RHEA-L Archives

From: Polly Dixon <>
Subject: [RHEA-L] Cemetery at "Terre Haute"
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 22:15:03 -0500

Hi Rhea and Loyce:

Here's a copy of a letter I sent to Mrs. Jean Hudson, owner of "Terre
Haute," former home of David LeSueur and his wife Elizabeth Chastain.

After reading it again today, I would now make a few changes and make it
even stronger. I'll do that in the letters to the bureaucrats!

VDOT doesn't even have the date correct when the house was built. We
KNOW it was built before 1820, as they say, because David and Elizabeth
lived there in 1740, and David died in 1772, and Elizabeth and her son
Martell continued to live there after David's death.

The people at VDOT also haven't acknowledged that Mrs. Hudson has
reapplied to the Register of Historic Places, after they were turned
down because of the VDOT report! I cannot believe their stupidity!

So, anyway, here it is!

Love,

Polly

Polly Dixon wrote:
>
> > Dear LeSueur and Chastain Cousins:
> >
> > Following is the letter I sent to Mrs. Hudson. It's lengthy, but there
> > was so much I wanted to tell her!

> > October 3, 1998
> >
> > Mrs. Jean Hudson
> > Terre Haute
> > P.O. Box 85
> > Midlothian, VA 23113
> >
> > Dear Mrs. Hudson:
> >
> > I am writing in regard to the proposed construction of Highway 288
> > across your property, Terre Haute, that will result in destruction of
> > the old cemetery. I cannot tell you how shocked, outraged and appalled
> > I was to learn about this! I am deeply concerned about the historically
> > important old cemetery, that is directly in the path of the proposed
> > roadway. The thought that part of this beautiful land, so important to
> > the heritage of descendants of David LeSueur and Elizabeth Chastain, may
> > fall under the onslaught of massive road-building equipment is almost
> > more than I can comprehend, and terribly distressing.
> >
> > As you know, descendants of David and Elizabeth (Chastain) LeSueur have
> > searched for David's grave for many years. Some sources have stated
> > that the old cemetery at Terre haute was established after 1800 as a
> > burial ground for slaves. We know descendants of those slaves have been
> > buried there, perhaps up until the beginning of WW II.
> >
> > LeSueur family tradition holds a different view about the early days of
> > the cemetery. Some descendants have long believed that David LeSueur,
> > who died in 1772, and several of his children (who died after 1740 when
> > the family moved to Terre Haute) almost certainly would have been buried
> > in a family cemetery on the home place.
> >
> > This theory is supported by the existence of several other private
> > cemeteries in the LeSueur and related families. The land owners'
> > families were buried in one section and the slaves in another section of
> > the same cemetery. This is true, for instance, of the Pierre Chastain
> > cemetery, located a short distance from the house. The Chastain house
> > and cemetery, well known to you as "Monocan Farm", are located on
> > Highway 711.
> >
> > I believe that destruction of the old cemetery at Terre Haute would
> > forever rob David LeSueur's descendants of the possibility of locating
> > his grave. Perhaps new scientific discoveries, not even imagined today,
> > may help us learn some day precisely where our ancestor's body lies.
> > What a tragedy it would be to lose such an opportunity.
> >
> > The old cemetery at Terre Haute has lain peacefully undisturbed for, we
> > believe, more than 200 years. We strongly support your efforts to have
> > the roadway of the proposed Highway 288 moved a relatively short
> > distance, to avoid desecrating the cemetery.
> >
> > It is my understanding that, in order to save the cemetery from
> > destruction, you have offered another tract of your land for the
> > roadway. It seems to me that locating the roadway in this pine forest
> > would not only save the cemetery but would also aid in lessening the
> > pollution that will surely come with heavy vehicular traffic. We intend
> > to petition the Virginia Department of Transportation to accept this
> > most reasonable alternative to destroying the cemetery.
> >
> > I do not believe that any of us (the LeSueur descendants) are opposed to
> > the highway. However, we are deeply opposed to having it forever
> > obliterate an important part of our heritage, and that of the
> > descendants of the slaves who are buried there. This is a consecrated
> > burial ground, whether occupied by the remains of a white land owner and
> > his family, or the Black people who worked and lived on the land as a
> > part of that Colonial family.
> >
> > The LeSueur, Chastain and Soblet (now Sublette) descendants applaud your
> > efforts, and we urge you to continue your fight to have the cemetery
> > spared. Progress is one thing; desecration of this historically
> > important cemetery is quite another!
> >
> > You asked me to tell you about my LeSueur family's connection to the
> > land known as Terre Haute.
> >
> > My great-great-great-great-great-grandparents, David LeSueur and
> > Elizabeth Chastain, bought the property in 1740 from two other original
> > Huguenot patentees. The first tract of 137 acres was purchased from
> > William Battersby and the second tract, of 160 acres, from William
> > Salle. I believe the latter was Jim Salle's ancestor.
> >
> > David LeSueur's wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Dr. Pierre Chastain
> > and Anne Soblet. The LeSueur, Chastain, and Soblet/Sublette families
> > were among the founders of Manakin Town in 1711. These and many other
> > Huguenot families had earlier fled from terrible persecution in their
> > native France, because of their religious beliefs. They took refuge in
> > Holland, then in England for a time. The King of England gave them
> > patent to 10,000 acres along the James River west of Richmond in the
> > young colony of Virginia.
> >
> > We can only imagine what hopes and dreams they had when they sailed from
> > England in March 1700. Only uncertainty lay ahead of them as they began
> > their four-months-long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. How they must
> > have rejoiced when they arrived at the mouth of the James River on July
> > 23rd! They also must have had an unshakable faith in God, even after
> > learning that this was not the end of their journey. They still had to
> > travel up the James River, west of Richmond about 20 miles, to reach the
> > old Monocan Indian village that was to be their new home. Here, their
> > first priorities were to establish a church and build sound homes where
> > they could live and worship in freedom. In December 1700 they worshiped
> > in their new church for the first time. Here they put down the roots of
> > a strong and devout people, and they prospered. To this day, almost 300
> > years later, we proud descendants of those Huguenot families carry their
> > blood in our veins and their faith in our hearts.
> >
> > David and Elizabeth (Chastain) LeSueur relocated in 1740 from their
> > original patent land on the James River to the land now known as Terre
> > Haute, the "High Ground." They must have been happy to move their young
> > family a few miles to what was probably considered a healthier
> > environment, away from the river. Several more children were born to
> > David and Elizabeth after they moved to Terre Haute. In 1747, my great-
> > great-great-great-grandfather, Samuel LeSueur, their sixth child, was
> > born. The property passed at David LeSueur's death in 1772 to his
> > widow, Elizabeth (Chastain) LeSueur, and their son Martell.
> >
> > We can establish that David and Elizabeth had built their home sometime
> > before 1771, when David LeSueur wrote his will, leaving to his widow
> > Elizabeth and their son Martell "all of the land whereon I now live."

