Account of the family of Stephen Ley of Frederick County, VA

Introduction

The following article appeared in the "West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly, Volumes 4-5", by West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society, published in 1904. It goes into great detail regarding the family of Stephen Ley and his wife Marie von Unschuld, early settlers of Frederick County, Virginia.

Article

A SKETCH BY MRS. WALL, OF WINCHESTER, OF HER ANCESTORS, FOR HER CHILDREN.

My grand-father's name was Ley, (afterwards spelled Leigh or Lee), Germans, natives of Landaugh, a city of Germany, near the Danube, they were of honrable birth and wealthy family, highly educated in the literature of the day, and professors of the Christian faith. They had six children, all daughters. In 1750, or thereabouts, my Grand-father Ley came to America in pursuit of his eldest daughter Adelaide, who came over some time previous on a visit to the Colonies, in company with a family of intimate friends, who intended to make their future home here. Not having heard from her for many months after she arrived in America, he concluded to come over himself, and embarked with his two daughters, Maria Clara and Rosanne, in company with Frederick Conrad,—a kinsman, a native of Balmholden, in the Duchy of Zweibrecken, quite young, of honorable birth and wealthy parentage, coming over for pleasure and curiosity to see the new world.

On their arrival in Philadelphia they here learned the said intelligence of the death of Adelaide, which had occurred previous to. their leaving Germany, but they had not received the letter that brought the sad news. Not wishing to return immediately, he decided to travel and look at the country. Taking his two remaining daughters he traveled through Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, becoming each day more pleased with the beauty and fertility of this country, he determined to make it his permanent home, and without further delay purchased property in Frederick county, Md., where he sank a tanyard and planted a vineyard, and took up his abode.

Sometime after this, his daughter Rosa married Mr. Walter, a worthy gentleman; they had three daughters, Rosa, Louise and Charlotte. Rosa married a member of the Maryland bar, a Mr. Brent.

At last becoming restless and leaving Mrs. Walter in full possession of the property, he left with his daughter, Maria Clara, and his young kinsman, Conrad, for Winchester, Va., where being much pleased he again bought property, sank a tanyard and planted a hopyard.

In September 29th, of the same year, (1757 it should be, Maria Clare was married to Mr. Conrad, she being 21 years of age and he 34), from them the branch of the Conrad family in the United States originate, and in this place, Winchester, is the old homestead of all the Conrads; here they carried on the tanyard and hopyard, to a great extent, they employed the best workmen, invested their capital, this being the first tanyard that was ever in this part of the country. It was like coining money, I have seen them myself carry gold home by the basketful. Having now fully decided to remain in America, Grand-father sent to Landaugh, Germany, in the year 1759, for his wife, and two other daughters, Catherine and Charlotte, who soon arrived in Frederick City, where they left Charlotte with her married sister, Mrs. Walter, where she soon after married a Mr. Balzar, a merchant; they had three children, one daughter, two sons; John, the eldest, married a daughter of Mr. Balch, of Georgetown, where some of his grand-children are still living. The daughter, Louise, married a respectable gentleman of Washington City.

Grand-father, not many months after the arrival of his wife, my grand-mother, concluded to give his entire possessions in Winchester to his son-in-law, Uncle Fred'k Conrad, and look out for another home for himself. Taking Grand-mother and his remaining single daughter Catherine, he went to New London, in Virginia, in 1760; here he again purchased property and having succeeded so well in carrying on the tanning business in former places, he again sunk a tanyard and planted a vineyard,—although not being a workman himself, he seemed to have a passion for tanyards and vineyards. Sometime after their arrival here his daughter Catherine married a Mr. Teazes (pronounced Tees), a gentleman of wealth and high birth, then an officer in the American Army, he had engaged in the war with the Indians, had been captured by them, in the act of being scalped by them, was rescued by an Indian squaw under condition of becoming one of her family, her adopted son, but was finally after seven years restored to, his family, who had long mourned him as lost. Aunt Catharine Teazes had seven children: three sons and four daughters. The eldest son, Stephen Teazes, married a Miss Katherine Carrol, of Carrolton, Md., and soon after his marriage he emigrated to western Virginia, and settled in Kanawha county, where he took up a large body of land, extending from Mud river to the great Kanawha river, a beautiful valley, to which he gave his name, and to .this day it goes by the name of Tees Valley,—he was one of the first settlers of that country, being there at the time Boone was sent from the country to the Legislature. Most of his grand-children still reside in Kanawha, being among the most respectable families of that country—the Lansfords, Capehearts, Wilsons and Thompsons. Aunt Catherine's son John married and remained at the old homestead in New London; his sisters all remained single but one, they therefore lived with him until their death, that occurred about two years since,—all dying in" a short time of each other, the eldest being 90 years of age,— all worthy members of the Presbyterian Church. Lucy married a Mr. Haas, a relative of Uncle Pred'k Conrad's, of Winchester. William Teazes, the youngest son, studied medicine in Winchester with his cousin, Daniel Conrad, for two years, and he and his cousin, Edward Conrad, Dr. Wolfe, and Alfred T. Thruston, (who graduated in Europe), all studying at the same time in Winchester, with Dr. Daniel Conrad. William's health became delicate, he left for New London, where he lived but a short time. He never married, but was engaged to his cousin (my sister), Jane Watkins, at the time of his death; she also remained single. I have a letter now in my possession from Dr. Thruston to cousin, Win. Teazes, written from Paris, France, giving an account of the Medical college there, also of the French society of that day, that is very interesting.

Some years after the marriage of Aunt Catherine Tease, grandfather again gave up his possessions to his son-in-law Teazes, and left New London for Staunton, where he again purchased property, sunk a tanyard and planted a vineyard, for the last time, and situated himself permanently, which grand-mother greatly desired on account of their youngest daughter, Louisa Christiana, (named after Christian King Louis, who was then in possession of the throne of France), whom they left in France with her uncle, grand-mother's brother, a member of the King's Court, having no children of his own was anxious to adopt her as his on-n child. Being young, beautiful and highly educated and accomplished and very amiable, she was a great favorite with all, especially her Royal Highness, the Princess, and her aunt loved her as her own child, and when her mother came to America refused to give her up; at least until they should become permanently settled in their new home — that was about the time grandfather settled in Staunton. She became anxious to see her parents, curious to see the new world and having a good opportunity of coming over with some friends, determined to do so; soon after her landing she came directly to her sister, Mrs. Fred'k Conrad, in Winchester; here she spent a short time, then proceeded to her father in Staunton, where she afterwards became the wife of Dr. John Sharp Watkins, my father. Dr. Watkins was a young Englishman from London, who came to the country in company with the Rev. Alexander Belmain, Rev. North, (Episcopal clergymen), and Mr. Jones (grand-father of Wm. Jones, of Vaucluse, Va., and others of Frederick county), coming directly to Winchester, which was at that time one of the principal towns of Virginia, where Dr. Belmain located and became pastor of the old Stone Church. The Rev. Mr. Thurston being the former pastor, whose daughter afterwards married cousin Fred'k Conrad, son of old Fred'k Conrad. This church was given by Lord Fairfax, there he was buried,—this was the second church in Winchester, the old German Reformed church, built by Uncle Conrad, being the first house of worship in that place.

Dr. Watkins did not remain here long, but in company with Rev. North went to Staunton, where Rev. North became the pastor of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and Dr. Watkins located himself and soon after married Louisa Christiana Ley (my mother). Dr. Watkins 'was an eminent physician, commanding the most extensive practice. It was at this time his nephew, John Watkins, a member of the British Parliament, came over on business for the Government, he remained here and became a member of the first assembly that met in Richmond, and was at the time of great peril, sheltered in his Uncle's house in Staunton during the time of the Revolution. He afterwards married a lady of Richmond, who after his death married Rev. Mr. Clay, father of the late Henry Clay, of Ashland.

