Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Virginia. Governor's Office. Executive Papers of Acting Governor William Fleming, 1781. Accession 44479. State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Acquired prior to 1905

Alternative Form Available

Also available on microfilm - Miscellaneous Reel 2964-2965.

Biographical Information

William Fleming was born 18 February 1729 in Jedburgh, Scotland and educated at a school in Dumfries, Scotland. Fleming studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and became a doctor. After finishing his education Fleming may have served in the British navy, but there are no extant records. Fleming arrived in Virginia no later than 1755, and may have settled in Suffolk, Virginia, as early as 1751. Commissioned an ensign in the Virginia militia in 1755, Fleming served as an officer and doctor during the French and Indian War. After the war, he settled in that part of Augusta County, Virginia, which later became Botetourt County (and then became Roanoke County long after his death). In 1774, he commanded militia troops at the battle of Point Pleasant and was wounded. Because his wounds prevented him from practicing medicine, the Virginia Legislature awarded him 500 pounds for compensation. When the Revolution began, Fleming helped organize the defenses of Virginia's frontiers. He served in the Virginia Senate from 1777 to 1779, and was appointed to the Council of State in 1780. During Col. Banastre Tarleton's raid of Charlottesville, Fleming, the most senior member of the Council, served as acting governor in place of Thomas Jefferson whose term expired. Fleming only served as governor between 4 and 11 June 1781, when the Assembly reconvened in Staunton and elected Thomas Nelson as governor on 12 June. After the Revolution, Fleming was appointed a commissioner for Virginia's western lands (now Kentucky). He was a member of the Danville, Kentucky, Convention of 1784 which eventually led to Kentucky statehood. Fleming was a member for Botetourt County at the 1788 federal constitutional convention. He married Anne "Nancy" Christian (1744-1815), daughter of William Christian, on 9 April 1763, and they had 7 children who lived past infancy. Fleming died either 5 or 24 August 1795 in Botetourt County, Virginia.

Scope and Content

Acting Governor William Fleming's Executive papers are organized chronologically. These papers primarily consist of incoming correspondence during Fleming's eight days as acting governor of Virginia between 4 and 11 June 1781. The correspondence primarily relates to the Revolutionary War. In addition to correspondence, there are resolutions, a statement, and a militia return.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography