Richard Bland
Encyclopedia
Richard Bland sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American
planter and statesman from Virginia
. He served for many terms in the House of Burgesses
, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress
in 1774 and 1775.
, was a member of one of the main patriarchal First Families of Virginia
, and was related to many of the others. This branch of the Bland family first came to Virginia in 1654, when the father of Richard I, Theodorick Bland of Westover(1629–1671), emigrated from London
and Spain, where he had been attending to the family mercantile and shipping enterprises. Theodorick moved to Virginia to manage the family enterprises there as a result of the death of his elder brother, Edward Bland
in 1653. Theodorick established Berkeley Plantation
and Westover Plantation
, and both survive still side by side as working plantations on the bank of the James River. He served several terms in the House of Burgesses
, and was its speaker in 1660 when he married Governor Richard Bennett
's daughter, Anne. Before he died in 1671 they had three sons: Theoderick (1663–1700), Richard (1665–1720), and John (1668–1746).
Not being the eldest, Richard I moved further up the river and started his own plantation on land his father had purchased in 1656, which became known as Jordan's Point Plantation near the current Jordan Point
in Prince George County, Virginia
. His first wife was Mary Swann, but she died without living children. In 1702 he married Elizabeth Randolph (1680–1720). They would have five children: Mary (1703) (married Henry Lee), Elizabeth (1706) (married William Beverley), Richard (1710), Anna (1711) (married Robert Munford), and Theodorick
(1718) whose son, Theodorick Bland
, also became a congressman and first commanded General Washington's "Virginia Cavalry." The Richard of this generation also served in the House of Burgesses. His elder brother, Theodorick II, would become the original surveyor of the towns of Williamsburg and Alexandria.
When Richard II was born on May 6, 1710 at either Jordan's Point or "Bland House" in Williamsburg, he was heir to the farm, and lived there his entire life. He inherited it early, as both his parents died just before his tenth birthday in 1720. His mother Elizabeth died on January 22, and his father Richard on April 6. His uncles, William and Richard Randolph, looked after his farm and early education and raised, as guardians, Richard and his siblings. It was likely during his young years that he developed his close relationship with his first cousin, Peyton Randolph
, that would last throughout their lives, often sitting side by side during their years of service in the House of Burgesses, the Committee of Safety, and the First and Second Continental Congresses. Another of Richard's and Peyton's first cousins, Jane Randolph Jefferson
, would have a son Thomas Jefferson
who would follow his cousins and mentors, Richard and Peyton, to the House of Burgesses and the Continental Congresses. Richard attended the College of William and Mary
then, like many of his time, completed his education in England at Edinburgh University. He was trained in the law and admitted to the bar in 1746, but never offered his legal services to the public. He held an extensive library for his time, much of which was preserved by its acquisition after his death by Thomas Jefferson
and his nephew-in-law St George Tucker and made its way to the National Archives.
Richard II married Anne Poythress (December 13, 1712-April 9, 1758), the daughter of Colonel Peter and Ann Poythress, from Henrico County, Virginia
. The couple married at Jordan's Point on March 21, 1729, and made it their home. They had twelve children: Richard (1731), Elizabeth (1733), Ann Poythress(1736), Peter Randolph (1737), John (1739), Mary (1741), William (1742), Theodorick (1744), Edward (1746), Sarah (1750), Susan (1752) and Lucy (1754). See "The Bland Papers" of Col. Theodorick Bland published by Charles Campbell. Richard would marry twice after Anne died (to Martha Macon and Elizabeth Blair), but without any more children. (Another account states that Bland's second wife may have been either Elizabeth Harrison or Elizabeth Bolling, the daughter of John Bolling Jr. and Elizabeth Blair.)
. His thoughts and thoughtful work made him one of its leaders, although he was never a strong speaker. However, he was frequently put on committees whose role was to negotiate or frame laws and treaties. He became involved in the creation of pamphlets, or published letters, frequently as an anonymous author.
His first widely distributed public paper came as a result of the Parson's Cause
, which was a debate from 1759 to 1760 over the established church and the kind and rate of taxes used to pay the Anglican
clergy. His pamphlet A Letter to the Clergy on the Two-penny Act was printed in 1760, as he opposed increasing pay and the creation of a bishop for the colonies.
created controversy throughout the colonies, Bland thought through the entire issue of parliamentary laws as opposed to those that originated in the colonial assemblies. While others, particularly James Otis
, get more credit for the idea of "no taxation without representation
", the full argument for this position seems to come from Bland. In early 1766, he wrote An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies. It was published in Williamsburg and reprinted in England.
