Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 56

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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In 1887, Mr. Tyler was elected to the house of delegates from Richmond, and pa- tron in that body of the bill which reestab- lished the college of William and Mary (after a suspension of seven years), by ap- propriating to its support the sum of ten thousand dollars annually. He had the sat- isfaction of seeing the bill made a law, and in August, 1888, was elected by the board of visitors president of the college, to suc- ceed the venerable Benjamin S. Ewell. Among the testimonials presented by him to the board at the time of his election was one from Colonel William E. Peters, the dis- tinguished professor of Latin in the Univer- sity of Virginia, who wrote: "The friends of the college could not secure the services anywhere, within or without the state, of one who would more certainly reanimate the college. As a student I regarded him as one of the most promising and gifted men I ever taught. A man more fit for the position could not be found in America." He and his faculty have raised the institution from the dust, and placed it among the foremost col- leges in the state. He has repeatedly fought the battles of the college in congress, in the legislature, and the state convention, and considers the bill passed making the college a state institution the consummation of his labors in its behalf. The annuity of the col- lege has been raised by degrees from ten thousand dollars to forty thousand dollars, and special appropriations have been made by congress and the legislature aggregating one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. In addition to this, President Tyler has ob- tained by his own personal efforts no incon- siderable sums of money from private sources. All this was done while the col- lege held the ubiquitous relation of being part state and part private institution, which very much handicapped the exertions of its friends

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In addition to his work in educational matters, President Tyler has accomplished much in the historical line. He was prob- ably the first man in Virginia to make a regular study of the county records by per- sonal visits to the clerk's offices in all parts of Eastern Virginia ; and in 1895 he per- suaded the legislature to appropriate five thousand dollars to begin the copying of the early books in the county courts. The result of this movement has been to add to the state library seventy-five or more folio and quarto volumes containing copies of the records of ten or twelve of the oldest counties-thus affording a treasure-house of facts relating to the early history of Virginia. In 1892, Mr. Tyler began the publication of "The Wil- liam and Mary Quarterly," the first strictly historical magazine published in Virginia. In its columns he has put on record many facts relating to the college history, the his- tory of Virginia, and the history of the United States. Philip Alexander Bruce, the distinguished author, has written that the ' William and Mary College "Quarterly" would constitute by itself a "monument" to any man.

Amidst all these engaging labors, Presi- dent Tyler has found time to write numer- ous essays and addresses and even books for the public notice. Among the more im- portant of his books may be mentioned "Parties and Patronage in the United States" (1890), one of G. P. Putnam's "Ques- tions of the Day" series; "The Cradle of the Republic" (1900) ; and "The English in America," Harper Brothers (1905).

President Tyler is a member of many soci- eties, social as well as literary. In Rich- mond he became a Mason, an Odd Fellow, a Red Man, a Knight of Pythias, and a mem- ber of other social orders, but, since becom- ing connected with the college, he has found his duties too engaging to permit him to continue his affiliation with them. He is a member of the American Philosophical As- sociation, of the American Historical Asso- ciation, vice-president of the Virginia His- torical Society; honorary member of the Maryland Historical Society. Pennsylvania Historical Society, New England Historic- Genealogical Society, and other literary soci- eties. He is a member of the order of the Sons of the Revolution, of the Society for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and other patri-

otic bodies. For four years he served as a member of the state board of education. Lately he has been elected a member of the state library board. He has received the Doctor of Laws degrees from the following institutions: Trinity College, Connecticut, 1895; University of Pittsburgh, 1912; and Brown University, 1914.

Dr. Tyler draws from the experiences of his life the lesson that a strong will power is half the battle of success. The practical test of any important proposed action is a night's sleep upon it. He tells young men never to undertake anything important with- out letting one night pass before action. After action is taken, then he urges them never to back down, but fight the fight to the end. The most important part of any man's mental strength is his will power, and it must not be trifled with.

In conclusion, we may say that Dr. Tyler, as an authority on the antiquities of the state, is almost without a rival, his opinion being sought for in many quarters. His William and Mary "Quarterly" adds prestige to even that famous institution.

One of President Tyler's greatest achieve- ments is his defence of his father's adminis- tration. Since his publication of "Letters and Times of the Tylers," and various papers based upon that, the attacks upon President John Tyler in books and encyclopedias have been less numerous and less violent. He has ably vindicated his father from many unjust slurs and assaults.

