- About me
- Cenantua – What and why?
- Cenantua’s pages (bio sketches & so on)
- Citing… this site
As a Southerner and native of the Shenandoah Valley, I offer reflections on the Civil War-era South… and sometimes a little more. But… expect the unexpected
Browsing All posts tagged under »Virginia«
Was it that the farthest parts of western Virginia didn’t feel threatened?
Was it… the right to own slaves, without interference… or… “States’ rights”? When it all boils down, what do we see? Let’s visualize slavery in Virginia, in 1860. From The Secession Movement in Virginia, 1847-1861 (1934), by Henry T. Shanks. When it comes down to what portions of Virginia did and did not secede, is […]
On the notion that emancipation would eventually come in a free and independent Southern Confederacy
December 12, 2010 by Robert Moore
With the title of this post in mind… this editorial comes from the Staunton Vindicator, December 14, 1860 (courtesy the Valley of the Shadow site). Now, I realize, as an editorial, it is, or may be, just one man’s opinion, but, there appear to be reflections of the attitudes of others. I’ve placed emphasis in […]
Willa Cather’s Civil War Heritage
December 8, 2010 by Robert Moore
I’m a huge fan of Writer’s Almanac, partly because it’s a great audio morsel that brings back hints of a time long gone, and partly because I’ve enjoyed listening to Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion for years. Additionally, I enjoy the closing remark, and find it encouraging at the beginning of the work day… […]
Goodhart on “States’ Rights”
December 5, 2010 by Robert Moore
Some readers might already be familiar with the story of the Loudoun Rangers… but, just in case… in short, they were Virginia’s only organized Union unit (though many a Virginian joined Union units from other states). Briscoe Goodhart was a member of Company A. In his History of the Independent Loudoun Virginia Rangers, Goodhart wrote […]
More on Southerners who relocated to the North and joined the Union army
November 17, 2010 by Robert Moore
So, in the wake of Sunday’s post, I’ve been thinking. As I pointed out, the Mill Creek Baptist Church in Page County, Virginia split in 1805 over the issue of slavery. In the wake of that split, I’m curious about how many of the children of those people involved, who went to Ohio, ended up […]
How all Northerners “then” weren’t really so out of touch with “being Southern”
November 14, 2010 by Robert Moore
It’s bad enough to hear some contemporary Southerners speak of Northerners as if it was still the time of the Civil War, but it’s even worse to hear Southerners speak of the people of the North from the time of the war, as if they could not, in the least bit, identify with the culture […]
An execution… a ghost’s last hymn… and a curse fulfilled(?)
October 31, 2010 by Robert Moore
As I’ve mentioned several times in my postings throughout the month, October brings to mind stories of witches and ghosts, but one ghost story captures my thinking frequently throughout the month. I suppose, one can almost say that it literally “haunts” me. The story actually developed over time, with each piece of information I uncovered […]
An undertaker and his ghostly client
October 30, 2010 by Robert Moore
On two separate occasions, Page News and Courier columnist Jacob R. Seekford wrote of an account of an undertaker and his encounter with a ghost. The first mention of this was in 1930 and the second was in 1937. It is interesting to note that the story got a little better with age. The story […]
“The Red-Headed Witch of Ingham”… and more
October 29, 2010 by Robert Moore
With only two nights left after tonight, October is getting away from me. Not wanting to miss a few more opportunities to address the topic of ghosts and witches in the Blue Ridge, I’ve got one more about witches that you might find of interest. Once again, one of my favorite story-tellers, Jacob R. Seekford, […]
Welcome readers of the Page News and Courier
October 27, 2010 by Robert Moore
As the last article for my newspaper column (of over thirteen years) appears in the weekly edition of the Page News and Courier today, and an open invitation to join me at my blog was included in the article… I just wanted to say a quick “hi!” to those folks as they join us… here. […]
Regarding Mrs. Fannie S. Gibbons
October 24, 2010 by Robert Moore
Having promised to tell more about the subject of the poem that I posted the other day… I really don’t know a great deal about Fannie Gibbons, but know much more about her husband. Nonetheless… Fannie Shacklett, daughter of Samuel (1804-1886) and Maria Graham Henry Shacklett (1811-1870) was born April 27, 1834; Samuel Shacklett being […]
The Haunted Rocking Chair of Pine Grove
October 17, 2010 by Robert Moore
Ok, ok… what the heck… one more post before bedtime… and in the theme of the month. Something short tonight… and if you recall, in the post a while back, that UVA student who sent the letter to Jacob R. Seekford mentioned something about a haunted rocking chair. The place of this happening was at […]
Sunday afternoons with “The Porte”, Part VIII
October 17, 2010 by Robert Moore
Continuing from Strother’s last… On Monday, 22d of April, the excitement still continued, the mobs occasionally breaking into shops in search of arms. The battle of Cockeysville did not take place as was expected. The Pennsylvanians, who were for the most part unarmed and altogether unprepared for a warlike encounter, had received warning of the […]
We interupt this broadcast… Strother on Brown’s Raid
October 17, 2010 by Robert Moore
I missed the opportunity during the 150th anniversary of the raid, but thought some might enjoy reading what David Hunter Strother (aka “Porte Crayon” or, here, known as “The Porte”) had to say about the John Brown incident. On the morning of the 17th… 151 years ago today… we find Strother in his office in […]
Sunday afternoons with “The Porte”, Part VII
October 10, 2010 by Robert Moore
What?! Did you think the entire month was going to be dedicated to ghosts, witches, and the generally eerie? On and off since May, I’ve been transcribing David Hunter Strother‘s “Personal Recollections of the Civil War. By a Virginian” as originally published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, beginning in June 1866. Though I don’t transcribe […]
“water of many turns”
October 9, 2010 by Robert Moore
Just the other day, I made reference to the Lenape/Delaware word “Conococheague“, which means “water of many turns.” Funny, but that pretty much summarizes the way I write this blog… not to mention the fluid nature of many blogs. The content can turn, twist, and completely shift, without warning. It’s more a reflection of what […]
How did the doctor “take care” of the witch?
October 8, 2010 by Robert Moore
Just thinking back to how the doctor “saw to it” that the witch that “cursed” my great-great grandmother would be “in hell by morning.” Frankly, we will probably never know his method, and will wonder about the wide range of possibilities. Still, Samuel Kercheval did mention a couple of methods by which one could “cure… […]
Early burial customs from the Valley
October 7, 2010 by Robert Moore
Just a little something I thought might be of interest… this being from a newspaper column from 1937, reflecting on the old burial customs. We, of the younger generation, accustomed as we are to the modern funerals, with everything being done that is possible to alleviate the anguish of the family and friends of the […]
Why “Cenantua”?
October 6, 2010 by Robert Moore
I love this time of year. It’s a chilly day, the sky is overcast… … I have a fire in the wood stove… … and a relaxing cup of cappuccino in my manly-man Mickey Mouse coffee mug (what else??!!) is close at-hand. Feels like a good time to sit down and write… just wish I […]
Cenantua's Blog ©
by Robert H. Moore, II
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.cenantua.wordpress.com. For more information about citing this blog, please see "How to cite this site".
Recent Comments
 | Robert Moore on Deconstructing “Sto… |
| Robert Moore on Deconstructing “Sto… |
| Robert Moore on Deconstructing “Sto… |
 | Richard Williams on Deconstructing “Sto… |
 | John Rogers on Deconstructing “Sto… |
Southern Unionists Chronicles
- In the case of Mr. Nicholas Breeden, Rockingham County, Virginia February 19, 2012
Cenantua's contributions to...
Web-Tech and blogging "stuff"
December 18, 2010 by Robert Moore
6