Sarah "Sally" Cary Fairfax (1735 – 1811 in Bath, England) was the wife of George William Fairfax (1724–1787), a prominent member of the landed gentry of late

Colonial Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

and the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

of the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

and estate of Belvoir. She is well-remembered for being the woman with whom

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

was apparently in love before his marriage to

Martha Dandridge Custis Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) 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 served as the inaugural ...

.Thomas Fleming
"George Washington in Love," ''American Heritage'', Fall 2009.

Biography

Family, early life and marriage

Sarah "Sally" Cary, came from one of

's oldest and wealthiest families. Her forefather, Miles Cary of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, first came to America in the mid-17th century and established himself as a Virginian nobleman. Colonel Wilson Cary, Sally's father and a member of the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

, inherited one of Virginia's largest fortunes and the family estate,

Ceelys on the James Ceelys on the James was a plantation on the James River in Virginia, built in 1706 by Colonel William Wilson. Wilson's daughter, Mary, married Colonel Miles Cary, Jr. of Richneck Plantation. Sally Cary, who married George William Fairfax, and ...

. Little is known about his wife and Sally's mother, Sarah, because of an 1826 fire, which destroyed many of the family's records. Out of Colonel Cary's four daughters, the eldest Sally was the most sought-after and a grande belle in Virginian society. Although she had many suitors, George William Fairfax eventually won Sally's favor, and in records found by Wilson Miles Cary, a writer and family historian, their marriage was announced in ''

The Virginia Gazette ''The Virginia Gazette'' is the local newspaper of Williamsburg, Virginia. Established in 1930, it is named for the historical ''Virginia Gazette'' published between 1736 and 1780. It is published twice a week in the broadsheet format. Historical ...

'' in December 1748. After their marriage, Sally and George William moved into the Belvoir estate, which had been established in the early 1740s, by his father Col.

William Fairfax William Fairfax (1691–1757) was a political appointee of the British Crown in several colonies as well as a planter and politician in the Colony of Virginia. Fairfax served as Collector of Customs in Barbados, Chief Justice and governor of the ...

. The

Fairfax family Members of the Fairfax Family were prominent as Australian media proprietors, especially in the area of newspaper publishing through the company John Fairfax and Sons (later known as Fairfax Media, although the Fairfax family no longe ...

, as the Carys, was a living remnant of European feudalism and English aristocracy. Fairfax family members generally held the reins of social and political power in Virginia.

Relationship with George Washington

George William's sister, Anne Fairfax, married

Lawrence Washington Laurence or Lawrence Washington may refer to: *Laurence Washington (MP for Maidstone) (1546–1619), Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone *Lawrence Washington (1622–1662), MP for Malmesbury *Lawrence Washington (1565–1616), Mayor of Northam ...

soon after George William's marriage to Sally. Lawrence's

half-brother A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separa ...

, began visiting Belvoir frequently. Wishing to advance his brother's fortunes, Lawrence introduced George to George William. A friendship grew between the two men, who were close in age as well as an unconsummated romance between Sally Fairfax and George Washington. She was a key inspiration for the future

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

to elevate himself to a higher social, cultural, and intellectual sphere. While serving in the Forbes campaign in September 1758, George Washington wrote a famous letter to Sally, telling her that "Tis true, I profess myself a Votary to Love…I feel the force of her amiable beauties in the recollection of a thousand tender passages that I wish to obliterate, till I am bid to revive them – but experience alas! Sadly reminds me how Impossible this is." In another letter, he makes an allusion to the literary characters

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...

, prince of Numidia, who loves Cato's daughter Marcia, in the play '' Cato'', by

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richar ...

. George Washington married the wealthy

. Sally and George William were the most frequent visitors to

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, implying that any inkling the spouses had of previous indiscretions (or flirtation) was politely ignored.

Later years

The happy foursome separated in 1773, when the Fairfaxes repaired to England to attend to family matters. Thereafter, George William's fortunes were crushed. As a Loyalist, he had every intention of returning to America after the 1776 insurrection was over, but the success of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

prevented either of them from ever returning. George William died in 1787, and Sally lived in Bath until her death in 1811.

Bibliography

Note: All excerpts from correspondence have been taken from Wilson Miles Cary's ''Sally Cary: A Long Hidden Romance of Washington's Life.'' (See Bibliography) * Wilson Miles Cary, ''Sally Cary: A Long Hidden Romance of Washington's Life'', New York: The DeVine Press, 1916. * Joseph J. Ellis, ''His Excellency George Washington'', New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. * Nathaniel Wright Stevenson, "The Romantics and George Washington", In: ''

The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...

'', Vol. 39, No. 2 (Jan., 1934), p. 274-283. * Paul van Dyke, "Washington" In '' Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society'', Vol. 71, No. 4 (Apr., 1932), p. 191-205. * ''Martha Washington'', by Patricia Brady (2006).

References

External links

Sally Fairfax at Find a grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfax, Sally 1730s births 1811 deaths Colonial American women American socialites British North American Anglicans Cary family of Virginia

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

American people of English descent People from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Warwick County, Virginia Year of birth unknown People from Fort Belvoir, Virginia