Vol. 42 Spring No. 2 2020

From the Executive Director Trustees These are historic times. Membership Individual $30 Kevin Borg Although the world has become more and Beau Dickenson Family $40 more digital, online, and in the cloud, the Enhanced Options $50+ Allison Dugan COVID-19 quarantine has shown us to David Ehrenpreis Call, visit, or apply online. what extremes digital communication may Maria Paz Esguerra be necessary. Submissions Jim Fries All articles subject to editing. Erin Hess Arts & Culture organizations, along with schools and businesses, are making dra- We reserve the right not to use Mark Litchford unsolicited feature articles. Chip McIntyre matic changes to continue to provide Deadlines on Third Fridays in resources to new and existing audiences. January, April, July, October. Recording Secretary Creativity abounds, but the technological Kim Shipe infrastructure must be in place to support Email submissions to new ways of doing business. [email protected] Resident Historian At HRHS, we are moving audio/visual or mail to HRHS, PO Box 716, Dale MacAllister equipment to the top of the Wish List to Dayton, VA 22821 enable digital content creation, for example, Staff recording lectures, guest curator talks, dis- Museum & Library Hours Penny Imeson cussions with collections, and virtual tours. When Not Under Quarantine Executive Director Please take note of the fundraising message Monday-Saturday on page 11. 10 am - 5 pm Margaret Hotchner Upgrading the HRHS research website has Administrator been necessary for months. In the last issue, Sundays I claimed that anything that could go April-October Juanita Wysong wrong, had gone wrong. I spoke too soon. 1-5 pm

Weekend Manager On page 11, you will find the latest news. Office closed Let’s not forget that before COVID-19, Saturday and Sunday 2020 was the Year of the Woman with his- Donate torical focus on woman’s suffrage. Do you have a family suffrage story? We’d love to Your financial support helps On the cover: to save and share the objects, hear from you! In the meantime, take note of Mary Harrison’s strength and determina- Stone detail of Fort Harrison, books, photographs, and home of Daniel Harrison, family trees which hold the tion in the article on page 6. built 1748. memories of H-R history. The museum and library are sadly quiet Donations are always needed these days. Margaret and I are able to work and appreciated! with significant social distance quite easily The Quarterly Newsletter Phone, mail, online = easy! between office, museum, and home. Fortu- is a publication of the nately, general inquiries and genealogy re- Harrisonburg-Rockingham Contact search can continue via email, Facebook, Historical Society. 540.879.2681 and telephone, but we miss the conversa- ValleyHeritageMuseum.org tions and activity that come with volunteers P.O. Box 716 and visitors. 382 High Street Looking forward to the next chapter of Dayton, VA 22821 local history with curiosity and anticipation,

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Recent Events 20 February 2020 Lucy Frances Simms: From Enslaved to Revered Public Service Third Thursday New Book Talk by Dale MacAllister Upcoming Events None. Stay home, stay safe, stay tuned!

19 March 2020 Coughs & Sneezes Spread Diseases The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 Nancy Sorrell’s talk on the Spanish Flu Pandemic was postponed due to precautions for the present pandemic. At this point, the program will likely not be rescheduled. The April enewsletter provided recipients with two online opportunities to discover Sorrells' history of and similarities to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: 1. Jim Britt interviewed Nancy on the WSVA morning show as a teaser for her program for HRHS. Their conversation is available on a pod- cast (about 21 minutes). To listen, visit: https:// soundcloud.com/wsva-early-mornings/1918-flu- pandemic-31820 2. Nancy contributed an article on the 1918 Pan- demic to The News Virginian. You can find the article online by searching newsvirginian.com for “local Sorrells pandemic.” A transcription is available from HRHS by calling 540 879 2681 and leaving a message or by emailing [email protected] These are remarkable and seemingly unforgettable times. But memories fade, so we'd love to capture your thoughts.  What moments during your lifetime does the The Heritage Museum front door continues to be COVID-19 pandemic cause you to reflect on? friendly, but with a caveat. The notice hanging below the welcome sign alerts visitors that the  What stories from life today would you want to doors will be closed until further notice. share with future generations?

