USA > Virginia > Manors of Virginia in colonial times > Part 10
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
When a ball is given at Rosewell House, it looks like some famous beauty of the early days decked brilliantly for a less picturesque genera- tion. Not long ago there was such a famous gathering under the broad roof, and when the Sir Roger de Coverley was danced, the flames from a thousand waxen tapers threw their light upon the happy, youthful faces of fourteen descend- ants of the builder of the mansion, seventeen of old King Carter, twenty-two of Augustine Warner, Speaker of the House of Burgesses,
205
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
and eight of that great gentleman of Westover, the second William Byrd.
In the spring the vast lawn of Rosewell is wrapped in a golden mantle of buttercups, while ox-eyed daisies stud the grounds in June. Car- dinal birds, in loving memory of the little lad who holds one of them so closely in the old portrait, flash their gay plumage from limb to limb of time-worn trees loyal to the historic structure.
There is much to be learned in the staunch walls of Rosewell, an ever-increasing reminder of America's vital days, and through the vista of years now bound into centuries one realizes only too keenly the great debt those of the present generation owe to those who came before.
ELSING GREEN
OME twenty-five miles from the city of Rich- mond, lying in a pic- turesque country, where broad streams thread in and out among the hills, is El- sing Green, a splen- didly preserved bit of Colonial days.
Nature is always kindly disposed in the mat- ter of scenery in Virginia, and she seems to have spared little in King William County, which was carved from New Kent in early days; so, perched stolidly on a bit of rising ground not far from the Pamunkey River, this country-seat of the Dandridges vies with any in America. The estate was founded by William Dandridge, who, with his brother John, the father of Martha Washington, came to Virginia previously to 1716, these two being the progenitors of the American family of that name.
The Dandridges, whose English seat was Balders Green, Worcester, are said to have
207
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
gained their name from Danebridge, in Cheshire, and according to the family chart boast a straight descent from the Conqueror, as the following bit of genealogy attests :
William the Conqueror, King of England, married Lady Maud, daughter of Baldwin, Count of Flanders, and had :
Lady Gundreda of Normandy, married Wil- liam de Warren, created Earl of Surrey 1098. Issue :
William de Warren, second Earl of Surrey, married Isabelle de Vermandois, who was a direct descendant of Charlemagne. Issue:
Lady Adeline de Warren, married 1139 Prince Henry of Scotland. Issue:
Princess Margery of Scotland, married sec- ondly Sir Humphrey de Bohm, second Baron de Bohm and Earl of Hereford. Issue:
Lady de Bohm, married Reginald, sixth Baron de Mohun. Issue:
Sir John de Mohun, married Lady Joan, daughter of Sir Reginald Fitz-Piers. Issue:
Sir John de Mohun, first Lord de Mohun, married Lady Auda, daughter of Sir Richard Tibetot. Issue :
Lady Margaret de Mohun, married Sir John Cantelupe, Lord of Smithfield. Issue:
208
ELSING GREEN
Lady Eleanor Cantelupe, married Sir Thomas de West, of Hamperden. Issue:
Sir Thomas de West, married Alice, daughter of Reginald Fitz-Piers, Baron of Wolverly. Issue :
Sir Thomas de West, who served in the French War of 1395, married Lady Joan, sister and heiress of Lord De La Warre. Issue:
Sir Reginald West, married Lady Elenor Percy, daughter of Henry Percy, first Earl of Northumberland. Issue:
Sir Richard West, seventh Lord De La Warr, married Lady Katherine, daughter of Robert, Lord Hungerford. Issue:
Sir Thomas West, K. G., married secondly Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Roger Copley of Gatton. Issue:
Sir George West, married Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Anthony Moreton of Lechdale. Issue:
Sir William West, created Lord Delaware in 1658, married Lady Elizabeth, 'daughter of Sir Thomas Strange of Chesterton. Issue:
Sir Thomas West, married Anne, daughter of Sir Francis Knollys. Issue:
Honorable Colonel John West, born 1590, Governor of Virginia, married Anne - Issue:
14 209
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
Colonel John West, of "Westpoint," Vir- ginia, born 1633, married Unity, daughter of Major Croshaw. Issue :
Captain Nathaniel West, married Martha, widow of Honorable Gideon Macon. Issue:
Unity West, married about 1719 Honorable Captain William Dandridge.
