Mm LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ^f^. W: ^""^^ -^'v ..\° ^^-^^ /^* ^ C°\' vO' ^' O .0* ^ - \- .. -*- '""^^^ > ft • • - ^^\ ^» • ^^ 'P il'^% °v '♦" ^^^"^^^^ '^-'^ >°-^^. « ^ ^0 .0' 0^ o V 0' y . ^^^ " J" ... -^o .(^ .0"^, 5)p ■f^:i O^t/t //^ A Brief Hi^ory of Isle of Wight County, Virginia Colnpiled for Distribution at the Jamestown Tercentenary Exposition. nN THE early spring of 1608, Captain John Smith, driven by the necessity of obtaining^^^ food' for the famisliing colonists at ['James- town, crossed the river (James), and obtained from a tribe of Indians called Worrosquoyackes fourteen bushels of corn. This transaction was the dawn of ';he Instory of Isle of Wight county, as well,' almost, s that of America. Again, in December \ of this ame year. Captain Smith, while on his I way to /isit Powhatan, who was then on the York River, !pent h-s first night with this same tribe of Indians. A.nd in the spring of 1611, after that terrible winter, n which five hundred of the colonists died of star- /ation and disease, that sad-hearted remnant of sixty emaciated, half-famished men, who had determined :o abandon the colony, also spent their first night vith this same tribe. This tribe of Indians occupied a village near vhat is now known as Fergusson's Wharf, |in this ;ounty, and their hunting grounds extended along he James River about five miles and inland about wenty, and had a fighting strength of forty or fifty rarriors. Captain Smith records that the king of this tribe 'urnished him with two guides, with whom he sent I valiant soldier, named Sicklemore, to explore the 1 country around Roanoke Island for traces of the ,[ ^lost colony" of Sir Walter Raleigh, with no suc- 1 ^essful result ; and that he, the king of this tribe, 1 varned him against the treachery of Powhatan ; y md yet, this same savage, in a very few years, tried, jind nearly succeeded, in killing every colonist on /he south side of James River. J A lililEF HIHTORY OF in the western part of the county, now Soutb- aiiipton comity, there was another tribe, called the Noitoways. who were identified with our earliest history. They were intimately connected with the white settlers, and for more than one hundred years lived on their own lands, bartered tlu' ])roducts of their hunting and fishing with the white people for guns, bhinkets, etc., sold to them their lands, and, except for their fondness for rum, seem to have been a peaceful and well disposed people, more sinned against than sinning. For in 1752 the Gen- eral Af-scinhiy of Virginia passed an act declaring "that if any person or persons shall hereafter, under any pretense whatever, take from the Indians any of their i^uiis, blankets or other apparel, such persons so ofTeiiding shall pa}' to the Indian or Indians so injured ihc sum of twenty shillings for every such oifense ; and if the ofl'ender be a slave, he shall receive, for such olt'ense, on his or her naked back, twenty-five lashes, well laid on." But generally the. Indians wore treated with the greatest kindness until! the time of the great Indian massacre, in 1623, for ^ the col(i!ii-;ts were thoroughly imbued with the idea of converting them to Christianity. The first English settlement in Isle of Wight county was made by Captain Christopher Lawne and Sir Richnid Worsley, knight baronet, and their as-jfi sociates, viz.: Xatliaiiiel Basse, gentleman; John Hobson, gentleman; Anthony Olevan, Richard Wise- nuin, Robert Xewland, Robert Gyner and William Willis. On April 27, 1619, they arrived at Jamestown, with one hundred settlers, in a ship commanded by Captain Evans. They immediately settled near the mouth of a creek on the south side of the James River, still known as Lawne's Creek (sometimes im- 1 ])roperly written Lyon's Creek), which wao, in 1642 J made the dividing line between this county and Surry county. Captain I^awne and Ensign Washer represented thcf settlement known as Lawne's Plantations in the first House of Burgesses, which met at Jan\estovvn on^ the ;]Oth d;iv (d" .lulv. Kil!). I' I8LE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 5 It seems to be a fact that all new settlements are .nhealthy, and this proved to be remarkably soj or within abont a year Captain Lawne died, and our-fifths of those he brought with 'him also, and he London Company, JvTovember 30, 1620, ordered hat : "In regard of the late mortality of the persons ransported heretofore by the late Captain Lawne, lis associates be granted till midsummer, 1625, to nake up the number of persons they were disposed bring." It also declared that the plantation was o be henceforth called Isle of Wight Plantation, for vhich change of name we are very thankful, on ac- ;oimt of the difficulty of spelling and pronouncing ts former name, which it took from the tribe of iVarrosquoyacke Indians. We find this name spelled .n every conceivable way, some of them being War- :-osquyoke, Warrosqueak, Warrasquoyke ; nevertiie- ' :ess, it was several years before the new name of Isle 3f Wight was in general use among the colonists. This name was given it, very probably because the famous "Isle of Wight" off the coast of England bad been the home of some of the principal patentees ; at least, one of them was certainly from Isle of Wight — Sir Eichard Worsley, who came over in 1608. Many of the early settlers were of cavalier origin, and came from the city of Bristol, England, and its vicinity, and for many years, as shown by the old records, the "Bristol ships" made frequent trading voyages to this county, bringing with them, at every trip, batches of emigrants. On ISTovember 21, 1621, Edward Bennett, a rich merchant of London, was granted a patent for a plantation upon the condition of settling two hun- dred emigrants. Associated with him in that patent were his brother, Kobert Bennett, and his nephew, Eichard Bennett, Thomas Ayres, Thomas Wiseman and Eichard Wiseman; and in February, 1622, the "Sea Flower" arrived with one hundred and twenty settlers, under command of Captain Ealph Hamor, one of the Council. Among them were Eev. William Bennett and George Harrison, kinsmen of Edward Beniiett. Their place of settlement was called War- rosquovacke. or sometimes "Edward Bennett's Plan- 6 A BRIEF HISTORY OF tation," and was located at the place on James River known as the*"Rocks," the estate of the late Dr. Johi W. Lawson, who for many years represented tlr county in the General Assembly of the State, the Second Congressional ])istrict in Congress, and thifj county in the late Constitutional Convention. On the day the patent last mentioned was granted, Arthur Swaine, Captain Nathaniel Basse and others, undertook to establish another plantation in the same\ neighborhood. Captain Basse came over in person, and his plantation was known as "Basse's Choice." ' and was situated on Warrosquoyacke (now Pagan i River. 11 The houses of Captain Basse's Plantation were" building when a great calamity happened to the in- fant colony. At midday on Good Friday, March 22, 1622, there were twelve hundred and forty inhabi- tants in the State of Virginia. Of these, tliree hun- dred and forty-seven, in a few hours, were killed by the Indians in the eiglity settlements on the north and south sides of the James River, of which number fifty-three were residents of this county. |! After the death of Powhatan, his brother, Opecan- ' canough, who always hated the whites, joined all jj the tribes in Eastern Virginia into an oath-bound 1 conspiracy to kill the whites, and we are astonished ' with what concert of action and secrecy this great jjlot was arranged when we reflect that the savages were not living together as one nation, but were dis- persed in little hamlets, containing from thirty to two hundred in a company. "Yet they all had warn- ing given them, one from another, in all their habi- tations, tliough far asunder, to meet at this day and hour for the destruction of the English." So well was the dread secret kept that the Eng- lish l)oats were borrowed to transport the Indiuna over tlic river to consult on the "devilish murder that ensued": jiiid < ven on the day itself, as well as on the evening before, they came as usual, unarmed, into their settlements, with their turkeys and other pro- vision< to srlj : and in some places sat down with till' I-'jiglisli on the very niorniiiL:' to bi-cakfasl. ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 9 The}^ spared no age, sex or condition; and were so .