Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography

[Page 353]
Edward C. Ambler, M. D. Dr. Edward C. Ambler, a physician of Roanoke, Virginia, is a member of one of the old families of that state, and a direct descendent of Colonel Ambler, of the revolutionary army, who was his great-grandfather. His grandfather, John Jaquelin Ambler, was a native of Jamestown, Virginia, where he was born in 1801. John Jaquelin Ambler, his father, was born September 30, 1830, and received his education at the Episcopal High School at Lynchburg and at the University of Virginia. During the civil war he enlisted in the army and served in the engineering corps, and upon the close of hostilities he engaged in a mercantile business until his death. He married Laura Beverley Davies, a daughter of Beverley and Laura (Carter) Davies, of Amherst county, Virginia. To them were born five children, as follows: 1. Laura Carter, now the wife of L. P. Rodes, city engineer of Lynchburg and half-brother of Robert E. Rodes, of Lynchburg, Virginia. 2. Mrs. R. E. Gish, of Lynchburg, Virginia. 3. B. L., unmarried, and a resident of Amherst county, Virginia. 4. John J., a farmer of Amherst county, who married Jennette Withers Carter, a granddaughter of Colonel Robert Withers. 5. Edward C., of whom further.
Dr. Edward C. Ambler was born February 13, 1870, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received the elementary portion of his education at the high school there, and attended Kenmore University from 1885 to 1889, and finally went to the Medical School of the University of Virginia, from which he graduated with the class of 1895, taking the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After completing the theoretical part of his studies, he entered as interene, St. Vincent's Hospital at Norfolk, Virginia, and later the Hudson Hospital in New York City, where he made a special study of gynecology and the kindred subjects. Having accomplished the requisite practical experience in these institutions, he returned to Virginia and established himself in practice in Nelson county in that state, where he continued successfully for six years, finally removing to Roanoke, where he has since remained in active practice. During this time he has done considerable post-graduate work in New York City, under Dr. Berkeley, a resident of that place. Dr. Ambler is actively devoted to his profession and is doing notable work in it both in his private practice and in his capacity as a member of the staff of Roanoke City Hospital. He is also a member of the Academy of Medicine, of the South Western Virginia Medical Society and of the Virginia State and the American Medical Associations. He is prominent in the Masonic order and is a member of Lakeland Lodge, No. 190, and Murray Chapter, No. 22, Royal Arch Masons.
Dr. Ambler married, October 4, 1898, Fannie Waller Brown, a daughter of John Thompson and Elizabeth (Caldwell) Brown, and to them have been born three children, as follows: Elizabeth Caldwell, born September 19, 1900; Edward C., Jr., July 20, 1908; John Thompson Brown, May 20, 1910. Dr. Ambler and his family are members of St. John's Episcopal Church, Roanoke, and Mrs. Ambler is a member of the guild and other church societies.

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Henry Smith Rucker. Admitted to the bar in 1898, Mr. Rucker, after practicing in Lexington, Virginia, two years, located in Buena Vista, an in 1906 was appointed to the high position he has since held continuously through election, commonwealth attorney of the city of Buena Vista, Virginia. He is a grandson of William Ballard Rucker, of Bedford county, Virginia, and among Mr. Rucker's treasured possessions is the musket carried by his grand sire during the war of 1812-14. William Ballard Rucker had sons: Daniel H., of further mention; William A., who served throughout the war of 1861-65 as a private in a Virginia regiment of infantry; Addison C., a cavalryman during the same war, serving under Colonel Mosby.
(II) Daniel H. Rucker, son of William Ballard Rucker, was born in Amherst county, Virginia, December 14, 1835, died in 1909. He was clerk of the corporation court, Buena Vista, Virginia, a magistrate under the old law and by virtue of his office exempt from military duty, justice of the peace, a highly respected and influential man in his community. He married a cousin, Marianna Rucker, born in Bedford county, in 1838, died June 8, 1888, daughter of James Monroe and Marinda (McDaniels) Rucker. Her brother, Alborn Mack Rucker, while serving in a Virginia regiment of the Confederate army was wounded in battle, dying from the effects of his wound. Child, Henry Smith, of further mention.
(III) Henry Smith Rucker, son of Daniel H. and Marianna (Rucker) Rucker, was born in Amherst county, Virginia, March 9, 1873. His public school education began in the schools of county, was completed in the Buena Vista high school. In 1898 he entered Washington-Lee University, law department, whence he was graduated Bachelor of Law, in June, 1898.He was formally admitted to the bar in July of the same year and began practice at Lexington, the capital of Rockbridge county, the seat of Washington-Lee county and Virginia Military Institute. He began legal practice in the office of Colonel W. A. Anderson, continuing until 1900, when he located at Buena Vista, eight miles distant from Lexington on the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western railroads, a thriving town of about three thousand inhabitants and many prosperous industries. There he formed a law partnership with C. B. Guyer, practicing as Guyer & Rucker until 1903, when the firm dissolved. Mr. Rucker continued alone until 1906, practicing in all state and Federal courts of the district and attaining high standing as an able lawyer and wise counsellor. In 1906 a vacancy occurred in the office of commonwealth attorney for Rockbridge county, which was filled by the appointment of Rev.. His conduct of the prosecutor's office was so satisfactory that at the close of his appointive term in 1908, he was nominated and elected by the people to succeed himself. He has since held the office continuously through reëlections, his efficient service being recognized by both bench and bar and all having business with the commonwealth attorney's office, but not all to the satisfaction of those who break the laws he is sworn to execute.
