COTTON Mary Etta

Notes:

Etta was raised by Edmonia Collier and her husband John Harris, They are buried in Oakwood Cemetey, Surry, VA.

Mary married JOHNSON Sidney Thomas on 28 Jan 1892 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. Sidney (son of JOHNSON David Peyton and ROGERS Mahala Elizabeth) was born on 20 Jan 1868; died on 4 Sep 1942 in Claremont, Surry County, VA; was buried in Surry, Surry County, VA (Oakwood Cemetary). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
This wedding announcement appeared in the newspaper in Waverly, Virginia on February 8,1892,

Surry Wedding-------A Former Resident of Waverly Takes a Life Partner
Union Church, Surry Co., was the scene of a beautiful marriage on the afternoon of Jan, 28 last. Mr. S. T. Johnson, a very popular young farmer, and Miss Mary Etta Cotton were the contracting parties. Mess. V. W. Emory, R.W. Spratley, Floyd I. Johnson, H. V. Faison, B. F. Wrenn, J. H. Rogers; and Misses K. T. Bishop, E. B. Emory, M. E. Johnson, Jennie Cotton, Mattie R. Atkinson, L. F. Faison, were waiters. The services were beautifully conducted by Rev. M. W. Butler. The bride was handsomely attired in a blue ladies cloth dress, tan kid gloves and hat to match costume. The bridal couple, with the waiters, repaired to the home of the groom's father, where a grand reception was given. We extend our best wishes and heart-felt congratulations to the newly married ones, and trust that that beautiful day was emblematical of their future life.

SCHOOLMATE:
The newlyweds, Sidney T. Johnson and M. Etta Cotton were my grandparents. Mary Etta Cotton, or Etta, as she preferred to be called, was 20 years old. Sidney had just turned 24. Two years before they were married, Sidney had bought the Marl Spring Farm, adjacent to the Mill Tract farm on which the Cotton girls lived. The manor house had burned down some time before, leaving only the little cabin in which the laundry was done. The young couple moved into the little laundry outbuilding while Sidney planned the new home he would build for his family on the ruins of the former manor house. Their first child, Ruth Olga, was bora in the tiny cabin in 1893. When my mother, Bertha May, was bom in 1895 there were two bedrooms, a dining room and a parlor completed. Four more children; MyraBell (1897), Albert Sidney (1899), Myrtie Lee (1902) and little HughThomas (1905), were bom in regular succession. All were healthy, lively children. Then disaster struck. Etta contracted Bright's disease, a term used to describe any one of several kidney problems which resulted in albumin in the urine. After a protracted illness lasting nearly two years, she died on May 11, 1909. She was not quite 38 years old. Her youngest child, Hugh, was only three years old. Sidney buried her in a small fenced-in enclosure under an apple tree in the orchard. I remember visiting her grave with my mother as a small child. Many years later, her remains were moved to Oakwood Cemetery in Surry Courthouse, and rest beside those of Sidney and his second wife Ruth Ella Rogers.

Courtship:

When Sidney T. Johnson bought the Marl Spring Farm from Eddie James in 1890, he probably took little notice of the family that lived on the adjacent farm, called the Mill Tract, which had once been the western half of a original plantation. It was then inhabited by Mr. and Mrs. William King and her three daughters Sarah Virginia Cotton, Cornelia Ann Cotton and Mary Etta Cotton. The father of the girls was William Madison Cotton, brother of Dr. Gary Cotton, who, we believe, before the Civil War, had been proprietor of the entire plantation. After the War, Dr. Cotton removed to Texas, and left his brother William in possession of the western half of the palntation, the Mill Tract. William Cotton died in 1883, partly as a result of the hardships suffered in four years at war,. Etta was 12 years old when he died. Her mother, Valeria, five years later, married another veteran of the Civil War, William King, who came to live with them. There were no additional children born from the marriage. More about this later.

We have a letter written to Sidney by his friend Vaiden W. Emory on May 5,1889 when he was 21 years old.
Williamsburg, Va. May 5,1889
Dear Sidney,
I received your letter of last week, and was very glad to hear from my old friend, but was sorry to know that you had hurt yourself. I hope you mil be solid as ever, and love your girl I suppose you feel quite badly, as your girl has knickedyou. I hardly know what to think of it, except that boys will be foolish after girls. I forgot myself, you are a man now, and feel at home with the ladies. You will feel more like a man when you begin to say, my dear, loving, sweet and affectionate Mary Jane or Susan. My girl is sweet as a peach, and looks like a candy doll. I was to see her not many days ago, and she said or told me, that I am very bashful, but she loves me the more for it. She is a daisy. I will tell you about her when I come home. I can do nothing scarcely, but think of her. Keep up your spirits.
We had holiday the 30th of April, and the first baseball club of the college played against the first nine of the town. The college nine beat 14 to 10.
We are going to Jamestown on the 13th of May. There will be a big crowd there that day. Speeches will be made by two students, and some of the professors. 1 anticipate a fine time. I wish you could be there. Our final celebration of the two societies will come on the 3rd of July. We will have a debate, declamations, or orations, and essayists. Col. Lamb of Norfolk will be our orator for the occasion. Three medals will be given by the societies to the best debater, orator and essayist. The final examinations will commence about the 1 Oth of June. I forgot one thing. On the 4th of July distinctions will be given to students, followed by a speechfrom Mr. Mumford, a member of the board of visitors. We will have a ball that night, and wind up the session with a jubilee. I would be glad to have you here, if it is possible for you to come. I will leave for home on the 5th, nothing preventing. It has been very rainy for the last month. Hope you are not sick and well. Give my best regards to all the family and to your girl. Write soon. May you ever live, and never die, but rest on a mountain that can't be seen by a Jay bird's eye.
Your old friend, V.W.E.
What can we learn from V. W. Emory's letter? First, Sidney was still working in the store in Waverly at the time. At least one of his friends was able to attend William and Mary College, but Sidney was either unable to afford it or not inclined to attend. College graduates were a rarity in those days. At age 21 chasing girls was clearly a very important part of his life. The girl friend referred to in the letter may, or may not have been, M Etta Cotton, who was 18 at the time.

