The Fairfaxes of Belvoir and Alexandria
Of the families in Virginia closely associated with George Washington,
none bore so intimate a relation as that of Fairfax.
William Fairfax, founder of the Virginia branch of the family, was born
in 1691 in Towlston in Yorkshire, England, the son of the Honorable
Henry Fairfax, Sheriff of Yorkshire, and grandson of the Fourth Lord
Fairfax. Educated as a member of the governing classes, he began his
career in the navy, later entering the colonial service. Before he was
twenty-six he had acted as chief justice of the Bahamas and Governor of
the Isle of Providence. Prior to 1717 he married Sarah Walker of Nassau,
daughter of Colonel Walker, by whom he had four children, George
William, Thomas, Anne, and Sarah. In 1729, Colonel Fairfax was appointed
Collector of the Port of Salem, Massachusetts, and removed to that
colony. In 1731 his wife died, and very shortly afterward he married
Deborah, widow of Francis Clarke and daughter of Colonel Bartholomew
Gedney of Salem, by whom he had three children, Bryan, William Henry,
and Hannah.
In 1734 Fairfax came to Virginia as agent for his first cousin, Thomas,
Sixth Lord Fairfax (who, by direct inheritance from a royal grant of
Charles II, had come into possession of some five million acres of
Virginia land lying between the Rappahannock and the Potomac, and
extending from Chesapeake Bay to the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, known to Virginians as the Northern Neck); and to serve as
Collector of Customs for the South Potomac. Fairfax first went to
Westmoreland, where he was associated with the Washington and Lee
families. Next he moved to King George, and lived at Falmouth. By 1741
he was representing Prince William County in the House of Burgesses.
Colonel Fairfax was elevated to "His Majesty's Council of State" three
years later. Becoming President of the Council in 1744, he continued in
that office until his death.
About this time William Fairfax completed his dwelling house, Belvoir,
situated on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River, halfway between
Mount Vernon and Gunston Hall. It was described by Washington in an
advertisement as having "four convenient rooms and a wide Hall on the
first floor." In one of these "convenient rooms," more than two hundred
years ago on July 19, 1743, Anne, eldest daughter of Colonel Fairfax was
married to Lawrence Washington of Mount Vernon.
A few years after his marriage, Lawrence (to whom George Washington owed
his start in life) took his impecunious young half-brother into his home
at Mount Vernon, whereupon the in-laws became intimately concerned with
George's future. Young George was wise enough to realize that the way of
advancement led through this important family and he never lost an
opportunity to cultivate the President of the Council. Colonel Fairfax
became a benefactor of the young man's fortunes, an inspiration to his
ambition, and was truly and wholeheartedly attached through his
affections to the gangling youth. To the end of his life Fairfax signed
his letters to George, "Y^r very affect^e & Assur^d Friend."
In 1747 George William Fairfax, the Colonel's eldest son, returned home
from England, where he had received his education, with the promise from
Lord Fairfax of falling heir to his father's agency of the Northern
Neck.
The fifteen-year-old George took a great liking to young Fairfax, and
despite a difference in age, a friendship began which was destined to
last throughout their lives. A letter from George William Fairfax to
Lawrence Washington stated, "George has been with us, and says he will
be steady and thankfully follow your advice as his best friend. I gave
him his brother's letter to deliver with a caution not to show his."[82]
Doubtless this was the occasion when George was seriously considering
the navy. Lawrence had served under Admiral Vernon, William Fairfax was
trained for the navy, and Lord Fairfax was in Virginia to add either
persuasion or influence as needed. Mary Washington was set in her
determination that George should not become a sailor. Thus it was
decided that surveying or engineering was the best outlook for the young
man's future career, and Mount Vernon and Belvoir the seat of his
further learning. Lord Fairfax would employ the embryo engineer as soon
as he had sufficient instruction to be useful. The pupil was adept, the
instructors efficient, and we see young Washington setting out with his
new friend, George William, in March of 1748, upon his first surveying
mission in the employment of Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax.
On his return from this mission, serious, sober young Fairfax (he was
twenty-three at the time) offered himself as a burgess for Frederick
County and was duly elected. He followed his father to Williamsburg,
where he found attractions more absorbing than lawmaking. After "several
opportunities of visiting Miss Cary" he fell a victim to the wiles and
graces of the belle of the season. _The Virginia Gazette_ for December
1748 carried this bit of social news: "Married on the 17th inst., George
William Fairfax, Esqr., eldest son of the Honorable William Fairfax of
His Majesty's Council to Sarah, eldest daughter of Colonel Wilson Cary
of Ceelys."
