Minuteman Sketch

Source: Tennessee State Library and Archives

This sketch of a Revolutionary War minuteman is from the Tennessee State Library and Archives Digital Collection, and was used in the creation of a mural from 1941 now in the lobby of the Sevier State Office Building in Nashville, Tennessee. I meant to post this last week, catching up from the long Independence Day weekend.

Petition Against Dividing Culpeper into Three Counties

This petition from 12 November 1791 was signed by over 1800 inhabitants of Culpeper County, requesting the Virginia General Assembly to not divide Culpeper into three counties. Among the signatories on this petition were Samuel Read and his father (my 6th-great-grandfather) John Read and brother Griffin Read. The handwriting on this document is very clear. From the Legislative Petitions to the General Assembly, Culpeper County, Accession Number 36121, Box 58, Folder 39, PID 536055.

Petition to pay taxes in tobacco or hemp instead of cash

The Library of Virginia digital collection has proven to be a big source of documents on my different family lines. In 1783, a group of inhabitants of Culpeper County, Virginia petitioned to pay taxes in tobacco and hemp instead of cash due to the scarcity of available funds following the end of the Revolutionary War. The petition is signed by my 6th-great-grandfather John Read, my 5th-great-grandfather Samuel Read, and my 6th-great-grandfather John Freeman (father of Juliann Freeman Read), among others (*I have not included all of the signatories on this document, for the full document see the Library of Virginia, Inhabitants Petition, Culpeper County, 3 October 1783).

Street Art London

On my most recent trip to London, I was not able to find a Banksy, but I did spot a simple mosaic by Invader and a flea by Roa. In this set I'm also including a picture of a large blue rooster in Trafalgar Square.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Invader, London, 18 June 2014

Photo by Patrick Jones. Blue Rooster, Trafalgar Square

Photo by Patrick Jones. Roa and others, 25 Jun 2014

The rooster currently occupying the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is the 2013 selection in the Mayor of London's Fourth Plinth art contest. Hahn/Cock by artist Katharina Fritsch is soon to be replaced by a new sculpture. Additional photos of Roa's flea can be found at http://shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2014/06/roas-flea.html.

Distributing the Estate of Samuel Read

In a post from February 2012, I wrote about my 5th-great-grandfather Samuel Read of Culpeper, Virginia. His wife, my 5th-great-grandmother, Juliann (also spelled Julanor or Julaner) Freeman Read, died around 1815. When she passed, the estate of Samuel Read was distributed among their five children: John Read, Elizabeth Read Ball, Samuel Read Jr, William Freeman Read, and Harris Read. Juliann's brother Harris Freeman served as the guardian for William and Harris Read, as they were minors when their mother died. William Freeman Read was my 4th-great-grandfather.

The Library of Virginia has a copy of a petition to the General Assembly authorizing the sale of the dower for Juliann Freeman Read, containing the mansion house of Samuel Read, 41 acres, and other property. This document is dated 12 January 1816.

Source: Library of Virginia

Source: Library of Virginia, Legislative Petitions, Culpeper County, Accession Number 36121, Box 59, Folder 23.