Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 28

Author: Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, 1853-1935, ed. cn
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 848

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Dr. James Dallas Kirk, born in Hancock, Washington county, Maryland, in 1843, re- ceived his preparatory education under pri- vate tuition, then studied medicine in the Long Island Medical College, Brooklyn, New York, and at the Bellevue Hospital College, New York City. He established himself in the practice of his profession in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where he re- mained until 1882, then came to Roanoke, Virginia, where he had an extended practice until his retirement in 1910. He has been one of the foremost business men in many directions, and erected the first brick busi- ness block in the town. He was one of the organizers and builders of the Roanoke & Southern Railway, now a part of the Nor- folk & Western system; served the city on the board of education and on the board of public works, and has been for many years a director of the First National Bank of Roanoke. Dr. Kirk married Mary Elizabeth Gettys, daughter of Thomas and Eliza Jane (Anderson) Gettys ; granddaughter of John Anderson, Sr., born in 1767 in Kent county, Delaware; great-granddaughter of David Anderson, a native of Ireland, but of Scotch descent ; and a granddaughter of Thomas R. Gettys, editor of a newspaper in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg, Penn- sylvania, is named in honor of this family.

Dr. T. Allen Kirk was born in East Free- dom, Blair county, Pennsylvania, June 14, 1877. He was a young child when his par- ents removed to Roanoke, Virginia, and he attended the public schools of that town, be- ing graduated from the high school. He then matriculated at the Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia, from which he was grad-

Selin B. King.

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uated in 1898 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. While there he took a prominent part in all student activities and was a mem- ber of the Psi Kappa Psi fraternity. He next entered the medical school of the University of Virginia, and was graduated in 1901 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He was appointed clinical assistant to Dr. William Osler, with whom he was associated for eighteen months, then accepted the appoint- ment as house surgeon to Christ Hospital. Jersey City, New Jersey, which he filled very successfully for one and a half years, resigning it in order to take up private prac- tive in Roanoke. During his extensive stud- ies Dr. Kirk visited the larger number of the leading hospitals in the United States and Canada. and is regarded by his professional brethren as a surgeon of unusual skill and ability. At the present time he is physician and surgeon to the Roanoke City Hospital. He is a member of the Hampden-Sidney University of Virginia Alumni Association, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Christ Hospital, Roanoke Academy of Medicine, Southwest- ern Virginia Medical Association, State Medical Association, American Medical As- sociation, Clinical Congress of America, and the Shenandoah and Country clubs of Roa- noke. This fondness for outdoor sports now centers upon golf and tennis, combined with a decided fondness for fishing as a recre- ation. His main hobby, however, is his hos- pital work, to which he is devoted.

Edwin Burrus King. Amid the beautiful surroundings of Fauquier county, Virginia, a half mile north of Warrenton, long noted for its high altitude, beautiful scenery and invigorating climate, lies a tract of one hun- dred acres of well located land, which con- stitutes the campus and grounds of the "Stuyvesant School," founded in 1913 by Edwin B. King, its headmaster.

Professor King can trace to a distin- guished ancestry on both lines. Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of New Amsterdam, was the grandfather of Eliza- beth Stuyvesant who married Nicholas Fish, and through this marriage he traces directly to the old colonial governor whose name he has perpetuated in "Stuyvesant School." Hamilton Fish, a descendant of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Stuyvesant) Fish, and secretary of state in President Grant's cabinet, is a relative of Professor King, whose grandmother, Margaret Fish, was a

sister of the secretary. One great-grand- father was Colonel Enoch Ward, who, it is said, equipped a North Carolina company, maintaining it at his private expense during the revolutionary war. He was the grand- father of Sally Ward, grandmother of Pro- fessor King. Colonel Nicholas Fish was also a revolutionary officer, and one of the ori- ginal members of the Society of the Cincin- nati. Another ancestor, Colonel John Neil- son, was aide-de-camp to General Washing- ton and a friend of Lafayette.

Professor King is a son of Dr. Joseph Francis King, and a grandson of Francis Lathrop and Sally (Ward) King, and through his mother a grandson of Dr. John Neilson. of New York City, the Kings and Wards being distinguished Southern fami- lies.

Dr. Joseph Francis King was born in Beaufort, North Carolina, in 1832, and died in 1879. He was a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, and spent his life in medical practice. He was brigade surgeon in the Confederate States army, and for a time president of a medical college in Wilmington, North Caro- lina. He was eminent in his profession, a man of deep learning and lofty character. He married Susan Le Roy Neilson, born in New York City in 1841, died in 1909, daugh- ter of Dr. John Neilson, of New York City.

Professor Edwin Burrus King, son of Dr. Joseph Francis and Susan Le Roy (Neilson) King, was born in Wilmington, North Caro- lina, May 24, 1876. After securing his pri- mary and intermediate education he pre- pared for college at St. Mark's School at Southboro, Massachusetts, entering Yale in the fall of 1894. After a university course covering four years he was graduated B. A .. class of "98." receiving from Yale in 1908 the degree of M. A. After graduation Professor King began his chosen life work. He returned as master to St. Mark's School, the institution he had left four years carlier to enter the university. He remained at St. Mark's for nine years, adding to his edu- cational qualifications the valuable experi- ence gained in these nine years. From 1907 to 1910 he was senior master at Ridgefield School, Ridgefield, Connecticut, and from 1910 to 1912 headmaster of the Gilman Country School at Baltimore, Maryland. In 1912 he purchased one hundred acres near Warrenton, the county seat of Fauquier county, Virginia, thereon erected suitable

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buildings, and in 1913 opened "Stuyvesant School," an institution devoted to the educa- tion and development of boys. Warrenton, located fifty-six miles from Washington on a branch of the Southern Railroad, is the county seat of Fauquier, one of the richest of Virginia counties. The location of the school is ideal as regards altitude, scenery and climate. while the beautiful valleys of the Rappahannock and Shenandoah rivers, the caverns of Luray and the Blue Ridge mountains furnish attractive fields of natural beauty, and are not too far distant for oc- casional trips. "Stuyvesant" endeavors to meet the demand which exists for a school which preserves a distinctively homelike at- miosphere and at the same time furnishes exceptional opportunities for study and de- velopment. A close relationship exists be- tween masters and boys, the relationship re- sulting in stimulating the ambition of the boy and in bringing out the best in him. The religious influence of the school is in accordance with the principles of the Epis- copal church, service being attended at St. James' Church each Sunday morning. In memory of his mother, Susan Le Roy King, and of Emily Klein North, two scholarships of the value of two hundred and fifty dollars each, are awarded annually to boys of high rank and character. Under Professor King and his able corps of masters, Stuyvesant School is taking high rank and winning gen- erous patronage.

Professor King is a member of many pro- fessional associations and societies; is an Alpha Delta Phi fraternity man ; belongs to the Graduates Club of New Haven, the Yale Club of New York City. the University Club of Washington, D. C., Warrenton Hunt Club and was president of the Fauquier Club of Warrenton in 1914. His religious affiliation is with the Protestant Episcopal church, and he conducts morning and evening prayers at his school each weekday and a short service each Sunday evening according to the liturgy of that church.

On June 20, 1905, Professor King mar- ried Mary Semmes Forbes, daughter of Murray and Emilv (North) Forbes, and granddaughter of Captain James North who represented the Confederate government in England during the war, 1861-65, having pre- viously served as an officer of the Confeder- ate States navy. Children: Mary Semmes Forbes, born October 29, 1909; Edwin Bur-

rus (2), born June 19, 1912, died March 4, 1915, both born in the city of Baltimore.

At his home, "Stuyvesant," Professor King has many rare and valuable memen- toes of his ancestors, and of the great Frenchmen, Napoleon and Lafayette. Among these is a clock presented by Lafay- ette to his friend and comrade, Colonel John Neilson, great-grandfather of Professor King, who was aide-de-camp and the youngest of- ficer on General Washington's staff. This clock and many personal letters written by Lafayette to Colonel Neilson are carefully treasured at "Stuyvesant." Another valued and priceless heirloom is the writing desk of Peter Stuyvesant that has been handed down through many generations to the keeping of its present owner. Another relic of days long gone by is a large pearl, black- ened by fire, which was brought from Mos- cow by Napoleon the Great and presented by him to his wife, the Empress Josephine. The pearl was given by Josephine in later years to her friend, the Marquise De La Rosie, who was the great-aunt of Dr. Joseph Francis King, and by the latter given to his son, Edwin B. King. Still another valued possession is a flute that once belonged to John Jacob Astor, the founder of the pres- ent Astor family, who, it is said, came to this country with a capital of five pounds and five flutes. From the proceeds of these five flutes he obtained money to enter the fur trade.

