A Guide to the Joseph Sawin Ewing Papers, 1794-1965 #31871

A Guide to the Joseph Sawin Ewing Papers, 1794-1965

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 31871

Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Renee Savits

Repository

Library of Virginia

Accession number

31871

Title

Joseph Sawin Ewing Papers, 1794-1965

Extent

4.05 cubic feet; 9 boxes; box numbers 1-9

Physical Location

Personal Papers Collection, Acc. 31871

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Joseph Sawin Ewing Papers, 1794-1965. Accession 31871, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of John MacDonald Ewing, 1208 Morningside Lane, Alexandria, Virginia, 28 July 1983.

Biographical/Historical Information

The Reverend Joseph Sawin Ewing (1899-1965) was born in Illinois and spent a great part of his life in the midwest and west, serving churches in Oregon, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. A 1922 graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary, he returned to Virginia in 1950 as rector of South Farnham Parish, Essex County, Virginia. Residing in Tappahannock, he was active in local historical societies and served as president of the Essex County Historical Society in the early 1960s. He became interested in the history of local Indian tribes and early colonial churches, doing research and field work in both areas, locating early sites through records, maps, and local people. He published articles in Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine (1963) and Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (1965).

Scope and Content Information

Papers, 1794-1965 (bulk 1950-1965), of Joseph Sawin Ewing, consisting of research notes, correspondence, printed items, and published articles documenting Ewing's interests in genealogy and local history of the Old Rappahannock County (Va.) area. The county existed from 1656 to 1692 and covered present day Essex and Richmond counties and parts of other adjoining counties. There are transcripts of court records, correspondence, information on old homes, towns, families, and villages of Old Rappahannock County, extracts from published sources, and other historical information. Ewing also included King and Queen, King George, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent, and Westmoreland counties in his researches. The papers are divided into eight series including, Colonial Church, Correspondence, Indians, Notes, Pioneer Settlements, Research notes for published articles, Rosegill, and Subject files. Ewing's original folder titles have been maintained, along with the original series division. Ewing's method of titling folders appears to have been one of casual notations of content, rather than precise information on materials within the folders. Therefore crosschecking of folders and series is necessary to yield all pertinent information.

Organization

Organized into the following eight series: I. Colonial Church. II. Correspondence. III. Indians. IV. Notes. V. Pioneer settlements. VI. Research notes for published articles. VII. Rosegill. VIII. Subject files.

Series I: Colonial Church:

This series includes notes, maps, outlines, plats, and published materials used in Ewing's 1961 lecture series on the colonial church in Virginia.Ewing lectured at the Grace Episcopal Church (Alexandria, Va.) and the Abingdon Men's Club (Abingdon, Va.), among other places. Included are notes on Lancaster Parish (Middlesex County, Virginia), South Farnham Parish (Essex County, Virginia), and Upper Piscataway Parish (Old Rappahannock County, Virginia).

Box 1 Folder 1
Church road and Church road swamp
Box 1 Folder 2
Church sites
Box 1 Folder 3
Glebes and poor house tracts
Box 1 Folder 4
Lancaster Parish (Middlesex County, Va.)
Box 1 Folder 5
Leedstown Church and Occupatia Church
Box 1 Folder 6
Lecture #1, 1961
Box 1 Folder 7
Lecture #2, 1961
Box 1 Folder 8
Lecture #3, 1961
Box 1 Folder 9
Lecture #4, 1961
Box 1 Folder 10
Lecture #5, 1961
Box 1 Folder 11
Lecture #6, 1961
Box 1 Folder 12
Letter, Andrew Syme to William Latane, 1794
Box 1 Folder 13
Miscellaneous notes
Box 1 Folder 14
Reading notes
Box 1 Folder 15-19
South Farnham Parish (Essex County, Va.)
Box 1 Folder 20
Talks on colonial church
Box 1 Folder 21
Upper Piscataway church sites

Series II: Correspondence:

This series includes correspondence from genealogists researching families in Essex, King and Queen, King George, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties, Virginia.Correspondents include Stephen F. Bayne Jr., Laurance S. Brigham, Lawrence L. Brown, George MacLaren Brydon, George H.S. King, Howard McCord, George Carrington Mason, and Peter Quennel.