Much more illuminating is a letter from M. E. Cotton a year later.

April 3,1891 Mr. Johnson
Kind Friend
I have just received your kind letters they come safte to hand the first day of April, and nothing could of gave me more pleasure than to hear from you. When I got them I thought they were April fools but I soon found out they were not, but I was surprised to see that it was from you for I had been down here so long I had begin to think that you had forgotten me, but I am glad to know that you have not. I got a letter from Ma that day too, but I am not going to answer it now. I will answer it next week. You talked as if you thought that I would not answer your letter if I got it, but whenever I tell you any thing you may just believe it.
You asked me about the song ballad. I have not wrote it of yet but 1 will write it off and send it to you the next time I write. I have not forgot to sing Way Down Upon the Swany River. I sing it and I think of the day we come from Sussex, oh what a pleasant trip I did have. I wish we could take another nice trip like that. You said something about the wide eye but I have not seen him but once since I have been down here, and that was last Sunday at Church, and just spoke to him and that was all end (?) he said to me. He would not of known me if he had not of seen me.
Well I will now tell you what a nice time I have had this rainy weather. The Jurdon girls has been to see me and a Miss Mathews and one or too others and I have been to Church once and to spend the day at a neighbors. I have had a very nice time and I am now shelling Peanuts. It has been raining every since. I have been down here so that we could not go any where.
You sent me too cards and asked me to accept of them as a token of your love. I will and will keep them in remembrance of you and you asked me not to forget what that little card said. I will not but I don't think you meant that. Well as is getting late and 1 have not any news to write I had as well to close my badly written letter but I will tell you what Mrs. Blackwell said You must come and she will entertain you. Well I will now say good night. This from a true friend.
M. E. Cotton Write soon excuse such a long letter, as my pen writes and don't show this to any one bad.

This is the only known letter from the hand of M. Etta Cotton. It is written in a neat and confident script, though the grammar indicates more enthusiasm than education behind it. Clearly, she and Sidney shared an interest in music. Etta seems to be the more accomplished of the two, though we know Sidney played the violin for dances and other occasions. The upright piano, which stood in parlor when I visited the Farm as a child, must have been Etta's, because I never heard anyone else play it. The letter gives no place of origin, but it appears to be from some place other than the farm she grew up on, which was adjacent to Sidney's newly acquired place. She may have been at a boarding school, or staying at the home of a relative. Their courtship appears to be still at an early stage. Etta seems not quite certain of how sincere Sidney's intentions are. She gives him ample reason for encouragement without going overboard about it. She writes as one would talk, using the local idiom naturally. Years later her oldest daughter, Ruth, would write similarly chatty letters, effortlessly letting you know all that was going on. From this I would deduce that she was a cheerful soul with a great capacity for friendship. She was remembered by her children as a loving woman and was greatly beloved by all who knew her.
We have only one picture of her, probably taken at the time of her wedding. She has a lovely face. It is no wonder Sidney fell in love with her.

There is one more letter from Sidney to Etta, written before they were married, which has survived.
My Dearest Etta,
You cannot imagine my grief at what I am going to tell you. It -was my intention to have told you last night but I hated to tell you so I will write to you according to promise. I have to ask your consent to put our marriage off until about the last of January owing to peanuts being so law just at this time, the prospects are that they will be worth a great deal more after Xmas. I hate very much to sell any at the present prices. But at the same time, if you are not willing to put it off I will do the best I can. I know you are a good girl and would not have me do anything to my disadvantage. I was looking forward to the time with pleasure, but owing to circumstances I think it best to postpone it until the time mentioned. Answer this this evening, and get one of the boys to bring it over here tonight after they stop work. I hope your cold has gotten better. I will be over there tomorrow night if nothing prevents. Now do not think that I want to put it off because of anything on your part, for that is certainly not the case. I love you more than ever and am not dissatisfied with my bargain. Write me a sweet little letter like the sweet little girl you are, and tell me just what you think.
It looks as if things are working against our happiness but it will not always be so. You need not stop getting ready, because things may change and we will not have to wait as long as that.
Do not forget that I love you better than I do my own self, and am ready to sacrifice any thing that will add to your happiness in the future.
I remain your loving Sidney
Dec. 15th 1891 P.S.
Do not let any one see this letter. S.T.J.

Everything seems to have worked out, they were married on January 28,1892, just six weeks later.

1. JOHNSON Ruth Olga was born on 6 Feb 1893; died on 4 Nov 1969 in Newport News, VA.
2. JOHNSON Bertha May was born on 4 May 1895; died on 27 Feb 1987.
3. JOHNSON Myra Bell was born on 18 Nov 1897; and died.
4. JOHNSON Albert Sidney was born on 23 Dec 1899 in Dendron, Surry County VA; died on 28 May 1982 in Newport News, VA; was buried in Surry, Surry County, VA.
5. JOHNSON Myrtle Lee was born in 1902; died in 1971.
6. JOHNSON Hugh Thomas was born on 16 Oct 1905; died on 2 Nov 1965 in Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, USA.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Teacher
• Lived(s) In: 1860, Cabin Point, Surry County, VA.; Cabin Point
• Military: 1861-1865, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States; Civil War Veteran

Notes:

Birth:
William Madison Cotton was bom June 3, 1826, according to the inscription on his tombstone, in Sussex County, Virgina. His parents were William Henry Cotton and Sarah "Sally" Weathers Parsons. The other children in the family were Albert R. Cotton, Caroline Cotton and Gary Cotton.

Occupation:
William Madison Cotton is said to have been a teacher, but where and of what we do not know.

