General George Washington
President of the United States
By D. A. Sharpe
United States President George Washington was born
February 22, 1732 at PopeÕs Creek, Virginia. He is the 27th cousin, six times removed
to me. He is the 11th great grandson of English King Edward I, the last
of the three Kings to issue the Magna Carta that had such place in the documents of governance as the New World
developed. Our common ancestors are Eystein Glumra Ivarsson and his wife, Aseda Rognvaldsdatter, who are my 32nd
great grandparents and George's 25th great grandparents.
George Washington is the 12th great grandson of English King Edward I, who is the 11th great grandfather of Edward Southworth, the first husband of Alice Carpenter, my 7th great grandmother. The descending to me is through AliceÕs second husband, Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford.
Henry Spencer, Esquire, born about
1392, represents the ancestor who is common both to the United States President
George Washington and to President George W. Bush (and his father). Henry
Spencer is the 17th and 18th great grandfathers of these two Bushes.
Henry Spencer is the tenth great grandfather of President George Washington.
Henry Spencer, Esquire, born about
1392 is the 6th great grandfather of Amphilis Twigden (who lived 1602 -
1654). She is the wife of Lawrence Washington (1602 - 1653), the 8th
great grandson of English King Edward I (1239 - 1307). Edward I is the
11th great grandfather of Edward Southworth (1590 - 1620) the first husband of
Alice Carpenter, my 7th great grandmother. My descending from Alice is
through her second husband, Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford.
Washington is the half thirteenth
cousin, thirteen times removed of my Westmoreland grandchildren, Katie, Jack,
twins Lily and Sarah, and Sam.
English King Henry V is the half 4th cousin, nine
times removed to George Washington. George is the half 13th cousin, 12
times removed of my son-in-law, Steven O. Westmoreland.
President George Washington is a half
13th cousin, twice removed to President Thomas Jefferson! Their ancestor
in common is English King Edward I. Washington is descended through King
Edward's second wife, Marguerite of France. Edward is Washington's 12th great
grandfather. Jefferson is descended through King Edward's first wife,
Eleanor of Castile. Edward is Jefferson's 14th great grandfather.
President Zachary Taylor is a half
13th cousin, six times removed to President Washington.
In 1732, the year of George
Washington's birth, Benjamin Franklin began publishing ''Poor Richard's
Almanac'' on December 19.
George was the first electrd
President of the United States of America, he was the General and Commander of
the Continental Armies, member of 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses, and
member of Virginia House of Burgess. He married Martha Dandridge
(1732-1802), the first of what became known as First Lady of the White House.
"On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the
balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as
the first elected President of the United States.
Before this oath of office could take place, it was
necessary to have a functioning President several years prior to 1789, which
Congress appointed under the Articles of Confederation. The first one was John Hanson, appointed in November
1781. In fact, the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor to the
Constitution, also called for a president- albeit one with greatly diminished
powers. Eight men were appointed to serve one year terms as president under the
Articles of Confederation. So, George Washington was the 9th
President of the United States, but the first elected.
Another interesting fact about George Washington is that he
is the only President elected by a 100% vote of the Electoral College!
The fact that the United States is in its 9th
location as a national capital is known realized by many people today. Here are the eight capitals used, prior to the
establishment of Washington D. C. in 1802.
What is of interest to me is that John HansonÕs descendants
reside today in Maryland, and it has been the privilege of Suzanne and me to
visit and dine in their two homes. Both
the males in those two generations are named John Hanson.
'As the first of everything, in our
situation will serve to establish a precedent,' he wrote James Madison, 'it is
devoutly wished on my part, that the precedents may be fixed on true principles
"Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, he learned the morals,
manners, and body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia
"He pursued two intertwined
interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped
survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant
colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French
and Indian War. The next year, as an aide to Gen. Edward Braddock, he
escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot
from under him.
"From 1759 to the outbreak of
the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and
served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Married to a widow, Martha
Dandridge Custis, he devoted himself to a busy and happy life. But, like
his fellow planters, Washington felt himself exploited by British merchants and
hampered by British regulations. As the quarrel with the mother country
grew acute, he moderately but firmly voiced his resistance to the restrictions.
"When the Second Continental
Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May1775, Washington, one of the Virginia
delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On
July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained
troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years.
"He realized early that the
best strategy was to harass the British. He reported to Congress, ' we
should on all Occasions avoid a general action, or put anything to the risque,
unless compelled by necessity, into which we ought never to be drawn.' Ensuing
battles saw him fall back slowly, then strike unexpectedly. Finally, in
1781 with the aid of French allies--he forced the surrender of Cornwallis at
"Washington longed to retire to
his fields at Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation, under
its Articles of Confederation, was not functioning well, so he became a prime
mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in
1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously
elected Washington President. However,
the official U.S. Government Electoral College website Electoral College today only begins giving vote returns as of 1789. None of the Electoral College votes
were unanimous since then.
did nominate and Congress approved quite a distinguished Presidential Cabinet.
"He did not infringe upon the
policy making powers that he felt the Constitution gave Congress. But the
determination of foreign policy became preponderantly a Presidential
concern. When the French Revolution led to a major war between France and
England, Washington refused to accept entirely the recommendations of either his
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who was pro-French, or his Secretary of
the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who was pro-British. Rather, he insisted upon
a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger.
"To his disappointment, two
parties were developing by the end of his first term. Wearied of
politics, feeling old, he retired at the end of his second term. In his
Farewell Address, he urged his countrymen to forswear excessive party spirit
and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term
"Washington enjoyed less than
three years of retirement at Mount Vernon, for he died of a throat infection
December 14, 1799. For months, the Nation mourned him.
