A Journal - Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia Area

Miss Lottie M. Davis

Part Seven
1929 - continued
Page Thirty-six
1929 - July
 5 Jul 1929 - Mrs. Helen Monger Rogers new boy Shelton.
 8 Jul 1929 - Mrs. J.W. Sleam operated on Mon.
 8 Jul 1929 - Dan Baugher hurt hand on Mon.-Tues.
 9 Jul 1929 - Miss Eula McGuire & Elmore [Elmer?] Leap married.
13 Jul 1929 - Mr. Whiteside killed Sat. night.
__ Jul 1929 - Starts new part of shirt factory.
25 Jul 1929 - Mrs. Lester McGuire new baby.
__ Jul 1929 - Lester McGuire buys land.
__ Jul 1929 - Ora Hammer came home.
__ July 1929 - Big barrel on top of mt [mountain?]
30 Jul 1929 - Rev.S.W. Rau died 70 years old on Tues. or Mon.
29 Jul 1929 - Daddy buys Crawford place $1700.00.

1929 - August
12 Aug 1929 - Mrs. Friazer [Frazier] house burned.
14 Aug 1929 - Alice & Charles came here.
16 Aug 1929 - Mrs. Sam Monger mother died Fri.
21 Aug 1929 - Mr. Ed Weast house burned.

Page Thirty-seven
1929- August
20 Aug 1929 - New fertilizer plant open - Tues.
30 Aug 1929 - Mr. Coffeman barn burned - Fri.
__ Aug 1929 - Mrs. Tom Davis in Hospital.

1929 - September
 6 Sep 1929 - Mrs. Claude Baugher new baby.
16 Sep 1929 - Mrs. Crider died 84 years old Swift Run.
22 Sep 1929 - Mrs. John Life fell out of car.
20 Sep 1929 - Doc Comer house burned.
12 Sep 1929 - Mrs. Philip Miller operated on.
20 Sep 1929 - Miss Helen Lion/Liow [Lowe?] married 19 years.
16 Sep 1929 - Mrs. Meadows hurt shoulder.
30 Sep 1929 - Mr Harry Woodard broke leg.
25 Sep 1929 - Mrs. Ida Shifflett husband died.
__ Sep 1929 - New shirt factory open.
__ Sep 1929 - Chas. Secrist hurt by truck.
25 Sep 1929 - Harold get new clock from Sears.
__ Sep 1929 - Graney has arthristis [arthritis].

Page Thirty-eight
1929 - October
 2 Oct 1929 - Mrs. Claude Meadow new baby.
 4 Oct 1929 - Got picture from Ky.
11 Oct 1929 - Penn Laird garage burned.
14 Oct 1929 - New stove range from Loths Company.
18 Oct 1929 - Ladies Aid Supper made $70.00.
17 Oct 1929 - Carl Miller dies 13 years old from Bridgewater Va.
__ Oct 1929 - Bud Shifflett married.
18 Oct 1929 - Miss Lena Coffman killed Fri. by Ray Dean was 52 years old.
12 Oct 1929 -  Mrs. Flora Hammer Arementrout [Armentrout] new baby.
20 Oct 1929 - Mrs. Polly Hall car overturned.
27 Oct 1929 - Mr. Fultz home burned.
30 Oct 1929 - Mr & Mrs. Collmey visit us on Wed.
28 Oct 1929 - Vella Maude Monger came over to go school.

Page 39
1929 - November
 2 Nov 1929 - Mr. Swartzle operated on.
 2 Nov 1929 - Busy Bees Supper.
 9 Nov 1929 - New Coat & Hat $16.00.
11 Nov 1929 - Went to Harrisonburg with Mable.
11 Nov 1929 - Mrs. Clark Hammer died Mon.
15 Nov 1929 - Miss Margaret Leebrick died 26 years Fri.
19 Nov 1929 - Grace operated on Tuesday.
22 Nov 1929 - Mrs. John May died 55 years Fri.
23 Nov 1929 - Mr. Roy Kyger wired home.
22 Nov 1929 - Mr. Cal Kite died on Fri.
24 Nov 1929 - Mrs. Amon [Ammon] died 61 years old Sun.
25 Nov 1929 - Mr. Jerhu Long died 74 years old Mon.
29 Nov 1929 - Mr. Sedrell Dixson died 30 years old Fri.
__ Nov 1929 - Willie Davis came back home Taxie. [She is referring to a taxi cab.]

