The Family Tree Searcher - RootsWeb

The Family Tree Searcher
Volume 5 - Number 2 December 2001
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Editor’s Page.................................................................................................2
By Roger C. Davis
John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia ..................4
By Roger C. Davis
Joseph Dobson of Gloucester County, Virginia .........................................14
By Judith Rowe Mays
Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia ............................................18
By Judith Rowe Mays
“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers ................................................................. 23
By Robert “Bob” Plummer
Cross-County Cousins: New Middlesex Cemeteries Book
Underlines Gloucester -Middlesex Connections ...........................................28
By Pat Royal Perkinson
Notes to Computer Interest Group ...............................................................33
By Roger C. Davis and Mary Walters
Special Memories of the Deal Family - Aunt Kate and Uncle Bunnie ............34
By Betty Jean Dunston Deal
The Society’s New Website Format ............................................................... 37
By L. Roane Hunt
Gloucester County Insolvents, 1783 .............................................................39
Contributed by Dr. John S. Hopewell
Additional Gloucester County Death Records ...........................................40
By L. Roane Hunt
The Hodges Seamen of Mathews County, Virginia ................................... 46
By Marie Hodges
Surname Files..............................................................................Inside back cover

From the editor’s desk….
Each issue of Family Tree Searcher begins with the
selection of a theme or time period to give us a focus for
topics. This issue revolves around a 1912 Property
Survey Map for Gloucester County drawn by R. A. Folkes.
(The Lower Gloucester County portion of the map is
enlarged and shown on page 6.) The surnames and
property locations are significant in that they reflect
some of the surviving families from the Civil War period
(1861-1865) and show those ancestors that will face the
trials and tribulations of World War I (1914 -1918).
We were able to generate articles about a number of the surnames
and places shown on the map. Such names as Lawson, Dobson, Minor, Rowe, Deal,
Fitzhugh and places like Turk’s Ferry and Little England became the material for this issue.
Judith Rowe Mays helped with articles on the Dobson family that connected to the Lawson
family and some history on the Little England area. Roger Davis developed a story on his
neighbor, John Irvin Lawson, whose grandparents were from Gloucester.
Robert (Bob) Plummer gave us a talk at the September mee ting and furnished an article on
“Steaming” on Gloucester’s Rivers that tells the story of the “ ferry days” and “wharf life.”
He talked about Turk’s Ferry in northern Gloucester.
Patricia (Pat) Perkinson tells us about the Fitzhugh family, grave sites and people from
Gloucester that are buried in adjoining counties.
Dr. John Hopewell contributes, heretofore unpublished, tran scribed tax debt records of
insolvent Gloucester County citizens in 1783. These names should correspond to the first
federal census for Gloucester at roughly the same date. Also, Roane Hunt provides
additional death records of Gloucester for 1853 and 1854.
Your Society appreciates the contributions from Judy Rowe Mays, Jennie Todd Lawson,
Betty Jean Deal, Robert “Bob” Plummer, Pat Perkinson, and the family of John Irvin Lawson.
The day of Model-T and Model-A Fords, paddle wheel steamers, dir t roads with horse
drawn buggies and sparsely populated farms is long gone from Gloucester County, but
there are still a few people living that remember those “old times.” It is always our hope to
catch those memories on paper.
Roane Hunt tells of the progress of our new SOCIETY WEB SITE at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~vaggsv/vaggsv
The Computer User Gr oup shows a “spurt of life” with a list of sites for research.
Roger Caldwell Davis, editor
olddad@inna.net

Vol. 5, No. 2 3 December 2001

L-R John I. Lawson, Jr., John I. Lawson, Sr., Marjorie
Stevens Lawson, Julia Lawson Weston George and
Sandie Lawson Wharen.
L-R John I. Lawson, Jr. Marilynn Zauner Lawson and
John I. Lawson, Sr.
L-R Steve George, Julia Lawson George and John I.
Lawson, Sr. L-R Robert Wharen, Sandra Lawson Wharen and John
L-R Sandra Lawson Wharen, John I. Lawson, Sr.,
Marjorie Stevens Lawson and Julia Lawson Weston
George.
JOHN IRVIN LAWSON FAMILY
Gathered at Dockside Condominiums, Hayes, VA, July 8, 2001
Photographs by Roger C. Davis
Robert Howard Wharen - at the end of a long day
Vol. 5, No. 2 4 December 2001

John Irvin Lawson and Family
of Gloucester County, Virginia
by Roger C. Davis
The surname of Lawson appears several times when R. A. Folkes drew his 1912
Survey Map of Gloucester County. The 1850 Gloucester census shows six Lawson families
in the county and a 1912 tax list further defines their residences in the county. In keeping
with our theme, we focused this article on a Lawson family that connects to the Bland,
Minor, Disney and Dobson families of lower Gloucester County. In 1947, a John I. Lawson
is noted as living at the University of Virginia Copeley Hill Student Housing complex at
Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia about 300 yards from Roger C. Davis. Both of
these men had just returned from World War II and were students at the University of
Virginia.
Now, fifty four years later, they are neighbors at Dockside Condominiums, Hayes,
Gloucester County, Virginia, living just 300 feet apart and about three miles from John
Lawson’s ancestor’s family home on Glass Road off Bray’s Point Road on the spit of land
called Sadlers Neck.
William Barnes Lawson, Sr. (1891-1954), father of
John Irvin Lawson, was born at this house on July 13,
1891. The house was called “Forest View” and was
owned by William’s parents, John Backhouse Lawson,
Sr., (1850-1932) and Lucy Minor (1860-1940). 1 (See map
on page 6.)
On July 8, 2001, the children of John Irvin Lawson
and Marjorie Flood Stevens gathered at their parents’
Dockside Condominium home to be photographed and
help compile their family genealogy. This article is the
result of those efforts. 2
William Barnes Lawson, Sr., son of John Backhouse
Lawson, Sr., married Bessie Barclay Disney, daughter of
Irvin Porter Disney and his wife Rosa Dobson on December 22, 1917, in Washington, D.C.
It was to be a short honeymoon with the war clouds on
the horizon. 3
William Barnes Lawson and Bessie
Barclay Disney sitting in buggy
John Backhouse Lawson
house on Glass Road
In May of 1918, at New York, William B. Lawson, Sr.
boarded the U.S.S. Leviathan, formerly the Vaterland, a
German steamer. It was the largest ship in the world at
that time (954 feet in length). He crossed the Atlantic and
became a part of World War I with Company G, 318 th
Infantry Regiment, Eightieth Division. From September 26
to October 17, 1918, he participated in the awful battle of
the Argonne Forest.
On May 17, 1919, he and his Eightieth Division
Vol. 5, No. 2 5 December 2001

Lower Gloucester County Area R. A. Folkes 1812 Map
A John Backhouse Lawson built “Forest View” abt 1885 on Glass Road.
B John William Lewis Backhouse inherited large estate from his father and built
“Pleasant Point” in the 1840s. (Now “Lisburne” on Glass Road.)
C John W. Minor (Lucy Minor) “Riverside”
D Irvin Porter Disney (Bessie Disney) This house, built abt 1898, is occupied by Betty
Barclay Lawson Rucker, grand daughter of Irvin Disney.
E Little England
F Deal
Rt. 17
John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
Glass Rd.
Low Ground Rd.
G 1600 acres of Dobson land
A
E
B
Vol. 5, No. 2 6 December 2001
F
C
D
G

John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
members departed Brest, France on the U.S.S. Maui and arrived
at Newport News, VA on May 27, 1919. It was only fitting that
Virginia should provide birth for the ship and receive the
Regiment’s colors. Two thirds of the men of the 318 th Infantry
Regiment who lost their lives were from Virginia.
After serving in France for eleven months and two weeks
during World War I, he returned to Gloucester County. Later
he and his family moved to Baltimore, then to Washington, DC,
and in 1938 to Arlington County, Virginia. William died of a
heart attack after a day of hunting on the last day of quail
season on January 20, 1954. He is buried in Arlington
National Cemetery. 4
The children of William Barnes Lawson, Sr. and Bessie
Barclay Disney are: 5
1) Betty Barclay Lawson, b. March 30, 1920, md. Robert Parks Rucker on September
27, 1942. Their children are:
Nancy Bland Rucker, b. Oct. 16, 1944 at Arlington, VA.
Margaret (Peggy) Witt Rucker, b. Jan. 14, 1947 at Arlington, VA. She married
Cary Roger Osborne, b. Dec. 13, 1942, on Oct. 23, 1965 at Arlington, VA.
Robert Parks Rucker, Jr., b. Aug. 23, 1948, at Arlington, VA.
2) John Irvin Lawson, Sr. b. August 8, 1923, md. Marjorie Flood Stevens on February
4, 1947. The children of John Irvin Lawson, Sr. and Marjorie Flood Stevens
are:
John Irvin Lawson, Jr., b. September 1, 1948, at Arlington, VA. He married
Marilynn Zauner on February 14, 1998.
Julia Lawson, b. December 6, 1950 at Fairfax, VA. She married (1 st ) Douglas
Weston on June 19, 1968, and married (2 nd ) Stephen R. George on
December 28, 1999.
Sandra Louise Lawson, b. September 20, 1953, at Fairfax, VA. She married
Robert Howard Wharen on October 1, 1977.
3) William Barnes Lawson, Jr., b. July 18, 1925, at Washington, D.C., md. Marjory Ann
Poston on February 13, 1954. Their children are:
William Barnes Lawson, III, b. Sept. 11, 1954.
James Randolph Lawson, b. Jan. 12, 1958.
Dianne Kay Lawson, b. Jan. 16,1960.
4) Donald Linsay Lawson, b. March 27, 1931, at Washington, D.C., md. Wilma Ann
Lamoureaux on June 19, 1954. Their children were:
Donald Lindsay Lawson, Jr., b. Nov. 11, 1958, at Arlington, VA.
Richard Kelsick Lawson, b. May 23, 1966.
William Barnes Lawson Sr.
and hunting dogs abt 1931
John Irvin Lawson, Sr. is a “come here” with firm ancestral ties to Gloucester. His
father had moved to Washington, D.C., before he and Bessie Disney started their own
family. Similar to his father’s experience, John’s life was interrupted with war just after he
Vol. 5, No. 2 7 December 2001

finished Washington-Lee High School at Arlington, VA. He had entered VPI at Blacksburg in
September 1942 only to be drafted in March 1943 into the U. S. Army Air Force. After basic
training at Miami Beach, FL, he was sent to Automatec School at Staten Island, N.Y., in April
1943.
The next year on March 3, 1944, he embarked from Boston, MA, on H.M.S Britanic and
served with the 2013 Ordnance Maintenance Company at Hampton Court, England until
November 1944. He survived the attacks of German V -1 rockets (buzz bombs) during this
period.
Next, he crossed the English Channel in a Liberty ship and was stationed at St.
Germain, France, for the next eight months. In January 1945 his Company was moved to
Westbaded, Germany, and remained there until the end of the war in March 1946. He
Memories From the Picture Album of John Irvin and Marjorie Lawson
John Backhouse Lawson and grandchildren
John Irvin Lawson Sr. and Betty Barclay Lawson
John Backhouse Lawson and
William Barnes Lawson
John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
William Barnes Lawson and Bessie
Barclay Disney md. Dec. 22, 1917
(Bessie in her wedding dress)
William Barnes Lawson Sr.
and ground transportation
Lucy Minor and John
Backhouse Lawson
Vol. 5, No. 2 8 December 2001

John Irvin Lawson
b. Aug 8, 1923
John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
Ancestors of John Irvin Lawson
William Barnes Lawson
b. Jul 13, 1891, d. Jan 20, 1954
Richard Bachelor Kelsick Lawson
b. ~1793, m. Jan 30, 1818d. Aug 14, 1858
Richard Barnes Lawson
b. Mar 6, 1827, m. Nov 2, 1848, d. Mar 25, 1908
Elizabeth Barnes Kemp
b. 1798
John Backhouse Lawson
b. Aug 1, 1850, m. Jun 8, 1882, d. Sep 7, 1932
John Bland
b. ~1766, d. ~1846
Nancy Todd Bland
b. 1830, d. 1871
Martha Collier
William Minor
John William Minor
b. ~1816, m. Oct 31, 1844
Mary Rowe
Lucy T. Minor
b. Dec 2, 1860, d. Jul 5, 1940
Henry Mouring
b. Feb 11, 1785, d. Apr 8, 1838
Sarah Jane Mouring
b. May 24, 1824, d. Jul 17, 1888
Dorothy Singleton Heywood
b. Jan 31, 1785, d. Apr 16, 1840
Irvin Porter Disney
b. Dec 1865, d. May 7, 1938
Bessie Barclay Disney
b. May 6, 1898, d. 1987
John Dobson, Sr.
b. Dec 20, 1761, m. ~1824, d. Nov 25, 1833
Joseph Henry Dobson
b. 1828, d. Mar 14, 1913
Susan Chandler
b. 1800
Rosa Chandler Dobson
b. ~1858, d. Jan 8, 1940
William H. Pettit
b. ~1811
Bedoura Pettit
b. Mar 18, 1833, d. 1902
Mary Virginia Lindsey Penn
b. ~1813
returned to the U. S. on April 3, 1946, on the U.S.S. General Squire and was discharged at
Fort Meade, MD.
John entered the University of Virginia in September 1946 where he received his B. S.
in Commerce degree in 1951.
He married Marjorie Flood Stevens, daughter of William Grant Stevens and Marjorie
Flood, on February 4, 1947.
After graduation, John worked with Anchor Post Products Corporation as Branch
Manager at their Washington, DC, Detroit and Pittsburgh offices. Later, he returned to
Virginia and took a manager’s position with Tops (a fast food chain) until he entered the
building business with Homewood Corporation at Arlington, Virginia. In 1966, he formed
Vol. 5, No. 2 9 December 2001

