Sketches of Virginia

The Read and Reid Families of Charlotte and Rockbridge Counties

Foote records two distinct Virginia families whose surnames are easily confused. The Read family was established at Bushy Forest in present-day Charlotte County and became prominent in county government, Revolutionary service, education, and the ministry. The Reid family entered Rockbridge County through several migrations and became connected by marriage with the Alexander and McDowell families. Foote does not establish a relationship between the Read and Reid lines.

The Logan Families of Virginia and Kentucky

Foote records the Logan surname in three prominent but unconnected settings: John Logan among the first settlers and ruling elders of New Providence, Benjamin Logan among the Presbyterian householders of the Holston Valley before his removal to Kentucky, and Rev. Robert Logan in the Bethel and Fincastle communities. Foote does not establish a family relationship among these men.

The McPheeters Family of Virginia and North Carolina

The McPheeters family traced its origins from Scotland through Ireland and Pennsylvania before establishing a substantial household in the Bethel settlement of Augusta County. Its best-documented descendant was Rev. William McPheeters, D.D., whose career connected Virginia’s Presbyterian churches and schools with Kentucky and North Carolina.

The Scott Families of Augusta and Charlotte Counties

Foote records two distinct Scott family groups in Virginia. The better-developed household was that of Rev. Archibald Scott, pastor of the associated Bethel and Hebron congregations in Augusta County. A separate line centered upon Colonel Thomas Scott of Charlotte County and his work with Hampden-Sydney College. Foote does not establish a relationship between these families.

The Carrington Family of Cumberland and Charlotte Counties

The Carrington family established itself first along Willis Creek in what became Cumberland County and later formed an influential branch in Charlotte County. Through marriages with the Mayo, Read, Cabell, Venable, Bernard, Sims, and Watkins families, its descendants became prominent in Virginia’s legal, political, military, and educational life. The following account brings together the Carrington family references scattered throughout William Henry Foote’s Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical, Second Series, arranging them by generation and family relationship. Paul Carrington and the Barbados Family Foote begins the family line with Paul Carrington and his wife, whom he describes as belonging to … Read more

The Morton Family of Charlotte and Cumberland Counties

The Morton family was closely associated with the growth of Presbyterianism in Charlotte and Cumberland counties. Foote’s references connect its members with the beginnings of the Briery congregation, the Cumberland and Cub Creek churches, Revolutionary service, Hampden-Sydney College, and the family of Rev. John Holt Rice.

The Waddell Family of Virginia

The Virginia Waddell family references preserved by William Henry Foote center upon Rev. James Waddell, D.D., the celebrated Presbyterian teacher and orator remembered as the Blind Preacher of Virginia. His ministry connected the Northern Neck with the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia, while the marriages of his daughters linked the family with the Presbyterian ministers Archibald Alexander and William Calhoon.

The Greenlee Family of Timber Ridge

The Greenlee family was among the earliest pioneer families of the Timber Ridge settlement in present-day Rockbridge County, Virginia. James Greenlee and his wife, Mary M’Dowell, arrived with the M’Dowell family in 1737 and established themselves within the new settlement near the headwaters of the James River. Through Mary, the Greenlees were closely connected with one of the most prominent families in the early history of Rockbridge County.

The Lyle Family of Virginia and Kentucky

Members of the Lyle family were prominent in the early Scotch-Irish Presbyterian communities of western and central Virginia. The family first appears in the surviving account at Timber Ridge in present-day Rockbridge County, where Daniel, John, and Samuel Lyle supported the congregation served by Rev. John Brown. Later generations and branches were associated with the South Branch of the Potomac in Hampshire County, the Buffalo and Briery congregations in Prince Edward County, Bedford County, and Kentucky.

The Campbell Family of Holston

The Campbell family of Holston was one of the most prominent Whig families of Virginia’s southwestern frontier during the Revolutionary era. Descended from a Scottish family that had settled in Ireland, the Virginia Campbells established themselves first in Augusta County and later near the headwaters of the Holston River. Their descendants included soldiers of the Revolution, county officers, judges, and governors in Virginia and Tennessee.