Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty / Edition 1

by Helen Bryan

Overview

A contempary anecdote not only confirms that Martha commanded respect in her own right during her lifetime, but also suggests an awkward truth later historians have preferred to ignore-that without Martha and her fortune, George might never have risen to social, military, and political prominence.Toward the end of his life, George Washington, war hero, retired president, and object of universal fame and veneration, was negotiating to purchase a plot of land in the new capital city, to be named in his honor. The seller, an aged veteran of the Revolution, was reluctant to part with the plot, even to so distinguished a purchaser. Washington persisted until the veteran's patience snapped: 'You think people take every grist that comes from you as the pure grain. What would you have been if you hadn't married the Widow Custis!'
-from the Introduction to
Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty

From the glittering social life of Virginia's wealthiest plantations to the rigors of winter camps during the American Revolution, Martha Washington was a central figure in some of the most important events in American history. Her story is a saga of social conflict, forbidden love affairs, ambiguous wills, mysterious death, heartbreaking loss, and personal and political triumph. Every detail is brought to vivid life in this engaging and astonishing biography of one of the best known, least understood figures in early American life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471158929
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	04/01/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.35(d)

About the Author

HELEN BRYAN was born and has spent much of her life in Virginia; she traces her ancestry to the Revolutionary period, when Martha Washington lived there. She is currently a barrister in London and a member of the Inner Temple.

Table of Contents

Illustrations.

Preface.

Introduction.

Twenty-Five Miles as the Crow Flies from Williamsburg.

"Joh Dandridge's Daughter".

A Young Matron and Her Family.

The Widow Custis.

George Washington, His Family and Friends.

A Twelfth Night Wedding.

Halcyon Days.

Uneasy Times.

Sudden Changes and Milestones.

"Mrs. Washington, a Warm Loyalist".

"I Doe My Dear Sister Most Religiously Wish There Was an End to the Matter".

"General Washington's Lady, an Example of Persistent Industry".

"A Dreary Kind of Place".

Middlebrook and Morristown.

"We Look Upon the Americans as Already at Our Feet".

A Long Time Going Home.

"Under Their Own Vine and Fig Tree".

"The General Is Gone to New York".

"A State Prisoner".

Philadelphia.

"Duty and Inclination".

Transitions.

"Once More, Under Our Own Vine and Fig Tree".

"No More Trials to Pass Through".

Epilogue.

A Culinary Lagniappe: Recipes from Martha Washington's Books of Cookery and Book of Sweetmeats.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"...tells Martha's story with a seductive mix of relish, insight and scholarship..." (Camden New Journal, 15 August 2002)

"Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was at the center of attention her whole life; mistress of large plantations, married to two of the most influential and wealthy Virginians, and as Lady Washington, the General's wife and First Lady. Unfortunately, with only a few of her actual letters extant, much of what we know about Martha Washington is from inference. Bryan mines the whole spectrum of the social, economic, and political world in which Martha moved, and even analyzes a few skeletons in the closet, not the least being the mysterious death of Martha's brother-in-law, Mulatto Jack, a slave who had been designated to inherit the fortune that went to Martha's first husband. The book is one of the best treatments anywhere of the early Virginia aristocracy; indeed, this comes in for so much emphasis that one half of the book covers the period before 1775. The author touches lightly on Martha's sojourns with her husband during the military campaigns and as First Lady. Nevertheless, this book is a singular accomplishment, beautifully written and most enlightening about both Martha and George. Recommended for general and academic collections. Copyright 2002 American Library Association"

Editorial Reviews

* "...tells Martha's story with a seductive mix of relish, insight and scholarship..." (Camden New Journal, 15 August 2002)

"Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was at the center of attention her whole life; mistress of large plantations, married to two of the most influential and wealthy Virginians, and as Lady Washington, the General's wife and First Lady. Unfortunately, with only a few of her actual letters extant, much of what we know about Martha Washington is from inference. Bryan mines the whole spectrum of the social, economic, and political world in which Martha moved, and even analyzes a few skeletons in the closet, not the least being the mysterious death of Martha's brother-in-law, Mulatto Jack, a slave who had been designated to inherit the fortune that went to Martha's first husband. The book is one of the best treatments anywhere of the early Virginia aristocracy; indeed, this comes in for so much emphasis that one half of the book covers the period before 1775. The author touches lightly on Martha's sojourns with her husband during the military campaigns and as First Lady. Nevertheless, this book is a singular accomplishment, beautifully written and most enlightening about both Martha and George. Recommended for general and academic collections. Copyright 2002 American Library Association"

From the Publisher

Currently a barrister in London, Bryan was born and raised in Virginia, and traces her ancestry to the Revolutionary period when Martha Washington resided there. As an adult, a general curiosity about Martha Washington led Bryan to conduct the research resulting in this book, which reveals "a complex picture of a woman who was very much a product of an earlier period in American history, and who simply cannot be understood in terms of twentieth-century attitudes." Includes 23 b&w illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews