Age - Over 60
Section -
ID - 87 Birth -1769 Death -1838
Gender - Male
Veteran -
Data -
[1] John Coalter (August 20, 1771 – February 2, 1838) was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He was a tutor in the family of Judge St. George Tucker in Williamsburg and studied law at the College of William and Mary in 1789. After graduation he settled in Staunton, Virginia and practiced law there. After being Commonwealth’s Attorney for several years, he was appointed to the General District court for Staunton in 1809. On May 11, 1811, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. He owned Chatham Manor near Fredericksburg, Virginia.[1] About 1821, he moved to Richmond, Virginia where he lived until his death on February 2, 1838.
Coalter died in Richmond and was buried at Chatham Manor, but his remains were later moved across the Rappahannock River to the cemetery of St. George’s Church in Fredericksburg. His and his last father-in-law’s demise led to legal complications, as his widow Hannah Coalter wanted to free the slaves she inherited, which was not permitted at the time, although was permitted in a will, which she had drafted and redrafted by acclaimed lawyers before she died in 1857.
[2] John COALTER Judge (Va.
Born August 20, 1769 [location unknown]
Son of Michael Coalter and Elizabeth Moore
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of Anne Frances Bland Tucker married June 5, 1802 [location unknown]
Father of Elizabeth Tucker Coalter
Died February 2, 1838 in Chatham, VA
[3]William and Mary – John Tyler letter to him in 1834
John Tyler, Senate Chamber [Washington, D.C.], to John Coalter, Fredericksburg, Va. Appreciates the honor conferred upon him by the citizens of Fredericksburg which was sent by him [JC]; his motives in the public office have been to uphold the Constitution and the laws and to restrain executive power; those maintaining opposite opinions have been diminished due to “that event which has transpired since many of the elections took place”; regrets inability to meet with them. 2 pp.
[4] He attended Liberty Hall Academy (now Washington and Lee University). He became tutor to the children of St. George Tucker and studied law. He returned to Augusta County where he practiced law. He was appointed sheriff in 1791 and clerk of the District Court in 1793, was appointed judge of the Circuit Superior Court of Law in 1809, and a judge of the Court of Appeals in 1811, serving until 1831. Coalter was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. He married first Maria Rind in 1790; second, Margaret Davenport in 1795; third, Anne Frances Bland Tucker June 5,1802; and fourth Hannah Harrison Jones February 14,1822. He had at least three children by his third wife.
Died at Chatham, his estate in Stafford County, Virginia.
[5] Virginia Herald
[6] Judge Coalter was born in Rockbridge County on August 20th, 1771. He was the son of Michael Coalter and Elizabeth Moore, daughter of James Moore.
He was a tutor in the family of Judge Saint George Tucker in Williamsburg and studied law in William and Mary College. In 1789, he took a course under Chancellor Wythe and Bishop Madison, president of institution. After completing his law course he settled near Staunton and practiced law. He was very much reduced in circumstances and at first used to walk to his courts with clothes and papers in a bag on his shoulders.
At first he was attorney for the commonwealth and in 1809, he was appointed a Judge of the General Court. On May 11, 1811, he was promoted to the Court of Appeals. About 1821, he went to Richmond to live and soon after purchased Chatham in Stafford County, (opposite Fredericksburg) on the Kings Highway, Route #37. Judge Coalter resided at Chatham until his death which occurred on February 2, 1838.
Charles Augustus Murray, grandson of Lord Dunmore has drawn in his “Travels”, 1839 a flattering picture of Judge Coalter in these picturesque surroundings. In this picture his face denoted frankness, energy and shrewdness.
Judge Coalter married three times (1) Maria Rind, daughter of William Rind of Williamsburg, Editor of one of the Virginia Gazettes published in that City at the time of the Revolution.
He married (2) Margaret Davenport of Williamsburg and (3) Frances Bland Tucker daughter of Judge Saint George Tucker. By his last wife he left issue.
When Washington Irving was here collecting information for his Life of Washington Judge Coalter took him to Chatham to dinner. It was in the spring and he had for dinner jowl, turnip salad, poached eggs and corn pone, and dried cherry roll and hard sauce for desert.
In the year 1796, a petition was presented to the General Assembly of Virginia for permission to build a toll bridge across the Rappahannock river to Fredericksburg from the lower line of land of Chatham. This was granted and records indicate that it was a toll bridge and owned by private parties for nearly a century, and yet when the city purchased the bridge it had been owned by only three people, William Fitzhugh, Judge John Coalter and Charles S. Scott. The bridge was formerly known as the “Chatham Bridge” but it is now call the Free Bridge as there is no longer any toll charge.
In 1861, the bridge was destroyed by fire.
In 1889, by a flood.
In 1890, the site was purchased by the City of Fredericksburg and they erected the present iron bridge which is about 1000 feet long.
Sources
[1] wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coalter\
[2] wikitree http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/COaLTER-9
[3] https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/17938
http://scdb.swem.wm.edu/?p=creators/creator&id=472
[4] Findagrave
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8281285
[5] References in Virginia Herald
Married H. Williamson 16 Feb 1822 3×2
Posted Chatham 21 Jan 1824 3×4
‘Green Bottom’ For Sale 3 Aug 1825 3×5
Owner Of Chatham Bridge 20 Dec 1828 3×4
Chatham Bridge Repaired 25 Jun 1828 3×3
Owner Of Chatham Bridge 27 Jun 1829 3×5
Rappahannock Canal President 18 May 1833 3×3
Chatham Bridge Notice 19 Jan 1833 3×4
Political Committeeman 14 May 1834 3×2
U. S. Mine Director 20 Aug 1834 2×5
Bank Director 22 Jan 1834 3×4
Repaired Chatham Bridge 4 Feb 1835 3×3
Railroad Comm. 17 Oct 1835 3×3
Member Agri. Soc. 22 Apr 1835 3×3
Member Vigilance Comm. 23 Sep 1835 3×3
[6] Sue Gordon – http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/fredericksburg/cemeteries/stgeorgesch.txt
Notes