Washington family

Last updated
Washington
COA George Washington.svg
Washington coat of arms
Arms of Washington and pedigree of Washington LCCN2003662360.jpg
Pedigree and arms of the Washington line
until George Washington
Current region Colony of Virginia
Earlier spellingsde Washington; earlier, de Wessyington
EtymologyDerives from Wessington (Washington) in the County of Durham
Place of origin Washington Old Hall, England
Founded12th century
Traditions Anglicanism
MottoExitus acta probat (Latin)
(The outcome is the test of the act)
Estate(s) Washington Old Hall, Mount Vernon, Abingdon (plantation), Arlington House, Beall-Air, Blakeley (West Virginia), Blenheim (Wakefield Corner, Virginia), Bushfield (Mount Holly, Virginia), Cedar Lawn, Claymont Court, Germantown White House, Fairfield (Berryville, Virginia), Ferry Farm, Harewood (West Virginia), Kenmore (Fredericksburg, Virginia), River Farm, Sulgrave Manor, Tudor Place, Washington Bottom Farm, George Washington Birthplace, Mary Ball Washington House, White House (plantation), Woodlawn (Alexandria, Virginia)

The Washington family is an American family of English origins that was part of both the British landed gentry and the American gentry. It was prominent in colonial America and rose to great economic and political eminence especially in the Colony of Virginia as part of the planter class, owning several highly valued plantations, mostly making their money in tobacco farming. Members of the family include the first president of the United States, George Washington (1732–1799), and his nephew, Bushrod Washington (1762–1829), who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Contents

The family's roots can be traced back to the 12th century in Washington, in the historic County Palatine of Durham in northern England, where their ancestral home was Washington Old Hall. In the 16th century, a branch settled at Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire. John Washington, born 1631 in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, arrived in the Colony of Virginia in 1657 after being shipwrecked. [1] [2]

Roots in Britain

The Washington family are descended from Crínán "the Thane" of Dunkeld (†1045), lay abbot and son-in-law of Malcolm II of Scotland. [3] [4] [5] In 1183, his descendant Sir William de Hertburn (originally William Bayard) [6] traded his manor of Hertburn (modern-day Hartburn) for that of Wessyington in County Durham near the River Wear. According to post-Conquest noble custom, his family adopted the name of the estate as an Anglo-Norman surname, "de Wessyington", which later became "Washington". [4] [7] [8] [9] [10] Wessyington was an Old English placename and probably refers to the estate of a man named Wassa. [11] On this site were relics of Saint Cuthbert, transferred to Durham from its shrine at Lindisfarne, as a saint invoked in combat against the Scots (compare Kirkcudbrightshire), and a symbol of the importance, privileges, and feudal obligations of the illustrious Bishop of Durham and his vassals, including the Washingtons. [7]

The old Washington green, the ancestral settlement of the Washington's. Washington Village Green (geograph 7320007).jpg
The old Washington green, the ancestral settlement of the Washington’s.

The Washington family held the manor house at Washington Old Hall from 1180 to 1613, as part of the landed gentry of the County Palatine of Durham. [1] [9] [12]

Old Hall, the Washington ancestral home. Washington Old Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3005604.jpg
Old Hall, the Washington ancestral home.

In the early 14th century, Robert de Washington, a descendant of William de Wessyngton, settled in Warton, Lancashire. Lawrence Washington, a descendant of Robert, moved from Warton to Northamptonshire in 1529, where he became a prosperous wool merchant. [10] He acquired Sulgrave Manor, formerly owned by St Andrew's Priory, Northampton, during the dissolution of the monasteries and constructed a new manor house there. [13]

Sulgrave Manor the house built by Laurence Washington. Sulgrave Manor - geograph.org.uk - 412368.jpg
Sulgrave Manor the house built by Laurence Washington.
Bust of George Washington at the Sulgrave Manor. George Washington bust - geograph.org.uk - 3492834.jpg
Bust of George Washington at the Sulgrave Manor.

Sulgrave Manor was completed in 1560 and remained in the Washington family until 1610. [10]

Lawrence Washington's great-grandson, Lawrence Washington (1602–1652), was a rector. [10] His brother Sir William Washington married the half-sister of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. [1] [14] The Washington family supported the Royalists during the English Civil War and were dispossessed of their lands following their defeat. [13] This may have motivated Lawrence's son, John Washington, to leave England and seek better prospects in America. [13]

History in America

First generation

The Washington family arrived in the Colony of Virginia in 1657, [15] when John Washington was shipwrecked. John sailed on the ship the Seahorse. [16] [17] He was a planter, soldier, and politician in colonial Virginia in North America and a lieutenant colonel in the local militia. He settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

John Washington married Anne Pope in 1658 and had the following children: Lawrence Washington (the paternal grandfather of President George Washington), John Washington Jr. and Anne Washington. [18] There were two additional children, names unknown, mentioned as deceased when he wrote his will on September 21, 1675. [2] [18] [19] Anne Pope was the daughter of Englishman Nathaniel Pope and Lucy Fox. [20]

Second generation

The family, especially Lawrence Washington, rose to great economic prominence, especially in regard to real estate, owning several plantations, mostly for tobacco cultivation. [2] [18] [19] Lawrence married Mildred Warner in 1686 and had three children, John Washington III (1692–1746), Augustine (1694–1743) and Mildred (1698–1747). [21] Mildred Warner (1671–1701) was a daughter of Augustine Warner Jr. and Mildred Reade. Her paternal grandparents were English settlers Augustine Warner Sr. and Mary Towneley. [22]

Lawrence died at age 38 in February 1698 at Warner Hall, Gloucester County, Colony of Virginia, in the same year his daughter was born. Following his death, Mildred Warner Washington married George Gale, who moved the family to Whitehaven, England, where Mildred died in 1701 aged 30 following a difficult childbirth. [23] [24]

Third generation

Augustine Washington was born at Bridges Creek plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1694, to Capt. Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner. Augustine married twice; his second marriage in 1730 to Mary Ball produced the following six children: George (eldest and first president of the United States), Elizabeth "Betty", Samuel, John, Charles and Mildred Washington. [25]

Mary Ball (born c. 1707) was raised in the family Epping Forest estate, the only child of Joseph Ball (1649–1711), an English justice, vestryman, lieutenant colonel and burgess in the Colony of Virginia, and Mary Johnson (1672–1721). [26] [27]

The Washington family owned land (on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia) since the time of Augustine's grandfather John Washington in 1674. Around 1734, Augustine brought his second wife Mary and children to the plantation called Little Hunting Creek when George was about two years old. Augustine began on an expansion of the family home that continued under their son George, who began leasing the Mount Vernon estate in 1754, becoming its sole owner in 1761. [28]

Fourth generation

The Washington Family (1789-1796) by Edward Savage Edward Savage - The Washington Family - Google Art Project.jpg
The Washington Family (1789–1796) by Edward Savage

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at Popes Creek, Virginia, British America and the oldest of six children to Augustine and Mary Washington. He became an American political leader, military general and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington died December 14, 1799, age 67, at Mount Vernon, the family's estate in Virginia. [29] Washington had no biological children. His wife Martha Dandridge had four children from her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis (1711–1757). These stepchildren were Daniel Custis (1751–1754), Frances Custis (1753–1757), John "Jacky" Parke Custis (1754–1781) and Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis (1756–1773). [30]

Fifth generation

Sixth generation

Modern era

Some of the closest-living relatives of George Washington are Paul Emory Washington (1926–2014) and his children Richard Washington, Bill Washington, Julianne Washington, and Jack Washington [33] who lived in San Antonio, Texas. [34] Julianne Washington had two children, Shelly Coons and Robert Coons. They are among 8,000 other living relatives of George Washington through his younger brothers, Samuel Washington (1734–1781) and John Augustine Washington (1736–1787). [35]

Many descendants of George Washington's immediate family and cousins are members of the National Society of Washington Family Descendants. There are currently over 500 members who have submitted documentation to prove their legal descent [36]

Heraldry

Coat of arms of the Washington family
Coat of Arms of George Washington.svg
Notes
The design (three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field) has been used since 1938 as the basis for the coat of arms and flag of the District of Columbia. It is also found on the Purple Heart.
Adopted
by 14th century, by the Washington who had possession of Washington Old Hall, County Durham, England.
Crest
From a crest coronet, a raven rising wings elevated and addorsed proper.
Escutcheon
Argent two bars Gules, in chief three mullets of the second. [37]
Motto
Exitus acta probat (The outcome is the test of the act)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Vernon</span> Plantation estate of George Washington

Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmark, the estate lies on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia, approximately 15 miles south of Washington, D.C..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Washington family</span> One of the official symbols of the Washington family

