Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

LOCATION:

The lot known as the "Mary Stith Lot" is located on the south side of Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg between the now called "Nancy Camp Lot" and the "Orlando Jones Lot." Mary Stith's lot is designated on the College Map as lot 17. (See Tyler's adaptation of the College Map, Illustration #1.)

HISTORY:

Mary Stith was the daughter of William Stith, the historian and president of William and Mary College from 1752 to 1755, and Judith Randolph of Tuckahoe. Mary Stith never married. A sister, Elizabeth Stith, married Dr. William Pasteur who was, a prominent apothecary and surgeon of Williamsburg. (See account of the Stith family in Illustration #2.)

Little of a definite nature is known about the property of Mary Stith before 1810 at which date Mary Stith is located an a lot to the west of Nancy Camp¹ (Insurance policy #231 in the name of Nancy Camp, photostat in Department of Research.) A detailed description of this property will follow chronologically.

There is reasonable proof of Mary Stith being in possession of the property by 1785. In that year tax transfers record that Mary Stith bought¼lot of George Reid.² (See Illustration #3.) Also, in 1785 Mary Stith is listed as the holder of¼lot with an annual value of 18 pounds. 2 From 1801 when Mary Stith's lot held an annual value of $33.34 to 1817 when the value had increased to $50, apparently, the property taxed was the same lot. (Ibid.)

It is significant that in 1785 Humphrey Harwood, a Williamsburg carpenter and brick mason, made repairs for "Miss Mary Stith." Repairs, such as whitewashing rooms, porch and closet, setting up 2 grates, mending a drain,¹ etc., were also made by Harwood for Miss Stith from 1787 to 1789. (See copy of accounts, Illustration #4 of this report.)

In the list of tithables for Williamsburg in 1792, Mary Stith is listed as owner of 4 slaves.

By 1810 the property of Mary Stith was definitely located as a western boundary of Nancy Camp's lot. (Insurance policy #231, Nancy Camp, November 16, 1810, photostat in Department of Research.) In 1812, "Miss Polly Stith" is noted as on the north of James Wright's lot. (Deed between James Wright and wife and Dr. Philip Barraud, Tucker-Coleman Papers, catalogued, Department of Research.)²

Certain maps of the period in which Mary Stith lived show the lot thus: the Frenchman's Map (1782) indicates a house on what appears to be this lot; the College Map shows no name on lot 17; the Bucktrout-Lively Map (1803 & 1865) denote the name "Stith" on lot 17. (Copies of maps in Department of Research.)

The will of Mary Stith was made in 1813. Her dwelling house and lot were devised to a former slave, Jenny; the tin shop to Jenny's granddaughters, Jenny and Patty Gillett; and the "Woods shop" on the main street to the Bolling sisters. All the devisees were slaves of Mary Stith, which she 3 had liberated. To quote from her will: "my estate ... I dispose of in manner and form following, to wit: All the Coloured people in my family being born my slaves, but now liberated, I think it my duty not to leave them destitute nor leave them unrecompensed for past services rendered to me..." (For copy of will see Illustration #5.) In the will Mary Stith requested burial in the southeast corner of her garden. According to the Architectural Department of Colonial Williamsburg, every part of the lot has been uncovered (except a small area, 15 by 15 feet) and no grave or skeleton was found therein.

In 1815, the personal property list for Williamsburg denotes Mary Styth as owner of the following personal property: "calico curtains, 5 bedsteads, 5 chests of drawers, 1 cloathes press, 2 tables, Pianoforte under $300, 2 looking glasses of 28 underw^t, 1 secretary." (Microfilm, Department of Research.)

Williamsburg Land Tax Records following the death of Mary Stith, show that her property was held by the slave Janny Rowsey, and her relatives:

1820	Janny Rowsey	1 lot	devised via Mary Styth
1820	Nelly Bolling	1 lot	formerly charged to Mary Styth
1820	Patsey Rowsey	1 lot	devised via Mary Styth
1825	Beverley Rowsey	1 lot	via Jane Laurance alias Jenny Rowsey
1843	Beverley Rowsey's Est.	1 lot	buildings totally destroyed by fire in April 1842
1843	Patsey Rowsey	1 lot	buildings totally destroyed by fire in April 1842
1843	Nelly Bolling	1 lot	buildings totally destroyed by fire in 1842

A different system of listing lots came into effect in 1820. Obviously, from the tax records above the one lot of Mary Stith was divided among three heirs though each part is called "1 lot." It seems impossible to know which part of the original lot was owned by the three heirs, unless we accept the divisions made by Mary Stith in her will as quoted above. The "Woods shop" may have been the small house which has been restored as the "Mary Stith Shop."

