History of Norfolk County, Virginia : and representative citizens, 1637-1900, Part 89

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 89

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Mr. Pinkerton was married, December 26, 1886, to Mary H. Coulson, a native of Balti- more, Maryland, and a daughter of Thomas H. Coulson, a well-known citizen of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton have four children. namely: Mary B .; Frank C .; Eleanor D) .; and Margaret I. The subject of this sketch and his family attend the Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Pinkerton is a ruling eller. He is one of Norfolk's most influential citizens, and is well and favorably known.

FRANK ROBERTSON, an ac- tive and energetic citizen of Nor- folk, Virginia, is secretary and treasurer of the Old Dominion Paper Company, a prosperous en- terprise of the city. He was born in Isle of

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Wight County, Virginia, January 17, 1868, and is a son of John W. and Roxana E. (Carr) Robertson, both natives of Virginia.

John W. Robertson is a farmer by occupa- tion and is now 63 years of age. He served during the Confederate War, under General Lee, in Malione's Brigade, in the Army of Northern Virginia. He saw much hard ser- vice, and narrowly escaped death in an ex- plosion at Petersburg. He is a prominent of- ficer in the Baptist Church at South Quay, Virginia. Mrs. Robertson is now past 61 years of age, and is an active and consistent member of the Baptist Church. Eight children were born to them, as follows : W. Frank; E. J. and J. M., who are traveling salesmen for the Old Dominion Paper Company ; Sallie, wife of Richard L. Forrest ; Alphonso, who is attend- ing school; Lillie; Roxie; and Inez.

W. Frank Robertson first attended the academy at South Quay, and later the male academy at Franklin, Virginia. He then clerked in the mercantile establishment of J. R. Howell & Company, at Franklin, for one year, and then entered a business college at Norfolk, where he completed a course of study. He accepted a position as bookkeeper with the Old Dominion Paper Company, a position which he held until 1894, when the company was incor- porated and Mr. Robertson was made secretary and treasurer. They manufacture paper of all kinds and employ many people, and under the conservative management of its president, Rob- ert Johnston, the business has assumed large proportions. Each year has witnessed an in- crease in business and it is now on a good pay- ing basis. Mr. Robertson is a man of recog- nized ability and has had his share in the suc- cess of the firm.

W. Frank Robertson has been a member of the Baptist Church since he was 13 years of age, and has always been an active church worker. At the age of 25 years, he became affiliated with the Freemason Street Baptist Church, of Norfolk, and served as assistant superintendent of the Sunday-school for three

years. He resigned in November, 1901, and became superintendent of the Sunday-school of the Central Avenue Baptist Church of Norfolk. This is a new church, but the school has an en- rollment of 200 pupils, and he has met with fine success in his efforts to build it up. On June 14, 1893, Mr. Robertson married Lucy Henley Hall, a native of Nansemond County, and a daughter of Arthur E. Hall, a prominent man in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Norfolk. This union has been blessed with three children, namely: Annie May; Alma L .; and William Arthur. Mrs. Robertson is a member of Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, South, being one of those who aided in its establishment a number of years ago. Fraternally, the subject of this biography is a member of Owens Lodge, No. 164, A. F. & A. M.

HARLES SCHROEDER, who has been engaged in the railroad, mill and general supply business for more than a quarter of a century, is a member of the firm of E. V. White & Company of Norfolk. He has taken a deep interest in the affairs of the city, and was formerly a member of the City Council. A' brave, daring soldier and a successful business man, he well merits the esteem in which he is. held.

Mr. Schroeder was born at Portsmouth, January 22, 1836, and is a son of Antonius and Theresa Schroeder. His parents were na- tives of Prussia and moved to Jamaica about 1832, where he followed surveying a couple of years. They then moved to Virginia, where they lived the remainder of their lives, the father dying in December, 1854, at the age of 55 years, and the mother, in February, 1865, aged 65 years. The former located in Norfolk in 1834, followed farming for a time, and then engaged in general business.

Charles Schroeder entered the engineer

GEORGE W. MERRILL.

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corps of the United States Navy in 1853, and was advanced to the rank of passed assistant engineer, in which capacity he was serving when Virginia jomed the Confederacy. He immediately thereafter resigned his commission and tendered his services to the Governor of Virginia. He was assigned to the Confederate States Navy with the rank of chief engineer. was detailed for special duty for several months with Commodore Matthew F. Maury, and sub- sequently served at Richmond in connection with the naval batteries and the James River squadron. He acted as a member of the first naval examining board of engineers of the Con- federate government, and was later appointed special agent for the purchase of naval sup- plies, an office which frequently required him to run the blockade of Southern ports. He always acted as chief engineer on the vessel on which he took passage. When the expedi- tion was organized under the command of Captain John Wilkinson for the relief of Con- federate prisoners at Johnston's Island, Ohio, he was detailed as chief engineer. The idea was to go through Canada. and they left Wil- mington. North Carolina, on the blockade run- ner "Robert E. Lee." After their arrival at Halifax, Nova Scotia, the party was separated, to allay suspicion, to meet again at St. Cather- ines. Upon their arrival at the latter place. they were much chagrined to find that their plans had become known and the enterprise must be abandoned. Returning to Halifax. they sailed for the Bermudas, and attempted to enter the port at Wilmington, but were chased by blockade cruisers and forced to rin their vessel ashore on Dauber's Beach. near Georgetown, South Carolina. and abandon her. On returning to Richmond, Mir. Schroeder was ordered to resume his duties as purchasing agent. He subsequently evaded the Federal blockade a number of times and successfully reinforced the Confederate military supplies. He continued to serve in that manner until confined to his bed with yellow fever, by which he was incapacitated for a number of months.

Upon recovery he was assigned as chief engi- neer of the cruiser "Tallahassee," a vessel which captured numerous merchantmen, some of which were bonded and others destroyed. Unfortunately, however, in running into the Bermudas for recoaling, the "Tallahassee" was allowed only enough coal to carry her to Wil- mington. Arriving there. the cruiser was abandoned and the boat dismantled. Mr. Schroeder was next engaged in a special mis- sion to England, when the announcement reached them that the war was closed. He then went to Halifax, and with Captain John Wilkinson and Capt. John Taylor Woods, engaged in mercantile business for two years, when he withdrew from the firm and returned to Portsmouth. About 18 months later, he went to San Francisco as engineer in the en- ploy of the Pacific Steamship Mail Company, and in that capacity went to China, where he remained five years. He then returned to Portsmouth in May, 1873, and embarked in the general hardware trade as a member of the firm of E. V. White & Company, with which he has since been connected. He is one of the substantial business men of the city, and enjoys the friendship of his fellow citizens to a marked degree.

In 1861. Mr. Schroeder was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Mary E. City, a daughter of Samuel G. City, an officer of the navy, and they have four children, namely : Eugenia, wife of Robert Emmett Crump, cf Portsmouth; Mary; William C., a graduate of the medical department of the University of Virginia, at present located in New York City; and Lucrece.

EORGE W. MERRILL. prominent hat manufacturer of Norfolk. Vir- ginia, having the only establishment of the kind in the city, was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut. July 18, 1872. He is a son of William S. and Mary .Ann ( Reill ) Merrill.

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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY

William S. Merrill was a sea-captain for many years and circumnavigated the globe. He was in the mines of Colorado and Australia, and in the diamond mines of Africa. He was a European oyster dealer on Long Island Sound for years, and was the first dealer to ship a barrel of oysters to England. He removed to Norfolk, Virginia, in October, 1900, and died in November of the same year, at tlie. age of 72 years. He was a member of the Baptist Church. He married Mary Ann Reill, who was born in 1828, and died in 1883. She was a member of the Episcopal Church. They were the parents of four chil- dren, namely: Ella Louise: William R., of Stratford, Connecticut, captain of an oyster boat ; Irene May; and George W., the subject .of this biography.

George W. Merrill attended the South Nor- walk High School in Connecticut, and then learned the trade of a hat maker in his native town. He accompanied his father to Norfolk, Virginia, in October, 1900, and established the only hat manufactory in the city. His uncle had established the first hat factory in Nor- walk, Connecticut. The business is conducted under the firm name of G. W. Merrill & Com- pany, and is located at No. 241 Church street. It is the only firm in the State of Virginia man- ufacturing soft, stiff and straw hats, and silk tiles. From a small beginning, the business has grown to large proportions under capable management, and the quality of the articles manufactured is such as to warrant an equally large growth each succeeding year.

Mr. Merrill was married at the famous "Little Church Around the Corner" in New York City, to Lulu A. Cronk, a daughter of Peter D. and Ida F. (Brown) Cronk. She was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, January 17. 1874. During his short residence in Nor- folk. Mr. Merrill has gained a host of friends, and is highly respected by all with whom he comes in contact.

