This is the unique and largely forgotten story of how the ancient and noble Fairfax family of Yorkshire, England, renowned for their prominent role in the English Civil War, came to settle in Virginia before the Revolution, where they reigned over a vast empire of more than five million acres. For over 150 years, first as colonialists and then as loyal citizens of the new Republic, they played an active part in many of the great events that helped make American the country it is today. Then curiously at the beginning of the 20th Century, just as America was blossoming as the powerhouse of the world, they tuned their backs on their adopted homeland and returned once more to England.
Told with panache and affection by Hugh Fairfax, a descendant of the family, we follow their close friendship with the young George Washington, and how they set him on his path to greatness and the birth of the new nation.
We meet Thomas, 9th Lord Fairfax, a pioneer of emancipation, his son Henry who rallied to the colours in the Mexican War of 1846 and Charles Snowden Fairfax, 10th Lord Fairfax who joined the Gold Rush to California. Then in the Civil War as supporters of the South, they loose everything. The story ends with the author's grandfather, Albert 12th Lord Fairfax, who dreams of restoring the family fortune and position in the world. Forsaking America for England he reclaims his place in the House of Lords and prospers in the City of London. As the wheel comes full circle, we find the family once more established as Englishmen and loyal subjects of the Crown.