USA > Virginia > Albemarle County > Albemarle County > Albemarle County in Virginia; giving some account of what it was by nature, of what it was made by man, and of some of the men who made it > Part 13
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and secondly of Robert Durrett, Caroline, the wife of T. J. Eddins, and Margaret, the wife of Dr. H. O. Austin.
BIBB.
The Bibbs came to Albemarle from Louisa. In 1821 Wil- liam A. became associated in the mercantile business with his father-in-law, Nimrod Bramham. He was appointed a magistrate of the county in 1832. When the Branch of the Farmers' Bank of Virginia was established in Charlottesville, he was appointed its Cashier, and managed its affairs with eminent skill until all business was interrupted by the war. In 1836 he purchased from the trustees the square on which the old Female Seminary stood, the present site of the Leter- man mansion, and made it his residence until his death in 1865. He married Sarah Bramham, and his children were Henry, Angeline, the wife of Edward J. Timberlake, Dr. William E., Horace, Cornelia, the wife of George W. Thorn- hill, Emma, the wife of Professor H. H. Harris, James T., Sarah, the wife of Robert Williams, and F. Gillett, the wife of George Willingham, of South Carolina.
John H. Bibb, a nephew of William A., commenced his business life as a clerk in the house of Valentine, Fry & Co. It was not long however before he became a merchant on his own account, conducting his affairs with success until the war. He was also the first Cashier of the Charlottesville Savings Bank. He built the brick house on the west side of Ridge Street, now in the possession of Dr. George Scribner, and resided there for some years. His home was afterwards at Branchland, where Major Bolton now resides, and he finally purchased the large brick on Jefferson Street, formerly the dwelling of John R. Jones. He married Harriet, daugh - ter of French Strother, of Culpeper, and his children were Helen, the wife of William P. Louthan, A. Pendleton, and Catharine, the wife of Dr. William Du Bose, United States Navy. Mr. Bibb died in 1888.
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BISHOP.
A William Bishop was the grantee of a small parcel of land on the south fork of Hardware in 1756, which his
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descendants sold in 1774 to George Eubank. In 1782 James Bishop entered four hundred acres on the Blue Ridge in the Afton neighborhood, which he and his wife Elizabeth subse- quently sold to other parties. About the end of the last century Joseph Bishop began to purchase land in the county, and continued to purchase from time to time in various localities, particularly in the Biscuit Run Valley and the vicinity of D S. In 1803 he bought from John Carr twelve acres bordering on the west side of Charlottesville, and ex - tending from the Staunton to the Whitehall Road; with this tract his name was more intimately connected. He estab- lished the tanyard at the west end of Main Street. He erected the first buildings in Random Row, and gave lots on Vinegar Hill to most of his children. The largest part of this land he sold not long before his death to John Neilson, an Irishman, who was one of the contractors for the Univer- sity buildings. Joseph Bishop died in 1825. He left nine children, John T , who married Mary Ann, daughter of James Jeffries, and removed to Dearborn County, Indiana, Joseph, James, Ann, the wife of Johnson Pitts, Patience, the wife of Gustavus Parsons, Mary, the wife of William Young, Frances, Jonathan A. J., who removed to Missouri, and Lucy Jane, the wife of Ezra M. Wolfe. Joseph Bishop's wife was Jane, daughter of Edmund Terrell, and his wife, Margaret Willis, a grandaughter of Henry Willis, the founder of Fredericksburg, and his wife, Mildred Washington Greg- ory, sister of General Washington's father. His son, Joseph, was an active dealer in Charlottesville real estate. He was one of the original trustees of the Disciples Church.
BLACK.
Samnel Black was a native of Ireland, and coming to this country as a student of theology, was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Castle. He was settled as pastor over two churches in Donegal Presbytery in Pennsylvania. In 1743 he began to visit Virginia as a missionary, and in 1747 received a call from Mountain Plains Church, and the people of Ivy Creek, who formed the congregation of D. S.
