Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-05-02
EARLY SURVEYING TRIP
or PRESIDENT GEORGE WASH
INcToN.
Details Of Memorable itinerary Given
IN Journal Kept BY the Father
OF F4ls Country.

/ OF fls Country.
| Ii The Knock About Notes" OF The
Romney Review appears the fol ow-
! ing:
Through the courtesy Of a valued
friend in Washington we have come
into possession OF copy Of Wash
| ington's Journal OF 1747-S,r a copy Of
the only edition ever printed and long
since exhausted. 1t is a record briefly
written Of the daily doings OF the
Father of his Country, during a part
of March and February, 174S, he wrote
| il 1747S because it was the custom,
then from the LIST off January TO the
25th Of March to write the year double
as at that time the present or Greg
orian calendar had not been univer-
sally adopted. To those who used the
new calendar the year was 174S and
to those who used the Old it was 1747
hence to be certain to be right it was
customary TO use both.
This journal was record of the
first surveying trip to Washington
made for his friend and benefactor
Lord Fairfax He was only two
months more than 16 years of age and
was just out OF school The most re-
markable feature about it CONSISTS OF
the plots and drawings Of certain par
cells of land. They show remarkable
skill. ilhe writing is that of boy
and the spelling is particularly bad.
He was accompanied, apparently, by
Geo. Fairfax, nephew and land agent
of Lord Fairfax, as well as an older
and more experienced surveyor. They
came over the Blue Ridge to Win
chester, thence to Warm Springs,
(now Berkeley Springs) crossed the
cock, just above Fort Pleasant, which
stiu stands near Cherry Run, and
kept up on the Mary and side to
Capt Cresap's, the present site of Old
Town, where they spent several days
and saw many Indians. They then
iourneyed ON to the mouth of Pat
terson's Creek, crossed back to the
south bank of the Potomac and went
up Patterson's Creek, about 10 miles
to Abram Johnsons. There they
spent a short time, going on up cross
ing over onto the South Branch t1
Old Fields, they journeyed up the
South Fork to where the line of the
Northern Neck crossed. This was the
western line of Fairfaxs possessions,
he having been granted all the land
between the Potamac and Rappahan-
mock rivers. A line was run between
those two points which crossed aIe
lower end of Penileton county. At
this line, on the South Fork of the Pc
tomac, Washington and his party be-
gan surveying off lots on "Wednesday,
March 80 174S. The journal gives
the courses and distances OF each lot
surveyed for. AS is Senerafly knoWA
Fairfax surveyed these lands and
leased them to settlers for so much
cash and an annual rental, which was
mostly small After the c'ose OF the
Revolutionary War the Legislature OF
Virginia confirmed these leases to the
various lessees as fee simple titles
and the land owned by Fairfax which
had not been leased was declared for
feited to the state. Every owner OF
the lots along the South Branch and
Great Capon rivers today traces his
title back to Lord Fairfax.
On Wash.ngton's return he evident
ly travelled about the same route no"
fromRomney to Capon Bridge al
though he merely refers to having
spent the night at John Collins, and
gone the following day TO "Codys,'
on Great Capon. Romney was not, a.
that time, laid out