Joshua Fry Speed
Encyclopedia
Joshua Fry Speed was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln
from his days in Springfield, Illinois
, where Speed was a partner in a general store
. Later, Speed was a farmer
and a real estate
investor
in Kentucky, and also served one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives
in 1848.
. He was the fifth son of Judge John Speed and Lucy Gilmer Fry Speed, both of prominent slave-holding
families.
Joshua Speed's father, Judge John Speed (May 17, 1772 - March 30, 1840) was born in Charlotte County
, Virginia
. John was first married to Abby Lemaster (d. July, 1807). They had four children, two of whom died in infancy.
John was then married to Lucy Gilmer Fry (March 23, 1788 - January 27, 1874). Lucy was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. They had eleven children.
with a population of fewer than 1,500 people. Almost immediately upon arriving there, Speed engaged in merchandising
and assisted in editing
a local newspaper
.
whereupon he met Joshua Speed. Lincoln sublet Joshua's apartment above Speed's store becoming his roommate and his lifelong best friend.
On March 30, 1840, Judge John Speed died. Joshua announced plans to sell the store and return to his parent's large plantation
home, Farmington, near Louisville, Kentucky
. Lincoln, though notoriously awkward and shy around women, was at the time engaged to Mary Todd, a vivacious, if temperamental, society girl. As the dates approached Speed's departure and his own marriage, Lincoln broke the engagement on the planned day of the wedding (January 1, 1841). Speed departed as planned soon after, leaving Lincoln mired in depression
and guilt
.
Seven months later, in July 1841, still depressed, Lincoln visited Speed in Kentucky. Speed welcomed Lincoln to his paternal house where the latter spent a month regaining his perspective and his health. During his stay in Farmington, Lincoln rode into Louisville almost daily to discuss legal matters of the day with attorney James Speed
- Joshua's older brother. Joshua Speed began a courtship with Fanny Henning (1820–1902) and married on February 15, 1842. They remained married until his death.
Lincoln, during his presidential administration (March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865), several times offered Speed a government appointment. Speed refused each time, choosing to help in other ways. Speed disagreed with Lincoln on the slavery
question but remained loyal, and coordinated Union
activities in Kentucky during the American Civil War
. His brother, James Speed
, however, did agree to serve as Lincoln's United States Attorney General
beginning in November 1864. In explaining the nomination to Congress, Lincoln acknowledged that he did not know James as well as he knew Joshua.
Following the assassination
of Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth
, Speed organized a memorial service in Louisville for the departed leader. He also pledged his support to the administration of succeeding President Andrew Johnson
(term April 15, 1865 - March 3, 1869). Sixty members of the Speed family gave money for a monument to honor Lincoln in Springfield. Joshua Speed also wrote lengthy letters to William Herndon
, a former law partner of Lincoln who had set about to write a biography of Lincoln.
Joshua Speed died on May 29, 1882, in Louisville, Kentucky. He is interred in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
In 1999, author and gay
activist Larry Kramer
claimed that he had uncovered new primary sources which shed fresh light on Lincoln's sexuality. The sources included a hitherto unknown Joshua Speed diary and letters in which Speed writes explicitly about his relationship with Lincoln. These items were supposedly discovered hidden beneath the floorboards of the old store where the two men lived, and are said to reside in a private collection in Davenport, Iowa. Kramer has yet to publish any of this material for critical evaluation, and historian Gabor Boritt, referring to Kramer's documents, wrote, "Almost certainly this is a hoax ... ."
Joshua was a seventh generation descendant of antiquarian
cartographer and historian
John Speed
(1552 - July 28, 1629) and his wife Susanna Draper. He was born in Farndon
, Cheshire
, England to an even older John Speed. His further origin is unknown. He settled in London
and was a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company. His surviving maps, compiled originally in books, have been largely broken up and dispersed, as have been his writings, notably the genealogies in the King James Bible in Latin
. His last will and testament mention him having twelve sons and six daughters.
He was a sixth generation descendant of an elder Dr. John Speed, M.D.
(1595 - May, 1640) and his wife Margaret Warner. John entered Merchant Taylors' School
in January, 1603/1604. He became a Scholar of St John's College, Oxford
in October, 1612. He received a Bachelor of Arts
on May 3, 1620. He was named a Fellow
of St John's College and became M.D.
on June 20, 1628.
