sentences:  On his marriage in 1759 to Martha Dandridge Custis, Washington gained control of eighty-four dower slaves.They belonged to the Custis estate and were held in trust by Martha for the Custis heirs, and although Washington had no legal title to them, he managed them as his own property.Between 1752 and 1773, he purchased at least seventy-one slavesmen, women and children.