His personal collection of books was bought by Thomas Jefferson after Richard Bland passed away
Penned a composition entitled “Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies” that discussed how it is “the right of the people to inquire into the conduct of government, [...] [that] their rights [must be] secured by natural law, [and] that the laws could not be changed without the consent of the people affected by the laws”
Was a part of the House of Burgesses for more than thirty years
Advocated for Prince George County
Penned many final copies of measures that would be placed before the House of Burgesses
Was a part of multiple important subgroups of the House of Burgesses and “was the only Burgess who served as chairman or senior member of the three most important committees in the House at the same time”
After John Robinson passed away in 1766, Richard Henry Lee advocated for Richard Bland to replace the Speaker, but the position eventually was given to Richard Bland’s cousin Peyton Randolph
Thomas Jefferson was annoyed with Richard Bland after Bland passed away and “criticized Bland for falling short, in his writings, of advocating absolute revolution against the mother country”
Enjoyed learning and reading about “the natural law theory of human rights”
Convinced that “‘blacks [were] among the human community of men and women who deserved some degree of protection under the law’”
Richard Bland and Thomas Jefferson, according to Lineous Preston Bland III, rendered a piece of legislation “that would legalize the emancipation of slaves by their owners, if it was the desire of the masters to do so”
Once Richard Bland began to talk about the bill, “he was accused by his fellow legislators of being a traitor to the Colony”
Tended to be a cautious moderate with regard to politics, and “‘he had the courage of his convictions’”
Did care for the Two Penny Act, but it led to “clergymen’s efforts to monopolize on the inflated tobacco price, which resulted from the poor yields realized that year by the planters [...], [and] Bland was unwilling to stand by and permit the churchmen to profit unfairly on the misfortunes of the other colonists”
Could write publications and compositions very well
Thought that the only thing that connected the colonies to England was through “allegiance to the Crown”
Declared that because no one from the colonies was present in England, “only the colonial assemblies had the authority to rule on issues that affected the colonists internally”
Born and raised in the Bland-Wetherburn House in Williamsburg, Virginia
Attended William and Mary College and Edinburgh University
Was a part of the Board of Visitors for William and Mary College
John Adams and John Tyler, Senior, highly praised Richard Bland
Attended the First Continental Congress in 1774 as well as the Second Continental Congress in 1776
Could not go to the Second Continental Congress because he was not feeling well
Took care of Jordan’s Point plantation
First wed Anne Poythress, with whom he had twelve offspring
Wed Martha Macon Massie and then Elizabeth Blair Bolling
Surpassed in age all of his wives and was able to see all of his children become adults
Was a Justice and a Clerk
Worked as a warden at Martin’s Brandon Church
Was born in 1710 at the Bland-Wetherburn House in Williamsburg, Virginia
At the age of six, Bland’s father purchased more than 1700 acres of land from a man named Samuel Jordan that was at a point on the James River
The land would be aptly called Jordan’s Point
Today, the land where the original home was located on the Point houses Hopewell’s airport as well as the Golf Club of Hopewell
Wed three people: Anne Poythress (had six sons and six daughters with her), Martha Macon, and Elizabeth Blair Bolling
Richard Bland III was born around 1730 or 1731
Wed Mary Bolling of Cobb’s in Chesterfield County and had Richard Bland IV, Ann Poythress Bland, John Bolling Bland, and Eliza Blair Bland
Elizabeth Bland was born around 1732 or 1733
Wed Peter Poythress and had Agnes, Mary, Lucy, Elizabeth, Susannah, Jane, Anne, and William
Ann Bland was born in 1735 and wed Alexander Morrison of Ward’s Creek in Prince George County
Peter Bland was born in 1737 and wed Judith Booker of Amelia County and resided at Abberville in Nottoway County and had Edward Bland
Mary Bland obtained some acreage from her father
William Bland was born in 1742 and wed three people (Elizabeth Yates, Catherine Wills, and Ann Harwood)
Was ordained by the Bishop of London and took over President James Madison’s position at the Church on the Main between Williamsburg and Jamestown
Theodorick Bland was born in 1744 and was wed to Sarah, who was the daughter of Colonel Henry Fitzhugh of Bedford in Stafford County, and they had a son named Theodorick, who was born in 1776, who wed Sarah Celen Davies from Ireland, and they had a son named Theodorick, who was a delegate to the Maryland General Assembly from 1808 to 1810 as well as a judge and the Chancellor of Maryland
Edward Bland was born in 1746 and was wed to Elizabeth Cocke
Sarah Bland was born in 1750 and was wed to Robert Goode of Henrico County
Susan Bland was born in 1752
Lucy Bland was born in 1754 and was wed to Jacob Rubsamen
John Bland was born in 1739 and was wed to Rachel Reed, and they had a son named John Bland, who was born in 1765 in Prince George County at Jordan’s Point, and he was wed to Sarah Lee, who was a relative of Robert E. Lee, and they had eight children
John Bland of 1739 fought in the American Revolution and was given land in Cumberland County, Kentucky, after the Revolution, and his son settled this land
John Bland and Sarah Lee had around eight children together
Zachariah Bland was born in 1807 in Prince George County, Virginia, and then moved to Kentucky, and he wed Keziah Ogle and Deliliah Didlake
Bought fifty acres of land in Gloucester County, Virginia, from Elisha Miller of Jefferson County, Kentucky
Had about six children with Deliliah
James Bland fought in the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, but he passed away in a South Carolina hospital on 13 November 1863 from “brain fever”
Linius Payne Bland was wed to Mary Padgett
Benjamin Boyd Bland was a minister for forty-five years
James Royston Bland was a part of the Richmond Blues of the United States Army in World War I
Linius Payne Bland, Jr., was a minister for forty-four years and lived in Wakefield, Virginia