"I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids--and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me."

- Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man"

George Washington and Venus

Painting of George Washington A painting of George Washington, the first president of the United States. He was born in 1732 and died in 1799 with supposedly no issue. The Ford family oral history relays a different story... -	A Young George Washington A painting of a young George Washington around 25 years of age. The world into which George Washington was born in 1732 was a comfortable one and wholly dependent on the "peculiar... -	George Washington George Washington (from private collection LABH). -	Martha Washington Martha Washington (from private collection of LABH) -
Venus Venus was a handmaid on the Bushfield Plantation. Bushfield was owed by John Augustine Washington, a brother of George Washington. As a child, Venus' mother, Jenny, was the... -	Mount Vernon Plantation 1937 A 1937 painting of the Mount Vernon Mansion (from the MVLA). George Washington's father, Augustine Washington, built the home in 1734. George's older brother, Lawrence lived at... -	List of Slaves owned by John Augustine, page 1 This is a two-page list of slaves owned by John Augustine, the master of Venus. The document is dated March 1783. Venus was a housemaid on the Bushfield Plantation and her mother, Jenny,... -	Page 2 List of Slaves by J. A. Washington, 1783 Venus and her mother (Jenny) names appear below. MLV put in the writing next to the names. Data from the MVLA. -
George Washington, older A painting of George Washington around the age of 60. In the Ford oral history, the father of the country was also the father of West Ford and a slave named Venus. For almost 56 years,... -	Old Tomb George Washington Photo of Linda at the old tomb of George Washington on the Mount Vernon plantation. There are two family tombs located at Mount Vernon. The "old tomb" was the original family crypt,... -	2nd Sketch of West Ford This is a drawing from an unnamed source of an older West Ford from the Ford Archives. Ford again signed his name at the bottom of the sketch. West Ford's name is more than a signature; he... -	John A. and Hannah Washington Paintings of John A. and Hannah Washington from the archives MLVA. -
West Ford in Ornate Frame at Mount Vernon This is the original drawing of West Ford in an ornate frame from the archives of the MVLA. Linda Allen B. Hollis took the photo while during research on the family's legacy. ... -	Bushfield Plantation 1937 Photo of the Bushfield Plantation, 1937 from the Archives of MVLA. The manor house was totally different in design from George Washington’s Mount Vernon Palladian-style mansion. Bushfield... -	Martha Washington Painting Painting of an older Martha Washington from the Archives of MVLA. -	Questions and Answers on the Paternity of West Ford The Paternity of West Ford Following is a list of responses to several questions posed to the Ford family. This information was gathered... -
West Ford, 21 years of age This is a pencil sketched drawing of a young West Ford (artist unknown). West Ford was born abt. 1784-1787, on the Bushfield Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His mother, Venus,... -	Comparison Potrait This is a comparison potrait of West Ford and George Washington at similar ages. -	Know Your History News paper article from the Pittsburgh Courier* Newspaper describing West Ford as the Negro son of George Washington, 1940.* -	Did George Washington Have an Enslaved Son? The New Yorker posed the paternity of West Ford in an article titled: "Did George Washington Have an Enslaved Son" by Jill Abramson, March 2022. The article discusses Gum Springs... -