Roberta Baskerville was thirteen when the letter came to her Warrenton, North Carolina home. It was addressed to her mother in the long, elegant handwriting she recognized as her sister, Anne’s. Before any of her many siblings could take it, Roberta ran the letter upstairs to her mother, who was ill in bed. Mrs. Baskerville tentatively tore open the envelope, and silently read the contents. As she read, a glow spread over her thin face. There was a new life in the family: on December 3, 1846, 20-year-old Anne had given birth to a healthy little girl named Mary Ann.

The River House, where Anne Baskerville Jones lived at Chippokes

Roberta imagined what Anne’s new life must be like. Far away in Surry County, Virginia, Anne had married a wealthy planter named Albert Carroll Jones. He owned a large farm along the James River called Chippokes, where he grew fruit and made brandy that was widely renowned. Roberta loved to picture the big white house where Anne lived, perched on a bluff high above a wide river. All around it were fields of grain and trees heavy with sweet-smelling fruit. On those warm summer evenings, Anne might play the piano in an elegant new dinner dress. Or perhaps she would take a walk with her husband and baby. As one of eleven children, Roberta dreamed of having such a life, of new clothes and peace and something to call her own.

More happy letters from Chippokes arrived over the next few years. The baby was growing, and walking, and talking. Chippokes was a lovely place to raise a child. Anne took her daughter for long walks in the orchard and along the shell-studded beach. Her letters convinced her father to return to Virginia, and in 1848 he moved the whole family to Petersburg. For Roberta, the change was exciting. She could now easily visit her sister’s idyllic home, and help care for her niece. The joy of their reunion was cut short, however. In September of 1850, Anne became ill and died before anything could be done.

Chippokes was left without a mistress. The River House grew quiet except for little Mary Ann’s cries and the comforting words of her enslaved nurse. Roberta and her family did what they could, but with a brand new baby of their own, there was little time or energy for many visits to Chippokes. Roberta mourned Anne’s loss not just for her own sake, but for the sake of the family she left behind.

The Jones-Stewart Mansion, where Roberta Baskerville Jones made her home

Over the next decade, Roberta watched her siblings marry and move away one by one. At the dawn of the Civil War, the only Baskerville children still at home were 28-year-old Roberta and 11-year-old Octavia. By now, people had stopped asking if Roberta would ever marry. Besides, she had her hands full at home, helping to feed and protect her family during the siege of Petersburg. Chippokes, with its wide golden fields and meandering river, was just a distant memory.

In 1871, everything changed for Roberta Baskerville. At Chippokes, little Mary Ann had grown up, and was set to marry the Sheriff of Surry County. The day of the wedding was beautiful, the orchard full of summertime greenery and the cicadas humming along. After the ceremony, Mary Ann’s father, Albert, approached Roberta and thanked her for coming. They walked through the throng of guests and into the garden, and in the shade of the cedars Roberta resolved to visit more often.

As those visits progressed, Roberta began to notice cracks in Albert’s splendid façade. Before the Civil War, Albert had owned over 40 enslaved servants and farm workers. Now, he relied on the labor of what few farmhands he could pay, and a handful of tenant farmers. Mary Ann, Roberta came to realize, had been her father’s housekeeper for the last six years. Without her, Albert struggled to keep the house clean and feed himself. He enjoyed Roberta’s visits, and she enjoyed spending a few hours away from home, where she couldn’t help but feel like a spinster and a burden. After a few months, Albert suggested they make the arrangement permanent, and in August of 1872, the two were married.

Roberta Baskerville Jones and Albert Carroll Jones, about 1880

Over the following decades, Roberta proved herself an asset at Chippokes. She managed the house with great efficiency, and learned how to manage the farm as well. Mary Ann, who now lived in the plantation’s River House with her husband and children, became very close to her new stepmother. After the grim period of 1880-1882, during which Mary Ann lost her husband, daughter, and father, Roberta held the family together and kept Chippokes running. When it became evident that leasing the plantation out was the only way they could afford to keep it, Roberta hesitated. Chippokes was more than just her home. It held her sister’s memory, and it was the source of her childhood dreams. It was the only home Mary Ann and her son had ever known. However, when Roberta’s niece, Belle, suggested they come live with her in Kentucky, Roberta made the hard decision to leave her beloved Chippokes. Roberta, Mary Ann, and little Henry forged a new life in Kentucky, thinking from time to time about tidal marshes and the way the sun glistened off the wide James River.

Mary Ann Jones Sutton and her son, seven-year-old Henry Sutton, about 1880

The Baskerville Jones sisters’ story speaks to that of many women of their time and social class. A woman’s success in life was often judged according to when and whom she married. Ann, though applauded for marrying at eighteen, faced the considerable dangers of childbirth and limited medicine. Roberta, though scorned for being unmarried until she was 38, lived a long and productive life caring for those she loved. Both women created a legacy at Chippokes in their own way, leaving behind tangible reminders of the lives they led.

You're invited

You are invited to experience these legacies for yourself, through one of Chippokes State Park’s exciting programs. Visit Roberta’s home, the Jones-Stewart Mansion, for a tour any weekend in March. Or step inside Anne’s world with tours of her home, the River House, March 24 and 31.

On March 30, join us as we meet the many remarkable women who have called Chippokes home, at Women of Chippokes, an all-new immersive tour. If you’d rather get a taste of the park’s natural beauty with a furry friend at your side, come out March 23 for our relaxing Dog’s Day on the River Hike.

Chippokes State Park is open year-round with many programs, events, and adventures to help you leave a legacy of your own. Chippokes State Park is located on the James River in Surry County, Virginia. For a Google map, click here.

For more information, visit our website here, or call the park at 757-294-3625.