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UMVERSITY OF VIRGINIfi LIBRfiRY
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ENCYCLOPEDIA
of
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF
LYON GARDINER TYLER, LL. D.
President of William and Mary College, Williamsburg; Author of ''Parties and Patronage
in the United States," ''The Cradle of the Republic/' "Williamsburg, the Old
Colonial Capital," "England in America," "The Letters and Times of
the Tylers," etc.; Vice-President of the Virginia Historical
Society, Member of the Maryland Historical
Society, and various other societies.
VOLUME II
NEW YORK
LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
1915
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F
225"
V z
Copyright, 1915
Lewis Historical Publishing Company
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PREFACE
As the aim of the first vohime of this work was to present the biographies of all
those who had any connection with the founding of the Colony of Virginia down to
the American Revolution, so the aim of this second volume is to present the biog-
raphies of the leading figures in the history of the State approximately down to the
War for Southern Independence, 1861. For this purpose the book, like the first volume,
is divided into eight parts, under the following headings: I. The Fathers of the Revo-
lution ; II. Governors of the State; III. Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals; IV.
Presidents of the United States; V. Judges of the United States Supreme Court; VI.
United States Senators; VII. House of Representatives; VIII. Prominent Persons.
Amid such a wide range uf persons as is called for by the last division, the Author
does not assume that he has been always wise in his selection.
The Author.
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
l-FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
FROM THE TWOPENNY ACT (1767) TO THE FEDERAL CONVENTION
OF PHILADELPHIA (1787).
Adams, Thomas, son of Ebenezer Adams,
ct Xew Kent county, Virginia, and Tabitha
Cocke, his wife, and grandson of Richard
Adams, of Abridge, county Essex, England,
citizen and merchant tailor of London, was
born in New Kent county, Virginia, about
1730. and was clerk of Henrico county. He
had large business interests with England,
and went there in 1762 and remained till
1774. when he returned, and was one of the
citizens to sign the association entered into
by the "late members of the house of bur-
gesses." May 27, 1774. He was chairman
of the Xew Kent county committee of safety
in 1774. member of the old congress. 1778,
and signed the articles of confederation be-
tween the states, removed to Augusta
county. Virginia, and represented that dis-
trict from 1784 to 1788. He married Eliza-
beth Fauntleroy. widow of his first cousin.
Howler Cocke, Jr.. and left no issue. His
will, dated October 12, 1785, was proved in
Augusta county, Virginia, October 22. 1788.
Banister, John, was a son of John Banis-
ter, and grandson of Rev. John Banister, an
eminent botanist, who was born in England,
and emigrated about the latter quarter of
the seventeenth century from the West In-
dies to Virginia. He was educated in Eng-
land, and studied law at the Temple. He
was burgess from Dinwiddie in the assem-
blies of 1765, 1766-1768. 1769-1771, 1772-
1774 and 1775. a distinguished member of
the conventions of 1775 and 1776, and of the
assembly of 1777. member of the Continental
Congress. 1777- 1779. and one of the framers
and a signer of the articles of confederation.
In 1 78 1 he was lieutenant-colonel of cavalry
under General Robert Lawson, and during
the invasion of Virginia was active in re-
pelling the enemy. Proprietor of a large
estate, he suffered repeated and heavy losses
from the depredations of the British. At
one time, it is said, he supplied a body of
troops with blankets at his own expense. A
number of his letters published in the
*'Rland Papers.*' and in Sparks' "Revolu-
tionary Correspondence." show him as one
of the best writers of his day. He resided
at " r»attersea," near Petersburg, and died in
1787. He married (first) Patsey. daughter
of Colonel Thtodorick Bland, of "Cawsons,"
and (second) Anne, daughter of John Blair,
ot Williamsburg, president of the Virginia
council.
Blair, John, Sr. (q. v.. i-66).
Blair, John, Jr., born at Williamsburg,
Virginia. 1732, son of Hon. John Blair, pres-
ident of the Virginia council. After gradu-
ating from William and Mary he studied
law at the Temple in London. England, and
commenced practice at Williamsburg. He
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
was a member of the house of burgesses for
the college of William and Mary at the as-
semblies of 1766-1768, 1769, and 1769-1771,
when he resigned to become clerk of. the
council. In the convention of May, 1776, he
again represented the college, and was a
member of the committee which in June,
1776, reported the declaration of rights and
state constitution. Upon the establishment
ot the judiciary he was elected judge of the
general court, of which he became chief jus-
tice, and in 1780 a judge of the high court of
t hancery. He was a member of the conven-
tion, at Philadelphia, in 1787, which framed
the Federal constitution, voting for its adop
tion, and subsequently for its ratification in
the state convention of 1788. In 1789, by
appointment of Washington, he became a
justice of the United States supreme court,
and held his seat until 1796, when he re-
signed. He died at Williamsburg, August
31, 1800. Among the minor offices held by
him was that of bursar of the college.
Bland, Richard, son of Richard Bland, of
••Jordan's Point," Prince George county, and
Elizabeth Randolph, his wife, was bom in
Williamsburg, May 6. 1710. He was edu-
cated at William and Mary College and at
the University of Edinburgh, and for many
years after 1748 was a leading member of
the house of burgesses. In 1753 he con-
demned Governor Dinwiddic's attempt to
impose a pistole for land grants as taxation
without the people's assent, and in 1757 was
the author and champion of the Two Penny
Act, which, in claiming for Virginians the
right of controlling their own taxation, was
the great preliminary step to the formal
measures of the American revolution. In
1764 he wrote a pamphlet defensive of his
cause entitled "the Colonels Dismounted,"
in which he asserted the exclusive authority
of the general assembly of Virginia over all
matters of domestic concern. When the
Stamp Act was proposed the same year, he
opposed it with great zeal upon the floor of
the house of burgesses and was one of the
cc«mmittee of nine which, in December. 1764,
prepared the memorials to King, lords and
commons. He. nevertheless, opposed the
resolutions of Patrick Henry in May. 1765,
on the ground that the British governmeni
had not been given sufficient time to re-
spond to the previous protest. In 1766. he
showed, however, that his opposition to the
r.ritish scheme of taxation was not dimin-
i.^hed by publishing his pamphlet entitled an
"Enquiry into the Rights of the British
Colonies." In this he emphasized the views
expressed in his •^Colonels Dismounted."
taking the ground that Virginia was an in-
dependent kingdom, under no subjection to
parliament, and only connected with Eng-
land by the tie of the Crown. The doctrine
thus advanced was considered a "prodigious
innovation" in most parts of the country,
though in course of time the patriots came
very generally to rest their cause upon it.
His knowledge of history exhibited in the
pamphlet gained for him the appellation of
"The Virginia Antiquary."
After the repeal of the Stamp Act, Bland
took equally strong grounds against the
Revenue Act of 1767. He was chairman of
the committee of the whole house which re-
ported the resolutions of April 7, 1768, pro-
testing against the act; and when the gov-
ernment of Great Britain demanded the ar-
lest of the patriots of Masschusetts he was
one of the leading spirits of the legislature
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
in bringing about the adoption of the pro-
test of May 8, 1769, and was the first person
tv. sign the non-importation agreement en-
tered into at that time. Although new
loaders after this sprang to the front, in the
persons of Patrick Henry, Richard Henry
I.ec, Thomas Jefferson and George Mason,
Bland continued an able support of the
cause of American liberty. In 1773 he was
appointed one of the committee of corre-
spondence, and in August, 1774. he was ap-
pointed a delegate to the first Congress
which met at Philadelphia, and was re-
elected till August. 1775, when he declined.
He was a member of the Virginia conven-
tion of March, 1775, ^"^ ^^ ^^^ organization
o^ the committee of safety, in July, 1775, he
was appointed one of its members. In De-
cember of that year he was a member of the
convention which sat at Richmond, and in
May, 1776. he was a member of the conven-
tion which declared for independence and
adopted the first state constitution. Thus he
held continued public service throughout the
whole revolutionary period — from the Two
Penny Act to the Declaration of Independ-
ence. He died in Williamsburg, October
28. 1776. He married twice, (first) Anne,
daughter of Peter Poythress; (second)
Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Harrison.
Bland, Theodorick« son of Colonel Theo-
dorick Bland, of "Cawsons,*' Prince George
county, was born March 21, 175 1. At the
age of eleven he was sent to England and
studied at Wakefield, in Yorkshire, after-
wards pursuing a medical course at the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh, and in 1764 returned
to America. He was among the first in Vir-
ginia who opposed the practice of medicine
without a license. When Lord Dunmore's
seizure of the colony's arms and ammuni-
tion occurred, Bland is said to have been
one of those who- succeeded in regaining
some of this property. Bland continued to
practice his profession until the outbreak of
the war of the revolution, when he volun-
teered and was appointed captain of the first
troop of cavalry raised in Virginia. As soon
a? a regiment had been completed he was
made lieutenant-colonel, and afterward colo-
nel. He distinguished himself at the battle
or Brandywine. and at Saratoga was placed
in charge of the British prisoners sent to
Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1779, Colonel
Bland was in command of the tr6ops sta-
tioned at Albemarle barracks. Virginia. In
1780 he was elected to Congress, and con-
tinued in that body three years. He then
returned to Virginia, and was a member of
the state legislature. In 1788 he opposed
the adoption ot the Federal constitution, be-
ing of the opinion that it was repugnant to
the interests of his country*. He was. how-
ever, chosen 10 represent the district in
which he lived, in the (first) Congress under
this same instrument. When the a.ssunip-
tion of the state debt was under consi-ler-
ation in March. 1790. Colonel Bland spoke
in favor of such assumption, in this respect
differing from the opinion of all his col-
le.igues. He is accredited with considerable
talent for poetical writing. He died in New
York City, June i, 1790. at the time of the
session of Congress. He was buried in
Trinity churchyard. He married (first)
Susan Fitzhugh: (second) Mary Dainger-
f^eld.
Braxton, Carter, son of George Braxton,
a wealthy planter, and Mary Carter, his
wife, daughter of Hon. Robert Carter, presi-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Oent of the Colonial council, was born at
*'Xe%vington/' King and Queen county, Sep-
tember 10. 1736, and was educated at Wil-
liam and Mary College. He married, in
1755. Judith, daughter of Christopher Rob-
inson, who soon died, and he lived abroad
until 1760. when he returned and married
Elizabeth Corbin. daughter of Hon. Richard
Corbin, the receiver -general of the customs.
He served as £ burgess from King William
ccunty in the assemblies of 1761-1765, 1766-
176S, 1769, 1769-1771, and 1775. and in the
conventions ot August, 1774: March, 1775:
July. 1775, and December, 1775. When Pat-
rick Henry marched with his troops to Wil-
liamsburg, in .\pril. 1775. to demand satis-
fiiction for the seizure of the gunpowder,
liraxtun was instrumental in obtaining from
his father-in-law. Richard Corbin, a draft
for the value of the same. In July. 1775, he
was made a member of the committee of
safety for the colony, and in August follow-
ing was elected a member of Congress to
succeed Peyton Randolph, deceased. He
was conservative in his opinions, and drafted
IP 1776 a form of government for Virginia,
which was too aristocratic in its features to
suit the more advanced patriots. He, never-
theless, signed the Declaration of Independ-
ence, and throughout the revolution was a
firm and consistent patriot. He served in the
house of delegates from 1777 to 1785, and
was a member of two governor's councils,
from 1786 to 1 79 1, and from 1794 to 1797.
He died at "Elsing Green,*' King William
county, October 10. 1797.
Brown, John, son of Rev. John Brown, a
graduate of Princeton in 1749, and a Pres-
byterian minister, was born at Staunton.
Virginia. September 12, 1757. He first went
to Princeton College, and remained there till
1779. when with the retreat of the American
aimy he repaired to Williamsburg. X'irginia,
where he studied the natural sciences under
President James Madison, of the college,
nnd law under George Wythe. After leav-
ing college he entered upon the practice of
ihc law at Staunton, and from 1787 to 1789
wns a member of the Continental Congress.
He soon after removed to Frankfurt, Ken-
tucky, where he was elected as a representa-
tive of the first United States Congress,
serving till 1792. when he was elected
I'nited States senator from Kentucky. He
was re-elected in 1799, and served altogether
f('urteen years. He voted to locate the ieat
of j^overnment on the Potomac. He died
in l->ankfort. Kentucky, August 28. 1837.
B. Gratz Brown, his grandson, was a candi-
i!ate for the vice-presidency in 1872.
Bullitt, Cuthbert, son of BcSnjamin and
Elizabeth (Harrison) Bullitt, was born in
Prince William county, about 1740, studied
l.iw and practiced, was a member of the
county committee of safety in 1774-177O,
and a member of the convention of May 6,
1776. and of the house of delegates in 1777
and 1787. He was also a member of the
convention of 1788, called to consider the
new constitution. On December 27, 1788,
he was elected a judge of the general- court.
He married Helen Scott, daughter of Rev.
james Scott. He was brother of Colonel
Thomas Bullitt, of the American revolution.
He died in Prince William county. August
27 1791.
Cabell, William (q. v., i-202).
Carr, Dabney, son of John Carr. of "Bear
Ca.stle," on Elk Run, Louisa countv, and
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
Barbara Overton, his wife, daughter of Cap-
tain James Overton, was born October 26,
1743, was schooled at William and Mary
College, showed great brilliancy of mind,
and was elected to the assembly of 1772-
1774, from Louisa county. Here he pre-
sented the resolutions for the appointment
of committees of correspondence — the first
great step towards a union of the colonies.
His brilliant beginning was, however, cut
short by death, May 16, 1773. He married,
July 20, 17O5, Martha JeflFerson, sister of
Thomas Jefferson, and was father of Judge
Dabney Carr, of the supreme court of ap-
peals.
Carrington, Edward* son of Colonel
George Carrington, and Anne Mayo, his
wife, eldest daughter of Colonel William
Mayo, was born in Goochland county, Vir-
ginia, February 11, 1749; was a member of
the county committee in 1775-1776; served
ix: the revolutionary army ; was a member of
the Continental Congress, 1785-1786; ap-
pointed by Washington, in 1789, marshal of
the United States district court of Virginia ;
was foreman of the jury in the trial of
Aaron Burr for treason in 1807; died in
Richmond, Virginia, October 28, 1810.
Carrington, Paul, was born in Virginia.
March 16, 1733, son of George and Anne
(Mayo) Carrington, and grandson of Dr.
Paul and Henningham (Codrington) Car-
rington. After 1748 he went to Lunenburg
and studied law under Colonel Clement
Read. He ocgan to practice in 1754 and
was licensed in 1755 ^^ married, October
I. 1755. Margaret, daughter of Colonel
Clement Read. In 1756 he was appointed
King's attorney of Bedford county. He was
m.ijor of the militia in 1761, and colonel in
1764. He represented Charlotte county in
the house of burgesses from its formation in
March, 1765, until 1775. I" ^77^ he became
county lieutenant and presiding justice of
Charlotte county, and in the same year was
clerk of Halifax county He was a member
of all the conventions from 1774 to 1776, and
chairman of the Charlotte county committee
which endorsed the resolutions of the Con-
tniental Congress. He was a member of the
committee of safety, 1775-76. On January
23, 1778, he was elected judge of the first
general court, and filled the office until 1807.
He died in Charlotte county, January 23,
1818.
Carter, Landon, son of Robert Carter,
president of the Virginia council, and Eliza-
beth Landon, youngest daughter of Thomas
Landon, of Crcdnal, county Hereford, Eng-
land, was born June 7, 1709; educated at
William and Mary College; resided at
"Sabine Hall,** Richmond county, and was
a member of the house of burgesses from
17.^8 to 1764 inclusive: was a strong de-
fender of the Two Penny Act in 1757; en-
gaged in a pamphlet war with Dr. John
Camm, the head of the clergy, in which he
took the ground that "necessity made its
own law*'; in 1764 he was a member of the
committee which reported the remonstrances
;igainst the Stamp Act and claimed to have
been largely concerned in drafting these
great papers. He spent the rest of his life
in retirement at his splendid mansion,
"Sabine Hall,'* in Richmond county, on the
Rappahannock river. He frequently con-
tributed articles on scientific subjects to the
"American Philosophical Transactions/' and
tc the newspapers, and kept a diary. He
was chairman of the Richmond county corn-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
mittee of safety, but, while he strongly con-
dtmned the arbitrary action of Great
britain. he deplored the action of the Vir-
ginia convention in 1776, in declaring inde-
pendence for fear of falling into a worse
situation under a Republican government.
He. nevertheless, patriotically cast in his
fcirtunes with his country. He married
three times: (first) Elizabeth, daughter of
John Wormeley. of **Rosegill/' (second)
Maria, daughter of William Byrd, of **West-
over/' and (third) Elizabeth Beale. daughter
ot Thomas and Elizabeth Beale. of Rich-
mond county. By his first wife he was father
of Robert Wormeley Carter, a member of
the house of burgesses.
Cary» Archibald* son of Henry Gary, of
'Ampthill,'* (Thesterfield county, and Anne
Edwards, his wife, was born in Williams-
burg. January 24. 1721. was educated at
William and Mary College, and was a mem-
ber of all the assemblies from 1756 to 1776,
ond of all the revolutionary conventions of
1774, 1775 and 1776. He was a member of
the committee of nine appointed by the
house of burgesses in November, 1764, to
draw up remonstrances against the Stamp
Act proposed by Lord Grenville, but with
Pendleton, Bland, Wythe, Harrisoii and
other leading patriots voted in May, 1765,
against the resolutions of Patrick Henry,
deeming them premature and unfair to the
British government. In 1773 he was a mem-
ber of the committee of correspondence. In
the convention of May, 1776, he had the
honor to be chairman of the committee of
the whole which reported, on the 15th of
month, the celebrated instructions to the
Virginia delegates in the Continental Con-
gress for independence. He was first speaker
of the senate in 1776 and remained its pre-
siding officer till his death, February 26,
1787. He married Mary Randolph, daugh-
ter of Richard Randolph, of "Curls," in Hen-
rico county. One of his daughters. Jane,
married Thomas Mann Randolph.
Cary» Richard, son of Miles Gary and
Hannah Armistead. his wife, was born in
Warwick county, Virginia, about 1739. was
clerk of Warwick county, in 1764. member
cf the county committee of safety, 1774-
1776, of the convention of May 6, 1776, ap-
pointed a judge of the admiralty court. De-
cember 17. 1776. and of the general court,
December 24, 1788. He married Mary Cole,
and died in Warwick county, November 3,
1789. He was father of Richard Gary, who
was a member of the house of delegates in
1 787- 1 800. and member of the convention of
1788.
Curie* William Roscow Wilson* son of
Wilson Curie, of Hampton, and Priscilla
Meade, his wife, was chairman of the Eliza-
beth City county committee of safety in 1774.
and represented Norfolk borough in the con-
vention of May, 1776. He was one of the
committee of thirty-one which was ap-
pointed May 15, 1776, to draft a declaration
of rights and state constitution. In 1778 he
was appointed a judge of admiralty. He
married (first) Euphan Wallace, daughter
of Captain James Wallace, and (second)
Mary Xello. He was descendant from
Pasco Curie, gentleman, who came from the
parish of St. Michael in Lewis, county Sus-
sex, England, to Elizabeth City county, Vir-
ginia, of which he was a justice in 1688.
Dandridge* Bartholomew (q. v.. i-220).
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ARCHIBALD CARY
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HON. WM. FLEMING
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WILLIAM FITZHUGH,
OF ''Chatham."
4 "'-^
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
Diggcs, Dudley, third son of Colonel Cole
l^igg<?s, Esq.. of the council, and Elizabeth
Power, his wife, was born in 1718, was edu-
cated, it is believed, at William and Mary
College, practiced law, and was a member of
the house of burgesses from York county
from 1 752- 1 776. He was a member of all
the revolutionary conventions, and a mem-
ber of the committee of correspondence in
1773, 2i"d of the committee of safety for the
colony in 1775. He was appointed in 1749,
colonel of horse and foot for York, and re-
ceiver of military fines. During the revolu-
tion he was state examiner of claims, and for
many years after a member of the board of
the Eastern State Hospital, of which hoard
he was president at the time of his death
ill Williamsburg, June 3, 1790. He mar-
lied Martha Armistead, and left issue.
Fitzhugh, William, son of Henry Fitz-
hugh, of "Eagle's Nest," King George
county, and Lucy Carter, his wife, daughter
of Hon. Robert Carter, of *'Corotoman.'*
Lancaster county, was born August 24,
(741. He pursued classical studies under
private tutors, and resided at "Chatham,"
near Fredericksburg. He was a member of
the house of burgesses from King George
county in the assemblies of 1772- 1774 and
1775, and of the conventions of March, July
anjl December. 1775, and May, 1776; mem-
ber of the county committee of safety, 1774-
1773. oi the Continental Congress, 1779-1780,
and of the house of delegates 1780-1787. He
was a great patron of the turf, and had a
very large estate. He spent the latter years
of his life at "Ravens worth," Fairfax county,
where he died July 6. 1809. He married
Ann, daughter of Peter Randolph, of "Chats-
worth." Henrico county.
Fleming, William, son of John and Mary
(Boiling) Fleming, of Cumberland county,
was born July 6, 1736, was educated at Wil-
liam and Mary College, and practiced law.
He was a member of the house of burgesses
lor Cumberland in 1772-1775. and of the
revolutionary conventions of 1775 and 1776,
and in the last served on the committee of
independence. He afterwards served in the
house of delegates, and in 1788 he was made
a judge of the general court, and by virtue
of his office was a member of the first su-
preme court of appeals. In 1789. when the
new court was organized to consist of five
judges, he was elected one of them, a posi-
tion he held during the remainder of his lite.
In 1804. when the court was engaged in the
celebrated glebe case. Judge Fleming re-
fused to preside, as he was personally inter-
ested. He was a man of excellent judg-
ment, sterling integrity, and conscientious
convictions. His decisions were broad and
designeid to do full justice to the contestants,
without favor or partiality. In 1809 he be-
came president of the court. He married.
October 5. 1766. Elizabeth, daughter of
Colonel John Champe. and died February
15. 1824. leaving several daughters.
Gilmer» George, was a son of George Gil-
mer, a graduate of the University of Edin-
burgh, who migrated to Virginia early in the
eighteenth century and settled in Williams-
burg, where he successfully combined the
vocations of physician, surgeon and druggist
for fifty years. His mother was Mary
Peachey Walker, sister of Dr. Thomas
Walker, the distinguished explorer. George
Gilmer, the son. went to William and Mary
College and afterwards studied medicine at
the University of Edinburgh, and after
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
graduating, practiced his profession first in
Williamsburg, and afterwards in Albemarle
county, to which he removed. He was lieu-
tenant of an independent company in 1775,
and served in the convention of May 6, 1776,
as alternate to Thomas Jefferson, who had
been elected to Congress. In this body he
was a member of the famous committee ap-
|.uinted May 15 to prepare a declaration
of rights and state constitution. He mar-
ried his cousin, Lucy Walker, daughter of
Thomas Walker, and was father of Francis
Walker Gilmer, an accomplished scholar and
writer, and grandfather of Hon. Thomas
Walker Gilmer, governor and secretary of
the navy. He died at "Pen Parke," .Albe-
marle county, in 1795.
Grayson, William, was born in Prince
William county. Virginia, in 1736, son of
p.enjamin and Susannah (Monroe) Gray-
son. His father emigrated from Scotland to
Dumfries, Prince William county, Virginia,
and his mother was an aunt of President
Jj-.mes Monroe. He was graduated from the
College of Philadelphia, and studied law at
the Temple, London ; and began practice in
Virginia. On November 11, 1774, a com-
pany formed in Prince William county,
called the Independent Company of Cadets
chose William Grayson for captain, and
adopted as their motto .-^tit liber ant nul-
Ins, On .August 24. 1776, he was appointed
aide-de-camp to General Washington; and
January i, 1777, became colonel of Grayson's
Additional Continental Regiment, organized
by him. His brother, Rev. Spence Grayson,
was chaplain. Colonel Grayson distin-
guished himself at the battle of Monmouth,
when he commanded his regiment in the
advanced corps, displaying great valor. Dur-
ing 1780-81 he was commissioner on the
board of war; and at Valley Forge he was
appointed a commissioner to treat with Sir
William Howe respecting prisoners. At the
close of the war he was elected a member
of the Continental Congress in 1784, serving
three years with distinguished ability. In
1788 he was sent to the \'irginia convention
called to consider the constitution of the
United States; and with Patrick Henry
powerfully opposed the instrument, and in a
Utter shortly after declared that the South
was destined to become the "milch cow of
the Union." He was chosen a senator to
the first Congress, which met March 4, 1789,
took his seat May 2ist, and August 7th
was granted leave of absence in order to re-
cuperate his health, but died at Dumfries,
Virginia, March 12. 1790. He was regarded
as a man of the first order of talent, and was
one of the leaders of Congress.
Griffin, Cyrus, son of Colonel Leroy Grif-
lin, of Lancaster county, and Mary Anne
Hertrand. his wife, was born about 1748,
was educated in England, where he met and
subsequently married Lady Christina, the
daughter of John Stuart, sixth earl of Tra-
(;uair in Scotland. He studied law in the
Temple, and on his return to America was a
member of Congress, 1 778-1 781, and elected
by that body president of the supreme court
of admiralty ; member of Congress again in
1787-88, and president of Congress, and was
I'nited States district judge for \'irginia,
1789 to his death, December 14, 1810, when
he was succeeded by John Tyler. In politics
he was a Federalist.
Hardy, Samuel, son of Richard Hardy,
and descended from George Hardy, who
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
II
(lied in i<'>94, was born in Isle of Wight
icuinty. Virginia, was a student at William
and Mary College in 1778-1780. where he
*«iudied law under Chancellor George
Wythe. He was a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa fraternity, and as a means of estab-
lishing new bonds between the North and
South obtained from the society charters
for branches at Harvard and Vale. He was
a member of the house of delegates in 1781,
and shortly after was elected a member of
the executive council. In 1783 was elected
to the Continental Congress, and served till
his death. October 17. 1785. and was buried
in New York. He was a man of much abil-
ity, and his early death was the occasion of
great regret. Congress atten<led his funeral
in a body, and the bill of ex])enses was dis-
charged by the \'irginia legislature.
Harrison, Benjamin, son of Benjamin and
•Anne i Carter) Harrison, was born at Ber-
keley, on James river, in Charles City
county. \*irginia. in 1726, and was a student
at William and Mary College, which he left
on account of a misunderstanding with a
|:rotessor. He representetl Charles City
county in the hou.^^e of burge.^^ses from 1749
to 1775. ^'^d ^^'^s ^^^ ^f ^^^^ leading mem-
bers. He served on the committee, in Dc-
cem!)er. 17^>4. which drew up the address to
the King, and the remonstrances to the two
houses i»f parliament against the proposed
^tamp .\ct. but. in 1765. he opposed the
.^tainp Act resolutions of Patrick Henry as
untimely and impolitic. He sat in the first
( ontinental Congress. 1774. and was a mem-
Iht till 1777. He was a member of the com-
mittee which framed the militia system, in
c peration during the revolutionary war. He
was chairman of the committee which con-
ducted the foreign intercourse of the united
colonies, and was at the head of the board or
war from June, 1776, until his retirement
from Congress. Sent to Maryland, he fitted
out a fleet of small vessels and stopped de-
predations on the coast, and was chairman
of the committee for fortification of ports
and protection of privateers. He presided
ever the debates in Congress upon the
Declaration of Independence, and was one
cf the signers. From May, 1778, to Novem-
ber, 1781, he was speaker of the house of
delegates of Virginia, when that body was
driven from place to place. He was governor
from November, 1781, to November. 1784,
and being ineligible for re-election, returned
to the assembly and was re-elected speaker
November 24. 1785. In 1788 he was a mem-
ber of the state convention called to con-
sider the Federal constitution, and opposed
its ratification. In 1790 he declined a re-
iiomination for governor. He died April
24, 1 79 1, the day after his unanimous
election to the legislature. He married
Elizabeth, daughter of William and Eliza-
beth (Churchill) Bassett. His eldest son.
Iicnjamin, was paymaster-general of the
southern department during the revolution,
j«nd his younge.st son. William Henry, was
ninth president of the United States.
Harrison, Carter Henry, son of Benjamin
Harrison, of "Berkeley," and brother of
Benjamin Harrison, the signer of the Declar-
ation of Indo])endence. was born about 1727.
attended William and Mary College, resided
at Clifton. Cumberland county; was chair-
man of the county committee of safety, and
on April 22, I77^>. drafted and submitted to
the people assembled at Cumberland Court
House, the fir.-jt explicit instructions in favor
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
of independence adopted by a public meet-
ing in any of the colonies. He was later a
member of the house of delegates under the
uew constitution of Virginia. He married
Susannah, daughter of Isham Randolph, of
Cungenness. He was ancestor of Carter
Henry Harrison, mayor of Chicago in 1893.
He died in 1793-94-
Harvie, John, was born in Gargunnock,
Scotland, and at an early age emigrated to
Virginia, settled in Albemarle county, and
entered upon the practice of law. After the
defeat of the Indians at Point Pleasant, Oc-
tober 10. 1774, he was appointed by the gen-
eral assembly of \'irginia a commissioner to
treat with them, and represented West Au-
gusta county in the Virginia conventions.
He was elected to the Continental Congress
May 22. 1777. and was a signer of the
articles of confederation the following year.
He served as purchasing agent for Virginia,
was register of the land office of that state
from 1780 to 1791. and May 19. 1788, was
commissioned secretary of the common-
wealth. While inspecting the building of
the celebrated Gamble House, erected by
him in Richmond, he was killed by falling
from a ladder, February 6. 1807.
Henry, James, was born in Accomac
county, Virginia, in 1 731, of Scotch ancestry.
He studied law at the University of Edin-
burgh and practiced in Virginia, where he
married Sarah Scarborough. He was a bur-
gess from Accomac county in 1772; a dele-
gate to the Continental Congress, 1 780-1 781 ;
judge of the court of admiralty, 1782-88.
and judge of the general court from De-
cember 24 1788, until January, 1800, when
he resigned. He had six children : Edward
Hugh, who married (first) Martha Cather-
ine, daughter of Governor Patrick and Doro-
thea (Dandridge) Henry, and (second)
Elizabeth Washington, daughter of Dr.
Valentine and Betty (Washington) Peyton;
Samuel; John; Mary, who married John
Wise, who by his second marriage became
father of Henry A. Wise, governor of Vir-
ginia ; Tabitha, and Sarah Elizabeth. Judge
Henry died in Accomac county, December
9. 1804.
Henry, Patrick, was born at "Studlcy,"
Hanover county, \'irginia. May 29, 1730;
sen of John and Sarah (Winston) Syme
Henry, and grandson of Alexander and Jean
(Robertson) Henry, of Scotland, who canit
to Virginia prior to 1730. and of Isaac and
Mary (Dabney) Winston. John Henry was
a member of the Church of England, a clas-
sical .scholar, and a brother of the Rev. Pat-
lick Henry, first rector of St. George's par-
ish. Spottsylvinia county, and ultimately of
St. Paul's parish, Hanover county. His
mother was a Presbyterian, a sister of Rev.
William Robertson, of the Old Grey Friars
.Church, Edinburgh, and cousin of Rev. Wil-
liam Robertson, the Scottish historian. After
Patrick was ten years old, his father was hi.s
only tutor. He became proficient in Latin,
gained a little knowledge of Greek and was
a good mathematician. He was well versed
in ancient and modern history when he was
fifteen, and had acquired some knowledge of
the French language. When eighteen years
of age he established with his brother Wil-
liam, a country store which they conducted
unprofitably one year and then wound up
the business. He was married in 1754 to
Sarah, daughter of John Shelton, also of
Hanover county. He made a poor existence
by farming and was frequently helped by
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- ^- -^ '"^ -
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
13
his lather. To add to his misfortunes, his
dwelling house was burned, together with
his furniture. He then sold some of his
negroes and with the proceeds purchased a
stock of goods for a country store. Two
years' experience found him in debt. He
thereupon commenced the study of law, and
within six weeks after taking up "Coke upon
Littleton" and "Digest of the Virginiii
Acts." he appeared before Peyton and John
Randolph, George Wythe. Robert C. Nich-
olas and Edmund Pendleton, at Williams-
burg, to be examined for admission to the
bar. The Randolphs signed the license, but
Wythe refused, while Nicholas and Pendle-
ton, on promise of future reading, also sign-
ed the license. Henry appears to have been
sensible to his deficiencies, for he continued
his studies some months before beginning to
l.ractice. On November 3. 1763, he was re-
tained by the colony in the celebrated "par-
sons' cause,'* involving the constitutionality
c\ the "option law," also known as the "two-
penny act," passed by the Virginia legisla-
ture in 1757. He discussed the mutual re-
lations and reciprocal duties of the King to
his subjects and of the clergy to their par-
ishioners, and when he declared that the
Vving who wolild insist on such a principle
as advanced would, instead of remaining the
father of his people, degenerate into a ty-
rant and would forfeit all his rights to the
obedience of his subjects, the murmur of
"treason" ran through the court-house.
When the jury brought in a verdict of one
penny for the plaintiff, the people bore the
young advocate on their shoulders in tri-
umph around the court-yard. Patrick
Henry, in the Hanover court-house, had
> truck the keynote of the American revo-
lution. In 1765 he was elected to the house
of burgesses. He took his seat May 20, and
met all his examiners of two years before
except John Randolph, besides many other
distinguished statesmen of Virginia. Nine
days after he had taken his seat he offered
resolutions denying the right of Great
Britain to enforce the Stamp Act in Vir-
ginia. Peyton Randolph, Pendleton, Wythe,
and others opposed the resolutions, but after
what Jefferson characterized a "most
bloody" debate, Henry carried his resolu-
tions by a majority of one. It was in this
debate that he electrified the house with
"Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First
his Cromwell, and George the Third
" "Treason! treason!" re-echoed from
every part of the house. Without faltering,
but rising to a loftier attitude and fixing on
the speaker an eye which seemed to flash
fire, Henry completed his sentence, "may
profit by their example. If this be treason
make the most of it." From that moment
Patrick Henry was the political leader of
Virginia. In 1769 he was admitted to prac-
tice in the general court and attained emi-
nence in criminal cases. In May. 1773. he
I'.elped in organizing and was a member of
the committee of correspondence. In 1774
he was delegate to the Virginia convention,
the first public assembly to recommend an
annual general Congress. He was a dele-
gate to the Continental Congress, 1774-76.
and opened his first session by a speech in
which he declared, "I am not a Virginian,
but an .American." He served on the com-
niittee to prepare the address to the King,
but his draft was too advanced for the con-
servative party, and the address was modi-
fied. When the proposition of Joseph Gal-
loway for a plan of reconciliation with Eng-
land was before Congress and apparently
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
had the sanction of that body, Mr. Henry
ltd the opposition and was the only one to
speak against it. The vote of one colony
defeated the measure, and Patrick Henry
alone arose to the occasion that precipitated
the war. He moved before the Virginia
convention, March 23. 1775, to put the
colony in a state of defence preparatory to
war which was threatening. The delegates
met in St. John's Episcopal Church, Rich-
mond, and Mr. Henry for two days listened
f^ the proceedings toward an amicable set-
tlement of the colonies and England. He
foresaw in any compromise acceptable to the
King, absolute submission that would be
little less than slavery, and he prepared a
set of resolutions providing for an immedi-
ate organization of the militia and the plac-
ing of the colony in a condition of defense.
The reading of these resolutions alarmed
some, who asked him to withdraw his reso-
lutions. Instead of this he pronounced his
immortal oration, closing with the sentence,
**1 know not what course others may take,
tut as for me. give me liberty or give me
death!" The Virginia convention of 1775
made him commander of all the Virginia
forces, and commissioned him colonel of the
First Virginia Regiment. When the Vir-
ginia troops were taken into the Continental
army. Congress commissioned a subordinate,
brigadier-general, and offered a single regi-
ment to Colonel Henry, who declined any
commission from that body. He was elected
to the Virginia convention of May, 1776,
charged with "the care of the republic," the
royal governor having fled. This conven-
tion framed a new constitution and elected
Henry the first governor of the state on the
first ballot. He was re-elected in 1777, 1778,
1784 and 1785. and in 1786 declined a re-
election. In 1777 he planned and sent out
the George Rogers Clarke expedition which
conquered the northwest He served in the
Virginia convention that ratified the Fed-
eral constitution, and after vehemently op-
posing it as dangerous to the liberties of the
people, he offered amendments to the instru-
ment which were partially adopted. In 1794
he declined the appointment of United States
senator, made by Governor Henry Lee. and
withdrew from public life. In 1795 ^^ de-
clined the position of secretary of state in
President Washington's cabinet, in 1796 the
position of chief justice of the United States
supreme court, and the nomination for gov-
ernor of Virginia, and in 1797, the mission
to France offered by President Adams. In
1799 he allowed himself to be elected to the
state legislature in order to oppose the Vir-
ginia resolutions of 1798, but he died before
taking his seat. His first wife died in 1775,
and October 9. 1777. he married Dorothea
Spotswood Dandridge, a granddaughter of
Governor Alexander Spotswood. His life
was written by William Wirt (1817): by
Alexander H. Everett in Sparks' "American
Biography" (1844-48); by Moses Coit Ty-
ler in "American Statesmen" (1887), and by
his grandson, William Wirt Henry (3 vols.
1891-92). His body lies in a grave on the
estate in Charlotte county, where he formerly
fived, and the simple gravestone is inscribed
with the one line, "His Fame His Best Epi-
taph." He died at "Red Hill," Charlotte
county, June 6, 1799.
Holtt James (q. v., i-259).
Hoitt William, son of John Holt, who was
a justice of York in 1757. and mayor of Wil-
liamsburg, resided in Williamsburg; was a
Presbyterian, and partner with Rev. Charles
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
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Jefferey Smith, of Long Island, New York,
ir founding Providence Forge, in New Kent
county, Virginia, where they had a forge
and mills. He was a signer of the associa-
tion entered into May 27. 1774. against the
importation of British goods, and mayor of
Williamsburg. In 1776 he was made a com-
missioner in admiralty. He died in 1791,
leaving several sons and a daughter, Eliza-
beth, who married William Coleman, of
James City county. His sister. Mary, mar-
ried Rev. Samuel Davies, the noted Presby-
terian divine.
Jefferson* Thomas, son of Peter Jefferson
and Jane Randolph, daughter of Isham Ran-
dolph, of "Dungeness," Goochland county.
Virginia, was born at •*Shadwell," Albemarle
county. April 2, 1743. Though his father
died when he was fourteen years old. he
was thoroughly trained by private tutors,
and spent two years (1760-1762) at William
and Mary College. He then studied law for
five years under Chancellor Wythe, in Wil-
liamsburg, and was admitted to the bar
when twenty-four years old. In 1769 he was
elected to the house of burgesses from Albe-
marle, and became at once one of the group
of new men who took the lead in public af-
fairs. In 1773 he assisted in establishing
committees of correspondence between the
colonies, the first step towards Union. In
1774 he drafted instructions for the Virginia
delegates to the first Congress, assuming the
extreme ground taken by Dland in 1766. and
summing up, with trenchant pen. that easily
gave him the first place among American
writers, the rights and wrongs of the con-
tinent. This magnificent paper contained
every idea in the Declaration of Independ-
ence except the explicit statement of sepa-
ration. It was published in pamphlet form
under the title of "a Summary View of the
Rights of British America."
Political events absorbed his attention,
and he relinquished his law practice, which
was very extensive. He was a member of
the Virginia convention of March. 1775. and
when Patrick Henry made his motion to or-
ganize the militia. Jefferson argued "closely,
profoundly, and warmly on the same side."
In the house of burgesses. June, 1775, he
prepared a masterly reply to Lord North's
^'Conciliatory Proposition." and soon after,
in the second Congress, to which he was
elected June 20. 1775. on the retirement of
Peyton Randolph, he prepared a similar
paper as the answer of that body. He at-
tended the third Congress, which met in
Philadelphia, September 25, 1775, but left
before it adjourned, and did not again pre-
sent himself till May 13. 1776. Then, as
chairman of a committee, he drafted the
Declaration of Independence, which has im-
mortalized him. On September 2. 1776. he
resigned from Congress and returned home,
but Congress, unwilling to dispense with his
services.' as.sociated him with Dr. Franklin
and Silas Deane to negotiate treaties of al-
liance and commerce with France. This ap-
pointment he declined on account of his
wife's declining health, and in October he
took his seat in the house of delegates of
Virginia, and applied himself to reforming
the Virgrinia code. The great series of bills
which he prepared, and which in great part
were adopted, concerning the descent of
lands, religion, education and slavery, con-
stitutes a great monument to his ability and
patriotism. In January. 1779. he succeeded
Patrick Henry as governor, and was re-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
elected in 178b. Among his important meas-
ures in this office were the removal of the
capital to Richmond, his maintaining Vir-
ginia's quota in Washington's army in the
North, and his supplying General Greene's
army in the South with provisions and mu-
nitions of war.
Jefferson narrowly escaped capture when
Cornwallis' troops were so near Charlottes-
ville that the legislature had to adjourn to
Staunton. He declined to apply for a third
election to the governorship in 1781, and
employed his leisure in writing his "Notes
on Virginia/' a work still regarded most
highly. Congress appointed him one of the
commissioners to treat for peace, but he de-
clined because of the illness of his wife, who
died September 6, 1782. Later he accepted
the office of peace commissioner, but peace
was restored before he could sail for Eu-
rope. In 1783 he was elected to Congress,
which sat at Annapolis, May 7, 1784. In
this body his most prominent work was the
ordinance for the government of the north-
west territory. Congress again elected him
minister, in conjunction with Mr. Adams
and Benjamin Franklin, to negotiate treaties
o: commerce with foreign nations. He sailed
from Boston, July 5, 1784, and reached
Paris, August 6. On the resignation of Dr.
Franklin he was appointed minister pleni-
potentiary to France. His three years
there resulted in his arrangement of a satis-
factory consular system between France and
the United States. He meantime traveled
extensively in Europe, and became intimate
with many famous scientists, and his **Notes
en Virginia," appearing in a French trans-
lation, won for him great admiration. In
November, 1789, he returned home on a
six months leave of absence, and found
awaiting him his appointment as secretary
of state by President Washington, whtth he
accepted. During his five years service in
thfs office, he distinguished himseli by many
important public reports, but the differences
with Hamilton, secretary of the treasury,
grew so acute that Jefferson resigned, Janu-
ary I, 1794. Washington vainly endeavoring
to retain him. In September, 1794, Wash-
ington urged him strongly to resume the
state secretaryship, but he positively de-
clined, declaring with emphasis that noth-
ing could induce him to again engage in the
public service. However, in 1796, he was
the presidential candidate of the Democratic-
Republican party, and his vote being next
largest to Adams, under the constitution he
became vice-president. This office imposed
but light duties, and he gave much of his
time to study and research, and prepared his
famous "Manual of . Parliamentary Prac-
tice," which has been the principal guide in
Congress to the present day. In 1800 he
again became the candidate of his party for
the presidency, but though his vote in the
electoral college was greater than his Feder-
alist competitor, an equal vote was given to
Aaron Burr, whom the Republicans in-
tended to be vice-president, and the election
under the constitution, as it then stood,
came to the house of representatives. Here
after a long continued attempt of the Feder-
alists to reverse the decision of the people
and to place Burr in the presidency, Jeffer-
son was finally declared president. In this
high office he held to the simplest forms of
conduct, abolishing weekly levees, elaborate
precedence, rules, etc. A signal innovation
consisted in his communicating his mes-
sages in writing instead of delivering them
in person as Washington and Adams had
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
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done. This continued to be the rule for all
his successors till present conditions having
removed the old objections, President Wil-
son revived the obsolete practice of John
Adams. His most notable achievement as
president was the purchase of the vast Lou-
isiana territory, which was practically his
own unaided work. Second only in im-
portance to this was his success in keeping
the country from becoming involved in the
European wars. Re-elected in 1804, he re-
tired after the close of his second term to
his home, "Monticello," near Charlottesville.
Virginia. The work of his latter days was
the University of Virginia, which he pro-
jected and lived long enough to see in per-
fect working order. He superintended
every detail, laid down the plans for all the
severely classical buildings, procured the
funds for their erection, and mapped out the
collegiate curricula. At his beautiful man-
sion. •*Monticello," he entertained the most
distinguished men of his day, and there,
after his death, his daughter, Mrs. Ran-
dolph, passed the remainder of her life in
ease and comfort, with the aid of $10,000
gratuity from the states of Virginia and
South Carolina, granted as a tribute to the
memory of her illustrious father. His affairs
had become badly involved, and he had been
obliged to sell to Congress his valuable
library for about one-fourth of its cost. He
died July 4, 1826, and was buried at "Mon-
tirello." where his grave was marked with
a stone bearing the following inscription
written by himself: "Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson, author of , the Declaration
of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia
for Religious Freedom, and Father of the
^ University of Virginia." This was after-
VtA-2
wards replaced with a massive pillar erected
by the government of the United Statej-,
and bearing the same inscription. From the
day of his death to the present ^ime, no other
jublic man has been so often quoted. In
originality of mind, versatility of talent,
general sweep of intellect, universality of
knowledge, power over men, and conceji-
tion of the rights of mankind, he stood
easily head and shoulders above all his great
contemporaries. Washington alone sur-
passed him in moral force.
Jones, Gabriel (q. v., i-267).
Jones, Joseph, son of James Jones, a build-
ing contractor, was born in King George
county, Virginia, in 1727, and was an in-
fluential member of the house of burgesses
from King George county in the assemblies
of 1772-1774, and 1775, and was also a mem-
ber of the committee of safety in 1775, and
of all the conventions of 1774, 1775 ^tnd ijjii
He was a delegate to the Continental Con-
gress, 1777-7^ and 1780-83. He was judge
of the general court, 1778-79, and was re-
appointed November 19, 1789. He was a
member of the conventions of 1788. and
served in the Virginia state militia as major-
general. He was frequently a member of
the house of delegates, and through his
opposition the proposition of the legislature
to revoke the release given to the United
States of the territory northwest of the Ohio
river, was rejected, and the legislature was
induced to conform to the wishes of the
Federal Congress. His sister. Elizabeth,
married Spence Monroe, and became thfi
mother of James Monroe, president of the
United States. Mr. Jones died in King
George county, October 28, 1805. His let-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ters have been recently published by Worth-
ington C. Ford, and show him to have been
a man of decided ability and originality.
Jones, Walter, son of Colonel Thomas
Jones, of Hanover county, and Elizabeth
Cocke, daughter of Dr. William Cocke, sec-
retary of state, and Elizabeth Catesby, his
wife, of Northumberland county, was born
December i8, 1745. He was a student at
William and Mary College in 1760, with
Thomas Jefferson, and afterwards studied
medicine at the University of Edinburgh,
where he was graduated M. D., June 12.
1769. He was described "as the most shin-
ing young gent of his profession now in
Edinburgh,'' and certain to **make a ^reat
figure wherever he goes." He returned to
\'irginia in 1770, and resided at Hayfield,
Lancaster county, and acquired a large
practice. He was a warm advocate of Amer-
ican rights, and in 1777 was appointed by
Congress to' be physician-general, a position
which he declined. During the revolution
he was a member of the house of delegates,
and in 1786 was a delegate to the convention
at Annapolis. After the establishment of
the new constitution he was a member of
Congress from 1797 to 1799 and from 1803
to 181 1. He married Alice Flood, daughter
of Dr. William Flood, of Richmond county,
and was father of the eminent lawyer. Gen-
eral Walter Jones, of Washington. He died
in Westmoreland county, Virginia, Decem-
ber 31, 1815. He was a master of colloquial
e'oquence and irony.
Lee, Arthur, was born at Stratford, West-
moreland county, Virginia, December 21,
T740, eighth and youngest son of Governor
Thomas and Hannah (Ludwell) Lee. grand-
son of Colonel Richard and Laetitia (Cor-
bin) Lee, and of Colonel Philip Ludwell, of
Green Spring, Virginia, and great-grandson
cf Richard and Ann Lee, and of Philip Lud-
well. governor of North Carolina, 1689-91.
He was educated at Eton and the University
of Edinburgh. After journeying through
Holland and Germany he returned and prac-
ticed medicine in Williamsburg. The efforts
to enforce the Stamp Act determined him
to study law in order to assist the colonies
in obtaining redress. He studied law in the
Temple, London, 1768-70, and practiced in
London, 1770-76, meantime studying the
Colonial questions and discussing the Town-
shend acts and other aggressive measures
proposed by parliament. He won fame as
a writer, signing himself "Monitor" and
"Junius Americanus," and was the author of
"An Appeal to the English Nation.*' He
was a leading member of the "Supporters
of the Dill of Rights," organized for the dis-
cussion of the measures of the British min-
istry and the restoration to the American
colonies of the right to regulate taxes
through their own representatives. He
gained the friendship of Burke, Priestly,
Dunning, Baire and Sir William Jones, and
was admitted to a fellowship in the Royal
Society. He was appointed by the general
court of Massachusetts in 1770 as represen-
tative for that colony in London, as asso-
ciate with Benjamin Franklin. He was ap-
pointed by Congress with Franklin, Jay and
Dickinson, to open correspondence with
friends of America in Europe, and was made
secret agent of the committee in London,
and opened negotiations with the French
government which led to his residence in
Paris in 1776. In 1776 Congress appointed
him a joint commissioner with Benjamin
Franklin and Silas Deane to secure a treaty
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UGHT HORSE HARRY LEE
Gov. of Va. 1794
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
of alliance with France, and in 1777 he was
intrusted with special missions to Spain and
Prussia, and in October, 1778, was contin-
ued as sole commissioner to Spain, also act-
ing in the same capacity to the court of
Prussia, but residing in Paris. His frequent
quarrels with Franklin and Dcane led to his
recall in 1779. He was a representative in
the general assembly of Virginia, 1781 ; a
delegate to the Continental Congress, 1781-
84; Indian commissioner in Western New
^ork and Pennsylvania, 1784, and a member
of the board of treasury, 1784-89. He was
opposed to the adoption of the Federal con-
stitution. He retired to his estate, **Lans-
downe/' at Urbanna, Middlesex county, Vir-
ginia, in 17S9. where he devoted himself to
his books and correspondence. He was a
member of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and received the honorary de-
gree of LL. D. from Harvard College in
1781. He died unmarried, at Urbanna. Vir-
ginia. December 12, 1792.
Lee, Francis Lightfoot, was born at Strat-
ford. Westmoreland county. Virginia, Oc-
tober 14, 1734. 5on of Hon. Thomas and
F-annah (Ludwcll) Lee. He was educated
at Stratford by Rev. Mr. Craig, a Scotch
clersryman. He became a member of the
house of burgesses for Loudoun county, and
with his brother, in 1765. signed the West-
moreland declaration against the Stamp Act.
L'pon his marriage to Rebecca, dp.ughter of
Colonel John Tayloe, of Richmond county,
in 1772. he made that county his home, and
was elected to represent it in the house of
burgesses. He succeeded Colonel Richard
Bland as delegate to the Continental Con-
gress. August 15, 1775. serving 1775-79- He
signed the Declaration of Independence, as-
sisted in preparing the articles of confeder-
ation, and defended the rights of the states
to the Newfoundland fisheries and the free
navigation of the Mississippi river. He re-
tired from Congress in the spring of 1779,
and resumed his duties as master of exten-
sive estates, and as justice of the peace of
Richmond county. He represented the
county in the state legislature for one or
two terms. He died in Richmond county,
April 3, 1797. He was sixth son of Presi-
dent Thomas Lee.
Lee, Henry, was born at Leesylvania,
Westmoreland county, Virginia, January
29. 1756, son of Henry and Lucy (Grymes)
Lee, grandson of Henry and Mary (Bland)
Lee, great-grandson of John and Lettice
Lee. great-great-grandson of Richard and
Laetitia (Corbin) Lee. andgreat-grtat-great-
grandson of Colonel Richard and Anne
Lee. Henry Lee was graduated at the Col-
lege of New Jersey. .A. P>.. 1773, •'^- ^I» ^77^-
Prevented from visiting Europe by the prep-
arations for revolution, he returned to Vir-
ginia, recruited a company of "light horse"
in 1775. was appointed captain in Colonel
'ihcodorick IJland's legion of Virginia cav-
alry, and in 1777 joined Washington's army
in Pennsylvania. He was promoted maior
for gallant conduct in battle, in January.
1778. and was given command of two troops
of horse, to which he added a third troop
and a company of infantry, and *' Lee's Le-
gion** became an independent partisan corps
and its leader received the cognomen,
"Lighthorse Harry." This corps constantly
hung on the flank of the British army, and
annoyed both their march and camp. On
July 19, 1779. Lee surprised the British at
Paulus Hook. New York harbor, and with
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the loss of five of his riders carried off i6o
prisoners, for which service Congress gave
him a gold medal. He was promoted lieu-
tenant-colonel and marched to South Caro*
lina, where he covered the rear of General
Greene's army. After Greene had crossed
into Virginia, Lee remained in the moun-
tains of North Carolina to encourage the
Whigs and harrass Tarleton and the loyal-
ists. His efforts to surprise the British
dragoons were unsuccessful, but he defeated
400 loyalists under Colonel Pyle. At Guil-
ford Court House, March 15, 1781, his legion
proved more than a match for Tarleton's
dragoons, and, when General Greene
marched against Camden, he sent Lee and
Marion to cut off Rawdon's communications
with the seacoast, and they captured Fort
Watson, which forced Rawdon to abandon
and bum Camden, May 10, 1781. Colonel
Lee then proceeded south, capturing Forts
Mott and Granby, and May 25 reached Au-
gusta, Georgia, which city also fell into his
hands June 5, 1781. He rejoined Greene's
army, and took part in the siege of Fort
Ninety-six, which after twenty-eight days
was raised on the approach of Rawdon with
2000 men. In the battle of Eutaw Springs,
September 8, 1781, Lee's Legion rendered
distinguished service, and when the British
retreated to Charleston, Lee followed so
closely as to capture a large number of Raw-
don's rear-gu«ird. He witnessed the sur-
render of Cornwaliis at Yorktown, October
19, 1781, and soon after resigned his com-
mission and became proprietor of "Strat-
ford House," by his marriage to his second
cousin, Matilda, daughter of Philip Ludwell
Lee. He was a delegate to the Continental
Congress from Virginia, 1785-88, and a mem-
ber of the convention called to ratify the
Federal constitution in 1788, and in that
body, with Madison and Marshall, he op-
posed the efforts of Patrick Henry, Richard
Henry Lee, George Mason, James Monroe,
Benjamin Harrison and John Tyler, to de-
feat the ratification. He was a representa-
tive in the general assembly, 1789-91, and
governor 1792-95. President Washington,
in 1794, commissioned him major-general in
command of troops sent to Western Penn-
sylvania to suppress the whiskey insurrec-
tion, and on his appearance with 15,000 men
the insurrectionists were overawed and
peace was restored without bloodshed. He
w^as a representative in the sixth Congress,
1 799- 1 801, and at the close retired to private
life. He married (second) in 1798, .Ann
Hill, daughter of Charles and Anne Butler
(Moore) Carter, of Shirley, Virginia. He
was oppressed by debt the last years of his
life. On July 27, 1812, while in Baltimore
on a visit to William Hanson, editor of the
•'Federal Republican," the printing office
was attacked by a mob, and in the conflict
that followed he was left for dead upon the
street, where he was found insensible. He
was disqualified for military service from
the effects of this encounter. He visited the
West Indies in 1817 for the benefit of his
health, and on his way home he stopped at
the homestead of General Greene, near St.
Mary's, Georgia, where he was entertained
by Mrs. Shaw, daughter of his old com-
mander, and under whose roof he died. He
was the author of: "Funeral Oration upon
President Washington," (1799), delivered
before both houses of Congress, in which
occur the words, *The man, first in war,
first in peace, and first in the hearts of his
fellow-citizens" ; and of "War in the South-
ern United States" (2 vols., 1812). He diea
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
21
on Cumberland Island, Georgia, March 25,
1818. Recently his remains were removed
to Lexington, Virginia, and interred by the
side of his illustrious son. General Robert
E. Lee.
Lee, Richard Henry, fifth son of Thomas
Lee. president of the Colonial council, and
Hannah Ludwell, his wite. was born in
Westmoreland county, January 26, 1732.
He was schooled at Wakefield Academy,
Yorkshire, England, and returning to
America in his nineteenth year studied in-
dependently until 1755. when he headed a
company of volunteers for service against
the French and Indians, but was rebuffed
by Braddock. In 1757 he was appointed a
justice of the peace for Westmoreland
county, and in 1738 was chosen to the house
of burgesses, of which he continued a mem-
ber till its expiration in 1775. I" ^^^ house
of burgesses he proposed "to lay so heavy
a tax upon slave importation as to end that
iniquitous and disgraceful traffic within the
colony.** In November. 1764, he served on
a committee to draft an address to the King,
a memorial to the house of lords and a re-
monstrance to the commons, and prepared
the first and second of these papers. In Fel)-
ruar\', 1766, he organized the Westmoreland
Association, and wrote its resolutions in op-
position to the Stamp Act. In 1768 he sug-
gested in a private letter the establishment
of intercolonial committees, and was one of
the caucus, in 1773, that caused the adoption
of the plan by the general assembly. He
was elected to the first Continental Con-
gress, 1774, and prepared its memorial to
the people of British America, and wrote the
address of the next Congress to the people
0I Great Britain. As chairman of the com-
mittee, he drew up the instructions to Wash-
ington on his assuming command of the
Continental army. He was a member of
the Virginia conventions of 1774, 1775 ^^^
1776. and on June 7, 1776, in accordance
with the instructions from the last conven-
tion he introduced in Congress the famous
resolution : 'That these United Colonies are.
and of right ought to be, free and independ-
ent States, that they are absolved from aU
allegiance to the British Crown, and that all
political connection between them and the
State of Great Britain is, and ought to be,
totally dissolved." He received word of the
serious illness of his wife, and left Philadel-
phia to visit her. He did not return until
the Declaration had been passed and
signed, and he then added his signature to
that immortal instrument. He served in the
Continental Congress from 1774 to 1780,
and from 1784 to 1787, and wr.s a signer of
the articles of confederation in 1778. He is
said to have served on nearly one hundred
committees during the session of 177^1777.
When not serving in Congress, he served in
the state hou.*;e of delegates. He opposed the
adoption of the constitution of 1787, deem-
ing the powers granted to the Federal gov-
ernment as too extensive. After its ratifi-
cation he served as senator, mainly for the
purpose of urging certain amendments, and
many of which he. was instrumental in se-
curing. After serving as senator. 1789-92,
he resigned in the latter year. He was pres-
ident l^ro tern, of the senate. April to No-
vember, 1782. He married (first) Anne Ay-
lett, and (second) Mrs. Anne (Gaskins)
Pinckard. As an orator he was only ex-
celled by Patrick Henry, and as a leader in
the revolutionary movement he stands
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
among ihe hrst. His memoirs, political
rorrespondencc and political pamphlets were
published by his grandson, Richard Henry
Lee, in 1825. He died at his residence,
"Chantilly." in Westmoreland county. June
19. 1794.
Lee» Thomas Ludwell, fourth son of
'Ihomas Lee. and Hannah Ludwell, his
wife, was born at "'Stratford," in Westmore-
land county, December 13, 1730. Nothing is
known of his school days, but it is highly
probable that he was sent to England for
his education, as were most of his brothers.
He studied law, and practiced in the courts.
He removed to Stafford county, and repre-
sented that county in the house of burgesses
in the assemblies of 1758-1761, and 1761-
1765. and in the conventions of July and
December. 1775, and May, 1776. He was a
member of the committee of safety in 1775,
and in the convention of 1776 ser\-ed on the
committee which drew up the bill of rights
and the plan for an independent state. He
was one of the five revisors appointed by the
general assembly in 1777, and was judge of
the general court. He died at his home,
"Bellevuc," in StaflFord county, April 13,
1778. He married Anne Aylett, daughter
of William Aylett, and left seven children.
Lee, William, seventh son of Thomas and
Hannah (Ludwell) Lee, was born at '*Strat-
ford," Westmoreland county, Virginia, Au-
gust 13, 1759, and was educated, it is be-
lieved, at home by private tutors. In Feb-
ruary, 1766, he was a signer of the West-
moreland county resolutions against the
Stamp Act, and shortly after went to Eng-
Icnd, where he engaged in business. He
look an active interest in the politics of the
day, and was instrumental in inducing the
merchants of London to remonstrate to par-
liament against the revenue taxes on Amer-
ica, which contributed to bring about a re-
peal of all the taxes except that on tea. He
was probably the first American to express
bis opinions in favor of the separation of the
.American colonies. In May, 1775, he was
elected an alderman of London, and in 1776
held the office of sheriff. The same year he
went with his brother to Paris, and about
April 21. 1777. he received notice of his
appointment by the Continental Congress as
commercial agent to the United States in
France; in September, 1777, he was ap-
pointed to represent the government at Ber-
lin and Vienna, and later on he accepted
the position of representative at the Hague.
In 1778, by permission of the Holland gov-
ernment, he met Jean de Neufville, an Am-
sterdam merchant, at Aix-la-Chapelle, to
complete the negotiation of a loan for the
American colonies. The two commissioners
drew up a commercial treaty, and it wa^
signed by de Neufville and Van Berckel,
burgomaster of Amsterdam, and entrusted
to Henry Laurens to be carried to America
for the approval of Congress. By the cap-
ture of Laurens, when on his way from
America to the Hague to obtain the loan,
the paper fell into the hands of the British
ministry and was made the pretext for de-
claring war against Holland. In the diffi-
culties between Arthur Lee and the other
two American commissioners to Paris,
Franklin and Deane, William Lee took part
and, in 1779, with his brother, was ordered
by Congress to return home ; but no action
was taken after their arrival. He married
his cousin, Hannah Philippa Ludwell, who
brought him the "Green Spring" estate (for-
mer residence of Sir William Berkeley). He
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
23
died June zj, 1795. and was buried in the
churchyard at Jamestown. He left one son,
William Ludweli Lee, who died without
i« sue ; and two daughters — Portia, who mar-
ried William Hodgson, of White Haven,
England, and Cornelia, who married John
Hopkins, Esq.. of Richmond, Virginia.
Lewis, Andrew (q. v., i-277).
Lewis, Thomas (q. v., i-278).
Lyons, Peter, a native of Ireland, mi-
grated to Virginia about 1750, and studied
law under James Power, an English gentle-
man, resident in King William county, Vir-
ginia, whose daughter he married. He was
the attorney tor Mr. Maury in the famous
parson's cause in 1763, when Patrick Henry
made his famous debut as an orator. He
was a friend of the revolution, and in 1779
was made judge of the general court, and
thereby became cx-officio a judge of the
first supreme court of appeals. In 1789 he
was appointed a judge of the new court of
appeals, consisting of five judges, and held
office till his death. In 1803 he became
president on the death of Judge Pendleton.
He died July 30, 1809.
Madison, James, son of Colonel James
Madison, and Eleanor (Rose) Conway, his
wife, was descended from John Madison, a
shipwright, who took out a patent for land
in 1653. His father was a man of large
estate, president of the county court of
Orange, and colonel of the county militia.
He was born March 16, 1751, and as a boy
attended the schools of Donald Robertson
and Rev. Mr. Martin. In 1769 he went to
Princeton College, where he showed his
natural brilliancy of mind in graduating in
two years. He continued a year longer
studying under the advice of President
Withcrspoon, and on his return to Virginia
continued the life of a student at home, as
his health was bad. He was a member of
the revolutionary committee of Orange
county, in 1774, and was elected two years
later a member of the May convention, 1776.
Notwithstanding his youth, his influence
was promptly felt, and it was on his motion
that the word "toleration" was struck from
George Mason's draft of the Declaration of
Rights, and the word "freedom" used in its
place. He lost his election to the general
a.<*sembly, in 1777, because of his refusal to
treat and electioneer, but was elected to the
executive council by the general assembly in
the winter of 1 777-1 778. He remained a
member two years, when he was elected by
the general assembly a member of Congress,
in which body he served until the fall of
1783. It was in this assembly that Madison
began the work which ultimately led to a
new constitution and the granting of na-
tional powers to the Federal government.
He zealously advocated the grant to Con-
gross for twenty-five years of the authority
to levy an impost duty, independent of the
states, and his address to the people of the
Lnited States in advocacy was one of his
ablest state papers. He served in the house
of delegates of Virginia in 1784 and 1785,
and as chairman of the judiciary committee
was particularly instrumental in securing
the adoption of many of the laws proposed
by Jefferson and the other revisors in 1779.
He supported the grant of the impost to
Congress, and advocated retaliation against
Great Britain for its commercial restric-
tions : and when the motion of John Tyler
v^'as adopted for a general commercial meet-
ing of the states at Annapolis, he was ap-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
pointed a delegate. The meeting at Anna-
polis led to the Federal convention at Phil-
adelphia, in which Madison figured as the
great constructive organizer of the new con-
stitution and government, winning the name
of "Father of the Constitution." He after-
wards joined with Alexander Hamilton and
John Jay in preparing a series of able es*
siivs which were published in 17S8 over the
name of "The Federalist," defensive of the
v;ork of the convention ; but his ability shone
ii. even a more brilliant light when in the
Virginia convention, during the same year,
he carried the adoption of the constitution
iigainst all the declamation of Patrick Henry
and the fervid reasoning of George Mason
and William Grayson. Succeeding this, he
v.as defeated for the senate of the United
States, but elected to the house of represen-
tJ.tives. In this new capacity he opposed the
measures of Hamilton, and aligned himself
with Mr. Jefferson and the Republican party.
In 1797 he withdrew to private life, but in
1798 he joined in a movement to oppose the
alien and sedition laws passed by John
Adams and the Federalist party, and drew
the famous resolutions of 1798- 1799, which
were quoted for many years later as defining
the ground upon which the States Rights
party stood. These resolutions, with those
of Kentucky, drawn by Jefferson, were repu-
diated by the legislatures of the other states
under the control of the Federalists. So
Mr. Madison had himself returned to the
Virginia house of delegates, and made his
famous report of 1800, affirming the con-
federate character of the Union and the sov-
ereignty of the individual states. In 1801
Madison became secretary of state in Jeffer-
son's cabinet, and was his trusted adviser
during eight years. In 1808 he was elected
bis successor in the presidential chair, and
Served two terms. He continued the peace
policy of his predecessor, and resorted to
commercial restrictions to coerce Great
Britain and France. When this proved in-
adequate, he reluctantly consented to war
with the former. Modern thought has jus-
tified him in both particulars. His second
administration was virtually a history of
the war of 1812-1814. conducted for the
most part in gloom, but concluded with the
glories of a great victory at Xew Orleans.
After the expiration of his second term,
he retired to "Montpelier." his beautiful
home in Orange county, where he spent
twenty years more in literary and agricul-
tural pursuits. He was much interested in
the establishment of the University of Vir-
ginia, of which he was a visitor, and the
successor to Mr. Jefferson as rector. To the
time of his death he continued to be con-
sulted by statesmen as an oracle on all con-
stitutional questions. His death occurred on
June 28, 1836. He married Dorothea Payne
Todd, but left no issue.
Marshall, John (q. v.).
Mason, David (q. v.. i-285).
Mason, George, son of Colonel George
Mason, of Stafford county, and Ann Thom-
son, his wife, daughter of Stevens Thom-
son, attorney-general of Virginia, was de-
scended from an ancestor of the same name,
who came to Virginia about 165 1. He was
born at Doeg's Neck, Stafford county (now
Fairfax), in 1726, and was educated at pri-
vate schools. He was a member of the
Ohio Company in 1749, and during the
French and Indian war was active in provid-
ing supplies to Braddock's army. He was
a member of the house of burgesses in the
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KATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
^5
assembly of 1758-1761. His time was. how-
ever, chiefly employed in the occupations of
a planter. In 1750 he married Ann Eil-
bcck. daughter of William Eilbeck, who had
removed from Whitehaven, Cumberland
county, England, to Maryland. He was an
intimate friend of Washington, and, as a
means of securing a repeal of the British
revenue bill of 1767, he drew up a plan of
non-importation, which was oflfered by
Washington in the house of burgesses and
adopted by that body in 1769. One of its
sections pledged the planters to buy no im-
ported slaves after November i, of that
year. In 1773 ^^ wrote a tract, *' Extracts
from the Virginia Charters, with some re-
marks upon them" — an argument on the in-
violability of the Virginia territory west-
ward of the Alleghanies by virtue of the
charter granted by Charles II. in 1676. At
a meeting of the people of Fairfax county.
July 17. 1774. he recommended a congress
of the colonies, and urged non-intercourse
with the mother country. His resolutions
were sanctioned by the Virginia convention,
and in 1774 were substantially adopted by
the first Continental Congress. In 1775
Mason was a member of the Virginia con-
vention, but declined election to Congress
for family reasons. He served on the com-
mittee of safety ; and was author of the fam-
ous declaration of rights and plan of gov-
ernment adopted by the Virginia convention
of 1776. In 1777 he declined a seat in the
'Continental Congress. 1787 he sat in the
convention to trame the Federal <:onstitution
and took a leading part, favoring election of
the president directly by the people, for a
term of seven years, with subsequent ineligi-
bility. He opposed the provision of the con-
stitution prohibiting the abolition of the
slave trade until 1808, denouncing slavery as
a source of national weakness and demorali-
zation. He opposed other features of the
constitution as dangerous, and with Patrick
Henry stood against its ratification, the two
insisting upon a number of alterations, and
upon a bill of rights. Some of these amend-
ments were subsequently adopted by Con-
gress, and are embodied in the present con-
stitution. Mason was chosen one of the
first United States senators, but declined,
and spent the remainder of his days at **Gun-
sion Hall,'' where he died. October 7, 1792.
McClurg, James, son of Dr. Walter Mc-
Clurg. an English army surgeon, was born
at Hampton, in 1747. He was a fellow stu-
dent with Thomas Jefferson at William and
Mary College, and graduated in 1762. He
went to Edinburgh. Scotland, and in 1770
took the degree of M. D. After two years'
study in Paris and London, he returned to
America, settled in Williamsburg, Virginia,
and rose to the h<!ad of his profession. His
**Essay on the Human Bile." -first published
ir London. England, was so highly esteemed
as to be translated into all the languages of
Europe. In 1779 he was made professor of
medicine in William and Mary College, but
about 1783 resigned and removed from Wil-
liamsburg to Richmond. For many years
be was a member of the executive committee
of Virginia, and when Patrick Henry de-
clined to serve in the convention to frame
the United States constitution. Dr. McClurg
was elected in his place, but was not present
when the final vote on the constitution was
taken, being compelled by private affairs to
be absent, and, therefore, did not sign the
instrument. He had some facility as a
writer of verse, and his ** Belles of Williams-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
burg" was well known. Dr. McClurg was
killed at Richmond, by his horses running
away. July 9. 1825. and was buried on Church
Hill, in St. John's churchyard. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Selden, but left no issue.
Mercer, James, born at "Marlborough,"
February 26. 1736. son of John and Catharine
(Mason> Mercer. He graduated from the
college of William and Mary about 1755. ^^
was a captain in the French and Indiai. war.
and in command at Fort Loudon (Winches-
ter), 1756. He was a burgess in 1765, and in
the house dissolved by Governor Dunmore
in 1774; a member of the assembly, 1774, of
the conventions of 1775. and the Virginia
constitutional convention of May, 1776. and
the committee of safety. 1775-76, which gov-
erned Virginia until the inauguration of
Governor Patrick Henry : also a delegate to
the Continental Congress. 1779-80. He was
ji:dge of the general court. 1780, and of the
court of appeals from 1789 until his death.
He was president of the board of trustees
of Fredericksburg Academy. He drew the
will of Mary Washington, mother of George
Washington, and witnessed her signature.
He married Eleanor, daughter of Major
Alexander Dick. Their children were : John
Fenton; Mary Eleanor Dick, who married
her first cousin, James Mercer Garnett ; and
Charles Fenton. He died in Richmond, Oc-
tober 31, 1793, while attending the court of
appeals.
Mercer* John Francis, son of John Mercer,
of "Marlborough," was bom May 17, 1759,
educated at William and Mary College and
served in the revolution as lieutenant Third
Virginia Regiment; wounded at Brandy-
wine; promoted captain. 1777; major and
aide to General Lee, June 8, 1778 ; resigned
October, 1779; lieutenant-colonel, Virginia
state cavalry, in service at the battle of
(luildford and elsewhere: member of Con-
gress. 1782-1785; removed to Mar>land and
v.as delegate to the Federal convention:
representative in the state assembly for sev-
eral sessions ; elected a representative to the
second Congress to fill a vacancy caused by
the resignation of William Pinckney; re-
elected to the third Congress and served
from February 6. 1792, until his resignation,
.-\pril 13. 1794: member of the Maryland
house of delegates: governor of Maryland,
1801-1803: again a member of the state leg-
islature ; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 30, 1821.
Monroe, James» son of Spence and Eliza
(Jones) Monroe, and a descendant of Andrew
Monroe, a ship captain, who first settled in
Maryland and afterwards came to West-
moreland county. Virginia, was born in that
county, April 20, 1758. At the outbreak of
the revolutionary war he was one of the
twenty-five students who left William and
Mary College to enter the army, he enlisting
at Washington's headquarters in New York
City. He was appointed lieutenant in the
Third Virginia Regiment, under General
Hugh Mercer, took part in the battle of
Harlem, where he was severely wounded in
the shoulder while leading the advance; he
was also present at the battles of White
Plains and Trenton ; served as a volunteer
aide with the rank of major, on the staff of
ihe Earl of Stirling, and took part in the
battles of Brandywine, Germantown and
Monmouth. He was diverted from further
field service by appointment by Governor
Jefferson as lieutenant-colonel and military
commissioner to inspect the condition of the
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTIOX
27
iirmy of the South. In 1782 he was elected
lo the state assembly, and soon called to the
txecutive council. He sat in the Congress
oi [783-86, in Xew York, and there pre-
sented his bill for the temporary govern-
ment of the new northwest territory, and
which culminated in the ordinance of 1787.
He was appointed one of the judges to de-
cide the Xew York and Massachusetts boun-
dary question, but as both states were op-
posed to his views as to the right of free
navigation of the Mississippi, he resigned.
After leaving Congress, he practiced law in
Fredericksburg. He was elected to the
state assembly, and also to the state conven-
tion of 1788. called to consider the ratifica-
tion of the United States constitution. Fear-
ing the result of a highly centralized power,
he cast his vote against the ratification, but
was reconciled by the adoption later of the
first- ten amendments. In 1790 he became
United States senator to fill an unexpired
term (Grayson, deceased), serving until
'705- when President Washington appointed
him minister to France. An aggressive an-
ti-Federalist, while in the senate he had an-
tagonized some of the views of the presi-
dent and several of his appointments, and
his appointment to the French mission was
a great surprise to the nation. He was se-
verely criticized for his friendliness to
France, and the apprehension that the Brit-
ish ministry might be oflFended. led to hi.s
recall, and on his returning home he wrote
an exhaustive vindication. He was elected
governor of Virginia and served from 1799
to 1802. On the election of Jefferson to the
presidency. Monroe was again sent to
France as an additional plenopotentiary.
and with Robert R. Livingston procured
the cession of the Louisiana territory. He
subsequently filled diplomatic appointments
to Spain, where he negotiated for the pur-
chase of Florida, but failed; and to Great
r.ritain. where with William Pinkney he
concluded a treaty. The instrument failed
to protect American seamen from impress-
ment or to secure indemnity for American
goods seized, and the president would, not
send it to the senate, whereupon Monroe re-
turned and gave out a defense of his con-
duct. He was a third time elected to the
state assembly, and in 181 1 was again
elected governor, but left the office after a
few months to take the post of secretary
of state under President Madison. He also
acted as secretary of war, 1814-15. In 1816
he was elected president, and his conduct of
the office and the peaceful condition of the
country led to his re-election, with prac-
tically no opposition — a unique instance in
the historv of American politics. In his
message to Congress in 1823, in reference
to a possible attempt by Spain to regain
I'lorida. he laid down the principles known
a? "The Monroe Doctrine." using these
words: "We should consider any attempt
on their part (a foreign power) to extend
t.heir system to any portion of this hemis-
phere, as dangerous to our peace and safe-
ty." and again: "The American continents
by the free and independent condition which
they have assumed and maintained, are
henceforth not to be considered as subjects
for future colonization by any European
powers." He subsequently effected a treaty
with Spain and concluded the purchase of
the Floridas. Although favoring internal
improvements, he vetoed the Cumberland
Road bill, holding that Congress had no
authority to make appropriations for in-
ternal uses unless of national importance.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
During his administration, the Marquis do
Lafayette was entertained as the nation's
ffuest.
C)n retiring from the presidency, Mr
Monroe retired to his country seat at **Oak
Hill." Loudoun county. Virginia, but in
1829-30 he was a member of the state con-
vention. Subsequently he went to live with
his son-in-law. Samuel L. Gouverneur, then
postmaster at Xew York. He was financial-
ly embarrassed, and sought to enter upon
the practice of law. but his years and im-
paired health forbade success, and he lived
a very quiet and uneventful life, until his
death, July 4. 1831. He was married, in
1/86. to Elizabeth, daughter of Lawrence
Kortright. of Xew York.
Moore, Bernard fi-294).
Nelson, Thomas, was born in Yorktown,
December 26. 1738. son of William Nelson,
president of the Virginia council. He re-
ceived his preliminary education in Virginia
under the Rev. Mr. Yates, of Gloucester
county; later, in 1752. was placed in a pre-
paratory school at Hackney, England.
Thence he went to Trinity College, and was
graduated at Cambridge, A. B. He returned
to Virginia in 1761, where in 1762 he married
Lucy, daughter of Colonel Philip and Mary
(Randolph) Grymes. of Middlesex county.
He was a member of the Virginia house of
burgesses from 1761-1775 from York county,
and in 1774, when that body was dissolved
by Lord Dunjnore, he was among the pro-
testants against the action of the governor,
urged the appointment of deputies to a gen-
eral congress, and was returned to the next
house. He was a member of the Williams-
burg convention. August i, 1774, and that of
March, 1775, where he proposed to meet
British aggression with armed opposition,
and was appointed colonel of the Second
\'irginia Regfiment by the convention in
July. 1775. On his election as a delegate to
the Continental Congress in 1775. ^^ ^^
signed his commission as colonel and ser\*ed
in Congress. 1775-77, signing the Declar-
ation of Independence. He was a member
of the Virginia constitutional convention of
May, 1776. He resigned his seat in Con-
gress in May. 1777. on account of illness,
and in August. 1777, was appointed com-
mander of the state forces, and raised and
equipped a troop of cavalrymen, accompany-
ing them to Philadelphia. He expended a
large sum of money in this patriotic pur-
l)ose. but as the troop was not called into
MTvice he was never repaid for his outlay
except by the act of August 8. 1778. in which
it was "resolved that the thanks of Congress
be given to the Honorable General Nelson
and to the officers and gentlemen for their
trave. i^enerous and patriotic efforts in ihc
cause of their country." He was returned
to Congress in 1779, and served a few
months, but another sudden illness forced
him to resign. When the invasion of Vir-
gmia was threatened in May, 1779, he or-
ganized the militia and at his own expense
sent two regiments to the South. In June,
1780. when Virginia resolved to borrow $2.-
000,000 for the Continental treasury to pro-
vide for the maintenance of a French fleet,
he secured a large part of that amount by
personal endorsement, which he was obliged
to pay. He was elected governor June 12
1781 ; commanded the Virginia militia in the
siege of Yorktown ; ordered the artillery to
open upon his own house, which he sup-
posed was the headquarters of the British
general; was present at the surrender of
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
29
Cornwallis, and received the thanks of
Washington in general orders. He retired
from the office of governor, November 30,
1 781, whereupon he was accused of mal-
administration for assuming dictatorial
1 owers during the perilous term of admin-
istration. He was exonerated by the state
legislature. He spent the remainder of his
life in retirement and poverty, his fortune
having been expended for his country, and
no recompense was ever made by the gov-
ernment to his family. His grave at York-
town. Virginia, was not marked, but his
statue was placed in the group on the Wash-
ington Monument at Richmond. He died
at "Offley," Hanover county, January -j,
1789.
Nelson, William (q. v., i-70).
Nicholas, Robert Carter, born in 171 5, in
Hanover county. Virginia, was a son of Dr.
George Nicholas and Elizabeth Carter, his
wife, daughter of Hon. Robert Carter, pres-
ident of the Virginia council (q..v.). He
graduated from William and Mary College,
and embraced the law. In 1756 he entered
the house of burgesses for York county,
continuing a member until the house of dele-
gates was organized (1776), and was a
member of that body until 1779. Though
conservative in his views, he was nobly pa-
triotic. He supported the Stamp Act reso-
lutions of 1764, but opposed those of 1765
offered by Patrick Henry, deeming them
premature. He was treasurer of the colony
from 1 766- 1 777, succeeding John Robinson.
In 1773 he was a member of the committee
of correspondence ; a member of all the revo-
lutionary conventions, and on the resigna-
tion of Peyton Randolph, president pro tern.
of that of July. 1775. While he opposed
Patrick Henry's proposition to organize the
militia in March, 1775, he submitted as an
alternative a motion to raise 10,000 regulars
to serve throughout the war. When the
news of the action of parliament, in 1774,
laying an embargo on Boston, reached Vir-
ginia, he offered a resolution to set apart
June I, 1774, as a day of fasting and prayer,
which was agreed to. While he opposed the
resolution of May 15, 1776, in favor of in-
structing Congress for declaring independ-
ence, he refrained from voting that the ac-
tion of the convention might go out with the
prestige of unanimity. January 14, 1778, he
was appointed one of the chancellors of the
state, but he did not live long. He died at
his seat in Hanover county, Virginia, in
1780. He married Anne Cary. daughter of
Colonel Wilson Miles Cary. and was father
ol Governor Wilson Cary Nicholas (q. v.).
Page, John, was born at "Rosewell," Glou-
cester county, Virginia, April 17, 1744, son
of Mann and Mary Mason (Selden) Page.
He was graduated from the College of Wil-
liam and Mary in 1763, and was married,
about 1765. to Frances Burwell, daughter of
Robert Burwell, Esq., of the council. He
was a member of the house of burgesses, of
the Colonial council, and the committee of
safety ; a delegate to the state constitutional
convention of July, 1776; lieutenant-gov-
ernor; a representative in the ist-4th Con-
gresses, 1789-97; a Jefferson elector in 1801.
and governor, from 1802 to 1805, succeeding
James Monroe. Being constitutionally in-
eligible for re-election in 1805. he was suc-
ceeded by William H. Cabell. He was
United States commissioner of loans for
Virginia, by appointment of President Jeff-
erson, 1805-08: and a visitor to the College
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30
.VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
of William and Mary, appointed in 1776.
At one time he was urged to take orders in
the church, his friends desiring that he
. should become the first bishop of Virginia.
He was the author of "Addresses to the
People/* (1796 and 1799). He died in Rich-
mond. October 11. 1808.
Fage, Mann, was born at "Rose well/'
Gloucester county, about 1749, eldest son of
Mann and Ann Corbin (Tayloe) Page,
grandi^on of Mann and Judith (Carter)
I'age, and great-grandson of the Hon. Mat-
thew and Mary (Mann) Page, and great-
great-grandson of Colonel John and Alice
(Luckin) Paj^^e. lie was a half-brother of
Governor John Page. He was graduated at
the College oi William and Mary; removed
lo Spottsylvania county, and was a delegate
to the Continental Congress m 1777, with
Thomas JefTers«»n. Thomas Nelson and
George Wythe. He was married, in 1776,
to Mary, daughter of John Tayloe,. of Fred-
ericksburg. He died at "Mansfield." Spot-
sylvania county, in 1781.
Parker, Richard, son of Dr. Alexander
Parker, of E^sex county, was born in 1732,
was a lawyer, signed the Northern Neck
.Association in I/C16, was a member of the
A\ estmoreland county committee of safety
in 1775; made judge of the general court in
17S5. and held office till his death in 1815.
He married Mary Beale, daughter of Cap-
tain William Ptcale. of Richmond county,
and .\nne Harwar, his wife, and was father
of Richard Parker, colonel of the First Vir-
ginia Regiment, and was killed at Charles-
ton in 1780, of Alexander Parker, who was a
captain in the revolution, and afterwards a
general in the state militia, and of William
Harwar Parker, an officer in the Virginia
navy during the revolution, which last was
father of Richard Elliot Parker, of Clarke
county. X'irginia, a senator of the United
States.
Pendleton, Edmund, born in Caroline
county. X'irginia. September 9, 1721 : son of
Henry Pendleton, and grandson of Philip
and Isabella (Hurt) Pendleton. Philip
Pendleton emigrated from England in 1(^74,
settled in X'irginia. and was buried in King
and ^>ueen county. Edmund Pendleton re-
ceived training in private schools, and early
in life became assistant to the clerk of Caro-
hne county, under whom he read law. He
was licensed to practice law in 1744, became
justice of the peace in 1751, and entered the
X'irginia house of burgesses, in 1752, where
he !)ecame at once one of the leading mem-
bers. He declared the Stamp Act uncon-
stitutional, and that it did not bind the in-
habitants of Virginia ; was a member of the
committee of correspondence in 1773. and of
the colonial convention of 1774. resulting
from the I'ostcn port-bill, of which conven-
tion he was elected president. He was a
delegate to the first Continental Congress,
September 5. 1774. to October 26, 1774.
After the death of Peyton Randolph, he suc-
cieded him in all the first offices of state.
He was president of the convention of De-
cember I. 1775, and of May, 1776, and was
also president of the committee of safety.
He wrote the resolutions of the Virginia
convention of May, 1776, favoring a Declar-
ation of Independence, and proposing a state
constitution. As head of the committee of
safety, he had control of the militia and of
the foreign correspondence of Virginia.
When the state government was organized,
he was elected speaker of the house of dele-
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION'
3t
gates, and, with George Wythe and Thomas
Jefferson, revised the colonial laws. He was
re-elected speaker in 1777. and, upon the
organization of the court of chancery, was
made its president by unanimous vote, and
v.as transferred to the head of the court of
appeals on its formation in 1788, holding
the office until his death. He was president
of the state convention that ratified the
Federal constitution, and was one of its
warmest supporters. In 17S9. President
Washington appointed him judge of the
United States district court of Virginia, but
he declined. When parties were formed, he
united with the Democratic-Republicans,
and wrote a protest against waging war
against France in 1799, claiming that gov-
ernment to be a "sister republic." without
whose aid independence could never have
been obtained. He died in Richmond, Vir-
ginia. October 23, 1803.
Frentis, Joseph, son of William Prentis,
a merchant of Williamsburg, and Mary
I'nMjke, his wife, was born January 24,
1754. was a student at William and Mary
Culkge. member of the Virginia convention
which met in December. 1775; appointed
with James Hubard and John Tyler, a com-
missioner in admiralty. 1776: member of
the first house of delegates in 1777, from
Williamsburg: member from York. 1778-
1788: speaker of the house of delegates,
i/i^^: member of Patrick Henry's privy
council. 1779; judge of the general court
from 1789 to his. death. June 18, 1809; one
of the revisors of the code of 1794. He was
chairman of the house committee, which
was appointed in October. 1785, to draw a
bill to give the assent of V^irginia to a gen-
eral regulation of trade by Congress. The
bill reported by Mr. Prentis was not ac-
ceptable, and an rdternative resolution ofter-
ed by John Tyler for a commercial con-
vention of delegates at Annapolis, was
adopted. This led to the Federal conven-
tion at Philadelphia. Mr. Prentis married,
December 16. 1778, Margaret Bowdoin,
daughter of John and Grace Bowdoin, of
Northampton county. He was great-grand-
father of the present Judge R. R. Prentis,
president of the State Corporation Commis-
sion.
Randolph, Edmund, was born in Wil-
liamsburg. August 10. 1753, son of John
Randolph ( [727-178-1). the last attorney-
general under the royal government ( 1766-
1775). He was graduated at the College of
William and Mary, and studied law with
his father. He remained in \'irginia. when
his father fled to England in 1775. and
Washington made him a member of his own
family, and his aide-de-camp, .\ugust 15.
1773. On the death of his uncle. Peyton,
he returned to William.sburg to care for the
estate, and married Elizabeth, daughter of
Robert Carter Nicholas. He was a mem!)er
of the convention of I77^>: was elected at-
torney-general under the new constitution,
and was mayor of Williamsburg. He was
a delegate to the Continental Congress,
1779-82, where he had a place in the com-
mittee on foreign aflfairs. He resigned in
1782. and devoted himself to the care of his
estate. He was a commissioner to the .An-
napolis convention, and as a member u^^ged
the calling of a constitutional convention.
He was governor. 1786-88. and leader of the
\:rginia delegation to the constitutional
convention of 1787, when he introduced the
g;eneral plan of the instrument as agreed
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
upon. He opposed a single executive, pre-
ferring an executive commission; opposed
re-eligibility of the president, and his hold-
ing pardoning power, the vice-presidential
office, and states having two senators irre-
spective of their population; and favored
the giving of powers to the Federal gov-
ernment sufficient to prevent any state from
carrying out a law declared by the supreme
court to be unconstitutional. It was his
motion that eliminated the word "slavery"
fiom the constitution. He refused to sign
the instrument as prepared, unless a second
national convention should act on it, after
it had been discussed by the people. In the
Virginia convention of 1788, however, he
advocated its ratification as necessary to
union. The clause of Article VI. on religious
tests was added at his suggestion. He re-
signed as governor in 1788, and secured a
seat in the assembly, that he might take part
in codifying the laws of the state. On Sep-
tember 2T. 1789, he was named by President
Washington as attorney-general, and served
until January 2, 1794, when he succeeded
Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state. He
opposed the Jay Treaty as detrimental to
Southern interests and the national dignity.
He held the office of secretary of state till
August 19. 1795, when, on account of a mis-
understanding with Washington, he re-
signed. An account was made up against him
of $49,000 for moneys placed in his hands
to defray the expenses of foreign inter-
course, and he was held responsible for all
moneys lost through accidents and other
calamities; after repeated trials, his lands
and slaves were sold, the government gain-
ing besides the debt and interest about
$7,000. He appeared as counsel for Aaron
Kurr in his trial for treason at Richmond.
He was the author of: "Democratic So-
cieties (1795)"; "Vindication of Mr. Ran-
dolph's Resignation (1795)"; "Political
Trust, or Animadversions on the Past and
Present Sute of Public Affairs (1796)", and
"History of Virginia" (MS. in possession of
Virginia Historical Society). Edmuird
Randolph died in Clarke county, September
13. 1813.
Randolph, Peyton, was born at "Tazewell
Hall," Williamsburg, 1721, son of Sir John
Randolph. He was educated at William and ^
Mary College; barrister of law at Inner
Temple. London, and attorney-general for
X'irginia in 1748; and the same year repre-
sented Williamsburg in the house of bur-
gesses. This body sent him, in 1754, to ap-
pear before the English ministry to demon-
strate the unconstitutionality of a pistole fee
imposed by Governor Robert Dinwiddie on
every land patent, and after his argument
the fee was rescinded on land patents on less
than one hundred acres, and soon after on all
patents. He had gone to England without
consent of the governor, who appointed
George Wythe in his place in the office of
attorney-general, the latter yielding to Ran-
dolph on his return a few months later. Ran-
dolph led a company against the Indians
after Braddock's defeat ; was chairman of a
committee, in 1769. to revise the laws of the
province and was a visitor of William and
Mary College. In 1764 he strongly opposed
the Stamp Act; in 1766 was chosen speaker,
and gave up his post as royal attorney, being
succeeded by his brother, John. From this
time on, he held all the first positions in the
colony. He was chairman of the committee
of correspondence, 1773-1775* and in August,
1774, he was chairman of the Virginia con-
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FATHERS OF THE R INVOLUTION
3.^
vention; was first president of the Conti-
nental Congress convened in September of
the same year. On the removal of the pow-
der from the Williamsburg magazine, he ap-
peased the patriots and delayed impeu^ang
hostilities. He was again speaker of the
house of burgesses in May, 1775, and after-
ward sat in the second Congress. He was
a close friend of Washington, and as a youth
Jefferson took him as a model. He was
grand master of Virginia Masons in 1773.
He married Elizabeth Harrison, sister of
Benjamin Harrison, the signer, and died of
apoplexy in Philadelphia. October 22, 1775,
childless. His remains were conveyed to
Williamsburg and interred in the chapel of
William and Mary College, by the side of
his brother, Sir John Randolph. In 1784,
the remains of his brother, John, were laid
beside him.
Read, Thomas, son of Colonel Clement
Read, and Mary Hill, his wife, was born at
"Bushy Forest," in Lunenburg county,
about 1735-1740, and beg^n life as a sur-
veyor; studied at William and Mary Col.-
lege, and was deputy clerk of Charlotte '
county, in 1765, when it was set apart from
Lunenburg. In 1770 he became clerk, hold-
ing the office till his death in 1817. He was
a member of the convention of May, 1776,
and had a place on the committee appointed
to draw up the declaration of rights, and a
state constitution. During the revolution, he
was county lieutenant, and marched with
the county militia to oppose Cornwallis. He
was a man of fine physique and a warm
friend of President Madison. He died at
his seat, "Ingleside," in Charlotte county,
February 4, 1817.
VU-3
Ronald, William, a native of Scotland, was
a prominent member of the house of dele-
gates, during and after the revolution. He
resided in Powhatan county, which he rep-
resented in the convention of 1788. He was
a delegate from Virginia to the Annapolis
convention, September 5, 1786. His brother,
Andrew Ronald, was an eminent lawyer of
Richmond, who was opposed to Patrick
Henry in the British debts case, in which
the debtors were represented by Patrick
Henry.
Smith, Meriwether, son of Colonel Francis
Smith, of Essex county, Virginia, was born
at "Bathurst," Essex county, in 1730. He
married (first) in 1760, Alice, daughter of
Philip Lee, and of their children, George
William became governor of Virginia; and
(second) September 29, 1769, Elizabeth,
daughter of Colonel William Daingerfield.
He sat in the house of burgesses in 1770;
was a member of the Virginia conventions
of 1775 and 1776, being the author of a bill
of rights and a state constitution; was a
signer of the articles of the Westmoreland
Association, February 27. 1766, pledged to
use no articles of British importation, and
the resolutions of the Williamsburg Asso-
ciation, which met at the old Raleigh Tavern
of that city. May 18, 1769. He was a dele-
gate to the Continental Congress, 1778-82,
and a member of the Virginia convention,
which adopted the constitution of the
United States. He died January 25, 1790.
Starke, Boiling (q. v., i-330).
Tabb, John, was a descendant of Humphrey
Tabb, who came from the neighborhood of
Welles, in England, to Virginia, about 1637.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
His father, Colonel Thomas Tabb, was one
of the richest merchants in Virginia, and
was for many years a burgess. John Tabb
was born at his father's residence "Clay
Hill,'* Amelia county, about 1737; was edu-
cated in England, and was a burgess for that
county from 1772 to 1776; a member of the
committee of safety for the colony, 1775-
1776, and a member of the revolutionary
conventions of 1774, 1775 and 1776. He
married. February 17, 1770, Frances, daugh-
ter of Sir John Peyton, of Gloucester county,
\'irginia, and died in 1798. His daughter,
Martha Peyton, married, in 1797, William
l5. Giles, United States senator, and his son,
John Yelverton Tabb, was grandfather of
the poet. Rev. John B. Tabb.
Tazewell» Henry, son of Littleton Taze-
well, clerk of Brunswick county, and Mary
Gray, his wife, daughter of Colonel Joseph
Gray, of Southampton county, was born in
Brunswick county, Virginia, in 1753. Or-
phaned in childhood, he was a student at
William and Mary College, read law with
ar uncle, rose to prominence at the bar, and
from the age of twenty-two was constantly
in the public service. In the legislature,
1775-1785, he promoted the abolition of
primogeniture and entail, and separation of
church and state. In the convention of
May, 1776, he was a member of the com-
mittee which reported the declaration of
rights and the state constitution. He was
a judge of the Virginia general court, 1785-
93, and of the supreme court of appeals in
1793; in the United States senate, 1794-99,
and president pro tern, in 1795. As a Jeffer-
son ian he opposed Jay's Treaty with Eng-
land. He died while the senate was in ses-
sion at Philadelphia, January 24, 1799. He
was descended from James Tazewell, of
Lymington. Somersetshire. England, and
from Colonel Edward Littleton, of the \'ir-
ginia council.
Tucker, St. George, son of Henry and
Anne (Butterfield) Tucker, and a descend-
ant of George Tucker, of Milton-next-
Cravesend. Kent. England, a leading mem-
ber of the Warwick party in the Virginia
Company of London, was born at Port
Royal, Bermuda. July 9, 1752. Coming to
\*irginia in 1771. he was graduated at Wil-
liam and Mary College the next year, stud-
ied law and began its practice. Embracing
the revolutionary cause, he planned and
helped to carry out an expedition against his
native island, which resulted in the capture
of a fort with stores. As lieutenant-colonel
at the siege of Yorktown, he received a
wound which lamed him for life. In 1778
he became step-father of John Randolph, by
marriage with his mother, Frances Bland.
He was a member of the state legislature,
and of the Annapolis convention of 1786;
law professor in William and Mary College
from 1790 to 1804, succeeding George
Wythe; one of the commission to revise
and digest the Virginia laws; judge of the
state general court. 1785-1803 ; judge of the
supreme court of appeals (1803-11) ; and of
the United States district court (1813-27),
succeeding John Tyler. He was called the
''American Blackstone," and noted for
''taste, wit and amiability." He published
a '* Dissert ion on Slavery, with a Broposal
for its Gradual Abolition in Virginia"
(1796); **Letter on the Alien and Sedition
Laws" (1799) ; an annotated edition of
Blackstone. and, "How Far the Common
Law of England is the Common Law of the
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
35
Lnited States'* (1803) ; and, under the name
of Jonathan Pindar, a volume of satires,
called "Probationary Odes" (1796). He
left some manuscript plays, and much verse.
One of his lyrics, "Days of my Youth*' has
been widely popular, and is still remem-
bered. He received the degree of LL. D.
from William and Mary College in 1790.
He died at his estate in Nelson county,
Virginia. November 10, 1827. He married,
secondly, Lilia Skipwith in 1791. but had no
issue by her.
Tyler, John, son of John Tyler, marshal
of the vice-admiralty court, and Anne Con-
tesse. his wife, daughter of Dr. Lewis Con-
tesse, a French Huguenot physician, was
born in James City county, Virginia, Febru-
ary 28, 1747. He attended the Grammar
school at William and Mary in 1754, and
afterwards was a student in the college. In
his nineteenth year he stood in the lobby of
the house of burgesses and heard Patrick
Henry's speech on the Stamp Act, which
roused in him a great hostility to England.
He studied law under the eminent lawyer.
Robert Carter Nicholas, and removed to
Charles City county in 1770. Here in 1774
he was a member of the county committee
of safety, and in 1773. when he heard of
Lord Dunmore's act of removing. the pow-
der from the government magazine in Wil-
liamsburg, he raised a company of troops in
Charles City county and joined his forces
with those of Patrick Hcnr>', to demand
restoration or compensation. In 1776 he
was appointed a commissioner of admiralty
for one year, and in 1778 was elected to the
house of delegates. Here he was a warm
supporter of the revolutionary war. and in
1 78 1 supported the proposition to permit
Congress to levy a five per cent, duty on
imported goods. He was an active sup-
porter of the reforms of Mr. Jefferson. In
1 78 1 he succeeded Benjamin Harrison, who
had been made governor, as speaker of the
house of delegates, and in 1783, so great was
his popularity, that he defeated Richard
Henry Lee for that office, but was himself
defeated in 1785 by Benjamin Harrison, who
v/as returned to the house after his term as
governor had expired. He was in favor of
granting to Congress the power to regulate
trade, and in 1786 got through the house the
resolution to call a commercial meeting of
the states at Annapolis. Meantime, in No-
vember, 1785. he was elected a judge of the
admiralty court to succeed Benjamin Waller,
who resigned. As such he was one of the
judges of the supreme court of appeals till
that court was reconstituted in December,
1788. He was vice-president of the state
convention in 1788. called to consider the
new Federal constitution, and denounced the
clause which permitted the slave trade for
twenty years ; and on this account, and be-
cause of the centralizing tendency of that
instrument, he opposed the adoption of the
new Federal constitution. When, by opera-
tion thereof, the admiralty jurisdiction was
vested in the United States courts. Judge
Tyler was elected to the general court, and
in 1792, in the case of Kemper vs. Hawkins,
took ground in favor of the power of the
j«diciar\' to overrule legislative acts con-
travening the constitution. In 1800 he was
offered by the governor the appointment to
the chancery court of the Williamsburg dis-
trict, but he declined. In 1808 he was
elected governor of Virginia, which office
he retained till his resignation in i8ti to
accept the judgeship of the United States
district court for Virginia. As governor he
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
urged the needs of education upon the legis-
lature, and it was in response to his remon-
strances that the legislature established the
Literary Fund. His appointment as United
States judge was strongly pressed by Mr.
Jefferson on President Madison, as an ex-
ception to the rule he had made for himself
"never to embarrass the President with my
solicitations." In Jefferson's opinion, Judge
Tyler had the firmness "to preserve his in-
dependence on the same bench with Mar-
shall/* and there was scarcely a person in the
state "so solidly popular.*' He was an earn-
est advocate of the war of 1812, and decided
the first prize case that came up for decision.
His death occurred at his residence, "Green-
way," in Charles City county, February 6,
1813, due to pleurisy contracted during in-
clement weather while holding court in Nor-
folk. His wife, whom he married in 1776.
was Mary Armistead, daughter of Robert
Booth .Armistead, of York county, by whom
he had, with other children, a son of the
same name who became President of the
United States (1841-1845).
Waller, Benjamin (q. v., 1-351).
Washington, George, was born at Pope's
Creek, Westmoreland county, Virginia, Feb-
ruary II (o. s.), 1732, son of Augustine
and Mary (Ball) Washington, and a de-
scendant of John Washington, who ap-
peared in Virginia with his brother, Law-
rence, in 1657. While he was a child, his
parents removed to Stafford county, oppo-
site Fredericksburg. He attended an **old
field school," with Hobby, the parish sex-
ton, as his teacher. His father dying in
1743, he returned to Pope's Creek to live
with his elder brother, Augustine, and after
attending a private school was commis-
sioned by Lord Fairfax to survey the Fair-
fax estates, a task which he discharged so
satisfactorily that Lord Fairfax procured his
appointment as a public surveyor. In 1751
he accompanied his brother, Lawrence, to
the West Indies, returning the following
year, when Lawrence died, leaving him
guardian of his daughter and heir to his
estates at her death. Washington was soon
made an adjutant-general of Virginia, with
the rank of major. In 1753, Governor Din-
widdie sent him to the frontier to obtain
information with reference to the French
^ military posts, a mission which he per-
formed most successfully. In 1754 he was
made lieutenant-colonel of a Virginia regi-
ment under Colonel Fry, and was sent to
Wills' Creek, where the French had taken
possession of the English fort at the junc-
tion of the Alleghany and Monongahela
rivers. He marched to Great Meadows, and
surprised the French camp under Jumon-
ville, the French loss being thirty-one killed
and prisoners. This was the first blood
shed in the war, and brought Washington
to public notice. Colonel Fry dying, he
succeeded to the command, but was starved
out at Fort Necessity. His command, how-
ever, was permitted to march out free and
Washington returned to Virginia, receiving
the thanks of the burgesses. When Gov-
ernor Dinwiddie broke up regimental or-
ganizations, leaving no officer of higher
rank than captain, Washington resigned
and withdrew to Mount Vernon. General
P»raddock arrived February 20, and know-
ing of Washington's past service, called him
to his staff, with the rank of colonel. The
story of the ill fated advance to Fort Du-
quesne, of Braddock's contemptuous disre-
gard of warnings g^ven him, of his death, of
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
37
Washington rallying the broken command,
conducting the retreat, and reading the bur-
ial service over his fallen chief — all these
facts are familiar. The Virginia assembly
now raised a regiment, and gave Washing-
ton command of all the state forces. In
1758 his health gave way and he returned
home, but soon resumed field service,
marched to and took possession of Fort Du-
quesnc, and then resigned his commission.
In 1759 he was elected to the house of bur-
gesses; was present when Patrick Henry
introduced his resolutions of May 29, 1765,
and in May, 1769, offered the non-importa-
tion resolutions, drawn by George Mason.
In the Virginia convention which met at
Williamsburg, August i, 1774, he declared,
**I will raise a thousand men, subsist them
a! my own expense, and march them to the
relief of Boston." He was a delegate to the
Continental Congress at Philadelphia, in
1774, and was chairman of the military com-
mittee at the session of 1775. On June 15
he was made commander-in-chief, and July
3d took command of the first American
army at Cambridge, 14.000 men. enthusi-
astic, but undisciplined. He directed the
operations at Boston, and after its evacu-
ation by the British proceeded to New York,
which he fortified, and arranged for the
Canada campaign. He then visited Con-
gress in Philadelphia, and on his return
learned of a plot for his assassination, con-
ceived by the tory Tryon; this was frus-
trated, the conspirators were imprisoned,
and the principal actor. Thomas Hickey,
was hanged. Lord Howe arrived, and at-
tempted to open a correspondence addressed
to **Mr. Washington," which was rejected,
when Howe wrote to the British home
authorities that it would be well to give
him his proper title. Washington then
opened the Long Island campaign, and by
his coolness and decision saved his army
and crossed it over to New York. After re-
sisting Howe for a time, he made his re-
treat through New Jersey, his troops re-
duced to 3000 men. Evading Cornwadis,
he made his historic crossing of the Dela-
ware, attacked Trenton in midst of a fierce
storm, and as the fruit of a bayonet charge
captured Colonel Rahl and 1000 men, then
rt'crossing the river. Making a night
march on Princeton, he defeated three regi-
ments of British troops, and then took post
at Morristown. In January, 1777, he issued
a proclamation requiring such inhabitants
a^ had subscribed to Lord Howe's declar-
ation, to take the oath of allegiance to the
United States; his act was questioned in
Congress, and he was accused of violating
civil rights, but nothing came of it. He
ccmdemned the commissioning of foreigners
as unjust to native officers, but afterward
warmly approved the appointment of such
officers as von Steuben and Lafayette. By
his activity he obliged Howe to retire to
Xew York, whence Howe sailed to Delaware.
Washington suffered a reverse at Chad's
Ford. Pennsylvania, and his army was held
together with difficulty; later (October 3),
with 8000 men he routed the enemy at Gcr-
mantown. but was unable to reap the full
fruits of a victory on account of some of
his fresh troops being seized with panic.
Later he repulsed the enemy at Fort Mer-
cer, but a British fleet obliged him to aban-
don the Delaware and he retired to White
Marsh, and by his activity obliged Howe
to confine himself to Philadelphia. About
this time Gates undertook the overthrow
of Washington, but the plot was discovered
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
and frustrated. The winter of 1778 wit-
nessed the miseries of Valley Forge, and
here Washington displayed his best quali-
ties, holding together a disheartened force
which could be only meagjely fed and
clothed by means of forced levies. Lady
Washington was present, living at the home
o^ Isaac Potts, a Quaker preacher, where
she gathered other soldiers' wives, who bus-
ied themselves making garments for the
soldiers. Washington lived with his officers
and men, sharing all their discomforts. It
was here that Baron von Steuben rendered
efficient aid by perfecting the organization
of the army and systematically drilling it.
On May 11, 1778, Sir Henry Clinton with
10,000 men began his march from Philadel-
phia to New York, and Washington broke
camp at \'alley Forge and went in pursuit,
encountering the enemy at Monmouth, New
Jersey. Owing to the misconduct of Gen-
eral Lee, the Americans fell into disorder.
At this juncture Washington met Lee, whom
he rebuked with all the indignation of his
nature, then rallied his troops and drove
Cornwallis from the field. In July, 1778,
the French fleet appeared, and Washington
communicated his plans of attack to Ad-
miral D'Estaing, but the latter, pleading
injuries to his ships by a severe storm,
sailed for the West Indies, having effected
nothing. In 1779 Washington went before
Congress with a plea for good money for
payment of the troops, the Continental cur-
rency being practically worthless. Later
(1781), in consequence of nonpayment for
many months, a Connecticut regiment
mutinied, a portion of the Pennsylvania line
rebelled, and the New Jersey line became
disaffected. These ills were cured in a de-
gree; and Washington, though a man of
tender sympathies, felt obliged to hang two
of the New Jersey ringleaders. While bus-
ied with the immediate operations of his
own troops, Washington was directing the
operations of the army in the south, and
with consummate skill. As a result of his
combinations, simultaneous attacks were
planned against the British in New York,
Yorktown and Charleston. Washington in
person led 2000 Continentals and 4000
French from West Point to Yorktown, a
distance of four hundred iniles, and invested
Cornwallis, who surrendered October 19,
1 78 1, this virtually ending the war.
On December 4, 1783, Washington took
leave of his officers in a banquet at Fraun-
ce*s Tavern, in New York. He then re-
turned to Mount Vernon, and busied him-
self with the rehabilitation of his estate,
and in promoting the settlement of the
west, his principal interest in the latter un-
dertaking being to enable the officers and
men who had followed him during the long
struggle for independence, to secure homes
for themselves. On May 2, 1787, at the
convention assembled at Philadelphia to
amend the articles of confederation and
union, Washington was unanimously chosen
its president, and in February, 1789, the
electoral college under the new constitution
elected him first president of the United
States. He received official notice of his
election, April 14, 1789, at Mount Vernon,
and set out on his journey to New York,
great public assemblages greeting him all
the way through Maryland, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, and he was inaugurated
April 30, Chancellor Livingston administer-
ing the oath of office, following it with the
exclamation, "Long live George Washing-
ten, president of the United States." Wash-
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
39
ington now proceeded to the important
task of selecting a cabinet, a supreme court,
minister? to foreign courts, and a multitude
o»* smaller officials, his intimate knowledge
of men, and his almost superhuman judg-
ment, enabling him to name a list of unap-
proachable excellence. In 1790 the seat of
government was removed to Philadelphia,
where Washington, at the close of his sec-
ond presidential term, received John Adams
as his successor, he having refused to be a
candidate for a third term, in an address of
classical beauty, and breathing sentiments
of fervent patriotism and lofty political
philosophy. During his administration he
sent a force of regulars and militia to quell
the. Indian disturbances on the frontier.
With the aid of Hamilton, he formed a sub-
stantial basis for governmental finances, a
task of the greatest magnitude owing to the
utter worthlessness of existing Continental
currency, and the breaking down of the
national credit. On the occasion of the war
between France and England he issued a
proclamation of neutrality in which he ex-
pressed sentiments which were subsequent-
ly celebrated in the **Monroe Doctrine":
**Thc new power 1 the United States) meant
to hold aloof from Europe * * * and take
lio interest in the balance of power or the
fate of dynasties." On September 18, I7')3,
he laid the corner stone of the capitol build-
ing at Washington City. In 1794 he sup-
pressed the ''Whiskey Insurrection."
After retiring from the presidency, Wash-
ington returned to private life at Mount
Vernon. In 1796 he presented to "Liberty
Hall Academy." in Rockbridge county, Vir-
ginia, one hundred shares of stock lvalue
^50,000) of the old James River Company,
given him by the Virginia legislature as a
token of esteem and admiration, with these
v;ords: "To promote literature in this ris-
ing empire, and to encourage the arts, have
ever been amongst the warmest wishes of
my heart, and if the donation which the gen-
erosity of the legislature of the common-
wealth has enabled me to bestow upcm
Liberty Hall — now by your politeness
called Washington Academy — is likely to
prove a means to accomplish these ends, it
will confibute to the gratification of my de-
sires." In 1798 the threatened war with
France necessitated arrangements for a pro-
visional army, and Washington was com-
missioned lieutenant-general and com-
mander-in-chief. He appointed Alexander
Hamilton chief of staff, and gave himself
to the duties of organization with his old-
time vigor, but war was happily averted.
He received the honorary degree of LL. D.
trom Harvard in 1776: from Yale in 17S1 ;
from the University of Pennsylvania in
1783: from Washington College (Mar}-
land) probably in 1784; and from Brown
I'niversity in 1790. He was a fellow of the
American Academy of .Arts and Sciences,
and member of the American Philosop!\ioa!
Society.
On December 12, 1799, while busied on
his estate, he took a severe cold which de-
veloped into acute laryngitis, and after be-
ing bled three times, sank rapidly, and
breathed his last on December 14. He was
buried in the family vault at Mount V'er-
nt»n, and although a vault was prepared
under the capitol at Washington City, the
state of Virginia would not consent to the
removal of the body. His birthday was
made a national holiday by act of Congre5?s.
His name stands first in Class M, ruleri
and statesmen, in the Hall of Fame of Co-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
himbia University, New York, and is com-
memorateu :n the massive marble Wa.-hing-
lon Arch in the same city, and in the \\'j>i-h-
ington Monument in the national capital.
Statues of Washington have been erected in
nearly ever> important city in the com. try,
the principal ones being that by Houdo»« in
the capital at Richmond, Virginia, and
Crawford's equestrian statue in the same
city ; and the colossal statue by Grcenough,
in Washington City. Among numerous
portraits are those of Stuart, Trumbull, and
both the Peales.
Martha Washington, wife of President
and General George Washington, was a
daughter of Colonel John Dandridge, and
wido'v of Daniel Parke Custis. Her
daughter, Martha Parke Custis, died at the
iige of seventeen: her younger children.
Eleanor Parke and George Washington
Parke Custis, were adopted by General
Washington, who was childless.
Wythe, George, son of Thomas Wythe,
r.nd Elizabeth Walker, his wife, who v/as a
{a*anddaughter of the celebrated Rev.
George Keith, of England and Penn^jl-
vania, was descended from Thomas Wythe,
who came to Elizabeth City county, from
England about 1680. He was bom in
1726, was schooled under the care of his
r.u»iher. who was well educated, an J at-
tended William and Mary College, lie
.^'tudied law under his uncle-in-law, Stephen
Dev/ey, in Prince George county ; settled in
Williamsburg, and attained distinction at
the bar, and was made attorney-general by
Governor Dinwiddie, in 1754, in the absence
of Peyton Randolph; was burgess for tlie
city of Williamsburg, August of the same
year, on the death of Armistead Burwell.
continuing till 1756. About this time be re-
moved to Spotsylvania county, wheic he
married Anne, daughter of Zachary Lewis.
a prominent lawyer there. In 1758 he was
?gui!i in Williamsburg, and was burgess
for the college of William and Mary in the
assembly of 1 758-1 761, after which he re-
moved to nis native county. Elizabeth City,
and was burgess for that county from 1761
to 17C9, when he was made clerk of the
house of burgesses, an office retained by
him till 1775. During the Stamp Act
troubles, he was one of the committee of
corrc\spondence. which in June, 1764, pro-
tested against its enactment, and he drew
the remonstrance to the house of 00m-
mcn* adopted by the burgesses in Decem-
ber. 1764. He opposed the resolution^ of
Patrick IJcnry in May, 1765, as hasty and
premature. He served as clerk of the house
of burge>«cs till he was appointed a mem-
ber of Congress in August, 1775, ^vhere
he supported the resolutions of Richard
Henry Lee. in favor of independence, and
afterward was a signer of the Declaratio.i
of Luleptndence. In 1776 he was appointed
a member of the committee to revise the
laws of the state and to adapt them to the
new form of government, having been one
cf the compilers of the Code of 1769. In
1777 he was speaker of the house of dele-
gates, and the same year was appointed one
of the three judges of the chancery court es-
tablished by law. While holding this posi-
tion, he was appointed, in 1779, professor of
bw at William and Mary College, being
thus the first professor of law in the United
States. As a part of his methods of teach-
ing he held moot law courts and legislative
assemblies in the old Williamsburg capital.
He was the first judge to announce the
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FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION
41
power of the courts to over-rule an uncon-
stitutional enactment. In 1789 he was made
sole chancellor of the state, resigned hi?
professorship, and went to reside in Rich-
mond. In 1787, he represented Virginia in
the Federal convention at Philadelphia and
in 1788 was vice-president of the Virginia
state convention, which ratified its work,
Mr. Wythe voting for the constitution. He
was twice presidential elector on the Re-
publican ticket. The honorary degree of
LL. D. was conferred upon him by William
and Mary in 1790. So just and upright was
he in his decisions, that he was called the
"American Aristides/* and both Thomas
Jefferson and John Marshall studied law
under him. The former pronounced him
"one of the greatest men of his age." He
wa.<i the author of "Decisions in Virgir.t;i
by the High Court of Chancery." He di^d
from the cfiects of poison, and his preat-
nephew, George Wythe Sweeney, was tricci
lor the crime, but was acquitted. He died
Jure 8. 1806, and was buried in St. John's
churchyard, Richmond. He married (sec-
ond) Elizabeth Taliaferro, daughter of
Richard Taliaferro, of James City county,
but he had no surviving issue by either of
his wives.
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
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U-GOVERNORS OF THE STATE-1776-1861
Henry, Patrick, governor, June 29, 1776-
June I, 1779 (q. v.).
Jefferson, Thomas, governor, June i, 1779-
June I, 1781 (q. v.).
Fleming, William, councillor and acting
governor, son of Leonard and Dorothea
Fleming, was born in Jedburgh, Scotland,
February 18, 1729. He attended a private
school in Dumfries, and later studied sur-
gery at the University of Edinburgh. At
the close of his term he entered the British
service as a surgeon's mate, and soon after
was taken prisoner by the Spaniards. After
a rigorous confinement he was released and
came to Virginia, where in August, 1755, he
entered Washington's regiment. He served
as ensign and lieutenant, and in 1762 he was
made captain in the regiment commanded
by Colonel Adam Stephen. After the peace
in 1763 he resumed the practice of his pro-
fession in Staunton, where he married Anne,
sister of Colonel William Christian, April
9. 1763. He removed to Botetourt county,
gave up the practice of medicine, and en-
gaged in the work of a farmer at his home,
** Belmont." When General Andrew Lewis
fought the battle of "Point Pleasant/' he
v/as one of his colonels and was badly
wounded. In 1776 he was made county
lieutenant of Botetourt by the committee of
safety, and when the state government was
formed he was a senator from the district
of Botetourt, Montgomery and Kentucky,
and later became member of the council.
During the interval between the expiration
of Mr. Jefferson's second year as governor,
June I, 1781, and June 12, when General
Thomas Nelson was made governor, he exer-
cised the authority of chief magistrate as the
only member of the council remaining at
the seat of government. He called out the
militia and took other means to resist Corn-
wallis' troops, who had flooded the State,
for which acts he was indemnified by the
legislature. In 1782 he was appointed chair-
man of a committee to enquire into the
accounts of all commissaries and other
agents appointed for the western country.
Later he was a member of the convention
of 1788 for Botetourt county, and under in-
structions voted for the constitution. He
was a man of strong literary tastes, had one
of the finest libraries in Western Virginia,
and was a member of the board of trustees
of Washington College. He died August 5,
1795-
Nelson, Thomas, Jr., governor, June 12,
1 78 1 -November 30, 1781 (q. v.).
Harrison, Benjamin, governor, November
30, 1781-November 29, 1784 (q. v.).
Henry, Patrick, (second term), November
29, 1784-December I, 1786 (q. v.).
Randolph, Edmund, governor, December
I, 1786-December I, 1788 (q. v.).
Randolph, Beverley, born at *'Chatsworth,"
Henrico county, 1754, son of Colonel Peter
and Lucy Boiling Randolph : his father sur-
veyor of customs, 1749* and long a member
of the house of burgesses. He was gradu-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
a ted from William and Mary College, 1771,
and was a visitor, 1784; member of general
assembly during the revolutionar>' war, and
an ardent patriot. In 1787 he was chosen
president of the executive council of Vir-
ginia, and on December i, 1788, succeeded
Edmund Randolph as governor for one year.
Every governor was eligible for three years,
but in 1790 Benjamin Harrison was nomi-
nated for the office against Mr. Randolph,
who had served but two years. Harrison
rejected his candidacy and Randolph was
ag^in reelected. His administration was
notable with respect to Indian depredations
and the relations of Virginia to Pennsyl-
vania, fie died in February, 1797, at his
home. "Green Creek,** Cumberland county.
Lee, Henry, governor, December i, 1791-
December i. 1794 (q. v.).
Brooke, Robert, born in Virginia, 1751,
son of Richard Brooke, and grandson of
Robert Brooke, a skilled surveyor, who was
one of Governor Spotswood's knights of the
horseshoe. He was educated at Edinburgh
University, and on returning home at the
beginning of the revolution was captured
by Howe, British admiral, and sent back to
England, whence he went to Scotland, then
to France, and reached Virginia in a French
vessel carrying arms for the continentals.
He joined Captain Larkin Smith's company
of cavalry, was captured near Richmond by
Simcoe in 1781. was exchanged, and re-
joined the army. In 1794 he represented
Spotsylvania county in the house of dele-
gates, and on December i, of the same year,
was elected governor and served two years.
He was a Republican, and in 1798 was
elected attorney-general of the state, over
Bushrod Washington, nephew of General
Washington. He was grand master of
Masons in \'irginia, 1795-97. He died in
1799, while still attorney-general, aged only
thirty-eight years. The county of Brooke,
tormed from Ohio county, now in West
Virginia, was named in his honor.
Wood, James, born in Frederick county,
in 1750, son of Colonel James Wood,
founder of \\'inchester. In 1775 ^^ ^^'^^ ^
burgess from Frederick county, and in lypy
a member of the Virginia convention,
which appointed him colonel of the Eighth
\'irginia Regiment. He behaved gallantlv
at the battle of Brandywine; and at Kur-
goyne's surrender was put in charge of the
priv-orcrs at Charlottesville. In 1781 he v.-as
supcrini*^«Kicnt of prisoners of war in \'ir-
ginia. and used his own means for their in-
terest. He was president of the last board of
officers that arranged for the \*irginia line.
In ,1783. as brigadier-general of state troops,
he served efficiently during the Indian
troubles. Elected to the executive council
in 1784. by. seniority he became lieutenant-
p)vernor. He was governor, from Decem-
ber I. 1796, to December i, 1799; and the
Richmond armory was erected under his
administration. He was in the legislature
twelve years, and in the executive council
twenty years, and died while so serving,
June 16, 1813. He was president of the
Society of the Cincinnati from October 9,
1784. until his death. His wife, who was
Jean, daughter of Rev. John Moncure, was
long remembered for her poetic composi-
tions and charitable works.
Monroe, James, governor, December i.
1799-December I, 1802 (q. v.).
Page, John, governor. December i. 1802-
December i, 1805 (q.^v.).
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
47
Cabell, William H., was born at ** Boston
Hill/* Cumberland county. Virginia, De-
cember i6, 1772. He was a grandson of
William Cabell of Warminster. Wiltshire,
England, and was son of Colonel Nicholas
and Hannah (Carrington) Cabell. He at-
tended a private school, and in February,
1785. entered Hampden-Sidney College. In
February, 1790, he entered William and
Mary College, as a student of law, under
Judge Tucker, where he continued until
July. 1793. He was a member of the as-
sembly in 1796. and also in 1798, when he
voted for the Virginia resolutions against
the alien and sedition laws. He was a Re-
publican, and was presidential elector in
1800 and 1804. In the last-named year he
became again a member of the general as-
sembly, but December i, 1805. became gov-
ernor, in which office he continued three
years, when he was succeeded by John
Tyler, the first governor of that name. The
trial of Aaron Burr for high treason, and
the attack on the frigate Chesapeake by
the British sloop-of-war Leopard, contrib-
uated to make his administration mem-
orable. In 1808 he was elected a judge of
the general court, and in 181 1 he became a
judge of the court of appeals. After the
adoption of the new constitution, in 1830.
Judge Cabell was again elected to the court
of appeals, and January 18. 1842, he was
elected president. He served until 185 1,
when he retired. He died at Richmond.
January 12, 1853, and was interred in Shock-
hoe hill cemetery. The resolutions adopted
by the court of appeals and bar ascribed to
him *'much of the credit which may be
claimed for the judiciary system of Vir-
ginia and its literature." He married.
March 11, 1805. Agnes Sarah Bell, eldest
daughter of Colonel Robert Gamble, of
Richmond.
Tyler, John, governor, December i. 1808-
January 11, 181 1 (q. v.).
Monroe, James, (2d term), January 11,
1811-December 5. 181 1 (q. v.).
Smith, George William, lieutenant and
acting governor, was born at "Bathurst,"
Essex county, Virginia, in 1762, son of
Meriwether and Elizabeth (Daingerfield)
Smith. He was a lawyer, and was member
of the house of delegates for Essex, 1791-
1794. He removed to Richmond City, where
he was one of the leading lawyers, and a
representative in the house of delegates in
1 802- 1 808. In 1805 he was captain of the
Richmond Republican Blues. He entered
the privy council in 1807. and as lieutenant-
governor became the acting governor by
reason of the resignation of James Monroe.
December 5, 1811. On the 26th of the same
month he lost his life in the fire that con-
sumed the Richmond theatre. He married
(first) February 7, 1793. Sarah, fourth
daughter of Colonel Richard Adams, and
(second) Jane, widow of Meriwether Jones,
editor of the Richmond "Examiner," and
daughter of Dr. Read, of Hanover county.
He left issue by the first marriage.
Randolph, Peyton, lieutenant and acting
governor, son of Governor Edmund Ran-
dolph and Elizabeth Nicholas, his wife,
daughter of Robert Carter Nicholas, was
born about 1778 and graduated at William
and Mary College in 1798. He was elected
tc the governor's council, and as senior
member was acting governor from the
death of Lieutenant-Governor George Wil-
liam Smith. December 26. 181 1. to January 3,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1812, when James Barbour became governor
by election of the general assembly. He
was an eminent lawyer, and in 1821 became
the reporter of the supreme' court of appeals.
The results of his labors as such — "Report
of the cases argued and determined in the
Court of Appeals of Virginia, r82i-i8i8,"
were published in six volumes 8 vo., Rich-
mond, 1823-1832. He died at Richmond, of
a pulmonary complaint, December 26, 1828.
Barbour, James, bom in Orange county,
June 10, 1775. son of Colonel Thomas Bar-
bour, who was a member of the house of
burgesses from 1769-1776, and the conven-
tions of 1774 and 1775. His education was
limited, and chiefly obtained from private
tutors, of whom the Rev. James Waddell
was one. He was admitted to the bar be-
fore he was of age, and was a member of the
house of delegates from 1796 to 181 2. In
this ser\*ice he advocated Madison resolu-
tions of 1798-99, was author of the anti-
duelling law, and in 1809, as speaker,
drafted the bill for the literary fund re-
ported by a committee in response to an
urgent representation of Governor John
Tyler on the needs of education. He was
governor from January 3, 1812, and served
as such throughout the war with Great
Britain. In 181 3 he was elected United
States senator, and was chairman of the
committee on foreign affairs. He opposed
the restriction on the admission of Mis-
souri, and John Quincy Adams compli-
mented him by saying that the North had
no man equal to him or Henry Clay in
ability. He was a senator for ten years,
and then was appointed secretary of war
by President John Q. Adams, and served
till 1828, when Adams sent him minister to
England, whence he was recalled by Presi-
dent Jackson in 1829. He was a national
Republican, and then a Whig, and in 1839
was president of the convention at Harris-
burg, which nominated Harrison and Tyler.
He was for many years president of the
Humane Society for the education of poor
children in Orange county. He was father
of B. Johnson Barbour, an orator of much
note, and brother of Philip P. Barbour,
judge of the United States supreme court
Nicholas^ Wilson Gary, was born in Wil-
liamsburg. Virginia, January 31, 1761, son
of Robert Carter Nicholas, the distinguished
revolutionary patriot. He was graduated
from William and Mar>' in 1779, entered
the army, became an officer, and commanded
Washington's life guard until it was dis-
banded about 1783. He represented Albe-
marle county in the house of delegates in
1784, and in the convention of 1788 called to
ratify the constitution of the United States.
He served in the legislature in 1789 and
1790 and from 1794 to 1799, when he suc-
ceeded Henry Tazewell as United States
senator. He warmly supported the admin-
istration of Thomas Jefferson in the sixth,
seventh, and eighth Congress till Decem-
ber 13, 1804, when he resigned to accept the
office of collector of the ports of Norfolk
and Portsmouth. This position he held three
years, when he was elected to the tenth and
eleventh Congresses as a member of the
house of representatives. On December i,
1814, he became governor, serving till De*
cember i, 1816. He died at "Tufton," the
residence of his son-in-law, Thomas Jeffer-
son Randolph, Albemarle county,. October
10, 1820.
Preston, James P., was born at "Smith-
field," June 31, 1774, son of Colonel William
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
49
and Susanna (Smith) Preston. He was a stu-
dent at William and Mary Callege, 1790-95.
In 1799 he organized an artillery company;
in 1802 was elected to the state senate.
On March 19, 1812, he was made lieutenant-
colonel of the Twelfth United States In-
fantry, and for gallantry during the war
with Great Britain was promoted to colonel,
and assigned to the Twenty-third Regi-
ment. In the battle of Chrystlcr's Field,
November 11. 1813, he was wounded in the
thigh, crippling him for life. He succeeded
Wilson Gary Nicholas, as governor, De-
cember I, 1816, and served till December i,
1819. During his administration, the law
was enacted establishing the University of
Virginia. He was afterward postmaster of
Richmond for several years. He died at
"Smithfield," Montgomery county, May 4,
1843. He married Anne Taylor, sister of
General Robert Barraud Taylor, of Norfolk.
Randolph, Thomas Mann» born at *Tuck-
ahoe/' Goochland county, October i, 1768,
the eldest son of Thomas Mann Randolph
and Anne Gary, his wife. He studied first
at William and Mary College, and then at
the University of Edinbtirgh. where his
reading was extensive and varied. On Feb-
ruary 23, 1799, young Randolph married
Martha, daughter of Thomas JeflFerson, with
whom he afterward made his home at **Mon-
ticello," and the White House. He served
in the senate in 1793 and 1794, and was a
member of the United States house of rep-
resentatives from 1803 to 1807. During this
time a duel with John Randolph of Roanoke,
was averted with difficulty. During the war
of 1812 he was colonel of the Twentieth
United States Infantry. He was governor
from December 1. 1819, to December i, 1822.
VIA— 4
He died at '^Monticello," June 20, 1828, the
result of exposure, due to his having given
away hisicloak to a beggar while riding on the
highway. He was a deep student and Jeffer-
son characterized him as "a man of science,
sense, virtue and competence." His son,
Thomas Jefferson Randolph, a man of great
stature, served frequently in the Virginia
house of delegates and edited the papers of
his grandfather, Thomas Jefferson. Another
son, George Wythe Randolph, was secretary
of war of the Confederate States.
Pleasants, James, Jr., was born in Gooch-
land county, Virginia, October 24, 1769, son
of James Pleasants, and a descendant of
John Pleasants, a Quaker, who emigrated
from England in 1663. After a thorough
school education, he studied law with Judge
Fleming and began practice with consider-
able success. In 1796 he was elected from
Goochland county to the house of delegates,
and as a Republican supported the resolu-
tions of 1798-99. In 1803 he was chosen
clerk of that body, and served until 181 1,
when he was elected to the house of repre-
sentatives. He supported Madison's policy
during the war of 181 2, and became gov-
ernor. December i, 1822, which office he
held by annual elections until December i,
1825. He was a member of the convention
of 1829-30, his last public service; though
twice appointed to judicial position, he de-
clined acceptance from a distrust of his
qualifications. He died November 9, 1836,
in Goochland county. He left a distinguished
son. John Hampden Pleasants, who attained
almost unrivaled success as editor of the
Richmond "Whig." His grandson. James
Pleasants, son of his son. John Hampden,
was a distinguished lawyer of Richmond.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Tyler, John, governor, December i, 1825-
March 4, 1827 (q. v.).
Giles, William Branch, son of William
Giles and Anne Branch, his wife, was born
ill Amelia county, X'irginia, August 12,
1762. He studied at Hampden-Sidney and
Princeton colleges; and from Princeton he
went to William and Mary to study law
under the great law professor, George
Wythe. He began practice in Peters-
burg, \"irginia, where he remained for a
number of years. In 1791 he was elected
to Congress, and served excepting one ses-
sion until March, 1803. He was, first, a
Federalist, but the proposition to create the
United States Bank led to his joining the
Republicans. While Alexander Hamilton
was secretary of the treasury, Mr. Giles at-
tacked him in the house, accusing him of
corruption and peculation, and moved reso-
lutions censuring Hamilton for arbitrary as-
sumption of authority. Giles was opposed
tc John Jay's treaty with Great Britain, and
took active part in opposition to that in-
strument. He was equally against the pro-
posed war with France. In 1798 Giles was
a member of the Virginia legislature, where
he strongly supported the Virginia resolu-
tions. In 1801 was a presidential elector.
