SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA - GEORGE W. P. CUSTIS MANUMISSION, BY ROBT. E. LEE


Submitted by: awetzel@juno.com (Annette E Wetzel)

The will of George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha
Washington, named his son-in-law, Robert Edward Lee, husband of his only
child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee, as executor. His plantations,
"Arlington," "White House" and "Romancoke" were left to the three
grandsons, George Washington Custis, William Henry Fitzhugh and Robert
Edward Lee, Jr. The four granddaughters, Mary Custis, Anne Carter,
Eleanor Agnes and Mildred Childe Lee were each to receive $10,000, said
amount to come from the profits of "White House" and "Romancoke."  Mr.
Custis died in 1857, leaving an estate which had been neglected and was
heavily in debt. His will stated that all slaves belonging to the estate
were to be freed within five years of his death. The following deed
fulfilled that provision of the Custis will.

DEED OF MANUMISSION

Know all men by these presents, that I, Robert E. Lee, executor of the
last will and testament of George W. P. Custis deceased, acting by and
under the authority and direction of the provisions of the said will, do
hereby manumit, emancipate and forever set free from slavery the
following named slaves belonging to the Arlington estate, viz: Eleanor
Harris, Ephraina Dimicks[?], George Clarke, Charles Syphax; Selina and
Thornton Grey and their six children Emma, Sarah, Harry, Anise, Ada,
Thornton; Margaret Taylor and her four children Dandridge, [John], Billy.
Quincy; Lawrence Parks and his nine children - Perry, George, Amanda,
Martha, Lawrence, James, Magdalena, Leno, William; Julia Ann Check and
her three children Catharine, Louis, Henry and an infant of the said
Catharine; Sally Norris [and?] Len Norris and their three children Mary,
Sally, and Wesley; Old Shaack Check; Austin Bingham and Louisa Bingham
and their twelve children Harrison, Parks, Reuben, Henry, Edward, Austin,
Lucius, Leanthe, Louisa, Caroline, Jem, and an infant; Obadiah Grey;
Austin Banham, Michael Merriday, Catharine Burk and her child; Marianne
Burke and Agnes Burke: Also the following slaves belonging to the White
House estate, viz: Robert Crider and Desiah his wife, Locky, Zack Young
and two other children [,] Fleming Randolph and child; Maria Meredith and
Henry her husband and their three children Nelson, Henry, and Austin;
Lorenzo Webb, Old Daniel, Clavert Dandridge, Claiborne Johnson, Mary and
John Stewart, Harrison, Jeff, Pat and Gadsby, Dick, Joe, Robert, Anthony,
Davy, Bill Crump, Peyton, Dandridge, Old Davy and Eloy his wife, Milly
and her two children [,] Leanthe and her five children; Jasper, Elisha
and Rachael his wife, Lavinia and her two children, Major, Phill, Miles,
Mike and Scilla his wife and their five children Lavinia, Israel, Isaiah,
Loksey [?] and Delphy; Old Fanny and her husband, Patsy, [L]ittle Daniel,
and Cloe, James Henry, Milly, Ailsey and her two children, Susan Pollard
[,] Armistead and Molly his wife, Airy, Jane Piler [?], Bob, Polly, Betsy
and her child, Molly, Charity, John Reuben, George Crump, Minny, Grace,
Martha and Matilda: Also the following belonging to the Romancoke estate,
viz: Louis, Jem, Edward, Kitty and her children[,] Mary Dandridge and an
infant; Nancy; Dolly, Esther, Serica[?], Macon and Louisa his wife,
Walker, Peggy, Ebbee, Fanny, Chloe Custis and her child Julia Ann, Elvey
Young and her child Charles, Airy Johnson, Anne Johnson, William and
Sarah Johnston and their children Ailey, Crump, Molly, and George, James
Henry and Anderson Crump, Major Custis and Lucy Custis, Nelson Meredith
and Phoebe his wife, and their children Robert, Elisha, Nat, Rose and
Sally, Ebbee Macon, Martha Jones & her children Davy & Austin; Patsey
Braxton, Susan Smith and Mildred her child, Anne Brown, Jack Johnson,
Marwell Bingham and Henry Baker.
     And I do hereby release the aforesaid slaves from all and every
claim which I may have upon their services as executor aforesaid.
     Witness my hand and seal this 29th day of December in the year of
our Lord eighteen hundred sixty-two
			[signed]	 R. E. Lee [seal]
              				 Ex. of G. W. P. Custis
State of Virginia, County of Spotsylvania to wit:
     I, Benj[amin] S. Cason, Justice of the Peace in and for the said
County, do hereby certify that Robert E. Lee, executor of the last will
and testament of George W. P. Custis, a party to the foregoing deed of
manumission, this day appeared before me, and acknowledge the same to be
his act and deed.
     Given under my hand this 29 day of Dec 1862.
			[signed]	 Benj[amin] S. Cason J. P.
     City of Richmond, to wit:
     In the Office of the Court of Hustings for the said City, the 2d day
of January 1863
     This deed was presented and with the Certificate annexed, admitted
to record at twelve o'clock N.
			Teste 	Ro[bert] Howard, Clerk

Source: Robert Edward Lee Papers, Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond,
Virginia

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