S. J. Quinn

Some Distinguished Men Buried in Fredericksburg—A Remarkable Grave Stone—Three Heroic Fredericksburgers, Wellford, Herndon, Willis—The Old Liberty Bell Passes Through Town—Great Demonstrations in its Honor—What a Chinaman Thought of it.

A town is not less renowned for the noble, heroic dead who sleep within its borders than it is for its gallant soldiers, Statesmen and others who are yet on the stage of action. Indeed its renown may be more enduring because of its dead than of its living. The deeds of the dead are embalmed in our hearts and in history and cannot be tarnished, obscured or obliterated. The greatest deeds of the living may be obscured and even almost blotted from the approving mind by some adverse, evil cloud—by some act of folly or perfidy.

If Judas Iscariot had died before he betrayed his Master his good deeds would have lived forever. If a Britton’s bullet had taken off Benedict Arnold before his treasonable thoughts had resolved into action he would have been written down in history as one of the heroes of America. We, therefore, with pride refer to some distinguished men who peacefully sleep within our corporate limits.

ARCHIBALD M’PHERSON.

Archibald McPherson was born in 1715 in the northern part of England. He came to this country in early manhood and settled in Spotsylvania county. He is represented as being a gentleman of education, refinement and wealth, and a friend to the poor and needy. He died in the prime of manhood, leaving to the world an unsullied name and to the poor of the town a legacy to be expended in the education of their children, which is elsewhere mentioned in these pages.

Mr. McPherson was interred in the burial ground of St. George’s church and a marble slab erected over his grave, which is now secured to the wall of the Mission House, at the west end of the lot on Princess Ann street. On that slab is the following inscription:

“Here lies the body of Archibald McPherson, born in the county of Murray, in North Britain, who died August 17, 1754, aged 49 years. He was judicious, a lover of learning, open hearted, generous and sincere. Devout, without ostentation; disdaining to cringe to vice in any station. Friend to good men, an affectionate husband.

A heap of dust alone remains of thee,
’Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be.

“Elizabeth, his disconsolate widow, as a testimony of their mutual affection, erected this monument to his memory.”

COL. JOHN DANDRIDGE.

In the burial ground of St. George’s church, near the northeast corner of the building, lies buried the father of Martha Washington, which fact has only some years since been brought to light, or if it had been before known, it was by the citizens of the past generation of the town. The reason it was unknown to the present generation is accounted for from the fact that the slab over the grave has been covered with dirt for more than half a century, most likely from the erection of the present church building, and was discovered only a few years ago. When the grave was discovered the slab covering it was cleaned off, and the inscription on it was found to read as follows:

“Here lies the body of Col. John Dandridge, of New Kent county, who departed this life the 31st day of August, 1756, aged 56 years.”

How he came to be buried in Fredericksburg is not positively known. It has been claimed by some persons that he was here on a visit to his daughter Martha, who married Gen. Washington, and the weather was so hot that his body could not be taken back to New Kent county, but that cannot be true because he was buried here more than two years before his daughter married Washington.

The most satisfactory explanation of Col. Dandridge’s presence in Fredericksburg, that we have heard given, is that he was attending the celebrated races at Chatham, held by Wm. Fitzhugh, which drew to the town people from all sections of the country. But be that as it may, this Col. Dandridge is beyond doubt the father of Martha Washington, unless there were two gentlemen by that name and bearing the same appellation residing in New Kent county at that time, which is not probable. Haydon’s “Virginia Families” says of Washington:

“Married at White House, New Kent county, Va., Jan. 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge, daughter of Col. John Dandridge, of New Kent county, and widow of Daniel Parke Custis.”

WM. PAUL—JOHN PAUL JONES.

There also lie interred in the burial ground of St. George’s church, with an unpretentious stone marking the place, the remains of William Paul, a merchant of the town and a native of Scotland, who died here in 1773. In 1770 he purchased from Thomas and Jane Blanton, “for one hundred and twenty pounds, an acre or one-half of the lot or land lying and being in the town of Fredericksburg, and designated in the plot of said town by the number or figures 258, the same being one-half, or south end of said lot, and purchased by the said Thomas Blanton of Roger Dixon, Gent, and bound on the main street, called Caroline street, and the cross street, called Prussia, together with all houses, buildings, gardens, ways, profits, hereditaments and appurtenances whatever.” This lot is designated on the map of the town to-day as 258, and the house in which Wm. Paul conducted his mercantile business is the one occupied and owned at present by Matthew J. Gately.

