Chris's Genealogy Journey: July 7th Pamplin Historical Park

This defensive structure is a "fraise"

As I was leaving Dinwiddie County I programed my navigation system and as usual it directed me to the nearest interstate highway – the most expeditious route to where I wanted to go. I wish there were an option to enter “scenic route”. Fortunately I had looked at a paper map and knew that the historic Boydton Plank Road paralleled the freeway very closely. So, I ignored the verbal directions and took the slower, scenic passage. The Boydton Plank Road extends from Boydton in the south to Petersburg in the north. It was an important supply line during the Civil War. More importantly, I knew from previous research, that my 2^nd great grandfather James William Pattillo had contributed labor to help construct the road in October of 1861.

A short way beyond the town of Dinwiddie, I passed Pamplin Historical Park. There are many Civil War and battlefield parks in Virginia and the south. None particularly interested me but this one caught my attention, so I did a U-turn and drove through the gate and along the curving, tree-lined road until I came to a modern building surrounded by a well-designed landscape. I parked in the shade and ventured in.

Lobby of the Pamplin Historical Park Visitor Center

The price of admission included the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Tudor Hall Plantation, The Battlefield Center, a reconstructed military encampment, trails interpreting the Breakthrough walls, the Banks House, and the Hart Farm. I started with the outdoor exhibits and Tudor Hall – the only extant original building. All the others were well executed reconstructions. I figured it would only get hotter as the day progressed so I’d save the museum for later in the day. Everything was well done. I probably spent three hours wandering through the site and I learned a great deal.

One of the things I learned was that the barrel is called a
hogshead and is how tobacco was transmported

One unique thing about this park is that it was built with private money provided by Robert B. Pamplin Sr. and his son Robert B. Pamplin Jr. The Pamplin’s are descendants of the family that built Tudor Hall – the Boisseau family. Ding Ding Ding – didn’t I just see that name the day before while in the Dinwiddie court building? Yes, Horace Mitchell Pattillo married Armerria Maachal Boisseau. And, John William Phillips married Mary Elizabeth Boisseau. Horace is a 2^nd cousin twice removed and John is something similar. So, am I related to these Boisseau’s? Probably yes but I’ve yet to figure out exactly how. See how fun genealogy is? And “Armerria” – that’s the one set of documents I did not ask the clerk to copy because the name was not familiar to me the day before.

This site is significant as a historic site because it was here that the Union Army finally broke through the Confederate line that defended Petersburg and enabled the Union to cut off all supplies to the Confederates. The decisive battle took place on April 2, 1865. The Confederate army surrendered in Richmond just seven days later on April 9^th 1865. The war that killed 620,000 Americans was over.