Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/682

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

The first of his family to arrive in Amer- ica was the Rev. Alexander Scott, a minis- ter of the Church of England, who came from Scotland and became the rector of Overwharton Parish, Stafford county, Vir- ginia. He is said to have acquired con- siderable property and he established his seat in Staflford county upon an estate called "Dipple," where he resided until his death on April i, 1738, at the age of fifty-three. He lies buried at "Dipple," where his grave, preserved by the descendants of his brother, may still be seen.

Having never married, he invited his younger brother, James Scott, likewise a clergyman of the Established Church, to come over and live with him as his heir, and afterwards the Rev. James Scott became the first rector of Dettingen parish. Prince Wil- liam county, Virginia. In a letter from Wil- liam and Mary College, under date of April 26, 1745, recommending him to this appoint- ment, he is spoken of as a man whose merit had been so long known as that it need not be dwelt upon. He remained as rector of this parish until his death in 1782, after a service of thirty-seven years.

The Rev. James Scott married Sarah, the daughter of Gustavus Brown, of Maryland, by whom he had a number of sons and daughters. Among them, the Rev. John Scott, who succeeded his father as rector of Dettingen.

In his early years Rev. John Scott appears to have been an impulsive, high-spirited man, taking, as it was said of him, "life by storm." At the age of eighteen, resenting what was deemed to be an insult to himself and his father, he challenged to mortal com- bat a somewhat notorious character of that age. His second, his brother-in-law, Mr. Bullitt, in endeavoring to prevent the en- counter, was attacked by the challenged party and slew him in self defense. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Scott went to Scotland and entered Kings College at Aberdeen. While still there as a student he married Elizabeth Gordon, a daughter of one of the professors. Upon the completion of his education and while still abroad, he was ordained a minis- ter of the then Established Church. He re- turned to America at the request of his friend. Sir Robert Eden, then governor of Maryland, to become his chaplain and rec- tor of the parish of Eversham, where he

resided until the war of the Revolution broke out. Being an Englishman, by train- ing and education, he adhered to the Royal cause, and taking an active part in politics, was summoned before the council at Annap- olis and banished a hundred miles from tide- water, taking up his residence on an estate in Fauquier county named in honor of his wife, "Gordonsdale." The lawyer who con- ducted his examination before the council, says Bishop Meade, from whose book the foregoing has been taken, ever afterwards "spoke of him as the most talented man with whom he had ever engaged in contro- versy."

His eldest son was Judge John Scott, of Fauquier, of the circuit court of that county and the old general court of Virginia. He was noted for his strength of character, stern integrity and eminent qualifications as a jurist. He represented his district in the constitutional convention of 1829-30, where he took a most prominent part.

It was said of him by the late John Ran- dolph Tucker, himself an eminent lawyer, in an address before the Richmond Bar Association: "Judge John Scott (with the name and genius of Eldon) was a man of masterful power in mind and character. At the bar he had been a great advocate; in the Convention of 1829-30 he was a prominent leader in its deliberations ; a vigorous con- troversial writer, and on the bench he was one of the ablest judges in the country." Judge John Scott married Betsy Blackwell, the daughter of Martin Pickett.

Robert Eden Scott, the eldest son of this marriage, was born at Warrenton, the coun- t> seat of Fauquier, April 23, 1808. He was early sent to the University of Virginia, en- tering in 1825, the first class admitted to that celebrated institution of learning. While there he gave evidence of the high character and capacity for which he became so distinguished in after life. He passed through all his classes with distinction and left the University with a high reputation for learning and ability. Returning to his native county, he was on December 30. 1830, licensed to practice law by John Tayloe Lomax, Richard H. Field and John W. Green, distinguished lawyers of that time. He was soon found in the front rank of his profession when it numbered some of the greatest names that have adorned it in this