Not long after the marriage of my mother, grand-mother Ley died, in full assurance of a home in heaven; she was a superior and excellent woman, interesting and affectionate in every relation of life. She was buried in the old Episcopal Churchyard in Staunton. Soon after her death grand-father became restless, and desirous to see his children once more, left for a visit to his daughter, Mrs. Conrad, in Winchester,—although being more than 80 years old, he was as active as a boy, remarkably handsome and youthful in appearance, always social and pleasant. He never returned to Staunton, but died at Uncle Conrad's at an advanced age, leaving all his children handsomely situated, all of them wealthy.

Uncle and Aunt Conrad had two daughters, Catherine and Betsy; five sons, Fred'k, John, Daniel, Stephen and Edward. Stephen died young. John was a merchant and married Betsy, daughter of Col. Rutherford, Congressman, and sister of Mrs. Gen. Peyton, of Winchester. They had four children; two daughters, both named Maria (one died), the other married Mr. Hammond, of Jefferson; the two sons, Daniel Peyton Conrad, married Miss Richards, of Leesburg; they had three children, Bettie, Peyton, and Clememtine who died young.

Mrs. Conrad is now living with her remaining children in Newark, Ohio. Their other son, Rutherford, married his cousin, Margaret Peyton, sister of Mrs. Wm. L. Clark, of Winchester. They had two sons, Henry and John, both died young. After cousin John Conrad's death his widow married Dr. Davis, of Charlestown, W. Va.; they ferson county, Va. had one daughter, Mary, who married Mr. Keys, of Charlestown, Jef

Cousin Catherine's eldest daughter married Mr. Groverman, of Alexandria, an Irish-Scotch shipping merchant. It is really believed he was a Hollander by birth. They had four children, Maria and Betsy. Maria married Mr. Jamison, of that place, where she still lives. Betsy died. The two sons died young.

Betsy married General Young, of Alexandria, and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Roberta. Lizzie married Mr. Fendall, a lawyer, of Washington. Roberta married Mr. Brown, a lawyer also, (afterwards Governor of Mississippi). Their two sons are now in the Navy—William and James Young.

Cousin Daniel Conrad, M. D., went to Scotland to graduate in medicine; sometime after his return he married Rebecca, daughter of Col. Joseph Holmes, and sister of Governor Holmes and Hugh Holmes, of Winchester. They had two sons; David Holmes, who married Nancy, daughter of Judge Carr, of Winchester, and now resides in Martinsburg. His other son, Robert Young married Betty Whiting, daughter of Major Burr Powell, of Loudon, Va.

Fred'k Conrad married Sidney, daughter of Colonel Thurston, and sister of Mrs. Col. Magill, of Winchester. They had four daughters, Nancy, Sidney, Mary, and Lizzie; four sons, Fred'k, Charles, Alfred, and Francis. They all left Winchester for a home in Louisiana, where they all married well and prospered.

