The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-07-11
An Interesting Letter.
HAeUE, WEsTKoRELAND COUNTY, I
ls.--117-7e . ~ EEss- T,,Ixy IoTy

- -, -
;s HaeuE, WEsTKoRELANp COUNTY
July q 1877
Editors Dispatch &C Gentlemen,-A friend
in Richmond having intimated to me a.
doubt concerning my estimate of the popu-i
lation Of Virginia during the fourth quar-
ter OF the last century, have out Of re-
spect for his opinion taken considerable
mains to verify its correctness. In the course
OF INV investigation CHANGED upon a mine
OF Information. which, II it does not OF itself
establish conclusively the general PROPOSE
ton asserted in reference to the greatly
superior populousness OF Eastern Virginia
(which was then nearly the entire inhibited
area OF the State) during the period named,
certainly goes far to corroborate other un-
-deniable facts bearing on the subject, AS
the noble exile in as Fou Like II found
=. tongues in trees, and books In the gum
ming BROOKS" so from the sere and wither7
ed leaves of an ancient merchant-ledger I
have been able to extract some really valua-
BILE historical truth.
From about the year 1860 down to the
rupture with England the large mercantile
house of James Ballartine Il Co., OF Glas-
Cow, had pretty much monopoly Of the
business of the counties on the Potomac
from Occoquan to the Chesapeake bay.
The managing partner here was John Bal
lantine. who resided for many years at
.sYeocomico,1 now called Kinsale, in. the
extreme lower end OF Westmorelaud. They
had q storehouse at this place and another
on Nominy river ian estuary OF the Poto-
mac. as is Yeocomico riyer,) ten miles
higher rp. From lists OF balances due at
these stores in the year. 177O-'1-'2, l have
made off a. table OF sirnames which were
very numerous hereaboqts at that time, but
not one OF which is now extant among the
white people, either in this vicinity or, as
| I believe, in the counties OF Richmond,
estnoreland, Lancaster, and Northum-
Eberland. Afew OF them belong tonegroes,
who derived them from their old masters.
They are follows: M ~
Anderson, AIloway, Ariss, Armour, ALL
brey, Amy, Adam, Andrew, Buckley, Bruce,
Bower, Boyer, Blincoe, Bradger, Bare
croft, Branner, Benson, Boggess, Blame,
Barrow, Ballantine, Beckwith, Bankhead,
bush, Barnard, Buckand, Bryan, Bnrwell,
Brinnan, Boxhall, Buckner, Bryce, Bonum,
| Bog, Broadwater, Birket, Bernet, Boyd,
Bunyun, Crane, Clackston, Champe, Camp
bell, Cayender, Christian, Corbm, COPELAND,
Clayton, Chiffon, Callis, Crawford, Cum
ningham, Caddeer, Cain, Clerk, Crowther,
.Connell, Corne, Crenshaw, Crasburn, Cur
tes, Cooke, Colston, Corrie, Carlyle, Davies,
Debow, Delozin, Donald, Denholm, Dye,
Dunn, Delk, Doyle, Dalton, Davies, Donni-
son, Dick, Danks, Eford, Eales, Evans,
Eaton, Ellis, Evers, Erskins, Flood, Faun-
tleroy, Fox, Fagins, Ford, Fleming,
Fountain, Fish, Fulks, French, Franks,
Grace, Grand. Grant, Gordon, Grit
tin, Goodman, Garen, Gilmour, Gill,
Cot, Gibbons, Greenstreet, Garlick, Greig,
Griffis, Hill, Holland, Hornsby, Harper,
Hillbrooks, Hazlerig, Hamilton, Hughs,
| Hepburn, Hartley, Hawkins, Hilyer, Howe,
Heath, Hume, Harrington, Jordan, Jasper,
Johnston, Knott, Knight, Keene, Kirkham,
Kenner, Kew, Kirkley, Keir, Key, Kerr,
Kiddell, Knox, Kirkpatrick, Leader, Lang,
Legg, Lane. Litch, Lacey, Morton, Mullen,
Moore, Madford, Mathany, Murray, Mills,
Maiiett, Mollesen, Monroe, Macrae, Melony,
Meals, McMikin, McCluskey, New Whurtore,
Mccoy, tMcCave. McAdam, McGlymont,
McGachin, Mccall. Macharg, .Newberry,
Nugent, Nurse, .Newmarch, Neale, Opie,
Ugllby, Orr, Prosser, Persons, Peter
kin, Packet, Partridge, Peeure, Pettel,
Pooly, Pollard, Pugh, Piper, Ramsdell,
RUSSELL Rochester, Rolls, Roberts, Riley,
Rocker, Robins, Routr, Rayson, Ross,
Rose, Robertson, Showers, Sckrimger, Sal
lard, Schoffield, Stoneham, Strother, Shad-
rick, Shiyerall, Standley, Steptoe, Spurline,
Scultz, Shankland, Stone, Simpson, Sparks,
Sentz, Speaks, Similar, Sholly, Sebastian,
| Sprowl, Singer, Stewart, (some newcomers
| OF this namein Richmond county, Stonum,
Smithson, Trussell, Thornton, ThraiIkitt,
Templeton, Turbervile, Tidwell, Taite,
| Tebbs, Tracy, Tools, Troop, Tillery, Talbot,
Tenant, Warden, Weeks, Woodcock, Wes-
ton, Yarmouth, Warren, Watts, Wall, War
ing, West, Welch, Wardrobe, Wylie, Wood
~, Yates, Yellot. r..
The next prominent fact is that Of the
names now most commonly met with in this
community. There are more recorded in
this book than are to be found at this day,
and of course there were many others which
are not here "writ down." For example,
there were more Atwills and Askins, more
Baileys and Buffers, more Claughtons and
Courtneys, more Douglasses and Dawsons,
more Elmores, Fishers, Garners, Halls,
Joneses. Kings, Lees Zone or two OF these in
Lancaster only, Lampkins. Middletons,
&C., &C., than are registered in the poll
books OF this voting precinct 1t is worth
remarking, in 1he next place, that the me-
chancai and useful trades and occupations
were LuCu lbuCL pCtGtl L uClC e
were numbers Of tailors, weavers, wheel
rights, coopers, carpenters, saddlers, or
namental gardeners, ship-builders, sc. Par
parenthese, remember to have read long
while ago in some book of anecdotes what
purported to be true version OF the origin Of
the nautical term schooner. A gentleman
in England, about the year 1870, 30 the
story ran, built fast-sailing vessel, rigged
| with gaffs and booms, for the coasting trade.
A large crowd had met to see her launched,
and as she slid from the ways and shot out
in the deep water an enthusiastic h16ber
cried out, tsDon't she Scoon? !" And
schooner she shall be called,'' said her
owner. It is a pity to spoil SO pretty sto-
ry; but from this old folio, page 12, it ap-
pears that in May, 1854, one William Calls
built the schooner Endeavor for John
BaIlantine here on ss sMachodoc creek, in
sight OF where now sit. So. IL
Here, as elsewhere, tobacco was, then the
staple product; yet, from the freight-bills
OF the Endeayor and other charges we learn
that the crops OF corn were by no means
small, while there was a respectable guam
tity OF wheat and rye also made. Fruit
and vegetables of every kind were abun-
dant; SO Of beef, mutton, pork, domestic
fowls, eggs, butter, &c. Jamaica "spirits
were the popular upple Of the day, but
from the number Of stills imported there
must have been large quantities OF fruit
brandiea, especially apple and peach, manu-
factured. Though the "Weed" supplied
the place Of circulating medium, there was
money enough in the shape OF. doubloons,
half-ioes, pistoles, small silver, and bank.
bills to keep card -playersand betters at races
in countenance. By the way, it is manifest
from q little private account on the t1rst