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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.
In December, 1799, George Washington died following a sudden illness. To his second step-granddaughter, Martha Peter, he left land as well as money, which the Peters used to purchase a large city block in Georgetown. It was there that they built their own beautiful and spacious home, named Tudor Place.
Courtship. Less than a year after the death of her first husband, Martha Custis would be courted by a number of men. Learn More. In her late teens, Martha Dandridge caught the eye of Daniel Parke Custis, who, though 20 years her senior, was one of the most eligible bachelors in Virginia.
Martha Dandridge married Daniel Parke Custis on May 15, 1750, and the couple had four children, only one of whom survived to adulthood. [1] She was widowed in 1757 at the age of 26, inheriting a large estate. She was remarried to George Washington in 1759, moving to his plantation, Mount Vernon.
Just a few months after their daughter Frances had died, Daniel Parke Custis suddenly became ill. Although Martha summoned the best physicians money could buy, her husband died on July 8, 1757. By all accounts, their seven-year marriage had been a happy one.
Learn about the life and family of Martha Parke Custis, the second wife of George Washington and mother of Martha Washington Peter. Read letters, see portraits, and explore her connections to Mount Vernon and Tudor Place.
