Charlotte-Halifax County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Edmunds, Joseph Nicholas 1823 - 1891 ************************************************ 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 15, 2008, 8:25 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) JOSEPH NICHOLAS EDMUNDS THE subject of our sketch is a descendant of some of the earliest settlers in America. His ancestors were among those sturdy pioneers who laid the foundation for the existing great Commonwealth of Virginia, and, in fact, for our whole great nation. As far back as the early part of the eighteenth century the Edmunds family were living in St. Andrew's Parish, Brunswick County, Virginia. In March, 1740, Nicholas Edmunds, great-grandfather of Joseph Nicholas Edmunds, became a "Gentleman Justice," a position of honor and importance, which he filled acceptably for many years. Recorded in 1771 is the quaint marriage bond between Thomas Edmunds, son of Nicholas, and Sarah Eldridge. Such bonds filed in Clerk's offices, together with the interesting records in the old family Bibles and Parish or Church Records, are the only Marriage Register we have in Virginia, prior to 1850, when the present law went into effect. Thomas' bride had an unusually interesting ancestry, being the great-great-great-granddaughter of Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, the Indian chief. Matoaca, for such was Pocahontas' real name, was baptized under the name of Rebecca, and married John Rolfe, Esq., as we read in our histories. Rebecca Rolfe left one son, Thomas, who married Miss Poytress of England. Their only daughter, Jane, married Col. Robert Boiling, of Boiling Hall, West Riding of York. Jane Boiling's son, John Boiling of Cobbs, married Mary Kennon, whose daughter, Martha Boiling, married Col. Robert Eldridge, and Sarah, the daughter of Robert and Martha Boiling, married Thomas Edmunds as above mentioned. Besides his other public duties, Nicholas Edmunds rendered military service. As required, he took an oath, by which he abjured the Stuarts and the Pretended Prince of Wales and swore allegiance to the heirs of the Princess Sophia of Brunswick, and met successfully the Test which determined whether he had taken communion, according to Episcopal rites, within the previous year. Having thus proved himself a loyal subject of the British Crown and a faithful supporter of the Established Church, he received his commission from the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony, and, in 1746, became a Captain of a company of foot. In this same year, he was appointed to the important position of vestryman of old St. Andrew's Parish, thus proving himself to have been a man of sterling character, deep religious convictions, and practical ability. We find mention of his son Henry, who, like his father, rendered public service to the community. In 1754 he became Captain of Militia, and was put on the "Commission of the Peace," both important offices, and entrusted only to men of character and ability. Both Nicholas and Henry qualified as Gentleman Justices at the February term of court in 1756. In May, 1759, Henry was appointed to take the list of tithables, a position corresponding to the office of Commissioner of Revenue in our own time, while the military service of his father won for him the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel of Militia. In 1767, Thomas, who married the Sarah of "Pocahontas" descent, qualified as Deputy Sheriff for Thomas Stith, Sheriff, which position he filled so well, that two years later, he was re-appointed to assist Sylvanus Stokes, and three years later, he was again appointed to a similar position. In that same year his father was rewarded for his capable military service by receiving the appointment of Colonel-in-Chief of the Militia. Having already discharged successfully many public duties, Thomas Edmunds justly deserved the appointment on the "Commission of the Peace," which came to him from the Governor in 1777. Thomas was on the bench as Gentleman Justice in 1778 and again in 1780. Being, like others of his family, a devoted churchman, it is only natural that it should be recorded that he became a vestryman of St. Andrew's Parish in July, 1780. On January 28, 1782, he was appointed County Sheriff, which position he was well able to fill, as he had been Deputy for several terms. Near this time his faithful military service won for him the promotion to the office of Lieutenant Colonel of the Militia. Nicholas Edmunds' will, made July 26, 1787, probated May 25, 1789, bequeathes