Shrieve, Benjamin

Benjamin Franklin Shreeve, son of Benjamin Shreeve and Anne Berry, was born on 12 May 1770 in Loudoun County. According to his gravestone, which can still be found in the Shreve Cemetery in Sycolin, Loudoun County, he died on 1 February 1853 at the age of eighty-two. Shreeve had at least eight children and was married twice. All eight of his children were with his first wife, Nancy Thrift, who died in 1829. It is unclear when Shreeve remarried, but he did marry again to a woman named Laura Simpson.

The first name Benjamin appears to have been a family name passed down through several different generations. In addition to the Benjamin Shreeve mentioned in the Mason family manuscript account book, his son, father, and nephew all also shared this name. The surname Shreeve was spelled several different ways, including Shreve and Shrieve, depending on the document.

Shreeve was an active, well-known member of his community. His main occupation was as a farmer, though he also volunteered as the treasurer of the Friendship Fire Company located in downtown Alexandria. He served as a captain of the 57th Regiment Virginia Militia during the War of 1812. In 1841, Shreeve was nominated to represent Loudoun, Fauquier, and Fairfax counties as a Democrat in the 27th Congress, but lost the election to Whig candidate Cuthbert Powell.

Shreeve owned multiple properties. He owned a house located on Water Street (modern-day Lee Street) in Alexandria, and property near Leesburg. A survey completed in 1832 indicated that Shreeve owned more than five acres of land on Sycolin Branch just outside of Leesburg. Shreeve employed fourteen enslaved people, one free person of color, and four white employees hired specifically to do agricultural work on his Loudoun County farm. Shreeve lived a long, and by all accounts, prosperous, life prior to his death in 1853.

By Rachel Whyte