Preceding pages  | Volume Map | 
Following pages
|
| Preceding pages | Volume Map |
Following pages
|
[Page 97]
Allen, Robert, born in Woodstock, Virginia, July 30, 1794; was
graduated from Washington College; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice at
Woodstock; was elected prosecuting attorney. He was a state senator for five years; elected as a
Democrat to the twentieth, twenty-first and twenty-second congresses (March 4, 1827-March 3,
1833). He died in Mount Jackson, Virginia.
[Page 97]
Archer, William S. (q. v.).
[Page 97]
Armstrong, William, born in Lisburn, Antrim county, Ireland,
December 23, 1782; came to the United States in 1792, settling in Virginia; studied law while a
clerk in Winchester; was United States tax collector in 1818-1819; member of house of delegates,
1822-1823; presidential elector, 1820-1824; elected as a Republican to nineteenth, twentieth,
twenty-first and twenty-second congresses, serving from March 4, 1825, to March 3, 1833.
[Page 97]
Atkinson, Archibald, born in Isle of Wight county, Virginia,
September 13, 1792; studied law in law school of William and Mary College; served through the war
of 1812 with Great Britain; admitted to the bar and began practice in Smithfield; member for
several terms of the state senate, and house of delegates; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and thirtieth congresses, from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1849;
prosecuting attorney for Isle of Wight county; died in Smithfield, Virginia, January 16, 1872.
[Page 97]
Austin, Archibald, born in Buckingham county, Virginia, August 11,
1772; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in his native county for over forty
years; member of house of delegates, 1815-1816; elected as a Republican to fifteenth congress,
March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1819; again a member of house of delegates, 1835-1836, and 1836-1837;
died in Buckingham county, Virginia, October 16, 1837.
[Page 97]
Averett, Thomas H., native of Virginia; elected as a Democrat to
thirty-first and thirty-second congresses, serving from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1853.
[Pages 97-98]
Baker, John, a native of Virginia; studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced; elected as a Federalist to the twelfth congress (March 4, 1811-March 3,
1813); after retiring from congress, resumed practice; died in Shepherdstown, Virginia, August
18, 1833. He married Ann Mark, daughter of John Mark, from Ulster, Ireland, founder of the first
Presbyterian church in Fredericksburg. His daughter, Ann, married Gov. Thomas W. Gilmer.
[Page 98]
Ball, William Lee, son of James Ball of "Bewdley," and Frances
Downman, his wife, born in Lancaster county, Virginia, January 2, 1781; received a liberal
schooling; served as paymaster in the war with Great Britain in 1812, assigned to Ninety-second
Virginia Regiment; elected to the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth congresses,
serving from March 4, 1817, until his death, February 28, 1824, in Washington, D. C. He married
Mary Pierce, daughter of Joseph Pierce and Judith Lee, his wife, daughter of Kendall Lee.
[Page 98]
Banister, John (q. v.).
[Page 98]
Banks, Linn, born in Madison (then Culpeper) county, Virginia,
January 23, 1784; member of house of delegates, and for twenty successive years served as speaker
of that body; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-fifth congress, to fill vacancy caused by
resignation of John M. Patton re-elected to twenty-sixth congress and served from May 19, 1838,
to March 3, 1841; presented credentials as a member-elect to the twenty-seventh congress, but his
election was successfully contested by William Smith, who took his seat December 6, 1841; was
drowned while attempting to ford the Conway river in Madison county, Virginia, January 13, 1842.
[Page 98]
Barbour, Philip P. (q. v.).
[Page 98]
Barbour, John Strode, son of Mordecai Barbour and Elizabeth Strode,
his wife, born in Culpeper county, Virginia, August 8, 1790; was graduated from William and Mary
College in 1808; studied law and was admitted to the bar; in the war of 1812 was aide-de-camp to
General Madison; served as member of house of delegates; elected as a States Rights Republican to
eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first and twenty-second congresses, serving from March
4, 1823, to March 3, 1833; member of Virginia constitutional convention of 1829-30; chairman of
Democratic National Convention that nominated Franklin Pierce for the presidency, 1852; died in
Culpeper county, Virginia, January 12, 1855. He was a first cousin of Gov. James Barbour.
[Page 98]
Barton, Richard Walker, born on the "Shady Oak" farm, Frederick
county, Virginia, in 1800; pursued academic studies; studied law, was admitted to bar, and
practiced in Winchester, Virginia; served several terms in the Virginia house of delegates;
elected as a Whig to the twenty-second congress, serving from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843;
died in Frederick county, Virginia, March 15, 1859. He was son of Richard Peter Barton and Martha
Walker, his wife, daughter of Dr. Walker, of Dinwiddie county. Richard Peter Barton was a son of
Rev. Thomas Barton and Esther Rittenhouse, sister of David Rittenhouse, of Pennsylvania, the
distinguished scientist.
