Talk:William Costin

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Untitled[edit]

Glad to see an article on William Costin. There are a few glaring facts that should be addressed. There is no primary data record of Costin at Mt. Vernon. Mary Thompson is the individual at Mt Vernon most familiar with the records of the enslaved population. There is no record of Costin in the papers of Washington available to EVERYONE on line. If someone has a citation in the Washington Papers which are all available on line it should be posted. Or the reference to Mt Vernon should be removed.Costin was raised at the home of his father. Jack Custis is found in the primary records of Williamsburg VA. William Costin’s wife Delphi is found in the primary records of Mt Vernon so his wife was raised there not him. That can be said.

Various Estate records of other Free Blacks give William Costin two female siblings named Peggy and Caroline. Peggy and Caroline are not found in the primary data sources at Mt. Vernonin the mansion house or other locations. Tradition has always placed William Costin’s mother as Martha Washington’s “Shadow Sister” Ann Dandridge who was one of Powhattan’s descendants. His father was the brother of Daniel Parke Custis, called Black Jack Custis recognized in the estate records of his father John Custis who died November 1749. Some of The estate of John Custis was in Arlington VA where William Costin lives. The mother of Black Jack Custis is named as Alice who was a dower slave enslaved by John Custis. He could not free her but could only free his son which he did. Alice was by blood a Parke. She was one of the descendants of Colonel Daniel Parke. This made William Costin a triple cousin to the Custis children. William Costin gave his children the Parke name as a middle name and it was argued they were entitled to the Custis estate in this way, also found in primary data. This information is unwelcome and deleted on Wikipedia at every chance even with citation. GramereC 15:04, 17 February 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by GramereC (talk • contribs)

Costin Parentage--Added Jacky Custis Possibility[edit]

Added line to possible Costin parentage, recognizing he may have been the son of Jacky Custis (Martha's son), not Martha's brother. The Feagin book also says Jacky Custis was the father. Joe R. Feagin, Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression, Preface, pg. ix.

Still not mentioned in the article is another possible parentage of "Black Jack" Custis, who was the mulatto son with an enslaved woman, Alice, and John Custis (Martha's father-in-law). In that case, William Costin may have grown up at his father's house in Alexandria, Virginia, and not at the Mount Vernon plantation, as the article asserts. Costin's physical absence from Mt. Vernon would explain why his name does not appear in the Papers of George Washington.Bjhillis (talk) 15:32, 29 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

User: Boring Old History Guy Costin's date of birth is consistently much earlier in census records 1741-1774 is the most you could say. from the census records which start 1820 DC. Continually ignoring and replacing histories with new material from Feagin's (2005) intro which he got from Weinchek (2003) is not representative of the previous facts accepted and from tax records, manumissions, census documents and estate records. Both authors agree they did not search records they reported anecdotal accounts. You exclude because you personally concluded otherwise implying it can not be so because a NEW AUTHOR has changed a centuries old tradition without documentation in either case. Feagin is arguing that until we get it right we have systemic racism continued and Weinccek presents as if it is the first time anyone ever encountered Costin. When in fact there is much information about him including a lineage to Martha's husband's family. You are using an age which is from an obit. Custis can not be the informant in that situation. The census, tax and estate records at least have the possibility that he was the informant. The 1802 departure from the "Custis family" produces a birth date estimate of before 1774 by atleast 14 years. In 1820 census he is over 45 or born prior to 1775, 1830 he is 36-54 or 1776-1796, in 1840 he is 55-99 or born 1741-1795. In other records he is born before 1760. His mother was born about 1735 and Back Jack died in 1751 not 1741. He can not be excluded.GramereC 14:29, 21 April 2017 (UTC) Please stop continually removing this from the article based solely on your opinion and not fact.GramereC 14:29, 21 April 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by GramereC (talk • contribs)

Suggested New Material on Costin Manumissions[edit]

The Washington, D.C., Archives kindly provided copies of the two manumissions mentioned in Dorothy Provine's book: an 1807 manumission from Thomas Law freeing six young women and girls; and an 1820 manumission freeing Leanthe Brannan, Costin's niece, who was owned by George Washington Parke Custis. Based these two documents, I suggest adding the below new text.

