Checklist of
documents in the Watts Collection at the Historical Society of Western
Virginia, Roanoke, Virginia. To consult these documents, go to http://www.vahistorymuseum.org/ and click on “Visit HMWV's Virtual Collection!” The documents can be
found by a keyword search, or by catalog number using “Click and Search”.
This set of 25 documents is a relatively coherent group
centered on the sale of Oaklands to Cornelius O’Leary’s Oaklands Improvement
Company in 1890, but there are a significant number of other items that are
apparently randomly located here. The Oaklands documents include the first
three, one of which is only an envelope, one a letter from William Joseph
Robertson to John Allen Watts about the payment of William Watts’s debt, and
one a receipt to O’Leary for his first payment to John Allen Watts. Then
follows an unrelated list of hirelings from 1846. The next five items relate to
the Oaklands Improvement Company, and include stock certificates in the company
dated 1892 and a letter about them dated 1895. Then follows a letter from
Micajah Woods, dated 1898, inquiring about a matter of genealogy. The next ten
items are notes from O’Leary to John Allen Watts, signed in 1890, promising to
pay $10,000 a year for the purchase of Oaklands. The last five items appear
quite unrelated: a petition of 1910 to have Williamson Road paved; a letter of
1890 from a colleague reporting on the situation in Roanoke to John Allen Watts,
who was on vacation at Virginia Beach; a letter from an attorney in 1903
stating that the Watts family had the prior title to a contested piece of land;
a clipping from a Fincastle newspaper of 1874 about the McClanahan family; and
finally a legal document of 1845 about a piece property involving Fleming James
and Samuel Stoner. This last is one of many documents relating to the efforts
by James to collect a debt or else to take possession of land used by Stoner as
collateral.
doc #
date
abstract
1998.26.256
around 1890
Envelope with the printed return address "Watts,
Robertson & Robertson, Attorneys at Law, Roanoke, Va" and labeled "J.
Allen Watts / certificates of stock / various companies"; the envelope is
now empty, but probably contained the certificates in 1998.26.247-255; the
partners were John Allen Watts, William Gordon Robertson, and Edward Watts
Robertson
1998.26.257
July 21, 1890
Letter from William Joseph Robertson in Charlottesville,
Virginia, to John Allen Watts in Roanoke, Virginia, enclosing a receipted bond
and power of attorney, the final repayment of a debt owed by the addressee’s
father William Watts, and family news about his aunt Alice (Watts) Robertson
and their children
1998.26.258
July 17, 1890
Draft of agreements between Cornelius O'Leary and John Allen
Watts concerning the sale of the Oaklands farm in Roanoke County, Virginia, and
the delivery of a stone house on Jefferson Street in Roanoke, Virginia, as part
payment; also mentions cash payments, Gertrude Lee Watts, Peyton Leftwich
Terry, and J. F. Christian
Received of C. O'Leary
a deed in fee simple for the stone house now being erected by him on the East
side of Jefferson Street just north of the Moomaw Building and a check for five
thousand dollars which with the five thousand dollars heretofore paid
constitutes the cash payment upon the Oaklands farm.
This receipt
concerns the first in a series of payments from Cornelius O’Leary to John Allen
Watts for the Oaklands land. See 1998.26.261-264 and 267-275 below.
1998.26.259
1846
List of hirelings for 1846, slaves belonging to Edward Watts
hired to other employers, giving names of the hirelings and employers and
amounts paid for their services
List of hirelings for the year 1846
1 + Peggy To Gideon Jeter $29
2 x Rebecca & child Wm Yancey 11
3 + Prisey Saml
Coffman 29
4 Rose Dr Barnes 23
5 + Matilda Abram
Buhrsman 25
1998.26.260
June 13, 1895
Letter from Thomas W. Miller, attorney at law in Roanoke,
Virginia, to Edward Watts Robertson, attorney at law in Roanoke, Virginia,
regarding stock certificates in Oaklands Improvement Company to be held as
security for debts owed by Miller to clients of Robertson and others
1998.26.261
November 9, 1892
Stock certificate (#86) issued by The Oaklands Improvement
Company for 100 shares, issued to Cornelius O'Leary on November 9, 1892, for
fifteen hundred dollars, being the first installment of 15 percent upon his
subscription to one hundred shares. "Par value of One Hundred Dollars
each." The certificate is notarized, and signed by the company president,
James B. Stephenson, and A. D. Rice, Secretary. On the back, also on November
9, 1892, is an acknowledgment signed by A. D. Rice for $8500, payment in full
The Oaklands
Improvement Company was created by Cornelius O’Leary as part of the boom in
real estate development in Roanoke in the 1880s. The company bought the
Oaklands plantation and planned to build housing on it. The enterprise
apparently failed quickly, probably because of the recession of 1893. See
1998.26.258 above and 267-275 below.
1998.26.262
November 10, 1892
Stock certificate (#88) issued by The Oaklands Improvement
Company for 50 shares, issued to Cornelius O'Leary on November 10, 1892, for
seven hundred fifty dollars, being the first installment of 15 percent upon his
subscription to fifty shares. "Par value of One Hundred Dollars
each." The certificate is notarized, and signed by the company president,
James B. Stephenson, and A. D. Rice, Secretary. On the back, also on November
10, 1892, is an acknowledgment signed by A. D. Rice for $4250, payment in full
1998.26.263
November 10, 1892
Stock certificate (#89) issued by The Oaklands Improvement
Company for 50 shares, issued to Cornelius O'Leary on November 10, 1892, for
seven hundred fifty dollars, being the first installment of 15 percent upon his
subscription to fifty shares. "Par value of One Hundred Dollars each."
The certificate is notarized, and signed by the company president, James B.
Stephenson, and A. D. Rice, Secretary. On the back, also on November 10, 1892,
is an acknowledgment signed by A. D. Rice for $4250, payment in full
1998.26.264
November 10, 1892
Stock certificate (#90) issued by The Oaklands Improvement
Company for 50 shares, issued to Cornelius O'Leary on November 10, 1892, for
seven hundred fifty dollars, being the first installment of 15 percent upon his
subscription to fifty shares. "Par value of One Hundred Dollars
each." The certificate is notarized, and signed by the company president,
James B. Stephenson, and A. D. Rice, Secretary. On the back, also on November
10, 1892, is an acknowledgment signed by A. D. Rice for $4250, payment in full
1998.26.265
September 22, 1898
Letter from Micajah Woods in Charlottesville, Virginia, to
Letitia Gamble (Watts) Sorrel in Roanoke, Virginia, concerning the genealogy of
the Watts, Scott and Morris families, for the purpose of the writer's
sisters-in-law applying for membership in the Daughters of the American
Revolution
Dear Mrs. Sorrel, The
wife of Mr. Richard Morris of Hanover Co. was née Mary Watts. She was the
grand-mother of my wife. She died at Taylor's Creek on 7th Nov 1835. She was
the daughter of Wm Watts and Mary Scott, his wife.
Micajah Woods
(1844-1911) was Commonwealth's Attorney in Charlottesville, Virginia, for 41
years, and president of the Virginia Bar Association; he married on 9 June 1874
Matilda Minor Morris (born c. 1849), a daughter of Edward Watts Morris
(1821-1890), who was a son of Richard Morris (1784-1831) and Mary (Watts)
Morris (1784-1835)
1998.26.266
around 1890
Envelope with the printed return address "Watts,
Robertson & Robertson, Attorneys at Law, Roanoke, Va" and labeled
"J. Allen Watts / Notes / Oaklands Imp Co / C. O'Leary / and others";
the envelope is now empty, but probably contained the certificates in
1998.26.267-275; the law partners were John Allen Watts, William Gordon
Robertson, and Edward Watts Robertson; Cornelius O’Leary was head of the
Oaklands Improvement Company
1998.26.267
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
tenth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands, due
June 1, 1900
1998.26.268
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
ninth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands, due
June 1, 1899
1998.26.269
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
eighth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands,
due June 1, 1898
1998.26.270
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
seventh part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands,
due June 1, 1897
On or before the first
day of June, Eighteen hundred and Ninety-seven, I bind myself, my heirs and
personal representatives to pay unto J. Allen Watts, his personal
representatives or assigns, the sum of Ten thousand dollars ($10,000\00) with
interest from this date, payable annually, this being the seventh deferred
payment on the tract of land known as Oaklands,
This
is one of nine notes, identical except for the dates, by which Cornelius
O’Leary committed himself to purchase the Oaklands tract. See 1998.26.258 and 261-264 above, and
267-275.
1998.26.271
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
sixth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands, due
June 1, 1896
1998.26.272
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
fifth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands, due
June 1, 1895
1998.26.273
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
fourth part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands,
due June 1, 1894
1998.26.274
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $10,000,
third part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands, due
June 1, 1893
1998.26.275
June 1, 1890
Note from Cornelius O'Leary to John Allen Watts for $20,000,
second part payment for the purchase of the tract of land known as Oaklands,
due June 1, 1892
1998.26.276
March 10, 1910
Petition from about fifty citizens and businesses, with
subscriptions for $5832 in funds, addressed to the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia, requesting the construction of a macadamized road
from the Roanoke City line to the Hershberger Road, following the course of
Williamson Road, and agreeing to pay the subscribed funds in three stages, at
the beginning of the work, after the completion of one mile, and after the
completion of two miles. Hand written additions suggest that the total amount
subscribed may have been $6252
Helen
R. Prillaman tells the history of the Williamson Road in A Place Apart (privately published, Roanoke, VA, 1982). In the
early 1900s, the large farms north of Roanoke City, including the Watts estate,
began to be broken up into smaller tracts and residential developments. There
was, however, no direct road into the city, and residents petitioned the
Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to create one. The first unpaved road was
built by the residents on a right of way donated by the landowners, assisted by
“a team of mules, two men and road scrapers” furnished by the County (114). Its
existence led to further population growth, and the residents then submitted
the petition in this document to have it paved. Although this petition is again
addressed to the County, it calls for state help, and Prillaman says that “the
state agreed and used convict labor to build it. The convicts started work on
the road in 1912” (114).
1998.26.277
June 26, 1890
Letter from D. S. Good, attorney, in Roanoke, Virginia, to
John Allen Watts, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, giving news of his business,
including some bills sent out, and of household matters, especially the garden,
during his absence
1998.26.278
June 22, 1903
Letter from Frank G. Woodson, attorney, in Fincastle,
Virginia, to David W. Patterson in Hollins, Virginia, concerning the title of a
tract of land of 100 acres called the Crawford land, which Woodson traced back
through John Trucksell, William and Sarah Coleman, and Thomas Newell to a
warrant of 1817, but found that William Watts held an earlier patent dated
1795, which gave him prior title
Therefore, if the
Patent was ever granted, it of necessity was <after> granted after 1817,
and as you say Watts patent bears date 1795 <it> he has a prior title. I
am very sorry indeed that this is the state of facts, but the records so show
them. I herewith return the deeds you left with me. With best wishes, I am your
friend, F. G. Woodson (over)
David W.
Patterson (1857-1927) raised livestock in the Hollins area; neither his name,
nor that of any of the other title claimants mentioned except for Watts,
appears on the maps of early landowners in Roanoke County and Roanoke County
farms 1825-1875.
1998.26.279
April 1874
Clipping from the Fincastle Herald of an article by
Frederick Johnston, with personal reminiscences about the McClanahan family and
others from Botetourt County, Virginia, including the Anderson, Betts, Cook,
Langhorne, Lewis and Oliver families
The
McClanahan family owned large tracts of land in the Roanoke Valley, including
the area now called South Roanoke, and Crystal Spring. They were kin through
marriage to the Breckinridge family, and thus to the Watts family.
1998.26.280
1845
Deed of release from Edward Watts, James Breckinridge Watts
and Peachy Ridgway Grattan as the party of the first part, to Samuel Stoner as
the party of the second part, and with F. & J. S. James & Co of
Richmond as a party of the third part, for 46.5 acres of land, part of a tract
of land in Roanoke County, Virginia, of which Watts and Grattan were trustees;
the deed describes the boundaries of the tract by a metes and bounds survey
Witnesseth, that for
and in consideration of the sum of five dollars ($5) to them in hand paid at
and before the ensealing and delivery of these presents and for other good and
sufficient considerations, the said Edward Watts, Peachy R. Grattan and James
B. Watts, Trustees as aforesaid (with the consent and approbation of the said
F. & J. S. James & Co, signified by their being parties to these
presents), and F. & J. S. James & Co have granted bargained and
released and by these presents do grant bargain and release unto the said
Samuel Stoner, his Heirs & assigns forever all their right title and
interest whether legal or equitable in and to forty-six and one half (46½)
acres of Land, being a portion of the tract conveyed in the Indenture of Trust
mentioned in the premises and which is situated on the northern side of said Tract
adjoining the lands now in the possession of Benjamin Moomaw, and which is
bounded as follows,
Samuel Stoner
(1805-1845)
and his family owned a large tract of land near Bonsack, Virginia, and operated
a store there. Fleming James (1792-c.
1863), with other members of his family, ran a wholesale dry goods company
based in Richmond, Virginia, under the name F. & J. S. James and Company.
The Stoners defaulted on a large debt to James, which led to a long lawsuit in
the late 1840s. Fleming James eventually took over the Stoners’ land, and lived
on it for a time. This document is undated and unsigned; it may be that Samuel
Stoner’s death on 29 August 1845 prevented it from being completed and taking
effect. His death also probably contributed to the financial problems of the
store and his family, and the settlement of his estate certainly complicated
James’s efforts to recover his loan. There are many more documents on this
matter in the Watts Collection.
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