Douglas Syphax

Douglas Syphax (1842 – 4 February 1890) or Douglass Syphax was an African American from Virginia who resettled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after the American Civil War. A military veteran, he was active in the Grand Army of the Republic in the late 19th century, and he also became a property developer in Philadelphia. He was one of the few African Americans to gain commissions as sergeants in the US Colored Troops serving in the American Civil War. Background As a relative of Charles Syphax, Douglas Syphax was related to an African-American family in Virginia who were granted land in Arlington County, Virginia. In the 1940s it became part of Arlington National Cemetery. The family was descended from Martha Washington (1731–1802), wife of President George Washington (1732–1799). The family, considered part of the elite in African-American society, traces its origins to Mariah (with an "h") Custis, the mixed race daughter of planter George Washington Parke Custis (1781–1857), the only grandson of Martha Washington. Mariah's mother was Ariana Carter, one of Custis's house slaves.