The Hughes Families of Patrick
By Beverly Belcher Woody
There are two family lines in Patrick County with the surname Hughes. I have been unable to make a connection between the two, except that both families came from Wales. For identification purposes, we will call the first set the “Hughes of Trot Valley” and the second set the “Hughes of Nettle Ridge.”
Most of the “Hughes of Trot Valley” are descendants of John Jackson Hughes (1825-1907) and Barbara Ann Branch. John Jackson Hughes parents were Blackmore Hughes (1800-1838) and Charlotte Vaughn. Blackmore Hughes is a name that surfaces over and over, and each generation has at least one son named Blackmore. Blackmore’s parent were Beveridge Hughes (1766-1808) and Nancy Austin. I used to wonder where the Beveridge name came from until I discovered that Beveridge’s mother’s name was Ann Beveridge. I bet you can guess his father’s name; yep, you guessed it, Blackmore!
Blackmore Hughes (1718-1786) was a wealthy landowner who had eight children with his first wife, Elizabeth Roberts. When Elizabeth passed in 1755, he married Miss Ann Beveridge and had at least three more children, including the aforementioned Beveridge.
Blackmore’s land covered a large part of the Buffalo Ridge community. When he passed away in 1786, his will was recorded in Will Book One, Page 131 at the Henry County courthouse. (Keep in mind that Patrick County would not be formed from Henry County until 1791.)
Blackmore made the following bequeaths of land: Beveridge Hughes, 100 acres on Buffalo Creek, at the lower end of the farm; Robert Hughes, 300 acres on Buffalo Creek, beginning at Gardner’s Mill to Robert Pilson’s line; Sarah Hughes Lawrence, 300 acres on Pole Branch; Moses Hughes, 70 acres on the Smith River; and Elizabeth Hughes Pratt, 100 acres on the White Falls of the Smith River. This total acreage is more than one square mile!
The “Hughes of Nettle Ridge” descend from Colonel Archelaus Hughes (1747-1798) who served in the Revolutionary War. Colonel Archelaus Hughes, as a “gentleman justice”, was devoted to the welfare of his county. During that period, justices of the peace had wide and important powers, being in general control of local governmental affairs.
On September 25, 1769, Archelaus married Mary Dalton of Rockingham County, N.C., daughter of Samuel Dalton. According to Miss Sidney Penn in a 1966 article in the Enterprise, the 22-year-old bridegroom, Archelaus Hughes, imported his stylish wedding wardrobe from John Ledderdale, in London, England.
The newly-wedded couple established their home in western Pittsylvania, which at the time included the areas of Henry and Patrick, naming their country estate “Hughesville.” The “Hughesville” manor house, now in southeastern Patrick County, had as many as 10 dependencies. With a blacksmith’s shop and a general store, the estate was largely self-sufficient. “Hughesville” is likely the oldest frame structure in Patrick County today.
“Hughesville” was a regular stop on the stagecoach route and was a lively place with eleven Hughes children running about the farm. Records show that four of the seven Hughes sons served in the Virginia General Assembly from 1799 to 1818: Archelaus Jr., John, Samuel, and Madison Redd.
Each of the four daughters of Colonel Archelaus Hughes married a man with a military title: Jeancy married Colonel John Fulkerson, Nancy married Major Brett Stovall, Matilda married General John Dillard, and Sallie married Colonel Joseph Martin, son of the General.
In 1798 Colonel Archelaus Hughes passed away at the age of 51. His wife, Mary survived him by 41 years, living with her bachelor son, Leander, who lived his entire 97 years at “Hughesville.”
Nearby in the Hughes family cemetery, a grey stone bears this inscription: “Colonel Archelaus Hughes, 1747 – 1798, He was a gallant soldier in the Revolutionary War and lived to see its beneficent results as a good citizen.”
This story is written in honor of my sister-in-law, Marie Hughes, and my three Hughes grandsons, who are all “Hughes of Trot Valley.”
(Thank you to Desmond Kendrick for the photo. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.)
