Return to the John A. Via Cemetery

On October 18, 2010, after leaving the Allen farm, we went back to the John A. Via cemetery in search of the remains of the home which we'd heard were nearby.

We parked the car at the same gate and climbed over. It was much less muddy this time, which made things easier! We walked immediately up to the cemetery and went through the gate. We found that the cemetery had been worked on recently. The Virginia Via reunion is held Columbus Day weekend and one of the reunion activities is to clean up Via family cemeteries, including this one. The John A. Via stone had been repaired and some brush had been cut back. The sign by the gate had been taken down for repairs but was due to be replaced soon.

After exploring the cemetery we moved up road behind it, just to see where it went. We had some information that described approximately where the house was, but wanted to explore all we could. Up this road we found bones of cattle and an old dozer. It seems that the dead cattle were carried up here to be butchered, but we're not sure. The road continued up the hill but we didn't follow it all the way. I believe it goes to the top of the mountain.


We returned to the cemetery and then set off to the west across the open pastures. We headed straight towards the western corner of the fields, where we had seen something that could have been the remains of a house on Google Earth. This along with our other information from Via family researchers turned out to be correct and we came across the remains of the home without having to really search at all.


The first thing that stands out is the old metal roof that covers much of the remains of the house. The wooden boards have fallen into the cellar and at a glance appear jumbled randomly. If you look closely though you can make out what was once the floor and the walls and you start to see how the house was situated.


We began to explore around the house and noticed that the nails were made by hand. This is a sure sign that this was a very old house. We also discovered some non-native plants, probably planted by the Vias growing around the house. There were also old bottles, and pieces of ceramic (see above). I'm not sure how old these might have been.



There is still a lot we don't know about the house. When was it built? When was it abandoned? When did it collapse? We were told by one source that there used to be a small village in the area, but that everyone moved out during the depression.

Enlarge the map below to see the relative locations of the cemetery and house.



This calf kept following Grandma! We had to shoo it away. Perhaps it was her red sweater tied around her waist. Check out its shifty eyes!

Visiting the John Allen family farm

On October 18, we had the opportunity to visit, and walk the grounds of the John William Allen family farm in Greene County. We were greeted by Tom Allen and his son Brad. Tom is the son of John Arthur Allen who in turn was the son of John William Allen. They showed us where the old house used to be. It stood directly behind the modern home at the front of the parcel, now occupied by Shelvia Jean Allen. All that is left is the well. The well once was part of the back porch. The picture to the right shows a couple of views of the house. The top photo shows construction of the modern house taking place directly in front of the old. Tom also mentioned that he was in possession of the still once owned by his grandfather. The still's top was removed when prohibition was enacted and from then on used to make apple butter. Hilda Allen recounted some memories of the old house. She particularly remembers the smells associated with visiting her grandparents. She recalled the smells of bread that Mary Maiden Allen would bake, and also of coffee, which Mary apparently drank frequently.



After Tom and Brad had to leave, we went down the hill below the farm and looked around the area where Allen family reunions were once held. The area has overgrown some, but the spring house is still visible. In the past, during reunions, tables were set up here where everyone sat and enjoyed a large meal. As a child, I remember playing in the creek and seeing the watermelons floating in the spring house to keep cool. We also saw a large pile of stones across the stream. It looks to be a particularly large example of a stone pile made from the clearing of a field. We do not know when this was done or who did it.

From the bottom of the hill we could look up at the old barn. We weren't sure exactly when it was built, but we are sure it was there during John William Allen's time. In viewing the barn from below we saw that this was near the spot where a photo was taken of my great grandfather Russell Allen with his brother George. See the photos below.








We wandered back across the land to another old building that has no doubt been around since the time of John Allen. Hilda Allen remembered this being where the sheep were kept. It is a very interesting building, looking almost like a home. It sits at the southern end of the property. Just north of this building was the spot where softball games were held during the reunions.

We next headed across the property to check out a small cemetery that Tom Allen had mentioned to us. This sits is to the east of the barn on land now owned by Stephanie Allen Deal. The deeds to the property describe the land as the old Martin Collier home place and mention a Collier family burial ground (see older blog posts) and we believe the two small field stones we found may indeed mark this Collier burial ground. Enlarge the photo below to see the two field stones. It is possible these mark the graves of the aforesaid Martin Collier and his wife.

All in all we had a great time exploring the John William Allen family farm and we hope to do it again soon. It is in a beautiful setting with views towards Shenandoah National Park, Bacon Hollow and Powell Gap. It is quite possible that John William and Mary Maiden Allen brought their family from Rockingham to this new farm in 1901 by passing over Powell Gap and through Bacon Hollow. The farm house would have faced almost directly towards the spot that Johnnie Shiflett grew up with his mother Frances, almost as if it was looking back to the past, just as we had been doing on that day.



The Google Map below shows the barn (left) and modern house (right). Just south of the modern home is the site of the original John William Allen house.


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Caroll County and Rockingham/Greene County Connection?

Hey Stephen,

I'm excited about going back out to Frances Shiflett's property for another hike.  Have you tried contacting anyone that was a part of the documented hike to the Hill/Shiflett/Powell cemetery back in 2000 (per the H/S/P web site:  http://www.mycemeterysite.com/hsp/hsp2index.htm)?  I'd bet those people could provide some tremendous insight into the property and its history.

