The Clopton Chronicles
A Project of the Clopton Family Genealogical
Society
FIRE, FEAR AND DEATH:
THE FALL OF RICHMOND
Regarding
Edward Andrew Jackson
Clopton &
His Wife Anne Waring Latane’
By Miles George Turpin,[1]
[email protected]
“Suddenly, as if by magic, the streets became filled
with
men,
walking as though for a [race], and behind them
excited
Negroes with trunks, bundles and luggage
of
every description. All over the
city it was the same-
wagons,
trunks, bandboxes and their owners,
a mass of hurrying fugitives, filling the streets.”
It was the smell of dust. It permeated everything. With it came all sorts of sights and sounds. But the dust was what you could
remember about that day. Smells
are like that. They can catapult
you back to a moment in time so vividly and so quickly.
There
had been so many smells drifting through the Franklin Street[2]
home of Edward Andrew Jackson “A. J.” Clopton, and his second wife, Anne Waring
Latane’[3]
over the last few years. Before
the war, it had been the rich fragrance of tobacco, all over the city. It was even more intense at their home,
just a block away from the Turpin & Yarbrough Factory.[4] When the factory had been converted
into a hospital, the aroma became more pungent: intense body odor, vomit,
rotting flesh.[5] In August 1864, when A.J.’s son, Alfred
Willoughby, came home from the war, the smell of sweat from his fever filled
the house. “Where’s Lee? Where is the army?” A.W. would call out
in his delirious state.[6]
In early September, he stopped calling out at last. And the cloying scent of death permeated the house on
Franklin Street as they kept the vigil over A.W.’s body.[7]
A.W. was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond on August 24, 1864 with a fever. He was sent home and there he died on September 9, 1864.
But
on this afternoon, the only scent wafting through the air was dust. It was
Sunday, April 2, 1865. The day had
begun as a peaceful Sabbath morning.
Then everything changed. “Suddenly, as if by magic, the streets became
filled with men, walking as though for a [race], and behind them excited
Negroes with trunks, bundles and luggage of every description. All over the city it was the same-
wagons, trunks, bandboxes and their owners, a mass of hurrying fugitives,
filling the streets.”[8]
Any vehicle that moved was commandeered by whoever could offer the most cash.
A.J.
Clopton could not hire any type of transportation to travel from his house to
City Hall, and so he walked.[9] The sky was a beautiful blue. A perfect
day.[10] Federal prisoners were being led
through the streets.[11]
Confederate prisoners, just freed from Yankee prisons, were being ferried up
the James. Gaunt and extremely weak, they cheered the Confederate flag as they
passed the Virginia in the harbor.[12] A.J. arrived at City Hall just before
4:00 pm.
The
Proceedings began. President David
J. Saunders asked the Mayor to explain why he had called this emergency
meeting.[13]
There
really was no need to explain why.
Ever since the messenger had brought the sealed package to President
Davis in church that morning, it seemed everyone knew. President Davis read the note quietly
in his pew. Connie Cary was
sitting right behind him. She said
his face turned gray as he read the note.[14]
He got up and walked
“rather unsteadily out of the church.”[15] Then everyone in St. Paul’s Church
knew. Within hours, everyone in Richmond knew. The city was being evacuated.
At
Mr. Clopton’s City Council Meeting, the reading of the previous Council
meeting’s proceedings was deferred.
Mayor
Mayo informed the 12 Council members that troops would be withdrawn from the
city in just a matter of hours.
The Council voted to send a delegation to Governor “Extra-Billy “ Smith
to ask that two city regiments be retained in the city for its protection. Twelve men, Messrs. Saunders,. Burr,
Clopton, Stokes, Crutchfield, Griffin, Walker, Denoon, Laskins, Hill,
Richardson, and Scott, voted in favor of the motion.
Outside,
wagons filled with Confederate archives careened wildly about the streets on
their way from the government buildings to the Danville Depot. The dust began
filtering through the windows from the streets.
“Extra-Billy”
Smith came into the meeting room.
Mr. Crutchfield made a motion that the governor be allowed to state what
further information had been received by the government from General Lee in
reference to the immediate withdrawal of his troops from the further defense of
the city. The motion was passed.
Governor
Smith read Lee’s telegram to President Davis. Grant’s forces had broken through the lines around
Petersburg. Lee finished the note saying, “I advise that all preparations be made
for leaving Richmond tonight. I
will advise you later according to circumstances.”[16]
could be seen bent over the gutters,
lapping up the alcohol like thirsty dogs
lapping up water.
A new smell began to waft through the windows from
the center of Capital Square: smoke. Countless clerks burned Confederate records
that might lead them to a future in a Yankee prison. Then they began to burn
Confederate money as well. Millions of dollars of it. They meant to keep the Yankees from plundering their money;
not that a Confederate dollar was worth anything at that point.
The banks quickly opened and people jammed into them withdrawing whatever they could.
Back
in the Council meeting, Mr. Hill’s motion to keep the 19th Regiment and the 1st
Regiment of 2nd Class Militia in Richmond was adopted. Mr. Scott’s motion, that
the Council meet again at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, was adopted. Mr. Burr’s motion, that all the liquor
in Richmond be destroyed by committees of 25 men from each district, was
adopted. Mr. Stokes’ motion, that,
in the event of evacuation, the Council, a committee of citizens, and Mayor
Mayo meet the Federal troops to surrender the city, was adopted. The Richmond
City Council then adjourned until 9:oo a.m. the next morning.
Edward Andrew Jackson “A.J.” Clopton
A.J.
walked east towards home. Most of
the city was going the other way, and he had to fight his way through the
opposing flow like a salmon swimming upstream. “ Vehicles of every sort and
description, and a stream of pedestrians with knapsacks or bundles filled the
streets which led out from the western side... a few wounded officers were
borne along on litters...[17]. On the way he called on some of the
wardens elected to pour out the city’s liquor. Told them of their appointment and hurried them on their
way. Night was approaching and
there were fires along the shore where retreating troops were burning their
supplies and their barracks.[18]
It
was not long before the streets were literally running with alcohol. The wardens poured it from second story
windows in government warehouses and dragged kegs of brandy from hotels and
bars. Out into the gutter it went.
In some places, the rivers of spirits were two feet deep. The fumes from the runoff were almost
intoxicating in and of themselves.
And so the smell of dust was replaced by the smell of alcohol.
The
sun was beginning to go down. In
the golden light, hundreds of silhouettes could be seen bent over the gutters,
lapping up the alcohol like thirsty dogs lapping up water. Some brought glasses and even buckets
to take advantage of all the free drinks.
And of course they got very drunk. And they got loud. And they began to loot the downtown
area businesses. People were
screaming and shouting and breaking windows and firing off guns.
About
this time, the guards at the State Penitentiary, upon hearing that Richmond was
to be evacuated, evacuated themselves.
All the prisoners escaped, pouring into the downtown area in search of
excitement, alcohol and a new suit of clothes. These were the most incorrigible felons imaginable. Men too violent and unprincipled even
for combat duty.
When
A.J. arrived at home, his family was waiting. He. had quite a brood to protect in all this madness. First on the list was his pregnant
wife, Anne, then Ida, the oldest at 20 years of age, Susan, James , Edward, and
J.J., the youngest at 6 years old. A.J. was also entrusted with the care of his
aunt, Charlotte Clopton, who lived with them. She was in her 90’s.[19] The whole family was undoubtedly panic
stricken. Word had gotten out that there were convicts in the streets. Sometime soon, there would be armed
Yankees. The convicts were rapists
and murderers. And the Yankees
might be, too. A.J. had served in the local militia since July 1, 1863;[20] but tonight he didn’t show up for
duty. He would not be defending
the city of Richmond, he would be defending his own home.
