Finding Aid to Record Books of Lynchburg, Virginia Law Firms
Text
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, LAW FIRMS
The collection consists of volumes of record books from Lynchburg, Virginia, law firms for the
period 1884–1949.
Firm: HARRIS & HARRIS
2 volumes
1884-1893
Firm: A. R. LONG
1 volume
1891
Firm: HARRISON & LONG
32 volumes
1893–1940
Firm: SACKETT & SACKETT
61 volumes
1898-1929
Firm: HARRISON, LONG & WILLIAMS
10 volumes
1929-1934
Firm: WILLIAMS & ROBERTSON
8 volumes
1935-1939
Firm: WILLIAMS, ROBERTSON &
SACKETT
22 volumes
1939-1949
Firm:
1 volume
1932-1938
“Unknown”
Also included are three document books of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., 1906–1932, and
the Commissioner’s Reports of Charles H. SACKETT, 1904–1913.
[Detailed finding guide available with the collection.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, LAW FIRMS
BOX 1
Harris & Harris
1884-1897 (2 volumes)
BOX 17
Harrison, Long & Williams
1928-1930
BOX 2
A. R. Long 1891
Harrison & Long 1893-1894
BOX 18
Harrison, Long & Williams
1930-1932
BOX 3
Harrison & Long 1894-1897
BOX 19
BOX 4
Harrison & Long 1897-1900
Harrison, Long & Williams
1932-1934
BOX 5
Harrison & Long 1900-1903
BOX 20
BOX 6
Harrison & Long 1903-1905
Harrison, Long & Williams
1937-1940
Sackett & Sackett
1898-1900
BOX 7
Harrison & Long 1905-1907
BOX 21
BOX 8
Harrison & Long 1907-1910
Sackett & Sackett
1900-1901
BOX 9
Harrison & Long 1910-1912
BOX 22
Sackett & Sackett
1901-1902
BOX 10
Harrison & Long 1912-1913
BOX 23
BOX 11
Harrison & Long 1914-1917
Sackett & Sackett
1902-1903
BOX 12
Harrison & Long 1917-1919
BOX 24
Sackett & Sackett
1903-1904
BOX 13
Harrison & Long 1919-1920
BOX 25
Sackett & Sackett
1904-1905
BOX 26
Sackett & Sackett
1905-1906
BOX 27
Sackett & Sackett
1906-1907
BOX 28
Sackett & Sackett
1907-1908
BOX 14
Harrison & Long 1920-1923
[The firm of Harrison & Long became
Harrison, Long & Williams in 1923
q.v.]
BOX 15
Harrison, Long & Williams
1923-1925
BOX 16
Harrison, Long & Williams
1925-1928
(Continued)
MS1352
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG LAW
FIRMS, continued
BOX 44
Sackett & Sackett
1918
BOX 29
Sackett & Sackett
1908-1909
BOX 45
Sackett & Sackett
1918-1919
BOX 30
Sackett & Sackett
1909-1910
BOX 46
Sackett & Sackett
1919
BOX 31
Sackett & Sackett
1910
BOX 47
Sackett & Sackett
1919
BOX 32
Sackett & Sackett
1910-1911
BOX 48
Sackett & Sackett
1919-1920
BOX 33
Sackett & Sackett
1911-1912
BOX 49
Sackett & Sackett
1920
BOX 34
Sackett & Sackett
1912
BOX 50
Sackett & Sackett
1920
BOX 35
Sackett & Sackett
1912-1913
BOX 51
Sackett & Sackett
1920-1921
BOX 36
Sackett & Sackett
1913-1914
BOX 52
Sackett & Sackett
1921-1922
BOX 37
Sackett & Sackett
1914-1915
BOX 53
Sackett & Sackett
1922
BOX 38
Sackett & Sackett
1915
BOX 54
Sackett & Sackett
1922
BOX 39
Sackett & Sackett
1915-1916
BOX 55
Sackett & Sackett
1922-1923
BOX 40
Sackett & Sackett
1916
BOX 56
Sackett & Sackett
1923
BOX 41
Sackett & Sackett
1916-1917
BOX 57
Sackett & Sackett
1923-1924
BOX 42
Sackett & Sackett
1917
BOX 58
Sackett & Sackett
1924-1925
BOX 43
Sackett & Sackett
1917-1918
BOX 59
Sackett & Sackett
1925-1926
MS1352
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG LAW
FIRMS, continued
BOX 74
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1939-1940
BOX 60
Sackett & Sackett
1926
BOX 75
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1940-1941
BOX 61
Sackett & Sackett
1926-1927
BOX 76
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1941-1942
BOX 62
Sackett & Sackett
1927
BOX 77
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1942-1943
BOX 63
Sackett & Sackett
1927-1928
BOX 78
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1943-1944
BOX 64
Sackett & Sackett
1928-1929
BOX 79
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1944-1945
BOX 65
Harrison, Long, & Williams
Sackett & Sackett
1929-1930
BOX 80
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1945-1946
BOX 66
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1930-1931
BOX 81
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1946
BOX 67
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1931
BOX 82
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1946-1947
BOX 83
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1947-1948
BOX 84
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1948
BOX 85
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1948-1949
Charles Sackett, Commissioner
1904
BOX 86
“Unknown” 1932-1938
Rivermont Realty Co. 19041910
BOX 87
Rivermont Realty Co. 19111932
BOX 68
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1931-1932
BOX 69
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1932-1933
BOX 70
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1934-1935
BOX 71
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1935-1936
BOX 72
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1936-1937
BOX 73
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1937-1939
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
WILLIAM WIRT HENRY HARRIS (1854-1900)
William Wirt Henry Harris, son of Carter J. Harris and Cassandra K. Porter, was
born 4 June 1854, in New London, Bedford County, Virginia. He was educated in
Lexington, Virginia, and was graduated with an A.M. degree in 1874 from Washington
and Lee University. After teaching English, Greek and Latin in 1874, he entered the law
school and from which he was graduated in 1876. Following his graduation, he moved to
Lynchburg where he practiced law. By 1885, he was partnered with W. B. T. Harris in
the firm of Harris & Harris. W. W. H. Harris practiced law in Lynchburg until May,
1899, when he removed to Chicago, Illinois.
W. Wirt H. Harris married in Lynchburg 18 July 1880, Alice McDaniel Rucker,
daughter of Ambrose B. Rucker and Sarah Jane Benagh.
W. W. H. Harris died 26 November 1900 in Chicago, Illinois. He was survived
by his mother, his wife, four sons and two daughters.
[Ann Chilton, Bedford County, Virginia, Birth Records 1853-1856 (Signal Mtn., TN: Mountain Press,
1992), p. 40;Obituary of Cassie K. Harris, Lynchburg News. 14 December 1909, p. 5 col. 5; Obituary of W.
W. H. Harris, Lynchburg News, 28 November 1900, p. 10, col. 1; W & L University Alumni, Inc.,
Washington and Lee University Alumni Directory 1749-1949 (Lexington: W & L Alumni, 1949), p. 117;
Marriage of Ambrose B. Rucker and Sarah Jane Benagh, Lynchburg Virginian, 24 March 1851, p. 3 col. 6;
Marriage of William Wirt Henry Harris and Alice McD. Rucker, Marriage register, Lynchburg, VA, 18
July 1880; Lynchburg City Directory for 1885-86 (Lynchburg: J.P. Bell, 1885), p. 90-91; Verbon E. Kemp,
comp., The Alumni Directory and Service Record of Washington and Lee University (Lexington: The
Alumni, 1926), p. 156.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
WILLIAM BURNETT TEMPLE HARRIS (1860-aft.1910)
William Burnett Temple Harris, brother of William Wirt Henry Harris, was born
16 February 1860, in Rockbridge County, the son of Carter J. Harris and Cassandra K.
Porter. He received his law degree from Washington and Lee University, Lexington,
Virginia, in 1881 and practiced law with his brother in Lynchburg from 1885 until 1887.
He was also a real estate agent in Sioux City, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois. Nothing
further is known at present.
[Dorthie and Edwin Kirkpatrick, Rockbridge County Births, 1853-1877, Vol. 1 (Athens, GA: Iberian Pub.,
1988), p. 257; 1910 Census, Cook County, Illinois, 2nd Ward, Chicago, T-624, Roll 242, p. 138. Temple
Harris, 50, born in Virginia, married 20 years, with wife Lillian M., 41, born in Illinois, and sons Lancelot,
18, and Warwick, 15, both born in Illinois, boarding at 3243 Calumet Avenue; Verbon E. Kemp, comp.,
The Alumni Directory and Service Record of Washington and Lee University (Lexington: The Alumni,
1926), p. 190.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
ARMISTEAD RAGLAND LONG (1859-1934)
Armistead Ragland Long, son of John Cralle Long and Josephine Hardin
Ragland, was born in Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, on 2 August 1859. He was
reared in Scottsville and in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. He attended the
school of Major Horace W. Jones in Charlottesville and graduated from Richmond
College in 1878 with a Master of Arts degree. He entered the University of Virginia and
later studied law under John B. Minor. In 1881, he taught at Locustville, Accomac
County, Virginia, before returning to law school. He began his practice of law in
Lynchburg. In 1892 he joined with Randolph Harrison under the firm of Harrison and
Long.
A. R. Long was a member of the Virginia State Bar Association, the American
Bar Association and the Lynchburg Bar Association. He served as a trustee of the Jones
Memorial Library for a number of years.
In 1901, Mr. Long compiled and published an annotated edition of the Virginia
State constitution of 1869.
On 4 October 1899 in Danville, Virginia, A. R. Long married Elizabeth Tunstall
Hickson, daughter of William F. Hickson.
Armistead Ragland Long died 15 January 1934 at Longacres, in Amherst County,
Virginia and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.
[Lyon G. Tyler, Men of Mark in Virginia, Vol. V (Washington: Men of Mark Publishing Co., 1909), pp.
270-271; Eveline J. Wood, Descendants of Armistead Long I and Elizabeth Burgess Ball, Family File 1699,
Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RANDOLPH HARRISON (1858-1928)
Randolph Harrison, son of Henry Harrison and Jane St.Clair Cochran, was born at
West Hill, in Augusta County, Virginia, on 25 January 1858. Educated at home and at
the Buckner School for Boys at Fredericksburg, he attended Virginia Polytechnic
Institute for one session. He then taught for two sessions at a county school in Augusta
County. In 1880, Harrison took the law course at the University of Virginia and received
his law degree. In the fall of 1881, he went to Lynchburg to practice law.
In 1885, Randolph Harrison formed a partnership with Charles B. Wierman, but
the partnership was dissolved in 1886 when Wierman left Lynchburg to go west. In
1892, Harrison formed a partnership with Armistead Long, styled as Harrison & Long.
In 1923, Samuel Haines Williams, who had been associated with the firm for a number of
years, became a member of the partnership, now styled as Harrison, Long & Williams.
Randolph Harrison married Julia Halsey Meem, daughter of John Gaw Meem and
Aurelia Halsey, on 17 November 1897 in Lynchburg.
Mr. Harrison represented Lynchburg in the House of Delegates for two terms
(1893-1894 and 1895-1896). He also served two terms on the City Council of Lynchburg
as a member of the Board of Aldermen. During his first term in the Virginia legislature,
he was appointed a member of the commission to negotiate the West Virginia debt
situation. Harrison was counsel for the Commission when the case was heard at the
Supreme Court of the United States.
Randolph Harrison, who had served on the boards of the Lynchburg Female
Orphan Asylum and the Marshall Lodge Memorial Hospital, died on 16 February 1928 in
Lynchburg.
[C. M. Chichester, editor, Proceedings of the Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting – The Virginia State Bar
Association, August 1-3, 1928, Vol. XL (Richmond: The Association, 1928), pp. 156-162.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
CHARLES HENRY SACKETT (1845-1928)
Charles Henry Sackett, son of Benjamin Franklin and Evelyn A. Sackett, was
born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on 24 June 1845. At the death of his mother two years
later, he went to East Tennessee where he made his home with his grandmother. He
enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861 at the age of sixteen years. He was captured at
Petersburg and was held prisoner at Johnson Island. For a while after the war, Mr.
Sackett lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. He returned to Appomattox County, Virginia,
and began his law practice in 1872.
Charles Henry Sackett married 16 January 1872 at New London, Louisa Mercer
Moseley, daughter of Henry Winston Moseley and Jane Leyburn. They moved to
Lynchburg around 1890 and Mrs. Sackett died in 1891.
Charles Henry Sackett practiced law in Lynchburg until he retired a few years
before his death. He was associated with his son, Henry Moseley Sackett, under the firm
name of Sackett and Sackett.
Mr. Sackett served as a member of the Lynchburg City Council while under the
bicameral form of government. He was later appointed clerk of the courts, but served
only a short while in that capacity. He died 30 January 1928 in Lynchburg and was
buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 31 January 1928, p. 8 col. 3; Marriage notice, Lynchburg Daily News, 22
January 1872, p. 2 col. 5; Leila E. D’Aiutolo, et als, compilers, The Descendants of William Moseley
1605/1606-1655 of Norfolk, Virginia, Vol. I (Ellensburg, WA: Compilers, 2000), p. 355.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
HENRY MOSELEY SACKETT (1873-1928)
Henry Moseley Sackett, son of Charles Henry Sackett and Louisa Mercer
Moseley, was born 26 March 1873 in Appomattox County, Virginia. He was educated at
the Fishburne Military Institute in Waynesboro and graduated in 1895 from the law
department of the University of Virginia. In 1896, he entered into partnership with his
father in Lynchburg under the firm name of Sackett and Sackett.
Henry Moseley Sackett married Wilhelmina Norvell Otey, daughter of Walter
Hayes Otey and Sarah Elizabeth Wiatt on 7 November 1906 in Lynchburg.
Mr. Sackett was one of the organizers and the first president of the Cooperative
Building and Loan Association and also served as president of the Rivermont Realty
Company. At the time of his death he was on the board of directors of the Lynchburg
Chamber of Commerce and on the board of directors of the United Cigarette Machine
Company. He was counsel for the Appalachian Electric Power Company and the
Lynchburg Traction and Light Company. He served for several years on the municipal
board of police commissioners and was president and trustee of the Police Benefit Fund
Association.
Henry Moseley Sackett died 12 September 1928 in Richmond, Virginia, and was
buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.
[“Henry Moseley Sackett,” Memorial by Fred Harper, in Proceedings of the Fortieth Annual Meeting, The
Virginia State Bar Association, 1929 (Richmond: The Association, 1929), pp. 288-289; Obituary,
Lynchburg News, 13 September 1928, p. 3 col. 1; Lucy H. M. Baber, compiler, William Norvell (17461794) of Hanover Co., Va. His Forebears and Descendants (Lynchburg: Author, 1992), pp. 56.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
SAMUEL HAINES WILLIAMS (1890-1970)
Samuel Haines Williams, son of Jehu R. Williams and Loula Walker, was born in
Lynchburg, Virginia, on 29 December 1890. He was graduated from Lynchburg High School in
1908 and attended Washington and Lee University. After teaching for a while in Fauquier County,
Virginia, he returned to Washington and Lee and received his law degree in 1914. Following his
graduation, he returned to Lynchburg where he joined the firm of Harrison and Long. Later he
became a partner in the firm of Williams, Robertson, and Sackett.
Samuel H. Williams was married in 1917 to Elizabeth Bryan, daughter of Blackshear M.
Bryan and Frances Newman, of Shreveport, Louisiana.
During World War II, Mr. Williams served as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney
General. He was president of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce in 1942 and served as director
of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce from 1944 until 1947.
Samuel H. Williams was named chief counsel for the City of Lynchburg in the 1957
annexation suit. He also served as counsel in the annexation suits for other cities, including Roanoke
and Charlottesville. He served on the board of trustees for Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and
was a director and secretary-treasurer of the Miller Home in Lynchburg.
