The Life of Martha Washington

Americana Corner
Americana Corner
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Published 2022-12-16
Martha Washington was born on June 2, 1731 in New Kent County, Virginia. At 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, who died unexpectedly, leaving Martha a 26-year-old wealthy widow with two children. Martha’s parlor became the destination of many bachelors in Virginia, including George Washington. They were married in 1759 and lived a fairly quiet life at Mount Vernon until George was named the commander of the Continental Army in 1775.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses Martha Washington’s life as wife, mother and our nation’s first First Lady, and why it still matters today.

Photo Credits:
The White House Historical Association
Museums at Washington and Lee University
Encyclopedia Virginia
Mount Vernon
Library of Congress
National Gallery of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
National Museum of American History
Brooklyn Museum
National Portrait Gallery
All Comments (9)
  • @StrayKat2010
    Cool. She was a character for sure. She was also a distiller of spirits. So was George
  • @markherron1407
    Martha Washington is 2 of Spade ♠️♠️ Blessings and Hugs 💜💜
  • @ilikehemingway-xy8eu
    A wonderful person from our history. George wasn't the only Washington ever featured on the $1 bill--Martha was featured in 1886!
  • @roselynreese2339
    This is my greaT great great great great great great grandma and she married the president hell ya grandma Martha
  • @deborahberger5816
    One thing I don't hear about "Lady Washington"very often is how far her efforts went towards winning the War of Independence. She invited women to her home (at Mount Vernon or on the battlefield), where she received them dressed in homespun and busy knitting or sewing garments for the troops. Without her inspiration, other women would not have gotten so involved, and the suffering of the men would have been infinitely worse.
  • @veriortiz1923
    Based on previous images I've seen of Martha and how she is portrayed here, she appeared to have a very manly face with rough features. Maybe she was really a man, who knows.
  • @arturrofi5933
    It is funny that you and Thomas Jefferson had wives named Martha’s. Lol I have Jefferson’s eye color and my grandfather had yours… my grandfather was about 4 generations older than me but man, we were best friends. Hope that was the case between u and Jefferson!