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THIS OLD HOUSE
This house was built by Kate Moses sometime after her
husband, Joseph (Joe) Morgan Moses, died in 1878. Kate (nee: Catherine Spiller Graves) was born to Catherine Spiller Boxley
and Jeremiah Graves of Louisa County, VA on May 22, 1834. Kate married Joe Moses on June 12, 1859. Kate & Joe had no children.
Kate died November 24, 1914, here in this house.
Kate was a schoolteacher for many years. She rode
a mule to the school at Level Run every day. She also farmed with the help of two black boys.
When Kate was old, she went blind and was not able to care for herself. She asked her nephew, William
W. Moses, Jr., who had 11 children and an invalid wife, to move in with her. Four of his children had married and moved away
from home. W.W. Moses remodeled the house, added two rooms upstairs and the porches, and built the room on the left of the
house for Kate. Two of the Moses children, Julia (Mrs. John Anthony) and Bessie (Mrs. W.G. Wooding) were married here in the
house, probably in the old parlor.
Sometime after Kate died, W.W. Moses, sold the house
to John & Mary Barbour. They had no children. How long the Barbour’s lived in the house is not known, but the house
became known as the Mary E. Barbour Place.
On August 9, 1933, the house was sold at public auction
and, the highest bid of $3605.00 was made by Swanson Crews of Gretna, VA. R.M. Crews’ name was then substituted for
Swanson Crews on the bid. On November 18, 1933, R.M. Crews transferred his bid to John W. Johnson. On March 15, 1934 two of
J.W. Johnson’s sons, Clarence & Frank, moved into the house with Clarence’s wife, Sally, and his children,
Dorothy, Curtis, and Ralph, and began farming the land. The rest of the family, John’s wife, Julia, and daughters, Nola,
Julia, and Nancy moved from Gretna to the house on Christmas Day 1935. Mabel and Curtis had married and moved away from home.
Finally, on November 17, 1937 after John W. Johnson had paid all of the purchase price, the house and 200 acres of land
were deeded to him.
John & Julia lived in the house until their deaths.
John died on April 9, 1966. After his death, Mabel McKinney, his oldest daughter, spent much time in the house taking care
of her mother, who was bedridden for many years before her death on November 27, 1972. Both of them died in this house. Frank
died here at the house on May 13, 1973.
The house was vacant from November 1972 until July 1973.
Then Frank’s son, Leslie, and his wife, Annie Dudley (Willis) moved in the house with their children: Twins Mike &
Mark and Sonya and Selina. Leslie & Willis lived in the house until after the death of Frank’s wife, Onie, on December
30, 1985. After Leslie & Willis moved, the house was rented for about one year to the Wades. It then sat empty for almost
2 years until another of Frank’s sons, Gerald, moved into it in September 1988.
On January 13, 1989, the children of Frank and Onie
Johnson, Sandra, Connie, Billy, Leslie, and Gerald, by a Deed of Gift, conveyed the house & 4.29 acres to Sandra Gayle
Johnson Waller. She named the house "The Homeplace." Gerald continued to live in the house and helped Sandra with the remodeling
until February 2000 when he bought a house and moved out. Sandra presently resides at The Homeplace.
On July 11, 1992, Larry James Waller, 2nd
Lt., USA, the oldest son of Sandra & Larry (Tom) Waller, married Sheilah Danielle Fulton, here in the house. The
marriage took place in the living room in front of the fireplace with 48 relatives & friends in attendance.
(To be continued)
KATE S. MOSES’
DEED TO
W. W. MOSES
THIS DEED made this 2nd day of April in the year one thousand nine hundred and Fourteen
between Kate S. Moses of the County of Pittsylvania, State of Virginia, party of the first part and W. W. Moses of Pittsylvania
County, party of the second part.
WITNESSETH: That in consideration of the sum of Thirty Six Hundred Dollars and a further consideration
that said Kate S. Moses reserves the right and privileges of a home as long as she may live, the said Kate S. Moses do grant
unto the said W. W. Moses with General Warranty, all that certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in the County of
Pittsylvania County, Virginia, near Hurt, Va. known as the Home tract of land of Mrs. Kate S. Moses containing Two Hundred
(200) acres be the same more or less, and bounded as follows, to wit: On the North by Dews Road, on the East and South by
lands of J.B. Stone, Kelly, Cook and others, and on the West by Ward’s Road.
