Bitting, William
Coleman, clergyman, author, was born Feb. 5, 1857, in Hanover County,
Va. Since 1881 he has been a clergyman in Virginia,
New York and Missouri. He is the author of Earthly Blooms from Heavenly
Stems; and Foundation Truths.
[Herringshaw’s National
Library of American Biography: Contains Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of
the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States, by William
Herringshaw, 1909 – Transcribed by
AFOFG]
Cardwell, Charles
Patterson
Charles Patteson Cardwell, son of Judge Richard Henry (q. v.) and Kate (Howard) Cardwell, was born August 8, 1873, in Hanover county, Virginia. He attended the local schools of his native county; then took a course at the Richmond College and studied law under the direction of his father. Afterward he attended the University of Virginia at Charlottsville [sic] where he graduated in 1895 as LL. B., and was admitted to the bar in Richmond, where he has practiced law since that time.
Mr. Cardwell is affiliated with the Democratic party, and is active in local politics, but has never held political office. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Negro Reformatory Association of Virginia, and chairman of the executive committee of said board; member of the board of visitors of the Medical College of Virginia, and one of the executive committee of the same; a member of the vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, at Hanover, Virginia, where he resides. He is also a referee in bankruptcy of the United States district court for the eastern district of Virginia, and a member of the Westmoreland Club of Richmond.
On October 25, 1900, he married Bessie Winston Lee, daughter of Major John Mason and Nora (Hankhead) Lee, the former named of the Confederate States army, who was on General Wickham's staff, and served throughout the war. She was born in 1877 in Stafford county, Virginia, a granddaughter of Commodore Sidney Smith Lee, a brother of General Robert E. Lee; a niece of General Fitzhugh Lee, and of Captain D. M. Lee, of Stafford county, Virginia. Issue of Charles Patteson and Bessie Winston (Lee) Cardwell, namely: Charles Patteson Jr., born June 5, 1903, in Hanover county, Virginia; Bickerton Winston, born March 20, 1905, in Hanover county, Virginia; Kate Howard, born in Hanover county, December 6, 1909; Bessie Lee, born January 7, 1913, in Hanover county, Virginia.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies - Vol. IV. Transcriber: Chris Davis)
Cardwell, William
Duval
The first Cardwell of record in this country is believed to have come from Wales in the eighteenth century. He
had three sons, one of whom settled in King William county, Virginia, on the Mattaponi river; the other two in
Charlotte county, Virginia. One of the latter, Richard Cardwell, moved to North Carolina, locating in Rockingham
county, on the Dan river, where he acquired a large landed estate. He was the great-great-grandfather of William
Duval Cardwell, of Richmond and Ashland, Virginia, ex-speaker of the Virginia house of delegates, and great-grandfather
of Richard Henry Cardwell, judge of the Virginia supreme court of appeals and also an ex-speaker of the house of
delegates.
(II) Joel Cardwell, son of Richard Cardwell, was born on the plantation, near Madison, Rockingham county, North
Carolina, there lived and died, a large tobacco planter and farmer. By his wife, Maria (Scales) Cardwell, he had
male issue.
(III) Richard Perin Cardwell, son of Joel and Maria (Scales) Cardwell, was born on his father's plantation, near
Madison, North Carolina, died October 1, 1846. He was a farmer and tobacco planter, a Democrat in politics, and
a Presbyterian in religion. He served in the North Carolina house of delegates and was elected state senator,
but decided to enlist in the Mexican war instead of taking his seat. While in the midst of preparation for joining
the army, he was fatally stricken with typhoid fever. He married Elizabeth Martin Dalton, and had issue: Joseph,
a soldier in the Confederacy, died in a Richmond hospital in 1862; Mary, died in 1856; Maria L., yet living, a
resident of Madison, North Carolina; Pleasants Dalton, a soldier of the Confederacy, killed in battle, June 1,
1864; Richard Henry, of further mention.
(IV) Judge Richard Henry Cardwell, son of Richard Perin Cardwell, was born at Madison, Rockingham county, North
Carolina, August 1, 1846. His father died when Richard was an infant, leaving his son to a youth of difficulty,
but through the influence of a noble mother, one that was well spent in useful labor and in obtaining an education.
He attended the public school in the winter, also Beulah Male Institute and Madison Male Academy, but in spring,
summer and autumn worked upon the farm. This continued until he was sixteen years of age, when he enlisted in
the Confederate army, serving until the close of the war, although a part of this period he was incapacitated by
illness. After the war he returned to his North Carolina home, married the same year (1865) and in 1869 moved
to Hanover county, Virginia, the home of his wife's family. There he farmed, studied law at home, and in 1874,
through the assistance of lawyer friends of the county, obtained a license to practice. He rose rapidly to distinction
in his profession and in public esteem, took an active part in politics, and in 1881 was elected to represent Hanover
county in the house of delegates. He served with much ability which received thorough appreciation and the endorsement
of his constituents, by successive re-elections, serving in the house from 1881 to 1895. He was four times elected
speaker, serving in that capacity 1887-1895. In 1884 he was Democratic presidential elector; in 1892 he was a
member of the State Debt Commission that effected a readjustment and settlement of the state debt of Virginia.
He was also chairman of the joint committee of the legislature of Virginia, to adjust and settle with Maryland
the controversy over the boundary line between the two states. He prepared the report that later was adopted by
the legislature of both Virginia and Maryland as a final settlement of the dispute. In 1894 he was elected judge
of the Virginia supreme court of appeals, for a term of twelve years, taking his seat on the bench, January 1,
1895. He was a capable and conscientious judge and so won the respect of the people of Virginia that in 1906 he
was re-elected for a second term of four years, and again in 1910 for a third term, twelve years. His residence
is at Hanover, Virginia; he is a member of the Presbyterian church and for many years has been an elder.
Judge Cardwell married, in February, 1865, Kate Howard, born January 26, 1849, daughter of Edward Calthorpe Howard,
granddaughter of William Howard, a direct descendant of John Howard, who settled in York county, Virginia, early
in the seventeenth century. Children of Judge Richard H. Cardwell: Howard, born in November, 1866, died in December,
1876; William Duval, of further mention; Lucy Crump, born August 16, 1870; Lizzie Dalton, born February 5, 1872;
Charles Patteson, of further mention; Kate, born July 2, 1875; Julia, born November 13, 1877.