[Pages 98-99]
Bassett, Burwell, son of Burwell Bassett and Anna Maria Dandridge,
sister of Mrs. Washington, March 18, 1764; attended William and Mary College; member of house of
delegates in 1789; member of state senate, 1798-1799, 1802-1803; elected as a Democratic
Republican to ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth congresses, serving from March 4, 1805, to March
3, 1813; elected to fourteenth and fifteenth congresses, serving from March 4, 1815, to March 3,
1819; elected to seventeenth and three succeeding congresses serving from March 4, 1821 to March
3, 1829; in all, served in ten congresses, twenty years; died in New Kent county, Virginia,
February 26, 1841.
[Page 99]
Bayley, Thomas Henry, son of Thomas M. Bayley and Margaret P.
Cropper, his wife, daughter of Gen. John Cropper, born in Accomac county, Virginia, December 11,
1810; attended the common schools, and the University of Virginia, from which he graduated;
studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1830, and engaged in practice; was member of house of
delegates from 1835 to 1840, when he resigned on being elected judge of the circuit court;
elected as a States Rights Democrat to the twenty-eighth congress, to fill a vacancy occasioned
by the resignation of Henry A Wise; elected to the twenty-ninth and five succeeding congresses,
serving from May 6, 1844, until his death, June 23, 1856, at Mount Custis, Accomac county,
Virginia. He was descended from Richard Bayley, of "Craddock," an early settler in Accomac.
[Page 99]
Bayley, Thomas Monteagle, son of Thomas Bayley and Anne Drummond,
his wife, daughter of Richard Drummond, born in Accomac county, Virginia, September 2, 1775; was
graduated from Princeton College in 1794; entered public life in 1798 and served several years in
each of the two houses of the state legislature, as a Democratic Republican; served as a colonel
of militia during the war of 1812; elected to thirteenth congress, and served from March 4, 1813,
to March 3, 1815; again elected to the state legislature, and served several terms; died at Mount
Custis, Accomac county, Virginia, January 6, 1834. His tombstone is at Hill's farm in Accomac
county. (See William and Mary College Quarterly, VII., p. 107.).
[Page 99]
Beale, James Madison Hite, born at Mt. Airy, Shenandoah county,
Virginia, February 7, 1786; pursued preparatory studies; elected as a Democrat to twenty-third
and twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837); elected to thirty-first and
thirty-second congresses, serving from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853, and then declining a
renomination; died in Putnam county, West Virginia, August 2, 1866.
[Pages 99-100]
Bedinger, Henry, born near Shepherdstown, Virginia (now in
Jefferson county, West Virginia), in 1810, son of Major George Michael Bedinger, born in
Virginia, an early pioneer in Kentucky, adjutant at the battle of Blue Licks in 1782, an Indian
spy during the revolutionary war, major commanding a battalion of sharpshooters under St. Clair,
member of Kentucky legislature, and congressman from that state. The son received a classical
education, studied law and engaged in practice, first at Shepherdstown and later at Charlestown.
In 1845 he succeeded General George Rust, his brother-in-law and law partner, in congress, where
he was distinguished for his eloquence as a debater, and he was re-elected. In 1853 he was
appointed chargé d'affairs to Denmark, and afterward became minister resident. During his
ministerial service he was successful in bringing about the treaty abolishing the sound dues. He
died in Shepherdstown, Virginia, November 26, 1858.
[Page 100]
Beirne, Andrew, born in Dengan, Roscommon county, Ireland, in 1771;
emigrated to Virginia and settled in Union, Monroe county; was member of Virginia constitutional
convention in 1829-1830; state senator, 1831-1836; presidential elector in 1836. He participated
in the war of 1812 as captain, and then as colonel of the Monroe County Rifles. He was elected as
a Van Buren Democrat to the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth congresses, serving from March 4, 1837,
to March 3, 1841; died March 16, 1845, in Gainesville, Alabama; his remains were interred at
Union, Loudoun county, Virginia.
