INDEX OF BLOG (from 6/20/06 to 10/7/06)

6/20/06 - First post - Introduction
6/21/06 - Helpful contacts
Suggested Reading
Mildred Carter Bess (with photo of Mildred Carter Bess, Marvin Nelson, Pinkney Nelson, Elizabethy and Martha Carter Nelson)
More Resources
Census Books
Cemetery Books
Resources (continued)
6/22/06 - Anne Sidney Jackson Matthews WAde
Housekeeping
Charles Anderson
Diary of (Caucasian) Reverend Samuel Houston (wherein he mentions Black members of his church)
Richard "Dick" Pointer
Franklin Winfield Page - enslaved man who broke the horse Traveller
6/23/06 - Eliza Ann Littleton - John Davis & Marriage Bonds available at the Greenbrier Historical Society.
6/24/06 - Samuel "Oscar" Johnson (with photo of SOJ, his wife Ethel Celina Haynes Johnson, and his daughter Eva Johnson).
Annie Matthews Perkins (with photo of her grave site)
6/25/06 - George Washington Haynes (with photo of GWH)
Community Based Genealogical Projects
Housekeeping
6/27/06 - Why Being a Haynes Can Mean That You Are A Payne.
6/28/06 - Resources
Monroe County Will Book
Resources
6/29/06 - "Aunt Sally" Creigh/Sallie Woods



7/01/06 - Bishop Matthew W. Clair, Sr. and Fannie Mead Walker Clair, 7/02/2006 - "The Darkies" - comment on the Nickell family compilation; Marriage Bonds at the Greenbrier Historical Society at Lewisburg, W.V., 7/05/06 - 45th U.S.Colored Troops, 7/06/06 - More information on Annie Matthews Perkins car/train accident, 7/12/06 - contributions and invovlement of Blacks in the area, 7/16/06 - John Henry, Mary Ann Littleton Hughes, 7/24/06 - James P.D. Gardner, 7/30/06 - James Presley Ball, 8/1/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Martin Bibb, 8/3/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. J. Ford Baggs, Rev. P.B. Baber, 8/6/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Charles L Campbell, 8/9/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Rufus Pack, 8/2/06 - Comment on a resource - A NEW RIVER HERITAGE by William Sanders, 8/21/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Stewart Aiken Lewis, Rev. H.R. Laird, 8/31/06 - Byrd Prillerman, 9/2/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Elijah P. Fleshman, 9/03/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Thomas W. Boothe, 9/5/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Elijah Ayers, 9/6/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Christopher Columbus Logan, 9/7/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. J.P. Campbell, 9/8/06 - Marriages performed by A.J. Thompson, 9/9/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. Edward P. Jackson, Rev. Samuel R. Houston, Rev. Jefferson Gillmore, Quick Indexz for June, July, August, Sept 2006, Marriages performed by Rev. J.E. Thorne, 9/13/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. R.J. Perkins, Rev. J.C. Killion, Rev. C.P. Kelley, 9/16/06 - Lynching at Lewisburg, GC, 9/17/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. E.P. Jeffries, Rev. Joseph W. Jackson, Rev. Wm. Jackson, 9/26/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. John A. Anderson, 9/30/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. J.W. Keith, Rev. M.H. Bittinger, Rev. Abraham Beakes, Rev. John A. Anderson, 10/01/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. D.C. Hunter, Rev. A.C. Hubbard, Rev. A. Hogsett, Rev. Charles Hodges, Rev. A.J. Cummins, Rev. J.W. Cowgill, Rev. H.C. Conner, Rev. H.S. Coe, 10/02/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. J. Lattimer Kibler, Rev. Lewis Kincaid, 10/03/06 - 10/4/06 - Marriages performed by Rev. S.E. Williams, Rev. A.W. Williams, Rev. James Sweeney, Rev. D. Stratton, Rev. George N. Spencer, Rev. William L. Smith, Rv. George W. Smith, Stuart-Stewart-Steward-Stuard&Sterit, Ada Smith/Bricktop, 10/4/06 - Marriages performed by William R. Williams, 10/5/06 - Marriages performed by W.H. Wiley/Wyley, Rev. I.W. Wightman, Rev. Wheeler, Rev. R.N. Wagner, 10/7/06 Landcraft and intermingled names that sound alike or are spelled differently (e.g. Landcraft/Sandcraft - some intermingling due to enumerator penmanship).

Connor/Conner

For this name also see Cormer & Comer b/c it was sometimes difficult to read the enumerator's handwriting.

I only have 24 entries for this name:

One family was headed by Eugene "Leonard" Conner. He was the husband of Eliza J. Baker Conner who he married in Monroe County on January 10, 1900 when he was 30 and she was 26. He was born in Greenbrier and she was born in Augusta, Virginia. The informant for the marriage was James Lewis. The officiant was Rev. Joseph W. Jackson (Minister of the M.E. Church). They were married in Alderson.
He appears on the 1910 Census in Greenbrier, Blue Sulphur Township, as a Black Male, age 38, hotel waiter in the dining room, husband of Eliza J. (3)) and with Mamie R. (14) & Ralph W (infant). In this census he is enumerated as E. Leonard.
He appears in the 1920 Census at the same location, now 49 y., laborer, with Eliza (45), Mamie (24) & Ralph (9). In this census he is enumerated as Eugene L.

W.J. Conner was the husband of Rosa L. Manns Conner and he was the son of R. and Sarah Conner. W.J. and Rosa married in September, 1900 at Summers County. They were both originally from Virginia (he from Pulanski). He was a machinist.

Thomas D. Conner can be found in WV Death Certificate # 7882. He died on 5/23/1936 at Monroe at 78y. He was born at Pulanski on 10/14/1857. He was a farmer.

Sally Conner/Comer died in Greenbrier in 1903/1904 at 52 y & she may be the same Sallie Connor who appears on the 1880 Census, Greenbrier, Black Female, 27 y, domestic servant (with Henry Brown - 35).

A Rev. H.C. Conner performed many marriages of Black residents but I am not sure of his race. Sometimes his name looks like Comer.

Esther/Estelline/Estra Conner married Frank A. Perkins. Her father was Abe Conner. (He was also the father of Matilda (?Conner) Lee, wife of Thomas Lee). Esther's mother was Lucinda Conner.

A James R. Conner appears in Larry Shuck's Greenbrier County Marriage Records on page 92.

Josephine French Connor was the daughter of George and Agnes French. She appears in WV Death Certificate # 6765. She died on 5/24/1951 at Summers County at 73y. She is buried at Hill Top.

A Julia M. Connor is buried at the Mount Carmel Cemetery at Ballard. 6/22/1857 - 5/1/1936.

A Lin Connor married Barney Raglin.

A Rommie Conner appears on WV Death Certificate#16408 and she was the informant for the death of Ballard French (Summers County 1926).

Wade Conner appears on the 1920 Census, Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs District, as a mulatto male, age 24.

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg - Pages 3 & 4 & Mary Lucinda Page Kelly

This history of the John Wesley Methodist Church was written by Mary Lucinda Page Kelly. She was the daughter of Frank(lin) Winfield Page (who is credited with breaking the famous horse "Traveller" ridden by General Lee). She is also the daughter of Sarah Freeman Page. She was the wife of Samuel Kelly (my greatgrandmother Mary's brother). She was born on 12/17/1892 in Lewisburg. She appears on the 1920 Census in Greenbrier County, Lewisburg District, as a Black Female working for the Price sisters (Margarett & Jennie - who were the sisters of Samuel Price who was a lawyer and the former Lt. Governor of Confederate Virginia & who my ancestors also worked for). She appears in the 1920 census as a Black Female, 27, wife of Samuel Kelly & in the 1930 census as a Black Female, 37, wife of Samuel Kelly, first married at age 17. See Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, Vol 7, #6, 2004, page 29. She died on 9/22/1994 and she is buried at the Lewisburg Cemetery. Her daughter Harriet Olive Kelly Miller Williams was of great help to me in researching the area.

