A Journal - McGaheysville - Elkton, Virginia Area

Miss Lottie Davis

November 1931 came in on Sunday.
Page Sixty-two
  1 Nov 1931 - Produce men from Baltimore stop H.L. [This may be Herman Longley as he had rental cabins across the road from  Church of Solsburg.]
  3 Nov 1931 - Ladies at Busy Bees served dinner and supper in the Bear building taken in $51.30 cleared $35.00.
  5 Nov 1931 - Made apple butter second time.
  6 Nov 1931 - New road open across mountain.
  8 Nov 1931 - Mable & Earl spent day here Sun[day].
  7 Nov 1931 - Miss Annie Lucas married Sat[urday].
  7 Nov 1931 - Miss Thelma Walton married Sat[urday].
10 Nov 1931- Started on patched apron.
14 Nov 1931 - Chas. [Charles] Fogle and his Aunt Georgie had tonsils removed.
14 Nov 1931 - Mrs. Townsend and Margaret Hammer had tonsils removed Sat[urday].
14 Nov 1931 - Mr. Brown operated on foot.
Page Sixty-three
13 Nov 1931 - Annie Downey and Rex Shifflett married Friday.
19 Nov 1931 - Gorden Lough operated at Charlottesville.
18 Nov 1931 - Dean boy hurt on Mountain.
18 Nov 1931 - Milard [Millard?] Morris killed on mountain Wed[nesday] age 17 years 2 mo. 17 days.
21 Nov 1931 - Ladies Aid had Window Sale at Dentons.
22 Nov 1931 - Mr. Robert Morris died 61 years old.
22 Nov 1931 - Mrs. Gorden Lough new baby boy.
28 Nov 1931 - Lelia had tonsils removed by Dr. Preston on Sat[urday].
28 Nov 1931 - Had glasses fixed by Armentrout cost $1.40.
25 Nov 1931 - Turkey Merica lost job at Craft House.
19 Nov 1931 - Dr. Marshall killed on Spotswood Trail.
26 Nov 1931 - Mrs. Baugher left for Washingtpon, D.C.
18 Nov 1931 - Miss Pauline Farror operated on Wed[nesday].
30 Nov 1931 - Miss Pauline Farror came home.

December 1931 came in on Tuesday. 
  1 Dec 1931 - Ladies Aid met at Mrs. McGuire.
  1 Dec 1931 - Mr. Dick Baugher operated on.
  4 Dec 1931 - Lelia goes back to Dr. Preston office.
Page Sixty-four
  3 Dec 1931- Lee Cepal pulls first tooth Tues[day]
  9 Dec 1931 - First snow fell on Wed[nesday].
  8 Dec 1931 - Cydone Sallie play at school house.
16 Dec 1931 - Got hogs from Uncle Luther weigh 416#.
23 Dec 1931 - Mr. Keezle paralized in left side on Thurs.
23 Dec 1931 - Miss Lin  Hammer died on Thurs.
28 Dec 1931 - Emanel Morris killed himself twenty-one years old.
30 Dec 1931 -  Mr. Ed Monger hurt taken to hospital.
31 Dec 1931 - Spent afternoon with Mabel.
24 Dec 1931 - Conrad Davis married.

Halloween

Antique Halloween Card

 The word Halloween or Hallowe’en is a  term dating to ca. 1745 meaning the evening before All Hallow’s Day.  The word “eve” is "even” which is then contracted to “e’en or een.”  Even though the term “All Hallows” is an old English term, "ealra halgena maessedaeg," meaning "all saints day," the term "All Hallows Eve" is not seen until 1556.

In Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other areas of Europe there was an uneasy truce between the customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with the “old” religions which existed before Christianity. 

Halloween Illustration 

It is now more generally believed that Halloween is dervived from the Celtic festival of Samhain or “summer’s end.” Samhain is prononounced as SAH-win or SOW-win.  This festival was held on the  31^st of October – 1^st of November.  It was the most important of the four quarter days of the medieval Gaelic calendar.

Samhain Illustration

Basically Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and began winter or the darker half of the year. Like Beltane, it was viewed as a liminal time when the spirits or possibly fairies known as “the Aos Si” could become more active in the human world simply because it was easier for them to enter the human world at this particular time of year.

Offering of Harvested Grain

Many scholars view the Aos Si as a downgraded form of the ancient gods whose powers remain in the people’s mind long after they were replaced by new religious beliefs. For instance, it was believed that the Aos Si needed to be appeased to ensure that human people and their livestock survived the harsh winters. Offerings of food, drink, or portions of the newly harvested crops were left for the Aos Si in most Celtic areas.   

Samhain Ancestors Illustration

   It was also believed that the souls of the dead were enabled to visit their former homes.  Places were set at the dinner table or by the fireplace to welcome them.  The belief that the souls of the dead were able to return on that one day or night of the year is a very ancient one which is found in cultures throughout the world.

In Scotland, youths went from house to house with their faces masked or blackened, threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed by all those they encountered.

