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5
THE LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA
THE COLLECTION OF
NORTH CAROLINIANA
FROM THE LIBRARY OF
W. Ltinsford Long
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL
00032761011
This book must
be taken from
Library building.
r
OLD HALIFAX
By ABMISTEAD C. GORDON, LL.D. Litt. !>., Staunton, Virginia
In his recent book, "Sunlight on the
Southside," Mr. Landon C. Bell dis-
cusses the routes of emigrants from
Virginia into the Southwest, and calls
attention to "the tide of emigration
which flowed from Virginia into
North Carolina and Tennessee, and
thence into Kentucky and the west.
Long before this Virginia "tide of
emigration" started Westward and
Southwestward over the "Wilderness
Road" about the middle of the eight- ,
een century, people from the Tide- {
water and Southside sections of the i
Colony of Virginia had begun to j
move South and to settle in the east-
ern part of North Carolina; and the
records of those eaastern Carolina
counties give abundant evidence of
the settlements of early Virginians in
them who participated in this move-
| ment.
Not far south of the "Dividing
lline" betweenn the two Colonics lay
the county of Halifax, formed in
1758 from Edgecombe County; and
Colonel William Byrd, who left a his-
tory of the establishment of that fa-
mous "Line," and who was not very
complimentary to North Carolina,
said of these neighbors:
"The borderers laid it to heart if
their land was taken in Virginia;
They chose much rather to belong to
Carolina, where they pay no tribute
to God or Ceasar."
Due, says Mr. Bell, to the fact
that this early migration of settlers
from Tidewater and Southside Virgin-
ia into North Carolina has been "in-
adequately understood," and little
pains have been taken by the histo-
rians and genealogists to group and
record the facts concerning it, the
specific debt of North Carolina to
these sections of the older part of
the Colony has been little recog-
nized. As an illustration of his state-
ment, he states that the Carolina his-
torians and genealogists "are yet ig-
norant of the rate and place of birth
of one (and the same is doubtless true
of others) of the mist distinguished
of men connected with the early his-
toryy of that Colony ond State."
This was Willie Jones, of Halifax,
who he says "was born in Albemarle
Parish, Surry County, Virginia, May
25, 1741."
Halifax County, North Carolina,
derives its name from the Earl of
Halifax, who in 1758 was the first
Lord of the Board of Trade. It is sit-
uated in the northeastern part of the
State, and is bounded on the north
and east by the Roanoke River, which
separates it from Northampton Coun-
ty; on .the south by Martin, Edge-
combe and Nash counties, and on the
west by the county of Warren.
X
v<
Its county seat is Halifax town,
situated on the west bank of the Roa-
noke; and the county and town in
their history are distinguished for
their devotion to liberty and for the
patriotism of their people. Halifax
was represented in the Newbern Con-
vention of 1774 by two of its most
eminent citizens, Nicholas Long and
William Jones; and in the important
Hillsboro Convention, called to act
upon the Federal Constitution adopt-
ed at Philadelphia in 1787, Willie
Jones was the leader and moving
spirit who, under Mr. Jefferson's in-
spiration, prevented its ratification
at that time fcian • because it was
without a Bill of Rights.
Other distinguished citizens of Hal-
ifax in the Revolutionary period were :
! William R. Davie, a prominent offic-
er in the Colonial armies and later
ambassador to France; John Baptista
Ahse, a brother-in-law of Willie
Jones, who was opposed to the adop-
tion of the Federal Constitution, and
later became a member of Congress
and Governor of the State; and Nich
olas Long, a son of Gabriel Long, of
Virginia, and Commissary-General of_
North Carolina. .
association with Willie Jones, wasL
Connected with Halifax through his")
one of the most celebrated figures inj
the naval history of the Revolution.
Colonel Cadwallader Jones, in his
"Genealogical Histry," writing of the
two brothers General Allen Jones and
Willie Jones, says:
Gen. Allen Jones resided at Mt
Gallant in in Northampton Coun-
ty at the head of Roanoke Falls.
Willie Jones lived at "The
Grove," near Halifax. These old
mansions, grand in their propor-
tions, were the homes of abounding
hospitality. In this connection, I
may ^mention that, when John Paul
Jones visited Halifax, then a young
sailor and a stranger, he made the
acquaintance of those fine old pa-
triots, Allen and Willie Jones; he
was a young man but an old tar
with a bold, frank sailor-bearing
that attracted their attention. He
became a frequent visitor/at their
houiw*, where he was alwfeys wel-
come. He soon grew fond of them,
and a mark of esteem and admira-
tion, he adopted their name, say-
ing that if he lived he would make
them proud of it. Thus John Paul
became Paul Jones— it was his
fancy. He named his ship the "Bon
Homme Richard," in compliment to
Franklin; he named himself Jones
in compliment to Allen and Willie
Jones. When the first notes of war
sounded he obtained letters from
these brothers to Joseph Hewes,
member of Congress from North
^ Carolina, and through his influence
1 received his first commission in the
I navy. I am now the oldest living
/descendant of Gen. Allen Jones. I
' remember my aunt, Mrs. Willie
Jones, who survived her husband
many years, and when a boy I have
heard these facts spoken of in both
families."
In her "Women of the Revolution,"
^J.Mrs. Ellett speaks of Mrs. Willie
Jones ,and Mrs. Nicholas Long as ex-
hibiting a patriotic zeal, a noble
spirit and a devoton to ther country
wheh llustrated the attachment of
the women to the cause of the Revo-
luton.