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg - Cannonball

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg - photos of site of staircase for enslaved members & where cannonball hit

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg - page two

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg - Page One (inside cover)

170th Anniversary of the John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg, West Virginia - Program Cover

This is a church that was, and still is, attended by many members of the Lewisburg Community. It is the church that my ancestors attended.

This photo was given to me by a Haynes/Dickerson family member. However, no one knows who they are.

Photo of Soldier from Dunsmore box of photos

Liggons, Ligging, Liggin, Liggins, Leggens, Leggons, Ligens & Ligons

These names are all "intermingled" in my compilation. People show up in various censuses with various spellings. On January 6, 2010, Jim Talbert of the Greenbrier HIstorical Society mailed me a copy of an undated newspaper clipping:
AGED COLORED WOMAN DEAD - "Aunt" Zebby Terrell, a well-known colored resident of Lewisburg, died on Monday morning. It is said she had reached the advanced age of 93 years. She was a slave of Captain Alex McClintic of Bath County, Virginia and after the civil war she and her brother, Sam Strain, came to Greenbrier County and were tenants on the Captain Alex Arbuckle farm near Maxwelton later moving to "Straintown" in the Teaberry Section of Lewisburg. "Aunt" Zebby was twice married, her first husband being named Liggins and her second husband's name being Terrell. She leaves two nephews Asbury and Dick Strain of Lewisburg.

***

Was "Aunt Zebby" the Debora B. Strain Liggons who was the wife of George W. Liggons? Debora appears on the 1875 Greenbrier County Register of Marriages. On 9/9/1874 she married George W. Liggons (age 24). She appears in the 1880 Census in GC at Fort Spring District as a Black Female, 28 years old, keeping house, wife of George Liggins. She appears in SHUCK's records (Marriage Records - pages 219 & 713 - see Leggens). She appears on WV Death Certificate # 11289 as the mother of the decedent, Mary Lavenia Johnson.

George W. Liggons died in GC on 2/23/1891. He was the brother in law of Pollie Bush.

Payne enslaver - Jesse Payne - Monongalia, WV

My greatgreatgrandmother was Martha Ann Payne and she was from Fayette County, WV. It is said that she was "married" to Burton Payne (during slavery) but that he was sold off. Since her name during slavery was Payne she must have been owned by a Payne. I think I found Burton Payne after 1865 in Virginia (he had married another Martha). I have not yet researched who owned Martha and Burton in Fayette(and, therefore, also my greatgrandmother Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes).
Today, however, I read something that was intriguing. In the book: The Bridge - The Life and Rise of Barak Obama - the author states "And as a genealogist at the Library of Congress, William Addams Reitwiesner, discovered, Obama's ancestors included Jesse Payne, of Monongalia County, W.V. who in the first half of the nineteenth century, owned slaves named Moriah, Isaac, Sarah, Selah, Old Violet, Young Violet, and Little William".
I guess I will have to see where Monongalia is and, perhaps, research Jesse Payne.

Charles Henry Clay Hoover

Charles Henry Clay Hoover was the husband of (1) ? and then (2) Lula Bell Pack Hoover. He was the son of Perry Hoover and Julia Johnson Hoover. He appears in the Greenbrier County Register of Births as having been born in 5/1874. He appears on the 1880 Census in Greenbrier County, Blue Sulphur Township as a mulatto male, age 6. On 6/13/1899 he married Lula Bell Pack. He was 25 and she was 23 (she was born in Monroe County). The informant for the marriage was Josephine Pack. The officiant was Rev. Jeffries. They married at Alderson. He appears in the 1900 Census in GC, BST, as a Black Male, age 26, married for one year to Lula (24). He was a farm laborer. Also with the family is their son, John P. who was born in 5/1900. He can be found in the GC Birth Book as the father of Charles J. Hoover (b. 8/21/1906). He can be found in the 1910 Census in GC, BST, mulatto male, age 36, farm laborer, married twice, this time for ten years to Lula B (34), with John P. (10), Mary A. (8), & Charles J. (3). Also in the household is Maxwell Kenney (8). He registered for WWI and his card indicates that he was born on 3/17/1874. He lived at Glen White, Raleigh County. He was 44 y.o. He was a miner at E.E. White Coal Co. He was medium height, medium build. He registered on 9/12/1918. On the 1920 Census he is listed at Raleigh County, Glen White. He is a mulatto male, 44, with his wife, Lula B. age 44, and with John P (19), Mary V. (18), Charles J. (13) and George C. (8). WV Death Certificate # 4957 indicates that he died on 9/24/1921 at 47y6m0d at Raleigh, BM, married, b. 3/24/1874, occupation was miner, son of Perry Hoover and Julia Johnson Hoover, cause of death - pneumonia. The informant was Lula. (On his death certificate he is listed as "Charley"). On WV Death Certificate # 14414 he is listed as the father of the decedent, John P. Hoover (on this certificate he is listed as Charles C.).