In 1804 he succeeded Wilson Gary Nicho-
las in the United States senate; and, being
re-elected, served until March 3, 1815, when
he resigned. His position in the senate was
prominent, being that of a Republican
leader, but he was particularly noticeable
for his opposition to the Madison adminis-
tration. Mr. Giles was in private life from
181 1 until 1825, when he was a candidate
for the United States senatorship. but was
defeated by John Randolph. The next year
he was elected to the legislature, and on
March 4, 1827, became governor, which
office he held until March 4, 1830. In his
messages at this time he took strong grounds
tor resistance against the tariff. Mr. Giles
v.as one of the ablest parliamentarians of
his time, an accomplished debater, and was
generally compared with Charles James
Fox. Mr. Giles published a number of writ-
ings, among which were "A Speech on the
Embargo Laws" (1808) ; "Political Letters
to the People of Virginia" (1813) ; a series
of letters signed "A Constituent," in the
"Richmond Inquirer," in opposition to apian
for general public education (1818). He
published in 1824 a letter antagonizing
President James Monroe and Henry Clay
on account of their interest in the South
American cause and that of the Greek revo-
lution, as also the question of the tariff.
Mr. Giles died in Albemarle county, \'ir-
ginia, December 4, 1830.
Floyd, John, born in Jefferson county,
April 24, 1783, son of Colonel John Floyd,
and a descendant of an early Virginia im-
migrant. He. attended Dickinson (Pennsyl-
vania) College, studied medicine at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, was graduated in
1806, and settled in Montgomery county,
Virginia. He was appointed a justice of the
peace in 1807; major of militia in 1808; sur-
geon in the Virginia line, 1812, and same
year was elected to the house of delegates;
was brigadier-general of militia. In 1817 he
was elected to Congress, and as a leader in
the house wielded a potent influence. He
opposed the administration of John Quincy
Adams, and aided largely in the election of
Jackson. He introduced the first bill for the
occupation and settlement of Oregon. He
became governor, March 4, 1830. and con-
tinued as such till March 4. 1834. In his
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
51
messages he severely condemned President
Jackson for his proclamation against South
Carolina, and took ground against military
coercion, but he did not believe in the doc-
trine of nullification. South Carolina gave
him her vote for the presidency in 1832.
While he was ser\-ing as governor, occurred
Xat Turner's slave insurrection in South-
ampton county, and the trial and execution
o^ the leader. Nat Turner. He was in poor
health for some time previous to the ex-
piration of his term, and he died from par-
alysis, August 15. 1837, at Sweet Springs,
Montgomery county.
Tazewell, Littleton Waller, son of Henry
Tazewell and Dorothea Elizabeth, daughter
of Judge Benjamin Waller, was born in Wil-
liamsburg. Virginia, December 17. 1774. He
was graduated from William and Mary Col-
lege in 1792. studied law under John Wick-
ham, of Richmond, and in 1796 was admit-
ted to the bar. The last named year he was
elected to the house of delegates, remaining
itntil i?oo, supporting the resolutions of
179.S and Madison's report of 1800. As
representative to Congress, he. in 1800, suc-
ceeded John Marshall. While in Congress.
Mr. Tazewell supported Jefferson in the
presidential election which fell to the house,
thus opposing the claims of Aaron Burr.
He declined a re-election to Congress, and
removing to Norfolk in 1802. won renown
for himself as one of the ablest lawyers in
the Union. He was especially prominent
as an admiralty or criminal advocate. Ro-
man Catholic priests consulted him about
canon law, and London merchants upon
points affecting their trade. He was an ar-
dent supporter of the general views and
constitutional opinions of Jefferson, al-
though dissenting with equal ardor from
various special policies of his administra-
tion. Against both France and England he
was outspoken, and urged hostilities with
each. When public sentiment tended to-
ward war, however, he reversed his position,
declaring the administration to be incapable,
his opposition being fierce against Mr. Madi-
son. Mr. Tazewell continued to decry the
policy that was bringing about the impend-
ing struggle with Great Britain, until the
declaration of war in 1812. when he gave
the government his loyal support. In 1816
he became a member of the Virginia legis-
lature, where his profound knowledge of
economical and fiscal questions gave him an
active part in the deliberations of that body.
I'nder Monroe he was one of the United
States commissioners instrumental in the
purchase of Florida from Spain. From 1824
to 1833 ^^^' Tazewell was once more a
member of the United States senate. In
1829 President Jackson oflFered him the
mission to England, which he declined.
During this second senatorial career he
was most conspicuous as chairman of the
ccmmittee on foreign relations. His report
on the Panama mission is widely known, as
?re also his addresses ujx^n the tariff, the
piracy act. the bankrupt act. and the pre-
rogatives of the president in the appoint-
ment of foreign ministers. He opposed the
administration of John Quincy .\dams
helped to elect Andrew Jackson, but op-
posed his policy against South Carolina. In
1834 he resigned from the senate, after hav-
ing madf himself particularly antagonistic
to the presidential action in removing the
United States deposits from the Bank of the
United States. He joined the Whig part^c
formed in 1834 of all the opponents of Jack-
son, denouncing the proclamation against
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the South Carolina movement, though he
did not approve the doctrine of nullification.
In January, 1834, he was elected governor
and entered upon his duties March 31, fol-
lowing. When the legislature framed reso-
lutions instructing their senators to vote for
expunging from the Journal of the United
States senate the resolutions censuring Gen-
eral Jackson for removing the deposits from
the United States Bank, he resigned in dis-
gust April 30, 1836, and retired to private
life at his elegant seat in Norfolk, Virginia,
never afterwards appearing in public ser-
vice. He was revered in Virginia for his
great ability, and his appearance was ma-
jestic and commanding. He died in Nor-
folk, May 6, i860.
Robertson, Wyndham» lieutenant and act-
i'lg governor, was a son of William Robert-
son and Elizabeth Boiling, his wife, and
grandson of William Robertson, baillie of
Edinburgh, Scotland. He was born near
Manchester, opposite to Richmond, Vir-
ginia, January 26. 1803, and first attended
private schools and afterwards completed
his education at William and Mary College
iit 182 1. He was a member of the council
of state in 1830 and again in 1833. In 1834,
at the first meeting of the James River and
Kanawha Company he proposed, instead of
a canal to Lynchburg, a railroad to progress
ultimately westward to the Mississippi,
which showed his wisdom and far-sighted-
ness^ March 31, 1836, he became lieutenant-
governor, and on April 30, acting governor,
by virtue of the resignation of Governor
Tazewell. He served till March 31, 1837;
after which he served in the legislature,
1838-1841. and 1858-1865. As a states' rights
Unionist, he opposed both secession and co-
ercion, but approved the former alternative
when Lincoln resorted to force. He was a
man of extensive literary attainments, and
one of his most interesting productions was
"Pocahontas, alias Matoaka, and her De-
scendants.'* He died at Abingdon, Washing-
ton county, February 11, 1888. ^
Campbell, David» born at Royal Oaks,
I*otetourt county, August 2, 1779, son of
John and Elizabeth (McDonald) Campbell.
He had only such education as frontier
schools would afford. In his fifteenth year
he was made ensign of militia, and he was
afterward engaged in the clerk's office at
Abingdon. In 1799 he organized a light in-
fantry company, of which he was captain.
He then studied law, but never practiced.
He was deputy clerk of Washington county,
1802-1812. July 6. 1812, he was made major
of the Twelfth United States Infantry ; pro-
moted to lieutenant-colonel. Twentieth Regi-
ment ; participated in the St. Lawrence river
c:impaign, and incurred such rheumatic ail-
ments that he resigned, June 28, 1814. Re-
turning home, he was aide-de-camp to Gov-
ernor James Barbour, soon afterward com-
missioned brigadier-general, and appointed
colonel of the Third Virginia Cavalr}-, Jan-
uary 25, 1815. He served as county clerk
till 1820, when he was elected to state sen-
ate, 1820; clerk of Washington county. 1824,
holding until March 31, 1837, when he be-
came governor. He had supported Jackson
for the presidency, but when the Democratic
party brought forward the sub-treasury and
standing army measures, he became an ac-
tive member of the new Whig party formed
of many elements. As governor, he earn-
estly urged the common school system. He
died March 19, 1859.
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.>\ -;J - ■ ^ '
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C'.OVERXORS OF THE STATE
53
Gilmer, Thomas Walker, born at Gilmer-
ton, Albemarle county, April 6, 1802, son of
George Gilmer, and grandson of Dr. George
Gilmer. He was educated by private tutors,
and studied law under his uncle, Peachey
R. Gilmer, at Liberty. Bedford county. He
was a delegate, in 1825, to the Staunton
convention called to agitate a constitutional
convention; during the Jackson presidential
campaign, in 1828, he edited the "Virginia
Advocate"; member of the house of dele-
gates, 1829-37. serving on important com-
mittees, among them that on revolutionary
claims, and later was appointed by Governor
Floyd to prosecute such claims on behalf of
the state. He supported Jackson for the
presidency, but when that executive issued
his proclamation against South Carolina,
Mr. Gilmer, with hundreds of other Demo-
crats, aided in the forming of the Whig
party. In 1838 he became speaker of the
house of delegates, and was re-elected as
such in 1839. He became governor, March
31. 1840, when he made a tour of the state,
to examine all public works, and defrayed
all his expenses out of private funds. Dur-
ing his administration, occurred the notable
dispute with Governor Seward, of New
York, concerning fugitive slaves, Seward
having refused to surrender such, and Gil-
mer, in turn, refusing to surrender criminal
refugees from Xew York and the legislature
declining to sustain him in the latter posi-
tion. Governor Gilmer sent to the legislature
an able message in vindication of himself,
and resigned the chair, March 18. 1841. He
was immediately elected to Congress and
gave his support to President Tyler, when
Mr. Clay ruptured the Whig party by his
bank and tariff propositions. He was a strong
advocate of the annexation of Texas. In 1844
he was appointed secretary of the navy by
President Tyler, but in less than two weeks
came to his death by an explosion on the
steamship "Princeton," in the forty-second
year of his age. He married Anne E. Baker,
daughter of Hon. John Baker, of Shepherds-
town, West Virginia.
Patton, John M., lieutenant and acting
governor, son of Robert Patton, a native of
Scotland, and merchant of Fredericksburg,
Virginia, and Ann Gordon Mercer, daughter
of General Hugh Mercer, who fell at Prince-
ton in 1777, was born August 10, 1797. He
v/as liberally educated and practiced law in
Fredericksburg. In 1830, he was elected to
Congress and served till 1838, when he rc-
m.oved to Richmond, and was elected a
member of the council of state, and as lieu-
tenant-governor succeeded as acting gov-
ernor, on the resigtiation of Governor
Thomas Walker Gilmer, March 18, 1841. un-
til the expiration of his yearly term*, March
31. 1841. In 1849, he was associated with
Conway Robinson in. a revision of the code
of \'irginia. He died at Richmond, October
28. 1858, and was buried in Shockoe Hill
Cemetery.
Rutherfoord, John, lieutenant and acting
governor, born in Richmond, Virginia, Dc-
cembe*- 8 1792, son of Thomas Rutherfoord,
merchant, and political writer of distinction.
He was educated at Princeton College,
studied law. but practiced only a short time.
He was many years president of the Mutual
Assurance Society, the first institution of its
kind in the state; also first captain of the
Richmond Fayette Artillery, and rose to
rank of colonel. He was a states-rights
Democrat till 1833, and a Whig until 1837,
when he returned to the Democrats on the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
srb-treasury question. In 1826 he was
elected to the house of delegates and con-
tinued in that body till 1S39 when he was
elected as one of the councillors of state.
On March 31. 1841. he was elected president
of the council and succeeded John M. Patton
ar acting governor. During this time he
continued the controversy with Governor
Seward, of New York, begun by Governor
Clilmer. In 1836. he was elected president
o» the Mutual Assurance Society of Vir-
ginia, in which position he served efficiently
for thirty years. At an entertainment at his
house General Scott pronounced the eulogy
upon Colonel Robert E. Lee. which con-
tributed 10 the calling of that great sol-
dier to command the Virginia forces in
1861. Governor Rutherfoord married. April
24. 1816. Anne Coles, and died at Richmond,
August 3. 1866, leaving descendants.
Gregory, John M., lieutenant and acting
governor, the son of John M. Gregory. Sr.,
and Letitia Graves, his wife, was born in
Charles City county, Virginia. July 8, 1804.
He was a descendant of early settlers in
Virginia and his grandfather, John Gregory,
was killed in action during the revolution.
His education was acquired at the "old field
school," and, being poor, he toiled on the
farm. He taught school in James City
county, and in 1830 graduatefl Sis\Qachelor
* • • •
of Law at William and Mary ^olltfgc. The
siime year he was elected to the house of
delegates from James City county, and con-
tinued in that body by successive elections
till 1841, when he was elected by the legis-
lature a member of the council of state. He
became lieutenant-governor on March 31,
1842. and as such succeeded John Ruther-
foord as acting governor till January i,
1843. when he was succeeded in the execu-
tive office by James McDowell. In accord-
ance with an act of the general assembly,
passed December 14. 1842, the term now
for which the governors of \'irginia were
elected began on the first day of January
next succeeding their elections. In 1853 ^^
was appointed United States district attor-
ney for the eastern district of \'irginia,
serving till the year i860, when he was
elected judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit
of Virginia, serving in this capacity until
1866. At this date he was removed from
office by the Federal military authorities,
and. resuming his practice as a lawyer, was
soon elected commonwealth's attorney for
Charles City county. This post he held till
1880, when he resigned on account of feeble
health and retired to Williamsburg, where
he died in 1888. He married Miss Amanda
Wallace, of Petersburg, Virginia, by whom
he left a large family.
McDowell, James, bom at "Cherry
Grove," Rockbridge county, October 11,
1795, son of Colonel James and Sarah (Pres-
ton) McDowell, and a descendant of John
McDowell, who was killed by Indians, in
1742. He studied at Yale and Princeton
colleges, graduating from the latter in 1810;
then studied law under the famous lawyer.
Chapman Johnston, but never practiced. He
entered the legislature in 1831, and after the
Nat Turner insurrection he advocated the
gradual abolition of slavery. His brilliant
speech on nullification in 1833 made him a
rival of John Tyler for the senatorship, but
he was defeated. In politics he was a Jackson
Democrat. He became governor on Janu-
ary I, 1843, but before the end of his term
of three years was elected to the United
States house of representatives, succeeding
his deceased brother-in-law, William Taylor,
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JOHN B. FLOYD
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
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serving until 185 1 with conspicuous ability.
His most memorable effort was his speech
favoring the admission of California to the
Union. He died at Lexington, August 24,
1851. He married his cousin Susan, daugh-
ter of General Francis Preston, and Sarah
L. Campbell, his wife, daughter of General
William Campbell, the hero of King's Moun-
tain.
Smith, William, born in King George
county, Virginia, September 26, 1797, son of
Caleb Smith and Mary W'augh, his wife.
Jle was educated at private schools and be-
came a lawyer in 1836. He was elected to
the state senate, was re-elected, and resigned
after the firs: session of his second term.
In 1827 he became a large mail contractor:
the service expanded to such degree that he
claimed additional compensation, from
which was fixed upon him the sobriquet of
**Extra Billy Smith,'* which well character-
ized his extraordinary abilities. He was a
Democrat in politics, and in 1841-43 was a
Congressman. On January i, 1846, he be-
came governor, for the term of three years.
In 1850 he removed to California, and was
president of its constitutional convention.
He returned to Virginia, and served as Con-
gressman, 1858-61. In 1861, though sixty-
five years old, he volunteered in the Con-
federate army, was made colonel of the For-
ty-ninth Virginia Infantry, bore himself gal-
lantly in numerous engagements; and was
promoted to brigadier-general and major-
general. After brief service in the Confed-
erate Congress, he again became governor,
January I. 1864, and when Richmond was
evacuated in April. 1865, he removed the
seat of government to Lynchburg, and after-
wards to Danville, surrendering the execu-
tive office May 9. 1865. After the war he
engaged in farming at Warrenton. In 1877,
though eighty-one years of age, he was re-
elected to the state senate, and the next year
ci'me within a few votes of election to the
United States senate, soon afterward retiring
to private life. He was an ardent temper-
Avxe man, and a model of chivalry and po-
liteness. '*His marvelous activity, fearless
character and powerful talents place him
among the remarkable men of the age." He
died at Warrenton, Virginia, May 18, 1887,
aged ninety years.
Floyd, John Buchanan, born in Blacks-
Lurg, June i, 1806, eldest son of Governor
John Floyd and Letitia Preston, his wife.
He was graduated from the College of
South Carolina, in 1826, and beg^n the
practice of the law in 1828. He resided in
Arkansas, 1836-39, then came back to Vir-
ginia and settled in Washington county,
Virginia, where he engaged in law practice.
He served several years in the legislature,
and became governor January i, 1849. Dur-
ing his administration the Washingfton
monument, which graces the public square
ill Richmond was commenced, and his ad-
ministration was able and efficient. He was
made .secretary of war in 1857 by President
ISuchanan, and was subjected to unjust
charges in the Xorth. because he removed
some troops to the West in i860, though
hostility of the Indians demanded it. He
v/as also charged with covertly conveying
government munitions of war to the South,
but an investigation by a special Congress-
ional committee exonerated him fully.
When Major Robert Anderson moved his
garrison from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sum-
ter. Floyd considered that the status quo
which the administration promised the
South Carolina commissioners to preserve
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
had been broken, and on the refusal of the
president to restore the troops he resigned.
In September, 1861, he was made brigadier-
general, Confederate States army, and
held command with General Wise, in West
Virginia. He was transferred to Tennes-
see, and in February, 1862, by hard fighting
extricated his command and escaped with
it from Fort Donelson. He fell under the
displeasure of President Davis for thus
leaving Generals Pillow and Buckner, and
was relieved of his command. The legisla-
ture o( X'irginia did not approve of this
action, and made him major-general in the
siate service and directed him to recruit
and organize a division of troops from
among the classes not embraced in the con-
scription of the Southern Confederacy. He
laised 2000 men and operated on the Big
S»:ndy river with success. He was attacked
with cancer of the stomach and forced to
return home. He died near Abingdon,
Washington county, Virginia. August 26,
1863. General Floyd married early in life
his cousin, Sarah Buchanan, but left no
is-sue.
Johnson, Joseph, second son of Joseph
and Abigail Johnson, was born in Orange
county. New York, December 10, 1785.
When he was but a lad, his parents removed
to Harrison county, Virginia, which was
his home for over seventy years. He was
captain in the war of 1812; in 1818 was
elected to the legislature, and in 1822 was
again re-elected and at the end of his term
declined re-election. He defeated the able
and eloquent Philip Doddridge for Congress
in 1823 and 1825 ; in 1835 was again elected,
serving six years, as a Jackson Democrat,
and declining further service; in 1843 ^^^
obliged by his party to re-enter Congress,
and in 1847 declined re-election. He was
in the constitutional convention of 1850, was
elected governor by the legislature, and sub-
sequently by the people, after the adoption
of the new constitution, defeating the emi-
nent Judge George W. Summers, who repre-
sented the Whig party. In this office he
served from January i, 1852, till January i,
1856. "He was, perhaps, the only man in
Virginia who had been before the people
continuously for forty years and was never
Qtfeated in any of his aspirations.'* Upon
the expiration of his term as governor, Mr.
Johnson retired to private life. When the
war between the states broke out in 1861,
ht advised his people to stand by their sec-
tion. He died in the ninety-second year of
his age, F^ebruary 2^, 1877.
Wise, Henry Alexander, born at Drum-
mondtown, Accomac county, December 3,
1806, son of Major John and Sarah (Crop-
per) Wise. He was orphaned at the age of
six years and his early training was by an
aunt and Major John Custis, an uncle by
marriage. He was a student at Washington
(Pennsylvania) College; studied law under
Judge Tucker, at Winchester, Virginia ; re-
moved to Nashville, Tennessee, soon re-
turning to Virginia. He was elected to
Congress over Richard Coke, who was sus-
pected of nullification tendencies, to which
he was opposed; a duel ensued, in which
Coke was slightly wounded in the arm. Mr.
Wise was returned to Congress for six con-
secutive terms, and rose to the highest
prominence. He adhered to President Tyler
in his controversy with Congress, and with
Thomas W. Gilmer and others belonged to
what was known as *The Corporal's Guard."
In 1843 he was nominated as minister to
France, and was rejected by the senate; in
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GOVERNORS OF THE STATE
57
1844 became minister to Brazil, where he re-
mained until 1847. In 1850 he was elected
to the state convention; in 1855, nominated
for governor as a Democrat, defeating the
American (or know-nothing) candidate
when that party seemed irresistible. He
was governor from January i, 1856, till
January i, i860, and in 1859 suppressed the
John Brown outbreak, ending in the execu-
tion of Brown. In i860 he was prominently
mentioned as a presidential candidate. In
1861 he was a member of the secession con-
vention, and advocated '*fighting in the
Union" for redress. When the decision was
forced, he voted for secession. At the out-
break of the war he was made brigadier-
general, and sent to Western Virginia,
where he won the battle of Scary Creek, but
a misunderstanding with General Floyd led
to his recall. Ordered to Roanoke Island,
he remained until Burnside's assault, in
which his eldest son fell — Captain O. Jen-
nings Wise; he himself was ill at Nag's
Head, and escaped. He was later in the de-
fenses of Chaffin's Farm, then transferred
to South Carolina ; in May, 1864, he reached
Petersburg with his command, just in time
to resist the first attack on the city, which
he held, at great odds; he remained here
until the final movements of General Lee,
and his was the last command engaged at
Appomattox. After the war he resumed
law practice in Richmond, and beyond brief
service as commissioner to fix the Virginia-
Maryland boundary lines, he took no part in
public aflFairs. He was author of "Seven
Decades of the Union," a most valuable
work. "He possessed a remarkable and
marked individuality, being one of the most
eloquent public speakers of a period when
oratory was a most common weapon." He
died in Richmond. September 12, 1878.
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JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT
OF APPEALS
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Ill -JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS
The Supreme Court of Appeals was first ment continued for ten years. On Decem-
constituted by legislative act in May, 1779, ber 22, 1788, an act was passed making the
and consisted of the judges of admiralty, court to consist of five judges, specially
chancery and general courts. This arrange- elected, as at present continues.
JUDGES UNDER THE ACT OP MAY. 1779.
Pendleton, Edmund, president (q. v.).
Wythe, George (q. v.).
Nicholas, Robert Carter (q. v.).
Blair, John (q. v.).
Carrington, Paul (q. v.)
Lyons, Peter (q. v.).
Fleming, William (q. v.).
Dandridge, Bartholomew (q. v., vol. i, p.
220).
Mercer, James (q. v.).
Tazewell, Henry (q. v.).
Waller, Benjamin (q. v.).
Curie, William Roscow Wilson (q. v.).
Cary, Richard (q. v.).
Henry, James (q. v.).
Tyler, John (q. v.).
Parker, Richard (q. v.).
Flicker, St. George (q. v.).
Jones, Gabriel (q. v.).
JUDGES UNDER THE ACT OP DECEMBER 22. 1788. AND AS AMENDED PROM TIME TO TIME
Pendleton, Edmund, president (q. v.).
Lyons, Peter, president (q. v.).
Carrington, Paul (q. v.).
Fleming, William, president (q. v.).
Mercer, James (q. v.).
Roane, Spencer, son of Colonel William
Roane and Elizabeth Ball, his wife, daugh-
ter of Colonel Spencer Ball, was born in
Essex county, April 4. 1762. He attended
private schools, and about 1777 entered
William and Mary College, where he went
through the usual academic courses, and in
1780 attended the law lectures of Chancellor
Wythe, the professor of law. He practiced
law and entered the house of delegates, and
in 1784 became a member of the council of
state. He soon resigned this last office and
resumed the practice of law, and was elected
again to the legislature. In 1789 he was
made a judge of the general court, where
he continued till 1794, when upon the elec-
tion of Judge Henry Tazewell to the United
States senate, he was appointed a judge of
the Supreme Court of Appeals. He con-
tinued in that office till his death. In public
e.stimation he stood second only to Judge
Pendleton, and upon the death of that
gentleman he was, beyond dispute, the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ablest judge of the courts. He belonged to
what was called the Republican party, and
he was much engaged in the controversies
of the day, and frequently wrote for the
newspapers. He strongly defended the
rights of his court against the decisions of
Judge Marshall, in the United States Su-
preme Court, and Mr. Jefferson wished him,
at the expiration of Mr. Monroe's term, to
be run as \'ice-President under Mr. Craw-
ford, with a view that he might succeed him
later as President. He was twice one of
the persons appointed to revise the laws of
the state, and several times one of the col-
lege of electors of President and \'ice-Presi-
dcnt of the United States, and was one of
the commissioners for locating the Univer-
sity of Virginia. He married Anne Henry,
daughter of Patrick Henry, September 7.
1787. and was father of William H. Roane.
United States senator. He died at the age
of sixty, September 4, 1822.
Tucker, St George (q. v.).
Pleasants, James (q. v.), qualified as judge
of the Supreme Court. January 30. 181 1. but
soon resigned.
Brooke, Francis T., president, was born
at **Smithfield." Spotsylvania county, four
miles below Fredericksburg, on the Rappa-
hannock river. August 27, 1763, son of Rich-
ard Brooke and Ann Hay Taliaferro, his
wife, daughter of Francis Taliaferro, of
'•Epsom," in the same county. His brother
was Robert Brooke, governor of Virginia;
• his grandfather was Robert Brooke, a noted
surveyor, who was one of Spotswood's
"Horseshoe Knights." and his great-grand-
father was Robert Brooke, a justice of
Essex county about 1700. He was well
trained by private tutors, and served in the
revolution as a lieutenant in 1780, in Harri-
son's artillery. Continental line; his twin
brother John also received a similar appoint-
ment in the same regiment. He served
under Lafayette in 1781, commanded a com-
pany in Colonel Febiger's regiment, and
joined General Greene at Charleston, South
Carolina, serving with him till the close of
the war. After studying medicine a year
with his brother Lawrence, he turned his
attention to the law; was admitted to the
bar in 1788, and practiced in Monongahela
and Harrison counties. He was made com-
monwealth's attorney in the district court
and practiced in Essex county and in the
Northern Neck ; elected to the house of dele-
gates in 1794; removed two years after to
P'redericksburg, \'irginia; was elected to
tlie state senate in 1800, and soon after be-
came speaker. In 1804 he was elected a
jifdge of the court of appeals, of which he
was president eight years, from 1823 to
1 83 1. He was again elected judge in 1831
and held the office until his death. Judge
Brooke was an intimate friend of General
Washington, to whose niece, Mary Ran-
dolph Spotswood. he was married in 1791.
Their son, Francis T. (1802-37), was gradu-
ated at the United States Military Acad-
emy in 1826, and was killed at the battle
of Okeechobee, December 25, 1837. Judge
Brooke's second wife was Mary C. Carter.
He died at Fredericksburg. March 3, 185 1.
Coalter, John, son of Michael Coalter and
•Elizabeth Moore, his wife, daughter of
James Moore, was born in Rockbridge
county, August 20, 1771 ; was a tutor in the
family of Judge St. George Tucker, in Wil-
liamsburg, and studied law in William and
Mary College, taking a course in 1789 under
Chancellor Wythe and Bishop Madison,
president of that institution. He settled
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JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT
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near Staunton and practiced law, and at
first was very poor and walked to his courts
with his clothes and papers in a bag on his
shoulders. He was, first, attorney for the
commonwealth, and in 1809 he was ap-
pointed a judge of the general court. On
May II, 181 1, he was promoted to the court
of appeals. About 1821 he removed to
Richmond, and soon after purchased "Chat-
ham," in Stafford county, opposite to Fred-
ericksburg, where he resided until the time
of his death, which occurred February 2,
1838. **Chatham" was formerly one of the
elegant estates of the Fitzhugh family, and
Charles Augustus Murray, grandson of Lord
Dunniore. draws in his "Travels'* (1839)
a flattering picture of Judge Coalter in these
noble surroundings. His face portrayed
with singular force, "frankness, energy* and
shrewdness," a combination of qualities
which had raised him to the highest rank
in his profession. Judge Coalter married
three times, (first) Maria* Rind, daughter of
William Rind, of Williamsburg, editor of
one of the Virginia "Gazettes.*' published in
that city at the time of the revolution. He
married (second) Margaret Davenport, of
Williamsburg, and (third) Frances Bland
Tucker, daughter of Judge St. George
Tucker. By the last wife he left issue sur-
viving.
Green* John Williams, son of William
Green and Lucy Williams, his wife, daugh-
ter of William and Lucy (Clayton) Wil-
liams, was born in Culpeper county. Xo-
vcmber 9. 1781. His grandfather was Colo-
nel John Green, of Culpeper, a gallant officer
of the American revolutipn. who served
with distinction with Washington in New
York and with Greene in the South. He
was descended from William Green, an
English yeoman in the bodyguard of Wil-
liam, Prince of Orange, whose son, Robert,
father of Colonel John Green, came to Vir-
ginia about 1710 with his uncle, William
Duff, a Quaker of large means. He was
educated as a lawyer, and served in the war
of 1812. He became one of the chancellors
of the state, and in 1822 elected judge of the
Supreme Court of Appeals. He married
(first) December 24, 1805, Mary Brown,
daughter of John and Hannah Ball (Cooke)
lirown. of Stafford county; married (sec-
ond) October 9, 181 7, Million Cooke, daugh-
ter of John Cooke. By the first marriage
he was father of the distinguished lawyer
and learned scholar, William Green, LL. D.,
o: Richmond. He died February 4, 1834.
Carr, Dabney» son of Dabney Carr (q. v.)
and Martha Jefferson, his wife, was born
three weeks before the death of his father,
in Albemarle county, in April, 1773. He
attended Hampden-Sidney College, and
after his return home studied law and be-
came intimately acquainted with the cele-
brated William Wirt, who had married a
daughter of Dr. George Gilmer, and was
then settled in Albemarle. Carr practiced in
Albemarle county, and in 181 1 became chan-
cellor of the Winchester district, and in
1824, on the death of Judge Fleming, was
made a judge of the Supreme Court of Ap-
peals. His profound investigations of the
questions which came before him for deci-
sion made for him a great reputation. He
helAhi.< office on the Supreme bench till his
death. January 8. 1837. He was buried in
Sbockoe Cemetery. Richmond.
Tucker, Henry St George, eldest son of
Judge St. George Tucker by his first wife,
Frances Bland, daughter of Theodorick
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
JJland, and widow of John Randolph, of
"Matoax," in Chesterfield county, was born
at that place, December 29, 1780. In 1791 he
entered the grammar school of William and
Mary College, conducted by Rev. John
Itracken, and completed the college course
of Bachelor of Arts, July 4, 1799. He took
a law course under his father, the professor
of law in the college, and began to practice
at Winchester in 1802. He speedily at-
tracted notice and was elected to the house
of delegates in 1807, served afterwards in
the war of 1812, and in 1815 was elected to
Congfress. where he served two terms. He
served in the state senate, 1819-1823 ; presi-
dent of the Virginia Supreme Court of Ap-
peals, 1831-41, and law professor at Univer-
sity of Virginia, 1841-45. He conducted a
celebrated law school for some years at
Winchester, and declined the post of United
Slates attorney-general, offered by Presi-
dent Jackson. He wrote '^Commentaries on
the Law of V^irginia" (2 vols., 1836) ; *'Lec-
tures on Constitutional Law" (1843), ^^^
** Lectures on Natural Law and Govern-
ment" (1844). He was president of the
Virginia Historical and Philosophical soci-
eties, and received the degree of Doctor of
Laws from William and Mary in 1837. He
married Ann Evelina, daughter of Moses
Hunter, and died at Winchester, Virginia,
August 28, 1848. He is to be distinguished
from an Anglo-Indian relative and name-
sake (1771-1851), who was chairman of the
East India Company, and whose life was
written by J. W. Kaye, 1854.
Cabell, William H. (q. v.).
Allen, John J., was born at Woodstock,
Shenandoah county, Virginia, September
25. 1797. son of James Allen, a distinguished
lawyer and judge of the circuit court. He
v.as educated at Washington College, Vir-
ginia, and Dickinson College, Pennsylvania.
He read law with his father, and removed
to Clarksburg in 1819. In 1827 he was
elected to the state senate and introduced
an important bill, which afterwards became
a law, for the settlement of land titles in
Trans-Alleghany Virginia. In 1834 he was
commonwealth attorney for the counties of
Harrison, Lewis and Preston. At the same
time he was a member of the Twenty-third
Congress from December 2, 1833, to March
3 1835, and served on the committee of the
District of Columbia. In 1836 he was ap-
pointed judge of the seventeenth circuit, re-
moved to Botetourt county, and held his
first court there September i, 1836. In De-
cember, 1840, he was elected a judge of the
state court of appeals, and in 185 1 was made
the president thereof. He was an ardent
upholder of the doctrine of secession, his
masterly defence of which may be found in
"The Southern Historical Papers" for Janu-
ary, 1876. In 1865 he resigned and retired
to private life. Judge Allen was married in
1824. He died in 1871.
Brockenbrough, William» son of Dr. John
Brockenbrough, of Tappahannock, Essex
county, Virginia, and of Sarah, his wife,
daughter of Colonel William Roane, was
born July 10, 1778; was educated at Wil-
liam and Mary College in 1798; studied law
and afterwards practiced it with much suc-
cess. He represented Essex in the house of
delegates in 1802-03 ; member of the council,
May, 1803; appointed a judge of the gen-
eral court. February 7, 1809, and a judge of
the Supreme Court of Appeals, February
20, 1834. to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Judge John W. Green. He was an
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JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT
65
able jurist, but did not serve in the Supreme
Court long, as he died December 10, 1838.
He was father of John VV. Brockenbrough,
for many years judge of the United States
court for the western district of Virginia,
afterwards member qf the Confederate con-
gress, and professor of law at Washington
College.
Parker, Richard Elliott, was born at Rock
Spring, Westmoreland county, Virginia,
December 27, 1783, son of Captain William
Harwar and Mary (SturmanJ Parker, and
grandson of Judge Richard and Elizabeth
(Beale) Parker. He studied law at Law-
field, Virginia, under his grandfather, Judge
Richard Parker; was admitted to the bar
and settled to practice in his native county,
which he represented in the Virginia legis-
lature for several years. He was colonel of
the militia in Westmoreland county at the
outbreak of the war of 1812, and served as
colonel of the Thirty-fifth Virginia Regi-
ment, with which he defended the Northern
Neck from British attacks, 1813-14. He
was wounded in the action at White House,
September 16, 1814, returning after the war
to the practice of law, and was elected a
judge of the general court, July 26, 1817.
He was elected to the United States senate
to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation
of Benjamin Watkins Leigh, serving from
December 15, 1836, to February 13, 1837,
when he resigned to accept a seat on the
bench of the court of appeals of Virpnia,
to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Dab-
ney Carr, January 8. 1837. He declin'ed the
position of attorney-general in the cabinet
of President Van Buren, in 1840. as suc-
cessor to Felix Grundy. He married Eliz-
abeth, daughter of Dr. William Foushee. of
Richmond, Virginia. He died at the "Re-
treat," Snickersville, Virginia, September 9,
1840.
Stanard, Robert, son of William Stanard
and Elizabeth Carter, his wife, daughter of
Colonel Edward Carter, of "Blenheim,"
Albemarle county, was born in Spottsyl-
vania county, August 17, 1781. He attended
William and Mary College in 1798, studied
law and began the practice. He met at first
with little success, but encouraged by his
father, he persevered and became prominent
at the Richmond bar about the time that
John Wickham, William Call and their con-
temporaries left the field of action. He was
a member of the state convention of 1829-
30, which revised the constitution. He
made a great impression in that assembly of
able men. On the death of Judge Brocken-
brough, in 1839, Mr. Stanard was elected to
succeed him on the bench of the Supreme
Court of Appeals. His mind was lucid and
direct. He understood no quibbling and
despised all sophistry. He died while writ-
ing an opinion in Richmond, May 14, 1846.
Baldwin, Briscoe G., eldest son of Cor-
nelius Baldwin and Mary Briscoe, daugh-
ter of Colonel Gerrard Briscoe, of Fred-
erick county, was born at Winchester, Vir-
ginia. January 18. 1789. After attending a
private school he entered William and Mary
College, where he was the fellow student of
John Tyler, William S. Archer, John J.
Crittenden and others, who afterwards held
distinguished public positions. He studied
law under Judge William Daniel, in Cum-
berland county, and practiced law in Staun-
ton. He served in the house of delegates
from .Augusta in 1818-20, and in 1829-30
was a member of the constitutional conven-
tion. He saw service again in the house
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ot delegates in 1841-42, and on January
29, 1842, he was elected a member of the
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia — a
position in which he continued till his death,
M^y 18, 1852. He was a learned lawyer,
an accomplished scholar, and a brilliant
speaker and orator. He was father of Colo-
nel John B. Baldwin, who was the leader of
the Union party in the secession convention
of 1861, but who voted for secession when
the issue was presented of fighting one sec-
tion of the country or the other.
Daniel, William, a descendant of James
Daniel, who was born in Middlesex county,
'Virginia, about 1680, and son of William
Daniel (1770-1839), a judge of the general
court from 1813 to 1839, by his wife, Mar-
garet Baldwin, sister of Judge Briscoe G.
Baldwin, was born in Cumberland county,
November 26, 1806. He was educated at
Hampden-Sidney College and the Univer-
sity of Virginia, studied law in 1827-28, and,
ic is said, was licensed and practiced before
he was twenty-one, and was also elected a
member of the legislature and served while
he was yet a minor. On December 15, 1846,
he was elected a judge of the Supreme Court
of Appeals; was reelected by the people
after the adoption of the constitution of
185 1, and served until 1865. By his mar-
riage with Sarah A. Warwick, a daughter
of Major John M. Warwick, of Lynchburg,
he was father of John W. Daniel, who
served with much distinction in the United
States senate. Judge Daniel died at Farm-
ville, Virginia, March 28, 1873. The Daniel
family in other lines also has had many dis-
tinguished representatives.
Moncure, Richard C. L., was born in Staf-
ford county, Virginia, in 1805. His great-
grandfather. Rev. John Moncure, a native
of Scotland, descended from a Huguenot
refugee, settled in Virginia in the eighteenth
century, and was for many years in charge
of the parish of Overwharton. Richard re-
ceived his early training at the local schools,
and supplemented it by private reading. He
was admitted to the bar in 1825, and soon
attained the front rank. He practiced in
Fredericksburg and neighboring counties
and the Supreme Court of Appeals at Rich-
mond. He entered politics in 1849, when a
revision of the code was considered neces-
sary. He was elected to the legislature and
v/as placed on the committee having charge
01 this work, rendering valuable service.
In 1*851 he was appointed to fill the vacancy
occurring at the death of Judge Francis T.
Brooke, but, the state constitution being
changed that year, the judges* commissions
were vacated and elections became neces-
sary. He was chosen as one of the five
judges constituting the Supreme Court, and
held the position until the close of the war.
His tenure of office was temporarily sus-
pended during the reconstruction period
(1865-1870), but on the adoption of the new
constitution in 1870 he was again elected,
and held the position until his death. He
was on the bench more than thirty years,
and his decisions are found in a large num-
ber of the Virginia reports. He married in
early life. Mary Washington Conway, and
had a large family. His eldest son, J. C.
Moncure. became a judge of the Supreme
Court of Louisiana. Judge Moncure died
at his home at Stafford, August 26, 1882.
Samuels, Green B., was born in Shenan-
doah county, February i, 1806, and studied
law under Judge Henry St. George Tucker,
in Winchester. He was elected as a Demo-
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JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT
67
crat to the Twenty-sixth Congress, March
4. 1839-March 4, 1843. In 1852 he was elect-
ed a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals
by popular vote, in pursuance of the consti-
tution adopted' by the convention of 1850-
51. He died January 5, 1859, in Richmond,
Virginia.
Robertson, William J., was born in the
county of Culpeper, in the year 1817. He
received a classical and legal education at
the University of Virginia (1834-36, 1841),
from which institution he graduated with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He settled
in the town of Charlottesville and practiced
law with great success. He was common-
wealth's attorney for Albemarle county,
and won great reputation as a lawytr and
advocate. In 1859 Judge Robertson was
elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals by
popular election over John B. Baldwin. He
served till April, 1865, when Virginia sub-
mitted to the Federal army. He then re-
tired to private life and resumed the prac-
tice of the law, which he prosecuted with-
great success. He was attorney in many
of the most important law cases involving
the interests of Virginia and her citizens,
including the famous suit affecting the Ar-
lington property, belonging to the Lee fam-
ily and confiscated by the United States.
He was first president of the Virginia Bar
Association. Judge Robertson married
twice, (first) Hannah C, daughter of Gen-
eral William F. Gordon, of Albemarle, and
(second) Mrs. Alice Watts Moore, a cele-
brated Virginia belle. He died May 27, 1898.
Lcc, George Hay, was born in Winches-
ter in 1808, studied at the University of Vir-
ginia, 1827-28, and was a student of law
under Judge Henry St. George Tucker, at
Winchester, Virginia. In 1854 he was
elected by the people, pursuant to the con-
vention of 1850-51, a member of the Su-
preme Court of Virginia. At this time he
was living in what is now West Virginia,
He never sat after 1861, because West Vir-
ginia was recognized by Lincoln and his
cabinet as an independent state.
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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
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IV-PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
Washington, George, first President (q. v.).
Jefferson, Thomas, third President (q. v.).
Madison, James, fourth Presidlent (q. v.)-
Monroe, James, fifth President (q. v.).
Harrison, William Henry, ninth Presi-
dent of the United States, born at "Berke-
ley." Charles City county, Virginia, Febru-
^^y 9» 1773' son of Governor Benjamin (q.
V.) and Elizabeth (Bassett) Harrison. He
made good use of his father's excellent
library, preparing himself for admission to
Hampden-Sidney College, from which he
was graduated, then taking up the study of
medicine in Philadelphia, under the guar-
dianship of Robert Morris. • He was at-
tracted by the western emigration, and de-
sired to enter the army, for clearing the way
for emigrants, and the objections of his
guardian were only overruled through the
influence of President Washington, who
commissioned the young man (April, 1791)
ensign in the First United States Artillery
Regiment, then stationed at Fort Washing-
ton (the site of the future city of Cincin-
nati, Ohio), the key to the southwest region,
practically in Spanish possession and unex-
plored, (jeneral Wayne was attracted to
him and made him lieutenant, and he was
of the detachment that built Fort Recov-
er}-, on the ground of St. Clair's defeat, and
he was commended in general orders for
his "excellent performance of a perilous
duty." At the battle of the Maumee (Au-
gust 20, 1794). General Wayne said of him
that "by his conduct and bravery he ex-
cited the troops to press to victory." In
1795 he was promoted to captain, and
placed in command of Fort Washington.
In 1798 President Adams made him sec-
retary of the Northwestern Territory under
Governor St. Clair, and he resigned his
military commission. He was frequently
acting governor during St. Clair's absences,
and resigned in October, 1799, having been
elected to Congress as one of the first two
territorial delegates. In Congp-ess he se-
cured the subdivision of the public lands
into small tracts, in the interest of bona
fide settlers, and to the disappointment of
speculators. When the territory of Indiana
was formed, he was appointed governor by
President .\dams, and was reappointed by
Jefferson and Madison. The authority
granted him was extensive: he appointed
all civil officers, and all military officers
under the rank of general ; and held the par-
doning power, as well as supreme authority
to treat with the Indians. In 1803 the im-
mense Louisiana territory was added to his
jurisdiction. His sterling integrity was
evidenced by the fact that, with unlimited
opportunities for speculation, he would not
take a single foot of public land, and he re-
fused the proffered gift by the people of St.
Louis of one-third of the land upon which
the city was subsequently laid out. When
the Indians became troublesome in 181 1,
he held an unsuccessful conference with
them at Tippecanoe, and, having reported
to Washington, was authorized to force
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
them into submission. With one thousand
regular troops and militia, he built Fort
Harrison, near the present city of Terre
Haute, Indiana, and with part of the force
marched toward the Indian village. He
was attacked by Tecumseh and his band,
while in camp at night, but he defeated
them, and was highly complimented by the
President. When the war of 1812-14 opened,
the Indians sided with the British, who had
taken possession of Detroit. The Kentucky
legislature commissioned Harrison major-
general, though he was not a resident of
the state, and he proceeded with the troops
furnished him, but was unable to reach
Hull, who had surrendered. On September
2. 1 81 2, he was commissioned brigadier-gen-
eral, and on returning to \'incennes he was
appointed to the command of all troops in
the northwest. After an active but futile
campaign, he journeyed to Cincinnati to ob-
tain supplies. He was commissioned major-
general, March 2, 1813. He held Fort Meigs
against two severe attacks, and after Perry's
naval victory on Lake Erie, led his troops
for an expedition into Canada, overtaking
the British and Indians, in the battle of the
Thames, capturing the British force entire,
and killing Tecumseh and dispersing his
band. This battle ended the war in Upper
Canada, and Harrison was the popular hero.
In 1813 he resigned his military commis-
sion on account of an affront from the sec-
retary of war. He was Indian commis-
sioner in 1814-15, and member of Congress
from Ohio, 1816-19. In Congress he ad-
vocated a general militia bill, which was
defeated, but his bill for the relief of sol-
diers of the late war was passed. He was
a state senator, 1820-21 ; was defeated for
Congress in 1822, and a presidential elector
on the Clay ticket in 1824. He was elected
United States senator in 1825, succeeded
Andrew Jackson as chairman of the military
affairs committee, and resigned in 1828 to
accept the position of minister to Colombia,
under appointment by President John
Quincy Adams, but was soon recalled
through the influence of General Bolivar.
He retired to his farm at North Bend, Indi-
ana, and served as president of the County
Agricultural Association, and as clerk of
the court of common pleas at Cincinnati.
He was a Jeftersonian Republican in poli-
tics, and when the Whig party was formed
in 1834, he joined it, professing states' rights
views on the bank, tariff and internal im-
provements. In 1835 he was nominated for
President by some of the Whig legislatures
in the western and middle states, but he
was defeated by \*an Buren, the Demo-
cratic nominee. He was the successful
candidate and was elected four years later,
after one of the most exciting canvasses in
the history of the country, in which "the log
cabin," "hard cider,'* "Tippecanoe and Tyler,
tc»o," campaign cries were heard through-
out the land. He was inaugurated March
4 1841, selected his cabinet, and on March
17 called an extra session of Congress to
take up financial questions. Not believing
in the power of Congress to create corpora-
tions in the states, he had in mind a bank of
the District of Columbia, branching with
state assent. The trials of his position and
the apprehension of a breach with Henr>'
Clay, the leader of the Whigs in Congress,
brought on an attack of pneumonia, of
which he died April 4. His wife had not
yet taken up her residence in the White
House, and was not present at his death.
His body lay temporarily in the Congres-
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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
73
sional burying ground at Washington City,
and was later removed to North Bend, Indi-
ana. In 1896 an equestrian statue of Gen-
eral Harrison was unveiled in Cincinnati,
in the presence of his grandson, Benjamin
Harrison, then President. President Wil-
liam H. Harrison married, in 1795, Anna,
daughter of Colonel John Cleves Symmes,
founder of the Miami (Ohio) settlement,
and United States judge, district of New
Jersey.
Tyler, John, son of John Tyler, first gov-
ernor of that name, and Mary Armistead,
his wife, was born at *'Greenway," Charles
City county. Virginia, March 29, 1790. He
attended first an **old field school" till 1802,
when he was sent to Williamsburg and
entered the grammar school of William and
ilary College. At fifteen years of age he
entered the college, and graduated Bachelor
of Arts in 1807. In 1809, before attaining
his majority, he was admitted to the bar,
and in 181 1 took his seat in the house of
delegates as a representative from Charles
City county. He was a firm supporter of
Mr. Madison and the war with Great Britain,
and was captain for a short time of a com-
pany of volunteers. In 1816 he was elected
to Congress to fill a vacancy caused by the
death of Hon. John Clopton. and served till
1821. In 1823 he was returned to the house
or delegates, and the next year he was an
unsuccessful candidate for election to the
United States senate to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of John Taylor, of Caro-
line county. In December, 1825, he was
made governor of Virginia, and served from
December i, 1825, to March 4, 1827, when
he took his seat in the United States senate,
defeating John Randolph, of Roanoke. In
this body he advocated states' rights and
strict construction views, and voted for
Jackson as President in 1828. When Jack-
son issued his proclamation in 1832 against
South Carolina, describing the Union as a
consolidated nation^ Mr. Tyler withdrew
his support, and joined the opposition party,
which in 1834 became known as the Whig
party. He opposed the so-called "force bill,"
and his was the only vote cast against its
passage. He suggested to Clay the prin-
ciples of the compromise tariff, by which
civil war was averted in 1833. In 1836 he
was nominated for the vice-presidency as
the champion of states* rights, but was not
elected at this time. On the other hand,
he did not believe in nullification, nor in the
South Carolina doctrines on the subject of
slavery. He condemned Calhoun's "gag"
resolutions against all petitions and motions
relating in any way to the abolition of slav-
ery as inexpedient, and in 1832, as chair-
man of the senate committee, proposed a
code for the District of Columbia, one sec-
tion of which prohibited the slave trade in
the district. In 1838 he was president of
the Virginia Colonization Society. In 1839
he was reelected to the house of delegates,
and the same year had a contest with Wil-
liam C. Rives for the United States senate,
when a deadlock prevented election. Soon
after, he was unanimously nominated by
the Whig convention at Harrisburg (De-
cember, 1839) as vice-president, and was
elected to that office. When President Wil-
liam Henry Harrison died a month after
taking office. April 4, 1841. Mr. Tyler, pur-
suant to the constitution, became President.
The Whig party was a conglomerate party
and consisted of Northern National Repub-
licans and Southern Democrats, who had
left the Democratic party because of the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
nationalistic views of Andrew Jackson, as
expressed in his proclamation in 1832,
against South Carolina, and in other meas-
ures. The Whig convention at Harrisburg
did not adopt any platform, and through-
out the election campaign in 1840 the Whigs
posed as champions of states' rights, and
Mr. Clay, their great leader, declared the
old measures of bank, tariff and internal im-
piovements all "obsolete questions." Never-
theless, among the first measures of the
Whigs was a bank bill, which President
Tyler, in perfect agreement with his previ-
ous course as senator, vetoed. This brought
about a rupture between the President and
his party, and the entire cabinet resigned,
with the exception of Daniel Webster, who
did not approve the dictation of Mr. Clay.
The President undisturbed, filled his cabi-
net with states* rights Whigs, and though
afterwards he received little support in
Congress from either Democrats or Whigs,
signalized his administration by achieve-
ments of far-reaching importance. Chief
among these was the treaty of Washington
with Great Britain, settling the northeastern
boundary and the question of the visitation
of American ships; and the annexation of
Texas. Instead of state and individual
credit stricken down, as at the commence-
ment of his administration, the treasury
exhausted, and numerous defaulters, exactly
the reverse was the condition of affairs at
the end of his term. There was but one
defaulter during his administration, and
he for the very small sum of fifteen dollars.
After leaving the White House, Mr. Tyler
retired to his home, "Sherwood Forest," in
Charles City county, Virginia, where he
lived for fifteen years the life of a Virginia
planter, surrounded by every comfort. In
1857 he was orator at the Jamestown cele-
bration, and in 1859 was made chancellor
of William and Mary College, for which he
had been rector of the board of managers
for many years. In i860 the condition of
the country called him from his retirement.
He recommended a peace conference, and
v/as president of that which assembled at
Washington in February, 1861. He was
also a member of the state convention,
which met in Richmond in January, 1861,
and was peace commissioner to President
Buchanan. When he saw that the northern
states were opposed to any compromise on
the slavery question, he voted in the state
convention for secession. This body soon
after elected him a delegate to the provi-
sional congress of the Confederate States at
Montgomery, Alabama. Later, in Novem-
ber, 1861, he was elected by the people of
the Richmond district to the Confederate
house of representatives, but died before he
took his seat. His death occurred in Rich-
mond, January 18, 1862. A great public
funeral witnessed the interment of his re-
mains in Hollywood Cemetery. He mar-
ried twice, (first) Letitia Christian, of New
Kent county, Virginia, and (second) Julia
Gardiner, of New York, and left issue by
each marriage. Jefferson Davis used the
following language concerning him : ** As an
extemporaneous speaker, I regarded him as
the most felicitous among the orators I have
known." Henry S. Foote spoke of his "high-
bred politeness, and his "entire freedom from
hauteur or assumption." Alexander H. Ste-
phens wrote that "his state papers com-
pared favorably with those of any of his
predecessors ;" while Charles Dickens, in his
"American Notes," giving an account of a
call upon him in 1842, said : "I thought that
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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
75
in his whole carriage and demeanor he be-
came his station singularly well."
Taylor, Zachary, twelfth President of the
United States, was born near Orange
county, Virginia, November 24, 1784. He
was a son of Colonel Richard Taylor and
Sarah Strother, his wife, daughter of Wil-
liam Strother, of Stafford county. Colonel
Richard Taylor, his father, was a grandson
of James Taylor, who emigrated to Vir-
ginia from Carlisle, England, in 1682. He
served in the revolutionary war ; was major
of the Ninth Virginia Regiment in 1778, and
lieutenant-colonel of the same in 1779. He
removed to Kentucky in 1785 and resided in
Jefferson county, and was a member of the
Kentucky constitutional convention of
1792. and a member of the Kentucky legis-
lature under this constitution. He was a
presidential elector in 1813, 1817, 1821 and
1825, and was also United States collector
for Kentucky. He engaged in many of the
conflicts with the Indians, and was severely
wounded in 1792 near Eton, Ohio, in the
battle between General Adams' command
and the Indians under Little Turtle.
In this environment Zachary Taylor had
few advantages outside of the home circle
and a tutor, Elisha Avers. His home, how-
ever, was enlivened by guests from the best
families of Virginia, induced to settle in
Kentucky by grants of wild lands given to
her revolutionary soldiers. Colonel Tay-
lor's home was a stockade of logs, and
capable of being easily defended against the
Indians. Here his sons met military men,
whose stories aroused a martial spirit.
Zachary was commissioned first lieutenant
in the Seventh United States Infantry in
1808. On June 18, 1810, he married Mar-
garet, daughter of Major Walter Smith,
United States army, a planter of Calvert
county, Maryland, and his wife lived with
him on the frontier where the army was
engaged in defending the settlers against
the Shawnee Indians. He was promoted
captain, November 30, 1810, and in April,
18 1 2, was ordered to Fort Harrison, above
Vincennes, where his company strengthened
the stockade against an Indian assault. The
attack was made on September 4-5, 1812,
by a large force, who, with small loss to the
garrison, were repelled, and in October,
Captain Taylor was reinforced by General
Hopkins. He was brevetted major for his
gallant defence, and given command in an
expedition against an Indian camp at the
headwaters of the Wabash. In 1814 he was
commissioned major, and his battalion made
a successful demonstration against the In-
dians, supported by British troops at Rock
river, which put an end to hostilities. Peace
having been declared, the army was reduced
to ten thousand men, and Major Taylor was
offered a captain's commission, which he de-
clined, and his resignation was accepted.
Soon after he was reinstated as major, and
again took up military life. He was pro-
moted lieutenant-colonel of the First In-
fantry in 1819, and given command of Fort
Snelling, the extreme northwestern post.
He built Fort Jessup, Louisiana, in 1822,
and served in the southwest until 1824,
when he was sent to Louisville on recruit-
ing service, and to Washington, D. C, as
II member of the board of officers of which
Winfield Scott was chairman, to determine
the organization of the state militia. He
was at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1827-28,
and at Fort Snelling, 1829-32. He was pro-
moted colonel April 4, 1832, and transferred
to the First Infantry and assigned to the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
command of Fort Crawford, Wisconsin,
which he completed, and soon after joined
General Atkinson in his campaign against
Black Hawk, resulting in the battle of Bad
Axe, which closed the Indian troubles,
Black Hawk soon after surrendering to
Colonel Taylor. In 1836 Colonel Taylor
was ordered to Florida, and on December
25. ^ii37^ fought the battle of Okeechobee,
defeating the Cherokees and receiving the
brevet of brigadier-general. In 1838 he was
given command in Florida and in 1840 of
the Southern division of the Western de-
partment He removed his family to a
plantation near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
July 4, 1845. when it became necessary to
defend Texas against the Mexicans, he
marched with fifteen hundred men to Cor-
pus Christi. His orders being to maintain
the Rio Grande as the boundary, he awaited
reinforcements, and on March 8, 1846, he
advanced to the river opposite Matamoras
and established Fort Brown. Besides de-
f tending the fort, he had a skirmish near
Matamoras, April 19; fought the battle of
Palo Alto, May 8, and Resaca de la Palma,
May 9; had a second skirmish before taking
possession of Matamoras, May 18; was
brevetted major-general, May 28, and com-
missioned, June 29; fought the battle of
Monterey, September 21-23, receiving the
capitulation of the place on the 24th, and
granting an armistice of eight weeks, for
which action he was severely criticised by
Secretary Marcy. The combat at San Pas-
qual occurred December 6, and the skirmish
at San Bardino, December 7, 1846. When
the government had sent General Scott to
capture the Mexican capital by the Vera
Cruz route. General Taylor was subject to
his orders, and his campaign by way of Sal-
tillo, across the plains, which he had pro-
posed to the government at Washington,
was practically closed, as he could not de-
pend on any support should the exigencies
of the campaign demand his troops at \'era
Cruz. Taylor was ordered to Victoria,
v/here he turned over his troops, save only
an escort, to General Scott, to take part in
the siege of Vera Cruz, and he returned to
Monterey by way of Agua Nueva, beyond
Saltillo. He was joined by General Wool,
and on Februar}- 23-24 they fought the bat-
tle of Buena \'ista, with four thousand five
hundred and fifty men against Santa Annas
army, twenty-two thousand strong. At the
battle, on the second day, he was urged not
to continue the fight against such fearful
odds, but he said, "My wounded are behind
me; I will never pass them alive." He de-
feated the Mexicans, and decimated the
army of Santa Anna. This battle closed his
career as a soldier, and he returned home
in November, 1847. He received three
medals from Congress, and three swords
from the state legislatures. **01d Rough
and Ready," now the national hero, was
taken up by the Whigs as a candidate for
the presidency. The Native American party
had offered him the nomination for Presi-
dent, but put no candidate in the field. The
Democrats met in Baltimore, May 22, 1848,
and nominated General Lewis Cass for
President, and William O. Butler for Vice-
President, and the Whig national conven-
tion met at Philadelphia, June 7, 1848, and
on the fourth ballot nominated General
Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana, for President,
and Millard Fillmore was nominated for
Vice-President. In the election, the Taylor
and Fillmore electors received 1,360,101
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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
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popular votes ; the Cass and Butler electors
1,220,544, and the Van Buren and Adams
Freesoil ticket 291,262. The electoral col-
lege gave Taylor and Fillmore 163 votes,
and 127 to Cass and Butler. On March 4,
1849, General Taylor was inaugurated. In
his message to Congress he recommended
the admission of California to the Union,
but did not favor the admission of either
Utah or Mexico. On July 4, 1850, he at-
tended the ceremonies of laying the corner-
stone of the Washington monument, and
the heat of the day brought upon him
cholera morbus, which caused his death, in
the presence of his wife, his daughter, Eliz-
abeth, and her husband, Colonel Bliss, his
brother. Colonel Taylor, and family, and
Jeflferson Davis and family, Vice-President
Fillmore and his cabinet. He died at the
White House, Washington, July 9, 1850.
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JUDGES OF THE UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT
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J. MARSHALL
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V-JUDGES OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
Blair, John (q. v.).
Marshall, John, was born in Germantown,
Fauquier county, Virginia, September 24,
1755, son of Colonel Thomas (q. v.) and
Mary Isham (Keithj Marshall, the eldest of
fifteen children. He received his early in-
structions from Mr. James Thompson, a
private tutor, and attended the classical
academy of the Messrs. Campbell, in West-
moreland county, Virginia. He studied law,
but at the outbreak of the revolutionary
war he joined a company of volunteers and,
as lieutenant, took part in the action at
v^reat Bridge, in Norfolk county. His com-
pany was subsequently reorganized* and he-
me a part of the Eleventh Regiment of
\ irginia troops, which was ordered to join
Washington's army in Xew Jersey. He
was promoted captain of a company in May,
^117 '* ^vas engaged in the battles of Mon-
mouth. Brandywine and Germantown, and
accompanied Washington to Valley Forge,
December 19, 1777. In 1779 he was present
at the capture of Stony Point by General
Anthony Wayne and subsequently covered
the retreat of Major Lee after his attack on
the enemy's post at Paulus' Hook, August
I9« 1779- He was ordered to return to Vir-
ginia to take charge of the militia which
was then being raised by the state, and he
repaired to Williamsburg, Virginia. While
waiting for the troops he attended, for a
few months in 1780, a course of law lectures
by Chancellor Wythe, of the College of Wil-
liam and Mar\% and the same year was ad-
mitted to the bar at Williamsburg. Despair-
ing of the organization of state militia, he
joined the small force under Baron Steuben
for the defence of the state. In 1781 he re-
signed his commission and entered upon the
practice of law in Fauquier county. He
early attained prominence at the bar ; was a
delegate to the Virginia house of delegates
in 1782; removed his law office to Richmond,
Virginia; was elected a member of the state
executive council and was commissioned a
general in the newly organized state militia.
He continued to represent Fauquier county
in the legislature till 1787, and then repre-
sented Henrico county. He was engaged
ill the celebrated case of Ware vs. Hilton,
involving the British debt question, tried in
the Circuit Court of the United States at
Richmond before Chief Justice John Jay, the
attorneys for the American debtors being
Patrick Henry, Alexander Campbell, James
Irvine and John Marshall. He was married.
January 3, 1783, to Mary Willis, daughter
ot Jacqueline and Rebecca L. (Burwell)
Amber. He became a Federalist, and was a
member of the constitutional convention of
Virginia, which met at Richmond. June 2,
1788, where he favored the adoption of the
Federal constitution. He declined the cabi-
net position of attorney-general, and also a
foreign mission tendered him by President
Washington; was again a delegate to the
house of burgesses, 1788-91, and practiced
law at Richmond, 1791-97. Upon the with-
drawal of James Monroe as resident minister
to France, and the appointment of Charles C.
Pinckney as his successor, the French gov-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ernment became hostile to the United States,
and in 1797 ordered United States Minister
Finckney to quit the French territory and
he went to Amsterdam and thence to New
York. This occasioned great indignation in
the United States; and an extra session of
Congress was convened and a special mis-
sion to France was instituted composed of
Marshall. Pinckney and Gerry as joint en-
voys with orders to "demand redress and
reparation from France." They arrived in
Paris, October 4, 1797. and were treated
with due civility. The French directory
would not acknowledge the commissioners,
but Talleyrand suggested through secret
agents that an amicable settlement of affairs
could be made by the modification of Presi-
dtMit Adams' speech to Congress in which
he had denounced the French government,
and the payment of the sum of $250,000 by
the American government. To this proposi-
tion the committee replied that no such con-
cession would be made and refused to have
further intercourse with the agents. The
preparations for a war with France were
actively begun by the Adams administration
and Washington was made lieutenant-gen-
eral of the United States forces then being
raised. Marshall and Pinckney left France,
while Gerry, who was a Republican and was
supposed by the directory to favor the pay-
ment of tribute rathef'than fight, was com-
pelled to remain in Paris by threats of an
immediate declaration of war if he left, but
when he was urged to enter into negotia-
tions after the withdrawal of his colleagues
he refused to do so. Marshall arrived in
New York. June 17, 1798. and was received
with great enthusiasm, and a public banquet
was given to him by both houses of Con-
gress. It was at this dinner that the
famous reply of Pinckney to the French
directory in 1796 — "Millions for defence but
not one cent for tribute" — was used as a
toast. Marshall immediately resumed his
law practice in X'irginia and declined the
appointment of justice of the Supreme Court
of the United States tendered him by i*resi-
dent Adams, September 20, 1798. He was a
Federal representative in the Sixth Con-
gress, 1799-1801 ; and gained the favor of
President Adams by his speech in the case
of Jonathan Rubins. He was appointed sec-
retary of state in the reorganized cabinet
01 President Adams. May 12, iSoo. During
his administration of state affairs, the treaty
with France was ratified. While serving as
secretary of state, he was appointed thief
justice of the United States to succeed Chief
Justice Ellsworth, resigned, and took the
oath of office. February 4, 1801. For one
month he acted as both secretary of state
and chief justice — a unique case of the com-
bination in one person of executive and
judicial offices. It was before Marshall as
chief justice that the celebrated trial of
Aaron Burr was held and a verdict of ac-
quittal was rendered. He was a member of
the Virginia state convention of 1829 and
spoke with great earnestness on the matter
.of changing the manner of appointment of
the judges and magistrates of the common-
wealth and the length of their term of office.
Although opposed to a high protective tariff,
he did not approve of nullification. By his
decisions in the Supreme Court he greatly
strengthened the hands of the Federal gov-
ernment. He was the author of a "Life of
Washington" (5 vols., 1804-07), written and
published at the request of Washington's
family, but he was a better judge than his-
torian, and the work has never been popular.
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JUDGES OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
83
'J'he first volume was afterward published
separately under the title of "A History of
the American Colonies" (1824) and the en-
tire work was subsequently revised and con-
densed into two volumes in 1832. The hon-
orary degree of Doctor of Laws was con-
ferred on him by the College of New Jer-
sey in 1802, by Harvard in 1806, and by the
University of Pennsylvania in 1815. He was
a member of the American Philosophical
Society ; a fellow of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, and corresponding
member of the Massachusetts Historical
Society. On February 4, 1901, the Supreme
Court of the United States, with the aid and
support of the President and Congress, cele-
brated the one hundredth anniversary of the
day on which h^took his seat for the first time
in the Supreme Court of the United States,
and by common consent all judicial business
throughout the country ceased, and state,
city and county bar associations held appro-
priate exercises, as did colleges, law and
public schools. His health began to decline
?t the opening of the session of the Supreme
Court in 1835. although he presided through-
out the session. He died in Philadelphia,
I Pennsylvania, July 6, 1835. '"^ ability as
a judge consisted in his almost supernatural
power of distinguishing at a glance the very
point on which the- controversy depended.
He was not always correct in his decisions
but there can be but one opinion as to his
nipid. resistless and astonishing penetration.
Washington, Bushrod, was born in West-
moreland county. Virginia. June 5. 1762,
the son of John Augustine, younger brother
of George Washington ; was graduated
from William and Mary College in 1778.
and read law in Philadelphia in James
Wilson's office. In 1780-81 he served in
Colonel J. F. Mercer's troop, which was dis-
banded after the siege of Vorktown. He
practiced at home, at Alexandria and at
Richmond : was a member of the house of
delegates in 17S7, and of the convention
which ratified the Federal constitution; and
from December 20, ijijS, was a judge of the
United States Supreme Court, receiving his
appointment from President Adams. He
was of "small and emaciated frame, and
countenance like marble." but eminent for
learning and ability. He published "Reports
of the Virginia Court of Appeals, i790-<)6.*'
in two volumes (1798-99), and of the
'United States Court for the Third Circuit.
1803-27," in kuT volumes (1826-29), partly
edited by R. Peters: these, in the opinion
of his biographer, did him but imperfect
justice. At the organization of the Coloni-
zation Society in June, 18 17, he became its
I^resident. As the general's favorite nephew,
he inherited Mount \'ernon, which after-
ward passed to R. E. Lee, through the Cus-
tis family. He (bed November 26, 1829.
His life, by H. r»inney. was privately printed
in 1858.
Barbour, Philip Pendleton, was born in
Orange county, \'irginia, May 25, 1783.
the son of Colonel Thomas IJarbour. He
received his early education at the schools
in his native county, read law, and was
sent by his father to Kentucky to settle
some land claims?' in which he was unsuc-
cessful, and was thereafter left to make
his own way in the world. He was ad-
mitted to the bar. practiced law, and sub-
sequently studied at William and Mary Col-
lege. From 1812 to 1814 he was a member
of the legislature, and from 1814 to 1821 a
member of Congress from Virginia, when
he became speaker of the house of repre-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
sentatives. In 1S25 he resigned his position,
and was appointed judge of the eastern dis-
trict of Virginia. He was in Congress again
from 1827 to 1S30, was president of the
\'irginia constitutional convention and
chairman of the judiciary committee, and in
1831 was president of the Philadelphia free
trade convention. In 1836 President Jack-
son appointed him an associate judge of the
Supreme Court of the United States. While
in Congress he opposed all appropriations
for public improvements, and all import
duties. He died in Washington, D. C, Feb-
ruary 25. 1841.
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Vl-UNITED STATES SENATORS
Grayson, William (q. v.).
Lcc, Richard H. (q. v.).
Walker, John, was born at '*Castle Hill,"
Albemarle county, Virginia, February 13,
1744, son of Dr. Thomas Walker, the ex-
plorer (q. v.), and Mildred Thornton, his
wife. His mother was daughter of Colonel
John and Mildred (Gregory) Thornton, the
latter being daughter of Roger and ^lil-
dred (Washington) Gregory, sister of Gen-
eral George Washington. He attended Wil-
liam and Mary College (1764), and after
graduation settled at "Bel voir," Albemarle
county, where he engaged in the occupation
of a planter. In 1777 he was commissioned
with his father to make special terms with
the Indians at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, so
as to retain their friendship throughout the
revolution. During this war he served as
an extra aide on the staff of General Wash-
ington, with the rank of colonel. The lat-
ter wrote to Patrick Henry, February 24,
1777, commending the ability, honor and
prudence of Colonel Walker. The governor
of Virginia appointed him to the United
States senate, where he filled the vacancy
made by the death of William Grayson,
serving from May 4, 1790, until a successor
was regularly elected by the legislature.
His seat was thus relinquished to James
Monroe. While a senator he voted for the
removal of the seat of government to the
Potomac river. He married, in 1764, Eliz-
abeth, daughter of Bernard Moore, of *'Chel-
sea," Virginia, and granddaughter, of Gov-
ernor Alexander Spotswood. They had one
daughter, Mildred. He died in Orange
county, Virginia, December 2, 1809.
Monroe, James (q. v.).
Tazewell, Henry (q. v.).
Mason, Stevens Thomson, was born in
Stafford county, Virginia, in 1760, son of
Thomson Mason, the brother of George
Mason, the celebrated author of the Dec-
laration of rights and state constitution.
Stevens Thomson Mason was educated at
William and Mary College, and on the out-
break of the revolutionary war volunteered,
was an aide to General Washington, and
was present at the siege of Yorktown.
Afterward he became a general of militia.
He was a member of the house of delegates
of Virginia, and of the state constitutional
convention in 1788. He was elected to the
United States senate, and served from De-
cember 7, 1795, ^^ March 3, 1803. Mason
became seriously involved during his sena-
torial career, in connection with the Jay
treaty. This treaty, negotiated by John
Jay, was ratified in secret session by the
smallest possible constitutional majority.
It was forbidden by the senate that the
treaty should be published, but Senator
Mason did cause to be printed in a Phila-
delphia newspaper, the ** Aurora," at first an
abstract of the instrument and afterward a
complete copy. This created great excite-
ment, being applauded by the Republicans
and attacked by the Federalists. Senator
Mason was a warm personal friend of
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Thomas Jefferson, and his strong political
ally. Personally, Senator Mason was also
a popular man, esteemed for his integrity
and admired for his remarkable ability as an
orator. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania. May 10, IQP3.
Nicholas, Wilson Gary (q. v.).
Taylor, John, known as "John Taylor of
Caroline," was born in Orange county, Vir-
ginia, in 1750. His father was James Tay-
lor, who married Ann Pollard — a sister of
5- a rah Pollard, who married the celebrated
Ldmund Pendleton, president of the
famous convention of May. 1776, that de-
clared for independence. He was of the
• same distingiiished family as General Zach-
ary Taylor. President of the United States.
He attended William and Mary College and
graduated there in 1770. He studied law.
and. settling in Caroline county, began the
practice in 1774. He entered the army
when the revolutionary war began, and was
a colonel of cavalry. He served in the
house of delegates from 1779 to 1787. being
one of the leading members. About this
time he gave up the practice of law and
devoted his ample time to politics and agri-
culture. In 1792 he was appointed to fill
the unexpired term of Richard Henry Lee
in the United States senate, and was elect-
ed to the term that began March 4, 1793,
• but resigned, May 11, 1794; presidential
elector in 1797; he was a close friend of Mr.
J<:fferson, and, as member of the house of
delegates, offered the resolutions of 1798
condemning the alien and sedition laws;
appointed to the senate to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Stevens Thomson
Mason, and served from June 4. 1803, until
December 7, 1803, when he resigned ; again
appointed to fill the vacancy occasioned by
the death of James Pleasants, Jr., and was
elected later to serve the regular term for
six years beginning December 18, 1822, but
died at his estate in Caroline county, Au-
gust 20, 1824. Mr. Taylor was a prolific
political writer, and was the author of "An
Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the
Ciovernment of the United States/' 1S14;
"Construction Construed and the Constitu-
tion \'indicated," 1820; "Tyranny Unmask-
ed." 1822; "Xcw \'iews of the Constitution
of the United States." 1823. He was also a
scientific agriculturist, and in 181 1 was first
president of the \'irginia Agricultural Soci-
ety. His little books. "Arator," being a
scries of agricultural essays, practical and
I'Ctlitical. 1818. wa> one of the first Amer-
ican books on agriculture. Taylor county.
Kentucky, was named in his honor.
Vcnable, Abraham B., son of Nathaniel
\enable and Elizabeth Woodson, his wife,
was born in Prince Edward county. \'ir-
ginia. November 20, 1758. He was gradu-
ated at Princeton College in 1780; studied
law and practiced in his native county, and
from 1791 to 1799 was a representative in
Congress from Virginia, and United States
senator from 1803 to 1804, when he re-
signed and resumed the practice of law in
Richmond. He was a friend of Thomas
Jefferson; was founder and first president
of the Bank of Virginia. He perished in
the conflagration of the theatre at Rich-
mond, Virginia, December 26, 181 1.
Giles. WiUiam B. fq. v.).
Moore, Andrew, son of David Moore,
whose father was of the Scotch-Irish race
who emigrated from the North of Ireland
and settled in the valley of Virginia, was
born at "Cannicello," in Rockbridge coiinty.
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UNITED STATES SENATORS
89
in 1752. He studied law in Willjamsburg
under Chancellor Wythe, and was admitted
to the bar in 1774. He served in the revolu-
tionary army as lieutenant three years and
attained the rank of captain. After the war
the Virginia legislature made him a briga-
dier-general of militia, and in 1808 promoted
him to major-general. He was a member
of the state legislature, 1781-89, and 1799-
iSoo; and in 178S served in the state con-
vention which ratified the Federal constitu-
tion. He was elected to the First Congress,
and served 1789-97. He successfully con-
tested the election of Thomas Lewis to the
Eighth Congress, and was appointed to the
United States senate August 11, 1804, serv-
ing by subsequent election until March 3,
1S09. In this body he upheld the policy
ot President Jefferson. He was one of the
advocates for removing the seat of govern-
ment to the Potomac river. The year fol-
lowing his retirement from the senate, he
received the appointment of United States
marshal for Virginia, and retained that office
until his death, near Lexington, April 14,
182 1.
Brentt Richard, son of Colonel William
Brent, of **Richland,'* Stafford county, who
was a justice, burgess, and member of the
convention of 1776, was born about 1760;
was a representative in Congress, serving
from December 7, 1795, to March 3, 1799.
and from December 7, 1801, to March 3,
1803. He was elected to the United States
senate for a term beginning March 4, 1809,
and took his scat May 23, serving until his
death. In 181 1 he was instructed by the
legislature to vote against the recharter of
the United States Bank, but refused to obey
and incurred its censure. He died in Wash-
ington, unmarried, December 30, 1814. He
was distinguished for his eloquence.
Barbour, James (q. v.).
Mason, Armistcad Thomson, was born in
Loudoun county, Virginia, in 1787, son of
Stevens Thomson Mason, also a United
States senator. His grandfather, Thomson
Mason, was born in 1733 and died in 1785.
Armistead T. Mason was graduated at the
College of William and Mary in 1807, after
which he was engaged in farming. He
served as colonel of cavalry in the war of
1812. distinguished himself in the defense
0/ Xorfolk, and was made brigadier-general
o? militia. After serving in the legislature
he was elected to the United States senate,
and served from January 3, 1816, to March
3. it'^17, when he resigned to become a candi-
date for the house of representatives
against Charles Fenton Mercer, but was de-
feated by a few votes. Great personal bit-
terness was engendered, resulting in sev-
eral duels. 1 laving called his cousin, William
Mason McCarty, a "perjured villain," he
v,as challenged by the latter, who proposed
that they should jump together from the
dome of the capitol. This Mason refused,
with an intimation that he would accept a
challenge sent in a proper form. McCarty
posted Mason as a coward, and was chal-
lenged for doing so. He declined on the
ground that Mason was wanting in courage,
and the matter rested until General Jack-
son appeared on the scene. It was then
reopened by Mason, who sent a challenge,
and it was ultimately agreed that a duel
should take place with muskets, charged
with a single ball, at a distance of twelve
feet. When in position the muzzles of the
muskets nearly touched. At the word, they
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
both fired, and Mason fell dead. This was
at Bladensburg, Maryland, February 6,
1819.
Eppes» John Wayles, son of Colonel Fran-
cis Eppes and Elizabeth Wayles, his wife,
daughter of John Wayles. was born in
Chesterfield county. \'irginia. and attained
prominence in his profession in Richmond,
\ irginia. In 1803 he was elected as a Re-
publican to Congress, and served until
March 3. 181 1, and from May 24, 1813, to
March 2, 181 5. He was an able supporter
of the administration of James Madison.
Two years later he became a member of the
United States senate, but resigned in 1819
on account of ill health. He retired to his
estate in Buckingham county, where the
remaining years of his life were spent. He
married (first) Maria, daughter of Presi-
dent Thomas Jefferson, and (second) Mar-
tha, daughter of Willie Jones, member of
Congress from North Carolina. His death
occurred September 20, 1823.
Pleasants, James (q. v.).
Tazewell, Littleton Waller (q. v.).
Randolph, John, was born at "Cawsons,"
Prince George county, Virginia, June 2,
I773i son of Richard, of "Curies,*' and Fran-
ces (Bland) Randolph, grandson of Richard
Randolph (1691-1748), great-grandson of
Colonel William, the immigrant, and Mary
(Isham) Randolph, of Turkey Island. Wil-
liam Randolph, the immigrant, came from
Warwickshire, England, in 1674. John Ran-
dolph was instructed by his mother and
stepfather ; attended Walker Maury's school
in Orange county; the grammar school of
the same teacher in Williamsburg; the Col-
lege of New Jersey, i'787-88 ; Columbia Col-
lege, 1788-89; was present in New York,
April 30, 1789. at the inauguration of Presi-
dent Washington, and studied law with his
second cousin, Edmund Randolph, in Phila-
delphia, also attending lectures on antomy
and physiology. In 1795 he returned to Vir-
ginia and made his home at "Bizarre," the
family mansion occupied hy his brother
Richard, and where Richard died in 1796.
He thus became the head of the household,
but does not appear to have practiced law
except to the extent of defending in the
Federal courts his rights to the portion of
the Randolph estate. He opposed Patrick
Henry as a candidate for representative in
the Sixth Congress, but was defeated.
When Henry died, June 6. 1799, without
taking his seat. Randolph was elected and
was a representative from \'irginia in the
Sixth to Twelfth Congresses, 1799-18 13,
serving as chairman of the committee on
ways and means and being a leader of the
Republicans. He favored the reduction of
the army and spoke of the men making it
up as "mercenaries and hirelings," which
resulted in his being insulted and jostled by
two marine officers at the theatre. In a note
addressed to the President, asking for pro-
tection against such insults, he addressed
him as ** President of the United States,"
and signed himself "With respect, your fel-
low-citizen, John Randolph." President
Adams presented the note to the house for
its consideration as "a breach of representa-
tive privilege." A deadlock resulted, and
the question was undecided. Randolph
was a powerful orator, and opposed every
public wrong, the Yazoo fraud being passed
in his absence. He defended Jefferson in
the purchase of Louisiana; and advocated
an embargo, but soon changed his opinion
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UNITED STATES SENATORS
91
and voted against the measure. He favored
James Monroe as presidential candidate to
succeed "Mr. Jefferson in 1808, and opposed
the war of 1812 and the policy of President
AJadison. which made an enemy of Monroe,
who had been chosen secretary of state.
This cost him his reelection to Congress in
18 1 2, and he retired to "Roanoke," his resi-
dence in Charlotte county. He was return-
ed to the Fourteenth, Sixteenth, Seven-
teenth and Eighteenth Congresses, 1815-17
and 1819-25, and became the founder of a
powerful state rights party. He hated slav-
very, and his duty to his creditors was the
only bar to the liberation of the slaves
owned by him during his lifetime. He op-
posed the Missouri compromise as an in-
fringement of the constitution. In Decem-
ber. 1824, he was elected to the United
States senate to fill the vacancy caused by
tlie resignation of Senator Barbour, and
cc mpleted his term. March 3, 1827. While
in the senate. Clay challenged him for the
use of offensive language in a speech, and
a duel followed, April 8, 1826, in which
neither was hurt. In 1827 he was defeated
o'' reelection by John Tyler. He was a
member of the state constitutional conven-
tion of 1829, and, as a reward for his sup-
port of Jackson for the presidency in 1828.
he was appointed United States minister to
Russia in 1830, but resigned in 183 1.
Though he did not approve of the doctrine
of nullification, he condemned Jackson's
proclamation against South Carolina in
1832. as subversive of the confederate char-
acter of the Union. In 1833 ^^ made prepa-
rations for a second visit to Europe for the
benefit of his health, but only lived to reach
Philadelphia. He was declared of unsound
mind when he made his last will, executed
in 1832, and a former will made in 1821,
liberating his slaves and providing for their
colonization, was sustained. He is the
author of **Letters to a Young Relative"
(1834). Hugh A. Garland wrote "Life of
John Randolph'' (2 vols., 1850), and Henry
Adams, "John Randolph" (American states-
man series, 1882). He died in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, May 24. 1833.
Tyler, John (q. v.).
Rives, William Cabell, son of Robert
Rives, of Sussex county, one of the richest
merchants of Virginia, and Margaret Cabell,
his wife, daughter of Colonel William Ca-
bell, of "Union Hill," was born in Xelson
county. May 4, 1793. He was first schooled
under private tutors, entered Hampden-
Sidney College in 1807, and was graduated
at William and Mary College in 1809. He
studied law under the direction of Thomas
Jefferson, 1809-11; served in the defence
ot \'irginia as aide-de-camp to General
John H. Cooke, 1814-15. and engaged in the
practice of law in Xelson county. He repre-
sented Xelson county in the Virginia house
of delegates, 1817-19, and was married,
March 24. 18 19, to Judith Page, daughter of
the Hon. Francis and Jane Byrd (Page)
Walker, of Albemarle county, Virginia. He
removed to Albemarle county in 1821 ; rep-
resented that county in the Virginia house
of delegates, 1822-23, and was a Republican
representative in the Eighteenth, Xine-
teenth and Twentieth Congresses, 1823-
1829. He was a member of the board of
visitors of the University of Virginia, 1828-
29, and United States minister to France by
appointment of President Jackson, from
April 18. 1829. to September 27, 1832, nego-
tiating the indemnity treaty of July 4, 1831.
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He was elected to the United States senate
to fill vacancy caused by resignation of
Littleton W. Tazewell, and served from
January 4. 1833, until February 22, 1834,
when he resigned, having refused to follow
the instructions of the \'irginia legislature
to vote to censure President Jackson for re-
moving government deposits from the Bank
of the United States. He was reelected to
the United States senate in place of John
Tyler, resigned February 29. 1836. and was
returned 1840-45. He joined the Whigs in
1840. but did not approve of the course of
Mr. Clay in bringing forward the bank bills
in 1 841. He was appointed United States
minister to France by President Fillmore,
serving 1849-53. and in the latter year retired
tv private life at his residence. "Castle Hill,''
Albemarle county. He was one of the five
commissioners sent from Virginia to the
peace congress at Washington. D. C, in
February. 1861, and elected chairman of the
\'irginia delegates chosen at Richmond,
April 17, 1861, to represent Virginia in the
provisional congress at Montgomery, Ala-
bama, April 29, 1861. He represented his
district in the second Confederate congress,
February 22, 1864, to February 22. 1865.
He was made president of the Virginia His-
torical Society, 1847, ^^^d received the de-
gree of Doctor of Laws from the College
of William and Mary. He was the author
of: *The Life and Character of John Hamp-
den" (1845) ; **Ethics of Christianity"
(1855); "The Life and Times of James
Madison (3 vols., 1859-69). He died at
"Castle Hill," Virginia, April 25, 1868.
Leigh, Benjamin Watkins, son of Rev.
William Leigh and Martha Watkins, his
wife* was born in Chesterfield county. Vir-
ginia, June 18. 1781. He graduated at the
College of William and Mary in 1802, stud-
ied law, and carried on a successful practice
at Petersburg, \'irginia. until 1S13. when
he removed to Richmond. He was elected
from Petersburg to the \'irginia legisla-
ture, where in 181 1 he presented resolutions
asserting the right of the legislature to in-
struct United States senators elected by it.
He was a member of the commission which
revised the statutes 6i the state, and in 1822
served as a commissioner to Kentucky, con-
ferring with Henry Clay in regard to an im-
portant land law, known as the "occupying
claimants" law, threatening to annul the
title which \'irginia held upon certain lands
lying within the state of Kentucky; but a
Stitisfactory agreement was finally reached
by these two representatives. From 1829
to 1841 he served as reporter of the \'ir-
ginia court of appeals, and was prominent
in the state constitutional convention of
1S29-30. He was first a Democrat and after-
wards a Whig, and March 5, 1S34. was
elected to the United States senate, where
he took the place of William C. Rives, a
Democrat, who had refused to obey instruc-
tions from the Virginia legislature, and had
tendered his resignation. Senator Leigh
was reelected, but being instructed to vote
for the celebrated expunging resolutions, re-
fused to obey. In view of his former atti-
tude on the doctrine of instructions, this
made him unpopular. A year later he re-
signed, but he never recovered his former
popularity, and from that time his life was
spent in retirement. He was compiler of
**Reports of the Court of Appeals and Gen-
eral Court," 1829-1841. The degree of Doc-
tor of Law^s was given him by the College
of William and Mary in 1837. He died in
Richmond, Virginia. February 2, 1849.
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UNITED STATES SENATORS
93
Parker, Richard Elliott (q. v.).
Roane, William Harrison, son of Judge
Spencer Roane, of the supreme court of ap-
peals, and Anne Henry, his wife, daughter
of Patrick Henry, was born in Hanover
county, Virginia, in 1788. In 1804 he enter-
ed W illiam and Mary College, and later
practiced law. He was twice elected a
member of the executive council of his
native state, and after serving as a delegate
to the general assembly, he was elected a
Republican representative in the national
house of representatives, and served from
December 4. 1815. to March 3, 1817. When
the Democratic party was formed in 1828
he united himself with this party, and in
1837 was elected to fill a vacancy in the
United States senate, which had been
caused by the resignation of Richard E.
Parker; he served from September 4. 1837,
to March 3, 1841. His death occurred at
his residence, *'Tree Hill," near Richmond,
\*irginia. May 1 1, 1845.
Archer, William S., was born in Amelia
county, Virginia, March 5, 17&J, son of
Major John Archer, who in the revolution-
ary war was aide to General Wayne, and
acquitted himself with special distinction at
the capture of Stony Point, and grandson
of William Archer, of Welsh ancestry, a
colonel in the revolutionary army, who died
on a British prison ship. He was educated
at the College of William and Mary, gradu-
ated in 1806, and studied law. He was
elected to the state legislature, and served,
with the exception of a single year, from
1S12 to 1819. In 1820 he became a member
from \'irginia to the house of representa-
tives, where he remained until 1835, exert-
ing a wide influence, especially as chairman
of the committee on foreign afi'airs, and as
a member of the committee on the Missouri
compromise. He was a states rights man
and supported General Jackson till his proc-
lamation against South Carolina in 1832,
when he joined the new Whig party of op-
position. In 1841 he was elected to the
United States senate, and gave a very re-
luctant support to Clay's project of a bank.
In 1844 he was chairman of the senate com-
mittee on foreign relations, and opposed the
annexation of Texas. He served until 1847,
when he retired to his estate in Amelia
county, where he died March 28, 1855.
Pennybacker, Isaac Samuels, was born in
Shenandoah * county, Virginia, September
12, 1807. He was educated at Washington
College, Virginia, studied law at the Win-
chester Law School, and settled at Harri-
sonburg, Virginia, where he commenced the
practice of his profession. In 1837 he was
a representative in Congress, and at the ex-
piration of his term became judge of the
district court of western Virginia. He de-
clined the office of United States attorney-
general, offered him by President Van
Buren, and subsequently that of justice of
the supreme court of \'irginia. He was
spoken of for governor, but declined to run.
In 1845 he was elected United States sena-
tor, but before the expiration of his term
he died in Washington, D. C, January 12,
1847.
Mason, James Murray, was born on Ma-
son's Island, Fairfax county, West Virginia,
November 3, 1798. He was a son of General
John Mason, and a grandson of George Ma-
son, the celebrated Virgfinia patriot of the
American revolution, and the close friend
of George Washington. James M. Maaon
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VIRGINIA BIOGRArHY
graduated from the University of Pennsyl-
vania in 1818, studied law at William and
Mary College. X'irginia. and practiced law
at Winchester. \'irginia. In 182O he was
elected to the state legislature, and was re-
elected until 1S32. He was a member of
the X'irginia constitutional convention in
i8j<). and in 1832 served as a presidential
elector on the Jackson ticket, and was elect-
ed i*» Congress as a Jackson Democrat in
that year, and declined reelection at the end
ot his term, preferring to return to law prac-
tice. The \*irginia legislature elected him
to till an unexpired term in the United
Slates senate in 1847. and he was reelected
twice. He resigned in 1861 to cast his for-
tunes with the Confederacy. His fourteen
years as senator were stamped with an abil-
ity fur hard work. He served as chairman
of the committee on foreign relations fur
ten years. He was the author of the fugi
tive slave law in 1850. and strongly opposed
anti-slavery agitation. As soon as he re-
signed his seat in the United States senate
he was elected to the Confederate congress,
and was appointed, with John Slidell, com-
missioner from the Confederate States to
England and France. He sailed from
Charleston. South Carolina, for Cuba, Oc-
tiber 12. 1S61. and reached Havana safely.
The two commissioners engaged passage
en the r»ritish mail steamer Trent, and were
captured by Captain Charles Wilkes, of the
United Slater navy, as the vessel was pass-
ing through the Bahama Channel. They
were brought to Boston, and incarcerated
ill Fort Warren. Boston Harbor, but after-
ward, on demand of the British government,
they were released. January 2. 1862, and
jiroceeded on their mission to Eurc»pe.
where, until the close of the civil war. they
actively pushed the claims of the Confed-
eracy for recognition. Senator Ma.son spent
several years in Canada after the cessation
or hostilities, but in 1868 returned to his
home in Virginia*. He died at Alexandria,
\'irginia. April 28. 1871.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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VII-HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Alexander, Mark, son of Col. Robert Alex-
a:ider, born in Mecklenburg county, Vir-
ginia, February 7, 1792; attended the public
schools and the University of North Caro-
lina; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and practiced in Boydton and Lombardy
Grove, Virginia; member of house of dele-
gates, 1817-1819; member of state constitu-
tional convention, 1829 ; elected as a Demo-
cratic Republican to sixteenth, seventeenth,
eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-
first and twenty-second congresses, and
served from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1833 ;
died in Scotland Neck, Halifax county.
North Carolina, October 7, 1833.
Allen, Robert, born in Woodstock, Vir-
ginia, July 30, 1794; was graduated from
Washington College; studied law, was ad-
mitted to the bar, and began practice at
Woodstock; was elected prosecuting attor-
ney, lie was a state senator for five years;
elected as a Democrat to the twentieth,
twenty-first and twenty-second congresses
1^ March 4. 1827-March 3, 1833). He died in
Mount Jackson, Virginia.
Archer, William S. (q. v.).
Armstrong, William, born in Lisburn,
Antrim county. Ireland, December 23, 1782;
came to the United States in 1792, settling
in \'irginia; studied law while a clerk in
Winchester; was United States tax collector
in 1S18-1819: member of house of delegates.
1822-1823; presidential elector. 1820-1824;
elected as a Republican to nineteenth, twen-
tieth, twenty-first and twenty-second con-
VlA-7
gresses, serving from March 4, 1825, to
March 3, 1833.
Atkinson, Archibald, born in Isle of Wight
county, Virginia, September 13, 1792; stud-
ied law in law school of William and Mary
College; served through the war of 1812
with Great Britain ; admitted to the bar and
began practice in Smithfield; member for
several terms of the state senate, and house
of delegates; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and thirtieth
congresses, from March 4, 1843, to March 3,
1849; prosecuting attorney for Isle of Wight
ccunty; died in Smithfield, Virginia, JanU'
ary 16, 1872.
Austin, Archibald, born in Buckingham
county, Virginia, August 11, 1772; studied
law. was admitted to the bar, and practiced
in his native county for over forty years;
member of house of delegates, 1815-1816;
elected as a Republican to fifteenth congress.
March 4, 1817 to March 3. 1819: again a
member of house of delegates, 1835- 1836,
and 1836-1837; died in Buckingham county,
Virginia, October 16, 1837.
Avcrett, Thomas H., native of Virginia;
elected as a Democrat to thirty-first and
thirty-second congresses, serving from
March 4. 1849, to March 3, 1853.
Baker, John, a native of Virginia: studied
law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced ;
elected as a Federalist to the twelfth con-
gress (March 4. 1811-March 3. 1813) : after
retiring from congress, resumed practice;
died in Shepherdstown, Virginia, August 18,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1833. He married Ann Mark, daughter of
Juhn Mark, from Ulster, Ireland, founder
of the rirst Presbyterian church in Freder-
icksburg. His daughter, Ann, married Gov.
Thomas \V. Gilmer.
Ball, William Lcc, son of James Ball of
"Cewdley/'and Frances Downman, his wife,
born in Lancaster county, Virginia, Janu-
ary 2. 1781; received a liberal schooling;
served as paymaster in the war with Great
L'ritain in 1812, assigned to Xinety-second
\'irginia Regiment: elected 10 the fifteenth,
sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth con-
gresses, serving from March 4, 1817, until
his death, February 28, 1824, in Washmg-
tc^n, D. C. He married Mary Pierce, dangh-
tci of Joseph Pierce and Judith Lee, his
wife, daughter of Kendall Lee.
Banister, John (q. v.).
Banks, Linn, born in Madison (then Cul-
peper) county. \'irginia, January 23, 1784;
member of house of delegates, and for twen-
t\ successive } ears served as speaker of that
body : elected as a Democrat to the twenty-
fifth congress, to fill vacancy caused by res-
ignation of John M. Patton; re-elected to
iwenty-sixth congress and served from May
19. 1838, to March 3. 1841 ; presented cre-
dentials as a member-elect to the twenty-sev-
enth congress, but his election was success-
fully contested by William Smith, who took
his seat December 6, 1841 ; was drowned
while attempting to ford the Conway river
in iladison county, Virginia, January 13,
1842.
Barbour, Philip P. (q. v.).
Barbour, John Strode, son of Mordecai
Flarbour and Elizabeth Strode, his wife, born
in Culpeper county, Virginia, August 8,
1790; was graduated from William and
Mary College in 1808; studied law and was
admitted to the bar; in the war of 1812 was
aide-de-camp to General Madison : served
as member of house of delegates ; elected as
a States Rights Republican to eighteenth,
nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first and twen-
ty-second congresses, serving from March 4,
1823, to March 3, 1833: member of Virginia
constitutional convention of 1829-30; chair-
man of Democratic National Convention
that nominated Franklin Pierce for the
presidency, 1852; died in Culpeper county,
Virginia, January 12, 1855. He was a first
cousin of Gov. James Carbour.
Barton, Richard Walker, born on the
"Shady Oak" farm, Frederick county, \'ir-
ginia. in 1800; pursued academic studies;
studied law, was admitted to bar, and prac-
ticed in Winchester, \'irginia : served sev-
eral terms in the Virginia house of dele-
gates: elected as a Whig to the twenty-
seventh congress, serving from March 4.
1841, to March 3, .1843: died in Frederick
county, \ irginia, March 15, 1859. He was
son of Richard Peter Carton and ilartha
Walker, his wife, daughter of Dr. Walker,
of Dinwiddie county. Richard Peter Bar-
ton was a son of Rev. Thomas Barton and
Esther Rittenhouse, sister of David Ritten-
house, of Pennsylvania, the distinguished
scientist.
Bassett, Burwell, son of Burwell Bassett
and Anna Maria Dandridge, sister of ^Irs.
Washington, born in New Kent county, Vir-
ginia. March 18, 1764; attended William and
Mary College : member of house of delegates
in 1789; member of state senate, 1798-1799,
1802-1803: elected as a Democratic Repub-
lican to ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
99
congresses, serving from March 4, 1815, to
March 3. 1813; elected to fourteenth and
f'lteenth congresses, serving from March 4,
1S15. to March 3, 1819; elected to seven-
teenth and three succeeding congresses
serving from March 4, 1821, to March 3,
1S29; in all, served in ten congresses, twen-
ty years; died in New Kent county, Vir-
ginia, February 26, 1841.
Bay ley, Thomas Henry, son of Thomas
M. Uayley and Margaret P. Cropper, his
wife, daughter of Gen. John Cropper, born
ii» Accomac county, Virginia, December 11,
1810; attended the common schools, and the
University or Virginia, from which he grad-
uated ; studied law, was admitted to the bar
in 1830, and engaged in practice; was mem-
ber of house of delegates from 1835 to 1840,
when he resigned on being elected judge of
the circuit court ; elected as a States Rights
Democrat to Oie twenty-eighth congress, to
till a vacancy occasioned by the resignation
oJ* Henry A. Wise: elected to the twenty-
ninth and five succeeding congresses, serv-
ing from May 0, 1844, until his death, June
23. 1856, at Mount Custis, Accomac county,
\irginia. He was descended from Richard
r.ayley, of "Craddock," an early settler in
Accomac.
Baylcy, Thomas Monteagle, son of Thomas
I'ayley and Anne Drummond, his wife,
daughter of Richard Drummond. born in
Accomac county, Virginia, September 2.
^775 • was graduated from Princeton Col-
lege in 1794; entered public life in 1798 and
served several years in each of the two
houses of the state legislature, as a Demo-
cratic Republican : served as a colonel of
militia during the war of 1812; elected to
thirteenth congress, and served from March
4, 1813, to March 3, 1815; again elected to
the state legislature, and served several
terms; died at Mount Custis, Accomac
county, Virginia, January 6, 1834. His
tombstone is at Hill's farm in Accomac
county. (See William and Mary College
Quarterly, VII., p. 107J.
Beale, James Madison Hite, born at Mt
Airy, Shenandoah county, Virginia, Febru-
ary 7, 1786; pursued preparatory studies;
elected as a Democrat to twenty-third and
twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-
March 3, 1837) I elected to thirty-first and
thirty-second congresses, serving from
March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853, and then
declining a renomination ; died in Putnam
cc unty. West Virginia, August 2, 1866.
Bedinger, Henry, born near Shepherds-
town, Virginia (now in Jefferson county.
West Virginia), in 1810, son of Major
George Michael Dedinger, born in Virginia,
an early pioneer in Kentucky, adjutant at
the battle of Blue Licks in 1782, an Indian
spy during the revolutionary war, major
commanding a battalion of sharpshooters
uiuler St. Clair, member of Kentucky legis-
i.iture, and ccngressman from that state.
The son received a classical education, stud-
.ed law and engaged in practice, first at
Shepherdstown and later at Charlestown.
In 1845 he succeeded General George Rust,
his brother-in-law and law partner, in con-
gress, where he was distinguished for his
eloquence as a debater, and he was re-
elected. In 1853 he was appointed charge
daffairs to Denmark, and afterward became
minister resident. During his ministerial
service he was successful in bringing about
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the treaty abolishing the sound dues. He
died in Shepherdstown, Virginia, November
26, 1858.
Beime, Andrew, born in Dengan, Roscom-
mon county, Ireland, in 1771 ; emigrated to
Virginia and settled in Union, Monroe
county; was member of house of delegates
in 1807-1808 ; member of Virginia constitu-
tional convention in 1829-1830; state sena-
toi, 1831-1836; presidential elector in 1836.
He participated in the war of 1812 as cap-
tain, and then as colonel of the Monroe
County Rifles. He was elected as a \'an
Buren Democrat to the twenty-fifth and
twenty-sixth congresses, serving from March
4 1837, to March 3, 1841 ; died March 16,
1845. in Gainesville, .\labama; his remains
were interred at Union, Loudoun county,
Virginia.
Bland, Theodorick, (q. v.).
Bocock, Thomas S. (q. v.).
Botts, John Minor, born in Dumfries,
Prince William county, Virginia, September
16. 1802, son of Benjamin Botts, who was
the youngest lawyer engaged in the defense
of Aaron Burr. Soon after his birth, his
parents removed to Richmond, and both
perished in the conflagration of the Rich-
mond Theatre, in December, 181 1. Young
Botts was then only nine years of age. At
various schools he acquired a knowledge of
Greek, Latin, French and mathematics. At
the age of eighteen, when he had studied
law for six weeks, without an instructor, he
was admitted to the bar, and it was said
that Patrick Henry was the only other who
had accomplished such a feat. After six
years' practice in Richmond, he became dis-
satisfied on account of office confinement.
arid removed to Henrico county, where he
purchased a farm, which he cultivated with
such success that in three years he was
famed for producing the largest crops, acre
for acre, of any farmer in the state. In 1833
he was elected to the legislature as a States
Rights Democrat and opposed the Bank
charter and a protective tariff. With most
of the other prominent Virginia Democrats,
he joined the Whig party in 1834. He
served in the legislature from 1833 ^^ i^39»
and was one of the "impracticable" Whigs,
who supported John Tyler for senator in
1839 against William C. Rives, whose nomi-
nation was privately supported by Mr.
Clay. Soon after he was elected to congress
and became a warm friend of that statesman,
serving from 1839 to 1843. ^^'hen John Tvier
tccame president in 1841, Botts, although
formerly an ardent States Rights man and
Tyler's personal friend, changed his views,
adopted national policies, and became his
bitter enemy. In the succeeding election he
v;as defeated by John W. Jones, his Demo-
cratic opponent. In 1847 he was again
elected to congress. In the national con-
vention of 1848 he sustained Clay for the
presidency, but when success was hopeless,
went with the Virginia delegation to Gen.
Taylor. In 1852, he resumed his practice in
Richmond. On the disruption of the Whig
party, he joined the Know Nothing party,
and was mentioned as its presidential can-
didate. At the outbreak of the war between
the states he adhered to the Union, and en-
deavored to prevent the secession of Vir-
ginia, and failing, retired to his farm. He
was imprisoned for a time as a disaffected
person. In 1866 he wrote a volume. 'The
Great Rebellion, its Secret History, Rise,.
Progress and Disastrous Failure" (1866).
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
lOI
lii 1866 he was a delegate to the national
convention of southern loyalists in Phila-
delphia. In 1867, in company with Horace
Greeley and others, he signed the bail bond
or Jefferson Davis. He died at his home,
January 7, 1869.
Bouldin, James Wood, son of Maj. Wood
Bouldin and Joanna Tyler, his wife, born in
Charlotte county, Virginia, in 1792; studied
law, was admitted to the bar and engaged in
practice ; was elected as a Jackson Democrat
to the twenty-third congress to succeed
Thomas T. Bouldin, deceased, and was re-
elected to two succeeding terms; he died
at "Forest Hill/* Charlotte county. March
30. 1854. He was first cousin of John Tyler,
president of the United States (1841-45).
Bouldin, Thomas Tyler, son of Wood
Bouldin and Joanna Tyler, his wife, born in
Virginia, in 1772. studied law and engaged
ii. practice: served as judge of the general
court ; he was elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-
third congresses, serving trom March 4,
1S29. until February 11, 1834, when he died
while delivering before the house a eulogy
upon his predecessor, John Randolph, of
Roanoke. He uttered the words, "But I
cannot tell the reasons why his death was
not announced, without telling what I told
a friend I should say, in case ," and he
fell to the floor dead. He was succeeded in
congress by his brother James Wood Boul-
din (q. v.). His son, Wood Bouldin, was
judge of the state supreme court.
Boteler, Alexander fq. v.).
Breckenridge, James, son of Robert Breck-
enridge and Letitia. daughter of John Pres-
ton, and grandson of Alexander Brecken-
ridgc, who emigrated from Ireland, born
near Fincastle, Augusta county, Virginia,
March 7, 1763; took part in the revolution-
ary war; served in Colonel Preston's rifle
regiment under Gen. Greene; was graduated
from William and Mary College in 1785;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
practiced in Fincastle ; member of the state
house of delegates for several years, and
took a special interest in the construction
cf the Chesapeake & Ohio canal, and in the
establishment of the University of Virginia;
was a brigadier-general in the war of 1812;
elected to the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth
'iud fourteenth congresses, and served from
March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1817; died at
Grove Hill. Botetourt county, Virginia,
May 13, 1833 He was a brother of John
Breckenridge, who introduced the resolu-
tions in the Kentucky legislature, drawn by
Mr. Jefterson, and directed against the Alien
and Sedition laws.
Brown, John, (q. v.).
Brown, William Guy, born at Kingwood,
Prcsion county, Virginia (now West Vir-
ginia), September 25, 1800; attended the
public schools ; studied law. and commenced
practice in 1823 at Kingwood: member of
the house of delegates in 1832 and again in
1840-43 ; elected as a Democrat to the twen*
ty-ninth and thirtieth congresses (March 4,
1845-March 3, 1849) I member of the state
constitutional convention of 1850: delegate
to the Democratic National Conventions of
i860 at Charleston and Baltimore; member
of the Virginia state convention of 1861 ;
again elected to the thirty-seventh congress
from Virginia as a Unionist (March 4, 1861-
March 3, 1863), and re-elected to the thirty-
eighth congress from West Virginia; took
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
his seal December 7. 1863. and served until
March 3. 1S65: died at Kingwood, West
\irginia. April 19. 1S84.
Burwell, William A., son of Thacker Bur-
well and Mary Armistcad, his wife, daughter
ot Gill Armistead, born in Mecklenburg
county. \'irginia. about 1780; was graduated
from William and Mary College; moved to
Franklin county in 1802; elected a member
of the state house of delegates ; private sec-
retary to President Jefferson; elected as a
kepublican to the ninth congress, to fill va-
cancy caused by the resignation of Christo-
pher Clark ; re-elected to the tenth, eleventh,
twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and
sixteenth congresses, and served from De-
cember I, 1S06. until his death in Wash-
ington, D. C.. February 16. 1821. He mar-
ried Letitia McCrery. of Baltimore, and was
father of William M. Burwell. of New Or-
leans.
Cabell, Samuel Jordan, born in Amherst
county, X'irginia. December 15, 1756, son of
Col. William Cabell, and descended from Dr.
William Cabell, who settled in Virginia in
1723 and purchased large estates which have
remained in the family. He early received
a classical education and entered William
and Mary College in 1773, but his studies
v.ere interrupted by the outbreak of hostili-
ties. He left college and raised the first
armed corps in Virginia, with which he
achieved distinction in the northern cam-
paign*?, especially in the battle of Saratoga,
for which he was promoted to major; he
v.as subsequently made lieutenant-colonel,
and served under General Greene until the
fall of Charleston, where he was captured
und remained on parole until the end of the
war. He was for several terms a member
of the state house of delegates. In 1788 he
was a delegate, with his father, to the con-
stitutional convention, where both voted
against the ratification of the national con-
stitution. In 1785 he was elected to con-
gress, and by re-elections served until 1S03.
lie died in Xelson county. Virginia. August
4. 1818.
Caperton, Hugh, born in \'irginia in 1780;
member of the \*irginia state house of dele-
gates for several years ; elected as a Feder-
alist to the thirteenth congress (March 4,
1813-March 3, 1815) ; died in Monroe county,
\'irginia, February 9, 1847. He was father
of Hon. Allen T. Caperton. member of the
Confederate States Congress.
Carlile, John Snyder, born in Winchester.
\'irginia. December Kk 181 7: studied law
and began practice in 1842. in lieverly. \'ir-
ginia : member of state senate, 1847-51 : dele-
gate to state constitutional convention of
1850: elected as a Unionist to the thirty-
fourth congress (March 4, 1855-March 3.
1857) ; elected to the thirty-seventh congress
and served from March 4. 1861, until July
9. 1861. when he resigned, having been
elected to the United States senate, to fill
vacancy occasioned by the resignation of
Robert M. T. Hunter, and served until
March 3, 1865 ; died in Clarksburg, West
Virginia. October 24, 1878.
Gary, George B., born near Petersburg,
Virginia, in 181 1 ; elected as a Democrat to
the twenty-seventh congress (March 4, 1841-
March 3, 1843) » died at Bethlehem, Vir-
ginia. March 3, 1850.
Caskie, John Samuels, born in Richmond,
Virginia, November 8. 1821 ; was graduated
from the University of Virginia ; studied law
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
103
and practiced in Richmond; prosecuting at-
torney ; judg<i of the Richmond and Henrico
circuit ; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-
second, thirty-third, thirty-fourth and thirty-
fifth congresses (March 4, 185 1 -March 3,
1^59) ; resumed the practice of law; died in
Richmond, \'irginia, December 16, 1869.
Chapman, Augustus A., born in Virginia
in 1806; studied law, was admitted to the
bar. and practiced in Union, Monroe county,
(West) \'irginia; elected as a Van Buren
Democrat to the twenty-eighth and twenty-
ninth congresses (March 4. 1843-March 3,
1847) • died in Hinton, West Virginia, in
June, 1876.
Chilton, fcamuel, son of Col. Charles Chil-
ton, of "Hereford," Prince William county,
and Elizabeth Blackwell. his wife, born in
Warrenton, Virginia. September 7, 1804;
studied law and practiced with great success
at Warrenton : member of the state house
of delegates for several terms : elected as a
Whig to the twenty-eighth congress (March
4 1835-March 3. 1837) : was a delegate to
the state constitutional convention of 1850-
51 : died in Warrenton, \'irginia, January
14. 1867. He married Isabella Roberts
Prooke, daughter of William Brooke, of
'Talmouth."
Chinn, Joseph W., born in Richmond
county, Virginia; member of the state sen-
ate, 1829-30; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-second and twenty-third congresses
(March 4. 1S31 -March 3. 1835) : died in Rich-
mond. Virginia, December 8. 1840. He was
a son of Joseph Chinn and Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of Leroy and Judith (Ball) Griffin, his
wife. He married Mary Ann, daughter
of Charles Smith, of Morattico Hall, and
Elizabeth Teackle, his wife, of Xorthamp-
ton county, and left issue.
Claiborne, John, son of Thomas Clai-
borne (q. v.). of Brunswick county, born in
Brunswick county, Virginia, in 1777; pur-
sued academic studies and was graduated
from the medical department of the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania in 1798, and practiced;
elected to the ninth and tenth congresses,
and served from March 4, 1805, until his
death in Brunswick county, Virginia, Octo-
ber 9. i8c8. He had issue: Thomas Clai-
borne, member of congress from Tennessee,
Dr. Jarratt M. Claiborne, and Philip, who
was a member of the house of delegates,
1815-16.
Claiborne, Nathaniel Herbert, son of Wil-
liam Claiborne, of King William county,
and Mary Leigh, his wife, daughter of Fer-
dinand Leigh, was born in Sussex county,
Virginia. November 14, 1777. He received a
classical education, and served many years
in the state house of delegates, where he
won the reputation of being a reformer of
various abuses of the government. He was
also a member of the executive council, and
was a member of congress from 1825 to
1837. He was the author of **Notes on the
War in the South'* (1819). He died at Rocky
Mount. Franklin county, Virginia, August
15, 1859. He had a brother, William Charles
Cole Claiborne, first state governor of Louis-
iana.
Claiborne, Thomas, born in Brunswick
county. \'irginia, in 1749; son of Col. Au-
gustine Claiborne, of "Windsor.*' Sussex
county, and Mary Herbert, his wife, daugh-
ter of Capt. Buller Herbert; was sheriff of
P.runswick county, 1789-1792; colonel com-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
tiianding the Brunswick county militia in
1789; member of the Virginia house of dele-
gates, 1784-1786: elected to the third, fourth,
and fifth congresses (March 4. 1793-March
3. 1 799 1 : elected to the seventh and eighth
congresses (March 4, 1801-March 3. 1805);
died in Urunswick county, Virginia, in 1812.
Clark, Christopher, born in Albemarle
county. X'irginia. in 1767; studied law and
practiced : member of the state house of
delegates for several terms; elected as a
JeflFersonian Democrat to the eighth con-
gress, to fill a vacancy caused by the death
of John Trigg, re-elected to the ninth con-
gress and served from November 5. 1804.
tc July I, 180^). when he resigned : died near
New I^ndon. \'irginia. November 21, 1828.
He was a son of Robert Clark and Susan
Henderson, his wife, daughter of John Hen-
derson. (See "Cabells and their Kin,'' p.
290).
Clay, Matthew, born in Halifax county,
Virginia. March 25. 1754; served in the revo-
lutionary war from 1776 to 1783 as a lieu-
tenant and quartermaster; elected as a
Democratic Republican to the fifth, sixth,
seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and
twelfth congresses (March 4, 1795-March 3,
1813) ; died in Halifax county, Virginia,
1815.
Clemens, Sherrard, born in Wheeling.
\'irginia. April 28. 1820; attended Wash-
ington College and the Cnited States Mili-
tary Academy; studied law and entered
upon practice in Wheeling. He was elected
a.« a Democrat to the thirty-second con-
gress, to fill vacancy occasioned by the resig-
nation of George W'. Thompson, and served
from December 6, 1852, to March 4, 1853;
was presidential elector on the Buchanan
arnl Breckinridge ticket in 1856; elected to
the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses
(March 4. 1857-March 3, 1861). He served
in the Confederate army, and at the close
of the war resumed the practice of law in
Wheeling, West \'irginia. Later he moved
to St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued
the practice of his profession until his death,
June 30, 1881.
Clopton, John, born in St. Peter's parish.
New Kent county, \'irginia, February 7,
1756, son of William Clopton and Elizabeth
Dorrall Ford, sister of Rev. Reuben Ford;
\va.> graduated from the University of Penn-
sylvania in 1773: wa.^ captain of a company
t»f militia in the revolutionary war from the
date of his graduation from the university
until the close of the war; refused promo-
tions to remain with his company that was
mainly composed of relatives and that was
fi-rnished its supplies and clothing by his
father; served several terms'in the Virginia
house of delegates between 1785 and 1795;
elected as Democratic Republican to the
fourth and firth congresses (March 4, 1795-
March 3. 1799) ; and to the seventh, eighth,
ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth,
and fourteenth congresses; served from
March 4, 1801. until his death, in St. Peter's
parish. New Kent county, Virginia. Sep-
tember II, 1816. He was succeeded in con-
gress by John Tyler. He married Sarah
Bacon, daughter of Edmund Bacon, and left
issue.
Coke, Richard, born in Williamsburg, Vir-
ginia, about 1804, son of John Coke and Re-
becca Lawson. widow of Col. James
Shields, completed preparatory studies; was
graduated from William and Mary College;
studied law; was admitted to the bar, and
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
105
commenced practice in Gloucester county,
\'irginia: elected as a States rights Demo-
crat to the twenty-first and twenty-second
congresses (March 4. 1829-March 3, 1833);
died on his estate, "Abingdon,*' in Glouces-
ter county, \'irginia» March 30, 185 1. He
was descended from John Coke, who emi-
grated to X'irgfinia in 1724, a great-grandson
of Sir Francis Coke, of England.
Coles, Isaac, born in Virginia; pursued
preparatory studies ; elected to the first con-
gress (March 4. 1789-March 3, 1791); re-
elected to the third and fourth congresses
(March 4, 1793-March 3, 1797). He was a
son of John Coles, a prominent merchant of
Henrico county, who came from Enniscor-
thy. Ireland. His will, dated September 13,
18 10. was proved in Pittsylvania county.
August 17, 1813.
Coles, Walter, born in Pittsylvania
county, Virginia, December 8, 1790: son of
Col. Isaac Coles, of the same county ; com-
pleted a preparatory course: devoted him-
self to agriculture; justice of the peace for
many years; served in the United States
army during the war of 181 2 as a captain
of riflemen on the northern frontier ; member
of the state house of delegates in 1833 *^"d
1834: elected as a Democrat to the twenty-
fourth, tweniy-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-
seventh and twenty-eighth congresses
I March 4. 1835-March 3, 1845) « ^'5ed near
Robertsons Store. Virginia, November 9,
1857.
Colston, Edward, born at Winchester,
Virginia. December 25, 1786. son of Travers
Colston, of Richmond county, and a de-
scendant of William Colston, of Bristol,
England, a great merchant and cavalier in
the time of Charles I., was born near Win-
chester, V'irjL^inia. December 2-., 1786; wa>
{iiaduatcd from Princeton College in i8o(.i;
studied lav.-; served in the war of 1812; was
a member of the fifteenth congress (March
4, 1817-March 4, 1819) ; was a Federalist in
politics, and in 1821 was elected to the house
of delegates, and served till 1834. Under the
new reorganization of parties he became a
Whig. He married (first) Jane Marshall,
daughter of Charles Marshall, and (second)
Sarah Jane Urockenbrough : died in Berke-
ley county. Virginia, April 2^, 1852. He
was a brother-in-law of Willoughby New-
ton and Charles James Faulkner.
Craig, Robert, born near Christiansburg,
Montgomery county, Virginia, in 1792; at-
tended public schools and was graduated
from Lewisburg Academy, Greenbriar
(.ounty: elected as a Democrat to the twen-
ty-first and twenty-second congresses
(March 4. 1829-March 3, 1833) ; defeated for
the twexity-third congress; re-elected to the
twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-
sixth congresses f March 4. 1835-March 3,
1841): died at "Green Hill.'* near Salem,
Roanoke county, \'irginia. in 1852.
Crump, George William, born in Pow-
hatan county. Virginia ; was graduated from
Princeton College; studied medicine and
practiced ; member of the state house of dele-
gates; elected as a States Rights Democrat
to the nineteenth congress, to fill the va-
cancy caused by the resignation of John
Randolph, and served from February 6, 1826.
to March 3. 1827; defeated for re-election
to the twentieth congress; appointed by
President Jackson chief clerk of the pension
bureau in 1832, which positon he held until
his death in Washington. D. C, in 1850.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Davenport, Thomas, born in Cumberland
county, \'irginia : completed preparatory
studies: studied law; admitted to the bar,
and practiced in Meadsville, Virginia ;
elected as a Federalist to the nineteenth,
twentieth, twenty-rirst, twenty-second and
twenty-third congresses (March 4, 1825-
March 3. iJ^iS) ; defeated for the twenty-
f<.urth congress: died near Meadsville, Vir-
ginia, •Xovem])er 18. 1838.
Dawson, John, born in \'irginia in 1762.
He was graduated from Harvard College in
1782. and after pursuing a law course was
admitted to the bar, but devoted himself
chiefly to political affairs. In 1793 he was
a presidential elector, voting for Washing-
tc-n. He served in the state legislature and
in the executive coimcil. and was a member
of the constitutional convention. He jvas
decked to congress in 1797. and by success-
ive Ye-elections served uniil 1814. Presi-
dent Adams made him bearer of dispatches
to France in 1801. In the war of 1812 he
rendered important services as aide to Gen-
eral Jackson. He died in Washington City,
March 30, 1814. while holding his seat in
congress. He was a son of Rev. Musgrave
Dawson, and a nephew of William and
Thomas Dawson, presidents of William and
Mary College. From his love of dress and
fine manners he was known among his
friends as **Beau Dawson."
Dc Jarnette, Daniel Colemaiu born near
r.owling Green. Virginia, September 27,
1S22: pursued classical studies; served sev-
eral years in the state house of delegates;
elected as an anti-administration Democrat
to the thirty-sixth congress ( March 4. 1859-
March 3. 1861) ; re-elected to the thirty-sev-
enth congress, but did not serve ; representa-
tive from Virginia to the first and second
Confederate Congresses, 1862-1865: died at
the White Sulphur Springs. Virginia. Au-
gust 18, 1 881.
Doddridge, Fhilip, born in Wellsburg,
iJedford county, X'irginia, May 17, 1773. He
attended school in his native place, devot-
ing himself principally to the study of Latin.
.-\i*ter leaving school he made a trip down
the Mississippi river on a flatboat. After
his return he studied law. was admitted to
the bar and practiced in Wellsburg, recog-
nized as the best lawyer in western \'ir-
ginia. He was a member of the house of
delegates. i8i5-i^». and 1822-23. He was a
hading member of the constitutional con-
vention of 1829-30. He was elected tu con-
gress in 1829 and re-elected, continuing a
member until his death, which occurred
when he was serving on a committee to
codify the laws relating to the District of
Columbia. He possessed wonderful powers
of condensation : the proper words seemed to
fall -into their proper places, and Daniel
Webster said of him, "Phih'p Doddridge was
the only man I really feared in debate." He
died in Washington City. November 19,
1832, and was buried in the Congressional
Cemetery.
Draper, Joseph, born in Virginia : elected
to the twenty-first congress, to fill the va-
cancy caused by the death of Alexander
Smyth ; re-elected to the twenty-second con-
gress and served from December 6. 1830, to
March 2, 1833. He resided in Wythe county,
V^irginia.
Dromgoole, George Coke, born in Law-
lenceville, Brunswick county, Virginia,
j.bout 1705; completed preparatory studies:
studied law and was admitted to the bar;
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HOUSE OK REPRESENTATIVES
:o7
served several years as a member of the
siatc house oi delegates and senate; elected
at a Democrat to the twenty-fourth, twenty-
fifth aiul twenty-sixth congresses (March 4,
1835-March 3. 1S41) ; declined being a can-
didate fur re-election; elected to the twenty-
eighth and twenty-ninth congresses ( Alarch
4. 1843-March 3, 1847) ; died April 27, 1.S47.
Edmundson, Henry Alonzo, born in
Dlacksburg, Montgomery county, Virginia,
June 8. 1814; completed preparatory stud-
ies;, studied law and was admitted to the
bar and began practice in Salem ; elected to
the thirty-first, thirty-second, thirty-third,
thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth
congresses (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1861);
died in his home at Falling Waters, Mont-
gomery county, Virginia, December 16,
1890.
Eggleston, Joseph, born in Amelia county,
X'irginia. November 24. 175-1. He was gradu-
ated from William and Mary College in
1776. and immediately afterward entered the
revolutionary army and became one of its
most brilliant cavalry officers. He was soon
promoted to major, under Col. Henry Lee,
c-nd commanded the rear-guard of that offi-
cer's famous legion in the Southern cam-
I'aign. He especially distinguished himself
in the desperate battle of Guilford Court
House in March. 1781. and in the siege of
Augusta in the following June. In the bril-
liant battle of Eutaw Springs, in September
of the same year, his bold attack upon the
British advance won the first success in the
?ction. After the war he was a member of
the assembly for several years. He was
elected to congress in 1798 to fill vacancy
caused by the resignation of William B.
Giles, and v/as re-elected to the sixth con-
gress, extending his service to March 3,
1801, when he became a justice of the peace,
and retained that office until his death, in
.Amelia county, February 13, 181 1.
Eppes, John W. (q. v.).
Estill, Benjamin, native of Washington
county, born March 13, 1780; was admitted
to the bar, and began practice in Abingdon ;
elected to the nineteenth congress (March 4,
1825-March 3, 1S27) ; died July 14, 1853.
Evans, Thomas, a native of Accomac
county, Virginia, was a student of William
and Mary College, where in 1773 he won one
of the Botetourt medals for classical learn-
ing. He married Mildred Moody, of Wil-
liamsburg, widow of Josiah Johnson, pro-
fessor of humanitv in the college. He re-
sided at "Sunderland Hall,"' Accfimac
county, and was member of the fifth and
s:xth congresses (March 4, 1797-March 4,
iSoi). His son, Thomas Moody Evans,
married Eliza Mary White, daughter of Gen.
Anihv.nv Walton White, aide-de-camp to
(leorgo Washington.
Faulkner, Charles James, born in Mar-
tinsburg. \'irginia, July 6. 1806; was gradu-
ated from Georgetown (D. C.) University
in 1S22: attended Chancellor Tucker's law
lectures in Winchester: was admitted to the
bar in 1829. and entered upon practice. He
was a member of the state house of dele-
gates in 1832-33 ; was a commissioner on the
disputed Virginia-Maryland boundary: was
a state senator. 1841-44, but resigned: was
elected to the revising legislature in 1848;
member of state constitutional convention,
1850. He was elected to the thirty-second
congress. March 4. 1851. and to the two suc-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ceeding congresses. In 1859 he was appointed
minister to France by President Buchanan.
He returned at the outbreak of the civil war,
in 1861. and was taken and held as a pris-
oner of war, but in December of the same
year was exchanged for Congressman Ely,
of New York. During the war he was a
member of the staf? of Gen. "Stonewair'
Jackson. After the war he was engaged in
various railroad enterprises. He was a
member of the West Virginia constitutional
convention in 1872, and was elected from
that state, as a Democrat, to the forty-
fourth congress (March 4, 1875-March 3,
1877 1. He died in Boydville. West Virginia.
November i, 1884.
Flournoy, Thomas Stanhope, born in
iVince Edward county, Virginia. December
15. 181 1 ; attended the public schools: stud-
ied law, was admitted to the bar. and began
practice in Halifax, Virginia; elected as a
Whig to the thirtieth congress (March 4,
1847-March 3, 1849) ; defeated for the thir-
ty-first congress; entered the Confederate
army and was wounded in battle in Vir-
ginia in June, 1864; died March 13, 1883.
Floyd, John (q. v.).
Fulton, Andrew S., born in Augusta coun-
ty, September, 1800; elected as a W^hig to
congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1849) J
circuit judge till death, November, 1884.
Fulton, John H., born in Augusta county ;
served in legislature, 1823-32; elected as a
Whig to twenty-third congress (March 4,
1833-March 3, 1835) ; d^^d in Abingdon,
Virginia, January 28, 1836.
Garland, David S., was born in 1769 and
resided in Amherst county, Virginia; pur-
sued an academic course; studied law;
served several terms in the Virginia legis-
lature and was elected as a Democratic
Republican to the United States House of
Representatives to fill a vacancy caused by
ihe resignation of Wilson Cary Nicholas,
and served from January 17, 1810, to March
3, 181 1. He died in 1841, aged seventy-two.
He was a son of William Garland (born
1746; died in Staunton in 1777), and Anne
Shepherd, daughter of Christopher Shep-
herd, and grandson of James Garland, of
Albemarle county. He married, in 1795,
Jane Henry Meredith, a daughter ot Col.
Samuel Meredith and his second wife, Jane
Henry, a sister of Patrick Henry, the orator.
Garland, James, born in Nelson county,
X'irginia, June 6, 1791 : pursued preparatory
studies ; studied law. was admitted to the
bar and began practice in Lovingston, Vir-
ginia; served in the house of delegates in
1829: elected as a Democrat to the twenty-
fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth con-
gresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1841);
moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, and was
judge of the corporation court of that city
for nineteen years ; again elected to the state
legislature in 1876; died in Lynchburg, Vir-
ginia, August 8, 1885. He was a son of
Hudson M. Garland, Sr., who was a lawyer,
member of the house of delegates, 1805-1806,
and captain in the war of 181 2 ; and a grand-
son of James Garland, Jr., of Albemarle
county. He was a brother of Gen. John
Garland, of the U. S. A., whose daughter
was the wife of General Longstreet.
Gametty James Mercer, born at "Elm-
wood," Essex county, Virginia, June 8,
1770; son of Muscoe Garnett and Grace Fen-
ton Mercer, daughter of John Mercer; pur-
sued an academic course; served several
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
109
terms in the house of delegates; elected to
the ninth and tenth congresses (March 4,
1805-March 3, 1809) ; delegate to the state
constitutional convention in 1829; president
of the Fredericksburg Agricultural Society
for twenty years; member of the grand jury
that indicted Aaron Burr m 1807; died at
"Elnuvood," Virginia, April 23, 1843.
Garnett» Muscoe Russell Hunter, born at
**Elm\vood," Essex county, Virginia, July
25, 1821 ; son of James Mercer Garnett, Jr.,
and Maria Hunter, his wife; pursued clas-
sical studies and was graduated from the
University of Virginia, literary department,
1839. law department, 1841 ; was admitted
to the bar in 1841, and commenced practice
ai Lloyd's, \'irginia; delegate to the State
Constitutional Convention in 1850; member
of the house of delegates, 1853-1856; elected
as a Democrat to the thirty-fourth congress,
to fill vacancy caused by death of Thomas
ji. Bayley; re-elected to the thirty-fifth and
thirty-sixth congresses and served from De-
cember I, 1856. to Mirch 3, 1861 : delegate
to the Democratic National Convention in
Baltimore in 1852 and in Cincinnati in 1856;
member from Virginia to the first Confed-
erate Congress: died at "Elm wood/' Vir-
ginia, February 14, 1864. He was a grand-
son of James Mercer Garnett. Sr., member
of United States Congress (1805-1809) (q.
\.). and a great-grandson of James Garnett
(q. v. Vol I., 241).
Garnett, Robert Selden, born in Essex
county, Virginia. April 26. 1789; pursued an
academic course : studied law. was admitted
to the bar, and began practice at Lloyd's,
Virginia: member of the state legislature;
elected as a Democratic Republican to the
fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth
and nineteenth congresses (March 4, 1817-
Mcjrch_3^ 1827X1 died in Essex county, Vir-
ginia. August 15* 1840.
Gholson, Japies Herbert, born at Gholson-
ville, Virginia, in 1798; pursued an academic
course, and was graduated from Princeton
(College in 1820; studied law, was admitted
to the bar and began practice at Percivals,
Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-third congress (March 4, 1833-
March 3, 1835) ; judge of the circuit court for
the Brunswick circuit for many years ; died
in Brunswick county, Virginia, July 2,
1848.
Gholson, Thomas, Jr., born in Brunswick,
Virginia ; pursued an academic course ; stud-
ied law, was admitted to the bar, and be-
gan practice in Brunswick county, Virginia ;
elected as a Democratic Republican to the
tenth congress, to fill vacancy caused by
the death of John Claiborne; reelected to
the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and four-
teenth congresses, and served from Novem-
ber 7, 1808. until his death in Brunswick
county, \'irginia, July 4, 1816.
Giles, William B. (q. v.).
Goggin, William L., born in Bedford coun-
ty, Virginia. May 31, 1807; pursued an aca-
demic course: studied law; admitted to the
bar in 1828: began practice in Winchester,
Virginia: member of house of delegates in
1836; elected as a Whig to the twenty-sixth
and twenty-seventh congresses (March 4-
1839-March 3, 1843) ' elected to the twenty-
eighth congress to fill vacancy caused by
the resignation of Thomas W. Gilmer, and
served from May 10. 1844. to March 4. 1845 »
reelected to the thirtieth congress (March
4. 1847-March 3. 1849) : defeated as the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Whig candidate lor governor in i860; died
ii» Richmond, \'irginia, January 5, 1870.
Goodc, Samuel, born at "\\ hitby," Ches-
terlicld county. \*irginia. March 21, 1756;
completed preparatory studies; was a lieu-
tenant in the Chesterfield troop of horse
during the revolution, and later a colonel of
militia: member of the \'irginia house of
burgesses. 1779-17S3: elected to the sixth
congress (March 4, 1799-March 3. 1801);
died in Mecklenburg county. X'irginia. No-
vember 14. 1822. He was a son of Col.
Robert Goode and Sally Bland, his wife,
daughier of Richard T.land. the celebrated
statesman of the revolution.
Goode, WUliam Osborne, l;orn in Meck-
lenburg county. X'irginia. September 16.
1798. .<on of John C. (loode. of "Ingle wood,"*
^lecklenburg county, and Lucy Claiborne,
his wife: was graduated from William and
Mary College in 1S19; studied law, and in
1 82 1 was admitted to the bar and began
practice in Uoydion : served several years
in the ht»use of delegates : elected as a Demo-
crat to the twenty-seventh congress (March
4, iS4i-March 3. 1843) *» ^^^""^ served several
terms as member of the house of delegates,
and as speaker three terms; a delegate to
the state constitutional convention in 1850;
elected to the thirty-third, thirty-fourth,
tliirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses and
served from March 4. 1853. ""^'^ ^^^^ death
in Doydton. X'irginia. July 3, 1859.
Goodwin, Fetcrson, was born about 1745*
in Dinwiddie county : completed preparatory
studies; studied law and was admitted to
the bar: elected to the eighth, ninth, tenth,
eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth congresses, and served from March
4v 1803, until his death, February 21, 1818.
He was a son of Joseph Goodwin, of Din-
widdie county.