Thus it will be seen that the name of Dand- ridge is closely linked with those of proudest descent in England, and in America it is con- nected with such well-known families as the Spotswoods, the Sales of "Farmer's Hall," the Ayletts, Wests, Henlys, and many others equally renowned.
William Dandridge, who was a captain in the Royal Navy, won great distinction for bravery at the battle of Cartagena, and in the rooms of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond there now hangs, near his portrait, the sword pre- sented him by the Lord High Admiral. Promi- nent among his commands were H. M. S. Wolf, South Sea, and Ludlow Castle, his name being connected with Oglethorpe's in the latter's famous attack upon St. Augustine.
He married first Euphar Wallace, widow of Wilson Roscow of Hampton, and in March, 1719, married again, the second wife being Unity
210
IN ADVERSIS ETIAM FIDE
ELSING GREEN Built by George Braxton in 1758
DANDRIDGE
ELSING GREEN
West, a great heiress; and when he died, in 1743, Elsing Green was inherited by his sons, Nathan- iel West Dandridge and William Dandridge.
On the 18th of June, 1747, the former married Dorothea Spotswood, daughter of Governor Spotswood, and it was their child, beautiful Dorothea Dandridge, who married Patrick Henry. The portrait of Dorothea Henry, now in the possession of relatives in Richmond, shows one of the brightest, most winsome faces to be found among the old-time beauties. Her simply- fashioned gown of some dark-colored stuff is set off by a carelessly draped mull fichu, while the slightly-bent head with its wealth of chestnut curls is rich in its large-eyed, expressive face, the curving lips of which would seem never to have known aught but smiles. Times have greatly changed since the day of Dorothea Henry; the estate of her forefathers has long since left her line, yet her smile lives on in the fair old portrait, unmindful of vicissitudes and trials.
From the Dandridge family Elsing Green was bought by George Braxton, who built the present manor-house for his son, Carter Braxton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. The letters C. B., with the date 1758, which are placed over the west entrance, seem to prove that to have been
211
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
the year in which the mansion was completed. The large two-story brick mansion, presenting architecturally the shape of the letter H, faces the roadway, and on the north and south ends are gambrel-roofed wings, which, though origin- ally connected with the central portion by colon- nades, now stand as separate buildings. Within doors the rooms are remarkably large and high- ceiled, each having an interesting little history of its own, but among the most unique features which belonged to the house in Colonial days were the quaint brass fire-backs in every chimney, each depicting some renowned event in history. For- tunately for the lover of the antique and unusual, one of these keeps yet its ancient place, and as the flames leap up from the blazing logs, the pathetic death-scene of General Wolfe stands forth in responsive distinctness.
During the regime of William Burnett Browne, who purchased Elsing Green from Carter Braxton, many art treasures found their way to the dignified mansion, not the least notable being a set of Gobelin tapestries which were presented to Bishop Burnett, maternal grand- father of the owner, by William of Orange, and a superb Holbein portrait of Sir Anthony Browne, Viscount Montacute.
212
ELSING GREEN
Mary, the daughter of William Burnett Browne, married Herbert Claiborne, and to their son, William Dandridge Claiborne, her father left the estate, with the proviso that he take his name, in order that that of William Burnett Browne might be perpetuated. This second William Burnett Browne, who wisely acceded to the wishes of his grandfather, married Judith, daughter of Charles Carter of Cleve, and lived at Elsing Green until 1820, when the estate was conveyed to William Gregory, a prominent mem- ber of the Virginia Legislature just after the Revolution.
Unfortunately all the records of King Wil- liam County previous to 1885 were destroyed by fire, making it impossible to tell the dates of grants and the number of acres of the old planta- tions before that time. When the manor came into the possession of William Gregory, he imme- diately added by purchase 870 acres, and again in 1832 gave to it 216 more, thus considerably in- creasing it in value as well as size.
In the year 1840 the old place went to the widow of William Gregory. She, dying in 1842, left it to her son, Roger Gregory. As the latter died intestate, the property would have been divided among his five children, had not Roger
213
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
Gregory, the second son, bought out the interests of his brothers and sisters, thus becoming the sole owner of the beautiful estate, which has been his home since 1840. Judge Roger Gregory has added 300 acres to the plantation since he became its proprietor, and instead of dwindling with the years, as so many Colonial homes have done, Elsing Green has steadily gained.