[Added Note: Oren F. Martin in "A History of Monroe County, West Virginia", says that was son of
Andrew and ——— Plunkett, his wife, and arrived in Philadelphia at age 22;
established a store in the newly formed city of Union, and was joined by his brother George, in
1800. He built a home known as "Red House," because it was painted red, and later built a brick
house, painted white, which was known as "White House." As captain, he led a company to Norfolk
in 1814, where it was disbanded on the news of the peace. He married Eleanor "Ellen" G. Keenan,
daughter of Edward and Nancy (Donally) Keenan. Andrew died in 1845 at age 74, while visiting
Huntsville, Alabama.]
[Page 100]
Bland, Theodorick, (q.
v.).
[Page 100]
Bocock, Thomas, S. (q. v.).
[Pages 100-101]
Botts, John Minor, born in Dumfries, Prince William county,
Virginia, September 16, 1802, son of Benjamin Botts, who was the youngest lawyer engaged in the
defense of Aaron Burr. Soon after his birth, his parents removed to Richmond, and both perished
in the conflagration of the Richmond Theatre, ib December, 1811. Young Botts was then only nine
years of age. At various schools he acquired a knowledge of Greek, Latin, French and mathematics.
At the age of eighteen, when he had studied law for six weeks, without an instructor, he was
admitted to the bar, and it was said that Patrick Henry was the only other who had accomplished
such a feat. After six years' practice in Richmond, he became dissatisfied on account of office
confinement, and removed to Henrico county, where he purchased a farm, which he cultivated with
such success that in three years he was famed for producing the largest crops, acre for acre, of
any farmer in the state. In 1833 he was elected to the legislature as a States Rights Democrat
and opposed the Bank charter and a protective tariff. With most of the other prominent Virginia
Democrats, he joined the Whig party in 1834. He served in the legislature from 1833 to 1839, and
was one of the "impracticable" Whigs, who supported John Tyler for senator in 1839 against
William C. Rives, whose nomination was privately supported by Mr. Clay. Soon after he was elected
to congress and became a warm friend of that statesman, serving from 1839 to 1843. When John
Tyler became president in 1841, Botts, although formerly an ardent States Rights man and Tyler's
personal friend, changed his views, adopted national policies, and became his bitter enemy. In
the succeeding election he was defeated by John W. Jones, his Democratic opponent. In 1847 he was
again elected to congress. In the national convention of 1848 he sustained Clay for the
presidency, but when success was hopeless, went with the Virginia delegation to Gen. Taylor. In
1852, he resumed his practice in Richmond. On the disruption of the Whig party, he joined the
Know Nothing party, and was mentioned as its presidential candidate. At the outbreak of the war
between the states he adhered to the Union, and endeavored to prevent the secession of Virginia,
and failing, retired to his farm. He was imprisoned for a time as a disaffected person. In 1866
he wrote a volume, "The Great Rebellion, its Secret History, Rise, Progress and Disastrous
Failure" (1866). In 1866 he was a delegate to the national convention of southern loyalists in
Philadelphia. In 1867, in company with Horace Greeley and others, he signed the bail bond of
Jefferson Davis. He died at his home, January 7, 1869.
[Page 101]
Bouldin, James Wood, son of Maj. Wood Bouldin and Joanna Tyler, his
wife, born in Charlotte county, Virginia, in 1792; studied law, was admitted to the bar and
engaged in practice; was elected as a Jackson Democrat to the twenty-third congress to succeed
Thomas T. Bouldin, deceased, and was re-elected to two succeeding terms; he died at "Forest
Hill," Charlotte county, March 30, 1854. He was first cousin of John Tyler, president of the
United States (1841-45).
[Page 101]
Bouldin, Thomas Tyler, son of Wood Bouldin and Joanna Tyler, his
wife, born in Virginia, in 1772, studied law and engaged in practice; served as judge of the
general court; he was elected as a Democrat to the twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-third
congresses, serving from March 4, 1829, until February 11, 1834, when he died while delivering
before the house a eulogy upon his predecessor, John Randolph, of Roanoke. He uttered the words,
"But I cannot tell the reasons why his death was not announced, without telling what I told a
friend I should say, in case ——," and he fell to the floor dead. He was succeeded in
congress by his brother James Wood Bouldin (q. v.). His son, Wood Bouldin, was judge of the state
supreme court.
[Page 101]
Boteler, Alexander, (q.
v.).
