Mary Ball Washington

by Craig Shirley

  He added, “Here under this bright sky and in these clear sunbeams the first monument is to be dedicated in remembrance of this noble American matron; . . . [built] by a glorious band of women who determined to rescue the memory of the mother of Washington from the corroding hand of time.”18

  President Cleveland continued for some time, emphasizing the importance of Mary to her son, and how her son transformed not just the nation that he led, but the entire world. Right after, Mann Page, the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, officially dedicated the monument.19

  It was complete. The monument stands today in blazing white, surrounded by a wrought iron fence. It was the first national monument in the nation dedicated to a woman.

  IN 1954, PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER VISITED FREDERICKSBURG ON Mother’s Day, May 9, after earlier commemorating the anniversary of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues farther south. He signed the register of, but did not visit, her house, then spoke at her gravesite in a special ceremony. It was a short but sweet visit on a rainy day, only about twenty minutes long but noticeably important. Mary, he said to a crowd of several thousand, “gave us the greatest American of them all, and on this day we think of his great attributes of patience and of his courage in adversity, his perseverance, his faith in him, his God, and his country. If we remember those things, ceremonies like this will take on added significance.” Wearing a white carnation pinned on his black suit, he placed a wreath at the foot of her monument.20

  Fredericksburg and the area around Lancaster has honored the mother of the first president in other ways. In 1938, the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg, established in 1908, was renamed to Mary Washington College (it was renamed University of Mary Washington in 2004). In Lancaster, a road runs several miles through beautiful countryside, called, simply, Mary Ball Road. In 1943 was completed the SS Mary Ball, a Liberty cargo ship, owned and operated by the United Fruit Company for three years before being placed on the National Defense Reserve Fleet (she was scrapped in 1972). A small but dedicated volunteer group runs the Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library in Lancaster. Ball family descendants live today in and around the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula of Virginia.

  And her house in Fredericksburg, which her son George had purchased for her, is and has been a popular tourist attraction in a town steeped in Revolutionary War and Civil War history.

  THAT IS THE LEGACY SHE LEFT. BUT IT’S MUCH MORE THAN THAT TOO. Roads and museums and monuments and a college are in her name. The way historians viewed her has changed more than a little since her son’s first biographer, Parson Weems, wrote his book. Who made this Founding Father, but his mother, the woman who influenced him for good or for ill? “Mrs. Mary Washington,” wrote historian and author Washington Irving, “is represented as a woman of strong plain sense, strict integrity, and an inflexible spirit of command.”21 Positive or negative in tone, that has remained a constant in her histories. Whether Freeman or Pryor, both say she was a strong character who forged her son’s destiny.

  Yet for all her fierceness, Mary was ultimately indebted to and entrenched in the establishment of her youth. She did not take those vital next steps into a broader world, as George did. A member of the establishment religion, she raised George Washington in faith, giving him those first lessons about his place in society. But when the time came for George to follow his calling into peril and rebellion, Mary sought to check him. In a way, George’s first battle for freedom was from his own mother. For all Mary’s faith and devotion, in the end her motherly love may have been as much about authority as affection.

  It was thus that George Washington came to manhood, under the “Maternal hand,” as he wrote, of Mary Ball Washington. It made him the man he was: stubborn, singular, awe-inspiring, and independent.

  Mary Ball Washington, the Mother of the Father—born and raised and lived and died in Virginia, with no travel overseas or out of the colony, then commonwealth, living to at least eighty, a widow, the Rose of Epping Forest, the Belle of the Northern Neck—lives on in the hearts and minds of her fellow Americans.

  She was and always will be George Washington’s Honored Madam.

  Acknowledgments

  Sometimes I think writing a book is vaguely akin to making a documentary, but with a lot more research and drafting and many, many more hours. There are many behind-the-scenes players who work tirelessly and with so much expertise; without their help, the project would remain just a dream. They help in the making of this book not for themselves, but for the facts. As you don’t see the Sturm und Drang that goes into making a documentary, it is the same with a book. But as Winston Churchill said, of writing a book, eventually “you fling him out to the public.” Before any flinging is done, however, there are some people I need to thank.

