Ford Mansion - Resistance of 1779-1780

Resistance of 1779-1780

After Ford’s death, Mrs. Theodosia Ford gained ownership of the mansion. According to Pfister, "she was forced to accept a leadership role in the family. After her husband and father-in-law’s death, Mrs. Ford held the family together and kept the farm and family business a profitable endeavor." Prior to Washington’s arrival, the house was considered a "great human tragedy for the Ford family" because in 1777, the house was rented to an overabundance of Continental Army troops that developed smallpox. When Washington arrived he asked permission from the widow if he could stay in the mansion and paid her for rent. General Washington, Martha Washington, five aides-de-camp, and 18 servants stayed in the mansion. Theodosia Ford occupied two of the four upstairs bedrooms and reserved the kitchen for her own personal use. Her daughter, Elizabeth Ford, who was 12 when Washington stayed at the mansion, stayed in her mother’s room. During the winter months of 1779 to 1780 she read and learned a total of 25 stitches. Theodosia’s boys stayed in another room downstairs. The room featured two doors. One door lead to the servants’ side of the house above the pantry and the other door lead to the center hall. The boy’s room was more of a recreational room with muskets and Chinese checkers, which is displayed in the Morristown National Historic Park Museum. The names of the boys were Jacob, Gabriel, and Timothy Ford. Jacob was eight, Gabriel was fifteen, and Timothy was seventeen during Washington’s stay.