The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-03-03
.e mainly was instrumental ii Great

purchased for his mother by George
Washington Just before he became
commander-in-chief Of the Revolu-
tionary forces. Prior 10 that she llV.
ed on Perry falm," across the river
from Fredericksburg Il was on that
farm .ha: her immoria! son spent
most of his boyhood It was there
that The cherry rec incident occurred
# it occurred at all, for The Washing
tons moved there when George was
between three and FIVE years old.
While in Fredericksburg visited the
place. stiIl comprising nearly the same
acreage owned by the Washingtons.
1t now is owned and operated as a
dairy farm by J. 3. Col3ert. Virtual
IL all vcstiges cf the Washington era
are gone. \ few ,rees may have be-
longed 10 it. There's d small, cypress
rooted shanty. clearly very cid, which
tradition says was once George Wash
ington's Workroom and office.
f. 1t was there that Augustine Wash
ington died when the eldest son of
his second wife, Mary, was only Il
wears old, and 1t WIS from there that
Washington went 70 school at Fal-
mouth, a few miles away, and at
Fredericksburg, near by.
Though Mary Washington lived to
very old age, dying within a few
months after her son became the first
president Of the United States, there
survived only a meager amount OF
authentic data regarding her.
Vnctb sd, (fsth -Csr shrdl cmfwysc
! She was % when she became the
second wife Of Augustine Washing
tor. Her father, Joseph Ball, was of
the landed aristocracy Of the "Nor-
thern Neck" region of tidewater Viz
ginia, region sometimes called the
"Athens of America" because Of the
large number Of famous men who
were born there. Excepting that she
was the Widow Johnson" when she
married Colonel Ball and married
again after Mary's father died, little
is known of WashIngton's maternal
grandmother, 1t is probable that
from her, Washington's mother de-
rived and passed on to her son a
strain which softcned the stiff aris-
tocracy of the Washingtons. Mary
almost certainly gave to him that
stubborn will, which was among his
most telling characteristics.
On marrying, Mary Washington
took over the management of her
husbands household at Wakefield on
the Potomac river, about so miles be-
low Washington.
The Wakefield place is now cut off
from the customary lines of travel
and but for monument which marks
the site of the house wherein George
Washington was born, no memento Of
its history remains visible.
Nearly all that is known of Mary
Washington's life and most that is
known Of her first sons boyhood is
associated with Fredericksburg and
environs. After the Wakefield house
was destroyed by fire, It is believed
she induced her husband to move to
the Fredericksburg place because of
the schooling advantages there afford
ed for her children, Of which there
were ultimately six, five of them sur
viving.
Just as Mary Washington will re-
main largely an unknown figure and
the little that survives will be subject
to varying constructions, George
Washington's relations with his moth
er, for the lack of data. will always be
a subject. more or less, of mystery
The little of authentic nature which
survives does not make one certain
that they "got along together per
Ifectly. There appears to have been
throughout their lives more or less
constant conflict of will between
them. This may be due to the fact
that they were both strongwilled and
determined, and in several other re-
spects quite different. There is no
question about Washington's having
had profound respect for his mother.
Il is known that even after he made
his residence at Mount Vernon he Wis
tied his mother often and gave close
attention to her affairs even up to
her death, which occurred shortly
after he was inaugurated president
for the first time. However. from the
beginning Of the Revolutionary war
to its end he never saw her. Yet, fol