Lived(s) In:
William and Valeria began their life together on the tract which makes up the western half of the Marl Spring Farm, known as the Mill Tract, and later as the Grubbs place. It consisted of nearly 200 acres of woods and fields, most of which had probably become overgrown through years of neglect. It is not clear how they came to own the land. One story is that it had belonged to William's brother, Dr. Gary Cotton, who removed to Texas after the War and left the property to his brother. There were no dwellings remaining on the land, and William and Valeria built a log cabin, which was to serve them as a home for many years.

We know that William Cotton and his young wife Valeria settled on the Mill Tract on the New Design Road as reported earlier. In 1870 the value of their farm is given as a very modest $400 and their personal estate as $100. From the sequence of visitations shown in the report of the Census of 1870, it appears that Eldridge Maddera, his wife Mary, and five children: Mary 18, Eldridge 15, Adelia 13, George 9 and an infant 2 lived next door, perhaps on The Marl Spring Farm. Eldridge's occupation is listed as "lumber dealer". This is confirmed by Valeria's recollection many years later that her father operated a sawmill. No value of land and personal estate is given.

Military:
Sgt. in the Calvary
William Madison Cotton, like Eldridge Maddera, had been a member of Captain Travis W. Taylor's Surry Cavaly company since long before the Civil War. I have a book which belonged to William Cotton, The Army and Navy of America: Containing a View of the Heroic Adventure, Battles, Naval Engagements, Remarkable Incidents, and Glorious Achievements in the Cause of Freedom, from the Period of the French and Indian Wars to the Close of the Florida War; Independant of an Account of Warlike Operations on Land and Sea; Enlivened by a Variety of the Most Interesting Anecdotes; and Splendidly Embellished with Numerous Engravements. By Jacob K. Neff, M.D. Published by J. K Pearsall & Co. 1845. In the front is written,'William M. Cotton, Born Aug.
6(26?), 1826. On the second page is written, Win. M. Cotton's Book.......Price $1.00.......sold by J. D. Thornton who is agent for.................June 1,1847. William Cotton would have been 19 years
old when he bought this book, and there is little reason to doubt that his acquisition of it coincided with his initiation into the prestigious ranks of the Surry Cavalry.
As noted earlier, when the Civil War broke out, William Cotton and Eldridge Maddera had both enlisted as privates in the Surry Cavalry on April 20 1861, only eight days after the beginning of the bombardment of Fort Sumpter. The Surry Cavalry was designated as Company E, 5th Regiment Virginia Cavalry, attached to the 3rd Regiment Virginia Infantry. Together they saw bloody action on many a field of battle. In Sept./Oct. 1862, Company K, 13 Regiment Virginia Cavalry was formed up under Captain Samuel H. Burt and assigned to dashing Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's famed Cavalry Division of the Army of Northern Virginia. William Cotton was appointed 2nd Sergeant of the new Company K and Eldridge Maddera its 2nd Lieutenant. They participated in nearly every major battle in the eastern theater of the War from then until the end of the War. They were at "the greatest cavalry battle of the War, which took place on June 9,1863, at Brandy Station, seven miles north of Culpepper Court House. The battle lasted , without let-up, for twelve hours, as Rebel cavalrymen under Stuart and Union cavalrymen under Pleasanton, slashed at each other with sabers and fired their pistols at point blank range." (Story County at War 1861 -1865; Willis W. Bohannan; p. 41)
Sgt Cotton had his horse shot out from under him in a skirmish with the enemy at Brandy Ford on April 15,1863, and lost all his equipment as well He was reimbursed $300 for his horse and $50 to replace his equipment.
On March 28, 1864 Sgt Cotton was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, VA suffering from 'Rubeola'. On April 22, 1864 he was transferred to the Episcopal Church Hospital at Williamsburg, VA suffering from 'debilitas'. From there he was transferred May 7,1864 to General Hospital in Petersburg still suffering from 'debilitas'. He did not return to duty until September 12,1864, at which time he assumed his old position as Sgt. of Company K for the long struggle to defend Petersburg. On April 2, 1865 Lee finally abandoned Petersburg and began the retreat to Appomattox, where he surrendered to Grant eight days later.
Sgt. Cotton's name appears as a signature to a "Parole of Prisoners of War, given in accordance with the terms of capitulation agreed upon between General Grant and General Lee, on the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, April 9,1865. He was paroled at Southamton, VA on April 30, 1865. Under the terms of surrender, cavalrymen who owned their own horses were permitted to keep them and return home. We have no record, but we have no reason to believe William Cotton did not return home with his horse.

William married MADDERA Valeria Ann on 19 Dec 1866 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. Valeria (daughter of MADDERA Eldridge Anmstrit, Sr. and SLEDGE Mary Pocahontas) was born on 5 Oct 1848 in Spring Grove, Surry County, Va; died on 25 Jun 1950 in Surry, Surry County, VA; was buried in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Lived(s) In: 1900, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States; Census of 1900

Notes:

Lived(s) In:
Mill Track Farm
The Census of 1900 shows Valeria King, a widow, as head of a household. Her daughter Cornelia Ann "Annie", age 22, and her husband Morton Algernon Grubbs, 27, from Allegany County, Pennsylvania, lived with her, still on the Mill Tract. The Grubbs built a new two story house and presumably Algy Grubbs ran the farm. From that time on the Mill Tract became known as "the Grubbs Place". Algy and Annie Grubbs both died in the great flu epidemic of 1918.

Notes:

Married:
His daughter, Valeria Ann, barely 18, a year after the war ended, married his first sergeant in Company K, William M. Cotton, whose story we have already told.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 1842, Sussex County, VA

Notes:

William Henry Cotton 1795 - 1842
William Henry Cotton was the only son of Gary and Nancy Anne (Harrison) Cotton. He was born about 1795 and was but 10 years old when his father died. It seems clear that he inherited the same plantation which his father, Gary, had inherited from his grandfather, Richard. Four of the slaves named in William Henry Cotton's will in 1842 are the same as those named in the inventory of the estate of his father thirty-seven years later.
He married Sarah "Sally" Weathers Parsons on 3/7/1816. They were both about 21 years old. She was the daughter of Henry Parsons (1749-? ) and his second wife Hannah Stacy (1769-1826), whom he married in 1793. Her half brother was Col. William Parsons, who had been a captain in the Continental Cavalry and was a prominent figure in Sussex County. The Parsons were also very early settlers in the Virginia Colony

Will:
William M. Cotton's father died in 1842, when William was 16 years old. His brothers and sister were apparently also underage. In his will he leaves one-third of his estate to his beloved wife, Sally Cotton, and two thirds to his four children, to be divided equally among them. He specifically leaves one negro girl, Mason, to William Madison; another, Harriet Jones, to daughter Caroline; and still another, Viney, to Gary. He then specifies that each of the three negro girls shall be loaned to his beloved wife until each of the children shall arrive to lawful age or marry.
The inventory of William Henry Cotton's estate taken on the 15th of December 1842 indicates that this was a family of some wealth. In addition to four pages of personal possessions, farming implements and stored crops, twenty four slaves are listed by name: Allen, Willis, Jim, Hubbard, Isham, Jacob, Jesse, John, Dick, Henry, Little Harriet, Liza, Dolly, Sarah, Malinda, Lewis, big Harriet and her 3 children Mary Chesman and Samson, Viney, Harriet Jones and Mason. The slaves are valued at $5275, the rest of his possessions at $1877. Land and buildings are not included in the inventory. They must have been substantial to support such a large number of people.

He did leave a will dated 10/4/1842, two months before it was probated. His wife Salty is named executor. The provisions of the will are as follows:
William Madison Cotton - One negro girl named Mason(?). To him and his heirs forever.
Daughter Caroline ~ One negro girl named Harriet Jones to her and her heirs forever.
Cory - One negro girl named Viney to him and his heirs forever.
Item: It is my will and desire that the three negro girls to wit Mason, harriet Jones and Viney disposed of above be loaned to my beloved wife until each one of my children named above shall arrive to lawful age or marry.
Item: I leave to my beloved wife Sally Cotton my watch and at her death to my son Cory. Item: It is my will and desire that the remainder of my estate be equally divided into three parts; one-third part of which I loan to my beloved wife Sally Cotton during her life, the other two-thirds to be equally divided between my son Albert R. Cotton, William M. Cotton, Caroline Cotton and Cory Cotton to them and their heirs forever.
The inventory of the estate included 23 slaves: Lewis, John, Sarah and Dolly, who were inherited from his father, plus Allen, Willis, Jim, Hubbard, Isham, Jacob, Jessee, Dick, Henry, Little Harriet, Liza, Dolly, Malinda, Viney, Harriet Jones, Big Harriet and her three children Mary, Cheeseman and Samson. The total value of the slaves was estimated at S 5275. Livestock, stored crops, farm equipment and supplies were valued at $ 1014. Furniture and personel possessions had a total value estimated at $ 261. Household items of significant value included a sideboard $ 40,dining tables $ 25, three beds at $ 25 each, one bed at $ 15, a trundle bed $ 3, a watch $ 25, a large pine chest $15, buffet $ 8, etc. The plantation was first and foremost a business enterprise. What we do not see is value of land and buildings, slave cabins, etc. Why this is so is not clear to me.
Between the death of William Henry Cotton in 1842 and the Civil War we have no information about the family. We do not know whether the plantation was sold and the proceeds divided among the children. We do not know what education they received. William Madison Cotton is said to have been a teacher, but where and of what we do not know. Gary Cotton became a doctor, and was a surgeon in the Army of the Confederacy. We know nothing of the lives of Albert and Caroline Cotton.
pg. 26

William married PARSONS Sarah (Sally) Weathers on 7 Mar 1816 in Sussex County, VA. Sarah (daughter of PARSONS Henry and STACY Hannah) was born in 1795-1796 in Sussex County, VA; died after 1860. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Lived(s) In: 1860, Cabin Point, Surry County, VA.

Notes:

The Family of Sarah Weathers Parsons 1795/6 - >1860
Her name was Sarah Weathers Parsons, but everyone knew her as "Salty". She was born in Sussex in 1795 or 1796, and lived to a ripe old age, dying sometime between the Census of 1860 and the Census of 1870. On March 7,1816, at age 20, she married William Henry Cotton, also aged 20 or 21, whose story, insofar as we know it, has been told previously.
The Parsons family apparently descended from one John Parsons, Esquire, of London, an Adventurer of the Virginia Company, who arrived in Virginia in 1619. His wife's name was probably Elizabeth. They had at least one son, also named John Parsons (1639 -1711) who married Ann Thomas. They resided in York County, Virginia. John and Ann Parsons had four children; Elizabeth (1669), William (1671), John (1673) and Anna. It is believed that William moved to Richmond or Elizabeth City County, and had a son also named William, born in 1697, who married a Harrison. This William was probably the father of Robert Parsons (1720 - 1777) of Sussex County. Obviously, further research is needed to clarify this line of descent.
Sally's grandfather was Robert Parsons, who was born in 1720. He married Eleanor Hines (bom 1725) about 1744. They established themselves in Sussex County and raised a family of seven children; William/Robert (1745), Amy (1746), Henry (1749), Eleanor (1752), Mary (1755), Unity/Uriah (1757) and Elizabeth. Eleanor died 11/9/1770 and Robert died in!777, in Sussex County. Robert Parsons was apparently a well-to-do plantation owner.

Died:
Her name was Sarah Weathers Parsons, but everyone knew her as "Salty". She was born in Sussex in 1795 or 1796, and lived to a ripe old age, dying sometime between the Census of 1860 and the Census of 1870.

Notes:

Married:
He married Sarah "Sally" Weathers Parsons on 3/7/1816. They were both about 21 years old. She was the daughter of Henry Parsons (1749-? ) and his second wife Hannah Stacy (1769-1826), whom he married in 1793. Her half brother was Col. William Parsons, who had been a captain in the Continental Cavalry and was a prominent figure in Sussex County. The Parsons were also very early settlers in the Virginia Colony

William Henry and Sally seem to have had no children in the early years after they were married. William Madison Cotton, who is believed to be the oldest child was not born until after they had been married ten years. Unfortunately, like his father Gary before him, William Henry Cotton died at the relativelyyoung age of 47, in 1842, while all his children were still under age.

