Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-01
DEEDS TO THE PEWS.
How Church Seats Were Disposed Of In
the 0lden Times.
THE RICHMOND LIGHT DRAGONS.
u.cora Of the Troop Which Became
the stuart Horse Gunrd-Its Omcers
a Ncn-IIoyv George Elam Es-
cnped Being Hanged.

c,,.v.soven OF the pages In desd-book
vo - formerly in the Hastings Court,
bu, now constituting a part Of the Chan-
Gerry Court records. are printed forms OF
a deed for church pews. Foriy-seven
., ,base deeds are filled in ayd attested
bv the Clerk. and twenty are left blank
With notice by the Clerk that
thsv were bound in the volume
by mistake. These deeds are dated
July n. 1916. and are for pews In
the First Presbyterian church. then &C.
cIuvlng the site OF the Randolph Paper
uGy Factory. Franklin street. Ihese IN
.trrInents would make IL appear that Ue
congregation was then neWiy estaD.ishei
,hs~e Tba amounts called for by the leases
-. hc,veon 50 and $50. and the papers
are ei,rcd bv Alexander Fulton. John Sea-
I,ool- william RoWlett. and John Park
rtfi trustees. other deeds in writing fol-
iovy tho printed ones. and are made 10
- ,r,efses named above. All these
a.. Ie,Sa, thu pews FOR and during
and unto the fun end and term OF nine
hundred and ninety-nine years, thehce
rcxt ensuing and fully 20 be compete
ana ended. and thereafter this lease 10 be
on ] I.
~ these deeds have been drawn out In
The last few years by Il. I. Brooke
church clerk.
Tho grantees IN the deeds are Joseph
eiyoloyy. Nathaniel Charter, Robert era
ann. Joseph Hream. Edward Hallam'
william Gait. Hez kiah l.. Wright, WI
lam cook. Sterling ]. crump samuel
white. william Writ, Archibald Iieasan's'
George Rlasey, Jacob hairlsoh'
T'bomas Trcdvay. Thomas Cowles.
James Bridges. Joshua brotherhood' 10,
hcrt Davidson. Fleming James. and
loan Wood. Bolies & King, William
Patterson. George Watt. Deborah Pleas
,p,s T. r. Shelton. Richard Young. Mat
fAety IT. Rice. l.. j., Eiizabeth. John Jr,
Uenrv and Matilda Wertse. John Foster,
I H. Roddy. Craig. James. Whitleck,
William Cowan. Richard l.. Bohannan'
John Johnson, slas Hayes. William Shep-
herd. James SiZer, Edward Cunningham
Anthony Robinson, Robert Quarles. Mar
Gus Cochran, and Nathniel Dunlop, VIII
liam Shapard, Philip Tabb, Robert Bry-
son. Peter Copeland. and Maria Brown.
The church after It's removal from
Franklin street Was located for many
years on part Of the lot now containing
the City Han. and il now located on the
corner Of Grace and Madison streets. VIII
liam Writ, one Of the pew-holders. was
afterwards Attorney-General OF the United
States. and ranked amongst the most
distinguished lawyers Of the country.
Among the old-time pastors OF this his
torlc congregation were Rev Drs. Rice.
William @. Armstrong william 5. Plum
er. Thomas V. Moore. etc, etc.
Hon. sidney S. Baxter, for many
Years Attorney General OF Virginia,
and William J.. Taylor. long First
Auditor OF Virginia, in the old days, were
superiutendents Of the Sunday school.
Pastor Armstrong was drowned many
years ago-in the fort!es or earlier-in
steamboat wreck on Long Island Sound.
while taking u summer vacation. Neither
DTS. Plumer nor Moore died while PAS
tors OF the church.
The Richmond Light Dragons. as the
Stuart Horse Guard Of long ago were
called. were extant even when Richmond
was a village. Their Jackets were OF
blue broadclOth, ornamented profusely
with bell-buttons Of silver. with Roman
helmets, caps ornamentod with white.
horse-hair plumes. The arms were
holster pistols and the cumbrOus Old
sabre. common even In this day. In
those days there was much rivalry be-
tween the troops OF Hcnrico. Hanover,
fFNIfbldUIt anu tl4t- A'iltfAts rili N4AN
Light Dragons OF Richmond. as TO
which should turn out the largest num-
Der Of men and the best horses. The
reunions generally took place on the
ith Of July and the 22i OF Febru-
ary.
Many years ago tho Richmond Dra-
gocn trumpeter was Dick Gaines, n 81
gantc colored man. whose vibrant
busle-notes were as familiar to the peo-
pie az was old Dick himself. Pre-
yious TO the parade Of the dragons In
the olden times Gaines would sound the
cali to horse on every street In the
city. He headed the troop when II left
tho city. in 1872 for Southampton county
TO help suppress Nat Turner and his in
eurrection. Some Of the early captains
were Robert Gamble. Randolph Harri-
son. Samuel $. Myers. Wyndham Ro-
hortson. John J. Werlh, Joseph Mayo.
John NJ Gregory, etc old lleutenants
were PoriieuX Robinson, John T..
Nrenn, James II. Grant. william VI.
Harrison. william ". Crump Peter W.
Gubbs, Frank J. Smith, william Allen,
etc.
The roll Of the company between lsi2
and 1851 VIII show what sort az citizens
favored this branch Of the military SER
vice OF the Old Dominion In those years.
The cantains. successfully. were: Walter
Gwynn, c. O Tompklns. and John VI.
Sheppard. Iieutenants were rr. Frederick
Marx. J. Grattan Cabell. Richard ..
Haslsins. and John Brown. Sergeants
were william o. George orderly.
Charles w. Macmurdo. W. T.. Binford,
Augustus Jarvis. Samuel Sublett. Benia-
min w. Roper. Robert VI. Duyall. and VIII
liam s. wood. Or. Charles Bell Gibson
was surgeon.
The following list OF ccrporals and
privates. most Of whom are now dead.
will bring again before the public many
name once familiar 10 the people. The
roster comprises the names Of X. w. APP
person. Thomas W. McCance. Lewis ID.
cronshaw. Robert Lumpkn, Radford
Blankinship. L. X. White. DR.. Carter y.
Johnson. John r. Steer. DR.. Charles $.
Mills Bat. Graves, John +. Lay. Thomas
Dodamead. James Il. Ferguson. John f.
Whitfield. william y. Tinsley. Alpheus
Hodges. John Minge. Samuel s. Cot
trell. =. s. Miles. John o. Austen. DR..
Spencer. Or. G.. Kidder Taylor Robert "
Crouch. Thomas W. Mckenzie, John a.
Chevallle. James May. Mark Downey.
william G.. Crensnaw. Robert Roberts,
W. s. Hurt, David Baker. Jr.. George
MAYNARD. Thomas J. Peyton, Dr. William
Eustace. Nathaniel Sheppard. ]. S. y.
Tinsiey, Dr. Frank Hancock. Or. Frank
Roiiy. William Gouldin. c. Baylor Hill,
John Higgins. Samuel Hastings. Peyton
Johnston. John u. Hobson. Thomas p
AUGUST, T. NJ FsatherstOn. Jabez Parker
Jr. Robert Sklpwl,h. John W. Peve-
ridge Peter Lawson, Titus c. Rice
Ro. p. snead Z. ". Braxton. Thomas
Tinsley Johnson. Edward \. Cooke
ro,,.s y Drnuv Beverly Thicker John