This is part of a series examining Port Royal "block by block" based on a map owned by Jim Patton from 1930. See here for the background.
The block is four blocks away from St. Peter’s. It is bordered by Cumberland, Market, Back and King. It encompasses lots 61,60,67,68 .
Lot 60
First owner of Lots 60, 61, 67, 68 was John Mercer (1704-1768), immigrant from Dublin, Ireland, who settled at Marlborough, Stafford County. Mercer married Catherine Mason and had four children, of whom the eldest was George Mercer (born 1733) who acquired Lots 60-61 from his father’s estate and owned them in 1787-1813.
William Powers, formerly of King & Queen County, purchased Lots 60-61 from George Mercer’s estate (1817); in 1835 Powers sold Lots 60, 61, 67, 68 to Mark Boulware III (1780-1846) & wife Lucy (Dickinson) Boulware (1781-1852) who had eight children.
Muscoe Boulware, unmarried, became a physician and practiced medicine in town before the Civil War.
In 1840 Dr. Muscoe Boulware owned Lots 60, 61, 67, 68 which he sold in 1851 to George Fitzhugh & wife Mary M. Fitzhugh. When Fitzhugh transferred the four lots in 1851 to Butler B. Sacray, Lots 60-61 were occupied by "a small house or cabin, leased out for the present year." In 1860-1866 the four lots were owned by the Estate of Butler B. Sacray .
Champe B. Thornton owned Lots 60, 61, 67, 68 in 1875, and for $80 sold the "Sacre lot" in 1908 to John T. Thornton.
Lot 60 was divided in 1909, Thornton retaining the upper half at the corner of Cumberland & Market Sts.; the lower half on Market St. was owned by Charles W. Jefferson. There was an 1/8 the old Butler Sacre that has seen a variety of owners since 1949.
At the time of Fall’s book (2983) there were two houses occupying Lot 60: on the inner half on Market St. a frame dwelling built & formerly owned by Arthur V. Jefferson, acquired in 1938 and occupied by the family of the late Embria Byrd & wife Daisy (Puree) Byrd, and unoccupied (1982). In 1975 the Byrds erected and occupied (1982) the adjoining brick dwelling, corner of Market & Cumberland Sts.
Lot 61
Owners here were identical to those for Lot 60 until 1851. In that year George Fitzhugh & wife Mary M. Fitzhugh for $100 transferred most of Lot 61 to Thomas D. Lumpkin & wife Ellen Lumpkin. Lumpkin, a carpenter, built his house (demolished in 1979) on the corner of King & Cumberland Sts. Note the location on the map.
In 1850 his household contained himself (age 29); wife Ellen (30); one child Joseph (9); Benjamin Roach (23) and William P. Owens (27), carpenters
Lot 61 was divided in 1875 when Champe B. Thornton owned it; the outer corner was retained by C. B. Thornton, and the inner half was owned in 1909 by James Thornton
In 1850 Polly Thornton, mulatto, and her sons James Thornton (20) & Ned Thornton (13) lived in the household of Francis G. Sterne, a tenant on Lot 63. Jim Thornton at age 35 operated the ferry on which John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln’s assassin) crossed the Rappahannock River to Port Royal, April 23, 1865
Lot 61 was given to Betty Pry or after she had given (presumably medical) care to Jane Thornton, wife of James Thornton. Owner in 1937 was Emma Gouldin, daughter of James Gouldin & Betty (Pryor) Gouldin. (Tom Gouldin of Lot 36 was related to this family.) At some time there was a store on Lot 61. The dwelling on the inner half of Lot 61 has been owned-occupied for many years by Richard Dickerson & wife Mamie (Johnson) Dickerson.
Lot 67
First owner here was John Mercer of Marlboroguth , Stafford , who son eJames Mercer (1736-1791) owned Lot 87 until 1791 when his heirs took possession. Succeeding owners were those shown for Lots 60-61 through 1867
Several Jackson families lived in this part of town. In 1850 the household of James Jackson (28), blacksmith, also contained his wife Lucy A. Jackson (19), daughter Sarah J. Jackson (1), & Jane Welch (16); in 1860 the household numbered four Jackson children
Children took up trades of washing-ironing, blacksmith, nursing
In 1875 George Ware owned Lot 67, succeeded in 1909 or earlier by James Jackson on the upper half of the lot, while George Ware retained the lower half, corner of Back & Market Sts.
Lot 68
Owners of Lot 68 were those of Lot 67 until 1875 in which year the "Jackson School" occupied Lot 68; very little has been learned about the school. Lot 68 was owned by James Jackson in 1909 on the upper half, while the lower half was owned by James Brooks, corner of King & Back Sts