>udden in their indiscriminate slaughter that few could discern the blow or the weapon that killed them. Those who had treated them with especial kindness and conferred many benefits upon them fared no better than the rest. The ties of love and gratitude the sacred rights of hospitality and reciprocal friend- ship, oath, pledges and promises were broken or forgotten in obedience to the commands of their chief for the execution of a great, but diabolical, stroke of State policy. With one, and only one, of all who had been* cherished by the whites did gratitude for their kind- ness and fidelity to his new religion prevail over his allegiance to his king and affection for his people. A converted Indian, who resided with a Mr. Pace, and who was treated by him as a son, revealed the plot to him in the night of the 21st. Mr. Pace im- mediately secured his house and rowed himself up to Jamestown, where he disclosed the inhuman plot to the Grovernor, by wliich means that place and all the neighboring plantations, to which intelligence could be conveyed, were saved from destruction; foi the cowardly Indians, wherever they saw the whites ujjon their guard, immediately retreated. Some other places were also preserved by the undaunted courage of the occupants, who never failed to beat off their assailants, if they were not slain before their suspicions were excited. By these means the larger portion of the colony was saved from total annihila- tion in a single hour by this well conceived, well concealed and well executed plot of those inhuman, but weak and simple, adversaries. Some miraculous escapes are reported in the Wor- rosquoyacke settlement. The Indians came to one Baldwin^s house, wounded his wife ; but Baldwin, by repeated tiring of his gun, so frightened them as to "save both her, his house, himself and divers others." About the same time they appeared at the house of Mr. Harrison, half a mile from Baldwin's, where was staying Thomas Hamor, a brother of Captain 10 A UlilEF HIt^cB&'^ upon a more prosperous era, and from then on a continuous stream of emigrants were granted patents. 12 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 1 Hiring the lii^t hundivd years a grant of fifty acres was given for the inijiortation of every emi- grant. 'J'hc names of the ''Head-rights" were given in the patents. From the records in the Land Of- fiee, the following are snbserihed : ""Land Urania : ^[artha Key, wife of Thomas Key, planter (as his l>orsonal dividend, being an ancient planter), one hundred and fifty acres lying on the easterly side of Worrosquoyacke River, opposite the land of Cap- tain Nathaniel Basse''; * * * Jolm ^loon, planter, two hundred acres in Worrosquoyaeke, on the Wor- rosquoyacke Creek, and northerly on a small creek called Vigoes Creek * * * for the transportation of four persons, viz. : himself, George Martin, Julian Hollier, Clement Thrush, who came in the Catherine, of London, 1G23. Granted March, 1623." A portion of this patent in ''Red Point" still bears the name of "Moonfield," and one of the descendants of this John Moon, himself named John Moon, be- came a very rich man, owning a large portion of the land in "Red Point." The name is now extinci in this county, and it is astonishing how few of the nanics of the very first settlers liave come down ro us in their descendants. It Would Itc rcinaikably interesting to continue to enumerate these old land grants, but time and space will not allow it. Only three others will be mentioned, because the original patentees and their descendants have been prominent in the political and military history of our county and State, and tln' United States. Benjamin Harrison was granted "two hundred and fifty acres in ^Yorrosquoyacke, on the main creek wliicji runneth from the Great River * * *."' John Upton was granted si.xteen hundred and fifty acres in this county about three miles up Pagan Creek, due for the importation of thirty-three per- sons. Granted July 7th, 1635. Cantain John Upton represented this county in -L. 'jse of Burgesses for many years, (leorge Hardy, three hundred acres on Lawnes (■fi'ek. "bordcriiiir on .Mice Bennett's land * * *." ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 13 He was probably the first to erect a grist-mill, which became quite famous, locally; and is still in opera- tion and known as "Wrenn's Old Mill." From this family of Hardy was descended the Honorable Samuel Hardy, the first representative ' in the Continental Congress from this District. He was one of the most able men in the earliest sessions of National Congress. He died in Philadelphia, while a member of Congress, on the 17th day of October, 1785. On hearing of Hardy's death, Judge Tyler wrote the following beautiful tribute to his memory: "Ah, why, my soul, indulge this pensive mood? Hardy is dead, the brave, the just, the good. Careless of censure, on his youthful bier The muse shall drop a tributary tear. His patriot bosom glowed with warmth divine, And Oh, humanity! his heart was thine. No party interest led his heart astray; He chose a nobler, though a beaten way. Nor shall his virtues there remain unsung — Pride of the Senate, and their guide and tongue. That tongue, no more, can make even truth to please — Polite with art, and elegant with ease. Fain would the muse augment the plaintive strain, Tho' the most flattering panegyric vain, When the brief sentence, youthful Hardy's dead. Speaks more than poet ever thought or said!" His remains were laid to rest in Philadelphia where those of Tazewell, Innes, Mason, Read and other gallant and patriotic Yirginians still sleep. Mr. Hardy was considered, by his associates in Congress, and other able men who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, as being one of the most bril- liant men of his age. He, on occasions, displayed great poetic inclinations. ■ His memory has been preserved in this county by a most fitting and gracious act — the naming of one of the magisterial districts for him — Hardy Dis- trict. In the year 1631 the colony was divided into eight shires or counties, one of which was named Wor- rosquoyacke, afterwards Isle of Wight. 14 A Bh'lKF in STORY OF The feet above the road, fa<'ed bv a l)eantifnl nionnnient erected to the Con- federate dead in l!»o."), a beautiful ])iece of archi- tecture, reflectinij ^ri'at credit on the men and ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY. VIRGINIA 23 women b}^ Avhose efforts it was erected as a memorial of their devotion to a canse lost yet loved. The court green has been the scene' of man}^ a stir- ring occurrence, political wrangles and the like, and the old tavern's walls have housed many a con- vivial assembly, and has been long famous for the many parties and balls which have been attended by throngs of "ye gentlemen and ladies." The clerks of the county have been as follows: Thomas Wombwell, 1645 to 1656. -John Jennings. 1656 to 1662. , John Broomfield, 1677 to 1679. John Pitt, 1679 to 1692. Hugh Davis, 1692. (Died in one month after entering office.) Charles Chapman, 1692 to 1710. Henry Lightfoot, 1710 to 1729. James Tngles, 1729 to 1732. James Baker, 1732 to 1754. Eichard Baker, 1754 to 1770. William Drew, 1770 to 1772. iS^'athaniel Burwell, 1772 to 1787. Francis Young (I), 1787 to 1794. James Young, 1794 to 1800. Francis Young (II), 1800 to 1801. Nathaniel Young, 1801 to 1841. Nathaniel Peyton Young, 1841 to 1869. Charles H. Hart, 1869 to 1870. (Appointed when Virginia was a military district.) Nathaniel Peyton Young, 1870 to 1896. (Second term. ) Nathaniel F. Young, 1896 to 1905. Albert S. Johnson, appointed in 1905 at the death of Mr. Nathaniel F. Young, was elected in same year and is the present clerk. It may thus be seen that the clerkship remained in the Young family for a period of one hundred and eighteen years. The county fronts northeasterly on James Kiver and extends along the river for about eighteen miles. Between its shore and the river channel there are many hundreds of acres of natural oyster rocks and oyster planting grounds rented out by the State. 