George Washington Survey

George Washington. Land Survey for Daniel Osborne, Frederick County, Virginia, March 30, 1752.

Lilly Library U.S. History mss., 1612-1977, LMC 2029

In his youth, George Washington studied mathematics. This, combined with his skill as a draftsman and an aptitude for trigonometry and map making, helped launch Washington in his first profession as a land surveyor. He began his career in 1748 when he assisted James Genn with the surveying of Lord Fairfax's holdings in the Shenandoah Valley. Appointed as surveyor for Culpepper County, Virginia, in 1749, Washington spent the next few years surveying land in Culpepper, Frederick and Augusta Counties. The experience took Washington into the frontier and stimulated his interest in western land development and colonization.