USA > Virginia > Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V > Part 30
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burg, declined to do, giving as his reason that he believed that he could not, under the constitution of Virginia, legally hold the office of judge and also serve as a member of the board of visitors of the University of Virginia, to which latter position he had been appointed by the governor and con- firmed by the senate. Furthermore he was nearing his sixtieth birthday and it had been for years his declared purpose to withdraw from any public position that might in any way fetter his independence of action at the age of sixty years. He also felt that as a member of the board of visitors he could be of service to the state without being burdened by confining duty. He therefore withdrew from the bench and also from legal practice, but remained a member of the board of visitors. On his appointment to the latter position the "Fredericksburg Star" thus commented on the fact :
We congratulate Governor Montague on his solici- tation of Judge A. Wellington Wallace as a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Vir- ginia. In addition to Judge Wallace's well-known natural gifts and legal attainments, he is a scholar whose culture has been added to by years of foreign travel. These qualifications, together with his financial judgment and fine common sense thoroughly equip him for the position. His interest in the State's Uni- versity is shown by his occupying the position of president of our local Alumni Association.
On retiring from the bench there were many written and printed testimonials of esteem, some of which follow :
That the high standard of judicial dignity and legal learning set by Judge Wallace is a lasting bene- fit to the city of Fredericksburg and to the common- wealth of Virginia and entitles his name to a high position among the learned and able men who have made for the courts of this commonwealth a record second to none in legal history. Resolutions of Business Men's Association of Fredericksburg.
On account of the splendid "timber in you, your exalted character, splendid equipment, intellect and culture, somehow I am sorry to see you resign. We want men, clean, strong, independent, as you are .- JUDGE T. R. B. WRIGHT.
You have been an ornament to the "bench," and I trusted you would continue your service to Vir- ginia .- JUDGE C. E. NICOL.
You have impressed me, as you have others, as a Visitor of the University. The institution needs the services of such men as you are in directing its policies and at no time to such an extent as at the present .- PROFESSOR W. E. PETERS.
It is a comfort to find that even under the imper- fect conditions of our earthly lives the gratifying
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verdict, "Well done, good and faithful servant," may come to the ears of a good man, adding strength and confidence in his faith in man and God. I rejoice to think that the University can now claim you and trust that you will see your way clear to stand by her until she is well launched on her new career .- PROFESSOR THOMAS FITZHUGH.
Among Judge Wallace's published works are: "America by Comparison," "A Good Man is a Good Citizen," "Life and Char- acter of Lord Brougham" (delivered before the Virginia Bar Association), "History and Philosophy of Marriage and Divorce."
Ever a Democrat in politics, Judge Wal- lace served in the Virginia house of assem- bly, 1875-1877, declining reelection. He was a delegate to the national Democratic con- vention of 1876 that nominated Samuel J. Tilden for President and that which placed in nomination General Winfield Scott Han- cock for that high office. He is senior warden of St. George's Protestant Episcopal Church, representing his church for many years in the Virginia diocesan council and in 1904 was delegate to the general conven- tion held in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been for many years a member of the Vir- ginia State and American Bar associations and is wherever known held in highest esteem. In 1904 he was elected president of the National Bank of Fredericksburg, fol- lowing his two brothers and a nephew in the presidency of that institution which was founded on the original Farmers' Bank of Fredericksburg, founded in 1830, of which his honored father, Dr. John H. Wallace, was the first president, and of which a Wal- lace has been president from organization. Now aged seventy-one years, Judge Wal- lace is hale and hearty, indulges in his fav- orite recreation, walking, every day, and at his home indulges in his equal passion for good literature. Honored and respected at home and abroad he can review his long and useful career with satisfaction and even look forward to years of honored usefulness.
In April, 1883, Judge Wallace married Victoria, daughter of Captain Charles K. Stevens, of Philadelphia.
James Randall Caton. The Catons of Virginia trace an English ancestry to the year 1100, and in Virginia to John Caton, who came early in the seventeenth century, settling in Henrico county at Richmond. An ancestor of James Randall Caton, of Alex- andria, Virginia, Richard Caton, of Mary- land, married Mary Carroll, daughter of
Charles Carroll, of "Carrollton," a member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Through the Carroll line descent is traced from Rob- ert II., King of Scotland, through nine gen- erations of Scotch and Irish noble families to Charles O'Carroll, son of Ely O'Carroll, created in 1552 lord baron of Ely, a descend- ant of Olioll Olum, King of Munster.
