Martha Dandridge Custis and George Washington met in the spring of 1758 at the home of mutual friends near the colonial capital of Williamsburg. At the age of 26, Martha of New Kent County was the wealthiest widow in Virginia, managing a 17,500-acre estate that enslaved over 400 people. On January 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington. When the couple wed, Washington had recently returned from the Forbes Expedition, where he served as an officer in the Virginia militia during the Seven Years’ War. He resigned his commission shortly before marrying Martha and starting this new chapter in life. At this time, he was leasing Mount Vernon from the widow of his deceased half-brother. Martha’s two young children, John “Jacky” Parke Custis and Martha “Patsy” Parke Custis were over the ages of four and two years old respectively when she married Washington, and Washington stood in as a prominent father figure in their lives.
Martha Dandridge Custis as a Widow
Martha was widowed after the death of her husband Daniel Parke Custis in July of 1757. The couple was well-connected socially and economically in colonial Virginia. A widow of her status in the eighteenth century carried significant wealth and social standing. Widows of her means often entered another courtship shortly after the proper mourning period following the loss their husband. In 1758, continued to order mourning clothes for herself and her children.
For women in Martha’s position, men suitable to court were most likely a part of the established gentry class in colonial Virginia, often connected by shared circles of friends and distant relatives. More established suitors local to southern Virginia pursued her. While Martha’ first husband was almost twenty years her senior and descended from a family with deep ties in the Atlantic economy, Washington was eight months younger than her and gaining prominence in social circles in northern Virginia. Washington was climbing the social ladder through friendships with prominent people such as members of the Fairfax family, which connected him to Robert Carter Nicholas who provided legal counsel to both George and Martha before they met. Washington made strives towards social education through studying popular texts like Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior and publishing his own experiences as a militia officer in The Journal of Major George Washington (1754).
Meeting Martha Washington
Ultimately, Washington’s expanding social network through his military service led to his first encounter with Martha. In the spring of 1758, Martha and her children visited the Chamberlayne family, who lived near the colonial capital of Williamsburg, Virginia. On his way to see the Governor regarding military matters, George Washington and his body servant named Thomas Bishop stopped at the Chamberlayne family home. George Washington was eventually convinced to stay for dinner. Upon coming into the house, he met the young widow and her two children. Washington and his servant remained at the home for the night before proceeding to Williamsburg to prepare for Forbes expedition in the following months.
Courtship and Marriage
After meeting, George and Martha remained in contact with one another, likely through correspondence of none of which survives, making the nuances of their courtship unknown. Washington visited Williamsburg at least once more in June of 1758 before advancing west for the Forbes Expedition. One letter mentioning Martha remains from this time, Washington referenced her to his friend Sally Fairfax, writing about his “anxiety to the annimating prospect of possessing Mrs Custis.”1 Although it is unknown how much time they spent together before marriage, the pair were a favorable match. Like many couples, George and Martha shared similarities and differences regarding preferences and interests. George Washington shared with her a love of horses and dogs, while both also enjoyed life in the country and gardening.
It is not known when the Martha and George Washington made the decision to marry, but the wedding took place at the bride's home known as the White House on January 6, 1759, about nine to ten months after their meeting at the Chamberlaynes. According to her descendants, Martha Washington wore a "petticoat of white silk interwoven with silver. The overdress, open in front, a deep yellow brocade with rich lace in the neck and sleeves. Ornaments of pearls. Her shoes were purple satin with silver trimmings."2
Their marriage was well timed. George and Martha married immediately following George’s resignation of his commission and after recovering from an illness he had suffered through that winter. Additionally, the summer previous, Washington had secured an elected position in the Virginia House of Burgesses, amplifying his social standing and political prospects.
Establishing a Shared Household at Mount Vernon
In marrying George Washington, Martha moved her household to Mount Vernon. This included trafficking eighty-four enslaved people considered a part of her "dower share” of her deceased husband’s estate to the property.3 In courting and subsequently marrying George Washington, the enslaved community at Mount Vernon greatly expanded in size. Those enslaved by Martha known as “dower-slaves” created new communities and families within the existing enslaved community at Mount Vernon.
Washington assisted Martha in managing the estate of her deceased first husband and in arranging the education of her children. However, Martha was actively involved in this decision making having managed the estate successfully before their marriage. Beyond a financial role, Washington took on a fatherly role towards “Jacky” and “Patsy” for the rest of their lives. As the new family moved to Mount Vernon, the mansion and properties would expand in the future to accommodate the family. Washington ensured new dishes, glassware, and other household items were purchased for the home shortly after his marriage to Martha.4 After the death of his deceased half-brother’s widow, Washington inherited Mount Vernon outright in 1761, and it became the permanent home for his new family.
Eight months after his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis, George Washington wrote from Mount Vernon to his agent in England to announce that "I am now I beleive fixd at this Seat with an agreable Consort for Life and hope to find more happiness in retirement than I ever experienced amidst a wide and busthng World."5
Revised by Zoie Horecny, Ph.D., 24 July 2025
Notes:
1. “From George Washington to Sarah Cary Fairfax, 12 September 1758,” Founders Online, National Archives.
2. "Yr Entire Go Washington." The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union Annual Report 1976 (Mount Vernon, Virginia: The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1977), 22-24.
3. “From George Washington to Thomas Lewis, 1 February 1784,” Founders Online, National Archives.
4. “Enclosure: Invoice to Robert Cary & Company, 28 September 1760,” Founders Online, National Archives; “Enclosure: Invoice to Robert Cary & Company, 20 September 1765,” Founders Online, National Archives.
5. “From George Washington to Richard Washington, 20 September 1759,” Founders Online, National Archives.
Bibliography:
Fraser, Flora. The Washingtons: George and Martha Partners in Friendship and Love. Anchor Books, 2015.
Glover, Lorri. Founders as Fathers: The Private Lives and Politics of the American Revolutionaries. Yale University Press, 2014.
Thompson, Mary V. “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret:” George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. University of Virginia Press, 2019.
