July 26, 2025 • 12 mins
Dive into the inspiring life story of George Washington, a man whose personal journey is intricately linked with the history of the nation he helped shape. This book offers not just a look into the American Revolutionary History but also an intimate portrayal of the Father of his Country. Carefully crafted to engage young readers, the book seeks to offer a clear and compelling picture of Washingtons exceptional character and invaluable contributions to the nation. Discover how he became an enduring symbol of American values and leadership in a story that unfolds within a childs comprehension.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seven, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter seven, The Home of Washington. In the
year seventeen fifty eight, while Washington was with his troops
at Winchester, he met and fell in love with missus
Martha Custis. Her home was known as the White House,
and here she dwelt in fine style, for she had
great wealth. She had a boy six years of age,
(00:42):
and a girl of four. Such were her charms that
men of wealth and rank sought for her hand. But Washington,
so calm and grave, and with his way yet to
make in the world, won her heart, and they were
to be wed at the close of the war. She
had heard of the briin deeds he had done, and
was proud to be the wife of such a man.
(01:05):
So on January sixth, seventeen fifty nine, the two were
made one. In the course of a few months, Washington
went to live at Mount Vernon, where he spent much
of his time in the care of his own lands
and those of his wife. He had a seat with
those who made laws for the state, and no man
was thought more of than George Washington. Washington loved to
(01:27):
be at Mount Vernon, where he had spent a great
part of his boyhood with his brother Lawrence, of whom
he was so fond. The house stood on a knoll,
and near it were wild woods and deep dells, haunts
of the fox and the deer, and bright streams where
fish could be found at all times. His chief sport
was the chase, and at the right time of the
(01:47):
year he would go out two or three times a
week with dogs and horns and trained steeds, in search
of the sly fox, who would lead him and his
friends a fine run. Sometimes he would go out with
his gun and shoot wild ducks, great flocks of which
might be found on the streams close at hand. Or
he would scour the woods for the game with which
(02:07):
they were filled, and which none of those who owned
the place had a right to kill. A man who
had a bad name and paid no heed to the
laws that were made was wont to make his way
to the grounds near Mount Vernon and shoot just what
game he chose. More than once he had to be
told to leave and not come back, but he paid
(02:28):
no more heed than if he had been deaf, and
was sure to take his pick from the best kind
of ducks. One day, when Washington was out on horseback,
he heard the sound of a gun down near the
edge of the stream. He put spurs to his horse,
dashed through brush and brake, and soon came up to
the rogue, who had just time to jump in his
boat and push from shore. Then the bad men raised
(02:51):
his gun, cocked it, and took aim at Washington, whom
he would no doubt have shot down in cold blood.
But Washington rode at once into the stream and seized
the prow of the boat and drew it to shore.
Then he sprang from his horse, wrenched the gun from
the thief's hand, and laid on the lash in such
a way that the rogue took to his heels when
let loose, and came no more to Mount Vernon. As
(03:13):
I told you, men of great wealth dwelt on the
shores of the Potomac and kept house in fine style.
They had a large force of slaves and made great
feasts for their friends. One of them used to come
out in a rich barge to meet Washington. This barge
was rowed by six black men in check shirts and
black velvet caps. Washington had a coach and four with
(03:36):
black footmen for Missus Washington to use when she drove out,
but he chose to go on horseback. Sometimes he and
his wife went to Annapolis to a ball or feast
of some sort, where Washington took part in the dance,
and all the bells of the day were proud to
dance with him, for he had a grand style that
made him seem like no one else in the room.
(03:58):
When storms kept him in the house, he would read
or spend time at his desk with pen in hand.
