The Clopton Chronicles
A Project of the Clopton Family Genealogical Society
IN PRAISE OF MINT JULEPS
Regarding
The Honorable John Bacon
Clopton &
His Wife Maria Gaitskell
Foster
By Suellen Clopton Blanton,[1]
[email protected]
A Man of Distinction
Judge Clopton[2]
was a man of fine native abilities which he had
Brightened and adorned by profound study and research.[3]
Sometimes we are blessed with
an abundance of material relating to our ancestors. So much material relating to John Bacon Clopton and his
family has survived that it is unnecessary to burden their story with copious
amounts of narrative text. We
shall stand aside and let their story unfold as they lead us through years of
peace into the horrors of war.
One of the most remarkable
women who ever married into the Clopton family was Maria Gaitskell Foster. Affectionately known as Mrs. Judge
Clopton, she was once described as “a lady of rare graces of mind and person,
and who became as her mind and talents developed and matured, one of the most
highly cultured and intellectual ladies of the State.” But those words do not do justice to
this woman. She confronted first
financial difficulties with great dignity and grace and then, widowed, faced
the Civil War with courage and determination. [4]
Her husband Judge John Bacon
Clopton’s father, John Bacon[5]
died in 1816, and it became his responsibility to settle his father’s
Estate. After their marriage, the
couple established their home at Roslyn, his ancestral home, and they became
the parents of at least thirteen children[6]:
The Honorable John Bacon
Clopton
Judge Clopton attended
William and Mary College and studied law under Edmund Randolph. He served in the Virginia militia in
the War of 1812. He was a member
of the Virginia Senate and served until 1830. On February 27, 1834 he was elected by the General Assembly
Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, and he served on the bench of the
General Court until July 1851. He was considered one of Virginia’s most
prominent Jurists and was serving on the Bench of the Supreme Court of Virginia
at the time of his death in 1860.
His portrait hangs in the Capitol at Richmond.
Judge Clopton, was a
founding member of The Virginia Historical Society. He held the honor of
being the Society’s first Corresponding Secretary and Librarian. Almost without
exception, persons nominated for founding membership derived from Virginia’s
social, political and intellectual elite. First President of the Society was
John Marshall, the eminent Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Former U.S.
President, James Madison was elected as an honorary member of the Society. In The Virginia Magazine of History
and Biography[7], the
statement is made:
As
corresponding secretary the members elected John Bacon Clopton, of New Kent. A
former state senator, later a judge, Clopton was stately of mien, yet a person
who “loved company, loved to play whist and loo, bought lottery tickets, was an
authority on the pedigree of race horses, and a good chess player.
He was distinguished not
only for the honors he had “thrust upon him,” but for the distinction he missed
by a single vote.[8]. The Ancestry of William Clopton of
York County, Virginia[9]
relates the following story of how a Clopton almost became President of
the United States:
At the Whig Convention of 1840,
after Gen. William Henry Harrison had been nominated for the presidency and a
recess was taken, the party leaders gave the Virginia delegation to understand
that whomever they might nominate for Vice President would receive the vote of
the convention. In a caucus held
during the recess two names were considered, those of Judge John Bacon Clopton
and John Tyler. [10] Tyler having a majority of one vote, Clopton
thus narrowly missed becoming the Vice President, and on the death of President
Harrison two months after his inauguration, President of the United
States. Judge Clopton did not know
he was considered for this office until his friends, returning from the
Convention, told him.
The noted
Virginia historian, Benjamin B. Weisiger, III., took this photograph of the
somewhat dilapidated and much altered Clopton House, on Clopton Hill, which
stood at 1007 McDonald Street. The
house, which was demolished some time after 1940, was built circa 1817 and for
a short period belonged to Judge John Bacon Clopton. Judge Clopton and his wife sold it to their daughter and
son-in-law, Sarah Jane Clopton and David Mosby Pulliam, Esq., in 1849 when
redistricting forced him to move to Henrico County. An 1876 map of Manchester shows their son, William St. Paul
Pulliam owned the house until he sold it in 1881. Old Manchester & Its Environs, 1769-1910 by
Benjamin B. Weisiger, III.
The family lived at Roslyn
until he became Judge of the Circuit Court necessitating a move to the Richmond
area[11]. In 1847 they were living in a
magnificent home in Manchester.
Manchester was a town on the south side of the James River across from
Richmond and was for many years the county seat of Chesterfield County before it
was annexed to Richmond in 1910.[12] A lengthy article[13]
appeared in a Richmond newspaper describing the Manchester home of Judge and
Mrs. Judge. The author, David L.
Pulliam[14],
called it “a fine old mansion[15]. Beautifully located[16]
and commanding a most extensive view of the James River. One of the oldest in the state.” The Cloptons filled the home with
lovely furniture and boasted a magnificent library containing over 15,000
volumes. The gardens took up over
an acre of land. The “veritable
paradise of wilding loveliness, greenery and blossoming shrubs and trailing
vines,” were the result of Mrs. Clopton’s efforts. The family named their estate, “Clopton Hill.”[17] The following is excerpted from that
article.
This old mansion at
once elegant and attractive, is one of the most prominent features of the
landscape of this city, and in olden times, ere the beautiful hill upon which
it is built, had been mutilated by the pick and shovel, was one of the most
beautiful. The house is a large
one, and though there are only nine rooms in it, most of them are of immense
size. The house was constructed
differently from most of the colonial homes, though this old building traces
its existence to pre-Revolutionary times, and is, therefore, unique and
picturesque. It has a basement
built of brick but which is not sunken in the earth, the floors being on a
level with the surface of the yard which surrounds it. The basement constitutes the first
story of the edifice, while above it are two stories of very lofty pitch. The front door is distinctive and
ornate, and adds very greatly to the charm of the building. It is reached by lofty steps. The large double doors, sixteen feet
wide, with the arched transom over them, opened into an immense hallway which
extends the entire front of the house, which is about 50 feet in width. There is a door at each end of this
hall, which used to open into capacious and lovely porticos which were ever
shaded and breeze wooing. The
lovely antique stairway is in this splendid hall. Charming paneled doors, garnished with huge brass locks,
hinges and knobs, open from this hall into the parlor and library, which are
huge apartments, and are superb in their appointments and finish.
The Mantels were very
lovely and exquisite specimens of woodwork, and highly ornamented masterpieces
of beauty and elegance. They were
very tall and reached almost to the lofty ceiling and were topped by large and
finely carved cornices. Festoons
of flowers were carved most daintily upon the panels in these antique mantle
pieces. The windows are large and
numerous. The hall, in the old
days of the mansion, was exquisitely papered, as were the lovely parlor and
library. The side walls in the
hall were frescoed in panels, with fine design. The ceiling was in panels. The color scheme was violet, with brown fringes on inside,
and a warm background of delicate tint of the same color, from which lovely
flowers, in accordant coloring, seemed to group in graceful guise and
beauty. The ceiling in the parlor
was even more beautiful – being divided into sections to afford variety, and
each section being ornamented in the corners by wreaths of flowers while in the
middle of each section was a center piece of beautiful floral design, which was
surrounded by a field in violet color, from which gleamed golden starts. The porticoes were most
attractive. They were most
convenient and tasteful accessories to the great hallway, and were reached by
massive and broad doorways over which were huge transoms, glazed with
diamond-shaped panes of glass. The
beauty and elegance of the old dwelling may be well pictured from this outline
of its attractions and finishings.
Nor were the outdoor
accessories of this charming place less interesting and attractive than the
interior of the house….. [On] July
6th 1848 the fine old house passed [to] the Hon. John Bacon Clopton,
from whom it took the name of the “Clopton House” which it has borne ever since
that time.
Hard Times
Such a collection should be kept intact for a
State or city library.
Regrettable, the family seems to have labored under
rather serious financial difficulties.
According to family tradition, Judge Clopton lent a friend a great deal
of money but was never paid back, although a very lavish lifestyle certainly
didn’t help their situation.[18]
His wife did her part to amend the family
purse. As early as 1849, newly
installed in her spectacular “Clopton House,” she was advertising her
willingness to accept up to eight boarders.[19] While her husband was serving as Judge
of the Sixth Circuit and living, presumably, in Richmond, she evidently had
charge of a Female Academy in Williamsburg[20]. She opened a school for girls in the
Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. The
Virginia Gazette[21] carried
a notice in the July 27, 1854 issue remarking on the new school.
MRS. MARIAH G. CLOPTON having
resigned the charge of the Female Academy in this place, has been invited by
her friends to preside over a new school, the Raleigh Institute, to be opened
on the first of October next -?-
We hope
there will be ‘room and verge enough’ in the Old Metropolis for the various
instructions of learning already existing here, and for any new ones that may
be started. Mrs. Clopton has many
friends in this place and through the country. We are sure of this much, that no one would treat the pupils
placed under their charge with more gentleness and kindness than Mrs. Clopton
and her amiable daughters.
The Old
Raleigh has been purchased by a few Gentlemen[22],
and is to be converted into a Seminary of learning. It is now undergoing repair
and will be ready by the first of October next. ‘Apollo Hall,’ famous in American History will be the School
Room, and whilst conning their lessons in this consecrated ‘Hall,’ may our fair
girls think of their noble ancestors, and so cultivate their minds, manners and
morals, as to befit them for the duties of life.
There
appeared in the same issue[23]a
notice advertising the “Raleigh Institute.”
WILLIAMSBURG FEMALE
ACADEMY Will commence its scholastic -?- the 1st of
October next, ending on the -?- two half sessions of 4 -?- months each.
The
course of study will embrace all the -?- pertaining to a thorough English
education together with Ancient and Modern Languages and Music.
The
Institution is provided with a very extensive Philosophical and Chemical
apparatus.
TERMS
Board, lodging, fuel, lights,
tuition in all English branches,---$75.00
Washing-------------------------------------------------
------ ------ 9.00
French and other Modern
Languages,-----------------
----------
7.50
Music –
Piano,---------------------------------------------- ------- 30.00
“
Guitar,---------------------------------- ------------------- 15.00
Drawing
and Painting,------------------------- ------------------- 5.00
For all
English branches:
Day
scholars under 10 years,-------------------- ------------------ 10.00
“ “ “ 13 “ -------------------
--------------------- 15.00
“ “ over 13… ” ---------------------- ------------------ 20.00
Books, Stationary and
sheet Music at city prices.
MARIA G. CLOPTON
Principal
BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
Col. Robert M.
Candish(?), President
Dr. Robert P.
Waller Rev. James F. Jo-?-
-?-
-?-
W. R. C. Douglas, Esq.
James P. Custis, Esq.
W.W. -?-
Dr. John N. G(?)alt
All letters must be
addressed to the Principal at Williamsburg.
On July 26, 1855, The Virginia Gazette[24]
commented:
The Raleigh Institute, of which Mrs. Judge CLOPTON, is
Principal, is in a flourishing condition.
The number of students during the last session was 75, and during the
approaching session there will, doubtless, be many more. The late examination reflected credit
upon this lady as a teacher.
Indeed, it is generally conceded that Mrs. CLOPTON has few superiors as
an instructor of female pupils.
The
next session of the Institute will commence on the first day of Oct. See advertisement.
The Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia, circa
1991. In the eighteenth century,
the Raleigh was Williamsburg’s most famous tavern. It became not only a social, economic, and communications
center but frequently the colony’s political heart as well.
Fortunately, an album[25]
has survived from their time in Williamsburg in which daughter Joyce Wilkinson
Clopton recounts an evening at the Raleigh in great detail.
An
Evening at the Raleigh[26]
Wed
Mar 6, 1856
The parlor at the Old Raleigh and its recent occupants must
need be described so; on second thought we deem that needful [or needless], for
the long, lofty room, with its drooping curtains of crimson, its tables filled
with books, its Piano, guitar, and various articles of furniture scattered in
careless, but graceful confusion, may easily be imagined while its occupants
may well speak for themselves, for a wealth of thoughts on the freshness of
that dark-haired girl sitting in the shadow of the crimson curtains, deeply
absorbed in a book, her face shaded from the candle, while on it flickers a few
festive gleams of firelight – which seem to love to linger on her pale,
intellectual, brow: and the sole
speaks plainly in the laughing eyes of the one, who sits next [to] her,
carelessly twisting her dark brown curls, a pleasant smile lighting her
features. The group on the
opposite side of the fireplace- a tall, grave, elegant girl, reclining in a
large arm chair, a brilliant brunette, with rather a pensive cast of features,
thrown in careless grace on the floor by her side, repeating love poetry, and a
gentle blond whose thoughts – as yet – dare not soar beyond the schoolroom,
kneeling before them – seem intent on passing a pleasant hour. The laughing, joyous – hearted girl at
the Piano, over whose head scarce sixteen summers have shed their fragrance and
bloom [,] is thinking, we daresay, of the times when she will be emancipated
from the cares of school-life and reign belle of the Ball Room; while the mind
of the brother, whose age seems to have touched so lighted as scarcely to leave
a -?- behind, is busy over the contents of the Days paper, and the thoughts of
the one sitting beside her, whose lofty brow is marked with lines of intense
thought, seem to have wandered far away, from the earnest and abstracted air with
which she is gazing in this glowing grate. The student sitting apart from the others is buried in
“Greek and Latin lore”, and seems to have no idea of what is passing around
him, Memories of old are crowding around the heart of her, who sits at the table,
busily writing, scenes of the Past are rising to her view, and tho’ among them
are some on which she loves to dwell, because enacted by dearly loved ones,
some will bring in after years more pleasant thoughts than the one of this
evening, for few friends are more loved than those here now.
By
Joyce Clopton[27] in Wms
burg, Va.
Some
classes were taught in the Apollo Room.