Anne Waring Latane’ Clopton, the daughter of William Catesby Latane’ and Ann Elizabeth Burwell, was born in Essex County, Virginia at Mahockney Plantation
Most
residents fled the city. Like the
family of his second cousin, John Bacon Clopton,[21]
A.J. and his little brood, did not.
Staunch Confederates all, they were not about to abandon their beloved
Richmond. They had been through so much. A.J.’s real estate business was ruined
by the War. A. W. had come home from the cavalry to die only six months before.
Now would convicts burn his house down and kill his wife and children? Or would the Yankees do it first?
Daughter Susan Latane’ Clopton was twenty as she watched,
horrified, as the once lovely city of Richmond burned. The beautiful young woman would marry
in 1871 Jackson Turpin, a kissing cousin to the Cloptons.
The mob scene downtown was riveting,
but the mystery of Miss Van Lew’s mansion
was equally intriguing.
From their windows, they could see from Libby Hill
at the far eastern end of the city.
They could see most of the city down below them: Capital Square, the
Danville Train Depot, the Richmond and Petersburg Depot on Broad Street, and
the business district in the distance.
Much closer were Rockett’s Landing, the Naval Shipyard, Libby Prison,
and the Union prison on Belle Isle.
Looking towards the front of the house
they saw the gardens of Miss Elizabeth Van Lew. She lived right across the street. To the left they could see the violence downtown. The mob scene downtown was riveting,
but the mystery of Miss Van Lew’s mansion was equally intriguing. Only last year officials had caught
escaped prisoners from Libby Prison trying to hide on Miss Van Lew’s
property. No doubt she gave them
directions on how to get there.
She had often visited them at the prison, bringing them books, and
food. Who might show up this
evening? Would they hide at Miss
Van Lew’s or would they wreak vengeance on her neighbors? Surely nothing good would come from
that direction.
But no good was coming from any other
direction either. On their right was the enemy, who would soon enter Richmond.
In fact, their neighborhood was rapidly becoming deserted except for looters
and an occasional army unit straggling through on their way to the western side
of the city. And finally, behind the house was the James River. The Naval Yard was already in flames
there. Spies in front. Fire
behind. Enemy troops to the right. Rioting on the left. A.J. and his family were surrounded.
The
militia had dispersed. Ewell would soon go to meet General Robert E. Lee and
take the few local militia men who actually responded to his call.[22] In the end, of the 1200 militia that
had gathered earlier in the day, there were only 200 left in service.[23]
The last vestige of order in the city had been A.J.’s Council Meeting, and that
had been over for several hours.
Even at the train depot, armed troops guarding the departing Confederate
President and the Treasury’s gold were terrified that they might be overwhelmed
by looters at any moment.[24]
Now
the sounds of explosions began to accelerate almost as if they were some drum
beating faster and faster. Fires
were breaking out everywhere. Near
midnight there were sounds of artillery rumbling across one of the bridges. It was the rear guard of the army
leaving Richmond.[25]
Across
the street from the Cloptons, Elizabeth Van Lew sat waiting. On her lap was a neatly folded U.S.
flag. She was waiting to present
it to the Federal troops when they entered the city.[26] The bell rang at her front door.
According to Elizabeth, “Two fugitives came from Castle Thunder... availing
themselves of the confusion in the city, broke away from their keepers and, at
intervals, found their way to [our] dwelling, to be gladly welcomed ; but with
the terror still upon us we were afraid to have a light in the room they were
in.... One woman confined as a spy...made her appearance at [our] house.”[27]
A
block down Franklin Street from the Clopton home, three cadets, forcing their
way through town on a wagon, saw a small light in the Turpin & Yarbrough
tobacco factory. Undoubtedly, it
was a cadet who had not received the order to flee. The Naval cadets had recently quartered there. They climbed the stairs and opened the
door. Inside, a Lieutenant sat at
the mahogany table. Set with a white tablecloth and silver service. The cadets told him the Yankees were
coming, but he wouldn’t leave his feast of rum and crackers. “Nonsense. It’s
all going to come out alright,” said the Lieutenant. They left him there and
headed west out of town.[28]
In
spite of all that was going on, a marriage was taking place a few blocks from
the Clopton’s house. It began a
little after midnight at the Lewis Crenshaw home on the southeast corner of
Broad Street and 28th Street.[29]
Colonel Walter Taylor, General Lee’s aide had left the Confederate Army
retreating through Petersburg and hopped a train for Richmond to marry his
sweetheart, Betty Saunders. The house was crowded with the Taylor and Saunders
families as Col. Taylor came through the door. He brushed the engine cinders off his clothing, greeted Rev.
Minnigerode and they began the ceremony. “The occasion was not one of great
hilarity, though I was very happy.
My eyes were the only dry ones in that company,” Colonel Taylor said
later. About three a.m., Taylor
and his new bother-in-law, John Saunders, galloped off to rejoin the army then
crossing Mayo’s Bridge.[30]
A little girl who lived next door to the
Cloptons looked out her window and saw this scene: “People were running about
everywhere with plunder and provisions.
Barrels and boxes were rolled and tumbled about the streets... Barrels
of liquor were broken open and the gutters ran with whisky and molasses. There were plenty of straggling
soldiers who had had too much whisky.
Rough women had it plentifully, and many Negroes were drunk. The air was filled yells, curses, cries
of distress and horrid songs.
No
one in the house slept. We moved
about between each other’s rooms, talked in whispers, and tried to nerve
ourselves for whatever might come.
A greater part of the night, I sat at my window.”[31]
There
was no light in the streets now.
The gas had been turned off at the City Works. “The storehouses were
wide open and filled with men, women and children, black and white. For light they were burning bits of
paper, frequently dropping them on the floor still burning. One man fell through the elevator shaft
and nobody bothered themselves about him, so bent were they on plunder”[32]
Guards lashed them with whips,
but more taunting would burst
out somewhere else down the line of Yankees
as they slowly pushed through the crowd
and then disappeared.
Fire now surrounded even the Clopton’s neighborhood
in the eastern end of the city. The Naval Yard (three blocks down and five
blocks east of the Clopton home) was in flames to the southeast.[33] And several blocks of homes and
businesses between 20th and 21st Street and Main burned to the west of A.J. and
his family.
At
about 2 a.m., a gigantic explosion rocked the city. Headstones in Shockoe
Cemetery blew over. Window panes were blown out. Doors everywhere were torn off their hinges. Chimneys caved in. “The earth seemed to writhe in
agony...stupendous thunders roared all around.” [34]
The Confederate arsenal had blown up.
It contained over three quarters of a million shells. “Ten thousand shells burst every
minute.”[35] “We did not
know what it was nor care....” [36]
Then
came the second big blast. About 4:30 a.m., the entire sky lit up suddenly as
if it were day. Then followed the most ear-splitting noise. It was “...the most
awful and terrific sound that ever sent the life blood curdling of my heart, …
like the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds,”[37]
said a Richmond woman. Shells
arched into the sky and exploded above the city. Fragments fell everywhere,
even on the Union lines six miles away.
It was the C.S.S. Virginia and the other ironclads anchored in the
harbor. Admiral Semmes had blown
them up.
Shortly
before daybreak, Provost Marshall Carrington, under orders from General Ewell,
set fire to the Van Groening and Shockoe warehouses. They were about to torch the warehouse next to the
Petersburg Depot until they learned that Confederate wounded had been moved
there. So they left that warehouse
alone. Then, a
southeast breeze blew up sending sparks across Cary street which spread the
fire to the Gallego and Haxall Flour Mills.[38]
Richmond
had been transformed into Hell. Huge flames were shooting hundreds of feet into
the air. Thick black smoke was
swirling everywhere. Red bolts of
flame shot out of the smoke like lightning bolts every time some ammunition
exploded. Thousands of invisible
demons flowed through the streets, betrayed only by their tiny bits of burning
paper. Tormentors marched through the crowd with their Yankee prisoners in tow.
