The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-11-15
THE OLDEN-TIME VIRGINIA.
4 Few Fragments Of Early History Bul
Little Known.
A ONCE FAMOUS SPOT In LOUISA.
Some Entries in an Old Store Journai-Eow
the People Then Lived-Their Charac-
teristIcs, Their Fraiities and Virtues
rEnr The Times.l


be lost foreyer-reics, perhaps, of little value
10 the more unitarian. but such l hope as
nav prove Of real interest to posterity-l
venture this sketch in outline OF the men,
manners and modes Of living IN an average
country community Of the colonial period
namely, $50 years ago.
OF course such scraps of history to be OF
anv worth must he authentic and accurate
II was the great Cromwell who said 70 the
painter as lie sat for his picture: PANT me
rs I am. for if you leave out single scar or
wrinkle III not have it. and true 1t 10 that
the history OF a people who lived at some re,
mote period Of tine that IS not faithful.
delineation of their habits. customs ana
characteristics in everyday life IS not worth
preserving.
QUESTION or LINEAGE
In regard 10 the question of lineage as II
concerns the early settlement OK the O4u
Dominion proper, It is sufficient 70 staie rs
facts we'll settled In history That from tue
landing of Captain Smith At Jamestown III
1907. down 10 $50 years later, the cOlonlsts OF
Virginia excepting few Puritan interlopers,
who. ! grieye TO say, gave our worthy ahceS-
tors a deal Of trouble, but never, am sure
made successful Judgment in the colony.
were Royalists Of the most pronounced and
intensely intOlerant type-many OF them
from the best families of the English realm, a
few skilled artZans or common laOorers-
nearly all Cavaliers by birth or IA sentiment
O'eentlemen. 80 called some coming in
search Of wealth or adventure and others the
best class 10 escape prescription. But at least
We must own that larger proportion OF the
first settlers were "A sorry set OF lazy loaiers-
the cankers of calm wOrd"-who had
never handled On axe nor turned furrow IN
all their lives, and had rather starVe thah
work.
of the best class who came to Virginia at a
later period in large numbers. the major part
had been men of means or else persons oil
considerable influence IN the old country
nearly all from good families Many. now
ever. 10 tell the truth, had sadly gone 10
decay All staunch friends OF Charles };
and Of his son. Charles ll.,whO. as a rule hsd
been seriously compromised by the part thel
had taken .on the kings side, and these OF
course. were Royalists to the core and ID reilg-
ion Jealous and uncOmprOmlslng deyotees OF
the Established Church OF England" or the
straighted sect. homeless and pennies.
Now they focked TO the shores of Virginia as
20 q safeand blessed asylum, with little else OF
worldly goods in their gripsacks but the
Book of Common Prayer sure OF warm
welcome and an open-handed hospitality from
their Cavalier friends in ithe Old Dominion,
and clad IN thor heart of hearts that no hated
Cromwell nor despised foundhead, nor
sanity Parliament. nor Praise God Bare
bones 20 modest or make them afraid.
But we wish TO speak of the period i1H3)
1876 years after Smiths landing. Thomas JET
ferson. our own great. the Apostle OF Lid
erty," WAS born this year, and Patrick Henry
who some twenty years afterwards. was 70
electrlfy tho country people of Hanover
county by his famous speech IN the 'Parson 5
cause,n was then only seven years old. I'd
mund PendletOn. the distinguished Jurist,
parliamentarian and orator. who. IN time. was
to be called the rival OF Henry WAS now IN
his twenty-third year, and Washington, Ma
son. several of tie Ices and other famous
men Of the Revolution yet hardly IN theu
teens.
AFAM0Us LOCALITY.
Louisa county. lying some thrty-fve miles
west of Richmond city, was this year added
TO the colonial list OF counties. and the village
in that county known as CuckOO-so named
as n reliable tradition of more than one nun
bred years confidently asserts, from an 'nge-
mons clock of that name-w was about this
time (l743 located on the main thoroughiare
from Richmond % the mountains OF Virginia
having then tavern or ordinary (call II
"ornarv.n If ,yOu please and country store
IL WAS along this road and by Cuckoo. that
Tarlton passed when on his aid 60 Charlottes
vile % capture Governor Jefferson ana ms
legislature and II was while ms cavalry wa
passing Cuckoo tavern that Captain Jewett
of the Continental army, who happened 70 b'
| there. guessing hls destination. on nee
| horse. by nearer way, reached Charottes
VILE in time to give the alarm" his Is th'
/ precise historical statement.
ENTRIES IN AN OLD JOURNAL.
In an old store journal found here we have
! dates as early as l75l but not many OF th'
names seen ia this old record are common
now. Some are quite extinct. others rldlcu
/ lousy odd, such as John Crust. Peter fogg
/ The Widow Pegg, Samuel Two Penny etc
+ Philip. John and Edmund Pendleton tn
| Judge) are there: also, the il9iqultou'
/ Browns. Jonsses and Smiths. good beyy o
| the last. from which l infer they are thu
! oldest family in our Commonwealth. an'
| withal maryelously prolific. a. this seems Tn
only rational explanation of the universally
! Of that name, now IN every nook and corner
/ of the Old Dominion.
The accounts kept in this olden tim
we're IN pounds. slnllings and pence. III
/ trading then done was much IN the small way
very like the average country store now Wit
| this diIerence-there was not much Yauet,
then not one article perhaps % a THOUSAND
now The modern innovations OF fashion an'
extravaganza were unknown IN those primlty
and happy days for the farmer had but htti'
money 10 spend and himself and wife wer'
forced 20 economic. Tobacco was his on
market crop and this often sold for less thar
the expense OF marketing Liquor, salt an
cheese were among the rather cheap thing
then but many of the common necessArie
were high. Loaf sugar was forty cents
pound nails wrought fifteen totwenty cent
q pound and calico seYenty-fYe cents yard
GREAT PLEASURE LOVERS.
A striking peculiarly OF that old Cayalie
stock WAS their inOrdinate love Of pleasure
/ A member of one of the old families who Ia
been al pains 70 trace his pedigree locularl
remarked that as a rule his family elthe
drank whisky, played on the fiddle, or be
longed 10 the Baptist Church. Evidently, 10
the most part they were fTohcsome set {
thriftless Micawbe ever rs happy IL presen
enjoyment as the lord mayor OF London, ali
always confident that the next turn OF toi
tunes wheel would brlng them al neede
prosperity.
With no heart for manual labor. because i
their eyes il was simply degrading 70 "a
and high-spirited Cavalier 10 work, they wer
intensely devoted 70 field sports Of all kind
were daring and dashing riders. fond of bal
and barbecues. card playing and cock fleh
ing fox hunting and horse racing, and wlthi
famous trenchermen and lovers Of goo
cheer. remarkably like their near neigh Dor
the "Marylanders." as Irving facetlously cal
them. for. indeed, they were both from th
same sort Of stock. and were pleasure seeker
all Ito the manner born
FALsTAFFIAS BILL.
And not few of those old country qui
nuncs of that day, / grieye q say the trui
of history compels me TO admit, were az arral
hard drinkers. a. any mad reyeler IN fsmou
| Eas.chaan for some Of their store bills