Dr. Tyler married, in 1878, Annie B. Tucker, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel St. George Tucker, poet, and author of "Hans- ford, a tale of Bacon's Rebellion." He has three children, two daughters and one son, John.

Dr. Tyler's address is Williamsburg, Vir- ginia.

Beverley Dandridge Tucker, Protestant Episcopal clergyman, was born in Rich- mond, Virginia, November 9, 1846, son of Nathaniel Beverley and Jane Shelton (Ellis) Tucker. He is descended from a long line of American ancestors of English descent, the first American progenitor of which was one George Tucker. of Crayford. Milton Manor, County Kent, England, who emi- grated to Bermuda about the year 1619. His descendant, Judge St. George Tucker, went to Virginia about 1770, settling in Williams-

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burg. He was a colonel in the war_of the revolution, a member of congress, a mem- ber of the Virginia court of appeals, United States district judge, and professor of law at William and Mary College.

St. George Tucker's grandson, Nathaniel B. Tucker, father of the subject of this sketch, was a journalist and lawyer of note, who rendered important public service to the country and to the Confederate States. From 1857 to 1861 he was United States consul to Liverpool, England; had previ- ously been printer to the United States sen- ate, and subsequent to the ordinance of se- cession of Virginia represented in Europe the cause of the Confederate States. He was a man of much force of character, genial, witty, kind hearted, and a lover of men in an unusual degree.

In his youth, Mr. Tucker was a strong, healthy lad, fond of books and sports, and ambitious to excel. A part of his boyhood was spent in England and Switzerland, in the schools of which countries he received his elementary education. Afterwards, he attended the University of Toronto for some time, and then, having the ministry of the Gospel in view, he entered the Theological Seminary of Virginia, in 1871, and was grad- uated therefrom in 1873. During the clos- ing years of the civil war, however, he had spent eighteen months in the Confederate service, with the infantry and artillery com- mands of the Army of Northern Virginia, and had taught school five years at Win- chester, Virginia.

Immediately following his graduation from the seminary, Mr. Tucker was appoint- ed rector of Lunenburg parish church, Rich- mond county, Virginia, and continued a resi- dent of that county until 1882. In the lat- ter year, he became rector of St. Paul's Church, Norfolk, Virginia, in whose service he has continued until October 3, 1906. He has served as examining chaplain of the Protestant Episcopal church for Southern Virginia ; deputy to the general convention of the Protestant Episcopal church; mem- ber of the board of visitors of William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia ; and trustee of the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary. He is now bishop coadjutor of Southern Virginia-his conse- cration to the latter position in the church having taken place on October 3, 1906.

Fraternally, Rev. Dr. Tucker is a mem-

ber of the Royal Arcanum, and chaplain of Pickett-Buchanan Camp, Confederate Vet- erans. In politics he has always been a staunch Democrat. He is the author of "Confederate Memorial Verses," "Scattered Essays and Poems," "Sketch of St. Paul's Church," and a volume of verse entitled "My Three Loves," and many articles contrib- uted to the contemporary press. In 1897 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Roanoke College, Roanoke, Virginia.

In all the qualities that go to make up a man of the first order Dr. Tucker has few equals. He has what is rarely seen in preachers-a splendid practical business sense. He is eloquent in the pulpit and has a poetic and imaginative temperament. Some of his verses are as fine as any poetry which has been produced in Virginia. He is delightful in social converse and a staunch and faithful friend.

On July 22, 1873, he married Anna Maria Washington, daughter of Colonel John Au- gustine Washington, of Mount Vernon. They have had thirteen children, all of whom were living in 1906. Of the sons : Rev. Henry St. George Tucker, formerly president of St. Paul's College, Tokyo, Japan, and now bishop of Kyoto, Japan ; Beverley Dandridge Tucker holds a Cecil Rhodes scholarship at Christ Church, Ox- ford, England, and Dr. Augustine Washing- ton Tucker is a medical missionary in China, in charge of St. Luke's Hospital, Shanghai.

The address of Dr. Tucker is 610 Court street, Lynchburg, Virginia.

Richard S. Thomas. The late Richard S. Thomas, who attained prominence in the legal profession in his native state, Virginia, becoming one of the most successful prac- titioners in Smithfield and in the surround- ing counties, was a genial and entertaining companion, a true and reliable friend, and witlial a Christian gentleman, conscientious in the discharge of every duty, mindful of the rights of his fellowmen, and faithful in the service of his Master.

