Show mother ther of our first fir st president ril 1 THE T HE girl who was to become th i mother of george washington was something of a belle in her native colony virginia mary ball descended from a good engli english s h f family am was called the rose of epping forest in her girlhood epping F forest crest being the name of the ball homestead orphaned early she had as her guardian george eskridge a w wealthy eal t h y V virginia lr g in ia pl planter a n ter at t twenty w e nt y t two w 0 M mary a r y E ball all married on march 6 1730 A augustine ug ustine washington then a widower with two little boys her first child she named george after her old family friend five other children were born of this marriage four of whom survived when augustine washington died she was left with a brood of youngsters to care for george was then only eleven fortunately however states a writer in the indianapolis di news the husband had provided for them amply george washington was still a young boy when he became possessed of a great desire to be a midshipman his mother had been halfhearted half hearted about this plan at all times but finally so the story goes when his sea chest was being carried down to the wharf by a porter she refused to let him go he accepted her decision with good grace and devoted himself to surveying instead his activities in the next years often took him far away from her and gradually prepared him for the great role he was to play in american history mary ball washington was sixty eight when the revolution began since communication was then so primitive she often did not know for months at a time whether her son it mary ball at 22 when she wed augustine washington was alive or dead yet she maintained outward calm and courage one of her sayings was the mothers and wives of brave men must be brave women the members of her household knew though that every avery day she went off by herself with her bible to a quiet spot called meditation rock hock at last cornwallis porn wallis surrendered in 1781 and the revolution was won ever mindful of his mothers anxiety for him washington sent off a courier at once to bear her the news mary ball washington lived to be over eighty mentally keen and hii un failingly cheerful she died in 1789 the year her son was ele elected eted first president of the united states |