Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-05-27
DAILY EVENING STAR.
Correspondence of the Richmond Wing.
THE RICHEST MAN IN yIRGrN1A


Gentlemen: Il have thought. for som,
| time, ! would write for your paper some
thing IN relation to the richest man ir
Virginia, and the largest STAKEHOLDER in
the Union, and perhaps in the world
unles the serfs of Russia be considered
slaves; and the wish expressed in you1
paper few days ago, to know whom j,
was so wealthy in Virginia, induces me
| to write this now. ...-.
| Samuel Hairston, of Pittsylvania, is
the gentleman. When was in his sec.
ton, year or two ago, he was the owner
OF between 900 and LOO slaves, in
his own right, having but little while
before taken census. He has a pros.
pcctive right to about 1000 slaves more,
which are now owned by his mother-in-
law, Mrs. R. Hairston, he having mar
ried her only child. lie now has the
management of them, which makes the
number of his slaves reach near 5000.
They increase at the rate of near one
hundred a year; he has to purchase a
large plantation every year to settle them
on. A large number of his plantations
are in Henry and Patrick counties. Vir-
ginia. He has large estates in North
Carolina. His landed property in Stokes
alone is assessed at 100000. His wealth
is differently estimated at from SIS ,OOO,-
900 to S5,O00,000: and | should think
it was nearer the latter. You think he
has a hard lot, but | assure you, Mr..
Hairston manages all his matters as easy
as most persons would an estate of SIO.-
900. He has Overseers who are COM
PEELED to give him written statement
of what has been made and spent on
each plantation, and his negroes are all
fed and clothed from his own domestic
manufacture and raising his own to-
bacco crop, which is immensely large, as
so much clear gain every year, beside his
increase in negroes, which is a fortune in
itself
And now for his residence. have
travelled Of fifteen States of this L MON.
and have never seen anything compara-
BILE to his yard and garden, except some
of those in the Mississippi delta, and
none of them equal to it. Mrs. Hairston
has been beautitying it for years, and
good old minister, in preaching near the
place, and describing Paradise, said, it
was as beautiful as Mrs. Hairston's;" or,
as friend who visited Washington city
for the first time, remarked, that "the
public grounds were nearly as handsome
as Samuel Hairston's." He is plain,
gentlemen: and has never
made any noise in the world, though he
could vie with the Bruces, the McDo-
noughs and Astors; and it is strange,
that while their wealth is co.extensiye
with their Union, he is not known one
hundred miles from home. l believe he
is now the wealthiest man in the Union,
as VIM. 3. Astor is only worth about
81 100000, and the estates of city peo-
pie are vastly overrated, while Mr..
llairston can show the property that will
bring the cash at any moment.
Mr.. Samuel HairSton was raised within
a few miles Of where he now lives. in
Henry county. He he's several brothers,
who are pretty well to do in the world. |
One of them, Marshall Hairston, of Hen
~, owns more than 700 negroes; Robert
Hairston, who now lives in Mississippi,
near 1000, and Harden Hairston, who
has also moved to Mississippi, about 600
slaves. George Hairston, of Henry, has
given most all Of his property to his
children, reserving only about l50 slaves
for his own use. This, believe, is a
correct statement Of the circumstances
of the HairSton family.