John Washington (1634 - bef. 1678)

Born 1634 in Purleigh, Essex, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Anne (Pope) Washington — married 1 Dec 1658 in Westmoreland County, Virginia Colony

Husband of Anne (Gerrard) Washington — married Sep 1669 in Virginia [uncertain]

Husband of Frances (Gerard) Hardidge — married 20 Mar 1676 in Virginia

Descendants

Died before 11 Jan 1678 before age 44 in Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

John Washington was born in England.

John Washington is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

John Washington was a Virginia colonist.

[Col.] John Washington, Gent., born in 1634,^[1] was the son of Lawrence Washington and Amphillis Twigden^[2] of Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire, England.^[3][4]

John Washington^[5] immigrated to Virginia in 1656^[1] aboard the Sea Horse,^[2] and settled at Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia.^[3]

Birth

Born: Between February and May 1634, probably in Purleigh, Essex, England.

The birth date and place of John Washington is not known with certainty, though a range of dates and a variety of places can be found on the internet. We do have a number of good clues, however, based on the career of his father and several documents which place limits on the possibilities.^[6][7]

We know John Washington was still a minor in January 1650 when given a bequest in the will of Andrew Knowling (so born after January 1629). However, he was certainly of age February 1656 when he was the administrator of his mother's estate (so born before February 1635).^[6][7]

His father, Rev. Lawrence Washington, matriculated at Oxford in 1621 at a stated age of 19 years old. He received his bachelors degree on 16 May 1623 and 11 days later accepted a position as a Fellow at Oxford. He continued at Oxford in various positions until leaving between August and October 1632; these dates are important because he could not have possibly married Amphyllis Twigden before this date. Next he can be found in London, until March 1632/3 when he was appointed to the Rectory of Purleigh in Essex and on 4 April 1633 he officially informed Brasenose College of his institution (probably the same day he officially became rector of Purleigh) and entered a one year grace period for resignation of his Fellowship. Since resignation on marriage was mandatory, we can say he was still not married to Amphyllis Twigden on 4 April 1633. On 15 May 1633, Lawrence Washington (still of London) acknowledged a £1000 debt to his kinsman Lawrence Washington of Westbury, Buckinghamshire to be paid by 24 June 1633. The likely interpretation of this is Lawrence Washington of Buckinghamshire loaned money to Lawrence Washington of London in anticipation of the marriage to Amphyllis Twigden and the receipt of dowry to repay the debt. Therefore, Lawrence Washington likely married Amphyllis Twigden about May/June 1633. The absolute earliest then that John Washington could have been born was February 1634.^[6][7]

John's younger brother was baptized at Tring on 23 June 1635. If we assume at least 12 months between births, this would place the birth of John as before June 1634.^[8] Therefore, we can say John was born between February and May 1634. ^[6][7]

At this time, Lawrence Washington was rector of Purleigh making this the most likely place for John Washington's birth. Unfortunately, the parish records of Purleigh do not exist in this time period, so it is unlikely that we will ever discover John Washington's baptismal record. Other possibilities include London where Lawrence was living a few months before, and Tring where his mother's family was living, where his siblings were baptized and where John would come to hold land.^[6][7]

The last thing to be addressed are the birth dates of 'about 1631' and 'about 1632' which are used by many early writers and often found on the internet.^[9] This comes from a deposition where John Washington's age was given as "aged forty five yeares or thereabouts;" the deposition is imprecisely dated by internal evidence to between 1674 and September 1677. If you assume John was exactly 45 years old, then he would have been born between 1629 and 1632. These dates are irreconcilable and impossible with the known career of Lawrence Washington. As is often the case, the age in a deposition cannot always be taken literally and was clearly an estimate which was off by a few years.^[6][7]

Marriages and Children

1. John married first on 1 December 1658 to Anne Pope, daughter of [Lieut. Col.] Nathaniel Pope^[1][2][4] of The Cliffs, Westmoreland County, Virginia.^[3] They had three children:

• [Capt.] Lawrence,^[1] baptized in Tryng, Hertfordshire, 18 June 1635, married twice, died before 6 June 1677 (will proved);^[3]
• John;^[1][3]
• Anne (wife of [Maj.] Francis Wright).^[1][3]

2. John Washington's first wife, Anne, died in 1668.^[3] He married second to Anne Gerrard,^[4] widow of Walter Broadhurst (died 1658) and Henry Brett, in 1670.^[1][3] No known issue.