Mrs. Willie Jones was a daughter
of Colonel Joseph Montford, a strong
patriot, a prominent citizen of Hali-
fax, and a colonel of the Halifax
Militia before the outbreak of the
war. He was distinguished as a Ma-
son; and died in 1776, just as the
Revolution was beginning.
Another of his daughters, as stated
married John Baptista Ashe.
Mrs. Willie Jones was famous for
her personal beauty, her brilliant wit
and her sauvity of manners. She is
said to have been "devotedly and
enthusiastically loved by every hu-
man being who knew her."
It was her individual charm, even
more than the admiration which the
young Scotch sailor, John Paul, had
for her as well as for her husband,
that caused him to add Jones to his
name, when he left Halifax and went
into the American Navy.
When Cornwallis, in 1781, led his
army north from Wilmington to its
anal surrender at Yorktown, he re-
mained several days in Halifax, where
some of his officers were quartered
among the families of the town. They;
were treated courteously but coldly*
by their reluctant hosts; and more*
than one story has come down of the
scars inflicted^ on the vanity of some
,f them by the wit of these patriotic
women. Colonel Banastre Tarleton,
Jornwallis' leader of cavalry, had
been wounded in the hand by a sabre
cut in a personal encounter on the
field with Colonel William Washing-
ton. One day at "The Grove," during
his stay in Halifax, the Englishman,
spoke to Mrs. Jones in sneering terms
of his recent opponent, saying that he
understood that Colonel Washington
was an ignorant and illiterate boor,
hardly able to write his own name.
"Ah, Colonel," said Mrs. Jones to
Tarleton, you should know better
than that, for you carry on your per-
son the proof that he can at least
make his mark!"
The English general, Leslie, with
some of his officers, was quartered
at the house of Mrs. Jones' sister,
Mrs. Ashe, during the stay of the in-
vading army in Halifax; and here
Tarleton continued his vituperation
of Colonel Washington, saying to
I Mrs. Ashe that he would like to see
. the American officer, who he under-
I stood was insignificant looking and
' ungainly in person. Mrs. Ashe re-
plied: "Colonel Tarleton, you would
have had that pleasure, if you had
looked behind you at the battle of the
Cowpens!"
'Tarleton, enraged, involuntarily
grasped the hilt of his sabre. General
Leslie at this moment entered the
room, and observing the anger of the
officer and the sudden agitation of
the lady, inquired the cause. She re-
peated the brief conversation, and
Leslie said, with a smile: "Say what
you please, Mrs. Ashe, Colonel Tarle-
ton knows better than to insult a
lady in my presence."
Colonel William R. Davie was long
a resident of Halifax County. He was
born in England and came to Ameri-
ca at the age of five years. He was a
student at Princeton, which he left
in 1776 to enter the Continental Army
serving in the North, and returned to
college after the campaign, where hej
graduated with the first honors of
the college. Again joining the army,
he became captain and was severely
wounded in the battle of Stono, which
temporarily incapisitated him for
military service. Again, in 1780, he
answered the call to arms, and rais-
ed a troop of cavalry and two com-
panies of infantry, equipping them
out of his own private funds. He took
an active part in the battle of Hang-
ing Rock, of which he wrote a vivid
account that is. published in Wheeler's
"History of North Carolina."
He served successively as captain,
major, and colonel, and was at the
battles of Guilford Court House and
i Hobkirk's Hill, and at the evacuation
I of Camden and the seige of Ninety
Six. in 1781, he became commissary
general of North Carolina; and at
the close of the war resumed the
practice of law at Halifax, and mar-
ried Sarah Jones, daughter of General
Allen Jones, and niece of Willie Jones.
|hc was a brilliant and successful law-
Iyer ,and was in his fifteen years at
the bar employed in many of the
most important criminal cases in the
State.
He held many political offices. In
1787, he was a delegate to the Fed-
eral Convention at Philadelphia, upon
which, though but thirty-one years
old, he made a decided impression by
his' knowledge and eloquence. He was
called away from the convention a
few days before its adjournment by
an important law case, and his name
does not appear among the signers.
He was a member of the State Con-
vention at Hillsboro in 1788, and af-
ter the later ratification of the Fed-
eral Constitution at Fayetteville he
was offered by President Washington
a district judgeship, which he declin-
ied. He served in the General Assem-
bly for a number of terms, and was
one of the founders of the State Uni-
lversity at Chapel Hill. In 1798, Con-
gress having provided a provisional
I army of 10,000 men, Colonel Davie
' was appointed by President Adams
brigadier-general and was confirmed
by the Senate July 1 of that year. In
i the same year be was elected Gover-
[nor and inaugurated December 27.
>
On June 1, he was appointed by
President Adams Ambassador to,
France and resigned the Governor-
ship to accept that office. He was:
one of the three men to draw up the>
treaty with the French Government
which was ratified by Congress Sep-
tember 10, 1890. He is said to have
been the handsomest and most dis-
tinguished looking man of the trio;
and the story is told that an eyewit-
ness of their meeting with Napoleon
said: "I could but remark that Bon-
aparte, in addressing the American
Legation, seemed to forget that Gov-
ernor Davie was second in the mis-
sion, his attention being more par-
ticularly to him."
After his return from France he
was appointed, in 1802, by President
I Jefferson, commissioner for the set-
, tlement between North Carolina an 1
* the Tuscarora Indians, and under the
j treaty between the State and he In-
; dian chiefs, the remnant of the Tus-
caroras removed to New York.
