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.