Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 91

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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educated in St. Mary's Male Academy, Nor- folk. He then began business life as a clerk in the employ of Charles E. Scott & Com- pany, coal dealers. In 1897 he entered the employ of Johns Brothers, Incorporated, coal and wood dealers on a large scale, as clerk and bookkeeper. After years of efficient service with this company he was admitted a partner in 1915. Mr. Hudgins married (first) March 16, 1898, Annie Ives Hall, born September 25, 1880, died October 26, 1901, daughter of William W. and Harriet A. (Ives) Hall. Child by this marriage : Hattie Louise, born May 22, 1900. Mr. Hudgins married (second) February 2, 1905, Sarah Jane Roberts, born April 12, 1884, daughter of Thomas Kemp and Leonide (Pitt) Roberts, of Norfolk, Virginia ..

The Matthews, Buckner, Stone, Daven- port, Callender and de Montalant coats-of- arms are in use in the above family.

Frank Nash Bilisoly. The first settle- ment of the Bilisolys in Virginia was made at Norfolk about 1780 by Antoine Sylvestre Bilisoly, who came from San Domingo, West Indies. The present representative of the family in Portsmouth, Frank Nash Bilisoly, married Charlotte Ruth Hudgins, a descendant of John Hudgins, who came to Virginia from Gloucestershire, England, and is the founder of the Hudgins family of Mathews county, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia.

(I) Antoine Sylvestre Bilisoly married Marie Adelaide Accenelli and came from St. Domingo to Norfolk, Virginia, with wife and daughters. He engaged in shipbuilding in Portsmouth, prospered and acquired property, including several vessels engaged in the coasting trade.

(II) Joseph Antoine Bilisoly, only son of Antoine Sylvestre and Marie Adelaide Bili- soly, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1799, died in 1881. He became a very wealthy merchant, exporter, vessel owner and trader. He owned vessels trading to many ports and filled out trading expeditions to various islands and countries, sending teams laden with goods into the interior and exchang- ing them with the natives for gold and valu- ables. He married Eliza Ann Benson, who bore him four sons and seven daughters.

(III) Joseph Lorenzo Bilisoly, son of Joseph Antoine and Eliza Ann (Benson) Bilisoly, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia,

F. Nash Bilisoly

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in 1840, died May 19, 1904. He was edu- cated in Professor Webster's Military Acad- emy and when war broke out between the states, enlisted in the Old Dominion Guard, the noted Portsmouth company. After the war he returned to Portsmouth, later be- coming cashier of the Bank of Portsmouth, a position he most capably filled for seven- teen years. He was a commander of Stone- wall Camp, Confederate Veterans, a Demo- crat in politics, and a communicant of the Roman Catholic church. He married, March 10, 1862, Mary Elizabeth Bourke. Children : I. Walter Livingston, born July 1, 1866; married, November 25, 1896, Lillian Gordon Ellis, born in Norfolk, August 6, 1868, daughter of W. H. C. and Virginia A. (Nottingham) Ellis; children : Walter Ellis, born August 28, 1897; Joseph Moniz, October 28, 1898; William Henry Crawford, January 27, 1901 ; Virginia Ellis, April 30, 1902, died May 13, 1903; John Livingston, November 7, 1903, died July 29, 1904; David Livingston, April 27, 1905 ; Elizabeth Lang- horne, October 22, 1907. 2. Frank Nash, of further mention. 3. Mary Lorena, born March 21, 1871 ; married Everett J. Sadler, who was in charge of a standard oil plant in Roumania, Europe, at the outbreak of the present war between Germany, Austria and allied Europe. Children: Elizabeth and Isabel. 4. Adele Virginia, born April 15, 1878; married William Henry Bagley. 5. Louvel Antoine, born September 2, 1881 ; married Lucrece White, and resides at Ra- leigh, North Carolina; children: Louvel, Bourke and Turner.

(IV) Frank Nash Bilisoly, second son of Joseph Lorenzo and Mary Elizabeth (Bourke) Bilisoly, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, August 19, 1868. He attended public schools, finishing his studies in 1888 with a three years' course at Professor Web- ster's Military Academy. He began busi- ness life in the employ of a railroad com- pany and transporation company, continu- ing in that business until 1903, then spent a few years engaged in farming. In 1906 he returned to Portsmouth and established a real estate business that he successfully continues. From youth he was deeply in- terested in civic affairs and in 1890, at the age of twenty-two years, was elected a member of the city council. He also has been police commissioner of Portsmouth and a member of the school board. He is

a director of the Industrial Loan Corpora- tion, secretary and director of the Elizabeth Building and Loan Association and a direc- tor of the Bullock Land Corporation, all live, successful institutions. He is a Demo- crat in politics, a member of the Roman Catholic church and of the Knights of Co- lumbus, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Woodmen of the World and of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks.

