The Family
The Lees of Virginia
Every member of the Society descends from one man who stepped ashore in the colony in 1639.
Richard Lee, "The Emigrant"
Richard Lee came to Virginia about 1639 to serve as Clerk of the Quarter Court at Jamestown. He married Anne Constable, acquired land in the Northern Neck, served as Attorney General and Secretary of State of the colony, and was appointed to the Governor's Council in 1651. He and Anne are the common ancestors of every member of this Society.
Stratford Hall and the Revolution
Thomas Lee, a grandson of the Emigrant, built Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County and served as acting Governor of Virginia. Of his children with Hannah Ludwell, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee were the only brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence, while Arthur Lee and William Lee served the young republic as diplomats in Europe.
The Leesylvania line
Henry Lee III — "Light Horse Harry" of the Revolution, later Governor of Virginia — was born at Leesylvania near Dumfries. His son by Anne Hill Carter was Robert Edward Lee, born at Stratford Hall in 1807.
The family since
The Lee lines spread through Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and westward. The Society's collections trace those branches through burial records, correspondence, published genealogies and photographs.
