I am at work on a book about George Washington and slavery so I have looked into this question of GW's children, which has long been the subject of a great deal of speculation. New information on this continues to emerge. I have been very carefully studying the oral history passed down by slave descendants which says that he was the father of a slave named West Ford, who was freed and given land by GW's relatives. I think it is unlikely that GW was Ford's father but I can't rule it out. I'm actually writing a chapter on that question right now. I have not seen information that "he had many liasons before marrying," as Beth Bond wrote. It is well documented that he had strong romantic feelings for Sally Fairfax but there is no indication that anything ever happened between them. There is rumor that he had a "fondness" for Elizabeth Powel, wife of the Philadelphia mayor. There are very vague hints in the records which could suggest, if you looked at them from a certain angle, that Washington might have had relationships with some of his slave women. I say this out of a wish to be open and honest about the question. Right now, we just don't know. There's a lot we don't know about slavery time, and may never know. The interpretation of these records rests on one's view of GW's character and his thinking about slavery. My feeling is that it is highly unlikely that Washington would ever have done anything of any sort that could have brought disrepute on himself. There is strong evidence that in the last decade of his life Washington became utterly disgusted with slavery. The question is: did this disgust arise out of regret for things Washington had done himself earlier in his life? Henry Wiencek Charlottesville To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html