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Confessions of Faith: From Martyrs to Ministers

by David Good

At another time, in another place, he might well the early 16th century right on through the time of the have perished in flames for writing what he did. But 1727 emigration of Peter Good, my first Good fore- Bishop Daniel Good, my three-times-great- bear to reach the United States, there can be little grandfather, had no such fears a number of years be- doubt that they would have exacted harsh retribution fore his 1850 death in Rockingham County, Virginia, on those deemed responsible. But after Bishop Dan- as he recorded, in matter-of-fact terms, the ultimate iel’s death, Bishop Hildebrand seems to have simply heresy of the Mennonites: set the manuscript aside, waiting some 20 years be- . . . The preacher and the candidate kneel and the fore noting its origins on the first page. Another 88 preacher prays. After the prayer the preacher rises, years passed before it was preserved in translation in lays his hands on the candidates (sic) head and says: the archives at Goshen. “You are now baptized on your confessed faith which If the tenets of the Mennonite faith did not exactly you have confessed before God and these witnesses, rank as mainstream Christianity in America by the with water, in the name of the Father and of the Son middle of the 19th century, they certainly were far and of the Holy Ghost.” As he speaks the three high removed from qualifying as the sort of radical here- names he pours double handful of water on his head. sies that had so outraged authorities in Germany, After this he offers him his hand and says, “Arise to , the Netherlands and much of the rest of a new life as Christ awakened from the dead through Europe for centuries. the glory of the father. Accordingly we should also “The ancient church and the Christian emperors of walk in a new life. You are now recognized as a the Roman Empire had pronounced rebaptism brother (sister) in the church of Jesus Christ so long (meaning essentially believers' baptism) a civil crime as you do not transgress and remain in the teaching punishable by death,” noted V. Norskov Olsen, for- of Jesus.” mer president of Loma Linda University, California. Included in a tract rendered into English in 1958 “The medieval papacy both in theory and in practice under the title “Regulations and Church Discipline,” regarded heresy, including believers' baptism, as a the passage described the practice of adult baptism in grievous sin, deserving not merely excommunication the Mennonite Church in Rockingham County. Bish- but capital punishment. The Inquisition and decrees op Daniel’s original 40-page, German-language of medieval emperors had the same aim. The decree bound manuscript, penned in a Gothic script and issued April 23, 1529, by Emperor Charles V against titled “Ordnung und Gemeinde Regel,” was translat- the Anabaptists demonstrates the attitude of both sec- ed by the noted Mennonite historian John Umble. ular rulers and church leaders, whether Catholic or Umble, a professor of English and speech at Goshen Protestant, toward the Anabaptists during the six- College, Indiana, was the author of several books and teenth century. This decree was addressed to all the numerous articles on American Mennonites. rulers and administrators of the empire whatever The manuscript was kept for years by Mennonite their rank — even burgomasters, village , and Bishop Jacob Hildebrand of Staunton, Virginia, who bailiffs — and forbade rebaptism on pain of death. noted that Bishop Daniel “told me that he has The various statements of faith issued during the six- thought to have it printed but did not live to have it teenth century likewise expressed condemnation of don (sic).” While noteworthy for its passage on bap- the Anabaptists.” tism, Bishop Daniel’s tract consists primarily of The Mennonites trace their origins back to the direct and indirect quotes from scripture, in addition small band of Anabaptist radicals in the area of Zur- to descriptions of how church officials are chosen by ich, Switzerland. The movement found a leader when vote (if unanimous) or by lot (if not unanimous). a priest named Menno Simons left the Catholic In historical context, what may be most striking Church in the Netherlands and became an Anabaptist about Bishop Daniel’s manuscript is the very fact about 1536. His followers eventually took the name that he wanted it circulated. If authorities in some Mennonites after him. “Until his death 25 years lat- locales in Europe had laid hands on such heresy from er,” observed author Jack Zavada, “Menno traveled