The prisoners jeered at the people as they passed, calling insults and laughing
over the fall of the city. Guards
lashed them with whips, but more taunting would burst out somewhere else down
the line of Yankees as they slowly pushed through the crowd and then
disappeared.[39]
Dawn
drew more looters to the scene.
Convicts from the penitentiary, black slaves, hoodlums, prostitutes and gamblers,
even middle class folk came out to get what they could get. But nobody fought the fire. Someone had
cut the fire hoses.[40]
“I shuddered, “ said Matthew Fontaine Maury. “Richmond burning and no alarm...I watched those silent,
awful fires, I felt that there was no effort to stop them, but all like myself
were watching them, paralyzed and breathless. After a while the sun rose... a great ball veiled in a
mist.”[41]
The
Cloptons and other residents on the eastside could see the long columns of blue
advancing up the Osborne Turnpike. [42]
They saw the last contingent of the Home Guard Cavalry retreating from the
Turnpike. Moving through the
retreating Confederate cavalry was a small black carriage flying a white flag
heading towards the blue masses of troops. The carriage carried Mayor Joseph Mayo and five other
dignitaries, who, having no white flag to wave, cut off their own shirttails to
make one. It now flew aloft their
barouche. The Mayor surrendered
the city at 6:30 a.m.[43]
Just
a few blocks east of the Clopton’s house was Chimborazo Hospital. It was the largest hospital in the
United States. And it was almost empty. “Every man who could crawl had tried to
escape Northern prisons. Beds in
which paralyzed, rheumatic and helpless patients had lain for months were
empty....The lame and halt compelled to remain were almost wild at being
left... for in many instances they had been exchanged as prisoners only a short
time before.”[44]
General
Martin Gary led his cavalry through the streets, sabers held high to clear a
way through the crowd. They passed through Rocketts which was just a block
towards the river, and seven blocks east of the Clopton’s house. One of the Confederate troopers, Private E.M. Boykin, described the
scene:
“The
peculiar population of that suburb were gathered on the sidewalk; bold, dirty
looking women, who had evidently not been improved by four years of military
association; dirtier, if possible, children; and here and there were skulking
scoundrelly-looking men ... hard at it, pillaging the burning city.
One
virago stood on the edge of the pavement with her arms akimbo, looking at us
with intense scorn as we swept along; I could have touched her with the toe of
my boot as I rode by her, closing the rear of the column. She caught my eye.
‘Yes,’
she said, with all of Tipperary in her brogue, ‘after fighting them for four
years y’re running like dawgs.’
Bareheaded
women, their arms filled with every description of goods, plundered from
warehouses and shops, their hair hanging about their ears, rushing to deposit
their plunder and return for more...There were said to be 5000 deserters in the
city, and you could see the gray jackets here and there, sprinkled in the mob
that was roaring down the street.”[45]
At
23rd or 24th Streets, Boykin and the rest of Gary’s troopers detoured past
A.J.’s house on Franklin Street.[46]
“... the sad and tearful faces of the kind Virginia women, who had never failed
the soldier in four long years of war and trouble...it was a sad thought...
that we seemed, as a compensation for all that they had done for us, to be
leaving them to the mercy of the enemy; but their own General Lee was gone before, and we were but as the last
wave of the receding tide.”[47]
Gary’s
cavalry were the rear guard of
Sullivane’s Local Brigade. Captain Clement Sullivane, saluted as Gary reached
the bridge, “All over, goodbye; blow her to hell.” The men who had been waiting
with kindling, tar and turpentine lit the fire. And the 200 men of Company D,
2nd Virginia Battalion then crossed Mayo’s bridge.[48]
As
Gary’s troopers reached mid bridge, Yankee horsemen came up Main street. They fired a few random shots at the
departing Confederates.[49]
A Richmond resident described the retreat of the army: “As the day grew lighter
I saw a Confederate soldier on horseback pause almost under my window. He wheeled and fired behind him, rode a
short distance, wheeled and fired again; and so on, wheeling and firing as he
went until he was out of sight.
Coming up the street...rode a body of men in blue uniforms. It was not a very large body. They rode slowly, and passed just
beneath my window.”[50]
What
the Union troops saw when they entered Richmond was a “..city wrapped in a
cloud of densest smoke, through which great tongues of flame leaped in madness
to the skies. Ten thousand shells
bursting every minute in the Confederate arsenals and laboratories were making
an uproar such as might arise from the field when the world’s artillery joins
in battle.”[51]
frightened children sought this open space
for a breath of fresh air.
Into the smoke, and the exploding shells, A.J.
Clopton walked his children down the street one block to Main Street to see the
Yankees march by. They walked down
the slight incline towards Main, their feet crunching on the glass that covered
the streets. It must have looked just as it did to Mary Fontaine: “The cavalry
thundered at a furious gallop.
Then the infantry came playing ‘The Girl I left Behind Me’...then the
Negro troops playing ‘Dixie’...then our Richmond servants were completely
crazed, they danced and shouted, men hugged each other and women kissed, and
such a scene of confusion you have never seen.”[52]
Captain
Lewis Weitzel of the Thirteenth New Hampshire: “When the mobs saw my staff and
me, they rushed around us, hugged and kissed our legs and horses, shouting
hallelujah and glory.... How they danced, shouted, waved their rag banners,
shook our hands, bowed, scraped, laughed all over, and thanked God, too, for
our coming. Many heroes have
fought for this day and died without the sight... It is a day never to be
forgotten by us, till days shall be no more.” [53]
Life
was just beginning for the newly freed slaves. Life had ended in so many ways
for their masters. Standing there
in the middle of all the celebration and music and flames and smoke, A.J., his
wife and children, no doubt sobbed bitter tears.
From
across the river in Manchester, Gary’s cavalry watched the blue troops occupy
Richmond. They “heard the very
welkin ring with cheers as the United States forces reached Capital Square.[54]
Capital
Square was covered with small flapping mounds of broken lives. Scattered furniture, boxes of
belongings. Trunks flung open to
reveal tattered and torn clothing. “Fathers and mothers, and weeping,
frightened children sought this open space for a breath of fresh air. But here, even, it was almost as hot as
a furnace. Intermingled with these
miserable beings were the Federal troops.[55] Weitzel called it a scene that
“would have melted a heart of stone.”[56]
Colonel
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., grandson of President John Quincy Adams, marched
his black troopers through the downtown streets: “This fine regiment of colored men made a very great
impression on those citizens who saw it.” Sallie Brock Putnam, Richmond
resident saw it this way: “Long lines of Negro cavalry swept by the Exchange
Hotel, brandishing their swords and uttering savage cheers, replied to by the
shouts of those of their own color, who were trudging along under loads of
plunder.”[57]
Elizabeth
Van Lew, like A.J. was unable to sit still. She went out to see the troops come in, but with a
completely different reaction: “What a moment! Avenging Wrath appeased in flames!...The chains, the
shackles fell from thousands of captives....civilization advanced a
century. Justice, truth, humanity
were vindicated. Labor was now
without manacles, honored and respected.”[58]
The
City Council did not meet as planned at 9:00 a.m. that morning.
The Union troops put out the fires in Richmond by
the end of the day on Monday April 3, 1865. “Nine hundred homes and businesses
were destroyed. All the banks, the
American and Colombian Hotels; the Examiner, Enquirer, and Dispatch offices;
the General Court of Virginia and the Henrico County courthouse,...the arsenal
and laboratory; Gallego and Shockoe Mills; the Danville and Petersburg railroad
bridges and depots; Mayo’s Bridge,...a dozen drugstores, two dozen groceries
and even more saloons, shops and warehouses; all or part of at least fifty-four
blocks - gone.”[59]
A.J.
