Wilson Miles Cary

Wilson-Miles Cary
Wilson-Miles Cary
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Elizabeth City County
	In office; November 10, 1795 – December 27, 1796 Serving with Miles King
Preceded by	George Wray
Succeeded by	George Booker
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Warwick County
	In office; May 5, 1783 – January 11, 1787 Serving with Cole Digges, John Langhorne, Richard Cary Jr.
Preceded by	Edward Harwood
Succeeded by	John Scarsbrooke Langhorne
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Fluvanna County
	In office; May 5, 1777 – December 21, 1778 Serving with Thomas Napier
Succeeded by	George Thompson
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Elizabeth City County
	In office; October 7, 1776 – December 21, 1776 Serving with Henry King
Succeeded by	Miles King; Worlich Westwood
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Elizabeth City County
	In office; 1766–1772 Serving with George Wythe, James Wallace
Preceded by	William Wager
Succeeded by	Henry King; Worlich Westwood
Personal details
Born	1733; Richneck Plantation, Warwick County, Colony of Virginia
Died	November 25, 1817 (aged 83–84); Carysbrook Plantation, Fluvanna County, Virginia
Political party	Federalist
Spouses	Sarah Blair (m. 1759; died 1799); Rebecca Dawson (m. 1802);
Children	3 daughters and 2 sons
Relatives	Miles Cary II (grandfather); Miles Cary (great grandfather);
Alma mater	College of William and Mary
Occupation	Naval officer; magistrate; planter; politician;

Wilson-Miles Cary (1733 – November 30, 1817) was an American politician from Virginia. He was a prominent patriot in the American Revolutionary War. Once one of the wealthiest men in the Colony of Virginia, Cary served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and later the Virginia House of Delegates as a Federalist that represented at various times Warwick County, Elizabeth City County (modern Hampton) and the newly created Fluvanna County. Cary also built Carysbrook Plantation in Fluvanna County, where he died in the household of his grandson Wilson Jefferson Cary (who would continue the family's legislative tradition five years later).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Biography

Early life

Wilson-Miles Cary was born into the First Families of Virginia, on Richneck Plantation. He was the son of Sarah and Wilson Cary, who was a son of Miles Cary II, a politician who owned plantations in Warwick County and Elizabeth City County. Cary was educated at the College of William and Mary.^[3]^[4]

Career

Cary began his public career in 1757, when he became one of the justices of the peace for Warwick County, as well as won election to the Warwick Parish vestry.^[5] The next year he accepted the position of lieutenant colonel in the local militia, and in 1761 succeeded his father as naval officer for the lower district of the James River (a lucrative customs post).^[3]

In 1762, Cary moved his family eastward on the major road connecting Williamsburg and the great Hampton Roads port, into Elizabeth City County. They resided at what was called Ceelys on the James (after a family that owned the area in the late 17th century). Cary became a justice of the peace of the Elizabeth City County court, and would serve for nearly four decades (the justices collectively ruling counties in that era). Cary also became colonel of its militia. Cary was Anglican, and was elected in 1767 to be a vestryman of St. John's in Elizabeth City Parish.^[3]^[6]

Elizabeth City County voters elected Cary to succeed burgess William Wager, and Cary served alongside his probable teacher George Wythe until 1769, when James Wallace succeeded Wythe, then Cary and Wallace jointly served as Elizabeth City's burgesses until 1772.^[7] Cary resumed his legislative service during the American Revolutionary War, serving in the final revolutionary convention May 6 – July 6, 1776 alongside Henry King, then King and Cary jointly represented Elizabeth City County in the first session of the Virginia House of Delegates that began on October 7, 1776.^[8] Then as Wythe became speaker of the House of Delegates, Cary began representing newly created Fluvanna County, and was re-elected along with Thomas Napier until 1778.^[9]

During the American Revolutionary War, as a consequence of Cary being a supporter of the patriot cause and the owner of a large number of slaves at several different plantations, his plantations were frequently raided by the British. At least 24 slaves left with the British after they came to Richneck Plantation.^[4]

After a year of no legislative service for Cary, Elizabeth City County voters elected him in 1780 as one of their delegates, but he was declared ineligible because of nonresidence.^[10] In as late as 1782, in the Virginia Census, Cary is listed as the owner of over 280 slaves.^[4] In 1783, Warwick County voters elected Cary as one of their delegates, and he won re-election twice, serving alongside two different neighbors until succeeded by his son (who did not win re-election).^[11] Cary again won re-election as one of Elizabeth City County's delegates in 1795 and re-election.^[12] Although his name is often written with a hyphen, the hyphen is absent from some contemporary records, including surviving Warwick County records.^[13] His great-grandson of the same names (who fought as a captain in the Confederate States Army and who later donated papers to the University of Virginia Library's Special Collections) did not hyphenate his name.^[14]

References

^ Tyler, Lyon G. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. I. p. 206.
^ Dorman, John Frederick. Adventures of Purse and Person. Vol. 3. p. 312.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bergstrom, Peter V. "Cary, Wilson-Miles (1733 or 1734-25 November 1817)". Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
^ ^a ^b ^c Harrison, Fairfax (1919). The Virginia Carys: An Essay in Geneaology. New York: The DeVinne Press. pp. 105–110 – via the Internet Archive.
^ Dunn, Richard, ed. (2002). Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription (Revised ed.). Willamsburg: The Jones House Association. p. 458.
^ Meade, William (1861). Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. Vol. I. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 235 – via the Internet Archive.
^ Leonard, Cynthia Miller, ed. (1978). The General Assembly of Virginia, July 30, 1619–January 11, 1978. Richmond: Virginia State Library. pp. 94, 97, 99. ISBN 9780884900085.
^ Leonard pp. 119, 122
^ Leonard pp. 125, 129
^ Leonard p. 137n3
^ Leonard pp. 151, 155, 158
^ Leonard pp. 199, 203
^ Dunn (ed.), p. 458
^ "Amnesty Oath". Encyclopedia of Virginia.

[1] Tyler, Lyon G. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. I. p. 206.

[2] Dorman, John Frederick. Adventures of Purse and Person. Vol. 3. p. 312.

[DVB-3] Bergstrom, Peter V. "Cary, Wilson-Miles (1733 or 1734-25 November 1817)". Dictionary of Virginia Biography.

[Ffx-4] Harrison, Fairfax (1919). The Virginia Carys: An Essay in Geneaology. New York: The DeVinne Press. pp. 105–110 – via the Internet Archive.

[5] Dunn, Richard, ed. (2002). Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription (Revised ed.). Willamsburg: The Jones House Association. p. 458.

[6] Meade, William (1861). Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. Vol. I. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 235 – via the Internet Archive.

[7] Leonard, Cynthia Miller, ed. (1978). The General Assembly of Virginia, July 30, 1619–January 11, 1978. Richmond: Virginia State Library. pp. 94, 97, 99. ISBN 9780884900085.

[8] Leonard pp. 119, 122

[9] Leonard pp. 125, 129

[10] Leonard p. 137n3

[11] Leonard pp. 151, 155, 158

[12] Leonard pp. 199, 203

[13] Dunn (ed.), p. 458

[14] "Amnesty Oath". Encyclopedia of Virginia.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]