I hope everyone is enjoying Women's History Month! Today, another wonderful guest joins me with a glimpse of a friendship you might not have heard too much about. I love these bits of history that give us a peek into the personal lives of historical figures and help them feel "real" to us. If you enjoy learning about Lafayette, you'll want to pick up a copy of Elizabeth Reese's new book, Marquis de Lafayette Returns for more stories of his American travels and relationships.
Welcome, Elizabeth!
~ Samantha
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Friendships in the Early Republic: Lafayette and Eleanor Custis Lewis
Guest Post by Elizabeth Reese
Throughout his tour of America in 1824-1825, the Marquis de Lafayette’s visits with important men were thoroughly documented. Newspaper accounts, correspondence, and private journals list Lafayette’s name alongside those of the most powerful men in the country. Less has been said about Lafayette’s friendships with women during his trip. Women not only played a major role in Lafayette’s tour by organizing social gatherings and welcome ceremonies, but Lafayette’s convivial personality earned him the friendships of many women throughout his life.
Although George Washington had died in December 1799, Lafayette remained close with the first president’s extended family. The Custis children, Martha Washington’s grandchildren from her first marriage, were an almost constant presence in Washington social circles during Lafayette’s National Tour. Although Eliza Custis Law, Martha “Patty” Custis Peter, Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, and George Washington Parke Custis were not the heirs to Washington’s estate, they were seen as the heirs to his legacy and responsible for the preservation of his memory.
In 1784, Lafayette had previously spent two weeks with Washington and his extended family, where he had the opportunity to get to know the young Custis children. When Lafayette sent his son to live at Mount Vernon during the terror of the French Revolution, the friendship between the families was extended into the next generation. Lafayette and the Custises continued to write to each other after Washington died, and during Frenchman’s visit in the Washington, D.C. region, he spent the majority of his spare time with them.
All four children frequently welcomed Lafayette as a guest in their respective homes and attended gatherings with him, but the relationship between Lafayette and Nelly was one of particular fondness. Nelly Custis Lewis had been raised at Mount Vernon and was said to be the favorite of her grandparents. She moved with the Washingtons to New York and Philadelphia during the presidency and married George Washington’s nephew, Lawrence Lewis in 1799. As George and Martha had no biological children of their own, the marriage of Lawrence and Nelly joined the Custis and Washington families together.
Nelly was among the crowd of 50,000 citizens waiting to greet Lafayette when he arrived in New York in August 1824. The two had an emotional reunion before spending time together in the city, dining and enjoying theater. Nelly relished in Lafayette’s affection, viewing him as an extension of the step-grandfather she had loved. In October 1824, Nelly was likely present when Lafayette visited Mount Vernon to pay his respects to the deceased Washington.
It was not until December 1824 that Nelly would have the honor of hosting Lafayette at her home, Woodlawn, and she was thrilled to have the opportunity to have the Guest of the Nation all to herself. Throughout the tour, Lafayette had spent much time with his friend Frances Wright, a free-thinking feminist writer who was vocal on issues of abolition. Nelly, who viewed Wright as a sort of social nemesis, did not look to the friendship with much kindness. Perhaps she was intimidated by Wright’s views, which were far more progressive than the social structure of the Virginia plantation class Nelly was raised in. Regardless, Lafayette’s visit to Woodlawn on the cusp of the Christmastide season was a pleasant one for Nelly and her family. Nelly wrote to her friend Elizabeth Bordley Gibson of her joy in having the opportunity to have Lafayette under her roof, stating: “I felt as if my own great adopted Father was in my house.” After the four days came to a close, Nelly presented Lafayette and his son with several parting gifts including relics of Washington, Martha Washington’s recipe for lip balm, and several poems.
In September 1825, as Lafayette boarded the steamboat which would carry him down the Potomac to the Brandywine, the frigate that would take him back to France, Nelly was noted as being by his side to see him off. Alongside elected officials and other important men, Lafayette and Nelly bade their final farewells to each other.
The time Lafayette spent with Nelly during his tour was a physical reminder of her relationship with Washington. As Lafayette’s boat sailed into the horizon, the finality of his visit sunk in; Washington was gone, Lafayette was heading back to France, and the Americans like Nelly were left to chart the course of the nation on their own.
Walk in the footsteps of the Marquis de Lafayette as he makes a final trip through the young United States. Against the backdrop of a tumultuous election, a beloved hero of the American Revolution returned to America for the first time in forty years. From August 1824 to September 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette traveled throughout the United States, welcomed by thousands of admirers at each stop along the way. Although the tour brought him to each state in the Union, the majority of his time was spent in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Public historian Elizabeth Reese traces Lafayette's route throughout the National Capital Region, highlighting the locations and people the famous General held closest to his heart.
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