Martha Parke Custis Peter

Martha Parke Custis Peter (December 31, 1777 – July 13, 1854)[1] was a granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and a step-granddaughter of George Washington.

Martha Parke Custis Peter
Born31 December 1777 Edit this on Wikidata
Mount Vernon Edit this on Wikidata
DiedJuly 1854 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 76–77)
Spouse(s)Thomas Peter Edit this on Wikidata
Parent(s)
FamilyGeorge Washington Parke Custis, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, Elizabeth Parke Custis Law Edit this on Wikidata

For the daughter of Martha Washington and stepdaughter of George Washington, see Martha Parke Custis.

Early life

Martha Parke Custis was born on December 31, 1777[1][2] in the Blue Room at Mount Vernon.[3] She was the second-eldest surviving daughter of John Parke Custis, son of Martha Washington and her first husband Daniel Parke Custis, and his wife Eleanor Calvert, daughter of Benedict Swingate Calvert and his wife Elizabeth Calvert.

Martha was named for her father's late sister, Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis (1756–1773). Her siblings included Elizabeth Parke Custis Law (1776–1831), Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (1779–1854), and George Washington Parke Custis (1781–1857). She was known to her family as "Patsy," like her aunt and namesake.[3]

At first the family alternated between living at the Washingtons' plantation, Mount Vernon in Virginia, and the Calverts' plantation, Mount Airy in Maryland.[4] In 1778, John Parke Custis purchased Abingdon, a 900-acre (3.6 km2) plantation on the west bank of the Potomac River (now the site of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport).[4] Abingdon was conveniently located equidistant between Mount Vernon and Mount Airy.[4]

Marriage and children

Martha married Thomas Peter in 1795 at Hope Park in Fairfax County, Virginia.[1][2][4] The young bride requested from her step-grandfather George Washington a miniature of himself as a wedding gift.[4] Painted in Philadelphia between 1794 and 1795 by Walter Robertson, the miniature was a watercolor on ivory, set in gold, and depicted Washington in his Continental Army uniform.[3]

Martha and Thomas had eight children, but only five of them lived to adulthood.[1]

  • Martha Eliza Eleanor Peter (January 20, 1796 – August 31, 1800),[5] died in childhood
  • Columbia Washington Peter (December 2, 1797[6] – December 3, 1821)
  • John Parke Custis Peter (November 14, 1799 – January 19, 1848), married Elizabeth Jane Henderson[7][8]
  • George Washington Parke Custis Peter (November 18, 1801[6] – December 10, 1877), married Jane Boyce
  • America Pinckney Peter Williams[9] (October 12, 1803 – April 25, 1842), married William George Williams
  • Robert Thomas Peter[8] (November 7, 1806 – October 5, 1807), died in infancy
  • Martha Custis Castania Peter[8] (October 5, 1808 – April 5, 1809), died in infancy
  • Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon (January 28, 1815 – January 27, 1911), married Beverley Kennon (1793–1844)[10][8]

Slaves and inheritances

Upon her marriage, Martha inherited 61 slaves from her late father's estate.[11] Thomas almost immediately auctioned them off to raise cash,[11] an action that may have inspired the stern rebuke against the breaking up of slave families that George Washington delivered in his will.[11] Her step-grandfather bequeathed her $8,000, 1/32 of his estate.[4]

Martha Washington died in 1802, and Thomas Peter served as executor of her estate. The Peters purchased at a private sale many objects from Mount Vernon to preserve her grandparents' legacy.[4] Martha Peter inherited approximately 35 dower slaves from Mount Vernon following her grandmother's death (from grandfather Daniel Parke Custis's estate). She later inherited about 40 additional slaves following the 1811 death of her mother (from father John Parke Custis's estate).[12]

Tudor Place
Tudor Place

Her $8,000 (~$170,623 in 2021) inheritance from George Washington was used to purchase property in Washington, D.C. in 1805.[4] The property, comprising one city block on the crest of Georgetown Heights, had an excellent view of the Potomac River. The couple commissioned Dr. William Thornton,[4] architect of the United States Capitol, to design their mansion which they named Tudor Place.

Later life

Martha Parke Custis Peter died in July 1854.[1]

References
  1. "Martha Parke Custis Peter". Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington.
  2. Washington Parke Custis, George; Mary Randolph Custis Lee (1859). Memoirs of Washington. Englewood publishing company. p. 37.
  3. "The Papers of George Washington: Documents". The Papers of George Washington. 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  4. Wendy Kail (2009). "The Papers of George Washington: Articles". The Papers of George Washington. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  5. "Burials at Mount Vernon". Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington.
  6. "Martha Washington Timeline". Mount Vernon.
  7. "John P.C. Peter (b. 1799 - d. 1848)". Archives of Maryland.
  8. "History of Tudor Place". Tudor Place. August 14, 2023.
  9. Assembly, Volume 28
  10. Townsend, George Alfred (1874). Washington, outside and inside: A picture and a narrative of the origin, growth, excellencies, abuses, beauties, and personages of our governing city. J. Betts & Co. p. 621.
  11. Weincek, Henry (2003). An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 336–343.
  12. As widow of an intestate husband, Eleanor Calvert Custis (later Stuart) was granted the lifetime use of 1/3 of the assets of John Parke Custis's estate, including its slaves. Upon her death, her third of the Custis estate, including its slaves, was inherited by the couple's 4 children.
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