SHC00089

Chesterfield County

 

[page 460 in book]

 

Amelia Co., VA, Deed Book 1, page 187, deed, 18 Jul 1750 - Moses Ferguson of Chesterfield Co., sells to Benjamin Atkins of King and Queen Co., for £50, Current Money of VA, 200 acres lying on both sides Wests Branch in Chesterfield Co., being part of 400 acres granted said Moses Ferguson 28 Sep 1730.  Signed Moses x ferguson.  Wit: Wm Watkins Jr, William x Perdue, Solomon x Newby.  Rec. 1 Mar 1750.

 

[pages 479-480 in book]

 

RYLAND. Josiah Ryland and his Forebears:  A Paper Prepared by Dr. Garnett Ryland and read by him at the First Ryland Reunion, July 4, 1932.

 

"There can be little doubt," says Baines, in His History of Lancashire, "that the family of Rylands was an offshoot of the parent stock of de Halghton (or Hulton) and derived it's patronymic from the property held in West Halghton, a part of which retains the ancient name of "The Ryelands", i.e. the lands of the Rye, or Rhee, a watercourse.  A Blethym de Halghton, thought to have come from Wales, was seated in the 12th century near the place now called Hulton in Lancashire.  His grandson. Robert de Halghton, had an eldest son, John de Rilandes, first to assume the name, who in 1262 was lord of one­ forth of the manor of West Ha1ghton.

 

A descendant, largely engaged in business in Manchester, gave to that city the famous John Rylands Library, with its great collection of historical treasures.  We come from the branch of this family that located in Warwickshire and produced the noted John Rylands, father and son, Baptist ministers of Northampton.  Another son, Herman Witsius Ryland, was Secretary of the Dominion of Canada under a succession of nominal governors, and a great-grand-son, Sir Ryland Adkins, was, until his recent death, an influential member of Parliament.

 

Joseph, son of Thomas and Mary Ryland of Bearley, a little Warwickshire hamlet, was born in 1716, and came to VA 200 years ago.  He married in 1740 and settled on a place in Essex Co. now owned by a Mrs. Longest between "Hollywood" and "'The Meadow".  The little stream that runs through the place into Latane's mill pond is still known as Ryland's Run.

 

Joseph Ryland was married three times.  His first wife, Elizabeth daughter of Richard Hundley, had a son, Thomas, and two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.  The second wife, Mary, had three sons, Richard, John and Iveson, and four daughters, Elizabeth, Ann, Sally and Susannah.  His third wife, Elizabeth, was a sister of the wife of his oldest son, Thomas.  They were daughters of John and Sarah Ferguson, and grand-daughters of John and Ann Ferguson, whose farms lay on both sides of the "Piscataway Rolling Road" in Essex Co.  When Joseph died in 1772 he left one-third of his estate, real and personal, to his widow, Elizabeth, with special provision for the education of her three little children, Josiah, Joseph, and Joanna, aged respectively, five, three and a half, and two years old.  The other two-thirds of the estate was divided among the children of the first two wives.

 

Thomas Ryland, the eldest son, with his younger brothers, John and Iveson, settled in Lunenburg Co.  Rev. C. P. Ryland, now pastor of the Baptist Church in Manassas, VA,. and numerous others of the name from Petersburg and south, are their descendants, or the daughters of Joseph Ryland's first and second marriages, Mary became Mrs. Hundley, Elizabeth married Richard Jones, and Sarah and Susannah were unmarried at the time of their father's death.  All of these apparently followed the tide of emigration from eastern VA south and west when Josiah was very young.

 

Only two of Josiah Ryland's half brothers and sisters remained in his neighborhood ­ Ann, who married Mr. John Minter, a highly respected gentleman who lived at Miller's Tavern, and her full brother, Richard.  Ann Minter had no children.  She lived to an advanced age and devoted herself to the care of her bachelor brother, Richard, a soldier of the Revolution who had acquired in the army the habit of drink which consumed his patrimony and brought him to an ignominious end.

 

For six years after his father's death Josiah's mother and her three children lived in Joseph's old home.  Then she married Mr. Richard Cheek, after he had committed himself to this promise, signed by three witnesses and duly recorded In the Essex Court:

 

"Be it known to all Men that we Richard Cheek in the County of King and Queen, a widower, and Elizabeth Ryland in the County of Essex, a widow, do intend with the leave of God to Join ourselves in Wedlock, and this Is to Certify that I am to take no advantage of her Estate, but to be as a Father to her Children, to Maintain and furnish them with Every [thing] Necessary until they be able to act and do for themselves and also to give them Proper English Learning if [it can be] obtained."

 

Elizabeth sold her part of the old place in Essex and moved her little family to the new home a mile from Upper King and Queen Church.  Here Josiah,. Joseph and Joanna grew up.  Joseph married Rosa Motley: King and Queen and lower Caroline counties until 1811 when they sold out and migrated to Jessamine Co., KY.  Both men died not long after their arrival.  Joanna had no children.  Joseph's sons, John Ferguson, and Edwin Motley Ryland, moved to MO.  Edwin became a prominent business man in St. Louis, and John Ferguson a distinguished member of the Supreme Court of the state, and the father of sixteen children whose progeny extend across the continent.

 

Josiah Ryland, left fatherless at an early age to make his own way in the world became a man of vigorous personality, self-restraint, diligent and successful in business and of great fervency of spirit.  The year he was twenty-one he built the house at "Smithfield", [Note: Our cousin Annie Ryland (Mrs. Francis Wyatt Smith), who now (1946) owns "Smithfield", told me that our great-grandfather Josiah Ryland "got religion" while he was nailing shingles on the roof of the house. B. F.] and with his sister, Joanna, joined Upper King and Queen Church.  Two years later, he became a constituent member of Bruington, whose welfare became the chief concern in his long life.  For fifty years he was absent from its monthly meeting only once, and then because of serious illness.  He was deacon for forty-six years, superintended the building of its present meeting-house, and represented it in the Dover Association for a quarter of a century.  At thirty, he married Elizabeth Baylor Anderson, sister of his pastor, the noted Dr. Robert Baylor Semple, bought the tract adjoining her home at "Shooter's Hill", and built "Farmington".  She died in 1798, leaving a baby boy, William Semple.  Some years afterward Josiah went with Dr. Semple to a meeting at Upper King and Queen Church.  They were entertained at "Spring Farm", the home of Capt. James Pendleton.  There he met Mrs. Pendleton's sister, Catherine Peachey, to whom he was later married.  In 1850, aged 83, he entered into the joy of his Lord.

 

The living descendants of Josiah Ryland of "Farmington" number more than ___.  They are scattered widely through the states and are in almost every calling, profession and business.  Ryland Knight and Francis Willis Ambler are sixth and seventh generations to be represented in the ministry.  True to his spiritual interests they are found today in the active membership of forty-six Baptist churches known to the speaker.  These are in thirteen states and Federal District.  He is sure he has not counted them all, and has not undertaken to list those connected with other denominations.

 

Most remarkable has been the connection of Josiah Ryland's descendants with the University of Richmond, of which he was one of the earliest financial supporters.  They have formed an almost continuous chain from the first president and a first graduate, to the May Queen of the Centennial Class of 1932.  They have been administrative officers, trustees, professors, librarians, and students.  In the early Seminary, in Richmond College, in the Law School, and in Westhampton College.  There have been forty-five in four generations - a challenging record: What a broadening stream has flowed from "Farmington" into the life of the nation!

 

* * *

 

[page 525 in book]

 

Hill Diary.  Excerpts from the Revolutionary Diary of Baylor Hill.  The Huntington Library, San Marino 15, CA.  Brock Collection.  B. R. 53.  1777-1781.  Jan 29 - Jan 18.  Hill, Baylor.  Diary 5 vols.  Small 8 vo. in canvas covers.  Copy in handwriting of R. A. Brock enclosed with original c 1895.  [Note:  Baylor Hill was a young officer in the Revolution.  He was a son of Col. Humphrey Hill of “Hillsborough” in King and Queen Co.  It is said, with some uncertainty, that he was the youngest son, and ran away from home, aged 16, to join the Army. It is also said, with equal uncertainty, that he was the eldest son.  We do not know as to this.  Now that I’m 3000 miles away from the original it is evident the whole diary should have been transcribed and shown here.  However these Abstracts have to do with King and Queen Co., VA, and do not pretend to give the history of the Revolution or any other war.  Thus the entries were selected for local color.  His account of his capture by the British is shown, as the vivid experience of a local youth.  Miss Elizabeth Hawes Ryland has been generous in giving carefully prepared notes.  These follow the items selected from the diary itself.  I futher requested Dr. Garnett Ryland of the University of Richmond to make additional notes.  He read all of it and said Miss Ryland’s notes were so complete and accurate that there was nothing he could add.  He did laugh and wonder how on earth they managed to have a young ladies’ dancing class in the tiny house then at “Travellers Rest”.  The house is still there.  The larger one that was burned during the Civil War was built later.  The diary is written in an open, bold hand.  This boy had been well educated, and was, it is evident, a young gentleman and a happy one.  Nothing priggish about him.  Where he used a code it was merely that he did not care to write for possible prying eyes what he said to his sweetheart, or what she said to him.  And what self-respecting man does want to record such matters for benefit of the curious?  How these little books escaped destruction when he was captured is beyond understanding.  Or how they came in possession of Dr. Brock.  The originals are much easier to read than the Brock transcript.  Evidently Dr. Brock borrowed the diary, copied it and intended to return the originals to the owner, whoever that may have been.  This was not done.  The little books are in safe hands now.  B.F.]

 

[Note:  the year 1780 was one of continued disaster for the American cause.  Sir Henry Clinton arrived on the coast of GA late in January with the bulk of his army, convoyed by Admiral Arbuthnot.  He leaves Savannah 10 Feb and takes possession of the islands south of Charleston, on 29 March begins erecting batteries near the American works.  1st April Arbuthnot passes Fort Moultrie with his fleet and on 9th April anchors in Charleston Harbor.  On 14th Clinton sends 1400 men under Webster, Tarleton and Ferguson who surprise and put to flight Americans under Gen. Huger.  Tarleton surprises a patriot corps on the Santee 6th May.  Fort Moultrie is surrendered the same day.  General L. completely surrounded surrenders Charlestown 12th May.  Upon the surrender of Gen. Lincoln the Baron de Kalb became Commander-in-Chief in the South.  B.F.]