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53-661: Dandridge was born on Christmas, 1737 at Chestnut Grove in New Kent County in the Colony of Virginia . He was the fourth child of Col. John Dandridge and his wife Frances Jones Dandridge . His paternal grandfather John Dandridge Sr. was from Oxfordshire but became a member of the London company of painters. His son (this man's uncle) William Dandridge was an officer in the Royal Navy who emigrated to Virginia and became

106-561: A hip roof and a chimney at either end. It also contained a basement which ran the length of the mansion. The interior of Chestnut Grove was plain and paneled in pine. House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses ( / ˈ b ɜːr dʒ ə s ɪ z / ) was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States when Virginia

159-624: A British warship. In 1776 the House of Burgesses ended. The final entry in the Journals of the House of Burgesses is "6th of May. 16 Geo. III. 1776 … FINIS." Edmund Pendleton , a member of the House of Burgesses (and President of the Committee of Safety) who was present at the final meeting, wrote in a letter to Richard Henry Lee on the following day, "We met in an assembly yesterday and determined not to adjourn, but let that body die." Later on

212-678: A delegate in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He pursued reforms to slavery and introduced legislation allowing masters to take control over the emancipation of slaves in 1769, taking discretion away from the royal Governor and General Court. Jefferson persuaded his cousin Richard Bland to spearhead the legislation's passage, but the reaction was strongly negative. In 1769 the Virginia House of Burgesses passed several resolutions condemning Britain's stationing troops in Boston following

265-545: A family plantation. The late President specifically mentioned freeing the Dandridge slaves in his will, but delayed such until the widow's death. John Dandridge would follow in his father's career path, including representing New Kent County in the Virginia House of Delegates beginning in 1788. His brother Julius Burbridge Dandridge (1770-1828) became a banker in Richmond, which had become the state capital, first clerking at

318-790: A judge on what in modern times is the Supreme Court of Virginia . The Court of Appeals first met in the spring of 1779, although Dandridge first took his seat on March 29, 1780. He participated in Commonwealth v. Caton wherein some judges enunciated the principle of judicial review, but Judge Dandridge declined to express an opinion on that issue. Judge Dandridge remained on the Court until his death in 1785. Dandridge and his mother died within several days of one another in April 1785. His sister, Martha Washington received notice of both deaths in

371-703: A legislator with his father), and after her death married the only daughter of Major William Armistead of New Kent County, Susan Baker Armistead, who bore a son Bartholomew Dandridge (d. 1829) who eventually became the Clerk of New Kent County, after being partly raised by his stepfather David Dorrington. That Bartholomew Dandridge may have lived with 9 Blacks in 1810, and lived with four free Colored people in 1820. Bartholomew Dandridge studied law and quickly made an outstanding reputation, as well as operated his mother-in-law's and wife's estate using enslaved labor. New Kent County voters elected him as one of their representatives to

424-601: A merchant and planter by 1715, owning Elsing Green plantation in King William County after his marriage, as well as a wharf in Hampton and a merchant ship. Capt. Dandridge became a friend of Virginia governor Alexander Spottswood , who appointed him to the Governor's Council and also commissioned him to survey the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina; one son and one daughter of each family married into

477-522: A planter cousin, William Dandridge, son of his late uncle Capt. William Dandridge, represented Hanover County for several terms. On May 29, 1778, fellow legislators elected Bartholomew Dandridge to the General Court, and the following year created a new Court of Appeals, which consisted of the judges of the General Court, Court of Admiralty and the High Court of Chancery. Thus, Dandridge became

530-695: A series of resolves that became known as the Virginia Resolves , denouncing the Stamp Act and denying the authority of the British parliament to tax the colonies, since they were not represented by elected members of parliament . Newspapers around the colonies published all his resolves, even the most radical ones which had not been passed by the assembly. The assembly also sent a 1768 Petition, Memorial, and Remonstrance to Parliament. From 1769–1775 Thomas Jefferson represented Albemarle County as

