|A modern rendition of how |
Martha might have looked
They had four children, but two died. And then Daniel died, leaving Martha with four-year-old Jacky and 18-month old, Patsy. She was sought after by many suitors but she vowed if she married again she would marry for love. For though she had loved the 38-year-old Daniel Custis in a fashion, it had been a marriage of respect rather than passion. She also vowed to marry a man nearer her own age. She didn’t want to be widowed twice.
One weekend when she and the children were staying over at a neighbor’s estate, a dashing young hero of the French and Indian war happened by. George Washington stayed for dinner. He and Martha hit it off and stayed up all night talking. In hindsight the bond has God’s hand all over it.
The one regret Martha had about their marriage was that she didn’t let George fully be a father to her children. She over-indulged them and Jacky grew to be wild and nearly unmanageable. And sadly, she and George never had any children of their own. I often wonder why God didn’t allow this great man—this great couple—to have heirs.
When the fighting started in New England, George left Martha at Mt. Vernon, to do his duty. The war did not go well. The colonists were out maneuvered, out financed, out trained… yet they felt in their hearts that theirs was a worthy cause. And they felt God was on their side.
So what did Martha do? Every winter she traveled up north and joined George in the camps: Morristown, Valley Forge . . . the conditions were horrible, the supplies scarce. She brought as many supplies as she could from Mt. Vernon. And she sat by the soldiers, held their hands, listened to their stories of home and family, and prayed with them. They came to anticipate the visits of Lady Washington.
But even more than this, Martha was there for George. She was his sounding board, his comforter, his other self. They were a pair ideally suited to each other and the situation at hand.
|President and Mrs. Washington and two |
of their grandchildren
Martha did not want George to be president. Hadn’t he—hadn’t they—sacrificed enough? Duty was all well and good, but didn’t there come a time when a couple could let others lead?
Martha disliked the eight years of George’s presidency. There was much upheaval because everything was new, everything had to be created from nothing. When it was finally time to go back to Mt. Vernon, they both relished the time alone under their own “vine and fig tree.” And yet they were not alone. During the first year they had over 600 overnight guests. I can imagine Martha shaking her head as another stranger knocked on their door. “Set another plate for dinner…”
If you’d like to read more of Martha’s story, read my biographical novel, Washington’s Lady. //Nancy