Martha Washington: Life Before the White House

Most people know Martha Washington as the "first lady", but her life was much more than that, and I wanted to talk about her life before the White House, including the time she spent without George Washington.

She was born in Virginia on her father John Dandridge's plantation, Chestnut Grove, on June 2, 1731. Growing up she enjoyed riding horses, climbing trees, dancing, sewing, gardening, and playing the spinet. Although she still had to study, she was well trained in running a household, but she was also taught reading, writing, and mathematics.

At the age of 18, she was married to a wealthy and handsome plantation owner, Daniel Parke Custis. They had a happy marriage, and Custis loved to spoil his new bride with gifts from England. They had four children, but sadly only two survived past infancy. Their names were Patsy and Jacky. Custis became ill in the summer of 1757, and died soon after, leaving Martha a widow with two small children and a 15,000 acre estate.

She then met George Washington, and she fell in love with him even though Washington wanted to marry Sally Fairfax, Martha's neighbor. However George was attracted to Martha, and after Sally married someone else, they wed on January 6, 1759. They then bought and remodeled a house at Mount Vernon, and threw many parties there. They were almost driven to bankruptcy by their frivolous lifestyle.

Tragedy later struck when Patsy died of epilepsy at the age of 17. Martha was heartbroken, and then after the War for Independence broke out her son Jacky also died of "camp fever" on November 5, 1781. Jacky left behind his pregnant wife Eleanor, and their six other children. During the war Martha visited George at Cambridge in the winter of 1775. She didn't see him for another five months after that because of the smallpox outbreak and the tension of the war.  She did get to stay with him after that though, at Valley Forge.

Martha returned to Mount Vernon to help Eleanor through her rough pregnancy, and also to help look after her grandchildren. George joined her there on the Christmas Eve of 1783.

After that George Washington became the first President of the United States, making Martha the very first "first lady".