Meet People from the Past

See how George Washington is viewed through the eyes of his family, friends, fellow revolutionaries and enslaved workers.

Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Custis was a widow with two small children when she married the dashing war hero, George Washington, on January 6, 1759. For over 40 years, she was his partner who helped to build Mount Vernon into a seat of commerce and gracious hospitality and who charmed diplomats, officers, and government officials throughout the American Revolution and in her role as the President’s wife.

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Dr. James Craik

James Craik was one of George Washington’s oldest and closest friends. They met while serving in the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War, and later Craik served under Washington during the American Revolution. In 1781, he was appointed “chief physician and surgeon of the army” by Congress. Dr. Craik was also Washington’s personal physician and one of three doctors who attended George Washington on his deathbed in 1799.

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Slammin' Joe

Slammin’ Joe, a dower slave belonging to the estate of Martha Washington’s first husband, worked as a ditch digger at George Washington’s Mansion House farm. Whenever possible, he spent time with his wife Pricilla (Silla), a Washington slave and field worker, and their six children who lived at the outlying Dogue Run farm.

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William Lee

William Lee likely knew George Washington as well as anyone could. Purchased in 1768, Lee became Washington’s valet, or manservant. He rode by Washington’s side during all eight years of the American Revolution where he helped Washington dress, served meals, and delivered personal correspondence. He was also with Washington in Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention, likely in the room during conversations that shaped a nation. Lee was the only enslaved individual freed outright in George Washington’s will.

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Hercules

During the presidency, Hercules, who was mortgaged to Washington in 1767, traveled with the Washingtons to Philadelphia where he served as the cook in the President’s House. He made money by selling slops out of the back door of the executive mansion, and used the money to purchase fine clothes – he was known around the city as a dashing dresser. Hercules successfully ran away during Washington’s second term.

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