One of the famous paintings of
George Washington and his troops in the American Revolution was that scene
where they were poised on Christmas Day, 1776, on the banks of the Delaware
River. They were in retreat from the British army. When winter
came, many of Washington's soldiers were going to leave soon. Washington
decided that, if they were going to fight at all, they would have to move
Washington decided to attack a group
of Hessians, German soldiers who were paid to fight for the British, who were
at Trenton, New Jersey. On Christmas night 1776, in a snowstorm,
Washington took 2,400 of his 3,000 soldiers across the Delaware River to New
Jersey. Washington decided to attack early in the morning of December 26,
because he was sure that the Hessians would be tired from the celebration the
The river was icy. The army marched
nine miles to outside Trenton. The American forces split into two groups.
Both sides closed in together. The 1,200 Germans were completely surprised.
The Hessians quickly surrendered after their leader, Colonel Rall, was
killed. The Americans took more than 900 prisoners.
When the news of the British defeat
got to lord Cornwallis, a British general stationed in New York, he quickly
moved his men toward Trenton. He was very determined to defeat
Washington's army. But, while Cornwallis was determined, Washington made
plans for his army. When Cornwallis arrived at Trenton, fires of the
American troops were still burning, but Washington's army had secretly moved
from the area. They went to Princeton, which was close. The British
were marching in that direction and heard canon fire. Cornwallis rushed
there, but it was too late. On January 3, 1777, the British troops at Princeton
were defeated by Washington's army. Because Cornwallis' army was too
worried about supplies and ammunition, they retreated to New York. The
American army controlled New Jersey.
The bit of humor about the famous painting cited is to
raise the question, "What issue did George Washington face on Christmas
Day,1776, as he and his soldiers were poised on the banks of the Delaware River
... an issue that even today is faced in our political environment?"
The answer is, "It was the issue of row versus wade (1973 US Supreme case
of Roe Vs. Wade - the famous abortion issue decision).
George and Martha were members of
and worshiped regularly at St. Peter's Parish Church, near Richmond, Virginia.
George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart on August 7,1782, a decoration to recognize merit in
enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.
One character bears recognition in the story of the American
Revolution and as a friend of General George Washington. Haym
Salomon (also Solomon; April 7, 1740 Đ January 6, 1785) was
a Polish-born American Jewish
businessman and political financial broker who immigrated to New York City from Poland during the period of the American Revolution. He helped convert the
French loans into ready cash by selling bills of exchange for Robert
Morris, the Superintendent of Finance. In this way he aided
the Continental Army and was possibly,
along with Morris, the prime financier of the American side during the American
Revolutionary War against Great Britain. It was estimated that the aid of Haym
Salomon provided for George WashingtonÕs armyÕs expenses $650,000. Translated into 2013 American
dollars, that is $16,870,213!
There should be no doubt that there have been Jewish people
close to the hearts of the needs and purposes of America in many regards and
over many times!
George and Martha did not give issue
to any children. However, Martha did have children from a previous
marriage. So, there are no direct lineal descendants from President
"When he died, Washington
provided in his will for the emancipation of his slaves on the death of Martha,
his wife. Washington was the only member of the Virginia dynasty to free
all his slaves.
"Washington was one of the
richest men in America. At his death, his holdings were worth about half
a million dollars and included: 33,000 acres of land in Virginia,
Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and the Northwest
Territory; $25,000 worth of stocks; 640 sheep, 329 cows, 42 mules and 20
"Things named after George
Washington: one state, seven mountains, eight streams, ten lakes, 33
counties, nine colleges and 121 towns and villages."
Source:Marcus Cunliffe, "George Washington (New York: Mentor,
Here is that famous sculpture on the
face of Mount Rushmore. George is
here with three other of our familyÕs cousins. Read about it here.
George Washington was made an honorary
citizen of France in 1792.
Washington died, he was a lieutenant general. But as the centuries passed, this
three-star rank did not seem commensurate with what he had accomplished. After
all, Washington did more than defeat the British in battle. Along the way he established the framework for how American soldiers
should organize themselves, how they should behave, and how they should relate
to civilian leaders. Almost every big decision he made set a precedent. He was
the father of the US military as well as the US itself.
a law was passed to make Washington the highest ranking
U.S. officer of all time: General of the Armies of the United States. Nobody
will ever outrank him.
Washington truly was what we call a ŌMan of Letters.Ķ We donÕt have an exact
number, but the best estimates seem to put the number of
letters he penned
somewhere between 18,000 and 20,000. If you wrote one letter a day, it would take
you between 50 and 55 years to write that many.
becoming the Father of the Nation, Washington was a master surveyor. He spent
the early part of his career as a professional surveyor. HereÕs one of
the earliest maps
he created. It is for his half-brother, Lawrence WashingtonÕs, turnip garden.
was lucky, but his coat wasn't. In the Braddock disaster of 1755, WashingtonÕs
troops were caught in the crossfire between British and Native American
soldiers. Two horses were shot from under Washington, and his coat was pierced by four musket balls, none of which hit his actual
Washington is noted as the first man to send an air mail letter between
Philadelphia (then the U.S. Capital) and New Jersey. It was a letter said to have been
delivered by balloonist Jean Pierre Blanchard.
Washington was eulogized on December 26, 1799 by Col. Henry Lee as ''first in
war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.''
Washington has a traceable ancestry that ventures back 55
generations to a Norwegian Viking named Godwulf, born about 80 AD, living to about 125 AD. This ancestor report is 70+ pages. Bear in mind that professional
genealogists advise that genealogical information dated prior to the 1600Õs is
doubtful as to its accuracy.
However, it is interesting to see, at least, what some genealogists may
Dwight Albert (D. A.) Sharpe
805 Derting Road East
Aurora, TX 76078-3712
WashingtonÕs Mount Vernon
Home. This was me when we visited it in 2008