Martha Parke Custis Peter

Martha Parke Custis Peter ( born December 31, 1777 Mount Vernon; † July 13, 1854 ) was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the Stiefenkelin of George Washington.

Early years

Martha Parke Custis was born in the Blue Room of Mount Vernon, the estate of the Washington family. She was the second daughter of John Parke Custis, son of Martha Washington by her first marriage and the stepson of George Washington, and his wife Eleanor Calvert, daughter of Benedict Calvert and Elizabeth Calvert Swingate. Martha was named in honor of her father, Martha " Patsy " Parke Custis (1756-1773) sister. Her siblings were Elizabeth Parke Custis Law (1776-1831), Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (1777-1854) and George Washington Parke Custis ( 1781-1857 ). It was created within the family " Patsy ".

Martha's family lived alternately in Mount Vernon in Mount Airy, Maryland. John Parke Custis purchased in 1778 by Robert Alexander the plantation Abingdon, a possession of 900 acres of land on the west bank of the Potomac River. Abingdon was practically the same distance from Mount Vernon and Mount Airy.

Marriage and children

Martha 1795 married Thomas Peter in Hope Park in Fairfax County. The bride was given by her grandfather George Washington as a wedding gift, a miniature that showed him. The watercolor was painted in Philadelphia 1794-1795 by Walter Robertson on ivory and decorated with gold, it is Washington in the uniform of the Continental Army.

With her ​​marriage Martha Peter inherited 61 Custissklaven from the possession of her father. Thomas Peter sold them almost immediately in order to get cash. An event that provoked Washington's disapproval, this was also reflected in his last will in which he left all his slaves free in order to prevent the breakup of slave families. After the death of her grandmother Martha Washington 1802 Martha received an estimated 35 dower slaves from Mount Vernon and other slaves after the death of her mother 1811.

Martha and Thomas had eight children:

• Martha Eliza Angela Peter (* January 20, 1796, † 20 September 1800 )
• Columbia Lafayette Peter ( born December 2, 1797 † December 3, 1820 )
• John Parke Custis Peter (* 14 November 1799; † January 19, 1848 ) ∞ Elizabeth Jane Henderson
• George Washington Parke Custis Peter (* November 18, 1801, † December 10, 1877 ) ∞ Jane Boyce
• America Pinckney Peter Williams ( * October 12, 1803, † April 25, 1842 ) William George Williams ∞
• Robert Thomas Peter (* November 7, 1806; † October 5, 1807 )
• Martha Custis Peter Castania ( born October 5, 1808 † April 5, 1809 )
• Brittania Wellington Peter Kennon (* January 28, 1815; † January 27, 1911 ) ∞ Beverley Kennon

Martha inherited from her step-grandfather George Washington $ 8000, 1/32 of his property. So you bought land in 1805 in Washington, DC. The property closed an entire city block in Georgetown Heights and had a direct view of the Potomac. The Peters beaufragten the architect Dr. William Thornton to design them a house which should get the name of Tudor Place. 1802, after the death of Martha Washington, Thomas Peter was employed as their executor. He and Martha acquired for their private collection of many objects from Mount Vernon to preserve the memory of their grandparents.