Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

THE NORTON HOUSE & GARDEN

April 15, 1935.

This house, situated on the Market Square, had a favored location for a residence or business, and it was occupied by a number of different persons in the colonial period, and early nineteenth century, and was often sold. A building first stood on the lot about 1716 when it was owned by Samuel Cobbs. Some time between 1738 and 1750 a brick house was erected on the site, and James Geddy's widow sold it in 1750 to James Taylor, a tailor and ordinary keeper.

Between 1753 and 1778, various owners, or tenants of the Brick House were, Richard Corbin and Mann Page; Hugh Walker, a merchant; Keith & Hatch, tailors; James Patterson, clock and watchmaker; Dr. Andrew Anderson, surgeon; William Hornsby, merchant; Bartholomew le Petit, a teacher; Dr. John Baker, surgeon-dentist, who treated George Washington's teeth; William Pitt; and John Hatley Norton, for whom the house is named.

Young Norton was the son of a very prominent London merchant, engaged in the Virginia trade, and handled all the Virginia business for the noted firm of Norton & Sons. He married the daughter of Robert Carter Nicholas, treasurer of the colony; and was an intimate of Edmund Randolph, who married a sister of his wife, Sally.

Norton & Sons acted as agents for the Virginia General Assembly, handling such matters of great public interest as the engraving of a paper currency issue, the issuance of copper coins for the colony, and the making, shipping and erecting of the famous statue in memory of Lord Botetourt.

In 1781 Norton sold this house to Mrs. Peachy Wills, who owned it until 1809. It was Mrs. Wills who wrote the amusing letter published in the Williamsburg Scrap Book under the title, "Mrs. Grundy of 1796". She sold it to her nephew, Robert Greenhow, and in 1809 he sold it to Roscow Cole who owned it until 1854. Cole moved to New York, leaving the property to the management of his attorneys, Lucius F. Cary and Albert G. Southall. Peter Powell next purchased this house, and the one to the west from Cole and lived there many years.

The house was extensively altered and rebuilt in the early Republican period, it has been repaired extensively but has not been restored.

THE BRICK HOUSE, COLONIAL LOT 162 (62)
January 11, 1934.

The first owner of this lot number 162 (62) was Samuel Cobbs, 1716. He sold it in 1719 to Samuel Boush with the lot on the west for twenty-four pounds.

Boush sold the lot in 1738 to James Geddy for thirty pounds. Geddy's widow sold the property for one hundred and fifty³⁰ pounds in 1750 (by which time there was doubtless a brick building on the lot) to James Taylor, a tailor and ordinary keeper, who mortgaged it to Thomas Hornsby. He lost his title in 1753.

The next owners, in 1754, were the Hon. Richard Corbin and Mann Page, who sold it for three hundred and fifty pounds in 1761 to Hugh Walker, a noted merchant. Hugh Walker leased the building to various people.

Keith and Hatch kept shop here in 1767; James Patterson repaired clocks and watches in 1768 in "a brick house opposite Mr. Baker's". Walker sold the property to the able surgeon, Dr. Andrew Anderson, in 1770 for four hundred pounds, who by the next year sold it to William Hornsby, merchant, for five hundred pounds.

Hornsby rented the building to Bartholomew le Petit, who kept school at the "Brick House", where Latin, French, Writing and Arithmetic were taught.

In 1773, Hornsby sold to Dr. John Baker, noted surgeon-dentist, for four hundred and twenty-five pounds, who sold to William Pitt, who by 1778 had sold to the young merchant, John Hatley Norton. Norton was married to Sally, daughter of Treasurer Robert Carter Nicholas.

In 1781 Norton sold to Mrs. Peachy Wills; she was Miss Peachy Davenport and married first Alexander Purdie, printer, second William Holt, and third Wills. She owned the property until 1809, when she sold it to her 2 nephew, Robert Greenhow, who in turn sold it to Roscow Cole.

In the tax books Roscow Cole is charged with this property from 1809 to 1854. In 1828 he purchased a lot west of the property that had a small building on it, and this lot was also charged to him until 1854.

Roscow Cole insured both pieces of property with the Mutual Assurance Society of Richmond, Policy No.5017 (a revaluation of a former one issued to him). Again, on May 21, 1830, he insured the brick house and the wooden store west of it in another revalued policy, No.7581.

10999 In 1839 the tax books charged this property to Roscow Cole, as stated previously. He was then a resident of New York, and the insurance on the property is in the name of Lucius F. Cary and Albert G. Southall—the brick building being occupied by Edloe, the wooden store by Pierce and Armistead. Cole paid the taxes on the property until 1854. That he was a resident of New York is sufficient explanation of Cary and Southall insuring it as they were evidently acting for him.

Cole did not sell the property until 1854, when he sold both lots to Peter Powell. Peter Powell owned the property for some years, before and after the War according to the recollections of Mr. Charles, Mrs. Lee and other old residents of the city. It would be possible to trace the title at the Court House from Peter Powell to the present owners, although—being 19th century data—this would have no bearing on the problem of giving the house a colonial name.

As a matter of fact the Cary family—for whom the present occupant thinks the house should be named—is closely identified with property on England Street and on the Court House site, and not in any way—except in so far as a Cary was acting as an agent for the owner of the house—with the house in question. In the case of the Peachy family—for whom the present occupant also wants the house to be named—they are already far more closely identified 3 with the Randolph-Peachy House and the Lightfoot House. Even if the evidence of Roscow Cole's ownership according to the tax books could be set aside, it still would be in violation of our principles of house-naming to call this house "Cary-Peachy" on the ground that Lucius Cary and Albert G. Southall insured it in 1839, because:

• (1)Houses are not being named for 1839 owners.
• (2)Cary, if one had the hardihood to assume that he was the owner of property which was charged in the tax books to Cole, would have been only part-owner, Southall also being named as assured in the policy above mentioned.
• (3)In the policy it clearly states that Edloe was the occupant of the brick house, and Pierce and Armistead of the wooden store; hence, even if evidence of tax books is disregarded, Cary and Southall were not residents of the property and property, in all cases where family names are used, is being named for those who actually lived in it as well as owned it.
• (4)The Peachy family house is on Nicholson Street, and the name is given to that house most prominently identified with the earlier history of the family. The next Peachy residence was the Lightfoot House. Duplication of names is being avoided, as well as names of recent owners.