History of Norfolk County, Virginia : and representative citizens, 1637-1900, Part 81

Author: Stewart, William H. (William Henry), 1838-1912
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1054

USA > Virginia > City of Norfolk > City of Norfolk > History of Norfolk County, Virginia : and representative citizens, 1637-1900 > Part 81

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

579

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

Austin Everett Owen spent four and a half years in attendance at Richmond College, after which he entered the ministry of the Baptist Church, his first charge being in Brunswick County, Virginia. He located in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1871, and became pastor of the Court Street Baptist Church, where he re- mained 271/2 years. He left that church on the last day of January, 1898, and assumed the duties of pastor of Grace Baptist Church, of Berkley, on the Ist day of February, 1898. He was ordained in 1861, and has never been without a pastorate a day since that time. He was selected president of the Ryland Institute, at Berkley, in 1897, and entered upon the duties of that office in 1898. This institution was organized in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1892, and was finally removed to Berkley. It is lo- cated in the old Marine Hospital, built several years after the Revolutionary War, and stands like a fort, with its solid walls two feet in thickness. Mr. Owen is a trustee of Richmond College ; he was moderator of the Portsmouth Baptist Association four years, and was presi- dent of the General Association two years,- the highest honor in the church. He has been vice-president of the Foreign Mission Board of Virginia of the Foreign Mission Convention ; and president of the Foreign Mission Board of the General Association of Virginia, located at Norfolk. He has been highly honored by the church. He received the degree of D. D. from Baylor. University of Texas about twenty years ago. He is on the lecture platform, to a considerable extent, treating his subjects. both in a humorous and instructive manner. It has often been remarked by good critics that he could attain the highest degree of success as a humorous lecturer. Rev. Mr. Owen's char- acter is above reproach, and the comment was made, upon his · leaving the Portsmouth pas- torate, that no man or woman in the town could say they ever knew of him doing a mean act.

December 6, 1866, Rev. Austin Everett Owen was united in wedlock with Mary Hen- rietta Hall, a daughter of Clement and Louise

(AAndrews) Hall. Miss Hall was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1842. As a result of this union Mr. and Mrs. Owen had IO children, namely: Minnie Etta; Nettie Blanche ; Sarah Hall : Mary B .; Austin E., Jr. ; Louise Andrews: William Russell: Jennie Ethel; Richard Clement : and Myrtie Belle. Minnie Etta, born August 31, 1867. married M. P. Clend, who is in the insurance business in Portsmouth, and resides at Berklley. They have four children, namely : Jesse O .; Reese L .; Eldridge F .; and Hugh Montague. Nettie Blanche, born in 1870, married John Freeman and they reside at Union, North Carolina. Saralı Hall, born in August, 1872, married J. E. Britton, a merchant of North Carolina, and they have three daughters,-Annie, Jennie and Sarah. Mary B. died in infancy. Austin E., Jr., born January 2, 1876, is first bookkeeper for the Bank of Portsmouth. He was united in marriage, August 6, 1901, with Helen Nor- fleet Foote, a daughter of Dr. George A. Foote, of Warrenton, North Carolina. Louise An- drews died in infancy. William Russell is a student in the theological seminary at Chester, Pennsylvania. Jennie Ethel, born in 1883, is living at home. Richard Clement, born in July, 1885, holds a clerical position. Myrtie Belle died in infancy.

OHN W. BLASSINGHAM, who is en- gaged in general farming in Norfolk County, Virginia, is a native of Glou- cester County, Virginia, and was born December 10, 1856. He is a son of J. W. Blassingham, who was born in Virginia, where he carried on general farming all his life. He died in his native State. He married Emma Dunston, and they reared the following children : Benjamin F .; George; Mary L .; John W .; James L .; and Lorena ( Winfield).

John W. Blassingham was educated in the private schools of his native town, and lived at home with his parents until 1879. In 1880,

580

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY

he removed to Norfolk County, and located on a farm near his present home. In 1892, he bought his home farm of 21 acres, on which he has since resided. He is engaged in gen- eral farming, and as he had a thorough training in that occupation, having helped his father on the old homestead. he is well fitted to success- fully manage a farm of his own. He is held in high esteem by the rest of the farmers in Norfolk County as a man worthy of the ut -. most confidence.

Mr. Blassingham married Virginia Row- land, who was born in Norfolk, December 12, 1866. She is a daughter of J. H. Rowland, a farmer of Norfolk County. Mr. Blassingham and his wife are blessed with four children, namely : Lindsey ; Virginia ; Julia ; and Fanny.

The subject of this sketch built the con- fortable eight-room frame house, which stands on his farm in 1892. He is a Democrat in politics. Religiously he is a member of the Christian Church.

OBERT EDWARD BRUCE STEW- ART was born at "Beechwood," Nor- folk County, Virginia, July 20, 1863, and is of Scotch ancestry. He is a son of the late William Charles Stew- art (who died June 29, 1865), a prominent farmer, who bore the rank of lieutenant of State Volunteers during the Mexican War, but whose command was not called into the service. On account of advanced age, he was exempt from military service during the Confederate War, but was imprisoned at Old Point by Gen. B. F. Butler for his loyalty to the South.

His mother, Catharine Matilda (Garrett) Stewart, is a daughter of the late Henry, Gar- rett, a wealthy farmer and lumber merchant, who was for many years superintendent of the Dismal Swamp Canal.

Mr. Stewart was educated at the common schools, Suffolk Military Academy and Vir- ginia Military Institute. After leaving school,

he engaged in farming on his mother's farm at "Beechwood." At an early age, he took quite an active part in politics and was a mem- ber of the Democratic Executive Committee for several years ; he was elected to the House of Delegates from Norfolk County in Novem- ber, 1891. In July, 1893, he was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy as clerk to the cap- tain of the Norfolk Navy Yard; his letter of resignation and the reply of the Governor of Virginia, which follows, is a significant testi- monial of the esteem in which he was held as a member of the legislature, and the character of his work in that body.

PORTSMOUTH, VA., July 10, 1893.

HON. P. W. MCKINNEY, Governor of Virginia.

SIR: Having accepted a position under the United States Government, I hereby tender my resignation as a member of the House of Delegates of Virginia.

Very Respectully,

R. E. B. STEWART. COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, RICHMOND, VA., July 11, 1893.

HON. R. E. B. STEWART,

Member of the House of Delegates,

Norfolk, Va. DEAR SIR :-

Your communication of the 10th instant making a tender of your resignation as a member of the House of Delegates of Virginia has just come to hand.

I am constrained most regretfully to accept your resignation. Virginia has need at all times of the serv- ices of her true and loyal sons, and in view of the vital importance of the measures likely to come up for con- sideration by the next General Assembly, the loss of advocates of tried ability and experience will be deeply felt. I congratulate you personally upon your appo ni- ment to an office under the Government, and hope that you will find the employment both profitable and pleas- ant.

Very truly yours, P. W. MCKINNEY, Governor of Virginia.

Mr. Stewart entered upon the duties of his new position and moved to Portsmouth, to re- side. He was appointed by the Governor on April 25, 1892, a member of the Auxiliary Board of World's Fair Managers, of Virginia, from the 2nd Congressional District. He was appointed clerk of the fire board of the city of Portsmouth in July, 1899 ; and was a candidate

DR. LEROY LEE SAWYER.

583

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

before the Democratic primary, April 25, 1900, for the position of clerk of the courts, but was defeated. He is editor of the Tidewater Maga- sinc, started in July, 1901. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He is a great-grandson of Charles Stewart, second lieutenant of the 15th and 11th Virginia regi- ments, Continental Line, during the American Revolution. He is a grandson of Alexander Stewart, who was a soldier of the War of 1812, and contracted a cold in the service, from which lie died.

