. He spent most of his time at Little Hunting Creek Plantation in Virginia but visited his half brother on Pope's Creek also in Virginia. George was also educated in deportment. This in itself could be a defining aspect of his adult life. The rules he learned from his study book, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior were, in themselves, very defining of his character later in life. However, Jones believes it was the death of his father while he was still so young that was the life-molding experience in his youth. The inheritance that he received from his father was indeed modest. It was merely a springboard to future success as a farmer. This lack of absolute financial stability, Jones argues, is what drove George to succeed.
             There are many myths and legends associated with Washington's youth and how he was raised. The story of the cherry tree, for example, is completely myth. No truth has ever been found to corroborate such actions by either George or Augustine. However, they do serve to enlighten modern historians onto how he was seen by the immediate generations after his own. These myths were largely developed during his life and they show the reverence that many had for him even while he lived and breathed.
             The truth of his childhood was quite different from legend. Many would argue that the experience of being raised, especially in a time of coverture, by a widowed woman would be a very large influence on ones life. It certainly would and most probably was in George Washington's life. His mother, Mary Ball Washington, was a strong-willed, independent woman who put limits on Georges life that might have led him into generalship and, without which, might have kept him out of it. Could it be argued that her influence and guidance were the causes of George Washington finding his way to his place in life? Until documentation is found to prove such speculations they are but speculations. Howeve...