Granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis , was born on March 21, In September of , George Washington returned to Mount Vernon for the first time since the war broke out. He was only there for a few days. John Parke Custis enlists in the army and joined his step-father as a volunteer aide-de-camp on or about September 17, On November 5, , John Parke Custis died of camp fever surrounded by his mother, wife, and step-father.
John Parke Custis's widow remarried and her two youngest children stayed at Mount Vernon and were raised by the Washingtons. George Washington resigned his military commission and returned to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve of Private Citizens. Due to the war, the Washingtons had become very well known.
After the war, hundreds of guests, some friends others strangers, came to Mount Vernon to visit with Martha and George Washington. Martha Washington and the enslaved individuals who worked in the Mansion had to see to the needs of all of the guests. In January , George Washington wrote that his wife, "does not enjoy very good health. Martha Washington's mother died in the spring of The couple lived at Mount Vernon for most of the next decade.
In April of , Frances Washington gave birth to her first child. Sadly the boy became sick and died within the month. First Lady. It would be one month before Martha Washington and her two grandchildren followed. Their day trip included fireworks, a gun salute, crowded streets, and ringing church bells. The First Family lived at 3 Cherry Street upon moving to the city, but finding the house too small moved to the Macomb House in February of Martha Washington hosted Friday evening receptions open to members of Congress, visiting dignitaries, and men and women from the local community.
During the summer of , Ona Judge , Martha Washington's enslaved maid, fled the executive mansion. Great-granddaughter Eliza Law was born on January 19, Martha Washington's Shawl While first lady, Martha Washington actively supported American manufacturing, including with this shawl originally made in Massachusetts.
Post-Presidency and Death. George Washington retired from the presidency and the Washington family returned to Mount Vernon in March of Frances Parke Lewis, another great-grandchild, was born on November 27, George Washington died between 10 and 11 pm on December 14, Martha Washington was once again a widow.
George Washington's Death Martha Washington was too heartbroken to attend her husband's funeral on December 18, She moved from the room the two shared to a smaller room on the third floor. Martha Washington and her family welcomed dozens of mourners to Mount Vernon, wishing to pay their respect.
Martha Washington prepared her will in September of Fulfilling George Washington's will , on December 15, , Martha Washington signed a deed of manumission to emancipate his enslaved individuals on January 1, Often starving for want of food, their feet freezing in the snow and their outer garments too thin to withstand the cold, she made the rounds of visiting them, providing as much food as she could have donated, sewing socks and other outer garments and prevailing on local women to also do so, she also nursed those who were ill or dying.
Her commitment to the welfare of the American Revolutionary War veterans would remain lifelong. In appreciation, American servicemen addressed her as "Lady Washington. Only supposition can be made about the true nature of her relationship with George Washington since she burned as much as she could find of the correspondence she had which had been exchanged between them, just prior to her death. There is the suggestion of a cordial and affectionate marriage, but not one of great passion. Presidential Campaign and Inauguration: Since George Washington was unanimously named President, there was no election campaign.
Unable to attend his April 30, inaugural ceremony in the first capital city of New York, Martha Washington followed the route traveled by him a month earlier. She was honored as "Lady Washington," a public figure in her own right in ceremony and procession by local citizen groups, all of which was reported in the national newspapers. She was present for his second inaugural on March 4, in Philadelphia but took no public role in the ceremonies. First Lady: , April 30 - , March 4 57 years old.
Martha Washington's eight years as the first First Lady were extremely unpleasant to her personally, but she viewed it as duty to her husband and her country. By the time she arrived at the capital, her husband's secretary, who had lived in Europe, created a series of rigid protocol rules that she found especially limiting of her, particularly the one which forbade her and the President from accepting invitations to dine in private homes.
Despite the company of her two grandchildren, she expressed a sense of loneliness in New York, the first capital, where she had fewer personal friends than she would find in the next capital of Philadelphia She also discovered that even her mundane activities like shopping or taking her grandchildren to the circus, which were recorded by the press. Establishing her public role as hostess in the series of presidential mansions two in New York and one in Philadelphia Martha Washington held formal dinners on Thursdays and public receptions on Fridays.
No evidence suggests what or if she sought to influence any of the President's decisions; later remarks attributed to her imply her to be a strong partisan of his Federalist Party. Newspapers of the Anti-Federalist Party criticized the formality of her receptions as evoking the royal court of the British monarchy, against the tyranny of which the American Revolution had been fought.
She remained beloved by Revolutionary War veterans, and was publicly known to provide financial support or to intercede on behalf of those among them in need. Not only Americans, but Europeans responded to Martha Washington as something of an American heroine, sometimes sending her lavish gifts.
One British engraver even sought to capture her image and sell it to the mass public, creating a picture that looked nothing like her but was labeled " Lady Washington.
There is evidence of great mutual care and affection between the first president and his wife. Three brothers and five sisters followed in rapid succession. Like most young women of her day, Martha received little in the way of formal education.
As was the custom of the day, she was probably tutored by an indentured servant of the Dandridge family, Thomas Leonard, and received regular tutoring at a nearby plantation, Poplar Grove. And it was reported that she was an excellent horsewoman. When Daniel died after only seven years of marriage, Martha was a very wealthy woman.
She was also a very powerful woman not only because of her wealth but also because of her social position. As one biographer has noted, we have evidence of her business abilities in the letters sent to London merchants who handled the exporting of the vast Custis tobacco crop output.
Two years later, the young widow met Colonel George Washington of the Virginia militia. Martha decided within days of their meeting that they were perfectly suited. The two were married on January 6, , in the front parlor of the Custis estate, White House. Although the couple did not have children together, George assumed guardianship of her son and daughter. In addition, George and Martha provided personal and financial support to nieces, nephews, and other family members over the years.
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