Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/186

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

Mrs. Duke are members of the Baptist church, and are active in the work of the congregation.

Hancock Lee Bragg, a prominent busi- ness man of New York City, was born at Petersburg, Virginia. February 23, 1874. His father was William Albert Bragg, who was born at Petersburg, Virginia, in 1844, and his mother was Elizabeth Madison (Lee) Bragg, daughter of John Hancock and Fanny Madison (Willis) Lee, of Orange county. Virginia. William Albert Bragg was a tobacconist at Richmond, Virginia, a great part of his life, and served as a lieu- tenant in a Virginia regiment of the Con- federate army during the civil war. On his mother's side Mr. Bragg is a scion of the distinguished Lee family of Virginia, and is connected with other families whose names occur frequently in the history of that state.

On the maternal side Mr. Bragg is de- scended from Richard Lee, usually described as "the Colonel," the American founder of the Lee family, who settled in Virginia in the early part of the seventeenth century, and died there probably early in 1664, cer- tainly before April 20, 1664. He made sev- eral voyages to England bringing back set- tlers whom he settled on land improved at his own expense, finally making his home in Northumberland county, Virginia. He mar- ried one Anna, who after his death married (second) Edmund Lister. Among the chil- dren of Richard and Anna Lee was Han- cock, ancestor of what has been called the "Ditchley" branch of the family to which Mr. Bragg through his mother belongs.

Hancock Lee, son of Richard and Anna Lee. was born in 1653, probably at Divid- ing Creeks, in Northumberland county, and died May 25, 1709, being buried at "Ditch- ley," where his tombstone can still be seen with its inscription perfectly legible. This burying ground was used by this branch of the family for several generations, probably until the estate was sold in 1789 to Colonel James Ball Jr.. whose descendants own it to-day. Hancock Lee is supposed to have settled in Northampton at the time of his first marriage in 1675, and to have returned to Northumberland county about 1686. The record of the public positions held by him. perhaps only partial, seems to agree with this supposition. He was justice for North-

ampton county in 1677, and held a similar j)osition in Northumberland in 1687 and 1699, and was also a burgess for Northum- berland county in 1688. A list of civil offices, dated June 3, 1699, names him as the "Naval Ofhcer and Collector of Virginia Dutys in Northumberland County ;" another list of the date of 1702 mentions him as a justice, showing him to have been in commission at the time of his death. The Northern Neck land records show that Hancock Lee pat- ented land in Richmond county, on both sides of Rappahannock Horsepen Run and adjoining his own land, on the north side of Occoquan, in Stafiford county, at the heads of the branches of Chapowamsie, in Stafford, and adjoining the land of Captain Thomas Harrison.

It has usually been stated that Hancock Lee built the old Ditchley mansion about 1687, but there is no evidence to substan- tiate this tradition. It is not even positively known whether the immigrant lived at "Ditchley" or "Cobb's Hall." Hancock Lee's will was made December 31, 1706, and was probated at Northumberland Court House, July 20, 1709. Of Hancock Lee, })ishop Meade wrote: "That He was a pat- ron of the Church is shown by the fact that he presented a communion cup to the par- ish in 1729. In honor either of himself or father, or the whole family, the parish was called Lee parish, as may be seen by the inscription on the cup. It was often called Wycomico. After the downfall of the parish Mr. Joseph r)all placed this and other ])ieces into my hands for preservation, in the hope that the day might come when the old Lee and more modern Wycomico parish might call for it again." The cup is now in use in the old Wycomico church. He mar- ried (first) in 1675, Mary, the only daugh- ter of Colonel William Kendall ; and (sec- ond) Sarah, daughter of Colonel Isaac Aller- ton, of Westmoreland. Children: William, born prior to 1682. died young and without issue before 1706; Anna, prior to January 5, 1682, and was living as late as October, 1754. married (first) William Armistead. and (second) William luistace ; Richard. born August 18. if)gi ; (l)y the second mar- riage) : Isaac, 1707, died in England in 1727; John, born jirobably in 1709, died Au- gust IT, 1789; Hancock, mentioned below: Elizabeth, born 1711, married Zacharv Tav- lor.