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Martha Washington (''née'' Dandridge; – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime she was often referred to as "Lady Washington". Widowed at 25, she had four children with her first husband Daniel Parke Custis. Two of her children by Custis survived to young adulthood. She brought great wealth to her marriage to Washington, which enabled him to buy land and many slaves to add to his personal estate. She also brought nearly 100 dower slaves for her use during her lifetime; they and their descendants reverted to her first husband's estate at her death and were inherited by his heirs.〔 She and Washington did not have children together but they did rear her two children by Daniel Parke Custis, including son John "Jackey" Custis, as well as helping both of their extended families. ==Early life and marriages== Martha Dandridge was born on June 2, 1731〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://marthawashington.us/exhibits/show/martha-washington--a-life/early-life/birth-and-family-of-origin )〕 on her parents' plantation Chestnut Grove in the British colony, Province of Virginia. She was the oldest daughter of John Dandridge (1700–1756), a Virginia planter and English immigrant, and Frances Jones (1710–1785) of English, Welsh, and French descent.〔(First Lady Biography: Martha Washington )〕 Martha had three brothers and four sisters: John (1733–1749), William (1734–1776), Bartholomew (1737–1785), Anna Marie "Fanny" Dandridge Bassett (1739–1777), Frances (1744–1757), Elizabeth Dandridge Aylet Henley (1749–1800), and Mary Dandridge (1756–1763). She may have had an illegitimate half-sister, Ann Dandridge Costin (years of birth and death unknown), who was born into slavery; Costin's enslaved mother was African and Cherokee and her father was believed to be John Dandridge.〔 John Dandridge may also have fathered an out-of-wedlock half-brother of Costin's named Ralph Dandridge (years of birth and death unknown), who was probably white.〔Bryan, Helen. ''Martha Washington, First Lady of Liberty''. Wiley, 2002. ISBN 978-0-471-15892-9. Pages (26 )–(27 ). Retrieved from Google Books on February 27, 2010.〕 On May 15, 1750, at age 18, Martha married Daniel Parke Custis, a rich planter two decades her senior. They lived at White House Plantation on the south shore of the Pamunkey River, a few miles upriver from Chestnut Grove. She had four children with him: Daniel, Frances, John, and Martha. Daniel (1751–1754) and Frances (1753–1757), died in childhood. Their two other children, John (Jacky) Parke Custis (1754–1781) and Martha ("Patsy") Parke Custis (1756–1773), survived to young adulthood. Martha's husband's death in 1757 left Martha a rich young widow at age 25, with independent control over a dower inheritance for her lifetime, including 17,500 acres, 300 slaves, and trustee control over the inheritance of her minor children.〔"Martha Dandridge Custis Washington." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Biography in Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.〕 "She capably ran the five plantations left to her when her first husband died, bargaining with London merchants for the best tobacco prices."〔 Martha Dandridge Custis, age 27, and George Washington, age nearly 27, married on January 6, 1759, at the White House plantation. As a man who lived and owned property in the area, Washington likely knew both Martha and Daniel Parke Custis for some time before his death. During March 1758 he visited her twice at White House; the second time he came away with either an engagement of marriage or at least her promise to think about his proposal. At the time, she was also being courted by the planter Charles Carter, who was even wealthier than Washington.〔(Brigid Schulte, "Fresh Look at Martha Washington: Less First Frump, More Foxy Lady" ), ''Washington Post,'' 1 February 2009, accessed 1 April 2012〕 The wedding was grand. Washington's suit was of blue and silver cloth with red trimming and gold knee buckles.〔''The Complete Book of U. S. Presidents'' ISBN 0-517-18353-6〕 The bride wore purple silk shoes with spangled buckles, which are occasionally displayed at Mount Vernon.〔 The couple honeymooned at White House for several weeks before setting up house at Washington's Mount Vernon estate. They appeared to have had a solid marriage.〔〔 Martha and George Washington had no children together, but they raised Martha's two surviving children. Her daughter, nicknamed Patsy, died as a teenager during an epileptic seizure, classed as SUDEP. John Parke "Jacky" Custis returned from college to comfort his mother. Custis later married and had children; he served as an aide to Washington during the siege of Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. He died of "camp fever" (probably epidemic typhus). After his death, the Washingtons raised two of John's four children, Eleanor Parke Custis (March 31, 1779 - July 15, 1852), and George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 - October 10, 1857). They also provided personal and financial support to nieces, nephews and other family members in both the Dandridge and Washington families. Content to live a private life at Mount Vernon and her homes from the Custis estate, Martha Washington followed Washington to his winter encampments for each of eight years. She helped keep up morale among the officers. After the war, she opposed his agreeing to be President of the newly formed United States of America, and refused to attend his inauguration on April 30, 1789. Once he assumed office, as the First Lady, Martha Washington hosted many affairs of state at New York and Philadelphia during their years as temporary capitals. (The capital was moved to Washington D.C. in 1800 under the Adams administration, following construction of the Capitol and White House). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Martha Washington」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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