Charles WASHINGTON

     Charles WASHINGTON, son of Augustine WASHINGTON and Mary BALL, was born on 2 May 1738 in Little Hunting Creek, Stafford (now Fairfax) County, Virginia. His older brother Lawrence would later rename this location Mount Vernon. Charles was still an infant when the family moved to Ferry Farm outside of Fredericksburg.^1,2

Charles WASHINGTON was listed as one of the heirs to the estate of Augustine WASHINGTON 6 May 1743 in King George County, Virginia. He was only five when his farther died. He received a number of slaves and several tracts of land including 700 acres in Prince William County, purchased of Gabrial Adams.

His father left Ferry Farm to George Washington, which meant that Charles spent most of his childhood there. But although it was owned by George, their mother, Mary Ball Washington, ran the plantation until George Washington came of age.^3,2

Charles married Mildred THORNTON, daughter of Col. Francis THORNTON III and Frances GREGORY, in October 1757 in Virginia.⁴ In 1757, nineteen-year-old Charles had proposed to Mildred, his cousin. This caused some turmoil in both families.

Mildred's father Francis was deceased, and her mother requested some written assurance of her daughter's future well being from the head of the Washington family. 25-year-old George Washington, then residing in Mount Vernon, viewed the request for a written contract as an aspersion on his "principles of conduct."

Fielding Lewis, now his brother-in-law, worked out an accommodation with John Thornton which satisfied both families. Thornton, Charles' uncle became his niephew's legal guardian and posted a bond. John Thornton, Mildred's uncle became her guardian and also posted a bond. The wedding was then allowed to proceed.²

In 1753 Charles, by the will of Lawrence Washington of Mount Vernon, Charles's half brother, Charles received an equal share, along with his brothes Samuel and John Augustine, of certain valuable lands in Frederick county. These lands in Berkeley county, Virginia lie in what is now Jeffeson county, West Virginia. By 1759 he was of legal age and entitled to assume the management of his various properties in Frederick, Prince William, etc.³

In 1760 Charles built a home in Fredericksburg, Virginia that was later to become The Rising Sun Tavern. The tavern at 1306 Caroline Street was the only one in Fredericksburg at the time and served as a meeting place for such Revolutionary War figures as Patrick Henry and the Lees. Charles had purchased the property from Fielding's older brother, Warner Lewis, late of Gloucester County. The house on Caroline Street, where Charles lived until moving away in 1780, was the scene of visits from many friends and relatives, including his mother and George and Martha Washington.³

While not as well-known as his famous brother, Charles led an active life and was involved in civic affairs. He was a magistrate in Spotsylvania County, Virginia before the Revolutionary War, and he joined brothers Samuel and John Augustine in being some of the first signers of the "Leetown Resolve" in 1766. This was a response by residents of Westmoreland County, Virginia in protest to the British Stamp Act. By signing this Resolve, these men established themselves as serious participants in the resistance to the British Crown, which developed ten years later into the Revolutionary War.²

Charles saw military service on 21 September 1780 when he served as Lt. Colonel and colonel of the Spotsylvania County, Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War. He was comissary of the Caroline County Militia 1775-76. His son, George Augustine Washinton, served as an aide to the Marquis de Lafayette.

Charles Town, West Virginia was founded in 1786 by an act of the Virginia Legislature on land provided by Charles Washington. Charles had already made a name for himself as a signer of the "Westmoreland Resolution" in 1766 and as colonel in the Virginia militia. His brother, George Washington, had surveyed the land there in 1748 and liked it so much that he urged Lawrence Washington, his half-brother and the owner of Mount Vernon, to purchase land in the area. In 1750, an 18-year-old George Washington invested his earnings as a surveyor in 500 acres of farmland on Bullskin Run, two miles southwest of Charles Town, later enlarging his holding to some 2,300 acres. When Lawrence Washington died in 1752 he willed Mount Vernon to George and the land upon which Charles Town would be built to his 14-year-old half-brother, Charles.

In the fall of 1780 a 42-year-old Charles moved his family from Fredericksburg to what would become Charles Town and built a home he named "Happy Retreat". George Washington was a frequent guest. In 1786, on 80 acres of his adjoining land, Charles laid out the town-- naming the streets himself, some after close relatives-- and expressed the wish to donate the four corner lots at the center of town for the use of the community. Today, his mansion at the end of Blakely Street is in private hands. Recently, the graves of Charles and Mildred Washington were found on the grounds. One of the buildings on Charles Town's public square is the famous Jefferson County Courthouse, site of two notorious treason trials, John Brown in 1859 and William Blizzard of Blair Mountain fame in 1921.

George Washington mentions in his diary staying at Happy Retreat at least two times. Also Gen. Daniel Morgan, hero of the Battle of Cowpens in the Revolution, met here with Gen. Washington during one of his visits.⁵

Charles WASHINGTON was named an heir in the will of George WASHINGTON dated on 9 July 1799 in Mt. Vernon, Virginia. One of the provisions of the will was, "To my brother, Charles Washington, I give and bequeath the gold headed cane left to me by Doctr [Ben] Franklin in his will. I add nothing to it because of the ample provision I made for his issue."⁶

Charles left a will dated 25 July 1799 in Charles Town, Jefferson County, West Virginia. To wife Mildred certain slaves, and after her death to Samuel Washington. The will was proven 23 Sep 1799.

Charles WASHINGTON died on 16 September 1799 in Charles Town, Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia), at age 61.