Gordon, William Fitzhugh, born in Ger-
manna, Orange county, X'irginia. January
13. 1787, grandson on the paternal side of
John Gordon, of Lancaster county, Vir-
ginia, who about 1727 came to America
from Newry, county Down. Ireland, and his
grandmother on the maternal side was a
hrst cousin of Benjamin Harrison, signer of
the Declaration of Independence, governor
of X'irginia. and father of President XX'illiam
Henry Harrison: Gen. Gordon removed in
early life from Orange to Albemarle county,
X'irginia: attended country schools: stud-
ied law. was admitted to the bar. and prac-
ticed in Charlottesville. X'irginia: was a
member of the state general assembly from
tb.at district at the time of the establishment
of' the University of X'irginia, under the
auspices of Mr. Jefferson, whom he ma-
terially assisted in the legislative develop-
ment of his plans; member of the state
house of delegates. 1819-1831 : member of
congress from X'irginia. 1829-1835. and sig-
nalized his term of service by introducing,
in 1834, the bill for the establishment of the
independent treasury or sub-treasury sys-
tem of the United States, which was passed
without much opposition and has since re-
mained among the Federal statutes prac-
tically unchanged ; for many years a promi-
nent figure in the Virginia militia, and at
the time of his death held the commission
of major-general. Crosby says of him : **In
early life Gen. Gordon attained a high posi-
tion in the state, and although he had
not participated in the strife of politics for
many years past, yet to the day of his death
he was esteemed among the worthiest of the
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
in
Democratic leaders: he was a rigid disciple
of the states' rights school, and an inflexible
champion of the rights of the South ; a fervid
oiatory was his most characteristic talent,
and incorruptible integrity his distinguish-
ing virtue : in the relations of private life he
commanded universal respect, .and among
his more intimate friends he was regarded
with a warm ar.d constant affection." Gen.
Cordon married Elizabeth Lindsay, of
Albemarle county, Virginia, daughter of
Col. Reuben Lindsay, who advanced £i.ooo
to the cause of American independence,
and then, entering the army, rendered im-
portant service throughout the revolution
ar.'d received the particular thanks of Gen.
Washington after the battle of Yorktown :
he further showed his devoted patriotism
by refusing a repayment of his original
loan and never claiming the land bounty
awarded him for his services. Gtn. Gor-
don died at his home uear Gordonsville.
Albemarle county. I'irginia. .August 2S. 1858.
Gray, Edwin, i)orn^n Southampton coun-
t\. \'irginia. in ijCx). son of Col. Joseph
Gray, burgess iq. v., vol. i. j). 247) ; attended
the pui)lic schools: served in the house
of burgesses, ijuj-ijj^: member of the
house of delegates; elected to the state
senate : member of the state constitutional
conventions of 1774. 1773 and 1776: elected
to the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth,
eleventh and twelfth congresses (March
4 1799-March 3. 1^131. C'X'irginia Maga-
zine of History and P.iography." iii. 403 >.
Gray, John C, born in Southampton coun-
t>. Virginia: pursued an academic course:
elected to the sixteenth congress to till
vacancy caused by the resignation of James
Johnson, and served from November iS.
1820, to March 3, 1821.
GrifEn, Samuel, a descendant of Thomas
Grifiin. who received grants of land in 1051,
and brother of Judge Cyrus Griffin (q. v.),
was born in Richmond county, \*irginia;
studied and practiced law ; served in the
revolution as colonel, deputy adjutant gen-
eral Flying Camp, July 19, 1776; wounded
at Harkm Heights. October 12, 1776; in
1781 a member of the state board of war;
of the house of delegates from Williams-
burg. 17S7 and 17S8: member of co::gress.
17S9-1795. He died November 3. 1810. He
had only one daughter. Elizabeth Corbin.
who married (first) Samuel Gatlifte. and
(secor.d) Prof. Ferdinand Stewart Camp-
bell, of William and Mary College.
Griffin, Thomas, was born in 1773, son of
Dr. Corbin Griffin, of Yorktown, X'irginia,
who was a member of the York county com-
mittee of safety ( 1775-I77^>). and surgeon
in the X'irginia line during the revolution:
member of the house oi delegates, 1793-98-
99. 1800. 1803-04-05. 1819 20. 1S21. 1822.
iS.-r»-27. 1830: member of congress in the
eighth compress (March 4. 1803-March 4,
1S03) : second in command in the light near
Hampton during the war of 1812. He mar-
ried his cousin Mary, daughter of Judge
Cyrus Griffin. He died October 7, 1S37.
Hancock, George, born in I-'incastle. Hote-
t(»urt county. X'irginia. June 13. 1754: pur-
sued classical studies: served in the revolu-
tionary war as colonel of infantry. X'irginia
line, and was taken prisoner at the siege of
Savannah. Georgia; was paroled and re-
turned to X'irginia : studied law. was ad-
mitted to the bar, and practiced in Fincastle;
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
elected as a Democratic Republican to the
third and fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-
March 3, 1797); died at Fotheringay, Vir-
ginia, July 18, 1820.
Harris, John Thomas, born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, May 8, 1823, son of Na-
than and Ann (Anderson) Harris; his fam-
ily, who were among the earliest emigrants
from England to the Virginia colony, were
extensive planters and conspicuous in local
affairs ; the son received an academic educa-
tion, and while engaged in the study of law
taught school in Augusta county, Virginia;
then attended Judge Thompson's Law
School at Staunton, and upon graduation
established himself at Harrisonburg, Rock-
ingham county, Virginia, for the practice of
his profession ; took an active part in poli-
tics, and in 1852 was elected common-
wealth's attorney, to which office he was
reelected in 1856, and served until 1859;
presidential elector on the Buchanan ticket
in 1856; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-
sixth congress (March 4, 1859-March 3,
1861), where he was conspicuous as an
ardent advocate for the Union; before the
secession of Virginia, however, he cast his
lot with the fortunes of his state, serving
two terms in the Virginia house of delegates
during the war, 1863-1865; judge of the
twelfth judicial circuit, 1866-1869, and
though while in this station he decided many
novel legal questions growing out of the
war, in only one instance was his opinion
reversed by the court of appeals ; elected as
a Democrat to the forty-second, forty-
third, forty-fourth, forty-fifth and forty-
sixth congresses (March 4, 1871-March 3,
1881) ; declined a unanimous renomination ;
during Democratic ascendancy in that body
he served as chairman of the committees on
election, on revision of the laws, and as
second upon the judiciary; he ranked as one
of the ablest parliamentarians in that body ;
chairman of X'irginia Democratic conven-
tion in 1884; delegate to several Democratic
national conventions ; presidential elector on
the Cleveland ticket in 1888; commissioner
tc the World's Fair at Chicago; after his
retirement from politics he actively and suc-
cessfully engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession; he married, in 1855, Virginia Mau-
pin Miller, and they had seven children ; he
died at Harrisonburg, Virginia, October 14,
1899.
Harris, William Alexander, born near
Warrenton, Fauquier county, Virginia, Au-
gust 24, 1805 : completed an academic course ;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
commenced practice in Luray; member of
the house of delegates; presidential elector
on the Van Buren and Johnson ticket in
1840; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-
seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3,
1843) J editor of the '^Spectator" and the
^'Constitution'* in Washington, D. C. ; charge
d'affaires to the Argentine Republic, 1846-
185 1 ; moved to Missouri and then back to
Washington; editor of the '^Washington
Union,'' and printer to the United States
senate, 1857-1859; died in Pike county, Mis-
souri, March 28, 1864.
Harrison, Carter Bassett, son of Governor
Benjamin Harrison, studied at William and
Mary College ; lived in Prince George coun-
ty; member of the house of delegates in
1784. and of the third, fourth and fifth con-
gresses (March 4, 1793-March 4, 1799) ;
married Mary Howell Allen, daughter of
Col. William Allen, of "Claremont," Surry
county, Virginia.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
113
Hawcs, Aylett, native of Culpeper county,
Virginia; pursued a classical course; stud-
ied medicine; elected as a Democratic Re-
publican to the twelfth, thirteenth and four-
teenth congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3,
1817) ; resumed the practice of medicine;
died in Culpeper county, Virginia, August
2h 1833-
Hayes, Samuel L., native of Pennsylvania ;
moved to Stuards Creek, Virginia; elected
as a Democrat to the twenty-seventh con-
gress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843).
Haymond, Thomas S., native of Virginia ;
elected to the thirty-first congress to fill
vacancy caused by the death of Alexander
Newman, and served from December 3,
1849, to March 3, 1851.
Heath, John, son of John Heath, was born
in Northumberland county, Virginia, and
studied at William and Mary College; was
one of the founders of the Phi Beta Kappa
Society, December 5, 1776, and its first presi-
dent; served in the house of delegates, 1782,
when barely twenty-one; a member of the
third and fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-
March 4, 1797) ; died in Richmond, October
3. 1810. while serving in the council of John
Tyler, Sr, His son, James E. Heath, was
state auditor.
Hill, John, born in New Canton, Bucking-
ham county, Virginia, July 18, 1800; com-
pleted preparatory studies and attended
Washington and Lee University; studied
law, was admitted to the bar in 1821, and
practiced ; elected as a Whig to the twenty-
sixth congress (March 4, 1839-March 3,
1841) ; member of Virginia constitutional
convention of 1850; commonwealth attorney
for several years, and county judge, 1870-
VIR-«
1879; died at Buckingham Court House,
Virginia, April 19, 1880.
HoUaday, Alexander Richmond, born at
'Trospect Hill," Spotsylvania county, Vir-
ginia, September 18, 181 1 ; attended the pub-
lic schools, received special training under
John Lewis, of Spotsylvania county, and
attended the University of Virginia ; studied
law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced
in Spotsylvania, Orange and Louisa coun-
ties ; member of the house of burgesses, and
held several local offices ; elected as a Demo-
crat to the thirty-first and thirty-second
congresses ; declined a renomination ; moved
to Richmond, Virginia, in 1853, and prac-
ticed law; president of the Virginia board
of public works, 1857-1861 ; died in Rich-
mond, Virginia, January 29, 1877.
HoUeman, Joel, born in Isle of Wight
county, Virginia, October i, 1799; completed
preparatory studies; studied law; admitted
to the bar and began practice at Burwell
Lay; elected as a Van Buren Democrat to
the twenty-sixth congress, and served from
March 4, 1839, until 1840, when he resigned;
again elected a member of the state house
of burgesses and served as speaker ; died in
Smithfield, Virginia, August 5,' 1844.
Holmes, David, born at Mary Ann Fur-
nace, York county. Pennsylvania, March
10. 1770. He pursued classical studies:
studied law and was admitted to the bar ; he
held several local offices. He was elected
to the fifth congress and to five succeeding
congresses (March 4, 1797-March 3, 1809).
He was appointed by President Jefferson as
governor of the territory of Mississippi,
March 7. 1809, and served from July i of
that year to 18 17, and was governor of the
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114
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
state from October 7, 181 7, to January 5,
1820. when he was appointed to the United
States senate to fill vacancy occasioned by
the resignation of Walter Leaks. He was
subsequently elected senator, and served
from August 30. 1820, to September 25,
1825. when he resigned. He returned to
Winchester, Virginia, in 1827, and died at
Jordon's Sulphur Springs, Virginia, August
20, 1832.
Hopkins, George Washington, born in
Goochland county, Virginia, February 22,
1804: attended the common schools; studied
law, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Lebanon, Virginia; member of
the house of delegates, 1833-1834; elected as
a Democrat to the twenty-fourth and to the
five succeeding congresses (March 4, 1835-
March 3, 1847) ; charge d'affaires to Por-
tugal, March 3, 1847, to October 18, 1849;
again a member of the house of delegates in
1849; judge of the circuit court; elected to
the thirty-fifth congress (March 4, 1857-
March 3, 1859) ; again elected to the house
of delegates ; died March 2, 1861.
Hubard, Edmund Willcox, son of Dr.
James Thruston Hubard and Susanna Will-
cox, his wife, was born February 20, 1806;
was elected as a Democrat to the twcmy-
seventh, twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth
congresses (March 4, 1841-March 4, 1847) >
married Sarah Eppes; died December 9,
1S72.
Hungcrford, John Pratt, born in Leeds,
Westmoreland county, Virginia, January 2,
1761 ; received a thorough English training;
served in the revolutionary war ; member of
the house of delegates for several terms;
presented credentials as a Democratic Re-
publican to the twelfth congress, and served
from March 4, 181 1, to December 2, 181 1,
when he was succeeded by John Taliaferro,
who contested his election; elected to the
thirteenth and fourteenth congresses (March
4. 1813-March 3, 1817) ; served in the war of
1812 as brigadier-general of militia; died at
Twiford. Westmoreland county, Virginia,
l^ecember 21, 1833.
Jackson, Edward B., native of Clarksburg,
Harrison county, West Virginia : pursued an
academic course in the Clarksburg Male
Academy ; studied medicine and commenced
practice in Clarksburg; elected to the six-
teenth congress, to' fill vacancy caused by
the resignation of James Tindall ; re-elected
to the seventeenth congress, and served
from November 30, 1820, to March 3, 1823;
died in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Septem-
ber 8, 1826.
Jackson, George, a representative from
\'irginia, served in the fifth congress.
Jackson, John George, born in Clarksburg,
Harrison county, Virginia, in 1774; received
an English training, and became a civil en-
gineer ; appointed surveyor of public lands
of what is now the state of Ohio in 1793;
member of the Virginia house of delegates.
1797-1801 ; elected as a Republican to the
eighth, and to the three succeeding con-
gresses, and served from March 4, 1803,
until 1810, when he resigned; again state
representative, 1811-1812; chosen brigadier-
general of militia ; re-elected as a Democrat
to the thirteenth and fourteenth congresses
(March 4, 1813-March 3, 1817) ; declined a
re-election to the fifteenth congress; ap-
pointed United States district judge for the
western district of Virginia in 1819, and
served until his death in Clarksburg, Vir-
ginia, March 29, 1825.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
115
Jenkins, Albert Gallatin, (q. v.).
Johnson, James, son of Col. Philip John-
son, of York county ; studied at William and
Mary College about 1795; represented Isle
o»* Wight county in house of burgesses;
elected as a Republican to the thirteenth,
fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth con-
gresses, and served from March 4, 1813,
until February i. 1820, when he resigned to
become customs collector of Norfolk ; died in
Norfolk, Virginia, December 7, 1825.
Johnston, Charles C, born in Abingdon,
Virginia, in 1795; received a liberal school-
ing: studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and practiced at Abingdon, Virginia ; elected
to the twenty-second congress (March 4,
1831-March 3, 1833) I died in Alexandria,
\'irginia, June 17, 1832.
Jones, James, born in Amelia (now Not-
toway ) county, Virginia, December 11, 1772;
attended Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia,
the Jefferson Medical College. Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and was graduated in medicine
from the University of Edinburgh. Scotland,
in 1796; returned to Amelia county, and
practiced medicine and engaged in planting;
several times a member of the state house of
dtlegates; privy councillor of \'irginia four
consecutive terms : a presidential elector ; de-
feated candidate for the fifteenth congress,
to fill a vacancy: elected as a Republican to
the sixteenth and seventeenth congresses
(March 4. 1819-March 3, 1823) : died at his
ei^tate "Mountain Hall." Nottoway county,
\'irginia, April 25. 1848.
Jones, John Winston, son of Alexander
Jones and Mary Anne Winston, his wife,
was born in Chesterfield county, Virginia.
November 22. 1791 ; was a scholar at Wil-
liam and Mary College in 1803; elected
as a Democrat to the twenty-fourth, and to
the four succeeding congresses (March 4,
i835-March 3, 1845) i speaker of tlie House
of Representatives in the twenty-eighth con-
gress ; declined a re-election ; died in Peters-
burg. Virginia, January 29, 1848. He was a
grandson of Col. John Jones, of Amelia
county, and Elizabeth Crawley, his wife.
Peter Jones, founder of Petersburg, was of
the same family. (See William and Mary
College Quarterly, XIX., 287).
Jones, Joseph (q. v.).
Jones, Walter (q. v.).
Kerr, John, born in Caswell county, North
Carolina, August 4, 1782; attended common
schools, studied theology and was licensed
as a Baptist minister in 1802; located in
Halifax county, Virginia, in 1805 ; elected to
the thirteenth and fourteenth congresses
(March 4, 1813-March 3, 1817) ; resumed the
ministry, and was pastor of the Baptist
churches of Arbor and Mary Creek; moved
to Richmond, Virginia, in March, 1825, and
v.as pastor of the First Baptist Church : re-
signed in 1832: located on a farm near Dan-
ville, Virginia, in 1836. and died there Sep-
tember 29, 1842.
Kidwell, Zedekiah, born in Fairfax
county, Virginia, January 4, 1814; received
a liberal schooling; studied medicine and
was graduated from Jefferson Medical Col-
lege. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1839,
and practiced in Fairfax county, Virginia,
1839-1849; studied law and was admitted to
the bar in 1849; moved to Fairmont, Vir-
ginia; member of the house of delegates;
delegate in the state constitutional conven-
tion of 1850; presidential elector on the
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ii6
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Democratic ticket in 1852; elected as a
Democrat to the thirty-third and thirty-
fourth congresses (March 4, 1853-March 3,
1857) ; elected a member of the state board
of public works in 1857; died in Fairmont,
West \'irginia, April 27, 1872.
Leake, Shelton Farrar, born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, November 30, 1812, son of
Dr. Samuel and Sophia (Farrar) Leake,
grandson of Capt. Mark and Patience (Mor-
ris) Leake, great-grandson of Walter and
Judith (Mark) Leake, and great-great-
grandson of William Leake, who came from
England about 1685, and settled in what is
now Gloucester county, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies ; taught school for three
years ; studied law. was admitted to the bar
in 1835 at Charlottesville, Virginia, and
commenced practice there; member of the
state house of burgesses in 1842; represen-
tative in congress from Virginia, 1845-1847;
presidential elector on the Democratic
ticket in 1848; elected lieutenant-governor
in 185 1 ; three years later was a candidate
for governor, but after a very close vote was
defeated for the Democratic nomination by
Henry A. Wise; was again elected to the
national congress (March 4, 1859-March 3,
1861) and served on the committee on manu-
factures; took part in the civil war, and at
its close withdrew from politics and prac-
ticed his profession, in which he was emi-
nently successful ; he was a criminal lawyer
of great ability, possessing a combination of
pathos and pure English and scintillating
wit; he married, in 1844, Rebecca Gray;
died at his home in Virginia in the year 1884.
Lee, Henry (q. v.).
Lee, Richard Bland, was born at "Lee-
sylvania," Prince William county, January
26, 1761, son of Henry Lee, of "Leesylvania,"
and Lucy Grymes, his wife, and a great-
grandson of Richard Lee, the immigrant;
pursued English and classical studies in pri-
vate schools, and attended William and
Mary College; served in the Virginia legis-
lature in 1784, and other years, and was a
member of the first, second and third con-
gresses from March 4, 1789, to March 4,
1795. He married Elizabeth, daughter of
Stephen and Mary Parish Collins, of Phila-
delphia; died March 12, 1827.
Leffler, Isaac, born in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, November 7, 1788: attended
public schools, and was graduated from Jef-
ferson College, Pennsylvania: studied law,
was admitted to the bar, and began practice
in Wheeling, Virginia, (now West \'ir-
ginia) : member of state house of delegates,
1817-1825; elected to the twentieth congress
as a representative from \'irginia (March 4,
1827-March 3, 1829) ; moved to that portion
ot Michigan territory that is now Des
Moines county, Iowa, in 1835 ; after the cre-
ation of Wisconsin territory, April 20, 1836,
represented Des Moines county in the first
legislature of the new territory, 1836-1837;
admitted to the Des Moines county bar,
April 15, 1835, and practiced; chief justice
of the first judicial tribunal of Des Moines
county, April 11, 1836; member of the house
or representatives of the territory of Iowa in
1841 ; appointed by President Tyler United
States marshal for the district of Iowa, De-
cember 18, 1843, confirmed January 16, 1844,
and removed by President Polk, December
29. 1845; appointed by President Fillmore
receiver of public moneys for the Chariton,
Iowa, land district, August 30, 1852. and
was removed by President Pierce, March
29. 1853.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
"7
Leftwich, Jabez, born in Caroline county,
Virginia, in 1766; moved with parents to
Bedford county in 1770; attended the com-
mon schools; inspector general with the
rank of colonel on the staff of his brother,
Ccn. Joel Leftwich, in the revolution ; repre-
sented Bedford county in the state legisla-
ture, 1812-1821 ; elected to the seventeenth
and eighteenth congresses (March 4, 1821-
March 3, 1825) ; defeated for the nineteenth
congress ; removed to Madison county, Ala-
bama, in 1825; member of the Alabama leg-
islature; died near Huntsville, Alabama,
June 22. 1855. He was the son of Augustine
Leftwich, who died in 1795.
Lewis, Charles S.» native of Clarksburg,
West Virginia ; completed preparatory stud-
ies : elected as a Democrat to the thirty-third
congress, to fill vacancy caused by the death
o^ John F. Snodgjass, and served from De-
cember 4, 1854, to March 3, 1855.
Lewis, Joseph, Jr., born in Virginia in
1772; elected as a Federalist to the eighth,
and to the six succeeding congresses (March
4. iSo3-March 3, 1817) : died at Clifton. \'ir-
ginia. March 30, 1834.
Lewis, Thomas, born in Augusta county,
Virginia; attended the common schools;
presented credentials as a representative-
elect to the eighth congress, and served from
March 4. 1803, to March 5, 1804, when he
was succeeded by Andrew Moore, who con-
tested his election. By formal action of the
house of representatives, counsel for the
claimants were heard at the bar of the house
in this case.
Lewis, William J., born near Lynchburg,
Virginia; attended the common schools;
member of the house of delegates ; elected as
a Republican to the fifteenth congress
March 4, 1817-March 3. 1819) ; died near
Lynchburg. Virginia. November i, 1828.
Love, John, pursued an academic course ;
elected as a Republican to the tenth and
eleventh congresses (March 4, 1807-March
3, 181 1) ; died August 17, 1822.
Loyall, George, born in Norfolk, Virginia,
May 29, 1789; was graduated from William
and Mary College in 1808; visited England
in 181 5 ; member of the house of delegates in
1817-1827; delegate in the state constitu-
tional convention of 1829; successfully con-
tested the election of Thomas Newton to the
twenty-first congress, and served from
March 9, 1830, to March 3. 1831 ; reelected
to the twenty-third and twenty-fourth con-
gresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837) ;
navy agent in Norfolk, Virginia, 1837-1861,
with the exception of two years; died in
Norfolk. Virginia, February 24, 1868.
Lucas, Edward, born in Jefferson county,
Virginia (now West Virginia), October 22,
1790; attended the common schools and
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania;
officer in the war of 1812: studied law, was
admitted to the bar, but did not practice;
member of the house of delegates ; elected as
a Jackson Democrat to the twenty-third and
twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-
March 3, 1837) ; military storekeeper of ord-
nance at the Harper's Ferry Armory, May
12, 1847. ""^iJ his death, in Harper's Ferry,
Virginia, March 4, 1858.
Lucas, William, born near Charles Town,
Jefferson county. West \*irginia, November
30, 1800; attended the public schools in
Charles Town ; studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and practiced in Charles Town,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
West Virginia ; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-sixth congress (March 4, 1839-
March 3, 1841 ) : reelected to the twenty-
eighth congress (March 4, 1843-March 3,
1845) ; died on his farm in Jefferson county,
West X'irginia, August 29. 1877.
Machir, James, native of Virginia ; elected
to the fifth congress (March 4, 1797-March
3. 1799) ; died June 25, 1827.
Mallory, Francis, son of Charles King
Mallory, lieutenant-governor of Virginia
during the war of 1812, born near Hampton.
Elizabeth City county, Virginia, December
12, 1807; attended the common schools;
located in Hampton ; was appointed mid-
shipman in the United States navy in 1822;
resigned in 1826; studied law, and medicine,
and was graduated from the medical de-
partment of the University of Pennsylvania,
in 1830, and practiced in Norfolk, Virginia;
abandoned practice of medicine and moved
to his farm in Elizabeth City county ; elect-
ed as a Whig to the twenty-fifth, twenty-
sixth and twenty -seventh congresses (March
4, 1837-March 3, 1843) * «^"d supported the
administration of John Tyler; appointed
navy agent at Norfolk, November i, 1850;
president of Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad
Company, 1853-1859; died in Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, March 26, i860. He married (first)
Mary Elizabeth Sheild, and (second) Mary
Frances Wright, daughter of Col. Stephen
Wright, of Norfolk, Virginia, by whom he
had eleven children.
Martin, Elbert S., native of Virginia ; at-
tended the public schools ; elected as a Dem-
ocrat to the thirty-sixth congress (March 4,
1859-March 3, 1861).
Mason, John Young, born in Greenville
county, Virginia, April 18, 1799; attended
the common schools of his neighborhood,
later the University of North Carolina, from
which he graduated in 1816; studied law in
Litchfield, Connecticut, was admitted to the
bar in 1819. and commenced practice in
Hicksford, Virginia, which soon became ex-
ttnsive and lucrative; elected to the Vir-
ginia assembly in young manhood, and
served for a number of years; member of
the state constitutional convention in 1829;
elected a member of the United States house
of representatives in 1831, remained until
1837, then appointed judge of the United
States district for Virginia; secretary of the
navy, March 14, 1844-March 10, 1845. ^"^
September 9. 1846-March 8, 1849; attorney-
general from March 6, 1845, ^o September
9. 1846; at the end of President Polk's ad-
ministration, John Y. Mason went to Rich-
mond, Virginia, and engaged in the practice
of law ; was a member of the constitutional
convention of Virginia, and presided over
the deliberations of that body; in 1853 ^^s
appointed minister to France by President
Franklin Pierce, was reappointed by Presi-
dent Buchanan, and remained abroad for
the rest of his life, his death occurring in
Paris, France, October 3, 1859.
Maxwell, Lewis, native of Virginia ; locat-
ed at Weston; elected as a Whig to the
twentieth, twenty-first and twenty-second
congresses (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1844).
McCarty, William Mason, son of Col.
Daniel McCarty, of Westmoreland county,
Virginia, and Sarah Mason, his wife, daugh-
ter of George Mason, who wrote the Vir-
ginia Declaration of Rights, was educated
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
119
at William and Mary College in 1813-1814;
studied and practiced law; member of the
\'irginia senate. 1832-34-38-39; and member
of the twenty-sixth congress, to fill a va-
cancy caused by the resignation of Charles
F. Mercer, and served from January 25,
1840, to March 4, 1841 ; provisional governor
of Florida.
McComas, Willianu native of Virginia;
elected as a Whig to the twenty-third and
twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-
March 3, 1837).
McCoy, William, native of Augusta coun-
ty, Virginia; elected as a Jackson Democrat
to the twelfth, and to the ten succeeding
congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1833).
McDowell, James (q. v.).
McKinlcy, William, native of Virginia;
elected as a Republican to the eleventh con-
gress, to fill vacancy caused by the resigna-
tion of John G. Jackson, and served from
December 21. 1810, to March 3, 181 1.
Meade, Richard Kidder, born in Frederick
county, Virginia, in 1795 ; pursued an aca-
demic course ; studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and commenced practice in Peters-
burg, Virginia ; elected as a Democrat to the
thirtieth, thirty-first and thirty-second con-
gresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1853) ; de-
clined the appointment of charge d'affaires
to Sardinia tendered by President Pierce in
1853; minister to Brazil by the nomination
of President Buchanan, July 27, 1857, to
July 9, 1861 : returned to Virginia and de-
voted himself to the cause of the Confed-
eracy; died in Petersburg, Virginia, April
20. 1862. He was a son of Richard Kidder
Meade, aide-de-camp to Washington, and
grandson of David Meade, of Xansemond
county, and Susanna Evcrard, his wife,
daughter of Sir Thomas Evcrard, governor
of North Carolina.
Mercer, Charles Fenton, born in Fred-
ericksburg, Virginia, June 6, 1778, son of
James and Eleanor (Dick) Mercer, and
grandson of John Mercer, an emigrant from
Dublin, Ireland, who settled at Marlboro,
Stafford county, Virginia, where he occu-
pied a high legal position, and was the com-
piler of a collection of Virginia laws, known
as "Mercer's Abridgement;'* his father
(1749-93), a native of Virginia, was gradu-
ated at William and Mary College in 1767,
was a prominent lawyer of the state, mem-
ber of the Virginia conventions of 1774-
1775-1776, member of the Virginia house of
burgesses, of the committee of safety, of the
continental congress, served in congress
during 1779-80, and was a judge of the state
court of appeals ; said to have drawn up the
will of George Washington's mother;
Charles F. Mercer graduated from Prince-
ton College in 1797; lieutenant and captain
of cavalry in the United States army 1798-
1800; studied law. was admitted to the bar
in 1802, and after making a tour of Europe
during 1802-03, returned to the United States
and settled in practice in Aldie, Loudoun
county, Virginia; in 181 1 was again called
to military duty by the general government,
was appointed aid-de-camp to the governor
in 18 1 3, and rose to the rank of brigadier-
general of militia in command of the forces
at Norfolk; member of the state house of
representatives, 1810-1817. and in 1816 was
appointed chairman of the committee on
finance, in which capacity he brought for-
ward a bill for the construction of the Chesa-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
peake & Ohio canal ; to this end a company
was afterwards formed, of which he was
elected president: in 1816-17 he introduced
in the \'irginia legislature a bill for the pro-
motion of public education, including a uni-
versity, colleges, academies and primary
schools, which passed the house of dele-
gates, but was lost in the senate by a tie
vote : this bill preceded that of Mr. Jefferson
for the establishment of the University of
\*irginia ; elected as a Republican to the fif-
teenth, and to the eleven succeeding con-
gresses, and served from March 4. 1817, to
December 26, 1839. when he resigned; he
was an ardent supporter of Monroe and
John Quincy Adams, but an opponent of
Jackson and Van Curen ; he favored the pro-
tection of American industries, and was
earnest and outspoken in his opposition to
the African slave trade; it is said that he
was the first to place before congress a reso-
lution for the elimination of slavery from
the United States, and in 1853 he visited
Europe in the interest of abolition, consult-
ing with many eminent men on the subject ;
for some years he was prominent as presi-
dent of the American Colonization Society ;
he wrote 'The Weakness and Inefficiency
of the Government of the United States,"
which was published in London after his
death (1863); he died unmarried, at How-
ard, Fairfax county, Virginia, near Alex-
andria, May 4. 1858, and is buried at Lees-
burg, Virginia.
Millson, John Singleton, born in Norfolk,
Virginia, October i, 1808; pursued an aca-
demic course; studied law, was admitted to
the bar in 1829, and commenced practice in
Norfolk; presidential elector on the Polk-
Dallas ticket in 1844, and on the Cass-But-
ler ticket in 1848 ; elected as a Democrat to
the thirty-first, and to the five succeeding
congresses (March 4. 1849-March 3, 1861);
resumed the practice of law: died in Nor-
folk, \'irginia, February 26, 1873.
Moore, Samuel McDowell, born in Phila-
delphia. Pennsylvania, February 9, 1796, son
ot Andrew Moore (q. v.) ; attended the pub-
lic schools, and Washington College ; locat-
ed in Lexington, Virginia; member of Vir-
ginia constitutional conventions of 1829 and
1861 : elected as a Whig to the twenty-third
congress (March 4, 1833-March 3. 1835);
unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the
twenty-fourth congress ; served in the Con-
federate army; died in Lexington. \'irginia,
September 17, 1875.
Moore, Thomas L., born in Jefterson
county, \'irginia ; pursued an academic
course ; elected to the sixteenth congress, to
fill vacancy caused by the resignation of
George L. Strother; reelected to the seven*-
tcenth congress, and served from November
13. 1820, to March 3, 1823.
Morgan, Daniel, born in Hunterdon coun-
ty, New Jersey, in 1736; moved to Virginia;
commissioned captain of a company of Vir-
ginia riflemen in July, 1775 • taken prisoner
at Quebec, December 31. 1775 ; colonel of the
Eleventh Virginia Regiment, November 12,
1776; regiment designated the Seventh Vir-
ginia, September i^rr/jS ; brigadier-general
in the Continental army, October 30, 1780;
given thanks of congress and a gold medal
(resolution of March 9, 178O "for fortitude
and good conduct of himself, and officers
and men under his command, in the action
at the Cowpens, S. C, January 17, 1781 ;"
served to the close of the war, and then re-
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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tired lo his estate known as "Saratoga/*
near Winchester, Virginia; commanded the
Virginia militia ordered out by President
Washington in 1794 to suppress the whisky
insurrection in Pennsylvania; presented
credentials as a member-elect to the fifth
congress as a Federalist, and the. election
was unsuccessfully contested by Robert
Rutherford; served from March 4, 1797,
until March 3, 1799; declined reelection on
account of ill health; died in Winchester,
Virginia, July 6, 1802.
Morgan, William S., born in Monongalia
county, Virginia, September 7, 1801 ; attend-
ed the public schools; engaged in farming
at White Day, Virginia; elected as a Demo-
crat to the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth
congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1839) ;
clerk of the house of representatives in 1840 ;
declined a renomination for the twenty-sixth
congress ; member of the state house of rep-
resentatives. 1840-1841 ; Democratic presi-
dential elector on the Polk-Dallas ticket in
1844: a naturalist in the employ of the
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C,
until shortly before his death in 1876.
Morrow, John, elected to the ninth and
tenth congresses (March 4, 1805-March 3,
1809).
Morton, Jeremiah, born in Fredericks-
burg. Spotsylvania county, Virginia; attend-
ed William and Mary College, Williams-
burg. Virginia; studied law, was admitted
to the bar, and practiced in Raccoon Ford,
\'irginia; elected as a Democrat to the
thirty-first congress (March 4, 185 1 -March
3- 1853) ; unsuccessful candidate for reelec-
tion to the thirty-second congress; died in
Lessland, Orange county, Virginia, Novem-
ber 28, 1878.
Nelson, Hugh, born at Yorktown, Vir-
ginia, September 30, I7^'>8. son of Governor
'J'homas and Lucy (Grymes) Nelson. He
was graduated from \\'illiam and Mary Col-
lege in 1780; was a member of the Virginia
house of representatives and became speak-
er: served for a time as judge of the general
court. In 1809 he was a presidential elector
on the Pinckney ticket, and two years later
v.as elected to congress as a Republican, and
by successive reflections served from 181 1
to 1823, when he resigned to accept the min-
istry to Spain, in which he served to Novem-
ber 23, 1824. He married Eliza, only child
of Francis and Mildred (Walker) Kinloch,
of Charleston, South Carolina. He died at
Belvoir, Albemarle county. Virginia, March
18. 1836.
Nelson, Thomas Manduit, born in Oak
Hill, Mecklenburg county, Virginia, Sep-
tember 2";, 1782; attended the common
schools ; captain of the Tenth Regiment In-
fantry and major of the Thirtieth and
Eighteenth infantries in the war of 1812:
after the war reduced to captain, and re-
signed his commission. May 15, 1815; elect-
ed as a Republican to the fourteenth con-
gress, to fill vacancy caused by the death of
Thomas Gholson; reelected to the fifteenth
congress, and served from December 4, 1816,
to March 3. 1819; declined a reelection ; died
near Columbus, Georgia. November 10, 1853.
Neville, Joseph, born in 1730; served in
revolutionary army. In 1782 he was asso-
ciated with Col. Alexander McLean, of
Pennsylvania, in settling by survey the long-
standing dispute over the boundary between
Pennsylvania and Maryland, in 1782 com-
pleting their work to the southwest corner
of Pennsylvania; in 1784 their work was
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
tested and corrected by astronomical obser-
vations and permanently marked, and in
1849 their surveys were reviewed and found
to be substantially correct. This was the
beginning of what came to be known as
"Mason and Dixon's Line." Joseph Neville
served in the third congress; he died in
Hardy county, Virginia. March 4, 1819.
New, Anthony, born in Gloucester county,
\'irginia, in 1747; completed preparatory
studies; studied and practiced law; colonel
in the revolutionary army : elected as a Re-
publican from \'irginia to the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth congresses
(March 4, 1793-March 3, 1805): moved to
Kentucky and located in Elkton: elected as
a Republican from Kentucky to the twelfth
congress (March 4. 1811-March 3. 1813),
fifteenth congress (March 4. 1817-March 3,
1819), and seventeenth congress (March 4,
1821-March 3. 1823); died in Todd county,
Kentucky, March 2, 1833.
Newman, Alexander, born near Orange,
Virginia. October 5, 1804; pursued an aca-
demic course; held several local offices;
elected to the Virginia legislature in 1836;
postmaster of Wheeling, 1845-1849, when he
resigned ; elected to the thirty-first congress,
but died before the convening of congress,
ni Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 8,
1849.
Newton, Thomas, Jr., born in Norfolk,
Virginia. November 21. 1768. son of Thomas
Newton and Amy, his wife, daughter of
John Hutchings ; completed preparatory
studies ; studied law and was admitted to
the bar; commenced practice in Norfolk;
held several local offices; elected as a Re-
publican to the seventh and to the thirteen
succeeding congresses (March 4, 1801-
March 3, 1829) ; presented credentials as
member-elect to the twenty-first congress,
but the election was successfully contested
by George Loyall, who took the seat March
9, 1830; reelected to the twenty -second con-
gress (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1833) ; died
in Norfolk. \'irginia, August 5. 1847.
Nicholas, John, born in Williamsburg,
Virginia, January 19, 1761, son of Robert
Carter Nicholas, and a brother of Wil-
son Gary Nicholas, governor of Virginia ;
another brother, George, was attorney-
general of Kentucky, and another. Philip
Norborne Nicholas, was an eminent jurist.
John Nicholas shared the talents of his
family, and with them influenced in a
striking degree the political history of the
time. He attained distinction as a lawyer.
In 1793 he was elected to congress as a Re-
publican, and wielded a strong influence in
that body until 1801. In 1803 he removed
to Geneva. New York, and devoted himself
to large agricultural interests until 1806,
when he was sent to the state senate, in
which he served three years. In 1806 he
became judge of the court of common pleas
of Ontario county, New York, being the
first to hold that office, and served therein
until his death, in Geneva, December 31,
1819.
Page Robert, born at "North End," Glou-
cester county, Virginia, in 1764, son of Hon.
John Page, of that place, member of the
council, was born in 1764; was a student at
William and Mary College and left in 1776
to join the American army; was captain;
was elected as a Federalist to the sixth con-
gress (March 4, 1799-March 4, 1801) ; died
at Janeville, Clarke county, Virginia, Janu-
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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ary 1, 1S40. He married, in 1788, Sarah W.
Page, daughter of his uncle, Robert Page,
of "Broad Xeck/' Hanover county, Virginia.
Parker, Josiah, born at "Macclesfield,"
Isle of Wight county, Virginia, May 11,
1751 ; pursued preparatory studies; member
of the county committee of safety in 1775,
and of the Virginia convention that held ses-
sions in March, July, and December of that
year; commissioned major in the Fifth Vir-
ginia Regiment, February 13, 1776; lieu-
tenant-colonel, July 28, 1777, and colonel,
April I, 1778; served under Gen. Charles
Lee in Virginia until the fall of 1776, when
transferred to Washington's army ; rendered
distinguished service at the battles of Tren-
ton, Princeton and the Brandy wine; re-
signed from the army July 12, 1778; member
of Virginia house of delegates. 1780-1781;
naval officer at Portsmouth, Virginia, 1786;
defeated for delegate to the Virginia con-
vention of 1788: elected to the first six con-
gresses (March 4, 1789-March 3, 1801) ; died
at "Macclesfield," Virginia. March 18. 1810.
Parker, Richard, born in Richmond, Vir-
ginia. December 22, 18 10, son of Richard
Elliott Parker, judge of the supreme court
of appeals, and Elizabeth Foushee, his wife ;
he completed private studies; studied law,
and practiced at Berryville, Virginia; held
several local offices, and was elected as a
Democrat to the thirty-first congress (March
4, 1849-March 3, 1851); was subsequently
appointed judge of the thirteenth circuit,
and presided at the trial of John Brown;
was applauded by friend and foe for his im-
partiality. He married Evelina Moss.
Parker, Severn E., native of Northampton
county, Virginia ; received a common school
training; studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced ; held several local offices,
and served a number of years as a member
of the state house of representatives ; elected
to the sixteenth congress (March 4, 1819-
March 3, 1821) ; died in Northampton coun-
ty, Virginia, October 21, 1836.
Fatten, John Mercer (q. v.).
Pegram, John, born in Dinwiddie county,
Virginia, November 16, 1773; attended com-
mon schools ; held various local offices ; was
a member of the Virginia house of delegates
for many years and of the state senate for
eight years ; elected to the fifteenth congress
to fill vacancy caused by the death of Peter-
son Goodwin, and served from November
16, 1818, to March 3, 1819; major-general of
state militia in the war of 1812; United
States marshal for the eastern district of
Virginia under President Monroe's adminis-
tration ; died in Dinwiddie county, Virginia,
April 8, 1831.
Pendleton, John Strother, born in Cul-
peper county, Virginia, March 2, 1802, son
of William Pendleton and Anne Strother,
his wife ; pursued preparatory studies ; stud*
led law, was admitted to the bar, and prac-
ticed in Culpeper county; member of the
state legislature several terms prior to 1840;
charge d'affaires to Chile, 1841-1844; elect-
ed as a Whig to the twenty-ninth and thir-
tieth congresses (March 4, 1845-March 3,
1849) y charge d'affaires to the Argentine
Confederation, 1851-1854; at the same time
he was also accredited to- Paraguay, and
other South American republics ; in 1854 he
was succeeded by Hon. Joseph Graham ; he
died in Culpeper county, Virginia, Novem-
ber 19, 1868.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Findall» James, native of V^irginia ; attend-
ed the common schools; held various local
offices; elected as a Federalist to the fif-
teenth and sixteenth congresses, and served
from March 4, 1817, to 1820, when he re-
signed.
Powell, Alfred H., born in Loudoun coun-
ty, Virginia, March 6, 1781, son of Col.
Leven Powell, and his wife Sarah, daughter
of Burr Harrison; was graduated from
Princeton College; studied law with Col.
Charles Simnis, of Alexandria, was admit-
ted to the bar, and in iSoo began practice
in Winchester, Virginia: served several
years as a member of the state house of
delegates; elected to the nineteenth con-
gress (March 4, 1825-March 3. 1827); dele-
gate in the state constitutional convention
of 1830; died in Loudoun county, Virginia,
1831.
Powell, Cuthbert, born in Alexandria,
\'irginia. March 4, 1775, son of Col. Leven
Powell and his wife Sarah, daughter of Burr
Harrison; completed preparatory studies;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
practiced in Alexandria; mayor of Alex-
andria; moved to Loudoun county; held
various local offices; elected as a Whig to
the twenty-seventh congress (March 4,
1841 -March 3, 1843) J ^'^d at Langoolen,
Loudoun county, V^irginia, May 8, 1849. He
married Catherine, daughter of Col. Charles
Simms, of Alexandria.
Powell, Lcvcn, was born in Prince Wil-
liam county, Virginia, in 1737, son of Wil-
liam Powell and Eleanor Peyton, his wife,
and grandson of William Powell, of Mary-
land, who died in 1715; studied in private
schools; was deputy to his uncle, Henry
Peyton, sheriff of Prince William county,
married, in 1763, Sarah, daughter of Burr
Harrison, of Chappawamsic, and shortly
after moved to Loudoun county; engaged
H! mercantile pursuits; in 1775 was major
of a battalion of minute-men and served
against Lord Dunmore at Norfolk, Ports-
mouth and Hampton ; in January, 1777, was
appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Six-
teenth Regiment of Virginia Continentals,
and saw service at White Marsh, near Phil-
adelphia and at Valley Forge; resigned on
account of health in 1778 and returned
home; in 1788 was a member of the state
convention and voted for the constitution;
in 1796 as presidential elector was the only
one from \'irginia to vote for John Adams
as President; elected as a Federalist to the
sixth congress (March 4. 1799-March 4,
1801) : helped to build a turnpike from Alex-
andria to the upper country; died July 23,
1810, at Bedford Springs. Virginia.
PowcU, Paulus, a native of Virginia; re-
sided in Amherst county, Virginia; held
various local offices ; elected as a Democrat
to the thirty-first, and to four succeeding
congresses (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1859) ;
defeated for reelection to the thirty-sixth
congress.
Preston, Francis, born at ^'Greenfield,"
Botetourt county, Virginia, August 2, 1765,
son of William Preston, who became a colo-
nel in the revolutionary army; was gradu-
ated from the College of William and Mary
in 1783, and having studied law at that in-
stitution under George Wythe was soon ad-
mitted to the bar ; practiced in Montgomery,
Washington, and other counties until 1793;
member of the state house of delegates and
a state senator; elected to the third and
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3,
1797) f at the beginning of the war of 1812
he enlisted, was appointed colonel of volun-
teers, and marched with his regiment to
Norfolk; subsequently he was appointed
brigadier-general and major-general of
militia; after his service in congress he
located in Abingdon, Virginia, and prac-
ticed law; married, in 1792, Sarah, daugh-
ter of Col. William Campbell, who distin-
guished himself in the battle of King's
Mountain; their sons, William Campbell,
John Smith, and Thomas Lewis, became
prominent, the first as a legislator and edu-
cator, the second as an orator, the third as
a legislator and soldier; Gen. Preston died
while on a visit to his son, William C. Pres-
ton, Columbia, South Carolina, May 25,
1835.
Preston, William Ballard, born at "Smith-
field/' Montgomery county, Virginia, No-
vember 25, 1805, son of Governor James
Patton Preston ( q. v.) ; was graduated from
William and Mary College in 1823; was
graduated from the law school of the Uni-
versity of Virginia, admitted to the bar, and
engaged in practice in 1826; was elected to
the Virginia house of delegates and to the
state senate, serving through a number of
terms; elected as a Whig to the thirtieth
congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1849) ♦ o^
March 8, 1849, assumed the portfolio of the
navy department, having been appointed
secretary by President Taylor, and he con-
tinued in this position until the death of
Gen. Taylor, when he went out of politics
and public life; in 1858 a scheme was on
foot in Virginia to open commercial inter-
course with France, and a line of steamers
was projected for that purpose; he was sent
tc» France to promote this scheme, but was
obliged to return without achieving suc-
cess, owing to the secession of the Southern
states ; he was elected a member of the Vir-
ginia secession convention in 1861, but he
was himself a Union man and opposed the
secession movement so long as there was
any use in such opposition; he was elected
to the Confederate senate in 1861, and was
a member of that body at the time of his
death, which occurred in Smithfield, Vir-
ginia, November 14, 1862.
Fryer, Roger Atkinson, born in Dinwiddie
county, Virginia, July 19, 1828 ; was gradu-
ated from Hampden-Sidney College in 1845,
and from the University of Virginia in 1848;
studied law, was admitted to the bar in
1849, ^"d practiced a short time in Peters-
burg, but abandoned the law on account
of ill health; engaged on the editorial staff
of the "Washington Union'' in 1852 and the
'^Richmond Enquirer" in 1854; appointed
special minister to Greece in 1854; returned
home and established *The South" in 1857,
and after it had failed was on the staff of
the "Washington States;** elected as a Dem-
ocrat to the thirty-sixth congress, to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of William O.
Goode, and served from December 7. 1859,
to March 3, 1861 ; served in the Confederate
army; member of the Virginia Confederate
house of representatives; captured by the
Union troops in November, 1864, and con-
fined in Fort Lafayette, but soon afterwards
released: moved to New York City and
practiced law, 1866-1890; delegate in the
Democratic national convention of 1876;
judge of the court of common pleas of New
York. 1890-1894; justice of the New York
supreme court, 1894-1899: retired upon
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
reaching the age limit; appointed official
referee by the state legislature in 1912.
Rives, Francis E., born in Virginia ; com-
pleted preparatory studies; elected as a
Democrat to the twenty-fifth and twenty-
sixth congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3,
1841 ) ; declined a renomination ; died at
Littleton, Sussex county, Virginia, Novem-
ber 30, 1861.
Roane» John, born at "Uppowac/' King
William county, February 9, 1766, son
ci John Roane, of Essex county, Virginia;
completed preparatory studies; presidential
elector on the Washington ticket; member
of the state house of representatives; dele-
gate to the state constitutional convention,
17S8: elected as a Republican to the elev-
enth, twelfth and thirteenth congresses
(March 4, 1809-March 3, 1815) ; and to the
twentieth, twenty-first and twenty-second
congresses (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1833):
and to the twenty-fourth congress (March
4. 1835-March 3. 1837); died at his resi-
dence. "Uppowac." King William county.
\'irginia. November 15, 1838.
Robertson, John, born at **Belfield," near
Petersburg, X'irginia. in 1787, son of William
Robertson, merchant, and Elizabeth Boi-
ling, his wife; completed preparatory studies
and was graduated from William and Mary
College; studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced in Richmond, Virginia;
attorney-general of Virginia; elected as a
Whig to the twenty-third congress to fill
vacancy caused by the resignation of An-
drew Stevenson ; reelected to the twenty-
fourth and twenty-fifth congresses, and
served from December 8. 1834. to March 3,
1839 ; judge of the circuit court of Virginia
for several years; died at "Mount Athos,"
near Lynchburg, Virginia, July 5, 1873. H^
v/as a brother of Lieutenant-Governor
Wyndham Robertson (q. v.).
Rutherford, Robert, probably a son of
Thomas Rutherford, who represented
Hampshire county in the house of burgesses
from 1761 to 1765; was burgess for Fred-
crick county in 1766- 1773, ^^^ Berkeley
county. 1774-1776; member of the conven-
tions of July and December, 1775, and May,
1776; elected to the third and fourth con-
gresses (March 4. 1793-March 3, 1797) ; de-
feated for reelection to the fifth congress
(see vol. ii, p. 318).
Samuels, Green Berry (q. v., under
"Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals").
Seddon, James A. (q. v.).'
ShefFey, Daniel, born in Frederick, ^lary-
land, in 1770; received a fair education, and
Itarned the trade of shoemaker in his father's
shop; at age of twenty-one settled in Au-
gusta, Virginia, and there followed his
trade; afterward studied law, was admitted
to the bar, practiced his profession and was
successful; removed to Staunton, Virginia,
also Abbeville, Virginia ; served in the house
of delegates; elected as a Federalist to the
eleventh, and to the three succeeding con-
gresses (March 4, 1809-March 3, 1817), and
took a high rank ; his speech in favor of the
renewal of the first bank of the United
States was a masterly production; he was
opposed to the war of 1812; in a contro-
versy with John Randolph, the latter said:
'The shoemaker ought not to go behind
his last;" Mr. SheflFey retorted: **If that
gentleman had ever been on a shoemaker's
bench, he would never have left it;" he died
at Staunton. Virginia, December 3, 1830.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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Smith, Arthur, born in Isle of Wight
county, Virginia, November 15, 1785, de-
scended from Arthur Smith, gentleman,
who came to Virginia in 1622; was gradu-
ated from William and Mary College; stud-
ied law, but did not practice ; served in the
war of 1812; member of the state house of
delegates; elected to the seventeenth and
eighteenth congresses (March 4, 1821-
March 3, 1825); died at Smithfield, Vir-
ginia, March 30, 1853.
Smith, Ballard, a representative from
Virginia to the fourteenth, fifteenth and six-
teenth congresses (March 4, 1815-March 3,
1821). He was a son of Francis Smith and
Elizabeth Waddey, of Hanover county, and
grandson of Dr. John Smith and Elizabeth
Ballard; served as lieutenant in the army
during the American revolution.
Smith, John, native of Virginia; elected
to the seventh, and to the six succeeding
congresses (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1815);
died in Rockville, Maryland, March, 1836.
Smith, William, a native of Chesterfield,
Virginia: completed preparatory studies;
elected to the seventeenth, eighteenth and
nineteenth congresses (March 4, 1821-
March 3, 1827).
Smyth, Alexander, born in the Island of
Rathlin, Ireland, in 1765; came to the
United States and located in Botetourt
county, Virginia, in 1775; completed pre-
paratory studies : studied law, was admitted
to the bar, and began practice in Abingdon,
Virginia; moved to Wythe county, Vir-
ginia: member of the state house of repre-
sentatives from 1792 to 1808; inspector-
general of the army of 1812: resumed the
practice of law : again a member of the state
house of delegates; elected to the fifteenth
and to the three succeeding congresses
I March 4, 1817-March 3. 1825) ; reelected to
the twentieth and twenty-first congresses,
and served from March 4, 1827, until his
death, in Washington, D. C, April 17, 1830.
Smyth county, formed in 1831, was named
for him.
Snodgrass, John Fryall, born in Berkeley
county, Virginia (now West Virginia),
March 2, 1804; completed preparatory stud-
ies; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and began practice in Parkersburg, Vir-
ginia; delegate to the state constitutional
convention in 1850; elected as a Democrat
to the thirty-third congress (March 4, 1853-
March 3, 1855) ; died in Parkersburg, Vir-
ginia, June 5, 1854.
Steenrod, Lewis, born in Ohio county,
Virginia (now West Virginia), May 2T,
1810; attended the common schools; elected
to the twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh and
twenty-eighth congresses (March 4, 1839-
March 3, 1845) * ^^^d near Wheeling, Ohio
county. West Virginia, October 3, 1S62.
Stephenson, James, born in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. March 20. 1764: moved to
Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Vir-
ginia): volunteer rifleman under Gen. St.
Clair in his Indian expedition in 1791 ; bri-
gade inspector: member of the state assem-
bly in 1800, 1801, and 1802: elected as a
Federalist to the eighth congress ( March 4,
1803-March 3, 1805) : reelected to the elev-
enth congress (March 4. 1809-March 3,
181 1 ) : again elected to the seventeenth con-
gress to fill vacancy caused by the death of
Thomas Van Swearingen: reelected to the
eighteenth congress, and served from De-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
cember 2, 1822, until March 3, 1825 ; died in
Martinsburg, West Virginia, August 7,
1833.
Stevenson, Andrew, born in Culpeper
county, \'irginia. in 1784, son of Rev. James
Stevenson and Frances Arnet Littlepage,
bis wife; pursued classical studies; studied
law. admitted to the bar, began practice in
Richmond, Virginia, and won a prominent
place in his profession ; member of the state
house of representatives, 1804-1820, where
for several sessions he was speaker, gaining
thereby the experience which made him so
able a presiding officer while in the national
house: elected as a Democrat to the
eighteenth, and to the five succeeding con-
gresses, and served from March 4, 1823,
until his resignation. June 2, 1834; served
a.- speaker. 1827- 1834, his occupancy of the
speaker's chair covering the stormy times of
the contest over the re-charter of the United
States Bank, and even in the greatest heat
of partisan strife no accusation was ever
made against his fairness and impartiality;
was sent as minister to the Court of St.
James in 1836, and remained until 1841 ; he
then devoted himself to agricultural pur-
suits, and to the interests of the University
of Virginia, of which he was rector at the
time of his death, which occurred at "Blen-
heim," in Albemarle county, Virginia, Janu-
ary 25, 1857. He was a nephew of Gen.
Lewis Littlepage (q. v.).
Stratton, John, native of Accomac county,
Virginia; attended the common schools;
elected to the seventh congress (March 4,
1801-March 3, 1803).
Strother, George F., born in Culpeper
county, Virginia ; completed preparatory
studies; studied law, admitted to the bar,
and began practice in Culpeper; elected as
a Democrat to the fifteenth and sixteenth
congresses, and served from March 4, 18 17,
until his resignation, February 10, 1820 ; re-
ceiver of public moneys in St. Louis, Mis-
souri. He was a son of French Strother
and his wife Lucy, daughter of Robert Cole-
man. French Strother, who was a mem-
ber of the convention which met in Wil-
liamsburg in May, 1776, served thirty years
in the assembly and was a member of the
convention of 1788, voting against the adop-
tion of the constitution (q. v., vol. ii, p. 333 J.
Strother, James French, born in Culpeper
county, \'irginia, September 4, 181 1, son of
James French Strother and Sally Wil-
liams, his wife, daughter of Gen. James
Williams ; completed preparatory studies
and attended St. Louis University; studied
law, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Culpeper, Virginia; member of
the state house of delegates and served as
speaker ; delegate to the state constitutional
convention in 1850; elected as a Whig to
the thirty-second congress (March 4, 185 1-
March 3, 1853) ; died in Culpeper, Virginia,
September 21, i860.
Stuart, Alexander Hugh Holmes, born in
Staunton, Virginia, April 2, 1807, son of
Judge Archibald Stuart, a graduate of Wil-
liam and Mary College; Alexander H. H.
Stuart, after having been prepared for a
university course, went to William and
Mary College for a year, and then attended
the University of Virginia, where he took
the law course, graduated at the age of
twenty-one, and was admitted to practice
at the bar the same year : was in successful
practice in Staunton when, in 1836, he was
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
129
elected a member of the lower house of the
Virginia state legislature, and was continu-
ously reelected until 1839, when he declined
to serve ; elected as a Whig to the twenty-
seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3,
1843) » presidential elector on the Clay
ticket in 1844 and the Taylor ticket in
1848; on July 22, 1850, assumed the office
of secretary of the interior, to which he
had been appointed by President Fillmore,
and in which he continued until the con-
clusion of the administration; was a mem-
ber of the convention of 1856 which nomi-
nated Millard Fillmore for the presidency,
and from 1857 to 1861 was in the Vir-
ginia state senate; he was a strong Union
man in sentiment at the outbreak of the
civil war and earnestly resisted the seces-
sion of his state, while he was one of the
first of the Southern leaders to promote re-
conciliation and political agreement after
the war; although elected a member of con-
gress in 1865, he was unable to take his seat
on account of the "iron-clad" oath ; delegate
to the national Union convention in 1866;
in 1868 was very active in his opposition
and resistance to the objectionable features
ot the reconstruction acts; in 1876 was
elected rector of the University of Virginia,
and, excepting a period of two years, be-
tween 1882 and 1884, he continued to fill
that position until 1886, when he resigned;
he was a member of the board of trustees
of the Southern educational fund founded
by George Peabody; he was also for many
years president of the Virginia Historical
Society; died in Staunton, Virginia, Febru-
ary 13, 1891. Judge Archibald Stuart, his
father, was a son of Major Alexander Stuart,
who was born in Pennsylvania in 1733, and
grandson of Archibald Stuart, a Scotch-
VlA-»
Irish Presbyterian who emigrated to Penn-
sylvania in 1727, and in 1738 removed to
Augusta.
Stuart, Archibald, born in Lynchburg,
Virginia, December 2, 1795 * completed pre-
paratory studies; studied law, was admit-
ted to the bar, and commenced practice in
Campbell county ; served as an officer in the
war of 1812; member of the state legisla-
ture; member of the state convention of
1829-1830; resided in Mount Airy, North
Carolina ; elected as a Whig to the twenty-
fifth congress (March 4, 1837-March 3,
1839) ; member of the state convention of
1850-1851 ; died in Patrick county, Virginia,
September 20, 1855. He was a son of Judge
Alexander Stuart, and grandson of Major
Alexander Stuart, who was born in Pennsyl-
vania in 1733.
Summers, George W. (q. v.).
Swearingen, Thomas Van, born near
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, May 5,
1784; attended the common schools; elected
to the sixteenth and seventeenth congresses,
and served from March 4, 1819, until his
death in Shepherdstown, West Virginia,
August 19, 1822.
Taliaferro, John, born at "Hays," King
George county, Virginia, in 1768, son of
John Taliaferro, of **Hays," and Elizabeth
Garnett, his wife; attended a private
school; studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced in Fredericksburg, Vir-
ginia; elected as a Republican to the sev-
enth congress (March 4, 1801-March 3,
1803) ; presidential elector on the Jefferson
ticket in 1805 ; successfully contested the
election of John Hungerford to the twelfth
congress, and served from December 2,
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130
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1811. to March 3, 1813; presidential elector
on the Monroe ticket in 1821 ; elected to the
eighteenth congress, to fill vacancy caused
by the death of William L. Ball; reelected
to the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-
first congresses, and served from April 8,
1824. to March 3. 1831 ; again elected to the
twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth
and twenty-seventh congresses (March 4,
1835-March 3, 1843) ; librarian of the United
States Treasury Department, 1850, until his
death at his residence, "Hagley." in King
George county, Virginia, August 12, 1852.
Tate, Magnus, born in Berkeley county,
Pennsylvania, in 1760; studied law. was ad-
mitted to the bar, and practiced; engaged in
agricultural pursuits; appointed justice of
the Berkeley county court, May 19, 1798:
sheriff of Berkeley county, 1819-1820;
moved to Virginia; elected to the house of
delegates of Virginia, 1797, 1803, 1809 and
1810: elected as a Federalist to the four-
teenth congress (March 4, 1815-March 3,
1817) ; died near Martinsburg, Virginia,
March 30, 1823.
Taylor, Robert, born in Orange, Virginia,
April 29, 1763, son of Erasmus Taylor and
Ji«ne Moore, his wife; completed prepara-
tory studies; studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and practiced in Orange, Virginia;
held several local officers; member of the
state senate, 1804-1806, and served as
speaker; elected to the nineteenth congress
(March 4, 1825-March 3, 1827) ; died on his
estate, "Meadow Farm," in Orange county,
Virginia, July 3, 1845. He was a cousin of
Gen. Zachary Taylor.
Taylor, William, native of Alexandria,
Virginia ; completed preparatory studies ;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
began practice in Rockingham county, \'ir-
ginia; held several local offices: elected as
a Democrat to the twenty-eighth and twen-
ty-ninth congresses, and served from March
4, 1843, until his death in Washington, D.
C, January 17, 1846.
Taylor, William P., born in Fredericks-
burg, Virginia; received a limited school-
ing; held several local offices; elected as a
Whig to the twenty-third congress (March
4, 1833-March 3, 1835) ; unsuccessful candi-
date for reelection to the twenty-fourth con-
gress.
Thompson, Philip Rootes, born in Cul-
peper county, Virg^'nia, March 26, 1766;
member of the state house of delegates,
1793-1797; elected to the seventh, eighth
and ninth congresses (March 4. i8or-March
3, 1807) ; died in Kanawha county, Virginia,
July 2j, 1837. He was a son of Rev. John
Thompson, who married (first) the widow
of Governor Spots wood, and (second) Eliz-
abeth, daughter of Col. Philip Rootes, of
"Rose wall/* King and Queen county.
Philip Rootes Thompson was a son by the
second marriage.
Thompson, Robert A., son of Philip
Rootes Thompson (q. v.), born in Kana-
wha, Virginia (now West Virginia) ; com-
pleted preparatory studies; held several
local offices; elected as a Democrat to the
thirtieth congress (March 4, 1847-March 3,
1849) I unsuccessful candidate for reelection
to the thirty-first congress ; moved, to Cali-
fornia and appointed state land commis-
sioner.
Tredway, William Marshall, born in
Prince Edw^ard county, Virginia, in August,
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
131
1807; completed preparatory studies; stud-
ied law, was admitted to the bar, and prac-
ticed ; held several local offices ; elected as a
Democrat to the twenty-ninth congress
(March 4, 1845-March 3, 1847); unsuccess-
ful candidate for reelection; judge of the
circuit court of Virginia; member of the
secession convention of Virginia in 1861 ;
resumed the practice of law in Chatham,
Virginia, and died there, May i, 1896.
Trezvant, James, a native of Siissex coun-
ty. Virginia; completed preparatory stud-
ies; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and began practice in Jerusalem, Virginia;
attorney-general of Virginia; delegate to
the state constitutional convention in 1820;
served in the state house of representatives ;
elected to the nineteenth, twentieth and
twenty-first congresses (March 4, 1825-
March 3. 1831) ; died in Southampton coun-
ty, Virginia, September 2, 1841.
Trigg, Abram, born in Bedford county,
Virginia, son of Abraham Trigg, who emi-
grated from Cornwall, England, about 1710;
completed academic studies: held local
ortices ; delegate to the Virginia convention
of 1788 that ratified the Federal constitu-
tion : served as an officer under Gen. Wash-
ington in the revolutionary war; elected to
the fifth, and to the five succeeding con-
gresses (March 4. 1797-March 3, 1809):
died in Washington, D. C, May 17, 1804.
He had three brothers — Stephen, who went
to Kentucky, as member of the land com-
mission in 1779. and fell commanding a
regiment in the battle of Blue Licks; John
(q. v.) : and William, from whom was de-
scended Hon. Connally Findlay Trigg,
member of congress (q. v.) and William
Robertson Trigg, late of Richmond.
Trigg, John, born in Bedford county, V^ir-
ginia, in 1748, son of Colonel Abram Trigg;
received a liberal schooling; served as a
captain in the Virginia militia during the
revolutionary war; member Virginia house
of delegates, 1784-1792; member of the con-
vention to ratify the Federal constitution
in 1788; elected to the fifth, and to the three
succeeding congresses, and served from
March 4, 1797, until his death in Bedford
county, Virginia, June 28, 1804.
Tucker, George, born in the town of St.
George's, Bermuda, August 20, 1775; de-
scended from George Tucker of Milton-next-
Gravesend; came to Virginia about 1787;
was graduated from William and Mary Col-
lege in 1797; studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and began practice in Lynchburg,
Virginia ; member of the state house of rep-
resentatives in 1815; elected as a Democrat
to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth
congresses (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1825) ;
professor in the University 'of Virginia,
1825-1845; died at "Sherwood," Albemarle
county, Virginia, April 10, 1861.
Tucker, Henry St. George (q. v. under
"Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals").
Walker, Francis, son of Dr. Thomas
Walker (q. v.) and Mildred Thornton, his
wife, widow of Nicholas Meriwether, was
born at **Castle Hill," Albemarle county,
June 22, 1764, was a magistrate of his coun-
ty, colonel of the Eighty-eighth Regiment
of Virginia militia, member of the house of
delegates and of the third congress of the
United States (March 4. 1793-March 3,
1795). He married Jane Byrd, daughter of
Gen. Hugh Nelson, and granddaughter of
William Nelson, president of the Virginia
council. His children were: Jane Frances,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the wife of Dr. Mann Page, and Judith, the
'wife of William C. Rives.
White, Alexander, born in 1739, was a
son of Dr. Robert White, a surgeon in the
British navy, who came to Frederick coun-
ty about the year 1730. He studied law at
the Inner Temple, London, in 1762, and in
1763 matriculated at Gray's Inn. In 1783
he was elected to the house of delegates
and became distinguished for his eloquence,
serving till 1789, when he was elected to
congress. In this body he served two terms
(March 4. 1789-March 4, 1793), being one
of the most active members. He voted for
locating the seat of government on the Rap-
pahannock, and later served as commis-
sioner to arrange for erecting the public
buildings in Washington, D. C. He voted
against the incorporation of the United
States Bank and opposed the Quaker memo-
rial relating to slavery. He died at Wood-
ville, Frederick county, September 19, 1804.
White, Francis, a native of Virginia;
elected to the thirteenth congress (March
4, 1813-March 3, 1815).
Williams, Jared, born in Montgomery
county, Maryland, March 4, 1766; pursued
classical studies; became a farmer; mem-
ber of the state house of delegates in 181 1
and 1817; elected as a Republican to the six-
teenth, seventeenth and eighteenth con-
gresses (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1825) ;
presidential elector on the Jackson and Cal-
houn ticket in 1829; died near Newton, Vir-
ginia, January 2, 1831.
Wilson, Alexander, native of Virginia;
completed preparatory studies; member of
the state legislature; elected to the eighth,
ninth and tenth congresses (March 4, 1803-
March 3, 1809).
Wilson, Edgar Campbell, born in Mor-
gantown, now in West Virginia, October
18, 1800; completed preparatory studies;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, June
24. 1822, and practiced in Morgantown;
elected as a Whig to the twenty-third con-
gress (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1835) ; died
in Morgantown, Virginia, April 24, i860.
Wilson, Thomas, born in Rockbridge
county, Virginia, September 11, 1765; stud-
ied law in Staunton, Virginia; was admit-
ted to the bar in Morgantown, Virginia^
September 21, 1789; member of* the house
of delegates; elected as a Federalist to the
twelfth congress (March 4, 1811-March 3,
1813) ; died in Morgantown, Virginia, Janu-
ary 24, 1826.
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Richardson, Richard, was born in New
Kent county, Virginia, in 1704, son of
Charles Richardson. He was a land sur-
veyor, emigrating to Sumter District, South
Carolina, in 1725, where he conducted a
plantation, commanded the colonial militia
in the district, and was elected a member
of the council of safety in 1775. ^^ ^^^
married (first) to Elizabeth, daughter of
Joseph Cantey, and (second) to Dorothy,
daughter of James and Margaret Sinkler.
Upon the revolt among the loyalists of the
state he used the militia in restoring order,
and for his services received the thanks of
the provisional congress and a commission
as brigadier-general. He was a delegate to
the provincial congress that framed the con-
stitution of South Carolina in 1776, and
while defending the city of Charleston
against the British under Clinton in 1780,
was taken prisoner, and sent to St. Augus-
tine, where he withstood the alluring prom-
ises of Cornwallis, conditioned on his
espousing the cause of the Royalists. He
was held by the British a prisoner of war a
few months, when broken in health, he was
sent to his home to die. Colonel Tarleton,
when on a raid through Carolina in 178 1,
burned his house and opened his grave to
be assured of the patriot's death. His son,
James B. Richardson, was governor of
South Carolina. 1802-04. Richard Richard-
son died on his plantation, near Salisbury,
South Carolina, in September, 1780.
Hawkins, Philemon, born in Gloucester
county, Virginia, September 28, 1717; served
ill a cavalry troop at the battle of Alamance,
May 16, 1771, as aid to Governor Tryon; in
the same year was a member of the general
assembly, and represented Bute and Gran-
ville counties for thirteen years; he raised
the first volunteer company in Bute county
for the revolutionary army, and was elected
its colonel in 1776; was a member of the
convention that ratified the national consti-
tution, was the last surviving signer of the
constitution of Xorth Carolina, and was fre-
quently a member of the executive council ;
died in Warren county, Xorth Carolina, in
1801, at the advanced age of eighty-four
years.
Harris, Samuel, born in Hanover county,
Virginia, January 12, 1724; during his early
manhood and in middle life he occupied
many public offices, namely : Church warden,
burgess for the county, sheriff, justice of
the peace, colonel of militia, and commis-
sary, in all of which he acquitted himself
creditably; while riding through the coun-
try in full military dress, he came upon a
camp meeting in the woods; two itinerant
Baptist clergymen were haranguing the as-
semblage, and, on seeing Colonel Harris, at
once directed their discourse to him ; so
greatly was he impressed with their argu-
ments that he was baptized, and became an
exhorter among the poor white settlers: in
1770 he was ordained, and the Baptist Asso-
ciation to which he belonged invested him
with the office of "apostle :' he relinguished
his large property, lived with extreme fru-
gality, and suffered considerable persecu-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
tion from the Established Church, of which
he had formerly been a member; he exer-
cised a great influence over the masses, and
was distinguished as an exhorter; he died,
probably in Hanover county, Virginia, in
1794 (q. v., William Samuel Harris, vol. i,
P- 253)-
Warden, John, native of Scotland; emi-
nent practitioner in Virginia courts of law
from the time of the revolution to his death,
about 1800.
Cockey Hartwell, belonged to the famous
Cocke family, of Henrico and Surry coun-
ties: he was a graduate of William and
^Tary College, and an original member of
the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity ; Richard
Cocke, of **Mt. Pleasant,'* Surry county,
married Elizabeth Hartwell, a great-niece
of Hon. Henry Hartwell; his will was
proved in 1777. He had Hartwell Cocke,
who married Anne Ruffin, and had, with
others, John Hartwell Cocke, born Novem-
ber 5, 1749, died February 9. 1791 ; and
Hartwell Cocke. John Hartwell Cocke was
frequently a member of the legislature, and
was in the convention of 1788. Grigsby errs
in confusing him with his brother, Hart-
well, who removed to Southampton county
and was captain of militia. John Hartwell
Cocke was the father of Gen. John Hartwell
Cocke, of Bremo, the father of Philip St.
George Cocke.
Stephen, Adam, was born in Virginia
about 1730. He joined the Ohio expedition
with a company in 1754, was promoted to
lieutenant-colonel, and in the absence of
Washington commanded the forces at Win-
chester, whence he set out in 1756 with an
expedition against the Creeks for the relief
of the colonists of South Carolina. He had
charge of the frontier defences of Virginia
in 1783, performed important services in
bringing to a termination the French and
Indian wars, and at the beginning of the
revolution was given command of a regi-
ment. He was made brigadier-general, Sep-
tember 4, 1776, fought at Trenton, and on
February 19. 1777. was promoted to major-
general. He led an attacking party at the
Brandywine. At Germantown. in a fog. his
division became involved in a combat with
the troops of Gen. Anthony Wayne. He
was held responsible for the blunder, was
accused of intoxication, and was dismissed
from the service. He was a member of the
convention of 1788, and supported the con-
stitution in an able speech. He died at his
farm in Berkeley county in November, 1791.
Crawford, William, was born in Berkeley
county, Virginia, in 1732. died in Wyandot
county, Ohio. June 11, 1782. He was a sur-
veyor by occupation, serving under Wash-
ington. At the outbreak of the French and
Indian war he became an ensign in the
Virginia riflemen, and was with Gen. Brad-
dock in the expedition against Fort Du-
quesne. He remained in the service until
1761, and on recommendation of Washing-
ton was promoted captain. He again saw
service during the Pontiac war, from 1763
till 1764, and in 1767 settled in Western
Pennsylvania, purchasing land, and later
became a justice of the peace. Early after
the beginning of the revolutionary war he
raised a company of Virginians and joined
Washington's army. He was made lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Fifth Virginia Regi-
ment, in 1776; later became colonel, resign-
ing from the army in 1781. He participated
in the battle of Long Island, in the subse-
quent retreat across New Jersey and over
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PROMINENT PERSONS
U7
the Delaware, and in the battles of Trenton
and Princeton, and afterward was engaged
around Philadelphia. In 1778 he was as-
signed to frontier duty and for years follow-
ing was occupied in suppressing the Indian
attacks on the settlers. After his resigna-
tion he retired to his farm, hoping to spend
the remainder of his days with his family,
after having given nearly twenty-five years
of his life to the service of his country ; but
in May, 1782, at the urgent request of Gens.
Washington and William Irvine, he reluc-
tr.ntly accepted the command of an expedi-
tion against the Wyandot and Delaware In-
dians on the banks of the Muskingum. The
Indians were discovered on June 4, and an
engagement ensued in which Crawford's
troops were surrounded in a grove called
Battle Island by a force much larger than
his own. The fight lasted two days, when
finding themselves hemmed in, they decided
to cut their way out. In the retreat that
followed the soldiers were separated, and
Col. Crawford fell into the hands of the In-
dians. After several days of cruel experi-
ence, during which he was subjected to hor-
rible torture, he was burned to death. The
story is told by N. N. Hill, Jr., in the '*Maga-
zine of Western History" for May, 1885,
under the title of "Crawford's Campaign."
Mathews, George, born in Augusta coun-
ty. V'irginia. in 1739, son of John Mathews,
a native of Ireland, from whence he emi-
grated to this country in 1737; at the age of
eighteen years, in 1757, he commanded a
volunteer company against the Indians, and
he also participated in the battle of Point
Pleasant, October 10, 1774; at the outbreak
ot the revolution, he was commissioned
colonel of the Ninth Virginia Regiment,
was actively engaged in the battle of
Brandywine and at Germantown, was
wounded in action, was confined on the
prison ship Xcw Jersey until December,
1 77 1, when he was exchanged, and he then
joined Gen. Greene's army as colonel of
the Third Virginia Regiment; in 1785 he
removed to the state of Georgia, locating at
Goose Pond, Oglethorpe county; from 1789
to 1791 was a representative from Georgia
in the first congress, and from 1793 to 1796
was governor of Georgia, and during his
term of office the famous Yazoo act was
passed and approved by him, which resulted
in his political downfall, he losing the nomi-
nation, by President Adams, for governor
of Mississippi territory, on that account:
and in 181 1 President Madison appointed
him United States commissioner to nego-
tiate for the annexation of Florida, but the
following year the President disavowed the
treaty, which act so incensed Gov. Mathews
that it is said he started for Washington to
chastise President Madison, but on his way
was taken ill at Augusta. Georgia, where
his death occurred, August 30, 1812.
Hubard, William, born in York county,
Virginia, son of James Hubard, was gradu-
ated at William and Mary College, 1760,
ordained deacon by the bishop of London.
1773, and priest. 1776: was in charge of
Warwick parish. Virginia, from 1773 to
1776, and in the latter year became rector
of St. Luke's Church. Newport parish, Isle
of Wight county, Virginia, where he re-
mained until his death: this church was
erected in 1632, and it was often called "Old
Smithfield Church" or the "Old Brick
Church:" Mr. Hubard was a leader in the
community, and served many years as a
magistrate; died near Smithfield, Virginia,
in 1802.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Hammond^ LcRoy, born in Richmond
county, \*irginia, about 1740; was reared
and educated in his native state ; married
Mary, daughter of John Tyler, of Essex
county ; removed to Georgia, in 1765, and
thence to South Carolina, where he engaged
in the tobacco business, being a dealer for
many years, achieving success therein ; dur-
ing the early period of the revolutionary
war. he was commissioned a colonel, served
in the "Snow*' campaign, and in the cam-
paign against the Cherokees, in 1776, in
which he displayed great bravery, and sub-
sequently his services were in demand as
Indian agent, being employed by both con-
gress and the state of South Carolina; in
1779 he took the field with his regiment and
played an important part in the battle of
Stono Ferry, and after the fall of Charles-
ton he adopted a desultory mode of warfare,
and was constantly engaged in fighting the
Loyalists. British and Indians; in J781 he
was at the siege of Augusta, afterward art
that of Ninety-Six, serving under Gen.
Greene, and later, under Gen. Pickens;
after the battle of Eutaw he was active in
guerilla warfare ; Col. Hammond died about
the year 1800.
L}mch, Charles» born in Virginia, son of
Charles Lynch, a native of Ireland, from
whence he came to this country in boyhood,
later settling on a large portion of land situ-
ated on the James river, near the Peaks of
Otter; Charles Jr. served as colonel of a
regiment of riflemen in the revolutionary
war, and his services at Guilford, North
Carolina, were conspicuous for gallantry;
he is said to have originated and enacted
the celebrated code called **Lynch Law"
during the revolution, in order to punish a
band of lawless tories and desperadoes
about Lynchburg, which place was founded
ty his brother John ; Col. Lynch, who was a
staunch Whig, organized and led a party
o» patriots and scoured the country for the
desperadoes, and when taken gave them a
summary trial at which he sat as judge, em-
paneled a jury and executed punishment;
he died near Staunton, Virginia, about 1785.
Logan, Benjamin, born in Augusta coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1743, son of David Logan,
a native of Ireland, who emigrated to this
country, settled in Pennsylvania, there mar-
ried, and later located in Augusta county,
\'irginia, where he died in 1757; upon at-
taining his majority, Benjamin Logan re-
moved to the Holston river, where he pur-
chased lands ; he served in the wars against
the Indians, 1764: served in Dunmore's In-
dian war. 1774: joined Boone's party of set-
tlers en route to Kentucky in 1775 and left
the party and settled in what is now Lin-
coln county, Kentucky, where with the help
of his brother John he built Fort Logan, and
removed his family thither the following
year, 1776, but settled them for a time at
Harrod's Fort, where they would be less ex-
posed to Indian attacks; in 1777 his family
joined him at Logan's Fort, he having been
reinforced by a number of white men ; on
May 20. 1777, the fort was besieged by a
hundred Indians, the siege continuing for
weeks, until the garrison had about exhaust-
ed their ammunition and provisions, when
Logan, attended by two companions, left the
fort under cover of the night, and made a
ropid journey of one hundred and fifty miles
to the Holston settlement, where he procured
powder and lead, and hastily returned, leav-
ing his companions to follow with a relief
party under Col. John Bowman, who dis-
persed the savages; in July, 1779. he was
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sccund in command of over three hundred
men under Col. Bowman in an expedition
against the Indian settlement ui Chillicothe,
and in the summer of 178S he again conduct-
ed an expedition against the Xorthwestern
tribes ; he was a delegate to the convention of
1792 that framed the first constitution of
Kentucky, and to the second constitutional
convention of 1799; ^^"^^ also a representa-
tive in the Kentucky legislature for several
years; Logan county, Kentucky, formed in
1792, was named in his honor; he married
Ann, daughter of William Montgomery; he
died in Shelby county, Kentucky, December
II, 1802.
Taylor, Richard, father of President Tay-
lor, was born in eastern \'irginia, March 22,
1744; a descendant of James Taylor, who
came from England in 1682, and settled in
Eastern Virginia. Richard's love of ad-
venture carried him to the unexplored coun-
try west of the Alleghenies, before he reach-
ed his majority, and he crossed Kentucky to
the Mississippi valley, thence to Natchez, a
trading post, and from there northward
through the trackless forest afoot and alone
back to his father's home in \'irginia. He
commanded a \'irginia regiment in the rev-
olution, and was a field officer on Wash-
ington's personal force. He was married,
August 20, 1779. to Sarah Strother, then
nineteen, and settled on a plantation near
Orange Court House. They had three chil-
dren. Zachary being less than one year old
when they crossed the mountains into Ken-
tucky and settled on the Beargrass Creek at
the place known afterward as Springfield,
six miles from the present site of Louisville,
a point selected by the elder brother, Han-
cock (a surveyor of wild lands'), who had
preceded the family to the new territory.
President Washington made Colonel Tay-
lor collector of the port of Louisville, then
a port of entry, Louisiana being foreign
territory. He was a delegate to the state
constitutional convention, a presidential
district elector on the Madison ticket in
1813; elector-at-Iarge on the Monroe ticket
in 1817; district elector on the Monroe
ticket in 182 1, and elector-at-large on the
Henry Clay ticket in 1825. Col. Dick Tay-
lor died at "Springfield," Kentucky, 1826.
Sevier, John, was born in Rockingham
county, Virginia, September 23, 1745, son
of Valentine Sevier (originally Xavier), who
came from London in 1740. He attended the
Fredericksburg (Virginia) Academy, and
married Catherine Sherrill. He founded New-
market village, in the Shenandoah valley;
later he removed to the Watauga country,
and served in Lord Dunmore's war against
the Indians. He rose to high civil and mili-
t««ry positions in the Watauga country, and
fiuight the Indians relentlessly. During the
revolution he commanded a regiment at
Uoyd's Creek and King's Mountain, saving
the day in the latter engagement, .\fterwards,
he became governor of the new state of
Franklin, and when that scheme was aban-
doned he was imprisoned by the North Caro-
lina authorities, rescued, and took the oath
of allegiance to the United States govern-
ment. He was subsequently a congressman
from North Carolina, governor of Tennessee,
and a congressman from that state. A coun-
ty in Tennessee bears his name, and a monu-
ment to his memory stands in Nashville.
He died September 24, 1815, near Decatur,
Alabama.
Grymcs, John Randolph, born in Vir-
ginia, about 1746, son of Philip Grymes and
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Mary, his wife, daughter of Sir John Ran-
dolph; he joined the Royal army under
Lord Dunmore at the head of a troop of
horse that he had himself raised, in 1776,
and in the same year he was expelled from
his estate, and all his negroes, cattle and
personal property fell into the hands of the
patriots; in 1777 he joined the rangers, a
battalion of horse, and at the close of the
following year resigned and went to Eng-
land, where he was agent for prosecuting
the claims of the Loyalists in Virginia;
when the invasion of Napoleon was appre-
hended the Loyalist Americans in London
offered, with the King's approval, to form
themselves into a company, and Mr. Grymes
was appointed ensign ; later he returned to
the United States, settled in Orange coun-
t}, Virginia, and became a wealthy slave-
holder and planter; he married, in London,
England, his cousin, the daughter of John
Randolph, last royal attorney-general of
Virginia, and niece of Peyton Randolph,
president of the continental congress; Mr.
Gr>*mes died in Virginia in the year 1820.
Harrod, James, born in Virginia in 1746;
reared and educated in his native state, emi-
grated to Kentucky in 1774, and built the
first log cabin on the present site of Har-
rodsburg; he was a successful agriculturist,
an expert with the rifle, and a brave and
intrepid soldier, ranking as one of the lead-
ers in military affairs, distinguishing him-
self at the battle of Point Pleasant in .1774;
subsequently he represented Harrodsburg
(which was named in his honor) in the
Transylvania assembly ; he was in the habit
of making solitary excursions into the for-
est, and from one of these trips, which was
undertaken about the year 1825, when he
was about eighty years of age, he never re-
turned, nor was any trace of him ever dis-
covered.
Muhlenberg, John Peter Gabriel, born in
Trappe, Pennsylvania, in 1747, son of Rev.
Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, founder of
the Lutheran church in America; with his
younger brothers, Frederick and Henry, he
was sent to Germany to be educated for the
ministry ; he became involved in a difficulty
with a tutor, whose rebuke he revenged
with a blow: foreseeing expulsion, he en-
listed in a dragoon regiment, from which he
was soon discharged through the interven-
tion of friends; returning to America, he
engaged in theological studies under his
father, was ordained a minister in the Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church in 1768, and was
made assistant rector of churches in New
Germantown and Bedminster, New Jersey;
while there he married Anne Barbara
Meyer ; in 1772 he was called to New Wood-
stock, Virginia, where many Germans were
settled; in order to enforce the payment of
tithes, it was necessary that he should re-
ceive Episcopal ordination, under which he
would come under the provisions of the Vir-
gfinia law, although not a member of the
Established Church; he went to London,
England, where he was ordained, and came
to his new charge in Virginia ; he was soon
on terms of personal intimacy with Wash-
ington and Henry, and he was chairman of
the county committee of safety of Frederick
county in 1774, and sat in the Virginia con-
ventions of March 20 and December i, 1775 ;
the same year he was elected cotonel of the
Eighth Virginia Regiment; his last sermon
ended with the words, "There is a time for
all things — z time to preach, and a time to
pray, but there is also a time to fight, and
that time has now come ;" then pronouncing
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the benediction, he pulled off his gown, and
stood wearing a full military uniform ; going
to the door, he ordered the drums to beat,
and assembled his men ; marching to the re-
lief of Charleston, South Carolina, his regi-
ment, known as the "German regiment,"
gained a high reputation for discipline and
courage; he took part in the battle of Sulli-
van's Island, shared in the Southern cam-
paign, and was made brigadier-general; he
was engaged at Brandywine, German-
town, ^lonmouth, Stony Point and York-
town, where he commanded the First Light
Infantry Brigade, and he was promoted to
major-general at the end of the war, and
before the army was disbanded; on return-
ing to civil pursuits, he took up his residence
in Philadelphia; was elected a member of
the Pennsylvania council: in 1785 was vice-
president of the state under Franklin; was
three times elected to congress, and in 1801
was elected United States senator, but re-
signed to accept appointment by President
Jefferson as revenue supervisor for Penn-
sylvania; in 1803 ^^ ^vas made collector of
the port of Philadelphia; he died October
I, 1807; his statue appears in the capitol in
Washington City.
Jones, John PauU born in Kirkbean, Scot-
bnd, July 6, 1747; at the age of twelve he
went to sea, and while on his first voyage
visited his brother William in Fredericks-
burg, Virginia; he followed the sea, and in
1/73 came to \'irginia to settle the estate
of his brother, who had died the previous
year; he resided in Fredericksburg about
two years, and during this time (December
22, 1775) received his appointment as lieu-
tenant in the navy from the continental con-
gress, as first lieutenant of the '"Alfred," on
board which ship, before Philadelphia, he
"hoisted with his own hands the flag of
freedom the first time it was displayed ;" as
captain of the "Ranger," in Quiberon Bay,
February 14. 1778, he claimed and obtained
from Monsieur La Motte Picquet the first
salute the flag of the new republic received
from a foreign power; his daring exploits
at sea are matters of familiar knowledge;
he continued to serve until the independ-
ence of his adopted country was acknowl-
edged, and peace was restored, and at the
time of his death (July, 1792) he was the
senior officer in the United States navy; in
1838. Janette Taylor, of Gosport (Ports-
mouth), \"irginia, sister of John Paul
Jones, and other heirs, memorialized the
governor and council of the state, asking a
land bounty allowance for the services of
their illustrious kinsman; on December 21
01 the same year, as shown by the records
of the Virginia state land office, they were
allowed 3,985 acres, as being the amount
due for the services of John Paul Jones *'as
a captain in the continental navy, equal in
rank to a brigadier-general in the conti-
nental line, for a service of seven years and
ten months and eleven days;" in 1908 the
remains of John Paul Jones were brought
back from France for final interment in the
United States.
Hickman, William, born in King and
Queen county, Virginia, February 4, 1747;
he was educated as an Episcopalian, but
united with the Bapjtist church in 1773, was
licensed tO' preach three years later, after
visiting Kentucky in the early part of 1776,
where he preached the first sermon deliv-
ered in the new settlement; in 1784 he set-
tled in Fayette county, Kentucky, and
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VIRGINIA BlUGRArilY
founded many churches in that state; his
death occurred in the state of Kentucky in
the year 1830.
Massie, Thomas, son of William Massie
and Martha Macon, his wife, was born
August 22, 1747, attended the grammar
school of William and Mary College, 1759-
1760; a captain in the revolution, 1775-1778.
promoted major in the northern campaign,
1 778- 1 779; aide-de-camp to General Nelson
winter of 1780-1781 to the fall of Yorktown,
in 1808 one of the first magistrates of Nel-
son county, 1808. He married about 1780.
Sarah Cocke, and died at "Level Green,''
his seat in Nelson county, Virginia, Febru-
ary 2, 1834.
Madison, James, first bishop of Virginia
and fourth in succession in the American
episcopate, was born near Port Republic,
Virginia, August 27, 1749, son of John and
Agatha (Strother) Madison, and a descend-
ant of John Madison, a patentee of land
in Gloucester county, Virginia, in 1^53.
Bishop Madison obtained his early educa-
tion in an academy in Maryland, and in
1768 entered the College of William and
Mary : pursued a course of law study under
the guidance of George Wythe, was admit-
ted to the bar in 1770, but shortly afterward
returned to his alma mater, and on July 29,
1772. received the gold medal for proficiency
in classical learning; he pursued theological
studies at the college, in the meantime serv-
ing as instructor in penmanship, and in
May. 1773, was appointed professor of
mathematics; the board of visitors of the
college furnished him with fifty pounds to
pay his expenses to London, England,
where he received orders as deacon, Sep-
tember 29, and as priest, October i, 1775;
returned to X'irginia. in 1775, accepted the
chair of natural philosophy in William and
Mary Colitgo. and two years later, when
the board of visitors removed President
Camm, he was elected president of the col-
lege and served in that capacity until his
death in 1812; under his administration the
chairs of law and medicine were created and
the college assumed the dignity of a univer-
sity of which George Washington was made
chancellor in 1788; the elective system of
study was adopted, the study of munici-
pal law was introduced, President Madison
being the first college president in America
to introduce that; at the close of the revo-
lution he was president of the first conven-
tion of the Episcopal church in Virginia,
May I, 1785; in 1790 was elected the first
bishop of the American church in Virginia,
becoming the fourth in succession in this
country-; was consecrated in the chapel of
Lambeth Palace. London. England, by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, September 19,
1790; he continued to perform the duties as
president of the college in addition to his
oversight of the churches of his diocese for
twenty-two years ; he received the honorary
degree of D. D. from the University of
Pennsylvania in 1785. and from the College
of William and Mary in 1796; was the
author of **EuIogy on Washington" (1800) :
papers in Barton's Journal, a Map of \'ir-
ginia; and several sermons for special oc-
casions; married, in 1779, Sarah Tate,
granddaughter of Secretary William Cocke;
Mrs. Madison died August 20, 1815, having
survived her husband more than three years,
his death occurring in Williamsburg, \'ir-
ginia. March 6, 1812.
Garrard, James, was born in StaflFord
county, Virginia, January 14, 1749; son of
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Col. William Garrard, who died in 1786;
died in Bourbon county, Kentucky, January
9, 1822. While engaged as a militia ollicer
in the revolutionary war he was called from
the army to a seat in the Virginia legis-
lature. Here he was a zealous advocate ot
the bill for the establishment of religious
liberty. Having removed with the early
settlers to Kentucky, in 1783, and settled on
Stoney river, near Paris, he became there
a political leader, and was a member of the
convention which framed the first consti-
tution of the state. Here he was ordained
to the Baptist ministry. In 1791, pending
the convention just named, he was chairman
of a committee that reported to the Elkhorn
Baptist Association a memorial and remon-
strance in favor of excluding slavery from
the commonwealth by constitutional enact-
ment. He was elected governor in 1796 and
re-elected in 1800. serving eight years.
Jones, Joseph, born at "Cedar Grove,"
Petersburg, \'irginia, August 23, 1749, son
01 Thomas Jones, grandson of Abraham
J<»ne>, and great-great-grandson of Maj.
Peter Jones, who married a daughter of
Maj. (ien. .\braham Wood (q. v..vol. i, 122).
Joseph Jones, after completing his prepara-
tory studies, devoted his attention to mili-
tary afirairs. was an earnest patriot in the
revolutionary war. an officer in the Virginia
militia, holding the rank of colonel, ap-
pointed October 25, 1784; brigadier-general.
December 11, 1793, and major-general, De-
cember 24. 1802: subsequently was ap-
pointed collector of customs for Peters-
burg. Virginia, in which capacity he
served until his decease; married (first)
Nancy, daughter of Col. William Call,
(second") Jane, daughter of Roger Atkin-
son: Gen. Jones died on his estate. Cedar
Grove, Petersburg. \'irginia, February 9,
1824. He was ancestor of William Atkin-
son Jones, a member of the present congress
(q. v.).
Doak, Samuel, was born in Augusta
county, Virginia, in August, 1749, died in
Bethel, Xorth Carolina, December 12, ^830.
He was graduated at Princeton in 1775, be-
came tutor in Hampden-Sidney College,
studied theology there, and was licensed to
preach by the Presbytery of Hanover in
1777. He removed to the Holston settle-
ment (then part of Xorth Carolina, now a
part of east Tennessee), and two years later
to a settlement on the Little Limestone, in
Washington county, where he bought a
farm, built a log schoolhouse and a small
church, and founded the "Salem Congrega-
tion." The school he established at this
place was the first that was organized in
the valley of the Mississippi. In 17S5 it
was incorporated by the legislature oi
North Carolina as Martin Academy, and in
1795 became Washington College. He pre-
sided over it from the time of its incorpo-
ration till 1818, when he removed to Celhel
and opened a private school, which he
named Tusculum .\cademy. Mr. Doak was
a member of the convention of 1784 that
framed the constitution of the common-
wealth of Frankland. The degree of D. D.
was conferred upon him by Washington and
Greenville colleges in 1818. His son
Samuel was president of Tusculum College.
Tennessee, in 1857.
Bradford, John, was born irt Fauquier
county. Virginia, in 1749. He served two
years in the war of the revolution, and was
later present at the battle of Chillicothe.
He removed to Kentucky in 1785, locating
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
in Fa>ellc county, on Cane Run, near LeaC-
ington. In 1787, with his brother Fielding,
ho established the Kentucke Gazette, the
first newspaper published west of the Alle-
phanies, which was issued under that title
until 1786 when its name was changed to
the Kentucky Gazette. The press and equip-
ment for this enterprise were brought from
Philadelphia. In 1786 he became public
printer; in 1792 was one of the electors of
the senate, and chairman of the town trus-
tees. He was elected to the legislature in
1797, and also to that of 1801. John Brad-
ford was made cashier of the bank, which
was the result of the famous act of 1801,
incorporating the first life insurance com-
pany, in an obscure clause of which were
concealed full banking privileges, and as-
signed his interest in the Gazette to his son.
He was at one time chairman of the board
of trustees of Transylvania University, and
when nearly eighty years of age he was
elected to the shrievalty of Fayette county,
and held the office until his death, in 1830.
Posey, Thomas, born in Fairfax county,
Virginia, July 9, 1750. In 1769 he removed
to the western frontier of Virginia, and
served in Lord Dunmore's Shawnee expedi-
tion, and fought in the battle at Point Pleas-
ant. In 1775 was a member of Virginia
committee of correspondence; commanded
a company in Seventh Virginia Regiment;
joined Washington's army in New Jersey
in 1777, where his company was transferred
to Morgan's riflemen; fought in battles ol
Bemis Heights and Stillwater; major of
Second Virginia Regiment at Monmouth;
in 1778 he was transferred to the Seventh
Virginia Regiment, and led an expedition
against the Indians after the massacre of
Wyoming. At Stony Point he received the
arms of the British officers. He was at the
surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Oc-
tober 19, 1781 ; in 1782 was made lieuten-
ant-colonel, and organized a new regiment
which he commanded in Georgia under
Wayne, and left the army at the close of
the war. In 1793-94 he was a brigadier-
general commanding a brigade under
Wayne in the Northwest. In the latter year
he located in Kentucky, was state senator
several terms, and speaker, 1805-06. When
war was threatened in 1809 he was com-
missioned major-general and organized the
Kentucky volunteers. Later he removed to
Louisiana and became United States Sena-
tor to fill a vacancy; was governor of In-
diana Territory, 1813-16; defeated for gov-
ernor when Indiana became a state; from
1816-18 was Indian agent at Shawneetown,
Illinois, where he died, March 19, 1818. He
married (first) Martha, daughter of Gen.
Sampson Matthews, of Augusta county,
X'irginia; and (second) Mary, daughter of
John and Lucy (Thornton) Alexander, and
widow of Maj. George Thornton.
Porterfield, Charles, was bom in Freder-
ick county, Virginia, in 1750, son of Wil-
liam Porterfield, who emigrated from Eng-
land and settled in Pennsylvania early in
the eighteenth century. He enlisted in the
first military company organized in 1775 in
Frederick county to defend the patriot
cause, Daniel Morgan being captain ; joined
Washington's army at Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts, and was with Colonel Arnold in
the expedition at Quebec. In the disas-
trous assault on that city he was taken
prisoner inside the fort December 31, 1775,
but was exchanged and again joined the
army February 3, 1777, serving as captain
in Morgan's Rifles, 1777-78. He was made
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GEaROGERS CLARK
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major, July 13, 1778, serving in Wood-
ford's Brigade; was transferred to the Sev-
enth Virginia Regiment, September 14,
1778. and resigned from the service, July
2, 1779. On August 14, 1779, he was ap-
pointed by Governor Jefferson lieutenant-
colonel of a Virginia state regiment organ-
ized largely through his efforts, and pro-
ceeded to Charleston, South Carolina, in the
spring of 1780. At the battle near Camden,
South Carolina. August 16, 1780, where he
commanded a part of the advance guard of
General Gates' army, he was severely
wounded, taken prisoner, and after ten
days, having meanwhile received no medi-
cal attention, submitted to the amputation
of his leg, and was paroled. His death, re-
sulting from the effects of his injury, oc-
curred on the Santee river. South Carolina,
in October, 1780.
Harrisoiu Charles, brother of Gov. Ben-
jamin Harrison; was educated at William
and Mary College; was colonel of Virginia
regiment of artillery, November 30, 1776;
colonel First Continental Artillery, Janu-
ary I. 1777, and served to June, 1783. He
died in 1796. He married Mary, daughter
of Col. Augustin Claiborne, of Windsor,
Sussex county, Virginia.
Bedinger, George Michael, born in Vir-
ginia about 1750, died at Lower Blue Licks,
Kentucky, about 1830. He was one of the
early emigrants to Kentucky, and served as
adjutant in the expedition of 1779 against
Chillicothe, as major at the battle of Blue
Licks in 1782, and did valuable service as
an Indian spy throughout the war. He
commanded the Winchester battalion of
Sharpshooters in St. Clair's expedition of
1791. and was a major of United States
viA-10
Infantry in 1792-93. He was a member of
the Kentucky legislature in 1792, and rep-
resented that state in congress from 1803 to
1S07.
Clark, George Rogers, was born near
Monticello, Albemarle county, Virginia, No-
vember 19, 1752; son of John and Ann
( Rogers) Clark ; and grandson of Jonathan
and Elizabeth (Wilson) Clark. He prac-
ticed surveying and in 1771 or 1772 made a
long tour through the upper Ohio valley
and cleared and improved land, in Grave
creek township, twenty-five miles below
Wheeling. In Dunmore's war, Clark was
either on Dunmore*s staff or in command of
a company, and rendered such efficient ser-
vice that he was offered a position in the
British army, which he declined. In 1775
he was deputy surveyor under Capt. Han-
cock Lee to lay out lands on the Kentucky
river for the Ohio company, and remained
there until the fall, making his headquar-
ters at Leestown and Harrodstown. In
1776. after a visit home, he returned to Ken-
tucky, where he became a leader of the set-
tlers. He was chosen a member of the Vir-
ginia legislature and after a journey to Wil-
liamsburg found that body adjourned. It
was necessary for the settlers in Kentucky
to be supplied with gunpowder, and Clark
obtained from Gov. Patrick Henry a letter
to the executive council. They refused to
comply with Clark's request unless Clark
would be responsible for the value of the
powder if the legislature failed to legalize
the transaction. Clark declined to assume
any risk, on the ground that if Virginia
claimed Kentucky she should protect it.
The ammunition was g^ranted and Kentucky
was recognized as a part of Virginia. On
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the reassembling of the legislature Clark
was present and succeeded in gaining for-
mal recognition of the Kentucky country
and its organization as a county with the
same name and boundaries it now has as a
state. In January, 1777, gunpowder was
delivered in Kentucky. Clark stopped at
Leestown and McClelland's and set about to
organize aggressive warfare against the In-
dians, who had been making serious depre-
dations. He was given the rank of lieu-
I'^nant-colonel, and instructed by Gov.
Henry to enlist seven companies of sol-
diers, of fifty men each. W'ith this force
he was to attack the British post at Kas-
kaskia. Early in May, 1778, he departed
from Red Stone with only one-third of the
troops expected. He stopped at the mouth
of the Kentucky river and finally to the falls
of the Ohio and selected Corn Island for
his camping ground. His men numbered
about one hundred and seventy, and on
June 24, 1778, they started for Kaskaskia,
arriving there on the evening of July 4. Be-
fore daylight they had disarmed the town.
Clark sent a part of his force to take pos-
session of the French villages up the Miss-
issippi, Capt. Joseph Bowman succeeding in
capturing Prairie du Rocher, Cahokia, and
other villages. Meanwhile Clark secured
the allegiance of the inhabitants of Vincen-
nes, the most important post on the river.
At Cahokia he met representatives from
several tribes, and secured treaties of peace.
On February 5, 1779, the little army left
Kaskaskia for Vincennes. For ten days
they marched through the waters then over-
flowing the Wabash river and all its tribu-
taries; Fort Sackville and Vincennes were
captured after considerable fighting. Clark
received a commission from Gov. Henry,
dated December 14, 1778, promoting him
colonel. He contemplated attacking De-
troit, but decided it to be impracticable,
owing to his scanty force. On June 12,
1779, Virginia presented Col. Clark with a
costly sword in recognition of his services.
He returned to the falls of the Ohio later
in 1779 and found that the garrison had re-
moved to the mainland and constructed a
fort in what is now Louisville, Kentucky.
Early in 1780 he proceeded to the mouth
of the Ohio river and built Fort Jefferson,
but owing to sickness and Indian attacks,
the fort was abandoned in 1781. In that
year he was commissioned brigadier-gen-
eral and began to recruit troops for an at-
tack on Detroit. This expedition, through
the failure of Col. Lochry to reach Wheel-
ing until after Clark's departure, was un-
successful, and the defeat embittered Clark's
after life. On Clark's return to the west
he set about organizing the militia. Fort
Nelson, on the site of Louisville, was con-
structed, and early in November, 1782, at
the head of one thousand men, he marched
against the Indians on the Miami river and
subdued them. In January, 1783, the treaty
of peace with Great Britain was ratified by
congress and attention was turned to the
vast territory of land acquired through the
eflforts of Gen. Clark, but Virginia, exhaust-
ed by the war, failed sufficiently to provide
for his troops, and on June 2, 1783, he was
relieved of his command. His financial
condition rendered impossible the purchase
of food and clothing, and necessity led him
to appeal to the government. The appeal
was unheeded, and even the half pay allot-
ted to all Continental officers was denied
him, as he had been a member of the Vir-
ginia militia and not of the Continental
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PROMINENT PERSONS
147
army. He lived in obscurity until 1785,
when he was appointed a commissioner to
treat with Indian tribes. In 1786 he again
acted as United States commissioner, ne-
gotiating a Treaty with the Shawnees. Later
in that year he commanded a campaign
against the Indian tribes on the Wabash,
but it proved a failure, and he was unjust-
ly censured by Virginia and congress. Mor-
tified by his treatment and neglect Gen.
Clark accepted a commission from the
French government of '*major-general in
the armies of France and commander-in-
chief of the French revolutionary legion on
the Mississippi river." He was to lead a
force of two thousand men against New Or-
leans and the Spanish possessions on the
lower Mississippi with a view to revolu-
tionizing the Spanish control and govern-
ment of that region. This plan was never
carried out. In 1781 Gen. Clark was granted
8049 acres of land in Indiana for his ser-
vices in reducing the British posts. He re-
sided in Clarksville many years, living alone
in a log house, stricken with paralysis, ill,
helpless and poor. The general assembly
of Virginia, in a letter written by James
Barbour, dated Richmond, October 29, 181 1,
conveyed to him the intelligence that that
body had voted him an annuity of $400,
tendered him their earnest sympathy and
notified him of the act of assembly in
causing to be made a sword with appro-
priate devices, emblematic of his actions,
which with the annuity would be duly for-
warded to him. On receiving the letter he
said: "I am too old and infirm to ever use
a sword again, but I am glad that my old
mother state has not entirely forgotten me.
and I thank her for the honor." He died
a few vears later at the home of his sister,
Mrs. Lucy Croghan. In 1869 his remains
were removed to Cave Hill cemetery, Louis-
ville, Kentucky, and his grave marked with
a handsome monument. On February 25,
1S92. the anniversary of the capture of Fort
Sackville, a movement was inaugurated in
Indianapolis, Indiana, to raise a suitable
statue to his memory, and on February 25,
1^95, it was placed on its pedestal in Monu-
ment Place, Indianapolis.
Parker, William Harwar, of "Rock
Spring," Westmoreland county, Virginia,
born in 1752, son of Judge Richard Parker
and Mary (Beale) Parker, his wife. He
served with distinction in the revolutionary
war; was an officer in the Virginia state
navy, 1776-80; commanded the Tempest.
He married Mary Sturman.
Porterficld, Robert, was born in Freder-
ick county, Virginia, February 22, 1752,
brother of Charles Porterfield (q. v.). He
was appointed second lieutenant in the
Eleventh Virginia Regiment, December 24,
1776; served in Col. Daniel Morgan's Com-
pany through the campaigns of 1777-79;
was promoted first lieutenant. June i. 1777;
adjutant, .April 19. 1778: was transferred to
the Seventh Virginia Regiment. September
14, 1778, and served as aide to Gen. William
Woodford, 1778-79, taking part in the
battles of Brandywinc, Germantown and
Monmouth. He was promoted captain-
lieutenant, July 2, 1779: captain. August 16,
1779, and in December, 1779, accompanied
Gen. William Woodford to Charleston,
South Carolina, where he took part in the
defense of that city, and on its fall surren-
dered as a prisoner of war. May 12. 1780.
He was exchanged and transferred to the
Second Virginia Regiment. February 2. 1781,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
where he served until the end of the war.
He was married to Rebecca Farrer, of
Amelia county; removed to Augusta coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1783, and settled on a farm
which he called "Soldier's Retreat." He
was a brigadier-general in the Virginia
militia during the war of 1812. He was
justice of the peace for half a century,
and served as high sheriff for two terms.
He died in Augusta county, Virginia, Feb-
ruary 13, 1843.
Rochester, Nathaniel, was born in Cople
parish, Westmoreland county, Virginia,
February 21, 1752, a descendant of Nicholas
Rochester, who emigrated from Kent, Eng-
land, in 1689. and settled in Westmoreland
county, Virginia. He removed to Granville
county. North Carolina, with his mother
and stepfather, Thomas Critcher, in 1763,
and in 1768 obtained employment as a clerk
in a mercantile house in Hillsboro, North
Carolina, becoming a partner in 1773. He
was a member of the committee of safety
of Orange county in 1775 ; a member of the
first provincial convention of North Caro-
Ima ; appointed paymaster, with the rank of
major, of the North Carolina line, and
deputy commissary general of the Conti-
nental army, May 10, 1776, but failing
health . caused his early resignation. He
was a delegate to the house of commons ; a
commissioner to superintend the manufac-
ture of arms at Hillsboro, and in 1778 en-
gaged in business with Col. Thomas Hart.
In 1783 they began the manufacture of flour,
rope and nails at Hagerstown, Maryland.
He was representative in the Maryland as-
sembly; postmaster of Hagerstown, and
judge of the county court. In 1808 he was
presidential elector, voting for James Madi-
son ; was first president of the Hagerstown
bank, and was engaged in important mer-
cantile transactions in Kentucky and Mary-
land. He made large purchases of land in
New York state, and removing to Dans-
ville, New York, in May, 1810, established
a paper mill there. In 181 5 he removed to
Bloomfield, New York, and in 18 18 settled
at the falls of the Genesee river, and there
founded the city of Rochester. He was sec-
retary of the convention to urge the con-
struction of the Erie canal; the first clerk
of Monroe county ; member of the state as-
sembly, 1821 and 1822, and one of the organ-
izers of the Bank of Rochester, and its first
president. He died in Rochester, New
York, May 17, 1831.
Hardin, John, born in Fauquier county,
Virginia, October i, 1753; remained in his
native state until 1765, when he accom-
panied his father to near the Pennsylvania
line, which was .then an unbroken wilder-
ness, and the life he led there made him a
skillful marksman, so much so that he was
greatly feared by the hostile Indians; he
was ensign in Lord Dunmore's expedition
against the Indians in 1774, and served as a
scout; he joined the Continental army at
the beginning of the revolutionary war,
acted as lieutenant in Gen. Daniel Morgan's
rifle corps, and refused a major's commis-
sion, claiming that his services were of more
use in the former rank; removed to Ken-
tucky in 1786, and in the same year volun-
teered under Gen. Elisha Clarke on the Wa-
bash expedition, and was appointed lieu-
tenant-colonel of militia ; he was a member
of every expedition against the Kentucky
Indians from 1787 until his death, except
that of Gen. Arthur St. Clair; in April, 1792,
he was sent by Gen. James Wilkinson with
overtures of peace to the Miami Indians,
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PROMINENT PERSONS
149
and while he was bearing a flag, of truce
near Shawneetown, his fine horse and equip-
ments attracted the cupidity of the chiefs,
who treacherously shot him to obtain these
spoils; this occurred on the Ohio river, in
April, 1792; the county of Hardin, Virginia,
which was formed in 1792, was named in
his honor.
Innes, James, was born in 1754, in Vir-
ginia, son of the Rev. Robert Innes, a
Scotchman, and a graduate of Oxford. He
was a graduate of William and Mary Col-
lege, and usher of the grammar school. At
the beginning of the troubles with the
mother country, he rallied a band of stu-
dents and secured some stores about to be
secreted by Dunmore, and he was dismissed
from college, the faculty being yet loyal to
the crown. In February, 1776, as captain
of the Williamsburg volunteers, he marched
against the enemy at Hampton. In Novem-
ber following, as lieutenant-colonel, he be-
came an aide to Washington, and served at
Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, German-
town and Monmouth. In October, 1778, he
was appointed a navy commissioner. In
1780 he entered the house of delegates. At
the solicitation of Washington, he raised a
regiment for home defense, and commanded
ii at the siege of Yorktown. He was a
member of the convention of 1788, and elo-
quently supported the constitution. He
then engaged in law practice and attained
high rank at the bar, and later succeeded
Edmund Randolph as attorney-general.
Governor Tazewell pronounced him "the
most classical, the most elegant and the
most eloquent orator" to whom he ever lis-
tened. Washington held him in highest
esteem, and tendered him the attorney-gen-
eralship, which his state of health obliged
him to decline. He died August 2, 1798, be-
fore completing his forty-fourth year, in
Philadelphia, while discharging his duties
as commissioner under Jay's treaty, and
was buried in that city, in Christ Church
burial ground, not far from the grave of
Franklin. He was a brother of Henry
Innes, attorney-general of Kentucky (q. v.,
vol. 1, 263).
Williamson, Andrew, born in Virginia;
married Betty, daughter of John Tyler, of
Essex county; removed to South Carolina.
In 1775 he was major of South Carolina
militia, and served in the battle of Ninety-
six; afterwards fought the Cherokee In-
dians, and suffered defeat ; made colonel, he
retrieved his ill fortune and devastated the
Indian country, and was made brigadier-
general. He served at the siege of Savan-
nah, ultimately went to Charleston and was
taken under British protection.
Cropper, John, was born in Accomac
county, V^irginia, December 23, 1755, son of
Sebastian Cropper, Jr., and Sabra Corbin,
daughter of Col. Coventon Corbin. He
was a captain in the Ninth Virginia Regi-
ment of the revolutionary forces in 1775,
was promoted to be major of the Fifth, en-
gaging in the battle of the Brandywine,
where his regiment suffered severely. He
became colonel of the Seventh, taking part
in the battles of Germantown and Mon-
mouth. May 15, 1778, he was made lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Eleventh Regiment,
and afterwards promoted to be colonel of
this regiment. In August, 1779. he with-
drew to his farm, and remained there till
the war closed. In 1781 he was appointed
county lieutenant, and rendered much as-
sistance in supplying provisions and equip-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ment to the troops. In December, 1782, he
joined in an attack on a lot of British barges
off Accomack Bay, but the Americans were
defeated and Cropper was wounded and
taken prisoner. Subsequently he was a
member of the house of delegates (1784-
1792). In the war of 181 2 he served as
colonel of militia, and in 1815 he was com-
missioned brigadier-general of the Twenty-
first Brigade. Served in the state senate
from 1813 10 1817, and in 1816 was president
of the Virginia branch of the Cincinnati
Society. He was a g^eat friend of Gen.
Washington, and spoke always in most
affectionate terms of the great commander.
He died at his residence. January 15, 1821.
His daughter, Sarah Corbin, married Major
John Wise, speaker of the senate, and was
mother of Gen. Henry A. Wise.
Kenton, Simon, born in Fauquier county,
Virginia, in March, 1755, of Scotch and
Irish parents. He did field labor, and in his
sixteenth year, in a quarrel arising from a
love affair, severely wounded his rival, and
fled to the mountains. At Cheat river he
changed his name to Simon Butler, and
with George Yeager and John Strader en-
gaged in hunting. In 1771 went exploring
tc •*Kaintuckce," and later, while hunting
along the Little Kanawha, they were at-
tacked by Indians and retreated to the
Green Briar. Kenton was afterward a spy
for Lord Dunmore, at Fort Pitt. Later he
again explored Kentucky, and planted the
first corn there. The settlement was re-
peatedly attacked by Indians, and Kenton
is credited with saving the life of Daniel
Boone. In 1778 he was captured by In-
dians, and after being tortured was doomed
to death, but was saved by Samuel Girty.
He was afterward to be burned, but through
intercession of Chief Logan was held for
ransom, and subsequently escaped. He
traveled to Vincennes and joined Gen.
George Rogers Clark, who made him cap-
tain of a company of volunteers at Harrod's
Station. After defeating the Indians the
company was disbanded, and Kenton, learn-
ing that his foeman of years ago had sur-
vived his wounds, resumed his proper name,
and returned home. In 1784 he founded a
settlement at Limestone, and g^ve to Arthur
Fox and William Wood a thousand-acre
tract on which they laid out the town of
Washington. In the Indian war of 1793,
Kenton served as major. He was now one
of the wealthiest men in Kentucky, but
owing to his ignorance of legal proceedings,
was reduced to poverty. In 1802 he settled
at what became Urbana, Ohio, was made
brigadier-general of militia, and served
under Gen. Harrison in the battle of Mo-
ravia township. He died in Ohio, in April,
1836.
Parmale, Elisha, was born at Goshen,
Connecticut, Februar}" 22, 1755, graduated
from Harvard in 1778, and in 1779 came to
Virginia because of his health and taught
in Surry county. In July 1779 he came to
Williamsburg, Virginia, and became a mem-
ber of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity of
William and Mary College. On December
5. 1779, the society refused him permission
to establish a society "to be conducted in a
less mysterious manner than the Phi Beta
Kappa." They thanked him, however, for
his zeal, and granted him leave to establish
a branch at Harvard, to be called the Ep-
silon, and one at Yale to be called the Zeta,
and from these the fraternity spread to
many colleges in the North. He settled in
Lee, Massachusetts, and was given a church
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PROMINENT PERSONS
151
in 1783. His health declined and he re-
lumed to Virginia, but died suddenly at the
scat of Col. Abraham Bird on the Shenan-
doah river, August 2, 1784, aged twenty-
nine years, and was buried in the burying
ground in the vicinity.
Dale, Richard, was born near Norfolk,
Virginia, November 6, 1756, died in Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1826.
He entered the merchant service at the age
of twelve, and at nineteen commanded a
ship. In 1776 he was a lieutenant in the
Virginia navy, was soon captured and con-
fined in a prison ship at Norfolk. Persuaded
by some Royalist schoolmates he embarked
on an English cruiser against the vessels of
his state; was wounded in an engagement
with an American flotilla. After the Dec-
laration of Independence he became a mid-
shipman on the American brig Lexington^
which was captured on the coast of France
by the English cutter Alert in 1777. Dale,
with others of the officers and crew, was
thrown into Mill prison, at Plymouth, on
the charge of high treason; escaping with
many of his fellow prisoners, in February,
1778, he was recaptured, escaped again, dis-
guised as a British naval officer, reached
FVance, where he joined John Paul Jones'
squadron as master's mate. Jones soon
made him first lieutenant of the Bon
Homme Richard, and in that capacity he
fought with distinction in the famous battle
with the Sera pis, on September 23, 1779,
receiving a severe splinter wound. After
the sinking of the Bon Homme Richard in
that engagement, Dale served with Jones
in the Alliance, and afterward in the
Ariel, Returning to Philadelphia. Febru-
ary 28, 1781. he was placed on the list of
lieutenants in the navy, and joined the
Trumbull, which was captured in August
of that year, Dale receiving his third wound
in this engagement. He was exchanged in
November, obtained leave of absence,
served on letters of marque and in the mer-
chant service until the close of the war.
He was appointed captain in 1794, served
on a short cruise in the "Ganges," during
the trouble with France, and in 1801 was
given command of a squadron and ordered
to the Mediterranean during the hostilities
with Tripoli. Although greatly hampered
by instructions, so that no serious enter-
prise could be attempted, he prevented the
Tripolitans from making any captures dur-
ing his command. Returning to the United
States in 1802, he was again ordered to the
Mediterranean, but resigned his commis-
sion December 17, and having gained a
competency, spent the rest of his life in
retirement. Dale enjoyed the unusual dis-
tinction of having been praised by Lord
Nelson, who after critically watching the
seamanship of the commodore's squadron,
said that there was in the handling of those
transatlantic ships a nucleus of trouble for
the navy of Great Britain. The prediction
was soon verified. Two of Commodore
Dale's sons held commissions in the navy.
Pendleton, Nathaniel, was born in Cul-
peper county, Virginia, in 1756, son of
Henry Pendleton, and grandson of Philip
Pendleton, the emigrant. He joined the
revolutionary army, 1775 : was promoted
brevet-major, serving as aide-de-camp to
Gen. Nathaniel Greene, and received the
thanks of congress for his gallantry at Eu-
taw Springs. South Carolina, September 8,
1 78 1. On the close of the war he stud-
ied law and was subsequently appointed
United States district judge for Georgia.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
He was proposed to President Washington
as a candidate for the office of secretary of
state, but was objected to by Alexander
Hamilton, who afterward became his friend
and for whom Pendleton acted as second
in his duel with Aaron Burr. He was a
delegate from Georgia to the Federal con-
stitutional convention in 1787, but was not
present when the constitution of the United
States was signed. He was a member of
the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati. In
1796 he settled in practice in New York
City, where he married his second wife,
Susan, daughter of Dr. John Bard. He be-
came judge of Dutchess county, residing on
a farm at Hyde Park, New York, where he
dic'd October 20, 182 1.
Bccklcy, John James, born in 1757, son of
Sir William Beckley (or Bickly), baronet,
who died in Louisa county, Virginia, March
9, 1771. Grigsby says he was a classmate
of Fox, at Eton. In 1779 he was clerk of
the state senate, and in 1781 he was elected
clerk of the house of delegates, which posi-
tion he held for many years. He was clerk
of the convention of 1788; of the United
States house of representatives from 1789
to 1799, and from 1801 to 1807. He was
also first librarian of congress from 1802 to
1807, being the only person who ever held
the two offices of clerk and librarian. He
died in Washington City, April 8, 1807, in
his fiftieth year.
Hammond, Samuel, born in Richmond
county, Virginia, September 21, 1757; later
settled in Savannah, Georgia, and was ap-
pointed surveyor-general of that state, was
also elected to the legislature, fought in the
Creek war of 1793, and was elected to con-
gress, on the Democratic ticket, serving
from October 17, 1803, until March 3, 1805;
was appointed by President Jefferson mili-
tary and civil commandant of Upper Louisi-
ana, serving in that capacity from 1805 until
1824, and during the latter part of the time
was receiver of public moneys in Missouri ;
in 1824 he returned to the South, locating
in South Carolina, receiving appointment
as a member of the legislature, as surveyor-
general, in 1825, and as secretary of state,
being appointed in 1831 and serving until
1835, 5" which year he retired from public
life: he was also a soldier, volunteering in
an expedition against the Indians under
Governor Dunmore, distinguishing himself
ai the battle of the Kanawha; in 1775 he
raised a cpmpany and took part in the battle
of Longbridge, and four years later par-
ticipated in the battle of Stono Ferry, South
Carolina, under Gen. Lincoln; at the siege
of Savannah he was appointed assistant
quartermaster, and at Blackstocks he had
three horses shot under him and was wound-
ed; he was a member of the "council of
capitulation" at Charleston, and was pres-
ent at the siege of Augusta and the battles
of Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Eutaw
Springs, where he was again badly wound-
ed, and many other engagements; he was
commissioned colonel of cavalry, September
17, T781, and served under Gen. Greene
until the end of the war; his death occurred
near Augusta, Georgia, September 11, 1842.
Lacy, Drury, born in Chesterfield county,
Virginia, October 5, 1758, son of Willium
and Elizabeth (Rice) Lacy, grandson of
Thomas and Ann (Burnley) Lacy, and of
James and Margaret (House) Rice; in early
life he lost his left hand from the explosion
of a gun, therefore was incapacitated from
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PROMLXENT PERSONS
153
manual labor, and accordingly he acquired
a thorough knowledge of the classical lan-
guages, and in 1781 was offered the posi-
tion of tutor in Hampden-Sidney College,
which he accepted, serving in that capacity
for some time; he studied theology under
the preceptorship of Dr. John Blair Smith,
president of Hampden-Sidney College, and
was licensed to preach in September, 1787,
and ordained in October, 1788, in which
year he was elected vice-president of the
college, and upon Dr. Smith's resignation,
in the year 1791, succeeded to the presi-
dency, filling that honorable position until
1796, when he tendered his resignation,
which was accepted, and during the remain-
der of his life he devoted his time and at-
tention to supplying neighboring churches
and also taught a classical school ; he served
as moderator of the general assembly of the
Presbyterian church in 1809, and as clerk
of the Hanover Presbytery during the
greater part of his ministry ; the loss of his
hand was supplied by one of silver, and this
fact, together with his clear and musical
voice, gained for him the name of "Lacy
with the silver hand and silver tongue ;" his
death occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, December 6, 1815.
Short, William, was born at "Spring Gar-
den," Surry county, Virginia, September 30,
I759» son of William Short, a planter of
means, and Elizabeth Skipwith, his wife,
daughter of Sir Peyton Skipwith. He was
educated at William and Mary College, and
was an original member of the Phi Beta
Kappa fraternity, and its president from
December 5, 1778, until its suspension in
1781. He was chosen a member of the exec-
utive council of Virginia in 1783, and when
Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister
tc France in 1784, Short accompanied him
as secretary of legation. After Jefferson's
departure from France. Short was made
cl'.arge d'affaires, his commission being the
first one that was signed by Washington as
President. On January 16, 1794, he became
minister to The Hague. He was next ap-
pointed a commissioner to treat with the
Spanish government concerning the Florida
and Mississippi boundaries, the navigation
of the Mississippi, and other open questions.
His negotiations resulted in a treaty of
friendship, commerce and boundaries, which
was signed October 27, 1795. He returned
to the United States in iSoi, having been
absent in the service of the country for
seventeen years. In 1849 he acted as the
medium for the revival of the Phi Beta
Kappa chapter at William and Mary Col-
lege. His died in Philadelphia, December
5 of the same year.
Stuart, Archibald, was the son of Alex-
ander Stuart, one of the founders of Liberty
Hall Academy, now Washington and Lee
University. He was educated at William
and Mary College, which he left in 1780,
and joined the regiment from Rockbridge,
in which his father was major, and fought
in the battle of Guilford Court House,
where the father was wounded and taken
prisoner. During the entire campaign,
young Stuart had with him the official seal
of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, of which he
was vice-president, which seal, many years
after his death, was found in a secret drawer
in his escritoire. This seal his son, Hon.
Alexander H. H. Stuart, transmitted to the
society at its revival in 1849, but since the
civil war it has been lost sight of. After the
revolution, Mr. Stuart studied law under
Thomas Jefferson. In 1783 he was elected
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
tc the house of delegates; he was later a
member of the convention of 1788, of the
Virginia senate, a presidential elector, judge
of the general court, and, in brief, one of
the leading men of Virginia until his death,
which occurred July 11, 1832. He was
father of Alexander H. H. Stuart, secretary
of the interior in Fillmore's cabinet.
Cooper, Thomas, bom in London, Eng-
land, October 22, 1759; educated at Oxford,
acquiring an extensive knowledge of medi-
cine, the natural sciences and law; was ad-
mitted to the bar, and for a time followed a
circuit practice; becoming involved in the
political troubles of the time, he was sent
to France by the Democratic clubs as a
delegate to the French Democratic organ-
ization, and there he became an ardent sym-
pathizer with the Girondists of the revolu-
tion, and upon his return to England cre-
ated extreme hostility by his advocacy of
that party; he was denounced in the house
of conimons by Edmund Burke, and in re-
ply he brought out a violent pamphlet
which was the cause of great sensation;
soon after, he came to the new world with
his friend, Dr. Joseph Priestley, and here
his extreme views upon questions of gov-
ernment were again the cause of misfor-
tune; he settled in Northumberland, Penn-
sylvania, where he soon built up a law prac-
tice, later was appointed judge, but his arbi-
trary conduct led to his deposition by his
own supporters; he occupied the chair of
chemistry in Dickinson College, Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, from 181 1 to 1814, and in
1816 was appointed to the same position in
the University of Pennsylvania; was called
to the College of South Carolina in 1820,
and remained there until 1834 as president
of the institution and professor of chemistry
and political economy; when Mr. Jefferson
was projecting his plans for the University
of Virginia, he entered into correspondence
with Dr. Cooper, seeking his opinion upon
various questions, and the value of Dr.
Cooper's suggestions is evident from the
fact that Mr. Jefferson later brought about
his election as the first professor of Central
College, having the appointment confirmed
by the university; he was not allowed to
serve, however, because of his religious
views ; he was renowned for his knowledge
of law, medicine, chemistry, mineralogy,
politics and political economy ; Jeflferson, in
writing to Cabell, said of him : ''He is one
of the ablest men in America, and that in
several branches of science * * * The best
pieces on political economy which have been
written in this country were by Cooper;"
ii« politics he was a Republican ; in religion
a free thinker and allied with the Unitarian
denomination: in philosophy a materialist;
he died in Columbia, South Carolina, May
II, 1840, and left an important bibliography
of which notable works are: "Letters on the
Slave Trade," London, 1787; "Tracts, Eth-
ical, Theological, and Political," 1790; "In-
formation Concerning America," 1790; "Ac-
count of the Trial of Thomas Cooper, of
Northumberland," Philadelphia, 1800; "The
Bankrupt Law in America Compared with
that of England," 1801 ; "An English Ver-
sion of the Institutes of Justinian," 1812;
"Tracts on Medical Jurisprudence," 1819;
"Elements of Political Economy," Charles-
ton, 1826. In his "Letters on Emigration"
Cooper used the notable words : **The gov-
ernment of the United States is a govern-
ment of the people and for the people."
Turbcrvillc, George Lee, born September
7. 1760, son of George Turberville, of West-
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moreland county, and Martha Lee, his wife.
He was captain in the Fifteenth Virginia
Regiment, December 2, 1776; major and
aide-de-camp to Gen. Charles Lee, May 26,
177S: retired September 14, 1778; in 17S1
he served with Baron Steuben. After the
war he was a delegate to the Virginia house
of delegates, 1785-S6-87; member of the con-
vention of 1788; and sheriff of Richmond
county in 1798. He was grandfather of
Gen. R. L. T. Beale, United States congress-
man and brigadier-general C. S. A.
Hitc, Isaac, was a son of Col. Isaac Hite,
of Winchester, \'irginia. In 1780 he enter-
ed the Continental army as ensign, became
a lieutenant in 17S2, and served till the peace
in 1783. He was known as major, by rea-
son of his rank in the militia. He was an
original member of the Phi Beta Kappa fra-
ternity. He married Nelly, sister of Presi-
dent Madison. He died at his residence,
"Bellegrove," Frederick county, December
22, 1836, in his eightieth year.
Howard, Benjamin, born in Virginia
about 1760; completed preparatory studies;
moved to Kentucky; elected to the tenth
and eleventh congresses, and served from
March 4, 1807, to April 10, 1810, when he
resigned; governor of upper Louisiana,
1810-1812: appointed a brigadier-general of
the United States army, March 12, 1813,
and given command of the eighth military
department, embracing the territory west of
the Mississippi river; died in St. Louis, Mis-
souri, September 18, 1814.
Ballard, Bland, was born at Fredericks-
burg, Virginia, October 16. 1761. When he
was eighteen years old he emigrated to Ken-
tucky, and became* one of its earliest set-
tlers. He joined a volunteer force which,
under Col. Bowman, which was attempting
tc- free the district of the savages, and
served in the expedition into Ohio. A year
later he took part in George Rogers Clark's
raid against the Piqua towns, and in 1794 he
was with General Wayne at the battle of
the Fallen Timbers. He was a man of great
bravery, and became one of the most re-
nowned of Indian fighters. In 1780 he was
employed by George Rogers Clark to ex-
plore the banks of the Ohio river from the
Falls, at what is now Louisville, to the
mouth of the Salt river, and thence to the
site of the present town of West Point.
Ballard^s most harrowing experience was
while witnessing the slaughter of his father,
mother and two sisters by a party of fifteen
Indians. A younger sister escaped after
being scalped and left for dead. Ballard
was too late to save their lives, but from
his place of concealment killed nearly half
of the Indians. After peace had been re-
stored, Ballard was sent several times as a
representative to the state legislature. The
county of Ballard, Kentucky, and its capital,
Blandville, were named in his honor. He
died September 5, 1853.
Henry, William, bom in Charlotte coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1761 ; in early life he entered
the army, and participated in the battles of
Ciuilford, the Cowpens and Yorktown, in
the revolutionary war, and subsequently re-
moved to Kentucky, in which state he took
part in many conflicts with the Indians ; on
August 31. 1813. he was appointed major-
general of Kentucky volunteers, command-
ed a division of three brigades in the battle
of the Thames, October 5, 1813, and also
served in the campaigns of Gen. Scott and
Gen. Wilkinson ; Gen. Henry was a mem-
ber of the constitutional convention of his
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state, and of both branches of the legisla-
ture ; he died in Christian county, Kentucky,
November 23, 1824.
Littlepage, Lewis, born in Hanover coun-
ty, \'irginia, December 19, 1762, son of Col.
James Littlepage and Elizabeth Lewis, his
wife. He graduated from William and
Mary College in 1778, then went abroad and
joined a relative, John Jay, then minister to
Madrid. In 1782 he volunteered in the ex-
pedition of the Due de Crillon against
Minorca, and subsequently accompanied
the Prince of Nassau-Siegen to the siege of
Gibraltar, and thence to Constantinople and
Warsaw. For many years he enjoyed the
personal friendship of Stanislaus, King of
Poland, under whom he held, among other
offices, that of ambassador to Russia. He
was made a knight of the Order of St.
Stanislaus, chamberlain and confidential
secretary, and was a special envoy in sev-
eral important negotiations. In 1792 he re-
turned to Virginia, with health broken from
exposure in camp and travel, and died in
Spotsylvania, July 19, 1802, aged forty
years. His voluminous correspondence
with King Stanislaus, the Marquis de Lafa-
yette, and other distinguished men, has
been preserved in Hayden's "Virginia Gene-
alogies."
Cabell, Joseph, born January 6, 1762, son
of Col. Joseph Cabell. He was first taught
by tutors ; was at Hampd en-Sidney College
in 1778-79, and at William and Mary Col-
lege from May 4, 1779, to 1781. He be-
longed to a company of students attached
to the regiment of Colonel Joseph Cabell,
the elder. He was a captain of militia previ-
ous to 1787. He married Pocahontas Re-
becca, daughter of Robert Boiling, of Chel-
lowe, Buckingham county, Virginia. He
emigrated with his family to Kentucky in
181 1, settled in Henderson county, and died
there, August 31, 1831.
Parker, Thomas, son of Judge Richard
Parker, of "Lawfield," Westmoreland coun-
ty, Virginia, and Mary (Beale) Parker, his
wife. In the revolution he was a captain
in the Second Virginia Regiment. He re-
mained in the army after the war, and in
181 2, as a colonel, served on the northern
frontier under Gen. Wade Hampton; was
made brigadier-general in 1812, and com-
manded at Norfolk, Virginia. He resided
on his estate, "Soldier's Retreat," Clarke
county, Virginia: married Sallie Opie, and
had issue.
Massie, Nathaniel, born in Goochland
county, Virginia, December 28, 1763, son of
Nathaniel Massie and Elizabeth Watkins,
daughter of Thomas Watkins, of Chicka-
hominy ; received preparatory education ;
served in the revolutionary war, 1780, was
a surveyor of wild lands in Virginia for the
following eleven years, and of the Virginia
military district north of the Ohio river, for
five years, from 1791 to 1796, laying out on
his own land the town of Chillicothe in the
latter named year, and in 1800 was one of
the most extensive owners of land in the
northwest territory; was a delegate to the
state constitutional convention of 1802, and
secured the selection of Chillicothe as the
state capital ; during the years 1803-04 was
state senator in the first and second general
a.ssemblies; speaker of the senate in 1803;
a Jefferson elector in 1804, a Madison elector
in 1808, and a representative in the fifth and
eighth assemblies during the years 1806-07
and 1809-10; in the year 1807 he was the
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candidate for governor of the state on the
Republican ticket, but was defeated by his
opponent, Return J. Meigs, whereupon Mr.
Massie raised the question of the eligibility
o( his opponent, and the general assembly
in joint convention declared him ineligible
under the constitution, but Mr. Massie does
not appear by the official records to have
claimed the office; he served as major-gen-
eral of the state militia for a number of
years; he died at Paint Creek Falls, Ohio,
November 13, 1813, in the prime of life, he
not having attained the age of fifty years.
Cabell, Landon, born before February 21,
1765, son of Col. William Cabell, of **Union
Hill," Nelson county, Virginia. He attend-
ed private schools, and Hampden-Sidney
College. He was at William and Mary Col-
lege from March, 1780, to May, 1781, when
the college was suspended on account of
the British occupation. He was at the last
meeting of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, in
January, 1781. He served at Yorktown, in
the college company attached to his Uncle
Joseph Cabell's regiment of militia. In
1783 he reentered William and Mary Col-
lege, remaining until 1785. He was long a
justice of the peace in Amherst county, and
for many years in Nelson county. He was
offered a seat in the cabinet of President
Madison, but declined. He died in January,
1834.
Lewis, Lawrence, born in Fredericksburg,
Virginia, April 4, 1767, son of Col. Fielding
and Elizabeth (Washington) Lewis, and
grandson of Augustine and Mary (Ball)
Washington; he was Gen. Washington's
favorite nephew and after Washington's re-
tirement from public life, resided with him
at Mt. Vernon ; he was the last living exec-
utor of the will of Gen. Washington, and
continued to reside at Mt. Vernon until the
death of Martha Washington, May 22,
1802 ; in 1794 Lawrence Lewis served as an
aide to Gen. Morgan in his expedition to
quell an insurrection in Pennsylvania; mar-
ried, February 22, 1799, Eleanor Parke,
daughter of John Parke Custis, and a grand-
daughter of Martha (Custfs) Washington;
she was adopted with her brother, George
Washington Parke Custis, by Gen. Wash-
ington on the death of their father in 1783;
Mrs. Lewis was born March 21, 1779, died
a: Audley, Virginia, July 15, 1852; she sur-
vived her husband, who died at Arlington,
Virginia, November 30, 1839.
George, Enoch, was born in Lancaster
county, Virginia, in 1767, died in Staunton,
Virginia, in August, 1828. He was under
the ministry of Rev. Devereaux Jarratt,
then of the Church of England, and was in
early life the subject of deep religious im-
pressions; but having been separated from
Mr. Jarratt's ministry, he became negligent
of his religious duties, till, after several
years, the place was visited by a Methodist
evangelist, under whose exhortations young
George became connected with the little
Methodist Society of his neighborhood. In
1790 he was admitted on trial into the Vir-
ginia conference of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and served for two years as junior
preacher in Caswell circuit. After this he
went to South Carolina, and in 1796 was
presiding elder of Charleston district, and
the next year on account of impaired health,
he retired from active work in the ministry.
In 1803 he entered the Baltimore confer-
ence, where he labored with great zeal and
success, till at the general conference, held
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ill Baltimore in May, 1816, he was elected
and ordained a bishop, in which office he
served with zeal and effectiveness for twelve
years. Bishop George belonged to the
primitive school of American Methodist
preachers, some of whom were without ex-
tended scholastic advantages, but neverthe-
less became able and highly effective
preachers of the gospel, and also attained
proficiency in biblical and theological learn-
ing. He was especially distinguished for
the fervor and pathos of his pulpit dis-
courses.
Hill, William, born in Cumberland coun-
ty, Virginia, March 3, 1769; was graduated
at Hampden-Sydney in 1788, pursuing the
theological course, and was licensed to
preach by the Presbytery of Hanover, July
10, 1790; after spending two years as a
missionary in Virginia he settled in Berke-
ley (now Jefferson) county, and in 1800 ac-
cepted the pastorate of the Presbyterian
church in Winchester ; he removed to Prince
Edward county in 1834, and after a two
years' pastorate became pastor of the Sec-
ond Presbyterian Church in Alexandria,
but in 1838 returned to Winchester, where
he spent the remainder of his days; he de-
livered an oration at Harper's Ferry in com-
memoration of Gen. Washington, published
several sermons, and was the author of a
** History of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States," which he intended to issue
111 numbers, but only the first appeared ; he
died in Winchester, Virginia, November 16,
1852.
Copeland, Charles, eminent lawyer, was
born in 1756; figured in the courts of Vir-
ginia as the rival of John Wickham and
William Wirt. Nothing is known of his
ancestry. He married (first) Rebecca,
daughter of Robert Nicholson, a merchant
of Williamsburg, (second) Henningham
Bernard. He died November 24, 1836. and
there is a monument to his memory in St.
John's churchyard, Richmond, Virginia.
Munford, William, was born in Mecklen-
burg county, Virginia, August 15, 1775, son
of Col. Robert Munford, a brave soldier in
the revolution, and author. His father died
when he was seven years of age, and his
education was left to his mother, who, like
her husband, was endowed with literary
gifts. He studied the ancient languages and
literature at William and Mary College,
under George Wythe, who afterwards was
his tutor in the study of law. Completing
his legal course at the age of twenty-one,
he immediately entered upon an unusually
brilliant and engrossing career. Until his
twenty-fifth year he sat in the Virginia
house of delegates, and for four years rep-
resented his native county in the state sen-
ate. At the end of that period he removed
tc Richmond, and served in the privy coun-
cil until 1811, when he became clerk in the
house of delegates, and held that office until
his death. He acted for several years as
reporter of the decisions of the supreme
court of appeals, of which he prepared, with
some assistance, ten volumes, from 1809 to
1820. In 1819 he assisted Benjamin Wat-
kins Leigh in the revision of the Virginia
statute laws. Of Mr. Munford's poetry, the
earliest published was is 1798, "Poems and
Compositions in Prose on Several Occa-
sions." This included a tragedy, "Almoran
and Hamet," and a number of poems, most
of which showed the influence of classical
literature on the author. He occupied the
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leisure of his maturer years in making a
translation of Homer's "Iliad** in blank
verse, which was published posthumously
in 1S48. yir. Munford died at Richmond,
Virginia, June 21, 1825.
Girardin, Louis Hue, was appointed pro-
fessor of modern languages in William and
Mary College, 1803; for several years he
conducted a select school for girls in Rich-
mond. He compiled volume iv. of Burk's
"History of Virginia." He produced a
magazine, "Amoenitates Graphicae," with
six fine . hand-colored plates by Frederick
Besler. Only the one number was ever
printed.
Chapman, Nathaniel, was born in Sum-
mer Hill, Fairfax county, May 28, 1780. He
was educated at the academy at Alexandria,
and graduated from the medical department
of the University of Pennsylvania in 1800;
he then studied under Abernethy in London
for one year, and took a two years* course
at the University of Edinburgh, where he
received the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
He returned to the United States in 1804,
established himself in practice in Philadel-
phia, and rose to the front rank of the med-
ical profession. He was assistant professor
cf midwifery, 1810-13; professor of materia
medica, 1813-16; and held the chair of the
theory and practice of medicine, 1816-50, in
the University of Pennsylvania. In 1817
he founded the Philadelphia Medical Insti-
tute, and during twenty years delivered a
summer course of lectures ; he was also lec-
turer on clinics at the hospital of the Phila-
delphia almshouse. He was president of
the American Philosophical Society, of the
American Medical Association. In 1820 he
founded and for many years edited the
*Thiladelphia Journal of the Medical and
Physical Sciences." He published: "Select
Speeches, Forensic and Parliamentary"
(1808) ; "Elements of Therapeutics and
Materia Medica" (1828); '^Lectures on
Eruptive Fevers, Hemorrhages and Drop-
sies, and on Gout and Rheumatism," and
"Lectures on the Thoracic Viscera." He
died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July i,
1853.
Warrington, Lewis, was born at Wil-
liamsburg, Virginia, November 3, 1782. He
received a classical education and was
graduated from William and Mary College
hi 1798. He entered the navy as midship-
man in 1800, and served under Preble in the
war with Tripoli ; became a lieutenant in
February, 1807, and was on the "Chesa-
peake/* in her encounter with the '^Leopard.'*
June 20. In 1812 he sailed in the "Congress*
with Commander Rodgers' squadron in pur-
suit of the British West India fleet. In 1813
he was made master, and placed in command
of the ''Peacoek** with which he took nine-
teen vessels, including the "Epenner,^* cap-
tured off Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 29,
1814, after a close contest of forty-two min-
utes: for this congress voted him a gold
medal. Having made several prizes in the
Bay of Biscay, he returned to Xew York in
the fall, was commissioned captain, and sail-
ed in Decatur's fleet. On June 30. 1815, he
took the "XatitilHs*^ and three more East
India vessels in the straits of Sunda, a
region until then avoided by American
cruisers ; these prizes had to be given up as
peace had been declared before they were
captured. He was in the Mediterranean,
1816-19; in command of the Norfolk navy-
yard, 1820-24 and 1832-39: of the West
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India squadron, 1821-26; and then of the
new navy-yard at Pensacola, where a town
took his name. He was a navy commis-
sioner, 1827-30 and 1840-42, a president of
the board in 1841, chief of the bureau of
yards and docks in 1842-46, and of that of
ordnance, 1847 until his death, at Washing-
ton, D. C, October 12, 1851.
Smith, John Augustine, was born in
Westmoreland county, August 29, 1782, son
of Rev. Thomas Smith, of Cople parish in
that county. He was graduated from Wil-
liam and Mary College in 1800, studied med-
icine and settled as a physician in New
York City. In 1809 he became lecturer on
anatomy at the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, and editor of the **Medical and
Physiological Journal." In 1814 he was
elected president of William and Mary Col-
lege. Dr. Smith was the first layman to
hold the presidency, and in 1824 he deemed
it necessary to remove the college to Rich-
mond. But in this Dr. Smith incurred the
ppposition of John Tyler, on the board of
visitors, who voiced the local feeling, and
Thomas Jefferson, who was then busy with
the scheme of founding the university at
Charlottesville, feared the effect of the re-
moval upon the liberality of the legislature
to which he was then appealing for pecuni-
ary aid in favor of his pet enterprise. The
united opposition defeated Smith's measure,
and in 1825 he resigned. He resumed prac-
tice in New York City, and from 183 1 to
1843 was president of the College of Phy-
3icians and Surgeons. He published nu-
merous addresses, lectures and essays, in-
cluding "Introductory Discourse" at New
Medical College, Crosby street (N. Y., 1837,
8 vo.) ; "Select Discourse on the Functions
or the Nervous System" (1840, 12 mo.) ;
"The Mutations of the Earth" (1846, 8 vo.) ;
monograph upon the ''Moral and Physical
Science" (1853, 12 mo.). Dr. Smith edited
the New York "Medical and Physiological
Journal" in 1809, and was a man of splen-
did talents. A handsome portrait of Dr.
Smith, the gift of his son and daughter,
resident in New York City, hangs in the
college library. He died February 9, 1865.
Dudley, Benjamin Winslow, was born in
Spotsylvania county, Virginia, April 12,
^785, son of Rev. Ambrose Dudley. His
father removed to Lexington, Kentucky, in
1786, and there the son obtained his early
education. He studied medicine with Dr.
Frederick Ridgeley, of Lexington, and after-
ward attended lectures at the University of
Pennsylvania, graduating in 1906. He
opened an office in Lexington, but had little
practice. Desiring to better qualify himself
for his work, but lacking the means, he pur-
chased a flatboat, which he loaded with
produce and floated to New Orleans, where
he invested the proceeds in flour. This was
taken to Gibraltar and Lisbon, where he
disposed of it at a large advance. From
Spain he went to Paris, and there studied
under Paul A. Dubois. After three years
there he went to London and studied sur-
gery under Abernethy and Sir Astley
.Cooper. He returned home in 1814, and
found Lexington in the midst of an epi-
demic of typhoid pneumonia, which was fol-
lowed by bilious fever. Abscesses formed
among the muscles and in many cases am-
putation was necessary. Dr. Dudley ap-
plied bandages and his success in these
cases led him to urge the general use of the
bandage until this treatment was widely
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adopted. In 1817 a medical school was
added to the Transylvania University, and
he was elected to the chairs of anatomy and
surgery. Dr. Dudley condemned blood-
Jetting, taking advanced ground in the mat-
ter. His skill with the knife soon gatned
him a national reputation and his success in
lithotomy was so great that in England he
was declared to be **the lithotomist of the
nineteenth century." He operated for stone
in the bladder two hundred and twenty-five
times and lost only six patients. Believing
that Asiatic cholera was a water-borne dis-
ease, during the first great epidemic in this
country (1832) he and his family drank
cistern instead of well water, and were the
only ones in Lexington to escape the dis-
ease. He contributed valuable essays to
the 'Transylvania Journal of Medicine.*' He
was married, in 182 1, to a daughter of Major
Peyton Short. He died in Lexington, Ken-
tucky, June 20, 1870.
Scott, Winfield, was born near Peters-
burg, Virginia, June 13, 1786, son of Wil-
liam and Ann Mason Scott, and grandson
of a Scotch soldier, who engaged in the
battle of Culloden, where he lost a brother
and fled to America, settling in the neigh-
borhood of Petersburg, where he practiced
law. Winfield, after attending a high school
in Richmond, matriculated at the College
of William and Mary, and after a two years*
course took up the study of law. He was
admitted to the bar in Richmond, in 1806,
removed to Charleston, South Carolina, in
1S07, where he was made captain of light
artillery in the United States army, and
was ordered to New Orleans in 1808, where
Gen. Wilkinson, after being unsuccessful
in winning the youthful officer over to the
viA-.n
questionable scheme of Burr, caused his
court-martial and suspension for twelve
months. Captain Scott obtained rcmis-
sance of sentence after three months,
,and was complimented by a public din-
aier. June 18, 1812, he was promoted to
lieutenant-colonel in the Second Artillery,
and ordered to the Niagara frontier; and at
Queenstown Heights, October 13, 1812, he
v*ras taken prisoner and exchanged after a
lew months. He was promoted brigadier-
general, March 9, 1814: established a camp
of instruction at Buffalo, July 3, 1814, trans-
ferred his brigade to British soil, and on
July 5 directed the battle of Chippewa, win-
liing a signal victory, as he did at Lundy's
Lane, July 25, where he had two horses
shot under him, was badly wounded and
finally gained the field, capturing Gen. Rial-
land, several other officers, and inflicting a
loss of eight hundred and seventy-eight men
to the British. These, the only victories on
Canada soil, gained for him the rank of
major-general. He removed to Buffalo,
New York, and on his partial recovery was
transferred to Philadelphia- He visited
Europe in 1815, after declining the position
of secretary of war in President Madison's
cabinet, held temporarily by James Mon-
roe. On his return he was given command
of the Atlantic seaboard, with headquarters
in New York, and made his home at Eliza-
beth, New Jersey. He was married, in
^larch, 1817, to Maria, daughter of John
Mayo, of Richmond, \'irginia. He took
part in the Seminole war in Florida, and
agrainst the Creek Indians, 1836-37. Criti-
cisms of his conduct of the campaign caused
his recall in 1837, but a court of inquiry
found no cause for the same, and in 1838
he effected the peaceful transfer of the
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Cherokees to the Indian Territory. On the
death of Gen. Alexander Macomb, June 25,
1841, he became general-in-chief of the
United States Army, with headquarters at
Washington, D. C. On the declaration of
war with Mexico in 1846, he planned the
campaign and accompanied the army to Vera
Cruz, where he landed 12,000 men. After a
siege of twenty days, March 9-29, 1847, he
captured the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, and
5.000 of the Mexican army. On April 17-18,
he fought the successful battle of Ccrro
Gordo; that of Contrcras, August 19-20;
Cherubusco. August 20; Molino del Rey,
September 8: Chapultepec, September 13;
and the assault and capture of the City of
Mexico, September 13-14, 1847, which end-
ed the war. Gen. Scott had been looked
upon as an available Whig candidate for
President as early as 1839, and again in
1844. In 1852 he was nominated by the
Whig national convention at Baltimore. In
the election, the Scott and Graham electors
received 1,380.576 popular votes to 1,601,474
for Pierce and King, and 156,147 for Hale
and Julian, and when the electoral college
met he received .the electoral votes of Ver-
mont, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Ken-
tucky; Pierce receiving those of all the
other states. In 1859 he was commissioner
on the part of the United States in the set-
tlement of the northwestern boundary ques-
tion, and successfully accomplished the pur-
pose. He commanded the army during the
early part of the civil war, and placed the
national capital in a condition of defence
and directed the movements of the troops
until succeeded by George B. McClcllan,
and he was placed on the retired list with
the brevet rank of lieutenant-general, being
seventy-five years of age. He visited Europe
in 1861-62, and on his return in 1862 made
his home at West Point, Xew York. He
received the honorary degree of Master of
Arts from the College of Xew Jersey in
.1814, and that of Doctor of Laws from
Columbia College in 1850, and from Har-
vard in 1861, and was elected an honorary
member of the Massachusetts Historical
Society. In November, 1814, congress
.ordered a gold medal struck in his honor,
and an equestrian statue to his honor was
erected on Scott Circle, Washington, D. C.
He was of stately proportions, possibly the
most imposing of the illustrious soldiers
of his time, if not of all modern times.
His published works include: A pamphlet
against use of intoxicating liquors (1821);
"General Regulations for the Army'' (1825) ;
"Letters to the Secretary of War'' (1827);
"Infantry Tactics" (3 vols., 1835, 1847 and
1854) ; "Letters on the Slavery Question"
(1843); "Abstract of Infantry Tactics"
X1861); "Memoirs of Lieut-Gen. Scott,
written by Himself (2 vols., 1864). He
died at West Point, New York, May 29.
1866.
Meade» William, was born near Millwood,
Virginia, November 11, 1789. His father,
Richard Kidder Meade, was aide to Gen.
.Washington, and conducted the execution
of Major Andre. The son graduated at
Princeton College in 1808, was ordained
deacon in 181 1 and priest in 1814. In 1821
he was made rector of Millwood parish, and
was for many years active in promoting the
work of the American Colonization Society.
He was chosen assistant to Bishop Moore
in 1829, served as rector of Christ Church,
Norfolk, 1834-36, and in 1841 became bishop
of the diocese of Virginia. Bishop Meade
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Strongly opposed the Tractarian movement
in England, and republished in America, at
his own expense, the writings of Rev. Wil-
liam Goode, subsequently dean of Ripon.
In 1847 he led in the foundation of the
Evangelical Knowledge Society. He did
more than any other man to restore in Vir-
ginia the influence and prosperity of the
Episcopal church. In 1861 he did all in his
power to prevent secession, but after the
die had been cast supported the fortunes of
his native state. William and Mary Col-
lege gave him the degree of Doctor of Divin-
ity in 1827. He was the author of "Family
Prayers" (1834); "Pastoral Letters" (1834,
1854 and 1858) ; "Life of Rev. Devereux
Jarratt" (1840); "Companion to the Font
and the Pulpit" (1846); "Lectures on the
Pastoral Office" (1849); "Reasons for Lov-
ing the Episcopal Church" (1852) ; "Old
Churches, Ministers and Families of Vir-
ginia" (1857), and "The Bible and the
Classics" (1861). Bishop Meade's life was
written by Rev. John Johns in 1857. Bishop
Meade died in Richmond, Virginia, March
14, 1S62.
Bonnycastle, Charles, was born in Wool-
wich, England, in 1792, son of John Bonny-
castle, professor of mathematics in the
Military Academy at Woolwich, and brother
of Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle, soldier
and author. He contributed articles to cyclo-
pedias and periodicals, and aided his father
in compiling mathematical text-books.
When the University of Virginia was organ-
ized in 1825 he came over to take the chair
of natural philosophy, which, two years
later, he exchanged for that of mathematics.
During 1833-35 he served also as chairman
of the faculty. Professor Bonnycastle pub-
lished treatises on "Inductive Geometry"
(1832); "Algebra,'* "Mensuration" and
papers on scientific subjects. He died in
Charlottesville, \'irginia, October 31. 1840.
Pleasants, John Hampden, was born in
Goochland county, Virginia, January 4,
1797, son of James Pleasants, governor and
United States senator. He was educated at
the College of William and Mary, and was
graduated in 1817. He studied law in
Lynchburg, Virginia, and afterwards re-
moved to Richmond and founded the
"Whig," the first issue of which appeared
January 2/, 1824. Under his management
it soon became the leading Whig paper in
the state and champion of the party in the
great contests of the period. In 1841 he
established the "Independent" in Washing-
ton, in connection with Edward William
Johnston and John Woodson. The former
was a brother of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
and was long remembered by his brilliant
writings under the nofti dc f^lnmc "11 Segre-
tnrio." He fought a duel with Thomas
Ritchie. Jr., on account of a statement which
appeared in the Richmond "Enquirer." that
Mr. Pleasants was about to found an aboli-
tion journal, and signed "Macon." At that
time anti-abolition sentiment in Virginia ran
extremely high, and nothing was considered
a greater insult than such an accusation.
The duel was fought with pistols at thirty
paces, and Mr. Pleasants received five
wounds, from the effects of which he died
I'ebruary 2/, 1846. Mr. Pleasants was mar-
ried to Mary Massie. and had a number of
children, one of whom, James Pleasants,
was an eminent lawyer of the Richmond
bar.
Hawes, Richard, born in Caroline county,
Virginia, February 6, 1797; at the age of
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
thirteen years he emigrated to Kentucky,
in which state he spent the remainder of his
days ; received a classical education in Tran-
sylvania University, and then pursued a
course of study in law, was admitted to the
bar, and began his practice in Winchester,
Kentucky ; was a member of the legislature
in 1S28-29-36, and in the latter year was
elected to congress as a Whig, serving until
1841 ; subsequently he became a staunch ad-
herent of the Democratic party, advocated
the southern cause during the civil war, and
left Kentucky with Breckinridge and others
in 1861 ; on the death of George W. John-
son, at Shiloh, he was elected to succeed
him in the nominal office of "provisional"
or Confederate governor of Kentucky ; when
Bragg entered the state, Richard Hawes
went with him to Frankfort, and w^as in-
stalled governor, October 4, 1862, but was
compelled to retire immediately, in conse-
quence of the advance of a division of
Buell's army ; after the close of the war he
returned to Kentucky, locating in Paris,
where he was appointed county judge in
1866, which office he held until his death,
which occurred in Bourbon county, Ken-
tucky, May 25, 1877.
Graham, William Montrose, was born in
Prince William county, Virginia, in 1798;
died in Mexico, September 8, 1847. He was
graduated at the United States Military
Academy in 1817, and entered the army as
lieutenant of artillery. He was promoted
through the various grades to be lieutenant-
colonel of the Eleventh Infantry in April,
1847. He served on recruiting duty, con-
structing military roads in Mississippi and
in Florida, and in garrison until 1835. He
took part in the campaigns against the Semi-
nole Indians in 1835-38 and in 1841-42, being
twice severely wounded. In the Mexican
war he was engaged in the battles of Palo
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Con-
treras, Cherubusco and Molino del Rey,
where he was killed while leading an as-
sault on the enemy's works.
Camm, John, was born in England in
1718, son of Thomas Camm, of Hornsea.
He matriculated at Trinity College, Cam-
bridge, June 6, 1738, as a "subsizator." On
August 24, 1749, he qualified as professor of
divinity in William and Mary College, and
was also elected minister of York-Hampton
parish. He was the last of the colonial
presidents 01 William and Mary, succeed-
ing Horrocks as head of the college, and
head of the Established church in \'irginia.
He was a man of inflexible courage, and
led the clergy in the "parsons* causes"
against the people and Patrick Henry. He
acted as treasurer of the college ; and in the
proceedings of the clergy who met in con-
vention at William and Mar>' College in
1754, he took a leading part, and was ap-
pointed their agent to solicit the repeal of
the act of the colonial house of burgesses,
making the salaries of the clergy payable
ir money instead of tobacco. Mr. Camm
went to England in behalf of the clergy,
and secured from the privy council there
a disallowance of the act. But the juries
in Virginia, influenced by the eloquence of
Patrick Henry and the countenance of Gov.
Dinwiddie, gave nominal damages, and
President Camm again appealed to the privy
council. But in 1767 Lord North dismissed
the appeal on the ground that the action
had been wrongly laid. This closed a con-
troversy of thirteen years' duration. In
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1769 he married Detsy Hansford, daughter
of Charles Hansford, one of Nathaniel
Bacon's lieutenants. On the outbreak of
hostilities between Virginia and the mother
country. President Camm would not recog-
nize the authority of the new government,
and in the spring of 1777 .was removed by
the board of visitors, largely dominated by
native born Virginians. He died the fol-
lowing year, and his wife a year later.
Campbell, Alexander, was a resident of
Norfolk. Virginia, and an early artist. He
painted a portrait of Washington, and the
engraving taken from it is said to be the
first known engraving of Washington.
Owen, Goronwy, born in Anglesea, North
Wales, January 13, 1722, son of Owen Gro-
now, a man of some poetic taste. He was
attending school near his home, when he
was met by the celebrated Lewis Morris,
who sent him to Beaumaris, where he proved
a most zealous scholar. Later, after the
death of his mother, he became one of the
masters of a grammar school in Caernarvon-
shire. Soon afterward, Mr. Morris sent him
tc Jesus College, Oxford, where he made
rapid progress in Greek and Latin, and gave
evidence of poetical talent in Welsh to such
a degree that he was even then regarded as
a rising poet, but the attempt to obtain
funds enough for their publication had fail-
ed. He was ordained a deacon in the
Church of England, and for a few years was
a curate and school teacher. In 1757 he was
oflfered by the Bishop of London, through
the influence, it is supposed, of the Earl of
Powis. the place of master of the grammar
school of the College of William and Mary
at Williamsburg, Virginia. The salary of
£200 sterling was a tempting consideration
to a half-starved genius, and, with his wife
and three children, he took ship for Amer-
ica. As shown by the faculty minutes,
Owen qualified as master of the grammar
school, April 7, 1758. Of his life at the col-
lege, little is known, save that he married
Mrs. Clayton, a sister of Thomas Dawson,
then president of William and Mary, and
that she was his second wife. After two
years' service, he resigned; it is said that
his **merry habits" necessitated his resigna-
tion. He was soon afterward nominated by
Governor Francis Fauquier minister of St.
Andrew's Parish, in Brunswick county,
where he died, and was buried there in
1776. As to his scholarship, Dr. Porteus,
Dishop of London, spoke of him as "the
most finished writer of Latin since the days
of the Roman emperors.'* His qualifications
as a preacher were indifferent. Of his
poetic talent, his biographer and country-
men speak in unbounded praise. His ode
on "The Last Day of Judgment" (Cywydd
Farn Fawr) is said to be unsurpassed by
any poem in any language. Editions of his
works were published in 1763, in 1817, in
i860, and in 1876. In 183 1 his countrymen
erected a beautiful tablet to his memory in
the Cathedral Church, Bangor, Wales. He
left issue, which are numerously represented
in the South in the present day. A grand-
son, William B. Owen, of Nashville, Ten-
nessee, was a colonel in the Mexican war.
Another grandson, George W. Owen, of
Mobile, Alabama, occupied a seat in con-
gress for several consecutive terms. A
great-grandson, Richard B. Owen, also of
Mobile, Alabama, was a distinguished law-
yer, and served with gallantry in the Con-
federate army.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Gates, Horatio, was born in Maiden, Es-
sex, England, in 1728, in the Castle of the
Duke of Leeds: little is known of his par-
entage except rumors that he was the
natural son of Sir Robert W'alpole, and
others that made his father the butler in
the employ of the Duke. He was trained
as a soldier and first saw service under Fer-
dinand the Prince of Brunswick. He next
appears as captain of the King's New York
irsdependent company and in 1755, at Hali-
fax as major. He was with Braddock at
Fort Duquesne, July 9, 1755, where he was
severely wounded and Washington is cred-
ited with having saved his life in the re-
treat. In 1762 he was at the capture of
Martinique by Monckton, and after visiting
England in 1763 he purchased a plantation
in Berkeley county, Virginia. Washington,
when in 1775 called upon by congress to
select officers for the continental army,
named Gates, who was commissioned ad-
jutant-general, with the rank of brigadier-
general. In 1776 he accompanied Wash-
ington to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and
was commanding-general of the northern
aimy operating against Crown Point and
Ticonderoga. He won the support of the
delegates to congress from the New Eng-
land states, and was given the rank of ma-
jor-general and superseded not only Gen.
John Sullivan, but in August, 1777, Gen.
Phillip J. Schuyler. The New England con-
tingent still further pressed their demands
by openly suggesting Gates as commander-
in-chief. The battle of Saratoga, which re-
sulted in the surrender of Burgoyne to
Gates. October 17, 1777, served to magnify
his military genius, and congress voted him
a gold medal and the thanks of the country
and placed him at the head of the board of
war. The opportunity thus presented to
the friends of Gates was taken advantage
of by the delegates of New England, and the
cabal against the commander-in-chiei was
renewed with the object of forcing Wash-
ington into retirement and thus making
place for Gates. Gen. Thomas Conway and
Gen. Thomas Mifflin conspired with Gen.
Gates, and their correspondence revealed to
Washington by Lord Stirling and obtained
by him from Col. James Wilkinson, Gates'
chief-of-staff, in a moment of unguarded
conviviality, put the commander-in-chief on
his guard, and he exposed the whole affair.
Gates sought to escape the odium by charg-
mg Wilkinson with forger\% whereupon
Col. W^ilkinson challenged Gen. Gates who
first accepted and finally declined the chal-
lenge. Gates retired to his estate in Vir-
ginia and took no part in the operations of
the army until June, 1780, when after the
capture of Gen. Lincoln, he was. given com-
mand of the southern army. His force of
4,000 men was concentrated in North Caro-
lina to oppose Cornwallis. who was rapidli
marching northward. On August 16, the
armies met at Camden, South Carolina, and
Gates was overwhelmed and his army al-
most annihilated. He was thereupon super-
seded by Gen. Nathanael Greene, and sus-
pended in December, 1780, from military
duty. A court of inquiry acquitted him in
1782 and he was reinstated. He removed
to New York City in 1790 after having
emancipated his slaves. He was a member
of the New York state legislature in 1800.
He was, through his marriage with Mary,
only child of James Valence of Liverpool,
placed in possession of a fortune of $450,000
which Mrs. Gates used during the revolu-
tion in advancing the military fortune of
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her husband by a sumptuous lavishment of
hospitality. He received an LL. D. from
Harvard in 1779, and was vice-president-
general of the Society of the Cincinnati,
17S4-86. He died in New York City, April
10. 1806.
Sumner, Jethro, was born in Virginia, in
1730. His father, William, an Englishman,
emigrated to America in 1690, being one of
the first settlers of Suffolk, Virginia. At
an early age Jethro Sumner removed to
Warren county, North Carolina, where he
became a leader in political and military
affairs. In 1760 he was appointed pay-
master of the provincial troops of North
Carolina, and afterward for a considerable
period he commanded Fort Cumberland.
In April, 1776, he was appointed by the
provincial congress colonel of the Third
North Carolina Regiment, and until 1779
participated in all the operations of the army
under Washington, in New York, New Jer-
sey and P-enn5ylvania. In 1779 he was pro-
moted brigadier-general by the continental
congress, and transferred to the southern
army under Gen. Gates. He took part in
the battle of Camden in 1780, where by his
coolness and bravery, he aided greatly in
rallying the patriot troops after Gen. de
Kalb had fallen. He was then ordered to
join Gen. Greene, and fought with splendid
valor at the battle of Eutaw Springs in
September. 1781 Subsequently, until the
cf:ssatton of hostilities, he was engaged in
the suppression of Tory raids in North
Carolina. After the war he resigned and
was married to a wealthy widow of New-
bern by the name of Heiss. Gen. Sumner
died in Warren county. North Carolina, in
1790.
Wccdon, George, was born in Fredericks-
burg, about 1730. He was an innkeeper,
and an ardent patriot, and during the revo-
lutionary war became the lieutenant-colonel
of the Third Virginia Regiment, being
tiansferred to the First Virginia Regiment
in August. 1776. He was commissioned
brigadier-general in 1777, and fought in the
battles of the Brandy wine and Germantown.
He was acting adjutant-general of the
United States army from February 20, 1777,
to .\pril 19. 1777, when Col. Morgan Connor
was appointed to the position. He resigned
shortly afterward, but resumed the com-
mand of a brigade in 1780, and during the
siege of Yorktown was in charge of the
Virginia militia. He died in Fredericks-
burg, Virginia, in 1790.
Lcc, Charles, was born in Dernhall, Ches-
shire. England, in 1731. the youngest son
of John and Isabella ( Bunbury ) Lee. He
received a classical education and then de-
voted himself to a study of the art of war.
His father died in 175 1, and in the same
year he was commissioned lieutenant in the
Forty-fourth Regiment of which his father
had been colonel. Ordered to America in
1754, the regiment was attached to Brad-
dock's army in Virginia, and after the dis-
astrous defeat of July 9. 1755, marched to
Albany and Schenectady, where Lee met
Sir William Johnson and was adopted by
the Mohawk Indians. He purchased a cap-
tain's commission for £900, June 11, 1756;
was severely wounded in Abercrombie's
assault upon Ticonderoga, July i, 1758;
was present at the capture of Fort Niagara,
and then marched to Fort Duquesne and
thence to Crown Point, New York, where
he joined Gen. Amherst, and in 1760, took
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part in the capture of Montreal. He re-
turned to England and was promoted major
in the One Hundred and Third Regiment
August 10, 1761. After serxice in Bur-
goyne's division in Portugal, in 1762, lie or-
ganized a project for establishing new colo-
nies in America, to be recruited from Ger-
many, Switzerland and New England. The
British ministr}- refused to approve the
plan, and he went to Poland in 1764, where
he was appointed on the staff of the King,
and accompanied the Polish embassy to
Turkev in 1766. He returned to England
in 1766, and unsuccessfully urged his claims
to promotion. He accepted a commission
as major-general in the Polish army in
1769. and made a campaign against the
'lurks, after which he publicly derided his
.superior officers and left the army. He vis-
ited Italy in 1770. returned to England, was
in France and Switzerland, 1771-72, and on
May 25. 1772. he was promoted lieutenant-
colonel in the British army and placed on
half-pay. Disappointed, he arrix-ed in .Amer-
ica. November 10, 1773. made the acquaint-
ance of the revolutionary leaders, was in
Philadelphia during the first session of the
continental congress, and his expressed
knowledge of military science attracted at-
tention. He purchased for £5,000 Virginia
currency, an estate in Berkeley county,
Virginia, near the estate of Horatio Gates,
whose friendship he had gained. He was
commissioned second major-general in the
continental army in June, 1775. The friends
of Lee, notably Thomas Mifflin, earnestly
urged his claims for first place against Ar-
tcmas Ward, and when forced to second
place, Lee mercilessly ridiculed the military
skill of General Ward. He refused to ac-
cept until promised indemnity for any pe-
cuniary loss he might suffer by accepting a
commission, and congress assented. On
July 22 he resigrned his commission and
half-pay in the British 'lirmy and joined
Washington in his journey to Cambridge.
Massachusetts, where he was placed in com-
mand of the left wing of the army, with
headquarters at Winter Hill. When Sir
Henry Clinton left Boston on his southern
expedition, Gen. Lee was sent to Newport.
Rhode Island, and in January, 1776, pro-
ceeded to New York, where he directed the
fortifying of the harbor. When the news
of the death of Montgomery at Quebec
reached Philadelphia, Gen. Lee was made
commander of the army in Canada, but
when Clinton's destination was found to be
the southern states. Lee was transferred to
the command of the department of the
South, and went from New York to Vir-
ginia, where he organized the cavalry and
advocated a speedy Declaration of Inde-
pendence. He reached Charleston, South
Carolina, with his army, June 4, 1776, the
same day the British fleet entered the har-
bor with the troops of Clinton and Corn-
wallis. Gen. Moultrie had constructed a
fort of palmetto wood on Sullivan's Island,
which Lee proposed to abandon as inde-
fensible, but through the efforts of Presi-
dent Rutledge the fort was garrisoned, and
in the battle of June 28, 1776, Moultrie pre-
vented the British fleet from making a land-
ing, and Lee was g^ven the credit of the vic-
tory and became popularly known as xhe
'*Hero of Charleston." He proposed to in-
vade Florida, but congress ordered him to
report to Philadelphia, where he received
$30,000 indemnity for losses by the seques-
tration of his property in England. Lee ar-
rived in New York, October 14, 1776, and
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assumed command of the right wing of the
army on Ilarlem Heights. The acceptance
of the resignation of Gen. Ward in May,
1776. made Lee senior-major-general. On
November 16, 1776, the British captured
Fort Washington, and forced Washington
to defend Philadelphia. Washington had
k-ft Lee with 7,000 men in Westchester
ccunty, and when ordered to join Wash-
ington's army in New Jersey, Lee failed to
obey. Washington was therefore forced to
fall back to Princeton with 3.000 men, which
place he reached December 2, 1776, and the
same day Lee moved across the river and
encamped at Morristown with 4,000 men.
Gen. Schuyler had sent Gates from Ticon-
deroga with seven regiments to reinforce
Washington, but Lee diverted the march
and detained three of the regiments at Mor-
nstown. Washington was subsequently
forced back across the Delaware river into
Pennsylvania. This situation gave Lee the
opportunity he desired, and he industriously
circulated reports of W^ashington's military
incapacity. Holding 1 strong position at
Morristown, he planned to fall upon the
flank of Howe's army and if possible secure
a victory that would give him the command
of the American army. On December 13,
^775- ^ party of British dragoons surprised
him at his headquarters at Baskingridge,
and made Lee, with his staff, prisoners,
carrying them to New York City. Gen.
Lee was refused the privileges of a prisoner
of war and was ordered sent to England
for trial as a deserter. Washington to pre-
vent this wrote Gen. Howe that he held
five Hessian field-officers as hostages for
Gen. Lee's personal safety, and on Decem-
ber 12. 1777. Lee was declared a prisoner
of war subject to exchange. (It is now
known that during his imprisonment in
New York he planned a campaign against
the American army which he claimed would
result in the easy subjugation of the colo-
nies, the identical plan, dated March 29,
1777, being discovered among the private
papers of the Howes in 1857). He was ex-
changed in March, 1778, and joined Wash-
ington at Valley Forge. In June, when Sir
Henry Clinton planned to retreat from Phil-
adelphia across New Jersey to New York,
Washington determined to oppose his
march. Gen. Lee advised against risking a
battle, and his opposition was so determined
that Washington appointed Lafayette to
the command of Lee's division. Lee solici-
tated restoration to the command and La-
fayette yielded, when Washington repeatea
his orders to Lee and made them peremp-
tory. When Lee overtook the British near
Monmouth Court House. June 28, 1778. his
conduct aroused the suspicion of Lafayette,
who despatched an aide to Washington,
who was bringing up the other division,
asking him to hasten to the front, and when
he reached Freehold Church he saw Lee's
division in retreat, closely pursued by the
British. The commander-in-chief charged
Lee with disobeying his orders, and. assum-
mg command, he rallied the Americans and
defeated the British, after which he ordered
Lee to the rear. The next day he reinstated
Lee in his old command, in spite of which
Lee addressed an exasperating letter to
Gen. Washington, to which Washington
made a severe reply. Washington ordered
Lee under arrest, and in August. 1778. he
was tried for disobeying orders, in not at-
tacking the enemy; for making an unne-
cessary and disorderly retreat: and for dis-
respect to the commander-in-chief in two
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
letters; was found guilty on all and was
suspended for twelve months. He at once
reopened his charges against Washington
and >vas challenged by Col. John Laurens.
Washington's aide-de-camp, which resulted
in Lee's being severely wounded in the arm.
He subsequently addressed a letter to con-
gress which caused him to be dismissed
from the army and he retired to his Virginia
home until the close of the war. While on
a visit to Philadelphia he was stricken with
fever and died alone and friendless at the
tavern at which he was stopping. October
2. 1782. He was the author of "Strictures
on a Friendly Address to all Reasonable
Americans, in reply to Dr. Myles Cooper"
(1774); **Mr. Lee's Plan" (1777). He
claimed to know the secret of the authorship
ot the "Junius" letters and afterwards ac-
knowledged himself as the author, which
statement called out a number of articles
and books in refutation of his claims.
Neville, John, born in Prince William
county, 1 73 1, died near Pittsburgh, July 29,
1803. He was in Braddock's expedition,
1755 J settled near Winchester, Virginia,
and was sheriff, and delegate to provincial
convention. He was at Trenton. Prince-
ton, Germantown and Monmouth as colonel
of the Fourth Virginia Regiment, and after-
wards member of executive council of
Pennsylvania. In 1794 he was a United
States inspector under the excise law, and
aided in putting down the whiskey insur-
rection.
Scott, Charles, was born in Goochland
county, in 1733. He served under Gen.
Braddock in 1755. In 1775 ^^^ raised and
commanded the first company of patriots
south of the James river ; was commissioned
colonel of the Third Virginia Battalion, Au-
gust 12, 1776; was promoted brigadier-gen-
eral, April 2, 1777; served with the army in
New Jersey, 1777-79. ^i"^ under Gen. An-
thony Wayne at Stony Point in 1779. He
was taken prisoner at Charleston in 1780
and confined until near the end of the war.
He removed to Woodford county. Ken-
tucky, in 1785; commanded troops in the
Indian outbreaks of 1791-94, and the battle
of Fallen Timbers. He was governor of
Kentucky, 1808-12. and a town and county
in that state were named in his honor. He
died in Kentucky, October 22, 181 3.
Morgan, Daniel, was born in Hunter-
don county. New Jersey, probably in 1733,
of Welsh descent. He worked for his
father on an herb farm and received no edu-
cation. He removed to Carlisle, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1753, ^"d to Charlestown, \'ir-
ginia, in 1754, where he obtained employ-
ment on a farm. He joined Braddock's
army as a teamster in 1755, and at his de-
feat he transported the wounded to their
hemes. In 1753 a British officer struck him
with a sword, and Morgan knocked him
down, for which five hundred lashes were
laid on his bare back. In 1757 he was with
the militia sent to quell an Indian uprising
at Edwards Fort on the Cocapehon river.
As ensign he took part in the Indian cam-
paign of 1758. While carrying despatches
to Winchester he became engaged in a fight
with Indians in which most of his comrades
were slain and a musket ball passed through
the back of his neck, removing all the teeth
en the left side of the jaw. In 1762 he re-
ceived a grant of land in Frederick county,
Virginia, and devoted himself to farming,
naming his place ''Soldier's Rest." He was
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married about this time to Abigail Bailey,
ch:iighter of a farmer. He served as lieu-
tenant of militia during the Pontiac war.
In 1763-64 he was captain of militia, and in
1773 served against the Indians. In June,
1775. he was appointed captain of one of
the ten Virginia rifle companies raised to
join Washington's army at Boston, which
reached the American camp at Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in July, 1775. having travel-
led six hundred miles in twenty-one days,
one of the first companies to report. On
September 13. 1775. he went on the expedi-
tion to Quebec under Benedict Arnold, and
was the first to cross the St. Lawrence
river. November 13, 1775. ^^ ^^^ ^'^^ ^S"
sault upon the lower town, took the battery,
and fought his way into the town, where for
lack of support his command was captured.
He was a prisoner at Quebec until August
10. 1776, when he was discharged on parole,
sailed for New York, stayed for a time at
his home, and in November. 1776, was com-
missioned colonel of the Eleventh \'irginia
Regiment. When his parole expired he was
instructed to recruit men for his regiment.
r>eiore his enlistment was complete he was
ordered to the army at Morristown. New
Jersey, and arrived there with 180 riflemen
in April. 1777. He was placed in command
of 500 sharpshooters (Morgan's rangers).
On June 13, 1777. upon the advance of Lord
Howe from New Brunswick, New Jersey,
Morgan's rangers had several encounters,
and upon Howe's retreat toward Amboy,
Morgan was sent forward to annoy him. and
followed Howe to Philadelphia. He found
Gen. Gates at Stillwater in August, 1777:
was a prominent figure at Freeman's Farm,
September 19. and at the surrender of Bur-
goyne. October 7. He was complimented
by both Gates and Burgoyne, the latter
characterizing his rangers the finest rtgi-
ment in the world. He refused to listen to
( iates' criticism of Washington's conduct of
the war and assured him that he would
hervc under no other man as commander-
in-chief. At Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, he
lojoined Washington, who met Howe's
army and compelled him to retire to Phila-
delphia, after which the Americans went
into winter camp at Valley Forge, and
Morgan returned to Virginia. During
June, 1778, he served in the Monmouth
ciimpaign, but was not present at the battle.
He was commissioned colonel of the Sev-
enth Virginia Regiment in March, 1779, and
in June, 1779, congress having promoted in-
ferior officers over him. he resigned on the
appointment of Gates to the command of
the southern army. After the battle of Cam-
den, he joined Gates at Hillsborough, was
promoted brigadier-general October 13,
1780, and served under Gates and Greene,
and in December, 1780. was sent by Greene
to threaten the inland posts of Augusta and
Ninety-six. Cornwallis sent Tarleton to pre-
vent this, and Morgan retreated to the Cow-
pens. The battle of January 17, 1781, was
one of the most brilliant of the war, and re-
flected credit upon the military genius of
Morgan. The British army was put to
flight, but the direction taken by Cornwallis
obliged Morgan to cross the Fords of the
Catawba in order to join Greene, and by a
brilliant march he reached the river first
and warned Greene of the situation. He
took part in the manoeuvers leading to the
battle of Guilford Court House, which re-
sulted in Cornwallis* retreat into Virginia,
but before the battle in February. 1781. he
was incapacitated from further service by
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
an attack of rheumatism and he returned
home. In 1781 he joined in the suppres-
sion of the Tory rebellion in Virginia, and
subsequently reported to Lafayette, near
Jcimestown, Virginia, and was given com-
mand of the light troops in Lafayette's com-
mand, but illness compelled him to retire
in August. 1 781. He engaged in the culti-
vation of his farm, and became wealthy. In
1790 he received from congress the gold
medal voted to him for services rendered
at the Cowpens. In 1795 he was chosen ma-
jor-general of the Virginia troops that took
part in the suppression of the whiskey in-
surrection in western Pennsylvania. He
was a Federal representatrve in the fifth
cc^ngress, 1797-99. and supported the ad-
ministration of John Adams. A statue was
dedicated to him at Spartansburg, South
Carolina, in 1881. He died at Winchester,
Virginia, July 6, 1802.
Heth, William, born in Virginia, 1735,
died in Richmond, April 15, 1808. He was
an officer in Montgomery's regiment in the
French war, and was wounded at Quebec.
He joined the American army at the be-
ginning of the revolution, and was lieuten-
ant-colonel of the Third Virginia until the
war closed; he afterward held a lucrative
office under President Washington.
Woodford, William, was born in Caroline
county, Virginia, in 1735. He distinguished
himself in the French and Indian war. In
1775. when the Virginia militia assembled
at Williamsburg, he was commissioned
colonel of the Second Regiment At Great
Bridge, December 9. the same year, he
fought the forces of Lord Dunmore. royal
governor of the colony, and gained a vic-
tory. Dunmore had fortified a passage of
the Elizabeth river, on the' borders of the
Dismal Swamp, where he suspected the
militia would attempt to cross. At the Nor-
iflk end of the bridge, Dunmore cast up
his entrenchments, and supplied them amply
v/ith cannon. His forces consisted of Brit-
ish regulars, Virginia Tories, negroes and
vagrants, in number about 600. Woodford
had thrown a .small fortification at the oppo-
site end of the bridge. Early in the morn-
ing the Royalists attacked the Virginians.
After considerable manoeuvring a sharp
battle ensued which lasted about twenty-
five minutes, when the assailants were re-
pulsed and fled, leaving two spiked field
pieces behind them. The loss of the as-
sailants was fifty-five, killed and wounded:
not a \'irginian was killed. Woodford was
afterward commander of the First Virginia
Erigade. having been appointed brigadier-
general. At the battle of the Brandywine.
September 11, 1777, ^^ ^^s severely wound-
ed, but was in the action at Monmouth,
New Jersey, June 28, 1778, and at the siege
of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780.
Here he was taken prisoner by the British
and sent to New York City, where he died
on November 13, of that year.
Stevens, Edward, was born in Culpeper
county, in 1745. He participated as major
of militia in the battle of Great Bridge, De-
cember 9, 1775, ^nd >n the summer of 1776
was made colonel of the Tenth Virginia
Regiment. In 1777 ^^ ^^s ordered to join
Washington's army in New Jersey, and at
the battle of Brandywine bore the brunt of
Gen. William Howe's assault. Subsequent-
ly taking a gallant part in the battle of Ger-
man town, he was advanced by congress to
the rank of brigadier-general. He spent the
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PROMINENT PERSONS
173
winter of 1778 at Valley Forge, and in Au-
gust, 1780, was transferred to the southern
army under Gen. Gates, opening with a
brigade of Virginia militia, the battle of
Camden, and by his bravery being instru-
mental in preventing a disastrous rout of
the American forces. He served under Gen.
Greene at the battle of Guilford Court-
house, where he was badly wounded, and
for the bravery which he displayed on that
occasion was warmly praised by Gen.
Greene. He then rejoined Washington,
with whom he participated in the siege of
Yorktown. From 1782 until 1790 he was a
member of the Virginia senate. He died in
Culpeper county, Virginia, August 17, 1820.
Campbell, William, born in Augusta
county, Virginia, about 1745, and was of
Scotch origin. He received a liberal educa-
tion, and early displayed a taste for military
matters. He was made a captain in the first
regiment of regular troops raised in Vir-
ginia, in 1775. In 1776 he resigned, on ac-
count of the exposure of his family to In-
dian attacks, and returned to Washington
county, where he was made lieutenant-colo-
nel of militia, and succeeded Evan Shelby
in the colonelcy. With this rank he con-
tinued until after the battle of Kings Moun-
tain (of which he was the hero), and Guil-
ford, when the Virginia legislature made
him brigadier-general, with which rank he
joined Lafayette. He became a favorite of
that general, who gave him command of a
brigade of light infantry and riflemen. A
few weeks before the siege of Yorktown,
illness obliged him to retire to the home of
a friend, where he died, in his thirty-sixth
year. The Virginia legislature voted him
a horse, sword and pistols, for his conduct
at Kings Mountain, and named a county in
h.is honor. He married Sarah, sister of Pat-
rick Henry.
Fcbiger, Christian, was born on the island
of Fuenen, Denmark, in 1746. He was sent
to a military school, and then accompanied
to Santa Cruz an uncle who had been ap-
pointed governor of that island. In 1772 he
visited North America, and the following
year entered into commerce with the New
England colonies. On April 28, 1775. he
joined a Massachusetts regiment, quickly
rose to be adjutant, and was present at
Bunker Hill, where he distinguished him-
self. Accompanying Arnold on his expe-
dition to Quebec, he was taken prisoner at
the storming of that post, December, 1775,
and was detained in Canada until Septem-
ber, 1776, when he was sent with other
prisoners to New York. In the meantime
appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Eleventh
Virginia, he joined his regiment January i,
1777, and in September became colonel of
the Second Virginia. He was in the cam-
paign of Philadelphia, and the battle of
Brandywine. At Germantown he held the
right; with 4,000 men and two guns at
Monmouth he acquitted himself brilliantly ;
and in the attack on Stony Point he com-
manded the right and personally captured
the British commander. On September i,
1780, Col. Febiger was ordered to Philadel-
phia, where he forwarded supplies to the
army. Later, while in Virginia on recruit-
ing duty, he assisted at the surrender of
Lord Cornwallis, retiring from active ser-
vice, January i, 1783, and was brevet ted
brigadier-general. He settled in Philadel-
phia, engaging in business, becoming treas-
urer of Pennsylvania, November 13, 1789, a
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VIRGINIA DIOGRAPHY
position which he continued to hold the
remainder of his life. He died in Philadel-
phia. Pennsylvania, September 20, 1796.
Graham, William, was l>orn in Paxton
township, Pennsylvania, December 19, 1746,
son of Michael Graham, who emigrated
from Ireland to America about 1725, and
settled in Pennsylvania. William graduated
from the College of New Jersey, A. B.,
1773. A. M., 1776; studied theology, and
was assistant to the Rev. John Brown in
a classical school established in a log school-
house at Mount Pleasant, Virginia, which
through amalgamation with Augusta Acad-
emy grew into Washington and Lee Uni-
versity. On October 26, 1775. he was re-
ceived as a minister by the Presbytery of
Hanover at Timber Ridge, X'irginia. In
1774 he became rector of the log school-
bouse then known as Augusta Academy,
which became Liberty Hall, May 6, 1776;
John Montgomery being his assistant. He
also filled the chair of moral and intellec-
tual philosophy and he added to his duties
those of pasior of two churches and man-
ager of a farm on North river near Lex-
ington. The academy was removed to Tim-
ber Ridge in 1777, and to near his farm at
Lexington, Virginia, in 1782, when it was
chartered by the Virginia assembly. The
first class was graduated in 1785, the name
having been changed in 1784 to Washing-
ton Academy, in recognition of a gift by Gen.
Washington, of 100 shares of stock of the
James River Canal Company valued at the
time at $50,000. He resigned the presidency
of Washington Academy in 1796 and went
to the Ohio, where he purchased land with
the design of settling there with his fam/ly
and a few chosen friends. He was on a
journey from the Ohio to Richmond, \'ir-
ginia. when he died at the home of his
friend. Col. Gamble, and was buried near
the south door of the Episcopal church on
Church hill, rendered historical by the or-
ation of Patrick Henry. President Graham
was a trustee of Liberty Hall Academy,
1776-82. and president of the board of trus-
tees of Washington Academy, 1782-96. He
was a member of the convention of 1784 to
form a plan of government for the prop«.)sed
state of Frankland, and drew up a plan of
constitution which was not preserved, the
project falling through as it infringed on the
rights of the state of North Carolina. He
died in Richmond. X'irginia, June 8, 1799.
Meade, Richard Kidder, was born in
Nansemond county, July 14, 1746, son of
David and Susannah (Everard) Meade. He
attended school at Harrow, England, and
scon after his return to Virginia entered
the patriot army. On June 24, 1775, with
several others, he removed the arms from
Lord Dunmore"s house to the magazine at
Williamsburg. He was in command of a
company at the battle of Great Ridge, near
Norfolk, in December. 1775, and served
throughout the remainder of the war as
aide-de-camp to Gen. Washington, partici-
pating in all of his important battles. He
superintended the execution of Maj. Andre,
and at the close of the war he returned to
Virginia and engaged in farming. He mar-
ried (first) Elizabeth Randolph, and (sec-
ond) Jane, widow of William Randolph, of
Chatsworth. He died in Frederick county,
in February. 1805.
Jones, Joseph, born at '*Cedar Grove.*' Pe-
tersburg, Virginia, August 23, 1749. son of
Thomas Jones, grandson of Abraham Jones.
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PROMINENT PERSONS
i/D
and a descendant of Major Peter Jones, who
married a daughter of Major-General Abra-
ham Wood. Joseph Jones, after complet-
ir.g his preparatory studies, devoted his
attention to military affairs, was an earn-
est patriot in the revokitionary war, an
otticer in the Virginia militia, holdmg the
rank of colonel, appointed October 25, 1784;
brigadier-general, December 11, 1793, and
major-general, December 24, 1802 ; subse-
quently was appointed collector of customs
for Petersburg, Virginia, in which capacity
he served until his decease; married (first)
Nancy, daughter of Col. William Call, (sec-
ond) Jane, daughter of Roger Atkinson;
den. Jones died on his estate, "Cedar
Grove." Petersburg, Virginia, February 9,
1824.
Anderson, Richard doughy was born in
Hanover county, Virginia. January 12, 1750.
As captain he served with gallantry
throughout the revolutionary war, especial-
ly distinguishing himself at Brandywine,
(/lermantown and Trenton ; in this last
battle crossing the Delaware in advance of
the main body of the army, and driving the
enemy before him. Retiring at the close of
the war with the rank of lieutenant-colonel,
he removed to near Louisville. Kentucky,
and became one of the most active and in-
fluential of those heroic men who wrested
the state from the savages. He was a mem-
ber of the convention of 1788, and in 1793
was chosen a presidential elector. In 1797
he built a two-masted vessel, and shipped
from Louisville the first cargo of produce
that ever went from Kentucky direct to
Europe. About 1785 he married Elizabeth,
sister of Gen. George Rogers Clark, and by
her became the father of Richard Clough
Anderson. He married (second) Sarah
Marshall, and by her was father of Major
Robert Anderson, of Fort Sumter fame. He
died near Louisville. Kentucky, October 16,
1826. He was a son of Robert Anderson,
of Hanover county, Virginia, and Elizabeth
Clough, his wife.
Smith, Samuel Stanhope, was born at
Pequea, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1750, his
father being the Rev. Robert Smith, D. D.
The son was educated in his father's famous
log school at Pequea. He was graduated
from Princeton in 1769, under Dr. John
Witherspoon, and licensed by the presby-
tery of Newcastle (to which \'irginia then
belonged), the same which had previously
sent South Samuel Davies, a former presi-
dent of Princeton, to labor as "the apostle
of Virginia." Stanhope Smith imitated his
illustrious predecessor. He is identified
with the movement in 1771 in the presby-
tery (now Hanover) to establish an acad-
emy. The outcome was the founding of
Prince Edward Academy. The land for a
site was given by Peter Johnston, grand-
father of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Smith
v/as chosen the first rector, and in an ad-
vertisement he informs the public: "It (the
academy) is to be distinguished by the
name of Hampden-Sidney, and will be sub-
ject to the visitation of twelve gentlemen
of character and influence in their respective
counties ; the immediate and acting mem-
bers being chiefly of the Church of Eng-
land.'' The college was intended primar-
ily for the adjoining section and the whole
south side of X'irginia, and was to be sup-
ported by all elements, whether of Eng-
lish, or Scotch-Irish, or French Huguenot
descent President Smith resigned in 1779,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
leaving the academy in the charge of his
brother, John Blair Smith, whom he had
engaged as tutor, and accepted the profes-
sorship of moral philosophy in Princeton
College, to the presidency of which he suc-
ceeded on the death of Dr. VVitherspoon.
This he resigned in 1812. Among his works
are: "Causes of the Variety of the Com-
plexion and Figure of the Human Species'*
(1/^8) ; "Oration on the Death of Washing-
ton." at Trenton (iSoo) ; Sermons (1801);
•'Lectures on the Evidences of the Christian
Religion" (1809) ; "Love of Praise" (1810) ;
"A Continuation to Ramsay's History of
the United States*'; "Lectures on Moral and
Political Philosophy'*; "The Principles of
Natural and Revealed Religion." He died
August 21, 1819.
Buford, Abraham, was born in Virginia.
He distinguished himself in the early part
of the revolutionary war, and was appointed
colonel of the Eleventh Virginia Regiment,
May 16, 1778. In the spring of 1780 he was
sent with his command to relieve Gen. Lin-
coln at Charleston, South Carolina, but
hearing that the Americans had surrendered
the place he began his return march. He
was overtaken by a force of seven hundred
cavalry and mounted infantry, under com-
mand of Col. Tarleton, at Waxhaw Creek,
South Carolina, May 29, 1780. Though hav-
ing but four hundred infantry and a small
cavalry force, Buford refused to surrender,
and was preparing for defense when the
British fell upon the continental troops, and
giving no quarter killed nearly the entire
force. Col. Buford died in Scott county,
Kentucky, June 29, 1833.
Baylor, George, was born at Newmarket,
Caroline county, Virginia, January* 12, 1752.
He joined the revolutionary army at the be-
ginning of the war, serving first as aide-de-
camp to Gen. Washington. He was given a
horse by congress, in appreciation of his ser-
vices in the attack on the Hessians at Tren-
ton, New Jersey, and in his prompt announce-
ment to congress of the news of the victory,
in January, 1777, he was promoted colonel,
and in 1778 was captured by Gen. Gray at
Tappan, New York, with his entire com-
mand, after sixty-seven had been killed, and
he was held a prisoner for some time. Sub-
sequently he was placed in command of the
Virginia cavalry, and served until the end
of the war. A serious lung wound, received
at Tappan, finally resulted in his death in
Bridgetown, Barbadoes, West Indies, in
March, 1784. He was son of John and
Frances (Norton) Baylor.
Hoge, Moses, was born in Frederick
county, Virginia, February 15, 1752. He
was one of Graham's pupils at Liberty Hall,
and was intimately affected by the latter s
genius and personality. He studied the*
ology under James Waddell, Wirt's "Blind
Preacher." In 1787 he was pastor in Shep-
herdstown, gaining much reputation. He
made his first venture as an author in 1793
in "Strictures on a Pamphlet by the Rev.
Jeremiah Walker, Entitled the 'Fourfold
Foundation of Calvinism Examined and
Shaken.'" Another characteristic produc-
tion was: "Christian Panoply: An An-
swer to Paine's *Age of Reason'" (1799).
Dr. Hoge was a bold and honorable con-
troversialist. In Shepherdstown, Dr. Hoge
had been instructing young men in theology.
He was readily induced, therefore, to move
to Hampden-Sidney College in 1807 as Alex-
ander's successor. Here he resumed the
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^77
theological teaching instituted formerly by
John Blair Smith. In 1809 the general as-
sembly of the Presbyterian church had dis-
cussed the subject of ministerial education,
the outcome of which was the founding of
the Theological Seminary at Princeton. The
Presbyteries of Virginia, however, were in
favor of synodical seminaries, and in 1812,
at the same time that Dr. Alexander was
chosen head of the Princeton Seminary,
the Virginia synod resolved to have a semi-
nary of its own and elected Dr. Hoge as
their professor. Dr. Hoge, therefore, filled
both offices — president of the college and
professor of theology — until his death.
Afterward the Theological Seminary was
separated from the college and under Dr.
John Holt Rice rendered independent Dr.
Hoge was an active member of the Ameri-
can Bible Society. As a preacher he was
singularly powerful and effective. A volume
of "Sermons" was published in 1820, after
Dr. Hoge's death. Two of his sons, gradu-
ates of the college under their father's ad-
ministration, also became distinguished as
preachers — Samuel Davies Hoge, professor
of mathematics and science at the State
University in Athens, Ohio, and John Blair
Hoge, D. D., tutor in Hampden-Sidney Col-
lege and peculiarly gifted with literary
talent. Dr. Moses Drury Hoge, of Rich-
mond, a graduate of the college under Presi-
dent Maxwell, is a son of Samuel Davies
Hoge, who married a daughter of Drury
Lacy. Dr. Moses Hoge died in Philadel-
phia, July 5, 1820.
Hall, Thomas, bom in 1750, son of John
Hall (1722-98) and Sarah Parry, his wife.
He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at
the College of Philadelphia in 1773; 2i"d
VIK-.12
appears to have taken orders in England.
He returned to America in 1774, to take
cl.arge of an important parish in Virginia.
He took an active part in the preliminary
stages of the revolution; but his love for
the union with the mother country was too
great for him to approve of the actual seces-
sion of the American colonies. Before the
end of the war, he left Virginia, and never
returned to America, although he never
ceased protesting his most ardent love for
his native land, and in one of his letters
confessed his mistake in not adopting the
course pursued by it. He served for some
time as minister of an important church at
Bristol, England, and afterwards became
chaplain to the British colony at Leghorn,
and remained there until his death, April
12, 1825. His letters describing conditions
in Italy during the Napoleonic wars are
most interesting. Tassenari, the historian,
tells of a singular act of bravery on the part
of Dr. Hall. When Napoleon marched upon
Leghorn in 1803, the English residents, tak-
ing as much of their property as they could,
sailed away, with few exceptions. Na-
poleon, who intended to detain them, was
greatly disappointed, and it is said that he
entertained the barbarous idea of destroy-
ing the English cemetery. But when Dr.
Hall declared that only over his dead body
should it be entered he desisted. Dr. Hall
had a large acquaintance in Virginia, and
several members of his family, and the
Maryland family of Halls, came there from
England, induced by him. His own de-
scendants are found in Italy. He was a
kinsman of the celebrated Dr. Rush, of Phil-
adelphia.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Keith, Richard, born in 1757, was a citi-
zen of Virginia. He served in the revolu-
tionary army with the rank of major. He
was one of seven who cut their way through
the British cavalry at Charleston, South
Carolina, May 6, 1780, and escaped. He
commanded a rifle corps in the action with
Colonel Simcoe, at Spencer's Ordinary, Vir-
ginia. Januar>' 25, 1781 ; at Jamestown, July
6 , he served under Lafayette. He was elect-
ed surxeyor of Georgia in January, 1784. He
died in 1792.
Dade, Francis Langhom, was born in
Virginia. He was killed by Indians near
Fort King, Florida, December 28, 1835. He
was appointed third lieutenant in the
Twelfth Infantry on March 13, 1813, became
first lieutenant in 1816, captain in 1818, and
brevet major in 1828. When killed he was
on the march to Fort King with a detach-
ment, which was nearly destroyed by a
treacherous attack of the Seminole Indians.
A beautiful monument was erected at West
Point to his memory and that of his com-
mand.
Peticolas, Phillippe S., born at Mezieres,
France. March 22, 1760, son of Colonel Nich-
olas Peticolas, a veteran French soldier.
After a partial collegiate course, a mere lad,
his innate spirit of adventure led him to
enlist as a soldier in the command of the
Prince of Deux Points, under whom he
served for eight years, in the army of the
King of Bavaria. In the latter part of his
soldier life, he acquired a taste for miniature
painting, in which art he acquired a remark-
able proficiency. Leaving the army, he went
to San Domingo to take possession of an
estate there left him by a deceased brother.
In 1790 he came to America, locating first in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where, among
other portraits, he painted one of Washing-
ton, and gave lessons in music and painting.
He next resided in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
from whence he made several visits to New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, as a por-
trait painter. About 1835 be was induced
by Joseph Gallego (an uncle of Count Fer-
dinand de Lesseps), the founder of the
famous Gallego flouring mills, to make his
home in Richmond, Virginia. He was
highly esteemed as a citizen. In 1840 he
was a warden and a member of the building
committee of St. James' Episcopal Church.
He died in Petersburg in 1843.
Call, Daniel, born about 1765. was a
brother-in-law of Chief Justice Marshall.
He published ** Reports of the Virginia
Court of Appeals'* in six volumes (1790-
1818) ; and a second edition was edited by
Joseph Tate (1824-33). He died in Rich-
mond, May 20, 1840.
Gait, Alexander D., born in Williamsburg,
Virginia, in 1771. son of Dr. John M. Gait
(q. v.). He was educated at William and
Mary College, Williamsburg, and at Ox-
ford, England. He was also a private pupil
of Sir Astley Cooper, and attended the Lon-
don hospitals from 1792 to 1794. He was
associated with his father and succeeded
him as physician to the Hospital for the In-
sane at Williamsburg. His private practice
was even larger than his father's. He, too,
was a philanthropist, but received little
credit from the poor, whom he treated gra-
tuitously, and who believed that the state
paid him for his services to them. He was
one of the board of directors of William and
Mary College, and a distinguished surgeon
in the war of 1812. He married a cousin.
Miss Mary D. Gait.
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Buckingham, James Silk, born in Flush-
ing. England, in 1786. He was intended for
the church, but being of an adventurous
turn of mind, became a sailor, bookseller*s
clerk, law student, printer and captain of a
West Indiaman. He was employed in 1813
by the Pasha of Egypt to select a route for
a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, but
after being robbed the pasha relinquished
his design and Buckingham went to India
and commanded a ship in the service of the
Sultan of Muscat. After this he went
through many adventures. He published,
at various times, volumes of his travels in
Palestine, in Arabia, in Mesopotamia, in
Assyria and Media, and two volumes on
Belgium, the Rhine and Switzerland, and
two volumes on France, Piedmont and Swit-
zerland. He lectured through Great Britain
in support of various reforms, and repre-
sented Sheffield in parliament from 1832 to
1837. He subsequently traveled in America
as a lecturer on temperance and slavery.
He became a citizen of the United States in
18 10. as appears by papers filed in the re-
corder's office in the borough of Norfolk,
Norfolk county. Virginia. He died June
30. 1855.
Call, Richard Keith, born near Peters-
burg, Virginia, in 179 1. He was appointed
first lieutenant in the Forty-fourth United
States Infantry Regiment, July 15, 1814;
brevet captain, November 7, 1814; was vol-
unteer aide to General Jackson in April,
1818; promoted to captain in July, 1818,
and resigned from the army. May i, 1822.
He was a member of the legislative council
of Florida in April. 1822; brigadier-general
of West Florida militia in January, 1823;
delegate to congress from 1823 to 1825 : and
receiver of the West Florida land office in
March, 1825. He was governor of Florida
from 1835 ^o 1840, and led an army against
the Seminole Indians from December 6,
1835, ^o December 6, 1836, commanding in
the second and third battles of Wahoo
Swamp. November 18-21, 1836. It is said
that at the battle of Ouithlacoochie, Gov-
ernor Call personally saved General Clinch
and his command from being cut to pieces,
contrary to the statement made by the lat-
ter in the history of the Florida war. A con-
troversy with Secretary of War Poinsett
hi President Van Buren's cabinet cost Gov-
ernor Call his office. He was subsequently
a Whig and worked earnestly for Harrison's
election, canvassing the northern states in
his behalf. President Harrison reappointed
him governor of Florida, which office he
held until 1844, but was an unsuccessful
candidate for governor the following year.
He had sacrificed his fortune, health and
popularity to protect the people of Florida
during the Seminole war, but they could
not forgive him for turning to the Whigs,
and he never again was elected to an office
in the state, but was major-general of militia
fiom July I to December 8, 1846. He labor-
ed industriously in the interest of Florida.
He projected and built the third railroad in
the United States, from Tallahassee to St.
Marks, and located and laid out the town
of Port Leon, which was afterwards destroy-
ed by a cyclone. He was devoted to Gen-
eral Jackson, by whose side he had fought
for every inch of ground from Tennessee to
the Peninsula, and, regarding himself as one
of the builders of the nation, during the
civil war he was one of the few men in the
South who regarded secession as treason.
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But, in February, 1861, in a letter to John
S. Littell, of Philadelphia, while he deplored
secession, he strongly defended slavery. He
died in Tallahassee, Florida, September 14,
1862.
Campbell, Robert, born in Virginia, in
1755- He was engaged in the Indian fight-
ing on the borders of Virginia, and in the
revolutionary war he reached the rank of
colonel. He commanded a regiment at
King's Mountain. For forty years he was
a magistrate in X'irginia, and in 1825 re-
moved to Tennessee. He died in Knoxville,
Tennessee, February, 1832.
Edwards, John, born in Stafford county.
Virginia, in 1755, brother of Benjamin Ed-
wards. He removed to what afterwards
became Kentucky, in 1780, where he entered
23,000 acres of land; was a member of the
Virginia legislature, 1781-85, 1795, 1796-
1800; and a member of the Virginia con-
vention that ratified the Federal constitu-
tion. He was a delegate to the different
conventions assembled to establish the
limits of Kentucky, 1785-88; also to the con-
vention of 1792 that framed the Kentucky
constitution. He represented Kentucky in
the United States senate, October 24, 1791,
to March 3, 1795. He died in Stafford
county, Virginia, 1837.
Graham, George, bom at Dumfries, Vir-
ginia, about 1772; was graduated at Colum-
bia College in 1790, and studied law. He
settled to practice in Dumfries, but later
n;oved to Fairfax county. In the war of
1812 he organized and commanded the
"Fairfax Light Horse" company. When
Gen. Armstrong resigned as secretary of
war, in 1814, Graham was made chief clerk
of the war department, under Monroe, who
had charge of both the departments of state
and war, and Graham performed mo£t of
the duties of secretary until Monroe's tlec-
tion as President. In 1818 Secretary of War
J. C. Calhoun sent Graham to Texas to in-
spect Gen. Lallemand's settlement on the
Trinity river. Upon his return, Graham
was made president of the Washington
branch of the Bank of the United States.
He rendered important service in this con-
nection, especially in closing up the "In-
dian factorage" matter, saving the govern-
ment a large amount of money. In 1823 he
was made commissioner of the land office,
and served as such until his death at Wash-
ington, August, 1830.
Brown, Samuel, born in Rockbridge
county, \'irginia, January 30, 1769, son of
Rev. John Brown, who came to Virginia
from the North of Ireland early in the
eighteenth century. He graduated at Dick-
inson (Pennsylvania) College, studied med-
icine under Dr. Rush, in Philadelphia, then
v.ent to Scotland and obtained the degree
of doctor of medicine at the University of
Aberdeen. He practiced successively in
Washington City ; Lexington, Kentucky ;
New Orleans, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mis-
sissippi. In 1819 he became professor of
the theory and practice of medicine in the
Transylvania University at Lexington, Ken-
tucky, and held the position until 1825. He
was distinguished for his application of in-
dustrial chemistry to agricultural processes,
devised the method of clarifying ginseng
for the Chinese market and brought steam
into use for the distillation of spirits. He
brought the process of lithotrity in surgery
from France to the United States. He
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formed a medical society at Lexington,
whose organization and code of ethics are
said to have formed the basis of the medical
associations now existing in America. In
1790 he advocated the gradual emancipation
of slaves in Kentucky. He was a contrib-
utor of various papers to philosophical soci-
eties and medical journals. He died near
Huntsville, Alabama, January 12, 1830.
Edwards, Benjamin, born in Stafford
county. \'irginia. He obtained a common
school education, and became a planter and
merchant in Maryland. He was a member
of the state convention that ratified the Fed-
eral constitution; a member of the state
general assembly ; and filled the unexpired
term of Uriah Forrest in Congress, 1794-95.
William Wirt was a tutor in his family, and
was aided by him to an education. He died
in Stafford county, Virginia, November 13,
1826.
Macaulay, Alexander, Jr., son of Alex-
ander Macaulay and Elizabeth Jerdone, his
wife, was born at Yorktown, Virginia, Feb-
ruary 20, 1787. Being of an adventurous
turn he visited Columbia in 181 1 and took
part in its struggle for independence. He
captured a Spanish camp at Popayan and
was made lieutenant-colonel in the army of
the patriots. At Pasto an armistice was
patched up, and on his way back to Popa-
yan he was treacherously attacked near
Cotambuco and taken prisoner. By an order
of the Spanish president. Don Torribes Mon-
tes. he was executed in the city of Pasto in
the month of January, or the beginning of
February, 1813. A writer in the Washing-
ton Intelligencer," in 1816. states that Ma-
caulay was the idol of the people of Vene-
zuela and New Grenada, and his name was
hung by the side of Doiivar in golden let-
ters, in the saloon of the Cabildo of Popa-
yan. When taken out to execution he ad-
vanced before his fellow prisoners and said
to them, "Let me be the first to receive
death, in order that I may show my fellow
patriots how a republican can die."
Russell, William, born in Culpeper
county, 1758, died in Fayette county, Ken-
tucky, July 3, 1825. He went with his father
to join Daniel Boone on the frontier. He
v/as a lieutenant in the revolution; was at
King's Mountain, where he was the first to
reach the summit, and received a sword
from the enemy. As captain he served
against the Cherokees and effected a treaty
with them. He went to Kentucky at the
end of the war, and commanded the ad-
vance in movements against the Indians,
under Wayne, commanding a regiment of
Kentucky volunteers. He was in the Vir-
ginia legislature which separated Kentucky
from the parent state; on organization of
the Kentucky government he was sent to
its legislature, serving until 1808, when
President Madison made him colonel of the
Seventh United States Infantry. He suc-
ceeded Gen. William H. Harrison in com-
mand of the Indiana, Illinois and Missouri
frontiers in 181 1, and commanded an expe-
dition against the Peoria Indians, 1812. He
was in the Virginia legislature in 1823, and
declined a nomination for governor. He
was son of William Russell, lieutenant-colo-
nel of the Culpeper militia in 1754.
Wickham, John, born in Southold, Long
Island, New York, June 6, 1763. He was
intended for the army, but after studying at
the military academy at Arras, France, he
returned home and settled in Williamsburg,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Virginia, where he practiced law for a time,
then removing to Richmond. He took high
rank in his profession, and was counsel for
Aaron Burr, in his trial for treason. John
Randolph, of Roanoke, refers to him in his
will as "my best of friends and the wisest
and best man I ever knew ;" and Tom Moore,
the poet, pronounced him "the only gentle-
man I found in America, and would have
graced any court" He died in Richmond,
January 17, 1839.
Barron, James, was born in Virginia, in
1769. son of Samuel Barron, captain, of Fort
George, now Fort Monroe. He became a
sailor, rose to the rank of master, and after
commanding various merchantmen, was in
1798 commissioned a lieutenant in the United
States navy. He was made captain in 1799.
commodore in 1806, and when war with
France threatened in 1807, was assigned to
the command of the Chesapeake, The latter
left Washington with a hastily collected
crew and poorly prepared. Soon after sail-
ing she encountered the British frigate
Leopard, whose commander demanded the
return of certain British deserters, who he
alleged were in board the Chesapeake. Com-
modore Barron refused to comply, and the
Leopard opened fire, killing three of the
crew of the Chesapeake, and wounding
eighteen. Barron, after firing one of the
guns, lowered the United States flag, and
the British commander boarded the Chesa-
peake and carried away the sailors of
whom he was in search. The British gov-
ernment condemned the action of its repre-
sentative, returned the sailors taken from
the Chesapeake, and paid indemnity. Bar-
ron, however, was severely censured by the
public and his fellow-officers (though he
contended, with justice, that, owing to the
negligence of the navy department, he had
been powerless to resist the demand of the
Leopard) ; was tried by court-martial and
suspended for five years, but was later
fully reinstated to command. In 1820, re-
garding Commodore Decatur as the head
of a cabal, which he believed existed against
him, he challenged the latter to mortal com-
bat. In the encounter, which took place
near Bladensburg, Maryland, Decatur was
killed and Barron badly wounded. The re-
sult served to increase the ill feeling against
Barron. The latter, in 1839, became senior
officer of the navy, but, until his retirement,
passed his time in shore duty or on waiting
orders. Time has acquitted him of the
charge of negligence, and it is now believed
that he was in large measure the victim of
circumstances. He died in Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, April 21, 1851.
Clark, William, was born in Caroline
county, Virginia, August i, 1770, son of
John and Ann (Rogers) Clark, and grand-
son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Wilson)
Clark. When he was fourteen his family
removed to Kentucky, settling on the site of
the present city of Louisville, where his
brother, George Rogers Clark, erected a
fort, in 1777. This place at the time was
the scene of frequent Indian raids, and
young William grew up with a vast experi-
ence of the methods of Indian warfare and
an intimate knowledge of their habits. At
the age of nineteen he participated in Col.
John Hardin's expedition against the In-
dians across the Ohio, was made an ensign
in 1791, served under Scott and Wilkinson
against the Indians on the Wabash, was
commissioned lieutenant of infantry, March
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7. 1792, and in December was assigned to
the fourth sub-legion. He was appointed
adjutant and quartermaster, in September,
>793> served against the Indians and under
Gen. Wayne, and in July, 1796, resigned,
owing to ill health. He subsequently re-
gained his health by turning trapper and
hunter. About 1804 William Clark removed
to St. Louis, Missouri, and in March Presi-
dent Jefferson commissioned him second
lieutenant of artillery, ordering him to join
Capt. Meriwether Lewis in an exploring
expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of
the Columbia river. This expedition lasted
two years and was the first to the Pacific
coast. The success of the explorations, at-
tended by incredible privations and hard-
ships, where no white man ever set his foot
before, was in large measure due to Capt.
Clark's knowledge of Indian character and
habits. He was military director of the ex-
pedition, and kept a journal, subsequently
published by the United States government.
On September 23, i8of), the expedition re-
turned to St. Louis, and Capt. Clark went to
Washington. Congress granted him 1,000
acres from the public domain, and on May
2. 1807, he resigned from the army, having
been nominated to be governor of Louisiana
territory a few days before. His commis-
sion for the latter office was dated March 3,
1807, and about the same time he was ap-
pointed a general of the territorial militia
and Indian agent. In the latter office he
remained until July i, 1813, when he was
appointed governor of the Missouri terri-
tory, by President Madison. When Mis-
souri applied for admission into the Union
in 1818, a controversy followed whether it
should be a free or slave state. In antici-
pation of the admission of the state an
election was held August 28, and Clark was
defeated for governor by Alexander Mc-
Nair. In May, 1822, he was appointed su-
perintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis
by President Monroe. He held this office
until his death, in St. Louis, Missouri, Sep-
tember I, 1838. Clark's Fork, an important
branch of the Missouri, was named in his
honor, and Lewis and Clark county, Mon-
tana, is in joint remembrance of the two
explorers.
McDowell, Ephraim, was born in Rock-
bridge county, Virginia, November 11, 1771,
son of Samuel and Mary (McClung) Mc-
Dowell, and grandson of Ephraim McDow-
ell, who with his brothers, James and John,
emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania.
Ephraim and John settled in Rockbridge
county, in 1737. He removed with his par-
ents to Danville in 1783 ; attended a classical
school at Georgetown, and studied medi-
cine under Dr. Humphreys of Staunton,
and at the University of Edinburgh, 1793-
94. He practiced medicine and surgery in
Danville. 1785-1830. He was married, in
1802, to Sallie, daughter of Gov. Isaac Shel-
by of Kentucky. He was elected a member
of the Medical Society of Philadelphia in
1817. The honorary degree of M. D. was
conferred upon him by the University of
Maryland in 1825. He was the first surgeon
successfully to perform the operation known
as ovariotomy, and a description of his first
cases was published in the Eclectic Reper-
tory and Analytic Review, Philadelphia,
1817. His successful operations appeared
incredible at the time, and he became known
among the profession as the '^father of
ovariotomy." He was one of the founders
of Center College at Danville, and an orig-
inal trustee, 1819-23. In 1879 a monument
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
to his memory was erected in McDowell
Park by the State Medical Society. He
died in Danville, Kentucky, June 20, 1830.
Baxter, George Addison, born in Rock-
ingham county, Virginia. July 22, 1771. He
was one of the many preachers and teachers
who studied under William Graham at Lib-
erty Hall. He traveled as an evangelist in
Virginia and Maryland ; for a time he was
principal of the New London (Virginia)
Academy, in Bedford county. In 1798 he
became professor of mathematics and nat-
ural philosophy at Liberty Hall, and on the
death of Mr. Graham succeeded him as prin-
cipal of the institution, which in 181 3 be-
came Washington College. In 1829 he re-
tired from the presidency, but continued
pastoral labors in Lexington. In 1832 he
became professor of theolog>' in Union Theo-
logical Seminary of Hampden-Sidney, and
he continued to labor there until his death.
His presidency of the institution lasted for
all the remainder of the college year after
the death of Mr. Gushing. He died April
14. 1841.
Alexander, Archibald, bom in Rockbridge
county, near Lexington, April 17, 1772, was
of Scotch-Irish stock. He was one of Wil-
liam Graham's pupils at Liberty Hall (now
Washington and Lee University). It was
at Samuel Stanhope Smith's recommenda-
tion that Graham was chosen to take charge
Of this academy, and he conducted it for
twenty years. During the revival of 1788,
Alexander accompanied William Graham to
Prince Edward, and assisted in the work,
aiding further in similar efforts upon his
return to Rockbridge. In 1791 he was a
member of the general assembly, and in
1794 was again in Prince Edward as pastor
of Briery church. Upon the resignation of
Drury Lacy, in 1796, Archibald Alexander
was called to the presidency of the college,
at the early age of twenty-four. Dr. Alex-
ander made an extended tour through the
northern and Xew England states in 1801,
coming in contact with the representative
men of the day in theological thought. In
Louisa county. X^irginia, he stopped at the
house of James Waddell, the famous blind
preacher in William Wirt's ** British Spy,"
and met for the first time Janetta Waddell,
who later became his wife. He returned to
Hampden-Sidney in 1802, and resumed the
duties of his office, remaining until 1806. In
that year he accepted a call to the Pine
street church, Philadelphia. In the follow-
ing year he was moderator of the general
assembly. In his sermon before this as-
sembly, he made a suggestion as to a theo-
logical seminary. This was at last estab-
lished in 1812 at Princeton, Xew Jersey, and
Dr. Alexander was chosen senior professor
and remained there the rest of his life. Dr.
Alexander was pre-eminent for piety, and
possessed unrivaled powers as a pulpit ora-
tor. He is no less known today through his
numerous theological and philosophical
works. The most important are: "Evi-
dences of the Christian Religion" (1825);
"History of the Colonization of the Western
Coast of Africa" (1846); "History of the
Israelitish Nation" (1852); "Outlines of
Moral Science" (1852); "Biographical
Sketches of the Founder and Principal
Alumni of the Log College" (See Prince-
ton). Of his sons, two were distinguished
Princeton professors and theological writ-
ers. Dr. James W. Alexander and Dr. J.
Addison Alexander. A grandson, Dr.
Henry Carrington Alexander, was for
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twenty-two years professor in the Theo-
logical Seminary of Hampden-Sidney. Dr.
Alexander died October 22, 1851.
Bracken, John, was a clergyman, and
master of the grammar school in William
and Mary College in November, 1775, serv-
ing until the grammar school was substi-
tuted in December, 1779, by a school of
modern languages of which Charles Bellini
was professor. At the Episcopal conven-
tion in May, 1786, in Richmond, Bracken
leceived ten votes for bishop. He was for
many years pastor of Bruton parish church
in Williamsburg. At a meeting held July
20, 1790. by the directors of the hospital for
the maintenance and cure of persons of un-
sound minds in Williamsburg (the oldest
insane asylum in the United States, estab-
lished 1768). Dr. Bracken was made presi-
dent to succeed James Madison, then in
England seeking consecration as bishop. In
1792 he became professor of "humanity" in
William and Mary College: on Madison's
death in 1812 became president, and in 1814
was elected bishop of the Episcopal church,
an otifice which he declined the following
year, probably on account of failing health.
He died July 15, 1818.
Dale, Samuel, was born in Rockbridge
county. Virginia, in 1772, died in Lauder-
dale county, Mississippi, May 24, 1841. His
parents were Pennsylvanians of Scotch-
Irish extraction. Samuel went with them
>" ^775 to the forks of Clinch river, Vir-
ginia, and in 1783 to the vicinity of the
present town of Greensborough, Georgia.
In both of these places the family lived with
others in a stockade, being exposed to fre-
quent attacks from Indians, and young Dale
thus became familiar with savage warfare.
After the death of his parents in 1791 he
enlisted in 1793 ^s a scout in the service of
the United States and soon became a fam-
ous Indian fighter, being known as "Big
Sam." He commanded a battalion of Ken-
tucky volunteers against the Creeks in Feb-
ruary, 1814, and in December carried de-
spatches for Gen. Jackson froiri Georgia to
New Orleans in eight days with only one
horse. After the war he became a trader
al Dale's Ferry, Alabama, was appointed
colonel of militia, held various local offices,
and was a delegate in 1816 to the conven-
tion that divided the territory of Mississippi.
He was a member of the first general as-
sembly of Alabama territory in 1817, of the
state legislature in 1819-20 and 1824-28, and
of that of Mississippi in 1836. In 1821 he
was one of a commission to locate a public
road from Tuscaloosa through Pensacola to
Blakely and Fort Claiborne, and on the
completion of his duty, was made brigadier-
general by the Alabama legislature and
given a life pension. In 1831 he wcs ap-
pointed by the secretary of war, together
with Col. George S. Gaines, to remove the
Choctaw Indians to their new home on the
Arkansas and Red rivers. (See **Life and
Times of Gen. Sam. Dale,'* from notes of
his own conversation, by John F. H. Clai-
borne, Xew York. i860).
Blackburn, Gideon, was born in Augusta
county, Virginia. August 2^. 1772; he was
a nephew of Gen. Samuel Blackburn. His
parents removed to East Tennessee, and he
was placed under the instruction of the Rev.
Mr. Doak. He was' licensed to preach by
the Abingdon Presbytery between 1792
and 1795, and with his Bible, hymn book,
knapsack and rifle, plunged into the wilder-
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ness, and made his first preaching at a fort
built for the protection of the frontier; es-
tJ*blished churches at Marysville, and sev-
eral surrounding places. In 1803 he under-
took a mission to the Cherokee Indians, and
m 181 1 became principal of Harpcth Acad-
emy, preaching at the same time and organ-
izing several churches. From 1823 to 1827
he preached at Louisville. Kentucky, and in
the latter year became president of Centre
College, holding the office until 1830. He
then removed to Versailles, where he
preached and acted as agent of the Ken-
tucky State Temperance Society. * In 1833
he went to Illinois and in 1833 began to
raise money for Illinois colleges, a work
which resulted in Blackburn University at
Carlinville, Illinois. He did not live to see
its organization or the erection of its build-
ings, and it did not reach higher than a col-
l**ge grade. In 1805 the College of New
Jersey conferred on him the degree of Doc-
tor of Divinity, and Dickinson College gave
him those of Master of Arts and S. T. D.
He died in Carlinville. Illinois, August 23,
1838.
Pegram, John, was born in Dinwiddie
county, Virginia, November 16, 1773, son
of Captain Edward and Mary (Lyle) Peg-
nim. His grandfather, Edward Pegram,
came from England in the fall of 1699 with
a party of engineers under Col. Daniel
Baker, whose daughter, Mary Scott Baker,
he married. Their second son. Captain Ed-
ward Pegram (born about 1744, died March
30, 1816), was appointed "special com-
mander" to defend his parish and county
against the Indians, and thus became known
as **King Pegram." He was also a captain
in the American revolution and a juror in
the trial of Aaron Burr. John Pegram was
a magistrate for more than twenty years, a
member of the house of delegates for many
years and of the state senate for eight years ;
a representative in the fifteenth congress,
1818-19. completing the term of Peterson
Goodwin, deceased; major-general of state
militia in the war of 1812, and United States
marshal of the eastern district of Virginia
ill Monroe's administration. He married
(first) Miss Coleman, of Dinwiddie, and
(second) Martha Ward Gregory, and was
the father of fourteen children. He died in
Dinwiddie county, Virginia. April 8, 1831.
Marshall, Louis, born at **Oak Hill." \'ir-
ginia, October 7, 1773, son of Col. Thomas
Marshall, born 1730, died 1802. and his wife,
Mary Randolph (Keith) Marshall, and
grandson of Captain John and Elizabeth
(Markham) Marshall, the former named "of
the Forest;'* in 1785 his. father removed to
Lexington, Kentucky, and he accompanied
him, and thereafter made his home in that
state; his' education was acquired by study
at home, and he prepared for the profession
of medicine and surgery at Edinburgh and
Paris, residing in the latter named city dur-
ing the French revolution, and was one of
the party of students engaged in the attack
on the Bastile, was also present at the mas-
sacre of the Swiss guard, witnessed the mur-
der of Prince de Lamballe, was arrested and
imprisoned for several years, and was at
one time condemned to death, but his life
was saved by the strategem of the turnkey ;
his brothers, John and James, then in Paris,
as representatives from the United States,
procured his release ; in 1800 he began the
practice of his profession in Woodford
county, Kentucky, and he also established
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MERIWETHER LEWIS
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PRO-MIXEXT PERSONS
187
a private school, and shortly afterward he
discontinued hjs medical practice, establish-
ing an academy in Woodford, of which he
was the preceptor until 1830, his pupils in-
cluding sons of the best families of Ken-
tucky, his adopted state ; he served as presi-
dent of Washington College, Lexington,
Virginia, from 1830 to 1834, and filled a
similar office in Transylvania University,
Lexington, Kentucky, from 1855 to 1866;
he married, at Frankfort, Kentucky, Agatha
Smith, and his father then gave him the
ei'tate. **Duckpond.'* in Woodford county,
Kentucky, where he resided until his death
in April. 1866.
Ewing, Finis, was born in Bedford coun-
ty, Virginia, June 10. 1773, died in Lexing-
ton. Missouri. July 4, 1841. He was of
Scotch-Irish descent and both of his parents
were noted for piety. His early education
was neglected, but it is said that he studied
for a time in college. After the death of
his parents he moved to Xashville, Tennes-
see, and in 1823 married a daughter of Wil-
liam Davidson, a revolutionary general.
Soon afterward he went to Logan county,
Kentucky, where he was licensed to preach,
and in 1803 was ordained by the Cumber-
land presbytery. He met with remarkable
success as a revivalist, but his ordination
was not recognized by the Kentucky synod,
and the presbytery being dissolved, and the
action of the synod having been sustained
by the general assembly, he, with two
others, organized in 18 10 the new Cumber-
land Presbyterian church, which now num-
bers about two thousand congregations. In
doctrine they occupy a middle ground be-
tween Calvinism and Arminianism. A few
years after originating the new denomina-
tion Mr. Ewing removed to Todd county,
Kentucky, and became pastor of the Leb-
anon congregation, near Ewingsville. In
i8jo he proceeded to Missouri, settled in
what is now Cooper county, and organized
a congregation at New Lebanon, which still
flourishes. In 1836 he removed to Lexing-
ton. Fayette county, where he preached till
his death. He is the author of "Lectures
on Divinity," which contains the germ of
the peculiarities of the creed of the Cum-
berland Presbyterians.
Lewis, Meriwether, was born near Char-
lottesville, Virginia. August 18, 1774, young-
est son of Captain William and Lucy (Meri-
wether) Lewis. His uncle on the death of
Meriwether's father became his guardian.
Meriwether attended a Latin school, and
conducted his mother's farm. He enlisted
in the state militia called out by President
Washington to suppress the opposition to
the excise taxes in Western Pennsylvania,
and then joined the regular service as lieu-
tenant. He was promoted to captain in
1797. and became paymaster of the First
United States Infantry. In 1797 the Amer-
ican Philosophical Society, through the sug-
gestion of Thomas Jefferson, undertook to
secure some competent person to ascend
the Missouri river, cross the Stony Moun-
tains, and descend the nearest river to the
Pacific. Captain Lewis, then stationed at
Charlottesville on recruiting duty, solicited
Mr. Jefferson to be allowed to make the
journey, but Andre Michaux, the botanist,
was appointed and proceeded as far as Ken-
tucky, when he was recalled by the French
minister, then in Philadelphia, and the at-
tempt was abandoned. Captain Lewis
served as private secretary to President
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Jefferson, 1801-03, and when congress voted
the money to carry out the President's pro-
ject of crossing the continent to the Pacific,
he was entrusted with the command of the
enterprise with Captain William Clark, as
second in command. He pursued a course
in the natural sciences and astronomical ob-
servations at Philadelphia and at Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, preparatory to the undertak-
ing. The instructions, signed by President
Jefferson, January 20, 1803, detailed the
scientific, geographical, commercial and dip-
lomatical purposes of the expedition and pro-
vided for all contingencies likely to arise. The
treaty of Paris, April 13, 1803, had meantime
transferred the territory of Louisiana to the
United States, and the information reached
Washington about the first day of July. On
July 5, 1803. Captain Lewis left Washington
for Pittsburgh, where he was to select his
stores, outfit and men. Delays retarded the
journey down the Ohio and the expedition
could not enter the Missouri until the ice
had broken up in the spring of 1804. They
ascended the Missouri to its sources, crossed
the Rocky Mountains, struck the head-
waters of the Columbia river, floated down
that river to its mouth and explored much
of the Oregon country. They started East,
March 23. 1806, and reached Washington,
February 14. 1807. Congress granted to the
two chiefs and their followers the donation
of lands which had been promised as a re-
ward for their toil and dangers. Captain
Lewis was soon after appointed governor
of Louisiana and Captain Clark commis-
sioned a general in the militia and agent in
the United States for Indian affairs in the
territory of Louisiana. On reaching St.
Louis, Governor Lewis found much con-
fusion in public affairs, and in SoptiMnher,
1809. set out to Washington to carry valu-
able vouchers of accounts and his journal
of the expedition to and from the Pacific.
While at the home of a Mr. Gruider, in Ken-
tucky, in a fit of h>'pochondria. Governor
Lewis killed himself. He died October 8,
. 1809.
Hall, William, born in Virginia in 1774;
for several years he was a member of the
state legislature, and Was at one time speaker
of the senate; in 1829, on the resignation of
Samuel Houston, he became governor of
Tennessee, in which state he resided for
many years; from 1831 to 1833 he was a
member of congress, having been elected
on the Democratic ticket; he was a major-
general of militia, served in the Indian wars,
and commanded a regiment of Tennessee
riflemen under General Jackson in the war
of 181 2. displaying great bravery in the per-
formance- of his duties ; he died in Green
Garden, Sumner county, Tennessee, in Oc-
tober, 1856.
Taylor, Robert Barraud, was born in Nor-
folk, Virginia, March 24, 1774, and was
graduated at the College of William and
Mary in 1793. After law study he entered
the bar of Virginia, and followed practice *
in Norfolk, winning wide reputation as an
eminent lawyer. During the last four years
of his life he was judge of the general court
of Virginia. He took part in the defense of
Norfolk during the war of 181 2 as brigadier-
general of the state militia, and as a result
of his conspicuous service was offered the
same rank in the United States army, but
declined to serve. He was a member of the
famous Virginia constitutional convention
of 1829. He was also at an earlier date a
member of the Virginia assembly. Judge
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^olti^l ^. ^au/c/c
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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Taylor was one of the members of the first
board of visitors of the University of Vir-
ginia, serving from 1819 to 1822. He died
in Norfolk, April 13, 1834. He was a son
of Robert Taylor and Catherine (Curie)
Barraud.
Empie» Adam» born in Schenectady, New.
York, September 5, 1775, son of John Empie,
of Dutch descent He was educated at
Union (New York) College, entered the
Episcopal ministry and held charges in New
York and North Carolina. After the death
of Dr. Wilmer, in 1827, he was made presi-
dent of William and Mary College, Wil-
liamsburg, Virginia. Under him the college
started on an upward course. In 1826, the
last year of Dr. Smith's administration, the
number of students was only twelve, which
in 1836, the last year of Dr. Empie's admin-
istration, had increased to sixty-nine. In
1839 the attendance reached one hundred
and forty. He resigned the presidency to
take the rectorship of the new chufch of
St. James, in Richmond. There he con-
tinued to serve acceptably until 1853, when,
enfeebled by age and disease, he retired to
Wilmington, where he died, November 6,
i860.
Lyelly Thomas, bom in Richmond county,
Virginia, May 13, 1775, son of John and
Sarah Lyell, members of the Protestant
Episcopal church, but being isolated from
the privileges of that church attended the
Methodist church, hence the son was
brought up a Methodist; in 1790, when only
fifteen years of age, he began to exhort, and
two years later to preach in Virginia and
subsequently in Providence, Rhode Island;
from 1797 to 1804 he served as chaplain of
the United States house of representatives;
was admitted to the diaconate in the Protes-
tant Episcopal church by Bishop Claggett
in 1804, ^"d advanced to the priesthood by
Bishop Moore in the following year; was
rector of Christ Church, New York City,
from 1805 to 1848; secretary of the diocesan
convention, from 181 1 to i8i6; member of
the standing committee, from 1813 to 1848;
deputy to the general convention, from 1818
to 1844; trustee of the General Theological
Seminary, from 1822 to 1848; and senior
member of the board of trustees of the Prot-
estant Episcopal Society for Promoting
Learning and Religion in the State of New
York at the time of his death, which oc-
curred in New York City, March 4, 1848;
he received the honorary degree of Master
of Arts from Brown in 1803, ^^^ ^^at of
Doctor of Divinity from Columbia in 1822 ;
his first wife was a daughter Rev. Dr. Abra-
ham Beach, rector of Trinity Parish.
Arbuckle, Matthew, bom in Greenbrier
county, Virginia, in 1776; died at P"ort
Smith, Arkansas, June 11, 1851. He entered
the army as an ensign in 1799, became a
captain in 1806, major in 1812, lieutenant-
colonel in 1814, colonel of the Seventh In-
fantry in 1820, and brevet brigadier-general
in 1830. In 1817 he was successful in an ex-
pedition against the Fowltoun Indians, and
in 1846-47 served in the Mexican war. He
commanded at New Orleans, Fort Gibson
and Fort Smith. During much of his life
he was brought constantly in contact with
the Indians of the frontier, and, by his
knowledge of their character, always kept
their confidence.
Bledsoe, Jesse, born in Culpeper county,
Virginia, April 6, 1776, died near Nacog-
doches, Texas, June 30, 1837. When a boy
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
he emigrated to Kentucky and then studied
at the Transylvania Seminary, where he be-
came a fine scholar. He afterward studied
law and practiced with great success. In
1808 he became secr^stary of state under
Governor Charles Scott, and in 18 12 was a
member of the legislature. He was elected
United States senator from Kentucky, and
served from May, 1813, till 1815. From
181 7 till 1820 he was state senator. In 1820
he was a presidential elector, and in 1822
was appointed circuit judge in the Lexing-
ton district. Accordingly he settled in Lex-
ington, where he also became professor of
law in Transylvania University. Later he
returned to the practice of his profession,
ii: 1833 removed to Mississippi, and in 1835
tc Texas, where he was engaged collecting
historical material at the time of his death.
Tyler, Samuel, born in James City coun-
ty, \'irginia. about 1776. nephew of John
Tyler, judge of United States district court
(181 1 ). He attended William and Mary
College, passed the ordinary period of class-
ical study, and entered on the study of the
law with an application that in a very short
time placed him among the foremost law-
yers at the bar. He was elected to the leg-
islature in 1798, and supported the resolu-
tions of 1798-99, which announced the ac-
cepted creed in Virginia until the war of
1861. On December 23, 1801, he qualified
as a member of the council, and was shortly
after sent by James Monroe, the governor,
to Washington, to watch the course of the
election between Jefferson and Burr. At
this time he wrote that Pennsylvania had
her courier at hand, and stood ready to send
twenty-two thousand troops to Washington
should the attempt to set aside the lawful
President prevail. He advised that in case
ot extremities, a confederacy should be form-
ed between that state and all south of the
Potomac. On December 21, 1803, he quali-
fied as chancellor of the Williamsburg dis-
trict, an office just vacated by Mann Page.
It was said of him that "he combined the en-
ergies of an active and masculine mind, with
an accurate knowledge of things," which
especially became the high office filled by
him. He died at Williamsburg, March 28,
1812.
Bacon, Edmund, born in New Kent coun-
ty, Virginia, in January. 1776; died in Edge-
field, South Carolina, February 2, 1826.
While quite young he was chosen by the
citizens of Augusta. Georgia, where he was
at school, to welcome Washington, then on
on official tour through the South as Presi-
dent. "This delicate and honorable task,"
says a contemporary historian. Judge
O'Xeall, **he accomplished in an address so
fortunate as to have attracted not only the
attention of that great man, but to have
procured from him, for the orator, a present
of several law books." He was graduated
at the Litchfield, Connecticut, Law School,
and settled in Savannah, where he acquired
a fortune at the bar before attaining the age
of thirty-three. He was retained in the set-
tlement of the estate of Gen. Xathai Ael
Greene, near Savannah, and it is a curious
coincidence that a quotation from one of
the law books presented to Mr. Bacon by
Gen. Washington enabled him to gain a
mooted point for the succession to the estate
or the second general of the revolution. Ow-
ing to ill health, he removed in search of a
more healthful location to Edgefield, where
he soon became a leading practitioner. He
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HENRY CLAY
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PROMINENT PERSONS
191
is the "Ned Drace'* of Judge Longstreet's
"Georgia Scenes," and as a wit and humorist
was conspicuous among his contemporaries.
He displayed a lavish hospitality, and was
the acknowledged autocrat of the table, in-
somuch that on a certain occasion, when the
learned Dr. Jonathan Maxcy, president of
South Carolina College, was present as a
guest, no sooner had Dr. Bacon left the
room than Dr. Maxcy enthusiastically ex-
claimed, "A perfect Garrick, Sir! A living,
breathing, acting Garrick!"
Clay, Henry, was born in Hanover county,
Virginia, April 12, 1777. His father, John
Clay, was a Baptist minister, a man of ex-
cellent character, **remarkable for his fine
voice and delivery;" his mother was a
daughter of George Hudson, a woman of
sterling character. Henry attended a school
where the teacher was able to teach little
but reading, writing and arithmetic. Henry
worked on the farm, and his riding to and
from mill to have grain ground, won for
him the sobriquet of "the mill-boy of the
Slashes." His widowed mother became the
wife of Captain Henry Watkins, of Rich-
mond, who procured for him a clerkship in
a store in that city, and afterwards a posi-
tion as copyist in the chancery clerk's office.
Here he attracted the attention of Chancel-
lor George Wythe, who made him his sec-
retary and for four years directed his read-
ing and by his conversation shaped his
thoughts. At the end of four years young
Clay became a law student in the office ot
.Attorney-General Robert Brooke, and after
a year was admitted to practice. In his
twenty-first year he joined his parents in
Kentucky, whither they had removed, set-
tling in Lexington, where he practiced law.
and made himself conspicuous by his ora-
tory in a debating society. For a time he
was commonwealth's attorney, resigning in
favor of a friend. In 1799 he married Lu-
cretia Hart, by whom he had eleven chil-
dren, and purchased **Ashland," an estate of
some six hundred acres. He now actively
entered into politics as a Democratic Re-
publican. He was a slave owner through-
out life but was favorable to slave emanci-
pation, which for a time affected his popu-
larity. In 1803 he was elected to the Ken-
tucky legislature, and distinguished himself
by his oratory and a duel with Colonel Jo-
seph H. Davies. In 1806 he was appointed
tc the United States senate to fill out an
unfinished term, though constitutionally
under age. On leaving the senate he was
elected to the legislature, and was chosen
speaker. He procured the defeat of a bill
forbidding that any decision of a British
court or British work of law should be read
a.« authority before any Kentucky court.
His early interest in domestic manufactures
was manifested by his introduction of a
resolution that the members of the legisla-
ture should wear clothes made in this coun-
try, and this led to an altercation with Hum-
phrey Marshall which resulted in a duel. In
18 10 he was appointed to the national senate
tc fill a vacancy. On the expiration of his
term he was elected in 181 1 to the house of
representatives and was made speaker. Here
he opposed the recharter of the bank and
favored domestic manufacturing for govern-
ment purposes. He strongly advocated war
measures against Great Britain. In 1813 he
was reelected speaker, but resigned to be-
come a member of the commission which
negotiated peace at Ghent in 1814. He re-
turned home in 1815, was reelected to con-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
gress, and declined the mission to Russia
and the secretaryship of war. He was again
chosen speaker, and with Calhoun opposed
the reduction of taxes, and laid the founda-
tion of a protective tariff system. In 1817
his vote to pay congressmen $1,500 a year
instead of six dollars a day nearly cost him
his seat. In 1817 President Monroe offered
him the secretaryship of war and the mission
to England, both of which he declined. He
was again chosen speaker. He labored for
internal improvements, was the champion
of South American independence, denounced
Jackson's conduct in the Seminole war, and
favored the Missouri compromise. In 1824
he was a presidential candidate; the elec-
tion was thrown into the house, resulting
in the choice of Adams, who made Clay sec-
retary of state. There was much acrimoni-
ous feeling resulting in a duel between Clay
and John Randolph, which was harmless to
both. In 1828 the National Republican
party was formed, composed of the Adams
and Clay elements of the old Democratic
Republican party and a high tariff was
passed. In 1831 he was elected to the
United States senate, and in 1832, was the
unsuccessful candidate of the National Re-
publican party. He did not approve of
Jp.ckson's proclamation against South Caro-
lina, and introduced his compromise tariff
bill, which became a law, whereupon South
Carolina repealed her nullification ordinance,
and Clay having virtually abandoned his
tariff doctrines again came to be known as
**the pacificator." This made him popular
in the South, and put him at the head of the
new combination Whig party. In 1834 he
denounced the President for removing the
public deposits from the United States
Bank, and his resolutions were adopted by
the senate. Jackson sent in an earnest pro-
test, demanding that it be entered upon the
journal, which was refused, Mr. Clay using
his greatest power in condemning the Presi-
dent's course. In 1835-36 the great anti-
slavery contest began. Petitions praying
for abolition came to congress from various
northern states; Mr. Calhoun moved that
tliey be rejected without consideration. Mr.
Clay opposed any curtailment of the right
of petition, and voted "yea" on a motion to
receive. President Jackson suggested a law
prohibiting the circulation in the Southern
States, through the mails, of "incendiary
publications intended to instigate the slaves
to insurrection," and Mr. Calhoun offered
a bill to carry such proposed law into effect.
Mr. Clay, while denouncing the abolition-
ists for treasonable conduct, opposed Cal-
roun's bill as inexpedient and it was de-
feated. As chairman of the senate commit-
tee on foreign affairs. Clay advocated delay
hi admitting Texas into the Union. During
Van Buren's administration Clay opposed
with such vigor the sub-treasury system ad-
vocated by Van Buren that it failed in three
successive congressional sessions. The con-
tests in regard to it broke up the alliance
between Clay and Calhoun. Meantime, peti-
tions protesting against slavery, in the Dis-
trict of Columbia and elsewhere, poured in
from the northern states, and Mr. Clay
moved in the senate that the petitions be
received, and referred to the committee on
the District of Columbia. Calhoun started
discussion by offering resolutions setting
forth his thoughts on the relations between
slavery and the union of the states. Mr.
Clay proposed substitutes, offering among
other things, that the abolition of slavery in
the District of Columbia would be a viola-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
193
tion of the good faith "implied in the cession
of the District," accompanying it with re-
marks in which he was understood to de-
plore the attacks on slavery no less, if not
more, than the existence of slavery itself.
During the canvass of 1840, Clay declared
all the old questions of Bank, tariff and
internal improvement "obsolete questions,'*
but on the accession of Harrison as Presi-
dent, Clay rallied the Whigs in favor of
these measures, and brought about a breach
in the Whig party by running counter to
the known views of President Tyler. On
March 31, 1842, Clay left the senate, as he
said, "forever/' On May i, 1844, he was a
third time nominated for President by the
Whig national convention without any bal-
lot. Polk became president, the annexation
of Texas followed, as well as the war with
Mexico. Clay protested against the Mex-
ican war, referring to the declaration of
congress that "war existed by the act of
Mexico," and said that no earthly considera-
tion could ever have tempted or provoked
him to vote for a bill with such a palpable
falsehood stamped upon its face. Later on
he contemplated selling "Ashland," to sat-
isfy pressing pecuniary obligations, but the
president of the bank at Lexington, to
whom he was offering a payment, informed
him that sums of money had arrived from
various parts of the country to pay his
debts, and every note and mortgage of his
was canceled. Clay was deeply moved, but
to his inquiries the answer given was that
the names of the donors were unknown. Mr.
Clay took no part in the canvass that elected
President Taylor, but in December, 1848,
he was unanimously reelected to the senate,
and took his seat December, 1849. He took
an active part in framing the bill for the
vot-u
admission of California, for territorial gov-
ernment in New Mexico and Utah, the set-
tlement of the western boundary of Texas,
the provision of new laws for the return of
fugitive slaves to their masters, the aboli-
tion of slavery in the District of Columbia,
and in the decision that congress had no
power to prohibit or obstruct the trade in
slaves between slaveholding states. This
was the famous compromise of 1850, the last
plan of the kind to which he gave his mind
and energies. When congress adjourned
Clay went to Cuba for his health, and re-
turned to Ashland. In December, 185 1. he
was again in Washington, but appeared
only once in the senate. He lived to see the
substance of his celebrated compromise
measure on the subject of slavery pass into
the political platforms of the Whig and
Democratic parties at the national conven-
tion of June, 1852. After appropriate funeral
services in the senate chamber his remains
were removed to Kentucky, the people as-
sembling by thousands in the cities through
which the funeral train passed, to do honor
to his memory. He died June 29, 1852, and
on July 10, he was buried at Lexington,
Kentucky, where an imposing monument
has been erected. Nine months before his
death his friends in New York caused to be
made a gold medal in commemoration of
his public services. Mr. Qay said: "If any-
one desires to know the leading and para-
mount object of my public life, the preser-
vation of the Union will furnish him with
the key." Mr. Clay died June 29, 1852.
Gnindy, Felix, born in Berkeley county,
Virginia, September 11, 1777. His father,
an Englishman, removed to Pennsylvania,
and then to Kentucky. His first instruction
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
vas {rom his mother, and he later attended
Dr. James Priestley's Academy at Bards-
town, Kentucky. He became a lawyer; in
1/99 ^'2is elected to the constitutional con-
vention, and also to the legislature, ol which
he was a member till 1806. In i8d6 he be
tame a judge of the state supreme court, and
afterwards chief justice. In 1807 he resign-
ed and removed to Nashville, Tennessee,
where he achieved a great reputation as a
criminal lawyer. He was elected to con-
gress in 181 1 and 1813. In 1819 he was
elected to the legislature. In 1829 he was
elected to the United States senate. In 1838
he became attorney-general in President
Van Buren's cabinet, resigning to reenter
the senate. He opposed all protection ex-
cept that which is incidental to a tariff
levied for revenue, favored the compromise
bill of 1833, and suggested and was a mem-
ber of the committee that revised it ; his last
political act was to speak in Tennessee for
Van Buren against Harrison; he was an
orator of note, and his most finished ora-
tion was that delivered on the death of Jef-
ferson and Adams; he died in Nashville,
Tennessee, December 19, 1840, his remains
were interred in the Nashville City Ceme-
tery, where a monument has been erected to
his memory.
Gaines, Edmund Pendleton, was born in
Culpeper county, Virginia, March 20, 1777,
died in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 6,
1849. He ^^s son of James Gaines, who
commanded a company in the revolutionary
war, was a member of the North Carolina
legislature, and took part in the convention
which ratified the Federal constitution. He
was a grandson of William H. Gaines and
Isabella Pendleton, sister of. Hon. Edmund
Pendleton. Edmund early showed a pref-
erence for a military life. Having joined the
United States army, he was appointed sec-
ond lieutenant of the Sixth Infantry, Janu-
ary 10, 1799, and in April, 1802, was pro-
moted to first lieutenant. He was for many
years actively employed on the frontier, and
was instrumental in procuring the arrest of
Aaron Burr. He was collector of the port of
Mobile in 1805, ^^^ ^<^s promoted to cap-
tain in 1807. About 181 1 he resigned from
the army, intending to become a lawyer,
but at the beginning of the war of 1812 re-
turned, and became major on March 24. He
became colonel in 1813, and at Chrysler's
Field, on November 11, covered with his
rtgiment the retreat of the American forces.
Later in the same year he was made adju-
tant general, with the rank of colonel. He
was promoted to brigadier-general March 9,
1S14, and for gallant conduct in the defence
of Fort Erie, in August, 1814, when he was
severely wounded ''repelling with great
slaughter the attack of a British veteran
army superior in number," he was brevetted
major-general, and received the thanks of
congress, with a gold medal. Similar honor
was done him by the states of Virginia,
Tennessee and New York. He was appoint-
ed, in 1816, one of the commissioners to treat
with the Creek Indians. He was in com-
mand of the southern military district in
1817, when the Creeks and Seminoles began
to commit depredations on the frontier of
Georgia and Alabama, and having moved
against them, was in desperate straits when
he was joined by Gen. Jackson — a circum-
stance which may be regarded as the initia-
tive of those measures which in 1820 added
Florida to the United States. In the troubles
which arose with the Seminoles in 1836, and
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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which cost Gen. Thompson his life, he was
again engaged, and was severely wounded
at Ouithlacoochie. When the Mexican war
began, some ten years later, he made him-
self trouble with the government by assum-
ing the liberty of calling out a number of
the southern militia without orders, and was
tried by court-martial, but not censured. He
was a man of simplicity and integrity of
character.
Rice, John Holt, was born at New Lon-
don, November 23, 1777, grandson of David
Rice, the pioneer Presbyterian preacher,
who organized the first religious congrega-
tion in Kentucky, and was principal founder
of the Transylvania Academy, which de-
veloped into the Transylvania University.
John Holt Rice was educated at Liberty
Hall and first studied medicine, but took up
theology, and in 1801 became a tutor in
Hampden-Sidney College. Mr. Rice was
licensed to preach September 12, 1803. and
the following year assumed charge of his
first pastorate, the Cub Creek Presbyterian
Church, in Charlotte county, Virginia. In
181 2 he became pastor of the first separate
Presbyterian church in Richmond. In 1819
Mr. Rice was moderator of the general as-
sembly, and the same year received the de-
gree of Doctor of Divinity. Three years
later he was president of Princeton College,
and was offered the chair of theology in
Hampden-Sidney College; he accepted the
latter, which he held until his death. He
began the publication of the "Christian
Monitor," which he conducted until 1818.
when he became editor of the Virginia
"Evangelical Literary Magazine," of which
he had charge until 1829. He published
"Historical and Philosophical Considera-
tions on Religion," and was the author of
various controversial and review articles,
sermons and memoirs, which were publish-
ed in pamphlet form. His death occurred
at Hampden-Sidney, September 3, 1831.
Cabell, Joseph Carrington, son of Col.
Nicholas Cabell and Hannah Carrington, his
wife, daughter of Col. George Carrington,
was born December 26,1778, and was a mem-
ber of the well known Cabell family of Vir-
ginia, so distinguished for the number of its
brilliant men, and whose reputation he him-
self did so much to maintain ; educated by
private tutors at home, later entered Wil-
liam and Mary College, from which he was
graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts; educated for the bar, but never a
practitioner of the law; went to Europe in
1802, returned June i, 1806; upon the forma-
tion of the new county of Nelson, Mr. Ca-
bell was one of its first justices, 1808 ; mem-
ber of the house of delegates or of the sen-
ate, for about thirty years — of the house
1808-09-10, and again from 1831 to 1835,
from Nelson county, and of the senate from
1810 to 1829, inclusive; aided in the found-
ing of the University of Virginia, and from
1S19, the year of the founding, until 1856,
was a member of the board of visitors, and
at two periods of that time was rector of
the board, his last term of service as such
extending from 1845 ^^ ^856, the year of his
death; was frequently solicited to become
a candidate for congress, was offered hon-
orable positions in the diplomatic services
abroad, but in all cases declined, preferring
to devote himself entirely to the service of
his state; was one of the original incor-
porators of the James River and Kanawha
Canal Company, chartered March 16, 1832,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
was its first president, served as such until
February or March, 1846, and ever after-
wards maintained an active interest in its
affairs; after his retirement from public
affairs, he devoted himself to the manage-
ment of his large estates, but never ceased
to keep in touch with the institutions and
public works with which he had been active-
ly identified ; he became a life member of the
Virginia Historical Society in 1848; he mar-
ried, January i, 1807, in Williamsburg, Vir-
ginia, Mary Walker Carter, daughter of
George Carter, Esq., of Lancaster, Virginia,
and his wife Lclia, daughter of Peyton Skip-
v;ith, Esq. ; Mr. Cabell died in 1856; on Feb-
ruary 8, 1856, Governor Henry A. Wise
submitted to the legislature of Virginia a
special message announcing that 'Joseph C.
Cabell, late Rector of the University of Vir-
ginia, is no more," and of him said: **One
with Mr. Jefferson in founding the Univer-
sity, a pioneer in the state improvements,
a gentleman, a scholar, a devoted patriot
and Virginian, a venerable, good man, de-
parting from a high public place which he
filled with ability and fidelity, I commend
his example while living, and submit that
his memory is deserving of the honor I pay
him now that he is dead."
i
Ritchie* Thomas, was born at Tappahan-
nock, Essex county, November 5, 1778, son
of Archibald and Mary (Roane) Ritchie.
He studied law in the office of his uncle, and
attended medical lectures in Philadelphia,
but took up teaching, and had charge of a
school in Fredericksburg until 1803, when
he opened a book store in Richmond, Vir-
ginia. On May 9, 1804, with W. W. Wors-
Icy, he founded the Richmond "Enquirer,"
and a year later became sole editor and pro-
prietor. In 1807, following the affair be-
tween the Leopard and Chesapeake, Ritchie
v^as elected secretary of the Richmond
meeting to protest against British "right of
search," and when the blockade of Norfolk
was threatened he became ensign of the
Republican blues, a company raised for the
defence of that town. He also engaged in
a brief service during the war of 1812. He
was state printer from 181 4 to 1834, and
from 1835 to 1839, and was elected congres-
sional printer in 1845. ^or some time he
conducted the Richmond "Compiler," neu-
tral in politics, and during Van Buren's ad-
ministration, the "Crisis." To the manage-
ment of the "Enquirer" he admitted his sons
in 1843, ^^^ i" 1845* ^t the request of Presi-
dent Polk, relinquished it entirely to them,
in order to found the Washington "Union,"
which he conducted until the election of
President Pierce. So pure were his tastes as
a political journalist that President Jefferson
once spoke of him as "culling what is good
from every paper as the bee from every
flower." He was married to a daughter of
Dr. Foushee, of Richmond, February 11,
1807, and had four daughters and three sons.
He died in Washington, D. C., July 2, 1854.
Hay, George, born December 15, 1765,
distinguished both as a lawyer and a poli-
tician, was a prominent member of the
Virginia legislature, and many years United
States district attorney, in which capac-
ity he prosecuted Aaron Burr. Later he
became judge of the United States court
for the eastern district of Virginia. He
was married to Eliza, daughter of Presi-
dent Monroe. A number of exceedingly
clever political articles were published by
him under the pen-name "Hortensius," and
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he was the author of a ^Treatise on Expa-
triation" (1814); a "Treatise against the
Usury Laws," and the **Life of John Thomp-
son." He died in Richmond, Virginia. Sep-*
tcmber 21, 1830. He was a son of Anthony
Hay. keeper of the Raleigh tavern in Wil-
hamsburg.
Johnson, Chapman, was born in Louisa
county, Virginia, March 12, 1779. His col-
legiate education was received at the Col-
lege of William and Mary, where he gradu-
ated in 1802. Under 'St. George Tucker he
followed law study until admitted to the
Virginia bar, and then established a practice
in Staunton, V^irginia, where he soon be-
came well known for his legal ability, and
for striking eloquence as an orator. His
practice was after 1824 conducted in Rich-
mond, and there became one of the most
extensive in the state. Mr. Johnson enlisted
in the war of 1812, as captain of a volunteer
company, becoming later an aide on the
staff of General James Breckinridge. He
was a member of the Virginia senate from
1815 to 1831, and a member of the Virginia
convention of 1829. He was one of the
board of visitors of the University of Vir-
ginia from 1819 to 1845. He died in Rich-
mond. July 12, 1849. He was a son of
Thomas Johnson, of Louisa county, and
Jane Chapman, his wife.
Bibb, William Wyatt, born in Virginia,
October i, 1780, died near Fort Jackson,
Alabama, July 9, 1820. He was the son of
Captain William Bibb, was graduated at
William and Mary College, and studied
medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,
receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine
in 1801. Removing to Georgia, he was a
member successively of the two branches
of the legislature. He was a member of
congress from 1S07 till 1813, when he was
chosen to the United States senate, and re-
tained his seat there until 1816. He re-
moved to Alabama, then a territory, and
was governor in 1817-19, when it was ad-
mitted as a state, and he was elected as its
first executive. He died while in office, and
his son, Thomas Bibb, succeeded him as
governor, 1820-21.
Armistead, George, born at "Newmarket,"
Caroline county, \'irginia, April 10, 1780, son
of John Armistead and Lucy Baylor, his
wife, died in Baltimore, April 25, 1818. Five
brothers took part in the war of 1812 — three
in the regular army, and two in the militia.
George was appointed second lieutenant Jan-
uary 8, 1779, promoted first lieutenant in
.April, captain November 6, 1806, and major
of the Third Artillery, March 3, 1813. He
distinguished himself at the capture of Fort
George from the British, near the mouth of
Niagara River in Canada, May 2^, 181 3, and
was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for his suc-
cessful defence of Fort McHenry, near Bal-
timore, against the British fleet, under Ad-
miral Cochrane, September 14, 1814. His
steadfast bravery on this occasion no doubt
saved Baltimore from capture, and the citi-
zens presented him with a handsome service
O' silver, the centre-piece being in the form
of a bomb shell.
Cocke, John Hartwell, who for a third of
a century was a member of the board of
visitors of the University of Virginia, was
born in Surry county, Virginia, September
19, 1780, son of John Hartwell Cocke and
Elizabeth Kennon. his wife; he attended
William and Mary College, graduated with
the class of 1798; joined the .American forces
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
during the second war with England, in de-
fense o{ the city of Richmond, in 1812-13,
and was the general in command of the Vir-
ginia troops at Camp Carter and Camp
Holly; he was prominent as a promoter of
the temperance cause, held the office of vice-
president of the American Temperance Soci-
ety, and was recognized as one of the dis-
tinguished leaders in the movement in the
country; he was also vice-president of the
American Colonization Society; he was a
member of the original board of visitors of
the University of Virginia, and held a posi-
tion in that body from 1819 until 1832; took
great pride in the University as one of the
institutions of the state, and his influence
was a factor in its development and sub-
stantial growth ; he died in Fluvanna coun-
ty, Virginia, July I, 1866.
Lomax, John TayIoe» LL. D., who dis-
played high abilities as a professor of law,
in the University of Virginia, and who con-
tributed substantially to the development
of jurisprudence in Virginia, in the capacity
of jurist and author, was born at Port
Tobago, Caroline county, Virginia, January
19, 1781, son of Thomas and Anne Corbin
Tayloe, his wife; he was a student at St.
John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, grad-
uated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts
at sixteen years, studied law in the same
institution, was admitted to the bar, and
commenced practice in Port Royal, Vir-
ginia ; removed to Fredericksburg, Virginia,
in 1805, from there to Menokin, in 1809,
from there returned to Fredericksburg in
1818, and there engaged in the practice of
bis profession until 1826, when he was called
tc*. the chair of law in the University of Vir-
ginia, the first appointment to that professor-
ship; in 1830 was appointed by unanimous
vote of the legislature of Virginia to a posi-
tion on the bench of the circuit court, and
at once resigned his professorship to enter
upon his judicial duties; was reelected by
vote of the people of the circuit in 1851, not-
withstanding the fact that, under a provi-
sion of the constitution adopted that year,
he was disqualified by reason of age, having
exceeded the prescribed age limit of sev-
enty years; his service upon the bench had
been so conspicuously useful, however, and
his powers showing no impairment, his re-
tention was so generally demanded that the
constitutional inhibition was removed at the
concerted request of the practitioners at the
bar ; he completed his full term of six years,
acquitting himself with great ability, and
then at the advanced age of sevenr>'-six
years, retired to private life; Judge Lomax
was a well known writer upon legal sub-
jects, and his works were* regarded with
great favor, being frequently quoted as au-
thority in court proceedings; his most im-
portant work, and one to the preparation of
which his leisure hours were devoted for
several years, was his "Digest of the Laws
Respecting Real Property," generally adopt-
ed and in use throughout the United States ;
this work appeared in three volumes, pub-
lished in Philadelphia in 1839, and a second
edition, revised and enlarged, was brought
out in Richmond in 1856 ; he also published a
"Treatise on the Laws of Executors and Ad-
ministrators," generally in use in the United
States, two volumes, in 1841, and a second
edition was published at Richmond, in 1856;
Judge Lomax died in Fredericksburg, Vir-
ginia, October 10, 1862.
Henley, John Dandridge, born in Wil-
liamsburg, Virginia, February 25, 1781 ; son
of Leonard Henley and his wife, Elizabeth
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Dandridge, sister of Mrs. Washington ; was
a student in a military academy, and on Oc-
tober 14, 1799, in his nineteenth year, was
appointed a midshipman by President Wash-
ington, who was his maternal uncle by mar-
riage; on January 3, 1807, was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant, and July 24, 1813.
was made a commander, and was promoted
to a captaincy, March 5, 1817; at the battle
of New Orleans he commanded the
schooner, Carolina, and won the approba-
tion of Gen. Jackson for the part that he
contributed toward the victory of January
8, 1815 ; at the time of his death, which oc-
curred in Havana, Cuba, May 23, 1835, at
the age of fifty-four years, he was com^
manding the West India squadron.
Breckinridge, John, born in Augusta
county, Virginia. December 2, 1760, son of
Col. Robert Breckinridge and Lettice Pres-
ton, his wife. He was a student at William
and Mary College. Williamsburg, when he
was twice elected to the legislature, but,
being still a minor, was not seated. He
studied law, and in 1785 was admitted to
the bar at Charlottesville. He enjoyed the
personal friendship of both Jefferson and
Madison. He was elected to congress in
1793, but did not take his seat, removing to
Kentucky, where he established his seat,
"Cabell's Dale," and engaged in law prac-
tice. He became attorney-general of the
state in 1795, and was a member of the
legislature. 1797 to 1800. In 1798 he visited
Monticello, Virginia, and united with
Thomas Jefferson and Wilson C. Nicholas
in drafting the famous Kentucky resolu-"
tions of that year, which protested against
the alien and sedition laws, and were in prac-
tical effect a declaration of states sovereign-
ty principles. While their drafting is gener-
ally ascribed to Jefferson, there are strong
reasons favoring Breckinridge as their
author. This historic document was pre-
sented to the Kentucky legislature by Mr.
Breckinridge, and was adopted. He was
elected to the United States senate in 1805,
and resigned in 1805 to accept appointment
as attorney-general in the cabinet of Presi-
dent Jefferson. He died at Lexington, Ken-
tucky, December 14, 1806, at the early age
of forty-six years. He left a remarkable
family of sons — Cabell, a distinguished law-
yer, whose son, John C. Breckinridge, be-
came Vice-President of the United States
and a major-general in the Confederate
army ; James, lawyer and congressman ; and
three whu became leading divines — ^John,
Robert J. and William L.
Scott, John, was born in Hanover county,
Virginia, in 1782. He removed with his
parents to Indian territory in 1802, and later
to Missouri territory, where he practiced
hiw, 1806-61. He was a delegate from Mis-
souri territory to the fourteenth congress as
successor to Rufus Easton, and to the fif-
teenth and sixteenth congresses, serving
1816-21. Missouri was admitted to the
Union in 1821, and he was the Missouri
representative in the seventeenth and nine-
teenth congresses, 1821-27. He died at St.
Genevieve, Missouri, October i, 1861.
Wilson, Samuel B., born in 1782, in South
Carolina. He was a graduate of Washing-
ton College. He was made successor to Dr.
Baxter in the chair of systematic theology
a*. Hampden-Sidney Seminary, and was
made president pro tern, when Dr. Baxter
died. He later became professor emeritus
and died in .August, 1869,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Wilmer» William Holland, born in Kent
county, Maryland, October 29, 1782, son of
Simon and Ann Wilmer. He was educated
at Washington (Maryland) College, and
was ordained by Bishop Claggett, in 1808.
After clerical service at Chester, Maryland,
in 181 2 he took charge of St. Paul's Church,
Alexandria, Virginia. In 1816 he declined a
call to St. John's Church, Washington City.
He was one of the originators and presi-
dent of the Education Society of the Dis-
trict of Columbia. In 1819 he commenced
the publication of the Washington "Theo-
logical Repertory," and furnished many of
its leading articles until his death. After
coming to Virginia he was a delegate to
ever}- general convention while he lived, and
president in three different years. In 1820
he received the degree of Doctor of Divin-
ity from Brown University. In 1823 he was
leading professor in the Theological Semi-
nary near Alexandria. In 1826 he became
president of William and Mary College, and
rector of Bruton parish church, Williams-
burg, but died August 24 of the following
year, and was buried under the chancel of
his church. He left various published works.
