The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-05-05
A SCRAP OF HISTORY ABOUT Gen.
WASHING TONS ANCESTRY.

Mr.. Brock read before the Virginia
Historical society a letter from Col.
Joseph L, Chester, of London, England,
who writes: "I shall soon devote myself
to an exhaustive history of the Wash
ipgton family of England, for which /
have been collecting materials during
the last fifteen years. You are probabI1.s
aware that I have destroyed the existing
pedigree Of the illustrious president, and
left him for the moment without an an
cestor. My great anxiety now is to trace
his true ancestry, and hope to be sue
c~essful; but the difficulty is greater than
would be naturally supposed. Any facts
you can give me from the records of
your state land registry, say previous to
100, could not fail to prove of the great
est possible service TO me. What ] want,
beyond everything else, is a copy of the
last will oflJohn Washington, the emf
grant; but this I fear is hOpelessly lost,
unless it can be found among the papers
of Bishop Meade or if you could posi-
bly, ascertain about the name OF the first
wife of John Washington, whom, in his
will dated September 81, 1875, be states
that he brought from England, and
buried on his plantation with her two
children"
The Virginia historical gociety re-
ported that the Virginia land registry
office gives the date of the first patent
of land to Maj. John Washington as
June 1, 1864. The quantity conveyed
was 5000 acres in Northumberland or
Westmoreland county. In 1867 a patent
was granted to him and Thomas Pope
jofAtly. In succeeding patent, granted
to lietenant-colonel John Washington, '
the lands are described as adjoining those
formerly granted Nathaniel Pope. A
grant of land to Mrs. Anne Pope, alias
Washington, fer lands in Westmoreland
county, and dated January 10, 1862, is
also on record. She was the second wife
Of Col. John Washington.
"In the recorded grants of land to
members of the Pope tamily-in n to
Thomas Pope-he u mentioned as the
son of Nathaniel, who received early ex-
grants of lJnd, and must have
been a man Of influence.
"There is some ground for the assump-
ton that Thomas Pope, who was asso-
ciated with John Washington, who
was the brother of the second
wife of the latter, and they (Anne
and Thomas Pope) were the children of
the Nathaniel Pope already cited, who,
it Is more than probable, was the ances-
tor of the present very respectable Vir-
yinia family Of this name, branches of
which furnished prominent representa-
ives in Kentucky and several of the
states. 1t is significant that in
he various scattered branches OF this
amily the christian name Nathaniel is
till 9, f~avorite one and inevitably APP
,eatB. The reflection that they are col
connected with tbs father OF
lis country may not be an unpleasant
ne to those implicated.
elf it can be established thet there
lad been no issue to John Washington,
he emigrant, prior to his settlement IN
colony in 1857, there appears to be
cod ground for the assumption that the
wo children mentioned by him as shaving
cen buried on his plantation with his
ri. wife were the only issue by her,
nee he was already married again in
anuary, 1861, to Anne Pope, and the
,aterial ancestress of Gen. George Wash
lgton would thus be positively assumed
Anne Pope.S~ Virginia Gazette.