ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NC - MISCELLANEOUS - History Of Some Old Rockingham Homes And Families --------------¤¤¤¤¤¤-------------- HISTORY OF SOME OLD ROCKINGHAM HOMES AND FAMILIES In 1950, my grandmother, Anne Pearl Pratt Van Noppen, published a series of articles in The Messenger on historic homes along the Dan River in Rockingham County, North Carolina. She followed this series with an additional series of articles about other historic homes of Rockingham County. In addition to details about the homes themselves, she included genealogical facts about the families who lived in these homes. I am typing these articles to place on the NC GENWEB archives in the hope that they will be useful to those researching some of these families. GREEN VALLEY THREE OAKS FARM THE OAKS WRIGHT-REID HOUSE WALL-CARDWELL HOME MEBANE-SHAFFER HOUSE WALL-REYNOLDS HOME THE CEDARS GOVERNOR REID'S PLANTATION MOUNT PLEASANT GREEN VALLEY Beautiful Beaver Island Creek, curving around the red clay hills of western Rockingham County, in many places forms a long green valley, bordered by beech, birch, sycamore and gum trees, but forms no more picturesque home site than the "Green Valley" in which the Dalton Price home is located. From the valley rise the hills of "the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks", the cleared lands which yield a rich return in tobacco, the money crop, and in apple trees, the health and pleasure crop. The house, 103 years old in 1950, was well preserved and cared for by its owner, Samuel Hunter Price. There is a porch with latticed columns, a porch room much used in former days, large rooms with wainscoting, high mantels and windows reaching to the ceiling and panels under each. In the hall is a graceful stairway, a walnut stair railing with hand-turned newel posts, one at the base and three at the turn of the stair. There are two stairways, one leading to the upper hall which has a door opening into the guest room on one side and to the boys room on the other. The second stairway led to the girls room, to which there is no entry except through the parents room. In the old days, there were numerous outbuildings, including a kitchen of two rooms, a servants house, spring and milk house, ice house and a school room which was part of the older house. There were stables and house on the hill built of chestnut logs. On the spacious lawn are tall cedar trees and locust trees. There was an orchard with fruit trees. In the school house, part of the older Dalton house, the Price children had fine governesses, Miss Hettie Mebane who lived near Madison, Miss Lizzie Carter of Fredericksburg, VA and Miss Annie Irvin of Lynchburg, VA. Besides the Price children, there were their cousins, the Bassetts of Bassett, VA and those from Price, NC. Six generations of the Dalton family have lived at this settlement. The first was Samuel, who married Anne Dandridge Red of Orange County, VA. Attracted by the milder climate of North Caroline, they moved to this location in the early 1700's. Their son, Samuel Dalton, married a Miss Ewell. Their son, Nicholas, married Rachel Hunter, daughter of Colonel James Hunter. Their twelve children were: Sam, James, John, Nicolas, Robert, Ewell, Leander, Pleasant, Charlotte, who married James Scales, Nancy who married Thomas Roseboro and Elizabeth, who married Richard Cardwell. Some of the relatives of these Daltons and Hunters are the Price families of Madison, Stoneville and Leaksville, some of the Scales family, Mrs. Ben Wall's family, Mrs. Maude Johnson's family, Miss Annie Ruth Ratledge and her sister Mrs. Charles Oakes, the family of Mrs. W.T. Lauten, Mrs. Theodore Jack, wife of the president of Lynchburg College, the Cardwells, Mrs. Arthur Nichols and many other distinguished folk in this and other southern states. The Daltons, said Nat Smith, are distinguished for longevity, physical and intellectual vigor, honesty and uprightness of character, and generous hospitality. The first Samuel Dalton to live in this community was a fabulous figure. He lived in three centuries, being born in 1699 and living until 1802. He is said to have owned 150,000 acres of land. Four of his great- grandchildren lived until the ripe age of 90 or more. Dr. Robert Dalton was 95, Ewell was 92. Lee was 93. Mrs. Charlotte Dalton Scales was 93. Two of this family were professional men, Dr. Robert Dalton and the Rev. Pleasant Dalton, a Presbyterian minister. The others were farmers and manufacturers of tobacco, successful business men, owning slaves and amassing wealth. One of this family, Elizabeth Martin Dalton, married Richard Perine Cardwell, son of Joel and Maria Scales Cardwell. Among their children were: Mary, a beautiful girl who died in her youth; Maria, who married Mr. Tidwell, two sons who died in the Civil War; and Judge Richard Henry Cardwell, who became President of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. His father died when he was two months old and he was brought up by his heroic mother to whose influence he acknowledged his strong character and constitution. She transmitted to him her faith and her religion and this blessing was with him all his life. Leander, son of Nicholas and Rachel Hunter Dalton, married Matilda Stovall. Their daughter Mary (Mollie) Hughes Dalton married Major John Hampton Price. Their children were Annie Lee, Hattie Matilda, Robert Brevard, John Randolph, Mary Hampton (Mamie) and Samuel Hunter Price. Miss Anna Lee Price never married. Like her father and mother, she had a strong mind and fine Christian character. Hattie married Walter Ward. Their only child was Anna Macon Ward. Robert married Hallie McCabe of Hughesville, VA. Their children are Mary and Hampton, the latter a lawyer in Leaksville and several times a state senator. He married Sallie Hester Lane of Leaksville. John Price married Margaret (Maggie) Price, daughter of James and Mary Lyle Moir Price of Leaksville. Their children were John Moir Price and Eleanor Price. John Moir Price married Wilma Ferguson. They had one daughter, Margaret. Mary Hampton Price married Samuel P. Tesh of Winston-Salem. There children were: Helen, Mamie, Katherine, Adelaide, Louise, Marjorie, who died young, Ruth, Sallie Jane and Samuel Jr. Samuel Hunter Price married Virginia Smith. They had two children, Virginia and Samuel Hunter Price, Jr. Virginia married Coyt Hewitt. They have a son, Coyt Hewitt, Jr. Many acres of the Dalton land had been sold, but Major Price bought back much of the original Dalton property and thus became one of the largest land owners in the county. He left fine farms to all his children. He was widely known and respected by all who knew him. He was the scion of old and distinguished families. The Price family came from Wales. Sir John Price was his forbear. The Prices came by way of Virginia to this county and settled near Matrimony Creek. Major Price's father was Major John Pryor Price and his mother was Mary Ann Eliza Hampton of Cascade, Virginia. Her grandfather was Thomas Hampton, a brave soldier of the Revolution. The Hamptons