Charles O'Carroll came to America in 1687, locating in Maryland, where he was a magistrate register of the land office, agent and receiver-general of rent. He married Dorothy Blake, who bore him Daniel O'Car- roll, of "The Hall," Maryland, and Charles O'Carroll, of Droughorgan manor, Mary- land, born 1702, died 1782, attorney-general of Maryland. He married Elizabeth Brook, and his son, Charles Carroll (the O being dropped in that generation), is known in history as of "Carrollton," the father of Mary Carroll, wife of Richard Caton.
James Randall Caton, of Alexandria, Vir- ginia, is a great-grandson of Moses Caton (a descendant of John Caton, the founder), grandson of John Randall (1) Caton, died 1869, and Sarah B. Ferguson, his wife, and son of Samuel Francis Caton, born Decem- ber 10, 1832, died April 11, 1911. Samuel Francis Caton was a prosperous farmer, of Fairfax county, Virginia. He married Eliza Ann Brett, daughter of John Brett, of Vir- ginia.
James Randall Caton was born in Fair- fax county, Virginia, February 6, 1851. He attended private school in Alexandria until the outbreak of the war, 1861, and afterward completed his classical course in various pri- vate schools and institutions. He decided upon the profession of law and pursued ex- tended courses of study under different law- yers, but he had many obstacles to over- come, and on July 16, 1880, he was admitted to practice at the Virginia bar. He then established in Alexandria, and from that date has been one of the prominent figures in the legal and political life of that city. His introduction to the law was as deputy clerk of courts, a position he held from thir- teen years of age until twenty-four, and dur- ing this period determined upon his profes- sion. He has given closest attention to the law of corporations, his practice now being largely along that line. He is a recognized authority and numbers among his clients many of the important corporations of the state.
Chas. L. Mellow.
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Mr. Caton has devoted much time to the public service, has been associated promi- nently with much legislation of importance and has rendered valuable assistance in other ways. He was appointed and served one of the six commissioners to revise the laws of Virginia and bring them into con- formity with the provisions of the new Vir- ginia constitution. In 1900 he was elected member of the Virginia legislature. serving as representative from the city of Alex- andria by repeated reelections until 1910. He served on many important committees and commissions and was one of the untir- ing workers of the house. During his term one of his important acts was service on the committee appointed to revise the corpora- tion laws of the state. He served on the Alexandria city council one year, was assist- ant city treasurer, and in many ways has contributed to the progress of his city.
He is a member of various legal societies of Virginia, is prominent in the Masonic order, belonging to lodge, chapter and com- mandery of the York Rite, and holds the thirty-second degree in the Ancient Ac- cepted Scottish Rite, also is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In political faith a Democrat, he has ever been a worker and is listened to with respect in party councils.
George B. Barrow, M. D. Dr. George B. Barrow, of Virginia birth, ancestry and edu- cation, now a practicing physician of Clarks- ville, Virginia, descends maternally through the Guerrant and Roulet families, from French Huguenot ancestors who early set- tled in Virginia.
Dr. Barrow's grandfather, Benjamin Bar- row, of Henry county, Virginia, married Susan Watkins, and had issue: Peter Thomas, of future mention; Orin, a captain in the Confederate army, fought at Manas- sas (Bull Run) and at the battle of the Seven Pines, was three times wounded be- fore he left the field; Robert, a surgeon in the Confederate army, killed at the battle of Winchester; John A., a private in the Confederate army ; Watson A., a private of the Confederate army. As Peter Thomas Barrow was also a soldier of the Confed- eracy, the record made by the five sons of Benjamin Barrow is a proud one.
Peter Thomas Barrow, son of Benjamin and Susan (Watkins) Barrow, was born in VIR-46
Henry county, Vingmia, in 1843, died in 1910, a manufacturer of furniture. Together with his four brothers he offered his life in defence of his native state and enlisted in the Confederate army, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He escaped the perils of war and spent his after life engaged in business. He married Augusta Dora Guerrant, born in Pittsylvania county, Virginia, who yet sur- vives him, a resident of Danville, Virginia. She is a daughter of Peter D. and Elvira (Roulet) Guerrant and descends from French Huguenot ancestry.
