Martha Dandridge Washington - my connection

 

Martha Washington | First Lady, Biography, & Facts | Britannica

Short Bio for Martha Dandridge Washington

https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/martha-washington/

 

 

Martha Washington — America’s First Lady

1731–1802

 

Martha Washington (1731–1802) was the wife of President George Washington and the first Lady of the United States of America.

Written by Randal Rust

 

Martha Dandridge was born on June 2, 1731, in New Kent County, Virginia. She grew up in a traditional 18th-century household and received an education that focused on domestic skills and academics. When she was 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy plantation owner who was significantly older than her. Together, they had four children, but two of them died in infancy.

 

In 1757, Martha became a widow when Custis died, leaving her with substantial wealth and the responsibility of caring for their two surviving children. It was during this time that she caught the attention of a rising military and political figure named George Washington.

 

Martha and George Washington were married on January 6, 1759, marking the beginning of their lifelong partnership. As George’s military and political career progressed, Martha supported him both privately and publicly. During the American Revolutionary War, she joined him at military encampments such as Valley Forge, Morristown, and Newburgh.

 

After the war and the ratification of the United States Constitution, George Washington was elected as the First President of the United States. Martha, known as the First Lady, embraced her role as a gracious hostess and supported her husband during his presidency. She lived with him in New York City and then Philadelphia.

 

Following his second term as president, Martha and George retired to Mount Vernon. Among their visitors were the Marquis de Lafayette and Catharine Macauley.

 

Unfortunately, President Washington passed away in 1799, leaving Martha a widow for the second time. She outlived her husband by a few years and passed away on May 22, 1802, in the presence of her granddaughter.

Martha Washington is important to United States history because of the role she played as the wife of George Washington, the first President of the United States. During the American Revolutionary War, she supported her husband, joining him at military encampments and helping provide comfort to the soldiers. As the nation’s first First Lady, she established the social customs and expectations for the position.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

 

Short Bio for George Washington

https://share.america.gov/how-george-washington-became-father-of-his-country/

Article written on February 11, 2026

 

Like the monument standing in the U.S. capital that bears his name, George Washington’s place in American history is towering. As a general, his commanding presence inspired the Army that won independence from Britain. As a statesman, he presided over the Constitutional Convention that shaped the United States. And as the country’s first president he established lasting traditions, forging a reputation as “the father of his country.”

 

Washington’s journey to greatness was no coincidence. When he showed up for the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in his militia uniform in 1775, Washington helped the other delegates to see him as a natural choice for Army commander.

 

Though he resigned his commission after the Revolution, he stayed involved in political affairs, arguing for a stronger national government. This made him a natural choice to lead the Constitutional Convention. “He was the moving force for the Constitution,” says Edward J. Larson, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of George Washington, Nationalist. Other delegates had trust in Washington, according to Larson, and that trust moved the effort along. Washington’s central role in developing the Constitution, in turn, would make him a favorite choice for president among the leaders in attendance.

 

Early Life

 

Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the first child of Augustine and Mary Washington, who would have five more children. At the time George was born, they lived in Pope’s Creek. Raised in Virginia by his mother and brother, Washington succeeded as a surveyor on the state’s frontier.

 

In 1735, the family moved to Little Hunting Creek Plantation, on the Potomac River. The Plantation would eventually be renamed Mount Vernon. They lived there for a short time, and moved to Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River, across from Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1738. Washington spent most of his youth at Ferry Farm, although very little is known about his childhood.

 

His father died when he was 11, and he became the ward of Lawrence Washington, his half-brother. Augustine had three children with his first wife, Jane, who died in 1729. Lawrence inherited Little Hunting Creek Plantation. Lawrence was married to Anne Fairfax, the daughter of Colonel William Fairfax. Fairfax had political connections and had been an appointee of the British Crown in the Bahamas and the Colonies.

At the of 16, in 1748, Washington helped survey Virginia’s western frontier. He spent the next few years surveying land and received an appointment as the official surveyor of Culpepper County, Virginia.