Richard's Inquiry examined the relationship of the king, parliament, and the colonies. While he concluded that the colonies were subject to the crown, and that colonists should enjoy the rights of Englishmen
, he questioned the presumption that total authority and government came through parliament and its laws. Thomas Jefferson
described the work as "the first pamphlet on the nature of the connection with Great Britain which had any pretension to accuracy of view on that subject.... There was more sound matter in his pamphlet than in the celebrated Farmer's letters
."
In 1774, the Virginia Burgesses sent him to the First Continental Congress
in Philadelphia. A number of the views he had expressed in his Inquiry found their way into that first session of the Congress, in its Declaration of Rights
.
In 1775, as revolution neared in Virginia, the Virginia Convention
replaced the Burgesses and the Council as a form of ad-hoc government. That year he met with the Burgesses and with the three sessions of the convention. In March, after Patrick Henry
's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, he was still opposed to taking up arms. He believed that reconciliation with England was still possible and desirable. Nevertheless, he was named to the committee of safety
and re-elected as a delegate to the national Congress. In May he travelled to Philadelphia for the opening of the Second Continental Congress
, but soon returned home, withdrawing due to the poor health and failing eyesight of old age. However, his radicalism had increased, and by the Convention's meeting in July, he proposed hanging Lord Dunmore
, the royal governor.
In the first convention meeting of 1776, Richard Bland declined a re-election to the Third Continental Congress, citing his age and health. However, he played an active role in the remaining conventions. He served on the committee which drafted Virginia's first constitution in 1776. When the House of Delegates for the new state government was elected, he was one of the members.
He died while serving in the new House, on October 26, 1776 at Williamsburg, Virginia
. In November he was taken home one last time, and was buried in the family cemetery at Jordan's Point in Prince George County
. Bland County and Richard Bland College
, satellite junior college of William and Mary College, are named in his honour.
Bland's paternal uncle was the surveyor
Theodorick Bland. Other familial connections:
Other descendants of Bland include Roger Atkinson Pryor
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
planter and statesman from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He served for many terms in the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1774 and 1775.
Family and early life
His father, Richard Bland IRichard Bland (burgess)
Richard Bland , sometimes known as Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the father of Richard Bland, the son of Theodorick Bland of Westover, and the grandson of Richard Bennett, an English Governor of the Colony of Virginia...
, was a member of one of the main patriarchal First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and along the James River and other navigable waters...
, and was related to many of the others. This branch of the Bland family first came to Virginia in 1654, when the father of Richard I, Theodorick Bland of Westover(1629–1671), emigrated from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Spain, where he had been attending to the family mercantile and shipping enterprises. Theodorick moved to Virginia to manage the family enterprises there as a result of the death of his elder brother, Edward Bland
Edward Bland
Edward Bland is an American composer and musical director. He studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Among his compositions is a concerto for electric violin and chamber orchestra. He has composed scores for A Raisin in the Sun and A Soldier's Story , made-for-television...
in 1653. Theodorick established Berkeley Plantation
Berkeley Plantation
Berkeley Plantation, one of the first great estates in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders of the 1618 land grant, Richard Berkeley...
and Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation
Westover Plantation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located south of State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg...
, and both survive still side by side as working plantations on the bank of the James River. He served several terms in the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
, and was its speaker in 1660 when he married Governor Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett (Governor)
Richard Bennett was an English Governor of the Colony of Virginia.Born in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, Bennett served as governor from 30 April 1652, until 2 March 1655...
's daughter, Anne. Before he died in 1671 they had three sons: Theoderick (1663–1700), Richard (1665–1720), and John (1668–1746).
Not being the eldest, Richard I moved further up the river and started his own plantation on land his father had purchased in 1656, which became known as Jordan's Point Plantation near the current Jordan Point
Jordan Point, Virginia
Jordan Point is a small unincorporated community on the south bank of the James River in the northern portion of Prince George County, Virginia, United States.- Early history :...
in Prince George County, Virginia
Prince George County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,047 people, 10,159 households, and 8,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 10,726 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
. His first wife was Mary Swann, but she died without living children. In 1702 he married Elizabeth Randolph (1680–1720). They would have five children: Mary (1703) (married Henry Lee), Elizabeth (1706) (married William Beverley), Richard (1710), Anna (1711) (married Robert Munford), and Theodorick
Theodorick Bland of Cawsons
Theodorick Bland , also known as Theodorick Bland, Sr. or Theodorick Bland of Cawsons, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, a clerk of the court of Prince George County, Virginia, and the father of Congressman Theodorick Bland.-Biography:Bland was the son of Richard Bland and Elizabeth...
