for the day upon news of washington's death, and the speaker's chair was shroud in black the next morning. the funeral was held four days after his death on december 18, 1799, at mount vernon, where his body was interred. cavalry and foot soldiers led the procession, and six colonels served as the pallbearers. the mount vernon funeral service was restricted mostly to family and friends. reverend thomas davis read the funeral service by the vault with a brief address, followed by a ceremony performed by various members of washington's masonic lodge in alexandria, virginia. congress chose light-horse harry lee to deliver the eulogy. word of his death traveled slowly; church bells rang in the cities, and many places of business closed. people worldwide admired washington and were saddened by his death, and memorial processions were held in major cities of the united states. martha wore a black mourning cape for one year, and she burned their correspondence to protect their privacy. only five letters between the couple are known to have survived: two from martha to george and three from him to her. the diagnosis of washington's illness and the immediate cause of his death have been subjects of debate since his death. the published account of doctors craik and brown stated that his symptoms had been consistent with cynanche trachealis, a term of the period used to describe severe inflammation of the upper windpipe, including quinsy. accusations have persisted since washington's death concerning medical malpractice with some believing he had been bled to death from his bloodletting treatments. various modern medical authors have speculated that he died from a severe case of epiglottitis complicated by the treatments, most notably the massive blood loss that almost certainly caused hypovolemic shock. burial, net worth, and aftermath the sarcophagi of george (right) and martha washington at the present entrance to their tomb in mount vernon washington was buried in the old washington family vault at mount vernon, situated on a grassy slope overspread with willow, juniper, cypress, and chestnut trees. it contained the remains of his brother lawrence and other family members, but the decrepit brick vault needed repair, prompting washington to leave instructions in his will for the construction of a new vault. washington's estate at the time of his death was worth an estimated $780,000 in 1799, equivalent to $12.71 million in 2021. washington's peak net worth was $587 million, including his 300 slaves. washington held title to more than 65,000 acres of land in 37 different locations. in 1830, a disgruntled ex-employee of the estate attempted to steal what he thought was washington's skull, prompting the construction of a more secure vault. the next year, the new vault was constructed at mount vernon to receive the remains of george and martha and other relatives. in 1832, a joint congressional committee debated moving his body from mount vernon to a crypt in the capitol. the crypt had been built by architect charles bulfinch in the 1820s during the reconstruction of the burned-out capital, after the burning of washington by the british during the war of 1812. southern opposition was intense, antagonized by an ever-growing rift between north and south; many were concerned that washington's remains could end up on "a shore foreign to his native soil" if the country became divided, and washington's remains stayed in mount vernon. on october 7, 1837, washington's remains were placed, still in the original lead coffin, within a marble sarcophagus designed by william strickland and constructed by john struthers earlier that year. the sarcophagus was sealed and encased with planks, and an outer vault was constructed around it. the outer vault has the sarcophagi of both george and martha washington; the inner vault has the remains of other washington family members and relatives. personal life the washington family by edward savage (c. 1789–1796), depicting george and martha washington with her grandchildren and an unnamed enslaved man, currently housed in national gallery of art in washington, d.c. washington's bookplate with the coat of arms of the washington family washington was somewhat reserved in personality, but he generally had a strong presence among others. he made speeches and announcements when required, but he was not a noted orator or debater. he was taller than most of his contemporaries; accounts of his height vary from 6 ft (1.83 m) to 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) tall, he weighed between 210–220 pounds (95–100 kg) as an adult, and he was known for his great strength. he had grey-blue eyes and long reddish-brown hair. he did not wear a powdered wig; instead he wore his hair curled, powdered, and tied in a queue in the fashion of the day. washington frequently suffered from severe tooth decay and ultimately lost all his teeth but one. he had several sets of false teeth which he wore during his presidency. contrary to common lore, these were not made of wood, but of metal, ivory, bone, animal teeth, and human teeth possibly obtained from slaves. these dental problems left him in constant pain, which he treated with laudanum. as a public figure, he relied on the strict confidence of his dentist. washington was a talented equestrian early in life. he collected thoroughbreds at mount vernon, and his two favorite horses were blueskin and nelson. fellow virginian thomas jefferson said washington was "the best horseman of his age and the most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback"; he also hunted foxes, deer, ducks, and other game. he was an excellent dancer and frequently attended the theater. he drank alcohol in moderation but was morally opposed to excessive drinking, smoking tobacco, gambling, and profanity. religion and freemasonry washington as master of his lodge, an 1870 rendering of the 1793 event washington was descended from anglican minister lawrence washington, who was his great-great-grandfather and whose troubles with the church of england may have prompted his heirs to emigrate to america. washington was baptized as an infant in april 1732 and became a devoted member of the church of england, also known as the anglican church. he served more than 20 years as a vestryman and churchwarden at fairfax parish and truco parish in virginia. he privately prayed and read the bible daily, and he publicly