User:William Maury Morris II/sandbox-01

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Rev. James Maury & his family[edit]

[1] United States Highway Marker on Rev James Maury.

  • Eldest son was "Consul" James Maury (1st USA consul for Liverpool England, appointed by Geo. Washington.
  • One of the nephews of Matthew Fontaine Maury (above) was Major General Dabney Herndon Maury. Prodded by his daughter, "Rose" (in the front of his autobiography} he wrote Recollections of a Virginian in the Mexican, Indian, and Civil Wars (pub. 1894.)

[2] Maj Gen Dabney Herndon Maury's autobiography is online at "Documenting the American South" and is presently being sold on Amazon.com , plus in a dozen or more areas when using Google search. I am usually on Wikisource (for about 7 years now) and am unfamiliar with wikipedia since I left it long ago. Maury (talk) 04:19, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

Contribution at 'Virginia'[edit]

Thanks for contributing 6th Dominion and 5th Dominion to the Virginia article. I believe that it could go in the introduction explaining the nickname “Old Dominion” with a source. But as it is, the entry is unsourced and clutters the info box with an official designation in the “Nickname” section, and it is likely to be reverted.

I propose modifying the introduction second and third sentence to read, Virginia is nicknamed the “Old Dominion” due to its status as a former dominion of the English Crown,[note 1] officially the 6th Dominion.[note 2] It is also called the “Mother of Presidents” because it has had the most U.S. presidents born there.

[note 2] Citation. Virginia was called 6th Dominion and 5th Dominion by England when she was a colony as Wales was won and lost as a colony to England.

Can you supply the citation at [note 2] for Virginia being the 6th and 5th Dominion? I remember that you are correct, I just do not have the reference at hand. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 10:08, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

Alas, I have no source to point to than my memory. I am Virginian of 67 years and I recall a lot of things about Virginia, many that perhaps most people do not know. Here is an example that people at Monticello don't know. Thomas Jefferson rode down from Monticello to watch the building of the University of Virginia on his horse, "Eagle". On the way down or back he sometimes would stop at a place on the road to Monticello where a spring came out of the hillside where he would stop for water to drink and water Eagle. When I was a kid we used to drive there after church to get water as a pleasantry. In time many cars would stop and people carried their vessels to fill them up with this water. That road is narrow and dangerous because of it. Cars created a bigger problem due to a steep ravine on one side. By the time I was a teenager and working plumbing, heating, and air conditioning as trades it happened that the company I worked for had been asked to pipe that water underground, across the road, and down the opposite side where the water ran down the ravine. This is basically a piece of lost history now. It was important in Jefferson's time but became dangerous as stated. I have never met anyone who remembers that spring water coming out of the hillside. As a boy scout when young it was also important because we got our drinking water from there and camped on Jefferson's Monticello lawn. Today it is a tourist set-up. Today there are little buses that take people "up" to Monticello and a lot of rules that did not exist in my youth. Some of this is perhaps recorded in a book I once bought entitled, Another Peppercorn For Mr. Jefferson which existed long ago. I was born and raised there in Charlottesville, Va. and walked over to the university -- played there as a kid. There is a Fontaine and a Maury street nearby. I once belonged to the Albemarle County Historical Society and contributed items and books. Are you a native Virginian? I know many of the old family surnames. I married a Dr. William Cabell (from the American Revolutionary war) descendant. I ramble in my old age. Kindest regards, Maury (talk) 16:30, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