I was just looking through the list of burials in the Evergreen Church Cemetery here: http://www.mycemeterysite.com/evergreen/evrgrnindex.htm, and I found an interesting name on one of the stones.  Take a look:  http://www.mycemeterysite.com/evergreen/images/shiflet/floyd_mildred.JPG.

What do you think the chances are that Floyd Allen Shiflett could have been named after Floyd Allen of Carroll County (executed in 1913)?  Based on the birth date of Floyd Allen Shiflett's wife, I'd put him being born right around 1900...Floyd Allen of Carroll would have been close to 50 years old at that time.  I know it's a stretch, but could there have been some kind of connection between the Carroll County Allen's and the folks in the mountains of Rockingham and Greene Counties back in those days?  Is it possible that they were running alcohol up and down the mountains of western Virginia?  It is known that illegal distillers were very common around the turn of the century in Carroll County, VA.  And it is suspected that the Allen family...particularly Sidna Allen...earned a pretty good living producing and distributing illegal alcohol.

Could this 'trade route' be the link to why/how Frances Shiflett ended up going from Carroll County "back to" Rockingham County, as George Allen's account states?

Just a thought. Let me know yours.

--Russ

Theory on Frances Anne Shiflett

Okay, so all this discussion on John Allen's land purchase in 1900 brings me to thinking about where in the world Frances Anne Shifflet (his mother) came from.  I'm going to try to coherently express my current theory below.  Your comments/thoughts/questions would be appreciated.

To me...it all seems to be coming together, little by little.  We don't have proof of a lot of things, but I can't help but fall back on what I would say are our "best bets".  If we always waited on proof for everything, we'd never get anywhere.  We have to use our "gut instinct" and our imagination at times.  So here goes...

The Allen family story says Frances Shiflett was 1/2 Cherokee.  Until recently, I've largely discounted this theory.  But at this point, I'm coming to believe it.  Here's my theory:

From John William Allen's deed, and what we've discovered through it, I have no doubt that he knew of the availability of the Martin Collier Home Place through his neighbor on the hill, Solomon Shiflett...Martin Collier's son-in-law (husband to Frances Collier, daughter of Martin Collier).  That is so cool.

So my "gut" is now telling me that Frances Shiflett was the daughter of a female Native American (Wendell Allen insists that his Dad, Russell, told him that his Grandmother Shiflett was 1/2 Cherokee) and a white mountain man.

Her dad was very possibly Stephen Shiflett, father of Solomon Shiflett (mentioned above), who had a propensity of siring many children, and is known to have done so through at least two different woman.  As I mentioned above, we know that Stephen, and later his son Solomon, were neighbors of Frances Shiflett when she lived on her 66 acre property between 1866 and her death in 1898.  Stephen was close to 50 years old when Frances was born.  Stephen's oldest son (in our records), Edmund Shiflett was around 22 at the time of her birth, so it is quite possible that one of Stephen's kids (another son, Thomas Shiflett, would have been about 18 at the time of her birth) could have sired Frances, making Stephen her Grandfather (and Solomon her Uncle, only about 5 years older than she was).

The Native American idea helps to explain why Frances was so much further south--living with Carr and Temple Allen in Carroll County, VA, as the family story goes--when she became pregnant.  This may also explain why she ended up essentially buried alone...not claimed by the Cherokees and never fully claimed by the white side of her 'family'.

The Cherokees are known to have lived largely in the mountains of Tennessee, western North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia and other areas in the south.  There's not much mention of Cherokees in Virginia, but it wouldn't be surprising at all to find a few in the western mountains of Virginia by the early 1800's.

So let's say Frances' Cherokee mother was impregnated by Stephen Shiflett (or one of his older sons) around 1823 (the year it is believed that Frances was born).  This white man wouldn't have stuck around to have anything to do with her.  So the mother probably did all she could to raise the girl on her own.  Things were extremely difficult at the time for the Cherokee.  The white settlers wanted them off what they felt was their land.  President Andrew Jackson implemented the removal of the Native Americans with the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.  The mother would most likely have stayed with her tribe to raise the young girl, for the support they would have provided.  But her tribe was probably being pushed out...eventually pushed to the barren lands of Oklahoma.

But at some point, for whatever reason, Frances ended up being separated from her mother.  Perhaps it occurred when the Cherokees were finally 'herded off' in 1838 (when Frances was a young  teenage girl) in what is known today as the "Trail of Tears".  But for some reason (perhaps because she was half white) Frances stayed behind in Virginia.

Perhaps people like the Allens of Carroll County, showed sympathy for her and took her in?  Now the family story says that she worked for the "wealthy" Carr and Temple Allen as a maid.  But this part of the story doesn't hold-up real well, due to the fact that records shows that Carr and Temple Allen of Carroll County, VA were far from people of means.  But she could certainly have done more than her share of work around the house, feeling as though she owed it to the Allens for giving her a place to stay.