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throughout the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germa- Christ that authorities began to clamp their tongues ny as a hunted man, preaching nonviolence, adult bap- before leading them out to their execution so that they tism, and faithfulness to the Bible.” could not speak up and win more converts.” Anabaptists continued to be singled out for another We have yet to discover records of any Good ances- two centuries, according to historian Martin H. tors dying under such persecution. However, multiple Schrag: “Persecution, of varying intensity, was the lot sources cite Andreas Gutt (or Gut) as an Anabaptist of the Swiss Anabaptists (Mennonites) until the mid- leader in Ottenbach, Switzerland. According to several dle of the eighteenth century. During the intense peri- putative paths of lineage, he well may have been a di- ods of persecution many, perhaps most of the Anabap- rect ancestor of 1727’s Peter Good, most likely as a tists, fled to whatever havens of refuge they could four-times-great-grandfather. find, especially in the Germanic areas to the north and Andreas, a farmer from am , near northwest of modern Switzerland. . . . The persecution Ottenbach, has been identified as the author of a docu- in Zurich and other parts of Switzerland drove many ment that explained the Anabaptist position on the Anabaptists to the neighboring northern and eastern government and on institutions of the established areas — Alsace, the Palatinate, Tyrol, Moravia, and church. The document was presented by a group of the Netherlands.” Anabaptists to the magistrate of , in the canton One of the most famous stories of Anabaptist perse- of Zurich, on April 3, 1589. cution and martyrdom is depicted in an engraving by Andreas also is the subject of a “possible connec- Jan Luyken (1649-1712) which shows Dirk Willems tion” to another document, dated 1588, and titled “A rescuing a prison guard who had plunged through thin Simple Confession, to the and council of the ice while pursuing Willems as he escaped across a fro- city of Zurich, concerning the reason for the great di- zen river in the Netherlands. Recaptured by the guard vision and disagreement among all who boast of on the order of a burgomaster, Willems was burned Christ and the Holy Gospel.” The “Simple Confes- alive in 1569. sion,” according to historian Arnold Snyder of Conrad Grebel University College, Ontario, was “anything but simple in either its content or its composition. Rather, . . . (it) was simply a small visible outcropping of what was a much larger, very complex and largely-hidden literary tradition generated by Anabaptists (Swiss Brethren and Marpeckites) in the latter half of the six- teenth century in Switzerland and southern Germany.” Had other Anabaptist writings of the period not been known to be identical to parts of the “Simple Confes- sion,” Snyder said, “we might have mistakenly con- cluded that Andreas . . . was a remarkably clever and well-read Anabaptist farmer/apologist.” In fact, he added, Andreas “(or whoever did the editorial work) was a clever copyist/editor, not its original researcher/ Jan Luyken engraving published in Martyrs Mirror, 1685. writer.” Regardless of his exact editorial role, Andreas Gutt According to an anonymously written 18th-century may have been the first link in a tradition of writing religious history, many Anabaptists who “acted peace- about Anabaptist beliefs and practices that extended fully” were persecuted by Protestants, Catholics, and across three centuries of Gutts/Goods to Bishop Dan- Zwinglians. “In Switzerland and all of Germany, they iel – secretly or anonymously in the beginning, but were inexcusably tortured, reduced to dust, drowned, eventually with full pride of authorship. hanged, burned, and beheaded,” the book declared. The number of Anabaptists tortured and killed during the 16th-century persecution in Europe is uncertain, though historian Dan Graves places the number at 1,500 or more. typically by fire for the men and by drowning for the women. “Many Anabaptists,” he said, “proved to be so bold in their final testimony for

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The Nathaniel Harrison Log House

