Author: Stephen Malone
James Chew was born in Orange County, VA, as a child of Thomas Chew and Martha Thompson Taylor. His birth date is commonly listed as 1745, but that date may be too late.
First, on 5 June 1758, James witnessed a land transaction in Frederick County. VA law required at that time made witnesses be at least fourteen years old, and while he could have turned fourteen in that year (i.e., born in 1745), it seems unlikely anyone would need a witness that young for something as common as a real estate transaction.
Second, in 1779, James gave witness to the military service of a Samuel Fry as a Ranger in the French and Indian War in 1758 and 1759. VA law required men be over sixteen to serve in the military, so unless James was a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old camp follower he had to have been born at the latest in 1743, or a few years earlier.
James’ parents were part of the Virginia colony’s elite. His father, Thomas, owned thousands of acres of land in Orange County, which in the 1730s and 1740s was essentially the frontier. James’ maternal grandfather had substantial holdings in neighboring Spotsylvania County.
Through his mother’s family, James was closely related to two U.S. Presidents: James Madison Jr. and Zachary Taylor.
James died before Zachary Taylor was born, but James Madison Jr. was another story entirely. James Madison Sr. built his home at the southern edge of his land, which bordered on the Chew plantation to the south. The Chews built their home at extreme northern edge of their land, meaning the two houses must have been only a mile or two apart, and shared a common road. It would have been an easy canter from one house to the other.
James Madison Sr. and Thomas Chew didn’t build their homes close together just so that their wives (who were sisters) could be near each other. Orange County was sparsely populated at the time, so the Chews and Madison’s were probably the only families within miles: being close together not only meant society, it meant they could help defend each other in the unlikely event of a Native American raid. (Brant 1941)
That proximity also meant that James Chew and James Madison Jr. must have known each other closely. Separated by six to ten years (James Madison Jr. was born in 1751), the two may not have played much together, but they would have interacted across a decade of family gatherings.
James was also named godfather to James Madison Jr.’s youngest brother, Reuben, in 1771.
In December of 1776, Virginia governor Patrick Henry ordered that the frontier leaders get prepared for defense, and in late January of 1777, frontier leaders, including James’ friend Zachwell Morgan, met to organize the militia. Records show that James server as a Major under the command of Colonel Thomas. Gaddis.
On 19 July 1777, James took the testimony of two spies who saw tracks showing Native American activity.
A month later, on 25 August 1777, James and Captain Pigman marched with 100 men for Fort Henry at Wheeling—the militia was gathering for potential late summer and early fall operations.
James may have been involved in action against fellow settlers at Redstone Creek who had declared for King George. It’s not clear if James was actually there, but his commanding officer, Colonel Thomas Gaddis, co-led the expedition with James’ friend, Colonel Zackquill Morgan. The militiamen James commanded were likely comprised of frontiersmen with experience in frontier raiding, but there were also militia men who had never seen a Native American in their lives. On 26 September, Captain William Foreman led thirty-four of these less seasoned militiamen on a two-day patrol around Fort Henry. The expedition wasn’t on orders: Col. David Shepherd wrote that “the party… went not at my request or order but from motives of their own, as they were tired of being cooped up in the fort, idle”. As they were returning the following day, forty Wyandot troops ambushed the men near McMachan’s Narrows about eight miles away from Fort Henry. James was ordered to document the outcome of the attack, writing to his commander, General Edward Hand, on 3 October 1777 that he found twenty-one “brave fellows, Cruelly Butcher’d, Even after Death.”