Ona "Oney" Judge Staines | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Advertisement in the May 24, 1795 edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette, published in Philadelphia, offering a reward for Judge's return | |
| Born | c. 1773 |
| Died | February 25, 1848 (aged 75) Greenland, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Spouse | Jack Staines |
| Children | Eliza Staines Nancy Staines Will Staines |
| Parent(s) | Andrew Judge Betty |
| Relatives | Austin (half-brother) Tom Davis (half-brother) Betty Davis (half-sister) Delphy (half-sister) |
Ona "Oney" Judge Staines (c. 1773 – February 25, 1848) was a slave owned by the Washington family, first at the family's plantation at Mount Vernon and later, after George Washington became president, at the President's House in Philadelphia, then the nation's capital city.[1] In her early twenties, Judge absconded, becoming a fugitive slave, after learning that Martha Washington had intended to transfer her ownership to her granddaughter, known to have a horrible temper. Judge fled to New Hampshire, where she married, had children, and converted to Christianity. Though Judge was never formally freed, the Washington family ultimately stopped pressing her to return to enslavement in Virginia after George Washington's death.
- ^ Dunbar, Erica Armstrong (February 16, 2015). "George Washington, Slave Catcher". New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2015.