are said to be noted for mechanical genius, artistic talent, and bravery and self-possession in time of danger. THREE OAKS FARM To be the home of Upton Wilson for more than fifty years is honor enough and to spare for any home. The world which beat a pathway to his door marveled at his tenacity, his courageous and independent spirit, his financial success, his love of life and his desire to serve humanity. All of this one can understand better when one knows his heredity and his immediate family. In his book "My Thirty-Three Years in Bed" Upton gave his family credit for his life, his endurance and his cheerfulness. No doubt he shared the credit with them. The Wilsons and the Hills were of sturdy pioneer stock, long lived and zestful. William Spaulding Hill, born in 1784, and his wife Anna, born in 1786, came from England to Nova Scotia, thence to Poughkeepsie, New York and then to Leaksville in the early 1800's. They had a hotel. One of their boarders was Andrew Johnson, who became 17th President of the United States. His tailor shop stood on the corner of Washington and Henry Streets, a small frame building owned by Madison Jenkins Hampton. It was later torn down to give place to a brick café building. While the Hills lived in Leaksville, Sarah Anne Hill, born in 1810, who came to Leaksville when a small child grew up and married Isaac Hand. Her sister Clarissa married Bolyn Garrett. Descendants of the latter couple are Joe Garrett, assistant commissioner of motor vehicles at Raleigh, Jim Sharp, Judge Susie Sharp, attorney Jesse Roberts, and many others. William Hill and his family next decided to try their fortune in Alabama. A son, William Hill and his wife had a little daughter, Sally Ann, born in 1856. When she was two years old, her mother died so her father brought the child to his sister, Sarah Ann Hand, to rear. At that time the Hands lived at a farm on the Reidsville road. In 1860 they sold this farm to the Garretts and moved to the home at "Three Oaks." Isaac built a large log factory near the house and manufactured tobacco. In 1873, Sally Ann Hill married John P. Wilson and they lived in the same house with the Hands. The Wilsons, coming from Caswell County, have a large connection and a good name in Rockingham County. Thomas Fenner Wilson in 1840 owned 1000 acres of land which joined the Price, Sharp, Field and Hays farms. His son, Basley Graves Wilson was also a farmer. John Wilson, son of Basley Graves, was a teacher for several years, then a warehouseman, but he liked farming best. He was the first in his community to terrace his land and he developed the strain of Wilson's seed corn which added thousands of dollars to the corn crops in his vicinity. He taught a Sunday School class for years. He died in 1940, being 87 years old. The lovely mistress of "Three Oaks" has lived there for 89 years. Now at 94 she has cheeks as round and rosy as a ripe apple, bright eyes that can read without glasses and a mind as alert as that of youth. Her cheerful spirit, interest in people and her surroundings and a love of nature help to keep her young. She was the mother of twelve children, all of whom became adults except one. She can hold her own with the best of them. Among her activities in the past weeks, she has attended the wedding of her great nephew Charles Cardwell and Peggy Minich in Madison and has enjoyed motor trips to Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville and to Nashville, NC and has spoken over the radio. She is as modern as today's newspaper. The Wilson children have a family solidarity and loyalty and are also socially conscious servants of humanity. Dr. Newton Wilson, who graduated from medical school in 1914, served in the war with Spain, the Philippine Insurrection and in the first World War - in the last as a medical officer. In the 40 years of his practice he has brought health and strength to countless people. Mrs. Wilson is an ideal doctor's wife, cheerful, affable, dignified and a leader in her church and its societies. Pat Wilson, adventurous like the Hill family, went to Idaho and was teacher, salesman and rancher. After his wife's death, he brought his two little girls to "Three Oaks" farm. Sally remained for a few years and then returned to Idaho to make her home with an aunt and uncle. Lois was reared at "Three Oaks", graduated from Guilford College, and is now a librarian. Pat Wilson was the first adult member of the family to die. Walter went to Georgia to live, married Mabel Rooks, and they have two sons and a daughter. Their oldest son served in the Air Transport Command in the Pacific. He has a large farm and often send crates of fruit, pecans and other good things to "Three Oaks." Tom Wilson, who went to West Virginia to live, later married and bought a farm near "Three Oaks." Here his daughter Myrtle was born. Two years later, when her mother died, Myrtle came to "Three Oaks" to live until her marriage to Neal Payne. Tom and his second wife operate the post office at Fieldale, Virginia. John Wilson is a merchant and authority on antiques. His wife is the very able Superintendent of Welfare in Rockingham County. Their daughter, Beverly, married Richard Robertson, editor of the Leaksville News. They have two children, Martha and Richard, Jr. Shirley Wilson served as a pharmacists mate in the US Navy and is now a teacher of physical education. He has a lovely wife and a son Johnnie. Charles Wilson is a merchant and teacher of a Sunday School class, as well as Master of Pomona Grange. His wife, the former Karen Canady, is a much-loved teacher in Madison. Three of the Wilson daughters have been teachers - Carrie, Lizzie and Eunice. Carrie is Supervisor of Burlington City Schools. Mildred, gentle and hospitable, still lives in the home. Her flowers have long cheered all who come that way. There have been four marriages in "Three Oaks," that of Sally Anne Hill and John Wilson, their daughter Lizzie to Percy Baynes, Eunice to Herbert Theil and Myrtle to Neal Payne. Four generations have lived at "Three Oaks farm. The house, started by Isaac Hand before the Civil War, was not finished. The workmen went to way, never to return. It has had additions and improvements made several times and is attractive and homelike. A chest corner cupboard, candle stand and leather bound Bible belonged to the family before the house was built. It is no wonder that Wilson son Upton found life good. His heart was full of love and his mind was free to soar. He could say with the poet: If I have freedom in my mind And in my soul am free Angels alone that soar above Enjoy such liberty. THE OAKS Mr. John M. Lindsay of "The Mount" gave to his oldest son, William R. Lindsay, the large plantation known as the Lindsay place, or "The Oaks." The original plantation of "The Mount" and "The Oaks" consisted of 2000 acres, according to Mrs. Alvila Lindsay Lowe, daughter of William Lindsay. Before Lindsay's Bridge was built, one crossed the river in a boat or forded it with a horse. It was always a pleasure to visit the Lindsays. There was a warm welcome and plenty