Berrys near Boyce in Clarke County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

John C. Underwood

(1809-1873)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. John C. Underwood Marker

Inscription. John C. Underwood, an attorney from New York, settled near here early in the 1850s. Harassed for his antislavery activism and his work on behalf of the Republican Party, he left Virginia in 1856. Pres. Abraham Lincoln appointed him a federal judge for Virginia's eastern district in 1863. An outspoken advocate of equal rights for African Americans after the Civil War, Underwood was elected president of Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1867-68. Among the convention's 105 members were 24 African Americans. The "Underwood Constitution." ratified in 1869, granted Black men the right to vote, established a system of free public schools, and secured other democratic reforms.

Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number J-48.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Government & Politics.

Location. 39° 2.261′ N, 77° 59.702′ W. Marker is near Boyce, Virginia, in Clarke County. It is in Berrys. It is on John Mosby Highway (U.S. 50) 0.1 miles east of Howellsville Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boyce VA 22620, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fight at Berry's Ferry (approx. ¾ mile away); Mt. Carmel Fight (approx. 0.8 miles away); Vinyard Fight (approx. 1.4 miles away); Ashby’s Gap (approx. 2.1 miles away); Clark County / Fauquier County (approx. 2.4 miles away); Greenway Historic District (approx. 2.9 miles away); Long Branch (approx. 3 miles away); The Burwell-Morgan Mill (approx. 3.2 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Signal Station (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. John C. Underwood (1809-1873). (Submitted on May 25, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Constitutional Convention. (Submitted on May 25, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. John C. Underwood Marker

John C. Underwood image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Wikipedia Commons

3. John C. Underwood

Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 247 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 25, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.