Ona Judge Escapes Washington Household — Pursued by President Across State Lines

Ona Judge, an enslaved seamstress belonging to Martha Washington, escaped from the presidential household in Philadelphia on May 21, 1796, boarding a ship to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She had learned she was to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington's granddaughter. George Washington directed Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott to arrange her capture; a customs collector attempted to seize her. She refused to return, citing her desire for liberty. Washington appealed to her by letter and through her half-brother; she refused again. She remained free in New Hampshire, married, had children, and gave interviews before her death in 1848, stating she had no regrets.