http://espl-genealogy.org/MilesFiles/p429.htm#i42817

Thomas was born on 28 October 1819 at Accomack Co, VA.2 Thomas was named in his father's will on 24 September 1841 at Northampton Co, VA. He was shown as my son Thos. H. Kellam in the will of Col. Thomas H. Kellam Senr, wife Hariet B.D. Kellam. He was given my Acc Co farm called Evergreen.4 He married Susan Ann Taylor, daughter of David Crippen Taylor and Margaret S. Dalby, on 23 June 1845 at Accomack Co, VA.5 Thomas was named in his uncle's will on 31 August 1845 at Accomack Co, VA. He was shown as my nephew Thomas Kellam in the will of John C. Kellam, wife Jane M.K.6 Thomas was named in his grandmother's will on 8 October 1845 at Accomack Co, VA. He was shown as grandson Thomas Hatton Kellam in the will of Margaret Beard. He was given the land on Pungoteague Creek called Evergreen containing 575 acres. He was also to pay her debts.1 Thomas was listed as a head of household in the census of in 1850 at St. George Parish, Acc Co, VA. He was shown as Thos. H. Kellam the head of HH#497, a 24 year old farmer with real estate valued at $10,000. Listed with him were the following Kellams: Susan A., age 25; Susan A.J., age 4; and Thos. H. Jr., age 6/12. Also listed was Jas. Hornsby, a 27 year old overseer..7 Thomas reported a death in July 1855 at First District, Acc Co, VA. It was on this date that Thos. Hutton Kellam reported the death of his daughter Susan A. Kellam, who died of unknown causes at the age of 9 years..8 He died on 10 July 1907 at age 87.2 Thomas was buried at Johnson Church Cemetery, Northampton Co, VA.2



Citations

1.[S688] Barry W. Miles & Moody K. Miles III, Accomack Co, VA, Wills & Administrations, 1800-1860, p. 46 (will of Margaret Beard, widow).

2.[S559] Jean Merritt Mihalyka (compiler), Gravestone Inscriptions in Northampton County, Virginia.

3.[S558] Nora Miller Turman, Accomack Co, VA, Marriage Records, 1776-1854 (Recorded in Bonds, Licenses and Ministers's Returns).

4.[S1003] Dr. David R. Scott, Northampton Co, VA, Abstracts of Wills & Administrations, 1800-1854, p. 193 (will of Col. Thomas H. Kellam Senr, wife Hariet B.D. Kellam).

5.[S2028] Bryan Scott Godfrey, Bryan Godfrey Research Files.

6.[S688] Barry W. Miles & Moody K. Miles III, Accomack Co, VA, Wills & Administrations, 1800-1860, p. 305 (will of John C. Kellem, wife Jane M.K.).

7.[S638] Family Tree Maker's Family Archives, 1850 Virginia Census Microfilm Records, CD#309.

8.[S569] Comp Gail M. Walczyk, Accomack Co, VA, Death Register, 1853-1896.

9.[S502] Jean Merritt Mihalyka & Faye Downing Wilson

10. Graven Stones of Lower Accomack County, Virginia.



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Comments by Bryan S. Godfrey, great-great-great-grandson:

