Editors
John F. Howerton
Bryan R. Howerton
Volume One, Issue 1 Winter 1996
HOWERTONS: VILLAGE and CHURCH
By Bryan R. Howerton
The origin of the village of Howertons, Virginia and the Baptist Church located there is interwoven between the two, which are shrouded in the mists of time. Extensive research of the history of both the village and Howertons Baptist Church has failed to establish the exact date either began.
The present-day village of Howertons, Virginia is located in Essex County, Virginia about 10 miles south of the county seat, Tappanhannock. Continuing decrease of population precipitated the closing of Howertons, Virginia post office (zip code 22475) several years ago. The origin of the name of the village could have been the several Howerton families that owned land in the surrounding area. Their progenitor, Thomas Howerton, had settled there shortly after his arrival from England about 1663, taking up a large amount of land on Dragon Swamp (present-day Dragon Run). His original holdings straddled the county line dividing Essex and King & Queen counties, which were formed from (old) Rappahannock County in 1692. We have found records to show that William Howerton (1730-1781 owned an establishment called "Howerton's Ordinary", which was a necessary establishment in colonial America, providing a place for business, political, social and other meetings together with food, drink, and shelter for travelers. Although it is unclear whether he personally operated the establishment; we know that later, his son, John (ca 1760-1811), did personally operate the ordinary.
Based upon current limited knowledge, it appears that the name of the church was taken from the village in which it was located and that the village was named for the tavern or the several Howerton families in the area.
Several descendants of different Howertons of Essex County, Virginia claim that the church was named after their ancestor who donated the land upon which the present church stands. Nothing supporting these claims has been found in the records of Essex County.
The history of Howertons Baptist Church begins with Old Piscataway Church which stood between Dunbrooke and Minor where Beulah Negro Baptist Church now stands. Old Piscataway was planted by Elder John Waller, constituted 13 Mar 1774 with eleven members and the first pastor was Elder James Greenwood. Old Piscataway experienced phenomenal growth and soon reached 650 members scattered over a large area. In 1792 Elder Greenwood and members looked about for a suitable location for an additional meeting house. They chose a spot where several farms joined at a road fork near John Howerton's Tavern. They purchased from Thomas Clark and Benjamin Fisher one acre of land on which Howertons Baptist Church was later to stand. A portion of the land, Thomas Clark had previously purchased from Isaac Jordon. On this land they built, on the mound where the cemetery is now located, the Bestland Meeting House (probably named from the area in which it was located being called "Bestlands"; although, the village of Bestland, was located about 3 or 4 miles south of Howertons Ordinary. We are told that Howertons belonged to both Old Piscataway and the newer Bestland church. The new building was an unplastered frame structure with a dirt floor and without provision for heat and with a gallery for colored people. A log fire was kept burning in the churchyard to which those who became uncomfortably cold might resort during services. During service Rev. Howard W. Montague became exasperated with so many men going outside to the fire and has been quoted as stating: "I see some men are going out to warm themselves. If they had washed their feet and put on clean socks before coming to services, their feet would not have gotten cold."
We have been unable to determine the exact date the church began to be formally called "Howertons", but, it is known that for at least two years (1796 and 1797) it was called Bestlands Meeting House by the Dover Association (which included the Baptist churches in the area north of the James River to Chesapeake Bay and from Manakin through Fredericksburg to the Potomac River).
In October 1797 the Dover Association met in Bestlands Meeting House. The delegates from Old Piscataway Church were James Greenwood, Carter Crockston and Edward Ware. The primary subject under discussion was whether it was good policy as well as an act of justice for Baptists to form a plan to the gradual elimination of slavery among themselves. After prolonged discussion the delegates voted: "We sincerely sympathize both as Christians and citizens with these unhappy people and although we think it is a delicate matter we would not wish to be backward in promoting their happiness and liberty. Upon cautious grounds, we therefore recommend to our brethren to unite with the Abolitionist Society in proposing a petition to the general assembly for the gradual emancipation upon some rational and benevolent plan. But, as the Abolitionist Society does not refer to slaves now in existence, we would take occasion further to testify our disapprobation of that evil by recommending them to approve every opportunity to extirpate this root of bitterness wherever it may consist with propriety." That statement was adopted by the Dover Association in old Bestland Meeting House on 14 October 1797.
