Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-02
JAMES MONROE.
Some Facts Respecting His Ameri-
can Ancestors.

written for the Dispatch)
/ read with great interest G. c. VS.
sketch OF James Monroe in your sun
days issue. The facts OF his eventful
career are put together in most at
| tractive style. l propose TO notice here
particularly the question Of his ancestry,
respecting which q. G. w. says there mas
been with all the biographers OF Monroe
'much want of knowledge Dr. DANIEL
G. Gilman knew only Of the parents OF
the President, and thought mat his
father was a Scotch immigrant. As a
matter Of fact, the ancestry OF Monroe
goes back in Virginia several genera
lions beyond the point assigned to 1t
by q. C. w. which he could have learned
from consulting the pages of William and
Mary College Quarterly Historical Maya
zine for July 1885.
From the account there given, and from
other material in my possession, derived
from the Maryland Westmoreand county
records the immigrant ancestor was An
drew Monroe. His original residence was
In MARYLAND. where he at hfst COM
manded pinnace in the employment OF
Arthburt Fenwick, general agent Tor the
Lord Baltimore. When Richard lnSie
declared for the Parliament, in 1915. Cap
I tain Monroe tObk T4itS hr'it+f'N i<FfN
Raltimore's Government, and eventually
ike Nathaniel Pope, DR.. Thomas Garrard,
and other Maryanders, fed over the
Potomac 20 a settlement, under the Nir-
elnia authority. at AppomattoX creek,
now called Mattox creek. ship captains
were men OF much consequence In those
DAYS. and the social rank of Monroe was
above the average. He died IN 1853.
leaving issue Susannah. Elizabeth. An
drew. George. and William. OF these
Andrew married EllnOr. the daughter
% Patrick Spend. who died about losj.
This Andrew was a justice OF the peace
and had the rank Of captain in the mill
tia. His issue was Spens. Susannah. An
drew. and Elizabeth. The ron of the
third Andrew was Spens COR Spence Mon
roe who married Elizabeth Jones. sister
Of Hon Joseph Jones. a very able mem
her of Congress from King George
county.
As TO the tradition mentioned by Hugh
Blair Griggby. that Spence Monroe was
carpenter. there Is proof that he was
"a Joiner" which amounts TO the same
thing. In the records Of King George
county | found last summer the fol-
lowing: James Walker. son OF Major
william Walker. late OF Stafford. binds
himself 10 Spence Monroe TO learn the
trade OF a joiner" The entry bears date
March Z, 1859 1t must be remembered
that nearly all the early settlers to Wy
GINA were merchants. who had sensible
ideas about the dignity Of the trades
While Spence Monroe had money ana
slaves and did little manual work him
self. he was not ashamed Of his profess
sion. in fact. | have found that most
Of the old leading Nirglnians dealt in the
trades. While hey did not regularly
f.4ra |
sure that they very often did 80. The
carpenter's trade was especially honor
able. Henry Cary, whose slaves punt
the house in which this paper Is written
(fCunded in 1880. was father OF Colohel
Archibald Cary. of Ampthil.
As the landed character OF NlrSinia
society grew. the merchants end the
tradesmen fell i'm the public estimation
but this was far from beng the case
during the seventeenth century ana the
FIRST half Of the eighteenth century.
LYON G. TYLER.