Augustine Washington, Sr.

Augustine Washington (November 12, 1694 – April 12, 1743) is best known today as the father of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

“Father, I Can Not Tell a Lie: I Cut the Tree," Posthumous 1867 lithograph by John C. McRae after a painting by G. G. White. < link >

Augustine Washington

• Born: 12 November 1694 - Mattox Creek, Washington Parish, Westmoreland, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America
• Died: 12 April 1743 (aged 48) - Ferry Farm, King George (now Stafford) County, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America
• Burial: George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Latanes, Westmoreland County, Virginia, USA. Plot: Popes Creek Plantation
• Parents: Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner
• Spouse: Jane Butler (1715-1730; her death) - married 20 Apr 1715, Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia
• Spouse: Mary Ball (1731-1743; his death) - married 6 Mar 1731, Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia
• Ethnicity: English
• Occupation: Planter
• Religion: Anglican Church

He was part-owner of two iron-furnaces at < Accokeek > in Virginia and < Principio > in Maryland and was financially able to visit England on two occasions to deal directly with his partners. He owned land and buildings in 3 Virginia counties and was master of at least 49 slaves. Though not as wealthy as certain other planters in the < Northern Neck > (the tidewater counties lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers), he was a man of good social standing.

From < “George Washington’s father” >

George Washington with his father at his father’s iron furnace (one of the first in America) near Fredericksburg, Virginia. As such, George Washington’s father Augustine Washington was one of the first individuals to initiate industrialization in America.

Family

George Washington's father, Augustine Washington (Lawrence, John, Lawrence), was born at Mattox Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia on November 12, 1694. He remembered little of his father, as Lawrence Washington died when Augustine was only 4 years old. Two years later his mother, Mildred Warner, married Col. George Gale [or Gayle], and during the autumn of 1700, the family moved to England. Their family life abroad was short-lived, however, as Augustine's mother died a year later, when he was only seven. His stepfather, who seems to have been a kindly man, sent Augustine and his brother, John, to < Appelby School > [in lake district]. Their schooling, too, was cut short, for a year or two later the boys returned to Virginia to live with their elder cousin, John Washington of "Chotank," whose < plantation > was located on the Potomac, about 20 miles up the river from Bridges Creek in Stafford now King George Co. While little is known of Augustine's teen-age activities one can surmise that he enjoyed plantation life to the utmost while living with various relatives whose farms were located on the wooded south shore of the Potomac River.

On 20 Apr 1715 at Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, when he was 21, Augustine first married to Jane Butler. She was born 24 Oct 1699 at Popes Creek in Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, and died in Washington Parish on 24 Nov 1729. Jane was the daughter of Caleb Butler Esq. of Westmoreland County and his wife Mary Foxall. Also an orphan, she brought 1,300 acres of land to their marriage, which she had inherited from her father.

At this time in his life, Augustine was richer than his father had been. His home was called “Lisson Estate.”

Jane Butler and Augustine Washington had four children, but only Lawrence and Augustine survived into adulthood. The children were:

1. Butler Washington was born in 1716 in Bridge Creek, Westmoreland Co., VA. He died before 1729.
2. Lawrence Washington (1718-1752). Married Anne Fairfax.
3. Augustine Washington , Jr. - (1720-1762). Married Anne Aylett.
4. Jane Washington was born about 1722 in Bridge's Creek, VA. She died on 17 Jan 1735.

After Jane’s death in 1728, Augustine Washington married second to Mary Ball, at married at Sandy Point, Westmoreland County, on 17 March 1731 (N.S.), the Rev. Walter Jones of Cople Parish officiating. She was born in 1708 in Lancaster County and died on 25 Aug 1789 in Fredericksburg, Virgina. Mary was the daughter of Joseph Ball and Mary Bennett.

