Sub-Committee of Vigilance for the Neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County, Virginia

Richmond Enquirer, v. 372 no. 28, 14 August 1840, page 3

LOUISA COUNTY

At a meeting of a part of the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County, held at Locust Creek Tavern, on the 6th inst., Capt. Albert G. Bowles was called to the Chair, and Dr. Archibald Anderson requested to act as Secretary
––it was
    1. Resolved, That our confidence in the intelligence, honesty and patriotism of Martin Van Buren, President of the U.S., is still undiminished, and that every effort which is fair and honorable shall be made by us to secure his re-election.
    2. Resolved, That the manner in which the Honorable Richard M. Johnson has discharged the duties of Vice President of the U.S., recommends him to the support of the voters of the county of Louisa.
   3. Resolved, That the following names be added to the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood: Thomas A. Hope, Lindsay Richardson, Robert Armstrong, George W. Gregory, Wm. J. Crowder, Garland Tate, Thompson Tate, George Strong, John R. Cheek, John Swift, Joseph Harris, John T. Smith, John Sims, David Sharp, David Sims, Elder James M. Bagby, John Longdon, Thomas Duke, Hardin Duke, Hardin L. Duke, Thomas C. Anderson, Andrew B. Armstrong, Robert Foster, C. W. Gentry, Robert Duncan, Dr. Wm. Meridith, James Johnson, Edmond Wash, Wm. Wilsher, David Armstrong, (F,) Wm. Gammon, Wm. W. Pulliam, Wm. Cockran, Wilson Laine, R. K. Bowles, William Crutchfield, William C. Lindsay, Jesse T. Bowles, John Moss, John A. Harris, Daniel Perkins, Robert Perkins, Robert S. Halsall, Rev. William J. Winston, Col. Thomas Loyal, John Shelton, Edmond Swift, John S. Smith, Matthew Loyd, Thomas Loyd, sr., Thomas Loyd, jr., Elkanah Brooks, John Atkisson, Samuel Hollins, John S. Woodson, Capt. Garland Anderson, Matthew Farrar, Garland Farrar, Dr. Wm. S. Fowler, James Brooks, Dudley Gibson, Robert Duggins, Simeon Foster, Robert Corker, William Foster, John Johnson, Thomas Saunders, Thomas Bourn, Jas. Duke, John Tate, James Hall, Wm. Lafaun, Wm. C. Thomas, John C. Hawkins, Chas. L. Cocke, John Grubbs, William Corker, John W. Jackson, Andrew Jackson, Jesse Prophet, Jas. E. Hardaman, Samuel Trenham, John Austin, Granville Timberlake, Chapman Gordon, Wm. Saunders, Thomas F. Armstrong, Hezagad Cosby, Wm. Adams, James Adams, Z. W. Perkins, Micajah Parrish, and James Sims.
  4. Resolved, That these proceedings be signed by the Chairman and Secretary, and a copy transmitted to the Editor of the Enquirer with a request that they be published in the Enquirer and Crisis.
                                                          ALBERT G. BOWLES, Chm'n.
  ARCH'D ANDERSON, Sec'ry.


In 1840, my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon became a member of the sub-Committee of Vigilance for the neighborhood of Locust Creek, Louisa County. The  sub-Committee of Vigilance was working to get President Martin Van Buren re-elected in the election of 1840.

Following the Panic of 1837, the United States experienced a depression. The Whigs blamed Van Buren, and called him "Martin Van Ruin". The men of Locust Creek disagreed; they saw Van Buren as intelligent, honest, and patriotic. They may also have supported Van Buren because, although he was personally opposed to slavery, he had promised to oppose its abolition in states where it existed. Unfortunately, Chapman Gordon owned slaves.

This resolution has given me more information about Chapman Gordon: his political views; his neighborhood in Louisa County, Virginia; the names of his associates in the community; and the name of the local tavern.

Source: Martin Van Buren

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Barnett Mitchell

In 1799, eight slaves (a woman and her seven children) which belonged to the estate of Barnett Mitchell were sold in Louisa County, Virginia.