He is a member of the Virginia Bar Association; Buena Vista, No. 186, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is an honored past master; and the Junior Order of American Mechanics. In political faith he is a Democrat.
Mr. Rucker married, December 12, 1906, Verna May Hodges, born in Richmond, Virginia, October 5, 1876, daughter of Vernon E., and Georgie Winston (Joseph) Hodges. Children: Harry Hodges, died in infancy; Georgie Marianna, born November 28, 1909; Henry Smith (2), born in Buena Vista, Virginia, August 15, 1913.

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George R. Cheves. As editor and publisher of the "Southwest Times and News Review" at Pulaski, Virginia, Mr. Cheves wields an influence that is always exerted in behalf of the advancement and best interest of his community. He is a Virginian by adoption, having been born in the sister state of Kentucky, where he was educated and engaged in business until coming to Pulaski, Virginia. But he descends from illustrious sires that in the state of South Carolina and in the nation ranked with the leading public men of the day, among whom was Langdon Cheves, lawyer, statesman and president of the United States Bank.
Langdon Cheves was born at Rocky River in what is now Abbeyville county, South Carolina, September 17, 1776, son of Alexander and Mary (Langdon) Cheves. Alexander Cheves, a Scotchman, was a small Indian trader, who during the war of the revolution moved to Charleston and engaged in business. At the age of ten years, Langdon Cheves was apprenticed to a shipping merchant as office boy. By his own efforts he acquired a fair education, and at the age of eighteen years began the study of law, being admitted to the bar at Charleston. He arose rapidly and in ten years from the date of his admission was recognized as at the head of his profession in South Carolina. In 1808 he was appointed attorney-general with a net income of twenty thousand dollars a year. He was three times elected to the South Carolina Legislature and in 1811 was elected to Congress. Mr. Cheves was one of the famous "war mess," and the other members being William Lowndes, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. During the war 1812-14, he served as chairman of the ways and means committee. Upon the appointment of Mr. Clay as commissioner to Ghent, Mr. Cheves was elected speaker of the house to succeed him, in which capacity he served until the end of the Thirteenth Congress. His most important work in Congress was the defeat of Dallas' scheme to recharter the University of Virginia Bank. He retired from Congressional service in 1814, refused the position of secretary and treasurer to succeed Albert Gallatin, returned to Charleston and resumed the practice of law. In 1816 he was appointed one of the judges of the state of South Carolina, serving three years. In 1, 1819, he was elected a director of the United States Bank and two months later was chosen president of that bank to succeed Mr. Jones. The affairs of the bank, established in 1817, with a capital of $28,000,000, were found to be in a lamentable condition. John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary, "The bank is so drained of its specie that it is hardly conceivable that it can hardly go on till June without stopping payments." Three weeks after the above statements were written, the bank was solvent, and instead of requiring it was in a position to extend aid to other institutions. This was due to the remarkable energy of President Cheves, who for the best interests of the bank, but under protest from the directors, obtained a loan from Europe of $2,000,000, payable in June, 1821. One million was renewed at five per cent. and the remainder was paid off at a profit that defrayed all charge of remittance, even at an advance rate of exchange. In 1822 he resigned the presidency, leaving the bank safe and prosperous, being succeeded by Nicholas Biddle. He lived for a time in Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but in 1829 returned to Charleston, where he lived in retirement during the remainder of his life, occasionally writing reviews and essays on the topics of the day. He was strongly in favor of secession, and in 1850, ad a delegate to the Nashville convention, declared himself favorable to the scheme of establishing a separate Southern Confederacy, but considered it madness for South Carolina to act alone.
Mr. Cheves married, in 1806, Mary Dallas, of Charleston, and died in Columbia, South Carolina, June 25, 1857, leaving issue.
George Washington Cheves was born in Fort Valley, Georgia, 1846, died in 1886. He was a man of talent and education, possessing marked literary ability that found expression through the newspapers he edited and published in the states in which he resided, Georgia and Kentucky. He served as a private in the Fourth Regiment Georgia Infantry of the Confederate army, was wounded in the battle of Malvern Hill, captured and confined in Fort Delaware, built on an island in the Delaware river. After the war he taught school and edited the "Terrell Democrat," later moving to the state of Kentucky, where he continued newspaper publication until his death. He married Lily Tevis, who died in 1880.
