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Martha Parke Custis (1756 – June 19, 1773) was the stepdaughter of George Washington who died from an epileptic seizure at the age of 17, fifteen years before he was elected as the first president of the United States.
Martha Parke Custis was Martha Washington and Daniel Parke Custis's youngest child. Known to the family as Patsy, Custis had a particularly difficult life. Patsy was only a toddler when her mother married George Washington. By the time Patsy was eleven or twelve, she experienced frequent seizures.
It was there that they built their own beautiful and spacious home, named Tudor Place. Just a few years later, Martha Washington passed away at Mount Vernon. As a Custis heir, Martha Peter inherited a portion of the enslaved people belonging to the Custis estate.
Eighteen-year-old Martha Dandridge married Daniel Parke Custis, age 38. When John Custis died on November 22, 1749, either before or shortly after the wedding, Daniel inherited the bulk of the estate, which included five plantations (17,000 acres), the White House (the family homestead), and also Six Chimney House in Williamsburg.
In her late teens, Martha Dandridge caught the eye of Daniel Parke Custis (1711-1757), who, though 20 years her senior, was one of the most eligible bachelors in Virginia. Daniel’s father initially opposed the marriage, because the prospective bride’s family was not as wealthy as he would have liked.
Martha Parke Custis Peter. By Wendy Kail. On January 6, 1759 the widow Martha Dandridge Custis married Colonel George Washington. She stood only five feet to his six feet, three and a half inches. 1 She brought two children from her first marriage, John Parke Custis [Jacky, born 1754], and Martha Parke Custis [Patcy, born 1756].
Taking advantage of a plethora of new consumer goods available from Britain, Martha furnished her house with the finest objects money could buy: damask fabric to cover the dining room chairs; elaborate tea sets; beautiful Chinese export porcelain; and sterling silver flatware engraved with the Custis coat-of-arms.