(V) William Duval Cardwell. eldest living son of Judge Richard Henry and Kate (Howard) Cardwell, was born at Madison,
Rockingham county, North Carolina, on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1868. He was instructed privately at his home,
then prepared for college at McGuire's University School, Richmond, Virginia, entered Randolph-Macon College, after
which the law department of the University of Virginia, whence he was graduated Bachelor of Laws in June, 1889.
In that year he began the practice of law in Richmond, where he has practiced continuously and successfully until
the present date. Until 1903 he lived on and managed a farm in Hanover county, but his home residence is now in
the town of Ashland, Virginia. He was for some years president of the Hanover Bank of Ashland, but the law has
ever received his closest attention. In political faith a Democrat, he is now and has been for many years chairman
of the Hanover County Democratic Committee; was representative from Hanover county in the Virginia house of delegates,
1899-1906, and speaker of the house during the session of 1906, not being a candidate for re-election to the next
house. He gave many years to the military service of his state, serving in Hanover Cavalry Troop, rising from
the ranks to a captaincy. His clubs are the Westmoreland of Richmond, the Hanover of Ashland, the Bone Island
Gun Club; his college fraternity, the Phi Kappa Sigma.
Mr. Cardwell married at Blenheim, Hanover county, Virginia, his wife's home and birthplace, April 10, 1890, Jane
Price Gregory, born January 8, 1868, daughter of Dr. Thomas Littlepage and Sarah Pendelton (Winston) Gregory.
Dr. Gregory, a well-known physician, served as surgeon in the Confederate army. His children: Bessie D., Jane
Price, mentioned above; Fendall Littlepage, Maria Powell, married M. P. Howard; Nellie Ferrell, married George
H. Morris.
Children of William Duval and Jane Price ( Gregory) Cardwell: Elise Rosser, born May 3, 1891, graduate of Ashland
High School; Sarah Pendleton, May 18, 1892, graduate of Ashland High School; William Howard, August 31, 1894, graduate
of Ashland High School, now a student at Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia; Richard Henry Jr., November
10, 1898, at Ashland High School; Dorothea Price, January 18, 1903, in private school; Edward Gregory, January
19, 1906, in private school. These children are all unmarried.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies - Vol. IV. Transcriber: Chris
Davis)
Clay, Henry
Henry Clay was born April 12, 1777, in Hanover county, Virginia, in the region known as "the Slashes;"
from which he afterward received the appellation of "the Mill-boy of the Slashes." He received his education
at the field schools of that day, and when fourteen years of age was employed as copyist in the office of the clerk
of the Court of Chancery, at Richmond, where his delicate handwriting attracted the attention of Chancellor Wythe,
who employed him for four years to copy his elaborate and learned decisions, imparted to him his own sound opinions,
and assisted him to study law. He joined a debating club in Richmond, where he first became acquainted with the
fact that he had talents for oratory. At twenty he was licensed to practice law, and soon afterward moved to Lexington,
Kentucky, and opened an office.
"I remember," says he," with what delight I received my first fifteen shilling fee. My hopes were
more than realized, and I rushed at once into a successful and lucrative practice."
He had but fairly to get before a jury to convince a client that "Henry Clay" was the man to carry a
case triumphantly through a Kentucky Court. His first political act was to write a series of letters urging the
people of Kentucky to abolish slavery.
In 1803 he was elected to the Legislature of Kentucky, and in 1806 was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the
United States Senate. In 1807 he was again elected to the State Legislature, and was chosen Speaker. In the following
year occurred his duel with Humphrey Marshall. In 1809 he was again elected to the United States Senate, to fill
an unexpired term; and in 1811 he was elected Representative to Congress. He was immediately chosen Speaker, and
five times re-elected to this office. During this session, his eloquence aroused the country to resist the aggression
of Great Britain, and awakened a "National" spirit. In 1814 he was appointed one of the Commissioners
to negotiate a treaty of peace with Great Britain. Returning with great credit, he was again elected Representative
to Congress, where his eloquent voice was heard in favor of recognizing the independence of the South American
Republics, and he put forth his strength in behalf of a National System of Internal Improvements, and for the establishment
of Protection to American Industry.
In 1823, after a short recess to attend to his private affairs, he was returned to Congress and re-elected Speaker,
and at this session he exerted himself in support of the independence of Greece. In 1825 he was appointed Secretary
of State, under John Quincy Adams; during which he fought the duel with John Randolph. In 1831 he was elected to
the United States Senate, where he commenced his labors in favor of the Tariff, and the same year was nominated
for President of the United States. He was again nominated in 1844, but was defeated in both cases. He resigned
his seat in the Senate, in 1842, and remained in retirement until 1849, when he was again elected to the Senate
of the United States.
Here he devoted all his energies to the measures known as the Compromise Measures. His efforts impaired his health,
and he died June 29, 1852.
Mr. Clay was a powerful debater, and eloquent orator. America has produced a few men, each of whom is a tower of
strength, and whose memories, as they pass away, are fragrant in all the land. Henry Clay is among the foremost
of these few.
(Source: Biographies of 250 Distinguished National Men by Horatio Bateman.
Published 1871 - Submitted by Linda Rodriguez)
Crawford, George Gilbert, M. D.
In the long
ago there came to York County, Pennsylvania, as
its first physician, a young Scotchman, Dr. James Crawford, a graduate in
medicine of the University of Edinburgh. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Dr.
David Jamison, and founded a family of which Dr. George Gilbert Crawford, of
Strasburg, Virginia, is a twentieth century
representative. Dr. Jamison was a lieutenant-colonel in a Virginia regiment that fought the French and Indians and
later was colonel in the revolutionary army. Through another line of descent
Dr. George G. Crawford traces to Jacob Rinker (a great-grandfather) who was a
captain in the revolutionary army. The sword he carried was preserved in the
possession of his descendants until 1840, when the burning of the family
mansion destroyed the valued heirloom.
James Crawford moved
late in life to the state of Ohio with his family, his son, a lad of seventeen
years, not accompanying the family further than Shenandoah County, Virginia. He located in Strasburg in that county on the north fork of the Shenandoah river at the
base of Massanutton mountain, near where, in later years, the battle of Cedar
Creek was fought between the Union force under Sheridan and the Confederates
under Early, and later moved to Woodstock. There he married, reared a family
and died. One of his sons, Robert W. Crawford, was first lieutenant under
Fitzhugh Lee, of the Confederate army. Another son, Rev. William A. Crawford,
was a professor in Delaware College and pastor of the churches at Fairfax
Court House and Kernstown, dying at the latter town.
Dr. James Jamison
Crawford, son of David Jamison Crawford, was born at Woodstock, Virginia, October 19, 1835. He was a highly educated
man, holding the degree of M. A. from Delaware College, the degree of M. D.
from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and was also a student at the
University of Virginia and at the University of
Maryland. He practiced his profession nearly his entire life in Strasburg.
Shenandoah County, Virginia, where he was greatly
beloved as a man and most implicitly trusted as a physician. He served in the
Confederate army from first Manassas to Appomattox, attaining the rank of
captain, and was wounded in battle. His first service was in Company A, Tenth
Regiment Virginia Infantry, of which he became
captain. Later he served as assistant surgeon of the Thirteenth Virginia Regiment, was engaged in many of the hardest
battles of the war and at its close only seven men were left of the original
company. Dr. and Captain Crawford died in 1895. His wife, Emma Gertrude
(Setszer) Crawford, yet survives him. She was born February 14, 1851, daughter
of Henry and Mary Rebecca (Borum) Setszer. After the war Dr. Crawford resumed
medical practice at Strasburg, was an elder of the Presbyterian, church, and
one of the most influential men of the town.
Dr. George Gilbert
Crawford, son of Dr. James Jamison and Emma Gertrude (Setszer) Crawford, was
born in Strasburg, Virginia, March 27, 1876. His
early education was obtained in public and private schools in Strasburg and
"Greenwood School," Albemarle County, Virginia,
two years being devoted to study in that institution. He then pursued
the academic course at the University of Virginia
for three years, then began professional study in the medical
department of the university. He was graduated M. D., class of 1901, and for
the next three and one-half years practiced in Faulkland, Delaware, and was
assistant physician and surgeon at Delaware Hospital, Wilmington. In 1905 he
established in private practice in Wilmington, Delaware, continuing there
three years. In 1908 he returned to his native town, Strasburg, and began
practice there among the people by whom the name ''Doctor Crawford" is yet
held in loving remembrance. Between the passing of the "old doctor" and the
coming of the "young doctor" there was a lapse of thirteen years but among the
warmest friends of the "young Doctor Crawford" are the families in which "old
Doctor Crawford" was for a quarter of a century the honored friend and trusted
medical adviser.
Dr. Crawford is a member of the Shenandoah Valley and Shenandoah County Medical societies, and the Virginia State Medical Society, and American Medical
Association, interested in their work and aiding to extend their usefulness.
He is decidedly literary in his tastes and a lover of out-of-door sports. For
his own entertainment and that of his friends, he often indulges his talents
for political composition and one of his poems "A Rub of the Green" published
in "Life" was much appreciated by the golfing readers of that periodical. He
preserves and honors his father's military service by availing himself of the
right it gives him to affiliate with the order of Sons of Confederate Veterans
and is a member of Stover Camp.
Dr. Crawford
married, June 10, 1903, Anne Preston White, born at Seguin, Texas, daughter of James and Ellen Douglas (Clarke) White.
Children: Ellen Clarke, born at Faulkland, Delaware; Anne Preston, born in
Wilmington, Delaware; James Jamison (2), born in Hanover County, Virginia; Jean Maxwell,
born in Strasburg, Virginia.
[Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Under
The Editorial Supervision of Lyon Gardiner Tyler, 1915 – Transcribed by
AFOFG]
Henry,
Patrick
Patrick Henry was born in Virginia, May 29, 1736. His boyhood was as unpromising as could well be imagined. He
was a great truant, hating his books, and delighting in nothing so much as his angle-rod and gun. In these sports
he would spend weeks at a time; and while watching the cork of his fishing-rod, he would sit for hours absorbed
in reflection. In the midst of his companions, he often sat silent, appearing to be occupied with his own thoughts,
or reflecting deeply on the character of his playmates. At sixteen his father set him up in trade, but he did not
succeed. During that time he acquired a taste for reading, but his chief employment was in studying the character
of his customers, as they became excited in controversy, or interested in relating anecdotes.
Not succeeding in the store, he determined to study law. After six weeks' study, he applied for a license to practice,
and passed his examination, astounding his examiners, not by his knowledge of law, but by the strength of his intellect,
and brilliancy of his genius. For three years his success was small, when an event brought him before the court,
and gave him a chance to display his ability as a pleader and an orator. It was a case between the people and the
clergy of the English Church, in regard to the payment of their salaries in tobacco, at a price fixed by the Legislature.
Patrick Henry was employed by the people, as no one else could be found to espouse their cause.
When he rose to make his plea, he faltered, and appeared very awkward, and the people hung their heads at so unpropitious
a commencement, the clergy, at the same time, exchanging sly glances with each other. In a few moments, however,
as he warmed with the subject, these wonderful faculties which he possessed were, for the first time, developed,
and now was witnessed that mysterious transformation of appearance which the fire of his own eloquence never failed
to work in him. His attitude, by degrees, became erect and lofty; the spirit of his genius awakened all his features;
his countenance shone with a grandeur which it never before exhibited; there was a lightning in his eye that seemed
to rive the spectators. His actions became graceful, bold, and commanding; and in the tones of his voice, more
especially in his emphasis, there was a peculiar charm, "a magic," of which all who ever heard him, speak,
but of which no one could give any adequate description. His triumph was complete. The Jury gave him a verdict
without deliberation, and the people carried him from the Court-House on their shoulders.
From this time, Patrick Henry was one of the foremost men of Virginia, and his life was brilliantly connected with
the history of his country. After a successful career at the bar, he was elected to the State Legislature, where
his well-known speeches, familiar to every school-boy, gave Virginia to the Revolution. He served conspicuously
in the First Congress, and was elected Governor of Virginia.
He died on the 6th day of June, 1799, in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
(Source: Biographies of 250 Distinguished National Men by Horatio Bateman.
Published 1871 - Submitted by Linda Rodriguez)
Henson, James William, M. D.
Owing to the destruction by fire of the records of Hanover county, which related to the events prior to the formation
of Louisa county from a part of Hanover in 1742, no statement can be made from these records concerning the Hensons
of Louisa. It is of record, however, in the land office in the Virginia state capitol that one Benjamin Henson
patented land in 1729 in Hanover county. That this was in the part of Hanover that later became Louisa is established
by other records and facts. There is a record in Louisa county that Benjamin Henson sold and deeded to Thomas
Henry a part of his land. There was a Henry estate in Louisa. It is known to the old settlers in this section
of Louisa that part of the estate owned by Samuel Henson (and still in possession of some of his descendants) adjoined
the Henry lands. The inference is that Samuel Henson was a relative of Benjamin Henson, probably a son, as their
relative ages would suggest and that he inherited the part of the land patent not sold.
(I) Samuel Henson was born in 1737, died in 1833 at the great age of ninety-six years. He married the widow of
Ensign Forest Green, who held a patent of land adjoining the Henson land. By this marriage he came into possession
of a part of the Green patent, the former owner having sold some of the original grant. Samuel Henson had six
children: Benjamin (2), Clifton, Bartlett, Lucy, Sallie, Mary. He was in the revolutionary army, being commissioned
second lieutenant by recommendation of the county court, April 14, 1778. He was a successful farmer and owned
many slaves, the latter going to his children at his death. In the division of land after his death the Green
tract fell to Benjamin (2). The latter dying unmarried this land was sold for a division among his brothers and
sisters and was purchased by his nephew, Benjamin (3), a son of Clifton Henson.
(II) Clifton Henson, second son of Samuel Henson, married Elizabeth Donivant and lived on a portion of the original
Henson tract. After his death his lands were sold for a division among his children. He was a prosperous farmer,
owned a number of slaves, lived in comfort all his life and died at a good old age after rearing a large family:
Samuel, Benjamin, Bartlett, James, David, Elizabeth, Lucy.
(III) Benjamin Henson, second son of Clifton Henson, was born near Poindexter, Louisa county, Virginia, in 1813,
died in 1886, at his home, which was one of his additions to the Green tract. He started in business a young man
with a small farm, but added to it as years and prosperity came, until at his death he, owned three adjoining farms.
The first farm which he had purchased was the Green tract, part of the Samuel Henson lands, and those added were
parts of the original Green tract, which Green sold off before his death. He was also a lumber manufacturer on
a large scale and enjoyed the confidence of many of the leading business men of the city of Richmond, Virginia.
He was in the government civil service having in charge the cross county mail routes between the Virginia Central
Railroad, the James river and Kanawha canal and the city of Richmond. Later he performed this same service for
the Confederate government and also rendered great assistance by furnishing provisions and forage from his farm.
For this latter service he was threatened by the United States government with confiscation of his estate, but
the execution of the threat was prevented by his receiving a pardon from President Andrew Johnson, a pardon secured
through the strenuous efforts of two of Mr. Henson's influential friends, Hon. B. Johnson Barbour and Hon. John
Minor Botts. This pardon is preserved in the family as a valuable memento of the war. He was too old for military
service, but the service he rendered as stated was perhaps more valuable than the service of a company of soldiers.
He was a Whig in politics prior to the war, and afterwards a Democrat. In religious faith he was a Baptist.
He married (first) about 1838, Mary Puryear Wade, who was the mother of most of his children. He married (second)
in 1859, Lucy Basket, whose only child, Wilhelmena, died young. Children by first marriage: William Henry, of
whom further; Willianna, died in infancy; James, killed in Earley's Valley campaign during the civil war; Samuel
Puryear; Martha Elizabeth; Benjamin Alben; Mary Louisa.
(IV) William Henry Henson, eldest son of Benjamin and Mary Puryear (Wade) Henson, was born at the Henson homestead
near Poindexter, Louisa county, Virginia, August 15, 1840. A part of this farm he now owns. Most of his life
was spent in farming and teaching, for which latter vocation he was well prepared, having been educated in private
schools and the University of Virginia. For a few years, however, he was engaged in railroad construction. The
even tenor of his early life was disturbed by the war between the states. He enlisted in the Confederate army
in 1863, serving in the Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry until that regiment and the Fifth Virginia Cavalry had become
so depleted that they were merged on November 8, 1864. He then served until the surrender in the Fifth Regiment,
Lomax brigade, Fitz Lee's division. He was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Baptist church. He married
Marie Antoinette Hoge, born June 28, 1837, near Staunton, Augusta county, Virginia, at the home of her father,
Rev. Peter Charles Hoge (see forward). Child, James William, of whom further.
(V) Dr. James William Henson, only child of William Henry and Marie Antoinette (Hoge) Henson, was born in Scottsville,
Albemarle county, Virginia, October 3, 1863, at the home of his grandfather, Rev. Peter Charles Hoge. He was reared
to youthful manhood at the home of his parents, near Poindexter, Louisa county. He was educated at public and
private schools near home until he was thirteen years of age, then attended Green Spring Academy, Dr. C. R. Dickinson
and son teachers, then attended Hawkwood Academy, both in Louisa county. He then entered Hoover's Select High
School, a military school at Staunton, Virginia. He next attended Richmond College (Baptist) for one and a half
years. He then spent two years entirely free from college work, but clerked in a store at Louisa Court House and
taught in the public schools there. He then returned to Richmond, entered the Medical College of Virginia, whence
he graduated Doctor of Medicine, class of 1889. After graduating he served as interne for a short time at the
City Hospital, but resigned before his term expired and began the practice of medicine in Richmond. In this work
he has continued, though for several years he has been wedded to surgery. During the period of his practice he
has been intimately connected with both medical colleges of Richmond. He was elected adjunct professor in the
Medical College of Virginia, seven or eight months after graduation, filling that position for several years.
