Aaron Boursiquot

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1686, Taillebourg, Saintage, France; Silk Merchant

Aaron married Jeanne Guillot in 1649. Jeanne (daughter of Mathurin Guillot and Renee La Peintre) was born on 20 Aug 1630 in St Jean, Haute-Loire, Auvergne, France; died on 10 May 1690 in Taillebourg, Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacques married Jeanne BeuameDublin, IRL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

A description of Anne Elizabeth Boursiquot Fontaine by her husband Rev. James Fontaine in pages 128-129 of his autobiography "Memoirs of the Huguenot Family"

"I now come to my dear wife, Ann Elizabeth Boursiquot. She was the sixth child of M. Aaron Boursiquot. She was rather small but her figure was marvelously well-formed. She was the only blonde in the family and a real beauty. Her skin was so fine a texture and so delicate a white and rose that there could be no painting so alive. A lady of distinction, visiting M. Boursiquot's, and seeing her lovely coloring, said she could not believe that the child was not painted. Her mother, offended at this impertinence, took the child, about six or seven years old , upon her knee and uncovered her bottom, saying to the tactless lady, "Madame, her skin is all of one piece."
"Her face was rather square, her forehead somewhat broad, her lips the color of coral, her teeth beautiful, her bosom lovely enough to paint. She had a slightly disdainful air, which was not unbecoming to her beauty. She was always 'en bon point, but not too heavy. She had an open spirit and good judgment. She wrote a fine letter, had read a good deal in her youth, and had a reliable memory, which she knew how to put to good use when needed. She was a good and pious Christian, with an extremely delicate conscience, charitable and good at conversation. She was extremely sensitive to insult and disrespect. She had a noble heart and heroic courage which she displayed on all occasions as you have seen. She did not think honest labor was beneath her if it would help to support herself and her children. Her heart was never cast down nor her spirit discouraged by reverses of fortune. On the contrary she rejoiced in her poverty, because it was the result of her love of Jesus Christ.

"She was a tender mother, suckling all her children with a care and attention that would have been unbearable to anyone as delicate as she. But of what is a good mother not capable? It is true that she needed help in nursing her last two children as nature had weakened her. She also had pain in her breasts when nursing Peter, and had to give him to another nurse until he was weaned.

"She loved her children tenderly but was never to lenient or allowed them anything sinful. She accompanied her guidance with her example of virtue which she maintained throughout her life. She always punished her children when they were wrong and encouraged them when virtuous. She was not fond of amusements or society except as good manners and custom required. At home she constantly devoted herself to prayer or useful works. In conversation she was always delightful with me and the children, even to the last years of her life."

Anne married James Fontaine on 8 Feb 1686 in Par. Church, Barnstable, North Devon, England. James (son of James Fontaine and Marie Chaillon) was born on 7 Apr 1658 in Jenouille-Jaffe Estate, Veaux, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France; died on 20 May 1728 in Dublin, Ireland; was buried in St Stephens Green Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Arrival: 1720, Virginia

Notes:

Entered Trinity College in June 1712. Enrolled in the Inns of Court at the Temple, in London, to study law, but later returned to Dublin to prepare for the ministry.

Received B.A. degree in 1716 and Master of Arts degree in 1719 from Trinity College in Dublin. Married in 1720 and sailed for America in 1721 where he became Rector of St. Margaret's Parish in King William County, Virginia.

In 1723, became Rector of York-Hampton Parish and apparently remained there for the remainder of his life. On February 2, 1727, was appointed Chaplain of the House of Burgesses. In the same year, he was appointed to the faculty of William and Mary College where he established the Department of Oriental Languages (Hebrew).

Francis married Mary Glannison on 4 Jan 1720 in Westminster, Middlesex, England. Mary was born in 1679/1701 in IRL; died in 1733 in Williamsburg, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Francis married Susanna Brush Barbor in 1735 in Virginia, USA. Susanna was born in 1701 in Williamsburg West, James City County, Virginia, USA; died on 20 Sep 1756 in York County, Virginia, USA; was buried in Yorktown, York, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Immigration: Oct 1717, Yorktown, York County, VA

Notes:

Sailed to Virginia in April 1717, arriving at Williamsburg in October 1717 and proceeded to a plantation near West Point, King William County.

James married Lucretia Desjarrie in 1711 in Cork, Ireland. Lucretia was born in 1673/1695 in Ireland; died in 1735 in King William County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Elizabeth Harcum in 1738 in Virginia, USA. Elizabeth was born in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary Ann and Matthew also reared Mary Ann Fontaine, daughter of Rev. Peter Fontaine.

Mary Ann remained at "Hickory Hill" until October 1755 when ill health forced her to move in with her brother, Peter, in Charles City County, Va.

Mary married Matthew Maury on 20 Oct 1716 in Dublin, Ireland. Matthew (son of Abraham Maury and Marie Fouquereon) was born on 18 Sep 1686 in Castlemauron-sur-lot, Agenois, Gascony, France; died in 1752 in Charles City County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Appointed Ensign on September 10, 1710 at the age of seventeen and sailed with Lord Shaw's regiment on February 1, 1711 when all troops stationed in Ireland were ordered to Spain. Returned home in 1713.

John was the first of the family to come to America. On December 7, 1714, he sailed on the ship "Dove" and landed in Virginia on June 5, 1715. Purchased a plantation in King William County, Virginia, remained in Virginia for four years, and then sailed for Dublin in July, 1719, arriving December 6, 1719. After a year in Dublin, he accompanied his brother, Francis to London. Studied watchmaking and by 1722 was in business for himself. Later joined partnership with brother, Moses. They made clocks and watches at "The Dial" in Middle Moorfields. He subsequently became a silk weaver, which was the occupation of his father-in-law. By 1748, had moved to South Wales and living at Llanllwch.

John survived all his siblings. He died at the age of 74 and was buried on November 26, 1767.

More about John can be found in The Journal of John Fontaine which was edited by Edward Porter Alexander and published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1972.

Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, VA, Page 36-37
John Fontaine, son of Rev. James Fontaine (Huguenot), and brother of the Rev. Peter Fontaine and of the Rev. James Fontaine, clergymen of the Church of England in Virginia, was an ensign in the British army. He came to Virginia in 1713, for the purpose of exploring the country and choosing lands for the settlement of the family when they should come over. He made the acquaintance of Gov. Spotswood at Williamsburg, and under his auspices visited the new settlement at Germanna, and accompanied Spotswood to his Indian school at Christanna, on the Meherrin River, and also on his expedition over the great mountains. He kept a journal of his daily doings, which furnishes the only authentic account we have of this stirring adventure. His plain, unvarnished tale dispels the mist which the popular fancy had peopled with hostile Indians haunting the march, assassins stealing into camp at dead of night, and committing murder, perpetrating massacres, and doing battle in the mountain passes. The recent publication of this journal rescues the facts from traditionary perversions and restores them to their true historical proportions. From him (an eye-witness) we learn that Gov. Spotswood came from Williamsburg by way of Chelsea (King William) and Robert Beverly's (Middlesex), where the Governor left his chaise, and bringing Beverly along came on horseback to Germanna, where, on the 26th August, 1716, they were met by other gentlemen, four Meherrin Indians, and two small companies of rangers. The names of the gentlemen of the party, deduced in part from the camps which were called after them, were: Gov. Spotswood, John Fontaine, Robert Beverly, the historian; Col. Robertson, Dr. Robertson, Taylor Todd, Mason, Captains, Clonder, and Smith, and Brooke, the ancestor of the late Judge Brooke. Campbell says;--"The whole company was about fifty persons. They had a large number of riding and pack-horses, an abundant supply of provisions, and an extraordinary variety of liquors."

The following is from; The MO Fountains and Their Descendants, written by Vida Leola Vance 1967, page 14 thru 18.

After marrying, he and his wife* went to London to live. John, liking action, became an ensign in Lord Shaw's Regiment of the British Army and took part in the Spanish War of Succession. Upon returning home, he began to search for employment. When this proved futile, he then discussed at length with the family the possibility of a future for all in the New World across the Atlantic. They decided that John should go to America and purchase land on which they could settle. It was with heavy hearts that James and Elizabeth accepted the decision. Knowing though, that their children were independent, that they were not ashamed to work at a trade when necessity compelled such and that they were intelligent and morally strong, they readily gave them their blessing as they were confident that they would achieve their goals in the New World.