Clopton continued to serve as a Richmond City Councilman until August 13, 1869,
when he was removed by the Military Authorities.[60] He remained in real estate until
retirement in 1877.[61] His wife, Anne Waring Latan‚ Clopton,
died on May 9, 1870 at Mahockney, the plantation where she grew up in Essex
County, Virginia.[62] Following her death, A.J. married Julia
A. King. A.J.’s two older girls,
Susan Latan‚ Clopton and Ida V. Clopton, raised their younger brothers and
sister. A.J. died of heart disease
on July 23, 1897, age 79.
DEATH
OF MR. E. A. J. CLOPTON
This Aged Citizen
Passes Away After a Long Illness
Mr. E. A. J. Clopton died shortly after noon yesterday at his home, No. 1401 Ross Street. Full of years and respected by all who knew him, his death came at the end of a lingering and painful illness. His busy life was passed in Richmond, his birthplace, and even when he retired from active business pursuits he loved to dwell in no place so well as the capital of old Virginia.
Mr. Clopton was 79 years old, and was probably the oldest resident of this city. He was an ardent Confederate and though he was not actively engaged in the war, he gave one of his sons to the cause. Until he retired, Mr. Clopton was successfully engaged in the real estate business. He was married three times, and his last wife, Mrs. Julia Clopton, survives him. Three sons and one daughter survive him. His sons are the Rev. John J. Clopton of Herndon, Va., and Messrs. James B. and E. T. Clopton, of Richmond. His daughter is Mrs. Jackson Turpin, of Norwood, O.
The
funeral will take place to-day from Monumental Church, and the internment will
be made in Hollywood Cemetery with Masonic honors. Owing to the absence of Rev. Mr. Stickney, Rector of
Monumental Church, some other Episcopal Minister will perform the ceremony, but
no choice has yet been made.
The
pall-bearers will be Judge William I(zzard) Clopton, David L. Pullium,[63]
A. Rufus Yarbrough, G. Harvey Clarke, William E. Robertson, Charles Lipscombe,[64]
Jay Harvey Archer, and one member of the Masonic lodge of which deceased was a
member. [65]
He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond
(Section K, lot 41- the stone is flat on the ground) on July 24, 1897. His third wife Julia A. King Clopton
died in 1906 and was buried beside him.
Susan Latan‚ Clopton married Jackson Turpin.[66] Jackson was the son of Miles Turpin,[67]
a partner at the Turpin and Yarbrough Tobacco Factory.[68] The couple lived in the 800 block of
Broad Street for quite some time.
By 1880, they and their children had moved to 2302 Broad Street. Miles’
sister lived there, Mrs. W.W. Dickie.
They were next door to Susan’s father-in-law Miles Turpin, and one block
west and one block north of her
father, E.A.J. Clopton’s home.
Jackson worked for his father. The enterprise continued to prosper
until the late 1870’s when the demand for tobacco began to shrink. The firm went completely out of
business in 1883. Undoubtedly that is why Susan and Miles moved in with the
Dickie family in 1880.[69] After the business was sold, Susan,
Miles and their family moved to Norwood, Ohio, where Jackson got a job selling
tobacco on the road. They brought
Susan’s sister, Julia Catesby Clopton, with them. Susan and Jackson Turpin had eight children of their own.
Jackson and Susan moved out to California in the early 1900’s to live with
their son, Marshall Turpin. But
both Jackson’s and his son Marshall’s health problems forced the elder Turpins
to move to Denver in the 1920’s to live with their daughter, Julia Turpin
Brookes. Jackson died in 1928 in
Denver.
Their granddaughter, Martine Brooks Evans remembers Jackson’s death:
"My grandparent's came and lived with us. I remember when my grandfather died. I had to tell my grandmother. I was just in Junior High at that
time. Maybe it was because I got
home from the hospital first. Or maybe she asked me first. I don't know why it
was me. She was just so bereaved. 'Oh, Jack. How can you leave me like this?,'
she said. It was the first time I ever had to see real grief. I comforted her
as best I could. She was just so hurt."
Susan
lived to be 94 and was one of the first people to be successfully treated with
penicillin for pneumonia.
Ida V. Clopton died sometime before her father
passed away.[70] She had not
married. Her pictures show a very
beautiful young lady. But to be 21
and female in the south after the Civil War was not a good thing. If she didn’t have a “beau” before the
war, the odds were against her afterwards - so many young men died. Having to raise her siblings didn’t
help either.
Julia Catesby Clopton also died before her
father. She never married. She was
living at the time of her death with her sister, Susan in Norwood, Ohio.[71]
James Burwell Clopton and his brother Edward Thomas
Clopton were both alive and well and living in Richmond at the time of their
father A.J.’s death.[72]
John Jones “J.J.” Clopton became an Episcopalian
minister in Lexington, Virginia.
He married Miss Irene Cabell Horsely. They had five children, all girls.[73] In addition to his church duties, J.J.
was a fine author. He wrote many
church pamphlets, poems and short articles on church and literary topics. He was quite a distinguished lecturer
on the topic of Stonewall Jackson.
J.J. eventually wrote a short book on Jackson. His book is to this day
quoted in Stonewall Jackson biographies because of the first hand accounts that
J.J. collected about Jackson from those who served with him.[74]
As mentioned earlier, J.J.’s mother died
when he was eleven. He was raised by his two older sisters Susan and Ida, with
disastrous results. J.J. grew up
with very warm and loving intentions, but very inflexible and idealistic
reactions to life. His grandson, Bill Waters, described him as
“idealistic. He would decide who
people were and how they should behave just by looking at them. Once! And then he would be very disappointed and hurt when they
didn’t act like he thought they would. “ J.J.’s wife became ill after the birth
of their last daughter. She never
really recovered and died ten years later. The loss of his wife coupled with the gap between what J.J. felt life should be and what it
was, became too much to bear. Much
to everyone’s sorrow and surprise,
J.J. killed himself on December 9, 1930 in Lexington, Kentucky.[75]
The
notice of his death did not, of course, even hint of his suicide.[76]
The Rev. John Jones Clopton graduated with honors
from Virginia Seminary in 1881, and one year later, ordained Deacon by Bishop
Whipple. In 1883, he was raised to
the Priensthood by Bishop Peterkin.
He
served in many Parishes, including Grace Church, Petersburg, Virginia; Meade Memorial Church, Manchester,
Virginia; Upper Truro, Virginia; Grace Church, Cedar Run Parish,
Fauquier County, Virginia; St. Paul's, Weston, West Virginia; and, St. Mathew's Church, Sparrows Point,
Maryland, and Christ Church, Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
In
1920, he became General Missionary in the Diocese of Lexington, with special
charge of St. Margaret's Mission, Jenkins; Grace Mission, Lawrenceburg; and
Christ's Mission, Richmond. In
1925, he was also General Missionary to Mission of the Savior, Louisa, and in
1926, Christ Church Mission, Somerset.
As
his health declined, the records indicate he gave up the tremendous demands of
General Mission, and was named in May 1927, Rector of St. John's Parish,
Bellvue, Dayton, Kentucky, a post he held until 1929.
His
death, reported in the report of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Convention of the
Episcopal Church, noted:
"attained considerable distinction as an author. He published a book on the life of
Stonewall Jackson, a number of church pamphlets, poems, and short articles on
church history and literary topics.
His
death was a great shock to a wide circle of friends, within and outside of the
Episcopal Church.
