Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

COLONIAL HOUSE NO. 133
Block 10, Colonial Lot No. 19
1940 Map

The ground upon which this house stands formed a portion of colonial lot #19. From a later record it appears that sometime prior to 1761 William Withers had acquired this property. In that year Withers sold lot #19 to William Carter.

March 16, 1761

Withers, William - Merchant
Williamsburg.
to
Carter, William - Apothecary.
Consideration: 375 Pounds

All that piece or parcel of ground situate lying and being on the South side of the Duke of Gloucester Street in the said city and bounded as followeth on the North by Duke of Gloucester Street, on the East by a cross street running from Duke of Gloucester to Francis Street, on the South by Francis Street and on the West by the ground sold by the said William Withers to William Holt, merchant, and is the remaining part of those two Lotts or half acres of Ground purchased by the said William Withers of Dudley Digges of the town of York Gent.
And all houses…[York County Records, Deeds, Book VI, p. 333]

Sometime prior to June 1767, William Carter divided the lot, selling a portion facing on Francis Street to James Anderson, a blacksmith.

June 27, 1767.

Carter, William
Williamsburg
to
Carter, James Surgeon
Carter, John - Merchant
Consideration: 130 pounds, due to Thomas Moore — grantees are bondsmen.

All these four lots of ground in Palace Street in the city of Williamsburg whereon the said William now lives, and also all that piece or parcel of ground 2 situate on the South side of Duke of Gloucester Street in the said city, bounded on the North by the last mentioned street, on the East by a cross street running from the said street to Francis Street, on the South by the ground sold by the said William to James Anderson, Blacksmith and on the West by the ground sold by William Withers to William Holt, and is part of the two lots purchased by the said Withers of Dudley Digges. [Ibid, Deeds, Book VII, p. 300]

Sometimes prior to 1796, both portions of lot #19 appear to have come into the possession of a single owner. A town plan map of that period by an unknown draftsman (dated by Lyon G. Tyler as c. 1790, but probably of a later date,) indicate that all of lot #19 was in the possession of some member or members of the Byrd family at the time this map was made. A second town plan map made by Benjamin Bucktrout in 1803 (and a copy of this map by Lively in 1867) shows all of lot #19 in the possession of Leroy Anderson, a son of James Anderson. [See William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. III, (1) p. 118.]

Despite the fact that Bucktrout's map of 1803 indicates that all of colonial lot #19 was at that time in the possession of Leroy Anderson, other records seem to indicate that that portion of the lot facing on Francis Street had come into the possession of Dr. Phillip Barraud sometime prior to April 1796, and that he conveyed the property to Mrs. Anna Byrd, the wife of Otway Byrd, in 1801, who appears to have held until 1825 of 1826.

A record of a case decided in the General Court of Virginia in James City County early in the nineteenth century shows that Dr. Barraud had acquired a house in Williamsburg sometime prior to April 1796. In that month Barraud insured the house with the Mutual Assurance Company. [See Virginia Historical Collections, New Series, Vol. VI, p. 170]

3

In a letter written to St. George Tucker from Norfolk on December 11, 1798, Barraud said the following with regard to his house in Williamsburg:

Do make Robin take the measure of our Sitting-Room-Hearth & send it me by the next Post — I want to get a Fender to protect us from Danger of burning the House & ravishing the lovely carpet.

Say whether the measure includes the blocks of the wood work or is taken with them.