After the establishment of the University College of Medicine, he was elected assistant demonstrator of anatomy,
a position he filled for a year or two, then was chosen professor of anatomy. This chair he filled for several
years, then for one year was professor of anatomy and genito-urinary diseases. He was then elected to the chair
of surgical anatomy, which he filled until the burning of the college in 1910. After the reorganization of the
institution he was elected to the chair of principles of surgery and when the University College of Medicine was
consolidated with the Medical College of Virginia, he was elected associate professor of surgery, which chair he
now fills. He is also local assistant surgeon of the Southern Railroad for Richmond, Virginia. He is a Democrat
in politics, but beyond serving as surgeon on the staff of the City Hospital since 1908 has had no public office.
For about twelve years he was surgeon of the First Battalion of Artillery, Virginia Volunteers, holding the rank
of major, but resigned a few years ago. He is an honorary member of the Phi Chi fraternity, member of Richmond
Academy of Medicine and Surgery, Tri-State Medical Association of the Carolinas and Virginia; Medical Society of
Virginia, Association of Surgeons of the Southern Railway, American Medical Association and Association of Military
Surgeons of the United States. In religious faith he is a Baptist, the church of his forefathers.
Dr. Henson married, at Monument Church, Richmond, Virginia, July 7, 1898, Nellie Alexander Parker, born in Richmond,
June 24, 1869, daughter of William Watts and Ellen Jane (Jordan) Parker, and granddaughter of Colonel Stafford
M. and Sarah (Pearson) Parker. Colonel Stafford M. Parker was a distinguished lawyer, for some time register of
the land office, prominent in politics and speaker of the Virginia house of delegates. In 1862 Dr. Parker married
Ellen Jane, daughter of C. D. Jordan. He rendered distinguished service in the Confederate army as captain of
Parker's battery, recruited among the young men of Richmond and often referred to as "Parker's Boy Battery."
Captain Parker rendered service from the beginning of the war as an officer of the Fifteenth Virginia Infantry
and saw service at Bethel and in the Yorktown campaign, prior to service with his battery. Early in 1862 Parker's
battery was recruited and attached to Kemper's battalion. The battery served during the entire war and Captain
Parker was everywhere conspicuous for his gallantry which was at times almost reckless, yet he escaped unharmed.
He refused promotion, saying he would rather be commander of his battery than general in the army, although in
the spring of 1865 he did accept the rank of major, but in the same battalion of artillery in which he had served
so long. General E. P. Alexander, chief of artillery of Longstreet's corps, once said of Captain Parker: "If
I want a Christian to pray for a dying soldier I always call on Parker; if I want a skillful surgeon to amputate
the limb of a wounded soldier, I call on Parker; if I want a soldier who with unflinching courage will go wherever
duty calls him, I call on Parker." "It was from the Peach Orchard in front of Little Round Top that
the first gun of the great battle of Gettysburg was fired by Parker's Boy Battery, and from this same battery in
the dim twilight of the awful day, the last gun was fired." The battery held their position in the Peach
Orchard without infantry support until night. General Longstreet said: "If those guns had been earlier withdrawn
the enemy would have attacked." After the war Dr. Parker devoted his entire time to the practice of medicine
and in works of charity. He was president of the board of directors of the Richmond Male Orphan Asylum, of the
Magdalen Home, the Foundling Hospital, the Home for Old Ladies, and connected officially with others. He was open-handed,
delighted in relieving suffering, even to the point of embarrassing himself. He died August 4, 1899. Children
of Dr. James William and Nellie Alexander (Parker) Henson are: Nellie Parker, born April 2, 1899; Clifton William,
born November 26, 1902.
(Hoge and Kerr Lines).
Marie Antoinette (Hoge) Henson, mother of Dr. James W. Henson, was a daughter of Rev. Peter Charles Hoge, son of
James Hog, who was the son of Captain Peter Hog (as the name of the emigrant ancestor was spelled). The latter
was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1703. He was a descendant of Roger Hog, of the time of David II, King of Scotland
(1331), and the son of James Hog, of Edinburgh. Captain Peter Hog (so spelled in his will) came to America with
his brothers, James and Thomas, about 1745, and located in Augusta county, Virginia, where he married Elizabeth
Taylor. He was commissioned captain, March 9, 1754; delegated July 2, 1755, agreeable to instructions from Governor
Dinwiddie, by a council of war, held at Fort Cumberland, to construct a line of frontier forts, which had been
ordered by the assembly. He served also with Colonel Andrew Lewis in the Sandy Creek expeditions against the Indians
the same year. He was licensed to practice law, May 10, 1759; was appointed by Lord Dunmore, April 10, 1772, deputy
attorney-general for the county of Dunmore. He appears by a letter from Washington (whom he accompanied in all
his campaigns, and was at Braddock's defeat), dated March 2, 1774, to have enjoyed in a high degree the confidence
and regard of his old commander. He received personally twenty-one hundred acres of land under the proclamation
of Governor Dinwiddie, 1754, owned eight thousand acres on the Ohio river, near Point Pleasant, and a large tract
in Mason county, Kentucky. He died April 20, 1782, devising to his eldest son James the family estate in Augusta
county, and to the other children, Peter, Thomas, Anne and Elizabeth, lands on the Ohio river, upon which they
settled.
James Hog, son of Captain Peter Hog, married a Miss Gregory; was a farmer and lawyer of Staunton, Virginia, leaving
a large landed estate to his son, Rev. Peter Charles, who changed the form of the name to Hoge. The latter married
Sarah Kerr at Summerdean, Augusta county, Virginia, and soon after his marriage moved to Scottsville, Albemarle
county, Virginia, and became a distinguished minister of the Baptist church. Rev. Peter Charles and Sarah (Kerr)
Hoge were the parents of thirteen children, twelve of whom lived to mature years, eight sons and four daughters.
All their sons became business men of prominence. Marie Antoinette, one of their daughters, married William Henry
Henson (see Henson IV).