I'm not Virginia born, but lots of Virginia family connection, and mostly raised there, so I got Virginia history in 3d, 5th and 11th grades. As I feared might happen, an editor took out your info box contribution asking for a source. Sometimes I can find something online by googling the factoid. But in this case Virginia, the sixth dominion, Wales the fifth dominion, etc. failed to bring up an online cite to a book or historical journal on the first three pages of search. But I'll keep a lookout for something.
I am writing up a narrative of Virginia history which I am reading aloud to my father-in-law who is losing his eyesight. I'm going through M.P. Andrews 'Virginia: the Old Dominion', V. Dabney's 'Virginia: the New Dominion', Wallenstein's 'Cradle of America: four centuries of Virginia history', and Heinemann, Kolp, Parent and Shade's 'Old Dominion, new Commonwealth'. My captive audience is kind enough to critique it as we go, suggesting additional lines of inquiry, etc. Andrew's records on page 138 that King Charles gave the nickname "Old Dominion" to Virginia in honor of its loyalty throughout the Interregnum. Dabney on page 72 refers to the nickname because Virginia was the "oldest dominion" by which he must have meant the oldest dominion in North America.
As I find an interesting factoid, I sometimes add it to a Wikipedia article. Almost always, sourced information can stay in somewhere. I picked up Jon Meacham's biography of Jefferson and have made several contributions to the Thomas Jefferson article from that source. Maybe not for copyediting in an online encyclopedia, but in daily relationships, rambling is a privilege of experience, the capacity to see the dots connecting when others fail to see the dots. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 18:30, 16 July 2014 (UTC)
That is very kind of you to work with your father-in-law. My wife went totally blind -- optic nerves otherwise I would donate one of my eyes to her if possible) at age 17. She constantly "reads" audio books for the blind (BARD.com) that are not available on Internet. She has a master's degree and worked 31 years at a nearby hospital. I cited "Another Peppercorn For Mr. Jefferson" as a source while writing here. It was produced for the bicentennial. In Charlottesville, they had U.Va's rotunda gutted because after the fire of the first Rotunda it was rebuilt on another person's plans. I remember it well and it had the name "Maury" amongst others. The original architecture inside the Rotunda exists now which should have been done the 1st time. I fully understand the other editor's point and s/he did right. As to Virginius Dabney, he is a kinsman (lived in Richmond as did I) and who, in part, told me that he wrote the book you mention above due to Fawn Brodie's book against Jefferson. I also will seek out the point of 4th and 6th Dominion but it is a vague memory that "Another Peppercorn For Mr. Jefferson" may be a source. I am sure of my statements of Virginia being called 5th and 6th Dominion. But who can cite sources from so long ago when so many books have been read? Today we have to prove everything. Sometimes I wonder how much history is lost to time in this necessary manner. Still, it is needed and we can seek when we know of that history. Hmmmm, if Mrs Bryant is still taking care of the Albemarle County Historical Society -- or someone else -- they could seek out what we wish to know. If I remember this tomorrow I will telephone them and ash them to seek this out. Still, it is too much for that infobox. Ohio now likes the claim of "Mother of Presidents, all after the American Civil War. Still, Virginia started that and has one more president than Ohio. . I presently am transcribing the History of Wall Street on WikiSource where I "live". The Dutch had that land a long time before the British took it and renamed it New York. I googled and found "Another Peppercorn For Mr Jefferson" and saw that I can buy it from Amazon which I probably will do. Kindest regards to you and your family and especially your father-in-law. Respectfully, Maury, a Virginian in Texas due to marriage. Maury (talk) 23:58, 16 July 2014 (UTC)
I believe Virginia can also be called the "Mother of States" due to the large number of first governors born in Virginia...but that's a little stretch on my part...such a list would include Houston in Texas...Edward Coles, Jefferson's anti-slavery neighbor and Madison's secretary was I believe the second governor of Illinois... TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 10:45, 17 July 2014 (UTC)
  • Virginia is already called "The Mother of States" but it is not often used similar to what we have spoken about regarding too many names in the info box. I did remember to contact the Albemarle County Historical Society by phone and I spoke with my long-time friend there who is a Librarian - Head of Reference Resources. We chatted about many things. Included in our chat I learned that this person also recalled the 5th and 6th Dominion. This librarian (a native Virginian) will seek out a "source" for us on the matter. They may not have a source but I will be emailed either way on the subject.

On another matter, I see you like Confederate History. I have (or have had someone) place on WikiSource many volumes such as Southern Historical Society, Confederate Veteran, Confederate Military History, and other sets of volumes. All are under transcription. I ask, are you aware of this? Maury (talk) 20:28, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

I'm afraid I am only aware of the site generically, I've not spent time there in the material. Good leads. Thanks. Generally in Wikipedia coverage of the Civil War I am most struck by the lack of coverage of naval activity, both relative to Union blockade and riverine operations, but especially Confederate ironclads, both on the rivers and in the ports. I've done some corrective work, but most of the summary articles are fairly mature and there is resistance to expand their length, so it is always interesting to make a contribution and see whether it will stick, regardless of the merits of the information itself. The answer may be to expand related articles and link in. I am fascinated at the dimensions Wikipedia as a hobby can take. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 11:46, 18 July 2014 (UTC)

Virginia's Nicknames[edit]

Source:http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/va_intro.htm

The Old Dominion: This nickname for the state of Virginia originated in Colonial days. Dominion refers to complete ownership of a particular piece of land or territory.

Because he considered the Virginians "the best of his distant children," sometime around 1663, King Charles II of England elevated Virginia to the position of dominion along with England, Scotland, Ireland, and France.

The citizens of Virginia were pleased with this elevated status because they considered themselves the most faithful of the King's settlements in America. Since their settlement was the oldest of King Charles' settlements in America, they adopted the name "The Old Dominion." A variation of this name is "The Ancient Dominion."

Mother of Presidents: Sometimes Virginia is called the "Mother of Presidents" because so many of the early presidents of the United States were native Virginians.

Mother of Statesmen: Because of the number of statesmen produced by Virginia, this nickname has been used.

Mother of States: Virginia has been called the "Mother of States" because she was the first of the states to be settled and because of the number of states that were "born" of the Virginia territory. West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and, even a part of Minnesota were all a part of the original Virginia territory.