George R. Cheves was born in Standford, Kentucky, November 15, 1874. He was educated in public and private schools in Georgia and New York states, attending in the latter schools in Albany and on Staten Island, obtaining a good preparatory education. In 1892 he entered Milligan College in Eastern Tennessee, from which he was graduated, class of 1895.He returned to Milligan for a post-graduate course, remained one year and received the degree of Bachelor of Science. He engaged for about ten years in the lumber business in Eastern Tennessee and Pulaski county, Virginia, locating in 1906 in Pulaski, the capital of the latter county. There he established the "Southwest Times" and in October, 1908, bought the "news Review," consolidated the two papers, which he published under their combined names until June, 1914. He is an elder of the Disciples of Christ Church, a Democrat in politics, and interested in all that tends to make men better citizens. In addition to being the son of a Confederate veteran, Mr. Cheves had two uncles who served in Georgia regiments of the Confederate army, R. S. Cheves and C. T. Cheves.
George R. Cheves married, November 3, 1897, Margret Stone, born in Paperville, near Bristol, Tennessee, in February, 1874, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Stone. Children, all born in Pulaski, Virginia; Roswell Stone, December 1, 1899; Samuel G., May 18, 1902; William Howard, March 23, 1907.

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William Leven Powell, M. D. William Leven Powell, M. D., a prominent physician and citizen of Roanoke, Virginia, is a descendant of several of the old Virginian families. He was born August 31, 1876, at Winchester, Virginia, a son of Captain William Leven and Evalina (McGill) Powell. Captain William Leven Powell, Sr., was a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, where he was born May 3, 1830. He was a large planter and a prominent citizen of that region and distinguished himself in the civil war, serving during that great struggle on the staffs of Generals Jackson and Gordon. His wife, Evalina (McGill) Powell, was related to the old Bland and Tucker families, and through her Dr. Powell has inherited some of the table silver of the famous John Randolph, of Roanoke.
Dr. Powell obtained his education at Miller's School, which he attended for several years, and later at the University of Virginia, where he took a three years' course in medicine, 1897 to 1900, graduating in the latter year with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. During his college course Dr. Powell took an active part in the under-graduate life of the university, was an "all round" athlete and a member of the fraternities of Alpha Tau Omega, Pi Mu, P. K. and O. F.C. and the Tilka Society. After his graduation from the university, Dr. Powell became an interne at St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Hospital, Polyclinic Hospital, Philadelphia, and later became the chief resident physician of the State Hospital at Warren, Pennsylvania. He then for two years held the position of superintendent in the Roanoke City Hospital, with which institution he still maintains his connection as a member of its staff. He is also the surgeon for the Roanoke Street Railway Company. Besides his work in these institutions, Dr. Powell has given much of his time and attention to the problems of public health, and has faithfully served his fellow citizens of Roanoke as a member of the board of health and as city diagnocian. He has been in the past, president and secretary of the Roanoke Academy of Medicine, and an active member of a number of medical socities, i. e., the South Western Virginia Medical Society and the State and American Medical Associations. He is also a member of the Automobile Club of Roanoke, the Roanoke Country Club and the Roanoke Tennis Club.
Dr. Powell married, October 23, 1907, Elinore Kerr, of Philadelphia, and to them have been born two children, as follows: William Leven Jr., born January 10, 1909, and John Randolph, born August 10, 1910. Dr. Powell and his family are members of the Second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, and Mrs. Powell is most active in the work of the church and the charities connected with it.

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William Philip Mathews, M. D. A resident of Richmond, Virginia, since 1874, when as a boy of six years he was taken to that city by his parents, Dr. Mathews descends from the ancient Virginia family of Mathews, among the very earliest settlers of Prince Edward county, that state. His grandfather, Captain William Mathews, was a soldier of the war of 1812, from Prince Edward county, and his great-grandfather, Rev. Philip Mathews, a pious devoted minister of the Gospel (Baptist) passed his long life of ninety useful years entirely in that county. Dr. William Philip Mathews is a son of Dr. Thomas Philip Mathews, an eminent physician and surgeon.
Dr. Thomas Philip Mathews was born in Prince Edward county, Virginia, August 21, 1835, died January 12, 1905, and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond. He was a graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, class of 1855. He practiced his profession in Prince Edward county until the outbreak of the civil war, when he promptly enlisted in the service of his native state and became captain of Company H, Fourteenth Regiment Virginia Infantry, serving with his regiment until the second battle of Manassas, where he was severely wounded. Upon his recovery he was placed in charge of the hospital at Farmville, Prince Edward county, where he devoted his professional skill to the cure of the wounded and sick soldiers. Later he became surgeon under General A. P. Hill, serving in that capacity until the war between the states ended. He then resumed the practice of his profession amid more peaceful surroundings, continuing in honor and esteem until his death. He married, on Christmas eve, 1856, Bettie Bolling, daughter of Thomas R. Marshall, of Hampden-Sidney College. Children: John D., now (1913) living at the age of fifty-three years; Thomas Gibson, aged fifty-one years; Colonel W. Kirk, aged forty-nine years; William Philip, of whom further. Five children are deceased.
