A Journal - Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia Area

Recently  I was given a packet containing some old family photos, a few letters, newspaper clippings and a bound composition book with  ruled pages. This volume has a black and white cardboard paper cover. As I examined the outside of this book,I found it's first entry was made well over a hundred years ago by a Miss Lottie Davis of Elkton,Virginia. 

Curiosity killed the cat and being a genealogist won out over what some will say is, "good common sense". I just had to know exactly who this Miss Lottie M.Davis was.  Without that knowledge how could any of us judge the true worth of what she had written in her "Journal"?

Miss Lottie M. Davis

Well, as it turns out, Miss Lottie was, indeed, from the Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia area as had been her family since early settlement days.  

Miss Lottie M. Davis was the daughter of Hiram Franklin Davis and his first wife, Cora Lee Eppard, the daughter of Thomas J. Eppard and his wife Mary Ann Dean who had been married on the 10 May 1888. Cora Lee Eppard Davis died 18 Dec 1916.  She and Hiram were the parents of  Hurman [Herman?] L. Davis, Lottie M. Davis, Lelia Ethel Davis, Mabel E. Davis, Hiram F. Davis, Jr., Lawrence F. Davis, William Albert Davis, Harold Russel Davis, Beulah M. Davis, M. Norwood Davis.  [Note: William Albert Davis was called "Willie" on a census record, but he was also known locally as Bill Davis.  He should not be confused with William Henry "Willie" Davis who was the son of James Henry Clinton Davis and his wife, Rebecca Suzanne Comer.]

After Cora Lee Eppard Davis died in 1916, Hiram remarried to Mattie Edna Leap the daughter of Elijah [Elisha] "Alfred" Leap and his wife, Mary Virginia Armentrout.  Mattie was a descendant of the Leap, Warble, Sellers, Monger and Armentrout  families who settled in the McGaheysville - Elkton area.

Lottie M. Davis's grandparents were:

1. John Barton Davis and Sarah Elizabeth Samuels who were married 22 Sep 1859.
2. Thomas J. Eppard and Mary Ann Dean who were married in 1867.

Lottie M. Davis's great grandparents were:
1. James S. Davis and Barbara Ann Smith who were married 23 Aug 1834.
2. Joseph Hiram Samuels, Sr. and Mary Parmelia Eppard who were married 28 Aug 1828.
3. Reuben Eppard and Mary Susan [Sarah] Smith who were married 12 Feb 1837.
4. Dean who has not yet been determined and his wife.

Lottie M. Davis's great great grandparents:
1. Davis side not yet determined. [1880 Census states James S. Davis and his father were born in Maryland.]
2. Not yet determined. [1880 Census states that James S. Davis and his mother were born in Maryland].
3. James Smith, son of William Smith and Nancy Morris. 
4. Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Christian Miller and Catherine Conrad.
5. Joseph William Samuels
6. Frances "Fanny" Snelling.
7. John George Eppard [Ebert], son of Wendel Ebert.
8. Catherine Beasley.
9. John George Eppard [Ebert], son of Wendel Ebert.
10.Catherine Beasley.
11.William Smith
12.Nancy Morris.
13. Dean who has not yet determined.
14. Not yet determined.
15. Not yet proven. 
16. Not yet proven.

From the above, it is easy to determine that Miss Lottie M. Davis was related either by blood or marriage to almost every one who had settled in the McGaheysville or Elkton area.  She lived during three horrible wars: WWI, WWII, and Korea.

Miss Lottie M. Davis is buried in the Elk Run Cemetery in Elkton, Virginia.

Much to my surprise, this journal was not a typical notebook of household activity or even one for a farm or local business as one expects to run across every now and then.  There were no weather entries or any other such things as one would expect to find.  Instead to my astonishment and delight this book, with entries starting in the year 1911, contained things which the writer felt were truly important enough for her to always remember.  As I perused the book, I found that the entries were not always in order. 

It is my opinion, based upon studying this book, that over the years she entered information upon whatever was close at hand to ensure that she did not forget an exact day an event occurred.  Then she recopied that information into this book as she had time or perhaps found the previous notes she had made to herself.

In the following transcription, I placed the day of the month before both the month and the year in order to be positive there was no mistake made in writing the date. A lead pencil was used to make the original journal entries. Now, the pages of this volume are a beige-creamy color instead of the stark white it use to be, when it was new, a hundred plus years ago because of the acid found in the old paper. The writing on these pages is, at times, difficult to read even with the help of a strong magnifier; therefore, when I am unable to decipher an entry, a blank line will replace the letter or letters in question. Perhaps you should also be aware that I am inserting in brackets, near the original entry, additional information which I know to be true from other family, community, church or government records.

Due to the fact that this journal's content is extensive, it will be necessary to limit the number of pages which I am able to print on this site at any one time. Please also bear with me in understanding that as this site contains various topics, it will be necessary for me to rotate the subject matter among those topics.  In reality, this means that the pages from this journal will not be printed all at one time but must be rotated, along with the other subject matter.  I do know and fully understand that some of you are interested in the recipes while others are interested in only the military aspect of this blog post, so"please" bear with me as we move forward with this site which was designed in hopes that it would allow all of us a better understanding of life as it was lived in the colonies.

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention, this journal does positively cite events in the lives of folk who lived in the Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia area between 1911-1935. This means that if someone is listed as having died in 1911 at the age of eighty-eight years, that person would have been born ca. 1823, or eight years after the War of 1812.  In all probability they would have known their grandparents and some even their great grandparents.  These folk would most probably have served with George Washington's troops, many of whom were from this area.  Some of them may even have been your emigrant ancestor. Perhaps one or more of your elusive ancestors will be cited in this journal and you will know exactly what he or she was doing on that particular day of their life. So, even though you may be primarily interested in the recipes or perhaps the Holidays or something else entirely, you might find this section also worth your time to read.

