White House plantation, New Kent County, Virginia

Profile managers: Gina Jarvi [send private message] and Porter Fann [send private message]

Index of Plantations

Virginia Plantations

Land Ownership & Transfers of Interests

For a detailed description of this land, please refer to Wikipedia: White House plantation: History, although no hard and fast figure on the acreage is apparent on that site, one thorough discussion elsewhere indicates that the White House estate was comprised of 3,508 acres, as of 1 Jan 1857.^[1]

1. John Lightfoot III (1646-1707) after 1686, but prior to 1700, acquired the land upon which the original White House Mansion was built
2. Heir of above: Goodrich Lightfoot (1685-1738)
3. Purchased from above: Colonel John Custis (1678-aft.1749)
4. Heir of above: Daniel Parke Custis (1711-1757)
5. Wife of above: Martha (Dandridge) Custis Washington (1731-1802)
6. Son of Daniel Parke and Martha (Dandridge) Custis: John Parke Custis (1754-1781)
7. Son of above: George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857) - upon whose death, total slaves were 196, of whom 90 were settled at the White House plantation^[1]
8. Grandson and heir of above, by Mary Ann Randolph (Custis) Lee (1808-1873): William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (1837-1891)
9. Son-in-law and partial White House estate administrator, Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) had married George Washington Parke Custis's daughter, Mary Ann Randolph (Custis) Lee. In Custis' will, he bequeaths by these descriptions to "grandson," (substituting this word for son-in-law), the following: Romancoke (sometimes written as Romancock) estate, King William County, Virginia (4,000 acres). It is unclear whether Romancoke^[2] overlaps with the White House plantation, but it is clear that Lee later manumitted enslaved persons from these estates:

• Arlington Estate
• White House Estate
• Romancoke Estate

Manumission of Slaves from the White House Estate by Mary and William Stabler (on behalf of Edward Stabler), and George Washington Parke Custis

Mary and William Stabler were administrators of the Edward H. Stabler (1769-1831) estate. Edward had purchased Maria (Carter) Syphax (1804-1886), Bertha and a male infant (William Syphax (1825-1891)) from George Washington Parke Custis of Alexandria Co., Virginia 6 Aug 1825, with the intent of providing freedom for them later.^[3]

On 2 Jun 1845, the following were manumitted:^[3]

1. Maria (Carter) Syphax (1804-1886)
2. Bertha Syphax
3. William Syphax (1825-1891)
4. Cornelius Syphax
5. Charles Syphax Jr (1829-1885)
6. Austin Syphax
7. Colbert Syphax (1836-1896)
8. Sholto Syphax
9. John Syphax
10. Ennis Syphax (abt.1842-)
11. Maria Syphax

Manumission of Slaves from the White House Estate by Robert E Lee

Those named in the 29 Dec 1862 R E Lee Arlington, New Kent and King William County Virginia Deed of Manumission, in his role as executor of his father-in-law George W P Custis's estate, delivered in Spotsylvania, Virginia; Hustings Court in Richmond, Virginia are below shown.^[4][5]

Slaves from the 29 Dec 1862 White House Estate

1. Robert Crider
2. Desiah Crider
3. Locky
4. Zack Young
5. Fleming Randolph
6. Randolph (sic) child
7. Maria Meredith
8. Henry Meredith (following three Meredith children)
9. Nelson Meredith
10. Henry Meredith
11. Austin Meredith
12. Lorenzo Webb
13. Old Daniel
14. Clavert (sic) (Calvert)? Dandridge
15. Claiborne Johnson
16. Mary Stewart
17. John Stewart
18. Harrison
19. Jeff
20. Pat
21. Gadsby
22. Dick
23. Joe
24. Robert
25. Anthony
26. Davy
27. Bill Crump
28. Peyton
29. Dandridge
30. Old Davy
31. Eloy wife of Old Davy
32. Milly
33. Child of Milly one
34. Child of Milly two
35. Leanthe [following five Leanthe children (?)]
36. Jasper Leanthe
37. Elisha Leanthe
38. Rachael (Unknwon) Leanthe [Elisha's wife]
39. Lavinia Leanthe
40. Child of Lavinia one
41. Child of Lavinia two
42. Major Leanthe
43. Phill Leanthe
44. Miles Leanthe
45. Mike Leanthe
46. Scilla wife of Mike (following five Mike children: Note: These may also be Leanthes)
47. Lavinia,
48. Israel,
49. Isaiah,
50. Loksey [sic]
51. Delphy child of Scilla and Mike
52. Old Fanny
53. Patsy (husband of Old Fanny)
54. Little Daniel
55. Cloe
56. James Henry
57. Milly
58. Ailsey (and her two children)
59. Susan Pollard
60. Armistead
61. Molly (wife of Armistead)
62. Airy
63. Jane Piler [sic]
64. Bob
65. Polly
66. Betsy (and her child)
67. Molly
68. Charity
69. John Reuben
70. George Crump
71. Minny
72. Grace
73. Martha
74. Matilda

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Robert, Joseph C. Lee the Farmer. Reproduced at LeeFamilyArchive.org from Vol 3. Nov 1937, p. 422-40. The Journal of Southern History.
2. ↑ Custis, George. "Will of George Washington Parke Custis. 26 Mar 1855." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities. 7 Dec 2020. Accessed 29 Sep 2021.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Manumission Date: 6/2/1845; Owner-Manumitter: Mary and William Stabler, administrators of estate of Edward Stabler; Slave(s) / Consideration: Maria Syphax and her children..., Bertha, William, Cornelius, Charles, Austin, Colbert, Sholto, John and Ennis Syphax and Maria Carter; Remarks: Maria, Bertha and a male infant had been purchased by Edward Stabler from George Washington Parke Custis of Alexandria Co., VA 8/6/1825; Witnesses: Elisha J. Miller, William H. Shirley; Citation: E-3:425, Alexandria Circuit Court. Citing: Dennee, Timothy J. Slave Manumissions in Alexandria Land Records, 1790-1863. The Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery. Alexandria, Virginia. 29 Apr 2007. Accessed 15 Nov 2021.
4. ↑ Wetzel, Annette E, transcriber. Robert Edward Lee Papers. Museum of the Confederacy. Richmond, Virginia. Deed of Manumission: Arlington, New Kent, King William Counties. USGENWEB Archives. Accessed 29 Sep 2021. See also partial reproduction: Robert E Lee and the Custis Slaves. Citing Lee, Robert E. 2 Jan 1863. The Museum of the Confederacy Richmond, Virginia.
5. ↑ See also uncredited transcription: Lee. Manumission of 29 Dec 1862. Transcription on yumpu via Magazine Recommendation. Accessed 1 Oct 2021.

See also:

• Slaves of Robert E Lee