The location of the Stith property is found, as previously, in insurance policies written for Nancy Camp on lot 18. Policy #7578, written in 1830, describes Camp's property, as bounded on the west by "lots formerly Mary Stiths," and policy #11,111 in 1840 describes Camp's property as bounded on the west by the "lot of Beverley Rowsay and others."

Mention of the fire in 1842 which destroyed the buildings of Mary Stith's heirs (noted in tax records for 1843), as well as buildings owned by Robert Anderson on lot 18, at that time follows. Mrs. Hannah W. Anderson, widow of Leroy Anderson and a sister-in-law of Robert Anderson, who was living in Alabama, in writing to her brother-in-law on April 28, 1842, said: "I was much shocked and concerned to learn by an article in the Phenix that your dwelling house and store had been burned down, together with some other houses ... I hope, indeed I feel pretty certain, that the house and property were insured ..." (Photostat copy, Department of Research - original in Huntington Library.)

From the Stith heirs the property apparently passed to Robert Anderson, as the land tax transfers for 1844 record that Robert Anderson acquired one lot "via Nelly Bolling," one lot "via Patty Gillett, formerly Patsey Rowsay," and one lot "via Peter Gillett devisee of Beverley Rowsey." (See Illustration #3 for copy of tax records.)

A resident of Williamsburg some years after the Civil War made the following statements concerning the square bounded by Duke of Gloucester, Francis, Colonial and Botetourt Streets (the block on which Mary Stith formerly lived):

The square bounded by Duke of Gloucester, Francis, Colonial, and Botetourt Streets had, at the time the Civil War began, and for many years anterior thereto, only three dwellings on it. At the northwest corner of this square, where Mr. Dick Braithwaite now lives, there stood a long story and a half wooden building with doors opening right on the street. This house was low to the ground, the west end of which was used as a residence and in the other end there was once a store. There were, when the war began, no more houses on this square 5 fronting on Duke of Gloucester Street; but instead there were immense brick gable-ends of houses that had long since been destroyed by fire. These foundations were often filled with water that afforded the small boys rare sport-boating in the summer and skating in winter. ("Recollections of Williamsburg at the Time of the Civil War," by John S. Charles, ms. p. 43, Dept. of Research)

Further history of the Mary Stith property can be found in the records of the Accounting Department, Colonial Williamsburg, though the chain of title is not altogether complete for the Civil War period.

IN SUMMARY:

Very little is known about the Mary Stith property on colonial lot 17 north. Apparently, title to the lot came to Mary Stith through George Reid in 1785. Though positive proof is absent in identifying the lot as lot 17 north, a combination of records given in the land tax accounts for Williamsburg seem to bear out this statement. The same source notes that Mary Stith owned property in the city in 1785, valued at 18 pounds. It increased in value until 1810, when the lot was assessed at $50, at which figure it remained until 1820. In 1810 Mary Stith's property was definitely located, from an insurance policy with the Mutual Assurance Society, as a western boundary of Nancy Camp's property. The Bucktrout-Lively Map (1803&1865) of Williamsburg shows the name "Stith" on lot 17. At the death of Mary Stith in 1816 the property was devised to her slaves. One of the slaves, Beverley Rowsey, was living on the lot in 1840 according to a description in an insurance policy of that date. A fire in April 1842 totally destroyed the houses, apparently, of Rowsey, as well as those of adjoining property holders. According to the tax transfers, the property passed from the Stith heirs to Robert Anderson in 1844. Mr. John S. Charles in his "Recollections of Williamsburg at the Time of the Civil War," notes that only one house remained on the block after the fire of 1842. For many years the lots facing upon Duke of Gloucester Street on this block held only the remains of the tragic fire: immense brick gable-ends 6 and foundations often filled with water. The buildings have been rebuilt by Colonial Williamsburg.