George Washington Slept Here

George Washington slept in Ste. Genevieve?

Sort of. . .His "likenesses" slept--sleep--here. . .I bring it up because there is a connection to my Ruddle family, who ended up in eastern Missouri, when it was Spanish territory but dominated by the Colonial French and Creoles.  The Ruddle/Ruddell family knew Washington, living across the river from George's grandfather in the Shenandoah and Watauga Valley. My ancestral grandfather, George Ruddell,  served under Washington in the French and Indian Wars, as well as the Revolutionary War. . .Wrong side in the French and Indian Wars? If you're Colonial French? . . .But, it all worked out in the end. . .After all, the French joined the young Americans in their quest for freedom from England. . .After the war, in the 1790s, the Ruddells, Birds and Bryans (my relatives) saw the potential in Spanish Territory, moving their families here, obtaining land grants after swearing their allegiance to the King of Spain. My Missouri Ruddles lived under four flags during their lifetime. . .British, American, Spanish, and French. . .and then American again.

But. . .back to Washington. . .Whether he actually chopped down a cherry tree or not. . .he's always had my admiration. . .long before I knew his association with my ancestors. . .What a surprise when Kandye at Sassafras Creek Originals gifted me with a handmade band box with George's likeness on it for my birthday! . .I have long admired her band boxes, the Washington one my favorite. . .seen here alongside one of her Washington journals. . .They look great together!

The likenesses of George Washington are now sleeping at Heil House.

That's not the end of the story, though. . .for Washington DID sleep HERE. . .at the home of my ancestral cousin, Elizabeth Taliaferro, who was married to George Wythe of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Wythe House, Headquarters of George Washington, Sept 1781

Wythe House, Colonial Williamsburg, VA

The Wythe home (located just a few hundred yards away from the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg) was pivotal in the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence, a document George Wythe was the first to sign.

Key historical figures often stayed at the house as Wythe's guest. Wythe also tutored Thomas Jefferson here and was the professor of law at the College of William and Mary. In September 1781, George Washington used the house as field headquarters for a few weeks. John and I visited there a few years ago during a reenactment of that time in our nation's history. What I would give to have been able to sleep there just as Washington did! As is turned out, we WERE given pretty much free reign, since we once worked at Colonial Williamsburg and attendance was slow that day. Being in costume ourselves, we fit right in.

Dining at the Wythe House

As I research my families in Virginia, I am finding more and more that their descendants often have a connection to eastern Missouri, whether before the Louisiana Purchase or not. . .And I am amazed at the amount of history they made along the way. . .In fact, I started this whole love affair with Ste. Genevieve a couple of years ago, arriving with the goal of seeing what kind of lifestyle my American ancestors found in Colonial France/Spain. . .I'll be sharing more about that in the future. . .

In the meantime. . .Washington's likeness will continue to sleep here. . .as a reminder of my ancestors who fought for independence. . .but also came together to help build a nation right here on Missouri ground.

I plan never to forget my roots. . .