Dr. Robert Bluford, the founder of the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation, has been looking for the home of the Reverend Samuel Davies for years. He asked me to keep an eye out for information about Davies as I did research about Hanover. He mentioned that he had once seen a reference to Davies having lived on The Glebe Road. Thanks to a lucky series of circumstances and some detective work, I think that I have been able to identify his property.
[Author's note: As is the case with most historical documents, spellings of proper names are inconsistent and vary from one source to another: The recording work of many different clerks, each with his own distinct handwriting, had to be deciphered.]

While conserving old Chancery Court records for the Clerk's Office two years ago, I processed a case involving the estate of William Watson Michie who had been murdered in 1842. Michie had written his will in 1837 and in it he referred to his "tract of land called the Glebe." His daughter was a minor, and the estate remained intact until she reached her majority. The court case involved acreage of two pieces of Michie's property. Plats of this property were in the court papers; both properties were located on what was then called Ashcake Rd. (today's New Ashcake Rd.). I was particularly interested because one was of a piece of property called The Homeplace which had been purchased in 1848 by my husband's great-grandfather John Felix Cross. I have done a great deal of research about the Cross family in this part of Hanover. The other was of the property called The Glebe. John Priddy purchased it for William Priddy. It is located at the northwest and southwest corners of modern-day Pearson's Corner in central Hanover County. Some Hanover natives had told me that its name was The Glebe and assumed that it was a glebe of St. Paul's Parish.

This year while doing research for the upcoming 300th anniversary of St. Paul's Parish, I was reading through the old Vestry Book and came across a reference to The Dissenters Glebe¹. In both 1751 and 1759, the name Samuel Davis appears where The Dissenters Glebe appeared in the 1763 processioning record. Those years correspond to the time when Davies resided in Hanover. ["Davis" and "Davies" both derive from the same Welsh name. It would have been easy for the clerk keeping the vestry minutes or those who have since transcribed those minutes to substitute Davis for Davies. There are other examples of names spelled several different ways in the Book.]

Before jumping to conclusions, I wanted to make sure that this was not the property of St. Paul's Parish and so I went through the Vestry Book precinct by precinct looking for the St. Paul's Parish glebe. In 1751, the year that Samuel Davis is in Precinct 5, there is a glebe in Precinct 11.² This glebe appears to be the one owned by St. Paul's Parish. Several precincts, including Precinct 11, are missing from the 1759, 1763, and 1766-67 processioning returns. In 1771, St. Paul's glebe appears again in the same precinct as in 1751.³ This time it is called Precinct 17, but the names correspond to those of the earlier Precinct 11. In 1777, St. Paul's Parish asked the General Assembly for permission to sell its glebe.⁴ In October 1777 the Assembly passed an act empowering the vestry of St. Paul's to sell their glebe and to purchase another.⁵ In 1778, the vestry met at "the former glebe."⁶ In the 1779 processioning, John Jones' name appears under Precinct 17 exactly where the glebe had been listed.⁷ In the 1782 land tax book, John Jones owned 671 acres.⁸ In 1787, the tax book described the 671 acres as "the Glebe." The Rev. Patrick Henry who had been minister of St. Paul's from 1738 until his death in 1777 had owned property in his own name in a precinct close to St. Paul's Glebe.⁹ Sometimes large properties extended into more than one precinct. Perhaps Jones purchased both St. Paul's glebe and Henry's property. This would account for the increase in acreage. Hilly Farm, the Jones property that extends from Georgetown Rd. back to River Rd. has been in that family for at least six generations. Tradition has always held that it was the glebe for St. Paul's Parish. The Vestry Book contains no reference to the purchase of another glebe and never mentions a glebe from 1778 until 1785.One of the last entries in the Book orders the Church Wardens to "...collect the Seventeen hund ( ) and ten pounds, that the Glebe of this parish formerly sold for."¹⁰

The only other glebes mentioned were the two glebes that St. Paul's sold when the Parish purchased new property for the Rev. Patrick Henry in 1738.¹¹ One of those glebes was near the courthouse and the other near Old Church; one contained 100 acres and the other contained 95 acres.

I began to realize that the Presbyterian Dissenters in Hanover must have called the home of their minister Samuel Davies The Glebe as well. Perhaps they provided it for him, just as the Anglican Church provided a glebe for their ministers. In any event, the term "stuck."

A 1790 deed of Geddes Winston's describes his property called The Glebe. I believe it is the same property as The Dissenters Glebe mentioned in The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish in 1763. William Watson Michie owned this property in the 19^th century. Title to this property can be traced to the present day.

The process by which I arrived at this conclusion is tedious. In addition to using tax records, wills and deeds, I used the Processioning Precincts in the Vestry Book to determine those whose property was near The Dissenters Glebe. Those names from the 1750's and 1760's indicate that this is the same property that Geddes Winston called The Glebe in 1790. The names of neighbors support the fact that it was the same property as that owned by William Watson Michie in 1834.

Processioning Precincts
Those in Processioning Precinct #5 in 1751:

David Thompson, James Anderson, John Macon, John Browning, Benj. Timberlake, John Jones, William Winston, Wm. Hughes, Dennet Abney, Sarah Anderson, James Norvells, Nelson Anderson, Sam. Davis, W. Fantleroy, Wm. Thacker¹²

In 1759 they were:

David Thompson, James Anderson, John Macon, John Browning, Benj. Timberlake, John Jones, William Winston, Wm. Hughes, Dennet Abney; Sarah Anderson, James Norvells, Nelson Anderson, Sam. Davis, W. Fantleroy, Wm. Thacker¹³

In 1763 the Processioners were ordered to procession the lands "of David Thomson, decd, James Anderson, Patrick Belcher, John Browning, Benj. Timberlake, John Jones, William Winston, William Hughes Dennit Abney Deceased, Sarah Anderson, James Anderson, now Ralph Crutchfield's, Norwells, Nelson Anderson, Samuel Davis Bowler Cocke, Jun., William Thacker and William Winston, Jr. and that Nelson Anderson and John Thomson see the said processioning performed."¹⁴

In 1763 the Processioners reported, "We have comply'd with the Within Vestry Order so far as to see the within lands processioned, John Thomson instead of David Thomson, Ralph Crutchfield instead of James Anderson, John Browning, Benjamin Timberlake, John Jones Exec., Wm. Winston, William Hughes in part, Mary Abney in part, Sarah Anderson, Nelson Anderson, The Dissenters Glebe. Geddes Winston, Nathaniel Thomson, Wm. Winston, Jr., no land, Patrick Belcher and Boler Cocke, Jun. failing to give attendance, their lands were not processioned, the land of Wm. Thacker being divided into 4 parts, Likewise one thousand acres of land belonging to Dangerfield, not knowing the proprieters thereof."¹⁵

The next processioning in 1767 did not mention The Glebe, but the name Geddes Winston, was still there in the same order with no other name inserted beside his.¹⁶ This may have been when he acquired the Glebe property. (Geddes Winston lived at Laurel Grove which still stands today just south of Totopotomoi Creek beside The Glebe property. A piece of timber found in the house has the date 1761 on it.¹⁷)

Notice that the Processioning in 1763 replaced David Thomson with John Thomson and added Nathaniel Thomson. Today the Moncure family owns the estate known as Totomoi that is near The Glebe. They are descendants of the Tinsley family who lived at Totomoi. Col. Thomas Tinsley (1755-1822),J. G. Tinsley's grandfather, married Susanna Thomson, daughter of John Thomson.¹⁸ Their family Bible has the following inscription in it: "My grandfather, John Thomson, born 1732, inherited the farm on which I now live of his father so it has been in the family more than 120 years and I suppose 140 or 150 years."

The earliest existing Hanover land tax records are from 1782. Geddes Winston owned three parcels: 600 acres; 500 acres; and 150 acres. He is listed with his neighbors, not alphabetically, and among those names that appear near his are Maj. Nelson Anderson, George Pickett, John Jones [this was not the gentleman with the Glebe property of 671 acres; he is listed in another area and distinguished by "KW" beside his name - possibly indicating that he was originally from King William County²¹, Nathaniel Thomson, Ralph Crutchfield, John Timberlake, Francis Timberlake, Reubin Hughes, Nathan Hughes, Edward Kersey, Frederick Tyler, and Francis Ellis.²²

Geddes Winston kept the 600 acres until 1790 when it disappeared from his column in the tax book. Three hundred acres of the 600 acres was the property he called the Glebe, and the other 300 acres was the property where he lived, Laurel Grove.

