Linah Mims

Narrative:

     Linah Mims was born on 14 Nov 1772 in Goochland Co., Virginia.^4,5,6,7 He was baptized on 7 Feb 1773 in Goochland Co., Virginia, by Rev. William Douglass.¹

Establishing Himself in Greenbrier --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Linah moved to Greenbrier Co. about 1796. He had established himself as a resident there by 4 Jun 1796, when he served on the juries of three cases in the county court. On 31 Mar 1797 he served on juries for four new cases.^12,13
     Linah appeared on the 1797 tax list of Greenbrier Co., and every year afterwards, except 1808 when no tax was collected, until 1811. He was listed with two adult slaves in 1799 and 1800, then none until 1811 when he had one adult and two age 12 to 16. He had one or two horses most years, but four in 1810 and seven in 1811. In 1799 he reported owning a stud horse, which was taxed at a higher rate.¹⁴ He witnessed numerous sales between other people of land and negros in Greenbrier Co., Virginia, between Nov 1800 and Aug 1810.¹⁵
     Linah received 60 acres in Greenbrier Co., Virginia, in Greenbrier Co., Virginia, on 25 Mar 1801, from Thomas Arbuckle. The property was located on Burne Creek, on both sides of the road from David McCoy's to John Carrel's. Presumably it was a purchase, but the record does not show that detail. Arbuckle obtained the property as a grant 27 Jun 1800. He was probably not the Thomas Arbuckle who would in a few years be Linah's brother-in-law as he would have been only 16 years old when the warrant on which the grant was based were issued in 1796. It seems more likely he was that Thomas' uncle.¹⁶
     Linah apparently formed a short-lived business partnership with Sampson Sawyers, buying and selling land in Greenbrier Co., perhaps along with other interests. In several of the deeds they are identified as "merchants," and in one as "The House of Sawyer and Mims." On 23 Feb 1802 they purchased 320 ac. from John Irwin, for 5£ according to the deed. On 2 Mar 1802 James Anderson assigned them his interest in the mortgage of Jacob Kuhn on two tracts, one totaling 1752 ac. for "value received."¹⁷ That mortgage was satisfied and released by them 1 Mar 1803. On 25 Aug 1802 they mortgaged two parcels totaling 491 ac. which they had purchased from Jacob Kuhn to Robert Gamble of Richmond to secure a debt of 574£ 4s 8p owed to him, with 6% interest, due 1 Oct 1803. On 22 Feb 1803 they sold both the Irwin and Kuhn properties to Oliver Towley Sr. for 1200£.¹⁸
     The firm appeared on the Greenbrier Co. personal property tax lists in 1802 and 1803, as Sawyers and Mims the first year and Mims and Sawyers the second. The firm was apparently disolved after that as Linah appears by himself the following year, and no further record of any transactions by the firm has been found.¹⁹
     Linah married Rebeccah Davis, daughter of John Davis and Jane Clendenin, about 23 Feb 1803 in Greenbrier Co., Virginia.^2,8,9
     Linah was commissioned on 22 Apr 1805, in Greenbrier Co. as Captain of a troop of cavalry in the Third Regiment and Third Division of the Virginia State Militia.²⁰
     Linah and Rebeccah sold 122¾ acres for $1 in Greenbrier Co., Virginia, to her mother, Jane Clendenin, on 25 Mar 1811. The property adjoined that of Archibald Rodgers, Lewis's old place, widow Henderick, Williams Handley, Jane Davis, and Andrew Matter, and was part of a survey granted to John Davis, dec'd., for 363 ac. It would appear to be the property Rebeccah had inherited from father in Apr 1800.²¹

Beginning His Political Career --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Linah and Rebeccah moved to Richmond by 1812 when they occupied a two-story brick house on F St. (now Franklin), between Madison and Jefferson Sts., about a mile from the Capital. The house measured 43 by 23 ft., with a brick smoke house behind and a brick stable, 24 by 10 ft., facing on E St. (now Main). On 29 Feb 1812 he insured it against fire for $4,000, suggesting it was a home of some substance.²²
     Linah appeared on the tax list of Henrico Co., which then included the city of Richmon, from 1813 until 1817, except he is not found on the 1814 list. He reported two or three slaves each year, and from one to four horses each year. In 1814 he reported four white males above age 16 in the household. The identity of other three is unknown. They could not have been his sons since they were not yet that old. That year's list also included an unusually detailed list of personal property, which for Linah included two cattle, a four-wheel carriage, a bureau, three dining tables, and six gold leaf chairs.²³
     Linah had a remarkable political career, notable as much for its rapid rise to the top reaches of Virginia government as for its sudden and mysterious end. He served as a representative of Greenbrier Co. in the Virginia House of Delegates sessions of 1 Dec 1806 to 22 Jan 1807, 7 Dec 1807 to 10 Feb 1808, and 3 Dec 1810 to 14 Feb 1811.^24,25,26
     Many sources tell us that Linah served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, some adding such interesting, though fanciful, details as "to fill an expired term."²⁷ But he doesn't appear in any state records as Lt. Governor, because there was actually no such office under the 1776 Constitution, which was in effect until 1851. The framers of that constitution, reacting to the extensive power of colonial governors, created a weak office of governor, elected by the General Assembly. He was to be "advised" by an eight member Council of State (sometimes called Privy Council) who were also elected by the legislature. There was no office of Lt. Governor, but the President of the Council of State acted in that role during vacancies in the Governor's office, or when the Governor was absent from the seat of government (Richmond.)^28,29
     Linah was elected to be one of the eight members of the Council of State in Richmond on 8 Jan 1811. The Council was charged with "advising" the Governor, and advise him they did. The Governor met daily, Monday through Saturday, with the Council, except in the hot summer months. The Council approved appointment of local officials such as justices of the peace, sheriffs, and surveyors as proposed by the counties, approved payments for military and administrative supplies, heard appeals of major court cases, and "advised" the Governor on many other matters. Some of these matters today seem minor. For example, on 20 Jun 1811 the Council approved the use of two kegs of gunpowder to celebrate the anniversary of the independence of the United States.³⁰

Becoming "Lt. Governor" --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Oral history passed down one branch of the family says Linah was Lt. Governor as a result of a "tragic opera house fire." In fact, Gov. George William Smith died in a major fire at the Richmond theater the evening of 26 Dec 1811. But Linah did not serve as Lt. Governor at that time. Peyton Randolph, president of the Council, acted as Governor until 4 Jan 1812, when James Barbour was elected as Governor. Linah, as one of the two most junior members of the Council at the time, would have been far down the line of succession.^31,32,33
     Linah was elected President of the Council on 28 Jan 1814 replacing Charles Mallory who had resigned two weeks after starting his third term as President.³⁴ There was no vacancy in the office of Governor while Linah was President of the Council, so he does not appear as the "Acting Governor" in the state's record of governors. But he did preside over the Council as Lt. Governor during periods when the Governor was "absent from the seat of government" on four occasions in 1814: 26 Feb - 11 Mar, 16 May - 28 May, 25 Jun - 2 Jul, and 16 Aug - 22 Aug.³⁵ Presumably he carried out other duties of the Governor during those periods as well. We have record of "Lt. Gov. Linah Mims" commissioning George Blow as a justice of the Sussex County Court on 2 Jul 1814.³⁶

Presiding over the Council of State --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     The War of 1812 was in full bloom in Linah's first term as Council President. On 20 Aug 1814, during his forth period as Lt. Governor, he "called the attention of the Board to the formidable fleet of the enemy now within our waters from which it is evident that they might make a descent on our shores with a force of from six to twelve thousand man regular troops, and asked whether it is deemed expedient under existing circumstances to call out a larger force for the protection of the Capital and its vicinity." Whereupon the Council "advised that two thousand men be ordered forthwith to take the field and rendezvous at Richmond with all speed" A few days later the Governor had returned and was asking about the wisdom of moving all un-mounted cannon to a point of greater safety "above the falls." The Council was largely preoccupied with military matters throughout the year.³⁷
     On 6 Jan 1815 Linah was unanimously re-elected President of the Council. He served as Lt. Governor during the Governor's absence on five occasions in 1815: 27 Feb - 18 Mar, 2 May - 20 May, 21 Jun - 6 Jul, 12 Sep - 10 Oct, and 15 Nov.³⁹ On 24 Jan 1816 he was unanimously re-elected to his third term as President of the Council. He served as Lt. Governor on 15 Apr 1816.⁴⁰
     On 9 Dec 1816 the Virginia House and Senate met jointly for the annual election of the governor. The nominees were Col. James P. Preston, a hero of the late war, Col. William J. Lewis, a member of the Board of Public Works, and Linah. When the votes were counted Preston had received 104, Lewis 83, and Linah 9, so Preston was elected.⁴¹ On 11 Dec 1816 Linah served as Lt. Governor again, presiding at the Council after Preston's election and before his installation 12 Dec.⁴² On 9 Jan 1817 he was unanimously re-elected to his fourth term as President of the Council. That year he served as Lt. Governor on two occasions: 18 Mar - 8 May, and 18 Sep and 1 Oct.⁴³
     There were weeks in which there were no meetings of the Council in the summer and fall of 1817, but Linah missed almost all the meetings that were held. After the 7 Jul meeting, he missed all meetings until 11 Dec, except for returning to preside over the 18 Sep and 1 Oct meetings (there were none in between, but Linah may well have assumed other duties of the absent Governor). It appears he returned specifically because of the Governor's absence. The Governor announced his expected absence at the 16 Aug meeting, and Mr. Daniel, the "senior member of the Council" presided over the 30 Aug meeting, the only one before Linah's return. Once the Governor returned Linah missed all meetings until 11 Dec.⁴⁴ On 10 Jan 1818 he was unanimously re-elected to a fifth term as President of the Council "and to act as Lieutenant Governor," the first time those terms appear in the Journal. Eleven days later Linah announced to the Council that he would "be absent from the seat of government for some weeks," the first time I found such an announcement by any Council President. He is never listed as attending another meeting.⁴⁵
     When the Governor was absent at the on 12 Mar 1818 meeting, Mr. Daniels, "senior member of the Council" presided. The Governor announced an absence of "a few weeks" 14 Oct 1818, and no meetings were held until 24, 26, and 27 Oct, when the Council, with "the Governor and Lieut. Governor being both absent from the seat of government," declared an emergency to permit payment of funds to three prisoners just released from prison. A similar issue arose 29 Oct when there was a need to authorize blankets for 13 Indians visiting the city. In each case, no one is shown as presiding at the meetings.⁴⁶ Finally, on 1 Oct 1818 Linah wrote a letter to Gov. James Preston from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, resigning as a Member of the Council. He said this was necessary because he had "come to a determination to settle in the western country."³⁸ The Council acted on his letter 31 Oct 1818, electing Peter Daniel to replace him.⁴⁷

Moving to Kentucky --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Linah and Rebeccah moved to Christian Co., Kentucky, settling about one mile west of Means' Spring, near Newstead, in the western part of the county. According to one source that move was "about 1816 or 1817." Since Linah was regularly in Richmond into the summer of 1817, it would have been at least the latter part of this period.^48,49 Clearly he was conducting business in Kentucky by fall of 1818, when he mortgaged three slaves to Thomas Arbuckle, his brother-in-law. The transaction, dated 19 Sep 1818, included one Negro man Solomand, age about 32 years, and one Negro woman Mary, age about 21 years, and child about 6 months, was for $900, to be repaid by 1 Sep 1819.⁵⁰
     Why they moved to Kentucky is not totally clear, but they must have received positive reports from there from Rebeccah's sisters and their husbands, Thomas Arbuckle, David W. Breeding and William Long, who were in Christian Co. by 1810. But each of them was evidently farming, each holding 200 acres or more, and several slaves and horses over the years.⁵¹
     In contrast, Linah reported no real estate for the first decade they lived in Christian Co. He did report one or two adult slaves in various years, although most years only one aged 16 and under, and two years none, suggesting they were household help. He reported as many as five horses, and in 1819 a carriage. It seems they were living in rented quarters. But in the 1820 census he reported three members of the household engaged in agriculture. With only a single female slave reported, it would seem that would have to have been Linah and his two eldest sons. Was he engaged in some business related to agriculture? No other record has been found of his occupation during this period, and he does not appear on lists of local officials.^52,3
     Linah appeared on the 1820 Federal Census of Hopkinsville, Christian Co., Kentucky, with a household consisting of one white male under age 10 (son Davis), two between 10 and 16 (Addison and John), one over 45 (himself); three females under 10 (daughters Julia, Cornelia and Sarah), one between 10 and 16 (unknown), and one between 26 and 45 (wife Rebeccah); and one female slave.³