A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mr. Williams died on 6 September 1970 in
Lynchburg and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 7 September 1970 p. 11, col. 1; Burial record, Book 60, p. 85, Diuguid Funeral Home,
Lynchburg, Va.; Obituary of Elizabeth Bryan Williams, Lynchburg News, 13 June 1979, Sect. B, p. 4 col. 2.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
DOUGLAS ALEXANDER ROBERTSON (1900-1982)
Douglas Alexander Robertson, son of Robert Glover Robertson and Fannie Shepard Perrow,
was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on 27 December 1900. He graduated from E. C. Glass High
School in Lynchburg in 1918 and was graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1921. He
received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1924 and began the practice
of law in Lynchburg in 1923. He was a partner in the law firm of Edmunds and Williams.
Between 1929 and 1931, Robertson was secretary of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Mr. Robertson was a member of the 248th Coast Artillery and the Judge Advocate General
Division of the Armed Forces from September 1940 until his retirement as colonel in January 1946.
A member of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Judge Advocate Association, he also served
as a board member for the Spring Hill Cemetery Association in Lynchburg and as a board member
for Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia. He served on the board of Jones Memorial Library
from 1933 until his death.
Douglas Robertson married Annie Scott Harris, daughter of Henry Herbert Harris and Annie
Scott Adams, on 26 October 1929 in Lynchburg.
Douglas Alexander Robertson died 6 February 1982 in Lynchburg and was buried in Spring
Hill Cemetery.
[Obituary, News (Lynchburg, Va.), 8 February 1982, Section B, p. 2 col. 4; Marriage Register, Lynchburg, VA, Book 7,
p. 103.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
JONATHAN CHRISTIAN WOODSON (1853-1930)
Jonathan Christian Woodson, son of John William Woodson and Mary E. Christian, was
born 30 January 1853, in Appomattox County, Virginia. He was educated in Appomattox County
and taught school in Fayette County, West Virginia, for a while. He came to Lynchburg ca. 1880
and was employed with the wholesale grocery and commission house of Lee and Taylor. In 1883,
he joined G. H. Nowlin in the tobacco business, and was later connected with Adams and Woodson,
dealers in building materials.
Woodson was associated with the Citizen’s Building, Banking and Improvement Company in
Lynchburg ca. 1896, before entering the real estate business as J. C. Woodson and Company in
1898. He specialized in real estate in the Rivermont section of Lynchburg, and with Henry Moseley
Sackett, developed Randolph-Macon Heights, the “first high class subdivision in the city.” Due to
his interest in Rivermont development he “familiarly known as ‘Mayor of Rivermont.’”
In 1904, J. C. Woodson was associated with the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., as
secretary-treasurer, and remained with the company until his death on 23 April 1930.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 24 April 1930, p. 9 col. 1; Record Books, Lynchburg, Virginia, Law Firms, MS1352, Jones
Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
JOHN GORDON PAYNE (1854-1909)
John Gordon Payne, son of Philip W. Payne and Julia Ogden, was born 6 February 1854 in
Lynchburg, Virginia. At the age of sixteen, he was a collector and clerk for I. H. Adams & Brothers,
dealers in coal, wood, and lumber. On 17 April 1876, Payne enlisted in the Lynchburg Home Guard,
Virginia Volunteers and served as a Third Lieutenant. He resigned on 10 February 1879.
John Gordon Payne married Nannie Booker Hurt, daughter of Stephen Clifton Hurt and
Maria Frances Crenshaw, on 5 November 1878 in Lynchburg.
In a few years, Payne was made a junior partner in I. H. Adams & Brothers, and the firm
name was changed to Adams Brothers & Payne. The company was incorporated in 1897 as Adams
Brothers-Payne Company. Following the death of I. H. Adams in 1903, Payne became president of
the company. In 1906 he was also president of the firm of Adams, Payne & Gleaves, Inc., of
Roanoke, Virginia.
On 27 August 1904, J. Gordon Payne joined with Henry M. Sackett, and Jonathan C.
Woodson, to form the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc. The purpose for this corporation was to
operate a general real estate business in Lynchburg.
Mr. Payne served as President of the
corporation with Mr. Sackett as Vice President and Mr. Woodson as Secretary-Treasurer.
Eventually, the company was able to purchase the remaining real estate and personal property of the
Rivermont Company.
J. Gordon Payne was a president of the Southern Fire Insurance Company in Lynchburg and
a director of the People’s National Bank. He also served on the Lynchburg City Council from 1897
until 1900. He was also interested in the Board of Trade and was a strong supporter of the
establishment of a Chamber of Commerce for the city. He was a member of Hill City Lodge, No.
183, AF&AM, the DeMolay Commandery No. 10, Knights Templar, and Ancient Order of the
Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Payne served as president of the Y.M.C.A. and served on its Board of Directors for a
number of years.
John Gordon Payne died on 25 April 1909 in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was buried in the
Spring Hill Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 27 April 1909, p. 10, col. 3; 1860 Census, Campbell County, VA, M-653, Roll 1338, p.
552: Dwelling 836, Family 904; “Biography of Stephen C. Hurt,” Piedmont Mills Business Papers, Mss., MS1358, Jones
Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA; Jo Lane Stern, compiler, Roster Commissioned Officers Virginia Volunteers, 18711920 (Richmond: Davis Bottom, 1921), p. 192; Marriage register, Lynchburg, VA, Book 2, p. 154; Record Books,
Lynchburg, Virginia, Law Firms, Mss., MS1352, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA.]
MS1352
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC. CHARTER
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 8, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 9-10
This is to certify that J. GORDON PAYNE, HENRY M. SACKETT, and J. C.
WOODSON have associated themselves together for the purpose of establishing a corporation, and
with this end in view and for the purpose of conforming to the statute in such cases made and
provided, do make the following statements in regard to the proposed corporation:
FIRST:
Incorporated.
The name of the corporation shall be RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY,
SECOND:
The principal office is to be located in the City of Lynchburg, County of
Campbell, State of Virginia.
THIRD:
The purpose for which said corporation is formed are the acquisition and
deposition by purchase sale devised or otherwise of real estate in the City of Lynchburg, its suburbs
and elsewhere in the State of Virginia; the buying, selling, leasing, exchanging, purchasing or
otherwise acquiring, holding, selling, conveying and dealing in real estate or any interest therein on
its own account and on commission for others; the developing of unimproved real estate, mineral
rights, and timber lands by the construction and erection of houses, buildings and other structures,
the opening of streets and alleys, etc., and to do everything necessary or incident to the buying,
selling and leasing of real estate in all of its forms and the conduct of a general real estate business in
so far as the same shall not be in conflict with this charter, the laws of Virginia or the laws of the
United States.
FOURTH:
The capital stock of the said corporation is not to be more than $20,000 and
not to be less than $2,000 divided into shares of the par value of $100.00 each.
FIFTH:
The names and residences of the officers and directors who are for the first
year, unless sooner changed by the stockholders to manage the affairs of the corporation, are as
follows:
J. Gordon Payne
Henry M. Sackett
J. C. Woodson
President
Vice President
Secretary & Treas.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
These three parties shall also constitute the Board of Directors.
MS1352
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC. CHARTER (Continued)
SIXTH:
The amount of real estate to be held by said corporation is not at any time to
exceed 10,000 acres in quantity or $1,000,000 in value.
GIVEN under our hands this, the 27th day of August, 1904
J. Gordon Payne (signature)
H. M. Sackett (signature)
J. C. Woodson (signature)
City of Lynchburg, to-wit:
I, Annie M. Poindexter, a Notary Public in and for the City aforesaid, in the State of Virginia,
do hereby certify that J. Gordon Payne, Henry M. Sackett, and J. C. Woodson, whose names are
signed to the foregoing certificate, bearing date on the ____
Day of August 1904, have acknowledged the same before me in my said City.
My commission expires on the 29th of September, 1907.
GIVEN under my hand this ____ day of August, 1904.
