The times., 1899-02-19
PEDIGREE OF THE
OLD LEE FAMILY
History Long Antedating CO.
lumbus' Discovery.
Their Genealcgy Told in an Ancient
Manuscript.
Valuable document In the Possess
sion of the Rev. Mr.. Meade, an
Episcopal Clergyman.

YGte families in this country Is one b.
longing to The Rev. Mr. Meade an Epis-
copal clergyman in Virginia. containing
complete pedigree OF the family OF Gen.
Robert Edmund Lee.
This venerable manuscript. which bears
the date 1I50. has been in the Meade
family for generations and was given to
the present owner by his grandmother.
who was the widow of Rev. Zaehariah
Meade. formerly OF Richmond Mrs. Meads
received it from her father. who received
it from his father. General Hull 1t con-
sists of several large sheets, and is writ
ten partly in Latin and party in Eng ish
Accompanying the pedigree are come mu-
tiiated deeds, which, although injured. ex-
hioit the descending rights and titles 10
several lands These deeds are written on
the old stamped paper of England, and [,
the antiquarian are a rare object of curl
osity and interest
The genealogy of the Lees of Virginia
from 1866. just where this pedigree breaks
oil. is well known. and may be found in
, Bishop Meade's work on The Cd
Churches and Families of Virginia"
The manuscript commences abruptly
with the name of Hugo de Lega. or de lie.
without date. ne first name with date
is that of Jones de Lee, 1893. The father
of Jones de Lee was Thomas de In Lee
The simple name of Lee occurs first as
Richardus Lee OF Langiy. about the year
/ 1900. The first name OF Robert is Rober-
tus de la Lee. son of Johannes de la Lee;
| he married Margarita, daughter and heir
of Thomas Astly of Nordly about 1902
The first name written IN English IS
! Thomas Lee of Cotton. in Kings Nordiey,
the parish of Alyely, who was the son OF
Johannes Lee.
There are several coats OF arms on the
manuscript. That of Richadus Lee of the
direct line, is as follows: A shield with a
crescent Of 4 squirrel sejant, eating a nut
or flower; lion in rampant gardant in
sinister chief; a star in precise middle:
| dexter chief. a blood-red field with embat-
/ tied bars Of blue and yellow. The dexter
base. black cross on white field, with Il
! lions head crowned in one corner. The
middle precise base is i chevron Of white
on a red field. white bar the fessa point
on a green field. The sinister base the
same as the dexter chief
The prevailing white indicates royalty;
the star. grandeur; the lion, courage; the
red. war; the cross. religion, and with the
crowned lion denotes the Church Of Eng
land.
The pedigree was extracted from the
London Tower. and is certified by Charles
| Townley. York. and John Pomiret, Rouge
Croix, August 1. 1850.
Attached to the old manuscript is the
| pedigree Of the Lee family since their
settlement in Virginia, written BY Mrs
! Meade during the Civil War. 1t reads as
/ follows:
/ "Riehard Lee, who came to Virginia in
| the reign of Charles /. was of good family.
/ Shropshire, and his son. William Lee,
/ speaks OF his picture being, as he is told
! at Cotton. in Shropshire. near Bridge
} worth, the seat OF Lancelot Lee. esq. He
came to the colony of Virginia as secretary
and one OF the Kings Privy Council He
settled permanently in Virginia. and ex-
ercised great influence. It was he who
with the assistance of Sir William BerkeIy.
on the death of Cromwell had Virginia
which was independent under protectOrate
reunited with England. having Charles III
proclaimed King of England, Scotland.
France, ireland. ard Virginia, two years
| before the Restoration. 1t was in con-
sequence Of this step that the ancient mot
to of the Firginians was En- dat Virginia
quin tum.'
This Richard Lee had several children,
John and Richard being the eldest Richard
was great scholar. deyoting his whole
life to study. and a member of the Coun-
ell of Virginia. He married a Corbin. and
had five sons. Richard. Philip Francis,
Thomas. and Henry. and one daughter.
who married William F'itzhugh, of King
George. Richard settled in London as a
| Virginia merchant. His children came back
to Virginia. George married a WOrmley,
then q Fairfax. One daughter married a
Corbin, another a TurberviIle Philip. the
second son of Richard Lee. settled in Ma
ryland. Francis, the third son, died i
/ bachelor. Thomas, the fourth SON mar
/ ried Ludwell. one of the most infuen-
/ tial families in the colony The issue OF
/ this marriage vas six sons Philip Lud-
I well, Thomas Ludwell, Richard Henry.
Francis LightfOOt, William. and Arthur.
and two daughters. Philip LudweIl Lee
married a Miss Steptoe. He succeeded his
father on the estate of Stratford in West
moTeland. He left two daughters Matilda.
I the eldest, married Gen. Henry Lee. OF the
I Revolution; and Flora married Mr. Lud-
well Lee, of London. Thomas Ludwell
( Lee settled in Stafford and married Miss
Aylett Richard Henry Lee was educated
IN England. He married first a Miss Ay-
lett and then Miss Pinkard. Francis
LightfOOt Lee was almost as distinguish
ed in the Revolutionary period as an ora
/ tor and a statesman as his brother. He
married the daughter OF Col. John Taylor.
/ OF Richmond county. The fifth son Will
liam, was Sheriff and Alderman of the
city OF London. Arthur. the sixth and
! Youngest son, as a scholar writer. philoso-
pher. and diplomatist. was one OF the first
men of the day. Henry Lee. the fifth son
OF Richard Lee. married Bland.
This is the ancestor of our General
/ Lee. His son Richard was Squire Lee, of
( Lee Hall. Henry. the third son, married 4
t Miss Grymes ard left five sons and three
daughters; viz. Henry. who was q colo
mel in the Revolution: Charles. Richard.
| Bland. TheodOric. and Edmund also
/ Mary Lucy. and Anne. Gen. Henry Lee
| married twice first with Matilda. daugh-
( ter OF Philip Ludlow Lee. by whom he had
a son, Henry. and daughter. Lucy. He
! afterward married Anne. daughter of
/ Charles Carter of Shirley. by whom he
I had three sons, Charles Carter, Robert Ed
mund. and Sidney Smith. and two daush-
tiers. Anne and Mildred. Gen. Henry Lse
| resided at Stratford. Henry Lee the son
| OF the first wife. was a major in the war
/ of 1872. and wrote the structures on the
| writings of jefferson. also life of Ma
[ pOleon Bonaparte. Sidney Smith Lee was
a commodore in the old United States
( Navy and is now Chief OF the Bureau OF
/ Orders and Detail. Navy Department
Richmond. He commanded at Drewrys
| Bluff for long time. Robert Edmund
/ Lee is at Petersburg, the General Lee OF
| this day. He married Miss CustiS. OF Ar
lington, Alexandria county the daughter
| and heireSS OF George Washington PaFke
| Custis. the adopted son of General Wash
| ington. who married Mrs. CustiS. his
| mother General Lee has three sons.
| Brig. Gen. W. W. Custis Lee. aide-de-
camp to President Davis; Major Gen. W.
IL F. Lee. commanding a division OF cav
| airy in the Army of Northern Virginia.
| and Robert Edmund Lee. jr.. who entered
| the army at the instance Of his father as
| "A private in the Rockbridge artillery. He
| is now on the staff Of Gen. FitZhugh Lee.
BESIDES these children General Lee had
four daughters. Mary. Anna, Agnes. and
Mildred. all OF them unmarried and ona
! of whom Anna, has died during the war