1919 - December
 1 Dec 1929 - Dixson Funeral on Sun.
 2 Dec 1929 - Mr. Robert Armentrout died Mon.
 4 Dec 1929 - Mr & Mrs. Robert Snapp new baby.

Page Forty
1929 - December
 3 Dec 1929 - Sold eggs to new man Shaffer.
 8 Dec 1929 - Ruth Oliver died 20 years old.
 9 Dec 1929 - Got hogs from Williams weight 162 1/2lbs.  $19.50 Mon.
 9 Dec 1929 - Got hogs from Lawson weight 144 Lbs. $17.34.  [Total spent] $36.84 on Mon.
18 Dec 1929 - Lelia went to Roanoke.
20 Dec 1929 - Sam Lam died age 25 years.
22 Dec 1929 - Snow fell 9 inches.
20 Dec 1929 - Mrs. Harold Workman new baby.
20 Dec 1929 - Conrad Long & Miss Hughs married.
31 Dec 1929 - John Long & Miss Wayne married.
__ Dec 1929 - McGuire new phone put in house.

1930 - January
 9 Jan 1930 - Fire Siren put on jail.
10 Jan 1930 - Mrs. Charles Watkins died 45 years old Fri.
13 Jan 1930 Vernie went to hospital.
16 Jan 1930 - Mrs. Vernie Powell new baby.
__ Jan 1930 Mr. George Wyant store closed.
19 Jan 1930 - Mr. Luther Dean barn burned.

Page Forty-one
1930 - January
24 Jan 1930 - Elmore [Elmer] Lam had wreck with S. Shocked.
28 Jan 1930 - Ora Hammer operated on Tues.
29 Jan 1930 - Vernie had tube in side. Wed.
__ Jan 1930 - Dr. McCllid [sp.?] bought Rhode property.
To be continued...

A Journal - Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia Area

Miss Lottie M. Davis

Part Six
1928- continued
Page Twenty-nine
1928 - October
__ Oct 1928 - Mr. E.H. Fogle left Elkton, Va.
14 Oct 1928 - Mr. & Mrs. Joe Maiden first visit here.
16 Oct 1928 - Painted dining room.
15 Oct 1928 - Centerpiece chance off for $5.00. Ruth P.
18 Oct 1928 - M. Luther Kite  died 28 years.
16 Oct 1928 - Mrs. Elmore [Elmer?] Monger child died.
19 Oct 1928 - Mr. Smith Sale M T.
25 Oct 1928 - Made applebutter.
24 Oct 1928 - M. Pate Walton died.
__ Oct 1928 - C. Early operated on.
26 Oct 1928 - Miss Clara Malone operated on.
30 Oct 1928 - Sent Mr. H.C. Hugh bill.
30 Oct 1928 - Mrs. Elmore [Elmer?] Monger goes to hospital.

1928 - November
  6 Nov 1928 - New President Hoover.
14 Nov 1928 - Mrs. Luther Lam died.
15 Nov 1928 - Bob Dean died 36 years.

Page Thirty
1928 - November
17 Nov 1928 - Annie Cash died 45 years.
19 Nov 1928 - Mr. Floyed [Floyd?] Burk house burned.
29 Nov 1928 - Mr. Lam died 86 years.

1928 - December
 1 Dec 1928 - Tannery stopped.
 4 Dec 1928 - Killed hogs weighed 462 lbs. $ 60.06.
 5 Dec 1928 - Mr. J. W. Simmons died 69 years 10 months.
 6 Dec 1928 - Mr. Ed Kite died 83 years.
 5 Dec 1928 - Tans Jone [Jones?] died colored McGaheysville.
11 Dec 1928 - Millard Monger married.
11 Dec 1928 - Mrs. Robert Keezle new baby girl.
13 Dec 1928 - Mr. Flory Faclor [factory?] burned.
13 Dec 1928 - Mrs Rains married Kite.
15 Dec 1928 - Mr. W. P. R. Weaver died 60 years.
16 Dec 1928 - Mrs. Della Brown died 49 years 1 month 5 days. [Della Monger, daughter of George Washington and Mary Ellen Dearing Monger married Clarence Brown.]
15 Dec 1928 - Mr. Flory bought tannery.
24 Dec 1928 - Lewis Wright & Frances Harsom [Harrison?] married.

