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Library of Congress The life and adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December 1821. Interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. Written by himself. MAJOR ROBERT BAILEY. THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBERT BAILEY, FROM HIS INFANCY UP TO DECEMBER, 1821. INTERSPERSED WITH ANECDOTES, AND RELIGIOUS AND MORAL ADMONITIONS. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS RICHMOND: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. By J. & G. COCHRAN. 1822. F230 .B15 District of Virginia, to wit: SEAL. BE it remembered, that on the twelfth day of December, in the forty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of America, Robert Bailey, of the said District, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as author, in the words following, to wit: “The Life and Adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December, 1821; interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. The life and adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December 1821. Interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. Written by himself. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbcb.10509 Library of Congress Written by himself,” In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled “An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies respectively, during the times therein mentioned.” RD JEFFRIES, Clerk of the District of Virginia. PREFACE. On this day I commenced writing a memorandum of my life, agreeable to my prospectus, and I do pledge myself upon the honor of a soldier, an officer, and a gentleman, to give a true and literal account of every act or transaction relating thereto; in many instances I shall attempt to obscure the meaning of occurrences from motives of delicacy, but nevertheless, shall narrate in that phrase, that their meaning will be comprehended by the discerning reader. The advice which I shall inculcate, I trust will be found useful and edifying. My recollection of past events makes me confident that no circumstance, with reference to myself, will be forgotten. I can now repeat a sermon almost word for word, or any narrative of not more than one hour's duration. ROBERT BAILEY. Richmond June 2, 1821. THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBERT BAILEY. I was born on the 29th of April, in the year of our Lord 1773, which makes me forty eight years old the 29th day of last April, (this being the 2d day of June 1821.) My parents were respectable, they resided in the county of Chester in the state of Pennsylvania; my mother was a very wealthy Quakeress, whose name was Margaret Kile. My father was an Irishman possessing all the queerness of the natives of Ireland, together with a full share of that native freedom of soul characteristic of the Irish nation; but he was poor, his The life and adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December 1821. Interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. Written by himself. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbcb.10509 Library of Congress name was William Bailey, a very likely man. Upon his intermarriage with my mother, he became wealthy, and as wealth begets friends, so my father was taken by the hand by all who knew him; a consequence, he soon was solicited to become security for many, to which solicitations he yielded, and thereby lost thousands; thus my mother's wealth was sacrificed to the uses of others. My mother who was excessively fond of him consented to all he done without a murmur, and in addition or in aid of this pecuniary havoc, the depreciation of paper money closed or enveloped the pittance remaining. My father then obtained a commission in the army, and left my mother with nine small children myself the youngest but one, a daughter Elizabeth Bailey, now the widow M'Clung; he made kings and princes of us all, but left us the wide world wherein we might acquire our royal legitimacy. His misfortunes were potent; but he had a heart that could feel another's woes; he was an affectionate husband, father, friend and master. His name is enrolled in the annals of his country, see the name of B 10 major William Bailey, in the history of the American revolution, who fell in battle at the Cowpens; he was major of artillery, and bled and died in that glorious struggle which terminated in the independence of these United States, in which struggle I was too young to participate; but well do I recollect that my youthful heart did response to the emotions of those active participators whose achievements filled the civilized world with wonder and amazement. The return of my fond father was often sighed for; but alas! the will of God or the chance of battle forbids, and time restored his unfortunate family to a reconciliation. My poor mother after experiencing a succession of disasters, bundled up her little all, which all was conveyed by being packed upon the back of a small horse, not worth twenty dollars, consisting of beds, bed clothes, &c. and in addition to the burthen, my youngest sister, Mrs. M'Clung, (before mentioned) was made fast with a rope on the top of the beds; as relates to myself, I well recollect my own outfit for travelling, to wit: I trudged along on foot, sometimes in the van, and sometimes in the rear, without any sort of covering except my shirt, and entirely unmindful of the miseries of my mother, brothers and sisters or of myself; caring naught, but for the passing scenes presented on the travel. My mother's distresses might have had a momentary effect upon my feelings, but the frivolous events momentarily occurring soon The life and adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December 1821. Interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. Written by himself. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbcb.10509 Library of Congress obliterated every serious impression. Independent of my own recollection of the above facts, they have been since told me by my elder brothers and sisters. My sister Parthena Bailey has since married a Mr. Cartmill, of Frederick county in Virginia, she is now a widow, living in the state of Kentucky. My brother James Bailey married a Miss Nancy Bullock, near Lynchburg in Virginia, she is now a widow and has living by her marriage with my brother, two promising sons John and William Bailey, also one daughter equally promising. My eldest brother captain William S. Bailey, who is now living in Kentucky, respectable and wealthy, married a Miss Elizabeth Macky, of Rockbridge county Virginia, 11 and afterwards a Miss Elliott, of Augusta county, he has an amiable family, and is highly respected. I have in the foregoing given an account of my brothers and sisters as relates to their marriages and present situations, although the degression may appear to be unwarrantable as having little or no connection with a history of my own life; yet I hope to be excused, as my object and design is to identify myself with them, as offsprings of the same common parents. I will now return to the narrative of my mother and myself. The family then living, that came on with my mother and self, were Parthena Bailey, now Mrs. Cartmill, the widow of Edward Cartmill, deceased, of Frederick County, Virginia; my brother William S. Bailey, now living in Kentucky, James Bailey, since deceased, and my sister Elizabeth Bailey, now the widow of Thomas McClung, Frederick County, Virginia. We all travelled on in the way before related; Mrs. McClung tied on the horse with some old bedding and cloathing, one little Dog, Watch, that I well recollect. We came on to Culpeper County, in Virginia; upon our arrival in Culpeper, my mother fortunately became acquainted with a lady, a Mrs. Field, by whom she was taken in, and at whose house we all resided for some time; the hospitality with which we were treated was more like relations than strangers. My elder sister, through Mrs. Field's influence, obtained a situation in the house of a relation of Mrs. Field, to spin and perform the duties of a dairy-maid, &c. My two brothers William and James were able to work; they accordingly acquired work in the neighbourhood. My mother being a well educated woman obtained a school, by which she raised a little The life and adventures of Robert Bailey, from his infancy up to December 1821. Interspersed with anecdotes, and religious and moral admonitions. Written by himself. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbcb.10509 Library of Congress money, and my brothers, by their little earnings, in addition to my mothers, made up as much money as would buy a tolerable Poney. The poor old horse whose services had been instrumental in removing us to Virginia, and whose labours we highly appreciated, died; his death was lamented much by our little band. My mother, whose perseverance no disaster could arrest, and whose fortitude no reverse could 12 appal, rented a little place on the road between Culpeper-court-house and Jerimanner ford, where she sold spirits, and upon which little place the boys worked, quiting their former pursuits, and they established a place for the entertainment of travellers and others. This place I have called the place of my nativity, from my tender years on my arrival there. My acquaintances who knew me, when running about the same place bareheaded and in my shirt, entertain the belief that there was the place of my birth, in which I have universally acquiesced, and do now call myself a Virginian, when in truth I was born in the State of Pennsylvania, from whence my mother emigrated.

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