Saturday, March 31, 2007
March 31 - Mattie Rogers
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Dad
Bess Truman
Our Common Ancestor is Katherine Bunce Wells(1610-1683)
Our Ancestors- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bess Tuman's Ancestors
Elizabeth Clark (1650-1712) - - - - - Lydia Clark(1642-1718)
James Wells(1685-1771) - - - - - - - Lydia Gott(1666-1728)
Honor Wells(1724-1816) - - - - - - - Ebenezer Bragg(1699-1766)
Alexander Holmes(1757-1776) - - - Elizabeth Bragg(1731-1806)
John Holmes(1777-1858) - - - - - -- Samuel Gates(1760-1854)
William Holmes(1801-1884) - - - -- Samuel Gates(1783-1870)
Eliza Holmes(1836-1915)- - - - - - George Williams Gates(1807-1890)
Martha Jane Best(1870-1954) - - - George P. Gates(1835-1918)
Leone Marie Rogers(1914-) - - - - -Margaret Gates(1862-1952)
David Stanley Shelton(1943-) ---Elizabeth V. Wallace Truman(1885-1982)
David Shelton(1967-)
Elizabeth "Bess" Truman is my ninth cousin - once removed.
Walt Disney
Walt Disney (1901 - 1966)
COMMON ANCESTOR Joan Clarke Peake(1578- ?)
Our Ancestors - - - - - - - - - - ------------- Walt's Ancestors
Mary Elizabeth Peake Waters(1654-1697) --Christopher Peake(1605-1666)
Mary Elizabeth Overton(1673-1734)- - - - Jonathan Peake(1637-1700)
Dina Anderson(1707-1769) - - - - - - - - - Jonathan Peake(1663-1744)
Christopher Hunt(1728-1781) - - - - - - - Abigail Peake(1700-1766)
James Hunt(1765-1851) - - - - - - - - - - Moses Johnson(1737-1815)
Elizabeth Hunt(1789-1873) - - - - - - - -Fanny Johnson(1764-1801)
Sanford "Sandy" Senter (1816-1888) - - Eber Call(1791-1864)
Jane Senter(1849-1873)- - - - - - - - - - Charles Call(1822-1890)
Mary Ethel Wilson(1867-1939) - - - - - -Flora Call(1868-1938)
Gracie Arminta Bunnell(1888-1967)- - - Walt Disney(1901-1966)
Gracie A. (Bunnell) Smith was a ninth cousin to the creator of Mickey Mouse. This would make me a 9th cousin, three times removed.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Oren and Anna (Block) Johns
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Our Holmes Grandfather at the Battle of Long Island
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Noah L. Bunnell - Brother to Seneca
"BUNNELL, Noah L. The life record of this venerable citizen of Moran, Owen township, is one of interest and instruction, for it has been active, always so modulated as to be of the greatest service to those whom it touched. Mr. Bunnell has lived to see the transformation of a great country from the primeval forests and the wild prairies and he has performed well his part in this work. He is one of our oldest native born citizens, and most all of his nearly four score years have been spent here, devoted to farming and merchandising. He grew up amid pioneer conditions and it is indeed interesting to hear him relate incidents of those early days, of the different customs and manners prevailing then, of the hardships and privations, of the wilderness filled with wild animals, and many things unknown to us of the present generation. Noah L. Bunnell was born January 20, 1834, near the village of Jefferson, Clinton county. He is a son of Noah and Catherine (CONLEY) BUNNELL. The father was born in 1796 in New Jersey where he spent his early years, finally removing to Ohio then to Clinton county, Indiana, where he began as a typical frontiersman, erecting a log cabin and clearing and developing a farm, and there he spent the rest of his life, dying in 1871. He was a wheelwright by trade at which he worked in his earlier years, finally devoting his attention to farming. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His wife was born in Maryland in 1800, and her death occurred in 1875. To these parents five children were born, Noah L., of this review, the youngest, Harriet, James, Seneca and Mary, all four deceased. Noah L. Bunnell grew to manhood on the homestead near Jefferson and there he found plenty of hard work to do when a boy, and he received a meager education in the old-time rural schools. He married Julia A. BELL, who was born in Ohio in 1839. She was a daughter of William and Mary (HAMILTON) BELL, and to this union five children were born: Mary C., James, Elver, Clyde and Thomas (deceased). Mr. Bunnell began life for himself on a farm where he remained until 1864 then entered the mercantile field at Kilmore, Clinton county, where he remained three years, then went to Lafayette, where he remained in the same business until the Vandalia railroad was built through Clinton county, whereupon he returned here and laid out the town of Moran. Owen township, which was first called Bunnellsville, after our subject, but later was named Moran. Mr. Bunnell has remained at this place ever since and has built up a large and lucrative trade with the surrounding country, his store being a favorite gathering place for the people of this vicinity in their spare time, for they have always received honest, fair and courteous treatment at the hands of our subject. He carries an up-to-date stock of general merchandise at all seasons and his prices are laways (sic) reasonable. He is also owner of a valuable and productive eighty acre farm adjoining Moran, on which land Mr. Bunnell has a pleasant and well furnished home. At present he is assisted in his store by his son, Elver. Politically, Mr. Bunnell is a Republican and has always been faithful in his support of the party. Religiously, he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church."
I don't have a picture of Noah L. Bunnell, but this is his brother and my g-g-g-grandfather, Seneca Bunnell.
The following is another brother, Daniel James Bunnell (Uncle Jim).
The Sheltons of Hamilton County, IL
sons: William Shelton (m. rebecca Hogg) ----- Josiah (m. Nancy Ross) -----
cousins: Joseph Shelton(son of William/Rebecca) William J. Shelton (son of Josiah and Nancy and g-grandfather of Wayne Shelton )
Joseph Shelton, first cousin to our William J. Shelton, was an early settler near Dahlgren He was born Mar 1, 1793, some say in Pittsylvania Co, VA . As a small child his family moved to Kentucky.
The American flag in 1812
Joseph Shelton was a private in the War of 1812. He fought in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, and the Shelton heirs have an old watch he found on the battlefield at New Orleans. He served, probably as a captain, in the Indian Wars in Illinois in 1816 or 1817. The Shelton heirs have his old rifle and powder horn that he carried in the Indian War. When this period of service was ended, he was discharged near where Chicago now stands. His horse was lame, so he turned it loose and walked to Southern Illinois. The captains in the Indian War furnished their own horses, and the pay was $8.00 per month.
Joseph Shelton was married to Nancy Chaffin in Christian County, KY in 1815, and about 1820 he and his wife settled a mile north and a mile west of what is now Dahlgren.
Their first baby was born and died at the home northeast of Dahlgren. When Mr. Shelton was gone into the woods to make a coffin in which to bury the baby, a panther came to the door of their cabin. Mrs. Shelton drove the hungry animal away with a stick with fire on one end of it that she had grabbed from the fireplace.
One summer a long, hard rain had put out the fire which they always tried to keep near their cabin in order to have fire with which to cook. Mrs. Shelton rode a horse twelve or fifteen miles east to the nearest neighbor to get some fire in an iron pot. She covered the glowing coals with ashes so it would not out during the long journey back home.
The children of Joseph and Nancy Shelton were Lucy, Sylvester, Sophia, Julia Ann, Linnie, Leonard, Nancy and Rebecca.
David M. Garrison, one of the grandsons of Joseph Shelton, has an old kettle about four and a half feet in diameter which has been in the family a long time. This kettle was originally used near Shawneetown, Illinois, to “boil down” salt water for salt in the early 1800s.
Joseph Shelton is buried on the old Shelton homestead northeast of Dahlgren. His heirs held a Shelton Reunion every year from 1915 to 1925.
New Book on Shelton Family of Pittsylvania Co, VA
By Susan Worley, Staff Writer, The Star-Tribune, Chatham, Virginia. Used with permission.
Shelton County author April Miller received help from her husband, Harry, and her mother, Pauline Wood, who typed Miller's hand-written manuscript.
It began as an inquisitive search into family history and evolved into thousands of hours of research about one of Pittsylvania County's largest families — the Sheltons.
April Miller grew up in Norfolk, but tracing her roots led to Pittsylvania County, her mother, Pauline Wood's, part of Virginia.
"I intended to roll across the county line for two or three days' worth of research," said Miller, who began writing a book on county genealogy several years ago.
The Shelton family was to be only one chapter in the book, but Miller soon realized that the name was far too prolific to contain in a single chapter.
Shelton research eventually rooted out other family names and Miller's latest book Shelton County was born.
Her husband, Harry, came up with the title after accompanying his wife down one of the many back roads they travelled in search of family cemeteries and passing yet another row of Shelton mail boxes.
"He said if you could get a referendum on the ballot to change the name of this county to Shelton County, I think you could pass it," said Miller.
The couple has a home in Virginia Beach and Miller came to Chatham two or three days a month to do research.
They soon decided that the area would be a nice place for a country home, and a little over two years ago bought what is locally known as "the old Marilla house."
The home, off Chalk Level Road, was built in 1892.
Harry is retired and they now spend most of their time in Chatham
Why write genealogy?
"It's very addictive," said Miller. "The stories of the people in this county would be unbelievable as fiction. Especially a lot of the stories that I regretfully omitted from the book.
"There are lots of times when what is a matter of public record is also a matter of private pain and I did omit some things. I omitted a host of illegitimate children, some of whom are still in this county and very sensitive and yet they are just as much Sheltons as anyone else.
"I just took a case at a time and we really went through some thorny discussions of what to omit.
"I know Shelton County contains errors," she added. "There is no way that anyone can do a genealogy without there being some errors and omissions. A lot of times it's an error in an official record."
As examples, she said ages may be different if someone lied about their age when getting a marriage license.
Also, there are many variations in spelling.
Pittsylvania County is an excellent place to do research, according to Miller, because there is almost unlimited access to records in the clerk's office.
"At the end of each chapter I list the sources to show proof of where it is found," said Miller.
Especially helpful were interviews with and old photographs loaned by new-found cousins, said Miller.
"I have been welcomed from one end of the county to the other,"she said. "No one has treated me like a come here. Everyone has treated me like a come back."
Miller said researching the Shelton family was interesting, but she would not like to research other families where there is no personal connection.
"Nothing is as fascinating as your own, but as boring as someone else's," she added.
In addition to the overwhelming number of Sheltons who have lived or who are living in the county, there are interesting family connections.
Although Miller has Shelton connections six ways, she said one family has direct Shelton connections 11 ways.
Marketing a book
Now that the writing is over, the Millers are concentrating on marketing and distributing.
Books have been mailed from Alaska to Maine, Florida to California, and Texas to Michigan.
Miller has written magazine articles and The Green Sea, a book of Norfolk County genealogy.
The couple has two children, Alex 23, who is in the landscaping business, and Snowe, 19, a sophomore at Radford University.
Shelton County costs $25 plus $2.50 shipping and handling, and can be purchased by mail from Mrs. April Miller, 501 Marilla Lane, Chatham, VA 24531, telephone 434-432-4223.
The Battle of Manassas
On a warm July day in 1861, two armies of a divided nation clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking Bull Run. Their ranks were filled with enthusiastic young volunteers in colorful new uniforms, gathered together from every part of the country. Confident that their foes would run at the first shot, the raw recruits were thankful that they would not miss the only battle of what surely would be a short war. But any thought of colorful pageantry was suddenly lost in the smoke, din, dirt, and death of battle. Soldiers on both sides were stunned by the violence and destruction they encountered. At day's end nearly 900 young men lay lifeless on the fields of Matthews Hill, Henry Hill, and Chinn Ridge. Ten hours of heavy fighting swept away any notion the war's outcome would be decided quickly.
The first day's march covered only five miles, as many straggled to pick blackberries or fill canteens. McDowell's lumbering columns were headed for the vital railroad junction at Manassas. Here the Orange and Alexandria Railroad met the Manassas Gap Railroad, which led west to the Shenandoah Valley. If McDowell could seize this junction, he would stand astride the best overland approach to the Confederate capital.
