James William D. Bland was born on February 27, 1844, in Prince Edward County, the son of Hercules Bland and Mary Bland. Bland's father was a free man and a cooper who purchased his wife to ensure their children's freedom. Bland was taught to read and write by a slave in the household of his mother's former owner. He worked with his father as a cooper and carpenter until 1864, when he entered an American Missionary Association school in Norfolk. For two years he studied there and also taught reading, geography, and arithmetic. Although the school refused to license Bland to teach because of alleged smoking and profanity, he was permitted to continue as a substitute.
On April 27, 1870, Bland was in a large crowd attending a morning session of the Supreme Court of Appeals in the State Capitol during the appeal of a case concerning Richmond's contested mayoral election. Shortly after eleven o'clock the floor collapsed, killing Bland and about sixty other people. The Senate passed resolutions in his memory, and the General Assembly appropriated $52 for funeral expenses. Bland was buried in Farmville, where 200 mourners attended his interment.
Time Line
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February 27, 1844 - J. W. D. Bland is born in Prince Edward County to Hercules Bland and Mary Bland.
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1864 - J. W. D. Bland enters an American Missionary Association school in Norfolk.
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1867 - J. W. D. Bland attends the state Republican convention.
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October 22, 1867 - Edgar Allan and J. W. D. Bland are elected to represent Appomattox and Prince Edward counties in the constitutional convention set to convene in Richmond.
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November 21, 1867 - J. W. D. Bland and Mary E. Clarke marry.
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December 3, 1867–April 17, 1868 - J. W. D. Bland, representative from Appomattox and Prince Edward counties to the constitutional convention, serves on the Elective Franchise and Qualifications for Office, Revision and Adjustment, and Rules and Regulations committees.
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1868 - J. W. D. Bland attends the state Republican convention.
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1869 - J. W. D. Bland attends the state Republican convention.
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May 1869 - J. W. D. Bland is appointed assistant assessor of internal revenue for Charlotte and Appomattox counties.
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October 1869 - J. W. D. Bland takes his seat in the Senate of Virginia, where he represents the district consisting of Charlotte and Prince Edward counties and serves on the Committee for Courts of Justice.
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April 27, 1870 - J. W. D. Bland dies when the floor collapses at the State Capitol. He is buried in Farmville.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Jordan, E. L., Jr., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. J. W. D. Bland (1844–1870). (2018, April 19). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Bland_James_William_D_1844-1870.
- MLA Citation:
Jordan, Ervin L., Jr. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "J. W. D. Bland (1844–1870)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 19 Apr. 2018. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: December 16, 2013 | Last modified: April 19, 2018
Contributed by Ervin L. Jordan Jr. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Ervin L. Jordan Jr. is an associate professor and research archivist at the University of Virginia's Small Special Collections Library. He writes about Civil War Virginia and African American history.