Henry Lee II


Col. Henry Lee II of Alexandria, Westmoreland, Virginia Colony, was an American planter, soldier, and politician, the father of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III, and grandfather of Robert E. Lee.

Early life

Lee was the third son of Capt. Henry Lee I of "Lee Hall", Westmoreland County, and his wife, Mary Bland, the daughter of Hon. Richard Bland, Sr. and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph.
Lee was born at "Lee Hall" in 1729, settled in Prince William County, living at "Leesylvania", near the town of Dumfries. He served as a justice of the peace in that county and first in commission. In addition he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, where he served on and off until 1772. He was a member of the Virginia Convention from 1774-1776. Lee served as County Lieutenant for Prince William, and was active in the duties of that office during the Revolution. Henry Lee II also served as a member of the State Senate in 1780. Henry's will was dated August 10, 1787, and was probated in Prince William County on October 1 of the same year.

Family and marriage

Lee was the third son of Capt. Henry Lee I of "Lee Hall", Westmoreland County, and his wife, Mary Bland, the daughter of Hon. Richard Bland and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph. Randolph was the daughter of William Randolph.
Lee married Lucy Grymes, the daughter of Hon. Charles Grymes and Frances Jennings. Charles Grimes was of the estate "Morattico", in Richmond County, Virginia. He was sheriff of Richmond County, and a member of the Council from 1724-1725.
"Leesylvania" was located between Neabsco Creek and Powell Creek in Prince William County, Virginia with a magnificent view up the Potomac River. It was the ancestral home of Robert E. Lee's branch of the family where his grandparents, Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes lie buried. The plantation home burned about 1790. The estate was sold to Henry Fairfax in 1825, whose family lived there in a home which may have pre-dated the Lee residence. The Fairfax home burned in 1910 and the ruins of the walls and a chimney are all that remain.

Children

All of Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes Lee's children were born at Leesylvania:
  1. Maj. Gen. Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry", Governor of Virginia. Lee III married:
  2. # Matilda Lee, daughter of Hon. Philip Ludwell Lee, Sr., Esq. and Elizabeth Steptoe, who married secondly, Philip Richard Fendall I, Esq..
  3. # Anne Hill Carter, daughter of Hon. Charles Carter, Sr. of "Shirley", and his second wife, Anne Butler Moore. Their son was Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
  4. Hon. Charles Lee, U.S. Attorney General. Charles married:
  5. # Anne Lee, daughter of Richard Henry Lee and his second wife, Anne Pinckard.
  6. # Margaret Christian Peyton, widow of Yelverton Peyton. Margaret was the daughter of Rev. John Scott and Elizabeth Gordon.
  7. Richard Bland Lee I of "Sully", who married Elizabeth "Eliza" Collins, daughter of Stephen Collins and Mary Parish.
  8. Mary "Mollie" Lee, who married Philip Richard Fendall I, Esq., his third wife. Philip was the son of Benjamin Fendall, Esq. and his first wife, Eleanor Lee.
  9. Theodorick Lee of "Eckington", who married Catherine Hite.
  10. Edmund Jennings Lee I, who married Sally Lee, daughter of Richard Henry Lee and Anne Pinckard.
  11. Lucy Lee, who never married.
  12. Anne Lee, who married William Byrd Page, Sr., son of Mann Page and Mary Mason Selden.