My Virginia

My great grandfather on my mother's maternal side, John Gifford Skelton was born  on December 12th, 1882 in Richmond, Virginia, in the mist of  a very deep snow storm that year. He was an inventor of sorts, a bit eccentric , and quite the ladies man .  All the women of Richmond adored him, including his many sisters, with whom he was very close. He was heart broken when his youngest sister died, and he never quite got over it. But he had a strong will and driven spirit- something that is definitely a Skelton trait. Born to an old Virginian family on his Daddy's side, he was the grandson of Dr. John Gifford Skelton from Powhatan County. His mother Lucy C. (nee' Landrum) was a beauty from Little Rock, Arkansas, who had family roots  in the Deep South.  John was educated at private schools in Virginia and attended prestigious  Brown University.  As a young man, he had a summer job working  on the railroad in the Catskills of New York, which he hated. He never liked New

 Picture d above: The George Rowe House. Fredericksburg, VA Last weekend I had the opportunity to go up to Fredericksburg for a family reunion. It was a spectacular event, in which the organizers put a lot of soul and hard work. The Patriarch of the family was George Rowe and his wife Lucy Leitch Rowe , whom were prominent figures in the history of Fredericksburg, especially during the War Between The States.  George Rowe would be my great great great great grandfather . This is in the branch of my grandfather's mother's side of the family. George and Lucy Rowe were actually first cousins, who had long standing connections to the Northern Neck area of Virginia.  The event was held at their ancestral home, and included guest speakers which talked about the history of the Rowe family in Fredericksburg and nearby environs, as well as their connections and lineage to the Patawomeck Indian tribe. People came from all over the country, including character actor Hansford Rowe- w