Master List of Places Mentioned in the Letters to Dr. Carmichael & Son

This document lists the places mentioned in the letters of the Carmichael collection. The letters themselves do not indicate if the location referred to is a town or the local name for a homestead or plantation, but that information is included when known. Web sites consulted to determine the location and history of a place are listed. A particularly helpful Web site is www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/map/ (from this index page, select Virginia Historical Inventory) which provides access to photographs, maps, and detailed written reports documenting the architectural, cultural, and family histories of thousands of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings in communities across Virginia. This collection is housed at the Library of Virginia and was originally assembled by the Virginia Writers' Project, part of the depression-era Works Progress Administration.

Place or Property Links to Documents Description & Source
Angrum
  • (1)

Angrum is referred to in a letter by W. H. Hooe.
Aquia

Aquia is a small river town about 12 miles north of Fredericksburg in Stafford County, Virginia. It was one of the first Catholic settlements in Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Robert Bronaugh, George M. and Hannah Cooke, and Withers Waller.

www.catholicherald.com/articles/00articles/history25.htm
Baltimore, Maryland  

In the Carmichael letters, Baltimore is the location of Geo H. & J. S. Keerl Druggist, a major pharmaceutical supplier for the Carmichaels.
Belle Plain
  • (1)

Belle Plain is a town northeast of Fredericksburg in Stafford County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Mr. Wishart.
Bellvo
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Bellvo. is the address of William A. Herndon and his mother. According to an 1820 census, William Herndon lived in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

www.rootsweb.com/~cenfiles/va/spotsylvania/1820/pg64a.txt

www.rootsweb.com/~cenfiles/va/spotsylvania/1820/pg70b.txt
Belview
  • (1)

Belview is a town in Gloucester County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of William S. Fife.
Bowling Green

Bowling Green is a town in the center of Caroline County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Robert P. Richardson.
Brodie

Brodie is located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the home of M. Strachan.
Cedar Hill
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Cedar Hill is the address of Anne R. Dermott.
Chatham

Chatham is an 18th-century Georgian mansion that served as a Union headquarters and field hospital during the Civil War. It is now a museum in Stafford County, Virginia. Churchill Jones purchased the property in 1806 and his family owned the property for the next 66 years. In the Carmichael letters, Chathan is the address for M. Jones (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7), C. Jones (4), and John Clark (8).

www.nps.gov/frsp/chatham.htm

www.ohwy.com/va/c/chathamm.htm

homepages.rootsweb.com/~elacey/chatham.htm
Chatham Bridge
  • (1)

Chatham Bridge crosses the Rappahanock River in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is mentioned in a letter by John Clark.
Chesterville

In the Carmichael letters, Chesterville is the address of Mary Skinker, a relative of James Carmichael.
Cleve
  • (1)

Cleve is an estate about seven miles south of King George Courthouse in King George County, Virginia. The estate was acquired by Robert "King" Carter in 1700 and remained in the Carter family until 1852. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of St. Leger Landon Carter.

WPA Survey Report, Manor of Cleve : 1937 Dec 29 / research was made by Julia Maria Heflin.

Clifton

Clifton is the name of several towns in Virginia. The Carmichael letters possibly refer to the one located in Orange County. In the Carmichael letters, Clifton is the address of M. W[omkin?] and William Payne.
Clover Hill

In the Carmichael letters, Clover Hill is the address of E. Mason, Jr.

Coles Hill
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Coles hill is the address of V. Hamburgh.
Cottage Green
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Cottage Green is the address of J. Smock. On October 4, 1834 he advertised it for rent in the Virginia Herald. He describes it as beautiful little farm, highly improved and productive, and suited to the comfort of a small family.
Cromarty

Cromarty is probably located near Germanna Mills, Orange County, Virginia. It possibly relates to a Scottish ancestorial home. In the Carmichael letters, this is the home of Charles Urquhart and family.

Culpeper

Culpeper is in Culpeper County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the hometown of Benjamin N. Barnett.
Culpeper Court House

In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of James R. M. Conockie.
Eagle's Nest
  • (1)

Eagle's Nest is in King George County, Virginia, two miles north of King George Courthouse. Eagle's Nest was first owned by Henry Fitzhugh in 1700. It passed to his son, William Fitzhugh of Chatham. It was willed to William Fitzhugh's eldest nephew, William Fitzhugh Grymes, about 1825. In the Carmichael letters, this is the home of William S. Grymes.

