Elizabeth Buckner Stith
Elizabeth Buckner Stith
b. 1700 d. 1756 Pictured at the right in c. 1748-1750. Enlargement. From The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation courtesy of Jon Alan Whitfield October 1998 |
Lineage from Elizabeth Buckner Stith to Alan Richard Scott
Cover Letter
Catalog Sheet describing the Picture
Markings on Back of Photograph:
Lineage from Elizabeth Buckner Stith to Alan Richard Scott
Elizabeth (Buckner) Stith b. 1700 m. Drury Stith(Jr.) b. 1695
Richard Stith (Sr) , born 30 Sep 1727 m. Lucy Cocke Hall
William B. Stith, born 8 Oct 1777 in Va.
married Nancy (Jones) Stith
Henry
Stith born 10 Oct 1815 m. Mary Ann Stith
Richard Stith (Jr) born 9 Dec 1779
m. Elizabeth Jones
Mary
Ann Stith, born 23 Jan 1820 m. Henry Stith
Thomas
Jefferson Stith b. 28 Aug. 1841 Hannah Chase Williams
Irene Buckner Stith m.
Charles Beauregard Fontaine
Ruth Fontaine m. Walter
Lee Scott
Walter
Charles Scott m. Ellen Delean Brown
Jesse
Brown Scot m. Frances Byars Scott
Alan
Richard Scott
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Post Office Box C
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187
Telephone: 804-229-1000
July 22, 1987
Mr. Jon A. Whitfield
Box 67
Star Route 1
Brandenburg, KY 40108
Dear Mr. Whitfield:
Your request for information about our painting of Elizabeth Stith was forwarded to me. I regret it is unlikely that prints of the portrait will ever be available for sale in our colonial stores.
Please accept the enclosed black and white photo with our compliments, as we had an extra in our file. I have also enclosed a copy of our catalog sheet on the painting, as well as some genealogical information which you may find helpful. I was unable to determine from our files who compiled this genealogical information on the Stith family -- you may already be familiar with the source.
I did not discover any information on a painting or statue of Major John Stith in my search. Graham Hood, our expert on colonial paintings, was unaware of any such work. If your research leads you to more information about Stith family portraits, please do let us know.
Thank you for your interest in our collection.
Sincerely,
signed
Laurie Suber
Photographic Librarian,
Department of Collections
Form No. 148 ACCESSION NO. 51-577
OBJECT Painting - Portrait (framed) Mrs. Elizabeth Stith (c. 1700-1756)
MATERIALS Oil on canvas
COUNTRY American - Virginia
DATE c. 1748-1750
MAKER William Dering ( - c. 1751)
SIGNATURE OR MARKS (Lower right) "W. Dering 17.." (Lower left) "AEtatis Suae 5(0?) Mrs. Eliz. Stith"
DIMENSIONS Stretcher: H. 30"; W. 22". Frame: H. 36 1/16"; W. 28 1/8"
CONDITION Apparently cleaned c. 1905 by the Hopkins firm of restoration in Baltimore and perhaps later by the same firm. In 1951by the Kecks -- relined, cleaned, restored, resurfaced, and given new stretcher (see report, Jan 1952). (Frame from Old Print Shop, 6 Feb 52.)
DESCRIPTION (Include form, color, technique) Oil portrait of a middle - aged lady
shown to the waist, seated, and turned slightly to the right. She appears within an
oval on a rectangular canvas with dark painted spandrels, Her hair, brushed
back and hanging to the shoulders, is graying dark brown; eyes brown, complexion rosy.
She wears a blue-gray dress showing at the right from the neck to the waist the red
lining of the bodice and the red lining of the left sleeve. There is a light gray
frill about the neck; a light shawl is seen at the right below, just above the waist.
Frame: antique molded pearwood painted black, with molded, carved, and gilt spandrel.
HISTORY (Include former owners when known) Ex. Coll. (directly descended in
family until acquired by Colonial Williamsburg): Mrs. Drury (Elizabeth Buckner) Stith;
Griffin Stith; Mrs. Christopher (Susanna Stith) Johnston I; Christopher Johnston II; Dr.
Christopher Johnston III; Dr. Christopher Johnston IV; Mrs. Pinckney W. (Sarah C.S.
Johnston) Snelling.
The subject was born c. 1698-1700 and died 1756. She was daughter
of Maj. William Buckner (d. 1716), a Justice, High Sheriff, and Burgess of York county,
Virginia. Elizabeth married c. 1717, Col. Drury Stith II, of Prince George and
Brunswick Counties, Virginia. He was a Justice and Burgess of Brunswick County.
Drury and Elizabeth Stith, who had seven children, were
great-great-great-great-grandparents of Mrs. Snelling, the last descendant to own the
picture.
REFERENCE AND REMARKS Ref: J. Hall Pleasants , "William Dering, A
Mid-Eighteenth Century Williamsburg Portrait Painter, " The Virginia Magazine of
History and Biography, Jan 57, pp. 56-63, illus. opp. p. 58.
Portions of the inscriptions are almost obliterated such as to be illegible. About
1905 Dr. Christopher Johnston IV states in letter that he read them as follows: (lower
left) "Aetatis suae 50" followed by "Mrs. Eliz. Stith"; (lower right)
W. Dering (other side) ..... {other side not provided in 1998 JBS}
X-Ref: DERING, William; PAINTINGS X-Ref: STITH, Elizabeth Buckner: Brush House - Parlor
Markings on Back of Photograph:
55%
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
DELMORE A. WENZEL
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
THIS PICTURE MAY BE SYNDICATED OR COPIED FOR PUBLICATION: NOT TO BE USED FOR
ADVERTISING WITHOUT PERMISSION
NEGATIVE # C-75-993
ACCESSION # 1951-577