Mr. Bilisoly married, October 4, 1892, Charlotte Ruth Hudgins, born in Ports- mouth in 1868, eldest child of Colonel Henry Clay and Lucrece (Langhorne) Hud- gins, granddaughter of Captain Robert King and Sarah James (White) Hudgins, great-granddaughter of Captain Robert and Susan ( Buckner) Hudgins, and great-great- granddaughter of John Hudgins, the Vir- ginia founder of the family, an Englishman from Gloucestershire (see Hudgins sketch). Children of Frank Nash and Charlotte Ruth (Hudgins) Bilisoly: Charlotte Ruth, born September 29, 1893; Joseph, June 12, 1895 ; Frank Nash (2), November 15, 1896; Lu- crece Hudgins, March 24, 1898.

Claudius Laurens Hudgins. John Hud- gins came to Gloucester county, Virginia, from Gloucestershire, England, and is the founder of the various Hudgins families of Mathews county, Virginia, whose descend- ants are numerous in Norfolk. One line de- scends from Robert Hudgins and the line herein recorded, now represented in Nor- folk by Claudius L. Hudgins, descends from Jesse Hudgins, a soldier of the war of 1812, and a wealthy planter, slave owner, distiller, and expert wood worker of Mathews county, Virginia.

Jesse Hudgins was born in Mathews county, Virginia, and there died. He ac- quired an expert knowledge of cabinet mak- ing and specimens of his handiwork are yet owned by his descendants. He owned land and slaves and distilled peach and apple brandy from fruit grown on his own plan- tation. He was a Democrat in politics, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Jesse Hudgins married (first) a Miss Stewart and had issue: Amelia F .; Sally ; Rosanna ; William D., born 1810, died 1825 ; John P., born 1813, died 1826; Lucina ; Jesse, born 1818, died 1825; Humphrey, of whom further. Jesse Hudgins married (second) a Miss Borum.

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Humphrey Hudgins, youngest son of Jesse Hudgins, was born in Mathews county, Vir- ginia, in 1820, died 1898. Until the war broke out between the states, he cultivated his extensive acres and conducted a general store. He served four years in the Con- federate army in Armisteads battery under Colonel A. W. Stark and passed through his four years of hard service without wound or capture, attaining the rank of quarter- master's sergeant. He returned to his farm after the war and rebuilt his shattered for- tunes, continuing the cultivation of his own acres until his retirement. He was for many years a member of the official board of the Methodist Episcopal church, served on the school board and on the board of supervisors, bearing his part of all the bur- dens of civic and church duty. He is a member of Pickett Buchanan Camp, Con- federate Veterans, and in politics is a Democrat. Mr. Hudgins married Nancy, daughter of Captain William Thomas, of Mathews county, Virginia, her father a sea captain. Child, Claudius Laurens, of whom further.

Claudius Laurens Hudgins, only child of Humphrey and Nancy (Thomas) Hudgins, was born in Mathews county, Virginia, Feb- ruary 16, 1860. He was educated in the public schools, and remained with his par- ents at the home farm until 1879. He then engaged in the commission business for two years, and in 1881 entered the employ of the Old Dominion Steamship Company at Nor- folk as clerk. He continued in the service of that company for thirty-three years, mak- ing a record of efficient and lengthy ser- vice, rarely equalled. He held many im- portant office positions during that period, was chief clerk of various departments and was a thoroughly-trusted and highly-re- garded member of the office force. At the November elections of 1913 Mr. Hudgins was elected city sergeant of Norfolk, enter- ing upon the duties of his office, January I, 1914, for a term of four years. He is a Democrat in politics, has been chairman of his ward committee and ever an active worker for party supremacy. He is a mem- ber of the Business Men's Association. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, which he serves as steward, and be- longs to the Heptasophs.

Mr. Hudgins married, in 1883, Nannie Hope, daughter of William and Joyce

(Brooks) Diggs, of Mathews county, Vir- ginia. Mr. Diggs is a lineal descendant of Governor Digges, of Virginia. Children : I. Helen Hope, born November 30, 1883; married William J. Grandy, and has a son, William J. (2). 2. Carrie Brooks, born Au- gust 16, 1885; married J. W. Jenkins. 3. Mary Walton, born March 20, 1887. 4. Claudius Laurens, Jr., born November 13, 1890. 5. Harold, born January 17, 1893. 6. Jesse Lee, born April 11, 1900, died June 10, 1902.