He was kind to his slaves and took the best
care of them when they were sick, but was quick
to see that they did not shirk their work. He
knew too just the kind of work each one was
fit for, and which he could do the best. Four
of his slaves set out to hew and shape a
(04:19):
large log. Wash ing Ton kept his eye on them
and thought they loafed too much, so he sat down
took out his watch and timed them how long it
took them to get their cross cut saw and the
rest of their tools, how long to cut off the
limbs of the tree they had laid low, how long
to hew and saw it, what time they spent in talk,
(04:40):
and how much work they did while he sat there
and took notes. In this way he found out just
how much work four men could do in the course
of a day and take their ease. Wash ing Ton
was quick to lend a hand in time of need,
and once when word was brought him that the dam
had broke loose and the mill would soon be swept off,
he ran at the head of all his slaves and workmen,
(05:03):
and toiled as hard as they in a fierce rainstorm
to check the force of the flood. The cares of
home and state made such calls on his time and
thoughts that he could not be said to live quite
at his ease, and he left his mark a high
one on all that he did. His crops were of
the best, and he sought to cheat no one. The
flour he sold from year to year was put up
(05:24):
with so much care, and was of such good kind
and so true in weight that all that bore the
name George Washington. Mount Vernon was held at a high
rate in the West India ports. Quite a trade was
kept up with Europe, where all the goods had to
be bought that were used in the house or on
the farm. Twice a year Washington sent a long list
(05:45):
of such things as he had need of plows, hoes, scythes,
horse goods, and clothes for all the household. For these
last he had to give size and height, name and
age of those who were to wear them. In one
of these lists, wash ing Ton, who had need of
a new suit of clothes, said he was six feet
(06:06):
in height, quite thin, and had long limbs. He was
then thirty one years old. You will see by what
I have told you just how wash ing Ton spent
much of his time for at least five years. They
were five sweet years to him, full of peace and
rest and joy. He was fond of his home and
felt as much pride in Nellie and John Parke Custis
(06:30):
as if they had been his own boy and girl.
Nellie was a frail child and did not gain in strength,
though she had the best of care. Her death took
place on June nineteenth seventeen seventy three, when she was
but seventeen years of age. This was a sad blow
to wash ing Ton as well as to his wife.
And then all their hopes were placed on the Sun,
(06:54):
who bade Fair to be a fine strong man. But
he died in the year seventeen eighty one, the age
of twenty eight, while Washington dwelt in peace at Mount Vernon.
War was rife in the land, but as he had
withdrawn from those who bore arms, he took no part
in it. It was called Pontiac's war, as it was
(07:14):
led by a chief of that name, But the Ohio
tribes were with him, and the plot was deep laid.
Large tracts of woodland were laid, waste homes were burnt,
and those who dwelt in them robbed and slain. And
so sly and shrewd were the Redskins that it was
some time ere the white men could put a stop
(07:35):
to their deeds of blood. It was in seventeen sixty
that King George the Third made up his mind to
tax the folks in America for all the goods they
bought in England. The trade was large, and in this
way the king could add much to his wealth. But
the scheme did not work well. It was first tried
in Boston and set all the folks there by the ears.
(07:55):
They claimed that they had rights as well as the king.
They had come to this land to be free, and
free they would be. They would do without tea and
such things, and dress as well as they could in
clothes made out of home made goods. The King next
said that goods bought from England must bear the King's stamp,
for which a sum was to be paid more than
(08:16):
the cost of the goods. This was known as the
Stamp Act. The folks in America were poor, they had
not the means to pay this tax. The thought of
it filled them with rage, and for five years there
was much talk of the wrong the King had done
to those who dwelt in America. On the first day
of November seventeen sixty five, the Stamp Act was to
(08:36):
go into force, and all New England was in arms.
At Boston, bells were told, flags were hung at half masts,
shops were shut, and bonfires built. In New York, the Act,
in clear print, was borne through the streets on a pole,
on top of which was a death's head. A man
named Calden, whose place it was to serve out the stamps,
(08:58):
had to flee to the fort, round which was placed
a strong guard from a ship of war. The mob
broke into his coach house, drew out his coach, put
in it a form, stuffed and dressed to look somewhat
like Calden, and marched up to the park, where they
hung it on a tree. At night, they took the
form down, put it in a coach, and bore it
(09:19):
back to Bowling Green, where the whole thing, coach and all,
was burnt right in range of the guns of the fort,
where the King's troops were. In March seventeen sixty six,
the King drew back the Stamp Act, which gave great
joy to those who had the good of America at heart,
and to none more than to George wash ing Ton.