24 A BlilEF msroRY OF The streiuiip which make into the huid from the river are often bold and navigable streams. On the northeast Lawnes Creek forms the boundary, for about seven miles, between this county and' the county of Surry; is navigable for five miles for ves- sels drawing five feet of water, and out of it are car- ried large quantities of lumber, peanuts and other products. Pagan River penetrates it for five miles to Smithfield ; is navigable for vessels drawing ten feet of water, and out of it is carried large quanti- ties of peanuts, potatoes, bacon, melons, citron, and various trucks, in the cultivation of which many in Farmkks Dkmvkki.nh Pka.nlts. this neighborhood are engaged. At Smithfield the stream separates into two branches, one flowi.ng northwesterly, called Smithfield Creek, which ex- tends about four miles inland, navigable for small craft. At its head has been constructed a deep pond of most excellent water, from which the town of Smithfield is supplied. The other branch, flowing to the southeast, pcnci rates a rich and fertile truck- ing section for fonr miles and is called Cypress Creek, and fnrnislics facilities for heavy transpor- tation. On the south and west, Chuckatuck, Brew- ers. Jones and ^Sfilners Creeks are of sufficient depth to furnish t lanspdi'lat imi facililic's to large com- ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 25 munities engaged in agriculture and oyster plant- ing. The Blackwater River forms its western boundary for about fifteen miles, separating it from the county of Southampton. This is a fresh water stream, navigable from Franklin, reaching the ocean through Chowan Eiver, in North Carolina and the Carolina sounds, and is crossed, in many places, by good and substantial bridges, conveniently located, and for many months in the year afford excellent fishing. This stream sends out innumerable branches, some of them of considerable size, such as Broad- water, Rattlesnake and Mill Swamps, which again break into numerous ravines, swamps and poquosins, which run far into the land and ramify into an in- terminable tangle, affording good ranges for hogs and cattle and an easy and quick way of defining the boundaries to tracts of land, for there is scarcely a farm in the description of whose metes and bounds the expression of "up the said swamp" or "down the said swamp" does not occur. This, however, is a very improper description, for, in fifty years, who can tell where the "main run of swamp" may be; and such descriptions may open the door for vexa- tious law suits; and, the swamps being held as com- mon property of two contiguous land owners, may prevent its being utilized in the making of ice ponds, fish ponds, cranberry patches, for which some are ideal locations, or converted into useful pastures; and furthermore, there is a time coming, perhaps, when the water of these ravines and swamps will be conserved to furnish the power for the generation of electricity to warm our houses, cook our food and to cultivate our fields, for the present waste of fer- tility, fuel and everything else on our farms, will present to a quadrupled population the solution of a very serious problem. These many streams and swamps enable the farmer to drain his arable lands conveniently and with nominal cost. The soil is a composition of the various sands, marls and clays of the Laurenthean formation, and being in the last Ocean Bench a good portion of it is alluvial and of remarkable fertility, where its nat- 26 A BRIEF HISTORY OF ural fertility has not been destroyed by too fre- quent and unwise cultivation. There may be found every variety of soil, from stiff elays to light sandy; the former along James Kiver and its tributaries; the latter as you proceed west- ward. All of it is susceptible to improvement by intelligent cultivation, the use of commercial fer- tilizers used with soiling crops. There are many farms whose productiveness have been increased two- fold, and some four-fold, within ten years by the above means. The sands are most excellent in character for building purposes and can be found any and every- where, and when contiguous to railroads, have, in considerable quantities, been shipped to the cities for the making of concrete blocks, a most excellent building material. The elays can be found in very many places, of the very best kind for the manufacture of tile and brick, as shown by the stability of many old brick houses over a hundred years old in all parts of the county now standing whose bricks were made of clay found in their immediate vicinities, and that not manufactured in the best manner. The marls can be found everywhere throughout the county along its many swamps and ravines in inexhaustible quantities. The deposits of this val- uable mineral are of two kinds, red and blue, the former mixed with clay and often so rich in lime as to be nearly white, found in hundreds of places along the rivers, creeks and swamps, often forming great high hills of unlijnited quantities and easy to ol)tain. The blue marl can be found everywhere beyond tidewater in immense quantities. Although harder In obtain than the red variety, it has a greater fer- tilizing quality for land on account of the greater admixture of vegetable matter. It is, in fact, a semi-peat. A successful application of either of these marls work a wonderful change in the productive- ness of lllr l.'iml. ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 27 The American Cement Company has recognized the value of the marls of the county and has pur- chased hundreds of acres of land upon which are deposits, and some day, not far distant, gangs of men, with steam shovels and other appliances, will be tearing down these hills and conveying them away to be calcined into hydraulic cement. The colonists of this county early commenced boat-building, to encourage which art the General Assembly enacted laws giving ^''rewards" of money to those persons who should build vessels of twenty tons burden and over. The object of the General Assembly was to render the people quickly and thoroughly independent of the mother country, whose navigation laws required at first ever5rthing to be shipped in British bot- toms or vessels owned by the shippers. That the colonists must have gone to work early at this busi- ness is evidenced by the following extracts from the old records: "In 1663 the General Assembly rewarded John Pitt, of Isle of Wight county, for building a vessel of twenty-three tons." In 1680 the appraisement of Col. Bridger's estate mentions a sloop that will carry twenty-eight hhds." "In 1686, Thomas God- win, by will, leaves to his wife three horses and her proportion of a sloop not yet appraised." And many other wills of like tenor are recorded, showing that many of the residents of this county owned their own vessels. After 1611, when Lord Delaware came up the river with three ships laden with farming imple- ments, horses, cows, hogs, and one thousand emi- grants, we hear no more of "starving times." He met the sixty desperate, famishing men who had abandoned Jamestown, in the morning moved down the river as far as Burwells Bay, spent the night there waiting for a change of tide to assist them in the propulsion of their heavy, unsafe boats. Thus the abandonment of the colony was fortuitously saved by the intervention of "two tides"; the flood which brought Lord Delaware as far as Newport 28 .1 BRIEF HISTORY OF t Nt'ws and ioiiii)elled the di;>lioartc'ued colonists to stop at Warrosquoyacke (Burwclls) Bay. After tlu' i,n-('ai massacre, March 22nd, 1G22, the colonists iliil not remain more than nine months from their farms, and on their return took pos- session of all the open lands of the Indians, and, we can well ima«,Mne, went to work with a zest to retrieve their ruined fortunes. For one hundred years the principal crop was tobacco, which, at first, brought immense prices and was easily converted into money and other com- modities in England. But the increase in the use of tobacco did not keep pace with the production in the virgin soil of the State, and the price, ever lluctuating, continued to fall until far below the costs of production. This brought about a most dis- tressing state of affairs, entailing not only poverty, and, in many cases, ruin upon the planters, but as well upon all classes of society, and even almost blocking the machinery of government, for the sal- aries of the ministers, doctors, lawyers and clerks were paid in tobacco or its equivalent, and this was often hard to determine and the keeping of the ac- counts of the merchants and government officials, based on tobacco, was most uncertain, unsatisfac- tory and annoying. Many expedients were adopted at various times to limit the acreage in tobacco, the cultivation of "seconds" (suckers which came after the crop was cut) being prohibited and the adoption of a minimum price, etc. But they all failed, and this county early turned its attention to the culti- vatidii of other cr<)i)s. jiartly induced by