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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  she 
  eventually 
  died 
  of 
  a 
  broken 
  heart. 
  Evelyn 
  Byrd 
  had 
  

   other 
  admirers, 
  among 
  whom 
  was 
  Daniel 
  Parke 
  Custis, 
  who 
  

   was 
  favored 
  by 
  both 
  his 
  father, 
  Col. 
  John 
  Custis, 
  and 
  

   Colonel 
  Byrd, 
  but 
  he 
  finally 
  married 
  Martha 
  Dandridge, 
  

   who 
  later 
  married 
  George 
  Washington, 
  and 
  who 
  is 
  his- 
  

   torically 
  known 
  as 
  Martha 
  Washington. 
  

  

  The 
  tombs 
  of 
  the 
  master 
  of 
  Westover 
  and 
  his 
  favorite 
  

   daughter 
  rest 
  under 
  the 
  shade 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  grove 
  quite 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  house, 
  and 
  are 
  passed 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  the 
  boat 
  land- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  mansion. 
  The 
  family 
  burial-ground 
  also 
  contains 
  

   many 
  old 
  tombs 
  which 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  descriptions 
  and 
  

   coats-of-arms, 
  among 
  which 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  Cap. 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  

   the 
  emigrant, 
  and 
  Mary 
  his 
  wife; 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  the 
  second, 
  

   and 
  Evelyn 
  Byrd, 
  his 
  daughter; 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison, 
  of 
  

   Berkeley, 
  father 
  of 
  

   the 
  signer; 
  Mrs. 
  

   Harrison, 
  Rev. 
  

   Charles 
  Anderson, 
  

   Col. 
  Dalter 
  Aston, 
  

   and 
  others. 
  

  

  Col. 
  William 
  

   Byrd's 
  monument, 
  

   which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  old- 
  

   fashioned 
  garden 
  in 
  

   the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  man- 
  

   sion, 
  contains 
  a 
  very 
  

   concise 
  record 
  of 
  

   his 
  life, 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  

   being 
  the 
  following 
  

   inscription: 
  "Here 
  

   lyeth 
  the 
  Honor- 
  

   able 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  

   Esqr. 
  Being 
  born 
  

   to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  am- 
  

   plest 
  fortunes 
  in 
  

   this 
  country, 
  he 
  was 
  

   sent 
  early 
  to 
  Eng- 
  

   land 
  for 
  his 
  educa- 
  

   tion; 
  where, 
  under 
  

   the 
  care 
  and 
  instruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Sir 
  Robert 
  

   Southwell, 
  and 
  ever 
  

   favored 
  with 
  h 
  i 
  s 
  

  

  particular 
  instructions, 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  happy 
  proficiency 
  in 
  polite 
  

   and 
  various 
  learning; 
  by 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  noble 
  friend, 
  

   he 
  was 
  introduced 
  to 
  the 
  acquaintance 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  

   persons 
  of 
  that 
  age 
  for 
  knowledge, 
  wit, 
  virtue, 
  birth 
  or 
  high 
  

   station, 
  and 
  particularly 
  attracted 
  a 
  most 
  close 
  and 
  bosom 
  

   friendship 
  with 
  the 
  learned 
  and 
  illustrious 
  Charles 
  

   Boyle 
  Earl 
  of 
  Orrery. 
  He 
  was 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  bar 
  

   in 
  the 
  Middle 
  Temple, 
  studied 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  

   the 
  low 
  countries, 
  visited 
  the 
  Court 
  

   of 
  France 
  and 
  was 
  chosen 
  Fellow 
  of 
  

   the 
  Royal 
  Society." 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  monument 
  is: 
  "Thus 
  

  

  The 
  Drawing-room 
  Chimney 
  Piece 
  Was 
  Imported 
  from 
  Italy 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Byrd 
  

  

  gentleman 
  and 
  polite 
  companion, 
  the 
  splendid 
  economist 
  and 
  

   prudent 
  father 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  with 
  the 
  constant 
  enemy 
  of 
  all 
  

   exorbitant 
  power, 
  and 
  hearty 
  friend 
  to 
  the 
  liberties 
  of 
  his 
  

   Country. 
  Nat. 
  Mar. 
  28, 
  1674 
  Mort. 
  Aug. 
  26, 
  1744 
  An. 
  

   Aetat 
  70." 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Col. 
  William 
  Byrd 
  II, 
  Westover 
  be- 
  

   came 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  William 
  Byrd 
  III, 
  who 
  was 
  born 
  at 
  

   Westover 
  on 
  September 
  6, 
  1728. 
  He 
  was 
  only 
  sixteen 
  years 
  

   old 
  when 
  his 
  father 
  died, 
  but 
  he 
  acquired 
  the 
  education 
  of 
  a 
  

   gentleman 
  and 
  became 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  accomplished 
  men 
  

   in 
  the 
  colony, 
  and 
  naturally 
  followed 
  in 
  the 
  footsteps 
  of 
  his 
  

   ancestry. 
  

  

  When 
  George 
  Washington 
  was 
  colonel 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   regiments 
  of 
  the 
  Virginia 
  militia, 
  William 
  Byrd 
  commanded 
  

  

  the 
  other 
  which 
  ac- 
  

   companied 
  General 
  

   Forbes 
  in 
  his 
  expe- 
  

   dition 
  against 
  Fort 
  

   Duquesne, 
  and 
  he 
  

   enjoyed 
  the 
  esteem 
  

   and 
  friendship 
  of 
  

   the 
  distinguished 
  

   patriot. 
  

  

  The 
  English 
  

   landed 
  three 
  times 
  

   at 
  Westover 
  under 
  

   Arnold 
  and 
  Corn- 
  

   wallis. 
  During 
  the 
  

   Revolution, 
  Benedict 
  

   Arnold, 
  the 
  traitor, 
  a 
  

   cousin 
  by 
  marriage 
  

   of 
  Mary 
  Welling, 
  

   left 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  

   sailed 
  up 
  the 
  James 
  

   River, 
  where 
  he 
  an- 
  

   c 
  h 
  o 
  r 
  e 
  d 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   c 
  e 
  e 
  d 
  e 
  d 
  in 
  small 
  

   boats 
  to 
  Westover, 
  

   with 
  about 
  nine 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  men, 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  to 
  march 
  on 
  

   Richmond. 
  

  

  The 
  estate 
  of 
  

   Westover 
  was 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  descendants 
  of 
  Colonel 
  Byrd 
  until 
  

   1 
  8 
  14, 
  when 
  it 
  passed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  Civil 
  War, 
  when 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Seldon 
  was 
  

  

  owner 
  of 
  Westover, 
  it 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  Feneral 
  headquarters. 
  

  

  Fitz 
  John 
  Porter's 
  corps 
  encamped 
  on 
  its 
  wheatfields 
  and 
  

  

  occupied 
  the 
  old 
  mansion 
  after 
  the 
  Seven 
  Days' 
  

  

  Fight 
  by 
  the 
  Army 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  which 
  retired 
  

  

  to 
  Harrison's 
  landing 
  in 
  pursuance 
  of 
  McClellan, 
  

  

  causing 
  the 
  latter's 
  famous 
  "change 
  

  

  of 
  base." 
  President 
  Lincoln 
  reviewed 
  

  

  eminently 
  fitted 
  for 
  the 
  service 
  and 
  or- 
  

   nament 
  of 
  his 
  country, 
  he 
  was 
  made 
  Receiver 
  Gen- 
  

   eral 
  of 
  his 
  Majesty's 
  revenues 
  here, 
  was 
  thrice 
  

   appointed 
  publick 
  agent 
  to 
  the 
  Court 
  and 
  ministry 
  

  

  f-KS 
  TJlo 
  O 
  /zT^fT/w 
  

  

  the 
  troops 
  which 
  were 
  encamped 
  here. 
  

   The 
  restoration 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  mansion 
  

   and 
  its 
  quaint 
  formal 
  garden 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  during 
  

   the 
  past 
  ten 
  years 
  by 
  Mr. 
  and 
  Mrs. 
  McCreery 
  

   Ramsay, 
  its 
  owners, 
  and 
  the 
  interior 
  furnishings 
  

  

  of 
  England, 
  and 
  being 
  thirty-seven 
  years 
  a 
  member 
  at 
  last 
  include 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  rarest 
  pieces 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  America, 
  

   became 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  this 
  Colony. 
  To 
  all 
  this 
  Mrs. 
  Ramsay 
  is 
  a 
  collateral 
  descendant 
  of 
  the 
  Byrds, 
  and 
  

   were 
  added 
  a 
  great 
  elegancy 
  of 
  taste 
  and 
  life, 
  the 
  well-bred 
  the 
  old 
  place 
  is 
  once 
  again 
  in 
  the 
  family. 
  

  

  