Burials at Mount Vernon

The following entry provides information on the known burials at Mount Vernon while under the ownership of the Washington family. Likely, others have been buried at Mount Vernon through its history. This includes enslaved and free people of color buried at the African American Burial Ground.

Old Tomb

Members of the Washington family, and the family of George Washington’s step-children, a part of the Custis family, through his marriage to Martha Washington were buried in the Old Tomb from 1745 to 1831. The Old Tomb is located west of the mansion towards the waterfront of the Potomac River. In 1831, bodies interred in the Old Tomb were transferred to the inner vault of the New Tomb.

1745: Jane Washington (September 27, 1744-January 1745):

Infant daughter of Lawrence and Ann Fairfax Washington.

1746: Fairfax Washington (August 22, 1746-October 1747):

Infant son of Lawrence and Ann Fairfax Washington.

1749: Mildred Washington (September 28, 1748-1749):

Infant daughter of Lawrence and Ann Fairfax Washington.

1752: Lawrence Washington (1718-July 26, 1752):

The older half-brother of George Washington.

c. 1754: Sarah Washington (November 7, 1750-c.1754):

Daughter of Lawrence and Ann Fairfax Washington.

1773: Martha Parke Custis (c. December 1755-June 19, 1773):

Daughter of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington and her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Her body was placed in the Tomb on June 20, 1773.

1787: George Fayette Washington (April 10, 1787-April 25, 1787):

Infant son of George Washington's nephew, George Augustine Washington and his wife Frances Bassett Washington, the niece of Martha Washington.

1793: George Augustine Washington (c. 1759-February 5, 1793):

Nephew of George Washington, oldest son of Charles Washington.

1796: Frances Bassett Washington Lear (December 19, 1767-March 25, 1796):

Martha Washington's niece and widow of George Augustine Washington who later married Tobias Lear.

1799: George Washington (February 22, 1732-December 14, 1799):

Per Washington’s instructions, his body was not placed into the tomb until at least three days after his death, and was so on Wednesday, December 18, 1799.¹ In the years following his death, many pilgrimaged to Mount Vernon to pay respects to the former president. After his body was interred at the New Tomb, tributes to his life and legacy have occurred at the new site.

1800: Martha Eliza Eleanor Peter (January 20, 1796-August 31, 1800):

Martha’s first great-grandchild and daughter of Thomas and Martha Parke Custis Peter. Her body was placed in the tomb on September 1, 1800.

1802: Martha Betty Lewis (August 19, 1801-June 19, 1802):

Martha Washington's great-grandchild and the infant daughter of Lawrence and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis.

1802: Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731-May 22, 1802):

Widow of George Washington.

1804: Ann Aylette Washington Robinson (February 11, 1783-September 12, 1804):

Daughter of George Washington's nephew and niece, William Augustine and Jane Washington; wife of William Robinson.

1810: William Augustine Washington (November 25, 1757-October 10, 1810):

Nephew of George Washington and the son of George Washington's older half-brother, Augustine and his wife Ann Aylette Washington.

c.1821-1826: Robert Herbert (dates unknown), Jane Herbert (dates unknown), and their father, Noblet Herbert (c. 1784-August 15, 1825):

The children and husband of Mary Lee Washington Herbert.

1827: Mary Lee Washington Herbert (c. 1796-October 16, 1827):

Daughter of George Washington's nephew Corbin, and Hannah Lee Washington, wife of Noblet Herbert.

1829: Bushrod Washington (June 5, 1762-November 26, 1829):

Supreme Court Justice, George Washington's nephew, and heir to Mount Vernon.

1829: Julia Ann Blackburn Washington (1768-November 28, 1829):

Wife of Bushrod Washington.

1831: Bushrod Washington, Jr. (April 4, 1785-April 16, 1831):

Fourth child of George Washington's nephew and niece, William Augustine Washington I and Jane Washington. 

New Tomb

The New Tomb was constructed in 1831. According to Washington’s will, he desired a tomb “upon a larger Scale” to be constructed for his own and his family’s remains near the current site.² It is located west from the mansion, near the present-day Fruit Garden and Nursery, inland from the location of the Old Tomb.

1832: Eliza Parke Custis Law (August 21, 1776-December 31, 1831):

Eldest granddaughter of Martha Washington, her body was placed in the Tomb on Friday, January 7, 1832.

1832: John Augustine Washington II (1792-June 26, 1832):

Son of Corbin and Hannah Lee Washington, he was married to Jane Charlotte Blackburn. John Augustine Washington inherited Mount Vernon after Bushrod Washington's death. His son, John Augustine Washington III was the last private owner of Mount Vernon.

1839: Lawrence Lewis (April 4, 1767-November 20, 1839):

Nephew of George Washington and the son of Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis. Lewis was also the husband of Martha Washington's youngest granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis.

1842: Jane Mildred Washington Johnson (early 1840-14 April 1842):

Child of Reverend W. Philander Chase Johnson and Ann Eliza Washington Johnson.³ She was named after her mother's younger sister, Mildred Jane Washington, who died in 1839, shortly before Jane Mildred Johnson was born.  Her body was placed in the tomb on April 16, 1842.

1855: Jane Charlotte Blackburn Washington (August 23, 1786-September 6, 1855):

The widow of John Augustine Washington, II. Her body was placed in the tomb on September 10, 1855.

East of the New Tomb

Members of the Washington and Custis families continued to be buried in the area surrounding the New Thom as of 1843 and through 1852 with the burial of Martha’s youngest granddaughter. This area is referred to as East of the New Tomb.

1843: Mary Eliza Angela Lewis Conrad (April 1, 1813-September 21, 1839):

The great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and the daughter of Lawrence and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. Also, the wife of Charles M. Conrad. Her body was buried near the New Tomb on July 10, 1843

1843: Angela Lewis Conrad (March 17, 1836-March 25, 1837):

The infant daughter of Charles M. and Mary Eliza Angela Lewis Conrad. Her body was buried near the New Tomb on July 10, 1843.

1852: Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (March 31, 1779-July 15, 1852):

The youngest granddaughter of Martha Washington and the widow of George Washington's nephew, Lawrence Lewis.

Slave Memorial & African American Burial Ground

Between 50 to 75 people were buried at the African American Burial Ground at Mount Vernon. It is located west from the Washington family tombs. However, the individual graves are no longer marked. The burial ground is believed to include the graves of:

1821: Frank Lee (died July 1821):

The brother of William Lee and a long-time steward and house servant at Mount Vernon.

c.1828: William ("Billy") Lee (died in 1810):

George Washington’s long-time valet.

1863: West Ford (c. 1784-July 20, 1863):

Ford was enslaved by Bushrod Washington, and manumitted by him in 1805. Ford continued working for the Washington family in the nineteenth century.

Notes:

1. “II, 14 December 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, in Tobias Lear’s Narrative Accounts of the Death of George Washington.

2. “George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, 9 July 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives.

3."Died", Alexandria Gazette, 16 April 1842, 3.

Bibliography:

Costello, Matthew R. The Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, and the Memory of the First President. University, 2021.