With more than 800 endnotes found across the span of ten years of her research, Dr. Cassandra Good’s new book, “First Family: George Washington’s Heirs and the Making of America,” is a tour de force.
The great paradox, however, is that the name Custis does not appear anywhere on the front or the back of the book.
But that’s ok, because Dr. Good, Associate Professor of History at Marymount University, has fully told the story of the once famous four Custis grandchildren. George Washington’s rise in stature did owe something to the Custis wealth and name (John Custis IV was highly respected in Williamsburg), but his four step grandchildren each parlayed his name and stature in big and numerous ways. And their stories weren't just locally or regionally reported. As Dr. Good points out, there was an explosion of newspapers during their adulthood.
So there’s three phases to their story. Life at Mount Vernon, life while George was leading the Continental Army and serving as President, and life after he and Martha passed. The two youngest, Eleanor (Nelly) and George Washington (Wash) went to Mount Vernon after their father Jacky Parke Custis passed away in 1781. In this way they got more attention. But like a watchful mother, Dr. Good gives full time and focus to all four.
Each reader, of course, will decide which of the four they find the most interesting or compelling. It was difficult for women to make the news in the colonial era. but Nelly especially gained measures of notoriety. In some ways, however, the page turning is faster for the first born, Elizabeth (Eliza, then Betsey). Her retreat and vibrant life cut short is very sad, but she squeezed the lemon fully while in the limelight. This was especially true in the social circles in the city of Washington where she rolled heads by falling in with the Democratic-Republican party. In our time, Elizabeth could have been a CEO of a major company.
By building Arlington, acquiring some of Washington's relics, telling stories he knew so well to the countless visitors to his de-facto museum, and writing memories of Washington, Wash was the biggest parlayer. And yet, the Custis name was swept away from the monumental house one sees when driving west along Memorial Bridge when the name of the plantation home was officially named, "Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial."
Martha (Patty) was always the one who I could not get my arms around. But now, thanks to this book, I see her more clearly. Dr. Good refrains from using the term “Cave-dweller,” but Patty might have been a founding member of the once famous inward-looking Washington club. Patty Custis Peter wore her love for the British on her sleeves and such was her adoration for the short-lived Federalist party, there might as well have been a Federalist flag flying high above Georgetown at Tudor Place.
There are a number of strengths with this book. An important one is Good’s prior research. Her first book is “Founding Friendships: Friendships between Men and Women in the Early American Republic.” She fully understands family dynamics during that time frame. It all pays off as she explains or provides insights into things like the resentment Betsey and Patty felt when they were banished to Hope Park (15 miles west of Alexandria in the wilderness) while the two youngest grabbed the love and attention while living at Mount Vernon with George and Martha. Martha worried constantly about this imbalance and other familial issues.
A reviewer of this book at Amazon wrote that they were “put off by the author's abrasive "woke" attitude towards slavery and slave owners.” As a white person I undoubtedly have blind spots with this, but I had to ask myself — did we read the same book?
In fact, one of the great strengths of “First Family” is the author’s constant and diligent reminders of the suffering and plight of the Parke Custis enslaved humans and detailing the bad things the four kids did as enslavers. So much so that before I started reading this book, my view of them tipped in the favor of admiration. But now my thoughts are more sober and balanced.
Another plus is the family tree that includes the half-siblings of the four Custis kids, and the children fathered by Jackie and Wash by their enslaved women. The latter can really get you down, but uplifting is the story of William Costin, very likely fathered by Jackie Parke Custis, father of the four. Costin earned respect in the District for his business acumen and challenging a law restricting the rights of free blacks. As Dr. Good says in an interview, it is interesting that Costin named his children Parke Costin. That is further indication he knew his father was Jacky. He even named one child George Calvert Parke Custis. The Calvert name is from Jacky’s wife, Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart.
A pet peeve of mine with books is images. Some have none or few. In this case, the reader will appreciate 32 color illustrations. And at her website cassandragoodhistorian dot com, one can find additional info including a "Selected Bibliography."
My one nitpick with "First Family" has to do with the Parke name. The Parke Custis name pairing was what drew me to their stories years ago. Not seeing Daniel Parke (1664-1710), grand father of Martha’s first husband Daniel Parke Custis, in the index was a bit of a surprise.
Having said that, Dr. Good provides credit to scholarship by Kathryn Gehred, who wrote “The Dunbar Lawsuit.” As Gehred notes, Parke drew up an unusual will that required heirs of his vast holdings be named Parke. The one thing we may never know is the thinking on the part of the four when they named their children. Was the worry of the case completely gone? Did Parke Custis become a tradition? Did they know just how bad Daniel Parke had disgraced himself?
After the Civil War, the Custis name faded into obscurity. Ask 100 Americans to name all four of George Washington’s step grandchildren and we bet the figure is slim.
But with the publication of this terrific book, we also bet the percentage will go up.
As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover…
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