slate river ramblings . . . .

Dwelling house at Locust Dale, 1930.  Courtesy Ruby Agee.

Need to catch up?  Click here: Buckingham Houses: Locust Dale, Part I

In 1799, when Locust Dale was sold to James Ramsey, Peter Guerrant, Jr. (1737-1819) was likely the owner. By 1813/1814, Pierre Guerrant, Jr. was a non-resident of Buckingham County. He died in Kentucky in 1819. He also had a son called Peter, who might have owned or resided on the Locust Dale property.

The land left to Peter Guerrant, Jr. by his father was described as “lying and being on Hunts Creek, one of the branches of Slate River,” which is the rough location of Locust Dale.

Ramsey did not own the property long and it was the Brooks family, beginning with Vincent Reid Brooks, who would become the long time owners of Locust Dale and the historic house. In 1937, when Elizabeth McCraw surveyed the property for the Virginia Historical Inventory, she described the house as follows:

Just back from the highway in a grove of locust trees is the story and a half house. A narrow flagstone walk leads from the front gate to the house. The unpainted beaded weatherboarding on the house is noticeable as one approaches. Through a one story porch one enters a large front room which is about twenty square feet. The side walls are ceiled with planks fourteen inches wide. The ceiling is unfinished, that is, the sleepers are left showing. The ceiling is twelve feet high. From a small hall in the back of the house a narrow cased-in stairway leads to the second floor. The two rooms here are half story ones, lighted by gable windows. On several of the six panel doors the original hand latches are to be seen.

Mrs. McCraw continued, “The present owner says she always understood from her father V. R. Brooks, Jr., that the house was built by either Guerrant or Ramsey. The house is about as it was when her grandfather bought it from Ramsey in 1804.”

~

As with so many early Virginia families, names were often repeated by the Guerrants. This line included several men named Pierre or Peter. Can anyone knowledgeable about the Guerrant family further untangle these Peters? I descend from Magelene (Guerrant) Moseley, daughter of Pierre Guerrant Sr. and his wife, Magdalene Trabue, and am particularly curious!

Coming Next: Buckingham Houses: Locust Dale, Part IV

Mattie Brooks stands by a locust tree at Locust Dale, 1930. Courtesy Ruby Agee.

Need to catch up?  Click here: Buckingham Houses: Locust Dale, Part I

In 1937, Elizabeth McCraw surveyed Locust Dale for the Virginia Historical Inventory, recording the fact that it sat on land once owned by Peter Guerrant, which he sold to James Ramsey in 1799.

Before 1750, Peter Guerrant, Sr. owned extensive land in the section of Albemarle County that would become Buckingham County.  In 1749, he wrote his last will which was transcribed for the Virginia Historical Inventory by Rosa G. Williams in 1937. A copy of the will was in the possession of Mrs. Florence Pratt, who lived in the village of Buckingham. Mrs. Williams noted that the Pratt house sat on the north side of Highway 60, between the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist parsonage. Mrs. Williams’ transcription reads as follows:

In the name of God, Amen. I peter Guerrant of the Parish of King William being in health of body and of sound and disposing mind and memory, praise be Almighty God for the same, but considering the uncertainty of human life, do make this my last will and testament in manner following: that is to say, my just debts being paid first and satisfied.

Item: I give and bequeath to my eldest son John Guerrant Four hundred acres of land, lying on Joshua’s Creek, one of the branches of Slate River in Albemarle County (Now Buckingham), for him and his heirs forever, I also give him, my son John Guerrant, a horse colt called Jockey and my Philadelphia saddle, for him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my son Peter Guerrant, four hundred acres of land lying and being on Hunts Creek, one of the branches of Slate River in Albemarle County (Now Buckingham), for him and his heirs forever. I also give my son Peter Guerrant one feather bed and furniture for him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath to my son Daniel Guerrant four hundred acres of land joining on his brothers John Guerrant’s line, it being part of an order of council for six hundred acres of land on Joshua’s Creek, one of the branches of Slate River in Albemarle County (Now Buckingham) for him and his heirs forever. I also give my son Daniel Guerrant one negro boy named Caesar, for him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my daughter Jane Guerrant two hundred acres of land it being part of the order of council for six hundred acres of land lying and being on Joshua’s Creek, one of the branches of the Slate River in Albemarle County (Now Buckingham) for her and her heirs forever.

