Martha Washington

Martha Washington 

1st Lady of the United States

There are many images of Martha Washington in her later years, we often forget that she was a gorgeous gem when she married George. When George met Martha she was a widow from her prior husband Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy planter, who was twenty years older when she was just only eighteen. Daniel and Martha had four children, sadly two died very young. Martha's husband Daniel left her to be a widow in 1757. Martha was left with the estate (a very big one). During two years later she was being courted by not only George, but also by a wealthy planter Charles Carter.

George won her heart and they married January 6, 1759. They were 27 in age. Documents report that they were very much in love. Sadly, Martha lost her teenage daughter who died during an epileptic seizure leaving George and Martha was left with one son who was named John, who died during military service in 1781 probably of typhus. George and Martha raised his two children, Eleanor and George. 

Nancy Loane, author of Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment, wrote that Martha was a spiffy dresser, assertive, and definitely a woman of independent means and she was a woman who followed her man. Followed she did. Martha joined her husband George who was leading the fight for freedom in the Revolutionary War. She traveled thousands of miles to be with him, supporting his cause. 

Martha died when she was 70 in 1802. She has been honored in many ways. One honor was that her image was the first image of a woman on the US postage stamp. 

Eleanor Roosevelt

Elliott  and Anna Hall Roosevelt welcomed Anna Eleanor to the world on October 11, 1884 in New York City. She had two brothers as well as a half brother who was born from a servant of the family. Her family was very wealthy.


Sadly, Eleanor's short life took a sad turn when her mother died of diphtheria when she was eight years old and her father ended up confined to a sanitarium due to his alcoholism then shortly died two years after her mother.Also, her brother Elliott Jr. also died from diphtheria. 


There after, Eleanor's Grandmother took the responsibility and raised her. After private tutoring classes, she was fortunate enough to go to a private finishing school near London where she learned how to speak French and gained self confidence. 


When Eleanor was 17, she met a fifth cousin on her father's side of the family, his name was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He attended Harvard University and was ever handsome and charming. They began courting in 1903 and were engaged to be married in 1905. 
If Eleanor's life wasn't challenging enough, she still had her drama issues. She had to deal with Sara Roosevelt who was her future Mother in Law who was not supportive of her only child getting married to her. In spite of her disapproval, they were wedded on March 17 1905. After their honeymoon in Europe, they began their married life in New York City in a home that had been provided by his mother. 


Her Mother in Law ruled as queen of that castle in their since she continuously reminded the love birds that she provided it for them and they were not free from her until he was elected to the Senate and moved to Albany, New York. Later, in an August summer of 1921, he became very ill with a horrible fever and as a result, he lost the use of his legs due to paralysis
The Roosevelts were blessed with six children, five lived beyond infancy.The Roosevelts had a happy start to their marriage, but Eleanor learned of his affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer.  She learned of this affair due to letters from Lucy that she found in his suitcases.  She told her husband to end the affair or she was getting a divorce. 


The pressure everyone placed on them to stay together was for the children and for the sake of his political career.  Although he had agreed not to see her again, Lucy Mercer began visiting Franklin again in the 1930s and she was even with him at Warm Springs, Georgia when he passed away on April 12, 1945.  (can you imagine?) 


After raising five children and looking after her physically challenged unfaithful husband, something inside of her kept her moving forward. She became very active after her husbands paralysis attack in 1921, Eleanor would serve as a stand in for him and her appearances were very successful.  She began working for the Women's Trade Union League, and she raised funds and supported the goals of the union.  She was involved  in several goals such as a minimum wage, a 48 hour work week, and the abolishment of child labor. This only names just a few of her accomplishments. 

Can you imagine after all the losses this woman has had to face from the loss of her parents at a young age to dealing with the humiliation of a public affair from your husband? Eleanor didn't sit back and have a pity party for herself. She remained a strong independent woman of grace and strength. I have such admiration for her and can only hope to follow in her footsteps and draw from her examples to overcome difficult life challenges. Eleanor continued to keep moving forward regardless of her obstacles.