The Virginia magazine of history and biography (Volume 21) online

Mass.
Henry Whitfield House Trustees, Guilford,

Conn.

Illinios State Historical Library, Spring-
field, 111.

Illinois Society S. A. R., Chicago, 111.

Indiana State Library. Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis,
Ind.

Iowa, Historical Dept. of, Des Moines, la

Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City,

Mo.
Kansas Historical Society, Topeka, Kan.



Lexington, Ky., Public Library.
Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.
Long Island Historical Society Library,

Brooklyn. N. Y.
Los Angeles, Cal., Public Library.
Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville

Ky.
Lynn, Mass., Free Public Library .

Maine State Library, Augusta, Me.
Mary Willis Library, Washington, Ga.
Massachusetts State Library, Boston, Mass.
Mechanics Benevolent Association Library,

Petersburg, Va.
Mercantile Association Library, New York,

N.Y.



Michigan State Library, Lansing, Mich.
Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wis.
Minneapolis Athenaeum Library, Minne-
apolis. Minn.
Mt. Sterling Ohio Public Library.

Nebraska University Library, Lincoln, Neb.

Newberry Library, Chicago, 111.

New Hampshire State Library, Concord
N. H.

Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Va.

Northwestern University Library', Evans-
ton, 111.

Oberlin College Library, Oberlin, Ohio.
Ohio State Library, Columbus, Ohio.
Omaho Public Library, Omaha, Neb.

Parliament Library, Ottawa, Canada.

Peabody College for Teachers Library,
Nashville, Tenn.

Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Md.

Pennsylvania State College, State College,
Pa.

Pennsylvania State Library. Harrisburg, Pa.

Peoria Public Library, Peoria, 111.

Peauot Library, Southport, Conn.

Philadelphia Institute Free Library, Chest-
nut and 18th Sts., Philadelphia, Pa.

Philadelphia Law Association Library,
Philadelphia, Pa.

Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md.

Princeton University Librc^ry, Princeton,
N.J.

Randolph-Macon College Library, Ash-
land. Va.

Randolph-Macon Womans College, Col-
lege Park. Va.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Louisville, Ky.
Springfield City Library Association,

Springfield, Mass.
State Department Library, Washington,

D.C.
Stanford University Library, Cal.
St. Joseph, Mo., Public Library.
St. Louis Mercantile Library, St. Louis,

Mo.
St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, Mo.
Syracuse Public Library, Syracuse, N. J.

Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Canada.



LIST OP MEMBERS.



Union Theological Seminary Library, Rich-
mond, Va.

University of California Library, Berkeley,
Cal.

University of Illinois Library, TJrbanna, 111.

University of Indiana Library, Blooming-
ton, Ind.

University of Michigan^ Library, Ann Ar-
bor, Mich.

University of Minnesota Library, Minne-
apolis, Minn.

University of North Carolina Library,
Chapel Hill, N. C.

University of Virginia Library, Charlottes-
ville. Va.

University of West Virginia Library, Mor-
gantown, W. Va.



Vanderbilt University Library, Nashville,

Tenn.
Virginia State Library, Richmond, Va.
Virginia Military Institute Library, Lex-
ington, Va.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Library*

Blacksburg, Va.
War Department Library, Washington,

D. C.
West Virginia Department of Archives and

History, Charleston, W. Va.
Wheeling Public Library, Wheeling, W. Va.
Worcester Free Public Library, Worcester,

Mass.
Wyoming Historical and Geological Soci»

ety, Wilkes-Barre. Pa.
Yale University Library, New Haven.Conn.



LIBRARIES— Life Members.

Boston Athenaeum Library, Boston, Mass,



California State Library, Sacramento, Cal.
Columbia College Library, New York, N. Y.



Library Company, Philadelphia, Pa.



New York Public Library, New York, N. Y.
New York State Library, Albany, N. Y.

Richmond College Library, Richmond, Va.

Washington and Lee University Library,
Lexington, Va.



PROCEEDINGS



Virginia Historical Society



ANNUAL MEETING



HELD IN THE



HOUSE OF THE SOCIETY



February 15, 1913.



MITCHELL & HOTCHKISS

PRINTERS TO THE SOCIETY

RICHMOND, VA.



PROCEEDINGS



Virginia Historical Society

IN

Annual Meeting Held February 15, 1913.



The Annual Meeting was held at the Society's House, 707
East Franklin Street, on Saturday, February 15th, at 4.30,
P. M. The meeting was called to order with President Mc Cabe
in the chair.

The first business was the reading of the President's report,
(which is printed below). Mr. Robert A. Lancaster, Jr., Treas-
urer of the Society, read his Annual Report, which is, as usual,
here printed with that of the President.

Annual Report of the President of the Virginia
Historical society.

I have the honor to submit the following Report, giving in
detail the work of the Society and presenting a precise statement
of its condition as to finances, membership, and property for the
year ending Nov. 30, 1912.

While no events or enterprises specifically noteworthy have
marked the history of the Society during this time, the anti-
quarian has only to compare the meagre "Proceedings" of
eighty years ago when John Marshall (our first President) and
Rives and Gushing and other illustrious men essayed with



IV VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

such original material as was known to them, to perpetuate the
glories of the "Old Dominion" — one has only to compare what
was then done, with the rich and varied contents of our Maga-
zine of to-day (and indeed for a score of years past) , to recog-
nize instantly how great has been the advance not only in
wealth of original matter, but in the precise methods of its
scientific presentation.



Membership

But in one respect these illustrious pioneers and their follow-
ers who made the Society possible, were guided by a virtue that
we have only partially attained — they paid their debts.

It is, indeed, with a deep-seated repugnance that we have
again to dwell on the failtire of so many of ovir members to pay
their annual dues and are driven once more to remonstrate with
so many delinquents, who are abundantly able to pay, yet, who,
through culpable negligence or through an indifference almost
cynical, are deaf to the coiu-teous "reminders" of our collector.

If these members could only be brought to realize how their
failiire to pay their just debts often embarrasses the Society
(which scrupulously pays its own), perhaps, they would, for
very shame's sake, cease their inexcusable negligence (to use the
most charitable phrase), and by prompt payment enable our ac-
complished Editor and the Executive Committee to broaden the
scope of the Magazine in certain directions already mapped out.

In accordance with the warning contained in our last Annual
Report, we dropped a considerable number of the most persis-
tent of these delinquents, but the warning was not imiversally
heeded, and it looks as if we shall have within a few weeks to
protect oiurselves by making use of the same drastic procedure.
Let us repeat here that notwithstanding a majority of these de-
linquents are abimdantly able to pay their dues, there was still
due the Society at the end of the fiscal year just ended the con-
siderable sum of foiu* hundred dollars.

It is, however, only just to add that some of these have paid,
while this report was in preparation.



PROCEEDINGS. V

The Executive Committee is determined to purge oiu* rolls
completely of these conscienceless men and women who (to
alter Shakespere a trifle) apparently consider it a sign of base
slavery ever to pay, and who, regardless of the largely increased
cost of bringing out the Magazine, accept our publications as
a sort of inherent right.

Nay, more, in the statement given above, there is not includ-
ed a considerable amoimt of money due the Society by members,
who explicitly pledged themselves to pay dues so long as their
names remained on our rolls (be the time long or short), but who
finding the Magazine interesting, have not held to their pledges,
putting us off with the shabbiest of evasions. Of course, most of
this money will never be collected, and "a last appeal" in this
case is absolutely useless.

Yet despite all this, the year has been on the whole a mate-
rially prosperous one, and it is gratifying to state that, after
making all deductions due to our unusually large and mournful
necrology, to a few resignations, and to the delinquents dropped
(as mentioned above) , our membership has increased from 758
to 768, a net gain of ten over last year.

And it is pertinent to draw special attention just here to the
fact, that though the payment of dues has not been what we
confidently expected after our former purging of the roll, the
subjoined Treasurer's Report evidences conclusively that the fi-
nancial condition of the Society is stronger than ever before.

Treasurer's Report
To The Virginia Historical Society.

I have the honor to submit the following annual report for the fiscal
year ending Nov. 30, 1912.

Balance in Bank Dec. 1, 1912 S987.60

Receipts.

Annual Dues $3075.55

Life Members 100.00

Sale of Magazines 136.85

Sale of Publications 6.00

Interest 630.78



VI VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

Rent 150.00

Advertising 35.50

Gift from Mrs. Byam K. Stevens for

Permanent Fund 50.00 4184.68

5172 28
Disbursements.

Salaries $1799.98

Wages 305.00

Postage and Express 109.21

Repairs 186.25

Books, binding and Stationery 104.24

Sundry Bills 244.18

Printing Magazines 1027.25

To Permanent Fund 1250.00

Insurance 6. 00

Checks returned 24.50 5056.61

Balance in Bank Nov. 30, 19121 115.67

$5172.28
Permanent Fund.