Dr. William Philip Mathews was born in Prince Edward county, Virginia, June 30, 1868. In 1874 his father located in Richmond, where he spent his after life, an honored, successful physician. The lad, William P., attended the public schools and after passing through the high school he entered Tennessee College, whence he was graduated, class of 1888. Embracing the profession of his honored father, he studied under his direction, entered the Medical College of Virginia, whence he was graduated Doctor of Medicine, class of 1890. He spent the next year as interne at the Charity Hospital, New York City, and in 1891 returned to Richmond, where he has been continuously until the present day (19014) specializing in orthœpedic surgery. He has devoted the best years of his life to his specialty and is regarded as competent authority on all matters pertaining thereto. He was president of the board of health of Manchester (Richmond) one year, 1900-01, and is a director of the Manchester Light, Heat and Power Company. While deeply engrossed in his professional duties he is interested in all that pertains to the common good and neglects none of the duties of a good citizen. He is held in high esteem by his professional brethren.
Eminent in his profession, Dr. Mathews is also a valued and useful member of the Second Baptist Church of Richmond, honored in the councils of the church at large, and, like his distinguished forbears, is a pillar of strength in the church. He is president of the Inter- denominational Sunday School Association; was for five years president of the Bermuda Sunday School Association; a member for the past seven years of the board of foreign missions of the general Baptist convention and chairman of the committee of appointments, the latter position having been filled by his father for twenty-one years prior to his death. Dr. Mathews is a member of the Masonic order, belonging to Meridian Lodge, No. 284, Free and Accepted Masons, and is an honored past master of that body.
Dr. Mathews married, in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 17, 1893, Annie Graham, born at Burnett Springs, West Virginia, October 21, 1869, daughter of David L. and Martha Jane (Watt) Graham, of Scotch and Irish parentage, formerly of the state of Pennsylvania. David L. Graham came to that state from Scotland and served in the Union army during the civil war. Children of Dr. Mathews: Margaret Spencer, born July 9, 1895, a graduate of the Women's College, Richmond, 1913; David Graham, born February 19, 1897; Thomas Philip, Jr., born January 9, 1901; William Watt, born May 13, 1908.

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Colonel Charles H. Consolvo. There is only one branch of the Consolvo family in America, and Virginia has ever claimed the residence of that line, a representative in the present generation being Colonel Charles H. Consolvo, a prominent and influential business man of Norfolk, Virginia, at the present time (1914) paymaster-general of the Virginia militia, and a member of Governor A. V. Eberhart's staff of Minnesota.
Colonel Charles H. Consolvo is a lineal descendant of {Prince Juan Consolvo, who assisted in expelling the Moors from Spain in 1860 A. D., a member of the royal house of Castile, the expulsion of these invaders checking the encroachments of Mohammedanism upon European territory. The later European records of the family were lost in the fire that destroyed the home of Francis Consolvo, of Princess Anne county, Virginia, and all that remains to the members thereof is the account of the generations of American residence, beginning with John Andrew Samuel Consolvo, who was born at Castile, Spain, in 1674 (O. S.) He came to the colonies in 1717, as the American consul of the Empire of Spain, accompanied by an only son, William, then twelve years of age, whose mother had died during his infancy. The father, John Andrew Samuel Consolvo, after remaining in this country for three years, found it necessary to return to his native land, and, as it was his intention to return within two years, deemed it advisable to leave his son in America, here to complete his education. His plans, however, never matured, for his death in Spain in 1722, aged forty-eight years, left his son an orphan three thousand miles from his homeland, and William Consolvo became the ancestor of all of his name in the United States.
(II) After attaining man's estate William Consolvo made his home in Princess Anne county, on the Linkhorn Bay, where there is still a boat landing that bears the name of "Consolvo's Landing." He married, in Princess Anne county, Virginia, February 26, 1736, Elizabeth Pallette, and to this union five children were born, two dying in infancy and John Andrew, Francis, and William, of whom further, reaching mature age.
