USA > Virginia > Some prominent Virginia families, Volume IV > Part 8
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Cornelius Dabney and Sarah Jennings, his wife. had three sons and four daughters. The descendants of their half-brother, George, and of this band of brothers and sisters can be found in Louisa and Hanover counties, Va. They have also spread in the South and Southwest. and many of them are to be found in the Middle States. John Dabney settled on the lower Pamunkey River. at what has been known ever since as Dabney's Ferry, and this became the original seat of the Dabneys of King William and Gloucester counties.
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The first records given by the late Rev. Edward Fontaine :
John d'Aubigné, the oldest of the two brothers, must have been born previous to 1670, and thus have been at least sixteen or seventeen years of age at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1685. He was married in England; the name of his wife is unknown, and he must have been well advanced in years when he came over to Virginia and his children grown or nearly so. Only two of these are known.
SECOND GENERATION.
II. John Dabney2, married twice, names of wives unknown. Issue :
I. John Dabney3, supposed not to have married.
II. Nancy Dabney3. Married Mr. Millar.
III. George Dabney3, of Dabney's Ferry.
IV. James Dabney3, the powerful.
II. Elizabeth Dabney2, married Col. William Winston, of Langaloo and Rockcastle, Virginia. Issue:
I. Elizabeth L. Winston3. Married Col. Peter Fontaine, son of Rev. Pierre Fontaine, the original settler.
THIRD GENERATION.
III. George Dabney3 (John2. John1), of Dabney's Ferry. Married twice, names of wives unknown.
Issue by first marriage :
I. George Dabney+.
II. Benjamin Dabney+.
Issue by second marriage :
III. Dr. James Dabney4.
IV. Major Thomas Dabney4, of Ayletts, King William Co .; his residence was called the "Donnells." Married, first, Lucy Walker; married, second, Mary Eleanor Tomp- kins. There were several daughters.
III. Elizabeth Louise Winston3 (Elizabeth2, John1), married Col. Peter Fontaine, son of Rev. Pierre Fontaine, the original settler, only child given by Rev. Edward Fontaine. (Fontaine. Chapter XIII.) Issue :
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I. John Fontaine, Colonel in the Revolutionary War, d. 1791.
II. Mary Fontaine. Married, first, Colonel Bowles Armistead ; second, Colonel John Lewis. of Fredericksburg, Va.
(Armistead, Volume II. Chapter XIX; Lewis, Volume II, Chapter XVIII.)
FOURTH GENERATION.
IV. Benjamin Dabney+ (George3, John2, John1), son of George Dabney, of Dabney's Ferry. Married, first, Martha Burwell Armi- stead, who lived only a few years; married, second, October, Miss Sarah Smith. Benjamin Dabney had given up the family man- sion at Dabney's Ferry, together with his patrimony on his father's death, to his brother George. He made his residence at Bellevue, on the York River, in King and Queen County; he contributed also to the education of his half-brother, James Dabney, and his wife's favorite brother, John Augustine Smith, the first in Edin- burgh. and the last in London and Paris. He died, 1806, of pneumonia. Issue by first marriage :
I. George Dabney5. Married Susan Littlepage Quarles ; they had sixteen children: one of them, Mary Eleanor Dabney, attracted the attention and admiration of Gen'l LaFayette.
II. Benjamin Dabney5. Married Anne West Dabney, his cousin; issue, three children.
III. Anne Dabney5. Married Major Thomas Smith, brother of Sarah Smith ..
Benjamin Dabney5 was a very handsome and strong young man. and was the champion of the college, when at William and Mary College, but he was not so strong as his brother, George, who was celebrated for his great strength. They both inherited their great strength from their mother's ancestors, the Armisteads. (More about the Dabney family in "Sketch of the Dabneys in Virginia," by William H. Dabney, of Boston, published, December 31, 1887.)
IV. Dr. James Dabney+ (George3, John2, John1), son of George Dabney, of Dabney's Ferry, married, twice: first, name unknown ; married, second, Miss Perrin. Dr. James Dabney lived near his brother, Major Thomas Dabney, from ten to fifteen miles distant.
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Dr. James Dabney's place was called the "Grenville." Issue by first marriage :
I. Benjamin Franklin Dabney5, moved to Mississippi. Issue by second marriage :
II. James Dabney5. Married Emory Tabb.
III. Thomas Dabney5.
IV. Major Thomas Dabney4 (George3, John2, John1), son of George Dabney, of Dabney's Ferry, of Ayletts, King and Queen Co., Va .; his residence was called "Donnells." Married, first, Lucy Walker ; married, second, Mary Eleanor Thompkins. Major Thomas Dabney d. over 70 years of age. He was an able and hard-working lawyer. Issue by first marriage :
I. John Milton Dabney5. Married Elizabeth Taylor Moore.
II. Thomas Overton Dabney5, who was Commonwealth Attor- ney of King William Co., Va., after Benjamin Frank- lin Dabney's death, and until his own death.
III. No record.
IV. No record.
V. Frances Ellen Dabney5. Married Mr. Green. No issue.
VI. Mary Susan Dabney5. Married Samuel Robinson; she d. leaving four sons and three daughters. Major Thomas Robinson married her cousin, Mary Eleanor Dabney's oldest daughter.
VII. Ann Eliza Dabney5. Married Mr. Sizer; she d. leaving one son.
Issue by second marriage :
VIII. James Dabney5, killed himself accidentally, while hunting, at 15 years.
IX. Alexander Dabney5, was killed in the Civil War.
FIFTH GENERATION.
V. James Dabney5 (James+, George3, John2, John1), son of Dr. James Dabney and Miss Perrin, his second wife; lived in Gloucester, at the seat called the "Exchange"; married Emory Tabb. Issue:
I. James Dabney6.
II. Thomas Todd Dabney6.
III. Franklin Dabney6.
IV. William DabneyG.
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V. Lucy Dabney". Married James Duncan. Issue :
I. Emory Duncan7.
II. Mary Duncan7.
VI. James Lee Dabney6.
VII. Evelyn Dabney6.
V. John Milton Dabney5 (Maj. Thomas4, George3, John2, John1), son of Maj. Thomas Dabney and Lucy Walker, his first wife, b. at the "Donnells," King William Co., Va .; d. at Mt. Vernon, Ala., his plantation home, 1881. Married Elizabeth Taylor Moore, daughter of Thomas Moore, and Anna Aylett, b. at Montville, King William Co., Va., February 14, 1826; d. Meridian, Miss., January 22, 1905. (Vol. II, Chapter XX.) Issue :
I. Helen Moore Dabney4. Married Dr. Balt Smith, of Mobile, Ala., living at Bay City, Texas (1906). Issue :
I. James B. Smith ?.
II. Dabney Smith™. Married -, living in Colorado.
III. Garland Smith ?.
II. William Penn Taylor Dabney6, d. February 11, 1899. Meridian, Miss., married Caroline Goodman (Lott widow) ; d. 1877. Issue:
I. John Milton Dabney7, of Meridian, Miss., attorney-at-law, Masonic Temple Building.
III. Lucie Walker Dabney6, living Meridian, Miss., August, 1906, married James W. Powell, of Belle Fontaine, Ohio, a Capt. in U. S. Army; d. in active service at San Diego, Cal., 1884.
IV. James Scott Dabney6, of Mobile, Ala., unmarried.
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CHAPTER VI
GENERAL JOHN SMITH.
GENERAL JOHN SMITH
General John Smith, of Hackwood Park, Frederick County, Va., b. May 7, 1750; d. March 3, 1836. Married (Feb. 10, 1:81) Anna (Animus) Bull, b. 1761; d. Sept. 15, 1831; daughter of Gen'l John Bull, of Pennsylvania.
