Ona Judge, 2026

Summary

The History Chicks: Ona Judge (January 23, 2026) – Episode Summary

Main Theme

This episode of The History Chicks is a deeply-researched and empathetic exploration of the life of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman in the Washington household who famously escaped to freedom. The hosts, Susan and Gilmore, trace Ona’s journey from her birth at Mount Vernon, through her years as Martha Washington’s personal attendant—her “lady’s maid”—to her daring flight from slavery and life as a fugitive in New Hampshire. The episode critically examines the institution of slavery, challenges myths about George and Martha Washington’s so-called “benevolence,” and foregrounds Ona’s agency and resilience amid dehumanizing circumstances.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ona Judge’s Background and Early Life (00:51–17:29)

• Parentage and Early Years: Ona Judge (b. ~1773) was the daughter of Betty, an enslaved seamstress (herself of mixed race), and Andrew Judge, a white English tailor who sold himself into indentured servitude (01:46–06:05).
  • “[Andrew Judge] was the one who made and designed George Washington’s uniform as commander of the colony’s forces.” – Susan (06:05)
• Complex Family Ties: Betty had multiple children by different fathers, all white men working at Mount Vernon. The hosts underscore the lack of true consent for enslaved women in such relationships (04:00–08:17).
• Living Conditions: As a child, Ona lived in the quarters, slept on dirt floors, received minimal rations, and had only minimal time with her mother (09:25–11:34).

The Revolutionary War & Early Notions of Freedom (11:57–16:01)

• In 1781, 17 enslaved people escaped Mount Vernon for the British, drawn by promises of freedom in exchange for fighting for the Crown. Most were recaptured, a few gained their freedom, and the incident hardened the Washingtons against their enslaved workforce.
  • “Every time we hear Washington was a benevolent slaveholder, that's just an oxymoron, right? Because no, there’s no such thing.” – Gilmore (15:27)

Development of Ona’s Skills and Her Role in the Household (16:01–24:23)

• Sewing and Grooming: Betty taught Ona to sew and spin as survival skills to secure less grueling forms of labor (16:01).
• Move into the Household: Around age 10, Ona became Martha Washington’s “personal servant”—a prestigious yet highly restrictive position that placed her under constant observation (17:29–24:23).

Northern Exposure: Washingtons Move to NYC and Philadelphia (24:23–40:40)

• The Washingtons bring Ona and other enslaved servants to the presidential household in New York City, then Philadelphia.
• Culture Shock: Seeing free Black communities in Philadelphia opened Ona’s eyes to new possibilities (29:51).
  • “It’s got to be mind-blowing for her to just have that culture shock between the two locations.” – Gilmore (29:51)
• Cecilia of status: Philadelphia was increasingly abolitionist, though Pennsylvania law allowed for gradual emancipation (40:40–43:20).

Legal Maneuvering and the Reality of Slavery in the North (40:40–50:52)

• Pennsylvania's Gradual Abolition Act: The Washingtons circumvented laws that would free enslaved people after six months in the state by cycling them back to Virginia periodically—deliberately deceiving both the enslaved and the public.
  • “This was a purposeful deception both to the public and the enslaved themselves.” – Susan (40:40)
• Fugitive Slave Act of 1793: Made it federal law to return escaped enslaved people, instituting enormous risks for would-be fugitives (48:00).

Ona’s Decision to Escape: Motivation and Method (50:52–63:32)

• Trigger Event: After years of loyal service, Ona learned she would be given to Martha’s volatile granddaughter as a wedding present. The prospect of a future devoid of autonomy cemented her resolve to flee.
  • “She was no more to this woman than a useful tool that you no longer want and give away... You were certainly not human.” – Susan (57:01)
• Escape Plan: With help from Richard Allen (future founder of the AME Church), Ona plotted her flight, receiving instructions to leave via a ship called the Nancy (60:55–63:32).
  • “Wear a plain dress and go straight to the docks... walk like a free woman with your head up.” – Susan (61:12)

Memorable Segment

• Escape Night (62:57–63:45): Ona leaves the presidential mansion on May 21, 1796, slipping into hiding before taking a ship north.

The Aftermath: Washingtons’ Pursuit and Ona’s New Life (63:45–77:24)

• Immediate Fallout: Washington placed ads for her recapture; the episode reads from one, showing both the ignorance and dehumanization inherent in their descriptions (63:45–65:16).
• Life in New Hampshire: Ona is aided by the local Black community, learns to support herself, and eventually marries free Black sailor Jack Staines (66:24–80:42).
• Continued Threat: The Washingtons attempt twice more to forcibly reclaim her—first through a customs official, then by sending a family member, both thwarted by Ona’s community and her own resourcefulness.
  • “If you come back with me, you’ll not be punished for your misdeeds. Will you come back with me right now?” – Burwell Bassett Jr. (82:42)
  • “No.” – Ona Judge (82:45)

Later Life, Legacy & Records (86:52–91:40)

• Freedom, Loss, and Legacy: Despite always being technically a fugitive, Ona lived free for 52 years, outliving the Washingtons, her husband, and children. She learned to read, found solace in her Bible, and in old age gave two newspaper interviews, ensuring her story endured.
  • “No, I am free and have, I trust, been made a child of God by that means.” – Ona, speaking later in life (90:57)
• Death: Ona died in Portsmouth, NH in 1848 at age 74 (91:40).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On George Washington’s “Benevolence":
  • “Every time we hear, you know, Washington was a benevolent slaveholder, that’s just an oxymoron, right? Because—no, there’s no such thing.” – Gilmore (15:27)
• On the Power Dynamic for Enslaved Women:
  • “There was an absolute power imbalance. No matter what thunderbolt cities may or may not have happened. Who liked who, who was thinking, who was cute, doesn't matter. Women on those plantations were in an absolutely vulnerable position in this regard.” – Susan (06:05)
• Ona on her own freedom:
  • “I am free and have, I trust, been made a child of God by that means.” – Ona, quoted by Susan (90:57)
• Emotional Impact:
  • “I lost my sense of self for a long... a long time. But more importantly, Oni, do you have my tallest bonnet ready for the reception today?” – Susan, on the lack of compassion amid personal loss (52:10)

---

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:26 | 30-second summary of Ona Judge’s life and main theme | | 01:46 | Ona’s birth, parentage, and Mount Vernon background | | 13:03 | Mass escape from Mount Vernon during Revolutionary War | | 17:29 | Ona moves into the Washington household as Martha’s personal maid | | 24:23 | Washingtons move to New York; Ona is selected to go | | 29:51 | Ona’s first impressions of Philadelphia’s free Black population | | 40:40 | Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Act; Washingtons’ deception tactics | | 48:00 | Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 passes; implications discussed | | 57:01 | Martha Washington’s plan to give Ona away as a wedding gift—turning point for Ona | | 60:55 | Richard Allen aids Ona’s escape; the plan is set | | 62:57 | Ona leaves the mansion for the last time (the night of her escape) | | 63:45 | Washington’s advertisement for return; description of Ona | | 66:24 | Ona’s arrival in New Hampshire and integration into free Black community | | 80:42 | Ona marries Jack Staines; legal maneuvers to delay her marriage certificate | | 82:42 | Attempted recapture by Burwell Bassett, Ona’s defiant refusal | | 90:57 | Ona reflects (in a newspaper interview) on her freedom and the price she paid | | 91:40 | Ona’s death and burial site in New Hampshire |

---

Additional Insights

• Women’s Emotional Labor: The hosts emphasize Ona’s emotional labor, acting as a buffer for Martha Washington’s moods under constant pressure.
• Community Networks: The episode highlights the role of free Black communities and key figures like Richard Allen in aiding fugitives.
• Legal and Social Ironies: The hosts note legal absurdities, such as the Fugitive Slave Act's reach and the way the Washingtons used federal power for personal ends.
• Lasting Legacy: Ona’s story is preserved through her own words, thanks to early Black periodicals.

---

Further Listening & Reading Recommendations

Recommended Books:

• Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (95:29)
• Never Caught – Young Readers Edition by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve (95:10)
• All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
• Black History of the White House
• First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz

Web & Video Content:

• Ask a Slave (YouTube series)
• Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon (Podcast)
• Drunk History episode on Ona Judge

---

Tone & Takeaways

The hosts maintain a conversational, sometimes wry, and always compassionate tone, blending pop culture references and historical rabbit holes for accessibility. Their empathy for Ona’s plight, anger at the system, and wry humor make complex, harrowing history engaging and deeply humanizing.

The episode is a call to remember Ona Judge not as a footnote to American founders, but as a courageous woman who risked everything for her own freedom—and whose life exposes the realities at the heart of early American society.

---

For more details or to participate in memorial efforts for Ona Judge’s burial site, the hosts encourage listeners to contact them at [e-mail].

Transcript

[Susan]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Gilmore]

Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

[Susan]

And here's your 30 second summary. Ona judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own existence on her own terms, answering to no one. Free at last, the end. Let's talk about Ona Judge.

[Gilmore]

But first, let's drop her into history. In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed commander in chief of the French army, and then he got busy with war with Austria. For starters, the first elephant arrived in the United States from India. President George Washington paid to see it. In Philadelphia, Edward Jenner inoculated an 8 year old boy with the very first smallpox inoculation. Tennessee was admitted as the 16th state in the United States, and John Adams was elected the second president. Walter Hunt, the future inventor of the safety pin, and Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, future history chick subject number 13, were both born Catherine the Great and Auld Lang Syne writer Robert Burns died and in 1796 a woman enslaved by Martha Washington took her future into her own hands.

