Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/408

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

issue: John (2), of whom further; Betsey, born November 16, 1739; Richard, born De- cember 20, 1743; Stephen, born November 15. 1745; David, born May 15, 1747; Agnes, l)orn Septeml)er 16, 1749; William, born in October, 1752; George, born February 6, 1756, died May 26, 1822.

(II) John (2) May, son of John (i) and Agnes (Smith) May, w^as born near Peters- burg, Virginia, in 1737, lived in Halifax county, Virginia, and died near Wadesboro. North Carolina, after having moved from \^irginia. He was the owner of a large ])lantation in Chesterfield district. South Carolina, and held a number of slaves, em- ployed in its cultivation. His wealth and prominence gave him standing and impor- tance in the community, and he was active in affairs of public and political interest. His wife was a Miss Pleasant, of South Carolina, the line continuing through their son, Peter, of whom fvirther.

(III) Peter May, son of John (2) May, moved from North to South Carolina, and in the latter state became the owner of a large landed estate and many slaves. He and his son, Pleasant Hugh May, are buried on the estate. Peter May and his wife, who was a Miss Blakery, were the parents of : Pleasant Hugh, of whom further; William B., Thomas B., Alexander, Sarah (Sally), Elizabeth (Polly), Rosa.

(IV) Pleasant Hugh May, son of Peter

and (Blakery) May, was born in

1795. He was educated in private school and at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, gradu- ating from the latter place with high honors. Entering the law, he gained eminence in practice, was raised to the bench, and rep- resented his district in the legislature. He was a man of handsome and commanding appearance, of notable intellectual endow- ments, and as a lawyer achieved enviable reputation, pursuing a successful career rarely equalled. He accumulated a fortune in his profession and through other inter- ests, but meeting with business reverses later began again the fight for success in material things, again winning the victory. Much of his fortune was in real. estate, his possessions in this line being many and rich. Pleasant Hugh May was admired by his legal contemporaries, respected as an in- corruptible jurist, and favorably regarded for the strength of character he demon-

strated under every test. He married Eliz- abeth Randolph, of Columbia, South Caro- lina, daughter of Isaac Randolph and his wife, who was a Miss Hunter. Elizabeth (Randolph) May was an aunt of the late Mrs. ^^'oodrow Wilson, the wife of Presi- dent \\^ilson, thus making Edward May, a second cousin of Mrs. Wilson. Pleasant Hugh May is buried by the side of his father on the South Carolina homestead. He had two children, Augustus Hugh, of whom fur- ther, and Rosa.

(V) Augustus Hugh May, only son of Pleasant Hugh and Elizabeth (Randolph) May, was born in Columbia, South Caro- lina, in 1823, and died in 1899. After com- pleting his studies in the public and private schools he went to Mobile, Alabama, there becoming a partner in business with L.. M. Wilson, who subsequently married Miss Augusta Evans, the novelist. This connec- tion he afterward severed to conduct deal- ings in cotton in New Orleans. In this line he was subsequently joined by Edward Richardson, the partners trading under the firm name of Richardson & May, in New Orleans. The firm, doing a large brokerage and planting business in cotton, steadily in- creased their plantation holdings, until they held title to property in many parts of the cotton growing south. The name of the firm was known in all localities and their credit and influence was practically limit- less, methods of unimpeachable fairness and honor having gained them the firm trust and confidence of growers and buyers.

Augustus Hugh May passed the greater part of his life in New Orleans, Louisiana, business interests requiring his presence in that district, and during the war between the states served in the Confederate army as a member of the stafif of Richard (Dick) Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor. He was one of the organizers of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, and played a prominent part in the institution of New Orleans' famous annual Mardi Gras carni- val. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. Dr. William A. Palmer for many years being pastor of the congregation of which he was a member. Augustus Hugh May held an enviable position in the cotton industry, and the standing and reputation of the firm of Richardson & May was due in large measure to his constant efforts