Richard Lewis Todd

Richard Lewis Todd while (Courtesy of Turnley Todd, Jr.)

     Charles M. Todd (1797-c. 1850) married Caroline Matilda Richards (1804-1885) in Spotsylvania County on March 2, 1824. Over a fourteen-year period they had  seven children who survived to adulthood: Esme Smock (b. 1825), Mary Richards (b. 1826), James Thomas (b. 1830), Sarah Ann (b. 1832), Charles Robert (b. 1833), Richard Lewis (b. 1836) and Oscar Beadles (b. 1839).
     Charles M. Todd was a farmer, slave owner and postmaster at Todd's Tavern from February 1838 until March 1850, when he was replaced by William H. Jones. Although I have not found any mention of Charles's death in the written record, the fact that he was replaced as postmaster and that his name does not appear in the 1850 federal census leads me to believe that he died early in 1850. The Todd name will forever be attached the tavern and post office once run by Charles Todd.

Todd's Tavern, April 1866 (Confederate Memorial Literary Society)

     Caroline Todd became head of the household upon Charles's death. Four of her children were still living with her at that time--Mary, Robert, Richard and Oscar. Esme had moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he died in 1852. James Thomas was living in Fredericksburg where he worked as a clerk. Sarah Ann is not listed in her mother's household in the 1850 census, but she is shown living with her mother in 1860. James Thomas Todd married Louisa Brice Stringfellow in 1854. Sometime before 1860 they moved to Montgomery, Alabama where they lived for the rest of their lives. I have told their story in a previous post, which can be read here.

1863 map detail showing location of Caroline Todd's farm

     In 1850, Caroline Todd bought half of "Canwick," including the 18th-century house, that had once been the property of Daniel and Sarah Hyde. To say that the Hydes did not get along would be an understatement. Relations between them became so contentious that a line was drawn through the center hall of the house, down the back steps, through the back yard and out to the spring. Daniel kept to his half of the property, and Sarah stayed on her side. The two halves of Canwick were conveyed seprately to their son Richard after their deaths. Although Caroline bought only half the acreage of Canwick, she did have title to the house itself.
     The three Todd sons remaining at Canwick at the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted in the Confederate army. Richard joined Company E of the 9th Virginia Cavalry at Camp Potomac in King George County on September 4, 1861. Richard became sick soon after his enlistment but recovered quickly and rejoined his regiment. The record shows that Richard was thereafter marked present on the surviving muster rolls and avoided capture and wounds.
     Oscar was not quite so fortunate as Richard. He joined his brother's company on March 10, 1862. His arm was broken in November 1862 and he did not return to duty until early 1863. He was marked as absent without leave in September 1863, then as absent due to sickness in January 1864. In March 1864 he was listed as "absent wounded," and remained at that status until the last known muster roll dated January 20, 1865.
     Robert Todd enlisted in the Fredericksburg Light Artillery on April 1, 1862. He was killed while fighting at the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads near Richmond on October 7, 1864.
      After the war, Richard and Oscar returned to their mother's home in Spotsylvania. Oscar married Susan Ellinor Stephens in January 1869. Sarah Ann Todd married Thomas Downer in 1871. Richard, seemingly a confirmed bachelor at the time, remained on his mother's farm.

Richard Lewis Todd (Courtesy of Skip Ebaugh)

      At long last, on January 26, 1882, 46-year-old Richard Lewis Todd married 23-year-old Robertine Temple Scott in a ceremony officiated by Reverend Melzi Sanford Chancellor. They had four children together--James Thomas (1883-1950), William Day (1885-1952), Susie Walton (1888-1926), and Richard Beadles (1894-1918).
     Richard was a lifelong friend and neighbor of my great-grandfather, George Washington Estes Row. During the first year of the Civil War, they served together in the 9th Cavalry. Richard's signature appears on this receipt given to George in 1876.

     After his mother's death in 1885, Richard became the owner of her portion of Canwick, and over time he took steps to reunite both halves of the once divided property. Canwick would remain in the Todd family until 1919, when Robertine sold it to Aubrey Haney. He and his wife Lily Foster would live there for the rest of her lives.

Richard Lewis Todd and family, 1890s (Courtesy of Turnley Todd, Jr.)

      About 1900 Richard posed with a group of Spotsylvania's leading citizens in a photograph taken at Christ Church near the court house. The caption indicates that Richard is standing fifth from the right:

     In the early 1900s Richard's name appeared in the local newspapers, but the news was not always good:

The Free Lance, 21 December 1905

     Until late in life, Richard remained active in the affairs of Confederate veterans:

The Free Lance, 21 April 1908

The Free Lance, 4 October 1910

     In 1909, Richard was appointed overseer of the poor to finish the unexpired term of the late Anthony Smith:

The Free Lance, 7 Sep 1909

     In 1910, Richard hosted two events at his home which were noted in the newspaper:

The Free Lance, 24 January 1910

The Free Lance, 7 April 1910

     Richard Lewis Todd died at home on May 29, 1911. He is buried at Wilderness Baptist Church. The name of his brother Robert was added to his headstone (Robert died during the war in 1864, not 1865 as shown on the stone).

The Daily Star, 30 May 1911

Headstone at Wilderness Baptist Church (Findagrave)

     The cavalry sabers of Richard and Oscar Todd went missing for a number of years. The mystery of their disappearance was solved by Orene Dickinson Todd, who was married to Richard's grandson, James Turnley Todd. She wrote about this in her book Dear Cousins: An Intimate Visit With Five Generations of Todds:

(Courtesy of Turnley Todd, Jr.)

     Richard's oldest son, James Thomas, moved to Orange County, where for decades he ran a general  store and post office located near the intersection of Routes 3 and 20:

The J.T. Todd store, 1928 (Ancestry)