Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition

Ona grows up at Mount Vernon—the estate owned by George Washington. Before he became the country’s first president, George was known as a strong military leader, having fought in the French and Indian War in the 1750s. He spent much of his life expanding Mount Vernon, the farms of which grew tobacco, wheat, and flax and also had livestock. He also owned fisheries at the Potomac River and a distillery. Labor by enslaved people is necessary for the success of the estate; by the time of Ona’s birth in 1773, George owns more than 200 enslaved people.

Ona lives in a brick building near the Mount Vernon mansion called the Quarters, which is heated but has to be shared by all the servants that work in the mansion rather than in the fields. It is likely she that she is given chores such as gathering firewood or collecting vegetables. Ona does not attend school because it is illegal to educate enslaved people.

In 1775, George Washington becomes the commander of the Revolutionary Army, which fights the British for freedom. He leaves Mount Vernon and will be gone six years; Ona is two when he leaves. A relative, Lund Washington, runs the estate but is unskilled. Because the British offer freedom to any enslaved person who aligns with them, running away is tempting. When a British ship parks in the Potomac in view of Mount Vernon, 17 enslaved people take advantage and flee to it. Lund tries to barter with the ship’s captain, offering food in exchange for the return of the enslaved people, but the captain refuses.

When America declares its independence in 1776, George is away from Philadelphia still commanding the army. On October 17, 1781, the British surrender after the Battle of Yorktown. The enslaved people who escaped to England’s side are abandoned, and seven of those who escaped from Mount Vernon are returned and re-enslaved. The establishment of the new country is now underway, and the nation must decide how to establish laws that treat all states equally.

When she is 10, Ona is selected by Martha Washington to be her personal attendant. Martha notices that Ona is both intelligent and obedient; Betty begins teaching Ona to sew.

Meanwhile, George is involved in the establishment of the new government. When it is decided that the executive branch will have a single leader, George anticipates being wanted. He is nominated by the representatives of the 13 states and reluctantly accepts the position. Martha is angered that he chose a professional, public life over a private one and does not wish to move to New York. She makes a list of enslaved people who will accompany her; Ona’s name tops the list.

In May of 1789, Martha leaves Mount Vernon for New York. Among the enslaved people are Ona’s half-brother, Austin, and a 34-year-old woman named Moll who will care for the Washington grandchildren. Ona and Austin must leave Betty behind; Austin is also forced to leave his wife and child.

As they make stops along the way, Ona is expected to clean the dust from Martha’s riding dress and provide her with clean changes of clothing. They are scheduled to stay in Baltimore on the first night and then travel to Philadelphia for a five-night stay. All the enslaved people are eager to arrive in Philadelphia after hearing much about the city from George’s valet—an enslaved person named William Lee. Many free Black people reside there, including a woman named Margaret whom William met and fell in love with. Margaret agreed to move to Mount Vernon but never did, for reasons unknown.

The crowded city is shocking to Ona, as is the fact that there are far more white people than she is accustomed to seeing at Mount Vernon. As Pennsylvania is a leader in the abolition movement, there are few enslaved people and a large population of free Black citizens.

This is due in part to the efforts of Benjamin Franklin, who late in life became a staunch abolitionist, and the presence of Quakers, who oppose slavery due to their belief in equality. The movement is also spurred by the efforts of a printer named Matthew Carey. In 1789, he prints a broadside depicting the conditions on slave ships to convey the inhumane conditions by which enslaved people are transported to the new country. Despite this strongly abolitionist atmosphere, Martha Washington holds tightly to her desire to keep enslaved people.

After the five days in Philadelphia, Martha and the rest of the family are taken by barge to New York harbor. The enslaved people follow behind a ferryboat. Upon arriving in New York, Ona sees that the population is much denser than in Virgina and that there are also white people who live in poverty and work as servants. New York is one of the remaining Northern states where slavery is still acceptable.

Ona’s role as Martha’s personal attendant is not only to keep her clothes tidy but also to regulate her moods while accompanying her. Martha, though unhappy to leave Mount Vernon, falls into a vigorous social life. George, however, suddenly falls ill with a fever and a leg tumor, which requires surgery. The family keeps his condition a secret, and he recovers a few months later. They then move to a larger house.

It is there that a famous meeting with Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton takes place. They debate how to handle states’ war debts and disagree about moving the capital of the country further south. They finally compromise and make plans to establish a new capital nearer to Philadelphia on the Potomac. The move is delayed when George catches influenza, but he recovers.