Revolutionary War officer Thomas MARSHALL of Virginia

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Offered without reserve: Thomas Marshall (an officer in the American Revolution, and father of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall), manuscript document signed, November 25, 1785, regarding Treasury Land Warrants. Named in the document are George Taylor, Richard Masterson, and Cuthbert Bullett: " George Taylor Ag[ent?] of Rich'd Masterson & Cuthbert Bullett enters 14666 acres of Land on Two Treasury warrants No. 17555 and 18536 to be held in proportion to the Number of acres contained in each warrant, Lying on the waters of the North fork of Licking Creek, Beginning at the Mouth of the Creek w that empties into the North fork of Licking on the south side - w the war Road that leads from the Mouth of Limestone to the Lower [ ] crosses the s'd N'o fork Thence from the Mouth of this Creek down Licking on the South side and t on 450 pole when reduc'd to a Straight line, and from the Beginning up Licking and binding ton so far as from the Termination of the first will make a line of a 1000 poles, thence from each end of this line of a 1000 poles to extend up the Creek parallel to each other, including the general Course of the Creek as Near the Center as may be untill a line at right angles from either of them to the other will include the Quantity to be Returned in one or more Surveys. / Ent'd Nov. 25th 1785 / T. Marshall ."Measures approx. 8 x 8 1/2 inches; thick laid paper, still quite strong and crisp. Later (but still fairly early) ink notation at verso, " Thomas Marshall / Col. of 3rd Virginia Reg't in Revol War / Father of the Chief Justice ." Quite nice overall._______________________________________Much of what we find on Thomas Marshall is by way of biographical entries for his son, John: "John Marshall was born in Prince William County (now Fauquier), Virginia. His father moved the family from t before John was ten to a valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 30 miles away. Unlike most frontier dwellings, the home of Thomas Marshall built was of frame construction rather than log and was one and a half story. Both parents, while not formally educated, were considered adequately educated for the times and could read and write. They held a significant social, religious, and political status in the newly formed Fauquier County area. Books were often difficult to obtain on the frontier and quite expensive. But it is known that the Marshall home had a bible, almost for certain Shakespeare and Dryden, and definitely Pope who John Marshall said he had copied every word of the "Essay on Man" and other moral essays and had memorized many of the more interesting passages by the time he was twelve. It is likely that Thomas Marshall was allowed access to Lord Fairfax's library just as his good friend, George Washington, was. And, of course, Washington had a library. . . Both father and son distinguished themselves during the Revolutionary War. Thomas Marshall was a trained fighter who had earned the rank of captain during the Indian Wars. (It has never been explained why he was not with George Washington during Braddock's misadventure. While it seems odd especially considering their friendship, the reason must have been sufficient for Washington because the two remained fast friends. One possible explanation given is that Mary Marshall was pregnant with John and it would not have been safe to leave her alone in an isolated, frontier cabin.) Thomas was a major at the outbreak of the war in a regiment of minute men raised by the local counties of Culpepper, Orange, and Fauquier. He was to end the war as a full colonel and the commander of Yorktown. John Marshall joined the Culpepper Minute Men and was chosen lieutenant. Both he and his father were at a number of the battles well known today such as Great Bridge, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth , and ending, for John, with a dashing episode as a member of a detail from the Light Infantry of Virginia under the command of Major Henry Lee. (source: ht... read more

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