Eleanor Calvert
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart (1757/1758 – 28 September 1811) was a prominent member of the Calvert family of Maryland. Upon her marriage to John Parke Custis
, she became the daughter-in-law of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
and the stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington
. Her portrait hangs today at Mount Airy Mansion in Rosaryville State Park
, Maryland.
in Prince George's County
, Maryland
. Eleanor was the second eldest daughter of Benedict Swingate Calvert
, son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
, and his wife Elizabeth Calvert
Butler. She was known to her family as "Nelly." As a teenager, Eleanor was an exceptionally pretty girl and well-mannered.
and Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
(and stepson of George Washington), on 3 February 1774 at Mount Airy. "Jacky", as he was known by his family, announced his engagement to Eleanor to his parents, who were greatly surprised by the marriage choice due to the couple's youth. After their marriage, the couple settled at the White House plantation
, a Custis estate on the Pamunkey River
in New Kent County, Virginia
. After the couple had lived at the White House for more than two years, John Parke Custis purchased the Abingdon plantation
in Fairfax County, Virginia
(now in Arlington County, Virginia
), into which the couple settled during the winter of 1778-1779.
Eleanor and John had seven children, four of whom lived to maturity:
In 1781, John died of "camp fever" following the Siege of Yorktown
. Eleanor's two elder daughters, Elizabeth and Martha, continued to live with her at the Abingdon plantation, while her two younger children, Eleanor and Wash, moved to Mount Vernon
to live with their grandmother, Martha Washington, and with Martha's husband, George Washington. John died intestate, so his widow was granted a "dower third", the lifetime use of 1/3 of the Custis estate assets, including its more than 300 slaves. The balance of the Custis estate was held in trust for their children and distributed as the daughters married and the son reached his majority. Eleanor's "dower third" was distributed among their children following her death.
In 1783, Eleanor married Dr. David Stuart
, an Alexandria
physician and a business associate of George Washington. Eleanor and David had sixteen children, including:
in Fairfax County. About ten years later, they moved to Ossian Hall near Annandale
, also in Fairfax County. Eleanor died on 28 September 1811 at age 53 at Tudor Place
, the home of her daughter, Martha Parke Custis Peter
, in Georgetown, District of Columbia
.
John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis was a Virginia planter, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington.-Childhood:...
, she became the daughter-in-law of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
and the stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Her portrait hangs today at Mount Airy Mansion in Rosaryville State Park
Rosaryville State Park
Rosaryville State Park is a state park in Greater Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland. It includes the restored Mount Airy Mansion, an event facility that Pineapple Alley Catering, Inc. operates...
, Maryland.
Early life
Eleanor Calvert was born in 1758 at the Calvert family's Mount Airy plantation near Upper MarlboroUpper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The live-in population of the town core proper was only 648 at the 2000 census, although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger....
in Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Eleanor was the second eldest daughter of Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
, son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, and his wife Elizabeth Calvert
Elizabeth Calvert
Elizabeth Calvert was the daughter of Maryland Governor Captain Charles Calvert and Rebecca Gerard, and a wealthy heiress in colonial Maryland. Her parents died when she was young, leaving her their substantial fortune...
Butler. She was known to her family as "Nelly." As a teenager, Eleanor was an exceptionally pretty girl and well-mannered.
Marriage and children
Eleanor married John Parke Custis, son of the late Daniel Parke CustisDaniel Parke Custis
Daniel Parke Custis was a wealthy Virginia planter whose widow, Martha, married George Washington.He was the son of John Custis , a powerful member of Virginia's Governor's Council, and Frances Parke Custis...
and Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
(and stepson of George Washington), on 3 February 1774 at Mount Airy. "Jacky", as he was known by his family, announced his engagement to Eleanor to his parents, who were greatly surprised by the marriage choice due to the couple's youth. After their marriage, the couple settled at the White House plantation
White House (plantation)
White House, an 18th-century plantation on the Pamunkey River near White House in New Kent County, Virginia, was the home of Martha Dandridge Custis and Daniel Parke Custis after they were married in 1750. They had four children, two of whom survived childhood...
, a Custis estate on the Pamunkey River
Pamunkey River
The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York River it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay.-Course:...
in New Kent County, Virginia
New Kent County, Virginia
At the 2000 census, there were 13,462 people, 4,925 households and 3,895 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 per square mile . There were 5,203 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
. After the couple had lived at the White House for more than two years, John Parke Custis purchased the Abingdon plantation
Abingdon (plantation)
Abingdon was an 18th- and 19th-century plantation that the prominent Alexander, Custis, Stuart, and Hunter families owned. The plantation's site is now located in Arlington County in the U.S...
in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
(now in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
), into which the couple settled during the winter of 1778-1779.
