Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1877-04-14
4 SCRAP OF HISTORY ABOUT GIN.
WASHING TONS ANCESTRY.

A Il
WASHINGT TONS ANCESTRY.
Mr.. Brock read before the Virginia
Historical society letter from Col.
Joseph l. Chester, of London, England,
who writes: g. shall soon devote myself
to an exhaustive history of the Wash
ingten family Of England, for which l.
have been collecting materials during
the last fifteen years. You are probably
aware that 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
cessful; 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 l want,
beyond everything else, is copy of the
last will of John Washington, the emf
grant; but this / 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 p, 1875, be states
that he brought from England, and
buried on bis plantation, with her TWO
children"
The Virginia historical society re-
ported that 1.-the Virginia land registry
Office gives the date of the first patent
of land to Maj. John Washington as
June /, 1864. The quantity conveyed
was 5000 acres in Northumberland or
Westmoreland county. In 1861 patent
was granted to him and Thomas Pore
jointly. 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, elias
Washington, fer lands in Westmoreland
county, and dated January ID, 1862, is
also on record. She was the second wife
of Col. John Washington.
sin the recorded grants of land to
members of the Pope family-in one to
Thomas Pope-he is mentioned as the
son of Nathaniel. who received carly ex-
tensive grants of land, 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 Nir-
ginia family of this name, branches of
which furnished prominent representa-
tives in Kentucky and several of the
western states. 1t is significant that in
the various scattered branches of this
family the christian name Nathaniel is
still favorite one and inevitably ap-
pears. The reflection that they are col
laterally connected with the father of
his country may not be an unpleasant
one to those implicated.
eff it can be established thet there
had been no issue to John Washington,
the emigrant, prior to his settlement in
the colony in 1867, there appears to be
good ground for the assumption that the
two children mentioned by him as having
been buried on his plantation with his
first wife were the only issue by her,
since he was already married again in
January, 1861. to Anne Pope, and the
material ancestress of Gen. George WASH
ington would thus be positively assumed
in Anne Pope Virginia Gazette.
DERIV4 TION OF THE Word AMER