(III) William (2) Consolvo, son of William (1) and Elizabeth (Pallette) Consolvo, was born near Princess Anne Court House, February 18, 1769, died November 14, 1814, the only one of his father's sons to marry, so that through him alone the American line was continued. He married, in July, 1791, as a young man of twenty-two years of age, Sarah Wright, born May 10, 1775, died June 18, 1848. She possessed great inherited wealth, at one time holding title to a tract of five thousand acres of land and many slaves. In October, 1799, the family moved to what was then the borough of Norfolk, their residence on Church street, near Wood, later on Fenchurch street, William Consolvo owning one-half of the block bounded by Wood, Charlotte and Fenchurch streets. To appreciate the narrowness of the town's limits at that day it is only necessary to state that Charlotte street formed one boundary, and that William Consolvo regularly obtained fish and crabs from the waters of Newton's street, at Church street. After taking up his residence in Norfolk, William Consolvo became a merchant tailor, his establishment being on East Main street, where he continued in successful business until 1813. In August of that year, with his son William, he entered the volunteer service of the University of Virginia against Great Britain They were stationed at Fort Barber, where breastworks were thrown up against the expected British advance against Norfolk, the army of the enemy having landed at Virginia Beach, August 13, 1813. By his marriage with Sarah Wright, William Consolvo was the father of eight children: 1. William, born near Princess Anne Court House, in 1792, served in the war of 1812 with his father, was badly injured by a cannon, which slipped from its carriage, and internal disorders caused by his accident was responsible for his bing a cripple until his death which occurred August 30, 1863. 2 and 3. Two children, born between 1792 and 1799, died in infancy. 4.Elizabeth, born in 1799, died in 1888; married, in 1816, George Bluford, and had two children: George W., born in 1817, and Mary Anne, born in 1820, married Harry Daws, of Baltimore, Maryland, and was the mother of George H., Mary Josephine and Elizabeth. 5. Thirza, born in September, 1804, died in 1890; married, in 1825, David E. Williams, of Portsmouth, Virginia, and had children: Luther, served in the Confederate States army, killed in the battle of Malvern Hill; Samuel, a soldier in Pickett's division, fell in the second day's fighting at Gettysburg; Harriett, lives in Portsmouth, Virginia; Charles Consolvo, attached to Grim's battery, Confederate army, killed in the second battle of Bull Run; David E., of the Ninth Virginia Regiment, died in 1906. 6. David, born in 1805, died in 1893. 7. Sarah, born in April, 1806, died in August, 1855, the victim of yellow fever; she was familiarly known as "Polly" and was a woman of rare beauty and charm of manner; she married (first) in 1824, Rev. Samuel Brown, a native of Princess Anne county, Virginia, a man of considerable wealth, who was well past middle age at the time of his marriage; (second) in 1835, to Francis Herbert, of Portsmouth, Virginia, a widower with two children by his former marriage; by her first marriage she had two children, by her second, four. 8. Charles Wright, of whom further. The father of the above enumerated children, William Consolvo, was a gentleman of high standing in the community, and was widely known for the rectitude and purity f his life. So frequently was he asked his rule of life by his admirers that upon one occasion he gave the following precepts as his conception of a cleanly upright life: "Never do an injury to your fellow man; Never forsake the religion of your ancestors; Do not use tobacco; Never lie to cause trouble; Be brave in battle, never forsake your country; By no means be a drunkard; Willingly forsake everything for the religion of Christ." These were the teachings that were instilled into the minds and hearts of his children, the observance of which made of them noble men and pure women, rearing families of patriots and heroes in accordance with the tenets that ordered their lives.
(IV) Charles Wright Consolvo, son of William (2) and Sarah (Wright) Consolvo, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, September 5, 1810, and died July 2, 1849. H is calling was that of clerk, and at his death, which was caused by an attack of cholera, he was employed in the ordnance department of the United States navy yard at Portsmouth, Virginia. He married Eliza Anne Riggins, October 11, 1832, and she died September 23, 1855, stricken with yellow fever, her last illness enduring for but thirty hours. Children of Charles Wright and Eliza Ann (Riggins) Consolvo: John Andrews, born October 23, 1833, died August 8, 1834; Virginia F., born December 13, 1836, died June 1, 1900; Louisiana E., born May 13, 1838, died May 12, 1897; George Washington, born May 18, 1842; Charles Wright, Jr., born March 12, 1845; Eugene Herbert, of whom further.
(V) Eugene Herbert Consolvo, son of Charles Wright and Eliza Anne (Riggins) Consolvo, and father of Colonel Charles H. Consolvo, was born March 27, 1848, and died January 19, 1895. He was educated in the public schools and as a young man undertook specialized study in the construction of plants adapted tot he manufacture of illuminating gas from coal. In the pursuit of the occupation he had chosen as his life work and in which he became most expert, he covered a great extent of territory, his business travels taking him into many parts of the country. He was a man of correct life and habits, a doer of good deeds, and when not absent on business sought no more pleasurable enjoyment than the quietness of his home and the companionship of his wife and son. He married Mary Josephine Sykes, born in 1850, died in 1875, daughter of John and Mary Sykes, of Princess Anne county, Virginia.
(VI) Colonel Charles H. Consolvo, of the fourth generation of his family to own American birth, son of Eugene Herbert and Mary J. (Sykes) Consolvo, was born February 9, 1871. After the completion of his private school education in Norfolk, Virginia, he first obtained a position as clerk in the employ of George W. Taylor & Company, dealers in coal and ice. Entering the business in 1887, as a youth of sixteen years, in the course of the seven following years he rose to the office of manager, his competence, self-reliance, and initiative in the intermediate grades of service winning him steady advancement to that responsible station. In 1901, in partnership with Edward Cheshire, Col. m began in a new line of endeavor, outside advertising, and so building up a business that should credit the ir efforts that at one time they held privileges in thirty southern cities. Some of these rights they have since sold, but at the present time they operate twenty-five thousand linear feet of sign and bill boards, located in cities and along the main lines of transportation. Mr. Consolvo is president of this company, and after its organization had been completed and the burden of its management satisfactorily adjusted, he and Mr. Cheshire began the operation of the Norfolk Steam Laundry, the largest concern of its kind in this section of the state, Mr. Consolvo likewise holding the presidency of this enterprise.
