Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Documents

Items

• Deed of Trust including Belinda and other Enslaved People
  This entry in Fairfax County Deed Book O3 records William W Ball's transfer of assets into a trust held by William H Dulany. The trust includes "all the interest of . . . W.W. Ball in the estate of the late Mottrom Ball," "one negro woman named Belinda," and all of William W Ball's livestock and household and farming goods. Belinda is the only enslaved person named, but we know from other documents that W.W. Ball's portion of his father's estate included enslaved people. The trust appears to be designed to allow William W Ball to consolidate his debts and prioritize the interests of his brother, Spencer M Ball, who has both loaned William money and acted as surety for other debts incurred by William, over those of William's other creditors. Two recent (Nov. 1849) Circuit Court judgments against W. W. Ball are mentioned. According to the document, William will continue to hold the named property until William H Dulany is asked by the creditors to sell some or all of the property (and if such a sale is scheduled Dulany will make public notice of it). The document is dated 16 January 1850, and was apparently also recorded on that day (the date of recordation looks more like 15 January 1850). The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Deed of Transfer and Trust for Enslaved People including Dennis, Peter, Tina, Belinda, and Nancy
  This entry in Fairfax County Deed Book A4 records the transfer of rights to property, including enslaved people, from WW Ball to William H. Dulany. Dulany is acting as trustee for a trust that benefits WW Ball's wife, Dorothy H., during her lifetime, and her children after her death (with some rights reserved to WW Ball during his lifetime if Dorothy predeceases him). The property falls into two groupings: "real estate and slaves held by Mrs. Martha C. Ball as her dower in the property of her late husband Mottrom Ball deceased" and a group of five enslaved people -- Dennis, Peter, Tina, Belinda, and Nancy -- who apparently do not fall into the first category. The enslaved people who fall into the dower category are not named, and no ages, valuations, or other information are provided for the named enslaved people. The agreement is dated 30 March 1858 and was recorded 19 April 1858. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Purchase of Dower Rights and Divison of Enslaved people included in the Estate of Charles B. Carter
  This entry in Fairfax County Deed Book Y-2 is a handwritten copy of an agreement by Thomas ap Catesby Jones (acting for his wife, Mary Walker Carter Jones), Thomas Bloomer Balch (acting for his wife Susan Carter Balch), John Hill Carter, and Elizabeth Carter to purchase from Ann B Carter Maffitt her dower rights in enslaved people included in the estate of her first husband, Charles B. Carter (the father of Mary, Susan, John, and Elizabeth). The agreement appears to be coordinated with an inventory and sale of enslaved people following the death of William Maffitt, Ann's second husband. The agreement to make a valuation and division is dated at Salona on 13 January 1829, the initial valuation and division by John Millan, Joseph Sewell, and George W. Hunter is dated 17 January 1829 and accepted by the parties on the same day (with Ann B Carter Maffitt signing for Thomas B Balch), and a further agreement that involves additional exchanges of enslaved people and money among the parties following the initial division is dated 16 January 1829 (but recorded after the portion dated 17 January). The agreement was ordered to be recorded by the court on 20 August 1829. More than 50 individual enslaved people, most of them also appearing in the inventory of William Maffitt's estate, are listed with their ages and appraised valuations and grouped into four lots. Some family relationships are reflected, both in the list and in the description of the additional exchanges. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Inventory and Appraisal of the Estate of William Maffitt
  This the handwritten transcription of the inventory and appraisal of the estate of William Maffitt contained in the Will Books held at the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center. Rev. Maffitt was owner of Salona, where he convened a house church congregation that included many of Lewinsville's Virginia-born founding members beginning sometime in the eighteen-teens. The inventory and appraisal was ordered by the court and the appraisers, who included Joseph Sewell, Nicholas Darne[?], and William Swink , appointed in Nov. 1828. The inventory and appraisal were conducted in Dec. 1828 (no specific date is filled in). It was accepted and recorded by the court in March 1832. In addition to livestock and household goods, the inventory icludes the names of over 50 enslaved people described as "Dower Negroes belonging to William Maffitt Estate." Their names, ages, appraised values, and in many cases physical characteristics are recorded, and most are listed as part of family groups that include spouses, parents, and/or children. They are also grouped into ten lots (but it's not clear what the principle for the grouping is). The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Division of Land and Enslaved People from the Estate of George R. Turberville
  This is a handwritten transcription of the division of land and enslaved people included in the estate of George R. Turberville. It is headlined "May Court, 1817," was recorded June 20th, 1821, and appears to be an out of court settlement of a suit between the heirs between whom it divides the property. The heirs, Cornelia Turberville Stuart and George L. Turberville, are described in the document as George R. Turberville's "children," but appear to actually be his grandchildren by his son, George Richard Lee Turberville (referred to in some sources as Richard Lee Turberville), who died in 1799. Cornelia's interests are joined via marriage to those of her husband, Charles C. Stuart, who appears to act for her, while George L. Turberville, who is underage, is represented by his guardian, William Maffit (who is also Cornelia and George's stepfather as the result of his marriage to Harriotte (or Henrietta) Turberville, their mother and George Richard Lee Turberville's widow, who died in 1805, before this agreement was made). The land, 4020 acres located in Fairfax County, is mapped and described; landmarks include Cub Run, Flat Lick Run, Little River Turnpike, and Centreville Road. 45 enslaved people are named, along with their ages and attributed values, and divided into 2 lots; family relationships among them are not described. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Division of Enslaved People from the Estate of George R. Turberville
  This is a handwritten transcription of a division of enslaved people included in the estate of George R. Turberville and devised for her lifetime to Mrs. H.L. Estes, now deceased, among the heirs of George R. Turberville and George R.L. Turberville (deceased son of George Turberville). The division was ordered by the court on 11 Nov. 1819, the division and an agreement which involves the payment of money from some heirs to others is dated 3 Jan.1820, and the document was accepted and recorded by the court on 18 July 1820. The heirs include William F. Talifero and his wife Mary Talifero, Cornelia L Turberville Stuart and her husband Charles C. Stuart, and George R.L. Turberville, brother of Cornelia (who seems to show up in most other documents as George L. Turberville; the inclusion of the R. in the middle of his name here may be a mistake). The document divides approximately 16 enslaved people among the heirs. Enslaved people are named and some family relationships are mentioned. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Inventory of the Estate of George L. Turberville, Cornelia L. Turberville, and Richard L. Turberville
  This the handwritten transcription of an inventory of enslaved people and land legally belonging to George L. Turberville, Cornelia L. Turberville, and Richard L. Turberville, children of George Richard Lee Turberville, who died in 1799, and Harriotte Lee Turberville, who died in 1805. It was compiled and filed with the court by William Maffit, Harriotte's second husband and guardian to the children, and accepted by the court and recorded on Sept. 17, 1806. The inventory includes the names of approximately 34 enslaved people, grouped by gender, age, and ability to labor. One older married couple is identified. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Division of Land and Enslaved People from the Estate of George R. Turberville
  This is a handwritten transcription of the division of land and enslaved people included in the estate of George R. Turberville. It is headlined "May Court, 1817," was recorded June 20th, 1821, and appears to be an out of court settlement of a suit between the heirs between whom it divides the property. The heirs, Cornelia Turberville Stuart and George L. Turberville, are described in the document as George R. Turberville's "children," but appear to actually be his grandchildren by his son, George Richard Lee Turberville (referred to in some sources as Richard Lee Turberville), who died in 1799. Cornelia's interests are joined via marriage to those of her husband, Charles C. Stuart, who appears to act for her, while George L. Turberville, who is underage, is represented by his guardian, William Maffit (who is also Cornelia and George's stepfather as the result of his marriage to Harriotte (or Henrietta) Turberville, their mother and George Richard Lee Turberville's widow, who died in 1805, before this agreement was made). The land, 4020 acres located in Fairfax County, is mapped and described; landmarks include Cub Run, Flat Lick Run, Little River Turnpike, and Centreville Road. 45 enslaved people are named, along with their ages and attributed values, and divided into 2 lots; family relationships among them are not described. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Division of Land and Enslaved People from the Estate of George R. Turberville
  This is a handwritten transcription of the division of land and enslaved people included in the estate of George R. Turberville. It is headlined "May Court, 1817," was recorded June 20th, 1821, and appears to be an out of court settlement of a suit between the heirs between whom it divides the property. The heirs, Cornelia Turberville Stuart and George L. Turberville, are described in the document as George R. Turberville's "children," but appear to actually be his grandchildren by his son, George Richard Lee Turberville (referred to in some sources as Richard Lee Turberville), who died in 1799. Cornelia's interests are joined via marriage to those of her husband, Charles C. Stuart, who appears to act for her, while George L. Turberville, who is underage, is represented by his guardian, William Maffit (who is also Cornelia and George's stepfather as the result of his marriage to Harriotte (or Henrietta) Turberville, their mother and George Richard Lee Turberville's widow, who died in 1805, before this agreement was made). The land, 4020 acres located in Fairfax County, is mapped and described; landmarks include Cub Run, Flat Lick Run, Little River Turnpike, and Centreville Road. 45 enslaved people are named, along with their ages and attributed values, and divided into 2 lots; family relationships among them are not described. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Deed of Gift for Selena and Household Goods
  This entry in Fairfax County Deed Book Y3 records Spencer M. Ball's January 27, 1857 transfer of household items belonging to his late wife, Mary Ball, to his daughters, Rebecca F. Ball and Annie C. Ball, as well as his gift to Annie C. Ball of "one mulatto girl named Selena, a slave for life." The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Deed of Gift for Margaret
  This entry in Fairfax County Deed Book Q3 records the gift of a 5-year-old girl named Margaret from Spencer M Ball, one of Lewinsville's land donors, to his daughter Rebecca F. Ball on June 14, 1852. The PDF scan was performed by and obtained from the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center.
• Communication from "A Virginia Matron"
  This brief communication appeared in the Alexandria Gazette as debates about secession were increasingly in the news (see also item LPCSOU0007, William Waring Ball's letter from later in the month). As with the September 1859 account of a Lewinsville Sunday School picnic in the same newspaper (LPCSOU0017), the author identifies herself as a woman (and at least potentially reveals her identity by naming her residence, "Sunnyside") while also recognizing the convention that women should not participate in public debate. While Sunnyside, the name Washington Irving gave his upstate New York property, was a popular name for homes at the time, the name may reveal a Lewinsville connection: the 1852 friendship quilt includes three people (including two women) who list their property name as "Sunnyside": James Crombie, Mary C Crombie, and Abigail Williams. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this issue, other items of potential interest include, also on p. 3, an article about and preliminary returns of the election for representatives to a state convention to "consider existing Federal relations" (i.e. to decide whether to remain with the Union or secede), and, on p. 2, articles about a reported "servile insurrection" (revolt by enslaved people) in St. Mary's County, MD, a defense of slavery entitled "Our Patriarchal Institution," news about a Peace Conference, and other items about national and state reactions to the debate over secession. The usual ads, including two offering to buy enslaved people, continue. (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Sunday School Anniversary
  This account of the 13th anniversary of the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Sabbath School, which took place on Sept. 14, 1859, appeared in the Alexandria Gazette on Sept. 19, 1859. Interesting features include the pseudonym chosen by the correspondent, "one of the daughters of Eve," which follows the convention of women not claiming the public role of author while also calling attention to the fact that the author is, in fact, a woman (and allying her with the often-maligned Eve); information about the principal male participants, including Mr. Carpenter, the Sunday School Superintendent, Mr. Coe, and Revs. Smith and T[homas] B[loomer] Balch; Rev. Balch's "deserved compliment to the Northerners" for improving the state of agriculture in the county; and the location: in a grove of oaks near Pimmit Run.
• Death Notice: Dr. Mottrom Ball
  This death notice for Dr. Mottrom Ball, whose widow and children donated the land on which Lewinsville Presbyterian Church's physical plant is located, appeared in the Alexandria Gazette. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this issue, items include an article on Westminster Abbey, several ads seeking help with recapturing enslaved people who have emancipated themselves (p. 1), a reprint of a 4th of July address by Horace Mann on "Moral Aspects of Our Politics" (p. 2), and at least two ads expressing interest in buying enslaved people, in one case for transportation further south (pp. 3 &4). (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Obituary: Spencer Mottrom Ball
  An obituary of Spencer Mottrom Ball, one of Lewinsville's land donors, from the Alexandria Gazette. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this issue, other items include articles on the likelihood of war in Europe, on the movement of Mormons through Iowa (p. 2), on a meeting of the General Baptist Association of Virginia, on “fomites,” believed to spread yellow fever, on the progress of the Smithsonian Institution, and on a new building and graduation at the Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria (p. 3). There are also multiple ads for guano and other fertilizers of interest to those trying to revive worn-out farmland, and an excerpt from an article in the Church of England Review on “The Right Training of Women” (p. 4). (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Sale Advertisement: Land & 4 People Enslaved by the Ball family
  This advertisement offers for sale by public auction two tracts of land which were part of Mottrom Ball's estate and 4 (unnamed) enslaved people, one woman and three men. The sale is described as the result of a court decree resulting from a lawsuit among members of the Ball family including Spencer Mottrom Ball (at this point deceased) and William W. Ball.
• Funeral of Thomas ap Catesby Jones
  A brief account of the funeral of Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, one of Lewinsville's founding members, from the Alexandria Gazette. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this case, p. 3 contains accounts of the deaths of three less-privileged people, an Irish laborer and an enslaved man (identified only as the property of his enslaver) and the child he tried to save from drowning. Other reminders of the presence of slavery include an advertisement for an escaped woman named Harriet, originally from King George County (p. 3), a mention of an attempt to "abduct" enslaved people from Petersburg (p. 3), and an extract from the Richmond Enquirer's reply to a New York Tribune article on the attitudes toward slavery of northern emigrants to Virginia; the gist is that northern emigrants are welcome as long as they respect Virginia's laws, including those establishing slavery, but they can expect "quick and severe punishment" if they seek to interfere with the property rights enslavers claim in their fellow human beings ("Emigration to Virginia," p. 2). There is also an article on "manliness of speech" (p. 1; the author disapproves of slang), mention of a state Sabbath School Convention (p. 3), several mentions of the fact that strawberries are in season (including at least one advertisement for a strawberry festival), and word that a circus is in town. Shad and herring are running, and there is mention of recent cloudy and rainy weather (suggesting that Com. Jones may have been buried on a cloudy day). (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Death of Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones & Death Notice
  The June 1, 1858 issue of the Alexandria Gazette included both a news item announcing the death of Thomas ap Catesby Jones, one of Lewinsville's founding members, on p. 2, and a shorter death notice on p. 3. Those two items are combined here in the primary file. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this case, other items in the same issue of the paper include news of the seizure of "a rich slaver," a defense of slavery in the form of an account of an "African pic-nic" copied from the Norfolk Herald, and speculation on how Virginia would fare "in case of a dissolution" of the Union. (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Death Notice: John Libbey Bittinger
  This brief notice records the death of the infant son of Rev. B.F. Bittinger and his wife, M.C. Bittinger, while they were living in the Lewinsville parsonage.
• Presbytery of the Potomac Meeting at Lewinsville
  This brief item in the Alexandria Gazette describes an April 1860 meeting of the Presbytery of the Potomac at Lewinsville. It notes that B.F. Bittinger had recently served as moderator. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Fair Advertisement - Oct. 1870
  This brief advertisement for a fair at the church held in the fall of 1870, paired with the similar 1860 advertisement (LPC SOU0008), reflects the postwar resumption of some pre-war activities. At this point, fundraising was an especially urgent concern, since the church facilities were badly in need of repair, and compensation from the federal government for damage done by US troops would not arrive until years later. As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the named article or advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Fair Advertisement - Sept. 1860
  This advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette reflects the fundraising activities of the women of Lewinsville Church during its early years, and lists one of the current goals for the church's buildings and grounds: "enclosure and improvement of the Grave-yard attached to the church." As with other newspaper items, the first attached file contains just the advertisement; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.
• The Northern Vote in Fairfax County
  In February 1861, as debates about secession and sectional loyalty became increasingly heated, Lewinsville land donor William W. Ball wrote to the Alexandria Gazette expressing his sense of the priorities and loyalties of his northern-born neighbors (some of whom were probably active Lewinsville members). The first attached file contains just the letter; the second includes the full issue of the newspaper for context, with the relevant item outlined in red. In this case, that includes extensive coverage of what the newspaper labels the "national crisis," including an account of the inauguration of Jefferson Davis in Montgomery, AL on Feb. 18, as well as articles and advertisements indicating that many people were still pursuing their customary day to day activities. One of the paid notices on p. 3 also serves as a reminder of the family relationship between William W Ball and William H Dulany, the delegate to the state convention whom Ball defends: Dulany is the law partner and a maternal uncle of William Waring’s nephew, Mottrom D Ball. (Click on the second image to open the full multi-page PDF file.)
• Letter Requesting the Assistance of the Freedman's Bureau in Discovering the Relatives of William Dotson
  This letter, written by Robert P. Fleming of Jefferson City (state unspecified; the possibilities seem to be MO or TN) to the agent of the Freedman's Bureau in Fairfax Courthouse, VA, requests assistance in locating the relatives of William Dotson, who was formerly enslaved by Commodore Jones. Dotson mentions that his mother, Rachel, raised the Jones children, including Mark, Mary, and Martha. He is seeking news of her, and of his brothers Robert and David.
• Account of Griffin Dobson Emancipation (excerpt from Letter from Comm. Thos. Ap C Jones Transmitting Sundry Papers in Refutation of Certain Allegations Against Him)
  This excerpt from a much longer collection of documents (see second file) contains Thomas ap Catesby Jones' account of events leading up to the emancipation of Griffin Dobson. The account is part of Document VII, "Copy of Commodore Jones's Response to Lieutenant Craven's Charges, in reply to a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, Dated September 7, 1850." Jones' reply is dated September 24, 1850, Prospect Hill, Va.