On this day in 1789, George Washington, the first President of the United States, lost his mother to breast cancer. Like many historical cases explored under a contemporary lens, much information is unavailable about Mary and her cancer journey. Historians have pieced together details through surviving letters to and from members of the Washington family.
Born in the early eighteenth century, Mary Ball spent much of her childhood under the care of her uncle, George Eskridge. Shortly after Uncle George introduced his niece to the recently widowed Augustine Washington, the couple married, and Mary became stepmom to three young children. On February 22, 1732, Augustine and Mary welcomed baby George Washington.
By 1787, Mary’s breast cancer had become a significant burden, and George traveled to Fredericksburg to visit. Expecting he may soon need to travel to New York for his inauguration, George wrote to Richard Conway on March 6, 1787, that it may be his final opportunity to “discharge the last act of personal duty” towards his mother. Over the next two years, Mary received treatment from Fredericksburg physicians Elisha Hill and Charles Mortimer.
Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia consulted on Mary’s case with his cousin Dr. Hall. Rush wrote that he could not suggest a treatment for the “disorder … in her breast” due to Mary’s “age and character." Rush discussed “vegetable remedies,” including arsenic. The letter indicates that Rush had used powder containing arsenic to treat patients but suspects that it would not help Mary except to possibly prevent her cancer from spreading. Rush advises Hill to apply opium and camphor and wash the area with red clover. Further, Rush suggests Hall provide painkillers as needed and “support the system with bark and wine.” With this treatment, Rush says, Mary “may live comfortably many years and finally die of old age.” Unfortunately, this was not Mary’s fate.
Betty wrote on July 24, 1789 to inform George that Mary’s “breast still continues bad.” She also indicates that Mary wishes to receive a letter from George and asks George to find some hemlock in New York. Mary’s doctors think it “would be of service to her breast” but no hemlock was in Fredericksburg.
Another hint about Mary’s treatment has come up in a published book! Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Nelly Lewis, wrote a home remedy for “lumps or swelling in the breast.” The recipe included soaking linen in egg whites and transferring the wet fabric to the skin.
On August 25, 1789, Burgess Ball wrote to inform George that Mary had died around 3 o’clock that afternoon from “the cancer on her breast.” The letter, which George didn’t receive until September 1, explains some severe symptoms at the end of Mary’s life, including 15 days without speech and five days remaining asleep.
George wrote to Betty on September 13, 1789, noting how the death of a parent is awful but acknowledging “consolation in knowing that Heaven has spared ours to an age, beyond which few attain.” George also told Betty that the last time he visited Mary, he “took a final leave of my mother, never expecting to see her more.”
Even back in 1789, medical bills posed a burden! In an October 1, 1789 letter to George, Betty explains that the doctors' bills were more expensive than she expected (Dr. Hall charged £45 and Dr. Mortimer £22).
Sources: Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, William and Mary Quarterly, Lives & Legacy, The Story of Mary Washington by Harland (page 78), Mount Vernon (1), Mount Vernon (2), The Mother of Washington and Her Times by Rice Pryor