 

He inherited Mount Vernon in 1752. Lawrence died in July from tuberculosis. Soon after, his only heir, his daughter Sarah, also died. This left the estate to Washington. He was 20 years old at the time. Adding to his responsibilities, Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Robert Dinwiddie, appointed him as major in the Virginia militia.

 

 As a young militia leader in the French and Indian War (1754–1763), he overcame early setbacks and led British forces to safety during the Battle of the Monongahela after their general was mortally wounded.

 

Washington’s heroics — surviving the Monongahela, despite four bullets passing through his coat made him an obvious choice to lead the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Believing in his own suitability for the job and arriving at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia wearing his militia uniform, Washington inspired confidence. The Congress founded the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775, and named him commander in chief the next day.

 

The next year, on Christmas night 1776, Washington led his soldiers, weary from defeats, across the freezing Delaware River for a surprise attack that brought victory and a morale boost for his men. A few years later, in 1781, Washington deceived the British into anticipating an attack in New York and instead moved south to Virginia, capturing thousands of British troops at Yorktown.

 

On March 15, 1783, in Newburgh, New York, officers under Washington’s command met to discuss whether to mutiny because the Continental Congress had not paid them. Instead of having them arrested, Washington came to address them. He began reading his prepared speech, which would chide the conspirators. At some point he paused to put on his glasses, saying, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country.”

 

By that action, the conspiracy died. Later that year, Washington resigned his commission as commander of the Continental Army. When British King George III was informed that Washington would resign, rather than take over leadership of the new country, he was reported to have said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

 

Yet in 1789, Washington was unanimously elected the first U.S. president. His decision to serve only two four-year terms set a precedent that lasted more than a century and influenced a 1951 constitutional amendment that set a two-term limit for future presidents.

 

At his funeral in 1799, Washington’s friend Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee described him  as, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

George Washington Sources

 
George Washington – Sources
 
https://gw.geneanet.org/tdowling?lang=en&p=frances+orlando&n=jones
by Tim Dowling (who I followed many years ago. I found his information on Geneanet
 
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/martha-washington/
For biographies
 
https://share.america.gov/how-george-washington-became-father-of-his-country/
picture I will use in my blog for introduction
 
WikiTree has sources listed for the Massie family

My George Washington

 
My George Washington, The Father of Our Country
By Nancy Quillin Long
19 Feb 2026

 

My ties are through his wife Martha Dandridge, daughter of John Dandridge II and Frances Orlando Jones.

George Washington married Martha Dandridge. George was her second husband. They had no children together.

Martha Dandridge’s first husband was Daniel Parke Custis. Together they had four children and two other children who died in infancy.

 

From Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, I go up a generation to her mother Frances Orlando Jones. Frances was the daughter of Orlando Jones and Martha Macon.

Frances O Jones married John Dandridge and their first born child was the aforementioned  Martha Dandridge, the Martha who became the 1^st First Lady of America.

 

MARTHA MACON was the sister to ANNE MACON (Anne is where my line connects.)

Anne Macon 1685-1728 married Charles Massie 1678 – 1749

Their son Nathaniel Massie Sr 1727-1802 married twice. Elizabeth Watkins and Ann Clark.

With his first wife Elizabeth Watkins, he had 11 children. Their first born was Mary Massie.

Mary Massie 1756 – 1820 married James Robards 1754 – 1803.

Their daughter Agnes Robards 1792- 1870 married Pleasant Henderson.

Their son James Henderson 1818 – 1870 married Susan Sewell.

Their daughter Sarah M Henderson 1853 – 1922 married Mack Manilus McNair

 

The rest is history…. down to me. The information above brings me to people who my living relatives knew.  

Odd fact: As a child in the early 1960s, my favorite doll was a troll doll that I named Massie. WHERE did that name come from when I was only about 7 years old. I wrote an article titled TOYLAND in 2019, and I highlighted my beloved Massie, a troll doll.

 

So many years ago, I read a biography of George Washington, after which I determined that he was my ultimate hero. Everything about him seemed top notch and full of character. Now today, I sit and trace my family heritage, and into the view, steps George Washington. Years ago, I was excited to see that a young George had surveyed land for my 6^th great-grandmother, Sophia Pope Muse, who had inherited her father’s land when he died.  I was excited to have such rich history and a small connection in some way to this young boy, George Washington, who would become the Father of our Country.

