USA > Virginia > Some prominent Virginia families, Volume II > Part 3
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To sum up all, I might lead you to his private retirement, and present to you the devout Christian, prostrate in humble supplication before his Almighty Creator, which they only who follow his example can justly estimate, and which they know proves their greatest consolation in the various trials and calamities of life. In fine I might conduct you to the altar of God, where you would hear him making a public profession of his faith, and, regardless of the scoffs of the infidel and the ridicule of a vain and inconsiderate world, giving an open and solemn testimony, that he was not ashamed of the Cross of Christ, which was to him both the wisdom and power of God to his salvation. These and many more features of his character I might exhibit to your view; but though a minute and particular detail would still appear to myself as falling short of his merit, yet to those less acquainted with him, than I was, it might seem to be drawn by the flattering pencil of a friend. I therefore forbear a further recital, and make one reflection naturally arising from the subject, that
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whenever the eye of man is disgusted and shocked by scenes of impiety, rapine, cruelty and bloodshed, let him cast in on such a fair and pleasing picture as the present, which does so much honor to human nature, and he will not fail to conclude that man, the prey of furious and malignant passions, resembles an infernal spirit; but when actuated by the sacred dictates of religion and devoted virtue, he claims kindred with the angels in heaven.
"Mark, therefore, the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace."
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND, VA. Built between 1739 and 1741.
Mrs. Carrington's mother pointed out to her, many years before her death, the spot in St. John's Church burying-ground in which her grandmother and grandfather Ambler were interred, but no tombstones were erected over them, and I believe at their request should not be done. But the ground is now all levelled and turfed over, so that it is impossible to point out the spot, which was still there about sixty years ago. (George D. Fisher.)
St. John's Church is situated on Church Hill, one of the most commanding of the seven hills upon which Richmond is built, and overlooks the James at a point where Powhatan held his court. Four acres of beautifully kept grounds surround it, into
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which the dead for more than a century and a half have crowded. There have been as many as four interments in a single grave, and one cannot set one's foot upon a gravel walk without treading above human remains. From these, flowers spring with hopeful significance, and overhanging trees, casting their leaf vesture at God's appointment, clothe themselves with new beauty in the springtime of Nature's resurrection.
The following information of St. John's Church is copied from the Baltimore Sun of Sept. 25, 1904:
THE PROPOSED CHANGES.
'The proposed addition is, indeed, not the only one that has been made to the original structure, another having supplied the precedent, and the public will now have to content itself with the reflection that the line has been drawn there, and that no subtractions have as yet lessened its valuc. The oblong building, erected between the years of 1739 and 1741, which echoed to Patrick Henry's voice, still remains, as does the antique sound- ing-board which gave back his winged words to a breathless audience. In 1830, however, a second structure, similar in shape to the original one, and running at right angles from it, was annexed to its center. This gave to the whole the form of a T, while the present addition, designed to accommodate an organ, with robing rooms for a vested choir, being on the other side of the horizontal line, and opposite the perpendicular one, will change the T into a cross.
Partially protecting the historic portion from the weather, and replacing an excrescent vestry room which has for eighteen years disfigured its side, the annex has something to eommend it even to the antiquarian, and is perhaps chiefly to be regretted because of its projection (although raised above them) over interesting graves in the churchyard. Most notable among them is that of the Rev. William Graham, the founder of Washing- ton Academy, now Washington and Lee University, the first institution of learning chartered in Virginia, and at that time, with the exception of William and Mary College, the only high school in the State. Graham, who died in Richmond in 1779, was a native of Pennsylvania, born near the site of the present town of Harrisburg, and was a elassmate at Prince- ton of "Light Horse Harry Lee," the father of General Robert E. Lec.
History repeats itself, and in 1781, nearly 100 years before the Virginia military cadets gathered undying laurels on the field of Newmarket, the students of Washington Academy, with Graham at their head, marched to Rockfish Gap to defend it against Tarleton's troops.