On March 7,1816, at age 20, she married William Henry Cotton, also aged 20 or 21

Other Events and Attributes:

• Inheritance: 10 Feb 1839, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States
• Occupation: 7 Mar 1854, Spring Grove, Surry County, Va; Postmaster
• Military: 20 Apr 1861, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States; Civil War Vet
• Lived(s) In: 1870, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States

Notes:

Eldridge A. Maddera 1821 - 1881
Eldridge Annstrit Maddera was the only son of Thomas Maddera (bet 1784 -1826) and Rebecca G. Thompson. He was born February 10, 1821 and was only five years old when his father died in September 1826, apparently unexpectedly, for he died intestate. Eldridge's mother married Hugh Hopkins three years later, on 8/22/1829, and William M, West was appointed by the Court as Eldridge's guardian (Surry County Fiduciary Accts. 1831 -1839), to protect his rights in his father's estate.
Thomas Maddera was apparently moderately well-to-do at the time of his death. We presume that he was a plantation owner, because the account of his estate mentions six slaves who were hired out: Abram, Billy, Wilson, Lizza, Diana and Mary. Eldridge received a good education judging by his later occupations and military service, and apparently continued to successfully manage the plantation, which was near Cabin Point, when he reached manhood.
On 12/6/1843 Eldridge married Mary Pocahontas Sledge, daughter of Amos and Mary (Shackleford) Sledge, Jr.. Amos Sledge, Jr. was a wealthy man by Surry County standards. He operated a major dry goods business and owned substantial property as well After he died in 1842, at age 62, his estate was valued at $ 11,451. Mary Pocahontas was only 17 when he died, and required the consent of a guardian, her brother Amos Sledge in, when she and Eldridge were married a year after her father's death. Her mother had died earlier, and she received an equal share of her father's estate, which was divided between Amos Jrs.' seven children. Included in her share of the estate, according to Mary Coleman Braxton, was her great grandfather Emanuel White and "other slave property", which she brought with her marriage to Eldridge Maddera.. Valeria Ann Maddera, the daughter of Eldridge and Mary P. makes it clear that the family lived a very comfortable life on their plantation before the Civil War erupted in 1861.
Earlier we described the Civil War as experienced by Valeria Ann Maddera and her husband-to-be William M Cotton. Briefly, here is how Eldridge A. Maddera went through the war. Like most of the gentry of Surry County he belonged to the Surry Cavalry before the war, commanded by Captain Travis W. Taylor. This was essentially a militia company, and served much the same purposes that the National Guard does today, available to quell any civil disturbance which should be beyond the capabilities of the sheriff and his deputies: for example, a slave insurrection, like Nat Turner's Rebellion; or repel an invasion, such as CoL Tarleton's Raid during the American Revolution; or respond to Indian attacks, such as those that brought on Bacon's Rebellion. In the early days of the colony, when men reached military age, they were required to register, and provide a horse and equipment ready for service, or pay someone else to serve for them. The Surry Cavalry had played a minor role in the American Revolution and had a lot of pride in their Company. My mother, Bertha (Johnson) Bartlett, wrote that her father, Sidney T. Johnson, was a member of the Surry Cavalry when she was a girl, in the first decade of the 20th century. She says he occasionally rode to Surry Courthouse on his black horse for drills, sporting a blue uniform with brass trappings and a gleaming saber at his side. Fortunately, there were no wars during his young manhood.

(Medical):44 years old, 5 ft. 11 in. tall, dark hair, with blue eyes and a florid complexion

Inheritance:
Eldridge, still only 8 years old, stood to inherit much of his long deceased father's and grandfather's estates. William West was appointed by the Court as guardian of Eldridge, to look after his interests until he should come of age.
The estate accounts of Thomas Maddera include the information that six negros were hired out in 1826 for a total of $ 66.45. They were Abram, Billy, Wilson, Lizza, Diumma and Mary.

Military:
Cavalry Lt.
As noted earlier, when the Civil War broke out, William Cotton and Eldridge Maddera had both enlisted as privates in the Surry Cavalry on April 20 1861, only eight days after the beginning of the bombardment of Fort Sumpter. The Surry Cavalry was designated as Company E, 5th Regiment Virginia Cavalry, attached to the 3rd Regiment Virginia Infantry. Together they saw bloody action on many a field of battle. In Sept./Oct. 1862, Company K, 13 Regiment Virginia Cavalry was formed up under Captain Samuel H. Burt and assigned to dashing Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's famed Cavalry Division of the Army of Northern Virginia. William Cotton was appointed 2nd Sergeant of the new Company K and Eldridge Maddera its 2nd Lieutenant. They participated in nearly every major battle in the eastern theater of the War from then until the end of the War. They were at "the greatest cavalry battle of the War, which took place on June 9,1863, at Brandy Station, seven miles north of Culpepper Court House. The battle lasted , without let-up, for twelve hours, as Rebel cavalrymen under Stuart and Union cavalrymen under Pleasanton, slashed at each other with sabers and fired their pistols at point blank range." (Story County at War 1861 -1865; Willis W. Bohannan; p. 41)
Like most of the gentry of Surry County he belonged to the Surry Cavalry before the war, commanded by Captain Travis W. Taylor. This was essentially a militia company, and served much the same purposes that the National Guard does today, available to quell any civil disturbance which should be beyond the capabilities of the sheriff and his deputies: for example, a slave insurrection, like Nat Turner's Rebellion; or repel an invasion, such as CoL Tarleton's Raid during the American Revolution; or respond to Indian attacks, such as those that brought on Bacon's Rebellion. In the early days of the colony, when men reached military age, they were required to register, and provide a horse and equipment ready for service, or pay someone else to serve for them. The Surry Cavalry had played a minor role in the American Revolution and had a lot of pride in their Company.