WPA Survey Report, Eagle's Nest : 1937 June 30 / research made by Julia Marie Heflin.

Elba Mills

Elba Mills is in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Thomas Poindexter.
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
  • (1)

Elizabeth City, founded in 1793, is located in northeastern North Carolina. In the Carmichael letters, Butler Maury takes a trip to Elizabeth City.

www.elizcity.com/
Ellwood
  • (1)

Ellwood is a 642-acre estate situated 15 miles west of Fredericksburg in Orange County, Virginia. It was built by William Jones in the 1790s and remained in his family for a century. It is now a part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of William Jones.

www.nps.gov/frsp/ellwood.htm

homepages.rootsweb.com/~elacey/chatham.htm

WPA Survey Report, Ellwood : 1937 Jan. 5 / research made by John C. Hendricks.

Falmouth

Falmouth, a town in Stafford County, Virginia, is directly north of Fredericksburg on the opposite side of the Rappahanock River. It was founded in 1728 and promoted by Robert "King" Carter. The Carter family played a significant role in its development during the colonial period. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Butler Maury (1) and W. G. Gregory (2) and (3).

www.elizcity.com/
Falm'
  • (1)

Falm' is probably an abbreviated name for the town of Falmouth, Viginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of James C. Vass.
Falmo

Falmo is probably an abbreviated name for the town of Falmouth, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of an illegible name, ?Gluerce.
Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, a town named for Frederick, the Prince of Wales, was formed in 1728 as a port for Spotsylvania County, Virginia. All of its streets were titled after members of the Royal family. Dr. James Carmichael immigrated to Fredericksburg in 1791 and established a thriving medical practice. His two sons, Edward H. and George, eventually joined him in his practice. The majority of the letters are addressed to either James or Edward H. Carmichael in Fredericksburg.

www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Fredericksburg,-Virginia
Friedland
  • (1)

Friedland plantation is located in King George County, Virginia, nine miles southwest from King George Courthouse. Purchased in 1720, it was the "summer home" of Alexander Seymour Hooe. Hooe's three sons, Seymour, Mason, and Emmet all tragically died. In 1836 Friedland was left to Mason Hooe's children. In the Carmichael letters, Friedland is the address of E. B. Hooe, who was Elizabeth Barnes Mason Hooe, wife of Alexander Seymour Hooe.

WPA Survey Report, Friedland : 1937 July 28 / 1937 / research was made by Julia Maria Heflin.
Gaymont
  • (1)

Gaymont is a plantation located 2 miles north of Port Royal, Virginia, and 20 miles south of Fredericksburg. This plantation home is distinctive for being one of the first houses built in America. In the Carmichael letters, Gaymont is the address of John Hipkins Bernard, son of William Bernard and Fannie Hipkins. His maternal grandfather, John Hipkins, willed the estate to Bernard. Originally titled "Rose Hill", Bernard changed the name to "Gay Mont" for his wife Jane Gray Robertson.

WPA Survey Report, Gaymont : 1936 Nov. 2 / research made by Selma Farmer.

www.swem.wm.edu/spcoll/robb/robbweb.html

Germanna
  • (1)

Germanna, a town in Orange County, Virginia, near the Rapidan River, was settled by the first German settlers in Virginia under the patronage of Alexander Spotswood. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Elizabeth Gordon.

www.germanna.org/

WPA Survey Report, Germanna : 1936 Apr. 29 / research made by Charles P. Cowherd.

Germanna Mills

Germanna Mills, in Orange County, Virginia, is located 20 miles from the port town of Fredericksburg. It was owned by Charles Urquhart. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Lawson Barnett.

www.germanna.org/

gcclearn.gcc.cc.va.us/sitehistory/
Glebe plantation
  • (1)

The Glebe often refers to a plot of land belonging to or yeilding profit to an English parish church. In this Carmichael letter, Samuel Alsop has a slave woman in labor at the "Glebe plantation."
Gleens Post Office
  • (1)

Gleens Post Office is in Gloucester County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is where William S. Fife asks Carmichael to send his letters.
Hampton, Virginia

Hampton is in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and on the southeastern tip of the Virginia peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay. It is the oldest continuously settled English community in the United States. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of George P. French.
Hay Farm
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Hay Farm is the address of Brodie S. Hull.
Hillton

In the Carmichael letters, Hilton is the home of Richard Hill.
Holly-Wood
  • (1)

Holly-Wood is the estate of Arthur Alexander Morson and is nine miles east of Falmouth in Stafford County, Virginia. The original colonial home was built in 1823 and burned down in 1889.

WPA Survey Report, Hollywood : 1937 Jan. 7 / research made by Julia Marie Heflin.

Kilmarnock Lancaster
  • (1)

Kilmarnock is located in Lancaster County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the hometown of Gawin Corbin and John Hull.

www.northernneck.com/kilmarnock/
Lansdowne

In the Carmichael letters, Lansdowne is the address of George Bassett.
Lewisburg
  • (1)

Lewisburg is possibly the Lewisburg in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, which was part of Virginia until the formation of West Virginia in 1863. In the Carmichael letters, Lewisburg is the address to which James Herndon is moving.
Llangollen
  • (1)

Llangollen, the home of John Lewis, is located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It was named after Llangollen, Wales, United Kingdom, where the Lewis family resided after being driven out of France by the Hugenot persecutions. Given the property by his mother, Lewis established a prestigious school. The upper floor was used as a dormitory for the smaller boys, while the older boys lived in cabins. Law, foreign languages, and college courses were taught. Girls were admitted as day students.

WPA Survey Report, Llangollen : 1936 Nov. 27 / research made by Mildred Barnum.
Locust Hill
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Locust Hill is the home of George Lane.
Longwood

In the Carmichael letters, Longwood is the home of John W. Selden.
Marengo
  • (1)

Marengo is in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Charles A. Lewis.
Mattapony

Mattapony is perhaps an estate located on the Mattapony River in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of William Herndon, Jr.
Matter Bridge
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, this is the address for either Benjamin F. Stewart or, quite possibly, the address of the ill uncle who is the subject of the letter.
Newpost

Newpost is located in Spotsylvania County, four miles from Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Tidewater Trail. It was owned by Governor Alexander Spotswood from 1722 until 1800 when it was sold to Joseph Alsop whose family owned it until 1916. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of James Long and family.

WPA Survey Report, Newpost : 1936 Dec. 28 / research made by Sue K. Gordon.

Northumberland Court House
  • (1)

Northumberland Court House is a town established in 1797 in Northumberland County, Virginia. The name was changed to Heathsville to honor local citizen John Heath. In the Carmichael letters, Northumberland Court House is the address of Thomas Strode.

www.co-opliving.com/coopliving/sections/pdf/dh/dh_1997Sep.pdf
Nottingham
  • (1)

Nottingham is located seven miles south of Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The land was owned by Governor Alexander Spotswood from 1722 to 1740, and he evidently named it for the location in England where he and his brother John boarded and attended school. The original house burned and was rebuilt by W. L. McCarthy Spotswood In the Carmichael letters, this is the home of William Lawrence McCarthy Spotswood.

WPA Survey Report, Nottingham : 1927 April 30 / research made by Sue K. Gordon, Sue K..
Oak Spring
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Oak Spring is the address of E. Magruder.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In the Carmichael letters, Philadelphia is the location of Judah and Thomas Dobson who were book agents for the Carmichaels.
Point Pleasant
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Point Pleasant is the address of Harriett S. Strode's brother.
Port Royal

Port Royal is a town east of Fredericksburg located on the south side of the Rappahanock River in Caroline County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Charles Urquhart, Jr.
Pro Hill
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, Pro Hill is an abbreviation for Prospect Hill, home of the Battaile family.
Prospect Hill

Prospect Hill is a plantation in Caroline County, Virginia, about 15 miles northwest of Port Royal. The house was built in 1773. The Battaile family owned Prospect Hill for 200 years as it descended from father to son. In the Carmichael letters this is the address of Laurence Battaile.

departments.mwc.edu/hipr/www/Fredericksburg/buildads2.htm

WPA Survey Report, Prospect Hill : 1937 Jan. 28 / research made by Selma Farmer.

Richland

Richland is an estate in Stafford County, Virginia, northeast of the town of Stafford. It can be traced back to 1725 and belonged to early settlers of Stafford County, among whom were the Brents. It was used as a campground by the Union during the Civil War. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Mr. and Mrs. Brent.

WPA Survey Report, Richland : 1937 June. 24 / research made by Julia Marie Heflin.

Richmond

Richmond is in Henrico county and the capital of Virginia.
Richmond Court House
  • (1)

Richmond Court House is a village in Richmond County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Elias E. Buckner.
Rose Mount

Rose Mount is probably located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of William Richardson.
Roxbury

Roxbury is a plantation 12 miles from Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In 1743 Beverley Stanard moved to Roxbury, and it remained in the Stanard family until 1901. The plantation originally consisted of 2,000 acres of land. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Eaton, John A., and Larkin Stanard.

W. P. A. Survey Report, Roxbury : 1937 Sept. 22 / research made by Sue K. Gordon.

Rumford

In the Carmichael letters, Rumford is the address of James F. Maury.
Sabine Hall
  • (1)

Sabine Hall is a plantation estate in Richmond County, Virginia. The Georgian two story brick mansion was built in 1730 by Landon Carter, son of Robert "King" Carter. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Robert Wormely Carter, a son of Landon Carter.

www.nps.gov/phso/sp/sabiner8.htm
Salvington

Salvington is possibly in Stafford County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the home of Sarah Mason Cooke Selden Grayson. She married Wilson Cary Selden in 1821 and remarried Robert Osborn Grayson on March 15, 1825. In the Carmichael letters, she signs as Sarah M. Selden and Sarah M. Grayson.

gunstonhall.org/masonweb/i0000219.htm
Santee
  • (1)

Santee is a plantation near Fredericksburg and 19 miles northwest of Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia. The plantation home was built by Battaile Fitzhugh in 1807 and boasted 18 rooms and 30 windows. His only child, Patsy, married Samuel Gordon of Kenmore. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Samuel Gordon, Jr.

WPA Survey Report, Santee : 1937 Jan. 29 / research made by Selma L. Farmer.

Smithfield

Smithfield is in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Today the house is a clubhouse and headquarters of the Fredericksburg Country Club. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of John Pratt and Patrick C. Robb.

Source Noel G. Harrison
Stafford
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Nelson and B. Tolson.
Stafford Court House

Stafford Court House, now known as Stafford, is a town in Stafford County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Waller Withers, J. Carter, and John Carter.
Steam Boat Landing
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of James S. Cole.
Strawberry Hill
  • (1)

Strawberry Hill is probably in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of William Spooner.
St. Julien
  • (1)

St. Julien is an estate six miles from Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Judge Francis T. Brooke purchased the property in 1796 and lived there until 1851 when it passed to his son, Francis E. Brooke, who owned it until 1879. Both Francis T. Brooke and his wife Mary Champe Carter Brooke are buried on the grounds. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of R. S. Brooke.

WPA Survey Report, St. Julien : 1936 Nov. 30 / research made by Sue K. Gordon.
S Hill

In the Carmichael letters, S Hill is an abbreviation for Sunning Hill, home of the Minor family.
Sunning Hill
  • (1)

Sunning Hill is a plantation home ten miles northeast of the town of Louisa in Louisa County, Virginia. Sunning Hill was built by Garrett Minor, father of Dr. James Minor. The Minor family originated from Holland and changed their name from Myndus to Minor. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Dr. James Minor.

WPA Survey Report, Sunning Hill : 1936 July 13 / research made by Nancy S. Pate. ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/louisa/cemeteries/sunnghill.txt

www.trevilians.com/wpabible.htm
Sycamores
  • (1)

Sycamores is probably located in Caroline County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, Sycamores is the address of Louis W. Taliaferro.
T. Creek?

T. Creek is probably located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Hugh Mercer and his overseer William Hart.
Tapp.k.
  • (1)

Tapp.k is probably an abbreviation for Tappahannock, a town 30 miles south of Fredericksburg in Essex County, Virginia. Being a river town, it once was a port of some importance. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of John R. Matthews.

www.essex-virginia.org/ex_hist.htm
Twyman's Store
  • (1)

Twyman's Store is a town in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Twyman's Store is mentioned in Civil War correspondence, and an 1895 atlas lists it as a town with a population of 124. In the Carmichael letters, this address was given by Herndon Frazer.

www.livgenmi.com/1895/VA/Index/t.htm
Wilderness

The Wilderness is a heavily wooded area ten miles west of Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Both William Jones and Churchill Jones developed property in the Wilderness. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Benjamin Wilcher. He requests help for slaves of Mr. Jones.

homepages.rootsweb.com/~elacey/chatham.htm
Woodbury
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, this is an address of Charles R. Battaile.
Wood.y
  • (1)

In the Carmichael letters, this is an abbreviation for Woodbury, an address of Charles R. Battaile.
Woodlawn
  • (1)

Woodlawn is described in a Carmichael letter as near King George Court House, King George County, Virginia. In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Y. Johnson.
Wood Land In the Carmichael letters, this is the address of Elizabeth C. Withers.