Unidentified Baby

This photo was contributed to this compiler by Elaine Carter (descendant of Socrates Haynes - who was my greatgrandmother Elizabeth's brother). The photo was in a box that was taken from the Ola Dunsmore home on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, WV. So, it is a Dunsmore baby or friend of a Dunsmore's baby.

L. Haynes

This photo only says "L. Haynes" so I can't identify her further. I have been working for the last 24 hours to get my Haynes section (Part 9 of 30 parts) to the Greenbrier Historical Society and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Since this Part is about my own family - and since I have so many photos - it seems that it is taking me forever to get it finished. The good thing is that I had neglected my work for so long and this has gotten me invigorated and interested again.

Elvira Hughes / Elvira Huse

Elvira Hughes was born in 1858 in (?Rader's Valley - near Williamsburg) Greenbrier County (GC). She is the daughter or granddaughter of Mary Ann Hughes. She appears as a 10 year old in the 1870 census as "Evaline Hues". In 1880 she is 22y, house help, niece of John Littleton. She is single. In 1900 she is in the Williamsburg District of GC. This census gives her birthdate as 12/1859. She is 40, single, head of household, a farmer. She has had 3 children & all are still living. (Louis - 22; Ray -20; and Annie 15). Also in the household are her ?nephews/cousins - Samuel Kelly (11); Randolph Kelly ( ); and her mother/grandmother Mary A. Huse (age unknown). In this census she is enumerated as Elvira P. She is listed in the GC Deed Book, 44, page 41 regarding real estate in GC. "northern slope of Brushy Ridge adjoining lands of Bobbitt, Brown and Fulwider, about 35 acres". In the 1910 census she is listed in three places (1) is single, age 51, a laundress, daughter of Mary Ann Hughes; (2) BF, 52, servant for Floyd and Emma Jannett; and (3) White Female, 52, servant for Floyd & Emma Jannet (she was probably living in with the Jannett family and, therefore, they gave her information when they gave theirs - & then she was reported at her own home). I don't have an entry for 1920. In 1930 she is in Allegheney County, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh). She is a Black Female, age 71, b. about 1859 in WV, servant for Emma Reed. Elvira and my greatgreatgrandmother Dora Littleton Spriggs were probably cousins but were raised as sisters. When Dora died, Elvira raised her children, Samuel and Randolph. Elvira's mother, Mary Ann, had been a servant for lawyer/politician/Lt. Governor of Confederate Virginia, Samuel Price. Mary Ann's brother, John Littleton, worked for the Price sisters. The Samuel Price home is near the center of town. I have walked by it a number of times and wish I could go in to see where my ancestor worked.

Joseph Lacy

Joseph Lacy was the husband of Ruth Thomas Lacy. He can be found on the Greenbrier County Register of Marriages in 1874 when he married Ruth Thomas on 3/6/1874. He was 24y. He can be found on the 1880 Census, Greenbrier County, Lewisburg District. He is a Black Male, age 35, shoemaker, with his wife Ruth (30) and with his children John (8), Henry (6), William (4), and with Mary Campbell (25) and Lucy Renick (21) and Charles Renick (infant). He died on 10/31/1895 at 47 years of asthma. He was the father of the decedent William Lewis Lacy (per WV Death Certificate #14269). (WLL died in GC in 1937). William Lacy was the husband of (1)? and then (2) Mary C. Poindexter Lacy. One of his children was Dover Lacy who married Juanita Geneva Haynes. (Juanita appears to have been the daughter of my grandmother Elizabeth's younger brother, James Haynes and his wife Loma Max Moore Haynes). (Juanita and Dover appear to have been the parents of Druscilla Lacy). Dover Lacy is buried at the Neff Orchard Road Cemetery.

Gilbert Warner Haynes "Uncle Doc"

Gilbert was the son of George Washington Haynes and Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Haynes Lewis of Brushy Ridge (Greenbrier County). He was the 3rd of 14 children. He married (1) Nellie Barbour Haynes and (2) Jennie Ruth Coleman Haynes. He and Nellie had a child named Ernestine Langford Haynes and she married Charles Walker. He was born on 4/30/1889 at Nickell's Mill. He registered for WWI & WWII. He was a barber,violinist, butler.

What "unidentified church" looks like now

I am going to have to go back and find out who sent me this photo (so I can attribute it to that person) but it is what the church in Union looks like now.

Part 1 of 8 (note written in 2004)

I was very excited as I drove into Lewisburg, West Virginia for the first time in April 1999. Although I had heard of the place I'd never really "considered" it before. I had never been told much about its history or about my ancestors who were from there. But now, I was on a mission. For some inexplicable reason I had decided to document my family's past.

My heart jumped when I saw the sign announcing that Lewisburg was only a short distance away. I strangely felt that I was coming home.

Once in town, I stopped to ask for directions at the General Lewis Inn. Instead of asking for the name of the street, the woman in the reception area of the Inn asked me for the family name of the people I was going to see. I said one name and she looked at me as if it didn't register. A few seconds later she said "Are you African American?". When I answered "yes" she said "And what, again are the family names?" I recited a few. She exclaimed "Well one of your cousins works here, I'll go and get her". A few minutes later my young cousin came into the reception area. I hadn't seen her since she was a baby but I recognized her immediately from a high school picture she had sent me a decade ago. We hugged. "Mom's waiting for you" she said.

As I drove down Route 60, I overshot the bridge after which I was supposed to make a turn. I had been looking for a BRIDGE. In New Orleans (where I live) bridges cover large bodies of water, like the Mississippi River. New Orleans is the home of the longest bridge in the world. I didn't notice the wooden structure which crossed over the two lane road.

As I drove down Route 60 I found myself in what seemed like vast farmland. I flagged down a portly, red faced farmer who was driving on a tractor and I asked him if he knew "where Maple Street might be". He said "No" and that all he could tell me was that I was "driving west on 60". Another mile down I decided I was too far out of town. I made a U turn and headed back. This time it was the farmer's turn to flag me down. "Are you looking for a colored lady named Miss Edna?" he asked. "Yes, that's her" I said. He then gave me the exact directions to Maple Street where I eventually found Aunt Edna's home.

Part 2 of 8 (Note written in 2004)

Her house is on a hill and the area overlooks the town of Lewisburg. It seems to be the area where Black folks always lived. It was more than I had expected.

My almost four day stay in Lewisburg yielded a good deal of genealogical information. It also changed my focus from the very specific task of documenting my immediate family to an obsessive and impossible quest to document the names of every Black, Mulatto, or Native American individual who ever lived in Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas, or Summers County.

During my first days in Lewisburg, my grandmother's first cousin, Harriet Olive Kelly Miller Williams (affectionately called "Aunt Harriet") recited what she knew of the family's history at my Aunt Edna's kitchen table. She tied up some loose ends but inspired a myriad of other questions. She shared her beautiful family scrapbook and promised to let me make copies of some of her photos. She seemed delighted to have met a kindred spirit.

Part 3 of 8 (note from 2004)

It is clear to me, from the information shared at that time and from information collected later on, that the Black residents of southeastern West Virginia (including Lewisburg) were intricately involved in the politics and daily life of the area. One had broken the horse that a Confederate General would later ride (Traveller). One had been the domestic servant for the Lieutenant Governor of Confederate Virginia. Another had been co-counsel in the only case (the SHUE case) in which a ghost helped to convict a man of murder. The famous entertainer "Bricktop" was from there as well as the most famous worker in U.S. history "John Henry". The esteemed photographer, James Presley Ball had registered in Lewisburg as a free man of color in 1847. The disputed child of President Thomas Jefferson (who was the oldest child of Sally Hemings and who was known as Thomas Corbin Woodson) lived in the area for a while.