the nature of the soil, which jiroducod tol)acco of an inferior grade only, and partly induced by its large water fi-ont. affording easy tritnsportation, enabling the iniiabitants to cultivate such bulky crops as corn and wheat. For the regulation of tlie tobacco trade warehouses were erected at prominent points in the county, iiotahle at Fergusson's Wharf, the Rocks, Ful- ghams (just across the river from Smitlifield), Tate's Field (now Battery Park). All the tobacco ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 29 was required to be brought to these various ware- houses for inspection and weight and export duty, the regulation of which occupied much of the time of the General Assembly of those early days. Long before the advent of steamboats there had developd a large export trade, either with England direct or with its colonies in the West Indies, as well as a coast-wise trade from Maine to Florida, as is attested by the foundation logs of a contimious line of old wharves occupying the entire water front of the town of Smithfielcl, many of whose houses were built over large, deep brick cellars for the stor- age of bacon, lard, etc. Thus was developed, early, that trade in bacon which has continued till the present, resulting in the acknowledged excellency of the "Isle of Wight Bacon" and the "Smithfield Hams." Before the building of the Norfolk & Western Kailroad and other railroads through the county, this trade reached out for thirty or forty miles into the surrounding counties, and in addition thousands of hogs were driven, on foot, from Kentucky, Ten- nessee and ISTorth Carolina to supply the demands of this immense trade, principally with the West Indies, in exchange for their sugar, coffee and rum. Pipe staves for their sugar hogsheads, hoop poles and peas were also exported, and uot always in Eng- lish or Dutch bottoms, for we read in the old records of several men of this county who owned their own vessels, being rewarded by the G-eneral Assembly for their building, which has already been related. In 1667 four Dutch men-of-war came up the river and destroyed twenty vessels that were trading with Isle of Wight and other Southside counties, which event shows the extent of the export trade at that early period. 1^0 indigenous product more suitable for the wants of the colonists was ever furnished by any country than "Indian Corn," and had not the early settlers of this country been so busily engaged in the raising of tobacco to the exclusion of it there would have been no suffering and starvation such as there oO A liltlEF UlSTUHY OF was in the early times. But trusting in the idea of being able to buy or barter from the Indians suf- fieient for their wants, and not knowing how im- ])rovidont these poor savages were, there was fre- quently sueh scarcity of this mainstay of their sub- sistence that the early laws required every owner of a plantation to cultivate, under severe penalty, at least two acres for every laboring person, and the constables were required to rigidly enforce this law; but it seemed a difficult matter to break them up from their habit of the cultivation of their best lands in tobacco. The General Assembly never interfered with the price at which corn was sold, and every man was allowed to sell at the best rate he could; nor did they interfere, but a few times, with its exportation, and then only in anticipation of a scarcity, the prohibition being immediately with- drawn. In 1630, five bushels, "Winchester Measure," was, by hnv, made to be the contents of a barrel of corn, and has so remained up to this time without the least change. The raising of cotton was early introduced and nnich of the land of this county is well adapted to its cultivation, but not very extensive crops were raised in early times, only enough for home con- sumption, until many years later when the cotton gin was invented ; and then this county, especially the western portion, was largely engaged in its cul- tivation, and even now there is a considerable quan- tity raised in that part. This county is the ecMitre of ilio peanut bolt and llic soil is admirably ada[)ted to the cultivation of this ci-o]). ))n)ducing large white nuts wliich com- mands the highest |)riee on the markets. The ]iea- nut was introduced into this county at quite an early date, but the exact time and by whom M'ill never be known, Init the indications are that they were brought to Virginia from Africa during the time of the importation of slaves, as tliere are some records extant stating that they were used for food for the slaves wliilc licing brouglit over. Pi'ior to ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 31 the Civil War, 1861-1865, they were little known except in a few of the Southern States and were called '^'^goober peas" or "ground peas." Since 1866 their production has increased most wonderfully. The method of cultivating them has also been much improved, and by the aid of especially prepared im- plements their production has been much cheapened. The production, per acre, varies at from twenty- five to one hundred bushels, and in a great meas- ure, this is the money crop of the county, espe- cially for those farmers whose distance from trans- portation lines forbid their cultivation of truck, which have to be handled hastily owing to their per- ishable nature. There are several varieties of pea- nuts, but the Virginia and the Spanish are the most distinctive types, the latter of which but very few are raised in this county, being small in size and of little demand except for confectionery purposes. A modern estimate would place the value of the crop of peanuts at not less than three million dollars in cash money for the nuts alone, and to this should be added the indirect profit to be obtained from the vines as a forage crop, on which horses and cattle eagerly feed when properly cured, and for their fer- tilizing qualities, and on the nuts which are left on or in the ground when digging on which the hogs quickly fatten. The other farm products are oats, potatoes (Irish and sweet), of which large quantities are raised in the eastern portion of the county, and by easy and cheap means of transportation shipped to the north- ern cities. All fruits, large and small; all kinds of melons and vegetables find here a soil and cli- mate admirably adapted to their growth and perfec- tion. In addition to the agricultural industries many saw-mills are annually sending millions of feet of timber for sale in the busy marts of the country, of which the Camp Manufacturing Company is the largest. This plant turns out about fifty million feet rough lumber, and about thirty million feet of dressed lumber each year. '^2 A BRIEF HiarURY OF I>arge quantities of eggs and poultry are annually shipped to the nearby cities whose money value, when reduced to dollars, would l)e astonishing. The telephone service throughout the county is most excellent, nearly all of the postofliccs having connection with local and long distance telephones, and a great many of the residences, thus enabling the farmers to keep in constant touch with the markets. The mail facilities are very good, there being postoffices within easy reach of all the people, per- mitting the most isolated communities to enjoy the daily papers. The financial conditions of the county are very good, and the last ten years have been marked with great improvement. The population, in 1900, was 13,102, an increase of over 1,780 over that of 1890. There are 3,200 males over the age of twenty-one years. In James River, opposite to the shores of Isle of Wight, there are about twenty-five hundred acres of natural oyster rocks which are included in the suney made by order of the General Assembly and in government domain, open to all. The nearness of these rocks to the shore enables the oystermen of this county to obtain their full share of salable and seed oysters, the latter with which they seed their oyster planting grounds of about two thousand acres, scattered over the eighteen miles of river front as well as many creeks and estuaries leading from tlie river. The oyster business is immense, and for eiglit months of the year affords regular and ex- ceedingly profitable employment to al)out i\\e liun- drcd men and boys. It is an exhilarating sight to see the oyster fleet on the 15th day of September (the first day of the fall season), repair to the rocks for their annual "catch." The employment of gaso- line engines in the oystering boats within the last few years have