Frances Jones Dandridge (April 10, 1710April 1785) was the mother of
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...
, the first
First Lady of the United States
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
. She was born in
New Kent County, Virginia
New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent.
New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region.
History
Ne ...
. Her father Orlando Jones and maternal grandfather Colonel
Gideon Macon Gideon (or Gedeon) Macon (c. 1648–1702) was an early American settler.Cabell, James Branch. "The Majors and Their Marriages 1915" The W.C. Hill Printing Co., 1915
There are conflicting theories regarding Gideon Macon's lineage. The one which ...
served on the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
in
Colonial Virginia
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (hist ...
. Her parents were prosperous Virginia landowners.
Her mother Martha Macon died when she was six and her father remarried before his death. She was then raised by her stepmother Mary Elizabeth Williams Jones and later her new husband John James Flourney. A few years after having herself emancipated at the age of sixteen, Frances married
John Dandridge
Col. John Dandridge of Chestnut Grove (14 July 1700 – 31 August 1756) was a colonel, planter, politician, and Clerk of New Kent County, Virginia from 1730 to 1756. He may be best known as the father of Bartholomew Dandridge and the first Fi ...
—a prominent planter, Colonel in the local militia, and
Clerk of Courts
A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...
—on July 22, 1730 in New Kent County, Virginia. The lived at the
Chestnut Grove plantation and a house in
Williamsburg
Williamsburg may refer to:
Places
*Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia
*Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City
*Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California
*Williams ...
and had eight children.
Early life
Frances Jones, nicknamed Fanny, was born in 1710 on a plantation near
Williamsburg
Williamsburg may refer to:
Places
*Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia
*Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City
*Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California
*Williams ...
near the capital on
Queen's Creek
Queen's Creek is located in York County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States. From a point of origin near the Waller Mill Reservoir in western York County, it flows northeasterly ...
. Fanny had an older brother, Lane Jones, born in 1707. Fanny's father, Orlando Jones, was a
Burgess __NOTOC__
Burgess may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Burgess (given name), a list of people
Places
* Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Burgess, Missouri, U ...
for
New Kent County in 1718 in the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
, the leading legislative body in
Colonial Virginia
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (hist ...
. He was also a planter with 21 enslaved people. Her mother, Martha Macon Jones, daughter of Colonel
Gideon Macon Gideon (or Gedeon) Macon (c. 1648–1702) was an early American settler.Cabell, James Branch. "The Majors and Their Marriages 1915" The W.C. Hill Printing Co., 1915
There are conflicting theories regarding Gideon Macon's lineage. The one which ...
, died when Fanny was only six years old. Her father soon remarried. His second wife, Mary Elizabeth William Jones, became the sole parent of the two children just three years later when Orlando Jones died. Orlando and Mary had no children together.
A year later, Orlando's widow Mary Elizabeth married John James Flourney and her stepchildren lived with them in Williamsburg. The union of Flourneys brought more children into the household. While the Jones children lived with their guardians, the Flourneys had a right to use the income from the Queen's Creek property for their household. Anna Maria Jones Timson, the sister of the late Orlando Jones sued twice for custody of her niece and nephew, but was denied. When Lane Jones reached the age of eighteen, he legally
emancipated
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchis ...
himself and moved in with his aunt in Timson's Neck.
In 1726, when Fanny was sixteen, she also sued for emancipation. She did not move in with her aunt, but instead lived with a planter in
New Kent. Her mother's parents had been from that region and a number of Macon aunts and uncles who lived there. She may have lived with Unity West Dandridge, her mother's half-sister, who had married William Dandridge in 1719.
Marriage
![Chestnut Grove (plantation)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Chestnut_Grove_%28plantation%29.jpg)
Fanny Jones married
John Dandridge
Col. John Dandridge of Chestnut Grove (14 July 1700 – 31 August 1756) was a colonel, planter, politician, and Clerk of New Kent County, Virginia from 1730 to 1756. He may be best known as the father of Bartholomew Dandridge and the first Fi ...
on July 22, 1730. Fanny inherited ten enslaved people and land in
King William County
King William County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,810. Its county seat is King William.
King William County is located in the Middle Peninsula and is included in the Greater R ...
from her father, which she brought to the marriage. The Dandridges lived at the
Chestnut Grove plantation on the bank of the
Pamunkey River
The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York Rive ...
in
New Kent County, Virginia
New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent.
New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region.
History
Ne ...
. Located about 35 miles from
Williamsburg
Williamsburg may refer to:
Places
*Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia
*Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City
*Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California
*Williams ...