In 1903, forseeing the desirability of hotel property during the approaching Jamestown Exposition, Mr. Consolvo secured the lease of the Monticello Hotel, of Norfolk, and also acquired the Pine Beach and Ocean View hotels. After the exposition he relinquished his personal management of the Pine Beach Hotel, although still controlling it, and from 1903 to 1908 conducted the Monticello Hotel, of which Mr. Stokes was formerly the lessor. In the year 1911 the present controlling company was formed, buying property, of which Mr. Consolvo is president, and this company has made the Monticello Hotel one of the leading hostelries of the South. It has a large capacity, containing three hundred and fifty rooms, and is magnificently appointed, many of the most elaborate social functions of the city being held in its luxurious ball room and banquet halls.
Mr. Consolvo's business enterprises, so varied in nature and all attended by such uniform success, have brought him conspicuously to the fore as one of Norfolk's leading men of affairs. For any distinguishing quality in his methods of business transaction one must turn to the simple yet powerful system that is unfailingly present in the promotion of any project with which he is connected. He is considerate in the treatment of his many employees, at the same time requiring each to measure up to his standard of efficiency and to observe regulations that cause the mechanism of his vast interests to move with uninterrupted lubricity. Finally, his immense personal energy and enthusiasm have ever been potent factors in his business success, and his persistence and determination have at times changed the gray tones of defeat to the rosy hues of victory.
In 1906 he was appointed quartermaster of Virginia militia, ranking as captain of the Seventy-first Regiment of Infantry, this regiment afterward becoming the Fourth. In 1910 he was appointed by Governor Mann the first paymaster-general of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel. Additional honors from the chief executive of a state came to him in his appointment to the staff of the governor of Minnesota, a splendid courtesy which was largely in recognition of the cordial and hearty reception tendered the governor and his staff when they visited Norfolk en route to Gettysburg. At this time Colonel Consolvo was the guest of honor at an elegant banquet in St. Pau, attended by the most prominent state officials and the most exclusive social circles of the city.
Colonel Consolvo has been called to many important positions in the service of his city, and in each of these has displayed talent of worthy order. Although not consecutively, he has been for about fifteen years a member of the board of aldermen, always appointed to a place on the finance committee, his well-rewarded labors during his first term on this committee assuring him of such a place as frequently as he would consent to accept it. In this relation to the city's administration he put into practice the same principles and methods that have won him prosperity in his private business, with inevitably satisfactory results. He is president of the Jefferson Loan Society, and a director in the Virginia National Bank and the Virginia Bank and Trust Company. He fraternizes with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a Roman Catholic in religion. His acquaintance and friendship is wide, and his genial and friendly is wide, and his genial and friendly nature attracts men and readily wins their confidence and liking.
Colonel Consolvo married (first) in 1891, Annie L. Cheshire, born in 1872, died in 1892, daughter of George W. and Letitia Cheshire of Norfolk, Virginia. He married (second) Blanche H. Hecht, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Hecht. Mr. and Mrs. Consolvo have one sone, Charles Swanson, born December 26, 1905.

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Cooke Family. John Cooke, believed to have been a member of the Cooke family of Whitefield county, of Suffolk, England, came to Virginia prior to 1623 and founded a family, branches of which may be found in about every state of the Union, notably in the Southern and Middle Western States. Mordecai, son of John Cooke, the founder, settled in Gloucester, at "Mordecai's Mount," and had sons who founded the branches known as the "Mordecai" branch, the "Warcham" branch, the "Willow Brook" branch and the "Beechly" branch. His daughters married into the Booth, Throckmorton and Fitzhugh families and from them spring numerous descendants hearing those names. The Cookes have always been large landholders, "Mordecai's Mount," "Warham," "Woodlawn" "Cedars," "Beechly" and "Chalk Level" are old homesteads of the various branches. "Mordecai's Mount" went by inheritance through marriage to the present owners, the Taliaferros, through the Throckmortons, who changed the name to "Churchill" and built thereon Ware Church. "Woodlawn" and "Cedars" still remain in the family, while strangers, through purchase, control the others.
Always a brave, hospitable, peace-loving people, the Cookes have filled prominent places in parochial, state and national governments. They have intermarried with the best families of the country and wherever found are gentle, persistent hospitable and sport-loving.
