D.C. Mondays: First Family: George Washington's Heirs and the Making of America

While it is widely known in America that George and Martha Washington never had children of their own, few are aware that they raised numerous children together. In a talk based on her new book, First Family, Cassandra Good explores Washington as a father figure, as well as introducing the children he helped raise and tracing their complicated roles in American history.

The children of Martha Washington’s son by her first marriage – Eliza, Patty, Nelly and Wash Custis – were born into a life in the public eye. Raised in the country’s first “first family,” they remained well-known as Washington’s family and keepers of his legacy throughout their lives. By turns petty and powerful, glamorous and cruel, the Custises used Washington as a means to enhance their own power and status. As enslavers committed to the American empire, the Custis family embodied the failures of the American experiment that finally exploded into civil war – all the while being celebrities in a soap opera of their own making.

About Cassandra A. Good

Cassandra A. Good is a historian, writer and teacher in the Washington, D.C. area. She received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a B.A./M.A. in American studies from the George Washington University. Dr. Good previously worked for the Smithsonian Institution at art museums and as associate editor of the Papers of James Monroe at the University of Mary Washington. Her work has been supported by institutions including Mount Vernon, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. She currently serves as associate professor of history at Marymount University.

How to Participate

This program will be in a hybrid format. You can join us in person at the museum or watch the livestream online. Please register in advance and choose how you would like to participate. We will email virtual attendees a link and instructions for joining via Zoom. When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.

About the D.C. Mondays Series

Join local authors, researchers and community members online for lively discussions about Washington, D.C.’s history, politics, culture and more. Browse upcoming programs