It makes no difference whether we spell the last syllable of Merrill with an i or an c. The families represented by it have a common

origin. For 269 years the family have resided on American soil. The family was originally Huguenot French, spelling the name Merle, and had a black bird on the coat of arms. Hence the name of those residing anciently at Place De Dombes, France. The first Merrill that set foot on American soil was born in the year memorable for the assassination of Henry IV. Disliking the political movements of the times, the Merrill family left France and went into England. Nathaniel Merrill born in 1610, grew up in that English home. Before he was 23 years of age he married an English girl. Hannah Wilterton by name, and very properly emigrated to America. He reached Ipswich, Massachusetts, even before the well- known pioneer, Reginal Foster. Merrill, how- ever, made his home in Newbury, Massachu- setts, two years after. He had there various children, the descendants of whom are now scattered over the whole country. The de- scendants of Nathaniel made distinguished records in New England ; they were politicians, members of constitutional conventions, fought in the Revolution, where they commanded companies, and in the war between the States one attained the rank of brigadier-general and there was one of the family who founded a Pennsylvania town. The children of Na- thaniel, the immigrant to this country, and his wife Hannah Wilterton, were: John, born in 1635; Nathaniel, born in 1638; Susan, born in 1640; Daniel, born in 1642; Abel and Thomas, born in 1648, and possibly others. With the exception of John, the children seemed to have located in Massachusetts, Vermont. New Hampshire and Maine; but John, for some reason, was adopted by Gregory Wilterton of Hartford, Connecticut. Why he was adopted by Mr. Wilterton is only suggested by the lat- ter's name. He may have been grandfather, father of Nathaniel's wife, the name being the same. As Nathaniel Merrill, Sr .. did not die until 1654. the adoption of his son John proba- bly occurred before he died. When Gregory Wilterton's will was read, it was found that John Merrill had been made his heir. John

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Merrill married Sarah Watson and had 10 children, and hence the great number of Mer- rills since found in Connecticut .

Our subject. George W. Merrill, is a de- scendant of the Connecticut branch of the Mer- rill family. His portrait accompanies this sketch1.

ICKLIFFE J. BOHANNAN, who is captain of the steamer "Ala- bama," is a well-known resident of Norfolk. He was born in Mathews County, Virginia, in 1849. and is a son of Joseph and Jane (Ainslie ) Bohannan. Joseph Bohannan was born in Mathews County, Virginia. in 1810, and died there in 1893. aged 83 years. He was a tailor by occu- pation, and owned a good farm. He received the appointment of postmaster of Mathews Court House in 1850, and held that office under the Federal government until 1860. He was appointed by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, to fill that office. and con- tinued to do so until the close of the war. He was well-to-do up to the time of the war. in which he lost everything but his farm. Re- ligiously, he was a member of the Christian Church. He married Jane Ainslie, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in 1897. at the age of 84 years. She was a daughter of Peter Ainslie, a native of Scotland and a minis- ter of the Christian Church. They had eight children. as follows : Eliza, who married Henry Taurman, a farmer by occupation ; Ariannie, who married William Barker, a min- ister of the Christian Church, and who is now dead: Edgar. who lives at Fairmount, Ken- tucky ; L. Kate, widow of Marshall Williams. now residing in Baltimore: Christopher, de- ceased, who was an attorney-at-law of Rich- mond. Virginia: Wickliffe J .. the subject of this biography: Alice. who married Albert Williams, a farmer of Mathews County, Vir- ginia : and one who died in infancy.

Wickliffe J. Bohannan attended the private

schools of Mathews Court House, and after leaving school was appointed deputy sheriff of Mathews County. He first went to sea about 1870, as a sailor before the mast, in the coast trade. He was a common sailor for about three years. He was made mate on the sailing vessel "James Baymore." plying between Philadelphia. Baltimore, New York and other ports. He then went on the "Surprise" as sec- ond mate, and two months later was ship- wrecked near Cape Henry ; the vessel was lost. but all the crew were saved. He entered the employ of the Bay Line of steamers in 1872, as quartermaster on the "George Leary." He then became lookout and gradually worked his way up to the command of a vessel. He was successively in command of the "Roanoke." "Seaboard." "Westover." "Gaston." "Vir- ginia." "Carolina." "Georgia." and "Ala- bama." becoming captain of the last named upon its completion, in 1893. He has had great experience in every department of work on a steamer, and his services are highly valued by the company for which he works.

Captain Bohannan was joined in marriage. in 1878, with Columbia Bray, who was born in York County. Virginia, in . 1856, and is a daughter of George and Mary Bray. They have had two children, one dying in infancy. and the other. James, dying at the age of five vcars. Religiously, the Captain and his wife are members of the Christian Church. Frater- nally, the former is a member of Mystic Circle Lodge. No. 109. A. F. & A. M .: Jerusalem Chapter. No. 9. R. A. M .: Royal Arcanum : Heptasophs : and Rescue Harbor. No. 14. Mas- ters' & Pilots' Association. all of Baltimore. He is a Democrat in politics.