On the morning of April 12,1861 a rabid secessionist, Edmund Ruffin, a Virginian, pulled the lanyard to fire the first cannon shot into Fort Sumpter, in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. On April 20, 1861 Captain Travis Taylor's Cavalry Company was mustered, and its members enlisted to serve one year, in what was expected to be a short war. No one believed that the North would conduct a major war to prevent the South from seceding, which they viewed as their right under the Constitution. Eldridge Maddera was enrolled as a private. By September, Captain Travis Company was designated as Company E, 5th Regiment Virginia Cavalry and attached to the 3rd Regiment of Virginia Infantry. They spent the winter of 1861-1862 at Camp Cook, on the lower James River directly across from Newport News. The Confederate forces were positioned on the south shore of the James River to protect the network of railroads that connected Norfolk, Suffolk, Petersburg, Richmond and North Carolina. The Union Army held the virtually impregnable Fort Monroe on the Virginia Peninsula, which they used as a base of operations throughout the war.

In May 1862, McClellan assembled an army of 125,000 men and began his Peninsular Campaign. At Williamsburg - in the streets of the town and on the campus of William and Mary College - on May 5,1862, a sharp engagement between the Federals and the rear guard of the Confederate Army took place. "JEB" Stuart, Lee's dashing cavalry commander, was there and fighting with him that day was the Surry cavalry. McClellan's army now pursued the Confederates up the Peninsula - to within six miles of Richmond. At Seven Pines the first great battle of the campaign was fought on May 31 to June 2. General Johnston was borne from the battlefield seriously wounded, and General Robert E. Lee was immediately appointed to succeed him as commander of the Army ofNorthern Virginia. The Surry Cavalry was in the defenses east of Richmond, and there took part in the bloody Seven Days Battles. McClellan, his nose bloodied, withdrew his army from Richmond, finally retracing its steps to Fort Monroe, to take ship back to Northern Virginia - its invasion ended.
Company K, 13th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized in August 1862, mostly composed of Surry men, under the command of Captain Samuel H. Burt. Eldridge Maddera was elected 2nd Lieutenant on August 13,1862, a post he held throughout the remainder of the war. His son, Waverly T. Maddera, age 16, enlisted in the same Company. Almost immediately the 13th Virginia Cavalry was assigned to of "JEB" Stuart's Cavalry and took part in the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), where they defeated General Pope before he could launch his offensive against Richmond. Lee invaded Maryland, and the Surry Cavalry fought at Sharpsburg, on Antietam Creek, and on December 13, 1862 at Fredericksburg. The end of 1862 marked the high tide of the Confederacy.
Company K missed few engagements for the remainder of the war. They were an integral part of "JEB" Stuart's Cavalry Division of the Army ofNorthern Virginia. They fought at Brandy Ford on April 15,1863, the greatest cavalry battle of the war. When "JEB" Stuart was killed in action, they fought under Major Gen. W. H. F. "Rooney" Lee and General Wade Hampton. As the Confederate Army slowly weakened under the punishing attacks of General Grant, they were finally brought to bay at Petersburg. That bloody siege is legendary for its heavy casualties and suffering. Lieutenant Maddera was wounded near Petersburg on September 30,1864, but recovered and returned to duty within a month or two. Grant used his superior numbers to gradually outflank the outnumbered Confederate Army, and the Confederates were forced to abandon Petersburg and move westward toward Appomattox Courthouse. Lieutenant Maddera was captured along the way at Dinwiddie Courthouse on April 1,1865. General Lee would surrender at Appomattox 9 days later, on April 9.

Lt. Maddera was transported to Johnson's Island, a Depot for Prisoners of War near Sandusky, Ohio. He took the oath of allegiance at Johnson's Island on June 19,1865 and was released under General Order 109. At the time he took the Oath he gave his place of residence as Cabin Point, Virginia. He was described as 44 years old, 5 ft. 11 in. tall, dark hair, with blue eyes and a florid complexion. How he made his way home, we don't know. He and his horse had obviously been long separated so he could not fell under Grant's generous permission for Confederate cavalry to take their mounts home. They were, after all, personal property.

Name: Eldridge A Maddera Birth Date: abt 181? Age: 44 Enlistment Date: 1862 Military Unit: Thirteenth Cavalry (Sixteenth Battalion, Cavalry; Fifth Cavalry; 12 Months, 1861-62)

Name: Eldridge A Maddera Residence: Surry Court House, Virginia Enlistment Date: 20 Apr 1861 Rank at enlistment: Private Enlistment Place: Surry Court House, Virginia State Served: Virginia Survived the War?: Yes Service Record: Transferred to. Enlisted in Company E, Virginia 5th Cavalry Regiment on 20 Apr 1861.Promoted to Full 2nd Lieutenant on 13 Aug 1862. Sources: The Virginia Regimental Histories Series

Lived(s) In:
. From the sequence of visitations shown in the report of the Census of 1870, it appears that Eldridge Maddera, his wife Mary, and five children: Mary 18, Eldridge 15, Adelia 13, George 9 and an infant 2 lived next door, perhaps on The Marl Spring Farm. Eldridge's occupation is listed as "lumber dealer". This is confirmed by Valeria's recollection many years later that her father operated a sawmill. No value of land and personal estate is given.

Eldridge married SLEDGE Mary Pocahontas on 6 Dec 1843 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. Mary (daughter of SLEDGE Amos, Jr. and SHACKLEFORD Mary) was born on 25 Oct 1825 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States; died on 6 Oct 1872 in Cabin Point, Surry County, VA.. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Inheritance: Abt 1842, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States

Notes:

Her brother, whose middle name was Powhatan, served in the War of 1812

The birth of Mary Pocahontas Sledge in 1826, and her marriage to Eldridge A. Maddera in 1843 brings us full circle.

