Partial Listing of African Americans Lynched in Virginia

William Allen, Warwick County, December 6, 1881, for murder. Note: In 1881, after months of arguments and threatened fights between William Allen, a drayman, and a white man he drove to work each morning, Allen challenged the man to a fight and, in the struggle that followed, killed him. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 73)

Owen (Orion?) Anderson, Leesburg, November 8, 1889, for frightening a white girl. Note: Anderson was lynched for putting a bag on his head and frightening a white female friend as she walked to school. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 61)

Abner Anthony, Bath County, February 26, 1893, for attempted rape

Scott Bailey, Halifax, April 23, 1889, for attempted rape

Raymond Bird, Wythe County, August 15, 1926, for miscegenation

Scott Bishop, Nottoway County, February 23, 1891, for murder/robbery

James Black, Dinwiddie County, April 12, 1880, for attempted rape

Peter Bland, King William County, February 5, 1884, for assault

Robert Bland, Petersburg, November 23, 1889, for attempted rape

George F. Blount, Nansemond County, October 24, 1904, for assault

Sam Blow, Tazewell County, February 1, 1893, for assault

Spencer Branch, Tazewell County, February 1, 1893, for assault

Isaac Brandon, Charles City County, April 6, 1892, for attempted rape

Jerry Brown, Tazewell County, February 1, 1893, for assault

Robert Burton, Alleghany County, October 17, 1891, for assault and riot. Note: A policeman in Clifton Forge, Virginia tried to arrest a group of miners (Bob Burton, Charles Miller, John and William Scott) for boisterous, intimidating behavior. They resisted arrest and made their way out of town and back to the mines. The humiliated policeman gathered a lynch mob and set out after the black miners. A gunfight followed and one of the mob members was killed. By late afternoon, the black miners had been captured and jailed. The mob later dragged Miller and the two Scotts from the jail, placed nooses around their necks, took them to a black neighborhood known both as Slaughter House Hollow and Butcher's Hollow, then lynched them. Burton, a teenager, was lynched just a few hours later. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 147-148)

Horace Carter, King William County, October 13, 1923, for rape

James Carter, Amherst, April 6, 1902, for assault. Note: Wandering stock created mounting difficulties between James Carter and his white neighbor and climaxed in 1902 when the white accused Carter of setting fire to his outhouse. During the ensuing fight, Carter shot and wounded his assailant. Lynch mobs murdered both Allen and Carter within days of the episodes. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 73-74).

Noah Cherry, Princess Anne County, November 15, 1885, for murder

Walter Clark, Danville, October 13, 1917, for murder. Note: accused of murder, Clark fought a gun battle with a mob of law officers and citizens. The mob set fire to Clarks home and he was shot as he fled. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 34)

Reuben Coles, Surry County, July 27, 1887, for rape

Archie Cook, Prince Edward County, September 2, 1888, for rape

Walter Cotton, Greenville County, March 24, 1900, for murder. Note: described as a black "desperado," Cotton was lynched in retaliation for the murders of several whites. Blacks who witnessed the lynching demanded that Cotton's white sidekick, Brandt O'Grady, also be lynched and led the mob that dragged him from his jail cell and lynched him next to Cotton. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 45).

Charles Craven, Leesburg, July 31, 1902, for murder

Andrew Dudley, Greenfield, August 4, 1904, for attempted rape

Sam Ellerson, Tazewell County, February 1, 1893, for assault

John Fitzhugh, Rappahannock County, August 2, 1884, for assault

Magruder Fletcher, Tasley, March 14, 1889, for rape

John Forbes, Petersburg, June 11, 1889, for burglary

Wiley Gam, Toms Brook, June 6, 1902

Samuel Garner, Bluefield, September 16, 1889, for attempted rape

Wiley Gwynn, Wise County, June 5, 1902, for attempted rape

George Halsey, Smyth County, May 11, 1893, for rape

George Henderson, Page County, February 27, 1905, unknown cause

Henry Henderson, Ingram, February 20, 1905 Note: A rock throwing mob chased Henderson into a river and watched him drown. They were angry that he had entered their community. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 157)

William Henry, Wythe County, July 11, 1888, for rape

Thaddeus Holmes, Charlotte County, December 2, 1890, for murder

Howlet, Carroll County, June 20, 1898, for murder

Dave Hunt, Wise County, November 14, 1920, for rape

Ivy Jackson, Bland County, February 5, 1885, for murder

John Henry James, Albemarle County, July 12, 1898, for rape

John Johnson, Tazewell County, February 1, 1893, for assault

Lem Johnson, Brunswick County, August 3, 1921, for murder

Arthur Jordan, Fauquier County, January 19, 1880, for miscegenation. Note: Arthur Jordan ran off with and married his white employer's daughter. The employer had him arrested in Washington, D.C. and returned to Fauquier County to stand trial on charges of bigamy (Jordan allegedly already had a black wife). A small group of masked men dragged him from the county jail in Warrenton and lynched him in the town cemetery. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 62)

James Jordan, Sussex County, March 20, 1925, for rape

William Lavender, Roanoke County, February 12, 1892, for attempted rape

Dan Long, Wythe County, December 7, 1900, for rape

Henry Mason, Campbell County, November 30, 1885, for murder

Joseph McCoy, Alexandria County, April 23, 1897, for rape. Note: McCoy, who was jailed for allegedly raping his employer's daughters, was dragged from his cell and lynched from a lamppost at the intersection of two major downtown streets. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 155)

