The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-04-13
Il SCRAP OF HISTORY ABOUT GEN.
FLASHING 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
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. Amy facts
you can give me from the records Of
your state land registry, say previous to
1900, could not fail to prove of the great
est possible service TO me. What want,
beyond everything else, is n copy Of the
last will of John Washington, the emil
grant; but this / fear is hopelessly lost,
unless il 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 q, 1915, he states
that he brought from England, and
buried on his plantation, with her two
children"
The Virginia historical society re-
ported that 3" the Virginia land registry
Office gives tbo date of the first patent
of land. to Maj. John Washington az
June 1, 1864. The quantity conveyed
was 5000 acres in Northumberland or
Westmoreland county. In 1867 patent
was granted TO him and Thomas Pope
jointly. In a 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 family-in one to
Thomas Pope-he is mentioned as the
son of Nathaniel, who received early ex-
tensive grants of land, and must have
been 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-
ginia family of this name, branches of
which furnished prominent representa-
lives 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 APP
pears. The reflection that they are col
literally connected with the father of
ais country may not be an unpleasant
,ne to those implicated.
If it cant be established that there
1ad been no issue to John Washington,
the emigrant, prior to his settlement in
the colony in 1857, there appears to be
reod ground for the assumption that the
two children mentioned by him "a 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 Gdsetfe.