He was a fifth generation descendant of Dr. John Speed, M.D. (November 4, 1628 - September 21, 1711). John was born in Oxford
, Oxfordshire
, England
. He entered Merchant Taylors' School in September, 1640. He was elected Fellow of St John's College, Oxford in June, 1644. He received a Bachelor of Arts on February 1, 1647/1648. He was expelled from the University of Oxford
on May 15, 1648 and was dismissed from his Fellowship in October of the same year. He was reinstated in 1660 following the Restoration
of Charles II of England
to the throne. He received a Master's degree
on September 20, 1660 and became M.D. on June 19, 1666. He settled in Southampton
around 1667. He served twice as Mayor of Southampton (1681–1682, 1693–1694).
He was a fourth generation descendant of James Bernard Speed (September 28, 1679 - March 15, 1719). James was born in Southampton
, Hampshire
, England and immigrated to Surry County, Virginia
in 1695. On September 6, 1711, James was married to Mary Pulley (born c. 1693).
He was a great-grandson of a senior John Speed (February 5, 1714 - March 8, 1785) and his wife Mary Mintrey (c. 1706 - July 1, 1782). He was also a great-grandson of Militia
Colonel
John Fry
(son of Joshua Fry
and Mary Micou Hill) and his wife Sarah Adams. Sarah was younger sister to Thomas Adams
.
His paternal grandfather was Captain James Speed (March 4, 1740 - September 3, 1811), a veteran
of the American Revolutionary War
. His paternal grandmother was Mary Spencer (October 20, 1742 - March 5, 1829), daughter of Thomas Spencer, Sr and Elizabeth Julia Flourney. His maternal grandfather was Lieutenant
Joshua Fry, another veteran of the American Revolutionary War. His namesake also represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Delegates
from 1785 to 1786. His maternal grandmother was Peachy Walker, daughter of Dr. Thomas Walker
and Mildred Thornton Meriwether of Castle Hill.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
from his days in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, where Speed was a partner in a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. Later, Speed was a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
in Kentucky, and also served one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
in 1848.
Family
Joshua Fry Speed was born at Farmington, the estate of the Speed family in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He was the fifth son of Judge John Speed and Lucy Gilmer Fry Speed, both of prominent slave-holding
History of slavery in Kentucky
The history of slavery in Kentucky dates from the earliest permanent European settlements in the state until the end of the Civil War. Although Kentucky was generally classified as the Upper South or a Border state, rather than the Deep South, enslaved African Americans made up a substantial...
families.
Joshua Speed's father, Judge John Speed (May 17, 1772 - March 30, 1840) was born in Charlotte County
Charlotte County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,472 people, 4,951 households, and 3,435 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 5,734 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. John was first married to Abby Lemaster (d. July, 1807). They had four children, two of whom died in infancy.
- Thomas Speed
- Mary Speed (born 1800)
- Eliza Speed (born 1805)
- James SpeedJames SpeedJames Speed was an American lawyer, politician and professor. In 1864, he was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States' Attorney General. He previously served in the Kentucky Legislature, and in local political office.Speed was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Judge John Speed...
John was then married to Lucy Gilmer Fry (March 23, 1788 - January 27, 1874). Lucy was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. They had eleven children.
- Thomas Speed (September 15, 1809–1812)
- Lucy Fry Speed (born February 26, 1811–1893). Later married to James D. BreckinridgeJames D. BreckinridgeJames Douglas Breckinridge was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He was a member of the Breckinridge family.Born in Woodville, near Louisville, Kentucky, Breckinridge attended Washington College , Lexington, Virginia from 1800 to 1803.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar and commenced...
. - James SpeedJames SpeedJames Speed was an American lawyer, politician and professor. In 1864, he was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States' Attorney General. He previously served in the Kentucky Legislature, and in local political office.Speed was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Judge John Speed...
