Warner, Lewis and Washington Descendants Celebrate the Legacy of Their Ancestors at Warner Hall
Gloucester, VA (PRWEB) July 31, 2013 -- The manor house at the Inn at Warner Hall came alive with history Saturday, July 27.
Living history set the stage for the 1781 Colonial Dinner hosted by Col. Warner Lewis and his wife, Eleanor Bowles Gooch Lewis, interpreted in present day by Warren and Becky Deal of Gloucester.
Colonial music filled the drawing room. Ladies swished around in gowns and petticoats. The boots of Revolutionary War soldiers echoed across the hard, wood floors. And the smells from recipes inspired by “Dining With the Washingtons” overwhelmed the dining room.
The Inn at Warner Hall in Gloucester, Virginia hosted an Ancestral Homecoming Weekend, Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28, that brought together more than 50 descendants of the Warner, Lewis and Washington families to get to know each other, learn more about their heritage and the ways of life of their ancestors.
“The history of Warner Hall is unique,” said Troy Stavens, who lovingly restored and runs the Inn at Warner Hall with wife and fellow Innkeeper, Theresa. “There is no other spot in the world that can tie George Washington, the father of our country, Queen Elizabeth II, the current Queen of England, Robert E. Lee, of Civil War fame, and Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark. They all are direct descendants of the Warner and Lewis clans of Warner Hall.”
Friday evening, Fairfield Foundation Archaeologists David Brown and Thane Harpole presented a program on 18th century life at Warner Hall and signed their book, “Warner Hall – Story of a Great Plantation.” The archeological finds – rare window lead dating to 1688, a wine bottle seal dating to the early 1700’s, belt buckles, stoneware and stemware, among other artifacts – from their digs around Warner Hall were on display throughout the weekend.
Saturday, descendants followed in the footsteps of their Warner and Lewis ancestors who founded and expanded Warner Hall throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, in a private tour of Colonial Williamsburg.
“To be able to trace your lineage, your family history, back hundreds of years is a special gift,” said Theresa Stavens, whose passion for hospitality may only be rivaled by her love of celebrating ancestral roots. “We were delighted to orchestrate this family reunion and honored to watch our guests literally walk in the same footsteps as their ancestors.”
A tour of the Purton Farm on the York, the home place of John Smith and Mary Warner Smith, and White Marsh Plantation – private house and grounds described by Gen. Robert E. Lee as the most beautiful place he’d ever seen –rounded out the afternoon before returning to Warner Hall for an 18th Century Dinner featuring costume, music and customs of the day.
The program Saturday evening featured special presentations, including the preservation efforts underway for the ancient John Lewis Family Cemetery in King and Queen County and “From the Beginning: Warner and Lewis Family English Origins,” by descendant and researcher, Richard Weaver.
Sunday morning, the descendants traveled to Jamestown Memorial Church for a service that honored their 17th and 18th century Virginia ancestors. Father Kevin Sweeney, Vicar of St. James Anglican Church at Historic Abingdon Glebe, led the service.
***Photos by Sara Harris of Sara Harris Photography.
About The Inn at Warner Hall:
Ideally situated at the head of the Severn River in Gloucester County, the manor house at Warner Hall stands on a neck of land occupied and built upon continually from the mid-17th century. The original six-hundred-acre plantation site was established by Augustine Warner as a "land grant" from the British Crown. Augustine Warner received the acreage in exchange for bringing twelve settlers across the Atlantic Ocean to the Jamestown Settlement.
The two families associated with the property from this early period until well into the 19th century, the Warners and the Lewises, were among the most prominent families in Colonial Virginia. Some of the most recognized names in American history are direct descendants of Augustine Warner – George Washington, the first president of the United States, Robert E. Lee, the most famous Civil War General and Captain Meriwether Lewis, renowned American explorer of the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch of England, is a direct descendent of Augustine Warner through the Bowes-Lyon family and the Earl of Strathmore. In England, Warner Hall is referred to as "The home of the Queen’s American ancestors."
For Theresa and Troy Stavens, the current stewards of Warner Hall and the Inn’s owners, Warner Hall is a dream come true. Their passion for hospitality and historic preservation led them to Warner Hall where they saw the perfect opportunity to use their financial management and marketing skills to preserve an historical property and pursue their real passion – making people happy.
Stephanie Heinatz, Inn at Warner Hall, http://www.warnerhall.com, 757.713.2199, [email protected]
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