Item: If in any case my beloved wife Magdalene Guerrant should happen to be now with child, and it should happen to be a boy, I give him thirty five pounds current money, to be laid out of my personal estate, for him and his heirs forever, if it should happen that my beloved wife is with child of a daughter, my will is that I give her fifteen pounds current money, for her and her heirs forever.

Item: I leave to my beloved wife Magdalene Guerrant the use of the plantation I now live on, with the use of three negroes, Tom, Sarah and Moll during her natural life, and my will is that my beloved wife shall have the use of all the negroes, during the time of her widowhood, Caesar only excepted which is before given to my son Daniel Guerrant but in case that it should happen that there be not movable estate enough to satisfy the legacies before given, my will is that Betty be sold by way of outcry to satisfy the afore given legacies.

Item: My will is that after my beloved wife Magdalene’s decease, that all the negroes and all the plantation I now live on be sold by way of out cry and the money be equally divided among my beloved children who will be living at that time.

Item: I do constitute and ordain my well beloved wife Magdalene Guerrant to be the whole and sole executrix of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof, I have hereto set my hand and fixed my seal, this third day of December, One Thousand Seven hundred and Forty Nine.

Peter Guerrant (Seal)

Pronounced, Signed and Sealed in the presence of William, Sally, Peter, Daniel and Richard Pemberton.

Note: King William Parish was in Cumberland County (1749-1777) and Powhatan County (1777-present).

~

Apparently, Peter Guerrant, Sr. lived and died in Goochland/Cumberland County, making it unlikely that he built the house that became Locust Dale. Did Locust Dale eventually sit on the land left to Peter Guerrant, Jr.?  Was he the builder?

~

The following items, included in other transcriptions of Peter Guerrant’s will, were omitted by Rosa Williams, presumably because the land involved was not in Buckingham County:

Item: I give unto my daughter Esther Guerrant Two hundred acres of land on Collier’s line–it being part of the four hundred acres of land on Mountain Creek in Amelia County, for her and her heirs forever. I also give my daughter Esther Guerrant the other new bed, with what furniture there is to it, and a rug, and two cows and calves for her and her heirs forever, and two pounds of current money, and the two cows and calves to be delivered when she shall attain the age of twenty-one years or married.

Item: I give and bequeath to my daughter Magdalene Guerrant the other two hundred acres of land on Mountain Creek in Amelia County, it being the other part of the four hundred acres, for her and her heirs forever. I also give my daughter Magdalene Guerrant the sun of five pounds Current money to be paid out of my personal estate and two cows and calves, to be delivered after she shall attain the age of twenty-one years or married.

… I also give my daughter Jane Guerrant, the sum of Five pounds Current money, to be paid out of my personal estate, and two cows and calves, to be delivered after she shall attain the age of twenty-one years or married.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my daughter Judith Guerrant, the sum of fifteen pounds Current money for her and her heirs forever.

It is always fascinating to see the varied inheritances of sons and daughters!

Coming Next: Buckingham Houses: Locust Dale, Part III

Mercedes Ludlow in the doorway at Locust Dale, 1983. Courtesy Mercedes Ludlow.

Recently, I was contacted by Mercedes Ludlow who grew up on Penlan Road, Arvonia, Buckingham County. The house she was born in was thought to be built in the 1700s and sat on land once owned by Peter Guerrant. When her parents purchased the property, it was known as the old Brooks farm and the house came with a rich oral history and a nearby cemetery. The Brooks family called it Locust Dale.

The early deeds to property were lost in the 1869 Buckingham County courthouse fire. So, in 1937, when Elizabeth McGraw surveyed Locust Dale for the Virginia Historical Inventory, she based her deed history on collective memory and documents preserved in the Brooks family. Her informant, Miss Emma Brooks of Diana Mills, was the current owner and granddaughter of the previous owner V. R. Brooks. In 1804, he had purchased the place from a James Ramsey, who presumably bought it from Peter Guerrant.

Mrs. McCraw recorded the very specific date of 1799 for the construction house, however, one Brooks family notation suggests that the house may have been built much earlier – about 1730.

Mrs. McCraw wrote these details:

This old looking house was owned in 1799 by Peter Guerrant. How long he lived here or if he built the house is not known. An old land plat in the possession of the present owner shows that Peter Guerrant sold the place to James Ramsey, May 16, 1799. Another paper or deed shows that James Ramsey sold the place to V. R. Brooks, December 22, 1804. The third paper dated 1842 transfers the property to V. R. Brooks, Jr. whose heirs now live here. There is no recorded deed, as the children still live here.