  Thank you to my family, especially my wife, my best friend, the center of my universe, Zorine. I never want to think what my life would be like without my wonderful life partner. She edits, questions, cajoles, and makes better all my works; but on this one, Zorine really dug in and helped create the final book you are now reading.

  And to our children, Matthew, Andrew, Taylor, and Mitchell. Thanks for all the support and love. Thank you also to my mother, Barbara Shirley Eckert, who has always been there for me and who did so much preliminary research on Mary Ball Washington. Thank you, Mother. All have helped me tremendously in this project, supporting me from the beginning.

  Thank you, Scott Mauer, my researcher, who has now become a very dear friend. Scott is a superb individual in every measure of a man and a professional. We’ve now worked on three books together and in each case, Scott has come through like a champ. If I was to undertake any task whatsoever, one of the first people I would call would be Scott.

  A special comment must be made here about Hannah Long, my editor at HarperCollins. Hannah worked tirelessly, patiently, calmly, professionally, and cheerfully to see this book though from beginning to end. She simply made this book better. Thank you, Hannah.

  Also thank you to Doug Bradburn, president of Mount Vernon, who was so helpful in every request. Thank you, Doug.

  Thank you, Bridget Matzie, a great friend and a great agent. None of this would have happened without Bridget. Thank you. Thank you to my partner Patricia Halgas and the staff at Shirley & Banister, including Kevin McVicker, Cassandre Durocher, Sarah Selip, Carolyn Lisa, Taylor Shirley, Bryson Boettger, and Francesca Goerg, for your patience and support and encouragement.

  Thank you to Gay Hart Gaines, the Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in American History of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, formerly president of that illustrious association, who is a dear friend and close confidant. A strong and smart woman in her own right. Thank you to Jon Meacham for being a pal and supporter. Jon is one of America’s best historians. Each time we talk, I learn something new.

  Stewart McLaurin, of the White House Historical Association, has been a friend and supporter for many years. John Heubusch, Joanne Drake, Melissa Giller, and Fred Ryan, all of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, were all delighted to hear of this project, because they love history as I do. Thank you, all. And thanks to Maureen Mackey, who also edited this book. This is the second book of mine that she has worked on and, like last time, she would not accept anything less than excellence.

  Michelle Hamilton, manager of the Mary Washington House, was eager to help and was thrilled to hear of this project. She offered unpublished anecdotes, wisdom, and documents which she had collected for this book. As manager for several years, she has placed an indelible mark on this historical house in Fredericksburg. Thank you for everything, and for your enthusiasm in answering all questions.

  Thank you to Genevieve Bugay, manager of the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, who gave insight into eighteenth-century medicine and provided much-needed material on the health of Mary Ball Washington, especially as her cancer affected her through her later life.

  Thank you to Katie King, manager, and Daniel Hawki
ns, guide, at the Rising Sun Tavern, Charles Washington’s former home in Fredericksburg. The tavern was converted after Charles Washington had moved to Charles Town, West Virginia, and the tour and knowledge learned of social customs were absolutely necessary to paint a living picture. Thank you, both.

  The Mary Washington House, Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, the Rising Sun Tavern, and St. James’s House are owned and operated by the Washington Heritage Museums, based in Fredericksburg. Thank you, all, especially executive director Anne Darron.

  Thank you to Gary Hayes, guide at Kenmore, and all the managers at that historical home, for providing great insight to the life of both Fielding and Betty Lewis. Those at Ferry Farm too, who honor Washington.

  Thank you, all others at Mount Vernon, including historian Mary Thompson and director of archaeology Luke Pecoraro. Also to Angelica Yost and Samantha Snyder of Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has been working for over 160 years promoting and helping the nation learn of its first president. Curt Viebranz, former president of Mount Vernon, has been an enthusiastic supporter of my works. Thank you, Curt.

