The Retired General

George Washington (who preferred his military title of “General” once retired from the Presidency) was only 67 when he died in December, 1799 – a couple of weeks before the turn of the nineteenth century. No doubt he and his wife had been looking forward to that momentous event. 

His death was unexpected and quick. At 67, GW was still vigorous, strong and in full command of his faculties. He still rose early, and enjoyed spending the day in the saddle, inspecting every inch of his beloved Mount Vernon plantation. Sometime he ventured farther afield, since he had many land holdings in various parts of Virginia and elsewhere.

But 67 was a ripe age in the 18th century, and a few months earlier, the former POTUS composed his last will and testament. 

George Washington’s Wealth

George Washington was born to comfortable circumstances, but hardly considered wealthy. Most of his family wealth was in fine Virginia land. When his father died, George was eleven, and oldest sibling to a sister and three younger brothers. Two considerably older half-brothers would inherit the substantial portion of the Washington estate (which included what is now Mount Vernon). George got what was left over, along with the obligation to provide for his now-widowed mother and siblings. 

Fifteen years later, when he married the very wealthy widow Martha Custis, his holdings vastly increased. Where he owned perhaps a few hundred acres and perhaps ten servants, her dower inheritance consisted of more than 18,000 acres. And more than 300 laborers.

During the next forty years of happy marriage, George Washington proved to be an astute businessman and honest manager of her inheritance, which also included the guardianship of her two children, Jacky and Patsy, who were four and two when she remarried. While the inheritance was legally the future property of her children, George managed to increase his own land holdings exponentially, particularly since much of his “militia” salary was paid in land. By the time of his death, he was one of Virginia’s wealthiest landowners. 

The Will of George Washington

As one might expect, GW’s 15-page handwritten will was complex and carefully prepared. His bequests were generous, especially since he had no children of his own. 

First, he had prepared a complete summary of all his property holdings, including how much acreage, its boundaries (which he likely surveyed himself) and how much were tenanted. Having survived all his siblings, these properties were parceled out among his many nephews, nieces and in some cases grand-nephews and nieces. He had been an affectionate uncle, and legal guardian to several of them.

He also made provisions for Martha’s four grandchildren, daughters and son of her late son John Parke Custis (Jack), who had died at Yorktown at age 27. Two of those grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis (Nellie) and George Washington Parke Custis (Washy), were “adopted” by George and Martha and raised at Mount Vernon (and NY-Philadelphia, while GW was President). The older granddaughters, Elizabeth Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis had gone with their mother Eleanor Calvert Custis when she remarried Dr. David Stuart. The Washington’s adored their daughter-in-law, and approved of the remarriage. The family ties were always excellent.

As expected, Mount Vernon and all its accoutrements went to Martha during her lifetime. This not only included the plantation and its household furnishings, but made specific provisions to manumit his slaves – upon Martha’s death. He would have manumitted them directly, but during their forty year marriage, many of his servants had intermarried with hers – and since they (and their offspring) had come to her through Daniel Custis’ estate, he had no legal right to do so. It was a very complex situation. His only direct manumission was Billy Lee, his valet and manservant, along with an annuity to provide for his old age and infirmities. Martha, however, manumitted George’s servants more than a year before she died.

Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is a large and successful plantation, beautifully situated on the Potomac River, and would have always been considered valuable property, but being the home of our beloved (even then) first president, it was all the more valuable.

There have been some indications that George Washington Parke Custis (GWP) was bitterly disappointed that he did not inherit the property. He been raised there since he was an infant. Other than his part-time residences in New York and Philadelphia, he knew no other home. The fact that George Washington left his beloved estate to his nephew Bushrod Washington must have been a hard pill for GWP to swallow.

But GWP was only 19 when his step-grandfather died, and hardly in a position to manage such a large property. Youthful immaturity aside, there is also some strong indication that George Washington was less than impressed by his step-grandson’s intellectual acumen. His father, Martha’s son Jack, had been lackluster in the same way. 

The Bushrod Part

Among the many offspring of George Washington’s siblings, Bushrod Washington, son of John Augustine, was not only the eldest, but perhaps the most promising as well. He attended William & Mary, read law, became a well-regarded Richmond attorney, and subsequently a Supreme Court Justice (appointed by John Adams), shortly before GW’s death.

According to Washington’s will, the Mount Vernon property had been assigned to Bushrod decades earlier (oldest nephew), when GW was still in the Virginia Militia and his brother John looked after it. Had GW sired offspring of his own, that would have changed. But he didn’t.

Mount Vernon duly went to Bushrod, but GW had neglected to provide funds for its upkeep, and the Justice learned first hand that the bequest was a double-edged sword. Neither he, nor his son and grandson could not maintain it at all, and it deteriorated rapidly.

Until the Mount Vernon Ladies Association came to its rescue in 1858…

Sources:

Fraser, Flora – The Washingtons: George and Martha, “Join’d by Friendship, Crown’d by Love” – Knopf Publishing, 2015

Randall, Willard Sterne – George Washington – Galahad Books, 2000

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001