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 12. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

Louisa County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1753-1913. John Mitchell, et al. vs. Admr. of Barnett Mitchell et al., 1801-011. Local Government Records Collection, Louisa Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Page 16. Available from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=109-1801-011

In obedience to an annexed Decree of the worshipful Court of Louisa County we the subscribers proceeded on the 10th day of January 1799 to sell the Negroes belonging to the Estate of Barnett Mitchell Decd, on Eighteen Months Credit when William Carpenter purchasd Betty, Harry and Lucy for the sum of one hundred twenty pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for security, John Mitchell purchasd [?] for Eighty two pounds and gave William Carpenter and Abram Davis for security, Chapman Gordon purchasd Lucretia for seventy three pounds and gave Wm Mansfield and James Dickson for security, William Chewning purchasd Judith for one hundred and twenty five pounds and gave Joseph Cannon for security, William Carpenter purchasd Robin for the sum of thirty nine pounds and gave Phillip Carpenter for surety - John Mitchell purchasd Esther for the sum of ninety three pounds and gave Wm Carpenter and Abram Davis for security. The Bonds were taken payable to us and are in our possession for the order of said Court. Witness our hands this 9 Day of August 1799

                                                                                          Wm Cooke
                                                                                          Overton Harris
                                                                                          Robert Harris junr.

My 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon was married to Elizabeth (Lane) Mitchell, the widow of Barnett Mitchell. (Thanks to Neil Gregory for that information and for telling me about the chancery court case!) John Mitchell was the son of Elizabeth and Barnett Mitchell, and William Carpenter and William Chewning were their sons-in-law.

Lucretia may have been the oldest slave in Chapman Gordon's household in 1850 (a black female age 60) and in the household of his widow Mary (Layne) Gordon (his second wife) in 1860 (a black female age 75). The ages may be approximate. Earlier census records are consistent with the slave being a child purchased in 1799. The 1810 census indicates that there were two slaves in Chapman Gordon's household. The 1830 census shows that his household contained one male slave under 10, one female slave under 10, and one female slave 24-35. The 1840 census shows that there were one male slave 10-23, one female slave 10-23, one female slave 36-54 in his household.

Sunday's Obituary: Zachary T. Mayo

Nashville Tennessean, 9 September 1907, page 9

         ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
                 ZACHARY T. MAYO
                       GONE TO REWARD

  ––––––––––––––––

           Liveryman Passes Away – Is Survived by 
                          Large Family Connection.

––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo, for many years one of Nashville's most prominent citizens and a descendant of one of the fine old Virginia families, died at a late hour Saturday night. In his death the community losses [sic] one of its most valued and generally liked citizens.
   Mr. Mayo's father, Samuel Lee Mayo, crossed the mountains from Virginia in the forties when a mere boy and settled in this county. He was the descendant of the old and well known Mayo, Lee, and Gordon families of the Old Dominion, who made her famous in war and peace.
  Mr. Mayo has for many years been engaged in the livery business and at the time of his death was connected with Wilkerson Bros. on Second avenue, north.
  He is survived by his wife and the following children: Wyley J. of St. Louis; Zachary Taylor, Robert Z., Mises Effie, Cora, and Eva Mayo, and Mrs. Howard Tanksley, all of this city. He also leaves four brothers, Dr. William D., Samuel Lee, Charles A., and Alonzo M. Mayo, and one sister, Mrs. W. J. Hudson, of this city.
  Mr. Mayo has been a quiet and honorable citizen, blessed with Chritsian [sic] fortitude and characterized by devotion to family and neighbors. Hiss [sic] loss will be felt by all who knew him.
  The funeral will take place this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at McFerrin Memorial church.

       ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo was the son of Stephen Lee Mayo and Amanda Ezell. He married Julia Frances Walker on 11 December 1873 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.

Zachary's father Stephen Lee Mayo was the brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Mayo. Their parents were Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Gordon. This obituary gives me a helpful clue.  I know that Eliza's father was Chapman Gordon, but I don't know anything else about her ancestry. Maybe Chapman Gordon's unknown first wife was a Lee.

Jacob D. Mayo's household was enumerated in Davidson County, Tennessee in the 1840 United States Census. Samuel Lee Mayo probably "crossed the mountains from Virginia" in the thirties, not the forties.

Presidential Proclamation - War of 1812

Madison, James. By the President of the United States of America, a proclamation. Washington, DC, 1812. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 228, Folder 8. Imprint 2. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 228, Folder 8. Digital ID rbpe 22800800 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/rbpe.22800800. 

The War of 1812 began 203 years ago today. On 18 June 1812, President James Madison issued a proclamation which stated that the United States and the United Kingdom were at war.

Some of my ancestors and other relatives participated in the War of 1812. The ones that I know of are Chapman Gordon, Francis Hardgrave, Skelton Hardgrave, Elias L. Mayo, Thomas Mayo, and Andrew Russell.

