Suckey Bay, C. 1753 - After 1799

As an enslaved fieldworker, Suckey Bay lived and worked at River Farm, where she labored in the wheat fields from dawn to dusk. Along with other fieldworkers, she accomplished much of this work with the help of mules. Her day did not end when the sun set; she returned home to care for her family, including her daughter Nancy (C. 1787 - After 1835), who lived with her on River Farm. 

Because Suckey belonged directly to George Washington, she and her children were freed in 1801 under the provisions of his will. As an adult, Nancy later married Charles Quander, a member of one of the oldest documented African American families in the United States.

Learn more about Suckey and Nancy on their Faces of Mount Vernon’s Enslaved Community webpage.