University of Virginia Library

STOCKTON.

Among the earliest settlers in the western part of the county,
who came as is said under the leadership of Michael Woods,
was a family named Stockton. Though their name has
entirely disappeared, they have in a number of ways left their
mark behind. They consisted of several branches. They
erected perhaps the first mill in that section of the county.
The north fork of Mechum's River still bears the name of
Stockton's Creek, the south fork in early times was called
Stockton's Mill Creek, and the first name by which Israel's

Gap was known was Stockton's Thoroughfare. The famous
abbreviation of D. S. is also ascribed to the head of the family.
One story recites that Michael Woods and Davis Stockton
landed at Williamsburg, and came to the wilds of
Goochland together, that arriving at D. S., they advanced in
different directions, Woods continuing straight forward to
Woods's Gap, and Stockton bearing to the left along the foot
of the mountain towards Batesville, and that as a memorial
of the place where they separated, Stockton carved his initials
on a tree. While their landing on the eastern shores of Virginia
is contrary to all the best established traditions, there
may be truth in the rest of the narration. Both were patentees
of land, and they may have gone from the foot of the
Ridge to Williamsburg on business; on their return, the separation
would naturally have taken place at the point mentioned,
as Woods's home lay at the mouth of Woods's Gap,
and the Stocktons were settled along Mechum's River, the
south fork as well as the north.

As already intimated, the head of the family was Davis
Stockton. His first entry of four hundred acres on Ivy
Creek was made in 1739, and in 1741 he patented eight hundred
more on both forks of Mechum's. Altogether the family
connection obtained grants of nearly four thousand acres
in that section. Davis died in 1760. His widow Martha
seems afterwards to have been married to Samuel Arnold,
who lived on Ivy Creek. Davis's children were Richard,
Samuel, William and Thomas. Samuel and William had a
mill on the south fork of Mechum's, not far from Batesville,
the same no doubt their father built, which in 1767 they sold
to James Garland. Prior to 1780 Samuel emigrated to
Rutherford County, North Carolina, and was probably accompanied
by William. Richard lived in the fork of Mechum's,
near the old Black place; in fact, that place was a
part of his land, he and his wife Agnes having sold four
hundred acres to Rev. Samuel Black in 1751. He died in
1775, leaving five sons, Richard, Thomas, John, Robert and
Davis. The name of John appears among the subscribers
to the Albemarle Declaration of Independence, made in 1779.

Previous to 1791 Richard and Robert removed to Henry
County. Richard became Clerk of the Strawberry Baptist
Association, and Robert entered the Baptist ministry, and
subsequently went to Kentucky, where he died about 1837.
Thomas, probably the son of Davis, died in 1783. He and
his wife Rachel had six sons and two daughters, some of
whom were still in the county as late as 1805.

In later years John N. C. Stockton came to the county
from Pennsylvania. He was a proprietor of the Stage lines
running in Virginia, and made Charlottesville his headquarters.
He became a large landholder in the neighborhood.
In 1830 he purchased from Andrew Leitch the old Stage lot
on the corner of Market and Seventh Streets, in 1832 Carrsbrook
from Alexander Garrett, as executor of Dabney Minor,
and in 1835 Retreat from Jonathan B. Carr. He was also
the owner of Camp Holly, on the Barboursville Road. He
married Emily Bernard, a niece of William D. Fitch. In 1837
he came to an untimely end, by drowning in Mobile Bay.
William P. Farish became the administrator of his estate,
and ultimately one of his successors in the ownership of the
Stage lines. William Stockton, brother of John N. C., married
Sarah, daughter of Gideon Strange and Mildred Magruder,
and emigrated to Florida.