Slave Census
SLAVE CENSUS
Thanks to General Washington’s careful record-keeping, there is probably more known about the personal lives of the Mount Vernon slaves than is known about the slaves on any other Virginia plantation of the period.
Examine the census of slaves, dated 1799. It was completed shortly before General Washington died. The census listed the name, age, and job of each slave. It also noted if the person were married and the name of their spouse. Although Virginia law did not recognize slave marriages, Washington recognized unions between husband and wife. He also allowed marriages to slaves on other estates and free blacks. His records reveal that two-thirds of the adult slaves at Mount Vernon were married.
Learn more about William Lee, who served as General Washington’s valet throughout the Revolutionary War.Â
