Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 93

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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published through his liberality and interest in family history. As an author Mr. Buck- ner has also added to his reputation, as his articles on political and financial subjects are considered as authoritative.

He married, in 1910, Helen Edith Grif- fiths, daughter of the late Albert and Mary ( Farnsworth) Griffiths, of Lexington, Mas- sachusetts.

John Breckinbridge Goode. John Breck- inbridge Goode belongs to several of the very oldest Southern families and was born at Liberty, Bedford county, Virginia, Au- gust 8, 1864. The family whose name he bears is descended from John Goode, who removed from the Barbados to Virginia prior te 1660. He settled at a place on the colo- nial frontier, four miles from the present site of Richmond, which he named Whitby. or Whitley, and where he died in 1709, the pro- prietor of a considerable plantation. While in Barbados he married Martha MacKar- ness, who accompanied him to Virginia, where she shortly after died, leaving two sons. By a second marriage with Anne Bennet. John Goode had eleven other chil- dren, and the descendants of all these have constituted one of the most prominent fam- ilies of the South.

The father of John Breckinbridge Goode was John Goode, solicitor-general and pub- licist, who was born May 27, 1829, in Bed- ford county, Virginia, and died July 8, 1910. His father in turn was also John Goode, a farmer, a man of remarkable intelligence and of high integrity, and a typical Virginian of the old school. John Goode, Sr., married Ann M. Leftwich, daughter of a son of Joel Leftwich, a gallant soldier of the War of Independence, and major-general in the War of 1812.

John Goode, Jr., received his early train- ing at the New London Academy, Bedford county, Virginia ; then entered Emory and Henry College, Virginia, from which he was graduated in 1848. After that he attended the Lexington Law School, from which he was graduated in 1850. In April, 1851, Mr. Goode began to practice law at Liberty, Vir- ginia, and in the same year was elected to the legislature of Virginia. In 1861 Mr. Goode was a member of the now famous secession convention which took Virginia out of the Union. He threw himself with all his enthusiasm and his great ability into

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the Southern cause, regarding the struggle of the South as a struggle for constitutional liberty and the rights of freemen. He was twice elected to the Confederate congress, serving from February 22, 1862, to the end of the war. During the recesses of congress he served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Jubal A. Early. After the war he settled in Norfolk to practice his profession. While living there he was again elected to the legislature; served in Democratic na- tional conventions ; and represented his dis- trict in congress for three terms. As a politi- cal speaker he thrust with a keen, but un- poisoned rapier, and made many friends and some political enemies. In May, 1885, he was appointed solicitor-general of the United States, and retained the office until August, 1886. As solicitor-general, as a member of the Chilean claims commission, as congress- man, member of various conventions, Mr. Goode earned a wide reputation as a pub- licist. In addition to this, and as possibly the crowning honor of his life, he was, with- out opposition, elected president of the Vir- ginia constitutional convention of 1901-02, a position which he filled with honor and dis- tinction.

Besides these political honors and prefer- ments, Mr. Goode was honored on another side. His chaste and polished style in pub- lic discourses made him one of the most prominent speakers in Virginia. His trib- utes to the past glories of his state, his great enthusiasm for her heroes, especially those of the war between the sections, stirred the hearts of thousands whose names were un- known to him. In recognition of these abil- ities, both Emory and Henry College and the College of William and Mary conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Laws, and in sc doing honored themselves as much as they did him. To show his interest in keep- ing up the great memories of the past, Mr. Goode joined the Sons of the American Rev- olution, and the United Confederate Vet- erans. His interest in literary matters was clearly proved when he traveled from Wash- ington to Richmond to join the William and Mary Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Soci- ety, which met in Richmond on Jefferson's birthday, 1903-the first meeting of that famous society ever known to have been held at Richmond.

As sources of inspiration and culture Mr. Goode believed in Shakespeare and the Bible.

In religious preference he was a liberal Epis- copalian. He was president of the constitu- tional convention of 1901-02. This honor came to him as the spontaneous expression of admiration for him on the part of two generations of younger Virginians. When the venerable delegate from Bedford county appeared, the whole convention seemed to feel that he was the most suitable candidate to preside over their deliberations. His elec- tion was unanimous. Not long before his death he published a book entitled "Recol- lections of a Lifetime," which was well re- ceived not only by the reading public of Virginia but by that of the country at large. On July 10, 1853, Mr. Goode married Sallie Urquhart, by whom he had five children.

