Meadow Grove Farm

OVERVIEW

Meadow Grove Farm is a historic site in Amissville (Woodville), Rappahannock County, Virginia, founded 1820 by the Massie family (founder likely Lewis D. Massie, b.1795, VA). In 1860, Thomas B. and Margaret H. Bragg Massie were living with Lewis D. Massie. The site includes the remodeled main house, a log slave-quarters/ tenant house, a schoolhouse, a summer kitchen, and sites of granaries and the present schoolhouse. The associated cemetery holds markers for nine Massie family members (1908–2005). Meadow Grove is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (ID 06000803).

ENSLAVED PERSONS

Individuals & Families

Bures family – Thornton Bures (1818–?), Mathilda Gibson (–?, first wife); children: Louiza (–?), Sandy (–?), Anna (–?), Allsindy (–?); Miamy Massie (1821–?, second wife m.1859; daughter of John Massie & Richall).

Massie family – George Massie (1828–?, farmer, son of William Massie & Susanna), Margaret Smith (1831–?, wife m.1849, daughter of Rhuben & Milly Smith).

1860 Slave Schedule (Abstract)

• Jurisdiction: Rappahannock County, Virginia
• Households:
  • Lewis D. Massie – 12 enslaved, 2 houses (pp. 30 & 34)
  • Thomas B. Massie – 1 enslaved, no houses

1850 Slave Schedule (Abstract)

• Jurisdiction: Rappahannock County, Virginia
• Households:
  • Lewis Massie – 12 enslaved, 2 houses

ENSLAVERS

• Lewis D. Massie (1794/1795–1866) – farmer/landholder; likely founder of Meadow Grove. Parents/siblings: not identified in the current record set. Inheritance notes: Thomas B. & wife lived with Lewis D. in 1860, suggesting proximity of property management and possible inheritance pathways through Lewis D. and Elizabeth Adams Massie.
• Thomas B. Massie (1826–?) – son of Lewis D. & Elizabeth Adams Massie; husband of Margaret H. Bragg; father of Margaret Bernard Massie (1861–1928). Siblings: Lewis (1810–1872), John William (1822–1887), Margaret Elizabeth (1824–1893), Mary Virginia (1826–1901), Sarah Melvina (1833–1842), Elizabeth (1843–1875). Inheritance notes: Enumerated as a separate enslaver in 1860; track probate/deeds for transfers between father and son.

Enslaver Families

Massie family – Lewis D. Massie (1794/1795–1866), Elizabeth Adams (1795–1866, wife); children: Lewis (1810–1872), John William (1822–1887), Margaret Elizabeth (1824–1893), Mary Virginia (1826–1901), Thomas B. (1826–?), Sarah Melvina (1833–1842), Elizabeth (1843–1875).

Massie family – Thomas B. Massie (1826–?), Margaret H. Bragg (–?); child: Margaret Bernard Massie (1861–1928).

Cross-Plantation Links

No additional sites confirmed yet

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RESEARCH TO-DO

• Search probate/estate records for Lewis D. and Thomas B. Massie to identify named enslaved persons and distributions to heirs.
• Review deed books for sales/hire/transfer entries naming individuals; track valuations and kin groupings.
• Expand from the 1866 Register of Colored Persons to connect marriages, parentage, occupations, and surnames (Bures, Smith, Lewis, Gibson, Massie).
• Link enumerations to the 1870 census households in and around Amissville/Woodville.
• Mine local newspapers for notices (runaway, sale, hire, apprenticeship) 1840–1870.
• Extract details from the NRHP file and 2003 county architectural survey regarding the slave quarters and work buildings.

SOURCES

• 1850 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules (Rappahannock Co., VA): Lewis Massie (12 enslaved; 2 houses). (Ancestry; NARA M432).
• 1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules (Rappahannock Co., VA): Lewis D. Massie (12 enslaved; pp. 30 & 34; 2 houses); Thomas B. Massie (1 enslaved; no houses). (Ancestry; NARA M653).
• Register of the Colored Persons of the County of Rappahannock (1866): marriages & kinship (Thornton Bures–Miamy Massie; George Massie–Margaret Smith). (web archive)
• Historic Architectural Survey of Rappahannock County, VA (2003): Trieschmann & Hallock, E.H.T. Traceries, Inc.
• National Register of Historic Places: Meadow Grove Farm (ID 06000803).
• Wikipedia: “Meadow Grove Farm” (use as a lead; confirm facts with primary sources).
• Ancestry (user tree): Jeffries Family Tree — lead only; verify before use.