Although his Family Bible and his gravestone show his date of birth as 28 October 1819, Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr.'s birthdate is subject to question. If that were correct, then he should have been 87 (almost 88) when he died 10 July 1907, yet his obituary states he was 83 years old. In a Hack-Jacob Family Bible, the birthdates of his sister Anne and sister Susan were given, but he was omitted. Susan was born in October 1823, and there are no more entries for children of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Sr. and Elizabeth Bell Jacob Kellam after that date. This was my first source of suspicion that perhaps Thomas was born later than 1819. The second item which made me suspect 1819 is an incorrect date is the fact that his sister Anne Eastburn Kellam was born 27 February 1820, less than nine months after Thomas would have been born if 28 October 1819 were his birthdate. Third, in what appears to be yet another Bible or other handwritten family record of the Thomas Hatton Kellam family and the Robert and Elizabeth Hack Jacob family (apparently inherited or photocopied by the family of his granddaughter Helen Stevens Coppersmith Evans), 28 October 1826 is listed as his birthdate, and the correct birth order of Thomas and his siblings is listed, with Thomas in between Rebecca and Robert. In the book "Hacks Neck and Its People", James E. Mears lists Thomas after his sister Rebecca Nichols Kellam, but he did not seem to know their years of birth anyhow as he did not state them. It seems he used an 1837 deed to assume the birth order of the children of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Sr., one in which Thomas, Sr. was selling some property of his late mother-in-law, Elizabeth Hack Jacob, with the document specifying that he was guardian of his children Ann E., Elizabeth Margaret, Susan Jacob, Rebecca Nichols, Thomas Hatton, Jr., Robt. Jacob, and John Henry Kellam. Therefore, I concluded that Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. must have been born on 28 October 1826 instead of 28 October 1819. This seems confirmed by the 1850 census, which lists his age as 24, and the 1860 census, which lists his age as 33. However, census records are notoriously inaccurate and inconsistent. Why was Thomas' birthdate listed as 1819 in one Bible record and on his headstone, but 1826 in another record? Perhaps because it was "looked down upon" in those days for the husband to be younger than the wife. If Thomas were born in 1826, then Susan would have been two years older. I even read in the genealogy of the Upshur family, from which Thomas was descended, that there was a family member whose date of birth was deliberately fabricated on the gravestone so the husband would not appear younger than the wife when in actuality he was. So this could be the case with Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. To repel any fears that he could have been adopted, it is worth noting that his mother has a resemblance to his youngest daughter Annie Lee Kellam according to their portraits, and also, if he were adopted, it is unlikely he would have been his paternal grandmother's sole heir to her "Evergreen" plantation. Plus, his great-granddaughter, Evelyn Cox Sherbondy (1910-2002), once told me that her first cousin, Wilhelmina Coppersmith Adams (1911-2005), greatly resembled their great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Bell Jacob Kellam, according to the aforementioned portrait of Elizabeth which Cousin Evelyne inherited and allowed me to photocopy. I am listing 28 October 1826 as the date of birth of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr.

Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. was born presumably on the "Evergreen" plantation. According to his great-granddaughter, Evelyne Cox (Twiford) Sherbondy, he went to school at either Oxford or Harvard University, but she could not recall which. However, if he was born as late as 1826 as I suggested above, this seems questionable as he married Susan Ann Taylor in 1845, at about the age of nineteen years, if this supposition is correct. Cousin Evelyne inherited from her mother a pencil sketch he had done of the campus he attended and has given it to me. At the bottom of the sketch is labelled "North Front of Southampton Gate." Having toured Oxford in 2001 while on a vacation to England, I can vouch that the picture appears to resemble that campus, but I should have taken this sketch with me to inquire whether the tower Thomas sketched in the picture resembles anything around Oxford. If he did indeed attend Oxford, Thomas probably was in contact with his Hatton cousins in London, the nephews of his great-grandfather, Walter Hatton, Sr., who came to the Eastern Shore of Virginia before the Revolutionary War as a tax collector for King George III. Thomas H. Kellam and his children were certainly very proud of their Hatton connection and had saved letters and sermons written by one of Walter Hatton's brothers who was a minister in England. These letters were inherited by Cousin Mina Coppersmith (Barnes) Adams (1911-2005) and are now in her daughter's possession.

According to Eastern Shore historian James Egbert Mears (1884-1975) in his 1937 book, "Hack's Neck and Its People," Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. "lived at the Evergreen farm until a while before the Civil War, when he was, for a time, a resident of Smithfield, Virginia, though he later returned to said farm which his grandmother, Margaret Hatton Kellam (later Beard), bequeathed him in her will probated in 1845." However, a descendant of Thomas, Larry Clinton Brown of Richmond, Virginia, found his name and family, including his mother-in-law Margaret Dalby Taylor, in the 1860 Census of Nansemond County (present-day City of Suffolk), Virginia. Nansemond-Suffolk adjoins Isle of Wight County, of which Smithfield is the county seat. It is uncertain how long they lived there, and perhaps at least one of their children was born in Nansemond, even though Cousin Evelyne claimed they were all born at "Evergreen" in Accomack County.