Charles M. Edwards, M. D. Dr. Charles M. Edwards, of Petersburg, Virginia, is known far beyond the confines of his private practice and personal acquaintance as the editor of the Virginia Medical Semi-Month- ly, one of the standard medical journals of the state. In his connection with this scien- tific periodical, Dr. Edwards follows the course of his honored father, Landon B. Edwards, M. D., who established the journal in 1874 as the Virginia Medical Monthly, a title by which it was known until its more frequent publication caused the change to the present name in 1896. Dr. Charles M. Edwards has numerous other professional connections of responsibility and impor- tance, a private practice large and lucrative, and is numbered among the leaders of his profession in all things relating to its ad- vancement.

Dr. Edwards is a grandson of the Rev.

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John E. Edwards, a clergyman of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, who was born in North Carolina, died in Lynchburg, Vir- ginia, in 1891. at which time he was pastor of the Court Street Church. Dr. Landon B. Edwards, son of the Rev. John E. Edwards and father of Dr. Charles M. Edwards, was born in Prince Edward county, Virginia, September 20, 1845, and died in Richmond, Virginia, November 27, 1910. The places of his early education changed with his father's varying charges, and after a course in Ran- dolph-Macon Academy he matriculated at the Medical College of Virginia, subsequent- ly pursuing medical studies at the Univer- sity of the City of New York. From this last named institution he was graduated in 1867, leading his class in general average, and he at once began professional work in the city of Lynchburg, where he practiced until 1870. In this year he moved to Rich- mond, and was there active in medical circles until his death, founding, in 1874, the Vir- ginia Medical Monthly, of which he was for many years managing editor, later under the name of the Virginia Medical Semi-Monthly. He married Nannie Pettyjohn Rucker, born September 24. 1849, in Lynchburg, Virginia, and had issue: Katharine Rucker, born in 1872, resides in Richmond, Virginia, unmar- ried; Dr. Charles M., of whom further; Agnes V., lives in Richmond, unmarried ; Landon B., Jr., born in 1887, employed in the office of the city auditor of Richmond, Vir- ginia.

Dr. Charles Mundy Edwards, son of Dr. Landon B. and Nannie Pettyjohn (Rucker) Edwards, was born in Richmond, Virginia, July 30, 1875. There he attended the public schools, afterward becoming a student in Randolph-Macon Academy, and after com- plete academic preparation entered the Med- ical College of Virginia. This institution awarded him his M. D. in 1896, and for one year thereafter he served as interne in the Virginia Hospital. Dr. Edwards was asso- ciated in practice with his father until the death of the elder Edwards in 1910, and un- der his guidance and direction made his first strides toward professional prominence. No preceptor could have been better qualified to instruct and to advise in professional pro- cedure, and the gratification of the father over the aims and ambitions of his son, as- pirations that lay so nearly parallel to his own, was a source of greatest pleasure.

Since 1910 Dr. Edwards has practiced his

profession alone, and continues a connec- tion with the Virginia Medical Semi-Month- ly, with which he became associated during his father's editorship. He is at this time managing editor of the journal, having iden- tified with him as associate editors a number of the foremost physicians of the state. From 1901 to 1907 Dr. Edwards was sur- geon of the "Richmond Blues," a battalion of light infantry, and at this time serves the Norfolk & Western Railroad in that capa- city. He is a Democrat in political belief, and belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church.

He married, in New York City, October 29, 1902, Leila Le Moine Gahagan, born at Coushatta, Red River parish, Louisiana, De- cember 3, 1877, and has one son. Charles Mundy, Jr., born November 2, 1903.

John Penn Lee. This family name is of a common origin with Lea, Leigh, Lye, Lygh, Lega, Lehe, Leyra, Leighe, Lyhe, Lygh all derived from the Saxon Laey or Leah, mean- ing the "pasture or place." County Cheshire was the cradle of the Lees and a long inter- esting roll bearing the name may be found in the county histories of England.

The family Lee is one of the most ancient founded in the English records. In the eleventh century the name of Launcelot Lee is associated with William the Conqueror and in the division of estates by William, a fine estate in Essex was bestowed upon him. Lionel Lee raised a company of gentlemen cavaliers at the head of whom he accom- panied Richard "Couer de Lion" in the third crusade, 1192. For gallant conduct at the siege of Acre, he was made Earl of Litch- field and another estate was given to the family, which later was called "Ditchly." They were devoted followers of the Stuarts and for their loyalty and valor received var- ious honors and distinctions. In Virginia the name dates from 1641 and is one of the most distinguished in the state and as asso- ciated with General Robert Edward Lee, the great soldier of the Confederacy, one almost reverenced, especially by the soldiers and officers who served under him. Richard Henry Lee, the revolutionary statesman and patriot, "Light Horse Harry" Lee, are names high on the roll of honor, while in the last century to record the names of Lees who have rendered distinguished service in the civil and military life would require a volume.

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The pioneer settler was Richard Lee, one of the younger branches of the house of Litchfield, who came to Virginia in 1641. He was associated with Sir William Berke- ley and it is stated that on his return from his voyage to England, where he had held conference with Charles II., he and Berke- ley succeeded in having Charles proclaimed King of England, France, Scotland, Ireland and Virginia. While this is questioned by historians, there are coins in existence on which are quartered the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and Virginia, the whole encircled with the word "Virginia 1773."

The Hon. Thomas Lee, fourth son of Richard Lee, and grandson of Richard Lee, the founder, is given in history as one of the most prominent of early Virginians. The fine mansion Stratford was built for him by the East India Company. Stratford Hall the residence of Thomas Lee (known as President Lee) became the great centre of genial old Virginia hospitality. Here was the headquarters of the fashion, genius and nobility of the Old Dominion, and its exten- sive halls and massive corridors not only re- sounded to the strains of martial music and the festive dance, but also to the powerful voice of genius, as it eloquently went forth to establish the political events of the coun- try.

Charles Carter Lee, of Powhatan, Vir- ginia, father of John Penn Lee, in a letter thus speaks of the old mansion, his birth- place :

When I was a boy the chimneys of the old house were the columns of two summer houses, between which there was a balustrade and in Colonel Philip Lee's time during the evening promenade of ladies and gentlemen, a band of music played the while in one of the summer houses. Colonel Philip Lee also kept a barge in which the family enjoyed the music of the band upon the water. But the house is more remarkable for being the birthplace of two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and also of my brother Robert, who was born in the same chamber they were.

The signers referred to were Richard Henry Lee and Charles Lightfoot Lee, the brother was General Robert E. Lee. In his "Virginia Georgics," Mr. Lee thus refers to Stratford :

On the Potomac doth a mansion stand,

Whose walls were built of brick from old England; Eight pillars formed two summer house pillars,

From which were seen Potomac's sea-like billows ; Tall Lombardy poplars in lengthened row

Far o'er the woods a dwelling's signal show,-

A pillar of cloud by day to guide the stranger To a generous board and his horse to a good manger. This was the old seat of the Lees renowned, For what none else can boast of on the ground- For being the birthplace of two of the signers Of the Declaration of Independence.

Here, too, a circumstance to others worthless, But much to me, for I am fond of my birthplace, And am glad the sun first greeted me on earth Where the moon of independence had its birth.

Richard Henry Lee, the great political leader and statesman, was born at Stratford on the banks of the Potomac, January 20. 1732, the birthplace of George Washington and scarcely a month before that event, died at "Chantilly," his seat upon the Potomac. June 19, 1794, mourned and beloved by a grateful country.

Henry Lee the fifth son of Richard Lee, was born in Virginia, and like his brother was a member of early councils of the col- ony. He married a Miss Bland, daughter of Richard Bland. and granddaughter of Theo- dore Bland, who settled at Westover, upon the James river, in Charles City county, Virginia, in 1654. He was of the King's council, speaker of the house of burgesses and was in fortune and understanding in- ferior to no man in the country.

Henry (2) Lee, son of Henry (1) I.ee and his wife, who was a Miss Bland, was a mem- ber of the house of burgesses, took an active part in the exciting events of his time and resided at Stratford. He married at Green Spring, once the residence of Sir William Berkeley. December 1, 1753, Lucy Grymes, said to have been a descendant of Major John Grymes, son of General Thomas Grymes, who served under Cromwell. Henry and Lucy (Grymes) Lee left a fam- ily of six sons and five daughters.

General Henry (3) Lee ("Light Horse Harry"), eldest son of Henry (2) and Lucy (Grymes) Lee, was born at Leesylvania. Prince William county, Virginia, January 29. 1756. He was entrusted with the man- agement of the vast Lee estate at an early age, a trust he most ably filled. In 1776 he was commissioned captain of a cavalry com- pany, and under the command of Colonel Bland joined the provincial army under Washington. In 1778 Congress promoted him to the rank of major, for gallant con- duct, and with a fine corps of cavalry and infantry, his command soon became famous and well known as "Lee's Legion." Major Lee and his command covered the retreat of General Greene's army to Virginia before

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Cornwallis and as the rear guard performed meritorious service. They participated in many battles in the Carolinas and Georgia, "Light Horse Harry," a name that has ever clung to him, winning fame for himself and for his command a reputation as the most efficient corps in the American army. In 1781 he retired on furlough to Virginia and was happily present at the surrender of his old adversary. Cornwallis, on October 19. After the war, he was successively chosen to the state legislature, the Virginia conven- tion that ratified the constitution of the United States, governor of Virginia, 1892- 95. and Congressman. While in Congress he drew up the set of resolutions formally announcing the death of Washington to Congress containing the memorable words "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." He was selected to deliver the oration before Congress in honor of the great Washington, and on De- cember 26, 1799, delivered the eulogy in the German Lutheran Church, Fourth, above Arch street, in Philadelphia, then the largest church in the city. He held the rank of major-general, commissioned July 19, 1798, and of him it has been said, "he seemed to have come out of his mother's womb. a sol- dier." He was a man of letters ( Princeton, 1773) a scholar, of dazzling genius with an eloquence which seemed to flow unbidden. In 1801 he retired from public life and in 1809 wrote his interesting "Memoirs of the war in the Southern Department of the United States." In June, 1812, he was ser- iously injured by a mob in Baltimore while attempting to defend the home of a friend and later voyaged to the West Indies in search of health. On his way home he landed at Cumberland Island, on the coast of Georgia, the home of his old commander and friend, General Greene, where he died March 25, 1818. He was there buried, the captain and crew of a war vessel that hap- pened to be anchored there assisting at his funeral and paying the last military honors to the dead patriot.

General Lee married (first) Matilda, daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Steptoe) I udwell. He married (second) June 18. 1793, Anne Hill. daughter of Charles and Anne Buller ( Moore) Carter, of "Shirley." She was born in 1793, died in 1829.

Charles Carter Lee, second son of General Henry (3) Lee. and his second wife, Anne Hill (Carter) Lee, was born at historic

Stratford, Westmoreland county, Virginia, November 8, 1798, died March 21, 1871, and was buried at his home. "Windsor Forest." in Powhatan county. He was graduated from Harvard College, second in the class of 1819, and became a lawyer, first practicing in Washington, D. C., then in Floyd county, Virginia, next in Mississippi, where he re- mained for several years, then in Hardy and finally in Powhatan county, Virginia. He possessed a mind of a superior order, had a most retentive memory and a keen wit. He was an omnivorous reader and a brilliant conversationalist, greatly sought after at all social gatherings.

Charles Carter Lee was incapacitated by age from entering the military service of the Confederate States. His brothers, Sidney Smith Lee and Robert Edward Lee, one a commander in the United States navy, and the other a veteran of the Mexican war and an officer of the United States army, both resigned their commissions and entered the Confederate army, both for four years, serv- ing the Confederacy with the same ardor, energy and unselfishness that they had pre- viously given the whole country. Sidney Smith Lee, a graduate. had been command- ant of the United States Naval Academy and of the Philadelphia navy yard. Robert E. Lee, a graduate of West Point Military Academy, class of 1829, had been superin- tendent of the academy, 1852-55. For thirty years he served the United States with fidel- ity and was pronounced by General Scott to be "not only the greatest soldier of America but the greatest soldier now living in the world," concluding his eulogy by saying. "if he ever gets the opportunity he will prove himself the greatest captain of history." This was when General Lee was Colonel Robert E. Lee of the United States army. When the opportunity came, although he was opposed to secession, he promptly re- signed his commission when it became a question whether he should fight for or against his native state. acting in strict ac- cordance with the principals of his honored father, who, ardent Federalist that he was. had said, "Virginia is my country ; her will I obey, however lamentable the fate to which it may subject me." General Lee enter- tained no illusions such as each side pro- fessed to hold that the war would be a short one. In casting his lot with Virginia. he acted with full consciousness of the gravity of the crisis. He said, "Make your plans for

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Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 28

Author: Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, 1853-1935, ed. cn Publication date: 1915 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 848

Author: Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, 1853-1935, ed. cn
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 848