The Anaconda standard., 1895-03-30
WAsHINGToN'S PARENTS.
His Father a Maker of Pig Iron and His
Mother "a Second wife.

His Father a Maker of Pig Iron and His
Mother "a Second Wife.
George Washington was born in West
moreland county, Va, on Feb. 22, 1872,
according TO the generally accepted style
of reckoning time which has prevailed
since 1852. or. according to the old style.
on Feb. IL, 1912. His mother, Mary
Ball, was the second wife of his father.
Augustine Washington, concerning both
of whom a great deal of false history has
been written, while much that might
have been truthfully said OF Augustine
Washington has been left unsaid by Mar
shall, Sparks, Irving and other
biographcrs OF George Washington.
Augustine Washington has been repre-
sen,ed as n man of almost royal blood-as
the aristocratic descendant of titled
English family. BE this as it may, Au-
gustine Washington, at the time he mar
ried Mary Ball, was engaged in making
pig iron at Accokeek Furnace, in Stafford
County, Virginia, about 10 miles from
Fredericksburg. and he was so engaged
when hls son George was born, although
he was then residing at Wakefield, in
Wcstmoreland county. Accokeek Fur
mace had been built by the Principe COM
pany, composed of English capitalists, as
early as 1726, on land owned by Augustine
Washington, covering about 1,600 acres
and containing iron ore. Augustine WASH
ington, who was known as Captain WASH
ing ton, becoming the owner of one-sixth
of the furnace property in consideration
of the transfer of his land to the COM
pany. The Principe company had other
iron enterprises in Maryland.
Captain Washington visited England in
1923 and 1879, chiefly in relation to the
management of Accokeek Furnace. Re-
turning to Virginia in May, 1879, he wrote
to his English partners on the 10th day of
July that on his arrival he found to his
great grief that his wife was dead. There
is an autograph letter in the custody of
the Maryland Historical society, written
at London on Oct. 2. 1870. by John Wight
wick. one of the English stockholders in
the Principe company, and addressed to
John England, the company's general
agent in Maryland and Virginia. which
preserves the above facts, and which also
severely crticises Captain Washington
for neglecting in his letter of July 10 to
inform his English associates whether or
not he would stick to n certain bargain he
had made with them concerning the man
agement of the furnace.
We have been unable to discover
whether Captain Washington kept his bar
gain to manage Accokeek furnace or not.
but in Col. William Byrd's Progress to
the Mines" written in 1892, he mentions
"England's iron mines, called so from the
chief manager of them, though tho land
belongs to Mr.. Washington" Two
miles distant from the mines was the fur
mace.
Colonel Byrd says: "Mr. Washington
raises the ore and carts it thither for 20
shillings the ton of iron that it yields.
Besides Mr.. Washington and Mr.. England
there are several other persons in England
concerned in these works" Augustine
Washington retained his interest in the
Principe company to the time of his death
in 17i3, and this interest he beoueathed to
his son Lawrence.
In 1881 Augustine Washington married
for his second wife Mary Ball, a daughter
of Joseph Ball, who resided in Lancaster
county, Va, where Mary Ball was born.
Captain Washington did not marry Mary
Ball in England, as Benson j. LOSING and
numerous other inaccurate writer's have
stated, but after his visit to that country,
during which, as has been shown, his first
wife died.--Iron and SteeI Bulletin.