rendered this business much safer, easy and reliable. For four months of the year, commencing with earlv spring, those engaged in shad fishing are busy ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 33 with their nets, catehiiig this excellent tish in con- siderable quantities for shipment to the Jiorthern markets. This industry yields about ten thousand dollars annually. The climate is mild, salubrious and not subject to rapid variation of temperature. The health con- ditions • are reinarkably good, water abundant from nevcr-failings springs of free-stone, fresh and pure. Market advantages are exceptionally good both by water and by rail. The former is furnished by the Old Dominion Steamship Company, plying twice daily between Newport News, Norfolk, Battery Park and Smithfield, the principal jDort, and by numerous sailing vessels, many propelled by gasoline engines that ply in the many inland streams, almost to their sources. The latter is furnished by the Norfolk & Western Eailroad, the Seaboard Air Line Eailway, the Tidewater Eailroad and the Southern Eailway, all of which traverse the western central and ex- treme western ' section of the county. These roads, togther with the navigable streams, place all parts of the county within easy and quick communication with the markets of the whole countr3^ As evidence of the stability and prosperity of the county we invite the attention of the reader to the follo^wing table of taxable values of the property in the county for the year 1906, and which, it is well to sa}^, is not, by one-fourth, the full valuation of the propert}^, prol)ably: Personalty. Realty. Hardy District $ 225,217 00 $ 588,877 00 Newport District 158,699 00 538,129 00 Windsor District 165,255 00 426,774 00 Town of Smithfield 418,847 00 435,600 00 Town of Windsor 42,897 00 70,909 00 Totals $1,010,915 00 $2,060,289 00 34 A BRIEF HISTORY OF COLOUEI). Hardy District $ 31,94100 $ 67.386 00 Newport District 30.134 00 87,472 00 Windsor District 15.447 00 34.707 00 Town of Smithfield 4.827 00 14,600 00 Town of Windsor 223 00 2.275 00 Totals % 825.272 00 % 206.440 00 Total white and colored. .$1,093,487 00 $2,266,729 00 Total value of properties of all kinds $3,360,216 00 ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 37 Towns, Villages and Post-Offices of the County. ALTHOUGH Smithfield was made a town by law in 1752, for one hundred years before that date it was quite a settlement and had quite a large trade. The Act of Incorporation recites: "Eepresentation having been made to the General Assembly that Arthur Smith, of Isle of Wight county, having laid out a portion of his land on Pagan Creek into streets and lots," and, further, "that the location being healthy and open to trade and navigation," it was, therefore, ordered, "that the said parcel of land lately belonging to the said Arthur Smith be, and is, hereby established a town to be called by the name of Smithfield. "And whereas, it is expedient that trustees be- ap- pointed to lay off and regulate the streets and set- tle the bounds of the town, be it enacted, therefore, that from and after the passing of this Act, that Eobert Burwell, Arthur Smith, Wm. Hodsden, James Baker, James Dunlop, James Arthur and Joseph Bridger be appointed trustees for the said town." "Be it further enacted that it shall not be law- ful for any person whatever to build or cause to be erected any wooden chimney, and if such wooden chimney be built it shall be the duty of the sheriff to tear down the same and demolish it." The original survey and plat were made by Jordan Thomas, then county surveyor, and the corporate limits extended westward as Main street now runs only as far as the old brick culvert built under the street at Southall's old drug store. These limits were extended in 1856 as Main street now runs to the foot of the hill at the brick culvert adjoining the lands of Merritt Woml)le and A. G. Spratley. Again in 1902 the limits of the town were further extended as represented by a plot now in the mayor's office of the said town, aud at the same time a new charter was granted. The town of Smithfield is eighty mjles. southeast by east from Richmond and two hundred and four 38 A BRIEF HISTORY OF inUo^ from Wasliiii^iton, D. 0. ; on the south side of I'a.i^an ("reck, a liold and navigable stream, and at its intersection with Cypress Creek, forming Pagan ikiver; five miles from James Kiver; fifteen miles, ahoiit. from II;iiii])t(»ii luiads ; on an elevation of altout twenty-live feet ahove the waters of Pagan Creek, and eonnnands a heautiftd view of land and water. Smithfield is remarkably well located for health, comfort and business, being on a high table-land with tlu' dip of the land running several ways. Its di-ainage is most excellent and the' roads leading from it being located on high ridges, furnishing ex- celii'ut and easy comuiunication with the surround- ing country. In early times the main stage from Norfolk to h'icliuiond passed through Smithfield and here fresh relays of horses were obtained. I n 1 7 4S the two ferries before mentioned from Smitlilield across Pagan and Cypress Creeks were established. The cost of ferriage over each is given as follows: (is Id (fijc.) for each person, vehicle and horse ; and the same system of tolls was, for years ke|)t up, even after the ferries were aban- doiK^d and bridges built l)y individuals. Before the building of railroads and the advent of steamboats, Smithfield, being the principal port of Ibis county, had a large export and coastwise Hade, as has already been recited, principally with the P]nglish colonii^s in the West Indies, the princi- pal articles of exjiort being staves, peas, hoop poles and liacoii. The li'ade in bacon early gave rise to ninrli attention in the feeding, slaughtering and curing of tile bacon in this couiily, and especially as l() the liain. One of the packing houses in Smith- Held, being tlic oldest of the kind in this country, tlic house of I-;. M. 'Toild ^: Co., has been in the busi- ness for a period of at least one hundred and twenty seven vears as shown by an old invoice dated A]m\ :;()tli. l'";!!. for bams rurnished Kllerston and John l',.|i',,| in the Island of St. Kuslalius, West Indies, bv MallojL^'.Todd, Sniillilield, \'irgiiiia. Mentioned, I8LE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 39 among other articles taken in exchange for hams, is one two-pound cannon, £13 6s and one hat £0 5s 4d. The trading vessel was named Parnelia, Francis Herbert, captain. The invoice is now in the possession of Mr. E. M. Todd, grandson of Mal- lory Todd, and the proprietor of the present estab- lishment. The shipment of cured hams, annually, from Smithfield, is about forty thousand. The supply of hogs furnishing these hams is limited, or else the shipments would be much heavier. It is a fact that the ham curers have their full supply of hams sold, as a rule as early as the first of March of every year. About 1750 the county courthouse was moved to Smithfield and three brick buildings erected on the corner of Main and Pierce streets, which were, for fifty years used respectively for courthouse, clerk's office and jail. This is now the property of Mr. J. 0. Thomas, who has for his residence the old courthouse. Across Main street from the court- house was a large vacant lot called the "courthouse green," which, on court days, was filled with con- veyances of all kinds used in those days. The stone steps of the little brick clerk's office was a favorite place for auctioneers to ply their trade in the sale of slaves, the hiring of slaves and the sale of other property. The county seat was moved to its present site in 1800, as heretofore stated. The Masonic Hall has been used by the fraternity for one hundred and eighteen years and is next to the oldest building for that purpose in Virginia, the one in Eichmond ante-dating it by three years. In 1840 there were ten stores (of all sorts), one Episcopal, one Methodist and one Baptist church, and less than one thousand inhabitants. In 1906 there were twenty general stores, six grocery and fresh-meat stores, one cabinet maker, three under- takers, two druggists, three barbershops, one hotel, six boarding houses, five liquor stores, five eating houses, one saddlery shop, two dentists, three black- smiths, five attorneys, eight liam curing establish- ments, of which the reputation of E. M. Todd & Co. 40 A ItlUKF HISTORY OF is \vnr|(|-\\ iilc, three shoeiiiiikers, six ovster dealers fi)iir liiiy and t and Hapti>I. Tlir town has well pa\c(l hrick sidewalks and , >mootli and sidid I'oadiied. made of u"ranile spall,- for its sti'cets. Nearly all of the sloi-es and a i^rea many of the I'csidences ai'c lighted hy li('(| hy a plant i-cecntly installed. Its street are heaiit ifidl\- ornamented hv many old uiajesli t I'ees. and niimci'alilc porches of the dwelliiii^s nea to llie street <^i\(' it an air of cosy hospitality that i in\itini;'. 