West Ford and the founding of Gum Springs
West Ford was the longtime caretaker of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home. Mr. Ford died in 1863 at age 79 having founded Gum Springs community in Fairfax County Virginia. Gum Springs, established in 1833, is the oldest African American settlement in Fairfax County. It is speculated by historians that West Ford was a member of the Washington family.
West Ford was born 1784 in Westmoreland County Virginia, in the Northern Neck. He was born on the Bushfield plantation, which belonged to George Washington's brother, John Augustine Washington and his wife Hannah. West Ford's mother, Venus, was an enslaved person who worked in the Washington family home. West Ford is of mixed-race and historians have studied Mr. Ford’s life to determine whether any proof exists to show that Mr. Ford’s father was one of the Washington family members, including George Washington himself.
There are several stories and historical facts that suggest that West Ford was a member of the Washington family, though not recognized formally as such due to the fact that his mother was enslaved. Major George W. Ford, one of West Ford's Grandsons, reported in 1937 that George Washington was close to his grandfather. Major Ford said that George Washington kept his grandfather close to him as a personal attendant and took him to church. As a boy, West Ford was provided an education and taught to be a carpenter.
After John Augustine Washington died in 1787, West Ford went to live with Bushrod Washington, the son of John Augustine Washington. West Ford moved with Bushrod to Mount Vernon in 1802, three years after George Washington's death and was granted freedom in 1805. From 1803 until 1863, the year of his death, he worked at Mount Vernon. Mr. Ford remained at Mount Vernon in a supervisory position, where he managed enslaved workers and was in charge of the business of running the property. He also organized the thousands of guests who visited the estate and George Washington’s tomb.
Ford married a free woman named Priscilla Bell and they farmed the Gum Springs land. He was a successful farmer but continued to also live and work at Mount Vernon.
In 1829, Bushrod died and left West Ford a gift of 160 acres on Little Hunting Creek in Fairfax County near the Potomac River. In 1833, West Ford sold the land and bought 214 acres two miles north at Gum Springs farm. West Ford grew Gum Springs farm into a community for freed African Americans throughout the 19th century. At his death, West Ford was widely regarded as the second richest African American man in Fairfax County.
In the mid-19th century, Mount Vernon slowly fell into disrepair as the Washington family fortune declined. In 1853, Ann Pamela Cunningham, South Carolina cotton heiress began her mission to preserve Mount Vernon as a landmark and organized the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association to raise funds and buy the property. The Ladies Association relied upon West Ford to help with their restoration project because he was among only a few people with extensive knowledge of the house and grounds. In 1860, Mount Vernon began receiving visitors again.
There are several indicators in West Ford’s life that suggest he was Fathered by a member of the Washington Family. While the family did not officially acknowledge this, West Ford was provided an education and a trade. He was granted his freedom within two years of his arrival at Mount Vernon. In her will in 1802, Hannah Bushrod Washington made provisions for West Ford. She instructed that Mr. Ford would be inoculated for smallpox and apprenticed to a skilled tradesman until he reached 21 at which point he should be freed. By doing this, Hannah Washington was taking care to save West Ford’s life, ensure his ability to earn a living, and ensure his freedom. These go beyond what one might usually provide for a valued servant. Hannah’s son, Bushrod Washington, a judge on the US supreme court who inherited Mount Vernon, left West Ford a considerable inheritance of land. Again, this provision for West Ford being named in a Washington family member’s will may suggest a family relationship. He lived at Mount Vernon for at least 50 years, most of it as its manager.
Many people, including historians and descendants of West Ford, believe that he was the son of George Washington. While it seems possible that he was fathered by a member of the Washington family, it is unlikely that it was George Washington himself. Washington’s locations at different times have been documented through diaries, letters, journals, as well as other sources. These documented locations show that George Washington had not visited Bushfield plantation for several years before West Ford was born. There is no actual evidence that Geroge Washington fathered West Ford or that he had met his mother Venus at John Augustine Washington’s plantation. It is also theorized that Geroge Washington was sterile due to a tuberculosis infection. DNA testing is possible, however if it were performed, it would only be able to prove whether or not West Ford was fathered by a member of the Washington family.
In addition to the intriguing question of West Ford’s parentage, Mr. Ford’s story requires us to think about the realities of the times in which he lived. West Ford was born into slavery, educated and freed. He inherited and sold land, which seems exceptional for the 1830’s, and he founded a community that still retains its heritage and cultural identity, rather than paved over by highways, or turned into strip malls and absorbed into suburbia. At the same time, West Ford was not ever acknowledged by the Washington family despite a general concurrence among historians (even those who do not believe George Washington was Ford’s father). From the time of George Washington’s death through the civil war and Mr. Ford’s passing in 1863, the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County was already in transition with African American families putting down roots as families and finding their way against the odds.