote or cite these preliminary transcriptions in published works. Rather, you should consult and cite the original manuscript at the repository indicated in the source line below the transcription.

The Papers of George Washington divided the work of editing into six series—Diaries (6 vols.), Colonial Series (10 vols.), Revolutionary War Series (projected 40 vols.), Confederation Series (6 vols.), Presidential Series (projected 21 vols.), and Retirement Series (4 vols.)—and two single volumes (a single-volume abridgement of the Diaries, and The Proceedings of the Presidency). Also still unpublished are the school exercises and other papers of Washington’s youth, and his farm and financial papers.

Washington Early Access makes available those documents from the still-incomplete Presidential Series and Revolutionary War Series that have not yet been published in our digital edition. More preliminary transcriptions will be added as quickly as the editors are satisfied that they constitute a reasonable representation of the documents in question. We will be doing this in two ways. First, we will be putting online the transcriptions of volumes currently in progress as those volumes take shape. Second, we will set editors at work on documents that will appear in later volumes of the two series. In effect, like the early transcontinental railroads, we will build from both ends and ultimately meet in the middle.

For documents that do not yet appear in either The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition or in Washington Early Access, we suggest that you consult the Washington manuscripts online at the Library of Congress or at the repository indicated in the source line. You might also consult one of the earlier editions of Washington’s writings—particularly the Fitzpatrick volumes. To learn more about The Papers of George Washington, go to our website.