A son, Richard H., became bishop of Ala-
bama, and another, George T., was for some
time a distinguished professor at William
and Mary College.
Johnson, David, was born in Louisa coun-
ty, Virginia, October 3, 1782; in early life
his parents removed from Virginia to Ches-
ter district, South Carolina, and there David
Johnson was reared and educated, choosing
the law for his life work; he was admitted
to the bar in 1803, and practiced at Union
Court House, South Carolina: he served in
the following offices : Representative in the
state legislature, 1812; circuit judge, from
1815 to 1824; judge of the court of appeals,
from 1824 to 1835; chancellor, from 1835 to
1849; governor of South Carolina, from
1846 to 1848; served in all capacities faith-
fully and well; died at Limestone Springs,
South Carolina, January 7, 1855.
Lumpkin, Wilson, born in Pittsylvania
county, Virginia, January 14, 1783, son of
John and Lucy (Hobson) Lumpkin, natives
of Virginia, and a descendant of English
ancestors; when he was one year old, his
parents removed to the Wilderness, which
later formed Oglethorpe county, Georgia,
and there he received a meagre education,
there being no established schools at that
time; when fourteen years of age he was
employed as a copyist in the superior court
of Oglethorpe county, of which his father
was clerk, and later he studied law, was
admitted to the bar and settled in practice
at Athens, Georgia; he represented Ogle-
thorpe county in the state legislature, and
at various times, Jl>etween the years 1804
and 1815, was state senator; was a repre-
sentative from Georgia in the fourteenth
congress, 1815-17, and in the twentieth and
twenty-first congresses, 1827-31, and was
governor of Georgia for two terms, 1831-35,
and during his administration the Cherokee
Indians were removed beyond the Chatta-
hoochee river and the territory they had
occupied was made into thirteen counties,
and the town and county of Lumpkin was
named in his honor; was elected United
States senator to fill the vacancy caused by
the resignation of John P. King, and served
from December 13, 1837. to March 3, 1841 ;
in 1823 he was commissioned by President
Monroe to ascertain and mark the boundary
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PROMINENT PERSONS
20I
line between Georgia and Florida, and in
1^35 was appointed one of the first com-
missioners under the Cherokee treaty by
President Jackson ; he served as a member
of the first board of public works of Georgia,
and as state surveyor laid out nearly all the
early lines of railway in Georgia; he was a
delegate to the southern commercial con-
vention in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1858;
his death occurred in Athens, Georgia, De-
cember 28, 1870.
Nicholson, John B., was bom in Rich-
mond, Virginia, in 1783. He was appointed
a midshipman in the United States navy,
July 4, 1800; was promoted lieutenant May
20, 181 2, and was fourth lieutenant on the
frigate United States, when that vessel cap-
tured the British frigate Macedonian, near
the Island of Madeira, October 25, 181 2. He
was first lieutenant of the Peacock, under
Captain Warrington, in the engagement
with the brig Epervier, April 29, 18 14, and
was given command of the captured Eper-
vier, taking her safely into port. He com-
manded the brig Flambeau, under Commo-
dore Decatur, on the declaration of war
with the Barbary powers, February 23, 181 5.
He was promoted commander, March 5,
1817; captain, April 24, 1828, and was sub-
sequently commissioned a commodore. He
d«ed in Washington, D. C, November 9,
1846.
Massie, Thomas, son of Major Thomas
Massie and Sarah Cocke, his wife, was born
ill 1783; chose medicine as his profession;
studied under James Drew McCaw, of Rich-
mond : graduated in Philadelphia ; went -
abroad and studied in the schools of Edin-
burgh. London and Paris; practiced in
Chillicothe, Ohio, where his father and rela-
tives, Gen. Nathaniel Massie and Henry
Massie, owned large landed interests; re-
turned to X'irginia; was surgeon in the war
of 1812; member of the house of delegates,
1824-1827 and 1829-30; member of the Vir-
ginia convention of 1829-30; a trustee of
Washington College; died at "Blue Rock,"
Nelson county, Virginia, May 7, 1864 — ^**a
most polished, literary and interesting man."
Gushing, Jonathan Peter, born in Roches-
ter, New Hampshire, March 12, 1783. He
graduated from Dartmouth College in 1817,
and at once came south, and while in Rich-
mond agreed to temporarily take the place
of a sick tutor at Hampden-Sidney College.
He was soon made a professor, and when
Dr. Hoge died in 1820 he succeeded him in
the presidency. With his accession ended
the formative period of the institution,
which now began its rapid growth into the
proper functions and domain of a college.
He secured an endowment, and built the
present college edifice and the president's
residence. He graduated an unusually large
number of men who became famous. He ^
became vice-president of the Virginia His-
torical and Philosophical Society at its in-
corporation in 1831, with Chief Justice Mar-
shall as president. Dr. Cushings health
was shattered by an accidental discharge
from an electric battery, while he was ex-
perimenting before his class. He died April
25. 1835.
Bankhead, James, was born in Virginia.
1783, son of James Bankhead, a revolution-
ary officer. His tastes pointed to a military
life and he joined the army as captain of the
Fifth Infantry, June 18. 1808, and rose by
successive steps to the rank of lieutenant-
colonel of the Third Artillery, April 26,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1832. He saw active service and won brevet
rank as colonel for distinguished bravery
in the Florida campaign, and afterwards in
the Mexican war received a like honor for
conspicuous gallantry at Vera Cruz in com-
mand of the Second Artillery, when he re-
ceived the brevet rank of brigadier-general,
March 29, 1847. ^^ the following year he
was commander of Orizaba, a department
in Mexico, and at the time of his death had
charge of the military department of the
east. His son, John Pine Bankhead, was a
United States naval officer during the civil
war. Gen. Bankhead died in Baltimore,
Maryland, November 11, 1856.
Maxwell, William, born of English par-
ents in Norfolk, Virginia, February 27, 1784.
He was graduated from Yale College in
1802, studied law in Richmond, and prac-
ticed in Norfolk. In 1830 he was elected
to the lower house of the legislature, and
was a state senator, 1832-38. In the latter
year he accepted the presidency of Hamp-
den-Sidney College, and continued in that
position until 1844, when he resigned, and
engaged in law practice in Richmond, and
for a time conducted a law school. He was
active in resurrecting the Virginia Histor-
ical Society, which had been suspended, be-
came its librarian, and for six years (1848-
1853) was editor of its organ, the ^'Virginia
Historical Register and Literary Adver-
tiser." He was an active member of the
Bible and Colonization Society. He died
June 9, 1857.
Tucker, Nathaniel Beverley, born at Wil-
liamsburg, Virginia, September 6, 1784, son
of Judge St. George Tucker. He was gradu-
ated from William and Mary College in 1801.
studied law, and practiced until 181 5, when
he moved to Missouri, where he was a circuit
judge till 1830. Returning to Virginia, in
1834, he was made professor of law in Wil-
liam and Mary College, which post he filled
with signal ability till his death. As a
writer he excelled any of his Virginia con-
temporaries. His "Partisan Leader" (2 vols.,
1836) was printed secretly, bearing the fic-
titious date 1856, and purported to be a his-
toric novel of the events between 1836 and
that date, and in the light of the 1856-1865
period seems almost prophetic. It was re-
printed with the title, "A Key to the Dis-
union Conspiracy," and was followed by
numerous other works. He took great in-
terest in politics, had a large correspond-
ence, and advocated strong states rights
views. He left an unfinished life of his half-
brother, John Randolph, of Roanoke. He
wrote many political and miscellaneous
essays, and was a frequent contributor to the
"Southern Literary Messenger" of Rich-
mond. He died in Winchester, Virginia,
August 26, 1 85 1.
Mayo, Robert, born in Powhatan county,
Virginia, April 25, 1784, grandson of Wil-
liam Mayo, a pioneer surveyor, who served
in that capacity in the Barbadoes, from 1717
to 1721, in Virginia, from 1723 to 1744, ran
the boundary line between Virginia and
North Carolina, in 1728, surveyed the dis-
puted land claimed by Lord Fairfax and the
crown, in 1737, laid out the city of Rich-
mond the same year, became chief civil
engineer of Virginia, and died in Rich-
mond, October 20, 1744; after completing
his classical studies, Robert Mayo entered
the University of Pennsylvania, graduating
therefrom in 1808 with the degree of Doctor
of Medicine, and from the year of his gradu-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
203
ation until 1830, a period of twenty-two
years, practiced his profession in the city
o( Richmond ; in addition to his professional
duties he edited the "Jackson Democrat'' in
tlie presidential canvass of 1828; in 1830 he
accepted a position in the treasury depart-
ment, Washington, D. C, and served until
1864, the year of his death; he was the
author of: ''View of Ancient Geography
and History" (1813);. "New System of
Mythology" (4 vols., 1815-19) ; "Pension
Laws of the United States, 1775-1833"
(1833;; "Political Sketches of Eight Years
in Washington;'* "Commercial and Revenue
System of the United States" (2 vols., 1S47) ;
"The Treasury Department; its Origin, Or-
ganization and Operations" (1847); ^^ ^^e
time of his death he was preparing a gene-
alogical history of the Mayo family of Vir-
ginia ; he died in Washington, D. C, Octo-
ber 31, 1864.
Duval, Waiiam P., was born in Virginia,
in 1784, died in Washington, D. C, March
19, 1854. His great-grandfather was a
Huguenot, who settled in Virginia, his
grandfather Samuel a member of the house
of burgesses, and his father, Major William,
an officer of the revolution, who possessed a
high reputation as a chancery lawyer, spent
a large fortune fn helping the poor, and en-
joyed the friendship of Washington. The
son removed to Kentucky when a boy, stud-
ied law there, and was admitted to the bar.
He commanded a company of mounted vol-
unteers against the Indians in 1812, and was
elected to congress in that year, serving
from March 24, 1813, until March 2, 1815.
After his return to Kentucky he practiced
law at Bards town till 1822, when he was ap-
pointed governor of the territory of Florida
by President Monroe. He was continued in
that office by Presidents Adams and Jack-
son, serving till 1834. He removed in 1848
to Texas and died of a paralytic shock while
visiting Washington. His life and char-
acter have been celebrated in fiction by
James K. Paulding, who portrayed him in
'*Nimrod Wildfire," and by Washington
Irving, who drew from him the character of
** Ralph Ringwood."
Early, John, was born in Bedford county,
Virginia, in 1785, died in Lynchburg, Vir-
ginia, November 5, 1873. He joined the
Methodist conference of his state in the
great revival of 1801-02, and became an
itinerant preacher about 1807. He soon at-
tracted attention by the fervor and elo-
quence of his sermons, and was especially
successful in conducting religious exercises
in a revival. He successively filled the offices
of secretary of the conference and presiding
elder, and was repeatedly a delegate to the
quadrennial general conference. In the agi-
tation that resulted, in 1844, in the division
of his denomination into the Methodist
church north and south, Mr. Early took an
active part, and was elected the first book
agent of the latter. Though sixty-nine
years of age, he was elected bishop in 1854,
and served his church with great zeal and
fidelity for nineteen years. He was largely
instrumental in founding Randolph-Macon
College, Virginia. Bishop Early, though a
vigorous writer, published only a few ser-
mons, addresses, and occasional pamphlets,
some of them relating to the disruption con-
troversy. He received the degree of Doctor
of Divinity.
Armistead, Walker Keith, was born in
Virginia, about 1785. brother of George
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Armistead (q. v.). He was graduated from
West Point in 1803, his class being the sec-
ond to be graduated from the academy, and
was promoted to second lieutenant of engi-
neers. In 1805 he was promoted first lieu-
tenant, and in 1806 captain. From 1808 to
181 1, he served as superintending engineer
of the Norfolk (Va.) defences, being ad-
vanced to a major's commission on July 23,
1810. The following year he was at the
military academy, remaining there until the
outbreak of the war of 181 2, when he was
assigned to duty on the Niagara frontier as
chief engineer of the army. On July 31,
181 2, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel,
was engaged at Fort Niagara during its
bombardment in November, 1812, and in
181 3, as engineer of the forces for the de-
fence of the mouth of the Chesapeake bay,
including Norfolk and Craney Island. From
1814 to 1818 he served as superintending
etigineer of the defences of Chesapeake bay
and its tributary waters, being promoted
colonel and chief engineer of the United
States army on November 12, 1818. For
three years following he was in command of
a corps of engineers, in charge of the engi-
neer bureau at Washington, and inspector
of the military academy. On June i, 1821,
the army being reorganized, he was pro-
moted colonel, and from 1821 to 1827 was
stationed at the headquarters of the Third
Artillery, established at Fort Washington,
Maryland, Boston, Massachusetts, New
London, Connecticut, Upperville, Virginia,
and Fort Monroe, Virginia, and served in
the Florida war against the Seminole In-
dians from 1836 to 1838. For two years he
was on court martial duty, and from May,
1840. to May, 1841, was in command of the
Florida army serving against the Seminoles.
For two years following this he was on the
board to select a site for a western armory,
and in 1843 ^^^^ ^^44 commanded his regi-
ment at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina. In
the latter part of 1844 he went to Upper-
ville, Virginia, on sick leave, and died there
October 13, 1845.
Coles* Edward, was born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, December 15, 1786, son of
Col. John Coles and Rebecca (Tucker)
Coles, his wife. He was educated at Hamp-
den-Sidney and W'illiam and Mary Colleges.
From 1809 to 1815 he was private secretary
to President Madison. He inherited a plan-
tation and a number of negroes. He bitterly
disliked slavery, and in corresponding with
Jefferson urged its extinguishment. In 1816
he was sent on a mission to Russia. In 1818
he settled in Illinois, and in the convention
which framed the state constitution he used
his influence to prevent recognition of slav-
ery. In 1819 he was appointed registrar of
the Illinois land office. He now freed his
slaves, and gave one hundred and sixty
acres of land to each head of a family. He
was elected governor (the second) of Illi-
nois in 1822. He persistently opposed slav-
ery through the press and by personal cor-
respondence, and was instrumental in form-
ing anti-slavery societies in fifteen counties
in Illinois. He suffered much annoyance on
account of his strong anti-slavery views, and
before his gubernatorial term had expired,
he <vas tried for failure to give bonds that
his emancipated slaves should not become
public charges. He was heavily fined, but
the supreme court of the state subsequently
overruled the decision of the lower court.
In 1833 ^^ settled in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, where he died, July 7, 1868.
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Grymcs, John Randolph, Jr., born in
Orange county, Virginia, in 1786, son of
Benjamin Grymes; was reared and cdu-
cuated in his native state, removing from
there to Louisiana in the year 1808; was
an eminent practitioner of the law, en-
gaged in almost every case of importance in
the courts of New Orleans and the surround-
ing counties, acted in the capacity of counsel
for Gen. Jackson in the United States bank
case, and opposed Daniel Webster in the city
of New Orleans against Mrs. Myra Clark
Gaines; he held at different periods the
offices of United States district attorney and
attorney-general of Louisiana, served in the
legislature several terms, and was a mem-
ber of the state constitutional convention;
at the battle of New Orleans he volunteered
as aide to Gen. Jackson, and was compli-
mented in the despatches of the commander
to the war department ; he fought two duels,
in one of which he received severe wounds ;
he died in New Orleans, Louisiana, Decem-
ber 4, 1854.
Carroll^ David Ljmn, born in Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1787; gradu-
ated from Jefferson (Pennsylvania) College
in 1823. He took a full and graduate course
at Princeton Theological Seminary, and was
pastor of a Congregational church at Litch-
field, Connecticut, in 1827. In 1829 he was
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in
Brooklyn, New York, and resigned in 1835
en account of a throat ailment. He then be-
came president of Hampden-Sidney College,
resigning at the end of three years, resum-
ing ministerial work. During his adminis-
tration Dr. John \V. Draper was the pro-
fessor of physical science, and it was at the
college that he took his first sun-pictures
and announced his discoveries as to the
physical properties of the sun's light.
Dabncy, Richard, was born in Louisa
county, Virginia, in 1787, died there in No-
vember, 1825. His name was originally the
same as that of the historian D'Aubigne.
He applied himself to the acquisition of
Latin, Greek and Italian, reaching a remark-
able degree of proficiency in those lan-
guages, following the vocation of teaching
in a school in Richmond. He was severely
burned at the conflagration which destroyed
the theatre in Richmond, in December, 181 1.
In 1812 he published a volume of *Toems,
Original and Translated," of which an im-
proved edition was printed in Philadelphia
in 1815. The collection contained spirited
translations from Euripides, Alcaeus, Sap-
pho, Martial, Seneca and Petrarch. The
second edition was published by Matthew
Carey, who employed Dabney for a few
years. Carey's political tract, called *The
Olive Branch, or Faults on both Sides," is
supposed to have been in great part written
by Dabney. In a few years he returned to
Virginia and taught a class of boys. He
died as stated above, at the early age of
thirty-eight.
Parker, Foxhall Alexander, born in 1788,
at **Rock Spring," Westmoreland county,
Virginia, son of William Harwar Parker
and Mary (Sturman) Parker, his wife. At
sn early age he entered the United States
navy, and rose to the rank of commodore.
He was placed in command of the Boston
navy -yard ; in 1848-49 was sent to Europe to
advise the government as to the construc-
tion of a navy ; on his return he was placed
in command of the home squadron. He
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
married Sarah, daughter of Gen. Robert Bo-
gardus, of New York. His son, of the same
name, also became a commodore in the navy.
Abert, John James, born in Shepherds-
tcnvn, Virginia, September 17, 1788, died in
Washington, D. C, September 27, 1863. He
was the son of John Abert, who came to
this country with Rochambeau in 1780.
Young Abert was graduated at West Point
in 181 1, but at once resigned, and was then
employed in the war office. Meanwhile he
studied law, and was admitted to the bar in
the District of Columbia in 1813. In the
war of 1 81 2 he volunteered as a private sol-
dier in the defence of the capital. He was
reappointed to the army in 18 14 as topo-
graphical engineer, with a rank of major.
In 1829 he succeeded to the charge of the
topographical bureau at Washington, and
in 1838 became colonel in command of that
branch of engineers. He was retired in
1861 after "long and faithful ser\'ice." Col.
Abert was associated in the supervision of
many of the earlier national works of engi-
neering, and his reports prepared for the
government are standards of authority. He
was a member of several scientific societies,
and was one of the organizers of the Na-
tional Institute of Science, which was sub-
sequently merged into the Smithsonian In-
stitute. His sons served with distinction in
the United States army during the civil war.
Jesup, Thomas Sidney, born in Virginia,
in 1788; received preparatory education; in
1808 joined the United States army as lieu-
tenant ot infantry, and during the war of
1812 served un Gen. William Hull's staff as
adjutant-general ; he was appointed, succes-
sively, captain, January, 181 3, major, April
6, 1813, lieutenant-colonel, April 30, 1817;
was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for bravery
ai the battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814; colo-
nel, April, 1817, for gallant and meritorious
services at the battle of Niagara, where he
was severely wounded, and major-general,
May 8, 1828, for ten years' faithful services
in the same rank; was appointed adjutant-
general with the rank of colonel, March 27,
1818, and quartermaster-general with the
rank of brigadier-general. May 8, 1818; he
assumed command of the army in the Creek
nation. May 20, 1836, and he succeeded Gov.
Richard Keith Call in command of the army
in Florida, December 8, 1836; was wounded
during a fight with the Seminoles at Jupiter
Inlet, January 24, 1838, and was relieved by
Col. Zachary Taylor; he died in Washing-
ton, D. C, June 10, i860.
Jones, Thomas ap Catesby, born in Vir-
ginia, in 1789, son of Major Catesby Jones
and Lettice (Turberville) Jones, his wife.
He entered the navy in 1805, became lieu-
tenant in 1812, commander in 1820, and cap-
tain in 1829. From 1808 to 1812 he was
engaged in suppressing the slave trade on
the Gulf of Mexico. In 1814, with a small
flotilla, he opposed a British squadron of
forty vessels at the entrance to Lake Borgne.
Although he was wounded and obliged to
surrender, his conduct was much praised.
While commanding a squadron on the Pa-
cific, he took possession of Monterey, hav-
ing been informed of a condition of war be-
tween the United States and Mexico, but
withdrew when he learned that he had been
misinformed. He died in Georgetown, D.
C, May 30, 1858.
Mettauer, John Peter, of Prince Edward
county, Virginia, received a classical educa-
tion at Hampden-Sidney College, and was
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207
g»-aduated from the medical department of
the University of Pennsylvania in 1809. He
practiced at Prince Edward Court House,
and was an instructor of a group of private
students until 1837, when they were organ-
ized as a medical institute, which later be-
came the medical department of Randolph-
Macon College. He was the first on this
continent to operate for cleft palate, and also
first in a number of important major opera-
tions.
RuflFner, Henry, born in Page county, Vir-
ginia, January 19, 1789, son of Col. David
Ruflfner. He was graduated from Washing-
ton College in 1817; for two years taught
in Mercer Academy, at Charlestown, Vir-
ginia. He studied theology under Rev. Dr.
G. A. Baxter, at that time president of
Washington College, was licensed to preach
by the Presbytery of Lexington in 1819, and
the same year was appointed to a professor-
ship in Washington College, and for thirty
years was connected with the institution,
filling in succession every chair to the presi-
dency, to which he was appointed in 1836,
and sefving therein until 1848, when ill
health obliged him to resign. His adminis-
tration was eminently successful. During
his connection with the college he preached
for several years at Tinker Ridge and Fair-
field. In 1849 ^^ Icf^ Lexington and retired
to his farm in Kanawha county ; after a few
years he became pastor of the church at
Maiden, and gave up ministerial work about
a year before his death, December 17, 1861.
He received the degree of Doctor of Divin-
ity from Princeton College, and Doctor of
Laws from Washington College. He con-
tributed freely to the religious press.
Lawson, Thomas, bom in Virginia, Au-
gust 29, 1789, son of Thomas and Sarah
(Robinson) Lawson, grandson of Col. An-
thony and Mary (Calvert) Lawson, and of
Tully Robinson, great-grandson of Thomas
and Frances (Sayer) Lawson, and of Wil-
liam Robinson, and a descendant of Thomas
Lawson, who settled at an early date in
Virginia; after completing his preparatory
education, he studied for the profession of
physician and surgeon, and on March i,
1809, was commissioned surgeon's mate in
the United States navy, but resigned on
being appointed to the United States army
by President Madison, February 11, 181 1;
was transferred to the Seventh Infantry,
May 17, 181 5, and was appointed surgeon in
the Sixth Infantry, September 7, 1816, to
rank as such from May 21, 1817; was pro-
moted to the rank of major, June i, 1821 ;
appointed surgeon-general with the rank of
colonel by President Jackson, February i,
1837, to date from November 30, 1836, and
served as lieutenant-colonel of volunteers*
in Florida in 1837-38 ; he was brevetted brig-
adier-general, March 3, 1849, for distin-
guished and meritorious services in the field
before and during the Mexican war, and
ranked as such from May 30, 1848; he was
the author of: "lieport on Sickness and
Mortality, United States Army. 1819-39"
(1840); "Meteorological Register, 1826-30"
(1830) ; *• Appendix for 1822-25" (1840) ; his
death occurred at the residence of Dr. Dan-
iel Cary Barraud, in Norfolk, Virginia, May
14, 1861.
Lane, John, born in Virginia, April 8,
1789, but in boyhood removed from his na-
tive state, his parents locating in Georgia,
where he was reared, obtaining his educa-
tion at Franklin College, Athens; in 1814,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
at the age of twenty-five years, he was ad-
mitted to the South Carolina conference of
the Methodist Episcopal church, in the fol-
lowing year was appointed to the Natchez
circuit, and thus became the pioneer Meth-
odist preacher in Mississippi Territory and
the first of that denomination to labor among
the Cherokee and Creek Indians; in 1820 he
was made presiding elder of the Mississippi
circuit, and the ministry was his chosen
field of labor, but he also engaged in busi-
ness, in which he achieved a certain degree
of success, and in addition served as judge
of the private court of Warren county; his
prominence in affairs led to his appointment
as president of the board of trustees of Cen-
tenary College, Johnson, Louisiana, in which
capacity he served for several years, and he
was also president of the Conference Mis-
sionary Society; he married a daughter of
the Rev. Newit Vick, and in 1820 settled in
Mississippi on Mr. Vick's estate, and there
founded Vicksburg, which he named in
honoi'of his father-in-law. Rev. Mr. Vick;
his death occurred in Vicksburg, Missis-
sippi, October 10, 1855.
Jones, Roger, born in Westmoreland
county, Virginia, in 1789, son of Major
Catesby and Lettice Corbin (Turberville)
Jones ; in young manhood he was appointed
to the military service of the United States
a? second lieutenant of marines, January 29,
1809, and was promoted captain and assign-
ed to the artillery, July 12, 1812; he was
actively engaged at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane
and Fort Erie, and for meritorious conduct
at the first named places was brevetted
major, and lieutenant-colonel for a suc-
cessful sortie at the last named place:
was promoted major, August 16, 1818,
and made adjutant-general, and brevetted
colonel, September 17, 1824; was promoted
lieutenant-colonel, March 7, 1825, and ap-
pointed adjutant-general of the army, and
received brevets as brigadier-general, June,
1832, and major-general. May, 1848; mar-
ried Mary Anne Mason Page, born about
1796, died at Washington, D. C, in Decem-
ber, 1873 ; he also died in Washington, D. C,
July 15, 1852.
Aulick, Jc^in H., was born at Winchester,
Virginia, in 1789, and joined the United
States navy as midshipman in 1809. He
was assigned to serv^'ce on the Enterprise
and in 18 1 2 he was present at the capture
of the British privateers Mars and Fly, and
the ship Boxer. He was subsequently in
service on the Saranac, the BrandyiiHne, the
Constitution and other well known vessels,
and in 1843 was appointed commander of
the navy-yard in Washington, holding the
position for three years. In 1847 ^^ ^^^
placed in command of the Vincennes, and
later of the East India squadron. He was
retired in 1861, and in the following year
was placed on the retired list with the rank
of commodore. He died April 27, 1873.
Sparrow, Patrick J., born in Lincoln
county. North Carolina, in 1802. He was
educated by the Rev. Samuel Williamson,
in upper South Carolina. He was engaged
in preaching in Salisbury, North Carolina,
and assisted in raising funds for the estab-
lishment of Davidson (North Carolina) Col-
lege, and at its organization was made pro-
fessor of ancient languages. In 1841 he be-
came pastor of the Hampden-Sidney Col-
lege Church, and in 1844 succeeded Dr.
Maxwell in the presidency. After occupy-
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PROMLNENT PERSONS
209
iiig the position two years he removed to
Alabama, and ill health marked* his later
years. He died in 1867.
Junkin, George, born near Carlisle, Penn-
sylvania, November i, 1790, son of an officer
in the revolutionary army. He was gradu-
ated from Jefferson (Pennsylvania) College,
in 18 13, and studied theology in New York.
He entered the Presbyterian ministry; or-
ganized the first temperance societies and
Sunday schools in central Pennsylvania;
founded Lafayette College at Easton, Penn-
sylvania, and became its first president, de-
voting the fortunes of himself and wife to
the establishment of the institution. In
184 1 he became president of Miami (Ohio)
University, but left after three years, the
abolition sentiment there being too strong.
In 1848 he was called to the presidency of
Washington College, and served until 1861,
when he resigned. He was a prolific author,
and published many religious volumes. One
of his daughters married Gen. Thomas J.
(Stonewall) Jackson. He died May 20,
1868.
Upshur, Abel Parker, son of Col. Little-
ton Upshur and Anne Parker, his wife,
daughter of George Parker, was born in
Northampton county, Virginia, June 17,
1790. He attended Princeton and Yale Col-
leges and studied law under William Wirt.
He was admitted to the bar in 1810 and
practiced in Richmond. He was for some
time, commonwealth's attorney of the city,
but returned to Northampton and lived at
"X'aucluse," in that county. In 1824-26 he
was a member of the house of delegates,
and in a very able speech opposed the re-
moval of William and Mary College. He
was made a judge of the general court and
VW— 14
served from 1826 till 1841. He was a mem-
ber of the constitutional convention of 1829,
and advocated the interest of the eastern
section with great ability. He made a pro-
found study of the constitution and under-
took a review of Judge Joseph Story's "Com-
mentaries on the Constitution," 1840. In
this work he exposed the errors of Judge
Story and set forth in reply the states rights
construction of the constitution. It was ap-
plauded throughout the South as a complete
answer to the nationalists, and was long a
text book in the colleges and schools. Mr.
Upshur, who had been a Federalist in his
early youth, as were most of the leading
men on the eastern shore of Virginia,
changed his views about 1816, and became
an ardent states rights man. He sympa-
thized with the doctrines of South Carolina
in 1832, and when Jackson issued his proc-
lamation, he severed his connection with the
Democratic party and was a Whig, voting
for Gen. Harrison in 1840. In 1841 Presi-
dent Tyler made him secretary of the navy,
and in this department he reorganized the
work and established system and order. On
the resignation of Daniel Webster, Tyler
made him secretary of state, and he was a
strong advocate of the annexation of Texas.
Under directions of the President he pre-
pared a treaty for that purpose, but was cut
off from completing the work by death. On
February 26, 1842, he was killed by an ex-
plosion on the steam war vessel Princeton^
near the mouth of the Potomac river, while
on a pleasure trip with the President and
other members of his cabinet to witness the
trial of the Princeton s guns.
Archer, Branch T., son of Peter F. Archer,
of Powhatan county, was born December 13,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1790. He attended William and Mary Col-
lege, studied medicine and practiced success-
fully in Virginia. He served in the house of
delegates in 1819-20. In 1831 he went to
Texas, where he took an active interest in
the politics of that revolutionary period. In
1835 ^ convention of the American settlers
was called for the consideration of Texan
independence, over which Archer presided,
and he was selected with Stephen Austin
and N. H. Wharton, commissioner to Wash-
ington to obtain aid from the United States
government. He became a very prominent
figure in Texan politics, being a member of
the first Texan congress, speaker of the
house of representatives of the republic, and
its secretary of war from 1839 to 1842. He
died in Brazoria county, Texas, September
22. 1856.
Randolph^ Thomas Jefferson, born in
Monticello, Albeijiarle county, Virginia,
September 12, 1792, son of Governor Thomas
Mann and Martha (Jefferson) Randolph,
and grandson of Thomas Jefferson; edu-
cz^itd in the schools of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, and Charlottesville, Virginia; one
of the first acts of his business life was to
discharge a debt of $40,000 remaining
against his Grandfather Jefferson's estate;
another work performed in loyal regard for
the memory of his Grandfather Jefferson
was his preparation, as literary executor, of
the large four-volume **Biography, Life and
Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson,"
which was published in Boston in 1829; as
a member of the legislature, he effected,
among other measures, the passage of a bill
for the adjustment of the tax question,
whereby the finances of the state were ma-
terially strengthened; his knowledge of
finance was also expressed in a pamphlet
entitled "Sixty Years* Reminiscences of the
Currency of the United States," of which
each member of the legislature received a
copy; in the convention of 1850-51, when
the Virginia constitution was revised, he
was an active member; after the secession
of the Southern States, he gave his support
to the Confederacy, and after the war he
was equally zealous in the movements to
restore the well-being of his native state;
his last appearance in public office was as
chairman of the Democratic national con-
vention which was convened in Baltimore.
Maryland, in 1872; for seven years he was
rector of the University of Virginia, and for
thirty-one years a member of its board of
visitors : he died at "Edgehill," N'irginia. Oc-
itber 8, 1875.
Vethake, Henry, born in British Guiana
in 1792, came to America in his childhood
with his parents. He was graduated from
Columbia College in 1808, and studied law.
He held professorships in Columbia and
Queens (now Butler), Dickinson (Pennsyl-
vania) colleges, and the University of New
York. In 1835 ^^ ^^as elected president of
Washington College (now Washington and
Lee University), which position he held a
year, at the same time filling the chair of
intellectual and moral philosophy, retaining
the latter until 1859, when he became asso-
ciated with the Philadelphia Polytechnic
College. He died December 16, 1866.
Garland, John, was born in Virginia, in
1792, died in New York City, June 5, 1861.
He was appointed first lieutenant of infan-
try on March 31, 1813, served through the
war with Great Britain, became a captain
on May 7, 1817, and was made major by
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211
brevet in 1827, attained the full rank of
major on October 30, 1836, and that of lieu-
tenant-colonel on November 27, 1839. He
won distinction in the Florida war under
Gen. Worth, and served through the Mexi-
can war, distinguished himself in six battles,
and commanding a brigade at Monterey and
through Gen. Scott's subsequent campaign.
He was severely wounded at the taking of
the City of Mexico. He was brevetted colo-
nel for gallantry at Palo Alto and Resaca
de la Palma. and brigadier-general for meri-
torious and gallant conduct at Contreras and
Churubusco. He was promoted colonel on
May 9. 1861,
Fickett, James Chambcrlayne, was born
in Fauquier county, Virginia, February 6,
1793- son of Colonel John and Elizabeth
(Chamberlayne) Pickett; grandson of Cap-
tain William S. and Elizabeth (Metcalfe)
Pickett, and a descendant of William and
Anne Pickett. In i"*/) removed with his par-
ents to Mason county, Kentucky, where his
father served in both branches of the state
legislature. He was appointed from Ohio
third lieutenant in the Second United States
Artillery, August 4, 1S13: was promoted
second lieutenant. April 19. iS 14, transferred
tr. the corps of artillery. May 12. 1814, and
left the service at the close of the war in
18 1 5. He edited the "Eagle" at Maysville.
Kentucky, in 1815 ; studied law, and on June
16. I? 18. entered the United States army as
captain and assistant quartermaster-general,
serving until June. 1821. He settled in the
practice of law in Mason county in 1821 ; was
representative in the Kentucky legislature in
1822, and secretary of the state. 1825-28. By
appointment of President Jackson, he was
secretary of the United States legation to
Columbia, 1829-33, acting for a time as
charge d'affaires. He was a commissioner
01 the United States patent office in 1835;
fourth auditor of the United States treas-
ury, 1835-38; United States minister to
Ecuador in 1838, and charge d'affaires to
Peru, 1838-45. In 1845 he removed to Wash-
ington, D. C, where he was editor of the
"Congressional Globe'' for several years.
He was married, October 6, 1818, to Ellen,
daughter of Governor Joseph Desha, of Ken-
tucky. Their son, Joseph Desha Pickett,
was a minister of the Christian church, pro-
fessor in Bethany College, Virginia, chap-
lain in the Confederate army, and professor
of English literature and sacred history in
Kentucky University. Another son. Col.
John T. Pickett, was United States consul
at Vera Cruz. 1853-61, special envoy extra-
ordinary of the Confederate states to Mex-
ico in 1865, and in 1870 sold the diplomatic
correspondence of the Confederate States,
known as the "Pickett Papers,'' to the
United States government for $75,000. James
Chamberlayne Pickett died in Washington,
D. C, July 10, 1872.
Horner, William Edmonds, born in War-
re nton, Virginia. June 3, 1793, grandson of
Robert Horner, who emigrated from Eng-
land to Maryland prior to the revolutionary
war; he was educated at a private school,
then pursued a course of study in medicine,
and received his degree from the University
of Pennsylvania in 18 14: he had been com-
missioned surgeon's mate in the army m
18 1 2. and served through the war with Eng-
land on the Canadian frontier: after his
resignation, in 1S15. he practiced his pro-
fession at Warrenton, but in the follow-
ing year removed to Philadelphia, and in
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1817 became dissector to Dr. Casper Wis-
tar, who was then professor of anatomy in
the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1819
was made adjunct professor of anatomy
under Dr. Philip S. Physick; in 1824 he dis-
covered the Musculus Hornerii, an impor-
tant muscle of the eye, which he described
in a series of articles in the "American
Journal of Medical Science" of that year;
in 183 1 he was appointed to the chair of
anatomy in the University of Pennsylvania,
in which capacity he served until his death ;
was an active member of the city sanitarj'
board during the cholera epidemic of 1832;
united with the Roman Catholic church in
1839; in 1847 founded St. Joseph's Hospital;
in 1848 visited Europe, and was well re-
ceived by scientific men ; he published **Spe-
cial Anatomy and Histolog}*" (Philadelphia,
1826; 8th ed., 2 vols., 185 1) ; "United States
Dissector" (5th ed., revised by Dr. Henry
H. Smith, 1856) ; "Anatomical Atlas," and
numerous contributions to medical period-
icals, and at his death in Philadelphia,
March 13, 1853, left manuscripts on theolog-
ical and literary subjects; he left his fine
anatomical collections, valued at $10,000, to
the University of Pennsylvania, and his
large library to St. Joseph's Hospital.
Houston, Samuel, born in Rockbridge
county, Virginia, March 2, 1793, son of Sam-
uel Houston and Elizabeth Paxton, his wife.
Left fatherless in his boyhood, he was rear-
ed in Tennessee, and was adopted by an
Indian, and received little education. At
the age of twenty he enlisted in the United
States army and soon rose to a sergeantcy.
His courage at the battle of Horseshoe
Bend, where he is said to have received nu-
merous wounds, attracted the attention of
Gen. Jackson. He was promoted to second
lieutenant, then to first lieutenant, but re-
signed on account of criticism by the war
department. In 1818 he began to study law
in Nashville; engaged in practice, and was
elected district attorney. He was also made
adjutant-general, and later major-general.
He was elected to congress in 1823 and 1823,
and governor of Tennessee in 1827. In 1829
he married a Miss Allen, whom a few weeks
later he left without explanation. He left
the state under a cloud, and returned to his
former Indian foster-father. In 1832 he
went to Texas, was a member of the con-
vention, and later was made commander-in-
chief of the Texas army by the convention
which declared independence, and defeated
the Mexicans at San Jacinto, where he was
wounded. He was treated with coolness
by the civil authorities and retired to New
Orleans. Later he returned to Texas, and
was elected its first president, and was re-
elected in 1841. In 1838 he had favored the
annexation of Texas to the United States,
but in 1845 ^^ wanted Texas to be inde-
pendent and opposed annexation. In 1846
Houston was elected United States senator,
and served there until 1859, when he was
again elected governor. In 1861 Texas se-
ceded from the Union, Houston, a staunch
Unionist, refused to take the oath of alle-
giance to the Confederate government, and
was deposed. He was offered United States
troops to maintain himself, but declined their
aid. He took no further part in public life,
and died in Huntsville. Texas, July 25, 1863.
Austin, Stephen F., was born in Virginia,
November 3, 1793, son of Moses Austin. He
was graduated with distinction at Transyl-
vania University, Kentucky: was elected to
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PROMINENT PERSONS
213
the territorial legislature of Missouri in
1813, and annually reelected until iSig.vvhen
he removed to Arkansas, where he was ap-
pointed circuit judge. His father had re-
ceived from Mexico a large grant of land
near the boundary of Texas, for colonization
purposes, conditional on his locating three
hundred families. At his death, in 1820,
Stephen, in pursuance of his father's request
proceeded immediately to colonize the tract.
After many delays and much difficulty, he
finally had the grant confirmed and planted
on the present site of Austin a colony of
some two hundred families. He was con-
stituted governor by Mexico, and as such
possessed dictatorial powers: but he gov-
erned with justice and clemency. In 1833
the American settlers became discontented,
and Austin was appointed by the colony as
a commissioner to carry a petition for the
separation of Texas and Coahuila, which
then constituted one state. The Mexi-
can government, however, failing to con-
'sider the petition, Austin wrote to his peo-
ple in October to form themselves into a
separate colony, without awaiting Mexico's
consent. This letter being intercepted, Aus-
tin was thrown into prison for many months.
President Santa Anna, in May, 1834, called
a council to hear the petition. Austin ap-
peared before it, and by his eloquence won a
promise of the repeal forbidding citizens of
the United States from immigrating into
Texas. The council also promised to estab-
lish a postal system and to station four
thousand soldiers at Bexar to protect the
frontier; but declined the prayer for separa-
tion. Austin was detained as a prisoner.
but at the end of two years was allowed to
return to his colony. At their first consul-
tation, in 1835, Austin advised that any at-
tempt by the Mexican government to dis-
arm the colonists should be met by armed
resistance. To this the colonists gladly ac-
ceded. Austin endeavored to effect a re-
conciliation, but all terms were haughtily
rejected by the Mexicans ; he determined to
make no further overtures for peace, hos-
tilities followed, the revolutionists were vic-
torious at Gonzales, Conception and San
Antonio, and Austin was made commander-
in-chief of the army by acclamation, and
forthwith sent to Gen. Sam Houston for aid
in carrying on the revolution. Austin was
sent as commissioner to Washington in No-
vember, 1835, to appeal to the United States
government for aid, and made a favorable
impression at the national capital. In 1836
the independence of Texas was declared,
Sam Houston was elected first president of
the republic, and he appointed Austin secre-
tary of state. He died December 27, 1836.
Hunt, Thomas Poagc, born in Charlotte
county. \'irginia, in 1794: was graduated at
Hampden-Sidney College in 18 13, then took
a course in theology, and in 1824 was licensed
to preach the Gospel ; for a number of years
he was pastor of churches in Virginia and
North Carolina, after which he changed his
line of work, becoming a temperance lec-
turer, in which capacity he attained a wide
reputation; in 1836 he took up his residence
in the city of Philadelphia, remaining there
for three years, at the expiration of which
time he removed to the Wyoming Valley
and there spent the remainder of his days ;
in addition to the work above mentioned, he
served as agent for Lafayette College dur-
ing the years 1840-41-42-43-44-45, and was
the author of the following articles which
he published: "History of Jesse Johnson
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
and His Times," "It Will Not Injure Me,"
••Death by Measure," *'\Vedding-Days of
Former Times," and "Liquor-Selling a His-
tory of Fraud;" died in Wyoming Valley,
Pennsylvania, December 5, 1876.
Maury, John Minor, born in Fredericks-
burg, \'irginia, 1795, son of Richard and
Diana (Minor) Maury. He became mid-
shipman in the navy at the age of fourteen,
and served on the Essex Jr. in the Pacific,
which brought home the survivors of the
Fssex. with Captain Porter. Promoted to
first lieutenant. 181 1; made flag captain to
Commodore David Porter's fleet engaged in
suppressing West Indian pirates, 1824, and
on return voyage was seized with yellow
fever, and died at sea, near Norfolk, June
23, 1825. He married Eliza Maurj-. of
Franklin, Tennessee. ^
Johns, John, born in New Castle, Dela-
ware, July 10, 1796, son of Kensey Johns and
Ann (Van Dyke) Johns, his wife. He was
^aduated from Princeton College in 1806,
and entered the Episcopal ministry. He
held charges in Frederick and Baltimore,
Maryland. In 1842 he was elected assistant
bishop of Virginia, and the same year was
made president of William and Mary Col-
lege, Williamsburg. In 1854 he retired from
the presidency, stating in his letter of leave
taking that he could retire "without solici-
tude as to the future of the college;" the
number of students had increased under his
administration from twenty-one to eighty-
two. He received the degree of S. T. D.
from Columbia College in 1834, and of Doc-
tor of Laws from William and Mar>' Col-
lege in 1855; retired to his residence near
Alexandria; in 1862 succeeded Bishop
Meade (deceased) in the bishopric, and died
April 6, 1876, in his eightieth year.
Fauntleroy, Thomas Turner, son of Jo-
seph Fauntleroy and Elizabeth Fauntleroy,
daughter of Col. Bushrod Fauntleroy, was
born in Richmond county, Virginia, Octo-
ber 6, 1796, died in Leesburg, Virginia, Sep-
tember 12, 1883. He was commissioned a
lieutenant in the war of 1812, when but
seventeen years old. He studied law in
Winchester, practiced in Warrenton, and in
1823 was elected to the legislature. In 1836
he was commissioned a major of dragoons
in the regular army, and served in the Semi-
nole war. In September, 1845, ^^ ^"^'^^ ^^'
tached from Gen. Taylor's army to hold in
check the Indians on the frontier of Texas.
From this duty he was ordered to join Gen.
Taylor, and subsequently, in Mexico, he
commanded the cavalry of Gen. Scott's
army. In 1849 he was promoted to the lieu-
tenant-colonelcy of the First Dragoons, and
commanded the troops on frontier duty in
Texas. In 1850 he was promoted colonel.
In the winter of 1854-53 he conducted a
campaign against the hostile Indian tribes
of the Rocky mountains, and in 1858 he
made another midwinter campaign against
the Indians in New Mexico. In May, 1861,
he entered the Confederate ser\-ice. He was
commissioned a brigadier-general by the
convention of Virginia, and placed in com-
mand of Richmond and its defences. But
after the organization of the Confederate
government it refused to confirm his com-
mission, although he ranked all the officers
but one that had resigned from the United
States army to serve the Confederacy. He
married Ann, daughter of Col. Charles
Magill, of Winchester, Virginia.
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Janney, Asa Moore, born in. Loudoun
county, Virginia, September 18, 1802; was
reared and educated in his native county,
removed from there to Richmond in 1836,
accompanying his family, and for a number
of years assumed charge of Gallego Mills,
one of the most extensive flouring mills in
the South; returned to Loudoun county in
i860 and resided there until 1869, in which
year he was appointed agent for the Santee
Sioux Indians in Nebraska, to which work
he devoted himself assiduously, being
largely instrumental in improving their
moral and physical condition, and his wife
and daughters also labored among the
women of the tribe, their efforts proving
of great benefit, alleviating the burdens and
hardships they were called upon to bear;
while there, he had a saw mill and flouring
mill erected, lands were allotted to the In-
dians in severalty, and about one hundred
log houses erected; owing to impaired
htalth. he resigned his commission and re-
turned to Virginia; was a member of the
Society of Friends, in which he held the
office of elder; his death occurred in Lou-
doun county. Virginia, April 30, 1880.
Beckwourth, James P., was bom at Fred-
ericksburg, Virginia, April 26, 1798. His
father was a major in the revolutionary
army, and his mother a negro slave. About
the year 1805 he removed to St. Louis, Mis-
souri, and settled on the spot afterwards
known as "Beckwourth's Settlement." When
young Beckwourth was about ten years old
he was sent to St. Louis, where he attended
school for four years, and was then appren-
ticed to a blacksmith in that city. At the
age of nineteen he joined an expedition of
about one hundred men to go up the Fever
river and negotiate a treaty with the Sac
Indians; and that being done, he remained
in the vicinity for more than a year. He
next became connected with General Ash-
ley's Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In
1823 he carried important despatches to the
mountains for Gen. Ashley. After terrible
sufferings and many years spent among the
Indians during which time he was made a
chief of the Crows, he returned to his fam-
ily at St. Louis, and later went to Florida,
where he carried despatches for the United
States, and was engaged in fighting the In-
dians. He went to Mexico, and in 1844 ac-
companied a trading expedition to Califor-
nia. At the breaking out of the California
revolution against Gov. Micheltorena, in
1845, he took an active part. He was en-
gaged by the United States government to
convey despatches to Chihuahua, and after-
v/ards from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to
California. Some time after 1849 he dis-
covered a pass through the Sierra Nevada
mountains, which was named **Beckwourth's
Pass/* and in 1852 he became a trader in
Bcckwourth's Valley. He died in 1867.
Greenhow, Robert, was born in Rich-
mond, Virginia, in 1800, died in San Fran-
cisco, California, in 1854. His father, Robert,
was at one time mayor of Richmond. His
mother, Mary Ann Wills, perished at the
burning of the Richmond theatre in 181 1,
and the son barely escaped with his life. He
was graduated from William and Mary Col-
lege in i8r6, and finished his education in
New York, studying medicine with Dr.
David Hosack and Dr. John W. Francis,
and taking his degree at the College of Phy-
sicians and Surgeons in 1821. He then
visited Europe where he met Byron and
other distinguished men, and on his return
delivered lectures on chemistry before the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
New York Literary and Philosophical So-
ciety. He became translator to the depart-
ment of state in Washington in 1828, and in
1850 removed to California, where in 1853
he was associate law-agent to the United
States land commission. He published **A
History of Tripoli" (1835), and a "Report
on the Discovery of the Northwest Coast
ot North America," prepared by order of
congress in 1837 (New York. 1840), and
afterward enlarged into a "History of Ore-
gon and California/* a work of high author-
ity (1846). Dr. Greenhow also read before
the New York Historical Society, in 1848,
a paper in relation to the supposed mission-
ary labors of Archbishop Fenelon, since
fc'und to have been those of a brother,
among the Iroquois of New York. His
grandfather, John Greenhow, a prominent
merchant of Williamsburg, was born in
Stanton, near Kendall, county Westmore-
land. England, November 12, 1724, and died
August 29. 1787. He married three times
(first) Judith Davenport, (second) Eliza-
beth Tyler, sister of Gov. John Tyler, and
(third) Rebecca Harman, daughter of Ben-
skin Harman. Robert Greenhow was de-
scended from the first marriage.
Alexander, James Waddell, was born in
Louisa county, Virginia, March 13, 1804,
son of Archibald and Janetta Waddell Alex-
ander, and maternal grandson of James
Waddell, the blind preacher, made famous
by William Wirt. He was educated in the
academy at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
entered Princeton College, and was gradu-
ated in 1820, following with a four years'
course at the theological seminary. In 1824
he was a tutor in that institution, and was
licensed to preach by the presbytery of New
Brunswick, New Jersey. For three years
following he was pastor in Charlotte coun-
ty, \^irginia. From 1828 to 1832 he had
charge of the First Presbyterian Church in
Trenton, New Jersey. He gave up preach-
ing on account of failing health, and took
charge of the "Presbyterian,'' of Philadel-
phia, as editor. From 1834 to 1S44 he was
professor of belles Icttrcs and rhetoric at
Princeton College, and for the next five
years he served the congregation of the
Duane Street Presbyterian Church of New
York City. At the end of his pastorate he
returned to Princeton to take the chair of
ecclesiastical history and church govern-
ment in the theological seminary. In 1S51
he returned to New York to accept a call
to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church,
where he exerted a great power in the pul-
pit and with his pen. In preaching and
writing he aimed at being practical rather
than scholarly, and in the pulpit was in-
tensely spiritual. He wrote many transla-
tions of popular German hymns, one of
which found rts way into many hymn books
— Gerhardt's passion hymn, **0, Sacred
Head now Wounded." His published works
include: "Consolation," "Family Worship,"
"Plain Words to a Young Communicant,"
"Discourses on Christian Faith and Prac-
tice," "Gift to the Afflicted," "A Biography
o^ Dr. Archibald Alexander," and over
thirty volumes prepared for the American
Sunday School Union. He contributed to
the "Princeton Review" and the "Biblical
Repertory." Rev. Dr. John Hall published
in 1880, in two volumes "Forty Years' Fa-
miliar Letters of James W. Alexander." He
died at Red Sweet Springs, Virginia, July
3h 1859.
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PROMIXENT PERSONS
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Saunders, Robert, born in Williamsburg,
Virginia, January 25, 1805, son of Robert
Saunders, entered the University of Vir-*
ginia in its first year, and took the law
course of lectures. In 1833 he was made
professor of mathematics in William and
Mary College, Williamsburg, and continued
as such after his appointment as president
pro tcuL in 1847. Dissensions arose in the
faculty, and all resigned in 1848. Mr. Saun-
ders then traveled in Europe, and was a
guest of Lafayette. For a long time he was
at the head of the Eastern Lunatic Asylum,
and just before the civil war was president
of the York River railroad. Throughout his
life, until disfranchised in reconstruction
times, he was a member of the legislature;
mayor, magistrate and councilman of Wil-
liamsburg, and a vestryman of Bruton par-
ish. In- the civil war he was offered the
colonelcy of a regiment, but feeling himself
unfitted for field service, took a position in
the Confederate quartermasters depart-
ment, where he proved himself an efficient
officer. He married Lucy, a daughter of
Governor John Page. He died September
II. 1868.
HoUaday, Albert Lewis, born in Spotsyl-
vania county, Virginia, April 16, 1805. He
was educated at the University of Virginia,
and taught for a time there and in Rich-
mond. He then took the presidency of
Hampden-Sidney College, relinquishing it
in 1833, when he took up the study of the-
ology. For eleven years he was a mission-
ary in Persia, and achieved eminence as a
scholar in Oriental literature; among his
works was a Syriac grammar. Returning
home, he became pastor at Charlottesville,
Virginia. He was in ill health, when he
was informed of his election (the second)
to the presidency of Hampden-Sidney Col-
lege, and was never well again, and did not
reach the place. lie died a month later,
October 18, 1856.
Burk, John D., born in Ireland, died near
Campbell's Bridge, Virginia, April 11, 1808.
He was expelled from Trinity College, Dub-
Im, for writing and printing deistical and re-
publican sentiments, also became obnoxious
to the government, and came to America in
1796. In Boston he edited the *'Polar Star,'*
v/hich did not long exist. Coming to New
^'ork. he edited a paper and was arrested
for perpetrating a libel under the alien and
sedition law. He removed to Petersburg,
V'irginia. where he gave himself to the
law and literature. He wrote "History of
Virginia from its first settlement to 1740,"
(3 vols.), printed in Petersburg, 1804. He
engaged in a political dispute with Felix
Coquebert, which resulted in a duel, in
which he met his death.
Dew, Thomas R., was born in King and
Queen county, December 5, 1802, son of
Thomas R. Dew and Lucy Gatewood. his
wife. His father served a short time in the
war of 181 2. Thomas R. Dew, the son,
graduated from William and Mary College
in 1820. after which he traveled two years
in Europe. On October 16, 1826, he was
elected professor of history and political
law in William and Mary College. The
chair of history, which was established
under Rev. Robert Keith, was developed
by Mr. Dew into one of first importance.
At that time history and political science
were scarcely known among the studies of
American colleges. In 1836 Mr. Dew be-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
came president, and the college achieved a
degree of prosperity never previously
known. In 1840 the number of students in
attendance was one hundred and forty. His
"Lectures on the Restrictive System," de-
picting the evils of the tariff system, were
very popular, not only with his students,
but with the Southern public, and had much
weight in shaping opposition to the tariff
laws of 1828 and 1832. His essay in favor
of slavery had a marked effect. His great-
est work was his "Digest of the Laws, Cus-
toms. Manners, and Institutions of Ancient
and Modern Nations," embracing lectures
delivered to his class. Dr. Dew contributed
largely to the "Southern Review." In 1845
he married Natilia Hay, daughter of Dr.
Hay. of Clarke county, Virginia' and died
suddenly on his wedding trip. The faculty
formally bore testimony in their minutes
that it was difficult to decide whether "his
wisdom as president, his ability as a pro-
fessor, or his excellence as a man was most
to be admired." He died in Paris, France,
August 6, 1846.
Foe, Edgar Allan, was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, January 19, 1809, son of
David and Elizabeth (Arnold) Poe. His
grandfather, David Poe, fought in the revo-
lutionary and 181 2 wars, and his father, who
had been educated for the law, had become
an actor, married an actress, and was play-,
ing in Boston, when Edgar Allan, his sec-
ond son, was born. His parents died when
he was but two years old, and John Allan,
a wealthy merchant of Richmond, adopted
him. He attended school at Stoke Newing-
ton, England, and a private school in Rich-
mond, Virginia, and entered the University
of Virginia. February 14, 1826. He remain-
ed there but one year, worked in Mr. Allan's
counting room a few months, and in 1827
went to Boston, where at the age of eighteen
he published his first volume of poems,
which he later attempted to destroy. When
his money was gone, he enlisted in the
army, May 6, 1828, as Edgar A. Perr>% He
was advanced from private to the rank of
sergeant-major in less than nine months,
and when Mr. Allan learned where he was
he furnished a substitute and had Poe ap-
pointed to the United States Military Acad-
emy. July I, 1830. Poe found the life dis-
tJisteful to him. and Mr. Allan, refusing to
allow him to resign, he succeeded in being
cashiered in 1831. In 1829 he had published
a second edition of his poems under a new
title, and in 1831 he published a third vol-
ume, dedicated to his fellow students. Mr.
Allan's anger at the Military Academy dis-
grace caused Poe to leave his home and go
to Baltimore, where he took up literature
as a profession, turning his attention to
prose. His first story, published in the
"Saturday Visitor," in 1833, won him the
$100 prize offered by that paper. He be-
came editor of the '^Southern Literary Mes-
senger" of Richmond in 1835, and here he
began to show the peculiar, mystical side of
his writings and his ability and fearlessness
as a critic. He became editor of "Graham's
Magazine" in 1836 and in the same year
was married to his young cousin, Virginia
Clemm. He was made associate editor of
the "Gentleman's Magazine" in 1839, and
in 1841, when this was merged into "Gra-
ham's Magazine," became editor. It was at
this time that he published his theories in
regard to cryptography, and demonstrated
them by solving a hundred miscellaneous
specimens that were sent to him by his con-
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PROMIXEXT PERSONS
219
tributors. This same year he won a luin-
dred dollar prize with his story "The
Gold- Bug." In 1842 he left "Graham's
Magazine'' and in 1844 became editorial as-
sistant on the "Evening Mirror," then con-
ducted by X. P. Willis, and in its columns
in 1845 first published "The Raven." In
1846. after an unsuccessful attempt to con-
duct the "Broadway Journal," he withdrew
to Fordham, Xew York, where on January
30, 1847, his wife died, and he became a
complete recluse. Poe's works include:
"Tamerlane and Other Poems" (1827) ; "Al
Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems"
(1829); "Poems" (1831); **A Manuscript
Found in a Bottle" ("Saturday Visitor,"
^^33^ '* "Berenice" ("Southern Literary Mes-
senger," 1834) ; "The Fall of the House of
Usher" ("Gentleman's Magazine.'* 1840);
*The Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque"
(iJ^40) ; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue''
("Gentleman's Magazine," 1841 ) : "The
Gold-Bug" ("Dollar Magazine," 1842) : "The
Raven'' (1845) ; "The Literati of Xew York''
("Godey's Lady's Book.'* 1846); "Eureka,
a Prose Poem" (1847); "Ulalume," "The
Bells" and "Annabel Lee." written after
1847. Rufus \V. Griswold prepared a
memoir of Poe which he published in 1880.
Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman wrote "Edgar
A. Poe and His Critics" (1859); William
Fearing Gill (q. v.) refuted certain state-
ments of Griswold in **The Life of Edgar
Allan Poe" (1876), and George F. Wood-
bury wrote "Edgar Allan Poe," for the
"American Men of Letters" (1885). The
Baltimore school teachers erected a monu-
ment to Poe, 1875, ^^^ the actors of the
L'nited States placed a memorial in the
Metropolitan Museum in 1885. Edwin Booth
and William Winter officiating. The Poe
Memorial Association unveiled a bust of
Foe by Zolnay at the University of Vir-
ginia, October, 1899, William Fearing Gill,
Hamilton W. Mabie and Robert Burns Wil-
son assisting, and a cenotaph erected in his
memory was unveiled in Baltimore, Mary-
land, October, 1899. He is recognized as
the father of the "Short Story," and he was
probably the most original American poet.
The sale of his works surpasses that of any
other on the market. He died in Baltimore,
Maryland, October 7, 1849.
Broaddus, Andrew, born in Caroline
county. Virginia, Xovember 4, 1770. He
united with the Baptist church in 1788. and
soon afterwards became a preacher. In
182 1 he was assistant pastor of a church in
Richmond, and in 1832 was chosen modera-
tor of the Dover Baptist Association. He re-
ceived many calls from important churches
ill Xorthern as well as Southern cities, but
could not be induced to leave the country,
and labored incessantly until his death, at
Salem. Virginia. December i. 1848. With
Tmitcd education, his fine natural abilities
and impressive oratorical powers made him
a powerful pulpiteer. He published a "His-
tory of the Bible." **A Catechism," "A Form
of Church Discipline," and the Dover and
X'irginia selections of hymns. As late as
1852 Dr. Jeter published his memoirs and
some of his sermons.
Blair, Francis Preston, born at Abingdon,
\'irginia, April 12. 1791. He was of Scotch
descent, and a great grandson of John Pres-
ton (q. V. i. 308). He was educated at Tran-
sylvania (Kentucky) University, and stud-
ied law. but never engaged in practice,
entering almost immediately upon a public
and political career. Soon after leaving the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
university he became clerk of the Kentucky
iupreme court. In 1828 the legislature
elected him. to the presidency of the Bank
of Kentucky. During this time he had
made considerable reputation as a political
writer in a controversy which had arisen
in Kentucky over the attempt on the part
of the state to cripple the Dank of the
United States by taxing its branches within
it.** jurisdiction. This contest lasted for ten
years, and involved the right of the state to
alter its laws enforcing contracts, its right
U: abolish imprisonment for debt, to extend
the replevin laws, and other important ques-
tions. It resulted in the triumph of the
bank party, but a new direction was given
ti» the controversy — the conflict became
national, and resulted in the downfall of the
United States Dank, and its overthrow was
followed by a reform in Kentucky on the
l.rinciples which had been sustained by Mr.
r.lair. Up to this time he had been a Clay
man. but he now attracted the attention of
President Jackson, who in 1830 induced him
to go to Washington City and assume the
editorial management of **The Globe'* news-
paper, which was to be made the official
organ of the administration. Mr. Blair dis-
played excellent journalistic powers in this
new field. He gave warm support to the
Jackson and Van Buren administrations, but
by his opposition to the annexation of
Texas lost his hold upon the Democratic
party, and a new newspaper, entitled **The
Union." edited by Thomas Ritchie, received
the support of President Polk, and Blair
retired to private life. His leanings were
toward the nationalistic wing of the Dem-
ocratic party, and during Mr. Polk's ad-
ministration, when the states rights wing
was in the ascendant, he allied himself
with the Free Soil party, and was chairman
Of the first national Republican convention,
in 1856. which nominated John C. Fremont
for the presidency. He was a delegate to
tlic next national convention of the party,
in i8rx), which nominated Mr. Lincoln, with
whom he ever after maintained a close and
influential intimacy. In 1864 he visited
Richmond, by permission of President Lin-
coln, and brought about the peace confer-
ence which took place in Hampton Roads
ii' the fall of that year, and which was un-
productive of results because of the refusal
of Mr. Lincoln to negotiate except upon the
basis of complete submission of the South-
ern states. Ho could not approve the recon-
struction methods following after the war,
and returned to the Democratic party, but
took no part in public affairs. He was the
father of two distinguished sons — Mont-
gojiiery Blair, who became postmaster-gen-
eral in President Lincoln's cabinet, and
Francis P. Blair, Jr., who was prominent in
Missouri in 1861, and became a major-gen-
eral in the Union army. Blair was an able
man, a versatile writer and a strong nation-
alist, but had no scruples in changing his
support of men and measures whenever, in
his opinions, it was expedient to do so in
the interest of party.
Janney, Samuel Macpherson, born in
Loudoun county, Virginia, January 11,
1801 ; was a minister of the Society of
Friends, and travelled extensively in this
capacity ; in 1869 he was appointed by Presi-
dent Grant superintendent of Indian affairs
in the northern superintendency : he was
the author of a prize poem entitled *'The
Country School-House'' (1825); "Conver-
sations on Religious Subjects" (1835; 3rd
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c(l., Phil., 1843) ; "The Last of the Lenape,
and Other Poems" (1839); "The Teacher's
Gift," essays in prose and verse (1840) ; "An
Historical Sketch of the Christian Church
during the Middle Ages" (1847); **Life of
William Penn" (1852; 3rd ed., 1856) ; **Life
of George Fox" (1853) » 2tnd a "History of
the Religious Society of Friends, from its
Rise to the year 1828" (4 vols., 1860-67) ;
died in Loudoun county, Virginia, April 30,
1880.
Mann, Ambrose Dudley, born at Hanover
Court House, Virginia, April 26, 1801 ; after
preparatory studies he became a cadet at
the United States Military Academy, but
deciding upon the legal profession for his
life work, resigned from that institution ; in
1842 he received the appointment of United
States consul to Bremen, Germany, from
President Tyler, three years later negotiated
commercial treaties with Hanover, Olden-
burg and Mecklenburg, and in 1847 with all
the other German provinces except Prussia ;
in 1849 he was appointed United States
commissioner to Hungary, from 1850 to
1854 served as United States minister to
Switzerland by appointment of President
Fillmore, and he negotiated a reciprocal
treaty with that republic ; from 1854 to 1836
he served in the capacity of assistant secre-
tary of the state of Virginia, and was sent
to Europe by the Confederate government
on a special mission to England and France
for the accomplishment of which he was
soon after joined by James ^L Mason and
John Slidell : he made his home in France
after the fall of the Confederacy, and he de-
voted the remaining years of his life to the
preparation of his "Memoirs." which were
published after his death, which occurred in
Paris, France, November 20, 1889.
Munford, George Wythe, born in Rich-
mond, Virginia, January 8, 1803, son of Wil-
liam Munford, Esq. (q. v.) ; was named in
honor of the distinguished chancellor,
George Wythe, the intimate friend of his
father. He inherited from his distinguished
father that strength of mind and fondness
for intellectual labor, which were his life-
long characteristics. He completed his
classical education at the College of Wil-
liam and Mary, and, after his graduation,
entered upon the study of the law. How-
ever, he was called to another sphere of
usefulness. He was employed by his father,
at that time clerk of the house of delegates,
as an assistant, and whom, by election, he
succeeded at his death. For more than
twenty-five years he kept the journal in a
manner which reflected much credit upon
him. and when the convention of 1829 con-
vened his reputation secured his election as
secretary of that body. In that capacity he
was thrown into daily contact with James
Monroe, James Madison, John Marshall,
John Randolph, Abel P. Upshur, and other
distingfuished men, and was more thor-
oughly acquainted with the public men of
Virginia than any other man of his genera-
tion. After his long service as clerk, he was
elected secretary of the commonwealth, and
he served as such with marked ability until
the fall of the Confederacy. For several
years after the war he lived in Gloucester
county. After the reestablishment of civil
government, he was appointed clerk of the
committee of the house of delegates for
courts of justice, and his services in that
capacity were eminently valuable. Subse-
quently he occupied a position in the office
of the first auditor of the United States
treasury, and more recently a place in the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
government census bureau. While most
capably discharging his official duties, he
accomplished other painstaking tasks,
among them the compiling and editing of
the code of Virginia of i860, and afterwards
in publishing the code of 1873 — works which
will be a witness to his ability and informa-
tion. He was one of the most active mem-
bers of the Southern Historical Society, of
which he became secretary at its reorganiza-
tion in 1873, ^^^ which position he filled
with marked ability until the winter of 1874,
when other pressing duties compelled him
to resign. He was author of "The Two
Parsons" and "Jewels of X'irginia" (Rich-
mond. 1884), and numerous monographs.
He died suddenly at his residence in Rich-
mond, January 9. 1882.
Rogers, William Barton, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 7,
1804, son of Patrick Kerr and Hannah
(Ely the) Rogers. His father having pub-
lished articles in the Dublin newspapers
during the Irish rebellion hostile to the gov-
ernment, sailed for America to escape ar-
rest, and arrived in Philadelphia in August,
1798. He graduated from the medical school
of the University of Pennsylvania, 1802;
piacticed in Philadelphia and Baltimore,
and was professor of natural philosophy and
chemistry in William and Mary College,
1819-28. William Barton Rogers removed
with his parents to Baltimore, Maryland, in
1812, where he attended the common schools
and was temporarily employed in a mercan-
tile house ; was graduated from William and
Mary, 1822, delivering an oration at the
third **Virginiad,*' Jamestown, in May, 1822;
continued at the college as acting professor
of mathematics and as a post-graduate stu-
dent of the classics until October, I825, and
in the fall of 1826 opened a school at Wind-
sor, Maryland, with his brother James. He
delivered two courses of lectures before the
Maryland Institute at Baltimore, 1827, and
in October, 1828. succeeded to his father's
professorship at William and Mary. He
made a study of the geolog}- of eastern \'ir-
ginia. and taught the value of green marl as
a fertilizer. He was made state geologist in
1835. and in the same year was made pro-
fessor of natural philosophy in the Univer-
sity of \'irginia, and also chairman of the
faculty in 1844. In the latter capacity he
prepared a memorial to the legislature in
defence of the university and its annual ap-
propriation, and also the "Report'' of the
committee of the house of delegates on
.<rhix)ls and colleges, a report of much im-
portance in the histor>- of American educa-
tion. His administration included the ardu-
ous period of *'rioting ' among the students,
which was suppressed by civil authority.
He served as state geologist, 1835-42. He
was married. June 20. 1849, to Emma,
daughter of James Savage and Elizabeth
(Stillman-Lincoln) Savage, of Boston, Mas-
sachusetts; visited England and Scotland,
Ji'ne-October, 1849; delivered a course of
lectures on "phases of the atmosphere'' be-
fore the Smithsonian Institution, 1852; re-
signed from the University of Virginia in
1853, and removed to his wife's* former
home, ''Sunny Hill," Lunenburg, Mas.sachu-
setts. He delivered lectures on the ele-
mentary laws of physics before the Lowell
Institute. 1856-57, and devoted much time
to geological investigations. As early as
1846 he had conceived a definite idea for a
polytechnic school in Boston, and in Sep-
tember, i860, he submitted the plan which
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later became the basis of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Professor Rogers
was chairman of the **committee of twenty,*'
appointed to frame a constitution and by-
laws for the institute, and on April 19, 1862,
was elected the first president of the insti-
tute. Meanwhile he served as state inspector
ot gas meters and gas, 1861-64, and delivered
a second course of lectures before the
Lowell Institute in 1862. In 1864 he visited
Europe to collect machinery and apparatus
for the school which opened for the pre-
hminary course, February 20, 1865, and for
regular courses, October 2, 1865, with about
seventy students and a faculty of ten mem-
bers. In addition to his duties as president,
Professor Rogers also held the chair of
physics and geology until June 10. 1S68.
In December, 1868. he was granted leave of
absence for one year on account of failing
health, and removed to Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania. His improvement not being as-
sured, he resigned from the presidency of
the institute, May 3, 1870, and was suc-
ceeded by .Acting President John D. Runkle.
In i«'^74, after residence in various places,
he returned to Boston, and upon the resig-
nation of Dr. Runkle again assumed the
presidency of the institute until Gen. Francis
A. Walker was appointed his successor. May
20. i8Sr. The honorary degree of Doctor
of Laws was conferred upon him by Hamp-
dcn-Sidney College in 1848. by William and
Mary, 1857. and by Harvard in 1866. He
was chairman of the Association of Amer-
ican Geologists and Naturalists in 1847, ^"d
ill 1848 chairman and joint president, with
W. C. Redfield, of its succes.sor, the Amer-
ican .Association for the .\dvancemcnt of
Science, serving a second time as president
in 1876: corresponding secretary of the
American Academy of .Arts and Sciences,
1863-69; founder and first president of the
American .Association for the Promotion of
Social Science, 1865 1 Massachusetts com-
missioner to the Paris E.xposition of 1867;
president of the National Academy of
Sciences, 1878; elected a foreign member of
the Geographical Society of London, and of
the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries,
1844. and was a corresponding member of
the British .Association for the Advance-
ment of Science. In addition to his many
important addresses, his publications in-
clude numerous scientific articles in the
''Farmers' Register*' and Silliman's Jour-
nal :" reports for the "Geology of the Vir-
ginias" (1836-41) : contributions to the pro-
ceedings and transactions of various learned
societies, and documents relating to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technofogy. Dr.
Pogers and his brothers, James B., Henry
D. and Robert E., all attained distinction in
science and were known as the "brothers
Rogers." William Barton Rogers died
while delivering the diplomas to the gradu-
ating class at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Boston, Massachusetts. May
3u, 1882.
Green, Lewis W., was born in Boyle
county, Kentucky,. January 28, 1806, son of
Willis Green and Sar.ih Reed, his wife, of
Culpeper county, Virginia. He was gradu-
ated from Center College, and took a course
at Princeton Theological Seminary. For
two years he was a professor in Center Col-
lege, then spent two years abroad, engaged
in study, and on his return was made vice-
president of the college and professor of
belle-lettres. From 1840 to 1847 he wns a
professor in the Western Theological Semi-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
nary at Allegheny, Pennsylvania; the fol-
lowing year was pastor of the Second Pres-
byterian Church in Baltimore. In 1848 he
accepted the presidency of Hampden-Sidney
College. He left in 1856, to take the presi-
dency of Transylvania (Kentucky) Univer-
sity, but his expectations of a liberal support
were not realized, and a year later he be-
came president of Center College. He wrote
several volumes. He died in Kentucky in
May. 1863.
Grigsby, Hugh Blair, born at Norfolk,
Virginia. November 22, 1806. son of Benja-
min Grigsby and Elizabeth McPherson, his
wife. He began his education in Prince Ed-
ward county, and for two years was a stu-
dent at Yale College, at the same time taking
work in law, but was obliged to dismiss
the idea of becoming a lawyer on account of
a growing deafness. He then became owner
and editor of the Norfolk **Beacon," from
which he retired with a competency six years
later. His health was yet uncertain, and to
build himself up he boxed and walked per-
sistently. On one occasion he made a jour-
ney on foot to Massachusetts, through
much of New England and the lower Can-
ada, and back to Virginia. In 1828 he rep-
resented Norfolk in the legislature and was
a member of the state convention of 1829-
30. In 1840 he married Mary Venable,
daughter of Col. Clement Carrington, of
**Edgehill/' Charlotte county. After a tem-
porary removal to Norfolk he took up his
residence at "Edgehill," where he remained
until his death, busying himself with his
library of six thousand volumes and the
care of his estate. Of ample means, it has
been said that some of his efforts in im-
provement "were fanciful or Utopian; but
the results showed method and skill; the
process was necessarily laborious, but the
effect was grand." His biographer has said :
"Very few \'irginia planters have used their
leisure to such advantage, and Mr. Grigsby
affords the only parallel in the country at
large." He took much interest in the Col-
lege of William and Mary and succeeded
John Tyler as third and last chancellor in
1871. There has been preserved a manu-
script volume which he put together in his
eighteenth year. His work was almost
wholly biographical, the chief of it done dur-
ing the last thirty years of his life, and the
greater portion has been preserved in
printed form. These writings include : "Ad-
dress on the Mecklenburg Declaration of
Independence,'' delivered before the Rich-
mond Atheiiceum in 1848: "Discourse on
the \'irginia Convention of 1829-30," before
the \'irginia Historical Society, December
15. 1853; "Discourse on the Virginia Con-
vention of 1776." delivered before the Phi
Beta Kappa Society of the College of Wil-
liam and Mary, July 3, 1855 ; '^Discourse on
the Virginia Convention of 1788," before
the Virginia Historical Society, February
23, 1858; "Disccurse on the Character of
Jefferson," at the unveiling of his statue in
the library of the University of Virginia,
i860; "Discourse on the Life and Character
ot Littleton Waller Tazewell," before the
bar of Norfolk, June 29, i860; '*Some of
C)ur Past Historic Periods bearing on the
Present," before the \'irginia Historical
Society, 1870: address on the "Founders of
Washington College," at Lexington, 1870;
"Centennial Address," before Hampden-
Sidney College, 1876. Mr. Grigsby died at
his seat, "Edgehill," April 28, 1886. Among
his correspondents was Robert C. Win-
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CHARLES CAMPBELL
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throp, of Massachusetts, and their letters to
one another are the prized possession of the
Virginia Historical Society.
Jacobs, John Adamson, born in i-eesburg,
Virginia, August 19, 1806; he was reared
and educated in Kentucky, whither he was
taken by his parents in infancy, being a stu-
dent in Centre College, after which he en-
tered the deafmute institution in Hartford,
Connecticut, and there pursued a course for
eighteen months in order to qualify himself
for the position offered him, that of superin-
tendent and teacher of the deaf and mute
in the institution that had been recently
established under state auspices in Danville,
and for the long period of forty-five years
was connected with that institution; until
the year 1854 he was allowed any profits
that might accrue on the boarding .depart-
ment proceeds, but in that year he volun-
tarily gave it up, thus saving $2,500 per
annum to the state; he published a manual
of lessons for his pupils (1834) and "Pri-
mary Lessons for Deaf-Mutes*' (2 vols.,
1859). which received many commendations
on both sides of the Atlantic; he died in
Danville, Kentucky. November 27, 1869.
Alexander, William C, was born in Vir-
ginia, January 4, 1806, second son of Archi-
bald and Janetta (Waddel) Alexander. He
was educated at Philadelphia and at Prince-
ton College, where he was graduated in
1824. He then studied law and was admit-
ted to the bar on arriving at his majority in
1827. He gained distinction as an advocate
and orator, and took active part in political
life. As lieutenant-governor of the state of
X'ew Jersey, he presided over the state
senate for several years. In 185 1 he was a
candidate for governor, but was defeated
VIA-15
by a few votes. He was a member of the
peace congress in 1861 and presided over
many of its sessions. In 1859 he helped to
organize the Equitable Life Assurance
Society and was its first president, which
office he held until his death, which occurred
in Xew York City, August 23, 1874.
Campbell, Charles, was born in Peters-
burg, Virginia. May i, 1807, son of John
Wilson Campbell, the historian, who, in
1813. published a "History of Virginia to
1781.'' He was educated at Princeton, and
upon his graduation in 1825, commenced
teaching. From 1842 to 1855 ^^ conducted
a classical school, which he had established
at Petersburg, and in the latter year became
principal of the Anderson Seminary in that
city. He was the editor of the famous
•* Bland Papers'* (1840-43), and of the
"Orderly Book of Gen. Andrew Lewis'*
(Richmond, i860); and he was the author
of **An Introduction to the History of the
Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia"
(Richmond. 1847; Philadelphia. 1859);
**Some Materials for a Memoir of John Daly
Burke" (Albany, 1868). He was a contrib-
utor to the "Historical Register" and to the
"Southern Literary Messenger." He died
in Staunton. Virginia, July 11, 1876.
Harrison, Gessner, born at Harrisonburg,
Virginia, June 26. 1807, died April 7, 1862.
He was one of the very first students to
enter the newly founded University of Vir-
ginia, where he pursued a medical course,
and in 1828 graduated from that institution,
and at the same time was one of three
graduates in Greek, having pursued his lan-
guage studies under Professor George Long,
who was shortly afterward recalled to Eng-
land, and was asked to name his successor
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ii: the chair of ancient languages, his choice
being Gessner Harrison, then barely twenty-
one years of age, and he held the appoint-
ment for one year, but during that time he
gave such abundant evidence of his talent
and unusual attainments in scholarship, that
in the following year his installation was
made permanent, and his service was
destined to cover the long period of thirty-
one years, only ending then at his own voli-
tion. He was probably the first in the
United States to employ the methods of
comparative grammar in teaching Latin and
Greek. He was insistent upon an ample
knowledge of history and geography in
studying the classics, and, for want of text-
books, himself prepared a pamphlet to meet
the needs of his students. For seven years
Professor Harrison occupied the position
of chairman of the faculty, finally declinbig
reelection. In 1859, overburdened by the
pressure of work, he resigned and removed
t(/ Albemarle county, where he opened a
classical school for boys, which was subse-
quently removed to Xelson county, and was
an institution of greatest influence through-
out the South. Professor Harrison was the
author of two works of approved merit:
*'Greek Prepositions," Philadelphia, 1848,
and ** Exposition of Some of the Laws of
Latin Grammar," New York, 1852. He also
wrote for Duyckinck's "Cyclopedia of Amer-
ican Literature," a historical sketch of the
University of Virginia.
Emmet, John Patten, M. D., born at Dub-
lin, Ireland, April 8, 1796, son of Thomas
Addis Emmet, the distinguished Irish pa-
triot, who emigrated to this country in 1804,
settling in New York City, where he be-
came a lawyer of note, and was elected
attorney -general of the state in 1812. John
P. Emmet accompanied his father to the
United States, and attended a private school
in Flatbush. Long Island, New York. In
1814 he entered the United States Military
Academy at West Point, and after gradua-
tion was detailed as acting assistant pro-
fessor of mathematics, which position he
held until his resignation early in 1817,
owing to ill health. In 1819, upon his re-
turn to New York from Naples, whither he
had gone in order to recuperate, he began
the study of medicine under the preceptor-
ship of Dr. William J. Macneven, after
which he matriculated in the New York
College of Physicians and Surgeons, from
which he received his medical degree in
1822. He at once located for active practice
in Charleston, South Carolina, remaining
until 1825, and while so engaged gained a
reputation as a popular lecturer on Chem-
istry, his lectures attracting the attention of
the founders of the University of Vifginia,
and when the first professors of that insti-
tution were appointed, in 1825, Dr. Emmet
was called to the chair of chemistry, and his
warrant, written and signed by Thomas
Jefferson, is yet preserved. Dr. Emmet
served in that capacity until 1842, a period
of seventeen years, and during a portion of
that time delivered a regular course of lec-
tures upon materia medica as well as on
chemistry. In addition to his capability as
a lecturer, he was a skilled draughtsman, a
sculptor of no mean ability, a musician, a
composer, skillful in the composition of
English verse, and was a careful writer,
chiefly upon chemical and kindred topics.
The more notable of his papers are con-
tained in "Silliman's Journal ;'* these include
*• Iodide of Potassium as a Test for Arsenic,"
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1S30; "Solidification of Gypsum," 1833; and
"Formic Acid," 1837. To these are to be
added others touching upon a line of investi-
gation in which he was among the earliest
and ablest — "A Description of a New Mode
01 Producing Electro-Magnetic Currents,"
1833, and **An Inquiry into the Probable
Cause of Electro-Magnetic Currents," 1835.
He attained a profound knowledge of Latin
and Greek, spoke fluently French and
Italian, and had some knowledge of Ger-
man. He was by nature a skillful mechanic,
and possessed an unusual inventive turn of
mind. Dr. Emmet married, in 1827, Mary
F.yrd Tucker, a native of Bermuda. He
died in New York City, August 12, 1842.
Johnston, Peter, son of Peter and Martha
Johnston, of "Long\vood," Prince Edward
county, Virginia. He was educated at
Hampden-Sidney College, receiving a class-
ical education. At the age of seventeen he
left home and joined Lee's Legion, and was
made a lieutenant. In 1782 he resigned and
joined the light corps formed by Gen.
Greene, as adjutant, with the rank of cap-
tain. At the close of the revolutionary war
he returned home, studied law. and prac-
ticed his profession in Prince Edward and
adjoining counties. He was elected a mem-
ber of the Virginia house of delegates sev-
eral times, and was a member at the time
of the celebrated resolutions of 1798-1799,
and the speech that he made upon this occa-
sion was considered so able that it was pub-
li.<hcd in full in the "Register." then the
leading paper in the United States. In 181 1
he was elected a judge of the general court,
and assigned to the Prince Edward circuit,
but he cxchancfed with Judge William
nrockenbrough. who had been assigned to
the southwest Virginia circuit, and came to
Abingdon to live, and for twenty-one years
lived at **Panicello," east of Abingdon, and
presided over the superior court of law for
this district with distinguished ability for
more than twenty years. He died Decem-
ber 8, 1831, and was buried near his home,
in this county. He was commissioned a
brigadier-general by the legislature in early
life. His wife, Mary Johnston, was the
daughter of Valentine Wood and Lucy
Henry, his wife, a sister of Patrick Henry,
and a woman of distinguished ability.
Some of his descendants were John W.
Johnston, Peter Carr Johnston, Edward
Johnston, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Bever-
ley Randolph Johnston. Charles C. John-
ston, Benjamin Johnston, Mrs. Jane C.
Mitchell and Algernon Sidney Johnston.
Minor, Lucian, born in Louisa county,
Virginia, in 1802, son of Launcelot Minor
and Mary O. Tompkins, his wife, and
grandson of John and Elizabeth (Cosby)
Minor, of "Topping Castle," Caroline
county, Virginia ; after preparatory educa-
tion, he became a student in the law depart-
ment of the College of William and Mary,
from which he was graduated in 1823 ; from
1828 to 1852, almost a quarter of a century,
he served as commonwealth's attorney for
Louisa county. Virginia, then removed to
Charlottesville and edited a paper there; in
1855 he was appointed professor of law at
William and Mary College and served until
1858: he contributed extensively to the
"Southern Literary Messenger.** in which
paper his notes of travel on foot in New
England were revised and published in 1834,
and he was the author of a part of John A.
G. Davis's "Guide to Justices'* (1838);
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
added notes to Daniel Call's 'Virginia Re-
ports;" revised and condensed the four
volumes of Heming and Munford's reports
into one, and wrote a tract on the "Reasons
for Abolishing the Liquor Traffic;" he de-
livered before the alumni of the University
of \'irginia a eulogy on Professor John A.
G. Davis; he was an earnest advocate of
temperance; he married Lavinia Price, of
Hanover county, \'irginia; he died in Wil-
liamsburg, \'irginia, in 1858, and the
Sons of Temperance erected in the col-
lege burial ground a monument to his
memory.
Davis, John A. G., born in Middlesex
county, \'irginia, in March, 1802; studied
ai W illiam and Mary College in 1819-20,
and two years later commenced practice in
iliddlesex county ; at the opening session of
the University of Virginia he removed to
Charlottesville, and was a student at the
university during one year; followed his
profession before the Virginia bar for five
years ; in 1830, upon the resignation of Pro-
fessor Lomax, he was chosen professor of
law at the university; on the night of No-
vember 12, 1840, while attempting, by vir-
tue of the authority vested in him as
chairman of the faculty, to disperse a dis-
orderly assemblage of rebellious students,
he was shot by a student from Georgia, and
died from the wound three days later; the
murderer escaped justice by forfeiting bail ;
Professor Davis was an eminent man in his
profession, a distinguished writer on legal
subjects, and a notably capable teacher, and
his sudden death was a serious loss to the
university ; Professor Davis was the author
of a large amount of legal writing, his more
important publications being: "Estates
Tail, Executory Devises, and Contingent
Remainders, under the Virginia Statutes
Modifying the Common Law;" "Treatise on
Criminal Law, and Guide to Justices of the
Peace," 1838; and "Against the Constitu-
tional Right of Congress to Pass Laws Ex-
pressly and Especially for the Protection of
Domestic Manufacturers."
Atkinson, Thomas, born in Dinwiddie
county, Virginia, August 6, 1807, son of
Robert Atkinson and Mary Tabb, his wife.
1:1 e entered Vale College at the age of six-
teen, but finished his education at Hampden-
Sidney College, from which he graduated
v.-ith the distini(uished class of 1825. He
studied law, and made a successful begin-
ning in practice, but soon turned to the
church, and after proper preparation was
ordained deacon in the Protestant Episco-
pal church, at the hands of Right Rev. Wil-
liam Meade, bishop of Virginia, November
i8r 1836. He was assistant at Christ Church,
Norfolk, for some months, and then, being
ordained priest, was make rector of St.
Paul's Church, in the same city. In 1839
he was called to St. Paul's Church, Lynch-
burg, then, in succession, to the rectorship
of churches at Wilmington, North Carolina,
and Baltimore, Maryland. On November
I3» ^853, he was consecrated bishop of
North Carolina, and continued as such until
his death, at Wilmington, North Carolina,
January 4, 1881. When he became bishop,
he found the church in North Carolina sadly
disorganized, his predecessor having gone
over to Rome. The restoration under Bishop
Atkinson was rapid and substantial. He re-
ceived the degree of D. D. from Trinity
College in 1846; and that of LL. D. from
the University of North Carolina in 1862.
and from Cambridge University in 1867.
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PROMIXEXT PERSON'S
229
Fitzhugh, George, son of Dr. George Fitz-
hugh. of King George county, and his wife,
Lucy Stuart, \va-' born in Prince William
county, X'irginia. July 2. 1807, died in Hunts-
ville. Walker county, Texas, July 30, 18S1.
He was largely self taught, the only edu-
cation he received as a child being gained
in what were known as the "field schools"
of his native county. That the amount of
knowledge thus acquired was probably not
great may be inferred from the fact that
Fitzhugh, when only nine years old, was
frequently left in sole charge of the other
pupils during the extended absence of the
teacher. In spite of these early disadvan-
tages he succeeded in securing a good edu-
cation, studied law and practiced his pro-
fession for many years in Port Royal, Vir-
ginia, making a specialty of criminal cases.
During President Buchanan's administra-
tion Mr. Fitzhugh was employed in the
office of Attorney-General Black, in the land
claim department. About this time he made
his only visit to the northern states, lectur-
ing in Boston, and visiting his relative by
marriage. Gerrit Smith. At the house of
the latter he met Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe. These acquaintanceships derive
their significance from his peculiar political
opinions. Mr. Fitzhugh was a frequent con-
tributor to the press, writing for the "New
York Day Book,*' ** Richmond Examiner."
*'De Bow's Review," and other journals and
periodicals. He was **an eccentric and ex-
treme thinker," claiming that slavery is the
natural and rightful condition of society,
which when not founded on human servi-
tude, tends to cannibalism. Mr. Fitzhugh
published *'Sociology for the South, or the
Failure of Free Society," (Richmond, 1S54),
and "Cannibals All, or Slaves without Mas-
ters,' (1856).
Maupin, Socrates, born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, November 12, 1808, a de-
scendant of Gabriel Maupin, who came to
Virginia in the French Huguenot emigration
in 1700; after preparatory studies, he ma-
triculated at Washington College, Lexing-
ton, Virginia, from which institution he was
graduated in 1828, and then entered the
medical department of the University of
\'irginia, from which he was graduated in
the class of 1830, after which he pursued a
general literary and scientific course in the
sr.me university, receiving the degree of
Master of Arts in 1833: his first position
was as professor of ancient languages and
mathematics at Hampden-Sidney College,
which he filled for two years, from 1833 to
1835, *^"d ^^^^ became principal of Rich-
mond Academy, serving as such until 1838;
then established a private school which he
conducted until 1853. ^ period of fifteen
years, and he was also one of the founders
01 the Richmond Medical School, in 1838,
serving therein in the capacity of professor
of chemistry and later as dean: was ap-
pointed professor of chemistry and phar-
macy in the University of Virginia, in 1853,
and became chairman of the faculty the fol-
lowing year, continuing as such until his
death, which occurred in Lynchburg, Vir-
ginia. October 19, 187 1 : he was an active
member and promoter of the \'irginia His-
torical Society.
Radford, William, was born at Fincastle,
\*irginia. March i, 1808.. son of Harriet
Kennerly Radford and stepson of Gen. Wil-
liam Clark (q. v.). He was warranted mid-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
shipman in the United States navy, March
I, 1825; served on the Brandyicitvc^ when
that frigate carried the Marquis de Lafay-
ette to France ; was attached to the Mediter-
ranean squadron, 1827-28, and to the sloop
Eric of the West Indian squadron, 1830-31.
He was promoted passed midshipman, June
4. 1831 ; served on the John Adauis of the
Mediterranean squadron in 1835; was pro-
moted lieutenant, February 9, 1837, and
served on the Warren of the Pacific squad-
ron. 1845-47. He was stationed on the west-
ern coast of Mexico, 1847-48; commanded
the party that cut out a Mexican war vessel
at Mazatlan in 1847. ^tnd was attached to
the store ship Lexington, 1852-53. He was
promoted commander, September 14, 1855;
commanded the Dacotah of the East India
squadron, 1S60-61 ; was promoted captain,
July 16, 1862, and commodore, April 24,
1863. He commanded the Cumberland in
1861, and was on court martial duty at Old
Point Comfort, when that ship was attacked
by the ram Mcrrimae. He made every eiffort
to reach his ship before the fighting was
over, but did not arrive at Newport News
until the Cumberland was sinking. He was
executive officer of the Brooklyn navy
yard, 1862-64; commanded the New Iron-
sides, and the iron-clad division of Admiral
Porter's squadron at Fort Fisher in Decem-
ber, 1864, and January, 1865. His ability
and services in these two attacks were rec-
ognized and praised by Admiral Porter in
his report to the secretary of the navy. He
commanded the navyyard at Washington,
D. C, 1866-68; was promoted rear admiral,
July 25, 1868; commanded the Mediterran-
ean squadron, 1869-70, and was retired
March i, 1870. He was on special duty in
Washington, D. C, 1871-72, and died in that
city, January 8, 1890.
Slaughter, Philip, clergjman, was born in
Springfield, Virginia, October 26, 1808; son
of Capt. Philip Slaughter, of the Eleventh
Continental Regiment, army of the revolu-
tion. He was the cousin of William Dank
Slaughter, who organized the state of Wis-
consin. Philip was educated privately and
at the academy at Winchester, Virginia;
studied law at the University of Virginia,
1825-28.. and was admitted to the bar. He
entered the Episcopal Theological Seminary,
Alexandria, Virginia, 1833; was ordamed
deacon in Trinity Church, Staunton, 1834,
and priest in St. Paul's Church, Alexandria,
1835. He was rector at Dettingen, \*ir-
ginia; of Christ Church, Georgetown, Dis-
trict of Columbia, 1836-40: of the parishes
of Meade and Johns, 1840-43, and St. Paul's
Church. Petersburg, Virginia, 1843-48. On
account of ill health he spent 1848-49 in for-
eign travel. In 1856 he erected a church on
his own land in Culpeper county, and offi-
ciated there without remuneration until the
Federal army destroyed it in 1862. He then
preached in his own house, in camps and
hospitals. In 1874 he received the degree
of D. D. from William and Mary College.
The church convention made him historio-
grapher of the diocese of Virginia- He
edited **The Virginia Colonizationist,"
(1850) ; "The Army and Navy Messenger";
"The Southern Church" (1865) ; and is the
author of: "St. George's Parish History,"
(1847); "Man and Woman," (i860); "Life
of Randolph Fairfax," (1862) ; "Life of Col.
Joshua Fry," (1880) ; "Historic Churches of
Virginia," (1882); "Life of Hon. William'
Green," (1883) ; "Views from Cedar Mcun-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
231
tains," (1884); "The Colonial Qiurch of
Virginia/' (1885) ; "Christianity the Key to
the Character and Career of Washington,"
(1886); and an "Address to the Minute-
Men of Culpeper," (1887). He died in Cul-
peper county, Virginia, June 12, 1890.
McCormick, Cyrus Hall, son of Robert
^icCormick and Mary McChesney, his wife,
was born at "Walnut Grove," Rockbridge
county, Virginia, February 15, 1809. His
father was a farmer and machinist of me-
chanical genius. He attempted to perfect
a grain-cutting machine, but it failed to
^^ork. His son Cyrus, who had alread>
shown much inventive talent in fashioning
a side hill plow and other tools for farm
use, then took up the idea and invented a
machine on entirely different principles,
which did work. The new machine made
by Cyrus H. McCormick was put m a field
ot wheat on the home farm and in a field of
oat$ on the farm of John Steele and proved
successful. The essential features of the im-
. plement were a reciprocating knife moving
through fixed fingers, a revolving reel, a
receiving platform and a divider, piloting
the standing grain to the cutting bar. These
features are found in all the modern grain-
cutting machines. He took out a patent in
1834 and in 1840 began a manufacture of
them at his shop in Rockbridge. In 1846,
after the death of his father, Cyrus H. en-
gaged a firm in Chicago to manufacture 100
reapers for the harvest of 1847. ^"d obtained
a new patent covering some improvements.
He exhibited his machine at the World's
Fair in London in 185 1, at the Paris Expo-
sition in 1855. *'^nd at Hamburg in 1863, and
won the grand prize each time. Mr. Mc-
Cormick located in Chicago, and though his
patent was constantly infringed upon, built
up an enormous business. The reaper had
an immense effect upon increasing the wheat
crop of the country, which rose from 40,-
000,000 bushels in 1850 to 200,000,000 in
i860. The returns from the sales of his im-
plements were largely invested in Chicago
real estate and Chicago enterprises. He
educated his employees and cared for their
moral, physical and mental welfare. He
made many gifts of an educational char-
acter to Washington and Lee University;
University of X'irginia, the Union Theolog-
ical Seminary at Hampden-Sidney, and the
McCormick Theological Seminary in Chi-
cago. In 1872 he took upon himself the
burden of a religious paper, the "Interior,"
which became the organ of United Pres-
byterianism over the whole northwest. In
1876 his name was urged for a second place
on the Democratic national ticket, but he
withdrew in behalf of Thomas A. Hend-
ricks. ^ He was chairman of the Democratic
state central committee of Illinois, and con-
demned the reconstruction measures. His
invention has been recognized as probably
the most important of the nineteenth cen-
tury. He died at his home in Chicago, May
I3» 1884.
Doggett, Daniel Scth, was born in Vir-
ginia, in 18 10. His father was a lawyer and
the son began the study of that profession,
but changed to the ministry. He was edu-
cated at the University of Virginia, and be-
came an itinerant minister in 1829, traveling
through the southern states. In 1866 he
accepted a professorship in Randolph-Macon
College, and in 1873 was made a Methodist
bishop. He was about to take charge of the
California conference, when he was seized
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
with the iUness which resulted in his death.
He was the author of "The War and Its
Close" ( Richmond. 18^)4 ». He died in Rich-
mond, X'irginia, October 2/, 1880.
Bittlc, David Frederick, born near Myers-
viile. Frederick county, Maryland, in Janu-
ary, ic<ii, son of Thomas and Mary Dittle.
lie was graduated from Pennsylvania Col-
lege at Gettysburg, and studied for two
years in the Theological Seminary at that
place. After occupying several pastorates,
in 1842, at Mt. Tabor, Augusta county, X'ir-
ginia. he aided in establishing the \irginia
Collegiate Institute. Removed to Salem,
Roanoke county, in 1847, i^ ^^'^^ erected into
Roanoke College, with Dr. Uitlle as the tirst
president. In 1861, of its one hundred and
eighteen students, all except seventeen en-
tered the Confederate army, but Ur. Dittle
kept the institution open. During the twen-
ty-three years of his presidency, he placed
the institution on a substantial basis. He
died September 25. 1876.
Coleman, Frederick W., well known to the
past generation as "Old Fred," was born in
Caroline county. X'irginia, in 181 1, son of
Thomas I). Coleman and Elizabeth Coghill,
his wife; attended common schools, then
entered University of Virginia, was a stu-
dent from 1832 to 1834, receiving the degree
of Master of Arts; founded the Concord
Academy, in Caroline county, Virginia, this
being among the best ot the private high
schools of Virginia, and to this came many
representative youths from the South ; the
knowledge of the ancient classics was taught
to the fullest degree, and from it went forth
some of the most notable scholars which the
South has produced: there were but few
rules in the school, except that every pupil
was expected to be a gentleman and to know
his lesson, and there was no excuse for any
breach of these rules; the result was that
its scholars took high rank wherever they
went, and not since Dr. Arnold, at Rugby,
was there greater interest and pride shown
between master and scholars than existed
between the head of this academy and the
men whom he taught; many stories arc told
ol the rare method of teaching in this
school ; the principal was for years a mem-
ber of the stale senate, and he would return
liome unexpectedly, at night or in the day,
and the schoi.»l we>uld be brought up, and
every member oi it had to give an account
ot what had been done in his absence, how
much Latin and Greek had been construed,
generally with the result of mutual satis-
faction on the part of all concerned. After
fifteen years Coleman closed his school and
retired to his home, where he died in iS(»8;
the school was continued by his nephew,
Col. Lewis Minor Coleman, and Col. Hilary
l\ Jones, having been moved to the adjoin-
ing county of Hanover, where its name was
changed to that of the Hanover Academy.
Gamett, Theodore S., Sr., who occupied a
I»rominent position in the South as a rail-
road man and civil engineer, was born at
*'Elmwood.'* Essex county. Virginia, No-
vember 12, 1812, son of James Mercer and
Mary Eleanor Dick (Mercer) Garnett; was
educated under private tutors, in Rumford
Academy, King William county, and the
I'niversity of Virginia, which he entered in
1S28. but was compelled to leave during the
session of 1829 on account of the illness of
bis brother Charles: after devoting himself
to farming in Mason county, near Point
Pleasant, for a few years, he began the study
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PROMINENT PERSON'S
233
of civil engineering, and received a position
with the Philadelphia, Reading & Pottsville
railroad, and subsequently with the Rich-
mond c^ Petersburg railroad ; after a visit
to Texas in the interests of the land claims
of the Texas Association, he became the
chief engineer of the Columbia & Charlotte
railroad; in 1852, after service as an engi-
neer in Kentucky, he became assistant to
Gen. Gwynn, on the North Carolina rail-
road, of which he afterwards became super-
intendent ; in 1857 he was elected chief engi-
neer of the railroad from Tallahassee to
Fernandina: in 185S he retired to his estate
at Cedar Hill, Hanover county, Virginia,
where he lived until 1S77. when he removed
to Norfolk to spend the last years of his life
with his son in that city: during the civil
war he was an ardent supporter of the Con-
ftr-deracy. and though too old for active serv-
ice served on the field at Seven Pines : he
n.arried, April i8. 1839, at Pensacola, Flor-
ida. Florintina I. Moreno, who was living
in 1904: children: James Mercer, Theodore
S.. Ella Isidora: he died May 28, 1885.
Hcrndon, William Lewis, born in I'red-
ericksburg, Virginia. October 25, 1813, son
of Dabney Herndon. cashier of the Farmers*
P.ank, and Elizabeth Hull, his wife; after
preparatory education, he entered the navy
a> midshipman in 1828, and was promoted
})asscd midshipman in 1834 and lieutenant
in 1841 : served en various cruising stations
and was actively employed during the Mexi-
can war: after three years of duty at the
naval observatory- he was sent to the South
Pacific station, where in 185 1 he received
orders detaching him from his ship, and
directing him to explore the valley of the
Amazon to ascertain its commercial re-
sources and capabilities: he started from
Lima, and crossed the Cordilleras in com-
pany with Lieut. Lardner Gibbon, who sepa-
rated from him to explore the llolivian trib-
utaries, while Lieut. Herndon followed the
m.ain trunk of the Amazon to its mouth, re-
turning to the United States in 1852 ; the re-
port of this expedition was published by the
government in two volumes, of which Lieut.
Herndon wrote \'ol. L "Explorations of the
\'alley of the River Amazon'' (Washington,
1853) : this work was extensively circulated,
and is still cited in works on ethnology and
natural history: he was made commander
ii! 1855 : he took service in the line of mail
steamers plying between New York and the
Isthmus of Panama: on September 8. 1857,
he left Havana in command of the Central
.iwcricL furmerly the Gconjc Lai<\ carry-
ing a large number of passengers returning
from California and gold amounting to $2,-
000.000; the ship encountered a cyclone in
the edge of the Gulf Stream, which destroy-
ed it. Commander Herndon and four hun-
dred and twenty-six others losing their lives,
September 12, 1857, Commander Herndon
rcrmaining on his ship to the last ; his devo-
tion to duty excited general admiration, and
led his brother officers to erect a fine monu-
ment to his memory at the naval academy in
Annapolis : a daughter of Commander Hern-
don became the wife of Chester A. Arthur,
who was afterward President of the United
States.
Boyd, Andrew Hunter Holmes, born in
Boydsville. Virginia, in 1814. died there De-
cember 16. 1865. He was graduated at Jef-
ferson College in 1830. studied theology in
Scotland, was ordained by the presbytery
of Winchester, and passed his life in the
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234
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
pastorate of the Presbyterian church in that
section. He was connected with the new-
school Presbyterian body until 1S59; but at
the session of the general assenibly at Cleve-
land in that year the discussion of the slav-
ery question developed irreconcilable dif-
firences, and Dr. Boyd, with other commis-
sioners from the slave holding states, se-
ceded from the assembly and organized the
"United Synod of the Presbyterian Church,"
composed of those presbyteries in the slave
holding states which had belonged to the
new-school general assembly, but were dis-
satisfied with its course on the subject of
slaver}'. At the beginning of the war he
tc»ok decided ground in favor of secession.
Blackburn^ William, born in \'irginia, in
1814, died in California in 1867. He went
to California in 1845, took part as volunteer
in the conquest of that country in 1846-47,
and was appointed alcalde at Santa Cruz im-
mediately thereafter. In this office he served
two years, and in 1850 was elected county
judge of Santa Cruz county. He was one
oi the best representatives of the large class
of early popular alcaldes in the new terri-
tory, legally untrained but socially impor-
tant men, who administered justice after a
manner less accurate in a technical sense
than useful for the needs of the singular
community of those days. His decisions
were in some cases widely discussed, and
are often quoted in historical sketches.
Freeman, William Grigsby» was born in
Virginia in 181 5, died in Cornwall, Penn-
sylvania, November 12, 1866. He was grad-
uated at the United States Military Acad-
emy in 1834, and assigned to the Fourth
Artillery. He served in the Florida war,
and was made first lieutenant for gallantry
on several occasions. In 1840 he became
instructor of infantry and artillery tactics at
West Point, and in the following year served
on the northern frontier at Buffalo, during
the Canada border disturbances. From 1841
until 1849 he served as assistant in the ad-
jutant-general's office in Washington, D. C.
He was afterward chief of staff to Gen.
Scott, commanding the army headquarters
at New York. He was brevetted major in
1847, and lieutenant-colonel in 1848, "for
meritorious conduct, particularly in the per-
formance of his duty in the prosecution of
the war with Mexico." He made a tour of
inspection of the department of Texas in
1853, and served as assistant adjutant-gen-
eral from 1853 ^^^' ^^5(>t when he resigned
on account of failing health, which prevent-
ed his taking part in the civil war..
Brooke, George Mercer» a descendant of
Robert Brooke, who settled in Virginia
about 1680, entered the army in 1808 as first
lieutenant in the Fifth Infantry, was made
captain May i, 18 10, and became major in
the Twenty-third Infantry in 1814, On Au-
gust 15, 1814, he was brevetted lieutenant-
colonel for gallant conduct in defence of
Fort Erie, and on September 17 was brevet-
ted colonel. He was made a brevet briga-
dier-general September 17, 1824, and in July,
1 83 1, served as colonel of the Fifth Infantry.
He fought in the war with Mexico, and was
brevetted major-general for his services
May 30, 1848. At the time of his death he
was in command of the Eighth Military De-
partment. He died in San Antonio, Texas,
March 9, 185 1. Fort Brooke, at the head
of Tampa Bay, Florida, received its name
from him.
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PROMINENT PERSONS
235
Pasteur, William, son of Jean Pasteur, a
surgeon of Geneva, who came to Virginia
in 1700, and settled in Williamsburg. The
sen was a prominent surgeon and apothe-
cary in Williamsburg. He was a justice of
the peace of York county and mayor of the
city in 1775. He was prominent at the time
Lord Dunmore removed the powder from
the magazine. He married Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of Dr. William Stith, president of Wil-
liam and Mary College. His brother James
was a minister of St. Bride's parish, Nor-
fulk county, and died in 1774.
Mossom, David, son of Thomas Mossom,
chandler of (jreenwich, Kent county, Eng-
land, was born March 25, 1690, matriculated
at St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1705,
came to X'irginia in 1718 and was minister
of St. Peter's Parish Church in New Kent
county from 1727 to January 4, 1767, when
h( died. He was the minister that married
George Washington to the Widow Martha
Custis. at the "White House'' on the Pa-
munkey river. He was the first American
admitted to the office of Presbyter in the
church. His daughter Elizabeth, born 1722,
married Capt. William Reynolds, owner of
a vessel plying in the tobacco trade. Their
caughter Elizabeth married Richard Chap-
man, whose son. Reynolds Chapman, suc-
ceeded George C. Taylor as clerk of Orange
county in 1802.
Van Braam, Jacob, a native of Holland.
He had served in the Carthagena expedition,
under the P.ritish Admiral Vernon, in the
same department with Major Lawrence
Washington. He came to Virginia and
taught military tactics. He was a Mason,
and he and Washington were members of
the Fredericksburg lodge. When Washing-
ton, then a major, went on his journey in
the fall of 1753 ^o deliver Gov. Dinwiddie's
message to the French commander on the
Ohio, he took Van Braam with him as an
attendant. In 1754 he served as a lieutenant
under Washington, in the expedition to the
Ohio ; was promoted to captain. When Fort
Necessity capitulated. Van Braam and Cap-
tain Stobo were held by the French as host-
ages, and taken to Canada; the latter es-
caped, and Van Braam was liberated when
Montreal fell. Van Braam received nine
thousand acres of land under the Dinwiddie
pioclamation. He was made major of a
battalion of the Sixtieth Foot Royal Amer-
icans on duty in the West Indies in 1777.
Muse, George, had served in the Cartha-
gena expedition, in the Virginia regiment
commanded by Col. Spotswood, under Ad-
miral Vernon. He returned to Virginia, and
it is said that at one time he instructed
George Washington in military tactics. He
was made one of the four adjutant majors
ot" the provincial militia. In the spring of
1754 Goveruor Dinwiddie appointed him
major of the Virginia regiment, and he was
promoted to lieutenant-colonel June 4, to
succeed Col. Joshua Fry, deceased. He
joined Washington, but for some reason his
name was omitted from the list of officers
\\ ho received the thanks of the house of bur-
gesses for good conduct in the battle of
Great Meadows. He received, however, a
land grant, but the small quantity allotted
him (thirty-five hundred acres) moved him
to address a rude protest to Washingfton.
who answered, **as he is not very agreeable
lo the other officers, I am well pleased at his
resignation.**
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Croghan, George, a native of Ireland, was
eoucated in Dublin, came to America, set-
tling on the Juniata river, above where is
v.uw llarrisburg. and as early as 174^) was
trading with the Indians. He acquired the
Indian language, was possessed of character
ard good business ability. Gov. Dinwiddie
engaged him as an interpreter, and sent him
to Washington, but his service was not en-
tirely satisfactory. Gen. Uraddock commis-
sioned him captain in 1755 for service
against the Indians. In 1756 he was made
Indian agent by Sir William Johnson, who
in I7^>3 sent him to England to confer with
the ministry. In 1766 he settled above Fort
I'itt. and until 1776 rendered excellent serv-
ice in conciliating the Indians. He remain-
ed on his farm during the revolution. He is
tc be distinguished from George Croghan
(son of Major William Croghan). who was
born in Kentucky, near Louisville. Novem-
ber 15. 1791. graduatedat William and Mary
in 1810. and distinguished himself in the
war of 1812 and in the war with Mexico.
He was inspector-general, with the rank of-
colonel.
Hog (Hogg), Peter, born at Edinburgh,
Scotland, in 1703. son of James Hog, and
believed to be a near relative of the famous
James Hogg, the "Ettrick shepherd." With
his brothers James and Thomas he came to
America about 1745. and settled in Augusta
county, Virginia. As a captain he served
under Washington in the expedition of 1754,
was at the surrender of Fort Necessity, and
was among those who received the thanks
of the Virginia assembly for their good con-
duct. In 1756 he was engaged in construct-
ing frontier forts, and he served in the Vir-
ginia regiment until the fall of Fort Du-
quesne. After his military service ended he
studied law. was admitted to the bar in
1759. and in 1772 Lord Dunmore appointed
him deputy to the attorney-general for Dun-
more (later Shenandoah) county, X'irginia.
He received two thousand acres of land
under the Dinwiddie proclamation, and
owned eight thousand acres near Point
Pleasant, on the Ohio river, and another
large tract in Mason county. Kentucky. He
married Elizabeth Taylor, and has many
descendants of the names ot Hoge. Hog,
Hall. Itlair. lUackley. Hawkins. Macpherson
and others. One of these descendants was
Hon. James W. Hoge. member of the \'ir-
ginia convention of i8^»i. Arista Hoge. a
great-grandson, was living in Staunton. \'ir-
ginia. in 1S83. Thomas Hcg. a brother of
Lapt. Peter Hog was killed in 1774. while
01: his way to Kentucky to establish salt
works there. Capt. Peter Hog died April
20. 1782.
Trent, William, born at Lancaster, Penn-
sylvania, about 1715. In 1746 he entered the
military service of Pennsylvania under a
commission from Gov. Thomas, served in
Canada under Gov. Clinton, and was honor-
ably discharged with the thanks of the as-
sembly. In 1749 Gov. Hamilton appointed
him justice of the courts of common pleas
and general sessions for Cumberland coun-
ty, Pennsylvania. The same year he was
confidential agent sent to the Ohio Indians
with peace offerings and messages of good
will. In 1750, with his brother-in-law,
George Croghan, and others, he was en-
gaged in trade with the Indians on the Ohio
river: it was said that Benjamin Franklin
was a member of the company. Trent was
employed by the governor of \'irginia to at-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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tend his commissioners at a treaty with the
Indians in 1752, below the forks of the Ohio,
but before this was accomplished, he was
sent with messages and presents to the
Miami Indians. In 1753 Gov. Dinwiddie sent
him to the forks of the Ohio, to examine a
site for a fort. In September of the same
year he was present at a treaty with the
Indians at Winchester, Virginia, Early in
1754 Gov. Dinwiddie authorized him to raise
a company of a hundred men to erect a fort
at the forks of the Ohio. After work was
begun, the French and Indians appeared,
and compelled the Americans to depart;
1 rent was absent at the time, and for his
absence Gov. Dinwiddie ordered him to be
court-martialed, but he was never brought
to trial. He was unfortunate in his Indian
trading, and died poor. He was a major at
Fort Pitt in July, 1776. In 1778, while on
his way from Fort Pitt, he was taken sick
at his home in Cumberland county, Penn-
sylvania, and died. He was buried at "Sil-
ver Spring church."
Stobo, Robert, born in Glasgow, Scotland,
in 17J7. son of William Stobo, merchant. He
attended a Latin school, and then the Uni-
versity of Glasgow. In 1742 his friends sent
him to Virginia to serve in a store conducted
l.y Glasgow merchants. Later he went into
business for himself. He was held in esteem
by Gov. Dinwiddie, who appointed him cap-
tain in a regiment raised in 1754 to oppose
the French. He proved an efficient officer in
the campaign, and superintended the con-
struction of the fortification at Fort Neces-
sity, and bore a gallant part in the battle of
Great Meadows. He was one of the host-
ages delivered to the French when Fort
Necessity capitulated. While in confinement
at Fort Duquesne, he drew plans of the fort
and its approaches, and wrote suggestions
for its successful assault. This paper was
conveyed by a friendly Indian to the com-
manding officer at Wills' Creek, but fell into
the hands of the enemy in the battle of Mo-
nongahela, and he was closely confined in
the fortress at Quebec. He escaped, was
retaken, and after a year's confinement again
regained his freedom and joined Gen. Wolfe
at Louisburg. He was made a confidential
messenger to Gen. Amherst, who sent him
to the governor of Virginia, by whom he
was well received. He received the thanks
of the house of burgesses, and was awarded
£1,000 as a reward for his zeal and the great
hardships he had endured as a hostage. He
went to England in 1760, and in June of
that year was commissioned captain in Am-
herst's regiment, and served in the West
Indies. He left the army in 1770, and died
soon afterwards. In the yard of the Epis-
copal church at Portsmouth, Virginia, is the
tombstone of "Capt. Jacob Stobo, late of
Philadelphia, who departed this life January
30. 1794."
Craiky James, born at Abigland, Scotland,
in 1730; educated at Edinburgh University,
and graduated in both letters and medicine.
On leaving college he took service as sur-
geon with the British troops in the West
Indies, soon afterwards resigned, and went
to X'irginia. engaging in practice in Norfolk.
In 1754 he was appointed surgeon to the
\irginia regiment, and his name appears in
the list of officers thanked by the Virginia
assembly for their bravery in the battle of
Great Meadows, and he received a land
grant under the Dinwiddie proclamation.
.\fter the surrender of Fort Necessitv he
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
engaged in medical practice at Winchester,
\irginia. The next year, he accompanied
the X'irginia regiment in the Draddock ex-
pedition. Returning to Winchester he re-
moved to a plantation in Maryland, below
Alexandria, and later took up his residence
in that town, on the advice of Washington,
witii whom he was on closest terms of
friendship. He was a surgeon in the revo-
lution : in 1777 was active in exposing a con-
spiracy to remove Washington from com-
mand: and in 1781 was made director-in-
cliief of the military hospitals at Yorktown.
In iji'k) he married Marianna, daughter of
Col. Charles Ewell. He passed his latter
years on his plantation. "Vaucluse/' about
five miles from Mt. X'ernon. His son,
George Washington, studied medicine, but
became secretary to Washington in his sec-
ond presidential term. Washington, in his
will, referred to Dr. Craik as his "old and
intimate friend/' and gave him a desk and
chair. He died at his home. February 6,
18 14.
Cresap, Thomas, born in Skipton, Y'ork-
shire, England, was founder of the Cresap
family in America. At the age of fifteen he
came to America, and when about thirty,
married a Miss Johnson, where now is
Havre de Grace, Maryland. He visited Vir-
ginia, and was about to rent farming land
from tlie Washington family, but eventually
settled in Washington county, Maryland.
He engaged in trading with the Indians, but
the ship containing furs in which was in-
vested his entire fortune was captured by
the French. He now settled at *'01d Town,"
Maryland, calling it "Skipton," for his Eng-
lish home town, and again engaged in fur
trading, being a great favorite with the In-
dians, with whom he could converse in their
own tongue. He was also a surveyor, and
under the authority of the Ohio Company,
of which he was a member, he made exten-
sive surveyings. He was frequently a mem-
ber of the legislature. His second marriage
was when he was eighty years old, and he
lived to the remarkable age of one hundred
and five years.
Gist, Christopher, was a native of Mary-
land. He explored the country from the
headwaters of the Ohio river down to the
falls (now at Louisville, Kentucky) in 1750,
ill the interests of the Ohio Company. The
following year he traversed the valley of the
Ohio on both sides of the river; and in 1752
erected a cabin where is now Mount Brad-
clock, Pennsylvania. Two years later, eleven
families joined him. and they were among
the first, if not the first, settlers in western
Pennsylvania. He acted as scout for Wash-
ington in the journey to what is now Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. He was captain in
the Virginia forces in 1755, and in 1757 was
appointed deputy Indian agent, on the strong
recommendation of Washington. Nothing
is known of his last years. He left three
sons — Nathaniel, Thomas and Richard.
Andrews, Robert, descended from Antony
Andrews, of Alexton, Leicestershire, Eng-
land, and son of Moses Andrews, of Penn-
sylvania. He was educated at the College
ot Philadelphia; came to Virginia about
1770 as a tutor in the family of Mann Page.
During the American revolution he was pri-
v.'.te secretary to Gen. Thomas Nelson, and
in 1779 was made professor of moral philos-
ophy in William and Mary College, and in
1784 was tranferred to the chair of mathe-
matics. He was afterwards joined with
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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James Madison, president of the college,
to run the Virginia and Pennsylvania
boundary lines. He was a member of the
legislature in 1798-99, and died in 1805.
He married (first) Elizabeth Ballard, by
whom he had Anne Andrews, who married
William Randolph, of Wilton, and (second)
Mary Blair, daughter of Judge John Blair,
or Williamsburg.
Hamilton, Andrew, born in Augusta coun-
ty. X'irginia, in 1741, son of Irish emigrants
— Archibald Hamilton and Frances Cal-
houn, his wife. He is said to have been a
descendant of James Hamilton. Earl of Ar-
ran. regent of Scotland during the infancy
of Mary Stuart. He removed to South Car-
olina, and served in the revolution as cap-
tain and major under Gen. Pickens, taking
part in all the important battles in Georgia.
After the war he was elected to the South
Carolina legislature, where he served until
eld age obliged him to ask for a successor.
He married Jane Magill. a native of Penn-
sylvania, who died in her eighty-sixth year,
ho dying January 19, 1835, in his ninety-
STXth year. They left many descendants.
Campbell, Arthur, born in Augusta coun-
t}. \'irginia. November 3. 1743. When four-
teen years old, he volunteered to aid in pro-
tccting the frontier against the Indians. He
was stationed in a fort on the Cowpasture
river, near where the road crosses leading
from Staunton to the Warm Springs. He
was captured by the Indians, who loaded him
with their packs, and marched him into the
forests. At the end of seven days, he was
unable to travel, and was treated by the
Indians with great severity. An old chief,
taking compassion on him. protected him
from further injury, and on reaching the
lakes adopted him, and the young man re-
mained with him during his three years*
captivity. Campbell made himself familiar
with the Indian language, manners and cus-
toms, and gained the confidence of the old
chief, who took him on all his hunting ex-
cursions over Michigan and the northern
parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In 1759,
a British force marched towards the Upper
Lakes, and Campbell determined to escape.
While out hunting, he left the Indians, and
after a fortnight's tramp, reached the Brit-
ish. The British commander was much in-
terested in Campbeirs account of his cap-
tivity and escape, and engaged him to pilot
the army, which he did with success. Short-
ly after, he returned to Augusta, after an
absence of more than three years. For his
services in piloting the army he received a
grant of one thousand acres of land near
Louisville, Kentucky. In 1769, his father
and family removed to the "Royal Oak." on
Holstein river, and in I77'">. Arthur Camp-
bell was appointed major in the Fincastle
militia, and elected to the general assembly,
lie was a member of the convention for
framing the constitution. When Washing-
ton county was formed, he was commission-
ed colonel, and commanded several expedi-
tions, particularly that against the Chero-
kccs. In 1785 he took part in a plan of
Separating the county of Washington from
Virginia and uniting ii with the proposed
commonwealth of Frankland. constituting
the western part of N'orth Carolina, where-
upon the general assembly passed an act
tlrawn by John Tyler denouncing any at-
tempt nf this kind as high treason. He was
lall. with a dignified air. an extensive reader,
and a good talker. He married a sister of
Ccn. William Campbell, and left issue at
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
his death, at Middleborough, Kentucky, Au-
gust 8. iSii.
Zane, Col. Ebenezcr, was born October,
1747, in that part of Augusta county. \*ir-
ginia. which is now Ohio county, West Vir-
ginia. This family is of Danish origin, but at
an early day removed to England and thence
in the seventeenth century to America. In
1770 he wandered to the west with his
brothers Silas and Jonathan, and settled at
Wheeling. In 1772 his family and a few
friends removed to his new abode on the
Ohio. There was not at the time a perma-
nent Anglo-Saxon settlement from the
source to the mouth of the Ohio. The little
band at Wheeling stood alone in the im-
mense solitude. In 1773 many families join-
ed the settlement. Zane's intercourse with
tlie Indians was marked by mildness and
honorable dealing — hence his hamlet es-
caped the fur>- of the savages until 1777.
All three brothers were men of enterprise,
piudence and sound judgment, and the
Wheeling settlement was mainly due to
them for its security and preservation dur-
ing the revolution. He was conspicuous dur-
ing the siege of Fort Henry, and brought
himself so prominently before the public that
he received various marks of distinction
from the colonial state and Federal govern-
ments. He was a disbursing officer under
Dunmore. and enjoyed under the common-
wealth numerous civil and military distinc-
tions. Col. Zane's fearlessness was exempli-
fied by his almost single-handed defence of
his own dwelling, in the fall of 1782. The
government of the United States, duly ap-
' preciating his capacity, energy and influence,
employed him by an act of congress, May,
1796. to open a road from Wheeling to Lime-
stone (Maysville). This duty he performed
in the following year, assisted by his brother
Jonathan, and son-in-law, John Mclntyre,
aided by an Indian guide, Tomepomehala,
whose knowledge of the country enabled
him to render valuable suggestions. The
road was marked through under the eye of
Colonel Zane and then committed to his as-
sistants to cut out. As a compensation for
opening this road, congress granted Col.
Zane the privilege of locating military war-
rr.nts upon three sections of land ; the first
to be at the crossing of the Muskingum, the
second at Hock-hocking, and the third at
Scioto. Col. Zane thought of crossing the
Muskingum at Duncan's falls, but fore-
seeing the great value of the hydraulic power
created by the falls, determined to cross at
the point where Zanesville has since been
established, and thus secure this important
power. The second section was located
where Lancaster now stands, and the third
en the east side of the Scioto opposite ChilH-
cothe. The first he gave, principally, to his
two assistants for services rendered. In ad-
dition to these fine possessions, Col. Zane
acquired large bodies of land throughout
western Virginia, by locating patents for
those persons whose fear of the Indians de-
terred them undertaking personally so haz-
ardous an enterprise. Mr. Zane married a
sister of the daring borderer, McCulloch, by
whom he had eleven children. He died in
iSii, at the age of sixty-four.
Hening, William Walter, born in Virginia
about 1750. He was for many years a suc-
cessful lawyer. In 1804 he represented Albe-
marle county in the house of delegates, and
two years later was made a member of the
executive council, serving in that station for
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PROMINENT PERSONS
241
several years, and was during his later life
and to his death, clerk of the chancery court
for the Richmpnd district. He was an indus-
trious writer, and compiled "Hening's Jus-
tice,*' a book of procedure for magistrates ;
edited Francis' "Maxims of Equity/' and
collaborated with William Munford sev-
eral volumes of Virginia court of appeals
reports. His monumental work was "Stat-
utes at Large of Virginia," thirteen volumes,
containing the laws from the colonial period,
together with a great mass of state papers
necessary to a proper understanding of the
legislation and political history of the state.
This work he performed under authority of
the Virginia assembly, beginning it in 1809,
and completing it in 1823. He died in Rich-
mond, April 7, 1828. (For his marriage and
descendants, see "William and Mary Col-
lege Quarterly/' xxii, 297).
McCuUoch, Major Samuel, was born on
Short Creek, Augusta county, Virginia, now
northwestern West Virginia, about 1752.
At a very early age he distinguished him-
self as a bold and efficient borderer. As an
Indian hunter, he had few superiors. He
seemed to track the wily red men with a
sagacity as remarkable as his efforts were
successful. In consideration of his services,
he was commissioned major in 1775, and in
1777 he performed a remarkable feat. Dur-
ing the siege of Wheeling, the Indians drove
Major McCulloch to the summit of a lofty
hill, which overhangs the present city.
Knowing their relentless hostility toward
himself, he strained every muscle of his
noble steed to gain the summit, and then
escaped along the brow in the direction of
Van Meter's fort. As he gained a point on
the hill near where the road passes, what
V1A-1«
should he suddenly encounter but a con-
siderable body of Indians, who were just
returning from a plundering excursion
among the settlements. In an instant the
bold soldier, preferring death among the
rocks and brambles to captivity and torture
by the savages, without a moment's hesita-
tion, firmly adjusted himself in the saddle,
grasped securely the bridle in his left hand,
and supporting his rifle in the right, pushed
his unfaltering horse over a precipice three
hundred feet deep. The Indians greatly re-
joiced that their most inveterate enemy was
at length beyond the power of doing fur-
ther injury. But, lo ! ere a single savage had
recovered from his amazement, what should
they see but the invulnerable major, on his
white steed, galloping across the peninsula.
Such was the feat of Samuel McCulloch,
certainly one of the most daring and suc-
cessful ever attempted. The place has be-
come memorable as "McCulloch's Leap."
At a later date on July 30, 1782, he was
scouting with his brother near Girty's Point,
when the Indians waylaid them and fired,
killing Major McCulloch instantly. His
brother escaped, but his horse was killed.
This brother. Major John McCulloch, was a
trusted officer in the revolutionary war, and
filled many important positions.
Gamble, Robert, born in Augusta county,
Virginia, September 3, 1754, son of James
Gamble. He was educated at Liberty Hall.
On attaining his majority he took up a mer-
cantile business, but the revolutionary war
began and he aided in recruiting a military
company, of which he was made first lieu-
tenant, later becoming captain. He served
throughout the war, and took part in many
battles, including Princeton and Monmouth.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
He led one of the assaulting parties at Stony
Point, and was permanently deafened by a
discharge from one of the enemy's cannon,
which was fired just as he reached it. In
the latter part of the war he served under
Gen. Greene, and for a time was on the staff
of Baron De Kalb. He was taken prisoner
in South Carolina, and confined on a British
vessel in Charleston harbor. After the war
he engaged in a mercantile business in
Staunton, and while there was lieutenant-
colonel of militia. In 1792 he removed to
Richmond, where he became a prosperous
business man. He married Catharine,
daughter of John Grattan, of Mt. Crawford.
His sons, Colonels John G. and Robert
Gamble, were officers in the war of 1812.
One of his daughters was wife of the famous
William Wirt, and another was wife of
Judge and Governor William H. Cabell
Montour, Andrew, son of Madam Mon-
tour, daughter of a Frenchman of that name,
and a Huron Indian woman. Madam Mon-
tour was a woman of great strength of char-
acter, and some education; she was very
friendly to the EftgHsh and devoted to the
interests of the whites, to whom her services
were so important that the commissioner of
Indian aflFairs for New York allowed her *'a
man's pay." Her husband was an Oneida
chief, Corondawana, alias Robert Hunter.
Andrew Montour was a man of intelligence
and some education. As captain, he was
sent by Governor Dinwiddie to join Wash-
ington, to command some friendly Indians
a.s scouts, and served with him until 1756-57.
Parkman says of him: "His face is like that
of a European, but marked with a broad
Indian ring of bear's grease and paint drawn
completely around it. He wears a coat of
fine cloth of cinnamon color, a black neck-
tie with silver spangles, a red waistcoat,
trousers, over which hangs his shirt; shoes
and stockings; a hat and brass ornaments,
something like the handle of a basket, sus-
pended from his ears."
Waggoner, Thomas, was a lieutenant with
Washington in his expedition to the Ohio
in 1754, and was slightly wounded in the
skirmish of May 28, that year, when Jumon-
ville was killed. His name appears in the
list of those who received the thanks of the
X'irginia house of burgesses, August 30,
1754, for "gallant and brave conduct in the
campaign."
Moffett, George, born in Augusta county,
Virginia, in 1735, son of John MoflFett and
Mary Christian, his wife. He lived at Mt.
Pleasant; was prominent in the Indian wars
and the revolution. After the war he was
a justice of the peace, one of the first trus-
tees of Washington College at Lexington,
and an elder in the Presbyterian church. He
married a sister of Colonel Samuel Mc-
Dowell. He died in 181 1.
Peyronie, William Chevalier, a native of
France, of excellent family and well edu-
cated. He came to Williamsburg, Virginia,
about 1750, where he taught fencing. He
had a military training and was commission-
ed ensign in the Virginia regiment under
Washington in 1754. He was a gallant offi-
cer, and was desperately wounded in the bat-
tle of Great Meadows, but finally recovered
and woo the favor of Washington; was
among the officers who received the thanks
of the assembly, and was made captain Au-
gust 25, 1754, on Washington's recommenda-
tion. He was engaged in the Braddock ex-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
243
pedition, and was killed in the battle of the
Monongahela.
Russell, William, was iieuienant-colonel
of the militia of Culpeper county in 1754,
from which he removed and settled on the
Clinch river, south of Castle's hoods, about
1770. Commanded a company of frontiers-
men at the battle of Point Pleasant in the
fall of 1774; member of the convention of
May, 1776, from Fincastle county; commis-
sioned captain in the Continental army, and
in 1776 was in Col. William Christian's ex-
pedition against the Cherokee Indians. He
v/as a delegate to the house of delegates in
1786. and Russell county was created and
named for him. Made brigadier-general of
Virginia militia. He resided for many years
at Saltville, Virginia, and died in 1794 at
the home of his son, Robert S. Russell, in
Shenandoah county. He was father of Wil-
liam Russell (q. v.).
Brady, Samuel, called the *' Marion of the
West/' was born at Shippensburg, Penn-
sylvania, 1756, and was the son of John
Brady, who was made a captain in the Colo-
nial army for his services in the old French
and Indian war. In 1776 Samuel joined the
American army, was commissioned lieuten-
ant and marched to Boston. He continued
with the army, and was in all the principal
battles until after that of Monmouth, when
he was ordered to the west and joined Gen.
Broadhead. Broadhead employed Brady as
a spy to ascertain the streng^th, resources,
ttc, of the savages. Disguised as savages,
Brady, Williamson and Wetzel reached the
Indian towns on the upper Sandusky. They
entered the Indian village at night and made
a thorough reconnoissance, and then re-
treated, traveling all night. In the morning
they discovered the savages in pursuit, but
finally escaped, having killed one of the
enemy. Satisfied with the information
brought by Brady and his companions,
Broadhead's army moved onward. During
all the Indian wars up to 1794, Brady took
an active part and no braver or bolder man
ever drew a sword or fired a rifle. He mar-
ried a daughter of Capt. Van Swearingen,
of Ohio county, and left descendants.
Clay, Green, born in Powhatan county,
Virginia, August 14, 1757, was of an ambi-
tious and enterprising nature. Before he
had attained the age of twenty years, he
had realized that better oportunities were
to be found elsewhere than in his native
region, and he removed to Kentucky, where
he became a man of great wealth and promi-
nence, having realized the value of land and
followed the avocation of surveying. He
represented Kentucky interests in the Vir-
ginia legislature; was a leader in the Ken-
tucky constitutional convention of 1799; and
was a member of the convention which rati-
fied the Federal constitution. For many
years he was a member of either one or the
other branch of the legislature, and served
for a time as speaker of the senate. When
Gen. Harrison was besieged by the British
ill Fort Meigs in 1813, he went to his assist-
ance with three thousand volunteers and
completely routed the enemy. Having been
left in command at this fort, he defended it
with ability against the combined attacks
of the British under Gen. Proctor, and the
Indians under Tecumseh. He retired to his
plantation at the conclusion of this war, and
devoted his time and attention to its culti-
vation, passing away to his last rest Octo-
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
ber 31, 1826. The famous Henry Clay was
a cousin.
Wetzel, Lewis, was one of the pioneers of
West \'irginia and a great Indian hunter.
During the career of this man of indomit*
able courage, energy and skill he killed
twenty-seven Indian warriors. He died in
1808. He was five feet ten inches high,
erect, broad across the shoulders, deep chest,
and limbs denoting great muscular strength.
