Talk:William Costin

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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
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)

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
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)

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." 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 —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."

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.

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. In June 1825, Costin co-founded an African-American Masonic Temple. 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.

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)

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)

New material and some simplification
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)

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)

Dishonest scholarship
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. Such howling inaccuracies seem to be not uncommon in your work.

You have been banned from Wikipedia in the past, 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)