Box 1 Folder 22
Bayne, Stephen, 1959
Box 1 Folder 23
Essex County families, 1955-1964
Box 1 Folder 24
Essex County families, 1962-1963
Box 1 Folder 25
Mason, George, 1952-1962
Box 1 Folder 26
Matthews family, 1961
Box 1 Folder 27
Rosier family, 1961-1965
Box 2 Folder 1
Smith family, 1957-1963

Series III: Indians:

This series includes correspondence, clippings, maps, notes, and publications Ewing gathered on the Rappahannock Indians.Includes copy of the publication "Indian Sites below the falls of the Rappahannock, Virginia," by David Bushnell, correspondence, newsletters, and quarterly bulletins from the Archeological Society of Virginia, and a paper written by Joseph Ewing, Margaret Ewing, and Helen Rountree entitled, "Indian towns in Virginia's Rappahannock River Valley, 1608-1800." Also includes information on the Mattaponi Indians.

Box 2 Folder 2
Archaeological Society of Virginia, 1950-1964
Box 2 Folder 3
David Bushnell's book
Box 2 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1953-1964
Box 2 Folder 5
"Indian towns in the Virginia Rappahannock River Valley, 1608-1800"
Box 2 Folder 6
Mattoponi Indian town
Box 2 Folder 7
Miscellaneous notes
Box 2 Folder 8
Movement of Indians
Box 2 Folder 9
Piscataway
Box 2 Folder 10
Rappahannock River tribes and towns

Series IV: Notes:

This series contains miscellaneous notes regarding Essex and Richmond counties, Virginia. The folders are labeled according to the source of the information.Folder titles include Essex County land tax lists and order books, Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia records, chancery cases, Colonial Records Project, and the Webb family papers.

Box 2 Folder 11
Acts establishing towns and ports
Box 2 Folder 12
Chancery boxes
Box 2 Folder 13
Colonial period
Box 2 Folder 14
Colonial parish and county records
Box 2 Folder 15
Colonial Records project
Box 2 Folder 16
Essex County land tax list
Box 2 Folder 17
Essex County order books
Box 2 Folder 18
Essex County order books
Box 2 Folder 19
Essex County processioners book
Box 2 Folder 20
Fleet, Beverly
Box 2 Folder 21
Harrison, Fairfax
Box 2 Folder 22
Hening, William
Box 3 Folder 1
Land records, miscellaneous
Box 3 Folder 2
Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia
Box 3 Folder 3
Richmond County, Virginia
Box 3 Folder 4
School, George
Box 3 Folder 5
Sweeney's wills
Box 3 Folder 6
Webb family papers
Box 3 Folder 7
Wright's notes
Box 3 Folder 8-10
Miscellaneous notes
Box 3 Folder 11
Needs investigation
Box 3 Folder 12
To be checked

Series V: Pioneer Settlements:

This series includes notes on the neighborhoods resulting from the Lancaster County court order of 6 August 1653, which created Rappahannock County and appointed ten commissioners to oversee the local muster. The order described the muster limits, which included the home plantation of each commissioner. These neighborhoods are numbered by Ewing and listed geographically from the lower end of the north side of the Rappahannock River to the upper section, and from the lower end of the south side of the river to the upper section.Ewing's folder titles have been maintained as well as the original arrangement of the folders after determining the subject's location on the north or south side of the Rappahannock River. Materials within these folders contain general information on land transfers and ownership of a particular piece of land.