M. LLOYD, a partner of Charles I. Priddy, and secretary and treasurer of the Pocomoke Guano Company, is one of Norfolk's representative citi- zens. He was born in Pocomoke City, Maryland. January 27. 1865. and is a son

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of Christopher C. and Anna Grace ( McMIas- · ter) Lloyd, both natives of Maryland, and members of old families of that State.

Christopher C. Lloyd is one of the most influential citizens of Pocomoke City, Mary- land, and is engaged in the drug business. He was sheriff of his native county two terms, and takes an active interest in all important enter- prises. He is one of the pillars of the Epis- copal Church of that city, and one of its most active workers. His wife, a daughter of Hon. S. S. McMaster, died in September, 1898. Of seven children born to this union, but five are living, among whom are Mrs. E. B. Freeman, the wife of a prominent citizen of Norfolk; and S. M., whose name heads this sketch.

S. M. Lloyd underwent his mental training at Pocomoke City. Maryland ; and after finish- ing school he embarked in the fertilizing busi- ness, which he has continued up to the present time. He located in Norfolk in 1881, and since that time he has devoted his time to many enterprises which are for the good of the city in which he lives. He is a man of splendid business ability, conscientious and possessed of good judgment, and has met with much suc- cess.

February 7, 1893. Mr. Lloyd married Effie Payne, a daughter of W. T. Payne, who is for- eign freight agent for the Norfolk & Western Railway Company at Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd have three children,-McMaster. Walter P. and Catherine. Mrs. Payne is a member of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church of Norfolk.

ILLIAM W. SIMPSON, a well- known farmer of Norfolk Coun- ty. Virginia, was born at Cape Charles. Virginia, October 15. 1835, and is a son of John A. Simpson. John A. Simpson was a shoemaker by trade. and died in 1838.

William W. Simpson spent 13 months in the army. serving in General Mahone's Bri-

gade. He was slightly wounded at one time, but never disabled from duty. At the time of his marriage, which occurred January 15, 1862, he had but 10 cents in money, and owned no property. By depriving himself of much, and enduring many hardships, through sheer thrift and energy he soon got a good start in the world, and at the present time owns con- siderable real estate in Norfolk, besides his farm, which is one of the best in the county. He is a self-made man, in every sense of the word, and deserves much credit for his per- severance and pluck.

Mr. Simpson married Rebecca Yealdhall. They were blessed with six children, namely : William Leonard, a farmer by occupation, who married a daughter of George Congdon, from Chesterfield County, Virginia ; John Randolph. who married Lillian Backus, a daughter of Quincy Backus, a truck farmer; Elijah Ben- ton, who married Rose Foreman: Edgar Lloyd, who married Anna Baldwin : Olin. who married William Dey, and is living in Bram- bleton, Norfolk County; and Marsula, who re- sides with her parents.

B BENJAMIN F. GIBSON, who is much interested in agricultural affairs in Norfolk County, Virginia, and is re- siding upon his farm of 971/2 acres, a few miles south of Berkley, is a na- tive of North Carolina. He was born Decem- ber 22, 1847, and is a son of P. H. Gibson.

P. H. Gibson was born in North Carolina, and was a farmer by occupation. He died in 1898, and his death was sincerely regretted by all who knew him. He located in Norfolk County in 1851, and lived on a farm near Great Bridge for five years. In 1861 he en- listed in the army, and served for four years. Losing all he possessed during the trials of that war, he removed with his family to Norfolk at its close. and later settled upon a farm near that of his son. There his death occurred.

JOHN HOWARD SHARP.

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He married Virginia Trafton, who was born in North Carolina. and they reared the following children, namely: Benjamin F., the subject of this sketch; Virginia, deceased; and J. L., a farmer living near Benjamin F. P. H. Gibson married. secondly, Virginia Busten, and they reared three children, namely: Anna (Mc- Cloud ) : Maggie, deceased : and Lilly.

Benjamin F. Gibson lived in Norfolk during the last two years of the war. From his father he learned to farm, and in July. 1884. he bought his present farm. This is a finely improved piece of land. and is kept in excellent condition. There is a comfortable nine-room, two-story house of brick on the place, and this greatly adds to the value and appearance of the property. Mr. Gibson is a man of thrift and enterprise, and he has worked conscientiously for many years. He is well deserving of success.

He married Lizzie Lewelyn in 1874. She is a native of Norfolk. They are the parents of four children, namely: Lura (Doughty) : Harry, a resident of Norfolk: Alice: and Charles. also a resident of Norfolk.

Mr. Gibson is a Democrat in politics. He and his family are members of the Christian Church.

