Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis
Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis ( April 22, 1788 , † April 23, 1853 in Arlington ) was a lay leader of the Episcopal Church in Alexandria County, now Arlington County in Virginia . She was the daughter of William Fitzhugh (1741-1809), a member of the Continental Congress , and Ann Bolling Fitzhugh Randolph. Mary Lee was likely born in Chatham , Stafford County , Virginia.
Life
On July 7, 1804, she married George Washington Parke Custis , an orator, playwright, writer and grandson of Martha Custis Washington from her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis . "Molly" Custis thus became the "step-granddaughter in law" of George Washington . Molly's father, William Fitzhugh, and George Washington were lifelong friends; Washington noted in his diaries the hospitality of Molly's mother, Ann Bolling Randolph Fitzhugh; a visit to William Fitzhugh turned out to be the last time Washington left Mount Vernon before his death.
The Custises lived in Arlington, a 1,100 acre (4.5 km²) plantation in Alexandria County, Virginia. Of their four daughters, only Mary Anna Randolph Custis survived childhood; she later married Robert E. Lee ; Lee's father, Henry Lee , had given the eulogy at President Washington's funeral. Custis was a member of the northern Virginia family network that helped revitalize the state's Episcopal Church in the first half of the 19th century. She was particularly influenced by her cousin, Bishop William Meade. Custis sponsored Sunday schools and supported the work of the American Colonization Society .
Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis died in Arlington on April 23, 1853 and was buried on the property. Her husband survived her by four years, after which her daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis (Mrs. Robert E. Lee) inherited Arlington House.
swell
- Death notice and tribute. In: Alexandria Gazette. May 16. 1853, 27.
- Biography In: John T. Kneebone et al. (Ed.): Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Part 3. Library of Virginia, Richmond 2006, ISBN 0-88490-206-4 , pp. 640-642.
Web links
- Copy of a portrait by Cephas Thompson
- Custis and Lee family biographies by the National Park Service
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Custis, Mary Lee Fitzhugh |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fitzhugh, Mary Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Lay Leader of the Episcopal Church in Alexandria County |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 22, 1788 |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 23, 1853 |
| Place of death | Arlington House |