property to his sons, Sterling, Thomas, and John Flood; to his daughters, Sarah Ruffin, Elizabeth Garland and her children; to his grandson, Nicholas Edmunds, and to his late wife's daughter, Lucy Stith. He probably married before he came to Brunswick from Surry or Isle of Wight, from which counties Brunswick was formed in 1732. The will of his son, Thomas, was made on September 24, 1825, and probated November 28 of the same year. His sons, Nicholas, Thomas, Henry, Littleton, and John Flood, and his daughters, Clarissa Read, Nancy Watkins, Susan Madison and Elizabeth Edmunds are mentioned, as are also his grandchildren, Catherine, Sarah and Charlotte Macklin, Sarah and Clarissa Scott, Mary and Henrietta Claiborne, and Edwin, son of his son Edwin, deceased. Henry, son of Thomas, and father of Joseph Nicholas Edmunds, married Martha W. Morton, of Charlotte County, February 3, 1809, the marriage being solemnized by the Rev. John Holt Rice. We leave consideration of the Edmunds family for a time to trace the very interesting ancestry of Miss Morton. Her grandfather was Joseph Morton, who was born in 1709, and became one of the prominent citizens of Charlotte County, where he followed the occupations of farmer and surveyor. From George III of England he received the grant of an expensive tract of land. We realize how immense estates were in those days when we learn that Mr. Morton's nearest neighbor was thirty miles away. Mr. Morton's personal qualities were of the highest order. He was honored with a seat in the House of Burgesses and was also, for many years, a member of the County Court. He was prominent in the old Briery Presbyterian Church, to which he gave liberally of his time and money. His first wife was a Miss Goode, by whom he had one child. His second was Agnes Woodson, by whom he had eight children. His honored and useful life closed June SS, 1782, and his wife died March 10, 1802. Their son, Colonel William Morton, was born in Charlotte County in 1713. At the time of the Revolutionary War, he raised within two days a company of his neighbors to join General Greene's army on the Dan. As Captain under General Greene, he proved his prowess at the battle of Guilford Court House, where he "slew the gallant Colonel Webster, the pride of the army of Cornwallis." As a member of the House of Delegates, meeting in 1779, he served his country well. After the war, he rendered as efficient service in the office of Justice of the Peace as he had done in the army. He was a "terror to evil doers" and was persistent and skillful in capturing criminals and bringing them to justice. Once he refused to vote for a certain man who was nominated for an office because "when he ran at Guilford from the enemy's fire, he (Colonel Morton) thrashed him back into the lines." A friend asked the Colonel if he were not afraid to make such a charge. He replied, "No, I thrashed him once, and can do it again if necessary." There resulted a lawsuit, but the evidence given by the Colonel led the opponent to abandon the case. Although stern to evildoers, Colonel Morton might have been written of, like Abhou Ben Adhem, as one who "loves his fellow-men." When corn was scarce and commanding a high price, Colonel Morton, refused to take advantage of that fact and sold to the poor at the lowest market price. He was honored by other offices, being for thirty years a trustee of Hampden-Sidney College, and for a long time was a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church. His death occurred on November 29, 1821. His wife was Susanna Watkins of Chickahominy, whom he married October 29, 1764. She, too, belonged to an old Virginia family. Her grandfather was Thomas Watkins of Swift Creek, in Powhatan, then Cumberland County. In his will, dated March, 1760, and recorded June, of same year, are mentioned sons, daughters, and other relatives, as follows: Susannah Woodson, Mary Woodson, Thomas Watkins, Elizabeth Daniel, grandmother of the late Judge William Daniel, Sr., and among whose descendants are Mrs. Fuqua, Mrs. Coleman of Cumberland, G. W. Daniel of Farmville, Mrs. Ellett, Mrs. Wood Bouldin, Judge William Daniel of the Virginia Court of Appeals, and C. D. Coleman, Esq., of Cumberland; and also his grandchildren, Stephen and Elizabeth, children of his son Stephen, deceased. Mrs. Thomas Clay, of Dinwiddie, was a daughter of this Stephen. A daughter, Jean Watkins, and her sons, and also Stephen's sons, Joseph, Thomas, Joel and Benjamin, are mentioned. Thomas Watkins, of Chickahominy, son of the Thomas of Swift Creek, married a Miss Anderson of Chesterfield, sister