Martha Washington

Last week, I posted about Rev. Rowland Jones, my 9th great grandfather on my dad’s side. We descend from Rowland’s first son, Robert, who was born in 1676 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In a quest to clean up what was a very messy batch of “could be” children, I ran across an article in The William and Mary Quarterly from 1897 that describes the descendants of Rowland Jones. Thankfully, this helped me pin down his three sons and one daughter … and a 2nd wife.

Because Rowland was the first rector of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, it seemed reasonable there would be more information available about him. I dug around a little more and uncovered something I never suspected … ever.

Rowland’s youngest son, Orlando, married Martha Macon in 1701 in Williamsburg. The Macons were a rather historical and prominent family in their own right. Martha’s father, Gideon, served as Secretary to Governor William Berkeley in the mid-17th century.

Orlando and Martha brought two children into this world – Lane (Laine) in 1707 and Frances in 1710.

Frances went on to marry Colonel John Dandridge in 1730. Of course, the Dandridge family later became a bit of a pillar in the formation of America.

Frances and John Dandridge’s daughter, Martha, was the first of eight children. Martha was born June 2, 1731. She married Daniel Parke Custis on 1750 when she was 18 years old. Together, they had four children, two of whom died young. At the age of 46, Custis died, leaving Martha with a fortune … and two young children.

Two years later, Martha would marry a near 27-year old man by the name of George Washington. Martha and her children moved to his Mount Vernon, Virginia plantation where they became known for their somewhat lavish social events^[1]Martha Washington. (2015). Retrieved Feb 14, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/martha-washington-9524817.. 

Martha was 58 years old when George Washington became America’s first President. Among other more “motherly” roles, she took on the responsibility of planning social events for the President, thus setting a precedent for later First Ladies.

President Washington served two terms, after which he and Martha returned to their Mount Vernon home where they lived until their deaths. George died in 1799 and Martha in 1802 at the age of 71^[2]Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. (2015). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.history.org/almanack/people/bios/biomwash.cfm.. 

Admittedly, I’m a history junkie. One of the reasons I love genealogy is because it helps put history in a personal perspective. Having the ability to connect one’s family to a specific time in history makes history come alive … it makes history real and meaningful in ways that school textbooks could never do. Genealogy makes history more interesting because you can, all of a sudden, connect yourself to it.

I created my first family tree at age 15 and I am still learning … almost daily … something about my family and the history surrounding it. I was never overly interested in the American Revolution until I started tracing the men in my family to it … on both sides of the Crown. Now, I find the ultimate American “royalty” has attached itself to my family tree. Even though she is my 2nd cousin 8x removed, I am certainly proud to to call Martha Washington a relative.