Albemarle County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Waters, William Darrah 1864 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 February 24, 2008, 7:20 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) WILLIAM DARRAH WATERS WILLIAM DARRAH WATERS, who resides in the beautiful Green Mountain section of Albemarle County, Virginia, is a striking example of two of our American peculiarities, one being our disposition to migrate from one section of the country to another, and the other the remarkable homogeneity of our older American stock. He was born in Missouri of a father who was born in New Jersey, whose father and grandfathers for several generations were born in Long Island, New York, the first of the family in America being one of the early settlers of Massachusetts. The route of travel of this family, or rather this branch of the Waters family, was first South, then West and then back towards the East. In all the new homes the members of the family have shown their instant adaptability to new surroundings, and have become closely identified with their respective sections of the country. Mr. Waters was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 25, 1864, son of William Henry and Sarah G. (Palmer) Waters. His father, William Henry Waters, was born at Hamburg, New Jersey, of a family which has been American since 1640. W. H. Waters moved to Palmyra, Mo., in 1835. He started his business career as a merchant. He later adopted manufacturing, and finally became one of the founders of the Waters-Pierce Oil Company, which during the remainder of his life controlled the oil interests west of the Mississippi River. It was an enormous business, and a standing testimonial to the organizing ability and executive capacity of Mr. Waters and his partner, Mr. Pierce. After completing his education William Darrah Waters was for three and one-half years associated with the Waters-Pierce Oil Company, first as clerk and then as cashier, this service being followed by a period in the manufacturing business. His natural taste, however, finally influenced him to discontinue these pursuits, as being more suitable to towns and cities, and in 1897 he moved to his present location purchasing Tallwood, one of the fine estates which had been long in the Coles family, and which is located in one of the most attractive parts of Piedmont, Va., a section noted for its scenic beauty. The house in which Mr. Waters lives, though of wood and built in 1803, is to-day in a beautiful state of preservation, a most handsome, commodious home, and demonstrates what is to us of this generation a rather painful fact that our forefathers, not-withstanding a lack of modern advantages, did better work in some things than we. Since 1897 Mr. Waters has been a Virginia farmer. He loves the life and leads it in the heartiest fashion. His personal popularity not only with his neighbors but with his large acquaintance in a big county is unbounded. Naturally kindly, and a believer in a generous hospitality, the stranger coming into the country would instantly accept him as a fine example of the old-fashioned Virginia planter. But there is a difference. The old-fashioned Virginia planter, with all of his virtues, was not so energetic or progressive as those of a later generation. The Virginia farmers of the olden time, and far too much at the present day, remind one of the Spanish-Americans who for three hundred years have been carrying all the imports of the city of Bogota over an almost impassable mule trail through mountains of ten thousand feet altitude. When it comes to the good roads question Mr. Waters is up-to-date and a progressive, practicing and preaching in season and out in the hope that after a time the good seed will take root and his neighbors will learn the economic value of good roads even though they care nothing for their own comfort. Mr. Waters was married in St. Louis on January 7, 1891, to Ella Potter, of Des Moines, Iowa, daughter of Homer C. and Eliza J. Hull Potter. The only child of this marriage is William Potter Waters, born December 19, 1893, and now a student at the University of Virginia. Mr. Waters' mother was a Palmer and Mrs. Waters' was a Potter, and the combination brings to mind Potter Palmer, of the last generation, who was one of the men who made Chicago great. Mr. Waters has been an omnivorous reader, and evidently a close observer, for his conclusion as to how best to promote the interests of his State and nation is one which shows that he has struck at the very bedrock of our governmental troubles. He says, "Let no public officer succeed himself." A few thoughtful men, and only a few, have long seen that this is a weak spot in our governmental system. The moment men get into public office their energies are devoted not so much to the public service as to their own retention in place and power. Many believe it to be apparent that a limitation of four years in the lower house of Congress and one term in the Senate would be greatly conducive to the public welfare. It is held that men knowing the impossibility of re-election until after the interval of one term, would devote