In November, 1805, General Davie
left Halifax to live in South Caro-
lina. During the War of 1812 he was
appointed by President Madison mi-
jor-general in the United States ar-
my, and was confirmed by the Sen-
ate, but declined the appointment. He
died in' 1820, and was buried at Wax-
haw Churchyard, just across the riv-
er from his plantation.
Willie (Pronounced Wiley) Jones, a
Virginian by birth, was one of the
most important and distinguished fig-
urea of the State in the Revolution-
ary period, and in some respects one
of the most remarkable men of his
time.
Mr. Claude G. Bowers, in his book:
"Jefferson and Hamilton; The strug-
gle for Democracy in America,"
draws a graphic and accurate por-
trait of this notable North Carolina
lieutenant of Thomas Jefferson in
his formation of the Republican
party:
la North Carolina Jefferson found
a leader cut from his own pattern,
an aristocratic democrat, a radical
rich man, a consummate politician
who made the history that lesser
men wrote without mentioning his
name — Willie Jones, of Halifax. His
broad acres, his wealth, his high soc-
ial standing were the objects of his
pride, and he lived in luxury and
wore fine linen while the trusted
leader of the masses, mingling famil-
iarly with the most uncouth back-
woodsmen, inviting however, only the
select to partake of the hospitality
of his home. There was more than
a touch of the Virginia aristocrat of
the time in his habits— he raced,
gambled, hunted like a gentleman.
Like Jefferson,- he was a master of
the art of insinuation, a political and
social reformer. He loved liberty, hat-
ed intolerance, and prevented the
ratification of the Constitution in the
first State Convenion because of the
absence of a Bill of Rights. There he
exerted a subtile influence that was
not conspicious on the floor. If he
was neither orator nor debater, he|
was a strategist, disciplinarian, dip- j
lomat, who fought with velvet gloves
— with iron within. A characteristic
portrait would show him puffing at,
his pipe in the midst of his farmer
x followers, suggesting, insinuating, in-
terspersing his political conversation
with discussions of the crops, farm-
ing implements, hunting dogs, horses.
An Anthony in arousing the passions
by subtle hints, he was an Iago in
awakening suspicions. Here was the '
man with the stuff that Jefferson re-
quired, generous and lovable in social
relations, in politics relentless, hard
as iron. He was the Jefferson of
North Carolina — "A man . . . the ob-
ject of more hatred and more ador-
ation than has ever lived in that
State."
His home was "The Grove", situa-
ted in the southern end of the town
of Halifax, near Quanky Creek, built
in the year 1765. The house was seat-
ed amid beautiful grounds, and near-
by its owner maintained a race track,
which was used extensively by the
residents .of .the town and by those
who came from elsewhere to witness
or take part in the races; and he
kept a stable of pedigreed horses and
is said to have kept a barge on the
Roanoke River that was rowed by
his liveried negro servants, like
Washington's on the Potomac.
At the clo$e of the War Between1
the States the house was unoccupied, j
and was taken possession of by the'
Federal soldiers. Later, it was own-'
ed and dwelt in by the families and'
children of Willie Jones' daughters,!
Mrs. Eppes and Mrs. Burton. It is
now in ruins.
The Jones family came to Virginia !
from Wales about the middle of the'
seventeenth century. Robert Jones,
grandson of the immigrant, moved
to North Carolina, and was tho agent
of Lord Granville. He was educated
at Eton in England, and was ap-
pointed Attorney-General for the
Colony in 1761. As attorney for the
Crown and agent of Granville's ex- '
tensive domain, he ' became wealthy
and was perhaps the largest land-1
owner on the Roanoke River.
Willie Jones' earliest appearance in
j politics was in the Provincial Con-
I gress that met in Newbern in 1774,
j and he was a member of the succeed-
l ing Colonial conventions of 1775 and
i 1776. He was a member of the com-
tjmittee in 1776 which prepared a Bill
of Rights, modeled on that of George
Mason in Virginia, and is believed to
j have been the chief author of the doc-
X
j! ument. He was president of the Com-
mittee of Safety, and Acting Gover-
nor until the" election of the first
Governor after the establishment of
the State.
In 1787 he was elected to the Phila-
delphia Convention which made the
Federal Constitution, but Ike Pat-
rick Henry in /Virginia, who "smelled
a rat," he declined to serve. He was
a member of the Continental Con-
gress in 1780; and, as stated by Mr.
Bowers, was the leader in defeating
the adoption of the Constitution by
the H llsboro Convention on account
of its lacking a Bill of Rights.
This was his last appearance in
public life. He died June 1801 at his
summer home "Welcome" near Ra-
leigh and was buried by the side of
his little daughter in the cemetery
near his home. The chapel of St.
P Augustine College now stands on the
site of this graveyard, and the grave
\of Willie Jones is said to be beneath-
the altar.
Colonel Nicholas Long, of Halifax,
was another citizen of Virginia ex-
traction and probably of Virginia
birth. He was a son of Gabriel Long,
of Virginia. His son, Nicholas, was a
gallant soldier in the Revolution, and
was in the battles of Camden, Cow-
pens, and Yorktown. He and Major
Hogg had the celebrated race after
Tarleton at the Cowpens. It is relat-
ed of the younger Long that in the
battle two British cavalrymen pursu-
, ed him. He wheeled and sought saf e- f-
' ty in flight: they opened fire and in
I their hot pursuit became separated.
Observing this, he suddenly turned
and killed each of them successively
with his sabre.
