Never Caught

by

Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Betty was Ona Judge’s mother. An enslaved woman born in or around 1738, Betty was a “dower slave,” or “property” owned by Martha Washington’s first husband. Betty, a talented seamstress and spinner, was reportedly among Martha Washington’s favorite slaves. After the death of Martha’s first husband—and Martha’s remarriage to George Washington—Betty traveled with Martha to Mount Vernon, bringing her young son Austin with her. Betty gave birth to several more children while at Mount Vernon—including Ona Judge. Dunbar paints Betty as a complicated figure, a woman who knew that her precarious position—and her children’s futures—depended upon the whims of the people who owned her. Betty lived out her life at Mount Vernon, dying as the result of an unknown illness in January of 1795.

Betty Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Betty or refer to Betty . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery and Paternalism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1  Quotes

The business of slavery received every new enslaved baby with open arms, no matter the circumstances of conception.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Betty , Andrew Judge
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

Ona Judge learned valuable lessons from both of her parents. From her mother she would learn the power of perseverance. From her father, Judge would learn that the decision to free oneself trumped everything, no matter who was left behind.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Betty , Andrew Judge
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Judge stayed on in the President's House as Washington served his second term, becoming accustomed to her episodic trips back to Mount Vernon. Following the death of her mother and brother, the world that she once knew so intimately at Mount Vernon had vanished, perhaps reminding Judge that Mount Vernon was less a home to her than was the North.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Betty , Giles and Paris , Austin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
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Betty Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Betty or refer to Betty . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery and Paternalism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1  Quotes

The business of slavery received every new enslaved baby with open arms, no matter the circumstances of conception.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Betty , Andrew Judge
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

Ona Judge learned valuable lessons from both of her parents. From her mother she would learn the power of perseverance. From her father, Judge would learn that the decision to free oneself trumped everything, no matter who was left behind.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Betty , Andrew Judge
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Judge stayed on in the President's House as Washington served his second term, becoming accustomed to her episodic trips back to Mount Vernon. Following the death of her mother and brother, the world that she once knew so intimately at Mount Vernon had vanished, perhaps reminding Judge that Mount Vernon was less a home to her than was the North.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Betty , Giles and Paris , Austin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis: