Yammacin Ford

West Ford ( 1784 - 1863) shi ne mai kula da kuma manajan Mount Vernon, wanda ya kasance gidan George Washington. Ford ya kuma kafa Gum Springs, Virginia kusa da Dutsen Vernon .

An haifi Ford a Bushfield Plantation a Westmoreland County, Virginia, ɗan wata mace mai suna Venus, wanda aka rarraba shi a matsayin "Mulatto" a cikin harshen lokacin. An tsare Venus a matsayin bawa a gidan da ɗan'uwan Washington John Augustine Washington, da matar John Hannah. Tarihin baki na iyalin Ford ya bayyana cewa mahaifin West Ford shine Shugaba Washington, kuma wasu masana tarihi da suka magance batun sun yi imanin cewa ka'idar tana yiwuwa, kodayake ba mai yiwuwa ba.

A cikin 1802, Ford ya koma Mount Vernon, inda Shugaba Washington ya mutu a cikin 1799. Ford ya zama ɗan 'yanci a kusa da 1805. A cikin 1833, ya kafa ƙauyen Gum Springs, wanda shine ƙauyen Afirka na farko a cikin Fairfax County, Virginia. Ya ci gaba da aiki a kusa da Dutsen Vernon har zuwa 1860, kuma ya koma Dutsen Vernón lokacin da Ƙungiyar Mata ta Mount Vernon ta kawo shi gidan don kula da shi a lokacin rashin lafiya da mutuwarsa na ƙarshe, yayin da Yaƙin basasar Amurka ke ci gaba.

## Rayuwa ta farko
Ba a san ainihin ranar haihuwar West Ford ba amma Mary V. Thompson, Masanin Tarihin Bincike na Mount Vernon, ya rubuta cewa shekarar ta kasance "kimanin shekara ta 1784". An rubuta shekarun West Ford sau da yawa duk tare da kwanakin daban-daban a cikin kewayon 1784 zuwa 1787. 

Lokacin da John Augustine Washington ya mutu a shekara ta 1787, ya bar Venus da iyayenta, Jenny da Billey, ga matarsa, Hannah. Ba a ambaci Yamma a cikin nufinsa ba. A cikin wasiƙar Hannah, wadda aka rubuta a 1802, ta bayyana:[Ba ni da burina mafi tsanani kuma burina wannan saurayi West zai iya zama allurar rigakafi da wuri-wuri don karamin ciwon daji, bayan haka za a ɗaure shi da mai kasuwanci mai kyau har zuwa shekaru 21, bayan haka zai zama 'yanci sauran rayuwarsa. Manjo George W. Ford, jikan West Ford, ya bayyana a cikin wata kasida ta 1937 cewa kakansa ya kasance mai kula da George Washington a matsayin ƙaramin yaro kuma Washington ta kai shi coci da kuma hawa. An koya wa West karatu, rubutu da yin lissafi, wanda ya saba wa doka ga bayi a Virginia. An kuma koya masa sana'ar masassaƙa.

## Motsawa zuwa Dutsen Vernon, samun 'yanci, gadon ƙasa
Lokacin da Bushrod Washington - alƙali a Kotun Koli ta Amurka wanda shi ne ɗan John da Hannah - ya gaji Dutsen Vernon bayan mutuwar kawunsa George, ya kawo bayinsa tare da shi ciki har da West Ford, Jenny (kakar West), Venus (mahaifiyar West), da Bettey (yar'uwar West). 

Tare da ayyukan Ford na masassaƙa da mai lambu, zai zama babban mai kula da kabarin George Washington kamar yadda aka san baƙi da yawa suna taruwa zuwa kabarinsa. West ya sami 'yancinsa a kusa da 1805.

Ford ya haifi 'ya'ya hudu - William, Daniel, Jane, da Julia - tare da matarsa, Priscilla Ford, mace baƙar fata mai 'yanci daga Alexandria. An haifi 'ya'yansu kyauta, kuma sun sami ilimi a Dutsen Vernon Plantation . Lokacin da Bushrod Washington (ɗan'uwansa kuma magaji ga Dutsen Vernon bayan mutuwar Washington) ya mutu a 1829 ba tare da fitowa ba, ya ba da ƙasa ga 'yan uwansa uku da' yar'uwarsa, gami da Ford wanda aka ba shi kadada 160 na ƙasa a Little Hunting Creek .  Ɗaya daga cikin jikokinsa shine Major George W. Ford . 

## Kafa Gum Springs
A cikin 1833, Ford ya sayar da ƙasar da ya gaji daga Bushrod Washington, don sayen babban fili na kadada 214, wanda ke da nisan kilomita biyu a arewacin Gum Springs Farm .  Ya raba sabon ƙasarsa zuwa kashi huɗu daidai ga 'ya'yansa a shekara ta 1857. A wannan lokacin, Ford shine manomi baƙar fata na biyu mafi arziki a yankin Fairfax, Virginia.

Gum Springs Farm ita ce cibiyar baƙar fata a cikin karni na 19, wurin ajiya ga baƙar fata kafin da kuma bayan yakin basasa; Ford daga baya ya zama sananne a matsayin "wanda ya kafa kuma mahaifin Gum Springs". Dangane da kafa ta 1833, Gum Springs, Virginia ita ce mafi tsufa a cikin mazaunin Afirka na Amurka a cikin Fairfax County . [undefined] An sanya alamar tarihi ta Jihar Virginia don girmama Ford a Gum Springs a kan Fordson Road a watan Yunin 2023. [undefined][1]￼

## Rayuwa ta baya
West Ford was frequently highlighted in news publications during his tenure at Mount Vernon, making his private life a matter of public record. In 1850, two Virginia newspapers—the *Alexandria Gazette* and the *Virginia Advertiser*—carried articles describing his prestigious position and authority at Mount Vernon.&#x5B;**&#x5D; Another article was written by Benson J. Lossing, who was a prolific and popular American historian and a personal friend of George Washington Parke Custis (grandson of Martha Washington and step-grandson of George). Lossing asked after his interview if he could sketch West's picture. West told him he needed to clean up a bit as, *"Artists make colored folks look bad enough anyhow."* After the sketch was finished, West signed his name with Lossing's pencil at the bottom of the drawing. Lossing submitted the article for print in the *Harpers New Monthly Magazine*.  This 1859 drawing can be seen at top right. 

## Dubi kuma

* Jerin bayi na Mount Vernon

## Manazarta