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Author: James Edward Mitchell
John (Jack) Parke Custis was born on 27 Nov 1754 in the “White House” New Kent County (Co.) Virginia (VA) a son of Martha Dandridge Custis and Daniel Parke Custis (1711-1757) born in York Co., VA. John’s younger sister was Martha “Patsy” Parke Custis (1756-1773). 1

Their socially prominent father, Daniel Parke Custis was the sole heir of his father’s [John Custis (1678-1749)] wealthy York Co., VA estate. At age 37, Daniel was a vestryman at St. Peter’s Church, now, a U.S. Nat’l. Historic Landmark at Talleysville, VA, where he met Martha Dandridge, age 16. After two years, the couple married in May, 1750 and they settled at his plantation tract in New Kent Co., where John Parke Custis and his sister were born. Daniel died suddenly in 1757, while his son was only age 3 and daughter, Patsy, age 1.

Martha Dandridge Custis’ husband’s 18,000 acre estate was held in trust for her young son, John Parke Custis. However, in Jan 1759, John’s mother re-married George Washington and, the couple raised both John and his sister at Mount Vernon. Washington became John’s legal guardian and administrator of the Custis Estate. At age 17, Patsy Custis, John’s only sibling died leaving John as the sole heir of the Custis Estate.

John, now age 18, announced during 1773, his engagement to marry Eleanor Calvert, a daughter of Benedict Calvert, a Loyalist in Maryland. John was persuaded to remain engaged until 3 Feb 1774, when he married Eleanor. They settled at her family’s estate at Prince George’s Co., Maryland.

During George Washington’s military service as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, he remained away from Mount Vernon for 9 years. Early in the Revolution, John Parke Custis, age 21, agreed to serve on Washington’s staff during the (1775-76) Siege of Boston.

Two days at Mount Vernon, 10 & 11 Sep 1781 are dramatically stylized in the beautifully colored painting depicting Martha from the steps of Mount Vernon, wishing ‘farewell to her husband and General comte de Rochambeau’, mounted with a military entourage present. The painted is believed to originate ca1885 in a series by J. L. Ferris. An original painting hung in the Fraunces Tavern Museum at Broad and Pearl Streets in New York, NY. (During the infamous bombing of the historic building and dining club by extremists on 24 Jan 1975, 4 males were killed and 43 diners were injured. As a New York Office FBI agent investigating this bombing, I was present and conducted personal interviews.) Ron Chernow wrote, “Jacky Custis prevailed upon his stepfather to take him along as a personal aide, a belated stint of service that must have awakened mixed feelings in Washington.” The last time Washington had been home to Mount Vernon was 4 May 1775, when he had departed for the (2nd) Continental Congress. By Sep 1781 the household was enlivened with newcomers, especially the 4 children of Jacky and Nellie Custis, whom he had never seen; the baby boy had been christened George Washington Parke Custis. 2

Washington’s wife, Martha Dandridge and John’s mother, would travel to her husband’s encampment periodically to sustain and support him while the army was quartered, especially during the (1777) Philadelphia Campaign and winter retreat at Valley Forge. John served as a personal aide to Washington during the Trenton and Princeton (1776-77) Campaign and (1781) Yorktown siege but contacted “camp fever” dying on 5 Nov 1781, several weeks after the official British Army surrender.

Custis’ (1781) death at age 26 caused his widow, Eleanor, for financial reasons primarily, to send their 2 youngest children: Eleanor Parke Custis (1779-1852) and George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857) to Mount Vernon to be raised by Martha and George Washington. John and Eleanor’s first 2 surviving daughters included Elizabeth Parke Custis (1776-1831) and Martha Parke Custis (1777-1854).

John Parke Custis was buried at Eltham Plantation, the Custis Family cemetery now lost, but mapped as (Queen’s Creek Road) a subdivision along (I-64) Queen’s Creek in York Co., at Williamsburg, VA at Latitude: 37.269194 and Longitude: -76.662057

1 Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) The District of Columbia Society, Application For Membership for William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, Dec’., SAR National Number 1917 and State Society Number 117, Representative in Congress from Virginia born at “Arlington” Alexandria Co., VA on 31 May 1837.

2 Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life, The Penguin Press, New York, N.Y., Copyright 2010, pgs 409 & 410

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