[Susan]

Hello and welcome to the show. During our last episode we covered the life of Martha Washington and while it is of course not strictly necessary to listen to that one first, we did give more context as to politically what was going on in the outside world. That would be very helpful for context during today's story. So up to you. Either do or do not go back. We will refer to some things that happened and if you would like to know more details, go back one episode on your podcast player. Also, you should know that here during recording day, there's literally nothing we can do about it. Gale force winds are blowing everything about and my neighbor has a collection of wind chimes. So if you hear them, it's just a delightful reminder of the power of nature and there's nothing I could do about it. And now, without further ado, on with the show. Mariah Judge was born sometime in the year 1773 or 1774, though traditionally she's given the birthday of January 1, 1773 on the Mount Vernon estate in Virginia that was owned by George Washington. The the First President of the United States. She was the fourth of the five children of Betty, one of the plantation's enslaved people. And no one is sure how many children her papa had, but he was a white man named Andrew Judge, an English indentured servant whose four year term of indenture had been bought by George Washington. We talked about this in the last episode, but we're going to lay this groundwork again. George Washington had owned enslaved people since he inherited them from his own father at the age of 11. He had since bought many more. But Martha Washington and her two children had inherited somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 enslaved people after the death of her first husband, Daniel Custis. Most of these people worked on other properties, but approximately 80 enslaved people accompanied the new bride to her new husband's home at Mount Vernon. The tough truth for us to swallow, of course, is that the father of our country, while fighting for the American colony's freedom, is, was in fact a slave owner who accepted this as the natural order of things for his whole life.

[Gilmore]

One of those enslaved people that went with Martha to her new home with George Washington was a woman named Betty. Betty was a mixed race enslaved woman. She was most likely the daughter of an enslaved black woman herself and a white man. Now, you can speculate all you want. Enslaved women had no control over what men did to them.

[Susan]

So.

[Gilmore]

So whether the union was consensual or not, we have no way of knowing. Personally, I lean to probably not. Unfortunately, Betty had been raised on the Custis properties that would be the first husband of Martha Washington. And as we all probably know at this point, enslaved children were not given any type of reading, writing, arithmeticing, education. What the education that they did get was for their future service to the family that enslaved enslaved them. In Betty's case, By the time Martha Dandridge, the future Mrs. Washington, married her first husband, Betty had worked to a position where she was a seamstress. So that's how Martha first knew her, making her clothes and making her curtains.

[Susan]

And by now the time of Ona's birth, Martha Washington could depend on her skill working with the extraordinarily expensive and long awaited fabrics that had to be imported from England. So Betty is working on these exquisite materials and she is also having to make clothing for the enslaved people, all made of poor quality and or rough fabrics. And everyone got one set of clothes a year.

[Gilmore]

Because Martha had been working with Betty for so long, Martha had trained Betty up to do things the Martha way. And that's how she's going into Mount Vernon. So she's a pretty valuable member of the servant staff in Mount Vernon. When Betty had moved from her original house, the Custis House, to Mount Vernon, Austin was allowed to come, so she was able to bring a son with her.

[Susan]

There's always the fear when you enter a new establishment that that is when families were separated, when anything happened, someone died, someone got married, someone moved house, someone experienced a bankruptcy. You know, any single thing could affect the integrity of your family. And it was considered by the Washingtons and their friends to have been a very benevolent act to allow Betty to bring her small 2 year old child because, you know, obviously he was a useless mouth right then. Andrew Judge, Ona's father, was also an experienced tailor. In fact, it was he who made in design George Washington's uniform as commander of the colony's forces. Later, George Washington was vain enough of his appearance that we know this was a very, very big deal. So these two people, Betty and Andrew Judge, had a lot in common. The trust that the family had for them and the skill they brought to the table, they were thrown together quite a bit. And I guess I'll just say it this way in a G rated podcast. Betty, as well as most of the enslaved people who worked anywhere in the environs of the house or biracial, she already had one young son named Austin by another mysterious white man, and two more children, Tom Davis and Betty Davis, who were the children of a white employee of Mount Vernon named Thomas Davis. This is a dark part of this whole scenario is there's really no way for all of those relationships to have been truly consensual. That's maybe as far as I'm going to go here. There was an absolute power imbalance. No matter what thunderbolt cities may or may not have happened. Who liked who, who was thinking, who was cute, doesn't matter. Women on those plantations were in an absolutely vulnerable position in this regard. And slave owners often look the other way as children of enslaved women were themselves legally enslaved, regardless of the status or color of their father. So any child an enslaved woman has was just money in the bank, I'm sorry to say.

[Gilmore]

Why did Andrew Judge leave England in the first place and sell himself into an indentured servant position? It wasn't as common at this point to have people come over in those positions as it had been. So why did he leave? I mean, I can't think of a single good reason. You know, he didn't have any money, okay. He wanted to go live in the colonies. He had a skill As a tailor. So was the law on his heels, Whatever it was, George Washington paid 30 pounds for him. And I was like, well, how much is £30? I can't tell you that. During this time, the unofficial currency of the colonies was Spanish money. The Spanish dollar. Yeah. So there must have been some weird math going on between pounds and shillings and Spanish dollars. I don't understand. But about the same time, two enslaved men had been bought for about 180 pounds. So 30 pounds for four years of Andrew Judge versus 180 for two men for their lifetime. It doesn't seem like a lot to me.

[Susan]

Well, and he had to provide food, clothing.

[Gilmore]

Right.

[Susan]

You know, it's not like that's the only expense one had. Betty is thought to have lived in a long brick building called the quarters, where dozens of enslaved people slept on rows of bunk beds. They did have a fireplace for warmth and to cook with, but children just slept on the dirt floor. Each enslaved person was given tight rations of cornmeal and the less desirable pieces of meat from butchered animals. Children that were too young to work efficiently or officially in the fields were often tasked with maintaining a garden. Oh, how benevolent was the master to let six year olds keep their families from starving by tending a garden. They also took water to the fields, they picked fruit, they swept. The very, very, very youngest were the only ones that could play for what that was worth. And they were usually watched only by enslaved people that were very, very, very, very, very old. Too old to be seen to give any other sort of useful work. Ona was born into this life where as a young child, she would hardly have ever seen her mother. Her father left Mount Vernon at some time in her early childhood and never was heard from again. And though George Washington considered himself in the class of benevolent slave owner, he was not above allowing grim punishments, whipping, separation from family, or in sending you to the sugar or coffee plantations of the Caribbean, which was of course, almost and often a death sentence. So there's another person that Ona hardly ever saw as a young girl, and that was George Washington, the master of the house, who was mostly gone away at war. What war? Well, the shattered round the world, the Revolutionary war. We talked about that in more detail in the last episode from the time ona was only 2. George Washington was gone during this time. Her mother had another daughter, Philadelphia, father unknown.

[Gilmore]

During those formative years for Ona, Martha Washington was away a lot too. We talked about that in her episode, how she would go and visit wherever he was camped for months at a time. But it wasn't a cats away, mice will play situation. There were Washington and Custis family members who were put in charge of what was happening at Mount Vernon near the.

[Susan]

End of the war, although they didn't know it yet. When Ona was around eight years old, a British frigate called the HMS Savage, appropriately enough, sailed up the Potomac river, burning all the fine estates they found along the way. And one Lund Washington, distant cousin of George Washington and caretaker of the entire estate, started panicking and headed to the ship to parlay with the captain, who said, oh, upon finding out where he was exactly, I must express my personal respect for General Washington. I would not have entertained taking the smallest measure offensive to such an illustrious character. Sweetness plus threat like bring me the finest chickens and gunpowder in all the land. I drink from the keg of glory. 10 points if you can identify that somewhat skewed reference. Lund. Washington ended up giving the British captain a large supply of food and other supplies. While there was so much confusion, he took on some more cargo.

[Gilmore]

Fourteen men and three women who were enslaved at Mount Vernon went on the ship to escape. The governor of Virginia. Remember, he's not working for the same team that George Washington's on. He's working for the British. He had established a policy that any enslaved people who joined the British military, they would get their freedom. Freedom. At the end of the war, he.

[Susan]

Issued a proclamation, and I quote, freedom to all indentured servants and slaves who could bear arms that will repair to his Majesty's standard. So basically, come volunteer to fight on our side and we will free you. We promise. We promise. Didn't often turn out that way. No one knew that it was too tempting a chance not to take. And they took sanctuary on the frigate. And Lund Washington was like, give them back. Put them off the ship. Nope, said the captain of the ship, or actually, not bloody likely, and pulled a banker and drove away. George Washington, upon hearing about this whole cockamamie episode, was absolutely infuriated. He was infuriated with his cousin for capitulating and for offering things. He said, although I don't think this is true, that he would rather Mount Vernon had burned down than to act that way toward the enemy. Would he, though? I mean, I just don't know. And he was also so irritated that he immediately sent out hired slave catchers to try to get the 17 people back. Now, seven of the 17 were almost immediately recaptured and brought back to Mount Vernon. One of them kind of held out a little bit longer than the other six, but they eventually got him to in Philadelphia. Three of them made it to Nova Scotia and freedom courtesy of the British. And one of those was a woman. One actually went all the way to Sierra Leone in Africa and fought in their revolution. And seven of them were missing. Well, let's say not documented. I hope they found freedom, but no one knows what happened to them. Now, the seven that were recaptured and brought back to Mount Vernon sure were pitiful wretches by then, because now they were openly branded as untrustworthy. And now they were subject to harsh punishments, and their hole was even deeper than it had been when they decided to get on that ship. It was a horrible choice, you know, take your chance, and they didn't have a positive outcome.

[Gilmore]

Right? So every time we hear, you know, Washington was a benevolent slaveholder, that's just an oxymoron, right? Because. No, there's no such thing. It's not possible. These people came back and they were punished. And it upped Martha and George's distrust of the entire enslaved populace. How dare they? Is kind of what they were thinking. How dare they leave this wonderful situation that they're in? We're taking care of them, and they dare to run away with the British? You know, that's betrayal as far as they were concerned.

[Susan]

So when the war was over, old George Washington was back in charge after a very stressful war and keeping the colonies together by the skin of his teeth. He was very angry at what he saw as the mismanagement of his cousin in his absence. You know, the. The place had gone to wreck and ruin. Well, not everyone can manage as effectively as you. That's fair enough. And he was burned up by what he saw as the infidelity of his, quote, people, the servants that had run away. He was just burnt up, like, inside with his pride had been bruised or whatnot. Now, here's the thing. Betty had been quietly teaching Ona to sew and to spin. We have talked about this before. I actually want to say we talked about it during the Sojourner Truth episode, which takes place in a similar situation to this in the North. It was important to have a skill if you wanted to keep yourself in good grace with the owner out of the fields. Sometimes you just had to do what you could do to survive. This was the only education Ona was going to get. Sewing and demeanor. I mean, these really are her survival skills. Really. It was illegal to teach enslaved people to read and write. Some owners defied that and went ahead and did it anyway. These were not those people. The Washingtons believed that Unnecessary knowledge in their servants, as they called them, was a dangerous and unwelcome development. So no, no encouragement was given in that regard at all.

