NEVER CAUGHT -The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Ona Judge’s mother, Betty, was technically Martha Washington’s property. She was owned by Martha’s first husband, who died leaving Martha his estate. Betty and any children she would have, were also Martha’s property. This line of ownership is important because even years later, when George Washington died and freed his slaves in his will, this did not apply to Ona, because she belonged to Martha’s estate.

Ona’s father was a white indentured servant contracted by George Washington. The author relates that the Washingtons believed inter-racial slaves were more attractive and intelligent and were therefore preferred as house slaves and personal attendants. Ona was sent to work in the house as a young girl. When Washington was elected president, as a trusted personal servant, Ona went with the Washingtons to New York as a teenager.

Ona went north with her half-brother and five other trusted slaves to the then nation’s capital. The family would later move to Philadelphia, which was agreed by Congress to serve as temporary capital until the permanent location in the South could be built. The federal government rented hundreds of slaves to clear the land, make bricks and cut lumber to build this federal city – the nation’s future capital.

The Washingtons thought of their slaves as assets that were key to their general wealth and sought to protect their ownership. Once living in Philadelphia, they became aware of a state gradual abolition law, that gave a slave a right to petition for freedom after living in the state for six months. The Washingtons did all they could to keep Ona and the other slaves ignorant of this and had them leave the state at regular intervals, so they would not be in the state for six months continuously at any time – now that’s a bit grimy!

Now as mentioned, Ona decided to escape when she received news of her being gifted to another family member, where she’d have to return south. She contacted and was aided by the city’s free Black community for her route out of Philadelphia. She took the opportunity to escape during the family’s dinner time, when she wasn’t needed by her mistress. She simply walked out of the house. Two days later (I guess they were waiting to see if she would come back or whatever) an aid for the Washingtons placed an advertisement in the papers announcing her escape and $10 reward to anyone, black or white, for her return. The ad gave her name, a description of her and her belongings and any possible route she might take.

Imagine being a fugitive slave whose run away from the household of the President of the United States – the network of surveillance and resources available to capture you. No matter where she went, that town or city would have important people wanting to serve the president and be on the watch for her. In August of 1796, Washington received word from a New Hampshire senator that Ona was spotted on the streets of Portsmouth by the senator’s daughter.

For Washington, this presented a public relations problem. To try to retrieve this slave would alert people to the fact the even the president’s slave, living in a home with the height of luxury and comforts and was treated well, preferred freedom over slavery. For the abolition movement and public struggling with the slavery question, this would be telling and swaying. Washington wanted Ona back quickly and quietly – he used the power at his disposal, the federal government, to do this – or at least he tried.

Washington made several attempts to have Ona brought back to Virginia, including employing the help of his New Hampshire senator friend and other officials in the state. New Hampshire, however, was a state leaning toward the view that slavery was not sustainable or moral. Many had emancipated their slaves, including this senator. So, his contacts in the state helped Washington, but would only go so far, within the law. Ona Judge would live out her life in this state and outlive both George and Martha Washington.

But still, even after the Washington’s deaths, Ona had to keep guarded and live in the shadows – she was still the property of Martha’s grandchildren. George Washington signed into law in 1796, the Fugitive Slave Act, which remained in effect until the Civil War, superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment. No matter how many times I read about this subject, it always gives me a chill and it’s just galling how people could treat others this way – this system of slavery was the law of the land, ingrained in families and the American culture. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar was a great, interesting read. Ona Judge’s life wasn’t easy as a runaway, but she’d rather live a hard life free than in bondage. Please give Never Caught a read!