The First Lady: 10 Fast Facts About Martha Washington

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Born on the 2nd of June, 1731, in New Kent County, Virginia, Martha Washington was the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, and was George Washington’s wife and the first women to be declared the United States of America’s First Lady. Her wealth and social status allowed her and her husband to acquire properties and slaves, and her reigns on the economy’s business were a force to be reckoned with due to her exceptional business acumen. To learn more about the first lady, here are 10 fast facts about Martha Washington:

Fact 1: Before she married George Washington and became the United State’s first ever First Lady, she was married to a man named Daniel Parke Custis and had four children together. Sadly, Martha became widowed at age 25. Shortly after, she met George Washington and together they reared her children from her first marriage as they did not have children of their own.

Fact 2: Martha Washington was able to acquire a great deal of wealth from her first husband. The wealth that she brought into her new marriage with Washington was enough for him to buy more land and slaves to add to his personal estate.

Fact 3: In Martha Washington’s entire lifetime, she had bought a total of 100 dower slaves. These slaves and their descendants continued to be part of the Washington bloodline even after the death of Martha and George Washington. The slaves have also served the Washington’s extended families.

Fact 4: Martha Washington was 8 months older than her husband George Washington. She was also the eldest of 8 children born to John Dandridge and Frances Jones in New Kent County, Virginia.

Fact 5: Martha had found solace in reading, and learned to read and write at an early age, uncommon for women during the 1700s. She was enthralled by the Bible and other religious literary pieces, and was very fond of writing as well. She was known to be a very active letter writer, and often penned letters to friends and families. Her letters are now housed in the collections of the Mount Vernon Library.

Fact 6: Martha Washington was 5 feet tall of charm, warmth, sincerity, and grace, all wrapped up in a lovely petite woman. The average height for European women back in the day was 5 feet and 2 inches.

Fact 7: She received informal education from her mother, being taught how to read, write, sew, and do house management. Later on, she took an interest in the family’s business and she learned about plantation management, animal husbandry, as well as crop sales and homeopathic medicine. Accounts say that she was taught by the family’s servant, Thomas Leonard, all about plantation for 5 years.

Fact 8: She was only 19 years old when she married her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy family friend and manager of her father’s New Kent County Plantation. Custis was 20 years her senior when they wed, and together they had four children. Her youngest daughter Patsy suffered from severe seizures and passed away at the age of 17.

Fact 9: Martha was a significant part of the American Revolution, and stayed with her husband at the encampments to boost morale and bring around food, socks, and medicine to the soldiers that were in dire need of it. She was so loved by the men, her husband George believed that it was a necessity for his wife to be around and had the government reimburse her travel expenses to and from the camp.

Fact 10: Martha Washington was a fan of shoes. She loved them so much that she had an entire collection of shoes made from the finest silk and textiles in her favorite colors, pale blues and greens! Shoes were a another form of declaring your social status back in the day, aside from the clothes you wore and how high your hair was!

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