Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ona Judge
(ca. 1773-1848)
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 25, 2021
1. Ona Judge Marker
Inscription.
Ona Judge. (ca. 1773-1848). Ona (or Oney) Judge, born into slavery at Mount Vernon, became Martha Washington's personal attendant as a child. After George Washington was elected president in 1789, Judge was brought to New York City and later to Philadelphia to serve his household. Washington periodically sent her back to Virginia to skirt a Pennsylvania law that might have granted her freedom based on long-term residency. In 1796, after learning that she was to become a gift for Martha Washington's granddaughter, Judge escaped from Philadelphia to New Hampshire. There she married, had three children, taught herself to read and write, and lived for more than 50 years, having resisted Washington's attempts to recover her.
Ona (or Oney) Judge, born into slavery at Mount Vernon, became Martha Washington's personal attendant as a child. After George Washington was elected president in 1789, Judge was brought to New York City and later to Philadelphia to serve his household. Washington periodically sent her back to Virginia to skirt a Pennsylvania law that might have granted her freedom based on long-term residency. In 1796, after learning that she was to become a gift for Martha Washington's granddaughter, Judge escaped from Philadelphia to New Hampshire. There she married, had three children, taught herself to read and write, and lived for more than 50 years, having resisted Washington's attempts to recover her.
Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number C-63.)
Marker is in Mount Vernon, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It is on Mount Vernon Memorial Highway (Virginia Route 235) west of George Washington Memorial Parkway, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Alexandria VA 22309, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,020 times since then and 86 times this year. Last updated on November 3, 2024, by T.L. Zagraniski of Reston, Va, Usa. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
