25th inst. died at her home in this town, Mrs. Mary
Washington, aged 83 years, the venerable mother of the
illustrious President of the United States, after a long and
painful indisposition, which she bore with uncommon
patience. Though a pious tear of duty, affection, and esteem
is due to the memory of so revered a character, yet our grief
must be greatly alleviated from the consideration that she is
relieved from the pitiable infirmities attendant on an
extreme old age.--It is usual when virtuous and conspicuous
persons quit this terrestrial abode, to publish an elaborate
panegyric on their characters--suffice it to say, she
conducted herself through this transitory life with virtue,
prudence, and Christianity, worthy the mother of the grandest
Hero that ever adorned the annals of history."
"O may kind heaven, propitious to our fate,
Extend THAT HERO'S to her lengthen'd date;
Through the long period, healthy, active, sage;
Nor know the sad infirmities of age."
The house in Fredericksburg which was occupied after 1775 by Mrs.
Washington, is now the property of the Association for the
Preservation of Virginian Antiquities.
LVI
GREENWAY AND SHERWOOD FOREST, VIRGINIA
TWO OF THE HOMES OF JOHN TYLER
A little girl was responsible for the fact that John Tyler, who became
the tenth president of the United States, was born, not at Marlie, but
at Greenway. Marlie was the name chosen by Judge John Tyler for his
James River estate, but his young daughter, Anne Contesse, as soon as
she began to talk, insisted on calling it "Greenway," "because the
grass grows so green there."
The fact that Anne's name displaced that chosen by her father is an
indication of his great love for children. Greenway was "a bird's nest
full of young," but at various times he added to his own flock one or
another of twenty-one children, of whom he was made guardian, all of
whom he guided through childhood to earnest manhood and womanhood.
These children must have enjoyed roaming about the estate, for,
according to Judge Tyler's description, it was a delightful place. He
said of it:
"Greenway contains five hundred acres, well improved. On it
is a genteel, well-furnished dwelling-house, containing six
rooms, all wainscoted, chair-board high, with fine dry
cellars the full length of the house, which is 56 feet; also
every other building which a reasonable person could wish or
desire, to wit: a handsome study, storehouse, kitchen,
laundry, dairy, meat-house, spring-house, and an ice-house
within the curtelage; a barn 40 by 34 feet, two granaries,
two carriage houses, 20 stalls for horses, a quarter for
house servants; a handsome pigeon-house, well stocked; and
several other houses for slaves; a well of water (so
excellent that I can drink with delight after returning from
a mountain circuit), a large, fertile garden, abounding with
a great variety of shrubs, herbs, and beautiful flowers, well
enclosed. The buildings new and well covered with shingles."
On this attractive estate John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790. He
was a slender, delicate-looking lad, but he was not afraid to stand up
for himself when he felt he was being abused. His first schoolmaster,
a Mr. McMurdo, who taught across the road from Greenway, thought that
it was impossible to teach well unless the rod was in daily use. "It
was a wonder that he did not whip all the sense out of his scholars,"
John said once, years later. But one day the boys rebelled. "John and
some of the larger boys tripped him up, and began to tie his hands and
feet," the Tyler family biographer tells the story. "McMurdo scuffled
bravely, but upon little William Tyler, the smallest boy in school,
throwing himself upon him, he exclaimed, in imitation of the great
Roman, '_Et tu, Brute!_' and ceased to resist. The boys firmly secured
him, locked him up in the schoolhouse, and left with cheers of triumph
and derision."
Hours later the schoolmaster was released by a passing traveller, who
heard his cries. At once the enraged man hastened to Judge Tyler and
told his story. "But the Judge, born and bred in the Revolutionary
school, hated tyranny in any shape, and as he drew himself up to his
full stature, he ... replied, in the language of Virginia's motto,
_'Sic Semper Tyrannis_.'"
At the age of twelve John entered the grammar school of William and
Mary College at Williamsburg. There he had a good time, and he made a
creditable showing in his classes. Yet that he did not advance in at
least one study is evident from a letter written by his father in
1807. He said:
"I can't help telling you how much I am mortified to find no
improvement in your handwriting; neither do you construct
your lines straight, which makes your letters look too
abominable. It is an easy thing to correct this fault, and
unless you do so, how can you be fit for law business?"