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of Chapman Gordon

Excerpt from will of Chapman Gordon, written 14 April 1853, proven 10 September 1855 in Louisa County, Virginia. Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court. Records, 1742-1858.  Miscellaneous reel 461, Library of Virginia. 

When he wrote his will on 14 April 1853, my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon of Louisa County, Virginia left his wife Mary two slaves: "one negro boy named Tom, and one negro girl named Sally". His will was proven on 10 September 1855.

The 1850 United States Census slave schedule indicates that there were 5 slaves in Chapman Gordon's household.

1850 United States census, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

The 1860 United States Census slave schedule shows a larger number of slaves in the household of Mary (Layne) Gordon, the widow of Chapman Gordon. The image was light and difficult to read. I have darkened it, but it is still somewhat unclear.

1860 United States census, Southern District, Louisa County, Virginia, slave schedule. Page 63. Available from Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Virginia Statehood Day

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. Richmond, state of Virginia. In convention, Wednesday, the 25th of June, 1788. Available from American Memory. 

On 25 June 1788, the Virginia Ratifying Convention voted in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution, and Virginia became the 10th state. The convention met in Richmond in the temporary capitol building and was made up of 170 people. The Federalists favored ratification. The Anti-Federalists opposed ratification because they did not want the central government to be too powerful. The vote was close (89 to 79).

Some of my ancestral families (including the Mayo, Isbell, and Gordon families) lived in Virginia at the time of ratification.

References and Additional Resources
Virginia Ratifying Convention Journal, June 25, 1788 (Virginia Memory)
Journal Notes of the Virginia Ratification Convention Journal Proceedings (June 25, 1788)
Virginia Ratification Bicentennial Stamp, 25 June 1988

War of 1812 Declaration - 202nd Anniversary

National Archives and Records Administration. Office of the Federal Register. Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government, 1778 - 2006. Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 - 2011. National Archives Identifier: 299950. Act of June 18, 1812, 2 STAT 755, Declaration of War with Great Britain, War of 1812.  Available from http://research.archives.gov/description/299950 or http://media.nara.gov/rediscovery/08305_2007.pdf.

On 18 June 1812, the United States Congress passed an act declaring war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the War of 1812 began.

Some of my family members participated in the War of 1812. The ones that I have identified so far are my 6th-great-grandfather Francis Hardgrave and his son Skelton Hardgrave, my 5th-great-grandfather Andrew Russell (Francis Hardgrave's son-in-law), and my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon.

52 Ancestors: #18 Chapman Gordon

I am so glad to be able to write about my 5th-great-grandfather Chapman Gordon, because before my recent trip to Virginia, I did not have proof that he was my 5th-great-grandfather. I had seen a forum post which mentioned that Chapman Gordon left his estate to his daughters Eliza Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo, and Jane Layne. This will was the first item that I looked at when I went to the Library of Virginia. It is on Miscellaneous reel 4610,  Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court. Records, 1742-1858, part of the Robert Alonzo Brock Collection. Chapman Gordon died in June 1855, and my 4th-great-grandmother Eliza (Gordon) Mayo had died by 1841, when her husband, my 4th-great-grandfather Jacob D. Mayo, married Nancy Lee. I wondered if maybe Chapman Gordon's bequest to Eliza was actually to Eliza's heirs. I also knew that Chapman Gordon had a daughter Elizabeth who married Thomas Mayo. Eliza and Elizabeth are such similar names that it seemed unlikely that they would be given to two daughters, unless one had previously died. But unlikely is not impossible! Yes, Chapman Gordon had an Eliza and an Elizabeth. Maybe the family wanted to honor two different relatives, or maybe they were twins who were given similar names. And the bequest was to "the children of Eliza Mayo decd."

Chapman Gordon is listed as security and witness for the marriage of Jacob D. Mayo and Eliza Gordon, further evidence that I have identified the right person.

Once I had this information, I looked for more information on Chapman Gordon. I knew that he had married Mary Layne in Goochland County, Virginia on 31 May 1843, but she could not be the mother of his children. I have not yet identified the mother (or mothers) of his daughters. I found the couple's 1850 United States Census enumeration. They were living in Louisa County, Virginia. Chapman Gordon was born about 1776 in Virginia.

In Ancestry.com's Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 collection, I found the description of a Spotsylvania County, Virginia apprenticeship record. On 5 July 1785, Chapman Gordon, apprenticed himself to Benjamin Haley. He had the consent of his mother Caty Gordon. Spotsylvania County is near Louisa County, and this Chapman Gordon seemed the right age to be mine. Because his mother gave consent, he had to have been underage.