by Dale MacAllister

Nathaniel Harrison (born January 22, 1803) was age of 36 on February 26, 1839. Based on the rec- the son of David and Elizabeth Pickering Harrison orded dates for those buried in the family cemetery, and the grandson of Capt. Reuben Harrison. As a Nathaniel’s 1839 interment was the first. descendant of Capt. Harrison, Nathaniel was a great Widow Harrison -nephew of brothers Thomas and Daniel Harrison, When Nathaniel Harrison died, his widow Mary well-known in Harrisonburg and Dayton, respec- was left with seven small children ranging in age tively. Nathaniel lived in the now Long’s Pump area from one to nine. Mary reared her four boys and near Melrose about seven miles north of Harrison- three girls by herself. The land was rocky and not burg. His restored log home is located in a field east very fertile. Situated near the Valley Pike, the fami- of the Valley Pike (Route 11). Close by, behind the ly must have had close experience with the comings house, is the old Harrison family cemetery. and goings of both Union and Confederate troops Nathaniel likely during the Civil War, as well as the long wagon built his log house in trains of wounded soldiers heading south from Get- the late 1820s, but tysburg and those carrying refugees north at the certainly by the early war’s end. 1830s. The land Mary Harrison never remarried and lived in the where he lived was log house for the remaining 60 years of her life. Af- given to him by his ter her death, she joined her husband in the family father David Harrison graveyard near their home. Her passing was shared in 1832 and officially in a letter sent to New Market’s Shenandoah Valley deeded to him two newspaper. The letter was reprinted in Harrison- years later. David burg’s Rockingham Register on January 13, 1899. Harrison’s house was Old “Aunt Polly” Harrison, of this place, a little south of his son’s at Harrison’s Cave, known was paralyzed on the morning of the 26th. She over the years as Blue Grottoes, Virginia Caverns, lingered in a comparatively unconscious condi- and today as Melrose Caverns. tion until 6 o’clock in the evening of the 31st at Dry Fork, a western branch of Smith’s Creek that which time she died. Funeral services was [sic] begins nearer Harrisonburg, flows through Na- held at her home, conducted by Rev. G. B. Fade- thaniel Harrison’s land. There were also springs and ly, after which her remains were buried in the a dug well on the property. Lake’s Atlas of Rocking- old Harrison graveyard, one-and-a-half miles ham County for 1885 indicates two buildings on the south of this place [Lacey Spring]. The pall- site; one was certainly a barn. bearers were six of her grandsons: William, In the 1820s, an adventurous Nathaniel Harrison Reuben, Michael, Jasper, Henry and Edward traveled to Champaign County, Ohio, to look over Harrison. She was 88 years, 10 months and 22 the region. He kept a journal of his trip that has days old. She has been a widow near sixty years, been preserved in the family. Some entries from the her husband, Nathaniel Harrison, having died journal are included in the Harrison family history January 1839. Four of her children survive her: Settlers by the Long Grey Trail, by J. Houston Har- Capt. R. W. Harrison, of Melrose, Jacob Harri- rison (1935). The account of his journey indicates son, of Fairfax, and Misses Betty and Sue Harri- that Nathaniel left his home and traveled through son, with whom she lived. She had been a con- Turleytown to Brocks Gap. He continued along the sistent member of the Methodist church for a North Fork of the Shenandoah to Lost River in great many years, and she was much loved and modern-day West Virginia, and then on through the highly respected by an unusually large number mountains to Ohio. of relatives and friends. Nathaniel Harrison married Mary “Polly” High, daughter of Jacob and Susannah High, in July 1829. A View through the Census Records Nathaniel did not enjoy a long life. He died at the Widow Mary Harrison certainly struggled to both