John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
his own company, Lawson Construction Corp., building many custom homes in the
Arlington, VA, area. When John retired in 1990 he moved to Gloucester, VA. 6
Richard Barnes Lawson, the great grandfather of John Irvin Lawson, Sr., was born
Mar. 6, 1827, and died March 25, 1908. He was a son of Richard Bachelor Kelsick Lawson,
md. Nancy Todd Bland on November 2, 1848. She was born 1830, died 1871. They had ten
children: 7
1) John Backhouse Lawson
2) Aurelia Bland Lawson
3) Samuel Kelsick Lawson
4) Fleeda Estella Lawson, md. William Pippin of Richmond, VA.
5) Matilda Kemp Lawson, md. Thomas Douglas Withers of Baltimore, MD.
6) Lee Lawson, b. 1860 at “Aspen Grove”, d. Nov. 27, 1939. He md. Hettie Smither.
They had a daughter, Florence Elizabeth Lawson, b. Apr. 11, 1890. She md.
William Carroll Muse (b. Nov. 15, 1889, d. June 4, 1948) on Jan. 24, 1912. He
was the son of Charles H. Muse and Kate Elizabeth Fleet.
7) Richard Barnes Lawson, Jr.
8) Lucy Trible Lawson, md. Frank Lephardt of Baltimore, MD. She died Mar. 8, 1940.
9) William Edward Lawson.
10) Annie Todd Lawson, md. Henry Lephardt of Baltimore, MD. She died Sept. 14,
1941.
The great great grandparents of John Irvin Lawson, Sr., were Richard Bachelor Kelsick
Lawson, born abt. 1793 (from 1850 census, 1798) near Pampa in Gloucester County, VA .,
died Aug. 14, 1858, and his wife Elizabeth Barnes Kemp, born 1798 in Middlesex County,
VA. She died after the Civil War. They married Jan. 30, 1818, and had ten children. 8
1) Sarah Bachelor Lawson, b. Jan. 11, 1819.
2) Thomas Younger Lawson, Sr., b. May 5, 1820.
3) Ann Matilda Lawson, b. Sept. 13, 1822.
4) Richard William Zebulon Lawson, b. Nov. 30, 1824.
5) John William Lawson, b. Mar. 6, 1827.
6) Richard Barnes Lawson, b. Mar. 6, 1827.
7) Zebulon Barham Lawson, b. Aug. 9, 1831.
8) Zebulon M. J. Lawson, b. Feb. 20, 1836.
9) Almira Lawson, b. Dec. 26, 1838.
10) A. Summerfield Lawson, b. Apr. 26, 1842.
Ann Matilda, sister of Richard Barnes, married John William Lewis Backhouse, (1823 -
1870), son of William Avery Backhouse and Mary Lewis, on Dec. 22, 1842. There were no
children of this marriage. 9
John William Lewis Backhouse inherited a very large estate from his father on which
he built his home, “Pleasant Point” in the year 1842. (See map on page 6.) This house,
Vol. 5, No. 2 10 December 2001

located at the head of Vaughan’s Creek, off the Severn River, still stands. The house has
been owned by the Lawson and Pitts families and today the house and much of the original
land is known as “Lisburne,” and is owned by Mr. and Mrs. David Peebles. The house and
grounds are beautifully restored and furnished and at times have been opened for garden
week.
After the death of Ann Matilda Lawson Backhouse on March 15, 1883, the estate was
sold at which time John Backhouse Lawson bought enough of the acreage to have his farm
on which he built his house, “Forest View ” next to “Pleasant Point.” He lived there until his
death on Sept. 7, 1932. After his death the farm was sold, and in 1965 the owner tore
down the unique old Backhouse barn to make room for more building sites. The original
“Forest View” house has a two story columned porch added to the front and is owned by
Mrs. Robert E. (Carolyn) Dutton. Today the property is sub -divided for a number of
residential sites off Glass Road (Route 656). 10
* * *
Of related interest. The Court House records of Lancaster County, VA, contain two famous
wills, one is that of Epaphroditus Lawson of Rappahannock, the oldest will on record in
America. The Lawson will is dated March 31, 1652. 11
The Lawson will reads as follows ---“In the name of God, Amen, I, Epaphroditus Lawson
of Rappahannock, being sick of body, but of perfect memory, Glory be to God, do
make this my last will and testament. I make and ordain, ye child of my wife my heir,
my wife—third”
Epaphroditus Lawson
March 31, 1652
Witness: Elva Lowe, Joan Lee, William Harper, G. J. Phillips, Clerk
Recorded: June 1653
No direct connection is found to John Irvin Lawson, Sr.
John Irvin Lawson’s great grandfather on his maternal side was Joseph H. Dobson, b. 1828,
who married Bedoura Pettit. See the related article, “Joseph Dobson”, by Judith Rowe
Mays. 12 �
End notes:
John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
1 Lawson, Jennie Todd, Genealogical and Historical Record of the Lawson Family of Virginia,
1965. An unpublished manuscript compiled by Jennie Todd Lawson from original records,
letters and other material collected over a period of sixty years. A copy of this Manuscript has
been placed in the Virginia Room of the Gloucester County Library.
2 Photographs by Roger C. Davis
3 Jennie Todd Lawson Manuscript, 1965, p.24.
4 Ibid. p.24-28.
5 Ibid. p.28
6 Ibid. p.31
7 Ibid. p.14-15.
8 Ibid. p.5-6.
9 Ibid. p.7-8.
10 Ibid. p.17-18.
11 Ibid. p.3-4
12 Mays, Judith Riley Rowe, All Roads Lead to Home, 1999, Cincinnati, OH. A copy of this
Manuscript is at the Gloucester County Library. Related SURNAMES include Rowe, Riley,
Fleming, Hobday, Belvin and Hogge.
Vol. 5, No. 2 11 December 2001

John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
Extracts from the 1850 Census for Gloucester County, VA
Compiled and edited by Cyrus Fleming Rilee, Jr., 1996, Albuquerque, N.M.
Assembled by Roger C. Davis
House No. Name Age Sex Color Occupation Birth Place
#57 Lawson, John 40 M W Farmer VA
p.7 Jane E. 37 F W VA
Richard 13 M W VA
William J. 11 M W VA
Frances 6 F W VA
Rose 10m F W VA
Coates, Virginia 85 F W VA
#101 Lawson, James W. M W Farmer VA
p. 11 Jane 19 F W VA
Sarah F. 2 F W
Thomas R. 6m M W
#99 Lawson, Milly 52 F W VA
p. 11 William 15 M W
Emily 9 F W
#282 Lawson, R.B.K. 52 M W Farmer VA
p. 28 T.T 29 M W None
A.S. 7 M W
#817 Lawson, John W. 22 M W Farmer VA
p. 79 Euphemia M.J. 23 F W
Euginia E. 6m F W
#295 Backhouse, John W. 26 M W Farmer VA
p. 29 Ann M. 27 F W
Prosser, Eliz. 40 F W
Robins, William 29 M W Manager
Wallace, Catherine 9 F W
#74 Dobson, John 37 M W Sailor
p.9 Emily 25 F W
Susan 12 F W
Henrietta 8 F W
William 6 M W
#235 Dobson, John T. 26 M W Merchant
p. 23 Sarah G. 22 F W
p. 24 Ann E. 4mo F W
Cluverius, Joseph A. 19 M W clerk
#236 Dobson, William 29 M W cabinet maker
p. 24 Margaret M. 26 F W
John W. 4 M W
Aribella 2 F W
#357 Dobson, John 45 M W laborer
p. 36 Eliz. 50 F W
Eliz. 20 F W
Edward 14 M W
Augustine 6 M W
Mary 12 F W
William 7 M W
Benjamin 3 M W
#762 Dobson, Edward P. 49 M W farmer
p. 74 Lucy C. 39 F W
Prvt. Lucy A. 16 F W
Enter. James 10 M W
#839 Roberts, Richard B. 30 M W carpenter
p. 82 Dobson, Joseph 21 M W none
Reference: “The 1850 Census of the 4,952 Free Inhabitanta of Gloucester County, Virginia”,
compiled and edited by Cyrus Fleming Rilee, Jr., 1996, Albuquerque, N.M.
Vol. 5, No. 2 12 December 2001

John Irvin Lawson and Family of Gloucester County, Virginia
1912 Tax List From Gloucester County Court House
Page Name Residence Tract Bearing Distance, No. acres Value per Value of Total tax
from c.h. mi.
acre land
49 Dobson, Joseph Glouc. Guinea S.E. 20 250. 6 $1,250 $14.25
60 Lawson, Thos. W. Glouc. Cedar Fork S.W. 8 66.42 13 $398 $8.50
60 Lawson, Thos. W. Glouc. Cedar Fork S.W. 8 18. 6 $108 $9.80
60 Lawson, Mary Cary Glouc. Cedar Fork S.W. 8 50. 6 $300 $2.85
60 Lawson, W. E. Glouc. Cedar Fork S.W. 8 27. 13 $162 $3.42
60 Lawson, Casper J. &
Florence
Glouc. C.B.Road S.W. 8 23. 8 $150 $1.44
60 Lawson, John B. Glouc. Ord. SO. 12 33. 22 $332 $6.95
60 Lawson, Lucy Todd Glouc. Ord. SO. Blank 11. 9 $100 $0.95
62 Minor, W. J. Glouc. Bena S.E. 18 37.20 16 $380 $6.00
62 Minor, Henry W. Norfolk Bena S.E. 18 4.75 10 $50 $0.49
62 Minor, Henry W. Norfolk Bena S.E. 18 16.71 12 $170 $1.90
62 Minor, Henry W. Norfolk Bena S.E. 18 36.18 24 $362 $8.16
66 Pitts, John W. Glouc. Piney
Swamp
S.E. 10 25. 8 $200 $1.90
66 Pitts, John W. Glouc. Sadlers Neck S.E. 14 500. 14 $6,000 $66.50
Dobson Family
Joseph Henry Dobson, b. Jan 25, 1830, d. Mar 14, 1913, m. Bedoura Pettit,
b. Mar 18, 1830, d. 1902
Charles C. Dobson, b. Mar 1856, m. Alice A. Riley, b. Jun 1859
Mary Rosa Chandler Dobson, b. 1858, d. Jan 8, 1940, m. William Irvin Porter
Disney, b. Dec 1865, d. May 7, 1938
Bedoura L. Dobson, b. 1860, m. William Manning
Joseph Hamilton Dobson, b. Jan 1862, m. Mary Annie Brockett
William Llwellyn Dobson, b. 1863, d. 1870- drowned
Alice Maude Dobson, b. 1867, m. Jacob Giles Cromwell, d. Dec 6, 1939
Roy Penn Dobson, b. Sep 29, 1868, d. Apr 17, 1939, m. Emma Charlotte
Legourde, b. Sep 9, 1871
Thomas Henry Dobson, b. Jun 1872
Edgar Franklin Dobson, b. Apr 10, 1875, d. Mar 12, 1956
From Cheryl Spaulding
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ccs407&id=I013
and GGSV files.
Vol. 5, No. 2 13 December 2001

Joseph Dobson of Gloucester County, Virginia
by Judith Rowe Mays
Joseph Henry Dobson, born in 1828, was the fourth child born to John and Susan
Chandler Dobson. His great grandfather, Edward Dobson, first arrived in this country from
England sometime before 1638. Edward, the immigrant, first purchased land in “New
Poquoson” in 1638 and later in 1653, received his first land grant for 950 acres in the
southern part of Gloucester. He would acquire additional land grants bringing his total
holdings to over 1600 acres. He died in 1671 leaving his wife, Frances, and four children:
Edward, John, William, and Mary.
John Dobson, father of Joseph Dobson, was born to one of Edward the immigrant's
sons on December 20, 1761. His father and uncles inherited the large amount of land held
by Edward, the immigrant, which included land in Gloucester and Middlesex Counties in
Virginia, as well as Maryland and North Carolina.
John Dobson inherited all of the 1600 acres of the original Dobson land grants in
Gloucester. This land encompassed most of the area today known as "Guinea" or more
specifically, Achilles, Severn, Maryus, Perrin, and Bena. It bordered the Severn River,
Mobjack Bay and extended to the York River.
In her book, “All Roads Lead To Home”, on page 5, Judith R. R. Mays explains the
division of the 1637 acres of land owned by John Dobson in Guinea as follows:
No. 1) 145 acres; Bay Tree Island 156 acres; 30 acres -making 331 acres (The 30 acres is
allowed by the Commissioner to Mrs. Roberts, (Susan Chandler Dobson remarried)
as dower of wood and is to go with the rest of the lot at the death of Mrs. Roberts.
This was drawn by Martha Ann Dobson.
No. 2) 160 acres; 100 acres and 60 acres (Oak and Long Island) making 320 acres. Drawn
by Mary F. Dobson.
No. 3) 200 acres; 100 acres; and 169 acres (Marshy Island) – making 469 acres. Drawn by
William J. Baytop in right of his wife , Rebecca Dobson.
No. 4) 100 acres (Cedar Island); 245 acres; 100 acres; 72 acres (Locust Ridge) – making
517 acres. Drawn by Joseph H. Dobson
The Plat shown hangs at Buck Rowe’s Store and is an artist’s copy of the two page plat in
Surveyors Plat Book #1, pages 214 and 215 at Gloucester Court house.
John Dobson married his first wife, Susannah Shackelford, with whom he had one son,
John Dobson, Jr. Susannah was already a widow with several children when she married
John Dobson, Sr. John earned his living as a farmer and also rented out portions of his
vast estate. During the Revolutionary War, when he was a teenage boy of only sixteen, he
served in the state militia. His pension papers from that war indicate that he was in several
small skirmishes while in service to his country. He was also stationed at Little England
(then known as “Perrin’s”) as a lookout for British ships coming into the York River. He
also was stationed for awhile in Williamsburg where he worked at the powder magazine
making bullets. John survived that war but his son, John Dobson, Jr., died during the war
with Great Britain in 1812.
Vol. 5, No. 2 14 December 2001

Joseph Dobson of Gloucester County, Virginia
After the death of his first wife, Susannah, John Dobson, Sr., married Susan Chandler,
a much younger woman as was the custom of the day, and started another family. John
and Susan had four children: Martha Ann, Mary Frances, Rebecca, and Joseph Henry
Dobson. John Dobson’s home was located in Guinea and was nicknamed the “Ark” by the
local people because the house reminded them of Noah’s Ark in appearance. It was located
on a tract of land extending from east of Achilles to Brown's Bay. Some of the bricks from
the old house (the Ark) could still be found there as late as 1984. John and Susan lived on
the “Ark” plantation, but he farmed his Perrin River property today known as “Cuba Cove.”
A house still stands on that property today. Some of John's children lived on this property
from time-to-time during their lives.
When their father died in 1833, he left all four of his surviving children equal shares
in his estate along with provisions for his wife’s welfare. The children were very young at
that time so the land stayed intact until a survey was done in 1844, after which time,
several of his daughters had married and claimed their share of the property. He also
made a specific provision in his will that his son, Joseph, being his youngest child, should
be educated in the same manner as that of his other children. He set aside the amount of
$500 to be used for that purpose. Tutors, hired by their families, educa ted children of that
time. Usually several families would come together and hire a tutor to teach their children
since there were no neighborhood public schools until around the turn of the next century.
After John Dobson, Sr., died, his wife, Susan Chandler Dobson, married William
Roberts and had one child, William R. Roberts. Joseph lived with his stepfather after his
mother died since his older sisters were already married by that time with homes of their
own. Before the Civil War, the Dobson family was one of affluence with many slaves. After
the war, like most of Virginia’s prominent families, they suffered financially, and the family
split up to find work although they still held onto their property in Gloucester.
Joseph left Gloucester as a young man and moved to Baltimore where he met his wife,
Bedoura, although she was originally from Gloucester. They had ten children: Willie,
Hammie, Rosa, Charlie, Willi, Tom, Alice, Bedoura, Ed, and Roy. Joseph and his large family
spent summers at the Dobson property in Bena for many, many years as they continue to
do today. �
Vol. 5, No. 2 15 December 2001

