USA > Virginia > City of Lynchburg > City of Lynchburg > Sketches and recollections of Lynchburg > Part 11
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On leaving Lynchburg, she accepted a situation as music-teacher in Princeton, New Jersey, and shortly after, marrying Mr. William Clay of Phila- delphia, she accompanied her husband to New Orleans, where they for several years resided. During the prevalence there of yellow-fever in
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1833, William Clay was claimed as its victim, and from that time Ann Clay lost all desire for life, feeling that existence was in future a blank to her ; so that those who knew and loved her best, could not selfishly grieve when in a brief space she was called hence to join her husband in another world.
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The house occupied and owned formerly by Robert Morriss, Esq., was, in 1823, the residence of Mrs. BROWN, of Amherst, wife of Dr. James Brown,* who was a brother of the distinguished Dr. Thomas Brown of Edinburgh, formerly Pro- fessor of Moral Philosophy, the successor of Dugald Stewart, and the predecessor of the great and good Wilson.
This excellent lady was a valued resident of Lynchburg, for several years; and she is well- remembered, together with her family, by all of the old inhabitants of the town. She was the mother of Mrs. Archer Robertson, of Amherst, and Dr. John Brown, of Charlotte Courthouse, who received his education in Edinburgh, under the immediate care of his distinguished uncle.
A brief tribute must here be offered to THOMAS BROWN, second son of Dr. James Brown, of New
* The remains of Dr. James Brown repose in the Presby- terian graveyard of Lynchburg.
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Glasgow, Amherst county. This young man was a resident of Lynchburg for some years, where he was greatly esteemed. He was a lawyer of fine talents and great promise. He married Miss Cole- man, of Orange, or Caroline county, when he removed from Lynchburg. His untimely death in 1835, was a great sorrow to his relatives and numerous friends.
This house was for a brief period the residence of Col. Maurice Langhorne : it was then purchased and greatly improved by the late Maurice Garland, who was there residing at the date of his death, which occurred, in the prime of manhood, in 1841.
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MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERS.
Many persons in Lynchburg doubtless remember an unfortunate man, whose name was JAMES MOSE- LEY, but more commonly known and recognized by that of "Molly Peckerwood." But, few are aware that James Moseley was of respectable parentage, and gently reared and nurtured under the influence of the quiet doctrines of Quakerism. He was a native of Bedford county, passing his childhood and youth in the vicinity of Goose Creek, having been placed, when a mere boy, in the store of Chris- topher Anthony, Sr., where he for some years per- formed the offices of clerk and book-keeper. On removing to Lynchburg, Mr. Moseley married a young lady of an excellent family ; but soon after that time he became intemperate, and continued to be so till the day of his death, with only a few brief intermissions. He had been a man of amiable dis- position, and considering the period in which he lived, his education had been quite well conducted. His hand-writing was a very elegant one, and very proud was he of this accomplishment, never omit- ting any opportunity of making a display in chi-
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rography. The style of his letters was extremely like that of Wilkins Micawber, particularly in the manner of concluding them, and in the final flourish attached to his superscription. He was principally supported by a gentleman of Lynchburg, who placed him at the house of Captain Benjamin A. Phil- ips ; and every few days would Mr. Moseley send a note, elegantly gotten up, telling the particulars of his residence with that well known personage, and generally winding up by saying, " Captain B. A. Philips has shown me much attention and re- spect." On visiting the office of a gentleman, if no one were within, he would seat himself at the writing-desk, and with many ornamental strokes of the pen, he would write : "Sir, permit me to won- der that you should thus leave your office ;" and about twice a year he would go to Bedford, where he established a writing-school, the proceeds of which he usually applied to furnishing himself with breakfast and "trimmings," as he designated his glass of brandy.
In the month of October, 1835, information being giving to James Moseley that Mr. Anthony was no more, he was greatly affected, and was in- stantly sobered. He attended the funeral, and fol- lowed the remains to the grave, where he remained till every one else had left the spot, and as he turned away, tears flowed down his furrowed cheeks, for he felt that he had lost his only friend. He
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survived this event some years, and died in the town of Lynchburg.
