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Martha Washington: The Lady Presidentess

Happy Monday! Today, we are diving right in to talk about America's very first ever First Lady: Martha Washington! Get ready cause this lady lived a life!

Martha Custis: Early Life + Early Marriage

Martha Washington was born Martha Dandridge in Chestnut Grove, Virginia on her family's tobacco plantation. The eldest daughter of eight children (!!!), she was truly meant to be the mother of a nation but, first, she was meant to be the wife of a Custis.

Martha learned to read and write at a young age, adored horses, loved needlework, and married a 38 year old Daniel Parke Custis when she was a whopping eighteen years old. Their marriage was said to be a happy one (we are still side eyeing the age difference) and, together, they had four children. Two of their children lived through childhood and, when Martha became a super wealthy widow at 26, she could marry literally any man she wanted. She was a super protective mom, the wealthiest widow in all of Virginia (possibly all thirteen colonies), and, when she met George Washington, it may have been love at first sight. He was so tall and dreamy!

Less than a year after meeting, Martha and George married at the Custis White House plantation.

Early Marriage to George Washington

After marrying, George and Martha lived at Mount Vernon. Their house was a busy one and, while Martha loved knitting and making clothes, George had a nonstop rotation of visitors. Martha loved to live the cozy life - she loved reading, gardening, parenting, and hanging at home (honestly all our fave activities) - and, where George is said to have been more reserved, Martha was super charming and a total boss when it came to hosting. Girl could chat!

Honestly, we think she was an extroverted introvert.

When the Revolutionary War broke out, Martha began to spend winters wherever George was camped. Here, she mended clothes, chatted with soldiers, and hung out with her husband. Afraid of gunfire, Martha went home to Mount Vernon every spring when the battle resumed. Though she and George had no biological children, they raised Martha's children John and Patsy at Mount Vernon. Patsy passed at seventeen years old from an epilepsy condition; John (or Jacky) passed at the age of 26 from camp fever while with Washington at Yorktown. After Jacky's death, his widow sent their two youngest children - Nelly and Tub (that nickname! Lol) - to live with George and Martha at Mount Vernon. The couple raised their grandchildren as their own.

Together, they made up the very first First Family!

Martha's Time as First Lady

Martha may have been that girl (lol), but she also did not love being the center of attention. As First Lady, Martha had nonstop social commitments: She visited all of her callers within three days, hosted events in New York City and Philadelphia, and held drawing room events every Friday. How do we know she was a cozy girl?

She told everyone George's bedtime was at nine pm sharp!

Annnnd also she complained in private all the time about being perceived, lol.

Martha was also known to take her grandchildren on lots of fun outings, she had great friendships with other political wives, and, in our opinion, really just got stuff done when it needed to get done. She was efficient like that! And as George's wife? You'd have to be!

And her beef with Jefferson? It was kinda iconic.

More About Martha Washington

Martha Washington's life cannot be looked at without scrutiny.

After his death and before her own, Martha freed all enslaved people who had belonged to George Washington. She did not, however, free her own enslaved people or the Custis dowery slaves from her first marriage. When researching this article, we found information that suggested that Martha was legally unable to free the Custis enslaved people. We don't totally understand how these laws worked, nor do we know if Martha would have freed the Custis dower slaves is she were able.

You can read more about Martha Washington as a Slaveowner here.

Martha Washington's Legacy

Martha Washington was a super loyal, pragmatic and strong woman who lived in the 18th Century. She was private, not passive - cozy, not soft - and, we think, quietly powerful in her very own way. She was not someone who craved fame or wanted the spotlight but, when her husband become the first US President, she paved the way for all the First Ladies that came after her.

Also? When she got sick and felt like her time was coming, she called the doctor and picked out her own funeral dress. Like we said: The woman got stuff done!

That's all for this week! Thanks for chatting about Martha with us!

XOXO,

Opal and June

Love learning random facts about history? Join us every Monday on the blog!

P.S. We're sharing historical gossip, not historical textbooks. Some of this info may be slightly wrong, outdated, or overly dramatic... just like we like it!