Never Caught, The Story of Ona Judge

Looking out at the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Ona Maria Judge, this brave, trailblazing young woman, has one thought above all else flaming through her mind.
I am free.

Never Caught

The story of Ona Judge is a captivating read. I had not heard of it before, but I picked it up at a bookstore a few weeks ago. It tells of George and Martha Washington’s escaped slave. Also, it gives you a good idea of the times she lived in and the unrest leading to the civil war.

Before I get into the content, I want to clarify something. When I bought this book, I was under the impression that it was written from Ona’s perspective. But, it’s more of a biography. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

Now, onto the review.

The Story

Ona Judge was one of the hundreds of slaves owned by George and Martha Washington. She was born to Betty and Andrew Judge into slavery on the Mount Vernon estate.

Around the age of 23, after many years of hard labor under Martha, something happened. It made Ona so indignant she fled her owners.

Martha planned to give Ona to her granddaughter, Eliza, for a wedding gift.

When Ona heard of this, she had enough. With the help of the free black community in Philadelphia, she escaped her slavery and eventually started a family. This is the tale of how it happened.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. The main focus is Ona, but it takes a lot of time to set the table.

The book looks at the era, the thought process of the common people, and all the upheaval and change that had begun to sweep the newly united states.

It even takes a journey into the lives and minds of the first presidential couple, and George’s journey to rejecting slavery.

Something else I found interesting is that, later in life, Ona became a strong Christian. This alone helped carry her through the final years of her life, which she lived in miserable poverty.

There are a handful of times physical abuse is mentioned. It’s not inappropriate, only stating the realities of the time.

Overall, very educational and even enjoyable. I definitely recommend this to anyone, whether you’re interested in history or not.

If you’re interested in buying the book, you can do so here. And if you’re an older reader, another edition can be found here*.

*Disclaimer: I have not read this edition, so I cannot speak for the content one way or another.

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