_______________________ N.P.
I, Frank Christian, Judge of the Corporation Court for the City of Lynchburg do hereby
certify that the above certificate for the incorporation of the Rivermont Realty Company,
Incorporated, is signed and acknowledged in accordance with the requirements of Section 2, of
Chapter 270, of the Acts of the Assembly of Virginia, Extra Session 1902-3-4.
[Charter Book 3, Lynchburg, Va. Corporation Court, p. 40 – Rivermont Realty Co., Inc., dissolution
8 January 1944]
MS1352
CERTIFICATE FOR AMENDMENT TO CHARTER OF THE RIVERMONT REALTY
CO., INC.
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 10, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 495-497
certify:
I, J. Gordon Payne, President of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., of Lynchburg, Va., do
I.
That a charter of incorporation was granted the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., by the
State Corporation Commission of Virginia in _____________, 1904.
II.
That the amount of capital stock authorized by said charter was $220,000, of which
$7,500.00 has been issued and fully paid.
III.
That the said corporation has at all times complied with the provisions of the laws of the
State of Virginia, governing such bodies, as can be ascertained from inspection of the records of the
State Corporation Commission at Richmond and the Clerk’s Office of the Corporation Court for the
City of Lynchburg.
IV.
That at the annual meeting of the stock-holders of the said corporation held at the office of J.
Gordon Payne, the President of said Company, at No. 901, Main Street, in the City of Lynchburg, at
11 A.M. on Monday, January 8th, 1906, after notice to all of the stock-holders, as required by the
By-laws of the Company, at which all of the shares of the stock of said Company were represented
by the holders thereon in person, who admitted by their signatures to the minutes of said meeting
that they had had legal notice of said meeting and the amendment to the charter hereinafter referred
to, the following resolution was offered and unanimously adopted:
“Resolved that the President of this Company do, as speedily
as may be, take steps to have the 4th Clause of the Charter of
this Company amended so as to read as follows:
V.
The capital stock of said corporation is not to be more than $20,000.00 and not to be less than
$2,000.00, divided into shares of the par value of $100.00 each, of which $10,000.00 may be
preferred stock, to be preferred both as to assets and dividends, and entitled to dividends at the rate
of six per centum per annum, prior to the payment of any dividends upon the common stock and
such dividends upon the preferred stock shall be cumulative and payable on January 1st and July 1st
in each year; the said preferred stock shall not be entitled to any dividends in excess of the said six
per centum per annum and arrears thereon, provided that such preferred stock shall have no voting
MS1352
power in the stock-holders’ meetings and shall be subject to call at par by the Board of Directors
upon
(Continued)
CERTIFICATE FOR AMENDMENT TO CHARTER OF THE RIVERMONT REALTY
CO., INC. (Continued)
sixty days’ notice before any dividend paying period after three years from the date of its issue; and
provided further that the holders of any such preferred stock may require the
Company to redeem the same at par upon like notice at any time after five years from the date
thereof.
No dividend shall be declared on the common stock of said Company until the sum of
$7500.00 of profits actually made shall have been passed to the surplus fund of the Company, at
which sum the said surplus fund shall be maintained during the life of said preferred stock.
The said Company shall not contract any debt or debts or incur any liability, which will make
the aggregate debt or liability of the said Company exceed the amount of the said Company except
for deferred payments on real estate, where the title to the property is retained, reserved, or conveyed
as security for such deferred payments.”
And thereupon I, J. Gordon Payne, President of the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., of
Lynchburg, Virginia, do hereby certify that a meeting of the said stock-holders of the said Company
was held as aforesaid, after notice to all of the stock-holders, as provided by the By-laws of the
Company, at the office of the President in the City of Lynchburg, on Monday, January 8th, 1906,
and that all of the shares of the stock of the said corporation were represented by the holders thereon
in person at said meeting, and that the said resolution as above set forth was adopted by unanimous
vote of the stock-holders of the said corporation
WITNESS the signature of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., by J. Gordon Payne, its
President, under its corporate seal, duly attested by J. C. Woodson, its Secretary.
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
By _________________________________
President
Attest: __________________________ Secretary
City of Lynchburg, to-wit:
I, N. Catharine Poindexter, a Notary Public in and for the City aforesaid, in the State of
Virginia, whose commission expires on the 1st day of September, 1908, do hereby certify that J.
Gordon Payne, President, and J. C. Woodson, Secretary, whose names are signed to the above
certificate have acknowledged the same before me in the City aforesaid.
Given under my hand this the ______ day of January, 1906.
________________________________
Notary Public
MS1352
THE RIVERMONT COMPANY TO RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 11, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 181-182
Received of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($250.00),
in full of the purchase price for the following property, which, as trustee under a deed of trust from
The Rivermont Company, dated June 2nd, 1893, and as receiver of the Circuit Court for the City of
Lynchburg, State of Virginia, in the consolidated chancery causes of William V. Wilson, Jr.,
Trustee, vs. The Rivermont Company & Others, and The Edison General Electric Company vs. The
Rivermont Company & Others, I have this day sold to the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., in
pursuance of the authority vested in me by the said deed of trust and conferred upon me by a decree
of the said Circuit Court for the City of Lynchburg, entered at the November Term, 1901, directing
me to make sale of the unsold assets of the said The Rivermont Company:
I.
All of the real estate and interest in real estate, whether legal or equitable, rights, properties,
and franchises, lying and being in the City of Lynchburg, and in the County of Campbell, the same
being included within that territory, generally known as “The Rivermont property,” lying north-west
of the City of Lynchburg, between James River and Blackwater Creek, conveyed to me by the
general deed of assignment from The Rivermont Company to me as Trustee, dated June 2nd, 1893,
and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Corporation Court for the City of Lynchburg on June 3rd,
1893, and in the Clerk’s Office of Campbell County on the same date, not heretofore disposed of by
me, as trustee, under said deed, or as Receiver in the aforesaid consolidated chancery causes.
II.
All personal property belonging to the said The Rivermont Company, the title to which is
now vested in me, consisting of debts due to it from subscribers to its capital stock or purchasers of
land or from any other person whatsoever, all choses in action, all stock of any incorporated
company, and all other personal assets of every sort and description whatsoever conveyed to me by
the aforesaid deed of trust of June 2nd, 1893, and not heretofore disposed of by me as Trustee under
said deed of trust or as Receiver in the aforesaid consolidated chancery causes.
III.
All franchises, powers, privileges, improvements, appurtenances, contracts, charters, and all
other rights granted under the charter of the said The Rivermont Company or subsequently acquired
by the said Company conveyed to me under the aforesaid deed of trust of June 2nd, 1893, and not
heretofore disposed by me as Trustee under said deed of trust or as Receiver in the aforesaid
consolidated chancery causes.
(Continued)
MS1352
THE RIVERMONT COMPANY TO RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
(Continued)
It is my intention to embrace in this sale all of the assets of the said The Rivermont Company
remaining undisposed of at this time, whether they be real, personal, or mixed property, choses in
action, franchises, powers, privileges, improvements, appurtenances, contracts, charters, or other
rights, granted under the charter of said The Rivermont Company or subsequently acquired by the
said Company.
_________________________________
Trustee for The Rivermont Company under a deed
from the said Company dated June 2nd, 1893, and
Receiver in the consolidated chancery causes of
William V. Wilson, Jr., Trustee, vs. The Rivermont
Company & Others, and The Edison General
Electric Company vs. The Rivermont Company &
Others
MS1352
MS1352
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, LAW FIRMS
The collection consists of volumes of record books from Lynchburg, Virginia, law firms for the
period 1884–1949.
Firm: HARRIS & HARRIS
2 volumes
1884-1893
Firm: A. R. LONG
1 volume
1891
Firm: HARRISON & LONG
32 volumes
1893–1940
Firm: SACKETT & SACKETT
61 volumes
1898-1929
Firm: HARRISON, LONG & WILLIAMS
10 volumes
1929-1934
Firm: WILLIAMS & ROBERTSON
8 volumes
1935-1939
Firm: WILLIAMS, ROBERTSON &
SACKETT
22 volumes
1939-1949
Firm:
1 volume
1932-1938
“Unknown”
Also included are three document books of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., 1906–1932, and
the Commissioner’s Reports of Charles H. SACKETT, 1904–1913.
