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Ona "Oney" Judge born
Her mother, Betty, an enslaved seamstress, and her father, Andrew Judge, a white English tailor working as an indentured servant at Mount Vernon. -
Revolutionary War Starts
The Revolutionary War began on April 19th, 1775.
The American Revolutionary War was a war fought between Great Britain and the original Thirteen Colonies in North America from 1775 to 1787. Most of the fighting was in North America. The Continental Army, the rebel army, was led by George Washington and helped by France and Spain. -
Ona comes to Mount Vernon Mansion House
Brought to Mount Vernon likely as a playmate for Martha Washington's children but soon became a personal servant. She was skilled at sewing like her Mother. Her daily work helping Martha Washington included bathing, dressing, cleaning, mending her clothing or organizing her personal belongings. -
Revolutionary War Ends
George Washington was the Commander in Chief during the war.
The British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.
The Treaty of Paris made it official on September 3rd, 1783: America was independent from the British crown. -
Ona is brought to the Presidential household
George Washington was elected President in 1789 and Ona was one of the seven slaves that were brought to work in the Presidential household in New York. -
George Washington is elected as US President
George Washington is elected the 1st US President. He also signed a bill establishing the first national bank, The Bank of the United States. He also set up his own Presidential cabinet is a series of departments within the Executive Branch of government that are meant to advise the President on issues related to their respective offices. In addition, the cabinet also advises the President on all important problems he must face. -
Ona brought to Philadelphia (Free State)
Ona was moved from New York to Philadelphia to the executive residence. She was one of nine slaves that were brought to work in the President's house. Life was different in Philadelphia, it was a free state. Therefor, Washington paid her nominal wages. Accounting books recorded purchases for her gowns, shoes, stockings and bonnets as it was believed that this was so that she could go to see in play in town. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
Washington could have used the federal courts to recover Ona Judge — the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act (which he had signed into law) required a legal process to return an escaped slave over state lines. Any court case, however, would have been part of the public record, and attracted unwanted attention. -
Ona fled, escaping to New Hampshire (Free State)
On May 20th, 1796, Judge fled when Washington was going back to Virginia. She left the house while they were eating dinner. Two days later, an advertisement in the Washington Gazette, offering a $10 reward for her capture. Ona secured passage on the Nancy, bound for New Hampshire. For months, customs collector, Joseph Whipple, tried to convince Ona to return. Her response was,
"She would rather suffer death than to return to slavery and liable to be sold or given to any other person". -
Married John Staines
Ona married John Staines, a free black sailor in 1797. They had three children: Eliza, Will and Nancy -
Washington tries to capture Judge again
In August 1799, Washington made one more attempt to find and recapture Ona Judge. When Martha’s nephew Burwell Bassett Jr. traveled to New Hampshire on business, Washington enlisted his help. Bassett successfully located Judge in Portsmouth and tried to persuade her to return, but again she refused. Throughout Washington's Presidency, he became uneasy about slavery even though he's known to have over 577 slaves throughout his lifetime. -
George Washington Dies
Following Washington’s death in December 1799, Judge said, the family “never troubled me anymore.” She remained a fugitive owned by the Custis estate. She and her children could be recaptured at any time. During an interview in 1840s, she was considered a “pauper,” which is a very poor person. She received support from the Rockingham County. -
Ona's husband, John, passes away
John Staines, Ona's husband, passed away and unfortunately, her children passed away all before her. It was hard to make a living and lived her free life in poverty. -
Ona "Oney" Judge Staines passes away
Ona "Oney" Judge Staines dies in Greenland, New Hampshire in February 1848. She lived for over 50 years after escaping after facing a dramatic quest for freedom.
She never regretting escaping and believed if she went to Virginia with Washington, she would never have liberty. In one of her last interviews, she was known to say "I am free, and have, I trust been made a child of God by the means".
Her story is heroic and shows the strength of a strong woman determined to live free. -
Slavery abolished
Slavery was abolished in the US in 1865 with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.