Elizabeth Buckner Stith

Elizabeth Buckner Stith                                                                             
b. 1700
d. 1756

Pictured at the right in c. 1748-1750. Enlargement.

From The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation courtesy of Jon Alan Whitfield October 1998

ebs1750p.gif (46451 bytes)

Lineage from Elizabeth Buckner Stith to Alan Richard Scott
Cover Letter
Catalog Sheet describing the Picture
Markings on Back of Photograph:

Lineage from Elizabeth Buckner Stith to Alan Richard Scott

Elizabeth (Buckner) Stith b. 1700 m. Drury Stith(Jr.) b. 1695
    Richard Stith (Sr) , born 30 Sep 1727 m. Lucy Cocke Hall
         William B. Stith, born 8 Oct 1777 in Va. married Nancy (Jones) Stith
               Henry Stith born 10 Oct 1815 m. Mary Ann Stith
          Richard Stith (Jr) born 9 Dec 1779 m. Elizabeth Jones
                Mary Ann Stith, born 23 Jan 1820 m. Henry Stith
                       Thomas Jefferson Stith b. 28 Aug. 1841 Hannah Chase Williams
                               Irene Buckner Stith m. Charles Beauregard Fontaine
                                     Ruth Fontaine m. Walter Lee Scott
                                            Walter Charles Scott m. Ellen Delean Brown
                                                   Jesse Brown Scot m. Frances Byars Scott
                                                         Alan Richard Scott

Cover Letter

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Post Office Box C
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187
Telephone: 804-229-1000

July 22, 1987

Mr. Jon A. Whitfield
Box 67
Star Route 1
Brandenburg, KY 40108

Dear Mr. Whitfield:

        Your request for information about our painting of Elizabeth Stith was forwarded to me.  I regret it is unlikely that prints of the portrait will ever be available for sale in our colonial stores.

        Please accept the enclosed black and white photo with our compliments, as we had an extra in our file.  I have also enclosed a copy of our catalog sheet on the painting, as well as some genealogical information which you may find helpful.  I was unable to determine from our files who compiled this genealogical information on the Stith family -- you may already be familiar with the source.

        I did not discover any information on a painting or statue of Major John Stith in my search.  Graham Hood, our expert on colonial paintings, was unaware of any  such work. If your research leads you to more information about Stith family portraits, please do let us know.

        Thank you for your interest in our collection.

Sincerely,

signed

Laurie Suber
Photographic Librarian,
Department of Collections

 

 

Catalog Sheet:

 

Form No. 148                                                                          ACCESSION NO. 51-577

OBJECT  Painting - Portrait (framed) Mrs. Elizabeth Stith (c. 1700-1756)

MATERIALS Oil on canvas

COUNTRY  American - Virginia

DATE  c. 1748-1750

MAKER William Dering (    - c. 1751)

SIGNATURE OR MARKS  (Lower right) "W. Dering 17.."  (Lower left) "AEtatis Suae 5(0?) Mrs. Eliz. Stith"

DIMENSIONS Stretcher: H. 30"; W. 22". Frame: H. 36 1/16"; W. 28 1/8"

CONDITION Apparently cleaned c. 1905 by the Hopkins firm of restoration in Baltimore and perhaps later by the same firm.  In 1951by the Kecks -- relined, cleaned, restored, resurfaced, and given new stretcher (see report, Jan 1952). (Frame from Old Print Shop, 6 Feb 52.)

DESCRIPTION  (Include form, color, technique) Oil portrait of a middle - aged lady shown to the waist, seated, and turned slightly to the right.  She appears within an oval on a rectangular canvas with dark painted spandrels,   Her hair, brushed back and hanging to the shoulders, is graying dark brown; eyes brown, complexion rosy.   She wears a blue-gray dress showing at the right from the neck to the waist the red lining of the bodice and the red lining of the left sleeve.  There is a light gray frill about the neck; a light shawl is seen at the right below, just above the waist.
Frame: antique molded pearwood painted black, with molded, carved, and gilt spandrel.

HISTORY  (Include former owners when known)  Ex. Coll. (directly descended in family until acquired by Colonial Williamsburg): Mrs. Drury (Elizabeth Buckner) Stith; Griffin Stith; Mrs. Christopher (Susanna Stith) Johnston I; Christopher Johnston II; Dr. Christopher Johnston III; Dr. Christopher Johnston IV; Mrs. Pinckney W. (Sarah C.S. Johnston) Snelling.
    The subject was born c. 1698-1700 and died 1756.  She was daughter of Maj. William Buckner (d. 1716), a Justice, High Sheriff, and Burgess of York county, Virginia.  Elizabeth married c. 1717, Col. Drury Stith II, of Prince George and Brunswick Counties, Virginia.  He was a Justice and Burgess of Brunswick County.   Drury and Elizabeth Stith, who had seven children, were great-great-great-great-grandparents of Mrs. Snelling, the last descendant to own the picture.

REFERENCE AND REMARKS  Ref: J. Hall Pleasants , "William Dering, A Mid-Eighteenth Century Williamsburg Portrait Painter, " The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Jan 57, pp. 56-63, illus. opp. p. 58.
Portions of the inscriptions are almost obliterated such as to be illegible.  About 1905 Dr. Christopher Johnston IV states in letter that he read them as follows: (lower left) "Aetatis suae 50" followed by "Mrs. Eliz. Stith"; (lower right) W. Dering  (other side)  ..... {other side not provided in 1998 JBS}

X-Ref: DERING, William; PAINTINGS                     X-Ref: STITH, Elizabeth Buckner: Brush House - Parlor

 

 

Markings on Back of Photograph:

 

55%

PHOTOGRAPHED BY
DELMORE A. WENZEL
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

THIS PICTURE MAY BE SYNDICATED OR COPIED FOR PUBLICATION: NOT TO BE USED FOR ADVERTISING WITHOUT PERMISSION
NEGATIVE # C-75-993
ACCESSION # 1951-577