Pictured above: City of Vernon, Westchester County, New York, USA, in his later years, Westford.
When Venus, a slave working on the george Washington brothers' plantation, was asked to name the father of her child, West Ford, she identified the veteran general, George Washington.
George Washington is often referred to as the "Founding Father" of the United States, but did the president, known for his childlessness, ever have an illegitimate child with a enslaved woman? A recent survey conducted by The New Yorker revived an old claim that Washington had a son named West ford.
West Ford was the son of George Washington
As shown in the image above: George Washington led the Americans in their fight for national independence.
Descendants of Westford claim that he was born circa 1784 or 1785 to a slave named Venus who worked on the plantations of George Washington's brother John Augustine and sister-in-law Hannah Washington. Their conviction comes from oral history passed down from generation to generation.
Ford's great-great-granddaughter, Linda Allen Hollis, told The New Yorker that when Hannah Washington asked Venus who her son's father was, Venus recognized the veteran General George Washington.
Another distant relative of Ford's, Ronald Chase, is the founding director of the Gum Springs Historical Society and Museum, a freedman town for which Ford founded. Chase said Ford's mother told him who his father was. The people of Gum Springs know this history. ”
What's more, Ford seems to enjoy special treatment from Washington. After Hannah Washington's death, she wrote in her will: "It is my most sincere wish that this Ford lad will be vaccinated against smallpox as soon as possible, and then marry a good businessman until he turns 21, after which he will be free to spend the rest of his life."
In fact, Hannah freed Ford, but only one of them, and the other 35 slaves remained enslaved.
In addition, Ford seems to have a particularly close relationship with the Washington family. Based on oral history, he learned to read and write, and accompanied George Washington on horseback riding and going to church. Washington's nephew, Bushrod, Hannah's son, also gave him 971 acres of land when Ford died in 1829. Ford sold the land and established the Gum Springs community.
A rebuttal about George Washington's illegitimate son
Pictured above: Because George Washington and his wife, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, are childless, but Martha had children in her first marriage, he has long been considered infertile.
But claims of Ford's descendants were opposed by Officials of Mount Vernon, whose mission was to preserve and display the president's memory. Douglas Bradburn, president and CEO of Mount Vernon, said, "George Washington is not anyone's father. ”
On Mount Vernon's official website, the agency added: "No documents have been found to confirm the Oral Tradition of the Ford family. While we respect the ford family's beliefs, we need to review all available information, both oral and written. ”
They said Washington had never met Venus at all.
The Mount Vernon website explains: "Since George Washington was not in Virginia during November 1781, he returned to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, not close to Venus, nor Ford's father. ”
While Henry Wiencek, author of The Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America, does point out that Hannah Washington went to Mount Vernon in 1784 and that Venus may have accompanied her, Wiensek did not consider Ford to be Washington's son.
"The story of George Washington taking Ford to church on horseback is credible, but provided that Ford is not his son, and Washington doesn't go around the county showing off evidence of his misconduct," Wienseck said. ”
Can you be sure of West ford's origins?
Pictured above: A pencil sketch by West Ford.
With two contradictory statements, is it possible to determine who Ford's father was? Unsurprisingly, the two sides are also at odds on this point.
Hollis said: "Ford is a descendant of the Washington family, and we in the Ford family have great confidence in his father. However, this decision will depend on future DNA analysis. ”
However, Mount Vernon said: "Based on the experts we consulted, it is not possible to determine that George Washington was Ford's father." ”
They argue that DNA testing can only show that Ford is the father of a Washingtonian, not necessarily George Washington. In fact, historians like Wienseck have hypothesized that Ford's father was more likely Hannah's husband, Washington's brother John Augustine, or one of his sons.
So, is Ford the son of George Washington? We may never be sure, but questions like these certainly give us an insight into America's complex history and the lasting impact of "original sin" in this country.