Joseph Dobson of Gloucester County, Virginia
Vol. 5, No. 2 16 December 2001

Joseph Dobson of Gloucester County, Virginia
Vol. 5, No. 2 17 December 2001

Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia
by Judith Rowe Mays
Little England was originally a four hundred acre tract of land called “Sarah’s Creek
Plantation” or “Sarah’s Creek House.” The two names were used interchangeably
throughout its early existence. The four hundred acres were carved out of a one thousand
acre land grant of that of a gentleman called Ashwell Battin who acquired his property in
Gloucester County in the early part of the seventeenth century.
Ashwell Battin was a very influential man in the colony. He was a member of the
legislature and involved in the overall leadership of the colony. Even though he owned a
great deal of land in Gloucester he never actually resided there. His tenure in Virginia was
short-lived as he divested himself of his Virginia properties after only a few years and
returned to England.
Very little is known about the property, which came to be known as Sarah’s Creek
Plantation prior to 1651. It derived that name from the creek which runs alongside the
property and empties into the York River . The body of water known as Sarah’ s Creek was
named for Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough. The connection between the Duchess of
Marlborough, Ashwell Battin, or John Perrin, the original owner, is not known.
In April 1651, Sarah’s Creek Plantation, consisting of four hundred acres, was awarded
to John Perrin by Governor William Berkely as a reward for transporting eight people into
the colony under the head right system . John Perrin, the immigrant, left England when he
was twenty-one years old in the year 1635. Records show that his was an affluent family in
England already well established in the shipping business.
Captain John Perrin is credited with having built the house in 1716. The design is
believed to be that of the famous English Architect, Sir Christopher Wren. The framed
portion of the house is the oldest part of the mansion and was built before 1690. It was in
this small frame house that Thomas and Elizabeth Perrin first lived and raised their family.
Later, their son, Captain John Perrin, grandson of the immigrant John Perrin, completed the
brick portion of the mansion in 1716 .
The house is typical of the Colonial Georgian style. It stands two stories high with
four spacious rooms with very large windows on each floor and a full basement. There is
beautiful paneling and wainscoting throughout, and the brass doorknobs and locks on the
two exterior front doors are original to the house.
Little England has witnessed the beginnings of our nation first -hand. First, she was an
eyewitness to the Revolutionary War that waged itself in her front yard, which overlooks
the York River directly across from Yorktown, and again in 1812, when England once again
tried unsuccessfully to assert its power over our young country. During the Revolutionary
War, Little England was used by General Washington's commanders as a lookout post for
enemy movement on the York River. It was again called into service during the War of
1812 and used as a hospital for wounded soldiers.
Little England remained in the Perrin family until 1827 when Elizbeth Perrin, the great
great granddaughter of John Perrin, the immigrant, and the widow of John Page, sold it to
John Goodall. Nothing is known about John Goodall although it is believed that he is the
Vol. 5, No. 2 18 December 2001

Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia
first to call the mansion, Little England. Sometime between 1836 and 1856 Captain William
Howard Hobday, son of Howard and Mildred Hobday of Gloucester, purchased the estate
and moved his family from King and Queen County back to his native Gloucester.
As a young man Captain William Hobday served in the War of 1812 at the age of
eighteen and later became a prosperous farmer and later worked as an insurance adjuster
for the Mutual Assurance Company of Richmond, Virginia. He married Anne Ballentine of
Princess Ann County and they had eight children. Anne didn't care for the way that the
British had treated the colonies before gaining its independence and renamed the estate
“Fairview.” When Captain Hobday died in 1885, he left the estate to his youngest daughter
Emaline and her husband, John Cutchins, with the understanding that they would care for
his wife until her death.
Little England was a flourishing self -sustaining plantation until the outbreak of the
Civil War. Like most of Virginia's fine old homes, it soon fell into disrepair after the war, as
it could no longer sustain itself without slave labor. It remained in this condition until it
was purchased from Emmet Cutchins and his sister, Eva Littlepage, in 1939 by Mr. & Mrs.
Theodore Pratt. Mr. Pratt was a wealthy industrialist with the Standard Oil Company. He
spent a great deal of time and money restoring the mansion to its original grandeur
consulting with historians and architects of Colonial Williamsburg in researching the
methods and materials used to accurately replicate the areas of the house that needed
extensive repairs. He also changed the name back to Little England.
Mr. and Mrs. Pratt shared their beautifully restored home with the public by
frequently participating in Virginia's historic Garden Week allowing tours of the house and
the beautifully manicured gardens with its thousands of daffodils in bloom. Before his
death, Mr .Pratt had the great vision to have Little England declared a national historic
landmark, thus ensuring its integrity on into perpetuity.
After the deaths of Mr. & Mrs. Pratt in 1977, the estate was sold to a German medical
doctor, a Dr. Rinecker, who makes his permanent home in Munich and uses Little England
as a vacation retreat for several months of the year. The tract purchased in 1979 contains
58 to 68 acres.
Little England's long and historic past is a source of great pride for those of us whose
ancestors were privileged to have owned this beautiful estate at one time. If only her walls
could talk I'm sure we’d be awed at what she has seen and heard in her three hundred
years of existence.
LITTLE ENGLAND
A chronology from the notes of
Judith Rowe Mays
April 1651 – Sarah’s Creek Plantation - now known as “Little England,” was granted to
John Perrin by Sir William Berkeley (Governor of Virginia at the time) as a reward for
transporting eight persons into the Colony. (The King of England wanted to populate the
Colonies and offered rewards to people who were willing to relocate).
“Sarah’s Creek Plantation” consisted of 400 acres that were taken from the 1000 acres
of “Ashwell Battin” situated in York County and lying on the north side of the Charles River
abutting northwest by north upon Perrin’s Creek. (Taken from records in the Land Office,
State Capitol Building in Grant Book 2, page 301.) No records exist prior to 1787.
A portion of the original patent (land grant) reads as follows:
Vol. 5, No. 2 19 December 2001

Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia
“On N side of Charles R. (today’s York River) NW to Perins Crk. which
divides from Ashwell Battin, adjoining NE & E land of Thos. Bell, SE on
the river, 400 acres”.
I think that John Perrin already owned adjoining land, hence the reference to Perrin’s
Creek in the above quote. It is my belief that he built the house. I think that Sarah’s Creek
was named after the wife or daughter of another prominent land owner nearby during that
time – this is what I have surmised from reading related books and reviewing other land
grants of this period.
1787-1807 John Perrin 300 acres
1815 Elizabeth Perrin (daughter of John Perrin) 300 acres transferred to her at
death of her father.
1816 Elizabeth Perrin transferred 300 acres to John Page, her husband.
1817 300 acres transferred back to Elizabeth Page at death of her husband, John
Page.
1821 Elizabeth Page is owner of 300 acres, estate is now called “The Creek”.
1823-1827 Elizabeth Page is still owner of “The Creek” of 300 acres but she lives In
Williamsburg.
1828 John Goodall purchased 300 acres from Elizabeth Page. We think he named
the estate “Little England”.
1836-1856 300 acres purchased from John Goodall by William Hobday. His wife, Anne
renames the estate to “Fairview” because she didn’t like the way the British
treated the Colonies.
1857-1865 William Hobday now owns 200 acres.
1866 John R. Cutchins and his wife Emaline (daughter of William and Anne Hobday)
inherited 200 acres.
1939 Theodore Pratt purchased estate from Emmett Cutchins, son of John and
Emaline Cutchins. With the purchase of the house and 25 acres, he returned
the name to “Little England”.
Records also show that Richard Hobday owned 143 acres of land and John Hobday
owned 200 acres of land. I do not know if these men were brothers of William Hobday or if
one of them was his father. I have researched all of the existing information from that
time period and have not been able to ascertain positively what the relationships were.
In 1652 Gloucester County was carved out of York County. The York River was
originally called the Charles River.
My (Judith Rowe Mays) relationship to Little England is as follows:
1) William Hobday and his wife, Ann(e), were my great, great, great grandparents.
They are buried at Little England.
2) Their daughter, Mildred Frances, married James William Fleming. They were my
great, great grandparents. They are buried at Little England.
3) Their daughter, Lucy Olivis, married Samuel E. Riley. They were my great
grandparents.
Vol. 5, No. 2 20 December 2001

Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia
4) Lucy and Sam’s daughter, Mildred (named after her grandmother), married
Samuel Rowe. They were my grandparents.
5) Mildred and Sam’s son, Francis Rowe, is my father.
William and Howard Hobday’s daughter, Emaline Hobday Cutchins (sister of my
great, great grandmother Mildred) inherited Little England in 1885 at her father’s death
with the written understanding that she and her husband would provide for her mother
until her death (I have a copy of this will). Theodore Pratt purchased the estate from the
Cutchins family in the 1930s.
A Dr. Rinecker (from Germany) purchased 58 to 68 acres in 1979. He visits and lives
in the estate only several months out of the year. A year -around caretaker takes care of the
estate now. The house had extensive renovations and repairs before the last owner
purchased it and was opened at times to the public while the Pratt family owned the house,
however, it is closed to the public at this time. �
* * *
LITTLE ENGLAND CEMETERY
Jordan, Harry R., “Cemeteries of Lower Gloucester County, Virginia.,” 1995, p. 135 -136.
The cemetery is located at the end of Little England Road on the property of Little England.
Information pertaining to this cemetery was provided by Mr. Paul Brown.
James CLUVERIUS Joseph B. CLUVERIUS
Died July 14, 1893 August 23, 1855
Age 30 years July 26, 1928
Loved in life
In death remembered
Mary H. CLUVERIUS Clarisa Hobday
May 17, 1854 Daughter of-John R.
January 5, 1932 and Emeline M. Cutchin
October 5, 1857
September 6, 1859
Emeline Matilda Emeline Matilda
Daughter of John R. Wife of John R. Cutchin
and Emeline M. Cutchin March 6, 1837
July 15, 1866 September 10, 1917
June 14, 1874 Tho lost to sight
How soon fadesTo memory dear
The tender flower
James Emmett CUTCHIN John Randolph CUTC14IN
Son of John R. and Emeline Husband of Emeline M. Cutchin
Cutchin
Dedember 12, 1864 June 3, 1830
September 20, 1940 December 1, 1901
In the light of glorious dawn Tho lost to sight
Vol. 5, No. 2 21 December 2001

To memory dear
Powhatan Reade William Nathaniel
Son of John R. and Son of John R. and
Emeline M. Cutchin Emeline M. Cutchin
May 3, 1862 May 13, 1863
June 28, 1863 March 14, 1867
Alice C. FLEMING Charles B. FLEMING
1890 - 1958 1888 - 1940
Our Father Mary E. FLEMING
James W. FLEMING Died March 12, 1867
June 19, 1816 Aged 26 years
November 11, 1866
Mildred F. FLEMING Ann HOBDAY
February 28, 1821 1794 - 1870
February 19, 1898
William HOBDAY George Nicholas HUNTLEY
1797 - 1885 August 22, 1871
May 3, 1940
Mary Arabella HUNTLEY Eva Goodwin LITTLEPAGE
February 9, 1868 May 6, 1877
April 25, 1931 September 13, 1956
Junius Drewry LITTLEPACE George MERDINGER
October 7, 1880 Died August 12, 1925
June 18, 1953 Aged 60 years
George Merdinger Lydia C. MERDINGER
Sgt-Major December 26, 1858
Co H 21st Inf March 23, 1945
U.S.A.
Certificate of Merit
for bravery--Battle of
Santiago, Cuba
Distinguished Service Medal
and Certificate of Merit for
Service in the
Phillippine insurrection
1899 - 1902
Indian War Medal
1891
Little England of Gloucester County, Virginia
Here lyeth Ye Body of Here lyeth Ye Body of
John PERRIN--Son of M. Mary PERRIN--Daughter
Thomas and Elizabeth Perrin of Mr. John and Mrs. Mary
Who departed this life Perrin
November 9, 1752 Died September Ye 18th, 1738
Aged 63 years, one month Aged three years one month
and 2 days and five days
Vol. 5, No. 2 22 December 2001

“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers
by Robert W. Plummer
In the beginning the Indians used the waterways of Gloucester County to get around.
Although the English were a little slow at farming they recognized it was a lot easier to go
from point A to point B by water and so they started using
the log canoes the Indians used as well as the long boats
they brought with them. Rafts were also a common way
to get from one side of the river to the other. These were
usually poled. To get from A to B might be fifteen miles
by land because of the rivers, creeks, and swamps but by
boat it could be only a mile away.
All the plantations had access to the water and had a
dock or wharf to facilitate the arrival of goods from
England and to ship Gloucester’s tobacco to England.
Later it was Gloucester’s oysters, clams, crabs, fish,
chickens, and eggs that went north to Baltimore and the
goods we needed came from Baltimore often by way of
Norfolk. Today, the waterways of Gloucester provide
seafood as well as hours of pleasure for the boaters and for
those that enjoy fishing.
Gloucester County is almost an island. The Piankatank River forms the county’s
northern border. Mobjack Bay, and the North, Ware and Severn Rivers are on the east; the
Poropotank River forms the western border; and the York River is on its south. Except for
short strips of land on the northeast and northwest lines, Gloucester County might be
completely surrounded by water. Crossing waterways is a necessity.
In 1855 no less than sixty packets entered the Richmond Basin from New York, forty
from Baltimore, and twenty -nine from Boston. And for Gloucester, that does not count
those from Norfolk. A packet is a generic term for any vessel licensed to carry mail
between two ports. They would also often take on goods and passengers for a fee. By the
mid-19th century, paddle steamers carried much of the mail being sent along the coast.
Packets were privately owned, and awarded contracts by the government to ferry the mail.
In 1906 there were more than two hundred landings in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware
served by Chesapeake Bay steamers out of Baltimore. But, as the steamboats cut into the
field of the sailing packets almost a hundred years earlier, in 1906 the powerboat started
to cut into the trade of the steamer. Map on page 25.
Steamboats
Robert W. Plummer
presents progam at regular
GGSV meeting
The Chesapeake Steamship Company operated the most well recognized boats in the
area under the Chesapeake Line. The line served Gloucester Point and other York River
landings. Four of the larger steamboats that once cruised the waters are: The Cities of
Richmond, Annapolis, Baltimore and Yorktown. On February 24, 1927, in the fog off Smith
Point, the City of Richmond, commanded by Captain Howard Willing, ran into the port side
Vol. 5, No. 2 23 December 2001

