The Fairfaxes were an incredibly prominent and wealthy family in Virginia. How influential? Well, they are the namesake of the city and county after all. The Fairfax family eventually became neighbors with George Washington — who, at the time of their meeting, was not nearly of their social standing. But it was Washington’s connections to the Fairfaxes that helped launch his political career.
Tracing the family tree
The Fairfax family lineage can be traced back to Yorkshire, England. Thomas Fairfax, the sixth Baron of Cameron (and the only person with an English title to be a long-time resident of the colonies), inherited the Northern Neck Proprietary, encompassing more than five million acres from the Potomac to the Rappahannock.
Thomas, along with notable family members like his cousin William Fairfax, settled on the property in the 1740s — an incredibly massive, lavish mansion on the west bank of the Potomac known as Belvoir. And as they put down roots in the new home, love was in the air. William’s eldest daughter Ann married Lawrence Washington, the older half-brother of George Washington, and the couple settled on the nearby Mount Vernon estate. Here begins Washington’s tight-knit relationship with the Fairfaxes.
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Career connections
Being ingrained in the family afforded Washington a litany of opportunities to hunt and survey land with William’s son, George William. In fact, his relationship with the Fairfaxes is what earned him his first gig as a county surveyor of Culpeper at just 17 years old in 1749. And it was his experience surveying that he was chosen to deliver an ultimatum at Fort Le Boeuf during the French and Indian War in 1753 — he was soon promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
A few years later in 1759, Washington married Martha and they settled in Mount Vernon. George William, now Washington’s close friend, left the colonies with his wife Sally to tend to a complicated legal matter back in England. Washington was given power of attorney and oversaw the estate until he left to lead the American army in 1775.
Some friendly gossip
Washington and the Fairfaxes were close — like family. And sometimes, you fight with family. The word “jealous” could perhaps be used to describe Washington’s underlying feelings toward his mentor and close friend Thomas Fairfax.
He looked up to Thomas, a loyalist, but some historians suggest that it was Washington’s shortcomings in achieving similar land, wealth, and status (combined with some career trouble with the Crown) that pushed him to pursue such a pivotal role in the American Revolution. Despite these differences in beliefs, which also stirred up trouble in the Fairfaxes’ careers, Washington and the family remained close.
A lasting friendship
Washington was especially close to George William’s son, Bryan. George Washington’s estate claims that more than 200 letters exist between the pair today, chronicling a 40-year bond — and documenting some of Washington’s most candid thoughts about the Revolutionary War.
Washington saw Bryan just several days before his death in 1799. Bryan and his son were principal mourners at Washington’s funeral, and Washington even bestowed a special Bible to Bryan in his will, cementing the everlasting bond between friends.
