Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (March 31, 1779 – July 15, 1852) was a granddaughter of

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 Old Style, O.S. – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the ...

and a step-granddaughter of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

Early life

Nelly was born on March 31, 1779, at Mount Airy, her maternal grandfather's estate in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

, the daughter of

John Parke Custis John Parke Custis (November 27, 1754 – November 5, 1781) was an American planter class, planter and politician. Custis was a son of Martha Washington, Martha Dandridge Custis (later Washington) and Daniel Parke Custis, and later, the stepson o ...

and Eleanor Calvert Custis. Her father was the only surviving son of Daniel Parke Custis and his widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, who married

in 1759. She was also the granddaughter of Benedict Swingate Calvert, an illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, whose mother may have been a granddaughter of George I. He was descended from Charles II through the king's daughter by Barbara Villiers, Charlotte FitzRoy. Following the premature death of their father John Parke Custis in 1781, Nelly and her brother, George Washington Parke Custis, were placed under the guardianship of the Washingtons and grew up at

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

, although they visited their mother, stepfather David Stuart and older sisters at Abington and later at Dr. Stuart's estates in Fairfax County. During George Washington's presidency, Nelly helped entertain guests at the first presidential mansion on Cherry Street in New York City, the second presidential mansion on

Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

in New York City, and the third presidential mansion in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Personal life

On February 22, 1799, Nelly Custis married

's nephew, the widower Lawrence Lewis of

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...

. Before that marriage, some had hoped Nelly would marry Thomas Adams, son of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She was a founder o ...

. But his parents wanted him to wed after his brother

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

. The Washingtons gave the young couple their "best and most productive farm" of those constituting Mount Vernon, the Dogue Run farm. After visiting various Lewis relatives during the entire spring and summer and respite because of illnesses incurred by both Lawrence and Nelly, then Nelly's incipient pregnancy, the Lewises built Woodlawn Plantation. The Lewises had eight children, four of whom lived to adulthood: * Frances Parke Lewis (1799–1875), married Edward George Washington Butler, nephew of General Richard Butler. * Martha Betty Lewis (1801–1802), died in infancy * Lawrence Fielding Lewis (1802–1802), died in infancy * Lorenzo Lewis (1803–1847), father of Edward Parke Custis Lewis, grandfather of Esther Maria Lewis Chapin. * Eleanor Agnes Freire Lewis (1805–1820), died unmarried * Fielding Augustine Lewis (1807–1809), died in childhood * George Washington Custis Lewis (1810–1811), died in infancy * Martha Eleanor Angela Lewis Conrad (1813–1839), married Charles M. Conrad * Eleanor also suffered miscarriages in 1800, 1804, 1806, 1808, 1809, 1811, 1812 and 1814. Upon her marriage, Nelly Lewis inherited about 80 slaves from her father's estate. Her grandfather Daniel Parke Custis's estate was liquidated following Martha Washington's death in 1802, and Nelly Lewis inherited about thirty-five "dower" slaves from Mount Vernon. Following the death of Eleanor Calvert in 1811, the John Parke Custis estate was liquidated, and Nelly Lewis inherited approximately forty additional slaves. In about 1830, the Lewises moved to Audley plantation in

Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a County (United States), county in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,783. Its county seat is Berryville, Virginia, Berryville. Clarke County is inc ...

. Beginning in the mid-1830s, they began dividing their time between Virginia and their daughters' homes in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. Nelly Custis Lewis continued to live at Audley after her husband's death in 1839. Throughout her life, she regarded herself as a preserver of George Washington's legacy. She shared memories and mementos, entertained and corresponded with those seeking information on the first president, and verified or debunked stories. A shaft to the east of the Washingtons' tomb at

marks her burial site.(1)
(2)

References

Sources

* Brady, Patricia. ''Martha Washington: An American Life''. New York: Viking/Penguin Group, 2005. . * Kneebone, John T., et al., eds. ''Dictionary of Virginia Biography''. Richmond: Library of Virginia, 1998-. Volume 3, pages 627-628. . * Ribblett, David L. ''Nelly Custis: Child of Mount Vernon''. Mount Vernon, Va., 1993.

External links

*
Woodlawn Plantation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Eleanor Parke Custis 1779 births 1854 deaths 18th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American Episcopalians 18th-century American women 19th-century American women American socialites Women slave owners American slave owners Burials at Mount Vernon Custis family (Virginia) Lewis family People from Arlington County, Virginia People from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Mount Vernon, Virginia Washington family Children of presidents of the United States