encouraged people and the nation to pray. he may have taken communion on a regular basis prior to the revolutionary war, but he did not do so following the war and was admonished by pastor james abercrombie for failing to do so. washington believed in a "wise, inscrutable, and irresistible" creator god who was active in the universe, contrary to deistic thought. he referred to god in enlightenment terms, including providence, the creator, or the almighty, and the divine author or supreme being. he believed in a divine power who watched over battlefields, was involved in the outcome of war, was protecting his life, and was involved in american politics and specifically the creation of the united states. modern historian ron chernow has argued that washington avoided evangelistic christianity or hellfire-and-brimstone speech along with communion and anything inclined to "flaunt his religiosity". chernow has said washington "never used his religion as a device for partisan purposes or in official undertakings". no mention of jesus christ appears in his private correspondence, and such references are rare in his public writings. however, washington frequently quoted from the bible or paraphrased it, and often referred to the anglican book of common prayer. there is debate on whether he is best classed as a christian or a theistic rationalist—or both. washington emphasized religious toleration in a nation with numerous denominations and religions. he publicly attended services of different christian denominations and prohibited anti-catholic celebrations in the army. he engaged workers at mount vernon without regard for religious belief or affiliation. while president, he acknowledged major religious sects and gave speeches on religious toleration. he was distinctly rooted in the ideas, values, and modes of thinking of the enlightenment, but he harbored no contempt of organized christianity and its clergy, "being no bigot myself to any mode of worship". in 1793, speaking to members of the new church in baltimore, washington said, "we have abundant reason to rejoice that in this land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition." freemasonry was a widely accepted institution in the late 18th century, known for advocating moral teachings. washington was attracted to the masons' dedication to the enlightenment principles of rationality, reason, and brotherhood. american masonic lodges did not share the anti-clerical perspective of the controversial european lodges. a masonic lodge was established in fredericksburg, virginia in september 1752, and washington was initiated two months later at the age of 20 as one of its first entered apprentices. within a year, he progressed through its ranks to become a master mason. washington had high regard for the masonic order, but his personal lodge attendance was sporadic. in 1777, a convention of virginia lodges asked him to be the grand master of the newly established grand lodge of virginia, but he declined due to his commitments leading the continental army. after 1782, he frequently corresponded with masonic lodges and members, and he was listed as master in the virginia charter of alexandria lodge no. 22 in 1788. slavery washington as farmer at mount vernon by junius brutus stearns (1851) in washington's lifetime, slavery was deeply ingrained in the economic and social fabric of virginia. slavery was legal in all of the thirteen colonies prior to the american revolution. washington's slaves runaway advertisement for oney judge, enslaved servant in washington's presidential household washington owned and rented enslaved african americans, and during his lifetime over 577 slaves lived and worked at mount vernon. he acquired them through inheritance, gaining control of 84 dower slaves upon his marriage to martha, and purchased at least 71 slaves between 1752 and 1773. from 1786 he rented slaves, at his death he was renting 41. his early views on slavery were no different from any virginia planter of the time. from the 1760s his attitudes underwent a slow evolution. the first doubts were prompted by his transition from tobacco to grain crops, which left him with a costly surplus of slaves, causing him to question the system's economic efficiency. his growing disillusionment with the institution was spurred by the principles of the american revolution and revolutionary friends such as lafayette and hamilton. most historians agree the revolution was central to the evolution of washington's attitudes on slavery; "after 1783", kenneth morgan writes, "... began to express inner tensions about the problem of slavery more frequently, though always in private..." the many contemporary reports of slave treatment at mount vernon are varied and conflicting. historian kenneth morgan (2000) maintains that washington was frugal on spending for clothes and bedding for his slaves, and only provided them with just enough food, and that he maintained strict control over his slaves, instructing his overseers to keep them working hard from dawn to dusk year-round. however, historian dorothy twohig (2001) said: "food, clothing, and housing seem to have been at least adequate". washington faced growing debts involved with the costs of supporting slaves. he held an "engrained sense of racial superiority" towards african americans but harbored no ill feelings toward them. some enslaved families worked at different locations on the plantation but were allowed to visit one another on their days off. washington's slaves received two hours off for meals during the workday and were given time off on sundays and religious holidays. some accounts report that washington opposed flogging but at times sanctioned its use, generally as a last resort, on both men and women slaves. washington used both reward and punishment to encourage discipline and productivity in his slaves. he tried appealing to an individual's sense of pride, gave better blankets and clothing to the "most deserving", and motivated his slaves with cash rewards. he believed "watchfulness and admonition" to be often better deterrents against transgressions but would punish those who "will not do their duty by fair means". punishment ranged in severity from demotion back to fieldwork, through whipping and beatings, to permanent separation from friends and family by sale. historian ron chernow maintains that overseers were required to warn slaves before resorting