The Lee family and Confederate General Robert E. Lee lived in Arlington before the American Civil War. The Lee family evacuated their home in 1861 as Union forces advanced. By the end of the war, the Union Army had outgrown the cemeteries in the Washington, D.C., area, and Arlington had been designated as a national military cemetery by 1864.
Parke, George Washington. Prior to the Civil War, Custis owned Arlington but did not reside there. His father left him the estate when he passed away in 1781. He constructed a sizable residence on the grounds. The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens served as the inspiration for the home. Custis also delivered speeches in support of his country and composed historical plays. Recollections and Private Memoirs of George Washington is a book that Custis even authored on the president. Custis possessed land in four Virginia counties, two sizable plantations, and other properties before the Civil War. He supported commercial independence and agricultural reform as well. He favored gradual liberation but opposed slavery for economic reasons. Additionally, Custis was a proactive participant in the American Colonization Society. One hundred ninety-six slaves were released within five years after his passing, despite the fact that he opposed slavery. Arlington House was left to George Washington Parke Custis' daughter Mary, who was a resident of Arlington at the time of his passing. Sadly, by the time of the war, the house was in bad shape. In order to take care of the estate, Lee took three years off from his military responsibilities. Lee exploited the local slaves while they were there. The Syphax family can trace its ancestry back to a slave woman who wed a free black preacher in the 1790s. Her son George Washington Parke Custis received the estate in 1802. On the grounds of Arlington Cemetery, he oversaw the building of Arlington House. Later on, he wed Maria Carter, a woman who was born into slavery. The family has a distinguished history that dates back to African royalty and is full of notable achievements. Their ancestors have played significant roles in Arlington County's African American community. Their impact can still be seen today. The Syphax family left their impact on the town's history despite not being able to buy a plantation. The well-known African-American figure William Syphax. He first acquired his education at Arlington before moving on to Washington, D.C., where he attended private schools and gained a great deal of recognition. He then served as a trustee for the Colored Public Schools in Washington, D.C., and held the positions of chairman and treasurer for three years. The Lee family held a home in Arlington, Virginia, before the Civil War. Arlington House was the name of the property. It cost $150,000 and provided a strategic view of Washington, D.C. The ownership controversy was still open when Lee passed away on October 12, 1870. The Lee family was powerful and wealthy. Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, a cavalry officer during the American Revolution, was the father of Lee, who was born in 1807. Lee's father was a member of Congress as well as Virginia's governor. Robert "King" Carter's granddaughter, Ann Hill Carter Lee, was his mother. On the Stratford Hall property, where Lee grew up, thirty African Americans were held as slaves. When Lee and his wife got married, a number of slaves were passed down to them. His wife inherited from her father a family of slaves. These employees were utilized by Lee for the estate, and he had their labor for him in order to pay off his debts. A house in Arlington, close to Washington, D.C., called Arlington House was next bought by him. Nearly 200 slaves and debts were attached to the house. George Washington Park Custis, the father-in-law of Lee, wished to see these slaves liberated within five years. Lee had a sizable collection of slaves, many of whom he was said to have treated harshly and violently. Prior to the Civil War, Mary Custis Lee was the Arlington House's owner. She had lived there for many years and had a deep affinity for the place. Washington residents asked that Lee give the Confederate government his property when the Civil War started. Mary didn't want to go, though. She packed up all of her family relics, including a sizable collection of Washington artifacts, because she was so proud of the home. She did not invite her kids to assist with the packing. Rooney was at work with his wife, Annie was visiting a new baby, Rob and Mildred were at school, and her husband was away in the White House with his wife and kids. For almost ten years, Mary Custis Lee was unable to go back to Arlington. Lee had little money and was unable to pay her property taxes, despite her wish to own the land. Her property tax payments consequently became behind and were subsequently sold at auction in the Alexandria Courthouse. Phillip Fendall, a relative of Custis Lee, tried to pay the taxes but was refused. The government was aware of her poor health and did not want her to be compelled to pay taxes; she was unable to because of it.
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