A representative sample from the journal covers the period of September and October 1745. It will be noted that the days of the week are indicated alphabetically, a through g, as in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer. The mileage traveled each day is entered at the right.
1 F to Potomack Church & home 10 2 g at home 3 a to Tylers & Spotsylvania Court 14 4 b to M^r Daniels[75] & home 14 5 c to M^r Moncure's,[76] my Survey & home 20 6 d to King George Court & W^m Walkers'[77] 24 7 e to M^{ rs}. Spoore's[78] my Survey & home 20 8 F at home 9 g M^r Moncure's my Survey & home 20 10 a to Stafford Court & home 20 11 b at home 12 c to M^{ rs} Mason's[79] Survey 18 13 d at D^o 10 14 e at D^o 15 15 F to Potomack Church & M^r Moncure's 18 16 g home 6 17 a at home 18 b D^o 19 c to M^{ rs} Spoore & M^{ rs} Taliaferro's 17 20 d at M^r Taliaferro's 14 21 e To Fredericksburg & M^{ rs} Taliaferro's 22 F To Doctor Potter's[80] & M^{ rs} Taliaferro's. Lost my horses 2 23 g To M^r Moncure's 9 24 a home 10 25 b at home 26 c D^o 27 d D^o 28 e to M^r Moncure's, Vestry & home 16 29 F at home 30 g D^o
1 a at home 2 b to M^r Moncure's & Fredericksburg Fair 15 3 c at the Fair 4 d to M^r Moncure's & home 15 5 e at home 6 F to M^{ rs} Taliaferro's 17 7 g to Caroline Court h^o & George Hoomes's[81] 20 8 a to Newcastle 50 9 b to M^r Anderson's & M^r Gray's [82] 14 10 c to New Kent Courth^s & M^r Gray's 14 11 d to Furnau's & Williamsburg 17 12 e at Williamsburg
[He remained at Williamsburg until November 6.]
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: