LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - FEBRUARY 21, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio It is just coincidental that this article will be coming out just before George Washington’s birthday, but here is the story about what is known as the “The Culpepper Connection.” Many of the Black families that live in and around Caledonia, Mumford, LeRoy, and Wheatland trace their stories to Culpeper, Virginia, and many have family still living in that area. The recent story of Dorothy Layne, the Black pilot whose father came to LeRoy to manage the John Johnson Farm south of LeRoy, began in Culpeper. In fact, when doing a little more research about Dorothy Layne, I discovered that when her mother died in 1922, after the funeral service in LeRoy at the Second Baptist Church on Myrtle Street, her body was taken home to Culpeper and she was buried in the Fairview Cemetery. Other families in LeRoy, the Arringtons, Alexanders, Burrels, and Steversons, have connections to Culpeper. It was not uncommon for folks to drive back home to Culpeper for summer vacation, or for family reunions. The distance is a little more than 400 miles. Culpeper is both a town and a county in Virginia and is named for the Colonial Governor of Virginia, Lord Thomas Culpeper, who served from 1680 to 1683. It is about 72 miles from both Washington DC and Richmond Virginia – capitals of the North and South during the Civil War. Interestingly, it was first surveyed by 17-year- old George Washington in 1749. After receiving a commission from the College of William and Mary, his first job was to survey a 400 acre tract in Culpeper county. He completed the job in two days. Another interesting fact about Culpeper, is that during the Revolutionary War, the Culpepper Minutemen flew a white flag emblazoned with a coiled rattlesnake with the words “Don’t Tread on Me.” It also includes Patrick Henry’s declaration “Liberty or Death,” and if historically correct will also bear the name of the Culpeper Minutemen. (The yellow flag, which is more commonly seen today is what is known as the Gadsden Flag. At the time of the Civil War, Culpeper was an important railroad depot and it was situated in the middle of both armies. According to one source, Culpeper witnessed 100 battles and skirmishes. The Battle of Culpeper Courthouse took place on September 13, 1863, when the Union Army defeated the Confederate forces. The town clerk, Fayette Mauzy, was furious when he discovered that the Union soldiers had torn pages out of the record books to start their camp fires. He crept into the courthouse at night, gathered all the record books and buried them until after the war. These record books provide some of the more valuable sources of information about slavery in Culpeper. These records were invaluable for the descendants of a slave owner by the name of Joseph Bowen. His descendants discovered that his children were born to a slave by the name of Harriet Jackson. His wife could have no children and so Harriet bore all of the Bowden children and the family lived together. All of his children were freed and they inherited the land. Another story of slavery in Culpeper was written by Emily Jennings in her recent novel, “The Freedom Stone.” The story takes place in the 1850s and traces the story of a twelve-year old enslaved boy who seeks his freedom. When the Civil War ended, the Union army had several units camped in Culpeper. In one of those units was Capt. Frank Harmon from Wheatland. In fact, he was assigned to the Culpeper Courthouse. The Harmon family owned and operated large farms throughout Wheatland, and they desperately needed farm laborers. They knew that the Black workers understood the cultivation of the land – a story shared by Dorothy Layne about why her father came to LeRoy to manage the 500 acre Johnson farm. Frank Harmon told the newly freed slaves that they would be paid good wages and that the land in Wheatland was rich and good for farming. Frank and his brother, Eugene, advanced money to many of these Black families so they could move north. One of these men was the Reverend Clayton Coles who moved north in 1888. Coles had been a slave of Stonewall Jackson and had served as his body- servant during the war. In 1891, the Reverend Coles founded the Second Baptist Church in Belcoda. It was the second church in the region to serve the Black community. In 1898, the entire church was moved into the town of Mumford on the site of the church today. The efforts of Frank and Eugene Harmon went far beyond making sure that the families from Culpeper had good jobs and places to raise their families. The Harmons enlisted the help of the McVean family – noted for their abolition efforts before the war – and the two families purchased property in the Belcoda Cemetery to make sure there was a proper burying ground for the Black families. Located at the corners of Harmon, Belcoda and McGinnis, the cemetery is the resting place for Rev. Coles and many of the early Black families from Culpeper. One of the early ministers at the Second Baptist Church in Mumford, was Rev. Rose, who had recently graduated from the Colgate Divinity Seminary in Rochester. After a short time, he moved to LeRoy and helped found the Second Baptist Church on Myrtle Street. (Now known as the Celebration Family Outreach Center.) The church is located across the street from the Myrtle Street Cemetery, the final resting place for many of LeRoy’s Black families. Culpeper Connection and George Washington