[Gilmore]

So ona was about 10 years old when Martha and George came back full time and she had skills already. So she was tapped by Martha to come to the house, to start working in the house as a lady's maid. As her lady's maid.

[Susan]

Technically, it's almost the best assignment you could have for an enslaved person. Or the worst, depending. You know, there's something to be said for being anonymous. If we were at Downton Abbey, we would definitely call her the lady's maid. I'm not sure that's what they called her. I think they just said personal servant. She was responsible for Martha Washington's personal laundry, which a lot of times had trimming on it that had to be removed before washing because everything couldn't be washed together. I get irritated when I have to wash a thing separately and. Oh. And it would look at me like, what is your placement? What do you mean?

[Gilmore]

You have to hang something to dry and line dry. I don't buy them.

[Susan]

Actually. It's Jet's clothes that have a lot of patches and painting and all kind of stuff these days. It's not even mine. That's the scariest laundry. I'm always in terror that I'm going to break some of his artist made clothing that he keeps buying. Like, I don't know. I don't know if spray paint has just gone all in the inside of my washer or I have no idea. So. Talk about unstable dyes. Ona was very familiar with that and could handle it. She also did mending, sewing, maybe embroidery. She was definitely responsible for these very elaborate bonnets that Martha Washington liked to wear. She did all of the tidying in Martha Washington and George Washington's room and also any errands that needed to be run. Messages to be delivered through the plantation were her responsibility. So diligence, skill, the benefit of extreme youth for training purposes, and a long history with Ona's mother all worked to her benefit. She had a lot to recommend her.

[Gilmore]

Another thing that Ona had going for her is that she had very light skinned. Martha Washington liked her house servants to be as light as possible. And Ona definitely was. And another thing, a lot of times you're gonna see her name written as Oni. That wasn't her given name. We're calling her Ona because that's the name her mother gave her. But I think, and I don't Know, if you can back me up on this or argue with me, I don't have anything to back me up. But I think anytime we see oni, I think that's a hand down from the Washingtons, you know, giving these little cutesy names to people. Even, you know, taking Ona and turning it to Oni, Arthur to art, you know, just infantilizing them, you know, making them less. Just another control method as far as I'm concerned.

[Susan]

And she's too young to be an auntie or a mammy. Yeah, I think you're right. The nickname was not very respectful. Also, not to harp on this too much, but if you look at her genealogy, ona Judge was 3/4 white. I mean, she had three white grandparents. Her mother was biracial. She herself was the child of a biracial woman and a white man. It reminds me of this is much, much later, like almost like a hundred years after this. But I think I'm going to try to find it. I'll at least put it in the Pinterest board. There was a series of, and I'm just talking off the top of my head now, there was this series of abolitionist propaganda that came out. And it's basically they found these enslaved girls who were functionally physically white and had had this kind of ancestry for so many years that they use those girls for shock value. Like these girls who look like your daughters are enslaved in the south right now, or whatever. And I'm like, you know, it shouldn't matter because everyone's a human being, but I get the shock value. I mean, I guess I'm not certain it was a very comfortable situation for those little girls. But nevertheless, that has always bothered me that, like, at some point are we not understanding that all of this is very, very wrong? I don't understand the level of self deception that is happening. Is there a line at which they become people again in your mind? Or like, I don't know, I can.

[Gilmore]

Bend my brain to understand kind of at this point in history where the Washingtons are saying this is the way of things because they haven't really been exposed to it being wrong. So, no, they aren't gonna make that leap to it's a wrong thing on their own, but they haven't been exposed to it in other people yet, kind of piggybacking off of that. Ona and her mother and her siblings were all dower slaves because they were part of the estate of Martha's first husband. She had the use of them for her life, but they didn't technically belong to her. So we're adding more enslaved people with every child that's being born. And they're all being born as dower slaves or the person that's in charge of them can't free them, can't do anything with them.

[Susan]

Right. They're almost entailed, like in Jane Austen, how the Dashwoods had no inheritance, the inheritance passed to someone because the entailed to heirs male, the daughters couldn't inherit. I'm still coming down very strongly that despite the life and times that they were living, there has to be somewhere in them a knowledge that this is very, very wrong. No matter what the person looks like or where they came from. I mean, I just think the very fact that they call them servants instead of, you know, the harsher term that they really are, they seem to be thinking these people are here willingly for some reason. I don't know. I don't know. I'm not as willing to give the white people of the slave holding population the benefit of the doubt in that regard. What a long detour to basically say Ona has moved into the house. She is now Martha Washington's personal servant and is basically with her at all times during the day. And so it could have gone on forever. But as we've spoken about before, in 1789, after representatives from all 13 colonies having hammered out the constitution between them all, ratified it as the new law of the land, a message came from them inviting George Washington and telling him that he had been unanimously elected to be the country's first ruler. George Washington and Martha were reluctant pioneers into the world of American diplomacy, but they went to New York to take up their duties as the president and Mrs. Washington.

[Gilmore]

They certainly weren't going to go up to their new house without people to do the work. So some of the enslaved people that were working at Mount Vernon were selected to go to New York. Ona as the person who is really taking care of Martha Washington, making sure that Martha Washington has what she needs before Martha Washington even knows she needs it. Ona was one of those people. Ona's brother Austin was another one. Austin was the firstborn child of Betty, but he was much older and at this point he was married and he had children and they were not selected to go to New York. So there's a family that's being broken up right there.

[Susan]

Also George Washington and Martha Washington sort of hated Austen's wife Charlotte. They thought she was too sassy.

[Gilmore]

Austin's position was going to be something they called a waiter. But when you look at the responsibilities, it's really house serving. You know, think of waiter as just being someone that brings meals to the table, but he's doing kind of like a valet. If we're going back to Downton Abbey kind of job or a little bit of under butlering. Is that a position? So in total, there are six enslaved people that are going with the Washingtons to the new Capitol in New York City. Only two of these six are women, Ona and another woman who works in the house named Mal.

[Susan]

So they were chosen, these people, for their obedience, loyalty, and appearance. The Washingtons only wanted to take enslaved persons of mixed race. I will tell you that a servant named William Lee, who had been George Washington's own valet throughout the war, even went into battle with him, had broken both of his kneecaps at various points. I'm like, what happens? And was considered to be not suitable for the hard work. At the beginning, he was convalescing at Mount Vernon. He did join them later. Austin and perhaps another young, young servant named Christopher Shields stood in as his sort of substitute teacher until he could recover. This is just spoiler for later. William Lee was the only enslaved person that George Washington immediately freed in his will due to his service during the war. So no one had any choice as to whether to go or not. Ona and Moll knew that their lives were going to be very circumscribed. They were going to be in the house a lot. In fact, anytime Ona wasn't performing other duties for Martha Washington, she as well as Mal, had the responsibility of taking care of the two grandchildren that the Washingtons were raising, were taking with them to the new presidential mansion. And that was that. This is your life. They had no choice as to whether to go or not. Now two of Betty's children are now leaving for parts unknown, and she may never see them again. And that's the fate of enslaved mothers throughout the country. And so when it was time to go, everyone was ready. The nephew that accompanied Martha Washington and entourage to New York had this to say. The servants of the house and the field workers came to take leave of their mistress. A number of those poor wretches seemed greatly agitated and much affected by her departure. Like, are they really?

[Gilmore]

I know.

[Susan]

Taking leave of their mistress brought them to tears. Or maybe their husband and children going off into the unknown, powerless to ever see them or speak to them again. You be the judge of why they were all weeping, but at least it was a good cover for their real feelings, which they often had to suppress for fear of punishments. On the journey, the entourage stopped in Philadelphia. What an eye opener this place was. George Washington's valet, William Lee had been here before and had told them at home about these mythical beings, these free black men and women who lived in the city. In fact, he had met and wanted to marry one from his time before. And George Washington said, well Margaret, you might move to Mount Vernon if you, if you like. And I'm like, if I was Margaret, I'd be like, not bloody likely. And you know, no record of her response. But Margaret never appears at Mount Vernon, so we can pretty much guess what it was. It would be the height of not prudent for a free woman of color to move to Virginia and live on a plantation. I'm just, yeah, the city was crowded and it was also full of white people, about 45,000 of them, which today I'm not sure will even qualify you to get a McDonald's. But at the time was the biggest city in the United States of America. The brand new United States of America. Well, Ona was out on the move with Martha following her. She had to pay a lot of calls, she had shops to visit, and Ona trailed after her.

[Gilmore]

Ona is just 15 years old at this point and all she has known of her life is her community from Mount Vernon suddenly eye opening to see all this bustling activity, these free black people walking the streets. Like you said, it's got to be mind blowing for her to just have that culture shock between the two locations.

[Susan]

Philadelphia was a remarkably abolitionist city this early in the game. But alas, we are just passing through to our final destination of New York where Martha Washington and therefore Ona had to be set to work immediately. Martha Washington is in the public eye much against her will, but constantly on stage, knowing full well she's setting a precedent. And she and George Washington were establishing a sense of security for a wound up, post war newly joined up nation. Pressures were immense. Martha Washington could only let off steam in private, which means to in front of directed at Ona, who really had no recourse but to pacify, soothe, please, praise and pat down her mistress at all times. How about that for an education?

[Gilmore]

She's learned for the last five or six years how to calm down Martha Washington, you know, to how to anticipate what she needs. So now it's high alert because Martha's not in her home either. In New York there were free blacks. About 10% of the population of New York was black and of that two thirds were Enslaved. But having enslaved people in New York at the time was still considered a status symbol, like it was in the South. In Philadelphia, it was kind of starting to ease off as far as that's concerned. But in New York, it was still very active.

[Susan]

There was about a year and a half of constant novelty and constant work. I have to tell you, even when I go to a new city, there's almost like this fatigue that hits. Like there's novelty fatigue. At least I have it. Maybe it's just an.

[Gilmore]

Oh, yeah, no, no, I get it. Yeah.