About the year 1819, Lynchburg was the abode of many distinguished loafers and beggars, some of whom would have been considered eminent in their profession, even in these days of progress. A family by the name of KIDD were the most promi- nent of this class, and systematically, in the town, did they levy a species of black mail on the more benevolent housekeepers. BALLAD KIDD, the head of the family, was by profession a house-painter ; and should even a doubt be thrown on this fact, the following lines, from the poems of our townsman, TANDY BOGUS, set the matter beyond any dispute :
" Ballad Kidd, indeed he did Agree to paint the church, Which, when he had done, He thought it poor fun, That he should be left in the lurch."
There was a material difference between Mr. Kidd and the bricklayer in Bleakhouse, the latter being visited in "due order" by Mrs. Pardiggle, whereas, Mr. Kidd himself called at regular inter- vals on his neighbors for such articles as were wanted for his domestic arrangements. Various excellent ladies were, like Mrs. Pardiggle, anxious
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for his soul's good, and tracts, books and religious newspapers were not unfrequently sent to this worthy house-painter ; and, like the bricklayer, might have asked of himself, "Did I read that little book you sent me ? no"-and he might have added, " nor the large book either ;" for, after all their missionary efforts, the ladies were mortified and discouraged to learn that Mr. Kidd only used the large Bible sent him, as a sort of portfolio, or undisturbed place of safety in which to deposit some gaudy colored pictures which he possessed.
Like most eminent men, though, the capacious mind of Mr. Kidd found itself too much circum- scribed in the quiet business of house-painting, and on a summer's eve, throwing off the shackles thus imposed on him, he might have been seen wending his way to the best fishing places on the river, accom- panied by his sons, Baldwin and Jennings. When rewarded by a good string of fish, the family would fare sumptuously for a few days, only exacting from their neighbors bacon, lard, flour and pepper for the purpose of frying their fish. But if, on the contrary, the fishermen were unsuccessful, then were the boys and girls of the family sent out in various directions for the purpose of begging arti- cles for supper and breakfast. Being very fond of molasses, they had their regular days for going out to beg that article; and on molasses days, they placed a large jug in the branch, partly concealing
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it with sand, and six or seven of the family would take the different wards of the town, and meeting at the place of rendezvous, they would deposit their sweet treasures in the earthen vessel, and jointly convey it to the dwelling of their respected relative.
Several of the females of the family were distin- guished in the annals of the town. Miss Cecilia, having traveled to Richmond at the public expense, spending there several years in that large brick building, invidiously called the Penitentiary.
Miss Isabella suffered from ennui, and owing to this peculiar temperament, she became addicted to the use of spiritous liquors, often in a fit of absence removing from the counter those articles without paying for them; and for these offences, as well as for disorderly conduct, she was often escorted to jail by her assiduous attendant, that terror of evil- doers, Mr. Mason.
About the year 1820, Captain EPPS SPAIN re- sided in a small brick house on Diamond Hill. This dwelling had been several times struck with lightning, and met with an accident of that sort during the sojourn there of Captain Spain. He was a humorous man, somewhat eccentric, paying consid- erable attention to the culture of flowers, and being fond of children, he not unfrequently had calls at
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his gate from the little folks on their way to school, and they always received from Captain Spain bou- quets of pinks and roses, neatly arranged after the good old fashion, with a small bunch of thyme in their midst.
He owned a great many servants, and they all seemed to lead together a very easy life; but deter- mining to remove to the Western country, for this purpose Captain Spain purchased a large old-fash- ioned yellow carriage, bordered with a wreath of blood-red roses. Perceiving that his preparations were nearly completed, the community began to wonder about his carriage horses, and to enquire when he designed getting a pair. The gentleman never gave his friends any satisfactory information on the subject ; but about 10 o'clock one morning, the question about the quadrupeds was satisfactorily answered by Captain Spain coming out of the house, having his baggage put on the carriage, locking the door, and taking out of his pocket a piece of chalk, with which he wrote for "For rent." Finally, he seated himself in his carriage, taking out for perusal the morning's paper; then emerged from the kitchen, Sam, Pete, Bill, and a host of others. A part took hold of the carriage in front, and the rest at the back-and when last Captain Spain* was seen, he was sitting reading on the back
* Whether he really went all the way to the West in this
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seat, a basket of apples by his side, of which he was liberally partaking, with as much non-chalance as Micawber in the stage eating walnuts out of a paper bag.
