Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-05-19
The Mother Of Washington.


found in many parts of the country,
the fact has often been commented
upon that no suitable monument
marked the resting-place of Mary,
his mother, of whom he once said,
"All that am / owe TO her."
1t is true that as far back as 1883,
the erection of a monument over her
grave at Fredericksburg, Va, was
begun, tue corner stone having been
laid by President Jackson. But the
work was never finished, and the
structure, as it was left, crumbled
with slow decay and gradually fell.
Three years ago there was formed
the Mary Washington Memorial As
ISOLATION, composed entirely of wo-
men. They succeeded in raising
eleven thousand dollars, and with
that had shaft erected, the first
instance in history. it is believed, of
a monument reared exclusively by
men.
The monument is a~beautiful obel-
isk of plain white marble, fifty feet
high, and eleven feet square at the
base, bearing an inscription. in en-
bossed letters, simply:
"Mary, the Mother of Washington
1t has been placed in position, and
was dedicated on the 10th of May in
the presence of the President and his
cabinet, and of public men from all
parts of the United States.
Mary Ball, wife OF Augustine
Washington. and mother OF George
Washington, was born in the year
l7O6, at place called Epping For
est, on the Rappahannock, in Lam
caster county, Va. When her son
George was only eleven years old
his father died, and she had the sole
responsibility of training and rearing
her children. AS to her worth and
her brave, energetic character there
has never been any disagreement.
Count Rochambeau said, after
meeting her, "If such are the mat
rons Of America, she may well boast
of illustrious sonsl" OF her the
adopted son of Washington-George
Washington Parke Custis-wrote:
"Had she been of the olden time, statues
would have been erected to her memory
at the Capitol, and she would have been
called the mother of Romans"
In the quaint old town of Freder-
icksburg there still stands the wood
en- house which Nary Washington
purchased as residence at the sug-
gestion of her son George, and
where she spent fourteen years of
her life. She kept its garden beau
tiful with hollyhocks, calycanthus,
dahlias and other old-fashioned
flowers, which are so seldom seen in
gardens to-day.
II was in this house that, when the
Revolution was fully on, she receiv-
ed from her son, the commander-in-
chief, dispatches from time to time,
by special cour:ers, giving news Of
the war as it progressed.
When the battle at Yorktown was
over and the fate of the colonies had
been triumphantly decided, the allied
French and American troops passed
through Fredericksburg, on their
way to Philadelphia.
1t was to this cottage that George
Washington made his way, unat-
tended, and met the mother whom
he had not seen for eight long and
stormy years. Next night a peace
ball was given, in honor of the great
victory for liberty.
From this cottage she went to the
ball, proodly walking along the
street, leaning on the arm Of her il
lusUious son and arrayed in black
silk gown and snowy kerchiet and
cap.
When the Town Hall was reached !,
she presided over the ball, and re-
ceived, with grace and dignity, the
compliments of the French and
American officers. She held de-
lightful court until ten o'clock, and
then, turning to the commander-in-
chief, who was leading a lady
through minuet, she called out,
archly:
Come, George, it IS time for old
folks TO be at homeln
Then the man who was looked
upon as greater than C@ser, babe
his friends goodnight and took his
mother back to her little home.
Lafayette, too, visited Mary
Washington, when she lived in this
cottage. When he came to the gate
SIZE wss working in the garden, but
she received him with much dignity
and kindness and conducted him in
to the house. She listened with ey-
ident pleasure to all that the brave
Frenchman said in praise Of her SOD,
and simply said:
81 am not surprised at what
George has done. He was always q
good boy!"
A stones throw distant from
Mary Washington's cottage is the
old mansion known as the Kenmore
the residence of her daughter Betty
Not far from the Kenmore ground:
| s. 49, ~ G.-k Z