Notwithstanding his biographers to the contrary, Wm. Paul made a will in 1772, in which he appointed his friends, Wm. Templeman and Isaac Heslop, his executors, which was witnessed by John Atkinson, Thomas Holmes and B. Johnston. The executors declined to serve and the estate remained until late in the next year without any one being legally authorized to take charge of it. In November, 1774, John Atkinson qualified, it is supposed at the instance of John Paul, who had arrived here to wind up the estate, with John Waller, Jr., as surety, who was afterwards released and Charles Yates became his surety.

This Wm. Paul was the brother of John Paul, who afterwards became the famous John Paul Jones. It has been asserted that Wm. Paul changed his name to Jones to inherit a plantation from Wm. Jones, either in Virginia or North Carolina. But this is shown to be a mistake from the fact that Wm. Paul, in 1770, bought property here as Wm. Paul, made his will in 1772 and signed it Wm. Paul, and died in 1773 and his tomb stone now bears on it the name of Wm. Paul. It was further asserted that in the agreement by which the plantation was to become the property of Wm. Paul, if Wm. Paul died without issue, the property was to go to John Paul on the condition that he would add Jones to his name, and that William did die without issue and the estate of William went to John. This is also a mistake. William did not die intestate, but made a will and gave his entire estate to his sister, Mary Young, and her two oldest children.

One clause of the will reads as follows: “It is my will and desire that my lots and houses in this town shall be sold and converted into money for as much as they will bring, that with all my other estate being sold, and what of my outstanding debts that can be collected, I give and bequeath to my beloved sister, Mary Young, and her two oldest children in Abigland, in the parish of Kirkbean, in Stewarty of Galloway, North Briton, and their heirs forever.” It is not believed that Wm. Paul owned any property out of town from the fact that the bond of his administrator was only five hundred pounds, which was generally double the amount of the estate. His estate in town consisted of his houses and lots, his merchandise and accounts due him, which must have been worth twelve or fifteen hundred dollars. Therefore the bond of $2,500 was sufficient only for his possessions in town, and no other is alluded to or mentioned in his will. It has been held that he owned property in the county of Spotsylvania, but that arises from the fact there were others by the name of Paul in the county who had property. But this William Paul is traced by the reference in his will to the parish of Kirkbean, Galloway, where his sister, Mary Young, and brother John lived.

Why John Paul changed his name to Jones was probably known only to himself. Many writers have undertaken to explain it, but without success, and the mystery is yet unsolved. In 1775 John Paul Jones’s name heads a list of naval lieutenants, and, because of his meritorious services, he was soon appointed a captain, and finally rose to the rank of commodore. His daring exploits and unequal, but successful, contests soon won for him the thanks of the American Congress, as well as the gratitude of the American people, while it carried terror and dismay to the enemies of his country. He greatly humiliated England by landing his fleet on her shores during the Revolutionary war, a thing that had not been done before for centuries, if ever, since it was a nation.

At the close of the war, in which he had covered himself with glory, he was offered an important command by the Empress of Russia against the Turks in the Black sea, which he accepted with the stipulation “that he was never to renounce the title of an American citizen.” He died in Paris in 1792, and was buried in that city, aged forty-five years. General Washington, then President of the United States, had just commissioned him for an important duty, but he died before the commission reached him. As the many years rolled on, rounding up a century, his body laid in an unknown grave, notwithstanding many efforts were made to locate it. In 1900 a body was found believed to be his, and there was great rejoicing in this country over the announcement, but, when carefully examined, it was found to be the remains of another and not those of the great American commodore. But this did not discourage those who had the matter in hand, and the search continued under the direction of Gen. Horace Porter, the American Ambassador to the Court of France, under great difficulties. On the 7th of April, 1905, the body was found in a cemetery known as Saint Louis, which was laid out in 1720 for a burial place for Protestants, but which had been closed more than half a century, and buildings were constructed upon it at the time of the discovery of the body. The remains were declared to be those of John Paul Jones, after every test had been applied that could be, and they were accepted by our government as those of the great naval hero. Some time was spent in preparing to remove the remains to this country, but early in 1906 they were placed upon a United States man of war, escorted by vessels from England and France, and were landed at Annapolis, where they were reinterred in the presence of thousands of people from all parts of the country, with booming of cannon and every honor a grateful people could bestow upon him.