Page Thirty-one
1928 - December 
20 Dec 1928 - Miss Burkholder died 40 years.
28 Dec 1928 - Turkey dinner at house.
26 Dec 1928 - Mr. Nich Breeden died 64 years.
30 Dec 1928 - Wilson Burner broke leg.
__ Dec 1928 - Earl new car.
__ Dec 1928 - New fire engine at Elkton, Va.

1929 - January
 6 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Mary V. Leap broke hip on Sun[day] eve[ning].
 7 Jan 1929 - Mr. Eaton married.
 6 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Baugher went to Washington D.C.
14 Jan 1929 - Iria Simmons died 47 years.
11 Jan 1929 - Mr. George W. Merica died 88 years.
 8 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Leap goes to Hospital.
16 Jan 1929 - Miss Nora Miller & J. Caricoff married.
 5 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Guy Leebrick died.
28 Jan 1929 - Broke teeth - Feb 1/29 got them.

Page Thirty-two
1929 - January
 9 Jan 1929 - Rev. Dr. Hoberson moved in Fawley house.
31 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Bud McCoy died 61 years.
31 Jan 1929 - Mrs. Earman died 79 years 1 month 27 days.
 9 Jan 1929 - Clark Monger had teeth taken out.

1929 - February
 3 Feb 1929 - Tom Strickler operated on.
 3 Feb 1929 - Chespeak W.E. house burned.
 7 Feb 1929 - Miss Ruth Dean died Thursday at hospital 13 years, 1 month, 16 days.
 8 Feb 1929 - Miss Genevie Dean operated on.
 3 Feb 1929 - Mrs. Tal. Hammer new baby.
10 Feb 1929 - Mrs. Joe Workman new baby.
 2 Feb 1929 - Joe Jr. Leap operated on.
15 Feb 1929 - Mrs. Lena Davis new baby.
27 Feb 1929 - Mr. Michael died 40 years.

Page Thirty-three
1929 - March
  3 Mar 1929 - Miss Gourney Burk died 61 years old.
  7 Mar 1929 - Mr. George Cash house burned Lam house.
  9 Mar 1929 - Mrs A.P. Yancey died 67 years 1 month, 12 days old.
  7 Mar 1929 - Rev. G.W. McNeil died 39 years old.
__ Mar 1929 - M.H. Downey open shop.
  8 Mar 1929 - Mr. Boss Mowberry died.
10 Mar 1929 - Mrs. Paul Austin new baby.
 4 Mar 1929 - Hoover take seat in White House.
14 Mar 1929 - Eleanor Seay Keezle died on Thursday.
16 Mar 1929 - Adia Moaton died colored.
26 Mar 1929 - Mr. Will Wood killed 52 years old.
30 Mar 1929 - Henry Offenbacker operated on.
28 Mar 1929 - Rev. L.L. Loyd died.

1929 - April
  3 Apr 1929 - Henry Offenbacker died 26 years old.
  6 Apr 1929 - Ice plant burned down at Ore Wash.
 14 Apr 1929 - Mrs. M.V. Leap came from Hospital.

Page Thirty-four
1929 - April
18 Apr 1929 - Dr. Kite moved in new drug store.
22 Apr 1929 - Mr. Crenshaw died 66 years old.
22 Apr 1929 - Harold & Grace married Mon[day].
19 Apr 1929 - Sold to Russell Downs of Port Republic.
19 Apr 1929 - Fred Dovel child died.
29 Apr 1929 - Mrs. Ollie Leap takes set to sell.

1929 - May
  2 May 1929 - Harold & Grace goes to housekeeping at Lucas. [Harold and Grace Townsend Davis].
  5 May 1929 - John Cash house burned.
30 May 1929 - Daddy Hirsh died.
26 May 1929 - Mrs. Roy Simmons new baby.
__ May 1929 - C.C. Monger new light. [Clark C. Monger]
__ May 1929 - C.C. Monger new washing machine. [Clark C. Monger]
__ May 1929 - Fertilizer plant started.