His character was conspicuous for modesty, forcefulness, and generosity. In all his dealings as a man and as a clergyman he was noted for his high sense of honor and duty. He was faithful, self effacing and keenly conscientious. He was a tender, loving father. Among the five daughters surviving him is the Editor of the Diocesan News.
Those
that knew him intimately respected and loved him for his kindly disposition.
His
passing is a great loss to the church in her councils and ministry.
From
many hearts a prayer will go up to the throne of Grace for the soul of our dear
brother, 'Requiescat in pace.'"
Elizabeth Van Lew was left penniless by the War. She spent every bit of her inheritance spying for the Union. Fifteen days after his inauguration as President, U.S. Grant appointed Miss Van Lew Postmaster of Richmond at an annual salary of $1200, a huge amount for those days. She served two terms under Grant. After Grant left office, there was no work for Elizabeth Van Lew. For a long time, she pleaded for a job or some kind of compensation for her wartime expenses. The government did nothing. She became more and more frantic about her finances. Elizabeth became a nuisance at St. John’s Church and was no longer allowed to worship there.
To
make matters worse, it seemed that as each year went by, more and more of Miss
Van Lew’s wartime activities came to light. Elizabeth had been the most important and useful Union spy
during the entire war. She conspired to light the Confederate White House on
fire. Elizabeth paid arsenal employees to sabotage Confederate ammunition. Most
importantly she had passed on many Confederate military secrets to the Union
Army. With each new revelation in
the newspapers, the citizens of Richmond grew more outraged. At dinner tables and firesides all over
town, there were many empty chairs
after the war. Chairs that would have been filled by fathers, sons, brothers
and friends. Which ones had died because of Elizabeth Van Lew? The people of Richmond,
particularly close neighbors like the Cloptons, the Yarbroughs and the Turpins,
hated her. They told their
children to walk on the other side of the street. No one would speak to her. Elizabeth was constantly referred to in the press as “the
witch.”
Searching
for companionship, Elizabeth invited her niece, Elizabeth Louise Klapp, to move
in with her. But even that relationship went sour. Through no fault of Miss Van Lew, Elizabeth Klapp verbally and physically abused her
aunt while she stayed there. [77]
Elizabeth
Van Lew died at home on September 25, 1900. She was buried in a simple grave. Some years later, the family of Paul Joseph Revere, grandson
of the Revolutionary hero, Paul Revere[78]
donated a granite tombstone. They
sent it down from Boston and it was laid over her grave. Miss Van Lew had cared for the boy
while he was incarcerated at Libby Prison. The tombstone reads in part.
friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself,
all for the one absorbing desire of her heart,
that slavery be abolished and the Union preserved.[79]
1. Edward Andrew Jackson20
Clopton, Esq. C.S.A. (Edwin J.19,
George18, William17, William16, William15,
Walter14, William13, Richard12, William11,
John10, William9, Thomas8, Walter7,
William6, Walter5, William4, Walter3,
William2, Guillaume1 Peche, Lord Of Cloptunna and Dalham)1 was born 1819 in Richmond,
Virginia, and died July 23, 1897 in Richmond, Virginia of heart disease at his
home and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond2. He married (1) Dorothea C. Rodgers, of Richmond, Virginia March 16, 1841 in
Richmond, Virginia by Rev. E. L. Magoon3. She died Bef. 1848. He married (2) Anne Waring Latane', of "Mahockney"4 June 8, 1848 in Essex
County, Virginia by Rev. McGuire5,
daughter of William Latane' and Ann Burwell. She was born May 6, 1823 at Mahockney, Essex County,
Virginia, and died May 9, 1870 at Mahockney, Essex County, Virgnia. He married (3) Julia A. King6
Aft. 1871. She was born Abt. 18417, and died December 28, 19068.
Children
of Edward Clopton and Dorothea Rodgers are:
2 i. Ida V.21 Clopton,
born Bef. 18489; died Abt.
April 18, 1875 in Virginia and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
3 ii. Alfred Willoughby Clopton,
C.S.A., born 1842; died September 9, 1864 in Richmond, Virginia, and buried September
10, in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond10.
Children of Edward Clopton
and Anne Latane' are:
4 i. William Latane'21
Clopton, born April 20, 184911;
died March 22, 185011.
5 ii. Susan Latane' Clopton, of
Richmond, born August 8, 1850 in Richmond, Virginia11; died December 16, 1943 in Denver, Colorado11. She married Jackson Turpin, Esq., of Richmond12 May 25, 1871 in St. John's
Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia by the Rev. Henry Wall, D.Div13; Jackson was born October
28, 1847 in Richmond, Virginia; died December 21, 1928 in Denver, Colorado.
6 iii. Catesby Jones Clopton, born
July 30, 185214; died
March 25, 185314.
7 iv. James Burwell Clopton, born
April 27, 185414; died
February 19, 1910 in Virginia and buried February 21, 1919 at Hollywood
Cemetery, Richmond. He married
Carrie Vernon; born April 20, 1867; died January 18, 1941 in Richmond County,
Virginia and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
8 v. Edward Thomas Clopton, born
November 18, 185614; died
Abt. October 24, 1920 in Virginia and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
9 vi. John Jones Clopton15, born November 20, 1858 in
Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia16;
died December 20, 1930 in Lexington, Kentucky, by his own hand, and buried
Lexington Cemetery17. He married Irene Cooper Horsley18 Bef. December 10, 1891 in
Trinity Church, Nelson County,
Virginia, by the Rev. George S. Somerville19; born September 1869 in Virginia; died 1912 in
Virginia, probably, and buried Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery, Casanova,
Virginia.
10 vii. Julia Catesby Clopton, born
186620; died 1896 in
Norwood, Ohio and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
Endnotes
1. Miles George Turpin provided this
information unless otherwise noted, He is named in his father's will. The Clopton Family Archives contains
copies of several legal documents relating to transactions between Mr. Clopton
and his wife, Anne. His full name
is given in "Richmond At War," p. 628 (F 233.48 R51 no. 17). The Virginia Historical Society
contains a biographical sketch (F 233.48 R51 no. 17).
2. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler, Section K, Lot 41. At the time of his death, he was living
at 1401 Ross Street, Richmond.
3. Religious
Herald (Richmond, Virginia) Marriage Notices, (Copy located Clopton Family Archives, courtesy of Darlene
Slater, Research Assistant Virginia Baptist Historical Society, Richmond,
Virginia), March 25, 1841.
4. Virginia
Historical Society Microfilm and Manuscript Collections, For additional
references see the Ware Family Papers, MSS1 W22 96a 329-340. The Clopton Family Archives contains a
deed (GS Film 031821 (7566 pt. 31) Book 61, pages 110, 111, dated April 7, 1851,
regarding a real estate transaction between Edward A. J. Clopton and Ann W.
Clopton of the City of Richmond.
Land located in Richmond on Union Hill. Refers to James T. Morris, John A. Belvin and Philip A. N.,
Benjamin T. Hay and Mary Ann his wife, and a second deed between Edward and Ann
of the first part and Mary A. Howle of the Second. For $725 sells to Mary A. Howel a lot of land in Richmond on
Union Hill.
5. Marriage
Notices from Richmond Newspapers, 1841-1853, (Courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), p. 1,
Notice appeared in the "Richmond Enquirer, " June 15, 1848, p. 3, and in the
Richmond Enquirer," published by William F. & Thomas Ritchie, Jr.,
June 16, 1848, p. 1.
6. "Newspaper Obituary,"
Richmond, Virginia.
7. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler.
8. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler, Section K, Lot 41.
9. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler, Section R, Lot No. 69.
10. Confederate Military Records from the
United Daughters of the Confederacy, National Archive Microfilm #324, Roll 39,
under the name "A.W. Clopton."
See also records for Hollywood Cemetery. His records and photographs are located Clopton Family
Archives, Courtesy Miles George Turpin.