'Phei-c are a iinmlici' (d" larLi'c ami attra( live residences, holli of colonial and modi'rn stvl and architecture, which. Iicini:' iidcrspei'scd. reiide ca> h other mutually alt I'act ivc. The Smilhlieh W'alci- ('ompany furnishes an excellent supply (»; walci' l'(ir domestic purposes, which is inexhansti- hic and at a \-crv liiuli pressure, to the numeron pidilic h\drants and (ii'c pluiis. This plant has heei sc\('i'clv tested ou sc\cral occasions and each tim has met with the ni'cds. The pi-cssure is snllicien and the plil^s suHicicntly (dose loi;-ether as to enahl the jown authorities to handle (ii'cs without the us of lire cULiines. This waier company has heen in operation ahou six vears, heinJ,^ in the !>e<;inninii-. conslructed on Ih verv hesi lines and of the (ine>t material, under th supervision n\' the . T. trv of the town. It is witli itridc that wc state that this I'oiiccrii took the first pi-izc at the St. Louis Ivxpositiou in I'.KtI. Smirhlicid has (Uic olhiT iicamil clcaiiiuii- cstah- iishiiicnt — 'I'lic Sinilhlicid I'caiiut ( '(iiiipany. 'I'hc owner and inanajicr oC this coiicfrii is ('oh)iicl ('. !•'. I>a\. After many vcai's (if anhions hd»or. whi.li lias reiKh'i'ed him an expert in the knowied^fe and skill of handling; lu'ainits. Colonel Day has succeeded in liiiildiiiL;' up a line hiisiness, ^ivin^^ eiiiplovmeiit to many hands. The annual output of this com- pany, shelled and unsludled nuts, of all siradi's, amounts to ahout ten iiiillioii |toiiiids. These two estahlishments have made the town of Smithfield the hest market for the uiieleaned pea- nuts of the farmers in this section, and when a new ■:rop commences to move into town from the sur- roiindiiii;' count ly. hy teams and hy water trans])()r- tatinii. the linsiiios of the merchanls and others mo\e with it. That sciiie idea may he ohtained as to the ])ros- perity of Smitlillehl and its stahility, your attention is called to the following;- statistics: lO.MMKKCK IN AMI OCT Ol" I'.\(;.\N KIVKIl KOK TlIK YKAK KNDlNd DIXKMHKK 31, 1906. Horses and mules, 500. value $ 02.500 00 Potatoes, barrels, 40,000. value 80.000 00 Lumber, feet, 6,000,000, value 90,000 00 Watermelons. 300,000. value 15,000 00 HricUs, 40.000. value 3.200 00 Casolinc. barrels, 250. value 3.000 00 Kmail truck, packages, 10,000, value 10.000 00 Coal, tons, 250. value 10,000 00 Fertilizers, tons, 4,000, value 50,000 00 Oysters, tons, 1,758. value 16,000 00 reanuts, tons, 71.360, value 2,364.832 00 Micsellaneous, tons, 85,387, value 4.164.040 00 The Home Telephone Company, developed within (i\e vears from one phone, iianielv: that of the ( i waltiicv-l»iinkle\' I'eaniit ('oiiipany. is now a joint slock ciimpaiiy with two himdred and seventy-live sta- tions, including- forty postoiru'cs, runninjj: into the ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 45 adjoining counties of Southampton, Nansemond and Suriy; with cable connections with Newport ISTews and Norfolk; with long distance connections with any city of the United States; connected with the Western Union and Postal Telegraph Companies, it offers, at cheap rates, exceptionally good service. The mail facilities are most excellent and con- sist of three daily mails, except on Sunday, when there is only one; three star routes, touching at twelve country offices, and, in every respect, the ser- vice is all that could be desired. Transportation, by water, is exceptionally good, furnished by the Old Dominion Steamship Com- pany by two fine river steamers, connecting with Newport News and Norfolk by two trips each, daily, and also by a score or more sailing vessels or gaso- line motor boats, whose freight rates for heavy bulky articles are exceptionally cheap. Eecently an office of Adams Express Company has been opened at the Avharf of the Old Dominion Steamship Com- pany. The town of Windsor is a thriving town and is located on the Norfolk &' Western Railroad about seven and a half miles a little west of south from Isle of Wight courthouse, and thirty-four miles from Norfolk. Its first dwelling and store were erected in 1855. In 1856 it became a depot of the Norfolk & Western Railroad (then the Norfolk & Petersburg R. R.), and has remained so until the present time, gradually building up its trade and population, and to-day stands as neat and compact a little town as one needs see. It has long been the most important depot for the dissemination of mails, and from it several Star Routes emanate. It has a large, flourishing trade, many thousand bushels of peanuts and other farm products being annually shipped, and its people are well known for their hospitality. It Avas incorporated a town May 15tl% 1902 • atid its officers arc AV. J. Rhodes, mayor; and C. T. King, Jno. S. Vaughan, J. M. Raby, J. J. Rhodes, C. P. Joyner and L. M. Roberts its councilmen. 46 A BRIEF HISTORY OF It has four general stores, two groceries, two l)arber shops, one shoemaker, one millinery, three churehes (Methodist, Baptist and Christian) on<' liiirli school, one jjeanut factory, one ])laning mill. (\V(i catini,^ lionscs, one hlacksmith shop, one bank, two tclej)lione ollices, one telegraph ofTiec (Western I'nion), two nndertaking establishments, one livery stable, one furnitnre store and one liotel. its |)opulation is over four hnndred and the value of its real and personal property is $800,000.00, and the aggregate amount of its annual business $250.- 000. 00. The village of ("arrsville is located on the Sea- Itoard Air T.ine Railroad thirty-one miles from Ports- mouth. Ml a thickly settled community. There are four general stores, each doing a good business; four daily mail and passenger trains; telegraph and telephone communication ; express and money order facilities; rural free mail- delivery ; a graded public school ; population one hundred. The surrounding land is in a high state of culti- vation, ])roducing from twenty-five to seventy-| five bushels of corn and from forty to one hundred bushels of peanuts per acre, annual shipment of peanuts 40,000 bags. The land hereabouts is also adapted to the cultivation of cotton and yields from $20 to $100 worth per acre. The village is noted for its moral and religious tone; its magnificent shade trees and its beautiful. hospilnlilc liomcs. 'IMte thriving village of Rescue, of three hundred inhabitants, is situated on the east side of Jones Creek, abcnit one-half of a mile from its mouth, on a lii^li bank, which gives it a coniiuauding appear- ance from I'agan Creek and the surrounding coun- try. 'V]\o land was originally a ])art of ibe farm of Wil.iani Hind'", fi-oni whose heirs, in 1SS2, Williaiu 'l\ Carter purchased a tract of land, laying it olT into lots and periling them. Since then the popu- lation has rapidly increased, its fine harbor making ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 47 it an excellent location for those wishing to engage in oystering and fishing. It has three general stores, two white and one colored school, one Methodist church (Eiver View), founded with a membership of one hundred. The Heptasophs have a commodious hall, with a mem- bership of fifty or sixty. Jones Creek penetrates about five miles beyond the village into the surrounding country, out of which a packet boat makes regular trips to ISTor- folk, and the village is otherwise in a prosperous condition. An Act of the General Assembly in 1692, ap- pointed certain places as ports of entry for collec- tion of custom, and at which public warehouses for the storing of tobacco Avere ordered to be erected. Two shillings per hogshead was the duty, so the act reads. "For Isle of Wight county, at the mouth of Pagan Creek, formerly laid out for a town, by tlie name of Pates Field; and paid for, and houses built upon it." This settlement has become the thriving hamlet of Battery Park, with a population of about two hundred, three-fourths of whom are engaged in the oyster business. The steamers plying from Smith- field to Norfolk and Newport News land at its wharf four times a day, carrying much freight, especially shad for the Northern markets in the early spring. It has three general stores, three marine railways, two blacksmith shops, one oyster packing house, one Baptist church, one school house, postoffice, several builders of small boats, who have recently turned out some very speedy craft, and its inhabitants are the owners of some six hundred acres of oyster plant- ing grounds, and it also has two daily mails. The village of Zuni lies on the Norfolk & West- ern Eailroad, seven miles west of Windsor and on Blackwater Eiver, the dividing line between this and Southampton county. It has three general stores, one blacksmith shop, one livery stable, one hotel, and, in recent years, has become to be a very fine 48 .1 liini'.F nisToh'Y OF pr.iimt iiKirkrt. lii;i.lc so l.y tile liustlc ol" its husi- iii'ss iiicii. often riv;ilin,«,^ Sinitlitlcld in prici's. It li.is ;i l;ii-i:(. icn-itorv fruiii uliidi to draw trade, uiiicli is thicklv settled and in a very lii',di state of cultivation. Tlieie are four passenger trains daily sto|)|iin one who opoiised the cause of Hacon and was sentenced to he hanished fnun the colony; hu! heing \er\ old and hrokeii down in health and fortune and the lime id' executing the .