(II) There is a world of tradition concerning Mordecai Cooke, son of John Cooke, "the founder," but the known facts are that he patented one thousand one hundred and seventy-four acres on Mock-Jay bay, Gloucester county, Virginia, which was his family seat and called "Mordecai's Mount." Later he patented at different times and near by, about three thousand five hundred additional acres. The name of his wife is unknown, but from the prevalence of the name Giles through every branch of the family, it is probable it was "Giles." He had issue: 1. Mordecai, of further mention. 2. Thomas, surveyor, 1702-17, of Gloucester and Middlesex counties, appointed by Miles Carey, surveyor-general for William and Mary College; in his contract he agrees to five one-sixth of his receipts to said college; Thomas married and founded the "Wareham" branch. 3. Giles, was tobacco agent in Gloucester in 1714, a tradition being that he was one of the "Knights of the Golden Horse Shoe," who, in 1714, crossed the mountains under Governor Spottswood and descended to the banks of the Shenandoah; he is the founder of the "Willow Brook" branch. 4. John, was twice married and founded the "Beechly" branch. 5. Mary, married Thomas Booth, the founder of the Booth family of Virginia. 6. Frances, married, in 1690, Gabriel Throckmorton, of Ware parish, Gloucester county, Virginia. 7. Susannah, married Henry Fitzhugh, son of William Fitzhugh, the founder of the Fitzhugh, the founder of the Fitzhugh family of King George county, Virginia.
(III) Mordecai (2) Cooke, son of Mordecai (1) Cooke, and grandson of John Cooke, "the founder," was sheriff of Gloucester county in 1698, justice and burgess in 1702 and 1714. He is believed to have married a Miss Buckner and left at least one son.
(IV) Mordecai (3) Cooke, son of Mordecai (2) Cooke, and of the fourth American generation, was a student at William and Mary College in 1738. He married a Miss Booth and left issue: Mordecai, of further mention; Giles; Dr. Thomas and Elizabeth.
(V) Mordecai (4) Cooke, son of Mordecai (3) Cooke and his wife, who was Miss Booth, married (first) in 1781, Elizabeth Scrosby; married (second) in 1798, Sarah Smith Cooke and had issue by both. Children of first marriage: John, born 1782, died 1798; Mordecai, born in 1784, died in 1845, leaving issue; Thomas Booth, born in 1786, moved to Kentucky in early life; Giles Buckner, of further mention; Elizabeth Throckmorton, born 1790, died 1792; Ann Mathews, born 1791, died 1796; Elizabeth Scrosby, born 1794, died in 1865, married De'Arcy Paul, of Petersburg, Virginia, and left issue.
(VI) Giles Buckner Cooke, son of Mordecai (4) Cooke and his first wife, Elizabeth (Scrosby) Cooke, was born in 1788, died in 1885. He married (first) Sarah Willoughby Talbot, of Norfolk, Virginia, (second) Lucy Brooke, of Essex county, Virginia. Children by his first wife, Mordecai: Married, married Thomas Baylor, of Jefferson county, Virginia; she died in 1888, leaving issue.
(VII) Mordecai (5) Cooke, son of Giles Buckner Cooke and his first wife, Sarah Willoughby (Talbot) Cooke, was born in 1818, died in 1855; was a lawyer. He married Sarah Colgate Klein, of Norfolk, Virginia, and had issue.

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Albert Murray Edwards. While heredity must of necessity furnish the ground work of character, neither heredity nor environment accounts fully for the rapid rise Mr. Edwards has made in a few years from the farm to association with the leading lawyers of the state. Ambition was the propelling force, while mind and body, a legacy from his distinguished forbears, were fully equal to the demands the energy and determination of the young man placed upon them To obtain even a good English education in the hours supposed to be needed for rest and sleep is worthy of special mention, but to acquire in addition legal knowledge sufficient to gain admission to the Virginia bar, entirely by night study, requires powers of mind and body possessed by few.
Mr. Edwards is a grandson of John Alonzo Edwards, who moved from Norfolk to a plantation along the Nansemond river and cultivated his many acres. He then operated a ship yard and was the owner of Sleep Hole Ferry. During the war between the states he served in the Confederate army, in the Richmond Guards and in the commissary department. He died in 1892 at an advanced age He married Indiana Priscilla Murray and had issue: John Alonzo (2), of further mention; Isaac W., now living in Richmond; Indiana Priscilla; Annie
John Alonzo (2) Edwards was born August 6, 1848. He spent his earlier years in United Daughters of the Confederacy and Norfolk counties, but later purchased a farm in Gloucester county upon which he yet resides. He is a Democrat in politics, and an Episcopalian in religious faith He married, in 1874, Mary Countess Seawell. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters: John, died aged two years; Albert Murray, of further mention; Tazewell Floyd, Rob Roy, Virginia Garnett, Margaret Gordon, Jane Rebecca, Mary Countess, and one child who died in infancy. These nine children, five sons and four daughters are all unmarried.
Albert Murray Edwards, second son of John Alonzo (2) and Mary Countess (Seawell) Edwards, was born in Gloucester county, Virginia, May 13, 1883. His early education was obtained in the public schools, but, as the eldest living son, he early became his father's assistant. He thus continued for several years, but ambition to become a lawyer finally drove him from the farm to Norfolk, where he attended the night law school In this way he secured his professional education and in 1910, after passing the required examination, was admitted to the bar, the consummation of the hope and labor of years He did not at once begin practice but still further fitted himself by reading and study, beginning practice in Norfolk, in 1912 That he possessed unusual qualifications was quickly demonstrated, and in 1913 he was associated with R. Randolph Hicks, one of the foremost lawyers of the Virginia bar, which connection continued until December 1, 1914 In December, 1914, the firm of Hicks, Morris Garnett & Tunstall was formed and Mr. Edwards became an associate. Mr. Edwards is a Democrat in politics, but all his powers are devoted to his profession, and as ambition, untiring industry, perseverance and natural ability have brought him thus far upon the road of success, these same attributes may be safely trusted to advance him still further in the profession he honors.