of Claiborne Anderson of Chesterfield, who was grandfather of the late Mrs. William R. Johnson. Thomas Watkins made his home near Bottoms' Bridge. After an honored and useful life, he died in 1783. His children were: Henry, of Prince Edward County; Francis; Joel, of Charlotte, who married Agnes Morton; Thomas of Powhatan; Betsy, who married Major Nathanael Massie, of Goochland; Susannah, who married Colonel William Morton, of Charlotte; Sally, who married John Spencer, Esq.; Mary, who married Stephen Pankey, of Manchester; Nancy, who married Smith Blakey, of Henrico; Jane, who married Charles Hundley, of Goochland; and Prudence, who married William Royster. Susanna, daughter of Thomas Watkins of Chickahominy, became, as before stated, the wife of Colonel William Morton. She was a true helpmate for her gallant husband, and old people living in that part of the country still remember her with affection and veneration. She was esteemed and beloved both for her piety and her domestic qualities. The children of Colonel William Morton and Susanna Watkins were: Frances, who married Robert Watkins; Agnes, who married Benjamin Morton; Nancy, who married Rev. W. Hill, D.D.; Henry, who died in 1796; Betsy W., who married John Morton, of Charlotte; Mary, who married Richard H. Venable; Lucy, who married Captain George Hannah; Joseph, who married Betsy W. Watkins; Martha W., who married Captain Henry Edmunds; Mildred, who married first, Edwin Edmunds, secondly, Henry N. Watkins; Susan, who married Thomas Throckmorton of Kentucky; and Jane, who married James H. Marshall. Now we come to the union of the Morton and Edmunds families, represented by the marriage of Captain Henry Edmunds and Martha W. Morton, daughter of the Revolutionary warrior, who took up their residence in Halifax County and lived there for many years. This couple had a large family, all of whom died young except: Susan, John, Richard, Charlotte A., Littleton, Sterling, Elizabeth, Sally, Joseph Nicholas, the subject of this sketch, and Thomas. Martha Morton Edmunds, like so many of her ancestors, was a deeply religious woman. She was also a woman of means and social position. She was largely instrumental in effecting the building of the Old Mercy Seat Presbyterian Church, located at Elmo, about two miles from her home, Elm Hill. The children of Susan Edmunds, the eldest child who married Robert F. Gaines, of Charlotte County, are: Martha W., who married Robert Carter, M.D.; William, who died single; Mary E., who married Thomas Spottswood Henry, M.D., of Charlotte County; Robert; Joseph, of Charlotte County, who married Jennie Gaines, of Hanover County; Margaret; and Thomas Nicholas, of Charlotte County, who married Mildred Anne Edmunds. Robert was a Confederate soldier, and, with his sister Margaret, still survived in 1916. The William Gaines, mentioned above, was Lieutenant in the Confederate Army and Registrar of the land office in Richmond for many years. Dr. Henry, who married Mary E. Gaines, was the grandson of Patrick Henry, and brother of the historian and lawyer, William Wirt Henry, of Richmond. John R. Edmunds married Mildred Coles. Their children are: Paul C. of Halifax County, who married Phoebe Easley; Nannie C., who married John Coleman, M.D.; Henry, of Houston, Virginia, who married Sue Edmondson; John R., who died young; Lizzie Lightfoot, who died; Sallie, who married Robert Hubbard, of Buckingham County; Mildred, who married James Boyd, of Richmond; Littleton; and Edward, of Winston-Salem, N. C, who married Phoebe A. Easley. Charlotte A. Edmunds married George Whitfield Read, of Charlotte Court House. Their children are: Alice C, who married William Boyd, M.D.; Nannie E., who married John T. Watson, of Danville; Martha W., who married a Mr. Turner; Clara, of Danville, now deceased; and Lelia, also of Danville. The children of Littleton Edmunds and Sallie White are: Eliza, of South Boston; Thomas, a physician, who married a Miss Pitch; Sally White, who married a Mr. Moseley; and Howard L., of South Boston, who married Irving Easley. Sterling Edmunds married Mary Jane Claiborne. The children of this couple are: Sterling of Louisville, Kentucky, who married Mollie Garnhart; Henry Bocock, of St. Louis, Missouri, the name of whose wife is not now recalled; Letitia, who married, first, Mr. Lipscomb, secondly, Mr. Brown; Thomas, Ethel and Bernard. Elizabeth Edmunds was twice married, first to Dr. Robert Jennings, and secondly to Dr. Samuel Hales. The children of her first marriage are: Clement; Henry; Robert of Danville, who married Lillie Booker of