The times., 1899-02-26
Famous Families That Lived
Beneath Its Roof.
The Statesmen and Soldiers of Rev
olutionaPy Days.
story Of The Marriage of the Lees
and the Cnstiscs-The National
Metropolis.


haps the most remarkable No family in
the United States has stamped the i'm
press of its genius and its individuality
upon the life of this country so forcibly
as the Lees.
The Pinkneys of Maryland and South
Carolina, in this respect, are their only
rivals. In the North only the Adamses
can show, like them, generation after gen.
Grafton of men prominent, aggressive, and
controlling in national affairs. The Lee
family produced the statesman, the philOs
opher, the diplomat and the general of the
Revolution.
1t was the famous Richard Henry Lee.
who, more than Jefferson. or Henry, or
Samuel Adams, was the soul of that struS-
gle. and impressed his ideas of statecraft
upon his contemporaries. 1t was Arthur
Lee. whose profound diplomatic policy won
France 10 espouse the cause of the colonies
ana thereby insured its success. And it
was Harry Lee, of the Legion, who was the
ablest general. as he was the most daring
partisan of the Revolution. whose great
military genius has not been properly ap
preciated. Another Lee more distinguish
ed. but not greater, the heroic chief of the
armies of the Confederacy, is still more in
timately connected with Arlington than
any other of his family. For he. during
many years, was its master-tis heirs sue
cessfully prosecuted their claim against
the Government for its restoration-and
his memory and his individuality linger
more strongly around the Greek porticoed
building than even those OF its builder aad
first owner, the eccentric stepson OF Wash
ington.
OF the Washington family it is needless
to speak.
The Custises came originally from Lin
colnshire, England, and they loved their
native ferns and meres so well that when
they forsook their old home and entered
Virginia it was amid the sands and la
goons of Accomac that they erected their
family altars. One of their number fell in
love with the beautiful Martha cambridge,
and married her. This was John p. Gus
tbs, who was a great fayorite with his step
father Washington, and was his aide-de-
camp at Yorktown. He died at Eltham
Md, just after Cornwallis surrendered.
leaving four children. the two, youngest be-
ing adopted by Washington. One OF these
was the famous George Washington Parke
Custis, who was born in Mount Airy, in
Maryland, in April, l7S1, six months be-
fore the fall OF Yorktown. ~
The Founder of Arlington.
This Custis was brought up at Mount
New Jersey. His mother died in 1902.
three years after her husband, and then
George Custis went TO Arlington. which
had been left him by his father. 1t was a
magnificent estate of a thousand acres. 1t
may be here remarked, however, that the
Revolutionary war very serious affected
estates. not only in Virginia, but elsewhere
in the thirteen colonies. A large proper
nf hlEt hnt pf ia
and Massachusetts, were Tories. Many OF
them sold their estates at Tuinous prices
and went away to British North America.
the West Indies and to England. Few of
them came back. In Virginia especially
was the change noticeable. A dozen flour
ishing commercial cities in the tide water
section OF that State never recovered from
the shock that the political agitation of
the time gave them, but, like Dumfries
and Occoquan. have rotted down 10 the wa
ter's edge. The power and the influence of
the gentry were so weakened, both by eX-
patriation and war, that the lower classes
came much more prominently to the front.
And in those days the difference between
the lower classes and the gentry was much
more rOticeably marked, as the difference
between valgarity and refinement is per-
ceptible today.
AS q consequence of these changes Ar
lington Heights-named after the famous
English lord of that name-was not so
valuable as it had been forty years before.
The population of that section had dimn-
ished greatly. 1t is a remarkable fact, and
one IL is believed, not commented upon be
fore, that the counties in Maryland and
Virginia bordering on the Potomac and
the Rappahannock had. almost ihout eN-
ception. a less population in 1870 than in
1870. and in 1890 the number OF inhabi-
tants to the square mile from Mattapong
Forks to the Falls of the Potomac. be
tween Chesapeake Bay and the Blue Ridge,
Piedmont county. was a great deal less
than in 1860. AS a natural consequence
the broad acres of the Custis estate. on the
beautiful heights overlooking the site Of
the Federal Capital. were not so valuable
or desirable as they had been a generation
before.
An Ideal Estate.
Yet it was indeed an estate to be de-
sired by a gentleman. Running parallel
with the blue Potomac. whose ripping cur
rents were continually rufed by the grace
ful white swan from whom ii derived its
musical name, there is no situation on the
River OF Swans, between its mouth and the
Little Falls. that is more idyllicly beauti-
full except Mount Vernon and perhaps the
site of Georgetown University. Upon its
most graceful and picturesque hllock Gus
tis erected the present Arlington House,
to which he brought his young and beauti-
full bride nee Miss Mary Lee Ftzhugh.
The grace. the beauty and the accom-
plishmentS of the young mistress of This
now famous establishment, as well as the
genial nature and the great social qualities
of its master. made ii the home of refined
hospitality and the centre of cultured
and courteous circle.
Its columned porticoes have witnessed
innumerable gatherings of Viyginia's chiy-
airy and beauty. Under its broad roof
the flower of Virginia's best families were
wont to assemble TO ''mingie in the may
dance or to discuss the political problems
confronting the nation. For 1t will be re-
membered that for many years these Nir-
ginia cavaliers guided and controlled the
affairs OF the Republic.
It's Distinguished Guests.
Arlington mas welcomed beneath its hos
pitabIe roof the greatest of the great men
and women who have figured in our history
during the present century. As guests oil
its master and his family or as lords of
its wide domain through the fortunes OF
war, there is scarcely a great name Of the
past whose owner has not often strolied
through its large rooms or gazed from its
eastern portico upon the city that lies
apparently at its feet. To this sweeping
catalogue two names only are wanting:
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Be
tween the wide portals of Arlington these
two never passed.
Into this proud mansion came the son OF
Light Horse" Harry Lee, the nephew OF
Richard Henry Lee, and won for himself
bride, in the person of Il daughter Of the
master. Robert l., Lee and Mildred Gus
lis here also met their fates in each other
In 1857. the painter. the farmer, the
chronicler of events, George w. Il. Gus
tis. died at Arlington. Then Robert Lee