 Douglas Syphax was a member of an illustrious Virginia clan who owned land in Arlington County, Virginia, that later 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 aristocratic in African-American society, traces its origins to Mariah (with an "h") Custis, the mulatto daughter of George Washington Parke Custis (1781–1857), grandson of Martha Washington.