﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  375 
  

  

  Historic 
  Mansions 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  

  

  II. 
  " 
  Shirley," 
  the 
  Ancestral 
  Home 
  of 
  the 
  Carters 
  

  

  By 
  Francis 
  Durando 
  Nichols 
  

  

  N 
  THE 
  northern 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  River, 
  

   just 
  as 
  it 
  widens 
  and 
  broadens 
  in 
  it 
  de- 
  

   scent 
  from 
  Richmond, 
  lies 
  "Shirley," 
  

   the 
  homestead 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Virginia 
  family 
  

   of 
  Carters, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  of 
  

   the 
  Colonial 
  homes 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  and 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  properties 
  now 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  by 
  the 
  descendants 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  families 
  in 
  this 
  

   country. 
  

  

  The 
  Mansion 
  House 
  of 
  "Shirley" 
  was 
  built 
  by 
  Col. 
  

   Edward 
  Hill, 
  who 
  died 
  in 
  1700, 
  and 
  is 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  family 
  

   burial 
  ground, 
  which 
  is 
  under 
  a 
  grove 
  of 
  tulip 
  poplars 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  the 
  garden 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  mansion. 
  His 
  

   daughter 
  Elizabeth 
  married, 
  in 
  1723, 
  John 
  Carter, 
  of 
  "Co- 
  

   rotoman," 
  the 
  eldest 
  son 
  of 
  "King 
  Carter." 
  She 
  brought 
  

   "Shirley" 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  Carter 
  family 
  as 
  the 
  

   heiress 
  of 
  her 
  brother 
  Edward 
  Hill. 
  John 
  Carter 
  was 
  edu- 
  

   cated 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  studied 
  law 
  at 
  the 
  Inner 
  Temple. 
  He 
  

   was 
  appointed, 
  in 
  1722, 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Virginia. 
  His 
  widow, 
  

   a 
  celebrated 
  beauty 
  of 
  her 
  time, 
  later 
  became 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  

   Bowler 
  Cocke, 
  who 
  after 
  his 
  wife's 
  death 
  held 
  by 
  courtesy 
  

   the 
  estate 
  until 
  177 
  1, 
  when 
  it 
  became 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  Secre- 
  

   tary 
  Carter's 
  eldest 
  son, 
  Charles 
  Carter, 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  

   of 
  the 
  Carter 
  family 
  to 
  occupy 
  "Shirley." 
  The 
  latter's 
  sister 
  

   Elizabeth 
  became 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  Col. 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  of 
  "West- 
  

   over." 
  Charles 
  Carter 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  1732, 
  and 
  in 
  1752 
  he 
  

   attended 
  William 
  and 
  Alary 
  College 
  at 
  Williamsburg. 
  He 
  

   was 
  burgess 
  from 
  Lancaster 
  County, 
  from 
  1758 
  to 
  1775, 
  

   was 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  conventions 
  of 
  Virginia 
  during 
  the 
  

  

  Revolutionary 
  period, 
  and 
  first 
  State 
  council 
  in 
  1776. 
  He 
  

   was 
  on 
  intimate 
  terms 
  with 
  George 
  Washington, 
  with 
  whom 
  

   he 
  visited 
  and 
  corresponded. 
  He 
  married 
  first 
  his 
  cousin, 
  

   Mary 
  W., 
  a 
  daughter 
  of 
  Charles 
  Carter, 
  of 
  "Cleve," 
  and 
  

   second, 
  Ann 
  Butler, 
  daughter 
  of 
  Bernard 
  Moore, 
  of 
  Chelsea, 
  

   King 
  William 
  County, 
  and 
  granddaughter 
  of 
  Governor 
  

   Spotswood. 
  Their 
  daughter 
  Anne 
  married 
  Gen. 
  Henry 
  

   Lee, 
  of 
  Stratford, 
  Va., 
  who 
  later 
  became 
  the 
  parents 
  of 
  Gen. 
  

   Robert 
  E. 
  Lee. 
  

  

  Charles 
  Carter 
  was 
  noted 
  for 
  his 
  kindness 
  and 
  generosity, 
  

   and 
  the 
  hospitalities 
  he 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  families 
  of 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia 
  during 
  his 
  mastership 
  of 
  "Shirley" 
  were 
  distinctive 
  in 
  

   their 
  elegance 
  and 
  magnificence. 
  He 
  died 
  in 
  1806, 
  and 
  the 
  

   estate 
  passed 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Robert 
  Carter, 
  who 
  was 
  

   born 
  in 
  1774, 
  and 
  married 
  Mary, 
  daughter 
  of 
  Gen. 
  Thomas 
  

   Nelson, 
  of 
  Yorktown. 
  From 
  him 
  it 
  descended 
  to 
  his 
  eldest 
  

   son, 
  Hill 
  Carter, 
  who 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  1796, 
  was 
  an 
  officer 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Navy 
  in 
  18 
  12, 
  and 
  married 
  Mary 
  Braxton, 
  

   daughter 
  of 
  Col. 
  Robert 
  Randolph. 
  Upon 
  the 
  decease 
  of 
  

   Hill 
  Carter 
  the 
  estate 
  became 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  his 
  son, 
  Robert 
  

   Randolph 
  Carter, 
  a 
  lieutenant 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Army, 
  

   who 
  was 
  the 
  fifth 
  Carter 
  owner 
  of 
  "Shirley." 
  He 
  married 
  

   Louise 
  Humphreys. 
  The 
  present 
  owner, 
  Mrs. 
  Alice 
  Carter 
  

   Bransford, 
  is 
  a 
  daughter 
  of 
  Robert 
  and 
  Louise 
  Carter, 
  being 
  

   the 
  sixth 
  owner 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  Carter 
  of 
  

   "Shirley." 
  

  

  When 
  Charles 
  Carter, 
  grandson 
  of 
  Robert 
  Carter, 
  known 
  

   as 
  "King 
  Carter," 
  married, 
  in 
  1770, 
  Ann 
  Butler 
  Moore, 
  and 
  

   took 
  his 
  bride 
  to 
  "Shirley," 
  he 
  made 
  extensive 
  alterations, 
  

  

  The 
  Side 
  Porch 
  

  

  A 
  Garden 
  Walk 
  

  

  