On HeritageQuest, I found a 1934 manuscript by Frances Beal Smith Hodges, The Gordons of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It contains information about the descendants of John George Gordon and Mary Sarah Chapman. Although there are a few sources listed in the text itself, most of the sources are listed toward the end and are vague, and it is not clear what information came from what source. Still, the manuscript could contain useful clues. The couple had a son named Chapman Gordon, born 15 January 1741. He is the right age to be the father of my Chapman Gordon. My Chapman Gordon could also be a son of one of the couple's other sons. They had at least one grandson named Chapman Gordon; he was born about 1757 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia and was the son of Charles Gordon and Mary (Boswell) Herndon. In 1770, the family moved to North Carolina. Chapman Gordon is not a very common name, so it seems likely that this Chapman Gordon is related to mine (they may be first cousins).

I found additional census enumerations for my Chapman Gordon in 1840, 1830, and 1810. I believe that I have found the right person because he is in the right area, is the right age, and in 1810, his household included one free white female under 10 and two free white females 10 through 15 (I know my Chapman Gordon had three daughters, and these girls seem to be about the right age). There is an older woman in the household in each of these census enumerations as well; perhaps she was Chapman Gordon's mother.

Chapman Gordon was in Goodwin's Co., 33rd (Mayo's) Virginia Militia in 1807, and was also in the War of 1812. His widow Mary applied for a War of 1812 widow's pension, but was rejected because of the date of her marriage (she did not quality under the act).

 Chapman Gordon's will, proven 10 September 1855 in Louisa County, Virginia

 

Register of Marriages, Goochland County, Virginia, 1817. Chapman Gordon was security and witness for the marriage of his daughter Eliza and Jacob D. Mayo.

NGS 2014: Day 1

Today was the first day of the National Genealogical Society's 2014 Family History Conference. And what a busy day it was for me! In the opening session, Sandra Gioia Treadway, Librarian of Virginia and State Archivist, talked about the Library of Virginia and its modernization. I then went to the Exhibit Hall and found many books that I needed to add to my collection. At 11:00, I heard Eric Grundset speak about the challenges of researching early Virginia ancestors and possible ways to break through those brick walls. I then attended the Virginia Genealogical Society luncheon. Conley L. Edwards shared some of the experiences he had had working with genealogists over the years. At 2:30 PM, I heard Kathy Huber speak about the records of the Southern Historical Society. She mentioned some of the articles that were published in the Southern Historical Society's papers. One was on Rock Island Prison. My 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin was imprisoned there. I will have to track down that article. At 4:00, I heard Nathan W. Murphy speak about colonial ancestors who arrived as transported convicts. With all the black sheep in my family, I would not be at all surprised to find out that one or more of my ancestors arrived as a transported convict. I then visited the tables of some Virginia genealogical and historical societies. Some of them, such as the Augusta County Genealogical Society and the Goochland County Historical Society, focus on areas where my ancestors lived. Finally, I headed to the Library of Virginia. The library had special late hours and was open until 9:00 PM. I found an indenture for an apprenticeship for a Chapman Gordon who may be my ancestor. I found an estate appraisal for Andrew Corn; I wonder if he was the father of my ancestor Elizabeth Corn. I also found my ancestor William Isbell's estate inventory, an account of guardianship for my Mayo ancestors (my 5th-great-grandfather was guardian of his children with my 5th-great-grandmother Ann Isbell, because they had received bequests from William Isbell, their maternal grandfather). I found my ancestor Edward Lucas' will and estate appraisal. I found deeds for land transactions involving my ancestors Russell Blakely and Abel Gower. It was a long but very productive day!

Library of Virginia

Today I visited the Library of Virginia in Richmond. I came prepared with information about documents that I wanted to find, and I was able to locate most of the items that I was looking for. The biggest find for me was the 1855 Louisa County, Virginia will of Chapman Gordon. It mentioned the heirs of his deceased daughter Eliza Mayo (my 4th-great-grandmother). Now I have actual evidence of her father's identity! I also found Goochland County, Virginia marriage register entries for Jacob D. Mayo and Eliza Gordon (Chapman Gordon was listed in the Security and Witnesses column), Stephen Mayo and Ann Isbell (my 5th-great grandparents, and Jacob D. Mayo's parents), and other members of the Gordon and Mayo families. I found the Frederick County, Virginia will of Rebecca Lucas (my 7th-great-grandfather's sister), the Fluvanna County, Virginia estate administration of my 6th-great-grandfather James Mayo (Stephen Mayo's father), and Augusta County, Virginia wills and deeds for members of the Hardgrave family.