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.

APPENDIX.] WASHINGTON FAMILY. 551
by whom she had three daughters, Frances, Mildred, and Eliza:
beth, who married three brothers, Colonel Francis Thornton, Colonel olmhn Thornton, and Reuben Thornton, all of Spotsylvania
County. She had for her second husband Colonel Henry Willis,
and, by him, the present Colonel Lewis Willis of Fredericksburg.
"The above is the best account the subscriber is-able at, present
to give, absent as he is, and at so great a distance, from Virginia,
and under circumstances too, which allow no time for inquiry of
the family of Washington, from which he is lineally descended.
" The descendants of the first named Lawrence, and the second
John, are also numerous; but, for the reasons before mentioned,
and from not having the same knowledge of them, and being moreover more remote from their places of residence, and, in truth, not
having inquired much into the names or connexion of the lateral
branches of the family, I am unable to give a satisfactory account
of them. But, if it be in any degree necessary or satisfactory to
Sir Isaac Heard, Garter Principal King of Arms, I will, upon intimation thereof, set on foot an inquiry, and will at the same time
endeavour to be more particular with respect to the births, names,
ages, and burials of those of the branch to which the subscriber
belongs.
" GEORGE WASHINGTON."
After Sir Isaac Heard received this letter, he constructed from
it a table, whichl he forwarded to President Washington, requesting
him to supply other dates and descriptions. But there is no evidence of any additional facts having been obtained. It was the
chief object of Sir Isaac Heard, however, to ascertain whether John
and Lawrence Washington, who emigrated to Virginia, were of
the Sulgrave family, and brothers to Sir William Washington of
Packington. This was his impression, but he was not fully satisfied with the proof. It has since been confirmed by Baker, in
his History of Northamptonshhire.
I shall here subjoin Baker's genealogical table of the family
before the emigration of the two brothers, and Sir Isaac Heard's
table of the American branch in continuation. To these will be
added the genealogy of the Washington family of Adwick, taken
from Hunter's History of Doncaster. It is not known what dedegree of affinity there was between the heads of the two families,
but it is probable that there are many descendants from both in
America.