3. John married third to Frances Gerard, widow successively of [Col.] Thomas Speake, [Col.] Valentine Peyton and [Capt.] John Appleton.^[1][3][4] No known issue.

Military

John Washington commanded the Virginia forces in the Indian war of 1675 and was a member of House of Burgesses for Westmoreland County from 1666 to 1677.^{[3] [10]}

Death and Burial

John died in 1677.^[9] He may have died 16 Sep 1677, aged 44 years, at Washington Parish, Westmoreland, Virginia.^{[citation needed]} He is buried at George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Latanes, Westmoreland County, Virginia.^[11] Also see Find A Grave, Famous Memorials in George Washington Birthplace National Monument.

John's wife, Frances, survived him and remarried to William Hardwick.^[3]

Will of Col. John Washington

John left a will dated 21 September 1675 and proved 11 January 1677[/8].^[1][3]

Research Notes

Discrepancies regarding marriage to Mary Flood

While there is much documentation that the profile here of John Washington was married to Anne Pope, along with documentation that Anne Pope was the mother to his son, Richard Washington, there is only one piece of information, from Boddie, in Virginia Historical Genealogies,^[12] regarding his marriage to Mary Flood (which also states that Mary was the mother to his son, Richard). John Washington's birth and death dates, listed in this resource as 1623-1660, do not coincide with the birth and death dates of the majority of other resources (1633-1677). Also, this resource has John Washington marrying Mary Flood in 1658, the same year that other documents list him marrying Anne Pope. The reader may be inclined, at this point, to believe that there was another John Washington, living in Virginia, at the same time: one married to Mary Flood while the other married Anne Pope.

Children

Justin Glenn, in The Washingtons: A Family History, lists two additional children, unnamed, who died young before 21 September 1675.^[13]

Great Grandfather to President George Washington

”The Ancestry of George Washington", by Sons of Liberty Chapter-Sons of the American Revolution has a Washington family tree, with dates of birth, marriage and death, from US President George Washington to their earliest known Ancestor, Conan the Thane, Abbott of Dunkeld (975-1045).^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume V, page 323 WASHINGTON 13i. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} The Ancestry of George Washington, online at Sons of Liberty Chapter - Sons of the American Revolution. Accessed 22 Oct 2019.
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), volume IV, page 295 WASHINGTON 13.i. See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "Virginia, Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649-1800." at Ancestry.com.
5. ↑ Washington, John - A8404; born ca. 1631, deid 1677, Westmoreland Co.: 1665-77 (Burgess). accessed 5 November 2021
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5} NEHGR, vol. 97 (1943): pages 195-197. "Marriage of Rev. Lawrence Washington and Amphyllis Twigden, "
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} NEHGR, vol. 129 (1975): pages 106-119. "English Ancestry of George Washington: Some New Evidence,"
8. ↑ Yes, I know a slightly shorter period between births is possible, it would still be very unusual in this time period.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} For example, Find A Grave: Memorial #21508, accessed 30 October 2019, does not appear to cite any sources. The tombstone includes 1632 birth, but it may not be contemporary.
10. ↑ New River Notes, Colonial Virginia Register
11. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 22 Oct 2019), memorial page for Col. John Washington, Sr. (Feb 1632–1677), Find A Grave: Memorial #21508, citing George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Latanes, Westmoreland County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Find A Grave: headstone photos.
12. ↑ Boddie, John Bennett. Virginia Historical Genealogies. (Redwood City, CA: Pacific Coast Publishers, 1954). Online at HathiTrust, page 303
13. ↑ Justin Glenn. The Washingtons: A Family History, Vol. 1, Savas Publishing 2014, Generation One, Google Books, pages unnumbered

See also:

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 97 no. 2 (April 1943): pages 195-197. "The Marriage of Rev. Lawrence Washington and Amphyllis Twigden, " by S.H. Lee Washington. AmericanAncestors.org Link
• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 129 no. 2 (April 1975): pages 106-119. "The English Ancestry of George Washington: Some New Evidence," by Peter Walne. AmericanAncestors.org Link
• Hoppin, Charles Arthur. The Washington Ancestry: and records of the McClain, Johnson, and forty other colonial American families. (Greenfield, OH: Priv. print., 1932.) Online at Ancestry.com, page 139-.
• Pape, T. "The Washington Emigrants and their Parents", in Tyler's Quarterly, Vol. 4, no. 3 (Jan 1923), p. 359.
• Boddie, John Bennett. Historical Southern Families. (Redwood City, CA: the author, 1960). Online at Ancestry.com, pages 149-164
• "U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s" at Ancestry.com: John was in Virginia in 1658.
• Glenn, Justin. The Washingtons: A Family History, Vol. 1, Savas Publishing 2014, Generation One, Google Books, pages unnumbered
• Glenn, Justin. The Washingtons: A Family History, Volume 9, The Presidential Branch: Six Wright Lines. (2016). Not available online. See book info on (Amazon.com).
• "Descendents of Two John Washingtons", appearing in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 22, Apr 1914 pages 211-14, July 1914 pages 328-30, and Oct 1914 pages 437-38.
• Col. John Washington, "Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors and Cousins" (website, compiled by Mr. Marlyn Lewis, Portland, OR; accessed Feb. 7, 2016)
• Hunter, Joseph: Familiae Minorum Gentium, Vol. 4, page 1293. Pedigree sent to Hunter by Bushrod Washington in 1823, based largely on the one sent to Sir Isaac Heard by the President in 1792.
• Ancestry.com. "U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications," 1889-1970. (Ancestry Online Database, APID: 1,2204::0)
• "Westmoreland County, Virginia Wills, 1654-1800." (Ancestry Online Publication, 2000). Ancestry.com
• Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. (New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA; 2009).
• Kinard, June (comp.). Early Immigrants to Virginia from the 1500s and 1600s (Published by The Researchers, PO Box 39063, Indianapolis IN. 46239-0063)
• Cavaliers and Pioneers. Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666, Vol. I.
• Some Prominent Virginia Families, Vol. IV. Ch III; p 58
• "Some Emigrants to Virginia" (Ancestry, APID: 1,48413::0)
• wikidata pages for
  • Lawrence Washington, son of John Washington & Anne Pope
  • John Washington (m Anne Pope)

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

This profile was reviewed/revised to meet Magna Carta project standards. ~ Thiessen-117 16:28, 23 October 2019 (UTC)

John Washington is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry as a Gateway Ancestor (vol. I, pages xxiii-xxix) in a Richardson-documented trail to Magna Carta Surety Baron Saher de Quincy (vol. IV, pages 293-295 WASHINGTON). This trail has not yet been developed by the Project. The trail is set out in the Magna Carta Trails section, below.

• Needs Development: This profile needs development against the project's checklist to bring it up to current project standards. ~ Thiessen-117 2 October 2020. In addition, this profile has additional information as hidden text that needs to be incorporated. ~ Noland-165 05:31, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".

Magna Carta Trails

Unbadged Richardson-documented trail to Quincy (MCA IV:293-295 WASHINGTON) - NOTE: there are serious problems with profiles on this trail as of April 2020.

Gateway Ancestors

John Washington (trail pending/100% 5-star)

Lawrence Washington (trail pending/needs development)

1. John & Lawrence are sons of Lawrence Washington (trail pending/needs develpmnt)

2. Lawrence was the son of Margaret Butler (trail pending/needs development)

3. Margaret is the daughter of William Butler (trail pending/needs development)

4. William is the son of Margaret Dudley (aka Sutton) (trail pending/needs development)

5. Margaret is the daughter of John Dudley (aka Sutton) (trail pending/needs develpmnt)

6. John is the son of Edmund Sutton (trail pending/needs R&A)

7. Edmund is the son of Elizabeth Berkeley (badged/100% 5-star)

8. Elizabeth is the daughter of John Berkeley (badged/100% 5-star)

9. John is the son of Thomas de Berkeley (badged/100% 5-star)

10. Thomas is the son of Maurice de Berkeley (badged/100% 5-star)

11. Maurice is the son of Joan de Ferrers (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Joan is the daughter of Margaret de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)

13. Margaret is the daughter of Roger de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Roger is the son of Magna Carta Surety Saher de Quincy

NOTE: Another trail had been started from Gateway John Washington to William Malet through a son of Eleanor Beauchamp, but that trail was found to be invalid. From a note on Eleanor's profile: "Many older sources give her a second husband, John Blount, and make her the mother of Walter Blount. This has been shown to be an error". See John Blount's profile for details.