Free Union, Virginia

Last updated
Free Union
Free Union Abandoned Building.jpg
Village center, 2023
Free Union CDP in Albemarle County.svg
Location of the Free Union CDP within the Albemarle county
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Free Union
Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Free Union
Free Union (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°9′17″N78°33′52″W / 38.15472°N 78.56444°W / 38.15472; -78.56444
CountryUnited States
State Virginia
County Albemarle
Nominally settled1761
Named for Free Union Baptist Church
Elevation
590 ft (180 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total187
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
22940
GNIS feature ID2629023 [1]

Free Union is a census-designated place (CDP) in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States, [1] ten miles north-northwest of Charlottesville. The population as of the 2020 Census was 187. [2] It is a small hamlet consisting of a private school (Free Union Country School), a doctor's office, a post office, a homebuilder, and several dozen homes. Otherwise it is entirely rural in character.

Contents

History

The area was first settled in the mid-18th century. In 1761, the region became a part of Albemarle County. Free Union was originally referred to as Nicksville after a free slave blacksmith named Nick, who opened a blacksmith's shop there in the early 19th century. When a post office was established in 1847, it was given the name of Free Union to avoid confusion with Nixville, another post office in the county. [3] The name was taken from that of the Free Union Church, which had been built in 1837 and is still operating as the Free Union Baptist Church. The church was "free" in that all races were welcome to worship there, and it was a "union" of four denominations of Christianity, none of which could have afforded a church of their own at that time. Including both Black and White members on the church roles was customary, as Black people were usually the enslaved property of church members. According to a history, "Records for the Baptist congregation in 1859 noted 110 members: 69 White; 41 Black. Following the Civil War, the tradition of mixed-race congregations ceased in most churches, as African Americans finally were allowed to assemble together freely under the law." [3] Free Union continued to be known as Nixville until the early 20th century, when the post office's name caught on. [4]

The Ballard-Maupin House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. [5]

Early settlement

Early family names here included Ballard, Burruss, Catterton, Harris, Maupin, Via, Rhodes and White (north of Millington as well as southeast of there). James Harris and wife Elizabeth obtained a land grant that included the area where Free Union stands today. They had six sons and five daughters and called the house, dated to 1755, "Meadow Bluffs." The last of the family was Reuben Harris. After the Civil War, he was forced to sell off some of the land. Several former enslaved people acquired small pieces of the land by working and receiving payment in land. Daniel Maupin (1748-1788) lived in White Hall area on the Maupin Homeplace. His son Gabe lived on what is now called "Brakeheart Road" in Sugar Hollow until his death in 1794. His grandson Thomas Maupin was the first of the Maupin family to live in the Free Union area and lived lived just north of Wesley Chapel Church. [6] Another early settler was John Rodes (1697-1775), of New Kent, Virginia, who acquired, for thirty-five pounds current money, 200 acres between the north and south forks of Moormans River, on March 10, 1761. Here, about one and a half miles southeast of Millington, Albemarle County, he established a tobacco plantation that became known as Midway, a historic home and farm. [7]

In 1776, Cornelius (Conyers) White (1732-1802) of Orange County, Virginia, purchased 1500 acres around Buck Mountain Creek. He was the eldest son of John White, the emigrant of Leicestershire. Conyers appears on the 1782 tax lists and likely built a log cabin about three miles southwest of the center of Free Union, at what today is known as the equestrian estate Fox Ridge Farm. [8] With rolling pastureland and forest—between Mechums and Moormans Rivers—and overlooking the Blue Ridge, it neighbors Midway. Fox Ridge is about four miles east of what became the White Hall district of Albemarle County about 1835, likely named for this family. In 1802, in the inventory of Conyer's estate were the following enslaved human beings with their monetary values (pound sterling): Ann and Child, £100. Phyllis, £90. Jacob, £100. Carver, £110. Jerry, £30. Fanny, £25. Stephen, £110 est. Ben, £100 est. Winnie, £90 est. Vilet, £90 est. Vilet Child One, £10 est. Vilet Child Two, £10 est. Vilet Child Three, £10 est. Vilet Child Four, £10 est. [9]

Cornelius White’s eldest grandson, Crenshaw White, lived at Fox Ridge until he left for Missouri with his wife Sarah Austin in about 1825–the first of that branch of the White family to have settled in that State (Chariton County), the second being James Early White (St. Catharine, Linn County). Crenshaw sold his interest to his brother Anderson White (1794-1880), who with his wife Lucinda Huckstep (1802-1882), raised 12 children at Fox Ridge in Free Union and are buried in a family cemetery next to their house, known as the “Quaker cottage,” which remains. He raised hemp, flax and tobacco. His neighbor William Harris Rodes at Midway named an enslaved male after him. [9] [10]

Civil war

Anderson White inherited Sam, an enslaved male, upon his father's death in 1823. His father, James White (1761-1823), owned 24 slaves at death on his farm near Nortonsville and Dyke, just over the Albemarle border in then Orange County. In 1860, his son Anderson owned 23 enslaved people at what is now Fox Ridge. Anderson's son James Cornelius White lived on the plantation, and during the Civil War, “As the story goes, J.C. left a negro slave in charge who promised to look after the family's health and safety. Mildred, (Mrs. J.C.) was sickly and Union soldiers came and took the Negroes and anything else they wanted, leaving Mildred and her children alone. Edgar [son] was nine years old at the time and remembers the black man crying "Mazza, I can'ts help it! Mazza, I can'ts help it," as he was dragged away.” Anderson “lost nearly all his property and otherwise suffered” after the War. In 1870, there was a Black family living next to Anderson, likely some of his former slaves: George Mills, age 61, born 1809, is a “farm laborer,” with Susan Mills, 40, Dabney, 21, Elliot, 18, Ellen, 16, Sarah, 14, Edmund, 12, Lula, 9, Joseph, 5, and Grant, 1, all residents of Free Union, Albemarle County. [11] [12]

Climate

The climate is characterized by relatively cold winters and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid temperate hot summer Climate).

Climate data for Free Union, Virginia(1991-2020 normals)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)45.4
(7.4)
49.1
(9.5)
57.6
(14.2)
68.9
(20.5)
74.4
(23.6)
81.0
(27.2)
85.5
(29.7)
83.8
(28.8)
77.6
(25.3)
68.7
(20.4)
58.8
(14.9)
48.8
(9.3)
66.6
(19.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)34.5
(1.4)
36.9
(2.7)
43.9
(6.6)
54.6
(12.6)
62.6
(17.0)
70.6
(21.4)
74.9
(23.8)
73.4
(23.0)
66.7
(19.3)
56.1
(13.4)
45.9
(7.7)
37.7
(3.2)
54.8
(12.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)23.6
(−4.7)
24.6
(−4.1)
30.1
(−1.1)
40.2
(4.6)
50.8
(10.4)
60.2
(15.7)
64.3
(17.9)
62.7
(17.1)
55.8
(13.2)
43.5
(6.4)
32.9
(0.5)
26.5
(−3.1)
42.9
(6.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm)3.50
(89)
2.84
(72)
3.89
(99)
3.32
(84)
4.31
(109)
4.83
(123)
4.50
(114)
3.44
(87)
5.14
(131)
3.68
(93)
3.76
(96)
3.56
(90)
46.77
(1,187)
Source: NOAA [13] [ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckingham County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Buckingham County is a rural United States county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and containing the geographic center of the state. Buckingham County is part of the Piedmont region of Virginia, and the county seat is Buckingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albemarle County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,395.

Randolph Jefferson was the younger brother of Thomas Jefferson, the only male sibling to survive infancy. He was a planter and owner of the Snowden plantation that he inherited from his father. He served the local militia for about ten years, making captain of the local militia in 1794. He also served during the Revolutionary War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hoge Tyler</span> American politician

James Hoge Tyler was a Confederate soldier, writer and political figure. He served in the Virginia Senate and became the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and the 43rd Governor of Virginia. He compiled The Family of Hoge, published posthumously in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cabell Rives</span> American politician

William Cabell Rives was an American lawyer, planter, politician and diplomat from Virginia. Initially a Jackson Democrat as well as member of the First Families of Virginia, Rives served in the Virginia House of Delegates representing first Nelson County, then Albemarle County, Virginia, before service in both the U.S. House and Senate. Rives also served two separate terms as U.S. Minister to France. During the Andrew Jackson administration, Rives negotiated a treaty whereby the French agreed to pay the U.S. for spoliation claims from the Napoleonic Wars. During the American Civil War, Rives became a Delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress and the Confederate House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Cabell</span> American judge

William H. Cabell was a Virginia lawyer, politician, plantation owner, and judge aligned with the Democratic-Republican party. He served as a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, as Governor of Virginia, and as a judge on what later became the Virginia Supreme Court. Cabell adopted his middle initial in 1795—which did not stand for a name—to distinguish himself from other William Cabells, including his uncle, William Cabell Sr.

