Daniel Parke Custis
| Daniel Parke Custis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Daniel Parke Custis October 15, 1711 York County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | July 8, 1757 (aged 45) New Kent County, Virginia, British America |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Bruton Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Slave Owner and Politician |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Dandridge (m. 1750–57) |
| Children | Daniel Parke Custis, Jr. Frances Parke Custis John Parke "Jacky" Custis Martha Parke "Patsy" Custis |
| Parent(s) |
John Custis Frances Parke Custis |
| Relatives | Daniel Parke (maternal grandfather), John Custis III (grandfather), John Custis, Jr. (great-grandfather), John Custis, Sr. (great-great-grandfather) |
Daniel Parke Custis (October 15, 1711 – July 8, 1757) was an American planter and politician who was the first husband of Martha Dandridge. After his death, Dandridge married George Washington, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the nation's first president.
Custis was born in York County, Virginia, one of two children of John Custis IV (1678–1749), a powerful member of Virginia's Governor's Council, and Frances Parke Custis. The Custis family were one of the wealthiest and socially prominent of Virginia. Custis' mother Frances was the daughter of Daniel Parke, Jr., a political enemy of the Custises.
As Daniel Custis was the sole male heir in the Custis family, he inherited the Southern plantations owned by his father. However, he did not choose to take a leading role in colonial Virginia politics.
At the age of 37, Custis met 16-year-old Martha Dandridge at the St. Peter's Church where Martha attended and Custis was a vestryman. Custis' father John disapproved of the relationship but eventually relented. After a two-year courtship, Custis and Dandridge were married on May 15, 1750. The couple lived at Custis' plantation called the White House in New Kent County, Virginia.
They had four children:
Custis died on July 8, 1757 in New Kent County, Virginia, most likely of a heart attack. He is buried in the graveyard of the Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia next to two of his children he had with his wife, Daniel Parke Custis, Jr. and Frances Parke Custis. Two years after Custis's death, on January 6, 1759, Martha married George.
As Custis died intestate, his widow Martha received the lifetime use of one-third of his property (known as a "dower share"), while the other two-thirds was held in trust for their children. The January 1759 Custis estate also included at least 85 slaves. According to the Mount Vernon slave census, by 1799 the dower share included 153 slaves. The October 1759 Custis estate inventory listed 17,779 acres (71.95 km2), or 27.78 square miles of land, spread over five counties.
...
Wikipedia