Sarah (Kerr) Hoge was the daughter of William and Mary Anne (Grove) Kerr, and granddaughter of Robert Kerr, of
Summerdean, Augusta county, Virginia, who emigrated from Scotland to America in 1763. The latter settled first
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owning flour mills on the Schuylkill, remained there until after the revolution,
then settled in Augusta county, Virginia, on Middle river, where he founded the estate and homestead, yet known
as Summerdean and still in the possession of his descendants. He married, in Fifeshire, Scotland, Elizabeth Bayley,
of Wales, and had issue: David, died unmarried; Daniel, married Mary Kirkpatrick; Margaret, married Robert Dunlop;
William, married Mary Anne Grove; Elizabeth, married Isaac Grey. Children of William and Mary Anne (Grove) Kerr:
Bayley, died in 1823, at Jefferson Medical College, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, married Moses Wallace; David, married
Jane Dunlop, his first cousin; Margaret, married Elijah Hogshead; Sarah, married Rev. Peter Charles Hoge; Robert
Grove, married Cassandia McCutcheon; Samuel X., married (first) Elizabeth Clark, (second) Mary Drewry Rhodes, (third)
Nannie Williamson; Mary Jane, married Dr. William N. Anderson.
Robert Kerr, the emigrant ancestor, descended from John Kerr, of the Forest of Selkirk, Scotland, who was living
in 1357 and whose ancestors came from France with William the Conqueror.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies - Vol. IV. Transcriber: Chris
Davis)
Leake, Josiah
Jordan
(V) Samuel D. Leake, son of Josiah (2) (q. v.) and Eliza (or Elizabeth) Porter (Hatcher) Leake, was born at Rocky Spring, Virginia, December 10, 1809, died in Ashland, Virginia, July 18, 1880. He was educated at Hampden-Sidney College, and all his life was a prosperous agriculturist. He married, September 16, 1833, Fanny Minor Kean, daughter of Dr. Andrew and Martha W. (Callis) Kean, of Cedar Plains, Goochland county. Dr. Andrew Kean, of Scotch-Irish parentage, came from Ireland to Virginia, settling in Alleghany county. He was a famous physician and a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Mr. and Mrs. Leake had issue, including William Josiah, of whom further.
(VI) William Josiah Leake, son of Samuel D. and Fanny Minor (Kean) Leake, was born in Goochland county, Virginia, September 30, 1843. He was a highly educated lawyer and a cultured gentleman, judge of the Virginia court of chancery at Richmond, served his term and declined a re-election. He served four years in the Confederate army and was ever devoted to the service of his state. He held high and honorable position at the bar, was a jurist of distinction, and much esteemed by his fellow citizens. He died in Richmond, November 23, 1908. He married, July 3, 1866, Sarah R. Jordan, born in Prince George county, Virginia, died May 23, 1890, daughter of Josiah M. Jordan, died November, 1886, and Mary C. (Anderson) Jordan, his wife. Children: Fanny K., married James Lindsay; Patton; Josiah Jordan, of whom further; Stuart C.
(VII) Josiah Jordan Leake, son of William Josiah and Sarah R. (Jordan) Leake, was born in Ashland, Hanover county, Virginia, February 13, 1870. He attended Norwood's University School, in Richmond, 1882-85, entered Randolph-Macon College in 1885, from whence he was graduated with the degree of A. M., class of 1890. In that year he entered the law department of the University of Virginia, and received his degree of B. L., class of 1893. During his last two years at Randolph-Macon College he was sub-professor in mathematics, but with this exception his time was all devoted to acquiring a classical and professional education. Immediately after his graduation from the law school in June, 1893, he began the practice of law in Richmond, this profession having his personal preference and the goal of his ambition. He is a lawyer of high standing, admitted to practice in all the state and federal courts of the district, and in all the varied branches of his profession transacts much business of importance. He is a member of the various legal societies, Sons of the Revolution, Beta Theta Pi, and in religious matters is affiliated with Holy Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Democrat.
Mr. Leake married, December 7, 1904, Lisa Foulke Beirne, daughter of Richard F. and Clara G. Beirne, granddaughter of Patrick and Elizabeth F. Beirne, and of Thomas Billop and Clara (Haxall) Grundy. Patrick Beirne came to Greenbrier county, Virginia, in 1812, from Rhodeen, parish of Aughrim, county of Roscommon, Ireland.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies - Vol. IV. Transcriber: Chris Davis)
Macon, Miles C.
CAPTAIN, RICHMOND FAYETTE ARTILLERY
Miles Cary Macon, son of Miles and Frances Macon, was born in the county of Hanover, in the year 1836. After attending
the primary schools of his neighborhood, he entered the Virginia Military Institute in 1852, where he remained
for some time, and then entered into business in the city of Richmond. At the beginning of the war he was a lieutenant
in the "Richmond Fayette Artillery," and went with that company to Yorktown and its environs; while there
was made captain of the "Fayette Artillery," and continued to command it during the war, whenever his
health, which had been shattered by typhoid fever contracted from exposure during the Peninsula campaign, would
permit.
With the name and fame of the "Fayette Artillery" Captain Macon was identified, for he was its commander
from the beginning to the end; passing through many battles untouched, he was reserved for one of the last victims,
being killed at Appomattox Court-House, on Saturday evening, just before night, April 8, 1865, the day before the
surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
To say that he was honorable, high-minded, generous, brave, and dashing, and that he served his country well, is
a meed of praise that will be accorded to him by all his comrades. True to his mother State in her prosperity,
his fidelity wavered not when the dark days came, but, growing brighter as the storm-cloud lowered, it culminated
in the giving up his life just as that cloud broke over her devoted head.
(Source: Biographical sketches of the Graduates and Eleves of the Virginia
Military Institute who fell during the war between the States, by Chas. D. Walker. Published 1875. Transcribed
and submitted to Genealogy Trails by Linda Rodriguez)
Nicholas, George
Nicholas
Born in Hanover, Virginia, about 1755, son of Robert Carter Nicholas, lawyer, jurist, and statesman, and grandson
of Dr. George Nicholas, who immigrated to Virginia about 1700.
In 1772 he graduated from William and Mary College.
He was major of the Second Virginia Regiment in 1777, later colonel, promoted for meritorious service.