The first coat of arms of a member of the Washington family is first documented in the 14th century, borne by one of the male Washington family members of Washington Old Hall in County Durham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustine Washington</span> American planter and merchant (1694–1743)

Augustine Washington Sr. was an American planter and merchant. Born in Westmoreland, Virginia, he was the father of ten children, among them the first president of the United States, George Washington, soldier and politician Lawrence Washington, and politician Charles Washington. Born into the planter class of the British colony of Virginia, Washington owned several slave plantations, from which he derived the primary source of his wealth. He also speculated in land development and owned an iron mine. Although Washington never sat in the House of Burgesses, as did his own father and son, he served in various government positions in the counties where he owned land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Washington</span> American politician (1734–1781)

Samuel Washington was an American planter, politician and military officer best known for being the younger brother of the first president of the United States, George Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Ball Washington</span> Mother of the first President of the United States

Mary Washington was an American planter best known for being the mother of the first president of the United States, George Washington. The second wife of Augustine Washington, she became a prominent member of the Washington family. She spent a large part of her life in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where several monuments were erected in her honor and a university, along with other public buildings, bear her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulgrave Manor</span> Grade I listed house in South Northamptonshire, United Kingdom

Sulgrave Manor is a mid-16th century Tudor hall house in Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, UK, built by Lawrence Washington, the 3rd great-grandfather of George Washington, first President of the United States.

Mildred Gale (1671–1701), born Mildred Warner in the Colony of Virginia, was the paternal grandmother of Founding Father and first American president George Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Washington Lewis</span> American Colonist, sister of George Washington (1733–1797)

Elizabeth Washington Lewis, also known as Betty Lewis, was the younger sister of George Washington and the only one of his three sisters that survived childhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Augustine Washington</span> American planter and politician (1736–1787)

John Augustine Washington Sr. was an American planter and politician best known as the younger brother of George Washington and the father of Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington., he was also the grandfather of John Augustine Washington Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Parke Custis</span> American politician (1754–1781)

John Parke Custis was an American planter and politician. Custis was a son of Martha Dandridge Custis and Daniel Parke Custis, and later, the stepson of George Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustine Warner Sr.</span> English planter and politician

Augustine Warner Sr. emigrated to the Virginia colony where he became a merchant, then major planter and politician. Warner served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, and became the progenitor of a prominent colonial family, with his son and heir Augustine Warner Jr. also serving as Speaker of the House of Burgesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Lewis (1767–1839)</span> Virginia planter

Lawrence Lewis was a Virginia planter, possibly best known as the nephew of George Washington, who married Nelly Custis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington, and as one of the executors of the late president's estate.

Lawrence Washington was a colonial-era Virginia planter, slave holder, lawyer, soldier and politician. He was the paternal grandfather of George Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushrod Washington</span> US Supreme Court justice from 1798 to 1829

Bushrod Washington was an American attorney and politician who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1798 to 1829. On the Supreme Court, he was a staunch ally of Chief Justice John Marshall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Steptoe Washington</span> Virginian militia officer (1771–1809)

George Steptoe Washington was a Virginia planter and militia officer who died at the age of 37 of tuberculosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushfield (Mount Holly, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Bushfield, also known as Bushfield Manor, is a historic 2+1⁄2-story Flemish bond, 18th century brick Colonial Revival mansion located in Mount Holly, Westmoreland County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Ford</span> (1784–1863) Manager of Mount Vernon, founder of Gum Springs

West Ford was the caretaker and manager of Mount Vernon, which had been the home of George Washington. Ford also founded Gum Springs, Virginia near Mount Vernon. He was a man of mixed-race, and possibly of Washington family descent.

Sarah Johnson was an African American woman who was born into slavery at Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate in Fairfax, Virginia. She worked as a domestic, cleaning and caring for the residence. During the process, she became an informal historian of all of the mansion's furnishings. After the end of the Civil War, she was hired by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, ultimately becoming a council member of the organization. She bought four acres of Mount Vernon land to establish a small farm. The book Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon (2008) tells the story of her life within the complex community of people who inhabited Mount Vernon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Augustine Washington</span> American politician

William Augustine Washington was a Virginia planter and officer who served one term in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Westmoreland County, as well as terms as colonel of the county militia and as the county sheriff, before moving to the newly established District of Columbia. The son of the half-brother of President George Washington, he was also one of the seven executors of the former President's estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeannie Blackburn Moran</span> American author and socialite

