Charles City-Clarke-Frederick County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Watson, James Ephraim 1839 - ************************************************ 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 25, 2008, 10:28 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) JAMES EPHRAIM WATSON IN ancient days there were no family names. The Hebrews kept the most thorough records of their families. We find them recorded after the following fashion: Joshua, the son of Nun-or David, the son of Jesse-or Isaiah, the son of Amos; and not until the reign of Joseph II, Emperor of Germany, were the Jews in Germany constrained to adopt surnames. In the twelfth century a Domesday Book was drawn up in Iceland, recording the land taking of all the old settlers with their pedigrees. Not a single family name occurs in that book, and to this day in Iceland each native is known by his personal designation, and as the son of his father. To cite an incident-some forty years ago one of the Oxford Professors in England was Eric Magnusson, who was Professor of Scandinavian Language and Literature at Oxford, but his son in Iceland would not have been Magnusson, but Eric's son. Less than a thousand years ago surnames were rarely, if ever, borne. From the given names surnames were in many cases formed. Thus from the Toms came the Thomases, and Thompsons, and Tompkinses, and Thomasons. Each one of the ordinary names of that day became the source of more or less numerous family names. From Walter came Walters, Watts, Watson, Watkins, Watkinson and Waterson. The common name for Walter was Wat. The son of Wat became Watson. Names having this origin are given as sire-names. The Watsons, like other families, multiplied, in Great Britain, and many of them became prominent. When the name first appeared in Virginia cannot be definitely stated. We know that after the great Indian Massacre of 1622 in Virginia, a census of those living was taken (in 1623), and among them appeared the names of Thomas and James Watson. This is the first definite and positive record that we have. The Watsons greatly multiplied in numbers in Virginia, and became one of the most distinguished families of the eastern section of the State-not all of these families, however, had the same immigrant ancestor. They were well represented in the Revolutionary War-among the names of the Watsons who were soldiers are those of Ephraim and Thomas. Thomas Watson (here referred to) was paid off for his services as a soldier at Romney, in Hampshire County, West Virginia. That section of the country embraced in the lower valley and the southern branch of the Potomac was first settled principally by immigrants from two sources-those from the northeastern section of Virginia, east of the Blue Ridge, on the one hand; and those from western Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania, on the other hand. The settlers who came from eastern Virginia were practically pure English, while those who came from the other side of the Potomac were mainly English with a strain of Scotch-Irish, and those from Pennsylvania were German. Descended from these early settlers of the lower valley is James Ephraim Watson, of Charles Town, who was born on November 15, 1839, in Clarke County, Virginia, son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Locke) Watson. His mother was a daughter of John Locke, of Clarke County; and his father was a son of Thomas Watson. There was evidently a Thomas Watson in that section during the Revolutionary period, and there was apparently an Isaac Watson in the Middletown section. This Isaac Watson must have come into that country prior to the Revolutionary War, or about the time that the vast landed estate of Lord Fairfax was being settled up. Mr. Watson had the usual training of a valley boy in the first half of the last century. Before he had fairly settled upon his life-work came the outbreak of the Civil War, and in 1861 he entered the Confederate Army as a member of Clarke County Cavalry, which became Company D of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry Regiment-the company being under the command of Captain Hardesty, and later of Captain Hugh Nelson. His first colonel in the Civil War was General J. E. B. Stewart, then a young colonel, who later became a most distinguished cavalry leader of the war. Mr. Watson joined his command in July at Bunker Hill. A few days later the regiment participated in the battle of Bull Run, where Stewart led it in the first cavalry charge of the war. From that time on, for the next four years, Mr. Watson's regiment was engaged in the tremendous campaigns in which the Army of Northern Virginia took part. At Port Republic, at Front Royal, at Winchester, at Coal Harbor, at Brandy Station, at Trevillian Station, at Yellow Tavern, and many other less noted engagements, his command was in the thick of the fray. At one charge, at Trevillian Station, his squadron lost nearly half its numbers. Those at all familiar with the history of the war know that no body of soldiers in all history were ever-marched more strenuously and none fought harder than the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia under Jeb Stewart. At all seasons of the year, in all weathers, constantly on the march, constantly fighting and skirmishing, the cavalry arm of the service became literally the eyes and ears of the Army. Mr. Watson's record, during these trying four years, as a faithful and valiant soldier, was second to that of no man in an army whose valor has made it immortal. Returning from military service, he entered upon business pursuits, not confining himself strictly to one line of operation, and met with a gratifying measure of success in his work. For about eighteen years, he conducted a mercantile business at Lee Town, and for many years was a large and successful operator in live stock, and still handles a large portion of the cattle raised in his immediate section, though he does not give to that interest as much time and attention as formerly. He is one of the large landowners of Jefferson County; on which is some of the finest fruit in the county; and his home place, which is more particularly a grain farm, is one of the best, and cultivated in the most thoroughly modern way. Notwithstanding his advanced years, he is strong and capable-a picture of health and strength, and bids fair to reach an extreme old age, following the record of the family. His grandfather, who died in 1862, had reached the age of eighty-six, and his father died at the age of eighty-one. Mr. Watson is not only one of the most successful men of his county, but also one of the most highly esteemed. His life has been one of constructive good citizenship. He is a member of the Methodist Church, a Democrat, and a stockholder and director of the Merchants and Mechanics Deposit Company. He is noted for his aggressive activity and it is said that one cannot get within a quarter of a mile of his home without recognizing the atmosphere of industry and strength. Mr. Watson married Marguerite Elizabeth Roberts, daughter of William Roberts, of Jefferson County. They have eight children: Virginia, Belle, Harry, Edith, Pearl, Florence, Ernest and May-all of whom are married. Mr. Watson's grandfather, Thomas Watson, was born in 1776. At that time, the Watson families in the lower valley were not numerous. The only two of which we can be certain were headed by Isaac and Thomas. The probabilities are therefore that he was a son of one of these two, and that they came from eastern Virginia to the valley. In view of his given name being Thomas, it would seem more probable that he was the son of that Thomas who served in the Virginia Revolutionary command with two periods of service, having been paid off for one at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the other at Romney, Virginia. That branch of the Watson family settled in the Counties of Kent, Suffolk and Middlesex, which furnished so large a number of immigrants to eastern Virginia, bore coat-armor described heraldically as: "Barry of six, argent and gules three crescents ermine; on a chief of the second, two lances in saltire, their heads broken off argent." 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/charlescity/photos/bios/watson70gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/charlescity/bios/watson70gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 9.0 Kb