In May 1740, Dr. John McCormick, a Scots-Irish immigrant, purchased from Jost Hite, a German land developer who had obtained 30,000 acres (120 km2) from John and Isaac Van Metre. By 1742, Dr. McCormick had built a three-story stone farmhouse. He was a prosperous and prominent country doctor, as evidenced by the inventory of his estate completed upon his death in 1768. He and his wife Ann had six sons (James, Francis, John Jr., William, George, and Andrew) and two daughters (Mary, wife of Magnus Tate, and Jean, wife of James Byrn). George Washington completed a survey of McCormick's land in 1752 and James McCormick served as the chain carrier and John Jr. as the pilot on several of George Washington's early surveys. White House Farm was noted for the horses bred there during Dr. McCormick's lifetime.