In 1789 Geddes Winston conveyed to his son Samuel Jordan Winston: "all that land where Geddes Winston formerly lived; 300 acres on Totopotomoy Creek. Beginning at a corner on the creek; along Nathaniel Thompson's line to Burnett Timberlake's to old John Jones, decd. line; thence crossing the said creek down a new chopt line on the north side in the said Geddes Winston's land to the crossing place from the above granted land to the old Glebe and where a spring branch empties into the creek; from thence crossing the said creek down a new chopt line on the south side to the beginning." This is Laurel Grove. (Note that the neighbors' names [Nathaniel Thompson (Thomson), John Jones, Dec.d.] match some of those of the 1767 processioning. Nathaniel Thompson [Thomson] has replaced John Thomson, decd.)

On Jan. 23, 1790, Geddes Winston conveyed to Jno. D. Blair for 330 pounds: "all that tract or parcel of land known by the name of The Glebe, containing 300 acres be the same more or less and bounded as follows: to wit by a Line from Mr. Thompson's line on the south side of Totopotomoy Creek to the meeting of the two Spring Branches mentioned in Jordan Winston's deed, thence on the north side of the aforesaid creek by a line to Harry Timberlake's line. Thence by the same Timberlake's Line to William Tinsley's Line thence along the said Tinsley's to the line of Nelson Anderson dec. Thence along the sd. Anderson's line down to the Creek. Thence down the creek to the Corner on Mr. Thompson's 1ine Together with all ways, orchards, woods, all profits, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to have and to hold all..."

The acreage of these two parcels adds up to the 600 acres no longer listed for Geddes Winston.

Later in 1790, Geddes Winston deeded 300 acres, the property known as The Merry Oakes, to another son, William Winston. In the land transfer it reads, "Thence down the Oald Ash Cake road that leads to The Glebe on Kearsey's line." Geddes Winston's 400-acre parcel listing in the land tax book for 1790 disappeared from his holdings in 1792. (There are no records for 1791.)

Note the name William Tinsley in the deed to The Rev. John D. Blair. The 1795 will of John Tinsley found in the Chancery Court Suit Cross v. Cross (1838-005) mentions "the land he bought of Boler Cocke on which his son, William Tinsley, now lives" and gives to his son, David Tinsley "two hundred and thirty eight acres of land whereon he now lives, being part of the 288 acres that I purchased of Boler Cocke." Boler (Bowler) Cocke was a property owner in the same 1763 Processioning Precinct as the Dissenters Glebe. Another Tinsley brother, Philip, had predeceased his father and died in 1793. Before his death Philip sold 297½ acres to Samuel Cross who had married his sister Lucy Tinsley.

The Rev. John D. Blair, a Presbyterian minister, was married to Geddes Winston's daughter Mary. Geddes Winston was the son of William Winston.²³

Blair owned The Glebe until 1796 when the Land Tax Records show that Mary Ann Jones bought 300 acres from John D. Blair. Mary Anne Jones was the sister of Nathaniel Bowe, mother-in-law of Robert Michie, and grandmother of William Watson Michie. (Mrs. Jones' will is in the Brock Collection at the Huntington Library in California. She held the land until her death on March 10, 1829.²⁴ Her heirs in her will were her grandsons but only William Watson Michie survived her.)

As mentioned earlier, Chancery Court Suit 1885-001 concerned the estate of William Watson Michie and contained two old plats. One was of a property he referred to as his Glebe property and the other as The Homeplace. The latter still stands near Ashcake on Malbourne Rd. (See Hanover County Historical Society Bulletin No. 59 that article was written before the discovery of the plat or other new information). Robert Michie, Wm. Watson Michie's father, had purchased The Homeplace from Major John Russell in 1807. Russell sold his property to Robert Michie. Robert Michie died at Russell's in 1828.²⁵ After John Felix Cross purchased The Homeplace, he renamed it Laurel Spring.