[Susan]

And so here she is, a year and a half of just constant kn. Cavalty with constant pressure. And then her. Her mistress is not unstable, but like, Ona's the only safe person to vent to, so she's absorbing all of this energy, too. The whole entourage, much to everyone's relief, traveled back to Mount Vernon to regroup. Austin and Ona got to see their mother. Their older sister. Well, her older sister. Austin's younger sister, too confusing, also named Betty, super confusing. Had had a baby in their absence. And man, was there a lot. I mean, imagine the rapt audience of things that these returning adventurers had to tell. And after the break was over, the presidential household would have to head out again, this time to Philadelphia, which was going to be the temporary capital of the United States, America. While the brand new federal city was being constructed on land given up by Maryland and Virginia for that purpose, off they went back to work for the Washingtons, still the same old work for the enslaved people. The valet, William Lee, was considered to be too broken. Now he was too broken. He had been left behind and had been given a pension by George Washington, and was not living large, but was not subject to the hard field work that other retired servants had had to be exposed to. So two additional enslaved people came with this new entourage. A cook that I'm going to call a chef, because that's his role, called Hercules, and his teenage son named Richmond. Hercules was powerful and handsome, and he had very, very high standards in the Mount Vernon kitchen. He ran his staff with not an iron fist, but like he almost ruled by being grievously disappointed in you. Him. He was a natural leader. He took charge of that aspect of the kitchen, though I want to be very clear that over him in the kitchen was a free man of color named Samuel Francis, who ran the Queen's Head Tavern in New York City at 54 Pearl street, which is now called the Francis Tavern. George Washington's local, I guess, while he had been a war general the very place he had bid farewell and good luck to all of his officers after the British had left America. So Mr. Francis himself, owner of the tavern George Washington used to hang out, owner of George Washington's cheers was now over all the staff.

[Gilmore]

George.

[Susan]

Yes. So they settled into their new headquarters in Philadelphia at 6th and Market Street. And again there were paid white servants and live in presidential aides and their families and the free black men and steward. All of these assorted classes and people under one roof.

[Gilmore]

There could be up to 30 people living in this one three story building. Close quarters, I guess, is all I want to say about that. I mean, it was the size of two townhomes. Like if you imagine a Philadelphia street. A nice townhome. It's a double wide townhome, but it's still big. But 30 people could be living in there, not just crashing for the night.

[Susan]

And it's weird, the. The remodel. There was like a center room that was a master bedroom where George and Martha slept. And then on either side of that was a small bedroom. One was for Nellie, their grandchild, and the other was for Washi, her little brother. And Ona and Moll each shared a room with one of the children. So Ona's bedroom door opened onto her employer's bedroom. I don't know. I don't know if I would like that.

[Gilmore]

No, no. We talked about this back in Lizzie Borden. How the Victorian house that they lived in. And we saw it for ourselves last year when we went. You know, it was like one bedroom after another. You had to go through them to get to the next one. But that's a family. These aren't family. It's a whole other ball of wax.

[Susan]

So Ona set to sewing and ladies mating. She had child care with a strong dose of sounding board responsibilities. She was allowed out to run errands, taking Nellie to her school, picking up a special request at a store. I have to tell you, getting out must have been her only real outlet. And again she saw free people of color everywhere. One that had stuck in her mind was free women selling stew by the side of the road for money that they were allowed to keep. It was too dangerous, of course, to talk to any of them. Everyone knew who she was. The postillions, whose names were Giles and Paris, were always in public, of course. I imagine they had a vast circle of friends among the other enslaved postilions, let's call them decorative footmen with perhaps a dash of security. But it was Hercules who was the most famous among the black population of Philadelphia. He had, as cooks, had had from time immemorial a valuable perk. The definition of perquisite, historically a thing that has served its primary purpose and is then given to a subordinate as a customary right. So from time immemorial, cooks, including Hercules, could sell a lot of the kitchen byproducts. Fat and ashes were sold to soap makers, animal skins to tanners, feathers to mattress makers. Old tea leaves were often used as a cleaner. Weirdly, they'd sprinkle them on the stairs and then brush them off to freshen the stair carpet. As a matter of fact, they talked about that in Manor House, which I highly recommend, where they take modern people and put them in as servants in a manor house. They talked about cleaning with tea leaves, or frankly, people would dry them and sell them as tea leaves, which is so gross to me. Yeah, but whatever. Any leftover broth from the boiling of meat could be disposed of in this way. Bones, peelings, nothing was wasted. Everything could be used by someone. And Hercules made hundreds of dollars in this perfectly respectable, allowable sideline. He was allowed to keep it. That is amazing to me.

[Gilmore]

And he was allowed to spend it. Hercules was known as being a very dapper man. He was always very well dressed when he left the kitchen, which he kept pristine. The reason that they had taken him in the first place is the mother daughter team the Washingtons had in New York as cooks were just sloppy and they wanted no part of that because Hercules keeps the kitchen beautiful and clean and spotless and presents these wonderful meals. So he was top dog. I would think of the enslaved people in the house as much as that's a top dog position.

[Susan]

Well, he was also a top dog out in the street. He was famous for having a gold tipped walking cane that he used mostly for emphasis. He had a blue velvet tailcoat, also notorious for that. He was an extremely handsome man, walked with his head high, a straight, you know, a swing in his step. He was the one that had a vast network among the free people of Philadelphia. He was famous.

[Gilmore]

Famous.

[Susan]

Ona was also supplied, by the way, with significantly better clothes than her compatriots, just because she was always in the public eye. But she was an accessory to her mistress. And I don't know, because traditionally, if we're talking about perks, one lady's maid, the perk of that position is having access to every single item of clothing your mistress casts off or no longer wants, belongs to the ladies maid. I'm not sure if that was. I'm not sure, yeah.

[Gilmore]

I don't. I see Martha having. There was a dress that she'd worn a lot, having it redone by Ona, you know, to a different style and reusing it. Yes, Ona had a lot of nice clothes. And she also had the ability, while she was in the house, you know, unseen. We've talked about this before, how the people in the back, the servants can talk. And so she was able to make her own connections, quick ones. I mean, it's not like she could sit down and have a cup of tea with these people while Martha was having her call in the parlor, but she could meet them, you know, and that's something that didn't really happen too much at Mount Vernon.

[Susan]

Shortly after the Washington's arrival in Philadelphia, the Attorney General for the new United States came to Martha in, as they say, a swivet three of my servants. By which they meant, of course, enslaved people. They called them servants, made them feel better. They've left me and I legally cannot get them back. He explained to Martha, as we explained to you during Martha's episode, that about 10 years ago, Pennsylvania had passed a law called the Gradual Abolition Act. Among its provisions, all enslaved people had to be registered. No new enslaved people could be bought and brought in. Any children born to enslaved mothers would be born with free status, although they would be required to serve as indentured servants until they were 28. But the key provision, as far as Martha and the Attorney General were concerned, any enslaved person brought to the state of Pennsylvania from another state could only stay for six months or they would be automatically freed if they asked for their freedom. There was an exception made specifically for members of Congress because, remember, the constitutional conventions had been held in Philadelphia and they had been contentious enough about the issue of slavery. Remind me to put a link for the Three fifths compromise in the show notes and that'll tell you by what nonsense. The south was brought into the Union. So it made no mention this law of presidents being exempt. Of course, as at the time there had been no presidents nor of attorneys general. Attorney generals. Thanks, Gilmore Girls. And now they've got me all messed up. It's Kohl's de sac. Attorneys General. Thanks, Rory Gilmore. Anyway, it was troublesome. Troublesome. What could be done? What could be done? Well, Martha had George Washington's secretary write to him for direction immediately. A man named Tobias Lear, George Washington immediately wrote back, okay, there's a loophole. The six month thing, okay, we are going to shuttle them out to home. This was a purposeful deception both to the public. And Tobias Lear had his ear to the ground and knew this was needed to be kept on the DL and the enslaved themselves, they set out purposely to trick both parties. The postilions, of course, were currently in a slave state right now with George Washington. Hooray. So their clock had already been reset. He didn't know this, but Austin had already passed his six months. Well, Martha immediately sent Austin home.

[Gilmore]

What she said was she was doing it to fulfill her promise to Austin's wife that Austin would be able to come home and see his family, who.

[Susan]

She didn't even like. She did not like that Charlotte. She was not going to promise Charlotte anything. No, Austin had to know that. He didn't ask any questions. He was going home to see his.

[Gilmore]

Family, and he was allowed to go alone, by himself, back to Mount Vernon.

[Susan]

There was an enormous level of trust. Right? I mean, they just gave him cash and pointed him in the right direction. His loyalty to the family was not questioned in that way, or they wouldn't have just done it that way. Right.

[Gilmore]

I don't know. Austin had a reason to follow the rules to go to Mount Vernon and then go back to Philadelphia, and that was his family. If he had run, what would happen to his family? And he felt a responsibility to them.

[Susan]

And I am very sorry to say that George Washington, in a letter, wrote that his people aren't smart enough to figure this out or connected enough to hear about it. And then they looked around for real. Tobias Lear was from a northern state. He was from New Hampshire, and he was more realistic about what was going on, sir, he said it respectfully. Do you not think abolitionists would not love to, quote, deprive the president of the United States of his enslaved people in this way? The Washingtons would be naive not to think that they wouldn't eventually find this out. I mean, Christopher Shiels, who is acting as a waiter in your household right now, but, you know, training as a valet, he could read and write. Martha Washington was wondering what to do, and she settled on having Ona and Christopher Shiels accompany her on a, quote, visit to New Jersey to restart their six month clocks. Okay, so there's that. There's Austin taken care of. Postillions are already taken care of. Okay. Richmond Hercules son, she put him on a ship bound for Virginia to restart his clock. And now it was just Hercules, smart, important to the household and very, very connected to, quote, free blacks in the city, how to handle him. At first, Martha just asked him casually, hey, oh, I'm going to need you to head to Mount Vernon sometime before April. Okay, okay. Love to see my daughters, catch a little break, et cetera. And he must have mentioned this trip to a friend who told him what was up about the six month thing. And George Washington himself had said, knowledge of this will make my servants insolent in the state of slavery. You think? Well, Hercules, knowing full well what that casual request meant now must have let it leak out somehow. His, his face or an overheard conversation. Tobias Lear was sent to confront Hercules. What's your plan, Stan? And Hercules, who right there and then had to choose his own adventure. Okay, so showing any sign of defiance could get him sent back to Mount Vernon at the best, down to sugar plantations of the Caribbean at the worst. I don't know if it's better the devil you know, maybe. Also, all of his children were hostages now at Mount Vernon. Two daughters and his son, Richmond. He would lose his perks, he would lose his money. And he chose, really, the only thing he could choose is to act appalled at the Washington's distrust and convinced Tobias Lear that his, quote, fidelity and loyalty to the family, his deep affection and attachment to his family could never be suspected in this way. And you know, because what else could he say? Okay, then. No, Hercules is cool, said Tobias Lear. Easily fooled, gentlemen, by good acting. Yeah, he's totally cool. Hercules is fine. Don't worry about him. Tobias Lear was, in his own way, going against his own principles. By the way, he was not very happy with what he saw as deception and an end run around a law that had been put in place for a larger reason. You know, the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. You know, surely the President of the United States should have been above this chicanery, but wasn't. And it was kind of a blow to his faith in the President.

