The Coolidge examiner., 1934-02-16

purchased o, Joseph Arlington TO acres Of the
Popes creek-Brldses Greek peninsula. lying on
the northwest side of Popes creek and Including
the site ot the recent Improvements az Wake
neld. The tract may have had residence on
u. FOR the purchase included ~ali houses. edl-
Gees, buildings. tobacco houses. fences. orchards
landl gardens"
] have discovered no document stating what
improvements II any. Augustine made on the
Arlington tract. giving the date of his re-
moval To a. That he was living there on Febru-
AIRY y. iT26 we know certainly By deed OF
uses" of that date made by himself and bis
wife. Jane. Of the one part. and Lawrence But.
er and George EskridEc, OF the other part. In
which occurs the clause. whereas the aforesaid
Augustine Washington IL seized in Zee simple OF
one parceli and tract of land. being the lrnd
where be now lives. which land be the said Az.
gustine purchased OF one Joseph Abingdon
SIX years before the birth OF his tiluS,rlous
son be Is therefore known 10 have been living
In house on the Popes creek side OF the pcnin-
sula lie Is also known TO have spent the last
years ot his life nrsi on the Hunting creek Mount
Vermont plantation In Prince william county
and later on the srother plantation near Fred.
erickxburg. Three OF his children were torn after
he left wesimoreland county. Almost every year
between l733 and 1873 has been given IS the
probable date OF his removal have established
the date certainly between March - and No
yeruber IS. las. II Is therefore conclusive that
Augustine was living 10 house near Popes creek
between iT26 and 1895: his son. George. was
born In iT32. The early maps locating Georges
birthplace near Bridges creek and the numerous
writers locating IL elsewhere than near Popes
creek are certainly erroneous
After bis purchase Of the Arlington tract An.
Ia
holdings on the peninsula In l725 he bought 2i5
acres on the Potomac river. and In 1884 - acres
Of lots. islands and marshes at the mouth OF
Popes creek. In lT42 by an exchange of lands
with his cousin. John CYl. he obtained tract
on the southeas, side OF Bridges creek which In
cluded the graveyard and the ancestral home
site. and for the first time all OF the Popes
Greek Bridges Greek peninsula was In the pos
session ot single Washington.
The ancestral domestic at Bridges creek
therefore. could not have been the birthplace OF
George. since his father did not own II until
1912. The date OF its abandonment as an ances-
tral residence Is not known.
on the death OF Capt Augustine Washington
April IL. lT43. the Popes Creek Bridges Greek
plantation fell to bis son Col Augustine. who
lived and died there.
George Washington who regarded the geneal
ogy OF his family as OF very little moment.
wrote OF Col Augustine. his half brother. that
be "lived AT the ancient mansion seat in West
moreland county, where he died. and was In
TERED in the family vault"
Col Augustine represented his county In the
House OF Burgesses from 1855 Tor 1850 to 1853
On his death his widow Anne (Aylett) Washing
ton and her children. including her eldest son
William Augustine t1757-1sl0) who inherited
the plantation. continued TO occupy its residence
The widow is described by her ilustriou:
brotherin-law as an "heress" and In May. III
when he visited her, as OF "Popes Creek" thu.
locating her residence as on or near that creek
William Augustine Washington was living in the
house when II burned. When he died In 1910 81
| fell TO his son. George Corbln Washington
The possessions OF George Corbn Washington
did not include the whole OF the peninsula In
herlted by his grandfather. Col Augustine Wash
Ington. In IT43 II did include the plantation
known at this time as Wakefield, first so called
| by William Augustine Washington, according &
the authority OF William Lanier Washington
who died in 1888 The designation is known t
have been in current use as early as 1773.
In 1918 George Corbin Washington, then a res
| ident OF Georgetown. ID. c., sold 10 John Gray o.
Stafford county, Virginia, for 6229 pounds anC
| 10 shIIlings the Wakefield plantation. contain
/ ing eSliz acres together with two other small
tracts Later Wakefield came again into the pos