Snuff, a finely ground tobacco often laced with herbs, aromatic oils, or spices, was enjoyed by many Virginians in the eighteenth century. The small boxes in which individual supplied of snuff were stored were often given as gifts as a token of friendship and appreciation. Family lore suggests that George Washington gave this snuff box to Reverend Mason Locke Weems. Weems is best known as the author of the first Washington biography and the famous anecdote about Washington cutting down the cherry tree.