Subseries 1: General
- Box 3 Folder 13
  Source material
- Box 3 Folder 14
  I. North Side, Corotoman River mouth to mouth of Rappahannock River/Christ Church area
- Box 3 Folder 15
  II. North Side, Upper side Corotoman River to Thomas Brice's
- Box 3 Folder 16
  III. North Side, Thomas Brice's north to county line
- Box 3 Folder 17
  IV. North Side, County line/Farnham Creek to upper side Totusky Creek
- Box 3 Folder 18
  V. North Side, Catgut to Pepetick Creek, Leedstown to Bray's Church
- Box 3 Folder 19
  VI. North Side, Leedstown to head of river
- Box 3 Folder 20
  I. South Side, Christ Church/Saluda to mouth/Old Piankatank Point
- Box 3 Folder 21
  II. South Side, South of LaGrange creek to Saluda and Christ Church
- Box 3 Folder 22
  III. South Side, North side of LaGrange creek to county line
- Box 3 Folder 23
  IV. South Side, North from county line including Puscoticion creek
- Box 3 Folder 24
  IVa. South Side, Purcatacon/Piscataway
- Box 3 Folder 25
  V. South Side, North side of Piscataway
- Box 3 Folder 26
  Va. South Side, Pioneers on Hoskins
- Box 3 Folder 27
  VI. South Side, Occupason creek to head of river
Subseries 2: North Side
- Box 4 Folder 1
  Downman, Deschamps, Sydnor, Grittith, Davis, Woolard, Stonum
- Box 4 Folder 2
  Woolard, Smith
- Box 4 Folder 3
  Peacock's, Mar's Hill, Fauntleroy, Northern, B. McCarty, Swan
- Box 4 Folder 4
  Belle Mount, Belfields, Mitchell's
- Box 4 Folder 5
  Peachy
- Box 4 Folder 6
  Baileys, Downman family
- Box 4 Folder 7
  John Davis, upper part of Luke Milner's, Mark Milner to Thomas Hammond, Le Roy Dobyns, George Davis
- Box 4 Folder 8
  Hodgkin, Hayden, Travers
- Box 4 Folder 9
  Fauntleroy, Farnham Creek patents, Farnham plantation
- Box 4 Folder 10
  Farnham, maps and plats
- Box 4 Folder 11
  Downman
- Box 4 Folder 12
  Downman Hall
- Box 4 Folder 13
  Farnham River front
- Box 4 Folder 14
  Windsor, Farnham Glebe, North Farnham Church
- Box 4 Folder 15
  Durrettsville, Miskill, Calvary M.E. Church
- Box 4 Folder 16
  Cedar Grove, Nicholas Flood
- Box 4 Folder 17
  Farnham Creek notes
- Box 4 Folder 18
  Jones, Edward
- Box 4 Folder 19
  Edgehill and Bowerhill
- Box 4 Folder 20
  Farnham's Hall, George Payne, Chelsea
- Box 4 Folder 21
  Farnham house tract
- Box 4 Folder 22
  Woodford
- Box 4 Folder 23
  Cabinete Hall, Hornsby Manor
- Box 4 Folder 24
  Peacock's quarter
- Box 4 Folder 25
  Appleby's
- Box 4 Folder 26
  Robert Hopkins and Henry Fleets patents, north side of Rappahannock, Fleet's, Catpoint's creek
- Box 4 Folder 27
  Fauntleroy and William Lloyd, Stonehouse, Mangorite, Naylors, Rappahannock creek
- Box 4 Folder 28
  William Underwood, James Williamson, Robert Tomlin, Meader's, John Sherlock
- Box 4 Folder 29
  John Hull, forks of the Tutsky, Richmond Hill, Garland's mill pond, Indian field, Rich Neck, Charles B. Carter's estate
Subseries 3: South Side
- Box 5 Folder 1
  Smith, Nicholas
- Box 5 Folder 2
  Webb family
- Box 5 Folder 3
  Tappahannock Masonic Lodge
- Box 5 Folder 4
  Hobb's Hole
- Box 5 Folder 5
  Essex County history talk
- Box 5 Folder 6
  Peachy, William
- Box 5 Folder 7
  Back of Miles End, from river, below Piscataway
- Box 5 Folder 8
  Corbin Hill
- Box 5 Folder 9
  Catch Penny
- Box 5 Folder 10
  Payne and Tony Smith's land
- Box 5 Folder 11
  South Hill
- Box 5 Folder 12
  Waterview and Belleview, Young, Gatewood, Tuscararora, Waring
- Box 5 Folder 13
  John Robinson family
- Box 5 Folder 14
