Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
(1731-1802)
"I think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else, there is
certain bounds set for me which I must not depart from…" said Martha to
tell her niece she wasn't content with her role as first of First Lady.
"Many younger and grayer women would be extremely pleased" in her
place; she would "much rather be at home."
She is the oldest daughter of John and Frances Dandrige. Martha was born on June 2, 1731, on a plantation near Williamsburg, VA. Girls did not go to school but Martha learned how to keep an a well ordered household. Tutors taught her to read and write. She learned to sew, cook, and dance. At 18 she married Daniel Park Custis. He left Martha with two very young children when the died in 1757.
Martha married George Washington in 1759. She became the first of First Lady on April 30, 1789. She wasn't content with her role as the first First Lady. George Washington died in 1799. Martha died on May 22, 1802. She died of "severe fever." She is buried with George at their plantation, Mount Vernon.
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
By Maggie, fourth grade, 2003
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