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George Washington George Washington was born in 1732 at Wakefield Plantation, VA . He lived there until he was 16 years old. He lived at other plantations along the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, including the one that later became known as Mount Vernon. His education was from tutors but possibly also from private schools. He also learned surveying. He lost his father when he was 11, and his half-brother Lawrence acted as his mentor. At the age of 16, in 1748, Washington joined a surveying party sent out to the Shenandoah Valley by Lord Fairfax, a land baron. For the next few years, Washington conducted surveys in Virginia and present West Virginia and gained a lifetime interest in the West. In 1751-1752 George went with Lawrence to Barbados, West Indies, just before Lawrence died due to health reasons. In 1753, Washington began his military career as a major in the militia appointed by the royal governor. That same year, along with a guide he went to Fort Le Boeuf, PA, in the Ohio River Valley and told the French authorities to stop fortification and settlement in English territory. He also tried to make the British relationship better with many Indian tribes. In 1754, winning the rank of lieutenant colonel and then colonel, Washington led a militia force that tried to challenge French control of the Ohio River Valley, but was defeated at Fort Necessity, PA.
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