The mansion, now so serene in its comfortable setting of forest trees, has felt its years of trouble and days of sorrow. Twice has it been partly wrecked by fire, and but for the extraordinarily substantial walls would long ago have been a mass of ruins. Fortunately the interior wood- work alone was irrevocably damaged, but no sooner was this replaced than Federal troops, brought by the Civil War, stabled their horses in the great hall, doing unwarrantable harm; and though the years have kindly effaced much, there are still enough scars visible to hold the interest as historical landmarks.
In the old graveyard, not very far from the house, sleep some generations of different families to whom the place meant home. Blue myrtle links the silent mounds one to another; unselfish boughs bend low in loving protection over the quiet resting-places of those of various names and blood.
214
ELSING GREEN
Off the beaten track of travel, yet within easy touch of Virginia's greatest city, securely happy in its apparent country isolation, Elsing Green lives on in its dignified fashion, as it did when the Indians rowed up the silvery Pamunkey to creep steathily about for a glimpse of this white man's palace.
The old garden here had its place in the annals of early Virginia, and many and fragrant were the blossoms which returned year after year to their particular spots, each of which was walled in with gallant little boxwood hedges.
Elsing Green was made by those of a far dif- ferent period from to-day, yet throughout its existence the wheel of fortune seems ever to have - turned kindly, and, pausing before the old man- sion, one must wonder at the stories it could tell- the tales of joyous meetings and sorrowful part- ings that have been its portion for the two long centuries during which America has been made.
MONTICELLO
HOUGH the name of Monticello is familiar to every one as the home of Thomas Jeff- erson, third President of the United States, there are only too few who know the true story of the mansion and estate that lie up among the clouds in beautiful Albermarle County.
According to the President's family history, a Jefferson was Secretary of the Virginia Com- pany, and the name is found in the list of twenty- two members composing the first legislative body convened in America, the Assembly which met in Jamestown in 1619. This member was in all likelihood the Immigrant, Thomas Jefferson, who in 1612 came from Wales, near the mountain of Snowdon, the highest point in all the British Isles. He married Mary Branch, daughter of William Branch, and lived on a plantation in Henrico County.
216
MONTICELLO Where Thomas Jefferson spent 796 days during his two terms as President
MONTICELLO
His son, Captain Thomas Jefferson, married Mary Field, daughter of Peter Field and his wife, Judith Soane. In 1706 he was Justice of the county of Henrico, and was made Sheriff at a later date.
Of the three sons of Captain Thomas Jeffer- son, Peter, born in 1708, was by far the most prominent, holding as he did the offices of Sheriff of Goochland, Justice of Albemarle, Burgess, and County Lieutenant.
When but nineteen, Peter Jefferson married Jane, daughter of Isham and Jane Rogers Ran- dolph of Goochland, the latter being an heiress of London. Thus the relationship between the Jeffersons and Randolphs was established at an early date.
In 1735, Colonel Peter Jefferson patented 1000 acres of land lying along each side of the Rivanna River, at the intersection of the moun- tains, and next the grant obtained by his close friend and cousin, William Randolph of Tucka- hoe. To the original lands he continued to add until the plantation known as Shadwell num- bered 1900 acres, and here on April 2, 1743, was born Thomas Jefferson, Ambassador to France, Governor of Virginia, author of the Declaration of Independence, and President of the United States.
217
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
On the death of his father, in 1757, Thomas Jefferson inherited Shadwell, but when that manor-house was burnt, in 1770, he erected a small brick building on the part of the estate called Monticello, the Italian name for " little mountain."
The site chosen was the very apex of the moun- tain, and tradition claims that seven years passed before the sugar-loaf top was levelled, which when finished was but 600 by 200 feet, and rounded at either end.
The climb of 580 feet from base to summit is made easy for man and beast by a carefully graded roadway, winding around and around until the lodge, one mile from the mansion, is reached. Passing through the curiously heavy gateway, the beginning, at one point, of the estate which in the time of Jefferson contained nearly 10,000 acres, the road of bends and curves leads through the beautiful park, well stocked with deer in the early days, but now echoing only to the whir of the wings of birds.
Midway between the lodge and the mansion is the old graveyard, beneath the shade of a gigantic tree which sheltered first the tomb of Dabney Carr, the truest friend of Jefferson's youthful days. And though the boughs have since
218
MONTICELLO
drooped above more illustrious dead, one hears with utmost reverence the beautiful story of Jefferson's promise to his boy friend, that here, beneath this wide-branching forest monarch, which was their favorite study and resting place, they both should lie when life was done. True to his sacred promise, the statesman kept his word, and when the brilliantly gifted Dabney Carr died, the Monticello graveyard was begun.
Reaching the summit, a glorious panorama is unfolded, presenting an unbroken view of hill and mountain, valley and dale, for miles around. One enthusiastic writer, in fact no less a per- sonage than the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, who visited Monticello in 1796, traces the extent of the view almost to the Atlantic Ocean, which, he asserts, " might be seen were it not for the great- ness of the distance."
On the gentle slopes towards the south and east verdant fields and meadow lands roll from the very mountain's brow to the wooded plain below; the vivid green of early wheat-fields vies with the gold of harvest-time, while the reds and browns of the Indian corn are colors cast with reckless freedom from autumn's bountiful hand. And on the bleaker western side, where the north wind has full play, unbroken forests stretch for
219
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
miles, giving the needed form for so much prodigal color. In the distance hills upon hills arise, and mountains climb above mountains till lost in the misty horizon, as boundless as it is impenetrable.
Let him who lived there tell the story, for Jefferson loved Monticello, and the words came straight from his heart when, in speaking of its beauties, he said: "Our own dear Monticello; where has Nature spread so rich a mantle under the eye? Mountains, forests, rocks, rivers. With what majesty do we here ride above the storms! How sublime to look down into the workhouse of Nature, to see her clouds, hail, snow, rain, thun- der, all fabricated at our feet, and the glorious sun, when rising as if out of a distant water, just gilding the tops of the mountains and giving life to all Nature!"
It was to this God-gifted spot, in 1772, that Jefferson brought his beautiful bride, Martha Wayles, the young widow of Bathurst Skelton.
The bricks of the original mansion were made on the place, but when improvements were begun in 1775, better were brought from Philadelphia. Being away so much just at this time, Jefferson found that the work must necessarily progress slowly, as he was not only the architect, but often
220
MONTICELLO
lent his aid in the actual building. It was really not until 1794, after his return from the French Court, that the work was resumed. The man- sion which the Duc de La Rochefoucauld said " ranked with the most pleasant houses in Eng- land and France " was finally completed in 1802, twenty years having been consumed in its erection.
A distinguished guest at Monticello in 1782, the Marquis de Chastellux, wrote: "We may safely aver that Mr. Jefferson is the first Amer- ican who has consulted the fine arts to know how to shelter himself from the weather." And doubtless the Frenchman was entirely correct, for the classic lines of this manor-house, placed in the very centre of the mountain-top about fifty feet from the brow, are decidedly different from the structures previously built. In Monticello Jefferson set a fashion in homesteads, and it is to him that thanks should be given for the Greek revival which left such superb examples of the architecture of the day.
The best description of the mansion is from the pen of one of the descendants of Thomas Jeffer- son. " The mansion externally is of the Doric order of Grecian architecture, with its heavy cornices and massive balustrades, its public rooms
221
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
finished in the Ionic. The front hall of en- trance recedes six feet within the front wall of the building, covered by a portico the width of the recess, projecting twenty-five feet, and the height of the house, with stone pillars and steps. The hall is also the height of the house. From about midway of this room passages lead off to either extremity of the building. The rooms at the extremity of these passages terminate in octago- nal projections, leaving a recess of three equal sides, into which the passages enter; piazzas, the width of this recess, projecting six feet beyond, their roofs the height of the house, and resting on brick arches, cover the recesses. The northern one connects the house with the public terrace, while the southern is sashed in for a greenhouse. To the east of these passages on either side are lodging-rooms. This front is one and a half stories. On the west front the rooms occupy the whole height, making the house one story, except the parlor or central room, which is surmounted by an octagonal story, with a dome or spherical roof. The parlor projects twenty feet beyond the body of the house, covered by a portico of one story. The floor of this room is in squares, the squares being ten inches, of the wild cherry, very hard, susceptible of a high polish, and the color
222
MONTICELLO
of mahogany. The border of each square, four inches wide, is of beech, light-colored, hard, and bearing a high polish. Its original cost was two hundred dollars."
This beautiful floor, after more than a century of use and abuse, still compares with the most perfect modern tessellated floors.