of the City of Annapolis, commanded by Captain George Claytor. One woman, Miss Starkey
who was an occupant of room 79, was killed when the prow cut into her stateroom. As the
City of Annapolis was being pushed toward shallow water she sank. Then, on July 29,
1937, the City of Baltimore burned to her waterline off Seven Foot Knoll, Maryland and the
City of Yorktown was diverted to the Norfolk run, leaving only the City of Richmond to
handle the York River traffic. The burning of the City of Baltimore prompted a
Congressional investigation that led to the “Safety at Sea” bill, which imposed strict
regulations, and financial constraints on steam boat operators. The boats were
approximately 280 feet long and had a draft of 16 ft light and about 3 more feet when
loaded.
The Old Dominion Line ran from Norfolk to Mobjack Bay. The steamer, Mobjack, a
side-wheeler, sailed by her master, Captain Caffee, would leave Norfolk with freight and
passengers at 6:30 am and stop at Old Point Comfort (a bayside resort) about an hour later.
There she would pick up additional merchandise for distribution in Gloucester and
Mathews Counties. The bulk of the Old Point freight had been deposited there by steamers
of the Old Bay Line and Chesapeake Steamship Company from Baltimore, from Washington,
DC, by vessels of the Norfolk &
Washington Steamboat Co.,
and by N.Y. Philadelphia &
Norfolk steamers from Cape
Charles. At 10:30 a.m. the
Mobjack would make her first
landing after the departure
from Old Pointe Comfort – at
Philpotts on the East River.
Other landings on that river
were Hicks, Williams & Diggs
(all in Mathews County). On
the North river she stopped at
Auburn (Mathews) and
Dixondale, Gloucester (which
is the “Elmington House”). On
the Ware River she stopped at
Roanes, Barleys and Hockley
Wharfs. The only stop found
on the Severn River was at
Severn Wharf (right across
from Glass), but there are
references to the Severn River
stops! The Mobjack would
return to Norfolk that same
evening. Cargoes for the
counties were for general
stores and feed and farm
equipment for farmers. Other
popular items requested by
Gloucester residents were ice
and baled hay. Items sent out
of the counties were eggs,
chickens, produce, cattle and
“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers
Wharves for Ferries and Steamers in Gloucester County, VA
S1
Vol. 5, No. 2 24 December 2001
F2
Steamers
S1 Allmonds
S2 Clay Bank
S3 Cedar Bush
S4 Clements
S5 Gloucester Point
S6 Perrin
S7 Severn
S8 Ware House
S9 Hockley
S10 Dixondale (Elmington)
S11 Bland
S12 Freeport
S13 Baileys
S14 Roanes
S2
F3
S3
S4
Ferries
F1 Gloucester Point
F2 Cappahosic
F3 Turks Ferry
F1
S12
S5
S8
S9
S13
S11
S14
S10
S7
S6

“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers
seafood. From Mobjack Bay to Norfolk and back was a two -day trip. The one-way fee was
$1.10 (10 cents went to the wharf owner). A regular all -day excursion trip would cost only
$1, but you could not disembark at any of the landings. This line ended Apri l 6, 1920. The
people in Norfolk, Mathews and Gloucester Counties organized the Norfolk and Mobjack
Bay Steamboat Co. on May 27, 1920, and this local steamboat company lasted until March
14, 1933. However, there was some steamer service on the York River until about 1941.
The “big storm of 33” occurred on August 23, 1933. It was a hurricane with maybe a
tornado in Woods Cross Roads. Many piers, docks, wharfs, boats and ships were destroyed
or damaged. The York River steamer had difficulty in making the landings and failed
entirely to make it to the Clay Bank landing.
In 1872 The Maryland Steamboat Company opened a new route to the Piankatank
River and the Great Wicomico River with the side -wheeler steamer, Massachusetts. This
was the longest route of the company and one steamer could make only two trips weekly.
The Massachusetts was replaced by Kent in 1878. In 1881 the Enoch Pratt replaced the
Kent. Other ships that served the Piankatank River over the years were the Maggie, Ida,
Tivoli, Joppa, Avalon, and the Middlesex, all side -wheelers. In early 1908 the steel twin -
screw steamer, Neuse (built in 1890 at Wilmington, Delaware and owned by Baltimore,
Chesapeake and Atlantic Realty Co.) was purchased from the Norfolk and Southern
Railroad. She had been operating in North Carolina. She was unable to carry enough
freight so in 1911 her superstructure was materially widened and she was renamed
Piankatank. She was 200 feet long and 31 feet wide. Many Gloucester residents and
visitors remember landing at Freeport, on the Piankatank River. Freeport Landing was a
duty free port at one time. She also stopped at Bland’s Wharf. The Piankatank arrived 24
hours after leaving Baltimore and would stay overnight. At 7 a.m. the following morning
she would depart from the wharf, stop at the landings she had visited the previous day,
and arrive back in Baltimore the next morning.
It is interesting to note that there was no need to have steamers that could go faster
than 13 miles per hour because if they did they would have arrived at some of the wharves
too early an hour for passengers. As it was, at certain landings they had to disembark as
early as 3 a.m.
In 1927 the Baltimore and Virginia Steamship Company bought the Piankatank and
other ships from the bankrupt Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Atlantic Steamboat Co. (B.C.&A.)
that had bought the Maryland Steamboat Co. some years before. By 1930 things were
slowing down for the steamship companies and on March 1, 1932, the service ended. The
last document for the Piankatank was surrendered at Baltimore on November 12, 1942, and
was endorsed: “Scrapped” and “Abandoned.” However, some employees of the BC&A
started the Western Shore Steamboat Co. After a few more owners and a few more ships,
the steamers on the Piankatank ended about 1935.
The stops in Gloucester were: Allmonds Wharf, Clay Bank Pier, Clements (4 miles
north from Yorktown and 8 miles south of Clay Bank), Gloucester Point, Perrin, Severn
Wharf (Old Dominion Line), Roanes Wharf (Old Dominion Line), Baileys Wharf, Ware House
Road, Elmington (Dixondale), Hockley Wharf, Freeport, Bland and maybe Cedar Bush.
“Ferrying” Across the Rivers
When the settlers arrived in Gloucester there were most likely at least two established
crossing points. One was from Gloucester Point to Yorktown and the other was from
Gloucester County to Middlesex County over the Piankatank River. An act of the Colonial
Assembly in January 1641, called for maintaining “ferrys and bridges” and for a “leavy for
Vol. 5, No. 2 25 December 2001

“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers
payment to the ferrymen to be made by the commissioners where the ferry is kept, and
where one creeke parts two counties, then each of them to contribute towards the
maintenance…” All passengers whether strangers or others should be freed from payment
otherwise then by the leavie…” The free ferries were short -lived for in 1647, the Assembly,
citing injustice to those who did not use the ferries, granted powers to county courts to
authorize paying ferries and to set the rates.
Turks Ferry
This ferry was established by order of the Colonial Council on September 23, 1664.
The record reads, “Ferry to be kept at Piankatank.” This may have been the place of an
Indian crossing where the narrow Dragon Swamp widens quite suddenly to become the
Piankatank River. The marsh extends out into the water offering a shallow footing and
easy access to the opposite shore. It was at this point on the north shore of the river that a
fairly large Indian village of perhaps 200 persons was located. Deed books reveal that Turk
was a family name in the Turk’s Ferry area, and the name was in common use by the end of
the 17 th century for it appears in Acts of the Assembly by that time. Rates for ferriage were
fixed by an Act of Assembly. In Middlesex County they set the Turks Ferry crossing price
for a man at three pence, and for a man and a horse six -pence. George Washington is said
to have traveled to Williamsburg from his Westmoreland County home, crossing the
Rappahannock River, proceeding through Middlesex to cross the Piankatank at Turks Ferry,
and through Gloucester to Longbridge Ordinary.
Bits & Pieces:
In 1690 the Kingston Parish (Mathews County), ordered that Daniell Hunter be paid
500 pounds of tobacco and cash
for building a bridge at the head
of the North River. This indicates
that maybe a ferry was there
before.
An act of the General
Assembly in 1702 established the
charge for a ferry in York County
from York Towne to Tindals Point
(old name for Gloucester Point) at
one royall for a man and two for
a man and a horse. By 1705 the
charge was 15 pence for a man
and horse (see below for details
on this ferry).
Capahosic to Williamsburg.
A ferry was established in the
eighteenth century. This allowed
folks to go to the big city and
shop at the fine stores of
Williamsburg.
Gloucester-Yorktown Ferry
A settler began operating the
Turks Ferry in colonial era
Photograph courtesy of Middlesex Museum
1900 Rates
Buggy, 1 horse ............................................20 cts.
Buggy, 1 horse, round trip same day......25 cts.
Buggy, 2 horses ..........................................25 cts.
For each person in double vehicle ............5 cts.
Walkers...........................................................5 cts.
Vol. 5, No. 2 26 December 2001

“Steaming” on Gloucester Rivers
system, originally called the “Yorke Ferry,” to Gloucester Point one year before Yorktown
was formally established by the British Ports Act in 1691.
In March 1867, the County Court of Gloucester set fares for the river crossing at 25
cents each for passengers and horses and 25 cents for each wheel on vehicles. There was
also a charge of 10 cents for hogs or sheep, 25 cents for cattle, and passengers had a
baggage allowance of 40 pounds. Freight rates ranged up to 10 cents for sacks of salt and
coffee, depending on size, and heavy barrels were 15 cents.
Also, in 1867 Judge J Llle Clarke of Gloucester granted William Henry Ashe a permit to
operate a ferry. The previous franchise had lapsed in May 1862 when VA was busy fighting
their neighbors. In 1886 Mr. Ashe received a 99 -year lease to run a ferry from Gloucester
Point to Yorktown. Clifton Richardson operated the franchise for a while and in 1917
William T. Ashe (the son of William Henry) leased the ferry system from his mother for the
sum of $50/month and the privilege of purchasing it at her death for $10,000 – which he
did. It became the Gloucester -Yorktown Ferry Corporation. He purchased land on each
side for docks. Before that, they just ran the ship aground, unloaded and backed up. In
1919 Mr. Ashe had Capt. Willie Smith of Severn build the Cornwallis. It was almost 63 feet
long and 24 feet wide, was enclosed and could carry 8 cars. In December 1919 the first
schedule was established. Prior to that, if you were in Yorktown, you shouted and waved
to get the Captain’s attention. It generally parked at Gloucester Point.
Between July and October 1921 the ferry handled 20,000 autos. In 1925 Mr. Ashe had
the York built. It was 106 feet long and 33 feet wide, made of wood, cost $75,000, and
could handle 30 cars. In May he added the Palmetto that was 129 feet long and 35 feet
wide, made of wood, could handle 20 cars and 150 passengers, and cost $31,000. On
August 23, 1933, both docks were washed away and the York was heavily damaged in the
great storm. In 1939 the Palmetto was sold and the Miss Washington added. She was
wood, 60 feet long and 25 feet wide, and cost $10,000. The Gloucester (built in 1932) was
added in 1941. She was also wood, 107 feet long and 30 feet wide, and she cost $40,000.
The Virginia, a steel ship, was 152 feet long and 39 feet wide was added in 1942 at a cost
of $180,000, and in 1944 the Miss Washington was sold. The Virginia is still in service
today. It is one of the three ferries that run from Jamestown to Scotland Wharf on the
James River.
Bits & Pieces:
In 1949 they had 24-hour service and ran every 15 minutes. A round trip was 80
cents, passenger was 15 cents and auto and driver was 55 cents. The State Highway Dept
bought the Ferry Company in 1951 and the Coleman Bridge opened May 7, 1952. When the
bridge opened the ferry service ended.
Some of the ferries used in this area were sent to war in WW II. The Yorktown, one of
the last steamers to sail between Baltimore and West Point, entered the WW II lend -lease
program and headed to England. She never made it. A German sub sank her.
The old docks and wharves are gone. Many of the places where the ferries landed are
now private property and some that are still public property are difficult to get to.
However, if you have a canoe and want an interesting trip, you can follow the Gloucester
County map and see where the ferries used to land. �
Vol. 5, No. 2 27 December 2001

Cross-County Cousins:
New Middlesex Cemeteries Book
Underlines Gloucester-Middlesex Connections
by Pat Royal Perkinson
County lines never restrained inhabitants of what we now know as Virginia’s Middle
Peninsula. Settlers in one county frequently visited kinfolk and friends in adjoining
counties. Families attended Sunday services at the most convenient church. They did
business at the nearest center of trade and closest courthouse, regardless of the address.
All of which offered adequate opportunities for meeting new
acquaintances, including potential spouses.
Darrett B. and Anita H. Rutman in A Place in Time in
Middlesex County Virginia 1650-1750 were referring to “the
highest level of Virginia society” when they wrote that “Time
and an inexorable demographic dynamic – fathers begetting
sons who married wives from families of equivalent status
anywhere in Virginia – were weaving an elaborate spiderweb of
relationships ...” In the Middle Peninsula and other regions,
that dynamic seemed to be at work at other levels as well. We
have our own spiderwebs of family connections. It was no
surprise, therefore, to find that many names in the soon -to-bepublished
Cemeteries in Middlesex County, Virginia reflect
kinship with families associated also with Gloucester County.
Even before setting out with other Middlesex volunteers
to document burials in our private and church cemeteries, I
was aware that my county and the county across the Dragon
Run shared much common heritage.
Roanes, Roanes and More Roanes
Pat Perkinson stands on
porch of her ancestral home
“Prospect” in Middlesex
My own family tree demonstrates this. Roane blood ran thickly through my mother’s
veins, coursing in from both her maternal and paternal forebears. Roanes were intertwined
with Blakeys, Wards, Raineses, and Eubanks. They represented three different branches of
the family that were first established in Gloucester by the immigrant Charles Roane. This
connection, and my desire to learn more about genealogy, led me to join the Gloucester
Genealogical Society of Virginia. I soon discovered that GGCV President L. Roane Hunt and
I share descent from Alexander Roane, grandson of Charles Roane. Through the Roanes we
have King and Queen County links. Both Roane and Phyllis Hunt have Middlesex roots
through his Lewis-Worrell grandparents and her Shelton ancestors dating to Ralph
Shelton’s arrival in Middlesex in the 1600s. I found as well that Roane has a personal
commitment to foster not only Gloucester genealogical efforts but to encourage those
interests in adjoining counties.
So it was that a Middlesex project became a Middlesex -Gloucester collaborative. Our
Vol. 5, No. 2 28 December 2001

Cross County Cousins
volunteer Middlesex County Cemetery Survey Committee had collected the records we
hoped to publish after three years of searching near old homes, through dense forests,
along river banks. Now Roane offered to transfer our cemetery files and photographs to
his Publisher computer program, readying them for printing. With the financial support of
the Middlesex Board of Supervisors and with Roane Hunt’s generous donation of time and
knowledge, a distant likelihood came into closer focus.
Almost as a bonus from our joint contributions, we began to notice that a number of
those buried in Middlesex graveyards had roots in Gloucester County. A few examples are
mentioned here. Perusal of the book, which covers more than 120 private cemeteries and
25 church cemeteries, surely will reveal numerous others.
The “Barn Elms” Grave of Lucy Burwell Berkeley
One of the earliest of these cross -county relationships is personified by the grave of
Lucy Burrell Berkeley. She was born in 1683 at Gloucester’s “Fairfield” to Major Lewis
Burwell II and his wife Abigail Smith. In her teens, charming and beautiful Lucy had
attracted the attention of the Colonial Governor, Francis Nicholson. Obsessively smitten
(redundancy is appropriate here), he passionately pursued her with love letters, poetry and
personal pleadings, much to the aggravation of her well -connected father if not to Lucy. In
time the Queen stepped in. With the stroke of her pen, the love -stricken Nicholson was
transferred to a distant assignment.
Lucy Burwell married Edmund Berkeley and moved across the Piankatank River to
Middlesex to live and raise three daughters and two sons at “Barn Elms.” In 1716, at the
age of 33, she died. She lies within the brick -
walled cemetery beneath an elaborately
carved tomb bearing the Berkeley arms. In
his final tribute to Lucy, her husband of “12
years and 12 days” had these words etched
in marble imported probably from England:
“I shall not pretend to give her full character.
It would take too much room for a grave
stone. Shall only say that she never neglected
her duty to her Creator in Publick or in
Private. She was charitable to the poor, a
kind mother, mistress and wife. She never in
all the time she lived with her husband gave
him as much as once a cause to be
displeased with her.” (Joan Stubbs has
written about “The Berkeley Family in
Virginia” in the Society’s Family Tree Searcher for June 2001.)
Family crest embellishes
Lucy Berkeley’s
1716 tomb
Photographs by Joan Stubbs
Grymes Family Tomstones at Old “Grymesby”
Also on the Piankatank at the plantation called “Grymesby,” and later named “Wood
Farm,” are the early 18th century tombs of the Grymes family. John Grymes settled here
about 1691. One source says he was the son of a lieutenant general in Oliver Cromwell’s
army who came to Virginia after the restoration of the monarchy. Another states he was
the son of Reverend Charles Grymes, a minister in York County and later in Petsworth
Parish. Next to the flat stone marking the burial of John Grymes is that of his wife Alice
Townsley. She was the daughter of Lawrence and Sarah Townsley and the granddaughter
Vol. 5, No. 2 29 December 2001

of Colonel Augustine Warner of “Warner Hall” in Gloucester. Next to her parents’ plain
slabs is that of their daughter Anna Grymes. Some later members of the Grymses family
are buried in the Christ Church Parish cemetery.
Segar-Wiatt Monuments
Close by the Grymeses’ graves are graves of later inhabitants of “Wood Farm,” Segars
and Wiatts. They have their own Gloucester -Middlesex stories to tell. An obelisk marks the
burial place of Sarah C. Segar, “died Jan. 4, 1898 in her 76th year,” and her husband
Thomas M. Wiatt, “died May 6, 1886, in his 63rd year.” According to Middlesex records T.
M. Wiatt, a druggist, was born in Gloucester County,
to Peter Wiatt and his wife, Cordelia. John R. Segar,
1851-1901, buried nearby, was listed as being in
Gloucester when the 1880 census was taken.
Another Segar-Wiatt union occurred with the
marriage of Archie Eubank Segar, 1866 -19??, to
Nannie Heywood Wiatt, 1872-1951. Archie Segar
served in the General Assembly of Virginia. They
are buried in the Harmony Grove Baptist Church
Cemetery, not far from their home on Lockley’s
Creek. Mrs. Segar was the daughter of Nannie
Bullington Heywood and Elder William E. Edward Wiatt of Gloucester. Elder Wiatt was well
known as a Confederate Chaplain, a scholar, and the first superintendent of schools of
Gloucester County. He too, for a time, lived on Lockley’s Creek. (He was profiled by Roane
Hunt in an article in the Society’s December 1998 Family Tree Searcher.)
The Vaughans of “Providence”
Overlooking the Piankatank River near present day Deltaville, “Providence” once was
the seat of the Vaughan family. In the middle of a grassy field to the west of the restored
18th century house, a wrought -iron fence encloses the neatly kept cemetery.
Monument at Providence
Cross County Cousins
A tall four-sided marker
records the names of William P.
Vaughan, 1806-1876, his wife
Harriet, 1809-1878, and several
of their children. At least two
of the sons – William H.
Vaughan, 1833-c 1890, and
Vespasian Vaughan, 1837 -
c.1908, were born in Gloucester
prior to the Vaughans’ 1845
move to “Providence.” William married Nancy W. Berry of Middlesex
in 1873 and Vespasian married Julia M. Boss, also of Middlesex, the
same year.
Fitzhugh Family Members Buried at “Hewick”
Richard M. Segar, m. Mary (Polly) Roane, Feb
16, 1812, b. 1791
Thomas P. Segar, b. 1817
William R. Segar, b. 1820, m. Lucie M. ?, 1824
John E. Segar, b. 1824, m. Mary Ellen Eubanks,
May 10, 1855, b. 1836
Archie Eubanks Segar, b. 1866, m. Nannie
Heywood Wiatt, b. Oct 22, 1872
Sarah C. Segar, b. 1831, m. Thomas M. Wiatt,
Jan 9, 1855, b. 1831
William P. Vaughan, b. Jan 18, 1806, m.
Harriet ?, b. Apr 4, 1809
J. C. Vaughan, b. 1830
William H. Vaughan, b. 1833, m. Nancy W.
Berry, Apr 27, 1873
Vespasian Vaughan, b. 1837, m. Julia M. Boss,
Feb 25, 1873
Edward S. Vaughan, b. 1846, m. Vessie B.
Blake, Dec 25, 1901
In the cemetery at “Hewick,” an early Robinson home near Urbanna, rest many
individuals associated with that historic property. Among them are a number of members
of the Fitzhugh family of Gloucester.
Vol. 5, No. 2 30 December 2001

Ancestors of Elmira Shelton Fitzhugh
GG-Granddaughter of Patrick Henry and Elizabeth Shelton
Philip Fitzhugh
John Fitzhugh
Lucy Redd
Patrick Henry Fitzhugh
b. 1819, d. Jun 18, 1864
Philip Aylett
b. 1767, m. Oct 12, 1786, d. 1831
Mary Macon Aylett
Elizabeth Henry
b. Apr 23, 1769, d. Oct 24, 1842
Elmira Shelton Fitzhugh
b. Aug 19, 1848, d. Apr 16, 1920
Joseph Christian
b. Sep 4, 1757, d. Apr 10, 1825
Richard Allen Christian
b. Jul 27, 1798, d. May 8, 1862
Elizabeth Ashfield Graves
b. 1759, d. 1816
Mary Steptoe Christian
b. Dec 20, 1821, d. Apr 3, 1896
William Steptoe
b. ~1756, m. May 19, 1782
Elizabeth Robinson Steptoe
b. 1798
Cross County Cousins
Elizabeth Robinson
b. ~1760
Patrick Henry Fitzhugh, 1819 -1864, son of Phillip
Fitzhugh and Mary Macon Aylett of Gloucester,
married Mary Steptoe Christian, 1821 -1896,
daughter of Dr. Richard Allen Christian and his wife,
Elizabeth Steptoe Christian of “Hewick.” Patrick
Henry Fitzhugh, a great -grandson of Patrick Henry
and Sarah Shelton, was quite active in Gloucester
affairs. Among other roles, he managed the 1850
census for the county, the first census that listed all
individuals by name. With the advent of the Civil
War, he enlisted at the first muster and threw
himself into the task of equipping local units with
uniforms. Major Fitzhugh fell on a battlefield near
Petersburg and died at the age of 43. His portrait
Major Patrick Henry Fitzhugh
Patrick Henry Fitzhugh, b. 1819, m. Mary
Steptoe Christian, b. Dec 20, 1821
Mary E. Fitzhugh, b. 1842, m. James Mitchell,
b. 1820
Page Waller Fitzhugh, b. 1844, m. Southall B.
Shelton, Jun 20, 1860
Richard Allen Fitzhugh, b. Jan 14, 1845, m.
Matilda Elizabeth Johnston, b. Apr 1, 1872
George S. Fitzhugh, b. Jul 12, 1846
Elmira Shelton Fitzhugh, b. Aug 19, 1848, m.
Rufus Alexander Duer, Oct 4, 1876
Martha Steptoe Fitzhugh, b. 1850, m. Rufus
Alexander Duer, Mar 28, 1871, b. Jul 4, 1840
William Christian Fitzhugh, b. 1853
Philip H. Fitzhugh, b. Jun 6, 1857, m. Mary T.
Purkins
Lena Huntington Fitzhugh, b. Nov 3, 1859, m.
hung in the old Gloucester Courthouse for many years and currently it is included in the
county “Hall of Fame” collection. The tombstone of Mary Christian Fitzhugh at “Hewick” is
embellished with a verse typical of sentiments of those times:
A precious one from us has gone,
A voice we loved is stilled;
A place is vacant in our house,
Which never can be filled.
Gloucester-born Fitzhugh descendants buried in the graveyard of the ancestral home
include Elmira Shelton Fitzhugh Duer, 1848 -1920, with her husband Rufus Alexander Duer
and their daughter Mary Christian Duer. Other Fitzhugh graves in the cemetery at
Vol. 5, No. 2 31 December 2001

“Hewick” are those of George S. Fitzhugh, William Christian Fitzhugh, Philip H. Fitzhugh,
Lena Huntington Fitzhugh Davies with her husband, Alfred Boyle Davies, George S.
Fitzhugh, William Christian Fitzhugh, and Philip H. Fitzhugh.
Bristow-Roane Graves at “Pleasant View”
A marble stone in the cemetery at “Pleasant
View’ in the Stormont area recalls another
Gloucester native, Mary Mildred Roane Bristow,
1841-1871. She was the daughter of Charles M.
and Mary (Polly) Dutton Roane and the first wife of
Joseph Allen Bristow, 1838-1903. She shares a
monument with her husband and his second wife,
Elizabeth Chambers Bristow, 1852 -1919.
Additionally there is a Confederate stone reading
“Joseph Allan Bristow SGT
CO C 24 VA CAL CSA.”
Records show that Bristow
was captured at Petersburg
on August 31, 1864,
transferred to Elmira, N.Y.,
and exchanged February 25,
1865. The graves of Joseph
Allen Bristow’s parents,
Larkin Stubblefield Bristow,
1806-1862, and his wife
Catherine B. Seward Bristow,
1809-1883, are on this site
along with those of later
generations.
There are several other
Bristow cemeteries in
Middlesex. Members of this
large family have been active
in the county’s civic affairs
over the years.
Cross County Cousins
“Hollywood Farm” Graves of the Robins Family
Joseph Allen Bristow, b. Sep 17, 1838, m. 1st
Mary Mildred Roane, b. Aug 15, 1839
Victoria Allen Bristow, b. Jul 3, 1867
Burke Bristow, b. Jan 15, 1870
Joseph Allen Bristow, b. Sep 17, 1838, m. 2nd
Lucy Elizabeth Chandler, b. Aug 10, 1852
Francis C. Bristow, b. 1877
Ancestors of Burke Bristow
Benjamin Bristow
Larkin Stubblefield Bristow
b. Dec 26, 1806, m. Dec 5, 1828, d. Aug 6, 1862
Ann ?
Joseph Allen Bristow
b. Sep 17, 1838, m. Jan 24, 1866, d. Apr 30, 1903
Catherine B. Seward
b. Aug 17, 1809, d. Mar 15, 1883
Burke Bristow
b. Jan 15, 1870, d. Mar 7, 1940
William S. Roane
b. 1771, m. 1800
Charles M. Roane
b. Feb 18, 1801, m. Apr 22, 1821, d. Mar 12, 1871
Mary Mildred Roane
b. Aug 15, 1839, d. Nov 30, 1871
Mary Kemp
James Dutton
Mary (Polly) Dutton
b. Oct 23, 1798, d. Aug 1, 1865
Nancy Chapman
“Hollywood Farms,” home of the Robins family, is above Saluda in an area once known
as “The Forest.” Both Alice J. Robins, 1857 -1933, and her husband James Robins, 1855 -
1922, came from Guinea in Gloucester. Their names appear in the 1860 and 1870
Gloucester censuses and his in the 1880 census as well. The couple moved to the Middlesex
farm in the early 1900s. A grandson, Duval Robins, says family lore was that Sarah Robins’
family was no kin to her husband’s Robinses. But the grandson believes that “somewhere
back there” they were related, and it certainly seems likely.
James and Alice Robins are buried on the farm in a plot memorable for the five cedar
stakes that mark the graves of infants. A large upright stone memorializes the three wives
of one of their Robinses’ Gloucester -born sons, James Crittenden Robins: Sunnie C., 1869-
1911; Virginia C., 1871-1926; and Clarissa C., 1891 -1955. There were three other sons, John
Vol. 5, No. 2 32 December 2001

William and Allie Madison,
both born in Gloucester, and
Clarence, born in Middlesex.
Daughters Ophelia married
Percy Rowe, Mary married
Fred Thrist, and Lestie
married a Burruss. Others of
this prominent family are
buried at Forest Chapel
United Methodist Church.
The Middlesex Robinses
trace their roots to John
Robins Sr. who was born in
England in 1578 and died in
1623. His son, John Robins
Jr., was married to an Alice
before 1638, and he died in
Gloucester in 1655.
Intra-county family
links are a tradition still
honored in our area, as
attested to by our counties’
locally-owned weekly
newspapers. Boat and buggy
Cross County Cousins
Ancestors of John William Robins
John Robins
b. 1804, d. July 31, 1859
John Robins
b. Apr 21, 1827, d. bef 1900
Mary ?
b. 1802, d. Apr 17, 1863
James W. Robins
b. 1854, m. Jun 26, 1879, d. 1922
Thomas Howard
b. ~1797, d. Dec 18, 1874
Caroline V. Howard
b. 1836, d. 1906
Elizabeth ?
b. 1815, d. bef 1860
John William Robins
b. May 3, 1890, d. Oct 10, 1978
Thomas Robins
b. Feb 21, 1775, d. Apr 3, 1869
William Robins
b. 1815
Elizabeth Rowe
b. Feb 25, 1797, d. Nov 7, 1895
Alice J. Robins
b. May 28, 1857, d. Apr 13, 1933
Robert Badger
b. 1805
Elizabeth Badger
b. 1833
Sarah ?
b. 1810
have long since given way to modern conveyances that daily bring together those of us
fortunate enough to share the good life of our Middle Peninsula. �
(Note: Cemeteries in Middlesex County, a 276-page hard-cover book, will be available
within the near future.)
Notes to Computer Interest Group
by Roger C. Davis and Mary Walters
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY WALTERS
1. Here is an interesting site for Revolutionary War writings and materials. The American
Colonist’s Library at: http://www2.pitnet.net/primarysources/
2. Old Maps. Free Historic Maps of Britian at: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/#k
3. Archaic Medical Terms at: http://www.gpiag-asthma.org/drpsmith/amt1.htm
SOME OLD FAVORITES
4. DAR Library at: http://dar.library.net, and http://dar.org/natsociety/default.html
5. The US Genweb Project for Virginia at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/
6. Try searching for your ancestors at: http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com
7. Try Ellis Island for ancestor at: http://www.ellisisland.org/
8. North Carolina (the Durham -Orange Co. Genealogy Society) at: http://www.rootsweb.com/
roots-l/usa/nc.html
Vol. 5, No. 2 33 December 2001

