Oak Ridge

In the year 1742, King Charles II of England, granted a patent of land to John Knight for 40 shillings. This property became known as Oak Ridge Plantation, and later, in about the year of 1820, this handsome brick home was built on the estate by the patentee's grandson, Tarleton Woodson Knight. The plantation is located at 3886 Bethel Church Road, on route 626, in Lunenburg County, Virginia.

The lovely antebellum brick dwelling is approached by a long winding drive, and is almost hidden among a grove of trees. The masonry construction, of bricks made on the plantation from the red Lunenburg clay, includes English, Flemish and common bond. The double entrance doors are secured inside by a large bar. Over the doors is the lovely original fanlight. Inside, the high-ceilinged rooms have windows and doors with hand-carved bull's eye corner decorations, and the original six-inch wide heart pine floors.

The present owners, Lynn J Vaughan, a descendant of John Knight, and his wife, Sandra Smithson Vaughan, began restoration of their home in 1983. They have modernized it by adding a new kitchen, a family room, bathrooms, and back porches. Under the family room is a full basement.

The patentee of the land, John Knight, was the son of John Knight and Elizabeth Jordan, of Sussex County, Virginia. They had, besides John, William, Jordan, Edward, Joel, Richard, Peter, Sarah Ann, and Mary.

John, their son, married Elizabeth Woodson, daughter of Robert Woodson, Jr and Rachel Watkins. John and Elizabeth had twelve children: Woodson, Peter, William, Joseph, Rachel, Charles, Judith Woodson, Mary, John, Jonathan, Elizabeth and one unknown daughter.

Woodson Knight, son of John and Elizabeth (Woodson) Knight, married Martha Walton, daughter of George Walton, Sr and his wife, Martha Hughes. Martha died in Lunenburg County, in 1824, and Woodson, in 1831, having had nine children: Sarah B, Thomas, Walton, Martha Hughes, Robert, Tarleton Woodson, John Hughes, Elizabeth Woodson, and an unknown child.

Tarleton Woodson Knight, first resident of the "Oak Ridge" plantation house, married his cousin, Elizabeth Woodson Farmer, daughter of Lodowick Farmer and Elizabeth Knight, sister of Woodson, Tarleton's father. They made their home at "Oak Ridge" and had several children, among them, Mary T Knight who married a Farmer (his surname, not occupation) and had Henrietta who married John N Vaughan, Sr, the great-great-grandmother of the present owner, Lynn J Vaughan.

Tarleton's sister, Sarah B Knight, married John C Jeffress. His brother, Thomas, married Sarah Ellington. Walton, married (1) Frances Stokes (2) Nancy Hughes Yarbrough, and emigrated to South Carolina. Robert married Sarah Taylor. John Hughes Knight, Sr married Sarah Everett Carter, and resided in Nottoway County, Virginia. Elizabeth Woodson Knight, Tarleton's sister, married David Hughes Williams and emigrated to Panola County, Mississippi.

Some of the descendants of John Knight, father of Woodson, and grandfather of Tarleton Woodson Knight have emigrated to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and California.

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