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rear her children and keep up the farm. In 1850, her Lee Long, who lived across Route 11 from the Harri- real estate was valued at $2,500. Ten years later, the son house, realized there were two options for the value had dropped to $1,000. By 1870, following the historic home: (1) tear it down or (2) try to restore war, it was worth only half as much at $500. The and preserve it. They opted for restoration and 1880 non-population census shows that Mary’s farm preservation. An effort to return the log home to its and buildings were valued at $800. She had $60 original character began. worth of machinery, and her livestock, including one A 1930s addition was torn down. Exterior boards horse, was also valued at $60. All farm production and tar paper and interior paneling were removed. for the year was valued at $100, while she had paid Remarkably, a duplicate log house was discovered out $25 for hired labor help. and used to replace irreparable timbers in the Harri- Some non-family members are listed in the census son home. Not only did the log sizes match, but so data in the family household. In 1870, Lawrence did the notches. The collapsed chimney was rebuilt Poon [?] was helping as an “errand boy,” and in from the rubble it had become. 1880, Fannie High, likely a relative of Mary’s, was The log home that served two widows now stands their “servant”. The 1900 census after Mary’s death beautifully as a view into the past and a reminder of indicates that daughters Bettie and Susan were no the determination, perseverance, and resourcefulness longer living on the farm. The two maiden sisters had of the women and men who laid the foundation of moved into the home they then owned closer to the Shenandoah Valley. Lacey Spring. By 1910, Bettie and Susan were rec- orded as keepers of the tollgate near their home where they had worked collecting tolls since about 1904. The toll house was located between Long’s Pump and Lacey Spring near where Mt. Tabor Unit- ed Methodist Church is today. New Ownership After Mary Harrison’s death, the property was pur- chased by Melvina Flook Long, widow of Abram C. Long. Long lived west of Beacon Hill, the large ridge west of the Valley Pike between Long’s Pump and Lacey Spring. The Harrison house was in such a di- lapidated state of repair that it was used only for stor- ing hay and corn for about three decades. When J. Houston Harrison wrote his Harrison history in the 1930s, he described the house as “abandoned.” Melvina’s great-grandson J. Owen Long, Jr., relat- ed that in the late 1920s Col. Edward T. Brown, who then owned Endless and Melrose caverns, leased the Harrison house for a planned museum. Col. Brown’s desire to use the building caused a need for some re- pairs and remodeling of the structure. By the 1930s, the Great Depression had intervened to end Col. Brown’s plan to open a museum in the house, and possession of the Harrison house returned to the Long family. For the next fifty years, a series of ten- ants rented the house until its condition was too run- down to live in. The chimney had collapsed and ter- mites had destroyed much of the logs and floor. Restoration Phase A modern “Interstate 81 Corridor Study,” conduct- ed by the Virginia Department of Transportation, in- cluded the Nathaniel Harrison log house as a proper- ty worthy of being protected. J. Owen, Jr., and Mary Nathaniel Harrison House images, 2020.

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Acquisitions

Archives  Amy Kiracofe donated a 1965 letter to William Wampler from Frieda (Acker) Walker. Walker was a 1946 graduate of Dayton High School who was living in Port Nager District, Nainital, India, with her husband Harold. The letter describes how Harold was contacted by the Ford Foundation about a position as a Farm Management Consultant to the Uttar Pradesh Agriculture University, which he accepted. Walker stated that “the university is patterned after the American land grant system” and was established in 1960 on a 16,000 acre farm. The land was still jungle except for the campus proper and the staff housing. The university had over 800 students, all men studying the various aspects of agriculture.  Richard Early donated Harrisonburg City Directories for the years, 1946-1947, 1960, 1966, and 1968. City directories list business and residential inhabitants by street address which creates an excellent resource for tracking change over the years.  Amy Kiracofe donated an invitation to the Dayton High School Reunion for the Classes of 1944-1948, held at the Holiday Inn in Harrisonburg on Saturday, July 10th, 1976.  Brad Neher donated, on behalf of his father Dean Neher, a box of files and records from the Rockingham Council on Human Relations, of which Dean was a member.  Janet and Earl Downs donated the booklet, Songs for Rockingham Turkey Festival, September 4-5 1939 (compliments of the Ruebush-Kieffer Company, Dayton, VA) Artifacts  Michael Betts, on behalf of the First Night Harrisonburg Board, donated a First Night Harrisonburg button collection, with poster and programs including a large banner highlighting the first 25 years of poster art. December 31, 2019 ended the run of First Night Harrisonburg events.  Jeff Bradfield donated a walnut pump organ made by the Virginia Organ Company, in Dayton, Virginia, which he found at an estate sale in Elkton, Virginia, a number of years ago. The organ factory began busi- ness in 1882, but closed after a fire in 1888. The organ has been on loan and display in the museum for a number of years. Photos  Janet and Earl Downs donated a photo of Paul Cline and his wife Vallie. Paul Cline wrote the Cline-Kline Family genealogy book.  Carol Davis, on behalf of the Stella Billhimer Family donated 15 images of the Billhimer family and friends and the staff of the Harrisonburg Telegraph office. Stella, born in Harrisonburg on November 12, 1890, was the daughter of Charles Edward Billhimer and Susan Bateman. She took classes at the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg (now JMU) in 1908-09. Her first job was with the telegraph office in Harrisonburg. Later she worked for Dr. W. T. Lineweaver, D.D.S. In 1924, she mar- ried Isaac Richard Johnson of East Rockingham County near Port Republic and became a farmer’s wife. Stella Billhimer Johnson died December 20, 1984, at the age of 94. Library, Media and Ongoing Used Book Sale  Wayne Diehl donated five of his genealogies for the library: 1) Hartman Origins in Germany and Penn- sylvania: Roots of Several Rockingham County Lines; 2) Genealogical Gleanings, Three Generations of Wengers from Lancaster Co., PA to Rockingham Co., VA; 3) Diehl Family, Earl Cline Diehl, Sr., 1893- 1958 and His Diehl Ancestry In Three Parts; 4) Rockingham County Patriot: George Carpenter (Zimmerman), Born, ~1725, Germany, Died, 1778 Valley Forge, PA; and 5) Seven Generations of Nulls in Rockingham County Virginia, 1750 to 1911.