^enteni-e of hanishnieut liasing heen, hv appeal, ex- tended M'\cral lime>. he died hefoi'c it coidd he ear- I'ied into etVeei. John .Mar>hall. another ]irominent adherent of llacoii. was maile to h(g- pardon in court on hended knees for "scandalous words uttered he- fore the <-oninnssioners'" : and the following recan- tation was suhscrihed li\ .\ndu'o>e rx'unell. -lolin Maj'.-hall. Ifiehard dnrdan. K'iehard Sliarpe. An- ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 49 tliony Fulgham, James Bagnall, Edward Miller, John Davis and Eichard Penny : "We, the subscribed, having drawn up a paper in behalf of the inhabitants of Isle of Wight county as to the grievances of the said county, recant all the false and scandalous re- flection upon Governor, Sir William Berkeley, con- tained in a paper presented to the commissioners and promise never to be gnilty again of the like mutinous and rebellious practices/^ We further find that Colonel James Powell, while serving in the army of Berkele}'', was wounded in the knee. Eevolution: Another century rolls around and the colonists are again involved in a war for the preservation of their rights as British subjects, and in the long and tedious, but glorious war that fol- lowed the Declaration of Independence, its citizens bore their full share. Before a gun was fired in actual warfare, when the port of Boston was under an embargo. Isle of Wight county promptly came forward with a written expression of sympathy; and a vessel loaded with corn for her assistance was sent. A complete list of the quota of soldiers sent to the Continental Army will never be known on ac- count of the destruction of records in Eichmond by Arnold and in this county by Tarleton; and only a very incomplete list can be offered ; but it is known that the following were in the army with Washing- ton: Colonel Josiah Parker, Major Francis Boykin, Captain James Johnson, General John S. Wills, Jesse Matthews, James Casey, Edward Ward, Eobin Turner, Samuel McCoy, John Forrest, Henry Hill, Ben (Whalebone) Jones and Moses Atkins. We find that Sarah Atkins, the wife of this last named soldier, was allowed three pounds annually during his absence. The militia companies were kept with a full com- plement of officers, for, in almost every court, we find orders supplying the vacancies caused by death or resignation; and although there was not much actual fighting in this county, and only three actual invasions by the British, but many threatened in- 50 A BRIEF HISTORY OF vasions, tliov must have boon, on account of the large water front, kept quite busy. Colonel Tarleton, at the head of a considerable body of British Cavalry, passed through the county ^ twice, visited Smithfield (then the county seat) ' with the intention of destroying the records, but was foiled in that purpose as has been narrated al- ready. They then visited "AEacclesfield," the home of Colonel Josiah Parker, in the hope of capturing the Colonel, but were also foiled in this purpose; however, they destroyed many valuable papers they found there; and everywhere along their line of march thej' committed the most wanton destruc- tion, carrying off the slaves, cattle, horses and other property. In one of these raids they were attacked by a body of Isle of Wight militia at a place called "Scotts Old Field," now known as Exchange, in Xansemond county, and mot with a defeat, being driven across Milners Creek by the militia. That the militia of the county saw considerable service is apparent by an order made at the term of court held in March, 1782, which reads as follows: "To His Excellency, Benjamin Harrison, &c. The court, in behalf of the inhabitants of the county of Isle of Wight, humbly represent the unhappy situa- tion of their county during the last invasion. Being a frontier county, w'e were actually exposed to the depredations of the enemy, who not only landed almost daily on our shores, but repeatedly marched through the county, committing the most wanton destruction * * * "We further represent that during the last in- vasion, we had one-half of our militia on duty for the first three months and afterwards one-third part till about the 20th of November, and that in case of another invasion, to which we are liable, we shall need the assistance of others; and in view of all these facts, we have discharged ourselves from the operation of an act entitled An Act for the filling lip of our quota of troops in the continental ser- vice." ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 51 A¥ar of 1812: In this second war with Great Britain, Isle of Wight county was ready with her money and men to do her full part. No sooner than war was declared (June 11th, 1811), the raising of companies by voluntary enlistment went on actively, and before the end of the war (1815), several hun- dred men of this county had become soldiers of the United States. Ten companies, containing, in the aggregate, five hundred enlisted men, were mus- tered into the service of the United States as the Twenty-ninth Eegiment of Virginia Volunteers, of which Joseph W. Ballard, of this county, was major, in command. The officers of these companies were: Captains Wm. B. Moody, Eichard Bidgood, Joseph Atkinson, James Atkinson,' David iJick, Simon Gwaltney, Eobert Jordan, John Lawrence, Eobert Tynes and Charles Wrenn. Lieutenants David Dick, Eobert West, Charles Wrenn, Joseph Godwin, Jno. W. Eley, Josiah Holleman, Willis Morris, Exum Eley, George W. Driver, Joseph Hodsden. Ensigns — Isaac Moody, Tristam Bunkley, George Wilson, Jo- siah Wrenn, Henry Applewhaite, Dawson Delk. Jn addition to the foregoing named companies Captain Shield mustered a company of forty-eight men, which was organized in Smithfield, entered the ser- vice February 8th, 1813, and served out their enlist- ment at Norfolk: Officers — Hamilton Shield, cap- tain; Peter Jones, lieutenant; Archibald Atkinson, ensign. In this war the enemy attempted very few incur- sions into this county and never far from their ships. The Twenty-ninth was called upon to show its mei- tle but once. The British attempted to land at the "Eocks" on James Eiver, but Captains Dick and Wrenn, with their companies, poured such a well- directed fire into their ranks that they returned to their vessels immediately. The British man-of-war, "Plantagenet," for sev- eral months lay ofi the "Eocks," and although her very presence and her occasional changing of posi- tion kept detachments of the Twenty-ninth busy watching her movements, after the reception given 52 A BRIEF HISTom' OF lier men on their first attempt to land, they never, durintj the entire war. repeated the experiment, ^lexical! War: In tiiis war the scene of action was so far removed from this section and vohinteers poured in in such overwhehning numl)ers, that the United States refused to receive thousands, hence this county had no opportunity to ]>nrticipate in it in any organized method; hut adventurous spirits enlisted in other places. James Davis enlisted in Captain TJohert Scott's company of Richmond; Al- fred H. Darden and Richard Parr, happening to be in Mississippi, enlisted in the regiment commanded hy Colonel Jefferson Davis, and were in several bat- tles. Benjamin Gale enlisted in Captain J. P. Young's company in Portsmouth. The war between the States (1861-1865) : At this time in the history of our county there was no ])()]iti(al doctrine more universally accepted by the Southern ])eople than that of "State Sovereignty." Without entering into a discussion of the questions involved it is considered pertinent to say that when the election was held to ascertain whether the peo- })Ie of this county stood for or against secession, there were eight hundred and sixty-one registered voters in the county and the same number were cast in the said election and every vote was for secession. This, too. in the face of the fact that this county was practically an anti-slavery county, for we read in the records an exceptionally large number of deeds of manumission and in the wills a groat many clauses f)f the same character. The first troops stationed in this county during this war was the brigade of General John C. Pem- IxTton. composed of Ramseur's Artillery of North Carolina, and the Third North Carolina Infantry, commanded by Colonel W. D. Pender. They re- ninin(>d about one year, l)oing withdi'awn m April. ISC.v'. The first Federal troops that invaded the county was a New York re-'iment of eavali'v under com- o ~1 1« • ,•( '•. 