A Biography of George Washington

George Washington was born on his father�s manor in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. He was the eldest son of the wealthy Virginia farmer Augustine Washington, his mother was Mary Ball. The descends of the Washington family were two brothers named John and Lawrence Washington, who emigrated from England to Virginia in 1657. The family quickly became wealthy in the three generations leading up to George Washington because of steady application to farming, land buying, and development of local industries. George was educated by his father and, after his father�s death in 1743, from his elder half-brother Lawrence. His preferred subject was mathematics, and he used it to acquire knowledge of surveying, which was a job greatly in demand since the people of the new America were seeking new lands in the West. George grew up a tall, strong young man, he was a stupendous athlete, liked music and theatrical performances, and although he was uncomfortable with girls, he was fond of dancing. His driving force was the aspiration to gain wealth and reputation and to do well in whatever he set himself to do.

His first real adventure as a boy was accompanying a surveying party to the Shenandoah Valley of northern Virginia an

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Henceforth, instead of depending on all of these inconsistencies, he developed other ways for making a profit.


During the following summer, Virginia had it brought to their attention that a French expedition from Canada was establishing posts on the headwaters of the Ohio River and trying to make treaties with the Native American peoples. He read all available books on progressive agriculture and constantly experimented in crop rotation. These other ways were, fisheries, increasing his production of wheat, setting up a mill and an ironworks, and teaching his slaves cloth-weaving and other handicrafts. Washington took with him a skillful and experienced frontiersman, Christopher Gist, together with an interpreter and four other men. Lawrence had the post of adjutant in the colonial militia. Washington was confident he could make an efficient adjutant at the age of 20, though he did not have any military experience.


During his years as a farmer, Washington matured from a determined youth into the patriarch of the Washington family and a solid member of Virginia�s society. These acts forced the people to pay more unpopular taxes. However, he knew that more than paper resolutions would be needed to safeguard American liberties, and he spent the winter of 1774 and 1775 organizing militia companies in Virginia. He was elected to the First Continental Congress, an assembly of delegates from the colonies to decide on actions to take against Britain. Washington dejected this idea so much that he resigned his commission. The fort did not have the soldiers or arms to withstand the large force upon them. Washington did his best to try to rally the regulars and to use a few Virginia troops to cover the retreat.


The western frontier of Virginia was now dangerously exposed, and in August 1755, Governor Dinwiddie appointed Washington commander in chief of all the colony�s troops, with the rank of colone