In early 1748, a sixteen-year-old  George Washington set out on a surveying trip with George Fairfax to survey some lands owned by Fairfax's uncle, Thomas Lord Fairfax,  the proprietor of  the Northern Neck of Virginia.  Young George Washington kept a diary of his trip.  The images to the left are from Washington's diary entry on March 15, 1748.  Washington surveyed a tract of land on the Long Marsh and Cate's Marsh.  He noted the names of the chain carriers, the marker, and the pilot.  The pilot was William Lindsey.  While we can't be certain that William Lindsey, the pilot, was a member of the Long Marsh Lindsey family, the facts suggest that he might have been one of ours.  Pilots were usually men who knew the area well, and it seems a Long Marsh Lindsey man would have been quite suitable for the job.  Records show that a man named William Lindsey lived in the area, and he seemed to have been part of the Long Marsh family that has been identified as ancestral to the Group 2 Lindsey's.
March 15, 1748: William Lindsey is a pilot for George Washington as he surveys land on the Long Marsh.

Washington's diary (excerpted below) mentioned that they had spent the night at Isaac Pennington's before surveying the land on the Long Marsh and Cate's Marsh.  Coincidentally, it was William Lindsey who had gone to court in 1742 to record a deed for land that John Lindsey Sr. bought from Isaac Pennington.   A map (image is on the right) taken from William Thorndale's manuscript on the Long Marsh Lindsey's shows that Cate's Marsh was less than a mile from land owned by the Lindsey's on the Long Marsh.  So it seems quite likely that William Lindsey, the pilot for George Washington's survey trip, might have been one of our Group 2 Lindsey's.   It is exciting to think that our ancestor may have rubbed elbows with the father of our country.  After reading about George Washington's sleeping quarters as Pennington's guest (in the diary excerpt, below), I have wondered if the living conditions might have been similar at the nearby Lindsey's!

Click here to see a 1750 survey done by George Washington for John Lindsey, Sr.

Below are links to the George Washington diary pages shown above:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw1&fileName=mgw1b/gwpage481.db&recNum=2

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw1&fileName=mgw1b/gwpage481.db&recNum=3

Below is more excerpted from Washington's diary.:
http://www.bicyclingthroughhistory.com/d3ref3.html

The first entries in George Washington's Diaries follow :

• Fryday March 11th 1747(8). Began my Journey in Company with George Fairfax, Esqr. [eight years older than George Washington], we travell'd this day 40 miles to Mr. George Neavels in Prince William County

   

• Saturday March 12th This Morning Mr. James Genn ye, surveyer [he had previously surveyed Lord Fairfax's South Branch and Greenway Court Manors; this expedition was to subdivide some of those territories into lots to be leased to tennants] came to us we travell'd over ye. Blue Ridge to Capt. [John] Ashbys on Shennondoah River, Nothing remarkable happen'd

   

• Sunday March 13 Rode to his Lordships Quarter [Greenway Court] about 4 Miles higher up y. River we went through most beautiful Groves of Sugar Trees and spent ye. best part of y. Day in admiring ye. Trees and richness of ye Land

   

• Monday 14th We sent our Baggage to Capt. [Jost] Hites (near Frederick Town [Winchester] ) went ourselves down ye River about 16 miles to Capt. Isaac Penningtons (the Land exceeding Rich and Fertile all ye. way produces abundance of Grain Hemp Tobacco &ca.) in order to lay of some Lands on Cates Marsh and Long Marsh

   

• Tuesday 15th We set out early with Intent to Run round ye sd. Land but being in a Rain and it Increasing very fast obliged us to return it clearing about one oClock and our time being too Precious to Loose we a second time ventur'd out and Worked hard till Night and then we returned to Penningtons we got our Supper and was lighted into a Room and I not being so good a Woodsman as ye rest of my Company striped myself very orderly and went in to ye Bed as they called it when to my Surprize I found it to be nothing but a Little Straw-Matted together without Sheets or anything else but only one thread Bear blanket with double its Weight of Vermin such as Lice Fleas &c I was glad to get up (as soon as y. Light was carried from us) I put on my cloths and Lay as my Companions. Had we not been very tired I am sure we should not have slep'd much that night I made a Promise not to Sleep so from that time forward chusing rather to sleep in y. open Air before a fire as will appear hereafter.

   

• March y. 15th. Surved'd for George Fairfax Esqr. a Tract of Land lying on Cates Marsh and Long Marsh. [Henry Ashby and Robert Taylor were chainmen; Robert Ashby was the marker; William Lindsy was pilot] [Surveyor's notes and measurements omitted]

   

• Wednesday 16th We set out early and finish'd about one oClock and then Travell'd up to Frederick Town where our Baggage came to us we cleaned ourselves (to get Rid of y. Game we had catched y. Night before) and took a Review of y. Town and thence return'd for us Wine and Rum Punch in Plenty and a good Feather Bed with clean Sheets which was a very agreeable regale