Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/139

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

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located at Coles' Ferry on the Staunton river, and about 1800 moved to Pittsylvania county, Virginia. His home in this local- ity was a plantation of five thousand and fifty-seven acres, which land he had pur- chased from Philip Lightfoot, a cousin of his first wife. His reason for disposing of his Halifax propert}' was two-fold ; because of the malarial conditions there prevalent, which affected both his health and that of his family, and because of financial embar- rassment, for the political positions that had taken such a large share of his time had been honorary or with small remuneration attached and wide inroads had been made upon his finances during his long public ser- vice. Colonel Isaac Coles, Sr. was known as a great wit and entertaining raconteur, and in the declining years of his life promi- nent men from all parts of the country journeyed to his home to enjoy his un- matched hospitality and the gleams from the intellect that time had not deprived of its lustre.

A\'alter Coles, son of Colonel Isaac, Sr. and Catherine (Thompson) Coles, was born in December, 1790, died at Coles Hill, Pitt- sylvania county, Virginia, in November, 1857. He was first a lieutenant and later a captain in the .American army in the war of 1 81 2, and for ten years held a seat in the \'irginia legislature, from which body he v.'as sent to Congress, of which he was a member from 1835 to 1845, his father having preceded him to both law making institu- tions. He was a man of practical wisdom, I'nblemished honor and patriotism, and suc- cessful in all his undertakings. The Demo- cratic party claimed his allegiance through- out his entire career. He married Lettice P., who died in. 1875. youngest daughter of Judge Paul Carrington, Sr. Judge Paul Carrington, Sr., was a son of George Car- rington, a member of the Virginia house of burgesses. George Carrington, when a youth of nineteen years, assisted Colonel William P>yrd in running the boundary line between \Mrginia and North Carolina, and in his mature years was a personage of in- fluence and power in his colony. Judge Paul Carrington, Sr. was a member of the \'irginia house of burgesses from 1765 to 1775. in which latter year it was replaced by the conventions of the people. In 1765 he voted against Patrick Henry's resolutions in regard to the Stamp Act, considering that

the colonies had too few munitions of war with which to oppose a mighty kingdom grown old in waging victorious wars on land and sea. In the jovuMials of the house of burgesses Paul Carrington's name is found as a member of every important com- mittee appointed between 1765 and 1775. He was a member of each of the three con- ventions of 1775 and was appointed one of the eleven members of the celebrated com- mittee of safety, which at that time held the supreme executive power in the colony. He also sat in the famous \'irginia conven- tion of 1776, and on the organization of the new government took a seat in the house of delegates, from which he passed to the bench of the general court and thence to the court of appeals. He was a judge of this latter court until 181 1, when, in the seventy- ninth year of his age, he resigned, being succeeded by his nephew. Governor William H. Cabell, and died in 1818, aged eighty-five years. Apart from the invaluable service he rendered his state and country he gave three vouthtul sons to the Colonial army in the war for independence. Walter and Lettice P. ( Carrington ) Coles were the parents of : Lettice, died aged fourteen years, and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery, Washington ; Isaetta, died in childhood, buried at Coles Hill, Pittsylvania county. Virginia ; Isaac, died in childhood, buried at Coles Hill, Virginia ; Walter, of whom fur- ther: Helen C, died at Coles Hill in 1897; Mildred H.. married Colonel Stanhope Flournoy, died in Missouri, in 1901 ; Agnes C. married Dr. J. G. Cabell, of Richmond, and died January 31, 1901.

Captain Walter (2) Coles, son of Hon. Walter (i) and Lettice P. (Carrington) Coles, was born August 12, 1825, died No- \-ember 11, IQ14. He was educated at Ben- jamin Hallowel's celebrated school at Alex- andria, \Mrginia. and at the University of \'irginia. He entered into the practice of law, but the declining health of his father and mother made it necessary for him to abandon his chosen profession to assume the responsibilities of the management of the Coles Hill estate. With the breaking out of the war between the states he was assigned to a high position in the quarter- master's department with the rank of cap- tain, having charge of much government property and large sums of money. Evi- dence of the faithfulness of his war record is