Description
The Life of George Washington in Words of One Syllable
CHAPTER I.
BOY-HOOD.
George Washington was born in the State of Virginia, at a place known as Bridges Creek, on February 22, 1732. His great grand-sire, John Washington, came from England in the year 1657, and took up lands in that state and was a rich man. George was the son of his grandson Augustine. Augustine’s first wife was Jane Butler who died and left him with two boys. His next wife was Mary Ball, and George was her first child. The old homestead in which George was born stood near the banks of the Potomac River, and was built with a steep roof that sloped down to low eaves that hung out far from the main wall. There were four rooms on the ground floor, and some near the roof, and at each end of the house was a great fire-place built of brick, with broad hearthstones, such as were in style in those days. A stone is all that marks the birthplace of George Washington. He was not more than eight years of age when his father went to live on a farm near the Rappahannock River. The house was built much in the same style as the one at Bridges Creek, but it stood on high ground, and here all his boyhood days were spent.