Brownsburg, Virginia

Brownsburg - Seedbed of the Wardlaw Family in America!

 

News From Brownsburg, Virginia!

“Historic Cemetery Preservation”. Members of New Providence have repaired, cleaned, and conserved some of the older stones in the church cemetery.

Here is a picture of the two Wardlaw stones they refurbished, cleaned and re-set! Beautiful! Thanks!

 

 

Both New Providence Church and Brownsburg were established on lands owned by the Wardlaw family.  William and Mary Wardlaw's stones were both leaning at a dangerous angle, and in need of a cleaning.  The stones are early sandstone tablet stones, and would probably break if they continued to lean at this angle.
Here is the "after" shot of the Wardlaw stones which were straightened and cleaned under the supervision of Jonathan Appell, Gravestone Conservator.  To stabilize the stones, they were dug out, and replaced in the ground at the correct height (with 1/3 of the tablet stone actually below the grade), plumbed, leveled, and secured in place with gravel and sand.  Mary is on the left, William on the right.  Mary's epitaph reads:  "Affection weeps, Heaven rejoiceth."  William's says:  "His body perisheth, but his virtues live." 

 

New Providence Presbyterian Church - Raphine, Virginia

Brownsburg Museum - on main street in Brownsburg - Brownsburg Turnpike

This is a picture I took of Moffett's Creek right down the road from the Wardlaw land. See map below. I went to Virginia in Sept. 1995, and 1996 and found all these Wardlaw places. I found New Providence Church where the Wardlaws and other local families attended.

 

 

William Wardlaw's 343 acres shown in the map, on the right side. This is taken up on the hill to the north of and behind Wade's Mill. We drove up there with the owner of the mill.

On top of hill looking east, with Scotland's flower, the thistle, in the foreground.

 

 

We found several houses that Robert the immigrant, and his sons built and lived in.

This one was bought by Michael Wardlaw. He is D15, son of William C3, son of William B1, son of Robert A1. Michael married Ann Kennedy 1802. He bought the house in 1823 at age 37.

This house is just south of New Providence Church, next road to the left, over the little bridge, look up hill before you, see the house.

 

 

This is the Trotter House. The first owner of record was Robert Wardlaw, who built the house in 1760. This was Robert (A1) Wardlaw's land. He bought some of the first land in Borden's Grant. His land is what Brownsburg was built on. It is located just north of the Old South Antique Store which is on the main road. Turn north at that corner you will run right up into this driveway if you go straight.

 

 

The Wardlaws first came to America around 1720 and settled and acquired land in Borden's Grant in Brownsburg, Virginia. The town was founded on land purchased from the immigrant Robert Wardlaw.

Borden's Grant is an area that was settled early in 1700's, situated between Lexington, Virginia and Staunton, Virginia and west of I-81. Brownsburg is a little town in Borden's Grant. Raphine is close by it toward I-81. Just to the left of James Wardlaw 697 acres you will see a little Z mark on the creek. That is where Brownsburg is located. Robert the immigrant's land is not shown on this map, but his land is what Brownsburg was built on.

This is a map showing part of Borden's Grant and lands that William (B1) and his sons owned. Also a piece of land owned by James Coulter (Coalter), a relative of the Wardlaws. This is where Robert Wardlaw and his son William first came to America and settled in the 1720's. New Providence Church, where the Wardlaws went is located on the large James Wardlaw land (697 acres), on the far right corner. This is a sample of what is in my book "Wardlaw Chronicle".

This photo was taken Aug. 2010 and shows the lower point of James Wardlaw's land shown on map below, of 697 acres. To my left is the bridge into the town of Brownsburg.

I have been to these places and taken lots of pictures. The 343 acres of William Wardlaw, located on the right side of this map, is where Wade's Mill is.

Wades Mill. Where the early settlers including the Wardlaws, Coalters and others, came

to mill their flour. It is still a working mill and has a nice gift shop.

This shows the walkout basement part that was William Wardlaw's house he built where they first lived on coming to Brownsburg. The house has been added onto the following years and recently sold for over a million dollars, a big beautiful two-story house. The basement part is still original and the beams, walls and original doors are still there.

From Brownsburg, Virginia

There's a very nice article in this day's Staunton News Leader about the Museum's "Civil War:  Brownsburg" exhibit and its accompanying book "First and Last to Pay the Price."  Here's the link:
 
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'Wardlaw ivermair!'