For those who have spent time looking into the history of the Parke Custis family, we've long felt it a paradox that there had been no biography on George Washington Parke Custis. Although as Clark honestly points out, that Custis was “not a great man,” there is a ton of material on his life that spanned from the birth of the republic to the year before the Civil War.
Custis has received much attention as the step grandson of George Washington. But there was more to his life than just that. His forefathers were famous politician-planters, a multi-generation long Virginia tale of aristocracy and very sadly, ownership of large numbers of enslaved humans. His mother was a Calvert, a family steeped in colonial fame as barons and proprietors on the Maryland side of the Potomac.
Of the four Parke-Custis kids, it has been Eleanor, the beloved Nelly, that has drawn eyes and authors. “Wash,” the only male and last born, also saw a lot in his life, including the Mount Vernon years with George and Martha, and at Arlington House, the landmark home he built and lived in with his two Mary’s. Famous people such as Marquis de Lafayette visited Custis, whose three Parke-Custis sisters were inaugural members of Washington’s elite “Cave-Dweller” club.
From his lofty perch overlooking the city of Washington, a panorama that included Georgetown, Alexandria, and the Potomac River, Custis witnessed much of the nation’s capital’s first half century. In a variety of ways, the multi-talented Custis also participated in some of it.
Ok, so I apologize for the long overture, but it’s been a long wait. To the rescue is Arlington’s own, Charles Clark, whose new book is titled, “George Washington Parke Custis: A Rarefied Life in America's First Family.”
Let’s make no mistake. Custis has a lot of baggage as a slave holder and many will not be interested in reading about the father-in-law of Robert E. Lee and antebellum Virginia. Nevertheless, there are stories to be told here and Clark tells them well.
Footnoting is outstanding. Alexandrians will enjoy the handful of mentions about the seaport, including Custis orating in 1820 to the “Silver Grays,” an Alexandria-based militia, and his donation (parts of Washington’s tent) to the Masons. As Clark points out, “Most of the Custis family’s social and commercial intercourse took place in Alexandria…” He frequented bookstores and portrait studios.
Unlike the irritating practice of books without or having very few images (remember the old saying — A picture is worth a thousands words?), this one has a good number. One I had not seen before is Custis and Nelly circa 1789 by unknown artist, and his own “The Battle of Monmouth.” Ephemera from the vaults includes his marriage deed and a haunting “Laissez-Passer” required of enslaved persons to leave Arlington House.
A nice bonus is “In the Footsteps of Custis,” as well as a thoughtful Afterword by Matthew Penrod, a retired National Park Service ranger and historian at Arlington House. He touches on the ways we are grabbling with the past as seen through the lenses of our time.
What isn’t nice is the part of Custis’s life that involved, as Clark puts it, “Hidden Interracial Sex.” The author pulls no punches here. He also acknowledges, the racism Custis "shared with his privileged peers,” as well as his condescending attitude toward enslaved persons.
The one and only one oversight, which does absolutely nothing to distract from this terrific book, is -- “John Custis IV who would build the importantly named Arlington Plantation on Virginia’s Eastern Shore…” In fact, his grandfather, John Custis II built it. Custis IV did build his own mansion in Williamsburg.
As a lover of historical markers, we hope this book will spark interest in one being erected for George Washington Parke Custis in Alexandria. Quite frankly, we probably won’t see one for a while, but that’s ok. Seekers of information on GWP Custis are used to waiting...
Note: I read the Kindle version of the book.
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