The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-04-16
NELLIE GUSTS FATE.
How the Stepdaughter Of G.. W,
Married Her Dear Lawrence.

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As may be supposed, Nellie had 9
great many suitors, and among them
some of the most brilliant men of the
day. 1t was very natural that Wash
ington should desire to bind the deaf
child, on whom he dotted, by still
closer ties. Accordingly, we find that
when young Lawrence Lewis, his
favorite nephew, the son of his be-
loved sister Elizabeth, came to reside
at Mount Vernon as his private secre-
tary, Washington favored the young
mans suit for the hand of his foster
daughter. Nellie was beautiful, gay,
had the world before her where to
choose, and was, perhaps, like all
bellies, a little capricious. Grand
mamma" had some other plans for
her; but nc restraint was brought to
bear upon the young girl. There is a
long letter, preserved by her brother
George, written to her by General
Washington when she was only six
teen years of age, on the event of her
first bali. 1t was full OF wise and
gentle advice to her on the mat
ter of love and marriage, and
he gives her a number of hints about
avoiding coquetry. to which, perhaps,
Nellie was a little inclined. He begs
her not to let her impulses run away
with her, but to be as reasonable in
the matter of love as she was in every
thing else. He was evidently afraid
that some of the gay wits of the day
might deprive his dear Lawrence of
the wife he intended for him.
Be that as it may, a singular occur
renee, related to me by one of Nellie's
g~reat-nieces, precipitated the matter.
Nellie, she said, had a great fancy for
enacting the nurse when there was
anything the matter with the health
of her friends. She vas very fond of
giving powders prescribing SO
tions," and doing all she could, in the
exceeding kindness of her heart, to
restore them; for it will be remem-
bered that, in those more primitive
days, women were better domestic
doctors than they are now, when
every ache and pain has its profess
sional specialist.
1t SO happened, one day, that the
handsome young Lawrence, to whose
persistent addresses she had never
given as yet a very earnest attention,
felt ill. He was living at Mount Yer
non, an inmate, with Nellie, of the
family. What was more natural than
that she should bring her medical
skill to bear upon hi1n2 She accord
ingly prepared a powder, which was
duly administered. What was her
horror, and that of the family, to find
after it had been taken that a mis-
take had been made and that the
drug given was a poisonl OF course,
Nellie's agony was intense, and she
probably discovered then, for the
first time, how necessary this life had
become to hers. In her remorse and
grief she vowed that if Lawrence re-
covered she would marry him. Law
renee did recover and in due time she
became his wife.
The marriage was a very brilliant
one. ALI the great people of the
neighborhood, distinguished officers
of the army, celebrities from abroad,
and the government officers of the
new capital were present to grace the
festivities, which took place on Feb
ruary 20, Washington's Birthday, at
Mount Vernon. There was not a
negro on the plantation that day who
Qlu uOb cHdIS III Tit JOY VI 1lbtAG
Missy's wedding"
The young married pair lived for a
while with the President, but finally
took up their abode on the estate be-
longing to the Lewis family, called
"Woodlawn,n which lay between
Mount Vernon and Arlington. This
was the home where most of Nellie
Custis' long and happy life was
passed. She devoted herself with
noble assiduity, and with all a Vir-
ginia matron's un~selfishness, just as
She had seen her grandmother do be-
fore her, to the burdensome duties of
a plantation peopled with a large
number of servants, to whom she was
the best of mistresses; to the exercise
of a vast hospitality, as well as to the
education of her several children
st. Nicholas.
Hair anne