Colonel, Virginia Militia. Revolutionary Leader. Citizen-Soldier

Joseph Cabell, second son of William Cabell and Elizabeth Burks Cabell, was born in 1732 and came of age in colonial Virginia at a time when public service was both duty and expectation. Educated at home and trained by his father in medicine and surgery, he entered adulthood prepared for leadership long before revolution demanded it. In 1752, he married Mary Hopkins, and together they built a family and public life that would span Albemarle, Buckingham, and Amherst Counties.

Cabell’s career unfolded at the intersection of local governance and revolutionary change. Beginning at age nineteen as deputy sheriff, he went on to serve as justice of the peace, vestryman, and burgess, adapting seamlessly as county boundaries shifted and new communities formed. Wherever he lived—at Sion Hill, Winton, or Variety Shade—he answered the call to serve, earning a reputation for steadiness and responsibility.

At a glance

  • Born: In 1732 at his parent’s home on Licking Hole Creek before they moved to Liberty Hall.
  • Married: In 1752 to Mary Hopkins (1735-1811) daughter of Dr. Arthur Hopkins and Elizabeth Pettis.
  • Died: 1798 in Buckingham County, VA.

Revolutionary-era leadership

During the American Revolution, Joseph Cabell exemplified the ideal of the citizen-soldier. He attended all five Virginia revolutionary conventions, helped guide the colony’s transition to independence, and served continuously in the General Assembly throughout the war. At the same time, he took up arms in defense of Virginia, commanding militia forces at the Battle of Great Bridge and later serving as County Lieutenant of Amherst County, responsible for raising, paying, and supplying troops for the Continental Army.

In 1781, Cabell held the rank of Colonel in the Virginia Militia and commanded his regiment during the campaign that culminated in the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Among the soldiers serving under his command was his nineteen-year-old son—a powerful symbol of the personal sacrifice borne by Revolutionary families.

Family and legacy

Following independence, Cabell continued to serve Virginia as a state senator despite declining health, remaining committed to public duty until near the end of his life. He died in 1798, having given his state and country decades of service in peace and war.

Joseph Cabell’s legacy is not defined by a single battle or office, but by constancy—leadership exercised wherever needed, across a lifetime shaped by responsibility, sacrifice, and devotion to American independence.

His lands were more scattered than those of his brothers, and he owned land in Albemarle, Buckingham and Amherst Counties. His county of residence changed as follows:

  • 1752-1771: Sion Hill in Buckingham County
  • 1771-1779: Winton in Amherst County
  • 1779-1785: Variety Shade in Buckingham
  • ?-1798: Sion Hill in Buckingham County

As he moved from estate to estate, he served each community as vestryman, burgess, justice, or state senator(1781-1785). In 1778, he was designated county lieutenant of Amherst County and responsible for raising men for the continental Army.

Joseph and Mary Hopkins Cabell’s children, spouses, and homeplace

  • Elizabeth Cabell (1753-1771) and William Megginson of Clover Plains
  • Joseph Cabell, Jr. (1762-1831) and Pocahontas Bolling and Anne Everard Duval Bolling of Repton
  • Mary Hopkins Cabell (1769-1858) and John Breckinridge of Cabell’s Dale, Lexington Kentucky
  • Anne Cabell (1771-1840) and Robert Carter Harrison of Elk Hill, Fayette, Kentucky
  • Elizabeth Cabell (1772-1855) and William J. Lewis of Campbell County, Virginia

Notable Descendants of Joseph Cabell

18th century (Chronological order)

  • Mary Hopkins Cabell (1769-1858). Married John Breckinridge and after his death established Mt. Horeb Presbyterian church on her home site, Cabell’s Dale, in Lexington Kentucky. Her son, Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, became a Presbyterian minister.
  • Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1788-1823)- Graduate of Princeton University. Politician representing Fayette County, Kentucky in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Appointed Kentucky Secretary of State by Governor John Adair in 1820. His son, John Cabell Breckinridge, would continue in politics as his father and grandfather, John Breckinridge (1760-1806), eventually becoming Vice President of the United States.

19th century (Chronological order)

20th century (Chronological order)

  • Charles Pearre Cabell (1903-1971) – U.S. General and Deputy Director of CIA (1953-1962)
  • Earle Cabell (1906-1975) – Texas politician and mayor of Dallas, Texas at time of John F. Kennedy assassination.
  • William James Megginson, III (1943-1920) – Professor and author on African American life in South Carolina.

Works Consulted

  • Brown, Alexander. The Cabells and their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy. Richmond, Va.: Garrett and Massie, Inc., 1939. First published 1895.
  • Cabell, Randolph W. 20th Century Cabells and their Kin. Franklin, N.C.: Genealogy Pub. Service, 1993
  • Cabell Family Papers, 1727-1875, Accession # 5084, Albert H. and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.