Dr. George Bruce Barrow, son of Peter Thomas and Augusta Dora (Guerrant) Bar- row, was born in Danville, Virginia, No- vember 1, 1884. His early and classical edu- cation was obtained in the city public schools and Danville Military Institute, entering the latter institution in 1900 and graduating in 1903. He decided upon the medical profession and later entered the Medical College of Virginia at Richmond, from whence he was graduated Doctor of Medicine. He spent a year as interne, then began private practice in Halifax county, Virginia, but after one year removed to Clarksville, Mecklenburg county, Virginia, beginning practice there in 1911. He is a member of the Virginia Medical and Pied- mont Medical societies, keeping thereby in close touch with the world outside his own sphere. For one year he was connected with the medical corps of the Second Regiment Virginia National Guard as surgeon, rank- ing as captain. He is a Presbyterian in re- ligion, and a member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics.
Charles L. Melton, A. M. After a com- prehensive classical course of college study, Professor Melton began his work as an edu- cator at Randolph-Macon Academy, an in- stitution of which he is now the honored head. The year of his entrance to the edu- cational field, 1892, was also the year of the foundation of Randolph-Macon Academy at Front Royal, Virginia, Professor Melton being the first headmaster of the school. His service has not been continuous ; cover- ing the first four years of the life of the acad- emy, it was then interrupted for one year, but since 1897 as assistant to the principal, Dr. W. W. Smith, and as principal, he has continuously been in the service of the acad- emy to which he came, a young college
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graduate, to cast his fortune with the newly founded .institution.
Randolph-Macon Academy at Front Royal was opened by the board of trustees of the Randolph-Macon system for its first year in 1892, its establishment being made possible by the liberality of friends, chief among whom were the people of Warren county. Its field is between the preparatory home school and the real college course, its pur- pose being to fit youths for college or uni- versity under discipline appropriate to their years, and under wholesome moral influences.
The academy is situated at Front Royal, Virginia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains within half a mile of the Shenan- doah river, and in the heart of the famous valley of Virginia. It is easy of access by rail and near to a number of centers of popu- lation, being only seventy-eight miles from Washington, D. C. The region is one of the finest in the state both for health and beauty of scenery, and is rich in historic interest. The grounds comprise twenty acres, the academy standing in the midst on an emi- nence selected for its noble landscape, com- plete drainage and its abundant supply of fresh, pure air and good water.
Discipline is based on strong and clear conviction of right, and administered in a spirit of kindly sympathy. The rules are few, but enforced with impartial certainty. Reverence for God and trust in Him are presented as the foundations of character, and the day's work is begun and ended with worship which all attend. To develop and foster a spirit of honor, truthfulness and absolute honesty, and to make the moral atmosphere not only wholesome, but invig- orating and uplifting, is the first and great- est aim of the principal and his associates of the faculty. Athletics are encouraged by a well equipped gymnasium, ball grounds and tennis courts; two literary societies offer incentives and present opportunities for the acquirement of skill in public speak- ing, medals and public honors being awarded in public at the close of each session.
As the head of an institution of such high class, Professor Melton has met fully every demand of his position, and has acquired a high standing among modern educators. He descends from an old Virginia family. Mel- ton Station, founded in 1826, is named for the family, who number many names promi- nent in Virginia history. Prior to the settle-
ment of the family in the Shenandoah Val- ley of Virginia in 1800, several generations were numbered among the Quaker families of Pennsylvania, the seat of the first family settlement. Professor Melton is a son of Dr. Wilson N. Melton, born in Louisa county, Virginia, died April 20, 1881. He was an eminent physician of Cedarville, Warren county, Virginia, a citizen of high standing and great worth. He married Sarah Frances, daughter of John Wesley Mckay. Children: Charles Lewis, of fur- ther mention; John Lee, Thomas Samuel, William Henry, Joseph L., Julia E., married Joseph W. Kenner; Angelina, married Jo- seph N. Hite.