[Page 101]
Breckenridge, James, son of Robert Breckenridge and Letitia,
daughter of John Preston, and grandson of Alexander Breckenridge, who emigrated from Ireland,
born near Fincastle, Augusta county, Virginia, March 7, 1763; took part in the revolutionary war;
served in Colonel Preston's rifle regiment under Gen. Greene; was graduated from William and Mary
College in 1785; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Fincastle; member of the
state house of delegates for several years, and took a special interest in the construction of
the Chesapeake & Ohio canal, and in the establishment of the University of Virginia; was a
brigadier-general in the war of 1812; elected to the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth
congresses, and served from March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1817; died at Grove Hill, Botetourt
county, Virginia, May 13, 1833. He was a brother of John Breckenridge, who introduced the
resolution in the Kentucky legislature, drawn by Mr. Jefferson, and directed against the Alien
and Sedition laws.
[Page 101]
Brown, John, (q. v.).
[Pages 101-102]
Brown, William Guy, born at Kingwood, Preston county, (now West
Virginia), September 25, 1800; attended the public schools; studied law, and commenced practice
in 1823 at Kingwood; member of the house of delegates in 1832 and again in 1840-43; elected as a
Democrat to the twenty-ninth and thirtieth congresses (March 4, 1845-March 3, 1849); member of
the state constitutional convention of 1850; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of
1860 at Charleston and Baltimore; member of the Virginia state convention of 1861; again elected
to the thirty-seventh congress from Virginia as a Unionist (March 4, 1861-March 3, 1863), and
re-elected to the thirty-eighth congress from West Virginia; took his seat December 7, 1863, and
served until March 3, 1865; died at Kingwood, West Virginia April 19, 1884.
[Page 102]
Burwell, William A., son of Thacker Burwell and Mary Armistead, his
wife, daughter of Gill Armistead, born in Mecklenburg county, Virginia, about 1780; was graduated
from William and Mary College; moved to Franklin county in 1802; elected a member of the state
house of delegates; private secretary to President Jefferson; elected as a Republican to the
ninth congress, to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Christopher Clark; re-elected to the
tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth congresses, and served
from December 1, 1806, until his death in Washington D. C., February 16, 1821. He married Letitia
McCrery, of Baltimore, and was father of William M. Burwell, of New Orleans.
[Page 102]
Cabell, Samuel Jordan, born in Amherst county, Virginia, December
15, 1756, son of Col. William Cabell, and descended from Dr. William Cabell, who settled in
Virginia in 1723 and purchased large estates which have remained in the family. He early received
a classical education and entered William and Mary College in 1773, but his studies were
interrupted by the outbreak of hostilities. He left college and raised the first armed corps in
Virginia, with which he achieved distinction in the northern campaigns, especially in the battle
of Saratoga, for which he was promoted to major; he was subsequently made lieutenant-colonel, and
served under General Greene until the fall of Charleston, where he was captured and remained on
parole until the end of the war He was for several terms a member of the state house of
delegates. In 1788 he was a delegate, with his father, to the constitutional convention, where
both voted against the national constitution. In 1785 he was elected to congress, and by
re-elections served until 1803. He died in Nelson county, Virginia, August 4, 1818.
[Page 102]
Caperton, Hugh, born in Virginia in 1780; member of the Virginia
state house of delegates for several years; elected as a Federalist to the thirteenth congress
(March 4, 1813-March 3, 1815); died in Monroe county, Virginia, February 9, 1847. He was father
of Hon. Allen T Caperton, member of the Confederate States Congress.
[Added Note: Bernard Caperton, in "The Caperton Family" says that Hugh was born April 14, 1781;
son of Adam and Elizabeth (Miller) Caperton, grandson of John and Polly (Thompson) Caperton;
married (first) Feb 11, 1806, Jane Erskine, daughter of Michael and Margaret (Hundley) Erskine,
and married (second) January 16, 1834, Delilah Alexander, daughter of Michael and Mary (Benson)
Alexander; Delilah was widow of George Beirne.
Oren F. Martin in "A History or Monroe County, West Virginia" says that
John Caperton crossed the Atlantic about 1725, and he met Mary Thompson, on the ship that
conveyed them to America. Hugh served in the Dunmore war and Revolution. He built "Elmwood," near
Union; as a merchant was very successful; and described as "large in physique" and "handsome".]
[Page 102]
Carlile, John Snyder, born in Winchester, Virginia, December 16,
1817; studied law and began practice in 1842, in Beverly, Virginia; member of state senate,
1847-51; delegate to state constitutional convention of 1850; elected as a Unionist to the
thirty-fourth congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857); elected to the thirty-seventh congress and
served from March 4, 1861, until July 9, 1861, when he resigned, having been elected to the
United States senate, to fill vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Robert M. T. Hunter, and
served until March 3, 1865; died in Clarksburg, West Virginia, October 24, 1878.