3% Certificate of Deposit $2000.00

Mortgage, 5% from January 19, 1909 1000.00

Mortgage, 5% running three years from July 11, 1910 5500.00

Fifteen (15) Shares of stock in the Citizen's Bank of Nor-
folk, Va., paying 12% dividend, estimated value 3900.00

$12400.00

In accordance with an order of the Executive Committee the Treasurer
presents the following tabulated statement, showing the sources from
which the Permanent Fund is derived. What is termed "The Society's
Fund" comprises the amoimt the Committee has been able to save
from year to year out of the ordinary revenues of the Society.

The Virginia Sturdivant McCabe Fund, given by the Pres-
ident of the Society in memory of his granddaughter, Vir-
ginia Sturdivant McCabe, born February 1, 1906, died

August 11, 1909 500.00

The Jane Pleasants Harrison Osborne McCabe Fund given by
the President of the Society in loving memory of his wife
Jane Pleasants Harrison Osborne McCabe, who died No-
vember 22, 1912 500.00

Daughters of the Ame«dcan Revolution Fund 100 . 00

Byam K. Stevens Fund 650.00

Edward Wilson James Fund 3900.00

Society's Fund 6750.00

$12400.00



PROCEEDINGS. Vll

It is very gratifying to note that since the last report the Permanent
Fimd has increased $1300.00. Of this Amoiant $550.00 was derived from
gifts, $300 . 00 from an increased value of bank stock and $450 . 00 added by
the Committee from the earnings of the Society. This last addition was
made in part from the receipts of two years.

Mrs. Byam K. Stevens of New York City has added $50.00 to the gift
of her late husband. This amount was duly acknowledged when received
but the Executive Committee desires again to thank Mrs. Stevens. The
first addition our Permanent Fvind received from an individual was from
Mr. Stevens and we are not only grateful to Mrs. Stevens for her kindness
but glad to have her name on our roll of members.

The gift from the President of the Society to the Permanent Fund, at
a time of deep personal sorrow, has caused the Committee to direct me
to include in my report and to read to this meeting an expression of our
gratitude, affection and sympathy and to assure him that this memorial
to one, who in birth and character represented the best traditions of
Virginia womanhood, shall be forever preserved.

R. A. LANCASTER, JR.,

Treasurer.

Additions to the Library.

The additions to the Library in books and pamphlets number
569 for the year

The donors of books, to whom we desire to make special and
most grateful acknowledgment, are ; Messrs James Branch Ca-
bell, Gabriel Edmonston, P. H. Baskervill, Henry P. Ruggles,
William C. Lusk, Floyd C. Shoemaker, John W. Townsend,
Richard A. Austen-Leigh, M. A., (of England), Matthew P. An-
drews, Woodberry Lowery, A. M. Pritchard, Thos. Willing
Balch, John C. Underwood, M. W. Seymour, W. S. R. Parker,
Gaston Lichenstein, Albert Matthews, Morgan P. Robinson,
St. George T. C. Bryan, Henry R. Pollard, Oren F. Morton, J.
C. McMasters, Philip Alexander Bruce, William G. Stanard,
and Jas. F. Jameson (historians); Rev'^. D. M. Vorhees, D. D.;
Professors C. H. Firth, J. P. McConnell and Alfred J. Morrison;
Doctors Beverly W. Bond, Jr., J. G. B. Bulloch, McGiiire New-
ton, and J. L. Miller; Col. Bennett H. Young, and Judge T. R.
B. Wright; Mesdames C. R. Hyde, J. B. Henneman, Charles
Howard, Charies B. Ball, Wm. G. Stanard, Mary Selden Ken-
nedy, and Miss Stella P. Hardy.



Viii VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

In addition (and quite apart from our great number of histori-
cal and genealogical "Exchanges"), we have to note, with grate-
ful acknowledgments, the reception of publications from the
following institutions and organizations : the Virginia State Li-
brary; the St. Andrew's Society of New York; the New York
Bible and Prayer-Book Society; the Order of Foimders and
Patriots of America; the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial
Dames; the American Antiquarian Society; the United
Daughters of the Confederacy; the Mt. Vernon Ladies' Associa-
tion; the Commission on Archives of the General Conven-
tion of the P. E. Church; the New Hampshire Bible Society; the
Royal Society of Canada; the Proceedings of the Society of the
Cincinnati in the States of Virginia, of New York, and of Dela-
ware; the Library of Congress; the U. S. National Museimi; the
Philadelphia Museums; the University of Alabama; the Uni-
versity of North Carolina; Randolph Macon College; the Na-
tional Society of the Sons of the American Revolution; the
Southern Society of New York ; the American Clan Gregor So-
ciety ; the Carnegie Institute ; and the Department of Archives
of the State of New York.

As always in preceding years, our library has been freely
open to the public and made constant use of, while it is no exag-
geration to say that the great majority of scholarly compilers or
authors who have essayed to deal with American Colonial his-
tory of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries or with Amer-
ican genealogies of those periods, have made extensive investi-
gations in our unique manuscript collections.

All accessions to the Library that have come to us unbound,
have been carefully catalogued and placed in stout cases (or
"binders"), which now number 250. Such pamphlets as are
too large for ordinary "binders" have been substantially bound
in cloth.

During the year, a large map-case has been placed in oiu" rooms
and a portion of "the Gilmer Collection" (an invaluable set of
contemporaneous war-maps (1861-64) made under the imme-
diate eye of the distinguished Confederate Chief of Engineers,
Major-Gen. J. F. Gilmer, and presented to the Society by his
daughter, Mrs. Louise Gilmer Minis, of Savannah, Georgia) has



PROCEEDINGS. IX

been arranged therein, so as to be easy of access to military
students. On close inspection it was decided that the remain-
ing maps needed some minute repairs, and as soon as these re-
pairs are all finished, the maps will be at once placed in their re-
spective cases.

As stated in our last report, this collection of maps is of the
first importance to scientific students of the war between the
States.

Gifts.

Among other gifts, one of the most notable is a large and hand-
some book-case which has attached to it a certain historic inter-
est, and which was presented to the society by MissWoodbridge,
Mrs. Goodnow and Mrs Bell, daughters of the Rev"*. Dr. George
Woodb ridge. Rector for many years of the Monumental chiirch
in this city, whom some of us remember to have seen busily
drilling the raw levies that every day poured into Richmond from
the South, for he vv^as a graduate of West Point, class-mate of
Albert Sidney Johnston and a staunch supporter of the Confed-
erate cause from start to finish. This book -case was made to
order for President Jeft'erson Davis, but he for some reason fail-
ing to take it, Dr. Woodbridge bought it. It is not only in
itself a very handsome piece of furniture, but it has proved of
great practical service to us in providing additional shelf -room,
of v/hich we still stand in grievous need.

We may note also (1) photographs of the Lee and Davis monu-
ments, given by William G. Stanard, (2) an old Seal ring bearing
the arms of Capt. John Smith (not the great John Smith, the vir-
tual founder of Virginia, whose arms are still fraudulently borne
by Major-General Sir Baden-Powell, but of Capt. John Smith, a
stout Gloucester county fanner), presented to the Society by his
direct lineal descendant Mrs. Mary G. Anderson, of Jackson-
ville, Fla.; (3) the MS. Account Book (1794-1822) of Dr. John
Walker, of "Kingston," Dinwiddle County, Va., presented by
Dr. John Walker Broadnax ; (4) thirty-one engravings and pho-
tographs of the Presidents and Trustees of Hampden-Sidney
College, given by Prof. Alfred J. Morrison, the accomplished



X VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

historian of that famous old seat of learning; (5) a large collec-
tion of Confederate currency of aU denominations, from the
United States Treasury Department; (6) Land Grants signed by
the Royal Governors, Farquhar and Dinwiddle, and other MSS.
of value, presented by Miss Lucie P. Stone, of Hollins, Va.

All gifts of single manuscripts, photographs, etc., were ac-
knowledged by our Secretary at the time received, but we wish
to return our thanks again.

In view of the fact that ' ' dealers ' ' in the rich cities of the North
and West are keener than ever before in their quest of MSS. of
historic value, offering in a great many instances exorbitant
sums for them, and that owners of like MSS. in the South are
men of moderate means, who do not feel justified in giving away
letters and documents, the price of which would purchase many
substantial comforts for those nearest and dearest to them — it is
not likely that the Society's Collections wiU, in the future,
be increased by such liberal donations and bequests as in the
past.

Publication Committee.

Vol. XX of our Quarterly Magazine was published during
1912 and was conducted on the same high plane that its readers
look for in it, both at home and abroad..

The Randolph Manuscript (a compilation of Seventeenth Cen-
tury Records, the originals of which were long years ago destroy-
ed by fire), which has proved a priceless mine of first-hand in-
formation to all recent writers, who have undertaken to tell the
story of our earliest Colonial history, ran through the year (cov-
ering in the latest instalments the years 1688-90-92), as did
also various "Commissions" of Governor Nicholson and Lord
Orkney.

The second series of Miscellaneous Colonial Documents, cop-
ied from unpublished records in the Virginia State Library, was
brought to completion.

Mr. Lathrop Withington, owing to great pressure of profes-
sional business, was able to complete but two instalments of
his transcripts of the "Minutes of the Council and General



PROCEEDINGS. XI

Court of Virginia" (1622-24), but this keen antiquarian and
indefatigable scholar has recently sent us the remaining tran-
scripts of the first volume, and these will be published promptly
and without further interrruption.

It may be said, without fear of successful contradiction, that
no printed document whatever dealing with early Colonial Vir-
ginia history is of more solid and illumining value than these
"Minutes," of which we shall have a word to say further on,
when we touch upon our prospective plans.

Mr. Withington's, Virginia Gleanings in England, consisting of
extracts from wills relating to early settlers in Virginia, have been
published during the year, and, as heretofore, have attracted keen
interest and elicited much lauditory comment, shedding as they
do. in most delightful fashion, varied and most valuable side-
lights on the social and economic life of our early Colonial era.
We have not seldom before had ocassion to make special mention
of Mr. Withington's most generous services to this Society, but
we cannot refrain from expressing once more our cordial grati-
tude to this skilled antiquarian (who stands "at the very top"
of his craft) for the munificent gift of liis time, his money, and
trained learning, that he has made for so many years (and still
continues to make) to the single-minded end of supporting our
efforts to make better known to the world the true history of
this ancient Commonwealth.

Notable among these "Gleanings" published during this year
of 1912, have been the wills of Samuel Each, who came to Vir-
ginia as early as 1622 (the year of "the Great Massacre") "to
build a fort, " and of Col. Daniel Parke, who served on the Diike
of Marlborough's staff, and who, for splendid services on the
field, was chosen by that illustrious soldier to be the bearer of
despatches to her Majesty, Queen Anne, announcing the bril-
liant victory of Blenheim.

The Orderiy Books (1778-9) of the Continental Army have
been pubUshed in three instalments and continue to throw im-
portant light on the conduct of affairs in the anny serving im-
mediately under Washington.

Owing to pressure of official business, precisely as was the case
with Mr. Withington, Messrs Flagg and Waters were able to fur-



Xll VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

nish us with but three instalments of their very important "Vir-
gmla Eevolutiomary Bibliography and Lists of Regimental Of-
ficers' ', but these steadfast friends of the Society are once more
busy at their task and the series will begin again during 1913.

The notable series of Abstracts by W. N. Sainsbury, as well
as the Complete Transcripts from the original papers in the Brit-
ish Public Records Office (now in the State Library and com-
monly known as the "De Jamette," "Winder," and "McDon-
ald ' ' Papers) have run through each number of the Magazine.
The year 1676 was reached in our collection of these "Abstracts, "
while another collection of the Complete Transcripts , from 1665
on, was begun in our pages. These papers, which consist mainly
of letters, though they also include communications of a more
formal character from the English Government to Virginia
Colonial officials (and vice-versa) , are of high historical import.

Among other important docimients that we have printed dur-
ing the year, are (1) copies of two very striking "Tobacco Acts ",
one of 1725, the other of 1729, neither of which can be found in
Hening's Statutes; (2) a number of Revolutionary "Pension
Declarations," from Pittsylvania County, Va., very helpful in
giving details of Militia Revolutionary service in the Common-
wealth; (3) a list of obituary notices contained in the Richmond
newspapers, ranging from 1788 to 1821, the value of which is
obvious to all engaged in biographical and genealogical research ;
(4) a collection of letters from George Washington Parke Custis
to his guardian and adoptive father, George Washington, and (5)
another collection of letters (notable for completeness and count-
less graphic touches) exchanged between George Hume or Home
(for the same pronunciation of the name obtains in Scotland,
whether spelled with an o or u), and his "ainfolk" over-seas —
he being a cadet of the famous Wedderbum family, who, having
settled as a young man in Virginia, kept up this spirited corres-
pondence with kinsmen in Scotland.

The other departments of our Magazine have been replete
with matter of historical value, sometimes amusing, sometimes
prosaic, but always throwing unconciously valuable side-lights
on the daily life of the time .



PROCEEDINGS. XIU

In "Notes and Queries" have appeared (1) many transcripts
from historical documents in England; (2) from the records of
Prince Edward County, Va., in regard to the "Virginia Yazoo
Company" (3) a number of Confederate Copyrights of signal
value to Confederate Bibliographists; (4) a series of most
interesting extracts from what has been left (after the shameful
pillage by the Federal armies during '62 and '63) of the Colonial
records of Prince George and Caroline Counties, Va.; and (5)
numerous other "Notes" on historical and antiquarian subjects,
which it seemed best to us to classify imder this title.

The department of Book-Reviews has maintained its usual