Was George Washington sterile? Today marks the 1731 birth of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, our first "First Lady", although the term was not in use at the time. She married for the first time at age 19 to Daniel Parke Custis who was almost 20 years her senior. During their seven year marriage which ended with his death, Martha gave birth to four children, two survived to adulthood. Custis' death left Martha a very wealthy widow. On her own she managed five plantations that were left to her, with 300 slaves and the equivalent of $4,000,000 in today's money. And she apparently negotiated with her British factors in an able manner. Unlike the matronly, frumpish image we have of Lady Washington today, contemporary accounts demonstrate the 28 year old whom Washington (and others) courted to be attractive and lively. Since early colonial days, in New England love was considered to be a necessary prerequisite for marriage. Not so in Virginia wher...
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