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ATREEFALLSINLITWALTON

CRAIGM.Kn.BY'"

FallingOaksat2160RiverRoadasitlookstoday.Itwasbuiltin1870.byThomasDorseyFicklin,a.CivilU7tzrveterana'!ldnativeofRichmondCounty.ItiscurrentlyownedbyLarryE:Brewer,whocoineditscurrentname.Th'ehOusefacesMoratticoRoad.October2004photo,courtesyofPeggy

](jlby.

Inhabitantsof,andfrequentvisitorstothenorthwestsectionofLancasterCountywillhavenotroubleidentifyingthisstatelyandseeminglytranquiloldhomeatthecomerofRiverandMoratticoroads,adjacent.totheLancasterCountyMooseLodge.Itsmanicuredlawnandgardensbeliethelesser-knownfactthatthispropertywasthecenterofaoncethriving,bustlingandoftentimesnotoriouscommercialcrossroadsstillknowngenericallyasLitwalton.

Today,theonlyremainingnon-agriculturalenterprisesinLitwaltonareBunny'sGarage,theMooseLodge,andaprivatelandingstrip.Here,then,isitsstory.

CraigKilbyisanativeofSt.CharlesCounty,Missouri.HeholdsaB.S.degreeinPublic

AdministrationfromtheUniversityofMissouri-Columbia.HeservedthreetermsintheMissouriHouseofRepresentatives.WhilelivingintheSt.Louisarea,hewasarealestateappraiserandacommercialrealestatebroker.HemovedtotheNorthernNeckin1995,whereheisactivelyengagedinprofessionalgenealogy,historicalresearchandrealestate.'HeisavolunteerattheMaryBallWashingtonMuseumandLibrary,amemberoftheRichardHenryLeeChapteroftheSonsoftheAmericanRevolutionandcurrentlyservesontheNorthernNeckofV1l'giniaHistoricalSocietyPublicationsCommittee.

7036

NorthernNeckofVirginiaHistoricalMagazine

THEMITCHELLS(ANTE-1781TO1869)

Definiteownershipofthistractofland,priorto1781,bytheMitchellfam-ilycannotbeascertained,butitwasintheMitchellfamilyatthattime.The1781willofRichardMitchellleftallthelandinLancasterCountywhereonhelivedtohisnephew,anotherRichardMitchell.Theheirtothelanddiedin1818,leavingittohisson,WilliamB.Mitchell,withwhomthisarticlebegins.ThewillsandlandtaxrecordsprovethatthesubjectlandwasasmallpartofRidgefieldFarm.1Thesmallparcel,nowknownasFallingOaks,owesitsexistencetothewillofWilliamBallMitchell,written"atRidgefieldthis25thdayofJanuary1843andwhollywritten&subscribedwith[his]ownhands."2AfterleavingeachofhisfivesonsenormoustractsoflandbetweenMorattico,Nuttsville,DeepCreekandtheRichmondCountyline(includingEppingForest),thesixthitemofhiswillcarvesoutasmallportionofhisRidgefieldfarm,andreads:IgivetoallmysonshereinnamedjoindyandequallytheLitwaltonEstab-lishmentthatistosaythelotandthelotsbeingbetweentheoldandnewroadsandthelandsdevisedto[sons]Richard,JuliusandLiwetonwithitsvariousbuildingsviz:storehouse,grocery,mechanic'sshop,smalldwellings,gardens,etc.[emphasisadded]ThefivesurvivingsonsofWilliamB.MitchellandhiswifeMargaretDown-man,asnamedinhiswillandBible,were.RichardBallMitchell(1816-1873),RobertJosephMitchell(1817-1888),WilliamLaurenceGunyonMitchell(1821-1897),LittletonDOWnmanMitchell(1821-1897)andJuliusWIlmothMitchell(1824-1859).3Fromthiswill,wecanreadilyseethatWilliamBallMitchellalreadyhad

establishedacommercialoperationonthiscomer,andthatinhisviewitwas

afamilyoperation.In1841,hebecamepostmasterofLitwalton,whichisthefirstreferencetotheplacename.Atpresent,wedonotknowthesourceofthename.4

1.LancasterCounty,VirginiaWillBook20,209(willofRichardMitchell);LancasterCountyWillBook28,183(1818willofRichardMitchell);andLancasterCountyWillBook29,26(willofWilliamB.Mitchell).TheemigrantancestorofthisfamilywasRobertMitChell,whodiedinLancasterCountyin1704.2.LancasterCountyWillBook29,26.3.MitchellFamilyBible,transcript,FamilyResearchCenter,MaryBallWashingtonMuseumandLibrary,Lancaster,VA(MBWM).Asixthsondiedininfancy.ItisbeyondtheparametersofthisarticletopresentagenealogyoftheMitchellFamily,whowerecloselyalliedwiththeDowmnans,Balls,Sydnorsandotherleadingfamiliesofthatera.4.MaryR.Miller,

PlaceNameso/theNorthernNeck

(Richmond:VirginiaStateLibrary,1983),88.Also,seeChristineJones'unpublishedmanuscript,"VirginiaPostmasterAppointments,"FamilyResearchCenter,MBWM;andCol.OtisK.Sadler,"PostOfficesinLancasterCounty,"

NorthernNecko/VirginiaHistoricalMagazine

(1952).Theoft-toldlegendthatLitwaltonwasnamedfortWosonsofoneFairfaxMitchell-LittletonandWalter-isnotsupportedbyanyhistoricalevidence.TherewasaFairfaxMitchell,buthewaspartoftheRichmondCountyfamily(sonofWtlliamBladenMitChell).ThestoryoriginatedwithMissLouiseLewisina1982interviewwhenshewas89yearsold.(~.-.'

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A Tree Falls at Litwalton

The story of a house and grounds now known as Falling Oaks that became the nucleus of a once-thriving community in Lancaster County, Virginia. History of the community and its c... (More)

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Category:	Research > History
Rating:	(1 Rating)
Upload Date:	08/14/2010
Copyright:	Traditional Copyright: All rights reserved
Tags:	History Virginia crab Oyster Northern Neck lancaster county litwalton morattico (more tags) History Virginia crab Oyster Northern Neck lancaster county litwalton morattico whealton watermen mitchell family ficklin family brewer family rappahannock river (fewer)