According to Virginia Military Institute records, his middle name is
Willoughby. Records confirm his
father was E. A. J. Clopton.
11. Clopton-Latane
Holy Bible, (Courtesy Miles
George Turpin).
12. Miles George Turpin provided this
information unless otherwise noted.
13. The
Southern Churchman, 1835-1941,
(Abstract located Virginia Historical Society, courtesy of Suellen
(Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), June 1, 1871, Also appeared in "The Religious
Herald," June 1, 1871 Issue.
14. Clopton-Latane
Holy Bible, (Courtesy Miles
George Turpin).
15. William Edward Waters, III, provided
this information unless otherwise noted.
16. Clopton-Latane
Holy Bible, (Courtesy Miles
George Turpin).
17. His obituary was published in a
Georgetown, Kentucky newspaper, dated January, 1931, and was written by
Archdeacon Wentworth. This
obituary also appeared in the report to the Thirty-Sixth Annual Convention of
the Episcopal Church, 1931, page 14. Copy located Clopton Family Archives, courtesy William
Edwards Waters. III.
18. Brown, The Cabells and Their Kin,
(Courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), p. 305.
19. The
Southern Churchman, 1835-1941,
(Abstract located Virginia Historical Society, courtesy of Suellen
(Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), December 10, 1891, States that John is at that time (1891) Rector of
Meade Memorial Church in Manchester, Virginia. According to "A History of Grace (Episcopal)
Church," Cedar Run Parish, Casanova, Fauquier County, Virginia, he was
Rector from January 15, 1899 until he resigned August 1907.
20. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler, Lot Number 65.
1. William Catesby4
Latane', Sr., of "Mahockney" (William3 Latane, Esq. of "Langlee",
John2, Lewis1)1
was born April 14, 1789 in Essex County, Virginia, and died October 1846 in
White Sulpher Springs, Fauquier County, Virginia. He married Ann
Elizabeth Burwell December 16, 1816 in Essex County, Virginia, daughter of
James Burwell and Judith Ball. She
was born Abt. 1800 in Northumberland County, Virginia, and died Bef. 1840 in
Essex County, Virginia.
Ann
Elizabeth Burwell descended from the aristocratic Burwell family of Virginia as
well as the famous Lee and Armistead families.
Children
of William Latane' and Ann Burwell are:
2 i. Mary5 Latane', of
"Mahockney".
3 ii. Thomas Louis Latane', of
"Mahockney".
4 iii. James Henry Latane', of
"Mahockney", born February 1820 in Essex County, Virginia; died June
22, 1897. He married Janet Juliet
Rouzie 1841.
5 iv. Anne Waring Latane', of
"Mahockney"2,
born May 6, 1823 in Mahockney, Essex County, Virginia; died May 9, 1870 in
Mahockeny, Essex County, Virgnia.
She married Edward Andrew Jackson Clopton, Esq. C.S.A.3 June 8, 1848 in Essex
County, Virginia by Rev. McGuire4;
born 1819 in Richmond, Virginia; died July 23, 1897 in Richmond, Virginia of
heart disease at his home and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond5.
6 v. Susan Elizabeth Latane', of
"Mahockney", born 1824 in Essex County, Virginia; died 1848. She married Thomas Latane 1847; born
1824 in Essex County, Virginia; died 1906.
7 vi. William Catesby Latane', Jr.,
of "Mahockney", born 1826.
He married Virginia Hollowell.
8 vii. John Lafayette Latane', of
"Mahockney", born 1828.
He married Mary Holloway.
Endnotes
1. Miles George Turpin provided this
information unless otherwise noted.
2. Virginia
Historical Society Microfilm and Manuscript Collections, For additional
references see the Ware Family Papers, MSS1 W22 96a 329-340. The Clopton Family Archives contains a
deed (GS Film 031821 (7566 pt. 31) Book 61, pages 110, 111, dated April 7,
1851, regarding a real estate transaction between Edward A. J. Clopton and Ann
W. Clopton of the City of Richmond.
Land located in Richmond on Union Hill. Refers to James T. Morris, John A. Belvin and Philip A. N.,
Benj T. Hay and Mary Ann his wife, and a second deed between Edward and Ann of
the first part and Mary A. Howle of the Second. For $725 sells to Mary A. Howel a lot of land in Richmond on
Union Hill.
3. Miles George Turpin provided this
information unless otherwise noted, He is named in his father's will. The Clopton Family Archives contains
copies of several legal documents relating to transactions between Mr. Clopton
and his wife, Anne. His full name
is given in "Richmond At War," p. 628 (F 233.48 R51 no. 17). The Virginia Historical Society
contains a biographical sketch (F 233.48 R51 no. 17).
4. Marriage
Notices from Richmond Newspapers, 1841-1853, (Courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), p. 1,
Notice appeared in the "Richmond Enquirer, " June 15, 1848, p. 3, and in the
Richmond Enquirer," published by William F. & Thomas Ritchie, Jr.,
June 16, 1848, p. 1.
5. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler, Section K, Lot 41. At the time of his death, he was living
at 1401 Ross Street, Richmond.
1. Miles7
Turpin, the Elder, of "Dove Hill" (Michael6, Lusby5, Michael4,
Michael3, Michael2, Lionel1) was born October
21, 1775 in Henrico County, Virginia, and died Bef. 1837 in "Dove
Hill," Henrico County, Virginia.
He married Fanny Frayser February
4, 1801 in Henrico County, Virginia, daughter of Jackson Frayser.
Children
of Miles Turpin and Fanny Frayser are:
2 i. Charlotte8 Turpin,
of Henrico, born in Henrico County, Virginia.
3 ii. Fanny Turpin, of Henrico,
born in Henrico County, Virginia.
4 iii. Jesse Frayser Turpin, of
Henrico, born in Henrico County, Virginia.
Jesse
married a northern woman. At the
start of the War, he enlisted in Augusta, Georgia, and she returned North,
never to see him again.
5 iv. Keziah F. Turpin, of
"Dove Hill", born in Virginia, and was a member of Four Mile Creek
Baptist Church, New Kent County, Virginia. She married Samuel Cornelius Clopton, a missionary to China
April 14, 1846 in "Dove Hill," Henrico County, Virginia by Elder J.
O. Turpin1; born January
7, 1816 in New Kent County, Virginia; died July 7, 1847 in Canton, China and
buried there. He was a member of
Emmaus Baptist Church2.
ELDER
S. C. CLOPTON.
We
this week have the painful duty to discharge of announcing the death of one of our
missionaries, brother S. C. Clopton.
He died at Canton, China, on the 7th July, after an illness of ten days,
leaving an afflicted widow and child.
This
is indeed a mournful bereavement.
In June, 1816, he left our city, buoyant with health, and fondly hoping
that he might have the high privilege of proclaiming the Saviour he loved, as a
sure refuge to the perishing heathen.
Young, ardent, long to be useful, blessed with a grand constitution, he
might naturally have expected a long and useful career. He was only permitted, however, to give
for a brief space of the vast field before him, to survey the magnitude of the
enterprise on which he was entering, and to feel the full responsibility of
being a messenger of glad tidings to those countless millions, ere he is
summoned to a higher and -?- sphere of enjoyment. His sojourn amongst the Chinese had been too brief to permit
him to acquire the language, and he therefore was debarred from the privilege
of preaching Christ and him crucified to that -?- nation; yet he was -?- engaged in preparing himself for
this arduous duty; and by his presence in their midst, he evinced an interest
in their welfare, and a readiness to spend and be spent in their service.
