Browsing All Posts filed under »Shenandoah Valley history«

Defining Southern Unionists… one part of what might end up a multi-part examination

February 19, 2012 by

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On and off, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this lately. First, I wonder just how many people have a one-dimensional, stereotype definition of Southern Unionists. Is it common to see them simply as Southerners who refused to release their embrace of the Union? Maybe folks also see them as Southerners who embraced Lincoln […]

Private developer denies access to former state maintained cemetery

February 18, 2012 by

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The soles of my shoes have been on many a cemetery in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, in search of kin… Just this morning I decided to try to visit the cemetery where a distant family member of mine is buried… and was told I could not do so. This was a personal first… […]

Ghost-busting on the Opequon battlefield

February 4, 2012 by

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O.K., well, not really… but… As I’ve been gearing-up for my relocation to the Winchester area, I’ve been taking more interest in the rather obscure details of local history there, and… this certainly caught my eyes just a couple of weeks ago… I’ll admit… tough to read as a screen capture, so here’s the transcribed […]

O.K., strike Washington-Lincoln Day… what about JUST “Lincoln Day” in Virginia?

January 29, 2012 by

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I really didn’t want this to go to a point-counterpoint discussion (as there is a growing number of blogs bringing this to our attention; most recently, Brooks Simpson’s “Battlin’ Bloggers” post), but I’ve got some additional thoughts. Yes, last week, I expressed my thoughts that I like the idea (and that hasn’t changed) of recognizing […]

Why would a Washington-Lincoln Day be significant to Virginia?

January 22, 2012 by

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Of course, my interests are a bit narrow in scope… being a native (and resident) of the Shenandoah Valley, I’m incredibly happy to see Virginia’s state legislature taking initiative in recognizing yet another Valley-connected Civil War personality in the proposed Washington-Lincoln Day. Think of it… first we have Jackson who lived here and made a […]

Men of the Shenandoah Valley… at the Crater and Ft. Fisher!?

November 30, 2011 by

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Men of the Shenandoah Valley earned a number of battle honors over the course of the Civil War… from Manassas to the Mule Shoe… Falling Waters to Appomattox… but… sadly, the list is much shorter than it should be… and for what purpose? Yes… men of the Valley were present in the ranks of the […]

Looking back on Remembrance Day, 2011

November 20, 2011 by

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I’ve been to Gettysburg lots of times, but have only been there twice for Remembrance Day. My first Remembrance Day was in 2002, as a commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans camp. Working in the spirit of a Blue-Gray reunion that had taken place, between Confederate veterans of my home county, and Union veterans […]

The legend of “Wizard Clip” (Smithfield/Middleway), Jefferson County, West Virginia

October 31, 2011 by

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Laid out ca. 1794, and better known as Smithfield or Middleway, Wizard Clip has a peculiar story, related by Confederate veteran, clerk, and author Thomas Kemp Cartmell (1838-1930), in his book, Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and their Descendants (1909)… One of the newcomers was Adam Livingston, who purchased desirable property in the vicinity of this village, […]

… and, also revisiting the family witch story…

October 31, 2011 by

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One of my great-great grandfathers, Charles Robert “Tanner” Hillard, has a rather interesting story tied to one of his brides. A Confederate veteran, Hilliard began his married days, five years after the war, in 1870. The rather sad part about those years, however, is that he ended up outliving four of five brides, remarrying in […]

Early Valley historian, Samuel Kercheval (ca. 17?? – 1845), on witchcraft

October 31, 2011 by

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From Samuel Kercheval’s A History of the Valley of Virginia (original date of publication, 1833), pages 280-281: I shall not be lengthy on this subject. The belief in Witchcraft was prevalent among the early settlers of the western country. To the witch was ascribed the tremendous power of inflicting strange and incurable diseases, particularly on […]

Revisiting a family ghost story, from the Civil War…

October 31, 2011 by

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This appeared in a post last year, but, I like the story so much… Despite being part of a series of victories in 1862, the “Page Grays” of Co. H, 33rd Virginia Infantry, had seen their fair share of desertions (not, by any means, that the “Grays” were slackers, as the company also saw more than […]

Death poetry from the mid-19th century

October 30, 2011 by

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Since we’re on the eve of Halloween… While I’ve mentioned her more than once, she is, by far, my favorite source for death poetry this time of year. Not only that, but Cornelia Jane Matthews Jordan was well connected to the Shenandoah Valley’s society circle. The following poem was written by Jordan ca. 1848, focused […]

Shenandoah Valley African-Americans in the Civil War… a sampling

October 30, 2011 by

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You might recall a post from this past July, in which I briefly mentioned Shenandoah Valley African-Americans in the USCT. I haven’t had as much time to work with that project as I would like, but it’s one that is always on my mind. Perhaps, over winter, I’ll be able to wrap it up. Anyway, […]

Shaking things up on a broader scale… unraveling the myths of Native Americans in the Shenandoah Valley

October 30, 2011 by

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It’s nearly everywhere you turn when reading about Native Americans in the Valley… inconsistency and/or one of a small number of standardized, mind-numbed, tracked approaches to the subject. … and… oh yes, by the way… …just how do we know that the word “Shenandoah” really means (loosely interpreted, or not) “Daughter of the Stars”? For […]

The Shenandoah Valley & the Monitor/Merrimac (Virginia) story… curious connections through blood and iron…

October 29, 2011 by

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A little something trivial, but interesting… On August 6, 1936, Frank Bruen, the author of Christian Forrer, the Clockmaker and his Descendants (1939), “was favored by a call from Capt. Joseph Deyerle Forrer, formerly of Mossy Creek [Augusta County], Va.” According to Bruen, In the course of our conversation we spoke of the Iron blast […]

Beyond John Brown… an enduring legacy not always so obvious, in the Shenandoah Valley

October 25, 2011 by

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It’s just over a week after the 152nd anniversary of Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. While many will continue to consider the actions of Brown, the man… especially as to whether he should be judged a hero or terrorist… this excellent video, from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, reveals an enduring, positive legacy, in the wake of Brown’s actions at Harpers Ferry… and […]

Confederates, Southern Unionists, and… The Waltons?!

October 23, 2011 by

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To be clear… I’ve always been a fan of the Waltons… though I prefer the first three seasons over the rest. Not only was it based largely on the writings of a Virginian, but also focused on a fictional Virginia family under the shadow of the Blue Ridge (albeit, on the eastern side). I still […]

What historical period dominates the (interpretive) landscape, and which are sorely absent?

October 15, 2011 by

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As I drive nearly the entire stretch of the Shenandoah Valley (excepting the West Virginia counties of Berkeley and Jefferson), at least four days a week, I pass various sites of interests. Few, actually, are marked with any indication of their stories… though I’m aware of the stories for most of them. I suspect many […]

How a Shenandoah Valley “apple-butter boil” beat “a South Georgia shinding all to pieces”

October 9, 2011 by

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It is, after all, October, here in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley… and with that comes not only reflections on the past (“heritage” festivals abound!), but also a good deal of apple-butter making. Regretfully, much of the ceremony surrounding the traditional apple-butter boils have long been forgotten, or have simply been cast aside as an unnecessary […]

In three minutes, sum up the history of your county in the Civil War

September 14, 2011 by

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If you know most of the nuts and bolts that make up that history, and are tasked with accomplishing that request… it can be a tall order, and rather painful. You’re forced to bypass key elements, including certain names and events, that you know are critical in the overall story, but… this is all the […]

“they’re not strangers… and they stay as they lay…”

September 13, 2011 by

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There’s something that struck me long ago, while watching Last of the Mohicans (the newest version), but not necessarily in relation to that time period. Specifically, I’m talking about the marking or remarking of graves of Civil War soldiers. We see it often, in instances where folks, today, wish to mark the graves of people […]

Trainmen…

September 12, 2011 by

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This past week, my grandfather, a “trainman” of, apparently, 25 (give or take) years, would have been 108… and it got me to thinking how incredibly cool it is that the railroad has played into my family history, since, perhaps, as early as the late 1860s.  I know, I know, I’m jumping the track (hey, […]

A public information announcement… I suppose…

September 12, 2011 by

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Once in a blue moon (and no, tonight isn’t really a blue moon, but you get the point…), I like to point out what this blog is about. Generally, it focuses on a relatively small range (really!) of topics, dealing primarily with what might (to some) be considered “alternative history” of the Shenandoah Valley in […]

Pardon me, Genl. Sheridan, but did you mean “Lucy” when you called her “Susie”?

September 10, 2011 by

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I just posted the story of Rebecca Wright over at Southern Unionists Chronicles (please take some time to “stroll” over there and read it, as it’s pretty interesting… and that includes time spent looking critically at Col. Bean’s efforts to… it seemed at points… add unnecessary drama in his postwar version of the story), but […]

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