The Cavalier State: This nickname is derived from the Cavaliers (supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War) who left England and came to Virginia during, and shortly after, the reign of King Charles I of England. Maury (talk) 20:46, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

Wow. I think that this could be its own section at 'Virginia' at the foot of the article. Is there something from the Virginia State Library online? TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 11:27, 18 July 2014 (UTC)
  • Proposed write up for end of the Virginia article.
subsection title: Virginia's nicknames
Perhaps the most common nickname for Virginia is “The Old Dominion”. It originated in colonial days. “Dominion” refers to complete ownership of a particular piece of land or territory. Because he considered the Virginians “the best of his distant children”, sometime around 1663, King Charles II of England elevated Virginia to the position of dominion along with England, Scotland, Ireland and France. [note: Salmon, Emily J. ed., The hornbook of Virginia history, 4th ed., 1994, ISBN 978-0-884-90177-8, p. 88] The citizens of Virginia were pleased with their new status because they considered themselves the most faithful of the King’s settlements in America throughout Cromwell’s Interregnum governance. Since their settlement was the oldest of King Charles’ settlements in America, they adopted the name “The Old Dominion”, or “The Ancient Dominion”. [note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
“The Cavalier State” is derived from the Cavaliers, supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War, who left England and came to Virginia during, and shortly after, the reign of King Charles I of England. The Cavalier is the mascot symbol of the University of Virginia.[note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
Virginia is also known as the “Mother of Presidents” because so many of the early presidents of the United States were native Virginians. The list includes Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson. Because of the number of statesmen produced by Virginia, it is also called “Mother of statesmen”, harking back to Revolutionary leaders such as Patrick Henry, George Wythe and John Randolph. [note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
The “Mother of States”, Virginia was the first of the states to be settled and there have been a large number of states were formed from Virginia territory ceded to the national government during the period of the Articles of Confederation. Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and even a part of Minnesota were all a part of the original Virginia territory at the time of the Revolution. Kentucky and West Virginia were were later made from Virginia as a state.[note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
Please feel free to rework this effort. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 16:16, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

Dominion references, etc[edit]

Dear Maury:

After checking a number of Virginia histories in our library with no success on the Fifth Dominion question, I went to what I should have tried first, The hornbook of Virginia history, published by the Library of Virginia in Richmond (4th edit., 1994). There it was:

"In 1663 Virginia's new seal [under the restored King Charles II] bore the motto En Dat Virginia Quintum (Behold, Virginia Gives the Fifth), recognizing the colony's status alongside the king's four other dominions of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland. As early as 1699, the phrase 'most Ancient Colloney and Dominion' appeared in official state documents." (p. 88)

" So there is some documentation of what you had generally thought. Hope this helps and have a good weekend.

" Margaret

" Margaret M. O'Bryant, Librarian
" ACHS (Albemarle County Historical Society)

posted by Maury (talk) 23:06, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

Okay. This ought to be folded into a "Virginia's nicknames" section at Virginia below State symbols, when it is time to add, the coding for the note would be, <ref>Salmon, Emily J. ed., The hornbook of Virginia history, 4th ed., 1994, ISBN 978-0-884-90177-8, p. 88</ref>
in a similar vein, I added the section on History of Virginia#Virginia on stamps. You might enjoy History of Virginia on stamps. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 15:41, 20 July 2014 (UTC)
I have seen your work on the History of Virginia through stamps and it is stunning to say the very least. It is so totally unique. Long ago my wife-to-be-and-I-did-not-know-it tried to have a stamp created for Matthew Fontaine Maury but it did not work but it should have. The man was internationally famous with international awards and medals. Ships were also named in his honor. Maury (talk) 08:02, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Two e-books[edit]

Another source of good reading is e-books. Here are two volumes forwarded to me by User:Gwillhickers, who I have collaborated with at the Thomas Jefferson page.

Why were the two books above presented to me? I just finished looking them over and found both to be boring. What within either of them is of interest that either of you saw? I suppose Jamestown would be interesting if one had never known about it but I have been all of that area and camped nearby the place just showing my "Yankee" kin from NY and Pa cousins around Jamestown and Williamsburg Va. Maury (talk) 03:51, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

    • I see that William A. Maury is mentioned in the two e-books you've presented. His full name was WILLIAM ARDEN MAURY. He was the son of JOHN WALKER MAURY, Washington D.C. and John Walker Maury was a relative of Matthew Fontaine Maury. Looking back to Rev James Maury (in detail on WikiPedia) one will find "Walker" in the same family tree. William ARDEN Maury wrote about his father and I transcribed it some time ago. It is located on WikiSource here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/John_Walker_Maury_by_William_Arden_Maury
    • I also saw within those books you have presented where Virginia was once called The Ancient Dominion which would be another, and better, source cited. The books you have presented are mostly all familiar names to me and are only about 60 pages in length. I am familiar with William Wirt but not in detail other than he wrote about Patrick Henry whose descendant married into the Fontaine family. In all of that pulls the history of the "Penny Parson's Act" or "Two Pence Act" where Rev Jas Maury debated Patrick Henry and lost -- but it was Rev James Maury's g-grandson or gg-grandson? (I would have to look up the specifics) who married into Patrick Henry's family. So, "If you can't beat them then join them" Maury (talk) 16:05, 18 July 2014 (UTC)
edit conflict. I saw something about the Civil War and something about the Navy but it was only a glance when the edit conflict happened. Please repost that info. BTW, are you either in or once lived in Illinois? I see that you like three men or four and even more, that I dislike--even abhor. Maury (talk) 16:15, 18 July 2014 (UTC)


Regarding Wikisource, I'm afraid I am only aware of the site generically, I've not spent time there in the material. Good leads. Thanks. Generally in Wikipedia coverage of the Civil War I am most struck by the lack of coverage of naval activity, both relative to Union blockade and riverine operations, but especially Confederate ironclads, both on the rivers and in the ports.
I've done some corrective work, but most of the summary articles are fairly mature and there is resistance to expand their length, so it is always interesting to make a contribution and see whether it will stick, regardless of the merits of the information itself. The answer for me as a practicing editor may be to expand related articles and link in to the capstone articles. I am fascinated at the dimensions Wikipedia as a hobby can take.
On men you may dislike or abhor, which are they and why? I generally admire those who would establish national federated republics with local self governance and broad guarantees for personal liberty equivalent to the Bill of Rights, sort of Jefferson's "Empire of Liberty". So when Santa Ana appoints Mexican state governors, and Zacatecas and Texas rebel to restore the Constitution of 1836 with local election of state governors, I am sympathetic with the rebel cause, disliking Santa Ana. The men at the Alamo said they would die for the ideal of a democratic republic. So, somewhere in the mix, we should account for what THEY said they were doing, regardless of analytical overlays of "the real reason" conducted a century removed from them. I've spent my adult life in Virginia, and though I have way-back family roots, I am reluctant to engage in ancestor worship. I study characters of the past with an eye to uphold the good and honorable and dispute the bad and discreditable. I will not defend the indefensible. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 18:42, 18 July 2014 (UTC)
One of the men you have on your page is Hiram Ulysses Grant who became Ulysses Simpson Grant when entering West Point. West point must have kept poor recording there. For Grant, it is very convenient. From HUG to USGrant aka "Uncle Sam Grant", "Unconditional Surrender Grant". Regarding "ancestor worship" one can admire what some ancestors have done without worshiping any of them just as Grant starts his autobiography with his ancestors who have "always been Americans" http://www.bartleby.com/1011/1.html

I agree with Grant in knowing ancestry and kin since they are part of his own family. Why leave ancestry out of history when they made the history? Grant made sure his ancestry wasn't left out of history. Many people do not leave ancestors out of history. I tend to look at all of them in a genealogical context because, in part, I can see how they worked together. Ancestry is to me, like links from one to another, even as wikipedia links to other sources. None are left out, good or bad. I have a strong genealogical background from my ancestry back to France 1500 and Jean de la Fontaine who was murdered with wife for their religious faith as Protestants (protest-ants) They were previously catholics. Why should any such ancestors, that are known, be left out of the history they made and in some cases died for? They were Huguenots whose descendants made it to the "religious freedom" they sought and died for--the same "religious freedoms" America embraces even now. Maury (talk) 21:17, 18 July 2014 (UTC)