But what is very interesting is that, through my research efforts, I have discovered that Carr and Temple Allen's youngest son was named Andrew Jackson Allen (and, according to U.S. Census records, he occasionally went simply by "Jackson").  This boy was roughly 18 when it is believed that John William Allen was conceived (Frances would have been about 20 at the time).  I believe, with confidence, that this boy is the "Jackson Allen" that, according to family story, Frances Shiflett told her son, little Johnnie Shiflett, was his father (whether it actually was his father is still up for debate, and will hopefully be proven through DNA testing some day).

According to family story, Frances Allen went north to Rockingham County, Virginia after becoming pregnant around 1848 to 1850.  I suspect that the Allen family forced her to leave, after discovering that she was pregnant with their son's baby. The family story even suggests that she was paid-off and told to get out (but again, this doesn't hold-up real well when one realizes that the Allens had very little at that time). Or maybe she just chose to leave to escape the embarrassment of being an unwed mother.  Either way, I suggest that she decided to head north to find her "father"...hoping that he might support her in her difficult situation.

I then believe that she ends-up working for Stephen Shiflett (and maybe even living with him) on his mountain side farm for roughly 16 years, before finally having enough money to put a deposit on the 66 acres she purchased for $80 1866 (keep in mind that we know it took her roughly 20 years to finally pay-off that purchase).

So that's my current theory.  Until I find evidence to the contrary, I think I'll be sticking to it.  I kinda like the way it flows anyway.  How about you?  What do you think?  It might make a nice little novel, wouldn't you say?

John William Allen Property Discoveries III (the good stuff)

Okay, so now we know the details of John Williams Allen's land purchase.  We know when he bought it (late 1900), who he bought it from, what he paid for it, and exactly where it was located.  We also know that it was referred to as the "Martin Collier Home Place".

Martin Collier?  Hmm, I wonder what we can learn by looking up Martin Collier?

Stephen wondered the same thing...and he beat me to a fantastic discovery!

Martin Collier, who died in 1867, had a daughter named Frances Collier.  Frances, it just so happens, married Solomon Shiflett!  If you don't recall that name, I can't blame you.  But Stephen and I instantly knew who he was.  He was Frances Shiflett's and John Allen's neighbor just over the mountain in Rockingham County!  [BTW:  Frances Shiflett's 55 acres of hillside--described in earlier posts--was only about 5 1/2 miles from the land that John Allen bought in Greene County in 1900.  And modern day Bacon Hollow Rd. (Rt. 627) provided a direct path right up to Frances' and John's property near Powells Gap.]

So why do we think this is cool?  Well...it essentially helps to tell the story as to how John William Allen found the land he purchased in 1900.  It was the home place of his then neighbor, Frances Collier Shiflett!  Cool right? 

Well the "theory" that I'll post next makes it even cooler.

But first, there's one more thing that I think is worth mentioning real quick.  According to the deed, the land John Allen purchased was purchased through a "Commissioners Sale".  This essentially means that it was purchased from the courts.  Evidently, there had been a court case in 1894 (H.S. Collier vs Lawson) that was settled by the forfeiture of the Martin Collier Home Place from the Collier family.  Evidently, the courts held the property for about 5 years, until John William Allen purchased it in 1900.  It's assumed that he got a rather good deal, given the situation.

Oh, and the deed mentions that there was a 1/4 piece of land that did not transfer to the courts (in 1894) or  to John Allen (in 1900).  It was the Collier Family Cemetery.  I wonder if that cemetery is still visible today?  I wonder where it is?  I wonder if the local residents know where it is?  Can you find it on the modern day satellite image of the property below?





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John William Allen Property Discoveries II

Okay...so what have we learned from this deed?  First of all, Stephen was able to  put together a rough plat of the land by reading the description contained in the deed.  It was fairly easy for him to locate the actual property location by laying his plat of John Allen's land purchase over the current Greene County GIS parcel map of the same area.  I've inserted an image of Stephen's plat laid over the Greene County GIS parcel map below.  The John Allen land purchase is outlined in yellow in the image.

The subdivisions (double circles with number in the middle and thick blue line) numbered 2 and 13 combined, almost exactly match the Allen land described in the deed. He even added up the acreage of those parcels and it was pretty close to 166.5 - It was 142.  But some parcels had no info, in particular the large one bumping out on the northeast part. Add those in and we believe strongly that it is right at 166.5.  Note the location of Evergreen Church, just to the west (left) of the John Allen property.  John Allen and his wife, Mary C. Maiden, are buried in the cemetery across the road from this church.

John William Allen Property Discoveries

Stephen and I have made a few new discoveries lately regarding the John William Allen property in Greene County, VA.  These discoveries began when I contacted the Greene County, VA Count Clerk, Marie Durrer.  Marie was kind enough to look-up the deed to John William Allen's purchase of 166 acres in Greene County in late 1900.  She mailed me a copy of the original deed.  I've transcribed it below.  There are a few words that I had trouble making out.  They are indicated with [?].  Others that I think I could tell what they said, but wasn't sure, are indicated with (?).  We'll start with the deed:

Greene County Deed Book 12 Page 181

This Deed made this Oct 15, 1900 between F.M. McMullan [?] hereinafter described of one part and John W. Allen of the other part. Whereas said F.M. McMullan and R.S. Thomas [?] in the suit of H.S. Collier vs Lawson in Greene Circuit Court in pursuant of the decree entered in the said cause at Nov term 1894 of said court made public sale on March 13, 1895 of the Martin Collier Home Place of 166 acres 2 roods 13 poles of land. Reserving and excepting from said sale the Collier family graveyard thereon and certain road ways as described by B.A. McMullan survey thereof to Mrs. F.W McDaniel at the gross price of $1,041.00 which said sale was reported to court at its June term 1895 and confirmed by its decree there entered therein and whereas F.M. McMullan was appointed special commissioner by said decree and directed to convey by a good and sufficient deed with special warranty the said tract of land to said purchaser as to such other person or persons as she might direct so soon as all said purchase money was paid and when all said purchase money has been paid by and for said purchases and she has directed said [?] McMullan to make his deed for said land to said John W. Allen, now therefore this deed witnesseth that said F.M. McMullan {?} as aforesaid in consideration of the premises and of all the purchase money to him paid as aforesaid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged in order to carry into effect said decree of court doth grant and convey with special warranty unto said John W. Allen and his heirs forever all that certain tract of 166 acres 2 roods 13 poles of land described in the bill and proceedings of said court known as the Martin Collier Home Place situated in Greene County, VA about 6 miles southwest of Stanardsville said granter reserving and excepting from this deed the old Collier family graveyard of 1/4 of an acre of land for the burial of any number of the Collier family desiring to be bury their dead there with the right of ingress to and egress from the same and also reserving & excepting from this conveyance this right of road way for the benefit of the other Martin Collier tract of land from the dividing line between said two tracts to the public roads one leading to W.T. Chapman Mountain place and the other to Powells Gap as the private road now [?] the said tract of land hereby conveyed is bundled(?) by the causes(?) and [?] by B.A. McMullan survey thereof of made for the court dated Sept 18, 1890 filed with the papers of said cause [?] beginning at a large red oak on Jack Davis line at the [?] of plat corner to Early(?) Survive (?) thence N52 E176 poles to a chestnut and a dogwood corner in J.B. Elliott line thence with said Elliott line N44 W65 poles to a white oak and [?] on the south side of a road corner to said Elliott thence with said Elliott’s line N69 E38 poles to two small persimmons a Gum and two small cherry trees and a small read oak on the south side of a large flat rock corner on said Elliott line in the Martin Collier lands [?]44 1/2 W 77 poles to a double dogwood on top of a mountain corner on Hams line thence with said Hams (or Harns) line S32 W36 poles to a chestnut and gum at corner to Harns thence N44 W28 poles to a white oak small dogwood small pine and 2 large white oaks marked as pointers thence S57 W127 poles to a stake on the north side of a branch at corner to Durrett(?)/Dussett(?) Vernon[?} thence S[?] 42 poles to a pine corner to Early Snow thence with said Snow line S30 1/2 E122 poles to the beginning containing 166 acres 2 roods 13 poles of land witness the following signature and seal.

F.M. McMullan [?]

Virginia

In the Clerks office of Green County Court 15 day of Nov, 1900 J.K. Page Clerk of the aforesaid court certify that F.M. McMullan [?] whose name is signed to this with [?] deed bearing date the 15 day of Oct 1900 has acknowledged the same before me in my [?] and affix(?) aforesaid given under my hand this the 15 day of November 1900.

J.K. Page, Clk.

Virginia

In the Clerks offices of Greene County Court 20th day of December 1900 this deed [?] F.M. McMullan [?} to John W. Allen was this day filed in the office aforesaid and is together with the certificate of acknowledgement annexed admitted to reserve being stamped with $1.50 (?) [?]

Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery

I recently stopped by the Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery off of Route 20 in Albemarle County. Here is a street view of the church and below are a few of the family members that are buried there.


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Benjamin Marshall, father of Alice Florence Marshall. He was a veteran of the Civil War.

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Susie Thomas Marshall, wife of Benjamin Marshall, mother of Alice Florence Marshall.

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Zebbie Edward Marshall, son of Benjamin and Susie Marshall. He died in the influenza outbreak of 1918. Photo is of Zebbie, his wife Beulah Price and their daughter Edna Elizabeth.

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Mary Lucy Marshall Johnson, daughter of Benjamin and Susie Marshall. She married Walter D. Johnson.

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Amanda Price Herring, daughter of John Price and Sarah Mundy. She would be Ashby Henry Price's great-aunt.

Final DNA Results

Sorry again for the long delay but we did get the final DNA results in. We tested 37 markers and no one matches Wendell's DNA exactly. We identified one person in the Family Tree DNA databases, with the last name Stewart, who is only one marker off. This Steward line can be traced back to central North Carolina but dead ends after 6 generations. No Allens that have submitted their DNA were close matches.

So what does all of this mean? Well, it's hard to say. There are several scenarios that would explain the results. In no particular order, they are...
1. The Carroll County Allen(s) that have submitted their DNA to the site are not truly related to the family of Andrew Jackson Allen. Perhaps there was a disconnect in their male line.
2. There is a disconnect in one of Andrew Jackson Allen's male ancestors. Perhaps his father was not truly Carr Allen, or Carr Allen was not truly the son of William Allen.
3. John William Allen's father was a different Andrew Jackson Allen, perhaps from another Allen family in Virginia.
4. Frances Shiflett was with another man around the time she was with Andrew Jackson Allen and that man is the father.
5. The DNA results are incorrect.
6. Wendell's DNA has mutated more than would be expected, thus skewing the results.

Concerning items 3 and 4, we do know that Frances Shiflett told her son that Jackson Allen was his father. John changed his name from Shiflett to Allen when he registered to vote and we are told he was in touch with Allens from Carroll County. He also listed Jackson Allen as his father on his marriage certificate. Everyone involved truly believed that Jackson Allen from the Carroll County Allen family was John William's father. Despite the results, I still have no reason to doubt this history at this time.

One other note concerning the Stewart family match. There were Stewart/Stuarts in Carroll County. Jackson Allen's paternal grandmother was a Stuart. Also, the most distantly traced Stewart of our match comes from Rowan County, NC. This County is about 80 miles due South of Carroll County, VA.

Revolutionary War Hero Jacob Smith

On June 19th a ceremony was held at Jollett United Methodist Cemetery in Page County honoring the lives of Jacob and Winna Smith. New tombstones were dedicated to replace those stolen in the 1960's. Jacob Smith was of German descent and served in the Revolutionary War, fighting at the battle of Trenton and at the battle of Saratoga. The following link contains a wealth of photos, documents, and information about Jacob and Winna Smith as well as the ceremony to dedicate their new gravestones.
http://jacobandwinnasmith.weebly.com/index.html

Our line from Jacob Smith is as follows:
1. Jacob Smith (c1756-1836) married to Winna Smith (1764-1842)
2. James Smith (1782-1828) married to Elizabeth Miller (c1780-c1860)
3. Barbara Ann Smith (1814-unk) married to James S. Davis (1812-1882)
4. Anna Elizabeth Davis (1847-1890) married to John T. Maiden (1835-1916)
5. Mary Clementine Maiden (1870-1963) married to John W. Allen (c1850-1947)
etc.

Sorry!

I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't had much time to devote to genealogy research. I'll try to get some new posts up soon. I'll also update the blog with the results of our Allen DNA tests.

DNA Results

We are starting to get DNA results back in from FamilyTreeDNA.com. A while back we submitted a DNA test kit taken by Wendell Allen. We are hoping to confirm or deny the family story that John William Allen (Wendell's grandfather) was the son of Andrew Jackson Allen of Carroll County. So far we have received results for 25 of 37 genetic markers on the Y chromosome.

Our preliminary test results place our Allen line in a certain Haplogroup. A Haplogroup is determined by genetic markers that mutate very infrequently. Everyone belonging to a certain Haplogroup descends from the first male to show that specific sequence so Haplogroups are used to determine ancient origin dating back thousands of years. Our Haplogroup is called M269 and generally people of this group come from Western Europe. In fact, as many as 80% of Europeans belong to this group. This result is not surprising given the migration patterns of Europeans to America. Although there have been family rumors of his mother, Frances Shiflett, being part Native American, John William Allen's father was a white, western European.

As the more detailed Y-37 results come in, the web site will point us to others in their database that are exact or close matches to Wendell's results. I will wait until the last 12 markers are processed before jumping to any conclusions, but we have found two exact matches and neither one is an Allen. Their last names are Stewart and Ellis.

More to come....

Herring Family Cemetery

On May 22, I found time to pay a quick visit to the Herring Family Cemetery off of Dickerson Road in Albemarle County. The cemetery is located just to the west of Lucian Herring's old home on the southeast side of Piney Mountain. View the location on Google Maps by following this link.


The cemetery is surrounded by a chain link fence and has a gate at the north end. When I visited, the cemetery and the area around it had not been mown in some time. There are a few large trees shading the cemetery, including a very large empress tree.

Most of the grave markers are in good shape, though the grave of Katherine Hamm Herring (wife of Benjamin Franklin Herring) is broken. I have posted pictures of some of the stones below.

Places from Hilda Allen's Childhood

This is a work in progress but I wanted to get it posted in case I didn't get some facts straight.
I will stay a little bit closer to the present with today's post. I wanted to give an overview of the various places around Free Union, Virginia that are associated with Hilda Allen Price's childhood. Click on the map below to get an overview of the locations of these sites. Scroll down to see photos and descriptions.

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Algretus Rice Via home

Grandma remembers visiting "Big Grandma" in this home. One thing in particular she remembered was looking out of the tiny windows on the second floor. "Big Grandma" was her great-grandmother Martha Frances Wood Via, the wife of Algretus Rice Via. Hilda and Phyllis used to run to meet "Big Grandma" on Sunday mornings as she drove the horse and buggy up to the Free Union Church of the Brethren, where she taught Sunday school to the children.

The home was passed to Daniel Rice Via, a son of Algretus and Martha. It is said to have been built around 1740, possibly one of the oldest homes in Albemarle County. The home is currently owned by a daughter of August A. Busch, Jr. of Anheuser-Busch fame.
Follow this link for the location in Google satellite view.

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Jacob Wood Via home

This is the home Jacob and Carrie Via lived in from about 1900 (when it was built) until their deaths in 1956 and 1960 respectively. It was also where Russell Allen married Rachel Via (in the yard) and where Hilda Allen and Thomas Earl Price were married (inside the house). Jacob Wood Via performed both services. Hilda remembers hearing the story of how her father, Russell Allen, kissed her mother ,Rachel Via, through the window of this house before they were married and what a scandal it caused in the Via household. She also distinctly remembers her grandmother Carrie Crenshaw Via nonchalantly grabbing a chicken and breaking its neck to prepare it for dinner.
Follow this link for the location in Google satellite view.

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Dr. William A. Kyger rental property

Russell and Rachel Allen rented this home from Dr. Kyger for a short period around 1930. According to the 1930 census, Russell paid rent of $7 a month. This home is located at Buck Mountain Road, near the intersection with Free Union Road.
Follow this link for the location in Google street view.

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Gertrude Via home

We remember this house as the home of Grandma's aunt Gertrude Via and the site of Via family reunions. The Allens lived here for a short time after leaving the Kyger home and before Russell finished building their home across from Jacob Wood Via's home. It was from this home that Hilda remembers leaving to attend her first day of school.
Follow this link for the location in Google street view.

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Russell and Rachel Allen home
Russell Allen built this home across the street from Jacob Wood Via's home on Buck Mountain Road (see below). It was built around 1931. Here they continued to raise Hilda, Phyllis, Wendell, and Paulette. He and Rachel lived there until their deaths in 1991 and 1989 respectively. It is currently owned and being rented out by Windmere Farms (the very large home behind it).
Follow this link for the location in Google street view.

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Broadus Wood School

Grandma went to Broadus Wood for her entire school life. The current school was built in 1935 after the original Earlysville School burned in 1933. While Hilda attended it held grades 1 to 12 and later was converted to an elementary school in 1953.
Follow this link for the location in Google street view.

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Free Union Church of the Brethren

Russell and Rachel attended this church until their deaths. Rachel's parents (Jacob Wood Via and Carrie Crenshaw Via) as well as her grandparents (Algretus Rice Via and Frances Wood Via) and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles are buried in the cemetery. Algretus Rice Via donated the land upon which the original church was built in 1896. Jacob Wood Via was a minister at this church. The current church building was constructed in 1961.
Follow this link to view the location in Google Street View.

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Michie Tavern

Michie Tavern once stood a short distance down Buck Mountain Road from Jacob Wood Via's home. Rachel Via Allen's uncle John A. Via purchased the tavern from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1910 (who had purchased it from the Michie family a short time before) and around 1927 sold it it to Josephine Henderson, who moved it to its present location near Monticello. It is said that an original term of the sale was that an exact replica of the tavern be built in the original location for John Via. Unfortunately, even this replica gone now and only a marker remains noting where the original tavern stood.
Follow this link to see the original location in Google Satellite View.

Frances and John Shiflett's farm, 1880

As we were hiking on their old land two weeks back, we started to wonder: "What exactly did they grow up here in this rough terrain?" Luckily, thanks to the 1880 census agricultural schedule, we now know the answer to that question! This form includes a great deal of very interesting information about the land and its products.

The first thing we find on the form is a general description of the land use. Frances and John had 10 acres listed as improved land, that is land that is tilled or pature/grassland in rotation. They had another 1/2 improved acre described as permanent meadow, pasture or orchard. Another 40 acres is listed as unimproved woodland and forest. There are 5 acres of unimproved land described under the category "old fields" or growing wood. If you've been keeping up this adds up to 55 acres which is what is described in the land deeds we've found (It should be noted that the national park documents describe the land as being 110 acres, but it's not known if Frances and John knew they had more than 55 acres or not).

The next section describes the value of various parts of the farm. The farm itself, including the land, fences and buildings, is listed as being worth $150. The value of farming implements and machinery is $5, and the value of the livestock is $160. The Shifletts spent $5 on outside labor in 1879 for 1 week of hired labor. It is unknown what this labor was used for. Overall for 1879 the farm was estimated to have generated $100 worth of products.

The next sections focus on livestock raised on the farm. First we learn that they owned two horses (one for each of them). They also had one milking cow, and 3 other heads of cattle. One calf was "dropped" in 1879, 1 head of cattle was purchased that year, and 3 others were sold living (as opposed to slaughtered). With the milking cow, 30 lbs of butter were produced in 1879 (no values were given for milk and cheese). The farm had no sheep, but did have 12 pigs and 10 barnyard chickens. The chickens produced 30 dozen eggs in 1879.

Finally we learn about what was grown on the land. Most of the land was used to grow various cereals. They had: 1 acre of Indian corn that produced 10 bushels, 2 acres of oats that produced 30 bushels, and 1 acre of rye that produced 15 bushels. Potatoes were grown on 1/4 of an acre and produced 25 bushels. They also had a small 1/2 acres apple orchard with 20 trees, producing 100 bushels of apples in 1879 (a $10 value according to the form).

We may be able to use some of this information to make some better guesses as to the location of the house itself. For instance, it is likely that the orchards and fields were placed on south facing slopes, which are more prevalent on the northwestern corner of the parcel.

Follow up on National Park Information

I wanted to post as a follow up and to clarify what was found from the National Park documents. Included in those documents was a description for another parcel that belonged to Solomon Hensley, who owned Tract 47a. A map included shows that Tract 47a included Bush Mountain and areas south of it towards Roundtop Mountain.