But he made it known that he felt it to
(09:40):
be his right, as their king, to tax them as
he chose, and this hurt the pride of those who
wished to make their own laws and be in bonds
to no one. Wash ing Ton, as did most of
those who had English blood in their veins, looked upon
that land as his home, and was loath to break
the chain that bound him to it. But he did
(10:00):
not think well of the Stamp Act, and saw what
was sure to come to pass if the King pressed
too hard on the Americans. On September fifth, seventeen seventy four,
a band of true men from all the states met
for the first time in Philadelphia, and wash ing Ton
set out from Mount Vernon on horseback to take his seat.
With them. With him were Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendleton,
(10:24):
and as they rode side by side, they talked of
the land they loved and of the hopes they had
that all would be well. The band met with closed doors.
Each man wore a grave face. Patrick Henry made a
strong speech at the close of which he said, all
America is thrown into one mass. Where are your land marks?
(10:44):
They are all thrown down. He said. He did not
call himself by the name of the state in which
he was born, but by the name of the land
which gave him birth, then known as the Land of
the Free. Wash ing Ton was not a man of words,
but of deeds. But what he said was of great weight,
as it came from a wise brain and a true heart.
(11:05):
Patrick Henry said there was no man in the whole
band so great as George Washington. The band broke up
in November, and Washington went back to Mount Vernon, but
not to the gay Times and good cheer he once
had known. George Fairfax, who had been his friend from boyhood,
had gone to England to live, and Belvoir took fire
one night and was burnt to the ground. The stir
(11:27):
in Boston and in the West, where the Red Skins
were on the war path, made the whole land ill
at ease. Troops were kept on drill, and the role
of the drum was heard in all the small towns.
Men came to talk with Washington and to find out
what he thought was the best thing to do and
the best ways to drill or to arm troops. It
(11:48):
was of no use to plead with the king. He
had made up his mind and would not yield an inch.
A large force of the best men in Virginia met
at Richmond March twentieth, seventeen seventy five, and Washington was
called on for some plan as to what their course
should be. He told them that he thought there was
but one thing to do. Patrick Henry put it into
(12:09):
words that rang through the land. We must fight. I
repeat it, sir, we must fight. An appeal to arms,
and the God of Hosts is all that has left us.
All hearts were full of zeal, and Washington wrote to
his brother Augustine that if there was need of it,
he would lead the troops to war and risk his
life and all his wealth in the cause which seemed
(12:32):
to him a most just one. End of Chapter seven
Chapter seven, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter seven, The Home of Washington. In the
year seventeen fifty eight, while Washington was with his troops
at Winchester, he met and fell in love with missus
Martha Custis. Her home was known as the White House,
and here she dwelt in fine style, for she had
great wealth. She had a boy six years of age,
(00:42):
and a girl of four. Such were her charms that
men of wealth and rank sought for her hand. But Washington,
so calm and grave, and with his way yet to
make in the world, won her heart, and they were
to be wed at the close of the war. She
had heard of the briin deeds he had done, and
was proud to be the wife of such a man.
(01:05):
So on January sixth, seventeen fifty nine, the two were
made one. In the course of a few months, Washington
went to live at Mount Vernon, where he spent much
of his time in the care of his own lands
and those of his wife. He had a seat with
those who made laws for the state, and no man
was thought more of than George Washington. Washington loved to
(01:27):
be at Mount Vernon, where he had spent a great
part of his boyhood with his brother Lawrence, of whom
he was so fond. The house stood on a knoll,
and near it were wild woods and deep dells, haunts
of the fox and the deer, and bright streams where
fish could be found at all times. His chief sport
was the chase, and at the right time of the
(01:47):
year he would go out two or three times a
week with dogs and horns and trained steeds, in search
of the sly fox, who would lead him and his
friends a fine run. Sometimes he would go out with
his gun and shoot wild ducks, great flocks of which
might be found on the streams close at hand. Or
he would scour the woods for the game with which
(02:07):
they were filled, and which none of those who owned
the place had a right to kill. A man who
had a bad name and paid no heed to the
laws that were made was wont to make his way
to the grounds near Mount Vernon and shoot just what
game he chose. More than once he had to be
told to leave and not come back, but he paid
(02:28):
no more heed than if he had been deaf, and
was sure to take his pick from the best kind
of ducks. One day, when Washington was out on horseback,
he heard the sound of a gun down near the
edge of the stream. He put spurs to his horse,
dashed through brush and brake, and soon came up to
the rogue, who had just time to jump in his
boat and push from shore. Then the bad men raised
(02:51):
his gun, cocked it, and took aim at Washington, whom
he would no doubt have shot down in cold blood.