You may be thinking of another's user page. I double checked for Grant, and do not find him on my page, although I do think he is underestimated as a commander. Joseph Wheelen in Bloody Spring: Forty Days that Sealed the Confederacy's Fate notes that while Grant was arrayed against Lee in the Wilderness tactically, he was opposing Jefferson Davis strategically on the North American continent. In Grant's memoirs ghostwritten by Samuel Clemens, Grant admits the final assault at Cold Harbor was a mistake, where in twenty minutes, he lost as many men as Lee lost in Pickett's Charge over twenty minutes at Gettysburg. Both gambled for a breakthrough victory and lost. I fault Grant more because Lee had never faced a Union commander who shifted guns overnight, but Grant had faced Lee's entrenched defensive positions before, so I agree with Grant, it was Grant's great mistake.
My featured pantheon of historical figures are more political: Thomas Paine, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Jose Rizal. I like your personal emphasis on ancestry. In a way, my interest in history began with a desire to know enough to ask my Virginia grandmother questions about the family past. I was thinking that if your expanded section on "Virginia nicknames" does not fly at Virginia, it may be included in History of Virginia. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 06:57, 19 July 2014 (UTC)
I stand (sit) corrected in thinking Grant was on your page. It was probably Lincoln whose ancestor was in Virginia before making his way to Illinois. But it doesn't really matter because I was thinking of what you stated above, "I am reluctant to engage in ancestor worship" which is an offensive expression I have encountered in the past in debates. Many of the articles on wikipedia show the ancestry of the people on the articles. In some cultures people think a lot of their ancestry. Since you are a former Marine I think you know this as I will assume you have been in such areas. When I was very young I loved science but had no interest in history. My thinking at that time (about 4th grade) was that in relation to history itself, "they are all dead and whatever the people did in history was long gone while science was always about the future and what was to come. History=dead science=now and the future. At some point we had a book of history that showed on the cover, "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" with a captive illustration on the cover and that interesting title. I started liking the book as I read what was within. My grandmother saw it and told me that it was about "Cousin John Fontaine". I had to ask her what she meant. That was the beginning of my curiosity of any ancestry as I can recall at this moment. John Fontaine was with Spottswood. You know the history. It stimulated my curiosity as I learned even more of family in history. It was adventure, it was history, it was family history and so it was I started studying more and more about history without the awareness that I was beginning to like history even though the people were long dead and science was the future. As best as I can remember, it was through caring about family and how people worked together that pulled me into enjoying history. The more I learned about my own family and kin the more it became interesting. It was not "ancestor worship", it was adventure for a young boy, explorations and fighting and struggles = life itself. My grandmother taught me even more. She thought that as a Virginian it was terrible I did not know anything of my ancestry and did not care for any of it until that moment and that book and her teaching. Even then I viewed those fellows as drunks until I learned what they were doing and why. John was the one who kept the Journal. He was in the British army. Later a descendant married into the Spottswood family and on it went as I learned to follow my curiosity into the realm of history, family, and deeds. My father had a different opinion and did not want my grandmother teaching me these things. Young boys often will follow their father's footsteps which added to this family in history idea. He was of the thought that you are who you are regardless of who you descend from and are related to. My grandmother had a strong will and told my father that she would never again "babysit" me and my sister if she could not teach us family in history. Mom and Dad would never again be able to "go out" dancing, to eat, to the movies, &c. so my father was in a bind especially since mom was the one who wanted these things. So it was that history and family in history grew as I enjoyed it all and still loved science. So "ancestor worship" is not what it is about and it was not only about family that history was interesting. I went through high school with so many "cousins" yet unaware of it at first until I learned to seek their ancestry in history. Genealogy is just names and connections. It is history that puts flesh on the skeletal part of history and then there are the years, and decades that add more study to both. One who does not do this is missing something of great value. Most Virginians I know also know their own families in history. I am not going to proofread all of this, I am working on a book about the History of Wallstreet. Family in history has led me down many avenues of varied subjects in learning and many ways to learn which is why I knew of Grant and his ancestry. Maury (talk) 12:08, 19 July 2014 (UTC)
I meant no offense, we are alike in some ways. My Virginia grandmother also was fond of making family connections to historical figures, and explaining exactly by paternal, maternal, fraternal connections, directly and collaterally, how we were "Virginia cousins" to the great names of the past. The Virginia Lincoln's settled in the northern Valley of Virginia and were Baptist, and so unrelated as far as I know, our western branches of the family were located in Rockbridge County south to Roanoke, Presbyterians; for earlier family "west" was Charlotte County (Southside) and Anglican (then Episcopalian at the Revolution). Most family was centered around the port city of Norfolk.
I am proud to say that at one point I was able to spend Sunday dinners with my grandmother in her retirement home dining room, just the two of us, over a number of months. I am embarrassed to say I did not record all the extended family connections, although I have a little typed volume of the family tree good through the 1950s. Nor have I stayed current with my contemporaries, as we mutually drifted apart. Geographic distance does its damage in these family connections, although my wife has reconnected with some of her out-of-state relatives by face book.
I love seeing the inter-generational family reunions with ten to twenty gathered in the city parks or on vacation together with the same colored t-shirts. I miss it, they were a place where it was not transactional like a networking meet or puffery like a high school reunion. A family reunion was people that you knew and had some history with, and you could catch up since the last time you met. They just cared about how you were doing to encourage you in whatever you were choosing to do, and you could do the same for them and their children. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 14:16, 19 July 2014 (UTC)
I know that you meant no offence. You have shown only good manners and intelligence. Your statements about family and family reunions are exactly what I have lived with and still live with. Your statements sounds like typically Virginian to me. I once was the family librarian. We collected old books and copied them from each family that had materials relating to their and/or everyone's family history. Long, long ago there was a Fontaine ancestor who wrote down the family history about the death's of his Huguenot French parents. He was old and dying. He wrote because his children and grandchildren strongly wanted him to. They all lived in Ireland and Britain and were being scattered. One group was going to America. So, by request once again, he made a copy of the first book. In what he wrote he asked his descendants to maintain contact and always help each other. It was a plea from the long-ago now. It was this that did as he asked that maintains a society that still exists today. It has lost family through wars scattering people like seeds in the winds. But that old plea has gathered families back together again and before Internet existed. It is amazing when I think of it. It began with an elder that I knew but barely knew. He wrote about the wearing down of one small family cemetery and printed out more copies to family members that were interested. The idea was only one of repairing and future maintenance of that one old family cemetery. It was like a real Phoenix rising in the ashes in my view. It grew into a Society and I was in it before lost family members grew started including their families. It still grows now with Internet. In looking at all of it, from the old man's plea of helping each other and maintaining communications to what has exists today. A lot of time has passed and there are a lot of kin in the society. We do help one another and there are so many families that we maintain the library and produce family newsletters to update and learn from one another. It is a very large society. So, if there is one or more people seeking ancestry through genealogy. If they tap into this history of families to-date (and they have) then they need not look so hard to learn of hundreds of families in the US, Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere that lead back to that one old man who wanted communications and helping each other. Many if not everyone contributes to this, all leading back to the one old man who wrote of his parents and brothers. The de La was dropped long ago for humility reasons of that old Minister leaving Fontaine as opposed to de La Fontaine. If I have made mistakes here in what I have written it is because I am a self-taught typist that has to look at the keyboard and only proofread in my book work. I save books for untold generations yet unborn and see family in many of the old books I save and post to wikisource and excerpts to wikipedia. I left wikipedia some time ago and have been on wikisource ever since. I cannot look to my elders as I once did for these things for much time has passed and they are dead. The "torch" has been passed on to my generation to help future generations. Our family (families) in history continues. Maury (talk) 22:00, 19 July 2014 (UTC)
Thanks, I'll look into a similar family organization which I have not been active in since the 1970s. Retirement has its advantages. Thanks for the encouragement. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 22:06, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