Inheritance:
she received an equal share of her father's estate, which was divided between Amos Jrs.' seven children. Included in her share of the estate, according to Mary Coleman Braxton, was her great grandfather Emanuel White and "other slave property", which she brought with her marriage to Eldridge Maddera.. Valeria Ann Maddera, the daughter of Eldridge and Mary P. makes it clear that the family lived a very comfortable life on their plantation before the Civil War erupted in 1861.

Died:
MADDERA.\emdash October 6th, 1872, at her residence in Surry county, Va., MRS. MARY P. MADDERA, consort of Major B. A. Maddera, and daughter of Amos and Mary Sledge, in the 47th year of her age:
Embracing religion 30 years ago, at a Baptist altar, she joined that church, and remained a most exemplary member up to her death. I do not believe she had an enemy in the world. Affectionate and amiable in disposition, firm and fast in her friendship, she was loved by all who know her; and nowhere was her worth more fully known and appreciated than in her own devoted family. Here her counsels, examples and influence were of the most salutary character; and to them in her life! and death she hath bequeathed a legacy more valuable than gold or diamonds. She bore her sickness with patience and Christian resignation that cannot be surpassed, and while her cares and trials were many, she never faltered in that course, but earnestly and steadily adhered to the cause she espoused, and was ever ready and willing to make any sacrifice for that cause. She leaves a devoted husband and seven children, a large circle of friends and relatives, to mourn their loss, but we should feel that we mourn not as those who have no hope, but assured that she has merely been called from this world of trouble to the realms of eternal bliss, there to receive her reward. 'Tis the earthly chain which did bind thee to us hath been broken. We would have detained thee longer. We miss thy tender voice, thy deeds of kindness and lore; we miss so much that kind and genial face which hath so long been in our midst. But, alas we can never behold thee on earth again. The lines, "I would not live always," were sung at her funeral service, at which, in the absence of her pastor, the Rev. B. E. Reed, of the Episcopal church, officiated. May her husband, children and friends imitate "the Christian virtues which adorned her character, and ultimately meet her in the kingdom above.

Va deaths index:
Name: Mary A Maddera
[Mary A Sledge] Birth Date: abt 1824 Birth Place: Surry County Death Date: 20 Aug 1872 Death Place: Cabin Point, Surry, Virginia Death Age: 48 Race: White Marital Status: Married Gender: Female Father Name: Amos Sledge Mother Name: Rebecca Sledge Spouse Name: E. A. Maddera FHL Film Number: 34153

Notes:

Married:
Mary Pocahontas was only 17 when he died, and required the consent of a guardian, her brother Amos Sledge in, when she and Eldridge were married a year after her father's death.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 25 Feb 1805

Notes:

Will:
"Anne" Harrison was named administratrix of the estate. We do not know at this time whether she remarried or had any other children. William Henry would have been only 10 years of age when his father died. We assume that his mother managed the plantation until William was of age and/or his mother died, at which time he no doubt inherited the property. It is usually financially disastrous to a family if the father dies young. There has been insufficient time to accumulate wealth, which usually occurs in the later years of one's life. The children are deprived of the instruction of the father in learning how to manage the crops, the animals and the slaves. We can assume that the slaves knew what needed to be done and kept the enterprise going. But the loss of the master, who did the planning and managed the business of the plantation, is irreplaceable.

The inventory of the estate of Gary Cotton taken 2/25/1805 lists eleven slaves: Lewis, John, Solomon (a boy), Michael (a boy), Doctor (a boy), Chloe (old), Sarah, Bede, Dolly, Patsy, Chloe. The slaves are valued at L848, two horses L55, one yoke young steers L 7, sixteen sheep L10, oId bull L5, five cows LI 8, two heifers L3, two steers L4, two yearlings L2, four sows L4, one blue boar L2, nine year-old hogs L5.5, eight shoots £2.5. Three beds and furniture L32. There is little else of significant value listed.

It is clear that slaves were by far the greatest resource and store of wealth for most of the farmers in Surry and Sussex Counties. Each plantation was a community in itself. Of the eleven slaves listed in Carey Cotton's estate only two were grown men able to plow the fields. There were three boys and six women of various ages. To survive, all would have to cooperate together.

Carey-Cary married HARRISON Nancy Ann on 11 Dec 1792 in Sussex County, VA. Nancy (daughter of HARRISON William and HARRISON Mary --LNU--) and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Carey Cotton 1765 - 1805
Carey/Cary Cotton was the 7th of the eight children of Richard and Betty (Weaver) Cotton. When his father died he bequeathed the plantation on which he lived to Carey.
Cary married Nancy "Anne" Harrison, called Anne, on December 11,1792. Her parents were William and Mary (........) Harrison. The Harrison family had lived in Surry County and Sussex County since the early days of the Virginia Colony. Her ancestors were (Benjamin2, Daniel3, Solomon4, John5, William6). In his will probated in 1804 William Harrison gave "to my daughter Nancy Cotton one negro girl named Sarah"..

The young couple had two children before Cary died unexpectedly in 1805, at the age of 40. He died intestate, which was unusual for a family of their standing in the community.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Military: American Revolution

Notes:

The Parsons family apparently descended from one John Parsons, Esquire, of London, an Adventurer of the Virginia Company, who arrived in Virginia in 1619. His wife's name was probably Elizabeth. They had at least one son, also named John Parsons (1639 -1711) who married Ann Thomas. They resided in York County, Virginia. John and Ann Parsons had four children; Elizabeth (1669), William (1671), John (1673) and Anna. It is believed that William moved to Richmond or Elizabeth City County, and had a son also named William, born in 1697, who married a Harrison. This William was probably the father of Robert Parsons (1720 - 1777) of Sussex County. Obviously, further research is needed to clarify this line of descent.
Sally's grandfather was Robert Parsons, who was born in 1720. He married Eleanor Hines (bom 1725) about 1744. They established themselves in Sussex County and raised a family of seven children; William/Robert (1745), Amy (1746), Henry (1749), Eleanor (1752), Mary (1755), Unity/Uriah (1757) and Elizabeth. Eleanor died 11/9/1770 and Robert died in!777, in Sussex County. Robert Parsons was apparently a well-to-do plantation owner.

