John, I hate to burst your bubble, but if you read Henry Weincek's "An Imperfect God", on page 26, you will read that George Washington's earliest ancestor was John Washington who came to Northern Neck as a ship's mate, and married well. I don't think having a coat of arms is all that big a deal. Hubby's family has one. They were farmers. The main thing about the Washington's is that they seem to have had a pechant for "marrying up", including George, to the aristocratic Custis family. And, for the record, Martha Custis Washington had a black half-sister. So, let's all put our shoes back on, and just enjoy the lusty stories of our forebears! Anne Anne Pemberton [log in to unmask] http://www.erols.com/apembert http://www.educationalsynthesis.org ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html