First Family: George Washington's Heirs and the Making of America
2024 George Washington Prize Finalist
In First Family, award-winning historian Cassandra A. Good sheds light on the overlooked stepgrandchildren of George and Martha Washington, revealing their significant but often forgotten impact on American society and politics from the Revolutionary era to the Civil War.
While George and Martha Washington had no children of their own, they raised several children together, including Martha’s children from her first marriage: Eliza, Patty, Nelly, and Wash Custis. Growing up in the public eye as part of the nation’s first “first family,” these stepgrandchildren navigated fame, power, and legacy. By turns ambitious, glamorous, petty, and influential, they shaped the Custis family’s social and political influence while reflecting the broader challenges and contradictions of early America, including the reliance on enslaved labor.
Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, First Family illuminates a neglected aspect of George Washington’s life, providing a human and historical perspective on family, politics, and legacy that resonates with contemporary discussions of political dynasties and public life.
Details:
- Format: Hardcover
- Focus: George Washington, Martha Washington, stepgrandchildren, American history, Revolutionary era to Civil War
- Audience: Historians, scholars, students, and readers interested in presidential families and early American society