The Bestland Meeting House was renamed Howertons Baptist Church sometime between the 1797 Dover Association meeting and 1825. The earliest documented reference to the church as "Howertons" that has been found was included in a letter dated 24 Sep 1825 from Miss Winefred Howerton of Pleasant Green Plantation, Essex County, Virginia to Mrs. Charlotte Howerton of Halifax County, Virginia.
Present-day Howertons Baptist Church meets in a two-story red brick building - some say this is the third similar building and others maintain it is the fifth to serve the congregation. Some of the furniture, which has been well maintained, appears to be from a much earlier time and lends a certain additional dignity to the church. A separate educational building is located behind the sanctuary. A sign in the churchyard indicates the church was established in 1856. We knew the church was known as "Howertons" prior to that date and inquired of the pastor, church historian, and other members, why the inconsistency. We learned that the Old Piscataway and Bestland (known as "Howerton") Churches had functioned as a single church and that in 1856 it was decided to be best for those meeting as Bestland to form a new and separate church. That new church, officially named Howertons, consisted of 63 white and 23 black members. After the Civil War the black members withdrew and formed Oak Grove Baptist Church in Bestland.
HOWERTON ORIGINS
By John F. Howerton
Oral tradition has always been that the Howertons came from somewhere in England. Because no one could find any evidence showing where the Howertons originated, many unsupported traditions arose.
One of the first traditions came from The National Library of Wales, Calendar of Deeds and Documents, Volume III, The Hawarden Deeds, compiled by Francis Green and published in 1931. Alan Reid mentioned the same name, Hawarden, in The Castles of Wales, published in London.
A Mr. Sosnow of New York gave the myth that Howerton came from Hawarden credence in a letter dated 22 November 1958 to a Howerton in Mississippi. He wrote, "We have been looking high and low, here and in England, for records of the Howerton family. Always we come up with the spelling "Hawarden." We cannot find out if it is the earlier spelling of "Howerton." I took up the possibility of the spelling with the chief genealogist of the New York library. He believes that "Hawarden" could very well have been the original spelling as they would have pronounced this in Wales, if not distinctly Howerton, they early pronounced it probably "Harden," with a broad "A" and the "D" as "T." Our English researcher reported that he had found "Hawarden's" thus: one from Widnes, Lancashire, England; one from Appleton and Wolston, Lancashire, and Burkes Peerage lists Viscount Hawarden."
The Howerton in Mississippi (deceased in 1973) wrote to other Howertons, after reading the Sosnow letter that it " . . . whetted my appetite for more information, so I browsed through the Britannica and found under "Hawarden" the following: "HAWARDEN (pronounced Harden), a town of the civil parish of Flintshire . . . Hawarden Castle . . . stands in a fine wooded park near the medieval castle of the same name . . . The modern house (Castle) passed to W. E. Gladstone who lived there 60 years. The grammar school dates from 1607 . . . " She went on to write, "As I have said . . . no one can claim that all persons bearing the Hawarden or Howerton were of the peerage class. However, what Mr. Sosnow has written me and what I have just quoted from the Britannica, seems to verify the Rev. Neathery's [a Howerton descendant], I don't know where he got it, that the Howerton family's early records date from Howarden, he spelled it, Castle in Wales."
The Historical Research Center, Inc., prints and sells an official looking scroll entitled, Family Name History, with the surname HOWERTON inserted. The scroll has a fancy seal at the bottom, with the date and number of registration added by the seller. The designs for these scrolls were copyrighted beginning in 1966, and recopy righted several times since. The scroll claims the name Howerton "is an aspirated form of Owerton or Overton." These scrolls are often found in areas frequented by tourists.
There is no evidence to support either of the above assumptions about the name Howerton. We do have evidence of families in England who spelled their name Howerton.
There are distinct records of Howerton marriages in different places: A marriage occurred between Ann Howerton and John Richardson, 27 Nov. 1716 at Gilling Near Helmsley, Yorkshire, England; Hannah Howerton married James P. Hutchinson in 1736 at Belfast, Antrim, Ireland; Robert Howerton married Ann Thompson, 19 Oct. 1694 at St. Mary's, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; they record five marriages at St. Leonard's, Bridgenorth, Shropshire, England.
They recorded the first marriage in St. Leonard's parish church 18 May 1642 between Elizabeth Howarton[sic] and John Wheeler. Richard Howerton married Frances Gordurice, 30 May 1654, Frances Howerton married John Head, 10 Dec. 1683, Jane Howerton married William Shipman, 11 Dec. 1739, and Sarah Howerton married Richard Cheese, 19 Jun. 1744.
In the Parish records, St. Leonard's, Bridgenorth, Shropshire, England, Volume I records baptisms and burials of Howertons. The earliest baptism was on 27 Feb. 1624 (page 155), another 11 Nov. 1627 and the last on 31 Aug. 1695.
The records of marriages, baptisms, and burials confirm the presence of families bearing the name Howerton in several areas of England. The name was distinct. Howerton's were living in St. Leonard's Parish as early as 1624 and some were still there at the close of the 17th century. There is no evidence to identify the Howerton family to which Hannah Howerton in Ireland belonged or where she came from.
They have produced no evidence that links the name Howerton to any other name in England. Any such effort is an assumption. The name Howerton was used and stood alone in the church records of England and Ireland.
HOWERTONS LOST IN THE WEST
By John F. Howerton
JEREMIAH HOWERTON (ca 1796) Jeremiah was born about 1796 in Prince Edward County, Virginia, the son of Grief Howerton. On 3 January 1817 he married Lucy Johnson in Rhea County, Tennessee. In 1819 they listed him on the Rhea County, Tennessee tax list. Jeremiah sold property in Rhea County on 27 March 1826 and 24 December 1829.
He was in White County, Arkansas by 24 September 1838. They recorded the following on page 252, Deed Book A, White County: "To All Whom It May Concern: Greeting: Be it known that Jeremiah Howerton having been elected by Arkansas annual conference of ministers and delegates was ordained for the office of a deacon in the Methodist Protestant Church and he is hereby authorized by said Conference to baptize to assist the Elder in the administration of the Lords Supper and to celebrate matrimony and to preach and expound the Holy Scriptures so long as his life and Doctrine accord with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Signed by order and in behalf of the Arkansas Conference."
The 1840 U.S. Census report for Cooper County, Missouri showed him as the head ofa household of eight. Apparently, at the time he had four sons and two daughters.
Two of his brothers who came to Missouri in the late 1830's, reportedly, had a dispute on their way from Tennessee to Missouri. One brother settled in Dallas County and the other in Barry County. It is uncertain whether Jeremiah was involved in the dispute or not.
According to oral tradition, Jeremiah rode a circuit as a Methodist preacher in Missouri and eventually moved into Arkansas. By 1850 he was living in Tarrant County, Texas (area of Fort Worth) and listed in the U.S. Census as a Methodist minister. We know two of his sons only by initials and two are unknown.
It is unknown what happened to Jeremiah. No link to him has ever been claimed by any Howertons.
HARLEIGH C. HOWERTON (born 11 Feb. 1898) and His descendants. Harleigh was born to Shelburn W. Howerton (born May 1862) in Spencer County, Kentucky and Leota A. Kline (born July 1869) in Indiana. Shelburn and Leota had three known children: Claude (born ca 1895), Harleigh C. (born 11 Feb. 1898) in Indiana, and Helen F., born in 1904.
In 1900 Shelburn, Leota, and son, "Harlie," were living at 1213 Harrison Avenue, Canyon City, Fremont County, Colorado. By 1920 they were living at 512 Greydine Avenue, East Canon, Fremont County, and Harleigh, age thirty-one was still at home.
We do not know if Harleigh ever married. He was issued a Social Security card, 523-03-7980, in Colorado. He died in January 1974 in Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado. Where and who are his descendants?
JAMES T. (Jim) HOWERTON (born July 1857 in Madison County, Arkansas) In 1860 James was living with his parents in War Eagle Township, Madison County, Arkansas. Ten years later, the family was living in Buck Prairie Township in Lawrence County, Missouri.
