Eltham is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in New Kent County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. Located along state routes 30, 33, and

249 __NOTOC__ Year 249 ( CCXLIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gavius and Aquilinus (or, less frequently, year 1002 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 24 ...

in modern times, it is slightly west of the town of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. It was named for the Eltham slave plantation, across from West Point on the nearby

Pamunkey River The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York Ri ...

Eltham Plantation

Captain William Bassett (1630 to August 28, 1671) was from the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

in England, and was given a contract to build a fort at

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent British colonization of the Americas, English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about southwest of present-day Willia ...

. He married Bridget Cary, daughter of Colonel Miles Cary, of Southampton, England. He received the patent for Eltham Plantation and lands in 1647. As a minor, his son, later Colonel William Bassett, had a brick mansion built in New Kent County, Virginia, that was named "Eltham", after the Bassett family home in England. Colonel William Bassett (1671 - 1725) married Joanna Burwell, daughter of Lewis Burwell (1652 – c. 1710). Their son, also named William Bassett, married Elizabeth Churchill. Their son, Burwell Bassett (March 3, 1734 - January 4, 1793), married Anna Maria "Fanny" Bassett (1739–1777), sister to

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 Old Style, O.S. – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the ...

, and inherited Eltham slave plantation upon the death of his father.

Burwell Bassett Burwell Bassett, Jr. (March 18, 1764 – February 26, 1841) was an American planter and politician from New Kent County and for two decades from Williamsburg in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like his father, he served in both chambers of the ...

, Jr. (1788-1841), then inherited Eltham slave plantation upon the death of his father. He was a member of congress for thirty years, and died in 1841. At this time, the slave plantation passed to his brother, John Bassett (1768-1826). His son was George Washington Bassett, and his wife, Bettie Carter Brown, then inherited the plantation. Their son, George Washington Bassett, Jr., inherited the slave plantation. After the Civil War, the plantation home burned. Eltham Plantation was owned by William Burwell Bassett and his wife, Anna Maria Dandridge, the sister of

. Martha's husband, General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

galloped from Yorktown to Eltham on November 5, 1781, to the bedside of his stepson,

John Parke Custis John Parke Custis (November 27, 1754 – November 5, 1781) was an American planter class, planter and politician. Custis was a son of Martha Washington, Martha Dandridge Custis (later Washington) and Daniel Parke Custis, and later, the stepson o ...

, who had contracted camp fever during the Yorktown Campaign and subsequently died at the Pamunkey River plantation.

Eltham Manor Eltham Manor is a historic estate located near Bassett, Henry County, Virginia. It was built in 1936 by William McKinley Bassett, and is a Colonial Revival brick dwelling. The manor is named for the Burwell Bassett family home, "Eltham Planta ...

Bassett, Virginia Bassett is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henry County, Virginia, Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,100 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Martinsville micropolitan area. The town was founded along a rail line ...

, is named for this plantation.

Eltham's Landing

Eltham Landing played a prominent role for Union forces as a port during the 1862

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The manor house was destroyed by fire in 1876. The '' New Kent - Charles City Chronicle'' is published here.

References

Bibliography

* Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC
Battle Summaries: Eltham's Landing
n.d.

>. Abstract: The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) of the U.S. National Park Service presents the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) battle summary of the Battle of Eltham's Landing, which was fought in New Kent County, Virginia. The summary of the inconclusive battle notes other names for the battle, its location, the campaign it was a part of, dates, commanders, forces engaged, estimated casualties, and battle description. * Crocker, Amanda N
Eltham Village
2006. Notes: Cover title. Prepared for the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Virginia Commonwealth University. "The New Kent Comprehensive Plan designates seven areasa to capture future growth within the county. The Eltham area in the northeastern portion of the county is one of these designated areas."—8. * Geological Survey (U.S.)
Virginia, New Kent Quadrangle, 1930
Washington, D.C.: The Survey, 1930. Notes: This area can also be found on the following quadrangles: King and Queen Court House, New Kent, Truhart, West Point (all 7.5 minute series). Relief shown by contours and spot heights. "Contour interval on land 20 feet, with the 10 foot contour added; datum is mean sea level; contour interval off shore 20 feet, with 5 and 10 foot contour added." Shows marsh areas and bathymetry. R.B. Marshall, chief geographer, W.H. Herron, geographer in charge; topography by J.I. Gayetty nd others underwater contours based on U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey charts; control by U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. "Surveyed in cooperation with the War Department and with the state of Virginia." "First published in 1919." Description of USGS topographic maps on verso. Description: 1 map : color ; 45 x 36 cm on sheet 51 x 42 cm. Cartographic Mathematical Data: Scale 1:62,500. * Hosfield, Richard H. 2011
"The Battle of Eltham's Landing"
Historical Society of West Point, Va. Bulletin. 4, no. 1:. * Johnson, Kelly. 2014
"Eltham Plantation"
New Kent Historical Society Newsletter. 2-6. Notes: Includes facsimile and photographs (some color). Other owners and/or occupants of the plantation included John Parke Custis, Burwell Bassett, John Bassett, George Washington Bassett, Union General William B. Franklin, R. T. Lacy, and the Taylor family. Eltham was the site of the death of John Parke Custis. * Palmer, William A
The Battle of Eltham's Landing: May 7, 1862
2012. * Washington, George
Letter: Philadelphia, to Burwell Bassett Esqr., Eltham in New Kent Cty., Virginia
1775. Notes: Autograph letter signed, part of a separate cover, franked by G.W., laminated, watermarked (LVG surmounted by crown and powder horn, & IV). Name on original manuscript appears as "G. Washington." Writings, III, 296-8. Papers of George Washington - Reel#6. Abstract: "I am now Imbarked on a tempestuous Ocean, from whence perhaps, no friendly harbour is to be found. I have been called upon by the unanimous voice of the Colonies to the Command of the Continental Army. It is an honour by no means aspired to. It is an honour I wished to avoid, as well from an unwillingness to quit the peaceful enjoyment of my Family, as from a thorough conviction of my own Incapacity and want of experience in the conduct of so momentous a concern ... I can answer but for three things, a firm belief of the justice of our Cause, close attention in the prosecution of it, and the strictest Integrity"—Fears for the cause and for his character if he fails—Congress in Committee have consented to a Continental Currency & have ordered 2 million dollars to be struck off for payment of troops & other expenses of defence—15,000 men voted as a Continental army, & he hopes more will be voted—other high officers not named yet—asks him and Mrs. Bassett to visit Mt. Vernon and take Mrs. W. down to lthamwith them—uneasy at leaving her alone at Mount Vernon. {{authority control Unincorporated communities in New Kent County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Plantation houses in Virginia