  Toby Smith, Ashland, Paradise, Hill Park, Peachy's, Oake, Joshua Fry, Browne's
- Box 5 Folder 15
  Baughan, James
- Box 5 Folder 16
  Essex County, Virginia
- Box 5 Folder 17
  Paul's Cross roads, north side of Old Mill Road, Woods, Banks, Conners
- Box 5 Folder 18
  Paul's Cross Roads, Gordons, south side of Old Mill Road
- Box 5 Folder 19
  Mussel creek, up and including New Glasgow, Rich Neck, Deep Landing, Sandy Landing
- Box 5 Folder 20
  Wood, Thomas
- Box 5 Folder 21
  Western branch, later deeds, Piscataway, south side
- Box 5 Folder 22
  Dunns Mill, Matthews bridge
- Box 5 Folder 23
  Middle branch of Piscataway
- Box 5 Folder 24
  Covington, Jones, Claiborne, Minor
- Box 5 Folder 25
  Jones Point, Rice Jones estate, Montagues, Mount Prospect, Rose Hill, Mount Comfort, Layton's, below glebe
- Box 5 Folder 26
  People, plantations, and land, Essex and King and Queen, Miller's Tavern, to St. Paul's, to Haile's bridge
- Box 6 Folder 1
  Goodrich, Mt. Maple, Fleet, Crow, etc.
- Box 6 Folder 2
  Clark family (George Rogers)
- Box 6 Folder 3
  Location of pioneers on Piscataway, north side
- Box 6 Folder 4
  Bowler's family, Mt. Verde, Corbin Hill, Adcock, Latane's, Slaughter, Peachy, Janey
- Box 6 Folder 5
  Piscataway Old Mill Road, on both sides, north side of Piscataway Creek, Halsey, Bray's
- Box 6 Folder 6
  Road to Piscataway Ferry, on both sides of road, north side Piscataway Creek, William Johnson, south half of Young's, south end of Church Road
- Box 6 Folder 7
  Bray family
- Box 6 Folder 8
  Clements, Mt. Clements, Dr. John Pittman, Poplar Spring, Henry Mace, George H. Dobyns
- Box 6 Folder 9
  Daingerfield, Reeves, Gillette, Button
- Box 6 Folder 10
  Edmondson family
- Box 6 Folder 11
  South side church road, swamp, small tracts, Beazley plat 1856, road to Church Hill, Burke plat 1810, Kemps plat purchased by Moses Crow, Burnetts
- Box 6 Folder 12
  Bridge branch of Piscataway, The Meadow, Allen's, Roane's, Mt. Maple, Edwin Upshaw's holding, Bohannans and Mill
- Box 6 Folder 13
  Meador, Thomas
- Box 6 Folder 14
  Gregory, John
- Box 6 Folder 15
  Meadoe's bridge, Paynefield, Prospect Hill, Gregory's, Daingerfield Mill
- Box 6 Folder 16
  James Taylor, Gregory, Pendleton and Taylor
- Box 6 Folder 17
  Henry Aubrey's land, James Taylor's land
- Box 6 Folder 18
  Henry Reeves land
- Box 6 Folder 19
  Edwin Thacker's patent
- Box 6 Folder 20
  Gatewood's
- Box 6 Folder 21
  Elizabeth Reeves Allen's land
- Box 6 Folder 22
  Mahockney, etc.
- Box 6 Folder 23
  Timberlake papers, Judge Lomax, William Daingerfield, Belvedere
- Box 6 Folder 24
  Blake family
- Box 6 Folder 25
  Brockenbrough family
- Box 6 Folder 26
  Archibald Ritchies manor house and lots in Tappahannock
- Box 6 Folder 27
  Henley house (Tappahannock)
- Box 6 Folder 28
  Coleman's land
- Box 6 Folder 29
  Goodrich, Griffings, Ritchies, Scandrett, Jones, Pitts, McCall's, Henley, Micou
- Box 6 Folder 30
  North side of Hoskins
- Box 7 Folder 1
  Upper Piscataway, north of Hoskins creek
- Box 7 Folder 2
  Roane family
- Box 7 Folder 3
  Rappahannock river
- Box 7 Folder 4
  Lewis family
- Box 7 Folder 5
  Gregories, Prospect Hill, Mt. Landing
- Box 7 Folder 6
  Brooke family
- Box 7 Folder 7
  Waring notes
- Box 7 Folder 8
  Beverly family
- Box 7 Folder 9
  Families in St. Anne's Parish
- Box 7 Folder 10
  Gouldman family
- Box 7 Folder 11
  Skinkers Neck and Moores Mount, Moss Neck and Corbins, Taliaferro's Mount, Charles Grymes and Richard White