[Gilmore]

Well, and you know, Tobias Lear was one of those people, one of those 30 people living in the presidential mansion, you know, and his family, they're living there with them. So it's very intertwined. I can't imagine what is his own emotions like. Oh, my goodness, what's going on here?

[Susan]

He wrote a letter to George Washington that survives that says, you will permit me now, sir, and I'm sure you will pardon me for doing it, to declare that no consideration should induce me to take these steps to prolong the slavery of a human being. Had I not the fullest confidence that they will at some future period be liberated and the strongest conviction that their situation with you now is far preferable to what they would probably obtain in a State of freedom. But he wrote that to his boss. That is pretty daring. And his landlord, Both postilions Giles and Paris, were sent back to mount Vernon to do manual labor, one with an injury and one because of his, quote, attitude. See how valued you really are. You're the face of the family, and the slightest bit of anything can get you sent back to do work in the field. They sent Christopher shields back, possibly just due to the fact that he could read and write. He was dangerous to have in the house among everyone else. In 1793, when Ona was 20, the fugitive slave act was passed. If a, and I quote, person held to labor, they literally can't even write the word slave escaped. The owner could himself or by deputy, seize that person anywhere in the United States, bring them before a judge to prove ownership, and take them back into servitude. Anyone helping an enslaved person to escape faced prosecution and a large fine, including hiding them, transporting them, or providing supplies to them. Also, any child born to such a fugitive would be by birth enslaved, no matter where they were born or to whom. It's a federal law says congress take that Pennsylvania. So feel free to run away. Then we can legally come get you no matter where you are, and no one will want to help you. Checkmate. Well, slave owners were particularly jumpy because of a nationwide slave revolt taking place in Haiti. It had begun with a general and widespread enslaved person uprising and massacre of white people. And France, I think, to just stop the war, had declared slavery illegal. All men living in the French colonies without distinction of color are French citizens and enjoy all the rights guaranteed by the constitution now in the future, by the way, if you're following this conflict, I highly advise you fall down this rabbit hole. Britain will try to take it back and restore slavery. There was an able assist on the rebel side by yellow fever, which killed more british soldiers than anything else and helped the rebels to win, and they were ultimately successful. So there you go. That's going on in the background and is making slave owners in America so, so jumpy. So that's in the air.

[Gilmore]

And this is the part earlier on, you know how I said, you know, they weren't exposed to it, so slavery was just a way of life until they were. They knew better. They should do better. Well, at this point, the Washingtons have been exposed to it, and they're still doubling down.

[Susan]

News came of a very, very personal and bad nature to own a judge, her brother Austin, who had always been trusted to go to Mount Vernon and back and had always done so before ran into some unexpected high water when crossing a river, was swept away and drowned. He was taken out alive, but died right after he was rescued from the river. And not many months afterward, the news came that her mother, Betty, had also died. The two members of her family she'd been the closest to, that she loved with all of her heart and died. We, we, Susan and I can both attest to how devastating it is to lose a beloved mother and what that does to your emotions and your. And your life. I mean, I lost my sense of self for. For a long. A long time. But more importantly, Oni, do you have my tallest bonnet ready for the reception today? I expect my dark silk gown pressed. I think those shoes will be appropriate. I hope you. You polished the buckles as I told you to.

[Gilmore]

And what George Washington wrote about Betty's death was, it is happy for old Betty and her children and friends that she's taken off the stage. Her life must have been miserable to herself and troublesome to those around her.

[Susan]

And she's in her 50s.

[Gilmore]

She's 57 years old. Yeah. And as far as Ona's concerned, you know, for the last five years, Austin has been her family, her actual blood family, living with the Washingtons away from Mount Vernon. So that's super crushing. I sometimes I let my emotions, like poking like an injury because you know it's going to hurt, but you do it anyway. And I think what's going to happen when my brother goes, you know, because you start losing family members, you start thinking about it and I can't even. Like, I just start to tear up just the thought of it. So that's what Ona was going through when Austin died.

[Susan]

The lack of compassion boggles me. I mean, Martha Washington, do you think they aren't people? Do you think they have no feelings? It was considered distasteful for enslaved people to show by one flicker of a muscle on their face that they wanted anything in this life other than to serve your every whim. It's the mammy phenomenon I talked about during the Aunt Jemima podcast. Like the ideal enslaved person wants nothing in life, has no goals other than to make sure you're happy. The owners could have whims, emotions concerns you. The enslaved person were there to absorb that energy and not reflect it back. Or maybe you like hoeing wheat or harvesting sugar cane. I don't care either way. You pick. You know, it's like the most dispassionate, vile, mean scenario. And I think, I think it's just the Loss of my mother and the lack of time or compassion for anything she was going through is what got to me here.

[Gilmore]

As far as Ona is concerned, where is her home? She's lived away from home for, at this point, five or six years away from Mount Vernon. So is going back to Mount Vernon going home, or is she a northerner now? You know, that's just playing in her head while she's trying to keep that face you were talking about and not let anything show.

[Susan]

Well, the whole thing was inhumane. In an inhumane system to which the Washingtons did not seem to see one thing wrong. Foreign. And now the capper. As far as Ona was concerned, news came from the Washington's oldest grandchild, Eliza, elder sister of Nelly and Wash, who lived in the house. She was engaged to a man named Thomas Law. Wasn't it amazing? Ona certainly remembered Eliza. She's about her age and a thorn in the side of everyone. During her visit to Mount Vernon, she had a temper. She had a notorious temper. We referred to this a little bit in the Martha Washington episode. She was jealous of her two younger siblings who lived with their famous grandparents, George Washington. And Martha disapproved heartily of this marriage behind closed doors. Now, the man was a lot older. That's very common during this time period. But he was a British citizen. What have we just been doing? How's it gonna look?

[Gilmore]

Not only is he a British citizen, but he has three children of mixed race from when he was in India. Two of them are with him.

[Susan]

So whatever the Washingtons discussed in private, and I will tell you, I'm certain Ona heard quite a bit of whatever it was. I mean, I'm talking thumbs down. Outwardly, the Washingtons were very supportive. So happy, it would have been a scandal to stop it. And George Washington had often expressed that he did not believe in separating two young people in love. Okay. Ona knew how much the Washingtons hated the thought of Eliza's husband. And Martha Washington fretted about her granddaughter's volatile nature. From childhood, she'd been the poppin est off of all the poppers. You know, what can I do? What can I do? Oh, George, I have the best idea. Ona has been such a calming influence on me that I will send Ona to Eliza as a wedding present when we leave Philadelphia.

[Gilmore]

At the same time, George Washington had decided not to seek a third term, but he was still president. So he is putting out fires everywhere, knowing that he's not going to continue on as president. You know, all this stuff is going on. And then there's this Eliza situation. So Martha presents it, it's like, okay, I guess that would work, right?

[Susan]

Well, this summer when they left the President's house, it was going to be for good. And then Ona could go instead to the newlyweds house. Perfect. She can help here with all of these wrap up events for us, get us packed and when we're done with her, we'll send her on. So much for loyalty from the other end. Do you know what I'm saying? Ona always knew how lightly the affection flowed from above. But it couldn't be clearer now that despite 13 truly devoted years, truly worked her fingers to the bone and her mind to the nature not bone, but whatever it would be if it was your mind, the self sacrificing service she had given, she was no more to this woman than a useful tool that you no longer want and give away on your local buy nothing group on Facebook. You were nothing, right? You were certainly not human and given.

[Gilmore]

Away to someone who, like you said, she knew that Eliza's personality, she doesn't know anything about Thomas Law, but what she does know is that it's a wild card. You know, she was safe in the Washington's house. She's 22 years old, she hasn't had a child. So the things that Thomas Law could do to her have not happened to her yet because she doesn't know this guy and she doesn't know who he surrounds himself with. She is being put out of her control into a situation where she could be assaulted and there's nothing she can do about.

[Susan]

Yeah, she's being put into a very, very vulnerable situation. The clock was ticking. She had to make a plan fast and there was not a lot of opportunity to find help. The Washingtons were on high alert. After all of the legal and societal pressures. Their eyes were now more peeled than usual. And there wasn't yet, but shortly would be a functioning underground railroad. But what was she gonna do? What was she gonna do when into the house came her salvation in the form of a man named Richard Allen, A free black man who had come to sweep the chimneys in the presidential mansion. What the Washingtons did not know, or they probably would not have him anywhere near the house, was that Mr. Allen was one of the major pillars of the free black community in the country. The founder of what would become the AME Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which even now has millions and millions of congregants. In the year 2023, he had been Exasperated at the segregation in the church, number one, if he wanted to preach, he had to do it on an off time in an off place, or everyone had to sit in the balcony during white church. And he just thought, here of all places, can we not please? And he had decided, along with fellow preacher Absalom Jones and other black congregations, to create a church for his own people, the first independent black denomination in the country. He also felt very strongly about abolition. He was a former slave who had bought his own freedom. And he believed in the following philosophy. And I quote, we will never separate ourselves voluntarily from the slave population in this country. They are our brethren. And there is more virtue in suffering privations with them than there is in enjoying any advantage of our own. He had also created a society called the free African society, whose whole purpose was to help free black and runaway enslaved people get along in society with material goods. And later, with his wife. His house would serve as a stop on the underground railroad. This is the man cleaning the chimneys at the president's mansion. This is the man to whom Ona surreptitiously told her plight. Maybe the only person with an existing network who could actually help her. And here he appears in the parlor, you know, just when she needed him.