583-736: The American Revolutionary War for safety reasons. The House of Burgesses became the House of Delegates in 1776, retaining its status as the lower house of the General Assembly , the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia . Through the General Assembly and House of Burgesses, the Virginia House of Delegates is considered the oldest continuous legislative body in the New World . In honor of

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636-594: The College of William and Mary , while the Capitol was under construction. When the Capitol burned in 1747, the legislature moved back into the college until the second Capitol was completed in 1754. The present Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg is a reconstruction of the earlier of the two lost buildings. In 1779, and effective in April 1780, the House of Delegates moved the capital city to Richmond during

689-430: The House of Burgesses in 1772 and re-elected him two years later. However, dissatisfaction with British policy was growing, and when Virginia's royal governor, Lord Dunmore, suppressed the legislature in 1775, Dandridge and fellow planter Burwell Bassett (with whom he had served in the House of Burgesses) were elected as the county's representatives to the first four Virginia Revolutionary Conventions; Dandridge served on

742-631: The Massachusetts Circular Letter of the previous year; these resolutions stated that only Virginia's governor and legislature could tax its citizens. The members also drafted a formal letter to the King, completing it just before the legislature was dissolved by Virginia's royal governor. In 1774, after Parliament passed the Boston Port Act to close Boston Harbor, the House of Burgesses adopted resolutions in support of

795-445: The judicial system . By 1643, the expanding colony had 15 counties. All of the county offices, including a board of commissioners, judges, sheriff, constable, and clerks, were appointed positions. Only the burgesses were elected by a vote of the people. Women had no right to vote. Only free and white men originally were given the right to vote, by 1670 only property owners were allowed to vote. In 1642, Governor William Berkeley urged

848-764: The 18th century. The statehouse in Jamestown burned down for the fourth time on October 20, 1698. The General Assembly met temporarily in Middle Plantation , 11 miles (18 km) inland from Jamestown , and then in 1699 permanently moved the capital of the colony to Middle Plantation, which they renamed Williamsburg . The French and Indian War in North America from 1754 to 1763 resulted in local colonial losses and economic disruption. Higher taxes were to follow, and adverse local reactions to these and how they were determined would drive events well into

901-689: The Bank of Virginia, then became the cashier at the Richmond Branch of the Second Bank of the United States , but was accused of misfeasance, and a lawsuit against his sureties reached the Supreme Court of the United States before being settled after his accidental death. Chestnut Grove (plantation) 37°31′3.2″N 76°58′42.3″W  /  37.517556°N 76.978417°W  / 37.517556; -76.978417 Chestnut Grove

954-582: The Boston colonists which resulted in Virginia's royal governor, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore , dissolving the assembly. The burgesses then reassembled on their own and issued calls for the first of five Virginia Conventions . These conventions were essentially meetings of the House of Burgesses without the governor and Council, Peyton Randolph the Speaker of the House would serve as the President of

1007-541: The House of Burgesses was transformed into the House of Delegates , which continues to serve as the lower house of the General Assembly. Burgess originally referred to a freeman of a borough , a self-governing town or settlement in England. The Colony of Virginia was founded by a joint-stock company , the Virginia Company , as a private venture, though under a royal charter . Early governors provided

1060-474: The Virginia Company's leaders gave instructions to the new governor, Sir George Yeardley , which became known as "the great charter." It established that immigrants who paid their own way to Virginia would receive fifty acres of land and not be mere tenants. The civil authority would control the military. In 1619, based on the instructions, Governor Yeardley initiated the election of 22 burgesses by

1113-577: The Virginia Company. On July 30, 1619, Governor Yeardley convened the Virginia General Assembly as the first representative legislature in the Americas for a six-day meeting at the new timber church on Jamestown Island , Virginia. The unicameral Assembly was composed of the Governor, a Council of State appointed by the Virginia Company, and the 22 locally elected representatives. The Assembly's first session of July 30, 1619,