(1718) whose son, Theodorick Bland
Theodorick Bland (congressman)
Theodorick Bland , also known as Theodorick Bland, Jr., was a physician, soldier, and statesman from Prince George County, Virginia...
, also became a congressman and first commanded General Washington's "Virginia Cavalry." The Richard of this generation also served in the House of Burgesses. His elder brother, Theodorick II, would become the original surveyor of the towns of Williamsburg and Alexandria.
When Richard II was born on May 6, 1710 at either Jordan's Point or "Bland House" in Williamsburg, he was heir to the farm, and lived there his entire life. He inherited it early, as both his parents died just before his tenth birthday in 1720. His mother Elizabeth died on January 22, and his father Richard on April 6. His uncles, William and Richard Randolph, looked after his farm and early education and raised, as guardians, Richard and his siblings. It was likely during his young years that he developed his close relationship with his first cousin, Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph was a planter and public official from the Colony of Virginia. He served as speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, chairman of the Virginia Conventions, and the first President of the Continental Congress.-Early life:Randolph was born in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia...
, that would last throughout their lives, often sitting side by side during their years of service in the House of Burgesses, the Committee of Safety, and the First and Second Continental Congresses. Another of Richard's and Peyton's first cousins, Jane Randolph Jefferson
Jane Randolph Jefferson
Jane Randolph Jefferson, née Jane Randolph was the wife of Peter Jefferson and the mother of president Thomas Jefferson. Born February 9, 1721 in Shadwell Parish, Tower Hamlets, London, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph and Jane Rogers, and a cousin of Peyton Randolph.There is almost no...
, would have a son Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
who would follow his cousins and mentors, Richard and Peyton, to the House of Burgesses and the Continental Congresses. Richard attended the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
then, like many of his time, completed his education in England at Edinburgh University. He was trained in the law and admitted to the bar in 1746, but never offered his legal services to the public. He held an extensive library for his time, much of which was preserved by its acquisition after his death by Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and his nephew-in-law St George Tucker and made its way to the National Archives.
Richard II married Anne Poythress (December 13, 1712-April 9, 1758), the daughter of Colonel Peter and Ann Poythress, from Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The couple married at Jordan's Point on March 21, 1729, and made it their home. They had twelve children: Richard (1731), Elizabeth (1733), Ann Poythress(1736), Peter Randolph (1737), John (1739), Mary (1741), William (1742), Theodorick (1744), Edward (1746), Sarah (1750), Susan (1752) and Lucy (1754). See "The Bland Papers" of Col. Theodorick Bland published by Charles Campbell. Richard would marry twice after Anne died (to Martha Macon and Elizabeth Blair), but without any more children. (Another account states that Bland's second wife may have been either Elizabeth Harrison or Elizabeth Bolling, the daughter of John Bolling Jr. and Elizabeth Blair.)
Early political career
Bland served as a Justice of the Peace in Prince George County, and was made an officer in the militia in 1739. In 1742 he was first elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He would serve there continuously until it was displaced during the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. His thoughts and thoughtful work made him one of its leaders, although he was never a strong speaker. However, he was frequently put on committees whose role was to negotiate or frame laws and treaties. He became involved in the creation of pamphlets, or published letters, frequently as an anonymous author.
His first widely distributed public paper came as a result of the Parson's Cause
Parson's Cause
The "Parson's Cause" was an important legal and political dispute in the Colony of Virginia often viewed as an important event leading up to the American Revolution...
, which was a debate from 1759 to 1760 over the established church and the kind and rate of taxes used to pay the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
clergy. His pamphlet A Letter to the Clergy on the Two-penny Act was printed in 1760, as he opposed increasing pay and the creation of a bishop for the colonies.
Colonial rights advocate
When the Stamp ActStamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
created controversy throughout the colonies, Bland thought through the entire issue of parliamentary laws as opposed to those that originated in the colonial assemblies. While others, particularly James Otis
James Otis, Jr.
James Otis, Jr. was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts, a member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly, and an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "Taxation without Representation is Tyranny" is usually attributed to him...
, get more credit for the idea of "no taxation without representation
No taxation without representation
"No taxation without representation" is a slogan originating during the 1750s and 1760s that summarized a primary grievance of the British colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, which was one of the major causes of the American Revolution...
", the full argument for this position seems to come from Bland. In early 1766, he wrote An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies. It was published in Williamsburg and reprinted in England.
Richard's Inquiry examined the relationship of the king, parliament, and the colonies. While he concluded that the colonies were subject to the crown, and that colonists should enjoy the rights of Englishmen
Rights of Englishmen
The rights of Englishmen are the perceived traditional rights of British subjects. The notion refers to various constitutional documents that were created throughout various stages of English history, such as Magna Carta, the Declaration of Right , and others...
