Mary Ball Washington
| Mary Ball Washington | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Mary Ball November 30, 1708 Lively, Lancaster County, Colony of Virginia, British America |
| Died | August 26, 1789 (aged 80) Spotsylvania County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Augustine Washington |
| Children |
George Washington Betty Washington Lewis Samuel Washington John Augustine Washington Charles Washington Mildred Washington |
Mary Ball Washington, born Mary Ball (November 30, 1708 – August 26, 1789), was the second wife of Augustine Washington, a planter in Virginia, and the mother of George Washington, the first President of the United States, and five other children.
Mary Ball was born in 1708 in Lively, Virginia in Lancaster County. She was the only child of Col Joseph Ball and his second wife, Mary Montague. She was of three quarters English and one quarter Dutch descent. Fatherless at three and orphaned at twelve, Mary Ball was placed under the guardianship of George Eskridge, a lawyer, in accordance with the terms of her mother's will, for whom her son George Washington, was named, consistent with the naming conventions at the time. (See the appendix of the book Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer for an insightful discussion of four naming conventions in use at the time in Great Britain.)
Mary Ball first met Augustine Washington at the home of her brother Joseph Ball outside London, England when he was in England on business and visiting his sons Lawrence and Austin (Augustine, Jr.) who were students at the prestigious preparatory school, Appleby's. Augustine Washington was sick and Mary Ball nursed him back to health. Augustine returned to Virginia and learned his wife Jane Butler Washington had died during his journey abroad. When the widower Augustine Washington heard that Mary Ball returned to Virginia, he went over to where she lived and proposed. They married on March 6, 1731 when she was 22 years old. It was her first marriage and his second.
Together, Mary and Augustine had the following children:
Her third son, John Augustine Washington, was the father of Bushrod Washington, who was nominated by President John Adams to the U.S. Supreme Court, and confirmed by the Senate in 1798, while his Uncle George was living in retirement at Mount Vernon. Charlestown, West Virginia, is named for her fourth son, Charles Washington, the national capital and many other cities, towns and villages are named "Washington" for her first son, George Washington.
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