The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

546 WASHINGTON FAMILY. [APPENDIX.
ington. These particulars may be seen more at large in Baker's
pedigree of the family inserted hereafter.
The second son of the first Lawrence Washington of Sulgrave
was Sir Lawrence Washington of Garsdon, County of Wilts. His
granddaughter, Elizabeth Washington, who appears to have been
an only child and heiress, married Robert Shirley, Baron Ferrers
of Chartley, afterwards Earl Ferrers and Viscount Tamworth.
She died in 1693. The family names were united, and Washington Shirley, a son of Robert, was the second Earl Ferrers.
Some of the other Earls since that time have borne the same
name.
The history of the American branch of the family, as far as it
is known, is contained in President Washington's letter to Sir
Isaac Heard, in reply to his inquiries on the subject.
GEORGE WASHINGTON TO SIR ISAAC HEARD.
"Philadelphia, 2 May, 1792.
"SIR,
" Your letter of the 7th of December was put into my hands
by Mr. Thornton, and I must request that you will accept my
acknowledgments, as well for the polite manner in which you
express your wishes for my happiness; as for the trouble you have
taken in making genealogical collections relative to the family of
Washington.
"This is a subject to which I confess I have paid very little
attention. My time has been so much occupied in the busy and
active scenes of life from an early period of it, that but a small
portion could have been devoted to researches of this nature, even
if my inclination or particular circumstances should have prompted to the inquiry. I am therefore apprehensive, that it will not
be in my power, circumstanced as I am at present, to furnish you
with materials to fill up the sketch, which you have sent me, in so
accurate a manner as you could wish. We have no office of
record in this country, in which exact genealogical documents are
preserved; and very few cases, I believe, occur, where a recurrence
to pedigrees for any considerable distance back has been found
necessary to establish such points, as may frequently arise in older
countries.
" On comparing the tables, which'you sent, with such documents as are in my possession, and which I could readily obtain
from another branch of the family with whom I am in the habit