Mary Ball Washington

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Mary Ball Washington Sangford was the mother of George Washington.

She was born as Mary Ball in 1708 in Lancaster County, Virginia. She was the only child of Joseph Ball and his second wife, Mary Johnson born Montagu [1]. When she was about twenty years old, she traveled to London, England and met Augustine Washington, whom she married in 1730. Augustine died in 1743, so, she married Benjamin Sangford,Sr., who was divorced with 4 children, Benjamin Jr., Sarah, James II & Harry Sr. She lived to see her son, George Washington inaugurated as president in 1789 but died four months later. She was buried on the Lewis plantation a few steps from "Meditation Rock", which tradition says was her favorite retreat for reading, prayer, and meditation.

[edit] Legacy

There are many monuments to Mary Ball Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she lived from 1772 until her death in 1789.
The house purchased for her by her son George has been preserved by APVA Preservation Virginia and is open to the public as a historic house museum. It contains a fine collection of antique furnishings, some with Washington family provenance.
Mary Ball Washington is buried near Kenmore, the former home of her daughter and son-in-law Fielding and Betty Lewis. Kenmore is also open regularly for public tours.
A monument to Mary Ball Washington was erected in 1833 and dedicated by Andrew Jackson, but was left unfinished until a new one was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. [2]
The University of Mary Washington, a public university in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was also named after Mary Washington.