Alexander Dandridge SpottswoodHe spelled his name with two t's, known "as a gentleman of the old school," he referred back to the spelling of the name his ancestors used in Scotland, Spottiswoode.
1836 - Born in the house at Orange Grove on November 19
1861 - Enlisted July 15th in Co. C. 30th Virginia Infantry
1864 - September 12th admitted to Chimborazo Hospital. When he returned from the service his father, his mother and two sisters were living on the home place. The property was completely run down. There was nobody there who was physically able to operate the farm. He took charge of the property and supported the family.
Sometime after 1865 the home burned down and the family Bible was lost in the fire. Some of the possessions dating back to the 18th Century were saved, among them many of the original oil paintings of the Spottswood family. The family moved into a smaller 1 fl story building and made that their home.
1869 - He married Lucy Harrison Gordon
1888 - His father died on March 14th. All the land was left to Alexander and certain personal property was left to other members of the family.
1923 - Wife Lucy died, her obituary appeared in Fredericksburg Star on February 9th; Alexander D. died the following year and both are buried in the family cemetery.
Alexander Gordon SpottswoodOnly son of A.D. and Lucy, he never married and operated the farm for his father when his father's health became bad.
1873 - Born on September 10th
1908 - He purchased Somerset on Flat Run, part of the original Alexandria tract patent.
1917 - He preceded his parents in death and is buried in the family cemetery, located on Spottswood Road.
Lelia Lewis Spottswood WillisBorn 1871 in the plain frame house.
1918 - Married E.O. Willis and moved to Culpeper
1924 - Inherited the farm from her father
1952 - In court proceedings she claimed full title to the entire property. At that time Orange Grove contained 357 acres, including part of the highway.
1967 - On January 13th she died, the last of her line.
Lelia, before her death in 1967, provided an oral history of Orange Grove and her ancestors. Only a small portion of that history is presented on these signs.
The Pile of BricksWhere once stood a chimney, the last remnant of the structures at Orange Grove, a brick pile now stands before you.
Contained in this pile are hand made bricks from the 18th Century, as earlier materials were reused in later buildings.
Comments 0 comments