* Colonel Nicholas Long's home was
X "Quanky", in the southern end of
Halifax town, on Quanky Creak, op-
positeposite "The Grove." He was a
wealthy planter, much given to hos-
pitality: and his house was frequent-
ed by the many prominent men who
visited Halifax. When President
Washington made his tour of the.
South, he is said to have stopped
with Colonel Long for several days
at "Quanky."
His first wife was Mary Reynolds,
and his second was Mary McKinnie,
daughter of John McK nnie, and
granddaughter of Barnaby McKinnie,
who represented Edgecombe County
in the Colonial Assembly of 1734.
By his first marriage Colonel Long t
had two children: Gabriel Long, and
Anne Long, who married William
M^-tin, of Halifax. Among the de-
scendants of William and Anne Mar-
tin were: William H. Battle, of the.
i Supreme Court of North Carolina,
and Kemp Plummer Battle, president
of the University of North Carolina.
^
William Martin, 2d, a son of William
and Anne Martin, married Betsey
Macoa» slaughter of the Hon. Nath-
aniel Macon, who John Randolph of
Roanoke, said was "the most honest
man he ever knew."
Mrs. Ellett, in hed "Women of the
Revolution," says of Colonel Nicho-
las Long's second wife, Mary Mc-
Kinnie:
Colonel Long was commissary-gen-
eral of all the forces raised in North
Carolina, and superintended the pre- j
paration in workshops, erected on
[ his own premises, of implements of
"war and clothing for the soldiers. His.
wife was a most efficient cooperator
in this business. She possessed great
energy and firmness, with mental
' power of no common order. Her i
praises were the theme of conversa- .
tion among the old officers of the|
I army as long as any were left who
had known her. She died at about 80
! years of age, leaving a numerous j
I offspring.
Mary, a daughter of Colonel Nicho- '
las Long and his wife, Mary McKin-
nie, was one of the most famous |
beauties and belles of her day in
North Carolina. McCree, in his "Life •
,of Judge Iredell," gives a description j
written by his brother, Thomas Ire-!
dell, of the festivities which followed
'the marriage of Mary Long to Col- J
onel Basset Stith, of Virginia, in,
1790:
Thomas Iredell visited Halifax,
j July 1790. A letter from'him gives a
characteristic account of the gay and
opulent borough. "The divine Miss
Polly Long" had .iust^been marred
to Bassett Stith, a Virginia beau. The
nuptials were celebrated b^ twenty-
two consecutive dinner parties in as
many different' Souses; the dinners
being regularly succeeded by danc-s
and all terminated by a grand ball.
Among the children of Colonel Bas-
sett Stith and Mary Long were:
Maria Stith, who married Jud"-e
Joseph J. Daniel, one of the three!
judges of the Supreme Court of'
North Carolina, whose other mem-
bers at the time were Judges Ruffin
and Gaston; andMarthia Stith who
I mar"ed Hon. J. r. j. DanleI> attor.
i ney-general of , the State and for
many years member of Congress A
son of j. R. fc DanieI and Martha
( Stith was General Juntas Daniel, C.
S. A., a gallant and distinguished' of- '
i icer, who fell in the battle of Spott-
sylvania^Court House, May 13, 1864.
Judge Joseph J. Daniel was a na-
tive of Halifax, a grandson of William
Daniel, of Virginia, who was descend-
ed from the Daniel family of the
"Northern Neck" of Virginia, which i
numbered among its members Judge '
Peter V. Daniel, of the Supreme
Court of the United States, and Hon
John Warwick Daniel, for many years
United States Senator from Virginia
One of Judge Joseph J. Daniels
grandsons is Hon. George Gordon
Battle, the eminent New York lawyer
Judge Daniel lived in the town of
Halifax, and had a country place
"Burncourt," in the county He a-
chieved great distinction in his early
manhood, and was one of the most
bnlhant lawyers of the State. He was
a member of the House of Commons
for a number of years, was appointed
judge of the Superior Court in 1816
1 and in 1832 was elevated to the su-
preme bench, which position he held
until his death in 1848.
He was a man of great simplicity
and many stories are told of his art-
!???.!!• °ne Who knew him we" said
inat the most ordinary details of his
farm were Dutch to him," and that
he could not even plant a row of
corn." Another said that he was kind
and charitable and was accustomed to
send around his servants with meal
and meat to his indigent neighbors.
to his time it was no reflection upon
a Man »to take a drink" with a
friend; and whenever he did Judge
Daniel always insisted on paying for
ids own drink.
Chief Justice Ruffin said of him at
the time of his death:
"Judge Dainel served his country
through, a period of nearly thirty-two
years acceptably, ably and faithfully.
He had a love of learning, an inquir-
ing mind and a memory uncommonly
tenacious; and he had acquired and
retained a stock of varied and exten-
sive knowledge, and especially be-
came well versed in the history and
principle* of the law. He was without
arrogance or ostentation, even of his
learning, had the most unaffected
and charming simplicity and mildness
of manner, and no other purpose in
office than to 'execute justice and
maintain truth'; and, therefore, he
was patient in hearing argument la-
borious and calm in investigation
candid and instructive in consultation'
and impartial and firm in decision." '
Among the earlier notable citizens
of Halifax was John Branch, who was
educated at the State University
where he was a fellow-tudent and as-
sociate of Thomas H. Benton, who
was in the United States Senate
when Branch was Secretary of the
Navy in President Jackson's Cabinet
During Branch's incumbency of this
office occurred the famous episode
of the disruption of Jackson's Cabi-
net over Mrs. Eaton.
