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| Augustine Washington |
Americans
often refer to President George Washington as the Father of Our Country. But, who was his father?
President
Washington’s father, Augustine Washington, the son of a militia captain and a
member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, was a member of the landed gentry
and a tobacco planter in the Colony of
Virginia.
He
was born in 1694, and his own father died when he was only four years old. He
inherited a thousand acres on Bridges Creek in Westmoreland County.
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| Mary Ball Washington |
Over the years, through his marriages and through purchases, he
acquired even more land. He had four children by his first wife, Jane Butler, but
only two of the children survived to adulthood, Lawrence and Augustine, Jr.
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| President George Washington |
When he was 37, the widower Augustine
married Mary Ball, and they had six children: George was their first child, then Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles, and Mildred.
Augustine
was active in politics, and at one time was a justice of the peace and a county
sheriff and was active in his Anglican Church.
Augustine
died in 1743 when George was 11 years old. Mary managed the property George
inherited until he came of age.
I hope everyone had a Happy Father's Day last week. And I hope my Christian friends remembered to give thanks to our Heavenly Father.
Thanks for sharing this interesting, yet often times forgotten bit of information about our first President, George Washington. I enjoy hearing some of the "lost history" about our forefathers.
ReplyDeleteVicki
Jon and Vicki,
DeleteSo glad you liked the post. I love doing research for my novels and am so excited when I run across something I've never seen before and which I can share in my novels.
I've been to George Washington's birthplace, and it is beautiful, not unlike the views off Mt. Vernon. Thanks, Susan,
ReplyDeleteJanet,
DeleteI've got many places on my list of "places to visit" and I'm hoping when I retire that I'll be able to start checking them off. GW's birthplace and Mt. Vernon are on the list. Though, I sometimes think I shouldn't wait for retirment, but maybe take some days off here and there and make short trips to interesting places.
Thanks for the interesting tidbits. You rarely hear about George Washington's family of origin.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! I don't recall ever hearing about George Washington's parents.
ReplyDeleteI also knew very little about the family other than their relative 'wealth' and that they were from Virginia. Last year I was out on one of the peninsula and drove past a sign that said George Washington's Birthplace. Unfortunately it had been a long day of driving with grandchildren, so no side trips for Granny!
ReplyDeleteI have to think that George's mother was a very big influence on him. Thankfully, losing a child or two out of a family is no longer considered normal.
Thanks Susan!