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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.