Hook, John, 1745-1808

Scottish merchant and Tory, of Hale's Ford (Franklin Co.), Va.

From the description of John Hook papers, 1737-1889; (bulk 1770-1848). (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 19793632

John Hook (1745-1808) came to Virginia at the age of twelve or thirteen years in 1758 as a clerk for William and James Donald, Scotch merchants and ship owners of Greenock, Scotland. He later married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Colonel John Smith of Goochland to which union six children, at least, were born: Henry Hook (1775-1811), who was educated at William and Mary but died young of alcoholism; John Hook, Jr., a physician who died mysteriously in 1807 in Nashville, Tennessee; Elizabeth, who married Christopher Clark, an attorney and U.S. Representative from Virginia (1804-1806) of Bedford County, Va., and had at least six children of her own; Charlotte, who married Dr. Samuel Griffin first, and had at least four children, and married second William Shrewsbury; Margaret (d. 1822), who married Thomas West, had one daughter, and probably married Smithson H. Davis second; and Catherine, who married Bowker Preston and had at least four children.

Hook's career as a merchant is reflected clearly in his papers after 1771 when he entered into partnership with David Ross, but the place and number of branch stores operated are not always clear. From 1771 to 1784, his main store was located at New London in Campbell County, and during that period and later, he operated a store at Bedford Court House and another known as the Falling River Store in Bedford County. In 1784, he moved to Hale's Ford (also spelled Hailsford), Franklin County. Here he operated a store, a distillery, a blacksmith shop, and three plantations: one on which he lived at Hale's Ford, another one probably more valuable called Maggotty because of its location on Maggotty Creek in Franklin County, and another known as Burksfork in Montgomery County.

Following the Revolutionary War, a significant portion of Hook's life was devoted to the sequestration proceedings instituted against him by David Ross. This suit remained in the courts from 1791 until 1850, long after the death of both principals. The sequestration trials began after Ross criticized Hook's numerous lawsuits, brought against his debtors after the Revolutionary War when the latter were unable to repay. In one case, Hook sued an army commissary, Venable, who had taken Hook's cows for troops in 1781. (Venable was defended by Patrick Henry, whose speech against Hook only added to Hook's unpopularity as a Tory.) When the sequestration proceedings began in 1791, Hook began repeated trips to Richmond and hired lawyers such as James Innes, Edmund Randolph, Philip Norbonne Nicholas, John Marshall, and Patrick Henry. He also attempted to obtain William R. Davie. Following his death, William Wirt and Benjamin Watkins Leigh were employed by his heirs. The suit resulted in Hook's store, distillery, and shop being locked by the sequestrators, as well as an attempt to haul his property eighteen miles from Hale's Ford to the court house for public auction. It also led to animosity towards him in the community.

Another significant portion of the collection centers around the activities of Bowker Preston, Hook's son-in-law, whose mercantile firm was Davis and Preston at Goose Creek (later called Davis Mills) in Bedford County. This firm, composed of Preston and Smithson H. Davis, seemed to prosper until the panic of 1819, after which time it was continued for a while but under great difficulty. After 1819, John O. Leftwhich entered the firm, and by 1830 it appears that all partners were almost bankrupt.

From the guide to the John Hook Papers, 1737-1889, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)