William Minor Lile Letter November 1911

William Minor Lile seated

University of Virginia Law Library

University of Virginia

William Minor Lile was the first Dean at the University of Virginia Law School at Charlottesville, Virginia.  He was the Dean when James H Moran III, class of 1899, attended Law School. 

Lile was born in Alabama in 1859, the son of John A Lile and Louisa C Minor.  He married Maud Carson.  He began his tenure at UVA in 1893.  In addition to being the first Dean of the Law School he is considered the Father of the Law Library.  He was the founder of the Virginia Law Register and helped initiate the Virginia Law Review. He retired in 1932.  At his death in 1935 he was interred at the University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium.

Jim Moran must have kept in touch off and on with the Dean after his graduation in 1899.  He thought enough of Lile to tell him of his upcoming marriage to Virginia Shumate in November 1911 and to send him notices regarding his participation in local plays.  

Dean Lile thought enough of Jim to reply.

University of Virginia 

Charlottesville

Department of Law

Office of the Dean

Nov. 11, 1911

My dear Mr. Moran:

I have received the official notice of those delightful plays of yours, which you were kind enough to send me, and I cannot refrain from sending you a brief of congratulation. 

I am not a little gratified that you thought of me in the midst of your happiness.  I had lost sight of you, and have been wondering what had become of you. I hope you will bring your bride Virginia word(?) and give us an opportunity of knowing her, and of renewing acquaintance with you.

Sincerely Yours,

Wm. Lile

J.H.Moran, 99'

Football, Baseball, Chi Phi Fraternity 1899

Dear Brud:

Your letter received this morning and if you have no very serious objections to having your letter answered so soon will write you a few lines now.  I consider myself quite fortunate to receive letters from both you and Ide on the same day.  I don't understand what that good luck can mean, only hope you will keep it up.

That trip of yours to New York in the Governors private car certainly sound like a fairy tale, but of course I will pretend to believe it.  No I didn't get banged up very seriously when taken in the Chi Phi Fraternity but I can assure you that it took no little amount of nerve to live through the program.  My Fraternity is not one of the largest in college, but it is very select.  I consider myself very fortunate in being invited into it.

Yes I was green enough to try for the foot-ball team and had a good show for substitute quarter back, but thought it would be better for me  stop and try for the base-ball team next Spring as my chances are good for making it.

We are to play the Baltimore Medical College today.  I think the score will be very close and the chances are that we may be beaten-will sen you an account of the game when it comes out.

I think there is very little danger of Miss Delana and I ever getting up a case.  Sometimes I may fall in love with a girl six months or a year older than I but I draw the line when it is three or four years.  We are only good friends and I don't think Harriet will ever have any ground for complaint.  I have just returned from the foot-ball game which turned out to be a very exciting score was 0 to 0.

I will have to bring this letter to a close write soon.

With love to all,
Your brother Jim

Don't forget to send me the Enterprise and Sunday's American.

Photo Friday - ca 1900 University Of Virginia Football Player

In a recent post I shared a letter from Jim Moran to his father, John W. Moran.  The letter was written in November 1900 from the University of Virginia where Jim was studying law.  He told his father that for the first time in years he missed playing football although it did give him more time to put forth on his studies.

We came across a photograph of a football player from the University of Virginia so Jim obviously had friends on the team even though he no longer played. The photograph was taken at the studio of Rufus Holsinger in Charlottesville.  I've looked at photographs of the early teams that are available online but had no luck in identifying the man in the photograph.  So for now he remains unknown.

Football, Money, Health and Studies: Letter to Papa Nov 1900

James H. Moran was 21 and had left Dresden, TN to study law at the University of Virginia in 1900.  In this letter to his father he mentions an election defeat, football, the furniture bill, his studies and money.  Whether it's 1900 or 2013, letters to parents all seem the same.

Charlottesville, VA
Nov. 9-'00

Dear Papa:

Excitement over the election has caused me to be a little negligent in writing home; but as it is all over now I hope to be able to settle down to work and forget the bitterness of defeat.  I received your letter with the enclosed check Monday for which I thank you very much.  My furniture bill has not been settled yet but as soon as I get it will send it to you.

   

I am in excellent health except for a slight pain in my back which one of the medical students' says is caused by a weak kidney.  It will be alright I hope in a short time. This is the first time in years that I have missed playing foot-ball and although I have managed to do more studying I must confess, I don't believe it is caused from quitting the game.

Law grows more interesting but harder everyday.  At last I am beginning to appreciate the finer points of which the study is made up of completely.  Take a page from any of the books, read it over once and its all Dutch, the second time you get a faint idea; after that it grows plain.

We play Georgetown in Washington tomorrow week and I had thought of going over but am rather afraid to risk it now since one of our examinations is posted for the 5th of December.

I am glad to hear that you are all well and hope you shall continue so throughout the winter.

With love to all devotedly
        Your Son
            James H. Moran

Fraternally yours, Augustus W. Aston

Please note that I'll be updating this page with additional information about Gus and his family which has been graciously provided by Emily and Carter Baker.  Through the sharing of information from Moran Place I've made some online friends and acquaintances that have made me laugh, made me think, made me question and, well you get the idea.  Carter and Emily have done all that and more for me.   Should you come across this page and have an interest in learning more about my friend Gus Aston and his family, please contact Emily and Carter. (July 22, 2013).  Scroll down past the original post about Gus to see newly added pictures and information.