Robert Edward Bruce Stewart married Lucy Lee West on June 5, 1895, and they have one child, Nannie Elizabeth, born May 17, 1896. Mrs. Stewart's father, Leroy MI. West, was a gallant Confederate soldier, who surren- dered at Appomattox; he married Marion Hunter, a daughter of Jacob Hunter, who was a son of Josiah Wilson Hunter, who was a son of Jacob Hunter, who was a member of the Princess Anne County Committee of Safety in 1775, in the Revolutionary War. (See James' Antiquary, No. 1, Part 2.)

Mr. Stewart has two brothers,-Colonel William H. Stewart, a prominent lawyer, of Portsmouth, Virginia ; and Charles A. Stewart, who is a clerk in the office of the Comptroller of the Currency at Washington, D. C. His sisters, Nannie G. and Sarah Catharine ( Etheridge), are deceased.

D R. LEROY LEE SAWYER, a well- known physician, of Great Bridge, Norfolk County, Virginia, whose portrait is herewith shown, was.born in Perquimans County, North Caro- lina, July 25, 1863. Hle is a son of William and Katherine ( Foster) Sawyer.

William Sawyer was born December 10, 1816, in Camden County, North Carolina, and died January 13, 1892. He was a farmer by occupation and was well known in the com- munity. He married Katherine Foster, a na-

tive of Tennessee. They reared seven children, and those living are John L .; Walter W., a Methodist minister; Charles W., a physician ; Leroy Lee, the subject of this sketch, also a physician ; and Willie R., a traveling salesman.

After receiving his primary education Le- roy Lee Sawyer attended the University of Maryland, from which he was graduated Jan- uary 16, 1890. He also passed the medical examinations in Virginia and North Carolina. Dr. Sawyer located in Centreville, where he practiced medicine for eight months, after which he moved to Great Bridge, where he has since resided. For three years he was engaged in mercantile business in that village, but has devoted most of his attention to his profession. In this he has been very successful, becoming well and favorably known in his section of the county. He is modern and progressive in his. ideas, and is always interested in any new dis- coveries which pertain to the science of medi- cine.

Dr. Sawyer married Etta H. Hanbury De- cember 23, 1891. She is a daughter of Joseph J. Hanbury, and was born at Great Bridge, Norfolk County, Virginia. They have one child living. Leroy Lee, Jr., who was born De- cember 2. 1899. Another, Maud Lee, died June 17. 1897, aged five months and 21 days. Dr. Joseph Sawyer and his wife are members of the Methodist Church. Dr. Sawyer is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Masonic order and Seaboard Medical Society. Politi- cally he is a Democrat.

OHN T. KING, who has been identified with the growth and progress of Ports- mouth, Norfolk County. Virginia, for many years, is engaged in both the wholesale and the retail grocery busi- ness in that city. He was born in Nansemond County, Virginia, in 1838, and at the age of 10 years removed to Portsmouth, where he has. since resided.

584

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY.

Mr. King is interested in the large whole- sale grocery business of John J. King & Com- pany, conducted at No. 616 Crawford street, while a retail store under the management of C. W. King, a son of our subject, is carried on at the corner of Fourth and Henry streets. Mr. King is interested in both stores, but does not take an active part in the management of either. He has much cause to be thankful for his suc- cess. He has a thorough knowledge of busi- ness matters and has been interested in many public enterprises. He is vice-president of the Portsmouth Knitting Mills, to which he gives much of his attention.

Mr. King has three sons: John J., C. W. and James E. He has represented his ward in the City Council of Portsmouth.

EORGE T. TILLEY, one of the prom- inent and progressive business men of Berkley, Norfolk County, Vir- ginia, is cashier of the Merchants' & Planters' Bank of Berkley, and also conducts a large fire insurance agency, repre- senting many of the leading companies of the United States. He is identified with numerous other enterprises and is postmaster of Berkley, taking a deep interest in all that pertains to the welfare and progress of that town. He was born in Princess Anne County, Virginia, in 1868, and is a son of Edward M. and Elizabeth ( Hare) Tilley.