themselves then strenuously to doing record work during their tenure of office. The same principle might be applied all along down the line which, it is thought, would result in great improvement in every direction. No man is indispensable to the public life of the nation, and no man is so valuable, that another of equal value may not be found to take his place. There is danger of an office-holding clique or cult growing up in this country, the efforts of which would not benefit the public, and would lead to much rank dishonesty, chicanery and trickery. Evidently William D. Waters does his own thinking. W. D. Waters comes from an old family. The first of his line was Anthony Waters, who came from Great Britain to Marshfield, Massachusetts, in 1640. He moved to North Sea, Southampton, Long Island, probably in 1659, for he was certainly a resident there at that date, and on November 15, 1662, was admitted by a vote of the inhabitants of Jamaica (at the town meeting called for that purpose) to full citizenship. On November 9, 1663, the Colony still being Dutch, old Peter Stuyvesant complains in a letter to Governor Winthrop that Anthony Waters, with eighty horse and foot, was putting down the Dutch magistrates and placing others in their stead. He was clerk of the Court of Sessions on March 17, 1664, and a patentee of Jamaica, February 5, 1665. On October 2, 1665, he served as a juror in the Court of Assizes of New York City in the celebrated trial of Ralph Hall and Mary, his wife, on the charge of witchcraft. On August 8, 1673, he was delegated by the town of Jamaica to appear as its representative before the general of the Dutch fleet at Fort William Hendrik. This old Anthony was a lawyer by profession and was evidently a man of considerable repute in the Jamaica section of Long Island. He was the father of Anthony, Jr., who was a man of good standing, a vestryman in the church, and who died prior to 1722. The exact date cannot be given. Anthony, Jr., married Elizabeth, daughter of Major Daniel Whitehead and Abigail A. (Stevenson) Whitehead. Her father was one of the patentees of the town of Jamaica. Anthony, Jr., was father of Daniel(1), born in Flushing, Long Island, in 1694, and died there on September 1, 1748, an extensive landowner, farmer by occupation, and a prominent citizen. He married on November 18, 1714, Mary Talman, who died December 19, 1769, seventy-seven years of age. Daniel(1) was father of Daniel(2), born at Flushing and died at Hempstead, Long Island, in 1764. He married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Cornell and Sarah Doughty Cornell. Daniel(2) was father of Thomas of Goshen, New York, who was born at Flushing, Long Island, in 1760, and died at Goshen December 1, 1834. He was a farmer and served as sheriff of Orange, New York, for thirteen years (1794 to 1807). He married Bridget Mathews. Thomas of Goshen was the father of Thomas Cornell of Hamburg, New Jersey, who was born at Goshen, February 27, 1793, and died December 1, 1834. He also was a farmer. He married on September 24, 1823, Emeline, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Edsel) Darrah. Thomas Cornell was the father of William Henry, born at Hamburg, New Jersey, August 26, 1831, and died in St. Louis, Missouri. January 21, 1892. He married on June 21, 1855, Sarah G. Palmer, who was born August 8, 1837. Of the children of this marriage William Darrah Waters, the subject of this sketch, is the only survivor. As will appear from this record, William Darrah Waters is in the eighth generation from Anthony Waters, the immigrant. The Waters family, authorities aver, is of royal origin. Be that as it may, this much is certainly true. The family was settled in Cheshire on the Welsh border and Caermarthenshire, over the border in Wales. This does not mean that it was of Welsh origin, for it was not, many English families settled in the border counties having become domiciled as to some of their branches in the adjoining counties of Wales. The family name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon, Walder, Walter, or Wealdhere, which is the oldest form. It meant a ruler-warrier. The Coat of Arms dates from the time of Richard III when the John Waters of that day was York Herald, and is as follows: Sable on a fesse wavy argent between three swans of the second two bars wavy azure. Crest: A demi griffin azure. Additional Comments: Extracted from: MAKERS OF AMERICA BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING MEN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION THE MEN WHO CONSTITUTE THE BONE AND SINEW OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY AND LIFE VOLUME II By LEONARD WILSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSISTED BY PROMINENT HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WRITERS Illustrated with many full page engravings B. F. JOHNSON, INC. CITY OF WASHINGTON, U. S. A. 1916 Copyright, 1916 by B. F. Johnson, Inc. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/albemarle/photos/bios/waters56gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/albemarle/bios/waters56gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 10.4 Kb