,
it was a two-story frame house that was surrounded by fruit and chestnut trees.
Dandridge immigrated to the Virginia Colony in 1714
or 1715. Born to John and Ann Dandridge of England,
he immigrated with his older brother William Dandridge (1689–1743).
He and his wife Unity West Dandridge, an heiress, lived on the opposite bank of the river from Chestnut Grove at his
Elsing Green
Elsing Green Plantation, a National Historic Landmark and wildlife refuge, rests upon nearly along the Pamunkey River in King William County, Virginia, a rural county on the western end of the state's middle peninsula, approximately northeast ...
estate in
King William County, Virginia
King William County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,810. Its county seat is King William.
King William County is located in the Middle Peninsula and is included in the Greater R ...
.
Before his marriage, Dandridge was the Deputy Clerk while Colonel John Thornton was the
Clerk of Courts
A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...
; the courthouse was located four miles from his home. Dandridge became Clerk of Courts in New Kent in 1730, upon Thornton's death and held the position for 26 years. He also managed his 500-acre tobacco plantation,
which was prosperous due to the use of 15 to 20 enslaved workers. Owning enslaved people was a sign of wealth and status. Others with larger plantations or positions of influence in the House of Burgesses or the Governor's Council were among the elite gentry.
He was
vestryman
A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of Wa ...
for
St. Peter's Church, Church of England.
Dandridge was a Colonel in his military district.
Children
The Dandridges had eight children:
*
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...
(1731-1802)
* John Dandridge (1733–1749)
* William Dandridge (1734–1776)
*
Bartholomew Dandridge
Bartholomew Dandridge (25 December 1737 – 18 April 1785) was an early American planter, lawyer and patriot. He represented New Kent County in the House of Burgesses, all five Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, and once in the Virginia House ...
(1737–1785)
* Anna Maria "Fanny" Dandridge Bassett (1739–1777)
* Frances Dandridge (1744–1757)
* Elizabeth Dandridge Aylett Henley (1749–1800)
* Mary Dandridge (1756–1763)
Fanny was pregnant or nursing during nearly 25 years. She lost a number of children through miscarriages and still births.
As was typical of the time, the children were educated at home to ready them for life among the gentry, including religious education, music, and dance.
Martha first married
Daniel Parke Custis
Daniel Parke Custis (October 15, 1711 – July 8, 1757) was an American planter and politician who was the first husband of Martha Dandridge. After his death, Dandridge married George Washington, who later became the first president of the Unite ...
, from one of the richest families in Virginia, at Chestnut Grove.
When he died, in 1757, he left an estate of about 300 enslaved people and 17,500 acres.
Following his death, she married
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
at the
White House plantation
The White House was a late 17th-century plantation on the Pamunkey River near White House in New Kent County, Virginia. There were a total of three White Houses all built on the original pre-1700 foundation. The original White House Mansion was b ...
. They lived at
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
and she later became
First Lady of the United States of America
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
.
One of their sons,
Bartholomew Dandridge
Bartholomew Dandridge (25 December 1737 – 18 April 1785) was an early American planter, lawyer and patriot. He represented New Kent County in the House of Burgesses, all five Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, and once in the Virginia House ...
, followed in his father's footsteps and became Clerk of Courts in New Kent County. And he, like his father, also served as both vestryman and churchwarden, but at the Blisland Parish rather than the St. Peter's Parish.
John Dandridge had two illegitimate children:
Ann Dandridge Costin and Ralph Dandridge.
Later life
Her husband, Colonel
John Dandridge
Col. John Dandridge of Chestnut Grove (14 July 1700 – 31 August 1756) was a colonel, planter, politician, and Clerk of New Kent County, Virginia from 1730 to 1756. He may be best known as the father of Bartholomew Dandridge and the first Fi ...
, died in
Fredericksburg on August 21, 1756. He was interred at
St. George's Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg. After her husband's death, Fanny and three of her children–William, Mary, and Elizabeth—continued to live at Chestnut Grove. Fanny was 46 years old and had just given birth to her last child that year. At age 22, William took over management of the plantation.
Bartholomew listed Chestnut Grove for sale in 1768. Fanny moved to Pamocra, where she died in April 1785, within days of the death of her son Bartholomew, and they were buried in the one-acre graveyard.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
*
*
External links
Virginia Historical Society - John Dandridge c. 1715
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dandridge, Frances Jones
1710 births
1785 deaths
Colonial American women
Dandridge family of Virginia
People from New Kent County, Virginia
Virginia colonial people