His wife, Susan Ann Taylor, whom he married in 1845, was the eldest daughter of David C. and Margaret Dalby Taylor, who lived nearby at the "Poplar Grove" farm in Hack's Neck, which no longer stands. All of the children of Thomas H. and Susan Ann Kellam were said to have been born on the "Evergreen" plantation, which was the family home until Thomas deeded it to his son about 1874, who lost it shortly thereafter due to the high taxes imposed by the Federal Government on many properties throughout the South. In the prosperous antebellum days, the Kellams owned numerous slaves and enjoyed great wealth living on a plantation which had been in the female lineages of the family since the 1600's. The immigrant ancestor, Dr. George Hack, from whom Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. was descended through both of his parents, who were fourth cousins, was the first one who patented land in Hack's Neck, part of which was the later "Evergreen" farm. George Hack's great-granddaughter, Francina Hack (1706-1784), married Adam Muir (1705-1772), probably a Scottish emigrant, who built the present brick Georgian-style "Evergreen" mansion sometime between 1750 and his death in 1772. Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr. was a great-great-grandson of Adam and Francina Hack Muir. Because so many of the Muir heirs died young and/or without heirs through three generations, Thomas was sole heir to "Evergreen." The majority of his brothers and sisters died young.

According to Evelyne Sherbondy, her Great-Grandfather Kellam also inherited the "Myrtle Grove" farm which he used as his wedding dowry when he married Susan Taylor. This has not been confirmed, but it is likely since "Myrtle Grove," located across a creek from "Evergreen," was the home of Thomas' uncle, John Custis Kellam (1792-1845), who was married twice but died without children.

The following statements are quoted from James E. Mears' book, "Hack's Neck and Its People," and since Thomas Hatton Kellam was the last in the direct lineage to own "Evergreen," perhaps here is the best place to summarize the history of the ownership of this plantation in the family:

Immediately to the west of the boundary of land owned by Robert Hutchinson at the time of his death in 1712 (the major part of the extreme western portion of which is, as hereinbefore stated, now owned by George Ames Bonniwell), is what is now known as the "Evergreen" farm, almost all of which has its easternly boundary along Bucklands Gut and the said "Evergreen" road, hereinbefore mentioned, and extends south to the Hacks Neck-Pungoteague highway. The "Evergreen" farm of today is less than half of the boundary that was held in its entirety by the lineal descendants of the original patentee from 1659 to 1874, though through several different family names.

In 1659 Dr. George Hack (or Hacke), a native of Cologne, Germany, was granted a certificate for 1350 acres of land on the Eastern Shore of Virginia as a compensation for transporting twenty-seven persons to the colony, and it is obvious that included in that grant are the lands now comprising the "Evergreen," "Rose Hill," "Fisherman's Rest," and "Myrtle Grove" farms. Dr. Hack died in 1665, leaving a widow, Anna, and two sons, George Nicholas and Peter.

This 1350-acre tract obviously became the property of Dr. Hack's son, George Nicholas Hack, later a lieutenant-colonel, who was high sheriff of Accomack county towards the end of the seventeenth century and in 1703 a member of the county court. In 1696 Lt. Col. George Nicholas Hack added to the northeastern portion of the 1350-acre grant a tract of 66 acres purchased from Robert Hutchinson. In his will, probated in 1705, Lt. Col. George Nicholas Hack bequeathed this land to his son, George.

In 1712 Capt. George Hack, son of said Lt. Col. George Nicholas Hack, bequeathed to his widow, Sarah, "my land and plantation whereon I now live during her widowhood and at her death or remarriage to my daughters Francina and Betty and to their heirs forever." In 1729 Adam Muir, who had married Francina, petitioned the Court to appoint commissioners to divide the tract between him and James Gibson --whether in right of Gibson's wife or mother is not known. The report of commissioners was filed and recorded in Wills of Accomack, 1729-37, part 1, p. 54. (At that time the residence seems to have been very near the northeast corner of the tract, obviously on or very near Bucklands Gut). In 1733 James Gibson and Sarah, his wife, deeded their interest in a tract of land "on which Adam now lives" to Adam Muir. (Land causes, 16 Sept., 1731, p. 16, show that Sarah, wife of James Gibson, was a daughter of Thomas Preeson, of Northampton, and sister of Susanna, wife of Peter Bowdoin, and of Hannah Presson, unmarried.)