Part 4 of 8 (note written in 2004)

Soon, and because it was such a short stay, an onslaught of "alive" relatives led me away from genealogy and toward the business of present day life. We spent a great deal of time eating at Shoney's but most of our time was spent sitting around Aunt Edna's kitchent table just enjoying each other's company.

Part 5 of 8 (note written in 2004)

By the time of my second trip to Lewisburg in 2002, I had studied the area a bit more. I had gotten the sense that "political correctness" might threaten to erase the "blackness" from the history of the area. I had read a number of articles where an individual who I knew to be Black was reported with no race. I understand this approach but I feel that I need to document the fact of their existence as well as their race. It is a way to say "We were here too". "We have histories too", and "We also have a claim to this beautiful place".

There were Blacks who owned property in downtown Lewisburg. One became a Congressman, another a Bishop, another was a fortune teller. There were two enslaved girls who inherited property from their master. A few were trustees (politicians). There was a lawyer, and there were laundresses, stonemasons, paupers, and persons who were insane. Most were just plain working folk who made their living in the same manner as we do nowadays -- by getting up in the morning and working hard every day.

Part 6 of 8 (note written in 2004)

Aunt Harriet died on the very evening of my second arrival there. Her death brought the gift of a great gathering of Lewisburg folk who shared information, family tales, and more photographs. Before the funeral services were held I was at Walmart's making a number of copies of treasured photos on the promise of their safe return.

Countless times, when I am on the verge of giving up this work, a packet of new information will fall into my lap and inspire me to continue. Other times, I will be surfing on the internet and some intriguing fact of the area's history will just pop up. It's as if the collective energy and spirit of all of the Black residents of the area (and I can admit this because of the SHUE case) have come together to push me forward at the precise moment when I have decided to quit.

Many (still living) individuals have also given me assistance in this project and I am eternally grateful for their input. I am not a genealogist. I am not an historian. I had no academic approach or system to what I was attempting to do. Because of my deficits, I couldn't have done this project without some help. Nevertheless, this compilation* is not a lofty effort but simply a list of names of people and the places where I found them. It is meant to be used as an index.

* Black Residents of Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas, and Summers Counties by Carol L. Haynes

7 of 8 (note written in 2004)

I had been in Lewisburg for about four days on my second visit there, in 2002, when I finally saw my cousin "Dottie". I hadn't seen her even though Lewisburg is a very small town. She confronted me with this fact by saying "I told Ma that I was going to have to go and lie down in the cemetery because that would probably be the only way I'd ever get to see you". She was half correct.

During that second visit, I made my way to a cemetery on Neff Orchard Road in Monroe County. There was not a soul to be found anywhere once I made the turn onto the road. The cows were numerous, however, and they seemed to come close enough to my car car that they could have licked my windows as I passed.

The setting of the Sinks Grove Colored Cemetery is idyllic. My grandfather, William "Hubert" Haynes is buried there and I located his grave. Next to his marker I saw the corner of a stone. I picked up a stick and moved the bush which obscured the stone and I found my great-grandfather's (George Washington Haynes') grave. As I was leaving the cemetery I looked down onto the valley. It was so green, so peaceful. The mountains beyond the valley were magnificent. was it my imagination or had I picked the perfect day? It didn't seem to match up at all - this place, and slavery.

It seems very strange to find myself trampling through cemeteries, looking out for snakes, snapping photos of graves, and spending hours looking through blurry documents for ancient names.

Part 8 of 8 (personal note written in 2004)

I've begun to talk about these people as if I know them, I cringe when I discover that a young woman has lost her only child. I am impressed that the Reverend C.C. Logan has officiated at a marriage once again. I'm elated when, while interviewing a descendant, I learn something as simple as that Nola excelled at making pies. I'm distressed that two men were forcibly removed from the Greenbrier jail and hung from the cross-arms of a telephone pole. It is amusing that the Caucasian Reverend Samuel R. Houston was concerned that the "Negroes" took exception to his sermon, even at a time when they were still enslaved. It is interesting how one Black skeleton took up almost permanent residence in the office of a Lewisburg doctor. I'm proud that a man who registered as "free" in Lewisburg in 1847 had a photo which fetched over $60,000 at an auction in the late 1900's. I am amazed that the fortune teller, Mildred Carter Bess, was able to find the young girl's ring.

