This is the most extensive website about George Washington on the internet with the largest collection of paintings, engravings, lithographs and other depictions of George Washington for the use of students, teachers and professors.  To go to the beginning of this website, go to http://presidentgeorgewashington.wordpress.com

The purpose of this website created by Kristin Hopper is to assist students and teachers who are studying George Washington by providing them with as many of the paintings, prints, etchings and drawings made of George Washington as possible to use in their projects and presentations.  It has literally taken me years to collect all of these depictions of George Washington and events related to his life.   I did so for a research paper that I did on George Washington that received an award for being the best researched and documented paper at the Loudoun County Regional Social Science Fair – and which I hope to eventually hope to have published as a book.  But what got me interested in George Washington was some of the paintings of him that I had seen over the years.  I think one way that students can learn more about the founding of our country and the making of our Constitution is through having access to more visual resources that stimulate their interest.  And of all the founding fathers, I think the most interesting is George Washington – which is why I have thus created this website to provide visual resources on George Washington for the use of students and teachers.  Many of the photographs I have included are ones that I have personally taken.  For such photographs, I reserve all my copyright rights but hereby grant permission for their use in student educational projects that are not used for commercial purposes.  I begin my website with the genealogy and ancestors of George Washington and conclude with some of the first biographies written about Washington after his death – as well as illustrations that visually depict the accomplishments and legacy of George Washington. Above is an painting of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale.  Please also visit my website about the genealogy of the U.S. Presidents at http://genealogyofpresidents.blogspot.com

It is ironic that George Washington who, through his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, was the individual most responsible for throwing off the rule of the British monarchy and establishing the first large-scale and successful democratic, republic government in world history – and who became the United States’ first elected President – has some of the most extensive genealogical descent from European royalty of any U.S. President.  Through George Washington’s grandmother, Mildred Warner, Washington’s ancestry can be traced back to most of the English kings and all the way back to Charlemagne, the first French King who united all of western Europe and founded the feudal system.  But this is not the only way that Washington’s ancestry can be traced back to English and European royalty.  Instead, Washington’s male “Washington” line can be traced back to the first king of Scotland while many of the subsequent Washington male ancestors married into English royalty.  Following are examples of some of the most prominent of George Washington’s royal ancestors.  For more information about the genealogy of George Washington and the other Presidents of the United States, see http://genealogyofpresidents.blogspot.com

Charlemagne, King of France and Holy Roman Emperor (742-814), ruler who conquered and united all of western Europe began the feudal system, 28th great-grandfather of George Washington

William I “the Conqueror”, King of England (Duke of Normanywho in 1066 conquered England and replaced Anglo-Saxon rule of England with Norman rule which continues today), George Washington’s 19th great grandfather

Henry I King of England, son of William “the Conqueror”, George Washington’s 18th great-grandfather

King Edward III of England, George Washington’s 11th great-grandfather.  Edward III’s claim to the throne of France began the Hundred Years War between England and France.  He founded the Order of the Garter. Descended from King Edward III are the following other U.S. Presidents – John Quincy Adams, Herbert Hoover, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Jimmy Carter. 

Lady Godiva, George Washington’s 24th great-grandmother.  She is famous for having ridden naked through the streets of Coventry, England in support of the tenants who protesting the over-taxation imposed by her husband,  Leofric III, the Anglo-Saxon Earl of Mercia.  Her daughter Edith married Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, King of Wales and George Washington’s 23rd great-grandfather.

Brian Boru, Last High King of Ireland

Duncan I, King of Scotland

Two of George Washington’s earliest ancestors were Brian Boru, Last High King of Ireland and Duncan I, son of Crinan, Abbot of Dunkeld, Iona, Scotland. Brian Boru is considered the greatest of all ancient kings of Ireland.   Duncan I, on the other hand, was born on August 15, 1001  and died on August 15, 1040.  He was the King of Scotland and Strathclyde from 1034 to 1040.  Today, he is best remembered as a result of Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth,” with Duncan being betrayed and murdered by his cousin Macbeth after Duncan had conferred upon MacBeth the title of Thane of  Cawdor.  When King Owen of the Britons subsequently died without a heir, Duncan’s  eldest son Malcolm III Canemore became king.  Malcolm married Margaret Atheling, the daughter of Edward Atheling “the Exile” and the granddaughter of Edmund II “Ironsides”, King of England, thus uniting the Scottish royal lineage with the English royal lineage.  Edward Atheling married Agatha of Hungary, a descendant of both the Anglo-Saxon king Afred “the Great” who is created with uniting England and Charlemagne – thus making George Washington also a descendant of both King Alfred “the Great” of England, King Edward I of England, and Charlemagne.

