Charles Washington (May 2, 1738 – September 16, 1799) was the youngest brother of
United States PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
. He was a son of
Augustine WashingtonAugustine Washington was the father of general and president George Washington. He belonged to the Virginia colony gentry.-Family:Augustine Washington was born in Westmoreland, Virginia in the year 1694...
and his second wife,
Mary Ball WashingtonMary Ball Washington was the second wife to Augustine Washington and was also the mother of George Washington....
.
Charles was born at
Hunting CreekHunting Creek is a cove and tributary stream of the Potomac River between the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County in Virginia. It is formed by the confluence of Cameron Run and Hoof's Run. The community of Huntington takes its name from the creek. Jones Point forms the north side. Dyke Marsh is...
in
Stafford CountyStafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, however, the estimated population as of 2007 was 124,117, a 33.0% increase. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006 Stafford was ranked as the 12th highest income...
(now
Fairfax CountyFairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. , the estimated population of the county is 1,015,302, making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area...
) on May 2, 1738. He arrived in present
Jefferson CountyJefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 42,190. Its county seat is Charles Town...
,
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
between April and October 1780 and founded
Charles TownCharles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States.Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States....
. Charles married Mildred Thornton, daughter of Colonel Francis Thornton and Frances Gregory around 1761.
The home of Charles Washington,
Happy RetreatHappy Retreat is an historic property in Charles Town, West Virginia, which was originally owned and developed by Charles Washington, the youngest brother of George Washington and the founder of Charles Town.Charles inherited land in the Shenandoah Valley upon the death of his older brother...
, was erected in 1780.
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Charles Washington (May 2, 1738 – September 16, 1799) was the youngest brother of
United States PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
. He was a son of
Augustine WashingtonAugustine Washington was the father of general and president George Washington. He belonged to the Virginia colony gentry.-Family:Augustine Washington was born in Westmoreland, Virginia in the year 1694...
and his second wife,
Mary Ball WashingtonMary Ball Washington was the second wife to Augustine Washington and was also the mother of George Washington....
.
Charles was born at
Hunting CreekHunting Creek is a cove and tributary stream of the Potomac River between the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County in Virginia. It is formed by the confluence of Cameron Run and Hoof's Run. The community of Huntington takes its name from the creek. Jones Point forms the north side. Dyke Marsh is...
in
Stafford CountyStafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, however, the estimated population as of 2007 was 124,117, a 33.0% increase. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006 Stafford was ranked as the 12th highest income...
(now
Fairfax CountyFairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. , the estimated population of the county is 1,015,302, making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area...
) on May 2, 1738. He arrived in present
Jefferson CountyJefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 42,190. Its county seat is Charles Town...
,
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
between April and October 1780 and founded
Charles TownCharles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States.Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States....
. Charles married Mildred Thornton, daughter of Colonel Francis Thornton and Frances Gregory around 1761.
The home of Charles Washington,
Happy RetreatHappy Retreat is an historic property in Charles Town, West Virginia, which was originally owned and developed by Charles Washington, the youngest brother of George Washington and the founder of Charles Town.Charles inherited land in the Shenandoah Valley upon the death of his older brother...
, was erected in 1780. In 1786, on 80 acres (320,000 m²) of his adjoining land, Charles laid out the streets of Charles Town, naming many of them after his brothers and one after his wife, Mildred. He donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county, provided the town become the
seat of the countyA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
upon its separation from
Berkeley CountyBerkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2008, the population is 102,044, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...
. Jefferson County was formed in 1801 as Charles anticipated. The county court house stands on one of these lots, as did the jail until 1919 when it was demolished to be replaced by the
post officeA post office is a facility authorised by a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.
Charles Washington died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother, George. Charles' and his wife Mildred's grave sites near Evitts Run have recently been located and surrounded by a stone wall.