[Detailed finding guide available with the collection.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, LAW FIRMS
BOX 1
Harris & Harris
1884-1897 (2 volumes)
BOX 17
Harrison, Long & Williams
1928-1930
BOX 2
A. R. Long 1891
Harrison & Long 1893-1894
BOX 18
Harrison, Long & Williams
1930-1932
BOX 3
Harrison & Long 1894-1897
BOX 19
BOX 4
Harrison & Long 1897-1900
Harrison, Long & Williams
1932-1934
BOX 5
Harrison & Long 1900-1903
BOX 20
BOX 6
Harrison & Long 1903-1905
Harrison, Long & Williams
1937-1940
Sackett & Sackett
1898-1900
BOX 7
Harrison & Long 1905-1907
BOX 21
BOX 8
Harrison & Long 1907-1910
Sackett & Sackett
1900-1901
BOX 9
Harrison & Long 1910-1912
BOX 22
Sackett & Sackett
1901-1902
BOX 10
Harrison & Long 1912-1913
BOX 23
BOX 11
Harrison & Long 1914-1917
Sackett & Sackett
1902-1903
BOX 12
Harrison & Long 1917-1919
BOX 24
Sackett & Sackett
1903-1904
BOX 13
Harrison & Long 1919-1920
BOX 25
Sackett & Sackett
1904-1905
BOX 26
Sackett & Sackett
1905-1906
BOX 27
Sackett & Sackett
1906-1907
BOX 28
Sackett & Sackett
1907-1908
BOX 14
Harrison & Long 1920-1923
[The firm of Harrison & Long became
Harrison, Long & Williams in 1923
q.v.]
BOX 15
Harrison, Long & Williams
1923-1925
BOX 16
Harrison, Long & Williams
1925-1928
(Continued)
MS1352
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG LAW
FIRMS, continued
BOX 44
Sackett & Sackett
1918
BOX 29
Sackett & Sackett
1908-1909
BOX 45
Sackett & Sackett
1918-1919
BOX 30
Sackett & Sackett
1909-1910
BOX 46
Sackett & Sackett
1919
BOX 31
Sackett & Sackett
1910
BOX 47
Sackett & Sackett
1919
BOX 32
Sackett & Sackett
1910-1911
BOX 48
Sackett & Sackett
1919-1920
BOX 33
Sackett & Sackett
1911-1912
BOX 49
Sackett & Sackett
1920
BOX 34
Sackett & Sackett
1912
BOX 50
Sackett & Sackett
1920
BOX 35
Sackett & Sackett
1912-1913
BOX 51
Sackett & Sackett
1920-1921
BOX 36
Sackett & Sackett
1913-1914
BOX 52
Sackett & Sackett
1921-1922
BOX 37
Sackett & Sackett
1914-1915
BOX 53
Sackett & Sackett
1922
BOX 38
Sackett & Sackett
1915
BOX 54
Sackett & Sackett
1922
BOX 39
Sackett & Sackett
1915-1916
BOX 55
Sackett & Sackett
1922-1923
BOX 40
Sackett & Sackett
1916
BOX 56
Sackett & Sackett
1923
BOX 41
Sackett & Sackett
1916-1917
BOX 57
Sackett & Sackett
1923-1924
BOX 42
Sackett & Sackett
1917
BOX 58
Sackett & Sackett
1924-1925
BOX 43
Sackett & Sackett
1917-1918
BOX 59
Sackett & Sackett
1925-1926
MS1352
RECORD BOOKS, LYNCHBURG LAW
FIRMS, continued
BOX 74
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1939-1940
BOX 60
Sackett & Sackett
1926
BOX 75
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1940-1941
BOX 61
Sackett & Sackett
1926-1927
BOX 76
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1941-1942
BOX 62
Sackett & Sackett
1927
BOX 77
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1942-1943
BOX 63
Sackett & Sackett
1927-1928
BOX 78
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1943-1944
BOX 64
Sackett & Sackett
1928-1929
BOX 79
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1944-1945
BOX 65
Harrison, Long, & Williams
Sackett & Sackett
1929-1930
BOX 80
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1945-1946
BOX 66
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1930-1931
BOX 81
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1946
BOX 67
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1931
BOX 82
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1946-1947
BOX 83
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1947-1948
BOX 84
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1948
BOX 85
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1948-1949
Charles Sackett, Commissioner
1904
BOX 86
“Unknown” 1932-1938
Rivermont Realty Co. 19041910
BOX 87
Rivermont Realty Co. 19111932
BOX 68
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1931-1932
BOX 69
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1932-1933
BOX 70
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1934-1935
BOX 71
Harrison, Long, & Williams
1935-1936
BOX 72
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1936-1937
BOX 73
Williams, Robertson, & Sackett
1937-1939
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
WILLIAM WIRT HENRY HARRIS (1854-1900)
William Wirt Henry Harris, son of Carter J. Harris and Cassandra K. Porter, was
born 4 June 1854, in New London, Bedford County, Virginia. He was educated in
Lexington, Virginia, and was graduated with an A.M. degree in 1874 from Washington
and Lee University. After teaching English, Greek and Latin in 1874, he entered the law
school and from which he was graduated in 1876. Following his graduation, he moved to
Lynchburg where he practiced law. By 1885, he was partnered with W. B. T. Harris in
the firm of Harris & Harris. W. W. H. Harris practiced law in Lynchburg until May,
1899, when he removed to Chicago, Illinois.
W. Wirt H. Harris married in Lynchburg 18 July 1880, Alice McDaniel Rucker,
daughter of Ambrose B. Rucker and Sarah Jane Benagh.
W. W. H. Harris died 26 November 1900 in Chicago, Illinois. He was survived
by his mother, his wife, four sons and two daughters.
[Ann Chilton, Bedford County, Virginia, Birth Records 1853-1856 (Signal Mtn., TN: Mountain Press,
1992), p. 40;Obituary of Cassie K. Harris, Lynchburg News. 14 December 1909, p. 5 col. 5; Obituary of W.
W. H. Harris, Lynchburg News, 28 November 1900, p. 10, col. 1; W & L University Alumni, Inc.,
Washington and Lee University Alumni Directory 1749-1949 (Lexington: W & L Alumni, 1949), p. 117;
Marriage of Ambrose B. Rucker and Sarah Jane Benagh, Lynchburg Virginian, 24 March 1851, p. 3 col. 6;
Marriage of William Wirt Henry Harris and Alice McD. Rucker, Marriage register, Lynchburg, VA, 18
July 1880; Lynchburg City Directory for 1885-86 (Lynchburg: J.P. Bell, 1885), p. 90-91; Verbon E. Kemp,
comp., The Alumni Directory and Service Record of Washington and Lee University (Lexington: The
Alumni, 1926), p. 156.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
WILLIAM BURNETT TEMPLE HARRIS (1860-aft.1910)
William Burnett Temple Harris, brother of William Wirt Henry Harris, was born
16 February 1860, in Rockbridge County, the son of Carter J. Harris and Cassandra K.
Porter. He received his law degree from Washington and Lee University, Lexington,
Virginia, in 1881 and practiced law with his brother in Lynchburg from 1885 until 1887.
He was also a real estate agent in Sioux City, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois. Nothing
further is known at present.
