John Minor (politician)

John Minor Jr.
John Minor Jr.
Personal details
Born	May 13, 1761; Caroline County, Colony of Virginia, British America
Died	June 8, 1816 (aged 55); Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Masonic Cemetery; Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Mary Berkeley (m. 1786; died 1787); Lucy Landon Carter (m. 1793)
Relations	Matthew Fontaine Maury (grandson); Charles Minor Blackford (grandson)
Children	7, including Mary
Occupation	Politician; lawyer;

John Minor Jr. (May 13, 1761 – June 8, 1816) was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Early life

John Minor Jr. was born on May 13, 1761, at Topping Castle in Caroline County, Virginia, to John Minor.^[1]^[2]^[3] His grandfather John Minor was justice of the peace in Spotsylvania County.^[3]

Career

Minor was the first commonwealth's attorney for Fredericksburg.^[4] He served in the Virginia House of Delegates. In the 1770s or 1780s, he proposed a bill in the Virginia General Assembly for the emancipation of slaves.^[4]^[5]^[6] He was a presidential elector during James Monroe's election.^[3]

Minor served as a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He attained the rank of general while serving in the War of 1812.^[2]^[3]^[7] He was a slave owner.^[8]

Personal life

Minor married Mary Berkeley, daughter of Nelson Berkeley, of Airwell, Hanover County, Virginia, in February 1786. His wife died in 1787.^[2]^[9] He married Lucy Landon Carter, daughter of Landon Carter, of Cleve, King George County, Virginia, on December 12, 1793.^[1]^[2]^[4]^[10] They had seven children, including Lucian, Mary Berkeley, Lancelot Byrd and John.^[1]^[3]^[5]^[8]^[7] His grandsons were Matthew Fontaine Maury^[4] and Charles Minor Blackford.^[2] He lived at Hazel Hill on Princess Anne Street in Fredericksburg.^[6]^[11] He was friends with James Monroe.^[3]

Minor died on June 8, 1816, in Richmond.^[1]^[12] He was interred at the family burial ground at Hazel Hill (Sligo).^[3]^[13] He was reinterred at the Masonic Cemetery in Fredericksburg on December 29, 1855.^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Minor Family of Virginia. p. 10. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lyon Gardiner Tyler, ed. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. 5. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 845–859. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "To Mark Graves of Early Patriots". The Free Lance-Star. September 11, 1929. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Fleming, Vivian Minor (1921). Historic Periods of Fredericksburg, 1608–1861. W. C. Hill Printing Company. p. 22. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b Tyler-McGraw, Marie (2007). An African Republic. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 89. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b Lathrop, Elise (1927). Historic Houses of Early America. Tudor Publishing Company. p. 131. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. S. B. Nelson. 1900. pp. 639–640. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ ^a ^b Dunn, D. Elwood (1992). A History of the Episcopal Church in Liberia, 1821–1980. p. 57. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ "Virginia Council Journals, 1726–1753". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 35, no. 1. pp. 39–40. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ Garber, Virginia Armistead (1910). The Armistead Family, 1635–1910. pp. 38–39. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ Goolrick, John T. (1922). Historic Fredericksburg: The Story of an Old Town. p. 168. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.
^ "Communication". Richmond Enquirer. June 12, 1816. p. 3. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Departed this life." Richmond Enquirer. June 15, 1816. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[family-1] The Minor Family of Virginia. p. 10. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[virginia-2] Lyon Gardiner Tyler, ed. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. 5. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 845–859. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[grave-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "To Mark Graves of Early Patriots". The Free Lance-Star. September 11, 1929. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[historic-4] Fleming, Vivian Minor (1921). Historic Periods of Fredericksburg, 1608–1861. W. C. Hill Printing Company. p. 22. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[tylermcgraw-5] Tyler-McGraw, Marie (2007). An African Republic. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 89. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[houses-6] Lathrop, Elise (1927). Historic Houses of Early America. Tudor Publishing Company. p. 131. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[nelsons-7] Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. S. B. Nelson. 1900. pp. 639–640. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[lancelot-8] Dunn, D. Elwood (1992). A History of the Episcopal Church in Liberia, 1821–1980. p. 57. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[9] "Virginia Council Journals, 1726–1753". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 35, no. 1. pp. 39–40. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[10] Garber, Virginia Armistead (1910). The Armistead Family, 1635–1910. pp. 38–39. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[11] Goolrick, John T. (1922). Historic Fredericksburg: The Story of an Old Town. p. 168. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Archive.org.

[12] "Communication". Richmond Enquirer. June 12, 1816. p. 3. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Departed this life." Richmond Enquirer. June 15, 1816. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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