Mary Ball and Augustine Washington had six children. Their youngest, Mildred, died as an infant. The children were:

1. President George Washington was born on 11 Feb 1732 in Pope's Creek, Westmoreland Co., VA. He died on 14 Dec 1799 in Mount Vernon, Fairfax Co., VA. George married Martha Dandridge. Martha was born on 21 Jun 1731 in New Kent Co., VA. She died on 22 May 1802 in Mount Vernon, Fairfax Co., VA.
2. Elizabeth Washington was born on 20 Jun 1733 in Pope's Creek, Wakefield, Westmoreland Co., VA. She died on 31 Mar 1797 in Western View, Culpeper Co., VA. Elizabeth married Colonel Fielding Lewis on 7 May 1750. Fielding was born in 1725. He died in 1781.
3. Samuel Washington (1734-1781). Married 1) Jane Champe 2) Mildred Thornton 3) Lucy Chapman 4) Anne Steptoe 5) Susannah Perrin
4. John Augustine Washington (1736-1787). Married Hannah Bushrod.
5. Charles Washington (1738-1799). Married Mildred Thornton.
6. Mildred Washington was born in 1739 in Pope's Creek, Wakefield, Westmoreland Co., VA. She died on 23 Oct 1740 in Pope's Creek, Wakefield, Westmoreland Co., VA.

Biography

From “Augustine Washington” at < Wikipedia > retrieved 12 March 2023

Augustine Washington Sr. (November 12, 1694 – April 12, 1743) was the father of the first U.S. president, George Washington. He belonged to the Colony of Virginia's landed gentry. Like his father and sons, Washington owned plantations which he operated by the use of enslaved labor, as well as speculated in less developed land and even operated an iron mine. Although Washington did not serve as a legislator (unlike his father and son), he held various offices in the counties in which he held land.

Early and family life

Augustine Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on November 12, 1694, to Mildred Warner and her husband, Capt. Lawrence Washington, a militia captain and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His paternal grandparents were Lt. Col. John Washington (c. 1631–1677) and his first wife, Anne Pope. His maternal grandparents owned Warner Hall and associated plantations in Gloucester County.

Augustine was four years old when his father died. His mother remarried and moved her family to England, where she died when all were still children; although their mother's will named their stepfather George Gale as their guardian, their cousin John Washington fought to have himself named the children's guardian and brought them back to Virginia.

When Washington came of age (and into his inheritance) in 1715, he married Jane Butler, another orphan, who had inherited about 640 acres (2.6 km2) from her father, Caleb Butler. The young couple settled on the Bridges Creek property and had four children, only two of whom (Lawrence and Augustine Jr.) lived to adulthood. After Jane's death in November 1728[1] or 1729,[2] Washington married Mary Ball in 1731, and the couple had five children who survived to adulthood — George, Betty, Samuel, Charles, and John Augustine — and a daughter, Mildred.[3]

Career

When he reached legal age in 1715, Augustine Washington inherited about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) on Bridges Creek in Westmoreland County; his sister Mildred inherited what was called the < Little Hunting Creek > property;[4] they both inherited slaves. In 1718, Washington purchased land on Pope's Creek, adjoining his property on Bridges Creek, and set about establishing himself. Between 1723 and 1735 he hired a local contractor to build a house, which was probably completed about 1726 despite the contractors death (later called Wakefield).[5] In the same year, Washington purchased the Little Hunting Creek property from his sister Mildred.[6]

In 1725, Augustine Washington entered into an agreement with the Principio Company of England to start an iron works on Accokeek Creek in Stafford County, and he also owned a stake in their Maryland ironworks.[7] In 1735, the family moved to the Little Hunting Creek property, which was closer to the Accokeek Furnace.[4]

In 1738, Augustine Washington purchased the 150-acre Strother property across the Rappahannock River (now known as Ferry Farm) and moved the family there at the end of that same year.[4][8]

Augustine Washington was active in the Anglican Church, the local militia and politics.[9] He took the oath as justice of the peace for the Westmoreland county court in July 1716,[10] and served as county sheriff.

Death and legacy

After Augustine Washington died in 1743 at the age of 48, his 11-year old son George inherited the former Strother property and its slaves.[11] Because he had not reached legal age, his mother Mary managed this property for him until he came of age. She lived on the property until 1772 when she was 64, when George moved her to a house in Fredericksburg.

Lawrence Washington inherited the Little Hunting Creek property and renamed it "Mount Vernon," to honor Admiral Edward Vernon, with whom he had served in the Royal Navy in 1741 during the Battle of Cartagena de Indias during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

According to Augustine Sr's will, if his son Lawrence died without children, the Little Hunting Creek property would go to Augustine Jr. and Augustine Jr, in turn, would have to give up the Popes Creek property to his brother George. If Augustine Jr. did not want the Little Hunting Creek property, it would then be inherited by George. Upon Lawrence's death Augustine Jr. chose Popes Creek and its slaves rather than the former Little Hunting Creek property. Lawrence's only surviving child Sarah only lived until 1754; therefore, George Washington ultimately inherited the Little Hunting Creek property which by that time was known as Mount Vernon. At his death, Augustine Washington Sr. held a total of 64 slaves who were assigned among the various plantations.[12]

Lawrence Washington's widow Ann had a life interest in the Little Hunting Creek plantation. Because she remarried and was not living at Mount Vernon, she leased the property to George beginning in 1754. Upon her death in 1761, George Washington inherited the plantation outright.