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In 1751 he purchased from Richard Stockton four hundred acres on Mechum's River, where he made his home until his death in 1770. For a time he taught school in connection with his ministerial duties. His wife's name was Catharine Shaw, and his children were Samuel, James, Margaret, Mary, Sarah, John and William. James became the owner of six hundred acres on Stockton's Creek not far from Rockfish Gap, where he kept a public house, and where in the fall of 1777 he had as a guest General George Rogers Clark. He and his wife Eleanor sold out in 1780, and seem to have removed from the county. John and his wife Elizabeth, in 1789 sold to Menan Mills one hundred and thirty acres adjoining the home place. After this time the only member of the family whose course can be traced is Samuel, the eldest son.
He became a man of prominence, prospered in his affairs, was active as a magistrate for some years, and died in 1815. He and his wife Mary had six sons and three daughters, Samuel, William, Dorcas, the wife of Charles Patrick, Catha- rine, Mary, the wife of John Ramsay, James, John, Joel and Daniel. The second son, William, married Matilda Rowe, and died in 1809, leaving seven children, Samuel, who died unmarried in 1846, Jane, the wife of Caleb Abell, Andrew, James, Thomas, who died unmarried in 1878, John and Mary. Andrew died in 1875. His wife was Sarah, daughter of Nicho- las Merritt, and his children, William, Nicholas, Mary, the wife of Willis Piper, Elizabeth, the second wife of James H. Rea, and Cynthia. James married Rosanna, sister of Andrew's wife, and died in 1876. His children were Samuel, Nicholas, Elizabeth, the wife of Richard Robinson, and Sarah Ann, the first wife of James H. Rea.
BOWCOCK.
The first of the Bowcock family in the county was Jason. The records mention indeed a Samuel Bowcock, but nothing more is known of him except that he died in 1783. A daugh- ter of Alexander McKinzie, who from 1742 to 1799 owned part of the land now possessed by the University, was the
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wife of a Bowcock, and left a daughter who was living at the beginning of the century. The husband here referred to may have been Samuel, and he may possibly have been the father of Jason. The latter lived on the Barboursville Road north of Stony Point, and died in 1816. He and his wife Judith had six children, Ann, the wife of Achilles Douglass, Douglass, Achilles, Tandy, Mildred, the wife of John Douglass, and John, who succeeded his father on the old place. In Decem- ber 1822, Achilles Bowcock, while sitting at table at Nathaniel Burnley's in Stony Point, apparently in perfect health, fell dead from his chair.
Douglass lived at the junction of the Earlysville and Piney Mountain Roads, and kept tavern there for some years before his death in 1825. His wife was Mildred Blackwell, and his children Catharine, the wife of Dr. John F. Bell, who removed to Kentucky, and John J. John J. occupied a large place in the hearts of the people of the county. His early advan- tages in point of education were slender, and his natural gifts not brilliant, yet few men exercised a wider or more beneficial influence in the community. His powers of per - ception were clear, his judgment sound, and his integrity without spot or suspicion. He inherited his father's farm, and followed him in the conduct of a public house ; but almost immediately he espoused the views which had then begun to prevail on the subject of temperance, and turned the tavern into a house of entertainment. The disputes of the surround- ing country were largely referred to his arbitration, and his decision was accepted as an end of strife. His neighbors often desired that he should be the guardian of their children, and settle their estates. He was a magistrate under the old regime, and among the first elected under the new constitu - tion ; and four times in succession he was made by the choice of his fellow justices presiding magistrate of the County Court. For many years he served as Colonel of the Eighty-Eighth Regiment, his farm by the way being the regular place of its muster. He was a member of the House of Delegates, and according to a friend of opposite politics, such was the uni - versal regard in which he was held, that no competitor could
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stand before him, and he might have been re-elected as often as he wished ; but his unambitious temper soon declined the honor. He was for a long period a ruling elder in the South Plains Presbyterian Church. He died full of days in 1892, and was followed to the tomb by the high esteem and sincere regrets of all who knew him. His wife was Sarah, daughter of Nelson Barksdale. Of his five sons and two daughters, Dr. Charles, who for many years practised his profession at Everettsville, did not long survive him.