Richmond; Sallie, who married William Henry Hodge of Halifax County; Richard; Thomas; Polk, "The Boy General" (page 89 of Halifax County Handbook), whose wife's name is unknown; and J. J., who married Alice Holman. The children of her second marriage are: Dr. Barksdale Hales, who married first, Maggie Rowlett, but whose second wife's name is unknown; Sue, who married Harry Derrick, of Halifax County; and Peter, who married Nannie Haines, of same county. The children of Sally Catherine Edmunds, who married Thomas Edmunds Barksdale, May G, 1S50, and died November 11, 1SS7, are: Molly Barksdale, who married Eobert Hutchinson of Charlotte Court House; Henry Edmunds, who died; Robert Jennings, of Halifax County; Charles, who died in infancy; Thomas Edmunds, of Halifax County; John Flood, who died in his 13th year; Sally Read, of Halifax County; Edward Marcellus, who died at the age of three years; and Cora Lee, who married John E. Redd, of Martinsville, Virginia. Mr. Thomas Edmunds Barksdale died March 4, 1910. He was an elder in the Old Mercy Seat Presbyterian Church, of which his wife has been a member from childhood. For fifty years he held the same office in the New Mercy Seat Presbyterian Church. The marriage of Thomas Edmunds and Nannie Coleman, daughter of Dr. A. E. Coleman, of Halifax County, occurred on April 29, 1863. The children born to them at "Elm Hill" were: Algernon; Sallie, who married John Steger Meade; Mary, who married G. H. Wimbish; Annie May, who married J. Beverley Ruffin; Helen, who married John Waller Boswell; Kenneth, who married Minta Dickerson; J. Mabrey, who married Mary Agnes Hughes; and Evelyn Bird Edmunds. At the picturesque family home, "Elm Hill," in Halifax County, Joseph Nicholas Edmunds, the next to the youngest child of Henry and Martha Edmunds, was born on March 10, 1823. Here under a healthful rural environment, he passed his boyhood years. As he was a member of a large family, he knew no lack of companionship. His mother was a devoted and zealous Presbyterian, who, both by precept and example, instilled into the minds and hearts of her children the principles of practical Christianity. After his elementary and preparatory education was completed, Joseph attended that institution which has had a part in the making of so many of our great men, the University of Virginia, where, for three years, he pursued diligently his studies. In 1844 the University gave him the Bachelor of Law degree. As Charlotte Court House seemed to offer an inviting field for the practice of law, and as his brother-in-law, George Whitfield Read, was also a lawyer, the two young men entered into partnership, and established their business at the County Seat. On June 10, 1847, Joseph married Elizabeth Barnes Hodge, who was born in Mecklenburg County, June 22, 1831. With his sixteen-year-old bride, he went to reside on the Woodburn plantation, a large estate located on the Staunton River, in Charlotte County. Here he devoted himself to the occupation of farming, and here his children were born. The oldest was Lucy Lyne, who became the wife of Captain Edwin Edmunds Bouldin, of Danville; his next child was Henry, who died in infancy; then came Frances Boyd, who married Robert LeRoy Coleman, of Halifax County. On August 29, 1S5G, there was born Joseph Littleton, who became a well-known and highly esteemed man. The next child was Elizabeth Hodge, born June 18, 1860; she became the wife of Edward Ragland Monroe. The next child, Martha Morton, of Baltimore, was born April 25, 1S64. The youngest was Mildred Annie, born July 10, 1872, who married Thomas Nicholas Gaines. Although the plantation home was far from public schools, the children growing up thereon did not lack educational advantages, for their college-bred father was able to teach them at home. With his only son, Joseph Littleton, he took especial pains. Like so many of his ancestors, Joseph Nicholas Edmunds performed meritorious military services. During the Civil War, he joined Company B of the First Virginia Regiment Reserve Forces, whose special duty it was to guard the homes of that section from the ravages of the opposing army. Mrs. Joseph Nicholas Edmunds died in the year 1885, and was buried in Danville. On January 31, 1891, her husband ended his long and useful life at his home on the Staunton River, where he lived for nearly half a century. He was buried by the side of his wife. Their son, Joseph Littleton, who died (single) in 1910, is buried close beside them. 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. 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