About that cherry tree

George Washington admits to his father, Augustine, that he chopped his cherry tree.

From “George Washington and the Cherry Tree.” National Mall and Memorial Parks. < nps.gov >

The story goes that when Washington was six years old, he received a hatchet as a gift, after which he promptly went and cut down his father’s favorite cherry tree. When his father found out about it, he was understandably angry and confronted his son, asking if he had done it, to which little George replied that yes, indeed, he had done it. And with those brave words, father’s anger melted away and he embraced his son, exclaiming that his honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.

That sounds like a nice, uplifting story, but did it happen? Nobody knows for sure.

When Washington died in 1799, there was a great demand around the country to learn more about our first national hero. Minister and itinerant bookseller Mason Locke Weems, more popularly known as Parson Weems, was more than willing to fulfill that need and in 1800 quickly wrote and published The Life of Washington, an immediate bestseller that cemented Washington’s legendary status. It wasn’t until the book’s fifth edition in 1806 that the cherry tree story first made an appearance.

Though profit may have been high on Weems’ priority list in writing this biography, as a minister he wanted to teach morality, and the best way to do that was to show by example using the one individual everyone looked up to. Washington’s admission of guilt was proof that his public greatness was due to his private virtues, to which anyone could aspire. Bringing in the father also served to add more depth to who George Washington was as a person. Though much was known and written about Washington’s military feats, very little was known about his relationship with his father, who had died when George was 11. The cherry tree example of a warm and generous relationship between father and son added strong emphasis to the character of the quickly-being-mythologized George Washington.

So is it true? Weems said he got the story from an elderly woman who had been friends with the family. Since she chose to remain anonymous it is an unreliable source. The official answer from both Ferry Farm, Washington’s childhood home where it would have occurred, and Mount Vernon, is no, it’s only a story. But, really, does it matter?

In 1861, on his way to his inauguration in Washington, D.C., newly-elected president Abraham Lincoln stopped to speak at the New Jersey Senate. He told them he had read a number of books growing up that taught him basic life lessons, Pilgrim’s Progress, Aesop’s Fables, and Lessons in Elocution, to name just a few. But it was The Life of George Washington, he continued, that really sparked his imagination and showed “there must have been something more than common” in Washington and what he had stood for.

For Weems’ book and story to have a good message (i.e. don’t lie) and for it to have made such an impression on someone as equally influential as Lincoln, who are we to protest?

Chop away, Mr. Washington!

Will and Estate

SOME WILLS FROM THE BURNED COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA AND NOTHER WILLS NOT LISTED IN VIRGINIA WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS 1632-1800 by William Lindsay Hopkins, p. 71

• AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON King Geo. Co 11 Apr 1743/6 May 1743
• Son Lawrence Washington.
• Son Augustine Washington.
• Son George Washington land bought from the executors of Mr. William Strother, decd.
• Son Samuel Washington.
• Son John Washington.
• Son Charles Wash ington land whereon Thomas Lewis not lives and the land purchased of Gabriel Adams in Prince William Co. Land purchased of Mr. James Hooe.
• Daughter Betty Washington (under 18).
• Present wife (not named).
• Exors: Son Lawrence Washington,
• Daniel McCarty and Nathaniel Chapman.
• Wit: Robert Jackson, Anthony Strother, James Thompson.
• Also land in Westmoreland Co. where Benjamin Wicks and Thomas Fi nch now live, lots in fredericksburg purchased of the Executors of Col. Henry Willis and a piece of land where Matthew Tiffy late lived.

  ---

  
  

From “Augustine Washington” at < “Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties >

Augustine Washington's Will: "I Augustine Washington of the County of King George--Gentleman, being sick and weak but of perfect disposing sence (sic) andmemory. Do make my last will and testament in manner herebyrevoking all former will or wills whatsoever by me heretoforemade.