There were in Lynchburg many colored persons, both free and slaves, who possessed very good char- acters, and some of them were remarkable for good sense as well as for moral virtues. There were uncle Cato and aunt Sophy his wife, Arthur Hol- combe, Armistead Pride, who was liberated by his master as a reward for his faithful services; Isaac Harrison, who was at one time a slave, but who purchased his freedom, sustaining an excellent char- acter, and managing his bathing establishment with comfort and neatness. He was universally respected in Lynchburg, where he died suddenly a few years since.
There was BLIND BILLY, who will long be re- membered, though the soft clear notes of his flute are now no more heard. Like all blind persons, he possessed a great talent for music, and at balls, parties, and military parades, he was a most impor- tant personage. Billy was a slave, owned by the late Dr. Howell Davies ; and there was not an in-
manner, is not recollected, but it is certain that he thus left Lynchburg.
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habitant of the town who would pass Blind Bill without at least a kindly word. His remembrance of voices was so remarkable, that he would by that means recognize an acquaintance whom he had not seen for fifteen or twenty years. His death, occur- ring a few years since, left in the musical world a chasm not easily supplied ; for who can now play so sweetly for us those touching old Scotch airs, which tearfully recall the loved, the lost-or who can so gladden us with the sounds of merry music as poor Blind Bill !
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THE CABELL FAMILY.
"WILLIAM CABELL was a native of Warminster, England, and was a surgeon in the British Navy. He arrived in the colony of Virginia in 1720, and, having taken up lands on both sides of James River in the pre- sent counties of Amherst, Nelson and Buckingham, he laid in that region the foundation of his fortune. He was a good scholar, and soon surrounded himself in his forest home* with a noble library. He was skilled in his profession, which he practiced within a wide sphere- was sagacious in business, was fond of rural sports, and revelled in the play of a sportive fancy, the sallies of which yet afford amusement at the firesides of his descendants. Dying at an advanced age in 1774, he did not live to hail the advent of Independence; but, like his contemporary John Lewis, he contributed four sons to the eventful contest in which it was won. Of these four sons, the eldest was William, the second was Joseph, who at various times was a member of the House of Burgesses, especially in 1769, when that body, dissolved
* Liberty Hall, now the residence of N. F. Cabell, Esq., Nelson county.
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by Botetourt, adopted, in the Raleigh Tavern, the agree- ment already alluded to, and to which his name is attached; and, in 1770, when the Burgesses uniting with the merchants, organized the mercantile association which also bears his name. He was a member of the Conven- tion for March, of July and of December, but gave place in May, 1776, to Gabriel Penn, and was subsequently a member of the Assembly. The third son, John, was a member of the Convention of 1775, and of the Conven- tion of which we are now treating. The fourth, Nicholas, engaged in the military service of the Revolution, served under the command of La Fayette, was a member at various times of the Assembly, and an active politician. Thus did three sons of the elder Cabell serve in the re- spective Conventions, which were held before the Con- stitution went into effect."
HUGH BLAIR GRIGSBY.
Dr. GEORGE CABELL, eldest son of Col. John Cabell, mentioned above, was born at Green Hill,* Buckingham county, about the year 1766. He was reared in great hardihood, practising from earliest childhood all those athletic sports so well adapted for strengthening the constitution. Evincing a very decided talent for medicine and surgery, as soon as he had attained the proper age, he was sent to Philadelphia to attend the medical lectures. At that time, Philip Syng Physick was at the zenith of
* The present residence of Lewis W. Cabell, Esq.
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his fame, and Dr. Cabell proved himself a disciple worthy of his distinguished master : and it was said in Lynchburg and the adjacent country, that Dr. Cabell's skill in surgery was unsurpassed ; so that he was never known to display the smallest tremor or agitation, even whilst performing the most trying and difficult operations.
Those were the days of calomel and jalap-these medicines then being given without limit, followed by immense doses of tartarized antimony, and ipecachuana, when the suffering patient was only permitted the use of drinks luke-warm, and in small quantities ; and, although Dr. Cabell did not entirely alter this state of affairs, yet he effected a considerable reform in these particulars ; and, long ere the name of Broussais was known in America, Dr. Cabell advocated, in a great measure, the sys- tem introduced by that distinguished Frenchman, beginning by greatly diminishing the large portions of mercury then administered without any limita- tion, by allowing the use of ice and cooling drinks, and relying greatly on diet and abstinence, to reduce inflammatory symptoms.
