Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/275

 224

VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

nary at Allegheny, Pennsylvania; the fol- lowing year was pastor of the Second Pres- byterian Church in Baltimore. In 1848 he accepted the presidency of Hampden-Sidney College. He left in 1856, to take the presi- dency of Transylvania (Kentucky) Univer- sity, but his expectations of a liberal support were not realized, and a year later he be- came president of Center College. He wrote several volumes. He died in Kentucky in May. 1863.

Grigsby, Hugh Blair, born at Norfolk, Virginia. November 22, 1806. son of Benja- min Grigsby and Elizabeth McPherson, his wife. He began his education in Prince Ed- ward county, and for two years was a stu- dent at Yale College, at the same time taking work in law, but was obliged to dismiss the idea of becoming a lawyer on account of a growing deafness. He then became owner and editor of the Norfolk **Beacon," from which he retired with a competency six years later. His health was yet uncertain, and to build himself up he boxed and walked per- sistently. On one occasion he made a jour- ney on foot to Massachusetts, through much of New England and the lower Can- ada, and back to Virginia. In 1828 he rep- resented Norfolk in the legislature and was a member of the state convention of 1829- 30. In 1840 he married Mary Venable, daughter of Col. Clement Carrington, of porary removal to Norfolk he took up his residence at "Edgehill," where he remained until his death, busying himself with his library of six thousand volumes and the care of his estate. Of ample means, it has been said that some of his efforts in im- provement "were fanciful or Utopian; but
 * Edgehill/' Charlotte county. After a tem-

the results showed method and skill; the process was necessarily laborious, but the effect was grand." His biographer has said : "Very few \'irginia planters have used their leisure to such advantage, and Mr. Grigsby affords the only parallel in the country at large." He took much interest in the Col- lege of William and Mary and succeeded John Tyler as third and last chancellor in 1871. There has been preserved a manu- script volume which he put together in his eighteenth year. His work was almost wholly biographical, the chief of it done dur- ing the last thirty years of his life, and the greater portion has been preserved in printed form. These writings include : "Ad- dress on the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,'' delivered before the Rich- mond Atheiiceum in 1848: "Discourse on the \'irginia Convention of 1829-30," before the \'irginia Historical Society, December 15. 1853; "Discourse on the Virginia Con- vention of 1776." delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of the College of Wil- liam and Mary, July 3, 1855 ; '^Discourse on the Virginia Convention of 1788," before the Virginia Historical Society, February 23, 1858; "Disccurse on the Character of Jefferson," at the unveiling of his statue in the library of the University of Virginia, i860; "Discourse on the Life and Character ot Littleton Waller Tazewell," before the bar of Norfolk, June 29, i860; '*Some of C)ur Past Historic Periods bearing on the Present," before the \'irginia Historical Society, 1870: address on the "Founders of Washington College," at Lexington, 1870; "Centennial Address," before Hampden- Sidney College, 1876. Mr. Grigsby died at his seat, "Edgehill," April 28, 1886. Among his correspondents was Robert C. Win-

Digitized by

Google