About 1888 he married Alice S. Jenkins (born Feb 1864 in Illinois). We know from the 1910 U.S. Census she was his second wife. In 1900 James and family were still living in Buck Prairie. His mother-in-law, Mildred Jenkins was living in the household. By his first wife he had five known children: Armie, daughter, born Jun 1882, MO Lockie, daughter, born Feb 1885, MO William, son, born 1887, MO Austin, son, born 1890, MO Earl, son, born 1894, MO He and Alice had a total of four known children: Gladys, daughter, born Apr 1899, MOCecila R., daughter, born 1901, MO F.Helen, daughter, born 1903, MOLeroy H., son, born 1906, MO In 1910, James T. Howerton, age 50, and his second wife, Alice S. Howerton, age 46, were living in Midvale Precinct, Washington County, Idaho. Alice reported this was her first marriage and she had been married twelve years. She had given birth to four children (listed above). James' three oldest children by his first wife had apparently left home. James and Alice returned to Missouri and in 1920 were living in Stone County with their youngest children, Helen and Leroy.
Two sons, Austin and Earl seem to have moved from Idaho to California. Austin (born 28 Nov 1889) apparently settled in Auberry, Fresno County, California and was living there at the time of his death in September 1970.
Earl O. Howerton (born 13 Jan 1894) moved to Tulare County, California and in 1920 was living there with his wife, Eula. When he died in July 1985 he was living in Benicia, Solano County, California.
We are seeking information on the descendants of James T. (Jim)
Howerton.
CHARLES HENRY HOWERTON (born 29 March 1857) lost descendants. At least two of the sons of Charles Henry Howerton and Nancy Coleman Jackson went west.
Charles was born in Tennessee and moved to Rock Springs, Carroll County, Arkansas where he died 18 Jun 1919. His wife, Nancy, was born 9 August 1861 in Kings River, Carroll County, Arkansas, and died 19 April 1933 in Rock Springs. The couple had eleven children. At least four of the children died before reaching adulthood.
Cleo Ami Howerton (born 3 April 1897) married Wilma W. Minich and apparently remained in Arkansas all his life. He died in May 1969 in Green Forest, Carroll County, Arkansas. Nothing is known about his life or possible children.
Charles Loren Howerton (born 28 Jul 1887) married Julia Mack Miller. The couple had at least four children. Nothing else is known about them.
Claude Frank Howerton (born 13 April 1889) and married Gertrude Wright on 8 Aug 1914 in Carroll County, Arkansas. He moved west to California at sometime in his life. He died in Dec 1968 in Norwalk, Los Angeles County, California. Nothing is known about the couple or possible children.
Homer Howerton (born 4 April 1902). Nothing known about him.
Oscar Shurman Howerton (4 April 1902) moved west. He died in April 1985 in Gabbs, Nye County, Nevada. No details of his life are known.
What happened to these sons? Who were their wives and children, if any?
Between Newtown and Owenton, standing alone, surrounded by a few aged trees, at the end of a long straight lane looking south from today/s Route 660 is the farmhouse of Church Farm. It is deserted now and no longer shelters a family or owner trying to scratch a living from the land.
Built sometime about 1800, Church Farm was the center of the farm and plantation of Robert Gaines Howerton (c. 1796-1854), his widow, Sarah, and his son, Robert G. Howerton, Jr. (1841-1894) for almost one hundred years. Actually, the tract of some 265 acres farmed by this family had been founded about the time, or perhaps just before, Robert G. Howerton, Sr., was born. The complete loss of the pre-Civil War records of King & Queen County [Virginia] in fires during that War has made it impossible to trace fully the history of the holding. Fortunately, however, the Howerton family had been living in Essex county since the arrival there of one Thomas "Haywarton" before 1663. The history of the family has been traced down to the periods after the Revolution, after which most of the Howertons left the area. As the branch of the Howerton family that stayed in King & Queen County has not been described anywhere before, a little background is needed.
The immigrant Thomas Haywarton/Howerton was born in England about 1640 and arrived in Virginia about 1668 [1663] and his line has been traced there, following his death before 1700, through two subsequent Thomas Howertons to Lt. Heritage Howerton (1734-1794), who fought in the Southern Campaign in the Revolution and was present at Yorktown in the final victory. His Pioneer Unit (comparable to today's Corp of Engineers) may well have worked on the battlements still visible today. Heritage was one of ten children still living at the time of his father's death, six sons and four daughters. Like his ancestors, Heritage Howerton lived as a farmer in Essex County on lands bordering Dragon Swamp, just southeast of the present crossroad of Howertons.
Ambrose Howerton (c. 1757-1794), the second son of Heritage, was deeded by his father a large tract, some 100 acres, on Dragon Swamp, but in 1782, in the first tax lists following the Revolution, Ambrose is listed as a taxpayer in King & Queen County, indicating that he also held land there. It is possible that he was living there as well since he is not listed in Essex County. However, he is recorded as living on land in Essex at his death in 1800. Ambrose was survived by his wife, Catherine Howerton, and five children and his sizeable estate was divided among them.
Ambrose's widow, "Caty" Howerton, died in late 1813, still living in Essex County, and her will bequeaths her entire estate to her youngest son, Robert Gaines Howerton, who was not yet 21. Because he was heir to property from his father, Robert had been placed under the guardianship of an older cousin, John Haile, in 1802. He would have assumed ownership on this bequest sometime in 1817, when he turned 21 and married. Here again, the lack of King & Queen County records makes it impossible to document specific actions, but the fact is that Robert was the owner of Church Farm sometime before 1820, when he first appears in the census for King & Queen County.
Thus, Ambrose Howerton was the initial owner and builder of the Church Farm house if it was built before 1800; or possibly his widow, Caty Howerton was, if the house was built between 1800 and 1813. But it is also possible that Robert G. Howerton, born about 1796, inheriting the land in 1817 when he became 21, built the present homestead.
The origin of the name "Church Farm" is not known today. There was no church nearby, nor is there any known association with a church or a family of that name. In the 1860's, the home was called "Church Hill" by the Howertons, who used the title as an address. This is even odder, because there is certainly nothing like a hill anywhere near. Later, in the 1880's, deeds refer to the tract as "Church Farm" and it remains today in the county land books under this name.
We know, at any rate, that Robert G. Howerton lived, farmed, and raised two families while living at Church Farm. Having come into ownership of a viable farm, Robert added to the holding until, at his death, he owned a total of 756 acres. Again, due to the loss of records, it cannot be said when he purchased the additional land, or exactly which tracts are involved. The 1850 census shows Robert G. Howerton with 680 acres and 31 slaves. The farm's value is estimated at $4,500, and is a little above the general average in size for the county. It was a productive farm, with oxen for work, sheep for wool (30 lbs.) And hogs, as well as wheat, corn, potatoes, peas, and beans.
Robert married twice and had, in effect, two families, a situation underscored by his will. His first wife was Elizabeth Lumpkin, a daughter of a Moore Lumpkin who left King & Queen County in the early 1800's for Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were married in December, 1817, just months after Robert's 21st birthday; Elizabeth, born July 22, 1796, was also 21. A new found Bible record reveals, for the first time, the tragic fact that, although only four daughters were known to have survived, Robert and Elizabeth had nine children - one lost at birth and two who died in childhood, but also two sons, nearly grown, who died in the same year, 1840. What hopes must have died with them! The oldest, at age 19, was named Ambrose More Howerton, obviously in honor of his two grandfathers, and the younger, at 17, was a "Robert Gaines Howerton 2d." Elizabeth died after 19 years of marriage, on 24 March 1836. Early the next year, Robert married Sarah Ann Lumpkin (1808-1876), the daughter of Henry & Sarah (Townley) Lumpkin.
The four daughters of Robert and Elizabeth who lived to grow up married well. They are each named in his 1854 will: Mary Catherine Brumley (later spelled Brownley), Anna Elizabeth Archer, Jane Trice, and (still single) Ellen V. Howerton. Robert gave them, to be divided equally, "all my land on the East side from my house containing about 500 acres, together with some 11 slaves. The four married daughters (Ellen married in 1855, to William Wright) apparently did not live on this tract. Mary C. And her husband, Joseph Brownley, remained throughout their lifetime at "Eastern View", and their eldest daughter, Lucy T. Brownley, who did not marry, was deeded the shares of her siblings. She lived at "Eastern View" until her death in 1900. Anna Elizabeth and her husband, Lineas Archer moved to Galveston, Texas. Jane and her husband, Rev. George W. Trice, remained nearby in Bowling Green [Virginia]; Rev. Trice died in 1868 and Jane in 1909. Ellen and her husband, William Wright, also lived in Caroline County, where they farmed.
That large grant to his oldest daughter did not include Church Farm, which Robert left "to my wife Sarah Howerton and her children", (each named), as "all my land on the west side of the main road on which my houses are situated, containing about 250 acres", together with all the house hold goods, furniture, eight slaves, and all the farm stock and equipment. In 1854, Sarah Ann Howerton was 46 years old and had four children - William T. Howerton, born 1838; Henrietta Howerton, born 1840; Robert G. Howerton, Jr., born 1841; and Lucy Evelyn Howerton, born 1844. William married in 1864 Virginia Gresham and took up a farm nearby, possibly a section of the tract given one of his half-sisters. Henrietta soon became a teacher, taking a post as teacher for Rev. Frederick Power in Yorktown, Virginia, where she married Thomas Wynne in 1860, but returned to Church Farm during the War. Robert, Jr. married twice, first to Sarah Gresham, a sister to the wife of his brother, and second, to Kate P. Martin, a widow. Lucy Evelyn Howerton also became a teacher and married, late in life, in 1899, to a Captain John R. Nunn, and moved to Berryville, Virginia.
In 1860 the census records Sarah living at Church Farm with her four children. Also in the home is one Eliza St. John, age 56. This is a niece of Robert G. Howerton's, the daughter of his sister, Elizabeth, who married a John St. John. Henrietta is described as "School teacher" and Robert, Jr. as "Farmer". At this time, just before the outbreak of war, and before the county became contested ground, with Federal and Confederate troops moving back and forth, Church Farm was still prosperous and comfortable. The census shows it as two tracts, totaling 288 acres, and valued at $3, 718, as farm values had increased. It was also now raising tobacco but otherwise has about the same list of products and livestock as ten years before. The farm was now maintaining 38 slaves, more than for the larger 1850 farm. Only 16 were 12 years or over, and one man, age 70, is noted as "Blind." The fact that Sarah was remembered in the family as "careless with money and a bad manager", who lost the money left by her husband, may have to do with this increasing responsibility. She was also remembered, we should note, as "very domestic, set a fine table, industrious, excitable and plain spoken, liked poetry, good teacher, pious, [and] strict with children.
The war put an end to prosperous times, however, even if Sarah was over-spending. Both William and Robert left to join "Lee's Rangers", Company H., of the 9th Virginia Cavalry Regiment which was formed at West Point, Virginia in June 1861. Both survived the war but William was sent home in March 1865 on furlough from Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond. He seems to have spent some time as a prisoner of war, a near fatal condition in that war, but we have no other details on his service. William married Virginia Gresham and Robert married Sarah A. Gresham, both daughters of Samuel and Susan Gresham of King & Queen County. William and Virginia Howerton lived nearby but may not have farmed, as William is listed on the 1879 census as "Carpenter". They had two daughters, but sometime in 1872 all were struck down, apparently in an epidemic. Virginia's sister, Sarah, Robert, Jr.'s wife, also died in 1872, possibly a victim of the same illness.
We know more about Robert's service during the Civil War because more of his records survived. He enlisted at West Point, Virginia in June 1861, served to the end of the war in "Lee's Rangers", and was the senior officer of the Rangers surrendered by Lee at Appomattox. Robert left no memoir or account of his service experiences, which is unfortunate because he served in one of the most active, adventurous units. The 9th Virginia Calvary, commanded by General "Rooney" Lee, was led by General J. E. B. Stuart on his famous ride around McClellan in June 1862, which began at Hanover Court House on ground familiar to Robert. His unit was in most of the well-known actions of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Henrietta Howerton, who as noted earlier, had left in 1859 to be the teacher for a private family in Yorktown, returned home in mid-1860 and was courted by mail by Tom Wynne, of York County, for several months. They were married in December 1860 and "Etta", as she was always called, wrote to her mother from Wynne farm, "Meadowfield", inquiring about how she felt on the subject of secession. Etta noted Tom was for it but that "Pa [her father-in-law] and I are for the Union." Tom was soon not only in the army but engaged in building the defenses at Yorktown on his own farmlands. "Meadowfield" was located immediately south of Yorktown, where the Warwick River nearly divided the peninsula, and where General Magruder was preparing to build a defensive line against the Union forces. By September 1861 Etta was back home at Church Farm, now pregnant and nearing delivery. Her child, a girl she named Blanche (the present writer's grandmother), was born there and she remained at Church Farm through the war. "Meadowfield" was destroyed in the campaign there. Tom, who had become Captain of his company, was killed at Sharpsburg (Antietam) in September 1862, so Etta remained at Church Farm, for the present.
Robert returned to Church Farm in April, 1865, and married Sarah Ann Gresham in December of that year. He took over the operation of Church Farm and began a family. The farm was not longer the productive one of pre-war years. By 1870, it was valued in the census at only $1,600 and the primary crop was 200 bushels of corn, down from the 750 bushels of 1860. In that year, Robert paid only $100 for farm labor, had one cow and 2 oxen.
Unhappily, Sarah died in November 1872, leaving two small children, Cora, born in 1867, and Robert G. III, born in 1869. Robert died before reaching 10 but Cora grew up at Church Farm and, in 1889, married Charles Cooke.
Other changes were taking place in Church Farm. Henrietta, determined to teach, went to Richmond about 1872 and passed the examination to be a teacher in the city's first public school. Sarah Ann (Lumpkin) Howerton, turned over the farm to Robert and joined her daughter in Richmond, where she died in 1876. Etta married a second time, to Cornelius H. Richardson, in Richmond and had four more children. Etta (Howerton) Richardson taught for 39 years in Richmond's elementary grades and lived 94 years. She was the author of "Johnson's First Reader", published by B.F. Johnson, a prominent publisher of textbooks with a Southern point of view, who also married her daughter, Blanche, in 1892.
Robert, struggling to keep the farm going, soon married again, in 1874, to Kate (Powell) Martin, a widow. Together, but under the business title of "Kate P. Howerton & Company", Robert and Kate purchased the store and its 11 acre tract at Owenton. They operated the Owentown General Store in the building still in business today. Robert was active in county affairs and was a Notary Public. He and Kate had two children - Kate P. Born 1875 and Eva Howerton, born 1877. Gradually the Howerton farm and business fortunes declined until, by 1890, a Baltimore firm, Pearre Bros., sued to obtain payment for some $460 worth of goods purchased for the Owenton Store. To pay this debt, and possibly also to get out of a situation that was economically unpromising, Robert and Kate sold all their personal goods in a public auction at Church Farm, and moved to West Point. Apparently, Robert Howerton had planned to make a new start for he had arranged to purchase a hotel property in West Point, a popular stop for the steamboats that plied the river and Chesapeake to Baltimore. This deal may not have ever been completed, however. He also secured an appointment as Postmaster of West Point. In 1894, Robert G. Howerton, Jr., died in West Point and is buried there; Kate remained there, with her daughters.
The oldest, her namesake Kate P. Howerton, attended the West Point Female Institute after the family's move there. On graduation, she entered the public school system, like her aunt Etta in Richmond, and had a long, much honored career as a teacher. Beginning as an elementary school teacher, she taught for 53 years in West Point Schools. From 1918 to 1939, she was the Principal of the West Point High School, where her portrait was placed in the school library. Evea, the youngest, married Robert Bowden, a Baptist minister. She had seven children, five of whom have present descendants.
In 1890, therefore, the story of Church Farm shifts to a new era and other families. The property, still some 265 acres, was bought in 1903 by Milton Chenault, of King & Queen County, and in 1921, Chenault sold it to Charles W. Garnett on a mortgage involving George R. Minor, whose family owns it today. At some point, believed to be in the early 1900's, the upper floor of the house was made more spacious by raising the roof but otherwise the house stands much as it did when built. It lacks the porch that must have stretched across the south side of the house, looking across the fields, and the door to that side has been sealed. A modern bathroom was carved out of a corner of one of the two large first floor rooms. With a chimney at each end, each serving first and second floor fireplaces, the house has retained most of the original woodwork and mantels in its four large rooms. The English basement still houses the kitchen but half of it is still a dirt-floor, open beam ceiling. Though silent today, it is not hard to imagine the busy life of a prosperous farm, with other buildings nearby housing farmhands, servants, storage, and the animals needed to keep it running, though nothing now is left of Church Farm but the house and its fields on each side stretching down toward the river.
[Editor's Note! The above article was first published in The Bulletin of the KING & QUEEN COUNTY Historical Society of Virginia, Bulletin 77, July 1994, and is reprinted here by permission of the author. The author retains all rights to the article and it may not be reproduced in any form without his written permission. The article was footnoted and documented. A copy of documentation will be supplied upon request to the editor.)
Return to Newsletter Contents Page
Copyright © 1999-2007 Howerton Heritage