Richard S. Thomas was born at his ma- ternal ancestral home, "Four Square," Isle of Wight county, Virginia, March 15, 1837, died in Smithfield, Virginia, September 19, 1914. He was educated at the University of Virginia, where he had as classmates the late Professor Thomas R. Price, Captain

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Hampden Chamberlayne, Colonel Archer Anderson and other brilliant young Vir- ginians of that day. He was graduated from that institution in the class of 1858, and at once entered upon the active practice of his profession, law, and in due course of time became what used to be generally called the "country lawyer," kindly, acute, ready of resource, and, above all, "always knew his jury." In addition, he was a practical and shrewd business man, and by safe invest- ment of his patrimony and the proceeds of his constantly increasing and highly remu- nerative law practice, achieved a comfort- able fortune which insured for him immunity from labor in his later years, he gradually giving up active pursuits as he advanced in years. He was a staunch "Churchman," neither "High" nor "Low," was active in all church work, was "Historiographer of the Southern Diocese of Virginia," and was a familiar figure, as regular lay delegate, at the annual councils of his communion. Steeped in colonial lore, and a first-hand student of Virginia records, he was an en- thusiastic member of the Virginia Historical Society, and published several valuable monographs, which brought him no small reputation among scholars. Of these, the most noteworthy are: "The Religious Ele- ment in the Settlement of Jamestown in 1607" (1898) ; "The Loyalty of the Clergy of the Church of England in Virginia to the Colony in 1776 and Their Conduct" (1907) ; and "Four Square and Fox Hunting "(1905), in which he first sketches from county rec- ords of the seventeenth century the early history of the estate, and then, in keeping with the jovial occasion, portrays in humor- ous fashion the rollicking life of hard-riding Virginia squires of his boyhood. This was prepared originally for the annual "meet" of the hounds at "Four Square," then owned by his eldest brother, who had been "Mas- ter of Hounds" in Isle of Wight for more than half a century.

Mr. Thomas and his accomplished wife were "fond of company." delighted to keep open house and to see gathered about their hospitable board kinsmen and friends. His wife was his inseparable companion wherever he went, and as they had no chil- dren, they became great travelers both in Europe and in the East, and her death, which occurred a few years previous to his. was a grievous blow to him, and he rarely left home after that sad event, becoming

more and more immersed in his books. With perfect truth might be said of Mr. Thomas what was said of Joseph Bryan, former president of the Virginia Historical Society : "His devotion to his mother state was no abstract sentiment, but the passionate loyal- ty that a Hie'lander of the eighteenth cen- tury felt for the chief of his clan." It cropped out constantly in his idlest talk and colored everything that he wrote.

The above is taken from an obituary by Captain W. Gordon McCabe, president of the Virginia Historical Society, which ap- peared in the proceedings of that society at its annual meeting in 1915.

Thomas Fortune Ryan. It is certainly within the province of true history to com- memorate and perpetuate the lives of those men whose careers have been of signal use- fulness and honor, and in this connection it is compatible that mention be made of Thomas F. Ryan, a native of Nelson county, Virginia, born October 17, 1851. As a man and as a citizen he has displayed a personal worth and an excellence of character that has not only commanded the respect of those with whom he associates but has won for him the warmest personal admiration and the staunchest friendships.

In 1868, after completing his studies, he began his business career in a dry goods house in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and two years later entered Wall street, New York City, and in 1874 became a mem- ber of the New York Stock Exchange, and subsequently became interested in the con- solidation and extension of street railway and lighting systems in New York, Chicago and other cities, also in the reorganization of various railways in the South, in coal prop- erties in Ohio and West Virginia, and rail- ways in Ohio, and in addition purchased a controlling interest of stock of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. with which extensive concern he has been identified since 1905. The fact that he was a member of the board of directors or an officer in more than thirty corporations, in which he was a controlling factor, he retir- ing from the same in December, 1908, is ample evidence that he is a man of rare executive ability, of clear-sighted judgment, active and enterprising, possessing the char- acteristics that make for success. The prin- ciple companies of which he was a director were the Guaranty Trust Company and the

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American Tobacco Company. He was a delegate from Virginia to the Democratic national convention of 1904, in which capac- ity he rendered valuable service. He holds membership in the Chamber of Commerce, Southern Society, and in the following clubs : Metropolitan, Manhattan, Union, Lawyers', Catholic, New York Athletic, Democratic, Army and Navy, Automobile, Country, Knollwood Country, Riding, Tuxedo (New York) and Metropolitan (Washington).