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1166-484: The assembly were to be levied. Still, most Virginia colonists were loyal to Prince Charles and were pleased with his restoration as King Charles II in 1660. He went on to directly or indirectly restrict some of the liberties of the colonists, such as requiring tobacco to be shipped only to England, only on English ships, with the price set by the English merchant buyers; but the General Assembly remained. A majority of

1219-562: The burgesses, meeting in conventions, listened to Patrick Henry deliver his "give me liberty or give me death" speech and raised regiments. The House of Burgesses was called back by Lord Dunmore one last time in June 1775 to address British Prime Minister Lord North's Conciliatory Resolution . Randolph, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, returned to Williamsburg to take his place as Speaker. Randolph indicated that

1272-655: The colonies. A network of secret organizations known as the Sons of Liberty was created to intimidate the stamp agents collecting the taxes, and before the Stamp Act could take effect, all the appointed stamp agents in the colonies had resigned. The Massachusetts Assembly suggested a meeting of all colonies to work for the repeal of the Stamp Act, and all but four colonies were represented. The colonists also increased their non-importation efforts, and sought to increase in local production. In May 1765, Patrick Henry presented

1325-486: The colony except it be aiding and assisting the same against any foreign or domestic enemy." Especially after the massacre of almost 400 colonists on March 22, 1622, by Native Americans , and epidemics in the winters before and after the massacre, the governor and council ruled arbitrarily , showing great contempt for the assembly and allowing no dissent. By 1624, the royal government in London had heard enough about

1378-537: The convention, and they would elect delegates to the Continental Congress . The First Continental Congress passed their Declaration and Resolves , which inter alia claimed that American colonists were equal to all other British citizens, protested against taxation without representation, and stated that Britain could not tax the colonists since they were not represented in Parliament. In 1775

1431-523: The creation of a bicameral legislature which the Assembly promptly implemented; the House of Burgesses was thus formed and met separately from the Council of State. In 1652, the parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell forced the colony to submit to being taken over by the English government. Again, the colonists were able to retain the General Assembly as their governing body. Only taxes agreed to by

1484-674: The end of the year, many colonies were practicing non-importation, a refusal to use imported British goods. In 1765, the British Quartering Act , which required the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to British troops, further angered American colonists; and to raise more money for Britain, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act on the American colonies, to tax newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. American colonists responded to Parliament's acts with organized protest throughout

1537-468: The fifth Revolutionary Convention alongside Col. William Clayton , whom he had succeeded in 1772. His political influence was such that on August 17, 1775 Dandridge came within one vote of being elected to the statewide Committee of Safety that governed the Commonwealth for the next ten months, and the next session elected him to the Committee of Privileges and Elections. Dandridge helped to draft both

1590-650: The local militia and operated a plantation called Chestnut Grove about four miles away, using enslaved labor. Bartholomew had elder brothers John Dandridge (1737-1749) and William Dandridge (1734-1776), but probably his most important sibling was his eldest sister, Martha , who later became the first First Lady of the United States . Bartholomew received a private education suitable to his class. His father died in Fredericksburg in August 1756 while visiting his niece and her husband, Col. John Spottswood, when Bartholomew

1643-519: The mansion in 1840. At that time, the Chestnut Grove estate contained 1,175 acres (4.76 km ). Unlike neighboring plantation homes, Chestnut Grove continued to serve as a residence for 200 years in its original state until it burned down in November 1926. Chestnut Grove's architectural details survive due to old photographs and sketches. The mansion was a two-story frame structure with

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1696-505: The members of the General Assembly of 1676 were supporters of Nathaniel Bacon . They enacted legislation designed to further popular sovereignty and representative government and to equalize opportunities. Bacon took little part in the deliberations since he was busy fighting the Native Americans. In 1691, the House of Burgesses abolished the enslavement of Native peoples; however, many Powhatans were held in servitude well into