I have uploaded that map here and used a red line to highlight Tract 47A's boundaries. The green lines I've drawn show parcel boundaries within that tract. You can clearly see a shape very similar to what we had calculated the shape of Frances Shiflett's parcel. The shape of the parcel to the west matches the description I received in the package from the National Park. The final, northern parcel, I do not have a description of, but it is the parcel that includes the summit of Bush Mountain. The map also shows some of the old roads that we attempted to follow on our hike two weeks back.

Adventures in the Woods

On Sunday, April 18, 2010, a group of us drove up to Shenandoah National Park to explore the land that once belonged to Francis Shiflett (our great, great, great grandmother) and her son John William Allen. We parked at Smith Roach Gap and hit the Appalachian Trail looking for an old wagon road. Unfortunately we found no sign of it! So it was on the plan B, head down another wagon road just a short distance back up the Skyline Drive.

This road was obvious and relatively easy to follow. A short distance down the switchback road, we came to a rock wall. Just above this wall were what is left of the Smith Roach family cemetery. It is now overgrown, but some fence posts remain standing with rusted barbed wire running along the ground. At first we saw no headstones but we soon realized the cemetery was much larger than we though and we started to see many stones. Most of the stones were simple markers with no inscriptions, but a few were inscribed and some graves were only known by a depression in the ground. It was interested to note the writing on the stones (click on the image to the left to view it full sized and examine the writing). Like many people of the time, including Francis Shiflett who was listed as being unable to read or write on the census, their writing (and spelling) skills were minimal.

It is very likely that Frances and John knew the Roach family. Smith Roach's grandmother was a Shiflett so it's quite possible that we are related to those buried in the cemetery we passed, albeit distantly.

We moved on out of the cemetery and headed further downhill, still not on the old family land. We could see the land dropping off to our left (west) to a stream that we were confident is the branch mentioned in the deed records. We passed some large rock outcropping and then, after crashing through some thick brush, we found ourselves at a rock wall along the stream where the road curves to parallel the water. We decided to have a snack/lunch here. It crossed my mind that it was quite possible that John Allen had passes this very rock wall at some point. Maybe this was even the road he took when he moved his family back east of the mountains into Greene County?

After refueling, we continued down the road trace, past another long rock wall. The stream had picked up some smaller branches and its flow was greater here. There were a couple of small waterfalls and large boulders below. We found a promising place to cross and we were finally on the land!

This part of the land along the stream (see image at left) was covered in rocks. Looking around, it was obvious that there would be no home site down here. We knew from our maps that another road crossed east to west across the land. After scrambling up away from the stream we found ourselves on this old road. It was more narrow than the one we descended with many more obstacles to overcome.

We continued up this "road" hoping to find a piece of land that looked like it could be the location of a home. There was no flat ground to be found anywhere! Russ and I explored away from the road, towards a cluster of evergreens that looked like it might have some flatter ground, but it was an illusion. We saw what looked like a road heading to the west, but quickly found that the road vanished and it went by what looked like a wildcat den, complete with deer carcasses! We continued uphill, climbing Bush Mountain, and the road's condition deteriorated. Shortly after another stone wall, we were unable to follow it further. This stone wall was likely getting very close to the western edge of the property. It was probably a feature familiar to Francis and John.

We decided to take a direct course back to the car at Smith Roach Gap, and not try to follow the roads anymore since it was already getting late in the afternoon. There were thorns and brush everywhere but we stuck to a steady course around Roundtop Mountain. We found the going easier after a few hundred yards and make better time until we approached the gap, where the thorns and brush returned. The last 100 yards might have been the toughest of all, but soon we were standing on the Appalachian Trail, right where we'd looked for the old road trace we'd wanted to follow earlier in the day!

We picked off our ticks and got back in the car, then continued to pick off more ticks. Those who had not brought a full lunch ate it now. We stopped at the Sandy Bottom Overlook and looked back on where we'd walked. It was a beautiful afternoon and a great view.

Grandma had promised her 2nd cousin H.L. Maiden that we'd stop by, so, since we were already late, we decided to be a little later and go by his home in Elkton. We were graciously welcomed and he and his wife Mildred provided us with food, drink and hospitality. H. L. then took us to the Maiden Family Cemetery, back inside the national park boundaries, just off of Beldor Road and Route 33.

We followed the gravel road to the cemetery and H. L. pointed out where the old home place used to stand until John Luther Maiden was removed from the land in 1937. He told us the foundations were once visible but he hasn't explored the woods in a long time. We'd like to go back and do that ourselves sometime. The cemetery itself is in a beautiful setting. There were violets blooming everywhere. There were also some very large trees scattered about, including two huge boxwoods.

We quickly found the grave of Frances Shiflett. It sits near the middle of the cemetery, but with no other marked graves very close. The stone reads:

Francis A Shiflett
Died Oct 25 1898
In her 76th year
Gone but not forgotten

We then noticed that her grave rests beneath a rather old locust tree. In the deed where John William Allen sold the logging rights to his land, he specified that the locust trees around the spring near the dwelling were not to be touched. Could it be that these were his mother's favorites? Could this tree have been planted there when she died? Or is it just a coincidence? There is another, much larger and older locust tree a short distance away. The one by her grave could just be a seedling of this older one. We will probably never know, but it's fun to speculate.

