Kline is the first historian to create a comprehensive annotation of the original Tobias Lear Journal, which is the only firsthand account of the death of George Washington. The journal, which is housed in the Historical Society of Philadelphia’s (HSP) archives covers Lear’s life from December 10, 1799 to July 4, 1801, and documents the President’s final wishes, funeral perpetrations, funeral, entombment, the possible publishing of his papers, and Lear’s appointment and journey to be Council to St. Domingo.
Tobias Lear Diary. Tobias Lear Diary, Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Am.09238), Dec. 10, 1799AdminCLKline2020-08-09T00:21:47+00:00