1749-548: The next decade. In 1764, desiring revenue from its North American colonies, Parliament passed the first law specifically aimed at raising colonial money for the Crown. The Sugar Act increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. The same year, the Currency Act prohibited American colonies from issuing their own currency. These angered many American colonists and began colonial opposition with protests. By

1802-477: The original House of Burgesses, every four years, the Virginia General Assembly traditionally leaves the current Capitol in Richmond and meets for one day in the restored Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg . The most recent commemorative session (the 26th) was held in January 2016. In January 2007, the Assembly held a special session at Jamestown to mark the 400th anniversary of its founding as part of

1855-601: The other. His maternal great-grandfather, Rowland Jones , was the first rector of now historic Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg , the colony's capital for most of this man's life. His maternal grandfather, Orlando Jones represented King William County for several terms in the House of Burgesses . Meanwhile, this man's father, John Dandridge followed his brother to the Virginia colony and became clerk of New Kent County in 1730, which position he held until his death in 1756. John Dandridge also served as an officer in

1908-467: The problems of the colony and revoked the charter of the Virginia Company. Virginia became a crown colony and the governor and council would be appointed by the Crown . Nonetheless, the Assembly maintained management of local affairs with some informal royal assent, although it was not royally confirmed until 1639. In 1634, the General Assembly divided the colony into eight shires (later renamed counties ) for purposes of government, administration, and

1961-619: The resolution dissolving the relationship with Great Britain and the Virginia Declaration of Rights. On June 29, 1776 he was elected to the Council of State, which held administrative powers as well as advised Governor Patrick Henry, but Dandridge resigned that position to attend family business on January 8, 1778. Although Dandridge did not serve in the first session of the Virginia House of Delegates , he won election as one of New Kent County's delegates in 1778. Meanwhile,

2014-591: The resolution had not been sent to the Congress (it had instead been sent to each colony individually in an attempt to divide them and bypass the Continental Congress). The House of Burgesses rejected the proposal, which was also later rejected by the Continental Congress. The burgesses formed a Committee of Safety to take over governance in the absence of the royal governor, Dunmore, who had organized loyalists forces but after defeats, he took refuge on

2067-529: The rest of his slaves among his children by his wife Mary, who had a life estate in them. The problem was that the judge's slaves were mortgaged because Dandridge was financially embarrassed following the American Revolutionary War . Therefore, his brother-in-law, General (later President) George Washington took 33 slaves as payment for a loan he had made from Martha Dandridge Washington's property in 1765, and lent them back (without charge) to Dandridge's widow Mary so she could support their children on what had been

2120-539: The role of the former House of Burgesses. In 1619, the General Assembly first met in the church in Jamestown. Subsequent meetings continued to take place in Jamestown. In 1700, the seat of the House of Burgesses was moved from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, near what was soon renamed Williamsburg . The Burgesses met there, first (1700 to 1704) in the Great Hall of what is now called the Wren Building at

2173-651: The same dispatch. Dandridge's will left his Rockhock plantation to his wife Mary, and his eldest son John received land in Doctor's Swamp as well as a Mill and Grist Mill on Diascund Creek. His sons Julius, Bartholomew and William received lands in North Carolina purchased from Patrick Henry . Judge Dandridge also provided for his mother and mother-in-law in his will. Judge Dandridge also manumitted two slaves, gave his daughter Anna Claiborne one negro and another to his granddaughter Elizabeth Dandride Claiborne, and divided

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2226-622: The same morning, the members of the fifth and final Virginia Revolutionary Convention met in the chamber of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg and elected Pendleton its president. The convention voted for independence from Britain. The former colony had become the independent Commonwealth of Virginia and the convention created the Constitution of Virginia with a new General Assembly , composed of an elected Senate and an elected House of Delegates . The House of Delegates acceded to

2279-467: The settlements and Jamestown. They, together with the royally appointed Governor and six-member Council of State, would form the first General Assembly as a unicameral body. The governor could veto its actions and the Company still maintained overall control of the venture, but the settlers would have a limited say in the management of their own affairs, including their finances. A House of Assembly