(March 11, 1812 - June 12, 1887) - Peachy Walker Speed (May 4, 1813 - January 18, 1881)
- Joshua Fry Speed (1814–1882)
- William Pope Speed (April 26, 1816 - June 28, 1863)
- Susan Fry Speed (born September 30, 1817–1888)
- Major Philip Speed (April 12, 1819] - November 1, 1882)
- John Smith Speed (born January 1, 1821–1886)
- Martha Bell Speed (born September 8, 1822–1903)
- Ann Pope Speed (November 5, 1831–1838)
Early adulthood
Young Joshua Speed attended St. Joseph's Academy in Bardstown, like the sons of many wealthy families in Kentucky. He was apparently not content to follow in the footsteps of his father. Speed set out in 1835 for Springfield, Illinois, to try his fortune in the Midwest. At the time, Springfield was a townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
with a population of fewer than 1,500 people. Almost immediately upon arriving there, Speed engaged in merchandising
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
and assisted in editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
a local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
.
Speed and Lincoln
Speed had heard the young Lincoln speak on the stump when Lincoln was running for election to the Illinois legislature. On April 15, 1837, Lincoln arrived at Springfield, the new state capital, in order to seek his fortune as a young lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
whereupon he met Joshua Speed. Lincoln sublet Joshua's apartment above Speed's store becoming his roommate and his lifelong best friend.
On March 30, 1840, Judge John Speed died. Joshua announced plans to sell the store and return to his parent's large plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
home, Farmington, near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Lincoln, though notoriously awkward and shy around women, was at the time engaged to Mary Todd, a vivacious, if temperamental, society girl. As the dates approached Speed's departure and his own marriage, Lincoln broke the engagement on the planned day of the wedding (January 1, 1841). Speed departed as planned soon after, leaving Lincoln mired in depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
.
Seven months later, in July 1841, still depressed, Lincoln visited Speed in Kentucky. Speed welcomed Lincoln to his paternal house where the latter spent a month regaining his perspective and his health. During his stay in Farmington, Lincoln rode into Louisville almost daily to discuss legal matters of the day with attorney James Speed
James Speed
James Speed was an American lawyer, politician and professor. In 1864, he was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States' Attorney General. He previously served in the Kentucky Legislature, and in local political office.Speed was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Judge John Speed...
- Joshua's older brother. Joshua Speed began a courtship with Fanny Henning (1820–1902) and married on February 15, 1842. They remained married until his death.
Lincoln, during his presidential administration (March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865), several times offered Speed a government appointment. Speed refused each time, choosing to help in other ways. Speed disagreed with Lincoln on the slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
question but remained loyal, and coordinated Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
activities in Kentucky during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. His brother, James Speed
James Speed
James Speed was an American lawyer, politician and professor. In 1864, he was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States' Attorney General. He previously served in the Kentucky Legislature, and in local political office.Speed was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Judge John Speed...
, however, did agree to serve as Lincoln's United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
beginning in November 1864. In explaining the nomination to Congress, Lincoln acknowledged that he did not know James as well as he knew Joshua.
Later activities
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, Speed organized a memorial service in Louisville for the departed leader. He also pledged his support to the administration of succeeding President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
(term April 15, 1865 - March 3, 1869). Sixty members of the Speed family gave money for a monument to honor Lincoln in Springfield. Joshua Speed also wrote lengthy letters to William Herndon
William Herndon (lawyer)
William Henry Herndon was the law partner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln.-Biography:Born in Greensburg, Kentucky, Herndon and his family moved to Illinois in 1820, and they settled in Springfield when he was five. Herndon attended Illinois College from 1836-1837. In 1840 he married Mary J....
, a former law partner of Lincoln who had set about to write a biography of Lincoln.
Joshua Speed died on May 29, 1882, in Louisville, Kentucky. He is interred in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
In 1999, author and gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
activist Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
claimed that he had uncovered new primary sources which shed fresh light on Lincoln's sexuality. The sources included a hitherto unknown Joshua Speed diary and letters in which Speed writes explicitly about his relationship with Lincoln. These items were supposedly discovered hidden beneath the floorboards of the old store where the two men lived, and are said to reside in a private collection in Davenport, Iowa. Kramer has yet to publish any of this material for critical evaluation, and historian Gabor Boritt, referring to Kramer's documents, wrote, "Almost certainly this is a hoax ... ."