Charles Miller, Alleghany County, October 17, 1891, for assault and riot. Note: A policeman in Clifton Forge, Virginia tried to arrest a group of miners (Bob Burton, Charles Miller, John and William Scott) for boisterous, intimidating behavior. They resisted arrest and made their way out of town and back to the mines. The humiliated policeman gathered a lynch mob and set out after the black miners. A gunfight followed and one of the mob members was killed. By late afternoon, the black miners had been captured and jailed. The mob later dragged Miller and the two Scotts from the jail, placed nooses around their necks, took them to a black neighborhood known both as Slaughter House Hollow and Butcher's Hollow, then lynched them. Burton, a teenager, was lynched just a few hours later. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 147-148)

Jesse Mitchell, Amelia County, September 15, 1983, for rape

Arthur Morgan, Tazewell County, April 16, 1893, for murder

Kellis Moorman, Henry County, April 19, 1886, for assault

Elmer (Elmore?) Moseley, Sussex or Prince George County, January 14, 1904, for murder. Note: Mosely was acquitted of killing his black neighbor in front of the man's family. A group of blacks lynched Mosely as he returned from the trial. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 30).

Pinkney Murphy, Nelson County, September 14, 1900, for attempted rape

Mach Neal, Warren, November 30, 1910

William Page, Lillian, August 17, 1917, attempted rape

Tom Pannell, Pittsylvania County, April 6, 1891, reason unknown

Lee Pickett, Patrick County, July 12, 1898, for attempted rape. Note: Pickett was a discharged mental patient. The five white men who lynched him were subsequently found guilty of second-degree murder and given sentences ranging from 5-6 years in the penitentiary. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 94)

Martin Roland, Abingdon, April 3, 1889

Martin Rollins, Russell County, April 2, 1889, for murder

John Scott, Alleghany County, October 17, 1891, for assault and riot. Note: A policeman in Clifton Forge, Virginia tried to arrest a group of miners (Bob Burton, Charles Miller, John and William Scott) for boisterous, intimidating behavior. They resisted arrest and made their way out of town and back to the mines. The humiliated policeman gathered a lynch mob and set out after the black miners. A gunfight followed and one of the mob members was killed. By late afternoon, the black miners had been captured and jailed. The mob later dragged Miller and the two Scotts from the jail, placed nooses around their necks, took them to a black neighborhood known both as Slaughter House Hollow and Butcher's Hollow, then lynched them. Burton, a teenager, was lynched just a few hours later. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 147-148)

William Scott, Alleghany County, October 17, 1891, for assault and riot. Note: A policeman in Clifton Forge, Virginia tried to arrest a group of miners (Bob Burton, Charles Miller, John and William Scott) for boisterous, intimidating behavior. They resisted arrest and made their way out of town and back to the mines. The humiliated policeman gathered a lynch mob and set out after the black miners. A gunfight followed and one of the mob members was killed. By late afternoon, the black miners had been captured and jailed. The mob later dragged Miller and the two Scotts from the jail, placed nooses around their necks, took them to a black neighborhood known both as Slaughter House Hollow and Butcher's Hollow, then lynched them. Burton, a teenager, was lynched just a few hours later. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 147-148)

William Shorter, Frederick County, June 13, 1893, for attempted rape

Smith, Wythe County, July 11, 1888, for rape

Thomas Smith, Roanoke County, September 20, 1893, for assault. Note: Smith allegedly assaulted Mrs. Henry Bishop, "a respectable white woman." The Mayor of Roanoke (Mayor Trout) tried to prevent Smith's lynching by calling out the local militia. In the ensuing battle, seven mob members were killed and at least 25 were wounded. Smith was removed from the Roanoke jail and the Mayor escaped to Lynchburg. The mob found Smith the next morning and lynched him. A local minister prevented the mob from burying Smith's body in the mayor's front yard. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 167-168)

Benjamin Thomas, Alexandria County, August 8, 1899, for attempted rape

Allie Thompson, Culpepper County, November 24, 1918, for attempted rape

George Towler, Pittsylvania County, January 11, 1892, for miscegenation. Note: Towler was lynched by his white employer because of his sexual relationship with the man's daughter, a relationship that was common knowledge in the town where the two lived. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 66)

Hubert Wailer, Halifax County, March 19, 1901, for arson

Walker, Lawrenceville, July 1, 1901<br>

Page Wallace, Loudoun County, February 18, 1880, for rape

Henry Walls, Patrick County, September 6, 1897, for murder

Joe Walton, Brunswick County, July 1, 1901, for attempted rape. Note: Accused of attempting to rape his employer's daughter, Walton was placed in the Brunswick County jail in Lawrenceville, but before he could be tried, fifty masked men took him from the jail and lynched him. (Lynching in the New South, pg. 155)

Whitehead, specific locality unknown, May 19, 1904

Joe Williams, Louisa County, July 6, 1892, for attempted rape

John Wilson, Patrick County, February 6, 1886, for being a horse thief

Samuel Wood, Scott County, May 17, 1894, reason unknown

Leonard Woods, Wise County, November 30, 1927, for murder

Phillip Young, Fluvanna County, October 12, 1892, for murder

Bruce Younger, Halifax County, July 27, 1888, for attempted rape

Unknown Negro, Halifax County, March 22, 1901

Unknown Negro, Newport News, June 11, 1902

Unknown Negro, Richmond, August 8, 1912

Unknown Negro, Hopeful, December 9, 1915