Some years later, when Judge Tyler was Governor of Virginia, he
announced impressively to John that Thomas Jefferson would be among
the dinner guests on a certain day. "Be sure you have a good dinner,"
the Governor added; for John was at the time in charge of the
establishment. The future President asked himself, "What is the best
thing for dinner?" "Plum pudding!" was the answer.
The appointed time came. The company was seated at table. The first
course was served. Then came a long wait.
"Suddenly a door flew open, and a negro servant appeared,
bearing, with both hands raised high above his head, a
smoking dish of plum pudding. Making a grand flourish, the
servant deposited it before Governor Tyler. Scarcely had he
withdrawn before another door flew open, and an attendant,
dressed exactly like the first, was seen bringing another
plum pudding, equally hot, which at a grave nod from John, he
placed before Mr. Jefferson. The Governor, who expected a
little more variety, turned to his son, who sat surveying the
puddings with tender interest, and exclaimed, in accents of
astonishment, 'Two plum puddings, John, two plum puddings!
Why, this is rather extraordinary!' 'Yes, sir,' said the
enterprising major domo, 'it is extraordinary; but' (and here
he rose and bowed deferentially to Mr. Jefferson) 'it is an
extraordinary occasion.'"
In 1813, John Tyler married Letitia Christian. They did not make their
home at Greenway, however. On the death of Judge Tyler the old house
was sold, but it became the property of John Tyler in 1821. There he
retired for the season of rest which he sorely needed after his
strenuous years as a member of the House of Delegates, and
Representative in Congress. During the intervals of his service as
Governor and United States Senator he resided at the old home, but in
1829 he sold the property, and removed to Gloucester County, to an
estate which he took for debt. Eighteen years later, at the close of
his presidential term, he returned, with his bride, the second Mrs.
Tyler, to the county where he was born, having bought an estate of
twelve hundred acres, three miles from Greenway, on the north side of
the James, opposite Brandon. He tore down the old house on the estate,
and built a house on the same plan, which, with its connected
out-buildings, was more than two hundred feet long. He called his
place "Sherwood Forest," with grim humor; for was he not an outlaw, in
the opinion of the Whigs, just as really as was Robin Hood?
Not long after the beginning of life at Sherwood Forest he was
appointed overseer of the road on which his estate was located. Some
claimed that this appointment was secured by the Whigs to humiliate
him. But he refused to be humiliated. Instead he determined to be a
good overseer and make the road the best in the State. All the men in
the township were called, and they were kept at work day after day,
as, according to law, he had a right to keep them. But it was harvest
time, and the wheat was dead ripe. "The smiles that lately illuminated
the countenances of the Whigs turned to dismay. The august justice who
had made the appointment repaired to Mr. Tyler's house, and
represented to him the state of things. Mr. Tyler replied that the law
made it his duty to put the road in good order, and to keep it so. The
Whigs expostulated. Mr. Tyler was firm. Then the justice begged him to
resign, and let the hands go home. The ex-President said, 'Offices
are hard to obtain in these times, and having no assurance that I can
ever get another, I cannot think, under the circumstances, of
resigning.'"
One of the statesman's valued companions during these early years at
Sherwood Forest was "General," the old horse which he had owned for
many years. At length the horse died, and was buried in the grave at
Sherwood Forest. On a wooden slab at the head of the grave the owner
wrote:
"Here lieth the bones of my old horse, General, who served
his master faithfully for twenty-seven years, and never
blundered but once--would that his master could say the
same!"
The last years of John Tyler's life witnessed the return of his
popularity. Enemies became friends, and all rejoiced to do him honor.
He was called to a number of honorable posts, and he was about to take
his seat as a member of the House of Representatives of the
Confederate Congress when he died, in Richmond, on January 18, 1862.
