Washington
Washington coat of arms
Pedigree and arms of the Washington line untilGeorge Washington
Current region	Colony of Virginia
Earlier spellings	de Washington; earlier, de Wessyington
Etymology	Derives fromWessington (Washington) inCounty Durham
Place of origin	Washington Old Hall, England
Founded	12th century
Traditions	Anglicanism
Motto	Exitus acta probat (Latin) (The outcome is the test of the act)
Estate(s)	Washington Old Hall,Mount Vernon,Abingdon (plantation),Arlington House,Beall-Air,Blakeley (West Virginia),Blenheim (Wakefield Corner, Virginia),Bushfield (Mount Holly, Virginia),Cedar Lawn,Claymont Court,Germantown White House,Fairfield (Berryville, Virginia),Ferry Farm,Harewood (West Virginia),Kenmore (Fredericksburg, Virginia),River Farm,Sulgrave Manor,Tudor Place,Washington Bottom Farm,George Washington Birthplace,Mary Ball Washington House,White House (plantation),Woodlawn (Alexandria, Virginia)

TheWashington family is an American family of English origins that was part of both the Britishlanded gentry and theAmerican gentry. It was prominent incolonial America and rose to greateconomic andpolitical eminence especially in theColony of Virginia as part of theplanter class, owning several highly valuedplantations, mostly making their money intobacco farming. Members of the family include the firstpresident of the United States,George Washington (1732–1799), and his nephew,Bushrod Washington (1762–1829), who served asAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The family's roots can be traced back to the 12th century inWashington, in the historicCounty Palatine of Durham now part of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, in north-east England, where their ancestral home wasWashington Old Hall. In the 16th century, a branch settled atSulgrave Manor inNorthamptonshire.John Washington, born 1631 inTring,Hertfordshire, England, arrived in theColony of Virginia in 1657 after being shipwrecked.^[1][2]

The family are descended fromCrínán "the Thane" of Dunkeld (†1045),lay abbot and son-in-law ofMalcolm II of Scotland.^{[3][4][5][better source needed]} In 1183, his descendantSirWilliam de Hertburn (originally William Bayard)^[6] traded his manor of Hertburn (modern-dayHartburn) for that of Wessyington inCounty Durham near theRiver Wear. According to post-Conquest noble custom, his family adopted the name of the estate as anAnglo-Norman surname, "de Wessyington", which later became "Washington".^{[4][7][8][9][10]} Wessyington was anOld English placename and probably refers to the estate of a man named Wassa.^[11] On this site wererelics ofSaint Cuthbert, transferred to Durham from itsshrine atLindisfarne, as a saint invoked in combat against theScots (compareKirkcudbrightshire), and a symbol of the importance, privileges, andfeudal obligations of the illustriousBishop of Durham and his vassals, including the Washingtons.^[7]

The Washington family held themanor house atWashington Old Hall from 1180 to 1613, as part of thelanded gentry of theCounty Palatine of Durham.^[1][9][12]

In the early 14th century, Robert de Washington, a descendant of William de Wessyngton, settled inWarton, Lancashire. Lawrence Washington, a descendant of Robert, moved from Warton toNorthamptonshire in 1529, where he became a prosperous wool merchant.^[10] He acquiredSulgrave Manor, formerly owned bySt Andrew's Priory, Northampton, during thedissolution of the monasteries and constructed a new manor house there.^[13]

Sulgrave Manor was completed in 1560 and remained in the Washington family until 1610.^[10]

Lawrence Washington's great-grandson,Lawrence Washington (1602–1652), was arector.^[10] His brother Sir William Washington married the half-sister ofGeorge Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.^[1][14] The Washington family supported theRoyalists during theEnglish Civil War and were dispossessed of their lands following their defeat.^[13] This may have motivated Lawrence's son,John Washington, to leave England and seek better prospects in America.^[13]

The Washington family arrived in theColony of Virginia in 1657,^[15] when John Washington was shipwrecked. John sailed on the ship theSeahorse.^[16] He was aplanter, soldier, and politician incolonial Virginia in North America and a lieutenant colonel in the local militia. He settled inWestmoreland County, Virginia.

John Washington married Anne Pope in 1658 and had the following children:Lawrence Washington (the paternal grandfather of President George Washington), John Washington Jr. and Anne Washington.^[17] There were two additional children, names unknown, mentioned as deceased when he wrote his will on September 21, 1675.^[2][17][18] Anne Pope was the daughter of Englishman Nathaniel Pope and Lucy Fox.^[19]

The family, especiallyLawrence Washington, rose to great economic prominence, especially in regard to real estate, owning severalplantations, mostly fortobacco cultivation.^[2][17][18] Lawrence marriedMildred Warner in 1686 and had three children, John Washington III (1692–1746), Augustine (1694–1743) and Mildred (1698–1747).^[20] Mildred Warner (1671–1701) was a daughter ofAugustine Warner Jr. and Mildred Reade. Her paternal grandparents were English settlersAugustine Warner Sr. and MaryTowneley.^[21]

Lawrence died at age 38 in February 1698 atWarner Hall,Gloucester County, Colony of Virginia, in the same year his daughter was born.Following his death, Mildred Warner Washington married George Gale, who moved the family toWhitehaven,England, where Mildred died in 1701 aged 30 following a difficult childbirth.^[22][23]

Augustine Washington was born at Bridges Creek plantation inWestmoreland County, Virginia, in 1694, to Capt. Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner. Augustine married twice; his second marriage in 1730 toMary Ball produced the following six children:George (eldest and first president of the United States),Elizabeth "Betty",Samuel,John,Charles and Mildred Washington.^[24]

Augustine Washington

Mary Ball

Mary Ball (born c. 1707) was raised in the familyEpping Forest Estate, the only child ofJoseph Ball (1649–1711), an English justice,vestryman,lieutenant colonel andburgess in theColony of Virginia, and Mary Johnson (1672–1721).^[25][26]

The Washington family owned land (on the banks of thePotomac River inFairfax County, Virginia) since the time of Augustine's grandfather John Washington in 1674. Around 1734, Augustine brought his second wife Mary and children to the plantation calledLittle Hunting Creek when George was about two years old. Augustine began on an expansion of the family home that continued under their son George, who began leasing theMount Vernon estate in 1754, becoming its sole owner in 1761.^[27]

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, atPopes Creek, Virginia,British America and the oldest of six children to Augustine and Mary Washington. He became an American political leader, military general andFounding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington died December 14, 1799, age 67, atMount Vernon, the family's estate in Virginia.^[28] Washington had no biological children. His wife Martha Dandridge had four children from her first marriage toDaniel Parke Custis (1711–1757) - Daniel Custis (1751–1754), Frances Custis (1753–1757),John "Jacky" Parke Custis (1754–1781) and Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis (1756–1773). Washington was the stepfather of the youngest 2 children.^[29]

• 
  Betty Washington
• 
  Samuel Washington
• 
  Charles Washington

• Elizabeth "Betty" Washington (1733–1797), younger sister of George Washington, was the only sister to live to adulthood. She was born in Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia.
• Samuel Washington (1734–1781) was a colonial American officer and politician inPopes Creek (Virginia).
• John Augustine Washington (1736–1787) married Hannah Bushrod (1735–1801) in 1756 and had six children includingBushrod Washington.^[30][31]
• Charles Washington (1738–1799) was the youngest brother.
• Mildred Washington (1739–1740) youngest daughter and child

• Bushrod Washington (1762–1829), son of John Augustine Washington and Hannah Bushrod, was a politician and nephew of George Washington.

• 
  Bushrod Washington

• Susannah Sarah Washington (1816–1890), wife ofWilliam Alexander Graham, served asFirst Lady of North Carolina from 1845 to 1849
• John Augustine Washington III (1821–1861),Confederate lieutenant colonel and the last member of the Washington family to ownMount Vernon.^[32][33]

• 
  Susannah Sarah Washington
• 
  John Augustine Washington III

Some of the closest-living relatives ofGeorge Washington are Paul Emory Washington (1926–2014) and his children Richard Washington, Bill Washington, Julianne Washington, and Jack Washington^[34] who lived inSan Antonio, Texas.^[35] Julianne Washington had two children, Shelly Coons and Robert Coons. They are among 8,000 other living relatives of George Washington through his younger brothers, Samuel Washington (1734–1781) and John Augustine Washington (1736–1787).^[36]

Many descendants of George Washington's immediate family and cousins are members of the National Society of Washington Family Descendants. There are currently over 500 members who have submitted documentation to prove their legal descent.^[37]

U.S. Army GeneralGeorge S. Patton was a descendant of George Washington's grandfatherLawrence Washington.^[38]

Coat of arms of the Washington family

Notes The design (three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field) has been used since 1938 as the basis for the coat of arms and flag of theDistrict of Columbia. It is also found on thePurple Heart. Adopted by 14th century, by the Washington who had possession of Washington Old Hall, County Durham, England. Crest From acrest coronet, araven rising wings elevated and addorsedproper. Escutcheon Argent two barsGules, in chief threemullets of the second.[39] Motto Exitus acta probat (The outcome is the test of the act)

• List of United States political families

• Washington family
• American families of English ancestry
• Business families of the United States
• English gentry families
• English-American culture in West Virginia
• Episcopalian families
• Families by person
• Families from Washington, D.C.
• First families of the United States
• First Families of Virginia
• Military families of the United States
• Political families of Virginia
• Political families of West Virginia

• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• CS1 errors: ISBN date
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Latin-language text
• All articles lacking reliable references
• Articles lacking reliable references from February 2025