In 1774 John Smith was engaged in Dunmore's war against the Indians. On January 8, 1776, he was commissioned Colonel by the Council of Safety of Virginia ; March 6, 1777, County Lieutenant. by P. Henry, Governor; April 1, 1784, again County Lieuten- ant, by P. Henry, Governor: March 6, 1793, Lieutenant Colonel
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Commandant by Henry Lee, Governor. December 21, 1801, Brigadier General, by James Monroe, Governor; January 26, 1811, Major General of the Third Division Virginia State Troops, by James Monroe, Governor, which office Gen'l Smith retained until his death, in 1836.
He received a pension of $50.00 a month for services as Colonel during the Revolutionary War, in which he served under General Daniel Morgan and General Muhlenberg. Though not in the line, he served directly under the order of Congress. He was Commis- sary of Prisoners and had under his charge the Scotch taken in the Chesapeake, the Hessians taken at Princeton, and the Saratoga prisoners. He was employed by the government to hold them, and was furnished with money to defray expenses. He was also recruit- ing officer for a time, and enlisted many men, made purchases of army clothing and subsistence.
The following is a specimen of the manner of reporting at that time :
DEAR SIR :- Upon an examination into the number of arms delivered at Winchester by the militia I found that my accounts made them less in number than I supposed. I have sent your orders back that you may make any alterations you think proper. I am, Sir, with great respect, your most obedient John Smith. April 13th, 1782.
Muskets, 934. Col. James Wood.
Bayonets, 428. (afterwards General. )
Cartridge Boxes, 649.
The records of the Pension Office give his services under Gen'l Morgan and Muhlenberg. The records of the Treasury Depart- ment and War Department show the granting and payment of the pension. The records of Congress state that he was a member from the Winchester District continuously from 1801 to 1815. Following is given a letter written by General Smith, while he was a member of Congress, to his nephew, Major Charles Nourse :
WASHINGTON CITY, April 8, 1808.
DEAR CHARLES :- I avail myself of the opportunity offered by the British packet again to pay you my attentions from my post. Since I wrote you last the President has communicated to Congress interesting information in regard to our foreign relations. A letter from Champagne to General Armstrong fully demonstrates General Bonaparte's intentions towards the United States. It is a pleasing circumstance to find that the embargo has
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prevented the accomplishment, in full, of this arch-despot's contemplated outrage and that but a small portion of the American property has fallen into his iron grasp. The plunder I consider too inconsiderable to compen- sate for the loss of greater benefits, and, therefore, we are to-night to expect the order under which American vessels are held in sequestration will be rescinded.
By a letter from Mr. Erskine, to Mr. Madison, and from information received through the medium of Mr. Pinckney, we find the tone of the British administration greatly altered. If that nation wishes for amity with the United States and considers her commerce with this country an object of attention, the sooner she recalls her despotic edicts and meets the American government upon fair and equitable terms the better for herself. Few men who have not witnessed the revolutionary contest have a proper idea of the perseverance of an American or his ingenuity in supplying his wants. The embargo appears now to be settled down to a system. We begin now to look for the loss of our crops and to turn our attention to other things. We have samples of excellent wool sent us from different parts of the United States, and some of the eastern gentle- men have produced cloth from their portion of the union not unworthy of the best manufacturers of England. Our cotton spinning and weaving machinery is rapidly advancing, and necessity will compel us to go on. I fear the people of Great Britain have formed an opinion of the Amer- ican character from the wretched calumnies of our public prints. Even the speeches made in Congress are but delusive fatui, calculated to effect very different purposes from what they express. Old Pickering has been exhibiting his talents by writing to the government of Massachusetts, which letter you will see, and according to custom it is made an ensign of party. The old gentleman has in the senate been reprobating one of the primary principles upon which the embargo was founded. You will hear perhaps, much said about this letter, and I therefore mention that neither Pickering or his letter have the most distant weight with the ruling sect of the United States.
