Connie, Could you flesh out that descendency from Martiou to George Washington? My understanding is that John Washington married the daughter of Nathanial Pope, Ann, if I remember correctly. Is the connection from Martiou to Ann Pope? Anne Anne Pemberton [log in to unmask] http://www.erols.com/apembert http://www.educationalsynthesis.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Connie Lapallo" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 5:10 PM Subject: Re: Washington's Earliest Ancestor Anne wrote: "I hate to burst your bubble but...George Washington's earliest ancestor was John Washington who came to Northern Neck as a ship's mate, and married well...." Actually, no. John Washington was only George's earliest ancestor named Washington--not his earliest American ancestor. That was Captain Nicholas Martiau (spelled various ways, including "Marten") Martiau was a French Huguenot who arrived in 1620 on the Francis Bonaventure. He was a French military engineer, a Justice of the Court of York, a member of the House of Burgesses, and a signer of the rebuttal concerning living conditions in the colony from 1607 to 1619. In 1640, he was granted 1,300 acres (a fairly large tract in those days). He called his home "York," which is part of today's Yorktown. Martiau also built a fort, called "Martiau's fort," the subject of a 1989 dig. In its report, the APVA states, "The fort was likely constructed c. 1630 by Nicolas Martiau, a trained French military engineer and owner of the land were the fort was situated." In 1635, Martiau was a leader in the uprising against Royal Governor John Harvey, an important event in Virginia's early history. The meeting which eventually led to Harvey's ousting took place, ironically, near Martiau's house and likely just a few hundred yards from the site of the later surrender of Cornwallis to General George Washington, Martiau's great-great-great grandson at Yorktown. A stone marker, dedicated in 1631 by Gen. Pershing, reads: SITE OF THE HOME OF NICOLAS MARTIAU THE ADVENTUROUS HUGUENOT HE WAS BORN IN FRANCE 1591 CAME TO VIRGINIA 1620 AND DIED IN YORKTOWN 1657 HE WAS A CAPTAIN IN THE INDIAN UPRISING A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF YORK IN 1635 A LEADER IN THE THRUSTING OUT OF GOVERNOR HARVEY WHICH WAS THE FIRST OPPOSITION IN THE BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY. THE ORIGINAL PATENTEE FOR YORKTOWN AND THROUGH THE MARRIAGE OF HIS DAUGHTER ELIZABETH TO COL. GEORGE READ HE BECAME THE EARLIEST AMERICAN ANCESTOR OF BOTH GEN. GEORGE WASHINGTON AND GOVERNOR THOMAS NELSON Like his grandson, Martiau was a leader of his time. Connie Lapallo Author of DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS IN A JAMESTOWN SKY And its upcoming sequel THE SUN IS BUT A MORNING STAR IN A JAMESTOWN SKY www.ConnieLapallo.com ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html