Southampton-Isle of Wight County Virginia USGenWeb Archives News.....Fire, 1876 

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Mill fire, 18 Aug 1876, Franklin; 
  watchman Henry MUNFORD, fatally burned 


"The (Richmond, VA) Daily Dispatch," Sat., Aug. 19, 1876 

p. 3, col. 4 

CRIMES AND CASUALTIES.

SAW- AND GRIST-MILLS AND LARGE LOT OF LUMBER DESTROYED BY FIRE - 
  MAN BADLY INJURED. 

[Special telegram to the Dispatch.] 

  Franklin, Southampton county, Va., August 18.- The large saw- and grist-mill 
at this place, together with a million feet of lumber, owned by R. J. & W. 
Neely & Co., were totally destroyed by fire last night.  The watchman, Henry 
Munford, was seriously burned externally while attempting to extinguish the 
flames, and will probably die. The fire originated in the grist department, 
and was discovered about 11 o'clock. Cause unknown. Loss, $30,000.  Insurance, 
$8,000 in the Portsmouth Company, of Portsmouth, Va., and the Farmville, of 
Farmville, Va. 

  The Seaboard railroad loses two flat-cars and three hundred yards of track. 
Trains were delayed three hours.  The Chambers Steam Fire Company, of 
Portsmouth, arrived here early this morning on a special train, and have been 
playing on the ruins all day.  This is the fourth time, these mills have been 
destroyed - once by explosion and three times by fire. 

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS. 
[Special telegram to the Dispatch.] 

  Norfolk, Va., August 18. - The destruction of the Neely mills, at Franklin, 
this morning, causes a loss to the Old Dominion, of Richmond, of $1,500; the 
Farmville, $1,000; the Portsmouth, $1,500; New York companies, $4,000.  Total, 
loss on mills and cut lumber, $20,000. 
[...] 


Additional information: 

Article posted as part of the Library Of Virginia's "Virginia Chronicle" 
   Virginia newspaper project, at: 
   http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/virginia_newspapers 
   - text of article corrected 

The site of the mill is actually in Isle of Wight Co., directly across the 
   Blackwater River from Franklin.  The CAMP brothers purchased the mill in 
   1886, and formed the Camp Manufacturing Co. the following year. 
   (Parke Rouse Jr.  "Timber Tycoons." {Courtland: SCHS, 1988}. pp. 31, 34-35) 

Henry MUNFORD does not appear in the {recopied} Southampton Co. Death Records. 
   His surname also appears MOUNTFORD, MUNTFORD, MUMFORD, &c. 

His widow Ellen (BARNES DRAKE) MUNFORD d. 7 Sep 1893, age 63. 
   (p. 314; orig.p. 2 #48) 

His grandson Alex W. {Alexander Wells} MUNFORD, sn/o Henry [Jr.] & "Sissie" 
   [Susan Jane RICHARDSON] MUNFORD, d. 18 Nov 1890, age 33. 
   (p. 314; orig.p. 3 #77) 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/18760819rd.txt