Our Army bill is still upon the carpet. Randolph is again upon his feet and leads a charge against its passage. We have been five days engaged in animated debate, at this stage of the business. It will pass, however, and a pitiful thing it is of six thousand men. Gardonier is out again and recovering fast. He is a little warped at present, in appearance. I can hardly tell you when we shall rise: the 27th of the month is spoken of. This, however, is uncertain.
I have now written you a long letter, but before I conclude, I must request that if any public prints of late improvements in agriculture should fall in your way, to show yourself here the next fall with the work. Accept my best wishes for your happiness, and affectionate regards. (Signed)
JOHN SMITH.
P. S .- 6 o'clock-I have just returned from the hall. The Army bill has passed, 96 to 16. Hence, you see how Mr. Randolph stands. Mr.
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Madison still gains ground as a candidate to succeed Mr. Jefferson, and I have no doubt, myself, but what he will succeed.
General Smith was also a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for several years. As Major-General of the Third Dis- trict Virginia State troops, he remained until his death, in office.
As County Lieutenant of Frederick County, Va., in which capa- city he served at Winchester, having in charge not only the Scotch and Hessian soldiers captured on the Chesapeake and at Trenton, but also members of the Pennsylvania Society of Friends (Quakers) held as prisoners of war, being, as they refused to fight, suspected of disloyalty to the patriots' cause. Out of his private means he provided food and clothing for these prisoners.
In the "History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley," published by Warner, of Chicago, 1890, p. 666, may be found an account of the family of "Shooter's Hill," in which reference is made to the services of General John Smith, of "Hackwood," as a patriot of the American Revolution, and giving a portrait of him.
Kercheval's "History of the Valley" was dedicated to Gen'l John Smith. James' "History of the Quakers" shows the position of General John Smith as County Lieutenant of Frederick County, Va., while in charge of the imprisoned "Friends" at Winchester, Va.
The following letter written by Gen'l John Smith while a mem- ber of Congress, to his son-in-law, Robert Mills, U. S. Government Architect, has interest, as it treats of incidents in Congress just prior to the war of 1812-'15 with Great Britain :
WASHINGTON CITY, April 2, 1812.
DEAR SIR :- I received your letter, in answer to two of mine, by the mail of a few days past, and informed Mr. Clay of its contents. That gentle- man has not heard lately from the Committee at Richmond. When he does you shall hear from me. I passed an irksome day yesterday in con- clave, in consequence of a confidential message from the President. The amount of our deliberations will soon be known, and indeed, I calculate upon our offspring being announced in Philadelphia, before you receive this. I confess, I like not the policy adopted, but certainly shall support it as the will of the majority. From all that I can learn, we have to look for war at no distant period. Great Britain is determined to maintain her present system, and is making preparations to enforce it. We must, there- fore, be on the alert, and prepare for the worst. We have, at this moment, cleared ship again to receive a report from the Committee on Foreign Relations. This tells you that the storm thickens, for this is extra of the business of yesterday. I will. therefore. with my love to Eliza and my
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granddaughter [this was Sarah Zane Mills] conclude with friendly saluta- tions.
[Signed] JOHN SMITH.
NOTE :- The Richmond business referred to in the first part of this letter was the adoption of the plan of Robert Mills, for the Monumental Church.
The length of time that General John Smith was a member of the House of Delegates is not known to the writer. He wrote in 1820 that he must soon leave for Richmond, and in 1824 his wife writes that he is soon to start for Richmond, and that his friends tell him this must be his last year, he must take a rest.
HACKWOOD PARK, NEAR WINCHESTER, VA. Home of Gen. John Smith From a water-color painting by Mr. Robert Mills
The following is the dedication to General John Smith in Kercheval's "History of the Valley":
"Like Nestor of old, you have lived to see two generations pass away, and now remain the example of the third. You saw Dunmore's war in 1774, you witnessed the war of the Revolution, and the War of 1812, with the haughty Briton. In all these great struggles of our Country, you have given the most conclusive evidence of unbending virtue and uncompromis- ing patriotism. The Author has had the gratification of knowing you for a full half-century. When a small boy. he frequently saw you, though he
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was then too young to attract your notice, and it was not until he had entered upon the active duties of life. that he had the high satisfaction of a personal acquaintance.
