William Armistead of "Hesse"

HESSE

In a remote situation upon the Pianketank, a stream that separates the counties of Gloucester and Middlesex, stands, solitary and alone, Hesse, one of the most venerable brick mansions in Virginia. The Armisteads, who built and long owned it, were among the earliest settlers in Gloucester and were prominent in private and public life during the Colonial period. For many generations " Armistead of Hesse " was as well known as a family designation in Virginia, as " Harrison of Brandon " or " Carter of Shirley." The estate passed out of the Armi- stead family something like a century ago, and their name, though numerous elsewhere, is not now to be found in the county which was so long their home, but large numbers of persons scattered through the country trace their ancestry to ancient Hesse. A portion of the original mansion was long ago torn down.

Honorable John Armistead, of Hesse (son of William Armistead, the emigrant), was a member of " his Majesty's Council " in the latter part of the seventeenth century.17He was succeeded as master of the estate by his son Henry, who won as his bride, over all other suitors, the fascinating Martha Burwell, daughter of Honorable Lewis Burwell, the young lady with whom Governor Sir Francis Nicholson was so much in love that he vowed that should she marry anyone but himself, he would kill three persons—the bridegroom, the clerk granting the license and the clergyman performing the ceremony. The threat was not carried out, however, for as far as is known, the fair Martha and the husband of her choice, Henry Armistead, "lived happily ever after" at Hesse. One of their daughters, Lucy, married " Secretary " Thomas Nelson (1716-1782), son of Thomas Nelson, the emigrant, and another, Martha, became the wife of Dudley Digges, member of the first Executive Council of the State of Virginia.

17 Armistead family: William and Mary Quarterly, vi, 31-33; 97-102, 164-171, 226-234; vii, 17-24, 181-186. Henry Armistead was succeeded as master of Hesse by his son William, who married Mary, daughter of Honorable James Bowles of Maryland, a lady of large fortune, and died about 1755, leaving a son and heir, a second William Armistead, of Hesse, who married, in 1765, Maria, daughter of Charles Carter, of Cleve, by his second wife Anne, daughter of Honorable William Byrd II, of Westover. From letters which have been preserved, written to Mrs. Maria Carter Armistead, or " Molly," as she was familiarly called, she seems to have been a favorite with her friends and family. One of these written by her uncle, William Byrd, 3d, of Westover, upon hearing of her engagement to William Armistead, is as follows:

" My Dear Niece :

I was in great Hopes, as well as your Aunt and Grandmamma, that you would have given us the Pleasure of your Company at Westover e'er now, & should have rejoiced in an Opportunity of convincing you of my Affection. Report informs us you are going to be married very soon; I wish it had been agreeable to you to have given some of your Friends here Notice of it, because we think ourselves interested in your Happiness; for my part I shall always be glad to contribute to it. Mr. Armistead is a young gentleman entirely acceptable to us, & we sincerely wish you both Blessing of the married State. Be pleased my Dear Molly to present my best Compliments to him, & accept yourself of our Love and tender Friendship. I & the rest of your Relations here beg the Favor of you & Mr. Armistead to spend your Christmas at Westover, where many young People are to make merry; & give our Love to your Sisters & bring them with you. Our Coach shall attend you any where at any time.

I ever am

My Dear Niece

Your most affe.

Uncle Westover Nov: 25th. 1765. W. Byrd."

The only surviving son. of William and Maria Carter Armistead was Charles Byrd Armistead, who inherited Hesse, but some time after his death, in 1797, leaving no descendants, the estate, which contained 3879 acres, passed from the Armistead family.

 SOURCE:    Historic Virginia Homes and Churches  By Robert Alexander Lancaster, CO PYRIGHT, 1915, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, published October. 1916, books.google.com

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American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) about William Armistead Name: William Armistead Birth Date: 1740 Birthplace: Virginia, Volume: 04 Page Number: 417 Biographical Info: mil., paymaster Reference: Historical reg. Of Virginians in the Rev., soldiers, saliors and marines, 1775-1783. Ed. By John H. Gwathmey. Richmond, Va. 1938. (13, 872p.):20

Source Information:

Godfrey Memorial Library, comp.. American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Godfrey Memorial Library. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT, USA: Godfrey Memorial Library.