<i>Partus sequitur ventrem</i> Former legal doctrine of slavery by birth

Partus sequitur ventrem was a legal doctrine passed in colonial Virginia in 1662 and other English crown colonies in the Americas which defined the legal status of children born there; the doctrine mandated that children of enslaved mothers would inherit the legal status of their mothers. As such, children of enslaved women would be born into slavery. The legal doctrine of partus sequitur ventrem was derived from Roman civil law, specifically the portions concerning slavery and personal property (chattels), as well as the common law of personal property; analogous legislation existed in other civilizations including Medieval Egypt in Africa and Korea in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Catharine, Missouri</span> Census-Designated Place in Missouri, United States

Saint Catharine or St. Catharine is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in southeast Linn County, Missouri, United States. Saint Catharine is located approximately four miles east of Brookfield on Missouri Route 11 in the Yellow Creek Township. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad passes the south side of the community.

The Chestnut Ridge people (CRP) are a mixed-race community concentrated in an area northeast of Philippi, Barbour County in north-central West Virginia, with smaller related communities in the adjacent counties of Harrison and Taylor. They are often referred to as "Mayles", or "Guineas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas H. Cobbs</span> American minister and evangelist

Nicholas Hamner Cobbs was a minister and evangelist of the Episcopal church who served as the first bishop of Alabama from 1844 to 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Rives</span> American judge

Alexander Rives was a Virginia attorney, politician and plantation owner. He served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, as a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jefferson Randolph</span> American politician

Thomas Jefferson Randolph of Albemarle County was a Virginia planter, soldier and politician who served multiple terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, as rector of the University of Virginia, and as a colonel in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The favorite grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, he helped manage Monticello near the end of his grandfather's life and was executor of his estate, and later also served in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 and at the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861.

Walter Coles was a Virginia planter, military officer and Democratic politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates and in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mary Hemings Bell was born into slavery, most likely in Charles City County, Virginia, as the oldest child of Elizabeth Hemings, a mixed-race slave held by John Wayles. After the death of Wayles in 1773, Elizabeth, Mary, and her family were inherited by Thomas Jefferson, the husband of Martha Wayles Skelton, a daughter of Wayles, and all moved to Monticello.

Elizabeth Hemings was a female slave of mixed-ethnicity in colonial Virginia. With her owner, planter John Wayles, she had six children, including Sally Hemings. These children were three-quarters white, and, following the condition of their mother, they were considered slaves from birth; they were half-siblings to Wayles's daughter, Martha Jefferson. After Wayles died, the Hemings family and some 120 other slaves were inherited, along with 11,000 acres and £4,000 debt, as part of his estate by his daughter Martha and her husband Thomas Jefferson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyke, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Dyke is an unincorporated community in Greene County, Virginia, United States. It is located along Virginia Secondary State Route 810. In 2020, the small store in Dyke was replaced with a larger one and a gas station.

White Hall is an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of slavery in Virginia</span>

Slavery in Virginia began with the capture and enslavement of Native Americans during the early days of the English Colony of Virginia and through the late eighteenth century. They primarily worked in tobacco fields. Africans were first brought to colonial Virginia in 1619, when 20 Africans from present-day Angola arrived in Virginia aboard the ship The White Lion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain Hughes</span>

Fountain Hughes was an American former slave freed in 1865 after the American Civil War. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, he worked as a laborer for most of his life, moving in 1881 from Virginia to Baltimore, Maryland. He was interviewed in June 1949 about his life by the Library of Congress as part of the Federal Writers' Project of former slaves' oral histories. The recorded interview is online through the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library.

Henry Washington was an American planter and legislator who served one term as a delegate from Prince William County in the Virginia House of Delegates before moving to Shelbyville, Kentucky and later what became Limestone County, Alabama.

References

  1. 1 2 "Free Union Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  2. "Explore Census Data".
  3. 1 2 "Village of Free Union History". Archived from the original on 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  4. "Free information". C-Ville Weekly. Portico Publications. 2007-07-03. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. "History – Free Union Community Website" . Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  7. Woods, Edgar. Albemarle County in Virginia. United States, Clearfield Company, 2009.
  8. Media, Ivy Life and Style (2020-09-07). "An Equestrian Virginia Estate". Wine and Country Life. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  9. 1 2 Streiff, Opal L. (1986). The White, Hill, Wiley, & Kuns Cousins. Loup Valley Queen.
  10. Research by Michael Charles Carolan.
  11. Dale, Raymond Elmer (1961). Otoe County Pioneers: A Biographical Dictionary.
  12. Census research by Michael Charles Carolan.
  13. "weather.gov". 2023.