John Banister (lawyer)

John Banister (December 26, 1734 – September 30, 1788) was an American lawyer and an American Revolutionary War patriot from Petersburg, Virginia.The son of John Banister and grandson of John Banister, the naturalist. He was educated at Middle Temple in London, England, admitted on September 27, 1753. He was a member of the Virginia Convention in 1776. He also served in the House of Burgesses (1765–1775, 1777), the Continental Congress (1778 – 1779 as a delegate, where he was a framer of and signed the Articles of Confederation), and the Virginia House of Delegates (1776–1777, 1781–1783). During the Revolutionary War, he was a Major and Lt. Colonel of cavalry in the Virginia line militia (1778 – 1781). General and Commander-in-Chief, George Washington regarded him highly as witnessed by a letter he wrote to him from Valley Forge. [cite web
url=http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/revolution/banister.html
title=The Papers of George Washington — George Washington to John Banister — 21 April 1778
publisher=Alderman Library, University of Virginia
date=2005
accessdate=2007-12-03] In 1781 he aided in supplying his militia and in repelling the British from his state. Much of his personal property was lost. British forces under General Phillips would commonly stop at his home in Battersea, in Petersburg, Virginia. He was well informed on current affairs and an established writer. He was married three times, second of which to a sister of Colonel Theodorick Bland (see also the Richard Bland topic). [cite web
url=http://www.ericjames.org/html/fam/fam53486.htm
title=Stray Leaves, a James Family in America since 1650
publisher=Eric James
date=January 20, 2004] [cite web
url=http://www.coljohnbanister.org/banister.htm
title=Colonel John Banister
publisher=Colonel John Banister Chapter, NSDAR] His urban villa in Petersburg was built in 1768 in a five-part Palladian style. A notable feature of the interior is a Chinese style staircase. [cite web
url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=hhsheet&action=browse&fileName=va/va0300/va0345/sheet/browse.db&recNum=6&itemLink=r?ammem/hh:@field(DOCID+@lit(VA0345))&linkText=-1&title2=Battersea,%20793%20Appomattox%20Street,%20Petersburg,%20VA&displayType=1&maxCols=2
title=Battersea, 793 Appomattox Street, Petersburg, VA
publisher=US Dept of Interior, Historic American Buildings Survey. VA-136. 1933] In 1782 he was listed in Dinwiddie County records with 3 free males, 46 Negros adults, 42 Negros under age, 28 horses, 126 cattle and one chairiott; Francis and Abram Ford were listed as 'overseer'. [citation
url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0043-5597(191801)1%3A26%3A3%3C196%3APPLDC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D
title=A List of Tithes & Taxable Property taken by Dun [Duncan] Rose Gent the 10th day of April, 1782 for Dinwiddie County
journal=The William and Mary Quarterly
volume=Vol. 26, No. 3
date=January 1918
pages=196-201
accessdate=2007-12-03] He is buried in the family plot at "Hatcher's Run", the family estate in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

References

*Johnson, Allen, ed. "Dictionary of American Biography". New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936.

External links

*CongBio|B000109
*cite web
url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Petersburg/123-0059_Battersea_2006_NR_final.pdf
title=National Register of Historic Places, Registration form for "Battersea"
date=2006
accessdate=2007-12-03