Among the chief features of the mansion are the chandeliers, which tradition says belonged first to the Empress Josephine and hung at Malmaison.
During the Revolution, Jefferson being then Governor of Virginia, it was natural that Monti- cello should have been pillaged, and when Tarleton was in Charlottesville in 1781, Captain McLeod was put in command of the British troops sent to seize the Governor. " Meantime, a Mr. Jewitt, or Jouitt, of Louisa County, had ridden on ahead, and informed Governor Jeffer- son, who barely had time to escape into the woods. According to Lossing, op. cit., Tarleton had pushed on to Castle Hill, where he understood many influential Virginians were assembled. Several of these were captured, among whom were William and Robert, brothers of Governor Thomas Nelson. . The delay for breakfast at Dr. Walker's was sufficient to allow most of
223
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
the members of the Legislature at Charlottesville to escape. Mr. Jefferson had not been gone ten minutes when the British troops rode up and found the Monticello mansion deserted." But Tarleton had given strict orders not to injure the mansion, and, not finding the Governor, McLeod carried out the command to the letter, retracing his steps and leaving everything about the house untouched.
The beautiful grounds of Monticello are a mass of superb old trees and rare flowering shrubs, most of which were set out by the Presi- dent's hand, many being imported. But it was in the garden, laid out by himself, that he found his greatest pleasure and recreation, and imagina- tion can picture the great man, with spade in hand or measuring-line, proving the happy truth of his own proverb that " Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God." So devoted was Jefferson to the country pastimes and de- lights of his homestead that even during his two terms as President he managed, so we are told, to spend 796 days at Monticello.
Resting in the quiet, beautiful spot for a moment, surrounded by the glowing blossoms that showed their first colors for the early states- man, one turns at the faintest rustle, half expect-
224
THOMAS JEFFERSON From the painting in Independence Hall Philadelphia
JEFFERSON
MRS. MARTHA RANDOLPH, Daughter of Thomas Jefferson From the painting by Thomas Sully
MONTICELLO
ing to see the masterful figure of Thomas Jeffer- son on his daily walk through the cherished flower squares, here pausing for a bit of pruning, or there beaming upon some rare new bud.
The luscious grapes that now ripen in such pro- fusion, the figs and cherries that show such rich production, were sprigs and saplings in the first days of the plantation, pointed out with pride to many distinguished guests.
And with these last the hospitable mansion was profusely decorated, Lafayette, Kosciusko, the de Riedesels, William Wirt, Abbé Correa, Chastel- lux, La Rochefoucauld, Washington, Monroe, and Madison, as well as others of renown, having visited there.
With what regret Jefferson must have met the call to leave this fair estate of his own making, and yet perhaps he was spared the tingling humiliation that would soon have come to him. In the presence of his petted daughter " Patsy," Martha Jefferson Randolph, his favorite grand- child, and a few others, he looked his last upon his fair green acres July 4, 1826.
Some days after his death Mrs. Randolph, in the sad duty of gathering together his treasures, found a pen-and-ink sketch of a monument which he had designed for himself. This obelisk was
15 225
COLONIAL MANORS of VIRGINIA
to be eight feet high, and with a base in keeping, upon which he wished inscribed:
" Here was Buried Thomas Jefferson,
Author of the Declaration of American Independence, Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, And Father of the University of Virginia."
These last known wishes were scrupulously executed by his devoted grandson, Thomas Jef- ferson Randolph, who, though the debts with which the estate was burdened fell upon him, courteously declined the offer of assistance from the Legislature of Virginia and other States.
As no suitable stone could be found in Vir- ginia, the shaft was cut from Vermont granite, into which was let a marble tablet engraved with the inscription. The grave and monument, the latter having been sadly hacked by relic-hunters, were in a pathetic condition in 1875, when the Senate of Virginia passed a resolution to restore and preserve both, appropriating $10,000 for the purpose.
The new obelisk is of granite quarried near Richmond, and is exactly twice the size of the
226
MONTICELLO
original, the base, plinth, and shaft measuring eighteen feet in height. In all other respects it duplicates the first. In 1883 this monument of the people's love was placed with appropriate ceremonies, and now stands enclosed in an eight- foot iron railing, the heavy gate of which admits no entrance. So until the end of time one of the greatest men of the nation will rest near his boyhood friend, beneath the gnarled branches of the venerable tree which bent low over them in the sunrise of life.
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.