[p. 19 Barraud Letters]

In a letter from Dr. Barraud to St. George Tucker of February 13, 1801, Barraud states that he has recently sold his house to Mrs. Anna Byrd:

On the subject of Otway's affairs I have much to congratulate you with — An unremitting attention to settlements of this Business by able Agents, has brought to bear a far different prospect of Things than had been anticipated. There appears a decided Balance of 6000 dollars in her favor — if not more. This conclusion tallies with Every Thing I had been told by our lamented Friends & delights the very Bottom of my Soul. Mr. Munford is now closing the great outlines of this important affair & will be with us some days longer. His presence has contributed materially to the adjustment. This favorable Result of Mrs. Byrd's Finances has changed her whole plans of future Life. Instead of going to her Brother's Family, which I never gave into it, is determined she shall become a member of your Town where she will not only bring her young Family forward more to her wishes, but where on her Income she can live among persons of all others she most loves & wishes to be near — The Ruin that has already followed her present course of Life & the knowledge we have of her unfitness to coerce a large & bad Family of Negroes has influenced her Brother himself & me in prefering this System. It is proposed to sell River Edge & all its appendages & we have an offer that will be closed most likely. We have no Debts to pay & conclude that our decisions are judicious.

Natt Burwell who had contracted to take my Houses has heard of Mrs. Byrd's wishes to have had the offer of them. He is willing to surrender & she has bought on her Terms.

[pp. 37-38, Barraud Letters]

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The Williamsburg Land Tax Records in the Virginia State Library Archives show under transfers the other property notes for the year 1802 that Anna Byrd paid taxes on property "late Barraud."

In 1806, Mrs. Byrd insured a dwelling house and kitchen on a lot on the corner of Francis Street which was bounded on the east by Botetourt Street. The dwelling house was a wooden structure 47' x 33' with two wooden porticoes, and the kitchen was a wooden structure 36' x 21'.

[Insurance Policy #711, p. 13]

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Referring to available residences in Williamsburg in the year 1809, St. George Tucker, after describing the Semple residence, said the following with regard to the residence which Dr. Barraud had sold to Mrs. Byrd:

The other is a pretty good house on the same street, not so well situated and having, I believe about an acre of land across the street where Dr. Barraud, to whom it formerly belonged had his garden. There are six rooms and a passage in this. It belongs to Otway Byrd, and I hear she offers it for $1200 though she gave $1500 not long since for it. This house is not in as good repair as either of the other but might easily be made neat and comfortable without much expense. The situation of this house is objectionable and the want of ground immediately about it of which there is scarcely any renders it by no means as desirable a settlement as you would wish...[Gratz Collection, Penn. Historical Society, typed card filed under Colonial Lot - Semple]

In 1812 a legal claim against Mrs. Byrd's property seems to have been instituted by a member of the Anderson family. In a letter of November 29, 1812, written to St. George Tucker from Norfolk, Philip Barraud said:

…When you get Reid's Will &c I pray you keep them that they may be for the convenience of the Attorney that may prosecute for the Right against Anderson. I apprehend there can be no Doubt that the ejectment will succeed-nor do I expect that any other Claim will ever be made as the obscurity of the Right & the unimportance of the value of this lot will be it's security. However, be further so friendly in this Business as to inform me if there is any thing more that I can do to Establish my Friend Mrs. Byrd in safety.[Barraud Letters, pp. 110-111]

In a second letter of December 17, 1812, Barraud wrote Tucker:

Your advice has great influence always on me. In the case of the Stable Lot & my Dr old Friend, Nancy Byrd, it weighs more than Ever. I hate the Law & I wish to do justice to the Dear Soul, in any way to satisfy her. I wish you would contrive this matter for me. I shall write to Coleman in a day or two, and ask of Him to see what Anderson 6 founds his claim on & to know if He will give up his Right for a consideration in money.[Barraud Letters, pp. 111-112]

The date at which this house was erected is not known, but two structures are indicated on its site on the Frenchman's map of 1781 (or 1782 or 1786) which make it appear that the dwelling and its kitchen were probably standing at this time. By 1817, Mrs. Byrd had left her residence in Williamsburg and was at that time attempting to dispose of the property.

