The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-13


plicit mention OF "children" of Nathaniel
bacon, and OF these children he claimed.
by implication. one to be John, his great
great grandfather.
such, nj least, is my remembrance of
ny friends contention.
trhia Of course, was no sort Of PROOF,
but II suggested that II we could &c.
hold Of the original pleadings In ms SUI.
the matter could be settled deiih'u'V'
one way or the other. a..
But thesc plcadings could only Nv
found. II found at all. IN the funi'.
Eocords Office" in London and tnht
seemed "a far cry
Last summer, when In Ensiailo.
solved II 1t could be nanaseu. 10 =.
amino tho original pleadinss IN Tue Ease
ana ~ that end got my friend. k'chard
Austin Leigh. ESQ. an accomp,lsneo
scholar and keen antiquarian. 70 ln'io-
duce me to the chef of'iolals OF .io
public Records once" VINO recelvea
me most courteously and expresseo
themselves as ready to give me eS'is
assistance In their power.
trlese headings. made moro than TWO
Centuries ago. had probably never neel'
neted fo- before. yet such Is the adnl'r e,
nj, nrnr,sion and scientific method "'ttl
vyhicb the MSS. are catalosned ana ~
wees In that vast store-houso OF icsa!
and historical treasures. that wlthln ha''
an hour the chief OF ono OF the depart
rents brought to mo the four h.se
narchtnent documents containing .o
original and amended bills and answers
In this case. , =, ,no
.v,yri,,ia Historical Society" exact
comics OF these original papers 70 10
made by the export copy'sts. messrs,
stokes G. Cox, IS Chancery Lane, anu
as they will shortly appear In the PAGES
If the soctety's Ma yazine. shall not 20
into any needless details.
suffice 1t to say. We now nave com
plcte proof that Nathaniel Bacon. wy
Rebel" never had a son. and that ms
only child TO reach maturity was tue
aforesaid Mary Cher sister Eiizapetn
diving whom little girD, who went BACK
to England. presumably about the time
OF her mothers third marriage. anu
there finally married DIR. Hugh Cham-
berlain.
sir Robert Ja.on's first bill OF com
nlatnt was f1led in 1881, and an amehdeo
bill in 1854.
In the answer OF Thomas Jarvis
f,rho married Bacons widow to the
"hill of complaint" occur these words:
Ana this defendant saith that the said
Nathaniel Bacon att the time OF MS
death had issue by the said Ellzabeth
two daughters. whereof one Is still i've
ing and the other since deade.' CChan-
Gerry Proceeding, Rsynardson, Bdle 81
No. 1000
In Jasons amended complaint, as to
the lands In question:. he says, a create
parte thereof after ye death OF the said
Elizabeth his Relief are to come to the
said Mary Bacon as Daughter and Here
OF the said Nathaniel Bacon"
Also in the order of Chancery, January
oath, 1sS, GA $40 occur tho words
MARY I,515the daughter and heire OF sayd
Nathaniel Bacon
This, Of course, settles the matter
detinitively.
no sum up: Nathaniel Bacon 1.-THE
Rebel" left no son. His only daughter
who attained maturity, Mary. went TO
England. and there married. long ago
wrote to a we'll known English antqua-
risn regarding her issue. and, so far as
can be ascertained, she left none.
Bacon's cousin in the Colony, Nathaniel
Bacon, ST. "the Cirandee," died child
less. and left his largo estates chiefly 10
his niece. Abigail Smith. wife OF Lewis
Burwel, OF Gloucester, as we know.
There were other Bacons in the Colony,
men of substance and of excellent posi-,
ton, but there Is not. so far as can
discover. a scintilla of evidence that they
were. related to Nathaniel Bacon's family.
Elizabeth Duke, Nathaniel BaGon's
wife, was what they call In the West a
marrier." Against her fathers express
command, and In the teeth of threat
of dislnhcritance. she married her hand
some young lover, Nathaniel Bacon. Az
his death she was "consoled" by Bacon's
friend, Capt Thomas Jarvis, Of Eliza
beth City, and when Jarvis died she
again "braved the matrimonial deep
and gave her hand TO Edward Mole,
She was fine woman, and the story
of her life can be readily constructed
from the records.
In the midst of these dry records one
meets occasionally Il delicious passage.
as in Vernon, Chancery Reports l., p. 10,
in the case OF Jarvis and TXor versus
Duke: Ellzabeth's father by will left
her legacy OF s2,ooO but II she should
marry one Bacon then the legacy should
he void. She having before her fathers
death married the said Bacon. takes adj
vice upon the WILL and Is advised that
the legacy was void by reason of her
having married Bacon. Her brother pays
her $500 and she releases her legacy"
But. later on. she takes further adj
vice, 3llG -HlcS Il OH III GiIdASciS W itd'e
this release set aside, pretending that
she was c!rcumvented By her brother"
who had cozened her.
Whereupon. My Lord Chancellor, IN
giving Judgment against her. says: 1.-THE
father having actually revoked the leg
acy upon his daughters disobedience.
the father himsef has in this case been
Chancellor, and that with equity. too;
such an example of presumptuous dis
obedience highly meriting such punish
ment: she being only prohibited to marry
one man by name, and nothing in tho
whole fair garden OF Eden would serve
her turn but this forbidden fruit
Not very wise Lord Chancellor In the
ways OF women!
need not say that my only interest
in this matter Is that Of student OF
Colonial history.
My two pct heroes are John Smith
and Nathaniel Bacon. tho Rebel" and
the smallest incident in the life Of each
| possesses for me the keenest interest.
| It was with very real regret that
| felt called upon. MS president OF the "vlr-
| rinia Historical Society" to prove some
| months ago that Gen. Baden Powells
claim of lineal descent from Capt. John
hrrith was without sliphfeEt fp,u,un-