Be sure to check with the archives section at the Valentine Richmond History
Center. They have all the files and notes of Mary Wingfield Scott who
conducted a comprehensive survey of old Richmond houses and neighborhoods in
the 40s and 50s.. Meg Hughes would be the person to ask for.
Margaret Peters
----- Original Message -----
From: "Huffstutler, Eric S." <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 2:20 PM
Subject: Re: Capt Charles Wills (Richmond, VA 1775-1820) help...
> Oh yes, I have tracked every owner/renter of the house since it was
> built using a multiple of sources including the Mutual Assurance
> policies. Unfortunately it only shows the footprint of the house and
> not a sketch like some. The first insurance policy was issued in
> January 1813. Some believe the house is even older - late 1700s but we
> can't account for that so can only go by the "first" policy for the
> house meaning it was built in 1812.
>
> I do have a copy of the inventory when the estate was probated - not
> sure about the 1841 you are speaking about????
>
> There are some terrible photographs of the house as it was in bad shape
> starting in the late 1930s - in the various books published of homes in
> Richmond as well as the WPA inventory - or Goodrich listings rather. It
> doesn't look anything like those photographs now having been restored in
> the mid 1980s and has black shutters on it and the awful "ghetto" brick
> siding taken off to now have the original boards. The roof was replaced
> taking the metal one off as the insurance description says it was wooden
> shingled but not practical these days so used slate shingles in a
> pattern that looks a lot like weathered colored wooden ones. That was a
> few years ago.
>
> I believe I asked the Virginia Historic about anything there and they
> have only a small folder with hardly anything in it and no listings of
> his portrait.
>
> Eric
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of James Burnett
> Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 1:55 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Capt Charles Wills (Richmond, VA 1775-1820)
> help...
>
> Happy New Year Eric and what an interesting challenge Since you mention
> the estate was probated I ass/u/me that means you have copies of the
> 1821 Inventory, WB5 Henrico County, and the 1841 Account, WB10 Henrico
> County. Have you gone out to the Virginia Historical Society and
> inquired if they have anything? Have you looked at the WPA project,
> records are at LVA, from the 30s where they did a number of histories on
> homes of interest? Real estate records? LVA has the Fire Insurance Maps
> and I have traced homes back to 1820s using them. Just some ideas
>
> Douglas Burnett
> Displaced VIrginian in Florida
>
> On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Huffstutler, Eric S. <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> I am going to throw this out there in hopes that someone can either
>> connect or know where information can be found?
>>
>> We own the Capt. Charles Wills mansion in Church Hill... the oldest
>> house in Church Hill proper (built 1812). Coming this New Years
>> 2011-2012, we will mark its 200th birthday BUT...
>>
>> We have very little on the builder-owner. I know his parents were
>> Josiah Wills and Mary Driver. He had a brother named Thomas Wills.
>> Charles was born 1775/76 in the Williamsburg area and died in Richmond
>
>> 1820 without a will but the estate was probated. Don't even know his
>> wife's name but suspect she died between 1815-1820 according to St.
>> John's Church attendance records. He was a grocer and slave owner and
>
>> had several buildings in Richmond at the time including one where the
>> current Farmer's Market is. There doesn't seem to be a newspaper
>> article about his death (at least not indexed) and suspect he is
>> buried at St. John's but those records are missing as is his
> headstone.
>>
>> I have no early (pre 1936) pictures of the house, not even sure there
>> was history done in what was then considered Shed Town or even a
>> portrait of Capt. Wills (who was "not" a ship captain but of the local
>
>> militia - probably Camp Hollywood?).
>>
>> If anyone has ANYTHING to help the cause to make the 200th year
>> celebration of the house a success (and hope to get the media involved
>
>> too), I would greatly appreciate it!
>>
>> Eric
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Douglas Burnett
> Satellite Beach
> FL
>
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