The reputation of Dr. Cabell became so great, that he often found himself placed in painful and difficult positions-for, being regarded with awe and superstitious reverence, the patient and friends expected him to perform miraculous cures, keeping at bay even the great tyrant Death. There can be
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no doubt, however, that the strong faith felt in Dr. Cabell, was often beneficial to the sick, buoying up the exhausted spirits of the suffering, and thus per- mitting them to rally under discase.
At this time Dr. SAMUEL K. JENNINGS* was a resident of Lynchburg, being eminent for his skill in medicine ; and, with his profession, combining the holy calling of a Minister of the Gospel, he was often during his practice called upon to pray for those who were ill, and to point the way to that great Physician, the Saviour of mankind.
On one occasion, both Dr. Cabell and himself were the medical attendants of a gentlemen dan- gerously ill. The symptoms of the patient were very bad, life appearing to be fast ebbing, so that even Dr. Cabell, with his sanguine disposition, feared that the sufferer would soon enter the con- fines of eternity. Overpowered by the solemnity of the scene, and having nearly abandoned all hope, Dr. Jennings sank on his knees by the bed- side, pouring forth a prayer both touching and eloquent. A sudden ray of hope dawning on Dr. Cabell, he arose from his seat to try some fresh remedies, calling out to Dr. Jennings, "That's
* Many of our old inhabitants, doubtless, remember Dr. Jennings's "Steam-Bath"-an invention serviceable for rheu- matism.
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right, Brother Jennings *- you for his soul and I for his body !" The prayers of this excellent man, and the healing remedies of Dr. Cabell were blest : a perspiration appearing on the brow of the sick man, was pronounced by some, the dew of death ; but, ere long, a gentle slumber being induced, so gentle, that
" They thought him dying when he slept !"
But, on awaking, the crisis of the disease was past, and, in a short time, the patient was entirely re- stored to health.
In early life, Dr. George Cabell was married to Sarah, the eldest daughter of Judge Edmund Win- ston. Mrs. CABELL was a lady of great elegance, beauty and refinement, dignifying and adorning the high station which she occupied. Their residence was, at one time, the house now owned by Mr. A. Armistead. They afterwards resided at " The Point of Honor," the handsome mansion now owned by D. Payne, Esq. Of a large family of sons and daughters, only two members survive-J. Brecken- ridge Cabell, Esq., of Greenbrier county, and George Kuhn Cabell, Esq.
This family were remarkable for their mental culture and accomplishments, particularly that of music, the three daughters performing, on different
* This anecdote is related by a connexion of Dr. Cabell.
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instruments, in a manner that would excite aston- ishment and admiration even at the present day. Elvira, the eldest, was the wife of Spottswood Henry, Esq. ; Alice, the second, married Walter Carrington, Esq. Marian Fontaine Cabell was a very superior woman, gifted with wit most refined, and a temperament highly poetical and imaginative. Long will she be remembered in her native town, with just pride, and her early, mournful fate de- plored. The thrilling tones of her music still vi- brate on the tender chords of memory, though her beautiful hands have long lain in the silent tomb. She married Dr. Landon Cabell, of Amherst, sur- viving only a few years this event.
The high-minded, warm-hearted WILLIAM LEWIS CABELL was the youngest son of Dr. George Cabell. His early death, and that of his young wife, has already been mentioned ; but, in this place, natu- rally the retrospective thought carries us back to that period when the greater part of our community assembled with downcast looks and tearful eyes, to listen to their funeral sermon, preached at the same time by the Rev. F. G. Smith, at the Episcopal Church of Lynchburg.
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DR. JOHN J. CABELL.
JOHN JORDAN CABELL was the second son of Colonel John Cabell, of Buckingham, and he was born at Greenhill, where his parents at that time resided. He studied medicine in Philadelphia, where he graduated with high honors ; and, estab- lishing himself soon after in Lynchburg, he rose rapidly in his profession. His reputation as a sur- geon was not so great as that of his brother ; but, in the practice of medicine, he occupied a standing equally high. Dr. John Cabell had an impediment in his speech, which made him appear to disadvan- tage in society, yet he was a man of enlarged and cultivated mind, wielding the pen with power, par- ticularly on political subjects :* but the trait for which John J. Cabell was most remarkable, was an untiring perseverance in the most arduous pursuits, and a recuperative energy in the most trying emer- gencies of life ; and prominent as are those dispo- sitions in the Cabell family, yet in no instance have any of its members excelled Dr. John Cabell. An anecdote related of him when a boy, may be here introduced to display the resources possessed by him, even at that tender age.
* He established, in Lynchburg, the paper called the "Jef- fersonian Republican."
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His father was a man of wealth, and was pos- sessed of great energy and industry. One morn- ing coming in from a very busy scene on his plan- tation, somewhat tired and impatient too, in conse- quence of the delay of his customary cup of coffee, he upbraided John most unjustly for being idle-a charge quite undeserved by the subject of this sketch, and which might have been shared by many other young men, previous to their obtaining a pro- fession, or being settled on plantations of their own. Stung to the quick by these reproaches, John de- termined to go to the county of Monroe, where, at that time, his father owned a large body of land. When arrived there, finding that the inhabitants of that secluded spot desired a little polish, in the way of a dancing school, he immediately offered himself as a teacher, and was gladly accepted by those primitive people. On the day appointed for the opening of his " Terpsichore Hall," accompanied by a fiddler, he proceeded to the place of rendezvous. The tardy country mails, even in those days, some- times brought letters, and just as the first strain of music had been played, preparatory to commencing evolutions, a letter was handed to the youthful amateur dancing-master. The lines were from his father, urging his speedy return to the paternal roof, and promising to settle him on a plantation, or to send him to Philadelphia to study medicine. With his characteristic taciturnity, John Cabell
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merely remarked, in a laconic manner, "This school is dismissed"-and directly he set out on his return to Buckingham.
Soon after graduating in medicine, Dr. J. Cabell married Harrianne Davies, of Bedford, a lady of great worth, and whose kind acts and amiable dis- position will never be forgotten by her friends throughout the State. Dr. Cabell accumulated a large fortune, and, purchasing a valuable estate in Kanawha, when somewhat advanced in life, he established himself there permanently, carrying on with great energy and perseverance an extensive salt manufactory. It is related of him, that soon after purchasing this property, and when compara- tively a young man, he ascertained that, for carry- ing on his salt works, a certain piece of machinery was absolutely necessary. At this time, there were no steamboats on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers, and it was impossible to purchase this piece of machinery nearer than Cincinnati ; so Dr. Cabell went from Kanawha to that place on horseback, purchased the desired article, took it on his shoul- der, and thus returned to the salt manufactory. The piece of machinery was an immensely long iron pipe, extending a distance, both in advance and in rear, so that it was visible long before the rider, and left a trace when he was partially out of sight .*
* This anecdote is related by the late F. Sydnor, Esq.
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J. Cabell in life, when we hear of his brave combat with its troubles and difficulties. In the year 1830, he removed his family to Kanawha; and, during the summer of 1834, he died very suddenly from the effects of exposure whilst attending to his busi- ness. His excellent wife survived him many years, dying in Lynchburg in the year 1842.
Of a large family, Mrs. HENRIANNE EARLY, of Lynchburg alone survives. She is the wife of Sam- uel Henry Early, Esq., and they occupy the old family mansion, in which for many years Dr. Cabell resided, and where his good wife so kindly and gently dispensed her hospitalitics. As we look back and contemplate the departure of that house- hold band, we are tempted to wish that we could turn aside to the paths of fiction, making a pleasing record of blooming health and long life. Mary, the oldest daughter, possessed a mind of the highest order : she was poetical, and contemplative, and, from childhood, she was remarkable for her deep and fervent aspirations for a higher and nobler state of existence. When she was very young, her father became a convert to the doctrines of Em- manual Swedenborg-the diffusion of which he prosecuted with all the fervid zeal of his nature,- and this favorite daughter deeply sympathized with her beloved parent in these spiritual views, seeming to understand all of his feelings, and to be aware of
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