John Harvie Sr.
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John Harvie, often called Colonel John Harvie (1706–1767), was raised in
Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...
, Scotland and immigrated to the United States. He settled in Albemarle County, Virginia by 1735 and purchased Belmont that was a plantation near
Shadwell Shadwell is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , east of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff (to the east). This riverside location has mea ...
and Keswick, Virginia. He had close relationships with his neighbors the Jeffersons and was the guardian of future president
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
for some years after Jefferson's father died.


Early life

Harvie was born in
Gargunnock Gargunnock is a small village in the Stirling council area, west of Stirling, in Scotland. The census population was 912. It is situated on the south edge of the Carse of Stirling, at the foot of the Gargunnock Hills, part of the Campsie Fell ...
,
Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...
, Scotland on December 20, 1706, son of John Harvie. The Acts of Union 1707, implemented the year following Harvie's birth, created the single
Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
. England and Scotland had shared one ruler since 1603, but now their parliaments were merged. Although there was significant anti-English sentiment in Scotland at the turn of the 18th century, political leaders in Scotland sought to unite with England to improve their trade opportunities with English colonies, thus improving their poor economy. This was complicated, however, by the Jacobite uprisings that began in 1688 to restore James II and his descendants to the throne. Immediately after the Union, Scotland began to trade with the colonies. Tobacco was important to Virginia's economy, where it was grown, as well as to Scotland, where it was the major import from the colonies in the early and mid-18th century. Ships left the
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
for Scotland to deliver tobacco and returned with immigrants and goods for the colonists. In 1769, Virginia and Maryland received 83% of Scotland's exports.


Planter

He came to Albemarle County, Virginia around 1735 (around 40 years before the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
). He bought the Belmont, near Keswick and
Shadwell, Virginia Shadwell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Albemarle County, Virginia. It is located by the Rivanna River near Charlottesville. The site today is marked by a Virginia Historical Marker to mark the birthplace of President Thomas Jefferson. It i ...
, from Matthew Graves in the 1730s. He was near the
Rivanna River The Rivanna River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. The Rivanna's tributaries or ...
and had views of the South West Mountains to the north and the mountain that would become
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...
to the south. Albemarle in the early 1700s was wilderness. People traveled on rough trails and transported tobacco to the marketplace along the Rivanna River. Wealthy planters, like Harvie, were set apart from common farmers by their fine furnishings and luxurious clothing. They consumed tea, coffee, sugar and wine. Another significant aspect of planters lives were their collections of books. When he died, Harvie had 189 books, as well as books that he had lent to neighbors and a number of French and Latin books. Harvie was one of the founders of the Loyal Company of Virginia. John Lewis was the key founder. Others included Peter Jefferson, Thomas Walker, and Joshua Fry, who surveyed the land for the land grant and, like Harvie, also settled in Albemarle County. On July 12, 1748, a grant of 800,000 acres was made to the company. Harvie and Jefferson were early settlers of Albemarle and had already settled there by the time of this grant. Jefferson arrived in 1737 when there were only one or two other settlers. Harvie lived near Peter Jefferson and Dr. Thomas Walker of Castle Hill, places that
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
knew well.


Thomas Jefferson's guardian

Harvie was a friend of Peter Jefferson and upon his death, Harvie became the "active executor" of Jefferson's estate and the guardian of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
. He managed the household and family expenses from 1757, the year of Peter Jefferson's death, to 1765. The earliest known letter from Thomas was written to Harvie on February 14, 1760 from Shadwell. Thomas expressed an interest in attending
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...
to "get a more universal Acquaintance." Jefferson was earnest in his belief that going away to school would allow him to more effectively focus on his education.


Personal life

He married Martha Gaines (November 11, 1719–October 7, 1801), the daughter of Col. Daniel Gaines and related to
Edmund Pendleton Gaines Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) was a career United States Army officer who served for nearly fifty years, and attained the rank of major general by brevet. He was one of the Army's senior commanders during its format ...
. They had the following children: Richard,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
, Daniel, William, Martha, Elizabeth, Janet, and Mary. Harvie died in 1767.
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
inherited Belmont and remained in Virginia. Martha, left with an unexceptional estate, ensured that her children had good educations and socialized with members of the "most polished society". In the 1780s, Martha and all of her children except John moved
Wilkes County, Georgia Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,593. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and c ...
. They lived two miles from the Broad River and on the eastern side of Long Creek.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvie, John 1707 births 1767 deaths American people of Scottish descent People from Albemarle County, Virginia Thomas Jefferson 18th-century American people