Custis Family
Variant namesBiographical 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)
Archival Resources
Bibliographic and Digital Archival Resources
| Role | Title | Holding Repository |
|---|
Filters:
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington (D.C.) | |||
| United States | |||
| Westmoreland County (Va.) | |||
| England--London | |||
| Philadelphia (Pa.) | |||
| Virginia | |||
| Prince William County (Va.) | |||
| France |
| Subject |
|---|
| Executors and administrators |
| Agriculture |
| Agriculture |
| Devices (Heraldry) |
| Estates |
| Inventories of decedents' estates |
| Merchants |
| Plantation life |
| Plantations |
| Wills |
| Occupation |
|---|
| Activity |
|---|
Family
Active 1683
Active 1858
Active 1750
Active 1784
Related Descriptions
Search Elsewhere
Information
