THE NICrlOI.J,S FAMILY OF VIRGINIA, 1722-1820 Victor Dennis Golladay Waynesboro, Virginia B.S., Madison College, l�b3 M.A., University of Virginia, 1�69 A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Corcoran Department of History University of Virginia June, 1973 ABSTRACT During the late colonial, revolutionary, and early national periods of Virginia history, the Nicholas family furnished the state and the new nation with leaders on all political levels. For example, Robert Carter Nicholas of Williamsburg held the high post of Treasurer of Virginia from 1766 to 1776, while his sons served in posts in three states -- Virginia, Kentucky, and New York -- and in the new national government as spokesmen for the Jeffersonian Republicans. Yet, after 1820 the Nicholases provided very few leaders of note, and any influence formerly held by the family died. The rise and fall of the Nicholas family provides an interesting insight into the social patterns of' Virginia's elite. In 1722, the founder of the family, George Nicholas of Manston, Dorset, was trans­ ported to Virginia for life in lieu of being hanged for forgery and counterfeiting. Despite his disgrace, George Nicholas quickly carved a place among Virginia's social elite. Using his English gentry back­ ground, Cambridge education, and slight medical training to maximum advantage, he styled himself a physician, married the eldest daughter of Virginia's wealthiest planter, acquired large tracts of Piedmont land, and ultimately served in the House of Burgesses as the representative of the College of William and Mary. Although orphaned while still quite young, George Nicholas' three sons made good use of their father's foundation. All three entered professions associated with law or local government, married into prominent -2- families, and acquired additional lands and wealth. The youngest son, Robert Carter Nicholas, achieved the greatest distinction, but all three were known as worthy gentlemen of merit. In their endeavors, the three brothers reaped the advantages of family connections with the Carters, Pages, Nelsons, and Burwells. The Revolution provided new opportunities of leadership for the third generation of Nicholases. Several served as officers in both state and continental forces. They also continued the family tradition of political service on the local and state levels, After the Revolution, the family reached its zenith of influence as members s� prominent roles in the battle for adoption of the federal Constitution, filled seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, and took places in both houses of Congress. Wilson Cary Nicholas even served as Governor of his native state at the close of the War of 1812. Unfortunately, the post-Revolutionary period also witnessed patterns which eventually destroyed the family's political influence and drove several members to economic ruin. Dr. George Nicholas of Williams­ burg had exhibited a tendency to pursue unwise financial investments, and many of his grandsons seemed to have inherited the trait. Mounting debts and the declining fertility of Virginia's soil led several members of the third generation to leave the state for new beginnings in Kentucky and western New York. Unprofitable speculation in western lands, decreasing land values, and unrealistic hopes for returning prosperity combined to ruin some estates which had been carefully constructed for three generations. -3- Emigration destroyed any usefulness of familial ties in state politics while hard times made it necessary for heads of families to pay more attention to maintaining their waning estates and less attention to public service. Although a few great-grandsons of Dr. George Nicholas attained political offices) none achieved the distinction of the earlier generation. The influence of' the Nicholas family as a political unit in the Old Dominion had ended. TO R.J.G. AND W.M.G. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEIX}MENTS ii ABBREVIATIONS iv CHAPTER I A TENUOUS FOUNDATION 1 CHAPTER II PRIVILEDED ORPHANS 36 CHAPTER III FOUNDATION SECURED 64 CHAPTER IV FAMILY ALLIANCES AND POLITICAL SERVICE 96 CHAPTER V FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES, I 144 CHAPTER VI THE REVOUJTION AND A NEW GENERATION 200 CHAPTER VII SPOKESMEN FOR ALBEMARLE 227 CHAPTER VIII GEORGE NICHOLAS AND THE LURE OF KENTUCKY 254 CHAPTER IX WILSON CARY NICHOLAS, RURAL ENTREPRENEUR 295 CHAPTER X FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES, II 341 CHAPTER XI A MODERATE REPUBLICAN 361 E�ILCGUE 427 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 434 ACKNOWLEIGMENTS During the course of this paper, I have acquired many obligations which I gratefully acknowledge. I am especially indebted to Professor Harry Ammon, who first suggested the topic to me, and to Professor Merrill D. Peterson, who directed the study with great patience and succinct, scholarly counsel. Professor Richard E. Ellis jolted me into examining questions which I had not