Muir was "a merchant at Pungoteague," and also "Deputy Collr. of His Majesty's Customs and Naval Officer of the District of Accomack, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia." (Deed Book 1757-70, p. 1 et seq.). He is believed to have been the builder of the two-story, Georgian style, brick residence, about 60X25 feet, (located more to the northwest of the tract than the original Hack residence), that continues to be the main residence on the "Evergreen" farm. Evidently the construction was supervised by a skilled engineer. The walls are twenty inches thick at the base and sixteen inches at the eves. The chimneys have several flues. The roof was renewed about a generation ago. The roof rafters were made from the heart of gum timber and deterioration was only at the ends where water had reached them through a leaky roof. According to tradition, the bricks were brought from England. It was only during the present century that the brick walls were covered with a cement stucco. The porches, on either side (east and west), continued until within the recollection of those now living. The frame addition on the southern end was built during the occupancy of Capt. John Kelso, the owner, between 1875 and 1883. It has been said that much of the material in the addition Capt. Kelso had had cut for use in the construction of a sailing vessel for a son, but the son expressing a disinclination for such a craft, the lumber went into the erection of the addition. Another tradition is that during the Colonial days and early times of our republic, when sailing vessels made numerous trips from Pungoteague creek to the West Indies, the large cellar under the brick portion of the residence was sometimes used to hide smuggled merchandise.

In 1766 Adam Muir and Francina, his wife, conveyed this tract to Col. Thomas Hall, though in a few months said Hall re-conveyed same to Muir with the statement that the conveyances had been with the view of making the title more secure in the Muirs. The description as contained in the deed to Col. Hall, made in July of that year, follows: "All that certain tract of land and plantation, lying and being on the bay side, on the south side of Pungoteague river or creek, in the county of Accomack, whereon the said George Hack died, seized and possessed and which at his death came unto the said Francina, his only daughter and heir, containing 1616 acres of land, be the same more or less, and bounded westernly by the bay side, southerly by a creek called Butcher's creek, northerly by Pungoteague creek to Buckland's gut and from thence a line of marked trees dividing this from the land of John Hutchinson and easterly by a line of marked trees dividing this land from sundry adjacent tracts."

Adam Muir, by will probated in 1772 (Will Book 1772-4, p. 18), gave to "my affectionate wife, Francina Muir, all that tract of land where I now live (and as formerly possessed by her father, George Hack, containing 1416 acres more or less) to her and her heirs forever," as well as all of his personal property except minor gifts to his children: Adam, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah, and Margaret. Francina Muir (Will Book 1784-87, p. 139) bequeathed the tract to her daughters, Elizabeth, Ann, and Sarah Muir "for and during their natural lives and the survivor of them (but should either of them marry they are to have no right in the mansion house or the yard and houses around or nigh it but that is to remain in possession of the survivor remaining single)." (Possibly Adam Muir, Jr., was dead at the time his mother's will was made, though the court records show he was alive at the time his father's will was probated. Margaret, mentioned in the will of Adam but not that of Francina, had been married to Walter Hatton, Sr., and died in 1774).

Walter Hatton, Jr., never came into possession of the property, as he died in 1799, and his aunts, above mentioned, were then living. Walter, Jr., however, in his will, probated in 1800, (Wills, etc. of the District Court) bequeathed his interest in same in reversion as follows: To his sister Anne the portion now known as "Evergreen," "Rose Hill" and "Fisherman's Rest," and the remainder, now called "Myrtle Grove" to his sister Margaret during her natural life and at her death to her youngest son, John Kellam, "and the heirs of his body," etc. Anne, (wife of William Taliaferro, who was living in King & Queen county, Va., when his will was made in 1804), died in 1803 leaving no living issue, and her share eventually became into possession of her sister, Margaret, who had married John Kellam, and, after his death, Matthew Beard. In 1808 Beard and Margaret made a deed to John C. and Thomas Hatton Kellam an equal number of acres of cleared land, John C. taking the "Myrtle Grove" and Thomas Hatton the remainder. Despite the conveyance of Margaret and Matthew Beard in 1808, obviously Margaret claimed an interest in the entire property, for in 1837 she conveyed to her son, John C. Kellam, all her right, title and interest in the "Myrtle Grove," containing 700 acres, and in her will, probated in 1845, she bequeathed to her grandson, Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr., son of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Sr., the "Evergreen" farm. John C. Kellam, though twice married, died without issue; he bequeathed the "Myrtle Grove" farm to his nephew, said Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr., for life, with reversion to the latter's oldest son.

Financial difficulties following the Civil War caused said Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr., to lose these properties, he having given mortgages on the "Rose Hill" farm, originally the northwestern part of the "Evergreen" farm, on the "Evergreen" farm and on his life interest in the "Myrtle Grove" farm. In 1874 the "Evergreen" and the life interest in the "Myrtle Grove" were purchased by Eugene J.W. Read, George T. Garrison and John Neely, who held a $4000 mortgage on same, and on the same day they sold the "Evergreen" farm to Capt. John Kelso for $4750. Except for an aggregate of about five acres in the hamlet of "Smithville," sold to George W. Smith, Benjamin Thomas Bonniwell, William J. Kelly, Columbus Conway, and William L. Evans, in different lots, between 1808 and 1901, three acres sold to John Heath, colored--the latter tract about a third of a mile south of "Smithville"--and about fifteen acres from the southeastern boundary, near the Evergreen Methodist Church, sold to James W. and Elijah Sample and Samuel Read, colored men, the "Evergreen" has remained intact and was possessed by said Kelso when he died in 1903, after which it was purchased by the Martin & Mason Company, the present owners. The "Rose Hill" farm, containing 250 acres, more or less, was in 1877 sold under mortgage foreclosure and purchased by Thomas Johnson and Louis Snead, and in 1880 said Kelso and his father-in-law, George W. Mason, purchased from Edward J. Corbin, Kelso's son-in-law, Thomas C. Pitts, executor of said Snead, and Thomas Johnson, the "Rose Hill" farm, containing 200.15 acres. In 1881 said Kelso and said Mason bought from William Griffin Hoffman a tract of fifty acres, more or less, called "Fisherman's Home," formerly a part of "Rose Hill," which said Hoffman purchased from George T. Garrison, trustee, in 1876. In 1883 said Kelso sold to said Mason his interest in the "Rose Hill" and "Fisherman's Home" farms. Said Mason, in his will, probated in 1898, bequeathed "Rose Hill" and "Fisherman's Home" to his son, James Walter Mason, from whose estate, early in the twentieth century, they were purchased by said Martin & Mason Company, the present owners (in 1937).

The life interest of Thomas H. Kellam, Jr., in the "Myrtle Grove" farm having, in the 1870's, been purchased by said George W. Mason, a few years later he purchased the interest of Thomas H. Kellam III, to whom the tract, under the will of John C. Kellam, would have reverted at the death of Thomas H., Jr. After the death of George W. Mason in 1898, his executor sold said Mason's interest in said property to Smith Kendall Martin II, who now has the fee simple title to said tract. About 1934 a re-survey of the boundary lines, made in 1818, between the original "Evergreen" and "Myrtle Grove" farms was made, and by agreement the line through certain portions of the woodsland and marsh straightened, increasing slightly the acreage in the "Myrtle Grove" tract.

There is a tradition that large vessels used to enter what is now a gut between the "Evergreen" and "Rose Hill" farms, though in view of the shallow water now in same, that seems hardly possible. However, it is well known that many acres of this farm have washed into the creek, probably as much as hundreds of the original 1416-acre boundary. There is not now a vestige of a rather high embankment, which the Eastern Shore militia, early in 1861, used as a breastworks, though thirty years later it was some little distance from the waterline and quite a clump of pines were growing thereon. This "fort" was located between the south shore of Pungoteague creek and the northwest shore of Bucklands Gut.

The graveyard on the "Evergreen" farm is hardly more than 400 feet southeast of the "mansion house" and now no tmore than fifty feet from the gut separating the "Evergreen" and "Rose Hill" farms. Tombstones mark the following graves: Adam Muir (Sr.), 1705-1772, Francina Muir, 1706-1784. James Muir, 1778-1796. Ann Muir, 1732-1807. Sarah Muir, 1741-1827. Thomas Hatton Kellam, 1790-1841, Elizabeth B., wife of Thomas Hatton Kellam, 1793-1835. Susan Arinthea, daughter of Thomas H. and Susan Ann Kellam, 1846-1855. Walter Hatton, 1766-1799. Mary, daughter of Walter and Margaret Hatton, died 21st Dec., 1773, in her 4th year. An unnamed daughter of William and Anne Taliaferro, died at birth, Dec. 3, 1803. Anne Hatton, wife of William Taliaferro, died Sept. 25, 1804, aged 39 years. "In the Hope of Rifing at the laft Day to a Bleffed and Glorious Immortality. Here lyes the Body of Margaret, the wife of Walter Hatton. Was born on the 6th of March, 1745, and departed this life the 16th Jany, 1774. She was a dutiful child, a loving wife, an affectionate relation & a tender parent. Reader, whoever thou art, prepare to follow her."