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 Richard Early donated books and newsletters: Through These Doors, A Journal of Faithfulness, Park View Mennonite Church 1953-2003, by Harold D. Lehman; Virginia Municipal League, A History of Local Gov- ernments Working Together for 100 Years (1905-2005), editor David A. Parsons; various issues of Fellow- ship of Brethren Genealogists, Volumes 21-25 along with two issues of their membership directories, 1987 -1988 and 1989-1990. The donor also provided a number of news clippings and notes about the history and preservation of Longs Chapel at Zenda.  Gracie Florence donated the book, Union County, South Carolina, Minutes of the County Court 1785- 1799, by Brent Holcomb.  Stephen Ritchey donated a number of magazines, including The Virginia Magazine, Officer’s Call, Hal- lowed Ground, Confederate Veteran, and United Daughters of the Confederacy.  Mary Strickler donated three volumes of Vietnam Memories, a collection of oral history and research con- ducted by her Harrisonburg High Schools students to record the stories of local Vietnam veterans.  The following donated books to benefit HRHS through the ongoing used book sale: Sidney Bland, Joyce Miller, and others coincidentally named Anonymous.

The Harrisonburg Western Union Telegraph Office staff: Mr. Sincendiver, Chesapeake &Western Railroad Operator; Charlie Sullivan, Messenger; Miss Ella Vollrath, Manager (seated); Miss Stella Billhimer, Clerk, c1910.

A Warm Welcome to Our New Members John & Carol Flora, Fishersville, VA Linda Hanson, Springville, UT Zach & Ayla Hottel, Woodstock, VA Pamela Johnson, Linville, VA Dennis & Norma Lee, Broadway, VA Bill & May Wake, Staunton, VA

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HRHS Contributes to Online Resource

During the 2017-2018 academic year, James Madi- son University History Department graduate students partnered with Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk Chaz W. Haywood and JMU’s Library on a new public history project. The multi-year project is designed to preserve and make collections of histori- cal court records publicly available. The result of the partnership is an online website called Exploring Rockingham’s Past (ERP). In February of this year, HRHS was invited to par- ticipate. Graduate student Kayla Heslin and JMU History Professor (and HRHS Trustee) Kevin Borg requested a small team of genealogy researchers to review and comment on the latest additions to ERP. For her project, Kayla digitized the "Overseers of the Poor" records dating from 1787 to 1870. Her work included transcribing hundreds of pages of handwrit- ten Minute Book entries. Each member of the HRHS group eagerly reviewed the collection individually, before meeting with Kev- in and Kayla. At the meeting, the HRHS researchers exclaimed over the thrill of seeing the records online and expressed amazement that Kayla took the time to create transcriptions. From there, questions were asked back and forth, and individuals provided cor- rections, additions, and suggestions. Everyone had a chance to share which provided excellent feedback for Kayla. The input from the HRHS volunteers was a greatly appreciated contribution to the completion JMU History Professor & HRHs Trustee Kevin Borg points out of her project. a detail for the Overseers of the Poor records to HRHS Exploring Rockingham's Past started with a full Resident Historian and Past President Dale MacAllister. digitization of Rockingham County Court legal rec- ords pertaining to the displacement of private citizens for the creation of Shenandoah National Park. Last To explore Rockingham’s Past on the ERP website, year, Rockingham County prohibition records were use this link in your internet search browser: included. A number of other collections are also https://omeka.lib.jmu.edu/erp/. available on the website, as well as links to online exhibits by the students.