It was entered from one end, and opposite was the fireplace between two
doors; over the fireplace was a mantel-piece about six feet high, around the
ceiling was a wooden cornice; over the mantel-piece, and near the cornice was a
Latin motto. Many years later,
William Izard was asked if he remembered the Apollo Room at the Raleigh and the
motto over the mantle, Hilaritas Sapientiae et bonae vitae proles [Jollity
the offspring of wisdom and good life.].
Without hesitation he replied, “I reckon I do remember it, as I sat in
front of it for years when my mother kept school in that room.”[28]
The Apollo Room at the
Raleigh Tavern, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia features a fireplace and mantel
with the carved motto Hilaritas Sapientiae et bonae vitae proles
(Jollity the offspring of wisdom and good life}. Although completely destroyed by fire, the tavern has been
meticulously restored by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Today it serves as one of the more elegant
restaurants in Williamsburg.
Judge Clopton’s death provoked an outpouring of lavish
obituaries including the following from the Friday morning, March 30, 1860 Richmond
Dispatch.
Judge
Clopton Actually Dead.
We
regret to learn that the Hon. John B. Clopton died at his residence, near Hampton,
yesterday morning. There is, unfortunately, no mistake this time. The
intelligence comes too direct not to be certain.
It
is hardly necessary to repeat what we said the other day of Judge Clopton. He
was one of the most universally popular men, wherever he was known, it was ever
our fortune to meet with. His amiability, and the kindness of his manner,
forced its way irresistibly to the heart. As a Judge he had few superiors on
the bench in the United States, as a man of acquirements fewer still, as a man
of genius not one. He was unambitious, somewhat too indolent, and greatly too
prone to indulge in a natural taste for general literature. Otherwise he would
have been one of the first lawyers that ever practiced at the bar in this
country. Few of those who have risen to the very summit of the profession had
more talent than he, or a greater right to expect, in youth, that he would
attain to such a height. What he lacked in professional knowledge, however (and
with all his want of application he still possessed more than most of the bar,)
he made up in general information. Of this he possessed a store which literally
seemed unbounded. It was impossible to launch upon any subject which he did not
have at his fingers' ends. He had been personally acquainted with more men than
any person we ever knew, and it seemed to us that every one of them, from Gen. Lafayette down to the eccentric waiter
of a hotel, had made the same impression on him. Mention whom you might, and he
could tell you all about him, let his situation in life have been as high or as
low as it might, and with the same accuracy in either case. Nothing escaped his
notice or faded from his memory. Of that memory wonders have been told, but not
half as much as remains to be told. He delighted in conversation, and would sit
up talking all night, if he could find any one of the same inclination with
himself. His conversation did not consist in preaching, as that of great
conversationalists too often does. It was a constant flow of easy, unpremeditated,
yet sensible talk, full of anecdote,
racy, yet unstudied, delightful, without being gotten up for the occasion. He
was too well bred, and too little of an egotist to monopolize all the talk. He
talked himself, and expected and encouraged others to talk in their turn. A
constant flow of ideas was kept in circulation, never stagnating into dullness.
In
private life, Judge Clopton was
warmly and justly esteemed and beloved. No warmer heart ever beat in the bosom
of man. There never was a more affectionate husband or parent, or a kinder
master, or a better neighbor. In him the State has lost a most valuable
servant, and society one of its most valuable ornaments. He was a true representative
of the Old Virginia gentleman, and he has left few of his like behind him.
So desperate was the need for money following Judge
Clopton’s death, his family sold at auction in 1861, what was considered one of
the largest private libraries in America. [29] The Richmond Daily Whig, in a
prominent editorial, was outraged by the sale, and quoted a description of the
collection’s sale catalogue reprinted from an unidentified New York newspaper
which read in part:
The catalogue of the late
Hon. John B. Clopton of Virginia, comprises a greater assemblage of literature
than perhaps of any other sale that has taken place in this country. The specialty of Judge Clopton seems to
have been the political history of this country as shown in the ephemeral
literature of the period. Among
these tracts (there are three) referring to Lord Howe, Aaron Burr, Sir Guy
Carleton as especially rare. One
entitled, ‘Remarks occasioned by the late conduct of Mr. Washington as
President of the United States, ‘The Coffee Scuttle.’ Tracts by Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, various orations on
Washington; in all over three thousand separate tracts and pamphlets of great
value. Such a collection should be
kept intact for a state or city library.
Little Name Me
The parents were a little slow
in naming their seventh child.
With the exception of Sarah Jane Clopton, who had
married in 1850, it is probable all the other daughters lived with their mother
in Williamsburg, including Namee.
Family tradition[30]
holds that the parents were slow in selecting a name for this seventh
child. In a somewhat joking
manner, the family called the baby “Little Name Me.” Eventually the name Namee was adopted for the baby, although
she shared the fate of all who bare an unusual name; it was constantly
misspelled.
The 22 year old Namee was courted and wooed by one of
the students at William and Mary College, John Calhoun Nichols.[31] He was from Brunswick, Georgia[32]
and received his law degree in 1855.[33] They were married in Williamsburg
September 25, 1855 by William M. Young, a Baptist minister.[34] A Baptist Church was being built during
the fall of 1855 near the Powder Magazine in town, but it wasn’t completed
until after October 1855.[35] Although the marriage could have been
performed at Bruton Parish Church, home weddings were still the custom in
Virginia[36] Because the marriage took place in
Williamsburg,[37] it may well
have taken place at The Raleigh Institute.[38]
The young bride left everything and everyone she had
ever known and went to live at his father’s plantation, “Roselawn,” near
Magnolia, Clinch (then Ware) County, Georgia. He served in the Confederate Army and was a member of the
State Constitutional Congress.
Foreshadows of War
We
have fallen on evil times. The day
of doom
For
the great model Republic is at hand.
Madness
Rules
the hour….I sigh over the degeneracy of the times.
John Tyler, November 1860[39]
President John Tyler was an
old friend, neighbor and political rival.[40]
Ralph Hardee Rives recounts a story[41]
of the 1857 celebration by residents of the Jamestown/Williamsburg, Virginia
area of the first colonists’ landing on Jamestown Island in 1607. This event, held every fifty years,
featured speeches by prominent citizens, an elaborate military review, dancing,
and free flowing champaign. On May
13th, “a large fleet of bright winged craft of all sized and
characters, jubilant with gay streamers, booming guns and sonorous music was
afloat off Jamestown Island.”
Judge Clopton was there that day as the representative of the
Society. The speaker was President
John Tyler.
… ex-President
John Tyler, having two and a half centuries of history to cover, felt that he
needed two and a half hours for his oration. (An elderly) Judge John B. Clopton, arriving after a hot
walk through rough fields, became exhausted and repeatedly asked his son,
William to take him “to the stand.”
When, after having been led through the crowd to a point immediately
below the rostrum he reiterated the request, William remarked in some confusion,
“Father, we are at the stand where President Tyler is speaking.” “Oh,” said the old gentleman, “I don’t
want to hear John Tyler now, take me to the stand where the mint julep is.”
In a few years, however, there was little time to enjoy
mint juleps and little to celebrate.
The War actually began October 16, 1859, although shots would not be
exchanged until 1861. John Brown
led a group of desperate men who seized the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry,
Virginia. He called for an armed
insurrection of all Virginia slaves.
The South recoiled at the thought of hundreds of thousands of slaves
rising up in armed revolt.
Although the men were quickly caught, tried, convicted, and hanged, the Nation would never be the same
again.
The
Northern abolitionists “wept and screamed and gnashed their teeth in frustrated
anguish.”[42] They demanded an immediate end to
slavery. Tyler wrote:
I feel great concern about the present condition of
things in the Country. Matters
have arrived at such a pass disunion must soon come. A few years ago a man to have dared to utter such
treasonable discourses as proceed from so many lips at the North now would have
been at once mobbed, stoned, and put down instead of listened to – and they
would have been pointed at as objects of disgust – but how is it now? They are lions, and soon they will have
followers enough to overthrow the government or create more terrible mischief.[43]
Slaves
in the Tidewater area generally outnumbered whites more than two to one, and it
was the fear of slaves murdering, raping, and blundering, that was of paramount
concern, all other issued were subordinate to this. Alarmed, Virginians began to organize armed mounted patrols
under the guidance of Governor Wise.
President Tyler and Judge Clopton gave Dr. Wise their complete
support. It was Wise who deployed
several units to Charles Town during the trial and execution of Brown.
At
this point, Virginians were deeply divided on the complicated, and sometimes
subtle, political issues surrounding the Brown incident. Once incident clearly illustrates the
explosive nature of the subject.
In March 1860, (the) drawing room
at Sherwood Forest very nearly became the scene of a fist fight when two of
Tyler’s neighbors, the Reverend Dr. Wade, the local Episcopal clergyman, and
planter John Clopton angrily exchanged words on Governor Wise’s handling of the
Brown affair. Wade, an outspoken
Whig and unionist, argued that Wise had over-reacted to the Harpers Ferry
incident, needlessly contributing to the tension by placing Virginia on a
virtual war footing. The governor
had, Wade charged, misrepresented the relative calm prevailing at Harpers Ferry
after Brown’s capture in order to whip up support throughout the state for a
militant policy of anti-abolitionism.
At this point Clopton sprang from his chair, fists clenched,
shouting: “I have no opinion of
clergymen coming from the pulpit to make themselves Sunday evening politicians
and slander and accuse of perjury such a man as Governor Wise whose honor and
word I have never heard doubted by his bitterest political opponents.” Fortunately, no blows were struck. Tyler and his wife clearly sided with
Clopton, however. Julia[44] thought he [Clopton] had acted with “a
spirit and independence truly becoming,” while Tyler dismissed the thrust of
Wade’s arguments with the observation that the clergyman was a fuzzy-minded
Federalist who had “married for his second wife one of the granddaughters of
Chief Justice Marshall.” Obviously
a bad sort.[45]
The Blessings of Her Wisdom
Her skill and art were enjoyed by many who were
healed by her remedies and nursing.
Notably were those excellent talents brought
into use during the Civil War.
When the war came Mrs. Judge left her home at Old Point and relocated to
Richmond. She chaired the newly
formed Ladies Defense Society, which was formed in 1862 at the Broad Street
Methodist Church following the battle of the Merrimac and the Monitor. The new society’s aim was to raise
funds to construct a new ship.
Mrs. Clopton[46]
Richmond
The
Ladies of the Aid Society of this County, wish to aid you in the noble
enterprise, of the Gunboat association:
during the past few days, we have collected many articles of silver
plate together with one hundred and fifty-dollars, several gold watches,
chains, etc – As the President of this Society I would like to know, what
disposal is best, and will thank you to inform me at your earliest convenience,
what arrangements we shall make of this contribution.
With
Sincere wishes for the success of this work I remain
Very
respectfully yours
Cornelia
A. Berkeley
President
Aid
Society
Prince
Edward Co. House
Virginia
They were successful in this drive and soon
construction of the Fredricksburg began.[47]
Meanwhile, the wounded were pouring into the city, and
she “a good woman, and ever carried charity and the blessings of her wisdom to
all within her reach, (and) a fine doctor,”[48]
opened a hospital.[49] It was to be for the exclusive use of
officers of the Confederate Army and funded entirely by Mrs. Judge.[50] Her skill would be “enjoyed by many who
were healed by her remedies and nursing.
Notably were those excellent talents brought into use during the Civil
War.”[51]
REGISTER OF CLOPTON HOSPITAL
Franklin St. 4th
house from
Corner of 4th
& Franklin Sts.
Richmond, Va.
On
Wednesday, 28th May 1862 the sick soldiers at Ashland were brought
to Richmond and Capt. Jackson Warner opened this house on Franklin Street
between 3d and 4th and one between 4th & 5th
and placed 290 men in them, where they remained until Saturday morning 31st
when by order of Genl. Winder they were transferred to the St. Charles
Hospital. Since the 31st
of May the following patients have been received and treated in this hospital.
Dr.
H. A. Tatum appointed Post Surgeon[52]
Mr.
Brook, Steward
Dr.
P. Brown has kindly given gratuitous advice and
Very
efficiently aided in the organization of the Hospital.
(signed) Maria G. Clopton
There were hospitals set up all over the area as
battles in Virginia continued to grow in intensity. They were found everywhere. In Richmond alone there were more than forty hospital, not
counting the many private homes that accommodated the wounded.[53]
Dr. Henry Augustus Tatum, of Richmond, Virginia was a
skilled surgeon, and he saved many wounded men from losing a limb. The Clopton Hospital was publicly
complimented by the Confederate Congress for its small percentage of deaths in
comparison with all the other hospitals. One day 1,268 men were accepted into the care of
the staff.
“The low mortality at Clopton and Robertson Hospitals,
conducted by patriotic women,” was cited as an argument that women made the
best nurses for the soldiers,” when the First Confederate Congress met in
September 1862. The Clopton
Hospital had a mortality of rate of two per cent. On average, where males were in charge, the mortality
averaged ten percent, and with females in charge, only five per cent.[54]
Where Mercy Dwelt
The
Old Clopton Hospital Franklin Street
And
the War-time Angel Who Directed It
Recalled
in Newly Found Letters from
Grateful
Confederate Families
BY CHARLOTTE CLOPTON de VANY[55][56]
During the bloody summer of 1862 the Clopton Hospital
near the northwest corner of Fourth and Franklin Streets was opened on May 28
as an emergency unit by Captain Is[rael] Warner. Two hundred and eighty men were brought from Ashland on May
31 by order of General Winder, according to old records now in possession of
the Clopton descendants. All were
retained with the exception of 12.
This
hospital was opened exclusively for wounded officers[57]
of the Confederate Army and was established by the patriotic philanthropy of
the widow of Judge John Bacon Clopton, who was Maria Gatesgill(sic.)
Foster of England.[58] It was located between Third and Fourth
Streets in Mrs. Clopton’s home in the center then of the most fashionable
neighborhood. The beauties and
belles of the Confederate capital, many of them refugees from Maryland, flocked
to it and tenderly administered to the suffering and wounded.
Among
the volunteers was the brilliant Constance Cary who later was won by President
Davis’ private secretary. In a magazine
article she alluded to her experiences and told how when the wounded were taken
to the receiving hospital downtown the soldiers would beg to be taken to the
Clopton Hospital, for the fame of the practice of the surgeon in charge, Dr.
Henry Augustus Tatum of Richmond, Va., was widespread. His assistant was young Dr.
Patterson. The reputation he
gained was that he saved the limbs which others would have amputated as a
quicker method of healing. This
reputation he gained the previous year in his practice at the Warm Springs
Hospital.
The
officers were as soon as practicable, transferred to the roomy cool and clean
old house and carefully restored to health. Among those was a young officer, the nephew of Dr. Tatum
whose right arm was shattered between the shoulder and elbow; it had gone forth
that it must come off. He implored
to be taken to his uncle'’ hospital to be created. This was done and the pieces of shattered bone were reunited
as in nature and healed beautifully and in good time the gallant youth was on
his horse, a volunteer on Stuart'’ staff.
This indomitable spirit was Charles Augustus Boyd, son of James Magruder
Boyd, of the well known firm of Boyd, Edmonds and Davenporrt.
A surviving register[59]
for the month of August lists the names of each patient, their company and
rank, admission date, complaint, and sometimes medications given. Surprisingly, at least two of the names
are connected to the Clopton family.
Her son, William, was admitted July 2 with a fever, and returned to duty
July 10. Another entry notes that
Private J. R. Godkin,[60]
of Company G, 4th Georgia Regiment, was transferred from another private
hospital to Clopton Hospital July 11 suffering from Typhoid fever and
“contused” in battle.
Envelope addressed “To the
Medical Director in charge of the clopton hospital Richmond, va” from “T. H.
Wyatt, geo vol[un]teers, G.A. artilery.”
The poem printed on the front reads: To arms! To arms!
Quick, be ready, Think of what the South has been: Onward, onward! Strong and steady – Drive the vandals to
their den. On, and let the
watch-word be: Country, home, and
liberty!
Winchester Va
Sept 23trd 1862[61]
To the Sergent in charge of the clopton hospital. Dear Sir I write you a few lines on
business. I have a brother in the
hospital. I want to here from him he
was quite sick when I left. His
name is George F. Wyatt. I want
you to write if he is their or not or whether he is gone home or if he is
living or not and you will oblige me.
Write as soon as you get this and let me here from him. So I remain yours with respect.
T.H.Wyatt
When you write your letter to winchester in the care of
Major Richardsond commanding
T.H.Wyatt
Doctor you must excuse me for not paying the postage on
this letter. I have no money or
stamps. Yours servant
T.H.Wyatt
Mt.
Lebanon Sept 26th ’62[62]
Mrs Clopton.
Dear
Madam. I have an opportunity of sending
letters through to Richmond by a friend and cannot let it pass without
expressing my sincere thanks to you for your kind attentions to my son whilst
he was sick in your City. He wrote
us that you took him to your house and cared for him so kindly that he owed his
recovery probably to the circumstances.
Let me assure you dear Madam, that such tender treatment to a stranger
falls as gratefully on the mothers heart as it does upon the senses of the poor
sick soldiers – and I am certain I shall always remember your kindnesses with
as much gratitude as my son will himself.
His name was Walter
Randle. Perhaps you remember him –
tho his name and face will be far easier for you to forget (situated as you
are, with so many around you and maybe in your house.) than it will be for us
to forget the charitable kindness you bestowed upon him, when he was far away
from his mother and sisters – sick – and with no kind female friend near him,
when your generous care found him out.
Again, receive the thanks of his whole family for the kindness.
I
hear that one article we have in abundance here is very scare and high priced
in Richmond. We were wishing
yesterday we could send you a barrel of sugar, thereby supplying your
household of the above mentioned article, if you happen to be one of the
unsupplied. But the Yankees watch
the Mississippi River so closely that it would be a very uncertain venture to
start anything of the kind across.
Capt. Randle (my husband) is
over on the River with a Company of Partisan Rangers guarding the country from
“Yankee raids” which have been numerous and destructive since the fleet came
down. If he should be sick I only
hope he will meet with as much kindness as Walter did at your hands.
Hoping this letter will find
you enjoying health and all the blessings life confers on the good. I will close by sending you the regards
of my whole family.
Truly
and gratefully yours.
Elizabeth
Randle
To
Mrs. Clopton.
Richmond
Mount
Albion Jan the 6th 1863
Mrs. M. Clopton[63]
Dear
Madame:
It is now over 2 months
since I have left Richmond, and since which time I improved but slowly. The riding on the Cars set me a back a
great deal and I am now no better than I have been when I left your kind care
last October.
Dear Madame: I shall never forget the kindness with
which I have been treated whilst under your care. There I know that only your close attention to me – (with
the assistance of a few of your Friends) saved me from the Clutches of Cold
Death.
I cannot find words to
express my feeling of gratitude which is due to you.
May God bless you for it.
Times are very exciting here
at present. People are leaving
Town fast to get out of the reach of the Yankee gunboat which are laying at
Anchor 12 miles above Vicksburg.
I have left Vicksburg about
a week agoe and stah now with a Mrs. Dart a Friend of myn at Mount Albion,
about 12 miles from Vicksburg.
I wish you a happy New year
and I hope that with Gods blessing you may live to see a many more with Health
and Happyness this are the Sincere wishes of yours with Sentiments of the
highest Regard
Frank
Phister
Mount
Albion Miss.
Alas, the Confederate government, as governments have
always done, wasn’t happy until it had everything organized and regulated and
documented.
Richmond October 5th
1862[64]
Medical Director E. S.
Gaillard
I
have the honor to report that by your direction I inspected on Saturday October
4th the Clopton Hospital, Main near 4th Street. It is situated in a thickly settled
neighborhood and the wealth and patriotism of the inhabitants has caused the
Hospital to receive a much larger amount of contribution in comforts for the
sick and appropriate nursing than most others. The lot 927 ft by 120) is occupied by the Hospital building
and kitchen. The yard is small and
hence the patients have exercised in the Streets. Six rooms each 17 by 21/2 feet) are occupied by patients and
according to established and well tested rules of Hygiene afford accommodations
for only about 45 patients.
Several verandahs might be used and increase its capacity in
emergencies. Three small rooms
used as office, apothecary shop and for accommodation of physicians and nurses,
add to its efficiency. A laundry
and kitchen are attached – no bath-room exists – a privy with only one sink and
in very offensive condition is entirely insufficient for patients and
attendants when probably many cases of Diarrhea exist. Of attendants – The surgeon in
charge contract physician H A Tatum died on the 3. Contract physician R W Patterson is now constantly on duty –
They were contracted with by Surgeon General S. P. Moore from July 1st
& July 9th respectively at $80 per month. Two acting Stewards (one
probably acting as ward master) one clerk and 8 nurses are not
agreeable to allowance of attendant (Reg. 45) but in except -?-. Two cooks and three laundresses are not
in except of allowance. Fifty
eight (58) patients are in the Hospital and 36 in private quarters. The food is well prepared and though
provisions are drawn, I could find no account of provisions returned and
Hospital fund which must exist as some part of the rations must
manifestly be commuted. Gas is
used and never has been paid for, no Hospital Records other than the Register[65]
have been kept. Copies of
requisitions, Returns of property, Orders and letterbook, and copies of monthly
and quarterly reports were not kept. The persons of the patients their clothing, the beds and
bedding and the floors of the wards, corridors and verandahs were in a most
commendable condition of neatness.
The wards well lighted and ventilated, and order, quiet and discipline
(without restraint) seemed to exist.
The medicines have not, except in small quantities, been drawn
from the Purveyor, but prescriptions compounded by a neighbouring Apothecary
and paid for by order of the Surgeon Genl. Hospital Stores have been drawn in moderate quantities –
Eight gallons of Stimulants supplied in the last two months. By reference to the report of the
Surgeon Gent made up to Sept 17th 1862, I find that the Death
rate has been far smaller in this Hospital than any other, it being 11 in
565 or about 1 in 51; less than two per cent, whereas in the other Genl
Hospitals it is generally from one in 9 to one in 20. This is partly and -?- accounted for by the nature of the
cases – the severely wounded comprising the majority of the patients. But it must partly be explained by the
excellent sanitary measures made use of which more than compensated for the
disadvantages mentioned. The
distinguished lady superintendent whose name it bears has been indefatigable in
zeal and patient care, and has with her many other lady assistants acquired
skill and tact in dressing wounds and Hospital management. Their presence alone has been able to
produce order, decorum and discipline and to do away with sentinels and the
necessity of rules and regulations which are voluntarily observed without
enforcing. The neighbours are most
anxious that the Hospital should be broken up and considering (1) the building
is not sufficient for the accommodation of more than very few patients, (2)
That conveniences will have to be supplied at some expense (3) That several
thousand vacancies exist in the organized Hospitals of this City where proper
attention may be given to the patients at less expense I recommend that this be
done gradually if you should think best (according to your late regulations,
sending the convalescent to Camp Winder), or immediately
transferring all inmates to some organized institution and requesting Mrs.
Judge Clopton to allow the Hospital or ward to which they are transferred to
receive her name and to continue to them there the benefit of her devoted
labors and skill;
Very Respectfully,
Your
obedient servant
Wm
A Carrington Surgeon &
Inspector
of Hosps
A report[66]
written by someone, it appears to be Mrs. Clopton’s handwriting, show the good
ladies were not going to close the hospital without a fight. The apologetic, and sometimes begging
tone of the report seems, in hindsight, insulting, however, it must be
remembered this was still early in the War, and ideas of the proper role of
Southern women was still in full antebellum mode. And, as Dr. Carrington wrote, there were several thousand
vacancies in the large area hospitals.
Certainly Richmond had far more beds than would ever be needed for the
few months it would take to whip the Yankees.
The
Hospital now called “Clopton Hospital” was opened on 28 May 1862 by Capt.
Israel Warner and 270 men placed in it who were brought from Ashland – One 31
May by orders of Gen Winder they were all with the exception of twelve removed
to the Charles Hospital. On the
night of the 31 the wounded were brought in; at that time there were two houses
one between 3 & 4 and one 4 & 5 both on Franklin Street. The two houses continued under the
joint care of some twelve or fifteen ladies until it was thought advisable to
separate the care of them; when Mrs. Joseph Jackson assumed the management of
the one between 4 & 5 and Mrs. Clopton between 3 & 4. At the time the houses were opened,
Capt Warner provided the Hospital [with
plenty of food] with sugar, coffee, salt, rice, flour, Bacon & dried
fruit. Also with thirty dollars
($30) for the purchase of fresh meat, milk, vegetables [enough to provide
both houses for ten days]. After that Capt W sent three days rations at a time for some
two or three times, after that he was absent from Richmond, and we were without
rations of any kind for eighteen days (18): we were also without rations of coffee, sugar and molasses
several times. When we drew other
rations: Our steward Mr. Brock
upon enquiring found we were privileged to make ten days acquisitions for -?-
since when (sometime in July) we have drawn them regularly but not being
advised – as is our right to commute the Steward failed to have it entered when
any of the rations were not sent, and we have never received any communication
for the 18 days rations & for the other articles nor -?-. We have received forty dollars (40) through
Mrs. Maury from ladies in Fredricksburg ten dollars (10) from I. D. De-?- ten
($10) from Mrs. S. J. Pulliam[67]
five from a lady from Alabama five ($5) from a Baltimore lady one dollar ($1)
from Mrs. Joshua Fry – We were of aware until 1 Aug that the officers who were
patients were to be charged for board since [then] we charged them one
dollar per diem; we have also sold the rations of Bacon, candles & flour
that have been left and this has enabled us to purchase the milk, eggs &
repair locks, white wash & pay the deficiency in hires of nurses, in one
instance the difference between $18.50 and $45 per month for two months. I refer to the remarks of Dr. C. report
of the [location] of the Hospital.
It is in a thickly settled and most pleasant part of the City and no
doubt may be a source of annoyance to some, but he has made a mistake with
regard to the supplies from this neighborhood, with one or two exceptions and
those only on the first week of the wounded being brought in, we have derived
no assistance what ever [from our neighborhood] our delicacies having
been sent from more distant neighborhoods, and from the country; and they
ceased early in July -?-. The
ladies of Buckingham through Mrs. Col. Fuqua and the Young Mens Christian Ass;
- One box of vegetables from the Ladies of Greenville Aid Soc; but in
consequence of its detention on the road nothing arrived safe but the butter –
within the past two weeks we have received some vegetables and flour, bottles
of wine from the -?-. Also one or
two shirts & drawers from some Institute -?-. Until some time in Aug we had no clerk but myself and the
many duties developing enabling me only to keep a mere day book – this will
account for the want of various books of entry & also [the
responsibility of keeping the books] was only to be a temporary effort. -?-
I have a memo of our outlays -?- [but I am satisfied] that we have no
debts and that our patients have had all the comforts that they have needed and
that the failures we have made have been in consequence of our ignorance of how
to proceed, as we have never had an experienced person in the house & no
one to call on us to point out our duties and our anxiety was more for the
welfare of our patients. The
following sentence is difficult to read and is incomplete. There is no signature.
Congress voted to close the small, mostly female
managed hospitals in private homes so that the doctors might be more
efficiently used, money would be saved, all those empty beds would be filled,
and the paperwork would be completed.
The Clopton Hospital was closed October 11, 1862 by order of Dr.
Carrington, the men were transferred to large hospitals where the wounded and
sick died like flies.