[Dorthie and Edwin Kirkpatrick, Rockbridge County Births, 1853-1877, Vol. 1 (Athens, GA: Iberian Pub.,
1988), p. 257; 1910 Census, Cook County, Illinois, 2nd Ward, Chicago, T-624, Roll 242, p. 138. Temple
Harris, 50, born in Virginia, married 20 years, with wife Lillian M., 41, born in Illinois, and sons Lancelot,
18, and Warwick, 15, both born in Illinois, boarding at 3243 Calumet Avenue; Verbon E. Kemp, comp.,
The Alumni Directory and Service Record of Washington and Lee University (Lexington: The Alumni,
1926), p. 190.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
ARMISTEAD RAGLAND LONG (1859-1934)
Armistead Ragland Long, son of John Cralle Long and Josephine Hardin
Ragland, was born in Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, on 2 August 1859. He was
reared in Scottsville and in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. He attended the
school of Major Horace W. Jones in Charlottesville and graduated from Richmond
College in 1878 with a Master of Arts degree. He entered the University of Virginia and
later studied law under John B. Minor. In 1881, he taught at Locustville, Accomac
County, Virginia, before returning to law school. He began his practice of law in
Lynchburg. In 1892 he joined with Randolph Harrison under the firm of Harrison and
Long.
A. R. Long was a member of the Virginia State Bar Association, the American
Bar Association and the Lynchburg Bar Association. He served as a trustee of the Jones
Memorial Library for a number of years.
In 1901, Mr. Long compiled and published an annotated edition of the Virginia
State constitution of 1869.
On 4 October 1899 in Danville, Virginia, A. R. Long married Elizabeth Tunstall
Hickson, daughter of William F. Hickson.
Armistead Ragland Long died 15 January 1934 at Longacres, in Amherst County,
Virginia and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.
[Lyon G. Tyler, Men of Mark in Virginia, Vol. V (Washington: Men of Mark Publishing Co., 1909), pp.
270-271; Eveline J. Wood, Descendants of Armistead Long I and Elizabeth Burgess Ball, Family File 1699,
Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
RANDOLPH HARRISON (1858-1928)
Randolph Harrison, son of Henry Harrison and Jane St.Clair Cochran, was born at
West Hill, in Augusta County, Virginia, on 25 January 1858. Educated at home and at
the Buckner School for Boys at Fredericksburg, he attended Virginia Polytechnic
Institute for one session. He then taught for two sessions at a county school in Augusta
County. In 1880, Harrison took the law course at the University of Virginia and received
his law degree. In the fall of 1881, he went to Lynchburg to practice law.
In 1885, Randolph Harrison formed a partnership with Charles B. Wierman, but
the partnership was dissolved in 1886 when Wierman left Lynchburg to go west. In
1892, Harrison formed a partnership with Armistead Long, styled as Harrison & Long.
In 1923, Samuel Haines Williams, who had been associated with the firm for a number of
years, became a member of the partnership, now styled as Harrison, Long & Williams.
Randolph Harrison married Julia Halsey Meem, daughter of John Gaw Meem and
Aurelia Halsey, on 17 November 1897 in Lynchburg.
Mr. Harrison represented Lynchburg in the House of Delegates for two terms
(1893-1894 and 1895-1896). He also served two terms on the City Council of Lynchburg
as a member of the Board of Aldermen. During his first term in the Virginia legislature,
he was appointed a member of the commission to negotiate the West Virginia debt
situation. Harrison was counsel for the Commission when the case was heard at the
Supreme Court of the United States.
Randolph Harrison, who had served on the boards of the Lynchburg Female
Orphan Asylum and the Marshall Lodge Memorial Hospital, died on 16 February 1928 in
Lynchburg.
[C. M. Chichester, editor, Proceedings of the Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting – The Virginia State Bar
Association, August 1-3, 1928, Vol. XL (Richmond: The Association, 1928), pp. 156-162.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
CHARLES HENRY SACKETT (1845-1928)
Charles Henry Sackett, son of Benjamin Franklin and Evelyn A. Sackett, was
born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on 24 June 1845. At the death of his mother two years
later, he went to East Tennessee where he made his home with his grandmother. He
enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861 at the age of sixteen years. He was captured at
Petersburg and was held prisoner at Johnson Island. For a while after the war, Mr.
Sackett lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. He returned to Appomattox County, Virginia,
and began his law practice in 1872.
Charles Henry Sackett married 16 January 1872 at New London, Louisa Mercer
Moseley, daughter of Henry Winston Moseley and Jane Leyburn. They moved to
Lynchburg around 1890 and Mrs. Sackett died in 1891.
Charles Henry Sackett practiced law in Lynchburg until he retired a few years
before his death. He was associated with his son, Henry Moseley Sackett, under the firm
name of Sackett and Sackett.
Mr. Sackett served as a member of the Lynchburg City Council while under the
bicameral form of government. He was later appointed clerk of the courts, but served
only a short while in that capacity. He died 30 January 1928 in Lynchburg and was
buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 31 January 1928, p. 8 col. 3; Marriage notice, Lynchburg Daily News, 22
January 1872, p. 2 col. 5; Leila E. D’Aiutolo, et als, compilers, The Descendants of William Moseley
1605/1606-1655 of Norfolk, Virginia, Vol. I (Ellensburg, WA: Compilers, 2000), p. 355.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
HENRY MOSELEY SACKETT (1873-1928)
Henry Moseley Sackett, son of Charles Henry Sackett and Louisa Mercer
Moseley, was born 26 March 1873 in Appomattox County, Virginia. He was educated at
the Fishburne Military Institute in Waynesboro and graduated in 1895 from the law
department of the University of Virginia. In 1896, he entered into partnership with his
father in Lynchburg under the firm name of Sackett and Sackett.
Henry Moseley Sackett married Wilhelmina Norvell Otey, daughter of Walter
Hayes Otey and Sarah Elizabeth Wiatt on 7 November 1906 in Lynchburg.
Mr. Sackett was one of the organizers and the first president of the Cooperative
Building and Loan Association and also served as president of the Rivermont Realty
Company. At the time of his death he was on the board of directors of the Lynchburg
Chamber of Commerce and on the board of directors of the United Cigarette Machine
Company. He was counsel for the Appalachian Electric Power Company and the
Lynchburg Traction and Light Company. He served for several years on the municipal
board of police commissioners and was president and trustee of the Police Benefit Fund
Association.
Henry Moseley Sackett died 12 September 1928 in Richmond, Virginia, and was
buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.
[“Henry Moseley Sackett,” Memorial by Fred Harper, in Proceedings of the Fortieth Annual Meeting, The
Virginia State Bar Association, 1929 (Richmond: The Association, 1929), pp. 288-289; Obituary,
Lynchburg News, 13 September 1928, p. 3 col. 1; Lucy H. M. Baber, compiler, William Norvell (17461794) of Hanover Co., Va. His Forebears and Descendants (Lynchburg: Author, 1992), pp. 56.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
SAMUEL HAINES WILLIAMS (1890-1970)
Samuel Haines Williams, son of Jehu R. Williams and Loula Walker, was born in
Lynchburg, Virginia, on 29 December 1890. He was graduated from Lynchburg High School in
1908 and attended Washington and Lee University. After teaching for a while in Fauquier County,
Virginia, he returned to Washington and Lee and received his law degree in 1914. Following his
graduation, he returned to Lynchburg where he joined the firm of Harrison and Long. Later he
became a partner in the firm of Williams, Robertson, and Sackett.
Samuel H. Williams was married in 1917 to Elizabeth Bryan, daughter of Blackshear M.
Bryan and Frances Newman, of Shreveport, Louisiana.
During World War II, Mr. Williams served as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney
General. He was president of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce in 1942 and served as director
of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce from 1944 until 1947.
Samuel H. Williams was named chief counsel for the City of Lynchburg in the 1957
annexation suit. He also served as counsel in the annexation suits for other cities, including Roanoke
and Charlottesville. He served on the board of trustees for Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and
was a director and secretary-treasurer of the Miller Home in Lynchburg.
A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mr. Williams died on 6 September 1970 in
Lynchburg and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 7 September 1970 p. 11, col. 1; Burial record, Book 60, p. 85, Diuguid Funeral Home,
Lynchburg, Va.; Obituary of Elizabeth Bryan Williams, Lynchburg News, 13 June 1979, Sect. B, p. 4 col. 2.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
DOUGLAS ALEXANDER ROBERTSON (1900-1982)
Douglas Alexander Robertson, son of Robert Glover Robertson and Fannie Shepard Perrow,
was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on 27 December 1900. He graduated from E. C. Glass High
School in Lynchburg in 1918 and was graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1921. He
received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1924 and began the practice
of law in Lynchburg in 1923. He was a partner in the law firm of Edmunds and Williams.
