My Virginia

                                  Above: The Farmhouse in 2014  I lived in this house from 1995-1998 as a teenager Me on the Farm in 1997  UPDATE: I have retracted information regarding a certain situation with the previous owners of this dwelling, Mr. Hottel.  As far as the original date of the house, it is unknown, but I believe it to be 1904, because it was verified by a descendant of the original builder. If there ever was a place that would be the perfect setting for a movie, this would be it. I spent most of my teen aged years on this old farmhouse located near the small village of Philomont, Virginia, just 7 miles north of Middleburg. You'll notice that I keep a picture of this farmhouse on the title of this blog. That's because it holds a very special memory  to me. The farmhouse was built in 1904 by a Mr Luck , as a wedding pres...

My grandfather was born William James Gilman, III, on January 20th, 1914 in Richmond, Virginia- to William James Gilman Jr, and Blanche Taylor (King) Gilman.  He had a younger sister named Alice. They called him "Billy" for short. Its interesting that there is a Country singer with the same name today . My grandfather was a very independent sort. He wanted to be an actor, or a writer, or a politician, or all three! As he went through college (Richmond Polytechnic Institute- now commonly known as "VCU"), he discovered writing is what he wanted to do. He never quite finished school there.  He once said to a close friend: "Why waste time on some four green acres? That is all college is to me". Despite his talent for writing, he also had a penchant for gambling. It  all started when he was a young teenager, and a man told him to bet on a horse race . The horse he bet on won. That started his gambling problem. When he was a young man of twenty-three, ...

Above: Army of Northern Virginia Battle flag. While our Confederate shrines, monuments, and flags are still under tremendous attack- mostly by left wing progressives in this country, a strong sentiment of Southern pride is filling Dixie like never before. I believe in a way God is restoring a healing power to the South, and a healing that needed to take place long after 150 years have passed since her defeat. Many Southerners who had anger and bitterness left after the war was over, felt that they were wrongly represented in historical texts- mostly written by Northern victors. Truthfully,  under the false guise of "abolition", the South was invaded by force and destroyed. This is much like what Adolf Hitler and his regime did to Central Europe. Yet in retelling of events, it would have some believe that the South waged a war against the North. This is rubbish. We have but a few Southern points of view in television and film- most notably "Gone With The Wind"...

Here is a write up about my grandfather's paternal side of the family. His name was William James Gilman, III. Many of the Gilmans settled in Hanover County, Virginia. Also connected to this branch of the family, are the Wingfields. From Virginia Biography: Patriarch For a great many years the name of Gilman has been a well known one in Richmond in connection with the building industry, and it is one that  dates in Virginia from ante-revolutionary  days. The ancestor, John Gilman, came  from England to Virginia with the Queen's  Rangers, and as they were a body of men selected for their physical perfection and excellence of character, he must have been possessed of these qualities. His son, John Gilman, was born in Hanover county, Virginia. He served six years in the revolutionary army, enlisting at the age of twenty-one years, was with Washington at Yorktown, and witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis ; later he again served his country in the war of 1812. ...

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...

 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 R...

The Virginia flaggers have been on the streets in front of the VMFA (The Virginia Museum of Fine Ahem... ) for over 5 years now.  Initially, their  goal was to restore some battle flags that were removed from the premises of the Confederate Memorial Chapel. In the process, they have also been able to save and restore history to honor our brave Confederate ancestors. It all started with the removal of the Confederate Battle flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel.  Built in 1887, the the chapel was used  to honor Confederate veterans and  sits within the confines of the museum's property. Not long ago, a hasty decision  was made to remove the flags from plain view. Instead , they placed a very ugly and unsightly flag pole on  the property, (containing the American and Virginia flag) ,  obfuscating  the historical accuracy of the chapel and its grounds. Not only was this move a slap in the face to our heritage, it was also illegal! ...

Years ago, I remember getting annoyed as a teenager when some dolt on "The Weather Channel" would refer to Virginia as part of the Mid-Atlantic region. Boy, was  I in for a surprise. Forget Mid Atlantic. Now we're considered the part of that frozen tundra called  "The Northeast".  Has the North moved South? Yes and No. But I think I don't really mind being called Mid Atlantic now. In fact I would long for it. Please call us Mid Atlantic or South Atlantic, East Coast,  or a border state. Anything but the Northeast!  If North Carolina is often referred to as "The Mind of the South", then Virginia is just above it. We are north of North Carolina,  and just below the Mason Dixon line. And we straddle the fence on what was once known as the "Upper South". But I don't think we are the Northeast. That is something I don't understand. How is Virginia the Northeast? Not by culture, certainly not by history, and no , not even geographically...

Doing family research is a lot of fun. Ancestry can turn up so many hidden gems and interesting stories throughout the years. These two historic  houses belonged to my ancestors on my  maternal Great Grandfather's side of the family.  His name was John Gifford Skelton III.   These two homes are located relatively in the same region, although in different counties. Both west of Richmond. Most of the people on this branch of the family settled just west of Richmond, Virginia, and came to Richmond just after the War Between the States. This first dwelling shown here is Paxton . I have covered Paxton before, but these earlier photos  show how  the farmhouse looked before it was painted white. Paxton was built by my great great great great Grandfather Ennion Skelton- a New Jersey born physician who migrated South to Virginia in 1800,  to join his friends  and relatives. He wanted a  large farmhouse in Powhatan County, and he began work on Paxton...

Nestled at the very Southern end of what is called "Northern Virginia"- a region known for its suburban strip malls, rows of houses that all look the same, and disgruntled governmental employees, lies the small city of Fredericksburg. This town with its rich history in both the War Between The States as well as the  American Revolution, is a hidden gem for tourists.  While it boasts Mary Washington college, historic sites and connections to George Washington, many weary 1-95 travelers use Fredericksburg as a stop over between New York and Florida. In years past, Fredericksburg was largely disconnected from the bustle of the Northern Virginia region. In more recent years , however, it has  become a bedroom community for Washington D.C. commuters. With its advantageous geographic location,  many people working in Washington  choose to live in the Fredericksburg area  to get more affordable  housing outside the expensive suburbs. Some may even ref...