~

Note: This property should not be confused with the Peter Guerrant house, which is still standing and believe to be constructed circa 1835. Click here to learn more: The Peter Guerrant House

Coming Next: Buckingham Houses: Locust Dale, Part II

Emma (Blackwell) and Hay Norvell. Courtesy Carole Jensen.

Need to catch up, click here: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part I

Slate River Ramblings follower Carole Jensen sent the following information regarding the next and last generation of Norvells to live in the house, Hay and Emma (Blackwell) Norvell:

This photo, dated April 1952, is of Hay Norvell (1880-1952) and his wife, born Emma Blackwell (1910-1997), standing in front of the “Norvell” home. Hay inherited the house and farm in 1911, after the death of his mother, Mary Evelina Miller Norvell. Hay and Emma were married in 1935. She was much-loved among the Norvell and Baber families. Hay Norvell died about three months after this photo was taken. Widow Emma moved to Richmond and later married Allen Hall Rice.

As an adult, Hay Norvell eschewed full-time farming, employed as a lumberman at a sawmill and as a carpenter. On the 1940 census, possibly retired from woodworking, Hay Norvell’s occupation was listed as farmer.

Hay was one of two children in the Norvell family who experienced a name change, presenting a genealogical challenge.  Carol Jensen shared these details, “Hay’s mother, Mary, changed the names of two of her children. On the 1880 census, Hay first appears as Robert H. Norvell.  Thereafter, he was Hay Booth Norvell.  Bernard Miller Norvell (1892-1981) first appeared on a census as Vincent B. Norvell.”

~

Since 1963, this Novell property has belonged to the Pruden family. Mrs. Pruden named it Breezy Hill Farm. Their original purchase included 107 acres and the house.

Outbuildings at Breezy Hill Farm. Courtesy Joe Pruden.

This photo, taken about 1965, shows the barn and the corn crib, complete with a classic Buckingham County slate roof. Mr. and Mrs. Pruden are standing on the right and in the center. A friend of Mrs. Pruden is pictured on the left. Years of snow accumulation eventually led to the collapse of both the barn and the corn crib. The remains of the barn was burned about 1999.

~

Many thanks go to Jeremy Winfrey, Carole Jensen, and Joe Pruden for continuing to investigate and preserve the history of the Norvell house and for sharing their collective knowledge about the Sharps Creek neighborhood to create these posts.

Coming Next: Buckingham County: Norvell Family Cemetery

Thomas Norvell Gravestone. Courtesy Jeremy Winfrey.

Need to catch up, click here: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part I

Thomas Benton “Tom” Norvell, the son of Averett (Toney) and William Brown Norvell, was a popular man in Buckingham County. His shocking and tragic death was reported in two obituaries in the Appomattox and Buckingham Times. He died on January 22, 1897.

The first article was submitted by “Artificer,” who frequently reported on the Well Water neighborhood:

Mr. Thomas Burton (sic) Norvell, one of the most prominent citizens of Buckingham county, residing near Sharon church, killed himself Friday the 22^nd instant, with the razor cutting his throat from ear to ear and [ultimately ?] severing his head from his body. It is not known what caused him to commit the rash act. He was a successful farmer in good circumstances; was about 50 years old and leaves a wife and a large family of children to mourn his death. ARTIFICER.

The second was a reprint from the “News,” likely the Lynchburg newspaper:

Mr. Thomas Benton Novell (sic), a well-known and one of the most valued and popular citizens of Buckingham county committed suicide Friday. It is said that he walked out late that afternoon to the barn, and when found, about an hour afterward, he was dead, with his throat cut from ear to ear. He was lying in his barn, and a razor, with which the deed is supposed to have been done, near him.

Mr. Novell was about 54 years of age, and was an easy circumstances. He had a most delightful family consisting of a wife and six children, all of which seemed to be a great comfort to him; and for this reason the act caused great astonishment to his numerous friends. — News.

Mary Evelina Miller Norvell. Courtesy Carole Jensen.

Norvell’s widow, Mary Evelina (Miller) Norvell (1846-1919), long outlived her husband, rearing her large family in this house. In 1907, she applied for a Confederate widow’s pension. The application gave Thomas Norvell’s cause of death as suicide, with no further explanation.