2332-404: The stern leadership and harsh judgments required for the colony to survive its early difficulties. Early crises with famine, disease, Native American raids, the need to establish cash crops , and lack of skilled or committed labor, meant the colony needed to attract enough new and responsible settlers if it were to grow and prosper. To encourage settlers to come to Virginia, in November 1618

2385-411: Was 19 years old, just under legal age. Dandridge married twice. Although the name of his first wife is lost, their daughter Anne married William Dandridge Claiborne, and their daughter Elizabeth married William Langhorne. Bartholomew Dandridge's second wife was Mary Burbidge, the daughter of Julius King Burbidge, who had in 1744 purchased from Mann Page's estate the 3,407-acre Pamocra estate which by 1768

2438-501: Was Judge James Dandridge Halyburton. Their daughter Mary married John Willison, and Frances married George W.H. Minge. John (1758-1799) became a lawyer and would also serve as in the Virginia House of Delegates; he might have died at Pamocra, but also practiced law in Charles City County, where his wife Rebecca Jones Minge, came from, and their daughter Lucy married J.W. Murdaugh of Williamsburg. Their son, also named John,

2491-673: Was a British colony . From 1642 to 1776, the House of Burgesses was an important feature of Virginian politics alongside the Crown -appointed colonial governor and the Virginia Governor's Council , the upper house of the General Assembly. When Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain at the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776 and became the independent Commonwealth of Virginia ,

2544-475: Was an 18th-century plantation house on the Pamunkey River near New Kent Court House in New Kent County , Virginia , United States . Chestnut Grove is best known as the birthplace of Martha Washington , wife of George Washington , and the first First Lady of the United States . Martha Washington was born in the east room of the mansion. The two-story frame house consisting of six rooms

2597-631: Was created at the same time in Bermuda (which had also been settled by the Virginia Company, and was by then managed by its offshoot, the Somers Isles Company ) and held its first session in 1620. A handful of Polish craftsmen , brought to the colony to supply skill in the manufacture of pitch, tar, potash, and soap ash, were initially denied full political rights. They downed their tools in protest but returned to work after being declared free and enfranchised, apparently by agreement with

2650-501: Was cut short by an outbreak of malaria and adjourned after five days. On the third day of the assembly, the assembly's Journal noted "Mr. Shelley, one of the Burgesses, deceased." Twenty-two (22) members were sent to the assembly from the following constituencies: The latter two burgesses were excluded from the assembly because John Martin refused to give up a clause in his land patent that exempted his borough "from any command of

2703-618: Was living at Pamocra in 1813, but planned to travel elsewhere. Complicating matters, this generation of Dandridges also included two men named Bartholomew. Judge Bartholomew Dandridge's son, Bartholomew Dandridge Jr. never married, but became the private secretary of his uncle President George Washington, then a diplomat, dying as consul in war-torn Haiti in 1802. Complicating matters, his cousin Bartholomew Dandridge (1760-1803), son of his uncle William Dandridge, married Elizabeth Clayton (daughter of Col. William Clayton who served as

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2756-506: Was originally built around 1730. It was first inhabited by prominent Virginia planter John Dandridge and his wife Frances Jones . The couple raised their eight children, including Martha Washington , there. It was at Chestnut Grove that Martha married her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis , on 15 May 1750. In 1768, Martha Washington's younger brother Bartholomew Dandridge sold Chestnut Grove and its accompanying 500 acres (2.0 km ). Colonel Richard Pye Cooke then purchased

2809-452: Was within the redrawn New Kent County. In 1782, Bartholomew Dandridge paid taxes on the land, where his lived with his wife and family, which included Burbidge widow, who may have held a life estate. Mary and Bartholomew Dandridges had seven children, of whom four were sons (John, Bartholomew, William and Julius) and three daughters (Martha, Mary and Frances). Their eldest daughter Martha married Dr. William Halyburton of Scotland, and their son

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