John Breckinbridge Goode, son of John and Sallie (Urquhart) Goode, received his preliminary education in the private schools of Norfolk, Virginia, and at "Gault School." Private tutors prepared him to enter Wash- ington and Lee University in 1880 and he remained a student of that institution for two years. He then entered the law school of Columbia University, and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Law in 1888. He was admitted to the District of Colum- bia bar and court of appeals of the state of Virginia in 1887, in which year he was also admitted to the court of claims, District of Columbia. He was admitted to practice in the supreme court of the United States in the October term, 1890. Mr. Goode prac- ticed for a time in Washington, D. C., and subsequently practiced law for five years in Bedford county, Virginia. Mr. Goode was connected with the United States depart- ment of justice from 1887 to 1889. Presi- dent Grover Cleveland, in his second ad- ministration, appointed him chairman of the board of liberal land commissions to classify the northern Pacific land grants, which posi- tion he held for two years. He resigned to take up the general practice of law in the state of Idaho. During his residence in that state he was prominently connected with public affairs. He was the candidate for the Democratic party of the state for governor. losing the election by six votes. He was also candidate of his party for the supreme court bench and was for many years presi- dent of the board of regents of the Univer- sity of Idaho. Mr. Goode removed to New York City, January 1, 1907, to take up the general practice of law, and he has remained

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in that city ever since, except when attend- ing to mining interests in Alaska and Mex- ico. Mr. Goode is a member of the Asso- ciation of the Bar, New York; is a Demo- crat in politics ; and in religion is affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal church.

He married, October 24. 1888, Lila, daugh- ter of Major W. Stuart Symington, a mem- ber of General Pickett's staff in the Con- federate army during the Civil war. Her mother, Lila (Powers) Symington, was a daughter of the Rev. Pike Powers, of Rich- mond, Virginia, and was born at Baltimore, Maryland, September 8, 1868. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Breckinbridge Goode are : Lila Symington, born in Loudoun coun- ty, Virginia, August 2, 1889, married Robert E. L. Taylor, son of Colonel Walter Taylor, who was on the staff of General Robert E. Lee, in the Civil war, their children being Robert E. L., Jr., and Stuart Symington ; John, born at Bedford City, Virginia, Febru- ary 2, 1892, died May, 1904; Clara Randall, born at Bedford City, Virginia, March 8, 1893; Stuart Symington, born at Coeurd Alene, Idaho, November 28, 1898.

Samuel Henry Cottrell. Samuel Henry Cottrell, of Richmond, Virginia, is a de- scendant of an old family in the state, found- ed in colonial days. His ancestor, Richard Cottrell, married for his first wife an Indian maid, Judith Smith, at Jamestown Island, Virginia. His second wife was a Miss Alley. Peter Cottrell, son of Richard Cottrell, mar- ried Susanna Shepard, and they were the parents of Samuel Cottrell, who married Elizabeth Cottrell. Benjamin Cottrell, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Cottrell, resided near Richmond. He was born about 1820, and married Ann O. Drewry, born about 1825. They had children : George W., Sophia Elizabeth and Samuel Henry.

Samuel Henry Cottrell was born July 13, 1850, near Richmond, Virginia, and attended the public schools in early life. He was asso- ciated with his granduncle, George Davis, until Mr. Davis was killed, in the coal busi- ness. After his death Mr. Cottrell, with his two eldest sons, carried on the same busi- ness in Richmond. His son is now asso- ciated with him in the conduct of the busi- ness, under the style of Samuel H. Cottrell & Son. Mr. and Mrs. Cottrell had eight children, of whom seven are now living: I. Marion, married Dr. William J. West, and

has a daughter Marion. 2. Walker C., mar- ried Inez Weisier, and has a son, Walker C., Jr. 3. Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Harry Fletcher White; has two children: Samuel Cottrell and Harry F., Jr. 4. Julia C., mar- ried Dr. Joseph D. Collins. 5. Emmett D., married Emily Blake. 6. Robert Stuart, married Bessie Herbert. 7. Lelia, resides with her parents. Mr. Cottrell is a Demo- crat in politics, but takes little part in pub- lic affairs, and is a regular attendant of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a mem- ber of the great Masonic order, affiliated with Fraternal Lodge, No. 53, and is a past grand of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Cottrell is a man of modest and retiring nature, but is known to those who enjoy his acquaintance as a man of high moral principles and lov- able character.

Harry O. Nichols. Incumbent of an impor- tant position from which death removed his honored father, Reuben D. Nichols, that of high constable of Norfolk, Harry O. Nichols is one of the most popular members of Nor- folk's present civil administration, and capa- bly discharges the duties of the office that he has held for the past eight years. Reu- ben D. Nichols, a native of Richmond, Vir- ginia, was a veteran of the war between the states, and at the front in the Confederate States army achieved a military record that will long live to the credit of the family name. Returning from Southern battlefields to his home, he then established in business in Norfolk, Virginia, being elected to the office of high constable and serving until his death. His wife, Hannah M. (Wool- forth) Nichols, bore him six daughters and two sons, six of whom survive, Harry O. the only living son.

Harry O. Nichols, son of Reuben D. and Hannah M. ( Woolforth ) Nichols, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and there attended the public schools. When his studies in these institutions were completed he took a course in one of the business colleges of the city. and then began dealing in insurance, mak- ing the writing of fire policies his specialty. He was successful in this line, and so con- tinued until his father's death, when he was elected to succeed the elder Nichols as high constable of Norfolk. Under the old law governing the office he served two terms each of two years' duration, his third term,

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four years in length under the new regula- tions, expiring on September 1, 1914. He has held office always as a Democrat, and has filled his position with the dependabil- ity, faithfulness, and executive force that was conspicuous in the administration of his father. From father and son Norfolk has indeed received the benefit of talent, ability and diligence. the example of the one guiding the other, both remaining true to duty in an important office. Mr. Nichols is a member of the Country and Boat clubs, both of Norfolk, and fraternizes with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of the Golden Eagles, and the Order of Owls. His church is the Roman Catholic. He is also secretary of the Tide- water Automobile Association and registrar and statistician of the Norfolk Rotary Club. Has always taken an active interest in the advancement of Norfolk. Resides with his mother and sister at No. 906 West Raleigh avenue, a fashionable residential section of Norfolk.

David Johnson. David Johnson, county treasurer of Elizabeth City county, Vir- ginia, is a descendant of William Johnson, who came from England and settled in Fox Hill, Virginia, in 1814. He was a land owner in his native land, and came to Amer- ica as a young man, with some capital. Here he engaged in farming, and was a fisherman and sailor. By industry and care- ful management he accumulated a comfort- able property, and was esteemed and re- spected as a good citizen. He married Eliz- abeth Wallace, and they had children : David, William, James F., John Wallace, Samuel, and Mary, who married James C. Wallace. The eldest son, David Johnson, lived at Fox Hill, where he engaged in farm- ing and also in fishing and the gathering of oysters. He was a man of exemplary char- acter, a useful member of the church, and provided well for his family. He married Elizabeth Stokes, and they had children: John Wallace, Daniel Stokes, George, Thomas Jefferson, James F., and Annie L.

George Johnson, third son of David and Elizabeth (Stokes) Johnson, was born May 6, 1847, at Fox Hill, and attended the coun- try school of the neighborhood. Early in life he engaged in the fish and oyster busi- ness, and also operated a small farm. He has always been a hard worker, has reared

a large family, all of whom have turned out well. He is a trustee of the Methodist church, a member of Tuscarora Tribe, No. 70, Improved Order of Red Men. His life has been an uneventful one, but his old age is comforted by the contemplation of an upright and well-spent life. He married, March 23, 1865, Elizabeth Kelley Wallace, born July 6, 1848, daughter of Daniel Wal- lace. The last named was born 1799, and died 1873. He married, February 20, 1828, Rosa Ann Fitchett, of Somerset county, Maryland. George and Elizabeth K. John- son are the parents of the following chil- dren : 1. Mary Eliza, born August 27, 1867; married, May 1, 1885, John Johnson, and has children: Daisy, born December 22, 1886; Bessie, July 20, 1895; Irving, November 26, 1897; Lottie, January 1I, 1899. Daisy was married, in June, 1905, to Theodore Booth, and has children: Elizabeth, born April 1, 1907; Charles, June, 1911 ; John, May, 1913. 2. David, of further mention below. 3. George. William, born February 9, 1872; married, June 18, 1896, Georgianna Rout- ten, born July 12, 1878, daughter of Spencer and Missouri (Ironmonger) Routten, of York county, Virginia. They have children : Lena Bryan, born January 23, 1898; Esther Lucille, April 4, 1899; Hazel, September II, 1903; Gracie, September 6, 1907. 4. Harry Jefferson, born November 20, 1873; mar- ried, April 14, 1897, Alice Hamilton, born May 17, 1872, daughter of Thomas J. Ham- ilton and Henrietta Bell, of Northampton county. Children: Nellie Christine, born April 27. 1898; Doris May, May 2, 1904; Harry Wilbur, September 19, 1909; Esther Elizabeth, November 19, 1913. 5. Rosa Bell, born May 20, 1875 ; married, March 23, 1892, Henry Harrison, and has children : Blanche, born April 15. 1894; Henry C., March 8, 1899; Ruth, December 1, 1900. 6. Kate, born March 23, 1877; married, December 23, 1896, John W. Evans, and has children : Preston E., born October, 1897, died July, 1898; Irma E., December 27, 1898; Mary C., August 20, 1901; Edith, November 8, 1905; John, October 20, 1909; George Thomas, August 2, 1911; John William, June 13, 1913. 7. Ellexzena, born October 30, 1879; married. January, 1906, William E. Johnson. 8. Thomas Lennore, born Decem- ber 9, 1883 ; married, October 6, 1909, Roxy Smith, and has a son, Woodrow, born Octo- ber 23, 1912.

