The Last Residents of Seven Islands
The burning of Virgin Mills placed Marion's family on the verge of poverty, but the little Tutwiler family persevered. M.L. took up farming, growing tobacco, grains, melons, grapes (for wine) as well as hunting. Marion had been hunting since a young boy in the woods of Fluvanna and Buckingham counties- he was known as an exceptional turkey hunter; often killing two or three with one shot. Marion walked to Middleton Mills at the small town of Shores (1.5 miles down river from Seven Islands) or the other small town of Hardware (1.5 miles upriver from Seven Islands) almost every day. Marion would go to sell game he or his children had killed or sell produce he and Carrie had grown.
Marion was an excellent fiddle player and often entertained his comrades during his Civil War days. A staunch Confederate to the end, Marion died in 1904 of a heart attack. Dying intestate (without a Will), Marion's personal items and property went to his widow who continued to reside in the home. Luckily for history, M.L. kept a farm daybook for five years between 1895 and 1900. Though mostly weather and planting observations, M.L. does recount past events and at times reminisces about his boyhood days and of his mother who he calls his only true friend. Soon after Marion's passing an addition was made to the family in the form of an orphan girl named Mary (1899-1963). Mary lived with the Tutwilers until she married Lee Wilson in 1937.
Located at the top of a ridge above the old Tutwiler home sat the Thomas Shores homeplace originally built by Thomas Shores after purchasing 700 acres from John Ware in 1793. Willed to his daughter Mariah, as described previously, the home was willed to Mariah's daughter Margaret (1838-1894) upon Mariah's death in 1873. Margaret owned the old family home until her death and her second husband, Richard Beckwith Seay, sold the property out of the family in 1903. A successful railroad employee, Crenshaw L. Bugg (1859-1941) bought the home for him and his family. As remembered by Crenshaw Bugg's daughter, Margaret Bugg Miles (1895-1980), the old Shores homeplace burned in the early spring of 1908. Very quickly thereafter a new home was built of the same location. The new Bugg homeplace was passed onto Margaret Bugg after her marriage to Floyd Miles in April 1916.
The Miles family lived in the home until it was pulled down shortly after World War II. Margaret and Floyd's son, Raymond Miles, grew up in the Miles home and remembers the old Tutwiler-Shores cemetery and the original Shores homeplace kitchen outbuilding that was still standing when he was a boy in the 1930s. After the house was pulled down, the Shores-Tutwiler-Bugg-Miles property was sold to a timber company and today probably looks very similar to what Thomas Shores first saw when he cleared the land for his homeplace in the 1790s. It can be speculated with a good amount of certainty that when the Bugg home was being built to replace the old Shores home, the Tutwiler home a short walk down the road at Seven Islands was also being remodeled, using the same building materials and workmen for the job. Evidence of this comes from a wooden lathe found in the Tutwiler homeplace with the writing, "Plastered by J.A. Payne Nov. 20, 1908."
The spring of 1908 renovation not only changed the orientation of the Tutwiler home-- from east facing to south facing-- but also added a whole separate wing to the house as well as adding a full 2nd floor to the previous half-floor (attic). They added many Victorian features, including black porcelain door knobs, eagle claw window locks, and gingerbread millwork. After the home was remodeled Carrie, her sister Lucie Thomas (1862-1944, never married), Mary and Leona lived in the home. Lewis and Stanford moved away from homeplace as soon as they were able, both of them working for railroad. T. Stanford, Sr. worked for the railroad and was the stationmaster at the old Main Street Station in Richmond. Marion's wife Carrie died in 1926 and she left the house and surrounding land to her three children. By 1931 Leona had bought out both of her brothers' share of the house and she lived there. Lucie was sent to a old folks home in Richmond and as stated above, Mary moved out with her husband in 1937.
Though she married around 1924, by August 1927 Leona was a widow. Leona was a strong and independent woman who would wait with a shotgun at her property line during hunting season to keep hunters off her land. Even if people would fish in the river in front of her house, Leona would disturb this fishing by throwing rocks in the water. Leona made ends meet by selling chickens, eggs, butter and produce. She never had electricity, running water, or a telephone installed in her home. After she died, her relatives said the home was not only immaculately clean but it was like walking back into the past, antique furniture, old family portraits, antique wallpaper and no modern conveniences. Leona lived alone from 1937 till her sudden death in November 1954. An estate auction was held at the homeplace in the summer of 1955 and many neighbors remarked it was the first time they had ever been in the home.
The Rashkin Years (1960 - 1966)
Though Leona's relatives desperately wanted to keep the homeplace in the family, they no longer lived in Virginia and chose to sell the property with the stipulation that it be maintained. In February 1960 David and Bessie Rashkin of Richmond bought the Tutwiler homeplace from Leona's heirs. We are still looking for information from the Rashkin era, so we will add info as we find it.
The McMillan Years (1966 - 2000)
In May of 1966, Charles "Mac" McMillan, brother Joseph McMillan, and William Blackwell purchased the old Tutwiler property from David Rashkin who had recently lost his wife. They bought it mainly to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. Mac became quite fond of this land and became the primary user. The hunting and fishing was good and the McMillan family was on the property often. The access road was impassable during bad weather and walking in from route 714 was not unusual. The old Tutwiler homeplace was still "livable" in the late 1960s. It was Mac's intention to renovate it into a hunting lodge. However, between family and work it just didn't happen. Eventually, Mac bought out partner William Blackwell and became two-thirds owner. Relatives Jimmy and Garland McMillan acquired the 38-acre "Mulberry Field" which borders to the northwest. Thus, the McMillan's controlled the area.
Mac loved this land and was there whenever he could break away from Richmond. Joe McMillan lived in Powhatan and seldom visited the property. Around 1990 the land to the northeast was timbered, the access road was re-graveled and put back into better condition. The entrance road to the property was moved just east of the original sunken road that was adjacent to the old Thomas Shores Home place. The S-shaped entrance road exists today. In the early 90's the deer hunting success dropped off and the McMillan's spent more time hunting in Powhatan with Joe. Year by year the owners visited the land less often. Pine bark beetles invaded the large stands of Virginia Pine. Soon large dead pines lay across the road. The old house and yard became overgrown and fell into poor condition. Vandals broke out all the windows, kicked out the doors and stole anything of value. In 1995, Victor Sorrell met Mac and visited the property with him. He arranged with Mac to clear the road and maintain it in return for access to the James River. Victor and his partner James Stacia own islands in the river adjacent to Mac's land. Eventually, Victor became the caretaker of the land for Mac. In 1998 Mac's health began to fail him and he was no longer able to visit the property. Victor's relationship with Mac lasted until his death in 1999. Mac left his two-thirds share of the land to 8 heirs. He did this to keep the property in the family. However, 7 of the 8 heirs decided to sell, much to the dismay of his widow, Ruby McMillan. Her son, Tim Stinson, the stepson of Mac, retained his 1/8 of 2/3 share (1/12). In January of 2000, 11/12 of the property went up for sale. Joe contacted Victor and offered him the sale. In April 2000 Victor Sorrell, James Stacia and Frank Rennie bought the 11/12 ownership of the property and became partners with Tim Stinson. The McMillan era came to an end, however; Ruby McMillan was pleased for Mac's sake that the new owners cared about the land and respected the unique history of this very special piece of Fluvanna County.
Charles M. McMillan