Series VI: Research notes for published articles:

This series includes drafts and notes from articles written by Ewing, including "The First Justices in the Rappahannock River and the Formation of Rappahannock County," published in 1963 in the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine (Vol. 13, December 1963, pp. 1182-1194) and "The Correspondence of Archibald McCall and George McCall," published in 1965 in Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (Vol. 73, July and October 1965, pp. 312-353, 425-454). Included are notes, footnotes, drafts, and final drafts.

Subseries 1: "The First Justices in the Rappahannock River and the Formation of Rappahannock County."
- Box 7 Folder 12
  Draft
- Box 7 Folder 13
  Draft and notes
- Box 7 Folder 14
  First draft
- Box 7 Folder 15
  Final corrected draft
- Box 7 Folder 16
  Final draft
- Box 7 Folder 17
  List of colonial justices
- Box 7 Folder 18
  Notes
- Box 7 Folder 19
  Notes, Bertrand and first lower court house
- Box 7 Folder 20
  Notes, Gentleman justices, clerks, etc.
- Box 7 Folder 21
  Notes, Justices of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties
- Box 8 Folder 1
  Notes, Old Rappahannock county justices and court orders
- Box 8 Folder 2
  Speech
Subseries 2: "The Correspondence of Archibald McCall and George McCall."
- Box 8 Folder 3
  Abstracts
- Box 8 Folder 4
  Footnotes
- Box 8 Folder 5
  Footnotes and introduction
- Box 8 Folder 6
  Footnotes, 2nd writing
- Box 8 Folder 7
  Footnotes for the letters and introduction
- Box 8 Folder 8
  Letter transcripts
- Box 8 Folder 9
  Letter transcripts
- Box 8 Folder 10
  Manuscript, Footnotes for introduction
- Box 8 Folder 11
  Manuscript, Footnotes
- Box 8 Folder 12
  Manuscript, Introduction
- Box 8 Folder 13
  Manuscript, Letters I-X
- Box 8 Folder 14
  Manuscript, Letters XI-XXIII
- Box 8 Folder 15
  Miscellaneous
- Box 8 Folder 16
  Notes
- Box 9 Folder 1
  Other notes, deeds, orders, family notes, etc.

Series VII: Rosegill:

This series includes notes, clippings, published materials, maps, and an outline for a paper about the Wormley family plantation of Rosegill in Middlesex County, Virginia.

Box 9 Folder 2
Draft and clippings
Box 9 Folder 3
Draft
Box 9 Folder 4
Notes

Series VIII: Subject files:

This series contains clippings, notes, maps, and correspondence on a variety of subjects including Bacon's Rebellion, biographies on Henry Fleet and George Washington, highway markers in Essex County, mills, naval officers and collectors of revenue in the rivers, roads and ferries, swamps and creeks, and tobacco.

Box 9 Folder 5
Bacon's Rebellion
Box-folder: Box 9, Folder 6-8
Biography
- Box 9 Folder 6
  Fleet, Henry
- Box 9 Folder 7
  Biography- Washington, George
- Box 9 Folder 8
  Miscellaneous
Box 9 Folder 9
Court houses
Box 9 Folder 10
Doctors
Box 9 Folder 11
Highway markers in Essex County
Box 9 Folder 12
Leedstown Resolution
Box 9 Folder 13
Maps
Box 9 Folder 14
Merchants and shipping
Box 9 Folder 15
Mills
Box 9 Folder 16
Naval officers and collectors of revenue in the rivers
Box 9 Folder 17
Plats
Box 9 Folder 18
Roads and ferries
Box 9 Folder 19
Schools, colonial
Box 9 Folder 20
Swamps and creeks
Box 9 Folder 21
Tobacco