Page Thirty-five
1929 - June
 4 Jun 1929 - Ora Hammer hurt.
 5 Jun 1929 - Mr. Ed Kite Sale on Wed.
 6 Jun 1929 - Cera Hammer limb taken off.
10 Jun 1929 - Hazle Thomas & Ed Garber married.
15 Jun 1929 - Ethel Eppard married on Sat.
 8 June 1929 - C.C. Monger gets new teeth on Sat. [Clark C. Monger]
18 Jun 1929 - Mr. Roy Kyger get chickens.
18 Jun 1929 - Russell Downs place burned Tues.
20 Jun 1929 - Mrs. Will Davis operated on Thurs.
19 Jun 1929 - Mr. Doffermyre [Dofflemyer] operated on Wed.
23 Jun 1929 - Miss Milard Dyck & Gordon Lough married on Sun.
__ Jun 1929 - Will Cave married.
__ Jun 1929 - Russell Downs stop coming Sat.
__ Jun 1929 - Mr. John Chapman sold farm.
29 Jun 1929 - Miss Virginia Leap married Sat.
29 Jun 1929 - Mrs. Jim McGahey operated on Sat.
21 Jun 1929 - Mrs. S. Ross Campbell died suddly [suddenly] on Fri.
To be continued...

A Journal - Elkton - McGaheysville, Virginia Area

Miss Lottie M. Davis 

Part Four

Page Fifteen

January 1927

12 Jan 1927 - Dr. T.C. Firebaugh died age 56 years.

10 Jan 1927 - Mr. Joe Cash died.

14 Jan 1927 - Mr. Isaac Hammer died.

12 Jan 1927 - Mrs. S. L. Baugher died age 54. 

Jan 1927 - Miss Annie Argenright in hospital

20 Jan 1927 - Mrs. Russell Hensley new baby.

Jan 1927 - Lester MGuire moved to Rhoda.

Jan 1927 - Build Standard Oil Company.

February 1927

1 Feb 1927 - Tall Stanley child died 2 years.

5 Deb 1927 - Miss Anna Funkhouser died 75 years.

Page Sixteen

March 1927

18 Mar 1927 - Mrs. Baughter get Miss Mollie place.

14 Mar 1927 - Mrs. Swartzle other died.

18 Mar 1927 - Miss Mollie J Sale on Saturday.

11 Mar 1927 - Mr. I. H. Hammer died age 78 years.

5 Mar 1927 -  Irene Monger and Mary Long married.

24 Mar 1927 - Limb taken off by Dr. Deyler and Dr. Miller.

27 Mar 1927 - Mr. Bob Frazier died.

24 Mar 1927 - Limb taken off by Dr. Deyler and Dr. Miller. [2nd entry for this]

April 1927 

14 Apr 1927 - Came home from Hospital.

28 Apr 1927 - New Wing on R.M.Hospital. [Rockingham Memorial Hospital].

May 1927

4 May 1927 - Mrs. W. G. Brill operated on.

13 May 1927 - Mrs. T. Farror new baby.

24 May 1927 - Mrs. Joe Sugher [Sughrue] operated on.

15 May 1927 - Mrs. Homer Monger died age 28 years.

16 May 1927 - New paper on 3 [three] bedrooms.

 2 [?] May 1927 - Mr. Aaron Davis died.

Page Seventeen

21 May 1927 - Mr. W. A. Sandridge died 88 mashie [spelled correctly].

30 May 1927 - Eula McGuire gravated [graduated].

16 May 1927 - Mrs. Warn McGahey died age 55 years.

21 May 1927 - Fawley moved in new home.

June 1927 

1 Jun 1927 - Alice and Jula [Julia] Keezle tonsil removed.

5 Jun 1927 - Rue  Mrs. Wood new baby.

6 Jun 1927 - Pauline Gilmore married.

7 Jun 1927 - Mattie Downs died.

9 Jun 1917 - Harold Workman.

11 Jun 1927 - Miss Carrie Rolston married.

16 Jun 1927 - Miss Cook married.

19 Jun 1927 - Miss Nancy Dyke married.

20 Jun 1927 - Mr. Bob Keezle married.

30 Jun 1927 - Mrs. Nora Whitfield Hensley died age 32.

27 Jun 1927 - Mrs. George Breeden new baby.

Page Eighteen

July 1927

1 Jul 1927 - Mrs. Farror died age 95 years.

3 Jul 1927 - Virginia married L.

10 Jul 1927 - Mr. P.B. Monger died age 84 years. [Benjamin Price Monger?]

10 Jul 1927 - Lester McGuire new baby Chas.

26 Jul 1927 - Gale Davis birthday.

30 Jul 1927 - Chas & Alice here.

30 Jul 1927 - Mr. F. Leap married.

August 1927 

5 Aug 1927 - Iris Secrist operated on.

27 Aug 1927 - Dr. L.B. Yancey died.

26 Aug 1927 - Mr. Rains died.

27 Aug 1927 - Mr. Eaton new home.

Page Nineteen

September 1927 

6 Sep 1927 - Miss Kate Lee Rolston kill self.

Sep 1927 - State road started Spotswood.