Cousin Edward Conrad married Harriett, daughter of General Eoberdeau, a very wealthy Scotch gentleman; they had two sons, James, of United States Army, and Daniel, M. D., who married Sarah Jane, daughter of Alfred H. Powell, of Winchester, and is now practicing medicine there. Grand-mother's youngest daughter, Louisa Ley, married Dr. Watkins, (and lived at the old homestead in Staunton), had four children; one son, who died in infancy, and three daughters, Maria Clara, Elizabeth Catherine, and Jane Lydia. After the death of my father, Dr. Watkins,—who died in great peace and much lamented as a physician, layman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and interred with great honors in the old churchyard beside his friend, Rev. Mr. North, whose marble tablet still remains in the walls of the old Protestant Episcopal Church of that place, —his two daughters, my eldest sister and myself, (Maria was educated in Winchester), boarded with Aunt and Uncle Conrad. There we remained five or six years, our cousins were as brothers and sisters, and we never lost this devoted affection and kind remembrance for each other. Aunt and Uncle Conrad loved us as their children and treated us as such. Soon after my sister Maria left school she married Mr. George White, son of Col. Hugh White, of Tennessee, and brother of the late Judge Hugh White, United States Senator. Maria had nine children; six daughters, two living in Winchester; one son living in London and one in Alabama. I was engaged to my cousin, Daniel Conrad, for three or four years, and was to have been married to him on his return from Scotland, but during his stay there I became religious, and against the will of all my relations joined the Methodist Church; on his return I thought better to break the engagement, as he was very wild and gay, and very much opposed to my being a Methodist, (who were a despised people in that day) ; not long after this I became acquainted with Rev. James Walls, of York, Pa., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who was originally from Wales, wealthy and of honorable birth. We were married in Staunton at my mother's; afterwards lived in Winchester. We had six children; four daughters and two sons; William and John, Louisa Clara, Maria R., Elizabeth C. and Jane A. Dr. William married a lady of Bath, Miss Mary Burnestur; they had one son, died in infancy; one daughter, Anna L., who married A. B. Davidson, son of Rev. Dr. Davidson, pastor of the Presbyterian church of Frederick City. A. B. Davidson is a wholesale merchant of Baltimore; they had four children, three daughters, one son.

Dr. John W. S. Walls married; his first wife was Miss Littler, daughter of Captain Littler, of Hardy county; his present wife (a cousin), Miss Hansford,—daughter of Elizabeth Teazes and Major Hansford, brother of Milton Hansford, who married Mary Park, grand-niece of General Washington, being a grand-child of Uncle Stephen Teazes, of Teas Valley. Dr. Walls has but one child, a son by his first marriage. The eldest and youngest daughters, Elizabeth and Maria Watkins, are living at their old homestead in Winchester. Jane Watkins never married, but lived in Winchester until her death; she was 80 when she died, and was a most excellent woman, beloved by all.

There was not such a house in all the country for hospitality, sociability, gayety and pleasure as Uncle Fred'k Conrad's. Lord Fairfax and Denmark, with their attendants, were there frequently, and being particular friends, they would all meet,—ladies and gentlemen of the neighborhood, when the grand assembly balls were to take place,—to have their heads cushioned and powdered for the dance. It was also a home for the stranger, and the poor were never turned away empty. Aunt was a great Christian; she was one of the excellent of the earth, though frequently they drank deeply of the pleasures of the world, but my dear Aunt moved on in the even tenor of her way, soaring above it.

Although grand-father and mother being so high-minded and aristocratic and Uncle Conrad so exclusive, she remained the same meek Christian until her death. They lived long to enjoy life and see their children comfortably situated, and died in peace and hope of a blissful eternity. They were members of the Otterbine or German Reformed Church, where they, with nearly all of our ancestors' remains are deposited in the graveyard of said church. Thus have they all passed away; we all do fade as a leaf. There was not a blemish, as far as the family tree can be traced; all great, noble, wealthy and glorious for this world honors,— where all is pershing in the using. But I fondly hope that many of them had a right to the tree of life, and heirs to a better inheritance in a brighter world than this.

I have sketched these outlines of our history for the benefit of my family and relations private use, that they may learn that there is nothing here on earth deserves of joy and permanent affection, for every jest has a snare and every pleasure a poison. .

(Signed) Mrs. E. C. Walls.

Winchester, 1842.

Note: This manuscript was commenced in 1792, and seems to have been closed in 1842—fifty years in preparing, the latter relating to existing branches of the family confirms these dates. (Note by Daniel Holmes Conrad.)

Accompanying Statement

DR. D. H. CONRAD'S STATEMENT.

January 27, 1860. I have gotten the written manuscript of Mrs. Walls, the wife of the Rev. James Walls, copied for me as her reminiscences of her family and mine—her mother, the widow of Dr. Watkins, afterwards Mrs'. Kidd, was the sister of my grand-mother, both daughters of Stephen Ley, (pronounced Lay, being the old French for law), who was of Landau. My grand-father's mother was a French Huguenot, according to the tradition of the family. Deuxponts, where my grand-father was born in July 28, 1723, was then a dutchy of the Upper Rhine circle and annexed to France tinder the wars of the French Revolution, afterwards to Bavaria—his wife, my grandmother, was therefore Mrs. Walls' aunt, my mother's sister.

Frederick Conrad came over with his father-in-law (to be) to this country at a period not exactly known to me, but several years before he was married, which was in 1757, he being 34 and .my grand-mother 21 years of age. They were married in Winchester, Va., where my grand-father was one of the first settlers and a thriving, wealthy, hospital man. The tradition of his liberal housekeeping and open hospitality long prevailed in the town. In a publication of the banished Quakers, who were sent by General Washington from Philadelphia to the interior, Winchester was fixed upon as the place of their enforced sojourn. Their descendants have for private distribution printed the Dairies of some of these suspected men, in which among other things they record the trouble of getting comfortable quarters in this (then) small town, and finding "Friend Phillip Burk" not sufficient to hold them, all (the only decent inn in town) "the rest of us went to Frederick Conrad's", who opened his house to these worthy Quakers, whose offence consisted in refusing to swear allegiance to the new Government, and as they alleged not because of traitorous feelings or sentiments, but because they followed literally the Bible injunction to "swear not at all," be that as it may, my good grand-father, though a staunch Whig, all through the contest and to the day of his death, opened his house and home to these men who were hurried from Philadelphia before they could provide themselves with money and necessaries. They remained in Winchester and the neighborhood for a considerable time under the control of my other grand-father, Joseph Holmes, who was Commissary of Prisoners, and had the care of those also who had been taken at the defeat of Burgoyne, and were stationed in Winchester under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Steward, and Baron Reidesel, chief officers respectively of the English and Hessian prisoners.

Old Dr. Ley, my grand-mother's father, died in Winchester, at an advanced age, before my grand-father's death, he came up from Staunton, where he lived, and spent the close of his life with his daughter and son-in-law.

Mrs. Walls seems to have understood that her grand-father's young kinsman (grand-father, Frederick Conrad,) was of wealthy and honorable parentage; certain it is. He was a man of wealth, and died possessed of a large estate for the time he lived in. Mr. Frederick Conrad was before the Revolution a vestryman and senior warden of old Frederick parish. Bishop Meade mentions that he remained a vestryman from 1764 until 1780, sixteen years. The Bishop informed me further that he as senior warden some time during this period was deputed to go down to the chapel near Millwood, and investigate certain charges against the treasurer of that branch of the parish. He found the incumbent delinquent, or in some way to blame, and deposed him from his office and shut up the church. This must have been after the rector, old Colonel Thurston, had resigned and gone into the army, and the care of the parish was left to the vestry. After the vestries were abolished in 1780, Frederick Conrad, who was attached (I suppose by early education) to the German Reformed Church, built the church of that denomination east of Mr. Jacob Baker's property (formerly Judge Tucker's) out of his own funds, and the graveyard thereto annexed contains the remains of this old patriarch of Winchester, of his wife and son Stephen, of my grand-father and grand-mother. I think that Lord Fairfax granted in the first place the whole of that series of graveyards—the Lutheran, German Reformed and Presbyterian—to my grand-father, and he ceded the Lutheran and Presbyterian, and perhaps Catholic, to their respective Church authorities,—such I have understood to be the fact from my brother,- who once investigated the title. My grand-father's house was very often visited by the old proprietor (as may be seen by Mrs. Walls' account), Frederick Conrad, the elder, who died while my father was prosecuting his medical studies in Edinburg and London about the year 1792 or 03. He left his son Frederick executor and residuary legatee—he made rapid disposition of the estate, not only his awn part, but of the legacies of my father, and of Dr. Edward Conrad, his youngest brother,—who was educated by my father, and died in Winchester in 1820, an eminent physician, leaving a widow (the daughter of General Roberdeau) and two sons, all now alive, i860.