[Illustration: HANOVER COURT HOUSE, VIRGINIA
_Photo by H. P. Cook_
See page 262]
LVII
TWO HISTORIC COURTHOUSES OF VIRGINIA
OLD DOMINION COUNTY BUILDINGS AT HANOVER AND WILLIAMSBURG
A momentous announcement appeared in the Williamsburg, Virginia,
_Gazette_ on March 16, 1769:
"The Common Hall having this day determined to build a
commodious brick court-house in this city and having
appointed us to agree with and undertake to build the same,
we do hereby give notice that we shall meet at Mr. Hay's (the
Raleigh Tavern) on Tuesday, the 4th of April, to let the
building thereof; we are also appointed to dispose of the
present court-house, and the ground on which the same stands.
James Cock, John Carter, James Carter, John Tazewell."
The building displaced by the new structure was erected in 1716 by
William Levington, and was given to the city in 1745 by "the Gentlemen
subscribers for the Play House."
The stone steps on the new building, which are still in use, were
brought from England in 1772. A copy of the letter in which William
Wilson acknowledged their receipt is in a letter book preserved in the
library of the Episcopal Seminary, near Alexandria.
During the Revolution, the patriots were called together, from time to
time, by the bell in the picturesque tower. It was fitting, then, that
when American independence was celebrated at Williamsburg, on May 1,
1783, the Courthouse was made the rallying place for the people. On
receipt of official notice from Governor Benjamin Harrison that the
treaty of peace had been signed, the mayor of Williamsburg prepared an
"Order of the Procession on the Great Day," which closed with the
following direction:
"The Citizens to be Conveyed on Thursday, at 1 o'clock at the
Court-House by a Bellman.
"After the convention of citizens they are to make
proclamation at the C: House, after which the Bells at the
Church, College, & Capitol are to ring in peal.
"From the Ct House the Citizens are to proceed to the
College, and make proclamation at that place, from whence
they are to proceed to the Capitol and make proclamation
there and from thence Proceed to the Raleigh (Tavern) & pass
the rest of the day."
A frequent visitor to the Williamsburg Courthouse was the brilliant
lawyer Patrick Henry, whose reputation as an orator was made long
before he delivered his "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech at
St. John's Church, Richmond.
Some years before the Williamsburg Courthouse was erected, this orator
made his first public speech, at Hanover Courthouse, a building that
dates from 1735, in the celebrated suit of the clergy demanding the
payment of their stipends in tobacco, according to law. In consequence
of a short crop the price had increased, and they insisted that it was
their right to have the advantage of the increase. Their case had been
tried once and won. The attorney of the people thereupon withdrew, and
Henry was engaged to appear for them in court.
When the case was called, Rev. Patrick Henry was present, to the
regret of his nephew. The lawyer sought his uncle and said that he
feared he would be too much overawed by his presence to do his duty to
his clients, and added that he would be compelled to say some "very
hard things of the clergy." The minister thereupon entered his
carriage, and drove away.
William Wirt describes the scene at the opening of the case:
"On the bench sat more than twenty clergymen, the most
learned men in the Colony, and the most capable, as well as
the severest critics before whom it was possible for him to
have made his debut. The Court House was crowded with an
overwhelming multitude, and surrounded with an immense and
anxious throng, who, not finding room to enter, were
endeavoring to listen without, in the deepest attention. But
there was something still more awfully disconcerting than all
this; for in the chair of the presiding magistrate, sat no
other person than his own father....
"And now came on the first trial of Patrick Henry's strength.
No one had ever heard him speak, and curiosity was on tiptoe.
He rose very awkwardly, and faltered much in his exordium.
The people hung their heads at so unpromising a commencement;
the clergy were observed to exchange sly looks with each
other, and the father is described as having almost sunk with
confusion, from his seat. But these feelings were of short
duration, and soon gave place to others, of a very different
character.... The spirit of his genius awakened all his
features.... His action became graceful, bold, and
commanding; and in the tones of his voice, but more
especially in his emphasis, there was a peculiar charm, a
magic, of which any one who ever heard him will speak as soon
as he is named, but of which no one can give any adequate
description....
