Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-05-13
The Arlington Estate.

| III regard 10 Inc estate. Ii COESlSC3 or aDOuG
! 100 acrcs--two hundred and fifty, including
the mansion, being walled in and known as the
| National Cemetery. There wara inferred hero
during the war nearly $1,000 Union soldiers,
about $50 Conlcdctatcs, aud about 1000 con
trabands. The t5mains OF over 1000 soldiers,
gathered on the field at Bull Run aad on the
rOute to the Rappahannock, arc placed under
The m0numcut t0 The Unknown. Slaoc the
| war numbers OF the bodies have been removed,
| and at this time there remain lii rtuad figures
about Il, 900 in this City Ct the Dead.
| This estate Is part Of what Was known, be-
| lnro Alexandria had ever received the name OF
Belle View, or the city OF Washington was
dreamed Of as the llnwsen Grant, made dur
| ing the reign OF Charles II.
Sir VIM. Berkeley, Governor Of Virginia 10
October, 1860, granted 0 ODE Robert llowscu
6 900 acres OF land, having front on the 20.
tomac from near the Little Fails TO Hunting
creek This patent Was granted to llowsen in
| consideration Of his having transported a nunl.
Der of persons into the coooy. The same year,
AZ appears by an instrument recorded IL the
courts, lI0wscn conveyed these lands to John
Alexander, the great great grandfather OF Mr.
Columbus Alexander, OF this city, The oonsld-
Grafton being six hogshcads Of tobacco. ln
! TITS Gen. Alexander executed the following
instrument, conveying what is nov known as
Arlington to the great grandfather of Gen. C.
| W. G. Lee, the plaintiff ID the case
1t is this day agreed between Con. AcXan.
der, Of Fairfax county, Of the one part, and
Robert Adams, for Ohm Parke Gusts, OF the
other, that the said Gerard Alexander will
convey 10 the said John Parko Cus!is, his
heirs and a3sigGs forever, all the land he IS en-.
titled to betweeo the line called North SIX In
lIoWsen' patent. agreeable to plat and re.
coyery made lately IN the General Court and
Potomac river, supposed TO Oe $50 acres, Tor
the sum Of eleven thousand pounds currency.
Possession will be given the 18th OF December,
IT'S; fer The performance Of which the above
parties have bound themselves IN one thousand
pounds.
(Sisncd) GERARD ALEXANDER,
ROBERT ADAMS.
Witoays: pGILLGp ALEXANDER.
FAIRFAX, Dec. %, IT'S.
Then received Of John Parka GUSTS The sum
of eleven thousand pounds Virginia currency,
in full for trac: OF laud, supposed one thous'
and acres, lying on Potomac river, ana IN The
county OF Fairfax.
ISipncd: GERARD ALEXANDER.
In this connection il may be interesting 10
state that the AlcXandoTs who came over from
England, were John. Gerard and Robert that
ia the carly part OF tic last century their de-
scendants were very numerous in :Alexandrla
county, and that the name Of Belle Haven Was
changed to Alexandra 10 compliment to the
family. Abingdon, afterwards Gen. Hunters.
now -Four Mile Run, was The patcrna estate,
and Loohabar, below, was tho estate OF tho
Dades, with which family The AieXandcrs were
connected by marriage. Some Of this grant is
10 the Alexander family o.day--Columbus
Alexander owning farm Of $50 acres adl0ln'
ing Arlington on the south, which has come
down from father to sou for generations past.
1t is thought by many that Arlington was
wiled by Washington to John J. Gusts, but
tho fact is that The |. 100 acres mentioned 10
the will is the place known as Gusts NH,
about fonr miles beyond Arlington, on tho Co.
Iumbia Turnpike.
John Pa,kc Gusts was the only snn OF hlr5
Washington by her first marriage. i!e W's
young nlar oil great promise. Il special iavdIite
With Washington because OF his stnsc OF truth
and honor, and Was one OF his AIDE dc pS
during the revolution. AZ Yorktown he had
| an attack Of caulp fever, aad before he REACHED
| the White House, on The pamunkcy nc died,
| bedside before he died and colntortol him III
|
Youngest childron-Ceorgc Washington l'arkc
| Gusts, aud E!aaor parko Gusts, who sub
sc1ucntiy married nephew Of Lawrence Lewis.
| George w. L. Cuslis and his sister were then
small children, and soon after were taken to Mt.
Vernon. Alter tic death Of WaEhingto in 1899,
and of his mother in May, 1901, he spent some
time 10 settling UP the estate, and in S02 or 3 ne
removed to Arlinrton, and at once commenced
the erection Of the stately old mansion; selecting
sitc-from which the finest view OF the city Is
obtained, about 200 feet ABOVE the river, and
half mile from The shore. This mansion was
| built Of brick made on the place, fully hall a
| mile from the house, directly Oh the line dIVid,
! ing it from Alexandria, and it was commenced
| in 1904, the same year Gusts married Miss
| Mary A. FIlzhugh. portion Of the house
was not completed until alter the war Of isl
It is of brick, succeed and modelled alter the
] temple at Pacstum near Naples. MF. aud
:: Mrs Custs here lived for ever q hall century
and 10 true Virginia style received their lrleDds
Scarcely any ono OF note visiting the capita
failed to pay their respects to the master o
Arliuplon; and tho Custlscs WGro acquainted
with sill tue leading people OF The country. Mr
Gusts at the time Of his death 0Wncd some
thing like 20J slaves; The most OF whom were
on the Eastern shore plantation, and humber
ct another plantation in Fairfax county, VA
lie was however not q hard master, AMI wa
regarded By his slaves as their best iriond.-
Dir. GUSTS had but Que child Who reached ma
Iiorily Mary Ann Randolph Lee, the vie
Robert 4. Lac, tho Confederate chleitaln' theI
, a lieutenant 10 the u. s. army, aod subsequent
II lieutenant colonel OF engineers, on duty a
the engineer bureau 10 this city for many year
previous to the war Of the rebellion. DlrE
Gusts died at Arlington, in April, 1853, an
MIR. GUSTS died October 10Th, 1857, the iol
: NOR aged G5. and the latter e.. MIR. Gusts
viii bears date Of March Goth, 1875, and th
o bequest as to this property is as follows:
II give and bcqucath to my dearly believe
daughter and only child, Mary Ann Iandolp
Lee, ing Arlington House estate, 10 the count
Of Alexandra, and State Of Virginia, con!al
, ing eleven hundred acres, more or less, and n
! MILL oo -Four Mile Run, in the county OF Ale
J andria aud the lands of mlno adjacent to "a
mill, 10 the counties OF Alexandria and Ealrta
Iiu the State Of Virginia, tho use and benefit