Key Facts about Martha Washington
Mrs. Washington was born in 1731 Martha Dandridge and was the oldest of eight children.
Martha Washington was the first first lady of the United States and spent about half of the Revolutionary War at the front with General Washington. She helped manage and run her husbands' estates and raised her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Mrs. Washington was born in 1731 Martha Dandridge and was the oldest of eight children.
Martha Dandridge was the eldest daughter of John Dandridge and Frances Jones, she grew up at Chestnut Grove, in New Kent County, Virginia.
In 1750, Martha Dandridge married Daniel Parke Custis and together the couple had four children.
Martha's views on slavery reflected the attitude of other women in her social class in Virginia at the time.
Martha Washington oversaw much of life at Mount Vernon.
After the death of her first husband, George Washington courted Martha Custis. The couple married on January 6, 1759.
What began as a traditional marriage in a semi-aristocratic society, blossomed into a strong romance that became one to admire.
Martha Washington was a devout Christian, her granddaughter Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis Lewis noted that she “never omitted her private devotions, or her public duties…"
From her birth to her death, Martha Washington lived a fascinating life.
Martha Washington's presence at the Continental Army’s winter encampments not only helped to encourage George Washington but also boosted the morale of the entire camp.
Throughout her inaugural tour from Mount Vernon to New York, Martha Washington maintained her natural, unassuming presence and was cheerful, attentive, and appreciative.
While serving as first lady, Martha Washington said she often felt “more like a state prisoner than anything else.”
Martha Washington was an elite, slave-owning, estate-managing, debt-paying widow who conducted business from her home, Mount Vernon. She managed thousands of acres and hundreds of enslaved people throughout her lifetime, but especially during her two periods of widowhood. A look at Martha’s two periods of widowhood reveals how the former Mrs. Custis, and then the former Mrs. Washington, exercised this power.
When the president retired from public life, Martha Washington hoped for many years with her husband at Mount Vernon. However, within about five years both George and Martha Washington would die.
While George and Martha Washington never had any children together, they helped raise many at Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon acquired an unusual example of Martha Washington’s needlework, augmenting our preeminent collection and further highlighting her often-overlooked artistic ability and creativity.
George and Martha Washington did not have any biological children together. So who inherited the Washington family heirlooms?
Martha Stewart Wilson received the card in 1796, and described in a brief note her memorable visit with Mrs. Washington.
Martha Washington maintained a lively correspondence with siblings, friends, family, and merchants that helps present a more three-dimensional portrait of America’s first first lady.
Martha Washington's contemporaries knew her as a woman of strength, determination, intellectual curiosity, and high fashion.
Lace was the ultimate 18th-century glamour accessory and Martha Washington often wore it.
Martha Washington possessed an impressive shoe collection which would have been far above the norm in the founding era – in England or America.
Explore the roles and experiences of women, both enslaved and free in the 1700s.
A series of lesson plans that uses Martha Washington as a case study to integrate women's history into the events of the American Revolution and the New Nation historical eras.
Do you know these facts about Mrs. Washington's life?
This beautiful memorial was made c. 1808-1812 by Eliza Gould in honor of George and Martha Washington.
Martha Washington is the first and only woman to grace the primary portrait of U.S. paper currency.
George and Martha Washington relationship was constantly tested by sickness, distance, war, and more. What do you know about their marriage?
Explore Mount Vernon's collections of books about women.