Locket with hair of George Washington
Following the end of his presidency and prior to his departure from Philadelphia, George and Martha Washington paid a visit to the Secretary of the Treasury, Oliver Wolcott and his wife, Elizabeth. Washington had appointed Wolcott in 1795, and the two men shared many professional and personal ties. The intimacy of their relationship is exemplified by this locket containing a lock of Washington's hair, said to have been cut by Martha during their visit and presented to Elizabeth as a "memorial to the General." It was likely set soon after to be worn as a testament of their mutual affection.
Published ReferencesGeorge Gibbs, will dated 21 November 1935, will proved 28 May 1940, Curatorial File: W-1150, Mount Vernon Ladies Association, Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Nathaniel Hervey, The Memory of Washington; With Biographical Sketches of His Mother and Wife. Relations of Lafayette to Washington; With Incidents and Anecdotes in the Lives of the Two Patriots (Boston, Massachusetts: J. Munroe, 1852), 39.
George Gibbs, Memoirs of the Administrations of Washington and John Adams, Edited from the Papers of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, vol. 1, Memoirs of the Federal Administrations (New York: Printed for the subscribers, 1846), 449-450.
Emily (nee Mifflin) Hopkinson, to Laura Gibbs, 26 May 1850, photostat of original letter, Curatorial File: W-1150, Mount Vernon Ladies Association, Mount Vernon, Virginia.