A Legacy of Faith, Liberty, and Sacrifice: Reverend William Leigh and his son, Judge William Leigh
Updated: May 21
*In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I want to share the stories of two men whose names are not widely known, yet whose lives were woven into the very foundation of this nation.
One stood near the beginning of America’s struggle for liberty, signing onto the Revolutionary resolutions of 1774 as the colonies moved toward independence. He was Reverend William Leigh, an Anglican minister who risked position and security to stand with the cause of liberty. He died young, at only thirty-nine years of age, leaving behind a three-year-old son.
That child would become Judge William Leigh. a man shaped not only by personal loss, but by the powerful network of faith, sacrifice, and conviction surrounding him. Guided by family, influenced by the generation that forged the Republic, and strengthened through adversity, he grew into one of Virginia’s most respected jurists and an enduring example of integrity.
I believed I was researching genealogy and history. What I discovered instead was something far deeper: a bloodline marked by sacrifice, perseverance, courage, and conscience stretching across generations.
These two men are not well known, but they were the contemporaries of men that were. They were the friends and family of the founders we all learned about.
Character leaves a visible trail and the lives of Reverend William Leigh and Judge William Leigh remind us that history is not built only by the celebrated figures standing at the center of the stage, but also by the steady souls beside them—men and women willing to endure hardship, stand for principle, and carry the burden of liberty forward.
A Minister Chooses Sides
Virginia was on edge in 1774. News traveled slowly, but outrage traveled fast.
The Boston Tea Party had infuriated Britain and Parliament responded by shutting down the Port of Boston, choking commerce and sending a message to every colony:
Obey.
Or be crushed.
In Virginia, leaders of the House of Burgesses responded with open resistance. Royal Governor Lord Dunmore retaliated by dissolving the assembly. For many Virginians, this was the moment neutrality became impossible. Among those forced to choose sides was an Anglican minister named William Leigh.
That decision carried enormous risk. The Anglican Church was tied directly to the Crown and clergymen were expected to remain aligned with royal authority. Yet Rev. Leigh publicly stepped into dangerous territory with many other founding Patriots.
In August 1774, Virginia leaders gathered for what became the First Virginia Convention. Rev. William Leigh was one of thirteen clergymen who signed on as early supporters of the resolutions along with the other Patriot leaders.
History often remembers generals and politicians, but rarely those who stand beside them, quietly risking everything to support a big idea. Rev. William Leigh descended from powerful colonial families. He had every reason to protect his standing and remain neutral, but the legacy he inherited and his beliefs demanded him to choose liberty. He chose principles over comfort, like so many others and stepped out of the pulpit and onto the political platform.
He served in:
Manchester Parish
Dale Parish
And later became a member of the Virginia Convention of 1776, where Virginia moved toward independence.
Then his story abruptly ended.
He died young, at only 39 years of age and his son, William, was only three years old.
A Fatherless Boy in a New Nation
William Leigh was born in May 1783. The war was ending and the fledgling nation was beginning. Everything was uncertain and young William grew up in the long shadow of family legacy and stories.
Stories of revolution.
Stories of sacrifice.
Stories of faith.
Stories of loss.
His future wife, Rebecca Selden Watkins, brought another extraordinary connection.
Her grandfather was Rev. Miles Selden, rector of Old St. John's Church and Chaplain over the Convention when Patrick Henry rose to deliver his famous speech—"give me liberty or give me death"; Rev William Leigh and Rev Miles Selden were Patriot contemporaries and kinsmen.
Imagine growing up surrounded by stories like these. And yet William Leigh’s life was not easy. He attended the College of William & Mary. Then the money ran out and he left after one year. His uncle, Thomas Watkins, son of Benjamin Watkins, the first clerk of Chesterfield County, probably helped him learn law in the clerk's office. His brother, who also became a powerful judge, Benjamin Watkins Leigh, no doubt advised him too. He returned home and studied law on his own.
By 1805 he was admitted to the Virginia Bar and years later he stood among giants:
James Madison
James Monroe
John Marshall
He rose to become one of Virginia’s most respected judges!
A man of integrity and honor.
And then everything changed.
The Will
When John Randolph of Roanoke died in 1833, confusion followed him into death. He had been a brilliant, volatile, and eccentric Senator. He was politically powerful, enormously wealthy and he enslaved hundreds of people. He also left behind contradicting wills.
One promised freedom to hundreds of enslaved men, women, and children. Another created the chaos of them being sold for continued enslavement. Suddenly the courtroom became the place where hundreds of futures would be decided.
Would these families be freed?
Or returned to bondage?
And then there was Judge William Leigh. He possessed critical testimony regarding Randolph’s mental competency. His words could shape the outcome but there was a devastating complication. He stood to inherit a significant fortune, a life-changing inheritance.
If he testified while benefiting financially, his credibility would be destroyed.
He had two choices:
Keep the money.
Or protect the truth.
The Decision
Some people never face a moment that clearly reveals who they are. William Leigh did and he chose integrity. He chose to remain rooted in truth and Justice and gave up the inheritance. All of it. He gave it up voluntarily and was named as the executor.
Historical accounts noted he was “not well endowed with worldly goods.” He was not sacrificing excess luxury. He was sacrificing potential security, comfort, and stability. Perhaps generational wealth and he surrendered it so no one could question his testimony.
So truth could prevail.
So his friend’s final wishes could be honored.
So hundreds of enslaved people might live free.
Freedom
The testimony of Judge William Leigh mattered. He knew John Randolph well and had been connected to him professionally and personally for decades. The legal battle to enforce the last wishes of his friend stretched on for thirteen years but eventually Judge Leigh prevailed and approximately 383 enslaved individuals were freed. Families who had lived under bondage walked toward uncertain but real freedom. Many eventually relocated to Ohio after Judge Leigh arranged for the purchase of land so they could settle there. There is another whole story about what happed to them after that.
People talk about family trees like they are tidy things. Neatly organized, decorative and beautiful but many are filled with the blood trail of sacrifice, persecution, loss, courage, and faith. Difficult choices that cost everything worldly but rescued their soul.
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36
Rev. William Leigh risked his livelihood for liberty.
Judge William Leigh surrendered fortune for freedom.
Their stories reached across centuries to remind me that integrity must always be protected. Every generation gets its own test. The question is whether we will recognize ours when it comes.
America is celebrating 250 years of Freedom!
Are we willing to hold fast to Truth and Integrity in order to preserve the Liberty and Freedom we inherited from our ancestors?
Men like Rev William Leigh and Judge William Leigh are the bedrock of this nation and their sacrifices are why we are Free today. Many men just like them lost their lives over the past 250 years to Preserve those Freedoms and we should honor them by celebrating FREEDOM!
clm 🤝
Comments