[Page 102]
Cary, George B., born near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1811; elected
as a Democrat to the twenty-seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843); died at Bethlehem,
Virginia, March 5, 1850.
[Pages 102-103]
Caskie, John Samuels, born in Richmond, Virginia, November 8, 1821;
was graduated from the University of Virginia; studied law and practiced in Richmond; prosecuting
attorney; judge of the Richmond and Henrico circuit; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-second,
thirty=third, thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth congresses (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1859) resumed the
practice of law; died in Richmond, Virginia, December 16, 1869.
[Page 103]
Chapman, Augustus A., born in Virginia in 1806; studied law, was
admitted to the bar, and practiced in Union, Monroe county, (West) Virginia; elected as a Van
Buren Democrat to the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth congresses (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1847);
died in Hinton, West Virginia, in June, 1876.
[Added Note: Oren F. Martin, in "A History of Monroe County, West Virginia," says that Augustus
was son of Henry and Mary (Alexander) Chapman. He married Mary, daughter of George (1780-1832)
and Polly (Johnson) Beirne, and grandaughter of Andrew and Eleanor (Keenan) Beirne. Augustus was
described "almost invincible in courts or political debates." He died of apoplexy on the way to
Charleston, West Virginia, to nominate his friend, H. B. Mathews, for the office of governor.]
[Page 103]
Chilton, Samuel, son of Col. Charles Chilton, of "Hereford," Prince
William county, and Elizabeth Blackwell, his wife, born in Warrenton, Virginia, September 7,
1804; studied law and practiced with great success at Warrenton; member of the state house of
delegates for several terms; elected as a Whig to the twenty-eighth congress (March 4, 1853-March
3, 1837); was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1850-51; died in Warrenton,
Virginia, January 14, 1867. He married Isabella Roberts Brooke, daughter of William Brooke, of
"Falmouth."
[Page 103]
Chinn, Joseph W., born in Richmond county, Virginia; member of the
state senate, 1829-30; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-second and twenty-third congresses
(March 4, 1831-March 3, 1835); died in Richmond, Virginia, December 8, 1840. He was a son of
Joseph Chinn and Elizabeth, daughter of Leroy and Judith (ball) Griffin, his wife. He married
Mary Ann, daughter of Charles Smith, of Morattico Hall, and Elizabeth Teackle, his wife, of
Northampton county, and left issue.
[Page 301]
Claiborne, John, son of Thomas Claiborne (q. v.), of Brunswick
county, born in Brunswick county, Virginia, in 1777; pursued academic studies and was graduated
from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1798, and practiced; elected to
the ninth and tenth congresses, and served from March 4, 1805, until his death in Brunswick
county, Virginia, October 9, 1808. He had issue: Thomas Claiborne, member of congress from
Tennessee, Dr. Jarratt M. Claiborne, and Philip, who was a member of the house of delegates,
1815-16.
[Page 103]
Claiborne, Nathaniel Herbert, son of William Claiborne, of King
William county, and Mary Leigh, his wife, daughter of Ferdinand Leigh, was born in Sussex county,
Virginia, November 14, 1777. He received a classical education, and served many years in the
state house of delegates, where he won the reputation of being a reformer of various abuses of
the government. He was also a member of the executive council, and was a member of congress from
1825 to 1837. He was the author of "Notes on the War in the South" (1819). He died at Rocky
Mount, Franklin county, Virginia, August 15, 1859. He had a brother, William Charles Cole
Claiborne, first state governor of Louisiana.
[Pages 103-104]
Claiborne, Thomas, born in Brunswick county, Virginia, in 1749; son
of Col. Augustine Claiborne, of "Windsor," Sussex county, and Mary Herbert, his wife, daughter of
Capt. Buller Herbert; was sheriff of Brunswick county, 1789-1792; colonel commanding the
Brunswick county militia in 1789; member of the Virginia house of delegates, 1784-1786; elected
to the third, fourth, and fifth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1799) elected to the seventh
and eighth congresses (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1805); died in Brunswick county, Virginia, in 1812.
[Page 104]
Clark, Christopher, born in Albemarle county, Virginia, in 1767;
studied law and practiced; member of the state house of delegates for several terms; elected as a
Jeffersonian Democrat to the eighth congress, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of John
Trigg, re-elected to the ninth congress and served from November 5, 1804, to July 1, 1806, when
he resigned; died near New London, Virginia, November 21, 1828. He was a son of Robert Clark and
Susan Henderson, his wife, daughter of John Henderson. (See "Cabells and their Kin," p. 290).
