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  6 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  September, 
  1907 
  

  

  was 
  carried 
  by 
  Evelyn 
  Byrd 
  when 
  

   she 
  was 
  presented 
  at 
  court 
  in 
  

   England. 
  

  

  Over 
  the 
  mantel 
  in 
  the 
  dining- 
  

   room 
  is 
  a 
  portrait 
  of 
  Governor 
  

   Alston, 
  by 
  Benjamin 
  West, 
  and 
  

   around 
  the 
  room, 
  beginning 
  on 
  

   the 
  right, 
  are 
  portraits 
  of 
  the 
  

   Duke 
  of 
  Argyll 
  (Jeanie 
  Deans' 
  

   friend), 
  Benjamin 
  Franklin, 
  Mrs. 
  

   Taylor, 
  Colonel 
  Byrd's 
  wife's 
  

   sister, 
  Sir 
  Robert 
  Walpole, 
  the 
  

   Duke 
  of 
  Albemarle, 
  Colonel 
  

   William 
  Byrd, 
  Mr. 
  Randall 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Waltho. 
  All 
  told, 
  a 
  goodly 
  

   company 
  of 
  notable 
  men 
  and 
  

   women, 
  painted, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  

   part, 
  by 
  painters 
  of 
  distinguished 
  

   eminence. 
  

  

  At 
  some 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  

   the 
  house 
  are 
  brick 
  buildings 
  in- 
  

   tended 
  for 
  the 
  storage 
  of 
  pro- 
  

   visions. 
  Beyond 
  them 
  is 
  the 
  family 
  

   burying 
  ground. 
  The 
  tombs, 
  

   however, 
  are 
  mostly 
  modern, 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  those 
  of 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison 
  

   and 
  his 
  wives, 
  which 
  were 
  brought 
  

   here 
  from 
  Old 
  Brandon 
  Church. 
  

   On 
  the 
  way 
  thither 
  one 
  passes 
  the 
  

  

  The 
  Communion 
  Service 
  Presented 
  by 
  John 
  Westhrope 
  to 
  

   the 
  Parish 
  of 
  Martin's 
  Brandon. 
  Date 
  about 
  1 
  659 
  

  

  Virginia, 
  while 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  large 
  

   estates, 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  connected 
  either 
  with 
  Bran- 
  

   don 
  or 
  Berkeley, 
  the 
  famous 
  seats 
  

   of 
  this 
  family 
  on 
  the 
  James 
  River. 
  

   His 
  son, 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison 
  the 
  

   Second, 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  Surry 
  County, 
  

   Virginia, 
  in 
  1645. 
  Colonel 
  Na- 
  

   thaniel 
  Harrison, 
  the 
  son 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  Benjamin, 
  became 
  the 
  

   owner 
  of 
  Brandon, 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  

   first 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  to 
  be 
  definitely 
  

   associated 
  with 
  the 
  estate. 
  He 
  

   was 
  born 
  in 
  1677 
  and 
  died 
  in 
  

   1727. 
  It 
  was 
  his 
  son, 
  likewise, 
  

   named 
  Nathaniel, 
  who 
  built 
  the 
  

   present 
  mansion, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  its 
  

   oldest 
  parts. 
  He 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  

   1738. 
  He 
  was 
  succeeded 
  in 
  the 
  

   ownership 
  of 
  Brandon 
  by 
  his 
  third 
  

   son, 
  Benjamin 
  Harrison, 
  whose 
  

   portrait 
  still 
  hangs 
  on 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  

   the 
  drawing-room 
  of 
  the 
  mansion, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  portraits 
  of 
  his 
  

   two 
  wives, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  whom 
  was 
  

   Anne, 
  daughter 
  of 
  William 
  Ran- 
  

   dolph, 
  of 
  Wilton, 
  and 
  the 
  second, 
  

   Evelyn 
  Taylor, 
  the 
  daughter 
  of 
  

  

  Colonel 
  William 
  Byrd, 
  of 
  West- 
  

   old 
  block 
  house, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  families 
  of 
  the 
  plantation 
  found 
  over. 
  All 
  these 
  gentlemen 
  filled 
  important 
  public 
  offices 
  in 
  

   refuge 
  when 
  an 
  attack 
  by 
  Indians 
  was 
  impending. 
  It 
  is 
  built 
  their 
  day, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  conducting 
  the 
  large 
  affairs 
  of 
  their 
  

  

  of 
  red 
  brick, 
  laid 
  in 
  

   Flemish 
  bond. 
  The 
  

   provisions 
  were 
  

   stored 
  in 
  the 
  cellar 
  

   and 
  the 
  families 
  oc- 
  

   cupied 
  the 
  upper 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  struc- 
  

   ture. 
  The 
  small 
  

   black 
  spots 
  shown 
  

   in 
  the 
  photograph 
  

   are 
  the 
  gun 
  holes 
  

   through 
  which 
  the 
  

   attacking 
  force 
  

   could 
  be 
  shot. 
  The 
  

   cessation 
  of 
  the 
  In- 
  

   dian 
  wars, 
  however, 
  

   did 
  not 
  lessen 
  the 
  

   military 
  dangers 
  

   which 
  beset 
  Bran- 
  

   don. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  seat 
  

   of 
  considerable 
  mili- 
  

   tary 
  activity 
  in 
  the 
  

   Revolution, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bullet 
  holes 
  made 
  

   during 
  the 
  Civil 
  

   War 
  still 
  deface 
  the 
  

   moldings 
  of 
  the 
  

   outer 
  doorways 
  and 
  

   the 
  adjoining 
  walls. 
  

   Much 
  internal 
  in- 
  

   jury 
  was 
  inflicted 
  at 
  

   the 
  time, 
  but 
  the 
  

   family 
  portraits 
  

   and 
  household 
  ef- 
  

   fects 
  were 
  trans- 
  

   ported 
  to 
  Richmond, 
  

   and 
  hence 
  many 
  

   priceless 
  relics 
  were 
  

   safely 
  preserved. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  Benja- 
  

   m 
  i 
  n 
  Harrison 
  in 
  

  

  The 
  Quaint 
  Staircase 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Wing 
  

  

  estates. 
  The 
  latter 
  

   could 
  at 
  no 
  time 
  

   have 
  been 
  unimpor- 
  

   tant, 
  for 
  the 
  acre- 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  planta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Brandon 
  

   was 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  im- 
  

   m 
  e 
  n 
  s 
  e 
  , 
  requiring 
  

   not 
  only 
  constant 
  

   oversight, 
  but 
  many 
  

   men 
  and 
  women 
  for 
  

   its 
  successful 
  culti- 
  

   vation. 
  

  

  To 
  know 
  the 
  old 
  

   Virginian 
  inti- 
  

   mately, 
  one 
  must 
  

   go 
  to 
  his 
  ancient 
  

   home, 
  be 
  greeted 
  

   by 
  his 
  hospitable 
  de- 
  

   scendants, 
  eat 
  and 
  

   drink 
  from 
  his 
  old 
  

   plate, 
  cultivate 
  an 
  ac- 
  

   quaintance 
  with 
  his 
  

   family 
  portraits 
  

   and 
  wander 
  among 
  

   the 
  ruins 
  of 
  his 
  

   garden. 
  Afterward 
  

   you 
  must 
  take 
  a 
  

   walk 
  across 
  the 
  

   park 
  to 
  his 
  family 
  

   graveyard, 
  and 
  de- 
  

   cipher 
  the 
  arms 
  and 
  

   inscriptions 
  of 
  t 
  h 
  e 
  

   many 
  tombs 
  inclosed 
  

   therein. 
  Even 
  then, 
  

   unless 
  you 
  have 
  

   Southern 
  blood 
  in 
  

   your 
  veins, 
  you 
  may 
  

   not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  ap- 
  

   preciate 
  the 
  V 
  i 
  r 
  - 
  

   ginian 
  cavalier. 
  

  

  