The Washington Family

Martha Parke Custis was Martha Washington and Daniel Parke Custis's youngest child. She was adopted by George Washington and spent most of her childhood at Mount Vernon.

George Washington's letter about Martha Washington's son, John Parke Custis reveals that being a parent was no easier in the 18th century than it is today.

Young Nelly Custis, George Washington’s step-granddaughter, liked to show off her artistic side by painting and drawing.

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George and Martha Washington did not have any children of their own. However, there were always children at Mount Vernon. Together they raised Mrs. Washington’s two children as well as her four grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

Bushrod Washington was George Washington’s nephew. He served in the Continental Army, then practiced law, and in 1798 he was appointed to the Supreme Court. He also inherited Mount Vernon after George and Martha Washington died.

John Augustine Washington III was the great-grand nephew of George Washington and the last private owner of Mount Vernon.

Throughout his life, Washington had the family’s heraldic crest applied to such diverse personal belongings as silverware, wax seals, horse-drawn carriages, walking sticks, and interiors of buildings including Mount Vernon, where the coat of arms was featured in the middle of the wooden fireplace mantel in the front parlor.