Further family and ancestry information
Joshua Speed and his wife Fannie Henning had no children, though they enjoyed close relationships with several of their nephews and nieces.Joshua was a seventh generation descendant of antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
cartographer and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
(1552 - July 28, 1629) and his wife Susanna Draper. He was born in Farndon
Farndon, Cheshire
Farndon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Dee, south of Chester, and close to the border with Wales...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England to an even older John Speed. His further origin is unknown. He settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company. His surviving maps, compiled originally in books, have been largely broken up and dispersed, as have been his writings, notably the genealogies in the King James Bible in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. His last will and testament mention him having twelve sons and six daughters.
He was a sixth generation descendant of an elder Dr. John Speed, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(1595 - May, 1640) and his wife Margaret Warner. John entered Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
in January, 1603/1604. He became a Scholar of St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
in October, 1612. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
on May 3, 1620. He was named a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of St John's College and became M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
on June 20, 1628.
He was a fifth generation descendant of Dr. John Speed, M.D. (November 4, 1628 - September 21, 1711). John was born in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He entered Merchant Taylors' School in September, 1640. He was elected Fellow of St John's College, Oxford in June, 1644. He received a Bachelor of Arts on February 1, 1647/1648. He was expelled from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
on May 15, 1648 and was dismissed from his Fellowship in October of the same year. He was reinstated in 1660 following the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to the throne. He received a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
on September 20, 1660 and became M.D. on June 19, 1666. He settled in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
around 1667. He served twice as Mayor of Southampton (1681–1682, 1693–1694).
He was a fourth generation descendant of James Bernard Speed (September 28, 1679 - March 15, 1719). James was born in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England and immigrated to Surry County, Virginia
Surry County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,058 people, 2,619 households, and 1,917 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 3,294 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
in 1695. On September 6, 1711, James was married to Mary Pulley (born c. 1693).
He was a great-grandson of a senior John Speed (February 5, 1714 - March 8, 1785) and his wife Mary Mintrey (c. 1706 - July 1, 1782). He was also a great-grandson of Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Fry
John Fry
John Fry is a co-founder of Fry's Electronics and owner of the San Jose SaberCats.He has also founded and continues to fund a mathematical research institute, the American Institute of Mathematics.-References:...
(son of Joshua Fry
Joshua Fry
Colonel Joshua Fry was a surveyor, adventurer, mapmaker, soldier, and member of the House of Burgesses, the legislature of the colony of Virginia...
and Mary Micou Hill) and his wife Sarah Adams. Sarah was younger sister to Thomas Adams
Thomas Adams (politician)
Thomas Adams was a politician and businessman from Virginia.Adams was born in New Kent County in 1730. His first political position was as a clerk of Henrico County, and later a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses...
.
His paternal grandfather was Captain James Speed (March 4, 1740 - September 3, 1811), a veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. His paternal grandmother was Mary Spencer (October 20, 1742 - March 5, 1829), daughter of Thomas Spencer, Sr and Elizabeth Julia Flourney. His maternal grandfather was Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Joshua Fry, another veteran of the American Revolutionary War. His namesake also represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
from 1785 to 1786. His maternal grandmother was Peachy Walker, daughter of Dr. Thomas Walker
Thomas Walker (explorer)
Dr. Thomas Walker was a physician and explorer from Virginia who led an expedition to what is now the region beyond the Allegheny Mountains area of British North America in the mid-18th century...
and Mildred Thornton Meriwether of Castle Hill.
See also
- List of people from Louisville, Kentucky
- Louisville in the American Civil War
- Sexuality of Abraham LincolnSexuality of Abraham LincolnThe sexual orientation of Abraham Lincoln is a topic of debate based on speculation of circumstantial events, a poem open to interpretation, common figures of speech used by Lincoln, his courting of several women, his marriage and children, and other information, with nothing conclusive to confirm...
External links
- A genealogy of the Speed family since the 16th century
- A genealogy of his maternal ancestors since the 17th century
- The Speed Family
- Lincoln 1855 letter to Joshua Speed
- Mr. Lincoln and Friends: Joshua F. Speed
- Farmington Historic Home
- Historic Homes: Farmington
- "Joshua and James Speed" — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush