River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-02-17
HIS EARLY BOYHOOD.
A Brief Account of the Family of
Washington.

Washington.
George Washington was cast for his
career by very scant and homely
training Augustine Washington, his
father, lacked neither the will nor the
means to set him handsomely. afoot,
with as good schooling, both in books
and in affairs, as was to be had; he
would have done all that a liberal and
provident man should do to advance
his boy in the world had he lived to
go with him through his youth. He
owned land in four counties, more than
5000 acres all told, and lying upon
both the rivers that refresh the fruit
full northern neck, besides several plots
of ground in the promising village of
Fredericksburg, which lay opposite his
lands upon the Rappahannock; and
one-twelfth part of the stock of the
Principle Iron company, whose mines
and furnaces in Maryland and Virginia
yielded better profit than any others
in the two colonies. He had command
ed a ship in his time, as so many of his
neighbors had in the maritime prov
ince, carrying iron from the mines to
England, and no doubt bringing con-
vict laborers back upon his voyage home
again. He himself raised the ore from
the mines that lay upon his OWE land,
close to the Potomac, and had 1t carried
the easy six miles TO the river. Matters
were very well managed there, Col.
Byrd said, and no pains were spared to
make the business profitable. Capt.
Washington had represented his home
parish of Truro, too, in the house of
burgesses, where his athletic figure, his
rudy skin and frank gray eyes must
have made him as conspicuous as his
constituents could have wished. He
was a man of the world every inch,
generous, hardy, Independent. He
lived long enough, too, to see how stall
wart and capable and of how noble a
spirit his young son was to be, with
how manly bearing he was to carry
himself in the world; and had loved
him and made him his companion ac-
cordingly. But the end came for him
before he could see the lad out of boy
hood He died April ~, 1743, when he
was but 40 years of age, and before
George was 12; and in his will there
was, of course, for George only young
or sons portion. The active gentle
man had been twice married. and there
were seven children to be provided for.
Two sons of the first marriage sur
vived. The bulk of the estate went,
as Virginian custom dictated, TO Law
renee, the eldest son. To Augustine,
the second, fell most of the rich lands
in Westmoreland. George, the eldest
born of the second marriage, left to
the guardianship of his young mother,
shared with the four younger children
the residue of the estate. He was to
inherit his fathers farm upon the Rap
pahannock, TO possess, and to cultivate
if he would, when he should come of
age: but for the rest his fortunes
were to make. He must get such serv-
iceable training as he could for life
of independent endeavor. The two old
err brothers had been sent to England to
get their schooling and preparation for
life, as their father before them had
been to get his-Lawrence to make
ready to take his fathers place when
the time should come; Augustine, it
was al first planned, to fit himself for
the law. George could now look for
nothing of the kind. He must con-
tinue as he had begun, to get such ele.
mentary and practical instr uction as
was to be had of schoolmasters in Vir.
ginia, and the young mothers care
must stand him in the stead of a ia
theirs pilotage and oversight.
Fortunately Mary Washington was a
wise and provident mother, woman OF
too firm a character and too steadfast a
courage to be dismayed by responsible
ity. She had seemed only fair and
beautiful girl when Augustine Wash
ineton married her, and there was i
romantic story told of how that gal
liant Virginian sailor and gentleman
had been literally thrown at her fee
out of a carriage in the London streets
bv way of introduction, where she, too
was a visiting stranger out of Vir-
ginia. But she had shown a singular
capacity for business when the ro-
mantle days of courtship were over
Woodrow Wilson, in Harper's Maya
zine.