May 1715 John Fontaine arrived in Virginia he was warmly welcomed by his Majesty's lieutenant governor and Commander-in-chief of the royal colony, Governor Spotswood. He was invited by the governor to accompany him on his expedition to claim the western lands for the King of England. A journal kept by John is the only known and reliable history of the journey. At the conclusion of the trip, Governor Spotswood presented John and each of his fellow travelers a small commemorative golden horseshoe. This earned them the title of Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.

Having had ample opportunity to select a suitable tract of land, John purchased an acreage in King William County. He immediately sent word to the family in Ireland, who had been waiting patiently for such news. John, though, did not remain in Virginia, he went to England where he married Madame Sabatiere and where later he died.

* no name or info on this wife

These passages are quoted from:
Chapter VI: "West of the Blue Ridge 1733-1750"

The Blue Ridge Mountains stood as a barrier against the Virginians for four generations. Only a few young men had climbed into them. On winter nights around the fireplaces, and in summer in the dooryards while families took the breeze and watched the fireflies, they speculated on what might be there beyond the Mountains. Rumors, about Indians, game herds and rich land, were told. Governor Spotswood organized an exploring party in the summer of 1716, to cross the Mountains and find out for sure what lay beyond. A troop of horsemen clattered out of Williamsburg that August with the 40-year-old governor at the head. They rode to the foot of the Blue Ridge and climbed it (along present day Route 33 from Stanardsville west), contending with hornets, blackberry thickets and the late summer sun. They reached the summit on September 5, then peered down at the grand sweep of the Valley of Virginia. John Fontaine, the expedition's chaplain, noted that "We drunk King George's health here and all the Royal Family." Then they descended into the Valley (near present day Elkton) and camped two nights by the Shenandoah River. Once back in Williamsburg, Spotswood advertised the Valley. He gave each member of the expedition a pin, a miniature golden horseshoe engraved "Sic Juvat Transcendere Montes" (What a Pleasure It Is to Cross the Mountains). So he dramatized the Valley and created a wave of interest. Presently a few brave families dared to move there.

John married Mary Magdalen Sabatier on 3 Apr 1728 in St. Anne Soho, Westminster, London, England. Mary was born in Wales; died in 1781 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Entered Trinity College in June 1712. In 1715, Moses entered the Inns of Court at the Temple, in London, to study law. After just over a year, returned home to take his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Trinity College.

Disgusted with the study of law, Moses apprenticed himself to an engraver in London and became successful in this profession.

Elizabeth married Daniel Torin on 31 Oct 1729 in London, Middlesex, England. Daniel was born in London, Middlesex, England; died in 1767 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Was apprenticed to a carpenter about 1736. Completed his apprenticeship in 1743 and moved to New Bern, North Carolina, with his brother, John, where they became house joiners. Later moved to Dobbs County, North Carolina sometime before 1769 and remained there until at least January, 1773. Subsequently moved to Charleston Precinct, and Edistoe, S.C.,

Francis married Ann Jasper about 1745 in New Bern, Craven County, NC. Ann was born in 1712/1734 in North Carolina, USA; died in 1756/1821 in South Carolina. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

John was bound to a carpenter as an apprentice in 1746. In November 1750, he went to New Bern, North Carolina, with his brother, Francis, where they both were house joiners.

John married Elizabeth in 1753 in Virginia, USA. Elizabeth was born in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Alice Burwell on 14 Dec 1771 in Gloucester County, VA. Alice was born in 1745 in Brandon, Middlesex County, Virginia; died on 23 Dec 1775 in Williamsburg, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Elizabeth "Betty" Carter on 31 Dec 1777 in Middlesex, Virginia, USA. Elizabeth was born in 1755 in Bushy Park, Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died on 3 Mar 1806 in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Judith married Philip MoodyVirginia, USA. Philip was born in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

James and his wife, Anne, were first cousins.

James married Anne Sabatiers Fontaine in 1752 in Virginia, USA. Anne (daughter of John Fontaine and Mary Magdalen Sabatier) was born in 1729 in Wales; died in 1753 in Carmarthen, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Richard Tankersley about 1737 in Caroline County, VA. Richard was born about 1716 in Caroline County, VA; died about 1758 in Caroline County, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married William BarretVirginia, USA. William was born in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Upon the death of her mother, Anne lived with and was reared by her cousin, Mary Ann Fontaine Winston.

Anne married Thomas OwenVirginia, USA. Thomas was born in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He attended William and Mary College, and on July 31, 1742, was appointed usher of the grammar school. In February, 1742, he went to England and was ordained a minister. Returning to Virginia he became minister for one year of a parish in King William county and then went to Louisa to Fredericksville parish, which was afterwards in Albemarle county. As a minister he was highly regarded for his piety and learning. He opposed the two penny act of 1757 and brought suit against the collectors of the parish for the full amount of his salary in tobacco. This suit, involving the question of taxation, became historical. It was defended by Peter Lyons, afterwards president of the state supreme court, and opposed by Patrick Henry, who denounced the interference of the King in setting aside the law as treason to the people of Virginia. Mr. Maury lost his suit, but continued to hold the esteem of the people of Virginia. He was still minister of his parish when he died, June 9, 1769.

James married Mary Walker on 11 Nov 1743 in Louisa County, VA. Mary (daughter of James Walker and Ann Tunstall Hill) was born on 22 Nov 1724 in King and Queen County, VA; died on 20 Mar 1798 in Albemarle County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama. L. Grahm & Son. New Orleans. 1899, p 304-309:

Colonel Abraham Maury
was the younger son of Mr. Matthew Maury, who married Mary Anne Fontaine. He was born in King William county, Va., in 1731. His widowed mother said of him: "He is a youth of happy temper, very dutiful, chaste, and hearkening to good counsel." His uncle, Peter Fontaine, gave the same account of him. This was a happy presage of his success in life. I know that with many the impression prevails that these dare-devil boys are the boys that make their mark in life, especially in the military line. This is a grand mistake. General Henry Lee said of his son when he was a youth: "Robert was always a good boy." When he was at West Point he never received a demerit. The good boy was a good young officer; and became in due time the good commander-in-chief.-- (Cook's Life of General R. E. Lee). A dashing, rude boy may become an effective subaltern, but for high office a man must not only be brave, but thoughtful. He must have "men so equa in arduis." Arduous indeed were the duties which devolved on Colonel Maury, and well did he perform them.

A summary of his life is given in the Danville (Va.) Times, consisting of extracts of a letter, and headed, "Who Colonel Maury of the Old Trunk Was."

EVERHOPE, NEAR GREENSBORO, N. C., December 25, 1871.

MR. P. BOULDIN--DEAR SIR: I have received your letter making inquiries as to who Colonel Maury was, mentioned in a letter found in your old trunk, dated 18th April, 1758, and addressed to Captain (afterward) Colonel Bouldin, from Clement Reid.

I can think of but two children Mr. Matthew Maury had, besides the Rev. James Maury, rector of Fredericksville. One was a daughter, Mary, who married Daniel Claiborne, of an old and honorable family of Tidewater, Va.--the other a son, Abraham, born in 1731. He was a man of good character, great decision of mind, and possessed of excellent education. He was a graduate of William and Mary College; for it was a cardinal principle of the Fontaines and Maurys, of those days, to educate their children thoroughly. Abraham had the confidence of John Blair, "President and Commander-in-Chief of this Dominion," as he is called in the Acts of the General Assembly of that period. You may observe that Clement Reid in his postscript says to Captain Bouldin: "You must cause your lieutenant to keep an exact journal of your marches, and of the different routes you take, and of all your transactions relating thereto; that it may be returned to the president at Williamsburg, according to order."

John Blair was that president. Abraham Maury had formed his acquaintance whilst a student of William and Mary, and that great and virtuous man had full confidence in the intellectual, but modest and retiring student, and probably it was owing to this that Abraham Maury obtained the high and honorable distinction, in those days, of being made Colonel of Halifax county, at so youthful an age, for he is the "Colonel Maury of the old trunk." In 1758 he was but 27 years of age, but he had been appointed colonel at least two years previously! In 1752 Halifax was formed from Lunenburg. Peter Fontaine and Clement Reid were appointed receivers of the county debt. After that, Peter Fontaine was appointed Surveyor of Halifax county, being a frontier county; Abraham, who had a military turn, was made Colonel, and was very active in resisting all attacks from the various tribes of Indians, beyond the mountains, and in North Carolina. History (or at least none that I recollect to have seen), has not recorded his humble yet useful efforts; yet I remember, when a child, seeing aged men in the county of Henry who used to speak of Colonel Maury, and the way he used to keep the Indians down. * * *

Very truly yours, WM. S. FONTAINE."

The period during which young Maury was Colonel of Halifax county was the most disastrous of our colonial times. General Braddock had been defeated. The French and Indians had encroached on our frontiers until the settlers were driven back in some places 150 miles. Colonel Washington was thoroughly discouraged. In the agony of his great soul, in one of his dispatches to the Governor, he exclaims: "The supplicating tears of the women and the moving petitions of the men melt me into such a deadly sorrow that I solemnly declare, if I know my own mind, I could offer myself a willing sacrifice to the butchering enemy, provided that would contribute to the peoples' ease!" In the central counties of Virginia the incursions of the savages had become alarming. In the county of Louisa alone sixty persons were massacred. When the people were called together to form volunteer regiments, the drum and fife excited no military fervor, for every man felt a reluctance to leave his home, when on his return he might find it a heap of ruins and his wife and daughters captives in the hands of the a ruthless enemy. It required the sanctions of religion to rouse the people to the performance of their duty. The eloquent and patriotic Dr. Davis when there was an effort to be made was nearly always in requisition. In one of his appeals he concludes by saying: "In short our frontiers have been drenched with the blood of our fellow-subjects through the length of a thousand miles, and new wounds are still opening. Now while I am still speaking, perhaps the savage shouts and whoops of Indians, and the screams and groans of some butchered family may be mingling their horrors and circulating their tremendous echoes among the rocks and mountains.

But it was all of no avail; a defensive policy was adopted of dividing a small appropriation amongst the frontier counties to purchase arms and ammunition, and leaving it to the colonels of each frontier county to repel the sudden incursions of the savages--and Washington, worn out with his fruitless efforts to unite the people, retired in disgust to Mount Vernon.

My readers, after this retrospect of the history of that gloomy period, can form some idea of what was then meant by being a colonel of a frontier county. Many of these colonels, in attempting to rescue the captives, were shot down by the savage in his ambush and scalped, and left where he fell, for his bones to decay, "unburied, unhonored and unsung." Others, in scouting by day and unceasing vigil by night, were broken in constitution. This was the case, I presume, with Colonel Maury, for he died before he became an old man. Mr. Fontaine says he has seen no history which records the deeds of these colonels of the frontier counties. No! the genius of history, horrorstruck, in profound gloom, sought the deepest shade, and "hung her harp upon the willows." What sorrows did our ancestors incur in winning this fair domain for us from the wilderness and the savage! In the far East there is a nation of people who worship their ancestors; and if in view of all which ours have suffered and achieved for us, we should drop into this heresy, it is hoped that "the recording angel while he writes it down, may let fall a tear and blot it out forever."

Col. Abraham Maury married Susanna Poindexter, a blood relation of Senator Poindexter of Mississippi. He was a prosperous merchant but built some county flouring mills, which were washed away by a freshet and this broke him. When he went again to Baltimore he frankly told his merchant his condition; but, knowing his integrity, the goods were sold him. On his return home he was attacked with small-pox contracted on the streets of Baltimore. Knowing that he must die, he ordered the return of the goods. The October preceding, his eldest son, Matthew Fontaine, had died from the effect of wounds received at the battle of Guilford Court House.(Dr. W. S. Ried.)

Col. Abraham Maury died on the 22nd January, 1784. He had seven children. 1. Matthew Fontaine, above mentioned, who married W. Tabb. 2. Elizabeth, who married W. Dowsing. 3. Susan, who married Joel Parish, Sr. 4. Abram T., who married M. Worsham. 5. Mary, who married Metcalf DeGraffenried. 6. Philip, who married C. Cunningham. 7. Martha, who married Chapman White. Except Elizabeth and her husband, W. Dowsing, (who moved to Columbus, Miss.,) all moved to Williamson county, Tenn. Richard Maury (the father of the Commodore) went with them; and, together, they formed a large colony of the best people that ever crossed the border of that State. I knew them personally, and was reared among them. Many of their descendants were among the early settlers of our county of Lawrence, in Alabama.

1. Matthew Fontaine Maury, the eldest child, was born in 1760; entered the army when a mere youth, was wounded at Guilford, C. H., and died in 1783 from the effect of his wound. He left two sons--Thomas and Abram. Their mother married a second time a man of property, named Stewart, who (the sons thought) mistreated them. They ran away, and sought the protection of their uncle, Major Abram Maury, and came with him to Tennessee. The two boys were prosperous, but died of consumption, unmarried. Col. Thomas Maury was a man of ability, and represented Williamson county (when quite young) in the Legislature.

2. Elizabeth Maury, born in 1762, who married W. Dowsing. They moved first from Virginia to Georgia, and thence to Columbus, Miss. He was the Registrar of the Land Office--a good officer and a good man. His descendants bear the names of Dowsing, Thompson, Bassey, Ware and Turner.

3. Susan Maury was born in 1764, and married Joel Parrish, Sr. He died before my recollection, but I knew her very well. She was a kind, indulgent mother. Her boys were old enough (Matthew Fontaine and Joel) to make fine soldiers under Jackson. Her eldest child, Caroline (the only daughter), was of queenly beauty, and married Hinchea Petway, one of the wealthiest merchants of Franklin. A man of fine sense and very genial disposition. He had a mortal aversion to onions, and when some friend would slip one into his coat pocket, as soon as he detected the nauseous scent he would take out his pen-knife, cut off his pocket and throw both away together. He was a man of great sagacity, and I don't know of his being mistaken but once, and that was when Bennett was hung for murder. An ambitious young physician conceived the idea of resuscitating him, and as he was cut down, he was taken and placed in a carry-all and carried away rapidly. Hundreds of people crowded around the office. When the young doctor found all efforts to bring the body to life futile, he fixed his galvanic points, and when everything was ready called in Petway and another merchant, and applied the points. The dead body opened its eyes, gave a ghastly stare at the two merchants, and stuck out one leg--and the merchants broke and ran, and reported that "Bennett was alive." In a short time it was reported that Sheriff Hunt had been bribed, and Bennett had been hung in stirrups, and there was great excitement, until his body was exhumed from its secret grave, in the woods, and exposed openly in the court house.

I am mistaken; for there was another instance in which Petway's sagacity was at fault. He built a costly brick house right across the south end of main street in Franklin, which had to be torn down. A man can not make a greater mistake than to fix limits to a young American town, located in a fertile country. When cotton rose to 25 cents per pound, and the county of Lawrence in Alabama was settled, Mr. Petway bought and opened up, a large plantation on the west bank of Town creek, where the brick house now stands. After residing there for a while, he sold out and bought a home in the vicinity of Nashville, where he died. He had one son, Ferdinand Petway, who was an itinerant Methodist preacher. He was a man of education and taste, and a good speaker, and a singer of unusually fine voice. He died in the Memphis Conference. The descendants of Mr. Petway are to be found in Davidson county, Tennessee. See Fontaine Chart. Col. Joel Parrish (a son of Susan Maury, who married Joel Parrish, Sr.,) married Sophia Saunders, eldest daughter of Rev. Turner Saunders (and sister of the writer.) Colonel Parrish and his wife lived in Nashville, and both died there before they attained middle age, leaving a family of young children who were brought to Lawrence county, Alabama, and reared by members of her family. Two daughters of this family married sons of Col. Benjamin Sherrod, and are mentioned ante. A son, Joel Parrish, married a Miss Bodie, and died in Lauderdale county without issue. A daughter, Sophie, married Mr. Alfred Gibson. She is a widow living in Mississippi, and has one daughter, Mary, and two sons, Joel and Willis.