The Journal of Miss Lottie Davis 

Inside the front cover of her journal she wrote the following recipe which I have not, as yet, tried.

Candy

 2 cups sugar,1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup nuts. 

Mix sugar. water in a large pan, bring to a boil, add milk and boil over a low flame until mixture forms a firm ball when tested in cold water. Move from fire and add nuts.  Beat until mixture is thick and creamy, but when cold [cut] in s_ [slices, squares?].

Part 1 - Page 1

Things Happening in 1911

25 May 1911 - Moved from Cambell [?] to Elkton.
26 May 1911 - Joined UBC  Lottie & _______ [United Brethren Church].
2 Nov 1911 - Stop School with bad _______.
1 Feb 1912 - Got glasses from Dr. Levinson.
18 Dec 1916 - Mother [Cora Lee Eppard] died on Monday morning.
26 June 1917 - Norwood [M. Norwood Davis] died on Tuesday morning.
30 April 1918 - Operated on for app[endix].
14 Oct 1918 - Aunt Maggie died.
22 Feb 1919 - Tonsils taken out Dr. Fahiney.
15 April 1919 - Mable [Mabel E. Davis] and Earl married.
28 June 1919 - Lelia [Lelia Ethel Davis] and Clark [Clark C. Monger] married. 
2 Aug 1919 - Granny [Mattie Edna Leap] and Daddy married. 
2 Feb 1920 - Teeth Xrayed.
1915 - Cover made railroad bridge.
10 Mar 1925 - Mr. W A[?] Brill operated.
1 Oct - 1912 -RMH opened [Rockingham Memorial Hospital].
14 Feb 1920 - Anna Sly got bur[ied].
18 Feb 1920 - Teeth got taken out by Dr. Rush.
9 Mar 1920 -  Temporary set of teeth.
Page 2
7 April 1920 - Foot opened by Dr. Lewis.
23 July 1920 - Naomi's birthday.
20 Aug 1920 - Began crocheting.
27 Aug 1920 - Guy's birthday [Guy Monger]
Dec 1920 - Joined Ladies Aid.
20 May 1921 - Miss Hettie Riddle died.
21 May 1921 - Mrs. N. A Dean died.
1 Aug 1921 - New Glasses.
2 Mar 1927 - Aunt Texie Frazier died.
5 Mar 1927 - Irvin Monger and Mary J. Long married .
15 Feb 1927 - Miss Anna Finkerhouser [Funkhouser] died -aged 75. 
9 Mar 1927 - Mary Dofflemyer operated on.
Feb 1927 - Fawley new house.
Dec 1926 - Mr. McComb new home.
Dec 1927 - Uncle John Mill buried. 
Jan 1928 -   "        "     "      ".
Page 3
Oct 1921 - Rev Clegg came to Elkton.
Dec 1921 - Knitting.
Jan 1922  - Tatting.
Jan 1922 - Ray Dean left home.
2 Feb 1922 - Aunt Josie died.
25 Feb 1922 - George Bear died.
24 Mar 1922 - Ben Dean died.
13 April 1922 - Eula McNiel.
Feb 1922 - Mile Penny.
May 1922 - Papered room.
May 1922 - Lura Secrist married.
12 July 1922 - New Glasses Dr. Hall.
21 July 1922 -  Dr. Gilmor died.
April 1928 - New Wing on RMH [Rockingham Memorial Hospital] opened. 
Sept 1922 - UBC [United Brethren Church] met in Martinsburg,West Virginia.
4 Sept 1922 - Nora Hitt married.
Sept 1922 - Dr. Lewis left for Cape Cha[rles].
Sept 1922 - Elkton light.
29 Aug 1922 - Mr. Walter Meadows killed.
Page 4
21 Oct 1922 - Mr N. M. Haney died.
23 Oct 1922 - Curtis Deal [Diehl] killed.
16 Sept 1922 - Began building on house.
28 Oct 1922 - New lights.
14 Dec 1923 - Hot bottle.
1922 - New fur.
9 Jan 1923 - Ernest Monger death.
29 Jan 1923 - Shirt factory started.
8 Feb 1923 - J.W. Shuler died.
25 Jan 1923 - C.W. Breeden died.
16 Feb 1923 - Mr. N.A. Dean died sudde[n].
12 Feb 1923 - Louise Bernard Powell Jr.
20 Feb 1923 - Miss Mary Kite died.
20 Feb 1923 - Mr. Lester Eppard died.
24 Feb 1923 - Mr. Amos Shifflett died.
25 Feb 1923 - Clarence Morris killed.
15 Feb 1923 - Mrs. Sam Hensley died.
28 Feb 1923 - Mr. Sam Hensley died.
25 Feb 1923 - Mrs. Henry Good died.
Page 5
19 Jan 1923 - Mr. Cal Leap was paralyzed.
23 Mar 1923 - Mr. Dallas Koontz died.
2 April 1923 - Bertan Koontz.
10 Mar 1923 - Mr. N. A. Dean sale.
4 April 1923 - Mr. Lewis Haney died.
5 April 1923 - Mr. John Tompkins operated on.
9 April 1923 - Mr. W.H. Shifflett moved in store.
8 April 1923 - Miss Lizzie Powell mother died.
18 May 1923 - Mr. Lucious accident.
9 May 1923 - Lester and Margaret married.
3 June 1923 - Mr. Frank Thomas died.
7 June 1923 - New roof put on house.
8 June 1923 - Mrs. Sam Breeden died.
14 July 1923 - Valley Dean birthday.
24 Sept 1923 - Bill and Vernie moved to Miss Mollies.
1923 - Claude Snow left Elkton.
2 Oct 1923 - Fogle and Downs house burned.
To be continued...