John Quincy Adams[edit]

What is your interest in John Quincy Adams? I too have an interest in him. Maury (talk) 13:59, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

I see him as an exemplar of public service from a by-gone era which found elected officials serving up and down the various levels of office. In his case, a president then served in Congress, but there are numerous examples from the time in Virginia and elsewhere of state representatives and senators serving in Congress and the Senate, then again in the state legislature and back again to federal service. Now with pensions after two terms, it seems personal ambition rules and it is either up or out of the politics business altogether for personal vanity rather than public service being a guiding star in the service of some principle.
That principle could be ideological, or simply advocating for the folks back home. One of my favorite pairings is the flip flop of Webster and Calhoun. Early on, Webster was the "sectionalist" and Calhoun the "nationalist", and later it was Calhoun the "sectionalist" and Webster the "nationalist". Both men served their country in both roles. The country works best when the majority rules, but it concurrently answers the fears of the outvoted minority, who are still countrymen, not made out to be fiends.
Special interests make it very lucrative for Congressmen to become lobbyists, they do not "go home" after office, they permanently relocate to the DC suburbs in many instances. In John Quincy Adams case, he was a principled man who considered being elected by "the direct suffrages" of his neighbors to be a higher honor than election indirectly by the Electoral College to the presidency. Historians make a plausible case that by keeping the U.S. out of a declared war with either Britain or France, he lost popularity required for re-election. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 15:17, 20 July 2014 (UTC)
I agree with what you have written and you write so well that I must ask if you have added this to wikipedia?
What is your viewpoint about John Quincy Adams' idea of a "lighthouse in the sky" while people were amused and taunting John Quincy Adams' forward-looking views?
Also did you notice that reply above from Margaret O'Bryant above? (#4 Dominion references, etc) Maury (talk) 15:44, 20 July 2014 (UTC)
Housekeeping. Yes, you can see the entries I make in between yours by clicking on 'View history' in the tabs at the top of the article. The Watchlist page only shows the last entry. The Edit summary below the text edit box is where we are supposed to "(Briefly describe the changes you have made)". That helps readers on their Watchlist page see what your subject matter is at each posting.
I laid out an ISBN citation for the Hornbook there at the "Dominion references" section, and in another entry, in your "Virginia nicknames" section, I incorporated the Hornbook citation into a four paragraph draft of your notes I worked up for a "Virginia nicknames" section at Virginia. Did you want me to try to place it in the article? It probably needs another pair of eyes for copyediting, but I'm pretty confident the basic idea is good.
I am afraid what I post on user talk pages is closer to blogging without citations, so no, I've not added the above to mainspace anywhere. I'm more careful about postings for Article talk pages, which have to be closely related to improvement of the article, or they can get deleted (mea culpa, although some latitude is allowed, editors will caution me when I stray too far). TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 12:23, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
JQA The idea of sponsoring a nationally funded university and observatory are related to his nationalism and commitment to internal improvements. They are politically related to his understanding of the Constitution's Necessary and proper clause. Federal funding for public education in the modern era is related. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 12:23, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Stamps - and Checks with stamps[edit]

http://www.historybroker.com/items/513a1g.htm

Seeking "Maury".