The plat of The Glebe shows it on the east side of a road that roughly parallels Rt. 301 at the present day Pearson's Corner. It extends west to Cool Spring Rd. and includes the undeveloped property on the northwest corner of "Pearson's Corner." It indicated that Ashcake Rd. and The Glebe Rd. were the same. (Today that part of Ashcake Rd. is called "New Ashcake Rd." since it is cut off from the western section of Ashcake Rd.) On the east it was bounded by "the road from the Mechanicsville Turnpike to the

Courthouse" (roughly parallel to Rt. 301 - a road trace exists on the east side of Rt. 301); on the west it was bounded by the road leading to Richmond (this is called Cool Spring Rd. today - it led to Half Sink from the Ashcake area). On the south it was bounded by Rutherford's property. At this time, Thomas Rutherford lived at Laurel Grove, the former home of Geddes Winston.²⁶ Totopotomoy Creek was close to its southern border. The northern boundary was the land of Thomas Cross who was a son of Samuel Cross and Lucy Tinsley. I had not known exactly where he lived before, but I had known that it was near the property of his brother Oliver and Oliver's wife Polly. They lived just to the west on the north side of Ashcake Rd. and adjoined the Michie Homeplace on their west. In the 1813 land tax book, Thomas Cross owned 60 acres adjacent to John Lyons and Mary Ann Jones, that was conveyed to him by his mother Lucy Tinsley Cross. Lucy was the sister of William, David, and Philip Tinsley mentioned earlier. At that time, John Lyons owned land at Fork Quarter, adjacent to Col. Thomas Tinsley 5 miles south of the courthouse according to the land tax book. The name of Lyon's property raises some interesting questions for future study. A footnote in Bishop Meade's Old Churches and Families of Virginia (1857) in discussing the churches where Davies preached reads, "One of these was called the Fork Church, and some of his printed sermons are dated there. It was not, as some have supposed, that now called the Fork Church, and which was always an Episcopal Church."²⁷ Could there have been another meetinghouse near The Glebe called the Fork?

Michie must have added to his Glebe property. The 1851 survey found it to be 360 acres although, at the time of its sale, it was described as 390 acres.

In 1871, William Priddy sold 111 acres of his property north of Ashcake Rd. (The Glebe Rd.). This property is the northwest quadrant of Pearson's Corner today. In 1904, his administrator sold the remaining 249 acres to Hezekiah McDougle. This deed still calls the property The Glebe.²⁸ In 1911,McDougle divided his property between Scott McDougle, Charles McDougle and Mary and Hannah McDougle. Part of that property has since been subdivided.

The old house of the property now sits on 4 acres. It appears to be an early 19th century home built on the foundations of an earlier home. The foundations shows evidence of a fire long ago. A huge sycamore tree is the sole survivor of several on the property estimated to be 250 to 300 years old. Traces of a lane lined by aged dogwood are visible from the house across several lots along Pamunkey Road. There are two springs on the property. Angelette and Ben Pryor are the owners of the home. It may have been built on the foundations of the home in which the Rev. Samuel Davies lived between 1751 and 1759.

The Dissenters Glebe Changes Hands 1751 to circa 1759 - The Rev. Samuel Davies 17?? to 1790 - Geddes Winston (He may have aquired it from the estate of Davies or from members of the Presbyterian Church who may have owned it when it was referred to as the Dissenters Glebe in 1763.) 1790 to 1796 - The Rev. John D. Blair (Presbyterian minister; son-in-law of Geddes Wilson) 1796 to 1829 - Mary Ann Bowe Jones (sister of Nathaniel Bowe; grandmother of William Watson Michie) 1829 to 1848 - William Watson Michie or his estate 1848 to 1904 - William Priddy or estate of William Priddy 1904 to 1911 - Hezekiah McDougle In 1911, Hezekiah McDougle divided the Glebe three ways: Hattie and Mary McDougle, Charlie McDougle, and Scott McDougle. Since then, much of the property has been subdivided. The old house is on a 4-acre lot owned by Ben and Angelette Pryor.

Click here to return to the HCHS website.