Friday, May 3, 2013

Francis Lightfoot Lee and Menokin


 Francis
Lightfoot Lee married Rebecca Tayloe the daughter of John Tayloe II
For a wedding dowry Mr. Tayloe presented the couple with about 1000 acres adjoining his vast estate  of Mount Airy.  Their home Menokin is shown at right where my cousin and I visited a few years ago.  Today it is a conservatory and a museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Francis Scott Key




Francis Scott Key who wrote the Star Spangled Banner.  The original flag that flew over Ft. McHenry, the music and the lyrics and a portrait of him aboard a ship in Baltimore harbor.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Sulgrave Manor - Washington Family Home in England

                               Sulgrave Manor in England the ancestral home of the Washingtons

Early Maps of the Northern Neck of Virginia


These were two ca 17th century maps of VA where the British settled near the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Mount Airy - Home of John Tayloe II

Mount Airy.  This beautiful home was built by my ancestor John Tayloe II from 1752-1760.  It is located near Warsaw VA in the Northern Neck and has been the ancestral home of the Tayloes ever since.
This photo is one of many that can be found in my coffee table book, "Our Founding Fathers Homes and Churches in Virginia".

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Mount Vernon - Potomac Side

This is Mount Vernon facing east from the porch overlooking the Potomac River.  The treasured estate is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world and is operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.

Mount Vernon - Front Entrance

Author at Mount Vernon.  This of course is the beloved home of George Washington and his wife Martha.  Martha's grand children Nellie Custis and John Parke Custis also lived there.
Mount Vernon is situated on the west bank of the Potomac River just south of Alexandria.  It was here that Washington cultivated his sizable plantation with various crops and had over 100 slaves which he freed in his will.  He and Martha are buried here.