Soon after his entrance upon his 1
second term as Senator, he was tend-
|ered by President Jackson the port-
. folio of Secretary of the Navy, which
hi } accepted. John H. Eaton, at that
it) me living in Tennessee, but a na-
|t Ive of Halifax County, was made
/Secretary of War. Thus there was
[ the singular coincidence of two nati- 1
ives of Halifax County being in the
I President Cabine^atjthe same time. I
I None of the other citiWof Hali-'
I J" County ^er held so many honor-
able positions as John Branch hc
was at different times member'of the,
I Genera (Assembly, Governor of he
Unit'd ^p^en0ta«ve in Congress,
United States Senator, Secretary of
the Navy, and Governor of Florida. |
Hf was a man of incoruptible in-
tegrity .and a high order of ability
with an indomitable wM-paw*r and
great urbanity. ' •
He died at Enfield, January 4 1863
rtTownbUriedintheCemet^ne-
Another Virginia-born citizen of
Halifax was Governor Hutchings G.
Burton, the place of whose nativity
was Mecklenburg County in South-
side, Virginia. His father, John Bur-
ton, was a soldier in the Revolution-
ary War. The son was educated at
the Williamsboro Academy and the
University of North Carolina, and
studied law under Judge Henderson.
In 1810, he was elected Attorney-
General of the State, and held the of-
fice until 181G, when heresigned. Af-
ter representing Mecklenburg Coun-
ty, North Carolina, for two terms in
the Legislature, on a visit to a former
schoolmate, Willie Jones, Jr., he met
Sarah, the youngest daughter of Wil-1
lie Jones, of "The Grove," and sister
of his friend, and married her. He im-
mediately became a resident of Hali-
fax, where he continued t& practice
law. He lived at "The Grove," and
represented Halifax in the North Car-
olina Legislature in 1817. In 1819, he
was elected to Congress, and eoryed
two terms.
In 1825, he was elected Governor
cf the fJtate, and was instrumental
in tne ultimate establishment C .i
F/3tem of public schools. In 1826, he
was nominated by President John
Quincy Adams as Governor of the
Territory of Arkansas, but the nom-
ination was never confirmed by the
Senate.
Governor Burton was an eloquent
orator and an able debator. He had
a summer home in the western part
of Halifax County, known as "Rocky
Hill," near Ringwood and 20 miles
from Halifax. It is now owned i._,
the estate of the late George Kant
man, the Kodak magnate. Here hc
was residing at the time oi hi.:
death, which occurred on a journey
to Texas, where he owned proper-
ty. On his way to Texas he visited
a cousin in Lincoln County, and
stopping at the "Wayside Inn" to
sp°nd the night, suddenly became ill
and died in a few hours on April
21, 1836. He was buried in Unity
churchyard in that county.
A prominent citizen of Mali tax
was John B. Ashe, who has been do-
scribed as "a determined son of li-
berty." He was a captain in the
Revolutionary Army at the early age
of nineteen, fought under General
Greene, and was lieutenant-colonel
at the battle of Eutaw. He was
elected a member of the Continental
Congress in 17n7 and served irtiGH
1788. He wa.s again n mcmln i
Congress from 1790 to 1703, and
was elected Governor of the State
in 1S02, but died before his quali-
fication for the office.
Willis Alston, Jr., an ardent fol-
» lower of Thomas Jefferson, was a
: -native and resident of Halifax Coun-'j
,.ty. He was elected a member of
: Congress in 1709, and held the of-
| fice until 1815, when he retired. He
;iwas again elected in 1815, and served
until 1831. For many years he was
. ■ a member of the North Carolina Log-
I islature, where he occupied a com-
manding position and greatly in-
'I fluenced legislation.
John Haywood was a resident of
Halifax. He was a distinguished
lawyer and was Attorney-General of
the State and a judge of the Superior
Court. He was the earliest reporter
of the State and the author of a
"Manual of the Laws of North Caro-
lina" and Haywood's "Justice." He
subsequently moved to Tennessee,
and wrote "A History of Tennessee."
He was a leading . lawyer of Tennes-
see and became a judge of the Su-
preme Court of that State, holding
the office at the time of his death
in 1826.
John R. J. Daniel was a native of
Halifax, where he spent the larger
part of his Lie. He was an able law-
yer and was a member of the State
Legislature for several terms, and
Attorney-General from 1834 to 1841,
when he was ..elected to Congress,
serving until 1851. He was a vigor-
ous and fearless speaker and debat-
•r; and Thomas H. Benton, in his
Thirty Years," quotes from several
>li his speeches and accords him
raise for his forensic powers. Af-
Ler his first lerm in Congress, he
nought a plantation in Caddo Parish,
: .ouisiana, on the Red River, some
twenty miles above Shreveport, where
he spent much of his later life, and
died there in 1868. He was a cousin
of Judge Joseph J. Daniel, and mar-
ried successively two of the sisters
of Judge Daniel's wife, Maria Stith,
./ho were daughters of Colonel Bas-
. ett Stith and his wife, "the divine
I'olly Long." He was the father oi
< ieneral Junius Daniel, C. S. A., who
was killed in the battle of Spottsyi-
vania Court House.
There are many other names of dis-
.inguished residents and citizens oi
the county and tqwn of Halifax,
./hose careers adorn the history o.
heir locality and of the State
Among Eheni irthoioruew i
Moore-, able lawyer and All. .n.-.
