The Family History of George Washington | George Washington Genealogy
George Washington Ancestry
In 1183, almost 800 years ago in the village of Wessyngton, England, the Washington family took its name. In 1789 General George Washington a descendant of that family and leader of the Revolution, became the first President of a new nation – the United States of America.
The capital of the new nation was named Washington in his honour. The Wessyngton, which had various spellings until it evolved into Washington, comes from the Anglo Saxon – ‘Hwaes’ a Saxon Chief, ‘Inga’ meaning family of, and ‘Tun’ an estate – the estate of Hwae’s (Wassa’s) family.
The first ancestor of George Washington to live at Washington was William de Hertburn, who moved to the village in 1183. Before surnames were in general use, nobles and landowners assumed the name of the property they owned. Thus, William de Hertburn became William de Wessyngton. Had he not moved in 1183, America’s first President and its capital might have been named Hertburn, (pronounced Heartburn in England).
It is not known whether William de Hertburn built the original Washington Old Hall or whether it already existed. The present Hall is a typical example of a small English manor house of the early seventeenth century. Built of local sandstone, it stands on the old twelfth century foundations. The arches between the Kitchen and the Great Hall are from the original house.
Five generations of George Washington’s direct ancestors lived in the hall before the family moved south and then emigrated in 1657 to Northern Neck in the New colony of Virginia.
George Washington’s father, Augustine, purchased what is today called Ferry Farm in 1738 and moved the family there in that same year. Upon Augustine’s death in 1743, George, just 11 years old, inherited the property. His mother, Mary, managed the property for him and lived there until 1772, when she moved to a small house in Fredericksburg to be closer to her daughter Betty.
George sold the farm to Hugh Mercer in 1774. Follow the navigational links to learn more about the Washington family.
Picture collection of George Washington
Generation 1:
John Washington was born about 1631 in Purleigh, Essex, England and died in 1677 in Westmoreland Co., VA. He married Anne Pope, daughter of Nathaniel Pope , at The Cliffs, Westmoreland, Co., VA in in 1658.
Children:
Lawrence – born 1659; died 1698
John – born between 1660 and 1666; died 1698
Anne – born between 1660 and 1665; died 1697
Generation 2:
Lawrence Washington was born in 1659 at Bridges Creek in Westmoreland, Co., VA and died in 1698 at Bridges Creek in Westmoreland, Co., VA. He married Mildred Warner, daughter of Augustine Warner, about 1686, at Warner Hall, Gloucester Co., VA.
Children:
John – born 1692; died 1746
Augustine – born 1694; died 1743
Mildred – born 1698; died 1747
Generation 3:
Augustine Washington was born about 1694 at Bridges Creek in Westmoreland, Co., VA and died in 1743 Fredericksburg, VA. In 1715, he married Jane Butler, daughter of Caleb Butler of Westmoreland Co., VA. Together, they had four children. After Jane’s death in 1729, Augustine married, in 1731, Mary Ball of Epping Forest, Lancaster Co., VA. Together, they had six children.
Children (by Jane):
Butler – born 1716; died in infancy
Lawrence – born 1718; died 1752
Augustine, Jr. – born 1720; died 1762
Jane – born 1722; died 1735
Children (by Mary):
George – born 1732; died 1799
Betty – born 1733; died 1797
Samuel – born 1734; died 1781
John Augustine – born 1736; died 1787
Charles – born 1738; died 1799
Mildred – born 1739; died 1740
Generation 4:
George Washington was born 1732 at Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland Co., VA and died 1799 at Mount Vernon. In 1759, he married Martha Dandridge Custis, widow of Daniel Parke Custis. Although Martha had two children by her marriage to Daniel Parke Custis (John, called Jacky, and Martha, called Patsy), she and George had none of their own.
George Washington Descendants
Born: 11 FEB 1732, Pope’s Creek, Westmoreland Co., Virginia
Died: 14 DEC 1799, Mount Vernon, Fairfax Co., Virginia
Interred: Mount Vernon, Fairfax Co., Virginia
No Children
Notes:
Was elected without opponent by 69 electoral votes. Was in office from
1789 to 1797 (two terms). His vice-president was his successor John Adams.
Refused to run for a third term and – thereby – unofficially instituted the
2-term rule for american presidents, the only exception being Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
Father: Washington, Augustine, b. 1693/94
Mother: Ball, Mary, b. 1708/09
Married 6 JAN 1759, New Kent Co., Virginia to Dandridge, Martha
President George Washington
In surveys ranking the Presidents, he is consistently ranked first or second. At the time George Washington was elected President, there were no precedents to follow and the executive branch consisted only of himself and his Vice President, John Adams. One of George Washington’s greatest attributes was his recognition of talent, with Washington organizing the most impressive Cabinet of any President, including Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State and Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury.
George Washington also selected the site for and helped plan our nation’s capitol and helped design the U.S. Capitol and the White House. He is also our only President to have led troops in battle during his presidency, which Washington did in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. George Washington was born on February 22 (new calendar) or February 11 (Julian or old style calendar), 1732 at Pope’s Creek, Wakefield Plantation, Westmoreland County, Virginia. After serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Washington retired to his Mount Vernon home.
Despite his reluctance, Washington agreed to serve as President of the Federal Convention of 1787 which drafted and adopted the U.S. Constitution. Washington then went on to serve two terms as the first President of the United States. With respect to his ancestry, George Washington has one of the most extensively documented royal genealogies of all the Presidents, with his ancestry traced back to William “the Conqueror” and Charlemagne and most of the kings of England, Scotland, France, Spain, Denmark and even the Prince of Kiev (Russia).
Also, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain shares a common descent from George Washington’s great-grandfather Colonel Augustine Warner and his great-grandmother Mildred Reade. With former U.S. Presidents John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Woodrow Wilson, Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama, George Washington shares a common descent from King Edward I of England, King Henry III of England, King John I “Lackland” of England, King Henry II of England, King Henry I of England, William “the Conqueror,” Count Baldwin of Flanders and his daughter Matilda, King Robert I Capet of France, King Louis I “Pious” of France, and Charlemagne.
George Washington Married Martha Dandridge Custis
George married Martha Dandridge Custis and they had no children of their own, though George Washington raised the children and grandchildren of Martha from her previous marriage as his own. He was the eldest son of his father, Augustine Washington, by his second marriage to Mary Ball. George Washington was close to his older half-brother Lawrence Washington, who acted as a mentor for young George when his father died. He was also close to his sister Betty and his brothers Charles, Samuel and John Augustine.