previously considered, and Professor William W. Abbot took time from a busy schedule to give a critical evaluation of the text. In two years of research, I encountered gracious assistance from the staff of every library I visited. Two deserve special mention. The staff of the Manuscript Division of Alderman Library at the University of Virginia were consistently good natured and helpful no matter how many requests for materials crossed their desks. Documents which I had over­ looked did not escape their notice, much to my benefit. The staff of the Research Library of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc., made my study there very rewarding. Dr. Edward M. Riley offered many suggestions for source materials, and Mrs. Marylee McGregor not only discovered some very key sources, but seemed to be as excited about them as I was. Miss Susan Hillier researched pertinent materials in the Public Records Office in London very quickly, accurately, and professionally. Members of the Nicholas family in three states have kindly given me the -iii- benefit of their knowledge of their ancestors. A fellowship from the University of Virginia and a research grant-in-aid from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation provided the necessary financial support for the research, and I gratefully thank both institutions for their generosity. Finally, I wish to thank my wife Wendy who valiantly suffered through the typing of the manuscript. Although she may disagree, her .major achievement was not in being able to decipher my scrawl, but in offering encouragement when it was sorely needed, -iv- ABBREVIATIONS CWI Colonial Williamsburg, Inc., Williamsburg, Virginia. E-R Edgehill-Randolph Papers, Alderman Library, University of Virginia. LC Library of Congress) Washington, D.C. UVA Alderman Library, University of Virginia. VCRP Virginia Colonial Records Pro,ject, Microfilm. VHS Virginia Historical Society, Richmond. VMHB Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. VSL Virginia State Library, Richmond. W&M Earl Greg Swem Library, College of William and Mary. WCN-LC Wilson Cary Nicholas Papers, Library of Congress. WCN-UVA Wilson Cary Nicholas Papers, University of Virginia. WMQ William and Mary Quarterly. CHAPTER I A TENUOUS FOUNDATION The founder of the Nicholas family or Virginia has always been 1 a figure of mystery. His short life in the colony, the destruction of many old Virginia records, and good cause for him to conceal his past have combined to ensure that he largely remains so. 2 George Nicholas was born in Dorset County, England, around 1695. The Nicholases were considered "a very good and ancient family" in Dorset, and they were closely related to the eminent Nicholas families who had lived in neighboring Wiltshire at least since the days of Edward 3 III. His father, Philip Nicholas, was a prominent figure in the village of Manston, possessing "the right of presentation" or privilege of nomi- 1There were other Nicholas families in Virginia before George Nicholas arrived in 1722, but none achieved the distinction of his descendants. 2His age was put at seventeen when he was admitted to St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1712. J.A. Venn and John Venn, comp., Alumni Cantabri ienses: A Biorra)hical List of All Known Students Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge 9 vols.; Cambridge, 1922-1954), Part 1, III, 254. 3Public Record Office, State Papers, Domestic, George I: S.P. 35/30 (1721-22), No. 20, ff. '.)5-56, 19 January 1721/22, "Petition to ... His Majesty's Privy Council of Philip Nicholas ••.. "; Henry St. George and Sampson Lennard, Wiltshire Visitation Pedi rees E:�, ed. by G ,D. Squibb (London, 19'.)4 , pp. 140-45; W.H. Jones, 'The History of the Parish of All Cannings, 11 Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, XI (1869), 37-40. -2- 4 nating the parson of the parish. A member of the lesser gentry, Philip Nicholas carried sufficient social status to place "Gent." after his name and claim right to a coat-of-arms.5 He was able to give his sons the advantage of private schooling and the benefit of higher education at the University in Cambridge, though neither of the sons received a degree from that prestigious institution. The elder son, Philip, entered Trinity College in 1706 while George was admitted to St. John's II 116 Co 1 lege in• 1712 w1erel h econ ti nue d a consi"d era bl e t•ime. This class- ical education would prove to be a valuable asset to George Nicholas, for it would help to identify him as a gentlemen when he later came to Virginia. As a younger son, George Nicholas had to determine upon a pro­ fession for support, for he could not expect his father's modest estate to provide for him as well as for his older brother. It was a problem which faced many younger sons in England in the days of entail and primogeniture, and the usual paths were the church, the law, or the army. 4John Hutchins, The Histor and Anti uities of the Count of Dorset, ed.