American Connections
Front Royal Virginia - the Early Years
This related directly to the family of Charles Wilson Pomeroy (Chuck) and his Grandfather William Pomeroy
Front Royal and its founding fathers here. by Patrick Farris
If a town’s history can be likened to a family genealogy then the Town of Front Royal is the grandchild of the original colonial community to take root in that nook of the Shenandoah Valley.
In the early 1730s Thomas Chester, a settler from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania came to the forks of the Shenandoah River with his wife and established the first official business.
At the time this area was considered for administrative purposes to be under the jurisdiction of Orange County, and so Chester applied for and received his license from Orange Court House east of the Blue Ridge. The very fact that Chester came to this place to operate a ferry across the forks of the Shenandoah is a testimony to the popularity of western Virginian territory to new settlers, who were increasingly coming to and through the area from the mid-Atlantic colonies.
By the time Peter LeHew, son of a French Huguenot who had settled in Tidewater Virginia, came to the Chester’s Ferry in the 1750s the flow of colonial settlers to the backcountry had increased to the point of provoking the French in the Ohio country to go to war with Great Britain over control of North America. As a result of the ensuing French and Indian War, Old Frederick County – including the south-eastern area that would become Warren County – was evacuated twice. The LeHews and their neighbors, however, always returned, and by the American Revolution LeHewtown was becoming known by another name: Front Royal.
The Front Royal name has always had some mystery surrounding its origin. Some have believed the name to be a combination of two passwords used to get through the town’s pickets at night during the Revolution.
The actual derivation of the town’s name comes from the fact that the village was located on the frontier of royal (British) control during the colonial era. Just as one can refer to a “battle royal” – meaning a large battle – so the royal frontier became known as “Front Royal.”
Thus it was that when a group of leading citizens of the town petitioned the Commonwealth of Virginia for incorporation, they referred to the town as Front Royal. In some instances it was spelled “Frontroyall,” in others “Front Royal Town,” but the name became standardized and by the 1800s appeared on maps as it is spelled today.
The original town fathers, then, were Thomas Chester (Chester Ferry) and Peter LeHew (LeHewtown). The town fathers whose names were attached to the incorporation of the town as Front Royal in November of 1788 can be considered in two groups: the owners of the property that was deeded to the creation of the town, and the trustees who received ownership of that land. These two groups were bound by the hopeful success of the town. The trustees had all legal rights to subdivide the land into lots, auction the lots after advertising them in the local courthouses, create streets and repossess undeveloped lots within two years of sale. The original property owners, however, were to receive money from the sale of the subdivided land. The property owners could not succeed without the success of the trustees, and the trustees would have had nothing to sell and develop in the first place were it not for the donation of the land by the property owners.
The original property owners were George Chick, William Cunningham, Robert Haines, Peter Halley, William Miller, James Moore, William Morris, John Smith, Henry Trout, Solomon Vanmeter, Allen Wiley and Original Wroe. The first trustees – the predecessor to town council – were Thomas Allen, Thomas Buck, Thomas Hand, William Headley, John Hickman, William Jennings and Robert Russell. Following is a transcription of the Virginia General Assembly’s Act that created the town. Spelling in the 18th century was irregular and not standardized to the same extent as today, and this transcription appears here letter for letter identical to the original. Thanks to the staff of the Town of Front Royal, who made this information available to the Warren Heritage Society.
As fascinating as that document is, it tells only part of the story of the town’s founding. Earlier that month in 1788 the General Assembly received a petition to form the new town. That petition included many of the men listed above, but also included names of local men not listed in the Act of Incorporation.
Notable among these was Richard Pomeroy. A sixth generation descendant of Richard Pomeroy, Front Royal native Charles Wilson “Chuck” Pomeroy is a great great great grandson of Richard Pomeroy who resides in the county in which his ancestor chose to settle almost 220 years ago.
Chuck Pomeroy has accomplished much research into his Pomeroy ancestry, and the following are the results of his own research. Thanks to Chuck Pomeroy for providing this information, which includes a transcription of an 18th century indenture. Richard reportedly came to America sometime after 1780 from County Cork, Ireland with two brothers, William and John, one of whom went to South Carolina and the other to New York. There is reason to believe that they were all young men as one of the brothers is reported to have handed his books to his sister and departed with Richard and the other brother. Richard disembarked at Alexandria, Virginia (listed in local census of 1787) and worked there for some time as an apprentice tailor (he may also have been indentured) before moving to Front Royal, Virginia. He signed a petition for formation of a town at Front Royal that was presented to the Virginia legislature on November 4, 1788.
An Act for establishing a Town near Chester’s Gap in the County of Frederick……
Passed the 15th day of November 1788
Be it enacted by the General Assembly that fifty acres of land near Chester’s Gap in the County of Frederick the property of Solomon Vanmeter, James Moore, Robert Haines, William Cunningham, Peter Halley, Original Wroe, John Smith, Allen Wiley, George Chick, William Morris, William Miller, and Henry Trout shall be and the same are hereby vested in Thomas Allen, Robert Russell, William Jennings, William Headley, John Hickman, Thomas Hand, and Thomas Buck, Gentlemen Trustees, to be by them or a majority of them, laid out into lots of half an Acre each with convenient Streets and established a Town by the name of Frontroyall.