General; ColoneJgiAndrcw .loyne,
prominent in the pontics of the coun-
ty for many years, a soldier in the
War of 1812, a business man of dis-
tinction, president of the Roanoke
Navig-ation Company, which operated
the first ateamboat on the Roanoke,
j and president of the Weldon & Ports- |
mouth R. R., which afterwards be- 1
I came the Seaboard; his second wife'
>as the widow of Governor Ilutch-
in«'; <:- ' "tfneral l.awren<«»
O'Bryan BPhnch, brigadier-gen^rST
in the Confederate States Army '
president of the Raleigh and Gaston
Railroad, member of Congress from
( the Raleigh District, serving until
18G1, when he resigned at the pros-
pect of North Carolina's secession,,
receiving upon his retirement from
Congress the tender from President
Buchanan of the Secretaryship of
the Treasury, which he declined;
and falling in battle at Sharpsburg:
Colonel Francis M. Parker, gallant
soldier of the Confederacy, who after
participating in many battles of the
War Between the States was desper-
ately wounded at Spottsylvania and
incapacitated for further service; Spier j
Whitaker, lather and son - the father f
an Attorney-General of the State, who ,
removed before the war to Iowa —
the son a Confederate soldier, who |
served in the ranks of the Confede-
rate Army, participated in many ot
its battles, and remained steadfast
and faithful until the end at Appo-
mattox, becoming after the war chair-
man of the State Democratic Execu-
tive Committee, and Superior Court
Judge; Walter N. Allen, who after
practicing law in Halifax, removed
in 1857 to Kansas, where he achieved
great reputation as a stalwart Demo-
crat, and as editor of the "Topeka
Democrat"; Edward Comgland, born
in Ireland, an able and prominent law-
yer, and counsel for Governor Holden
in his impeachment trial; and Thomas.
N. Hill, of State-wide reputation as
a lawyer, with an extensive practice
in the State and Federal courts, whose
daughter of Col. Nicholas McKinnie
.second wife was Mary Amis Long,
Long, of Weldon.
Eoth of the two brigadier-generals
from Halifax, General Lawrence O'-
Bryan Branch and General Junius
Daniel, were killed in battle in the
War Between the States.
General Daniel was the youngest of
the three sons of Hon. J. R. J. Daniel.
His two elder brothers died in early
manhood. His mother was Martha
Stith, daughter of Col. Bassett Stith,
of Halifax, and his wife, Mary Long.
He was a lineal descendant of John
Stith, the immigrant to Virginia, who
espoused the cause of Nathaniel Ba-
con, the" younger, in his famous "Re-
bellion" in Virginia in 1676; and his
earliest ancestor on the distaff side
was Mary Randolph, daughter of Wil-
liam Randolph, of Turkey Island, Vir-
ginia, who was the progenitor of Ed-
mund Randolph, Thomas Jefferson,
John Marshall and Robert E. Lee.
General Daniel's descent on the Ran-
dolph and Stith side was also through
the Burvells and Bassetts, of Vir-
ginia, who were ancestors of the
two Harrison Presidents of the
United States.
General Junius Daniel was appoint-
ed, in 1846, to the cadetship in the
Military Academy at West Point,
from which he graduated in 1852, and
was stationed for five years at Fort
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Resigning
commission in the army at his
lather's solicitation, he became a
planter, taking charge of his father's
plantation on Red River. He married,
m October, 1860, Eden, daughter of
Colonel John J. Long, of Northamp-
ton County, North Carolina, and up-
on tne beginning of hostilities be-
tween the North and South, returned
to his native State and entered the
service of the Confederacy. He was
successively colonel of the Fourth,
(fourteenth and Forty-fifth regiments
ind was commissioned finally a brig-,
' lier-general in 1S62. After partici-
pation in various battles, th > troops
.inder his command took part in the
tattle of Gettysburg, where General
.<(• accorded him the high praise of
tying: "General Daniel, your troops
shaved aJmirably and they were a<l-
nirably handled." On May 11, 1864,
ae was killed in battle at Spottsyl-
vania Court House, while leading hi:
brigade in a charge. He was buried in
the old Colonial Chureuyard at Hali-
fax, and a monument to his memory
was, alter many yea.1
eeritly there by tne patriotic Daugh-
ters of the Confederacy.
Mrs. Daniel died in Henderson June
24, 1932, and is buried in the Colonial
Churchyard at Halifax by the side of
her husband.
Many interesting and rqmantic leg-
ends and stories are connected with
the early history of Halifax, among
them being that of the Crowdls. Xwt
members of the family of Oliver
Cromwell emigrated from England to
New Jersey after the restoration, of
the Stuarts, and thence to Halifax
where they settled. Wheeler, in his
"History of North Carolina," says:
They fled from England, from the
political storms that impended over
the name and house of the late Pro-
tector.
While on the voyage, fearing that
persecution would follow from the
adherents of Charles II, then on the
English throne, they resolved to
change the name. This was done with
solemn ceremony, and by writing
their names each on paper and each
cutting from the paper the "m" and
casting it in the sea.
The family pedigree on vellum, re-
cording these facts, was with the
family in North Carolina in an orna-
mental chest with other valuables,
when by a party of Tarleton's Legion,
in 1781, this chest was seized and
taken off. These facts are undoubted.
The record was again made up from
the recollections of the family, and
is still preserved among them. From
one of them these interesting and
urious facts are derived.
