The remarkable life and times of the "first" First Lady of the United States.
American First Ladies
Early Years
Martha "Patsy" Dandridge was born on June 21, 1731, in Williamsburg, Virginia, the eldest daughter of planter, John Dandridge. The lady who would become Martha Washington married Daniel Parker Custis, a rich bachelor twenty years her senior when she was 18. Martha Washington had four children, two died in childhood and two in young adulthood. Daniel Custis died in 1757, leaving Martha a rich widow with an estate containing a number of plantations and farms and many enslaved men, women and children. Two years later, Martha married Colonel George Washington on January 6, 1759, and her husband then became the executor of the Custis estate (even though court records indicate that Martha Washington continued to make many decisions). The couple lived a prosperous and happy life at Washington's Mount Vernon estate.
Life at Mt. Vernon and A Reluctant First Lady
The couple raised Martha's two surviving children but had none of their own. They also provided financial and personal support to many family members. When Washington became Commander in Chief of the American Army, Martha often followed him onto the battlefields. Martha Washington spent the terrible winter at Valley Forge with her husband and was instrumental in maintaining a high level of morale among his troops. Martha Washington opposed his presidency and refused to attend his inauguration on April 30, 1789, but she gracefully fulfilled her duties as First lady (really the first lady) during her husband's two terms in office.
Death and Legacy
Martha Washington survived her husband and died at Mt. Vernon, Virginia, in May of 1802. In 1902, Martha Washington became the first American woman to be commemorated by a postage stamp. Her estate held many slaves and there is the claim that Martha Washington owned her very own mulatto half-sister, a slave named Ann Dandridge! Some also believe that this woman had a child by her nephew, Martha's son, John Parke "Jack" Custis. Records are disputed and the truth may never come to light, but it is known that this incident among others was so repugnant to George Washington that he freed all of his slaves later in his life. Robert E. Lee, the husband of Martha' Washingtons granddaughter, confiscated the Custis family estate during the American Civil War. The property later became Arlington National Cemetery.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Washington, "Martha Washington"