But Washington rode at once into the stream and seized
the prow of the boat and drew it to shore.
Then he sprang from his horse, wrenched the gun from
the thief's hand, and laid on the lash in such
a way that the rogue took to his heels when
let loose, and came no more to Mount Vernon. As
(03:13):
I told you, men of great wealth dwelt on the
shores of the Potomac and kept house in fine style.
They had a large force of slaves and made great
feasts for their friends. One of them used to come
out in a rich barge to meet Washington. This barge
was rowed by six black men in check shirts and
black velvet caps. Washington had a coach and four with
(03:36):
black footmen for Missus Washington to use when she drove out,
but he chose to go on horseback. Sometimes he and
his wife went to Annapolis to a ball or feast
of some sort, where Washington took part in the dance,
and all the bells of the day were proud to
dance with him, for he had a grand style that
made him seem like no one else in the room.
(03:58):
When storms kept him in the house, he would read
or spend time at his desk with pen in hand.
He was kind to his slaves and took the best
care of them when they were sick, but was quick
to see that they did not shirk their work. He
knew too just the kind of work each one was
fit for, and which he could do the best. Four
of his slaves set out to hew and shape a
(04:19):
large log. Wash ing Ton kept his eye on them
and thought they loafed too much, so he sat down
took out his watch and timed them how long it
took them to get their cross cut saw and the
rest of their tools, how long to cut off the
limbs of the tree they had laid low, how long
to hew and saw it, what time they spent in talk,
(04:40):
and how much work they did while he sat there
and took notes. In this way he found out just
how much work four men could do in the course
of a day and take their ease. Wash ing Ton
was quick to lend a hand in time of need,
and once when word was brought him that the dam
had broke loose and the mill would soon be swept off,
he ran at the head of all his slaves and workmen,
(05:03):
and toiled as hard as they in a fierce rainstorm
to check the force of the flood. The cares of
home and state made such calls on his time and
thoughts that he could not be said to live quite
at his ease, and he left his mark a high
one on all that he did. His crops were of
the best, and he sought to cheat no one. The
flour he sold from year to year was put up
(05:24):
with so much care, and was of such good kind
and so true in weight that all that bore the
name George Washington. Mount Vernon was held at a high
rate in the West India ports. Quite a trade was
kept up with Europe, where all the goods had to
be bought that were used in the house or on
the farm. Twice a year Washington sent a long list
(05:45):
of such things as he had need of plows, hoes, scythes,
horse goods, and clothes for all the household. For these
last he had to give size and height, name and
age of those who were to wear them. In one
of these lists, wash ing Ton, who had need of
a new suit of clothes, said he was six feet
(06:06):
in height, quite thin, and had long limbs. He was
then thirty one years old. You will see by what
I have told you just how wash ing Ton spent
much of his time for at least five years. They
were five sweet years to him, full of peace and
rest and joy. He was fond of his home and
felt as much pride in Nellie and John Parke Custis
(06:30):
as if they had been his own boy and girl.
Nellie was a frail child and did not gain in strength,
though she had the best of care. Her death took
place on June nineteenth seventeen seventy three, when she was
but seventeen years of age. This was a sad blow
to wash ing Ton as well as to his wife.
And then all their hopes were placed on the Sun,
(06:54):
who bade Fair to be a fine strong man. But
he died in the year seventeen eighty one, the age
of twenty eight, while Washington dwelt in peace at Mount Vernon.
War was rife in the land, but as he had
withdrawn from those who bore arms, he took no part
in it. It was called Pontiac's war, as it was
(07:14):
led by a chief of that name, But the Ohio
tribes were with him, and the plot was deep laid.
Large tracts of woodland were laid, waste homes were burnt,
and those who dwelt in them robbed and slain. And
so sly and shrewd were the Redskins that it was
some time ere the white men could put a stop
(07:35):
to their deeds of blood. It was in seventeen sixty
that King George the Third made up his mind to
tax the folks in America for all the goods they
bought in England. The trade was large, and in this
way the king could add much to his wealth. But
the scheme did not work well. It was first tried
in Boston and set all the folks there by the ears.
(07:55):
They claimed that they had rights as well as the king.
They had come to this land to be free, and
free they would be. They would do without tea and
such things, and dress as well as they could in
clothes made out of home made goods. The King next
said that goods bought from England must bear the King's stamp,
for which a sum was to be paid more than
(08:16):
the cost of the goods. This was known as the
Stamp Act. The folks in America were poor, they had
not the means to pay this tax. The thought of
it filled them with rage, and for five years there
was much talk of the wrong the King had done
to those who dwelt in America. On the first day
of November seventeen sixty five, the Stamp Act was to
(08:36):
go into force, and all New England was in arms.
At Boston, bells were told, flags were hung at half masts,
shops were shut, and bonfires built. In New York, the Act,
in clear print, was borne through the streets on a pole,
on top of which was a death's head. A man
named Calden, whose place it was to serve out the stamps,
(08:58):
had to flee to the fort, round which was placed
a strong guard from a ship of war. The mob
broke into his coach house, drew out his coach, put
in it a form, stuffed and dressed to look somewhat
like Calden, and marched up to the park, where they
hung it on a tree. At night, they took the
form down, put it in a coach, and bore it
(09:19):
back to Bowling Green, where the whole thing, coach and all,
was burnt right in range of the guns of the fort,
where the King's troops were. In March seventeen sixty six,
the King drew back the Stamp Act, which gave great
joy to those who had the good of America at heart,
and to none more than to George wash ing Ton.
But he made it known that he felt it to
(09:40):
be his right, as their king, to tax them as
he chose, and this hurt the pride of those who
wished to make their own laws and be in bonds
to no one. Wash ing Ton, as did most of
those who had English blood in their veins, looked upon
that land as his home, and was loath to break
the chain that bound him to it. But he did
(10:00):
not think well of the Stamp Act, and saw what
was sure to come to pass if the King pressed
too hard on the Americans. On September fifth, seventeen seventy four,
a band of true men from all the states met
for the first time in Philadelphia, and wash ing Ton
set out from Mount Vernon on horseback to take his seat.
With them. With him were Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendleton,
(10:24):
and as they rode side by side, they talked of
the land they loved and of the hopes they had
that all would be well. The band met with closed doors.
Each man wore a grave face. Patrick Henry made a
strong speech at the close of which he said, all
America is thrown into one mass. Where are your land marks?
(10:44):
They are all thrown down. He said. He did not
call himself by the name of the state in which
he was born, but by the name of the land
which gave him birth, then known as the Land of
the Free. Wash ing Ton was not a man of words,
but of deeds. But what he said was of great weight,
as it came from a wise brain and a true heart.
(11:05):
Patrick Henry said there was no man in the whole
band so great as George Washington. The band broke up
in November, and Washington went back to Mount Vernon, but
not to the gay Times and good cheer he once
had known. George Fairfax, who had been his friend from boyhood,
had gone to England to live, and Belvoir took fire
one night and was burnt to the ground. The stir
(11:27):
in Boston and in the West, where the Red Skins
were on the war path, made the whole land ill
at ease. Troops were kept on drill, and the role
of the drum was heard in all the small towns.
Men came to talk with Washington and to find out
what he thought was the best thing to do and
the best ways to drill or to arm troops. It
(11:48):
was of no use to plead with the king. He
had made up his mind and would not yield an inch.
A large force of the best men in Virginia met
at Richmond March twentieth, seventeen seventy five, and Washington was
called on for some plan as to what their course
should be. He told them that he thought there was
but one thing to do. Patrick Henry put it into
(12:09):
words that rang through the land. We must fight. I
repeat it, sir, we must fight. An appeal to arms,
and the God of Hosts is all that has left us.
All hearts were full of zeal, and Washington wrote to
his brother Augustine that if there was need of it,
he would lead the troops to war and risk his
life and all his wealth in the cause which seemed
(12:32):
to him a most just one. End of Chapter seven
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