The author disclaims anything like insincere flattery, and feels assured that your candor will readily pardon him for the freedom he uses in his dedication of his History of the Valley to you. To you, Sir, is he indebted for much of the valuable information detailed in the following pages. In you, Sir, he has witnessed the calm, dignified statesman and philosopher, the uniform and consistent Republican, the active and zealous officer, whether in the field or conneils of the Country. He has witnessed more. He has seen you in high, pecuniary prosperity, he has seen you in later years struggling with adverse fortunes, and in all has discovered the calm. dignified resignation to misfortune which always characterizes the great and good man. Yes, Sir, you have spent at least fifty years of your valu- able life in the service of your country, and when you go home, that you may enter into the joy of your Lord, is the fervent prayer of the Author."
Copy of Gen'l John Smith's certificate of pension.
WAR DEPARTMENT,
REVOLUTIONARY CLAIM.
I certify that in conformity with the law of the United States, of the 7th of June, 1832, John Smith, of the State of Virginia; who was a Colonel in the Army of the Revolution, is entitled to receive Six hundred dollars, per annum, during his natural life, payable on the 4th day of March, and on the 4th day of September, of every year. Given at the office of the United States, this 13th day of March, 1833. ( Signed )
LEWIS CASS, Secretary of War.
Examined and countersigned,
J. L. EDWARDS, Commissioner of Pensions.
Major General John Smith, of Hackwood Park, Frederick County, Va., b. at Shooter's Hill estate on the Piankatank River, in Middlesex County, May 7, 1750, at 5 o'clock, a. m. He resided for a time at "Fleet's Bay" estate in Northumberland County, from which he removed to Frederick County, Va., in 1773, and settled on an estate he named "Hackwood Park," near Winchester. His brother, Edward, accompanied him and settled on an adjoining estate, which he named "Smithfield."
In 1773, the vicinity of Winchester was one of the few spots in the Valley of Virginia where virgin forests were to be found. Elsewhere in the Valley the forests had been so repeatedly burned by the Indians, in the interest of the chase. that the primeval character of its forests had disappeared. This was Gen'l Smith's
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reason for locating his residence near Winchester. The entire capital of himself and his brother, Edward, was £1,000, given the latter by his aunt, Mrs. Martha Jaquelin, for the entire estates of "Shooter's Hill" and "Fleet's Bay" had been sold to satisfy the forfeited bond of a defaulter.
MRS. JOHN SMITH, NEE ANNA BULL
Gen'l Smith soon became a leading citizen of his section, and retained his popularity to the end of his life. This was shown in his election as vestryman for the parish of Frederick, by a unani- mous vote. He being the only one of the twelve vestrymen elected who was given that compliment.
The wife of Gen'l John Smith, to whom he was married February 10, 1781, by Rev. Mr. Surgis, in Berkeley County, Va., has been variously named, Anna, Animus, and Quinis Bull. It is probable that she assumed the name of Anna when a young girl, and retained
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it through life. She was the daughter of Gen'l John Bull, of Northumberland County, Va.
Mrs. Anna (Bull) Smith was a highly cultivated and intel- lectual lady, possessed of those strong womanly traits of character so necessary in troublesome times. "Haekwood Park" was the hospitable rendezvous for the patriotic statesmen and warriors of that period and thrilling tales might be told of conferences held, plans laid, and events foreshadowed, if the secrets of the rooms of that mansion could be disclosed.
The correspondence of Gen'l Smith includes letters from the President of the Continental Congress, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Harrison, Wythe, Henry, and of the Generals Wood, Stephens, Charles Lec, Gates, and Dark. The quaint and bold English, peculiar chirography, and original orthography of this correspondence, make these letters not only expressive, but very interesting.
