Rare letter reveals first family’s struggle with daughter’s epilepsy

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 30, 2026

Martha Washington’s 1760 letter describing early attempts to treat her young daughter Patsy’s severe seizures, now held by the Library of Congress, provides rare insight into the family’s personal struggles with epilepsy. Patsy’s progressive illness, despite numerous remedies, ultimately led to her death at age 17, highlighting the historic challenges of managing neurological conditions before modern medicine.

On September 29, 1760, Martha Washington penned a letter to a friend describing the fragile health of her 4-year-old daughter, Martha Parke Custis, known as Patsy. The letter, now acquired by the Library of Congress, reveals early efforts to care for Patsy’s recurring seizures—believed by historians to be epilepsy—a condition that would ultimately claim her life at age 17.

The letter, written just after Patsy’s initial attacks had subsided, is the only known surviving piece in Martha Washington’s handwriting in the Library of Congress collection. It offers a rare glimpse into the personal challenges faced by the family of the future first president of the United States during the years before the American Revolution. The library obtained the letter in June via auction for $47,500, with funds provided by the James Madison Council’s Edwin L. Cox Legacy Trust.

At the time, epilepsy was poorly understood, with few effective treatments available. Today, the condition is recognized as a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal brain activity causing seizures, which can sometimes be fatal. Patsy’s condition, however, was severe and progressively worsened, despite various treatments attempted by her family.

In 1760, George Washington was a 28-year-old Virginia planter and veteran of the French and Indian War, living at Mount Vernon with his wife, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, a widow who had brought two children into the marriage, including Patsy. George Washington never had children of his own, but was known to be a devoted stepfather, deeply affectionate toward Patsy throughout her troubled life.

The Washingtons sought numerous remedies to alleviate Patsy’s seizures. According to historical accounts, they tried folk remedies such as an iron “cramp” ring, bloodletting, and visits to the mineral springs at Berkeley Springs, Virginia. Martha administered mercury, ether, cinchona bark for fevers, and bitters, a common stomach treatment at the time. Despite their efforts, Patsy’s seizures persisted and intensified as she grew older.

George Washington’s papers document the severity of Patsy’s condition, including detailed accounts from the summer of 1770, when she experienced seizures on 26 out of 86 days, sometimes multiple times per day. On April 14, 1769, a diary entry notes a seizure occurring during a family outing, forcing an early return home.

Patsy’s life held promise beyond her illness. A 1772 miniature portrait by Charles Willson Peale portrays her as a poised young woman. However, on June 19, 1773, after a family dinner at Mount Vernon, Patsy suffered a catastrophic seizure that quickly resulted in her death. George Washington described the event in a letter, noting that she passed “in less than two Minutes without uttering a Word, a groan, or scarce a Sigh.”

Her passing deeply affected the Washington family. George Washington wrote that the loss almost brought his wife to “the lowest ebb of Misery.” Patsy was buried the following day in the Mount Vernon family tomb. The newly acquired letter and related documentation shed light on a private and painful chapter in the life of one of America’s foundational families.

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