Stranica 270 [270]
OCR
— — ZT SZENN met. EMMA Ia EZÉS aa EZT ezzel ai = = — + _——— MT —ttámsar nánészsaman vál a a SE ee eealettsb menet gszze azt ka = CG mm Se mmm a = ee a ee Se SS sál MA —EE—— a Ps ais id Ai ho SD. Baa RY LOR ALE an = Ce —_ ee TETT Tt sná aáe — estén Ü — Se eS SS eS the Townsend Burdens, the William R. Travers and Mrs. Ogden Doremus came from the same line. Christopher Todd, great-grandson of the emigrant, dying without issue, left Toddsbury to his nephew, Philip Tabb, son of Lucy Todd and Edward Tabb of Amelia County, Virginia. Philip [Tabb married his first cousin, Mary Mason Wythe-Booth, daughter of Elizabeth Todd by her first husband, Nathaniel Wythe of Williamsburg, and widow of George Booth of Belleville. In this manner, although Toddsbury passed from the name of Todd, it was owned by two direct heirs of the emigrant. Mary Mason Wythe-Booth-Tabb was a personage in her day, as was her husband, Philip Tabb. Their home was the centre of the county’s hospitality, and Mrs. Tabb was a model for wives, mothers and housekeepers. While Philip Tabb followed the hounds, bet on horse races and played cards, as did all of the gentlemen of his day, his wife became more and more devout; she joined the Methodists and the large church in that neighborhood was built by her. The story goes that after providing a bountiful supper for her husband and his guests, she would retire to the "chamber" and pray for their souls, while they cast the dice, swore brave oaths and drank merrily till late into the night. The old house is of true Colonial architecture and has never been remodeled. ‘The interior is like a jewel-box, so beautiful are the carvings and panelings. [he dining-room, with recessed windows looking out to North River on two sides, is a spot to sit and dream in, and all sorts of visions come unbidden to the visitor. Near the entrance gate is one of the above-ground icehouses peculiar to the tidewater country; it is conical in shape and stands on a high mound overgrown with vines. At the back of the house is an old dairy with overhanging eaves, still in use. On the east of the lawn, which is nearly surrounded on three sides by water, is one of the most ancient family burying-grounds in Virginia. Here rest the ashes of seven generations of Todds and Tabbs, handsome stones and inscriptions preserving the records from the [165 ]
