George M. Loving *
Birth: 1765
Death: 23 Jun 1826, Nelson Co., Virginia, USA
Father: John Loving *
Mother: Naomi Seay *
- Married Mildred Stevens * on 17 Oct 1785 at Amherst Co., Virginia, USA
- Child 1: Rosa Berriman Loving 6 Oct 1786 - 29 Jan 1887 m. Abraham B. Seay
- Child 2: John T. Loving 16 Dec 1788 -
- Child 3: Behetheland "Hethy" Loving * 9 Feb 1790 - AFT Jun 1880 m. John Johnson *
- Child 4: Naomi Loving 5 Oct 1795 - m. Samuel Denny
- Child 5: Ann "Nancy" Loving 10 Feb 1798 - m. Samuel Stevens
- Child 6: Polly Loving 13 May 1800 -
- Child 7: James M. Loving 6 Apr 1802 -
- Child 8: Mildred T. Loving 10 Jun 1804 -
- Child 9: George Seaton Loving 25 Jan 1808 -
- Child 10: Zachariah Loving 4 Aug 1813 -
Notes: Settlers' descendants live on five original grants
By Joseph Clement Staff Writer
This article is the third in a series entitled "Nelson County: Land Grants from the King," wh ose descendants still own land chartered to their ancestors the settlers of Nelson County. Th e first two stories in the series were about Dr. William Cabell and the Rev. Robert Rose an d their descendants. Cabell and Rose owned or shared title in 155,000 acres granted from King s George II and III of England. This article is about other 18th century pioneers whose famil ies still own chartered land.
In the early 18th century, expansion westward to central Virginia was encouraged by the Kin g George II of England. The seemingly endless amount of land was not useful to him unless i t could be kept colonized, taxed and out of the hands of enemies, according to 20th Century C abells and Their Kin, by Randolph Cabell. As early settlers explored what was to become Nelso n County, they looked for unclaimed areas for which to apply for grants. The first settler, D r. William Cabell, chose the Wingina area for his home. The Rev. Robert Rose established th e Piney River and Roseland areas. Descendants of both still live in the county. Various regio ns of Nelson County were claimed in this way. At least three other land grants from the kin g are still owned by descendants. The original grants were given to William Harris, James Dic kie and James Stevens. William Harris was granted approximately 2,000 acres, beginning with t he first parcel in 1739 in what was then Albemarle County. His son, Maj. William Harris Jr. , built two homes, Dovecote and Rockford. Rockford still stands near Faber and is owned b y a descendant, Catherine Hawes Coleman Seaman, and her husband, John. Their property consist s of approximately 450 acres. James Dickie received three or more grants totaling at least 70 9 acres and perhaps as much as 3,500 acres in and around what is now the Roseland area. Accor ding to Tuckahoes and Cohees: The Settlers and Cultures of Amherst and Nelson Counties from 1 607-1807, by Catherine Seaman, he received 2,700 acres in 1750. The History of Nelson County , published by the Nelson County Home Demonstration Clubs in 1965, records three additional s eparate land grants to Dickie beginning in 1752 one being for 300 acres on the south side o f Castle Creek. The second was in 1758 for 190 acres on the north side of the creek and the t hird grant in 1760 added 219 acres on either side of the creek. A descendant, Emily Dickie Bu gierre, currently lives at Breeze Hill on 550 acres of the land with her husband, Tomas. He r son, Thomas Jr., also lives on grant land and is the sixth generation to do so. The propert y has been continuously farmed by the family since it was granted to them in the 1700s. Anoth er descendant of James Dickie who also owns grant land is Walter Hoffman, whose mother was Em ily Dickie Hoffman. Hoffman is a former West District supervisor on the Nelson County Board o f Supervisors. The third family to continu-ously own land granted by the king is the Steven s family. According to family historical records, sometime in the 1750s, James Stevens and hi s friend, John Loving, climbed up to the highest mountain peak they could find in the middl e of what was to become Nelson County. "They viewed the landscape o'er" and agreed that one w ould take as far as he could see on the right side of the road, and the other the left. How f actual the story is is not known. However, most of what is today the Stevens lands lies to th e west of the Old Stage Road. Family records indicate land ownings of at least 2,000 acres, p erhaps much more. The Lovings' land was on the east side and included the area that was name d the village of Lovingston, which later became the county seat. The size of John Loving's ac reage at the time is not available. However, it is known that he acquired 10,000 additional a cres in 1758 from a man named John Reid. Other areas of the county were established and settl ed by the recipients of grant land as well. Peter Lyon chose the Faber area and was given a g rant of an undetermined amount of acreage sometime after 1738, according to A History of Nels on County. The book cited some of the dimensions and landmarks of his property: "His plantati on embraced a large territory including the old Macy place, just back of Old Mt. Shiloh Churc h, all of Colonel Shepherd's estate, the Tom Martin estate and the John Hamner property." Jam es Wood was granted 2,346 acres in the Rockfish Valley between 1749 and 1760. He has been cal led "the first white settler to make his home the Rockfish Valley," according to A History o f Nelson County. Thomas Massie came to Nelson County to build a home on the Tye River in 1796 . He acquired 3,111 acres from Col. John Rose, which was a portion of the grant land of his f ather, the Rev. Robert Rose. Massie moved in 1803 to the site of present day Massies Mill, wh ere he built Level Green. He had been com-mander of the Sixth Virginia Regiment of Infantry a nd aide to Gov. Thomas Nelson at the Siege of Yorktown. He earned the rank of major during hi s military campaigns and later became one of Nelson County's first magistrates. The pioneer s of Nelson County are too many to name. A tribute to their vision of the future, perhaps, wo uld be that the county of today is not that much different than the one they knew.
Joyce Turel jturel@cfl.rr.com
Served in the Revolution and his name may be found in pension lists. Some writers have calle d him Captain, but it is unlikely that he earned that rank in the Revolutionary War, for he w as only 14 when the war broke out.
Original owner of the Stevens Corner Cupboard which was made by Benjamin Fortune, Jr in 179 7 for Capt. George Loving, Sr. It is a fine hand-crafted walnut cabinet.
* Children
1. [Has Children] Ann LOVING b: 10 FEB 1798 in Amherst Co, VA
Marriage 2 Mildred Beheathland STEVENS b: 1769 in Amherst Co, VA
* Married: 17 OCT 1785 in Amherst Co, VA
Children
1. [Has Children] Rosa Berriman LOVING b: 6 OCT 1786 in Amherst Co
2. [Has No Children] John T. LOVING b: 16 DEC 1788
3. [Has No Children] Beheathland LOVING b: 9 FEB 1790
4. [Has No Children] Naomi LOVING b: 5 OCT 1795
5. [Has Children] Ann LOVING b: 10 FEB 1798 in Amherst Co, VA
6. [Has No Children] Polly LOVING b: 13 MAY 1800
7. [Has No Children] James M. LOVING b: 6 APR 1802
8. [Has No Children] Mildred T LOVING b: 10 JUN 1804 in Nelson Co, VA
9. [Has No Children] George Seaton LOVING b: 25 JAN 1808
10. [Has No Children] Zachariah LOVING b: 4 AUG 1813
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