![]() With his dreams of naval glory dashed, Washington looked west. ![]() She was probably right, as life in the navy was often brutal and short-lived. Mary, George’s mother, had strong reservations about the physical abuse her son might receive in the navy and the limited possibilities for advancement. ![]() Initially, George wanted to join the British Navy, and Lawrence promised to help secure him a position. He toured the military structures on the island and was increasingly interested in a military career. The trip to Barbados was also formative for Washington’s future. ![]() He survived and left the island with lifelong immunity, but the disease probably left him unable to father children and with a firsthand conviction about the dangers of the disease. While in the Caribbean, George came down with smallpox. In 1751, George accompanied his favorite older brother, Lawrence, on a trip to Barbados. He spent his teenage years learning how to manage a plantation from his mother and mastering the science of surveying with the assistance of his neighbor, Colonel William Fairfax. Unlike his older brothers, he did not have the opportunity to study at a university. Without a large inheritance, George relied on his family and connections to make his way in the world. ![]() George inherited one of the smaller estates and ten enslaved individuals who worked the farm. His father died, and George’s older brothers inherited most of Augustine’s estate, including Little Hunting Creek Plantation, which later became Mount Vernon. When George was eleven, his life changed radically. Over the next several years, the large family moved a few times, before settling at Ferry Farm on the banks of the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia. George’s father, Augustine, had been married once before and had three older children from his previous marriage. On February 22, 1732, Mary Ball Washington gave birth to the first of her six children, a boy named George. ![]()
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