The youngest son of the Parrish family in Tennessee was David Winston. He was about my age, and we were schoolmates. Our path to the Academy led through his mother's orchard, where the mellow Father Abraham apples lay, in profusion, on beds of Nimble Will grass. It then wound along through the shadiest places of the beech and poplar grove, and along side of Mr. McKey's orchard; and we had to do some skilful engineering to make it hit both orchards. David Winston Parrish, when grown, moved to Mississippi, and married Mary, daughter of Solomon Clark, of Pontotoc, one of the best men I ever knew. They had two children. One of them, Susan, married Judge Locke Houston, of Aberdeen, "a first-rate man, and one of the best lawyers in the State." They have four or five children, one of whom is a young lawyer, and another, Mrs. Mary Gillespie, a wonderful singer, and, now (1888) postmistress at Aberdeen. The second daughter of David Winston Parrish, is Sallie, unmarried. His widow married Judge Stephen Adams, then Circuit Judge, an excellent man of fair ability, who served two terms in Congress. They had two children, Edward, a very intellectual young man, who is connected with the cotton business in Mobile, and Belle Adams (Mrs. Professor Wills) principal of the Aberdeen Female College. "Belle was one of the prettiest and sweetest girls we ever had at Aberdeen (says my informant).

Mrs. Wills is a wonderful woman (for her size) as teacher, mother, and domestic manager. She has several children, all bigger than herself," and now lives in Auburn, Ala. (1896).

4. Major Abram Maury, son of Colonel Abraham Maury, whose history we sketched in our last, was born in 1766 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, and married M. Worsham, and his two oldest children were born in Virginia. At a very early time he emigrated to Williamson County, Tenn., with all his brothers and sisters, except Mrs. Dowsing. He had fortunately become the owner of a fine tract of land. He laid off the town of Franklin on one end, and was mainly instrumental in having Harpeth Academy erected on the other. When the latter was built I can not ascertain, but from the fact that the shingles were put on with wooden nails, I infer that it was before General William Carroll erected his nail factory at Nashville, and Mr. Clem another at Franklin. He was a man of fine person, good manners and of fair education and a leader in his county. All the Maurys were very much respected, but he was the wealthiest and had the means to foster public enterprises and of dispensing wide hospitality. Major John Reid, who married his eldest daughter, had been a member of General Jackson's staff and his confidential secretary through all his campaigns. This brought about an intimacy between the General and Major Maury, which (as you will see), had much to do with the fortunes of the Maury family. After the war with England closed I have often seen the General on his way to Major Maury's house with a small staff, all in neat undress uniform and with bear skin holsters.

This was while he was Major-General in the United States army, charged with the special duty of making treaties with the Indians for the cession of their lands. The red man when defeated by the general conceived a high respect for him; but when he beat the British at New Orleans it ripened into awe, and when "Captain Jackson" (as they called him) insisted on accession of their lands they were very apt to comply. It was General Jackson who procured a commission for young Matthew F. Maury in the navy. If this had not occurred, what would have been the consequences? Would the "Geography of the Sea" have been as little understood now as it was early in the century? After General Jackson's election to the presidency, Cary A. Harris, a son-in-law of Major Maury, was invested with the lucrative office of Public Printer at Washington City. And now we will briefly notice the descendants of Maj. Abram Maury:

(A) Elizabeth Branch married Major John Reid, above mentioned. He was of remarkably clear intellect, of much decision, and strong nerve. He dispatched business, under all circumstances, promptly, and enjoyed the confidence and friendship of General Jackson to such a degree that he requested him to write his life. He had written the first four chapters, when he sickened and died. The papers Major Reid had collected were then handed over, at General Jackson's request, to Major John H. Eaton, who finished the book. Dr. William J. Reid is a son of this marriage. His wife is Sarah Claiborne Maury. They live at the old homestead of Major Abram Maury. Their eldest daughter, Mary Maury, married Andrew J. Puryear, who died about four years ago. She has four children, two sons and two daughters. A son of Dr. Reid, John William, married Maud C. Perkins, and the younger son of Dr. Reid, is Maury Thorpe, a youth of fifteen years.

(B) Matthew Fontaine, who died at twelve years of age.

(C) Daniel Worsham, when grown, made a venture in the mercantile line in Courtland, in this county. He did not succeed well, and I think went back to Tennessee. He never married.

(D) Hon. Abraham Poindexter Maury had a brilliant career. He was born at Franklin 26th December, 1801, and early showed a decided literary taste. He was taught grammar by that accurate teacher, Rev. Lewis Garrett, and was for some time at Harpeth Academy under Dr. Blackburn. At about the age of seventeen years he was invited by the citizens of Franklin to deliver a Fourth of July speech. When quite young, at the instance of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, who had lived at Franklin and known him well, he went to St. Louis to edit a newspaper. After a year's stay he returned to Tennessee and went as a cadet to West Point. As he had more taste for literature and politics than mathematics, he returned to Tennessee, settled in Nashville and edited a paper entitled the Nashville Republican. Here he made a reputation as a journalist. He married Mary Eliza Tennessee Claiborne (a lady of great beauty and fine fortune), the daughter of Dr. Thomas Augustine Claiborne, and his wife, Sally Lewis, the daughter of William T. Lewis, of Nashville. Dr. Claiborne was a brother of Wm. C. C. Claiborne, first Territorial Governor of Louisiana, and subsequently elected to the office by the people for thirteen years. Dr. Claiborne, father of Mrs. Maury, after the death of his wife, became a surgeon in the United States Navy and died young.

Hon. Abram P. Maury, after his marriage, bought out the interests of his brothers and sisters in his father's farm at Franklin. Served in both branches of the Legislature, and then in Congress for two terms, commencing with 1885. He was the father of nine children: (1) His eldest daughter, Martha Thomas, is still living, the widow of Nicholas Edwin Perkins, whose father, Nicholas T. Perkins, captured the famous Aaron Burr. She had three children--Edwin Maury, unmarried; Leighla Octavia, married to Dr. Harden T. Cochrane, of Birmingham, Ala., and Maud Claiborne, married to John William Reid, above mentioned. (2) The second daughter of Hon. Abram P. Maury. Sarah Claiborne, was married to Dr. Wm. S. Reid, as we have mentioned above. The third, fourth and fifth died unmarried. (6) Abram P. married, before he was of age, the daughter of Wm. O'Neal Perkins, of Franklin, and died quite a young man, leaving a son, Wm. Perkins Maury, now superintendent of the public schools at Fort Smith, Ark., and a daughter, Martha Slaughter, who is married to Mr. Benjamin Mann, of Haywood county, Tennessee. (7) Septima died at the age of twenty-six. (8) Octavia died early. (9) Ferdinand Claiborne, the youngest member of the family, is a lawyer in Nashville, and was married some years since to Mrs. Ida Rains, the widow of General Rains of the Confederate service, who was killed at the battle of Murfreesboro.

(E) James Philip, another son of Maj. Abram Maury, was an excellent man. Never married.

(F) William Henry, lived and died in Fayette county. His descendants are to be found there.

(G) Martha Fontaine, married Cary A. Harris. He was made Public Printer by General Jackson as stated above. They had several children set down in the Fontaine chart.

(H) The youngest of Maj. Abram Maury's children was Zebulon M. Pike. He married Virginia Ashlen, a lady of Williamson county and died while being unjustly detained as a prisoner at Sandusky, Ohio, during the late war. His youngest son was drowned a few years ago, and one of his sons, James Henry, married Helen Deas Ross, daughter of Mr. Wm. H. Ross, of Mobile, and is a prosperous merchant in the city of Paris, France. (1887.) He afterwards returned to the United States, and to New Orleans, to live.

Abraham married Susanna Poindexter on 2 Sep 1759 in Rector Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg, Lunenburg County, VA. Susanna was born in 1742 in Fluvanna County, VA; died on 22 Jan 1801 in Franklin County, TN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Daniel Parke ClaiborneVirginia, USA. Daniel (son of Jr. Thomas Claiborne and Ann Fox) was born about 1725; died in Sep 1790 in Dinwiddie County, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Mary L. LemoineWales. Mary was born in Wales; died in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Was apprenticed to a London watchmaker. Received his freedom in 1759 at the age of 24, and had an illegitimate son, Joseph, by Mary Bradneck. In 1762, John, Jr., was serving against the French on a sloop of war and was killed. Both John's uncles Moses and his father provided in their wills for Joseph Fontaine, alias Thompson.

David married M. M. PlowmanWales. M. was born in Wales; died in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died young.

William married M. HowellWales. M. was born in Wales; died in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Daniel and Moses were twin brothers. They died young.

Notes:

Daniel and Moses were twin brothers. They died young.

Notes:

Died in childbirth though her son, John, lived.

Her husband, James, was her first cousin.

Anne married James Fontaine in 1752 in Virginia, USA. James (son of James Fontaine, Jr and Lucretia Desjarrie) was born in 1721 in Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Mary Richards. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary died young.

Notes:

Moved to Wilkes County, GA about 1799.

Notes:

It appears that all of the children of Thomas and Clarissa, except Benjamin, were born in South Carolina. The 1850 census of Mobile, Alabama, gives Benjamin's place of birth as Georgia.

Family/Spouse: Clarissa Bruton. Clarissa was born about 1770. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Sally Threewitts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Peter married Mary Bruton in 1770 in Dobbs County, NC. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Alexander Thomson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

According to Georgia Archives, Francis III was a Revolutionary Soldier and was killed by the Tories about 1780 or 1781. His wife, Jemima, sold provisions to the Revolutionary Army.

Francis married Jemima Johnson in 1770 in Davie County, NC. Jemima was born about 1755 in Virginia, USA; died in 1803 in Georgia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Benjamin Risher on 20 Dec 1772 in Charleston, Charleston County, SC. Benjamin was born on 14 Nov 1752 in New Bern, Craven County, NC; died on 9 Oct 1810; was buried in Williams, Colleton County, SC. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Caroline married John Robinson Wiatt on 4 Oct 1809 in Virginia, USA. John (son of Thomas Wiatt and Catherine Robinson) was born in 1787 in Boxley, Gloucester County, Virginia, USA; died on 4 Aug 1855 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Martha Nelson in 1764. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Barbara Clubb. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Tabitha Bennett. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: May Wood. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Boldin. Elizabeth was born about 1740. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Emigrated to Tennessee with the children of his Uncle Abraham Maury.

Richard married Diana Minor on 18 Jan 1792 in Louisa, Virginia, USA. Diana was born on 18 Aug 1768 in Topping Castle, Spotsylvania County, VA; died on 27 Jul 1843 in Franklin, Williamson, Tennessee, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Eggleston. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Matthew and Elizabeth had ten children. Matthew succeeded his father as Rector of Walker's Church and in teaching school.

Matthew married Elizabeth Simms WalkerAlbemarle County, Virginia, USA. Elizabeth was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, USA; died in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

George Washington appointed him Consul to the Port of Liverpool in the Kingdom of Great Britain. He was also an owner of the Commission Merchants "Maury & Latham (see an account of his life in INTIMATE VIRGINIANA, ed. Anne Fontaine Maury.)

James married Catherine Armistead on 15 Jun 1782 in Virginia, USA. Catherine (daughter of Robert Armistead and Ann Smith) was born on 31 Dec 1755 in Louisa County, VA; died on 24 May 1794 in Liverpool, England; was buried in St. Geroge's Churchyard, Fredericksburg, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Margaret Ruston on 16 Aug 1796 in Liverpool, England. Margaret was born on 15 Jun 1764. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Anne remained unmarried and lived in Liverpool, England with her father who was consul for forty-five years. Anne conducted genealogical research on the Fontaine family and, with G. P. Putnam, published the English translation of the Rev. Jacques Fontaine's memoirs. She also compiled a genealogical chart of the Fontaine and Maury families.

Family/Spouse: Thomas Strachen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
yellow fever

Family/Spouse: Mary Grymes. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Catherin married James BarrettAlbemarle County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: T. Lewis. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Edward Herndon on 13 Jul 1809 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA. Edward (son of John Joseph Herndon and Philadelphia Foster) was born on 15 Jan 1761 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA; died on 17 Oct 1837 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married James LewisAlbemarle County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Mildred Thornton. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Fontaine married Elizabeth Brooke in 1785. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: E. Grant. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Abraham married Martha Branch Worsham about 1792. Martha was born on 11 Feb 1775 in Amelia County, Virginia, USA; died on 25 Jun 1844 in Williamson County, TN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Henry Tatum. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Moved from Warrenton, GA to Tuscaloosa, AL in 1821. He was an attorney in Tuscaloosa in 1835 to 1838 and a State Senator in 1831.

Moved to Mobile, AL, in 1835.

Benjamin married Susanna Eliza Beall on 21 Dec 1818 in Warren County, GA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: George W. Hardwick. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

On January 2, 1836, John was elected Mayor of Columbus, GA. February 26, 1840, John was elected President of the St. Joseph and Iola Railroad. John, Mary Ann, and several of their children and in-laws are buried in the Fontaine family plot in Linwood Cemetery, Columbus, GA.

Family/Spouse: Mary Ann Stewart. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Peachum. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: James Threewitts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Elijah Hudson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Hugh Kerr. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married John Goza about 1797. John (son of Aaron Goza and Agnes Humphreys) was born in 1770 in Virginia, USA; died in 1853 in Mississippi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married Joshua Goza in 1798 in Warren County, GA. Joshua (son of Aaron Goza and Agnes Humphreys) was born about 1770 in Virginia, USA; died in 1834 in Copiah County, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Nancy married Nathan Jackson Brewton on 18 May 1794 in Warren County, GA. Nathan (son of John Brewton and Isabella Emanuel) was born in 1762 in New Bern, Craven County, NC; died on 25 Nov 1855 in Tattnall County, GA; was buried in Hagan, Evans, Georgia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Thompson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Benjamin married Mary Elizabeth Koger in 1804. Mary was born in 1782; died in 1814; was buried in Colleton County, SC. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Mary R.A. Huff in 1823/1826. Mary was born in 1788/1806; died in 1823/1891. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Lucy married Peter Stokes in 1827/1861. Peter was born in 1782/1802; died in 1827/1888. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ann married William Stocks in 1818/1852. William was born in 1773/1793; died in 1818/1879. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Eleanor married Michael Razor in 1808/1842. Michael was born in 1763/1783; died in 1808/1869. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: William Smith. William died on 24 May 1818. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Laban Smith on 10 Jun 1819. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Isaac Braswell. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Harriet married Abraham Williams in 1815/1849. Abraham was born in 1770/1790; died in 1815/1876. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Eliza married Benjamin Hughes in 1812/1846. Benjamin was born in 1767/1787; died in 1812/1873. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married Edward B. Matchett in 1821/1855. Edward was born about 1793. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Susan married Grooms in 1824/1858. was born in 1779/1799; died in 1824/1885. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Francis Catherine Wiatt

Other Events and Attributes:

• Departure: 1 Dec 1836, Liverpool, England
• Arrival: 6 Dec 1836, New York, New York; Age: 30
• Residence: 1850, Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia; Age: 44
• Residence: 1860, Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Age: 54
• Residence: 1861, Tennessee
• _MILT: 10 Jun 1861

Notes:

LLD, USN, CSN, Commodore, "Pathfinder of the Seas." Matthew's Physical Geography of the Seas (1855) was the first textbook on modern oceanography.

His wife, Ann Hull Herndon, was the daughter of the President of the Virginia Bank at Fredericksburg, Va. They had eight children.

