Caroline Branham

Caroline Branham (1764–1843) was an enslaved housemaid and seamstress of George and Martha Washington. She was married to Washington's hired groomsman Peter Hardiman, whose slaveholder was David Stuart. Branham gave birth to nine children, seven with Hardiman. Her son, Austin (1798-1879) and her ninth child, Lucy, are believed to have been a child of the plantation; the boy's and girl's father was George Washington Parke Custis. Branham served the Washington family and their many visitors, ensuring that they resided in comfort. She was at George Washington's bedside when he died in 1799 and with Martha when she died in 1802. After Martha's death, her slave holder was George Washington Parke Custis, Martha's grandson. In the 1820s, Jared Sparks interviewed her for his biography of Washington, which she did in exchange for the freedom of her grandson, a toddler at the time, Robert H. Robinson. He was freed at the age of 21 after eleven years of apprenticeship. Early life Branham was born into slavery in 1764 at Mount Vernon. Her mother's slaveholder was Daniel Parke Custis, who died in 1757 without having prepared a will. Martha received a life interest in one-third of his estate, which included his slaves. Their two surviving children received two-thirds of the estate. Branham was then owned by the dower estate of Martha Washington. In practice, her slaveholders were George and Martha Washington after their marriage in 1759. Further Martha Washington § Dower slaves, estate, death, and interment