Augustine Washington

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Augustine Washington; Lithograph, 1867, by John C. McRae after a painting by GG White.

Augustine Washington (* 1694 in Westmoreland , † April 12, 1743 in King George County ) was the father of General and President George Washington . In Virginia he belonged to the colonial landed gentry.

family

Augustine Washington was the son of Lawrence Washington (1659-1698) , a militia captain and member of the House of Burgesses in Virginia, and Mildred Warner Washington Gale (1671-1701). His paternal grandparents were John Washington and Anne Pope (1638–1668).

Life

Augustine was only four years old when his father died. He inherited over 1,000 acres of land in Bridges Creek in Westmoreland County ; his sister Mildred inherited the Little Hunting Creek estate .

In 1715, after taking over his inheritance, he married Jane Butler, an orphan who had inherited over 640 acres of land from her father. The young couple settled on the Bridges Creek estate . In 1718, Washington acquired land in Popes Creek and downsized its property in Bridges Creek . Around 1726 he built a new house, later called Wakefield . In the same year he acquired Little Hunting Creek from his sister Mildred .

In addition to overseeing his slaves and working as a tobacco planter, he was an active member of the Anglican Church and a local politician. He served as a justice of the peace and country sheriff for some time .

Washington and his wife Jane had four children, two of whom ( Lawrence and Augustine, Jr.) reached adulthood.

Second marriage

After Jane's untimely death in 1729, Washington married Mary Ball, 23, of Lancaster County in 1731 . They had three children who reached adulthood: George (1732), Betty (1733) and Samuel (1734).

In 1735 the family moved to Little Hunting Creek . The exact reason for this is unclear, but it could have had something to do with Washington's mining activities: Little Hunting Creek was closer to the iron mines than Popes Creek . In 1725, Augustine had entered into an agreement with the Principio Company of England and began mining iron in Accokeek , Stafford County . In 1728 he signed an agreement with the company to reduce the running costs for the kilns in Accokeek by 1/6.

Washington had grown tobacco on its farms, which necessitated the help of slaves. When George Washington was born, 50 percent of the population in Virginia was black, most of whom were enslaved.

In 1738, 150 acres of land formerly owned by William Strother were up for sale. It was on the Rappahannock River on the edge of Fredericksburg . Washington acquired the property from Strother's estate administrators. He and his family moved to Ferry Farm in late 1738 . The new property provided easy access to the Accokeek Kilns and was a day's ride from Little Hunting Creek and the Popes Creek properties . Washington also leased 450 acres of land adjacent to Strother's property, which he later acquired in full. Although the property included Ferry Road and Ferryland, it was not called Ferry Farm at the time it was Augustine Washington's residence . At this time, other children were born to the Washington: John Augustine (1736) and Charles (1738). A sixth child, Mildred, who was born on the new farm in 1739, died as a toddler in 1740.

legacy

After Washington's death in 1743 at the age of 49, his son George inherited the Ferry Farm and slaves. Since he was only eleven years old, his mother managed the property until he came of age. She stayed on the estate until 1772. Then she moved to a house in Fredericksburg that George had bought for her. Lawrence inherited Little Hunting Creek and also slaves. He renamed the property Mount Vernon in honor of Admiral Edward Vernon , under whose command he had participated in the War of Jenkins' Ear . The property in Popes Creek and slaves went to Augustine Jr. At his death Augustine Washington owned a total of 64 slaves, divided between the various plantations.

According to Augustine's last will, if Lawrence died without children, Little Hunting Creek would be given to Augustine Jr., who would in this case give Popes Creek to George. If Augustine Jr. didn't want the Little Hunting Creek property , it should go to George. Lawrence had no living children when he died, and Augustine, Jr. refused to give up Popes Creek .

Lawrence Washington's widow, Ann, had a lifelong tenancy on the Little Hunting Creek property . When she remarried and no longer lived on Mount Vernon , she leased the property to George from 1754. After her death in 1761, George Washington inherited the entire property.

Children (by Jane Butler)

  • Butler Washington (* 1716)
  • Lawrence Washington (1718-1752)
  • Augustine Washington, Jr. (1720–1762)
  • Jane Washington (1722-1735)

Children (by Mary Ball)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b "Slavery at Popes Creek Plantation" , George Washington Birthplace National Monument, National Park Service, accessed 15 Apr 2009

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Washington, Augustine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Father of George Washington
DATE OF BIRTH 1694
PLACE OF BIRTH Westmoreland
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 1743
Place of death King George County