Going to the left and turning the corner of the building, we look upon the last resting place of Chancellor George Wythe, member of the House of Burgesses and of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose life was, to its close, interwoven with the history
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of Virginia. He was a vegetarian, and more than a century in advance of his time, emaneipating his slaves and furnishing means for their subsistence.
Jefferson and Bishop Madison, the first Episcopal Bishop of Virginia, studied law with him in Williamsburg, and afterward filled the law ehair at William and Mary College, oeeupying it until 1789, when he was made Chancellor of the High Court of Equity and removed to Richmond. IIis Williamsburg home, adjoining Bruton churchyard, still stands, and is an object of interest to the thousands who annually visit the historic town; but his residence on East Graee street, in Richmond, situated on what was then the highest point in the city, as ascertained by Mr. Watkins, the town surveyor, has been pulled down, the residence of the Hon. Beverley Munford now oceupying its site.
Chanecllor Wythe's only child died in infancy, and sharing his home was a great nephew, his prospective heir, who, impatient to come into his inheri- tanee, poisoned the coffee 'being prepared for breakfast. Several of the servants of the household drank of it, a negro boy dying, while the Chan- cellor only survived long enough to summon a neighbor and alter his will, thus frustrating the murderer's design. When his death was announced the bells of the city were set tolling, a procession was formed, and the Hon. William Munford, his ex-pupil, the ancestor of the prominent Richmond family of his name and branches of the same scattered elsewhere, de- livered the funeral oration of one John Randolph had pronounced "an inearnation of Justice." Nearly 100 years have passed sinee then, but his grave, shaded by an elin tree and identified by a piece of iron driven in at the head, is still unmarked-a mute reproach to the Republic whose infaney he cherished.
INTERESTING MEMORIALS.
Near the opposite end of the historic portion, its branches extending over the spot upon which Henry stood, was a sycamore tree, which must have been of considerable size in his day. Its shade was injuring the building, however, and in 1892 it was removed, its roots disclosing a human skull, face downward, held in their meshes. The tree was converted into sou- venirs, which were sold to tourists. Not far from it, beneath what was once the eastern window, is the grave of Col. Edward Carrington, the brother-in-law of Chief Justice Marshall and the intimate friend of Washi- ington, who appointed him quartermaster general in 1798, when a war with Franee seemed pending. In 1775, when the Virginia Convention met in St. John's, Carrington, who was a member of it, was unable from the press to get into the building. He placed himself, therefore, near the open window, afterward expressing the wish, which was respected, that he might be buried in the spot upon which he had heard Henry's electrical outburst. Near him lies John Page of Rosewell, the Governor of Virginia, and anees- tor of Thomas Nelson Page. He was a fellow student, at William and Mary, of Jefferson, and his confidant in his love affair with Rebecca Burwell, the Williamsburg belle who has become historic as having rejected in embryo the author of the Declaration of Independence.
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To the left is the keeper's lodge, an examination of the record to be seen there with the names of thousands of tourists crowding its pages, some of whom registered from England, France and Canada, suggesting the material results to the city from the presence of this interesting landmark.
I append two letters of Mrs. Carrington to her sister, Mrs. Fisher, in 1810, which I am sure readers of this book will derive pleasure from, in her delineation of the character of her brother- in-law, Chief Justice Marshall, as well as her experience in early life of the difficulties attending female education. They are dated 1810, and are as follows :
MY DEAR NANCY :
If anything can supply the place of early education, it is being thrown into a society where the infant mind may tend to future improvement. I cannot say that this was precisely our situation, when left as we were in Winchester. Our female relation was truly amiable, but young and inex- perienced, and almost as childish as ourselves. Her husband, though a man of sterling worth and one whom I still love and venerate beyond most of my friends, was too much occupied or too negligent to bestow those atten- tions upon us that we required. Thus my sister, my cousin, a little older than myself, and I (most of us unmanageable), were left entirely to our own wayward humours, and but for the remarkable discretion of my sister, who was only twelve years of age, my cousin and myself would have been perpetually involved in difficulties. As it was, the absurdities of my conduct can never be thought of but with regret, nor would I, for any consideration, have our Janetta, or any girl that I love, placed in a similar situation. A girl of thirteen, left without an adviser, of a gay and frivolous temper, fancying herself a woman, stands on a precipice that trembles beneathı her. The society of Winchester consisted of all descriptions of persons who seek a new country to better their fortunes; thus you may suppose there could be little refinement, and of course little improvement gained among them. There were however a few genteel and respectable families, English, Irish and Dutch, but the chief population was Dutchi. During our stay we often met with genteel travellers, and not unfrequently made acquaintance with agreeable men, who were condemned in various parts to banishment to this dreary place on account of disaffection, as it was called, to the great cause of liberty. In this remote corner they were entirely precluded any intercourse with Britain or British agents; of course unable, if they had the disposition, to enter into any plans with them.
