Martha Washington place of burial Mount Vernon
Later life and death
The Washingtons left the capital immediately after the inauguration of John Adams, making the return journey to Mount Vernon, which by then had begun to decay.: 12  Again they went into retirement, and they saw to several renovations for their home.: 9  In the years after the presidency, the Washingtons received more visitors than ever, from friends and strangers alike. They eventually took in one of the former president's nephews, Lawrence Lewis, to serve as secretary, and he would eventually marry Washington's granddaughter Nelly.: 13 Washington feared that her husband would again be called away to lead a provisional army against France, but no such conflict took place. Her husband died on December 14, 1799. As a widow, Washington spent her final years living in a garret where she knitted, sewed, and responded to letters. Though she was the legal owner of her husband's property, she gave control of its business affairs to her relatives.: 9  In December 1800, she signed a deed of manumission for her deceased husband's slaves. The slaves received their freedom on January 1, 1801, a little over a year after George's death.Washington retained an interest in the presidency after her tenure as first lady, beginning the tradition of advising her successors.: 124  The Washington family long disliked Thomas Jefferson and Jeffersonian politics, in part because of the central role he played in criticizing the Washington administration.: 11  Washington took offense when he became president, feeling that he did not give adequate respect to the office.: 9 Washington's health, always somewhat precarious, declined after her husband's death. She had anticipated her death since that of her husband. When she developed a fever in 1802, she burned all of her husband's letters to her, summoned a clergyman to administer last communion, and chose her funeral dress.: 8  Two and a half years after the death of her husband, Washington died on May 22, 1802, at the age of 70. Following her death, Washington's body was interred in the original Washington family tomb vault at Mount Vernon. In 1831, the surviving executors of George's estate removed the bodies of the Washingtons from the old vault to a similar structure within the present enclosure at Mount Vernon.
final resting place burial site last resting place grave site interment location