Life Story: Margaret Thomas (ca. 1760-date of death unknown)

Margaret Thomas first appears in historical records in 1776.  The English colonies were revolting against the colonial government. General George Washington had recently led the newly formed Continental Army in a series of stunning victories that freed Boston from the British Army. George had moved into a mansion in Boston, making it the headquarters for his army and the entire rebellion. 

An army headquarters needs more than just soldiers and weapons. It requires a full staff of cooks, servants, and support staff to make sure the general and his officers have everything they need to run the war. In Boston, George’s household manager Ebenezer Austin sought out workers to join the general’s household staff. This was difficult and dangerous work. The staff was expected to be on call all hours of the day and night to take care of the general’s needs. They were also expected to move with him during military campaigns, putting themselves at risk. They had to maintain a level of professionalism and quality that upheld the general’s reputation regardless of the circumstances of the war. In spite of all these challenges, Margaret signed a contract to join George’s household staff as a laundress in February 1776.

Margaret did not leave behind any personal diary or letters, so we do not know why she chose to join the general’s staff. What we do know is that she was a free Black woman with a basic education, because she was able to sign her name on the receipts Ebenezer gave her when she received her wages. She received sixty-six and two-thirds dollars a year for her work washing and mending the household’s clothing. She also received a yearly supply of indigo, which she probably used to brighten the white linens she washed. 

Margaret’s work as a laundress brought her into close contact with William Lee, an enslaved man who served as George’s valet. William had been enslaved by George since he was a teenager. By the time of the Revolution he had become George’s most trusted servant. He even rode beside the general into battle. Margaret and William needed to work together to ensure that the general always looked his best. Over time, their working relationship evolved into a romance. George was not pleased by their developing relationship. He viewed free Black people as a threat to his authority as an enslaver. But he did not remove Margaret from his staff.

Over the next few years, Margaret traveled with the general’s household as the events of the American Revolution unfolded around her. She travelled with the Continental Army to New York in March 1776 and retreated from the city with the army after the disaster of the Battle of Brooklyn. She witnessed the desperate crossing of the Delaware River and the victories at Trenton and Princeton. She endured defeat during the defense of Philadelphia and the terrible winter at Valley Forge. Through it all, she continued to execute her duties as a laundress, maintaining her position as a member of the general’s household.

At some point during these campaigns Margaret and William married in Philadelphia. But their marriage was not an easy one. William, enslaved by George Washington, was a resident of Virginia, and the Virginia colony did not recognize the marriages of enslaved people as legal. Margaret and William’s marriage did not exist in the eyes of the law.

Sometime after their marriage, Margaret decided to leave the general’s household staff. It is not known whether she worked through the end of the war. After the war ended, Margaret moved into the home of Hannah and Isaac Till in Philadelphia. Hannah and Isaac had both been enslaved by George and had served as cooks on his wartime staff. They each had an agreement that allowed them to purchase their freedom from the general. When the war ended, they moved to Philadelphia and worked as cooks for wages. Margaret’s decision to live with the Tills instead of staying with her husband may indicate that George was trying to separate his valet from his wife. She also may not have wanted to move to Mount Vernon, where she was unwelcome because her status as a free woman might inspire the enslaved people to self-emancipate.

Regardless of why Margaret and William chose to part, they maintained their relationship. In 1784 William told George that Margaret was sick and asked George to move her to Mount Vernon. George recorded the request and his feelings about it in this letter to his agent in Philadelphia:

     The mulatto fellow William, who has been with me all the war is attached (married he says) to one of his own color a free woman, who, during the War was also of my family.

She has been in an infirm state of health for sometime, and I had conceived that the connection between them had ceased, but I am mistaken; they are both applying to me to get her here, and tho’ I never wished to see her more yet I cannot refuse his request (if it can be complied with on reasonable terms) as he has lived with me so long and followed my fortunes through the War with fidility.

After promising thus much, I have to beg the favor of you to procure her a passage . . .

This letter reveals a great deal about George’s attitude toward Margaret and her relationship with William. He indicates that he had hoped they had parted ways long ago and doubts they are actually married. He does not want to have anything to do with her, probably because he fears her presence will inspire his other enslaved people to ask for their freedom. But he does not feel like he can deny William’s request, because William served him so faithfully during the war.

There are no records of whether Margaret ever made her way to Mount Vernon, and she never appears in any other records. It may be that she died of her illness before she made the journey, or shortly after her arrival. Her story illustrates how the very existence of free Black colonials was viewed as a dangerous challenge to the institution of slavery during the American Revolution.

• indigo: A type of plant in the bean family that was one of the original sources of indigo dye.
• manservant: A male servant.
• self-emancipate: The act of an enslaved person freeing themselves from bondage.
• valet: A man’s personal servant.

• Pair this life story with Life Story: Polly Cooper and Life Story: Margaret Corbin for a lesson about the importance of women’s labor for the Continental Army. How did race shape their experiences and outcomes?
• To learn more about George Washington’s attitude towards slavery, see Life Story: Deborah Squash and Life Story: Ona Judge.
• To learn more about the experiences of Black women during the American Revolution, see Life Story: Deborah Squash, Life Story: Peggy Gwynn, Abolition and Revolution, and/or Life Story: Elizabeth Freeman.

DOMESTICITY AND FAMILY; WORK, LABOR, AND ECONOMY