Mr. Ryan married, November 25, 1873, Ida M. Barry, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Emett Family. The name Emmet has existed in England for centuries. The rec- ords of Oxford show that in one of the colleges of that university, Henry Emmet received the degree of Doctor of Music in the time of Henry the Second.

Sir Bernard Burke, in his work on the "Landed Gentry," claims that members of the family bearing the name of Emot and Emmott have been landholders in Lancas- tershire since the days of William the Con- queror ; and the name variously spelled, is not infrequently found at the present day in that portion of England as well as in the adjoining county of Yorkshire. He also states : "Of this family, established in Eng- land at the conquest, the first or second on record is Robert de Emot, who held lands in Colne, 4 Edward II .; as per inquisition ; he built the mansion of Emot, and died 1310.

The Emmott family is still living on these lands at Colne, and from this source all of the race originally sprang, without reference to the different modes of spelling the name.

The Shakesperian Society of England has published a document showing who were Shakespeare's neighbors in Chapel Street Ward, Stratforde borough, Warwick. "At a certain time of great scarcity this docu- ment was doubtless made as an inventory for ascertaining the quantity of grain held by each family in the town." It is endorsed : "The noate of Corne and malte, taken the 4th of February, 1597, in the 40th year of the raigne of our most gracious Soveraigne Ladie, Queen Elizabeth," etc.

"William Shakespere is credited with ten- quarters, and William Emmette's stock on hand is given as eight quarters of Corne." As there were but four other persons in the town who held a larger quantity, and but little in excess, it is apparent from this fact, and from the locality of his residence,

that this William Emmet, in 1597, was a man of means and position in Stratford- upon-Avon.

As a result of careful investigation, it was found that there had existed no standard mode of spelling the name, and it is equally evident that in many instances the same in- dividual frequently varied his orthography at different periods of his life.

There are certain striking peculiarities strangely associated almost everywhere with the name of Emmet. The most strik- ing is in the close resemblance of the arms borne by the different branches of the fam- ily for centuries past, without regard to the different ways of spelling the name. They are the same as are used by the Emmott family of today at Colne, and were no doubt borne by Robert de Emot in the 14th cen- tury. In consideration of the importance which has been given heraldic claims in other portions of the world and the jeal- ousy with which the use was guarded, the fact stated should bear weight in proving a common origin. The records of England and Ireland also show, that an unusually large proportion of the Emmets have been professional men, not at any time having great wealth, but all seeming to have been in comfortable circumstances. This would indicate a thrifty race, with little taste for show, and one inclined to live within its means. But the most remarkable circum- stance noted was the fact "that the family has occupied about the same social position from the earliest record to the present day- a fact doubtless attributed to the training of professional life and the consequent de- velopment and maintenance of the intellect- ual faculties."*

Emett-Emmet.t The Virginia Emetts are represented in the present generation by

*I am indebted to personal letters from Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, of New York City, and to his "Memoir of Dr. John Patten Emmet, of University of Vir- ginia, for most of this information.

Authorities-Virginia State Library. Virginia Historical Society. Pennsylvania State Library.

tReferences-Henry Howe's Outline History of Virginia Early Days In and Around Stephens City. Bishop Mead's Old Churches. Burke's Landed Gen- try. Dictionary of Family Names. Genealogy of Baskerville Family, by P. H. Baskerville. Rich- mond Enquirer, October 29, 1824. Library of Con- gress-Free Collection. William and Mary Quar- teriy, Vol. XX, Vol. XV, Vol. VIII. Memoir of Dr. John Patten Emmet, by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, of New York City. Family Bibles, verified by rec- ords of these counties: Madison, Nelson, Campbeil, Halifax, Albermarle, Cumberland. D. A. R. Maga- zine, Vol. XLV., No. 6.

Note-This outline of the Emett and Allied Fam- ilies is incomplete, but is just what I could gather in a limited time. Mrs. D. T. Edwards.