Between 1929 and 1931, Robertson was secretary of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Mr. Robertson was a member of the 248th Coast Artillery and the Judge Advocate General
Division of the Armed Forces from September 1940 until his retirement as colonel in January 1946.
A member of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Judge Advocate Association, he also served
as a board member for the Spring Hill Cemetery Association in Lynchburg and as a board member
for Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia. He served on the board of Jones Memorial Library
from 1933 until his death.
Douglas Robertson married Annie Scott Harris, daughter of Henry Herbert Harris and Annie
Scott Adams, on 26 October 1929 in Lynchburg.
Douglas Alexander Robertson died 6 February 1982 in Lynchburg and was buried in Spring
Hill Cemetery.
[Obituary, News (Lynchburg, Va.), 8 February 1982, Section B, p. 2 col. 4; Marriage Register, Lynchburg, VA, Book 7,
p. 103.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
JONATHAN CHRISTIAN WOODSON (1853-1930)
Jonathan Christian Woodson, son of John William Woodson and Mary E. Christian, was
born 30 January 1853, in Appomattox County, Virginia. He was educated in Appomattox County
and taught school in Fayette County, West Virginia, for a while. He came to Lynchburg ca. 1880
and was employed with the wholesale grocery and commission house of Lee and Taylor. In 1883,
he joined G. H. Nowlin in the tobacco business, and was later connected with Adams and Woodson,
dealers in building materials.
Woodson was associated with the Citizen’s Building, Banking and Improvement Company in
Lynchburg ca. 1896, before entering the real estate business as J. C. Woodson and Company in
1898. He specialized in real estate in the Rivermont section of Lynchburg, and with Henry Moseley
Sackett, developed Randolph-Macon Heights, the “first high class subdivision in the city.” Due to
his interest in Rivermont development he “familiarly known as ‘Mayor of Rivermont.’”
In 1904, J. C. Woodson was associated with the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., as
secretary-treasurer, and remained with the company until his death on 23 April 1930.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 24 April 1930, p. 9 col. 1; Record Books, Lynchburg, Virginia, Law Firms, MS1352, Jones
Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va.]
MS1352
Jones Memorial Library
2311 Memorial Avenue
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
(434) 846-0501
JOHN GORDON PAYNE (1854-1909)
John Gordon Payne, son of Philip W. Payne and Julia Ogden, was born 6 February 1854 in
Lynchburg, Virginia. At the age of sixteen, he was a collector and clerk for I. H. Adams & Brothers,
dealers in coal, wood, and lumber. On 17 April 1876, Payne enlisted in the Lynchburg Home Guard,
Virginia Volunteers and served as a Third Lieutenant. He resigned on 10 February 1879.
John Gordon Payne married Nannie Booker Hurt, daughter of Stephen Clifton Hurt and
Maria Frances Crenshaw, on 5 November 1878 in Lynchburg.
In a few years, Payne was made a junior partner in I. H. Adams & Brothers, and the firm
name was changed to Adams Brothers & Payne. The company was incorporated in 1897 as Adams
Brothers-Payne Company. Following the death of I. H. Adams in 1903, Payne became president of
the company. In 1906 he was also president of the firm of Adams, Payne & Gleaves, Inc., of
Roanoke, Virginia.
On 27 August 1904, J. Gordon Payne joined with Henry M. Sackett, and Jonathan C.
Woodson, to form the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc. The purpose for this corporation was to
operate a general real estate business in Lynchburg.
Mr. Payne served as President of the
corporation with Mr. Sackett as Vice President and Mr. Woodson as Secretary-Treasurer.
Eventually, the company was able to purchase the remaining real estate and personal property of the
Rivermont Company.
J. Gordon Payne was a president of the Southern Fire Insurance Company in Lynchburg and
a director of the People’s National Bank. He also served on the Lynchburg City Council from 1897
until 1900. He was also interested in the Board of Trade and was a strong supporter of the
establishment of a Chamber of Commerce for the city. He was a member of Hill City Lodge, No.
183, AF&AM, the DeMolay Commandery No. 10, Knights Templar, and Ancient Order of the
Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Payne served as president of the Y.M.C.A. and served on its Board of Directors for a
number of years.
John Gordon Payne died on 25 April 1909 in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was buried in the
Spring Hill Cemetery.
[Obituary, Lynchburg News, 27 April 1909, p. 10, col. 3; 1860 Census, Campbell County, VA, M-653, Roll 1338, p.
552: Dwelling 836, Family 904; “Biography of Stephen C. Hurt,” Piedmont Mills Business Papers, Mss., MS1358, Jones
Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA; Jo Lane Stern, compiler, Roster Commissioned Officers Virginia Volunteers, 18711920 (Richmond: Davis Bottom, 1921), p. 192; Marriage register, Lynchburg, VA, Book 2, p. 154; Record Books,
Lynchburg, Virginia, Law Firms, Mss., MS1352, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA.]
MS1352
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC. CHARTER
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 8, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 9-10
This is to certify that J. GORDON PAYNE, HENRY M. SACKETT, and J. C.
WOODSON have associated themselves together for the purpose of establishing a corporation, and
with this end in view and for the purpose of conforming to the statute in such cases made and
provided, do make the following statements in regard to the proposed corporation:
FIRST:
Incorporated.
The name of the corporation shall be RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY,
SECOND:
The principal office is to be located in the City of Lynchburg, County of
Campbell, State of Virginia.
THIRD:
The purpose for which said corporation is formed are the acquisition and
deposition by purchase sale devised or otherwise of real estate in the City of Lynchburg, its suburbs
and elsewhere in the State of Virginia; the buying, selling, leasing, exchanging, purchasing or
otherwise acquiring, holding, selling, conveying and dealing in real estate or any interest therein on
its own account and on commission for others; the developing of unimproved real estate, mineral
rights, and timber lands by the construction and erection of houses, buildings and other structures,
the opening of streets and alleys, etc., and to do everything necessary or incident to the buying,
selling and leasing of real estate in all of its forms and the conduct of a general real estate business in
so far as the same shall not be in conflict with this charter, the laws of Virginia or the laws of the
United States.
FOURTH:
The capital stock of the said corporation is not to be more than $20,000 and
not to be less than $2,000 divided into shares of the par value of $100.00 each.
FIFTH:
The names and residences of the officers and directors who are for the first
year, unless sooner changed by the stockholders to manage the affairs of the corporation, are as
follows:
J. Gordon Payne
Henry M. Sackett
J. C. Woodson
President
Vice President
Secretary & Treas.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
These three parties shall also constitute the Board of Directors.
MS1352
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC. CHARTER (Continued)
SIXTH:
The amount of real estate to be held by said corporation is not at any time to
exceed 10,000 acres in quantity or $1,000,000 in value.
GIVEN under our hands this, the 27th day of August, 1904
J. Gordon Payne (signature)
H. M. Sackett (signature)
J. C. Woodson (signature)
City of Lynchburg, to-wit:
I, Annie M. Poindexter, a Notary Public in and for the City aforesaid, in the State of Virginia,
do hereby certify that J. Gordon Payne, Henry M. Sackett, and J. C. Woodson, whose names are
signed to the foregoing certificate, bearing date on the ____
Day of August 1904, have acknowledged the same before me in my said City.
My commission expires on the 29th of September, 1907.
GIVEN under my hand this ____ day of August, 1904.
_______________________ N.P.
I, Frank Christian, Judge of the Corporation Court for the City of Lynchburg do hereby
certify that the above certificate for the incorporation of the Rivermont Realty Company,
Incorporated, is signed and acknowledged in accordance with the requirements of Section 2, of
Chapter 270, of the Acts of the Assembly of Virginia, Extra Session 1902-3-4.
[Charter Book 3, Lynchburg, Va. Corporation Court, p. 40 – Rivermont Realty Co., Inc., dissolution
8 January 1944]
MS1352
CERTIFICATE FOR AMENDMENT TO CHARTER OF THE RIVERMONT REALTY
CO., INC.
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 10, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 495-497
certify:
I, J. Gordon Payne, President of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., of Lynchburg, Va., do
I.
That a charter of incorporation was granted the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., by the
State Corporation Commission of Virginia in _____________, 1904.
II.
That the amount of capital stock authorized by said charter was $220,000, of which
$7,500.00 has been issued and fully paid.
III.
That the said corporation has at all times complied with the provisions of the laws of the
State of Virginia, governing such bodies, as can be ascertained from inspection of the records of the
State Corporation Commission at Richmond and the Clerk’s Office of the Corporation Court for the
City of Lynchburg.
IV.
That at the annual meeting of the stock-holders of the said corporation held at the office of J.
Gordon Payne, the President of said Company, at No. 901, Main Street, in the City of Lynchburg, at
11 A.M. on Monday, January 8th, 1906, after notice to all of the stock-holders, as required by the
By-laws of the Company, at which all of the shares of the stock of said Company were represented
by the holders thereon in person, who admitted by their signatures to the minutes of said meeting
that they had had legal notice of said meeting and the amendment to the charter hereinafter referred
to, the following resolution was offered and unanimously adopted:
“Resolved that the President of this Company do, as speedily
as may be, take steps to have the 4th Clause of the Charter of
this Company amended so as to read as follows:
V.
The capital stock of said corporation is not to be more than $20,000.00 and not to be less than
$2,000.00, divided into shares of the par value of $100.00 each, of which $10,000.00 may be
preferred stock, to be preferred both as to assets and dividends, and entitled to dividends at the rate
of six per centum per annum, prior to the payment of any dividends upon the common stock and
such dividends upon the preferred stock shall be cumulative and payable on January 1st and July 1st
in each year; the said preferred stock shall not be entitled to any dividends in excess of the said six
per centum per annum and arrears thereon, provided that such preferred stock shall have no voting
MS1352
power in the stock-holders’ meetings and shall be subject to call at par by the Board of Directors
upon
(Continued)
CERTIFICATE FOR AMENDMENT TO CHARTER OF THE RIVERMONT REALTY
CO., INC. (Continued)
sixty days’ notice before any dividend paying period after three years from the date of its issue; and
provided further that the holders of any such preferred stock may require the
Company to redeem the same at par upon like notice at any time after five years from the date
thereof.
No dividend shall be declared on the common stock of said Company until the sum of
$7500.00 of profits actually made shall have been passed to the surplus fund of the Company, at
which sum the said surplus fund shall be maintained during the life of said preferred stock.
The said Company shall not contract any debt or debts or incur any liability, which will make
the aggregate debt or liability of the said Company exceed the amount of the said Company except
for deferred payments on real estate, where the title to the property is retained, reserved, or conveyed
as security for such deferred payments.”
And thereupon I, J. Gordon Payne, President of the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., of
Lynchburg, Virginia, do hereby certify that a meeting of the said stock-holders of the said Company
was held as aforesaid, after notice to all of the stock-holders, as provided by the By-laws of the
Company, at the office of the President in the City of Lynchburg, on Monday, January 8th, 1906,
and that all of the shares of the stock of the said corporation were represented by the holders thereon
in person at said meeting, and that the said resolution as above set forth was adopted by unanimous
vote of the stock-holders of the said corporation
WITNESS the signature of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., by J. Gordon Payne, its
President, under its corporate seal, duly attested by J. C. Woodson, its Secretary.
RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
By _________________________________
President
Attest: __________________________ Secretary
City of Lynchburg, to-wit:
I, N. Catharine Poindexter, a Notary Public in and for the City aforesaid, in the State of
Virginia, whose commission expires on the 1st day of September, 1908, do hereby certify that J.
Gordon Payne, President, and J. C. Woodson, Secretary, whose names are signed to the above
certificate have acknowledged the same before me in the City aforesaid.
Given under my hand this the ______ day of January, 1906.
________________________________
Notary Public
MS1352
THE RIVERMONT COMPANY TO RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
Rivermont Realty Company, Inc.
Document Book 11, Sackett and Sackett, pp. 181-182
Received of the Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($250.00),
in full of the purchase price for the following property, which, as trustee under a deed of trust from
The Rivermont Company, dated June 2nd, 1893, and as receiver of the Circuit Court for the City of
Lynchburg, State of Virginia, in the consolidated chancery causes of William V. Wilson, Jr.,
Trustee, vs. The Rivermont Company & Others, and The Edison General Electric Company vs. The
Rivermont Company & Others, I have this day sold to the said Rivermont Realty Company, Inc., in
pursuance of the authority vested in me by the said deed of trust and conferred upon me by a decree
of the said Circuit Court for the City of Lynchburg, entered at the November Term, 1901, directing
me to make sale of the unsold assets of the said The Rivermont Company:
I.
All of the real estate and interest in real estate, whether legal or equitable, rights, properties,
and franchises, lying and being in the City of Lynchburg, and in the County of Campbell, the same
being included within that territory, generally known as “The Rivermont property,” lying north-west
of the City of Lynchburg, between James River and Blackwater Creek, conveyed to me by the
general deed of assignment from The Rivermont Company to me as Trustee, dated June 2nd, 1893,
and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Corporation Court for the City of Lynchburg on June 3rd,
1893, and in the Clerk’s Office of Campbell County on the same date, not heretofore disposed of by
me, as trustee, under said deed, or as Receiver in the aforesaid consolidated chancery causes.
II.
All personal property belonging to the said The Rivermont Company, the title to which is
now vested in me, consisting of debts due to it from subscribers to its capital stock or purchasers of
land or from any other person whatsoever, all choses in action, all stock of any incorporated
company, and all other personal assets of every sort and description whatsoever conveyed to me by
the aforesaid deed of trust of June 2nd, 1893, and not heretofore disposed of by me as Trustee under
said deed of trust or as Receiver in the aforesaid consolidated chancery causes.
III.
All franchises, powers, privileges, improvements, appurtenances, contracts, charters, and all
other rights granted under the charter of the said The Rivermont Company or subsequently acquired
by the said Company conveyed to me under the aforesaid deed of trust of June 2nd, 1893, and not
heretofore disposed by me as Trustee under said deed of trust or as Receiver in the aforesaid
consolidated chancery causes.
(Continued)
MS1352
THE RIVERMONT COMPANY TO RIVERMONT REALTY COMPANY, INC.
(Continued)
It is my intention to embrace in this sale all of the assets of the said The Rivermont Company
remaining undisposed of at this time, whether they be real, personal, or mixed property, choses in
action, franchises, powers, privileges, improvements, appurtenances, contracts, charters, or other
rights, granted under the charter of said The Rivermont Company or subsequently acquired by the
said Company.
_________________________________
Trustee for The Rivermont Company under a deed
from the said Company dated June 2nd, 1893, and
Receiver in the consolidated chancery causes of
William V. Wilson, Jr., Trustee, vs. The Rivermont
Company & Others, and The Edison General
Electric Company vs. The Rivermont Company &
Others
MS1352
MS1352
Dublin Core
Title
Finding Aid to Record Books of Lynchburg, Virginia Law Firms
Subject
Finding aids
records -- law firms
Description
Finding aid to the Record Books of Lynchburg, Virginia Law Firms. The record books span the period 1884 to 1949. Firms included are: Harris & Harris; A.R. Long; Harrison & Long; Sackett & Sackett; Harrison, Long & Williams; Williams & Robertson; Williams, Robertson & Sackett; and one unknown firm.
Creator
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Publisher
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Date
2023
Rights
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Format
pdf
Language
English
Identifier
MS1352FA
Collection
Citation
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.), “Finding Aid to Record Books of Lynchburg, Virginia Law Firms,” Digital Collections, accessed April 27, 2024, https://digitaljones.omeka.net/items/show/409.