Beyond the Brief Biographies

The Last Days of Colonel Jacob Ford, Jr.

Jacob Ford, Jr. was a patriot who commanded the Morris County Miltia at the first battle of Springfield, in December 1776, less than a month before his death.

Martha Washington’s Winter Vacation 1779-1780

During the American Revolution, George Washington never took a vacation to return to Mount Vernon. Instead, Martha Washington would travel by horse-drawn coach from Virginia to wherever her husband was encamped for the winter. She spent two winters - 1777 and 1779-1780, AKA the Hard Winter - in Morristown.

Jared Sparks: Writing Washington

In the years following George Washington's death, scholar Jared Sparks sought to publish a full and complete collection of Washington's papers. Washington's nephew, Bushrod, had inherited Washington's papers and estate, and was working on a biography of Washington himself.