Custis Family

Variant names
Dates:
Active 1683
Active 1858
Active 1750
Active 1784

Biographical notes:

Biographical Note

George Washington Parke Custis

1781, Apr. 30 Born, Mount Airy, Md. 1799 Aide-de-camp to General Charles C. Pinckney, U.S. Army 1804 Married Mary Lee Fitzhugh 1812 Volunteer in defense of Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812 1824 Began publishing "Conversations with Lafayette" in the Alexandria Gazette during the Marquis de Lafayette's visit to the United States 1826 Began publishing "Recollections of Washington" in the United States Gazette 1827 Produced first play, The Indian Prophecy, performed at the Chestnut Street Theater, Philadelphia, Pa. 1830 Produced Pocahontas, or the Settlers of Virginia, performed at the Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia, Pa. 1833 Produced North Point, or Baltimore Defended, performed in Baltimore, Md. 1834 Produced The Eighth of January, performed at the Park Theater in New York, N.Y. 1857, Oct. 10 Died, Arlington House, Fairfax County, Va.

Arthur Lee

1740, Dec. 20 Born, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Va. 1764 M.D., University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland 1766 Elected fellow, Royal Society Returned to America Practiced medicine, Williamsburg, Va. 1768 Settled in London, England Published "Moniter" letters. Virginia Gazette, William Rind, ed., 25 Feb.-28 Apr. 1769 1774 Published "Junius Americanus" letters. London Evening Post, R. Nutt, ed., and London Gazetteer, Charles Say, ed., 17 July 1769-6 Jan. 1772, and London Public Advertiser, H. S. Woodfall, ed., June 1772-Mar. 1774 1770 Assistant to Benjamin Franklin, agent for Massachusetts in England and France 1770 1774 Studied law, Lincoln's Inn and Middle Temple, London, England 1774 Published An Appeal to the Justice and Interests of the People of Great Britain in the Present Dispute with America. London, England: John Almon 1775 Admitted to bar, London, England Agent for Massachusetts in England and France Confidential correspondent, Continental Congress Committee of Secret Correspondence, London, England Pubished A Second Appeal to the Justice and Interests of the People on the Measures Respecting America by the Author of the First. London, England: n.p. 1776 Appointed, with Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane, to negotiate a treaty with France 1777 Appointed commissioner to Spain, succeeding Benjamin Franklin 1780 Returned to America 1781 1782 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1782 1785 Member, Continental Congress 1784 1789 Commissioner, U.S. Treasury 1785 1786 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1792, Dec. 12 Died, Landsdowne, Middlesex County, Va.

Charles Lee

1758, July Born, Fauquier County, Va. 1775 A.B., College of New Jersey, Princeton, N.J. 1777 1789 Naval officer of South Potoma 1789 Married Anne Lee 1789 1793 Collector, Port of Alexandria, Va. 1793 1795 Member, Virginia General Assembly 1794 Admitted to Pennsylvania bar 1795 1801 U.S. attorney general 1801 Judge, circuit court 1802 Returned to private law practice 1815, June 24 Died, Fauquier County, Va.

Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee

1756, Jan. 29 Born, Leesylvania, Prince William County, Va. 1773 Graduated, College of New Jersey, Princeton, N.J. 1776 Captain, Theodorick Bland's regiment, Virginia Cavalry 1778 Major, Continental Army 1779 Captured 160 British soldiers, Paulus Hook, N.Y. 1780 Promoted to lieutenant colonel 1781 Present at Siege of Yorktown and surrender of General Charles Cornwallis 1782 Married Matilda Lee 1785 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1785 1788 Member, Continental Congress 1789 1791 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1792 1795 Governor of Virginia 1793 Married Anne Hill Carter 1794 Commanded troops that put down the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania 1798 Commissioned major general 1799 1801 Member, U.S. House of Representatives 1800 Discharged, U.S. Army 1808 Imprisoned for debt 1812 Published Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States. Philadelphia, Pa.: Bradford & Inskeep 1814 Went to the West Indies 1818, Mar. 25 Died, Cumberland Island, Ga.

Richard Bland Lee

1761, Jan. 20 Born, Leesylvania, Prince William County, Va. 1784 1788 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1789 1795 Member, U.S. House of Representatives 1794 Married Elizabeth Collins 1796 1799 1806 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1815 Moved to Washington, D.C. 1816 Appointed commissioner of claims for property destroyed during War of 1812 1819 1827 Judge, Orphans' Court, Washington, D.C. 1827, Mar. 12 Died, Washington, D.C.