We
sympathize with the Board and the Convention in this afflicting event. Just entering on a new and responsible
work, one of the few agents on whom they depended to carry out their plans, and
give stately to their enterprise, is suddenly and unexpectedly removed, and
another -?- by -?-. These are discouraging
-?- well fitted to try our faith and love. God has said that the heathen shall be given to his Son for
an inheritance; and the promise must and will be fulfilled. Adverse events are sometimes permitted
to -?- -?- fidelity to the cause, and indeed a stronger -?????- the great Head
of the Church. Others -??????-
efforts, yet have gloriously succeeded - The Hindus -?-, the Germans, the
Greenland, the South Seas, had -?-their faith severely -?- by -?- disappointments
yet they persevered, and God bless their labors. -????????- the strength of the Lord go on, and that with
increased Zeal.
Our
lamented brother was 31 years old.
He was born in New Kent, and was the third son of our esteemed brother
Elder James Clopton. The child of
pious parents, he was brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and
at an early age became a member of Emmaus church; of which his father was the
pastor. Feeling it his duty to
devote himself to the ministry, he became a student in the Va. Baptist
Seminary. He subsequently entered
Columbian College, of which he was a graduate. On leaving that Institution, he accepted an appointment as
teacher of the preparatory department of Richmond College. Desirous to qualifying himself
thoroughly for the work of the ministry, he resigned his office, and became a
student in Newton Theological Institution. When the unhappy separation was place[ed] betwixt the North
and South, on the decision of the Boston Board, he, with some other Southern
students, left that institution.
In
the interval between leaving that Institution and his acceptance as a
missionary by the Board, he was actively engaged in preaching to different
churches. In the fall of 1815, he
was accepted as a missionary, and by direction of the Board, he visited several
churches and with a view to awaken a deeper interest in the -?- -?-
A
few weeks before he embarked he was united in marriage to sister Frances
Turpin, a daughter of the late beloved pastor of Four Mile Creek church, in
this county.
Amiable
in his deportment, and courteous in his intercourse with his fellow-men, as a
man he was loved and esteemed.
Devotedly pious, and conspicuous for a fervent zeal, as a Christian, he
won the confidence and esteem of all with whom he associated. but his pilgrimage is ended. Like the early dew, he vanished in the
morning of life; yet it is our duty to bow submissively to the stroke, and say,
Surely will not the Judge of all do that which is right.
"Religious
Herald"
October
28, 1847
6 v. Mildred Turpin.
7 vi. Sally G. Turpin, of Henrico,
born in Henrico County, Virginia.
She married Joshua Frazier February 12, 1825 in Henrico County,
Virginia.
8 vii. William H. Turpin, of
Henrico, born in Henrico County, Virginia. He married (1) Susan Hill. He married (2) Lucy B. Hill.
9 viii. Jackson Frayser Turpin, of
Henrico, born October 26, 1809 in Henrico County, Virginia; died August 4,
1881. He married Catherine Mary
Barnes December 2, 1841 in Richmond County, Georgia.
10 ix. John Oscar Turpin, of
"Dove Hill", born 1811 in "Dove Hill," Henrico County,
Virginia. He married Martha Baylor
Brown January 29, 1836.
The
Rev. Turpin was the pastor of Beulah Church, King William County, Virginia, for
over forty years. He is buried at
Beulah Church cemetery.
11 x. Miles Turpin, the Younger,
born December 6, 1815 in Henrico County, Virginia; died in Henrico County,
Virginia. He married Rebecca
Marshall Garthright, of Hanover February 13, 1840 in Richmond, Virginia; born February
10, 1821 in Hanover County, Virginia; died June 28, 1904 in Richmond, Virginia.
12 xi. Elisha Straughan Turpin, of
Henrico, born October 4, 1819 in Henrico County, Virginia; died September 20,
1885. He married Elizabeth Keesee
May 20, 1885.
Endnotes
1. Marriage
Notices from Richmond Newspapers, 1841-1853, (Courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), p. 113,
Notice appeared in both "Richmond Enquirers," May 8, 1846, p. 2.
2. Religious
Herald (Richmond, Virginia) Obituary Notices, (Copy located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of Darlene
Slater, Research Assistant, Virginia Baptist Historical Society, Richmond,
Virginia), October 28, 1847.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Comments? Questions? Corrections?
Contact [email protected]
[1]
Fire, Fear and Death: The Fall of Richmond, is an excerpt
from The Clopton Chronicles, the
Ancestors and Descendants of Sir Thomas Clopton, Knight
& Dame Katherine Mylde,
and is the
property of the Clopton Family Genealogical Society which holds the copyright
on this material. Permission is
granted to quote or reprint articles for noncommercial use provided credit is
given to the CFGS and to the author.
Prior written permission must be obtained from the Society for
commercial use.
Miles George Turpin is a Founding Member of the
Clopton Family Genealogical Society & Clopton Family Archives. He serves on the Society’s Editorial
Advisory Board. He is the
g-g-g-grandson of Edward Andrew Jackson Clopton and his second wife, Anne
Waring Latan‚.’
The Society wishes to thank John M. Coski,
Historian, Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond,
Virginia; Barbara Donley,
Virginiana Room Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton,
Virginia; and, Darlene Slater,
Librarian, Virginia Baptist Historical Society, University of Richmond,
Richmond, Virginia
Also thanks to Clopton descendants Suellen
(Clopton) DeLoach Blanton; Martine Brooks Evans; Isabel Lancaster (Clopton)
Steiner; Carroll (Taylor) Everett; William Edward Waters, III.; and, Patsy Ann
(Clopton) Wheeler.
[2]
“Richmond City Directory For 1860,” page 69, available through The Valentine
Museum, 1015 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
[3]
Edward Andrew Jackson Clopton was the son of Edwin J. Clopton, Sr. and his
wife, -- Coles. An abbreviated
genealogy follows. For a complete genealogy of
this Clopton line, see William Clopton of
St. Paul’s Parish & His Wife Joyce Wilkinson of Black Creek E.A.J. Clopton’s wife, Anne Waring Latan‚
was the daughter of William Catesby Latan‚, Sr. and his wife, Ann Elizabeth
Burwell. An abbreviated genealogy
follows. Miles George Turpin
donated a magnificent collection of material relating to his Clopton pedigree
and allied families to the Clopton Family Archives. The collection features over 21 scanned birth, death and
marriage certificate, Civil War Records, Bible Records, and newspaper
obituaries, a beautifully scanned, 67 page diary written by Susan (Latane)
Clopton between December 17, 1867 and may 31, 1872; and, 69 professional
quality, scanned family photographs.
Also included are genealogies of the Turpin and Burwell families of
Virginia from whom he also descends.
[4]
The Richmond City Directory for 1860,
page 29, lists E.A.J. Clopton as an agent and collector at the corner of Wall
and Franklin, and his home on Franklin between 23rd and 24th Streets. Available
through the Valentine Museum in Richmond, VA
[5]
Oscar A. Pohlig, Jr., “Lot 56 of Colonel William Byrd II’s Richmond: It’s Use
for Tobacco Manufacturing Under Miles Turpin, William J., William T., and A.
Rufus Yarbrough: and for a Confederate Military Hospital,” published by the
author, Richmond, Virginia, 1983, pages 70-77. Called the Second Alabama Hospital, it was operated by Mrs.
“Judge” Hopkins.
[6]
Walker, Charles D., “Memorial, Virginia
Military Institute. Biographical Sketches of The Graduates and Eleves of The
Virginia Military Institute Who Fell During The War Between The States,”
Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1875, page 118. Available through the
VMI Archives, Lexington, VA.