Eleanor and John had seven children, four of whom lived to maturity:
- Elizabeth Parke Custis LawElizabeth Parke Custis LawElizabeth Parke Custis Law was a granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington. She was a social leader of the District of Columbia and a preserver of the Washington family heritage.-Early life:Elizabeth Parke Custis was born on 21 August 1776...
, "Eliza", (1776–1831), married Thomas LawThomas Law HouseThe Thomas Law House was built in 1796 near present day 6th and N Streets, Southwest in Washington, D.C. Originally inhabited by Thomas Law and Elizabeth Parke Custis, oldest granddaughter of Martha Washington.... - Martha Parke Custis PeterMartha Parke Custis PeterMartha Parke Custis Peter was a granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Early life:Martha Parke Custis was born on 31 December 1777 in the Blue Room at Mount Vernon...
, "Patsy", (1777–1854), married Thomas PeterTudor PlaceTudor Place is a mansion in Washington, D.C. that was originally the home of Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Parke Custis Peter, the step-granddaughter of George Washington, who left her the $8,000 in his will that was used to purchase the property in 1805... - Eleanor Parke Custis LewisEleanor Parke Custis LewisEleanor Parke Custis Lewis , known as Nelly, was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Childhood:Nelly was the daughter of John Parke Custis and Eleanor Calvert Custis...
, "Nelly", (1779–1852), married Lawrence LewisLawrence Lewis (1767–1839)Lawrence Lewis was a nephew of George Washington who married Nelly Custis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington.... - George Washington Parke CustisGeorge Washington Parke CustisGeorge Washington Parke Custis , the step-grandson of United States President George Washington, was a nineteenth-century American writer, orator, and agricultural reformer.-Family:...
, "Wash", (1781–1857), married Mary Lee FitzhughMary Lee Fitzhugh CustisMary Lee Fitzhugh Custis was an Episcopal lay leader in Alexandria County...
In 1781, John died of "camp fever" following the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
. Eleanor's two elder daughters, Elizabeth and Martha, continued to live with her at the Abingdon plantation, while her two younger children, Eleanor and Wash, moved to Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
to live with their grandmother, Martha Washington, and with Martha's husband, George Washington. John died intestate, so his widow was granted a "dower third", the lifetime use of 1/3 of the Custis estate assets, including its more than 300 slaves. The balance of the Custis estate was held in trust for their children and distributed as the daughters married and the son reached his majority. Eleanor's "dower third" was distributed among their children following her death.
In 1783, Eleanor married Dr. David Stuart
David Stuart (Virginia)
David Stuart was an associate and correspondent of George Washington. When Washington became President of the United States, he appointed Stuart to be one of the three commissioners that were in charge of siting and designing the nation's new capital city.-Private life:Born in Scotland, Stuart...
, an Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
physician and a business associate of George Washington. Eleanor and David had sixteen children, including:
- Ann Calvert Stuart Robinson (born 1784), married William Robinson
- Sarah Stuart Waite (born 1786), married Obed Waite
- Ariana Calvert Stuart
- William Skolto Stuart
- Eleanor Custis Stuart (born 1792)
- Charles Calvert Stuart (1794–1846), married Cornelia Lee
- Rosalie Eugenia Stuart Webster (1796–1886), married William Greenleaf Webster
Later life
In 1792, Eleanor, David and their family left Abingdon and moved to David's home at Hope ParkHope Park
Hope Park was an 18th and 19th-century plantation in Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Hope Park was the residence of Dr. David Stuart , an old friend and associate correspondent of George Washington, and second husband of Washington's former stepdaughter-in-law, Eleanor Calvert Custis...
in Fairfax County. About ten years later, they moved to Ossian Hall near Annandale
Annandale, Virginia
Annandale is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 41,008 at the 2010 census, down from 54,994 in 2000 due to the splitting off of the western part of it to form Wakefield and Woodburn CDP's.-Geography:...
, also in Fairfax County. Eleanor died on 28 September 1811 at age 53 at Tudor Place
Tudor Place
Tudor Place is a mansion in Washington, D.C. that was originally the home of Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Parke Custis Peter, the step-granddaughter of George Washington, who left her the $8,000 in his will that was used to purchase the property in 1805...
, the home of her daughter, Martha Parke Custis Peter
Martha Parke Custis Peter
Martha Parke Custis Peter was a granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Early life:Martha Parke Custis was born on 31 December 1777 in the Blue Room at Mount Vernon...
, in Georgetown, District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.