My father, after his brother Fred'k had removed to Louisiana, brought suit on the executors bond of Fred'k Conrad the 2d, his brother, for the legacy to Uncle Edward. The bond proved defective and the sureties, Col. Chas. Magill and Henry Dangerfield, (Frederick Conrad's brothers-in-law), were thus exonerated from the heavy liabilities incurred as sureties, and Judge Carr, the Chancellor, in deciding the case on the principles of equity, decreed that my father who had received some advances, which were deducted from his legacy, should pay over the half to-his brother's estate—I found this decree standing against us in favor of Edward Conrad's children, on my return from the West, and knowing the liberal expenditures made by Dr. Daniel Conrad towards the education, support and settlement of their father, Dr. Edward, I asked of them to release the decree, which they did. My father thus brought suit for his brother's benefit, and gained a loss, on the principle that "Equality is Equity"—while the real delinquent, my worthy uncle Fred'k, being himself in Louisiana and insolvent, I suppose, got scot free of that and other heavy claims which my father had to pay for him. His son, my cousin, Fred'k, of Baton Rouge, is rich enough to buy out all my father's descendants.

The present descendants of Fred'k Conrad, my father's brother, who moved to Louisiana with his father-in-law, Colonel Thruston, are:

1. Fred'k D. C., of Baton Rouge. 2. Chas. M. C., (late Secretary of War under Fillmore). 3. The families of two sons, Alfred T. C. and Francis. The daughters I know of were: Mrs. Towles, Mrs. Harding, Mrs. Palfrey, and Mrs. Weeks. Alfred, married to Nannie Hunter, daughter of M. T. H. and Chas. Weeks. The other daughters I do not know whom they married. Mrs. Young's children and grandchildren are in Washington and Philadelphia and Mississippi. Elizabeth, recently dead, married to Phillip Fendall, Esq., has left a large family. Mrs. Brown, wife of Albert G. Brown, late Governor of Mississippi, and now Senator in Congress, has two children: Capt. William Young, of the United States Navy, now in Philadelphia, has a number of children; he married a daughter of Judge Black, of Delaware.

It would require a family tree, however, to show the large number of the descendants of the old Fred'k and Maria Clara Ley.

I remember Mrs. Wall's mother, Mrs. Watkins, afterwards Mrs. Kidd,—who was it seems educated at the court of France, (see manuscript)—and when I read this the other day and learned it for the first time, it accounted to me for the appearance, dress, and manners of this fine old lady. We children used always at Christmas and Easter to visit Aunt Kidd, and I remember her yet, a stately, fairskinned, large old lady, dressed in the highest style, in Mrs. Walls' poor old habitation, in black satin with rich lace; and I always thought she must look like a queen. I had no idea that she had been companion and protege of the princess of that court. She certainly was one of the most imposing and handsome old women that ever I said.

Mrs. Walls, the lady who writes this queer family history, was one of the most beautiful women, and excellent, that ever lived. The family was always poor in their circumstances—the old parson work as a carpenter (as his divine Master did) and he was one of the most devoted, consistent, zealous Christian ministers that ever lived, and Tiled triumphing in his faith.

Manuscript Of Daniel Holmes Conrad, 1860.

Dr. Stephen Ley married—Innocence (?), Landau, Germany.

Maria Clare Ley married Frederick Conrad, Balholden, Zwiebrecken, Germany.

Daniel Conrad married Rebecca Holmes, daughter of Colonel Joseph Holmes.

Robert Young Conrad married Betty Whiting Powell, daughter of Major Burr Powell.

Sally Harrison Conrad married Archibald Magill Pauntleroy.