BOWEN.
Four brothers named Bowen bought land in Albemarle, James M., William, Peter and Thomas C. They came from the vicinity of Jeffersonton, Rappahannock County. In 1817 James and William together made their first purchase of five hundred acres from Benjamin Ficklin-the old White place southwest of Batesville. James must have relinquished his interest to William, since in 1829 the latter with his wife, who was Eliza George, of Fauquier, sold this land to Roland H. Bates. William was a teacher, having had a school near Ivy Depot, and afterwards near Mount Ed church. He finally returned to Rappahannock. Peter, who was a phy - sician, never resided in the county, though he more than once purchased land in the Greenwood neighborhood. Be- sides farming, James for some years prosecuted business as a merchant. He prospered in his affairs, and in 1835 bought the old Ramsey place, with its Mill, building the large brick mansion which still stands, calling it Mirador, and making it one of the finest seats in the county. He married Frances - Starke, and his children were Ann, the wife of Dr. John R. Baylor, Mary, the wife of Dr. O. R. Funsten, of Clarke, and Eliza, the wife of her cousin, Dr. George M. Bowen, son of Peter. James died in 1880. His grandson, James Bowen Funsten, was recently consecrated Episcopal Bishop of Boise, Idaho.
When Thomas first came to the county, he also engaged in the vocation of teaching. One of his schools was located beside the old Mount Pleasant Methodist Church, which
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stood on the hill three or four hundred yards west of Hills- boro, and there he had Slaughter Ficklin as one of his pupils. In 1837 he purchased from John Pilson the place which he occupied till his death, which had been the old home of Isaac Hardin, and which consisted of three tracts, Huntsmans, so called from a former owner who removed to Kentucky, Hard Labor, and Greenwood, which gave name to the Depot sub- sequently established. Thomas Bowen acted a more promi- nent part in the affairs of the county than his brother, and served as a magistrate prior to the Constitution of 1850. He was twice married, first to Miss Wheatley, of Culpeper, and secondly to Margaret Timberlake, of Clark County. He left two daughters, Mary Eliza, the wife of Colonel Grantham, of Jefferson County, and Julia, the wife of John Shirley. His death occurred in 1886. Thornton W. Bowen, who lived north of Whitehall, was a brother of these gentlemen.
BRAMHAM.
Nimrod Bramham first appears, when he commenced busi- ness as a merchant at the point where the road over Turkey Sag comes into the Barboursville road. His store there was a noted centre for many years. He purchased the place in 1797 from James Sebree and Gravett Edwards. He was highly esteemed both for his commercial skill and energy, and for his civil and military abilities. In 1800 he succeeded William Wirt as Lieutenant in the militia, and in 1806 Francis Walker as Colonel of the Eighty-Eighth Regiment. In 1801 he was appointed a magistrate. He represented the county in the Legislature in 1812. In 1805 he gave the ground for the Priddy's Creek Baptist Church, and was one of the first trustees of the. Charlottesville Baptist Church. He probably removed to Charlottesville in 1806, as he then bought part of the lot on the west side of the Square, where for years he did business under the firms, first of Bramham and Jones, and afterwards of Bramham and Bibb. In 1818 he purchased from Jesse W. Garth the place southwest of Charlottesville, on which he built the large brick house, the present residence of Herndon Fife, where he spent the
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remainder of his life. He died in 1845. His wife was Margaret Marshall, of Culpeper, and his children, Sarah, the wife of William A. Bibb, Nimrod, James, Lucy, the wife of John Simpson, Gilly, the wife of William Eddins, and Jane, the wife of Dr. Wyatt W. Hamner.