George Washington’s ancestors took the name Washington when his ancestor William de Hertburne, who married Margaret the sister of the Scotland kings Malcolm IV and William the Lion,  moved to and assumed tenacy of the lands in and around the village of Wessyngton  near the rivers Tyne and Wear from the Bishop of Durham.   Soon after William de Hertburne took the name William de Wessyngton (later Washington).  The Bishop of Durham controlled an area known between England and Scotland that, while technically part of England, was treated almost as a separate kingdom.  At its center was Durham Cathedral both the remains of St. Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede were kept.  Before the Reformation, the Shrine of St. Cuthbert was the most important religious site in all of England.   The bisphoric dates from 995 when the remains of St. Cuthbert were first carried to Durham, with the present cathedral having being constructed in 1093.  To recognize the importance and seniority of the Bishop of Durham among all English Bishops, traditionally the Bishop of Durham accompanies the new King or Queen of England when they are coronated.  The home that William de Wessyngton built is referred to as Washington Old Hall.  Along with the great halls of other leading families of the areas such as the Hiltons, it was constructed to block the Scots from invading England via the rivers Tyne and Wear.  As a result, Durham Castle is the only Norman castle in England to have never been breached.  The Battle of Neville’s Cross on October 17, 1347 which occurred near Durham is perhaps the most famous of all the battles between the Scots and the English.

George Washington’s ancestors moved from Washington Old Hall home in Wessyngton to near Banbury in Oxfordshire when in 1539 George Washington’s ancestor Lawrence Washington bought the Priority of St. Andrew and converted it to a manor house that he named Sulgrave.   This was shortly after King Henry VIII had dissolved the monastaries.  Then, sometime after 1558, Lawrence Washington added above the door the words ER to indicate “Elizabeth Regina,” in honor of Henry VIII’s daughter Elizabeth I.   What motivated Lawrence Washington to move to Sulgrave was the growth of the wool industry in England, with Lawrence Washington becoming successful in the wool trade.  After moving to Sulgrave, he became Mayor of Northampton.  George Washington is descended from Lawrence Washington through his son, Robert Washington whose brother Lawrence was to marry Mary Argall, the mother of Samuel Argall who was to become Deputy Governor of Virginia and famous for taking Pocahontas captive.  Below is a land grant signed by George Washington’s ancestor Robert Washington.

Bottle seal of John Washington found at his original homesite in Virginia

Grave of John Washington in the Washington family burial plot in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

Drawing of John Washington’s Virginia homesite

Iron window frame from John Washington’s Virginia homesite

The son of George Washington’s ancestor, Robert Washington referenced above, was named Lawrence Washington.  He married Margaret Butler, who was a descendant of King Edward I of England.  Their son was the Reverend Lawrence Washington and their grandson was George Washington’s paternal great-grandfather, John Washington.  He was born in England about 1632.  Because the Washington family was related to English royalty as well as to the King’s principal advisor, the Duke of Buckingham, John Washington’s father, the Reverend Lawrence Washington, was appointed first as the chancellor of Oxford College where he was responsible for weeding out Puritans, then as Rector of the church Purleigh, Essex, England.  Unfortunately, after King Charles I was beheaded during the English Civil War and Oliver Cromwell came to power, the Reverend Lawrence Washington lost his position and became penniless.  As a consequence, his wife, Amphillis Twigden took herself and her children to live with her mother and stepfather.  Because of family connections to the Archbishop Edwin Sandys, who was the Anglican Bishop of London and then the Archbishop of York and who was the leader the Virginia Company of London which founded Jamestown, when John Washington became old enough he was able to secure a postion with a London tobacco merchant/trading company.  He then invested in the ship Seahorse and served as a mate on its voyage to Virginia.  After the ship ran aground in the Potomac River, John Washington decided to remain in Virginia and lend his expertise in tobacco trading so as to become a partner with the Virginia/Maryland tobacco planter Nathaniel Pope.   After marrying Nathaniel Pope’s daughter, Anne Pope,  he settled down on a 700 acre plantation on Mattox Creek in Westmoreland County of Virginia’s Northern Neck which he and his wife and been given as a wedding present by her father, Nathaniel Pope.  Afterwards, he became a successful Virginia planter, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, and had three children: Lawrence, John, and Anne.  During the events leading up to Bacon’s Rebellion, he was appointed a Colonel in the Virginia militia and became famous for a raid on a Native American Indian village in which chiefs from six different Indian tribes who had gathered there were killed.  He was criticized for this by Virginia Governor William Berkeley, but had popular support.  During Bacon’s Rebellion, he wisely decided to support Governor Berkeley, which led to his being appointed to additional public offices and greater prominance within the colony of Virginia.  He died in 1677 and is buried in the Washington family burial plot in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

George Washington’s grandather was Lawrence Washington (1659-1698).  He was born in September of 1659 at his family’s farm/plantation on Bridges Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the eldest son of John Washington and Elizabeth Pope.   He had two siblings: John (1660-1698) and Anne (1660-1697).  When he became old enough, his father sent him to England where he was educated and trained as a lawyer.  Upon the death of his father, he inherited the family’s 1,850 acre Mattox Creek plantation on the Potomac River and the family’s 2,500 Little Hunting Creek plantation (which would later be renamed Mount Vernon), also along the Potomac River.  In 1688, he married Mildred Warner, the daughter of Colonel Augustine Warner, the Speaker of the House of Burgesses and one of the most important men in Virginia.  With her, he had three children: John (1692-1746), Augustine (1694-1743), and Mildred (1698-1747).  He himself served both in the militia and as a member of the House of Burgesses.  He died at the age of 38 shortly after his daughter was born.

