Portrait of John Dandridge, c. 1715

Early Life of Martha Washington

John Dandridge, the father of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, arrived in Virginia in 1715 after emigrating from England with his brother William. He married Fanny Jones in 1730, and settled at Chestnut Grove along the Pamunkey River. A modestly wealthy planter, he served in local government and as a vestryman for St. Peter’s Church (image courtesy of Virginia Historical Society).

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Chestnut Grove

Birthplace of Martha Washington

The birthplace of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, Chestnut Grove was a small plantation along the Pamunkey River in New Kent County, Virginia. The two-story frame house, of middling size for a Virginia planter, had three rooms on each floor. Martha married her first husband, Daniel Parke, Custis, there in 1750. The origin of this sketch is uncertain, but it is believed to date from the early twentieth century. The house has since been demolished (image courtesy of Virginia Historical Society).

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