Of all the colonial belles whose shades furnish theme for paean and
lighten the pages of history, none is more colorful than Sally Cary.
This girl, only seventeen, with head of red-brown hair, great
intelligent eyes shaded by long, thick lashes, long rounded throat and
beautifully modelled hands, arms and shoulders, had an intellect which
far surpassed her husband's.
When not at Williamsburg attending the assembly, the young Fairfaxes
resided at Belvoir, where Sally acted as hostess for her widowed
father-in-law or the bachelor Lord from Greenway Court. This house,
after the Palace at Williamsburg, was the center of the social and
political life of Virginia. The Fairfaxes were of ancient, noble
lineage, with ample fortune, representing the very best in Old World
culture. William Fairfax, as President of the Council, was second only
in importance to the royal governor, serving as head of the state during
the absences of His Excellency. Naturally, his home was the gathering
place for men of eminence in the colony, as well as visitors of state.
[Illustration: Colonel George William Fairfax]
Belvoir was a rendezvous for neighborhood gaiety. Overflowing with the
young people of the family, more were attracted. George Washington was
a daily visitor--Sally, but two years older than himself, filled him
with delight. At Belvoir he met with the heads of government and gleaned
from these meetings knowledge and inspiration to carry him through
ordeals never experienced by his preceptors. Here, too, the feminine
contacts smoothed the rough edges; George learned to turn the music for
young ladies performing upon the harpsichord, to rescue times without
number skeins of silk and balls of wool as well as lacy bits of linen
continually dropped by fair hands; he was taught the latest dance step
from London and learned the most elegant of court bows. In those days
the turn of a wrist and the flip of a lace ruffle were not considered
inconsequential. It was here he acquired that never-failing interest in
the "newest taste and the latest fashion."
[Illustration: Mrs. George William Fairfax. (Sally Cary)]
Under this hospitable roof in early and formative years, associated with
the cavaliers in daily intercourse, Washington developed an ease of
manner and a dignity of deportment that became him well. In the library
of this home he became familiar with the best in literature, his love of
beauty was aroused, his knowledge of homemaking and gardening acquired,
for this household wielded a highly civilizing influence, and awakened
George Washington to the charms of culture and refinement. To appreciate
the influence of this family upon Washington, it is only necessary to
recall how brief was his schooling, how limited his prospects, how poor
his pocket when, at the age of fifteen, he came to make his home at
Mount Vernon.
At Belvoir and at Mount Vernon, George Washington first learned of the
new port to be built at Hunting Creek warehouse. Long and often the talk
was concerned with the progress being made before the assembly by
Lawrence Washington and the two Colonels Fairfax. The latter gentlemen,
being engineers, were both familiar with the construction of the towns
in Great Britain and on the Continent. To Belvoir came Colonel Carlyle
and Colonel Ramsay, as well as other gentlemen from Dumfries and the
county, occupied with the same interest, who hoped to better their
fortunes by the shipping trade which they expected the new town to
attract, and willing to gamble time and money upon the erection of
dwellings, warehouses, and docks.
These men were all purchasers of lots at the first auction on July 13,
1749, and at once began carrying out the mandate of the assembly,
_i.e._, to build within two years or forfeit their holdings.
Within six years the town, so neatly built, so strategically situated,
was "honoured with 5 Governors in Consultation; a happy presage I hope,
[wrote George Washington to William Fairfax at Williamsburg] not only of
the success of this Expedition, but for our little Town; for surely such
honours must have arisen from the Commodious and pleasant situation of
this place the best constitutional qualitys for Popularity and increase
of a (now) flourishing Trade."[83]
That Sally Fairfax was in residence in Alexandria and evidently in her
own house taking part in the festivities arranged for General Braddock
at the Carlyle house, dancing at the assembly balls, attending reviews,
is indicated by a communication from her friend, young Washington:
Fort Cumberland May 14, 1755
Dear Madam:
I have at last with great pains and difficulty discovered the Reason
why Mrs. Wardrope is a greater favorite of Gen^l Braddocks than Mrs.
Fairfax; and met with more respect at the late review in Alexandria.
