History of the Eskridge Family Association

The Eskridge Family Association was founded in 1937 by two remarkable women whose dedication to preserving our family’s heritage laid the foundation for all that followed: Elise Virginia Towson Coble and Mary Hope (White) West.

Elise Virginia Towson Coble: Our First President

Born April 27, 1874, in Upperville, Fauquier County, Virginia, Elise Virginia Towson Coble brought vision and leadership to the newly formed association as its first president. A woman of notable accomplishments, she was a member of the Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of the American Colonists, and the National Genealogy Association.

Elise’s journey took her from her Virginia roots where she attended Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, westward to the University of Wyoming in 1893. On March 4, 1904, she married cattleman John Cathcart Coble (June 4, 1858–December 2, 1914), and together they raised five children: Elise Cathcart, Catharine Latimer Rust, Hettie Cathcart, Eliza Virginia “Jackie,” and John Cuthbert.

Mrs. Coble authored the association’s leaflet “A Tribute to Col. George Eskridge” and composed the eloquent dedication inscribed on the bronze memorial tablet that accompanies the oak tree planted near Mary Ball Washington’s grave in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She passed away December 3, 1949, in San Antonio, Texas, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Mary Henry Hope “Nanny” White West: Our First Historian

Mary Hope White West, born May 28, 1861, in Portsmouth, Virginia, served as co-founder and the association’s first historian until her death on September 3, 1941, in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Mrs. West’s contributions to the Eskridge Family Association cannot be overstated. She authored The History of the Genealogy of the Eskridge Family, a 136-page volume that preserved invaluable research and family records that might otherwise have been lost to time. This pioneering work remains the cornerstone of our genealogical resources and raises the question: would the EFA even exist today without her dedicated efforts?

At the 1967 reunion, her son, Vernon Eskridge West Sr., paid tribute to his mother’s tireless dedication:

“She was a prodigious worker, going wholeheartedly into everything she undertook… Her great love was genealogy, which she pursued with fervor. She not only searched the family records, but wrote articles for the Virginia Magazine of History and the William and Mary Quarterly…”

She was a member of the Washington DC Board of Education, historian of Daughters of the American Revolution, and registrar of the Daughters of American Colonists.

On July 25, 1882, Mary married the Honorable Henry Litchfield West of Washington, D.C. (August 20, 1859–September 3, 1940), a distinguished journalist who served as reporter and editor of the Washington Post, Commissioner of Washington, D.C., and published author. Their three children: Marion Litchfield West, Vernon Eskridge West Sr., and Mary Athow “Minnie” West, all became charter members of the association.

Mrs. West’s legacy continues through her descendants: her grandson Vernon Eskridge West served as EFA treasurer, her great-grandson currently serves as Webmaster, and some of her descendants remain active members today.

The Memorial Oak: A Living Monument

On April 29, 1937, to commemorate the founding of the Eskridge Family Association, a 20-foot oak tree from “Sandy Point”—Colonel George Eskridge’s Westmoreland County home—was planted near the grave of Mary Ball Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The tree, a gift from Mr. Louis Dos Passos, then owner of Sandy Point, stands alongside a bronze memorial tablet bearing Mrs. Coble’s moving dedication:

Col. George Eskridge Memorial Tree
April 29, 1937

May this oak tree from “Sandy Point” Westmoreland Co., Virginia, home of George Eskridge, who was guardian for Mary Ball, shelter her last resting place, as she in her early childhood was sheltered and protected by her beloved guardian. As descendants of our illustrious ancestor, we dedicate this tree to the memory of our country’s noblest mother and her guardian, Col. George Eskridge.

Mrs. Elise Towson Coble, Sponsor

Both the memorial oak and its accompanying tablet remain in place today, a living testament to the vision and dedication of our founders and their reverence for Colonel George Eskridge’s enduring legacy.

Charter Members of Eskridge Family Association

Elise Towson Coble Cheyenne, WY	Mrs. Henry L. West Chevy Chase, MD	Mr. James P. Burns, Jr. Chevy Chase, MD
Wendell Eskridge Burns Chevy Chase, MD	Mrs Alfred E. Brady Cheyenne, WY	Catharine L. Rust Coble Cheyenne, WY
Mrs John M. Brokaw Jr Houston, TX	Mrs John G. Murray Aurora, IL	Ms Helen M Hoover Miller Fayetteville, AR
Leola Eskridge Swann Tulsa, OK	Joseph Allen Eskridge, Atty. Tulsa, OK	Mrs Oliver Eskridge Alban Bartsville, OK
Miss Betty Jean Eskridge San Diego, CA	Charles Vernon Eskridge San Diego, CA	Robert C. Eskridge Galesburg, IL
George Vernon Eskridge Galesburg, IL	John Marshall Eskridge San Antonio, TX	Allen T. Eskridge, Atty. Pulaski, VA
Rev. Thomas Joseph Eskridge Chilhouie, VA		Robert Lee Eskridge, Artist Chicago, IL
Miss Jane Watt Brooke Morgan City, MS	Prof. William Starr Myers Princeton, NJ	Dr. B.J. Read Red Jacket, WV
Mrs. F. E. Jackson Jeffersonville, IN	Dr. James B Eskridge Sr Tulsa, OK	Mrs Pattie Steptoe Rucker Lynchburg, VA
Hampden E. Steptoe Lynchburg, VA	Mrs Nena Steptoe Segar Stormont, VA	Miss Elizabeth H. Coiner Durham, NC
Philip Steptoe, Atty. Shepherdstown, WV	Henry I. Guy, Atty. Erie, PA	Edward Steptoe Evans Detroit, MI
Elizabeth Langhorne Lewis Lynchburg, VA		Mrs Charles Dana Gibson New York, NY
Lady Astor London, England	Mrs. Alfred I. DuPont Wilmington, DE	George Ball Muncie, IN
Mrs J. R. Gray Louisville, KY	Maud Fletcher Hall Round Hill, VA	Mollie Smith Brookfield San Bernardino, CA
Blake T. Newton Hague, VA	Janet Webster Lake Washington, NC	Beverly Marshall Lake Durham, NC
H. Ragland Eubank Norfolk, VA	William Marshall Duke Charlottesville, VA	Lizzie Steptoe Coiner Durham, NC
George Steptoe Washington Philadelphia, PA		Dr. James B. Eskridge Jr Oklahoma City, OK
Mrs Aurie Steptoe Lewis Lynchburg, VA	John Randolph Segar Saluda, Stormont, VA	Mr Vernon Eskridge Stratford, VA
William Steptoe Segar Stormont, VA	Mrs. Laura Clingenpeel Washington, DC	Mrs Orville Drown Lavonia, GA
Mrs. Morgan Stinemetz Nashville, TN	Harry L. Rust Sr Washington, DC	Harry L. Rust Jr Washington, DC
Vernon Eskridge West, Esq. Chevy Chase, MD
Mary Washington Memorial Association Fredericksburg, VA