"The people, whose countenances had fallen as he arose, had
heard but very few sentences before they began to look up;
then to look at each other with surprise, as if doubting the
evidence of their own senses.... In less than twenty minutes,
they might be seen in every part of the house, on every
bench, in every window, stooping forward from their stands,
in deathlike silence.... The mockery of the clergy was soon
turned into alarm; their triumph into confusion and despair;
and at one burst of his rapid and overwhelming invective,
they fled from the bench in precipitation and terror. As for
the father, such was his surprise, such his amazement, such
his rapture, that, forgetting where he was, and the character
which he was filling, tears of ecstasy streamed down his
cheeks without the power or inclination to restrain them."
The case was won. As soon as the verdict was announced the people
seized the orator at the bar and bore him out of the courthouse. Then,
raising him on their shoulders, they carried him about the yard.
[Illustration: ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND, VA.
_Photo by H. P. Cook_
See page 266]
LVIII
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND
WHERE PATRICK HENRY SAID, "GIVE ME LIBERTY, OR GIVE ME DEATH"
In 1611 Sir Thomas Dale founded his town of Henricopolis, the second
established settlement in Virginia. It was named in honor of Prince
Henry, the eldest son of James I. A church was soon after built. The
bounds of Henrico parish, to which it belonged, were quite large until
1634, when the parish was made to include the present Chesterfield,
Powhatan, and Goochland counties.
Soon after the marriage of Pocahontas she moved to the plantation of
her husband, John Rolfe, near Henricopolis, and they were both members
of Henrico parish until they left Virginia.
The written records of Henrico parish begin with 1730. At that time
the principal church of the parish was on Curle's plantation, on the
north side of the James, some miles below the present city of
Richmond. Curle's church disappeared during the Civil War. The bowl of
the baptismal font in St. John's Church, Richmond, is a relic of the
old church. This was removed from the cellar of a house where it had
been in use for beating hominy.
Steps were taken in 1737 to build the present St. John's Church,
because of the increase of population in Richmond. The first action
was recorded as follows:
"At a Vestry held at Curls Church for Henrico parish ye 8th
day of October Anno Dom. 1737 for laying ye parish Levey--
"The Vestry do agree to build a Church on the most convenient
place at or near Thomas Williamsons in this parish to be
Sixty feet in Length and Twenty-five in Breadth and fourteen
feet pitch to be finished in a plain Manner After the Moddle
of Curls Church. And it is ordered that the Clerk do Set up
Advertisements of the particular parts of the Said Building
and of the time and place of undertaking the Same.... It is
ordered that the Collector do receive of every Tithable
person in this parish five pounds of Tobacco after the Usual
deduction to be apply'd towards building the New Church at
Williamsons."
At a later meeting the location and the dimensions of the church were
changed. Richmond was decided on, and it was stated that "Richard
Randolph Gent undertakes the Said Building and engages to finish the
Same by the Tenth day of June, which Shall be in the year of our Lord
1741; for which the Vestry agrees to pay him the Sum of L317 10s.
Current Money to be paid by the amount of the Sale of Twenty thousand
pounds of Tob'o Annually to be Levyd on the parish and Sold here for
Money till the whole payment be compleat."
There is no record of the completion of the building, but probably it
was finished at the appointed time. Since that date various additions
have been made, yet it is possible to trace the lines of the original
structure. The original pews are still in use, though they have been
lowered. The hinges of the pew doors are handwrought. The wainscoting
and the window sashes are those first put in. The original
weather-boarding is still in place. It is fastened by nails whose
heads are half an inch broad.
For the new church there were imported from England:
"One Parsons Surples, a Pulpit Cushen and Cloth, two cloths
for Reading Desks, a Communion Table Cloth, and a Dozen of
Cushens--to be of good Purple Cloth, and the Surples good
Hollond, also Large Bible and four large Prayer Books."
An entry in the vestry book on December 17, 1773, shows that the
rector, Mr. Selden, received as salary 17,150 pounds of tobacco, worth
L125. The clerk of the parish received 1,789 pounds of tobacco, or L13
10s., the sexton had 536 pounds, or L3.10s.7d.
Selden was chaplain of the Virginia Convention which met in the church
March 20, 1775. At the closing session of this convention Patrick
Henry "flashed the electric spark, which exploded the country in
revolution," as Burton says in his history of Henrico Parish. This was
the speech that closed:
"Gentlemen may cry peace, peace, but there is no peace. The
war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the
north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!
Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life
so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price
of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not
what course others may take, but as for me, Give me liberty,
or give me death."
Dr. Burton says that the orator "stood, according to tradition, near
the present corner of the east transept and the nave, or more exactly,
in pew 47, in the east aisle of the nave.... He faced the eastern wall
of the transept, where were the two windows. In the more northern of
these stood Colonel Edward Carrington. He broke the silence that
followed the orator's burning words with the exclamation, 'Right here
I wish to be buried!'"
When the British took possession of Richmond in 1781, St. John's
Church became a barracks for Arnold's men. And some of them stood on
the spot where Patrick Henry spoke the words that had such large part
in stirring up the people to drive all British soldiers from the
Colonies.
After the close of the war the diocese of Virginia was reorganized in
the building, and plans were laid to overcome the difficulties that
would soon come through the loss of the property of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, which led Edmund Randolph, later Governor of
Virginia and Secretary of State in Washington's Cabinet, to speak the
famous words:
"Of what is the Church now possessed? Nothing but the glebes
and your affections."
That the affections of the people are a better dependence than rich
endowments in money has been shown by the later history of the church,
the parish, and the diocese.
[Illustration: NELSON HOUSE, YORKTOWN, VA.
_Photo by H. P. Cook_
See page 270]
LIX
THE NELSON HOUSE AND THE MOORE HOUSE, YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA
MADE MEMORABLE BY THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN AND THE SURRENDER OF
CORNWALLIS
One day in 1740 a baby a little more than one year old, whose name was
Thomas Nelson, stood by the side of his father, William Nelson, as the
father was about to lay the foundation of his new home in York,
Virginia. The babe had been stationed there that the brick for the
corner might be placed in the little hands; then it could be said in
later years that the babe had helped in the exercises of the day. The
little fellow became a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, a
General in the Revolutionary War, and Governor of Virginia.
William Nelson was a merchant, who had invested his savings in land
and had become quite wealthy. When his son was fourteen years old he
was able to send him to Cambridge, England, to be educated. Nine years
later the young man married Lucy Grymes of Brandon, and took up his
residence in the house whose foundation he had helped to lay.
For many years the home of the young people was noted for the
hospitality shown there. Whenever the owner could leave his guests, he
rode to his plantation near town. He kept a pack of hounds, which were
frequently employed in fox hunting.
When discontent against England became pronounced, he was a leader of
the patriots. He was a member of the House of Burgesses of 1774 which
was dissolved by Lord Dunmore because of the passage of a resolution
against the Boston Port Bill, and he was one of the eighty-nine men
who met next day at a tavern and took action that led to the first
Continental Congress.
On July 17, when the Convention of Virginia delegates gathered in
Richmond decided to raise three regiments for home defence, Patrick
Henry was named as commander of the first while Nelson was put in
charge of the second.
He was among the patriots who sat in the Continental Congress of 1775,
1776, and 1777, and his name was signed to the Declaration of
Independence. On August 16, 1777, he retired from public service
because of failing health, but when, a little later, the Governor of
Virginia, fearing the approach of the British fleet, asked him to
serve as brigadier general and commander-in-chief of the forces of the
State, he agreed, on condition that he be excused from accepting
payment for his services.
During the siege of Yorktown he was at the head of the militia. The
sketch of his life as given by Sanderson in the "Biography of the
Signers," says: "During the siege, observing his own house uninjured
by the artillery of the American batteries he inquired the cause. A
respect for his property, was assigned. Nelson ... requested that the
artillerists would not spare his house more than any other, especially
as he knew it to be occupied by the principal officers of the British
Army. Two pieces were accordingly pointed against it. The first shot
went through the house and killed two ... officers.... Other balls
soon dislodged the hostile tenants." It is said that Nelson gave ten
guineas reward to the man who fired the first shot.
Again Thomas Nelson responded to the call of his State when in June,
1781, he became Governor, succeeding Thomas Jefferson. Four months
after the beginning of his term as chief executive of the State,
George Washington, in general orders, said: