Table of Contents

Martha WashingtonPrologue: On the Road to History
One: Little Patsy Dandridge
Two: Courtship
Three: Young Mrs. Custis
Four: The Widow Custis and Colonel Washington
Five: Gentry Life at Mount Vernon
Six: Lady Washington and the American Revolution
Seven: Valley Forge and Eventual Victory
Eight: Mount Vernon and a New Family
Nine: The President's Lady
Ten: The Torments of the Second Term
Eleven: "Under Their Vine and Under Their Fig Tree"
Twelve: The Widow Washington
Epilogue: The Real Martha Washington

Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Patricia Brady has a Ph.D. in history from Tulane University and served for twenty years as director of publications at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Her previous books include George Washington's Beautiful Nell. She is the recipient of a Mellon fellowship.

Reviews

Pat Brady rectifies history s omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")

Pat Brady rectifies historyas omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")

Pat Brady rectifies historys omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")

Pat Brady rectifies history's omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")

This solid, scholarly biography, based on published primary sources and manuscript collections, transforms Martha Dandridge Custis Washington from a stodgy historical figure into a charming and vibrant woman. She is depicted as a very human but true heroine who remained steadfast through personal adversity and the uncertainties of war and revolution. The narrative is skillfully set within the context of both daily life and the political intrigues of 18th-century America. Brady, a former director of publications at the Historic New Orleans Collections, stays close to the documentary sources, dismissing the speculation about interracial liaisons in the Custis and Washington families explored in recent works such as Helen Bryan's Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty and Harry Wiencek's An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. Martha's faults, including an unquestioning acceptance of slavery, are not ignored, but this is essentially an admiring biography that focuses on her indomitable spirit and her considerable influence as George Washington's wife and confidante. This work joins Bryan's book as one of only two full-length biographies of Martha Washington published in the past 40 years. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Linda V. Carlisle, Southern Illinois Univ., Edwardsville Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Pat Brady rectifies history s omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")
Pat Brady rectifies historyas omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")
Pat Brady rectifies historys omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")
Pat Brady rectifies history's omission in this informative and entertaining biography of the first First Lady. (Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers") Splendid... a compelling new portrait of a woman and her time. ("The Atlanta Journal-Constitution")