[Gilmore]

As the household packed up to move back to Mount Vernon later in life, Ona said this of that time whilst they were packing up to go to Virginia. I was packing to go. I didn't know where, for I knew that if I went back to Virginia, I never should get my liberty.

[Susan]

So behind the scenes, things had begun grinding into action. Ona was instructed to smuggle belongings out of the house. There's a theory that it was vendors that had come to the back door would take on his things away as they gave in the vegetables or whatever. Who's to say what happened? But she received her instructions on this day, wear a plain dress and go straight to the docks. They're five blocks away down this street. Do not run. Walk like a free woman with your head up. Look for a one masted ship loading saddles and potatoes. They described the ship carefully. It was called the Nancy, but Ona couldn't read. So that was of no use to. The captain's name is John Bowles. But never, you must promise to never say his name aloud. This is very, very dangerous for him. He is a white man, but he still will suffer punishment for helping you leave.

[Gilmore]

Serious punishment. Remember that fugitive slave act? I mean, George Washington signed it into law. There was a hefty fine of $500 you get tossed into jail and then you can be sued by the slaveholder. Yeah.

[Susan]

And so he was risking a lot. Or in another version, she was to go into hiding for a matter of days before the ships sailed. You know, it's sort of the same old, same old. But that second one seems a lot more dangerous. They do have the ship's manifest and advertisements that Mr. Bowles had put out. Captain Bulls, I should probably call him, had put out about when he was departing. And did you want to put anything on the boat? Get it on by the state because he was leaving. Xoxo, Captain Bulls, you know, dot com. Anyway, so he had put out an advertisement that he was leaving on the 25th. And we do know the day she left.

[Gilmore]

Saturday, May 21, 1796. While the Washingtons ate supper, Ona slipped out the back door.

[Susan]

She had an opportunity of a couple of hours where no one needed her and she would not be missed. She was not to be present at dinner. It was served by male servants, and that was the only time of day that no one would be looking for her. She seized her opportunity, walked out the door and into hiding is what we seem to think. Because the tale that she walked out of the house right onto a boat doesn't seem to match up with the ship's manifest.

[Gilmore]

Right.

[Susan]

So someone or ones took great risk to hide her while the President of the United States was looking for her, which seems to me to be infinitely dangerous.

[Gilmore]

Oh, no kidding. It only took two days for an advertisement to appear. So she is still in the city, most likely not left yet. And this is a direct quote from it. Absconded from the household of the President of the United States on Saturday afternoon. One judge, a light mulatto girl, much freckled, with very black eyes and bushy black hair. She is of middle stature, but slender and delicately made, about 20 years of age. She has many changes of very good clothes of all sorts, but they are not sufficiently recollected to describe. Like they don't know how old she is, even though she's been with them forever. They don't know what kind of clothes she's wearing. There's like big letters, you know, run off. No provocation.

[Susan]

Every concept of not having freedom isn't provocation enough. As if the prospect of being given away as a wedding gift isn't provocation enough.

[Gilmore]

Well, they're already starting to build their truths in their mind about what happened, right? To just cover themselves. And I don't even know that they're consciously doing it, right there is a $10 reward for her capture. They did say she may attempt to escape by water and will probably attempt to pass for a free woman and has it is said wherewithal to pay for her passage. That would be the dollar a year she was getting from the Washingtons. I don't know. Maybe they're whipping up in their head that she could have stolen from them to afford passage.

[Susan]

I have an unsubstantiated theory, and I would like to say it now, and I would like to put arrows around this whole thing as if it was written on a notebook. No one thinks this but me, but I have in my mind that it would have been easy for Hercules to slip her some money.

[Gilmore]

Oh, yeah. Oh.

[Susan]

If anyone in that house had spare money, it was him. More on him slightly later. But I just, you know, I just wanted to put that out there, knowing that no historian will tell me that Hercules gave her money. But, you know, if your work friend is in peril, sometimes you got to break the rules.

[Gilmore]

Right. And when she's in peril and doing the thing that you are thinking of doing yourself.

[Susan]

Right.

[Gilmore]

Yeah. Why wouldn't you help her?

[Susan]

Well, on whatever day the ship sailed, which we seem to think is May 25, four days after she walked out the back door, Ona sailed out down the Delaware river, north along the coast and up to New Hampshire. She left the ship in New Hampshire, Tobias Lear's home state, by the way, as well as John Bull's home state.

[Gilmore]

She was in the right spot. New Hampshire wasn't a free state like we think of it. That wouldn't happen for another 60 years. But it was more progressive and it was working on eliminating slavery in the state. In Portsmouth, there was a black population. It was much smaller than Philadelphia, so that must have been eye opening for her when she got off the boat. But there were also white people that were more than willing to help Ona along in the community. She's in the right place, she was.

[Susan]

Told nothing more than, quote, someone will pick you up. To keep the network safe. People were told as little as possible in case they got caught, to save the network for the next person, she, much to her relief, was recognized and taken in by a free black family. And thus the first part is the most, perhaps acute part of her journey was complete. And now the hard part, for real, began. She needed to get a job. Probably was not good to advertise her sewing skills. No, the small free black community in town embraced her. In Portsmouth is is where she went. Portsmouth, N.H. embraced her as one of their own. She was able to join a church, she was able to go shopping, she was able to work. It is believed that the community taught her to cook. She had learned to clean way back in the way back, she was responsible for a lot of Martha Washington's cleaning and also cleaning of the children's rooms, et cetera. So she did have some basic skills in that area. And her work with fine fabric had taught her laundry. So she was useful. But she really, you know, Hercules in the house, who would cook. I am familiar in the house. Who wouldn't make a charcuterie board just to get by, you know, so. So somebody taught her some basic foodstuffs, and she was able to support herself. It was a pittance. But you know what? She was working for herself. She had to learn every single thing about how to be free. And I'm glad she had the community around her. So one fateful day, Ona was walking down the street and saw someone she recognized. A girl named Elizabeth Langdon, the daughter of a senator friend of young Nellie Washington, who Ona had been in a room with many, many times.

[Gilmore]

Ona just kind of walked past her and didn't look at her. You know how you walk by people that you don't want to see in the grocery store? Same thing. They might see you. But are they going to say anything? She's hoping not. She's just passing by. Even though she was recognized, Elizabeth went.

[Susan]

Home and said to her father, I didn't know the Washingtons were in town. Honey, they are not in town. What makes you think they're here? I just saw Oni in the street. Papa's head went up. Ruh roh ruh roh ruh roh. He knew Ona had left the president's house. He knew the efforts being made to find her. And now he knew where she was. And he wrote to his friend George Washington and told him. George Washington and Martha got the news and they were livid.

[Gilmore]

They felt they were betrayed. And there had to be a good reason that Ona had left them. Why would she leave us? She had everything, and we treated her like family. You know, we had been giving Ona money every once in a while, and we had been sending her out to plays out to the circus. You know, this is about the time that elephant came to Philadelphia. So I couldn't tie it together that she saw it, but George Washington did. So anyway, as far as the Washingtons were concerned, they were saving their enslaved populace from death. What are these people going to do on their own. They won't be able to get a job. They'll be emancipated, but they'll be dead because they can't support themselves. They felt that they were treating all of their enslaved people, Ona especially because she was so close to them. They felt that she, Ona, as well as all the enslaved people at Mount Vernon, were living in the lap of luxury, all thanks to. To the Washingtons. You know, it's a privilege. Why can't they be more appreciative?

[Susan]

You'll recall from our last episode, the Martha Washington episode, that Martha was convinced that Ona had been seduced away from the Washingtons by a dastardly and charming Frenchman in revenge for America's position of neutrality during the French Revolution, which I am like anything, but a simple desire to be free. Right. Like we are going to construct a cockamamie scenario based on nothing rather than admit the system in which we are a major cog is a flawed and inhumane system. So I'm just saying. Yeah, the mental links to which they will go to not think about this. So George Washington wanted her back desperately, mostly because of the insult, partially because his wife wanted her back so badly. And he's a good husband, or at least one that wanted a calm household.

[Gilmore]

Right.

[Susan]

He determined that he was going to go get Ona back, but he had a problem. He had to be surreptitious because this new country was becoming super fractious now that the common enemy, that's the British, had left. And now everyone was putting their finger over the line in the back seat and getting bumptious with each other like they're on a road trip. And small fractures were occurring in American society, one of which was the issue of slavery.

[Gilmore]

So he wanted to circumvent the law that he had signed into being the Fugitive Slave Act. It said that if the slave was captured, bring them in front of a judge so that the slaveholder could get them back. Well, he didn't want that. That's public. He just wanted someone to go grab her, take her from the arms of the Frenchmen, you know, and bring her back to Mount Vernon where she belongs.

[Susan]

And so he, in his capacity as president, like one of those CEOs that it's like I can call on the company resources for all of my personal needs. He called the Secretary of the treasury, wrote to him. Obviously he didn't pick up the phone.

[Gilmore]

And said, send him a text.

[Susan]

Yeah, send him a little text. Do you have a man on site at the port you know, there was often a customs official, and that's under the Secretary of the treasury, and that's the government official that would be on hand. Do you have a guy on site? I need that guy to go over there, get Ona and put her on a boat. The end. What about the due process provision? What about we have to go to court, right. And you're going to have to give me an affidavit that you own her or whatever. And he goes, I will pay you for your trouble in money and gratitude from the President of the United States unsaid to break this law. Yeah.

[Gilmore]

Presidential privilege, of course. Yeah.

[Susan]

So this Mr. Whipple, as such his name is, was a reluctant messenger. The Whipples had freed their own enslaved people over a decade ago. But he did have a duty to his boss and the President, his grand boss, I guess you call him. And so he decided he was going to perpetuate a trick and put about in the city, that he needed someone to help his wife in the house. And did anyone know of anyone that needed a job, A good job that paid well?

[Gilmore]

Ona was looking for a good job that paid well in a house.

[Susan]

Ona came to what she thought was a job interview, but quickly realized what he was up to, and he dropped the pretense. George Washington knows where you are. I'm supposed to take hold of you. I'm supposed to put you on a ship back to Virginia.

[Gilmore]

Joseph Whipple's thinking that someone took Ona away and that she was being held there against her will. She flat out denied that whole absconded by a boyfriend story. And Joseph Whipple's starting to. His defenses are starting to come down.