As soon as the said fifty Acres of land shall be so laid off into Lots and Streets the said Trustees or a majority of them shall proceed to sell the same at public Auction for the best price that can be had, the time and place of which Sale being previously advertised for two months at the Courthouse of each of the said Counties of Frederick and Shenandoah the purchasers to hold the said lots respectively subject to the condition of building on each a Dwelling house containing sixteen feet square at least with a brick or stone chimney to be finished fit for habitation within two years from the day of sale, and to convey the said lots to the purchasers in fee subject to the condition aforesaid and pay the Money arising from the sale thereof to the said Solomon Vanmeter, James Moore, Robert Haines, William Cunningham, Peter Halley, Original Wroe, John Smith, Alley Wiley, George Chick, William Miller, William Morris, and Henry Trout or their respective legal Representatives.
The said Trustees or a majority of them shall have power from time to time to settle and determine all disputes concerning the bounds of the said Lots and to settle such rules and orders for the regular buildings of houses thereon as to them shall seem best, and in case of the death, removal out of the Country, or other disability of any of the said Trustees, it shall be lawful for the others to supply such vacancy and the Trustees so chosen shall to all intents and purposes be vested with the same powers as those particularly named in this Act.
This purchasers of Lots in the said Town so soon as they shall have built upon and saved the same according to the conditions of their respective Deeds shall be entitled to and have enjoy all rights, privileges, and immunities which the freeholders and inhabitants of other Towns in this State not incorporated hold and enjoy. If the purchaser of any Lot shall fail to build thereon within the time before limited, the said Trustees or a majority of them may thereupon enter into such Lot and sell the same again and apply the money for the benefit of the Inhabitants of the said Town.
In Frederick county (Winchester) Virginia, on 5 November 1792, Richard Pumaraw (Pomeroy) was married to Mary LeHew by Lewis Corbin and the marriage recorded in the Frederick County record. Mary was the daughter of Spencer LeHew, and granddaughter of Peter LeHew, the founder of LeHewtown. Richard purchased a lot of land in Front Royal on 7 May 1793 from Allen Wiley, however, no record can be found that he sold the lot.
He is listed in the 1810 census of Shenandoah County, Virginia as head of a household of 5 males and 1 female. One male listed on the census aged approximately 45 years is assumed to be Richard (he therefore would have been born before 1765), and in the 1820 census as head of a household of 5 males and 4 females, with 3 males engaged in agriculture.
According to his son, Presley’s, obituary notice the family moved to harmony hollow in August 1802. Shenandoah County tax records show that he owned 150 acres of land (fee simple) from 1818 to 1829, located on the Blue Ridge Mountains, 30 miles east of the court house at Woodstock. Land valued at $1.50 per acre plus $30 for buildings, at a total value of $255. For which he paid $0.18 tax in 1825 for example. He reportedly built “Morland” with Thomas Buck between the years 1813 and 1818.
There is no known or recorded death for Richard. Information available indicates that he disappeared from his farm in late summer 1835. Reportedly his sons were harvesting corn, and the 1840 land tax is listed as “Richard Pomeroy estate.” “The estate” is also listed as owning 227 acres in the Virginia tax list of landowners dated 1837, and tax bills were sent to his son, James Pomeroy, until 1858 or 1859 when the land was divided.
Richard was reportedly of medium height, with blue eyes, and a “devout” roman catholic although no record of church membership has been found.
Deed Volume 24a page 94 - 7 May 1793 Pumroy, Richard from Allen Wiley
This indenture made the seventh day of May in the year of our lord one thousand and seven hundred and ninety three between Allen Wiley and eve his wife of Culpeper county and state of Virginia of the one part and Richard Pumroy of Frederick county and state aforesaid of the other part witness of seth that for and in consideration of the sum of five pounds current money of Virginia to the said Allen Wiley in hand paid by the said Richard Pumroy at or before the sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and to hereof doth release, acquit and discharge the said Richard Pumroy, his heirs, executors and administrators and for other good cause and considerations him the said Allen Wiley hereunto moving have granted, bargained, sold, aliened and confirmed; and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, make in, and confirms unto the said Richard Pumroy his heirs and assigns a lott of land in the town of front royal and county of Frederick aforesaid situated on the south side of Moses Wiley’s lott and extending from the south-west corner of the said lott s 31' 45" e five poles thence n 62' e 16 poles thence n 31' 41" w five poles to the south-east corner of the said Wiley’s lott thence with the line of the said lott reversed s 62" w 16 poles to the beginning with all houses, buildings, orchards, garden ways, waters, water courses, profits and commodities together with all and singular the tenements there dotoments and appurtenances to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining to have and to hold the said lands here described.
About the ultimate and eerie demise of Richard Pomeroy, Chuck notes that in the 19th century “Alzheimer’s disease was not then diagnosed, and Richard probably had developed that or something like it, because the story goes that he was very clear the day he disappeared that he was going to the courthouse in Woodstock. He never made it, of course, and could have fallen into the river or into a ravine. Who knows where he is? Probably somewhere in the hills.”
Patrick Farris is the executive director of the Warren Heritage Society. Reprinted by permission from Out & About Front Royal. For more information about this publication, including subscription information, call (540) 551-0621 or fax (540) 636-8469.