Appalachian Notes (Van)
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,........... .............................................................................11 ISSN 0739-3482 . ' MAY 1997 , ., Virginia • . "'-""•·-' ~ ...s _. 1'(:'i!!-..i.:... ~ Appalachian ( Notes Danville• Southwestern Virginia Genealogical Society Roanoke, Virginia SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINL.\ GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Officers and Executive Board Area 540 President Gene Swartzell 8'Jl1-J 99 1 1st Vice-President James L. Shotts 540-552-1 874 2nd Vice-President Patricia Long 389---l- 5] I Recording Secretary Wendy James 387--062 Corresponding Secretary Karen Kappesser 977-0067 Treasurer Winfred Hart 774-2658 Ass't Treasurer/Membership Don Ma11indale 3(J6-0829 Van Editor Ann Sylvest Office 345-090 l Immediate Past President Ora Belle McColman Y>6-'J 142 VAN Editor Emeritus Babe Fowler 345-8709 Committees Computer/Labeler Don Vaughn 989-8645 Program James L. Shotts 540-552-1874 Historian Mildred Campbell 344-IO 18 Hospitali ty Reva Weeks 389-5573 Exchange Quarterlies Carol Milbourn 774-53 16 Pedigree Charts Mary Jane Vaden 345-1 748 Parliamentarian Ruth Hale 992-4623 Publicity Karen Kappesscr 977-0067 Book Reviews Gene Swartzell 890-3991 * * * * * * * * * * Tbc SOUTHWEST VIRGL~IA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. is a tax exempt corporation under section 50 l(c)(3) of the Federal Income Tax Code. Section 170 of the Tax Code provides for the treatment of contributions to the SVGS as a deductible contribution by the donor. Bequests, legacies .. devises. transfers. or gifts to the SVGS may be deductible for Federal estate gift tax purposes, if they meet the applicable provisions of sections 2055. 23 106 .. and 2522 of tJ1e Tax Code. * * * * * * * * * * * * MEMBERSHIP: Each SVGS membership will be mailed a copy of the "Society's" quarterly. the VIRGINIA APPALACHIAN NOTES (VAN). TI1e VAN is published quarterly, usually in February; May. August and November. Prc\·iously these issues were followed by an annual index issue. Effective with CY 1996 the annual index will be iocludcd ju the November issue of the VAN for that year or in a subsequent issue of the next year. Society memberships are on a calendar year basis and those memberships. which are not renewed by January 30. w.ill be deemed as inactive and removed from the VAN mailing list. Single or family memberships are $20.00; Organization and Library membershjps are $15.00. Members with mailing addresses outside the United States shall add $10.00 to the above fees and all monies are payable in U.S. currency. Issues of the VAN, 1995 and earlier, are a\'aiJableat a reimbursement cost of$4.00 each>as long as the supply lasts. More recent issues are $6.00 each. A bulk mailing of old VANS to one address may be eligible for a 10% discount. All payments s.hould be made by check or money order, payable to Southwestern Virginia Genealogical Society, Jnc. or to SVGS, Jnc. and may be mailed to .Post Office Box 12485, Roanoke, VA 24026-2485. * * * * * * * * * * * * BOOK REVfEWS: Books submitted to the Society wjll be reviewed and the review printed in a subsequent issue of the VA'N, When submitting a book. please include the price of the book. copies of the available advertising material. and infbnnation as to whereorders for additional copies may be placed. Following their review all books will be placed in the Virginia Room of the Roanoke City Public Library, on South Jefferson Street in Roanoke. Virginia. I• V I R G I N I A A P P A L A C H I A N N 0 T E S Published Quarterly by Southwestern Virginia Genealogical Society, Inc. ==~==-=====~==~======~==~=========== === =========================== Vol. 21 - No. 2 - May 1997 CONTENTS President's Message 39 Quarterly Exchange Notes 40 Book Review 40 Upcoming Society Events 40 Thomas Pleasants Jordan cl745-1809, Links to His Quaker Heritage by Mary Elizabeth Ferrell 41 Interesting "Net Sites" 44 New Books in the Virginia Room 45 A Renfro/Rentfro Timeline by Billie Redding Lewis 49 Reunion Notices 53 Family Newsletters 53 David Harless Cemetery, Montgomery Co, VA 54 Addit ions to the Index of Cemeteries, Vols 1-20 58 Queries 60 1997 Membership List 64 Bits and Pieces 57, 63 ======================= ========================================== MEMBERS WHOSE PASSING WE MOURN Nellie Easter Shively LaRue B. Mason They will be sadly missed VIRGINI A APPALACHIAN NOTES 39 SOUTHWESTERN VIRGNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. May 1997 Dear Fellow Genealogists: This past March Carol Tuckwiller, Virginia Room librarian, received the "Excellence In Community Service" award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The f ramed award and a pin were presented to her at a reception given in her honor by the Roanoke Valley Chapter of the D.A.R. whi ch nominated her. see it in the Virginia Room. CONGRATULATIONS! Carol, from all your friends. The Virginia Gene~logical Socie~y hel~ their Spring Conference in Danville the first Saturday in April. Mary McCampbell Bel~, CALS, CG~, lectured on the National Union Catalog of Manus~ript Collections (the NUCMC ) . This on-going project of the ~ibrary of Congress to ~atalog u. s . Manuscript holdings is a ricdh resotu;rce ~nditof. pafrticu~ar interest to those king in "burne coun ies. is ound in maJ· or uni ver · t. wo r . b . D , t . s i 1 es and research li rarie~.h on miss this source .... her Lecture · 1 0 Ul: - 1·ne handout was eig t pages! Always check the !espository's own catalogue for more complete detail about their collection since NUCMC is a catalogue of national scope . · Roberts Scott, CGRS, FSA spoke on p . Craig d ' ension Records Research: You Stoppe Too Soon . His four page handout gives you a clue to the number of sources often overlooked. We want to rush out and get to work! Just a few of our were there, I am sorry to say. Do mark your calendar members FALL conference, October 17 and 18 at Richmond. s for the Gene Swartzell President ' p ,.5 : :f yo , ~.:..ssed GNN!tA/,OOY fJA Sl (,'8 .20.7 ;it o ur April meeting, ; r11 m ssrd a ~/Ori dertul pr()g.ratn . Our t_h i:l ti k. s go to Karen Yoppr_ (;e-; 1-1 , Ra.r;tt f: cwl e1 , ~lct1d y James , Do n Martinda l e and Ann '3 ; l •1t~st for ehe l r presentations. VIRGINIA APPALACHIAN NOTES - 4 0 QUARTERLY EXCHANGE NOTES State of California Vital Records Rate Change (Effective January 1, 1997) Deaths (from July 1, 1905) $8. 00 ; Marriages (from July 1, 1905) $12 . 00; Births (from July 1, 1905) $18.00; Divorces $12.00. Address : Office of Vital Records and Statistics, 304 11 S 11 Street, P> 0> Box 730241, Sacramento, CA 94244-0241. From THE ROOT DIGGER, Solano County Genealogical Society, Inc . , Vol 14, No 1. BOOK REVIEW MEMORIES OF THE COOPERS COVE AREA, a Project of the Coopers Cove Community Club, Privately printed, soft cover, 121 pages, 1996. Family histories of the early settlers are followed with interviews of their descendats still living in the area . Memories faithfully recorded as spoken presents a charming and enjoyable history for the reader . Documents, photographs, and maps complete the publication. Make checks payable to Coopers Cove Community Club, $15.00, plus $3.00 postage and handling. Order from Mary Boenke, 180 Bailey blvd., Hardy, VA 24101. (Telephone 540-890-3957; E-mail: [email protected]) Carl Tuckwiller, Virginia Room librarian, has said this is the first item about that locality she has r eceived . If you have information regarding it, please consider sharing or donating docu ments that will increase available research. UPCOMING SOCIETY EVENTS May meeting: Saturday, May 17 , 1997. A Field Trip to Blacksburg, VA to t he Special Collections Library of Virginia Tech with Laura Smith as hostess. Meet a t the Library at 10:00 a.m . There will be a 30 minute introductory talk, then time for research. Those wanting to car pool from Roanoke will meet at the lower parking lot of the Oakland Baptist Church on Williamson Road at 8:30 a . m. September meeting : Saturday, September 20 , 1997. Suzanne H. Lipes will speak on Colonial Diseases. REMEMBER, NO MEETING DURING JUNE , JULY AND AUGUST. VIRGINIA APPALACHI AN NOTES 41 THOMAS PLEASANTS JORDAN cl745-1809 Links 'I'o His Quaker Heritage By Mary Elizabeth Ferrell Thomas Pleasants Jordan, the father of my ancestor Decorah Jordan Thomas, was torn about 1745 probably in Henrico COW1ty Virginia. In the search for his origins it seemed apparent at the onset that his might be a Quaker lineage. But no evidence emerged from the Society of Friends compiled records that this Thomas Jordan was the 'Thomas Jordan who was the son of P.enj amin Jordan. Wr itings on other 'Thomas Jordans tenrieri to "muddy the waters" . Several writings made suppositions and attempted to link: this Thomas to various Jordan l ines but failed to provide the evidence . Thus, this was a family line that I had placed on the back burner until a inquiry was received from a distant cousin ' s wife in Floyd, Virginia . That inquiry started me on a determined search. Badcg:t0tmd and Clues The rule of thumb in genealogical research - ''the best clues to a person ' s origins and birth family exist in the earliest proven place of residence'' became the first step in the strategy of this search. The collection of data was first centered on the reconstruction of the family of Thomas P . Jordan to try to establish those links before beginning to try to find the evidence to link him to the Quaker Benjamin Jordan, Jr. 'T'he reconstruction of the family was paramount in the strategy. Robert Barnard Jr., a descendant, also of Deborah Jordan 'Ihcmas (Charles Thomas Jr.) had written to me, sent me material on the Quaker Jordans .