Steele Magnolias
…It was [a] coffin within a coffin yet the
corruption came Thro’ and fell on the floor…
The Clopton daughters were raised as ladies in the
strict environment of the Antebellum South, well educated and sheltered all
their lives. Like all Southern
women, the War left them without the protection of young able bodied men.[68] The following letter illustrates just
how quickly people adapt to even the most horrible circumstances. Note the seamless transition from topic
to topic.
Dear Namee[69],
Your
letter posted the 4th July, came yesterday the 9th July.
We are glad you are beginning even to talk about coming on. Tell my niece[70]
I shall be pleased to see her, and still more pleased to see her a refined,
docile little lady. When do you
think it probably may come on?
I
have had no fear of the Yankees getting to Richmond. McClellan[71]
has been so heavily reinforced, our army has fallen back and now the
people from Charles City are crowding into Richmond. I suppose in four or five [days] after they have entrenched
themselves, we will have another bloody encounter. How many useless, profitless battles we have had!
Overcoming
the enemy and not pursuing the advantage gained, allowing the Yankees to
recuperate their forces after every encounter. Miss Lyles is in a low state of health_ her servants have
gone off, taking with them her clothes and jewelry. She had the same fever the President died with and I suppose
has never recovered.
Mr.
Curries died after an illness of two hours and a half. His health has been indifferent for a
long time. Mrs. Currie was in
Buckingham.
Mr. Curry[72]
died after an illness of two hours and a half.[73] His health has been indifferent for a
long time. Mrs. Curry was in
Buckingham and he was on a visit to her when his death occurred. I was over for a few days visit to Mary
Ann, and so you see I was compelled to be in the midst of the worry and
distress. Mrs. Curry brought the
body down, it was in a very advanced stage of decay; it was [a] coffin within a
coffin yet the corruption came thro’ and
fell on the floor, we had to put sand around the coffin and next morning
early when the coffin was moved, it just ran as if poured from an open vessel,
the house was like a charnel-house[74],
and kept me sick all the time. Of
course they are all in a great state of distress.
Since Sunday, is the only summer
weather we have yet had, but it is hot enough now to suit my salamander, even I
am satisfied.
Tell John[75]
his promise is so engaging I shall have to take it under consideration if he
will accept an amendment, (or Rider?) to his bill, with regard to a change in
locality. I do not think I can
stand ch—c-, even without pigs, chickens, and horses being kept [in] their own
places. I should decidedly prefer
my health’s being drank in the clear well water of -?- to -?-. We get along quite well in the culinary
department, notwithstanding the scarcity and the prices. We had a barrel of black-eye peas, and
that is just a little over half gone, our dried butter beans are not yet used
up, and we get a few vegetables from market. You know our family are moderate eaters, and what would not
suffice for two or three ordinary eaters abundantly supplies us. We have no staying company, and that
has always been the cause for the necessity of such a profuse table as we always
have had. Kate[76]
and I have let people know pretty generally that our house is not a wayside inn
where no charges were made, and that we expected to wait for an invitation
before they visit us.
I do not think another
location would be so desirable for a school but I hope we will be able to
arrange so as not to have such a house rent to pay, but Richmond is so rapidly
filling with refugees, who want houses, that I expect house rent will remain
nearly the same.
I am glad the Parsonage has
been so much improved.
Have the Kings reached
Wa[y]nesboro yet? In passing the
Yankee Prison the other day Paul[77]
pointed out one to me with a remark, I put his hand down and told him it was
not proper or kind to point so at them; the Yankee smiled as if pleased, and by
his appreciation of the act showed some degree of refinement. I am glad Dr. Young has gone home as
Sarah will now take a rest. Ma
works, works, works, all the time at the Hospital. Frank and Wm Izard[78]
are both here, Wms not very well, and Frank waiting for a decision from
government as to his locality.
Jimmy Royals is on ---- list, Charlie is getting on admirably with his
two wounded arms. I think if the
war promises to continue a long time I shall quit the U. S. and C. S.[79]
and go somewhere else; say, to France and open an English School.
Charlotte is over at Albert’s.
Good-bye, Love to all,
Adelaide Clopton
July, 10th, 1862.
I have directed some letters and papers to Wa[y]nesboro
– Let me know your exact address.
Curious Letters
If I had any male members in
family
except Mr. Davis, I could readily
clothe
Lyttleton, but everything I
could furnish
him should have to be bought
quite new
at the inflated prices
Two interesting letters[80]
have survived from Mrs. Jefferson Davis[81]
to Mrs. Judge Clopton. Mrs.
Clopton permitted Mrs. Davis to hire one of her slaves who was named Lyttleton[82]
as a house servant. Evidently
there was some difficulty regarding him between the two women. The letters are undated, and
unfortunately, Mrs. Davis’ handwriting is every bit as bad as Mrs. Clopton’s,
making them very difficult to read.
My dear Mrs Clopton
When
your note came a few days since I felt too unwell to think of a future
arrangement about any thing – Please excuse now this pencil note as I cannot
sit up yet to do more than sign my name in ink-
I sent to find out the price of shoes such as Lyttleton
wears - $150 is the minimum – Three hundred is the best I can get a suit of
genteel livery clothes for – that makes four hundred and fifty which added to
the two hundred hire makes six hundred and fifty fox six months – since
Lyttleton has been with us he has -?- first four weeks. I find him a very attentive and
valuable servant, and would give cheerfully more for him than for another man
servant, but am now forced to dismiss many of my men servants because of our
inability to live upon the salary and keep the requisite number of servants –
If I had any male members in family except Mr. Davis, I could readily clothe
Lyttleton, but everything I could furnish him should have to be bought quite
new at the inflated prices – will you please think over the matter, and suggest
what can be done to make your necessities, and mine minister to each other in
some manner – I give to my carriage driver $50 a month and he clothes himself –
also to one of my dining room servants – I discuss this matter with you more as
a friend than in a business point of view – and am sorry that necessity me to
demure to anything you feel obliged to ask. Have you a boy twelve or thirteen who has been taught -?- in
house work? When I dismiss my menservants
I think I shall be forced to have such a [as one?]
Please except my thanks dear Madam for your kind offer
of service, and for inquiries for me and believe me.
Very
sincerely Your friend
V.
Davis
My dear Mrs Clopton
Lyttleton
tells me I was so unfortunate as to miss you this evening when you called – I
am really sorry not to have been at home as well as account of the pleasure of
which I was deprived, and that he says you came to see me on business.
Lyttleton
says that he intends leaving us the first of the month and that he thinks you
came to announce to me that you had found a place for him and would let him do
so. After our explicit
conversation upon the subject I must think he is mistaken – It is so far
advanced now in the year that I do not know where I could procure another man,
and I am sure you would have given me warning if you had changed your mind
since I saw you long before this late hour in the month, therefore I send my housekeeper to you to talk to
you of it, and -?- your wishes as I am not able to see you in person.
Believe
me dear Madam
Very
respectfully yours
V.
Davis
Front and back of a pass
issued to “Mrs. Clopton & family.”
The pass is for the Turnpike and Osborne Road, Confederate States of
America, War Department, Richmond, July 7, 1864, stating “Permission is granted
Mrs. Clopton & family to visit Chasins farm upon honor not to communicate
in writing or verbally, for publication, any fact ascertained, which, if known
to the enemy, might be injurious to the Confederate States of America. (Subject to the discretion of the
military authorities).” The
signature of the Provost Marshall has almost completely faded. The description given of Mrs. Clopton
is that she is aged 65, has blue eyes, dark hair, is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, and
has a fair complexion. On the fact
Mrs. Clopton swears, “I, Mrs. Clopton & family, do solemnly swear or
affirm, that I will bear true faith and yield obedience to the Confederate
States of America, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against
their enem[i]es.”
Richmond on Fire!!![83]
Mrs. Clopton… was one woman who showed the reverse of
fear...
When the first of the Federals came in view, Mrs.
Clopton
Stationed herself in front of her home and demanded
Protection.
The next day General Jefferson C. Davis[84]
pitched
His tent at the front gate.
Mrs. Judge was once again living at “Clopton House” in
Manchester. Her daughter, Sarah
Jane, and her husband having acquired the property from her parents.[85] In April of 1865, as the City of
Richmond burned[86], wounded
and sick Confederate soldiers were placed in trains and taken to the Manchester
side of the James River. The
bridge was then destroyed to slow the progress of the Union Troops into
Richmond. The men lay
helpless. The women, children, and
wounded men had been deserted. And
the enemy would be upon them soon.
Mrs. Clopton,[87]
seeing their condition, though the Northern Army was expected to enter the town
at any moment, went with her daughters and a few ladies of the town and female
slaves, and bore these disabled men to the house at the corner of McDonough and
Eleventh streets, and tenderly nursed and cared for them. Just as this had been accomplished,
Mrs. Clopton perceiving the “Yankees” approaching, made her daughters and the
other ladies go into the house, and boldly marched out to meet the enemy,
though they were negro troops.
As they approached her,
she said to the foremost, “Boys – stop!
I wish to speak to you.” And so commanding was her presence and voice
that they stopped and took off their hats. She then told them that she wished them to protect the
solders in her hospital, which they readily assented to do, until the Colonel
commanding came up, when he took charge, permitting her and the other ladies to
care for the wounded and sick Confederates.
The fields around her
place were covered by the encampment of the Federal forces, who continued to
pour into the town; but they respected her premises. Later on a large force from Sherman’s army arrived and the
commanding officer, General Jefferson C. Davis, caused his tent to be pitched
at the front gate of the yard, so that the gate would be the rear of the
tent. This officer was not very
gracious, and was rather overbearing, but in a short time General Ord arrived,
and Mrs. Clopton had known him while she lived at Old Point and he was at
Fortress Monroe, he treated the family with courtesy and consideration and
protected them and the place
Rude though General Davis may have been, it was well
the women and wounded men had protection.
President Lincoln himself toured the flame ravaged city on April 4. Before the evacuation, the Mayor of
Richmond, Joseph Mayo had ordered all liquor to be destroyed. The contents of barrels and bottles
were emptied into the streets but enough whisky had gone undestroyed in the
confusion of evacuation. Lincoln
was met by drunken troops and hoodlums roaming the streets unfettered by civil
authority.[88]
While
Judge Clopton’s wife and daughters bravely endured the devastating war, his son,
William Izzard, gained fame on the battle field.
A Fair Field of Battle
These
blended qualities of mind and heart
Made
him most accomplished and eminent
As
an attorney, a statesman, a judge and a gentleman. [89]
Like his father and his grandfather, William Izzard
Clopton served his beloved Virginia his entire life. The following excerpt of a dispatch highlighting one battle
in which William participated was written during the earliest months of the Civil
War. Enthusiasm was still very
high and the officers and enlisted men were filled with confidence.
No. 66
Report of Brig. Gen. R. H. Anderson, C. S. Army,
commanding Second
Brigade.
HDQRS. SECOND BRIG.,
SECOND DIV., CENTRAL FORCES,
Camp near Christian’s Mill, May 10, 1862
CAPTAIN: Under
the instructions which I received on the evening of the 4th instant
I occupied at about dark the redoubt near Williamsburg with the troops of
General Pryor’s and my own brigade, to which Captain Macon’s battery, under
command of Lieut. William I. Clopton, two guns of Captain Garrett’s battery,
and a section of Capt. Edward McCarthy’s batter, of the Richmond Howitzers,
were temporarily attached.
…At 6 o’clock in the morning
of the 5th (of May)…A very warm encounter immediately ensured. The enemy had the advantage of entire
concealment in the thickets until our troops were within a very close range,
and from his hiding places he poured tremendous volleys upon our men, but
nothing could check their ardor.
As soon as the fire of the enemy disclosed his position they rushed upon
him and compelled him to retire.
General Pickett arrived with his brigade and took a position on the
extreme right. That part of
Pryor’s brigade which had been left in the redoubts was brought up and the
fight grew hot.
…On
the right the enemy was steadily driven from the woods to the fallen timber, in
which he endeavored to make a stand, but the spirit of our men was fully
aroused. Step by step and hour by
hour they continued steadily to advance and to compel the enemy to give
ground. All his cannon except one
were silenced or captured, and victory seemed almost within our grasp, when
night came on and put an end to the conflict.
Of
the results of the engagement I cannot at present give an accurate
account. Commanders of brigades
have had neither the time nor opportunity to make their reports. …The evidences left upon the ground
show that the advantage lay largely on our side in the numbers of killed and
wounded. The woods were literally
strewn with the dead and wounded of the enemy and with his arms and equipments.
…With the imperfect information which I at present
possess I can only point out the gallant conduct of the commanders of brigades
and batteries, and express my warmest admiration for their zeal and
alacrity. The noble courage shown
by the men generally needs only a fair field to secure its most precious
rewards and to bring freedom and peace to our country…
I
am very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
R. H. ANDERSON,
Brigadier-General, Provisional Army.
Capt. G. MOXLEY SORREL,
A.A.G.,
Second Division, Central Forces, Army of the Potomac.[90]
A
letter[91]
written in 1864 to his mother strikes a relaxed tone. Like his sister’s 1862 letter, it serves as a marvelous
example of how humans manage to maintain their sanity by finding momentary
pleasure in the midst of chaos and terror.
Plymouth N.C.
April 21st ’64
My Dear Mother & Sisters;
Yesterday
this place was taken after a desperate fight. Our company behaved splendidly & received great praise. I got hereon Tuesday morning & was
in two days fighting. We
have two men killed Rourke, & Benton, & many horses, & nine men
wounded. [They have obtained provisions of “richest
description”] . . . preseved
peaches, pears, Apples, figs, tomattoes, sardines, Syrups, jellies, -?-, wines
. . . beyound description. Such a
prize confederate soldiers never got before. I will write again & give the details. Give my love to all inquiring friends .
. .
