American Seymour Genealogy

Father: Augustine WASHINGTON, b. 1693, Wakefield Westmoreland Virginia, d. 12 Apr 1743

On FERRY FARM (R), 1.6 m., nothing remains of the house in which George Washington lived between the ages of 6 and ii I and again during the second half of his sixteenth year. To be near his mines Augustine Washington moved here in November 1738 from Hunting Creek, now Mount Vernon, with his five children, George, Elizabeth, Samuel, John Augustine, and Charles. There were also two half-brothers, Lawrence, who was in the British Navy, and Augustine II, who was managing the Pope's Creek estate. If George Washington ever threw a Spanish silver dollar across a river or ever cut down a cherry tree, Ferry Farm was the scene of his skill and cunning.

Mother: Mary BALL, (daughter of Colonel Joseph BALL), b. 1708, Epping Forest Lancaster Co Virginia, d. 25 Aug 1789

By age thirteen, both of Mary’s parents had died. Mary spent the next nine years dividing her time between her half sister, Elizabeth Bonum, and Colonel George Eskridge, her guardian. Little is known of these years, but it is believed that Mary Ball was tutored in with the other children on the Eskridge plantation where she learned read and write. She was also an avid horsewoman. George Washington, the first President of the United States, was known for his strong will, stubborn patience, and determination to overcome obstacles which enabled him to lead the armies of the new nation to victory in the American Revolution. Credit for his strength of character is often attributed to his mother, Mary Ball Washington. Family tradition tells that Mary Ball traveled to England when she was about twenty years old. During her visit with her half brother, Joseph Ball, she met Augustine Washington . Washington lived in Virginia and was visiting London at the same time. The two were married in 1730 in Virginia . Augustine Washington was a well-established widower, thirty-seven years of age, with three children from his previous marriage. After they were married, the Washington family took up house at Pope’s Creek Plantation, later called Wakefield . The next year, on February 22, Mary gave birth to her first child, George, named for her guardian, George Eskridge. She gave birth to two more children, Betty & Samuel, while living at Wakefield , who were named after her other guardians, her sister and brother-in-law. In 1736 the family moved to Hunting Creek, which was later renamed Mt. Vernon , and Mary gave birth to two more children, John Augustine and Charles. Two years later Augustine purchased Ferry Farm to be closer to his iron business, and the family moved. Mary’s last child, a daughter, Mildred was born after this and died at 16 months. Since their plantation was isolated and Augustine was often gone on business, Mary carried the responsibility for overseeing the plantation and caring for her family. This made Mary the spiritual mentor of her children. She taught them Bible stories and it was from the Bible that she taught them to read and write. She also read to them from the few other good books she had, and she taught them Christian behavior, encouraging their good character through training and example. While living at Ferry Farm, Augustine died unexpectedly at the age of 49. Mary, who had become an orphan at age 13, was now a widow at the age of 35 with five young children to raise on her own. Her independent spirit may have helped her overcome some of the problems faced by an 18th century single mother. Because of the culture of this time period, there was no community property and a married woman could not actually own property. This left Mary in a precarious state. George was 11 at the time of his father’s death. Under Augustine’s will, Mt. Vernon was left to George’s half-brother, Lawrence, and Ferry Farm was left to George. Provision was made for Mary to receive the benefit of the crops for five years and possession of Ferry Farm until George came of age. The death of his father was very hard on the young George. Being Mary’s eldest and that his older half-brothers were already living on their own, George became the man of the house. It also meant that he would not be able to travel to England to be educated, as was the custom of the day for young men. George looked to his older half-brother, Lawrence as a role model. To allow George to further his education under the tutelage of Lawrence , Mary let George move to Lawrence ’s home, Mt. Vernon . At the age of fourteen, with the help of Lawrence , George was offered a position as mid-shipman in the Royal Navy. Mary was not comfortable with this decision and ultimately forbade George to enlist. Though disappointed, he obeyed the wishes of his mother. Mary offered a disappointed George another opportunity. They dusted off Augustine’s surveying equipment and hired a tutor. Within a few years George was buying up land with the money he earned surveying big tracts of Virginia . It was during this time that George came to know the land so well, which led to his being assigned to military command against the French in the French-Indian War. The experience he gained in this war prepared him to lead the American Revolution, where he gained the wisdom he would need to serve as the first President of the United States. Mary continued to live at Ferry Farm and worked the land for over 45 years after the death of her husband and she never remarried. Though she was a strongly independent woman, in her later years, when George became of age, Mary had to rely on George for her financial support. There is correspondence between the two that suggests that Mary was not always satisfied with the level of support she received from her son. The relationship between mother and son is one that is disputed, but George Washington did care for his mother in her later years. When Mary was about 64 years old, George purchased a home for her in Fredericksburg , Virginia where she would live out the remaining 17 years of her life close to her daughter Betty. In 1787, when she was 79 years old, George strongly urged her to move from the house and live with one of her children, but she refused. For a time it seemed as if she’d move in with her son John, however, he died before she ever moved. Mary Ball Washington lived to see her son elected President. George paid his last visit to his mother at the house in Fredericksburg in April 1789 en route to New York for his inauguration. www.historypoint.org/places/postcardMary Ball Washington died on August 25, 1789 at the age of 81.

Mary Ball Washington was a self-assured woman with great leadership potential. She maintained a level of control with those she was in contact with and had a dynamic presence which was one of the remarkable traits of her character. Though she is known to have been stern with a high level of expectation, she was also very kind and gentle. Mary conducted herself throughout her life with virtue and discretion worthy of the mother of the greatest hero in American History From the History of Women Amazing Mom's After the death of her husband in 1743 , Mary Washington sent George to Pope's Creek to live with Augustine. She remained here until 1772. 'My wants are few in this life,' she told her children, 'and I feel perfectly competent to take care of myself.' When Lawrence and his brother secretly planned to put George in the British navy and obtained a commission for him, the strong-minded woman got wind of the plan and abruptly brought George back to Ferry Farm and sent him to school in Fredericksburg. After 1772 Mary Washington continued to manage Ferry Farm from Fredericksburg, riding out each day in a chaise. When her son-in-law, Colonel Fielding Lewis, offered to take the responsibility off her shoulders, she replied: 'Keep my books, for your eyesight is better than mine, but leave the management to me. From Tour 16

Children:

1. George WASHINGTON, b. 11 Feb 1732, d. 14 Dec 1799, Mt Vernon Fairfax County Virginia
2. Elizabeth Betty WASHINGTON, b. 1732, d. 1797
3. Samuel WASHINGTON, b. 1733, d. 1781
4. John Augustine WASHINGTON, b. 1735, d. 1787
5. Charles WASHINGTON, b. 1737, d. 1799
6. Mildred WASHINGTON, b. 1738, d. 1739

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