Maury, Matthew Fontaine
(1806--73)
Oceanographer; born near Fredericksburg, Va. He entered the U.S. Navy (1825) and spent the next nine years on worldwide sea voyages. In 1839 a stagecoach accident left him permanently lamed. Considered unfit for active duty, in 1842 he was appointed superintendent of the Naval Observatory's Depot of Charts and Instruments. There he compiled information from numerous ships' logs, and gained an international reputation for his research in navigation, oceanography, and meteorology. By interpreting the crossing of the trade winds at the equator, he designed shipping routes which shortened an Atlantic-Pacific crossing by 40 days. In his most famous work, The Physical Geography of the Sea (1855), he proposed a transatlantic telegraph cable to be constructed on a level sea-floor plateau he had discovered between Newfoundland and Ireland. In 1861 Maury became a commodore in the Confederate Navy; while working to perfect underwater mines, he went to Europe where he also purchased and outfitted cruisers for the Confederate navy. After a brief self-exile in Mexico and Europe (1865-68), he returned to the U.S.A. to teach at the Virginia Military Institute (1868-73). He is known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas."

THE CAMBRIDGE BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
edited by David Crystal
Copyright (c) 1994, Cambridge University Press
Reproduced with permission.

Maury, Matthew (Fontaine)
Pronunciation: [mawree]
(1806--73)
Naval officer and hydrographer, born in Spotsylvania, VA. He entered the US navy in 1825, and voyaged round the world (1826-30). After an accident in 1839, he was appointed in 1842 superintendent of the hydrographical office at Washington, and in 1844 of the observatory. There he wrote his Physical Geography of the Sea (1856), and his works on the Gulf Stream, ocean currents, and Great Circle sailing. He became an officer of the Confederate navy, and later professor of physics at Lexington.

THE CAMBRIDGE BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
edited by David Crystal
Copyright (c) 1994, Cambridge University Press
Reproduced with permission.

Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama. L. Grahm & Son. New Orleans. 1899, p 301-304:

Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury
was born in Spotsylvania county, Virginia, January 16th, 1806. His father was Richard Maury, who was the son of the James Maury (above mentioned).Mr. Richard Maury moved from Virginia to Williamson county, Tennessee, when his son Matthew was but a child. The country was then mostly a canebrake, but the soil wonderfully fertile. His farm was not large, and he had only a few slaves, but he was a solid, sensible and industrious man, and managed to rear and educate a family of ten children; commanding, however, whenever the crop required it, the labor of his sons. He made his home on Harpeth river, four miles below Franklin. His only amusement was a grist mill, which he erected on a small tributary of that stream, and which was a great convenience to the Perkinses, the Childress' and the Maurys. He rode this hobby very hard, little dreaming that his son "Matt" would mount one which he would ride around the admiring world, in the presence of Kings, Princes and peoples, and "take the purse" from all competitors--the renowned Humboldt being the judge.

I never knew young Matthew Fontaine Maury until he entered Harpeth Academy-- then under the presidency of Rev. Gideon Blackburn, D. D. He was fortunate in having such a teacher and guide. Dr. Blackburn was an eminent minister of the Presbyterian church. He was of commanding person, graceful manners, and a scholar of extensive learning--for an age in which science did not constitute so large an element as now. As an orator, I think he was the equal of Dr. Samuel Davies of Nassan Hall. He never wrote his sermons, but spoke extemporaneously, sometimes for more than two hours. Judge Guild (who was an orator himself) says of him, in his "Old Times in Tennessee:" "Dr. Blackburn's eloquence as General Jackson's chaplain, inflamed the hearts and nerved the arms of the Tennessee volunteers, who carried the victorious flag of our country through the great campaigns of Jackson. He was the most eloquent and powerful minister I ever heard. I have heard many of the pulpit orators that have arisen since then, and my first impression has not been diminished, but deepened by the accumulation of years. Few American orators have shown themselves his equal, and none his superior." About this pupil, young Maury, there was a striking feature, and that was an undivided concentration of mind upon whatever he was doing. He was no dreamer. On the play-ground he was active, strong and cheery, and a favorite with his fellows; and when "books were called" he devoted his attention, as singly and earnestly, to his lesson; and so gained the approbation of his teachers. He was a fine example of "a sound mind in a sound body." We were school-fellows for some years. At length my father moved to Alabama, and I went to a college in another State, and he went into the Navy.

About 1826 we happened to meet at Franklin, our old home. He wore the glazed cap, and the uniform, of a midshipman. There was quite a crowd of schoolmates around him, and a happy reunion took place. At length the young men began to look at their watches, for a quarter race was to come off. In a short time we were left alone, and had a most interesting conversation. He had been on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean--and talked, mostly, of the currents of the sea. I remember to this day, that he told me of a broad current of cold water which ran from South to North, up the Western coast of South America, and with so strong a current that a sail vessel to double Cape Horn would have to make an offing of one or two hundred miles from the coast to escape the resistance of the current. I mention this fact to show, that young as he was, he was a close observer of what he saw, and the tenacity with which his mind held on to a subject, and revolved it over and over again. It is this quality which distinguishes a great man from an ordinary one.

Mr. Maury became Lieutenant in the Navy in 1837. "He had a leg broken and many other injuries (I think from the overturning of a stage) and during his convalescence he spent several years in Fredericksburg in study, and preparing a series of articles ("The Lucky Bag," by Harry Bluff), for the Southern Literary Messenger which wrought a revolution in the Navy Department, and led to the establishment of the Naval Academy. (Mr. R. A. Brock, in Vol. 5, New Series of Virginia Historical Collections).

In 1842 he was made Superintendent of the Depot of the Charts and Instruments in Washington, which under his inspiration became the National Observatory. Here he made his renowned Current Charts and Sailing Directions, and wrote his "Geography of the Sea," which was pronounced by Humboldt "a new science." Conscious that his new system of navigation would not be perfected without accurate observations everywhere, he suggested a Congress of Maritime Nations at Brussels, where sailors on every sea were instructed to report to their governments--and in their turn these reports were sent to the National Observatory at Washington. What a triumph this was for the scientist at the head of it, who had barely attained to middle age! In recognition of his services in the cause of science, the leading powers of Europe showered honors and decorations upon him. The University of Cambridge, England, conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. President Tyler wanted him (though only a lieutenant) at the head of the Navy Department, and the position of the Hydrographer of the Southern Exploring Exposition was offered him. The Academies of Science of Paris, Berlin, Brussels and St. Petersburg conferred membership upon him.

But he was not only honored by the great and learned, but as well by the common sailors of every nation. At first they were incredulous. They had never heard of "sailing by great circles." They thought the proper course from port to port was "plumb straight." These old tars had often crossed the ocean and had never seen any current in it, and did not believe there was any. But when the sailing master would spread out the new chart on the binnacle, lay his course as if sailing to a different port than the desired one--when after a while they would fall into a current which would waft them along without an adverse wind, and the voyage would be a short and easy one, they would begin to see the riddle. But then again when on the return voyage the sailing master, instead of laying his course on the same track on which they had come, so smoothly from home, would take a route entirely different, they would be again mystified. After a while, however, they would feel a steady wind at the backs-the sails when once set would not need trimming for days--and when they would reach the home port, in shorter time, and with less labor, than ever before, they would frankly acknowledge their mistake. In this way, the name of Columbus, when he discovered a New World, was not more universally known than that of "Maury," and had these mariners lived in ancient Rome, a new God would have been added to the Mythology, and his image would have been the figure-head for good luck on every vessel which floated on the ocean.

When, in the war between the States, Virginia seceded from the Union, he resigned his commission in the Navy, and the charge of the National Observatory. When this became known, France and Russia invited him to become their guest, with every provision for his comfort and studies. He replied that his first duty was to Virginia, his birth place, and his home, since his marriage. His vindication of the South (to be found in Southern Historical Papers 1, Vol. 49) is a dispassionate and very able paper. In that contest we lost everything "but honor"--let us always keep that untarnished, by keeping in mind the grounds which justified our action. He was promoted to a Captaincy and a member of the Advisory Committee; the first act of which body was to recommend R. E. Lee as commander of the Virginia army. He gave much attention to torpedoes, believing in their efficiency as much as his cousin, Gen. Dabney H. Maury.