On July 18, McDowell's army reached Centreville. Five miles ahead a small meadering stream named Bull Run crossed the route of the Union advance, and there guarding the fords from Union Mills to the Stone Bridge waited 22,000 Southern troops under the commande of Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard. McDowell first attempted to move toward the Confederate right flank, but his troops were checked at Blackburn's Ford. He then spent the next two days scouting the Southern left flank. In the meantime, Beauregard asked the Confederate government at Richmond for help. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, stationed in the Shenandoah Valley with 10,000 troops, was ordered to support Beauregard if possible. Johnston gave an opposing Union force the slip and, employing the Manassas Gap Railroad, started his brigades toward Manassas Junction. Most of Johnston's troops arrived at the junction on July 20 and 21, some marching from the trains directly into battle.
On the morning of July 21, McDowell sent his attack columns in a long march north toward Sudley Springs Ford. This route took the Federals around the Confederate left. To distract the Southerners, McDowell ordered a diversionary attack where the Warrenton Turnpike crossed Bull Run at the Stone Bridge. At 5:30 a.m. the deep-throated roar of a 30-pounder Parrott rifle shattered the morning calm, and signaled the start of battle. McDowell's new plan depended on speed and surprise, both difficult with inexperienced troops. Valuable time was lost as the men stumbled through the darkness along narrow roads. Confederate Col. Nathan Evans, commanding at the Stone Bridge, soon realized that the attack on his front was only a diversion. Leaving a small force to hold the bridge, Evans rushed the remainder of his command to Matthews Hill in time to check McDowell's lead unit. But Evans' force was too small to hold back the Federals for long.
Soon brigades under Barnard Bee and Francis Bartow marched to Evans' assistance. But even with these reinforcements, the thin gray line collapsed and Southerners fled in disorder toward Henry Hill. Attempting to rally his men, Bee used Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's newly arrived brigade as an anchor. Pointing to Jackson, Bee shouted, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" Generals Johston and Beauregard then arrived on Henry Hill, where they assisted in rallying shattered brigades and redeploying fresh units that were marching to the point of danger.
About noon, the Federals stopped their advance to reorganize for a new attack. The lull lasted for about an hour, giving the Confederates enough time to reform their lines. Then the fighting resumed, each side trying to force the other off Henry Hill. The battle continued until just after 4 p.m., when fresh Southern units crashed into the Union right flank on Chinn Ridge, causing McDowell's tired and discouraged soldiers to withdraw.
At first the withdrawal was orderly. Screened by the regulars, the three-month volunteers retired across Bull Run, where they found the road to Washington jammed with the carriages of congressmen and others who had driven out to Centreville to watch the fight. Panic now seized many of the soldiers and the retreat became a rout. The Confederates, though bolstered by the arrival of President Jefferson Davis on the field just at the battle was ending, were too disorganized to follow up their success. Daybreak on July 22 found the defeated Union army back behind the bristling defenses of Washington.
In the Fall of 1966 Dad, Mom and Grandpa & Grandma Shelton accompanied Bill and Janis and family to the coast on the first leg of their relocation to Europe. They saw many sights along the way including the Manassas Battlefield. The b/w photos of Grandpa and Dad were taken on that trip in '66. The last two photos in this post were taken in March 1862, and are of the ruins of the stone bridge. The color pictures are much more recent. As you can see, the cannon that Grandpa is standing next to is no longer on the bridge.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Farming Time
John Block's sisters
Aunt Ara
Brown Homecoming
Back Row:
Maude J.
Ina W.
Amma H.
Della Schindler
Jim W.
Mildred B.
Carrol H.
Effie Shelton
unknown
Ethel B.
Larayne M.
Nell R.
Maude VanFossan
Clifford W.
Front Row:
Mary Ellen E.
Frieda H.
Dartha P (or D.)
Ernestine S.
Bonnie Williams
Edna Walker
Clara Mathes
Fred Smith Family
Grandma Smith
JR and kids
Airtex 1970
Japan - 45 years ago
Mattie and girls
Here are three pictures of Mattie (Best) Rogers and her five daughters. The first was taken in the mid 1920s at the home of Edna Walker. L-R are mother Mattie Rogers (1870-1954), Clara (1900 - 1980), Edna 1901 - 2001), Della (1906 - 1995), Emma Jane (1912 - 2001) and Leone (b.1914).
The next picture was taken March 1944. L-R are Clara, Emma, Leone, Mattie, Della and Edna.
This final photo was taken in the late 1940s - Leone, Della, Mattie, Clara, Emma Jane and Edna.