GEN. LEWIS LITTLEPAGE.

Gen. Lewis Littlepage, who died and was buried here in the burying ground of Masonic Lodge No. 4, was born in Hanover county, Virginia, and was one of the most brilliant men the State ever produced. His career was short, but in that short life he greatly distinguished himself as a scholar, soldier and diplomat. He was the protege of John Jay at the Court of France in 1782, was wounded at the siege of Gibraltar, was a member of the cabinet of the king of Poland, and the King’s chamberlain, with the rank of major-general; negotiated a treaty with the Empress of Russia, was a secret and special envoy to the Court of France to form the Grand Quadruple Alliance; was with Prince Potempkin in his march through Tartary des Negais; commanded a flotilla under Prince Nassau at his victory over the fleet of Turkey; was sent on an important mission to Madrid, in which he was successful; resisted the Russian invaders of Poland as aide-de-camp to the King; signed the Confederation of Fargowitz; envoy to St. Petersburg to prevent the division of Poland, but was stopped by the Russian government; was with Kosciusko in his attempt to free Poland; was at the storming of Prague, and was with King Stanislaus when he was captured by the Russians.

At the death of Stanislaus, Gen. Littlepage, becoming sick of European politics and broils, and, with his health shattered and gone, returned to America, settled in Fredericksburg and died before he had reached the age of forty years. His grave, in the western corner of the Masonic cemetery, is marked by a marble slab, which has on it this inscription:

The Christian Church.
(See page 213)

The Trinity Episcopal Church.
(See page 206)

CAPT. WM. LEWIS HERNDON.

Another hero, a native of Fredericksburg, whose remains found sepulture in a watery grave far out in the ocean’s depths, is worthy of mention in these pages. “Wm. Lewis Herndon, an American naval officer, born October 25, 1813, drowned by the sinking of the steamer Central America, September 12, 1857. He entered the navy at the age of fifteen, served in the Mexican war, and was engaged three years with his brother-in-law, Lieutenant Maury, in the National Observatory, at Washington. In 1851-52 he explored the Amazon river under the direction of the United States government. * * * In 1857 he was the commander of the steamer Central America, which left Havana for New York on September 8th, having on board 474 passengers, a crew of 105 men and about $2,000,000 of gold. On September the 11th, during a violent gale from the northeast and a heavy sea, the vessel sprung a leak and sunk on the evening of September 12th near the outer edge of the Gulf stream, in latitude 31 degrees 44 minutes north. Only 152 of the persons on board were saved, including the women and children; the gallant commander of the steamer was seen standing upon the wheel house at the time of her sinking.”[82] Capt. Herndon was an uncle of Dr. Herndon, who sacrificed his life at Fernandina, Florida, elsewhere mentioned.

JACOB FRIEZE.

Another man of note, remarkable for his physical endurance and strength of constitution, who lived in Fredericksburg and whose remains lie buried in the City cemetery, just to the left of the old gate on Commerce street, was Jacob Frieze. He died in 1869, just after having passed the ninety-first anniversary of his birth. He was born in France, and was one of Napoleon’s soldiers from the time his remarkable career commenced in Paris until it ended so disastrously at Waterloo.

Much of the soldier life of Mr. Frieze was spent as a member of Napoleon’s “Old Guard,” that “could die, but could never surrender,” and he was never so happy as when telling of his thrilling war experiences and narrow escapes. He was in the famous retreat from Moscow and could tell the most thrilling stories of the hardships and sufferings of the French army. The weather was intensely cold, sometimes reaching twenty-six degrees below zero, and, having to fight cold, hunger and the Russians, it is not strange that Napoleon left behind him over 330,000 French or allies, dead or prisoners. This marching, fighting, suffering and dying were all fresh in the mind of Mr. Frieze, who was a participant and eye witness, and he would entertain crowds who would gather around him for hours.

Prior to the Civil war there also lived in Fredericksburg Mr. John Eubank, who was a soldier under the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo and who stood guard over Napoleon on the Island of St. Helena. Notwithstanding the many years that had passed from their parting at Waterloo to their meeting again in Fredericksburg, Mr. Frieze and Mr. Eubank had not forgotten the sword and the spear and had not forgotten to dislike each other.

It was amusing to the bystanders to see these old soldiers meet on the streets, as they would invariably shake their fists at each other and grind their teeth and pass on without uttering a word.