, he questioned the presumption that total authority and government came through parliament and its laws. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
described the work as "the first pamphlet on the nature of the connection with Great Britain which had any pretension to accuracy of view on that subject.... There was more sound matter in his pamphlet than in the celebrated Farmer's letters
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania is a series of essays written by the Pennsylvania lawyer and legislator John Dickinson and published under the name "A Farmer" from 1767 to 1768. The twelve letters were widely read and reprinted throughout the thirteen colonies, and were important in uniting...
."
In 1774, the Virginia Burgesses sent him to the First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts by the...
in Philadelphia. A number of the views he had expressed in his Inquiry found their way into that first session of the Congress, in its Declaration of Rights
Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
The Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress was a statement adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 14, 1774, in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament...
.
Founding the state of Virginia
Virginia Conventions
The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the Colony of Virginia during the American Revolution. Because the House of Burgesses had been dissolved in 1774 by Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, the conventions served as a revolutionary provisional government until the...
replaced the Burgesses and the Council as a form of ad-hoc government. That year he met with the Burgesses and with the three sessions of the convention. In March, after Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, he was still opposed to taking up arms. He believed that reconciliation with England was still possible and desirable. Nevertheless, he was named to the committee of safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
and re-elected as a delegate to the national Congress. In May he travelled to Philadelphia for the opening of the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
, but soon returned home, withdrawing due to the poor health and failing eyesight of old age. However, his radicalism had increased, and by the Convention's meeting in July, he proposed hanging Lord Dunmore
John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore
John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore was a British peer and colonial governor. He was the son of William Murray, 3rd Earl of Dunmore, and his wife Catherine . He is best remembered as the last royal governor of the Colony of Virginia.John was the eldest son of William and Catherine Murray, and nephew...
, the royal governor.
In the first convention meeting of 1776, Richard Bland declined a re-election to the Third Continental Congress, citing his age and health. However, he played an active role in the remaining conventions. He served on the committee which drafted Virginia's first constitution in 1776. When the House of Delegates for the new state government was elected, he was one of the members.
He died while serving in the new House, on October 26, 1776 at Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. In November he was taken home one last time, and was buried in the family cemetery at Jordan's Point in Prince George County
Prince George County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,047 people, 10,159 households, and 8,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 10,726 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
. Bland County and Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College of The College of William and Mary is a public junior college with about 1,400 students located near Petersburg, Virginia...
, satellite junior college of William and Mary College, are named in his honour.
Ancestry and family ties
Bland's paternal uncle was the surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
Theodorick Bland. Other familial connections:
- As a grandson of William RandolphWilliam RandolphWilliam Randolph was a colonist and land owner who played an important role in the history and government of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He moved to Virginia sometime between 1669 and 1673, and married Mary Isham a few years later...
of Turkey Island, Richard's cousins included Peyton RandolphPeyton RandolphPeyton Randolph was a planter and public official from the Colony of Virginia. He served as speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, chairman of the Virginia Conventions, and the first President of the Continental Congress.-Early life:Randolph was born in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia...
, Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, and Edmund RandolphEdmund RandolphEdmund Jennings Randolph was an American attorney, the seventh Governor of Virginia, the second Secretary of State, and the first United States Attorney General.-Biography:...
(the first United States Attorney GeneralUnited States Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
). - His sister, Mary Bland, married Col. Henry Lee IHenry Lee ICapt. Henry Lee I was a prominent Virginian colonist, brother of Governor Thomas Lee, and grandfather of Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee....
and was grandmother of Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, who was the father of Confederate General Robert Edward Lee. - His great-grandfather, Richard BennettRichard BennettRichard Bennett may refer to:* Richard Bennett , film star and father of actresses Constance Bennett and Joan Bennett* Richard Bennett , English cricketer...
, was the first and only elected Governor of Virginia (1652–1655) before the Revolution. Richard Bennett, for whom Richard Bland was named, was the Puritan governor of Virginia during the English Reformation who worked for religious tolerance in Virginia and Maryland and restored peace with the Native Americans who had been plundered by the former governor appointed by the King. - His cousin, Giles Bland, was a first lieutenant to Nathaniel BaconNathaniel BaconNathaniel Bacon was a colonist of the Virginia Colony, famous as the instigator of Bacon's Rebellion of 1676, which collapsed when Bacon himself died from dysentery.-Early life:...
in the first American revolution aka Bacon's RebellionBacon's RebellionBacon's Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony in North America, led by a 29-year-old planter, Nathaniel Bacon.About a thousand Virginians rose because they resented Virginia Governor William Berkeley's friendly policies towards the Native Americans...