 

Now today, with so many references at our fingertips via computer and DNA, I see that I actually have family ties to George Washington. It is a straight line back to Ann Macon when it goes sideways to her sister Martha Macon.

Nancy < Carolita Jones < Ava McNair < Charles McNair < Sarah Henderson <  James Henderson < Agnes Robards < Mary Massie < Nathaniel Massie < Ann Macon…. Ann is the sister of Martha Macon, who was the mother of Frances Jones. Frances was the mother of Martha Dandridge who married George Washington.

 

It is no wonder now, as I look back, that these families all rubbed shoulders as they carved out the wilderness and moved forward with a common goal. These people helped build most of everything that was to become the United States of America. They came across the ocean with some recognition to their bloodlines. These were the hardy souls who shouldered all the victories and defeats of making America their home and the home of the following generations of people who have enjoyed living in the land of the free!

 

 

https://share.america.gov/how-george-washington-became-father-of-his-country/

Washington became ‘the father of his country’

Article by Charles Hoskinson

Feb 11, 2026

Like the monument standing in the U.S. capital that bears his name, George Washington’s place in American history is towering.

 

As a general, his commanding presence inspired the Army that won independence from Britain. As a statesman, he presided over the Constitutional Convention that shaped the United States. And as the country’s first president he established lasting traditions, forging a reputation as “the father of his country.”

 

Washington’s journey to greatness was no coincidence.

 

When he showed up for the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in his militia uniform in 1775, Washington helped the other delegates to see him as a natural choice for Army commander.

 

Though he resigned his commission after the Revolution, he stayed involved in political affairs, arguing for a stronger national government. This made him a natural choice to lead the Constitutional Convention.

 

“He was the moving force for the Constitution,” says Edward J. Larson, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of George Washington, Nationalist. Other delegates had trust in Washington, according to Larson, and that trust moved the effort along.

 

Washington’s central role in developing the Constitution, in turn, would make him a favorite choice for president among the leaders in attendance.

Constitution and Bill of Rights

 Many thanks to the National Archives for making public these important documents, for ALL to read freely, to give all Americans the right to access this important information free of charge. The following was downloaded from

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

Is four pages long and well worth viewing in entirety on this website

 

THE BILL OF RIGHTS

The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

 ~Preamble to the Bill of Rights

The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn't promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms.

Declaration of Independence

 Many thanks to the National Archives for making public these important documents, for ALL to read freely, to give all Americans the right to access this important information free of charge. The following was downloaded from
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
 
Three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States. The first of those was the Declaration of Independence.

 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Abraham Lincoln called it “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” It continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality.
 
The original became so faded that in …. They had a stone engraving done to preserve this document to endure the ages.
In 1820, the Declaration of Independence was already showing signs of age. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving. This plate was used to print copies of the Declaration. The 1823 Stone engraving is the most frequently reproduced version of the Declaration.
There is a complete transcription on the above website, but here are the first and last paragraphs.
 
In Congress, July 4, 1776
 
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation……
 
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

America - The Land of the Free

 

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=250th&msockid=36572a6063ca6688225c3edd62c267a4&asset_id=2012967189

I have often said, "I'm about as American as they get." That's because most of my family ancestorial lines go back to before the Revolution. My people helped carve out this great nation and made it a place where people from all over the world would want to come. We should always allow for immigrants to come legally here to become citizens.

I'm very proud of my heritage. As I have traced my lineage as a genealogist, I see that there are about 15 men and one woman that I could enter into DAR. I am a member of DAR, proudly documenting the service of Conrad Sherertz, and being the first to honor him with that recognition. 

Here is a list of other possibilities for direct lineage. These men also had brothers who fought in the Revolution.

William Lawson, George Vineyard, Christopher Vineyard, George Campbell, James McNair, Samuel Henderson, Isaac Sowell, Lazarus Hood, James Hulsey, Charles Hulsey, Richard Calloway, Peter Haynie, Joseph Humphries, John Langston, Laodicea Langston.