George Washington as a Child and Teen
George Washington was born to his parents Mary Ball Washington and Augustine Washington on February 22, 1732 in Virginia. He was one of ten children in an aristocratic Virginian family. Washington's early education consisted of a nearby churchyard school and later a boarding school. At the age of 16, George Washington met Lord Thomas Fairfax who gave him his first job as a surveyor of Shenandoah Valley. Through this job, George Washington was able to have over 1,500 acres under his name at the age of 21. After George Washington's older brother Lawrence died in 1752, George Washington earned the Mount Vernon estate as well as Lawrence's position as Adjutant General of the Virginia Colony. This position led George Washington to the Revolutionary War and, in turn, a background in military that proved useful throughout the rest of his career.