Washington’s birth――his ancestors――the first school he attended――family
anecdotes――death of his father.
George Washington was born in Virginia, on the 22d of February, 1732.
The particular place of his birth was Pope’s Creek, Washington parish,
in the county of Westmoreland. The name of his great grandfather was
John Washington, who came from the north of England and settled on
Pope’s Creek, in Virginia, in the year 1655. He afterwards married
Miss Pope, the daughter of the gentleman from whom the Creek took its
name. John Washington is believed to have been a military man in early
life. His will, now at Mount Vernon, is endorsed thus: “The will of
Lieutenant Colonel Washington.” This will contains a small bequest to
the church, and affords evidence that he was a pious man. As the parish
in which he lived has always borne his name, he was probably very
instrumental in establishing it.
John Washington had three children, Lawrence, John and Ann. Lawrence
Washington, the oldest son and the grandfather of George, inherited the
Pope’s Creek farm.――Augustin Washington, the son of Lawrence and the
father of George, was born in the year 1694. He was probably the eldest
son of Lawrence, as he inherited the patrimonial estate at Pope’s Creek.
Augustin Washington was married twice. His first wife was Jane Butler,
by whom he had four children, viz. Butler, Lawrence, Augustin, jun. and
Jane. Butler and Jane died young. Lawrence and Augustin lived to be
men. The second wife was Mary Ball, a young lady of highly respectable
family in the northern part of Virginia.――George was the first fruit of
this union. He was the oldest of six children, viz. George, Elizabeth,
Samuel, John Augustin, Charles and Mildred. Mildred died very
young.――George was baptized April the 5th, 1732.
The church of England was then almost the only denomination of
Christians in the colony of Virginia. The parents of George Washington
were members of this church, and brought up their family in the habit
of regular attendance on public worship.
The first school that George attended, was kept by Mr. Hobby, an
elderly man, who was both the school master and the sexton of the
parish. By this old man, the father of his country was first taught to
read. Although George’s father sent him to this school, he took upon
himself the oversight of his education, and the pleasing duty of early
instilling into his mind the principles of piety and virtue. His manner
of doing this appears by the following anecdotes, which were related to
the Rector of Mount Vernon Parish, by a venerable lady now deceased,
who, as a friend and relative, spent many of her youthful days in the
family.
One fine morning in the autumn of 1737, Mr. Washington, having George,
then five years old, by the hand, came to the door and invited cousin
Washington and myself to walk with them to the orchard, promising to
show us a fine sight. On arriving at the orchard, we were presented
with a fine sight indeed. The ground, as far as we could see, was
covered with mellow apples, and yet the trees were bending under the
weight of their fruit. “George,” said his father, “don’t you remember,
my son, when this good cousin of yours brought you that fine large
apple, last spring, that I could hardly prevail upon you to divide
it with your brothers and sisters? And don’t you remember I then told
you we ought to be generous to each other because the Almighty is so
bountiful to us?” Poor George could not say a word, but hanging down
his head, looked quite confused. “Now look around, my son,” continued
his father, “and see how kindly the Almighty has treated us, and learn
from this how we ought to treat our fellow creatures.” George looked a
while in silence on the abundance of fruit before him, then lifting his
eyes to his father, he said, with emotion, “Well, father, only forgive
me this time, and see if I am ever so stingy any more.”
Mr. Augustine Washington took great pains early to inspire his son
George with the love of truth. The following anecdote shows that his
endeavors were not without success.
When George was about six years old, he became the owner of a hatchet,
with which, like most other little boys, he was very much delighted.
He went about chopping every thing that came in his way. One day, in
the garden, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet upon the body
of a beautiful young English cherry tree, which he cut so badly that
the tree never recovered from the injury. The next morning his father
seeing what had befallen the tree, which, by the by, was a great
favorite with him, came into the house, and with much warmth, asked
who had done the mischief, declaring at the same time, that he would
not have taken five guineas for the tree.――Nobody could tell him any
thing about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance.
“George,” said his father, “do you know who cut that beautiful cherry
tree yonder in the garden?” George was taken by surprise. He hesitated
for a moment; but he soon recovered himself.――Looking at his father,
he said, “I will not tell a lie, father, I cut it with my hatchet.”
The delighted father, embracing his child, said, “No matter about the
tree, George; you have frankly told me the truth. Though you saw I
was offended, you were not afraid to do right. The pleasure I enjoy
to witness this noble conduct in my son is of more value to me than a
thousand such trees.”
Mr. Washington took the following method to impress upon his son the
existence and wisdom of God from the evidence of design in his works.
On a bed in the garden, well prepared for the purpose, he traced with
a stick the letters of his son’s name. He then very carefully sowed
seed in the small furrows made by the stick, covered it over and
smoothed the ground nicely with a roller. In a few days the seed came
up, and exhibited in large letters, the words GEORGE WASHINGTON.――They
soon caught the eye for which they were intended. Again and again the
astonished boy read his name, springing up from the earth, fresh and
green. He ran to his father and exclaimed, “O father! come here! come
with me and I will show you such a sight as you never saw in all your
life.” Eagerly seizing his father’s hand, he tugged him along through
the garden to the spot. “Look there, father,” said he, “did you ever
see such a sight before?” “It is a curious affair, indeed, George.”
“But, father, who made my name there?” “It grew there, my son.” “I
know it grew there, but who made the letters so as to spell my name?”
“Did they not grow so by chance, my son?” “O no, sir, they never grew
so by chance.” “Why not, my son?” “Nobody,” said George, “ever saw a
single letter grow up by chance; and how could a whole name grow up so
even and be spelled so exactly right by chance? Somebody planted it
so.” “That is true, George. I planted it so,” said Mr. Washington, and
showed him how he did it. “Now, George, if letters could not grow so as
to spell your name by chance, how could the world and all the things
and creatures in it be made so exactly suited to each other and to some
useful purpose, by chance?”
Thus happily and profitably to young Washington passed the days of
his earliest years. Mr. Washington’s family government was steady and
reasonable; his treatment of his children was kind and affectionate.
George was an intelligent boy and a dutiful son. Never were parent and
child more strongly attached. But, in the providence of God, only a few
years more were to be allowed them for the enjoyment of each other’s
society, on earth.
About the year 1739, when George was about seven years old, his father
removed from his estate on Pope’s Creek to a farm which he owned in
Stafford county, on the Rappahannock river, directly opposite to
Fredericksburg.
Lawrence Washington, the elder of George’s two half-brothers, became
of age in 1739, and soon afterwards received a Captain’s commission
in a regiment raised in America, and served with the British forces
in the unsuccessful siege of Carthagena, conducted by Admiral Vernon
and General Wentworth. Having been absent in the army about two years,
Captain Washington returned to Virginia. A few months after his return,
his father was taken ill.――George was then on a visit to some of
his acquaintances, living in Chotanct, in King George county, about
twenty miles from his father’s residence. Mr. Washington was at first
unwilling to interrupt George in the enjoyment of his visit; but after
his sickness became alarming, George was sent for, and reached home but
just in time to receive the parting blessing of his beloved father. He
died on the 12th of April, 1743, at the age of forty-nine years. George
was then eleven years old.