Richard Henry Lee

1732, Jan. 20 Born, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Va. 1743 1752 Attended Wakefield Academy, Yorkshire, England 1752 Returned to Virginia 1757 Married Anne Aylett (died 1768) 1758 1776 Member, Virginia House of Burgesses 1763 Instrumental in founding the Mississippi Company 1766 Signed Westmoreland Resolutions against the Stamp Act 1769 Married Anne Gaskins Pinckard 1774 1779 Member, Continental Congress Served on Secret Committee of Commerce 1776 Introduced resolution in Continental Congress for American independence from Great Britain 1780 1784 Member, Virginia House of Delegates 1784 1787 Member and president, Continental Congress 1789 1792 Member, U.S. Senate 1794, June 19 Died, Chantilly, Westmoreland County, Va.

Robert Edward Lee

1807, Jan. 19 Born, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Va. 1829 Graduated, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 1831 Married Mary Randolph Custis 1837 1841 Superintending engineer, St. Louis, Mo. 1846 1848 Served in Mexican War under General Winfield Scott 1852 1855 Superintendent, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 1859 Commanded forces that put down John Brown's raid, Harpers Ferry, Va. 1861 Resigned from the U.S. Army 1862 Appointed commander, Army of Northern Virginia 1865 General-in-chief, Confederate armies Surrendered, Appomattox Court House, Va. 1866 1870 President, Washington College, Lexington, Va. 1870, Oct. 12 Died, Lexington, Va.

William Lee

1739, Aug. 31 Born, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Va. 1761 1763 Studied in England 1763 Secretary, Mississippi Company 1763 1766 Resided in Barbados, West Indies 1766 Signed Westmoreland Resolutions against the Stamp Act 1768 Merchant and financier, London, England 1769 Married Hannah Philippa Ludwell (died 1784) 1769 1770 With firm of DeBerdt & Sayre, then self-employed 1773 Elected sheriff, London, England 1775 Elected alderman, Aldgate ward, London, England 1777 Appointed American commercial agent, France 1778 U.S. commissioner to Berlin, Germany, and Vienna, Austria Negotiated an unauthorized treaty with Holland 1779 Recalled by Congress Settled in Brussels, Belgium 1780 Resigned as alderman, London, England 1783 Returned to Virginia 1795, June 27 Died, Greenspring, James City County, Va.

William Henry Fitzhugh Lee

1837, May 31 Born, Arlington House, Washington, D.C. (now Arlington County, Va.) 1857 Graduated, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Entered U.S. Army 1859 Married Charlotte Wickham 1861 Appointed major of cavalry, Confederate States Army 1862 Promoted to brigadier general, Confederate States Army Served in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg campaigns 1863 Captured and imprisoned by Union Army 1864 Released from Union prison 1865 Second in command of Confederate cavalry, Appomattox, Va. 1867 Married Mary Tabb Bolling 1875 1879 Member, Virginia state senate 1887 1891 Member, U.S. House of Representatives 1891, Oct. 15 Died, Ravensworth, Alexandria County, Va.

From the guide to the Custis-Lee Family Papers, 1700-circa 1928, (bulk 1770-1870), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

John Custis was born August 1678 in Northampton County, Virginia, and was educated in England. He lived in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he served as a vestryman for Bruton Parish. Custis was also successful planter, merchant, colonel in the Virginia militia, burgess, and member of the Governor's Council. He married Frances Parke (1687-1715) in August 1705. His son, Daniel Parke Custis was born 15 October 1710 in James City County. He was a successful planter in New Kent County, Virginia, and served as a vestryman for St. Peter's Parish in New Kent County. He married Martha Dandridge (2 June 1731-22 May 1802) in 15 May 1750 and they had 4 children. Custis died 5 July 1757. After his death, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington (1732-1799) 6 January 1759.

From the guide to the Custis Family Papers, 1749-1784, (The Library of Virginia)

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Subjects:

  • Executors and administrators
  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture
  • Devices (Heraldry)
  • Estates
  • Inventories of decedents' estates
  • Merchants
  • Plantation life
  • Plantations
  • Wills
  • Agriculture

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • Washington (D.C.) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Westmoreland County (Va.) (as recorded)
  • England--London (as recorded)
  • Philadelphia (Pa.) (as recorded)
  • Virginia (as recorded)
  • Prince William County (Va.) (as recorded)
  • France (as recorded)

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