Mrs. Anna Bull died September 15, 1831, aged about seventy years. She never would tell the date of her birth; said, when asked, that she was as old as her eyes, and a little older than her teeth. Notwithstanding this peculiarity, she was a woman of more than ordinary business capacity and literary ability. She had built the Spring House, at Hackwood, of limestone, quarried on the place, and the walls, now strong as when built, bid fair to stand another century.
It was one of the most picturesque homes in the valley, on ground sloping from a beautiful clear-water creek which, fed by springs on the premises, widens into miniature lakes deep enough for boating, embellished with green lawns and large ancient trees of most beautiful foliage.
Unfortunately the old people in their declining years were deprived of its shelter; pecuniary misfortunes overtook them in 1824, and they were compelled to leave it.
It is said that Mrs. Anna Smith not only educated but started in life fifty children besides her own, and some of Gen'l and Mrs. Smith's misfortune has been attributed to the open hand with which she dealt out her charity. It was not always worthily bestowed, and ingratitude was the result. In many of her letters she mentions a number of her protégés with pride and satisfaction. to know that they were prospering in life.
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The General died in the home of his granddaughter, Mrs. Isaac F. Hite, Jr., near Middletown, Frederick County, Va., March 3, 1836. Mr. Edward Jaquelin Davison says: "These old people raised my father, who lost his mother at the tender age of 21 months, and he ever spoke of them with the tenderest affection and highest respect. Indeed, they were his model for honorable men and women, and he attributed all that was good in him to their training."
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HACKWOOD SPRING-HOUSE
General John Smith, of Hackwood Park, and his wife, Mrs. Anna Smith, were both buried in the family burial ground at Hackwood, although neither died at that place. The vandalism of contending armies swept over their last resting place, and a few years ago E. J. Davison bought a lot at Mount Hebron cemetery, Winchester, to which place he removed the remains of his grand- parents, Gen'l and Mrs. Smith, as well as the others buried at Hackwood, as the graveyard there had lost any semblance of the purpose for which it was intended.
(Descendants, Volume III, Chapters III-VII.)
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BULL FAMILY IN . AMERICA.
Gen'l John Bull, father of Anna Bull, was the son of John Bull, of Providence Township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery County) , Penn. He was Captain in the Provincial service, and was at the taking of Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg). with the Pennsylvania and other troops, under Gen'l Forbes. He was reappointed, and served the following year. He was Justice of the Peace, 1761, and a Justice of the Court of Quarterly Sessions of the county, 1768. In 1771, he bought 553 acres of land on the present site of Morristown, and removed there from Limerick Township. During the Revolution his services were numerous and active. In 1775, he was a member of the second Provincial Convention, which deter- mined an open rebellion. In 1774, he was one of the "Committee of Inspection" of the county. From November 25, 1775, until his resignation, January 20, 1776, he was Colonel of the First Pennsylvania Battalion of Continental troops. In February, he carried money to Cambridge, Mass. In June, he was a member of the third Provincial Convention, which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution. In July, 1776, he was commissioned Colonel of the Sixth Associator's Battalion of the State, and was elected a member of the fourth convention, and was made chairman of the Committee of Inspection of Philadelphia County. He was ap- pointed member of the "Council of Safety of the State," and was Justice of the Peace. In September, he was sent as General Superintendent of the construction of defenses at Billingsport, which work he conducted until 1779, when he was appointed Colonel Commandant. In January, 1777, he was commissioned to treat with the Indians at Easton, Pennsylvania. In February, he was elected member of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, and in March, when the "Council of Safety" gave place to the Executive Council as the real governing body, he served a month on the "Board of War." May 2, 1777, he was appointed Colonel of the Pennsylvania State regiment of foot, and June 17, 1777, he was made Adjutant General of Pennsylvania.
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