6 Sep 1927 - Mable and Earl take trip.

5 Sep 1927 - Aunt Sis Secrist moved to Washington D.C.

11 Sep 1927 - Mrs. Yancey killed by Dovel.

11 Sep 1927 - Mrs. Floyd Burke hurt.

14 Sep 1927 - U.B.C. [United Brethern Church] met in Winchester.

15 Sep 1927 - Rev. N.F. A. Cupp died at conference age 65.

15 Sep 1927 - Mr. A. J. Bear died age 78 years.

28 Sep 1927 - Mr. E. Petty died 52 years.

20 Sep 1927 - Mr. Sam Monger stable burned.

October 1927 

2 Oct 1927 - Aunt Sis here.

6 Oct 1927 - Mrs. McIntyre died age 65 years.

7 Oct 1927 - Henry Dean killed age 28 years.

20 Oct 1927 - Mrs. Joe Black new baby.

27 Oct 1927 - Arthur Hensley died.

Page Twenty

2 Oct 1927 Mrs. Charles Burner new baby.

24 Oct 1927 - Miss Cora Lee Yate operated on.

Oct 1927 - Miss Ruby Maiden married.

November 1927 

Nov 1927 - New water pipe layed.

11 Nov 1927 - Mrs. Hammer died Harrisonburg age 84 years.

14 Nov 1927 - Bill goes to M.G.

17 Nov 1927 - Laurence Frazier drown in Boom [Boone] Creek age 54 yrs. 8 mo. 17 dys.

5 Nov 1927 - Mrs. Site new baby.

19 Nov 1927 - Norwood Workman operated on RMH [Rockingham Memorial Hospital].

26 Nov 1927 - Kisting [Kissling] shot by Caldwell.

28 Nov 1927 - Stated painting house.

27 Nov 1927 - Alice Monger married Nash.

27 Nov 1927 - Mr. Charles Armentrout died.

24 Nov 1927 - Annie Hammer married.

29 Nov 1927 - Lelia [Lelia Davis Monger] operated on.

Page Twenty-One

December 1927

2 Dec 1927 - John Eaton died age 74 yrs.

5 Dec 1927 - Mrs. Ed Jome died age 58 yrs.

7 Dec 1927 - Killed Hogs. 450# 14 c [cents] $63.77.

10 Dec 1927 - Lelia [Lelia Davis Monger] came home.

9 Dec 1927 - Clara Molone operated on.

12 Dec 1927 - Rev. Mr. Dycke died age 83 yrs.

29 Dec 1917 - Charles Keezle married.

To be continued:

Genealogy Questions

 Many of you have asked that I take some time to more fully explain a few things which have cause problems in your research into your family's past.  For those of you who are not interested in this subject, please bear with us. Perhaps you  just might happen to find something that will be of interest to you later in your life.

We will begin at the beginning to ensure that we are all on the same page in regard to our terminology as words, as well as things, are not always as they may first seem.

There are two distinct objectives or goals which must be carefully considered before it is possible for one to succeed in  research of this type.  There is no right or wrong choice; however, you are the absolute only person who can decide which choice is the best one for you to make as it must be based upon what you want to achieve.

1. Genealogy is the study of one particular family.  In the United States one normally begins with  the immigrant ancestor and works to the present while documenting all of the children in each and every   generation as one progress from the past to the present. A good numbering system is crucial for the         success of this type of project.

2. Family history is the study of one person and of all of that person's ancestors. The number of individuals one must deal with doubles with each generation.  For instance, you and only you are the first generation.  Generation two is composed of your own two parents. Generation three is composed of your four grandparents, etc. Normally, it now takes about fifteen - eighteen generation for one to go back to the immigrant ancestor who came into the colonies, which for many of us is at Jamestown.  This means that you would be dealing with thousands of ancestors which all contributed to who you are via your genetic makeup.

Let's look at this and see how it works so that when I tell you to start with yourself, you actually pay attention.
Gen 1- 1x1= 1
Gen 2- 2x2= 4
Gen 3- 2x4= 8
Gen 4- 2x8= 16
Gen 5- 2x16= 32
Gen 6- 2x32= 64
Gen 7- 2x64= 128
Gen 8- 2x128= 256
Gen 9- 2x256= 512
Gen 10- 2x512=1,024
Gen 11- 2x1,024= 2,048
Gen 12- 2x2,048= 4,096
Gen 13- 2x4,096= 8,192
Gen 14- 2x8,192= 16,384
Gen 15- 2x16,384=32,768
Gen 16- 2x32,768= 65,536
Gen 17- 2x65,536= 131,078
Gen 18- 2x131,078= 262,156
Gen 19- 2x262,156= 524,212
Gen 20- 2x524,212= 1,048,424
Yes, that is correct.  In working back just to eighteen generation in a straight line you will deal with 262,156 people...Now, consider that this is absolutely without any cousins or their' families being added.

And, oh, just for the record, I absolutely do recommend that you do a "Family History" rather than  a "Genealogy" because most folk are more interested in the people who contributed to their very own genetic makeup rather than in bunches of other people who are only very distantly related to them.  If you want all of the work you will accomplish preserved in the future, you most probably should research something that will be of interest to the younger folk in your family.

This is why I will question you when you ask me which is the most important branch of your family for you to work with?  I am not attempting to evade answering your question, but am only trying to get you to understand that each of your own direct ancestors are all, each and every one of them, equally important due to the fact that without any single one of them, you would not be the person you are today.  This is true because each and every single one of them contributed to your very own genetic make up.

And no, it is not necessary for you to  have a computer to organize all of your ancestors. We will get into organization another time, if there is enough interest in the subject.

Now, let's move on to another very important issue.  A source is the reference citing where you obtained the documented proof for each statement that you have made. It positively is NOT the required proof which is required for each statement in either a genealogy or a family history.  For instance, a source might be a book reference or simply a statement made by your aunt telling you that she thought she remembered her  father saying that his parents were married in Rockingham Co., Virginia.

A documented primary proof is a birth certificate, death certificate, marriage record, deed, etc. meaning a legal document involving or made by a particular person when they were alive.

A gravestone, obituary, military record, etc. is considered a secondary proof as it is normally made by someone else.  Bible records may sometimes be considered a bit of both as a person may write the entries for his own marriage and his children's births but normally someone else writes their death entries.

Many of you have asked me exactly what facts are necessary to document.  There are four things: the birth, marriage and death of each individual in each generation PLUS a legal document such as a will, deed or Bible Record that connects each generation to the next one by stating the named person as a son or daughter.

Currently it is considered necessary to completely document with a legal record the first three generations plus each and every connection from the beginning of an application to the ancestor in order to join any lineage society. This brings me to another point -there are literally hundreds of lineage societies, each of which have a different purpose and therefore have different requirements for membership. Normally, the purpose of  each organization is to honor a direct ancestor by documenting the applicant's connection to him/ her and then the life, family and service of that particular ancestor.  This brings us to two more important words: Lineal and Collateral.  Lineal descent is in a straight line. Collateral descent may be via an aunt or uncle's service rather than in a straight or direct line. To the best of my knowledge the UDC [United Daughters of the Confederacy] is the only women's society which now accepts collateral applications.

I wish I could assure you that there was an easier, less time consuming way to  complete a genealogy or family history, but there simply is not.  Many of you are aware that Dr. John W. Wayland started me in research before I was quite eleven years of age.  Those of you who know my daughters, well understand that the long standing joke in our family is that, "Mother wrote books before there were ball point pens!"  Well, while not exactly the truth, its very close as I wrote before ball point pens were easily available in our area.

The Library of Virginia 

And yes, I do remember having to drive to Richmond to the Virginia State Archives in order to simply look at just one census record because that was all that it was possible to accomplish in any one day as there were no copy machines, no microfilm and in reality no really good indexing system by which the library staff could easily honor your request for original material.  But, there was one big plus... if you were a Virginia resident, you could check out a book [if the archives/library had two copies] and then return the copy you borrowed by mail within two weeks.

