My Virginia

Paxton House: Powhatan County, Virginia. Near Tobaccoville (Built circa 1819) Above: Dr. John Gifford Skelton: My 3rd Great Grandfather, born at Paxton in 1815.  It came to my surprise when I found out the Skelton ancestral home was recently sold in 2017 and completely upgraded to full splendor! I was looking up the property online to see if some of the Skelton cousins and myself could visit the property as part of a family reunion . Years ago, I did film the outside, but I never was able to see inside. I found several pictures online available to the public which openly display the inside of the house- which is very remarkable, indeed! Because the property is privately owned, I know it would be difficult to arrange for all of the Skelton descendants to see the inside of the house. While we may be able to tour the grounds of the property, seeing the inside of the Paxton any time soon , seems unlikely. However, I was very thrilled that the estate has published pictur...

By an overwhelming margin,  Richmond's city council struck down a measure that would request removal of the Confederate statues upon our famed Monument Ave. We Richmonders can heave a sign of relief- at least for now! There is no telling how relentless the history -erasing agenda from vigilante leftists will be. For  awhile now, it's over! We can walk in the sun once more. In an ironic twist to the anti-statue movement, Monument Ave has never been a more popular tourist destination. Many people lately are flocking to the streets from all over the world, to see the statues in all their glorious splendor. This is an ongoing war . The battle that we have won recently to save our Southern heritage is only that. Just a battle. These people are probably going to use legal limits and loopholes in the most undesirable ways possible. We must be not get complacent. I am so proud of the Virginia Flaggers for all they do. Without them, I'm not sure where would be. May God ble...

As they prepare to take away more statues and monuments and history, I was wondering how we can manage to cope with negativity all around us. I have a firm faith in God, and I believe truth shall prevail. If you ask me, there is something very sinister and very demonic behind this sudden  purge of the monuments and this sudden attack on American historical figures . I don't know why this is happening so quickly, but I do know there is a culture war that is still being fought in America. Moreover, I believe this is an attack on  Christian America. They do not like Christianity. They hate the thought that we are a Christian nation. When they finish removing all things Confederate, the next step is our Founding Fathers. This is very relevant to Virginia, since we are the mother of 8 presidents here. And figures such as Jefferson and Washington, and "Lighthorse"  Henry Lee, have their very footprints ingrained upon Virginia soil. All we can do as a nation now is to pray. P...

Virginian names can be difficult. There are a number of towns, cities, and counties which seem to get a sour treatment in how they are pronounced. Even roads, for example. There is the "Powhite" Parkway here in Richmond. Many out of towners would say "po white" as in 'poor white'. Of course it is really pronounced "Pow-hite". as in Powahatan. Which brings me to another issue: "Powhatan". I was watching The Weather Channel not long ago and the tv news anchor called it "Pow hat'n" county" Yikes! Let's remember, it is  named after the great Powhatan Indians. It's properly pronounced "Pow- a-tan".  And what about Botetourt County? Named after Lord Botetourt this county is pronounced "Bo-tet-tort" . Yet some people say it "Bot - it tort". As in botanical... Ouch. I laughed when someone called my home county "Looden" (Loudoun). Its pronounced Low-den" as in "ow...

Last week, January 19th, would have marked General Robert E. Lee's 210th birthday. He was born at Stratford Hall, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. In his writings, it was very evident that Robert E. Lee was a strong Christian. Here are some of his famous quotes: "We have fought this fight as long, and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us as a Christian people, there is now but one course to pursue. We must accept the situation." Robert E. Lee "Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character"- Robert E. Lee "It is good that war is so horrible, or we might grow to like it"  Robert E. Lee "I think it better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing, than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity"- Robert E. Lee " Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one; the man who requires you to do so is dearly purchased at a sacrifice." " I cannot trust a man to con...

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...