Military:
It is thought that Henry saw service of some type in the American Revolution, but at this date we have no details

Died:
Before the 1810 census

Henry married STACY Hannah on 4 Feb 1793 in Sussex County, VA. Hannah was born in 1769 in Sussex County, VA; died in 1826 in Sussex County, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 1826, Sussex County, VA

Notes:

Will:
His widow Hannah died in 1826 and her son-in-law William H. Cotton was named administrator of her will This proved to be more complicated than anyone had imagined. After Hannah's father, Simon Stacy (1711-1784) died, the named executor of his will died without having completed the execution of the provisions of the will, which provided for an equal distribution of Simon's estate among his 12 children. Through a series of misadventures the case dragged on for 41 years after his death before it was finally resolved by the court in August 1825. The $204.83 remaining in the estate account was divided among the four descendants of Simon Stacy who had not died childless, were missing or had disposed of their claims to the residual estate. Among the four was Sally Parsons, whose husband William H. Cotton seems to have played an active role in getting the matter settled. But the judge placed $ 15 0 of the amount in escrow, in case any of the potential claimants missing or presumed dead should show up later. The last entry for this case in Sussex County court records was in July 1843, 59 years after Simon Stacy's death.

Notes:

Thomas Maddera ca. 1775 -1826
Thomas Maddera's father, John Maddera, in his will, left his lands, slaves and other property to his wife Elizabeth for as long as she should live or not remarry. And upon her death or remarriage the estate would be equally divided between his surviving sons, John and Thomas.

Thomas appears to have never left home. He continued to live with his mother and run the family plantation. His mother, in her will of 1814, 32 years after his father's death expresses exasperation that Thomas, now in his 40's, is still unmarried.

On 29 April 1819, five years after Elizabeth's death, Thomas, now at least 45, married Rebecca G. Thompson, daughter of William E. Thompson and his wife Frances. Rebecca was only 19 years old. She was born in 1800. The marriage was of short duration. Thomas Maddera died in 1825/6 at about the age of 50, leaving behind one very small son Eldridge Armstrit Maddera, to mark his passing. He did not leave a will and died intestate.

Thomas' widow Rebecca married again, this time to Hugh Hopkins, on 22 August 18,1829. Hugh Hopkins is listed in the 1850 Census as a "stave getter" and was five years younger than Rebecca. Eldridge, still only 8 years old, stood to inherit much of his long deceased father's and grandfather's estates. William West was appointed by the Court as guardian of Eldridge, to look after his interests until he should come of age.
The estate accounts of Thomas Maddera include the information that six negros were hired out in 1826 for a total of $ 66.45. They were Abram, Billy, Wilson, Lizza, Diumma and Mary.

Thomas married THOMPSON Rebecca G. on 29 Apr 1819 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. Rebecca (daughter of THOMPSON William Edloe and Frances) was born in 1800 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States; died after 1850. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alt. Marriage: 18 Aug 1829

Other Events and Attributes:

• Employment: Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States
• Will: Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States
• Inheritance: Abt 1780, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States
• Political: 1836, Surry County, VA

Notes:

Amos Sledge, Jr. was a wealthy man by Surry County standards. He operated a major dry goods business and owned substantial property as well After he died in 1842, at age 62, his estate was valued at $ 11,451.

Birth:
Amos Sledge Jr. was born in 1780, the year his father died

Employment:
Amos II also went into the merchant business, whether continuing his father's business or starting a new one we do not know. He was apparently quite successful.

Will:
When he died in 1842 the inventory of his estate occupied 29 pages in the Surry Wills and Estates Book, and was valued at $ 11,451, a substantil sum for the time.

. Each of the Sledge children received a substantial inheritance.

Inheritance:
In his father's will he received L 1000 current money of Virginia and his father's negro fellow, James, after the marriage or death of his mother.

Political:
The following gentlemen, who compose the Republican Corresponding Committee for the county of Surry will please remember that a full meeting of the members is respectfully requested to meet at the court-house,
the fourth Monday in this month, (being court day):

Wm. E. B. Ruffin, Philip Smith, Wm. H. Edwards, Walter S. Booth, James S. Clark, James D. Edwards, Drury Stith, Wm. E. Bailey, Edwain White, John Spratley, Thomas Ruffin, David Booth, Saml. Booth, Amos Sledge, David Hargrave, Edwin T. Spratley, Patrick H. Bilbro and Arch'd Davis
Richard H. Edwards, chairman.
1836

Buried:
There is a Sledge Family Cemetery off Route 10 in Surry County, about 200 yards behind the Hopper House which contains a number of family graves.

Amos married SHACKLEFORD Mary in 1800 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States. Mary (daughter of SHACKLEFORD Richard and BALLARD Mary) was born on 17 Jun 1784; died in Aug 1827 in Cabin Point, Surry County, VA.. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He married 1st Mary Polly Pattishall, who apparently died leaving no issue.

Died:
Obit Richmond Enquirer, Aug 14, 1827:

On the 7th instance, in the 56th year of her age, in Cabin Point, after 17 days of severe indisposition, Mrs. Mary Sledge, consort of Mr. Amos Sledge, a respectable merchant of that place and daughter of Mr. Richard Sledge. By the bereavement of this amiable lady the loss experienced by her husband and seven children, together with her neighbors, numerous circumstances and servants, can never be obliterated; her character was duly appreciated by all those who were in possession of an acquaintance with her, and whose name will always be cherished and expected. To say she lived as becomes a woman to live is the most correct eulogy upon her worth and virtue. Alas! she is no more and why should we mourn? Though her condition is changed her virtuous mind remains unaltered. Therefore, affectionate husband & dutiful children, do not lament at this premature separation, though the affliction is great. Her bark is destined to an eternal harbour, whither it resistable time is rapidly hurrying all.