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From: SansSun@aol.com Part 2 of a series titled Nottoway --- Captain Morgan named the place Morgansville and ran a tavern, store and post-office, one of the first post-offices in the county. Though a slave owner himself, like many other slave owners of his time, he was opposed to the institution of slavery. On one of his many business trips to New York City, he wrote home to his wife on February 21st, 1831, "I feel proud that I have this opportunity of putting my foot in a State where the shocking shame of slavery does not exist." It is interesting also to note that in the same letter he said of our metropolis, "New York is a thriving city of two hundred and seven thousand souls, far superior to any city in America." With the advent of the fashionable resort at Bellefonte, Captain Morgan's business began to decline. He hit upon a novel way to get ahead of his rival, Colonel Jeter, and made the following proposiition to the Presbyterian Minister, Dr. White. Said he: "On that part of my land which borders on Jeter's race track, there is a beautiful site for a church. If you will place your building there, I will give you an acre of ground, covered with a beautiful grove of oaks, and I will give you besides fifty dollars in money." This offer was gladly accepted, and Shiloh Church was built in 1828 in accordance with the old Captain's wish. Some people were unkind enough to question the old man's motives in donating the site for the church, but Dr. White never did. He said of him, "The Captain did not sell spiritous liquors and hated card playing and horse racing." OAK HILL. Dr. William S. White, the Presbyterian minister whom Dr. Pryor succeeded, lived here once, and later on it was the home of Anderson Scott, whose wife was Charlotte Wilsie. After the battle of The Grove, Oak Hill was used as a Confederate hospital. Captain John K. Jones, whose wife was Edmonia Field, once lived at Oak Hill. He was captain of Company E, 3rd Virginia Cavalry. WINDROW, a short distance from Rural Retreat, is so named on account of its having been in the path of a terrible wind storm which uprooted many trees, but fortunately did not cover a very wide area. It was of such violence, however, that one of the overseer's small children was blown several miles away, where it was found dead after the storm. Isaac Holmes, who was the first clerk of Nottoway County, 1788 to 1793, lived here, and the first deputy Clerk's office in the county was located in a house in the yard. Windrow was once owned by Captain Richard Jones, and there is an old Jones burying ground at this place. Mrs. Crawley Jones was the last of the Jones family buried here. Richard Jones sold the place to Rev. Theodorick Pryor, who sold it to his brother-in-law, Thomas Freeman Epes, about 1839, who lived here until a good many years after the Civil War. He was the son of Major John Epes and Frances Campbell Epes, and a grandson of Colonel Francis Epes, Jr., who first settled in Nottoway. He married twice; his first wife was Jacqueline Segar Hardaway, and his second Rebecca Dupuy. Unlike his brother, Colonel Travis Epes, of Fancy Hill, Thomas Freeman Epes was a Democrat and an ardent secessionist. Although he himself was too old to serve in the army, several of his sons served in the war with distinction. Many stories are told about the quaint characteristics of Thomas Freeman Epes. He was a great lover of fox hunting, and kept one of the best packs of hounds in the county, following the sport even in his old age. He kept, for a number of years, a diary of all his hunts, and could tell just how the fox ran on any particular day. He knew just how many foxes he caught each season. During the period of ten years from 1866-67 to 1876-77 he caught three hundred and fifty-two, an average of 35.2 foxes per season, about one third of this number being reds. But woe unto the one who incurred his displeasure during the hunt or took issue with him concerning the chase! On one occasion he was hunting with a party of friends. The chase had been a long one, finally losing the run on the fox altogether. Passing a sandy place in the road, he said to his grandson, who was with him, "Get down there, sir, and see if there are any fox tracks in the sand." The youngster obeyed, but being tired, he made the fatal mistake of first looking up at the sun to see what time it was, whereupon the old gentleman roared, "You little fool, don't you know there are no fox tracks up in the sky"! In his home, however, he was the typical old-fashioned Virginia gentleman, hospitable to a fault -- nothing was too good for his guests, nor could their stay be too prolonged. His son, Dr. Theodorick Pryor Epes, whose wife, Joanna Tyler Spencer, a great, great, granddaughter of James Wood Bouldin at one time a member of Congress, was a Presbyterian minister greatly beloved by the people of Nottoway, whom he served for twenty years. Dr. Epes received his A. B. degree from Washington and Lee University, and his theological training at Union Theological Seminary. Later Hampden-Sydney College conferred upon him the degree of D. D. At the death of Dr. Theodorick Pryor, an uncle-in-law for whom he was named, Dr. Epes was called to minister to his own people in Nottoway from 1891 until the time of his death in 1911. A beautiful bronze tablet to his memory by Frederick MacMonnies, the noted sculptor of New York and Paris, hangs upon the walls of the Presbyterian Church at Blackstone which Dr. Epes built during his pastorate here. His son, Hon. Louis S. Epes, is now Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Miss Fannie Harris Epes, the only daughter of Thomas Freeman Epes, was a lady of unusual Christian character, and as a teacher in the little Fernhill School near her home exerted a marked influence on the children of the neighborhood. The present owner of Windrow, Branch Bocock, has done much to restore the old house to its former state. USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit.
Web Site owner is Pauline
Phelps
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continued in Part 3 
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Web Site owner is Pauline Phelps |