Amongst those proscribed, genteel Quakers from Philadelphia were numerons, and I also remember with much affection a Colonel Elligood, from Norfolk. Added to these were many charming young officers, who had been prisoners in Canada, and just then liberated; such were Heth, Bruin, McGuire, etc., etc. Here was a fine field open for a romantic girl to exhibit in, and here I could tell you many pretty stories of sighing divans, tender billets, love-inspiring sonnets, etc., etc., etc., but that they
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would be blended with so many childish absurdities, that I will not venture to repeat them. Fortunately, nature blessed me with that versatility of temper, that at that time, it would have been impossible to have fixed my attention to any one objeet, so that consequently I eseaped an entangle- ment that might have eventuated in regret. Early in the spring our good father returned and withdrew us from scenes that were so truly improper, and though he treated us himself as children, yet it was evident he saw that we had been eonsidered of an age to attract too much attention. The only consolation I have ever felt for these youthful follies was that in a subse- quent visit to Winchester I found that my temper and deportment to those of my aequaintanees who remained there had been such as to inspire them with an affection for me, which had induced them to throw a veil over my youthful follies, and that they continued to love me with unabated af- fection.
It is not a pleasant thing to retraee the follies of youth, but I have de- termined, by a eandid representation of different periods of my life, to guard our dear little sister against errors that I have fallen into. If our lives are prolonged, probably she may not be exposed or placed in similar situations, and now eertain it is that another Revolution ean never happen to affeet and ruin a family so completely as ours has been. The only possible good from the entire ehange in our cireumstanees was, that we were made acquainted with the manners and situation of our own country, which we otherwise should never have known. Added to this neces- sity taught us to use exertions which our girls of the present day know nothing of. We were foreed to industry, to appear genteel, to study manners to supply the place of education, and to endeavour, by amiable and agreeable eonduet, to make amends for the loss of fortune, which by this time was reduced to a pretty low ebb. See us at this period reduced to the necessity of travelling in a common wagon, which to be sure was fixed comfortably with swinging seats, ete., ete. Like the good old vicar's family, we were rather ashamed of our cavalry, but the constant attention we received from all who knew the virtues and independent spirit of my father rendered our ehange most supportable.
One little mortification I must, however, relate. We arrived at Fred- ericksburg rather at a late hour in the evening, and our equipage was safely lodged. We passed the next day with our friends there, and had much atten- tion paid us; were invited to a ball in the evening, that we declined going to, not having ball dresses with us (whiel by the way were not to be found elsewhere), and besides we were to take our departure at a very early hour in the morning, having prevailed on our father to let us walk to the out- skirts of the town, where our vehicle would be in readiness for us. When lo and behold! just as we were stepping into it several genteel and elegant officers appeared, who had encamped with their regiment the preceding night at this very spot. Here was a terrible blow to our faneied conse- quenee; like the Miss Primroses, we began to bridle, and perhaps would have glaneed at better days and talked of the coach we had lately passed, that way in our journey up, but our vicar-like father cut the matter short
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by shaking hands with the gentlemen, all of whom he had known before, saying he was carrying his children ( for he still treated us as such) to join their mother, and wished them a good journey. The commanding officer proved to be Colonel Carrington, afterwards the friend of all others most respected, and ultimately the husband of my choice.