BRAND.
Joseph Brand came from Hanover County, and in 1779 bought from John Clark seven hundred and seventy-three acres of land on Mechunk Creek. Some years after he pur - chased a tract of more than six hundred acres on the Rivanna opposite Milton. He also owned property in Hanover, and land in the North Western Territory on the Miami. He died in 1814. He and his wife Frances had twelve children, Benjamin, Sarah, William, James, Joseph, Chiles, David, Robert, Eliza, George, John, and Frances, the wife of David Huckstep. What became of most of this large household is not known. One of the sons, William, it is believed, emi - grated to New Orleans, where he prosecuted a successful business. The year after her father's death, Sarah was mar- ried to John Robertson, a native of Scotland, who had taught school in the county for some years, and who in 1814 was taken under the care of Hanover Presbytery as a candidate for the ministry. Chiles married Elizabeth Bryan, and died in 1861. His children were Ann Eliza, the wife of Thomas R. Bailey, Mary Jane, the wife of Richard Pinkard, Sarah, Rich- ard, Catharine, who was for many years a teacher in Char - lottesville, and became the wife of William Bell, of Augusta, Maria, William, James, and Lucy, the wife of R. H. Munday, who still occupies the house on University Street which was conveyed to her grandmother by John M. Perry in 1825. William D. Meriwether and James Lindsay were the acting executors of Joseph Brand, and according to the instructions of his will sold the land opposite Milton to Martin Dawson in 1815, and that on Mechunk to Joseph Campbell in 1833.
BROCKMAN.
One of the early land owners in the northeast part of the county was Samuel Brockman. He died in 1779, leaving
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two sons, Samuel and William, and probably a third named Jason. William was apparently prosperous in his affairs. He lived on Priddy's Creek, owned a considerable quantity of land, and had one of the first mills erected in that section. He died in 1809. A Baptist church, the precursor of the present Priddy's Creek Church, was on his land, and he de - vised it to the congregation using it as a place of worship. His children were Frances, the wife of a Taylor, Elizabeth, John, Margaret, the wife of a Henderson, Thomas, William, Ambrose, Samuel, and Catharine, the wife of a Bell. Am- brose married Nancy, daughter of Captain William Simms, and became a Baptist preacher. Samuel married Ann Simms, a sister of Ambrose's wife, and his son Samuel, who died in 1847, was the father of Richard Simms, Bluford, Tandy, Simpson, Tazewell, and Agatha, the wife of Thomas Edwards. Richard Simms married Martha, the daughter of Wiley Dick - erson, and removed to Amherst. Among his children were Fontaine D., Harriet, the wife of William Jeffries, Tandy, and Willis Allen, who removed to Atlanta, Georgia.
In the early part of the century many of this name emi - grated to Kentucky, a Tandy Brockman going to Christian County, and Elizabeth, a widow, with a large family of chil- dren, to Boone.
BROOKS.
James Brooks was a lawyer of the early Albemarle bar. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Woods, and lived on a parcel of land on Mechum's River below the Miller School, given him by his father-in-law. He died in 1815, comparatively young. His children were Robert, Elizabeth, James and Richard. He, and after him his son Robert, had charge of the estate of Thomas West.
In 1808 Robert married Elizabeth, daughter of James Hays, the founder of New York, and at first resided in Nelson County. In 1812 he became a resident of New York, pur- chasing Lot Thirty-One, on which stood at the time a one- story framed house. In 1817 he made from David Hays the first purchase of what was subsequently the Brooksville plan- tation in the same vicinity. The next year his brothers and sis-
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ters appointed him their attorney to sell nine thousand acres of land in Harrison County, Kentucky. For a long period he kept a tavern at Brooksville, held in high esteem among travellers for its capital good cheer. He was a magistrate of the county, and a ruling elder in the Mountain Plains Church. He and John Pilson were the only justices who appeared to enforce the law against profane swearing, both paying over to the Poor Fund fines which they had imposed for that offence. His children were Elizabeth, Mary Frances, William, Robert, Ira, Henry and Maria Antoinette. But though possessing a fine farm, and conducting a popular hostelry, his affairs became greatly embarrassed. In 1836 he was compelled by his debts to sell his place to James P. Tyler, and removed to Kentucky.