of activity, fun and life for young people of all ages. A colored servant, Aunt Puss Mosely, along with her children, helped make and serve home-made ice cream, sweet potatoes, roasting ears in the flues of the tobacco barns during curing times, and brunswick stew, which they prepared outdoors. Mr. Lindsay is said to have been a great reader, s student and a dreamer. Mrs. Lindsay was a fine manager. Their children combined the good qualities of both. All were good students, eager for an education and practical abilities to use all they learned. Opie Lindsay became North Carolina's first ace in World War I and has since been an instructor of aviation. Cabell Lindsay was a teacher and lawyer. John Mott Lindsay is a truck farmer in Bedford, Virginia. Bill was first a teacher and then a real estate broker. Alveoli was a teacher and married a lawyer, Mr. Lowe. Nannie Sue married a Lawler and became Superintendent of Nurses at Watt's Hospital, Durham, and later Superintendent of Nurses at Duke Hospital. Octola, who became Mrs. Dan Taylor, possesses a serene and gracious personality which endears her to all who know her. Annis has been Superintendent of Nurses at Leaksville Hospital, and Thomas, the youngest, is a watch repairer in Danville, Virginia. One child died young. After William Lindsay's death, Mrs. Lindsay sold the plantation to Mr. And Mrs. Gil Shelton. In the past thirty years, a second family has been reared there. Again the walls have rung with the songs and laughter of children. Outside, they have a baseball diamond, a tennis court and a river beach, all of which the Shelton children and their friends enjoy. WRIGHT-REID HOUSE In 1728 Colonel William Byrd surveyed the dividing line between North Carolina and Virginia and called this the "Land of Eden." At that time the noble redmen of the Saura tribe were retreating from this region as the white settlers, English, Irish, Germans and Huguenots took possession of the land. In 1785 Rockingham County was formed and named for Charles Wentworth, Marquis of Rockingham, a friend of the American people in their fight for independence. Both the county and the county seat were named for him. We have read that the first court was held at Eagles Falls in Adam Tate's barn and the first courthouse, built of logs, was at Eagles Falls. In 1791 the courthouse was moved to the present site in Wentworth, which is near the center of the county. According to a local historian, Wentworth at one time had 400 or more persons living in fine homes for that day and time on the one long street or road. There were several stores and three or four tobacco factories. The foundation stones of these factories are still to be found. There were two churches, the courthouse and jail and two inns. People who lived in Wentworth long ago told, or tell yet, of the delightful times in Wentworth. There was the Rockingham County Teachers Institute which was attended by many of the teachers of the county. There were not so many teachers then as now. The teachers boarded in Wentworth during the month or six weeks term and there were picnics at the mineral spring, brunswick stews and square dances. These activities continued during the warm months. During Court weeks there were stag suppers for the Judge and lawyers. Chittering suppers were favorites. The most capable, intelligent and popular men of the county held county offices, so they and their families made a congenial group. The Wright Tavern, built in 1820, reflects something of the grandeur of the early period, for it is commodious and distinctive. This is the only Rockingham County house included in the book Early North Carolina Architecture." Many architects study the plan of the house because of its distinctive features, the elaborate arch of fine detail, two stories in height connecting the two parts of the house. From this arch rises the hand-carved stairway, ascending 'in open passage'. This archway is given by the architects the dignified appellation of "dog-run." Formerly, he writes, "the trapper, after his winter's work in the forest, could put down his pelts in this open space." During the 100 years and more that this house served as a tavern, judges, lawyers, jurors, witnesses and many besides whose hearts were anxious, burdened because of cases in court or relatives on trial, all have been strengthened in body and spirit by the cordial welcome, the congenial atmosphere, the gracious hospitality, the bounteous board and restful comfort of Wright's Tavern. Miss Nannie Wright, who reared Numa Reid, was the last hostess in the hotel. She is well remembered for her hospitality. The house was built by James Wright, whose daughter Anne married Dr. Numa Fletcher Reid. Both the Wrights and the Reids were of old and prominent families. The Reids came to Rockingham County as early as 1725. Dr. Reid was an eminent Methodist Divine. Mr. Nat Smith, writing of the period before the Civil War says "One Methodist minister whom Isaac remembers for his earnestness and eloquence was Rev. Fletcher Reid. His sermons were timely, thoughtful, suggestive. He never preached a dull sermon; he enlivened every topic. There was never a minister in Rockingham County who was his superior and he and Rev. Charles Deens were the finest Methodist preachers in the State." Children of Dr. and Mrs. Reid were: James, Fletcher, Turner, Frank, Lizzie and Pattie. After his wife's death, Dr. Reid married his sister-in-law, Miss Sallie Wright. Their only son was Numa Reid. James was in Congress at the same time David Settle was in the Senate. He married Mary Ellington. Their two daughters were Lucille and Annie, both brilliant girls. Lucille married Reuben Reid, son of Governor Reid. Their children are: Lucille, who married Harry Fagge, Henriette, who married James Fagge, and Frances, who married Lynn Walton. The Waltons have a son, Lynn, Jr. Annie Reid married Oscar Shepherd, She is now a widow in Winston-Salem. She has one son. Fletcher was a merchant in Danville and Chief of the fire department. He married a Madison girl, beautiful and high-spirited, Josephine Black. Their children are Lillian, who married C.G. Holland, and Eugene, who married a Miss Lampton of Mississippi. Dr. Frank Reid was a remarkably eloquent and able Methodist minister as his father had been and was President of Greensboro Female College, now Greensboro College. He married Minnie Cardwell, daughter of James Cardwell and Sallie Field Cardwell. They had a son, Fuller and daughters, Lola and Minnie. Mrs. Frank Reid, now nearly 100 years of age, is still living in Greensboro. Lizzie Reid married Rufus Ray of Leaksville. Their children were Reid and Lizzie. Reid is dead, but survived by his widow and two children. Lizzie lives in Leaksville Numa Reid, a courtly man, was Postmaster of Wentworth and was a talented and eloquent speaker and writer. Probably no person in the county uses more beautiful language than he. His widow, the former Hal Williams of Leaksville, lives alone in the interesting old inn. The fine period furniture, the old-fashioned shrubbery and flowers