Sunday Search: Virginia Cemeteries

A while back I drove around to the some of the local cemeteries to find some family members that have been forgotten as well as to visit some that we just hadn’t seen in a while. Actually, it was the first time that I can remember visiting any of them. It is with this trip still fresh in my mind (even two years later) that I decided to do the same thing, this time in Virginia.

The day after the reunion, we made our way to Eagle Rock and explored the place where my family once lived. After walking around the small town for a little while, we took my great uncle up on his offer to lead us to one of the cemeteries in the area. After a few turns down gravel roads…

…and a couple of stops to regroup and figure out where we were going we finally made it to Shiloh Cemetery. Here we found my three times great grandmother, Francis Redcross (Beverly) resting beside her son…

…as well as one of her daughters, Mary Jane Redcross (Duke), and her family just a few yards away.

Unfortunately, we are still unable to find my three times great grandfather, Paulus Redcross, who passed long before his wife.

After Shiloh we were on our own but fortunately, this time, knew exactly where we needed to go to find Forest Grove Baptist Church. When we arrived services were just coming to an end at the small church and, not surprisingly, we found a few relatives standing outside the doors talking amongst themselves. After a couple brief conversations, we headed back and began walking round finding that we were related to nearly every other person, in one way or another, throughout the cemetery.

In the back right of the granite field, under a large tree, we found my great great grandparents, Roy and Sallie (Clapsaddle) Teaford.

I have seen their headstones in pictures before but, as many of you know, it is a completely different experience seeing them with your own eyes. From this corner of the cemetery we slowly walked back toward the church until we found two more of my great great grandparents, Nicholas and Laura (Redcross) Love.

It was especially moving since now I have been able to visit, between all the cemeteries that I have visited, I have been able to visit four generations of my family. My grandparents and great grandparents in Pennsylvania and now my great great grandparents and great great great grandmother today. However, what struck me most about the day was when we turned around just before leaving and I was able to see all four great great grandparents in one peaceful picture.

The following day, after our morning spelunking, we stopped by another cemetery in an attempt to find my great great grandfather’s first wife. After even more dirt and gravel roads than the previous day, we were finally able to find Bethel Church tucked back into the woods on a one way road.

The cemetery was just on the other side of the small creek where my dad and I walked up and down every aisle. In the end, much like Leverington Cemetery, we couldn’t find her name or family anywhere among the headstones that were still visible and legible.

This one is going to take some more work. Hopefully this time the church has some accurate records.

A couple of days later, as I previously wrote about, we visited the last cemetery of our trip while atop of Bear Mountain in Amherst County. While we were only able to find the names of a couple generations, I am certain that we were in the presence of many more generations at the Monacan Burial Ground. It took some effort, much more than the first time we visited a few cemeteries, but it was well worth the time, effort, and emotions. I am glad that we took the time to visit while in Virginia.

Spelunking Down South

After our busy day yesterday walking around towns and cemeteries, we decided to explore a little further out. While there was another cemetery and another drive down some gravel roads, it was a relatively light agenda. With a loose schedule in our minds, we got on the highway and drove further south down to Roanoke. Actually, we drove past the city and pulled into the parking lot for Dixie Caverns. That’s right, no matter where we are, there is always a cave to be explored.

With the sky looking more temperamental than usual, it was the perfect day to walk through a cave in order to stay cool and dry. While we were thrown off a bit by the cats wandering around the property (which complicates things due to my wife’s severe allergy) they kept their distance from our small tour group allowing us to walking up an into the weathered entrance. As soon as we walked through the threshold, we knew this was going to be a lot of climbing… more than any other cave we have ventured into… as the stairs and moss covered lights lined the carved path.

While most people see all caves as basically the same thing and wonder why people explore different ones wherever they go (my father is one of those people), having been through a number of different caverns I have noticed the slight differences in the landscape. In this particular instance, the ceiling…

…and the walls…

…were a little more interesting than the other caves that my wife and I have toured over the last few years. This is especially true when the tunnel began to open up…

…our eyes adjusted, and some of the interesting formations were pointed out to us like the wedding bell…

…the sharp teeth of the T-Rex…

…and, later on in the tour, the large turkey wing.

However, what I really find impressive in each space that we explore are the places where people aren’t looking.