[Susan]

Why don't I try to negotiate your freedom after the Washingtons die? That way you wouldn't have to live in fear up here all the time of slave catchers, and you wouldn't live in poverty like you do here. Don't you miss the fine food? Don't you miss the beautiful clothes? The grateful and humane treatment of a thoughtful mistress who Ona was smart and good. We know this at hiding her feelings. I do. I do, sir. I do miss it. Thank you for your help. I'll go back quietly if you can arrange a ship for me. Could you do that for me? Arrange a ship? I'll gather my belongings. I'll say goodbye to my friends and tell me where to meet. Hooray.

[Gilmore]

Joseph Whipple's thinking he's got it.

[Susan]

But come departure time, Ona was vaporized. Also, sort of secretly, he felt Hooray he liked her a lot. And he was always sort of conflicted about this whole thing. Anyway, he wrote a sort of tart response to the President and said that Ona had expressed affection and reverence and stated that she would be glad to return if she could receive freedom upon their death. Which is true. She did say that, didn't she? Oh, yes, as an actress, in response to his offer. And so Mr. Whipple was not a liar head.

[Gilmore]

In this letter to George Washington, after Ona had agreed to leave New Hampshire, he said after a cautious examination, it appeared to me that she had not been decoyed. It was a thirst for freedom which she was informed would take place on her arrival here or Boston, which had been her only motive for absconding. Basically, she took herself away because she thought she'd be free.

[Susan]

He also advised the President, his grand boss, that New Hampshire was not Virginia and there was a strong movement here for universal freedom. You may find it difficult to find allies willing to return slaves to their masters.

[Gilmore]

Also, he implied that this whole situation was above his pay grade. It had nothing to do with him. And the President needed to go through the attorney of the state of New Hampshire to deal with this situation. You know, following the law.

[Susan]

Yeah. He basically was saying, I've helped you break the law in private, now please leave me out of it. Respectfully yours, etc. George Washington responded tartly that he would not reward unfaithfulness with freedom and that her family was now subject to her punishments.

[Gilmore]

The letters are flying back and forth between Joseph Whipple and George Washington. George is not happy with the idea of letting Ona be. And he doubled down on her. Suddenly there's an unborn baby. I don't know where this came from other than the imagination of Martha Washington. Suddenly Ona is pregnant. We need to get her and her baby on a boat for Virginia stat. And this is where Joseph had had it. And he said, you know what? No. And by the way, you should do away with fugitive slaves by doing away with slavery. That's a Susan paraphrase, but essentially that's what he said in all 1700s flowery political language.

[Susan]

You know what that was? That was a little bit of like the north versus the south right there. And that was a lot earlier than you think it started, wasn't it? That was a man in the north telling a man from the south what he could do with his institution of slavery. Right. New Hampshire is an early adopter, isn't it? Live free or die. Isn't that the.

[Gilmore]

Yes.

[Susan]

Isn't that the motto on the license?

[Gilmore]

Yep. Yep.

[Susan]

Back at the ranch, Hercules's son Richmond had been caught stealing something. And in the jumpy nature of all things, in slavery. In the Washington household, Richmond and his father, Hercules, who as far as they could tell, had done nothing wrong, were accused of gathering money to make their own bid for freedom. And Hercules, the man of the velvet tailcoat, the man of the gold cane, was sent back to Mount Vernon and set to manual labor. Now, that is a punishment, yes, but also an insult and a mental punishment. You can pretend to be valuable to us all you want. You can pretend to be the cock of the walk up here in Philadelphia, but we have the power to send you to the fields of potatoes where you will spend the rest of your life. And I want to say Hercules had done nothing at that time that was provable, right? So in our nation's temporary capital, John Adams had been sworn in as president. With people crying and looking at George Washington the whole time. The poor second president was trying to give his inaugural speech and the Washingtons were headed back to Mount Vernon. The Washingtons sent Ona's sister, Philadelphia, to their granddaughter as a wedding present instead, which was, of course, both a wedding present and a punishment for Ona, Although Ona never knew about it, so I don't know how much of a punishment it was for her. Less than a year after she left the Washingtons, Ona married a black free sailor named Jack Staines. Sailors of this nature were often sort of high status in the community. There was a sort of a lump sum payment. All the profit from the voyage. Everybody got a certain share, like a house, half share, a quarter share, you know, whatever. And a lot of times they came back with these lump sums that was enough to buy land or a house. It was both practical for security and protection in a very man centric society. It may have even been love. I mean, I don't know.

[Gilmore]

It could have been Jack Staines and Ona decided to get married. For whatever reasons, it was perfectly legal for two free black people to marry in New Hampshire. All they had to do was go down and fill out an application for a license. Well, Joseph Whipple had to flag that license and tell the clerk, ah, one of these people isn't exactly free. I don't know what you want to do about it. I can't do anything at this point. So the clerk kind of kept putting their application down at the bottom of the pile. He'd do his work. Oh, there it is again. Oh, it's down the bottom, because he didn't, you know, the clerk didn't want to anger the former president in the United States either. Ona and Jack went to a nearby town, got the documents they needed there, and were married.

[Susan]

Ona, Judge Staines gave birth to a baby girl within a year of her marriage, who they named Eliza, which is whack.

[Gilmore]

Oh, it's so whack because at about the same time, Elizabeth Park Custis Law also gave birth to a little girl named Eliza.

[Susan]

The irony, but that's just like more of the same. Naming the children after yourself. But, like, why would you own it? Name a child Eliza. Unless as a reminder of the. Of the spark of the impetus of the reason, she took the step to leave her enslaved position and go out into the world. Like, maybe. Maybe, like, you're the reason that I am now free. And here is your namesake to remind me of that. I don't know. I thought that was. Wow. But according to the fugitive slave act, young Eliza Stains also belonged to the Custis estate now and was enslaved by law. Baby Eliza Stains was property legally. Back at Mount Vernon, Hercules had finally had enough. And one day, During George Washington's 65th birthday party, Hercules also escaped. He left. And although George Washington sought for him as hard as you ever could, and Hercules was super famous, the thought is that he went back to Philadelphia, where he had so many contacts to hide him, and he was never heard from again. Hercules, we think, escaped to freedom.

[Gilmore]

I think that what I'm about to say, it just kind of shows that there's a crack happening in the whole benevolent slaveholder situation. Because when someone asked Hercules little daughter if she was sad that she would never see her father again, she said, no, I'm very happy, because now he's free. Free. So even the kids are starting to realize, oh, look at. This is an option.

[Susan]

George Washington never, never forgot the insult to his pride, to his estate and his status, and he decided to try again. He sent their nephew, Burwell Bassett Jr, brother of their niece, slash surrogate daughter, Fanny. Did we tell you that Fanny married Tobias Lear, the secretary, as her second husband? I mean, she actually died about a year after they got married. And then this man married another niece, also named F. I couldn't even make a diagram of this. The end. That's all I'm gonna say about that. But anyway, so that's who he is, is the brother of the young girl that they raised practically as a daughter. Anyway, Burwell Bassett just showed up at Ona's door one day Ona was 26. She opened the door and sure enough, he's a familiar figure to her. Like most of the younger generation of Washington relatives, they had all trooped through Mount Vernon, lived there, played there, you know, for however long in their childhoods. He says to the woman that opens the door holding her child, if you come back with me, you'll not be punished for your misdeeds. Will you come back with me right now? And she just said, no. What his hair stood on and how dare this, this person. Like he almost had the vapors about getting by by a person of color. How dare this person talk to me this way. I'm free now and I choose to remain so. He literally was. I mean, the word I'm writing is pole axed, which I'm going to bring more into modern language. He was pole axed by her defiance, by her pretending to be his equal, which all she said is, what is this? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 10 words. And he lost his mind.

[Gilmore]

That's right. Well, he thought he was just gonna slide in there, give a logical explanation. And of course Ona would come back with him. Even promised that she would be freed as soon as she returned because Mrs. Washington has missed you so much.

[Susan]

You know, I'm not buying what you are selling. He had to retreat for a minute a night to regroup. He was perfectly willing to do whatever it took after that response, you know, how dare she? And he was staying at the Langdon's house. Those are friends of the family. And he openly spoke of his experience. I'm sorry, he makes me laugh.

[Gilmore]

Oh, no kidding. No kidding. Because he's like licking his wounds and thinking, okay, well, sweetness didn't work. I'm just gonna go in and not be sweet. I'm just gonna take her physically. I'm gonna get a boat ready for her and just take her by force if necessary.

[Susan]

Someone at the Langdon's house ran to tell Ona. Now you'll read that it was the senator himself, which seems. Seems sort of even though he was definitely changing his tune. I mean, New Hampshire itself was changing its tune to the institution of slavery. But certainly the senator did not run down the street. I do believe it was probably a servant. Whether or not that servant was told to run until Onan, I'm going to leave that to the mysteries of history. It took Burwell Basset about a day to get together a posse, some rope, a wagon, a boat. And when they got there, Ona was gone. Her daughter was gone, her husband had been away at sea and was still gone. Ona had left right after his visit. She traveled to the town where she had gotten married and was taken in by a free black family called the Jacks. Phyllis and John Jacks, who, of course, were running a risk of their own in taking her in, but did it anyway.

[Gilmore]

Burwell goes back to the Washingtons and said, look, Ona is married. She has a baby. She hadn't been kidnapped. So that story is still perpetuating that she had been kidnapped by a Frenchman. They're still holding tight to it. The Washingtons were going to have to come up with another strategy and Burwell out later in life. Ona said when telling her life story after she got to the Burwell part, she said, the family never troubled me anymore after this. Well, probably for a good reason, because George Washington died.

[Susan]

So we spoke about this before. We're going to highlight it again. George Washington died, and in his will, he said William Lee was to be immediately freed. His old valet, everyone else, was to be freed upon the death of Martha Washington. Now, this is only the enslaved people that he had brought into the marriage that he had purchased. The Custis servants were still out of his power to free. He could do nothing for them. And technically, Ona was a dower slave of the Custis estate. So was her daughter and her son William. William and Nancy, I hope, named after the ship that brought her to freedom.

[Gilmore]

I know. How could it not?