BROWN.
The Browns of Brown's Cove were a Hanover family. Its head, Benjamin, and his eldest son Benjamin, patented a large area of land in Louisa County, both before and after its establishment in 1742. They began to obtain grants in Albemarle also soon after its formation. From 1747 to 1760 they entered more than six thousand acres on both sides of Doyle's River. Benjamin Sr., married Sarah Dabney, who according to Dr. Charles Brown's will, was descended from the Jennings that left the enormous estate in England, which such a multitudinous posterity in this country has coveted, and which prompted Dr. Charles to cross the great sea twice in his old age. Benjamin died in 1762, leaving eleven chil - dren, Benjamin, William, Agnes, Barzillai, Benajah, Bernard, Bernis, Bezaleel, Brightberry, Elizabeth, the wife of John Price, and Lucretia, the wife of Robert Harris. Passing these names under review, one can imagine the delight of the old gentleman in the iterating alliteration of B. B., and how assiduously he searched the Scriptures and the Lives of the Saints, to attain his pet ideal.
Benjamin and William were their father's executors, and appear to have had their portions and residence in Hanover or Louisa. Barzillai sold out in Albemarle, and settled in
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Shelby County, Kentucky, in 1809. Benajah also disposed of his interests, and removed to Buckingham.
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Bernard had his home at the foot of Buck's Elbow, not far from Whitehall. He was the first of the family to depart this life, dying in 1800. He and his wife Elizabeth had twelve children, Robert, Reuben, Bernard M., Charles, Thomas H., Ira B., Asa B., Benjamin H., Bezaleel, Fran - cina, the wife of John Rodes, Lucy, the wife of Nathaniel Thompson Sr., and Sarah. Robert and Reuben emigrated to Sumner County, Tennessee. Bernard M. married Miriam, daughter of David Maupin, and had nine children, among whom were Thompson Brown, Sarah, the wife of Clifton Brown, and Pyrena, the wife of Tilman Maupin. Charles practiced medicine in Charlottesville in the early part of the century. He lived where Dr. W. G. Rogers now resides till 1822, when he removed to the farm on the waters of Ivy Creek which he bought from Crenshaw Fretwell, and on which his son Ezra still resides. He married his cousin Mary, daughter of Bezaleel Brown, and had six children. He died in 1879, having attained the remarkable age of ninety-six years. Thomas H. married first Mildred Brown, and secondly Lucy, daughter of Horsley Goodman. By his first marriage he had a daughter Emaline, who was the wife of W. G. Fretwell. Ira B. married Frances Mullins, and had six children, among them Burlington D. Brown. Ben- jamin H. married Judith, daughter of Hudson Fretwell. Bezeleel married Elizabeth, daughter of John A. Michie, and his children were Cynthia, the wife of William H. Brown, Frances, Addison, Williamson, Mary, the wife of George W. Kemper, Martha, the wife of Charles H. Parrott, and John A. M. He was cut off in the prime of his days in 1825. The family of Bernard Brown was remarkable in one respect. He and his three sons, Charles, Thomas H., and Ira B. were magistrates of the county, and two of them served as Sheriff, Charles in 1841, and Thomas H. in 1849.
Bernis was one of the early Methodist preachers in the county and country, entering the ministry some years before the close of the last century. He married Hen -
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rietta, daughter of John Rodes, and died in 1815, leaving eight children, Sarah, the wife of Thomas Jones, Henrietta, the wife of Jobn Ruff, Ann, the wife of John Dickerson, Bernis, Tyree, Benjamin T., who married Lucy Richards, Elizabeth, the wife of Charles Carthrae, and John R.
