This article appeared in today's online Ancestry Weekly Journal.

 

Elections: Eighteenth Century Virginia Style

 

by Michael John Neill 

Ever wonder why they don't allow alcohol and electioneering at a polling
place? That's because it can get out of hand, like it did in Orange
County, Virginia, more than 200 years ago. As the November elections
approach, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what things were
like when only landowners were allowed to vote. It was not quite as
dignified and genteel as one might think. 

My ancestor John Rucker brought more than just himself to the election
for the Virginia House in 1741. It took six months, but the orneriness
of him and several others got the results thrown out. The scene is
outlined in government journals, which appear in edited form (Journals
of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1742-47, pp. 50-51). 

In the report dated, Friday, 4 June 1742, a Mr. Thomas-Wright Belfield
filed a petition complaining, 

	"That as soon as the Poll was opened [a group of men] throng'd
into the Court-house in a riotous Manner, and made such a Disturbance,
that the Sheriff and Candidates were obliged to go out of the Court-
house, 'til the House was clear'd . . .

	"And that the said Mr [Thomas] Chew, whilst he was on the Bench,
called for a Bowl of Punch, and had it brought to him; upon which, the
Sheriff stay'd the Poll, and said he would not have any Punch drank on
the Bench, but wou'd have a fair Election; to which Mr Chew replied, he
would have Punch, and drink it, and that the Sheriff should not hinder
him. 

	". . . the Candidates and Sheriff return'd into the Court-house,
and proceeded in taking the Poll; Mr Jonathan Gibson and John Newport,
the Under-Sheriff . . . [stood at] . . . the Court-house Doors, with
drawn Swords across the Doors, in order to let the Voters pass in and
out quietly and regularly in their Polling. 

	"That after the Under-Sheriff was placed at the Door, one Mr
John Rucker came to the Door, and demanded Entrance, which he had; and
then the said Rucker threw the Under-Sheriff and another Person headlong
out of the Doors; and when the Under-Sheriff recovered his Post, the
said Rucker insisted to clear the Doors, so that everyone might have
free Entrance, and seized the Under-Sheriff's Sword with both his Hands,
endeavouring to break it, which the Under-Sheriff prevented, by drawing
it through his Hands. 

	"That then one John Burk came to the said Rucker's Assistance,
and laid violent Hold on the Under-Sheriff, who was rescued by the By-
standers. That towards Night . . . the People throng'd into the
Court-house in a drunken riotous Manner, one of them jumping upon the
Clerk's Table, and dancing among the Papers, so that the Sheriff was
unable to clear the Bar, or the Clerks to take the Poll: 

	"It also appeared to the Committee, that the said John Rucker
did, before and during the Time of the Election give several large Bowls
of Punch amongst the People, crying out for those Persons who intended
to vote for Mr Slaughter to come and drink of his Punch; and that the
said Rucker stood at the Court-house, and kept out those who were Mr
Belfield's Friends and after the Election was over, confessed he had won
several Pistoles upon Mr Slaughter's being elected the First Burgess." 

(Note: The term "Pistoles" most likely refers to a Spanish coin and not
to a gun. 

On 5 June 1742, the House of Burgesses declared that Slaughter had not
been duly elected. They also stated that John Rucker (among others) were
"guilty of great misdemeanors and breaches . . ." 

On 19 June 1742 a petition was read from John Rucker (and others) which
indicated they were truly sorry and that they would not behave in a way
that would incur the displeasure of the house in the future. They were
discharged from custody and paid their fees. 

  John Rucker apparently lived a fairly short, low-key life after the
voting altercation. His will was probated in Orange County on 28 January
1742 [sic]; he lived a little over a year after the election incident.
Interestingly enough, in his will he gives a lot in Fredericksburg,
Virginia, to Thomas Wright Belfield, the man he was "campaigning"
against. Belfield did not live long after the incident either and I
found a record of his wife transferring ownership of the lot after
Belfield's death. Those with Ancestry subscriptions can  see abstracts
of deeds  where Belfield's widow sold the land he inherited from Rucker.


 It has been conjectured by some that John's hands might have been
injured in the sword pulling incident and that this might have in part
led to his death. We will never know whether this was the case or not.
What is known is that he died at a relatively young age and his wife
survived him by nearly thirty years. None of John's children were as
involved in politics as he was. (If they were, they were a little more
discreet.) 


Those who wish to learn more about voting in Colonial America might want
to take a look at an article by Ed Crews in the Colonial Williamsburg
Journal, Spring 2007,  "Voting in Early America". It provides an
interesting background to the shenanigans that took place in Orange
County. 


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