[Page 104]
Clay, Matthew, born in Halifax county, Virginia, March 25, 1754;
served in the revolutionary war from 1776 to 1783 as a lieutenant and quartermaster; elected as a
Democratic Republican to the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth
congresses (March 4, 1795-March 3, 1813); died in Halifax county, Virginia, 1815.
[Page 104]
Clemens, Sherrard, born in Wheeling, Virginia, April 28, 1820;
attended Washington College and the United States Military Academy; studied law and entered upon
practice in Wheeling. He was elected as a Democrat to the thirty-second congress, to fill vacancy
occasioned by the resignation of George W. Thompson, and served from December 6, 1852, to March
4, 1853; was presidential elector on the Buchanan and Breckinridge ticket in 1856; elected to the
thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1861). He served in the
Confederate army, and at the close of the war resumed the practice of law in Wheeling, West
Virginia. Later he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued the practice of his
profession until his death, June 30, 1881.
[Page 104]
Clopton, John, born in St. Peter's parish, New Kent county,
Virginia, February 7, 1756, son of William Clopton and Elizabeth Dorral Ford, sister of Rev.
Reuben Ford; was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1773; was captain of a company
of militia in the revolutionary war from the date of graduation from the university until the
close of the war; refused promotions to remain with his company that was mainly composed of
relatives and that was furnished its supplies and clothing by his father; served several terms in
the Virginia house of delegates between 1785 and 1795; elected as Democratic Republican to the
fourth and fifth congresses (March 4, 1795-March 3, 1799); and to the seventh, eighth, ninth,
tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth congresses; served from March 4, 1801, until
his death, in St. Peter's parish, New Kent county, Virginia, September 11, 1816. He was succeeded
in congress by John Tyler. He married Sarah Bacon, daughter of Edmund Bacon, and left issue.
[Pages 104-105]
Coke, Richard, born in Williamsburg, Virginia, about 1804, son of
John Coke and Rebecca Lawson, widow of Col. James Shields, completed preparatory studies; was
graduated from William and Mary College; studied law; was admitted to the bar, and commenced
practice in Gloucester county, Virginia; elected as a States rights Democrat to the twenty-first
and twenty-second congresses (March 4, 1829-March 3, 1833); died on his estate, "Abingdon," in
Gloucester county, Virginia, March 30, 1851. He was descended from John Coke, who emigrated to
Virginia in 1724, a great-grandson of Sir Francis Coke, of England.
[Page 105]
Coles, Isaac, born in Virginia; pursued preparatory studies;
elected to the first congress (March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791); re-elected to the third and fourth
congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1797). He was a son of John Coles a prominent merchant of
Henrico county, who came from Enniscorthy, Ireland. His will, dated September 13, 1810, was
proved in Pittsylvania county, August 17, 1813.
[Page 105]
Coles, Walter, born in Pittsylvania county, Virginia, December 8,
1790; son of Col. Isaac Coles, of the same county; completed a preparatory course; devoted
himself to agriculture; justice of the peace for many years; served in the United States army
during the war of 1812 as a captain of riflemen on the northern frontier; member of the state
house of delegates in 1833 and 1834; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth,
twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1845); died
near Robertson Store, Virginia, November 9, 1857.
[Page 105]
Colston, Edward, born at Winchester, Virginia, December 25, 1786,
son of Travers Colston, of Richmond county, and a descendant of William Colston, of Bristol,
England, a great merchant and cavalier in the time of Charles I., was born near Winchester,
Virginia, December 25, 1786; was graduated from Princeton College in 1806; studied law; served in
the war of 1812; was a member of the fifteenth congress (March 4, 1817-March 4, 1819); was a
Federalist in politics and in 1821 was elected to the house of delegates, and served till 1834.
Under the new reorganization of parties he became a Whig. He married (first) Jane Marshall,
daughter of Charles Marshall, and (second) Sarah Jane Brockenbrough; died in Berkeley county,
Virginia, April 23, 1852. He was a brother-in-law of Willoughby Newton and Charles James
Faulkner.
[Page 105]
Craig, Robert, born near Christiansburg, Montgomery county,
Virginia, in 1792; attended public schools and was graduated from Lewisburg Academy, Greenbriar
county; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-first and twenty-second congresses (March 4,
1829-March 3, 1833); defeated for the twenty-third congress; re-elected to the twenty-fourth,
twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1841); died at "Green Hill,"
near Salem, Roanoke, county, Virginia, in 1852.