His complexion was dark, eyes black, wild
and rolling. His black hair was luxuriant,
and when combed out fell below his knees —
a rare scalp for the savages could they have
secured it. He loved his friends and hated
his enemies. He was a rude, blunt man of
few words. His name and fame will long
survive among the backwoodsmen.
Crawford, William Harris, son of Joel
Crawford and Fanny Harris, his wife, and
descended from David Crawford, who came
from Scotland to Virginia about 1654, was
born in Amherst county, Virginia, Febru-
ary 24, 1772. His father, who was in re-
duced circumstances, removed first to South
Carolina, and then to Columbia county,
Georgia. After the completion of his early
education, Mr. Crawford taught for a time
in the schools of Augusta, and then studied
law, commencing the practice of this profes-
sion at Lexington, in 1799, and became one
of the compilers of the first digest of the
laws of Georgia. In 1802 he became a mem-
ber of the state senate, and in 1807 a mem-
ber of the United States senate to fill a
vacancy. The political excitement of the
period led him to engage in two duels, in
one of which his opponent fell, and in the
%econd of which he was wounded himself.
In 181 1 he was reelected, acquiesced in the
policy of a United States Bank, and in 1812
was chosen president pro tan. of the senate.
At first he was oposed to the war with Great
Britain, but finally gave it his support. In
181 3, having declined the post of secretary
of war, he accepted that of minister to
France, where he formed a personal friend-
ship with Lafayette. Upon the retirement
of Mr. Dallas in 1816, Mr. Crawford was
appointed secretary of the treasury. He
v/as prominently urged as candidate for the
presidency, but remained at the head of the
treasury department, where he adhered to
the views of Mr. Jefferson, and opposed the
Federal policy in regard to internal improve-
ments, then supported by a considerable sec-
tion of his own party. This position on the"
great question of the time subjected him to
virulent hostility from opponents of his own
party, and Mr. Calhoun, who was one of
these opponents, became a dangerous rival
for the Democratic nomination for the presi-
dency to succeed Monroe. Mr. Crawford,
however, as the choice of the Virginia party,
and the representative of the views of Jef-
ferson, secured the nomination of a congres-
sional caucus in February, 1824, and in the
election that followed he received the elec-
toral votes of Virginia and Georgia, with
scattering votes from New York, Maryland
and Delaware, in all forty-one. No choice
having been made by the electoral college,
the election reverted to the house of repre-
sentatives, where John Quincy Adams was
elected over Jackson and Crawford, through
the influence of Henry Clay, the fourth can-
didate before the people, who brought his
friends to the support of Adams. This re-
sult was also partly due to the ill health of
Mr. Crawford, and perhaps to imputations
brought against his conduct of the treasury
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department. These charges he promptly re-
futed, and a committee that included Daniel
Webster and John Randolph unanimously
declared them to be unfounded. But his
health rendered it impossible for him to con-
tinue in public life, and although he partially
regained his strength, he abstained from par-
ticipation in politics from that time. Upon
his return to Georgia he became circuit
judge, an office he continued to fill with
great efficiency, by successive elections in
1828 and 1831, almost until his death. He
opposed nullification, and his last days were
spent in retirement. Personally he was a
man of conspicuous social gifts, an admir-
able conversationalist, religious in his views
and feelings, and a supporter of Baptist con-
victions. At his home he dispensed a hearty
hospitality, and his name is eminent among
the illustrious citizens of Georgia. He died
in Elbert county, Georgia. September 15,
1S34.
Claiborne, William Charles Cole, was born
in Sussex county, Virginia, in 1775, son of
Col. William Claiborne, of King William
county, Virginia, and Mary Leigh, his wife,
daughter of Ferdinand Leigh. His educa-
tion was a liberal one and he was well pre-
pared for entrance to the legal profession.
Having been duly admitted to the bar, he
took up his residence in Nashville, Tennes-
see, where he followed his profession with
an extraordinary amount of success. He
was soon appointed territorial judge, and
assisted in the framing of the state consti-
tution in 1796. As a representative of the
Republican party he was elected to con-
gress in 1797, serving from March 23, 1797,
to March 3, 1801. He was appointed gov-
ernor of Mississippi in 1802, and in the fol-
lowing year, in association with Gen. James
Wilkinson, became a commissioner to take
possession of Louisiana when it was pur-
chased from the French. After the new gov-
ernment had been well established he was
made governor in 1804, and when the prov-
ince became a state he was elected to the
same office by the people. The Republican
party of the new state chose him as their
representative in the United States senate,
but he died in New Orleans, Louisiana, No-
vember 2^, 1817, before taking his seat in
this body. He was brother of Gen. Ferdi-
nand Leigh Claiborne (q. v.).
Morgan, William, born in Culpeper coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1775. He served under Gen.
Jackson at the battle of Xew Orleans. He
moved to Batavia, Xew York, and in 1826
it was rumored that he was about to publish
an exposure of the secrets of freemasonry.
He was taken by a party of men to Canan-
daigua. on a criminal charge, was acquitted,
and rearrested and lodged in jail, from which
he was secretly taken. It was charged that
he was drowned in Lake Ontario, Septem-
ber 19. 1826. Based upon the feeling thus
engendered, the political Anti-Masonic party
was formed, which in 183 1 nominated Wil-
liam Wirt for the presidency. The party
was finally merged into the Whig party.
Campbell, Richard, was born in the Val-
ley of Virginia. He was commissioned cap-
tain in 1776, later became major, served in
Gibson's regiment at Pittsburgh, and on
Mcintosh's expedition against the Ohio In-
dians in 1778. He led a relief party to Fort
Laurens in June, 1779, and for a time was
commander of that garrison. He was pro-
moted lieutenant-colonel, and commanded a
Virginia regiment at Guilford, Hobkirk's
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Hill, Xinety-six, and Eutaw Springs, where
he was mortally wounded while leading the
charge that drove the Dritish from the field.
Some hours later, hearing that the enemy
were in full retreat, he died, exclaiming, **I
die contented." Many writers have con-
founded him with Gen. William Campbell,
one of the leaders at King's Mountain. See
Drapers "King's Mountain and its Heroes."
Richard Campbell died at Eutaw Springs,
South Carolina, September 8, 1781.
Thomson, John, son of John Thomson, a
merchant of Petersburg, Virginia, was born
in 1777 and studied at William and Mary
College. He practiced law and his speeches
and letters to the newspapers over the sig-
nature of Casca Gracchus and Curtius. at-
tacking the policy of the Federalist party,
in an.<wer to John Marshall, were much ap-
plauded. He died in 175^9. when not more
than twenty-two. A sketch of his life was
written by his friend, George Hay, the law-
yer, who is unbounded in praise of his elo-
quence and talents.
Cummings, Charles, a native of Ireland,
came to Lancaster county, Virginia, where
he taught school and studied for the minis-
try under Rev. James Waddell. He was
licensed to preach by Hanover Presbytery
in 1766, and was pastor of Brown's meeting
house the next year. In 1773 he was min-
if ter to the congregations on the Holston.
and settled at Abingdon. The country was
infested by Indians, and he carried his rifle
into his pulpit ; on one occasion he was en-
gaged in a deadly conflict. In 1776 he ac-
companied Col. Christian's troops in an ex-
pedition against the Cherokees, and was the
first preacher in Tennessee. He died in
1812.
Blackburn, Samuel, was born in Virginia,
probably in Augusta county, about 1758.
His parents removed to the Holston region,
and he was educated at Washington College
and in 1785, after he had left college, it con-
ferred upon him the Bachelor of Arts de-
gree. He was a soldier in the revolution
and was in the battle of Guilford Court
House. After the war he was principal
teacher in an academy at Washington,
Georgia, and while thus engaged studied
law. In 1795 he was a member of the Georgia
legislature, and was several times a candi-
date for congress, but never elected. He
removed to Bath county, Virginia, and was
several times a member of the legislature,
and was author of the anti-dueling law —
said to be the first law of the kind ever en-
acted in the United States. He was one of
the most brilliant orators and successful
criminal lawyers of his time. By will, he
liberated his slaves, some forty in number,
on condition that they would go to Liberia,
whither they were taken at the expense of
his estate. He was a general in the state
militia. He married the oldest daughter of
Governor Mathews.
Butler, William, was born in Prince Wil-
liam county, Virginia, in 1759, a son of
James Butler, who was captured and mur-
dered by the notorious Cunningham. Mr.
Butler was a student at South Carolina Col-
lege, from which he was graduated with the
degree of Doctor of Medicine. In 1779 he
became a lieutenant in Lincoln's army, was
active at Stono, and sensed in the noted
corps of Pulaski. He next served in the
command of Gen. Pickens, then with Gen.
Lee under Greene, being an active partici-
pant in the siege of Xinety-Six, and was de-
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tached on a number of separate services,
which required celerity, courage and vigi-
lance. He was advanced to a command of
mounted rangers and took part in many
affairs with the Tories. He was in com-
mand of a body of cavalry when, in associa-
tion with Michael Watson, he attacked and,
with the aid of Gen. Sumter and others,
dispersed double the number of the enemy
in Dean's Swamp, but Watson was killed
in this encounter. Soon after the termina-
tion of the war he was made a brigadier-
general, and in 1796, major-general of the
militia. He was a member of the conven-
tion of 1787 to consider the adoption of the
P'ederal constitution, and voted against it.
Subsequently he was a member of the con-
vention that passed the present constitution
of South Carolina, was for some time a
member of the legislature, sheriff in 1794,
and also served as a magistrate. He was a
member of congress from 1801 until 1813,
resigning his seat in the last mentioned year
in order to make way for John C. Calhoun.
He was again a candidate for congress in
18 18, but was defeated by Eldred Simkins.
During the war of 1812 he was in command
of the South Carolina troops for state de-
fence. He died in Columbia, South Caro-
lina, November 15, 1821.
Speece, Conrad, born in Campbell county,
Virginia. He attended the New London
Academy, then went to Washington Col-
lege, Lexington, Virginia, where he gradu-
ated in 1796, and was a tutor for more than
a year. He studied theology, and was
licensed to preach by Hanover Presbytery.
He was pastor of the Augusta church from
1813 to 1836. He cultivated general litera-
ture, and wrote in both prose and verse.
He wrote the hymn, "Blest Jesus, when Thy
Cross I \'iew.'' Princeton College conferred
upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Hughes, Jesse, born at the headwaters of
the Monongahela, Virginia, about 1768, early
became skilled in the use of the rifle and
tomahawk, and was one of the most active,
daring and successful Indian hunters in the
mountain region of Virginia — sometimes
styled the Wetzel of his portion of the state.
He was a man of iron constitution, could
endure extraordinary privations and fatigue,
and many anecdotes are told of his encoun-
ters with the red men and of the invaluable
services he rendered to the white settle-
ments on the Monongahela. He was more
than a match at any time for the most wary
savage; in his ability to anticipate all their
artifices, he had few equals and no superiors.
He was a great favorite, and no scouting
party could be complete unless Jesse
Hughes had something to do with it.
Claiborne, Ferdinand Leigh, was born in
Sussex county, Virginia, in 1772, son of Col.
William Claiborne, of King William county,
and Mary Leigh, his wife, daughter of Ferdi-
nand Leigh. In 1793 he entered the military
service of the United States as ensign of
infantry, became lieutenant the following
year, and rose to the rank of captain in 1799.
He resigned this office in 1802 ; became brig-
adier-general of the militia in Mississippi,
February 5, 181 1, and subsequently com-
manded a regiment of volunteers from that
territory. He was made brigadier-general
of United States volunteers in 18 13, and
was in command at the time of the engage-
ment with the Creek Indians at the Holy
Ground, in December of that year. He then
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
settled in Mississippi, became legislative
councillor, February 4, 1815, and later pre-
sided over the deliberations of the legisla-
ture. He died in Natchez, Mississippi, in
181 5. He was a brother of William Charles
Cole Claiborne, governor of the Mississippi
territory in 1802 (q. v.).
Custis, George Washington Parke, was
born at Mount Airy, Maryland, April 30,
1781. a son of Col. John Parke Custis, who
was a son of Mrs. Washington by her first
husband, Daniel Parke Custis, and who was
aide-de-camp to Washington at the siege of
Yorktown, and died November 5, 1781, at
the age of twenty-eight years. The early
years of Mr. Cu>tis were spent at Mount
\'ernon. he pursued his classical studies at
St. John's College and at Princeton, and was
a member of Washington's family until the
oeath of Mrs. Washington in 1802, when he
built the .-\rlington House on an estate of
one thousand acres near Washington, which
he had inherited from his father. In 1852,
after the death of his sister, Eleanor Parke
Custis, wife of Maj. Lawrence Lewis, he
was the sole surviving member <jf Wash-
ington's lamily, and his residence was for
many years a favorite resort, owing to the
relics of that family which it contained. Mr.
Custis married in early life, Mary Lee Fitz-
hugh, of Virginia, and left a daughter, Mary
Randolph, who married Robert E. Lee. The
Arlington estate was confiscated during the
civil war, and is now held as national prop-
erty, and is the site of a national soldiers*
cemetery. Mr. Custis was an eloquent and
effective speaker in his early days ; he wrote
orations and plays, and during his latter
years executed a number of large paintings
of revolutionary battles. His ** Recollections
of Washington.'' originally contributed to
the "National Intelligencer," was published
in book form, with a memoir by his daugh-
ter and notes by Denson J. Lossing, New
^ork. 1S60. He died at Arlington House,
Fairfax county. \'irginia.
Daniel, Peter Vivian, was born in Stafford
county, X'irginia, April 24, 1784, a son of
Travers Daniel, and a grandson of Peter
Daniel, who married a daughter of Raleigh
Travers. of the X'irginia house of burgesses.
The residence of Travers Daniel, "Crow's
Nest." near the mouth of Potomac Creek,
was celebrated for its hospitalities, and the
family bore an important part in public af-
fairs. Peter \'ivian Daniel was graduated
from Princeton in the class of 1805, and
read law in the office of Edmund Randolph
(of Washington's cabinet), whose daughter,
Lucy Nelson Randolph, he married in iSii.
He was chosen a member of the privy coun-
cil of Virginia in 1812, and served part of
the time as lieutenant-governor of the state
until 1835. I" 1836 President Van Buren
appointed him judge of the district circuit
court of Virginia, and he was raised to the
supreme court of the United States, March
3. 1841, to succeed Mr. Justice Barbour.
Judge Daniel was a Democrat, and a per-
sonal as well as political friend of Presi-
dent Jackson. He was a man of fine taste
in literature, a highly accomplished musi-
cian, and his judicial opinions are marked
by care and clearness. He died at Rich-
mond. Virginia. June 30, i860.
Cooke, John Rogers, was born in Ber-
muda, in 1788. For more than forty years
he was engaged in legal practice in Virginia,
earning distinction, and during that period
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was connected with almost all the cases of
importance which were carried to the higher
courts of the state. In 1807 he held a com-
mission in the Frederick township troop that
marched to the seaboard when the Chcsa-
l^cake was fired upon, and he was a member
or the legislature in 18 14. In 1829 he was a
member of the convention that framed the
constitution of Virginia, and served, with
Chief Justice Marshall, ex-President Madi-
son and John Randolph, on the committee
of seven that drafted that instrument. He
possessed a vigorous and penetrating mind,
j.nd has been called "the model of lofty cour-
tesy, chivalry and generosity." He died at
Richmond. Virginia, Decembei 10, 1S54.
Duval, John Pope, was born at Richmond,
Virginia, June 3, 1790. His great-grand-
frther Daniel was a French Huguenot, who
settled in \'irginia in 1700: his grandfather
Samuel was a member of the house of bur-
gesses: and his father, Maj. William Duval,
was an officer of the revolution, of high repu-
tation as a chancery lawyer, who spent a
large fortune in assisting the poor, and en-
joyed the friendship of Washington. John
Pope Duval received a liberal education at
Washington College and at William and
Mary, then studied law in Richmond, being
admitted to the bar in 181 1. On April 9,
1S12, he became first lieutenant intheTwen-
tieth United States Infantry, served on the
Canadian frontier, and was promoted to the
rank of captain, serving in Virginia. After
the war had been terminated he resigned
his commission, and engaged in the practice
of law. He did not, however, meet with
the success he had anticipated, so he sold
his property and migrated to Florida, where
his brother was governor, arriving at Talla-
hassee in June, 1827. He obtained an ex-
cellent practice there, but. owing to the un-
hcalthfulness of the climate, removed to
Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1832, and resided
there until 1836, during this time organ-
izing volunteer forces during the war be-
tween Texas and Mexico, and held the rank
ot brigadier-general in the Texan service.
Just as he was about to depart for the scene
of hostilities, the war was terminated by
the capture of Santa Anna. He then re-
turned to Florida as secretary of the terri-
tory, gained a high reputation as a lawyer
there, and was commissioned by Gov. Call
to make a "Digest of the Laws of Florida,"
1840. While acting as governor, he secured
the capture of a large body of Indians on the
Appalachicola river. After the admission of
Florida to the Union, he gained prominence
as a Democratic politician, but was a firm
supporter of the Union during the seces-
sionist agitation of 1851-52. Mr. Duval
died in Washington, D. C March 19, 1854.
Gilmer, Francis Walker, youngest son of
Dr. George Gilmer, of *Pen Parke," Albe-
marle county, and Elizabeth Hudson, his
wife, daughter of Capt. Christopher Hudson,
a soldier in the revolution, was born Octo-
ber 9. 1790 at his father's residence. He lost
both his parents when he was still a child,
so that he lacked direction in his studies,
which were for the most part pursued pri-
vately. In 1807 he attended William and
Mary College and with such success that at
seventeen he was offered by Mr. Madison,
president of that institution, the ushership
of the grammar school in the college. His
'reading was very extensive and in point
cf learning he was already deemed a pro-
digy. After leaving college he studied law
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
in the office of William Wirt, who had
married his sister Mildred; practiced with
success at Winchester and in the neighbor-
ing counties, and in 1818 removed to Rich-
mond as a more enlarged and ambitious
field. Here he worked laboriously and was
one of the leading lawyers. But he was
essentially a student and he loved dearly
literature and the finer arts. It was about
this time that he wrote his "Sketches of
American Orators," in which he touched oflE
with very happy eflFect the eloquence of
William Pinkney. Littleton Waller Taze-
well. William Wirt and others. In 1820 he
wrote a short treatise on "Usury," which re-
ceived high commendation from Jeficrson,
Madison and John Randolph. He took much
interest in the establishment of the Univer-
sity of Virginia and was offered by Mr. Jef-
ferson the post of professor of law. This
he declined, but he was subsequently pre-
vailed upon by him to go to England and
select the first professors. This mission he
executed in a manner most honorable to
himself and the university. On his return
he was again tendered the chair of law,
and on account of his health, which unfitted
him for the strenuous work of practicing, he
accepted. He never delivered a lecture, but
died on February 25. 1826, in the thirty-
sixth year of his age, at the home of his
uncle, George Divers, in Albemarle county
His letters, written in England during his
mission, were published by William P.
Trent, under the title of "English Culture in
Virginia/' in the Johns Hopkins University
publications on historical and political
science. There also exist in MSS. some of
his letters to his nephew. Governor Thomas
Walker Gilmer, in whose education he took
much interest.
Taylor, Edward Thompson, born in Rich-
mond, Virginia, December 25, 1793. He fol-
Iciwed the sea in early life ; was captured on
the privateer Black Hawk in 1S12, taken to
England, and while in prison at Dartmouth
acted as chaplain to his fellow prisoners.
In 1819 he was ordained to the Methodist
ministry. In 1828 he was a missionary to
the Seaman's Bethel in Boston, Massachu-
setts. He was familiarly known as "Father
Taylor," and his discourses commanded
wide attention by reason of his remarkably
vivid use of nautical terms, and his wonder-
ful descriptive powers. In 1832 he visited
Lurope. Palestine in 1842. and in 1840 was
chaplain on the United States frigate Mace-
douian, on its voyage to Ireland with provi-
sions for its famine-stricken people. His elo-
quence commanded the admiring attention
01 such writers as Miss Martineau, Charles
Dickens and Miss Bremer. He died in Bos-
ton, Massachusetts, April 6, 1871.
Collier, Henry Watkins» bom in Lunen-
burg county, Virginia, January 17, 1801, and
was less than a year old when his father re-
moved with his family to the Abbeville Dis-
trict, South Carolina, where he received his
preparatory education. They removed to
Madison county, Alabama, in 1818, and he
studied law at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and
at Huntsville, Alabama, being admitted to
legal practice in the latter city. He became
a resident of Tuscaloosa in 1823, and was
there elected district judge in 1827. Hav-
ing been appointed associate justice of the
supreme court of Alabama in 1836, he was
made chief justice the following year, and
remained the incumbent of this office until
1849, when, without opposition, he was
elected governor of the state. His support
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was sought both by the southern rights and
the Union party ; but he favored neither side
of the question that then agitated the south-
ern states, and in 1851 was renominated and
elected without a regular nomination. At
the expiration of his second term of office
ho retired to private life, and died at Bailey's
Springs, Lauderdale county, Alabama, Au-
gust 28. 1855.
Jeter, Jeremiah, born in Bedford county,
Virginia. July 18, 1802. He commenced
preaching when he was twenty years old,
and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1824,
r.nd, in turn, served churches in Bedford,
Sussex and Campbell counties, in the city
of Richmond and in St. Louis, Missouri.
He was made president and a trustee of
Richmond (Virginia) College, at its organ-
ization in 1840, and was first president of
the foreign missions board of his church,
and later was president of the board of trus-
tees of the Louisville Theological Seminary.
Under the board of missions he went to
Italy to superintend mission work in 1865,
and established a chapel in Rome. He was
chief editor of the Richmond "Religious
Herald,'' and author of numerous biograph-
ical and other works. He was a principal
compiler of 'The Psalmist,'' which was gen-
erally adopted by the churches of the United
States. Canada and England. He died Feb-
ruary 25. 1880.
Mason, Clement R., born in Chesterfield
county. Virginia, about 1803, of poor par-
ents; he was early thrown upon his own
resources, and without the advantages of
education. In 1861 he recruited a company
for the Fifty-second Virginia Regiment, but
his services were called for in another'capac-
ity. He was commissioned quartermaster,
with the rank of captain; was employed by
Gen. "Stonewair* Jackson in constructing
roads and bridges, in which work he dis-
played masterly ability, and was promoted
t(* lieutenant-colonel. After the war he
turned his attention to railroad construction,
and built a large part of the Chesapeake &
Ohio road. By a mental process peculiar to
himself, he made the most intricate calcula-
tions in mensuration. He accumulated sev-
eral fortunes, and lost nearly all through his
generosity. He died in January, 1885, ^ged
about eighty-two years.
Dupuy, Eliza Ann, born at Petersburg,
\'irginia, about 1814. descended from
Abraham Dupuy, who settled with other
French Huguenots at Manakintown, above
Richmond, in 1700, and of Col. Joel Stur-
devant, of the revolution. Her father, a mer-
chant and ship owner of Norfolk, Virginia,
moved to Kentucky, where she wrote her
first novel, "Meeton. a Tale of the Revolu-
tion." She became governess in a family at
Natchez, Mississippi, and while there wrote
her story of Aaron Burr, under title of 'The
Conspirator," and its success impelled her
to give herself entirely to literary work, and
she produced many volumes, among them
•The Planter's Daughter,*' *The Separa-
tion.'' *The Divorce,'' ** Florence, or the
Fatal Vow." "Ashleigh. a Tale of the Revo-
lution," *The Huguenot Refugees." Most of
her work was of the sensational order, and
included writings under contract for the
"New York Ledger." She died at New Or-
leans, Louisiana, in January, 1881.
Baldwin, Joseph Glover, born near Win-
chester, Virginia, in January, 1815. He had
little opportunity for education, and was in
large degree self-taught. He did secretarial
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
work, meantime studying law. He moved
tc Macon, Mississippi, and thence to Liv-
ingston, Alabama, where he began to achieve
success in literature as well as in his profes-
sion. In 1844 he was a member of the Ala-
bama legislature, and in 1849 ^^'^^ ^^ ^^'
successful candidate for congress. He re-
moved to California, and was a judge of the
supreme court from 1857 to 1862, and was
chief justice from 1863 to January, 1864,
when he resigned to engage in law practice.
In 1853 ^^ wrote "Flush Times in Alabama
and Mississippi/' which was regarded as
containing the best delineations of southern
character in the days prior to the war,
abounding in quaint humor ; and in the same
year he produced "Party Leaders," being
judicial estimates of political celebrities;
and "Humorous Legal Sketches," a work of
surpassing humor and quaint philosophy.
His biographer spoke of him as "an able
lawyer, an eloquent advocate, a learned jur-
ist, a sparkling wit." He married a daugh-
ter of Hon. John White, of California. He
died in 1866, leaving, among other children,
a son, Alexander W. Baldwin, a well known
jurist, who was killed in a railway accident
in Nevada in 1869.
a
Carruthers» William A., was born in Vir-
ginia about 1800. He was a student at
Washington College, Virginia, about 1818,
being educated there for the profession of
medicine. He was the author of romances,
full of spirit and animation, and based
mainly on American historical facts, and
these enjoyed great popularity at the time.
Upon his removal to Savannah, he engaged
ir. medical practice, and also contributed to
the "Magnolia" and other southern maga-
zines. In 1838 he gave an account, in the
"Knickerbocker Magazine." of a hazardous
ascent of the natural bridge in Virginia.
His published works are: 'The Cavaliers
of \'irginia, or the Recluse of Jamestown, an
Historical Romance of the Old Dominion,"
depicting the scenes of Bacon's Rebellion
and the conflict between Royalists and
Cromwellians in Virginia (Xew York, 1832) ;
"The Kentuckian in Xew York, or the Ad-
ventures of Three Southerners," a volume
oi descriptive sketches with romantic inci-
dents; "The Knights of the Horse-Shoe, a
Traditionary Tale of the Cocked Hat Gentry
ill the Old Dominion," the scene of which
is laid in Virginia in the time of Gov. Sp)Ots-
wood (Wetumpka. Alabama, 1845) ; and a
"Life of Dr. Caldwell." He died at Savan-
nah. Georgia, about 1850.
Chapman, John Gadsby, was born in Alex-
andria. Virginia, in 1808. From his earliest
years he displayed remarkable talent for art,
and was sent to Italy to study under the best
masters. Upon his return to America he
settled in New York, and there was elected
a member of the National Academy in 1836.
He was especially successful as an etcher
and wood engraver, being engaged to make
illustrations for many books. Among the
best known of his works of this kind are
"Harper's Illustrated Bible," and a "Draw-
ing-Book," which passed through many edi-
tions in this country and in England. He
returned to Italy in 1848, and from that time
made his studio in Rome. la 1839 and in
1878 he visited this country. In 1888 he
was one of the three survivors of the orig-
inal members of the "Sketch Club," estab-
lished in New York about 1830, the others
being a sister of Robert C. Sands, and Prof.
Robert W. Weir. The paintings of Mr.
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Chapman were also justly celebrated, among
the most popular being: "Baptism of Poca-
hontas." in the Capitol at Washington;
"Etruscan Girl;" "Sunset on the Cam-
pagna;'* "Vintage Scene;*' **Stone Pines in
the Barberini Valley ;" and ** Valley of Mex-
ico.
Cooke, Philip Pendleton, was born at Mar-
tinsburg, Virginia. October 26, 1816, a son
o( John Rogers Cooke. He was graduated
al Princeton in the class of 1834, then took
up the study of law with his father, and was
engaged in the practice of his profession be-
fore he had attained his majority. He had,
however, little love for legal ^ork, prefer-
ring literature and field sports, to both of
which he was devoted. Prior to his death
he had become famous as the greatest hunts-
man in the Shenandoah Valley. His repu-
tation as a poet is a most creditable one ; at
an early period he published a number of
poems* in the "Knickerbocker Magazine,"
and was also a frequent contributor to the
"Southern Literary Messenger." He was
stately and impressive in manner and a bril-
liant conversationalist. His only publica-
tion in book form was "Froissart Ballads,
and other Poems," Philadelphia, 1847. -^t
the time of his death he was publishing
serially a romance entitled **Chevalier Mer-
lin." His short lyrics, "Florence Vane,"
"To My Daughter. Lily," and "Rosa Lee,"
were very popular. The first named has
been translated into many languages, and
has been set to music by celebrated com-
posers. Among his tales are "John Carpe,"
"The Crime of Andrew Blair," and "The
Cregories of Hackwood." Mr. Cooke died
January 20, 1850.
Tyler, John Webb, was descended from
Charles Tyler, who was living in West-
moreland county as early as 1690, and prob-
ably came from Maryland. He was a son
of William Tyler, of Prince William county,
who married his cousin, Mary Tyler, daugh-
ter of George G. Tyler. He served in the
senate of Virginia, and in 1850 was elected
judge of the circuit court to succeed John
Scott. In 1858 he was appointed a judge of
the special court of appeals, created for the
relief of the docket of the regular court.
John Randolph Tucker says in his "Remi-
niscences of V'irginia Judges and Jurists"
that "while he did not pretend to extensive
learning he had a strong common sense, a
quickness of perception and a promptness
of decision which made him an admirable
judge."
Dupuy, Bartholomew, came to Virginia
in the French Huguenot emigration of 1700.
His family was very ancient in France, and
Bartholomew was an officer in the g^iards
of Louis XIV. After the revocation of the
edict of Xantes in 1685, he fled to Germany,
where he remained with his wife, the Coun-
tess Susanne Lavillon, fourteen years. He
then went to England, and in 1700 came to
Virginia and settled at Manakintown, in
what is now Goochland county. During the
American revolution three of his grandsons,
Capts. James and John Dupuy and Lieu-
tenant Peter Dupuy, served in the Ameri-
can army; and in the Confederate army he
was represented, to say nothing of many
other gallant descendants, by Dr. John J.
Dupuy, afterwards of Davidson College,
Xorth Carolina.
Buchanan, John, was born in Scotland in
the year 1743. He was a Master of Arts of
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
the University of Edinburgh and first stud-
ied law. He came to Virginia and joined
his elder brother in Richmond — Mr. James
Buchanan, a prominent merchant of that
place. Xot finding his turn of mind either
fitted for law or mercantile pursuits, he re-
turned to Great Britain and was invested
with holy orders in 1775. He taught as
tutor in several private families, and finally
returned to Virginia, where he was minister
or Lexington parish in Amherst county in
1780. He removed to Richmond about 1782,
where he resided in the family of Jaqueline
Ambler, treasurer of the state, and was min-
ister of St. John's Church, and also preach-
ed in the capitol, alternately sharing his
congregation with John D. Blair (q. v.),
the Presbyterian minister. No churches had
then been built in Richmond. He died in
his eightieth year. December 22, 1822. He
never married.
Latane, Rev. Lewis, came to Virginia in
the French Huguenot emigration in 1700,
with his wife, four children and one servant
He was rector of South Farnham parish,
Essex county, from 1700 till his death, in
1734. One of his descendants was the gal-
lant Capt. Latane, who was killed in 1862,
at **01d Church," Hanover county, in one
of Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's raids, and whose
romantic burial at the hands of Virginia
ladies, assisted by their servants, was per-
petuated on canvas by Washington, a Vir-
ginia artist, and engraved. Another de-
scendant was Bishop James A. Latane, of
the Reformed Episcopal church.
Rose, Rev. Robert, was born in Scotland
ii« 1705, was ordained for the ministry, and
came to Virginia in 1725, where he was
given charge of St. Anne's parish, Essex
county. In 1746 he had charge of St. Anne's
parish. Nelson county. He was a remark-
ably active and zealous preacher and man
o^ affairs. His journal shows that he was a
kind of universal genius. When the city of
Richmond was to be laid out, he was invited
to lend his counsel. While thus engaged he
sickened and died, and was buried in the
\ard of St. John's Church. He died June
30, 1751, in his forty-seventh year, and his
tombstone testifies to "his extraordinary
genius and capacity in all the polite and
useful arts of life." He had four brothers
in Virginia, one of whom was Rev. Charles
Rose, of Cople parish, Westmoreland coun-
t\. He had four sons — Hugh, Patrick,
Henry and Charles — who have left numer-
ous descendants.
West, William, bom in Fairfax county,
Virginia, in 1739, son of Hugh West, who
died in 1754, in Loudoun county. His birth-
place was near Mount Vernon, and he be-
came intimate with Washington. He went
to England for orders, which he received
from the bishop of London, November 24.
i;'6i. He served two years in his native prov-
ince, in 1761-63; was incumbent of St. Mar-
garet's, Westminster parish, Ann Arundel
county, Maryland, 1763-67; of St. Andrew's,
St. Mary's county, in 1767-72; of St. George's
parish. Harford county, in 1772-79; and of
St. Paul's, Baltimore coiinty. in 1779-91,
officiating in connection therewith in St.
Thomas's parish, ten miles distant. He re-
ceived the degree of Doctor of Divinity from
Washington College. Maryland, in 1785;
was active in the work of settling church
affairs, directly after the revolution, and was
a correspondent of Bishop White, who
valued his sound judgment and accurate ac-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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quaintance with the important subject of
organizing the Protestant Episcopal church
and in revising the liturgy. He was secre-
tary of the convention of Maryland, in June,
1784, and president in May, 1790; and was
a delegate to the general convention. He
died near Baltimore, Maryland, March 30,
1791. His brother John, known as Capt.
John West, Jr., of Fairfax county, married
Catherine, daughter of Major Thomas Col-
ville, first cousin of Lady Bennett, countess
of Tankerville (see West Family in ''Wil-
liam and Mary College Quarterly,*' x, p. 65).
Douglass, Rev. William, came from Scot-
land in the year 1748, and was a teacher in
the family of Col. Spence Monroe, father of
President James Monroe. In 1749 he re-
turned to Great Britain, and was ordained
a minister, and returning to Virginia was
given charge of St. James' Northam parish,
in Goochland county. Here he remained
till 1787, and was extraordinarily active as
a minister and a man of affairs. He kept a
very full register of births and deaths in his
parish, which is still preserved. His daugh-
ter Margaret married Mr. Nicholas Meri-
wether, of Albemarle, and they were the an-
cestors of many of that name in America.
Mark, John, an emigrant from Ulster, Ire-
land. He was an ardent Whig in the revo-
lution. He purchased a splendid estate in
Berkeley county, called "Travellers' Rest,"
from Gen. Gates, with whom he maintamed
a familiar correspondence. He removed to
Fredericksburg, and was a leading member
of the first Presbyterian church. He mar-
ried Ellen Morrow, a relative of James Rum-
sey. His daughter Ann married John Baker,
Jr., congressman from 181 1 to 1813; she was
a passenger on James Rumsey's boat at
Shepherds town in 1786.
Blair, John Durbarrow, son of Rev. John
Blair, principal of Fogg's Manor, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, was born at Fogg's
Manor, October 15, 1759. He was educated
as a Presbyterian minister under his father's
care, and at an early date came to Virginia.
He presided over Washington-Henry Acad-
emy in Hanover, and assumed control of
Pole Green Church, founded by Samuel
Davies. This church he continued to serve
till his removal to Richmond. For many
years he officiated in the capitol alternately
v/ith Rev. John Buchanan, an Episcopal
minister, preaching to the same congrega-
tion. He was first pastor of the Grace Street
Presbyterian Church in Richmond. He died
January 10, 1823. George Wythe Munford
made Blair and Buchanan the subject of a
work called "The Two Parsons," to weave
around them a charming account of the
early days of Richmond. Mr. Lewis H.
Blair (q. v.) is one of his descendants.
Rind, William, was an apprentice of Jonas
Green, editor of the "Maryland Gazette."
In 1766 he was invited to Virginia by
Thomas Jefferson and other leading patriots
to set up an opposition "Gazette" to the one
published by Joseph Royle. which was too
much under royal control. He was appoint-
ed public printer by the house of bur-
gesses. The motto of his paper was "open
to all parties, but influenced by none." He
died August 19, 1773, ^^^ his paper was
carried on for two years by his widow.
Clementina Rind, a native of Maryland. She
died two years after her husband, when
John Pinkney succeeded her. William Rind
left two sons, James, a clever letter writer
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
and lawyer in Richmond about 1804, and
William, and a daughter Maria, first wife of
Judge John Coalter.
Paradise, John, son of Peter Paradise,
was born at Thessalonica, where his father,
a Greek, was British consul. He removed
to London, where he was a friend of Sam-
uel Johnson, and member of the ''Literary
Club." He is mentioned by Boswell in his
"Life of Johnson." He came to Virginia
about 1783, and became a citizen of that
state and was a member of the board of
visitors of William and Mary College.
After 1788 he returned with his wife to
London, where he died in 1795. His wife
v/as Lucy Ludwell, youngest daughter of
Hon. Philip Ludwell, and she returned from
London to V'irginia in 1805. Paradise had
two daughters, Portia and Lucy, which last
married Count Philip J. Barziza, of Venice,
whose son of the same name settled in Wil-
liamsburg, married Cecilia Belette, and had
ten children. The last was named Decimus
Ultimus Barziza. When Mrs. Paradise re-
turned to Virginia, after the death of her
husband, she brought among other house-
hold treasures, her dining table, around
which the Literary Club had so often been
entertained. This table is now the property
of Miss Mary J. Gait, of Williamsburg.
Rumsey, James, born at Bohemia Manor,
Cecil county, Maryland, about 1743; he was
a machinist and boat builder, and his
most notable invention, the steamboat, was
constructed at Shepherdstown, Virginia, and
was used upon the Potomac river, at that
place. In 1784 he exhibited to Washington
the model of a boat for stemming the cur-
rent of rivers, by the force of the stream
acting upon setting poles. This he patented
in several states, and in March, 1785, he ob-
tained from the Pennsylvania assembly an
exclusive ten years' right **to navigate and
build boats to work with greater care and
rapidity." Later he launched upon the Po-
tomac river a boat provided with a steam
engine and machinery of his own construc-
tion that propelled the vessel by the force
of a stream of water thrown out by a pump
at the stern. He made a successful trial
trip in December, 1787, which was witness-
ed by a large concourse of people, and he
was granted the rights of so navigating the
streams of Xew York, Maryland and Vir-
ginia. The Rumsey Society, of which Ben-
jamin Franklin was a principal member, was
founded in Philadelphia in 1788, for the pur-
pose of furthering his enterprise. He then
went to England, where a similar society
v.as organized, and he obtained patents for
his inventions in Great Britain, France and
Holland. At London, a boat and" machinery
were built for him, and a successful trial trip
v/as made on the Thames in December, 1792,
and he died while preparing for a second
experiment, December 23, same year. He
rose to address a large audience in London
and fell dead. He published "A Short
Treatise on the Application of Steam,"
which involved him in a controversy with
John Fitch. In 1839 the Kentucky legisla-
ture presented to his son a gold medal,
"commemorative of his father's services and
high agency in giving to the world the bene-
fits of the steamboat."
Braidwood* John, son of John Braidwood.
of Edinburgh and London. His father was
founder of a school in London, for the in-
struction of the deaf and dumb. The son
came to "Cobb's," Goochland county, Vir-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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ginia, to teach afflicted children in the fam-
ily of William Boiling, and, as a result, Mr.
Boiling established the first institution in
America for the education of the deaf and
dumb. The school had six or seven scholars
and was under the charge of Braidwood,
and, after several years, was abandoned on
account of his bad habits, from which Mr.
Boiling found it impossible to retrieve him.
He died in 1819 or 1820. a victim of intem-
perance.
Davies, William, a native of Delaware,
sen of Rev. Samuel Davies, who succeeded
Rev. Jonathan Edwards in the presidency
oi Princeton College ; his mother, before her
marriage, was Mary Holt, of Williamsburg,
Virginia, sister of William Holt, mayor of
that city. He graduated at Princeton Col-
lege, and afterwards was a teacher there.
Richard Stockton (a signer of the Declara-
tion of Independence) became his guardian
and law preceptor. He served through the
revolutionary war, was engaged in various
battles, and was made colonel. After the
war. President Washington appointed him
United States collector at Norfolk, an office
which he held until the incoming of the Jef-
ferson administration. Later he was ap-
pointed to settle the war accounts between
Virginia and the Federal government, which
kept him for several years in New York and
Philadelphia. He married Mary Murray
Gordon, daughter of James Murray, and
widow of Alexander Gordon, merchant of
Petersburg.
Thornton, Anthony, born at **Ormsby,"
Caroline county, Virginia, February i, 1748,
son of Anthony Thornton and Sarah Talia-
ferro, his wife; was a member of the Caro-
VIA^l?
line county committee of safety in 1775-
1776, and during the revolution he was ap-
pointed lieutenant-colonel of the militia in
1777; county lieutenant from 1779 to 1789.
He commanded the Caroline militia. He
was at the siege of Yorktown, and his force
took part in the attack on Gloucester Point.
In 1868 Col. Thornton removed with his
family to Kentucky, where one of his de-
scendants has in possession the sword which
he carried during the war for independence.
He died at Paris, Bourbon county, Ken-
tucky, December 21, 1828. His brother,
Presley, commanded a cavalry company,
another brother was an aide to Washington,
in the same war.
Thornton, James Bankhcad, born at
"Mount Zephyr," Caroline county, Virginia,
August 28, 1806, son of James B. Thornton,
and grandson of Col. Anthony Thornton
(q. v.). He was educated at William and
Mary College and studied law. He was a
member of the Virginia senate in 1838-40.
He was one of the principal movers in the
founding of the Virginia Militarj- Institute
at Lexington. He practiced his profession
at Warrenton, Fauquier county and sub-
sequently at Bowling Green, Caroline coun-
ty, \'irginia. In 1847 he removed to Mem-
phis, Tennessee, where he continued to prac-
tice law. He was author of a "Digest of
the Conveyancing, Testamentary and Reg-
istry Laws of the States of the Union"
(Philadelphia, 1847), and a work on "As-
signments,** the manuscript of which was
burned by accident before it could be pub-
lished. During the civil war he was identi-
fied with the cause of the Southern Con-
federacy. He died at Memphis, Tennessee,
October 12, 1867.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Minor, Thomas, bom at '* Locust Gr^'e,"
Spotsylvania county, Virginia, in 1751, son
of Captain Thomas Minor and Alice
Thomas, his wife. He was in military serv-
ice during the entire war of the revolution,
holding commissions in turn as second and
first lieutenant, adjutant, and as captain and
aide-de-camp to Gen. Edward Stevens, at
the siege and surrender of Yorktown. After
the war he was colonel of militia, justice of
the peace, and twice high sheriff. Twice he
v.as called upon to do public honor to the
Marquis de Lafayette — first in 1824, when
that illustrious soldier and friend to Amer-
ica was given a public reception. Col. Minor
acting as master of ceremonies; and a de-
cade later (July 11. 1834), when at a memo-
rial service in honor of Lafayette, then
ktely deceased, Col. Minor acted as chief
pall-bearer, and though in his eighty-third
year, marched on foot. The old veteran be-
came overheated and took a cold which re-
sulted in pneumonia, and ended in his death,
on the 2 1 St of the same month. On the
previous Fourth of July he had entertained
a host of neighbors and friends with a bar-
becue and out-of-door entertainments on a
very liberal scale. He was fond of dogs
and horses, and is mentioned in the "Vir-
ginia Historical Magazine" as one of the
principal improvers of the blooded horses
or the state, by imputation and systematic
breeding. He rode his favorite horse,
**Gentle Kitty" to Washington City, to pay
his respects to Gen. Jackson, then just elect-
ed to the presidency, and was received with
distinguished friendship and appreciation.
He married, in 1781, Elizabeth, daughter of
Col. James Taylor, of "Midway," Caroline
county, Virginia.
Tatham, William, born in Hutton, Eng-
land, in 1752. He came to America in 1769,
and engaged in a mercantile business on
the James river, \'irginia. He served as ad-
jutant in the operations against the Indians,
with whom he came into familiar contact,
and from the knowledge of their history
which he gained he wrote excellent bio-
graphical accounts of Atakullakulla, Oconis-
toto, Cornstalk and other distinguished
chiefs. During the revolutionary war he
was a colonel of \*irginia cavalry under
Gen. Thomas Nelson, and was of the party
that stormed the Yorktown redoubt. With
Col. John Todd, in 1780, he compiled the
first trustworthy account of the western
country. After the revolutionary war. he
studied law; in 1784 was admitted to the
bar, and in 1786 removed to North Carolina,
where he founded the settlement of Lum-
berton, and was a member of the legislature
in 1787. In 1796 he returned to England,
and became superintendent of the London
docks. He came back to Virginia in 1805.
He was impoverished in his old age, and
was made military storekeeper in the Rich-
mond arsenal. While so engaged, on Feb-
ruary 22. 1819, he committed suicide by
springing in front of a cannon at the instant
of its firing in a salute in honor of Wash-
ington's birthday. He was one of the most
remarkable men of his day, and in his many
published works anticipated by more than
a half century all others in calculating the
agricultural and commercial possibilities of
the new nation, and making suggestions for
their development, as witness: "An Ana-
lysis of the State of Virginia" (1790) ; **Two
Tracts relating to the Canal between Nor-
folk and North Carolina" (1797) ; "Remarks
on Inland Canals" (1798) ; "Political Econ-
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cmy of Inland Navigation, Irrigation and
Drainage" (1799) ; "Communications on the
Agriculture and Commerce of the United
States" (,1800); "Historical and Practical
Essay on the Culture and Commerce of
Tobacco'* (1800); "National Irrigation"
(1801); "Oxen for Tillage" (1801).
Hunter, Andrew, born in Virginia in 1752,
the son of a British officer, and was licensed
to preach by the first Presbytery of Phila-
delphia in 1773. immediately after which he
m.ade a missionary tour through Virginia
and Pennsylvania. In 1775 he was appoint-
ed a brigade chaplain, served throughout
the revolutionary war, and received the pub-
lic thanks of Gen. Washington for the valu-
able services he had rendered at the battle
of Monmouth. He was principal of a school
near Trenton, New Jersey, in 1794, and in
1804 he was elected professor of mathe-
matics and astronomy at Princeton. He re-
signed from this office in 1808 to take charge
or the Dordentown Academy, and in 1810
became a chaplain in the navy. He married
a daughter of Richard Stockton, the singer.
He died in Washington, D. C, February 24,
18J3.
Kcnnon, Richard, of "Finewood." Meck-
lenburg county, \irginia. son of Robert
Kennon and Sarah Skipwith. his wife,
daughter of Sir William Skipwith, baronet.
He entered the revolutionary war as lieu-
tenant in the Fifth Virginia Regiment, and
served with distinction. He was made brig-
adier-general of state troops: was county
lieutenant of Mecklenburg county in 1789:
member of house of delegates: state sena-
tor, and speaker of senate, 1801. He was
the first governor of the territory of Louisi-
ana, under President Jefferson, and he died
while holding that office, in New Orleans,
at the age of forty-four. He married Eliza-
beth, daughter of Col. Robert Munford, of
"Richland," Mecklenburg county, Virginia.
Commodore Beverley Kennon (q. v.;, of
the United States navy, was his son.
Bellini, Charles, doubtless came to Vir-
ginia with Philip Mazzel, in 1773; his name
is found in the roll of Albemarle volunteers
in 1775, ^"J o" 1779 to 1783 on the Masonic
rolls at Williamsburg. In 1779 he became
the first professor of modern languages in
William and Mary College — the first insti-
tution of learning in the United States to
establish such a professorship. When the
college was temporarily closed, in 178 1, the
Abbe Robin states that he saw "this soli-
tary professor of Italian extraction" at Wil-
liamsburg, and that "his conversation and
abilities appeared to be such that after what
he told us of his brethren, we could not help
regretting their absence." He died in 1803.
Henkel, Paul, born in Rowan county,
North Carolina, December 15, 1754, a de-
scendant of Gerhardt. a court preacher in
Germany, and one of the earliest Lutheran
ministers to come to America, who settled
in Germantown, Pennsylvania, about 1740.
Nearly all the male descendants have been
Lutheran clergymen. Paul's father settled
in North Carolina, but in 1760 the family
were driven by the Catawba Indians to take
refuge in western Virginia. The son grew
up an expert hunter and familiar with In-
dian warfare. About 1776 he listened to
the preaching of Whitefield. and determined
to enter the ministry. After receiving a
brief classical and theological training from
the Lutheran clergj-man in Fredericktown,
Maryland, he was licensed to preach by the
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VIRGINIA DIOGRAPHY
synod, settled at Xew Market, Virginia, and
was ordained in Philadelphia, June 6, 1792.
He established several churches in the vicin-
ity of Xew Market and in Augusta county.
Virginia, and Rowan county. North Caro-
lina, where he labored subsequently. While
in Xorth Carolina he helped to form the
synod there. He returned to Xew Market
ir. 1S05, and made missionary tours through
western X'irginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, In-
diana and Ohio. He was a fervent speaker
and writer, both in English and German, a
man of earnest convictions, who roused much
oi)position by his insistance on the conserva-
tion of the original confessions and rites of
the church. He published a work in Ger-
man on "Baptism and the Lord's Supper,"
1S09, which was afterward translated into
English ; a German hymn book, 1810 ; and
one in the English language, 1816, in each
of which were included many hymns com-
posed by himself. He also issued a German
Catechism, 1814, followed by one in Eng-
lish, and was the author of a German sa-
tirical poem entitled "Zeitvcrtreib." He
died at Xew Market, Virginia, November
17, 1825.
Wccms, Mason Locke» born in Anne Arun-
dell county, Maryland, about 1760. He stud-
ied theology in Edinburgh, took orders in
the Protestant Episcopal church, and for
some years was rector of Pohick Church,
Truro parish, Virginia, at which Washing-
ton was an attendant. About 1790 neces-
sities of his family obliged him to resign
this charge, and he became a book agent
for Mathew Carey, the Philadelphia pub-
lisher. He was remarkably successful in
that employment, "travelling throughout the
south with his books in his saddle-bags,
equally ready for a stump, a fair or a pul-
pit." He was eccentric in mind and man-
ner, and whenever he heard of a public
meeting he would attend it, and, collecting
a crowd about him, urge on his hearers the
merits of his books, interspersing his re-
marks with anecdotes and humorous sallies.
With his temperance pamphlet, entitled
"The Drunkard's Glass,*' illustrated with
cuts, he would enter taverns and, by mimick-
ing the extravagances of the drunkard, so
amuse and delight his audiences that he had
no trouble in selling his wares. He was an
expert violin player, on which he performed
for young people to dance, thereby causing
much scandal in pious communities. On
one occasion he had promised to assist at a
merrymaking, but fearing for his clerical
character, he decided to play behind a screen.
In the course of the evening it was over-
turned, disclosing the parson to the jeers
jO^ the company. On another occasion he
was obliged to pass through a dangerous
district of South Carolina, which at that
time was infested with robbers. Just at
nightfall his wagon sank into a quagmire;
two ruffians appeared and were about to
sieze him, when he took out his violin and
so charmed them by his music that they
lifted his wheels out of the mud and let him
go. "I took precious care," said Weems,
"to say nothing of my name. When they
pressed the question my fiddle drowned
their words and mine too." Of his temper-
ance tracts Bishop William Meade says in
his "Old Churches and Old Families of Vir-
ginia:" "They would be most admirable in
their effects but for the fact that you know
not what to believe of the narrative. There
are passages of deep pathos and great elo-
quence in them." This charge of a want of
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veracity is brought against all of Weems'
writings, but there is no improbability ap-
parent in any of them, and indeed, there is
too much tendency to hypercritism with
many modern writers. Several of the most
widely circulated anecdotes of the youth of
Washington, especially the famous one of
the hatchet, rest on his authority. An
entertaining sketch of W'eems' early pas-
torate is given in the "Travels in America"
of John Davis, London, 1802. In this narra-
tive he figures as a pious and devout preach-
er, devoted to good works. One of his pam-
phlets, "The Philanthropist,'" was com-
mended by Washington in an autograph
letter to the author, who prefixed it to
subsequent editions of the tract. His prin-
cipal works are: "Life of George Wash-
ington," which is still largely sold in the
rural districts of many parts of the country,
and is the most popular biography of that
general in existence, Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, 1800; eleventh edition, with additions,
ir iSti: "Life of General Francis Marion/'
1805: "Life of Benjamin Franklin, with Es-
sr.ys," 1817; and "Life of William Penn,'*
1S19. Mr. Weems died in Beaufort, South
Carolina. 18 19.
Harper, Robert Goodloe, born near Fred-
ericksburg, Virginia, in 1765, a son of Jesse
Harper and Diana Goodloe. his wife, who in
his childhood removed to Granville, North
Carolina. At the age of fifteen he served
under Gen. Greene, in a troop of horse com-
posed of the youth of the neighborhood, dur-
ing the closing scenes of the southern cam-
paign of the revolution. He graduated
from Princeton in 1785, studied law in
Charleston. South Carolina, and was admit-
ted to the bar in 1786. Shortly afterward
he removed to the interior of the state,
where he became well known through a
series of articles on a proposed change in
the constitution. He was elected to the
legislature, and later to congress, serving
from February 9, 1795, ^"^^^ March 3, 1801,
warmly supporting the administrations of
Washington and Adams. During his active
service in the war of 18 12, he was promoted
from the rank of colonel to that of major-
general. Soon after the defeat of the Fed-
eralists, he married the daughter of Charles
Carroll, of Carrollton, removed to Balti-
more, Maryland, where he attained emi-
nence at the bar. In association with Joseph
Hopkinson he was employed as counsel for
Judge Samuel Chase, of the United States
supreme court, in his impeachment trial.
At a dinner given at Georgetown. D. C,
June 5, 1813, in honor of the Russian vic-
tories, he gave as a toast "Alexander, the
Deliverer.*' following it with a speech eulo-
gizing the Russians. Upon the publication
of the speech. Robert Walsh addressed the
author a letter in which he expressed the
opinion that the orator underrated the mili-
tary character of Napoleon, and failed to
point out the danger of Russian ascendency.
To this letter Harper made an elaborate re-
ply. Walsh responded, and the correspond-
ence was then published in a volume (1814).
Harper was elected to the United States
senate from Maryland to serve from Janu-
ary 29, 1816, to March 3, 1821, but resigned
h" the first mentioned year to become one of
the Federalist candidates for vice-president.
In 1819-20 he visited Europe with his fam-
ily, and upon his return employed himself
chiefly in the promotion of schemes for in-
ternal improvements. He was an active
member of the American Colonization Soci-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ely, and the town of Harper, near Cape
Palmas, Africa, was named in his honor.
His pamphlet entitled "Observations on the
Dispute Between the United States and
France," 1797, acquired great celebrity. He
also printed *'An Address on the British
Treaty,*' 1796; "Letters on the Proceedings
of Congress;" and "Letters to His Consti-
tuents," 1801. A collection of his various
letters, addresses and pamphlets was pub-
lished with the title "Select Works," Balti-
more. 1814. Mr. Harper died in Baltimore,
Maryland, January 15, 1825.
Bibby George M., born in Prince Edward
county. Virginia. October 30, 1776, son of
Rev. Richard Bibb. He graduated at Prince-
ton College in 1792. studied law at William
and Mary College, and settled in Kentucky.
There he became a member of the legisla-
ture, was three times chief justice, a state
senator two years, and a United States Sen-
ator from 1829 to 1835. President Tyler ap-
pointed him secretary of the treasury in
1844. After the close of the Tyler admin-
istration, he practiced law in Washington
City, and was an assistant in the office of
the attorney-general. He was author of
'■Reports of Cases at Common Law and in
Chancery in the Kentucky Court of Ap-
peals'* (1808-11). He died in Georgetown,
D. C, April 14, 1859.
Pope, John, born in Prince William coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1770, son of William Pope,
captain in the revolution and colonel of
militia, and Penelope Edwards, his wife.
He lost an arm by accident when a boy.
He removed to Kentucky, and was a United
States senator from that state; from 1829
to. 1837 was territorial governor of Arkan-
sas ; died at Springfield, Kentucky, July 12.
1845. He had a son Nathaniel, who was a
United States judge in Illinois, and father
of Major-General John Pope. U. S. A. The
Pope family had its origin in Nathaniel
Pope, who settled in Maryland as early as
1637, and removed to Virginia (see vol. i. p.
3C6).
Ravenscroft,John Stark, born near Bland-
ford, Prince George county, Virginia, May
17, 1772, son of Dr. John Ravenscroft and
Lillias Miller, his wife. His parents re-
moved to Scotland, and he was educated at
excellent schools there and in England. In
January, 1789. he returned to Virginia on
family business, and entered William and
Mary College with the intention of studying
law, but soon returned to Scotland, settled
his father's disordered estate, again return-
ing to \'irginia and taking up with a coun-
try life in Lunenburg county. His religious
principles were unfixed until 1810, when he
connected himself with the "Republican
Methodists/' This connection did not last
long, and he later connected himself with the
Protestant Episcopal church, in which he
was licensed as a lay reader, in February,
18 1 6. He was invited to the rectorate of St.
James' Church, in Mecklenburg county, be-
fore he was received into- the ministry, and
he was ordained deacon by Bishop Richard
C. Moore, in April, 1817, and priest by the
same prelate, a month later. The same
\ear he declined a call to Norfolk, and to
become assistant of Bishop Moore, in the
ilonumental Church, Richmond. At this
time he was elected first bishop of North
Carolina, and was consecrated in St. Paul's
Church, Philadelphia, May 22, 1823. In
crder to supplement his salary, he was also
rector of Christ Church, Raleigh, for five
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years. He attended the general convention
in Philadelphia in August, 1829, and on his
return home, gradually declined, and died,
in Raleigh, North Carolina, March 5, 1830.
He received the degree of D. D. from Wil-
liam and Mary College, Williamsburg, \*ir-
ginia.
Robertson, Thomas Boiling, born near
Petersburg, Virginia, in 1773, son of Wil-
liam Robertson, of the council of state (born
1750, died 1829), and Elizabeth Boiling, his
wife, a descendant of Pocahontas. He
graduated at William and Mary College in
1807, became a lawyer, and engaged in prac-
tice in his native place. In 1807 he received
from President Jefferson the appointment
of secretary for the new territory of Louis-
iana, and, after its admission to the Union
as a state, was its first member of congress,
and was three times re-elected, serving
from December 28, 1812, to 1818, when he
resigned, on account of ill-health and an in-
creased dislike for a congressional life. Soon
afterwards he was elected governor of
Louisiana, and after serving the constitu-
tional term, resumed the practice of his pro-
fession in New Orleans, but was soon made
attorney-general of the state, and, shortly
afterwards. United States district judge for
Louisiana. His health was now greatly
broken, and he returned to his Virginia
home, to pass his remaining days. He was
in France during the last days of the empire,
and. while there, wrote remarkably inter-
esting letters to his family, which were
published in the Richmond "Enquirer," and
afterwards reprinted in book form. He died,
at White Sulphur Springs. Virginia, No-
vember 5, 1828. He was brother of Wynd-
ham Robertson, lieutenant and acting gov-
ernor (q. v.).
Warrock, John, born in Richmond, Vir-
ginia. November 4, 1774. He received a
common-school education, became a printer,
and for forty years issued annually "War-
rock's Almanac." He was chosen to the office
of printer to the Virginia senate, and held
that place for more than forty years. He
died March 8, 1858.
Allen, Robert, born in Augusta county,
Virginia, in 1777. He was a merchant, and
after settling in Carthage, Tennessee, about
1804, became clerk of the county court. In
the war of 1812 he served with distinction
as a colonel under Jackson. From 18 19 till
1827 he was a member of congress. He
died near Carthage, Tennessee, August 19,
1844.
Turner, Edward, born in Fairfax county,
Virginia, November 25. 1778. He was edu-
cated at Transylvania University and stud-
ied law. In 1802 he emigrated to Missis-
sippi and settled in Natch'ez, where he be-
gan the practice of his profession. The
governor of the territory appointed Turner
his aide-de-camp, and soon afterward he be-
came clerk of the territorial house of repre-
sentatives, also acting as the governor's
private secretary. In 1S03 he was appointed
register of the land-office, and in 181 1 he
was elected to the legislature from Warren
county. He was chosen city magistrate of
Natchez and president of the board of
select-men in 1813, and after 1815 was sent
for several terms to the legislature as a rep-
resentative from Adams county. In 1818
he was elected to the first legislature that
assembled under the state government, and,
except for one year, when he was attorney-
general of the state, during which time he
was twice elected speaker. He was ap-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
pointed judge of the criminal court of
Adams county in 1822. in 1824 judge of the
supreme court of Mississippi, and in 1829
chief justice, which place he held until he
was superseded by the amended constitu-
tion of 1832. He was chancellor of the state
from 1834 till 1839, in 1840 was again elected
judge of the supreme court, and at the ex-
piration of his term in 1843 ^^*^s chosen to
the state senate. Judge Turner was ap-
pointed in 1815 by the legislature to prepare
a digest of the statute laws of the territory,
which was completed and adopted in 181 6.
This digest contains all the statutes in force
a: that period, and is entitled "Statutes of
the Mississippi Territory" (Xatchez. 181^)).
He died in Xatchez. Mississippi, May 2^,
i860.
Ashley, William H., born in Powhatan
county. Virginia, about 1778. He received
a public school education, and in 1808
located in Upper Louisiana (now Missouri),
where he became brigadier-general of
militia. He was an enterprising fur trader,
and in 1822 organized a company of three
hundred men which went to the Rocky
Mountains, and made trading relations with
the Indians, and he realized a handsome
fortune therefrom. He was lieutenant-gov-
ernor of Illinois in 1820, and a congress-
man from Missouri, from 1831 to 1837. He
died near Booneville, Missouri, March 26,
1838.
Brodnax, WUliam H., descended from
Robert Brodnax, a goldsmith of London and
a native of Godmersham, county Kent,
England, and son of William Brodnax, who
was a student at William and Mary College
in 1761. He studied at Hampden-Sidney
College, from which he received the honor-
ary degree of A. M. in 1830: studied law
under Judge Sterling RuflSn, of Xorth
Carolina; settled in Dinwiddie county, Vir-
ginia, and practiced in the counties of
Brunswick, Greensville. Dinwiddie and the
city of Petersburg. He was brigadier-gen-
eral of Virginia militia, and chief marshal
it Vorktown. when La Fayette visited there
in 1824; member of the Virginia legislature
for many years, and of the state conven-
tion of 1829-1830, favoring a bill in 1832 for
the gradual abolition of slavery: an active
member of the \'irginia African Coloniza-
tion Society: presidential elector in 1S25.
He died in Dinwiddie county. October 23.
1834. He married Ann Eliza, daughter of
Thomas Withers.
Forsyth, John, born in Frederick county,
\'irginia, October 22. 1780, a son of an Eng-
lishman who fought in the American army
during the war of the revolution. He was
four years of age when the family removed
to Georgia, and after proper preparation
was sent to Princeton, from which he was
graduated in the class of 1799. He then
took up the study of law, and was admitted
to the bar at Augusta. Georgia, in 1802. In
1808 he was elected attorney-general, and
was subsequently elected^to a seat in con-
gress as a representative of the Democratic
party, serving from 1813 until 1818. in
which year he became United States sena-
tor. He resigned this office in 1819, having
been appointed minister to Spain, and con-
ducted the negotiations which resulted in
the cession of Florida to the United States.
From 1823 to 1827 he again served in con-
gress, was then elected governor of Georgia, ,
and in 1829 was again chosen United States
senator to fill the vacancy caused by the re-
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signation of J. ^I. Berrien. He opposed
nullification, voted for the Compromise Act
of Henry Clay in 1833, and supported Jack-
son in the debate regarding the removal of
deposits from the United States bank. In
1832 he was a delegate to the Anti-Tariff
Convention, held in Milledgeville, Georgia,
but withdrew on the ground that it did not
fairly represent the people of Georgia. June
27, 1834, he resigned from the United States
senate, to become secretary of state under
President Jackson, and continued to serve
under Van Buren until March 3. 1841. He
died in Washington, D. C, October 21, 1841.
Walker, Freeman, born in Charles City
county. Virginia, October 25. 1780, sou of
Freeman Walker and Sarah Minge, daugh-
ter of George Minge. He removed to
Georgia in 1797, was admitted to the bar,
and began practice in 1802 in Augusta, soon
becoming eminent in his profession. In
1807 he was a member of the legislature,
and in 1819 he was elected United States
senator from Georgia, but in 1821 he re-
signed. His speech on the Missouri com-
promise question attracted general atten-
tion. He died in Richmond county. Georgia,
September 23, 1827. He was brother of
Wyatt Walker, clerk of Charles City county,
Virginia, from 1800 to 1817.
Vawter, John, born in Orange county
(now Madison), Virginia, January 8, 1782.
He was licensed as a Baptist minister in
1804, and in 1807, with his father, removed
t(» the sparsely inhabited territory of In-
diana, and settled in Madison, of which he
uas the first magistrate. He was soon after-
ward elected sheriff of Jefferson and Clarke
counties, and in 1810 was appointed United
States marshal for the state. * He served as
a frontier ranger during the Indian cam-
paign of 1811-13. was elected colonel of
militia of Jennings county in 18 17, and
fijunded Vernon, the county-seat. He was
pastor of the Baptist church in Vernon in
i-i2i-48, a member of the legislature in
1831-35, and in 1836 of the senate, where he
was instrumental in securing the adoption
ci a policy of internal improvement by the
state. He removed to Morgan county in
1848, founded Morgantown, and presented a
brick church to the Baptist congregation of
that place. He died in Morgantown, In-
diana, August 17. 1862.
Barry, William Taylor, born in Lunen-
burg county, \'irginia, February 5, 1785.
He graduated at Transylvania University
and coming to William and Mary College
studied law under Judge St. George Tucker,
and natural philosophy under President
James Madison. He was admitted to the
bar. and practiced at Lexington, Kentucky,
where his eloquence soon brought him into
notice. He served in both branches of the
Kentucky legislature, and in December,
18 10, was elected to congress to fill a va-
cancy, serving until March 3, 1811. In the
war of 1812 he was aide to Gov. Shelby, and
v.as present at the battle of the Thames,
October 5, 181 3. He was appointed to the
United States senate in February, 1815, to fill
a vacancy, and resigned in 1816 to become a
judge of the Kentucky supreme court. He
was afterwards lieutenant-governor, state
secretary, and chief justice of the state. On
March 9. 1829. he was appointed postmaster-
general. The incumbent of this office was
not then a cabinet minister. President
Jackson elevated him to gratify his friend
Maj. Barry. Much dissatisfaction was ex-
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
pressed with his management of the depart-
ment, and he was severely denounced on the
floor of the house by William Cost John-
son, of Maryland, and others. A son of
Maj. Barry, then a lieutenant in the army,
challenged Johnson, but the challenge was
withdrawn after its acceptance. On April
10, 1835, he resigned to accept the office of
minister to Spain, and died on his way to
that country. His remains were brought
home by order of the Kentucky legislature,
and buried at Frankfort, November 8, 1854.
Breathitt, John» bom near New London,
Virginia, September 9, 1786. He removed
with his father to Kentucky in 1800, was a
surveyor and teacher, studied law, and was
admitted to the bar in 1810. He was an
earnest Jacksonian Democrat, and for sev-
eral years was a member of the legislature.
He was lieutenant-governor of Kentucky in
1828-32, and governor in 1832-34. He died
in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1834.
Cabell» Joseph Megginson, born at ** Rep-
ton/' across the James river from the pres-
ent Midway Station, Albemarle county, Vir-
ginia, in 1788, son of Joseph Cabell and Po-
cahontas Rebecca Boiling, his wife. He was
a student at Washington College, later
read law under Gov. William H. Cabell
and Hon. William Wirt. For some reasoi:
he changed his name to Charles Joseph
Cabell. He removed to New Orleans.
I^uisiana, and took front rank at the bar.
He was three times "called to" the field of
honor — first with Gen. Benjamin Jones,
then of Amelia county, Virginia, afterwards
of Alabama; second, with Dr. Upshaw, of
New Orleans, formerly of King and Queen •
county, Virginia; and third, with a Mr.
Nicholson, also of New Orleans. He died,
unmarried, November 2^, 1810, in New Or-
leans, of yellow fever.
Joynes, Thomas R., born in Accomac'
county, Virginia, in 1789. After attending
a country school, he served as clerk in a
village store, and later was a student at the
Margaret Academy. He read law with
Maj. John Wise, father of Gov. Henry A.
Wise, in 1810 was admitted to the bar, and
soon obtained a commanding practice.
Among his professional competitors was
his intimate personal friend, Judge (after-
wards secretary of state) Upshur. In 181 1
he was elected to the house of delegates.
He was in the Richmond Theatre on the
night of its memorable destruction by fire.
During the war with Great Britain in 181 2-
14, he was lieutenant and captain of militia.
He was successively commissioner in chan-
cery, county surveyor and commonwealth
attorney. In 1828 he was appointed clerk
of the- county and superior courts — at that
time an office of great dignity and consider-
ation. In 1829-30 he was a member of the
constitutional convention, and in that
notable body, though speaking rarely, he
took a prominent and influential part, es-
pecially in support of the "mixed basis'* of
representation. His remarkable powers of
mathematical analysis enabled him to pre-
sent statistical statements of which John
Randolph said that **his irresistible array of
figures set all figures of speech at defiance."
After the constitutional convention, though
often solicited, he declined further political
service, except that in 1840 he was a presi-
dential elector on the Whig ticket. His old
personal friend. President John Tyler, more
than once offered him a prominent Federal
office, but he invariably declined it. In
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1848 he resigned his clerkship, and after-
wards devoted himself to the care of his
large estates. He was an enthusiastic and
successful planter, whose information and
experience were widely influential. He
reared, and educated in the best schools of
that day, a large family of children ; was a
devoted friend of education, and often
helped boys and young men to go to school.
He died at his home, "Montpelier," Septem-
ber 12, 1858.
Wilkinson, Jesse, born in \'irginia, about
1790. He entered the navy as a midshipman
hi 1805, and in 1810 had risen to the rank
of lieutenant. During the war of 1812-14,
he commanded the schooner Hornet^ which
was principally used as a dispatch boat on
the Potomac river, carrying dispatches be-
tween the seat of government and the
American fleet. He was stationed at the
Norfolk navy yard, 1816-18, and 1820-21, in
the interim commanding the Hornet^ on
coast survey duty. In 1818 he was promoted
to master, and commanded the brig Spark,
of Commodore David Porters flotilla., en-
gaged in the suppression of piracy in the
West Indies, and was so engaged until 1823,
from which time he was on duty at the Nor-
folk navy yard until 1825. and at the Boston
navy yard in 1826. In 1827-28 he commanded
the J n lilt Adanis^ in the operations against
the West Indies pirates, in 1829 was pro-
moted to captain, and from that year until
1833 was agz*in stationed at the Norfolk
navy yard. From 1835 to 1840 he com-
manded the frigate United Staies, in the
ilediteranean squadron ; served on the flag-
ship Macedonian in 1840-42, and from 1843
t.-> 1847 was commandant of the Norfolk
navy yard. He was made commodore, and
in 1848-49 commanded the West Indies
squadron, with the Raritan as his flag-ship.
He passed many years on court martial
duty and on leave, until he died. May 23,
1S61.
Anderson, David, a native of Scotland; a
Blandford tombstone has the following in-
scription : **Sacred to the memory of David
Anderson, a native of Scotland, and for
many years a respectable merchant of this
place, who departed this life June the i8th,
1S12, aged 52 years. He was long a mem-
ber of the Common Hall and Chamberlain
of the Town of Petersburg. Upright, hon-
orable, kind and benevolent and the muni-
ficent founder of the Anderson Seminary.
The Corporation of Petersburg have inscrib-
ed this record rather to mark their gratitude
for his beneficence than to commemorate his
virtues. Believing that when this stone shall
have mouldered into dust the institution
which he founded will still preserve his
nr.me as a benefactor of Petersburg and a
friend of man.*'
Adams, Robert H., born in Rockbridge
cc'unty, Virginia, in 1792. He graduated at
Washington College, Lexington, Kentucky,
was admitted to the bar, and practiced in
Knoxville. Tennessee, and afterwards in
Natchez, Mississippi, where he settled in
18 19. He was a member of the Mississippi
legislature in 1828, and in 1830 was elected
to the United States senate to fill a vacancy.
He died at Natchez, Mississippi, July 2. of
the same year.
Walton, William Claiborne, born in Han-
over county, Virginia, November 4, 1793.
He was the son of a blacksmith, and re-
ceived but few advantages of early educa-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
tion, but afterward studied at Hampden-
Sidney College, and was licensed as a
preacher of the Presbyterian church, Octo-
ber 22, 1814, at Fredericksburg. He after-
ward preached at Smithfield and r.err}ville,
\'irginia, at Washington, D. C, for a short
period in 1821. and in February, 1823, be-
cr.me pastor of the Third Presbyterian
Church, Daltimore. In May, 1827, he wa?
installed as pastor of the Second Presby-
terian Church at Alexandria, which charge
h<: retained till 1832. In November, 1830.
he was deputed by the Presbytery of the
District of Columbia to attend the annual
meeting of the synod of Virginia, and in
1832 he was chosen missionary agent and
evangelist for the Presbyteries of East and
West Hanover. Subsequently he became
pastor of the Free church, Hartford, Con-
necticut. He was remarkably successful as
an evangelist, and contributed in a consider-
able degree to the revival of religion in the
Presbyterian, Congregational, and other
churches during 1861, whereby more than
100,000 persons were brought into church
communion. He published a small volume
of sermons, besides separate discourses, and
a sketch of the life of his daughter Mar-
garet Ann. A poem commemorative of him
was written by Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney
after his death, and his life was published
by Joshua N. Danforth (New York, 1837).
He died in Hartford, Connecticut. February
18, 1834.
Dabney, Charles William, born at Alex-
andria. Virginia, March 19, 1794. He be-
came United States consul at Fayal, Azores,
in 1826, and won the affection of the Island-
ers in a remarkable degree by his efforts for
their welfare. In the famines that visited
the island from time to time during his
residence, some of which were very severe,
he furnished the inhabitants with food, as-
sisted them to replant their fields, advised
€ind suggested the culture of new and more
varied crops, encouraged the despondent,
and restrained the over-sanguine. During
the whole of his residence in the island he
acted the part of a wise and judicious father
to the people, and wherever he went, their
blessings and gratitude were manifested.
He died in Fayal, March 12, 1871.
Ellis, Powhatan, son of Josiah Ellis and
Jane Shelton, his wife, born in Amherst
county. \'irginia, about 1794. and graduated
from William and Mary College in 1813.
Mississippi was a territory when he set-
tled in it: he obtained a high reputation
there as a lawyer, and in 181 8 was elevated
to the supreme court of the state, being one
Gi the first judges to be so distinguished. He
remained in oflSce until 1825, when he was
appointed by the governor to serve out the
unexpired term of David Holmes in the
United States senate. The legislature
elected Thomas B. Reed for this office, who
displaced Mr. Ellis after he had served four
months. At the next election, however, he
was chosen senator for the full term, but
only ser\'ed from December 3, 1827. to July
16. 1832, when he resigned to take his seat
on the bench as United States judge for the
district of Mississippi. While in the senate
he joined Thomas H. Benton and William
Smith in opposing the ratification of the
treaty of 1828 with Mexico, which estab-
lished a boundary line intersecting the Red
and Arkansas rivers, thus leaving only
Florida and Arkansas for the expansion of
slavery. While on the bench he delivered
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more opinions than any contemporary
judge. President Jackson appointed him
charge d'affaires in Mexico, January 5.
1836. and on December 28, he closed the
American legation. President Van Buren
appointed him minister to Mexico, Fcbru-
j'.ry 15, 1839, m which office he was super-
seded by Waddy Thompson, April 21, 1842.
L'pon his return he took up his residence
in \'irginia, where he died at Richmond,
March 18, 1863.
Christian, John B., son of Robert Chris-
tian and ^lary Browne, his wife, born in Xew
Kent county, Virginia, about 1794, studied
at William and Mary College in 1816. Was
a member of the legislature and in 1832
was judge of the general court of \'ir-
ginia. He married Martha Semple, daugh-
ter of Judge James Semple by his first wife,
Anne Contesse Tyler, sister of President
Tyler. He was a brother of Letitia Chris-
tian, first wife of President John Tyler.
He was buried at **Oak Grove," Xew Kent
county, February 23, 1856.
Semple» James, descended from Rev.
James Semple, minister of Long Dreghorn,
Ayrshire, Scotland, and son of Rev. James
Semple, minister of St. Peter's Church,
Xew Kent county, Virginia, was born in
Xew Kent county, September 7, 1768; stud-
ird law, was a member of the legislature
and a judge of the general court. In 1819
he became professor of law in William and
Mary College, and held the office till his
death in 1831. He married (first) Anne
Contesse Tyler, sister of President Tyler;
(second) Joanna McKenzie, daughter of
Dr. William McKenzie and Joanna, his
wife, aunt of President Tyler. By his
second marriage Judge Semple was father
oi Dr. George William Semple, of Hampton,
Virginia, and Maj. Henry Churchill Semple,
of .Alabama.
Brown, Aaron Venable, born in Bruns-
wick county, Virginia, August 15, 1795. He
graduated at Chapel Hill University, North
Carolina, in 1814; removed with his parents
to Tennessee in 1815 ; studied law, and when
admitted to practice became the partner of
James K. Polk. From 1821 till 1832 he was
almost continuously a member of the state
legislature. He was elected to congress in
1839, and re-elected in 1841 and 1843. ^^
retiring from congress, in 1845, he was
elected governor of Tennessee, serving until
1847. He was a delegate to the southern
convention at Xashville in 1850, and was the
author of "the Tennessee platform," brought
forward at that time, a document that
aioused much comment. In 1852 he was a
delegate to the Democratic national conven-
tion in Baltimore, and reported the platform
that was adopted. The last office he held
v.^as that of postmaster-general in President
Buchanan's cabinet. Among the measures
adopted during his administration of this
office was the establishment of a new and
shorter oceanic and mail-route to California,
by way of Tehauntepec, and of the trans-
continental mail-routes from St. Louis west-
ward, prior to the construction of the rail-
roads. He was for twenty years one of the
most trusted leaders of the Democratic
party. A volume of his speeches was pub-
lished in Xashville in 1854. He died in
Washington, D. C, March 8, 1859.
Weaver, William Augiistus, born in Dum-
fries. Virginia, in 1797. He entered the navy
as a midshipman, February 4, 181 1, and
made his first cruise in the Chesapeake,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
which was captured by the frigate Sliaitfiofif
after a short engagement off Boston. June
I 1813. Midshipman Weaver was severely
wounded in this battle and was taken to
Halifax as a prisoner with the rest of the
officers and crew who survived. He was
promoted to lieutenant after the war and
commanded the schooner Tom Bozclin in
1816 and the schooner Spark, in 1817, in the
Mediterranean squadron. He served on the
ship f-raulclin, in 1818-24, in the Mediterran-
ean and the Pacific squadrons. By a mis-
understanding as to his leave of absence, he
was obliged to abandon the naval service,
November 27. 1824. after which he was em-
ployed by the government in the state de-
partment, where his knowledge of modern
languages made his services specially valu-
able. He was secretary of the commission
to adjust the claims of the Spanish citizens,
was commissioner to Mexico in 1834, and
superintendent of the census of 1840. He
died at Dumfries. \*irg^nia, in 1846.
Arnold, Thomas Dickens, born in Spot-
sylvania county, \'irginia, May 3, 1798. He
was a farmer boy, and his education was
obtained almost entirely by his own efforts,
and to aid himself, he taught the farmer's
children. When war was declared in 1812,
his strong physique and sturdy appearance
permitted his enlistment, although he was
but fourteen years of age. During the march
to Mobile a young soldier, the only son of
a poor widow, was tried by court-martial
for straggling and was shot by order of
Gen. Jackson. The circumstance made a
deep impression upon young Arnold's mind.
He denounced the act as unwarranted ty-
ranny, and in after years showed his hos-
tility to President Jackson. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in Knoxville, Tennessee,
in March, 1822, quickly attaining distinc-
tion in his profession. He was elected to
congress in 1831 on the Whig ticket, after
he had been twice defeated. Taking a
partisan stand on the political issues of
tl»e day, he was reckless in his criticism, and
generally opposed the administration. On
May 14, 1832. he made a speech against
Senator Houston, and Maj. Morgan A.
Heard, who had had some connection with
the western army. In this speech he used
this expression "capable of any crime." and
indulged in severe personalities. On leaving
the capitol. Heard fired upon him with a
horse pistol, wounding him in the arm. and
then struck him with a cane. Arnold
knocked his assailant down, wrenched away
tl:e pistol, and carried it off as a trophy,
while Heard was left for several hours
where he fell. The admirers of Mr. Arnold
presented him the next day with a highly
wrought sword-cane with the inscription,
"Presented to Thomas D. Arnold for his
brave defense against the attack of Morgan
A. Heard." In 1836 he was elected briga-
dier-general of Tennessee militia, and in
1841 was returned to congress, serving from
May 31, 1841, till March 3, 1843, ^vhen he
retired from political life and devoted him-
srlf to the practice of law. He had a notable
controversy with William G. Brownlow.
He died in Jonesboro, Tennessee, May 26,
1870.
Poindexter, George, son of Thomas Poin-
dtxter. born in Louisa county, \'irginia,
in 1799. of Huguenot descent, was early
orphaned, and became a lawyer. In 1S02
he removed to Mississippi territory, and
became a leader of the Jefferson party.
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fie was appointed attorney-general of the
ttrritory in 1803, and conducted the prose-
cution of Aaron Burr. His violent denun-
ciations of the Federalists resulted in a
challenge from Abijah Hunt, whom he
killed in the duel that ensued. He was
elected to the legislature in 1805, and in 1807
was a delegate to congress, serving until
18 1 3, when he was appointed United States
judge for the territory of Mississippi, and
he so administered the law as to settle many
conflicting land grant titles, and repress the
criminal classes. He aided in the prepara-
tions for the war of 1812, and joined Gen.
Jackson, to whom he served as an aide at
the battle of New Orleans. In the Missis-
sippi constitutional convention of 1817 he
was chairman of the committee to draft a
state constitution, and when Mississippi
was received into the Union, he was its first
representative in congress, and proved an
able defender of President Jackson. After
serving one term in congress, he was elected
governor of Mississippi, and, under auth-
ority of the legislature, he completed and
published the "Revised Code of the Laws of
Mississippi," (Natchez. 1824). In 1821 he
returned to the bar, and continued practice
until 1830. when he was appointed to the
United States senate to fill a vacancy, then
being elected, and serving until 1835. Dur-
ing his senatorial service, became estranged
from Jackson, occupying ground midway
between Clay and Calhoun, but leaning to-
wards the latter. He strenuously opposed
the appointment of the president's personal
friends to office in Mississippi, and voted for
Clay's resolution of censure. In 1835 he
located in Louisville. Kentucky, but subse-
quently returned to Mississippi, and died
at Jackson, that state, September 5, 1853.
Bowlin, James Butler, born in Spottsyl-
vania county, Virginia, in 1804. He was
early apprenticed to a trade, but abandoned
it, and taught school while acquiring a
classical education. In 1825 he settled in
Greenbrier county, where he studied law,
v/as admitted to the bar, and began prac-
tice. He removed to St. Louis, Missouri, in
1833, ^"d there followed his profession, also
establishing the ''Farmers* and Mechanics'
Advocate." In 1836 he was a member of
the state legislature, and for some time its
chief clerk. A year later he became district
attorney for St. Louis, and in 1839 was
elected judge of the criminal court. Atter-
w ard he was elected to congress as a Demo-
crat, and served from December i, 1843, to
March 3, 1S51. From 1854 till 1857 he was
minister resident in Colombia, and from
1858 till 1859 commissioner to Paraguay.
Webb, Thomas T., born in Virginia, about
1806. He entered the navy as a midship-
man. Januarv i, 1808, and was promoted to
lieutenant, December 19, 1814. He served
in the navy during the war of 1812, cruised
in the frigate Macedonian^ of the Mediter-
ranean station in 1815-18 during the Alger-
ine war, was attached to the Norfolk navy
yard in 1818-21. cruised in the sloop John
Adams^ in the West Indies in 1821-24, served
in the receiving-ship Alert, at Norfolk in
1825-26. and at the navy-yard, Pensacola.
1828-29. He commanded the schooner
Shark in the West Indies in 1836-32, was
promoted to master-commandant, March 8,
1831. and commanded the sloop Vandalia,
on the coast of Florida, in 1835-36. In 1837
he was on leave, and in 1838-41 he com-
manded the receiving-ship at Norfolk. He
was promoted to captain. March 8, 1841, and
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was on waiting orders until his death at
Xorfolk, Virginia. April ii, 1853.
Kennon, Beverley, commodore m the
United States navy, son of Col. Richard
Kennon (q. v.), and Elizabeth Beverley
Munford. his wife: he was killed by the ex-
plosion of a gun on the United States ship
Princeton, February 2S, 1844, when Secre-
taries Upshur and Gilmer, of President
Tyler's cabinet, also lost their lives. He
married (first) Elizabeth, daughter of Wil-
liam Dandridge Claiborne, of "Liberty
Hall." King William county ; and (second)
Brittania Wellington Peter, of Georgetown,
D. C.
Alexander, Thomas Ludwell, born in
Prince William county, Virginia, October
26. 1807, son of Gerard Alexander and
Elinor Brent Lee, his wife. He entered the
United States Military Academy in 1826,
and graduated in 1830. He joined the Sixth
United States Infantry Regiment as brevet
second lieutenant, was promoted to second
lieutenant and first lieutenant in 1837, and
to captain in 1838, in same regiment; in
1853 promoted to major, in Eighth Regi-
ment, and in 1861 to lieutenant-colonel.
Fifth Regiment. The earlier years of his
service were passed in what was then the
extreme western frontier, in Missouri and
Iowa. After two years of active service he
became aide-de-camp to Brig.-Gen. Atkin-
son, and was with him at the battle of Bad
Ax, August 2, 1832, and was selected by the
general to conduct Black Hawk (the leader
of the Sacs and Fox Indians) to Washing-
ton City, after his capture. He was in ser-
vice against the Seminoles in Florida, from
1839 to 1842. At the end of the campaign,
he superintended the removal of Tiger Tail,
the Seminole chief, and his band, to the
west, and was stationed in their midst, at
I urt Towson, to hold them in subjection,
lie afterwards joined Gen. Scott in Mexico..
i«nd moved from the lower Rio Grande to
the rendezvous near \'era Cruz, and in the
landing at that place, his colors were the
first displayed on the beach. He bore a dis-
tinguished part in the siege of Vera Cruz,
the battles of Cerro Gordo and Cherubusco,
and the capture of the City of Mexico. He
received the rank of brevet major "for gal-
lant and meritorious conduct in the battles
of Contreras and Cherubusco.'' After the
war, he was on duty in Kansas and Minne-
sota until 1854. when he organized the
Military Asylum at Harrodsburg, Kentucky,
and remained there until he was appointed
lieutenant-governor of the Soldiers* Home,
near Washington City, in which position he
remained until March 8, 1864, when he was
retired on account of age. He died, in
Louisville, Kentucky, March 11, 1881. He
married (first) Ann Clark Bullitt, of Louis-
ville, Kentucky ; and (second) Maria Brooke
Kelly, of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Seawell, John Tyler, son of John B. Sea-
well, and Maria Henry Tyler, his wife,
daughter of Governor John Tyler, was born
ill Williamsburg in December, 1808. He was
eminent for his oratorical powers and legal
attainments ; and bore a strong resemblance
to his uncle. President John Tyler. He served
often in the legislature and was a strong
states rights man. He was father of the
authoress, Molly Elliot Seawell. His brother,
Machen Boswell, studied at William and
Mary College in 1839-40, studied law and
was regarded as one of the best chancery
lawyers in the state. An uncle was Gen.
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Washington Seawell of the Federal army.
(Sec Seawell Family in William and Mary
College Quarterly, Vol. VI II, 54).
Shuck (Shook), John Lewis, born in Alex-
andria, Virginia, September 4, 1812. He
was educated at the Virginia Baptist Semi-
nary (now Richmond College), and Sep-
tember 22, 1835, embarked with his bride
for China. He baptized the first Chinese
converts at Macao, laboring there with suc-
cess, also ai Hong Kong, whither he re-
moved in 1842, and subsequently settled at
Canton. In 1844 he came to the United
States with his Chinese assistant, and vis-
ited various parts of the country in the in-
terest of the missions. He returned to
China in 1846 and settled at Shanghai,
where he preached for years, having com-
pletely mastered the Chinese idioms. When
many Chinese were attracted to California
after the discovery of gold, the missionary
board selected Mr. Shuck for that field, and
he labored there for seven years, retiring in
1^61 to Barnwell, where he preached to the
licighboring churches during the remainder
of his life. He published "Portfolio Chin-
cnsis, or a Collection of Authentic Chinese
State Papers" (Macao, 1840). He died Au-
gust 20, 1863. His wife, Henrietta Hall,
born in Kilmarnock, Virginia. October 28,
1S17, was the daughter of a Baptist minister.
She soon learned Chinese after reaching
China, and was an earnest teacher of Chris-
tianity among the heathen until her death.
She was the author of "Scenes in China, or
Sketches of the Country. Religion, and Cus-
toms of the Chinese" (Philadelphia, 1852).
Jeremiah B. Jeter, published her *'Life"
(Boston, 1848). She died in Hong Kong,
November 27, 1844.
VIA-.I8
Waller, John, born in Spottsylvania
county, \irginia, December 23, 1741, was
a lawyer and man of education. By reason
of his worldly character in early life, he was
slyled "Swearing Jack Waller," and "The
Devil's Adjutant." He was especially hos-
tile to the Baptists, and was one of the
grand jury that prosecuted the Rev. Lewis
Craig, of that denomination, for preaching
without a license. Craig's address to the
jury deeply impressed him, and was the
means of his conversion. He soon became
a Baptist preacher, traveling extensively,
and attracting crowds of hearers to his zeal-
ous ministrations. He preached regardless
of the requirement of the law and was re-
peatedly arrested. He lay one hundred and
thirteen days in four different jails of Vir-
ginia, and was repeatedly punished for his
contempt of the authorities. He was one of
the most laborious and successful of the
pioneer Baptist preachers of the south, be-
cause of his superior education. His death
occurred in Abbeville, South Carolina, July
4, 1802.
Brooke, Dr. Lawrence, son of Richard
Brooke, of "Smithfield," near Fredericks-
burg, was born about 1753, and was sent,
with his brother Robert, afterwards gov-
ernor of Virginia, to the University of
Edinburg, where in 1776 he took courses in
anatomy, surgery and chemistry. During
the American revolution, he went to Paris,
and in 1779 was accepted by John Paul
Jones as surgeon of the Bon Homme Richard.
He returned to Fredericksburg in 1783 and
practiced medicine. He died about 1803.
Walker, George, born in Culpeper county.
Virginia, in 1768. He was an early settler
in Kentucky, where he held a leading place
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VIRGINIA BIOGR.\rHY
Li the bar, and was a member of the legis-
lature. He was appointed United States
senator from Kentucky, in place of George
M. Bibb, resigned, serving from October lo,
1S14, till February 2, 1815. He died in
Xicholasville. Kentucky, in 1819.
DunglisoD, Robley, born in Keswick,
Cumberland, England. January 4, 1798. He
leceived the degree of Doctor of Medicine
in London in 1819, and again, after further
study, at the University of Erlangen, Ger-
many, in 1823. He settled in London in the
practice of his profession, engaging in medi-
cal writing as editor of the "London Medical
Repository" and of the "Medical Intelli-
j;encer," but after two years he was sum-
moned to America by Thomas Jefferson to
take the professorship of medicine in th^
University of Virginia, in which he also
became the first secretary of the faculty,
and its second chairman. He remained un-
til 1833, when he removed to the Univer-
sity of Maryland, in Baltimore, the incum-
bent of the chair of materia medica and
therapeutics, which, in turn, he resigned in
1836 to become professor of the institutes
of medicine in Jeflferson Medical College of
Philadelphia. Here he continued until his
death, more than thirty years later, during
a great part of the time being dean of the
faculty. Under his management the institu-
tion made notable progress, and probably
then received the impetus which resulted in
its later success. He was an eminent
scholar in several branches of learning; a
benevolent, public-spirited character ; and an
active supporter of charitable institutions.
Much of his time was spent in the service
of the Philadelphia Institution for the
Blind, of which he was vice-president, and
he will long be remembered for his efforts
i'l promoting the printing of books in em-
bossed letters for the use of the blind. He
was president of the Musical Fund Society
of Philadelphia, and vice-president of the
American Philosophical Society. In 1825
he received the degree of Doctor of Medi-
cine as a mark of honor from Yale, and was
granted the degree of Doctor of Laws else-
where. P»esides translating and editing a
large number of works in foreign languages,
he published many original works which
have been widely popular. His bibliography
hicludes: "Commentaries on Diseases of
the Stomach and Bowels in Children," Lon-
don. 1824; "Introduction to the Study of
Grecian and Roman Geography," in asso-
ciation with George Long, Charlottesville,
1829; "Dictionary of Medical Science and
Literature," Boston. 1833, fifteenth edition,
1858; "Elements of Hygiene," Philadelphia,
1835 ; second edition entitled "Human
Health," 1844; "General Therapeutics,"
1836; sixth edition, 1857; *The Medical
Student, or Aids to the Study of Medicine,"
Philadelphia, 1837; "New Remedies," 1839;
The Practice of Medicine," 1842. His
most monumental work, however, was his
"Human Physiology," of which is extant
copies of the third edition, Philadelphia,
1838, and which first appeared in 1832. This
work held a most important position in the
history of American medical science. It
was first published before the author had
left the University of Virginia, being de-
signed as a text-book for his students. It
v/as dedicated to ex-President Madison, who
v.-as rector of the institution during a por-
tion of Professor Dunglison's service. It
elicited fervent approbation from foreign as
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well as American professional and scientific
journali. Dr. Dunglison died in Philadel-
phia, April I, 1869.
French, Benjamin franklin, born at Rich-
mond, Virginia, June 8, 1799, studied law,
but was obliged lo abandon it by reason of
impaired health. From his early manhood
he contributed to newspapers and maga-
zines. In 1830 he removed to Louisiana,
there engaghig in planting and commerce;
he continued his literary work and collected
an extensive library, presenting this subse-
quently to the Fiske Free Library of New
Orleans. He removed to New York in 1853,
retiring from business, and devoted himself
to historical writing. He published "Bio-
graphia Americana," New York, 1825;
"Memoirs of Eminent Female Writers,"
Philadelphia, 1827; **Beauties of Byron,
Scott and Moore," New York, 1828; *'His-
torical Collections of Louisiana," 1846-58;
**History and Progress of the Iron Trade of
tl-e United States." 1858; and "Historical
Annals of North America," 1861. He died
a\ New York City. May 30, 1877.
McGuffey, William Holmes, born in
Washington county. Pennsylvania, Septem-
ber 23. 1800. He received his education at
Washington College, in that state, at the
time when that institution was distinct from
Jefferson College, with which it became
amalgamated at a later time. In his young
manhood his parents removed to Trumbull
county, Ohio, and immediately after his
graduation, in 1826, he went to that state,
and was at once appointed professor of an-
cient languages m Miami Lniversity, at
Oxford. .After a period of six years he was
transferred to the chair of moral philosophy.
In 1829 he became a regularly licensed min-
ister of the Presbyterian church, and
throughout his life he frequently engaged
in preaching in different churches. In 1836
he was chosen president of Cincinnati Col-
lege, and three years later (in 1839) he was
called to the same position in the Ohio Uni-
versity. In 1843 he became a professor in
the Woodward high school in Cincinnati.
In 1845 he came to the chair of moral phil-
osophy and political economy in the Uni-
viTsity of Virginia, which he occupied until
his death at Charlottesville, May 4, 1873.
Professor McGuffey came to his widest
fame through his series of Eclectic Readers
and Spellers, which were for many years
the most popular works in their department
throughout the country, and which passed
through several revised and expanded edi-
tions from time to time.
Foote, Henry Stuart, born in Fauquier
county. Virginia, September 20, 1800, son 01
Richard Helm Foote and Jane Stuart, his
wife, daughter of Rev. William Stuart. He
was graduated from Washington College,
Lexington. Virginia, in the class of 1819,
where he had studied law, was admitted to
the bar in 1822. and two years later went to
Tuscumbia, Alabama, where he became the
editor of a Democratic newspaper. In 1826
he removed to Jackson. Mississippi, where
his legal practice became an extended one,
was prominent in political affairs, and was
chosen a presidential elector in 1844. I"
1847 he was chosen a United States senator,
as a Conservative, acted in favor of the com-
promise measures of 1850. and was chair-
man of the committee on foreign relations.
In the fall of 1852 he resigned his seat in the
senate, in order to canvass his state as a
candidate of the Whig party for the office
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
of governor, having as his opponent Jeffer-
son Davis, who had been persuaded to take
the place of Gen. John A. Quitman on the
Dcnunrratic ticket, when it became a seh' evi-
dent fact that the latter would be defeated.
Mr. Foote was elected, served one term
until 1S54. th;;n removed to California, but
returned to Mississippi in 1858, and re-
sumed the practice of law. at \'icksburg. In
the southern convention at Knoxville, Ten-
nessee, in May, 1859, he strongly opposed
secession, and when the question was ser-
iously agitated in Mississippi he removed
to Tennessee. Subsequently he was elected
tc the Confederate congress, in which he
v.as noted for his hostility toward Jefferson
Davis, and finally for his opposition to the
continuance of the war. He was in favor of
accepting the terms offered by President
Lincoln in 1863 and 1864. After the close
of the war he resided for a time in Wash-
ington. D. Cv supporting the administra-
tion of Gen. Grant, who appointed him su-
perintendent of the United States mint at
New Orleans. A short time prior to his
death impaired health obliged him to resign
this office and return to his home near
Nashville. Gov. Foote was an able criminal
lawyer, an astute politician and a popular
orator, but he had a violent temper, and
several times in the course of his political
career he fought duels; two of these were
with Sargent S. Prentiss, one with John A.
Winston, and one with John F. H. Clai-
borne. He also had a personal encounter
with Thomas H. Benton, on the floor of the
United States senate. He published "Texas
and the Tcxans," two volumes, Philadelphia,
1841 ; 'The War of the Rebellion, or Scylla
and Charybdis," New York, 1866; "Bench
and Bir of the South and Southwest." St.
Louis, 1876; und "Personal Reminiscences."
He died in Nashville. Tennessee, May 20.
18S0. He was descended from Richard
1-oote, who came to \'irginia about 1052. as
the agent of his father-in-law, Nicholas Hay-
ward, a prominent notary of London.
Seawell, Washington, born in Giouce.-ter
county, \*irginia, in 1802. son of John Sea-
well and Fanny Hobday, his wife H^
graduated from the United States Military
Academy in 1825. and as lieutenant was as-
>igned to the Se\cnth Infantry. From 1832
to 1834 he was disbursing agent for Indian
affairs, and was then assigned to duty as
adjutant-general and aide-de-camp on the
staff of Gen. Matthew Arbuckle. In 1836
he was promoted to captain, and saw ser-
vice against the Indians. He served \n the
Mexican war, and was promoted 10 mijor
of the Second Infantry, in 1847, ^^ith which
regiment he was on duty at Monterey, in
1849. He. was promoted to lieutenant-colo-
!-el in 1852, and to colonel in i860. He was
retired from active service February 20,
1862, on account of disability resulting
from exposure in the line of duty. He was
chief mustering and disbursing officer of the
state of Kentucky, from March, 1862, to
September, 1863, ^"^ then of the depart-
ment of the Pacific. He was acting assistant
provost-marshal at San Francisco from No-
vember, 1865, to June, 1866. In 1865 he
was brevetted brigadier-general, for long
and faithful service. He had lived on the
Pacific coast since 1864, and owned one of
the largest ranches in the state of California,
ill Sonoma county. He died in San Fran-
cisco. January 9. 1888, being at that time
next fo the oldest general officer on the re-
tired list of the army. His brother, John B.
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Siawrll. was a distinguished lawyer of \'ir-
ginia. and married Maria Henry Tyler, sis-
ter of President Tyler.
Cocke, William, born in Amelia county,
\irginia. ab'.)Ut 1740, son of Abraham
Cocke. He received an English education,
and began the practice of law. After serv-
ing in the Virginia legislature and as colonel
ot militia, he went to Tennessee, where he
became brigadier-general of militia. When
Tennessee was admitted into the Union in
1796, he and William Blunt were elected as
its first United States senators, Cocke serv-
ing from December 5, 1796, till 1797, and
again from 1799 till March 3, 1805. He was
a member of the legislature in 1813, a judge
o: the circuit court, and in 1814 was ap-
pointed by President Madison as Indian
agent for the Chickasaw nation. He died
in Columbus. Mississippi, August 22, 1828,
in the eighty-first year of his age.
Darkc, William, born in Philadelphia
county, Pennsylvania, in 1736; he was
reared and educated in Virginia, his parents
removing thither when he was four years
cf age. and when he attained the age of
nineteen years he joined the army, and was
with Gen. Braddock at his defeat in 1755.
During the early part of the revolutionary
war. he was promoted to the rank of cap-
tain, and later became colonel, commanding
the Hampshire and Berkeley regiments at
the capture of Cornwallis, and at the battle
of Germantown, while serving as captain,
was taken prisoner. He was commissioned
lieutenant-colonel in a regiment of levies, in
1 79 1, commanded the left wing of St. Clair's
army at its defeat by the Miami Indians on
November 4. 1791, being severely wounded,
narrowly escaping death, and was subse-
quently appointed major-general of \*irgin!a
militia. He was frequently chosen as a
member of the Virginia legislature, and in
the convention of 1788 voted for the Federal
constitution. He died in Jefferson county,
Virginia, November 26, 1801.
Dickins, John, born in London, England.
August 24, 1747; he acquired an excellent
education, being a student for a portion of
the time at Eton, and prior to the revolu-
tionary war he emigrated to the Xew World,
locating in Virginia, where he united with
the Methodist church in the year 1774, and
two years later preached there as an evan-
gelist, was admitted into the itinerant min-
istry in 1777, and labored in North Carolina.
In 1780 he suggested to Bishop Asbury the
plan of Cokesbury College, Xew Abingdon,
Maryland, the first Methodist academic in-
stitution in this country. During the years
1783-85-86-89, he resided in Xew York City,
then removed to the city of Philadelphia,
where he published a ^lethodist hymn-book,
printing the greater part of it with his own
hands, and shortly afterward the conference
assumed the publication, and appointed him
book-steward, and in this office he founded
the Methodist book concern. He issued the
"Arminian Magazine" in Philadelphia in
[789-90, and the "Methodist Magazine"
trom 1797 until his death, which occurred in
Philadelphia, September 27, 1798. Mr. Dick-
ins was the first American preacher to re-
ceive Thomas Coke and approve his scheme
for organizing the Methodist denomination,
and he was a member of the **Christmas con-
ference" of 1784, and suggested the name
**Methodist Episcopal Church" which it
adopted. Mr. Dickins was a powerful
preacher and one of the best scholars of his
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
church at the time of his ministry, and a ser-
mon in his memory was delivered by the
Rtv. Ezekiel Cooper and afterward publish-
ed (Philadelphia, 1799). During the yellow
fever epidemics in Philadelphia during the
years 1793, 1797, 1798. he remained at his
post, in the latter named year falling a vic-
tim to the disease.
Francisco, Peter, was brought to \'irginia
as a child, by a sea captain, who left him
upon the wharf at City Point, friendless and
alone. After some days he was taken in
charge by the parish authorities, who bound
him out to Anthony Winston (an uncle of
Patrick Henr}')» ^^ho resided on his estate
"Hunting Tower," in Buckingham county.
His name and dark complexion led the com-
mon surmise that he was of Portugese
origin. His immense physical strength,
even as a boy, attracted attention, and his
honesty and frankness won the respect and
confidence of his master. In the fall of 1776,
at the age of sixteen, he joined the Tenth
Virginia Regiment. He was now a sturdy
youth, six feet one inch in height, two hun-
dred and sixty pounds in weight, and ex-
ceedingly muscular and active. His son
said of him: *'He could take with his two
arms two men weighing one hundred and
sixty pounds each, by their legs, and at
arm's-length raise them to the ceiling; and
he told me that he had shouldered a cannon
weighing eleven hundred pounds. An ordi-
nary sword being too short and light for
him. Gen. Washington ordered one to be
made for him at a blacksmith shop — six feet
from hilt to point, which he could wield as
a feather." He was passionately devoted to
the cause which he had made his own, and
there is no such picturesque figure in the
whole continental line as Peter Francisco.
He fought in the battles of Brandywine.
Germantown and Monmouth. At the storm-,
ing of Stony Point, he was the second man
to enter the fort, only preceded by Lieut.
James Gibbons, of Virginia. He was
wounded several times, and killed several
British soldiers. After his term of service
had ended, he returned to Virginia, and en-
listed in a cavalry troop, and fought under
Gates and Greene, and was at the surrender
uf Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown. After the
war, he kept a tavern at "New Store." Buck-
ingham county, Virginia, and for many years
v/as sergeant-at-arms of the house of dele-
gates. He married (first) Mary Anderson;
(second) Catherine Fauntleroy Brooke;
And (third) Mary B. (Gr}'mesj West, a
widow. He died, in Richmond, Virgmia,
in January, 1831, and the house of delegates
paid him the honor of a public funeral. His
portrait hangs in the State Library in Rich-
mond.
Stuart, John, son of David Stuart and
Margaret Lynn, his wife. He was engaged
by John Lewis in locating land in West Vir-
ginia, and settled on the Greenbrier river.
He was frequently engaged in the Indian
wars. He was a member of the house of
delegates during the revolutionary war, and
for more than a quarter of a century was
county clerk. He was also county lieuten-
ant of Greenbrier county, and in 1788 was
a member of the state convention called to
pass upon the Federal constitution, and
voted for its adoption. He married Agatha,
widow of John Frogg, of Augusta, and
daughter of Thomas Lewis, son of John
Lewis.
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Washington, William, born in Stafford
county, Virginia, February 28, 1752, son of
rJailey Washington and Catherine Storke,
his wife. He was intended for the church,
and received a much more careful education
than his great kinsman, George Washing-
ton. At the outbreak of the revolution he
was a young man of twenty-four. If he had
intended to be a clergyman, he soon aban-
doned that idea, and early in the war was
commissioned captain in the Third Regi-
ment Virginia line, and had under him as a
lieutenant, James Monroe, a future Presi-
dent of the United States. He was with
Washington at New York, and was severely
wounded at the battle of Long Island. He
was with the army in the retreat through
New Jersey, and at the battle of Trenton led
a daring charge upon a battery, capturing
the guns, but receiving a severe wound.
Later he was transferred to the dragoons,
and promoted to major. Joining Gen. Lin-
coln's army in the South, he was given com-
mand of a regiment. He defeated the Brit-
ish cavalry leader, Tarleton, and was sur-
prised by him in turn. At the Cowpens he
led a daring charge at a critical moment,
and worsted Tarleton in a hand to hand en-
counter. For his gallantry he received the
congressional medal. At the battle of Eu-
taw Springs in 1781 he was unhorsed,
wounded and taken prisoner. After the war
he married a Miss Elliott, of Charleston,
South Carolina, and removed to that city;
was elected to the legislature, and put for-
ward as a candidate for governor: he de-
clined the latter nomination because, as he
declared, he "could not make a speech.*'
When Gen. George Washington accepted
the position of commander-in-chief of the
army under President Adams, he called Col.
Washington to his staff as an aide, with the
rank of brigadier-general. Gen. William
Washington died July 19, 1798, *ieaving be-
hind him an unsullied reputation, an amia-
ble temper, lively manner, a hospitable dis-
position, and a truly benevolent heart."
Deuxponts, William, born June 18, 1754;
became lieutenant-colonel of the regiment
commanded by his brother, Christian Deux-
ponts, October 2, 1779. and was wounded
in the attack on the redoubt at Yorktown,
October 14, 1781, and for his services there
was made by the King of France a^ cheva-
lier of the military order of St. Louis, and
was mentioned particularly in Baron
Viomesnil's report to Gen. Rochambeau.
He afterward held the honorable post of
commander of the palace guard at the Ba-
varian court. Col. Trumbull's painting of
the surrender of Gen. Cornwallis, in the
rotunda of the capitol at Washington. D.
C. contains a portrait of Count des Deux-
ponts. He left in manuscript **Mes cam-
pagnes d' Amerique," which was found on
a Paris book-stall in 1867 by Dr. Samuel
Abbott Green, and published by him, with
an English translation and notes (Boston,
1868).
Todd, Thomas, born in King and Queen
county. Virginia, January 23, 1765, son of
Richard Todd and Elizabeth Richards, his
wife. He was orphaned in childhood and
gained an education with difficulty. In
1 78 1, at the age of sixteen, he joined the
army, at the time of the British invasion by
Gens. Phillips and .Arnold, serving six
months. He then entered Liberty Hall
.Academy, and graduated when eighteen
years old. in 1783. In the summer of that
year he went to Bedford county, Virginia,
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\IRGIXIA r.IOGRAPHY
and lived in the family of his cousin, Judge
Harry Innes, and in the following spring
went to Kentucky and engaged in law prac-
tice at Danville. He was secretary of the
ten conventions, from 1784 to 1792. looking
tc the formation of the state of Kentucky;
was clerk of the Federal court for the dis-
trict of Kentucky ; was the first clerk of its
court of appeals; judge of the court of
appeals in 1801 ; and chief justice in 1806.
In 1807 he was appointed a judge of the
United States supreme court, holding court
twice a year each in Nashville. Frankfort
and Chillicothe. and six winter months in
Washington City, occupying that position
until his death, at his home in Frankfort,
Kentucky. February 9, 1826. His chief
judicial labors were in adjudications under
the land laws, involving many disputes as
to title. He was father of Charles S. Todd,
appointed minister to Russia in 1841. (For
Todd family see "\'irginia Magazine of His-
tory and Biography," vol. lii. p. 80, and
**\Villiam and Mar>' Quarterly," xxi, 203).
Daviess, Joseph Hamilton, born in Red-
ford county, Virginia, March 4, 1774, son- of
Joseph and Jean Daviess; his parents re-
moved to Lincoln county, Kentucky, when
he was five years of age, subsequently re-
moved to the vicinity of Danville, and Jo-
seph H. received his education in an acad-
emy at Harrodsburg, this knowledge being
supplemented by a wide course of reading.
For six months during the year 1793 he
served as a volunteer in the Indian cam-
paign, after which he studied at law, and
two years later was admitted to the bar.
He began the active practice of his profes-
sion in Danville, and gained a high position
at the bar. usually appearing in court in a
hunting costume. In 1799 he acted as sec-
ond to John Rowan in a duel in which
Rowan's antagonist was killed, when both
principals and seconds fled to avoid prose-
cution ; after being a fugitive for some time,
hearing that Rowan had been arrested, Mr.
Daviess returned and appeared in court as
liis counsel, secured his acquittal. Later he
became United States attorney for Ken-
tucky, in which capacity, on November 3,
1806. he moved for an order requiring Aaron
Durr to appear and answer to a charge of
levying war against a nation with which the
United States was at peace. Burr boldly
courted investigation, but the witnesses
upon whom the prosecution relied could not
l.c brought into court, and it was impossible
to sustain the charges. This event almost
entirely destroyed the popularity of Mr.
Daviess, which even the subsequent revela-
tion of Aaron Burr's plot could not fully re-
store. He* joined the army of Gen. William
H. Harrison as major of Kentucky volun-
teer dragoons, in 181 1, served in the cam-
paign against the Northwestern Indians,
and led a cavalry charge against the sav-
ages at the battle of Tippecanoe, November
7, 181 1, which was successful, but he fell,
shot through the breast. Counties in the
states of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and
Missouri have been named in his honor. He
published "A View of the President's Con-
duct Concerning the Conspiracy of 1806"
(1807). Mr. Daviess married a sister of
Chief Justice Marshall.
Clayton, Augustine Smith, born in Fred-
ericksburg, November 27, 1783, son of Philip
Clayton, of Culpeper county. Virginia. Soon
after his birth his parents removed to
Georgia, and he graduated at the University
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or Georgia in 1804. He was admitted to
the bar, was elected to the state legislature,
and in 1810 appointed to compile the stat-
utes of Georgia from 1800. In 1819 he was
elected judge of the superior court of the
western circuit, an office which he retained
until 1825, and again from 1828 till 1831.
During his last term occurred the difficul-
ties between the state of Georgia and the
Cherokee Indians, resulting in the expa-
triation of the latter. In 1829 the legisla-
ture brought the Cherokee territory within
the jurisdiction of Georgia, and this action
of the state authorities was sustained by
Judge Clayton, though eventually the
United States supreme court decided against
its legality, and ruled that the Cherokee
nation was not subject to the state laws that
had been imposed upon it. Judge Clayton,
however, was not in perfect accord with the
legislature as to Indian rights, holding that
they were entitled to dig gold on lands to
which their stipulated title had not been
extinguished; and for thus opposing the
policy of the state he was removed from
bis judicial office. In 183 1 he was elected
to congress, where he took a leading part
in debates on the tariff and the United States
bank, both of which he opposed. He served
two terms in congress, and after his retire-
ment in 1835 held no public office excepting
the trusteeship of the University of Georgia.
He was a presidential elector in 1829. His
attitude towards Christianity for many
years was one of doubt, but at the time of
bis death he was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church. He was reputed to be
the author of the political pamphlet called
"Crockett's Life of Van Buren." He died
at Athens, Georgia, June 21, 1839.
WarrcU, James, was an Englishman. In
1804 he taught dancing in Petersburg. At
one time he was proprietor of the Richmond
Museum. He painted portraits, and prob-
ably landscapes. Among portraits painted
by him are those of John Tyler (father of
President John Tyler), now in the library
or William and Mary College, Williams-
burg; and of Washington and Lafayette,
hanging in the council chamber at Rich-
mond.
Cleland, Thomas, born in Fairfax county,
\'irginia, May 22, 1778; removed to Marion
county, Kentucky, in 1789. He was an ex-
horter during the revival of 1801, and being
urged to become a preacher by the presby-
tery of Transylvania, was licensed April 14,
1803, and became pastor of a church in
Washington county. In 1813 he was settled
over the churches of New Providence and
Cane Run, now Harrodsburg. He publish-
ed a hymn-book for prayer meetings and re-
vivals, and tracts directed against the Camp-
bellites and New-lights, entitled "Letters
on Campbellism," "The Socini-Arian De-
tected" (1815), and "Unitarianism Un-
masked" (1825). He died January 31, 1858.
Dagg, John L., born at Middleburg, Lou-
doun county, Virginia, February 13, 1794;
was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1817,
preached for a number of years in his native
state, removing to Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, in the year 1825, where he was ap-
pointed pastor of the Fifth Baptist Church
and so served for eight years, at the expira-
tion of which time he resigned from the
ministry owing to trouble with his throat.
He then turned his attention to the profes-
sion of teaching and to authorship, in 1836
accepting charge of the Alabama Female
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
Athenaeum in Tuscaloosa, and eight years
later was appointed president of Mercer
University at Penfield, Georgia, where for
a period of twelve years he performed his
duties satisfactorily and in addition gave
instruction in theology, resigning from the
presidency in 1856. His published \<'orks
are: "Manual of Theolog}*;" 'Treatise of
Church Order;" 'Elements of Moral
Science;" "Evidences of Christianity;" and
several pamphlets including "The More Ex-
cellent Way;" "An Interpretation of John
iii. :5 ;" "An Essay in Defence of Strict Com-
munion," and "A Decisive Argument against
Infant Baptism, furnished by One of its
Own Proof-Texts."
CobbSy Nicholas Hamner, born in Bed-
ford county, Virginia, February 5, 1796, son
of John Lewis Cobbs and Susanna Hamner,
his wife, daughter of Nicholas Hamner, of
Albemarle county, \'irginia. While study-
ing for the ministry in the Episcopal church
he was engaged in teaching for several
years. He was ordained deacon in Staun-
ton, \'irginia, in May, 1824, by the Rt. Rev.
R. C. Moore. D. D., and priest the next
year, in Richmond, Virginia, by the same
bishop. He performed pastoral work in his
native county for fifteen years. In 1839 he
became rector of St. Paul's church, Peters-
burg, Virginia, and in 1843 accepted a call
to the rectorship of St. Paul's Church, Cin-
cinnati, Ohio. In 1844 he was elected bishop
cf Alabama — the first to preside over that
diocese, and was consecrated in Philadel-
phia. October 20, 1844. He was a faithful
overseer of the work committed to him. and
his memory is preserved in a noble charity
in Montgomery, bearing the name of the
Bishop Cobbs Homes for Orphans. He pub-
hshed a few sermons and addresses. He
died at Montgomery, Alabama, January 11,
1861. He was descended from Ambrose
Cobbs. of York county, Virginia, who pat-
ented lands in 1639.
Chandler, Reuben» born in Randolph
county, \'irginia, July 15, 1799. He received
an academic education in Virginia, and then
removed to Alabama, settling in Somerville,
Morgan county, where he practiced law.
I'or many years he was a member of the
state legislature, and subsequently was
elected as a Democrat to congress, serving
from December 7, 1835, till March 3, 1847.
He was then elected governor of his state,
and held that office until 1849, after which
he retired to private life in Huntsville. For
many years he continued to be consulted on
matters of political importance, and was a
delegate to the national Democratic conven-
tions of Cincinnati in 1856, of Charleston in
i860, and of Xew York in 1868. He died in
Huntsville, Alabama, May 17, 1882.
Colquitt, Walter T., born in Halifax coun-
ty. Virginia, December 27, 1799; he removed
with his parents to Georgia. He entered
Princeton college, but was not graduated;
studied law in Millcdgeville, Georgia, was
admitted to the bar in 1820, and began prac-
tice at Sparta, afterwards removing to Cow-
pens. When twenty-one years old he was
elected brigadier-general of militia. He be-
came prominent in 1826 by contesting the
district as the Troup candidate for congress
against Lumpkin, the Clark candidate, who
was elected by thirty-two majority. The
same year he was elected judge of the
Chattahoochee circuit, and was reelected in
1829. In 1834 and 1837 he was a state sena-
tor. In 1838 he was elected to congress as
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a states rights Whig, and took his seat De-
cember 2. 1839, but, having left the party
with two colleague;? after the nomination of
Harrison for President, he resigned, July 21,
1840. He was again elected to congress as
a Van Buren Democrat, serving from Feb-
ruary I, 1842, till March 3, 1843, and was
then elected to the United States senate,
serving from December 4, 1843, ^^^1 ^^ ^^'
signed in 1848. He supported President
Polk in the Oregon controversy, and
throughout the Mexican war was a promi-
nent opponent of the Wilmot proviso. He
was an earnest speaker in the Nashville con-
vention in 1850 in defence of the rights of
the South. He was licensed as a Methodist
preacher in 1827, and even during the tur-
moil of a most exciting political career, was
iii the habit of officiating at the Methodist
churches. He was one of the most success-
ful lawyers in the state, and in criminal
practice had no rival. He died in Macon,
Georgia, May 7, 1855.
Fleming, Thomas, born in Goochland
county, \'irginia. in 1727, son of Col. John
Fleming and Mary Boiling, his wife. He
was in command of two hundred back-
woodsmen in the battle of Point Pleasant
against the Indians in 1774. He concealed
his men behind trees and had them hold out
their hats. As the Indians fired, the hats
were dropped, and the Indians rushed for-
ward to scalp their supposed victims, who
tomahawked their assailants. After lead-
ing his men gallantly in two onrushes,
Fleming was severely wounded, one ball
passing through his arm and another
through his breast. In March, 1776, he was
commissioned colonel of the Ninth Virginia
Regiment, but died from his former ex-
posures in August of the same year.
Henderson, Richard, born in Hanover
county, Virginia, in 1734. His parents were
poor and unable to give him an education,
and he could neither read nor write until he
was grown to manhood, but served as con-
stable and under sheriff. In 1762 he went to
North Carolina, where he studied law, was
admitted to the bar, and in 1769 was made
an associate judge of the superior court. In
1770 public feeling ran high on account of
the excessive taxation enforced under Gov.
Tryon, and a mob assailed him in the court
room and forced him from the bench. After
the revolutionary war, and when order was
restored, Henderson was reelected judge,
but would not qualify, having formed the
Transylvania Land Company, for the pur-
pose of acquiring large tracts of the public
domain. In effecting this purpose he nego-
tiated **the Watoga Treaty" with the chiefs
of the Cherokee Indians, by which the com-
pany came into possession of all the lands
lying between the Cumberland river, the
Cumberland mountains, and the Kentucky
river — a territory larger than the present
state of Kentucky — and was named Tran-
sylvania, with Boonesborough as its capital.
.•\mong the members of the company were
Daniel Boone, Richard Calloway, John
Floyd, James Harrod and Thomas Slaugh-
ter, and they formed a most comprehensive
and equitable system of government. How-
ever, Henderson's purchase was subse-
quently annulled by Virginia, as an infringe-
n'ent of her chartered rights; but, to com-
pensate the settlers, the legislature granted
to them a tract twelve miles square on the
Ohio river, below the mouth of Greene
river. In 1779 Judge Henderson and four
others were appointed commissioners to run
the boundary line between Virginia and
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
North Carolina, into Powell's valley. He
now removed to Tennessee, and engaged in
law practice in Nashville. In 1780 he re-
tr.rned to North Carolina, and settled down
upon hi.< farm. He died in Hillsborough,
North Carolina, January 30, 1785. A son,
Archibald, became a distinguished lawyer in
North Carolina, and a member of congress
from that state: another son, Leonard, be-
c«ime chief justice of North Carolina.
Henderson^ Pleasant, born in Hanover
county. Virginia. January 9, 1756, brother
oi Richard Henderson (q. v.». He served
in the revolution army, and at the close of
the war was major of Col. Malmedy's
mounted corps. He studied law, and in
1789 became clerk of the house of commons
of North Carolina. He finally removed to
'lennessee. and died at Huntington, that
state. December 10, 1842.
Farrow, Samuel, born in \'irginia, about
1759. He was a youth when his parents re-
moved to Spartanburg district, South Caro-
lina. He was one of a company of scouts in
the revolutionary war, was wounded in a
skirmish and took part in the battle of Mus-
grove's Mills. He was captured by the Brit-
ish, with his two brothers, and they regained
their freedom by their mother (a daughter
of Col. Philemon Waters), delivering to
their captors six British prisoners ; she took
great pleasure in this achievement, boasting
that she had made a good bargain, having
beat the British four to one. After the war,
Farrow studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced in Spartanburgh. In
iSio he was elected lieutenant-governor of
South Carolina, and later was elected to
congress as a Republican, serving in the
session of 1813-15. He was reelected, but
soon resigned, preferring service in the
house of representatives of his state, of
v/hich he was a lAember from 181O to 1821,
when he retired to private life. The estab-
lishment of the South Carolina lunatic and
dtaf and dumb asylums was chiefly due to
I. is efforts. He died in Columbia, South Car-
olina, in November, 1824.
Franklin, Jesse, born in Orange county,
\irginia. March 24, 1760. When he was fif-
teen years old his family removed to North
Carolina. He served in the revolutionary
war. rising to the rank of major; was a
member of the house of delegates three
terms, and a state senator one term ; mem-
ber of congress. 1795-97: United States sen-
ator, 1 799- 1 805. and again, 1807-13. a part
ui the time acting as president pro tcm. of
that body. In 1816 the President appointed
him a commissioner to treat with the Chick-
asaw Indians. In 1820 he was elected gov-
ernor of North Carolina. He died in Surr>'
county. North Carolina, in September, 1823.
Peyton, John Howe, was born in Stafford
county. Virginia, April 3, 1778, son of John
N. Peyton, who was descended from Henry
Peyton, of Lincoln's Inn, London, whose
son \'alentine came to Westmoreland coun-
ty, about 1650. He graduated at Princeton
in 1797, admitted to the bar in 1709, and
established a reputation as a criminal law-
yer. He served many years in the legisla-
ture, and was the author of a series of reso-
lutions upon the attitude of the state of
Pennsylvania with reference to an amend-
ment of the constitution of the United
States that provided a tribunal for settling
disputes between the state and the Federal
judiciary, of which resolutions Daniel Web-
ster said: "They are so conclusive of the
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question that they admit of no further dis-
cussion." He was prosecuting attorney for
the Augusta district in 1808-09. During the
war of 1812 he was major of militia, and
served till 1815. He then became deputy
United States attorney for the western dis-
trict of Virginia, and declined a nomination
to congress in 1820 and a judgeship in 1824.
He was in the state senate in 1836-44, at
which date he fell from his horse and re-
ceived an injury that compelled his retire-
ment from public life. In 1840 he was ap-
pointed a visitor to the United States Mili-
tary Academy, and he wrote the report of
that year. For ten years he was president
of the board of directors of the Western
Virginia Lunatic Asylum. Mr. Peyton was
an active member of the Whig party, op-
posed nullification and secession, and fav-
ored all schemes for internal improvements
and public education. He won a brilliant
reputation at the bar. He died in Staunton,
Virginia, April 3. 1847.
Clark, James, born in Bedford county,
Virginia, in 1779. He removed with his
father to Clark county, Kentucky, was edu-
cated by a private tutor, studied law in Vir-
ginia, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Winchester, Kentucky, in 1797.
He was several times a member of the legis-
lature, became judge of the court of appeals
in 18 10, and was elected to congress as a
Clay Democrat, serving from May 24, 18 13,
till 1816. when he resigned. He was judge
of the circuit court from 181 7 till 1824, and
was again elected to congress as a Whig,
serving from December 5, 1825, till March
3, 183 1. He was elected to the state senate
in 1832. becoming its speaker, and in 1826
was chosen governor, and served till his
death at Frankfort, Kentucky, August 27,
1839.
Gary, Lett, born in Charles City county,
X'irginia, in 1780. He was a negro slave, and
at the age of twenty-four was sent to Rich-
mond and hired out as a laborer. He was
highly intelligent, and with little assistance
karned to read and write, and in time came
to be a most capable shipping clerk in a
tobacco warehouse. In 1807 he became a
religious convert, joined a Baptist church,
ar.d thenceforward was a leader among his
people in religious matters. In 1813 he pur-
chased freedom for himself and his two
children, paying eight hundred and fifty
dollars, a remarkably low price, his master
having a deep sympathy for him. In 1822
he went out to Liberia as a member of the
colony sent to that country that year
through the efforts of William Crane (q.
v.), but insisted on paying his own ex-
penses. He was an officer of the coloniza-
tion society, and in Liberia rendered invalu-
able service as pastor, physician, and gen-
eral counsellor. On November 8, 1828,
while making cartridges for use in an ex-
l-tcted foray by slave-traders, he died from
?n accidental explosion.
Cartwright, Peter, born in Amherst coun-
ty, Virginia, September i, 1785, son of Peter
Cartwright, a revolutionary soldier, who
moved his family to Kentucky while the
son was a youth. The son lived a wild life
to the age of sixteen, when he "came under
conviction of sin,'' while attending a camp
meeting. He sold a favorite racing horse,
gave up gambling, and after three months'
struggle professed conversion. He was soon
licensed as a local preacher; in 1803, at the
age of eighteen, was received into the regu-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
lar ministry, and was ordained an elder by
Bishop Asbury three years later. In 1823
he removed to Sangamon county, Illinois.
He attended all the various conferences and
camp meetings, and in the latter was a most
powerful and successful worker. He was
opposed to slavery, and was greatly re-
joiced when the Methodist Episcopal church
of the North placed its seal of condemna-
tion upon it. He was an earnest Democrat,
was elected to the Illinois legislature, and
in 1846 was a congressional candidate
against Abraham Lincoln, who defeated
him. He was a presiding elder of his church
for upwards of fifty years. He was an un-
polished but logical and forceful speaker,
and wielded a powerful influence in relig-
ious meetings. He published several pam-
phlets, of which the most famous is his
"Controversy with the Devil" (1853), His
"Autobiography," edited by William P.
Strickland, abounds in humorous incidents
relating to the experiences of Mr. Cart-
wright at his many camp meetings. He
died in Sangamon county, Illinois, Septem-
ber 25, 1872,
Crane, William, born in Newark, New
Jersey, May 6, 1790. He was a resident of
Richmond. Virginia, from 181 1 to 1834, and
was distinguished for his zeal in promoting
the religious welfare of the colored people.
He was teacher of the first school for blacks
ii) that city, and was founder of the Rich-
mond African Baptist Missionary Society,
which sent Lott Gary out to Liberia. He
was one of the founders of Richmond Col-
lege, to which he gave one thousand dollars,
and he made large benefactions to other
educational and religious objects. He died
in Baltimore, Maryland, September 28,
1866. His son, William Carey Crane, born
in Richmond, Virginia, March 17, 1816, was
a Baptist minister, and at various times pas-
tor of churches and president of colleges in
Mississippi and Texas.
Fendall, Philip Ricard, born in Alexan-
dria. Virginia, in 1794. He was educated at
Princeton College, graduating in 1815, and
was admitted to the bar at Alexandria in
1820. soon afterwards removing to Wash-
ington City, where he served as district
attorney. 1841-45. and 1849-53. ^^^ many
years he ranked as the leading advocate of
the capital city. He was a brilliant writer
and frequently contributed to the press on
political and literary topics. He died in
Washington City. February 16, 1868.
Finlcy, John, born at Brownsburg, Rock-
bridge county. Virginia, January 11, 1797.
He was educated at his neighborhood
schools, and in 1818 removed to Cincinnati,
Ohio, and thence to Richmond, Indiana.
From 1 83 1 to 1834 he was one of the editors
and proprietors of the Richmond (Indi-
ana) "Palladium." For three years he was
a member of the legislature, and enrolling
clerk of the state senate for another three
years. From 1838 to 1845 ^^ was clerk of
the Wayne county courts, and mayor of
Richmond (Indiana) from 1852 until his
death, in that city, December 23, 1866. He
was a graceful writer of verse, and his
poems were collected in a volume entitled
"The Hoosier's Nest, and Other Poems,"
published the year before his death. The
best poem in the work is the well known
"Bachelors' Hall."
Stuart^ Ferdinand Campbell, was born in
Williamsburg, Virginia, August 10, 1815.
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287
He was descended from Rev. Archibald
Campbell, of Argyleshire, Scotland, who
was minister of Washington parish, West-
moreland county, and of "Round Hill
Church," King George county, from 1754
to 1774. Archibald Campbell had a son
Archibald, who was the father of Ferdinand
Stuart Campbell, professor of mathematics
in William and Mary College about 1826
and later. This latter, the father of the sub-
ject of this sketch, inherited a fortune from
the Stuarts of Scotland, and adding Stuart
to his name called himself Ferdinand Stuart
Campbell Stuart. His son, Ferdinand Camp-
bell Stuart, studied at William and Mary,
and afterwards took medicine at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, from which he
graduated in 1837, and for five years pur-
sued professional studies in Edinburgh and
P'aris. On his return, he engaged in prac-
tice in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he
was family physician to President John
Tyler, and who proffered him various ap-
pointments, which his devotion to his pro-
fession obliged him to decline. He soon re-
moved to New York City, where he was
placed in charge of the medical and surgical
wards of Bellevue Hospital, and also gave
instructions to students in his office, as well
2L?. at clinics in 1844-45. I" 1847-48, during
an epidemic of typhus fever, he cared for
two hundred patients daily. When the
Siaten Island Marine Hospital was estab-
lished, in connection with the quarantine
station, he was made its first physician. In
1855 he visited England, to obtain prop-
erly left him at the death of his father. He
was a member of various professional soci-
eties in Europe, as well as in the United
States. The founding of the New York
Academy of Medicine was largely due to his
effort ; he was its secretary until he removed
from New York, was vice-president three
years, and on several occasions was the
anniversary orator. He was a leader in the
movements leading to the establishment of
the American Medical Association, in 1847,
and a member* of the committee that drafted
its constitution. He was the inventor of
various instruments used in genito-urinary
diseases. His contributions to professional
literature were numerous.
Catesby, Mark, born in England, about
1680. A taste for natural science led him,
after studying in London, to come to Vir-
ginia, where he arrived April 23, 1712, and
occupied himself in collecting its various
productions. He returned to England in
1719, with a rich collection of plants, but,
at the suggestion of Sir Hans Sloane and
other eminent naturalists, re-embarked for
America with the purpose of collecting and
describing its most curious natural objects.
He arrived May 23, 1722. explored the lower
part of South Carolina, and afterward lived
for some time among the Indians at Fort
Moore, on Savannah river, three hundred
miles from the sea. He made excursions
into Georgia and Florida, and, after spend-
ing three years in this country, visited the
Bahama islands. He returned to England
in 1726. and published in numbers "The
Natural History of Carolina, Florida and
the Hahama Islands." This work contained
the first descriptions of several plants now
cultivated in all European gardens. The
figures were etched by himself from his own
paintings, and the colored copies executed
under his inspection. Catesby was a fellow
of the Royal Society, to whose transactions
he contributed a paper on '* Birds of Pas-
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\1RGIX1A BIOGRAPHY
sage'* (1747), giving accounts of their mi-
gration from his own observations. He
wrote "Hortus Europae Americans" (pub-
lished posthumously, 1767), and other works
have been attributed to him. A plant of the
tctrandrous class has been called after him,
Catesbea, by Gronovius. He died at Lon-
don. England, December 24, 1749. His sister,
Elizabeth, married Dr. William Cocke, sec-
retary of state of \'irginia under Alexander
Spotswood, and has numerous descendants
in X'irginia and the United States.
