Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-01-11

and L. IL. Turburville, are mentioned
and to her daughter, Elizabeth l.
Jones, she gives "the bed, bedding
and all the furniture known among
my domesticks by the name of "Tht
Yellow Moreen Curtain bed"
To Walter Fred Jones, son OF
Meriwether Jones, of Richmond, she
gives "the sum of 940O of the old
current money of Virginia.
In 1871, The court set and rated
liquor, diet lodging house, pasturage
and provender as follows:
Good West India Rum, pr. gill, s Z OC
Brandy, pr. gill, 6 OC
One Gill Rum made into Teddy, 8 OC
Cider pr. qt., 4 OC
breakfast, IL OC
Dinner, "a 0C
Lodging pr. night in clean sheets, OC
Corn and oats, pr. gall, q OC
Stablage for horse, "a hrs, 8 OC
Fodder pr. bundle. OC
Pasturage for horse, "a hrs, 3 OC
This money was evidently CONT
mental currency, or money issued by
the State and had an inflated value
similar to our Confederate money of
more recent date.
About this time District Courts
were established by Acc of Assembly
and st. George Tucker and James
Henry were appointed Judges. The
District comprised the counties of
King q Queen, bum berland,
Accomack and the city of Williams
burg. Thomas Edwards was the first
clerk of thiscourt. Richard Edwards
succeeded him.
In 1893 Peter b. Blagrove quail
fed. There have been several fami.
lies, it seems, of BIsgrave or Blagrove
in Virginia. A Henry Blsgrave was
a Justice of Lunenburg County prior
to the Revolution and Rev. Benz.
Blagrove came to Virginia l772. In
1904 Peter B. Blagrove resigned the
clerkship aud 10. Jones Monroe was
appointed in his stead. There had
been separate clerks for each court
until 1910, when Fleming Bates, who
was already clerk of the County
Court, succeeding Catesby Jones,
became clerk of the District Court
also. MIR. Bates was originally from
Goochland County, his father owning
the famous belmont" estate in chat
county. He had two brothers, Ed
wards Bates, who was Attorney. Gen
eral under Lincoln, and Frederick
Bates. His most marked character
istics were benevolence and honesty.
One of his favorite expressions was
"never pull a man down but do all
you can to raise him up" He was a
member of the Constitutional Con-
ven ton, which met in Richmond in
1929. He was twice married. His
first wife was Miss Moss, of Gooch.
land County, and his second wife a
Miss Eliza w. Moore, daughter of
Col. James Moore of Revolutionary
fame. He died in 1880 and his will,
a model of its kind, written by his
own hand, was admitted to record
on the 10Th day of March of the
same year.
The only descendants now in this
section are Mrs. Clara G.. Broun, wife
of Edwin Broun. Mrs. Janette Pierce.
wife of joseph Pierce and the chill
dren of Mrs. Bessie Davenport, who
was the wife of j. II. Davenport.
He was buried at "Seccacawoon, %
his home plare In the lower part of
"Newman's Neck" A marble slab
marks his last resting place, upon
which is the following inscription:
"Sacred to the memory of Fleming
Bates, who departed this life Decem-
Der 26, 1880, In the 52nd year of his
age. He needs no epitaph whose
life is constant blessing to all with
in his sphere of action"
1t seems, Mr.. Bates was the only
one so far who had been clerk of both
courts, and after his death NJ. b.
Cralle was appointed clerk of the
County court, and S. a. NJ. Leland
was appointed by Judge John Tay-
lor Lomax as clerk of the Superior
Court.
In 1S45 Mr.. Leland resigned and
Jno. K. Stith was appointed in his
stead, and M. B. Cralle having depar-
ted this life, Jno. r. Shth was also
appointed to succeed him as clerk of
the County court. When Mr.. Stith
became clerk he was only about 20
years of age. On the 18th day of
June, 1916, he was married to Caro-
line Homoiselle Stuart, second
daughter of John Stuart and Mar
tha Garter, his wife, of "Liberty,"
King George county. There were
no children. His widow on the End
day of October, 1867, at "Ellen bor-
ough," 10 Charles county, Md, was
married to George Mason Graham,
Adjutant General of Louisiana, who
was the only surviving son of George
Graham, of "Dumfries," in Prince
William county. There was one
daughter Caroline Graham, who
married J. B. Cralle, of Washington,
and son Of clerk Mottram B. Oralle,
hereinafter mentioned. One of Mr..
Stith's sisters, Maria Meade Stith,
married Wm. Davenp port, who after
wards moved to Texas. and the other,
Sallie Mason Stith, married A. j.
Brent.
Mr.. Stith died on the 2Sth day of
October, 1850, in the 3Oth year of
his age. Appropriate resolutions were
presented by Col. Claybrook and sec-
onded BY Samuel Gresham, Robt.