Jeannie Blackburn Moran was an American author, community leader and socialite. A charter member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), and Colonial Dames of America (CDA), she was closely associated with social and patriotic organizations based in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the sale of her work, Miss Washington, of Virginia, were used for the benefit of the DAR's Memorial Continental Hall.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Washington Old Hall". Newcastle Gateshead. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Whipple, Wayne (1911). The story-life of Washington; a life-history in five hundred true stories. University of Michigan. Philadelphia, The John C. Winston company. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Washington, George Sydney Horace Lee (1964). The Earliest Washingtons and Their Anglo-Scottish Connections. privatley [sic] printed for the author.
  4. 1 2 Miller, Gustavus Hindman (1923). The Millers of Millersburg and Their Descendants: With Kindred Families of Miller, McGee, Jameson, Read, Scott, Wyatt, Donnelly, White, Washington... Brandon [P]rinting Company.
  5. ↑ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1975). Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America. Burke's Peerage. ISBN   978-0-85011-017-3.
  6. ↑ Wells, William C. (1913). "A Washington Token" (PDF). British Numismatic Journal. 2. 10. British Numismatic Society: 326.
  7. 1 2 Irving, Washington (1859). Oliver Goldsmith. Henry G. Bohn. pp. 1–5.
  8. ↑ Irving, Washington (January 8, 2015). The Student's Life of Washington; Con: For Young Persons and for the Use of Schools. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-63355-477-1.
  9. 1 2 The English Illustrated Magazine. Macmillan and Company. 1891.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hardy, Rob, Ph.D. "Ancestry". mountvernon.org. Carleton College.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Harper, Douglas (November 2001). "Washington etymology". etymonline.com. Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ Collins, Holdridge Ozro (1900). Genealogy of the Washington Family. Sons of the Rev. Calif.
  13. 1 2 3 Balter, Michael (February 26, 1995). "George Washington's British Roots". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  14. ↑ Sorley, Merrow Egerton, ed. (1935). Lewis of Warner Hall: The History of a Family, Including the Genealogy of Descendants in Both the Male and Female Lines, Biographical Sketches of Its Members, and Their Descent from Other Early Virginia Families. Genealogical Publishing Co. p. 31. ISBN   978-0-8063-0831-9 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ "George Washington Birthplace". nps.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ White, Jim (March 14, 2013). Washington. Lulu.com. ISBN   9781257244782 . Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  17. ↑ Grizzard, Frank E. (2002). George Washington: A Biographical Companion. ABC-CLIO. p. 5. ISBN   978-1-57607-082-6.
  18. 1 2 3 "John Washington and His Descendants". kenmore.org. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Washington Genealogy - President George Washington Family History". www.archives.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  20. ↑ Higginbotham, Don (2001). George Washington reconsidered. University of Virginia Press. ISBN   9780813920061 . Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  21. ↑ Collier, Kim S. (1998). George Washington and the American Revolution. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN   9780806347752 . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  22. ↑ Dorman, John Frederick (2004). Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN   9780806317632 . Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  23. ↑ ""Washingtons" Genealogy". The George Washington Foundation. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  24. ↑ ""Washington Family: Third Generation"". Genealogy.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009.
  25. ↑ Grizzard, Frank E. (2002). George Washington: A Biographical Companion. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9781576070826 . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Ball Family". Mount Vernon. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Mary Ball ancestry related to Joseph Ball Estate Johnson Gilbert Bird Day". Evening Star. July 19, 1908. p. 22. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Expansion of Mount Vernon's Mansion". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  29. ↑ Grizzard, Frank E. (2002). George Washington: A Biographical Companion. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9781576070826 . Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Washington family" . Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  31. ↑ Wayland, John Walter (1944). The Washingtons and Their Homes. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield. p. 125. ISBN   0806347759. OCLC   39055916 – via Google Books.
  32. ↑ "Hannah Bushrod". Ancestry.com . Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Texan is George Washington's closest kin". NBC News. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  34. ↑ "Obituary information for Paul Emery Washington".
  35. ↑ "Texan is George Washington's closest kin". NBC News. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  36. ↑ {{| url=https://www.washingtonfamilydescendants.org/ | access-date=2024-11-13 |language=en}}
  37. ↑ Bolton's American Armory. Boston: F. W. Faxon Co, 1927
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.