The said Grantor covenants that she has the right to convey the said land to the grantee; that she has done
no act to encumber the said land; that the grantee shall have quiet possession of the said land, free from all encumbrances,
and that she, the said party of the first part, will execute such further assurance of the said land as may be requisite.
Witness the following signature and seal:
Kate S. Moses (SEAL)
State of Virginia
County of Pittsylvania, to wit:
I, R. B. Dawson, a Notary Public for the County aforesaid, in the State of Virginia, do certify that Kate S. Moses, whose
name is signed to the foregoing writing, bearing date on the 2nd day of April 1914, has acknowledged the same before
me in my County aforesaid.
Given under my hand, this 2nd day of April 1914.
R. B. Dawson, N. P.
My commission expires March 2nd 1916.
Virginia: In the Clerk’s Office of Pittsylvania Circuit Court at the Courthouse thereof, on the 4th day
of April 1914, at 10:30 o’clock A.M., the foregoing writing, upon its certification of acknowledgment was admitted to
record.
Teste: S. S. Hurt, Clerk
Source: Deed Book 144, page 30
Pittsylvania County Court House
DEED OF J. W. JOHNSON
THIS DEED made this the 17th day of November, 1937, between N.E. Clement, Special Commissioner of the Circuit
Court of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in the chancery cause of the Federal Land Bank of Baltimore v. W.W. Moses, Jr., and
others, party of the first part: and J.W. Johnson, party of the second part.
Whereas, the above styled cause, pending in said court, was brought by the complainant, The Federal Land Bank of Baltimore,
for the purpose of enforcing the mortgage lien against the land hereinafter conveyed, all of which is fully set out and explained
in the bill and proceedings of said cause; and
Whereas, at the July Term, 1933 of the Circuit Court of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the said N.E. Clement and I.P. Whitehead
were appointed Special Commissioners, either one of whom could act, to sell said land pursuant to the terms of said decree;
and
Whereas, the said N.E. Clement is the only one of said two parties who qualified as commissioner to sell said land; and
Whereas, he did on the 9th day of August, 1933, pursuant to the terms of said decree, offer said land for sale;
and
Whereas, Swanson Crews, being the highest bidder, became the purchaser thereof at the price of $3605.00, which, by another
report and agreement pursuant thereof, R.M. Crews was substituted in place and stead of the said Swanson Crews; and
Whereas, on November 18, 1933, the said R.M. Crews transferred his bid for said land to the party of the second part, all
three of said reports having been filed in the above styled cause, and by decree entered in said cause, the said sale was
confirmed to the party of the second part, who complied with the terms of sale, as provided in said decree; and
Whereas, by decree entered in the said cause on the 15th day of January 1934, the party of the first part was
appointed Special Commissioner to convey said land to the part of the second part by deed with special warranty of title when
all of said purchase money has been paid; and
Whereas, the part of the second part has paid all of the said purchase money, now therefore this deed;
WITNESSETH: That for and in consideration of the premises, and for the further consideration that the party of the second
part has paid unto the party of the first part all of said purchase price of $3605.00, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged
by the party of the first part, the said party of the first part hereby grants and conveys unto the party of the second part,
with special warranty of title, that certain tract of land lying in Staunton River Magisterial District of Pittsylvania County,
Virginia, fronting on Ward’s Road, between Hill Grove and Staunton River Bridge, and on Dews Road, adjoining the lands
of Stone and others, containing 200 acres, more or less, it being the Mary E. Barber Place, and formerly owned by W.W. Moses,
Jr.
WITNESS the following signature and seal:
(STAMPS) N.E. Clement (SEAL) Special Commissioner
State of Virginia
County of Pittsylvania, to wit:
I, Mary Dunn, a notary public in and for the County and State aforesaid, do hereby certify that N.E. Clement, Special Commissioner,
whose name is signed to the foregoing deed, bearing date on the 17th day of November, 1937, has personally appeared
before me within my County and State aforesaid and acknowledged the same.
Given under my hand this the 17th day of November, 1937. Source: Deed Book 238, page 180
My commission expires the 30th day of April, 1938. Pittsylvania County Court House
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