Edward M. Tilley was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, and removed to Norfolk directly after the close of the Confederate War. He was engaged in the lumber business and is con- sidered one of the founders of Berkley, where he has resided for more than 30 years. He conducted the Tilley lumber yard in Berkley until 1895, when he resigned the management of the business to his eldest son. He is a wideawake, energetic, public spirited citizen. and is everywhere held in the highest esteem. He married Elizabeth Hare, who was born in

New York State, and died in 1898. They were parents of the following children: Will- iam M., who is now carrying on the business established by his father; Mary E., wife of Alvah H. Martin, clerk of the County Court; Clara E., wife of John W. Jones, a contractor and builder of South Norfolk; Jennie M., wife of Foster Black, proprietor of the Chesapeake Knitting Mills of South Norfolk; and George T., the subject of this sketch.

George T. Tilley deals in real estate in ad- dition to his fire insurance business, in Berkley and Tidewater, Virginia. His enterprise and straightforward business methods bring him a liberal patronage. He maintains an office in the Martin Building, and is the local repre- sentative of the Continental Fire Insurance Company of New York, the St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company of St. Paul, Min- nesota, and others equally prominent. He is largely interested in the building and loan busi- ness, being secretary of the Berkley Permanent Building & Loan Association and the Chesa- peake Building Association. He has discharged the duties of cashier of the Merchants' & Planters' Bank of Berkley in a most creditable manner. He was appointed postmaster of Berkley by President Mckinley in 1898, and is now acting in that capacity. He is a man of great popularity, and his business connec- tions have been such as to bring him prominent- ly into public notice.

Mr. Tilley was joined in matrimony with Helen S. Michie, and they are the parents of four children, namely: Thomas C .; William B .; George I .; and Helen E.

ITTLETON WALLER TAZEWELL, one of Norfolk's esteemed citizens, comes of a distinguished family, which will always live in the annals of the history of Virginia. He was born in Norfolk in 1848, and is a son of Edmund and Anne Elizabeth (Tazewell) Bradford.

585

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

His father was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816, and came of a dis- tinguished family in that State. His paternal ancestor, six generations back, was the cele- brated William Bradford, who, in 1685, intro- duced the art of printing into the Middle Col- onies of America and whose books now sell at fabulous prices. . Edmund Bradford was edu- cated in Philadelphia and at the age of 15 en- tered the United States Military Academy at West Point, and upon his graduation was as- signed to the 4th Regiment U. S. Artillery. He served through the Indian wars in Florida and through the Mexican War, and was pre- sented with a sword by his fellow citizens of Philadelphia for conspicuous gallantry at the taking of the city of Monterey. He resigned from the army after the Mexican War, married Anne Elizabeth Tazewell, and settled on an es- tate in Princess Anne County, near Norfolk. At the breaking out of the Confederate War, he entered the Confederate Army, and served until the close of the war as inspector general and as quartermaster with the rank of major. After the war, he was in the commission busi- ness for many years, finally retiring from active business. He died in 1899.

Anne Elizabeth (Tazewell) Bradford, mother of the subject of this sketch, was born in Norfolk in 1817 and died in 1899, her union with Edmund Bradford resulting in the birth of the following children: Littleton Waller ; Samuel Sydney, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, who was born in 1853 and married Kate Spots- wood Braxton ; Edmund de Vaux, of Norfolk, born in 1856, who married Virginia Cooper ; Anne Nivison, who married Richard Walke; Mary Fisher, who married William T. Bur- well, now a captain in the U. S. Navy, and died in 1884: and Ella Tazewell, who after the death of her sister, Mary F., married Capt. William T. Burwell. Mrs. Bradford was a daughter of Hon. Littleton Waller Tazewell, who was descended from William Tazewell, who came to this country from England in 1715.

William Tazewell was born in Dorset County, England. in 1690. He settled on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and there in 1721 married Sophia Harmanson, a daughter of Littleton Harmanson. William Tazewell was a lawyer, and at the time of his death, in 1752, owned a large estate. He was an Episcopalian and his descendants have clung to that faith. He left the following children : Littleton, who was born in 1728, and died in 1781; John, born in 1834 and died in 1780; Gertrude, born in 1732, who married John Stratton; and Anne, born in 1732, who first married Rev. William Nivison, and secondly, Rev. Arthur Emmerson.

Littleton Tazewell was a lawyer and a prominent man of his day. He married Mary Gray and they had two children: Henry, and a daughter who died in intancy.

Henry Tazewell, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in 1753, and was one of the foremost men of his day in Virginia. He was a lawyer, but entered public life when quite young. He was a member of the House of Burgesses in 1775, member of the Virginia Convention of 1776, and was regularly re- turned a member of the House of Delegates under the new Constitution, until his elevation to the bench of the General Court, then became a member of the first Court of Appeals of Virginia and in 1795 was chosen a Senator of the United States, and was elected president of the Senate. He died in 1799 and is buried in Philadelphia. He married Dorothea Elizabeth Waller, a daughter of Benjamin Waller, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and she died about 1776, leaving two children, Littleton Waller and Sophia, who married Benjamin Taliaferro.

Littleton Waller Tazewell was born in 1774 and became a lawyer, was elected a mem- ber of the House of Delegates about 1797. In 1799 he represented the Williamsburg 'dis- trict in Congress. He declined re-election and came to Norfolk in 1802, and soon entered upon a large and important practice. In this year he married Anne Stratton Nivison, a

586

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY

daughter of Col. John Nivison, and with the exception of a short time spent in a special ses- sion of the State Legislature, he continued the practice of law with honor and success, and though a resident of a provincial town at the same time was consulted (1819) by London merchants on the "Custom of London" and by the priests of Rome on the canon law. He was appointed by President Monroe one of the commissioners under the Florida treaty. In 1825 he was elected a Senator of the United States, and continued a Senator by re-election for a number of years. He was also a promi- nent member of the Virginia Convention of 1829-30. He was elected Governor of Vir- ginia in 1834, but resigned before the expira- tion of his term and from that time until his death he continued in private life, having given up his law practice some time before. He died in 1860.

The children of Littleton Waller Tazewell and Anne Stratton Nivison were: Henry, who died unmarried; John Nivison, who died unmarried ; Littleton Waller, who married Sarah Harris and died leaving one daughter, Sarah Nivison, who is unmarried; Louisa Nivison, who died unmarried ; Sarah, who died young ; Sarah A., who died unmarried ; Anne Elizabeth, who married Edmund Bradford ; Mary, who married Mathew Page Waller and had the following children,-Nannie T., who died young, Robert Page, who married Vir- ginia Pelham Stuart, Littleton Waller Taze- well, now major in the U. S. Marine Corps, who married Clara Wynne, William Nivison, who married Anne Duncan, Corbin Griffith, who married Fanny M. Byrd, and Mathew Page, who died young; and Ella Wickham, youngest child of Littleton Waller Tazewell, who died unmarried.

There being no male heirs of Littleton Waller Tazewell bearing his name, his grand- son, Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford, son of his daughter, Anne Elizabeth ( Tazewell ) Bradford, had his surname changed to Taze- well by order of court.

The subject of this sketch was educated in the Norfolk schools, at the Virginia Military Institute and at the University of Virginia. He was for some years a member of the firm of Evans, Burwell & Tazewell, wholesale grain dealers and extensive importers, but is not now in active business. Mr. Tazewell married Mary Louisa Walke, daughter of Richard Walke and Mary Diana Talbot, his wife, both being descended from old Virginia families. They have three children: Littleton Waller, Jr., Calvert Walke and Edmund Bradford.