As
Ever
Most aff. Yours
Wm
I Clopton
And when again, in Southern bowers
The
ray of peace is shining,
Her
maidens gather fairest flowers,
And
honor’s wreaths are twining,
To
bind the brows victorious
On
many a field so gory,
Whose
names renouwned and glorious,
Shall
live in song and story.[92]
The last we hear of Mrs. Judge Clopton it is May 1872. She has buried a husband and at least four of her children. She endured the War while two of her sons and one son-in-law served the Confederacy. The intervening years she traveled often to visit her beloved daughter, Namee. As she writes this letter[93] she does not know her daughter, Sarah Jane[94], will die the following November, but obviously she senses her own life will soon come to an end.
Blackshear
1 May 1872
My dear
Kate[95]
I
am inexpressibly grieved to leave Georgia without seeing you once more. I have only two granddaughters yourself
and Maria[96] and it
disheartens me to think I am so widely separated from both, but I trust you
will both be Christians and meet me in God’s good time in that Heavenly
Jerusalem where there will be no more separation and where we shall live
forever in the presence of our blessed Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – Your
Aunt Charlotte has been busy from early dawn, piecing the leaves [for the]
wreaths for the May Celebration, and the girls generally are like busy
bees. I wish you were here to
assist them.
I
send you this, a Dolly Varden hat and although you may be able to procure them
in Atlanta, yet. I wanted you to
have one as my gift. I sent to
Savannah for it, and it came last night.
We
shall leave for Savannah on tomorrows train, and hope to eat breakfast at home
Saturday morning.
Present
me kindly to Capt. & Mrs. Fore-?-; I have a very pleasant recollection of
both.
Your
Affectionate & loving
Grandmother
Maria
G. Clopton
To
Walk In Peace
Like One who Wraps the Drapery of His Couch
About
him, and Lies down to Please Dreams
As reported in the May 25, 1908 edition of the Richmond
Times Dispatch reads: “In
conjunction with the regular meeting of the board of supervisors here to-day
there was held . . . a
mass-meeting of the citizens to unveil the portrait of Judge William I. Clopton
in the courthouse. . . . The unveiling of Judge Clopton’s
portrait occasioned much enthusiasm in the crowded courtroom. Dr. Chas. M. Hazen, who was introduced
by Hon. P. V. Cogbill, chairman of the citizens’ mass-meeting, made the
presentation speech, recounting the judge’s courageous acts as soldier, citizen
and jurist, pointing as a matter of county pride to his splendid record. The speech of acceptance on behalf of
the board of supervisors and the county at large was made by Judge J. M. Gregory,
Commonwealth’s attorney, who was followed by Mr. Ben P. Owne, Jr., both of whom
were heard with pleasure. The
picture is considered a fine likeness of Judge Clopton as he appeared in his
younger days, as perhaps most of the county people remember him as judge of the
old County Court.” The portrait is
displayed at the Old Chesterfield County Courthouse.
With the fall of the Confederacy, William Izard
Clopton returned “to the walks of peace and the labors of his profession.”[97] In 1868 he married Alice Baird, the
daughter of Douglas Baird, a native of Scotland. A directory in 1877 lists Mr. Baird’s occupation as
superintendent of an iron works.
She grew up in a lovely Manchester estate located at 416 West Twelfth
Street. Her sister, Jennie,[98]
was an accomplished singer. In the
November 13, 1880 edition of the Richmond Whig, her recital the night
before was proclaimed “An Artistic Triumph.” The article continued, “our sister city over the water
[Manchester] is to be congratulated on the possession of so rare a treasure.”[99] Possibly influenced by his
sister-in-law, in June 1878, the Manchester Musical Association was organized,
with Judge Clopton as its first president.[100]
Alas, no children would bless this marriage, and she
would die in 1893. The grieving
William buried her in Maury Cemetery.
The lovely “Red Queen”
memorial to Judge Clopton’s first wife, Alice Baird, at Maury Cemetery, South
Richmond. The inscriptions
reads: “In memory of Alice wife of
Judge William Clopton. Born March
31, 1848, Died January 2, 1893.
Hers was a pure and gentle spirit yet brave and heroic and absolutely
without fear when occasion demanded.
Passing from the joys and sorrows of this transitory life she now rests
in eternal bliss with her savior.
Her chief delight was to contribute to the happiness of her loved
ones.” In this 2001 photograph,
the well preserved monument features delicate carvings.
A second, brief marriage to Minnie Vaden, of “Buck
Hill,” Chesterfield County, also failed to produce an heir. In addition to the law, he was a
passionate Mason. Both he and his
brother, Francis Bacon Clopton, were members of Manchester Lodge Number
14. Judge Clopton was elected Worshipful
Master of the Lodge in June 1881 and then served as District Deputy Grand
Master in 1887. On November 20,
1886 Manchester Lodge had its Centennial Celebration at the old Bon Air Hotel
in Bon Air and he delivered the Centennial address.[101]
The Mason Apron he wore on special Masonic events was
presented to him by William A. Weisiger, M.D. Dr. Weisiger wore the apron at the laying of the cornerstone
of Washington’s statue in Capital Square in 1850. Judge Clopton presented this apron to the lodge in 1900.[102]
He maintained strong family ties with his sisters,
Joyce, Charlotte and Catherine.
Charlotte and Kate, as she was called, never married, and operated a
private school into the early 1890’s near his home at 14th and
Porter streets.[103] He would outlive them all.
When he died in 1909, the Richmond Times Dispatch[104]
carried a lengthy obituary.
JUDGE CLOPTON
DIES AFTER LONG
AND USEFUL LIFE
End
Came at Crockett Springs,
Where
He had Gone on Ad-
Vice
of Physician
HOLD
FUNERAL TO-MORROW
News
of His Death Cast Gloom
Over
Manchester – Sketch
of
His Career.
Judge William I. Clopton, of the Corporation Court of
the city of Manchester, died yesterday morning at 5 o’clock at Crockett
Springs, after an illness of three weeks.
He was seventy years old in June.
Although it was realized that his condition was
serious, it was thought that a change for the better had taken place on
Wednesday, and physicians in attendance were hopeful of his recovery. At the hour of his death Judge Clopton
was attended at his bedside by his wife, he brother-in-law, B. P. Vaden, and
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Laura A. Vaden
Judge Clopton had been in ill health for some months,
and, in fact, for the past year he had almost been incapacitated. His death was due to Bright’s disease and
other complications.
Funeral To-Morrow
The news of his death reached Manchester shortly after
9 o’clock, and by noon it was known throughout the city. It cast a gloom over the entire
community. His remains will arrive
here this morning at 7 o’clock over the Norfolk and Western Railway, and will
be met at the Richmond depot by a committee of officers and citizens, who will
escort the body to Judge Clopton’s home, at Fourteenth and Porter Streets. Those who will act as escort are J. R.
Perdue, S. R. Owens, J. C. Snellings, H. A. Maurice, H. E. DuVal, W. C.
Pulliam, E. H. Wells, and T. J. Smith.
The hour of the funeral has not been decided upon, and
the arrangements will not be completed until some time to-day. It is more than probable that the funeral
will take place to-morrow.
Judge Clopton is survived by his wife and two nephews,
Charles and Jefferson Wallace, both of Richmond. He also leaves a nephew, Paul Pulliam, of Prince George
county.
In speaking of his death, Commissioner S. R. Owens said
yesterday: “Judge Clopton was
perhaps the most intimate friend I ever had, and in his death I feel that I
have lost a brother. He was a
splendid type of the Christian gentleman, and in public affairs was most
economical.
“During his administration as judge of Chesterfield
and Manchester, he saved both the city and county large sums of money. In his death this community suffers a
great loss.”
His last official act before leaving for Crockett
Springs four weeks ago, on the morning of his departure, was to appoint S. R.
Owen’s to succeed himself as Commissioner of Revenue for the city of
Manchester.
Sketch of His Career
Judge Clopton was born in Henrico county, May 27,
1839. He was the son of Judge John
Bacon Clopton, a distinguished lawyer and jurist of Virginia, who died in
1860. He graduated from William
and Mary College in 1857, and he immediately began the study of law with his
father, and at twenty years of age was admitted to the bar and entered upon the
practice of his profession in Richmond.
In the spring of 1861, he entered the service of the Confederate army as
second lieutenant of the Richmond Fayette Artillery. He served throughout the whole war, and participated in
thirty different engagements, but was not wounded. In October, 1861, he was promoted to first lieutenant, and
to a captaincy in March, 1865. He
had, however, commanded his battery almost continuously since April 1862.
He was in the battles of Williamsburg, Seven Pines,
Mechanicsville, Gaine’s Mill, Frazier’s Farm, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas,
Crampton’s Gap, Antietam, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Plymouth, N.C.; Second Cold
Harbor and Petersburg; also Ream’s Station, Hatcher’s Run, and Fort Harrison.
In 1865 he resumed the practice of law in Richmond,
his home, however, being in Manchester.
He was elected City Attorney of Manchester in 1866, and held the office
constantly until 1874. In 1871 he
was elected a member of the lower house of the State Legislature, and served
one term. He was elected judge of
Chesterfield county in the fall of 1873; and in the same fall was elected judge
of the Corporation Court of the city of Manchester. He served in that dual capacity for a term of six
years. In 1884 Judge Clopton was
re-elected City Attorney of Manchester, and held the position until 1903.
Succeeded Judge Ingram.
In 1885 he was re-elected judge of Chesterfield
county, and also held that position until October, 1903, when he was appointed
judge of the Corporation Court of Manchester, to succeed Judge John H. Ingram,
who was appointed judge of the Law and Equity Court of Richmond. At the expiration of the term he was
elected by the Legislature to serve two years, and the last Legislature elected
him to succeed himself for a term of six years, which began on February 1,
1909.
Judge Clopton was an active and prominent figure at
the bar in Virginia, and was a member of the State Bar Association, and took
great interest in the annual meetings of that organization.
While not acting in an official capacity, he practiced
law chiefly in Manchester, during the past forty years. He was an official member of Central
Methodist Episcopal Church, a Democrat in politics, a Royal Arch Mason, and
deputy grandmaster of the Thirty-First Virginia District. He was a member of Manchester Lodge No.
14.
Judge Clopton was married to Miss Alice Baird,
daughter of Douglas Baird, of Richmond, in April 1868. She died some years later, and he then
married Miss Minnie Vaden, daughter of Mrs. Laura A. Vaden, who survives
him. There were no children from
either of these unions.
Judge Clopton was descended from William Clopton, who
came from England to Virginia in the seventeenth century.
At the time of his death
William Izard Clopton was a member of Central Methodist Episcopal Church, now
Central United Methodist Church, at 1211 Porter Street, just one block east of
his home on the northeast corner of 14th and Porter Streets. The house is no longer standing. His funeral service was conducted from
the church, and Manchester Lodge No. 14 accompanied his body to Maury Cemetery
where he was laid to rest with Masonic Honors.
The resolution passed at the time of his death
eloquently commented on his wisdom and character:
Judge
Clopton was profoundly learned in letters and the principles of jurisprudence,
and the practice of the law. He
was a proficient and enthusiastic student of history, and was devoted to researches
in science, botany, and literature.
He possessed a brilliant mind, a clear and sound judgement and a most
retentive memory, which attributes enabled him to master and perform with
unusual ability and acumen the functions and duties of Lawyer, Legislator, and
Jurist. His performance of these
varied duties was distinguished by independence, firmness, impartiality
courtesy and justice. These
blended qualities of mind and heart made him most accomplished an eminent as an
attorney, a statesman, a judge and a gentleman, and won for him the love and
esteem of all who came in contact with him.
He was
a Christian of staunch and implicit faith in the Word of God and its Holy
Teachings, and in salvation through Jesus Christ; and for the last twenty years
of his life was a faithful and beloved
communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and a member of
the Central Methodist Church of this City. He died in the full communion and fellowship of the Church;
and on July 25th, 1909 fell asleep.
“Like
one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About
him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.”
In all the relations of life he obtained and retained
the love, the esteem and the admiration of the people, and his memory will live
as an enduring fragrance and benediction among them, and an inspiration in the
years that are to come.
Animated by these considerations, and that we, the Bar
of the City of Manchester, and Citizens, assembled, may place upon record a
suitable and enduring tribute to the Honorable William Izzard Clopton, we
hereby declare:
1.
That, we, in his
death, deplore the loss of a true friend, learned and exalted Judge, a pure and
patriotic citizen, and a devout Christian;
2.
That we extend to
his bereaved widow out sincere sympathy and affectionate consideration.
3.
That we request
the Judges of the Corporation Court of this City, the Circuit Court of the
County of Chesterfield and the Circuit Court, the Law & Equity Court, the
Chancery Court, the Hustings Court of Richmond, Virginia and the Supreme Court
of Appeals of Virginia, to cause this memorial to be spread upon the records of
their respective courts:
4.
That we request
the papers of this City and of the City of Richmond, Virginia, to publish these
resolutions; and
5.
That a copy hereof
be engrossed and sent to his Widow.
Respectfully reported
John H. Ingram Chairman
Samuel B. Whitt
Chas L Page Committee
E. H. Wells
David L Pulliam
A Prince and A Great Man Is Fallen This Day
Whereas the
DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON
THE 25TH DAY OF July, 1909:
and, Whereas this Board Of Supervisors, representative of the people of
the County of Chesterfield, deems it to be its duty to the people of the county
to place upon record a memorial of their appreciation of his high character and
of the great and valuable public services by him, therefore it doth hereby
enter upon record a brief history of his life and distinguished career.
William Izzard Clopton
was born in Henrico County May 27th, 1830, a son of Judge John Bacon
Clopton, a distinguished jurist of Virginia, and a descendant of Nathaniel
Bacon, so-called The Rebel; was educated at William and Mary College and was
admitted to the bar at twenty years of age. In April, 1861, he entered the Confederate Army as Second
Lieutenant of the Richmond Fayette Artillery; was promoted to First Lieutenancy
in 1861, and to Captaincy in March, 1865, though he had commanded his battery
almost continuously since April, 1862.
He was in more than thirty engagements, among them the battles of
Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Gaines’ Mill, Frazier’s Farm,
Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Drewry’s Bluff, Crampton’s Gap, Antietam or
Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Plymouth, N.C., Second Cold Harbour, Ream’s Station,
Hatcher’s Run, Fort Harrison, Suffolk, and the defense of Petersburg.
He was Attorney for the
town of Manchester from 1866 to 1874; represented Chesterfield and Manchester
in the House of Delegates in 1871-2; was Chesterfield County Judge and Judge of
the Hustings Court of Manchester from 1874 to 1880, and again County Judge from
1886 to October, 1903, when he resigned to accept the Judgeship of the Hustings
Court of Manchester, which office he held until his death. He was also City Attorney of Manchester
from 1884 to 1903.
Judge Clopton was learned
in letters and in law, possessed a fine judicial mind and was imbued with the
principles of justice and equity.
He was distinguished as a Judge, and his decisions were often quoted as
authority not only within but beyond the jurisdiction of his courts, and in
some instances, by approval of the Supreme Court of Appeals, became law of the
land.
He was justly held in
highest esteem by the people of Chesterfield County, and in return he loved
them and was greatly interested in the welfare of the County though he was not
a residence thereof. He was a
leader in the movement which erected the monument to the Confederate Soldiers
on the Courthouse Green, and himself induced the planting of the young shade
trees now beautifully adorning the Court Green, personally directing the
planting and afterwards the care and cultivation of them.
He felt much interest
in the improvement of the public roads, and contributed largely in material to
that end.
He had implicit faith in
the Christian religion, and for the past twenty years was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
He died full of the faith, entering into the rest that remaineth for the
people of God.
Truly a ‘prince and a
great man is fallen this day in Israel.’
By
2001, a few of the trees planted and cared for so lovingly by Judge Clopton
still stand as does the Confederate Monument which he dedicated September 23,
1903.
The twenty foot tall monument
to William Izard Clopton at Maury Cemetery, South Richmond was, in 2001, in
good condition. The cemetery is
just west of Jeff Davis Highway off Maury Street. Inscriptions around the monument read: “William Izard Clopton
Captain of Richmond Fayette Artillery Cabell’s Battalion Pickett’s Division,
A.M.V. He served his country with signal gallantry and devotion throughout the
War, from April 1861 to April 1865 and surrendered at Appomattox. Born May 27, 1839, Died July 25,
1909. He sleeps the sleep of the
brave and just and “His Rest Shall Be Glorious.” Lawyer.
Legislator. Judge. Friend. And Christian Gentleman.” His grave and that of his first wife,
Alice Baird, are the only two in the large plot.
1. John Bacon20 Clopton,
Sr., War of 1812 Veteran (John19,
William18, 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 February 12, 1789 in "Roslyn" New Kent County, Virginia and
possibly baptized at Black Creek Baptist Church, and died March 29, 1860 in Old
Point Comfort, Virginia and buried at "Roslyn"2. He married Maria Gaitskell Foster
May 4, 1820 in Henrico County, Virginia by the Rev. John Buchanon. Bentley Anderson gives surety on April
22, 18203, daughter of John Foster and Jane Gandy. She was born February 9, 1799 in
Manchester, Chesterfield County, Virginia, now Richmond, Virginia, and died
November 23, 1873 in Manchester, Virginia and buried Hollywood Cemetery,
Richmond4.
The
John Clopton Papers, 1629 (1775-1897) 1915, Collection Number 1115, 11,890
items and 26 volumes, is located in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Manuscript Department, Duke University, Durham, North
Carolina and includes: Family
correspondence and miscellaneous papers of four generations of the Clopton
family and three generations of the Wallace family. The papers from 1629 to
1732 are genealogical records, much of it inaccurate. Papers of John Clopton
(1756-1816), Virginia legislator and U.S. Representative, 1795-1799, 1801-1816,
contain comments on the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress, Jay's
Treaty, the Alien and Sedition Acts, politics in the Jeffersonian Republican
Party, the Embargo Act, American relations with France, and the fear of a slave
insurrection. Letters to a son, John Bacon Clopton (b. 1785), Virginia judge,
pertain to the operation of a plantation in New Kent County. Correspondence of
Charles Montriou Wallace, Sr. (1825-1910), Richmond merchant, includes accounts
of an overland journey to California, 1849, and subsequent residence there;
Confederate trade with Nassau and England; Reconstruction in the South; the
writer's early life in Richmond; politics in Richmond and Virginia; travels in
England, Scotland, and the South; literary pursuits, especially book
collection, and other matters. Also of interest are letters of William Manson
Wallace, Jr., describing life in the U.S. Navy, 1845; letters of Jefferson
Wallace (1823-1864) describing a journey to California by way of Panama, and
from St. George, Bermuda, concerning a secret mission for the Confederate
government; Civil War letters from William Izard Clopton, and others from his
mother, Maria (Foster) Clopton, wife of John B. Clopton; letters from the
Crenshaw commission firm in Richmond concerning wartime and postwar business
conditions; letters of Jefferson Wallace (b. 1864), concerning the publishing,
fertilizer, and insurance businesses; letters of Adelaide Clopton, a teacher
who was a granddaughter of John Clopton, relating to the Chesapeake Female
College; and letters from Wallace relatives in Scotland and England. Volumes
include financial record books, 1861-1865, of Adelaide Clopton, containing
lists of students, tuition accounts, and the minutes and the constitution of
the Keecoughton Literary Society at Chesapeake Female College; housekeeping
accounts, ca. 1857-1885; a poetry scrapbook, and an essay on "Knitting in
Virginia as a Fine Art," 1898-1899, by Joyce Wilkinson (Clopton) Wallace;
legal case book, 1820, of John B. Clopton; lists of books belonging to Charles
M. Wallace, Sr.; diaries and journals, 1865-1910, of Charles M. Wallace,
including accounts of his travels in England, Scotland, and the American South;
the record book of the Black Creek Temperance Society of Hanover County,
Virginia, 1830-1831; account books of Jefferson Wallace; and a daybook and
ledger, 1860-1867, of William Wallace & Sons, grocers and liquor dealers.
Children of John Clopton and
Maria Foster are:
2 i. John Bacon21
Clopton, Jr., born March 7, 1821 in "Roslyn," New Kent County,
Virginia5; died July 30, 18216.
3 ii. Sarah Jane Clopton, of
Manchester, born December 17, 1822 in "Roslyn," New Kent County,
Virginia7; died November 22, 1872 in "Clopton
House" Manchester, Chesterfield County, Virginia, now Richmond8. She married David Mosby Pulliam, Esq.
December 19, 1850 in Chesterfield County, Virginia, at the residence of Timothy
Rives, Esq. by Rev. J. S. Reynoldson with the consent of her father, Judge John
B. Clopton. William L. Cheatham,
witness9,10; born November 19, 1814 in Manchester,
Chesterfield County, Virginia, possibly, now Richmond11; died
in Manchester, Virginia, possibly.
The
Sarah Jane Clopton Pulliam Account Book, 1859-1861, One Volume, 68 pages,
Collection, Number 4346, is located in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Manuscript Department, Duke University, Durham, North
Carolina.
4 iii. Maria Adelaide M. St.G. de la
Croix Clopton, born June 14, 1825 in "Roslyn," New Kent County,
Virginia12; died Abt. July 1862 in Virginia and buried
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond13,13.
Her complete name is
Marie Louise Adelaide Miliote St. de la Croix Gernon Clopton.
5 iv. Catherine Flood McCall
"Kate" Clopton, born February 22, 1827 in "Roslyn," New
Kent County, Virginia14,15; died December 1895 in Washington,
D.C. and buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond16.
6 v. Ann Churchill Clopton, born
June 1, 1828 in "Roslyn," New Kent County, Virginia17;
died July 4, 1829 in "Roslyn," New Kent County, Virginia18.
7 vi. Francis Bacon Clopton, Sr.,
C.S.A., born May 18, 1830 in "Roslyn," New Kent County, Virginia19;
died October 22, 1865 in Chesterfield County, Virginia and, following a funeral
service held at "Clopton House," buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond
with Masonic Rites20,21. He married Mary C. Boyd December 17, 1858 in Virginia by the
Rev. W. H. Kinckle22,23; born December 4, 1834 in Lynchburg,
Virginia24; died October 16, 1910 in Portland, Oregon and
buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond25.
8 vii. Namee Clopton, of
"Roslyn", born April 8, 1833 in "Roslyn," New Kent County,
Virginia26; died March 20, 1881 in Blackshear, Pierce County,
Georgia27. She
married John Calhoun Nichols, Esq., C.S.A. of "Roselawn" September
20, 1855 in Virginia, by the Rev. William M. Young27; born
April 26, 1833 in Clinton, Jones County, Georgia28; died
December 25, 1893 in Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia28.
9 viii. Joyce Wilkinson Clopton29,
born August 28, 1835 in "Clopton Hill" Manchester, Virginia; died
December 30, 1906. She married
Charles Montriou Wallace, Sr.; born February 24, 1825; died April 10, 1910.
10 ix. John Carew Clopton29,
born Abt. 1837 in Virginia; died 1845 in Virginia by drowning in the James
River30.
11 x. William Izard Clopton, C.S.A.31,
born May 27, 1839 in Henrico County, Virginia32; died July
25, 1909 in Crockett Springs, Virginia of Bright's disease. His service was conducted from Central
Methodist Church near his Manchester homee, and he was buried at Maury Cemetery, Chesterfield County,
now the City of Richmond, with Masonic Honors33. He married (1) Alice Baird April 14,
186834; born March 31, 1848 in Richmond, Virginia, probably35;
died January 2, 1893 in Virginia, probably, and buried at Maury Cemetery,
Chesterfield, Virginia, now the City of Richmond. She was buried July 2536. He married (2) Minnie Vaden, of
"Buck Hill"37 Aft. 1893; died in Virginia,
probably. She must have remarried
because she is not buried in the large cemetery plot with her husband and his
first wife.
12 xi. Walter Churchill Clopton,
born 1841.
13 xii. Charlotte Septimia Devereux
Clopton, born Abt. 184238; died Abt. May 1903 in Manchester,
Chesterfield County, now Richmond, Virginia and buried Hollywood Cemetery,
Richmond39.
Endnotes
1. War of 1812 Pay Rolls and Muster Rolls available on
microfilm through the Library of Virginia, Pay Rolls of Militia Entitled to
Land Bounty Under the Act of Congress of September 28, 1850 (Richmond, 1851)
& Muster Rolls of the Virginia Militia, (Courtesy of Virginia Gale "Jenny" (Snyder)
DeBardeleben Polzin).
2. John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Family
Bible, John Bacon Clopton was buried at Roslyn March 30, 1860.
3. John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Family
Bible, John Bacon Clopton and Marie G. Foster were married Thursday, May
4th 1820 by Rev. John Buchanon.
The Virginia Marriage Index, 1740-1850 notes bond was made April 22,
1820 at Henrico County, courtesy of Leonard Alton Wood.
4. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll (Taylor) Everette and
Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant
General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company, No grave marker was found. Section L, Lot 94, Foilio 198, date of
interment, November 25, 1873. She
was aged 74 years, 9 months and 14 days at death.
5. John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Family
Bible, John Bacon Clopton Junr, son of John Bacon Clopton and Marie F.
Foster, was born on Friday at 4 o'clock P.M. March 7, 1821. Because the family did not move to the
Richmond area until 1834, it is presumed all of the children born prior to that
date were born at Roslyn.
6. John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Family
Bible, John Bacon Clopton, Jun. departed this life on Monday, July 30,
1821, at 10:45 A.M., age 4 months 21 days.
7. John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Family
Bible, Sarah Jane Clopton, first daughter of John Bacon Clopton and Marie
G. Foster, was born on Monday the 17th December 1822 about 6 o'clock in the
morning.
8. "Richmond (Virginia) Dispatch," Microfilm located
Virginia State Library and Archives.
Courtesy of Bert Hampton Blanton, Jr., Saturday, September 23, 1872..
9. Marriage Notices from Richmond Newspapers, 1841-1853, (Copy located Clopton Family Archives,
courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), p. 208, Notice appeared in both
"Richmond Enquirers," December 24, 1850, p. 2. Virginia Marriage Index, 1740-1850,
notes bond was made December 11, 1850 at Chesterfield County, Virginia,
courtesy of Leonard Alton Wood.
10. Weisiger, Marriage Bonds &
Ministers' Returns of Chesterfield County, Virginia 1816-1853, (Courtesy Chesterfield Historical
Society of Virginia), p. 114, Marriage Book page 356. Bond given December 11, 1850.
11. Richmond (Virginia) Enquirer, (Microfilm MSS10:no.296, located
Virginia State Library and Archives.
Courtesy of Bert Hampton Blanton, Jr.), December 25, 1850, p. 2, column
5, In marriage announcement states he is "of Manchester."
12. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible, Marie Louise Adelaide M. St. Croix German
Clopton, second daughter of John Bacon Clopton and Marie G. Foster, was born in
New Kent on Friday, June 14th 1825 about 5 o'clock P.M.
13. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company.
14. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible, Catherine McCall Clopton, third daughter of
John Bacon Clopton and Marie G. Foster, was born Feb. 22, 1827 about daylight.
15. Weisiger, Old Manchester and Its
Environs, 1769-1910, (Copy
located Clopton Family Archives, courtesy Chesterfield Historical Society of
Virginia), p. 39, Refers to a private school "Misses Kate and Charlotte
Clopton" operated at 14th and Porter streets in Manchester.
16. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company.
17. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible, Ann Churchill Clopton, fourth daughter of
John Bacon Clopton and Marie G. Foster, was born on Sunday the first day of
June 1828 between 9 and 10 O'clock in the morning.
18. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible, Ann Churchill Clopton departed this life 10
o'clock, Saturday evening July 4th 1829.
Age 13 months 8 days.
19. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible, Francis Bacon Clopton, second son of John
Bacon Clopton and Marie G. Foster, was born on Tuesday 18th day of May 1830
about 10 o'clock in the morning.
20. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company,
Tombstone, loc. cit. Section L, Lot 94.
A eulogy to his brother, William Izard Clopton, states Francis' funeral
took place at Clopton Hill, the name of the estate. It goes on to say that it was the home of his mother, but by
this date it was owned by his sister, Sarah Jane and her husband
21. Petersburg (Virginia) Daily Express, (Courtesy of Virginia Gale
"Jenny" (Snyder) DeBardeleben Polzin), October 25, 1865.
22. The Southern Churchman, 1835-1941, (Abstract located Virginia Historical
Society, courtesy of Suellen (Clopton) DeLoach Blanton), December 17, 1858,
States she is the daughter of the late James M. Boyd of Lynchburg.
23. Petersburg (Virginia) Daily Express, (Courtesy of Virginia Gale
"Jenny" (Snyder) DeBardeleben Polzin), November 20, 1858, States he
is Frank B. Clopton of Richmond and that Mary C. Boyd is of Lynchburg. They were married on the 17th.
24. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company.
25. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company,
Section L, Lot 94. States date of
interment March 27, 1911 and place of birth, Portland, Oregon. Their names and dates of birth and
death are on the same stone, and the stone is in excellent condition.
26. Pulliam, The News, "The Clopton
House", (Courtesy of the
Virginia Historical Society), "Lanham's Biographical Annals 2nd Edition, Page 363.
27. Pulliam, The News, "The Clopton
House", (Courtesy of the
Virginia Historical Society), Lanham's Biographical Annals, 2nd Edition, p 363.
28. Huxford, History of Clinch County,
Georgia, (Courtesy of Diana
Sjoberg).
29. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible.
30. Erwin, Ancestry of William Clopton
of York County, (Copy located
Clopton Family Archives, courtesy of William Purcell Clopton), p. 112., She
lists his name simply as "Jack."
31. John Bacon Clopton & Maria
Gaitskell Foster Family Bible.
32. Tombstone, loc. cit.
33. Free Lance (Fredericksburg,
Virginia) 1885-1926,
(Microfilm located Rappahannock County Regional Library,
Fredericksburg. Courtesy of Bert
Hampton Blanton, Jr.), July 27, 1909.
34. Tribute to the Rt. Worshipful William
Izard Clopton upon his death, Manchester Number 14.
35. Tombstone.
36. Tombstone, loc. cit.
37. Virginia Historical Society
Microfilm and Manuscript Collections, For additional references see the Gregory
Family Papers 1900-1962, MSS1 G8626 b 1-39.
38. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company.
39. Hollywood Cemetery, Courtesy Carroll
(Taylor) Everette and Patsy Ann (Clopton) Wheeler with special thanks to
Woodrow C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company,
Section L, Lot 94.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Comments? Questions? Corrections?
Contact [email protected]
[1]In Praise of Mint Juleps is an excerpt from The Clopton Chronicles, the
Ancestors and Descendants of Sir Thomas Clopton, Knt., & 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.
Suellen (Clopton)
DeLoach Blanton is Founder and Executive Director of The Clopton Family
Genealogical Society & Clopton Family Archives.
[2]In 1961, Louise Adelaide (Henderson) Brodie, began
to seek information on her maternal grandparents, Namee Clopton and William
George Henderson. The Society has
obtained a collection of correspondence with attachments relating to her search
dating from November 7, 1961 through December 8, 1971. This correspondence constitutes much of
the John Bacon Clopton & Maria Gaitskell Foster Collection in the Clopton
Family Archives. Mrs. Rutherfoord
Goodwin, Research Associate, Colonial Williamsburg, Henrietta Runyon Winfrey
(Mrs. Hermon Winfrey), Richmond, and Eleanor S. Brockenbrough, Assistant
Director, Confederate Museum, Richmond were her primary correspondents.
The Society wishes to
thank the following who contributed many of these documents from their files:
Laura Arnett, Visual Resources Assistant, Juleigh Clark, Public Services
Librarian, Gail Greve, Special Collections Librarian, and Cathy Grosfils,
Visual Resources Editorial Librarian, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Library of
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia;
Bert Hampton Blanton, Jr.; Emma G. Caley and Ann Schultz, Central United
Methodist Church, Richmond, Virginia; John M. Coski, Historian, The Museum of
the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia;
Ley Diller and Tamara Puster, Chesterfield Historical Society of
Virginia, Chesterfield, Virginia; Gloucester County Historical Society; Woodrow
C. Harper, Assistant General Manager, Hollywood Cemetery Company, Richmond,
Virginia; Virginia Historical Society, Richmond; Dr. E. Reginald Van Driest, II; The Honorable Frank A. S.
Wright, Judge, The Circuit Court of the City of Richmond; and, Mr. Sam Hodges,
Washington Correspondent, for The Mobile Press Register and The
Mississippi Press, Newhouse News Service, Washington, D.C.. Also thanks to James I. “Bud”
Robertson, Jr., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University and author of Stonewall
Jackson: the Man, the Soldier, the
Legend, which won the Douglas Southall Freeman Award and seven other
national awards; Eric G. Ackermann, Special Collections, University Libraries,
Virginia Tech; and, Leonard Alton Wood for their assistance in the preparation
of In Praise of Mint Juleps.
Also thanks to
Clopton descendants Cecilia Clopton Brown; John Henry Knowlton, Jr.; Carole
Elizabeth Scott, Ph.D.; Francie Lucile (Graham) Smith.
[3] News, February 16, 1901, courtesy Virginia
Historical Society. The News
and the Leader combined in 1903 to become the News Leader.
[4] News, February 16, 1901.
[5] See May You Live A Thousand Years, My Friend!
[6]An abbreviated genealogy follows. For a complete genealogy of this
Clopton line, see The Descendants of William Clopton
of St. Paul’s Parish and his wife Joyce Wilkinson.
[7] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography,
p. 8.
[8]The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, p. 8.
[9]Lucy Lane Erwin (Mrs. William Whitehead Erwin), The
Ancestry of William Clopton of York County, Virginia, p. 162-163
[10] John Tyler was the tenth President of the United
States. He was born March 29, 1790,
Charles City County, Virginia, and died January 18, 1862, Richmond
Virginia. Following the death of
John Bacon Clopton’s father, John Bacon, Tyler beat his opponent, Andrew
Stevenson, who was at that time Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, for
Clopton’s seat. He became
President when Clopton kinsman,
President William Henry Harrison died.
He was considered very independent
and was rejected by both his party, the Democrats, and the Whigs. His entire political career was marked
by unwavering support of states’ rights and strict construction of the
Constitution. He was again
nominated for the presidency in 1844 but withdrew in favor of James K.
Polk. He opposed secession, and
strove to preserve the Union and presided over the Washington Peace
Conference. However, when the
Civil War did break out, he served the Confederacy as a member of the
Confederate House of Representatives.
A number of fine Tyler biographies, including Edwin P. Hoyt’s, John Tyler, The Tenth
President of the United States, Abeland-Schuman, New York, 1969 and Oliver
Perry Chitwood’s, John Tyler Champion of the Old South, Russell &
Russell, Inc., New York, 1964 are available at the Virginia Tech library, which
boasts the largest collection of civil war material in the United States
outside of the Library of Congress.
[11] Dr. Malcolm H Harris,. Old New Kent County Some
Account of The Planters, Plantations, and Places in New Kent County West
Point, Virginia, 1977. Volume I, p. 230.
A photograph of Roslyn, which is no longer standing, is also included in
this work.
[12] Dr. Benjamin Weisiger, III., Old Manchester and
Its Environs, 1769-1910, William Byrd Press, Fine Books Division, Richmond,
1993.
[13] Richmond Virginia News, February 16, 1901.
[14] Richmond Virginia News, February 16, 1901,
Mr. Pulliam interviewed Joyce Wilkinson Clopton for this story. “Mrs. Joyce Wilkinson Clopton Wallace,
of Richmond, the wife of Charles M. Wallace, both so broadly and favorably
known throughout, [supplied the] data from which this article is written – and
who so graciously narrated the story of the old mansion and the families whose
memories cluster round its history and give zest to its past.”
[15] Richmond Virginia News, February 16, 1901,
“The house was owned in the latter part of the eighteenth century by Robert
Graham, who was a most elegant gentleman, but who was accidentally killed by
being thrown from his horse in a foxchase, in the county of Chesterfield, which
was then the most favored sport of Virginians. He had greatly beautified the house and the yards and
gardens surrounding it after acquiring the property, and had lavishly expended
his means in enhancing its beautify.
He had terraced the hillside, the rear of the building and also the
declivity toward the garden, north of the mansion. After his death, the property had been acquired, first by a
Mr. Moody who in a short time sold it to Mrs. Sarah Hewlett, who occupied the
house for many years, and in 1826 sold the property to Mr. Alexander Archer of
Manchester. Mr. Archer died about
1847 and [it passed to John Bacon Clopton.].
[16] Richmond Virginia News, February 16, 1901,
“The Seventh Circuit which comprised the county of Chesterfield, and other
counties of the State, was changed, and Richmond City was made the Seventh
Circuit; and the Sixth was made up of the counties of Elizabeth City, Warwick,
York, Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, Henrico, New Kent, Charles City, James
City, and by the change in the Circuits, the town of Manchester, where Judge Clopton
then resided at the “Clopton House.”
[17] Historical Review of: Rt. Worshipful William Izard Clopton, Prepared and
written by Worshipful Garland L. Wells and presented to Manchester Lodge No.
14, May 19, 1986, p. 2.
[18] Richmond Virginia News, February 16, 1901,
stated: [their] doors were ever
open to the young and old. The gay
and serious. The society of the
town and Richmond and in fact, of the Commonwealth, found here congenial
spirits and a hospitable reception and courteous entertainment. The beautiful house was made more
beautiful under their regime by the extended improvements they carried into
effect and the elegant furnishings of its splendid apartments. …Mrs. Clopton was the presiding genius
of the domestic realm. She was a
most generous and hospitable entertainer and the queen of housewives. Her locker was ever overflowing with
dainties and substantials for her guests.
[19] Frances Earle Lutz, Chesterfield, An Old
Virginia County, William Byrd Press, p. 206.
[20] Possibly the Female Academy erected n the site of
the Old Capitol in 1839. See A
Handbook for the Exhibition Buildings of Colonial Williamsburg, published
by the City of Williamsburg, 1947, p. 19.
[21] The Virginia Gazette, Thomas Martin, editor,
July 27, 1854, p. 2, column 3, courtesy John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Library,
Colonial Williamsburg.
[22] Letter dated November 7, 1961 to Mrs. Ralph Brodie
from Mrs. Rutherford Goodwin, Research Associate, Colonial Williamsburg,
courtesy John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Library, Colonial Williamsburg. states The
Virginia Gazette ran an advertisement for the “Old Raleigh Tavern,” signed
by Parkes Slater, Proprietor, in the December 15, 1853 through issue August 3,
1854. Mrs. Goodwin further noted
that the school evidently school was disbanded by 1857, citing The Weekly
Williamsburg Gazette, J. Hervey Ewing, editor. An announcement appeared on June 17, 1857 that the “Old
Raleigh is offered for sale by Mr. Barlow…. J. H. Barlow being one of the
backers of the Raleigh Institute.”
On August 12, 1857, this same paper noted that the “Old Raleigh Tavern,
in this city was recently sold by Mr. J. H. Barlow to Mr. Robert
Blassingham. It brought a pretty
good price we are informed..”
[23] The Virginia Gazette, p. 2, column 6,
courtesy of the John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. Library
[24] The Virginia Gazette, Ewing, courtesy John
D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library.
[25] Keepsake Album, Lippincott, Grambo &
Company, Philadelphia, 1856, courtesy
of the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library has in its Special
Manuscript Collections this album. It is described as containing 102 leave; 20
cm., source unknown, having alternating blue and white pages with gilt
edges. Engravings scattered throughout
the volume including one as a front piece. Joyce’s essay was transcribed in June 1998, by Suellen
(Clopton) DeLoach Blanton and Bert Hampton Blanton, Jr. The curator of the Special Collections
Department would not, unfortunately, permit a photocopy of the pages to be
made.
[26] The album contains a page with the autographs of
some of the students. Dated
Monday, December 22, 1856, the classmates who signed her book were: Virginia J. Griffin, Norfolk County;
Anna Gambol, Warwick; Mary Lou Garrett, Hampton; Annie M. Cox, Fairview Farm,
Norfolk County; Charlotte S. D. Clopton, Williamsburg; and, Betty Vaughn,
Hampton. With the exception
of one brief line of poetry and one color pencil drawing of some flowers, Joyce
had made no more entries.
[27] Joyce Wilkinson Clopton.
[28] William and Mary Quarterly Historical Magazine,
first series, Volume XV (1907), pp. 53-54. Photograph of the Apollo Room courtesy Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation, see http://www.history.org
[29] The Richmond Daily Whig, April 19, 1861, p.
2. The newspaper was published
daily with the exception of Sunday, between November 11, 1828 and December 27,
1888. The title varied and was
called Daily Richmond Whig, Richmond Whig and Commercial Journal, Richmond
Whig and Public Advertiser (RWPA); published weekly from December 1842 to
December 27, 1888, suspended from 1862 to April 30, 1867.
