Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

I am sending herewith the revised report which we have prepared on the ^Lightfoot Allen-Byrd House (Block 3, No. 10) at your request.

THE ^LIGHTFOOT ALLEN-BYRD HOUSE
Block 3 - # 10
July 10, 1940

The first definite knowledge regarding the property upon which the "William Byrd Residence" stands is found in the map made by an unknown Frenchman of the year 1782 (or 1781 or 1786) which shows a large rectangular building with a smaller building adjacent to it.

Apparently the building indicated on this map is the structure still standing. The records reveal that some time prior to 1770, William Allen owned a square consisting of 8 lots in the city upon which he had a short time before erected a brick dwelling house with "4 rooms below and 3 above, a good Kitchen, grainery, and stables, with every other house necessary for a family…" On March 29, 1770, Allen advertised this property for sale in the Virginia Gazette (William Rind, Editor) as follows:

To be SOLD at seven years credit, or longer if required,
A SQUARE of 8 lots in the city of Williamsburg, with the following improvements, a new brick dwelling-house, with four rooms below and three above, a good Kitchen, grainery, and stables, with every other house necessary for a family, also a well of good water. The lots are all inclosed, and the garden well paled in; the situation is near the College, and very pleasant. The premises may be seen by applying to Dr. James Carter, and may be entered upon of 1st of May next. The price will be made known by
William Allen.

This property was apparently purchased by William Byrd III. In Byrd's will dated July 6, 1774, Byrd provided that his house in the town be sold "to pay Mr. William Allen for it." The will states:

. . . My will is also that my house in town be sold & a thousand pounds of the money be applied to pay Mr. William Allen for it; & the overplus to the payment of my Debts. (Virginia Magazine of History, Vol. XXXVIII, p. 60)

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In 1777, the executrix of Byrd's estate advertised for sale Byrd's "Brick Dwelling House with 4 Rooms on each Floor, situated in the city of Williamsburg." This property was at the time occupied by the Reverend John Bracken. During 1777 and 1778 the executrix inserted the following advertisements in the issues of the Virginia Gazette:

1777 - March 14 (Dixon and Hunter, Editors)

To be Sold Agreeable to the last Will and Testament of the Hon. William Byrd, deceased at Westover in Charles City County, about 25 miles below Richmond Town, on the 24th of April next, 100 Virginia born Slaves. . .
THE EXECUTRIX

N.B. The Executrix has also for sale, a good Brick Dwelling House with 4 Rooms on each Floor, situated in the city of Williamsburg, lately occupied by the said William Byrd, Esq; and at present by the Reverend John Bracken. The Dwelling house has all convenient Outhouses, and several inclosed Lots adjoining; also the very valuable Library of the said Deceased, consisting of near four Thousand Volumes. The House and Library will be disposed of either by private or public Sale as may be most agreeable to the purchasers.

1777 - May 16 (Alexander Purdie, Editor)
To be SOLD by auction, before the Raleigh door in Williamsburg, agreeable to the last will and testament of the late Hon. William Byrd, esq., on the 20th instant, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon,
A brick house in the said city with four rooms on each floor, now inhabited by the reverend Mr. Bracken, together with all convenient outhouses, and six lots adjoining enclosed. The premises are in good tenentable repair, and will be shewn to such persons as incline to become purchasers, any day till the sale. The terms of the sale are for ready money, but those who have demands against the estate, by bill of exchange protested, or judgment will have the same allowed by
THE EXECUTRIX.

1778 - May 15 (Dixon and Hunter, Editors)
To be sold on Thursday the 29th instant (May) at 4 o'Clock in the afternoon before the Raleigh door in Williamsburg, agreeable to the last will and testament of the Hon. William Byrd, Esq; for ready money, the dwelling-house of the said decedent, so well known, and have been already advertised particularly, that a further description is unnecessary.
THE EXECUTRIX

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It would appear that the Rev. John Bracken purchased Byrd's property, for on the map by an unknown draftsman of c. 1790, Bracken is listed as the owner of the square of 8 lots upon which the present "Byrd Residence" stands.

During the years 1785 to 1794, Humphrey Harwood submitted the following bills for repairs and materials upon buildings owned by Bracken:

