Oney “Ona” Judge, also known as Oney Judge Staines, gained fame as an escaped slave who avoided the search efforts of President George Washington. Much of Judge’s story became known shortly before her death via a pair of interviews and was a valuable resource to abolitionists.
Born in 1773 at Virginia’s Mount Vernon estate to a Black slave mother and white indentured servant father, Judge was born into a life of servitude. Like many of her enslaved counterparts, Judge was not taught to read or write but excelled at domestic affairs. She became a favorite of Mary Washington, and lived in relative comfort at the President’s Home in Philadelphia. However, as criticism of slavery became more prominent, President Washington looked to distance himself from the practice.
The Washingtons found a loophole around Pennsylvania law at the time by moving Judge every six months between New York and Pennsylvania so that she would never be considered a legal resident, thus allowing her to go free. During her time in Philadelphia, Judge befriended a number of free Blacks who gave her the courage to find her freedom. (READ MORE)