Imprimis: I give unto my Son Lawrence Washington and his heirs forever all that plantation and tract of Land at Hunting Creek in the County of Prince William containing by estimate, two hundred and five hundred acres with the Water Mill adjoining thereto or lying near the same and all the Slaves, Cattle and Stocks of all Kinds whatsoever and all the Household Furnature(sic) whatsoever now in and upon or which have been commonly possessed by my said son, together with said plantation track of Land and Mill.

Item: I give unto my son Augustine Washington and his heirs forever all my lands in the County of Westmoreland except suchonly as are hereinafter otherwise disposed of together with twenty five head of neat Cattle forty hogs and twenty sheep and a negro man named Frank besides those negros formerly given him by his mother.

Item: I give to my son George Washington and his heirs the land I now live on which I purchased of the Executors of Mr. Wm Strther deceased. And one, one moiety of my land lying on Deeps Run and ten negro Slaves.

Item: I give unto my son Samuel Washington and his heirs my land at Chotank in the County of Stafford containing about six hundred acres and also the other moity (sic) of my land lying on Deeps Run.

Item: I give unto my son John Washington and his heirs my land at the head of Mattox in the County of Westmoreland containing about seven hundred acres.

Item: I give unto my son Charles Washington and his heirs the land I purchased of my son Lawrence Washington whereon Thomas Lewis now lives, adjoining to my said son Lawrence's land above devised. I also give unto my said son Charles and his heirs the land I purchased of Gabriel Adams in the County of Prince William containg about seven hundred acres.

Item: It is my will and desire that all the rest of my negroes not herein particularly devised may be equally divided between my wife and my three sons Samuel, John and Charles, and that Ned, Jack, Bob, Sue, and Lucy may be included in my wife's part, which part of my said wife's, after her decease I desire may be equally divided between my sons George, Samuel, John and Charles, and part of my said negroes so devised to my wife I mean and intend to be in full satisfaction and in lieu of her dower in my negroes. But if she should insist notwithstanding on her right of Dower in my negroes I will and desire that so many as may be wanting to make up her share may be taken out of the negroes given hereby to my sons George, Samuel, John and Charles.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my said wife and four sons George, Samuel, John and Charles, all the rest of my Personal Estate to be equally divided between them which is not particularly bequeathed by this will to my wife and it is my will and desire that my said four sons Estates may be kept in my wife's hands until they respectively attain the age of twenty one years, in case my said wife continues so long unmarried but in case she Should happen to marry before that time I desire it may be in the power of my Executors to oblige her husband from time to time as they shall think proper to give security for the performance of this last will in paying and delivering my said four sons their Estates respectively as they come of age, or on failure to give such security to take my said sons and their estates out of the custody an tuition of my said wife and her husband.

Item: I give and bequeath to my said wife the crops made at Bridge Creek, Chotank, and Rappahanock (sic) quarters at the time of my decase (sic) for the support of herself and her children and I desire my wife may have the liberty of working my land at Bridge Creek Quarters for the time of Five years after my decease, during which time she may fix a quarters on Deep Run.

Item: I give my son Lawrence Washington and the heirs of his body lawfully begotten forever that tract of Land I purchased of Mr. James Hooe adjoining to the Said Lawrence Washinton's land on Maddox in the County of Westmoreland which I gave him in lieu of the land my said son bought for me in Prince William County of Spencer and Harrison and for want of such heirs then I give and devise the same to my son Augustine and his heirs forever.

Item: I give to my son Lawrence all the right title and interest I have to in or out of the Iron Works in which I am concerned in Virginia and Maryland provided that he do and shall, out of the profits raised thereby purchaes for my son Augustine three young working slaves as I have herein before directed and also pay my daughter Betty when she arrives at the age Eighteen years the sum of four hundred pounds which right title and interest on the condition aforesaid I give to my said son Lawrence and his heirsforever.

Item: I give to my said daughter Betty a negro child named Mary daughter of Sue and an other named Betty daughter of Judy.

Item: It is my will and desire that my sons Lawrence and Augustine do pay out of their respective Estates devised to themo ne half or moity (sic) of the debts I justly owe and for that purpose I give and bequeath unto my said two sons one half of the debts owing to me.