. For his role in the Rebellion, Giles was hung illegally by Governor Berkely, who reportedly held in his pocket the King's pardon for Giles at the time of the hanging. Generations later, cousins of Giles and Nathaniel (neither left direct descendants) would join the two families by the marriage of Peter Randolph Bland (son of Capt. Edward Bland and grandson of Richard Bland II) and Susanna Parke Bacon, who became the parents of, among others, Edward Parke Bland, a physician of St. Louis and St. Clair County, Illinois, and of Colin Bland aka Colin de Bland, a young lawyer who served in the Mexican War and the Lamar government of Texas and who helped settle early Texas (sometimes with his pistol). - His grand-nephew, John Randolph of RoanokeJohn Randolph of RoanokeJohn Randolph , known as John Randolph of Roanoke, was a planter and a Congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives , the Senate , and also as Minister to Russia...
served as U.S. Congressman and as U.S. Senator. - His great-grandmother, Susan Dublere, was the daughter of a prominent merchant who was a French Huegenot refugee living in Hamburg, Germany.
- His cousin, Theodorick Bland (judge), served as Chancellor of Maryland and United States District Court for the District of MarylandUnited States District Court for the District of MarylandThe United States District Court for the District of Maryland is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland....
. Chancellor Theodorick Bland was the son of Theodorick Bland the "Tory" (but perhaps a loyal American spy?) and Sarah Fitzhugh, daughter of Henry Fitzhugh and great-granddaughter of William Fitzhugh. These two Theodoricks are descended from Theodorick I's son John, who remained in England after returning there for his education and lived in Scarborough, England. - His nephew, Col. Theodorick Bland (congressman)Theodorick Bland (congressman)Theodorick Bland , also known as Theodorick Bland, Jr., was a physician, soldier, and statesman from Prince George County, Virginia...
, commanded General George Washington's first Virginia cavalry, the Continental Light Dragoons aka "the Virginia Horse," and was elected to the First United States Congress where he served until his death in 1790, the first member of the new U.S. Congress to die in office. - His grandfather, Theodorick Bland of Westover, served as Speaker of the 1660 House of Burgesses session and, in this role, presided over the House during the transition from the Cromwell Protectorate to the restored government of Charles II. Theodorick Bland I was the son-in-law of the Restoration Governor, Richard Bennett (the popular, elected Quaker governor). Theodorick served on the Governor's Council from 1664 until his death in 1671. His son, Theodorick II was the original surveyor of the towns of Williamsburg and Alexandria.
- His great great grandson, John Randolph Bland, founded in 1896 the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company in Baltimore MD. See "Men of Mark in Maryland" and "Baltimore: Biography" by Lewis Historical Publishing Co
- His grandfather's brother, Edward BlandEdward BlandEdward Bland is an American composer and musical director. He studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Among his compositions is a concerto for electric violin and chamber orchestra. He has composed scores for A Raisin in the Sun and A Soldier's Story , made-for-television...
, a merchant in early Virginia, explored western Virginia and the Carolinas for possible settlement and development, then published his account "The Discovery of New Brittaine" in 1651, London. His work is noted for opening the Carolinas to further exploration and archiving details of the Native American tribes he encountered, which is still relied on today to reconstruct Native history in the region. It was reprinted in 1873 and 1966. - His ancestor, William de Blande, "did good service to King Edward III in his wars in France, in the company of John of Gaunt, Earl of Richmond [as his standard bearer], and had a pardon for the death of John de Vale, dated the 4th of June, in the 34th year of that King's reign, 1361."
- His cousin, the Rev John Bland, Vicar of Staple and Adisham, was among the first of the martyrs burned at the stake at Canterbury in 1555 by Bloody Queen Mary. He was accused of heresy, imprisoned, re-arrested, then after ten months in prison was led to the stake which he shared with three others. The Rev Bland had been tutor to Edwin Sandys, Bishop of London and Archbishop of York.
- Another Bland relative documented in family history was a young English merchant in Calais who purportedly was the first to warn Queen Elizabeth I's government of the gathering of the Spanish Armada. This young Bland was eventually freed from a Spanish prison by his friends and made his way home.
Other descendants of Bland include Roger Atkinson Pryor
Roger Atkinson Pryor
Roger Atkinson Pryor was both an American politician and a Confederate politician serving as a congressman on both sides. He was also a jurist, serving in the New York Supreme Court, a lawyer, and newspaper editor...
.
External links
- Richard Bland, Revolutionary Philosopher Press Release by Marjorie Solenberger (July 1994)
- An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies