Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/402

 PROMINENT PERSONS

349

ment. Soon afterwards he returned to his old home in Henry county, Virginia, was elected to the legislature, and was Mr. Madi- son's principal supporter of the famous reso- lutions in 1798-99. He married (first)

who bore him seven children ; and (second) Susanna Graves, who became the mother of eleven children. He died in 1808, on his estate, "Leatherwood," Henry county, Vir- ginia, in his sixty-eighth year, and was in- terred with Masonic and military honors.

Somerville, James, born in Glasgow, Scot- land. February 23, 1742. He located at Fred- ericksburg, Virginia, and acquired a large fortune from a mercantile business. He died at Port Royal, Virginia, April 25, 1798. Having no children, he left his large estate to his nephew James, son of Walter and Mary (Gray) Somerville, of Scotland. James came to Virginia in 1795 and took possession of the estate, which included the forest lands which were the scene of the bat- tles of the Wilderness in the civil war. He made his home at "Somerville," Culpeper county. He married Mary Atwill, of Fau- quier county.

Burwell, Nathaniel, of King William county, Virginia, born 1750, son of Lewis Burwell of "Kingsmill," James City county, and Frances, his wife, daughter of Ed- win Thacker, and widow of James Bray. He entered the revolutionary army as ensign in 1775; was captain of artillery, 1776; major and aide-de-camp to Gen. Howe, 1779; retired from service in 1783. He was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati. He married Martha Digges. daughter of Hon. Dudley and Mar- tha (Armistead) Digges; she was a member of the sewing society formed by Martha

Washington to make clothing for revolu- tionary soldiers. He died in 1801.

Lightfoot, Philip, born at Yorktown, Vir- ginia, about 1752, son of Hon. William Lightfoot, of *Tcddington," Charles City county, and Yorktown, Virginia, high sher- iff of York county, and Mildred Howell, his wife. He served with distinction in the rev- olutionary war, as lieutenant in Harrison's artillery, and received two grants of land for his services. He married (first) Mary Warner, daughter of Col. Charles and Lucy (Taliaferro) Lewis, of Port Royal, Caroline county, Virginia. He married (second) Sally S. Bernard, daughter of William Ber- nard, Esq. He died in 1786.

Blackwell, Joseph, born in Fauquier coun- ty, Virginia, in 1755, son of William Black- well, high sheriflF, and Elizabeth Crump, his wife. He served in the revolutionary war in the Tenth Virginia Regiment (afterwards Sixth), as second lieutenant and cap- tain, and was in the battles of Harlem Heights, Princeton, Trenton, Brandywinc and Charleston. At Charleston he was taken prisoner, May 12, 1780, and exchanged in June, 1781. He received 5,333 acres of land for his services, and 7,000 acres from his father s estate. He married (first) Ann Grayson, daughter of Col. John Gibson and Mary Brent, his wife: and (second) Mary Waddy, daughter of Capt. William Brent and Hannah Ncale, his wife. He died in 1823.

Sumter, Thomas, wa> born in Orange county, Virginia, but there is no informa- tion as to his parentage or training. He served against the French in 1755, and was in Braddock*s defeat. He settled in

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