This now brings me to another question which so many of you have asked, "What's wrong with me using internet services such as Ancestry.com and/or what is the problem with this type of thing?"  Well, to begin with, it is necessary to fully understand that Ancestry.com is a business based upon compilations of what people may think or believes to be true.  It absolutely, positively is not documentation because it does NOT make a copy of the actual court record/document available to you to print to be included in your records.

I know from experience teaching classes that many of you "cheat" because I always catch you at it.  You assume that if fifty people have something recorded on an internet service as being true then it must certainly be so...WRONG..WRONG...WRONG!!!

This simply means that someone wrote down something incorrectly and forty-nine others copied it in hopes that it was correct.  While in reality, this only means that fifty people copied incorrect information because they chose not to take the time to even attempt to document the point in question. A good example of this would be the maiden name of the wife of Abraham Estes who lived in Virginia in the 1650's. There are more than fifty entries on Ancestry.com which cite this woman's maiden name as being Barbara Brock. This is positively wrong information!!!  Abraham Estes was married at least twice and perhaps three time, but never once was he married to a woman named Barbara Brock.  He did marry a woman named Barbara which was an exceedingly common given name at the time. The Brock  surname was assumed to be correct because a novel was written about what someone "thought" Abraham Estes's life might have been like...

One time, just to make this point positively clear to a class full of adult students whom I was teaching who had more or less disbelieved what I had said about using such sites, I  attached the Cherokee National Flag next to the Frazier surname with absolutely no comment.  Without any doubt Frazier is a Scottish/Norman French surname. Please also know that I did not have my own  lineage posted, nor my name nor my own Frazier family connection.  I simply put the Cherokee National Flag near a Frazier surname that was already on the Ancestry.com site.  Before the end of the class period, nearly seventy people had incorporated the Cherokee National Flag into/with their own Frazier family data. My class was absolutely stunned by this fact. I would imagine that many of those who had attached the Cherokee flag to their Frazier ancestors spent a lot of time trying to figure out where the original flag had come from as I promptly removed it before the class period was over.  My students felt that I was "mean" but no one has ever questioned me again concerning this particular point.

With that being said, Ancestry.com does have Federal Census records available on their site.  It is fine for you to use them, but in dealing with Census Records it is imperative to understand and remember that they are not always accurate because during the early years, the census taker rode horseback and stopped at houses in hid given area.  Many times he stayed the night with whomever he was interviewing when dark settled due to the fact that hotels were not available.  If he spend the night he might ask his host about the family who lived across the mountain from him or farther back in the hollow. The person most probably would do his best to get things right but just as you might not know the given names and birth dates of all your neighbors families, most likely this individual also did not know the correct ages or full names.

National Archives - Washington, D.C.

An internet site that is available by subscription that does contains proofs is Fold 3.  This site contains records from the National Archives in Washington, DC.  It was designed primarily to make military records available to anyone who paid a fee.  This site also includes many Native American records which were recorded by the United States Government and some Federal Census Records.

Another thing is that I truly wish that I could tell you is that with perseverance it is possible to find solutions for all of your research problems.  But alas, at this time, even with all of our technology, it is impossible for me to do so.   For example, at the time of the American Revolution there literally were fourteen men named Abraham Morgan which is an uncommon given name in the Morgan family.  Morgan is a Welsh surname meaning most all of these men or their families originated in Wales.  All of these men chose to live relatively close together when they had the whole frontier to chose from. Also, each and every one of these fourteen men were in and out of the same geographic areas. Most, if not all, of these men had Quaker ties.  Most of these men were military leaders in their own right or were very closely related to those who did.  For instance, Daniel Boone's mother was a Morgan and both of his parents were Quakers. Most of these men were dismissed or kicked out of the Quaker church for their military persuasion.

Then, lo and behold, before Virginia declared war on Great Britain, one Abraham Morgan was tried for being a Tory. This man was given, "thirty-nine lashes for being an ignorant man with small children".  From that time forth, there are multiple statements each saying that each branch of Morgan family are unrelated to any other by that surname in the colonies.

After fifty plus years of research, I can tell you all of the parents of the Abraham Morgans.  I can tell you who each man married, but still after fifty plus years of work, I am unable to state conclusively whose children belong to which couple.  By process of elimination, which does works in most cases, I still know that I have more work to do on the problem.  My husband laughingly says that the solution to this problem gives me a good reason for living.  Who knows, he just maybe right...