Herbert Farrar Hutcheson Sr.

The family name of Hutcheson appears on the records of past centuries in various forms. "Hutcheson," Hutchison," Hutchason," Hutchinson," Hutcherson." In modern days, these have practically settled down to two forms --"Hutcheson" and "Hutchinson." Broadly speaking, "Hutcheson" is Scotch and "Hutchinson" is English.

A member of this family conspicuous for his high character and good citizenship is Herbert Farrar Hutcheson, the present County Clerk of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Mr. Hutcheson was born in Mecklenburg County on March 20, 1869, son of Joseph Collier and Ann Goode (Farrar) Hutcheson. In both of his family lines, he is descended from the earlier settlers of the State, and his family has been identified with Mecklenburg County for one hundred and fifty years. His grandfather was Joseph Hutcheson, who married Rebecca Neblett, of Lunenburg; and his great grandfather was Charles Hutcheson, who came with his brother Peter from Caroline County to Mecklenburg in 1766. Peter Hutcheson, John Hutcheson, Charles Hutcheson, and Richard Hutcheson, four brothers, settled in Mecklenburg County during the years 1766 to 1772. Peter came from Caroline County in the fall of 1766; John, who married Elizabeth Chiles of Caroline County, came from Hanover in the fall of 1766. Charles purchased a tract of land in Meckloenburg County on Layton's Creek in 1766, but remained in Caroline until 1768, when he removed to Louisa and lived until 1772, then removed to his Layton's Creek estate in Mecklenburg County, where he lived until his death in 1807. He was the oldest person in his community at the time of his death. At the time he settled in Mecklemburg County, he also owned a tract of land on the Dan River in Halifax and one on Horse Pen Creek in Charlotte County. He married ---Collier. The sons were Collier (the progenitor of the present Hutcheson family, of Charlotte County), John, who was never married, and Joseph. Joseph Hutcheson married, first, Rebecca Neblett, of Lunenburg County, daughter of Sterling Neblett Sr., and, second, Mary Valentine of Richmond City.

By the Neblett wife there wer three sons and five daughters. James N., the oldest, died in Mississippi territorie in 1833, having never married. Charles Sterling Hutcheson was the father of Captain Jos.C. and Captain William Hutcheson of Texas. He represented Mecklenburg County in the House of Delegates in the late forties and early fifties, and was presiding justice of the county for many years under the old court system. He was also one of the trustees for Randolph Macon College before it was moved to Ashland..

Joseph Collier Hutcheson was a prominent man in the county, being one of the largest landowners and a farmer. He never held any office except that of justice of the peace. In 1855, he was nominated by his party for the House of Delegates, but was defeated at the general election. He had six sons and one daughter, via: James Nathaniel, Luia Rebecca, Charles Samuel, Sterling Neblett, Joseph Emmett, Herbert Farrar, and Conway Goode. James N. Hutcheson was the first Democrat to be elected to office in the county after the reconstruction period, having been elected to the House of Delegates in 1889. He also served in the State Senate from the Twenty Fifth District, being elected in 1901. He served as the chairman of the county Democratis Committee for several terms. He dies in 1909.

Charles S., the second son, served twenty years as a member of the Board of Supervisors of the county and as chairman of the Board for the past ten years.

Sterling N. is a prominent merchant and farmer of the county, having served twenty-three years as postmaster of Baskerville.

By the Valentine wife, Joseph Hutcheson had one son and three daughters. The son, John Valentine, enlisted in the Boyton Cavalry as a private and was killed in battle early in the war.

In the opinion of the elder members of Mr. Hutcheson's family, they are descended from brothers, William and Captain Robert Hutcheson, who came to Virginia in the thirties of the seventeenth century. It is fairly evident that Captain Robert Hutcheson was the greatgrandfather of Charles Hutcheson, who was the greatgrandfather of the subject of this sketch.

In 1623, we find that William Hutcgeson represented Warresqueake in the House of Burgesses; and from 1641 to 1647, we find that Captain Robert Hutcheson represented James City in the House of Burgesses. Robert Hutcheson seems at first to have confined himself to the extreme eastern section of the State, but later both he and William gradually worked their way up toward the Northern Neck. Both of them through life kept on good terms with the strenuous old Governor, Sir William Berkely, who, whatever his hatred to his enemies, was always loyal to his friends.

The first land grant to Robert Hutcheson was in 1638, consisting of two hundred acres in James City County. This was followed by numerous other grants, running up as late as 1668 covering lands in James City, Accomac, Lancaster and Westmoreland counties. The later generations of this family appear to have concentrated in Charlotte and Spotsylvania, and on the rocrds of that section are the names of a large number of Hutchesons in a great variety of transactions, wills, deeds and leases. The family was represented in Caroline County in the early years of the eighteenth century. Some members of it were certainly in Spotsylvania as early as 1736, for we find in that year that William Hutcheson was a witness to the deed of Roderick Price. Among the names appearing on the records between 1730 and 1788, in these counties, are: Archibald, Charles, David, Elizabeth, George, Hannah, James, John Jr., Margaret, Martha, Mary, Peggy, Phoebe, Robert, Robert Beverley, Ruth, Thomas, William, William Jr., and Peter. They were well represented in all the colonial wars. Thomas, of Caroline, was a soldier in the French and Indian War from 1758 to 1760. William was in an Amelia company, and appears later to have settled in Charlotte County. Robert was a sergeant in Captain Claiton's company, which was credited to Botetourt County. This company served at the reduction of Fort Pitt in 1758. William was in Captain Preston's company of Rangers. John was in an Augusta battalion. Jeremiah was a corporal and Benjamin was a private in Fairfax Troop of Cavalry in 1756. William did not get enough of war at that time, so in 1774 he appears as an active participant in the Indian War which is known in history as Dunmore's war. In the Revolutionary struggle, ten soldiers are credited to the Hutchesons: James, of Powhatan; John, of Amelia; William, of Spotsylvania; then come Charles, john, Joseph, Reuben, Thomas, Walter and William, whose counties are not known.

In our own generation, Mr. Hutcheson's immediate family has furnished some splendidly patriotic men to our country. Captain John William Hutcheson, the son of his father's brother, C.S. Hutcheson, was agraduate of the University of Virginia, participated in the great battles of the early part of the war, and was killed at the first battle of Cold Harbor. Captain J.W. Hutcheson's younger brother, Hon. Joseph Chappell Hutcheson, also a graduate of the University, enetered the Confederate Army as a private in Company C, Twenty-First Virginia Regiment, served in the Valley under Stonewall Jackson, by his courage and fidelity gained promotion, and when the army was surrendered by General Lee at Appomattox, was Captain of Company E, Fourteenth Virginia Regiment. He moved to Texas, began the practise of law in Grimes County, thence moving to Houston. In 1874 he was a member of the Texas Legislature; in 1880, Chairman of the State Democratic Convention; in 1890, member of the fifty third and Fifty fourth United States Congresses, declining reelection to a third term, and then settled down as the head of one of the leading law firms of the state. An able lawyer and a man of high character, he combined the ability to think deeply with readiness of speech.

Herbert Farrar Hutcheson was educated in the public schools of his native county, a private school conducted by Dr. W. J. Carter, and Emory and Henry College. He has spent a very large part of his life in the public service - twelve years as justice of the peace, eight years as County Surveyor. He was a member of the House of Delegates for the regular terms of 1899, 1900 and the short session of 1901. Since 1905 he has held his present position as County Clerk. Mr. Hutcheson may also be termed a prectical agriculturalist, for he engages in agriculture to a very large extent, being the proprietor of a large Roanoke River plantation and several other farms. He is now in his third term as Chairman of the Democratis County Committee, and is in his second term as amamber of the Democratic State Central Committee. In fraternal circles he is affiliated with the Masonic Blue Lodge at Boydton and the Halifax Royal Arch Chapter at South Boston.

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