General William Woodford Shoe Buckle and Excavated Artifacts

General William Woodford Shoe Buckle, Excavated Artifacts and Two Volume Book Set

Beautiful 18th century American silver over iron shoe buckle that belong to General Wiiliam Woodford of Caroline County, Virginia. General Woodford was active in the French and Indian War with General Washington. General Washington selected him to command the 2nd Virginia Regiment. He served in the Revolutionary War. He commanded the American victory at Great Bridge and participated in the Northern Campaign and the Southern Campaign. He was captured at Charleston, South Carolina, along with more than 5,000 American Patriots and was sent, with many American Patriots, to a prison ship, in New York harbor. He died in November, 1780, while aboard the ship. The 18th century pants buckle was excavated at the site of the Windsor Plantation, the home of General William Woodford in Caroline County, Virginia.

Provenance:

The buckle descended though the Thornton Family (William’s wife was Mary Thornton) to Miss Ellen Goulding Thornton, Bowling Green, Virginia. Miss Thornton was Gordon Barlow’s first grade teacher at Lee Maury grade school in Bowling Green, Virginia. She was a great friend to Gordon when he came back to Bowling Green, Virginia, as a pharmacist. Miss Thornton loaned Gordon the General William Woodford silver shoe bucket for his 1976 bi-centennial display for that year’s July 4th Revolutionary War display in Bowling Green, Virginia.

In 1973, Miss Thornton told Gordon that she was proud to see her student so dedication to American history and she gave Gordon the General William Woodford silver shoe buckle that had descended through her family, along with a two-volume set of books titled “The Life of General William Woodford of the Revolutionary War” by Stewart which she inscribed noting her gifts to Gordon Barlow. The 18th century excavated artifacts were found when Gordon Barlow was detecting the Windsor Plantation site in 1968.