[Page 105]
Crump, George William, born in Powhatan county, Virginia; was
graduated from Princeton College; studied medicine and practiced; member of the state house of
delegates; elected as a States Rights Democrat to the nineteenth congress, to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of John Randolph, and served from February 6, 1826, to March 3, 1827;
defeated for re-election to the twentieth congress; appointed by President Jackson chief clerk of
the pension bureau in 1832, which position he held until his death in Washington, D. C., in 1850.
[Page 106]
Davenport, Thomas, born in Cumberland county, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar, and practiced in Meadsville, Virginia;
elected as a Federalist to the nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second and
twenty-third congresses (March 4, 1825-March 3, 1835); defeated for the twenty-fourth congress;
died near Meadsville, Virginia, November 18, 1838.
[Page 106]
Dawson, John, born in Virginia in 1762. He was graduated from
Harvard College in 1782, and after pursuing a law course was admitted to the bar, but devoted
himself chiefly to political affairs. In 1793 he was a presidential elector, voting for
Washington. He served in the state legislature and in the executive council, and was a member of
the constitutional convention. He was elected to congress in 1797, and by successive re-elections
served until 1814. President Adams made him bearer of dispatches to France in 1801. In the war of
1812, he rendered important services as aide to General Jackson. He died in Washington City,
March 30, 1814, while holding his seat in congress. He was a son of Rev. Musgrave Dawson, and a
nephew of William and Thomas Dawson, presidents of William and Mary College. From his love of
dress and fine manners he was known among his friends as "Beau Dawson."
[Page 106]
De Jarnette, Daniel Coleman, born near Bowling Green, Virginia,
September 27, 1822; pursued classical studies; served several years in the state house of
delegates; elected as an anti-administration Democrat to the thirty-sixth congress (March 4,
1859-March 3, 1861); re-elected to the thirty-seventh congress, but did not serve; representative
from Virginia to the first and second Confederate Congresses, 1862-1865; died at the White
Sulphur Springs, Virginia, August 18, 1881.
[Page 106]
Doddridge, Philip, born in Wellsburg, Bedford county, Virginia, May
17, 1773. He attended school in his native place, devoting himself principally to the study of
Latin. After leaving school he made a trip down the Mississippi river on a flatboat. After his
return he studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Wellsburg, recognized as the best
lawyer in western Virginia. He was a member of the house of delegates 1815-16, and 1822-23. He
was a leading member of the constitutional convention of 1829-30. He was elected to congress in
1829 and re-elected, continuing a member until his death, which occurred when he was serving on a
committee to codify the laws relating to the District of Columbia. He possessed wonderful powers
of condensation; the proper words seemed to fall into their proper places, and Daniel Webster
said of him, "Philip Doddridge was the only man I really feared in debate." He died in Washington
City, November 19, 1832, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery.
[Page 106]
Draper, Joseph, born in Virginia; elected to the twenty-first
congress, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Alexander Smyth; re-elected to the
twenty-second congress and served from Decembe r6, 1830, to March 2, 1833. He resided in Wythe
county, Virginia.
[Pages 106-107]
Dromgoole, George Coke, born in Lawrenceville, Brunswick county,
Virginia, about 1705; completed preparatory studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar;
served several years as a member of the state house of delegates and senate; elected as a
Democrat to the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3,
1841); declined being a candidate for re-election; elected to the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth
congresses (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1847); died April 27, 1847.
[Page 107]
Edmundson, Henry Alonzo, born in Blacksburg, Montgomery county,
Virginia, June 8, 1814; completed preparatory studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar
and began practice in Salem; elected to the thirty-first, thirty-second, thirty-third,
thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1861); died in
his home at Falling Waters, Montgomery county, Virginia, December 16, 1890.
[Page 107]
Eggleston, Joseph, born in Amelia county, Virginia, November 24,
1754. He was graduated from William and Mary College in 1776, and immediately afterward entered
the revolutionary army and became one of its most brilliant cavalry officers. He was soon
promoted to major, under Col. Henry Lee, and commanded the rear-guard of that officer's famous
legion in the Southern campaign. He especially distinguished himself in the desperate battle of
Guilford Court House in March, 1781, and in the siege of Augusta in the following June. In the
brilliant battle of Eutaw Springs, in September of the same year, his bold attack upon the
British advance won the first success in the action. After the war he was a member of the
assembly for several years. He was elected to congress in 1798 to fill vacancy caused by the
resignation of William B. Giles, and was re-elected to the sixth congress, extending his service
to March 3, 1801, when he became a justice of the peace, and retained that office until his
death, in Amelia county, February 13, 1811.
[Page 107]
Eppes, John W. (q. v.)