Here ,in the quiet retreats of North
Carolina, the aspiring blood of Crom-
well found repose, and in the peace-
ful precincts of Halifax, the exquisite
poetry of Gray was fully realized:
Some village Hampden, who with
dauntless breast
The petty tyrant of his fields
withstood,
Some mute inglorious Milton here
may rest,
Some Cromwell guiltless of his
country's blood.
. Although, during the four years of
the War Between the States from
1861 to 1865, no part of Halifax
County was occupied by Federal
troops, memories still linger there of
the story of its navy yard in a corn-
ncl.l and of the construction from
i agre materials of the Confederate
ram, "Albemarle," which was built
tnd launched on the Roanoke River
in 1801 for service against the Fed-
eral forces and ships in and about
Albemarle and Pamlico sounds.
The builder of the "Albemarle" was
Peter Evans Smith of Scotland Neck-
Wdliam II. Smith, his brother, of
'Scotland Neck, was in charge of sup-
plies and material ,and Gilbert Elliott
of Elizabeth City, ag-d 19, was the
contractor and in charge of finances.
The utmost ingenuity was required
of the builder, for he was called upon
to invent a twist to bore the holes
in the iron to be used as armor in
I order to facilitate the work. The plans
and specifications were prepared by
John L. Porter, chief constructor of
the Confederate Navy, who with Cap-
tain John M. Brooke, had designed
and built the famous iron-clad, "Vir-
ginia", from the United States frigate
"Merrimac", that fought the great
sea fight was the "Monitor" in Hamp-
; ton Roads.
I Peter Evans Smith and Gilbert
j Elliott married sisters of Thomas N.
Hill, of Halifax.
Elliott said in his report to the
authorities, subsequently published in
. Vol. V. of the "North Carolina Regi-
mental Histories" :
During the spring of 1863, having
rbeen previously engaged in unsuccess-
ful efforts to construct war vessels
of one sort or another, for the Con-
federate Gove-nment, at one point or
another in Eastern North Carolina
and Virginia, I undertook a contract
with the Navy Department to build
| an iron-clad gunboat, intended if ever
i, completed, to operate on the waters
of Albemarle and Pamlico sounds.
i Edwards Ferry on the Roanoke River,
in Halifax County, North Carolina,
t about 30 miles below the town of
iWeldon, was fixed upon as the most
suitable for the purpose. The river
rises and falls as is well known, and
it was necessary to locate the yard
on ground free from overflow to ad-
mit of uninterrupted work for at
least twelve months. No vessel was
ever constructed under more adverse
circumstances. The shipyard was es-
j tablished in a cornfield, where the
ground had already been marked out
and planted for the coming crop; but
the owner of the land, W. R. Smith,
Esq., was in hearty sympathy with
the eiHerpri.se ,and aided me then and
afterwards in a thousand ways to ac-
complish the end I had in view. It
was next to impossible to obtain the
machinery suitable for the work in
hand. Here and there, scattered a-
;bout the surrounding county, a port-
Sole sawmill, blacksmith's forge or
[Other apparatus was found, however,
j and the citizens of the neighborhoods
Ion both sides of the river were not
| slow to render me assistance, but co-
operated cordially in the completion
of the iron-clad, and at the end of
about a year from the laying oi the
keel, during which innumerable dif-
.ipplica
cessanl
crowne
by (constant
effort and m-
ind night, sun ess
ta>rts of those engaged
in the undertak
Seizing an opportunity offered by
:omparatively high water., the boat
was launched^ not without misgivings
is to the result, lor the yard being
m a bluff, she hat! to .take a jump,
ind a; a matter of fact was "hog-
ged" in th ■ attempt; but to our great
"ratification did not thereby spring
.. l^alv **&"
The diti.iulu. of the iron-clad
■ •■ reached the
I the river. Commander
. is in charge. She was still
-he.i. Having obtained two
auns and twenty men, and
.laced on bqard ten portable forges
,-ilh n amn.ers Cook ■
darted on his lown the river
is a floating workshop. "Naval his-
.a, "affords no
larkable evidence of patriotic
zeal and individual perseverance."
'Captain, .John N. Matfitt. of the Con-
federate >*av' iPllic con"
tinuatior. ol the stl ' I
On thr turtle-back ih# wrote in
his "Reminiscences",), numerous
stages w'erc suspended, thFonged with
sailors vvioldinS' huge sled,
mers. t/Pon the pilot-house stood
Capt. Coo]^ - £ivmS' directions. Some-
of the c«rew were being exercis
one of th*2 bi& &uns- "Drive in Spike
No. 10! " -saa8" .°ut the commander.'
, "On nut below and screw up! Invert
'and sponge. Load with cartridge!"
'was the nexC. command. "Drive in
| No. 11, port-SKle'— so!" "°n nut and
'screw up hard! v- L^1 with shells—
! prime!" And in'\this seeming babel
! of words the floating monster glided
by.
After an active '".drill at the guns,
an aide was dispatched to sound the
: obstructions placed Jn the river by
| the enemy. He return?** at midnight
and reported f avorab1y,v t'pon which
all hands were called and soon the
steamer was under way.
Soon that dull leaden ,'concussion
which to practiced ears .<4enotes a
heavy bombardment broke upon the
ear, and ere long by the dawn's early
light the spires of Plymouth greeted
the sight.