Jack O'Lanterns

The Jack-o’ lantern was believed to frighten away evil spirits. There was also another popular thought among Celtic folk associated with the Jack-o’ lantern.  Many Celtic folk believed that the Jack-o’ lantern represented a “soul denied entry into both heaven and hell.”

[Note: These beautiful illustrations have been collected from various sources over many years. They have been used to illustrate both Gaelic beliefs and the Halloween holiday in both Genealogy and Folklore classes.] 

A Journal - McGaheysville - Elkton, Virginia Aea

Miss Lottie Davis

August 1931
Page Fifty-eight
 3 Aug 1931 - Mr. Williams died 50 years old.
 20 Aug 1931 - Annie and Frances Brown tonsils removed.
14 Aug 1931 -  Mr. G Brown hurt at Fertilizer P[lant].
15 Aug 1931 - Fields Day.
   Aug 1931 - William Richards had blood poison.
15 Aug 1931 - Irene Baugher married to Dean.
21 Aug 1931 - Mrs. Janet Monger Curtis new baby on Sat.
23 Aug 1931 - Mrs. Janet Monger Curtis baby died Monday.
17 Aug 1931 - Mrs. Lura Frazier new baby 3# [three pounds].
25 Aug 1931 - Mrs. Reba Turner new baby - Tues.
15 Aug 1931 - Miss Vada Lam married on Sat.
27 Aug 1931 - New top on Harold's truck.
     Aug 1931 - Margie Williams married.
     Aug 1931 - Rob Lam goes to pen for life.
     Aug 1931 - Farm Bureau opens in Elkton, Virginia.
 27 Aug 1931 - Garage at Ferlitzer Plant burned.
 27 Aug 1931 - Guy [Monger's] Birthday Party - eleven years old.

 Page Fifty-nine
August 1931 
 3 Aug 1931 - Fire at Mrs. Vernie Powell.
22 Aug 1931 - Calf sold $13.75.
26 Aug 1931 - Eula Fisher married to Bernard Stanley.

Sept.  1931 came on Tues.
  1 Sept  1931 - Emajean Davis married Meadows.
  1 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. J. W. Stearn resigned from President of Ladies Aide.
     Sept. 1931 - Morris checks came back.
  2 Sept. 1931 - Lee Opal vaccinated on Weds. Dr. Miller.
  1 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. Bessie Rodgers went to hospital.
  6 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. M.V. Leap Birthday Party Sun.
  7 Sept. 1931 - Lillian Gaynor tonsil taken out Mon.
  8 Sept. 1931 - Rev. Stearn moved Tues.
  9 Sept. 1931 - Miss Lydia McAllister kills self Wed.
13 Sept. 1931 - Elsie Dean killed in car wreck Sun.
13 Sept. 1931 - Minnie Plum wrecked near Warrenton.
20 Sept. 1931 - Hubert Shifflett shot in arm Sun.

Page Sixty
Sept. 1931
21 Sept. 1931 - Moved Adia Snyder to Harrisonburg Hospital.
30 Sept. 1931 - Mae Van Pelt and Hensel Lam married Wed.
24 Sept. 1931 - George Sandridge died at Hospital -McGaheysville 24 years.
23 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. Conrad Long new baby.
26 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. Bob Hammer new baby boy.
21 Sept. 1931 - Marie Armentrout starts to TSC Harrisonburg, Va.
25 Sept. 1931 - George Dean killed at Baltimore Railroad Crossing 22 years old.
 8 Sept. 1931 - Myrtle Lam new baby.
24 to 27 Sept. 1931 - U.B. [United Brethern] Conference met in Martinsburg WVa.
    Sept. 1931 - Rev. Smith came to Elkton, Va.
17 Sept/ 1931 - Mr. A. J. Hammer died 71 years old.
27 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. Ethel Putain operated on Mon.
30 Sept. 1931 - Blate Shifflett child died.
30 Sept. 1931 - Mrs. John L. Leap new baby  8# [eight pounds].

October 1931 - Came in on Thurs.
 1 Oct 1931 - Lewis Workman broke arm Thurs.
 2 Oct 1931 - Supper for new preacher Rev Smith Fri.

