James Armistead Lafayette
James Armistead was born a slave in 1748 on William
Armistead's farm in New Kent County. In 1781, he received
permission from his master to volunteer with the American
forces under Marquis du Lafayette. James's intelligence and
work ethic caught the attention of the Marquis, who sent him
to enemy camps as a spy. He worked in the camps of
Benedict Arnold and Lord Cornwallis, and proved to be a
trusted servant - so trusted that Cornwallis sent James back to
Lafayette's camp employed as a British spy. James' assistance to Lafayette played a key role in setting the stage
for Washington's victory at Yorktown.
In 1786, James was granted money to buy his freedom by the Virginia legislature using a certificate Lafayette wrote in praise of "the essential services" James had provided him. He took the surname of LaFayette, obtained 40 acres of land in New Kent (St. Peter's Parish), and prospered until his death in 1830.
Announcements and Who's Who
We are accepting dues for 2012
Meeting Announcement
The New Kent Historical Society meeting was Sunday, November 20th at the Old Courthouse.
Jay Francisco gave an outstanding presentation on Cedar Grove Plantation.
Our next meeting will be the third Sunday of March.
We welcome our new Vice President, William Hodges, and Secretary, Michael Carr.
Suggested Web Sites:
www.co.new-kent.va.us/HistoricalSociety/June%202011%20NKHS%20Newsletter%20with%20corrections%20final.pdfnal.pdf