George Washington’s paternal grandmother was Mildred Warner.  She was born at Warner Hall, the family home in Gloucester County, Virginia.  Her father, Colonel Augustine Warner, Jr. (1642- June 19, 1681) was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and both before and after Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 and 1677 served as Speaker of the House.  He then served on the Governor’s Council from October 1677 until his death.   Her sister Elizabeth Warner married John Lewis, from whom both Fielding Lewis, who was to marry George Washington’s sister Betty, and Meriwether Lewis (the leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition) are descended.  From her mother, Mildred Reade, both her and her grandson George Washington can trace their ancestors back to most of the kings of England.  With her first husband, Lawrence Washington, she had three children:  John, Augustine and Mildred.  After the death of her first husband Lawrence in 1698, she remarried in 1700 to George Gale of  Whitehaven, England.  Unfortunately, after relocating to Whitehaven, she soon contracted a fever and died on January 30, 1701.

George Washington with his father – Augustine Washington

George Washington telling his father that he could not tell a lie and that he had chopped down the cherry tree

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

Grave of Augustine Washington – George Washington’s father – at Washington cemetery plot

Signature of Augustine Washington – father of George Washington

To navigate to the beginning of this website about the ancestry and life of George Washington, go to http://presidentgeorgewashington.wordpress.com

George Washington’s father was Augustine Washington (1694-April 12, 1743).  Like his future son, George, he was known for his height and strength.   He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner.  He was only four years old when his father died.  Upon his father’s death, he inherited about 1,000 acres at the family’s Bridges Creek plantation while his sister Mildred inherited the family’s Little Hunting Creek Plantation.  In 1715 he married Jane Butler and in 1718 he purchased land on Popes Creek adjoining his land on Bridges Creek and built a new house called Wakefield there.  In the ame year, he purchased the Little Hunting Creek (later renamed Mount Vernon) property from his sister Mildred.  With his first wife Jane Butler, he had four children, only two of whom (Lawrence and Augustine Jr.) lived to adulthood.  These two sons (who were the half-brothers of George Washington) Augutine Washington sent to England to be educated.  Augustine Washington himself travelled several times to London to confer with his partners in a iron furnace that he owned and operated on Accokeek Cree in Stafford County, Virginia, which was one of America’s first efforts towards industrialization.  This was an iron furnace that he owned in conjunction with the Principio Company of England.  Augustine Washington was also active in politics, serving as county sheriff and justice of the peace.  After his first wife’s death in 1729, Augustine Washington married 23-year old Mary Ball, with whom he had several more children with George Washington being the oldest.  In 1738, Augustine Washington bought the Ferry Farm plantation across the Rappahannock River from the fledging young town of Fredericksburg, which was where George Washington was to spend most of his childhood.  Augustine Washington bought this property from William Strother and moved his family there in order to be closer to his iron furnace.  Augustine Washington died on April 12, 1743 in King George County, Virginia.

Drawing of George Washington as a young boy with his mother.

Only known painting believed to be of Mary Ball Washington.

To navigate to the beginning of this website about the ancestry and life of George Washington, go to http://presidentgeorgewashington.wordpress.com

George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington (1709-1789), was the second wife of Augustine Washington after Augustine Washington’s first wife, Jane Butler, died.   Mary Ball Washington was born as Mary Ball in 1708 in Lively, Lancaster County, Virginia.  She was a daughter of Joseph Ball and his second wife, the widow Mary Bennett Johnson.  She had 10 brothers and sisters.  Fatherless at 3 and orphaned at age 12, Mary Ball was placed under the guardianship of her uncle, George Eskridge, a prominent lawyer.  As a young girl, Mary Ball became an excellent horsewoman and was active in Virginia society.  She met her husband Augustine Washington while on a trip to London.  They were married on March 6, 1731.  Together, Mary Ball and Augustine Washington had six children, with George Washington (1732-1799) being the oldest.  George Washington’s brothers and sisters were Betty (1733-1797), Samuel (1734-1781), John Augustine (1736-1787), Charles (1739-1799) and Mildred (1739-1740).  Mary Ball Washington was to live see her son elected as the first President of the United States, with the last time she was to see her son George being at her home in Fredericksburg, VA. right before he headed off to be inaugurated as President in New York City in 1789.  The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. is named after her.  Before her death, many prominent leaders of the American Revolution would stop in Fredericksburg in order to have the opportunity to meet the mother of General Washington.  The above portrait is believed to a painting of Mary Ball Washington, possibily painted by Robert Edge Pine in 1786.