I usually find myself turning around and looking the opposite way sometimes falling behind the group just to find a different perspective, a different cavernous veranda. That is when I am met with images like the one at the beginning of this post and this one looking down at where we were once walking.

It is all about perspective in these spaces regarding both the environment immediate surrounding you and the lens through which you view it. Just as all landscapes above ground consist of the same elements, none of them are exactly alike. Each landscape is different… some more than others… and sometimes there are little surprises when you adjust your eyes to take it all in like seeing the sky in the stillness of a lake or, as was the case today, seeing the colors, shapes, and patterns of the cave reflected in a pond. These are the images that make us want to explore underground just as we explore above ground.

Sunday Search: Our Towns

With the reunion having concluded yesterday, we filled Sunday with a variety of stops and places that I wanted to see during our extended vacation in Virginia. We filled much of our morning with a few trips to some local cemeteries but that is a post for another day. This post is about where our family lived both in the early part of the 20^th and latter part of the 19^th century.

Before moving up to Pennsylvania, my grandfather was born and raised in Eagle Rock, Virginia. This is where all of my great aunts and uncles were born as well. I guess you could say that it all started at the Eagle Rock Baptist Church where my great grandparents, Harry Teaford and Nettie Love, were married in 1917. For the first time, I was able to see the church thanks to my great uncle serving as our tour guide for the morning.

Of course, before we received this guidance, we were left on our own to explore the small town. While it is clear that it was once a nice little mountain community, the town seems to have never recovered from the depression that drove my family north.

While the train station still looks like it is in good working order…

…the car dealership has obviously be lacking that new leather smell for some time.

This is obviously not a touristy type stop but it where we come from and it is the first time that I have been able to walk the streets and probably the first time that my father had been there in about 50 years. While pictures and documents make up much of work in genealogy, places are also an important part of the process. Walking the same streets and seeing the surrounding mountains gave me a much better understanding of the generations of my family that called this small town home.

Later in the day we met up with a cousin in Fincastle (as well as my aunt and uncle who also joined us for the afternoon). Surprisingly, we were the only ones that took her up on her offer yesterday for a tour of the capital of Botetourt County. Many of our family documents can be found in this building so I was looking forward to finding out a little more about the town itself. We all convened at the local museum and proceeded to walk the town as the humidity continued to rise.

Just in front of the museum was the county courthouse…

…which served as the gateway to the west when this now modest county extended far beyond its current boundaries and deep into the Midwest. It is because of this distinction that the courthouse is recognized for its place in the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

From the courthouse we walked up and down the main and back streets of Fincastle…

…passing numerous historic sites and old houses…

…and quite a few churches including the one below which dates back to before the Revolutionary War.

The town tour ended where it began and our generous host concluded the afternoon with a walk through the museum. Of course, the path around the building lead us directly to the research room where we couldn’t help but pour through a few of the volumes stacked on the shelves. While we didn’t uncover much, it was nice to be back in the stacks sifting through all of the names. And, obviously, it was once again nice to have my feet on the same soil and stones that were once walked by many in my family decades ago.

Preparing For The Drive…

While we have no idea where the time has gone, we are now finding ourselves scrambling to get everything together for our family vacation. The last time that we took such a long vacation was nearly three years ago so there are a lot of things that have changed since then. Things are completely different now that we have our son as in the past packing for vacation was never a real issue. Looking at the piles of stuff that needs to be packed, it is amazing to think that we will be able to fit it all in the car. I don’t think we have packed this much stuff since we left for Israel.

For the first time since I started with my current company, I am taking an extended period of time off away from work. Even when our son was born, I was out of the office but still working remotely. With the exception of a few phone calls and emails that I am most certainly going to have to take, I am staying far away from the world of work. It’s not like I am going to have the time to take care of things as our schedule is pretty full. Here are just a few of the things that we are going to be doing and places we are going to visit while in Virginia:

• Family Reunion
• Natural Bridge
• Caverns at Natural Bridge
• Eagle Rock
• Fincastle
• Various Family Cemeteries
• Roanoke
• Dixie Caverns
• Bear Mountain
• Monacan Museum
• Lynchburg
• Lexington
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Richmond

This is a trip that I have been looking forward to for years. This is the first reunion that I have been able to attend since 1987 and I have learned a lot about the family since that time. It is a trip 28 and 250 years in the making and I am excited to see everything again with new eyes and also to introduce my wife and my son to where our family comes from.