During the ownership of the "Evergreen" farm by Thomas Hatton Kellam II the only son of Egbert G. Bayly, the owner at the time of the "Poplar Grove" farm, was visiting the Kellam family. Hawks were depredating, so young Bayly mounted a young horse, took a shot gun and rode into the orchard. While on the back of the animal, he fired the gun, which scared the horse, causing it to "run away." As it passed the northwest corner of the main residence, Bayly was thrown violently and his head crushed against the brick wall, resulting in his death. According to the superstitious, when the weather was damp what had the appearance of blood could be seen on the wall where young Bayly was killed. The entire exterior of the building having been stuccoed almost a generation ago, no one now reports the alleged phenomenon.

This ends the quoted information from the Hack's Neck book.

According to family tradition, during the Civil War the Kellam family hid many of their prized possessions on the "Evergreen" property so Yankee troops would not find and pillage them. Much of the family silver was hid in a well, and crystals were also buried on the property and discovered nearly a century later by subsequent owners.

Where Thomas went immediately upon losing "Evergreen" is uncertain, but he likely spent a lot of time with his family in Baltimore, where he owned a summer house. It is uncertain as to whether he lost that house also or how long it remained in the Kellam family. Several of Susan's siblings lived in Baltimore. More than likely the family went to Baltimore back and forth using the steamship lines that operated between the Eastern Shore and mainland.

In his later years, Thomas went to live with his son David, who was a merchant and potato farmer at Shady Side in Northampton County. Uncle David's home still stands on present U.S. Highway 13, according to a 1998 telephone interview of his granddaughter, Mrs. Lillian Jacob Oliver (1911-2003), who at the time was eighty-seven years old and lived with her son near there. Thomas died in this home on July 10, 1907. According to Evelyne Sherbondy, he died a very poor man compared to what he came into the world with, mainly as a result of the South's devastation after the Civil War. However, his son David helped regain the family's former prominence when he became a successful, leading merchant and potato farmer of Northampton County.

While trying to claim an alleged legacy from the Hatton estate in England in 1906, Thomas' grandson, Dr. Claude Dalby Kellam (1881-1922), who was living at Norfolk, Virginia at the time, inquired about the family history. Grandpa Kellam wrote him a letter as follows, using stationery with his son David's business on the letterhead which stated, DAVID C. KELLAM, Cash Dealer in General Merchandise Flour, Feed, Hay, & Bran; Ladies' Fine Shoes and Dress Goods; Furniture & Housekeeping Specialties, Shady Side, VA:

February 23, 1906

My dear Claude,

Evergreen was settled and surveyed by my three (3) great Aunts, Sallie, Anne and Elizabeth Muir. When this Peninsula was under English rule, they brought the bricks for the Evergreen house from England. They took up fourteen hundred (1400) acres of lands lying between Pungoteague and Butcher's Creek. They were maiden ladies, and when they died they left all their property to my grandmother Margaret Hatton, who was sister to Walter Hatton. Walter Hatton was sent here by the English Government as Collector of Customs at the port of Accomack, now called Drummondtown. I was sole heir of all my Grandmother's property. These are facts that I can swear to. If I can be of further service let me hear from you.

Affect'ly

Yr Grandfather

Thomas Hatton Kellam

There is an error here. Margaret Hatton Kellam, grandmother of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr., was the daughter of the Walter Hatton who was sent to the Eastern Shore as collector of customs. She had a brother named Walter Hatton, Jr. (1766-1799).

Below is a letter written by Thomas to his youngest daughter, Annie Lee Kellam Stevens (1866-1952) of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, that I photocopied from the collection of my grandfather's first cousin, Wilhelmina Coppersmith Adams (1911-2005), Annie's great-niece:

Shady Side, Va.

