The History of the Richardson Family in Rappahannock County Virginia

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Baptist Church of Little Washington

Amon was a deacon at the First Baptist Church which was founded in 1876 by the Reverend George W. Horner.  The congregation began with 45 members. They were all baptized in the Rush River on the same that they joined.

There were no Negro churches in Little Washington. The worshippers were allowed to hold services in an old church in town on Wheeler Street . On August 28, 1880 a lot was purchased on Main Street for $50.  The following year, construction began on the First Baptist Church . The deed holders were James Banks, Lewis Barbour, Milton Clifton, John Gillis, Charles Roy and Lewis Carter, Sr.

 In 1881, the cornerstone was laid by the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Lodge of Luray, Virginia. The event drew a large crowd. Many observers were not only locals from Little Washington but adjoining counties. A free will offering was placed in the cornerstone by each donor. An observer from Luray decided to steal the money from the cornerstone and came by that night for what he thought would be easy money. Unaware that the trustees had wisely removed the cash after the cornerstone ceremony, the thief removed the stone to find only a few pennies!

Reverand D.H. Banks was pastoring at the church when Amon and Hattie Richardson  were members. Under Reverend Banks clergy, additional land was purchased. The church yard was enlarged. A vestibule and bell tower were built. Other additions were the choir room, pastor’s study, choir stand, and a 1400 lb  bell.  

 A loan financed all of the improvements and additions. Before the loan could be repaid, Reverend Banks took ill. The church organist, and choir instructor,  Mrs. Anna W. Green organized the Gold Star Mothers Club. This group played a large part in liquidating the debt.

 As years went by and the church grew, other improvements like cathedral windows were installed along with an electric organ. Robes were purchased by the choir. Eventually, modern conveniences like plumbing were and restrooms were added.

When the Mt Salem church disbanded, they united with the First Baptist Church of Little Washington. The name the First Baptist Church of Little Washington officially got its name in 1969 and celebrated its one hundred year anniversary in 1976 .  

Sources: 

The Rappahannock Historical Museum

Pictures: The personal collection of Chauncey Richardson

Rappahannock County History; Fact Fiction Foolishness and The Fairfax Story, Elizabeth B and E Johnson,Jr. Green Publishers, Inc. Orange, Virgina

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Emma Fletcher was born one year before the Civil War in 1860 at the fifteen hundred acre plantation home of Ben Venue of Hamilton Smith Fletcher.   Her sister Martha was born there in 1861.  

This historical landmark was established by Hamilton ’s father William V. Fletcher and was built when Rappahannock was still a part of Culpeper and was located at Gaines Crossroads part of Jackson Township in 1840 which was one of the most traveled areas in the county. This area was described as well cultivated, fertile and densely settled. The first post office was established there in 1803.  In 1835 Gaines Crossroads had 9 dwellings, 1 store, tailor, 1 blacksmith , 1 Baptist House of Worship.

 Ben Venue  was designed by James Leake Powers who worked with Thomas Jefferson designing the Rotunda.  The main house, service outbuildings and slave quarters were visually unified.  The three slave quarters lined a ridged field in front of the main house. The slave quarters at Ben Venue are the most sophisticated grouping of surviving slave quarters in Virginia .

  The slave quarters at Ben Venue show a change in attitude toward slave housing which occurred in the 19th century.  In the previous century slaves lived in shacks with wooden chimneys, without windows and doors.  By the second decade of the 19th century, more prosperous plantations reflected a pride of ownership. The many buildings of a plantation were designed with the concept of a unified complex.  Because slaves were considered a valuable commodity, owners took more interest realizing that crude utilitarian shacks would not enhance the health or productivity of the slaves. 

At the time of her birth, the nation was in a state of flux over the issue of slavery.  Some southern states wrote laws giving free blacks the choice of exile or re-enslavement. Some northern states passed laws denying free blacks entry. In January 1860, 12 exiled Negroes wrote an appeal to the world regarding their catch 22 social status:

 "...We appeal to you, as children of a common Father and believers in a crucified Redeemer.  To-day we are exiles, driven from the homes of our childhood, the scenes of our youth, and the burial places of our friends.  We are exiles, not that our hands have been stained with guilt, or our lives accused of crime.  Our fault, in a land of Bibles and Churches, of baptisms and prayers, is, that in our veins flows the blood of an outcast race; a race oppressed by power, and proscribed by prejudice; a race cradled in wrong, and nurtured in oppression..."

In May of that year, a man by the name of Robert Purvis delivered an eloquent and riveting speech in New York City against the American government for it's subjugation of people of color:

 "...What is the attitude of your boasting braggart republic toward the 600,000 free people of color who swell its population and add to it's wealth?..."

 Also, in the same year, in September, The New York City and County Suffrage Committee of Colored Citizens, appealed for Equal Rights.  These are just a few of the events that set the stage and climate of the social energy of the times.

The more one knows about the Fletchers, the more clarified we become about Emma.  A wealth of information is based on wills, property deeds and plantation records with regards to slaves.

 Was Emma owned by Hamilton Fletcher at the large plantation home called "Benvenue"'?  In 1860, there was a special census created to list slaves.  Slaves were listed only by category, classified as male, female, black, mulatto, child or adult.  Hamilton at age 25 was listed on this census as the owner of 54 slaves. 12 adult blk males, 6 adult blk females, 20 blk female children, 1 1 blk male children, I mulatto female, 3 mulatto female children, and I mulatto male child.

At the time of the 1860 census, Emma was an infant.  Which one of the 26 females was Emma's mother?   

It was Hamilton’s wife Mary Funsten Fletcher who chose the name Ben Venue for the estate. It was the name of a mountain in Scotland , written about by Sir Walter Scott in “The Lady of the Lake”.

  Hamilton ’s mother, Elizabeth, born in 1801, still lived with them at Ben Venue at the age of 75. During the Civil War, Elizabeth Fletcher, then a widow,, nursed a wounded Union soldier. After his recovery and because of her kindness, he gave orders that the widow and her home were to be left untouched. Soldiers from the North and South would often camp around the estate. Many are buried near the family graveyard.

Today Ben Venue is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Landmarks Register.  It had been in the same family for over six generations.

 The Civil War, began on April 12, 1861 .  Also known as The War Between the States or The War of Rebellion, it lasted for four years.  More than 37,000 black soldiers died in the battle.  While victory for the north would mean the end of slavery, victory for the South meant the solid "institution" of slavery.

 The Civil War and the Reconstruction period that followed was an interesting time for Emma to live her formative years.  The time can be described as transient and volatile.  During Reconstruction, the black community began to develop and grow.  The first social institution fully controlled by black men in America was the church.  It served as a social focal point for black life and a means to create a standard of living among black society.  From the church came many fraternal, benevolent, mutual aid societies, i.e. debating clubs, drama societies, trade associations, equal rights leagues, burial societies and schools.

 After the Civil War, many of the blacks stayed on the plantations where they had worked as slaves for lack of a better place to go.  There were many strong family ties among people of color during slavery.  Emancipation gave blacks the opportunity to solidify their ties even further.  Many adopted children of deceased relatives and friends.  This prevented the children from falling into apprenticeships with former masters or placed in Freedman's Bureau orphanages.

Emma Fletcher was listed as a 10 year old black female on the 1870 census.  Her job description was domestic servant.  It can be assumed that she stayed on at Ben Venue until she reached adulthood.  "Domestic servant" was liberally used for anyone who was not related to anyone in the family residence.  Although they lived together on the same premises, the term applied to both black and white, male and female.

How long Emma lived at Ben Venue cannot be ascertained.  She may have left between 1870 and 1880.  She grew up knowing Arthur Harris the son of a white farmer of Harris Hollow.  One can only surmise how their relationship came to be.    

Arthur and  Emma had three children together:  Harriet (Hattie), Oliver and Richard. Harriet and Oliver had the last name of Fletcher while Richard had the last name of Harris. This decision may have happened when he reached adulthood. Richard Harris was very fair and looked more like the Harris family than a Fletcher. As an adult he moved to Des Moines , Iowa and married into a white family, thus severing his connection with his darker roots. He visited Little Washington on a couple of occasions, but always traveled alone. Emma was 18 years old when her daughter, Harriet was born on August 1, 1878 .  She was better known throughout Little Washington as Hattie. Oliver, known as “Ollie” also moved out of Rappahannock County . He would write to his sister Hattie often through postcards and letters. Whether he remained in contact with his brother Richard is unknown. Ollie married a woman of color, Emma and also settled  briefly in Des Moines , Iowa .

Arthur, at some point, took the family to Steelton , Pennsylvania to live. However, when Emma took ill, the children Harriet , Oliver and Richard were sent back to Washington , VA.    They stayed with Martha Fletcher, Emma's younger sister, known to the children as Aunt Molly. Hattie’s son Chauncey remembers that his mother was raised by Aunt Molly. It can be speculated as of this writing that when Emma died, Arthur went back up to the “Hollow” to live. He would come down on numerous occasions with treats for his grandchildren. The grandchildren called him Mr. Harris. The Harris-Fletcher connection was quietly acknowledged in Little Washington. Addressing family members and relatives however, was very formalized. Hattie called her first cousin Elizabeth DeBergh, Mrs. Debergh. The two women would see each other everyday in town. Hattie gave her youngest daughter, Amanda , the middle name after Elizabeth her first cousin.  

A chapter is written about the Harris Family in Elizabeth Hite's book, "My Rappahannock Story Book" While Arthur's brothers, Jim and Pete were written about in this account of the people and places of this area, Arthur was not mentioned.  Perhaps because Arthur chose to make his life with his childhood friend and mate  Emma Fletcher.  Society at that time was not liberal in terms of mixed unions.  Interracial marriage was illegal in Virginia. Arthur Harris was born December 29, 1853 . He was the youngest of 7 children born to Richard M. Harris and Elizabeth Miller. The other children were Sara Ann,b.1835, Asenath, b. 1837, Phoebe Catherine, b. 1842, Virginia Adelaide, b. 1846, James T. aka Jim, b. 1847, and Peter M., b. 1849.  

There is a lot on record in the Rappahannock County Historical Society about the Harris Clan. They had lived in Harris Hollow for over three generations when Emma knew Arthur. Arthur's father inherited his boyhood home, "Ivy Cliffs" from his father who was also named Richard.  

The family homestead came into the Harris family from before the Revolution. It existed as early as 1739 on 184 acres of land. Richard M. Harris was a farmer, known throughout the countryside as "Cousin Dick".  He married Elizabeth Miller (daughter of Samuel Miller and Delila Bywaters-Miller). Samuel was in ill health and had many debts. He died on September 8, 1837 , leaving 2 tracts of land, 405 acres. Richard paid off all of Samuel's debts. Fifteen slaves, horse and personal property exchanged hands from Samuel to Richard.

   Arthur's sister, Virginia at age 34, married William Curley Smith on Feb. 22, 1870 . He was 31 and the son of William C. and Lucy Smith of Frederick County . The third oldest sister, Phoebe at 24 married William's brother, Thomas Warren Smith, 38. They married September 28, 1865 at Ivy Cliffs. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Barnett Grimsley.

 Sara Ann married Arthur Eastham in 1850 when she was 15 and he was 17. The newlyweds decided to move to Huntsville , Texas to make their home there. They prospered there. How many children the Easthams had is not known , but two of their daughters, Eugenia and Elizabeth  returned to Rappahannock County as adults to live.

Who the oldest Harris son, James T. or Jim married is unknown as of this writing. Jim did have three children: Elizabeth , Jessie and James. Elizabeth married Randolph Rutherford DeBergh.  She was the postmaster for many years. Brevis Roberts of Little Washington remembered her very well. He said that she could really use a "scratch pen!" It is said that Elizabeth DeBergh and Hattie resembled each other. Chauncey Richardson recalls the Harris family acknowledging Arthur's children and grandchildren as relatives.

 Jessie Harris married into the Cox family. Her daughter, Dorothy, was the mayor of Little Washington in the 1950's. When she became the mayor of Little Washington she received national publicity as her administration had an all woman Town Council. She had a special interest in the history of the town whose post office was established in October 1, 1804 .  The input of Dorothy Cox in raising the historical consciousness of Little Washington helped tremendously in making the town a landmark and widely visited.  She helped establish the Rappahannock County Historical Society, which I had the privilege to visit and do research for this work as well as the Rappahannock County Library.  It is said that she was the most knowledgeable of history in the county in the entire area.

 Today Little Washington is a tourist attraction and has some popular Bed and Breakfasts for those interested in visiting this town that was originally destined to be the Nation’s Capital, and was the first town to be named  after George Washington, who at the age of 17 surveyed the city.

 

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Hamilton Fletcher Slave Births

1859 female slave, name unknown, mother Alcinda

1858 male slave, mother Jane born Jan 11

1860 male slave, mother Bonilla

1861 male slave not named , mother Alcinda

1861 male slave not named born Sept 1861

 

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A Documentary of the Negro People of the United States Vol. I

Edited by Herbet Aptheker  Coral Publishing Group  600 Madison Ave.  NY , NY   10022   1990

 

Slavery & Freedom  

James Oakes    Alfred A Knopf, Inc. 1990

 

Ain't I A Woman

Deborah Grey White   W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.  500 Fifth Ave. NY , NY 10110   1985

   

American Slavery, American Freedom

Edmaund S. Morgan   W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.  1975  

 

My Rappahannock Story Book

Mary Elizabeth Hite  The Dietz Press, Inc.  Richmond , VA   1950

 

A Short History of Reconstruction:  1863-1877

Eric Foner  Harper & Row, NY    1990

 

The World They Made Together:  Black and White Values in Eighteenth-Century Virginia

Mechal Sobel  Princeton University   Press, Princeton , NJ  1987

 

Black Reconstruction in America

W. E. B. Du Bois   Russell & Russell , NY   1956  

 

This Fabulous Century    

Time-Life Books   1970

   

The Night Lives On

Walter Lord  William Morrow & Co., Inc.  1986

 

Black Genealogy

Charles L. Blockson  Black Classic Press, Baltimore , MD  1991

 

Rappahannock County History; Fact Fiction Foolishness and Fairfax Story

 Elizabeth B and E Johnson,Jr. Green Publishers, Inc. Orange, Virgina 1981

 

Virginia Landmarks of Black  History  

Edited by Calder Loth

 

Tracing Your Ancestry

F. Wilbur Helmbold  Oxmoor House Birmingham, Alabama 1976

 

I gratefully acknowledge and thank the following:

The Rappahannock Historical Society, Washington, Virginia.

Carolyn Crain, Librarian and staff of the The San Marino Public Library, San Marino, CA 

The LDS Genealogy Library, Los Angeles, California

Marion Yancey

Jerry and Cheryl Fells

Charlie Fletcher

 

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Descendants of Emma Fletcher

 Generation No. 1

 1.  EMMA2 FLETCHER  (MOTHER FLETCHER1 UNKNOWN) was born 1860 in Washington, VA.  She met ARTHUR HARRIS in Washington, VA, son of RICHARD HARRIS and ELIZABETH MILLER.  He was born December 29, 1853.

        Children of EMMA FLETCHER and ARTHUR HARRIS are:

2.                i.    HARRIET3 FLETCHER, b. August 01, 1878, Washington, VA; d. April 17, 1971, Philadelphia, PA.

                  ii.    RICHARD HARRIS, d. 1936.

                 iii.    OLIVER FLETCHER.

 

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The Richardsons

When Amanda Richardson was born in 1835, the fifth annual National Negro Convention was being held in Philadelphia .  This meeting of thirty-five delegates from six states and the District of Columbia was held from June 1st-5th.  This was the last of the yearly conventions.

 Amanda did not acquire the last name Richardson until much later as an adult.  As of this writing, earlier records of where she came from cannot be produced, but it isn't impossible to locate her.  Her color status listed on the 1880 census was mulatto.  It should be mentioned here that when the census listings from the 1880's say "mulatto" it does not necessarily mean black.  The mulatto category was also used for Indians living east of the Mississippi .  They might have been part black, but there are many listed also found as full blooded members of Native American tribes.  According to the US Dept of Commerce, people of non-white parents were classified according to the race of the father.  Mixtures of Negro and Indian were classified as Negro unless the Indian stock was clearly predominant or unless the individual was accepted in the community in which he lived as Indian.