[Susan]

I don't know. Well, anyway. And so Martha Washington panicked, thought that all that was standing between these 123 people and freedom was her life. She got a little paranoid, got a little too much in her head, perhaps a suspicious fire. She decided to cut her losses and free those people early. So that's what she did. And so the Washington enslaved people were freed.

[Gilmore]

So George Washington freeing his slaves and the dower slaves still being enslaved by Martha for perpetuity in the Custis estate. It's so intertwined because these people have all been living together in a community for so long. Even our friend Hercules, he was owned by George Washington. His wife was a Custis dower slave, so her children were all dower slaves.

[Susan]

Slaves.

[Gilmore]

So it's not like there's not like a clean line like, you guys can go, you guys can stay and be divided up among the Custis grandchildren. There's. There's no cleanliness to it at all.

[Susan]

I know. And Hercules, technically, unless there was an exception that I don't know about, was freed. When Martha Washington freed all of George Washington's own enslaved people, because George Washington bought him off of a ferryman when he was about 11 with George Washington's own money. So it's not like he came to the house through any kind of inheritance or anything. So technically, although Hercules may or may not have ever known it, he had been freed from approximately 1800. Martha Washington died in 1802, and her Custis servants were spread among the four grandchildren with no regard for family ties. Unfortunately, our friend Ona did not have a very good time right after this. Her husband, Jack Staines, died the year that she turned 30. Only 30. Phyllis Jack, the mother of the family in which she had taken refuge, died the year after that. Remnants of both families moved in together and tried to get along and gather their resources together. It was a very, very hard life. Ona's daughters had to work as servants at a neighboring farm, and her son William went to sea to support himself at the age of 15 or 16. Ultimately, Ona would outlive her master, her mistress, her husband, and all three of her children. She had learned to read at some point during her time in New Hampshire and found great comfort in reading her bible and its promise of a better afterlife in heaven.

[Gilmore]

Shortly after Ona's daughter Eliza, and then her daughter Nancy, died, Ona sat down with two reporters to talk about her life story. That's how we know about her, from these interviews that ran in the black newspapers of the times, the Liberator, and the Granite Freeman paper.

[Susan]

That interview, especially the one in the Liberator, was released the same year that Frederick Douglass autobiography was released. And so when Ona told her story, it came out to a primed and receptive audience and a big audience.

[Gilmore]

The Liberator was a national newspaper. The Granite Freeman was more, you know, New Hampshire, the Granite State. The Liberator is a big deal. So her story is out there at a prime time in civil rights history.

[Susan]

The interviewer asked, are you sad that you left for such a hard life? And she said, no, I am free and have, I trust, been made a child of God by that means. I don't know exactly what she means by being made a child of God, by running away. But I do think what she means is it was worth it, all of it was worth it in order to be free.

[Gilmore]

We say she was free. She could have been captured and brought back to the Custis estate at any time. So she was always a fugitive. But she lived her life free for 52 years. On February 25, 1848, Ona Maria Judge Staines passed away. She was 74 years old.

[Susan]

Now, let me tell you something. If you want to know where her. I'm so intrigued by this that I wish I could get on a plane. Okay. If you would like to know where she is buried. She, they think is buried in the staines dab jack cemetery on dearborn road in greensland, new hampshire. But the only grave marker that is left seems to be of the younger Phyllis jacks. One of the daughters has a broken, almost unreadable headstone there, but local tradition says that that is where ona judge is buried. I have to tell you, I would love to. To get a movement together to get her a headstone. I don't even know how to begin or what to do, but wouldn't that be a great thing to do?

[Gilmore]

Definitely. And I'm sure we have somebody out there right now who doesn't live far away from there and can get the ball rolling. Maybe.

[Susan]

I don't know. I really don't know how to begin. If anyone has an idea how one goes about doing that, send us an [e-mail] it's been done before for forgotten women of history, and I think it could be done here today. There is a plaque on the wall of the president's house in philadelphia, of course, but it's not the same as the actual site. There is speaking of on the actual site, two monuments on Mount Vernon itself. One was erected in 1929, and it says, in memory of the many faithful colored servants of the Washington family buried here at Mount Vernon from 1760 to 1860. 60. Their unidentified graves surround this spot. Then in 1983, a second memorial, which is now definitely in pride of place, called the slave memorial, was dedicated in 1983. And you can still, you know, we're going to go see it when we go to mount vernon here in a few days. I would actually like to see both of those stones. So one of them is not very accessible. I don't know if we'll be able to see the 1929 one one.

[Gilmore]

I bet we asked specifically, like, we know that there's this other plaque. Where's that? You know, like, if you say specifically the one about the enslaved people and.

[Susan]

Literally it could be a paved road right to it. I don't know.

[Gilmore]

Yeah, I don't know. And we'll find out.

[Susan]

We're gonna find out.

[Gilmore]

That's right.

[Susan]

I just want to tell you a little tiny bit of an uplifting epilogue, and I'm not gonna give you Too, too many details. But once upon a time, Ona was going to be given as a wedding present present to Eliza. Instead, her sister Philadelphia, who everyone called Delphi, was substituted as the wedding gift to Eliza. Eliza and her husband got a divorce, which seems pretty rare. And in the course of events, Philadelphia married a free man of color who was descended from Martha Washington's half sister of color and Dandria. And she and her two daughters were freed from enslavement in 1807. So the punishment that was inflicted by Martha Washington on Ona through her sister Philadelphia actually rebounded and came to a better end for Philadelphia. And I'm very glad for that. And now it's time for media. And there are a few. I think we probably both used the book Never Caught. Is that a reasonable expectation?

[Gilmore]

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

[Susan]

There are two versions of this I loved the young readers edition especially. I would pass this on to a young relative. Never Caught the Story of Ona Judge. George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave who Dared to Run Away by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleave.

[Gilmore]

The grown up version, I don't. The more detailed version is called Never Caught. The Washington's Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave. Owna Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar. And I have to say I love this so much because here's somebody who. There's really not a lot of biographies out there on her. And so Ms. Dunbar wrote two. One for people who wanted to take a deeper dive and one for young readers to start learning about Ona Judge.

[Susan]

I love that even younger. A children's picture book called Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons by Gwendolyn Hooks is my recommendation for a children's book.

[Gilmore]

I have the Escape of Oney Judge. Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom by Emily Arnold McCully.

[Susan]

So again, I checked out the President's kitchen cabinet. I wanted to learn some more about the household of George Washington and Hercules in particular. And I discovered my folded down pages when we talked about Zephyr. This is the same book, I'm sorry, public library. I fold in the back. Now that's a good book, too. Also Black History of the White House. Those two books put together, you know, we talk about, oh, they're building the federal city on land given by blah blah and blah blah. But like, what we didn't say was it was largely, I mean, largely built by an enslaved population that was rented for this project. So Black History of the White House is an important thing to put in your mind.

[Gilmore]

Also, the book ties that founding First Ladies and Slaves by Marie Jenkins Schwartz basically talks about Washington Jefferson and Madison Jefferson. There was no first lady but the women in his life and their slaves.

[Susan]

And then, just like one last book for the road, all that she Carried by Tiya Miles tells the story of an enslaved woman and a specific piece of property. No spoilers, right?

[Gilmore]

Yeah, no, that's a good one.

[Susan]

Now, as to videos. At last. At last, raise a flag. We finally have a drunk history episode.

[Gilmore]

Yeah, I know.

[Susan]

I mean, it will never be as good as the Harriet Tubman episode. I'm sorry, Tavia Spencer is the woman, but this one's pretty good.

[Gilmore]

Well, yeah. Although if you don't like the sound of someone hiccuping while they're drunk, don't watch it, because she hiccuped the entire time. Oh, there's a web series called Ask a Slave where A reenactor from Mount Vernon, A.Z. dungey, based the series on questions that were actually asked of her while she was in character as the slave Lizzie Mae. And I do want to point out, in not so tiny print on the YouTube page, it says, in no way affiliated or sponsored by George Washington's Mount Vernon State Museum and Gardens. It's fairly funny. You know, the questions that people ask are just so, like, did you know Harriet Tubman?

[Susan]

Oh, dear. Oh, oh, oh.

[Gilmore]

It's.

[Susan]

Yeah.

[Gilmore]

I mean, she gives a sassy answer.

[Susan]

I would like to recommend two more web series. One is called these Roots, and one of the episodes in that is A day in the life of an enslaved lady's made. Highly recommend. Also, the entire oeuvre, if I can use such a word, of not your mama's history on YouTube. Highly recommend her so much. Watch it all.

[Gilmore]

Watch it, watch it. Follow her on social media. She's fantastic.

[Susan]

I did find the entire online archives of the Liberator, and that is an interesting walk through history, if you would like to go that way. And I don't know how I ended up here exactly, but I ended up in a delightful historical food blog that is very basic blog. You're not going to find a lot of photography or whatever, but great articles about historical food called theoldfoodie.com.

[Gilmore]

I'M assuming that's O L D E. No, it's not. Oh, really?

[Susan]

Theoldfoodie.com.

[Gilmore]

Oh, wow.

[Susan]

Okay.

[Gilmore]

Not a web series or blog. The Museum of American Revolution has an online tour and there is a video where a reenactor tells the story of Ona judge. There's also a podcast called Intertwined the enslaved Community at George Washington's Mount Vernon. And this one is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies association, so they have nothing to do with Ask a Slave but Intertwined stories, which is very nicely done. It's a short series, a couple episodes. Do talk about Ona and Hercules. That's out there too. I don't have anything else.

[Susan]

Thanks for listening.

[Gilmore]

Bye.

[Susan]

If you liked what you heard today, please tell a few friends about us or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher. We are getting ready to leave, I mean, in less than 12 hours for our adventure in Washington, D.C. some of our listeners are coming to meet us there, and we're going to go on some epic adventures. From Marjorie Merryweather Post's house to Frances Perkins to Mary McLeod Bethune to Julia Child and Rosa Parks, the days are just packed. The song at the end is Aurelie by the band Artemis, and even though it's not completely clear because of the style in which it is sung here, here are some of the lyrics that appealed to me. Pulsing chaos rhythm burning through restless mind Time the only witness to yearning Faithful follower Listen with devotion Silent melody Climb your ladder till you're gazing into infinity. I thought that fit. Thanks for listening and we will see you next time. Morning gently thirsty earth drain Today. Open me slowly as shadows fade Today. Satan. Awaken. Day. Sa. Race.