Betty Washington Lewis was the younger sister of George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

 and the only sister to live to adulthood. She was the first daughter of Augustine Washington

Augustine Washington

Augustine Washington was the father of general and president George Washington. He belonged to the Colony of Virginia's landed gentry and was a planter and slaveholder.-Family:...

 and Mary Ball Washington

Mary Ball Washington

Mary Ball Washington was the second wife to Augustine Washington, and was the mother of George Washington.-Life:...

. She is considered a "founding mother" of America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

She was born Elizabeth Washington in Westmoreland County, Virginia

Westmoreland County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,846 households, and 4,689 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,286 housing units at an average density of...

 and married Fielding Lewis

Fielding Lewis

Fielding Lewis was a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War and the brother-in-law of George Washington....

 in 1750. Their children included Lawrence Lewis, who married Eleanor Parke Custis

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis , known as Nelly, was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Childhood:Nelly was the daughter of John Parke Custis and Eleanor Calvert Custis...

, a granddaughter of Martha Washington

Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...

, and Robert Lewis. They built a house in Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...

, Kenmore House, in 1752.
In later life, she stayed close with her mother. Eventually, after Fielding died, she moved in with her. She died in 1797 while visiting her daughter, Betty Lewis Carter, at the Western View Plantation in Culpeper, Virginia

Culpeper, Virginia

Culpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County. Both the Town of Culpeper and...

, and is buried there.

She and her husband are commemorated with street names in the nearby Ferry Farm

Ferry Farm

Ferry Farm, also known as George Washington Boyhood Home Site or Ferry Farm Site, is the name of the farm and home at which George Washington spent much of his childhood. The site is located in Stafford County, Virginia, along the northern bank of the Rappahannock River, across from the city of...

 subdivision

Subdivision (land)

Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...

 (Fielding Circle and Betty Lewis Drive).

Ancestry

External links

• Pamela Gould, George W., sister, have birthday tea, The Free Lance-Star, February 18, 2008, found at Fredericksburg.com news site. Accessed February 19, 2008.
• Historical marker