Bailey, Ann, was reputed to have been
born in Liverpool, England, about 1723, to
have been kidnapped at the age of nineteen.,
carried otT to Virginia and sold, and to have
married a man named Trotter when thirty
years of age. Trotter was a soldier in Col.
Lewis's regiment, and was killed by the
Indians in the battle of Point Pleasant, Oc-
tober 10., 1774. His widow, moved by re-
venge, assumed male clothing and adopted
the life of a scout and spy, and was often
employed to convey information to the com-
mandants of forts. In 1790 she married a
soldier named John Bailey, stationed at Fort
Clendenin, on Kanawha river. She was ex-
pert with the rifle, rode a black horse of re-
markable intelligence, and made many
perilous journeys from the settlements on
the James and Potomac rivers to Fort Clen-
denin and other distant outposts. On one
occasion she saved the garrison of a fort
by bringing ammunition from Fort Union,
new Lewisburg. After the Indian war,
during which her second husband was
killed, she lived with her son, William Trot-
ter, on Kanawha river, and removed with
him in 1818 to Ohio, where in old age, she
taught school, displaying great mental and
physical vigor. She died in Harrison town-
ship, Gallia county, Ohio, November 23,
1825.
Champe, John, born in Loudoun county,
X'irginia, was sergeant-major of Henry
Lee's cavalry legion. After Arnold's treason
he was sent by Lee to Xew York, at W ash-
ington's request, to discover whether an-
other American officer (supposed to have
been General Gates) was also a traitor, and
to capture Arnold, if possible, and bring
him before Washington. Champe departed
from the American camp at Tappan, laie at
night, was pursued, and gained the British
vessels at Paulus Hook. Taken to Xew
York, he was examined by Sir Henry Clin-
ton, who sent him to Arnold, who made him
sergeant-major in a legion he was raising.
Champe was able to send to Washington
complete proof of the suspected general's
innocence, but he was not so successful in
the other part of his mission. Discovering
that Arnold walked in his garden every
night, he formed a plan with a comrade to
seize and gag him, and drag him to a boat
on the Hudson, and deliver him to a party
ot horsemen on the New Jersey shore. On
the appointed night, however, Arnold moved
his quarters, and the legion to which Champe
belonged was sent to Virginia. Champe
afterward escaped from the British army,
and joined Greene's troops in North Caro-
lina. Washington discharged him from fur-
ther service, lest he should fall into the
hands of the British and be hanged. In
1798 Washington wished to make him cap-
tain of an infantry company, but learned
that he had died in Kentucky some time be-
fore.
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Caldwell, John, born in Prince Edward
county, Virginia. He removed to Kentucky
in 1781, served against the Indians, and be-
came a major-general of militia. He was a
member of the Kentucky state conventions
of 1787 and 1788, and of the state senate in
1792 and 1793. He was lieutenant-governor
ai the time of his death at Frankfort, Ken-
tucky, November 9, 1804.
Caldwell, James, born in Charlotte coun-
ty, \'irginia, in April, 1734. He graduated
at Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1759,
and became pastor of the church in Eliza-
bethtown. During the agitations preceding
the revolution, he took an active part in
arousing the spirit of rebellion, thereby in-
curring bitter hatred on the part of his Tory
neighbors. As chaplain in the New Jersey
brigade, he earned the nickname of the
"soldier parson," and suffered for his pa-
triotic zeal by having his church burned in
1780 by a party of British marauders and
lories. His family sought refuge in thfe
village of Connecticut Farms (now Union),
New Jersey, but before the close of the war
a reconnoitering force from the British
camps on Staten Island pillaged the place,
and Mrs. Caldwell was killed by a stray
bullet, while in a room praying with her
two children. Her husband was at the
time on duty with the army at Morristown.
Shortly after (June 23, 1780), he distin-
guished himself in the successful defense of
Springfield, New Jersey, which was at-
tacked by a heavy British force. During the
engagement he supplied the men with hymn-
books from a neighboring church, to use as
wadding, with the exhortation, *'Now put
Watts into them, boys!" He was shot by
an American sentry during an altercation
vu-ii
concerning a package, which the sentry
thought it his duty to examine. The soldier
was delivered to the civil authorities, tried
for murder, and hanged January 29, 1782.
It was commonly believed at that time that
the sentry had been bribed by the British
to kill the chaplain. A handsome monu-
ment commemorating the life and services
or Mr. Caldwell and his wife was erected
at Elizabethtown in 1846, on the sixty-
fourth anniversary of his untimely death.
Boucher, Jonathan, born in Blencogo,
Cumberland, England, March 12, 1738. He
came to America at the age of sixteen, and
was for some time a private teacher, in 1762
took orders in the Anglican church, and was
appointed rector of Hanover parish. King
George county, and two years later of St.
Mary's parish, Caroline county, Virginia.
Gov. Eden gave him in 1771 the rectory of
St. Anne, Annapolis, and that of Queen
Anne, in St. George county. He was tutor
to John Parke Custis, but opposed the
measures looking to independence, and gave
such offence to his congregation that he was
obliged to return to England in 1775. He
was appointed vicar of Epsom, and during
the last fourteen years of his life was en-
gaged in compiling a glossary of provincial
and obsolete words. This was purchased
from his family in 183 1 by the proprietors
of the English edition of Webster's "Dic-
tionary," for use as an appendix to that
work. He published in 1799 "A View of the
Causes and Consequences of the American
Revolution," dedicated to Gen. Washington, *
consisting of fifteen discourses delivered in
North America between 1763 and 1775, ^^^
containing many anecdotes illustrating the
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MRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
political condition of the colonies of that
time. He died in Epsom, England, April
27. 1804.
Burke» Thomas, born in Ireland, about
1747, came to Virginia about 1764, and lived
some years in Accomac county, where he
practiced medicine. He then studied law, be-
gan practice in Norfolk, and in 1774 removed
tc Hillsborough, North Carolina, where he
became one of the leading spirits in the
revolutionary contest. While he was in
Virginia, his writings in opposition to the
stamp Lct had brought him into notice ; and
he had a large share in the formation of
the constitution of North Carolina. He was
a member of the provincial congress at Hali-
fax in 1776, and a volunteer at the battle
of Brandywine. He was a member of con-
gress from December, 1776, until 1781, when
he was chosen first governor of North Caro-
lina under the new constitution. In Sep-
tember of that year he was taken by the
Tories, and held as a prisoner on parole at
James Island. South Carolina. He was in
daily fear of assassination, and after unsuc-
cessful efforts to obtain an exchange to some
other state, he escaped on the night of Jan-
uary 16, 1782, after an imprisonment of four
months. In a letter to Gen. Leslie, Burke
gave his reasons for withdrawing, and said
that he still considered himself subject to
the disposal of the British authorities. He
v.'as regularly exchanged soon afterward,
and resumed his duties as governor, but
was defeated the following year, when a
•candidate for re-election, it being urged that
he had violated his parole. He died in
Hillsborough, North Carolina, December 2.
1783.
Baynham, William, born in Caroline
county, Virginia, in December, 1749. He
studied medicine under Dr. Thomas Walker,
and in 1769 went to London, where he be-
came proficient in anatomy and surgery, and
for several years was assistant demonstrator
in St. Thomas's Hospital, London. After
sixteen years' residence in England he re-
turned to the United States and settled in
Lssex. He was very successful as a sur-
geon, and as an anatomist he had no supe-
rior. The best preparations in the museums
of Cline and Cooper, in London, were made
by him. He contributed to the medical
journals. He died at his residence in Essex
county, Virginia, December 8, 1814.
Butler, James, bom in Prince William
county. X'lrginia, removed to South Caro-
lina about 1/72. settling in what was then
a frontier region. He took part in Gen.
Richardson's "snow-camp expedition," and
aften^^ard in a similar expedition under Gen.
Williamson, in 1776. Butler joined Gen.
Lincoln near Augusta in 1779, and after the
fall of Charleston, in 1780, he was one of
those who refused to swear allegiance to
the British crown, and was lodged in the
/ail at Ninety-Six. He was afterward taken
to the provost of Charleston, then to the
prison-ship, and was kept in close confine-
ment for eighteen months. After his re-
hase, he was summoned to repel a foray
of the Tories of his precinct, and was killed
.^t Cloud's creek. South Carolina, in 1781.
Bullitt, Alexander Scott, son of Hon.
Cuthbert bullitt and Helen Scott, his wife,
daughter of Rev. James Scott, born in
Prince William county, Virginia, in 1761 ;
settled m bheiby county. Virginia (now
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PROMIXEXT PERSONS
291
Kentucky), in 1784. The continual depre-
dations of the Indians caused him to remove
to Jefferson county, and he settled near
Sturgus' Station. He was a delegate to the
convention that met at Danville in 1792 to
frame the constitution of Kentucky. After
its adoption, represented his county in the
jitaie senate, and was the first speaker, serv-
ing from 1792 till 1804. In 1799 he was a
delegate to the constitutional convention at
Frankfort, and presided at its meetings. In
I'^^oo he became the first lieutenant-governor
ct Kentucky. He retired from politics in
1808, and passed the latter portion of his
life on the farm in Jefferson county, where
he died April 13, 1816.
Campbell, Thomas, born February i, 1763,
in Ireland. He was trained in scholarship
at Glasgow Cniversity, and for the ministry
under the Scottish establishment. He was
descended from the Campbells of Argyle.
Entering the ministry in 1798, he soon be-
came identified with the "Seceders/' and
came to the United States in 1807, joined
the associate synod of Xorth America at
Philadelphia, and ministered to destitute
congregations in western Pennsylvania. In
1809 he was joined by his son Alexander.
On June 12, 1812, in company with his son
and their joint congregations, they were
immersed by Elder Luse, of the Baptists,
but with a stipulation in writing that no
term of union or communion should be re-
quired other than the holy scriptures. The
son soon assumed the leadership, which
finally resulted in the formation of the sect
tl at is inseparably connected with the fam-
ily name. Thomas Campbell labored zeal-
ously until age, and at last total blindness.
cc»mpelled him to desist. He died January
4. 1854. at Bethany, West Virginia.
Callendcr, James Thomas, born in Scot
land, came to Philadelphia, 1790, as a poli-
tical refugee from England, because of the
publication of a pamphlet entitled 'The
Political Progress of Britain." Shortly
after his arrival, he published "The Political
Register," and the ^'American Register."
He subsequently became editor of the
"Richmond Recorder," and denounced the
administrations of Washington and Adams
most violently. He was at first a supporter
of Jefferson, but became his opponent. "The
Prospect Before Us" and "Sketches of
American History" are among his literary
productions. He was drowned in James
river, near Richmond, Virginia, in 1813.
Catron, John, born in Wythe county, Vir-
ginia, in 1778. He was educated in the
common schools, and early developed a
fondness for history. He removed to Ten-
nessee in 1812, and took up the study of
the law, giving to it sixteen hours a day, for
nearly four years. After serving in the Xew
Orleans campaign under Gen. Jackson, he
was elected state attorney by the Tennes-
see legislature. He removed to Nashville
in 1818, attained high rank as a chancery
lawyer, and was especially famous for en-
forcing the seven years act of limitations in
real actions. In December, 1824, he was
chosen one of the supreme judges of the
state, and was chief justice trom 1830 till
1836, when he was retired under the state
constitution. While on the bench, he did
his utmost to suppress the practice of duel-
ling, although he had been himself a noted
c'uelli.st. He was made an associate justice
ui the United States supreme court in
March, 1837. and held the office till his
death. He was noted for his familiarity
vvith the laws applicable to cases involving
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\IRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
titles to western and southern lands, Judge
Citron was a Democrat, but strongly op-
posed secession in 1861, and used his in-
fluence with members of congress and others
to prevent the civil war. When it came, he
was virtually banished from his state for
his opinions, but returned and reopened
c<.»urt in 1862. He died in Xashville, Ten-
nessee, May 30, 1865.
Campbell, John Poage, born in Augusta
county, \'irginia, in 1767, removed to Ken-
tucky with his father in 1781. Receiving a
good education, when nineteen years old he
became preceptor of an academy at Wil-
liamsburg, North Carolina. Here he adopted
atheistic views, but was converted by read-
ing Jenyns*s "Treatise on the Internal Evi-
dence of Christianity," and, giving up the
study of medicine, in which he had been en-
gaged, resolved to become a clergyman. He
was graduated at Hampdcn-Sidney in 1790,
was licensed to preach in May, 1792, and
settled in Kentucky in 1795, preaching in
various places. In 181 1 he was chaplain to
the legislature. As his salary was insuffi-
cient for the support of his family, he was
obliged to practice medicine. Dr. Camp-
bell was a graceful preacher and an accom-
plished scholar. He published "The Pas-
senger" (1804); ''Strictures on Stone's Let-
ters on the Atonement" (1805); "Vindex"
(1806); "Letters to the Rev. Mr. Craig-
head" (1810); "The Pelagian Detected"
(i8ii) ; "An Answer to Jones" (181 2) ; and
many sermons. He left a manuscript his-
tory of the western country. He died from
exposure while preaching on November 4,
1814, near Chillicothe, Ohio.
Campbell, John Wilson, born in Augusta
county, Virginia, February 23, 1782; his
parents removed to Kentucky, and after-
ward to Ohio. He received a common-
school education : studied law, was admitted
to the bar in 1808, and began practice in
West Union, Ohio. He held several local
offices, was prosecuting attorney for Adams
and Highland counties, and a member of
the Ohio legislature. He was elected to con-
gress as a Republican, served from Decem-
ber 1, 1817, till March 3, 1827, and was
L'nited States judge for the district of Ohio
from 1829 until his death. He died Septem-
ber 24, 1833, at Delaware, Ohio.
Carleton, Henry, (originally named Henry
Larleton Coxe), born in Virginia, in 1785.
He graduated at Yale in 1806, removed to
Mississippi, and finally to New Orleans, in
1814. He was a lieutenant of infantry under
Gen. Jackson in the campaign that termi-
nated January 8, 1815. He engaged in the
profession of law, and soon afterward, with
Mr. L. Moreau, began the translation of
those portions of "Las Siete Partidas," a
Spanish code of laws, that were observed in
Louisiana. He became United States attor-
ney for the eastern district of Louisiana,
in 1832, and was. subsequently appointed
a judge of the supreme court of the state,
but resigned in 1839 on account of ill
health. After extended travel in Europe
and this country, he settled in Phila-
delphia, where he devoted much attention
to Biblical, theological and metaphysical
studies. Notwithstanding his early life in
the south and the exposure of his property
to confiscation by the Confederates, he ad-
hered steadfastly to the Union during the
civil war. He published "Liberty and Ne-
cessity" (Philadelphia, 1857), and read an
* Essay on the Will," before the American
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293
Philosophical Society a few days befcjro his
I'cath. on March 28, 1863, at Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania.
Chambers, Henry, born in Lunenburg
county, Virginia, about 1785. He gradu-
ated at William and Mary College in i8c8,
itudied medicine, and settled in Alabama,
where he practiced until the war of 1812.
when he served as surgeon on Gen. Jack-
son's staff. Later he settled in Huntsville,
and in 181 9 was a member of the consti-
tutional convention of Alabama. He was
elected United States senator, and served
from December 5, 1825, until his death, at
ihe residence of his brother, Judge Edward
Chambers, of the superior court of Virginia,
while on his way to Washington. He died
in MecklenDurg county, Virginia, January
25. 1826.
Cartwright, Samuel Adolphus, born in
Fairfax county, Virginia, November 30,
^793- He studied medicine at the L'niver-
:iity of Pennsylvania, and began practice in
Huntsville, Alabama, but removed to Nat-
chez. Mississippi, where he labored for more
than a quarter of a century, and ser\'ed at
one time under Gen. Jackson as surgeon.
He removed to New Orleans in 1848, and in
1862 was appointed to improve the sanitary
condition of the Confederate soldiers near
Port Hudson and Vicksburg, and while dis-
charging this duty he contracted ^he disease
that caused his death. He contributed
largely to medical literature, and received
several medals and prizes for his investiga-
tions, especially those on yellow fever, chol-
era infantum and Asiatic cholera. Some of
the metho«!s of his treatment are now in u.se
in the army and in hospitals. He died May
2, 1863, at Jackson, Mississippi.
Chalmers, Joseph W., born in Halifax
county. Virginia, in 1807. son of a wealthy
planter who came from Scotland, and was
related to Thomas Chalmers, the celebrated
divine. He was trained to mercantile pur-
suits, but after the death of his father, de-
termined to be a lawyer, and, after spend-
ing two years at the University of Virginia,
studied law in the olifice of Benjamin W.
i-eigh, in Richmond. In 1835 he removed
to Jackson, Tennessee, and in 1840 to Holly
Springs, Mississippi. In 1842-43 he was
vice-chancellor. In 1846 he was appointed
to the United States senate to fill vacancy
caused by the appointment of Senator Rob-
ert J. Walker to the head of the treasury
department, and was subsequently elected
for the remainder of the term, but at its
close he declined re-election and resumed
the practice of law, being succeeded by Jeff-
erson Davis. He served in the senate from
December 7, 1845, ^iH March 3, 1847. He
was a steadfast States Right Democrat, and
w.irmly supported Gen. Cass for president
in T848. and John A. Quitman and Jefferson
O.ivis in their contests with Henry S. Foote
in 185 1. He died at Holly Springs, Miss-
issippi, in June, 1853.
Robinson, Beverley, born in Virginia, in
1723; son of John Robinson, president of
the council of Virginia in 1734, and speaker
of the house of burgesses. He served under
Wolfe a.s a major at the storming of Quebec
in 1759, and became wealthy by his mar-
riage with Susanna, daughter of Frederick
Ph:liipse. of New York. He opposed the
Eri<"ish measures that led to the revolu-
tion, but joined the loyalists, went to
New York, and raised the Loyal American
rcf^iment, of which he was colonel, and also
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
commanded the corps called "the guards ard
pioneers." He was employed in matters of
importance on behalf of the Royalists. He
opened a correspondence with the Whi^j
leaders, relative to their return to their alleg-
iance, and was concerned in Arnold's
trei'son. His country mansion was Arnold'.s
hcatlquariers while the latter was arrang-
ing his plan. After the conviction of An-
dre, Col. Robinson, as a witness, accom-
panied Sir Henry Clinton's commission to
Washington' headquarters to plead for An-
dre's life. He had previously addressed
Washington on the subject, and in his letter
reminded him of their former friendship.
After the war. he went to New Brunswick,
and was a member of the first council of that
colony, but did not take his seat. He subse-
quently went to England with part of his
family, and resided near Bath, till his death.
His wife was included in the confiscation act
oi New York, and the estate derived from her
father pas.«ed from the family. As a com-
pensation for the loss, the British govern-
ment granted her husband £17,010 sterhng.
She died at Thornbury in 1822, aged nine-
*v-four years. He had five sons in the Brit-
t>h army, all of whom attained distinction,
Beverley was a member of the council oi
New Brunswick; Morris was a lieutenant-
colonel ; John was a member of the council,
deputy paymaster and treasurer; Frederick
was a lieutenant-general and knighted, and
William Henry was commissary-general and
was also knighted.
Thomas, Isaac, born in Virginia, about
1735. He was an early Indian trader, and
about 1755 located among the Cherokees,
•^ear Fort Loudoun. His immense strength
and courage commanded great respect from
the Indians. On one occasion he interfered
in a feud between two Cherokee braves who
had drawn tomahawks upon each other,
and tore the weapons from their hands,
when they both attacked him. He lifted
6ne after the other into the air, and threw
ilum into the Tellico river. One ty' the
Indians subsequently saved his life .'-.t the
J-ort Loudoun massacre, of which it is said
that he and two others were the .sole sur-
vivors. After peace was restored, he a.iL^ain
.<;eitled among the Cherokees, making his
home at their capital, Echota. where, in a
leg-cabin, he kept the trader's usual stc^ck.
Me was on very friendly terms with Nancy
Ward, the Cherokee prophetess, who early
in 1776 told him of the hostile design.s of
the Indians. He at once sent a trusty mes-
senger to John Sevier and James Rcbert-
.^on at Watauga, but remained behind till
the actual outbreak of hostilities. Ai mid-
night on July 7, 1776, Nancy Ward again
<?me to his cabin and urged him to leave
V\t settlements. At great risk he mide the
journey, and a few days later was with the
ittle garrison of forty that repelled the at-
tack of Oconostota on the fort at Watauga.
Sevier probably could not have held out if
he had not received the warning. >oon
afterward he piloted the expedition that laid
waste ihe Indian country, and, for iwenty
years afterwards he acted as guide to Gen.
Sevier in nearly all of his campaigns against
the Creeks and Cherokees. Soon after the
revolution he relinquished trade wi^.h the
IndiaiiS, and settled upon an extensive farm
in .Se\*ier county. He called his settlement
Sevi<?r\-rile, in honor of his general, and the
place is now one of the most beautiful locali-
ties in the state of Tennessee. He died in
Sevicrvrlle, Tennessee, in 1819.
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Waddcl, JameSy born in Xewry, Ireland,
in Jul}, »739. He was an infant when his
parents timgrated to this country, settling
in scviith western Pennsylvania. He was
educated under Rev. Samuel Finley. b«icanic
an assistant teacher in Rev. Robert Smith's
academy in Pequea, Lancaster county. .:ftcr-
ward cniig:rated to Virginia, and, under the
influence of Samuel Davies, studiea for the
ministry, and was licensed to preach in i/6i.
The next year he became pastor of Pres-
byterian churches in the northern neck of
Virginia; removed to the Tinkling Spring
church, Augusta county, in 1775, *^lso
preached in Staunton, and in 1785 settled on
an estate in Louisa county, where he sup-
plied vacant pulpits and was principal of a
classical school. He became blind about
1787, but continued his labors without in-
terruption, writing as well as preaching
with great industry. Before his death, he
ordered that all his manuscripts be burned,
?nd his eloquence has become a matter of
tradition. The sketch of Dr. Waddel as "the
Mind preacher" in William Wirt's "British
Spy." was written in 1803, when Dr. Wad-
del was old and infirm, has been been ac-
cepted as almost authentic, though it has
been questioned how far the author gave
himself the license of fiction in his descrip-
tion. Dr. Waddel's biographer, Dr. James
W. Alexander, says: "Mr. Wirt stated to
me, so far from adding colors to the picture
o' Dr. Waddel's eloquence, he had fallen
below the truth. In person he was tall and
erect, his mien was unusually dignified, and
his manners graceful and eloquent. Under
his preaching, audiences were irresistibly
and simultaneously moved, like the wind-
shaken forest." James Madison, who had
been his pupil, said: "He has spoiled me
for all other preaching," and Patrick Henry
classed him with Samuel Davies as one of
the two greatest orators he had ever heard.
Dickinson College gave him the degree of
D. D. in 1792. One of his daughters mar-
ried the Kev. Archibald Alexander. He
died in Louisa county, Virginia, .September
1;. 1805.
Trimble, James, son of John Trimble, was
one of the early pioneers of Augusta county.
His father lived on Middle river, not far
from Churchville, and seven miles from
Staunton. Here, in 1764, they were attacked
by Indians headed by a white man named
Dickson, who had fled from Virginia to
escape punishment for crime. John Trimble
was killed, his home burned, four horses
v.'ere taken and loaded with the plunder of
the dwelling: and young James, who was
only eight years, and his half-sister, Mrs.
Estill, were carried oflF into captivity. Capt.
George Moffett, brother of Mrs. EstiH,
started oflf in pursuit with eighteen white
men, overtook the savages, killed six of
them, and rescued his kins-people. James
Trimble figured extensively afterwards as a
pioneer, and was father of the late John A.
Trimble, of Ohio.
Robertson, James, born in Brunswick
county. Virginia. June 28, 1742, of Scotch-
Irish descent. His parents removed to
North Carolina when he was a youth, and
he received little or no education. When he
was seventeen, he went with Daniel Boone's
third expedition to the west. He discovered
the Watauga river valley, planted some
corn, and then returned to North Carolina,
after losing his way, and being saved from
death, by hunters. The next spring he led
sixteen families to the valley, and they
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
raised crops for four years, unmolested by
the surrounding Indians. They believed
themselves to be within the limits of Vir-
ginia, but when the lines were run in 1772,
ir was found that they were on land belong-
ing to the Cherokees. They made a lease
with the Indians, but in the merry-making
which followed, a warrior was killed by one
of the whites, and trouble was only avoided
by Robertson's efforts, and Indians and
whites remained at peace until 1776. In
July, of that year, the Indians attacked
the fort, and were beaten off by Robert-
son and Sevier, with forty men, after
twenty days' fighting. In the spring of
1779. Robertson explored the Cumberland
valley, to which he emigrated with a party,
leaving Sevier at Watauga. One of his par-
ties made a settlement at what became
Nashville, Tennessee, where Robertson's
other people joined them. They were soon
attacked by the Cherokees, and in a few
months had lost sixty-seven of their two
hundred and fifty-six men. Their crops were
swept away by a flood, and they faced star-
vation, and many of the settlers went back
east, reducing the settlement to one hundred
and thirty-four persons, while most of those
who remained, urged Robertson to leave
also. This he refused, saying, **Here I shall
stay, if every man of you deserts me." With
his eldest son. Isaac Bledsoe, and a negro,
be made his way to Boone, in Kentucky,
from whence he procured ammunition, and
returned to Nashville. He successfully re-
sisted an attack by one thousand Indians in
April. 1781. After the revolutionary war.
he made friends with the Choctaws and
Chickasaws, drawing them away from their
connection with the British, and also made
peace with the Cherokees. Later, the half-
breed Creek chief. Alexander McGillwray,
made a treaty with the Spanish governor of
Louisiana, under which he was to drive out
the .\mericans. and he warred upon them
at intervals for a period of twelve years.
Robertson frequently rejected overtures
from the Spanish governor, who offered him
peace and free navigation on the Mississippi,
if he would establish Watauga and Ken-
tucky as a government separate from the
Union. In 1790 Washington made him
brigadier-general, and his militar\' services
continued six years longer. He shared with
Sevier the honor and affection of the Ten-
ncsseeans. He was made Indian commis-
sioner, and held that office until his death.
Mis wife, Charlotte Reeves, born in Vir-
ginia, accompanied him to Watauga on its
first settlement, and participated in all his
dangers, at times using the rifle against the
indians, with unerring skill. He died m the
Chickasaw country. Tennessee. September
I, 1814.
Todd, John, born in Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, in 1750. He took part in the
tattle of Point Pleasant. Virginia, in 1774,
as adjutant-general to Gen. Andrew Lewis.
He settled as a lawyer in Fincastle, Vir-
ginia, in 1775, with his brothers, he emigrated
to Kentucky, and took part in the organiza-
tion of the Transylvania colonial legislature,
with Daniel Boone, and made an expedition
southwest as far as Bowling Green, Ken-
tucky. He settled near Lexington in 1776,
and was elected a burgess to the Virginia
legislature, being one of the first two repre-
sentatives from Kentucky county, where he
.«erved as county lieutenant and colonel of
militia. He accompanied Gen. George
Rogers Clark to \'incennes and Kaskaskia,
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and was given command at the latter place.
In 1777 he was commissioned by Gov. Pat-
rick Henry, of Virginia, as colonel and com-
mandant of the Illinois country, and served
two years, organizing its civil government.
Col. Todd went to Virginia in 1779, and was
next year a member of the legislature,
where he procured land-grants for public
schools, and introduced a bill for negro
emancipation. He returned to Kentucky,
and while there, as senior colonel, com-
manded the forces against the Indians in the
battle of the Blue Licks, where he was
killed, .August 19, 1782. Levi, brother of
John, was a lieutenant under George Rogers
Clark in the expedition of 1778. and one of
ih(. few survivors of the Blue Licks; Levi's
son. Robert S.. was the father of Mrs. Ab-
raham Lincoln.
Taylor, John, born in Fauquier county,
Virginia, in 1752. He became an itinerant
missionary of the Baptist church in western
\'irginia at the age of twenty, and in 1783
removed to Kentucky. He lived at Gear
Creek, and was pastor of the church, till
V95, when he settled in Boone county. He
preached and took part in revival- while
clearing and cultivating land, and in his last
years, though he declined the pastoral re-
lation, he officiated in a church that he had
assisted in organizing at Forks of Elkhcrn.
He published an account of his religious
labors and of the churches that he had aided
in founding, under the title of "A History
of Ten Baptist Missions.'* He dic:d in Forks
of Elkhorn, Franklin countv, Kentuckv, in
Kobinson, Robert, son of John and Fran-
ces Robinson, of Middlesex countv, Vir-
ginia, was born April 29, 1758. and with hi.«
tutor. Francis Hargreaves, ran away irom
home and joined the English army in 1778,
aid was lieutenant in the King's "Lo)a.
Americans." After the war, he settle! in
Nova Scotia and married Dorothea Budd.of
Digby, in that province, and died about
1814. His grandson, Thomas Robinson, of
St. Johns, New Brunswick, was president
of the Western Union Telegraph Company
in 1880.
Robinson, Christopher, born in W'estmorc-
land county. Virginia, in 1760, a desceiuiant
of Christopher Robinson (1645-92), elder
brother of Ur. John Robinson, bishop of
Bristol and London, who came to .\merica
in 1660 and was secretary of the colony of
Virginia. He was educated at William and
Mj-y College, and early in the revolution
went to New York, where he received a
commission in the Loyal American regin.enl
under his relative, Beverley Robinson. He
served in the south, was wounded, and ?fter
the war went to Nova Scotia and received
a grant of land. He later removed to Upper
Canada. He was father of Sir John Bev-
erley Robinson, baronet. K. C. B., chief jus-
tice of Upper Canada. He died in York
(now Toronto), Upper Canada, in 1798.
Trotter, George, born in \'irginia, in 177Q.
son of Lieut.-Col. James Trotter, a soldier
in the revolution. He entered the army at
the beginning of the second war with Great
Britain, as a captain in a volunteer company
of dragoons, was wounded in action with
the Indians under Col. John B. Campbell,
on December 18 of that year: became lieu-
tenant-colonel of Kentucky volunteers in
18 13: as brigadier-general he led a brigade
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
:'rom his state, at the battle of the Thames.
0;tober 5, 1813. He died in Lexingtmi,
Kentucky. October 13. 18 15.
Tarbell, Joseph, born about 1780: entered
the United States navy as a midshipnMu.
December 5, 1798; was promoted to lieu-
tenant, August 25. 1800: served in Preble's
squadron during the Tripolitan war. He
was included in the vote of thanks to Prc])lc
and his officers by act of congress. March 3.
1805 ; W.1S promoted to master-commandant,
April 25. 1808. and commanded the frigate
Jchn Adams in 181 1-14; he was commis-
sioned captain. July 24, 1813, and ser\'ed in
the defense of Craney Island and Jaincs
river in June. 1813, capturing three barges
an.l forty prisoners. He was then sl.Tiioned
at Norfolk, X'irginia. where he died. No-
vember 24. 1815.
Trimble, David, born in Frederick county,
Virginia, about 17S2; educated at William
and -Mary College, studied law, and rcm<»ved
10 Kentucky in 1804. He served iu tne war
of 1812. and during two campaigns under
Gen. William Henry Harrison. In 1817 he
was elected to congress, where he served
wiihout interruption till 1827. After rclir-
iiig from congress he engaged in agricul-
ture and iron manufacture, and did much
tu develop the resources of the state. He
died at Trimble's Furnace, Kentucky, < »c-
tober 26, 1842.
Taylor, Waller, born in Lunenburg
county, \'irginia. before 1786; received a
common-school education, studied law,
served one or two terms in the Virginia
legislature as the representative of Lunen-
burg county, and settled in Vincem!es, In-
diana, in 1805. as a territorial judge. He was
aide-de-camp to Gen. William H. Harrison
at the battle of Tippecanoe, and in the war
of 1812-15. On the admission of Indiana
as a state, iu was elected United States
senator, and re-elected, serving from De-
cember 12. 1816, till March 3, 1825. He died
in Lunenburg. \*irginia, August 26, 1826.
Waugh, Beverley, born in Fairfax county,
\'irginia, October 28, 1789, a descendant of
Rev. John W'augh (q. v. \'ol. I.. 354). At
the age of fifteen he became a member of
the Methodist church at Alexandria, \'ir-
ginia. From the age of eighteen, until
shortly before his death, he kept a journal
which made several manuscript vohuncs.
in 1808 he entered the ministry, and at the
end of three years he was stationed iu
Washington City. He was elected by the
r»alt:more conferences to the general con-
lerenoes of 1816 and 1820. In 1824. on ac-
count of his favoring the election of presid-
ing; cHers. which the majority of hi» con-
lerence did not approve, he was not a
representative. In 1828 he was again elected
a member, and chosen assistant editor and
Inok-agent. and removed to New York City.
In 2832 he was made principal agent, and
in 1836 he was made bishop, in which post
he continued, traveling almost constantly,
until 1852, when he became senior bishop.
After that, his health gradually failed until
he died, in Baltimore, Maryland, February
% 1858.
Thornton, Thomas C^ born in Dumfries,
X'irginia, October 12, 1794. He became .in
exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal chuich
at the age of sixteen, and was received into
the Baltimore conference at the age of pine-
teen. He was made president of a college
in Mississippi in 1841. He left the Methc-
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(list church in 1845, ^"^ attached himself
to the Protestant Episcopal church, hut re-
turned to his former connection in 1850. J le
was the author of "Inquiry into the History
of S^rvery in the United States," a reply
t. :ho anti-slavery arguments of William E.
Charning. He died in Mississippi, March
-?3, t36o.
Turner, Nat, born in Southampton
county, Virginia, October 2, 1800, was a
negro, the property of Mr. Benjamin
Turner, of pure African type and consider-
able mental ability. He had been taught ti)
read and write, and had been highly favored
by white people. In 1831 he was living in
the family of Mr. Joseph Travis, who, ac-
cording to his own statement, was a kind
and indulgent master. Reading of the Bible
and about the prophets aroused in hini a
spirit of enthusiasm and after a time he be-
gan to regard himself as a kind of prophet
sent to his people. This was the time when
the abolitionists were beginning t9 flood the
south with incendiary documents teaching
slaughter and rebellion, and Turner's mind
influenced by what he read was finally
turned to thoughts of mastery and libera-
tion. He got together a band of negroes
and on August 21, 183 1, began an indis-
criminate massacre of white people, not
even sparing his master's family and bab).
In forty-eight hours fifty-five white persons
men, women and children were surprised
?nd killed, and the insurgents, increased to
sixty, and flushed with blood and brandy,
inarched to Jerusalem, the county-seat, to
which place many families had fled in terror.
hxxt before reaching there they were con-
fronted by a small body of county militia
who attacked them and the negroes dis-
persed. Turner escaped to the woods and
after spending nearly two months in hiding,
was captured, taken to Jerusalem, brought to
trial and hanged. The suddenness and
ferocity of the attack naturally spread alarm
throughout the south, and militia under
command of Gen. William H. Brodnax, as-
sembled under arms to the number of 3,000.
This outbreak known as the •*Southampton
Insurrection'* was the most serious that
ever occurred in the south and was really
contemptible in its dimensions, though much
was made out of it by the abolitionists. It
resulted in the trial of fifty-three negroes,
ot whom seventeen were hanged, and some
others suspected of complicity were shot.
As might be expected at such a time some
of the guilty escaped and some of the inno-
cent were destroyed. He died in Jerusalem,
Virginia, November 11, 1831.
Turner, Charles Coche, born in Virginia,
about 1805 ; entered the United States navy
a.*- a midshipman, May 10, 1820; was com-
missioned lieutenant. May 17, 1828, and
st-rved in the sloop Vandalia, suppressing
piracy, and in the Seminole war in 1834-35.
He was in the sloop Peacock, in the East
Indies, 1836-38, and had a narrow escape on
a reef in the Persian gulf, making it neces-
sary, to throw the guns overboard to save
the ship. He commanded the store-ship
Eric, 1844-47, visited the Mediterranean,
African, and Pacific squadrons, and assisted
in operations for the conquest of California
during the Mexican war. He was promoted
if, master-commandant, March 22, 1847;
served on ordnance duty in Washington in
1849-51; was fleet-captain in the Mediter-
ranean squadron, 1852-53: and commanded
the sloop Levant, on the coast of Africa,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
1853-56. He was on waiting orders in 1857,
and served at the Washington navy yard,
1857-60. He died in Baltimore, Maryland,
March 4. 1861.
Thornton, Scth Barton, born near Fred-
ericksburg. Virginia, in 1814 ; was educated
in the common schools. After a narrow
escape from death by shipwreck he was ap-
pointed second lieutenant in the Second
United States Dragoons, in June. 1836, and
served in Florida against the Seminoles : he
was promoted to first lieutenant in 1837,
and to captain in 1841. In command of his
S(;uadron. he exchanged the first shots with
the enemy in the Mexican war at Le Rosia,
April 25. 1846. was severely wounded, and
captured, with the greater part of his force,
after a gallant fight by forty dragoons
against five hundred lancers. At the close
of the campaign, while at the head of his
st|uadron in advance of Worth's division at
St'U Augustine, near the city of Mexico,
Thornton was struck in the breast by a round
shot and instantly killed. June 18, 1847-
Morris, Samuel, bom in Hanover county,
Virginia, about 1700, came to be known as
the **Father of Presbyterianism in Virginia."
Between 1740 and 1743 a few families who
had withdrawn from the services of the
Established Church met from time to time
at his house for worship. Morris, as de-
scribed in Campbell's ''Virginia," was "an
obscure man, a bricklayer, of singular sim-
plicity of character, sincere, devout and
earnest." He read to his neighbors from his
favorite religious works, among them Lu-
ther's **On the Galatians," and 'Table Talk."
He also obtained a volume of Whitefield's
sermons, delivered in Glasgow, and read
these to his friends on Sundays and at other
times, with such effect some "cried out. and
wept bitterly." Morris* house became in-
sufficient for the increasing number of wor-
shippers, and with their aid he built what
come to be called "Morris' Reading Room."
Their exercises were reading only, none
daring to attempt extemporaneous prayer
^lorris was invited to read sermons in other
communities, r.nd thus other reading houses
were established. The authorities imposed
fines upon those, Morris among them, who
absented themselves from the Established
Church. When required by the court to de-
clare to what denomination they belonged,
they, in their ignorance of such distinctions,
not knowing what else to call themselves,
gave the name of Lutherans; they were un-
aware that this name had been taken by a
distinct sect, and they afterwards aban-
doned it. At length Morris and his asso-
ciates were summoned to appear before the
governor and council in Williamsburg. One
of them, on his way to obey the summons,
stopped at a house where he saw a Scotch
"Confession of Faith," in which he recog-
nized doctrines to which he could readily
subscribe. The book was given to him. he
and his friends agreed to adopt it, and when
they appeared before the governor and
council, they exhibited the book as setting
forth their creed, and the governor (Gooch),
v^ho had been reared a Presbyterian, said,
'These men are Presbyterians," and recog-
nized their right to the privileges of the
toleration act. The proceedings were inter-
rupted by a thunder storm of unusual sever-
ity ; the council was softened ; and this was
one of a chain of incidents which Morris
and his friends regarded as providentially
instrumental in bringing about the favor-
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PROMIXEN r rEKifOXS
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able issue of their affair. Morris died in
Hanover county, Virginia, in 1770.
Maury, James, was born April 18, 1718,
son of Matthew Maury, a French Huguenot,
who came shortly after his birth to Virginia
from Castel Mauron, in Gascony. His
mother was Mary Anne Fontaine, daughter
of Rev. James Fontaine and Anne Elizabeth
Boursiquot, his wife. He attended William
and Mary College, and on July 31, 1742, was
appointed usher of the grammar school. In
February-, 1742, he went to England and
was ordained a minister. Returning to Vir-
ginia he became minister for one year of a
parish in King William county and then
went to Louisa to Fredericksville parish,
which was afterwards in Albemarle county.
As a minister he was highly regarded for his
piety and learning. He opposed the two
penny act of 1757 and brought suit against
the collectors of the parish for the full
amount of his salary in tobacco. This suit,
involving the question of taxation, became
historical. It was defended by Peter Lyons,
afterwards president of the state supreme
court, and opposed by Patrick Henry, who
denounced the interference of the King in
setting aside the law as treason to the
people of Virginia. Mr. Maury lost his suit,
but continued to hold the esteem of the
people of Virginia. He was still minister
of his parish when he died, June 9, 1769.
He married Mary Walker, daughter of Cap-
tain James Walker and Annel^nir wife.
Nash, Francis, brother of Governor Ab-
ner Xash, of Xorth Carolina, born in Prince
Edward county. Virginia. May 10, 1720. He
moved to Orange county, Xorth Carolina,
a: an early age; was clerk of the superior
Ci'urt; held a captain's commission under
the English crown, and commanded his
company in a battle at Alamance in 1771.
He was a delegate to the provincial con-
gress that met in Hillsborough, Xorth
Carolina, in August, 1775, received a lieu-
tenant-colonel's commission, and was as-
signed to one of the two regiments then
forming for the continental service. In
February, 1777, he was commissioned briga-
dier-general by the continental congress,
joined Washington, and commanded a bri-
gade at the battle of Germantown, there re-
ceiving a mortal wound, his death occurring
October 7, 1777. The following November
congress passed a resolution that a monu-
ment costing five hundred dollars be erected
t(» his memory, but the resolution was never
carried into effect.
Patillo, Henry, born in Scotland, in 1726.
came to America at nine years of age, set-
tled in Virginia, and became a merchant's
clerk. He studied for the ministry, was
ordained in 1758, and removed to Xorth
Carolina, where he had charge of Presby-
terian churches until his death. He was a
member of the Xorth Carolina provincial
congress in 1775. ^"^ chaplain to that body,
and chairman of the committee of the whole.
He also taught for many years. His minis-
try among the negroes was particularly suc-
cessful. Hampden-Sidney College gave him
the degree of Master of Arts in 1787. He
published in that year a collection of ser-
mons, edited John Leland's "Deistical
Writers," and left in manuscript a cate-
chism, several essays, and a geography. He
died in 1801, in Dinwiddie county, Virginia.
Jarratt, Dcvcrcux, born in Xew Kent
county, Virginia, January 6, 1733, son of
Robert Jarratt, a carpenter, and Sarah Brad-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ley, his wife. His grandfather had a great
admiration for Robert Devereux, Earl of
Essex, hence the name Devereux. He began
preparation for the Presbyterian ministry,
but in 1762 determined to take orders in
the Protestant Episcopal church, sold his
patrimony, and went to England, where he
was ordained. He returned to Virginia the
next year, and took charge of the Bath par-
ish, in Dinwiddie county, there introducing
a system which was regarded as uncanonical
and brought upon him much reproach. He
denounced gaming and cock fighting, and
he was regarded as a Methodist. His first
sermon was delivered in the old Saponey
church and he soon attracted large audi-
ences by his warm and impassioned ad-
dresses. He published three volumes of ser-
mons (1793-94), and a series of letters to a
friend, entitled "Thoughts on Some Impor-
tant Subjects in Divinity" (1791). He died
January 29, 1801.
Woods, William, son of Michael Woods
and grandson of Michael Woods, a Scotch-
Irish Presbyterian who emigrated first to
I'ennsylvania and then to Virginia and ob-
tained large tracts of land in Albemarle
county about 1737, was born in 1738. He
became a Baptist when that denomination
was struggling against great opposition. In
1780 he was ordained, and founded the old
Albemarle Baptist church, near the Univer-
sity of Virginia. Thomas JeflFerson fre-
quently attended his church, and wrote that
*'it was a model for a republic." At the re-
quest of JeflFerson he resigned in 1799 to go
to the legislature, and served during the
agitation of 1800 over the Virginia resolu-
tions of 1798-99, his name heading the list
ot states rights Republican voters. During
his term a bill was passed to increase the
pay of the members, but he refused to ac-
cept its privileges. He died in Albemarle
county, Virginia, in 1819. He married
Joanna, daughter of Christopher Shepherd,
and his son Micajah, was father of John R.
Woods (q. v.).
Smith, Daniel, born in Fauquier county,
\'irgfinia, about 1740, was one of the first
settlers of Tennessee. He filled many pub-
lic oflSces; was a major-general of militia;
was appointed by Washington as secretary
of the territory south of the Ohio river in
1790; was in the convention that formed
the constitution of Tennessee, and was
L'nited States senator from that state in
1798-99, succeeding Andrew Jackson, re-
signed; and again from 1803 until his own
resignation in 1809. He published the first
map of Tennessee and a geography of the
state. He died in Sumner county, Tennes-
see, June 16, 1818.
Fenn, John, born in Caroline county, Vir-
ginia, May 17, 1741, only child of Moses
Penn and Catherine, his wife, daughter of
John Taylor. He was largely self-educated,
and studied law with his relative, Edmund
Pendleton, and w.as admitted to the bar in
1762. In 1774 he removed to Greenville
county, North Carolina, and on September
8. 1775, was chosen to the continental con-
gress to supply a vacancy, taking his seat
on October 12. He signed the Declaration
of Independence in 1776. and was reelected
in 1777 and in 1779. When Cornwallis in-
vaded North Carolina, Penn was given
charge of state aflFairs. with almost dicta-
torial powers. In March, 1784, he was ap-
pointed receiver of taxes for North Caro-
lina, and resigned in the following April, for
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the reason that the state, while maintaining
the cause of independence by resolutions
and declaration, refused to furnish the
means to secure it. He died in North Caro-
lina, September, 1788.
McDowell, Charles, born in Winchester,'
Virginia, in 1743, son of Joseph McDowell,
who emigrated from Ireland about 1730, and
after a residence of several years in Penn-
sylvania settled first in Winchester, Vir-
ginia, and subsequently at Quaker Meadows,
on Catawba river. North Carolina. His
family is distinguished from that of his
cousin John by the name of the "Quaker
Meadow McDowells/' At the beginning of
the revolution he was g^ven command of a
large district in western North Carolina.
C>n the British invasion in 1780 he organ-
ized troops, fortified posts, and in June at-
tacked the enemy on Pacolet river and com-
pelled their surrender; subsequently gained
victories at Musgrove Mill and Cace Creek,
but after the reverses of the colonists at
Savannah, Charleston and Fishing Creek, his
army was disbanded, and he resigned his
command previous to the battle of King's
Mountain. He was state senator in 1782-
88, and a member of the lower house in
1809-11. He died in Burke county. North
Carolina, March 21, 1815. His wife, Grace
Greenlee, was noted for her prudence and
daring. Her first husband. Captain Bow-
man, of the patriot army, was killed at the
battle of Ramson's Mill. After her mar-
riage with McDowell, she aided him in all
his patriotic schemes, and while he was
secretly manufacturing in a cave the pow-
der that was afterward used at King s Moun-
tain, she made the charcoal in her fireplace,
carr>*ing it to him at night to prevent detec-
tion. After the battle she nursed the sol-
diers. A party of marauders having plun-
dered her house in the ab.sence of her hus-
band, she and some of her neighbors,
pursued, and captured them, and at the
muzzle of her gun she compelled them to re-
turn her property. She was the mother of a
large family. Charles' brother Joseph, born
in Winchester, Virginia, in 1756, was
familiarly known as **Quaker Meadows Joe,**
to distinguish him from his cousin of the
same name. He served against the frontier
Indians previous to the revolution, and
under his brother Charles in all the battles
in western North Carolina before that of
Kings Mountain, where he commanded the
North Carolina militia, with the rank of
major. He was in the state house of com-
mons in 1787-92, was a member of the North
Carolina constitutional convention in 1788.
and was instrumental in its rejection of the
United States constitution. He was elect-
ed to congress in 1792, served until 1799,
and was active in opposition to the Federal
party. He was boundary commissioner in
1797 for running the line between Tennes-
see and North Carolina ; a general of militia ;
and the recognized leader of the Republican
party in the western counties. He died in
Burke county. North Carolina.
Oldham, William, born in Berkeley coun-
t}, Virginia, about 1745; was a captain in
the continental army. He resigned in 1779
and settled on the Ohio river, where he be-
came a leader against the Indians ; served in
Gen. Arthur St. Clair's expedition, as com-
mander of a regiment of Kentucky militia,
and was killed on the Maumee river, near
the present site of Greenville. Ohio, Novem-
ber 4, 1791.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Winston, Joseph, born in Louisa county,
Virginia, June 17, 1746; his ancestor being
one of five brothers, it is said, who came
from Yorkshire. England, to Hanover coun-
ty. \'irginia. in the seventeenth century. He
received a fair education, and at the age of
seventeen joined a company of rangers.
While in pursuit of Indians, they were
ambuscaded, and young Winston was twice
wounded, one of the balls remaining in his
body till his death. The Indians drove away
the rangers, but Winston escaped and was
carried on a comrade's back for three days,
till they reached a frontier cabin. He was
pensioned by the legislature, and in 1766
removed to Surry county, North Carolina.
In 1775 he was a member of the Hills-
borough convention, and in February, 1776,
he was in the expedition against the Scotch
Tories. He was made ranger of Surry
county and major of militia, serving against
the Cherokees. and in 1777 he was a mem-
ber of the legislature and of the commis-
sion that made a treaty with that tribe on
Hoist on river. In 1780 he was engaged
against the Tories, and at King s Mountain
he led the right wing, and contributed
greatly toward the victory, for which the
legislature gave him a sword. After defeat-
ing a party of loyalists in February, 1781,
he took part in the battle of Guilford in
March. He represented Surry county in
the state senate for three terms, and when
Stokes county was formed was its first sen-
ator, and served five times between 1790
and 1812. In 1793-95, and again in 1803-
17, he was a member of congress. The
county seat of Forsyth county. North Caro-
lina, is named for him. He died near Ger-
mantown. North Carolina, April 21, 1815.
Wjmn, Richard, born in eastern \'irginia,
about 1750. He enlisted in the revolution-
ary army, and in 1775 was a lieutenant of
South Carolina rangers, and took part in
the battle on Sullivan's island. He was
given command of Fort Mcintosh, Georgia,
promoted to colonel, and placed in charge
of the militia in Fairfield district, South
Carolina. He fought at Hanging Rock,
where he was wounded, and was actively en-
gaged during the remainder of the war. At
its close he became brigadier-general of
militia, and then major-general. He after-
ward settled in South Carolina* served in
the third congress, and by reelection from
1809 till 1813. He died in Tennessee, in
1813.
Long, Gabriel, born in 175 1, was an ofii-
cer in the revolutionary army, fought at
Hampton and Norfolk in 1775, served as
captain in Morgan's rifle regiment in 1776,
and ultimately rose to the rank of major.
He led the advance at Saratoga, and began
the battle. He was also at Yorktown, and
took part in eighteen engagements. He
died in Culpepcr county, Virginia, February
3. 1827.
Maury, Walker, son of Rev. James Maury
(q. V.) and Mary Walker, his wife, bom in
Fredericksville parish, Louisa county, July
21, 1752. In 1770 he entered the William
and Mary College grammar school on the
Nottoway scholarship, and December 12,
1772, was promoted by the faculty to the
philosophy schools, from which he gradu-
ated in May, 1775, receiving in May, 1774*
the Botetourt gold medal for the encourage-
ment of classical learning. He taught school
in Orange county, where John Randolph, of
Roanoke, was one of his scholars, and as
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the grammar school at William and Mary
was discontinued in 1779, he removed to
Williamsburg, where he conducted a gram-
mar school of his own. This school had, in
addition to the principal, four ushers and an
attendance of one hundred scholars; and
among them besides John Randolph and his
brothers Richard, Theodorick and John,
who followed him to Williamsburg, was the
celebrated Littleton Waller Tazewell, after-
wards senator and governor. In 1786 Mr.
Maury removed to Norfolk, where he was
principal of the academy, and made a
profit of two hundred pounds annually, but
he did not sur\ive long, dying October 11,
1788. He married Mary Grymes, daughter
o. Benjamin Grymes and Mary Dawson, his
wife, daughter of Rev. Musgrave Dawson.
He left issue ten children.
Marques, Thomas, born near Winchester,
Virginia, in 1753, settled in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, in 1775. He left home
at the age of thirty-six to prepare himself
for the ministry, was ordained pastor of a
Presbyterian church at Cross Creek in 1794*
and active as a missionary among the In-
dians. The manifestations known as "fall-
ing work" first appeared during a revival in
his church in 1802, and spread thence to
other districts. He died near Bellefontaine,
Ohio, September 29, 1827.
Ellicott, Andrew, born in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, January 24, 1754. His father
and uncle, who were Quakers, purchased a
large tract of wild land on the Patapsco
river in 1770. and founded the town of Elli-
cott's Mills (now Ellicott City). Andrew
was a close student of science and practical
mechanics, and soon attracted attention,
even of Washington, Franklin and Ritten-
viA-20
house. He was commissioner for marking
tlie boundaries of X'irginia, Pennsylvania
and New York. About 1785 he removed to
Baltimore, where he was elected to the legis-
lature. In 17S9 Washington appointed him
to survey the land lying between Pennsyl-
vania and Lake Erie, and he made the first
accurate measurement of the Niagara river
from lake to lake, with the height of the
falls and the descent of the rapids. He .sur-
veyed and laid out the city of Washington
in 1790, and in 1792 was made United States
surveyor-general. He superintended the
construction of Fort Erie, at Presque Isle
(now Erie, Pennsylvania), in 1795, ^"^ ^*^d
out the towns of Erie, Warren and Frank-
Im. In 1796 he was appointed by Washing-
ton as United States commissioner under
the treaty of San Lorenzo el Real, to deter-
mine the boundary between the United
States and the Spanish possessions, and the
results of his service, embracing a period of
nearly five years, appear in his "Journal"
of 1803. Upon its completion he was ap-
pointed by Gov. McKean. of Pennsylvania,
secretary of the state land office. He re-
signed in 180S. and in 1812 became pro-
fessor of mathematics at West Point, where
he remained until his death. He went to
Montreal in 181 7, by order of the govern-
ment, to make astronomical observations for
carrying into effect some of the articles of
the treaty of Ghent. He was an active mem-
ber of the American Philosophical Society,
contributed to its transactions, and corre-
si»onded with many of the learned societies
of Europe. He died at West Point. New
York, August 29, 1820.
McEUigott, James N., born in Richmond,
Virginia, October 13, 1812, of Scotch-Irish
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ancestry. He entered in due course the
New York University, which he left to be-
come instructor, later vice-principal, and
finally principal of the Mechanics' Society
Institute. In 1853 he opened a classical
school, which he conducted with much suc-
cess until his death. He published "Mc-
Elligott's Manual, Analytical and Synthe-
tical, of Orthography and Definition"
(1845) ; -The Young Analyzer'' (1849) ; the
"Humorous Speaker'* (1853); "The Amer-
ican Debater" (1855). During this time he
was also editor of the ^Teacher's Advo-
cate'* (1848). The series known as **Pro-
fessor Sanders's" also owes largely its suc-
cess to his assistance. His last literary work
was an introduction to "Hailman's Object
Teaching." At the time of his death he was
engaged upon a Latin grammar. He spoke
French and German fluently and had also
made deep researches in Sanskrit lore. In
1840 Yale conferred upon him the degree of
Master of Arts, in recognition of his "Man-
ual," and in 1852 Harrodsburg College, Ken-
tucky, conferred Doctor of Laws for his
"Analyzer." In 1837 he became a candidate
for orders in the Protestant Episcopal
church, but was not ordained. He labored
actively among the poor, and was interested
in the Epiphany Mission Church, raising a
fund for its future support. He was presi-
dent of the State Teachers* Association. He
died in New York City, October 22, 1866.
RicCt David, born in Hanover county^
Virginia, December 29, 1733; graduated at
Princeton College in 1761, studied theology,
was licensed to preach in 1762, and was in-
stalled as pastor of the Presbyterian church
at Hanover, Virginia, in December, 1763.
After five years he resigned on account of
dissensions among his people, and three
years later took charge of three congrega-
tions in the new settlements of Bedford
county, X'irginia. where he labored usefully
during the revolution. When Kentucky
was opened to settlement, he went there
with his family, and organized in Mercer
county (in 1784) the first religious congre-
gation in Kentucky, and opened in his house
the earliest school. He was the organizer
ard chairman of a meeting held in 1785 to
institute a regular Presbyterian church
organization, and was the principal founder
of the Transylvania Academy, which de-
veloped into Transylvania University. He
was a member of the convention that framed
a state constitution in 1792. In 1798 he re-
moved to Green county. His wife, Mary,
v.-as a daughter of Rev. Samuel Blair. He
published an "Essay on Baptism;" a *'Lec-
ture on Divine Decrees;" "Slavery Incon-
sistent with Justice and Policy;" "An
Epistle to the Citizens of Kentucky Profess-
ing Christianity, those that Are or Have
Been Denominated Presbyterians;" and "A
Second Epistle to the Presbyterians of Ken-
tucky," warning them against the errors of
the day ; also "A Kentucky Protest against
Slaver>\" He died in Green county. Ken-
tucky, June 18, 1816.
Craig, Lewis, born in Orange county, \'ir-
ginia, in 1737. There being lio ordained
minister near to baptize him, he began
preaching before his baptism, and without
a license as required by law, and was in-
dicted "for preaching the gospel contrary to
the law." One of the jurors, John Waller,
was so impressed by his conduct during the
trial, that he became a convert to the Bap-
tist church and afterwards one of its most
zealous preachers. On June 4, 1768, while
conducting worship, he was arrested and
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required by the court to give security not
to preach in the county within twelve
months. On his refusal he was committed
to the Fredericksburg jail, and held for a
month, during which time he preached
through the prison bars to large crowds.
Later he was ordained, and became pastor
of a Baptist church. In 1771 he was again
imprisoned for three months in Caroline
county. In 1781 he removed to Kentucky,
where he labored with great success. He
died in Kentucky, in 1828.
Saimders, John, born in Virginia, in 1754;
his grandfather emigrated to Virginia from
England, and acquired large landed estates.
He received a liberal education, and studied
law. In 1776 he raised a troop of horse at
his own expense, and joined the royal forces,
was subsequently captain of cavalry in the
Queen's Rangers, was often in engage-
ments, and was twice wounded. After the
v/ar he went to England and practiced law.
In 1790 he became a judge of the supreme
court of New Brunswick, and was after-
ward appointed to the council of that colony.
In 1822 he became chief justice. He pos-
sessed two estates in Virginia, both of
which were confiscated. He died in Fred-
crickston, New Brunswick, in 1834.
Semple, Robert Baylor, born in King and
Queen county, Virginia, January 20, 1769,
son of John Semple and Elizabeth Walker,
his wife. After receiving a good education,
he taught in a private family and then be-
g?n to study law, but abandoned it and
entered the ministry. In 1790 he became
pastor of the Bruington Baptist church, in
which relation he continued until his death.
He made frequent and long preaching tours,
and the interests of missions and education
found in him a powerful friend. He was
financial agent of Columbian College, and
president of its board of trustees. He de-
clined the presidency of Transylvania Uni-
versity in 1805, and in 1820 was elected
president of the Baptist triennial conven-
tion, continuing to hold this office until his
death. He received the honorary degree of
Doctor of Divinity from Brown College in
1816. He died at Fredericksburg, Virginia,
December 25, 1831.
Sm3rth, John Ferdinand D., a British sol-
dier, who came to Virginia, and afterwards
settled in Maryland. While visiting the
sons of Colonel Andrew Lewis in Virginia,
he joined Governor Dunmore's troops, and
went with Major Thomas Lewis, in 1774,
to the Kanawha, taking part in the battle
against the Indians, in which Major Lewis
was killed. Returning to Maryland he sup-
ported the British government against the
patriots so zealously that his house was sur-
rounded by men who threatened his cap-
ture. Escaping twice, he fled to Virginia,
hiding in the Dismal Swamp, passed the
guards at Suffolk, and enlisted in the
Queen's Royal Regiment in Norfolk. He
and his companion were seized by riflemen
a!- Hagerstown and taken to Frederick,
Maryland. Smyth escaped, but was recap-
tured and imprisoned in Philadelphia, and
afterward in Baltimore. Escaping again,
he reached a British ship oflf Cape May, New
Jersey, and went to New York and New
England. He published "A Tour in the
United States of America," in London and
Dublin, and in Paris, France. John Ran-
dolph, of Roanoke, said: "This book, al-
though replete with falsehood and calumny,
contains the truest picture of the state of
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
society and manners in Virginia, such as it
was half a centur\- ago, extant/'
Spence, John, born in Scotland, in 1766;
was educated at the University of Edin-
burgh, but owing to ill health, could not
stay to graduate. He came to this country
in 1788. settling in Dumfries, Virginia, as a
private tutor. Later he engaged in the prac-
tice of medicine. He was active in intro-
ducing vaccination into the United States.
The University of Pennsylvania gave him
the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1828.
His correspondence with Dr. Benjamin
Rush was published in the "Medical Mu-
seum of Philadelphia.'' He also contributed
to the "Medical Repository" and the ".Amer-
ican Journal of the Medical Sciences," and
left several manuscripts on medical sub-
jects. He died in Dumfries, Virginia, May
iS, 1829.
Royall, Amie, wife of William Royall, of
Virginia, was born in Mar>-land, June 11,
1769. She was the daughter of William
Newport, who went with his family from
Maryland to Virginia in 1772, and from
thence, in company with other Virginians,
to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in
1775. Here in the wild woods little Anne
grew up an uncommonly bright and intelli-
gent child and was taught to read and write
by her mother. She married Captain Wil-
liam Royall, who lived at Sweet Springs,
Monroe county, Virginia, an elderly gentle-
man, who had a fine librar>% and Anne read
all the books and became the most learned
woman in all that region. She knew Shake-
speare, Goldsmith and Addison by heart.
After sixteen years of contented happy mar-
ried life. Captain William Royall died, and
Anne soon after began that active career of
travelling and writing which she continued
till her death. She spent some time in .Ala-
bama and then performed a northern tour,
and was a keen observer. Then she began
to write. She established in Washington a
weekly sheet called the "Paul Pry" and
afterwards "The Huntress." She expressed
herself freely upon religion, and was prose-
cuted by a small Presbyterian congregation
before Judge Cranch, who sentenced her to
be ducked as a common scold, but she was
released with a fine. She denounced the
anti-Mason craze, and incurred enemies.
She retorted upon them in her books, and
scandals were spread against her. Never-
theless, she accomplished a most valuable
work, perpetuating the description of count-
less places visited by her and the almost
countless people met in her travels. These
accounts, except when influenced by per-
sonal favor or antipathy, are sensible,
shrewd and even eloquent. She was the
author of **Sketches of History, Life and
Manners in the United States by a Travel-
ler;'' "The Tennessean. a Novel founded on
Facts ;" "The Black Book, or a Continuation
or Travels in the United States;" "The
Black Book, or Sketches of Histor\-, Life,
and Manners in the United States," (three
volumes) ; "A Southern Tour, or a Second
Series of the Black Book" (two volumes) ;
and "Letters from Alabama." She died in
Washington City, October i, 1854. Sarah
Harvey Porter, in 'The Life and Times of
Anne Royall." 1909, has given an interest-
ing analysis of her character.
Schmucker, John George, a native of Ger-
m.any. born August 18, 1771. His parents
came to Pennsylvania in 1785, and in 1787
settled near Woodstock, Virginia. In 1789
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he began to study for the ministry, a year
Liter went to Philadelphia to continue his
studies, and was ordained in 1792. After
holding several pastorates, he was called to
York. Pennsylvania, 1809, and remained
until failing health compelled him to retire
in 1842. He then went to Williamsburg.
Pennsylvania, where several of his children
lived, and remained there the rest of his life.
In 1825 he received the degree of Doctor of
Divinity from the University of Pennsyl-
vania. He was one of the founders of the
general synod of the Lutheran church in the
United States, in 1821 : an active supporter
ot the theological seminary at Gettysburg.
Pennsylvania, and for many years president
of its board of directors. He was also active
in the establishment of Pennsylvania Col-
lege, and for more than twenty-one years
was one of its trustees. For more than
thirty years he was leader of the Lutheran
church in this country, and actively engaged
in all its important operations. He was a
frequent contributor to periodicals, and a
poet of merit. He died in Williamsburg.
Pennsylvania. October 7, 1854.
Shields^ Patrick Henry, born in Prince
Edward county, \'irginia. May 16. 1773, son
or James Shields, whose will was proved
in that county. November 28, 1776. In
accordance with his father's will, he was
given a collegiate education at Hampden-
Sidney and William and Mary colleges. He
inherited a large tract of land near Lexing-
tr n. Kentucky, and removed to that state in
1801. but found the title to the estate defec-
tive. In 1805 he went to Indiana territory,
and joined his classmate and friend, Wil-
liam Henry Harrison. He was made the
first judge of Harrison county in 1808. It is
said that he fought in the battle of Tippe-
canoe. His house was often the headquar-
ters of the territorial authorities. He was
a member of the constitutional convention
at Corydon in 1816, and filled judicial offices
until his death. As one of the founders of
the state, he took an active part in reform-
ing the territorial courts, in organizing the
school system, and in maintaining the con-
gressional ordinance of 1787, which pro-
hibited the indefinite continuance of slavery,
though he was at the time himself a slave-
holder. According to family tradition, he
was the author of the constitutional article
which confirmed Indiana as a free state. He
died in Xew Albany, Indiana, June 6, 1848.
Wood, John, born in Scotland, about 1775.
He was living in Switzerland in 1798, at the
time of the French invasion. On returning
home, he became master of the Edinburgh
Academy for the improvement of arts in
Scotland. About 1800 he emigrated to the
United States. In 1806 he edited the "West-
ern World" in Kentucky, and in 18 17 he had
charge of *The Atlantic World,'' a paper
published at Washington, D. C. He after-
wards lived in Richmond, Virginia, where
he made county maps. Besides other works,
he published "General View of the History
of Switzerland ;" "Letter to A. Addison. Esq.,
in Answer to his *Rise and Progress of Rev-
olution f "History of the Administration
or John Adams." which was suppressed by
Aaron Burr, and republished with notes and
appendix by John Henry Sherburne: "Nar-
rative of the Suppression by Col. Burr of
the 'History of the Administration of John
Adams,' with a biography of Jefferson and
Hamilton:'' *Tull Statement of the Trial
Acquittal of Aaron Burr.*' He died in Rich-
mond, \'irginia, in May. 1822.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Seaton, William Winston, bom in King
William county, \'irginia, a descendant of
Henry Seaton, who came to \'irginia at the
end of the seventeenth century. His mother,
whose maiden name was Winston, was a
cousin of Patrick Henr>'. He was educated
by Rev. James Ogilvie, the Earl of Finlater,
a Scotchman, who conducted an academy
in Richmond. When eighteen years of age
he engaged in politics, and became assistant
editor of a Richmond paper. He next edited
the Petersburg "Republican," but soon pur-
chased the **Xorth Carolina Journal," pub-
lished at Halifax, then the capital of the
state. When Raleigh became the capital,
he removed thither and connected himself
with the "Register," edited by Joseph Gales,
Sr., whose daughter he married. In 1812 he
moved to Washington and joined the "Na-
tional Intelligencer," in company with his
brother-in-law, Joseph Gales, Jr., which
partnership lasted till the death of the latter
in i860. From 1812 till 1820 Messrs. Seaton
and Gales were the exclusive congressional
reporters as well as editors of their journal,
one taking charge of the proceedings in the
senate and the other in the house of repre-
sentatives. The "Register of Debates" was
considered a standard authority. After the
death of Mr. Gales, Mr. Seaton was sole
editor and manager of the "National Intelli-
gencer" until it was sold, a short time be-
fore his death. In 1840 he was elected
mayor of Washington, and held that office
twelve successive years. With Mr. Gales,
he published "Annals of Congress : Debates
and Proceedings in the Congress of the
United States from March 3, 1798, till May
2^, 1824" (forty-two volumes, Washington,
1834-56) ; "Register of Debates in Congress
from 1824-1837," (fourteen volumes in
twenty-nine, 1827-37) ; and "American State
Papers, selected and edited by Walter
Lowne and M. St. Clair Clarke" (^twenty-
one volumes, 1832-34).
Rogers, James Blythc, born in Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1802, son
of Patrick Kerr Rogers, who was a gradu-
ate of the University of Pennsylvania in
1802, and in 1819 was elected professor of
natural philosophy and mathematics at Wil-
liam and Mary, where he remained until his
death. James Blythe Rogers was educated
ai William and Mar>' College, and, after
siudpng medicine with Dr. Thomas E.
r»ond, received the degree of Doctor of Med-
icine from the University of Maryland in
1822. He subsequently taught in Baltimore,
but soon afterward settled in Little Britain,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and there
practiced medicine. Later l>e returned to
Baltimore and became superintendent of a
chemical factory, devoted himself to the
study of pure and applied chemistry-, and
became professor of that branch in Wash-
ington Medical College, Baltimore, also lec-
turing on the same subject at the Mechanics*
Institute. In 1835 he was called to the same
chair in the medical department of Cincin-
nati College, where he remained until 1839,
spending his vacations in field work and
chemical investigations in connection with
the geological survey of Virginia, then
under the charge of his brother William.
In 1840 he settled in Philadelphia, and be-
came an assistant to his brother Henry, then
slate geologist of Pennsylvania. In 1841 he
was appointed lecturer on chemistry in the
Philadelphia Medical Institute. He was
elected professor of general chemistry at the
Franklin Institute in 1844, and in 1847 suc-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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ceeded Robert Hare as professor of chemis-
try in the University of Pennsylvania. He
was a representative at the national medical
cr;nvention in 1847, ^ind a delegate to the
national convention for the revision of the
United States Pharmacopoeia in 1850, and
a member of various learned societies. He
contributed papers to scientific journals, and
with his brother Robert prepared the sev-
enth edition of Edward Turner's "Elements
of Chemistry" and William Gregory's **Out-
lines of Organic Chemistry."
Barclay, James Turner, born in Hanover
county, Virginia, in 1807, of Quaker descent
from Barclay of Ury, in Scotland ; friend of
Washington and Jefferson. He was a stu-
dent at the Staunton Academy and the Uni-
versity of Virginia, and took his medical
degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
Iv 1830 he married Mrs. Julia A. Sowers,
of Staunton, Virginia, and bought Monti-
cdlo, Jefferson's old home, which he occu-
pied for a time, but finally sold. He adopt-
ed the religious tenets of Alexander Camp-
bell, and was sent by his sect to Jerusalem
as a missionary. He returned after three
years, and later made a second journey to
Palestine. After the civil war, he was a
teacher at Bethany College, and later went
to Alabama, where he remained until his
death, preaching, writing and teaching. His
'•City of the Great King" is regarded as the
most authentic work relating to Jerusalem.
He frequently contributed to the "Millenial
Harbinger," the organ of his sect. His
daughter Sarah was in Palestine with him,
and was a great aid as a sketch artist. It is
said that, disguised as a Mohammedan, she
gained access to the tomb of David, of
which she made an illustration for her
father's book. She married J. Augustus
Johnson, consul-general to Syria. She pub-
lished *The Howadji in Syria."
Robinson, Fayette, born in Virginia, was
author of "Mexico and her Military Chief-
tains" (Philadelphia, 1847); "Account of
the Organization of the Army of the United
States, with Biographies of Distinguished
Officers" (1848); "California and the Gold
Regions" (New York, 1849) J "Grammar of
the Spanish Lang^iage" (Philadelphia.,
1850) ; a romance entitled "Wizard of the
Wave" (Xew York, 1853) ; a translation of
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's "Physiologie du
Gout" (Philadelphia, 1854) ; and novels from
the French. He died in New York City,
March 26, 1859.
Shrcve, Thomas H., born in Alexandria,
Virginia, in 1808; was educated in the acad-
emy there. He engaged in mercantile pur-
suits, settled in Cincinnati in 1830, and in
1834 purchased a share in the "Mirror," a
weekly literary journal. In 1838 he became
a merchant in Louisville and later was one
or the editors of the Louisville "Journals."
He published "Drayton, an American Tale."
Some of his verses are reprinted in William
T. Coggeshall's "Poets and Poetry of the
West." He died at Louisville, Kentucky,
December 23, 1853.
Scott, WiUiam Cowper, born in Martins-
burg, (West) Virginia, January 13, 1817.
His father and grandfather were Presby-
terian ministers. He graduated at South
Hanover College, Indiana, in 1837, and at
l/nion Theological Seminary, Virginia, in
1840; became a clergyman of the same de-
nomination, and was pastor of several
churches in his native state until his death.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
except during two years, when poor health
compelled him to cease preaching, and occu-
pied himself with teaching and writing for
periodicals. He was author of a work on
"Genius and Faith, or Poetry and Religion
iu their Mutual Relations." He died in
Bethesda. (West) Virginia, October 2^,
1S54.
Craig, Lewis S., born in \'irginia ; entered
the army as second lieutenant of the Second
Dragoons. October 14, 1837: transferred to
Third Infantry. August, 1838, and in March.
1840. made assistant commissary of sub-
sistence. He was promoted to first lieuten-
nant in June. 1840: to captain in June. 1846;
served with distinction in the Mexican war.
and was brevetted major for gallant con-
duct at Monterey, and lieutenant-colonel for
Contreras and Cherubusco, where he was
wounded. He was killed by deserters while
hi the performance of his duty, near Xew
River, California. June 6, 1852*
Jordan^ Robert, a Quaker, bom in Nanse-
mond, Virginia. October 27, 1693; he began
to preach in 1718; visited Virginia, Mary-
land, and Carolina, and Xew England in
1722. and suffered imprisonment. He trav-
elled in Great Britain and the West Indies
hi 1728-30; made a journey to Barbadoes in
1740; and was in Boston in 1741, returning
to Philadelphia, where he died August 5,
1742.
McNutt, Alexander, a Scotch-Irishman,
who settled in Rockbridge county and served
in the French and Indian war as lieutenant.
He kept a journal of the campaign which
he presented to Governor Fauquier. For
some years he resided in Nova Scotia. Dur-
ing the revolutionary war he joined the
American army at Saratoga, and was after-
wards an office under Baron de Kalb in the
South. He died in 181 1, and was buried in
the Falling Spring churchyard, Rockbridge
county. \'irginia.
Hallam, Lewis, son of Adam Hallam,
actor, was born in England about 1714. and
was. like his father, an actor by profession.
He was sent by his brother, William Hal-
Um, manager of the new theatre in Good-
inanfields. London, to conduct the first com-
pany of English professionals to America.
They arrived at Yorktewn, Virginia, in
1752, and gave their first performance in
Williamsburg, then the capital of the colony,
hiring a large wooden structure erected for
a theatre by another company from Xew
York, which had left not long before. Their
opening performance was "The Merchant
of Venice," and the music was furnished by
a single player on the harpsichord. They
remained in Virginia about eleven months,
playing at difierent places, and then went
tu Annapolis and Philadelphia, and in 1754
performed in Xew York. Two years later
they went to the British West Indies, and
in that year Lewis Hallam died in Jamaica.
His wife, who was an actress at the Good-
manfields Theatre, was bom in London, and
after the death of Mr. Hallam married
David Douglas, his successor in the man-
agement. She retired from the stage in
1769 and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
ill 1773. Lewis Hallam's son, Lewis, made
his first appearance on the stage in Wil-
liamsburg at the time of his father's first
coming to this country. He was a boy of
twelve years of age, and, having only one
line to say. was so frightened that he re-
mained speechless till bursting into tears
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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he rushed off the stage. Nineteen years
bter he came again to Williamsburg and
v/as at his best. His main support was his
cousin, the beautiful Miss Sarah Hallam,
whose portrait in her role of "Imogene" had
been painted by Charles Wilson Peale.
Jones, Catlet, born in Virginia, about
1750. accompanied Daniel Boone to Ken-
tucky, and was one of the twelve settlers
who rescued Boone's daughter, who had
been captured by the Indians, and while
guarding the "corn-patch'* with Boone was
severely wounded. After serving through-
out the revolution, he joined the Society of
Friends, became a preacher, and in 1801
emigrated to Ohio. He died in Columbiana
county. Ohio, in 1829.
Hopkins, Samuel, son of Samuel Hopkins
t.nd grandson of Dr. Arthur Hopkins, of
Cloochland county, Virginia, and Elizabeth
I'ettus, his wife, born in Albemarle county,
\'irginii, about 1750; was an officer in the
Continental army, and fought at Princeton,
Trenton. Monmouth, and Brandywine. At
the battle of German town his battalion of
light infantry was nearly annihilated, and
he was severely wounded. He was lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Tenth Virginia Regi-
ment at the siege of Charleston, and after
the death of Col. Richard Parker became its
colonel, serving as such until the end of the
war. He was taken prisoner with other
officers, at the surrender of Charleston, May
20, 1780. While they were being taken in a
British vessel to Virginia, he complained to
the captain of harsh treatment and want of
food, and threatened to raise a mutiny un-
less they were treated as officers and gentle-
men, which bold language secured proper
care during the rest of the voj-age. In 1797
he settled on Green river. Kentucky, and
served for several sessions in the legisla-
ture of that state. In 1812 he led two thou-
sand mounted volunteers against the Kicka-
poo villages on the Illinois river, but the
party was misled by the guides, and re-
turned, after wandering for several days
about the prairie. In November he led a
body of infantry up the Wabash, and de-
stroyed several deserted villages, but lost
a part of his force by ambuscade. He re-
turned to Vincennes, after destroying a
town on Wildcat creek. He was elected to
congress from Kentucky, and took his seat
June 26, 18 1 3. After the end of his term,
March 2. 1815, he retired to his farm in
Hopkins county, which was named for him.
He died in Henderson, Kentucky, in Octo-
ber, 1819.
Lenoir, William, born in Brunswick coun-
ty, Virginia, April 20, 1751 ; removed to Tar-
borough, North Carolina, and settled near
Wilkesborough. At the outbreak of the
revolution he was clerk of the Surrj- county
committee of safety. He was lieutenant in
Gen. Griffith Rutherford's campaign against
the Indians in 1776, and was afterwards a
captain in Benjamin Cleveland's regiment
against the Tories. At King s Mountain he
was wounded in the arm and side, and at
the defeat of Col. Pylc, near Haw river, a
horse was shot under him. After the war
he was made a justice by congress and
afterward by the state assembly. He was
a member of the assembly, and from 1781
till 1795 a state senator, and presiding offi-
cer for five years. He took an active part
in the Hillsborough convention for the adop-
tion of the constitution of the United States.
At the organization of the state university
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
of North Carolina in 1790 he was chosen
president of the board. For the last eighteen
years of his life he was major-general of
militia. A town and county in North Caro-
lina were named in his honor. He died in
Fort Defiance, Wilkes county, North Caro-
hna, May 6, 1839.
Meriwether, David, born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, in 1754. son of Col. James
Meriwether and Judith Hardenia Burnley,
his wife: served in the revolutionary war
as a lieutenant under Washington, and was
present with the \'irginia troops at the last
siege of Savannah, Georgia: brigadier-gen-
eral of state militia, September 21, 1797;
located in Wilkes county, Georgia, in 1785,
and represented that county in the Georgia
legislature for several terms, and was
speaker of the house, 1797-1800: elected as
a Republican to the. seventh congress to fill
vacancy caused by the resignation of Benja-
min Taliaferro; reelected to the eighth and
ninth congresses and served from Decem-
ber, 1802, to March 3. 1807; retired to his
plantation near Athens, Georgia; appointed
a commissioner to the Creek Indians in
1804, and repeatedly appointed to treat with
other tribes; presidential elector in 1817 and
182 1 ; died near Athens, Georgia, November
16, 1822.
Nicholas, George, born in Hanover, Vir-
ginia, about 1755, son of Robert Carter Nich-
olas, lawyer, jurist, and statesman, and
grandson of Dr. George Nicholas, who
immigrated to Virginia about 1700. In 1772
he graduated from William and Mary Col-
lege. He was major of the Second Virginia
Regiment in 1777. later colonel, promoted
for meritorious service. He was a member
of the Virginia convention that ratified the
Federal constitution, was active in the con-
vention, and as a member of the Virginia
house of assembly was influential in shap-
ing legislation. In 1790 he moved to Ken-
tucky, and was a member of the convention
that met in Danville in 1792, to frame a state
constitution. The constitution as adopted
was largely his work. He was the first
attorney-general elected under its provi-
sions. He died in Kentucky in 1799.
McKendree, William, born in King Wil-
liam county, Virginia, July 6, 1757. Soon
after his birth, the family removed to Green-
ville county, and in 1810 to Sumner county,
Tennessee. At the begfinning of the revo-
lution. William, then twenty years of age,
joined a company of volunteers, was for
some time adjutant, and was at Yorktown
at the surrender of Cornwallis. After the
war he would never accept a pension. After
leaving the army he was a school teacher.
Before leaving home he had become con-
nected with the Methodist church, and soon
after 1787, when he was living in Brunswick
county, Virginia, he was licensed to preach,
and in 1788 Bishop Asbury appointed him
as junior preacher to Mecklenburg circuit.
After this he served upon neighboring cir-
cuits, and in 1793 was sent to South Caro-
lina, but returned the next year. For three
years he had charge of a large district ex-
tending from Chesapeake Bay to the Blue
Ridge and Alleghany mountains. In 1800
he went with Bishop Asbury and Bishop
Whatcoat to the western conference at
Bethel, Kentucky. He was appointed to
superintend a district embracing a large
part of the partially settled territory beyond
the Alleghany mountains, and so passed the
next eight years with a yearly pittance of
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PROMfNENT PERSONS
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from twenty to less than fifty .dollars. In
the great revival of those years, out of
which grew the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, he was a directing spirit, and it is
claimed that he, more than any other man,
saved that g^eat work from degenerating
into a wild and ruinous fanaticism. He con-
tinued to preside over this work till the
spring of 1808, when he was elected and
ordained bishop. His first episcopal tour of
fifteen hundred miles extended through Vir-
ginia. Tennessee. Missouri and Illinois. At
the general conference of 1816 he found him-
self left, by th*e death of Bishop Asbury, the
only bishop of the church, but two addi-
tional bishops were then chosen. He con-
tinued to labor till 1835, when his health
failed. He was never married, never re-
ceived a collegiate diploma, nor left even a
brief record of his eventful life. He died in
Sumner county, Tennessee, March 5. 1835.
Lcc, Jesse, born in Prince George county,
Virginia, March 12. 1758; at the age of
nineteen he removed to North Carolina, en-
tered the ministry of the Methodist church,
and preached his first sermon in 1779. In
1780 he was drafted into the militia to repel
the British in South Carolina, and, refusing
to do military duty, was made to serve as a
chaplain. His first pastoral appointment
was near Edenton, North Carolina; in 1783
he was received into the conference ; was ap-
pointed to the Salisbury circuit in 1784, and
accompanied Bishop Asbury on a tour ex-
tending from Norfolk, \'irginia. to the ex-
treme southwest of North Carolina. To-
gether they reorganized the various circuits
that nearly had been destroyed by the war.
After three years in North Carolina, Vir-
ginia. New Jersey, and Maryland, he went
to Stamford circuit, Connecticut, visiting
and establishing classes in Norwalk, New
Haven, and elsewhere. He reached Bos-
ton in 1790, and preached his first sermon
en the common. For six years he traveled
throughout New England, preaching in
barns, private houses, and on the highway,
forming new circuits and directing the labors
of his assistants. He became an assistant to
Bishop Asbury in 1796, and held confer-
ences and superintended churches. His
later life was passed in the South as pastor
and presiding elder. In 1808 he advocated
a delegate general conference plan that
he had urged fourteen years before, and on
its adoption the general conference became
the supreme authority of the Methodist
Episcopal church. He was chaplain of the
United States house of representatives in
1S07-12-13, and from 1814 until his death
was chaplain of the United States senate.
His labors earned him the title of the
**Apostle of Methodism.-' He published **A
History of Methodism," which was the first
work on the subject. He died in Baltimore,
Maryland, September 12. 1816. The will of
John Lee, dated June 17, 1800, and proved
a^ Petersburg, December 7. 1801. mentions
his brother, Jesse Lee, to whom he gives all
"my library of books.'* and his brothers, Ed-
ward. Nathaniel and Abraham Lee, and his
sister. Nancy Perkins.
Leftwich, Joel, son of Augustine Left-
wich, who died in Bedford county, Virgfinia,
about 1795. »^0''" i^ 5^'d county, Virginia,
'" ^759- During the revolutionary war he
fought at Germantown and at Camden, and
was wounded at Guilford Court House. In
the war of 1S12 he commanded a brigade
under Gen. Harrison. He was afterward
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
iriajor-general of militia, a member of the
\'irginia legislature, and a justice of the
peace of Bedford county. He died in Bed-
ford county. \'irginia. April 20. 1846. He
v.as a brother of Jabez Leftwich, member
of congress (q. v.).
Leake, Walter, son of Mask Leake, a
Presbyterian elder, was born in Albemarle
C(»unty. \'irginia, about 1760. He was a
soldier in the revolution, was deputy sur-
veyor of Albemarle county in 1784, was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1793, ^^'^s appointed by
Jcffer.Non one of the United States judges
for the territory of Mississippi, and moved
to Hinds county. Mississippi: elected to the
United States senate and served from Octo-
ber 9. 1817. until his resignation in 1820;
governor of Mississippi, 1821-1825; died at
Mount Salus. Hinds county, Mississippi,
November 11, 1825.
Holcombe, Henry, born in Prince Edward
county. \'irginia, September 22, 1762. After
serving as a captain in the revolutionary
army, he began to preach, and was ordamed
pastor of a Baptist church in Pike Creek,
South Carolina. He was a delegate to the
South Carolina convention that ratified the
constitution of the United States. In 1791
he became pastor of the Baptist churches in
Blutah, May River, and St. Helena, was
afterward in Beaufort, South Carolina, and
in 1799 ^^^^ called to Savannah, Georgia,
where he organized the Savannah Female
Seminary, and conducted the ^'Georgia Ana-
lytical Repository." He was instrumental
iv. establishing Mount Enon Academy in
1804. and a missionary society in 1806. From
1812 till his death he was pastor of the First
Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania. He received the degree of Doctor of
Divinity from Brown College in 1810. He
published a "Funeral Discourse on the
death of Washington." and a volume of
"Lectures on Primitive Theology." He died
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. May 22. 1826.
Madison, William, brother of James Madi-
son. President of the United States, was
born in Orange county. May i, 1762: stud-
ied at Hampden-Sidney College, and while
a student enlisted in the militia in 1778,
afterwards a lieutenant in the state legion
of X'irginia. and was employed in the re-
cruiting service ; on the invasipn of the state
was a volunteer in the state cavalry, and
afterwards a lieutenant in the Virginia regi-
ment of artillery. Continental line, com-
manded by Col. Harrison, and later, after
the surrender of Cornwallis. was furloughed
on account of sickness. He studied law in
1782 under Thomas Jelterson. and in 1804
v.as a representative for Madison county in
the house of delegates, and later became
brigadier-general of militia. He was living
in 1838.
Madison, George, brother of James Madi-
son, president of William and Mary College,
born in Rockingham county, \''irginia, in
1763: removed to Kentucky at an early age,
and was a soldier on the frontier when
seventeen years old. taking part in several
engagements with the Indians. During the
campaigns in. the northwest he commanded
a company under General Arthur St. Clair,
and later was lieutenant of a company of
mounted volunteer cavalry under Major
John Adair, and was wounded in the action
with the Indians near Fort St. Clair, No-
vember 6, 1792. Later he became major of
Kentucky volunteers, attached to the north-
western army under General James Win-
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Chester, and was in the battle with the Brit-
ish and Indians near Frenchtown, January
18, 1813. He was taken prisoner in the de-
feat on the river Raisin, January 22, 1813,
and was sent to Quebec, but he was released
ill 1814. For more than twenty years he
was auditor of public accounts in Kentucky,
and in 1816 he was nominated for governor.
He was so popular that his opponent with-
drew and he was elected for four years, but
before entering on the duties of his office
died at Paris, Kentucky, October 14, 1816.
Payne, Dcvall, born in Fairfax county,
Virginia, January i, 1764, son of William
Payne, whose paternal ancestor came to
this country at any early date. He removed
to Kentucky in 1789, settling near Lexing-
t(»n. He joined Captain Kenneth McCoy's
cavalry, and served under General Charles
Scott against the Indians in 1791. In 1792
he removed to Mason county, where he
lived until his death. He was active against
the Indians. He was a surveyor, and also
a county magistrate. He was major in Colo-
nel Richard M. Johnson's mounted cavalry
in 1813. and fought at the battle of the
Thames, October 5, 1813, where he made a
gallant charge. He served several years in
the legislature. He died in Mason county,
Kentucky, June 21, 1830.
Weakley, Robert, born in Halifax county,
Virginia, July 20, 1764. He entered the
revolutionary army at the age of sixteen,
and served till the end of the war, then went
beyond the Alleghanies, having only a
horse, saddle and bridle, and one dollar and
seventy-five cents in money. He was a
colonel of the riflemen with whom James
Robertson defeated the Creeks and Chero-
kees. When but twenty-two years of age.
hf was elected to the North Carolina con-
vention that ratified the Federal constitu-
tion, and afterwards was a member of the
Tennessee house of representatives. In
1809 he was elected to congress, and in 181 1
to the state senate, of which he was speaker,
1819-21, and again 1823-25. His last office
was that of member of the convention to re-
vise the constitution of Tennessee in 1834.
In early life he was a Methodist, but, marry-
ing a woman who was not a church mem-
ber, he was called to account, and told that
it he expressed regret no further action
v/ould be taken; this he refused to do, and
thenceforward he was connected with no
religious body. He died near Nashville,
Tennessee, February 4, 1845.
Lewis, William, born in Virginia in 1765.
He served in the Indian war in 1791, and
was captain under Gen. Arthur St. Clair,
resigning in 1797. He was lieutenant-colo-
nel of Kentucky, volunteers in the war of
1812. and commander in the action with the
British and Indians at Frenchtown, on the
liver Raisin, January 8, 1813. He also
served under Gen. James Winchester at his
defeat there in the same month, where he
v.as captured and held a prisoner two years
in Quebec. He died in Little Rock, Arkan-
sas, January 17, 1825.
Lylc, John, born in Rockbridge county,
Virginia, October 20, 1769, was distinguish-
ed as being the first person to establish
.schools exclusively for young women, also
was the first to suggest the dissemination
cf the Scriptures through the agency of col-
porteurs. He graduated from Liberty Hall
in 1794, studied divinity, and was licensed
as a Presbyterian preacher in 1797. He was
ordained in 1797, and from then until 1810
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
continued active in ministerial work. In
1800 he was placed in charge of the churches
at Salem and Sugar Ridge,. Clark county,
remaining several years, and established a
school. In ^lay. 1807, he established an
academy in Paris. Kentucky, which he con-
ducted, at the same time preaching at Cane
Ridge and Concord. About 1810 he with-
drew from the academy and from the two
churches, but soon afterward resumed
preaching near Cynthia, Harrison county.
Not long afterward he retired from pastoral
work and devoted himself entirely to mis-
sionarj* labor. During the religious excite-
ment that began in the southwest in 1800,
accompanied by violent physical manifesta-
tions, he did all in his power to restrain the
extravagances of the revival. He died in
Paris, Kentucky, July 22, 1825.
Knox, James, lived in western Virginia,
and in 1769, led a party ot forty-two men
from southwest Virginia and Xorth Caro-
lina to Reedy creek, and crossed through
Cumberland gap westward to hunt and trap.
Fach man had one or more horses, with
s^rms and camp equipage. Fording the
south fork of the Cumberland river, they
came to what is now known as Price's
meadow, six miles from Monticello, W ayne
county, Kentucky, and there made a camp.
They hunted during the year over the Upper
Green and Barren rivers country, and found
much open prairie covered with high grass.
In October, 1769. with nine men, he sought
fresher hunting grounds northward, and
met a band of friendly Cherokee Indians,
whose leader. Captain Dick, directed them
to the blue grass region, south of the Ken-
tucky river. Following this direction, they
came to a stream in a region abundant with
game, and gave it the name of Dicks river,
which it bears to this day. They were
on the borders of the country that was
ranged over by Daniel Boone and his com-
panions during the same two years, neither
party, knowing of the other's proximity. In
1774 Knox led his men one hundred miles
farther west, and built a camp and fur sta-
tion nine miles east of Greensburg, on Green
river, where they killed many thousands of
bears, panthers, otters, beavers, deer, and
other game. After over three years' ab-
sence, most of the party returned home, and
v.ere known for long afterwards as the "long
hunters," from their prolonged absence.
Drake's pond and lick, Bledsoe's lick, and
Manseo's lick, were discovered and marked
on this expedition, each being named after
its finder. Knox returned to Kentucky in
1775, and for years afterward figured promi-
nently in the civil and military events of the
state. From 1795 ^^ 1800 he was state sen-
ator for Lincoln county.
Kemper, Reuben, born in Fauquier coun-
ty. Virginia, in 1770, emigrated to Ohio in
1800 with his father, who was a Baptist
preacher. He and his two brothers went
later to the Mississippi territory, engaged
in land surveying, and were leaders in the
movement to rid western Florida of Spanish
rule. In 1808 they organized an expedition
to Baton Rouge, from the adjacent counties
o^ Mississippi, and were captured by the
Spaniards. They were rescued by the
United States troops at Pointe Coupe, and
afterwards severely punished the Spaniards
v.ho had been engaged in their capture.
Kemper was engaged in an unsuccessful at-
tempt to capture Mobile: was one of the
organizers of the expedition of Gutierrez
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PROMINENT PERSONS
319
and Toledo against the Spanish in Mexico;
and in 18 12, as major, and subsequently as
colonel, commanded a force of about six
hundred Americans who cooperated with
the Mexican insurgents. The expedition
advanced into Texas, and several success-
ful battles were fought, but the dissensions
that followed between the Mexicans and
Americans enabled the Spaniards to defeat
the divided forces, and the Americans, re-
turned home. Kemper then joined the
United States army as a volunteer, served
under Andrew Jackson at the defence of
New Orleans, and performed important
duties. At the end of the war, he settled in
Mississippi. He died in Natchez, Missis-
sippi. October 10, 1826.
Early, Peter, born in Madison county,
Virginia, in June, 1773 J graduated at Prince-
ton in 1792, and settled in Georgia with his
father. He studied law in Philadelphia, and
practiced at the Georgia bar. He served in
cctngress. 1803-07, where he opposed the
African slave trade. He became judge of the
state supreme court in 1807, and in 1813
was elected governor of Georgia, serving
two years. Later he was a state senator.
He died in Greene county. Georgia, August
15. i3i7-
Johnson, James, born in Orange county, .
A'irginia, January i, 1774, son of Robert
Johnson, who emigrated to Kentucky dur-
ing the revolutionary war. He took an
active part in the war of 1812. in which he
served as lieutenant-colonel in his brother's
regiment. In th^ battle of the Thames he
commanded the right wing of the United
States forces. After the war he was a con-
tractor for supplying the troops on the Mis-
sissippi and Missouri rivers, in 1819-20. He
was elected to congress as a Democrat, serv-
ing from December 5, 1825, until his death,
at Great Crossings, Scott county, Kentucky,
August 14, 1826.
Rclf, Samuel, born in Mrginia, March 22,
1776, was brought to Philadelphia, when a
child, by his mother. He early became con-
nected with the ^'National Gazette," of
which he was for many years editor and its
owner, until he became financially involved
through friends. His writings were highly
esteemed. He was the author of a novel
entitled "Infidelity, or the Victims of Senti-
ment." He died in Virginia, February 14,
1823.
Morris, Thomas, born in Augusta county.
Virginia, January 3, 1776, son of a Baptist
clergyman of Welsh descent. He went to
Columbia, Ohio, in 1795, and became a
farm hand for Rev. John Smith, first United
States senator from Ohio. In 1800 he set-
tled in Clermont county. While engaged in
farming, he studied law. and was admitted
to the bar in 1804. He was elected to the
legislature in 1806, and was continuously a
'm.ember for twenty-four years; was a judge
of the supreme court; and elected United
States in 1832. An ardent opponent of slav-
ery, he earnestly debated against John C
Calhoun and Henry Clay in favor of receiv-
ing the petitions for the abolition of slavery.
On account of his anti-slavery sentiments,
he was not returned to the senate. He was
nominated for vice-president by the Liberal
party in August, 1844. His "Life and Let-
ters" were edited by his son, Benjamin F.
Morris. He died at Bethel, Ohio, Decem-
ber 7, 1844.
Emmerson, Arthur, born in Brunswick
(now Greensville) county, Virginia, in 1778,
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
^on of the Rev. Arthur Enimerson rq. v.)
and Anne Nivison Tazewell, his wife,
daughter of William Tazewell. In 1785 he
was in Portsmouth, with his father. He
was educated for the church, later studied
law, and finally took to the sea, which he
lollowed for twenty years. In 1798 his ship
was captured by the French, and he was
held prisoner for a year, during which time
he learned the language of his captors. In
1809 he busied himself as a surveyor. He
organized an artillery company in Ports-
mouth, and commanded it during the war
of 181 2. At various times he filled all im-
portant local offices, and at his death was
clerk of the county court. He married Mary
A., daughter of Thomas Herbert, of Nor-
folk county. He died January 7, 1842.
Underwood, William Henderson^ born in
Culpeper county, Virginia, September 13,
1779. At an early age he was taken to El-
bert county, Georgia, by his parents, and
there obtained an education. He taught for
several years, at the same time studying
law; in 1810 was admitted to the Georgia
bar ; practiced until the war of 1812, then '
joined the army and rose to the rank of
captain. After the war he resumed practice.
In 1825 he was elected judge of the western
circuit of Georgia. During their contro-
versy with the state of Georgia, he was lead-
ing counsel for the Cherokee Indians, and
won commendation from the supreme court
ot the United States for the able manner in
which he conducted their case. He died in
Marietta, Georg^'a. August 4, 1859.
Millington, John, was born in London,
May II, 1779: commenced lecturing at the
Royal Institution. London, in 1815, and was
appointed professor of mechanics there in
181 7. He gave annual courses of lectures
on natural philosophy, mechanics and as-
tronomy until 1820. He was one of the
original fellows of the .Astronomical Soci-
ety of London and he held the or'hce of
.secretary from February 14, 1823. 10 Teb-
ruary 10, 1826. He was also a teacher
in Guy's Hospital, and also vice-president
of Dr. r»erbeck*s London Mechanics' Insti-
tution. He left England about 1829 to be-
come chief engineer of Silver Mines :ind
chief superintendent of a mint in Mexico.
In 1834-35 he was resident in Philadelphia
and in 1837 became professor of chemistry
and natural philosophy in William and
Mary College, a position held by him until
1849. when he resigned to become state
geologist of Mississippi. He died in Rich-
mond. July 10, 1868. and was buried in Eru-
ton parish churchyard. Williamsburg, where
there is a tombstone with a long inscription
to his memory. A list of his works is given
in the "Dictionary of National Biography."
His son, Thomas Ch : Millington, made a
drawing of the College of William and
Mary, which was lithographed by the steam
press of Charles L. Ludwig, Richmond, Vir-
ginia.
Lauderdale* James, born in Virginia about
1780, removed to west Tennessee. He be-
come major in Gen. John Coffee's cavalry
regiment of volunteers in 1813, and later
lieutenant-colonel. While serving under
Gen. Andrew Jackson in the battle of Talla-
dega, Alabama, against the Creek Indians,
he was wounded. In 1814 he was promoted
tr colonel, and was killed in the first battle
of New Orleans. Several counties and
towns in the southern states are named in
his honor. He died near New Orleans,
Louisiana, December 23, 1814.
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PROMINENT PERSONS
321
Metcalf, Thomas, born in Fauquier coun-
ty, Virginia, March 20, 1780, the son of poor
parents who emigrated to Kentucky and set-
tled in Fayette county. After a few months
in a country school, he worked with a stone-
cutter, devoting his leisure to study. He
served in the war of 1812, and in 1813 com-
manded a company at the battle of Fort
Meigs. While absent on this campaign, he
was elected to the legislature, and served
three years; was afterward elected to con-
gress as a Henry Clay Democrat, serving
from December 6, 1819, till June i, 1828,
when he resigned. From 1829 till 1833 ^^
was governor of Kentucky. He was a mem-
ber of the state senate in 1834, and presi-
dent of the board of internal improvement
in 1840. He was appointed United States
senator in place of John J. Crittenden, re-
signed, serving from July 3, 1848, till March
3. 1849, when he retired to his farm between
^^aysville and Lexington. He was a friend
and follower of Henry Clay, and often
boasted of his early labors as a stonemason,
delighting in being called the "Old Stone
Hammer." He died in Nicholas county,
Kentucky. August 18, 1855.
Nettleton« AshaeU born in North Killing-
worth. Connecticut, April 21. 1783. After
his graduation from Yale College in 1809 he
studied theology, was licensed to preach in
181 1, and was ordained in 1817, choosing
the evangelistic field, intending to become
a missionary to foreign lands. From 18 12
to 1822 he was engaged in revival work in
Connecticut. Massachusetts, and New York.
His health failing in 1827. he came to Vir-
ginia. Two years restored his health, and
from 1829 until 183 1 he was preaching as
a revivalist in New York and Connecticut.
In 183 1 he went to Great Britain, return-
viR— 21
ing in 1832. In that year he was appointed
professor of pastoral duty in the seminary
at East Windsor, Connecticut, and although
he did not accept, he settled in East Wind-
sor and lectured occasionally to the stu-
dents. Hampden-Sidney College conferred
the degree Doctor of Divinity upon him
in 1839, as did Jefferson College, Pennsyl-
vania. He compiled a collection of hymns
under the title "Village Hymns." His **Re-
mains and Sermons" were edited by Rev.
iJennett Tyler, who also published a
"Memoir" which was reprinted with addi-
tions by Rev. Andrew A. Bonar and pub-
liifhed in Edinburgh in 1854 under the title
"Nettleton and His Labors." He died in
East Windsor. Connecticut, May 16, 1844.
Lewis* William Berkeley* born in Lou-
doun county, Virginia, in 1784, removed to
Tennessee early in life and settled near
Nashville. He was quartermaster under
Gen. Andrew Jackson in the war of 18 12,
iierving through the Creek campaign. After
the election of Jackson to the presidency,
Lewis accompanied him to Washington,
aided him in the preparation of his in-
augural address, and became a member of
his family, also holding the office of auditor
of the treasurj'. Lewis assisted in establish-
ing the "Globe" in 1830, and prepared ac-
counts of the difficulty between Jackson and
Calhoun, for which, with Amos Kendall, he
was partially responsible. After leaving
Washington in 1845. he lived near Nash-
ville, Tennessee, until shortly after the civil
war, when he served one term in the legis-
lature. He was a Republican, and after the
occupation of Nashville by the Federal
troops exerted a pacific influence there. He
died near Nashville, Tennessee, November
14, 1866.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
McFcrrin, James, born in Washington
county. \'irginia, March 25, 1784. was of
Irish Presbyterian extraction, was brought
up as a farmer, and, after marrying at the
age of twenty, settled in Rutherford county.
Tennessee, where he was often engaged in
combats with the Indians. After the dec-
laration of war with England he became
captain of a company of volunteers, and
marched under General Andrew Jackson
against the Creeks, was present at Talla-
dega, and suffered great privations during
the campaign. He was elected colonel on
his return, and for several years took pride
in leading the best trained regiment of the
state troops. At the age of thirty-six he
united with the Methodist Episcopal church,
and on Xovember 25, 1823, was received into
the Tennessee conference as an itinerant
preacher. His ministry, which was in Ala-
bama after 1828, and in western Tennessee
after 1834, was attended with great success.
Henderson, Archibald, born in Virginia in
1785: was appointed lieutenant of marines,
June 4, 1806; captain, in April, 181 1 ; brevet
major, in 1814; lieutenant-colonel, October
17. 1820; and colonel, July i, 1834. During
the Florida war he commanded a battery;
was engaged in the skirmish on the Hatche-
luskee, January 27, 1837, and was brevetted
brigadier-general for gallant and meritori-
ous service while in command of the marines
in Florida, Alabama, and in Tennessee,
against the Indians. He died in Washing-
ton. D. C. January 6. 1859.
Weightman, Roger C, born in Alexan-
dria, Virginia, in 1786. He was a printer,
settled in Washington, D. C, and at one
time was congressional printer. During the
war of 1812-14 he was an officer of cavalry,
and subsequently became a general of Dis-
trict of Columbia militia. He was mayor
of Washington in 1824-27. became cashier
of the Washington Bank, and was for many
years librarian of the patent office. He
commanded the troops that were quartered
in that building during the civil war. He
died near Wilson's creek, Missouri, August
10, 1861.
Eustis, Abraham, born at Petersburg.
\'irginia. March 28. 178^); was graduated
from Harvard in 1804. He studied law in
the office of his relative. Chief Justice
Parker, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and
engaged in practice in Boston. He was cap-
tain of artillery in 1808, and became major
in 1810. Dunng the war of 1812 he com-
manded a regiment in the capture of York,
Upper Canada; was brevetted lieutenant-
colonel for meritorious service in 1813; be-
came lieutenant-colonel of the Fourth Ar-
tillery in 1822, brigadier-general in 1834, and
colonel of the First Artillery. He died at
Portland, Maine, June 27, 1843.
Dundas, James, born at Alexandria, Vir-
ginia, in 1788; he settled in Philadelphia,
fud became president of the Pennsylvania
Bank. He was prominent in many local
enterprises, and at the time of his death was
president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society. He died in Philadelphia. July 4,
1865.
Wharey, James, born in Rutherford
county, Xortli Carolina. June 15, 1789; was
a student at Hampden-Sidney College five
years, teaching to obtain means to pursue
his education. He was licensed to preach in
1818, and began his ministry in Amherst and
Xelson counties, spending a part of his time
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PROMINENT PERSONS
3^3
tm principal of an academy. In 18191 he made
a missionary tour in Virginia, and was chap-
lain of Hampden-Sidney for a year. In
182J he held a charge in Cartersville, Vir-
ginia, and 1824 was made pastor ol the
churches of Bird and Providence, in Gooch-
land county, Virginia, where he served un-
til his death. He published a series of
articles in the "Southern Religious Tele-
graph"' on "Baptism," and "Sketches of
Church History from the Birth of Christ to
the Nineteenth Century," both of which
afterward appeared in book-form. He died
in Goochland county, Virginia, April 29,
1842.
Noble, James, born in Battletown, Fred-
erick county, Virginia, about 1790. In
youth he moved to Kentucky, but finally
located in Indiana, where he acquired a
good education through self-study and read-
ing. He was one of the first United States
senators sent from Indiana, serving from
December 12, 18 16, until his death in Wash-
ington. D. C. February 26, 1831.
Spencer, Pitman Curtius, born in Char-
lotte county. Virginia, in 1790: graduated
at the medical department of the University
cl Pennsylvania in 1818, and settling in Not-
tcway county. Virginia, practiced there for
fifteen years, after which he went to Eu-
rope to pursue his studies. On his return he
settled in Petersburg, and devoted himself
to surgery. He was a successful litho-
tomist. and claimed to be the first to practice
this branch of surgery in this country. He
died in Petersburg. Virginia, in February,
1S61.
MacRea, William, born in 1767; in 1791
was apix>inted from Virginia lieutenant of
levies, and was wounded at Gen. Arthur St.
Clair's defeat by the Miami Indians, No-
vember 4, 1791. He became captain in De-
cember, 1794, was transferred to the artil-
lery in June, 1798; and promoted to major,
Second Regiment of artillerists and engi-
neers, July 31, 1800, and lieutenant-colonel,
April 19, 1814. He was brevetted colonel
"for ten years* faithful service,'* April 19,
1824. He died near Shawneetown, Illinois,
November 3, 1832. *
Mosby, Mary Webster, bom in Henrico
county, Virginia, in April, 1791. Left an
orphan, she was adopted by her paternal
grandfather, Robert Pleasants, a Quaker
planter who had set free more than a hun-
dred slaves. She was educated at a Friends'
school, and married John Garland Mosby.
She wrote for magazines over the signa-
ture of "M. M. Webster," and published
"Pocahontas,'' treating of the legend of the
Indian heroine, from whom, through her
maternal grandfather, Thomas Mann Ran-
dolph, she was a lineal descendant. She
died at Richmond, Virginia, November 19,
Underwood, Joseph Rogers, born in
Goochland county, Virginia, October 24,
1791. He was adopted by his maternal
uncle, Edward Rogers, a revolutionary sol-
dier who had settled in Kentucky in 1783.
He attended different schools, and graduated
from Transylvania College, in 181 1. He
pursued legal study in Lexington, Ken-
tucky. In the war of 1812-14, he was the
first volunteer in Col. William Dudley's
regiment for service on the Canadian bor-
der. He was promoted to lieutenant, and
when the cajftain of his campany was killed,
the command devolved upon him. Later in
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the fight he was wounded, and, with the
remnant of vhe regiment, forced to surren-
der. He was cruelly treated by the Indians,
but finally was released on parole. He was
admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1813. set-
tled in Glasgow, and served as town trustee
and county attorney. In 1823 he moved to
r.owling Green. He was a member of the
Kentucky legislature in 1816-17-18-19-23-26;
was a candidate for lieutenant-governor in
1828, and from 1828 until 1835 was judge of
the Kentucky court of appeals. He was
elected to congress as a Whig, and served
from December 7, 1835, ^^ March 3, 1S43.
In 1S45 he was chosen to represent Warren
county in the legislature, and was elected
speaker of the house. He was the success-
ful Whig candidate for United States sena-
tor, and served from December 6, 1847, until
March 3, 1853. In 1824 and 1844 he was
presidential, elector on the Clay ticket, and
in 1864 was a delegate to the National
Democratic Convention held in Chicago.
He died at Bowling Green, Kentucky, Au-
gust 23, 1873.
Marmaduke» Meredith Miles» born in
Westmoreland county, Virginia, August 28,
1 791. He was educated in the public schools,
and at the age of twenty-two was commis-
sioned colonel of a regiment raised in his
county for defensive service in the war of
1812. Afterwards he was appointed United
States marshal for the eastern district of
\*irginia, served for several years in ihat
office, and was then elected clerk of the cir-
cuit court. He removed to Missouri in
1824, was engaged in the Santa Fe trade
for six years at Franklin, Howard county;
and then settled near Arrow Rx)ck. He was
the originator and president of the first state
fair. He served as surveyor, and county
judge; in 1840 was elected lieutenant-gov-
ernor, and in 1844 became acting governor
by the death of Thomas Reynolds. In 1847
he was a member of the state constitutional
convention. In 1860-61. though his sons
embraced the Confederate cause, he was
opposed to secession, without upholding the
violent acts of the Federal authorities in
Missouri. He died near Arrow Rock, Saline
county, Missouri, March 26. 1862.
Monroe, Andrew, born in Hampshire
county, \'irginia, October 20, 1792, youngest
of eleven children, four of whom became
ministers of the Methodist I-.piscopal church.
He was licensttd to preach in March. 1^15,
by the Ohio conference, and sent to labor
on the Fairfield circuit. He was a pioneer
worker in Kentucky. Tennessee, and Mis-
souri, a member during his life of eleven
general conferences, and known as the pa-
triach of Missouri Methodism. His name
has become historic in the annals of the
Methodist Episcopal church. South. He
died in Mexico, Audrain county, Missouri,
November 18, 1871. He was of the same
family as President Monroe.
Newton, John Thomas, son of William
Xewton and Jane Darr Stuart, his wife, of
Cameron. Fairfax county, \'irginia. was ]»orn
ill Alexandria, \'irginia. May 26, 1793. He
was educated at Xantes, in France, entered
the United States as midshipman January 16.
1.S69; served in the war of 1812, was acting
lieutenant of the Hornet in her fight with the
Peacock f February 24, 191 3: promoted first
lieutenant of the Hornet, and was in the en-
gagement with the Penguin. He was pre-
sented with an elegant sword by the citizens
of Alexandria for gallant conduct ; promoted
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PROMINENT PERSONS
325
commander, March 3, 1827, and captain,
February 9. 1837. He was in command of
the Pensacola and Brooklyn navy yards, and
c: the home squadron, and of the steamers
Fulton and Missouri until 1848. He ranked
as commodore from 1852 until March, 1855,
and during the last two years of his life,
was commandant of the navy yard at
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He died in
Washington, July 28. 1857. He married
(first) Amelia, daughter of Thomas Kirk,
of lirooklyn. New York. He married (sec-
ond) Adele. daughter of Gov. Ralph Izzard,
of South Carolina.
Watkins, Samuel, born in Campbell
county, Virginia, in 1794. In his orphanage
he was bound to a Scotch family, where he
was treated cruelly, and the county court
placed him with James Robertson, a planter.
He joined the United States army, served
«ngainst the Creeks under Gen. Andrew Jack-
son, and at the battle of New Orleans. After
peace was declared he returned to Na.shville
and became a brick-mason and contractor.
Among the houses built by him was the
First Uaptist Church and the Second Pres-
byterian Church in Nashville. He acquired
a large fortune but during the civil war his
farm near Nashville was a battle-field, his
city buildings were destroyed, his house was
sacked, his loss amounting to $300,000.
Afterwards he engaged in banking, manu-
facturing, and building, and dealt m real
estate, was president of the Nashville Gas-
Light Company, and acquired a second for-
tune. He bequeathed $130,000 for the es-
tablishment of a polytechnic institution in
Nashville, which was erected there in 1882.
He made liberal provision for free public
lectures, and instruction for such as could
not attend colleges and schools. He died in
Nashville. Tennessee. October 16. 1880.
Morris, Thomas Asbury, born near
Charlestown. Virginia. April 28. 1794, son
of John and Margaret Morris. He attended
the common schools, and later pursued spe-
cial studies. He served three years as an
assistant in the office of his brother Edmund,
clerk of the county. At the age of eighteen
he was drafted to serve six months in the
war of 1812. but his family procured a sub-
stitute. For some years he was a skeptic,
but in 1813 was converted, and united with
the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1814
he entered the ministry, connecting himself
with the Ohio conference. In two years he
traveled 5.500 miles on horseback, preached
five hundred times, and during the first
twelve years of his ministry he received but
two thousand dollars. In 1856 he sustained
an attack of paralysis. In 1834 he became
editor of the "Western Christian Advocate."
in Cincinnati. In 1836 he was elected
bishop. As early as 1835 he was an advo-
cate of total abstinence. In 1844. when the
church was divided, he remained in connec-
tion with the Methodist Episcopal chuich,
though he was a native of Virginia and re-
gretted the separation. For sixteen years he
was senior bishop of his church. McKendree
College gave him the degree of D. D. in
1841. He published a work on "Church
Polity.*' a volume of sermons; one entitled
'* Essays.*' bi<igraphical sketches, and "Notes
of Travel." and "Sketches of Western Meth-
odism.*' He died in Springfield. Ohio, Sep-
tember 2, 1874.
Kerr, John, born in Pittsylvania county,
Virginia, son of Rev. John Kerr, was edu-
cated in Richmond, Virginia, studied law
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
with Judge John S. Pearson, of North Caro-
lina, and practiced at Vanceyville. North
Carolina. He was the defeated Whig can-
didate for governor in 1852; was elected to
congress the same year, and served from
December 5. 1853. till March 3. 1855. He
was a member uf the legislature, 185S-O0.
Luring the reconstruction times he was ar-
rested by the military authorities. Chief
Justice Pearson refused to issue an attach-
ment against Col. George Kirk, who held
Kerr and other prisoners in custody under
order of Gov. William W. Holden, on the
ground that the powers of the judiciary were
exhausted: but Judge George W. Urooks
issued a writ of habeas corpus, and on its re-
turn ordered the release of the prisoners.
Kerr's arrest and imprisonment brought him
into notice, and led to his election, by the
legislature of 1874. to the bench of the su-
perior court. He died in Reidsville, North
Carolina, September 5, 1879.
Morton, Jackson, was born in Spottsyl-
\ania county, Virginia, August 10, 1794,
sen of Jeremiah Morton and Mildred Garnett
Jackson, his wife. He graduated at William
and Mary College, Virginia, 1815; removed
U Florida: was president territorial council
of Florida many years; member Florida
constitutional convention and Florida leg-
islature; general of volunteer forces in the
Indian wars; United States navy agent at
Pensacola; presidential elector in 1849, cast-
ing his ballot for Gen. Taylor; elected to
the United States senate for the term from
1849-55 » member Florida convention of
1S61. In 1855 he retired from politics and
became extensively engaged in the lumber
trade. In 1861 he represented Florida in the
provisional congress of the Confederate
States; a member of the Confederate con-
gress, 1862-65. He was a brother of Hon.
Jeremiah Morton (q. v.).
Henkel, Moses Montgomery, born in
Pendleton county, Virginia. March 23. 179S,
became an itinerant minister of the Metho-
dist Epi.scopal church in Ohio in 1819. was
for some time a missionary to the Wyan-
dotte Indians, and preached in that state
and in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky,
and Alabama. He established a religious
magazine, and associated himself in 1845
with Dr. McFerrin in the editorship of the
"Christian Advocate" at Nashville. In 1847
he established the "Southern Ladies' Com-
panion," which he conducted for eight years.
He taught in Philadelphia and other places,
and was thus engaged in Baltimore, Mary-
land, during the civil war, but was sent
within the Confederate lines. He died in
Richmond, Virginia, in 1S64.
Mctcalf, Samuel L., born near Winchester,
V irgmia, September 21, 1798. With his
parents he went to Shelby county, Ken-
tucky, and in 1819 he entered Transylvania
University, Lexington, where in 1823 he re-
ceived the degree of M. D. He practiced in
New Albany, Indiana, and later in Missis-
sippi. In 1831 went to England, and on his
return made a geological tour through
eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, and Vir-
ginia. For several years he lived in New
York City, writing scientific books, and to
the **Knickerbockcr Magazine." In 1835 he
again visited England in order to make
scientific research, and while there was so-
licited to become a candidate for the Gre-
gorian chair in the University of Edinburgh,
but declined. Returning to the United
States, he published his various books:
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PROMINENT PERSONS
327
**Narratives of Indian Warfare in the
West;" **Ne\v Theory of Terrestrial Mag-
netism;*' and **Caloric: its Agencies in the
Phenomena of Nature." He died at Cape
May, New Jersey, July 17, 1856.
Paschall, Edwin, born in Mecklenburg
county, Virginia, in 1799. He became a
lawyer, went to Tennessee in 1833, and was
a teacher in Murfreesborough, Huntington,
Brownsville, and for some time at Franklin,
Williamson county, where he edited the
"Western Weekly Review." Afterwards he
taught a classical school near Nashville.
During the civil war he was editorial writer
for the Nashville "Press," and in 1865-66 for
the Nashville •^Gazette." He published
*'01d Times, or Tennessee History." He
died near Nolensville, Tennessee, June 5,
1869.
Upshur, George Parker, born in North-
ampton county, Virginia, March 8, 1799.
He entered the L'nited States navy as mid-
shipman, April 2^, 1818; was promoted to
lieutenant. March 3. 1827. and served in the
Lexington, on the Brazil station, 1832-34,
against the pirates infesting the Falkland
Islands. He commanded the brig Truxton
CP her first cruise in the Mediterranean in
1843-44, and from 1844 until 1847 served in
the receiving ship at Norfolk. Virginia. He
v/as commissioned commander, February
2^, 1847, and itom that year until 1850 was
superintendent of the United States Naval
Academy at Annapolis. On July 13, 1852,
he took command of the sloop-of-war Levant,
at Norfolk, joined the United States squad-
ron in the Mediterranean, and died on board
his ship, in the harbor of Spezzia. Italy. No-
vember 3, 1852.
Meriwether, David, son of William Meri-
wether and Elizabeth Winslow, his wife,
and grandson of James Meriwether and
Judith Hardenia Burnley, his wife, was
born in Louisa county, Virginia, October
30, 1800, attended private schools, engaged
in fur trading near Council Bluffs, Iowa;
settled in Kentucky, studied law, was ad-
mitted to the bar and practiced in Kentucky ;
in 1832 he was elected a member of the
house of delegates of Kentucky, and served
for thirteen terms; delegate to the state
constitutional convention of 1849; appointed
in 185 1 by Gov. Powell secretary of state of
Kentucky; and upon the death of Mr. Clay
appointed to fill his unexpired term in the
United States senate, serving from July 6,
1852, to September i, 1852; appointed by
President Pierce governor of the territory of
New Mexico, serving from May 6, 1853. to
January 5, 1855 ; representative in the Ken-
tucky legislature from 1858 to 1865, and
served as speaker of the house in 1859; died
near Louisville, Kentucky. April 4, 1893. ^^
married, in 1824, Sarah Leonard, of Massa-
chusetts. He was nephew of David Meri-
v.-ether, of Georgia (q. v.).
McNutt, Alexander Gallatin, born in
Rockbridge county, Virginia, September 12,
1801 ; he was educated at Washington Col-
lege, Virginia; emigrated to Mississippi in
1S28, and settled in Vicksburg in the prac-
tice of law. He was in the legislature for
several years, speaker of the senate in 1837,
and governor the next year. While in the
legislature, he secured the right of reyre-
f.entation to the counties formed out of the
Chickasaw and Choctaw cessions. Sergeant
S. Prentiss opposed this measure, and subse-
ducntly attacked him in a series of speeches
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
in 1838. during Prentiss's canvass for con-
gress, McXuti's slovenly dress and intem-
perate habits forminj^ a target for his wit.
>1cXuit subsequenily reformed, and ac-
cimiuhited a large fortune from his prac-
tice, ile was a Democrat in politics, and
yielded in debate to none but Prentiss,
whom, after the canvass of 1838. he reso-
lutely refused ever to meet on the "stump "
He died in Do Soto county. Mississippi. Oc-
tober 22. 184S.
Madison, James, born near Port Republic.
Rockingham county ( formerly Augusta
county I. August 27. 1749. son of John Madi-
son, first clerk of Augusta county. His
f::ther and Ambrose Madison, the grand-
father i)f James Madison. President of the
United States, were brothers. He went first
to an academy in Maryland, thence in I7f>8
to William and Mary College, where on
July 29. 1772. he received the gold medal
awarded as a prize by Lord Botetourt for
classical learning. He was writing master
at the college until May. 1773. when he was
appointed professor of natural philosophy.
He studied law under George Wythe, but
abandoned the profession after a single case,
and aided by fifty pounds from the board of
visitors, visited England in 1775, and took
orders. In November, 1775, he again at-
tended as professor of natural philosophy
at the college, and in October, 1777. suc-
ceeded John Camm as president of the insti-
tution, being then only twenty-eight years
of age. Mr. Madison supported with great
zeal the cause of the revolution, and in con-
nection with Thomas Jefferson, a mem-
ber of the college visitors, procured an en-
tire reform of the course pursufcd at Wil-
liam and Mary College. Under their aus-
pices the elective system of study was in-
troduced, the honor system established, and
by the addition of the chairs of medicine,
law and modern languages, the college was
made a university. Dr. James McClurg was
called to the medical chair. George Wythe
to the law chair, and Charles IJellini to the
chair of modern languages. Thus the col-
lege became the first in America to practice
the elective system, and to support chairs
for the study of municipal law and the
modern languages. It was second only to
the College of Philadelphia in establishing
a medical chair, which was. however, con-
tinued only fur a very few years. In 1785
he presided over the first convention of the
Episcopal church in X'irginia. and in 1790
was elected first bishop of the diocese, and
he was consecrated in the chapel of Lam-
beth palace on September 19. of that year,
by Archbishop Moore, of Canterbury^ being
the last prelate of the American church to
receive consecration from the bishops of the
Anglican church. Bishop Madison pub-
lished a "Eulogy on Washington** (1800).
He was married, in 1779. to Sarah Tate, of
Williamsburg, a granddaughter of William
Cocke, formerly secretary of the colony.
She died August 20. 1815, leaving one son,
John Catcsby Madison, and one daughter,
who married Robert G. Scott, a distinguish-
ed lawyer of X'irginia. A brother of Bishop
Madison. George Madison, became governor
of Kentucky. Bishop Madison died March
6, 1812. His remains lie interred in the
chapel of the College of William and Mary.
Jameson, David, born August 19. 1752, in
Culpeper county ( then Orange), son of Cap-
tain Thomas Jameson: served in the revolu-
tion, fought at Great Bridge. Norfolk coun-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
329
ty, December 9, 1775, ^"d was in Stevens*
brigade in 1780 and 1781. In 1790-91 he
was a member of the Virginia legislature,
and afterwards magistrate and high sheriff
of Culpeper coimty. He married, in 1792,
Mary Mennis, daughter of Charles Mennis.
He died October 2, 1839. He was a brother
of Lieut.-Col. John Jameson (q. v.).
Jameson, David, son of James Jameson,
of Essex county, Virginia, was a prominent
merchant of Yorktown, Virginia ; was treas-
urer of the "Society for the Promotion of
Useful Knowledge," organized at Williams-
burg in May, 1773, with John Clayton, the
botanist, as president, and there is a letter
of John Page, who succeeded Clayton as
president, giving the result of some experi-
ments made by him and David Jameson
with an instrument of their own invention
on the fall of dew and rain — these experi-
ments being the first that ever were made
of their kind in America, indeed, as Page
says, "the first with such an instrument in
the world." In 1777 he became a member
of Patrick Henry's privy council. In 1781
he was lieutenant governor, under Governor
Thomas Nelson, and in 1783 a member of
the state senate. His will, dated October
14, 1792, was proved July 22, 1793. He was
uncle of David Jameson (q. v.) and John
Jameson (q. v.).
Bowycr, Henry, born in 1761. Early in
the revolution, as a lad, he was left in charge
of a store at Fincastle, belonging to his uncle,
Michael P»owyer. who went to the army.
Shortly after his uncle was gone, he sold the
goods for what they would bring, and joined
a company of cavalry . under Washington.
At Buford's defeat, he was an aide to that
officer. He was a superb horseman, and
performed various startling feats during his
army service. After the war, he was elected
clerk of the county court of Botetourt coun-
ty, and held the office for a period of about
forty years, being succeeded by his son,
Henry W. Bowyer. He died in 1833. He
married a daughter of Thomas Madison, of
Botetourt county ; she was a niece of Bishop
James Madison, and her mother was a sister
of Patrick Henry.
Moore, Richard Channing, born in New
York City, August 21, 1762. His grand-
father, John Moore (1658-1732), an eminent
lawyer, was attorney-general and register-
general of Pennsylvania under William
Pcnn, and from 1704 until his death royal
collector of customs for that colony. His
father, John Moore (1686-1749), was a mer-
chant in New York City and for some time
a member of the provincial assembly. One
of his uncles, Daniel Moore, served in the
English parliament, and another, William
(1699-1783), was a member of the Pennsyl-
vania assembly, being also from 1741 until
1 78 1 president judge of the court of Chester
county. He was a colonel of the militia,
and so vigorously opposed some of the acts
of the assembly that in 1758 an unsuccess-
ful attempt was made to remove him from
office. His residence, "Moore Hall,** near
Valley Forge, is still a landmark. Richard
Channing Moore was prepared for King s
(now Columbia) College, but was prevented
by the revolution from pursuing a collegiate
course. Subsequently he studied medicine,
received a degree and practiced for some
time, but following an inclination for the
ministry, he began theological study under
Bishop Provost. Being ordained deacon
and priest in 1787, he served for two years
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
at Rye, New York, and was then called to
the rectorship of St. Andrew's Church, Rich-
mond, Siatcn Island, where he remained
11 mil 1809. In iSof^ he attended the general
convention of the Episcopal church in l>al-
timurc, and from 1^*09 until 1S14 was rector
01 St. Stephen's Church. New York City,
lie was chosen bishop of X'irginia in 1814
and was consecrated in Philadelphia in May
01 that year. In addition to his duties as
bishop he also served until his death as rec-
tor of the Monumental Church, Richmond,
X'irginia. A man of great ability and energy,
he rendered notable service in reviving the
drcMiping fortunes of the church in Virginia.
Besides a number of sermons and addresses,
he published "The Doctrines of the Church,"
a discourse delivered before the general con-
vention in 1S20. The degree of Doctor of
Divinity was conferred on him by Dart-
mouth College in 1805. A memoir of his
life, written by Rev. T. P. K. llenshaw, was
published in 1842. His son, David (1787-
1856). was graduated at Columbia in 1806,
was ordained priest in 1808, and, succeeding
his father, was from 1809 until his death
rector of St. Andrew's Church, Richmond,
Staten Island. Union College gave him the
degree of Doctor of Divinity in 184 1. Bishop
Moore died at Lynchburg. Virginia, No-
vember II, 1841.
Alexander, William, born in Delaware, in
1763, was six years old when his parents
removed to Botetourt county, Virginia. At
the age of sixteen years he entered the revo-
lutionary- army and marched under Gen.
Greene to North Carolina, was at the battle
of the Cowpens under Morgan, and made
the memorable march across North Caro-
lina. In the war of 181 2, as colonel, he
marched his regiment of militia to the sea-
board. For about fifty years he was county
surveyor, for a long time a magistrate, a
James river commissioner, occasionally engi-
neer of public improvements, and a member
o: the legislature. He became an exemplary
member of the Presbyterian church of Fin-
castle. He died September 13. 1839.
Logan, Robert, born at Bethel congrega-
tion, .\ugiista county, in September, 1769.
He received literary and theological instruc-
tion at Liberty Hall, under the care of Rev.
\\'illiam Graham. He was licensed as a
Presbyterian preacher, and made mission-
ary excursions t(» New England, and finally
srttled at I'incastle. Bmetourt county. \'ir-
ginia. where he taui^ht ordinary and class-
ical schools, besides preaching. After some
thirty years oi such occupation, he died in
October. 182S.
Haxall, Philip, son of William Haxall and
Catherine, his wife, was born at Exning,
county Suffolk, England, April 10, 1770,
emigrated to Petersburg, Virginia, in 1786;
he was vestryman of Bristol parish; was
partner with his two brothers, William and
Henry, in the milling business of the Peters-
burg mills; removed to Richmond in June,
1809, and, in partnership with his brother
William, bought the Columbian mills, which
became known as the Haxall mills. He
married Clara Walker, daughter of Robert
Walker, of "Kingston." Dinwiddie county,
and died December 26. 1831. He was suc-
ceeded in the milling business by his sons,
Richard Barton Haxall, William Henry
Haxall and Boiling Walker Haxall. The
Haxall mills were one of the great enter-
prises of Richmond, and shipped immense
quantities of flour to all parts of the world.
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PROMINENT PERSONS
331
Lawson, Robert. On February 13. 1776,
he was commissioned major in the Fourth
Virginia Regiment, and he was promoted to
colonel the following year. He is said to
have commanded a brigade of Virginia
militia under Gen. Greene at the battle of
Guilford Court House. He died at Rich-
mond in April, 1805.
Riley, Bennett, born at Alexandria, Vir-
ginia, November 27, 1787. He received an
ordinary English education, and after en-
gaging for a time in clerical pursuits in
Maryland was on January i. 1813, appointed
b\ President Madison an ensign of rifles in
the regular army. He was promoted to be
lieutenant on March 12, 1813, and served
with great gallantry during the war of 18 12.
He was raised to the rank of captain on Au-
gust 6. 18 18. He was engaged in the oper-
ations against the Arickaree Indians in
1823 ; was promoted to be major on Septem-
ber 26. 1837, and lieutenant-colonel on De-
cember I. 1839, and was brevet ted colonel,
for his services against the Seminoles in
Ilorida. on June 2, 1840. During the Mex-
ican war in 1846-47 he commanded the Sec-
ond Infantry under Gen. Winfield Scott, and
later the Second Brigade of Gen. D. E.
Twiggs' division in the operations against
the City of Mexico. He participated with
conspicuous bravery in all of the most im-
portant battles of the war and was repeat-
edly commended by Gen. Scott. He was
hrevetted brigadier-general .\pril 16, 1847.
and major-general August 20. 1847. I" 1^4^
he was assigned to the command of the de-
partment of the Pacific and served as mili-
tary governor of California, until the organ-
ization of the state government, which he
hastened by all the means in his power. On
January 31, 1850, he was promoted to be
colonel and commanded the First Infantry
until his death. General Riley was a splen-
did soldier, and his firmness and discretion
proved of the greatest value in the most
turbulent period of the history of California.
He died at ButTalo, New York, June 9, 1853.
Hoge, John Blair, born in Jefferson coun-
ty, \'irginia, in 1790, son of Rev. Moses
Hoge, president of Hampden-Sidney Col-
lege. He was educated in part in his father's
private school at Shephcrdstown, and in
p.'.rt at Hampden-Sidney College, under the
presidency of his father. He was for a time
a tutor in the college, and then studied law
under Henry E. Watkins, of Prince Edward
cc»unty. He, however, came to prefer theol-
ogy before the law, was pre])ared by his
fiither for the ministry, and in 1810 was
licensed as a preacher by the Hanover pres-
bytery. The next year he was transferred
to Winchester presbytery, was ordained at
Tuscarora meeting house, and became pas-
tor of the churches there and at Falling
Waters. His preaching was impressive,
both in matter and manner. In 1814 he went
to Europe to restore his failing health, and
n turned in 18 16. much improved. He re-
moved to Richmond, where he performed
ministerial labors, and compiled a volume
or his father's sermons, and when his health
finally failed he was compiling a memoir of
his father. He was active in establishing
the theological seminar}' in Prince Edward,
holding a foremost place in the synod. He
married Ann K. Hunter, of Martinsburg,
Virginia. He died March 31, 1826.