are well-preserved by her loving care. Youthful in spirit, humorous and entertaining, she is exceedingly popular. WALL-CARDWELL HOME "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" exclaims Keats in ecstasy. We might add that beauty in the physical world is a challenge to endeavor, a stimulus to courage, a wellspring of enthusiasm. How many approaching the crest of the hill from the Mayo River and beholding the great white house with its magnificent columns have been filled with joy, uplifted in spirit. He who creates beauty is the benefactor of all beholders. Such was Joshua Smith Wall, who built this house almost 0ne hundred years ago. In very early time a vast tract of land was owned by Valentine Allen. Joshua Smith Wall acquired the land across the Mayo from Avalon, including the mountain, for a considerable distance down the river and from the Mayo to Dan Valley Church, sometimes called Wall's Chapel." Upon a hill overlooking his lands and the river, Joshua Wall selected the site, cleared the undergrowth, leaving only giant elms, oaks and a holly tree, and erected his colonial dwelling. James Hall, grandfather of Walter Hall of Madison, was the builder. The house, painted white, gleams in the sunlight, the great columns made of curved brick put together with masonry are snowy white. At one time there were white palings and a big gate enclosing the spacious lawn. There was a wide front walk bordered on each side with English box. These have grown to such a size that they almost meet across the walk and now one enters by stone steps on the side of the porch. The rooms are large and high-pitched, so large that a bedroom containing three beds and three dressers does not seem crowded. The hall is wide with double doors at the back. The interior is well- preserved, mantels, heavy floors of heart pine looks as if they had just been finished. The house, newly decorated, offers an ideal setting for the family heirlooms with which it is furnished. A pair of Hepplewhite tables hold old decanters and matching glasses with other old glass. Mrs. Carrie Scales of Madison owns the sofa which matches the tables. There is a graceful coffee table, sofa and chairs, a secretary that came from the Cardwell family and a handsome corner cupboard. The house has been modernized for comfort without spoiling its old design. Joshua Wall was the son of James and Sallie Smith Wall, grandson of Robert and Fannie Parsons Wall, who came from Culpepper County, VA. He married Caroline Hege of Person County. Their children were: Joshua Thomas (Tom Wall), Carolina Permelia, Mary and two girls who died young. Joshua Wall's second wife was Susan Critz of Critz, VA. Her relative, R.J. Reynolds, when a young man, attended the dances. Who knew then what R.J.'s business acumen, wealth and fame that were to be. To each of his children, Joshua Wall gave a home and a plantation. To Tom Wall he gave the gabled house on the road near his own home on the old Leaksville Road. This house is quite old, having belonged to the Llewellyns. It has a grove and boxwood hedges and squares, a great variety of flowers and an old time flower pit built in the hill. Tom Wall married Sallie Atkins. Their children were: Henrietta, Georgianna, Roberta, Sallie, Thomas, Elizabeth, James, Robert Lee, Andrew, Annie, Mildred and Marietta. Theirs was a delightful home to visit. There have always been sincere welcomes, good fare and good times. Tom was a fine neighbor, friend and an upright man of such character that the citizens of Rockingham were honored to have him represent them in the Legislature. For Caroline Permelia (Meelie), Joshua Wall built a home at Shady Grove between his home and Tom Wall's. Here again there are fine trees and boxwoods with other flowers. Permelia married William Robert (Billie) Wall, son of Robert and Penelope Wall. Their children were: Caroline (Miss Carrie), who married James Scales, Registrar of Deed Rockingham County. They later moved to Madison and built their home. James Wall married Lelia Stockton and remained at the home until his death. His widow still lives there with their son Francis and his wife, the former Ida Lauten, Daughter Rachel married Guy Rippy and lives in Florida. Everyone who knew the Walls liked to visit Shady Grove. Teachers of Dan Valley School spoke in highest terms of the refined and delightful atmosphere of this home where they received kindness and comfort. Miss Mildred Cunningham and Miss Nancy Watkins were two of these teachers. The fourth child of Mr. And Mrs. Billy Wall was J. Siewers Wall of Madison, who First married Mary Cecil Wall, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Garland (Golly) Wall. Their two children were Mary Siewers and Cecil. Their mother died when the girls were quite young. Mary Siewers was reared with devoted affection by Mrs. Carrie Scales. Cecil Wall was reared by her aunt, Eugenie Wall Fennell of Richmond, VA. Siewers Wall married a second wife, Maria Smith, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Sam Smith of Madison. They have one son, Siewers Wall, Jr, who is a Life Scout. Joshua Wall's daughter, Mary, married Wallace Cardwell, son of James Henry Cardwell and his wife of "The Cedars." They remained at the Joshua Wall home. Their children were: Mary Wallace, Tom, Carolina and Edna. Mary Wallace married Johns Martin of Leaksville. They had two children, Rosa B and Johns Jr. Their mother died when the children were quite young. Mary Cardwell and Carolina Cardwell took care of the children until Johns Martin took his son to Reidsville to live with him. Rosa B. remained in the home with her aunt, Miss Carolina Cardwell and her Uncle Tom Edna Cardwell married Will Cardwell, son of Bob Cardwell and Ida Webster. They have four attractive and capable daughters: Mary Wallace, Frances, Marian and Jean. The Rev. Mr. Wilson, Baptist minister of Madison, courted Mary Wall, but she married Wallace Cardwell and Mr. Wilson performed the ceremony. A generation later, when Mary Wallace Cardwell was married and again when Edna Cardwell was married, he was the officiating minister. All were married in the parlor of Joshua Wall's home. These Walls have a family loyalty, are public spirited, generous, friendly, with admirable Christian characters, creators of beauty. MEBANE-SHAFFER HOUSE What a rich heritage the Presbyterians in Madison possess in the noble lives and examples, the teachings and influence of the early church. The earliest ministers were missionaries - Harvard graduates who rode on horseback to the congregations of the faithful at Cascade, Va. To Leaksville, Spring Garden, Madison and Snow Creek in Stokes County. It was the church at Spring Garden which helped to organize the Presbyterian Church in Madison and Rev. William Nelson Mebane who in 1851 became the first resident minister. Mr. Mebane was born in 1809, the son of Dr. David Cummings Mebane of Greensboro. Mr. Nat Smith, a beloved and justly famous teacher of Madison and Leaksville, wrote: :Rev. W.N. Mebane was one of the most polished and learned scholars and divines of the