I also suggest adding a few more examples of institutions he founded, and add the mention of Costin in the 1865 Freedman's Book to show how he was portrayed in the 19th century.

These snips will be added in various places in the article; it's not a single passage.

Rather than add the material immediately, I am placing it in Talk for a few weeks to enable discussion. Bjhillis (talk) 17:20, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

NEW 1.

Little is known of Costin’s family or upbringing. His mother was Ann Dandridge Costin Holmes, a dower slave of Martha Washington, though descended from a Native American parent and so free under Virginia law. While Ann and several of her children lived at the Mt. Vernon Plantation, there is no evidence her son William lived there; he may have lived nearby with family.

NEW 2.

In 1807 and 1820, Costin purchased the freedom of seven relatives. In 1807, Thomas Law freed six of Costin's sisters and half-sisters for "ten cents."^[1] In October 1820, the purchase of Costin’s apparent niece, Leanthe--who worked at the Mt. Vernon Mansion House, and was the daughter of Caroline^[2]—involved two-steps. First, George Washington Parke Custis sold her to Costin for an undisclosed sum. Twelve days later Costin freed her for "five dollars."^[3]

The 1807 and 1820 manumissions show the descendants of Martha Washington cooperated with Costin in freeing his family at nearly no cost.

NEW 3.

In the 19th century, Civil War-era reformers portrayed Costin as a model citizen who showed African Americans deserved the right to vote.^[4]

NEW 4.

In addition to the school, Costin helped found other African American organizations. In 1821, Costin helped found the Israel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, led by an African-American minister.^[5] In June 1825, Costin co-founded an African-American Masonic Temple.^[6] In December 1825, he also helped found the Columbian Harmony Society, providing burial benefits and a cemetery. Working with nearly the same group with whom he started other organizations--including fellow hack driver William Wormley (ca. 1800-1855) and educator George Bell (1761–1843)—Costin served as the Society’s vice president through 1826.^[7]

