| |
James Trotter of Scotland emigrated
to Brunswick County Virginia, where he married Ann
about 1743. They had five sons and one daughter. The
two oldest sons, George and Isham were Revolutionary
War heroes and are chronicled in Virginia archives.
William, the third son, born in 1753, moved to Person
County, North Carolina in 1784, one year after the
death of his father James. William and his wife Nancy
had ten children. The oldest son James was grandfather
of V.J. Trotter, who built the Trotter House in Monticello.
James was originally a schoolteacher and then became
a farmer. It is notable that this wife, Mary Draper,
was the granddaughter of Solomon Draper, an Englishman,
who at age eighteen was deported to Virginia as a
felon for stealing a horse. After 14 years of servitude,
Solomon immediately bought 300 acres of farmland,
suggesting that he may have married the daughter of
his indenturer. The James Trotter family moved to
Summerville, Tennessee in 1836 where they had a farm
about twenty five miles east of Memphis. James himself
died in 1840, and it was rumored that he "died
the death of a drunkard", however, this is not
confirmed. James's son, Henry J. Trotter, then assisted
his mother, Mary (Draper), in running the farm. Besides
Henry J., there were nine other children, William
B., Maritia, Ann, Solomon, Mary M., Green, Cornelia,
Elizabeth-Susan, and Thomas. In 1852 Mary and all
the family except William B. left the farm in Tennessee
with the intention of settling in Daingerfield, Texas
with her daughter-in-law's family, the Orange Connors.
(Orange was so named because of his Protestant Irish
origins.) Unfortunately, the Saline and Ouachita Rivers
were continuously flooded for a two year period. The
Trotter family stopped north of Monticello, but when
the flood waters did not recede they decided to homestead
in Arkansas. Their farm about 6 miles north of Monticello
raised mostly cotton. Henry J. was an energetic entrepreneur
and soon bought a cotton gin which serviced many of
the local farms. The cost of this gin was $500 as
attested by a bill from the Memphis dealer! Henry
J.'s wife, Malvina Connor, was a strong believer in
education and well read in the classics. There were
six children, John Rufus, William Cicero, Henry Juan,
Virgil Josephus, and Mary Caledonia. Although the
nearest rail or steamboat access was fifty miles away,
three of the sons graduated from college, a very unusual
occurrence at that time. Cicero received an M.D. from
the University of Louisville, Henry Juan a doctorate
of religion from Vanderbilt, and John a degree in
Latin from Vanderbilt. It is ironic that Virgil went
only through the fifth grade, but later was to be
president of Monticello School Board. Henry J. (the
elder) was a practical man, but like his father and
grandfather was heavily involved with the Methodist
Church. Each generation had given land to the church
in their respective states of North Carolina, Tennessee,
and Arkansas for a "meeting house". When
the Civil War broke out, he forbade any of his sons
entering the military, stating that "the South
should listen to Lincoln, and free the slaves".
He himself did have several slaves, and the fact that
they kept the Trotter name indicates they were at
least decently treated. One of the best known slave
descendants was Wiley Trotter, a black veterinarian
who lived in Drew County for over 100 years!
The Trotter House was built by Virgil Josephus Trotter
shortly before his marriage to Willie Ada Ford in
1896. He had left the farm and joined in partnership
with J.D. McCloy in Monticello. The mercantile business
which he co-founded in 1887 remained in continuous
business until sold to the Van Atkins chain in 1962.
The original house was twice enlarged as the family
of eight children required more space. The house was
said to be the first in Monticello with an indoor
sanitary sewage system, and at one time was lighted
by illuminating gas. The original heating was by individual
fireplaces in the various rooms, and these were still
used until about 1950 when gas heaters were installed.
The large attic was once used as a roller skating
rink by Juan and Henry, and it was not unusual to
find the boys running about on the roof of the adjacent
carriage house. A fig tree in the back yard sank its
roots beneath the original three-holer toilet in the
carriage house, and still bears fruit today. Virgil
Josephus Trotter lived to age 100, dying at the home
in 1956. None of his direct descendents are now living
in Drew County, although there are grandchildren of
his Uncle Green Trotter still in the area, and a grandson,
Henry Trotter, runs the Ford dealership in Pine Bluff.
The oldest son of V.J., Virgil Juan lived in the Trotter
House from birth in 1897 until his death September
25, 1994. A grandson, Reginald Trotter, who now lives
in France, is a frequent guest at
The Trotter House.
|
|