time and one of the most consecrated of men." He was no shouting evangelists, but preferred dignity and reverence in the service. Mr. Smith relates that at one time when Mr. Mebane was preaching quite an affecting sermon, a lady began to shout "Glory, Glory". Mr. Mebane stopped his discourse to say quietly, "Jane, when you have finished, I will proceed." That he had a zest for life is shown by his enjoyment of the wedding feast as related by Mr. Smith. The history of the Mebane family resembles that of the Edwards, well-known to students of sociology. For 150 years this family produced ministers, teachers, doctors and lawyers with never a black sheep among them. A cousin of Rev. N. W. Mebane was Dr. B. W. Mebane who was a minister to this same church from 1899-1903. He and his wife, the former Miss Bettie Carter of "Hibernia" were greatly beloved by the congregation. Their three children were Mamie, who became a missionary to China, Carter, and Alice who married Dr. C.A. Baird and still lives in Mt. Airy. Mr. N. W. Mebane died in 1859. His wife survived him 36 years, living until 1883. Mr. Pleas Scales recalls a visit to the Mebane home when Mr. Scales was a small boy and he and his mother were invited to spend the day. Mrs. Mebane was a noble, gracious lady, a queen, as a queen should be. "A perfect woman, nobly planned to guide, to comfort and command". Mrs. Mebane ad an orchard and garden with herbs and small fruits. There were ripe raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries - a feast for a small boy. The children of Mr. And Mrs. Mebane were: William Nelson, Jr., born 1843, died 1895; Ben Edwin; Mattie R., born 1848, died 1898; Hettie J., born 1853, died 1892. All had fine minds and a classical education. Edwin became a Presbyterian minister. Miss Hettie was a fine musician and teacher and said to be one of the sweetest and loveliest of women. Miss Mattie taught one of the ungraded schools of Madison 60 years ago. At one time she had a school in the former post office, a one room building near what is now the home of Mr. And Mrs. Guy Simpson. Among her students in this school were John Galloway, Mildred Cunningham, Percy, Dura and Elizabeth Williams, several of her Mebane nephews and Pearl Pratt. None of Miss Mattie's students will ever forget her learning and her ability to impart knowledge and skills, her gentle manner united with such strength of character that she controlled the students without raising a hand or voice; nor will they forget the journeys with her in "The Wide, Wide World" nor the adventures with "The Young Marooners". Mr. W.N. Mebane, Jr. was a Confederate soldier who after the war practiced law in Wentworth and was a partner of Mr. Hugh Scott. He was appointed Judge of the Superior Court and served with justice and honor. He married Miss Leticia Carter, daughter of William Franklin and Cora Carter of "Eagle Falls". Their children were: Frank Carter, William Nelson III, Ann Wilson, Galloway, Robert Jesse, David Cummings and Cora Galloway. After twenty or more years in Wentworth, this family moved to Madison and lived in the Mebane home here. This home was one of true refinement and Christianity. Judge Mebane with all his family attended every service of the church, all sitting together in one pew. All of the family were good looking, tall, slender, graceful, blond with patrician features. They were attractive individually and collectively. On Sunday afternoons, Miss Annie had Sunday School at her for the colored children of the neighborhood. "Stick" LeSeur and Jim Franklin were among the students. When the town of Mayodan was being constructed, Mr. William Ruffin and two or three others boarded at the Mebane home. Judge Mebane died in 1895. In 1898 the family moved to Greensboro. Frank, the oldest son, was a lawyer. With their background and culture, their energy and ambition, all were sure of success in every field of endeavor. A Purgason family lived in the home for a time and in 1903 Bryant Shaffer, then a boy of four years and his mother went there to live. They were good householders, for the house shows no signs of old age but many instances of interest and care. The hall is wide with double doors at the back; a slender stair rail with wood paneling beneath the stairway. There are several bookcases extending from floor to ceiling, reminders of the scholarly Mebanes. The first floor rooms, 20 x 20, now have hardwood floors, and the Shaffers have added a new kitchen, bath and larger porch. The Duncan-Phyfe table sofa, table and chairs are of the period and style of the 109 year old house. Mr. Shaffer, a veteran of World War I, is a Mason, a steward in the Methodist Church and teacher of a Sunday School class. For his integrity and sincerity, his generosity and courtesy, he has the respect and friendship of all who know him. His wife, the former Miss Lois Barringer, is a congenial companion and a lovely person. The Shaffers are especially popular on a picnic for they not only carry an abundance of good food and fruit punch, but they think of everybody's pleasure and comfort before their own. WALL-REYNOLDS HOME "Wall Street" they call it, the few miles of country road between Morton's Store on the Winston-Salem highway and Beaver Island Township on the Pine Hall-Sandy Ridge Road. The name brings a smile when those who know the original Wall Street consider the contrast between them - Wall Street I with its dull gray old buildings, so tall as to cause the dark narrow street to resemble a canyon, where there are fortunes made and lost almost daily and Wall Street II with its long stretches of tobacco and corn bordering the sunny road, where work is slow and profit the same, where there are occasionally stately groves in which, far back from the road, are the homes of the Wall family. At one time all the homes along the road belonged to members of the Wall clan, this giving rise to the name "Wall Street". These homes, chiefly of the old period, are interesting architecturally, having distinction and originality and speaking in eloquent terms of the pride, prosperity and good taste of the Walls. The first record of Zachariah Wall, born May 29, 1741, is that he was the son of Robert Wall, married Annie Everett, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Everette, both Zachariah and his wife having been natives of the eastern shore of Maryland. With their family, and probably others, they moved to Rockingham County in the vicinity of Madison in 1797, where Zachary accumulated much property and died in 1818. Nearly all his descendants, and there are many, lived and died in North Carolina. James Wall was a wanderer far from his people. He moved to Twin Falls, Idaho and died there. Zachariah Wall I owned land between the two creeks west of Madison to Hairston's Ford, a distance of nine miles, and built his large, two-story house west of the creeks on the hill where Homer Groan's house now stands. Old residents of Madison remember that his home was occupied by Bob Lewis' family when it was burned about fifty years ago. Children of Zachariah