Obviously, this is just the short list but not a bad schedule for the week. This is what we plan on doing and seeing… that could easily change and we may see more or less depending on how the week progresses. And, as you have come to expect, I will be taking plenty of pictures and writing about our adventures in the southern commonwealth.  

I am open to suggestions of places that I may have overlooked so, if you know of any in the western part of Virginia (especially along Skyline Drive) I welcome them. While we may have a good schedule for the extended vacation, I really don’t want to stick to a hard schedule. This is a time for us to relax and spend time with family.

The Lost Genealogy Show

In a recent discussion on LinkedIn there was another genealogy program brought to my attention. After reading the back and forth around the pros and cons of the mainstream programs (i.e. Who Do You Think You Are, Finding Your Roots, and Genealogy Roadshow) I was interested to watch the YouTube video to see if this program did a better job especially with regard to process. Honestly, my expectations were not very high as I have seen numerous attempts at programs online but I figured that I would give it a shot.

While the intro to “Legend Seekers” leaves a little something to be desired the program itself is excellent. It is kind of the best of all worlds in that it is not reliant upon celebrity and it does not overburden itself with trying to take too broad a view of a family tree. Rather, the focus of the program is on a singular event in the family tree of a regular family. It is the kind of thing that all of us immersed in our own family history do on a regular basis just in a more condensed and presentable format.

While there is a lot that is left on the floor with regard to the process, there is still much more information regarding the resources that are available for people to conduct their own research and to whom they can turn to find the information that they are seeking. There are also tips and additional information to assist the viewer in their own search particularly regarding Census records and the wealth that can be found in cemeteries. While many of us who have been doing this for a while know this information it is always worth being reminded and it is of huge value to those who may just be getting started.

The program also shows the slight bumps and detours that we all run into. However, similar to mine and many other experiences that I have read, persistence can sometimes pay off as it did in the search for the Lively family in this episode. This is both an interesting and motivating program for those who are interested in researching their own family.

With all of that said, I do have one rather large problem with the program… this is the only episode that was made due to the lack of funding and not having been picked up for a full season. There are so many stories out there in every family that it would be great to see the stories that, for the most part, remain untold. Heck, I can think of a half dozen in my own family (a few of which I have mentioned on this blog) that I would like to see produced in this manner. Hopefully, sometime in the future, the show will return and give us a better example of what the real process is like… I would much rather spend the time watching more episodes of this rather than the aforementioned mainstream programs.

Summer Travel Countdown and Review

Despite the fact that it is going to be in the 90’s on Wednesday, the summer is pretty much over so I thought I would take the time to go over some of the favorite trips that my wife and I took during the warmer months. This will not be a complete list as I am going to stick with my top 10 (with a favorite photo from each trip). They are ranked based on a variety of factors with some ranking higher because of the meaning of the trip rather than the place itself or because of some discovery that was made during our time there. Of course, many of them are simply places that we enjoyed and look forward to returning to in the near future. So, without further delay, here is countdown.

Honorable Mentions – Williamsport and Fort Washington

Williamsport was the furthest we traveled this summer and while it was an interesting trip I am not sure it was one that I would make again. It is a nice little town but one that leaves you wanting more. Fort Washington (Harvest Books in particular) is somewhere we will always visit. Maybe it will move up the list if we explore a bit more but for now it is just one of those common places that is part of our regular routine.

10 – Harrisburg

By no means is this one of the more pleasant or attractive places to visit and, during our time there, we weren’t able to get as much done as we hoped with regard to our genealogical research but it was a good trip. I put it at number ten because of the discovery I was able to make in a local book store (more about that in a later post) and for the glimpses of the past that the city still possesses (albeit deep under a layer of urban decay in some areas). It was a laid back trip for us and our first real exploration into the research process in an archive. For those reasons it made the cut but just barely.

9 – New Hope

I know a number of people who would easily put this in the top spot on their list but, for me, it was an okay trip. The town itself is very clean and easy to get around but the atmosphere is not something that I would like to spend a lot of time immersed in. The high tourist prices are also something that makes me hesitate to return. However, it was a great place to walk around and somewhere that my wife could browse around in multiple shops for Wizard of Oz merchandise. The smile it brought to her face bumped up this small town to number 9.