Many of the citizens of the town still remember the willow baskets, of variegated colors, which Mr. Frieze made and peddled about town for a livelihood, as long as he was able to appear on the streets. Mr. Eubank moved to Charlottesville, where he died and was buried in that city.

A GRAND-NIECE OF WASHINGTON AND NAPOLEON.

The defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo sent into exile, among others, his grand-nephew, Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, a colonel in the defeated army, son of the exiled King of Naples and Charlotte Bonaparte. He settled in Tallahassee, Florida. Soon Col. Byrd C. Willis, of Willis Hill, moved to the same city, carrying with him his wife, Mary, daughter of Col. Fielding Lewis and Bettie Washington, and also his daughter, Catherine, who married a Mr. Grey and was left a widow at sixteen. She was beautiful, accomplished, winsome and a leader in society. She attracted the attention of the young prince, who laid siege to her affections and was victorious. The marriage soon followed. By this union Catherine, who was a grand-niece of Gen. Washington, became also a grand-niece of the great soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte. She was born where the National cemetery now stands and died in Florida August 6, 1867, in the 64th year of her age.

WELLFORD—HERNDON—WILLIS.

In the City cemetery lie the remains of Doctor Francis Preston Wellford. Dr. Wellford was a native of Fredericksburg, where he was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him for his gentle and kind disposition, his upright life, his abounding charity and his deep piety. In 1871 he left his native town and settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where he commenced the practice of medicine and established a high reputation as a skillful physician. His brethren of the profession were not slow in recognizing his ability and great worth, and made him president of the Medical Association of the State. He was holding that honorable position when the yellow fever scourge visited Fernandina, in 1877, which almost depopulated the town. For weeks it raged in the doomed city, and all of the physicians were either down with the disease or had become worn out with serving day and night. A call was made for assistance and volunteer physicians. Dr. Wellford, forgetting self, not fearing his personal danger, responded to the call and went to the sick and dying of the panic-stricken Fernandina. It was while ministering to those people he was stricken down and died of the disease. Thus went down to his grave, amidst the tears of thousands of people, the noble physician and Christian gentleman, who sacrificed his life for the good of others. Dr. Wellford’s remains, some years after his death, were brought to Fredericksburg for final interment, and now repose in our beautiful cemetery.

In response to the call for physicians made by the people of Fernandina, another physician, born and raised in Fredericksburg, Dr. James C. Herndon, made his way to that city, and like Dr. Wellford, was stricken down and died from the disease. It is peculiarly appropriate that his sacrifice to professional duty should be acknowledged in connection with that of his brother physician’s.

To the honor of these noble men a memorial window has been placed in St. Peter’s Episcopal church in Fernandina by Dr. J. H. Upham, of Boston, who felt that they had honored the profession by the sacrifices they made, and he wanted their heroism to be placed upon a lasting record. In describing the window the Fernandina Mirror says:

William Willis, whose remains are buried in the City cemetery, left Fredericksburg for Memphis, Tenn., in the summer of 1870, which city he made his home. When the yellow fever scourge struck that place in 1878, and the city was deserted of most of its inhabitants, except the helpless, the sick and the dying, it was then, in spite of the entreaty of his friends to leave the city, that Wm. Willis stepped forth and took charge, as the chief executive in managing the affairs of the city, and in distributing food, clothing and medicine, sent from all quarters of the country, to the sick, the helpless and the needy. It was while in the execution of this noble work that he too, was stricken down, and a few days’ struggle with the terrible disease and William Willis was no more. In his delirium, feeling the great necessity of some one taking up the work, he had so faithfully prosecuted, where he was compelled to lay it down, he uttered these as his last words: “Send some good man to take my place,” and then peacefully passed to the spirit land.Thus went down to their graves three Fredericksburg men in the years 1877-78 of yellow fever, who sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of others.

MRS. LUCY ANN COX.

There is buried in the City cemetery Mrs. Lucy Ann Cox, with this inscription upon her head-stone. “Lucy Ann Cox, wife of James A. Cox, died December 17, 1891, aged 64 years. A sharer of the toils, dangers and privations of the 30th Va. regiment infantry, C. S. A., from 1861 to 1865, and died beloved and respected by the veterans of that command.” The stone was erected by her friends. Mrs. Cox was the daughter of Jesse White, the practical printer, and married Mr. Cox just before the Civil war. She followed him all through the campaign of the entire war, cooking and washing for the soldiers of her command, and often ministering to the sick and wounded.

