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Biography of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington: The First First Lady

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Martha Washington was an amazing woman. She grew up in a slightly better than average lifestyle. Then she became a wife, mother, and then a widow. Martha also became one of the richest women in Virginia. Then she became George Washington’s wife and went on to become the first first lady. She lived to the age of seventy and managed to outlive her husband and many others. Martha Washington also was a part of the American Revolution and helped her husband throughout the war. She did all this and much more. Martha Dandridge was born on June 2, 1731, to Frances Jones Dandridge and Colonel John Dandridge. She was the eldest of seven brothers and sisters to come. Martha was born in New Kent County, Virginia on the Chestnut Grove plantation. She…show more content…
On January 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington. They moved to Mount Vernon around April of 1759. Washington treated Martha’s children as his own. At the age of twelve, though, “Patsy” began having violent seizures and died on June 19, 1773, at the age of seventeen. “Jacky” married on February 3, 1774, at the age of nineteen; he and his wife, Eleanor, had four children. Unfortunately, he died on November 5, 1781, at the age of twenty-six. His wife and their four children stayed at Mount Vernon after he died. During the 1760’s, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington settled down and her life revolved around her home and her family. As tensions with Britain rose, she became a target and Washington convinced her to leave Mount Vernon. She would spend time with family and friends while moving from location to location. Martha would stay with George during the winter throughout the years of the war at places like Valley Forge and Morristown, New Jersey. There were many other women at the camps also but she had more responsibility than them. She was Washington’s secretary and his representative. She tended to the sick and wounded. She also created a camp social center by inviting guests to the camp. Martha also organized a women’s sewing circle that would often mend clothing. All of these things were part of the success of the war. After the war, her son’s widow remarried and two of Martha’s grandchildren
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