In 1749, at the age of 17, Washington began his career as a professional surveyor. He subsequently received a commission and surveyor's license from the College of William and Mary and became the official surveyor for the newly formed Gulper County. Thanks to his older brother Lawrence's connection to the prominent Fair fax family, Washington had been appointed to this well-paid official position. In less than two days he completed his first survey, plotting a 400 acre parcel of land and was well on his way to a promising career. He was subsequently able to purchase land in the Shenandoah Valley, the first of his many land acquisitions in western Virginia. For the next four years Washington worked surveying land in Western Virginia and for