Molly Pitcher carried water from a spring, at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, to her husband and others who had charge of a cannon during the battle, and when she saw her husband shot down and heard an officer order the gun to the rear, having no one to man it, she dropped her pail, ran to the cannon, seized the rammer and continued loading and firing the gun throughout the battle. For this heroic act Washington praised her, gave her an honorary commission as captain and Congress voted her half pay for life.

Mrs. Cox engaged in no battle, but instead of sharing the privations and dangers of her husband at one battle she followed him through the entire war of four years, and was voted the honor of a Confederate veteran after the war by the veterans themselves. It is doubtful whether in all the past a similar instance can be found.

A REMARKABLE GRAVE-STONE.

There is to be found in the burial ground of St. George’s church, at the east end of the Mission House, a grave-stone that has puzzled all antiquarians who have examined it and which has never yet been satisfactorily explained, and perhaps never will be. The inscription is as follows: “Charles M. Rothrock, departed this life Sept. 29, 1084, aged three years.” The figures that make these dates are well preserved, much better than on many slabs and headstones in the same burial ground, which do not date back a century and a half, yet on this slab the figures are quite legibly cut in the sandstone, and there can be no doubt that the year is 1084. It has been considered such a mystery and of such importance that a photograph of the stone was taken and an engraving made for this publication.

THE LIBERTY BELL.

The very name—Liberty Bell—is music to our ears, and the mention of it should fill the breast of every true American with patriotic enthusiasm. That bell hung over a hall in Philadelphia in 1776, in which the Continental Congress had met to consider the momentous question that was then stirring every patriotic heart—American freedom. Virginia was represented in that Congress by George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee and Carter Braxton.

That body of patriots prepared, considered and adopted the Declaration of Independence, and as they finished signing their names to the instrument, on the fourth day of July, this bell rang out the thrilling news that Americans were freemen. Since that stirring event—that memorable day—that hall has been known as Independence Hall, and the bell that hung over it as the Liberty Bell.

On the 4th of October, 1895, the old Liberty Bell passed through Fredericksburg on its way from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Georgia, where it was to be exhibited at the great exhibition in that city. Prior to its coming Mayor Rowe had been notified when it would arrive and how long it would remain for inspection. The City Council was called together and steps were taken to give the old bell a grand reception and cordial welcome. A set of patriotic resolutions was adopted, extolling the events that brought the bell into such popular favor, recounting the part taken in those events by Virginians and the precious legacy left to us by our self-sacrificing forefathers, until a patriotic fervor pervaded the town.The bell was accompanied by Hon. Charles F. Warwick, Mayor of Philadelphia; Wencel Harman, President of the Common Council, and thirteen members of that body; Charles K. Smith, Chairman of the Select Council, and thirteen members of that body; twelve officials of the city of Philadelphia, including S. A. Eisenhower, Chief of Bureau of City Property, and Custodian of the State House and Bell, with a guard of honor, consisting of four of the reserve police of Philadelphia.

A party, including a committee from the City Council—Messrs. John T. Knight, E. D. Cole and J. Stansbury Wallace—met the bell at Quantico, where Judge James B. Sener, who had accompanied the party from Washington, delivered an appropriate address of welcome on the part of the State of Virginia. The party arrived in Fredericksburg on time, and found at the depot a vast concourse of people and a procession headed by Bowering’s Band and the Washington Guards, consisting of the Mayor, ex-Mayors, Common Council, Sons of Confederate Veterans, school children and citizens generally.

The Free Lance—Star Office.
(See page 227)

All the bells in town were ringing, the steam whistles were blowing and everybody was rejoicing. Such a time had scarcely, if ever, been seen before by our people. As soon as the train bearing the bell and escort halted, Mayor Rowe and others went on board the car, and, after the usual introductions and salutations, Mayor Rowe, who was somewhat indisposed, presented Mr. W. Seymour White, who made the welcome address as follows:

Mayor Warwick responded in a patriotic and appropriate address, after which the guests were driven around town in carriages until the time for their departure, when they boarded the train and started on their trip South, delighted with their reception in Fredericksburg.

A Chinaman who witnessed the demonstration remarked that Christians charged his people with idolatry in worshipping the dead, because they honored their deceased parents, but a Chinaman never worshipped an old bell as he had seen Christian people doing on this occasion.