[In continue with the story of Robert Bailey but I will use the third person and abbreviate his story sharply.]
Robert’s mother married, a second time, Benjamin Coopwood, a mason, and the marriage was not a success for either the mother or Robert. Mr. Coopwood treated Robert poorly. Coopwood kicked and cuffed and was generally violent toward Robert. Robert, then nine years old, with a wool hat, pair of shoes, two shirts, and a pair of trousers, left home and found his way to Mr. Strode in the upper end of Culpeper which was then the original Culpeper County. Robert found employment with Mr. Strode by stripping tanning bark at the pay of one shilling per day, a low wage. With one month’s wage, he visited his mother and bought more clothes. His next job was as a plow boy, again at one shilling per day.
His mother and stepfather were moving to Maryland and Robert was persuaded to go with them and learn the trade of a mason. On the way, a horse strayed for which Robert was responsible. This resulted in more lashing and beating. Robert left the family, having no money and only the clothes he was wearing. He was extremely concerned that he would be taken up as a runaway apprentice. He found though he was treated with hospitality, better than at home.
Back in Culpeper County he found a home and work with William Walker who knew Robert’s brother, James. Robert came to view William Walker and his wife as a father and mother. He told Walker he could bark, cut wood, and plow. He was taken on at 30 shillings a month but for the second month and thereafter he was paid one shilling and three pence per day. Sundays and wet days were allowed for schooling. Walker was later the clerk of Madison County, so probably Robert was then in what became Madison County.
Mr. Walker had a son John who became a good friend to Robert. They worked and did other things together. They obtained permission of Mr. Walker to go to a dancing school on Saturdays. Here, it was brought home to Robert by a girl that he was a poor boy and a “nobody”.
Robert wanted to learn a trade and Mr. Walker found Robert Brooken, a carpenter, who wanted apprentices. Finding someone who could sign the indenture papers was a problem. The overseer of the poor could do it but Robert objected to the implied stigma. Finally, an agreement was reached, informally, between Robert and Mr. Brooken, for Robert to serve ‘til he was 21 with one year allocated for schooling. At this time Robert was 13 years old and he had been school in three or four months; however, he had been attempting to teach himself all of this time.
(27 Sep 06)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.