Charles Lewis Melton, A. M., son of Dr. Wilson N. and Sarah Frances (Mckay) Melton, was born in Rappahannock county, Virginia, April 12, 1865. His early educa- tion was secured in the public schools of Warren county, after which he prepared at Neosho Collegiate Institute, entered Ran- dolph-Macon College in 1886, and was grad- uated Master of Arts in 1892. In Septem- ber, 1892, he began his four years connec- tion with the newly established Randolph- Macon Academy at Front Royal, having been elected headmaster. The crucial period in both the life of the young institution and the life of the young professor was safely passed, and the four years were fruitful ones for both. In 1896 he resigned to become vice-principal of Danville College at Dan- ville, Virginia, returning to his first love a year later as assistant to the principal, Dr. W. W. Smith, under whose wise and capable leadership he served two years. In 1899 he was elected principal of the academy faculty, a position he has most capably filled for the past fifteen years and still holds. He is an educator of the highest modern type, earn- est and devoted to his work, and under his learned, zealous and skillful management Randolph-Macon Academy ranks with the leading preparatory schools of the country. Professor Melton is a member of the lead- ing educational associations of the South. In religion he is a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics an Independent.
On June 24, 1886, Professor Melton mar- ried Gertrude, daughter of Rev. John Daven- port Blackwell, D. D., deceased, member of the Virginia conference, Methodist Epis- copal Church (South), and Julia Anna (Butts) Blackwell.
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Francis Milton Whitehurst. For over forty years an eminent lawyer of the Vir- ginia bar, and for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury a practicing lawyer of the Norfolk, Virginia, bar, Mr. Whitehurst was an orna- ment to the profession he embraced, after his return from a Federal military prison, in which he was confined during the last year of the war between the states.
Francis Milton Whitehurst was born in Princess Anne county, Virginia, December 1, 1835, died in Norfolk, Virginia, March 2, 1908. He was the son of Colonel William Whitehurst, a descendant of Richard White- hurst, one of the early colonists of Tide- water, Virginia. Colonel Whitehurst mar- ried Amy Lovett, and had issue : Anne, Eliz- abeth, Daniel, Margaret, William H., Jane, Marie Antoinette, Francis Milton, Randolph and Amy. Francis Milton Whitehurst was early educated in private schools in Princess Anne county, finishing his preparatory studies at Pollard's Private School, in Nor- folk, and Norfolk Academy. In 1860 he entered the law department of the Univer- sity of Virginia, but left the university to enter in the Confederate army, joining Com- pany F, enlisted in Norfolk, and attached to Mahone's brigade. He served continuously during the entire war. He won a lieutenancy for bravery at Chancellorsville, and at the battle of the "Crater," Petersburg, July 30, 1864. was taken prisoner while taking part in the desperate charge made by the Con- federates to recover the position from which they had been driven by the explosion of the mines. He was held a prisoner by the Fed- eral government until the close of the war, then returned to Princess Anne county, where he completed his law studies, was ad- mitted to the bar and established in practice. When the court system of Virginia was re- organized, he was elected by the legislature of Virginia judge of Princess Anne county court, a position he held six years, then re- signed. Later he was elected commonwealth attorney for Princess Anne county, holding that office until 1884. when he resigned and moved to Norfolk, Virginia. There he formed a law partnership with Floyd Hughes, practicing as Whitehurst & Hughes until his death. He practiced in all state and Federal courts of the district, and con- ducted a large business in all. He was held in high esteem by his professional brethren, while his public spirit and genial person- ality endeared him to all. He was a member
of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Associa- tion. He was a Democrat in politics.
Mr. Whitehurst married, January 21, 1873, Laura E. Styron, daughter of Henry Barus and Susan ( Whitehurst) Styron, and grand- daughter of Malachi and Susan (Barus) Styron. Malachi Styron was a wealthy lum- Lerman and heavy dealer in Georgia pine, used in shipbuilding. Henry Barus Styron, his son, was a farmer of Princess Anne county, a man of education, a magistrate of his county, a steward, trustee and pillar of the Methodist Episcopal church. He served during the war between the states, as pri- vate in Company F, Sixth Regiment Vir- ginia Infantry, Holmes' brigade, seeing hard service. Children of Francis M. and Laura E. (Styron) Whitehurst: Sue Maud, born October 30, 1873, married, October 27, 1897, Cary Parks Weston, and has a son, Cary Lee, born January 16, 1906; Ethel Frances, born January 7, 1875, married, April 9, 1901, Robert Edmonds, and has a son, Robert (2), born February 17, 1902; Mabel Styron, born May 25, 1883, married, November 27, 1904, Lloyd Jordan Dill, and has a daugh- ter, Frances W., born February 16, 1906. Mrs. Laura E. (Styron) Whitehurst sur- vives her husband, a resident of Norfolk.