NEW 5. Add to footnote concerning house on A Street

In 1842, Costin’s will gave three houses to his children. First, his four daughters inherited a brick house on “Square 688, lot 17,” located at A Street and New Jersey Avenue South East, property that is now the Capitol Building and grounds. Second, his two sons each inherited a frame house at “Square 630.” His daughter, Ann Parke Costin, received her father’s silver watch, to pass down to the eldest living child upon her death. James Croggan, “Grounds of Capitol,” The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), April 7, 1907, p. 12, image 64 (“The Costins, on A street prior to 1820, was one of the earliest colored families on the ‘hill.’”) (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/); and William Costin Last Will and Testament (probated July 11, 1842), District of Columbia Wills, Boxes 0014 Quinlin, Tasker C - 0018 Degges, John, 1837-1847, pp. 294-295. Accessed via Ancestry.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bjhillis (talk • contribs) 15:42, 16 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Update: moved the material onto the Article page. Did not move the Child's Freedman Book reference, as I recall it was in the original draft of this article and was deleted. Still, seems like a good reference.Bjhillis (talk) 15:20, 30 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ May 5, 1807, Manumission from Thomas Law to Margaret Costin and Others, Washington, D.C., Archives, Liber R 17, folio 220-221 (old folio 288) (Six women freed: “Ex[ecuted] and Del[ivere]d Nancy Costin, their mother: …[for] ten cents current money to me in hand paid have released from slavery…Margaret Costin, aged nineteen years, Louisa Costin, aged seventeen years, Caroline Costin, aged fifteen years, Jemima Costin, aged twelve years, Mary Holmes, aged eight years, and Eleanor Holmes, aged six years.”) Retrieved May 17, 2016. Ann's nickname was "Nancy," so these are her children or nieces. In 1802, Ann was freed, and the date for the manumission of Philadelphia Judge is uncertain. Henry Wiencek, An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), p. 84 ("The question of Ann's legal status was resolved when, through a descendent of hers, I found a record of her manumission in 1802, carried out after Martha's death. Ann came into the possession of Martha's granddaughter Eliza Custis Law, whose husband arranged the manumission when Ann was in her forties. She was freed under her married name, Holmes, and the nickname Nancy." ).
^ 1799 List of Slaves at Mt. Vernon: (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0405).
^ October 23, 1820, Manumission from William Costin to Leanthe Brannan, Washington, D.C., Archives, Liber AZ50, folio 229 (old folio 294) (“Whereas George WP Custis by an instrument of writing under his hand and Seal bearing the date of Eleventh of October one thousand Eight hundred and twenty, did bargain, sell and confirm unto me a certain mulatto woman slave, Leanthe Brannan, about twenty-eight years of age.”) Retrieved May 17, 2016. The 1820 U.S. Census records one female slave living in the Costin household, and this person could be Leanthe.
^ Lydia Maria Childs, The Freedman’s Book (Boston, MA: Ticknor and Fields, 1865), at 220 (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/38479/38479.txt) (“[On July 2, 1842], when the Honorable John Quincy Adams was speaking in Congress on the subject of voting, he said: "The late William Costin, though he was not white, was as much respected as any man in the District; and the large concourse of citizens that attended his remains to the grave—as well white as black—was an evidence of the manner in which he was estimated by the citizens of Washington. Now, why should such a man as that be excluded from the elective franchise, when you admit the vilest individuals of the white race to exercise it?’")
^ John W. Cromwell, The First Negro Churches in the District of Columbia, 64-106, at 68 (Lancaster, Pa.; Washington, D. C.; The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc., 1917); and published in the Journal of Negro History 7, no.1 (January 1922), 64-106 (“Among the men and women active in the first efforts were Scipio Beans, George Simms, Peter Schureman, George Hicks, Dora Bowen, William Costin, William Datcher, William Warren and George Bell, one of the three colored men who fifteen years before had erected a building for a Negro school.”)(http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/cromwell/cromwell.html).
^ Randall M. Miller, John David Smith, Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997‬), at 265 (“Beside churches and schools, free Negroes associated with one another in various ways….The Prince Hall Freemasons (named after the founder of black freemasonry in America) attracted members notable for their economic achievements—Absalom Jones and James Forten of Philadelphia, William Wormley and William C. Costin of Washington, D.C.”) (https://books.google.com/books?id=idktzKdgb7YC&pg=PA265&lpg=PA265&dq=william+c.+costin&source=bl&ots=9WgIkZGcbu&sig=Yo_5d93ld84C9zsSgMIdOaRoESI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrosKyge7NAhVFJR4KHXasBJAQ6AEIOzAJ#v=onepage&q=william%20c.%20costin&f=false).
^ Paul E. Sluby, Sr. and Stanton Lawrence Wormley, History of the Columbian Harmony Society and of Harmony Cemetery (Washington, D.C. Rev ed. Washington, D.C.: The Society, 2001).

New material and some simplification[edit]

I actually said there was NO NOTTA ZIP Primary documentation to connect Costin to Mt. Vernon. In fact he is "Supposed" to be located at the property which was left to his father by his Grandfather, John Custis which is located in Williamsburg records. There are TWO Costin families on the census records. Costin's wife Delphi is noted in the primary records from Mt. Vernon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GramereC (talk • contribs) 17:18, 16 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

In response to these comments, edited the description of Costin's upbringing to say nothing ties him to Mt. Vernon; and took out the assertion that Caroline was William's sister, though left the statement that Leanthe Brannan is "apparently" his niece--and may take out even that assertion.Bjhillis (talk) 20:39, 16 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Dishonest scholarship[edit]

@GramereC: Your dishonest scholarship does not belong on Wikipedia.

Alleging that Jacky Custis (Martha Washington's son) fathered William Costin by Ann Dandridge (Martha Washington's half-sister) needs to be supported by evidence. You list Joe R. Feagin, Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression. New York: Routledge. p. 110, as your source. But that's not what Feagin wrote. Feagin suggests Martha Washington's BROTHER as the possible father, not her son. The likelihood that Ann Dandridge was twice the age of Jacky Custis (late-40s or early-50s/her vs. 20s/him) is dealt with by Mount Vernon here.

In 2017 you claimed "Black Jack" Custis was the father of William Costin, but I pointed out that Custis DIED 19 years before Costin was born.[1] Such howling inaccuracies seem to be not uncommon in your work.[2]

You have been banned from Wikipedia in the past,[3] and hidden what you were doing by using sockpuppets: User:GramereC – a.k.a. User:Coroinn, a.k.a. User:CRCole; a.k.a. User:71.58.75.28, a.k.a. User:166.217.248.24, a.k.a. User:72.69.56.203, a.k.a. User:69.86.246.30, a.k.a. User:71.58.105.199

Your genealogical fantasies do not belong here. == BoringHistoryGuy (talk) 21:23, 2 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

[1] May 5, 1807, Manumission from Thomas Law to Margaret Costin and Others, Washington, D.C., Archives, Liber R 17, folio 220-221 (old folio 288) (Six women freed: “Ex[ecuted] and Del[ivere]d Nancy Costin, their mother: …[for] ten cents current money to me in hand paid have released from slavery…Margaret Costin, aged nineteen years, Louisa Costin, aged seventeen years, Caroline Costin, aged fifteen years, Jemima Costin, aged twelve years, Mary Holmes, aged eight years, and Eleanor Holmes, aged six years.”) Retrieved May 17, 2016. Ann's nickname was "Nancy," so these are her children or nieces. In 1802, Ann was freed, and the date for the manumission of Philadelphia Judge is uncertain. Henry Wiencek, An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), p. 84 ("The question of Ann's legal status was resolved when, through a descendent of hers, I found a record of her manumission in 1802, carried out after Martha's death. Ann came into the possession of Martha's granddaughter Eliza Custis Law, whose husband arranged the manumission when Ann was in her forties. She was freed under her married name, Holmes, and the nickname Nancy." ).

[2] 1799 List of Slaves at Mt. Vernon: (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0405).

[3] October 23, 1820, Manumission from William Costin to Leanthe Brannan, Washington, D.C., Archives, Liber AZ50, folio 229 (old folio 294) (“Whereas George WP Custis by an instrument of writing under his hand and Seal bearing the date of Eleventh of October one thousand Eight hundred and twenty, did bargain, sell and confirm unto me a certain mulatto woman slave, Leanthe Brannan, about twenty-eight years of age.”) Retrieved May 17, 2016. The 1820 U.S. Census records one female slave living in the Costin household, and this person could be Leanthe.

[4] Lydia Maria Childs, The Freedman’s Book (Boston, MA: Ticknor and Fields, 1865), at 220 (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/38479/38479.txt) (“[On July 2, 1842], when the Honorable John Quincy Adams was speaking in Congress on the subject of voting, he said: "The late William Costin, though he was not white, was as much respected as any man in the District; and the large concourse of citizens that attended his remains to the grave—as well white as black—was an evidence of the manner in which he was estimated by the citizens of Washington. Now, why should such a man as that be excluded from the elective franchise, when you admit the vilest individuals of the white race to exercise it?’")

[5] John W. Cromwell, The First Negro Churches in the District of Columbia, 64-106, at 68 (Lancaster, Pa.; Washington, D. C.; The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc., 1917); and published in the Journal of Negro History 7, no.1 (January 1922), 64-106 (“Among the men and women active in the first efforts were Scipio Beans, George Simms, Peter Schureman, George Hicks, Dora Bowen, William Costin, William Datcher, William Warren and George Bell, one of the three colored men who fifteen years before had erected a building for a Negro school.”)(http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/cromwell/cromwell.html).

[6] Randall M. Miller, John David Smith, Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997‬), at 265 (“Beside churches and schools, free Negroes associated with one another in various ways….The Prince Hall Freemasons (named after the founder of black freemasonry in America) attracted members notable for their economic achievements—Absalom Jones and James Forten of Philadelphia, William Wormley and William C. Costin of Washington, D.C.”) (https://books.google.com/books?id=idktzKdgb7YC&pg=PA265&lpg=PA265&dq=william+c.+costin&source=bl&ots=9WgIkZGcbu&sig=Yo_5d93ld84C9zsSgMIdOaRoESI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrosKyge7NAhVFJR4KHXasBJAQ6AEIOzAJ#v=onepage&q=william%20c.%20costin&f=false).

[7] Paul E. Sluby, Sr. and Stanton Lawrence Wormley, History of the Columbian Harmony Society and of Harmony Cemetery (Washington, D.C. Rev ed. Washington, D.C.: The Society, 2001).

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