We explored more of the cemetery and found several graves of ancestors including John Tyler Maiden and his wife Ann Davis and many of their children (Mary Maiden Allen's siblings). John Tyler Maiden's father William Maiden and his wife Sarah Gardner are buried there as well. It is said that William Maiden donated the land for the cemetery and his stone is among the oldest there.

The sun was starting to set over the Shenandoah Valley so we decided we had all better get home. We are all looking forward to being out there again very soon. Who knows? Maybe we'll find Francis Shiflett's old home?

The Google Maps image below shows the location of Frances Shiflett's parcel (shaded in blue) and the approximate route that we walked (yellow lines).

New info from the National Park Service

I just received a package from a Museum Specialist at Shenandoah National Park. She included information on park Tract 47a, owned by Solomon Hensley. She included two land deed records with this tract's information and one of them matches exactly the land that Frances Shiflett purchased and her son John Allen sold. The other parcel mentions John Allen's line, so we now know that our parcel sits east of the other. Luckily she also sent a map showing the shape of Tract 47a and its neighboring tracts! Using this map, I believe we must adjust our estimate of where the parcel lies just a touch to the west so that the eastern boundary of the parcel falls on the western of the two branches you can see on the topo map in an earlier post (we were still VERY close). We are going up to this area to hike through it on Sunday. We'll post pictures of whatever (if anything) we find. It should be exciting!

A Fourth Deed Found on Frances Shiflett Property

This deed was found last week by Lynn Lambert at the Clerk's office in Rockingham County, VA.

[Sale of Property from M. M. Jarman & wife, J.W. Shiflett and John Tompkins to S. J. Hensley]


March 15, 1915

THIS DEED, from Andrew P. Hensley & wife to J.B. Dean was this day presented in the office aforesaid, and is, together with the certificate of acknowledgment annexed, admitted to record.

Teste, [signature] of Clerk Blackburn

This deed, made this 13 day of February 1915, between M.M. Jarman, Lizzie A. Jarman, his wife, J.W. Shiflet and John Tompkins, parties of the first part, and S.J. Hensley, party of the second part, all parties of Rockingham County, Virginia,

Witnesseth: That in consideration of the sum of four hundred dollars cash in hand paid, by the said party of the second part to the said parties of the first part the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, the said M.M. Jarman, Lizzie A. Jarman, J.W. Shiflet and John Tompkins do bargain, sell, grant and convey, with general warranty of title, unto the said S.J. Hensley, all of that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the eastern part of said county, and situated on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountain adjoining the lands of Smith Roach, Armentrout and others and bounded as follows: Beginning at a hickory, near a branch corner of Solomon Shiflet, thence S.11 E.80 poles to a poplar on a branch, thence S.19 E.62 poles to a large rock and two lyns, thence S.42 1/2 W.16 poles to a white walnut and hickory; thence S.59 W.14 3/4 pols to a mahogany on a rock; thence S.45 W18 poles to a large chestnut oak, thence S.51 W19 1/2 poles to a red oak and locust in or near Armentrout line, thence N.43 W.165 poles to a chestnut stump on a mountain (but now a marked hickory) thence N.60 E.145 poles to a large poplar; thence S80 E.35 poles to a white oak, near the road; thence S.23 E.3 poles to the beginning, containing fifty five acres more or less. The said land being the same land inherited by John W. Allan from his mother, the late France Shiflet, and being the same land conveyed to the said France Shiflet by Asa Baugher by deed dated 18 day of Nov. 1887, the said deed eing of record of said county in Release book N.1 page 85 & 6 reference to which is hereby made for a further description of said land. The said parties of the first part except the mineral right on said land. The said parties of the first part covenant that they have the right to convey the said land to the grantee, that they have done no act to encumber the said land; that the grantee shall have quiet possession of said land free from all encumbrances, and that they the said parties of the first part will execute such further assurance of said land as may be necessary to perfect the title hereby conveyed to the said grantee. Witness the following signatures and seals,

M.M. Jarman [SEAL]
Lizzie A. Jarman [SEAL]
John Tompkins [SEAL]
J.W. Shifflett [SEAL]

($.50 in stamps)

Rockingham County to-wit:

I, A.E. Wyant a Notary Public for the county aforesaid in the State of Virginia, do certify that M.M. Jarman, Lizzie A. Jarman, J.W. Shiflett and John Tompkins whose names are signed to the writing hereto annexed, bearing date of the 13 day of February 1915, have acknowledged the same before me in my said county. Given under my hand this 13 day of February 1915. A.E. Wyant, N.P.

VIRGINIA: In the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Rockingham County March 15, 1915

THIS DEED from M.M. Jarman & wife + c. to S.J. Hensley was this day presented in the office aforesaid, and is, together with the certificate of acknowledgment annexed, admitted to record.

Teste,

J. Blackburn, Clerk

Zeroing in on Frances Shiflett Property Location

Okay...I think I've got it!  Take a look at the two images below.  I think we've got a perfect fit!