He was a member of the Virginia convention that ratified the Federal constitution, was active in the convention,
and as a member of the Virginia house of assembly was influential in shaping legislation.
In 1790 he moved to Kentucky, and was a member of the convention that met in Danville in 1792, to frame a state
constitution. The constitution as adopted was largely his work. He was the first attorney-general elected under
its provisions.
He died in Kentucky in 1799.
Transcribed and Submitted by: Frances Cooley
Parkhill, Charles Breckinridge, lawyer,
legislator, was born June 23, 1859, at Tuscawilla, Fla., the plantation home
of his parents. His father, Captain George W. Parkhill, was a member of the
secession convention of Florida, and lost his life in the confederate army. He
received the rudiments of his education in the public schools of Monticello;
then attended the Randolph-Macon college of Ashland, Va.; and finally studied
law at the university of Virginia. Since 1883 he has practiced law in
Pensacola, Fla.; has been county attorney; and in 1897 was appointed
prosecuting attorney for the criminal court of record for the term of four
years. In 1888 he was elected state senator; has taken part in the democratic
state and congressional conventions, and is recognized as a popular orator of
unusual eloquence and ability. In 1890 he was elected grand chancellor of the
Knights of Pythias of Florida.
[Herringshaw's
Encyclopedia Of American Biography Of The Nineteenth Century: Accurate And Succinct Biographies Of Famous Men And
Women In All Walks Of Life Who Are Or Have Been The Acknowledged Leaders Of
Life And Thought Of The United States Since Its Formation, 1901
– Transcribed By AFOFG]
Page, Rosewell
The forbears of Hon. Rosewell Page, of Richmond and Hanover county, Virginia, have in each generation been men
of prominence in professional, official or military life, from the earliest settlement of Colonel John Page, of
Bruton Parish, about 1650. The tombstone of Colonel John Page in the churchyard of that parish, in Williamsburg,
states that he was "one of Their Majesties' Council in the Dominion of Virginia," and that he died January
23, 1692, aged sixty-five years. He came from Middlesex county, England; his wife, Alice (Luckin) Page, from Essex.
Matthew Page, the second son of Colonel John Page, the founder of the family in America, was of Rosewell, Gloucester
county; he also was one of "Their Majesties' Council." He married Mary Mann, of Gloucester. Their son,
Mann Page, was also a member of the council. He married (second) Judith, daughter of "King" Carter and
his wife, Judith (Armistead) Carter. A son of Mann and Judith (Carter) Page, Mann (2) Page, was a member of the
Continental Congress from Virginia in 1777. His first wife was Alice Grymes. John Page, eldest son of Mann (2)
and Alice (Grymes) Page, was a member of the board of visitors of William and Mary College, a member of the Virginia
committee of safety, one of the founders of the college fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, and governor of Virginia. His
first wife, Frances (Burwell) Page, gave the governor as their eighth child, a son, Francis Page, who settled in
Hanover county, Virginia, and married Susan, daughter of General Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration
of Independence, revolutionary governor of Virginia, and commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces. Major John
Page, son of Francis and Susan (Nelson) Page, was born in 1821. He was a lawyer, commonwealth attorney for Hanover
county, and during the war between the states served as major on the staff of General William N. Pendleton, chief
of artillery, Army of Northern Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee. He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal
church, and in politics an Independent. Major Page married Elizabeth Burwell Nelson, who bore him three sons, all
of whom are men noted in their professions—Thomas Nelson Page, the noted author and diplomat; Rev. Frank Page,
a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church, rector of St. John's Church, Brooklyn, New York; Rosewell Page.
Rosewell Page was born at Oakland, Hanover county, Virginia, November 21, 1858. His early education was obtained
under his father's instruction and in private schools until his entrance to Hanover Academy, then conducted by
Colonel Hilary P. Jones. In 1876 he entered the academic department of the University of Virginia, and in 1880
matriculated as a student in the law department of that institution under Professor John B. Minor. He was admitted
to the Virginia bar in 1881, and in November of that year began the practice of his profession in Danville, Virginia,
continuing until March, 1888. In the latter year he located in Richmond, where he formed a law partnership with
John Rutherfoord, which association successfully continued until January 1, 1904. Mr. Page's home is in Hanover
county, and he was the representative of that county in the Virginia house of delegates in 1908 and 1910, serving
during the latter session as chairman of the committee on courts of justice. He has attained high rank in his profession,
is an ex-president of the Richmond Bar Association, and is regarded as one of the most scholarly and accomplished
men of his state. He has ever been a friend of the public school system; is thoroughly and openly an advocate of
compulsory education; a believer in the gospel of good roads; and with all his powers of forceful oratory has worked
for the development of his state along such lines. He is not alone the forceful, pleasing orator, but his public
spirit impels him to personal service, he having served on the board of supervisors of Hanover county, and has
served for years as a trustee of Hall's Free School, near his home. He was a member of the board of visitors of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg, from which he resigned when elected second auditor of Virginia,
the position he now (1914) holds.
Mr. Page, while learned in the law and skillful in its application, also possesses literary ability of a high order,
which would have brought him fame had he devoted himself to literature instead of the law. He has that aptitude
for happy expression that marks the writings of his brother, Thomas Nelson Page, and has published a number of
stories and essays, the latter especially dealing with the historical period of the Virginia colony, and with economic
subjects. He is a member of the college fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, founded by his ancestor, Governor John Page,
at William and Mary College. In recognition of his scholarship and legal and literary distinction, Rosewell Page
was elected a member of William and Mary College chapter of the beforementioned fraternity. At the University of
Virginia he was a Delta Psi. In political faith he is a Democrat, and influential in the state councils of his
party. His club is the Westmoreland of Richmond. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, has served
as a delegate to diocesan councils many times, and in four of the general conventions of the church has served
as deputy or supplementary deputy from his diocese.
Mr. Page married (first) in 1887, Susan Dabney, daughter of Edward W. Morris, of Hanover county. He married (second)
January 15, 1898, Ruth, daughter of Rev. Robert Nelson, D. D., a missionary of the Protestant Episcopal church
to China for thirty years. Children, all by second marriage: Anne, born June 15, 1899; Rosewell Jr., August 9,
1902; Robert Nelson, August 24, 1905.
(Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies, Vol. IV. Publ. 1915. Transcribed by
Chris Davis)
Wickham, Henry Taylor
Henry Taylor Wickham,
a leading member of the Virginia bar, and who has made a most useful and honorable record in the political history
of the commonwealth, presents an excellent illustration of the fruits of a distinguished ancestry, of well directed
ambition and of lofty ideals. The inspiration which has marked his entire career from boyhood is found in maxims
of great weight. The germ of sound ideals is to be found in character, which is to a great degree hereditary,
but an essential to its growth is to have high ideals, and to always endeavor to attain to as high a standard in
morality, sobriety and professional ethics as constant and unrelaxed effort will bring, and to acquire the habit
of always keeping this in mind. The steady and constant striving after excellence in small things must precede
the ability to accomplish larger matters.
Mr. Wickham is a native of Virginia, born at Hickory Hill, Hanover county, December 17, 1849, son of Williams Carter
and Lucy Penn (Taylor) Wickham. His father was noted for courage, both physical and moral, integrity, great firmness
of will, very strong in his convictions and friendships; he was lawyer, planter, soldier and man of affairs —a
member of the house of delegates and senate; of the state convention of 1861; of the Confederate congress; supervisor
of Hanover county; captain, lieutenant-colonel, colonel and brigadier-general, Confederate States army; and president
of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company. He was descended from Thomas Wickham, who came from England in
1658 to Wethersfield, Connecticut. Among the forbears of Henry T. Wickham were: John Wickham, great-grandfather,
characterized in an address by Hon. John Randolph Tucker as "one of the first in time, as first in fame, of
the great lawyers of Virginia." Alexander Spotswood, great-great-great-great-grandfather, whose daughter
Katherine married Bernard Moore, of Chelsea; their daughter, Ann Butler Moore, married Charles Carter, of Shirley;
their son, Robert Carter, married Mary Nelson, of Yorktown; their daughter, Anne Carter, married William F. Wickham,
of Hickory Hill, and their son was Williams Carter Wickham, see above. Alexander Spotswood was the "Tubal
Cain" of Virginia, the first in America to erect an iron furnace. Thomas Nelson, great-great-grandfather,
whose daughter, Mary Nelson, married Robert Carter, of Shirley, as above; signer of the Declaration of Independence
from Virginia, soldier of the revolution, distinguished at the battle of Yorktown, governor of the state. John
Penn, great-great-grandfather, whose daughter, Lucy Penn, married Colonel John Taylor, of Carolina; their son,
Henry Taylor, married Julia Dunlop Leiper, of Philadelphia, and their daughter, Lucy Penn Taylor, married General
Williams Carter Wickham, see above. John Penn was signer of the Declaration of Independence from North Carolina,
member of the continental congress, member of North Carolina board of war, and became practically the board, exercising
its powers alone during the greater part of its existence.
Colonel John Taylor, of Carolina, great-great-grandfather, soldier of the revolution, distinguished as a lawyer,
United States senator from Virginia, mover of the Virginia resolutions of 1798-99; owner of Hazelwood, on the Rappahannock;
author of many books upon agriculture and politics, among them "Arator," "Construction Construed,"
"New Views of the Constitution," "Tyranny Unmasked," and "Taylor's Inquiry."
Henry Taylor Wickham was reared at the family home, and while having no tasks involving manual labor he was accustomed
to work, and spent his spare time in hunting and fishing, and with horses and dogs. Owing to the desolation caused
by war, his parents made many sacrifices for his education. After attending the home schools, he entered Washington
College (now Washington and Lee University), coming under the direct influence of President (General) Robert E.
Lee, and graduated in 1868 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He studied for his profession in the University
of Virginia, under Professor John B. Minor, and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1870, the
year in which he attained his majority. On December 17, 1870, he was admitted to the bar in Richmond, and became
clerk in a lawyer's office, but soon engaged in active practice. His rise in his profession was steady, but involved
severe labor. He became assistant attorney of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company in February, 1874, and
assistant counsel in 1878; February 1, 1886, general solicitor of the Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad
Company; January 5, 1886, general solicitor of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company; in 1904 receiver of the
Street Railway Companies of Richmond; and was a director in the Big Sandy Railway Company, the Elizabethtown, Lexington
& Big Sandy Railroad Company, the Maysville & Big Sandy Railroad Company, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
Company of Kentucky. Mr. Wickham has a notable record as a state legislator. In 1879 he was elected to the house
of delegates as a "debt Payer," and served two years; in 1888 he was elected to the senate, serving three
years, and during that service was mover of resolutions resulting in the settlement of the Virginia state debt,
known as the Century or Olcott settlement; in 1890-92 he was a member of the Virginia state debt commission; he
was reelected to the senate in 1891 and 1895—two four-year terms; in 1895 he was chairman of the Democratic conference
of the senate, and chairman of the senate finance committee; in 1897 was elected president pro tem of the senate;
and was reelected to the senate in 1899 and 1903, his final term closing in 1907. His service in the legislature
was conspicuously useful, and was principally in connection with the state debt, and its subsidiary questions involving
the West Virginia separation. He had entered public life on this issue as a "debt payer," and consistently
adhered to that policy. As chairman of the senate finance committee for many years, he had charge of the various
tax bills and bills appropriating the public revenues of the state; he was strictly conservative in his views,
and his course was marked by strenuous effort to economize in expenditures, and relieve the taxpayers as far as
possible. He has ever been active in his effort to increase as far as practicable, within the means of the state,
the appropriations for pensions for Confederate veterans, for Confederate memorial associations, and for the educational
institutions of the state. In politics he has held strongly to Democratic principles, but has not hesitated to
hold an independent attitude when principle was at stake. Prior to the first Cleveland campaign, he had been a
Republican on national issues, affiliating with the Conservative or Democratic party on state issues. He was always
a supporter of Mr. Cleveland on the tariff issue and reform measures in the public service, and was always with
the whites on the race issue.
Mr. Wickham married, December 17, 1885, Elise Warwick Barksdale, and two children have been born to them.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia Biographies - Vol. IV. Transcriber: Chris
Davis)