3 ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 55 mand of Colonel Dodge. This was in Jnly, 1862. They reached the courthouse. A slight action took place near Ducksville between a detachment of the Southampton Cavalry and Spear's JSTew York Cav- alry, and a few horses on both sides were killed. In a short while afterwards a detachment of Dodge's Cavalry, making a reconnoisance eastward from the courthouse having reached the neighborhood of Carroll's Bridge, came near surprising a body of Confederate troops from Colonel Claiborne's com- mand, who were worshipping at a nearby church. A tiniely warning was given and the Confederates rushed out and engaged the enemy, killing and wounding several and capturing thirty-two men and twenty-six horses. In January, 1864, a Federal steamer in the James Eiver was fired upon; the pilot and crew driven below deck and the vessel beached, but in a short while floated again by the assistance of the incom- ing tide, and carried the news to Newport News. Immediately the gunboat Smith Briggs, with about one hundred and fifty men, was sent up the river and to Smithfield, where the troops landed. They started into the country to intercept the Confeder- ates and were met at Scotts Factory by Major Stur- tevant with a section of artillery and a small force of infantry and cavalry. In the slight skirmish which followed. Lieutenant Giggett, of North Carolina, was killed. The Federal troops then retired to Smith- field, expecting to re-embark, but their vessel had gone and not returned. They were attacked the fol- lowing morning by Major Sturtevant, and after a considerable action, forced them to surrender. While the fight was in progress the Smith Briggs returned and essayed to take part in the action, but Sturte- vant's gunners soon sent a solid shot into her steam- chest, which at once disabled her and put her out of commission. About one hundred and twenty prisoners were captured and a small quantity of supplies were obtained before setting the vessel on fire and blowing her up. In 1864 the Fifteenth Massachusetts Infantry 56 A BRIEF HISTORY OF landed at Burwells Bay and proceeded a short dis- tance towards Smithfield and were met by a small Confederate force, and after considerable firing frcll was exchanged in Richmond for a brandy still. The other cliurcii, caHod Isle of Wight chapel, was located about eighteen miles northwest of Smith- iiold and was erected about 1750. About 1820 it was burnt down. The site afterwards came into possession cf the O'Kellyites oi- Clii-istians. and is now Antioch. The Quakers had a strong following in Isle of Wight county at an early date. They had a large meeting house in what was then and is now known as "Leevy Neck." The leading men of the county were not disposed to be harsli in carrying out the laws of non-con- formity against the Quakers, and although a few of them were fined, they generally met when and where thev wished, and in 1099. their meeting houses were regularly licensed and the only complaint they had was that they were taxed to support the Established Church. There is no Quaker church in this county at the present time, but there is one not many miles from the line in the county of Southampton, once a part of this county. There are other churches in the county with an interesting history, but space will not admit of dis- cussion as to them here. All of the churches in this county are hereunder named. Episcopal: "Old Brick ("lumir" and Clirist church, at Smithfield, Baptist: Mill Swamp, Smithfield, Windsor, Co- losse, Beaver Dam, Central Tlill, Whitehead's Grove, and Battery Park. Methodist: Benn's, Smithfield. Czzells, Bethel, Bethany, Windsor (Shiloh). ami Woodland. Christian: Antioch ("On site of old "Isle of ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 67 Wight chapel," hereinabove referred to), Windsor, Mt. Carriiel and Courthouse. There are several colored churches of the Baptist, Methodist and Christian denomination scattered throughout the county. Schools. neigiibors to seiul their cliildren and to help de- fra\ the expenses. These early teachers, male and female, were gen- erally from the Northern States, as the Southern youth, after the completion of their college educa- tion invariably rushed into the professions of law, medicine or jiolitics; but these educators, fi-om a sec- tion that we afterwards, for a time, leanu-d to hate, were almost uiiivei>ally well trained, well prepared, u'on!-cientious and etlicienl tcaclici->. and \t'ry many Old Pciii.ic School Blilui^g at Coui;TiiobbL. New Public School Buildixg at Courtiiocsi ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA 71 of them took the Southern view of the political situa- tion of 1861 and remained with us during the war — a war fated with many direful results to this South- land, but none more disastrous than the complete annihilation of every school. Immediately after the war, although its horrid de- vastation required every effort of the people to obtain a bare subsistence, efforts were made in many places to maintain private schools, the teachers being often partly paid in products of the farm; when, happily, for the moral good of the community and the salva- tion of the rising generation from almost complete ignorance, in 1870 the Public School System was adopted; which, at first, met with considerable op- position, largely on account of the necessity of pro- viding schools for the negroes; but thanks to the inherent goodness of the people, a broader philan- thropy prevailed and that feeling has happily per- ished. From the date of its adoption to the present there have been but three County Superintendents of Schools, E. M. Morrison, for twelve years; Wm. S. Holland, for four years, and Dr. G-avin Rawles, the present incumbent. In May, 1871, the people of the county showed their approval of the new public school system by voting to levy a special capitation tax of fifty cents for the maintenance of their free schools. The intellectual status of its corps of teachers has gradually improved until it stands equal to that of any co^mty of the State, which felicitous result has been gained by free scholarship in colleges and the training at normal schools. The county is divided into three school districts, which correspond to and bear the same name as the three Magisterial Districts, viz. : Newport, Hardy and Windsor; with the town of Smithfield as a separate district. The school population, white and colored, is four thousand three hundred and ninety-six; number of schools, seventy. The amount expended annually for teachers' wages is fourteen thousand dollars. The 72 A BlilEF HISTORY \ow^{\\ of the sihool term varies. In Sniitlitield it is nine luontlis. in Windsor District it is eight months, and in Xewport and Hardy Districts it is seven niontiis. Smithfield, AN'indsoi- and Isle of WiLihl courtliouse liave eaeli a liii^h school, and in other parts of the (onnly there are seven graded schools, in all of which some of the high school branches are taught. Smithfield Hams ARE THE FINEST IN THE WORLD IF YOU WANT THE GENUINE HOME CURED WRITE TO C F. DAY Smithfield, Va. Every Ham Guaranteed ''BUY THE BEST' P.D.GwaltneyJr »Co IF YOU cannot obtain our Hams and other cuts of meats of your grocer write us and we will see that you are supplied ^ ^ P. D. Gwaltney, Jr., & Co. SMITHFIELD, VA. 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