Ona Judge, also known as Oney Judge, was an enslaved woman owned by George and Martha Washington. In 1796, while the Washingtons were living in Philadelphia, she escaped from the President’s House to avoid being given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, who was known for her harsh temperament. Ona fled to New Hampshire, where she lived as a fugitive slave, marrying a free Black sailor named Jack Staines and having three children
. Despite George Washington's efforts to recapture her-including sending agents to New Hampshire and offering rewards-Ona Judge successfully evaded capture. She negotiated with one agent but refused to return to slavery unless she could be freed upon the deaths of her owners, a condition the Washington family rejected. After Washington’s death, the family ceased attempts to reclaim her, though she was never formally freed under the law
. Ona Judge lived the remainder of her life in New Hampshire, working as a seamstress and remaining free until her death on February 25, 1848, at about age 75. She gave interviews to abolitionist newspapers in the 1840s, recounting her life and escape, and expressed no regrets about her decision to seize freedom despite the hardships she endured