Yours sincerely,
E. J. CARRINGTON.
MY DEAR NANCY :- Had I talents or the necessary information for writing the history of my country, the period of my life mentioned in my last would afford an ample opportunity to distinguish myself; but pos- sessing neither the one nor the other, it is impossible to give you an idea of the interesting state of the Colonies at that time. That eventful war, which I so often had occasion to dwell on, was at that period carried on in the northern states with the utmost vigor; our own, however, for some time was exempt from its ravages, and we returned to our dear York-not, indeed, to our former mansion, but to a small retired tenement that had long been occupied by others.
My imagination frequently recurs to the enchanting spot, situated on a little eminence in the environs of the town overlooking a smiling meadow where a gentle stream, meandering round the sloping hill, was lost in one of the noblest rivers in our country. Here my sister and myself often wandered, gathering wild flowers to adorn our hair, till we almost fancied ourselves heroines. The charm, however, only lasted during. our rambles, for on returning to the house, we always found employment sufficient to convince us that much of the comfort of the family depended upon our personal exertions. My father at this time accepted an appointment which kept him almost constantly at Williamsburg. Our own town had now become a garrison; of course we should have been left to experience re- peated alarms, had we not been fortunately next-door neighbor to the com- manding officer, Colonel Marshall, with his "suite," composed of several of his young relations, one of whom was often our immediate guard. It was at this time we became acquainted with our much loved brother, then called Captain Marshall, who, being without a command just then, left the Northern army to visit his father and friends. Perhaps no officer that had been introduced to us excited so much interest. We had been accustomed to hear him spoken of by all as a very paragon. We had often seen letters from him fraught with filial and fraternal affection; the eldest of fifteen children, devoted from his earliest years to his younger brothers and sis- ters, he was almost idolized by them, and every line received from him was read with rapture. Our expectations were raised to the highest pitch, and the little circle of York was on tiptoe ou his arrival. Our girls, were par- ticularly emulous who should be first introduced. It is remarkable that my sister, then only fourteen and different beyond all others, declared that we were giving ourselves useless trouble, for that she, for the first time, had made up her mind to go to the ball, though she had not even ever been at dancing-school, and was resolved to set her cap for him and eclipse ns all.
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This in the end proved true, and at the first introduction he became de- voted to her. For my own part, I am free to confess, that I felt not the slightest wish to contest the prize with her. In this, as in every other instance in life, my sister's superior discernment and solidity of character has made me feel my own insignificance. She, with a glance, developed his character, and understood how to appreciate it, while I, expecting an Adonis, lost all desire of becoming agreeable in his cyes, when I beheld his awkward figure, unpolished manners, and total negligence of person (which, by the by, did often produce a blush on her cheek). Nevertheless, how trivial now secm such objections! Under the slouched hat there beamed an eye that penetrated at one glance the inmost recesses of the human character, and beneath the slovenly garb there dwelt a heart replete with every virtue. What his superior mind and knowledge are capable of ex- hibiting belongs to a more able biographer than myself; it is only his domestic character that I have attempted feebly to sketch. None ever knew him in that particular better than myself. From the moment he loved my sister he became truly a brother to me (a blessing which before I had never known), and the reciprocal interest which we have each felt for the other has never known abatement. During the short stay he made with us, our whole family became attached to him, and though there was then no certainty of his becoming allied to us, we felt a love for him that can never cease. And how could it have been otherwise where there was no circumstance, however trivial, in which we were concerned, that was not his casc. Much, indeed, do I owe him in every respect, and if I claim any consequence in life, it may be ascribed to my early intimacy with so estimable a friend. Certain it is, whatever taste I may have for reading was entirely gained from him, who used to read to us from the best authors, particularly the poets, with so much taste and pathos as to give one an idea of their sublimity, without which I should never have had an idea of. Thus did he lose no opportunity of blending improvement with our amusements, and thereby gave us a taste for books, which prob- ably we might never otherwise have had.
