Fanny, an enslaved woman, was recorded as a "labouring woman" by George Washington in his diary on February 18, 1786.1 Fanny most likely completed tasks related to cultivation. Washington also noted that she was enslaved by the estate of Martha Washington's first husband Daniel Parke Custis.2 Fanny worked at Ferry Farm (later known as Union Farm) and was married to Charles, an enslaved ditcher who completed work at the Mansion House in 1787.2 Fanny and Charles had three children, Jamie (b. 1788), Daphne (b. 1794), and Charles, (b. 1798).3
Updated by Zoie Horecny, 7 March 2025
Notes:
1."[Diary entry: 18 February 1786]," Founders Online, National Archives.
2.“From George Washington to George Augustine Washington, 10 June 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives.
3."Washington’s Slave List, June 1799," Founders Online, National Archives.
Bibliography:
Thompson, Mary V. “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 2019.
Schoelwer, Susan P., ed. Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon, VA: Mount Vernon Ladies Association, 2016.
