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 * Martha Dandridge Custis Washington** (June 2, 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 is considered to be the first [|First Lady of the United States]. During her lifetime, she was known as "Lady Washington".[[image:MARTHA_WASHINGTON.png width="175" height="213" align="left"]]

Martha Dandridge was born at 10:29 a.m. on June 2, 1731 on her parents' plantation [|Chestnut Grove] in the British colonial [|Province of Virginia]. She was the oldest daughter of Virginia planter and immigrant from England [|John Dandridge] (1700–1756) and Clara Jones (1710–1785) of English, Welsh and French descent.[|[1]] Martha had three brothers and four sisters, the others being John Dandridge (1733–1749), William Dandridge (1734–1776), Bartholomew Dandridge (1737–1785), Anna Marie "Fanny" Dandridge Bassett (1739–1777), Frances Dandridge (1744–1757), Elizabeth Dandridge Aylet Henley (1749–1800), and Mary Dandridge (1756–1763). She may have had an illegitimate half-sister (date of birth unrecovered) who was a slave: Ann Dandridge Costin was one-quarter African, one-quarter Cherokee Indian, and half-white. There is further evidence of an illegitimate half-brother Ralph Dandridge (date of birth unrecovered), who was probably white