﻿November, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  417 
  

  

  Stegg, 
  who, 
  being 
  disgusted 
  at 
  the 
  collapse 
  of 
  the 
  Cavalier 
  

   cause, 
  shook 
  off 
  the 
  dust 
  of 
  Puritan 
  England 
  and 
  migrated 
  

   to 
  Virginia, 
  where 
  he 
  died 
  shortly 
  afterward, 
  leaving 
  his 
  

   estate 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  couple, 
  who 
  came 
  to 
  Virginia 
  to 
  claim 
  it. 
  

   He 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  London, 
  but 
  he 
  had 
  good 
  Cheshire 
  blood 
  in 
  

   his 
  veins, 
  for 
  he 
  could 
  trace 
  his 
  descent 
  from 
  Hugo 
  le 
  Bird 
  

   of 
  Charleton. 
  His 
  wife, 
  Mary, 
  was 
  also 
  of 
  good 
  family, 
  

   for 
  her 
  father, 
  Col. 
  Warham 
  Horsemanden, 
  was 
  a 
  Kentish 
  

   Cavalier 
  and 
  was 
  descended 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  from 
  Edward 
  III. 
  

  

  Col. 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  the 
  second 
  of 
  the 
  name, 
  was 
  born 
  

   March 
  28, 
  1674. 
  He 
  inherited 
  the 
  vast 
  estate 
  and 
  became 
  

   the 
  master 
  of 
  Westover. 
  His 
  portrait, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  

   portrait 
  of 
  his 
  daughter, 
  Evelyn, 
  hangs 
  in 
  Martin's 
  Brandon. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Byrd 
  was 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  

   for 
  though 
  he 
  spent 
  his 
  childhood 
  days 
  in 
  Virginia, 
  his 
  edu- 
  

   cation 
  was 
  gained 
  in 
  Virginia 
  and 
  in 
  England, 
  and 
  in 
  school 
  

   and 
  in 
  trade 
  he 
  was 
  possessed 
  of 
  that 
  training 
  and 
  refine- 
  

   ment 
  which 
  few 
  men 
  of 
  his 
  day 
  had 
  acquired. 
  While 
  

   he 
  was 
  devoted 
  to 
  agriculture, 
  and 
  his 
  plantation 
  

  

  Mr. 
  George 
  Evelyn 
  Harrison, 
  the 
  son 
  of 
  her 
  daughter 
  Eve- 
  

   lyn, 
  who 
  had 
  married 
  Mr. 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison, 
  of 
  Martin's 
  

   Brandon, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  they 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  Harrison 
  family 
  of 
  that 
  estate. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Byrd 
  married, 
  in 
  1706, 
  Lucy 
  Parke, 
  the 
  daughter 
  

   or 
  Marlborough's 
  aide-de-camp, 
  who 
  carried 
  the 
  news 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  victory 
  of 
  Blenheim 
  to 
  Queen 
  Anne. 
  Her 
  eldest 
  

   sister, 
  Frances, 
  the 
  year 
  before, 
  had 
  married 
  Col. 
  John 
  

   Custis, 
  the 
  ancestor 
  of 
  Martha 
  Washington's 
  first 
  husband, 
  

   and 
  this 
  explains 
  why 
  one 
  of 
  Sir 
  Godfrey 
  Kneller's 
  por- 
  

   traits 
  of 
  Col. 
  Daniel 
  Parke 
  is 
  hanging 
  in 
  the 
  drawing-room 
  

   of 
  Martin's 
  Brandon, 
  from 
  whom 
  George 
  Washington's 
  

  

  was 
  the 
  object 
  lesson 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  country 
  about 
  him, 
  his 
  

   mind 
  was 
  turned 
  toward 
  in- 
  

   tellectual 
  and 
  artistic 
  pur- 
  

   suits. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Byrd 
  was 
  the 
  

   master 
  of 
  Westover 
  for 
  

   forty 
  years, 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  

   time 
  he 
  gratified 
  his 
  tastes 
  

   by 
  the 
  collecting 
  of 
  works 
  

   of 
  art 
  for 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  

   his 
  house 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  beau- 
  

   tifying 
  of 
  his 
  garden. 
  It 
  

   was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  estates 
  

  

  in 
  America 
  to 
  be 
  adorned 
  with 
  statuary. 
  He 
  built 
  elaborate 
  

   conservatories, 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  traceable, 
  fine 
  

   gardens, 
  and 
  laid 
  out 
  drives 
  and 
  walks 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  

   highways 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  His 
  library, 
  which 
  was 
  com- 
  

   menced 
  by 
  his 
  father, 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  private 
  collection 
  in 
  

   America. 
  The 
  catalogue, 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  preserved, 
  enumer- 
  

   ates 
  3625 
  volumes. 
  

  

  The 
  famous 
  Westover 
  manuscripts, 
  which 
  were 
  written 
  

   for 
  private 
  perusal, 
  and 
  were 
  reprinted 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  century, 
  

   establish 
  him 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  keenest 
  intellects 
  of 
  his 
  time. 
  

   They 
  descended 
  to 
  his 
  son, 
  Col. 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  who 
  mar- 
  

   ried 
  Mary 
  Willing, 
  of 
  Philadelphia; 
  she 
  presented 
  them 
  to 
  

  

  The 
  Dining-room 
  Is 
  Furnished 
  with 
  Old 
  Mahogany 
  

  

  adopted 
  son, 
  George 
  

   Washington 
  Parke 
  Cus- 
  

   tis, 
  derives 
  his 
  name. 
  

  

  Evelyn 
  Byrd, 
  his 
  

   daughter, 
  lived 
  a 
  life 
  

   which 
  was 
  poetic 
  and 
  

   romantic. 
  She 
  was 
  born 
  

   at 
  Westover, 
  July 
  16, 
  

   1707, 
  and 
  died 
  in 
  her 
  

   thirtieth 
  year. 
  She 
  

   early 
  in 
  life 
  displayed 
  a 
  

   quaint 
  poetic 
  fancy, 
  and 
  

   her 
  life 
  was 
  spent 
  among 
  

   books 
  and 
  flowers. 
  She 
  

   also 
  developed 
  signs 
  of 
  

   uncommon 
  talents 
  and 
  

   virtues, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  

   were 
  cultivated 
  with 
  

   great 
  care 
  by 
  her 
  father, 
  

   who 
  sent 
  her 
  to 
  England, 
  

   where 
  she 
  was 
  educated 
  

  

  in 
  all 
  the 
  accomplishments 
  of 
  a 
  polished 
  gentlewoman, 
  and 
  

   became 
  a 
  lady 
  of 
  fashion. 
  As 
  she 
  grew 
  into 
  womanhood 
  

   her 
  beauty 
  became 
  famous, 
  and 
  at 
  sixteen 
  she 
  was 
  presented 
  

   at 
  Court. 
  The 
  carved 
  ivory 
  fan 
  which 
  she 
  carried 
  at 
  her 
  

   presentation 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  Miss 
  Harrison 
  of 
  

   Martin's 
  Brandon. 
  

  

  The 
  pathetic 
  romance 
  of 
  Westover 
  is 
  familiar 
  to 
  readers 
  

   of 
  history. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  among 
  the 
  many 
  men 
  whom 
  Eve- 
  

   lyn 
  Byrd 
  met 
  while 
  in 
  England 
  was 
  the 
  grandson 
  of 
  the 
  

   famous 
  Earl 
  of 
  Peterborough, 
  with 
  whom 
  she 
  fell 
  in 
  love 
  

   and 
  to 
  whom 
  she 
  was 
  actually 
  engaged. 
  But 
  her 
  father 
  for- 
  

   bade 
  her 
  marrying 
  him 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  religious 
  views, 
  and 
  

  

  