[Page 107]
Estill, Benjamin, native of Washington county, born March 13, 1780;
was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Abingdon; elected to the nineteenth congress
(March 4, 1825-March 3, 1827); died July 14, 1853.
[Page 107]
Evans, Thomas, a native of Accomac county, Virginia, was a student
of William and Mary College, where in 1773 he won one of the Botetourt medals for classical
learning. He married Mildred Moody, of Williamsburg, widow of Josiah Johnson, professor of
humanity in the college. He resided at "Sunderland Hall," Accomac county, and was member of the
fifth and sixth congresses (March 4, 1797-March 4, 1801). His son, Thomas Moody Evans, married
Eliza Mary White, daughter of Gen. Anthony Walton White, aide-de-camp to George Washington.
[Pages 107-108]
Faulkner, Charles James, born in Martinsburg, Virginia, July 6,
1806; was graduated from Georgetown (D. C.) University in 1822; attended Chancellor Tucker's law
lectures in Winchester; was admitted to the bar in 1829, and entered upon practice. He was a
member of the state house of delegates in 1832-33; was a commissioner on the disputed
Virginia-Maryland boundary; was a state senator, 1841-44, but resigned; was elected to the
revising legislature in 1848; member of state constitutional convention, 1840. He was elected to
the thirty-second congress, March 4, 1851, and to the two succeeding congresses. In 1859 he was
appointed minister to France by President Buchanan. He returned at the outbreak of the civil war,
in 1861, and was taken and held as a prisoner of war, but in December of the same year was
exchanged for Congressman Ely, of New York. During the war he was a member of the staff of Gen.
"Stonewall" Jackson. After the war he was engaged in various railroad enterprises. He was a
member of the West Virginia constitutional convention in 1872, and was elected from that state,
as a Democrat, to the forty-fourth congress (March 4, 1875-March 3, 1877). He died in Boydville,
West Virginia, November 1, 1884.
[Page 108]
Flournoy, Thomas Stanhope, born in Prince Edward county, Virginia,
December 1, 1811; attended the public schools; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Halifax, Virginia; elected as a Whig to the thirtieth congress (March 4, 1847-March
3, 1849) defeated for the thirty-first congress; entered the Confederate army and was wounded in
battle in Virginia in June, 1864; died March 13, 1883.
[Page 108]
Floyd, John (q. v.).
[Page 108]
Fulton, Andrew S., born in Augusta county, September, 1800; elected
as a Whig to congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1849); circuit judge till death, November, 1884.
[Page 108]
Fulton, John H., born in Augusta county; served in legislature,
1823-32; elected as a Whig to twenty-third congress (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1835); died in
Abingdon, Virginia, January 28, 1836.
[Page 108]
Garland, David S., was born in 1769 and resided in Amherst county,
Virginia; pursued an academic course; studied law; served several terms in the Virginia
legislature and was elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States House of
Representatives to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Wilson Cary Nicholas, and served
from January 17, 1810, to March 3, 1811. He died in 1841, aged seventy-two. He was a son of
William Garland (born 1746; died in Staunton in 1777), and Anne Shepherd, daughter of Christopher
Shepherd, and grandson of James Garland, of Albemarle county. He married in 1795, Jane Henry
Meredith, a daughter of Col. Samuel Meredith and his second wife, Jane Henry, a sister of Patrick
Henry, the orator.
[Page 108]
Garland, James, born in Nelson county, Virginia, June 6, 1791;
pursued preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar and began practice in
Lovingston, Virginia; served in the house of delegates in 1829; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1841); moved to
Lynchburg, Virginia, and was judge of the corporation court of that city for nineteen years;
again elected to the state legislature in 1876; died in Lynchburg, Virginia, August 8, 1885. He
was son of Hudson M. Garland, Sr., who was a lawyer, member of the house of delegates, 1805-1806,
and captain in the war of 1812; and a grandson of James Garland, Jr., of Albemarle county. He was
a brother of Gen. John Garland of the U. S. A., whose daughter was the wife of General
Longstreet.
[Pages 108-109]
Garnett, James Mercer, born at "Elmwood," Essex county, Virginia
June 8, 1770; son of Muscoe Garnett and Grace Fenton Mercer, daughter of John Mercer; pursued an
academic course; served several terms in the house of delegates; elected to the ninth and tenth
congresses (March 4, 1805-March 3, 1809); delegate to the state constitutional convention in
1829; president of the Fredericksburg Agricultural Society for twenty years; member of the grand
jury that indicted Aaron Burr in 1807; died at "Elmwood," Virginia, April 23, 1843.