Mary
Ball Washington
Mother
of George Washington
George Washington,
the first President of the United States, was known for his
strong will, stubborn patience, and determination to overcome
obstacles which enabled him to lead the armies of the new nation
to victory in the American Revolution. Credit for his strength
of character is often attributed to his mother, Mary Ball Washington.
Mary Ball
Washington was a self-assured woman with great leadership potential.
She maintained a level of control with those she was in contact
with and had a dynamic presence which was one of the remarkable
traits of her character. Though she is known to have been stern
with a high level of expectation, she was also very kind and
gentle. Mary conducted herself throughout her life with virtue
and discretion worthy of the mother of the greatest hero in
American History.
Though her
grandfather, William Ball, had been born in England , the Ball
family migrated to Virginia around 1650. The daughter of Joseph
Ball and Mary Montague Johnson Ball, Mary was born in Lancaster
County , Virginia in 1708. She was born into a blended family
since each of her parents had children from previous marriages.
Her father died only a few years after his daughter was born
and her mother remarried. Mary Ball grew up learning those lessons
every lady should know--sewing, knitting, and cooking. Her mother
also instilled in her a strong faith in God.
By age thirteen,
both of Mary’s parents had died. Mary spent the next nine years
dividing her time between her half sister, Elizabeth Bonum,
and Colonel George Eskridge, her guardian. Little is known of
these years, but it is believed that Mary Ball was tutored in
with the other children on the Eskridge plantation where she
learned read and write. She was also an avid horsewoman.
Family tradition
tells that Mary Ball traveled to England when she was about
twenty years old. During her visit with her half brother, Joseph
Ball, she met Augustine Washington . Washington lived in Virginia
and was visiting London at the same time. The two were married
in 1730 in Virginia .
Augustine
Washington was a well-established widower, thirty-seven years
of age, with three children from his previous marriage. After
they were married, the Washington family took up house at Pope’s
Creek Plantation, later called Wakefield . The next year, on
February 22, Mary gave birth to her first child, George, named
for her guardian, George Eskridge. She gave birth to two more
children, Betty & Samuel, while living at Wakefield , who
were named after her other guardians, her sister and brother-in-law.
In 1736
the family moved to Hunting Creek, which was later renamed Mt.
Vernon , and Mary gave birth to two more children, John Augustine
and Charles. Two years later Augustine purchased Ferry Farm
to be closer to his iron business, and the family moved. Mary’s
last child, a daughter, Mildred was born after this and died
at 16 months.
Since their
plantation was isolated and Augustine was often gone on business,
Mary carried the responsibility for overseeing the plantation
and caring for her family. This made Mary the spiritual mentor
of her children. She taught them Bible stories and it was from
the Bible that she taught them to read and write. She also read
to them from the few other good books she had, and she taught
them Christian behavior, encouraging their good character through
training and example.
While living
at Ferry Farm, Augustine died unexpectedly at the age of 49.
Mary, who had become an orphan at age 13, was now a widow at
the age of 35 with five young children to raise on her own.
Her independent spirit may have helped her overcome some of
the problems faced by an 18th century single mother.
Because
of the culture of this time period, there was no community property
and a married woman could not actually own property. This left
Mary in a precarious state. George was 11 at the time of his
father’s death. Under Augustine’s will, Mt. Vernon was left
to George’s half-brother, Lawrence, and Ferry Farm was left
to George. Provision was made for Mary to receive the benefit
of the crops for five years and possession of Ferry Farm until
George came of age.
The death
of his father was very hard on the young George. Being Mary’s
eldest and that his older half-brothers were already living
on their own, George became the man of the house. It also meant
that he would not be able to travel to England to be educated,
as was the custom of the day for young men. George looked to
his older half-brother, Lawrence as a role model. To allow George
to further his education under the tutelage of Lawrence , Mary
let George move to Lawrence ’s home, Mt. Vernon . At the age
of fourteen, with the help of Lawrence , George was offered
a position as mid-shipman in the Royal Navy. Mary was not comfortable
with this decision and ultimately forbade George to enlist.
Though disappointed,
he obeyed the wishes of his mother. Mary offered a disappointed
George another opportunity. They dusted off Augustine’s surveying
equipment and hired a tutor. Within a few years George was buying
up land with the money he earned surveying big tracts of Virginia
. It was during this time that George came to know the land
so well, which led to his being assigned to military command
against the French in the French-Indian War. The experience
he gained in this war prepared him to lead the American Revolution,
where he gained the wisdom he would need to serve as the first
President of the United States.
Mary continued
to live at Ferry Farm and worked the land for over 45 years
after the death of her husband and she never remarried. Though
she was a strongly independent woman, in her later years, when
George became of age, Mary had to rely on George for her financial
support. There is correspondence between the two that suggests
that Mary was not always satisfied with the level of support
she received from her son.
The relationship
between mother and son is one that is disputed, but George Washington
did care for his mother in her later years. When Mary was about
64 years old, George purchased a home for her in Fredericksburg
, Virginia where she would live out the remaining 17 years of
her life close to her daughter Betty. In 1787, when she was
79 years old, George strongly urged her to move from the house
and live with one of her children, but she refused. For a time
it seemed as if she’d move in with her son John, however, he
died before she ever moved.
Mary Ball
Washington lived to see her son elected President. George paid
his last visit to his mother at the house in Fredericksburg
in April 1789 en route to New York for his inauguration. Mary
Ball Washington died on August 25, 1789 at the age of 81.