Susanna Bishop whose nickname was "Suekey," was the wife of Thomas Bishop, who was as a hired personal servant to George Washington. Given his position, Susanna lived with her husband, and later their daughter Sarah, at Mount Vernon, residing at Muddy Hole Farm when her husband was the overseer. She was tasked by the Washington family and paid sums outside her husband's wages. For knitting, she received an additional ten shillings on May 3, 1770, and then five shillings on January 10, 1772, for a pair of stockings.1 Most notably, she was regarded for her skills as a midwife and received payments for assisting women enslaved by the Washington family give birth.
Bishop was paid the following sums for her work as a midwife:
- ten shillings on February 21, 1767, for "laying Betty"2
- ten shillings on July 8, 1767 for "bring Kate to Bed"
- ten shillings on July 31, 1767 for delivering Sue at Dogue Run Farm
- ten shillings on March 4, 1768 for delivering Sarah
- ten shillings on February 27, 1769 for delivering Phillis, one of the house servants
- one pound (ten shillings each) on July 6, 1769 for delivering Muddy Hole Kate and Catherine
- ten shillings on October 26, 1769 for delivering Sarah
- ten shillings on September 4, 1771 for delivering Moll
- ten shillings on October 9, 1771 for delivering Betty
- ten shillings on December 21, 1771 for delivering Alce at the Mansion House Farm3
- ten shillings on January 10, 1772 for delivering Doll
- one pound on June 16, 1772, for delivering Sall at the Mansion House Farm and Kitt
- ten shillings on July 7, 1772, for delivering Muddy Hole Kate4
- one pound on April 19, 1774, for delivering Doll at the Ferry Farm and Betty at the Mansion House Farm
- ten shillings on May 2, 1774, for delivering Betty at the Ferry Farm
- one pound ten shillings in October of 1774, for delivering Kate, Hannah, and Jone
- ten shillings on December 11, 1774, for delivering Alice at the Mansion House Farm5
- one pound ten shillings on 5/15/1782, for delivering Susy and Jane at Dogue Run and Lame Alice at the Mansion House Farm6
- one pound on 7/15/1782, for delivering "Dorcus' Charlotte"7
- one pound ten shillings on 10/4/1782, for delivering Lucy at the Ferry, Leddy in the Neck, and Myrtilla at the Mansion House8
- two pounds, 10 shillings on 8/6/1783, for delivering Sarah at Muddy Hole, Lucy at Dogue Run, Betty at the Ferry Landing, Alice at the Mansion House Farm, and Suky in the Neck
- ten shillings on 8/15/1783, for delivering Lydda in the Neck9
- ten shillings on 11/6/1783, for delivering Carrolina
- ten shillings on 11/6/1783, for delivering Fanny at the Ferry10
- one pound on 4/28/1784, for delivering Peg at Muddy Hole and Alice at the Mansion House Farm11
- ten shillings on 7/12/1784, for delivering Agnes at River Farm12
- one pound on 11/8/1784, for delivering Myrtilla at the Mansion House Farm and Daphne in the Neck13
- one pound on 12/24/1784, for delivering Doll at the Ferry and Doll in the Neck14
- ten shillings on 3/18/1785, for delivering Carroline15
- ten shillings on 5/17/1785, for delivering Charlotte16
- ten shillings on 9/30/1785, for delivering Lame Alice17
- ten shillings on 11/24/1785, for delivering Mirtilla18
Bishop died on the evening of Sunday, December 4, 1785, and her husband died almost ten years later in 1795.
Notes:
1. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, 8:60 & 431; "Cash pd. on Acct. of Genrl. Washington," Lund Washington Account Book, 144.
2. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, 7:482 & 482n.
3. For entries two through nine, see The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, 8:5, 70, 169, 169n, 222, 250, 521, 527, 557.
4. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, 9:1, 53, 58.
5. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, 10:19 & 20n, 39, 168 & 168n, 194 & 196n.
6. See "Hard Money pd. on Act. of Genneral [sic] Washington," Lund Washington Account Book, 109.
7. Ibid., 110.
8. Ibid., 112.
9. See "Cash pd. on Acct. of General Washington," Lund Washington Account Book, 125.
10. See entry for 6 November 1783, “Cash pd. on Acct. of General Washington,” Lund Washington Account Book, 126.
11. See "Cash pd. on Acct. of Genrl. Washington," Lund Washington Account Book, 133.
12. Ibid., 136.
13. Ibid., 140.
14. Ibid., 143.
15. Ibid., 148.
16. Ibid., 150.
17. Ibid., 155.
18. Ibid., 155.
Bibliography
Oberg, Barbara B. Women in the American Revolution: Gender, Politics, and the Domestic World. University of Virginia Press, 2019.