Overseers of the Poor History, courtesy ERP website Prior to the establishment of federal social welfare in the 1930s, poverty in America was largely a local issue. Each town or county cared for their impoverished based on the needs of their communities. While an Ameri- canized form of English Poor Laws initially informed the practices of caring for the poor, the American insti- tution soon developed its own practices. The Overseers of the Poor were the local officials appointed for each county tasked with the oversight and care for the poor. These men usually met once a year to discuss the taxes to be laid, the overall running of the poorhouse, and the election of new members. Rockingham County's Over- seers left behind meeting minutes, annual receipts of expenses, and correspondences that reveal a great deal about social welfare in the Valley, including dynamics of gender, race, and class.

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Donate Now!

Initially, due to concerns for the health of the staff, volunteers, and visitors and then instructions from Virginia’s Governor, the Historical Society has ob- serving quarantine since March 17, 2020. The doors are closed, and the significant spring tourist season is cancelled, so instead of greeting visitors, we are seeking grants and wondering what the fundraising Online Improvements future will hold. Fortunately, HRHS received funding from the Over the years, the fast growth of internet usage Small Business Administration Payroll Protection and rapid changes in technology, expanding data Program which allows the staff to continue to receive storage needs accompanied by rising costs, good income into June. A small portion of the PPP funds intentions curtailed by limited expertise, and other may be used to offset other overhead costs. We con- factors created a confusing online presence for the tinue to apply for additional operating fund grants, as Historical Society. they become available. Many genealogy researchers will be familiar with When the doors are shut, bookstore, museum, and heritagecenter.com, which provides resources for other program income disappears, but costs for col- family search and local history projects. Others lections care (facility) continue. The Trustees are may be familiar with valleyheritagemuseum.org, already considering hard decisions regarding lost which provides more program information and revenue. Climate control needs may be delayed. aims to capture new visitors. Plans for new exhibitions and online content will be A long time ago, two sites made sense. Some shelved. Resources for genealogy and local history time ago, that opinion changed. Plans were made to research will face reduction. combine the two sites, but lack of time and talent got in the way of progress. How can you help? Last year, a website developer was hired, and the  Keep your membership up-to-date. process of streamlining began. As mentioned in the  Consider an extra financial gift. Winter Newsletter, the process has met extraordi-  Request paid genealogy research. nary hurdles. But as this issue goes to print, the re-  Stay tuned for online book sales. search pages are entering a test phase! If the stars  Designate HRHS as your Amazon Smile have aligned, as you read this new online research beneficiary to support while shopping. and resource pages are debuting with clear access  Give a gift membership. through valleyheritagemuseum.org  Remember, no gift is too small! This is the first step in the digital cleanup. In re-  Save the date: June 24, sunrise to sunset, The structuring the Historical Society’s online pres- Great Community Give online day of giving. ence, data storage space is available to upload a backlog of family database records and new digital Your financial support will help recover lost content. Our goal is to provide easier and clearer income and reduce the impact on the collections, as access to the local history you enjoy, including a well as students, researchers, volunteers, and visitors. return of the online bookstore. Fingers crossed! You recognize the value of local history preserva- tion and education. Museums are trusted resources which contribute to the community’s health and well -being. Recent estimates anticipate 25% of the na- tion’s museums will not survive the COVID-19 cri- sis. With your support, HRHS will continue to save and share, with our neighbors and their visitors, the rich and inspiring stories which have and will define the spirit of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Thank you.

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Spring 2020, Vol. 42, No. 2 Non-Profit U.S. Postage Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society PAID Permit No. 19 P.O. Box 716 Harrisonburg/ Dayton, Virginia 22821 Rockingham

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Rockingham County: Its Past and Present Illustrated, reprinted from the original 1910 edition. Amazing resource for biography, history, and statistics! Index available. Contact the office for your copy!