George Washington did not have any children. Despite that fact, there were always children at Mount Vernon. They raised Martha Washington’s two children from a previous marriage, as well as her four grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
George Washington's Step Children
John Parke Custis
(1754–1781)
John Parke Custis (known as "Jacky" when younger, and "Jack" as he got older) was around four years old when his mother married George Washington. His schoolwork often took second place in the teenager's priorities, a fact which caused his stepfather considerable grief.
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Martha Parke Custis
(1756–1773)
Known to the family as "Patsy", Martha Parke Custis had a particularly difficult life. By the time she was eleven or twelve, Patsy was plagued with seizures.
Learn moreDaniel Custis
(1751–1754)
Frances Custis
(1753–1757)
Martha Washington's eldest two children sadly died before her marriage to George Washington in 1759.
George Washington's Step Grandchildren
Elizabeth Parke Custis Law
(1776–1831)
"Eliza" was the eldest of Martha Washington's four surviving grandchildren. Eliza was born in Mount Airy, Prince George's County, Maryland. the home of her maternal grandparents.
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Martha Parke Custis Peter
(1777–1854)
Named for her grandmother and her father’s late sister, Martha Parke Custis Peter went by the nickname "Patty". She spent her earliest years at both Mount Vernon and her father’s plantation, Abingdon.
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Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis
(1779–1852)
Eleanor Parke Custis (known as “Nelly”) was the youngest of Martha Washington’s three granddaughters. Martha Washington reported that Nelly was quite taken with life, describing her granddaughter as "a little wild creature."
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George Washington Parke Custis
(1781–1857)
Known by his grandparents as "Wash," George Washington Parke Custis was best known in his lifetime for being taken in by George and Martha Washington. He eventually became a key figure in preserving the memory and possessions of Washington.
Learn moreGrowing Up at Mount Vernon
Dr. Cassandra Good explores what it was like for Martha Washington's children and grandchildren to grow up at Mount Vernon.
Frances Parke Lewis, George Washington's Step Great-Grandchild
On George Washington’s final birthday, February 22, 1799, Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis and Lawrence Lewis, were married at Mount Vernon. Nine months later, their first child was born there.
Parenting
George Washington, known throughout the world as the father of his own country, had no biological children of his own -- yet he spent forty years of his life in a home filled with children.
Frances Bassett
Frances "Fanny" Bassett was Martha Washington's niece. She came to live at Mount Vernon after her mother Anna Maria Dandridge passed away in 1777 and became very much like a second daughter to Martha Washington.