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 19
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The second of the brothers was Robert, who died in 1750. In 1772 his son Nicholas conveyed to William Hamner two hundred and seventy acres at the mouth of Eppes Creek, which had been devised to him by his father. In 1784 he purchased land north of Glendower, which is still the resi - dence of his grandson. In 1794 he was associated in business with Samuel Dyer at Warren, where he died soon after. His wife was Agnes, daughter of Giles Tompkins, and his chil - dren Susan, the wife of John L. Cobb, of Bedford, and mother of Nicholas Hamner Cobb, a former Chaplain of the University, and the first Episcopal Bishop of Alabama, Nich-
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olas, who married Mary, daughter of Edward Garland, Edmund, who married Charlotte, daughter of Manoah Clark- son, James, who married Isabel Maxwell, Elizabeth, the wife of a Scruggs, of Buckingham, and Nancy, the wife of Sam - uel Childress.
The third of the brothers is believed to have been John, who lived in the Biscuit Run valley, and first appears as a purchaser of land in 1778. He married Mary, daughter of Charles and Rachel Wingfield, and his children were Charles W., of Buckingham, from whom descended James and Wade Hamner, of Lynchburg, John, who married Susan Fretwell, Francis, who married Sarah Eubank, Thomas, who married Maria, daughter of Edward Garland, and removed to Lewis County, West Virginia, Mary and Susan, the wives respec- tively of Meekins and John B. Carr, who emigrated to Dickson County, Tennessee, Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel S. Gay, and Sarah, the wife of David Gentry.
HANCOCK.
One of the original patentees of land in the county was Solomon Hancock. In 1756 he obtained the grant of four hundred acres between the Hardware and Totier Creek, Four years after he sold part of it to Giles Tompkins, and removed to Halifax County. In 1777 he sold the remainder to William Tompkins, son of Giles.
David Hancock in 1834 purchased from John R. Campbell eleven hundred acres on both sides of the Rivanna, above the mouth of Buck Island Creek. He died in 1858. His chil- dren were David, who married Janetta Thurman, Dr. Charles, who married Catharine Thurman, Gustavus, who married Lily Wimbert, and lived on James River below Howardsville, and Virginia, the wife of Dr. Francis Hancock, of Richmond. David died in 1872, Mrs. Virginia in 1884, Dr. Charles in 1885, and Gustavus 1898. All left families.
Richard J. Hancock was a native of Alabama, and came to Virginia during the civil war with the troops of Louisiana. Sojourning in Albemarle while recovering from wounds re- ceived in battle, he married Thomasia, daughter of John O.
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Harris. He succeeded his father-in-law at Ellerslie, which is a part of the old Indian Camp plantation, once the estate of William Short, Washington's Minister to the Hague, and the fame of which as a stock farm he has spread abroad throughout the land.
HARDIN.
The family of Hardin occupied a position of some promi- nence in the county at the beginning of the century. Its head was Isaac, who, after living on different places, finally settled about 1785 on the plantation near Greenwood Depot, recently owned by Thomas C. Bowen. Here he resided un - til his death in 1820, at the age of eighty-four. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of William Brown, and his children Mary, the wife of Samuel B. Smith, whose sons removed to Tennessee, Benjamin, Elizabeth, the wife of Gideon Morgan, Sarah, the wife of Nathaniel Landcraft, Nelson, Isaac B., Lucinda, the wife of William Scott, Berry M., and John. About 1808 Nelson emigrated to Mississippi Territory, and Isaac to Tennessee. Berry M. died in 1826.
For many years Benjamin was a conspicuous figure in the western part of the county. He bought in 1805 the brick house about a mile west of Ivy Depot, which was at first the nucleus, and soon the whole, of the town of Morgantown. Here he kept a tavern having the name of Albemarle Hotel until 1826. From time to time he bought up a few lots of the projected town, as their owners endeavored to realize a return from their investment; but as they lay unmarked amidst the trees and bushes of the forest, it is surmised the great mass of them quietly lapsed in his hands, totally forgotten by those who held the title. Hardin was a fancier of fine horses, and kept a number of racers. It is likely the temptations connected with such pursuits involved him in undue expense, and led to a neglect of his proper business; at all events in 1827 all his property was sold under deeds of trust. He then removed to Nelson County. In January 1899, his son, Dr. Charles W. Hardin, died near Longwood, Rockbridge County, in the eighty - fifth year of his age.
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HARPER.
Castleton Harper was a deputy of Joseph Thompson, the first Sheriff of the county. His home was on the north fork of Hardware, near the mouth of Sowell's Branch. His death occurred about 1799. His children were Richard, Cas- tleton, Henry, Rebecca, the wife of Jeremiah Hamner, Mary, the wife of Reuben White, Jemima, the wife of Edward Lyon, and Ellinda, believed to have been the wife of Thomas Staples.
Charles Harper came to Albemarle from Culpeper about 1814. In that year he bought from Thomas Wells eight hundred acres south of Ivy Depot. By continued purchases he became the owner of more than twelve hundred acres in that vicinity. In 1817 he disposed of three hundred acres, and half of the mill on Ivy Creek, to his son Joseph. He died in 1848. His wife was Lucy Smithers, and his children Joseph, Sarah, the wife of John Slaughter, Mary, the wife of William H. Glasscock, William, Charles, Gabriel, Lydia, the wife of Stephen C. Price, Robert, Lucy, the wife of Dr. M. L. Anderson, Nancy, the wife of Uriah P. Bennett, and Eliza Jane, the wife of John Wood Jr.
Joseph in 1826 sold to Benjamin Wood a tract of fifty acres, which acquired the name of Woodville, but has since been called Ivy Depot. In 1832 he sold his property, and removed to Daviess County, Missouri, where he died the same year as his father. He was twice married, first to Eliza Ann Green, and secondly to Mary Ann Miller, the widow of Robert W. Wood. His children were Twyman W., William, Mary, the wife of - - Martin, Lucy Ann, the wife of Nor- borne T. Martin, a former merchant of Charlottesville, Charles and John. Gabriel married Sarah, daughter of Edmund Anderson and Jane Lewis. He was appointed a magistrate of the county in 1838. Some years before the war he removed to Appomattox County, and later to Prince Edward. When the war closed, he settled on James River below Richmond, where not long after he died.
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HARRIS.
Matthew Harris in 1741 patented four hundred acres on the waters of Totier, which he afterwards sold to John Harris. It is believed he soon removed to the present terri - tory of Nelson. He married Miss Lee, and had two sons, William and Lee. Lee married Miss Philips, and his son, William Lee Harris, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Clayton Coleman, was admitted to the Albemarle bar in 1798, but probably lived in the present bounds of Nelson.
William Harris, in all likelihood a brother of Matthew, was long one of the early and leading citizens of Albemarle. His first patent was located on Beaverdam of Hardware in 1739. He also made entries on Totier and Green Creeks, until during the next forty years he possessed more than two thousand acres. He was evidently a man of fine judgment and great energy. He established on Green Creek one of the first mills erected in that part of the county, and it has ever since been an important centre to the surrounding country. In 1746, the year after the county was organized, he was appointed one of its magistrates. He died in 1788. His wife was Mary Netherland, and his children, Matthew, Sarah, the wife of a Mosby, Elizabeth, the wife of John Digges, Catharine, the wife of a Steger, John, William, Mary, the wife of a Woodfolk, Benjamin, Ann, the wife of Hawes Coleman, and Judith, the wife of George Coleman. From this stem has sprung a greater number of families perhaps than from any other ever domiciled in the county.
Matthew married Miss Tate, and had fifteen children. Among them were Schuyler, who married Frances Blades, lived two miles north of Covesville, and died in 1803, and whose son, William B., married Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew Hart, was the father of Alfred and William Henry, was a magistrate of the county, and a ruling elder in the Cove Church, and died in 1862 ; Matthew, who married Miss Blades, and had a large family, of which the only one remaining is venerable Lloyd Harris, now living near War- ren; Henry T., who became a member of the Albemarle bar in 1808, lived south of Covesville, married his cousin Mary,
Sal
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daughter of Benjamin Harris, and died in 1845, and whose daughters, Mary and Cornelia, were the wives respectively of Dr. Daniel E. Watson, and Dr. William D. Boaz ; and Mary, the wife of a Barnett, and mother of Nathan J., who lived near Covesville, and was for many years Surveyor of the county.
Sarah Mosby was the grandmother of Alfred, the father of Colonel John S. Mosby, of Confederate fame. Elizabeth, the wife of John Digges, was the mother of nine children, of whom Elizabeth became the wife of Rev. Isaac Darneille, an Episcopal clergyman, Charlotte, the wife of William Moon, Dorothy, the wife of Marshall Durrett, Nancy, the wife of James Durrett, of Batesville, and Lucy, the wife of Dabney Carr, of North Garden.
John Harris was at the time of his death in 1832 the wealthiest man in the county. His home was at Viewmont, south of Carter's Bridge, which he purchased in 1803 from Tucker Moore Woodson. It is said, he added largely to his estate by his business operations during the war of 1812. He was appointed a magistrate in 1807. He was twice mar- ried, first to Frances Rowzy, and secondly to Sarah, widow of Robert Barclay. He left no children of his own, but devised a large portion of his estate to the children of his second wife, two of whom were married to the brothers, John D. and Edward H. Moon. His will was contested, and a long liti- gation ensued before it was finally established in 1838.
William married Miss Wagstaff, and had eight children. Among them were William B., and Frances, the wife of Lewis Nicholas. William B. married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Woods, and was the father of William H., who married Mary J. Wayland, lived on the old Field place near Batesville, was appointed a magistrate in 1838, and died in 1887.
Benjamin was a man of great wealth, was appointed a magistrate in 1791, and served as Sheriff in 1815. He mar- ried Mary, daughter of Samuel Woods, and had eleven chil - dren. Among them were Dr. William A., who married his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of Schuyler Harris, was a magis-
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trate of the county, and a ruling elder in the Cove Church, and in 1837 removed to Illinois ; and Colonel George W., who died in 1877, and whose children still occupy the old home - stead on the old Irish Road, west of Porter's Precinct. Ann, wife of Hawes Coleman, was the grandmother of Mary, the wife of Dr. Charles D. Everett.
One of the early settlers on Doyle's River was Robert Harris. He obtained patents for nearly three thousand acres in that vicinity, his first entry having been made in 1750. His death took place in 1765. He and his wife Mourning had ten chil- dren, Christopher, Robert, Tyree, James, William, Lucy, the wife of William Shelton, Sarah, the wife of John Rodes, the wife of William Dalton, Mourning, the wife of John Jouett, and Elizabeth, the wife of William Crawford, and mother of William H. Crawford, United States Senator from Georgia, Minister to France, Secretary of the Treasury under Mr. Mon- roe, and a prominent candidate for the Presidency in 1824. Robert was a Captain in the Revolutionary service, and removed to Surry County, North Carolina. William died early in 1776, and Christopher in 1794.
James died in 1792. He and his wife Mary had ten chil - dren, Thomas, Joel, Nathan, James, Lucy, the wife of Thomas Grubbs, Mourning, the wife of Cornelius Maupin, Sarah, the wife of James Harrison, Susan, the wife of Nicholas Burnley, Ann, the wife of a Haden, and Jane, the wife of a Dabney. Joel was appointed a magistrate in 1801, and about 1811 Commis - sioner of the Revenue for Fredericksville parish, which office he held until his death in 1826. He and his wife Anna had three sons, Ira, Joel and Clifton. Ira succeeded his father in the Commissionership, as well as in the old home, the place where Jeremiah A. Early now resides, and died in 1863. He married Sarah, and his brother Clifton, Mary, daughters of Howell Lewis, of North Garden. Nathan removed to Lexington, Va., where he resided till his death. He was the father of the Hon. John T. Harris, and Rev. William A. Harris, for many years Principal of the Female Seminary in Staunton. James was appointed a magistrate in 1807. He married Mary, daughter of John and Mary McCulloch, and
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was associated with his brothers-in-law, Robert and James McCulloch, in conducting the mill at Millington. In 1822 he sold his property, and removed to another part of the country .
Another family of this name lived near Free Union. Its head was James, who died in 1797. He and his wife Eliza- beth had six sons and five daughters. One of his sons, Blake, married Mary, daughter of John Alphin, and from another was descended Randolph Frank Harris, who was for some years the mayor of Charlottesville.
At a later date John O. Harris came to the county from Louisa. He purchased part of the old Indian Camp place, which William Short sold in 1813 to David Higginbotham. His wife was Barbara Terrell, and his daughters, Ann and Thomasia, became the wives respectively of John O. Pendle- ton and R. J. Hancock. Mr. Harris died in 1877, and his wife in 1882.
HARRISON.
Richard Harrison in 1789 purchased from James Overstreet, of Bedford, a tract of two hundred acres on the Martin King Road, between the waters of Buck Island and Hardware, which he sold four years later to Charles McGehee. One of the same name, and in all probability the same person, married Mary, daughter of Peter Clarkson. He resided in the Whitehall neighborhood, and was the father of a large family. His children were Elizabeth, the wife of Weathers - ton Shelton, Ann, the wife of John Clarkson, Mary, the wife of Charles W. Maupin, who removed to St. Louis, Peter C., Charles, John C., who married Frances Rodes, Julius C., who married Elizabeth Strange, Richard, David, James, who married Sarah Harris, and William.
In 1829 Dr. Charles Cocke and George M. Payne, as trus- tees of William Moon, sold Belle Grove, the seat of Old Albe- marle Court House on James River, to Peyton Harrison. Mr. Harrison was a son of Randolph Harrison, of Clifton in Cumberland County, and a grandnephew of Benjamin, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. He married Jane, daughter of Judge Dabney Carr. Settling on his plantation near Scottsville, he practiced law for three or four years, but
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abandoning that profession he entered the Presbyterian min- istry. After making this change of vocation, he returned to Scottsville, and became pastor of the Presbyterian Church. Near the close of 1833 he sold Belle Grove to his brother, Carter H. Harrison. Here Carter resided until his death in 1844. He was appointed a magistrate of the county in 1835. His wife was Jeanette Fisher, and his sons were George Fisher, Henry, Edward Jacquelin, and Carter. Henry was the father of George M. Harrison, Judge of the present Court of appeals.
HART.
Andrew Hart was a Scotchman by birth, aud was estab - lished as a merchant in the southern part of the county as early as 1786. His store was on Jumping Hill, at the south end of Gay's Mountain. At that time the road from Staun - ton to Scott's Landing passed immediately in its front, so that it was a point of public concourse. Mr. Hart was emi- nently successful in his business operations, and attained a high reputation for integrity and worth. Besides the man - agement of his private interests, he was frequently engaged in public affairs, devoting much time to the execution of trusts devolved upon him by the County Court. He was for many years a ruling elder in the Cove Church, and one of its main supporters. His home was at Sunny Bank, the pres - ent residence of his great-grandson, Andrew Hart. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Samuel Leake, and secondly to Elizabeth Bickley, sister of the wife of Samuel Dyer. He died in 1832.
His children by the first marriage were Samuel L. and Mary, the wife of David Young. These brothers-in-law were in the early part of the century associated as merchants, and prosecuted an active business in North Garden. Samuel Hart was exceedingly popular, and a wide circle of friends availed themselves of his rare executive gifts. About 1829 he removed to Missouri. By the second marriage Mr. Hart's children were James, Andrew, John B., Francis, William D., Eliza, the wife of William B. Harris, Margaret, the wife of
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Rev. Thornton Rogers, and Celia, the wife of Dr. Jacob Sni- der, who removed to Mississippi.
James was twice married, first to Sophia, daughter of Schuyler Harris, and secondly to Frances Thomas, widow of Dr. Charles H. Meriwether. His home was in North Garden where H. Carter Moore afterwards lived, but he subsequently removed to Fruitland near Keswick, the present residence of his son-in-law, A. P. Fox. He died in 1874. Andrew was a Presbyterian minister, and died a few years ago at Buch- anan, the place of his last pastorate. John B. was appointed a magistrate in 1824, did business in Scottsville and Missis- sippi successfully for a time, but at length overtaken by com- mercial disaster, removed to Alexandria where he died. Francis received from his father a plantation near Covesville, sold it in 1837 to Dr. Daniel E. Watson, and removed to Richmond. William D. was a man of much energy and vi- vacity, studied law, was a magistrate, represented the county both in the House of Delegates and State Senate, and was a Director of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. He suc- ceeded his father both in the old homestead and the elder - ship of the Cove Church. He married Elizabeth De Jarnette, and had one daughter Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas R. Dew. He departed this life in 1877 .
John Hart, a brother of Andrew, settled in Richmond, where he died unmarried in 1796. He managed his affairs prosperously, and acquired considerable property. By his will he bequeathed a thousand pounds to a sister in Lin- lithgow, Scotland, and the residue of his estate to his brother in Albemarle.
HARVIE.
John Harvie was a native of Stirlingshire, Scotland, and at the time Albemarle was organized, was living at Belmont near Keswick, a place he bought from Matthew Graves. He was the guardian of Mr. Jefferson, and one of the earliest efforts of the great statesman's pen, was an inquiry addressed to Mr. Harvie respecting the method of his educa- tion. He died in 1767. His wife was Martha Gaines, and his children Richard, John, Daniel, who married Sarah
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Taliaferro, William, who married Judith Cosby, Martha, the wife of John Moore, Margaret, the wife of John Daven . port, Elizabeth, the wife of James Marks, Janet, the wife of Reuben Jordan, and Mary, the wife of David Meriwether. Some of these families resided for a time in Amherst, but all except John emigrated to Wilkes County, Georgia, in the decade of 1780.
John was a prominent man in his generation. He was one of the first lawyers in point of time who practiced at the Albemarle bar. He was a member of the House of Bur- gesses, and of the Continental Congress. He owned large tracts of land in the county, among them Belmont, the Bar - racks and Pen Park. By his influence as a Congressman, he procured the establishment of the Prison Camp at the Barracks. He made his home for some years at Belmont, but on receiving from Mr. Jefferson the appointment of Register of the Land Office he removed to Richmond, and continued in the discharge of its duties during the remainder of his life. He died at Belvidere, his country seat near Richmond, in 1807. He was a public spirited man, and did much to improve his city property, building among other houses what was afterwards known as the Gamble mansion, in the erection of which his death was caused by falling from a ladder. His wife was Margaret, daughter of Gabriel Jones, the distinguished Valley lawyer. His son Jacquelin married Mary, the only daughter of Chief Justice Marshall, and his daughter Gabrielle, a great beauty and wit, became the wife of the elder Thomas Mann Randolph in his old age, a marriage which produced a prodigious sensation at the time, and which occasioned some prudent advice on the part of Mr. Jefferson to his daughter, the wife of Mr. Randolph's son, in accordance with the wonderful practical wisdom that dwelt in the man. After the death of her husband, Gabrielle was married to Dr. John W. Brockenbrough, of Richmond and the Warm Springs.
HAYS.
Four persons named Hays came to the county from Augusta about 1780, William, James, David and John. It -15
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is likely they were brothers; James and David certainly were. William bought land from Thomas Smith on the head waters of Mechum's River. He married Charity, a sister of Rev. Benjamin Burgher, and in 1795 sold out and removed to Kentucky. James at first settled in the same vicinity, but afterwards purchased from John Mills a tract that included the present farm of Brooksville. There just before the close of the last century he laid out the town of New York, and disposed of a number of lots. For many years he kept a tavern, a well known stand in its day, which after his death was carried on by his widow. He displayed such prudent skill in the management of his affairs, that he was able to devise to his three sons a thousand acres of land. He died in 1813. His wife was Mary, daughter of Claudius Buster, who was married a second time to John Morrison. His children were James, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Elizabeth, the wife of Robert Brooks. James purchased the portions of his brothers, who seem to have removed to Monroe County. He married Margaret Yancey, a daughter probably of Colonel Charles Yancey. He gradually sold off his property, and appears to have emigrated to another part of the country about 1830.
John Hays conducted a public house in the same section, and died in 1826. David owned land near the foot of Yellow Mountain, a short distance north of Batesville. He was a farmer, a storekeeper, a ruling elder in the Lebanon Church, and for a time Colonel of the Forty-Seventh Regiment. He died about 1856. Shortly after that time, a son, David T., sold his land in that neighborhood, and removed elsewhere. William, another son as is supposed, married Mary, daugh- ter of John Dettor, and died not long before, or during, the war.
HENDERSON.
At an early day the family of Henderson owned land near Milton, both on the north and south sides of the Rivanna. A stream which empties into the river below Milton, and which rises not far from Colle, was for many years known as Henderson's Branch. John Henderson bought the land on
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which Milton stands from Dr. Arthur Hopkins, who entered it in 1732. He died in 1786. It is conjectured his wife was a Bennett, as that was a given name in the family from gen - eration to generation. His children were John, Bennett, William, Elizabeth, the wife of David Crawford, Susan, the wife of John Clark, Mary and Hannah, both married to Bul- locks, and Frances, the first wife of John Thomas, of Am - herst.
John Jr., was the owner, by gift from his father and father- in-law, of a large quantity of land lying below Milton, and in the Biscuit Run Valley. He was manifestly a man of in- fluence on his own account. He was a magistrate, and filled the office of Sheriff, though in consequence of the loss of the early records the time is not known. He died in 1790, only four years after the death of his father. His wife was Frances, daughter of John Moore, and his children Bennett, Matthew, William, Mary, the wife of Hopkins Lewis, Frances, the wife of John Hines, Sarah, the wife of Micajah Clark, and Elizabeth, the wife of Peter Martin. Bennett emigrated to Jes- samine County, Kentucky, about 1800, and Matthew followed him a few years later. William, who married Rebecca, daughter of John Hudson, conveyed six hundred acres on Bis- cuit Run to Walter Coles in 1806, when he presumably joined his kindred in the West. John Hines lived at the Pillars of Hercules, now known as Millington, sold the place in 1807 to Thomas Ellis, and removed to Kentucky, where after his de- cease his widow became the wife of John Nicoll, of Allen County. Hopkins Lewis lived on a farm on Biscuit Run given his wife by her father, but his management of it was so intolerable, that in 1801 the court took it from his control, and in 1827 his seven children, scattered over Kentucky and Tennessee, appointed attorneys to dispose of it.
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