Friends were very important to the Moran family.   If you could see all of the pictures and correspondence we have about and from friends you'd know what I mean.  So many times we can't identify the friends and sometimes we are blessed with having an inscription on the photograph as in the case of Pierre Toutant Beauregard and Augustus "Gus" W. Aston.

Fraternally yrs
Augustus W. Aston
1900

Pierre and Gus were friends of James H. Moran III.  He also attended St Albans and the University of Virginia and that is where we believe the friendship developed. This photograph of Augustus Aston was found in a trunk in the attic at Moran Place.  On the back is the image of a woman from another picture that "bled" onto  Gus' picture.

You'd think having a name and date would make it easy but not always.  So I'll share the information I have about Gus Aston here.  Perhaps someone will come along and fill in the blanks.

His name is Augustus White ASTON.  The photograph was taken when he was attending the University of Virginia.  You can't see it very well but there is an imprint under the picture that says "University Store, Holsinger, Charlottesville VA".  Rufus W. Holsinger had a reputation for quality work and was a famous photographer.





According to Gus' world war I draft registration he was born July 21, 1875.  I have seen it listed in family trees as 1874.  I found references to him in Vol. 11 of Corks and Curls (1899), the yearbook for the University of Virginia.  He was a member of The St. Albans' School Club, the German Club, The Thirteen Club, and on page 192 he is listed, Augustus W. Aston of Meadow View.  Meadowview Virginia is where he lived.

I found an article in the Richmond Dispatch dated Sept. 14 1902.  There was a big party honoring the 11th Session of St Albans at Radford VA opening for the year.  Among the many attendees Gus Aston is listed and he was attending "stag".

In 1916 Gus was the best man at his niece's wedding in Knoxville TN.  From the Knoxville Daily Sentinel:  "This evening at 9 o'clock at the Church street M.E. church, South, the marriage of Miss Emily Stringfield KENNEDY and Mr. Ralph Victor THURSTON will be solemnized....Mr. Gus Aston, of Virginia, uncle of the bride, will serve as best man."  Emily KENNEDY's mother was Sarah Elizabeth ASTON, sister of Augustus White Aston, the subject in our picture.  Their parents were Augustus Washington ASTON and Emily Elizabeth KENDRICK.

Census Information:
1880- 5 years old living at home with his mother and siblings.  His father has died by this point.
1890 - the census that was lost to fire
1900 - he is living in Charlottesville VA and is listed as a "law student"
1910 - 34 years old living at home with his mother and sister.  Occupation is cashier.  I have seen in another reference that he was cashiering at the bank.  Later he became the president of "the county bank".  James Moran also became the bank president of the Dresden Bank which his family owned.
1920 - 44 years old and living with his sister.  Their mother has passed on.  Occupation is Banker and cashier
1930 - 54 years old, his sister Mary is still living with him.  His occupation is now listed as Farming.  I wonder if this had anything to do with the depression and so many banks crashing?  The Dresden Bank crashed as well and James Moran had moved on to other business endeavors.
1940 - 64 years old.  His sister Mary is still in the household and his brother William H Aston has joined them.  Augustus' occupation is now Postmaster.

And that is where the trail ends.  I did find him listed in some family trees with a date of death Sept 14, 1943 but I haven't been able to confirm that and I don't know where he is buried.  Drop me line if you can tell me when Augustus died and where he's buried.

Updated June 17 2013:  Thanks to EastPiney we now know that Gus is buried in the Aston Family Cemetery in Cedarview Virginia.  Here's the link to his memorial on Findagrave.

Updated July 26 2013:

Emily Elizabeth Kendrick
1835 - 1913

Augustus W. Aston
1815 - 1876

Gus' parents were Emily Elizabeth Kendrick, pictured in 1862, and Augustus Washington Aston.  Emily and A.W. were married in 1862 and made their home at Cedarville which is also the name of the community where they lived.

A.W. had purchased the house in 1860.  Before it became Cedarville and home to the Aston family the house had been an Inn and stopping point on the route going west through the Cumberland Gap.  If only houses could talk I'm sure it would have many interesting tales to tell us!

Cedarville, front view, post-1900

Cedarville, back view, post-1900

Emily and A.W. Aston had several children beginning in 1863 with the birth of James Samuel followed by William Houston, Sarah Elizabeth, George Crismon, Bennie and Mary Emily.  Augustus "Gus" was their last child born in 1874.  In addition to building a family with Emily, A.W. was busy building business partnerships usually with relatives.  He owned several stores with one being in McKinney, Texas.  Not willing to rest on his laurels A.W. built a gristmill at Cedarville just prior to his death in 1876.  On June 8, 1876, Augustus Washington Aston died leaving behind his widow Emily to raise their four surviving children and to carry on the operation of Cedarville and his many businesses.  A few years later the grist mill was torn down and the stones moved to the Aston Cemetery.  They have since been moved to a private farm. The mill was later re-opened in Meadowview by AW.'s son, Will, and operated as Aston Milling and Mercantile Co., Inc.

Pictures of Cedarville, Emily Elizabeth Kendrick Aston, and Augustus Washington Aston are used here with permission of Emily and Carter Baker who also provided me with the material for today's post.  Other posts will follow soon.