APT. GOODSON MILLER, who is the oldest pilot in the service of the Norfolk Company Ferries, was born in Norfolk County, Virginia, De- cember 26, 1842. He is a son of Lindsay and Martha J. (Camp) Miller.

Lindsay Miller was born in Virginia, and his wife was a native of Gloucester County, this State. The husband was a ship-carpenter, and followed that occupation all his life. He died at the age of 50 years, and his wife died at the age of 68 years. They had six children, three of whom are now living, namely: James IV., of Baltimore; Goodson; and George W., of Atlantic City Ward, Norfolk.

Capt. Goodson Miller grew to manhood in Gloucester County, Virginia, and attended the schools of that county. He has devoted his life to the vocation of a mariner. As a boy, he first served as cook on the schooner "John Francis," which was owned by James Arring- ton and John Crittenden. He left their em- ploy to engage in the oyster business in Mary- land, and later in Virginia. When the war began, he enlisted in the Gloucester Greys, a body of infantry under Colonel Page, who had served in the Mexican War. The subject of this sketch enlisted in 1861, in Company F, 26th Regiment Virginia Infantry, and was in the surrender at Appomattox Court House, in 1865. He received a serious wound while at

NATHANIEL BEAMAN.

589

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

Petersburg. At the close of the war, Captain Miller returned to Gloucester, Virginia, where he again engaged in the oyster business. In that he continued until 1868, when he went to Gloucester, Massachusetts, and engaged in mackerel fishing. He continued in that line for four seasons, when he again returned to Gloucester, Virginia. He entered into the ovs- ter business, in which he remained until 1873. He then became master on the steamer "Union," a ferry-boat, which ran between Nor- folk and Berkley. This craft was leased by Berkley and Jackson, and Captain Miller was master on that line until 1875. He next shipped on the ferry-boat "Elizabeth," in the employ of the Norfolk County Ferries, where he has continued up to the present time. He has the distinction of being the oldest pilot in the employ of the company, and has a wide reputation among seafaring men.

Captain Miller was married, November 24, 1869. to Louisiana H. Teagle, who was born in Gloucester County, Virginia, March 7, 1849. She is a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Teagle. The Captain and his wife are the parents of the following children, namely : Kenneth G., who was born November 9, 1877 ; Lulu M., born January 30, 1880; Lindsay E. and Claudius E., deceased ; and Vera L., who died in infancy.

Captain Miller has met with much success in his career as a seaman, and has won much praise from those who are above him in office. He has many warm friends in Norfolk and its vicinity.

OHN F. BLACKWELL, A. M. This gentleman is the efficient principal of Norfolk Academy, which is located in Norfolk, Virginia. He was born in Norfolk, and is a son of Rev. John D. Blackwell, who served as pastor of two Methodist churches in Norfolk, and one in Portsmouth.

Mr. Blackwell was reared in Fauquier 33

County, Virginia. After graduating from Bethiel Military Academy in 1877. he entered Randolph-Macon College, from which he was graduated, in 1881, with the degree of A. M. He then taught school for two years, after which he entered the Johns Hopkins Univers- ity, where he took a post-graduate course. He later took up his chosen vocation, that of teach- ing, was made assistant principal of the Nor- folk Academy, and continued thus until 1899. In that year, his splendid ability being recog- nized, Mr. Blackwell was elected to the position of principal of that institution, and has served most efficiently as such ever since. He takes great pride in making this academy the best preparatory school in the State, and it is at- tended by the sons of many of the most prom- inent men of Virginia.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Norfolk County, Virginia : and representative citizens, 1637-1900, Part 81

Author: Stewart, William H. (William Henry), 1838-1912 Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1054

Author: Stewart, William H. (William Henry), 1838-1912
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1054