and Annie Everett Wall were Amy, Robert, Richard, Ann Elizabeth, William and Sarah. Zachariah's son Robert, born in 1763, married Fannie Parsons in Culpeper County, Virginia. Their children were Zachariah II, James and Catherine Wall. Robert's son, Zachariah II married first Elizabeth Smith. Their children were Robert, Samuel and William Wall. He married second Jane Peoples and their children were Zachariah III, Granville, Lucy, Lizzie, Jane and Eliza Wall. Zachariah III married Celia Matthews December 27, 1850. They built the old Wall house in 1852. Their children were James, who married Mary Moore of Valley Home and moved to Idaho; Dr. Walter Wall who married Bettie Hooper and lived in Madison but died at the old home; Mollie, who married William Blackburn and lived at Walnut Cove; Granville, who married Sallie McAnally and lived in Stokes County; John D. who married Mollie Reynolds and had a store in Winston-Salem; Charlie who married Annie Laura Hudson and lives in his house near the old home; Nannie who married Robert McAnally and moved to Richmond, Virginia; Muncie who married Nannie Hatch and lives in East Lake, Tennessee; Hunter, who married Della Holland and who was a tobacconist in Winston-Salem; and Cartie, who married Tom Reynolds. Two girls died in childhood. Only three are still living, Charlies, Muncie and Cartie.Zachariah III, like the other Zachariahs, gave his children large plantations. Mr. And Mrs. Zack Wall always had their children home for Christmas; all the family looking forward to these occasions. Often there would be so many in the house at night that they would sleep on pallets. Preachers frequently stayed at the Walls. Mrs. Wall said she was never too tired to fix a meal for the preacher or the doctor. Miss Cartie, who is Aunt Cartie to many nieces and nephews who love her and visit her often, has lived in this house all of her life except for the first five years of her marriage to Tom Reynolds. They had no children but reared and cared for two as if they were their own. Louise Wall, Hunter's daughter, having lost her mother, lived in their home until her marriage to Charles Anglin, son of Mr. And Mrs. C.P. Anglin of Madison. They live in Winston-Salem, have four children and two grandchildren. Mrs. Cartie Wall is foster grandmother and great-grandmother. A foster son, Russell Moore Reynolds, grew up in the home, went to the first World War, and died in a Veteran's hospital. Mr. Tom Reynolds died in 1948.. The Wall-Reynolds house is well preserved for its ninety eight years. It is tall, having two stories and an attic. It has large rooms, tall chimneys, with windows on each side of the chimneys. On the inside below each window is an interesting paneling. The woodwork in the parlor is painted in marbled effect and is the original painting which was done ninety eight years ago and still well preserved. The front porch is small, with columns and a railing. Among the old pieces of furniture is a handsome bedroom suite given by Miss Cartie's grandfather Matthews to her mother, Celia Matthews Wall, a walnut wardrobe designed by Zack Wall III, which has a tilting mirror in the upper center panel, a dough tray of the style now much prized, attractive old chairs and the little leather trunk which Tom Reynolds's mother, Eleanora Gosnold, brought with her when she came from Hagerstown, Maryland to Madison to be a teacher a hundred years ago. The lawn is studded with giant oaks and elms and across the front lawn is a tall hedge of Scotch broom. The seed of this Planta Genesta (botanical) is said to have been brought to America in feed for the horses which the British used during the Revolution. In a previous war, the British soldiers had fastened pieces of this plant in their helmets for camouflage, thus they were called Plantagenets. These are the forebears and one cross-section of the Wall family; there are many others. Most members of the family are vigorous, long-lived, have large families and love the land. There is a remarkable degree of unity and congeniality among them. THE CEDARS In times so far back "that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary" there has been a ford at Lone Island where a large island divides and widens the Dan River, causing it to be shallow enough for a safe crossing. This was of vital importance when the river was much larger than it is now and when there were no bridges. In the earliest records of the Epiphany (Episcopal) Church in Leaksville, one may read how John Lewis of Lone Island Ford was baptized by "dipping". It was here that General Morgan and his revolutionary soldiers crossed the river in 1781 and, following the baggage road, over which army baggage was transported, marched to join General Greene as he advanced to meet the British at Guilford Courthouse. In imagination we can see the soldiers as they plunge into the stream with its swift current and slippery stones, each patriot holding aloft his musket and bag of powder, following the instruction to "Trust in God and keep your powder dry." It was a short distance from this ford, five miles northeast of Madison on the old Wentworth road, that Dr. Samuel Spencer, a member of one of the first families of Virginia, built his four-room brick house and practiced his profession. Virginia gentlefolk have always taken great pride in their homes and their surroundings. This house is more than a city block from the road, with a circular driveway bordered on each side by English boxwood. On both upper and lower lawns there was velvety grass and on the upper lawn were many oaks and elms and a row of stately old cedars from which the plantation derived its name. There were a number of outbuildings, among them the first tobacco factory in this part of the country. In the early 1840's Joseph Henry Cardwell bought this plantation containing 500 acres from Judge Dillard of Henry County, Virginia. He may have sold the property for Dr. Spencer's heirs. The four room brick house was enlarged to eight large rooms. There is a hall so wide it appears to be square with a graceful stairway and wide landing. There are four tall chimneys, a front porch which formerly had with columns and a mill wheel for a doorstop. Here Joseph Henry Cardwell and his wife, the former Caroline Matilda Scales, reared their fine family of Joseph Henry, Jr., Alice, Wallace, Kate, Nathaniel (Nat) and Dixie. Joseph Henry, Jr. went to Texas, settled and Married there. Wallace married Mary Wall, daughter of Joshua Wall, and they lived at the Wall home. Alice, an artist of real talent, married a distinguished professor at Chapel Hill, David Patrick, whose memory is honored with a plaque at the University. Kate married her neighbor, John Meador. Dixie married Annie Wade of Leaksville. Nat, always a bachelor, went to Burlington, where he was a merchant and left a large estate. Mr. And Mrs. Joseph Henry Cardwell were loyal Presbyterians. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church at Madison He was a Mason. There is a Masonic emblem graven on his monument in the Presbyterian cemetery in Madison. He lived life well as evidenced by the story told by Isaac (Mr. Nant Smith) in The Messenger. Rev. Jacob Doll, Rev. W.M. Mebane and Joseph Henry Cardwell attended a fashionable wedding supper in the days of plenty "befo' de wah". The supper table were laden with beef, mutton, shoat, turkey, ducks, geese and chickens. On side tables were salads, a variety of cakes, coffee, tea and a continuous supply of hot beaten biscuits. The three gentlemen partook so heartily of all these viands that friends placed wagers on each regarding his gastronomic capacity. At length the two ministers agreed to call it a meal, leaving Joseph Henry victor of the feast. Both Mr. And Mrs. Cardwell were eager to make their home as attractive as possible for their children. There were lawn parties, house parties and watermelon feasts. The children played games, swam and rode horses. And at night they danced to the music of the piano and fiddle. Mrs. Cardwell played the piano and her boys played the fiddle. Joseph Henry Cardwell lived to be 93 years old. He was born in 1814 and died in 1907. When his wife died and he became feeble, Mr. and Mrs. John Meador, with their family, moved in to care for him. GOVERNOR REID'S PLANTATION In the early years of our country's history, Virginia was known as the "nursery of Presidents". With equal justice, Rockingham County may be called the "Nursery of Governors" for this county has given five governors to the State: Alexander Martin, John Motley Morehead, David Settle Reid, Alfred Moore Scales and Robert B. Glenn. Two of these Governors, Martin and Reid, had homes in the western part of our county on the Dan, between Madison and Wentworth. The Reids possess some of the best blood of England, Ireland and France. A short time after the Revolutionary War, Hugh Reid came to Rockingham County from Pennsylvania. He settled a few miles from what is now the town of Reidsville. His son, Reuben Reid, married Elizabeth Settle, sister of Judge Thomas Settle, Sr. Children of this union were: Hugh, Reuben, Rhoda, Henriette, Annie and David - the subject of our sketch. The family lives in what is now the town of Reidsville, which received its name from the fact that the Reid family resided there and owned the land upon which the town is now situated before it was even a village or had a name. David S. Reid was born April 19, 1813. He gave early promise of unusual ability and being likeable. At 12 years of age he went to Wentworth to clerk in the store of his uncle, Robert Martin. His Aunt Mary (Polly) Settle had married Robert Martin. By his vacation work he earned money for his winter tuition. "Little Davie Reid" was so friendly, kind, helpful and intelligent that he was appointed Postmaster of Reidsville when only 16 years of age. He studied law and was admitted to practice in 1833. He was State Senator from Rockingham County in 1835 and was continuously reelected until 1840. In 1843 he was elected a member of Congress and served with great acceptability to his constituents. In 1850, when he had positively declined the nomination by a public letter he was elected Governor of the state, being then 37 years of age, the youngest man to hold that office in North Carolina up to that time. He was the first Democratic Governor elected by the people of North Carolina. The distinguishing act that marked his career was his advocacy of free suffrage which he successfully vindicated. (From Wheeler's History). While he was Governor, he promoted the building of a railroad to the western part of the state, a home for mental patients in Raleigh and a home for the deaf and dumb in Morganton. Before his term of office as Governor had expired, Reid was elected United States Senator and served until 1857. In 1861 he was a member of the Peace Commission in Washington. He held other positions of honor and trust, all of which he filled with marked ability and unquestioned integrity. It has been said that no executive ever lived more in keeping with the traditions which were his heritage. He had the highest ideals and the wisdom necessary to attain them. He had a deeply religious nature and it was his love of God and of the people whom he served which caused his success. His love was true and like that of a father - he sympathized, he strengthened, he upheld his people. It was while he was Governor that David Reid married his beautiful cousin Henrietta Settle. Henrietta Reid graced the Governor's Mansion and later the society of Washington. It is said that on one occasion she met William Tecumseh Sherman and in that encounter, at least, the South came out victorious. Judge Thomas Settle had given his daughter a home across the Dan from Mulberry Island and there they resided when David was not holding some public office. Judge Lane tells of the famous fox hunt which started at "Danbury" the home of Governor Martin, near this home, and of how the noble old Roman, Governor Reid came out to cheer the hunters on. The Reids had four children: David, Thomas, Caroline and Reuben. David died at 17 years of age and soon afterward the family moved to Wentworth and occupied the home now owned by Miss Maude Reynolds. In later years the family moved to Reidsville where Governor Reid died in 1891. His wife survived him for 22 years, living until 1913. Their son Reuben became one of the greatest lawyers in the country. He married Miss Lucille Reid, daughter of Congressman James Reid of Wentworth. Their children are: Lucille, now Mrs. Harry Fagge, Henrietta, now Mrs. James Fagge, and Frances who married Lynn Walton of Luray, Virginia. To know these gracious ladies is to realize that they are in every way worth of their illustrious forbears. The Reid's other son, Thomas Settle Reid, resided in Reidsville. His daughters, Miss Nettie Reid and Mrs. Ballard (Helen Reid) still live in the Reid home there. Governor Reid's uncle, Hugh K. Reid, lived in Reidsville and was a man of considerable wealth, justly esteemed for his integrity, benevolence and business sagacity. He built what is known as the Reid mansion about 1880 for his daughter Betsy Lea who married Charles Overman. A part of this remains. The Reid Plantation is on a knoll a short distance from the Dan River. Tall cedars in pairs frame the old house, gray after 100 years. There is a paneled front door with narrow glass panes around it. The porch (originally small and probably with traditional columns) has interesting pilasters supporting it. A few box bushes remain, with lilacs and roses. W.A. McCollum, who bought the plantation from the Reid heirs lived there for a short time and sold many of the box bushes to the millionaire Mellon family. Perhaps they are the ones that adorn the ground of the Mellon Gallery (American Art Gallery) in Washington. The plantation is now owned by Sam Tank Gann. To honor David Reid, let us borrow the DAR motto "Forward and honor what the past has gained and forward still that more may be attained." MOUNT PLEASANT This plantation has a just claim to historic importance, for Saura Indians had either a village or a battle on this site. There