John Taliaferro Sisson

John first appears on the 1850 census still living with his parents in Lunenburg Parish of Richmond County. His father is a farmer with real estate worth $800. William Henry Sisson is listed as unable to read or write.

John married Anna Elizabeth Clark on August 28th, 1854, ceremony performed by George Northam. Their bond was issued on August 18th in Westmoreland County. Her parents were Hempsel Clark (1810-1886) and Ann Kent (1811-1878). They went on to have eleven children. John served as a Justice of the Peace in Washington township of Richmond County during the 1850's.

The 1860 census shows the family in Richmond County near the Stony Hill post office. John works as a farmer but has no real estate listed. His personal estate is valued at $400. Three children are already listed.

During the Civil War John served as a Sergeant in Captain Murphy's Company which was attached to the Bureau of Conscription. The company was never mustered and it appears John never left the Northern Neck.

The 1870 census shows the family still in Richmond County near the Warsaw post office. John is listed as a farmer, he now owns land valued at $2,000, his personal property is worth $400.

The 1880 census shows John still farming in Richmond County. He and Anna are marked as being unable to read or write. Seven of their children are living with them including daughter Juddie and her new husband Willie Franklin. Louis King a 14 year old white male is listed as living with the family and working as a laborer. They also have a 40 year old black woman named Ann Johnson living with them, she is listed as a servant. Black children Gertrude Johnson, 4 and Blanch Jones, 1 are listed too. Anna's father, Hempsel Clarke age 70 is listed in the house next door.

When Totuskey Baptist Church formed in 1871, John Taliaferro Sisson was listed as one of its 16 founding members and he also served as a Deacon and Sunday School Superintendent. It seems that John's relation with Totuskey soured based on a series of letters in the Northern Neck News after the death of his father-in-law, Hempsel Clarke in 1886.

John appeared to be active in local government and politics. In 1886 and 1892 he worked on the planning for new roads and bridges in Richmond County. In 1891 he was selected as a Democratic delegate to vote on nominations for the state legislature. John was also a trustee for the Washington school district in Richmond County during the early 1880s. During that time he contracted his son-in-law Willie Franklin to build a school house near Haynesville for $175. A controversy over the location and funding of the school house later arose between the community and the County administration. At the time G.H. Northam was both county supervisor and pastor at Totuskey. While the county cleared was cleared of all accusations by the school board, Northam was eventually accused of falsehoods pertaining to the shool house deal about by a council of ministers from across the Northern Neck. He soon after resigned his position. That matter may have been related to John's harsh response to the resolution concerning his father-in-law.

Whatever his differences it did not drive John away from the Baptist faith or Totuskey Church entirely. When Kirkland Grove Baptist Camp opened in 1892 John signed up to build a cottage on the property and when John died on July 15th, 1899 he was buried in Totuskey Baptist Church cemetery.