OHN HOWARD SHARP, a gentle- man of prominence in railroad circles. whose portrait accompanies this sketch, is treasurer of the Seaboard Air Line Railway Company, and is located at Portsmouth, Virginia. He was born December 3. 1837, and is a son of William Willoughby and Mary Ann Lewis ( School- field) Sharp. He comes of a distinguished Virginia family, many of its representatives having served in high offices of public trust. and the record of all its members having been a credit to the State and county in which they lived.

William Sharp. of County Kent. England. was the first of the family to come to the

Colony of Virginia. He landed at Curl's Neck. Charles City County. Virginia. in 1620, from the "Harr.'

Col. William Sharp, grandfather of John Howard Sharp, was a man of great influence and popularity. He studied law in Judge Wythe's office in Richmond, and his fellow pupil was Hon. Henry Clay. In the War of 1812. he was in command of the 9th and 54th regiments of Virginia. under Generals Robert B. Taylor and Wade Hampton. Colonel Sharp is described as being tall and erect, with piercing black eyes, and as a fine specimen of physical manhood and soldierly bearing as a commander. After the war with Great Brit- ain, he was chosen as the first clerk of the bor- ough of Norfolk. His wife was the beautiful Mary Willoughby, a trace of whose ancestry is found in the following extract from "Vir- ginia and Virginians," by Dr. R. A. Brock of Richmond: "Captain John Smith. the father of the Colony, who had served on the staff of General Lord Willoughby in the Netherlands, brought to Virginia Thomas Willoughby (then a boy of 14). founder of the family in the Colony. By royal patent. this Willoughby acquired 12.000 acres of land on the southern shore of Chesapeake Bay. From him a num- ber of Norfolk families have sprung, among others the descendants of General Taylor, who still hold the manor estate on Willoughby Bay. In 1767, Henry Willoughby of Virginia be- came the 17th Lord Willoughby of Parham, recovering the barony and manors in a contest before the House of Lords." In 1813. during the war of that period. the British landed a force from their fleet in Lynnhaven Bay, and captured 400 negroes from Mr. Willoughby.

. William Willoughby Sharp, father of John Howard Sharp. was born in Norfolk and died in 1871. aged about 70 years. He was an emi- nent lawyer, who in 1821 succeeded to the great practice of Hon. Littleton Waller Taze- well, and retired in 1861. He married Mary Ann Lewis Schoolfield, and they had the fol- lowing children: Captain William : Charles, | an attorney of Norfolk; John Howard, the

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subject of this biography ; Rev. Henry T., pas- tor of the Walbrook Protestant Episcopal Church of Baltimore, Maryland; Walter, an officer in the Portsmouth Water Works ; Mrs. Claudia Wilson : Mrs. Eliza F. Southall ; Vir- ginia Margreeta, wife of Rev. T. M. Ambler, who died in 1871, leaving a daughter, Mary Cary, wife of Judge Thomas H. Wilcox, of Norfolk; and Evelyn, who was born in Nor- folk about 1840, and who died in 1898, un- married.

Captain William Sharp, eldest brother of John Howard Sharp, was born March 26, 1826. He entered the United States Navy on September 9, 1841, having been appointed a midshipman by President Tyler, who was a neighbor of the Sharps in Charles City Coun- ty. He went to sea from Norfolk, January 9, 1842, and spent three years on the frigate "United States." In December, 1844, he was on board the "St. Marys," bound for Mexico, and in January, 1845, was sent to the "James- town," going to the coast of Africa. He re- turned by way of the West Indies, arriving in Boston in August, 1846. In that year he went to the Naval School in Annapolis, and gradu- ated in the summer of 1847. In September, 1847, he left Norfolk on the frigate "Brandy- wine," and arrived at Rio de Janeiro October, 16, 1847. December 6. of that year, he was sent to the United States brig "Perry." which he left on February 10. 1849, and arrived at Norfolk April 5. 1849, on the store-ship "Re- lief." He was then on the coast survey of Al- bemarle and Pamlico sounds. In March, 1851; he was on board the "San Jacinto," going to Europe and the Mediterranean. April 20, 1853, he was transferred to the "St. Louis," and in August to the "Cumberland." He re- mained on the Mediterranean Sea until June, 1855. He was ordered to the Norfolk Navy Yard, where he remained until the fall of 1857, and then went from Boston to the Pacific Ocean, on the "Merrimac." He was passed midshipman form 1847 to 1855. In the spring of 1858. he was transferred to the "Vandalia" in the Pacific, and in the fall of 1859 returned

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History of Norfolk County, Virginia : and representative citizens, 1637-1900, Part 89

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