Leo. W. Whitley

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David Johnson, eldest son of George and Elizabeth K. ( Wallace) Johnson, was born October 5. 1869, at Fox Hill, and attended the public schools of the neighborhood. Early in life he was accustomed to assist his father in fishing and gathering oysters, and has been most of his life engaged in this industry. For several years he served as oyster inspector of his district, and in 1904 was elected treasurer of Elizabeth City county, since which time he has continued in the office by re-election. He is a man of genial nature, with multitudes of friends, and enjoys the confidence and good will of the entire county. He is active in the pro- motion of various fraternal orders, in whose work he bears an important part. For the last twenty-three years he has been chief of records of Tuscarora Tribe, No. 70, Im- proved Order of Red Men, and is past grand sachem of the Great Council of Virginia in this order. He is a past master of Monica Lodge, No. 197, Free and Accepted Masons of Newport News ; a companion of St. John's Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; a member of Hampton Lodge, No. 366, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; a past grand of Bayview Lodge, No. 12, Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Hampton : of Hampton Aerie, No. 674. Fraternal Order of Eagles; of Pocahontas-Minequa Council, Woodmen of the World : and a commander and coun- sellor of the Loyal Order of Moose of Phoe- bus. He married, March 26, 1890, Sallie V. Horton. born February 16, 1871, daughter of Sylvester and Annie (Phillips) Horton. They have children : Marian, born January I, 1891; Raymond L., September 7, 1893 ; Ernest M., January 6, 1899; David, April 21, 1908. The eldest married May M. John- son, and has children: Ione, Warren, and an infant unnamed at this writing.

George Washington Whitley. George Washington Whitley, of Newport News, a leading contractor of that city, is a grand- son of George Washington Whitley, who was a truck farmer in Nansemond county, Virginia, and served four years as a soldier in the war between the states. By his brav- ery he gained promotion, and after the close of the war became commander of a ship. The name of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was Emily, surname unknown, and was the mother of the following chil- dren : I. Stephen, married Virginia Armi-

stead, and had children: Armistead. mar- ried - Bayne : Victoria, married Bayne ; Penelope, married Dr. - Ward, and Garfield. 2. Scott, married Lucy Fraz- ier, and had Nannie and 3. Peter.

married Lester. 4. Milton, married Mater Hart, and was the father of Rosalie Whitley. 5. Albert, died at the age of thirty years. 6. John, married - Godner. 7. Caddie, married - Gardner. 8. Polly, married · Delk.

George Washington Whitley, son of George Washington Whitley by his first marriage, resided in Nansemond county, Virginia. He married (first) Fanny Mur- phy, who died leaving one child, Julius Wes- ley, of further mention below. He married (second) March 6, 1873, Hattie A. Harrison, born in 1853, daughter of Edmund and Har- riet (Peale) Harrison, of Isle of Wight county. Children: 1. George Wesley, of further mention below. 2. Estelle, born No- vember 3. 1875; married, August 23, 1910, James E. Council. 3. Hattie, born March 17, 1878; married, February 19, 1896, Wil- liam H. Cook, of York county, and has chil- dren : Leonard Hope, born 1898, and Edgar, 1903. 4. Eddie (twin of Hattie), married, 1905, Beulah Hopkins, and has sons: Alton, born 1906. and Everett, 1908. 5 Colbert, born July 3, 1880, died October 28, 1909. 6. Jessie, born August 24. 1882.

Julius Wesley Whitley, only child of George Washington Whitley and his first wife, Fanny (Murphy) Whitley, was born November 22, 1849, in Nansemond county, Virginia, and died December 23, 1907. For many years he was engaged in the opera- tion of saw-mills, turning out rough lumber. after which he returned to the paternal farm. Later he resided in Newport News and Hampton. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and politically a Democrat.

George Wesley Whitley, a son of George Washington Whitley, and eldest child of his second wife, Hattie A. (Harrison) Whitley. was born December 22, 1873. in Isle of Wight county, Virginia, where he grew up, attending the public schools and a private school conducted by Mrs. S. A. Ely, of Smithfield, Virginia. He served an appren- ticeship as brick mason with T. J. Nelms,' of Smithfield, and in 1897 he removed to Newport News, where he engaged in busi- ness as a contractor for brick, stone and

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cement work. He gained some experience in early life as a collector for the firm of Bergen & Wrenn, lumber merchants. In Newport News he has achieved success as a business man, and enjoys a high reputation for thorough and reliable work. He is a member of Fleetfoot Council, No. 8, Im- proved Order of Red Men, of which he was the second sachem. In 1910 he was made Junior sagamore, and in 1911 senior saga- more and twelve great sachem of Virginia. In 1913 he was made representative to the Great Council of the United States held in Washington, D. C. Mr. Whitley has been very active in social life, in his home city, and is a charter member of Peninsula Coun- .cil, No. 125, of Hampton, Virginia, Junior Order United American Mechanics, of which he is past counsel and past representative. He is a past grand of East End Lodge, No. 247, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is past chief patriarch and representative of Encampment No. 12, of that order. He is a member of Warwick Lodge, No. 72, Knights of Pythias, of the Order of Owls, and is past counsel of Monticello Lodge, Daughters of Liberty. He is now serving his third term as representative of ward three in the city council of Newport News, and a member of the fire and water committee, and chairman of the almshouse and poor committee of that body. For twenty years he has been a steward of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is an active and efficient member of the city Democratic committee. His popularity and ability are indicated by the many public services above enumerated.

He married Lillian A. Ives, a granddaugh- ter of William W. and Sarah (Miller) Ives. The Virginia archives show that William W. Ives was the owner of three slaves in Princess Anne county in 1840. His son, Alonzo Ives, of Norfolk, was born February 2, 1841, and was a merchant in Norfolk, a member of the Methodist church, a man of quiet nature, who sought no publicity but acted politically with the Democratic party. He married Minnie F. Old, born 1850, died 1905, daughter of Thomas and Fanny A. (Martin) Old, and they were the parents of : Annie Virginia, who died in childhood; Lil- · lian A., wife of George W. Whitley, and Frances L., Mrs. Richard W. Fenton, of Newport News, Virginia.

G. Ashton Harris. The present business interests of G. Ashton Harris, of Suffolk, Virginia, are focused in Suffolk after a con- nection with the Metropolitan Life Insur- ance Company in which his field of respon- sibility was the entire Virginia district. In this city Mr. Harris has come into promi- nence in public affairs and service, filling the office of city clerk, and Nansemond, the county of. which Suffolk is the capital, knows the value of his labors in the capacity of clerk of the circuit court, to which posi- tion he was elected in 1913, having since 1910 been deputy clerk. G. A. Harris is a member of a distinctively Virginian family, his father, John Thomas Harris, upholding the Confederate cause as a member of the Surry Light Artillery, his grandfather, John Harris, a planter of Surry county, Virginia. John Harris owned large lands which yield- ed, in the main, cotton, although a portion of his plantation was devoted to general ag- riculture. He was the father of children, Eliza, Mary, John Thomas, of whom fur- ther, and Joel.

John Thomas Harris, son of John Harris, was born in Surry county, Virginia, in 1832, and died in 1895. He was educated in the private schools in the vicinity of his home, and when war between the states began was his father's assistant on the Surry county plantation, enlisting at once in the Surry Light Artillery. He survived the conflict, gaining at the front honor and distinction for gallantry and bravery in action, return- ing at its close to Surry county, where he was for a time occupied with agricultural operations. He subsequently undertook contracting and building, in which line he prospered, and resided for a time in Isle of Wight county, continuing in successful busi- ness until his retirement. He belonged to the Confederate Veterans Association, and was always a loyal Democratic supporter. John Thomas Harris married Mary Rich- ardson, whose death occurred in 1880, she preceding him to the grave fifteen years, and had children: Ida Thomas, married Rich- ard Henry Booth, and has a son, Herbert Wesley, who married Jennie Drury and is the father of Elton Drury, James Richard, Herbert Wesley; Nannie Cora, died aged forty-two years, married Bennett T. Har- graves; Mamie Low; John Garnet, mar- ried Mollie Harwell; Minnie Lee, married

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Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume V, Part 93

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