[30] Letter from Louise Adelaide (Henderson) Brodie to
Mrs. Rutherfoord Goodwin, November 26, 1971, courtesy John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Library.
[31] Biographical Directory of the American Congress,
Revised Edition, Washington, D.C., October 1928, lists him as John C.
Nicholls. He was born John
Randolph Nichols but changed his name.
He was born at Clinton, Jones County, Georgia August 25, 1834, the son
of Simon W. Nichols and Argaret Waver.
He was about ten when the family moved to Magnolia. His brother, William M., served in the
Georgia State Senate and the Inferior Court. William’s wife was Miriam Lumpkin, daughter of Governor
Wilson Lumpkin.
[32] Biographical Directory
[33] Biographical Directory
[34] City of Williamsburg, Register of Marriages,
courtesy the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library. A copy located Clopton Family Archives. Her name is misspelled, which often
happened. She is listed as Mamie.
[35] Letter from Mrs. Rutherfoord Goodwin to Louise
Adelaide (Henderson) Brodie, November 23, 1971, courtesy John D. Rockefeller,
Jr. Library. Mrs. Goodwin notes
the October 11, 1855 issue of The Virginia Gazette mentions the church
as being “in process of erection.”
[36] Letter from Mrs. Rutherfoord Goodwin to Louise
Adelaide (Henderson) Brodie, December 8, 1971, courtesy John D. Rockefeller,
Jr. Library.
[37] City of Williamsburg Register of Marriages
[38] City of Williamsburg Register of Marriages
[39]Robert Seager, II. Ph.D., and Tyler too, a
Biography of John & Julia Gardiner Tyler, McGraw-Hill Book Company,
Inc., New York, 1963, LCCCN: 63-14259, p. 417.
[40] The lives of the Tylers and Cloptons intertwined
for many years. See A Beast Comes Calling.
[41] Virginia Magazine, 1960, Volume 68, p. 267,
refers to this story written by
Ralph Hardee Rives which first appeared in the Virginia Magazine of History
and Biography, July 1958 issue.
Also see James City County, Keystone of the Commonwealth, by
Martha W. McCartney, Published by the Donning Company for the James City Board
of Supervisors, James City County, Virginia, 1997, p. 282-283.
[42] Virginia Magazine, 1960, Volume 68, p. 428.
[43] Virginia Magazine, 1960, Volume 68, p. 429.
[44] Julia Gardiner Tyler, President Tyler’s wife. Julia (1844-1862) of Gardiner’s Island,
New York, married as his second wife, June 26, 1844. He was first married to Letitia Christian (1790-1842), March
29, 1813. The following is an
excerpt from the White House web page devoted to the First Ladies. Mrs. Tyler’s biography may be found
at www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/firstladies/html/jt10-plain.html. She was a great beauty as known as the
“Rose of Long Island.” She was the
daughter of Juliana McLachland and David Gardiner, descendant of a prominent
and wealthy New York family. Late
in 1842 the Gardiners went to Washington for the winter social season and Julia
became the undisputed darling of the capital.. Julia and her sister Margaret along with her father joined a
Presidential excursion on the new steam frigate Princeton; and David
Gardiner lost his life in the explosion of a huge naval gun. Julia had seven children.
[45] Seager, and Tyler too, p. 431.
[46] The original one page letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library , The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy is located Clopton Family
Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library. It is in excellent condition.
[47] Earle Lutz, A Richmond Album, Garrett &
Massie, Richmond, 1937, p. 66.
[48]News,
February 16, 1901. A notation in
the typed transcript quotes an unidentified daughter as stating her mother was
the first woman physician in Virginia and the first woman member of the
Virginia Society of Medicine. This
claim must be view with suspicion until more evidence is found to back up this
assertion.
[49]This inscription is found at the beginning of her
Registry Book. The original
document is located at the Confederate Museum, Richmond. A typed copy was made in July 1963 by
Miss Eleanor S. Brockenbrough, Assistant Director of the Museum for Louise H.
Brodie. A copy of this transcript
is located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library. Michael D. Gorman created and maintains
a website, “Civil War Richmond,” at http://www.mdgorman.com/ which includes additional information
relating to the Clopton Hospital.
The index to this material is found at http://www.mdgorman.com/clopton_hospital.htm
[50] Lutz, Earle, A Richmond Album, p. 60.
[51] News, February 16, 1901.
[52] Dr. Henry Augustus Tatum of Richmond.
[53] Lutz, A Richmond Album, p. 60.
[54] Southern Historical Society Papers, New
Series, Number VIII, Whole Number XLVI, “Memoir of Colonel William H. Palmer,” Proceedings of First
Confederate Congress, Second Session in Part, January, 1929, page 237, courtesy
Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond.
[55] Charlotte Clopton Pulliam, the wife of C. L. deVany
[56] A copy of the first page of this article from an
unnamed Richmond newspaper is located Clopton Family Archives, courtesy of the
Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy. It features a photograph of the
hospital and a photograph of a woman, believed to be Mrs. “Judge” Clopton,
however, it is misidentified as “Mrs. Charlotte Clopton, for whom the hospital
was named.”
[57] The surviving register, however, shows entries for
non-commissioned officers, although the original intent may have been to serve
only officers.
[58] It is believed she was born in Virginia.
[59] The original register is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library , The Museum of the Confederacy. It is in excellent condition, however,
the entries made by Mrs. Clopton are very difficult to read. A copy of four of the pages is located
Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
[60] John R. Godkin was married to Sarah Elizabeth “Miz Lizzie” Clopton, of Eatonton,
Putnam County, Georgia, November 6, 1856.
Following the war he styled himself a physician. To learn more about the charming Miz
Lizzie and Dr. Godkin, refer to the chapter, “Dr. Thom.”
[61] The original one page letter and envelope is located
Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library , The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy of both is located Clopton
Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
[62] The original one page letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library , The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy is located Clopton Family
Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library. It is in excellent condition and
beautifully penned.
[63] The original one page letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library , The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy is located Clopton Family
Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library. It is in excellent condition and
beautifully penned.
[64] The original letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy is located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the
Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
[65] The original register is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy of a few of the pages is located Clopton Family
Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
[66] The original 4 page report is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy. A copy is located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the
Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
It is very difficult to read.
The paper is very thin and the writing shows through. It was obviously written in haste and
was possibly meant as a rough draft.
[67] Her daughter, Sarah Jane (Clopton) Pulliam, wife of
David Mosby Pulliam, Esq.
[68] Both William Izard and his brother, Francis Bacon
Clopton, Sr., served in the C.S.A.
[69] Adelaide’s sister, Namee (Clopton) Nichols. Letter courtesy John D. Rockefeller,
Jr. Library. A copy is located
Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library. Letter transcribed July 1998 by Suellen
(Clopton) DeLoach Blanton and her husband, Bert Hampton Blanton, Jr.
[70] Katherine Simons (Nichols) Henderson.
[71] John W. Stepp and I. William Hill, Editors, Mirror
of War, The Washington Star Reports the Civil War, Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1961.
Wheeler, Richard, Sword Over Richmond, An Eyewitness History of
McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, Harper
& Row, New York, 1986. George
B. McClellan’s plan for taking Richmond was to enter the city by crossing to
the south side of the James River and moving up through Petersburg. McClellan graduated second in his class
at West Point and had served with distinction in the Mexican War, but the
Lincoln administration was losing patience as it became clear McClellan was not
an aggressive field commander. The
brilliant but overcautious McClellan, failed in his attempt to take Richmond
dashing all hopes of bringing a quick end to the conflict and making General
Robert E. Lee a hero.
[72] A Mrs. John Curry was a member of the Ladies
Defense Association.
[73] Although the phrase “an illness of two hours and a
half,” could mean he fell ill and quickly died, however, it is the opinion of
Dr. Robertson that Mr. Curry may have been ill for some time and took a turn
for the worse, possibly involving convulsions. One need only visit Richmond in the summer to understand why
a body would decompose quickly, especially, as Dr. Robertson noted, the body
had not been embalmed.
[74] Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary,
Merriam-Webster, Inc., Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1990, p. 228.A
building or chamber in which bodies or bones are deposited.
[75] Colonel John C. Nichols, Esq., Namee’s husband.
[76] Adelaide’s sister, Catherine Flood McCall Clopton.
[77] Possibly William St. Paul Pulliam, Adelaide’s
nephew and the son of her sister, Sarah Jane (Clopton) Pulliam.
[78] Francis Bacon Clopton and William Izard Clopton,
Adelaide’s brothers. Frank would
be killed October 22, 1865
[79] The United States and the Confederate States.
[80] The original letters are part of the Jefferson
Davis Collection at the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the
Confederacy. They are in good
condition, however, the print is very light and difficult to read, especially
considering her penmanship. The
sentences are somewhat disjointed, indicating she was in a hurry when she
penned the letters. Copies of the
letters are located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough
Library.
[81] Jefferson Davis was the President of the
Confederacy. Mrs. Davis was his
second wife, Varina Howell, a Natchez aristocrat who was 18 years his
junior. The Confederate capital
moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond in June 1861.
[82] Following the war he moved to Washington and took
the surname, Lewis. He was a house
servant before being hired to work for Mrs. Davis.
[83] Mirror of War, The Washington Star Reports the
Civil War, p. 335.
Portion of headline from “The Washington Star,” April 3, 1865.
[84]Stewart Sifakis, Who Was Who In The Civil War, Facts
on File Publications, New York, 1988, p. 172, lists a Jefferson Columbus Davis
(1828-1879) as serving with the Union Army but does not specifically place him
in Richmond, Virginia.
[85] News, February 16, 1901.
[86] Mirror of War, The Washington Star Reports the
Civil War, p. 334-335. Before
evacuating Richmond, the rebel army set fire to the city of Richmond, burning
warehouses and ammunition stores over the protests of the municipal government
and some officers. A stiff wind
spread the fires. “We took
Richmond at 8.15 this morning. I
captured many guns. The enemy left
in great haste. They city is on
fire in one place, am making every effort to put it out.” Major General Godrey Weitzel’s
telegraph to the Honorable Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, April 3, 1865,
11 a.m.
[87] Mirror of War, p. 335
[88] A vivid and exciting essay regarding the fate of
Richmond may be found at Fire, Fear and Death: The Fall of Richmond.
[89] In the Matter of The Honorable William Izzard
Clopton, a resolution passed at a meeting of the Bar and the citizens of
the City of Manchester (now Richmond), held September 20, 1909. An attested copy is in the possession
of the Clopton Family Archives.
The members of the Committee were:
John H. Ingram, Judge of the Law and Equity Court of Richmond and
formerly Judge of the Hustings Court of Manchester; Samuel B. Witt, Judge of
the Hustings Court of the City of Richmond and once a political associate of
Judge Cloptons during the reconstruction period; Charles L. Page was
Commonwealth’s Attorney of Manchester; Ernest H. Wells, a prominent lawyer and
Judge Clopton’s successor as Judge of the Manchester Court; and David L.
Pulliam, a prominent lawyer, Superintendent of the public schools and a kinsman
of Judge Clopton’s.
[90] The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Published under the
Director of the Honorable Elihu Root, Secretary of Wary, by Brig. General Fred
C. Ainsworth and Joseph W. Kirkley, Government Printing Office, Washington,
1901 contains several dispatches mentioning William I Clopton. Most large city libraries have at least
one set. Very few university
libraries would not have a set. The entire set has recently become available in CD format.
[91] The original letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library, the Museum of the Confederacy, and a copy at the Clopton
Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library.
[92] “When Peace Returns,” by Olivia Tully Thomas from War
Songs and Poems of the Southern Confederacy, 1861-1865, Collected and
Retold with Personal Reminiscences of the War by H. M. Wharton, D.D.
[93] The original letter is located Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy. It is in very good condition, however, her penmanship has
not improved making it difficult to read.
A copy located Clopton Family Archives courtesy of the Eleanor S.
Brockenbrough Library.
[94] "Died at her
residence in Manchester at 8 P.M. Friday November 22, 1872 Mrs. Sarah Jane
Pulliam, widow of the late David M. Pulliam, and eldest daughter of Judge John
Bacon Clopton, in the 51st year of her age. Her funeral will take place from her late residence on
Sunday the 24th instant, at half past 2 o'clock P.M. The friends and acquaintances of the family are invited to
attend. (The papers of Savannah
Georgia and Portland, Oregon please copy.) "Richmond Dispatch," Saturday, November 23, 1872.
[95] Katherine Simons “Kate” (Nichols) Henderson. The letter is addressed Miss Kate C.
Nichols at Atlanta. She would
marry William George Henderson.
[96] Maria Clopton, the daughter of Francis Bacon
Clopton, Sr. and his wife, Mary Boyd.
Maria would marry Samuel Charles Jackson.
[97] Resolution in Honor of William Izzard Clopton, p.
1-2.
[98] Jennie would marry George Scott McRae, son of Dr.
Algernon S. McRae and grandson of Manchester merchant, Colin McRae.
[99] Weisiger, Old Manchester & Its Environs,
p. 73.
[100] Weisiger, Old Manchester & Its Environs,
p. 23.
[101] Benjamin P. Owen, Jr. Historical Sketch of
Manchester Lodge No. 14, A.F. & A.M., Read at the Celebration of the
Festival of St. John the Evangelist, December 27th, 1906 by Right
Worshipful Ben. P. Owen, Jr., and by him prepared for publication at the
request of the Lodge, November 20th, 1907, Charles E. Picot
Printing Company, Richmond, 1907.
Includes portrait of an older William I. Clopton. The book is dedicated to him and to
John H. Ingram.
[102] Historical Review of: Rt. Worshipful William I. Clopton, p. 4.
[103] Weisiger, Old Manchester & Its Environs,
p. 39.
[104] Copy located Clopton Family Archives courtesy
Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia.