Remembering Herndon's History: The Story Of 3 Hutchison Men

By Barbara Glakas

HERNDON, VA Hutchison families have been prolific in Herndon for many generations. This article will highlight three men from one Hutchison family, spanning across three different generations.

Lycurgus Emory “Curg” Hutchison (1835-1924) was born in the Arcola area of Loudoun County. As a 25-year-old in 1860, he was a farm laborer, living at home with his parents, Redding and Catherine Hutchison. His father was a carpenter. When the Civil War broke out, Lycurgus joined the Confederate Army. According to Find-a-Grave.com, he …

“Enlisted on June 10, 1863, sworn in by John S. Mosby at Rector's Crossroads. He was captured April 27th, 1963 with Thomas N. Green and Ranger Thompson near Aldie, Fauquier County, Va. He was paroled and exchanged around May 19th, 1863. He was present during the raid on a sutler's wagon train on November 14th, 1863, near Fairfax Court-House. He also got his share of the "loot" from the "Greenback Raid" on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train near Duffield Station, Jefferson County, W.Va, on October 14th, 1864. He was paroled April 22nd, 1865 at Winchester at the age of 30. After the war, he resided at Herndon, Virginia."

Lycurgus’s brother, Phillip Augustus Hutchison (1842-1925), also served with Mosby’s Rangers in the 43rd Battalion Virginia Confederate Cavalry. He is buried in the Confederate section of the Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1870,Lycurgus was listed as a dry goods merchant and was boarding with several other unrelated people in the village of Unison in Loudoun County. He married Sarah Benton in 1875 and they went on to have 10 children. They moved to Herndon sometime in the late 1800s. His house was on Dranesville Road, not far from Herndon High School. He was a member of the Masons. For the rest of his life, he was listed in census documents as being either a farmer or a general merchant. By 1920 he home farmed.

Lycurgus died in 1924. Ironically, after having survived the Civil War, he died after an automobile backed over him at the age of 90. The pastor of Herndon’s St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church officiated at his funeral and he was buried in Herndon’s Chestnut Grove Cemetery.

One of Lycurgus’s many children was Edwin Barbour Hutchison (1876-1971), a Herndon educator and government lawyer. He was often known as “E. Barbour,” or simply “Barbour.”

E. Barbour was born in Loudoun County but spent the rest of his adult life in Herndon. He graduated from the College of William and Mary. In the early 1900s, he was a teacher, and later a principal, of Herndon’s public school – the Herndon School – located on Center Street. He graduated from Georgetown Law School in 1908 and later went on to work for the U.S. State Department. He commuted to work in Washington, D.C., using a horse and buggy and the Washington and Old Dominion Railway. He was also known to be a Sunday School Superintendent at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church.

By 1910, 33-year-old E. Barbour was still living in Herndon with his parents. But in 1915, he married Mary Aud at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Elden Street. They went on to have several children. During the early years of their marriage, the couple rented a house on Elden Street. E. Barbour served on the Herndon Town Council from 1917 to 1921. In 1924 the Hutchisons built the house at 1000 Monroe St., which still stands today. In his free time, he was an avid gardener. He was also known to love nature and poetry.

E. Barbour died in 1971 and is also buried in Herndon’s Chestnut Grove Cemetery. In 1975, Hutchison Elementary School on Parcher Avenue opened and was named in his honor.

Edwin Barbour Hutchison named a son after himself, Edwin Barbour Hutchison Jr. (1921-1944). Edwin Jr. was born and raised in Herndon, growing up in the house on Monroe Street. He was called “Bob” by family members.

Bob was a member of Herndon’s Boy Scout Troop 124, and earned an Eagle badge at the age of 13. He was also very active at Herndon High School. He was a leader of the vocational radio course, a member of the newspaper club, president of the drama club, voted “Best All Around Boy” in the senior class, and was the president of his senior class. In his spare time, he was a clerk for local store keepers (e.g., Printz, Updike and Sasher), was a paper boy, was a ditch digger and telephone operator for the Washington Gas Light Company. He also mowed lawns for anyone.

Before enrolling at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (or VPI, now known as Virginia Tech), he attended Franklin and Marshall Academy in Landcaster, Pennsylvania, possibly because he was only 16 when he graduated from Herndon High School.

While at VPI he continued to be highly active and successful. He started out as a chemistry major and later switched to general science. He earned high grades, was president of his fraternity, and competed in many sports, twice earning the title of VPI’s best all-around athlete. He also joined VPI’s ROTC program.

Bob was later commissioned in the regular Army and went off to Fort Monroe, Virginia, and Fort Benning, George, for training. He put in an application for duty as a paratrooper and in January of 1943 he got his orders to join the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. By April, his regiment was assigned to the airborne command at Camp MacKall in North Carolina. He ultimately rose to the rank of first lieutenant.

In January 1944, the 501st was attached to 101st Airborne (the “Screaming Eagles”) in England. Bob's last letter came home to Herndon on June 6, 1944

Dearest Mother,
Just a few lines to let you know that I’m well and happy. If I don’t write to you as much in the future as I have in the past, Darling, it’s because I am going to be very busy. Your letter, number 70, arrived today. Must stop now, have to make a formation.

The 101st jumped in the dark early morning hours of June 6, 1944 as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy. They were to seize positions west of Utah Beach, to eliminate the German’s beach defenses, and to capture and/or destroy various causeways and highway bridges. However, due to fog and anti-aircraft fire, some of the planes carrying the paratroopers got off course, which caused the paratroopers to miss their landing zones. Many were killed or captured. Bob initially survived and was able to participate in the Battle of Carentan, in which airborne troops engaged with the German Wehrmacht. Bob was shot and killed in that battle.

Bob’s family received a telegram from the War Department on June 7 that Bob was missing in action. However, they did not receive notification of his death until September. They were notified that Bob was buried in the Corps cemetery, at Sainte-Mere-Eglise, located a few miles north of Carentan. He was awarded the Purple Heart. In 1948, the remains of 1st Lt. Edwin B. Hutchison Jr. were delivered and interred at the Arlington National Cemetery.

This is the story of three men in one Hutchison family in Herndon. Records of Herndon’s Chestnut Grove Cemetery show that at least 73 people with the surname of Hutchison are buried there, with some births dating back as early as 1809. No doubt, each family has an interesting story to tell.

About this column: “Remembering Herndon’s History” is a regular Herndon Patch feature offering stories and anecdotes about Herndon’s past. The articles are written by members of the Herndon Historical Society. Barbara Glakas is a member. A complete list of “Remembering Herndon’s History” columns is available on the Historical Society website at www.herndonhistoricalsociety.org.

The Herndon Historical Society operates a small museum that focuses on local history. It is housed in the Herndon Depot in downtown Herndon on Lynn Street and is open every Sunday from noon until 3:00. Visit the Society’s website at www.herndonhistoricalsociety.org, and the Historical Society’s Facebook page for more information.

Note: The Historical Society is seeking volunteers to help keep the museum open each Sunday. If you have an interest in local history and would like to help, contact HerndonHistoricalSociety@gmail.com.