She determined what property to hold on to and what to sell of what she inherited so that she could pay off debts, preserve Westover Plantation, and retain some land for the Byrd children.

During the American Revolutionary War, British forces seized some of her property and when she tried to regain it, the State of Virginia accused her with dealing with the enemy.

Mary Willing, the daughter of Ann (née Shippen) and Charles Willing of Philadelphia, was born on September 10, 1740.

One of her godfathers, Benjamin Franklin provided Mary parliamentary speeches and histories from Europe.

[2] In 1762, the couple moved to the Westover Plantation, the Byrd estate, in Charles City County, Virginia.

She sold off some western lands, residences in Richmond and Williamsburg, and other property, but she was able to retain control of Westover, the major Byrd plantation in Charles City County.

[10] Although Byrd had many ties to the British and Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War, she tried to remain neutral.

[2][14] From there, Arnold planned for his attack on Richmond, up the James River, 25 miles (40 km) north of Westover.

[8] Arnold's men are said to have destroyed her crops, plant nursery, and fences along with killing several of her cows.

[18] After trying to recover property that had been seized by Arnold's forces, she was charged in 1781 by the state of Virginia with trading with the enemy.

Byrd defended herself eloquently in a letter to Governor Thomas Jefferson: "I wish well to all mankind, to America in particular.

François-Jean de Chastellux visited Westover Plantation in 1782 and stated that it "surpasses them all in the magnificence of the buildings, the beauty of its situation, and the pleasures of society."