  Both Karen Hart and Barbara Whitbeck at the Mary Ball Washington Library and Museum in Lancaster were jovial and knowledgeable in their history of George Washington’s mother. The Library offered many documents—some published, some not—all conveniently ready to view. Their hard work helped enormously. Thank you.

  Thank you, Jack Bales, Reference and Humanities Librarian, and Gary Stanton, professor, at University of Mary Washington, who helped guide this book with sourced documents and period knowledge.

  Gary introduced the project to J. Travis Walker, archivist at the Fredericksburg Circuit Court Archive, who had previously worked as a researcher for Ferry Farm, George Washington’s childhood home and where Mary lived for many decades of her life. And thanks to Carolyn Parsons, Head Archivist, University of Mary Washington.

  Thank you to Hilary Derby, a local historian in Northumberland County who helped track down seventeenth-century documents at the Northumberland Public Library, and who was eager as any to dive right in.

  Thank you, Mike Moses, secretary at Fredericksburg’s Masonic Lodge, of which George Washington and so many of his compatriots were members. Thank you, Shelby L. Handler.

  Thank you to Michele Lee Silverman, research services librarian at the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, D.C.

  Thank you to Melissa Corben, supervisor at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument.

  Nancy Moore, Virginiana Room Manager at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and Judy Chaimson at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center both provided unpublished documents of the Virginia Herald and other rare items from and after the period. Thank you.

  Thank you to Kate Collins at the David M. Rubenstein Library at Duke University and thank you, Kathryn Blizzard of the Washington Papers at the University of Virginia, for hunting down primary documents scattered throughout the country.

  Sophie Lillington, manager of the Epping Forest Museum in London, England, answered questions of the Balls’ and Washingtons’ English ancestry. Thank you, Sophie, for giving a distinctly “English” vibe.

  Thank you to Graham T. Dozier and Jameson Davis at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (paintings).

  Thank you, of course, to Eric Nelson and Eric Meyers, my managing editors at HarperCollins, who have been patient and supportive of me every step of the way. And thank you to Adam Bellow, who supported this project from the beginning.

  Some other supportive family and friends need mentioning. They include Michael McShane, George F. Will, Newt Gingrich, Kevin Kabanuk, John Morris, Patricia Gallagher, Rick and Sue Johnson, Mike Murtagh, Roshan and Perin Bhappu, Tom and Lyn Finnigan, Frank Donatelli, Carl Cannon, Paul Bedard, Jennifer Harper, Dan Wilson, and Charles Pratt.

  My deepest appreciation to all.

  I am known as a Reagan biographer, having written four books on our fortieth president with several more to come. But I have also written other books as well, on Newt Gingrich, on World War II, and other topics. Each has been immeasurably pleasurable. So it is also with Mary Ball Washington. Mary Ball Washington is a compelling though underreported and fascinating figure of history.

  I hope with this book to have helped—in a small way—to rescue Mary from drifting into the forgotten sands of time.

  Craig Shirley

  Ben Lomond, California

  2019

  Notes

  ABBREVIATIONS

  The Diaries of George Washington—DGW

  The Papers of Benjamin Franklin—PBF

  The Papers of George Washington. Colonial Series—PGWCol

  The Papers of George Washington. Revolutionary War Series—PGWRev

  The Papers of George Washington. Confederation Series—PGWCon

  The Papers of George Washington. Presidential Series—PGWPres

  The Papers of George Washington. Retirement Series—PGWRet

  The Papers of James Madison—PJM

  The Papers of Thomas Jefferson—PTJ

  The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series—PTJRet

  WORKS OF INTEREST

  George Washington by Henry Cabot Lodge (American Statesmen series; Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1889).

  George Washington by William H. Rideing (True Stories of Great Americans series; New York: Macmillan, 1916).

  Basic Writings of George Washington edited by Saxe Commins (New York: Random House, 1948).

