Otelia M. McGill
Encyclopedia
Otelia McGill of Petersburg, Virginia
was the daughter of Otelia (née Butler) Mahone
and Confederate
General and United States Senator William Mahone
.
Otelia and her two older brothers, William Mahone Jr. and Robert Butler Mahone were the only surviving children of 13 born to her parents. Otelia traveled extensively in Europe and in 1895 married William L. McGill who was from a prominent Petersburg, Virginia
family.
Otelia McGill is credited with preserving many of her famous father's papers, chronicling his career in building and operating Virginia's railroads, serving in the Confederate Army, and his political career as leader during Reconstruction of the Readjuster Party
. Her maternal grandfather was Dr. Robert Butler of Smithfield
, who had served as Virginia
's State Treasurer until his death in 1853.
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
was the daughter of Otelia (née Butler) Mahone
Otelia B. Mahone
Otelia Butler Mahone from Smithfield, Virginia was a nurse during the American Civil War and the wife of Confederate Major General William Mahone, who was a civil engineer, teacher, railroad builder, and Senator in the United States Congress...
and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General and United States Senator William Mahone
William Mahone
William Mahone was a civil engineer, teacher, soldier, railroad executive, and a member of the Virginia General Assembly and U.S. Congress. Small of stature, he was nicknamed "Little Billy"....
.
Otelia and her two older brothers, William Mahone Jr. and Robert Butler Mahone were the only surviving children of 13 born to her parents. Otelia traveled extensively in Europe and in 1895 married William L. McGill who was from a prominent Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
family.
Otelia McGill is credited with preserving many of her famous father's papers, chronicling his career in building and operating Virginia's railroads, serving in the Confederate Army, and his political career as leader during Reconstruction of the Readjuster Party
Readjuster Party
The Readjuster Party was a political coalition formed in Virginia in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the American Civil War. Readjusters aspired "to break the power of wealth and established privilege" and to promote public education, a program which attracted biracial support....
. Her maternal grandfather was Dr. Robert Butler of Smithfield
Smithfield, Virginia
Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 8,089 at the 2010 census....
, who had served as Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
's State Treasurer until his death in 1853.
Books
- Blake, Nelson (1935) William Mahone of Virginia: Soldier and Political Insurgent Richmond, VA: Garrett and Massie
- Striplin, E. F. Pat. (1981) The Norfolk & Western : a history Roanoke, Va. : Norfolk and Western Railway Co. ISBN 0-9633254-6-9