Martha Washington
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington. George Washington was the first president of the United States. People called Martha Washington as Lady Washington. Later on, people started to address the wife of the president as the First Lady. Thus, Martha Washington was the first First Lady of the United States.
She was born near Williamsburg, Virginia. Her parents were John Dandridge (1700–1756) and Frances Jones (1710-1785). Her birth name was Martha ("Patsy") Dandridge. When she became 18 years old, she married Daniel Parke Custis. She had four children named John (Jacky) Parke Custis (1754-1781) and Martha ("Patsy") Parke Custis (1756-1773) survived to young adulthood by Custis. In 1757, Custis died.
In 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington. At that time, George Washington was a Colonel of the British Army. Martha and Washington had no children together.
She outlived her husband. She died on May 22 1802 at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In 1902, the government of the USA issued a postage stamp in her honor. With this she became the first woman to appear on any postal stamp issued in the USA.