Item: For as much as my several children in this will metioned being of several venters cannot inherit from one another in order to make a proper provision against their dying without issue. It is my will and desire that in case my son Lawrence should die without heirs of his body lawfully begotten that then the land and Mill given him by this my will lying in the county of Prince William shall go and remain to my son George and his heirs but in case my son Augustine should choose to have the said lands rather than the lands he holds in Maddox either by this will or any Settlement. Then I give and devise said lands in Prince William to my said son Augustine and his heirs on conveying the said lands in maddox to my son George and his heirs. And in case my said son Augustine shall happen to die without issue of his body lawfully begotten, then I give and bequeath all the lands by him held in Maddox to my son George and his heirs and if both sons Lawrence and Augustine should happen to die without issue of their several bodies begotten then my will and desire is that my son George and his heirs may have his and their choice either to have the lands of my son Lawrence or the lands of my son Augustine to hold to him and his heirs and the land of such of my said sons Lawrence and Augustine as shall not be so chosen by my son George or his heirs shall go to and be equally divided by my sons Samuel, John and Charles and their heirs share and share alike and in case my son George by the death of both or either of my sons Lawrence and Augustine should according to this my intention come to be possessed of either their lands then my will and desire is that said lands hereby devised to my said son George and his heirs should go over and be equally divided between my sons Samuel, John and Charles and their heirs share and share alike and in case all my children by my present wife should happen to die without issue of their bodies. Then my will and desire is that all the lands by this my will devised to any of my said children should go to my sons Augustine and Lawrence if living and to their heirs or if one of them should be dead without issue then to the survivor and his heirs. But my true Intent and meaning is that each of my children by my present wife may have their lands in fee simple upon the contingency of their arriving at full age or leaving heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten or on their dying under age and without lawful issue their several parts to descend from one to another according to their course of descent and the remainder of their or any of their land in this clause mentioned to my sons Lawrence and Augustine or the survivors of them in only upon the contingency of all my said children by my present wife dying under age and without issue living, my sons Lawrence and Augustine or either of them. Lastly; I constitute and appoint my son Lawrence Washington and my good friends Daniel McLarity and Nathaniel Chapman --Gentlemen Executors of this my last will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal theEleventh day of April 1743.

AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON (L.S.)

Signed sealed and published in the presence of us.

Robert Jackson

Anthony Strother

Jas Thompson

Provided further that if my lands at Chotank devised to my son Samuel should by course of law be taken away then I give to the said Samuel in lieu thereof a tract of Land in Westmoreland County where Benjamin Wicks and Thomas Finch now live by estimation seven hundred acres.

Item: I bequeath to my son George one lot of land in the town of Fredericksburg which I purchased of Col. John Walton also two other lots in the said town which I purchased of the Executors of Colo. Henry Willis with all the houses and appurtenances thereunto belonging. And whereas some proposals have been made by Mr. Anthony Strother for purchasing a piece of land where Matthew Tiffy lately lived now if my Executors shall think it for the benefit of my said son George then I hereby empower them to make conveyance of the said land and premices (sic) to the said Strother. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal theEleventh day of April 1743.

AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON (L.S.)

Signed sealed and published in the presence of us.

Robert Jackson

Anthony Strother

Jas Thompson

At a court held for King George County the 6th day of May 1743 The last will and testament of Augustine Washington Gent'n deceased was presented into Court by Lawrence Washington Gent'n one of the Executors who made oath thereunto and the same was provided by the oath of Anthony Strother and James Thompson admitted to Record.

Bibliographic notes

From “Augustine Washington” at < “Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties >

Harry Turner Cl: Cur:

[Captain Augustine Washington (1694-1743) died at "Ferry Farm," his plantation on Rappahannock River opposite the lower part of Fredericksburg. This property was in King George County until 1777 when it became a part of Stafford County. The will of Captain Augustine Washington was published in Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume IX, pages 34-38. The de-tailed inventory of the personal estate of Captain Augustine Washington in the counties of King George, Prince William and Stafford is of record in King George County Inventory Book #1, pages 285-291. The inventory of his estate at his manor plantation in King George County was published in an article "Washington's Boyhood Home" in William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Second Series, Volume XVII, pages 265-281. Subsequently the inventory of the estate of Captain Augustine Washing-ton in Prince William and Stafford counties was published in Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume XIX, pages 216-218. Orphan's Account Book No "A" (1740-1761), pages 60-61, contains an interesting account filed by Lawrence Washington, Gent., as executor of Capt. Augustine Washington shortly before his death. These accounts cover the period 1743-1751. On October 31, 1750 John Champe, Hancock Lee and Enoch Innis met at the plantation of the widow of Captain Augustine Washington and divided the Negroes, agreeable to his will, among his widow and his sons George, Samuel, John and Charles Washington. This division is of record in Deed Book #3, page 373.]