It was at 3 A. M. on the 19th of
April, 1864, when the "Albemarle"
passed in safety over the river ob-
structions, and received without reply
a furious storm of shot from the
fort at Warren's Neck. Instantly
grasping the situation, amid the
I cheers of his crew, Cooke made for
the Federal gunboat; that were
chained together in tl-.e rear of Fort
; Willitrms, guarding it.i flank, and
! dashed nine feet of hs prow i:do the
! "Southfield," delivering at tr ■ same
time a broadside into the "Miami",
killing and wounding many of her
crew. Among the killed was number-
ed her commander, the brilliant
Flussor. In ten minutes the "South-
field" was at the bottom, the prow
of the ram still clinging to her and
exciting for a few moments serious
apprehensions for the safety of the
"Albemarle." However, she was soon
disentangled, and being released from
(the downward pressure was fiercely
pursuing the enemy, who wore- finally
driven out of the river.
The next day the Confederate
forces under General Hoke carried '
the Federal defences of Plymouth by
storm, captured the own, andt took j
storm, captured the town, and took \
Tho iron-clad, built in the cornfield
of Halifax County, had performed a!
j prominent part in the sanguinary
j and brilliant capture of Plymouth.
Some months later, after various
j othoi ments with the Federal
[vessels, the
near the mouth of the Roanoke an
enemy fleet of seven vessels.
^a terrific battle of four hours, in
y/hich bar smokestack was riddled
and she was otherwise crippled at
(the cost of great losses to the '
als, she put back to Plymouth, and
j lay almost a wreck until the night
of October 27, 18G4, when she was
torpedoed and sunk by the intrepid
Lieutenant William B. Cushing, of the
United States Navy.
Mr. James C. Hill, aged 18, was !
a midshipman on the "Albemarle."
In the enterprise Cushing's own
boat was swamped by the rush of the
water, and of his thirteen officers
and men all but himself and one
other were either shot, drowned or
made prisoners.
The "Albemarle" was raised by the
Federals in April, 1865, and an Ad-
miralty Court appraised her value at
$282,856, of which $79,954 was dis-
tributed among the men who de-
stroyed her.
The battle-battered smokesack of
the "Albemarle" is now in the
museum of the Historical Commission
at Raleigh.
Albemarle Tablet at Edward's
Ferry Bridge unveiled Wednesday
April 20, 1927. Twin granddaughters
of the late Peter Evans Smith, Build-
er of the Confederate Ram "Albe-
marle" drew aside the cords holding
a Confederate Flag, displaying the
tablet to the view of the assembled
crowd.
Authorities
County Records of Halifax County.
Wheeler's "History of North Caro-
lina" (1851).
Col. Cadwallader Jones' "A Gen-
ealogical History" (1900).
W. C. Allen's "History of Halifax
i County" (1918).
Thomas H. Benton's "Thirty
Years in the United States Senate."
Landon C. Bell's "Sunlight on the
Southside" (1931).
Claude G. Bowers' "Jefferson and
Hamilton: The Struggle for Democ-
j racy in America" (1925).
"North Carolina Regimental His-
' tories," Vol. V.
j J. T. Scharf's "History of the Con-
federate States Navy" (1887).
J John N. Maffitt's "Reminiscences
! of the Confederate States Navv"
;U887).
* THE END
a series of historical
I sketches of Halifax County, writ-
ten by the late Dr. Armistead C.
Gordon and reprinted through
arrangement with the American
Historical society, original pub-
lishers.
OLD WELDON
Happenings 33 Years Ago
In Weldon And Vicinity.
June 12, 1890.-Mr. J. H.
McG;e lost a fine horse one day
last week. He had been tied oui
to graze and became entangled in
the rope and broke his neck.
The following have been elected
officers of Roanoke Lodge No.
203, A.- F. & A. M. for the ensu-
ing year:
W. T. Whitfield— W. M.
W. H. Brown- S. W.
E. Clark-J. W.
H. S. S. Cooper— Secretary.
J. T. Evans — Treasurer.
„~
Mr. W. E Daniel and the Rev.
W. B. Morion left this week 10
attend the commencement exer-
cises of Wake Forest College.
Misses Susie and Mamie Tim
berlake, of Raleigh, are visiting
relatives in town.
Miss Kate Taylor Prescott, who
has been attending schuol at Lynch-
burg, Va., returned home Monday
to the delight of her many friends.
Miss Laura Powers, who has
been visiting friends in Richmond
and Petersburg, returned home
Monday.
Major T. L. Emry is attending
a meeting of the Board of Peniten-
tiars Directors at Raleigh.
mail
On Thursday last a party of cap
italists visited this place to exam
ine into the feasibility of building a
second canal about three miles
above town on the Moore farm.
They rode out to the locality and
were out there several hours. The
party returned to town and were
handsomely erueriai el at dinner
After dinner a bu-inc.-.s meeting
was held and nothing that took
place has been given out for publi
cation.
At Grace church, this place, on
Wednesday evening, the 1 1 th insi
the Rev. W. L. Mellichampe, rec-
tor, officiating, Mr. Andrew J
Campbell was united in marriage
to Miss Lucy, daughter of Gavin
H. Clark, Esq.
The attendants entered as fol-
lows, preceeded by the ushers
Messrs. W. M. Cohen and O. W.'
Pierce: Miss Mary Long Green,
flower girl; S. B. Pierce and Miss
(-Jennie Capell; Ernest L. Hay ward
amd Miss Annie Lou Stainback; C.
R. Emry and Miss Kate Gary; C.
G. Evans and Miss Mabel Zolli-
coffer; James W. Howard and
Miss Ellen Faucett; John J. Long
and Miss Fannie Clark.
Miss Mabel Zollicoffer left Friday
for a visit to Miss Arrington in
Warrenton.