Coming Next: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part VI

Norvell Family, c. 1897. Courtesy Carole Jensen.

Need to catch up? Click here: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part I

“Norvell House” owner Thomas Baber was a carpenter and it is believed that he worked on the house built by John L. Harris at Snowden, located at the Horseshoe Bend in Buckingham County, Virginia. On the 1850 census, Baber was enumerated with Harris, living at the plantation. Both men were bachelors, possibly residing in the soon-to-be or recently finished house.

According to Slate River Rambling follower Jeremy Winfrey, in 1867, Thomas Baber (born about 1811) married Judith Elizabeth Thomas (born about 1824), who was the widow of William Henry Baber. Thomas Baber died in Buckingham County on April 26, 1888. The death record gives his age as 84, his wife’s name as Judy, and his occupation as merchant.

Winfrey also shared that there is an old lock in the Norvell house with a patent date of 1869, likely installed by Thomas Baber. Between 1869 and 1873, Baber was taxed on the land and a dwelling valued at $600.

“Newman vs Baber,” a chancery case heard during 1872-73, reveals that Thomas Baber defaulted on payments for the property, which was confiscated by the Commissioner and sold to Thomas B. Norvell. The adjacent land to the west and north of the tract was already owned by Norvell. At the time, Norvell operated a store and held a liquor license. Jeremy Winfrey believes it was likely J. J. Newton’s old store.

From 1874 until his death in 1897, these 60 acres owned by Thomas Norvell, plus the dwelling, were taxed at about $500.  According to Winfrey, the Norvell family called the farm Spreading Oak.

Currently, it is unclear who was responsible for expanding the house with the wood frame addition, though, it was probably completed before 1890. Winfrey wrote, “This corresponds with Thomas Norvell’s improvements, taxed in 1887, which increased the value by a couple hundred dollars.”

Thomas B. Norvell, who had twelve children (nine survived to adulthood), certainly needed the extra space. Ultimately, the house was over 2,000 square feet, not including the basement area. Did Thomas Norvell hire carpenter Thomas Baber to do the work?

Norvell House floor plan. Courtesy Joe Pruden.

~

Visit this post to learn more details about the Thomas B. Norvell family pictured here:

Buckingham Mystery: The Norvell House, Part II

For much more about the house at Snowden, consult my article, “The Dwelling House At Snowden:

A Virginia Historical Inventory Case Study,” Central Virginia Heritage, Summer 2020.

Coming Next: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part V

Inscribed bricks, Norvell House. Courtesy Joe Pruden.

Need to catch up? Click here: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part I

In 1846, John Wilmerton Chambers sold the property to his neighbor, William Steger, who then sold the sixty acres and the house to John Jackson Newton in 1852.

According to Jeremy Winfrey, “John J. Newton was a merchant who operated a store on Spreading Oak Road, which, at the time, was the major thoroughfare from Scottsville to the courthouse.”

Additionally, Winfrey believes that the store was adjacent a sixty-seven acre tract owned jointly by my cousins, Thomas Meredith Agee and Thomas Moseley Agee. Thomas Meredith Agee was stepfather to my great-great grandfather, John T. L. Woodson. Thomas Moseley Agee was the brother of Woodson’s mother, Mary Elizabeth (Agee) Woodson Agee. Surely they frequented Newton’s store. Unfortunately, there is no trace left of the building today.

As Jeremy Winfrey’s work reveals, the Sharps Creek neighborhood was not only home to my extended Harris family but also served as a crossroads for my Chambers and Agee families. No wonder they all intermarried!

~

In the brick section of the house, near a second story window, there are two bricks — one with “G.E.N.” etched into it and the other with “S. E. N.”

Winfrey believes that “G.E.N.” was Newton’s son, George Edwin Newton, born about 1840. In 1862, G. E. Newton died in the battle of Gaines Mill, age twenty-two.

“S. E. N.” is currently a mystery. In 1860, there was neither a son nor a daughter in the Newton household with those initials. Next door, however, lived Sarah E. Norvell, born about 1845. Could she be the mysterious “S. E. N.”?

In 1861, John J. Newton sold the property to a non-resident of Buckingham County, Henry Newman, who immediately sold it to Thomas Baber in 1862.

Coming Next: Buckingham County’s Norvell House Revisited, Part IV