Amanda was 45 years old in 1880.  She was a housekeeper and widowed.  There is an energy surrounding Amanda's story as quiet, secretive and painful.  This energy seemed to be passed on to her children: Hauley, born 1855, Margaret, born 1867.  Olivia, born 1872, and Amon, born May 5, 1874 .  Amon Grimsley Richardson as an adult never spoke about his past.  There seemed to be a quiet, somber mystery surrounding him.  It is said that he created a distance that indicated, that his past was one that was not to be questioned.

 A few of the mysteries surrounding Amanda and her children, seemed to become uncovered with the 1880 census.  The eldest of Amanda's children was Hauley, 25 years old in 1880.  He was single and crippled, having suffered from a broken back.  How he sustained this injury is not indicated.

 Margaret was 15 in 1880.  She was also known as "Aunt Haggie" to Amon's children.  According to her namesake, Margaret Washington-Davis (Little Margaret), she carries a lot of Aunt Haggie's energy with her.  Margaret Richardson was very much into the metaphysical.  She eventually moved to New York and was employed as a school bus driver.  Her nephew, Chauncey, used to visit her on several occasions, where a round-trip ticket to New York was $1.50. Margaret married a man by the last name of Harris.  She remained in New York until her death in 1940.

Olivia was 8 in 1880.  Not much is known about her or how long she lived.  On the census report, Amanda's two sons were listed as black males, while her daughters were listed as mulatto females.

 Amon was named after Daniel Amon Grimsley, born 1840 near old Mt. Salem church.  Daniel was the son of Reverend Barnett Grimsley who performed many of the marriages in the county.  Daniel Grimsley was a private in the Rappahannock Calvary, Company B. He went from orderly to Sergeant to Major and Lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth Virginia Calvary.  He wrote a book entitled "Battles in Culpeper County , Virginia 1861-1865 ".  On May 23, 1862 , lead a cavalry charge which historically may be one of the top charges of all time.  Amon Grimsley’s company practically destroyed a Federal regiment and captured its colonel, and nearly 75% of the men were killed or wounded. General Stonewall Jackson remarked that in all his military history he had never seen a cavalry charge so magnificent.  Daniel Amon Grimsley became a leader in the community as well respected judge.

 Amanda named her youngest son Amon Grimsley Richardson.  She was 39 when Amon was born.  Daniel Amon Grimsley was 34. Reverend Barnett Grimsley, Daniel’s father was very well known throughout the county and was known to be a great orator and speaker. He preached at the Mt. Salem church for several years. The Fletchers and the Harris families belonged to this church. The church was located in a vastly populated area of Rappahannock County which included Fauquier, Culpeper, Washington and Gaine's Crossroads.  As people moved away and time went on it was abandoned around 1942.  The structure of the building still stood as of 1982 and there were several attempts to restore it.

 Reverand Grimsley also kept the County’s Tax books in 1863, where gold was taxed at an 8% Tax rate. Gross income at the time was taxed at 5%.  Retailers paid a “Soldier’s Tax” of $20. Physicians and lawyers were assessed a fee of $50.  Distillers and merchants paid a “Specific Tax” Produce was also taxed.  Out of a total of 554 people there were only 15 citizens who paid taxes over $1000.  Richard Harris (The Harris-Fletcher Connection) was one of them.

 Amon Richardson was a survivor.  He was a jack of all trades who clerked in stores, was a butcher and builder.  He worked in the steel mills in Canton , Ohio until he contracted typhoid.  Returning to Virginia , he met and married Hattie (Harriet) Fletcher.  Their marriage lasted well over 50 years.

 Amon built the four room house which still stands in Little Washington, Virginia on 7 acres of land.  One section of the house burned down in 1926 or 27.  It was May 2, 1929 the year of the great stock market crash and a tornado hit heavily in Woodville, it  whipped through Amissville and had its effects on Little Washington.  

 The weather was very hot in summer and very cool at night.  The winters were very hard.  The ground was usually covered with snow from Thanksgiving to April. 

 There were four stores in the city and a large one room school for the children to attend.  Later, a new school was built and included two large classrooms. By the fall of 1870 there were 14 white and 7 black schools in Rappahannock County .   Daniel Russell was the son of a slave and a bond girl, who served out her bond until she was 18 when she married.  With the help of his mother, he learned to read at the age of six.  He grew up to be a very well respected educator in Rappahannock County . He began teaching school in Little Washington in 1887.  Daniel Russell was deeply dedicated to education. In a speech he gave on July 13, 1896 he said, ‘…When education is properly applied to enlighten the citizens of a country or christening the community, breaking down the walls of ignorance and bigotry, rearing in their places piers of intellectual knowledge and understanding,  then it proves a great blessing…The whole race is on trial. Unlike the white man who is only held to answer for his own crime…the bad deeds of one colored man are raised up by our opponents in order  to hide the good deeds of one thousand.’

 This speech given at what was then known as V.N. & C.I. in Petersburg , Virginia later became Virginia State University where his ggranddaughter, Mary Anne Russell would teach. Today the Rappahannock County High School stands on land that was owned by the Daniel Russell family.

 The Richardson home had a woodland stove , fireplace, and small cellar.  The family had a cow, raised hogs and grew corn.  Chopped wood provided fuel for the stove and fireplace.  Candles and kerosene lamps were used for lighting.  Water was furnished from a well.

Hattie and Amon were active members of the First Baptist Church of Little Washington, where Amon served as deacon.  After Amon’s death Hattie later married Harvey Clanagan. When Harvey passed, Hattie moved to Philadelphia with her oldest daughter Margaret. Margaret cared for her mother until she died on April 17, 1971 . Hattie made her last trip to Little Washington where she was laid to rest next to Amon at the First Baptist Church Cemetery .

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Descendants of Amanda Richardson

 Generation No. 1

 

1.  AMANDA1 RICHARDSON was born 1835 in VA.        

Children of AMANDA RICHARDSON are:

                   i.    HAULEY2 RICHARDSON , b. 1855.

                   ii.    MARGARET RICHARDSON, b. 1867; d. 1940.

                  iii.    OLIVIA RICHARDSON, b. 1872.

2.              iv.    AMON GRIMSLEY2 RICHARDSON (AMANDA1) was born May 05, 1874 in Washington , VA , and died September 20, 1956 in Washington , VA.   He married Hattie Fletcher in Washington , VA , daughter of ARTHUR HARRIS and EMMA FLETCHER.  She was born August 01, 1878 in Washington , VA , and died April 17, 1971 in Philadelphia , PA.

   

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   The Richardson Family

The Richardson Family and friends gathered together at the Richardson Home for Amon and  Hattie's 50th wedding anniversary.  Hattie and Amon in the center. Can you identify these family members?

1. Little Richard 2. Gregory 3. Jean 4. Saundra  9. Laura  (Dozzie' wife) 10. Joe 11. Amon 12. Hattie 13. Willis 14.  Janis Jenkins Edwards Willis  15. Margaret 17. Chauncey    22.  Frances Richardson (Richard's wife)  25.  Blanche Richardson (Willis' wife) 27.  Dorothy Richardson (Chauncey's wife) 28. Richard 29. Betty 31.  Melvin Jenkins (Betty's husband)   32. Mary  34.  Litle Margaret 42. Selena 36.  George Washington (Mary's husband) 40.  Little Dozzie 41.  Dozzie Richardson 43.  This looks like Billy Walker, Irene Walker's son.  Irene was the original owner of Camp Oak Hill, Margaret's friend  44. Hauley (John)

"The family picture was taken in either 1954 or 1957.  I  end to think it was 1954.  I know it was not 1950 because I was born in '50 and I'm not a baby in this picture.  I lived in Japan when I was 5 and 6 because I was in kindergarten and first grade overseas.  The reason I think it's 1954 is because Little Richard is 1 year younger than I and he looks more like he's 3 years old rather than 6 years old in the picture."

Janis Jenkins Edwards -July 2002

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