In 1862 he was sent on a special mission to England, and remained there until 1865. On the downfall of the Confederacy Maximilian persuaded him to make his home in Mexico; and he was appointed Honorary Counselor of State, a member of the Cabinet, and an Imperial Commissioner of Immigration, and was sent on special mission to Europe. Shortly afterward Maximilian fell, and he remained there until 1868. He was elected to the Presidency of the University of Alabama, which he declined; (President Clayton). He was elected Professor of Physics of the Virginia Military Institute, which he accepted, and declining the charge of the Imperial Observatory at Paris, he returned to Virginia. After a most useful life he died at Lexington, Va., February 1, 1873. He was a sincere, humble Christian. Whilst some men, who have had no original ideas, and have never risen above text-books, have become skeptics from an exaggerated idea of their learning, he wrote text-books--books for the advancement of science into unexplored fields, and yet held fast to the faith which sustained his ancestors, the pious Huguenots in their afflictions-and the last words he spoke were "all is well."

Commodore Maury married Anne, daughter of Dabney and Elizabeth Herndon. Her father was for many years President of the Virginia Bank at Fredericksburg, Va. A number of her brothers were men of distinction. William Lewis Herndon, when a Lieutenant in company with a friend of the same grade, explored the Amazon, the largest river in the world, from its head springs, in the Andes, which overlook the Pacific on the west for 4000 miles, to the Atlantic on the East, where through a mouth 100 miles wide, it pours out its immense accumulation of waters.

It was a feat equal to the navigation of the Congo River by Stanley, with this difference: Stanley, in his first expedition to the interior of Africa, projected his plan, and when he did attempt the descent of the Congo, he had provided a vessel made in segments, which were carried across the portage on the backs of Indians to the great river; whereas, Herndon, from a U. S. vessel lying in port on the Pacific, took thirty-five or forty men (I speak from memory), and without any boat, but with a few tools to construct canoes, and depending on his gun and fishing tackle to save his company from starvation, he boldly embarked on an unknown stream, where for 2000 miles he never saw a human face except that of a savage. He became a captain and heroically went down with the ill-fated steamer "Central America," of which he was the commander, September 12, 1857, after having seen every passenger transferred from the decks of the sinking ship, and saved it. It was from such blood, mingled with that of the Fontaines and Maurys, that the children of Commodore Maury sprang. From long observation I feel authorized to say that the children of distinguished men, especially the sons are, in a majority of cases, failures, because the fathers let their light shine outside, instead of inside their families; but this was not the case in the family of Commodore Maury. He made his children his companions. He elevated their minds to the plane of his own great thoughts. Mr. Brook says that his four youngest children assisted him in preparing his charts and geography of the sea for the press. From no other source except free intercourse with their father could they have acquired the knowledge requisite, to give him help in so novel a work. I will now notice each of his children in their order

1. Elizabeth Herndon married, in 1857, her cousin, Wm. A. Maury. He is a man of extensive learning; was a Professor of Law in Columbia College; had the degree of L.L. D. conferred upon him; is now Assistant Attorney General of the United States, and I am informed by one of the ablest lawyers of the bar of the United States Supreme Court, is a man of decided ability. 2. Diana Fontaine, in 1858, married Spotswood W. Corbin. 3. Richard Launcelot married, in 1862, Susan Gatewood Crutchfield. He enlisted as a private in the Confederate army, in April, 1861. He was promoted, grade by grade, for his gallantry to a colonelcy; was badly wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, and again badly wounded through the hips at the battle of Drewry's Bluff, which permanently disabled him; but he rejoined the army on the evacuation of Richmond, and surrendered at Appomattox Court House. He is now a prominent member of the Richmond, Va., bar. 4. John Herndon, born in 1842. "He was a lieutenant in the Confederate States Navy. Going out alone from camp, opposite Vicksburg, January 27, 1863, to reconnoiter the enemy, his horse returned without its rider, who is supposed to have been murdered by an ambushed foe. He lies in an unknown grave." 5. Mary Herndon was married in 1877 to James R. Worth. 6. Eliza Hall, married in 1878 to Thomas Withers. She was the author of a paper on the State Debt. She died in 1881. 7. Matthew Fontaine, born in 1849; married Rose, daughter of Capt. John A. Robinson. He is a civil engineer. 8. Lucy Minor married, in 1877, Meverill Locke van Doren of "Blenheim," Albemarle county, Va.

I am indebted to R. A. Brook, Esq., the indefatigable secretary of the Virginia Historical Society, for most of the statistics on which this article is founded.

Buried:
Hollywood Cemetery

Died:
Age: 67

Matthew married Ann Hull Herndon on 15 Jul 1834 in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Ann (daughter of Dabney Herndon and Elizabeth Hull) was born on 8 Aug 1811 in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA; died on 12 Feb 1875 in Richmond, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
yellow fever

John married Elizabeth "Eliza" Herndon Maury on 3 Apr 1817 in Washington City, Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Elizabeth was born on 26 Aug 1793 in Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA; died on 25 Jan 1872. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married William Michie on 23 Dec 1790 in Albemarle County, Virginia, USA. William was born about 1770 in Louisa County, VA; died in 1851 in Louisa County, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Clarkson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mildred married Henry FryVirginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Reuben married Elizabeth LewisVirginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

History of Albemarle County in Virginia
Chapter 7
MAURY, Catharine, father, Rev. Matthew, married LIGHTFOOT, Francis

Catharine married Francis LightfootAlbemarle County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Ellen Magruder. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Family/Spouse: Jane W. Worsham. Jane was born on 18 Sep 1814 in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Notes:

Birth:
"Poplar Grove", Williamson Co., TN

Notes:

John Thomas purchased lumber for $1,114.93 on May 23, 1870 in Lowndes County, MS.

John married Ann C. Marrast on 29 Dec 1846 in Tuscaloosa, AL. Ann died in Sep 1850. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Frances Jane Butler Garrett on 1 Jul 1853 in Columbus, MS. Frances was born on 7 Jan 1828; was buried in Lot 240, Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Was living in Macon County, AL in 1855. This part of Macon County later became part of Bullock County when that County was created.

Family/Spouse: Charles Hargraves Stewart. Charles was buried in Old Linwood Cemetery, Columbus, GA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Lewis McQueen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Benjamin married Martha M. Cox on 13 May 1856 in Macon County, AL. Martha was born on 12 Aug 1838; died on 1 Sep 1901 in Leesburg, Cherokee County, AL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Alice Winston. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Served as a Captain, commanding a company of the famous Third Georgia Cavalry, in General Joe Wheeler's Division.

Family/Spouse: Mary Elizabeth Shorter. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Mary Stewart. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Francis A. Stanford. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Mary E. Young. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Francis was an author and poet.

Family/Spouse: Mary Flournoy. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Natalie Hamilton. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

George was trying to save the life of a friend who was engaged in a duel when he was killed.

Family/Spouse: Mary Brutas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: James Threatt Flewellen. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Father of Richard Franklin Hudson, who was the father of Sadie Phinizy Hudson who died in Columbus, MS on January 31, 1966.

Notes:

In 1850, she was a widow living in the home of A.R. Kuykendall, ( b. 1820AR), evidently her son, in Conway Co., AR. She survived her father.

Family/Spouse: Kuykendall. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Maranda married David E. Sheffield on 20 Dec 1835 in Mississippi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Information taken from the book, "Goza", by Joe A. Goza, deceased, and "Claiborn County, Mississippi, the Promised Land", by Katy McCaleb Headly, deceased. Also have copy of Mississippi marriage license.

Hiram married Ann Carolina Gibson on 28 Jun 1834 in Claiborne County, MS. Ann was born on 25 Jun 1817 in South Carolina; died on 8 Jul 1892 in Brandywine, Claiborne County, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Francis married Isabelle Harvey on 20 May 1826 in Claiborne County, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Francis married Frances Cobb on 20 May 1830 in Mississippi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

George married Rebecca Caroline Walker on 22 Apr 1843 in Mississippi. Rebecca was born in 1815 in Tennessee; died in 1853 in Mississippi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Malinda married Joseph Murphy on 5 Aug 1828 in Claiborne County, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Wallis. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Alvah Lum on 14 Sep 1820 in Claiborne County, MS. Alvah was born about 1800; died about 1824. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Martha Lum in 1826. Martha was born on 31 Jan 1811. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joshua married Keziah McGrew on 13 Sep 1829 in Claiborne County, MS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

George married Marianna Dupuy about 1842. Marianna was born on 4 Jul 1822 in Kentucky; died in 1897 in Missouri. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: D.K. Quillings. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Charles married Amanda Dupuy on 11 Aug 1836 in Shelby County, KY. Amanda was born in 1815 in Kentucky; died in Dec 1867 in LA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Simon married Matilda Underwood Tippins on 16 Mar 1843. Matilda was born on 1 Apr 1823; died on 28 Dec 1861. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Simon married Parthenia Ann Tippins on 1 Jun 1862. Parthenia was born in 1819/1845; died in 1868/1933. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Around 1826 Emanuel married Elizabeth "Eliza" Caroline Bacon, daughter of Jonathan B. Bacon and Eliza Myers. Jonathan and Eliza had six children, but were not married until after the birth of their fifth child. Up until that time Jonathan was married to another woman. Caroline, who was born around 1810, was one of the five illegitimate children. One of these siblings was Charlotte Malvina Bacon, who married Emanuel's brother Benjamin Brewton. Emanuel and Caroline moved to the Fort Crawford area in southern Alabama in 1839, where the railroad was later built through their land. They moved there to join Emanuel's uncles, Joseph, who settled there in 1816, and Benjamin, who settled there in 1819. Emanuel first appeared in the Alabama census in 1840. At that time he had six children. He had two more children in Alabama.

Emanuel was one of twelve children of Nathan Jackson Brewton, Sr., the founder of the large Georgia Brewton family. He was born a "Bruton" in 1765 in Dobbs County, North Carolina, and moved to Georgia along with his family. It is possible that he lived for a short time near Charleston, South Carolina, as did many members of his family, but no records have been located to substantiate this theory.

Emanuel married Elizabeth Caroline Bacon in 1826 in Georgia. Elizabeth was born in 1810 in Chatham County, GA; died in Alabama, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Martha married Uriah Allen Rogers on 12 Jan 1832 in Bulloch County, GA. Uriah was born on 7 Jul 1808 in North Carolina, USA; died on 5 Feb 1882 in Bulloch County, GA; was buried in Uriah Rogers Cemetery, Daisy, GA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jemima married John Hendricks on 12 Sep 1817 in Reidsville, Tattnall County, GA. John was born on 9 Dec 1795 in Claxton, Evans County, GA; died on 10 Jun 1876 in Canoochee River, Bulloch County, GA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph married Havillah H. Williams in 1838/1863. Havillah was born in 1803/1822; died in 1838/1907. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Francis married Harriet Williams on 15 Sep 1831. Harriet was born on 10 Jan 1816 in Colleton County, SC; died on 10 Jan 1851. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Benjamin married Mary S. Razor in 1836/1865. Mary was born in 1786/1813; died in 1836/1900. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Buried:
Garden LN, Section 101, Lot 37, Space 2

Other Events and Attributes:

• _MILT: 1860, Virginia

Notes:

Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama. L. Grahm & Son. New Orleans. 1899:

Dabney H. Maury had a remarkable military career. When the battle of Elkhorn was fought, in March, 1862, he was simply a staff officer of General van Dorn, but when the last battles around Mobile were fought, which ended the war between the States, he was Major General, and in command of the Department of the Gulf. During these four eventful years, thousands had started in the race for promotion, and but few succeeded. Some failed for want of physical courage (but the number was small, for this is a very common quality), many more failed, not for want of bravery, but they were so nervous and excitable that they could not think in a moment of danger, and of course were unfit for commanders; and a much larger number failed because they had no military knowledge. This is indispensable for an important command. I knew but one man who was a born soldier. He was endowed with an estimate of the value of time (equal to Napoleon's), and if he committed blunders, his enemy was so dazed by the celerity of his movements, that he failed to perceive them (Forrest).

As my space is small, I will only notice the beginning and close of his military career. At Elkhorn, the plan of battle was for the wing under the command of Generals McCulloch and McDonald to attack the enemy in front, and General Price's wing on the flank. The battle had but fairly begun, "when a staff officer, Colonel Dillon, galloped up, with disaster on his face. Riding close up to van Dorn, he said, in a low tone, 'McCulloch is killed. McIntosh is killed, Herbert is killed, and the attack on the front has ceased.'" These fatalities imposed a heavy burden on van Dorn's staff. How Colonel Maury performed his part in this sudden emergency, can be seen by the report of the commanding General: "Colonel Maury was of invaluable service to me, both in preparing for, and during, the battle. Here, and on other fields, where I have served with him, he proved to be a zealous patriot and true soldier--cool and calm under all circumstances, he was always ready, either with his sword or pen."--Southern Historical Papers.

Preparations to reduce Mobile were commenced soon after the battle of Nashville, and the command of the Department of the Gulf was entrusted to Dabney H. Maury, now Major General. General Canby had 60,000 men, and the fleet of Farragut, (which had recovered from the consternation produced by the audacious attack of the ram--Tennessee). To oppose these, there were, of all arms, only 9,000 Confederates. Of these, there was a brigade of Alabama "boy reserves," under General Thomas. It has been remembered, for two thousand years, that the women of Carthage gave their tresses for bow-strings, in a great emergency; but the women of Alabama did more, for they gave their tender beloved sons, "the dew of their youth," for the rough service and perils of the camp. The base of the enemy was at the mouth of Fish river, twenty miles distant from Spanish Fort. General Maury had erected defensive works here, and at Blakely. The enemy, in marching the twenty miles before them, consumed nine days, and entrenched every night. What a compliment to General Maury and his bold little army! He offered battle to them on the way, with his small force, reduced by a garrison of 300 men left in Mobile, but they declined, and sat down before Spanish Fort for a regular siege by parallel approaches. General Maury had used every resource known to science to meet the impending blow. He had plenty of heavy guns.

Federal historians say that he had Parrott guns. The General, himself, in his account of the siege (Southern Historical Papers) says "the only Parrott gun we had, at that time, was the 'Lady Washington, ' captured by my division at Corinth. But we had cannon better than any Parrott ever made. These guns were cast at Selma, of the iron about Briarfield, in North Alabama. It must be the best gun metal in the world. Some of our Brooke guns were subjected to extraordinarily severe tests, yet not one of them burst, or was in any degree injured during the fourteen days siege, at the same time they outranged the enemy's best and heaviest Parrotts, which not unfrequently burst by overcharging and over elevation." General Maury also used torpedoes. He says "every avenue of approach was guarded by submarine torpedoes. No vessels drawing three feet water could get within effective cannon range of any part of our defenses. Had we understood their power in the beginning of the war, as at the end, we could effectually have defended every harbor, channel, or river, in the Confederate States, against all sorts of naval attacks. During the siege a number of armed vessels and transports were sunk. But the obstinacy of the defense was of no avail. The last gun in the war between the States was fired in this siege, on the Eastern shore. The Federals lost 7000 in killed and wounded here. On the fall of Mobile, General Maury marched its garrison to Meridian, where, hearing of the surrender of General Lee, and the capture of President Davis, he surrendered his forces. He is now U. S. Minister to Columbia, South America (1888).

In his Report of the defense of Mobile he says that the last gun of the war was fired on the eastern shore of the bay on the 12th of April, 1865. But from a number of letters I have received since that statement was published, I am satisfied that the General was mistaken, and that the last conflict of the civil war was a bloody affair, which occurred at West Point, Ga., under the leadership of Gen. R. C. Tyler.

Dabney married Anna "Nannie" Rose Mason on 10 Mar 1852 in Stafford County, Virginia, USA. Anna was born on 4 Sep 1829 in USA; died on 21 Feb 1876 in USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Mary Ann Tinsley on 4 Jun 1818 in Hanover or Louisa County, VA. Mary was born on 9 Aug 1792 in Mechanicsville, Hanover County, VA; died on 23 Jan 1882 in Louisa County, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Anna Warren about 1874. Anna was born in 1850. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Celestia Penick. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Samuel Thompson Weyman. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: John Dozier Pou. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]