  The Story-Life of Young George Washington by Wayne Whipple (Philadelphia: John C. Winston, 1911).

  PROLOGUE

  1. Letter from Marquis de Chastellux to George Washington, August 23, 1789; George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  2. Patricia Brady, Martha Washington: An American Life (New York: Penguin, 2005), 69–70.

  3. Jessie Biele and Michael K. Bohn, Mount Vernon Revisited (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2014), 11.

  4. David McCullough, 1776 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 44.

  5. David A. Clary, George Washington’s First War: His Early Military Adventures (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011), 9.

  6. Clary, 8.

  7. Dorothy Twohig, “The Making of George Washington,” in George Washington and the Virginia Backcountry, ed. Warren R. Hofstra (Madison, WI: Madison House, 1998), 7.

  8. Silas Weir Mitchell, The Youth of Washington, Told in the Form of an Autobiography (New York: Century, 1910), 76–77.

  9. Letter from George Washington to Joseph Jones, February 11, 1783, manuscript/mixed material, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  10. Letter from George Washington to Bryan Fairfax, March 1, 1778, PGWRev, vol. 14, ed. David R. Hoth (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2004), 9–11.

  11. Bonnie Angelo, First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents (New York: HarperCollins, 2000), 406.

  12. Letter from George Washington to Mary Ball Washington, February 15, 1787, PGWCon, ed. W. W. Abbot, vol. 5 (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1997), 33–37.

  13. Douglas Southall Freeman, George Washington, vol. 5 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1951), 491.

  14. “The Story of Mary Washington,” American Monthly Magazine (Washington, DC), vol. 2, January–June 1893, 735.

  15. Margaret C. Conkling, Memoirs of the Mother and Wife of Washington (Auburn, NY: Derby, Miller, and Co., 1850), 20.

  16. Freeman, George Washington, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1948), 193.

  17. George Washington Parke Custis, Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington (New York: Derby & Jackson, 1860), 131.

  18. James Thomas Flexner, George Washington: The Forge of Experience, 1732–1775 (Boston: Little, Brown, 1965), 41.

  19. James Thomas Flexner, George Washington and the New Nation (1783–1793) (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1969), 227.

  20. Lydia H. Sigourney, Great and Good Women: Biographies for Girls (Edinburgh: William P
. Nimmo, 1866), 124.

  21. Custis, Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, 131.

  22. Letter from George Washington to the Citizens of Fredericksburg, February 14, 1784, PGWCon, vol. 1, 122–23.

  CHAPTER 1: VIRGIN LAND AND VIRGIN LOVE

  1. James Horn, Adapting to a New World: English Society in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994), 159–77.

  2. Edward G. Lengel, First Entrepreneur (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2016), 10.

  3. Marion Harland, The Story of Mary Washington (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1893), 3–4.

  4. “New Historic Preservation Easements,” Notes on Virginia, no. 32 (1989), 5–8.

  5. F. L. Brockett and George W. Rock, A Concise History of the City of Alexandria, Va. (Alexandria: Gazette Book and Job Office, 1883), 6.

  6. David Brown, “Skeleton of Teenage Girl Confirms Cannibalism at Jamestown Colony,” Washington Post, May 1, 2013.

  7. Virginia Gazette, March 10, 1774, May 16, 1755, June 31, 1771, April 15, 1773, April 1, 1780, April 21, 1768, Colonial Williamsburg Archives, Williamsburg, Virginia.

  8. Joseph J. Ellis, The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783–1789 (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015), 40.

  9. Brockett and Rock, A Concise History of the City of Alexandria, Va., 5–6.

  10. Daniel Blake Smith, Inside the Great House: Planter Family Life in Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake Society (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1980), 80.

  11. Abigail Adams, “Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March–5 April 1776,” Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive, accessed March 12, 2019, https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17760331aa.

  12. E. James Ferguson, The American Revolution: A General History, 1763–1790 (Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press, 1974), 25.