Pedigree

Coat of arms of the Washington family < Wikipedia >

"Genealogy of the Washington Family in Virginia" by George Washington. Image: Courtesy Karin Wulf. Document at the Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 4, General Correspondence: George Washington, Genealogy Chart, 1753. < link >

Arms of Washington and pedigree of Washington. < link >

Washington family tree (2017) < link >

Tombstone

“In memory of Captain Augustine Washington, son of Lawrence and Mildred (Warner) Washington, born near this spot in the year 1694. a Justice of Westmoreland County and a Burgess of the Colony of Virginia. Died April 12, 1743 and his first wife Jane Butler, born at Popes Creek, Virginia December 21, 1699. Died there November 24, 1729. And of his second wife Mary Ball, the mother of George Washington. She was born in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1708. Died, August 25, 1789. Buried in Fredicksburg, Virginia.”

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_family
2. “The Washington Family.” < mountvernon.org >
3. “Captain, Augustine Washington Sr.” at < link >, cites
   1. http://www.nps.gov/gewa/Gus&history.htm (dead link)
   2. 1269 Website: Find A Grave Cemetery Records (URL: http://www.findagrave.com), Cit. Date: 29 Jan 2006. Surety: 3. (Birth, death, burial)
   3. 1857 Website: RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Littlehitchcock (URL: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&amp;db=:249..., Webmistress: Lynda Crabill), Cit. Date: 29 Jan 2006. Surety: 3. (Marriage 1)
4. 1858 Website: RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: McKinney-Hudson (URL: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&amp;db=:175..., Webmaster: James McKinney), Cit. Date: 29 Jan 2006. Surety: 3. (Marriage 2)
5. Pape, T. “Appleby Grammar School and Its Washington Pupils.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 4, 1940, pp. 498–501. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1919932. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.
6. Glenn Justin. 2014. The Washingtons : A Family History. El Dorado Hills CA: Savas Beatie. < link >
7. “Augustine Washington” at < FindAGrave Memorial # 21506 > Legacy. In 1779, William, the son of Augustine Washington Jr., accidently burned down "Wakefield" after building a large fire in the mansion fire place then leaving to attend Episcopal church services on Christmas day. A spark from the chimney ignited a fire that destroyed the dwelling. A replica plantation house was constructed on the plantation land in Westmoreland County to approximate the original birth house in 1932 and is today known as the "Memorial House." The historical area today consists of 538 acres with the house, the Washington family burial ground, a working demonstration farm and 18th century period garden. Also interred in the burial ground are 28 other early members of the Washington family. President George Washington was buried at Mt. Vernon in 1799 and his mother Mary Ball Washington in Frederiksburg. The original foundations of what is believed to be the birth house were discovered by preservationist and is outlined. The site is now known as the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. An unmarked slave graveyard discovered at the Washington birthplace is an infamous legacy of Augustine Washington Sr. It contains 156 bodies of slaves owned by George Washington's father. Trivia note: Washington's birthplace eventually was sold and passed from the holdings of the Washington family. It was allow to disintegrate until preservationists realized the historical significance of the site. However, it was to late, nothing remained but finally a concerted effort with private and government assistance began to restore the plantation in the early 30's in a style of how it may have looked. Even the burial grounds was a vain attempt at restoration and creation. The finished project today resulted after disinterring of family parts, and a few vandalized markers from around the plantation and area with reinterring on the site.
8. “The Washingtons and Their Homes.” By John W. Wayland (1944) (2009 reprint). p. 5-8 < GoogleBooks >
9. LANDMARKS OF OLD PRINCE WILLIAM, VOL I & II by Fairfax Harrison, p. 107. “It was not until 1734 that Capt. Augustine Washington, seeking a healthier residence for the young children of his second wife, moved from his grandfather's house, Wakefield, on Pope's Creek in Westmo reland, to the high land of the plantation on Little Hunting Creek, which likewise he had inherited from his grandfather, but he too was only a temporary resident of old Prince William; for, in 1739 , when his modest home was destroyed by fire, he moved again to the house where he died, on the north bank of the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg.”
10. Colonial Families of the Southern States of America, By Stella Pickett Hardy. (1911) (1965 edition). p. 520. < GoogleBooks >
11. Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via father Lawrence Washington by SmartCopy: Dec 12 2015, 10:16:50 UTC
12. Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 25 2018, 19:31:56 UTC
13. Reference: MyHeritage Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 25 2018, 19:42:06 UTC
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_Washington cites
    1. Whipple, Wayne, ed. (1911). The story-life of Washington: a life-history in five hundred true stories. John C. Winston Company. p. 17. Retrieved February 20, 2018. ...died November 24, 1728
    2. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 1880. p. 241.
    3. Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Under the Editorial Supervision of Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Volume 5. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 693. Retrieved June 3, 2022. < GoogleBooks >
    4. ""Augustine Washington", The George Washington Foundation". Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. < link >
    5. Norris p. 152
    6. Wayland p. 8
    7. Norris p. 153
    8. Wayland p. 8
    9. Norris p. 153
    10. Freeman 1948, p. 34
    11. "10 Facts About Washington & Slavery - 1. George Washington first became a slave owner at the early age of eleven". www.mountvernon.org. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
    12. "Slavery at Popes Creek Plantation", George Washington Birthplace National Monument, National Park Service, accessed April 15, 2009
15. Freeman, Douglas Southall (1948). George Washington: A Biography (Volume 1). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
16. "George Washington's Heritage", March 26, 2005, Fredericksburg.com.
17. "Lawrence Washington History, 1659-1698", National Park Service
18. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21506/augustine-washington
19. (1) "Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America" (Burke's Peerage Ltd., London, 1st ed.) p.48. Half-Brothers and Sister of President Washington.
20. (2) "Virginia Vital Records from the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler's Quarterly" (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1984), "Inscriptions on Old Tombstones in Westmoreland and Northumberland Counties," p.548.
21. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/032005/03262005/1710627/pri... (dead link) Augustine Washington had many holdings--farms, businesses, mines, and land. He was a man of great energy. He added to theWestmoreland plantation until it included the whole peninsula between Popes Creek and Bridges Creek, small streams emptying into the Potomac. He purchased the estate in Fairfax County later known as "Mount Vernon".
22. Tyler V.9, pp. 35-38 New England Hist. & Gen. Register V. 45 (1891) pp. 209-213 and King George Co. W III Book A-1, 1721-1752
23. < “Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties > cites
    1. ” Fielding Lewis and the Washington Family,” Paula S. Felder
24. < Family Tree >
25. “The Early Life of George Washington.” < link >
26. < famouskin.com > cites
    1. NEHGS NEXUS: New England Across the United States, 1987, Vol. 4, p. 27.
    2. The American Genealogist, 1975, Vol. 51, p. 167. < AmericanAncestors >
    3. Fiske, John, Old Virginia and Her Neighbours, Cambridge: The Riverside Press (1902), 31.
    4. Kennedy, Mary Selden, Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families, Volume 1, New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Company (1911), 344.
    5. Roberts, Gary Boyd, Notable Kin, Volume 1, Santa Clarita, California: Carl Boyer, 3rd (1998), 6. < Amazon >
    6. Roberts, Gary Boyd, The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States (2 vols.), Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. (2008), 210, 416. < Amazon >
    7. Roberts, Gary Boyd, comp., Ancestors of American Presidents, 2009 Edition, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society (2009), 428, 430, 567, 663. < Amazon >
    8. Watson, Annah Robinson, Of Sceptred Race, Memphis, TN: Early Printing and Publishing Company (1910), 83.
    9. Wikipedia, "Augustine Washington", (accessed 2/20/2010).
27. “George Washington’s Father – Augustine Washington.” (2010) < link >
28. “George Washington Birthplace - National Monument, Virginia.” < nps.gov >
29. “Parson Weems.” < mountvernon.org > cites
    1. Mason Locke Weems, The Life of George Washington: With Curious Anecdotes, Equally Honourable to Himself, and Exemplary to His Young Countrymen (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Company, 1858), 16. < GoogleBooks >
    2. Quoted in Scott E. Casper, American Lives: Biography and Culture in Nineteenth-Century America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999), 69.
30. “Washington Family Tree” (2017) < wordpress.com >
31. “This Long-Ignored Document, Written by George Washington, Lays Bare the Legal Power of Genealogy.” By Karin Wulf, History Correspondent. June 18, 2019. < Smithsonianmag.com >