Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/192

184 James Gregory Hodges was born in Portsmouth, Va., on the 25th day of December, 1828. His father was Gen. John Hodges. Gen. Hodges was one of the most noted citizens of Norfolk county for his high character, intelligence, wealth, social position and for his public services. For a number of years he was a member of the county court. He served in the General Assembly of Virginia. In the war of 1812 he, as captain, commanded a company attached to the Thirtieth regiment of the third requisition for the State of Virginia, commanded by Maj. Dempsey Veale, and mustered into the service of the United States on the 26th of April, 1813, at the camp near Fort Nelson, situated on what is known as the Naval Hospital Point. This regiment was engaged in the battle of Craney Island. He subsequently held the commission of colonel of the Seventh regiment of Virginia in militia and later was elected on joint ballot of both houses of the General Assembly a brigadier general of the Ninth brigade in the fourth division of the militia of the Commonwealth and commissioned by Gov. John Tyler on the 7th day of January, 1826.

The mother of James Gregory Hodges was Jane Adelaide Gregory. She was a descendant of the colonial clergyman, John Gregorie, who was rector of Nansemond county parish in 1680. Her grandfather was James Gregory, who married Patience Godwin, the daughter of Thomas Godwin and Mary Godwin, his wife. This Thomas Godwin was a descendant of Capt. Thomas Godwin, the original settler and ancestor of the Godwins of Nansemond county, who was a member of the House of Burgesses and the presiding justice of the county court of Nansemond county for many years. James Gregory was a vestryman of the upper parish, and afterwards, by a change of the boundaries of the parish, a vestryman of the Suffolk parish of