Page Sixty-one 
Oct 1931
  3 Oct 1931 - Linwood Flory married Sat.
  3 Oct 1931 - Bill car wreck down river  With B Sat.
  4 Oct 1931 - Bill Fisher Fred Bowen car burned up.
  4 Oct 1931 - Senator Durght W. Marrows died 58 years old. Father of Mrs. Charles Lindburgh.
  5 Oct 1931 - Busy Bees met at Plums.
  7 Oct 1931 - Mrs. Pauline Dutrow in Hospital.
 10 Oct 1931 - Harold [Davis] get new stove on Sat. C. Heater.
 16 Oct 1931 - Graney goes to Roanoke on Fri. Eula.
 16 Oct 1931 - Miss Margaret Turner married Fri.
 20 Oct 1931 - Mrs. John Wyant operated on Tues.
 23 Oct 1931 - Ladies A[ide] Silver Tea at Mrs. McGuires $30.
 18 Oct 1931 - Edison died.
 21 Oct 1931 - Ruth Baugher tonsils taken out on Wed.
 20 Oct 1931 - Pounded new preacher Rev. Smith. ["Pounding" is another name for a party where household gifts are given to an individual or family.  This type of party normally occurred when someone settled into a new home. Today, many people also refer to this type of event as a "shower."]
 27 Oct 1931 - Made Apple butter, 27 1/2 gall [gallon].
 27 Oct 1931 - Virginia Hill moved from Cook's Store to Elkton.
 30 Oct 1931 - Miss Ruth Cover married Mr. Hollman.at M.E. Church Fri eve[ning] at 6:30 o'clock.
 30 Oct 1931 - Gooden Bros sold out.

Page Sixty-two
 29 Oct 1931 - Busy Bees supper taken in $14.10. [Note: This was during the Depression.  The ladies made more money at this "supper" than what a calf brought on the 22 Aug 1931 - see above entry under that date.]

 31 Oct 1931 - Mr. Ira Brill dies of blood poison at RMHospital 44 years old.  Mr. W.C. Brill brother.

Johnny Appleseed

 

Etching of Johnny Appleseed

As October is National Apple Month, today we will explore the life of Johnny Appleseed, a man who has long thought to be just a legend. We all remember the song that is also used as a child’s grace:

Johnny Appleseed Grace

“Oh, the Lord’s been good to me.

And so I thank thee Lord

For giving me the things I need.

The sun, the rain and the appleseed

Oh, the Lord’s been good to me.”

John Chapman, whom we know as Johnny Appleseed, was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on the 26^th of September 1774, the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth ____ Chapman. His father, Nathaniel Chapman, fought in the American Revolution as a Minuteman at the Battle of Concord, and he later served in the Continental Army under George Washington.

In July of 1776, while her husband was at war, Elizabeth Chapman died in childbirth. Shortly thereafter, Nathaniel Chapman returned home and remarried Lucy Cooley. They  moved to East Longmeadow and had a total of ten children together. 

Apple Blossom

John Chapman migrated to western Pennsylvania in his early twenties and settled first in the frontier village of Warren, near Pittsburgh.   It is believed that his father, Nathaniel Chapman who was himself a farmer, encouraged his son to become an  orchardist and most likely set him up as an apprentice in this profession.  It is known that by 1812, John Chapman was working independently as an orchardist and nurseryman.  He traveled widely, particularly in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio, pursuing his profession.

There was a firm economic basis for Chapman's behavior even though the legend of Johnny Appleseed suggests that his plantings were random.  He purchased land, established nurseries and returned, after several years, to sell off the orchard and the surrounding land.It is best to describe Chapman’s work as that of an itinerate missionary, a preacher of the Swedenborgian Christian faith, and as an apple tree nurseryman.  He never married but travelled extensively throughout  what is now Ohio and Indiana and among the fringes of other states where he planted and cared for his apple trees. He taught farmers the culture of apples and assisted them in the planting and care of their orchards while he preached, “good news right fresh from Heaven.” He became known for his courage and dedication to his fellow man, as well as for the thousands of apple trees he planted.

 

 John Chapman 's Gravestone

The trees that Chapman planted did not yield edible fruit but did have multiple purposes. The small, tart apples his orchards produced were primarily used to make hard cider and applejack brandy.  Orchards also served the critical legal purpose of establishing land claims along the frontier. As a consequence, Chapman owned around one thousand two hundred acres of land valued at millions of dollars in 1845 currency at the time of his death from pneumonia in 1845.  He is buried near Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Most of us living in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley remember apples from our own family’s trees being served at almost every meal. Our folk believed that the old saying, “An apple a day will keep the doctor away,” was true.  Families grew many varieties, each with a special flavor or for a specific purpose.  Apples were served fried, stewed, boiled, made into applesauce, applebutter, apple cider and of course, apple brandy.

Tree Ripened Red Apples 

Today, many of us still look forward to eating oven-hot cornbread with fresh melted butter and if we are very lucky, it will be piled high with fresh homemade apple butter.

Over the years, many of our favorite recipes have been adapted to better utilize ingredients that have become more readily available through better means of transportation, a more affluent economy and a desire to improve upon one of the more pleasurable aspects of life: food.

Only sour crab apple trees were native to America until European settlers arrived and brought with them their English customs and favorite fruits.  Native Americans appropriated what they liked, cultivating apples extensively.

With the establishment of frontier communities, mills were built resulting in wheat, rye, barley and buckwheat flour being produced from local grains. Farmers were soon able to grow such grains in addition to a better quality of corn for cornmeal. Soon our local mills combined requested grain flours to make it easier for the homemaker to make specialty foods for their family.  A good example of this would be buckwheat flour for pancakes which dripped with melted butter and thick apple butter.