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Mrs. David Terry Edwards, of Lynchburg, Virginia, and Mrs. Robert Hurt, of New York City. They are descendants of John Emmet who, as a youth of eighteen came to this country from Ireland, about the mid- dle of the eighteenth century ( possibly 1740), and settled at Stephensburg, now Stephens City, Virginia. He married Mary Stephens, only daughter of Major Peter Stephens, who was a native of Germany and a soldier in the revolutionary war. Major Stephens had mar- ried a Miss Rittenhouse, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and came to Virginia from Pennsylvania in 1732 with Joist Hite and sixteen other German families. Here he was granted by patent, a large tract of land in the Shenandoah Valley, Frederick county. Eight miles south of the present county seat, Win- chester, he laid off a farm and built his resi- dence, founding Stephens City and naming it for himself. In addition to his daughter Mary, mentioned above, Major Stephens had one son, Lewis. Children of John1* and Mary (Stephens) Emmet: Lewis, of whom fur- ther ; Mary.

(II) Lewis2 Emmet, son of John and Mary (Stephens) Emmet, married Jane Barnett Gibbs, eldest daughter of Captain Churchill Gibbs, and Judith (Richardson) Gibbs, of Richmond. Captain Churchill Gibbs, born 1754, died 1845, at his home in Madison county, Virginia. He was first lieutenant in First Virginia Regiment, served the entire time of the revolutionary war. Captain Churchill and Judith (Richardson) Gibbs' issue: Jane Barnett, born 1784, married Lewis Emmet, June 15, 1809 ; Penelope, born 1788, married Richard Rixey, of Culpeper county, 1815; Eliza, born 1800, married Henry Barnes, 1817; May, born 1790, mar- ried Benjamin Porter of Orange county, 1811; Judith, born 1793, married Reuben Strother ; Cynthia, married John R. Bohan- nan; Charles, married Mary Truehart, of Richmond ; Dr. John, unmarried ; Turner R., married and moved to Tennessee. Captain Churchill Gibbs was a son of John Gibbs and Elizabeth Churchill. John Gibbs, born November 14, 1729, son of Zacharias Gibbs. Zacharias Gibbs, born October 10, 1680, son of Gregory Gibbs and Mary Gre- gory Gibbs, born 1635, died in Middlesex parish, 1696, son of Lieutenant John Gibbs,

an Englishman, who arrived at Jamestown aboard "The Supply" in 1619. He was com- missioned "lieutenant at Jordans Journey" in 1625, was one of the gentleman justices of "Charles Cittie" county in 1655. The Gibbs coat-of-arms bears the inscription "Tenax preposti."

The children of Lewis and Jane Barnett (Gibbs) Emmet : 1. Judith R., married James R. Brooking, an Episcopal minister of Orange county, Virginia; issue, Martha J., born April 3, 1828, at Stephens City, married a Marvin. 2. Mary Eliza. 3. Jane,; married Rev. Samuel Tompkins, moved to Volcano, Wood county, West Virginia; issue: Em- met, Charles, now in Mississippi; Sam, went to Texas. 4. Juliet, married a Mr. Bell, issue : Charles, Julia. 5. John Churchill moved to Texas and married; issue: i. Thomas Addis, died without issue. ii. Dan, who has a son Thomas Addis Emmet. 6. Thomas Truxton, of whom further, married Elizabeth Pendleton. 7. Lewis Stephens, moved to Missouri, married and had issue : Lewis, Etta and one other daughter. The home of Lewis and Jane Barnett (Gibbs) Emmet is still standing in Stephens City, and is owned by the Luidamoods.

(III) Thomas Truxton3 Emett (as he spelled the name)., son of Lewis and Jane Barnett (Gibbs) Emmet, was a merchant and planter, residing for some time at Win- chester, Frederick county, Virginia, later re- moving to Nelson county, Virginia. Here he married Elizabeth Pendleton, daughter of Micajah and Mary Cabell (Horsley) Pendle- ton (see Pendleton VI). Issue : Pendleton, of whom further.

(IV) Pendleton Emett', son of Thomas Truxton and Elizabeth (Pendleton) Emett, was born July 2, 1841, died August 13, 1911. He moved to Lynchburg shortly after the close of the war between the states, and en- gaged in the dry goods business, which he followed until failing health compelled him to retire from active pursuits. He was one of the prominent merchants of his adopted city for a number of years after the war and was highly esteemed and honored by his fellow citizens. He was a devoted member of the Court Street Methodist Church, which he joined shortly after taking up his residence in Lynchburg. He was of a quiet

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Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 56

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