Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee (December 5, 1701 – January 25, 1750) was an American colonial heiress and the wife of Colonel Thomas Lee. A granddaughter of Philip Ludwell and Benjamin Harrison II, she was a prominent figure within the American gentry. She grew up at Green Spring Plantation, her family's home in James City County. Upon her marriage, she became a member of the Lee family, bringing a large dowry and social prestige to the family. With her dowry, she and her husband built Stratford Hall, the family seat of the Lees.
Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee | |
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| Born | Hannah Harrison Ludwell December 5, 1701 |
| Died | January 25, 1750 (aged 48) Stratford Hall, Westmoreland, Colony of Virginia |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant, Hague, Virginia |
| Spouse | Thomas Lee |
| Children | 11 (including Thomas, Richard, Francis, William, and Arthur) |
| Parent(s) | Philip Ludwell II Hannah Harrison |
Early life and family
editLee was born Hannah Harrison Ludwell on December 5, 1701, at Green Spring Plantation to Hannah Harrison Ludwell and Philip Cottington Ludwell II.[1][2] She was their second daughter.[3] Her father served as a member of the Virginia Governor's Council and was an auditor of the king's revenue.[4] Her paternal grandfather, Philip Ludwell, was the first Governor of the Province of Carolina and served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses.[5] Through her mother, Ludwell was a descendant of the Harrison family of Virginia. Her maternal grandfather, Benjamin Harrison II, served as a sheriff, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and as a member of the Governor's Council.[6] She was a niece of Benjamin Harrison III.
Lee's brother, Philip Ludwell III, was the earliest-known Eastern Orthodox Christian in North America after his conversion to Russian Orthodoxy in 1738.[1]
Marriage and children
editIn May 1722 she married Thomas Lee at her family's plantation.[3][7] She brought a large dowry, as well as social and political prestige, to the marriage, therefore increasing her husband's wealth and status in the colony.[3] She and her husband had eleven children:[8]
- Richard Lee (b. 1723)
- Philip Ludwell Lee (February 24, 1726 – February 21, 1775)
- John Lee (b. 1728 d. 1782)
- Hannah Ludwell Lee (February 1729 – 1782)
- Thomas Ludwell Lee (December 13, 1730 – April 13, 1778); a member of the Virginia Delegates and editor of the Virginia Declaration of Rights.[9]
- Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732 – January 19, 1794); sponsor of the Lee Resolution, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence[10]
- Francis Lightfoot Lee (October 14, 1734 – January 11, 1797); signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.[10] Married Rebecca Tayloe, daughter of John Tayloe II of Mount Airy. Tayloe built Menokin for his daughter and her new husband.
- Alice Lee (June 4, 1736 – March 25, 1817)
- William Lee (August 31, 1737 – June 27, 1795)
- James Lee (b. and d. 1739)
- Arthur Lee (December 21, 1740 – December 12, 1792)
The family lived on a plantation in Machodoc until it was destroyed by a fire in 1728. Lee, who was pregnant with her fourth child, was thrown from her room on the second floor in order to escape the flames, resulting in the miscarriage of a son. The family reportedly lost no less than 50,000 pounds due to the fire.[11] The British government later gave her husband 300 pounds as compensation, and Queen Caroline gave them money to finance rebuilding the plantation.[12][13] While their home was being rebuilt, the family stayed at Lee Hall Mansion, the home of Lee's brother-in-law. The family later lived at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia.[14] Lee's husband built Stratford with money from her dowry. She played a significant role in the design and construction of the house.
Lee's husband served as a vestryman, a justice of the peace, as a member of the House of Burgesses, and as a member of the Governor's Council.[15] He served as de facto governor of the colony in 1749, when he was named President of the King's Council of Virginia after Governor William Gooch was recalled to England. He was nominated for an appointment as governor by George II, but died before the appointment took place.[16][17]
Death and burial
editShe died on January 25, 1750, at Stratford Hall.[18] She was buried in the Burnt House Fields Cemetery at Mount Pleasant in January 1751.[19] Her grave was later moved to Stratford.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b "called Hannah Harrison Ludwell (Mrs. Philip Ludwell II, 1678-1731) – Colonial Virginia Portraits".
- ^ "Hannah Harrison Ludwell b. 5 Dec 1701 'Green Spring', James City, Virginia d. 25 Jan 1749/50 Stratford Hall, Westmoreland, Virginia: If the Legends Are True..." palmspringsbum.com.
- ^ a b c "THE LEE WOMEN".
- ^ Columnist, VIRGINIA H. ROLLINGS (2 July 2005). "VIRGINIA'S MOST PROMINENT CITIZENS WERE AMONG DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SIGNERS". dailypress.com.
- ^ "Ludwell Family". The William and Mary Quarterly. 19 (3): 199–214. 1911. doi:10.2307/1915601. JSTOR 1915601 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Coski, Ruth Ann, "Clifford Shirley Dowdey (1904–1979), Dictionary of Virginia Biography". Library of Virginia. 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Nagel, Paul C. (1991-08-01). The Lees of Virginia. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-19-507478-9. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ "The Mason Web - Hannah Harrison Ludwell". gunstonhall.org.
- ^ Alexander, Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected with its History (1912) p.73
- ^ a b Alexander, Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected with its History (1912) p. 86 & p. 103
- ^ Maryland Gazette, 25 March - 1 April 1729
- ^ Hamilton and Hamilton, The Life of Robert E. Lee for Boys and Girls (1917), p.3
- ^ Alexander, Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected with its History (1912) pp.48,59
- ^ "Lee, Francis Lightfoot (1734–1797) – Encyclopedia Virginia".
- ^ Calhoun, Jeanne A., "Thomas Lee 1690-1750: A Preliminary Report," (prepared for the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association, 1988), pp. 10-14.
- ^ Hall, Executive Journals, V, pp.299-300. 53.Lee, Lee of Virginia pp. 121-123.
- ^ Alexander, Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected with its History (1912) p.48
- ^ "Hannah Harrison Ludwell b. 5 Dec 1701 Rich Neck, James City County, Virginia d. 25 Jan 1749/50 Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia: Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties". www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Hannah Harrison Ludwell b. 5 Dec 1701 Westmoreland County, Virginia d. 25 Jan 1750 Westmoreland County, Virginia: The Reynolds Family". The Reynolds Family. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2021-05-08.