Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-09
0. H. Berry & Co.
AN OLD POTOMAC HOME.
A sketch OF Fauntleroy's-some Oh
Its Owners.
(For the Dispatch)

Among the large estates in that part
Of Northumberland county known as
Cherry Point lying between Coan river
and the Yeocomico is that Of Fauntle-
roy's. owned at present by the Hon. w.
w. Walker. of Westmoreland. The plan
tation is bounded on the north and west
by the Potomac and the Yeocomico and
has q water-coast of eight or nine miles
in extent
The public road leading from Lottsburg
| TO Lewisetta, after passing MelrOse
| church, pursues a straight course for
mile towards the Potomac. and then turns
abruptly 10 the right, and skirts the up
per boundary of this farm. The modern
| wooden dwelling may be seen mile or
more distant among the trees which, Ike
sentinels. guard the spot where, Ia the
DAYS of "auld lang syne," stood the man
sion of the Fauntleroys, whose name the
place perpetuates.
! The estate is composed Of a number OF
fields. of enormous size. regularly marked
by fences and hedge rows. and generally
so fiat as to suggest the thought that IN
laying them out Nature brought 70 heI
aid an immense spirit-level. number oi
inlets and marshy-fringed ponds indent
the fields and pleasantly relieve the mo
notony Of their view.
| Who of English blood first acquired the
| ownership Of these broad acres am not
| distinctly aware. He probably was Colo
| mel Samuel Griffin, who, about the year
1860. obtained by patent various bodies Oh
| land I'm the Northern Neck. Though some
| obscurty rests upon his life unrihB MS
earliest years I'm the colony. he seems TO
have made his residence here, and most
| likely i'm a house the site Of which, 30
| wards below where the present dwelling
| stands, has now almost disappeared De-
| meath the encroaching tide of the Poto-
mac. The casing of an old well on the
beach. some scattered bricks pieces Oh
| pottery, and fragments of glass ana IRON
ware. point to where beneath the tides,
! the building stood. on line with it, and
near bv. is the site of the windmill, whose
| tan form and revolving wings were long
q landmark to The sailors, and are yet
well-remembered by many persons on he
vicinity.
In 1860 Thomas Griffin. of Rappahannock
| county mow Richmond, died. leaving
| widow and three young children-t"o sons
and a daughter-LerOy, Thomas, ana " IN
! fired. Colonel Griffin acted the part OF "A
chivalrous kinsman. and soon Afterwards
| married the widOw-Mrs Sarah grimm
and receiving her children under his care
| treated them with fatherly tenderness. II
does not appear whether he went, after
! his marriage. 20 reside in the home oil ms
wife or brought her to his manor on the
Potomac.
lie had. as far as / can discover an only
| daughter, who was named aller MS .l'-
ter. in London CIrs. Sprigg)-CatharlHe.
! She married, at an early age, Nllliam
Fauntleroy. the son of Moore, the emf
grant. and was left at his death, IL luS''
with three sons. the second of whom WAS
| called for his grandfather-Grilih. on
was evidently n woman OF much loIce %
| character, and her name attached 20 A'-
| strrIments of writing OF various hlhu9' -
| az frequent occurrence among the courI
racords of her time. She was married
tho second time to Major David Gwyn'
and her children by this union were three
| Observation-Disclosures Sarah, and Catha-
rine-two of whom, having nteimaIrled
,yith John TAYLOR and Newman BrOcken-
| brough of Richmond county, TRANSMITTED
| among their descendants their estlmaDie
virtues along with their frequently recuf-
ring names ., l.. 20,
ond the hulk of his estate was beQueathed
| 60 bis orandsons. the issue Of his daugh-
| ter's first marriage The second OF these,
! Griffin Fauntleroy inherited all his land-
ed nronerty I'm Cherry Point. and just at
maj time. having reached his majority
ne here established his home, Whlcn now
I heUHn
lie soon afterwards married Ann BUSH
rod niece and ward Of Colonel Jonn
Rushrod. Of Bushneld, In Westmoreland.
She was daughter TO Thomas Bushrod'
who having removed from gloucester
county TO Northumberland, died here, in
1909, leaving two orphaned children-Rich-
ard and Ann.
Mr.. Fauntleroy was an opulent planter,
and several plantations near the one on
which he lived, and in Richmond and STAFF
ford counties augmented his revenues.
II was i'm the prosperous days OF his pro-
prietorship here, doubtless, that the loca-
ton of the dwelling was changed, and
commodious brick mansion erected on the
4, spot where the present one, or WOOD, IS
III placed n number OF long, paved walks,
two octagonal brick houses, the walls OF
the stable. and other signs remain in wit
ness of the substantial and elegant APP
pointments Of this early home.
Numerous children gladdened the place
at this period OF its history There were
four sons and three daughters, at least, 10
gan1bol ON the beautifully level sward. and
sport with the waves on the broad, sandy
heath below the garden. The walks,
adorned with flowers after the fashion OF
the times. and the white sands and rip
pling waters. made the place an ideal spot
for Cupid to hold his court and Hymen
| to weave his web.
The Oldest daughter, Catharine, was
married to William Daingerfield, whom !
am unable to distinguish accurately among
several of the same period who bore his
name.
The younger daughter. Elizabeth was
won by Thomas Edwards, son OF the Clerk
of that name in Lancaster. This union,
solemnized by the Rev. John Leland. on
June "a 1747, occurred when she had just
reached the winsome age OF sweet l6."
and il was afterwards fruitful OF four
sons and four daughters. whose worthy
descendants may now be counted by the
score. This marriage helps 10 explain
how IL came TO pass that the old Clerk OF
Lancaster should have had two name
sakes-son and grandson-as clerks of
Northumberland.
As no subsequent mention or them is
found, il is probable that two. at least,
OF Mr.. Fauntleroy's children-Moore and
Anne-djed i'm childhood. and, I'm all likei-
hood. were laid away beside other kindred
near the river bank, In graves which have
since been invaded by the remorseless
waves. and forever swept from view.
The son OF Mr.. 'Fauntleroy who bore his
name-Griffin-ha married Mrs. Judith
| HeaIe (nee Swan, OF Lancaster. in 1881
md made his home on neighboring plan