Special Memories of the Deal Family
Aunt Kate and Uncle Bunnie
by Betty Jean Dunston Deal
My mother, Vernetta Mae Deal (b. 1906 - d. 1934 - Mrs. Beverly E. Dunston), was the
youngest of twelve children. She had five sisters; Lillian, Bet,
Beulah, Clara and Kate. The one I knew best and spent the
most time with was Aunt Kate (b. 1898 - d. 1980) simply
because she lived about 0.2 of a mile from the homeplace
which my mother inherited and where I grew up. She was
born Catherine Bell Deal, the ninth child of my grandparents,
James Johnson ("Big Jim" b. 1861 - d. 1935) and Missouri L.
Bonnywell ("A'nt Mote" b.1864 - d. 1939) Deal of Robins
James J. Deal and Missouri L.
Neck.
Bonnywell
James Deal, b. June 7, 1861, m. Missouri
As a child I passed
Bonnywell, b. Oct 1, 1864
Aunt Kate's house when I walked out to Mr. Hart’s
James C. Deal, b. Jun 27, 1884
store to get the mail and supplies almost every day
Lillian Deal, b. Nov 28, 1885
Beulah Deal, b. Dec 20, 1888
except Sunday. I always stopped to see if she or her
Ernest Deal, b. Apr 26, 1890
daughter, Lennie, (b. 1918 - d. 1977) wanted anything
Bettie Deal, b. Dec 20, 1891
from the store, and they almost always did. I also
Clara Deal, b. Oct 8, 1893
went to the Edge Hill movies with her and her second
John Deal, b. Oct 1895
husband, Waverly Coursey (b. 1900 - d. 1968), every
Calvin Knox Deal, b. Oct 30, 1896 Saturday night until I was a teenager. I spent many
Catherine (Kate) Bell Deal, b. Oct 24, 1898,
hours in her porch swing or sitting in one of her
m. 1st Linwood A. Stillwell, m. 2nd
rockers as we talked about so many things. She often
Waverly Coursey, b. 1900
Bunnie Deal, b. Apr 30, 1901
told me that she had been a bride, mother and widow
George Deal, b. 1904
all in the span of one year.
Vernetta Mae Deal, b. Jan 1, 1906, m.
She was working and living in Richmond with
Beverly Eugene Dunston, b. Sept 23, 1903
Aunt Lillian and Uncle George ("Luck") Robbins when
she met and married Linwood A. Stillwell of Louisa
Four pictures from L - R of Kate Deal Stillwell - widow with daughter Catherine Linwood “Lennie”
Stillwell in 1918, ca 1918, early 1920s, and Kate Deal Coursey with sister Vernetta Deal at Buckroe
Vol. 5, No. 2 34 December 2001

County. Several months
later, while he was in
Army training, she came
to live with her parents
at Naxera to await the
birth of their baby who
arrived on September 15,
1918, after a very
difficult birth and was
named Catherine
Linwood Stillwell
("Lennie"). Her father,
"Len", was granted leave
to come home before he
was scheduled to be
shipped overseas to fight
in WW I when she was
about two weeks old. He
told Aunt Kate at the
time that he was not
worried as much about
getting killed in the war
as he was about catching
influenza which had
reached epidemic
proportions. When he left to return to his company, family members remarked about how
strange it was that the infant Lennie's eyes followed him as he walked out of the room.
That was the last time they ever saw each other. He died several days later of influenza.
Aunt Kate often told me how she "wore black for a whole year
for Len."
Bunnie and Vernetta Mae Deal
brother and sister
Special Memories of the Deal Family
Ancestors of Betty Jean Dunston Deal
Beverly Dunston
b. 1825, m. Apr 11, 1865, d. Aug 24, 1888
William H. Dunston
b. Oct 30, 1867, m. Dec 25, 1896
Doretta C. Marchant
b. 1835
Beverly Eugine Dunston
b. Sept 23, 1903
Patrick Henry Gwynn
b. 1851. m. Jan 7, 1875
Marion Caroline Gwynn
b. 1880, d. Feb 21, 1918
Roxey E. Acra
b. 1852
Betty Jean Dunston
John Allen Deal
b. 1817, d. 1889
James Johnson Deal
b. Jun 7, 1861, m. Dec 26, 1883, d. Jan 2, 1935
Elizabeth Brown
b. 1815, d. 1891
Vernetta Mae Deal
b. 1906, d. 1984
George Washington Boneville
b. 1813, d. 1876
Missouri L. Bonnywell
b. Oct 1, 1864, d. Dec 5, 1939
Nancy Foster Robins
b. Nov 26, 1828, d. Aug 9, 1882
She remarried five years later and lived to lose
that husband to a stroke in 1968 and Lennie to cancer in
1977. She is survived by her grandson, Ronald C. Deal,
and his wife, Faye Eastwood Deal.
My mother's six brothers were James C.,
Calvin Knox, Ernest, Bunnie and two who died shortly
after birth. The uncle I never knew was the youngest,
Bunnie (b. 1901 - d. 1921), who died at age 20, before
I was born, as the result of a head injury he suffered
as a child when he was kicked by a mule. His life was
saved at the time by some Navy doctors from a ship
that was anchored in the York River off Gloucester
Point. They came and operated on Uncle Bunnie on
grandmother's dining room table to relieve the
pressure on his brain. They told her that he would
eventually die from the injury which he did in 1921.
His family had tenderly loved him and were deeply
saddened by his death.
Vol. 5, No. 2 35 December 2001

As he was dying, Aunt Lillian was in another bed also expected to die from a bone
disease. My grandmother was sewing a burial dress for her oldest daughter as she sat by
the death bed of her youngest son. Aunt Lillian survived but was left with a withered arm
and a shortened leg, but that's another story. Many things happened in my grandparents'
house on Free School Creek. �
From recollections of conversations with Mama and Aunt Kate through the years.
Betty Jean Dunston Deal
Special Memories of the Deal Family
Still living in Robins Neck in Gloucester County, Va.
Correction
In the previous issue of Family Tree Searcher, Vol. 5, No. 1, pages 20 through 37
featured the Seawell family. On page 22, a re -print of “Seawell - Family Record,” written by
Mrs. Maria Edwards on June 22nd, 1859, was presented with annotations and diagrams by
our staff for clarifications. Beginning on page 29, we presented the descendents of Joseph
and Elizabeth Seawell based on our records and partially derived from interpretation of
Mrs. Edwards story. We made a grave error in this interpretation that must be corrected.
We begin with a portion of Mrs. Edwards’ story that was printed on page 24:
“The third daughter Nancy [Whiting] was most unfortunate of all, married at
eighteen an elderly man and relative very wealthy, named Pryor. I have heard
my mother say that her mother (Aunt Courtney) told her she had rather follow
her to her grave than to see her married to Col. Pryor, but she persisted. After
living with him some time, she ran off with a man who boarded in her house,
named Freemont [dance instructor in Williamsburg] pronounced by the old
servants who have often told me about him and his visiting Gloucester with
her and Col. Pryor, “Fremo.” She was the mother of John C. Freemont,
[explorer and] the Presidential candidate of the Republicans in 1856. All three
of these ladies are represented as a very, proud and exceedingly high
tempered, neither of which was derived from their mother.” Here we properly
added the surname of Nancy as Whiting. Actually, Nancy was Anne Beverley
Whiting, the third and final daughter of Thomas Whiting and Elizabeth
Seawell.
The actual error is found on page 31 where a third daughter for Jane Whiting and
Charles Grymes was created by the name of Nancy Grymes, and on page 35, she was
designated to be the mother of John Charles Fremont. Dennis Myers, a very helpful GGSV
member living in Charlotte, NC, noticed this obvious error, and submitted many references
to clarify that the mother of John C. Fremont was Anne Beverley Whiting, who Mrs.
Edwards referred to as Nancy. We apologize for all the confusion caused by this error and
hope that this explanation will be a suitable correction.
Vol. 5, No. 2 36 December 2001

The Society’s New Website Format
by L. Roane Hunt
GGSV received space on RootsWeb for our website with a new look shown below
created by Karen Salisbury. Also, many new and useful features were added with much
more to be developed. Go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~vaggsv/vaggsv and enjoy.
Gloucester Genealogical
Society
of Virginia
PO Box 367
Gloucester, Virginia 23601
County Buildings L to R: new courthouse, old debtors
prison, old clerks office, old courthouse
Society Business
Resources to Find Your Ancestors
Vol. 5, No. 2 37 December 2001

The Society New Website Format
More Website News
The new search engine allows you to search for a word or combination of words in all the pages
of our site in a single search and obtain a list of matches for each page. Then, you can go directly to
the location of your interest.
More Website News
About a year ago, I began sending meeting notices and newsletters to the GGSV members that
had E-mail service. Also, we had lively discussions about items of Gloucester history and genealogy.
This was done manually, and we never did clear up some of the format problems that plagued some
members. With the new website, we have an automated communication system in place. Each
member or friend of GGSV is encourage to subscribe by sending an E-mail to VA-GGS-Lrequest@rootsweb.com
with the word “subscribe” typed on the Subject line and once in the body
with no additional text. To initiate a message, send an E-mail to VA-GGS-L@rootsweb.com. All
subcribers will receive this message and anyone can respond by a simple e-mail using “reply to
author.” Each message should have a descriptive title on the Subject line because the Subject line is
used for the archive searches. We hope this Mail List will be more active and useful in the future.
More Website News
Cy Rilee has been the pioneer for the publication of Gloucester federal census with his four
handy volumes that cover the period of 1850 to 1880. Currently, Lew Rankin is providing RootsWeb
with tabulated census data for the period of 1810 to 1900 online from ftp://ftp.us-census.org/pub/
usgenweb/census/va/gloucester/. The “Roane Hunt” preference is to convert the census data to a
paragraph form for each household that can be copied and pasted into an E-mail message in answer
to inquiries. Our website offers this form for 1784 to 1840 and 1900.
With the advent of CD images of the census and more independent transcribers, the accuracy of
census interpretation has become an issue. The accuracy of all transcribers is dependent upon the
clarity of the file or digital image with which they are working. Subsequently, in preparing the
Lawson article for this issue of the FTS, one family of Lawsons turned out to be a family of
Sampsons in the 1850 census. Also, John Ward became John Wood. In this case the CD image is
clear as shown below. A good rule of thumb has always been to verify transcriptions to actual
images if possible. Verifying this massive source of data is a big job for the future workers.
1850 Gloucester Census of Cy Rilee
House No. Name Age Sex Color Occupation Birth Place
#167 Lawson, John 57 M W Farmer VA
p. 17 Mary 36 F W
Matilda 16 F W
Julia 11 F W
Ward, John 21 M W Oysterman VA
Vol. 5, No. 2 38 December 2001

GLOUCESTER COUNTY INSOLVENTS, 1783
Contributed by
Dr. John S. Hopewell
Richmond, VA
Dr. Hopewell is an archivist in local records at the Library of Virginia where this
document was found among the records of the Auditor of Public Accounts for the
Commonwealth. The debt is listed in Pounds, Shillings and Pence, British money in common
use for financial transactions long after American independence.
A List of Insolvents for the Year 1783 under the Revenue Law for Tax
Name Debt
Abraham Forrest £ -/10/-
John Singleton £ -/10/9
William Treacle £ -/10/6
John Hugget £ -/10/6
Kemp Hugget £ -/10/3
John Driver £ -/11/-
John Winder £ -/10/-
Ambrose Atherton £ -/12/-
John Jarrot £ -/10/6
Elizabeth Respess, Junr. £ -/3/9
Richard Hurst £ -/12/-
John Peed £ -/12/6
Humphrey Hudgen, Jr. - out of £ 2/8/3
this state
John Forrest, Junr. £ -/12/-
Josiah Foster, Junr. £ -/10/-
Jesse Foster £ -/13/-
Morgan Thomas £ -/11/6
Thomas Hunley £ -/13/3
Thomas Winder £ -/10/-
John Shipley £ -/11/3
Edmund Winder £ -/10/-
Edmund Owen £ -/14/6
Matthew Thomas £ -/10/-
Simon Green £ -/10/-
John Deal £ -/11/-
Samuel Machen £ -/10/-
Robert Sadler, Junr. £ -/12/-
Judith Brookes - twice charged £ -/13/3
Richard Treacle £ -/10/-
Josh. D. Hudgen £ -/10/-
Thomas Brownley £ -/11/-
Joshua Bridge £ -/10/3
Richard Hurst £ -/10/-
Perrin Hudgen £ -/11/3
Danl. Fitchet, Junr. £ -/10/-
Name Debt
Joshua Thomas £ -/10/-
James Brownley £ -/10/-
Anthony Minter £ -/10/9
Wm. Hudgen, Jun. £ -/10/-
George Owen £ -/10/6
Philip Brownley £ -/10/-
Lewis Peed £ -/11/6
Benjamin Creadle £ -/16/-
William Blake £ -/13/9
Robert Foster £ -/10/3
Moses Hudgen £ -/10/-
Joseph Tabor, Jun. £ -/10/3
John Anderton £ -/10/6
Robert Callis, Junr. £ -/10/-
James Banks £ -/15/6
Richard Summers £ -/10/6
Geo. Brookes, Junr. £ -/12/-
Edwd. Hughes, Junr. £ -/10/-
Richard Hunley £ -/10/6
John Owen £ -/12/-
George Read Christian £ -/12/-
Martha Christian £ -/11/3
Elias Pugh, Jun. £ -/11/-
Thomas James £ -/12/-
John Turner - no Estate to be £ 2/16/9
found except land
George Green £ -/13/-
Philip Edwards Jones £ 2/5/6
John Read £ 1/12/6
Tho. Respess - no Estate but £ -/12/6
(Continued on page 44)
Vol. 5, No. 2 39 December 2001
land
Thomas Sadler £ -/10/3
Richd. Sadler £ -/10/3
Wm. Robins £ -/10/9
Wm. Reynolds £ -/10/9
James Jarvis £ -/11/3

Additional Gloucester County Death Records
The Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia completed its project of transcribing
the information from the official book entitled, Deaths 1865-1890, located in the Clerk’s
Office of Gloucester, VA. The record was publish in a book entitled, Death Records of
Gloucester County, Virginia, 1865-1890, in May 2000. This information is also available
on the Website of the Society.
Gloucester death records, available on microfilm at the Library of Virginia in
Richmond, VA, include incomplete portions of death records beginning in 1853 and as late
as 1895. We ar working to include these data fragments in the digitized record, and the
data for 1853 and 1854 is presented in this issue. Additional records will be presented in
future issues when available.
NAME RACE/SEX OWNER DATE PLACE CAUSE AGE
?, Stephen SC/M Matilda Roane
1853
June 12 Gloucester dropsey 10m
?, Alcy SC/F Matilda Roane May 5 Gloucester unknown 2m
unknown SC/F Matilda Roane June 1 Gloucester 2d
?, Robert SC/M Lucy Cooke Aug 5 Gloucester worm fever 7y
?, Thomas SC/M Est. of Wm Caffee July 14 Gloucester teething 15m
Aherron, Edward W/M Nov 13 Gloucester measels 20y
Aherron, Elizabeth W/F July 30 Gloucester measels 29y
Pearce, Ann T. W/F Mar 25 Gloucester consumption 21y
Pearce, Julia W/F Feb 15 Gloucester dropsey 2y
Bramble, Eliza W/F Aug 10 Gloucester unknown
not named W/F Aug 15 Gloucester consumption
?, Kitty SC/F Emanuel J. Stubblefield Sept 7 Gloucester unknown 30y
?, Matilda SC/F Emanuel J. Stubblefield Sept 15 Gloucester billious fever 5m
Bespitch, Mary F. W/F May 27 Gloucester disentery 4y
?, Carter SC/M Alexander Balfore May 5 Gloucester unknown 3y
not named SC/M A. W. Robins Oct 4 Gloucester unknown 1d
not named SC/F A. W. Robins Dec 14 Gloucester unknown 2m
slave SC/F A. W. Robins Mar 7 Gloucester unknown 30y
SC/M A. W. Robins June 10 Gloucester unknown 10y
SC/M A. W. Robins Sept 10 Gloucester unknown 10y
SC/M A. W. Robins Oct 15 Gloucester unknown 4y
Dobson, Edward P. W/M Feb 23 Gloucester plumnia 52y
not named W/? Apr 28 Gloucester born dead
not named SC/F John Hogg Sept 5 Gloucester unknown 1m
?, Adam SC/M Roscoe Trevillian July 15 Gloucester unknown 8m
?, Sam SC/M John W. Backhouse Mar 5 Gloucester unknown 40y
Moore, Ann M. W/F Nov 2 Gloucester unknown 41y
?, John SC/M William B. Taliaferro Aug 10 Gloucester unknown 27y
?, Robert SC/M William B. Taliaferro Sept 25 Gloucester unknown 3y
not named SC/F William B. Taliaferro Sept 10 Gloucester unknown 13d
?, Lucy SC/F John M. Stubblefield Mar 8 Gloucester unknown 15y
?, Molly SC/F J. L. Dean Dec 10 Gloucester unknown 100y
not named SC/F J. L. Dean Oct 18 Gloucester unknown 8m
Clara, Mary C. W/F Oct 15 Gloucester unknown 3y3m
?, Martha SC/F Ranson White Dec 18 Gloucester unknown 75y
Sampson, Julia A. W/F Apr 10 Gloucester unknown 15y
not named SC/F John P. Tabb Mar 1 Gloucester consumption 8d
?, Simon SC/M Achie Taylor July 15 Gloucester unknown 4y
?, Lucy SC/F Benjamin Rowe Mar 15 Gloucester unknown 19y
?, Rebecca W/F June 24 Gloucester consumption
Vol. 5, No. 2 40 December 2001

These records give the names of slave owners and distinguish between free and slave
colored persons. Therefore, abbreviations are defined to fit the data.
Abbreviations:
FC/F.....free colored female
SC/F.....slave colored female
FC/M ....free colored male
SC/M....slave colored male
W/F ......white female
W/M .....white male
y ........... years
Additional Gloucester County Death Records
m ......... months
d .......... days
M ......... Consort: married
UM....... Consort: unmarried
H/F ...... head of family
PARENTS BIRTH PLACE OCCUPATION
1853
CONSORT SOURCE RELATION
Jack Gloucester Matilda Roane owner
Solomon Gloucester Matilda Roane owner
James Brown Gloucester Matilda Roane owner
Corbin & Maria Gloucester Frank Cooke
David & Sarah Gloucester Mrs. Sale
Thomas & Ann Aherron Gloucester UM Ann Aherron mother
John & Dorothy Wright Gloucester Ann Aherron mother
Gloucester John Pearce
John M. & Ann Aherron Gloucester John Pearce
Benjamin & E. Bramble Gloucester Mary F. Bramble
Benjamin & E. Bramble Gloucester Mary F. Bramble
Gloucester Emanuel J. Stubblefield owner
Mary Gloucester Emanuel J. Stubblefield owner
John & Rosina Bespitch Gloucester Rosina Bespitch mother
Gloucester Alexander Balfore owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester A. W. Robins owner
Gloucester John L. Rowe neighbor
John W. & Frances Minor Gloucester John W. Minor father
Gloucester John Hogg owner
Gloucester Roscoe Trevillian owner
Gloucester John W. Backhouse owner
Augustine & Elizabeth Brown Gloucester Richard Moore
Gloucester William B. Taliferro owner
Gloucester William B. Taliferro owner
Gloucester William B. Taliferro owner
Gloucester John M. Stubblefield owner
Gloucester J. L. Dean owner
Gloucester J. L. Dean owner
John D. & Lucy Ann Clare Gloucester John D. Clare father
Gloucester Ranson White owner
John M. & Mary A. Sampson Gloucester John M. Sampson father
Gloucester John P. Tabb owner
Gloucester E. T. Thruston
Gloucester Benjamin Rowe owner
David & Elizabeth Spencer Gloucester James Howard husband
Vol. 5, No. 2 41 December 2001

Additional Gloucester County Death Records
NAME RACE/SEX OWNER DATE PLACE CAUSE AGE
1853
Smith, John W/M Sept 1 Gloucester billious fever 8y
Waddle, Richard C. W/M Nov 12 Gloucester dropsey 14y
Dunston, Harriet W/M Oct 15 Gloucester dysentary 2y
Blasingham, Augustin W/F Dec 10 Gloucester consumption 22y
Gregory, Bamaly FC/M Oct 8 Gloucester old age 90y
Carney, Willy F. W/M May 13 Gloucester bellious fever 4y
Carney, Edward W/M May 11 Gloucester bellious fever 5y
Lawson, Uginia E. W/F Oct 17 Gloucester bellious fever 3y
?, Edmond SC/M Dr. Thomas C. Clopton Dec 24 Gloucester asthma 90y
Bowden, John W/M Mar 15 Gloucester unknown 50y
Hall, Alfred W/M Nov 21 Gloucester unknown 4m
Burton, Ann E. W/F July 10 Gloucester brain fever 1y1m
Dutton, Peter F. W/M July 7 Gloucester brain fever 11y
Dutton, Americus W/M July 14 Gloucester brain fever 12y
Adams, Lucy W/F July 1 Gloucester dysentary 48y
Taylor, Charles W/M July 1 Gloucester fitts 3y
Davenport, Charles W. FC/M Feb 5 Gloucester unknown unknown
Rilee, Phaliscus W/M June 15 Gloucester dysentary 1y2d
?, Martha SC/F Elizabeth Booker July 12 Gloucester dysentary 12m
Cooke, Maria T. W/F Sept 31 Gloucester consumption 27y
Cooke, Maria L. W/F Sept 25 Gloucester brain fever 1y11m
Rilee, Lucy W/F Sept 4 Gloucester unknown 7m
Hibble, Mathew W/M Feb 11 Gloucester plurisy 47y
Thrift, Hercilla A. W/F May 12 Gloucester unknown 15y
Glenn, Walter W/M Sept 22 Gloucester brain fever 5y
Hall, James W/M Aug 5 Gloucester unknown 11m
Horsley, Rosa T. W/F Dec 7 Gloucester unknown 42y
?, Ruben SC/M Richard D. Leigh July 8 Gloucester measels 48y
Hibble, Lewis W/M Sept 13 Gloucester dysentary 22y
Walker, Nancy W/F Dec 27 Gloucester dysentery 69y
Johnston, Susan E. W/F Aug 18 Gloucester brain fever 6y
?, Elizabeth SC/F John Taliaferro May 22 Gloucester unknown 18m
Royster, Hannah P. W/F Feb 16 Gloucester plurisy 55y
Mason, Milton W. W/M Dec 10 Gloucester unknown 55y
Corr, Frances W/F Sept 24 Gloucester despeplia 57y
Coats, Ann W/F Sept 13 Gloucester typhoid fever 47y
Norton, Ersula A. W/F Oct 30 Gloucester typhoid fever 20y
Soles, Louisa W/F Dec 1 Gloucester unknown 40y
?, John Henry SC/M Dr. George W. Smith Oct 15 Gloucester convulsions 6y
Dillard, Mary W/F Oct 27 Gloucester brain fever 4y
Green, Ann W/F June 19 Gloucester dysentery 27y
Green, Lucy A. W/F June 21 Gloucester dysentery 8m
not named SC/M Wash V. Dunn
1854
Mar 18 Gloucester unknown 1d
Henderson, Robert W/M Oct 18 Gloucester billious fever 31y
Cluverius, Emiline E. W/F Oct 15 Gloucester unknown 2y8m
Brown, Susan A. W/F Aug 19 Gloucester billious fever 13y
not named SC/F John Hughes Sept 10 Gloucester unknown 1y
not named W/M Oct 13 Gloucester brain fever 6m
not named W/M Aug 15 Gloucester unknown 2m
Oliver, Gault W/M June 15 New York small pox 44y
not named SC/M Thomas M. Seawell Aug 15 Gloucester dysentery 11m
Diggs, Frances W/F Aug 18 Gloucester cholera morbus 54y
Carmine, Indianna W/F Mar 17 Gloucester unknown 21d
Leigh, Charles C. W/M Sept 15 Gloucester congestive fever 18m
Dudley, Seany W/F Oct 12 Gloucester unknown 70y
Robins, Laimia W/F Aug 24 Gloucester billious fever 4y8m
Vol. 5, No. 2 42 December 2001

Additional Gloucester County Death Records
PARENTS BIRTH PLACE OCCUPATION
1853
CONSORT SOURCE RELATION
Sterling & Ann Smith Gloucester Sterling Smith father
Richard & E. Waddle Gloucester UM Elizabeth Waddle mother
John & Mary Dunston Gloucester UM Mary Dunston mother
Henry & E. Blasingham Gloucester UM Susan Blasingham
Gloucester UM Henry Chapman
William & E. Carney Gloucester UM Mrs. E. Carney mother
William & E. Carney Gloucester UM Mrs. E. Carney mother
John W. & Euphamia Lawson Gloucester UM John W. Lawson father
Gloucester Dr. Thomas C. Clopton owner
K&Q Co. farmer John Bowden Jr son
William & Margaret Hall Gloucester William Hall father
Thomas & Virginia Burton Gloucester Thomas Burton father
James & Virginia Dutton Gloucester Thomas Burton friend
James & Virginia Dutton Gloucester Thomas Burton friend
Lucy Deagle Gloucester William F. Adams William F. Adams husband
Evan & Mary Taylor Gloucester
Gloucester
Evan Taylor father
John M. & Frances Rilee Gloucester Frances Rilee mother
slaves Gloucester Charles Booker
John & Nancy Johnston Gloucester Thomas L. Cooke Thomas L. Cooke husband
Thomas & Maria Cooke Gloucester Thomas L. Cooke father
Robert & Susan E. Rilee Gloucester Robert Hall father
Gloucester farmer William J. J. Thrift friend
Thomas P. & E. Thjrift Gloucester Thomas J. Thrift father
Mathew & Betty Glenn Gloucester Mathew Glenn father
J. W. & Sarah Hall Gloucester J. H. Hall father
R. & Mary Fary Gloucester J. K. Horsley J. K. Horsley husband
Gloucester R. D. Leigh owner
Lewis Hibble Gloucester carpenter UM P. D. Rilee friend
John & Nancy Bayne Gloucester John H. Walker John H. Walker husband
Thomas & E. Johnston Gloucester Thomas E. Johnston father
K&Q Co. Thomas M. Pearce
Thomas & Claricy Royster Gloucester UM Robert C. Royster brother
William Mason Gloucester Willoughby Mason son
Lenard Smither Gloucester A. Mitchell son
John Rilee Gloucester Belsey Coats Belsey Coats husband
Philip & M. A. Didlake Gloucester William Norton William Norton husband
Gloucester James Soles James Soles husband
Henry & Maria Gloucester Dr. George W. Smith owner
Kemp & C. Dillard Gloucester Kemp Dillard father
Gloucester James Bently friend
Anna Green Gloucester
1854
James Bently friend
Gloucester Wash V. Dunn owner
Accomac E. S. waterman John W. Shackelford neighbor
James W. & Mary E. Cluverius Gloucester James W. Cluverius father
George & Susan A. Brown New York UM George Brown father
Gloucester John Hughes father
Oswald & Patrick Ann Kemp Gloucester Oswald S. Kemp father
William & Julia A. Heywood Gloucester William Heywood father
Gloucester waterman Mildred Oliver Mildred Oliver wife
Gloucester Thomas M. Seawell owner
Richard White Mathews Alexander Diggs son
Daniel L. & Susan F. Carmine Gloucester Daniel L. Carmine father
Thomas R. & Martha J. Leigh Gloucester Thomas R. Leigh father
Matilda Leavit?? Gloucester William Dudly Thomas S. Oliver son-un-law
George W. & Mary A Robins Gloucester George W. Robins father
Vol. 5, No. 2 43 December 2001