In a letter of February 14, 1817 to Mrs. Byrd written from Williamsburg, Robert Anderson said:

Madam,
Having understood that you were desirous to sell your houses and lots in this place, I have been requested to inquire the price which you ask for them all, and the terms of payment. Some weeks ago I applied to Judge Tucker on the subject, but he informed me that he was not authorized to sell though willing to do so for you, if desired. I request you to communicate your terms either by the mail direct, or through him, and if not too high a purchase will be made I expect. It may be well to apprize you that, except the west side, there is not a post, rail, or pole on the lot used as a garden; and that the buildings and the enclosures about them, are very defective and much less valuable than when you left them. [Virginia Historical Society, Robert Anderson Account Books, typed card filed in department under Colonial Lot #19]

In a second letter of April 19, 1817 to Mrs. Byrd, Anderson wrote as follows:

Madam,
Your letter of the 25th february came duly to hand, to which I should have replied before this time, but a few days after its receipt I was taken violently sick, and have been thereby confined and unable to attend to business until a few days past. You desire to know how much will be given for your houses and lots--this will depend upon the time when 7 they can be delivered to a purchaser. If they cannot be taken from the tenants who occupy them, until the end of the year, they should be permitted to go to ruin from neglect, in proportion as they have gone for the last six or twelve months, they will be reduced in value so much that a very little would be given for them. If they can be delivered to a purchaser directly, they would be worth a greater sum, but I candidly assure you, Madam, that they are some hundred of dollars less in value now, than when you left them. Your fine garden spot is now entirely an open waste and common for cattle, horses, &c. The terms of payment will be another important consideration. …[Virginia Historical Society, Robert Anderson Account Books, typed card filed in department under Colonial Lot #19]

The Williamsburg Land Tax Records show that Mrs. Byrd paid taxes on two lots in the city, which had formerly been charged to Barraud, until the year 1825. By 1826, Richard Coke has acquired two lots via "Anne" Byrd, who was then residing in Lynchburg. [Williamsburg Land Tax Records, Virginia State Library. See typed card in miscellaneous file in department.]

By 1835, this property appears to have come into the possession of Richard Coke, Jr., who apparently disposed of it sometime prior to 1843 to Anne Field of Gloucester. [See Williamsburg Land Tax Records for 1843.] By 1847, the property was charged to Anne Field's estate. Sometime between 1847 and 1850 it appears to have come into the possession of George W. Southall. By 1854, a house and lot formerly charged to George W. Southall was accessed in the name of Helen M. Southall, who was apparently the person familiarly known as "Miss Matilda Southall."

The available records relating to the history of this property during the remainder of the nineteenth century are even more fragmentary than those for the earlier period.

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The reminiscences of three aged residents of Williamsburg regarding the town as it appeared at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War seem to throw further light on the ownership of the property. Mrs. Victoria Lee, discussing the properties in Block #10, stated that:

On the east corner of this block was the Southall house, the home of Miss Matilda Southall, who was quite a local character. This house with it beautiful garden has not been changed in the least.

Across from the Southall house, on the south side of Francis street, was the Roper house.

[Recollections, Charles, Lee, Vandegrift, p. 69]

Mr. John S. Charles, referring to the properties of this block said:

At the southeast corner there stands today, looking just as it did many, many year ago, the conventional one and a half story dwelling with its dormer windows. This house used to be called the Anderson's house. There were no outbuildings on this lot except a kitchen on the Botetourt street side [Ibid, p. 42]

Referring to George W. Southall, Mrs. Vandegrift stated:

...He had a sister, Miss Matilda, who lived in what they called the Anderson house, down a side street, and afterwards I think Robert Bright had it and he gave it to his sister, and some of John Mercer's children lived there. (This was the Ryland house). Miss Matilda Southall was a great curiosity. She was cousin of Miss Julia and Montague Thompson. She used to ask us to come down to partake of "raisin and almonds in dog hall, cow alley". She called it "Noah's Entertainment". Miss Matilda's house was a very old house.[Ibid, pp. 92-93]

Referring to the residence of Miss Matilda Southall later, Mrs. Vandegrift stated that:

...Miss Matilda Southall's house and the Waller House didn't have porches.[Ibid, pp. 95-96]