The cause I shall communicate, after rallying you for neglecting the
means that introduced her to his favour which ... to say truth were
in [?] a present of delicious Cake, and potted Woodcocks; that
wrought such wonders [?] upon the Heart of the General as upon those
of the gentlemen that they became instant Admirers, not only the
charms but the Politeness of this Fair Lady.[84]
After his father's death on September 3, 1757, George William Fairfax
came a step nearer the title of Lord Fairfax. He went on a very curious
mission to England to refute in person a rumor that he was a black man,
and to show any doubting relations the hue of his skin was exactly the
same as theirs. This was especially strange, for William Fairfax had
taken Sarah Walker Fairfax, his wife and mother of George William, to
England in 1717, and certainly they must have met representatives of the
family on that visit. Nevertheless, it is to Sally that the knowledge of
this peculiar circumstance is due. In 1802, writing to her nephew in
Virginia in reference to an inheritance of her husband's she says, "He
[Henry Fairfax, William Fairfax's older brother] would have left it to
your uncle William Henry Fairfax [George William Fairfax's younger
half-brother] from an impression that my husband's Mother was a black
woman, if my Fairfax had not come over to see his Uncle and convinced
him he was not a negroe's son."[85]
While in England on this or other equally private affairs relating to
his inheritance, George William wrote his wife from London on December
12, 1757:
Dear Sally:
I am sorry to say I have not succeeded and that it is uncertain
whether I shall. But be as it may, I find it was necessary to be
here, and I should not have excused myself if I had not. Mr. Fairfax
went down to Leeds Castle yesterday and left me to push my own way,
and then to follow to spend my Xmas and to prepare for his embarking
with me in March. Therefore I beseech you'll employ Old Tom, or get
some person to put the garden in good order, and call upon Mr.
Carlyle for his assistance in getting other necessary things done
about the house in order to receive so fine a gentleman. And I must
further recommend, and desire that you'll endeavor to provide the
best provision for his nice stomach, altho I suppose he will spend
chief of his time with his brother.
However to make his and other company more agreeable I shall
endeavour to engage a butler to go over with me at least for one
year.
My Dear, I have often wished for your company to enjoy the amusements
of this Metropolis, for I can with truth say, they are not much so to
me in my present situation and that I now and then go to a play only
to kill time. But I please myself with my country visits imagining
the time there will pass more agreeable.
Permit me Sally to advise a steady and constant application to those
things directed for your welfare, which may afford me the greatest
satisfaction upon my arrival.
Your affect. and loving husband
GO. WM. FAIRFAX[86]
Back in America within the year, at a court held for Fairfax County on
August 19, 1758, George William Fairfax "presents a commission from his
honor the Governor appointing me Lt. Colonel of Militia" of the county
and at the same court he took the oaths according to law as a vestryman
for Truro Parish.[87] In 1760 he went back to England again and remained
nearly two years. On this occasion Sally accompanied him.
All the while, George William Fairfax was occupied with his English
inheritance, he was gradually losing interest in his Virginia life.
Although he is credited with being loyal to the colonial cause
(certainly he never failed in loyalty to his colonial friends) it is
more than possible that the friction between the two countries swayed
him somewhat in his determination to quit Virginia for the more settled
state of the Old Country.
On a June afternoon in 1773, George William and Sally set out from
Belvoir to Mount Vernon for the last time to take leave of George and
Martha Washington. Dr. Craik arrived in time to meet them and say
goodbye. The next day, June 9, in the afternoon, Martha and George went
to Belvoir to see these old and devoted friends "take shipping."[88] As
the breeze lifted the sails and the sturdy little ship faded out of
sight down the Potomac, it carried the Fairfaxes away from Belvoir
forever.
Until his own affairs became too involved, Washington supervised George
Fairfax's Virginia interests. In August 1774, a year after the master's
departure from Virginia, the contents of Belvoir house were sold.
Washington himself bought many things--the sideboard, card tables, and
other things. Other Fairfax furnishings came to Alexandria; Dr. Craik
became the possessor of a Wilton carpet which Washington bought for him.
George and Sally Fairfax settled in Bath in a red-brown sandstone house
at 11 Lansdown Crescent, where they became a part of the gay parties
taking the waters at the Pump Room and attending assembly balls in the
fashion of Jane Austen's most aristocratic characters. Friendly letters
went back and forth between Bath and Mount Vernon. After the Revolution,
Fairfax wrote to Washington: "I glory in being called an American,"
regretted his inability to contribute to the "glorious cause of Liberty"
and offered his "best thanks for all your exertions ... to ... the End
of the Great work ..."[89]
Washington replied from New York on July 10, 1783: "Your house at
Belvoir I am sorry to add is no more, but mine (which is enlarged since
you saw it) is most sincerely and heartily at your Service till you
could rebuild it" and expressed his pleasure at George William's
approbation of his Revolutionary actions.[90]
Fairfax, after becoming involved in lawsuit after lawsuit and dissension
with his relatives, died in 1787 before inheriting his title. Sally
lived on at Bath for twenty-five years after her husband's death. The
damp English climate crippled her joints with rheumatism, but did not
distort her slender, erect figure, and she maintained her beauty to the
end. A year before his death, Washington penned his last letter to
Sally, his affection for her undiminished, and his pride in Alexandria
growing:
Mount Vernon, 16 May, 1798
My dear Madam,
Five and twenty years have nearly passed away, since I have
considered myself as the permanent resident at this place, or have
been in a situation to indulge myself in a familiar intercourse with
my friends by letter or otherwise.
During this period, so many important events have occurred, and such
changes in men and things have taken place, as the compass of a
letter would give you but an inadequate idea of. None of which
events, however, nor all of them together, have been able to
eradicate from my mind the recollection of those happy moments, the
happiest of my life, which I have enjoyed in your company.
Worn out in a manner by the toils of my past labor, I am again seated
under my Vine and Fig-tree, and wish I could add, that there were
none to make us afraid; but those, whom we have been accustomed to
call our good friends and allies, are endeavoring, if not to make us
afraid, yet to despoil us of our property, and are provoking us to
Acts of self-defence, which may lead to war. What will be the result
of such measures, time, that faithful expositor of all things, must
disclose. My wish is to spend the remainder of my days, which cannot
be many, in Rural amusements, free from the cares from which public
responsibility is never exempt.
Before the war, and even while it existed, although I was eight years
from home at one stretch (except the en passant visits made to it on
my march to and from the siege of Yorktown) I made considerable
additions to my dwelling-house, and alterations in my offices and
gardens; but the dilapidation occasioned by time, and those neglects,
which are coextensive with the absence of Proprietors, have occupied
as much of my time the last twelve months in repairing them, as at
any former period in the same space;--and it is matter of sore
regret, when I cast my eyes towards Belvoir, which I often do, to
reflect, the former Inhabitants of it, with whom I lived in such
harmony and friendship no longer reside there; and that the ruins can
only be viewed as the memento of former pleasures; and permit me to
add, that I have wondered often, (your nearest relatives being in
this Country), and that you should not prefer spending the evening of
your life among them, rather than close the sublunary scenes in a
foreign country, numerous as your acquaintances may be, and sincere,
the friendships you may have formed.
A century hence, if this country keeps united (and it is surely its
policy and interest to do it), will produce a city--though not as
large as London--yet of a magnitude inferior to few others in Europe,
on the banks of the Potomack, where one is now establishing for the
permanent seat of Government of the United States (between Alexandria
& Georgetown, on the Maryland side of the River) a situation not
excelled, for commanding prospect, good water, salubrious air, and
safe harbour, by any in the world; & where elegant buildings are
erecting & in forwardness for the reception of Congress in the year
1800.
Alexandria, within the last seven years (since the establishment of
the General Government), has increased in buildings, in population,
in the improvement of its streets by well-executed pavements, and in
the extension of its wharves, in a manner of which you can have very
little idea. This shew of prosperity, you will readily conceive, is
owing to its commerce. The extension of that trade is occasioned, in
a great degree, by opening of the Inland navigation of the Potomac
River, now cleared to Fort Cumberland, upwards of two hundred miles,
and by a similar attempt to accomplish the like up the Shenandoah,
one hundred and eighty miles more. In a word, if this country can
steer clear of European politics, stand firm on its bottom, and be
wise and temperate in its government, it bids fair to be one of the
greatest and happiest nations in the world.
Knowing that Mrs. Washington is about to give an account of the
changes, which have happened in the neighborhood and in our own
family, I shall not trouble you with a repetition of them.
I am
G^o WASHINGTON[91]
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