Additional Gloucester County Death Records
NAME RACE/SEX OWNER DATE PLACE CAUSE AGE
1854
Adams, Hannah J. W/F Aug 9 Gloucester dysentery 2y8m
Dudly, Martha W/F Aug 12 Gloucester dropsey 25y
infant W/M Jan 17 Gloucester unknown 2d
Stiles, Hannah A. W/F Aug 25 Mathews crying fits 9d
?, Mary SC/F William C. Fary Aug 15 Gloucester unknown 2y6m
Brown, Thomas W/M Aug 20 Gloucester typhoid fever 20y
Roane, Catherine W/F July 15 Gloucester unknown 9y
Minor, Henry Wallace W/M Sept 27 Gloucester dysentery 8y
?, John SC/M P. E. Tabb Aug 12 Gloucester unknown 75y
?, Will SC/M L. N. Davies Apr 16 Gloucester old age 85y
infant SC/F L. N. Davies Oct 14 Gloucester unknown 9d
infant SC/F M. J. Williams hireer Nov 4 Gloucester unknown 1d
infant SC/M Thomas C. Robins Nov 15 Gloucester unknown 40d
?, Mary SC/F Simon W. Stubbs Dec 18 Gloucester old age 130y
?, Sarah SC/F Simon W. Stubbs Dec 24 Gloucester unknown 18y
Marnex, Marius W/M Sept 16 Gloucester unknown 7m
?, Tom SC/M Dr. William Taliaferro Oct 14 Gloucester unknown 67y
Williams, Andrew W/M Oct 31 Gloucester billious fever 3y4m
Williams, Albert W/M Oct 15 Gloucester billious fever 13y
?, William SC/M John C. Field July 15 Gloucester brain fever 3y
?, James SC/M John L. Hibble July 15 Gloucester unknown 2y
?, John SC/M Elizabeth Hogg June 10 Gloucester unknown 18m
?, Albert SC/M Robert H. Stubblefield Oct 16 Gloucester unknown 3y
?, Lucy Maria SC/F Warner T. Cooke Apr 7 Gloucester burn 3y
infant SC/F Warner T. Cooke Apr 14 Gloucester crying fits 9d
?, Jack SC/M Samuel P. Byrd Jan 1 Gloucester unknown 46y
infant SC/M Henry A. Howard Sept 5 Gloucester unknown 3m
Fox, Zachariah FC/M Oct 10 Gloucester unknown 19y
?, Tom SC/M James Leavit Sept 15 Gloucester unknown 2y
Leigh, Benjamin F. W/M Dec 31 Gloucester unknown 30y
Leigh, Zeddo W/M Oct 18 Gloucester unknown 18m
Johnston, Margaret W/F Aug 12 Gloucester unknown 5y6m
infant SC/M E. B. S. Cary May 15 Gloucester pnumonia 12m
infant SC/F M. H. Miller Apr 15 Gloucester over laid 12m
?, Lucy SC/F W. P. Smith Sept 10 Gloucester unknown 15y
?, Daniel SC/M Elizabeth Page Nov 10 Gloucester nervose fever 35y
?, Maria SC/F Elizabeth Page Feb 15 Gloucester pluena 29y
Jenkins, Frances W/F July 1 Gloucester old age 84y
GLOUCESTER COUNTY INSOLVENTS, 1783 (Continued from page 39)
Name Debt
Richard Ayres £ -/10/6
Augustine Degge £ -/12/-
Thomas Brookes £ -/10/6
John Jarvis £ -/10/-
John Little £ -/11/-
James Dawson - twice charged £ 1/7/6
Tho. Oliver - no such person in
my Parish
£ 1/3/3
Wm. Brooke - no such person to £ 1/2/-
be found
Rd. White - no Estate but land £ -/10/9
Ralph Anderton £ -/10/-
John Meggs £ -/11/-
William Bush £ -/10/-
Name Debt
John Green £ -/11/6
John Huggett £ -/10/3
James Blake - one hand £ -/10/-
William Minter £ -/10/9
Wm. Jarvis, Junr. - no Est. to be £ 1/10/6
found
Charles Pleasey £ -/10/6
William Brownley £ -/16/-
Tho. Mason - no Est. except land £ 1/2/3
James Hudgen £ -/10/-
Francis Williams £ -/10/9
Mark Thomas £ -/12/-
William Willis £ -/10/6
William Pugh £ -/10/6
Vol. 5, No. 2 44 December 2001

Additional Gloucester County Death Records
PARENTS BIRTH PLACE OCCUPATION
1854
CONSORT SOURCE RELATION
Samuel & Sarah J. Adams Gloucester Samuel Adams father
Gloucester William Dudley William Dudley husband
William & Ann E. Tomlinson Gloucester William Tomlinson father
William & Hannah Stiles Mathews William Stiles father
Gloucester William C. Fary owner
Cary & Elizabeth Brown Gloucester UM Levi??, Thomas neighbor
Henry & Virginia Roane Gloucester UM Henry Roane father
William & Sarah J. Minor Gloucester UM John W. Minor father
Gloucester P. E. Tabb owner
Gloucester L. N. Davies owner
Gloucester L. N. Davies owner
Gloucester M. J. Williams hireer
Gloucester Thomas C. Robins owner
Gloucester Simon W. Thrift owner
Gloucester Simon W. Thrift owner
William W. & Mary Marnex Gloucester William W. Marnex father
Gloucester William W. Marnex
Andrew & Paulina Williams Gloucester Andrew Williams father
Gloucester Andrew Williams father
Gloucester John C. Field
Gloucester John L. Hibble owner
Gloucester Elizabeth Hogg owner
Gloucester Robert H. Stubblefield owner
Gloucester W. T. Cooke owner
Gloucester W. T. Cooke owner
Gloucester Samuel R. Byrd owner
Gloucester Henry A. Howard owner
Gloucester waterman William ap W. Jones
Gloucester James B. Fletcher
Gloucester farmer John Leavit neighbor
Benjamin F. & ? Leigh Gloucester John Leavit neighbor
Jedock & Polly Johnston Gloucester Zedock Johnston
Gloucester E. B. S. Cary
Gloucester M. H. Miller
Gloucester William P. Smith
Gloucester C. M. Griffith dau. of owner
Gloucester C. M. Griffith dau. of owner
Jacob & Hannah Heywood Gloucester John Jenkins John Jenkins son
GLOUCESTER COUNTY INSOLVENTS, 1783 (Continued from page 44)
Name Debt
Edward Keys £ -/10/-
William Driskill £ -/10/-
John Watson £ -/10/-
Christopher Green £ -/10/-
Name Debt
James Deal £ -/11/-
Isaac Anderton £ -/10/-
Stephen O’Dear - no Est. to be
found within my district
£ 1/-/-
Total £ 66/5/-
At a Court held for Gloucester County in August 1787. This List of Insolvents was this day
returned by James Jones formerly a sub -Sherif in this County who made Oath thereto and
the same was allowed by the Court and Ordered to be Certified.
Teste: Christopher Pryor, D[eputy] C[lerk] C[ourt]
Vol. 5, No. 2 45 December 2001

The Hodges Seamen of Mathews County, Virginia
by Marie Hodges
This article is re-printed because the photographs were
inadvertently omitted in our last issue, FTS, Vol 5, No. 1.
In 1884, a 10-year-old Mathews County boy left his family in Tick Neck to sign on as a
deckhand aboard a schooner. The schooner’s captain taught him to read using newspapers from
different ports on the East Coast. He learned to read other things too, like tides, winds, stars,
currents, charts, depth sounders, and men. By the time he was
15, he had earned his place in one of the most elite and widely
recognized seagoing fraternities in the world. He was a Mathews
County seaman.
At the age of 20, Captain Jesse Thomas Hodges came home
to marry Henrietta Hunley on Christmas Day 1894. For the first
few years of their life together, they shared a home with his
aging grandparents in the Glebe. By their tenth wedding
anniversary, the couple had five sons and a daughter. The
second son drank lye as a child and died. By their 20th
anniversary, there were 11 living children out of 14. The last
child, a daughter named Hilda Fourteen, was the only one born in
a hospital.
Jesse Raymond, the oldest child, waited until he was 13 to
follow his father to sea. Then came George Dewey, Horace Willie,
Leslie Horace, Spencer Richardson, Coleman Hubbard and James
David. Spencer was the only one to finish high school before
going off to sea.
At one time, early in their careers, four of the boys,
Raymond, Dewey, Willie and Leslie, served on the tugboat their
father skippered. They were Chief’s Mate, Second Mate, Third
Mate and Boatswain.
In due time, all four, plus Coleman, would become captains.
Spencer suffered a back injury on one of his first trips and never
went to sea again. David spent 22 years as a pilot for the Federal
Pilots Association.
Jesse Thomas and Hennrietta
Hodges with son Raymond and
baby Willie
Self-billed as the Ninth Son, David, now 87 years old, lives in the Rehab Center at Walter Reed
Hospital in Gloucester. With his sister, Louise Leigh of Hudgins, David keeps the memories of his
once large family and its seagoing tradition alive through humor and respect.
“Raymond was a natural born seaman,” David said. “He would rather go to sea than be home.
When he was about 13 years old, he was in the field with the others, weeding the corn. Everybody
was hurrying to get finished. When Raymond caught them looking the other way, he hauled it out of
the field and got a job on a fish steamer. Then he went to tugboats, then to the freighters. He rarely
came home again.”
In fact, David didn’t get to know any of his older brothers until he was old enough to go to sea
with them. "It was like my older brothers were a different family,” David said. “They all went to sea
at an early age and by the time I came along, most of them were already captains." Coleman and
David were only 11 months apart. Miss Louise remembers the bond between the two. “They were
Vol. 5, No. 2 46 December 2001

The Hodges Seamen of Mathews County, Virginia
inseparable,” she said. “What one knew, the other knew it ahead of time. They weren’t twins but
they should have been.”
“Everybody was a Mathews man,” David said, “or least it seemed like it. My brother Dewey
would go out of his way to give someone from Mathews a job. He would call Spencer to try to find
someone from Mathews who was looking for a job.”
Spencer had served with Dewey on the East Indian, Ford Motor Company's premier vessel.
“She was 445' long with a displacement of 8159 tons,” wrote Mac MacFarlane in a recent issue
of the Mariner's Museum newsletter. “She was a handsome ship for her time, built in 1918 at Uraga,
Japan. By 1936, her Master was Captain George Dewey Hodges.” (MacFarlane is married to Dewey’s
daughter, Jean.)
But Spencer's career was cut short when a hawser broke, knocking him into the anchor. David
remembers that his brother spent six months lying flat on his back until he finally healed. In 1937,
he was able to help Dewey keep a steady supply of Mathews men for the crew of the East Indian.
During World War II Dewey lost his life on his first trip as Captain of the Ford Motor Company
vessel, the “Onondaga.” Dewey’s body was never found but his ring was found in the belly of a
shark by fishermen near Cuba. Her sister ship, the “Oneida,” was also hit by German torpedoes two
weeks earlier. When the Oneida went down, she took with her Chief Mate Leslie H. Hodges. Two
sons of Jesse and Hennrietta Hodges lost at sea as the result of enemy submarine action.
David was working at Norfolk Naval Shipyard as a rigger when the word of his brothers' deaths
were reported. Raymond, Willie, and Coleman continued to go in harm’s way but their father,
according to Louise, began piloting different boats into Alexandria.
“Papa was a fearless man on the water,” she said. “He came into Norfolk one time in a bad
storm. All the men were laying down on the floor hollerin’ and crying. Papa stuck his head out the
pilot house door and said, loud enough for them to hear, ‘I wonder if Miss Henny shut the hen house
door.’ That’s the story the men on his tugboat told.”
Coleman was captain of the Liberty ship Edward A. Savoy when it made the run into
Murmansk, Russia. His career ended in 1960 when he was diagnosed with cancer. “They took one
of his kidneys but he didn’t live much longer,” David said.
Louise married Ralph Brooks who was also a member of the Merchant Marine. Luck stepped in
to save her from widowhood. “Ralph made two trips to Iceland on the Oswego, a Ford ship,” she
said. “He got off on Feb. 15th. Three days later he picked up a newspaper and read that his ship
was gone, no survivors.”
“The wives and mothers of the men who went to sea had to fend for themselves,” Louise said.
“Mama ran things when Papa was gone,” she said. “She worked in the
fields until dinnertime, put dinner on the table, say ‘Give me 15
minutes,’ she’d lay down, then get up and go back to the fields and
work until supper time. There was nothing she couldn't do. She sewed,
quilted, milked the cows, fed the pigs, cured all the meat.”
Even though it was rare to have all of her large family at home
together, Louise said her mother made them feel special when they did
come home. “I remember one of the few times that Leslie and Dewey
were home together,” she said. “It was 1933, the year of the storm.
They were home for the Fourth of July. It turned so cool the day they
left to go back to their ships that they had to borrow jackets to wear.
Mama got up that morning and killed chickens and fried them for their
breakfast.”
Raymond had an illustrious career as master of many Moore-
McCormack Line freighters. He commanded the SS Mormacmoon in
1942 when it was the first ship to bring food, fuel and medical supplies
to the Island of Malta. Malta had come under constant bombardment
and the civilian population was on the brink of starvation. His last
Capt. Jesse Raymond Hodges
Vol. 5, No. 2 47 December 2001

command was as master of a cruise liner. He
was sent to Pascagoula, MISS, to supervise the
building of the latest Cruise Ship for the
Moore-McCormack line. He was to become its
Captain upon its completion. While there, he
was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and
had to return to Gloucester. When he died in
1961, his ashes were taken on this ship, and
during the voyage there was a ceremony
when the ship stopped dead in the water, and
his ashes were thrown into the sea.
Captain Willie Hodges ended his
seafaring career as master of the Curtis Bay
Towing Company. He died in 1989. His son,
Horace, known by many in Mathews as
“Brother,” went to sea in 1944 and another
son, John, served in the U.S. Navy. On one of
Brother's trips aboard a Liberty ship into
Odessa, Russia, he met his Uncle Raymond
there and was invited aboard the Moore-McCormack ship for a New Year's dinner. After two years,
Brother quit going to sea, but was drafted again for the Korean War. He retired in 1982 from
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company.
Spencer Hodges served 12 years as sheriff of Mathews County. When he died in 1973, his son,
Spencer Jr., served as sheriff for the next seven years.
Elizabeth, a sister, served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during WW II and her son, J.W. Corbett,
retired from the Merchant Marine.
“I loved it at sea,” David Hodges said recently. “I wouldn't have changed with anyone. I guess
it was a natural thing. First time I went to sea, I took a turn at the wheel with everyone else. I went
on Raymond’s ship. I guess it helped having a big brother there with you.” �
Sources:
The Hodges Seamen of Mathews County, Virginia
Capt. Raymond Hodges (standing center) with Cesar
Romero and other guests on the Cruise Ship
Exerpts from an article by Charlotte Crist in the December 30, 1999 Gloucester-Mathews Gazette Journal
More Website News
One of the new features where we have been active is the submission of our genealogy databases
to the RootsWeb system. In this program, GGSV members and friends can produce a GEDCOM
record of their personal database and send it to RootsWeb to be integrated into their global
database that provides it free of cost to the world of users. Your database, along with others, can be
searched, displayed in every possible manner, compared, and copied by fellow researchers.
The GEDCOM file is the universal means of transferring genealogy data from one computer
software to another. (Some software is more friendly for such exchange of data than others, so
patience is required in some cases.) Our website gives you instruction on how to submit your
GEDCOM and register your data link for direct access from our website.
We have many data links listed on our website. I submitted many files to get the “ball rolling.” I
submitted the entire genealogy work of Hammond Robins that is available in the Gloucester Library.
Also, I submitted partial files for my Roane and Horsley families. Other participants include: Jim
Jones, Cheryl Maxwell, Joan Stubbs, Mildred Miller, John Hartman, Bob Plummer, and Hartley West.
Typical Gloucester surnames include: Kemp, Stubbs, Smith, Purcell, West, Thomas, Hogg, Rowe,
Corr, Bland, and many more. After scanning the databases of our participants, you can derive
additional benefits from a global search of the entire database and glean from the databases of
countless researchers from everywhere. Come check it out and participate. Roane Hunt
Vol. 5, No. 2 48 December 2001