He is connected through both paternal and maternal lines with the most eminent of Virginia families, including the Tyler, from which came John Tyler, former president of the United States.

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Andrew Capers Doggett. For two and a half centuries the Doggett name has been a prominent one in Virginia, dating from the arrival of Rev. Benjamin Doggett from England prior to 1670. He was a descendant of John Doggett, of Groton, England educated in divinity and a clergyman of the Established Church. On coming to America he settled on what is known as the "Northern Neck of Virginia," and near Chesapeake Bay, in what is now Lancaster county, founded a church, which he called the "White Chapel." He was rector of this church until his death, and left a request that he be buried beneath the church, directly in front of the pulpit he occupied for so many years. The main body of the old White Chapel Church edifice yet remains standing. The line of descent from Rev. Benjamin Doggett to Andrew C. Doggett, of Fredericksburg, is through William Doggett, born in Virginia in 1676, died 1771, son of Rev. Benjamin Doggett; William Doggett was succeeded by his son, William (2) Doggett, born in Lancaster county, Virginia, who married Betty, daughter of Benjamin and Ann (Emerson) Doggett.
In the fourth American generation Sarah Meredith Doggett, born 1790, died at Woodstock, Virginia, February 13, 1866, married Lemuel Doggett, son of William Doggett, born in Lancaster county, Virginia, 1789, died near Fredericksburg in August, 1871. Lemuel Doggett was a soldier of the war of 1812, was captured by the British and sent to England. After his return to Virginia he became a planter, married Sarah Meredith Doggett, his cousin, and reared to Virginia he became a planter, married Sarah Meredith Doggett, his cousin, and reared Sarah Meredith Doggett, his cousin, and reared a large family, the last surviving member being James L. Doggett, who died in 1913, aged ninety-two years.
Leroy Benjamin Doggett, son of Lemuel Doggett, was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, January 11, 1820, died in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898, having moved to that city but a short time prior to his death. He was a merchant of Fredericksburg all his active years, and during the war between the states served with the Thirtieth Regiment Virginia Infantry, Confederate States army, as drill master and in the quartermaster's department. He married Frances Jerrell, born in Fauquier county, Virginia, December 7, 1829. Two of her brothers, Luther and James Jerrell, lost their lives in battle, serving in the Confederate army. Children of Leroy B. and Frances J. Doggett: 1. James L., now mayor of McKenney, Texas, and an ex-member of the Texas Legislature. 2. Ossie Jackson, now a Chicago, Illinois, real estate dealer. 3. Andrew Capers, of whom further. 4. William L., a real estate dealer of Chicago. 5. Herbert E., a real estate dealer of Chicago. 6. Eugenia S., widow of George Doggett, now residing in London, England. 7. Luther W., now Baltimore agent for the Mutual Life Insurance Company, of New York. 8. Carrie May, married Dr. Charles G. Davis, of Chicago, Illinois. 9. Arthur M., a real estate dealer of Chicago. Four other children died young.
Dr. Andrew CCapers Doggett, son of Leroy Benjamin and Frances (Jerrell) Doggett, was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, September 20, 1852. His parents lived in Fredericksburg until driven out by Federal guns, seven cannon balls passing through their house before they fled. The family settled in Caroline county, where Andrew C. obtained his early education. After the war they returned to Fredericksburg, where he prepared for college, entering Randolph-Macon, where he completed his classical education. He then entered the medical department of the University of Virginia, whence he was graduated Doctor of Medicine, class of 1875. After a post-graduate course at Bellevue Hospital, New York City, he established in practice in Fredericksburg, where he ranks high in professional ability, manly character and in all that pertains to good citizenship. For thirty years he has held the office of coroner, appointed first by Governor Holliday; for thirty-three years he has been surgeon for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac railroad; also for the Potomac, Fredericksburg & Piedmont railroad; for many years was city physician and is now president of the Rappahannock Valley Medical Association. He is a member of the Masonic order, and he and his family are communicants of St. George Protestant Episcopal Church.
Dr. Doggett married (first) in Petersburg, Virginia, March 30, 1880, Sarah Rebeckah Doggett, a cousin, daughter of George Flowers and Virginia S. F. (Boisseau) Doggett. She was born in Northampton county, Virginia, died in Fredericksburg, March 15, 1893. Dr. Doggett married (second) January 21, 1895, Emilie Le Grand Richards, born in Philadelphia. By his first wife Dr. Doggett has a daughter, Kate Newell, born at Fredericksburg, April 15, 1882, now residing with her father educated in Fredericksburg College and for several years a student in music at Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Maryland.