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Martha Dandridge Custis Washington |
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| Index for First Ladies Martha Washington |
Born June 2, 1731
Her father Colonel John Dandridge was a wealthy plantation owner. She liked to ride horses and was reported to once ride her horse right into her uncle's home. She married Colonel Daniel Parke Custis when she was only seventeen. They had four children. Two of the children died when they were babies. Her husband died when Martha was 25. She married George Washington three years later in 1759. George and Martha lived on a plantation called Mount Vernon which is located in Virginia. They didn't have any children together. During the Revolutionary War she would join her husband in camp during the winter months. She was in Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. She helped take care of the sick soldiers during those times. When George became President, Martha moved to New York which was the first capital of the U.S. and then on to Philadelphia the second capital. She didn't like either of those cities. At receptions and social events in her home, she did not allow politics to be discussed. It is reported that she ended the social events at 9 p.m. so President Washington could get his rest. When George Washington's term of office ended in 1797, they returned to Mount Vernon. She died of a fever May 22, 1802
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