John Washington
| John Washington | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1633 Purleigh, Essex, England |
| Died | 1677 (aged 43–44) Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia, British America |
| Occupation | Planter and politician |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Pope (1st), Anne Gerrard (2nd), Frances Gerrard (3rd), |
| Children | Lawrence, John II and Anne. |
| Parent(s) | Lawrence Washington, Amphillis Twigden. |
John Washington (1633–1677) was an English Virginia planter and politician. He was the English ancestor and great-grandfather of George Washington, first president of the United States of America.
John Washington was born in 1633 in Purleigh, Essex, England, the son of Amphilis (Twigden) and Lawrence Washington. Prior to Lawrence Washington's marriage, he had been a don at the University of Oxford.
When John was eight his father enrolled him in Charterhouse School in London to begin preparing for an academic career. In the wake of the English Civil War, however, the royalist Lawrence Washington was stripped of his clerical 'don' post and became an Anglican rector who ministered to an impoverished parish in Essex. During this time, his sons were barred from entering Oxford. John Washington, his mother and siblings were given shelter by his relative Sir Edwin Sandys.
John Washington found an apprenticeship with a London merchant through his Sandys relatives, which provided a valuable education in colonial trade.
In 1656 Washington invested in a merchant ship engaged in transporting tobacco to European markets and left his home in Tring for the Colony of Virginia. Washington was the ship's second officer. In 1657, the ship foundered in the Potomac River. Although the vessel was repaired, Washington elected to remain in the colony. He had been accompanied to Virginia by his cousin, James Washington, the son of London-Rotterdam merchant Robert Washington (1616 - 1674), who was a descendant of Sir John Washington (d.1331), the brother of his ancestor Robert Washington (d.1324). James was the ancestor of Baron Jakob von Washington. Unlike John, James returned to England from Virginia, before emigrating to Rotterdam.
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