Soon after this we learned with pleasure that he was determined to attend the law studies in Williamsburg during his absence from his regi- ment of about three months, and at the end of that time, after obtaining a license, he rejoined his regiment, gaining as much in that short time as would have employed many the same number of years. On our way to Richmond, where we had been induced to remove in consequence of my father's appointment to council, when the government was removed to that place, we had the pleasure of seeing him in Williamsburg-we found him still the kind, attentive friend as in York. Notwithstanding his amiable and correct conduct there were those who would catch at the most trifling circumstances to throw a shade over his fair fame. Once, in particular, I I remember an observation of one of his envious contemporaries, when allusion was made to his short stay at William and Mary College, that he could have gained but little there, and that his talents were greatly over- rated. How far he has left this wise observer behind him, might be
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easily shown were I at liberty to describe this distinguished personage. The same spirit of envy and detraction has followed him more or less through life, and though no man living ever had more ardent friends, yet there does not exist one who has had at one time more slandering enemies.
One remarkable trait, however, in his character is, that he was never known to make, even to his most intimate friend, an invidious or malevo- lent retort, though slanders were propagated and whispered in the ear of those with whom of all others he wished to stand well, insidiously repre- senting the most trifling failings into crimes of blackest dyc. Yet has he always preserved the same amiable, unsuspicious temper which so remark- ably distinguished him, and he has wisely shown that nothing can so completely blunt the shaft of envy and malice as a life spent in virtuous and noble usefulness.
The year after the war his marriage took place at the cottage in Hanover, to which place we had been invited by our relation, John Ambler. It lias been ill-naturedly said that my father made objections on the score of fortune, but nothing was ever less true, for though I have heard Mr. Marshall a hundred times declare, that after paying the parson he had but one solitary guinea left, yet, had that been lacking, my father would have considered him the best choice his daughter could have made. Certainly the event has proved so, for no man in my estimation has ever, save one, stood so high in our country. What his conduct has been in the tender relations of domestic life you have had as good an opportunity of knowing as myself-his exemplary tenderness to our unfortunate sister is without parallel; with a delicacy of frame and feeling that baffles all description, she became, early after her marriage, a prey to extreme nervous affection, which more or less has embittered her comfort through life, but this has only served to increase his care and tenderness, and he is, as you well know, as entirely devoted as at the moment of their first being married. Always and under every circumstance an enthusiast in love, I have very lately heard him declare that he looked with astonishment at the present race of lovers, so totally unlike what he had been himself. His never failing cheerfulness and good humor is a perpetual source of delight to all connected with him, and I have not a doubt has been the means of prolonging the life of her he is so tenderly devoted to.
Instead of wearying you with my own trifling concerns and an account of my unimportant life, I will occasionally give you a sketch of characters who have been interesting to me, but for the present will transcribe letters of old friends and select some of my own: they may serve to amuse you on rainy days. Yours,
E. J. C.
Prof. Raleigh C. Minor, of University, Charlottesville, Va., has a sister who has Mrs. Carrington's complete MS. (July, 1905).
The strength as well as tenderness of Judge Marshall's attaeh- ment to Mrs. Marshall will appear from the following affecting tribute to her memory, written by himself, December 25th, 1832:
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This day of joy and festivity to the whole Christian world is, to my sad heart, the anniversary of the keenest affliction which humanity can sustain. While all around is gladness, my mind dwells on the silent tomb, and cherishes the remembrance of the beloved object which it contains.
On the 25th of December, 1831, it was the will of heaven to take to itself the companion, who had sweetened the choicest part of my life, had ren- dered toil a pleasure; had partaken of all my feelings, and was enthroned in the inmost recesses of my heart. Never can I cease to feel the loss and to deplore it. Grief for her is too sacred ever to be profancd on this day, which shall be, during my existence, marked by a recollection of her virtues.
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