Bezaleel was an officer in the Revolutionary army at York- town, was a magistrate of the county, and served as Sheriff in 1805. He died in 1829. He and his wife Mary had six children, William T., Bezaleel, Elizabeth, the wife of Jesse Garth, Lucy, the wife of her cousin Reuben, Bernard's son, Sarah, the wife of Charles Parrott, and Mary, the wife of Dr. Charles. William T. married Mary, daughter of James Jar- man, and died in 1877. His children were Lucy, Sarah, the wife of John R. Early, and Mary, the wife of Dr. William E. Bibb. Bezaleel was appointed a magistrate in 1835, was a member of the House of Delegates from 1844 to 1847, and died in 1878.
`Brightberry and his wife Mary had five sons, Horace, Clifton, William, Nimrod, and Brightberry. He died in 1846. Horace lived at the head of the Cove, just beneath Brown's Gap, and his house, on account of its bracing air, quiet se- clusion and generous fare, was a favorite resort of the Meth - odist clergy during the heat of summer.
This family of Brown, from their early settlement, their prominent part in public affairs, the high character generally prevalent among them, and the lasting impress they have made on the natural scenery of the county, is one of the most noted in its history.
A numerous family of the same name began with Andrew Brown, who in 1789 bought land in North Garden from John Everett. He lived in a house which is still standing, about a quarter of a mile west of North Garden Depot. He died in 1804, and the place was well known for many years after as the residence of his wife Mary. His children numbered thirteen, Elizabeth, the wife of Joel Yancey, John, Jaines, Anderson, Nancy, Lucy, the wife of Ralph Thomas, Sarah, the wife of Absalom Johnson, Nelson, Mary, the wife of Mar- tin Moore, Margaret, the wife of James Kinsolving, Wil -
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liamson, Maurice and Damaris, the wife of Benjamin W. Wheeler. John married Martha, the widow of John P. Watson, who had devised to her his real estate, nearly five hundred acres lying east of North Garden Depot; she how- ever in 1816 joined with her second husband in a deed to James Leigh, that it might be reconveyed to him. He died in 1845, and his children were John A., William, Catharine, the wife of Jerome B. Wood, Sarah, the wife of John M. Carr, Ann, the wife of George W. Rothwell, Charles, Martha, the wife of Benjamin F. Ammonett, and Marietta, the wife of Elijah J. Bettis. Anderson and his wife Susan had ten chil- dren, among whom were Sarah, the wife of D. C. Rittenhouse, Mary Jane, the wife of James A. Watson, and the late Andrew J. Brown, of Charlottesville.
A Benjamin Brown was associated with David Ross in the purchase of a large number of lots in Charlottesville, when they were originally sold. He died about 1799, and John Brown, of Louisa, was his executor. It is probable Benjamin lived in Louisa, and he may have been the eldest son of Ben- jamin Sr., of Brown's Cove.
Another Benjamin Brown was a lawyer of the Albemarle bar at the beginning of the century. He was the owner at different times of the plantations of Meadow Creek and Mooresbrook, at which latter place his son, Robert M., a prominent attorney of Amherst, was born. He married Sarah E. W., daughter of Colonel Charles Lewis, of North Garden. After selling Mooresbrook to R. B. Streshley in 1812, he removed to Amherst County.
Matthew Brown, who it is said was not related to the last mentioned Benjamin, married Ann, the sister of Benjamin's wife. For a few years subsequent to 1804, he resided on a thousand acres which he purchased frou1.John M. Sheppard, of Hanover, and which were situated in North Garden on the north side of Tom's Mountain. He also removed to Amherst. At a later date he was a contractor for erecting the buildings of the University. He was the grandfather of Judge Thomp- son Brown, of Nelson.
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