Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-05-15
iiy Dora G.. Jeft.


Of the picturesque band OF aboriginal
men tho Rnppahanuocs which gives
Fredericksburg it's und,niabie charm
and idealism But some iinpc.-
ccp,ibI.. magnetic. indcnnabi. and ALL
pcrvading fore" must have lurkcd
IN each II these 81, m"uts. aud the
combination thereof produced thos.
qualities when nOurish.i the germs
OF ncrotsm aud genius innate In some
az It's stDr!cG rcrsono"eS. and rough:
- a climax the best in giatesnaughip
me best In naval and military tac'iGA
AID Inc trst "a tina, branch % sc,.ncc.
which uniatnom"d tic mysteries Of
earth, air and sca, and cullcd there
from The light which had hithcrt"
been hidden. ana made this kuo"l-
edge accessible for the advancement
o. man
vriI Of M.s,cry.
The imp,notrahic veil OF obscurfty
AMI mystery hovcrs around the names
Of some OF those frontier settlers.
wao. carly IA tho seventeenth cen
tUry blazrd tn" tiail for the future
residents % i'r-dericksN Nor
have all tho doubts ami questions beer
disslpat"d OF thos" who cam" az "a
later acri0d. and who we're more con
spIcuuus in its history. But as time
goes by, the scarchlight. under tn.
intelligent direction OF expert seekers
after historical truths. reveals Facts.
which, when taken in the abstract.
seem insignificant but which often
prove the solution or some compli-
Gated tanE!c. NJ the time ~ the en-
d -tmcnt Of an achievement, some o.:
the details seemed Of too little con
scquance unfortunately. to be worthy
o: Official OF unofficial record, and
illuminating statements are later
often found IN obscur, and :nr-nway
corners.
) writer in an old magazine Of
lsN5 makes this statement. that
'.uc. the battle fought at Fred
q icasburG. December -. 1862. that
place has attained historic fame"
Inc town made its initial cu,ranc"
o. the map. many years before tina,
dat. |, is sad, but Il has newer
bee, authenticated. that ea.Iy as
1870. the nrst Christian shrine in
America. was built by Spanish mis-
s.ouarics on the site nov occupied by
. Frcdcrickshurg
some historians think that Captain
Jchn Smith ana his little company
were the iirst white men 10 tread the
soil or what is now Frcdcricksb burg.
j Is known from that precious Legacy
= the account OF Smiths discoveries
That he assembled the Rappahannock
. + Yer to the falls in 1905 and that IN
writing OF his voyage up the Virginia
streams. he says. Heaven and earth
never agreed better to form 4 place
| for mans ha5itation. here
are mountains. hills. plains. valleys.
| rivers and brooks all running most
Pleasantly 10 u fair bay"
settled in 1871.
It was oil May >. lG7l-just two
hundred and df;y years aSo,-that
Governor Ecrkeicy signed an act of
tie Assembly, authorizin; tn first
official settlement, OF what is now
| Frederick sburg. y few years after
this. 1879. seeing that an armed pro-
lection was necessary to guard this
infant settlement from the .ncussions
OF the Rappahannock and other In.
dian tribes. the Grand Assembly
sitting at James Cite" was empower
cd 10 build Il fort near the falls OF
tho Kappa and Major Law
| renee Smith TO he captain or chief
Commander" Historians say that
! Major Smith was born At Smithncld.
few miles below where Frcdcricks-
burg now is. in the old county of
Rappahannock. from which large
tract OF land, vas created in 1892. the
! Counties of Essex and Richmond
SpotSylvania County did not begin its
legal existence until 1920. when it
was carved from Essex.
1t was in l716. that Governor Alex
andcr Spotswood, whose residence
Was at Gcrmanna. in close proximity
to fredericksburg, made his famous
trip beyond the mountains with his
"Knights OF the Golden horseshoe"
and the town lay en- route. This
perilous and adventurous expedition.
which reads like fascinating.
NEUROLOGICAL legend Is none the less
real and cvinccs the energy and dar-
ing OF the patriotic Statesman.
At the time OF Incorporation Of
fredericksburg; in 1921 when II Of
erick. Prince OF Wales. the most con
spicuous name is that Of Colonel
Henry Willis. the FOUNDER and top
man OF the place" Two ministers of
olN %. NnuTcH USuTe also
about this time. Reverend Patrick
Henry. it's first rector. uncle OF tho
celebrated orator. and after him Rev
ercnd James Maryc, that faithful
scion of the EIuGuenot faith. who
served the church for thirty four
years. and part of that time was the
tutor OF George WASHINGTON.
Augustine Washington.
a name which appears on the carly
RECORD books OF the old town is that
= Of Augustine Washington. who was
made one OF Its trustees or "fcefrces'
on April 6, 1912. Its citizens well