Maria Carter Syphax
Maria Carter Syphax was the only former Custis slave to own property at the Arlington estate. She was likely the illegitimate daughter of Airy Carter (a slave of George and Martha Washington) and George Washington Parke Custis.
In 1821, Maria Carter married Charles Syphax, a leader of the enslaved community and overseer of the dining room in Arlington House. Five years after their wedding, Custis manumitted Maria and her children and gave her 17.5 acres of land on the estate; after the government seized the state, the Syphax claim to the gifted property was called into question since they never received a title. William Syphax (her son) successfully petitioned the government for his mother's estate.
The children and descendants of Charles and Maria Carter Syphax held important positions within Arlington County. Residents such as John B. Syphax served on the Board of Supervisors (1872), Clerk of the Court (1872), Virginia House of Delegates (1874-1875), County Treasurer (1875-1879), and Justice of the Peace (1879). Today, the Syphax family continues to have an active role in the community.