Jameson, William, born in Virginia in
1 791. died in Alexandria. Virginia, October
7» 1873 ; was appointed midshipman in the
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
United States navy from the District of
Columbia in 1811. and during the second
war with Great liritain was in several naval
e!ij;ragenients. In 1S17 he was commission-
ed lieutenant: in 1837. commander: and in
1844 was promoted to captain. When the
civil war broke out he took sides with the
Xortli. and remained in service until July
1(1, 1862. was then commissioned commo-
dore, placed upon the invalid list, and after
the war closed was placed upon the retired
list.
Jameson, John, son of Captain Thomas
Jameson, of Orange county, X'irginia. served
in the revolution : was captain of the \'ir-
ginia regiment of dragoons. June 16, I77<">;
major. First Continental Dragoons, March
I. 1777: transferred to the Second Conti-
nental Dragoons. April 7, 1777: wounded
near Valley Forge. January 21, 1778: lieu-
tenant-colonel. August 1, 1779, and served
to the close of the war. He was the officer
to whom the unfortunate Major John An-
dre was delivered in 1780, after concerting
with Benedict Arnold for the surrender of
West Point.
Fitzgerald, James H,, born in Cumber-
land county, \'irginia. He was liberally
educated, and inherited an ample estate.
Early in life he represented his county in
the house of delegates. He married a daugh-
of Francis Thornton, and took up his resi-
dence at the falls of the Rappahannock
river, near Fredericksburg. He was an
elder in the Presbyterian church, a trustee
of Hampden-Sidney College, a director of
Union Theological Seminary, president of
the central board of foreign missions, and a
helper in all good works. The church at
Fredericksburg attained to a place of com-
manding importance, largely through his
instrumentality, and in him the church at
Warrenton ever had a firm friend and gen-
erous helper. Failing health induced him
to visit France, with his wife, in 185 1, and
on May 6, 1852. he passed away in Paris.
Leavenworth, Abncr Johnson, born in
Waterbury, Connecticut. July 2, 1803: grad-
uated at Amherst College in 1825 : studied
theology at Andover, Massachusetts, and
was licensed as a Congregationalist preach-
er. After holding charges at Orange and
Bristol. Connecticut, he became pastor of
the Young Ladies* Seminary at Charlotte,
Xorth Carolina. In 1838 he removed to
Warrenton, \irginia. where he took charge
of a school until he was called to a Presby-
terian church at Petersburg, \'irginia. in
1840. Resigning in 1844. he became prin-
cipal and proprietor of the Leavenworth
.Academy and Collegiate Seminary for
Young Ladies. He was corresponding sec-
retary of the Virginia Education Associa-
tion, which he was largely instrumental in
founding. He died in Petersburg, Virginia.
February 12, 1869.
Gholson, William Yates, born in Bruns-
wick county, Virginia, December 25, 1807,
son of Thomas and Ann (Yates) Gholson,
and a cousin of Judge Samuel J. Gholson.
He was graduated at the College of Xew
Jersey in 1825, studied law, was admitted
to the bar and practiced his profession in
Mississippi. He removed to Cincinnati,
Ohio, in 1845, 2md at once took a leading
place at the bar. With Bellamy Storer, Sr.,
and Oliver ^L Spencer he was appointed
judge of the superior court, and the three
probably were never surpassed. He was
afterward supreme judge of the state for
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PROMINENT PERSONS
333
four years. He wrote a "Digest of .the Laws
of Ohio/* and also published addresses on
•'Payment of Bonds of the United States f'
"Reconstruction of the Southern States,"
and "Payment of the Principal of the Pub-
lic Debt/' He married Elvira Wright, of
Missouri. He died in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sep-
tember 20, 1870.
Cowardin, James Andrew, born near Hot
Springs. Virginia, October 6, 181 1, the son
01 John Lewis and Polly (Rhodes) Cowar-
din. and grandson of Abraham Cowardin,
who married Miss Lewis, daughter of Mrs.
Lewis (who at one time owned the famous
Warm Springs in Bath county), and who
was of the numerous family of Lewises of
Virginia, of which Gen. Charles and Meri-
wether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clarke
Rocky Mountain explorers, were members.
At the age of thirteen years James entered
the oriike of the Roanoke "Sentinel," Dan-
ville, \'irginia, to serve his time at the "art
preservative of arts.'* In 18J7 or 1828 he
removed to Lynchburg, Virginia, and at
iwcnty-one became foreman of the "Jeffer-
sonian Republican," and occasionally wrote
for it. He held this position until 1834.
when he removed to Richmond, Virginia,
where he became chief and confidential clerk
Oi Thomas Ritchie, editor and owner of the
"Daily Enquirer," and the Nestor of South-
ern journalism. Politically they were far
aj.art, but Ritchie's heart was won by the
cheerful and willing spirit, the active and
oMiging disposition of young Cowardin.
Letters which passed between them when
ti.ey stood in good relation of employer and
employee, and after they had separated,
siiow Mr. Ritchie's high estimate of his
vimng clerk, and his sincere desire to see
him advance in life. Mr. Cowardin held his
clerkship in the "Enquirer" office until
1838, when he bought out the interest of
John S. Gallegher in the "Times and Com-
piler,'* W. H. Davis being the remaining
partner, the firm becoming Cowardin &
Davis. Later, desiring to engage in finan-
cial pursuits, he disposed of his interest in
the "Times and Compiler," to W. C. Car-
rington, and embarked with his brother-in-
law, Charles \V. Purcell, in the banking and
brokerage business. Of this he soon tired,
and on October 19, 1859, in connection with
William H. Davis, Mr. Cowardin started
the "Daily Dispatch," which was independ-
ent in politics, and the first penny paper
ever published south of Baltimore, Mary-
land, and after years of toil he established
it upon a firm foundation, and made it one
of the most progressive and prosperous
papers in the Southern states. At the close
of the civil war, Mr. Cowardin associated
with himself H. K. Ellyson, who became
half-owner in the "Dispatch." In the Whig
campaign of 1853 Mr. Cowardin was nomi-
nated by the old Whig party as one of the
candidates to represent the city of Rich-
mond in the house of delegates of Virginia,
and was elected. In the g^eat struggle of
1869. when Virginia was seeking to release
herself from military rule and secure read-
mission to the Union, he again consented to
take an active part in politics and helped to
organize the committee of nine, and went
with it to Washington in the interest of the
"Walker movement." His letters from
Washington to the "Dispatch" measurably
prepared the \'irginia mind for the accept-
ance of "the new depanure.'* and finally to
its success. He was a great friend of in-
ternal improvements, and wrote well upon
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VJRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
this and all other public questions, and was
thoroughly loyal to the history and traditions
ot his state. His sanguine temperament
and cheerful disposition, shown in his writ-
ings, and in hi:> daily life, were of inestima-
ble service to X'irginia in the dark forbid-
ding days following the burning of Rich-
mond and the surrender of Lee. He was a
charming newspaper correspondent, graphic
and humorous. His editorials on the "Old
Virginia Ham/' "Old Virginia Fiddlers,'*
etc. < in which he would pen life portraits
of JcfTerson. William Wirt, Governor Gil-
mer. Governor Cabell, Whitwell Tunstall,
and others, who delighted in a "concord of
sweet sounds." and were accomplished per-
formers of the violin, as he was himself),
are well remembered. Mr. Cowardin was
married, in 1840. to Annie Marie Purcell,
daughter of Charles and Sarah Purcell. He
died at Richmond, Virginia, November 21,
1882.
Haxall, Robert William, born in Peters-
burg. X'irginia. August i. 1802, son of Philip
Haxall. a merchant of Petersburg, Virginia,
who came from Exning. county Suffolk,
England, in 1786, and Clara, his wife,
daughter of Robert Walker, of "Kingston,"
Dinwiddie county, Virginia; graduated at
Vale in 1823. attended medical lectures at
the University of Pennsylvania, and re-
ceived his medical degree from the Univer-
sity of Maryland in 1826. After studying in
Europe, he settled in Richmond. He was
several times president of the Medical
Society of Virginia, and was one of the
founders of the American Medical Asso-
ciation. He obtained two Boylston prizes
for essays, and was a frequent contributor
to the **Stethoscope." He died in Rich-
mond. Virginia, March 26. 1872. He mar-
ried Jane, daughter of David Higginbotham,
of Albemarle county, and widow of W. D.
McMurdo.
Ellison, Matthew, born in Monroe county,
X'irginia. November 10, 1804. He became
a Iiaptist minister in Virginia, traveling
over wide districts, and organized twenty-
Pve churches. When seventy-five years of
age he gave up preaching and settled at
Raleigh. West Virginia. He is the author
of "Dunkerism. a Plea for the Union of
laptists." and other controversial works on
the subject of baptism.
Inglis, Mary, said to have been the first
white woman in Kentucky, was born in
1729, died in 1813. In 1756 one of the fron-
tier settlements of X'irginia on Alleghany
Ridge (now in Montgomery county. \'ir-
ginia) was attacked by a party of Shawnee
Indians, who killed some of the inhabitants,
making others captive. Mrs. Inglis, her
two sons, and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Draper,
were carried by the Indians down the Kana-
wha to their towns at the mouth of the
Scioto, where she was separated from her
children. Mrs. Inglis won the favor of the
Indians by making shirts out of the colored
goods purchased from the French traders,
but the separation from her children and
the hard life she led, moved her to escape.
She induced an old Dutch woman to join
her. and having obtained permission to pick
grapes, set out down the Ohio valley, one
hundred and forty miles, to a point opposite
the Scioto towns. There they found an old
horse on the Kentucky side, procured corn
and wheat, then followed on to the Virginia
line, where they found the Big Sandy im-
passable. Going up the river, they found a
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raft of trees and logs on which they crossed
iii safety, but lost their horse. They wan-
dered on toward the Kanawha, but suffered
so much from hunger and exposure that the
Dutch woman became crazed, finally mak-
ing a deadly assault upon Mrs. Inglis, who
went on alone, reached the banks of the
Kanawha, and there finding an old Indian
canoe, crossed over. The Dutch woman
reached the same point, and begged to be
carried over, but Mrs. Inglis dared not
again trust herself within reach of the de-
mented woman. She traveled up the Kana-
wha, soon found a clearing and white set-
tlers, who went back and brought in the
Dutch woman. Mrs. Inglis had been over
forty days on her journey through the wil-
derness, and had traveled more than four
hundred miles. One of her sons died in
captivity, the other was ransomed after
being held by the Indians for thirteen years.
She was the mother of daughters who mar-
ried men who became distinguished in the
history of Virginia and Kentucky.
Gary, Mary, daughter of Col. Wilson
Gary, of **Ceeleys," Elizabeth City county,
Virginia, was born 1731-1738, married Ed-
ward .Ambler (q. v.), of Jamestown, in 1754.
She survived her husband, who died in 1768,
thirteen years. A beautiful portrait of her
is preserved. There was a very current
story that she was once Washington's sweet-
heart, but this is entirely discredited by the
eminent antiquarian, Wilson Miles Cary. of
Baltimore, who shows conclusively that the
object of Washington's attachment was her
elder sister, Sally Cary, who married George
William Fairfax. Mrs. Ambler removed,
when the revolutionary war broke out. from
Jamestown to the "Cottage." in Hanover
county, where she died in May, 1781.
Ambler, Jaquclin, son of Richard Ambler
(q. v.), of Yorktown and Jamestown, Vir-
ginia, was born in .\ugust, 1742. He was
educated at William and Mary College
from 1753 ^^ '760, and entered into business
with his father at Yorktown ; he was coun-
cillor of state during the revolution, and
later was treasurer of the commonwealth,
a position which he held till his death, Feb-
ruary 20, 1798. He married Rebecca Bur-
well, daughter of Lewis Burwell (q. v.),
president of the council and acting governor.
She was the young lady whom Thomas Jef-
ferson called his "Belinda."
Irvine, William, born in Virginia, about
1750, died in 1820. He grew to manhood in
Virginia, then, with his brother Christopher,
went to Kentucky, and was among the earli-
est pioneers of that state. They built and
occupied Irvine station, in Madison county,
in 1778, and took part in most of the fight-
ing with the Indians. William Irvine was
at Little Mountain, where Captain Estill
and eighteen riflemen fought twenty-five
Wyandottes, and he received a severe
wound. In 1876 Christopher Inglis led a
company under Col. Ben Logan against the
Indians of northern Ohio, and was killed
by a .savage he was pursuing, who in turn
was killed by Irvine's men. William Irvine
became clerk of the quarter sessions and
county courts of Madison county ; later was
clerk of the circuit court: was elected a
member of the Virginia house of delegates
from the district of Kentucky; was a dele-
gate to the several conventions at Danville,
looking to the establishment of Kentucky
as a state, and was a member of the conven-
tion which framed the second constitution
of Kentucky. He was several times chosen
presidential elector.
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VIRGIXIA DIOGRAPIJY
Hall, John, born in Augusta county, \'ir-
ginia. May 31, 1767. He was graduated at
\\ illiam and Mary College, and studied law
with his kinsman. Judge Stuart, the father
of A. H. H. Stuart. He removed to W'ar-
r<.ntown. North Carolina, in 1792; was made
a judge of the superior court in 1800. which
uas then the highest court in the state. On
the organization of the present superior
court system in i8or» he rode the circuits in
rotation, and. in 1818. on the organization
of the present supreme court, was elected
along with John Lewis Taylor and Leonard
Henderson, to form its judiciary. Although
the senior in years, he did not insist on be-
aming the chief justice on the death of
1 aylur in 1829. He was a presidential elec-
t(»r on the Jackson ticket in 1829.. and re-
signed his judgeship in December, 1832. He
was not brilliant nor showy, but was a safe
judge, being thoroughly impartial and un-
biased. He died at Warrentown. North
Carolina. January 29, 1833.
James, Benjamin, born in Stafford county,
Virginia, in April. 1768, died in Laurens dis-
trict. South Carolina, November 15, 1825.
He was educated in Virginia, and prepared
lor the law in Charleston, South Carolina,
where he was admitted to the bar and prac-
ticed until 1796. He then returned to Staf-
ford county, Virginia, and there practiced
utitil 1808. when he abandoned his profes-
sion. He was the author of a "Digest of
th*? Statute and Common Law of Carolina,"
published in Columbia in 1814. In 1808 he
moved to the Laurens district. South Caro-
lina, and was elected state senator.
Ambler, John, born September 25, 1762.
son of Edward Ambler, of Jamestown, Vir-
ginia, went to Philadelphia to school, and
ii» 1782 fell heir to Jamestown Island and all
the other great estates of his parents. He
served in the legislature at twenty-one and
was the captain of a cavalry troop of James
City county. He removed to Richmond in
1807 and was made major of the Nineteenth
Regiment of Virginia militia, commanding
the troops which were sent to Norfolk at
the time of the attack on the Chcsaf'cakc:
afterwards was made colonel of the Nine-
teenth Regiment of state troops and served
m the war of 1812. He was one of the jury
that tried Aaron Burr for treastm. He died
April 8. 183C1. and was buried in Shockoe
Cemetery. Richmond.
Harvie,Jaquelin Burwcll, son of Col. John
Harvie, a delegate from X'irginia to the con-
tinental congress, 177S-1779. wa> born in
Richmond. October 9. 1788. He was pre-
pared for the navy and served as a midsr.ip-
n^an ; he resigned to assist his mother in the
management of her estate. He was a state
senator and major-general of militia for the
eastern district of \'irginia. He had large
business interests in Richmond in the dock
and water works and the Belle Isle nail fac-
tory. He married Mary Marshall, daugh-
ter of Chief Justice John Marshall.
Wirt, William, born at Bladensburg,
Prince George county, Maryland. Novem-
ber 8, 1772, son of Jacob Wirt, a tavern
keeper and native of Switzerland. He was
sent to a school at Georgetown, D. C, and
then to that of the Rev. James Hunt, in
Montgomery county, Maryland, where he
remained until he was nearly fifteen, and
made rapid progress. While acting as a
private tutor he kept up his studies and his
practice in writing. He was admitted to the
bar in 1792 and opened an office at Culpeper
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Court House, Virginia. His person and ad-
aress were attractive, his abilities shining
and precocious; fortune smiled upon him
from the start. After two years in Culpeper,
he removed to Albemarle county, where his
practice increased. He married the daugh-
ter of Dr. George Gilmer, of "Pen Park,"
v/ho introduced him to Mr. Jefferson and
the leading men of the state. Being natur-
ally of a vivacious disposition and an agree-
able personality, he was gladly welcomed.
He obtained the reputation of a ban vivant
among his professional brethren, and was
somewhat wild. Before it was too late Wirt
saw the error of his course, and breaking
away from the temptations to which he had
been exposed, settled down to a sober life,
and a course of reading, which in great
measure supplied the deficiencies of his early
education which, especially in law, was ex-
ceedingly meagre for one who had to meet
•^uch opponents as Thomas Jefferson and
James Monroe. In 1799 he went to Rich-
mond, was presently made clerk of the
house of delegates, and in 1802 chancellor
el the eastern district, and moved to Wil-
liamsburg. In 1803 his "Letters of a British
Spy" appeared in the Richmond "Argus"
and as a volume, added much to his repu-
tation; the tenth edition (1832) had a sketch
of the author by P. H. Cruse. After six
months in Williamsburg he went to Nor-
folk, where he staid till 1806, when he re-
turned to Richmond. In 1807, by President
Jfiferson*s appointment, he was a counsel
in the trial of Aaron Burr; one of his
speeches, which lasted four hours, was
vastly admired and was among the finest
el^orts of his life. The speech greatly ex-
tended his fame, and is perhaps the one
which has made him best known to succeed-
VTA-22
ing generations, as its florid periods and its
occasional pathos made it a prime favorite
for academic declamation, and although it
may be said to be worn to shreds by the
constant repetition, it yet has the power to
charm even a critical reader. His essays
collected as '*The Rainbow," were first print-
ed in 1808 in the Richmond ''Enquirer," as
was, two years later, "The Old Bachelor,"
gathered in two volumes (1812). To the
latter several writers of less fame contrib-
uted; J. P. Kennedy called it Wirt's best
book, but other critics were not of that
opinion. His **Life of Patrick Henry"
(1817) was widely circulated; it had all the
gorgeousness of his earlier oratory. His
cnly experience as a legislator was in 1808.
In 1816 he was appointed by President Mad-
ihon United States district attorney for Vir-
ginia, and in 1817, by President Monroe,
United States attorney-general. This post
he held with great repute until 1829, resid-
ing at Washington. Judge Story ranked
him "among the ablest and most eloquent
of the bar of the supreme court." He took
part in many leading cases, among them
that of Dartmouth College, 1819; in this he
was not at his best, and the honors went
to Webster, who won the case. His most
noted extra legal addresses were — that of
October 19, 1826, on the deaths of Jefferson
and Adams, and one at Rutgers College in
1830, which was reproduced in England,
Germany and France. In 1829 he removed
to Baltimore. In 1831 appeared his letters
and those of J. Q. Adams on the anti-Ma-
sonic movement; the next year he was the
candidate of that party for the presidency
and received a popular vote of 33.108, and
the electoral vote of Vermont only. Har-
vard g^ve him the degree of Doctor of Laws
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
in 1824. He was president of the Mary-
land I'ible Society, and a devout and con-
sistent Presbyterian. See his life by J. P.
Kennedy (2 vols.), 1849. Extracts from his
speeches and .sketches (e. g "The Blind
Preacher") were long and widely diffused
through the medium of "Readers and Speak-
ers." He married (first) Mildred Gilmer,
daughter of Dr. George Gilmer, of Albe-
marle county, Virginia; (second) Elizabeth
Washington Gamble, daughter of Colonel
Robert Gamble. Mr. Wirt died at Washing-
ton. February 18, 1834.
Doak, John Whitcficld, born in Rock-
bridge county. Virginia, October 17. 1778.
eldest son of Rev. Samuel and Esther H
(Montgomery) Doak. He was educated by
his father, and was graduated in the first
class at Washington College in 1796; his
only classmate being James Witherspoon,
a relative of the president of Princeton Col-
lege. Two years later, at the early age of
twenty years, he was licensed to preach by
the Abingdon presbytery, and held various
charges through Virginia and Tennessee
until he was elected financial agent for the
college in 1808. While traveling in the
eastern states in quest of funds for the in-
stitution, he accepted a call from the Pres-
byterian church of Frankfort, near Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, and was duly in-
stalled in 1809. After a few years of ener-
getic pastoral work, however, his health
failed, and leaving the pulpit, he applied him-
self to the study of medicine. In 1817 he re-
turned to east Tennessee, and upon the res-
ignation of his father in the following year,
was elected to succeed him in the presidency
of Washington College. At the same time
he assumed charge of the Salem and Lees-
burg churches, exerting himself so earnestly
as preacher, instructor and executive, that
his feeble constitution speedily succumbed
to the ravages of consumption. His friend.
Rev. Stephen Bovell, of Washington coun-
ty, \'irginia, says of him : "His genius was
much above mediocrity, his understanding
clear, his invention quick, his judgment
penetrating and accurate, his conception of
religious truths sublime, and his manner of
expression elegant, solemn and impressive."
Dr. Doak was married, in 1809. to Jane H.
.\lexander (a half sister of Dr. Archibald
Alexander's father), of Rockbridge county.
Virginia, and had eight children ; his third
son. Rev. Archibald Alexander Doak, sub-
.*^cquently succeeding to the presidency of
the college. While on his way to attend a
meeting of the Abingdon presbytery, he died
suddenly at Green Spring, X'irginia, October
6, 1820.
Lucas, Robert, bom in Shepherdstown,
Virginia, April I, 1781, a descendant of Wil-
liam Penn, and son of a captain in the colo-
nial army in the revolution. He resided in
Virginia until 1800, then moved to Ohio.
He was a major-general of militia, and
when the second war with Great Britain
broke out was commissioned, March 14,
1812, captain in the Nineteenth Regiment.
United States Infantry, and lieutenant-colo-
nel for distinguished service. February 20,
1813. He resigned from the army in June.
181 3, and as brigadier-general of Ohio
militia was engaged in frontier defence from
July 25 until September 19 that year. In
1814 he was elected to the Ohio legislature.
In 1832 he presided over the Democratic
niitional convention that nominated Andrew
Jackson for the presidency a second time.
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In 1832 he was elected governor of Ohio,
serving four years, and in 1838 was appoint-
ed the first governor of the territory of
Iowa. He died at Iowa City, Iowa, Febru-
ary 7, 1853.
Gamble, Elizabeth Washington, born at
Richmond, Virginia, January 30, 1785,
daughter of Col. Robert Gamble (q. v.).
She was well educated, and early showed
a fondness for literature. She was the
author of "Flora's Dictionary" (1829), a
quarto remarkable in its day, combining
botany with an epistolary guide and a dic-
tionary of quotations. She married, in 1802,
William Wirt.
Johnson, Frank W., bom in Virginia, Oc-
tober. 1799. He emigrated to Texas in 1826,
and engaged in surveying land until 183 1,
\\ hen he was elected alcalde of the jurisdic-
tion of Austin. In 1832 he led an expedi-
tion against the Mexican post of Annahuac.
The same year he was appointed chief sur-
vtyor of Austin's colony. He entered the
army as a volunteer in F835, and was ap-
H^inted adjutant and inspector-general suc-
cessively by Generals Austin and Burleson.
In December. 1835. ^^ 1^^ ^"^ ^^ ^^e col-
umns which so gallantly stormed and took
the post and city of San Antonio de Bexar,
and on the fall of Colonel Benjamin R.
Milam, the command devolved upon him. In
1836 he made a raid through the country
between the Xueces river and the Rio
Grande, but was surprised by the Mexicans,
and lost most of his command. This was
his last public service. He died in 1885, on
a visit to the famed hot springs, Aguas
Calientes, Mexico.
Ambler, John Jaquelin, eldest son of Col.
John Ambler and Catherine Bush, his wife,
daughter of Philip Bush, of Winchester,
was born at Williamsburg, Virginia, March
9, 1801. He was educated at William and
Mary College, which he left in 1817; attend-
ed medical lectures at the University of
Pennsylvania, and studied law with George
Hay, in Richmond; in 1823-26 he toured
Europe. He was a prominent planter. He
lived for many years at "Glen Ambler," in
Amherst county; and afterwards moved to
another of his fine estates, ^J^^^^l*" Hall,"
in Madison county, where he died Novem-
ber 18, 1854. He married Elizabeth Bar-
bour, daughter of Judge Philip Pendleton
P.arbour, of the United States supreme
court.
Harris, Chapman, born in Nelson county,
Virginia, in 1802. His mother was a free
negress. and consequently he had no diffi-
culty, when he grew to man's estate, in
emigrating to Indiana. He settled at Madi-
son, and united with the Baptist church of
th.at place. Before this time he had become
actively engaged in the operations of the
underground railroad. The Ohio river being
the dividing line between Kentucky and
Indiana, fugitive slaves frequently fled to
the northern shore, and were piloted by
Harris and his associates through the city
01 Madison, and from station to station on
the "underground routes" to Canada. Har-
lis and his four sons, Elijah, William.
George and John, were the principal colored
workers on this railfoad, but they had allies
in some of the leading white residents of
the district. Near the mouth of Eagle hol-
low, above Madison, stood a gigantic syca-
more tree, the hollow trunk of which Har-
ris called his depot. .At this point, on solid
reck, he had placed an iron plate weighing
twelve pounds, on which he used to strike
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
bis \v*II-known signal, using as a hammer
a great hickory cane with a spike in the end.
When expecting a party of fugitives, mes-
sengers were despatched along the line of
the underground road, to put all men on the
alert, and as the fugitives landed they were
spirited on to their sought-for haven. He
was over six feet high, and a man of great
strength. He died February lo, 1890.
Irvin, William W., born in Albemarle
county, Virginia, in 1778, son of Rev. Wil-
liam Irv'in, a Presbyterian minister, and
Elizabeth Holt, his wife. He studied law
rnd after admission to the bar located in
Lancaster. Ohio. He held various local
offices — member of the state general assem-
bly, 1806-08; justice of the state supreme
court. 1808-15; representative in the state
general assembly. 1825-28, and served as
speaker, 1825-26 ; elected as -a Democrat to
the twenty-first and twenty-second con-
gresses (March 4, !829-March 3, 1833) ; de-
feated for re-election to the twenty-third
congress. He died in Lancaster, Ohio,
April 19, 1842.
Page, Hugh Nelson, was born at ** North
End," Gloucester (now Mathews) county,
\'irginia. in September, 1788, youngest child
of John Page, of Caroline county, Virginia,
and Elizabeth (called Betty) Burwell, his
wife. In September, 181 1, he entered the
United States navy as midshipman. In
June, 1812, he was ordered to the gunboat
squadron at Norfolk, Virginia, stationed
there for harbor protection. In August of
the same year he was assigned to Commo-
dore Chauncey's squadron on Lake Ontario.
Later, when volunteers were called for to
serve under Commodore Perry, on Lake
Erie, he proferred his services, and was
placed on duty under Lieut. Calkin, on the
schooner Tigress, He behaved with gal-
lantry in the famous battle of Lake Erie,
and was wounded in the hand. He was
placed in charge of the prisoners taken, and
had the distinguished honor of bearing to
Gen. Harrison, who was posted at the mouth
ot the Sandusky river. Commodore Perry's
immortal message, "We have met the
enemy, and they are ours." For his con-
duct in the engagement, Page was presented
with two beautiful swords— one from the
United States congress, and one from the
state of \'irginia. Ordered to the Siaijara,
he aided in conveying Gen. Harrison's army
to Maiden, to attack the British general
Proctor, who, however, retreated before the
arrival of the fleet. In 1814, Page served
under Commodore Sinclair in the expedition
to Detroit, to convey Maj. Crogan's troops
to Mackinaw, and where Crogan was de-
feated, his men again going aboard the ships
of the fleet. Page served in the subsequent
operations — the destruction of a British fort
on the Saginaw river, and the winterquarter-
iiig at Erie. He was then given leave of
absence for three years, and in 1818 was
made lieutenant, and assigned to the John
Adants, the flagship of Commodore Perry,
under whom he sailed to South .\merica,
and an incident of this voyage was the death
of Commodore Perry, during a stay at
Trinidad. In 1834, Lieut. Page, in command
of the Boxer, conveyed the United States
ehargc d'affaires to Valparaiso, Chile. In
1838 he was promoted to commander. In
1843 ^^ was ordered to the Lez*an!, and con-
veyed Hon. Henry .A. Wise. L'nited States
minister to Brazil, from Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, to Rio. Thereafter Commander Page
crui.-ed in the Pacific until the breaking
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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out of the Mexican war, when he was
ordered to Monterey, which was taken pos-
session of by the fleet. In October, 1847, he
was assigned to the command of the re-
ceiving ship Pennsylvania, at Norfolk, Vir-
ginia; in 1849 was promoted to captain,
ordered to the command of the flagship
Sdzannah, in Pacific waters. In 1855 he was
retired, with leave-pay. He married (first)
Imogen, daughter of Guy Wheeler, of
Xansemond county. Virginia ; and (second)
Elizabeth P., daughter of Holt Wilson, of
Portsmouth, Virginia. He died at Norfolk,
J
une 3, 1S71.
FoUard, Richard, born in King and Queen
county, \'irguiia, in 1790. In 181 1 he grad-
uated at William and Mary College, as
r.achelor of Civil Law. He was appointed
captain in the Twentieth Regiment, United
S^tates Infantry, April 14, 18 12, for the war
with Great Britain; was engaged in the
battle of Craney Island, promoted to major,
and assigned to the Twenty-first United
States Infantry ; resigned at end of the war.
He located at Lynchburg. Virginia, and en-
gaged in a mercantile business, but met
with heavy losses on account of depreciation
of real estate, and practiced at the bar as a
lawyer. In 1835 he was appointed by Pres-
ident Jackson as charge d'affaires for the
United States to the republic of Chili; was
reappointed by President Tyler, his diplo-
matic service extending from 1835 to 1843,
and after his return from his mission, made
his home at "Alta Vista," Albemarle county,
which (says his biographer), "his courtly
address, distinguished manners and genial
hospitality rendered elegant and charming
to all whom he received there." He died in
Washington City, February 19, 1851. He
married, March 11, 1796, at "Oakridge,"
Virginia, Paulina Cabell Rives. Among their
children were: John Pollard, who joined
the Texan army, and was killed in battle,
in his twenty-third year; James Rives Pol-
lard, M. D., surgeon of Hampton's Legion,
Confederate States army ; and Henry Rives
Pollard, journalist (q. v.).
rage, John E., born at "Pagebrook,"
Clarke county, Virginia, March 11, 1795. son
of John Page, of the same place, and Maria
ll. Hyrd, his wife. He was for many years
circuit court judge for the counties of
Clarke and Warren, and was holding that
office at the time of his death. In 1863 he
removed with his family to Albemarle
county, Virginia, and for about a year re-
sided at "Cobham Park," the country resi-
dence of William C. Rives, of Newport,
Rhode Island. He married, in 1823, Emily,
daughter of Col. William H. McGuire. of
Harper's Ferry, Virginia, an officer of dis-
tinction in the United States army.
Lee, Edmund Jenings» bom at Alex-
andria, then in the District of Columbia,
May 3, 1797. eldest son of Edmund Jcnings
Lee and Sarah Lee, his wife. He received
his early education at Rev. Mr. Maffet's
school in Fairfax — ^an institution of high re-
pute in that day — ^and subsequently gradu-
ated from Princeton College, the alnui uiatcr
(.i his father. He studied law under his
father, and on being admitted to the bar,
i»ngaged in practice at Wheeling, Virginia,
where he remained until his marriage, then
removing to Shepherdstown, where he re-
sided the remainder of his life. He was
frequently solicited to enter upon a public
career, but steadfastly refused. Like others
of his family and friends, he was originally
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\1RGIX1A BIOGRAPHY
opposed to secession, but went with his
state when she seceded. He was too far ad-
vanced in years to enter the army. During
a temporary absence both his own residence
and thai oi his wire, nearby, were burned
by ihc l-'edcT.ils. He married (tirst) Eliza,
ciaughier of Capt. Abraham Shepherd, of
licrkcley conniy; and (second* Henrietta,
daughter of Daniel Dedingcr, of "Cedford,"
hear Shepherdstown, Virginia, lie died at
bib home "Lecland/* near Shepherdstown,
August 10. 1877.
Fagc, Francis Nelson, born at "Green-
land." Gloucester county, X'irginia, October
28. 1820, eldest son of Mann Page and Judith
Kelson, his wife. He was graduated from
the United States Military .-\cademy at West
J'oint. in 1S41. was commissioned lieutenant
of infantry*, and served in the Florida war.
Prom 1845 to 1847 he was on duty as adju-
tant. He saw service in the Mexican war;
received brevet of first lieutenant for gallant
conduct in defense of Fort Brown, and of
brevet major for gallant and meritorious
conduct in the battles of Contreras and
Cherubusco. He distinguished himself in
the battle of Chapultepec, in which he was
wounded. In recognition of his excellent
conduct throughout the war, the Virginia
legislature presented to him a handsome
sword, which, with his pistols, came into the
possession of his eldest son, Francis Nelson
Page, Jr. He married, February 25, 1851,
Susan, daughter of Col. William Duval, of
Florida. He died at Fort Smith, Arkansas,
March 25. 1S60, at the early age of forty
years.
Shepherd, Thomas, emigrated from Eng-
land, and settled first at Annapolis, Mary-
land, whence he removed to the neighbor-
hood of Mecklenburg (now Shepherdstown)
\'irginia, which town received its last name
from his family, he having there acquired a
large tract of land from Lord Fairfax.
Thomas Shepherd laid out the town in 1762,
and in his will, executed in 1776, directed the
deeding of a lot of two acres **on which the
Knglish church stood," for church purj)oscs.
Shepherd, Abraham, son of Thomas Shep-
herd, the founder of Shepherdstown, \*ir-
ginia. He marched in 1775 with a company
from Shepherdstown, to join Washington's
army at Dosion. At the battle of King's
r.ridge, in November. 1776, when his super-
ior officers had been killed or wounded, he
Commanded the regiment, with credit to
himself, r.ishop Meade wrote of him:
"Without detracting from the praise due to
many others, who have contributed funds
and efforts to the last two churches, we must
ascribe the first of them chiefly to the zeal,
perseverance and liberality of that true
friend of the church in her darkest days,
Abraham Shepherd.'* Capt. Shepherd mar-
ried Eleanor Strode, and their daughter,
Eliza Shepherd, became the wife of Edmund
Jenings Lee. Capt. Shepherd died Septem-
ber 7, 1822, in his sixty-ninth year.
Custis, John Parke, born at the "White
House," on the Pamunkey river, Xew Kent
county, Virginia, in 1755, son of Daniel
Parke Custis and Martha Dandridgc, and
£tep.<on of Gen. George W'ashington. He
was tutored by Rev. Jonathan Bucher at
Annapolis, and in May, 1773, was entered
at Kings College, New York City. He re-
niained till December, and on February 3,
1774, married Eleanor, daughter of Bene-
dict Calvert, of "Mt. Airy," Prince George
county, Maryland, a son of Charles Calvert,
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PROMINENT PERSONS
34a
bixth Lord Baltimore. Custis had not yet
reached his twentieth year at the time of
his marriage, and his bride was only six-
teen. Washington had protested against the
union, in a note written to Mr. Calvert, at
the same time stating that the young man's
estate embraced about 15,000 acres of land.
a good part adjoining the city of Williams-
burg, between two and three hundred ne-
groes, and eight to ten thousand pounds in
bonds. His protest was unavailing; the
marriage took place as above stated, Wash-
ington was readily reconciled. Custis was
aide to Washington during the revolu-
tion, and while serving at Yorktown, con-
tracted camp fever and retired to "Eltham"
in New Kent county, the home of his ma-
ternal uncle, Burwell Bassett, where he died
November 5, 1781. He was a member of
the house of delegates at the time. He !elt
four children : Elizabeth Parke Custis, who
married Thomas Law; Martha Parke Cus-
tis. who married Thomas Peter: Eleanor
Parke Custis, who married Lawrence Lewis
(Washington's nephew), and George Wash-
ington Parke Custis. After Custis* death
his widow married (secondly) Dr. David
Stuart, of Prince George county, Maryland.
Robinson, John, born in York county, Vir-
ginia, February 13, 1773, son of Anthony
Robinson and Frances Reade, his wife. In
1787 he went to Richmond and entered the
office of Adam Craig, clerk of the county
and of the hustings court of Henrico county,
and under which he served as assistant for
many years. He was afterwards an assist-
ant to John Brown, clerk of the Richmond
district court, and succeeded to the office
when Mr. Brown went as secretary to Hon.
John Marshall. United States minister to the
French Republic. Mr. Robinson continued
as clerk until the district court was abol-
ished in 1809, and was for a time clerk of
the committee for the courts of justice of
the Virginia house of delegates, and clerk
of the circuit court of Henrico county.
From 1812 to 1827 he was in business with
his brother-in-law, William Moncure, and
Frederick Pleasants; and in 1827 resumed
his clerkship, which he held until his death,
at Richmond, April 26, 1850. He joined the
militia, May 9, 1793, and was made a lieu-
tenant the following year. In 1798 he pub-
lished a "Book of Forms," which in 1826
was enlarged and republished by his son,
Conway Robinson, who was his deputy.
Hon. Henry Clay, as a youth, was also in
his office as a deputy. He married, in 1801,
Agnes Conway, daughter of John Moncure
and Ann Conway, his wife.
Jouett, John, son of Matthew Jouett, was
born in Albemarle county, Virginia, and
kept the Swan Tavern in Charlottesville.
On June 3, 1781, he was in the Cuckoo
Tavern at Louisa, when Tarleton's troops
swept by. intending to surprise the legis-
lature then holding its session at Char-
U^ttesville. Suspecting their design. Jouett
mounted his horse — a very fleet Virginia
blood horse — and rode on at full speed by
a shorter and disused road and arrived in
Charlottesville in time to give notice to
the members, who thereupon dispersed to
meet in Staunton. On his way to Char-
lottesville Jouett stopped at Monticello and
gave information of Tarleton's approach to
Governor Jefferson. Without this timely
notice it is probable that the whole govern-
ment of Virginia would have been captured.
.After providing for the public safety Jonett
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
mounted his horse and went leisurely along
and was pursued by some of Tarleton's
troopers. He let them come quite close to
him, when giving his fleet horse the spur he
was speedily out of sight. He owned con-
siderable land in Albemarle and many lots
in Charlottesville. He kept the Swan Tav-
ern till he died in 1802. He married Mourn-
ing, daughter of Robert Harris, of "Brown's
Cove/' Albemarle county. His son Mat-
thew was a captain in the revolutionary
army and fell in the battle of Brandywine.
His son John succeeded him in conducting
the Swan, but later moved to Kentucky.
His son Robert was also a captain in the
revolution and was afterwards a lawyer. .
He died in 1796, leaving a daughter Alice,
who became the wife of James \V. Bouldin,
of Charlotte county.
Hoge, Samuel Davies, born at Shepherds-
town, Jefferson county. West Virginia,
probably on April 16, 1792. second son of
Rev. Moses Hoge and Elizabeth Poage, his
wife. He was fitted for college by his
father and at a classical school taught by his
brother James, and graduated at Hampden-
Sidney College in 1810. He had early shown
great interest in religion, and when only
nine years of age attended a camp-meeting,
where, under the influence of strong excite-
ment, he "prayed and exhorted with aston-
ishing fervor and eflFect." He studied theol-
ogy under his father, and at the same time
was employed as a tutor in the college. On
May 8, 1813, he was licensed to preach by
the Presbytery of Hanover; in 1813 was
installed pastor of the churches at Culpeper.
Madison and Germanna; in 181 5 was trans-
ferred to the Winchester presbytery, and
was ordained to the ministry and installed
pastor of the Bethesda church at Culpeper,
April 15. The church was unable to sup-
port him, however, and in October, 1817, he
was dismissed. He was active in the Win-
chester presbytery, and represented it in the
general assembly in 1816. After the disso
lution of his pastoral relations, Mr. Hoge
remained at Hampden-Sidney College, as
professor, and for a time was vice-president
of the college. In July, 1820, his father hav-
ing died, he resigned, and, influenced by his
brother James, removed to Ohio. He was
pastor of the Presbyterian churches at
Hillsborough and Rocky Spring, Highland
county, until October, 1823, when owing to
imj)aircd health he resigned and became
professor of mathematics and natural phil-
osophy in Ohio University, Ohio, preaching
occasionally in the Athens church. His
brother James wrote of him : "As a pulpit
orator he lacked only voice and physical
strength to have ranked with the first
preachers of the age. His style was pure,
simple and energetic, expressing with great
exactness the nicest shades of thought, and
his subject matter was always evangelical
truth, presented in such a way as to in-
struct, and at the same time deeply affect
his hearers." As an instructor, he was
highly popular. He married at Hampden-
Sidney, Virginia, in February, 1817, Eliz-
abeth Rice, eldest daughter of Rev. Drury
Lacy, "of the silver tongue," and Anne,
daughter of William Smith, of Montrose,
Powhatan county. She was a beautiful
woman, gifted in many ways; but especially
as a singer and conversationalist. Mr. Hoge
died at Athens. Ohio. December 10. 1826;
his wife at Gallatin, Tennessee. November
20, 1840.
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Ball, Burgess, born July 28, 1749, son of
Jeduthan Ball and Elizabeth Burgess, his
wife. He was a member of the Lancaster
county (Virginia) American Association,
and was by it appointed one of th^e twenty-
live "guardians of the county/* Early in
the revolutionary war he was a volunteer
aide to Washington. By his own prefer-
ence, he subsequently accepted a captaincy
in the Fifth Virginia Regiment. In 1776 he
was unsuccessful in saving a stranded ship
from the British, at Willoughby's Point; was
court-martialed for the seeming negligence,
and was honorably acquitted. In 1776, at
his own expense, he recruited, clothed and'
equipped a regiment for the Continental
line, and was subsequently reimbursed. In
1777 he was made lieutenant-colonel of the
First Virginia Infantry Regiment. He was
in active service until taken prisoner at
Charleston, in 1780, and after being ex-
changed, busied himself with fitting out pri-
vateers for Virginia waters. After the war.
he retired to his homestead. "Travelers'
Rest." near Fredericksburg. Through his
boundless generosity and hospitality, he be-
came impoverished, and late in life became
almost a recluse in a rustic cabin. He mar-
ried Mary Chichester, who died in 1775. He
married fsecond) Frances Washington. He
died in Virginia. March 7, 1800.
Grinnan, Daniel, Jr., born in Accomac
county. Virginia, April 19, 1771, son of Dan-
iel Grinnan, Sr., and Mary Cotton, his wife.
The father, bom in the same county, in
^739» removed to Culpeper county, and
lived on a handsome estate lying on Cedar
Run, near the present Mitchell's Station, on
the Virginia Midland railroad : he served in
the revolutionary war. under General Ed-
ward Stevens, in a Virginia brigade, in
which his oldest son John was a quarter-
master; and was at the battle of Guilford
Court House. Daniel Grinnan, Jr., removed
to Fredericksburg, about 1792, and became
a clerk for James Somerville, who at his
death, about 1798, made Grinnan his execu-
tor, and who succeeded to the business.
About 1800, Mr. Grinnan became a member
of the firm of Murray, Grinnan & Mundell,
with counting houses and warehouses in
Fredericksburg and Norfolk; the firm had
an extensive foreign trade, and were agents
for the Argentine Confederation in their
war with Spain. Mr. Grinnan married
(first) Eliza Richards Green, daughter of
Timothy Green, who in 1787 established the
"Virginia Herald," for many years the only
newspaper in Fredericksburg. Mr. Grinnan
died March 25, 1830; married (second)
Helen Buchan Glassell. daughter of Andrew
Glassell. of 'Torthorwald.*' Madison county,
Virginia.
Lewis, John, born in Spotsylvania county.
Virginia. February 25, 1784, son of Col.
Zachary Lewis, of the revolutionary army,
and Ann Overton Terrell, his wife. That
he was a man of ample knowledge is
attested by his recoid as a teacher of law
as well as of the ordinary branches. He
taught the "Llangolen'' school, near the
North Anna river, not far from Lewis' store,
in Spotsylvania county, where he had
among his pupils Gen. R. T. Daniel (who
became attorney-general), and William
Green and William Robertson, who became
jurists of much ability. In 1832 he moved
to Kentucky, and in 1834 located in Frank-
lin county, that state, where he settled near
his brother Addison, naming his place
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VIRGIXIA niOGRAPHY
"Llangolen," after his former Virginia
home. He wrote a novel. "Young Kate, or
the Rescue : a Tale of the Great Kanawha,"
two volumes, published by Harper Bros..
New York City, and published *' Flowers
and Weeds of the Old Dominion," a compil-
ation of poems by himself, his son. John
Moncure Lewis, and Mrs. Gov. Wood and
Mrs. Huldah (Lewis) Scott. He married
Jean Wood Daniel. He died in Franklin
county, Kentucky, August 15, 1858.
Glassell, James McMillan, born at "Tor-
thorwald." Madison county. Virginia, Janu-
ary I, 1790. son of .Andrew Glassell. who
came from Scotland, and Elizabeth Taylor,
his wife, daughter of Erasmus Taylor, who
was a brother of Zachary Taylor, who was
grandfather of President Zachary Taylor.
During the war of 181 2, he entered the United
States army as ensign in the Twentieth In-
fantry, and was given recruiting duty, and
later was made second and then first lieu-
tenant, and was on duty on Lake Ontario
during the war. He then asked promotion
to a captaincy at the hands of President
Madison, who refused him, saying that his
services merited it, but being a relative, he
would not thus advance him. Ordered to
Georgia, he served on the staff of Gen.
Gaines, and afterwards was sent to Florida,
and was called to the staff of Gen. Andrew
Jackson. While in Florida, he superin-
tended the construction of Fort King and
the fortifications at Key West. He was pro-
moted to captain in 1818. He was a mem-
ber of the board convened to revise the mili-
tary code. He was for some time in Europe
on leave, and after his return was stationed
at Philadelphia until 1828, where he was
brevet ted major for ten years faithful serv-
ice in one grade, and ordered to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, under Gen. Zachary Tay-
lor. He was made full major, September 6.
1837. He married Eudora Swartwout. of
Xew York City. He died at Fortress Mon-
roe, November 3, 1838.
Forrest, French, born in Maryland, Octo-
ber 4. 1796. was appointed midshipman^
United States navy, June 9. 181 1 ; promoted
to lieutenant, March 5, 1817; to commander,
February 9, 1837; to captain, March 30,
1844. He fought bravely in the war of
1812, distinguishing himself in the battle on
Lake Erie when he was but seventeen years
old ; and in the engagement between the
Hornet and Peacock, February 24. 1813. In
the Mexican war he was adjutant-general of
the land forces, and held the same relation
to the navy — a somewhat anomalous posi-
tion, and he landed General Scott's troops at
Vera Cruz, twelve thousand men, in five
hours — a remarkable feat. At different
times he commanded the United States Bra-
zil squadron, the Wa.shington Navy Yard,
and the rear squadron of Commodore
Shubrick's fleet in the Paraguay expedition.
At the outbreak of the civil war he resigned,
and tendered his services to Virginia, and
was placed in charge of the Norfolk Navy
Yard, and bore a principal part in the naval
battle in Hampton Roads, he being on board
the Mcrrimac. Later he was placed in com-
mand of the James river squadron. He bore
the rank of captain, the highest grade pro-
vided in the Confederate navy establish-
ment. He married, in 1830, Emily Douglas,
daughter of Hon. John Douglas Simmes.
He died November 2, 1866.
Cleveland, Benjamin, born near Bull
Run. in Orange county. Virginia, March 26.
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PROMIXEXT PERSONS
347
1738. son of John Cleveland. He came of an
old and fine English family, whose tract,
named Cleveland, lay in North Riding of
Yorkshire. England. His grandfather, Alex-
ander, migrated to the famous Bull Run,
Virginia. His father. John Cleveland, mar-
ried Martha Coffee. Averse to farm work,
Benjamin became a hunter for pelts, and
was fond of horse-racing. He married Mary
Graves, of a well-to-do family, and fought
in the French and Indian war. About 1769
he removed with his wife's father to North
Carolina, near the Blue Ridge, on Roaring
Creek, an arm of the Yadkin, in Rowan, then
Surry (now Wilkes) county, and later re-
moved to **Round-About," fifteen miles be-
low Wilkesboro. From Daniel Boone he
learned of the Kentucky hunting grounds,
and in 1771 went there, but the Cherokees
drove him back without horses, and he ate
dog meat to escape starving. When the rev-
olution began in 1775. refusing to be ensign,
he served in the militia. In February, 1776,
as Capt. Cleveland, with riflemen he broke
up the Highland tories, and did good service
against them and the Indians, In 1777 he
was active in forming the new Wilkes
county, and in 1778 was head of the justices'
commission, militia colonel, commissioner
of confiscated estates, election superintend-
ent, county ranger, or stray master, and
member of the house of commons. In 1778-
79 his regiment shared in the campaign in
Georgia, and on his return he was elected
state senator. In 1780 he fought tories con-
stantly. His next service, now historic, as
settling the revolution in the South in spite
of English successes, was his vital part in
the fateful victory of King's Mountain. The
British had 1.103 men under Ferguson, and
the Americans 923, mostly Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians. The ground of the battle is
600 yards long, 250 wide at base, 60 to 120
wide on top, and 60 feet above the country
level. The English held the eminence. The
Americans were in two columns, two men
deep on the right of the mountain, under
Campbell and Servier. and two on the left
under Cleveland and Shelby. Cleveland
made a ringing appeal, and the attack was
begun with yells. The battle raged all
around the mountain ; Cleveland's horse was
disabled, but he fought on foot until re-
mounted. Several times the Americans were
forced down the ascent, only to rally and
gamely retrace their steps. Ferguson tried
to break through, but fell with eight wounds.
The British finally surrendered, having lost
157 killed, 153 wounded and 706 prisoners,
and over 1,200 arms. The Americans had
28 killed and 62 wounded. It was a com-
plete victory, and crushed the English cause
in the South. It withdrew the Carolinas
from Tory domination, and was the fore-
runner of Cowpens, Guilford, Eutaw, York-
town and Independence. For this, his great-
est life service. Cleveland has been immor-
talized. One of Ferguson's war horses was
assigned him by common consent, and he
treasured a drum as a trophy. His riflemen
became famous as "Cleveland's Heroes,"
"Cleveland's Bull Dogs." and by the tories
as "Cleveland's Devils." He was called "Old
Round About" and was noted for his warm
heart, sound sense and firm will. Gov. Perrj-
says he was a great man by nature. At the
close of the war, losing his "Round-About"
plantation, he moved to the Tugalo valley.
He was many years judge in old Pendleton
county.
His weight increased to 450 pounds, and
he died from dropsy, in his sixty-ninth year.
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
The Clevelands have become illustrious.
One of Den's granddaughters married Sen-
ator Thomas J. Rusk, and another Gov. C. J.
McDonald of Georgia, and a great-niece,
Judge Underwood of Rome, Georgia. His
sister's son was Gov. Franklin, of North
Carolina. His brother's son, Jerry, was the
patriarch of Greenville, and another, Jesse,
of Spartanburg. North Carolina named a
county after him, and a monument to the
niemory of him and the other heroes stands
on the historic King's Mountain, conse-
crated by patriotic valor, while his family
have erected one at Ben Cleveland, Oconee
county. South Carolina. He died in Tugalo
valley. Oconee. South Carolina, October,
1806.'
Martin, Joseph, born in Albemarle county,
Virginia, in 1740, son of Joseph Martin. The
father, born in Bristol, England, of a wealthy
family, was sent out by his father, as super-
cargo of the Brict% and, on coming to Vir-
ginia, married Susannah Chiles, daughter of
a respectable and well-to-do planter. This
marriage offended the pride of the father,
who disinherited the son, believing with
many other Englishmen, that the colonists
were "an inferior, degraded set;'' the son
never returned to England, and in Virginia
he reared five sons and six daughters, "all
of unusually large stature, and in other re-
spects above mediocrity," and from whom
descended a large and widely dispersed line
of Wallers, Carrs, Lewises, Marks, Over-
tons. Minors. Chiles, and others. Joseph
Martin, whose name begins this narrative,
was the third son of this family, and became
a man of fine ability and commanding pres-
ence. Impetuous in his youth, he gave little
attention to schooling, and his education
was limited. He was bound out to a carpen-
ter, but his ardent temperament would not
admit of his being confined to such a call-
ing, and he left his master and joined the
army at Fort Pitt, in his sixteenth year.
While in the ranks, he met, as a fellow sol-
dier, Thomas (afterward General Sumter,
whom, after a separation of thirty years, he
was destined to meet again, he being a mem-
ber of the Virginia legislature, and Sumter a
member of congress. After his return from
the army, he went to the West, about 1768.
with a party of fur trappers and traders, and
on this journey he discovered the famous
"Powell's \'alley." At a place which came
to be known as **Martin's Station," in \'ir-
gfinia. on the west thoroughfare to Ken-
tucky, they cleared land and planted corn,
but in the summer the Indians broke up the
settlement, and the party returned home.
Martin now became overseer for one Minor,
and after a time removed to Pittsylvania
county, where he bought a tract of land. In
year of 1776 he recruited a company and
took part in the war against the Cherokees,
and he was connected with the peace treaty
commission in the following year, and was
designated by the government to reside on
the "Island of Peace," now in Sullivan coun-
ty, Tennessee, and he so remained until
1789. He was elected to the North Carolina
legislature, was brigadier-general of militia,
and frequently campaigned against the In-
dians. In 1785 he was one of the commis-
sioners to organize a new county in Georgia,
and in 1788 he was a member of the North
Carolina convention called to act upon the
new United States constitution, which he
favored, though the convention rejected it;
he was also a member of the convention the
next year, and which ratified that instru-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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ment. Soon afterwards he returned to his
old home in Henry county, Virginia, was
elected to the legislature, and was Mr. Madi-
son's principal supporter of the famous reso-
lutions in 1798-99. He married (first)
who bore him seven children ; and (second)
Susanna Graves, who became the mother
of eleven children. He died in 1808, on his
estate, "Leatherwood," Henry county, Vir-
ginia, in his sixty-eighth year, and was in-
terred with Masonic and military honors.
Somerville, James, born in Glasgow, Scot-
land. February 23, 1742. He located at Fred-
ericksburg, Virginia, and acquired a large
fortune from a mercantile business. He died
at Port Royal, Virginia, April 25, 1798.
Having no children, he left his large estate
to his nephew James, son of Walter and
Mary (Gray) Somerville, of Scotland.
James came to Virginia in 1795 and took
possession of the estate, which included the
forest lands which were the scene of the bat-
tles of the Wilderness in the civil war. He
made his home at "Somerville," Culpeper
county. He married Mary Atwill, of Fau-
quier county.
Burwell, Nathaniel, of King William
county, Virginia, born 1750, son of Lewis
Burwell of "Kingsmill," James City county,
and Frances, his wife, daughter of Ed-
win Thacker, and widow of James Bray.
He entered the revolutionary army as
ensign in 1775; was captain of artillery,
1776; major and aide-de-camp to Gen.
Howe, 1779; retired from service in 1783.
He was an original member of the Society
of the Cincinnati. He married Martha
Digges. daughter of Hon. Dudley and Mar-
tha (Armistead) Digges; she was a member
of the sewing society formed by Martha
Washington to make clothing for revolu-
tionary soldiers. He died in 1801.
Lightfoot, Philip, born at Yorktown, Vir-
ginia, about 1752, son of Hon. William
Lightfoot, of *Tcddington," Charles City
county, and Yorktown, Virginia, high sher-
iff of York county, and Mildred Howell, his
wife. He served with distinction in the rev-
olutionary war, as lieutenant in Harrison's
artillery, and received two grants of land for
his services. He married (first) Mary
Warner, daughter of Col. Charles and Lucy
(Taliaferro) Lewis, of Port Royal, Caroline
county, Virginia. He married (second)
Sally S. Bernard, daughter of William Ber-
nard, Esq. He died in 1786.
Blackwell, Joseph, bom in Fauquier coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1755, son of William Black-
well, high sheriflF, and Elizabeth Crump, his
wife. He served in the revolutionary war
in the Tenth Virginia Regiment (afterwards
Sixth), as second lieutenant and cap-
tain, and was in the battles of Harlem
Heights, Princeton, Trenton, Brandywinc
and Charleston. At Charleston he was
taken prisoner, May 12, 1780, and exchanged
in June, 1781. He received 5,333 acres of
land for his services, and 7,000 acres from
his father s estate. He married (first) Ann
Grayson, daughter of Col. John Gibson and
Mary Brent, his wife: and (second) Mary
Waddy, daughter of Capt. William Brent
and Hannah Ncale, his wife. He died in
1823.
Sumter, Thomas, wa> born in Orange
county, Virginia, but there is no informa-
tion as to his parentage or training. He
served against the French in 1755, and
was in Braddock*s defeat. He settled in
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VIRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
the upper part of South Carolina, fought
against the Cherokees, and accompanied
Oconostotah, their chief, on a visit to
King George, in England. After his re-
turn, he was a leader in the revolutionary
movements, and in March, 1776. was made
lieutenant-colonel of the Third South Caro-
lina Regiment, raised to overcome the In-
dians and Tories, and was promoted to colo-
nel. When Charleston was taken by the
British, he took refuge in the swamps, and
after his estate had been ravaged, went to
North Carolina. He there raised a large
force, and became one of the most active
partisan leaders. On July 12. 1780. he dis-
persed a large British force, and was made
brigadier-general by Gov. Rutledge, of
South Carolina. This success brought him
reinforcements, and in August he attacked
the fort at Hanging Rock. South Carolina,
but was driven off, the enemy sustaining
such loss that they were unable to pursue.
It is said that Andrew Jackson, then thirteen
years old, took part in the battle. On Au-
guest 15, Sumter captured Lord Cornwallis*
supply train and guard, between Charleston
and Camden. On the i8th he was surpri.sed
by Tarleton, and lost fifty killed: many of
his men were taken, also most of their cap-
tured supplies and British prisoners, Sumter
barely escaping. Having reassembled his
men, he again harassed the British on the
Broad and Tiger rivers, and defeated and
captured Major Wemyss. who had been
sent against him. On November 20th he
was attacked by Tarleton, at Blackstock
Hill, and whom he defeated, with a loss of
three killed and four wounded, the enemy's
loss being two hundred killed and wounded,
but in the action Sumter was wounded, and
for three months was unable to do field
service. In March, 1781, he raised three
new regiments, and in concert with Marion,
Pickens and others, harassed the enemy
until the end of the war. Tarleton gave him
the name of *'The South Carolina Game
Cock." In February. Sumter destroyed the
British supplies at Fort Ganby, and two
days later captured a British supply train on
its way to Camden. His closing exploits
were as brilliant. He repulsed a strong
attack by Major Fraser, on Broad river: and
captured the posts of Orangeburg, Dorches-
ter and Marks' Corners, but his health failed
before the end of the war, and he retired, re-
ceiving the thanks of congfress. After the
war, he took a hearty interest in politics.
He was a member of the South Carolina
convention that ratified the federal consti-
tution; as a Federalist served in congress,
1 789- 1 793. and voted for locating the seat
of the United States government on the
Potomac river; was United States senator,
1801-09; in 181 1 was made minister to Bra-
zil, and after his return was again elected to
the United States senate. He outlived all
other general officers of the revolution. His
name is commemorated in the famous fort
in Charleston harbor, which was the scene
of the opening acts of the civil war. He died
at Camden. South Carolina, June i. 1832.
Johnston, Charles, son of Hon. Peter
Johnston, of "Chiny Grove." Prince Edward
county, Virginia, and Martha, his wife,
widow of Capt. Thomas Rogers, and daugh-
ter of John Butler. He was a merchant in
Richmond, of the firm of Pickett. Pollard &
Johnston. Soon after the revolution he was
sent to Ohio by the government on a com-
mission, and was captured by the Indians.
After a year he was rescued by Dr. Shuget,
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a French Canadian, who came to his rescue
just as the Indians had bound him to a stake
and fired the fagots. He was afterwards
sent to France on government business, and
sailed on the same vessel which was returning
Lafayette to France. At the request of Lafay-
ette he prepared an account of his experi-
ence while in the hands of the Indians, and
which was published in French newspapers.
When Lafayette again came to this country,
he visited Mr. Johnston at "Botetourt
Springs" (now Hollins Institute), in Roa-
noke county, where he also met Dr. Shuget,
who had rescued Johnston from the Indians.
Mr. Johnston held many offices of honor and
trust. He married (first) Letitia Pickett,
daughter of Col. Martin and Ann (Black-
well) Pickett; and (second) Elizabeth,
daughter of Hon. James and Frances (Cal-
loway) Steptoe, of Bedford county.
Wallace, Caleb, a native of Charlotte coun-
ty, Virginia ; graduated at Princeton College
in 1770; in 1774 became minister of Cub
Creek and Little Falling River congrega-
tions in Virginia. In 1779 he removed to
Botetourt county, and in 1783 to Kentucky.
He abandoned the ministry for the law, in
which he became eminent, and was a judge
of the supreme court of Kentucky.
Wallace, Gustavus Brown, born at "El-
Icrslie," King George county. Virginia, No-
vember 9, 1 75 1, son of Dr. Michael Wallace
and Elizabeth Brown, his wife. He beg^n
the study of law in 1774, but was interrupt-
ed by being called to Scotland, to inherit
property from an aunt. On his return he
entered the revolutionary army, and is re-
corded as a captain in the Third Virginia
Regiment, but his name is erroneously re-
corded as Gustavus Baron Wallace, and was
later major and lieutenant-colonel. He was
taken prisoner, with his brother Thomas, at
Charleston, .South Carolina, in 1780. After
the war he applied for command of the post
at Detroit, but the same was not open. In
1802 he again went to Scotland on business,
and on the return voyage contracted a fever
from which he died a few days after (Au-
gust 17, 1802), at "Crow's Nest," Fredericks-
burg, the home of his cousin, Mrs. Travers
Daniel. He was unmarried.
Dandridge, John, son of Bartholomew
Dandridge and Mary Burbidge, daughter of
Julius King Burbidge and Lucy, his wife,
was born in New Kent county in 1758. He
studied law and practiced in New Kent
county. He removed to Brandon in 1797
and died in 1799. He married Rebecca Jones
Minge. daughter of David Minge, of Charles
City county, and had Lucy, who married
James Walke Murdaugh, of Williamsburg,
Virginia.
Skyren, John Spotswood, second son of
Rev. Henry Skyren and Lucy Moore, his
wife, daughter of Col. Bernard Moore, was
born in King William county about the lat-
ter part of the revolution. He was for many
years commander of a cavalry regiment
composed of troops from King and Queen,
King William, Caroline and other adjoin-
ing counties. He had an eagle nose, grayish
blue flashing eye, and a light springy tread.
He died about .August, 1855.
Randolph, Robert Beverley, son of Rich-
ard and Maria Beverley Randolph, entered
the United States navy in 1810. and became
lieutenant. In 1828 he was appointed purser
and some charges were made public in re-
gard to his accounts. He demanded an in-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
quiry, which was ordered by the Secretary
c«' the Treasury, and he was acquitted by
the examining board of any intention to de-
fiaud the government. President Jackson
disavowed this return, and, declaring that
he did believe Randolph intended to defraud
the government, dismissed him from the
navy. In May, 1833, Jackson went to be pres-
ent at the unveiling of the cornerstone of
the monument in Fredericksburg, Virginia,
to Mary, mother of Washington, and on his
return stopped at Alexandria, where Ran-
dolph sought the presidential presence and
pulled Jackson's nose. It was attempted to
arrest him, but nothing was done. He mar-
ried Eglantine, daughter of Peter Beverley,
and left issue.
Ball, Fayette, born April 20, 1791, son of
Bu-rgess Ball and Frances Washington, his
wife, daughter of Col. Charles Washington
and Mildred Thornton, his wife. His god-
fathers were President George Washington
(by proxy, and who named him after his
friend, the Marquis Lafayette) and Col.
Gustavus B. Wallace; his godmothers were
Martha Washington, wife of the President,
and Mrs. Sarah Roane. He served in the
war of 1812 as corporal, under his brother,
Captain George Washington Ball. In 1825,
while Lafayette was visiting in this coun-
try. Mr. Ball met him at Aldie and conveyed
him in his own carriage to Leesburg, a dis-
tance of fourteen miles, where a great ova-
tion was accorded the distinguished guest.
At parting, the Marquis gave to his name-
sake a papier mache snuflF box, containing
his likeness, telling him to keep it, and he
would redeem it with one more valuable.
After returning to France, the Marquis sent
him a very handsome box of gold and tor-
toise shell, suitably inscribed. Fayette Ball
married (first) Frances Williams, daughter
of Major-General James Williams, of the
\'irginia line: and (second) Mary Thomson
Mason, daughter of Gen. Thomson Mason,
Carter, Thomas, eldest son of Peter and
Judith Norris Carter, was born in Fauquier
county, April 24, 1731. He removed to Rye
Cove, Clinch river, in what is now Scott
county, Virginia, in 1773. with his first cous-
ins. Dale and John Carter, sons of Charles
Carter, of Amherst. On March 26, 1774,
they all had surveys of land, Thomas for
one hundred and ninety-seven acres in Rye
Cove, and on March 31. 1783, he had an-
other survey for fourteen hundred and
twenty acres, to include his improvements.
From 1774 to 1784 he was a road overseer
in Washington county ; and when his home
fell into the new county of Russell, he was
a justice of the first court of that county,
May 9, 1786, and a lieutenant of militia. He
represented Russell county in the constitu-
tional convention of 1788, and is said to
have served in the legislature several times.
His will was probated in Russell county,
October 25, 1803.
Ruffner, David, born in Page county, Vir-
ginia, in 1767, son of Joseph and Anna
(Heistand) Ruffjier, and grandson of Peter
Ruffner, who emigrated from the German-
Swiss border to Pennsylvania in 1739, and
later settled in Page county, Virginia, where
he became owner of an immense tract of
land. Joseph Ruffner, in 1795, sold his
Shenandoah estate, purchased five hundred
and two acres in the Kanawha valley (now
in West Virginia), and removed there with
his family. This property included the salt
spring on the Kanawha river, at which a
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PROMINENT PERSONS
353
band of Indians had camped in 1753, while
returning from a raid with their white pris-
oners. One of these, Mrs. Mary Inglis,
made her escape afterward and described
the spring where the Indians had supplied
themselves with salt by boiling down the
water. Although Ruffner realized the po-
tential value of this spring, he died in 1803
without developing it, willing it to his sons,
David and Joseph. Before 1803 the spring
was producing one hundred and fifty pounds
per day, by simple methods, and the salt was
noted for its superior quality, but desiring to
obtain a larger supply, the brothers began to
look for the source. They traced it to the
"Great Buffalo Lick" just at the river's edge
six miles above Charleston ; this was twelve
or fifteen rods in extent. In order to reach
the bottom of the quicksand through which
the brine flowed, they set a platform on the
top of a hollow sycamore tree about fom
feet in diameter, and by means of a pole
with its fulcrum on a forked stick, a bucket
made of half a whiskey barrel could be filled
by one man armed with pick and shovel,
and emptied by two men standing on the
platform. Rigging up a long iron drill with
a two-and-a-half-inch chisel, they attached
the upper end to a spring pole by a rope,
and with this primitive instrument finally
bored forty feet through solid rock, reach-
ing several cavities filled with strong salt
water. This was brought to the surface
undiluted, through wooden tubes, joined to-
gether and wound with twine. Thus was
bored, tubed, rigged and worked the first
drilled salt well west of the Alleghanies, if
not in the United States. Considering the
Ruffners' lack of preliminary study or ex-
perience, working in a newly settled coun-
try, without steam power, machine shops.
VIA.-23
materials, or skilled mechanics, this is a
wonderful engineering feat. In a crude way
they invented nearly every appliance that
has since made artesian boring possible. In
February, 1808, the first salt was taken from
the furnace, and the price reduced to four
cents a pound. Ruffner Brothers were the
pioneers of salt manufacture in the Kana-
wha valley, an industry that as early as 1817
comprised thirty furnaces and twenty wells,
producing seven hundred thousand bushels
yearly. David Ruffner, the leader, was edu-
cated in the Page county schools, and en-
gaged in farming until he began the manu-
facture of salt. Subsequently he made many
improvements in drilling appliances, some
of which are still in use. He became the
leading man in Kanawha county, which he
repeatedly represented in the Virginia legis-
lature and he was for many years presiding
judge of the county court. He was married,
i:» 1789, to Ann, daughter of Henry Brum-
bach, of Rockingham county, Virginia, and
had by her four children: Henry, who be-
came a Presbyterian minister and was presi-
dent of Washington College, Lexington,
Virginia; Anne E., Susan B., and Lewis
Ruffner. His brother Joseph (bom Feb-
ruary 14, 1769, died 1837) sold his interest
in the salt works and went to Ohio, where
he bought land which eventually became a
part of Cincinnati. Judge Ruffner died in
Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1837.
Newman, James, of "Hilton," born in
1806. He was a noted agriculturist and a
man of broad information. He was for
years president of the Virginia State Agri-
cultural Society, and did much to promote
the improvement of stock in Orange county,
introducing and long maintaining the noted
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Cotsw'old breed of sheep. He published in
a local newspaper a lengthy series of
sketches relating to the early history and
traditions of Orange county. He died in
1866.
Deane, Simeon, born at Wethersfield.
Connecticut. In 1776 he accompanied his
brother. Silas Deane. to the French court.
In 1778 he returned with the treaty of alli-
ance between France and the United States,
coming over in the French frigate Sensible,
of thirty-six guns, which was sent by the
French King for that express purpose, and
arriving at Falmouth (now Portland),
Maine, April 13, 1778. He arrived at York-
town, Virginia. May 2. He afterwards set-
tled in Williamsburg, where he joined the
Masonic lodge, in 1782. He died in June.
1788, and was buried in Bruton churchyard,
Williamsburg. Rev. Dr. James Madison,
president of William and Mary College, de-
livered the funeral sermon.
Banks, William Bruce, born October 2,
I/76, at '*Green Bank," on the Rappahan-
liock river, near Banks* Ford, son of Gerard
Banks, of Stafford county, Virginia, and
Fanny Bruce, his wife. He was educated
at William and Mary College, and graduated
hi 1796. The alumni catalogue, issued be-
fore the war, erroneously mentions him as
having- been judge of the superior court.
He was admitted to the bar, and located in
Lynchburg, and after several years resi-
dence there, removed to Halifax county,
where he practiced successfully, and was
for many years commonwealth's attorney
in the superior courts of Halifax, Charlotte,
Mecklenburg, Franklin. Patrick. Henry and
Pittsylvania. He died August 4, 1852.
Beckwith, Sir Jennings, baronet, son of
Jonathan and grandson of Sir Marmaduke
Heckwith (q. v.). was born in Richmond
county, Virginia, the "Leather Stocking" of
the Northern Xeck. Much of his life was
spent in the far west, on hunting excursions
with the Indians, and in later years he
would live with men who would fish with
him in summer and fox hunt in winter. Dur-
ii:g his last twelve months, he had slept on
the Rappahannock river shore in the sturgeon
season. He had insuperable objections to
spending time profitably ; consequently, he
lived poor, but was highly respected. He
d:ed at the age of seventy-two. November
I3» 1835.
Marshall, Edward Carrington, son of
Chief Justice John Marshall, was born at
Richmond, Virginia. January 13, 1805. He
graduated at Harvard College in 1826 and
settled at Carrington, Fauquier county, Vir-
ginia, and engaged in agriculture. He rep-
resented Fauquier county in the Virginia
legislature for four successive terms, from
1834 to 1838. He was the main instrument
in the establishment of the Manassas Gap
Railroad Company and was its president.
Though he strongly sympathized with the
South in the war in 1861-65, he was too old
to give it his personal aid and held a place
in the pension office in Washington during
the war. He was fond of the classics and
of science. He died at Innis, Fauquier
county, Virginia, February 8, 1882. He
married. February 12. 1829, Rebecca Court-
ney Peyton.
Selden, William, son of John Selden, and
grandson of Samuel Selden, the immigrant,
was educated at William and Mary College,
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PROMINENT PERSONS
355
entering in 1753. He practiced law for a
few years, then studied theology, and was
ordained into the ministry, in London,
March 10, 1771. He was rector of Hamp-
ton church from 1771 until his death, June
25» 1783. He married. May 29, 1767, Mary
Ann Hancock, of Princess county, Virginia.
He was father of William B. Selden (q. v.).
Selden, Miles, bom in 1726, son of Joseph
Selden, and Mary Gary, his wife, daugh-
ter of Miles and Mary (Wilson) Gary, of
"Ceeleys." He was ordained in the Church
of England, in London, and in 1752 was
elected rector of Henrico parish, Virginia.
He was the last colonial rector of old St.
John's Church in Richmond, and in his con-
gregation were many of the notable men of
that period. He was clerk of Warwick, and
a member of the committee of safety, 1774-
76. He was chosen chaplain of the Virginia
convention at its assembling in 1775, and
was popularly known as "the Patriot Par-
son." He married Rebecca, daughter of
Miles Gary and Hannah Armistead, his wife.
Stuartt William, born at St. Paul's parish,
King George county, Virginia, about 1723-
24, son of Rev. David Stuart. He was edu-
cated in England, studied theology in Lon-
don, and was there ordained to the Episco-
pal pries^jyood by Bishop Edmonds in 1745.
On his return to Virginia he became assist-
ant to his father, whom he eventually suc-
ceeded in the rectorship of St. Paul's parish.
He was a man of noble character, and noted
for his eloquence. .As "Parson Stuart," he
was greatly beloved by his parishioners, and
was widely known as one of the ablest
divines of the colonial church. He married,
in 1750, Sarah Foote. heiress to the fine old
"Cedar Grove" estate, on the Potomac river,
in King George county. He died in 1796.
Selden, Miles, son of Rev. Miles Selden,
He was educated at William and Mary Col-
lege, and entered the old general court office,
which was the school in which the county
court clerks were generally trained. He
became clerk of Henrico county, and held
the office several years. He represented the
county in the general assembly for many
years, and was also magistrate for a long
term. In 1785 he was a member of the
council. He married, March 27, 1774, Eliz-
abeth, daughter of Col. Gill Armistead, at
the home of her stepfather, John Lewis, in
Williamsburg. His residence on James river
was known as "Tree Hill" and was famous
for its race track. He died May 18, 181 1.
Clayton, Philip, born in South Farnham
parish, Essex county, Virginia, in 1746-47,
son of Samuel Clayton. He was an ensign
in the Third Virginia Regiment, July 4,
1779; lieutenant. May 10, 1780; and trans-
ferred February 12, 1781. to the Seventh
Virginia Regiment, in which he served to
the close of the revolutionary war. About
1784 he went to Georgia, settling either in
Richard or Jefferson counties, and became
prominent in state affairs, being state treas-
urer in 1794. and a representative in the
Georgia constitutional convention of 1795.
He married (first) at Stevensburg (now
Stevens City), Frederick county, Virginia,
in 1777. Mildred, daughter of Roger Dixon,
a wealthy merchant of Fredericksburg,
member of Virginia house of burgesses,
and first clerk of Culpeper county ; he mar-
ried (second) Elizabeth, relict of Peter
Games, Esq., and sister of Hon. William
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Wirt, attorney-general of the United States.
Philip Clayton died in Richmond county,
Georgia, September 13, 1807.
Gibson, George, bom in Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, in 1747. He lived in that part
of the colony that was claimed by Virginia,
and for whom he long ser\'ed. At the be-
ginning of the revolution he raised a com-
pany near Fort Pitt, with which he joined
the Virginia line. In May, 1776, an expe-
dition commanded by Gibson and William
Linn went to New Orleans for gunpowder.
After many difficulties, 10,000 pounds were
obtained, part of which Linn brought up the
Mississippi and Ohio rivers, and Gibson
took the rest to Virginia. He was commis-
sioned major in the Fourth Virginia regi-
ment, March 22, 1777; and colonel of the
First Virginia Regiment, June 5, 1777, to
January, 1782. After the revolution he re-
turned to his home in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania. He was mortally wounded
at St. Clair's defeat, November 4, 1791.
Goodrich, John, bom in England. At the
beginning of the revolution he was an active
and enterprising man in Nansemond county,
Virginia, owner of large plantations in Isle
of Wight and Nansemond counties. He was
a merchant, with his sons John, Jr., Wil-
liam and Bartlett, (the latter sometimes
erroneously called Bartholomew), trading
as John Goodrich & Company, merchants
and owner of vessels. In July, 1775, the
colonial committee of safety gave him bills
of exchange with which to buy powder in
the West Indies. This dr^w upon him the
resentment of Lord Dunmore, who had John
Goodrich and two of his sons imprisoned,
but later released them on parole, under
promise to discontinue their activities, and
the committee of safety exculpated them.
John Goodrich, Jr., later sided with Lord
Dunmore, and was charged by the commit-
tee of safety with being in command of an
armed sloop which had captured a vessel
belonging to North Carolina merchants, and
also that he had three boats in Dunmore's
service, committing depredations. After
examining into the case, the convention
adopted resolutions declaring that John
Goodrich, Jr., was guilty of bearing arms
against the colony and of aiding and assist-
ing the enemy ; that he should be held pris-
oner at Charlotteville until further order;
and that the committee "should take action
in regard to his estate," after allowing rea-
sonable provision for his wife and small
children. Later, he was released under bond
of £1000. and on taking the oath required of
suspected persons. John Goodrich, Sr., went
to England, and died at Topsham, Devon-
shire, in 1785, aged sixty-three years, and
where his wife also died.
Blanchard, Thomas, a citizen of Norfolk,
was a ripe scholar, a fine classic writer and
gifted poet. His "Ode on the Death of
Washington," written January i, 1800, was
very popular at the time.
Balfour, George, a native of Elizabeth
City county, was a member of the medical
staff of the United States army; made sur-
geon's mate April 11, 1792, senior surgeon
in 1798. In 1804 he retired to private prac-
tice in Norfolk. He died September 8, 1823,
and was buried at Hampton, Virginia.
Dandridge, Alexander Spottswood, born
August I, 1753, son of Captain Nathaniel
West Dandridge. of the British navy, and
Dorothea, his wife, daughter of Alexander
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PROMINENT PERSONS
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Spotswood, governor of Virginia. In 1775,
probably through the influence of his broth-
er-in-law, Patrick Henry, he became asso-
ciated with the Hendersons, Boones, and
others, in the settlement of Kentucky, and
was one of the eighteen men who met near
the fort at Boonesborough, in May, 1775, ^^
set up a government. News came of the
battle of Lexington, however, and most of
the men came back to the defence of the
colonies. Family letters indicate that Dan-
dridge was for a time attached to Washing-
ton's staff; his name does not appear on
any staff list, however, and the inference is
that he was only temporarily with Wash-
ington, he being a cousin of Mrs. Washing-
ton. He was made lieutenant in the Fourth
Virginia Dragoons, June 13, 1776; captain
of Virginia Artillery, November 30, 1776;
captain of the First Continental Dragoons,
March 15, 1777; and resigned April 14, 1780.
After the war, he settled in what is now
Jefferson county. West Virginia, about eight
miles from Martinsburg. He married about
June, 1779, Anne, daughter of Gen. Adam
Stephen, of **the Bower," Jefferson county.
Virginia. He died at his estate, in April,
1785, leaving an only child. Adam Stephen
Dandridge. His widow married Moses
Hunter, and reared a large family.
Stuart, David, son of Rev. William Stuart,
was born in King George county, Virginia,
August 3, 1753, educated at William and
Mary College, and studied medicine at Edin-
burgh and Paris. He served in the Virginia
legislature. He later removed to Alexan-
dria, where he practiced his profession of
medicine with great success. He was a
Federalist and strong friend of Washing-
ton. He married Eleanor Calvert Custis,
diiughter of Washington's adopted son John
Parke Custis. He was father of Charles
Calvert Stuart, of Chantilly, Fairfax county,
Virginia.
Selden, William Bos well, born August 31,
1772, son of Rev. William Selden and Mary
Ann Hancock, his wife. He was educated
as a physician in Philadelphia, Pennsylva-
nia, and in Scotland, settled in Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, about 1798, and practiced there many
years. He married, in 1802, Charlotte Col-
gate, born in Kent. England, daughter of
Robert Colgate, a university graduate and a
friend of William Penn. Dr. Selden died
July 18, 1849.
Selden, Wilson Gary, born in 1761, son of
Cary Selden, of "Buckroe," in Elizabeth City
county, colonel of Elizabeth City county
militia. 1767, and magistrate of the county
court, and Elizabeth Jennings, his wife.
He was educated as a physician by his
brother-in-law. Dr. James McClurg, and
1779 was appointed mate in the Marine Hos-
pital at Hampton. In June of the following
year he became surgeon of a Virginia artil-
lery regiment, with which he marched to
South Carolina, and was present at the de-
feat of Gen. Gates. Having been taken with
a dangerous illness, he was ordered by med-
ical and other officers of the army to take a
sea voyage, and he sailed on a letter-of-
marque owned by his brother, and which
was captured off the Island of St. Eustatia.
He was carried to Antigua, where he was
held prisoner until 1782, when he was
paroled, but he had not been exchanged
when the war terminated. In the records of
the War Department in Washington City
he is credited with two months' service in
the Virginia artillery, on the southern expe-
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
dition. and three years' service as surgeon in
the Virginia state line. In 1790 he bought
"Buckroe" from his father; in 1793 was a
member of the assembly. He left Hampton,
and lived in Gloucester county, and after-
wards at "Exeter," in Loudoun county. He
married (first) Mary Mason Selden, his first
cousin, widow of Mann Page, and daughter
of Samuel Selden; (second) Eleanor Love,
daughter of Samuel Love, of Salisbury,
Fairfax county; and (third) Mary Bowles
Armistead. widow of Charles Alexander,
and daughter of Bowles and Mary (Fon-
taine! Armistead. Dr. Selden died at his
home. '*Exeter," in Loudoun county, March
14. 1835. in the seventy-fourth year of his
age.
Phripp, Matthew, of Norfolk, Virginia,
was a merchant, and at the outset an active
supporter of the revolutionary cause. He
was twice elected chairman of the Norfolk
committee of safety, and was also colonel
of the militia there. When Lord Dunmore
landed armed men and seized the press of
the Norfolk newspaper. Phripp took up arms
and made an endeavor to organize a force
for resistance, but had little support from
the people, and afterwards he would not act
as colonel. He would not aid Dunmore in
any way. but as he was liable to imprison-
ment and seizure of his considerable prop-
erty, he took the oath of allegiance to the
British king and left Norfolk, but re-
turned later at the urgent request of his
aged and infirm father. When the Virginia
forces occupied Norfolk, Col. Woodford sent
Phripp to Williamsburg for examination
before the convention, but there was delay,
and on December 19, 1775, Phripp petitioned
that body, asking for a speedy hearing, and
convention ordered him to be held in con-
finement in his room in Williamsburg. Later
that body adopted a resolution exonerating
him from all blame and released him. He
was a prominent Free Mason, past master
of St. John's Lodge, at Norfolk, and acted
as president of a Masonic convention held in
Williamsburg in 1777.
Gregory, John, son of James Gregory,
lived in Nansemond county, Virginia. He
was chairman of the county committee of
safety in 1776; and captain in the Fifteenth
Virginia Regiment, Continental Line. He is
mentioned in the letter of Gen. Lafayette,
May 17, 1781. to Col. Josiah Parker, Isle of
Wight county, then commanding militia on
the lower south side of James river, whom
he directs to call on Captain Gregory for
needed assistance.
Graham, John, born at Dumfries, Prince
William county, Virginia, in 1774. brother of
George Graham, acting secretar>' of war
under Madison and Monroe. He was gradu-
ated at Columbian University in 1790. and
emigrated to Kentucky, where he repre-
sented Lewis county in the legislature.
President Jefferson sent him to the territory
of Orleans as secretary, and he subsequently
occupied a similar position in the American
legation at Spain. When Madison was sec-
retary of state, Mr. Graham was chief clerk
under him. In 1818 he went with a commis-
sion to Buenos Ayres, where he obtained
political information which he embodied in
an exhaustive report, which was printed by
the state department. In 1819 he was ap-
pointed minister plenipotentiary to the
court of Brazil. The climate proved too
severe, and he returned to Washington,
where he died, August 6, 1820.
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Gabriel, a neg^o slave of Thomas Pros-
ser, of Henrico county, was born in 1776.
He was tall and strong, and combined in
August, 1800, with another slave, Jack
Bowler, to attack the town of Richmond.
They were incited to this by the news of the
success of the slaves in San Domingo. The
plot was supposed to embrace one thousand
negroes. They were to make their attack at
night, when the white people were asleep,
kill the while males and divide the women
among themselves. They assembled in the
country towards the latter part of the month,
but a great rain came on, and while it was
yet raging, a slave' named Pharoah. the
property of William Mosby, hastened to
Richmond and communicated the secret of
the plot to Governor James Monroe. The
militia was called out and preparations were
made to repel the attack. In the meantime,
the negroes, despite the storm, began their
march to the town and every flash of light-
ning glanced from the bright scythes with
which they were chiefly armed. In attempt-
ing to cross an intervening creek, the waters
were so high that several were drowned.
There they learned of the discovery of their
plot, and the whole body broke up and dis-
persed. Many were arrested, and tried.
Gabriel was tried on October 6, 1800, and
executed. One of the results of the insur-
rection was the establishment on regular
pay of the public guard at Richmond, con-
sisting of sixty men, a captain, a lieutenant,
and an ensign.
Summers, Lewis, born in Fairfax county.
Virginia, November 9, 1778. He entered
upon the duties of active life during the
presidency of the elder Adams. With the
ardor which distinguished the Virginia
youth of that period, he was a warm sup-
porter of Jefferson for the presidency. In
1808 he removed to Ohio, and served several
years as representative and senator in the
state legislature. In 1814 he settled perma-
nently in Kanawha county, Virginia ; was a
member of the state legislature, 1817-18; in
1819 was chosen a judge of the general
court, of which he was a member for more
than twenty-four years ; and a judge of the
Kanawha judicial circuit. For some time he
was a member of the Virginia board of pub-
lic works and took a deep interest in advanc-
ing public improvements. He was one of
the most useful members of the state consti-
tutional convention of 1829-30. He died at
White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, August
27, 1843. He was father of Hon. George W.
Summers (q. v.).
Brent, Thomas Ludwell Lee, was bom in
Virginia, August 9, 1784, son of Col. Daniel
Carroll and Ann Fenton (Lee) Brent. On
May 8, 1822, he was appointed secretary
of legation to Portugal, acted as charge
d'affaires ad interim from June 30, 1824, un-
til he was appointed as such, June 24, 1825,
and he filled this post until November 25,
1834, when at his request, he received his
passports and returned to the United States.
White, Thomas Wyllis, was born at York-
town, Virginia, in 1788, had few school ad-
vantages, but improved his knowledge as
a printer; he served some part of his time
in Boston, and. while not pretending to be a
literary character, wrote a very correct and
diplomatic letter, well calculated to obtain
what he desired. He set up as printer in
Richmond and in 1834 founded the ''Southern
Literary Messenger," a magazine destined
to hold an honorable position not only in the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
South but in the Union at large. He was
aided in the printing by William Macfar-
lane. his foreman, and John \V. Ferguson,
one of his typesetters, which last afterwards
was a prominent printer of Richmond both
before and after the civil war. The first edi-
tor was James E. Heath, the efficient first
auditor of the state. After living to see the
magazine placed on a successful and stable
foundation. Mr. White died suddenly, when
on a visit to Boston. January 19, 1843.
Smith, Thomas, son of Captain Thomas
Smith, of Gloucester county, was educated
at William and Mary College,. 1776-1778;
was first secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa
Society and its second president : he was a
member of the legislature in 1784, and a
member of the state convention in 1788. and
voted for the Federal Constitution ; he was
uncle of Thomas Smith (q. v.).
Smith, Thomas, son of Rev. Armistead of
Kingston parish. Mathews county, Virginia,
was born March 5. 1785 ; was captain of
militia and a member of the legislature for
Gloucester county in 1834 and other years.
He died, unmarried, April 13. 1841.
Clay, Clement Comer, bom in Halifax
county, Virginia, December 17, 1789, son of
William Clay and Rebecca Comer, his wife.
The father enlisted in the revolutionary
army at the age of sixteen, and was in sev-
eral battles, at the siege of Yorktown, and
surrender of Cornwallis. Clement C. Clay
went to Tennessee when a child, studied in
private schools and was graduated from
East Tennessee University in 1807 ; studied
law and was admitted to the bar in 181 1 and
later he removed to Alabama, took part in
the wars with the Creek Indians. He was
.elected to the Alabama territorial legisla-
ture; was a delegate to the first constitu-
tional convention, and chairman of the com-
mittee of fifteen which drafted the constitu-
tion, and which was adopted as he reported
it. After a term as circuit judge, he was
elected to the legislature, and chosen
speaker. In 1829 he was elected to con-
gress, and secured the passage of an act for
the relief of sorely distressed purchasers of
public lands in . Alabama. In 1835. as a
Democrat, he was elected governor. His
administration was disturbed by difficulties
with the Creek Indians, which he settled:
and by the financial panic of 1837. • In that
year he was elected to the United States
Senate, from which he resigned in 1841 on
account of the invalidism of his wife. Later
he was appointed to make a digest of the
laws of Alabama, and he also served a brief
time on the supreme court bench of the
state. In 1861 he favored secession, his
property was taken by the Federals, and he
was for some time kept in military custody.
He took no further part in public affairs.
He married Susanna Claiborne, daughter of
John Withers, a native of Dinwiddie county.
Virginia. He died at Huntsville, Alabama,
September 9, 1866.
Cobbs, Robert Lewis, born in Louisa
county. Virginia, December 25. 1789. son of
Robert Cobbs. revolutionary soldier and
member of the legislature, and Anne Poin-
dexter, his wife. He graduated at Hamp-
den-Sidney College with distinction in 1809.
and from Jeflferson Medical College, Phila-
delphia, in 181 1. He practiced his profes-
sion with his brother. Dr. John P. Cobbs. in
Amherst county, Virginia. In January,
181 3. he rode on horseback across the moun-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
361
tains to join General Jackson at Nashville,
Tennessee, and was a surgeon in the army
in all the campaigns until the close of the
war, at New Orleans. He returned to Nash-
ville and studied law with his relative. Gen.
William White, and practiced for twenty-
five years. He was a member of the Tennes-
see constitutional convention of 1834, and
subsequently attorney-general. He retired
from practice in 1843, ^ind, unmarried,
passed the remainder of his life with his
sister, Mrs. Sarah White McAllister, in Vir-
ginia. He died in 1856, on the presidential
election day ; his last words were : "I must
get up and vote for Fillmore."
Taylor, George Keith, son of Captain Rich-
ard Taylor, of Petersburg, clerk of the vestry
of Blandford, was bom in Prince George
county, Virginia, attended William and
Mary College in 1793 ^"^ studied law and
became eminent at the bar. He was a mem-
ber of the legislature of 1798-99, and a warm
defender of the alien and sedition laws. He
was a leader of the Federal party, and an
ally of John Marshall, whose sister he mar-
ried. He was a most able advocate at the
bar in criminal cases, and as an orator was
regarded as little inferior to Patrick Henry.
Gilmer said of him: "He was one of the
most eminent lawyers of his state, — acute,
profound, logical and persuasive : of fine wit,
exquisite humor, brilliant fancy, and most
amiable disposition." To Mr. Taylor's
eflForts in the legislature was due Virginia's
penitentiary system, and his success in se-
curing an amelioration of the criminal code
of the state made him a public benefactor.
He died in Petersburg, November 9, 1815.
His grandmother. Anne Keith, who married
George Walker, gunner of Point Comfort
Fort and pilot of James river, was a daugh-
ter of George Keith, the celebrated Quaker
divine.
Dabney, Thomas Gregory Smith, son of
Benjamin Dabney and Sarah Smith, daugh-
ter of Rev. Thomas Smith of Cople parish,
Westmoreland county, Virginia, was bom
in King and Queen county, Virginia, Janu-
ary 4, 1798; was under the guardianship of
his uncle John Augustine Smith, president
of William and Mary College; went to
school in Elizabeth, New Jersey; attended
William and Mary College. In .1835 he
moved to Mississippi, where he became a
successful cotton planter. He was a strong
admirer of Henry Clay, and like other Old
Line Whigs of the South were led by that
statesman into strong nationalistic views in-
consistent with their early states rights pro-
fessions. But when the war broke out in
1861, he cast his lot with the South, and
three of his sons joined the Confederate
army. He married (first) Mary Adelaide,
daughter of Samuel Tyler, chancellor of the
Williamsburg district. Virginia. He mar-
ried (second) Sophia Hill, daughter of
Charles Hill, of King and Queen county.
By the last marriage he was father of Vir-
ginius Dabney (q. v.). author of "Don
Miff," and Susan D. Dabney (who married
Rev. Lyell Smedes, of Raleigh, North Caro-
lina), whose work "Memorials of a Southern
Planter," depicting the character and life of
her father, elicited a letter from Mr. Glad-
stone of England, in which he said that he
found in Mr. Dabney "one of the very
noblest of human characters,"
Conyers, Sarah, resided in Richmond, Vir-
ginia, and perished in the burning of the
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Richmond Theatre, December 26, 181 1. She
was a celebrated beauty, engaged to Lieu-
tenant (libbon. who perished with her. Her
portrait in profile was taken by St. Memin
in 1808.
Winston, Edmund, son of William Win-
ston, and grandson of Isaac Winston and
Mary Dabney. his wife. The father, with
Isaac and James Winston, emigrated from
Yorkshire, England, in 1704. and settled
near Richmond, Virginia. Edmund Win-
ston was a first cousin of Patrick Henry,
whose widow he married. He was a judge
of the general court of Virginia, and a mem-
ber of the convention of 1788. He died in
1 81 3, at upwards of eighty years of age.
Patteson, Charles, of the same lineage as
David Patteson, of Chesterfield county, Vir-
ginia, (q. v.), was a member of the Bucking-
ham county committee of safety in 1775-76,
the convention of 1776, the house of dele-
gates of 1787-88, and of the convention of
the latter year.
Patteson, David, was a descendant of
David Patteson, who received a grant of
land in Henrico county (then including
Chesterfield county), in 1714. He was colo-
nel commandant of Chesterfield county in
1785, a member of the convention of 1788,
and of the house of delegates from 1791 to
1793-
Allen, John, son of Col. William .-Mien, of
"Clermont," and a descendant of Major Ar-
thur Allen, who patented lands in Surry
county in 1649. He was educated at Wil-
liam and Mary College, where he was a
member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society: a
member of the house of delegates in 1784-86-
87-88-91 ; of the council in 1789; and of the
convention of 1788. He died before May,
1793. He was half brother of William Allen
of '^Claremont,'* Surry county, (born March
7, 1768, died November 2, 1831), who left his
large estates to his nephew William Griffin
Orgain on his taking the name of William
Allen. This the latter did, was the owner
of Jamestown Island, and in the war be-
tween the states armed and fed a company
of troops in the Confederate service at his
own expense.
Stith, Buckner, of Brunswick county, Vir-
ginia, son of Colonel Drury Stith : qualified
as a justice of his county, September 2^^
1784; took the oath as major of militia Sep-
tember 28. 1789; and as lieutenant-colonel,
September 26, 1794. He married Anne
Dade, sister of Major Langhorne Dade, of
Litchfield. King George county.
Goodall, Parke, son of Richard Goodall,
of Caroline county, a British subject whose
estate was vested in the son by statute. He
was an ensign in the company of Captain
Samuel Meredith, of Hanover county, which
marched under Patrick Henry (to whom
the command was assigned) to Williams-
burg in 1775, to demand restitution of the
powder removed from the magazine by Lord
Dunmore. He was a justice of the peace for
Hanover county in 1782; member of the
house of delegates 1786-89; member of the
convention of 1788; and sheriflF in 1809. He
was afterwards proprietor of the Indian
Queen tavern in Richmond. His daughters,
Martha Perkins and Eliza, married respec-
tively Parke and Anthony Street, brothers.
A son. Col. Charles Parke Goodall, (married
Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Winston, and
died at "Mayfield," Hanover county, Octo-
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PROMINENT PERSONS
363
ber 5, 1855), and a grandson, Dr. Charles
Parke Goodall, frequently represented Han-
over county in the Virginia assembly.
Barron, James, born at Old Point Com-
fort, Elizabeth City county, Virginia, in Oc-
tober, 1740. son of Captain Samuel Barron,
who then was commander of Fort George, at
that place. Captain Barron removed to Mill
Creek. Left fatherless in 1750, the son, then
ten years old, was taken in charge by Col.
Hunter, his father's friend, then "navy
agent victualler," who sent him to sea under
Captain Barrington, trading in a ship be-
tween London and the James river. In due
time young Barron was given command of a
small vessel belonging to Col. Hunter, and
soon after was made master of a regular
ship. ^ American sailors were then habitually
derided and treated with arrogance by the
British naval officers whom they frequently
met at sea, and Captain Barron, in 1774,
resenting such treatment, sailed his ship
outside Cape Henry, then turned her over to
his first mate, to deliver to her owners in
England, and returned home. He soon re-
ceived letters offering him command of a
fine ship in the British transport service,
but. his patriotism would not allow of his
acceptance. He became captain of a com-
pany of minute men. which he headed in
skirmishes with the British, at the Edward
Cooper place on James river, and at Hamp-
ton. Virginia was now providing a navy of
her own. and soon had in service some fifty
vessels of various descriptions, and Captain
Barron cruised with small squadrons, har-
rassing British commerce. On July 3. 1780.
he was given command of the state navy,
with the rank of Commodore, also serving
at times as a member of the board of war
of the young nation. After peace was re-
stored in 1783, he was continued in com-
mand of the only two vessels retained in
service for the protection of the revenue,
and he was so occupied until his death, in
1787. He was father of Commodore James
Barron (q. v.).
Ruffin, Edmund, born January 2, 1744-45,
son of Edmund Ruffin by his first marriage
with Mrs. Edmunds, ncc Simmons. He was
fourth in descent from William Ruffin, who
was seated in Isle of Wight county, Vir-
ginia, in 1666, and died in 1693. He was a
member of the house of delegates, 1777-84-
86-87; o^ ^^^ convention of 1788; county
lieutenant in 1789; sheriff in 1797. He mar-
ried Jane, daughter of Sir William Skipwith,
baronet, of "Prestwould," Mecklenburg
county. He was grandfather of Edmund
Ruffin, the distinguished agriculturist (q.
v.). He died in 1807.
Strother, French, son of James Strother
and Margaret French, his wife, was a ves-
tryman and church warden of St. Mark's
parish, Culpeper county, Virginia. He was
a member of the convention of 1788. He
represented his county in the general assem-
bly for nearly thirty years ; was a member of
the convention of 1776 and of that of 1788
and voted against the proposed Federal Con-
stitution; in 1799 he voted for the resolu-
tions against the alien and sedition laws.
He was solicited to oppose James Madison
for congress, but James Monroe became the
candidate and was defeated. He married
Lucy, daughter of Robert Coleman.
King, Miles, son of Charles King and
Elizabeth Tabb, his wife, was born in Eliz-
abeth City county, November 2, 1747. He
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
was a surgeon's mate in the First Virginia
Regiment, October 26, 1775, but retired in
September, 1778. He was of much assist-
ance to the French fleet and soldiers in 1781,
and received their warm commendations;
member of the house of delegates 1784, 1791-
93-98. He resigned the last year to accept
the county clerkship. He was a member
of the state convention in 1788. and voted
for the Federal Constitution ; removed to
Norfolk, where he was mayor of the city
in 1804, 1810. He married (first) Barbara
Jones: married (second) Martha Kerby.
daughter of Thomas Kerby. He died in
Norfolk, June 19. 1814.
Stith, John, born March 24, 1755, son of
Captain Buckncr Stith, and Susanna .
his wife ; was lieutenant in the revolutionary
army, and major, taking part in the bat-
tles of Trenton. Princeton, Brandywine,
Germantown and Monmouth. He was taken
prisoner at Charlotte, in 1780, was ex-
changed, and returned to his command. He
IS usually styled Colonel, probably a brevet
rank. He married Ann, daughter of Law-
rence Washington, of Chotank, King
George county. He died in 1808.
Matthews, James M., son of William B.
Matthews, clerk of Essex county, Virgftnia,
who died in 1830, and Mary Jameson Gar-
nett Wood, his wife, was bom in Essex
county. He was educated at William and
Mary College, and was a well known lawyer
and law writer of Richmond, Virginia. He
was reporter of the supreme court of appeals
of Virginia, and author of "Civil and Crim-
inal Digest of the Laws of Virginia." and
"Guide to Commissioners in Chancery." He
married Ellen A. Bagby. of Richmond, sis-
ter of the well known Dr. George W. Bag-
by. He was father of William B. Mat-
thews, late of Washington, author of "Forms
of Pleading" and other books, and of the
artist George B. Matthews, ako of Washing-
ton.
Mallory, Francis, eldest son of Johnson
Mallory and Diana Tabb, his wife, was born
in Elizabeth City county, Virginia. He was
appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Elizabeth
City county militia in June. 1776. and later
was promoted to be colonel. After participat-
ing in various engagements with the British,
he was killed, while commanding a small
force of militia in an action with a largely
superior force of British tnx^ps commanded
by Lieut.-Col. Dundas.'near Newport News.
(See account of this affair in "Virginia His-
torical Register." vol. iv. 185 1, page 24. ct
scq„ and in "Virginia Magazine of History
and Biography." xiv. 324, 431, ct scq,). He
died March 8. 1781.
Callis, William Overton, born near "Ur-
banna," Virginia, March 4, 1756, son of Wil-
liam Callis and Mary Cosby, his wife. His
mother was third in descent from William
Overton, born December 2, 1638. in Eng-
land, settled in Hanover county, Virginia, in
1682, married Mary Waters. Callis served
in the revolution more than seven years as
lieutenant and captain, and at the battle of
Monmouth was badly wounded. In 1781 he
served as major on the staflF of Gen. Thomas
Nelson, and was at the surrender of Com-
wallis at Yorktown. He served in the Vir-
ginia assembly seventeen years, and voted
for the resolutions of 1798-99, and was a
member of the convention of 1788. He mar-
ried (first) a daughter of John Winston, and
(second) a daughter of Captain Thomas
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Price, of Hanover county. He .died at
"Cuckoo," Louisa county, Virginia, March
14, 1814,
Marshall, Humphrey, born in Virginia,
about 1756, probably of the Marshall family
of Isle of Wight county, in which the name
Humphrey was frequent. In 1783 he was a
pioneer to Kentucky, where he was a mem-
ber of the convention at Danville in 1787,
preliminary to the formation of the state
constitution ; a member of the legislature for
many years; and United States senator,
1795-81. He fought a duel with Henry Clay,
in which the latter was wounded. He was
the author of the first history of Kentucky,
published in one volume in 1822, and en-
larged to two volumes in 1824. He married,
in 1784, Mary Marshall, of Virginia, sister
of Chief Justice John Marshall, and was the
father of John J. Marshall and the brilliant
orator Thomas A. Marshall. He died at the
home of the last named, July i, 1841.
Fleet, William, son of William Fleet, of
King and Queen county, Virginia, was bom
December 18, 1757. He was a descendant of
Captain Henry Fleet, of colonial fame (q.
v.). He was a member of the convention of
1788, and voted for the adoption of the con-
stitution. He married Mrs. Sarah Browne
Tomlin, daughter of Barret Browne, of Es-
sex county, Virginia. He died at "Goshen,"
King and Queen county, April 11, 1833.
Walke, Anthony, a descendant of Thomas
Walke (q. v.), came to Virginia at an early
date. He was a member of the convention
of 1788; was a worthy citizen and pious
churchman, and built "Old Donation
Church/* near Norfolk. He married (first)
Jane, daughter of Richard Randolph; and
(second) Mary Moseley, daughter of Ed-
ward Hacket Moseley. He died in 1794.
Ivy, William, was born at "Sycamore
View," on Tanner's creek, Norfolk county,
Virginia, which he inherited from his father.
He was brought up to the sea, and built
vessels at his own cost. He suffered from
British depredations, the houses on both his
estates being plundered and burned, and
his slaves carried away. He joined the Vir-
ginia navy, and September 20, 1776, was
second lieutenant on the sloop Scorpion,
under Captain Wright Westcott, in which
he cruised until January, 1777, when he was
>made first lieutenant of the Liberty, and later
was promoted to captain, and placed on duty
to recruit men for the navy. He was sub-
sequently appointed to the command of the
Liberty, with which he did good service until
late in 1777 or early in 1778, when he died.
Guerrant, John^ son of John Guerrant and
grandson of Pierre Guerrant, who came to
Virginia in the French Huguenot emigra-
tion in 1700, was bom March 23, 1760. He
was a member of the house of delegates in
1787-93, and probably later; member of the
convention of 1788, of the state council and
for a time its president, and as such lieu-
tenant-governor in 1805. He married Mary
Heath, daughter of Robert and Winifred
(Jones) Povall, and had issue.
Booth* Edwin Gilliam, son of Gilliam
Booth and Rebecca Hicks, his wife, was
bom at "Shenstone," Nottoway county, Vir-
ginia, May II, 1810. As a boy he attended
the old Wingfield Academy in Dinwiddie
county, named after General Winfield Scott^
and after studying a short time at Oxford,
North Carolina, he entered the University
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
of North Carolina and graduated at eighteen
years of age. He then became a member of
the famous law school of Judge Lomax at
Fredericksburg. \'irginia. He practiced law,
and acquired the largest practice in his part
of the state. In 1848-49 he served in the
Virginia legislature, and was made one of
the revisors of the Virginia Code of Laws.
Judge R. C. L. Moncure. Judge Robert E.
Scott and Hon. John M. Patton were asso-
ciated with him in the work. He married
(first) Sally Tanner Jones, of Nottoway
county. Virginia, and several years after
her death and burial at '* Doth well," Dinwid-
die county, Virginia, he married Henrietta
Chauncey, of Philadelphia, and went there
to reside. True to his .southern sympathies,
he spent much money in the relief of Con-
federate soldiers confined in Northern prison
houses. He was the author of a volume of
personal reminiscences. He died in Phila-
delphia, in 1886, and was interred in the
Chauncey burying ground at Burlington,
New Jersey, by the side of his second wife,
where a handsome sarcophagus rests over
husband and wife.
Farkcr, John A., was born in Westmore-
land county. February 20. 1804. In 1836 he
was sent on a mission to Texas by President
Jackson, and in 185 1 he was librarian of Con-
gress. He was removed in 1853 ^Y John \V.
Forney, clerk of the house of representa-
tives, in whom at that time was vested the
appointment of librarian. The action of
Mr. Forney caused indignation, and a reso-
lution to deprive the clerk of his power to
appoint the librarian was lost by only four
votes. In 1856 he was appointed register
ot the land office for Nebraska. About this
time he was appointed one of the agents of
the states to procure a settlement of the
accounts between the commonwealth and
the United States.
Meredith, John Alexander, son of Rot)ert
Meredith and Mary Anderson, his wife, was
born in New Kent county, March 4. 1814.
He was an able lawyer and held the office
of judge. He married Sarah Anne Bernard,
daughter of William Bernard and Sarah
Dykes, his wife, and had three brilliant sons :
William Bernard Meredith, who was ad-
jutant on the staff of Gen. Pendleton. C. S.
A., and died in 1862: Charles Vivian Mere-
dith (born September 12. 1850). formerly
city attorney of Richmond, and Wyndham
R. Meredith (born .April 6, 1859) — the last
two still living in Richmond.
Taylor, Tazewell, born in Norfolk. \*ir-
ginia, January 30, 1810, son of James Taylor
and Sarah Newton, his wife. He was edu-
cated at Georgetown College and the Uni-
versity of \'irginia. receiving from the latter
institution the Bachelor of Law degree. He
was a distinguished lawyer for forty years,
and for a long time was bursar of Wil-
lii«m and Mary College.
Davison, John Smith Bull, born July 2.
1802, eldest son of Major William Davison
and Martha Maria Smith, his wife. He was
a student at Winchester Academy, and en-
tered William and Mary College, but in his
second year there his father died and he
was obliged to return home. He attended
the law school of Judges Tucker and
Holmes, at Winchester, and was admitted
u the bar. He was made justice of the
peace in 1829. and. with the exception of
the civil war period, served as such until
his death. From 1849 to 1851 he was high
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PROMINENT PERSONS 367
sheriff; represented Frederick county in the his wife. Soon after his marriage he re-
legislature, 1836-37, and Warren county, moved to a farm on the north branch of the
1842-43 and 1866-67. He was one of the Shenandoah river, and named it *'The For-
founders of St. Thomas' Protestant Epis- est." The farm, comprising about a thou-
ccpal Church, and drew the plans for its sand acres, was given to his wife by her
church edifice. He married, in 1826, Mary fcither, at the time of her marriage, and was
Eltinge Hite, daughter of Major Isaac Hite, part of the original **Yost-Hites" grant
of **Belle Grove," and Anne Tunstall Maury, which was taken up by Major Hite in 1831.
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INDEX
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INDEX
Abert. John. Jo6
John J.. 20f)
Adams, Robert H., 267
Thomas, 3
Alexander, Archibald, 184
James \V., 216
Mark, 97
Thomas L.. 272
William, 330
William C., 225
Allen, James, 64
John, 362
John J., 64
Robert, 97. 263
Ambler, Jaquelin, 335
John. 336
John J., 339
Anderson. David. 267
Richard C. 175
Andrews. Robert. 238
Arbuckle. Matthew, 189
Archer. Branch T., 209
William S., 93
Armistead. George, 197
Walker K.. 203
Armstrong. Wiliiam, 97
Arnr»ld. Thomas D., 270
Ashley. William H.. 264
Atkinson, Archibald. 97
Thomas. 228^
Aulick, John H., 208
Austin, Archibald. 97
Moses, 212
Stephen F., 212
Averett. Thomas H., 97
Bacon, Rdmund. 190
Bailey. Ann. 288
Baker. John, 97
Baldwin. Briscoe G., 65
Cornelius. 65
Joseph G.. 251
Balfour. George, 356
Ball. Burgess. 345
Fayette, 352
William L.. 98
Ballard. Bland, 155
Banister, John. 3
Bankhead, James, 201
Banks. Linn. 98
William P... 354
Barbour, James, 48
John S.. 98
Philip P., 83-
Barclay, James T., 311
Barron, James, 182, ^6t^
Barry, William T., 265
Barton, Richard W., 98
Bassett, Burwell, 98
Baxter, George A., 184
Bayley, Thomas M., 99
Baylor, George, 176
Baynham. William, 290
Beale, James M. H.. 99
Beckwith, Sir Jennings, 354
Beckwourth. James P.. 215
Bedinger, George M., 145
Henry, 99
Beirne, Andrew, 100
Bellini. Charles, 259
Bibb, George M., 262
William W.. 197
Bittle. David F.. 232
F^lackburn, Gideon. 185
l^amuel. 246
William, 234
Blackwcll, Joseph. 349
r»lair. Francis P.. 219
John. Ir.. 3
John b.. 255
nianchard. Thomas, 356
Bland, Richard, 4
Theodorick, 5
Bledsoe, Jesse, 189
Bonnycastlc. Charles, 163
l!ooth, Edwin G.. 365
Botts, John M., 100
Boucher, Jonathan. 289
Bonldin. James W., loi
Thomas T., loi
Bowlin. James B.. 271
Bowyer. Henry. 329
Boyd. Andrew H. H., 233
Bracken, John. 185
Bradford, John, 143
Brady, Samuel, 243
Braidwood, John, 256
I'raxton, Carter, 5
Breathitt, John, 266
Breckcnridge, James, loi
John. 199
Brent, Richard, 89
Thomas L. L., 359
Broaddus, Andrew, 219
Brockcnbrough, William, 64
Brodnax. William H., 264
Brooke, Francis T., 62
George M., 234
Lawrence, 273
Robert, 46
Brown, Aaron V., 269
John, 6
Samuel, 180
William G., loi
Buchanan, John, 253
Buckingham, James S., 179
Buford, Abraham, 176
Bullitt, Alexander S., 290
Cuthbert, 6
Burk. John D., 217
Burke. Thomas. 290
Burwell, Nathaniel, 349
William A., 102
Butler, James. 290 .
William, 246
Cabell, Joseph, 156
Joseph C 195
Joseph M., 266
Landon. 157
Samuel J., 102
William H., 47
Caldwell. James. 289
John. 289
Call. Daniel. 178
Richard K., 179
Callender. Tames T., 29 r
Callis, William O., 364
Camm. John, 164
Campbell, Alexander, 165
Arthur, 239
Charles, 225
David, 52
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37'
INDEX
John P., 292
John \V.. 292
Richard. 245
Robert. 180
Thonicis, 291
William. 173
Caperton. Hugh. 102
Carleton. Henry. 292
Carlile. John S.. 102
Carr. Dabncy. 6. 63
Carring^ton. Kdward. 7
Paul. 7
Carroll. David L.. 203
Carruthers, William A.. 252
Carter. Landon. 7
Thomas. 352
Cartwright. Peter. 285
Samuel A.. 293
Catron. John, 291
Cary. Archibald. 8
(ieorge B.. 102
I-ott. 285
^lary. 335
Richard. 8
Caskie, John S.. 102
Catesby. Mark, 2S>/
Chalmers. Joseph W., 293
Chambers. Henry, 293
Champe. John, 288
Chandler. Reuben. 282
Chapman. Augustus A., 103
John G.. 252
Nathaniel. 159
Chilton. Samuel, 103
Chinn, Joseph W.. 103
Christian, John B., 269
Claiborne, Ferdinand L., 247
John, 103
Nathaniel H.. 103
William C. C 245
Clark, Christopher, 104
George R., 145
James, 285
William, 182
Clay. Clement C, 360
Green. 243
Henry, 191
Matthew. 104
Clayton, Augustus, 280
I'hilip, 355
Cleland, Thomas, 281
Clemens, Sherrard, 104
Cleveland, Benjamin, 346
Clopton, John,- 104
Coalter. John, 62
Cobbs, Nicholas H.. 282
Robert L., j^(o
Cixke, Hartwdl. 136
John H., 197
William. 2J7
Coke. Richard. 104
Coleman. Frederick W.. 232
Coles. I -d ward. J04
Isaac. 105
Walter. 105
Collier. Henrv W.. 250
Colquitt. Walter T.. 2S2
Colston, Edward. 105
C onyers. Sarah. 3f>i
Cooke. John R.. 248
Philip P.. 2S^
Philip S.. 2\j
C«»oper. Thomas. 154
Copeland. Charles. 158
Cowardin. James A.. 333
Craig. Lewis. 30^)
Lewis S.. 312
Robert, 105
Craik, James. 237
Crane. William. 286
Crawford. William. 136
William H.. 244
Cresap, Thomas. 238
Crrighan. George. 236
Cropper. John. 149
Crump. George W.. 105
Cummings. Charles. 246
Curie, William R. W., 8
Gushing. Jonathan P., 201
Custis, George W. P., 248
John P., 342
Dabney, Charles W., 268
Richard, 205
Thomas G. S., 361
Dade, Francis I-.. 178
^^^^S* John L.. 281
Dale: Richard. 151
Samuel, 185
Dandridge. Alexander S., 356
John. 351
Daniel, Peter V., 248
William. r)6
Darke, William, 277
Davenport, Thomas, 106
Davies, William. 257
Daviess, Joseph H., 280
Davis, John A. G.. 228
Davison, John S. !».. 366
Dawson, John. 106
Deane, .*^inieon. 354
Deckley. John J.. 152
De Jarnette. Daniel C. 106
Deuxponts. William, 279
Dew. Th<imas R., 217
Dickins. John. 27/
Digges. Dudlev, 9
l)/>nk. John W'.. 338
Samuel. 143
Doddridge. Philip. 106
Doggett. Daniel S.. 231
Douglass. Rev. William. 255
Draper. Joseph, 106
Dromgoole, George C. 106
Dudley. P.enjamin W.. 160
Dundas, James. 322
Dunglison. Robley. 274
Dupuy. llartholomew. 253
Eliza A.. 251
Duval, John P.. 249
William P.. 203
Early, John. 203
Peter. 319
Edmundson. Henry A.. 107
Edwards. Benjamin. 181
John. 180
Eggleston, Joseph, 107
Ellicott, Andrew, 305
Ellis, Powhatan, 268
Ellison, Matthew. 334
Emmerson, Arthur, 319
Emmet. John P., 226
Empie. Adam. 189
Eppes, John W., 90
Estill, Benjamin, 107
Eustis. Abraham, 322
Ewing. Finis, 187
Farrow. Samuel, 284
Faulkner, Charles J.. 107
Fauntleroy. Thomas T., 214
Febiger, Christian, 173
Fendall, Philip R.. 286
Finley, John. 286
Fitzgerald, James H., 332
Fitzhugh, George, 229
William. 9
Fleming. Thomas. 283
William (acting Gov.), 45
William (Father), 9
Fleet, William, 365
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INDEX
373
Flournoy. Thomas S., io8
Floyd, John. 50
John B.. 55
Fuote. Henry S.. 275
Forrest, French. 346
Forsyth. John. 264
Francisco. Peter. 278
Franklin, Jesse, 284
Freeman. William G.. 234
French, Benjamin F.. 275
Fulton, Andrew S., 108
John H., 108
C.abriel, 359
Gaines. Edmund P.. 194
Gait. Alexander D.. 178
Gamble, Elizabeth \V., 339
Robert. 241
Garland. David S., 108
James, 108
John. 210
Garnett, James M.. 108
Muscoe R. H.. 109
Robert S.. 109
Theodore S.. Sr.. 2^2
Garrard. James. 142
Gates, Horatio. 166
George. Enoch. 157
Gholson. James H., 109
Thomas. Jr.. 109
William Y.. ^32
(libson, George, 356
(liles, William B.. 50
(lilmer. Francis W.. 249
< George. 9
Thomas W.. 53
Girardin. Louis H.. 1.^9
Gist. Christopher, 238
Glassell, James M.. 346
^^^grgin. William L.. 109
Goodall. Parke. 362
GocKle. Samuel, no
William O.. 110
( K)odrich. John. 356
(ioodvvin. Peterson, no
Gordon. William F.. no
Graham, (jeorge. 180
John. 358
William, 174
William M.. 164
Gray. Edwin, in
John C n r
Grayson. William, 10
Green. John W.. 63
Lewis W.. 223
Grcenhow. Robert. 215
Gregory. John, 358
John M.. 54
Griflfin. Cyrus. 10
Samuel, in
Thomas, in
Grigsby. Hugh R., 224
Grinnan, Daniel, Jr.. 345
(irundy. Felix. 193
C^rymes. John R., 139, 205
Guerrant, John, 365
Hall, John, 336
Thomas, 177
William, 188
Hallan, Lewis, 312
Hamilton. Andrew. 239
Hammond. Le Roy, 138
Samuel, 152
Hancock. George, in
Hardin. John. 148
Hardy. Samuel, 10
Harper. Robert G., 261
Harris. Chapman, 339
John T.. 112
Samuel. 135
William A.. 112
Flarrison. Henjamin, n
Carter B.. 112
Carter H.. n
Charles. 145
(jessner. 225
William H., 71
Harrod. James. 140
Harvie. Jaquelin B.. 336
John, 12
Hawes, Aylett, 113
Richard, 163
Hawkins. Philemon, 135
Haxall. Philip. 330
Robert W., 334
Hay, George. 196
Hayes, Samuel L., 113
Haymond, Thomas S., 1 13
Heath, John, 113
Henderson. Archibald. 322
Pleasant. 284
Richard. 283
Hening. William W.. 240
Henkel, Moses M., 326
Paul, 259
Henley, John D., 198
Henry, James, 12
Patrick, 12
William, 155
Hcrndon. William L., 233
Heth, William, 172
Hickman, William, 141
Hill, John, 113
William, 158
Hite, Lsaac, 155
Hog (Hogg), Peter, 236
Hoge, John B., 331
Moses, 176
Samuel D.. 344
Holcombe. Henry, 316
Holladay, Albert' L.. 217
Alexander R., 113
Holleman, Joel, 113
Holmes, David, 113
Holt, William, 14
Hopkins, George W.. 114
Samuel, 313
Horner, William E., 211
Houston, Samuel, 212
Howard, Benjamin. 155
Hubard, Edmund W., 1 14
William. 137
Hughes. Jesse. 247
Hungerford, John P.. 114
Hunt. Thomas P., 213
Hunter, Andrew. 259
fnglis, Mary, 334
Junes. James. 149
Irvin. William W., 340
Irvine, William, 335
Ivy, William. 365
Jackson. Edward B., 114
George, 114
John G., 114
Jacobs, John A., 225
James, Benjamin, 336
Jameson. David. 328. 329
John. 332
William. 331
Janney, Asa M.. 215
Samuel ^L. 220
Jarratt. Devereux. 301'
Jefferson, Thomas, 15
Jesup. Thomas S.. 206
Jeter, Jeremiah. 251
Johns. John. 214
Johnson, Chapman, 197
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374
INDEX
David. 200 I
Frank W.. 339
James. 115. 319
Joseph. 5^*
Johnston. Charles. 350
Charles C, 1 15
Peter, iz";
J<mes. Catlet. 313
James, 1 15
J<»hn P.. 141
John \V.. 115
Joseph. 17. 143
Roger. 20S
Thomas ap C. 206
Walter. 18
Jordan. Robert. 312
Jouett. John. 343
Joynes. Thomas R.. 266
Jiinkin. Cfeorge. 209
Keith. Richard. 178
Kemper. Reuben, 318
Kennon. Reverley. 272
Richard. 259
Kenton. Simon. 150
Kerr. John, 115, 325
Kidwell. Zedekiah. 115
King. Miles. 363
Knox. James. 318
Lacy, Drury. 152
Lane. John, 207
Latane. Rev. Lewis, 234
Lauderdale, James. 320
Lawson. Robert. 331
Thomas. 207
Leake. Shclton F., 116
Walter. 316
Leavenworth. Abner J.. 332
Lee. Arthur, 18
Charles. 167
Edmund J., 341
Francis L., 19
George H.. 67
FTenry, 19
Jesse, 315
Richard B., 116
Richard H., 21
Thomas L., 22
William, 22
Leffler. Isaac, 116
Lcftwich, Jabez, 117
Joel, 315
Leigh, Benjamin W., 92
Lenoir, William, 313
Lewis. Charles S., 117
John, 345
Joseph. Jr., 117
Lawrence, 157
Meriwether. 187
Thomas. 117
William. 317
William R.. 321
William J., 117
Lightfoot. Philip. 349
Littlepage, Louis. 156
Logan. Benjamin. 138
Robert. 330
Lomax. John T., 198
Long. Gabriel, 304
Love. John, 117
Loyall. George. 117
Lucas. Edward. 117
Robert. 338
William. 117
Lumpkin. Wilson. 200
Lyell. Thomas. 1.^*9
Lyle, John. 317
Lynch. Charles. 138
Lvons. Peter. 23
M'cCarty, William ^L. 118
McClurg. James. 25
McComas, William. 119
McCormick. Cyrus H., 231
McCoy. William. 119
McCulloch. ^Llj. .^amuel, 241
McDowell. Charles, 303
Ephraim, 183
James, 54
McElligott. James N., 305
McFcrrin. James. 322
McGuffey, William H.. 275
McKendrec. William, 314
McKinlcy. William, 119
McNutt, Alexander, 312
Alexander G.. 327
MacRhea, William, 323
Macaulay, Alexander, 181
Machir. James, 118
Madison, George, 316
James, 23, 328
William, 316
Mallory, Francis. 118. 364
Nfann. .Ambrose D., 221
Mark, John. 255
Marmaduke, Meredith M.,
324
Marques. Thomas. 305
Marshall. Edward C, 354
Humphrev. 365
John. 8r '
Louis. 186
Martin. Elbert S.. 118
Joseph. 348
Mason. Armistead T.. 89
Clement R.. 251
George. 24
lames M.. 93
John Y.. 118
Stevens T.. 87
Massie. Nathaniel. 156
Thomas. 142, 201
Mathews. George. 137
Matthews. James .\L, 364
Maupin. Socrates. 229
Maury. James, 301
John !\L. 214
Walker. 304
Maxwell. Lewis. 1 18
William. 202
Mayo. Roben. 202
William. 202
Meade. David. 174
Richard K.. 119. 174
William. 162
Mercer. Charles F., 119
James. 26 ,
John F.. 26
Meredith. John A.. 3^/)
Meriwether. David, 314
Metcalf, Samuel L., 326
Thomas. 321
Mettauer. John P., 206
Millington. John, 320
Milbon, John S.. 120
Minor, Lucian. 227
Thomas, 258
Moffctt, George, 242
Moncure, lames. 26
Richard" C. L., 66
Monroe, Andrew, 324
Montour, Andrew, 242
Moore, Richard C, 329
Samuel ^L, 120
Thomas L., 120
Morgan, Daniel. 120. 170
William. 245
William S.. 121
Morris. Samuel, 300
Thomas, 319
Thomas A., 325
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INDEX
375
Morrow, John, 121
Morton, Jackson, 326
Jeremiah, 121
Mosby. Mary \V., 323
Mossom. David. 235
Muhlenberg. John F. G.. 140
Munford, George W.. 221
William, 158
Muse, George, 235
Nash, Francis, 301
Nelson, Hugh, 121
Thomas, 28
Thomas M.. 121
Xettlcton, Ashael, 321
Neville, John, 170
Joseph, 121
New, Anthony, 122
Newman, Alexander, 122
James, 353
Newton, John T., 324
Thomas J. R., 122
Nicholas, George, 314
John. 122
Robert C, 29
Wilson C. 48
Nicholson. John B., 201
Noble, James. ^2^
Oldham, William, 303
Owen, Goronwy, 165
Page. Francis N., 342
Hugh N., 340
John, 29
John E., 341
Mann, 30
Robert, 122
Paradise, John. 256
Pa&hall, Edwin, 327
Parker, Foxhall A., 205
John A., 366
Josiah, 123
Richard. 30, 123
Richard E., 65
Severn E., 123
Thomas. 156
William H.. 147
Parmale. Elisha, 150
Pasteur, William. 235
Patillo, Henry, 301
Patteson. Charles, t^C)2
David, 362
Patton, John M., 53
Payne, Derail, 3 [7
Pcgram, John, 186
Pendleton, Edmund, 30
John S., 123
Nathaniel, 151
Pcnn, John, 302
Pennybacker, Isaac S., 93
Peticolas, Phillippe S., 178
Peyronie, William C., 242
l*eyton, John H., 284
Phripp, Matthew, 358
Pickett, James C., 211
Pindall, James, 124
Pleasants, James, Jr., 49
John H.. 163
Poe. David, 218
Edgar A., 218
Poindexter, George, 270
Pollard, Richard, 341
Pope, John, 262
Porterfield, Charles, 144
Robert. 147
Posey, Thomas, 144
Powell. Alfred H., 124
Cuthbert, 124
Leven, 124
Paulus, 124
Prentis, Joseph, 31
Preston, Francis, 124
James P., 48
William B.. 125
Pry or, Roger A., 125
Radford, William. 229
Randolph. Beverley, 45
Edmund. 31
John. 90
Peyton, 32
Peyton (Act. Gov.), 47
Robert B., 351
Thomas J., 210
Thomas M., 49
Ravenscroft, John S., 262
Read. Thomas, 33
Relf, Samuel, 319
Rice, David, 306
John H., 195
Richardson, Richard, 135
Riley, Bennett, 331
Rind, William, 255
Ritchie, Thomas, 196
Rives, Francis E., 126
William C, 91
Roane, John, 126
Spencer, 61
William H., 93
Robertson, James, 295
John, 126
Thomas B., 263
William J., 67
Wyndham, 52
Robinson, Beverley, 293
Christopher, 297
Fayette, 311
John, 343
Robert, 297
Rochester, Nathaniel, 148
Rogers, James B., 310
William B.. 222
Ronald, William, 33
Rose, Rev. Robert, 254
Royall, Anne, 308
Ruffin, Edmund, 363
Ruffner, David, 352
Henry, 207
Rumsey, James, 256
Russell, William, 181, 243
Rutherford, John, 53
Robert, 126
Samuels, Green B., 66
Saunders, John, 307
Robert, 217
Schmucker, John G., 308
Scott, Charles, 170
John, 199
William C, 311
Winfield, 161
Seaton, William W., 310
Seawell, John T., 272
Washington, 276
Selden, Miles, 355
William, 354
William B., 357
Wilson C, 357
Semple, James. 269
Robert B., 307
Sevier, John, 139
Sheffey, Daniel. 126
Shepherd, Abraham, 342
Thomas, 342
Shields. Patrick H., 309
Short, William, 153
Shreve, Thomas H., 311
Shuck (Shook). John L.. 273
Skyren. John S.. 351
Slaughter, Philip, 230
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Google
376
INDEX
Smitis Artliur. 127
( ieorgrf^ W .. 47
John, I -'7
John A., 160
Meriwether. 33
Samuel S . 175
Thomas. 3(0
Smiih. William, 127
William. King (icorge Co..
55
Smyth, Alexander. 127
Jolin F D.. 307
Sno<lgrai>. John F.. 127
Somerville. James. 349
Sparrow. Patrick J.. 208
Speece, Conrad. 247
Spencer. John. 308
Pitman C, 32^
Stanard, Robert, 65
^Villiam, 65
Stecnrod. Lewis. 127
Stephen, Adam, 130
Stephenson. James. 127
Stevens. Edward, 172
Stevenson, Andrew. 128
Stith, Uuckner, 302
John. 364
Stobo. Robf»rt, 237
Stratton, John, 128
.S;rother. Trench. 363
George F., i?8
James F., 128
Stuart, Alexander H. H., 128
Archibald, 129, 153
Ferdinand C, 286
David, 357
John, 278
W illiam, 355
Summers, Lewis, 359
Sumner, Jethro, 167
. Sumter, T om«?s. 349
Swcarvigen Thomas V. 129
Tabb, John, 33
Taiiafcro, John, 129
Tarbeli, Jo .'^^.h, ^98
Tate, Ma^^nus, 1.50
Tatham, Wiili.-iTn. 258
Taylof, Edward T.. v;o
George K , 361
John. 88. 297
Richard. 139
Robert. I ^o
Robert b!. 188
Tazewell. V**
Waller. 298
William. 130
William P.. 130
Zachary. 75
Tazewell, Henry. 34
Littleton W.. 51
Thomas. Isaac. 2<>4
ThompsiMi. Philip R., 130
Robert A.. 130
Thomson, John. 246
Thornt(»n. Anthony. 257
James B.. 237
Seth B., 300
Thomas C. 298
Todd. John. 296
Thomas. 279
Tread way. William ^L, 130
Trent. William. 2^^
Trezvant, James. 131
Trigg. Abram. 131
John. 131
Trimble. David. 298
• James. 295
Trotter, George, 297
Tucker. George, 131
Henry St. (i., 63
Nathaniel B.. 202
St. George. 34
Turbervillc. George L.. 154
Turner, Charles C, 299
Edward, 263
Nat, 299
Tyler, John, 73
John (Father), 35
John W., 253
Samuel, 190
Underwood. Joseph R., 323
William H., jjq
Upshur, Abel PT 209
George P., 327
Col. Littleton, 209
Van Braam. Jacob, 235
Vawter, John, 265
Venable, Abraham B., 88
Vethake. Henry. 210
W u.'del, James, 295
Waggoner. Thomas. 242
Walke. Anthony. 3^)5
Walker, Francis. 131
Freeman. 205
Cieorge. 273
John, S/
Wallace, Caleb. 351
(justavus B., 351
Waller. John. 273
Walton. William C. 267
Warden. John. 136
Warrell, James. 281
Warrington. Lewis, 159
Warrock. John, 263
Washington. Bushrod. 83
George. 36
William. 279
\\'atkins. Samuel. 325
Waugh. Beverley. 298
Weakley, Robert. 317
Weaver. William A.. 269
Webb. Thomas T., 271
Weedon, George. 1O7
Weems. Mason L.. 260
Weightman. Roger C. 322
West. William. 254
Wetzel. Lewis. 244
Wharey. James. 322
White, Alexander, 132
Francis. 132
Thomas W.. 359
Wickham. John. 181
Wilkinson, Jesse, 267
William, Jared. 132
Williamson. Andrew, 149
Wilmer. William H., 200
Wilson. Alexander, 132
Edgar C. 132
Samuel B.. 199
Thomas. 132
Winston. Edmund, 362
Joseph. 304
Wirt, William. 336
Wise, Henry A., 56
Wood, Janie.>, 46
John, 309
W(x>dford, William, 172
Woods. William, 302
Wynn, Richard. 304
Wythe. George, 40
Zane, Col. Ebenezer, 240
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