Decem. 27, 1904



My Dear Child,

I expect you think that I have forgotten to write, but such is not the case, I was very glad to hear from you, and would have written sooner but I have been quite sick with a deep cold and cough, and am glad to say that I am feeling better. We have had a deep snow which has lasted a week and all of us have been sick with colds. I hird [sic] from Maggie [Margaret Elizabeth Kellam Cooke, his daughter] Sunday. She will leave Cape Charles for good the 12 of January. She is going to travel again. Cant make any thing [sic] at Cape Charles. Mina [Lucy Wilmina Kellam, his son David's daughter] is at home. I do not think she will go off to school any more. Hellen's [sic] [Helen Pauline Kellam, another daughter of David] health is not good, she has a coff [sic] I do not like. I am sorry to hear that Cale [Caleb Walston Stevens, Annie's husband] is losing. I would advise him to stop speculating as the tide seems to have turned against him, and be satisfied with what he can make in the store. Tel [sic] Pearl [Pearl Kellam Stevens, Annie's daughter] not to give herself any trouble about the jewelry [?]. I have paid the 2.00 and it is all right. She may do what she pleases with what she has I do not want it. I must write a [?] to Pearl and as I have [?] [?] to write will close, all join me in love to you all, write when you can, from your loving father,

T.H. Kellam


The following is the obituary of Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr., quoted from "The Eastern Shore News":

DEATH OF MR. KELLAM
Mr. Thomas H. Kellam, an aged and highly respected citizen of this county, died Wednesday after a short illness at the home of his son David C. Kellam. He was 83 years old and has been feeble several years. Mr. Kellam in early life married a Miss Taylor, who preceded him to the grave some years ago. The funeral took place yesterday afternoon and the interment was at Johnsontown Cemetery.

Below is some more additonal information about "Evergreen", quoted from pages 691-92 of Ralph T. Whitelaw's "Virginia's Eastern Shore":

The house is known as Evergreen. On the 1818 survey there was shown a story-and-a-half house southeast of the main dwelling and near the grave yard, so that may have been the original Hack home, but it has since disappeared. When the inventory of Dr. George Hack was taken in 1665, rooms mentioned were a Hall, Middle Room, Entry and Inward Room. The existing house probably was built after 1766 when Adam Muir formally obtained title to the land. It is substantially built of brick, and is one of the few early hip-roofed houses on the Shore. The walls are twenty-six inches thick at the base and taper to sixteen inches thick at the eaves. It was entirely plastered over, early in the present century, but at the edges the plastering has chipped enough to show that the quoins are of brick, the edges of which are beveled and there is also a beveled-brick top course to the water table. At one time the front and rear entrances had the customary small porches. After the Kelso purchase the old interior woodwork (probably including some very good paneling) was removed, new trim put in and the walls replastered.

It is said that several large portraits in oil of members of the Muir family hung on the walls for many years; towards the end of the Kellam ownership, while the house was occupied by the family of Benjamin Wescott, they had boarding with them three sisters: the Misses Eliza, Jennie and Bettie Powell. One day the girls turned all of the pictures to the wall as a prank, and that night there were weird sounds and noises like huge chains being dragged across the floors, so after that, the pictures were considered as harbingers of ill fortune. Some say that the next owner had the pictures taken down and burned, while others claim that the frames were removed and the canvasses plastered over when the house was being renovated.

Formerly a driveway about thirty feet wide and paved with gravel extended up to the main entrance. Beside a number of trees and shrubs in various parts of the large yard, there were rows of Lombardy poplars separating the yard from the fields on the north and south sides. Across a little gut west of Evergreen house was a part of the plantation called Rose Hill.


More About Thomas Hatton Kellam, Jr.:

Burial: Unknown, Johnson's United Methodist Church, Bayside Road near Routes 618 & 622, Northampton Co., VA

Census 1: 1850, Was listed in St. George Parish, Accomack Co., VA, as age 24 with real estate valued at $10, 000. His wife Susan was listed as age 25. He could have been born as late as 1826 and therefore been younger than his wife.

Census 2: 13 Jul 1860, He and his family were listed in the census of the Lower Parish of Nansemond Co. (present-day City of Suffolk), VA. His age is shown as 33, and Susan's age is shown as 34. Listed in the household was the housekeeper Eleanor Holly, and some Taylors.

Census 3: 13 Jul 1860, His mother-in-law, Margaret Dalby Taylor, and her youngest son, Edgar Dalby Taylor, were listed in his household in Nansemond Co., VA. Value of real estate--$11, 000; value of personal estate--$6000.

Census 4: 30 Jul 1870, Listed as Thomas H. Kellum, age 44, in Baltimore Ward 15, Baltimore, MD. Wife erroneously listed as Sarah; children David and Rebecca not listed. Daughter Margaret listed as Mary. Value of personal estate--$600. Housekeeper Elizabeth Holly in household.

Census 5: 01 Jun 1880, A Thomas Kellum, age 50, was listed as a boarder in Baltimore, MD, occupation was canvasser. Because he was living with Hathaways, and so was he in 1900 in Elizabeth City, NC, this makes it likely this is the same Thomas.

Census 6: Jun 1900, Listed as Thos. H. Kellam, renting with 2 other men (W.J. Jackson and Jas. Hathaway) a house on Water Street, Elizabeth City, Pasquotank Co., NC. Occupation listed as mechanic; birthdate Oct 1826. Did he moved there to be near daughter Annie?

College: According to his great-granddaugher, Evelyne Cox Sherbondy (1910-2002), he attended either Oxford or Harvard University. He drew a pencil sketch of the campus, now owned by his great3-grandson, Bryan S. Godfrey.

Comment 1: 28 Oct 1819 is given as the date of his birth in the Kellam Family Bibles (two of which were inherited by great-granddaughter Evelyne Cox Sherbondy) and on his headstone. However, his 1907 obituary gives his age as 83. Maybe 1823 is the correct year.

Comment 2: His sister Ann was listed first in the Hack section of James E. Mears' 1937 Hack's Neck book. He wasn't listed in the Hack-Jacob Bible record, and only the first few children of Thomas H. Kellam, Sr. were. Could his 1819 birthdate be wrong--maybe later?

Comment 3: I am listing 28 Oct 1823 as his birthdate until I learn more since it seems impossible that 28 Oct 1819 was his birthdate due to sister Ann's DOB. If Oct 1823 is correct, then he and his sister Susan were twins. This date would fit the age of 83 in obit.

Comment 4: The 1850 census age suggests he could have been born as late as 1826, two years younger than his wife. Because it was looked down upon then for the husband to be younger than the wife, he could have made up his birth year as 1819 to conceal being younger.

Comment 5: The date of sister Ann's birth, 27 Feb 1820, or the date of his birth, 28 Oct 1819, may be in error, as they are less than nine months apart. Thomas' obituary in 1907 stated he was 83, not 87 which he would be if 1819 is the correct date.

Comment 6: Used "Myrtle Grove" as his wedding dowry

Ethnicity/Relig.: Episcopalian; may also have been a member of the Evergreen Methodist Episcopal Church near his farm.

Military: 21 Feb 1862, Enlisted in Company D, Virginia 5th Cavalry Regiment, Confederate States Army, at Chuckatuck in present-day Suffolk, VA. Mustered out 28 Mar 1862. Described as 6 feet tall, light complexion, grey eyes, dark hair. Listed as age 35. (Source: U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles.)

Occupation: Bef. 1865, Planter; had over 15 slaves at one time.

Property 1: Abt. 1845, Inherited "Myrtle Grove" farm from his childless uncle, John Custis Kellam (1792-1845).

Property 2: Aft. 1846, In the will of his grandmother, Margaret Hatton Kellam Beard, he was sole heir to "Evergreen," the farm that passed down from his Hack ancestors, but lost it around 1874 due to postwar debts shortly after conveying it to his son Thomas Hatton Kellam III.

Property 3: 1850, Owned 11 slaves according to the 1850 Slave Schedule of Accomack Co., VA.

Property 4: 1860, Owned 12 slaves according to the 1860 slave schedule.

Residence 1: "Evergreen, " Accomack Co., VA mainly; Baltimore, MD; lived in Nansemond Co., VA ca. 1860; after losing "Evergreen, " he lived his later years with his son David at Shady Side, Northampton Co., VA, where the home still stands on present-day Route 13.

Residence 2: According to "Hack's Neck and Its People, " he lived for a time at Smithfield, VA but returned to "Evergreen." In the 1860 Census he and his family, and mother-in-law and her son Edgar Taylor, are listed as residents of Nansemond Co., VA.

Residence 3: According to a Baltimore City Directory, a Thomas H. Kellam was listed at 90 Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD in 1870. Mrs. Susan Kellam was also listed at same address in 1872, so this is probably this Thomas H. Kellam and wife Susan.