8 – Milford and The Delaware Water Gap

The drive along Route 209 through the Delaware Water Gap is one of the most beautiful day trips you can take on this side of the commonwealth. Milford was a nice little town and I would like to go back at some point when there isn’t a music festival clogging up the streets. This trip does win for best meal during our summer travels with the pastrami salmon sandwich at Bar Louis (I would return just for that). But the trip back is really what earns the spot on this list as we were able to explore Raymondskill Falls (similar in size to Bushkill Falls but free) and we stopped by Country Junction in Lehighton just before getting back on I-476. I don’t expect it to be anytime soon but I know we will take this trip again in the future.

7 – Appalachian Trail

This was not the most exciting trip we took during the summer but it was good to just get out and hike for a change. It had been way too long since I had put my boots on a dirt trail. The trail is beautiful in the summer and if get to the mid way point at the right time you can run into a number of through hikers and hear a handful of interesting stories about their time walking in the woods. But, in the end, the reason for the placement above the aforementioned trips is simple; this is something that I was able to cross off my bucket list. I would like to return some day to walk a bit more.

6 – Crystal Cave

When the temperature is in the mid 90’s with high humidity it is a refreshing experience walking into a cave. While I have explored a handful of caves in my life it had been some time since I had last gone spelunking and this was a first for my wife. The reason for the higher ranking is twofold. First, exploring a cave is a great exercise if you enjoy photography as it forces you to use depth and find patterns in a way that is seldom seen beyond the cavernous confines. Second, this was a trip back to my childhood as I have a vague recollection of a school field trip to this location and it was nice to share that memory with my wife. I am certain that we will bring others with us upon our return.

5 – Local Cemeteries (Leverington, Barren Hill, and Gulph Christian)

This trip was long overdue and while it had its depressing moments the overall experience was one that I will never forget. When you spend hours upon hours working on your family history you can easily get lost in the documents and forget the people and places. Visiting the graves of your ancestors brings you back to reality in a way that is hard to explain. This was the first time I was able to visit the resting places of my family and one that I will never forget. I will return in the future as there still is a lot of work to be done and a wrong that needs to be made right. I don’t know when but I will be writing about this topic in the future.

4 – Gettysburg

When you know your family participated in the Civil War, visiting some of the battlefields takes on an entirely different dimension. When you know you had family members on opposite ends of the field it brings about a certain surreal aspect to the experience. Standing behind the rows of cannons you can’t help but think about what it would be like knowing that your actions could cause the death of your family member. Today it is a fascinating contrast between the beauty of the scenery and the horrors of what transpired 150 years ago. I am certain that we will return in the future when we can spend more time walking the fields.

3 – Knoebels

This was a great trip and one that we are both looking forward to taking again in the future. It was one of those simply enjoyable experiences where we could walk around the amusement park taking in the sights and sounds all the while doing so on a budget. Being nestled in the mountains while going on rides and taking pictures is the perfect amusement park experience for us and one that I am glad we were able to share this summer.

2 – Jim Thorpe (x2)

There is a reason why this little mountain town was the only place we visited multiple times this summer. This may be our favorite little town to visit and we are looking forward to returning over and over again. It was a great place for us to both relax and explore at the same time which is not an easy combination to find. Natural mountainous beauty mixed with the small town charm is a hard combination to beat. This would have taken the top spot if it wasn’t for one very special event this summer.

1 – New Providence

I can’t say that I am a fan of Lancaster County. I really don’t have anything against it but it is not somewhere that I would choose to visit, I much rather go to the mountains. However, there is one reason why we continue to go back and that is to visit family. That alone would not get New Providence on this list but this summer it shot to the top. The reason is simple, my niece graduated in June and we headed over there both for the party and for the actual graduation ceremony. I am immensely proud of my niece and being able to see her graduate is why this was the best trip of the summer.

So that’s the recap of my favorite trips that my wife and I took this summer. As I said before, there are various reasons for the placements but this is how things fell into place as I looked back over the last few months. I am looking forward to continuing to travel around the commonwealth and while the frequency has since diminished I am looking forward to a few destinations in the near future that I will be writing about and posting pictures. For now I will leave you with a couple of questions (both topics I will also be writing about in the future): What are some of you favorite local destinations? Where would you like to go?