Listed is "Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury and his eldest son, Richard Launcelot Maury and "Maury River". Some notes about this linked page. Richard Launcelot Maury was in Mexico with is wife to assist his father, Matthew Fontaine Maury who was appointed by Maximilian as "Imperial Commisioner of Immigration". Matthew Fontaine Maury who was building a "New Virginia" and a "Carlotta Colony". MFM could not come home to Virginia and had a high price on his head. RELee wrote to MFMaury in Mexico.

The so-called "Maury river" was not named the "Maury river" at that time mentioned on this linked page. It was just a part of the North River that traveled past Virginia Military Institute. The name was changed to the "Maury river" at a much later date which I dislike because history books such as the Southern Historical Society 52 volumes have no such mention as any "Maury river" since it was the North river.

Yes, Matthew Fontaine Maury was (a few years later), a professor at VMI, and was one the pallbearers of Robert Edward Lee.

REV. William Nelson Pendleton, Stonewall's former cannoneer, used V.M.I. cannon (same ones T J Jackson had taught with before the war) and named them Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He was the minister at RELee's funeral. Maury (talk) 09:18, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Housekeeping[edit]

I did not know that you were using any of this conversation as partial or full articles. I myself was just chit-chatting with a friendly and knowledgeable person. It doesn't matter other than if I had known I may have introduced more sources if possible. We have covered a lot of turf in our conversations. Maury (talk) 14:40, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

I just meant from the section above, reworking your notes into these four paragraphs, because I think you have done the groundwork for a good contribution. The Nicknames cannot fit in the Infobox, but you provided enough for a stand alone section, in my opinion. I elaborated a little using commonly known information which can be further referenced if challenged (like my addition that Patrick Henry was an example of an American statesman from Virginia, the "Mother of Statesmen").

  • Proposed write up for end of the Virginia article. subsection title: "Virginia's nicknames"
Perhaps the most common nickname for Virginia is “The Old Dominion”. It originated in colonial days. “Dominion” refers to complete ownership of a particular piece of land or territory. Because he considered the Virginians “the best of his distant children”, sometime around 1663, King Charles II of England elevated Virginia to the position of dominion along with England, Scotland, Ireland and France. [note: Salmon, Emily J. ed., The hornbook of Virginia history, 4th ed., 1994, ISBN 978-0-884-90177-8, p. 88] The citizens of Virginia were pleased with their new status because they considered themselves the most faithful of the King’s settlements in America throughout Cromwell’s Interregnum governance. Since their settlement was the oldest of King Charles’ settlements in America, they adopted the name “The Old Dominion”, or “The Ancient Dominion”. [note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
“The Cavalier State” is derived from the Cavaliers, supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War, who left England and came to Virginia during, and shortly after, the reign of King Charles I of England. The Cavalier is the mascot symbol of the University of Virginia.[note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
Virginia is also known as the “Mother of Presidents” because so many of the early presidents of the United States were native Virginians. The list includes Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. Then later presidents include William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and in the twentieth century, Wilson. Because of the number of statesmen produced by Virginia, it is also called “Mother of statesmen”, harking back to Revolutionary leaders such as Patrick Henry, George Wythe and John Randolph. [note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
The “Mother of States”, Virginia was the first of the states to be settled and there have been a large number of states were formed from Virginia territory ceded to the national government during the period of the Articles of Confederation. Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and even a part of Minnesota were all a part of the original Virginia territory at the time of the Revolution. Kentucky and West Virginia were were later made from Virginia as a state.[note: Virginia: the Commonwealth of Virginia, Netstate online, viewed July 20, 2014.]
The notes get written up with markup code <ref>Note citation</ref> on the article page when it goes to mainspace, then the footnotes get sequentially numbered in the article and the references go automatically down into the citations section. Please feel free to rework this effort. What do you think? TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 16:17, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
I know that I am not going to write any more articles for wikipedia. I started or worked on many of them long ago. Too often they get deleted and I get very frustrated. You are welcome to write them if so desired. I started on wikipedia long ago as "MAURY" (in caps) and ran into an editor who wanted to climb the ladder and he did climb the letter. I was working on an article and he stepped in before I was finished and the two of us had different directions in mind. It was a "stub" on John Mercer Brooke who worked under orders of Matthew Fontaine Maury and after the WBTS he too worked at V.M.I They were friends and co-workers. There is a Maury-Brooke Hall at Virginia Military Institute. I will point out that James M. Gilliss made a huge mistake on the National/Naval Observatory. The observatory was built with sulfur in the concrete which would have destroyed the instruments if not for M F Maury. The best source on this is by Francis Leigh Williams. I will cite the exact text and pages if you want it. That article on Wikipedia & Gilliss does not cover this. It just lends a guess and one is left wondering as I recall. It is not in detail with the whole situation. Too, former president Adams spent time with M F Maury at the observatory observing the stars. Okay, it is time for CNN now. Kindest regards, Maury (talk) 21:18, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

