Unique handcrafted Wreaths made with high quality products. Yasmeen’s Sassy Wreaths LLC specialized in creating the perfect custom wreath for you!
Simply Light Candle Company
Hi there!
My name is Erica and I am the owner and operator of Simply Light Candle Company, located in Northern Virginia. I started this company due to my love of candles; nothing compares to a well-scented home with a warm, glowing ambiance! However, I was on a quest for a healthier option, rather than the paraffin candles you find in most stores. After much research and testing, along came Simply Light! Every candle is hand-poured in small batches using 100% soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and lead-free cotton wicks. All of my materials are purchased from U.S. companies, which helps support other small businesses as well as our economy. My fragrances are clean, comforting, gorgeous aromas that really stand out. I hope you enjoy these candles as much as I do; they are truly a labor of love! I am so thankful for your business and I hope to see you around! Thank you and God Bless!
With love,
Erica, Maurice, and Brendan
Eclectically Simple Jewelry
THE COMPANY
Reinforced elegant craftsmanship, handmade adornments, custom fits, and extraordinary customer service are stylemarks of Eclectically Simple. From necklaces, bracelets, cuffs, and earrings; Eclectically Simple, LLC offers discerning jewelry customers Timeless, Quality, Handcrafted, Wearable Art. Our eclectic jewelry is made using quality precious and semi-precious gemstones, precious and base metals, and natural materials such as Coral, Pearls, Kyanite, Onyx, Turquoise, Agate, Amber, Quartz, Bone, and Wood.
Although we have different options of handcrafted jewelry, we are known mostly for our original one-of-a-kind jewelry that is not duplicated.
THE HISTORY
In 2015 Eclectically Simple debuted when our designer Noème Nicole™ set out to design luxurious jewelry with calculated, custom precision that complemented her work as a graphic artist and creative web developer.
During a season as a working, stay-at-home mother of two active boys, Noème Nicole™ pondered the creation of durable jewelry that had a higher chance of withstanding the tug, pull, and wear of everyday business and personal use.
Originally debuting with 12 statement pieces, she combined quality one-of-a kind reinforced wearable art with first class customer service for the confident, bold, and fashionable business professional. After many positive reviews from buyers, Eclectically Simple was born.
The Johnson Family
JOHNSON FAMILY MEMBERS
1
SANDY AND LETHIA
On 9 March 1867, Alexander Johnson (approximate age 31) married Lethia Rust (approximate age 20).3 His parents were listed as David and Kitty Johnson, and Sandy was listed as a widower. It is not known who his first wife was. Research has not uncovered information about David and Kitty, but they are presumed to have been enslaved in Loudoun and their sons, Sandy and James, born here.4 If so, the family line of Alexander (Sandy) Johnson can be documented into the early 1800s in Loudoun County. Lethia Rust’s parents were James and Susan Rust (more commonly spelled Russ). The Russ/Rust family is documented in the enslaved community at Oatlands.
GLEEDSVILLE
7
Sandy and Lethia’s eldest son, Sandy A. Johnson, married Carrie Mason in 1895, and they had at least nine children (one child died prior to 1910):8
- Herbert L. –born 20 June 1897 (died 11 June 1947)9
- Lloyd William –born 3 March 1900 (died 28 July 1968)10
- Carrol W. –born 1902 (died 1979)
- Lethia M. –born 1905(1903-??)
- Grace E. –born 1907(1908-??)
- Julia B. –born 1910(1910-??)
- Sandy V. –born23 October 1912(died 23 October 1943)11
- Charles F. –born 1920(1920-??)
- Elisia –birth and death dates unknown12
Sandy V. Johnson was a Corporal in the 22nd Quartermaster Truck Regiment in World War II. He was killed on his birthday, 23 October 1943 and is buried in the Gleedsville Cemetery. Sandy’s younger brother, Charles Floyd Johnson, also served during the War. The youngest son of Sandy and Lethia Johnson, George W., married Nancy Valentine on 11 April 1894.13 Nancy’s family is directly connected to Oatlands via her mother, Elizabeth Buchanan, and her father, Hiram Valentine.
Elizabeth Buchanan Valentine was the daughter of Robert and Mahala (Jackson) Buchanan, and Robert is documented in the enslaved community at Oatlands. Elizabeth’s brother, Martin Van Buren Buchanan, served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.Family oral history documents Hiram Valentine’s connection to Oatlands.
George W. and Nannie (Valentine) Johnson had three children:
- Valentine B. –born 6 July 1894(died 1918)
- George Rozier –born 3 May 1896 (died 2 December 1960)
- Elizabeth –born 22 March 1898 (died 15 July 1998)14
It is not known when George W. and Nannie Johnson died but by the 1910 census, Valentine, George and Elizabeth were living with their grandmother, Elizabeth Valentine, in Gleedsville.15 Valentine B. Johnson served during World War I and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He was killed during the War and is memorialized on the WWI monument on the courthouse lawn. Sadly, he and his cousin, Sandy Johnson, as well as African American men across the country,were honored for their war service on monuments that segregate their names from the white soldiers who served. Despite fighting for their country, the war’s survivors returned home to segregated schools, restaurants, and other barriers that did not recognize them as equal citizens.
George Rozier Johnson was known as Rozier and lived a quiet life in Loudoun. He was a tenant farmer who married Mary Fannie Young (b. 1900) on 9 March 1922. She died on June 30thof that year, nine days after giving birth to their daughter, Mary Evelyn. Rozier remained a widower until 1943 when he married Mary Alean Howard on March 8th. She was the 26 year-old daughter of Bishop and Edna (Basil) Howard of Howardsville, near Upperville. Rozier and Mary Alean had six children:
- Barbara Ann Johnson Page (b. 28 March 1937)
- Gene Rogers Johnson (b. 27 November 1939)
- George Robert Johnson (12 August 1943-28 July 1982)
- Edna Harry Lee Johnson (b. 8 November 1948)
- Charlotte Virginia Johnson Adams (27 May 1950)
- Rozier Johnson, died shortly after birth
Gene Johnson is the only child still living in Loudoun County. Two siblings live in California and others in the Metro Washington D.C. area.
Elizabeth Johnson, the youngest child of George W. and Nannie, was well-known to many people in Loudoun County. She was sent to school in Pennsylvania and Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. and returned to Loudoun County and taught at the Mt. Gap Colored School near Gleedsville and Oatlands. She married Alan Quisenbury in 1921 and moved to Washington, D. C. After her husband died, she and her two young children moved back to Loudoun County where she was very active in the Countywide League and other organizations that fought for equal education and opportunities for African Americans. More can be learned about Elizabeth Johnson Quisenbury here.
- 1 1870 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Southern District, page 165A. Record viewed on Ancestry.com.
- 2 Enslaved Community at Oatlands. www.oatlands.org/slavery
- 3 Virginia Select Marriage Records, 1785-1940. Record viewed on Ancestry.com. The precise dates for Sandy’s and Leitha’s births are not known. Their marriage record listed ages of 31 and 20 respectively. Sandy was recorded in the 1880 census as age 47, which meant his birth year was 1833. Because of imprecise record keeping and the fact that many people did not know when they were born, a birth date range of 1833-1836 is approximated for Sandy Johnson.
- 4 According to federal census lists and his death record, Alexander (Sandy) Johnson was born between 1833 and 1836. His younger brother, James, was born ca. 1854 (as per 1904 marriage record to Nannie Bowles) or 1855 (1880 federal census).
- 5 Sandy Johnson’s age calculated from the 1880 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg Township, page 366A. Record viewed on Ancestry.com. George W. Johnson’s age from LoudounCounty, Virginia, Birth Register 1853-1879, Patricia B. Duncan, Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, 2007, page 77. Sandy and Leitha Johnson also had two daughters who died in 1876, prior to their mother. Cellas, age 8, died on 9 April 1876. Her sister, Frances, age 2 years 9 months, died on 19 May 1876. Both death records from Loudoun County Virginia, Death Register 1853-1896, Elizabeth R. Frain and Marty Hiatt, CGRS. Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, page 152 and page 153 respectively.
- 6 Loudoun County, Virginia, Death Register 1853-1896, Elizabeth R. Frain and Marty Hiatt, CGRS. Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, page 153.
- 7 1881 Land Tax Records, Leesburg District. Loudoun County Courthouse, Leesburg, Virginia.
- 8 The 1910 Federal Census recorded the number of births and living children for a woman. The notation for Carrie Johnson was 7 children born; 6 still living. 1910 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg District, page 3A. List of children compiled from 1910 and 1920 Federal Census.
- 9 Findagrave.com. Herbert L. Johnson is buried in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia.
- 10 Gravestone in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Virginia. Photo by Marc B. Johnson.
- 11 Findagrave.com. Sandy V. Johnson is buried in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia.
- 12 Other birth and death dates from MarcB.Johnson.
- 13 Virginia Select Marriage Records, 1785-1940. Record viewed on Ancestry.com
- 14 For George R. Johnson, see Findagrave.com. He is buried in Rock Hill Cemetery, Loudoun County, Virginia. Birth and death dates for Valentine B. Johnson and Elizabeth Johnson Quisenbury from Marc B. Johnson.
- 15 1910 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg District, page 6B.
The Carter Barn
THE CARTER BARN, built in 1821, is a barn notched into the man-made hillside. The brick structure and attached stone icehouse are all that remain of a much larger farming complex. Originally, this area was the agricultural hub of the plantation where enslaved people threshed grain, sheared sheep, and crafted tools in a blacksmith shop. With several interior bins, the Carter Barn mainly served as grain storage for various crops. The structure utilized an intricate design to create good ventilation which prevented mold and dispersed accumulated heat. Archaeological evidence uncovered a foundation adjacent to the Carter Barn, indicating that another bay once extended farther to the south. Newspaper articles note that a large barn at Oatlands burned down in 1889, likely this missing bay.
Currently, a wooden dairy barn partially sits on the missing bay’s foundation. During the early to mid-1900s, a large influx of people to the Washington, D.C. area caused a boom in Loudoun County’s dairy industry. The Eustis family built their own state-of-the-art facility to hygienically gather and process milk from Oatlands’ cows. Today, the barn is a time capsule, displaying evidence of both Carter and Eustis-era agricultural practices.
The Carter Barn and Icehouse, 1973
The Carter Barn was once part of a large, walled agricultural complex that processed wheat, corn, oats, and other crops. The increase in agricultural production at Oatlands was directly tied to the growth and expansion of the enslaved population who lived and labored here. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
The Carter Barn and Dairy Barn, 1937
This image captures both Carter and Eustis-era influences on the building. The brick section retains a fieldstone bank wall, unique roof framing system, and arched openings, illustrating George Carter’s willingness to experiment with architecture. The Eustis family added the wooden
two-story dairy barn for milking cows.
The Entrance to Oatlands’ Barn Complex, 1976
This farm road, flanked by stone walls, is the original access point to the barn complex. Although the noise and hustle of an active farm operation has faded into memory, the road and Carter Barn remain as lasting testaments to an enslaved people who built the structures at Oatlands and cultivated the land.
The Carter Barn Complex: Phase I and II Archaeological Investigations, 2013
George Carter’s granddaughter told her daughter about an enormous barn “so large that you could turn six horses around in it.” She likely referred to the Carter Barn and its missing bay, believed to have burned in 1889. This artist rendering depicts the minimum footprint of the missing bay. Image courtesy of Rivanna Archaeological Services.
The Greenhouse
THE GREENHOUSE, built in 1810, illustrated George Carter’s interest in contemporary horticultural practices and reflected his wealth. It is believed to be the second-oldest propagation greenhouse in the country. The south-facing glass wall and glazed roof maximizes sun exposure for plants in the hothouse. The attached potting shed helps shield the hothouse from northerly winds while also providing storage for equipment and heating devices. Enslaved people used the space to cultivate a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Oral history suggests that one or two enslaved people may have slept inside the greenhouse during winter months when they had to stoke the heating system day and night in order to maintain a constant warm temperature.
By the late 1800s, the second generation of Carters used the hothouse to display more exotic plants such as sago palms. They also turned the attached shed into an official dwelling. In the early 1900s, the Eustis family improved the structure with a state-of-the-art Lord and Burnham iron framework and heating system. They propagated boxwoods and grew snapdragons, roses, tomatoes, and rhubarb. Today, Oatlands’ garden staff follows the tradition of using the historic greenhouse to shelter delicate plantings during colder months.
The Greenhouse, c. 1890
The only known photograph of the greenhouse in the 1800s shows two unidentified women inside the hothouse. Note the lower floor level and trees planted inside. Using data from archaeological investigations, these details help date the photograph between 1870 and 1895.
John Leland Talbot, undated
John Leland Talbot emigrated from England in 1900. He worked as head gardener at Oatlands for several years and lived in the house now operating as the Inn at Oatlands Hamlet.
Plate 103, Design for Greenhouse
As with the mansion, it is possible that George Carter designed much of the greenhouse himself with the use of pattern books and advice from builders. Oatlands’ greenhouse emulates designs seen in William Pain’s The Practical House Carpenter, 1796 (shown here) and other design books of construction patterns and plans.
The Greenhouse, 1937
Located in direct view of the mansion and its original front entrance, George Carter meant to impress any visitor to Oatlands with a view of his greenhouse. The Eustis family continued to utilize the greenhouse as a key component of their horticultural program. Early on, they planted Japanese maple trees on either side of the hothouse door, which remain today.
The Carriage House
The trio of green buildings around the circular drive were constructed in the early 1900s by the Eustis family, the last private owners of Oatlands. William Corcoran Eustis enjoyed the close proximity to Virginia hunt country while Edith Eustis saw the dilapidated gardens as a perfect restoration project. They often entertained friends from the D.C. area, including President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The Carriage House was built between 1903 and 1906 by the Norris Brothers of Leesburg. Outside, the frame building with fieldstone foundation represented typical rural Virginia architecture. Inside, it housed a state-of-the-art healthy environment for “thoroughbreds and Irish hunters.” High windows supplied light and ventilation without subjecting horses to harsh drafts. Second floor staff rooms were strategically located to minimize disruptive noise. Raised wooden floors, scored concrete hallways, and an interior drainage system allowed easy cleaning of both horses and carriages. Today, the Carriage House is the Oatlands Visitor Center and Museum Store.
Edith Morton Eustis, c. 1895
Edith Livingston Morton Eustis was the daughter of Levi Parsons Morton, Minister to France and Vice President to the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. She was lifelong friends with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who visited the family at Oatlands.
William Corcoran Eustis, c. 1898
While at Oatlands, Eustis became a founding member of the Loudoun Hunt and served on its board of governors. A 1906 newspaper article claimed, “Mr. Eustis is well known as a most enthusiastic hunter, and it is his intention to have a splendid stable of high class hunters at ‘Oatlands.'”
Margaret and Morton Eustis, c. 1915
Family photograph albums show the Eustis children’s love of outdoor activities at Oatlands during all seasons. Here, Margaret and Morton display their ease with equestrian pursuits.
Carriage House 1937
Once motorized vehicles became popular, the Carriage House was partially converted into a car garage. However, much of the original materials and layout remained the same. Note the concrete horse ramp and large barn door.
Chauffeur’s House, 1951
This two-story framed building was home to Harry Doe and his family. Initially a driver of horse-drawn carriages for the Eustis family, Doe was sent to Detroit around 1918 to learn how to drive the Eustis’ first automobile. Today, this structure is used as offices for Oatlands’ staff.
Pump House, 1951
This unassuming structure was built over an underground well to provide water for all of the buildings in Oatlands’ historic core.
The Mansion
In 1804, George Carter focused his substantial resources on wheat production and construction of a MANSION at Oatlands. A scholar and astute businessman, Carter likely designed the house himself, possibly with the help of builders and pattern books. Enslaved people dug up clay from local riverbanks to mold and fire bricks for a three-story structure with a basement and cupola. Both enslaved people and paid laborers worked on the house until the mid-1830s, adding side stairwells, removing the cupola, applying stucco to exterior brick, and building an impressive two–story columned portico. The finished house showcased elements of Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival architectural styles.
After purchasing Oatlands in 1903, Edith and William Corcoran Eustis made only a few changes to the mansion. They added a porch to the north facade, moved the second floor staircase, and combined two small bedrooms into one large room. In family correspondence, they often referred to the mansion as “Oatlands House.” Because of their preservation efforts, the mansion still remains true to George Carter’s vision for his home.
George Carter, 1844
George Carter’s inheritance in 1798 was unusual for the time period and his social class. Although he inherited 3,400 acres from his father, Robert Carter III, George did not inherit enslaved people because of his father’s change in belief about the institution of slavery. In 1791, Robert Carter III filed the Deed of Gift which gradually emancipated over 500 enslaved people at his plantations throughout Virginia. Sadly, he lived to see his son hold people in bondage. By 1801, George Carter was calling his land “Oatlands”, basing the plantation and milling operations completely on the use of enslaved people.
Elizabeth Osborne Carter, c. 1847
A wealthy widow, 39 year-old Elizabeth Osborne Lewis married 58 year-old George Carter in 1835. They had two sons, George Jr. and Benjamin. After her husband’s death, Elizabeth O. Carter remained at Oatlands until part way through the Civil War. Her diary is a great resource, listing individual names of enslaved people at Oatlands, many of whom would otherwise be unknown.
Oatlands, c. 1890
This sweeping landscape captures Oatlands at the turn of the century; in disrepair and uncertain of its place in the new era. The Eustis family saw potential in the old house and grounds. By 1903, they began improvements to make it their country estate.
Summer boarders at Oatlands, c. 1890
The Carter family’s fortunes declined following the Civil War. Beset with debt, George Carter Jr. and his wife, Katherine Powell Carter, operated Oatlands first as a girls’ school and later as a summer boarding house. Eventually, they sold the house and grounds in 1897 to Stilson Hutchins, one of the founders of The Washington Post newspaper.
Margaret Eustis at Oatlands, c. 1918
In family albums, Margaret is often photographed outdoors, including this scene of her and a playful peacock on the mansion portico. Margaret later married David Finley, first Director of the National Gallery of Art and one of the founders of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Margaret and her sister, Anne Eustis Emmet, donated Oatlands to the National Trust in 1965.