Returning to Political Life --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     While in Christian Co., Linah seems to have maintained links to the larger political universe. In Jul 1826, Linah and Capt. Solomon Betton of Milledgeville were appointed by the President John Quincy Adams as Commissioners to appraise the value of the real improvements on the Indian lands that had been ceded to the United States by the Creek Nation. The project evidently continued into the following year, as they received payments totaling $4,900 in January through April of 1827. Under the Treaty of Washington, signed 24 Jan 1826, the Creeks ceded a large part of their lands to the federal government.^53,54,55
     On 2 Mar 1827 the U.S. Congress passed a law directing the President to cause to be laid out a road in Michigan Territory from Detroit to the Saganaw River. He was to appoint three commissioners, one of them a surveyor, to identify the "most direct and practicable route." Each was to be paid $3 per day, and their assistants half that.⁵⁶ Linah, Ellis Doty, and Davis McKinstry were appointed as the commissioners. After completing their work they returned their report on 9 Jun 1827.^57,58
     Linah appeared on the 1828 tax list of in Christian Co., Kentucky, reporting 36 acres on the waters of Little River, the same area where two of his brothers-in-law owned property. He reported it again in 1829 and 1830. No record has been found of him acquiring the property nor disposing of it. He may have been renting the property and paid taxes as part of his rental agreement.^59,60
     Linah served as a justice of the peace in Christian Co. The County Court nominated him to the Governor on 7 Nov 1828, as one of two candidates to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of John B. Curd. He was appointed, and was seated on the County Court 1 Dec 1828. He served until he moved out of the county.⁶¹
     His wife died between 1828 and Jun 1830.^62,63,64,65
     Linah appeared on the 1830 Federal Census of Christian Co., Kentucky, with a household consisting of one white male between ages 5 and 10 (son Rufus), one between 15 and 20 (Davis), one between 50 and 60 (himself); and one female between 5 and 10 (daughter Rebecca), two between 10 and 15 (Cornelia and Sarah), and one between 15 and 20 (Julia); and one female slave.⁶⁶
     There is a report that Linah was sent by General Jackson as "agent to the Northwestern Indians" in 1832, but that seems doubtful. He regularly attended Christian County Court meetings, where he was a justice, through late 1834. The name "Northwestern Indians" was used to refer to various Indian groups over time, but then seems to have referred to the Chippewa Indians, in present-day Michigan. They were then under the care of the Mackinac Agency, with Henry R. Schoolcraft as agent from 1833 for many years.^67,68,69 No record has been found of Linah as part of that or any other agency. He does not appear in the official biennial registers of officers and agents for 1833 through 1839, which is supposed to list all Indian Agents along with all other officers and employee of the United States.^70,71
     His son John bought 30 acres in Christian Co. on 1 Aug 1830. The property was about three miles west of Hopkinsville and half a mile south of the Saline Road (now Kentucky route 91). He apparently intended it for Linah's use.^72,73 Linah appeared on the 1831 tax list of Christian Co., reporting 30 acres, as agent for his son John, and the same in 1833. The 1832 and 1834 lists have been lost.⁷⁴ John sold the 30-acre parcel where Linah was living on 24 Apr 1834, but he continued to live there until at least May, when the property was sold again.^75,76
     The Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation in 1834 requiring county courts to appoint three "commissioners of accounts" to resolve disputes arising in settling the accounts of executors, administrators, and guardians. Linah was appointed one of the commissioners for Christian Co. on 2 Jun 1834. He served in that role until he resigned on 29 Oct of that year.⁷⁷
     Linah was not shown as present at any later meeting of the County Court. But he was considered a to be a justice, and resident of the county, in Jan 1835. There is no record that he resigned his office, but on 1 Jun 1835 the Court recommended two men to the acting governor to replace him as he had removed from the county.⁷⁸

Moving to Caldwell County --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Linah moved to Caldwell Co., where his son John was living. He was well enough established there by Jul 1836, for the County Court to appoint him one of six standing commissioners for "dividing the lands in this state between non-residents and citizens of this state and between citizens and citizens and between non-residents also."^79,80
     He appeared on the tax lists of Caldwell Co., Kentucky, in each year from 1838 to 1847, except 1842. In each record there is one white male over 21, with no slaves or horses, and no acreage listed.⁸¹
     Linah served in the Kentucky House of Representatives representing Caldwell Co. for the 1838-39 term.^82,83,84
     He was probably the male age 60 to 70 who appeared on the 1840 Federal Census of Caldwell Co., Kentucky, in the household of his son John.⁸⁵
     Linah died between 1847 and 1850 in Kentucky.^10,11 His burial location is unknown. There is belief among some descendants that he was buried with is wife, probably in Christian Co., but her grave site has not been found either. There is room for their graves in the plot in the Eddyville cemetery where his son John is buried, but there is no stone there except John's.