LOYCE AND RHEA: I'M NOT CLEAR IN THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE. WHAT I SHOULD
HAVE SAID WAS, ". . . BUILT THEIR HOME BETWEEN 1740 AND BEFORE 1771 . .
." -- polly

> >
> > Martell was born at Terre Haute in 1758 and, as a young man, enlisted to
> > fight in the Revolutionary War. He fought for freedom from oppression,
> > the same freedom for which his forefathers had fled France and traveled
> > so far to achieve.
> >
> > Elizabeth LeSueur continued to live in the family home, along with her
> > son Martell and his family, for several years after her husband David's
> > death. Elizabeth and Martell sold the property in two tracts in 1787
> > and 1788, to your husband Raymond's ancestor, Thomas Harris. Mr. Harris
> > then transferred title to his relative, Robert Harris.
> >
> > All descendants of David LeSueur and Elizabeth Chastain owe your husband
> > and his ancestors, and especially you, a tremendous debt of gratitude
> > for your stewardship of this property. We do appreciate, more than
> > words can say, your beautiful restoration and continuing preservation of
> > this important part of our LeSueur heritage.
> >
> > I have lovely memories of the visit my Aunt Louise, my cousin Carol and
> > I had with you in October 1995, when our cousin Joe Scales and his wife
> > Roselle took us to meet you. Your gracious welcome made us feel that we
> > had actually "come home" to Terre Haute. There was an almost tangible
> > presence of our ancestors there with us, as you recounted the story of
> > the house's restoration, and showed us through the old sections. We
> > could imagine the family gathering in front of the large fireplace on a
> > cold winter's evening, to read the Bible and send their prayers of
> > thanksgiving to the God who had so generously provided for them.
> >
> > You made the history of the house come alive for us, and we treasure our
> > memories of that visit. It was a privilege for us to walk in the
> > footsteps of David and Elizabeth, as well as their son Samuel, my
> > 4-great-grandfather. We had a deep sense of our heritage as we looked
> > out across the land from the veranda. I have always regretted that we
> > didn't have time that day to visit the old cemetery. This is a
> > particular regret today, as I realize what a threat the cemetery is
> > under at this time.
> >
> > Aunt Louise and I recently attended a family reunion in South Georgia
> > with sixty of our Brown/Crawley/LeSueur cousins. As we shared our
> > memories and the photographs we took in 1995, I felt "homesick" for
> > Terre Haute and Virginia! I have written to those cousins and asked
> > them to join in our letter-writing campaign to save the cemetery.
> >
> > I am terribly concerned that this historically important cemetery, which
> > has lain peacefully and undisturbed for so long, is in danger of
> > obliteration by construction of a roadway.
> >
> > The heritage of an entire family, whose presence here predates the
> > Constitution of our country by more than seventy years, must not be
> > destroyed in this process. Since you have offered another site on your
> > property, the roadway can and must be moved to that site. To destroy a
> > heritage in the name of progress is unspeakable and borders on the
> > obscene.
> >
> > Dear friend, be of good faith and strong of heart. Mighty are the
> > righteous! The descendants of the LeSueur, Chastain, Soblet/Sublette,
> > and many other allied families support you in this endeavor. Right does
> > (sometimes) prevail in this wonderful country of ours. I should think
> > this would be particularly true in the very beautiful Great State of
> > Virginia -- the "safe haven" to which our Huguenots came nearly 300
> > years ago to escape the horrors of religious and political persecution.
> > Cousin Ellie said a few days ago, "Must they now be persecuted in
> > death?" An excellent question, which deserves the correct answer from
> > the Virginia Department of Transportation!
> >
> > With warmest regards,
> >
> > s/Polly Dixon, 5-great-grandaughter
> > of David LeSueur and Elizabeth Chastain

Love,

Polly

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• [RHEA-L] Cemetery at "Terre Haute" by Polly Dixon <>