My Virginia

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...

This being St. Patrick's Day, reminds me of how strong the Irish heritage is on my mother's side of the family. My most recent Irish ancestry goes to the Hagan family- originally O'Hagan in Ireland. They migrated to the Richmond, Virginia area just before the large potato famine in Ireland. The Patriarch, John O'Hagan,  was born in Clancoe- Tyrone County, Ireland (Now Northern Ireland). He was landed farmer and proprietor there with a nice living for himself in that area.  His son, John C. Hagan , was my 3rd Great Grandfather. He immigrated to Richmond, Virginia where he already had friends, family, and a church. He served in the Confederate Army. Much is written about the Hagan family in Richmond in this article here: The Hagans of Ireland and Virginia. Hagan, John Campbell This branch of the Hagan family in America springs from the O'Hagans of Ireland, the "O" being generally omitted on this side of the Atlantic. The family has been noted for prominen...

I may have rekindled new interest in my love of genealogical research! A family story passed down for ages to me that we were descendants of Pocahontas was confirmed by local Fredericksburg  historian, Bill Deyo. Pocahontas is my 11th Great-Grandmother- and I am descended through her through by her first marriage and her daughter, Kaokee! This was a real neat story to hear. Most people only recount Pocahontas and her marriage to John Rolfe.  Many people are unaware that she had been previously wed to another Patawomeck Indian.  With her first husband, she had a daughter Kaokee.  Kaokee would be my 10th Great Grandmother, and she married later Captain Thomas Pettus- an early Virginia Gentleman and Cavalier. This story is confirmed through the Patawomeck Indian tribe. Having attended the Rowe family reunion last year in Fredericksburg, we learned of many connections to the Virginia Indians in that family over the years. George Rowe and Lucy Rowe- are my 4th ...

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...

                                  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"...