William Edward Harwood, M. D. In the life of Dr. William Edward Harwood, of Petersburg, Virginia, there are the elements that make not only for the deepest interest, but which compel admiration and respect. His attainments as a physician are worthy and honorable, but it is not the success that has been his in his chosen profession nor the popularity in which he stands among his fel- lows that cause one to read the story of his life with respectful regard and sincere ad- miration. That which induces those feel- ings is that he took up the battle of life maimed by a sacrifice of patriotism, handi- capped by the loss of his right arm, shot away in the defence of the principles upon which were founded the Confederate States of America, and, laboring under this disad- vantage, rose to worthy position in a diffi- cult profession.
Dr. William Edward Harwood is a son of John Dunlap Harwood, whose father came from his home in Scotland and founded his family in Virginia. John Dunlap Har- wood was born on the home farm on the James river, and died in 1866. Although his
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age prevented him from military service, he refused exemption from service at the time of the siege of Petersburg and fought in the trenches. He married Sarah Frances Hatcher, born in Chesterfield county, Vir- ginia, and died in 1863, aged thirty-six years. They were the parents of two children, Dr. William Edward, of whom further, and Sarah Riches, who married W. P. White- head, of Petersburg, Virginia, and died Feb- ruary 6, 1915, aged sixty-four years, the mother of Mary C. and William Harwood.
Dr. William Edward Harwood was born in Petersburg, Virginia, September 10, 1847. His early education was obtained in the school maintained by Professor McCabe, after which he attended William and Mary College. His scholastic work was inter- rupted by the war between the states, and as soon as he was accepted for service, at the age of sixteen years, he became a private in Company B, Fourth Battalion of Virginia Reserves, commanded by Major F. H. Archer. At the battle of Reeves' Farm, a lad of seventeen years, he lost his right arm. At the close of the war he returned to his studies, and on March 6, 1873, was gradu- ated from the Medical College of Virginia with the degree Doctor of Medicine. Since that time he has been an active practitioner, and it is a high tribute to his ability as a physician to say that he stands as high in his profession as he does in the love and friendship of those who are privileged to know him well. Dr. Harwood has been called to public service in different capac- ities, and in 1879 was chosen to represent his district in the Virginia legislature. His long term of activity has made him a familiar figure in Petersburg, and the re- membrance of his ready sympathy and ten- der kind-heartedness will live long in the hearts of the hundreds to whom he has min- istered. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Dr. Harwood married (first) in Peters- burg, Virginia, in 1885, Mary E. Goddard, who died in 1890; (second) Fannie Mason Cole, born in Chesterfield county, Virginia, daughter of William and Emma (Mason) Cole. William Cole, deceased, was a soldier in the Thirteenth Regiment Virginia Cav- alry, Confederate States army, and is sur- vived by his wife, a resident of Chesterfield county, Virginia. By his first marriage Dr. Harwood is the father of Mary Riches, mar-
ried E. H. Hoy, of Petersburg, and John Maynard, a graduate of Richmond high school and Richmond College, now a stu- lent in the Medical College of Virginia, class of 1917. He has one daughter of his second marriage, Fannie Mason, born February 18, 1895, married Edwin Graves Temple, of Evergreen, on the James river, Virginia.
Joseph Dunn Osborne, M. D. Joseph Dunn Osborne, M. D., of Petersburg, has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in that city for a period of sixteen years, and has gained the esteem and confidence of his fellows, not only as a phy- sician, but as a gentleman of true Southern character. He is descended from John Os- borne, who married Jane Pleasants Harri- son, daughter of Nathaniel and Anna (Gil- liam) Harrison, of Petersburg, Virginia (see Harrison). John Osborne and wife had chil- dren: Jane Harrison, died unmarried ; Charles Francis, married Mary Field Gil- liam ; Nathaniel Montgomery Mckenzie, M. D .; Pleasants Carter ; Edmund Harrison, and John Dunlop.
(II) Edmund Harrison Osborne, son of John and Jane P. (Harrison) Osborne, was born in Petersburg, where he was engaged through life in the manufacture of tobacco. He married Sarah Cabaniss, of Dinwiddie county, Virginia, and they were the parents of three children, all now deceased: Robert Cryer, receives further mention below; Jennie, was the wife of Colonel Gordon S. McCabe, and died in 1912; Elizabeth, be- came the wife of Captain John R. Patter- son, and died in 1872 (see Patterson).
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