Julian Funsten Ward, M. D. Studying for the medical profession after a technical training, and beginning the practice of medi- cine after having been engaged in civil en- gineering for some years, Dr. Julian F. Ward has, with the exception of a two years connection with the surgical corps of the United States army and a few years in pri- vate practice, been associated with the relief department of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road. The son of George W. and Julia Ann (Funsten) Ward, he was born in Frederick county, Virginia, in March, 1851, and after attending a private school in Winchester, became a student in the Winchester Acad- emy. For eight years he was a civil engi- neer in the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Later he entered the University of Virginia, graduating from that institution in 1877, with the degree of M. D. He then entered the government service in the capa- city of assistant surgeon in the United States army, being for two years stationed on the Mexican frontier. At the expiration of that time he resigned his army assign- ment and moved to Baltimore, where, in 1886, he married Eleanor, daughter of Wil- liam Knight of Cecil county, Maryland. For two years he engaged in general practice in that city, and later entered the service of the relief department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, holding for a time the office of chief medical examiner.

In 1888 Dr. Ward returned to Winches- ter, and has since been medical examiner for the same railroad, the territory of which he is in charge extending from Hag- erstown, Maryland, to Lexington, Virginia. His experience has been varied, and Dr. Ward has had the unusual opportunity to prove his efficiency in the two professions of civil engineering and medicine. In 1913 Dr. Ward became mayor of the city of Win-

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chester and has recently entered upon his second term of this office, and has held other positions of responsibility and trust of a public nature.

Dr. Ward's family has long been resident in Virginia, being the grandson, on the pa- ternal side, of Daniel Ward and Mary ( Fish- back) Ward, of Culpeper county, Virginia. and, on the maternal side, of Oliver Fun- sten and Margaret (McKay) Funsten, the former having come to White Post, now in Clarke county, from Belfast, Ireland, near the beginning of the last century. Dr. Ward's father, George W. Ward, Sr., who for many years represented Frederick county upon the bench of the county court and in the Virginia legislature, died in March, 1902. His other sons were Judge George W. Ward, Jr., who died at Abing- don, Virginia, in January, 1897; Rev. David F. Ward, of the Episcopal church, who died in Rockville, Maryland, in July, 1908; and Robert M. Ward, who is a lawyer and resi- dent of Winchester, Virginia.

John Kerr Branch. John Kerr Branch, a prominent citizen of Richmond, Virginia. is a scion of one of the oldest and strong- est families of the state. Tradition states that the family is descended from Sir John Branch, born about 1485, who was lord mayor of London. His son, William Branch, a Protestant fanatic, was the father of Thomas Branch, whose son, Christo- pher Branch, was the pioneer of the fam- ily in this country. From Christopher Branch the line is traced by record, and there is none of the doubt of tradition. It is supposed that he came from the county of Kent, England, where he was born about 1660, and married very early in life. With his wife Mary he came to Virginia in March, 1620, and was living in Henrico when the first census was taken in February, 1624. He came to Virginia in the ship London Merchant of three hundred tons, which sailed from Tilburyhope, sent out by the Virginia Company in March, 1620, with two hundred colonists. His settlement was on the "college land," a large tract in Henrico county appropriated to the purposes of edu- cation, especially in behalf of the Indians. This intention was abandoned after the great massacre of 1622, and the lands were thrown open to the public. Christopher Branch and family were among the few who

escaped from that massacre. He patented one hundred acres at Arrowhattocks in Hen- rico county, and September 14, 1636, he patented another one hundred acres at Kingsland, on the south side of the river. By subsequent patents and purchase he ac- quired an extensive plantation in the ex- treme northeast of Chesterfield, bordering on the James river and south of Proctor's creek. The present Kingsland creek ran through his property. It is apparent that he possessed but little means on his arrival, but he became a successful grower of to- bacco. He seems to have exchanged his first one hundred acres for a like amount at Kingsland. He filled various honorable of- ficial stations, and died in December, 1681, or January following. His wife Mary died before 1630. He had sons Thomas, William and Christopher.

The youngest of these, Christopher Branch, was born about 1627 and settled in Charles City county, where he continued to reside about twenty years, and died in 1665. There is no record of his wife, but three sons are known, Christopher, Samuel and Benjamin.

The youngest, Benjamin Branch, was born in 1665 and was reared by his grand- father, Christopher Branch, of Kingsland, who built for him a house on the western portion of the estate, which Benjamin cleared. He inherited a small plantation. About 1695 he married Tabitha, eldest daughter of Edward Osborne, of Henrico.

The only child recorded is Benjamin (2) Branch, born about 1700, and was reared by his maternal uncle, Edward Osborne, of Henrico. About 1721 he took possession of the small estate left by his father, lying on the south side of James river, and about 1740 became a citizen of Chesterfield, when that county was formed from the lower por- tion of Henrico. At his death in 1761 he was possessed of considerable landed prop- erty, his permanent home being upon a plan- tation which lay in the extreme southwest- ern part of the present Chesterfield county, bordering on Sapponey creek. He married, prior to 1727, his second cousin, Mary, eld- est daughter of Thomas Osborne, of Hen- rico. Children: Mary, Martha, Benjamin. Thomas. Edward, Obedience and Prudence.

Captain Benjamin Branch, eldest son, was born about 1732, and inherited from his father a half interest in the Redwater mill.

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He acquired a large plantation, surround- ing his residence, "Willow Hill," and also owned various tracts in Chesterfield and Amelia county, and was a man of promi- nence and wealth. In 1774 he was a member of the Chesterfield county committee of safety, and in the same year was a justice of the peace. During the revolution he served as a captain in the Chesterfield mili- tia, and was awarded two hundred and twenty-nine pounds, four shillings and two pence in 1777 for the pay of his company. In 1780 he was a justice, and in 1786 was sheriff of Chesterfield. He died in the lat- ter year. He married, about 1755, Mary, whose surname is supposed to have been Goode. Children : Benjamin, Edward, Ann, Thomas and Obedience.

The third son, Thomas Branch, was born April 4, 1767, and inherited lands in Amelia county. He acquired the plantation "Wil- low Hill" in Chesterfield, and there lived during his later years. He was appointed justice for Chesterfield in 1797, and died September 10, 1818. He married, in 1787, Mary, daughter of Colonel David Patteson, of Chesterfield, and had children: Eliza- beth, Mary, Benjamin, David, Henry, Martha, Obedience, Thomas Turpin, died four months old; Thomas, John, Wilkin- son, Lucy Frances, Jordan, Julius Caesar, Sarah, died in second year, and Sarah Pat- teson.

The third son, Thomas (2) Branch, was born December 23, 1802, at Willow Hill, in his father's mansion in Chesterfield county. In early manhood he located at Petersburg, where he established himself as a commis- sion merchant and banker. He was the founder and successful manager of several firms of whose titles his name formed a part, the last being Thomas Branch & Company, established in Richmond during the Civil war. In 1871 Mr. Branch founded the Mer- chants National Bank of Richmond, acting as its president until 1880, when he resigned and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son. While a resident of Petersburg, he was a member of the common council, sev- eral terms mayor of the city, and sheriff of the county. He was one of the signers of the ordinance of secession in 1861, assent- ing to this measure only upon the urgence of his constituents. He had been a Union man until the actual beginning of hostilities, and had voted against Virginia's leaving

the Union. Having cast his lot with his home state, he and his five sons served in the interest of the Confederate government, and much of his wealth was devoted to the support of the cause. After the war, Mr. Branch made his permanent home in Rich- mond, where he died November 15, 1888. In 1848 he met with business reverses, but within a short time discharged every finan- cial obligation, and was later noted for his conservatism as a merchant. The firm of which he was head passed through the great panics of 1857 and 1873 unharmed, and at his death he was in possession of a considerable fortune. At the age of thirty years he united with the Methodist church, and was one of its most active and devoted members through life. He acted as treas- urer of the Virginia Bible Society, and was many years treasurer of the Magdalen As- sociation of Richmond, and president of the board of trustees of Randolph-Macon Col- lege. His financial contributions to the church and various other organizations were very large. He married (first) at Oak Hill, Amelia county, Virginia, October 19, 1825, Sarah Pride, daughter of John Blythe Read, of Wales and Chesterfield. He married (second) in Westmoreland county, April 22, 1857, Annie Adams, daughter of Joseph Wheelwright, of Westmoreland. Children, the last three born of the second marriage : Thomas Waverly, James Read, John Pat- teson, Susan Doggett, Sarah Frances, Thomas Plummer, Mary Austin, Emily Read, Bettie, Rosalana, William Addison, Melville Irby, Eugene, D'Arcy Paul, Carter Wheelwright, Miriam, and Carolina.

John Patteson Branch, third son of Thomas (2) and Sarah P. (Read) Branch, was born October 9, 1830, in Petersburg. He enjoyed the best educational advantages of his city, but was prevented from enter- ing college by frail health, and soon turned his attention to a commercial career, enter- ing his father's office at the age of eighteen years as a clerk. He was not contented to occupy a subordinate position, and immedi- ately turned his attention in spare hours to the study of books on commercial subjects, and thus made himself useful in the busi- ness where he was employed. On the out- break of the Civil war he at once entered the Confederate army, and was subsequently a first lieutenant in the Forty-fourth Virginia Batallion. His service continued until the

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close of the struggle, and he was a member of the forces of General Lee when surrend- ered at Appomattox. He was detailed on the staff of Major Snodgrass, who was act- ing quartermaster general of Lee's army, but on the cessation of hostilities immedi- ately engaged in business as a banker, re- moving in 1871 from Petersburg to Rich- mond, where his home continued until his death. He was probably the foremost busi- ness man of the South, succeeding his ven- erable father as president of the Merchants National Bank of Richmond in 1880, and soon after became head of the banking and commission firm of Thomas Branch & Com- pany, of the same city, holding both these positions until the close of life. He was the author of numerous articles on finance, which afforded instruction to many in things concerning the business development and commercial welfare of the community. He was a recognized leader in the movement for city improvements, insisting on better streets, good sewerage, pure food, and all the things making for the public welfare. His was no unimportant part in the reor- ganization of the board of health and the adoption of effective sanitary regulations. He donated to his home city the funds nec- essary .for erecting the first public baths in the state, and was a liberal contributor to every public charity or work calling for gifts from men of means. Mr. Branch never sought or accepted a political office, but his influence was largely felt throughout the community, and always was exerted for the promotion of the public welfare. At the early age of thirteen years, he united with the Methodist church, and was a faithful and liberal supporter of that organization, as well as of many other agencies for the uplifting of mankind. He was a steward and trustee of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Richmond; one of the trustees of the Randolph-Macon sys- tem of colleges and academies; a trustee of the Methodist Orphanage of the Virginia conference, and of the board of managers of the Methodist Institute for Christian Work in Richmond. He was repeatedly a delegate to the annual and general conferences of the church, and built and equipped the Branch Dormitory at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, as a memorial of his wife, who died in 1896. For many years he was one of the largest contributors to the mission fund of VIR-67

the Methodist church in the South, and was ever ready with contributions in time of special need. Mr. Branch married, in Pe- tersburg, May 12, 1863, Mary Louise Mer- ritt Kerr, daughter of Rev. Dr. John Kerr, of that city. Children: Blythe Walker, in business at Paris, France ; John Kerr, Effie Kerr, and Margaret Elizabeth.

John Kerr Branch, junior son of John Patteson and Mary Louise Merritt (Kerr) Branch, was born May 1, 1865, in Danville, Virginia, and was eight years old when his parents settled in Richmond. He was a student of the celebrated McGuire's School of Richmond, and from 1882 to 1884 studied in Paris and in Germany. His business life began at the age of twenty-one years, as a clerk with the firm of Thomas Branch & Company, in which he was later admitted as a partner. For the last fifteen years he has been vice-president of the Merchants Na- tional Bank, and is interested in many other business enterprises, being a director of the Continental Insurance Company of New York, largely interested in Southern cotton mills and railroads, and a director of the Petersburg Savings & Insurance Company. He is a worthy successor of a worthy sire in the business and activities of his home city, and is identified with many clubs and associations, including the Country Club, Westmoreland County Club, Common- wealth Country Club of Virginia, Business Men's Club, Deep Run Hunt Club, New York Yacht Club, Manhattan and Metro- politan clubs of New York, Sleepy Hollow Country Club, and Downtown Association of New York. He is also a member of the New York Stock Exchange. He is a parish- ioner of the Protestant Episcopal church. and politically a Democrat, but is not bound by party mandates. He married, October 27, 1886, Beulah Frances Gould, born at Quaker Hill, in the town of Pawling, Dut- chess county, New York, daughter of David Ripley Gould. The last named was born in Sharon, Connecticut, his mother being Mary Brewster, a descendant of Elder Wil- liam Brewster and Governor Bradford of the Mayflower colony.

Charles Ashley Ellett, D. D. S. Dr. Charles Ashley Ellett, a prominent and suc- cessful dentist of Richmond, belongs to a well known old Virginia family, which was established early in the eighteenth century

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Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 91

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