is an Indian graveyard on the plantation near the Dan River. In boyhood days, Dr. N.G. Wilson and his brothers found Indian relics there and evidence of a graveyard is still to be seen. General Dan Morgan and his patriots of the Revolution had fought at Quebec, at Saratoga, had defeated Tarleton at Cowpens and in 1781 marched down the "green cut" road in Rockingham County (at that time called Guilford) crossed the Dan at Lone Island ford then across Mount Pleasant land to unite their forces with those of General Greene in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The land over which they traveled on the south side of the Dan was acquired by Governor Alexander Martin and his family. Governor Martin's brother, Col. James Martin, a man of distinguished ability and a colonel in the Revolution, lived on the plantation of Mount Pleasant for a time before moving to his home on Snow Creek in Stokes County. His oldest daughter Sarah (Sallie) married Major Pleasant Henderson and they lived at Mount Pleasant. It is probable that their home was called Mount Pleasant in honor of Major Henderson's given name. The Major fought in the Revolution and was Governor Martin's private secretary during his three terms of administration as Governor. Governor Martin's plantation at "Danbury" as he called his home, was only a short distance from Mount Pleasant. There in the vault which he had built the Governor and his mother were buried. When the river rose and injured the vault, the caskets were removed, and according to Mrs. B.P. Wall, a lateral descendant, were re-interred near the same spot. The Moselys often visited the graveyard, a short walk from their home at Mount Pleasant. Major Pleasant Henderson and his wife had several children, among them being Mrs. Hamilton Jones. Dr. Pleasant Henderson, born in 1802, Dr. Alex Martin Henderson, born in 1807. Major Henderson removed to Tennessee and died at Huntingdon in that state. In 1838 William Brown Carter and Elizabeth Galloway of "Spring Garden" plantation were married and came to Mount Pleasant to live. Here their seven children were born, these being: William, Mary, Sarah, Robert Galloway who died when a baby, Jesse, Betty and Thomas. Mrs. Carter died in 1853, being only 36 years of age. Her monument and that of her little son, Robert, are in the family burying ground. After his home, Mount Pleasant was burned, William Carter and his family moved to "Hibernia" writes Mrs. Alice Baird, granddaughter. He bought "Hibernia" from Mrs. Elizabeth Scales Hay, sister of Randall Duke Scales, for $10,000 in gold. Samuel Moore and his wife Mary purchased Mount Pleasant. Like the Carters, the Moores had come from Caswell County and like previous occupants were a highly cultured family. Three of Samuel Moore's sons fought for the Confederacy; two sons lost their lives in that conflict. Col. Stephen Moore, the third son, returned to live at Mount Pleasant. Two of his sisters married Holts. Louisa married Governor Tom Holt. Her sister Laura married James Holt. The Holts were men of great ability, business sagacity and high character. Their brother-in- law, Dolph Moore, helped Governor Holt organize the Ku Klux Klan - lately fallen into evil ways but in those days most important because of the carpetbaggers, scallywags and the chaotic condition of government in the South. Dolph Moore was shot at the home of a Mr. Swepson at Haw River. This is told in the book, "A Fool's Errand." Of Col. Stephen Irving Moore who lived at Mount Pleasant, Judge Lane of Leaksville wrote: "In the early seventies there lived in the western part of Rockingham, Col. Stephen Moore. Like most of the gentlemen who resided in the ample mansions along the river, he loved the chase, kept open house and was a real sportsman. When word went out that an old and crafty fox had been caught, gallant horsemen and fair women, bringing packs of hounds converged at the Moore mansion. Enough came: "To fill that narrow width of road as full as Framilode is full of sea when tide is in." This section was famous for its peach and apple brandy and mint juleps. Col. Moore overlooked nothing for the refreshment and pleasure of man and beast." Col. Moore married Leila Elizabeth Moore of Franklin, Louisiana. Their children were Dr. Harris Royal, Stephen Irving, Frank Winston and Samuel who died in infancy. After Colonel Moore's death, Mrs. Moore's mother, Mrs. John Darnell lived at Mount Pleasant until her death in 1885. Mrs. Moore and her sons built a house in Madison on the site of the Ray Funeral Home, but later moved to Burlington. One son, Dr. Harris Moore, died when a young man. Frank and Steve Moore are dead but are survived by their widows, two gracious ladies. Mr. And Mrs. Frank Moore had a daughter who is Mrs. Clyde Jordan of Elizabethtown, NC. Ashby Price and his wife Mattie McGehee lived at Mount Pleasant but later moved to Florida. Both died there leaving several children. John Wilson of Three Oaks Farm bought Mount Pleasant and had the plantation surveyed by Captain Henry, hoping to develop the water power where there had once been a mill, but abandoned the project. In 1905, Robert Mosely and his family bought the plantation. Robert Mosely died in 1915 but left a widow and three children, Jim, Kate and Nanabel. Jim married Nell Neal of Reidsville and they and their daughter Sara live in Madison. Sara is in college. Kate married Charles Lambeth. Their children are Charles Jr. and Sybil. They live at Guilford College. Miss Nanabel, a woman widely known and respected in this section live at the home place with her mother. Few houses in the county can compare with this one in size and architectural features. There is a small front porch with round columns and a long back porch, five tall chimneys, nine fireplaces, two halls and two stairways. Four rooms are 22 by 24 feet and about 20 feet in height. These rooms have high wainscoting, elaborately carved mantles, each of a different design, window rosettes in the corners, carved on the inside as well as the outside. The basement under the main body of the house has plastered walls and large fireplaces. The second hall leads to two ells, of four rooms, one is a sun room having windows on three sides. In days gone by there were many other buildings, the foundations stones of which remain. There is still the servants house of four rooms. On the spacious lawn are fine trees, mock orange, chinquapin, lacy-leaved elms, heavy with mistletoe. In the orchard there are the peach and apple trees mentioned by Judge Lane, with apricot and cherry trees. Fig trees remain in what was once the garden. Around the family cemetery is a tall stone wall beside the flat gravestones. Tall cedars, almost covered with ivy and wild grapevines point Heavenward. Martin, Henderson, Carter, Moore - Each family that has gone before: All they who spent their days in grace Have left a blessing in this place. May we into their pattern fall And imitate them, one and all. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. 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