Lawrence Washington (1718-1752)



Lawrence Washington (1718-1752) was George Washington's half-brother and mentor. He married Anne Fairfax (1728-1761), daughter of Colonel William Fairfax of Belvoir, himself a land agent for his cousin, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. George accompanied his brother Lawrence to the warm springs at Bath (present-day Berkeley Springs, West Virginia), which Lawrence visited frequently to cure his ailments. On Lawrence's death, George inherited his estate at Mount Vernon, which Lawrence had named in honour of British admiral Edward Vernon, with whom Lawrence had served. Lawrence had served as an officer in Gooch's Marines, the 61st Foot, which was under the British Admiral Vernon's command in the War of Jenkins' Ear. Lawrence was a survivor of the expeditions against the seaport of Cartagena, New Granada (see Battle of Cartagena de Indias) and against Cuba and Panama.

Lawrence Washington at Guantanamo
Lawrence Washingon participated in the 1741 British landing at Guantanamo (Cumberland Harbor) Cuba lead by Admiral Vernon. He served with the American Regiment  []. Lawrence Washington was lucky to survive the fevers which killed off a large number of his fellow soldiers during the unsuccessful attacks Cartagena (March-April 1741) and, later that year, on Santiago de Cuba. He was fortunate in having been transferred in February 1741 off the newly arrived troops ships and posted as "Captain of the Soldiers acting as Marines" aboard Vice Admiral Vernon's flagship, HMS Princess Caroline (80 guns). Vernon's warship(s) had been in the Caribbean since October 1739 and his crews were acclimated to the tropics: the mortality rates caused by Yellow Fever were significantly higher on the troops ships than on board the line of battle ships.

Death
Lawrence Washington died of Tuberculosis in 1752. His only surviving portrait depicts him as a soldier. Lawrence probably posed for Philadelphia artist John Hesselius in the spring of 1750 at his Mount Vernon estate, during Hesselius' first foray into Virginia. He is wearing the green vest of the American Regiment, a British Regular Army scarlet undress frock coat, and a gold-lace tricorn hat, symbolizing his position as commander (Adjutant General) of the Virginia militia. By 1750 Lawrence was already contemplating leaving Virginia in hopes of recovering his health in the tropics. The cockade device in the hat appears virtually identical to the one his younger brother George wore in his hat in his 1772 "Virginia Colonel" portrait.

Lawrence and Anne had several children (none of them lived past child-hood):


 * Jane Washington
 * b. Sep. 27, 1744
 * d. Jan. 1745


 * Fairfax Washington
 * b. Aug. 22, 1747
 * d. Oct. 1747
 * Note:It was not uncommon for a male child's given name to be his mother's surname.


 * Mildred Washington
 * b.Sept. 28, 1748
 * d.1749


 * Sarah Washington
 * b. Nov. 7, 1750
 * d. 1754 (?)
 * Note: She was her father's heir. Had she lived she would have inherited the property now known as Mount Vernon instead of her uncle George W.

Lawrence Washington