NB: The work you have done is excellent as usual. Maury (talk) 21:21, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Some personal Notes as I recall them[edit]

Captain United States Navy, James Maury Werth, my friend with whom I had many conversations, was the superintendent of the naval observatory and was Matthew Fontaine Maury's grandson. He made a statement to me at a family reunion at U.Va.'s "Maury Hall", "Remember how Maury (his grandfather) had ships all over the world collecting data at sea and how it still does (I am former USN). I answered, "Yes." He then said, well they still follow the process you know but they don't do a xamned thing with it!" I knew of the collections at sea, I having been at sea, but I was unaware what was done with the samples and was perplexed as to why bother if nothing was done with it. I answered to this same effect. Captain Werth just said he did not know it was just standard procedure as far as he knew. He is dead now and I can no longer talk with him which is a very sad thing for me as I admired Captain Werth a lot. He left a trust fund at William and Mary College, a "Pathfinder Award" I think it is called - for the students who have earned it. Elders are fascinating and his sister, "cousin" Sallie Anne Werth-Hicks was even more helpful to me but alas! she too is dead now. I have always admired and learned from elders and now I am feel left alone with only strangers within modern books except for the old books cousin Sallie Anne has given to me. The expression "cousin" is always used regardless of the years as with "cousin John Fontaine" of the "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" (the journalist)in early Virginia history. What wonderful people elders have been to me. Why is it that we learn so much and then take it to the grave with us? This, as much as possible, for some unknown reason, must not be.....

JEB STUART[edit]

I cannot find JEB Stuart's staff members listed anywhere in all of Internet. His personal doctor was [Peter ?] Fontaine, son of Col. Edmund Fontaine of "Beaver Dam". JEB's death message came to Beaverdam where MRS JEB Stuart. Can anyone assist in finding JEB Stuart's staff officers?} Maury (talk) 13:39, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

At the unveiling of Stuart’s statue, there was an address found at J.E.B. Stuart, An Address delivered May 30, 1907, by Theodore S. Garnett, his aide de camp, page 8 notes Major Andrew R. Venable presiding, Rev. Walter Q. Hullihen offered a prayer and Judge Garnett delivered the address. “All of these officers were members of General Stuart’s staff in 1864, the last named being chosen by the Veteran Cavalry Association to make the address.” p.8. his adjutant-General, the late Major H.B. McClellan. Hope this helps for four of them as of 1864, even though from a primary source. Each may have written personal memoirs which could be leads for further names over the course of the war or for particular campaigns. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 14:33, 25 September 2014 (UTC)
Thank you kindly. But perhaps (probably) I worded my statement wrong.

Who were JEB Stuart's personal doctors that were there on the battlefield. Specifically, I seek what position Dr. (Peter?) Fontaine had with Stuart. It was a close relationship. He was the son of Col. Edmund Fontaine and as I understand it, JEB's personal physician. "I saw that Dr. [Peter] Fontaine, [a kinsman of mine] Major Venable, Lieutenant Garnett, and several of his couriers, were attending him." (Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Southern_Historical_Society_Papers_volume_07.djvu/151 on WikiSource.org

Thank you again. Maury (talk) 14:57, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

I’ll try a line search in Robert J. Trout, They followed the plume:the story of J.E.B. Stuart and his staff. — Surgeon John Boursiquot Fontaine p.119 October 20, 1863 to May 12, 1864. --- I do not know whether surgeon J.B. Fontaine is our man, his bio includes family. Peter Fontaine comes up a Reverend. I'm afraid this is going to take some work to sort out. TheVirginiaHistorian (talk) 15:42, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

You have it correct VirginiaHistorian. I could not remember but you found Surgeon John Boursiquot Fontaine. Boursiquot is his maternal ancestral family name, France 1500. Peter was Reverend Peter Fontaine. Another book is "I Rode With JEB Stuart", Life and Campaigns of Major-General J. E. B. Stuart by H. B. McCllan (Civil War Centennial Series) copyright 1958 Indiana Press; Library of CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 58-12208." I have a huge library here at home and have read many books as well as sets of many volumes, so now that I am getting older I cannot always recall where I read what. Still, I do know the history - it is a matter of recall. You are a very kind and intelligent person and I thank you for your helping me. I also found all of JEB Stuart's staff members. BTW, Surgeon John Boursiquot Fontaine was kia in Petersburg in the field of action trying to help a wounded man. So, there will be no writing from J B Fontaine after 1864. Rev Peter Fontaine was his ancestor. Most any time you see Fontaine, Maury, Minor, Dabney, Herndon, Blackford, Taliaferro, &c of the old Virginia families they all are related in some manner. Respectfully, Maury (talk) 04:35, 26 September 2014 (UTC)
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