1785 - November 26
	To 2 bushels of mortar 2/. & repairing plastering 2/	0: 4: 6
December 9
	To 3 bushs of mortar 3/. 40 larthes at 1/2. & 150 nailes	: 4:42
	To repairing Larthing & Plastering 3/0	: 3: 9
1786 - December 10
	To Repairing plastering in 2 Rooms, & passages & do a Cealing	2: 5:
	To 6 Days labr. at 2/6	:15:
1787, - January 20
	To 8 bushels of lime 8/. & 895 Bricks at 3/ pr. C	1:14:10
	To larthing & plastering 96 yds at 6 in Kitchen	2: 8:
	To Repairing do up stares 15/. & 8 days labr. at 2/6	1:15:
	To Ditto Kitchen Chimney & Oven 24/. & laying harth 3/9	1: 7: 9
March 24
	To White-washing 8 Rooms & 2 passages at 4/6	2: 5:
	To do 4 Rooms to Kitchen at 4/	:16:
November 16
	To 5½ bushels of Whitewash at 2/	:11:
	To 2400 Bricks at 30/. & 14 days labour at 2/6	5: 7:
	To building a Chimney to Landary	2:10:
	To underpining do & Smoke House	1:10:
	To laying Hearths at 2/6 & repairing 2 do. 2/6	:12: 6
	To do to Landary 3/6 & floor 12/6	:16:
	To plastering 2 Chimnies 5/ & to 4 days labr 10/	:15:
	To repairing Back-steps 10/	:10:
November 23
	To underpining stable 15/. & laying ye Dairy-Floor 6/	1: 1:
	To larthing & plastering 56 yds in Landary at 6	1: 8:
	To 5 days labour at 2/6 & 2 bushels of lime 2/	:14: 6
December 1
	To building a Stove 12/6 & 2 days labr 5/	:17: 6
1794 - January 24
	To whitewashing 1 Room at 3/9	: 3: 9
	To Whitewash	: : 6

By 1806, the Bracken property had been acquired by Samuel Tyler for the Williamsburg Land Tax books of that year reveal that Samuel Tyler owned 8 lots which he had acquired "via Bracken." An insurance policy of 1806 reveals that Tyler owned a dwelling house, 44 feet by 34 feet at what is apparently the location of the present "Byrd residence." This dwelling was valued at $7000.

Since this property is located in James City County, the bulk of the records of which were destroyed by fire during the Civil War, the history of the ownership of the property during the nineteenth century is fragmentary. Sometime prior to 1850 the property appears to have changed hands again, for in that year the tax records reveal that John Coke had acquired a lot from "Com. Garrett" and John Coke willed the "Byrd residence" to his wife in 1865.

In 1850 the above mentioned lot of John Coke and the buildings on it were assessed at $2400, of which sum the value of the buildings represented $2000. By 1854 the buildings were assessed at $2500, and the lot, and buildings at $3900. By 1859, the value of the buildings was $2800, that of the lot and buildings, $4000. In 1861, the buildings were valued at $3200, and the lot and buildings at $4400. At this time the property was "reassessed for new building."

In 1868 the widow of John Coke willed the property in which the "Byrd residence" stands to her children (see abstract of property, prepared by T. H. Geddy, December 22, 1920).

In 1871 W. W. Coke, executor of John Coke and of his widow, Eliza 5 Coke, conveyed title to this property to Mary E. Motley, who in turn conveyed it to E. M. Lee in 1880 (see abstract of T. H. Geddy). In 1881 E. M. Lee and his wife, Victoria Lee, conveyed title to this property to Hetty H. Titlow. Jerome Titlow and his wife, Hetty Titlow, mortgaged this property on several occasions, and in 1890 Thomas Cobb and George M. Peek, Trustees, sold the property to Miss Elizabeth Ruffin Henley. In 1903 Elizabeth R. Henley conveyed title to the property to Viola Hubbard Ware. In his conveyance the bounds of the property were described as follows:

All that lot or parcel of land lying and being in the said City and State, and bounded as follows to-wit: On the North by Francis Street, on which it fronts; on East by Queen Street and on the South and West by the lot of Elizabeth R. Henley. The lines around said lot runs as follows, commencing at the intersection of the west line of Queens St. with Francis St. it runs by said west line Queen St. southerly 142 feet, thence westwardly 96 feet to the lot or land of said Elizabeth R. Henley, thence 142 feet to the south line of said Francis St, thence 96 feet by said south line of Francis St. to the point of commencement.

In 1920 Viola H. Ware willed the property to her daughter Alice Ware (subsequently married to Ed. W. Woolfolk).

An aged citizen of Williamsburg, Mr. John S. Charles, in his Recollections of Williamsburg (written early in the twentieth century), in speaking of the "Byrd" property, said the following:

The square bounded by Francis, England, Queen and Ireland streets was owned by Mr. John Coke. On the northwest corner of this square, there was built in 1860 the law office of Octavius Coke. This house was removed to Fort Magruder during the War to provide shelter for officers of the northern army, while its owner was serving without shelter in the southern army. There was only one dwelling in this square, and that is the one now there, and known as the Coke House, now owned by Mr. Jackson and is in better condition than ever was.

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Mrs. Victoria Lee, in her account of Williamsburg in 1861 (written during early years of the twentieth century), made the following statement regarding the "Byrd" property:

East of the Bright house, in the next block, there was only one building. This was a large, square, brick house owned by the Cokes. At that time it had a small box porch in front. Tremendous gardens surrounded the house. I recall especially the beautiful crepe myrtles and pomegranate bushes. This estate was one of the largest in Williamsburg, but from time to time the property has been sold off in small lots.