[7]
Confederate Service Records, National
Archives Records and Administration Textual Reference Branch (NNR1), Washington
D.C., Report of Sick and Wounded in Chimborazo Hospital Number 4 for the months
of August (reports A.W. Clopton’s death in private quarters) and of September
1864 (reports his date of death as Sept. 9, 1864). In 1861, A.W. left VMI to help Stonewall Jackson train new
recruits in Richmond. A.W. became
a second lieutenant and later an adjutant in the North Carolina Infantry. He later resigned his post to become a
private in J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry. A.W.’s record shows him joining the cavalry
on March 1, 1862 (the 4th Virginia Cavalry, Company I, service from March 1862 until March 1,
1863). After his original company was disbanded, A.W. served in the 4th
Virginia Cavalry, Company E, from March 1, 1863 until September 4, 1864. He died of typhoid fever, known in
Richmond as Chimborazo Fever.
[8]
Burke Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April
Days, 1865, Rinehart & Company, Inc., New York and Toronto, 1959, page
101.
[9]
A. J.'s and Anne's son, The Reverend John Jones Clopton, was six years old in
1865. Before his death in 1930, he
shared his memories of those last days with his grandson, William Edwards
Waters, III.
[10]
Ernest B. Furgurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, Alfred A. Knoph, New York, 1996, page 319.
[11]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 102.
[12]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 104.
[13]
Louis H. Manarin, “Richmond At War: The Minutes Of The City Council,” Official
Publication Number 17, Richmond Civil War Centennial Committee, University of
North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1965, pages 591-595. All references to the City Council
Meeting from this point in the story onward come from this source.
[14]
Furgurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At
War, page 320.
[15]
Sallie Brock Putnam, Richmond During The
War: Four Years Of Personal Observation, University of Nebraska Press,
Lincoln and London, 1996, page 362.
[16]
Furgurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At
War, page 320.
[17]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 100.
[18]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 104.
[19]
1860 U.S. Census for Richmond Virginia shows A.J.’s wife, Anne, their children
and A. J’s aunt, Charlotte Clopton, and their ages and relationships.
[20]
Confederate Service Records, National Archives Records and Administration
Textual Reference Branch (NNR1), Washington D.C., Muster Rolls dated for July1,
1863 and March 1, 1864 show Ed. A.J. Clopton present for duty. He served in the 1st Virginia St. Res.,
Co. D.
[22]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 100.
[23]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 110.
[24]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 116-117.
[25]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 117.
[26]
Furgurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At
War, page 328.
[27]
Elizabeth Van Lew, A Yankee Spy in
Richmond: The Civil War Diary of
‘Crazy Bet’ Van Lew, edited by David D. Ryan, Stackpole Books,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 1996, page 104.
[28]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 108-109.
[29]
Richard M. Lee, General Lee’s City: An
Illustrated Guide To The Historic Sites of Confederate Richmond, page 91.
[30]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 108.
[31]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 108 (This page in the book records what the neighbor saw, as
well as the fact that she was a neighbor.
The book states that not far from where the girl stared down at the
city, there was an old Tobacco factory on Franklin and 24th Street - that was
the Turpin Yarbrough factory. That factory was only a block east of the Clopton
home.
[32]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 110.
[33]
Richard M. Lee, “General Lee’s City: An Illustrated Guide To Historic Sites Of
Confederate Richmond,” page 97.
[34]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 332.
[35]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 332.
[36]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 123.
[37]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 330.
[38]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 123-124.
[39]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 112.
[40]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 333.
[41]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 334.
[42]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 331.
[43]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 332-334.
[44]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, pages 137-138.
[45]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 125.
[46]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 125.
[47]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 335.
[48]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 335-336.
[49]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 336.
[50]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 130.
[51]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory:
Richmond At War, page 332
[52]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 338.
[53]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 337.
[54]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 336.
[55]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 137.
[56]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 337.
[57]
Davis, To Appomattox: Nine April Days,
1865, page 137.
[58]
Elizabeth Van Lew, “A Yankee Spy in Richmond,” edited by David D. Ryan, page
105.
[59]
Ernest B. Fergurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 339.
[60]
Louis H. Manarin, “Richmond At War: The Minutes of The City Council 1861-1865,”
page 628.
[61]
This is from an obituary in a Richmond newspaper of July 24, 1897, not the
Times Dispatch
[62]
Susan Latan‚ Clopton, “Diary: December 17, 1867 - May 31,1871” , page 34. Available through Library of Virginia
in Archives Division under Turpin-Clopton-Latan‚ Families Genealogical Notes”
Accession Number 36004. Copy
located Clopton Family Archives.
[63]
William Izard Clopton, C.S.A., was the son of John Bacon Clopton and his wife,
Maria Gaitskell Foster. David
Mosby Pulliam, Esq., was the husband of William Izzard Clopton's sister, Sarah
Jane Clopton. See In Praise of Mint Juleps.
[64]
This is probably Charles Lipscomb, the son of Cornelius Bernard Lipscomb, of King
William and Richmond, and his wife, Susan Rebecca Pocahontas Farrar. Charles is the g-grandson of Edwin J.
Clopton, A.J.’s father. Although
doubtful, he could be Charles Lipscomb, the son of George Wiley Lipscomb and
Mildred King. This Charles is a
descendant of Mildred Clopton and James Hill.
[65]
This is from an obituary in a Richmond newspaper of July 24, 1897, not the
Times Dispatch.
[66]
Turpin Family Bible Record: Available through Library of Virginia in Archives Division
under Turpin-Clopton-Latan‚ Families Genealogical Notes” Accession Number
36004.
[67]
Miles was the son of Miles Turpin and Fanny Frayser. There were several Clopton-Turpin marriages. See the abbreviated genealogy below. Miles Turpin and his son’s future
father-in-law. A.J. Clopton, both served in the same local reserve unit during
the War. Miles also served as
Overseer of the Poor of the City of Richmond and as President of the board of
Church and Union Hill Humane Association.
During the Bread Riots, he was commissioned to buy grain, putting up
several thousand dollars of his won money.
[68]
He and W. J. Yarbrough were business partners in the tobacco manufacturing
firm, Turpin & Yarbrough. It
was the fifth largest tobacco manufacturer in the City of Richmond. Miles was
in charge of rationing food after the bread riots in Richmond during the Civil
War. After the war he went
bankrupt, surrendered his beautiful Broad Street home and all his possessions,
paying off every dime he owed.
[69]
Oscar A. Pohlig, Jr., “Lot 56 of Colonel William Byrd II’s Richmond: It’s Use
for Tobacco Manufacturing Under Miles Turpin, William J., William T., and A.
Rufus Yarbrough: and for a Confederate Military Hospital,” pages 2 -3.
[70]
Ida V. Clopton is not mentioned in either her father’s obituary or that of her sister Julia Catesby Clopton.
[71]
Julia Clopton’s undated obituary appeared in a Richmond Newspaper. Copy located Clopton Family Archives.
[72]
Richmond newspaper obituary dated July 24, 1897. Identification of newspaper unknown but it is not the Times Dispatch.
[73] See
Three Little Cloptons In Virginia, an essay
written by one of the daughters.
[74]
Archives of The Episcopal Church, “Twenty Sixth Annual Convention, 1931,” page
14.
[75]
This was information I received from J.J.’s grandson, William Waters.
[76]
His obituary was published in a Georgetown, Kentucky newspaper, dated January,
1931, and was written by Archdeacon Wentworth. This obituary also appeared in the report to the
Thirty-Sixth Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church, 1931, page 14. Copy located Clopton Family Archives,
courtesy William Edwards Waters. III.
[77]
Elizabeth Van Lew, “A Yankee Spy in Richmond,” edited by David D. Ryan, pages
19-23, and 130-134.
[78]
Furgurson, Ashes Of Glory: Richmond At War, page 94.
[79]
Nancy Roberts, Civil War Ghost Stories
& Legends, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, South
Carolina, 1992, pages 116 - 130.