I'm most intrigued, however, with questions which may never be answered. Why was Mahala Early charged with murder and later acquitted? Who were the Black members of the Presbyterian church? What REALLY happened to the Native Americans? Was the joining of my great grandparents (one Black, one White) a matter of love or rape?

Lewisburg as "home" was a fleeting, romantic sentiment. But half of my family lived there. Their remains form a part of the soil. They suffered and endured there. The part of me that is a part of them can call it home.

Like with my first trip into Lewisburg, this work has overshot its mark at times. I've gotten far afield of my goal and I have had to double back. I met another portly, red faced man and learned that he is a cousin of mine.

Assumptions are dashed, certainties are quashed, sometimes I am embarassed by my ignorance and yet, though wounded by my failings, I continue on. Had I known what I was getting myself into when I first set out on this path it might have never gotten done. It is a work that is driven by an inexplicable force, not volition, and work, which I fear will consume the remainder of my days.

Carol Haynes
2004

Wedding photo - Dr. Robert J. Howard & Edna Haynes Howard

Edna Haynes was one of the younger daughters of the 14 children of George Washington Haynes and Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Haynes Lewis. A woman in Raleigh had invited a number of young Black recent medical school graduates to the Beckley area & many of them stayed and treated area residents. One such doctor was Robert Howard who was originally from Ruffin, North Carolina (he attended the Agriculture Institute at Lamberton, N.C., the Agricultural and Technical College at Greensboro, and Meharry Medical School in Nashville & he did post-graduate work at Howard University). Dr. Howard first set up a practice in Mullens (1920) but then he moved to Beckley (1921). The wedding party consists of many of Edna's siblings (to the right). I'm not sure but it looks like nieces to the left and I'm not sure who the little boy is. There seems to be another wedding party right behind them. As for Edna, her birth name was Lillian E.T. Haynes. She was called "Aunt Eddie". She taught school, See Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society Vol 7, #6, 2004, page 60 which states "Of the later generations the following persons have taught school ..." Edna is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Beckley. Dr. Howard died on the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assasinated, 11/22/1963. See Beckley Post Centennial Edition, Saturday morning, 8/26/1950.

Cleo Caval Haynes Dickason Blakely

What an amazing night. Only a few days ago I told my younger sister how everytime I lose interest in my genealogy work I will get a photo in the mail - or someone would call me with information - and that I would be off and running again. Well, I haven't been very attentive to my family history of late and then, yesterday, a younger cousin contacted me and he had many many images of my family which I had never seen before. He had images of ancestors who I had never laid eyes on before. This particular photo is of one of the younger girls of George Washington Haynes and Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Lewis. She was born in 1899 in Greenbrier County, WV. She was the wife of William Blakely (who was a chauffeur). In Dr. Montgomery's papers he indicates that she "taught school". She had been the principal of an elementary school. Graduate of Bluefield State College. Member of Phi Delta Kappa Sorrority. Mother of Sidney Dickason and Frances Blakely. She died in 1966.

Q

In my compilation, I only have two names for the letter "Q".
The first name is "Qualis/Qualls, Quarrels, & Quarles" and the second name is "Quinn".

The Quinn entry is for Rev. William T. Quinn and I am not sure if he was Caucasian or Black. However, he officiated at the 1874 marriage of James Nickell and Dolly/Molly Thompson (in Monroe County) and the 1874 marriage of Robert Carter and Jennie Jackson (also in Monroe County). The only likely William Quinn that I could find was a Caucasian male who was born in 1844 and who lived in Forest Hill, Summers County. He was a farmer who appeared in the 1880 census.

As for the "Qualls" group:
The "Qualls" spelling was used for a 1904 marriage and might be the correct spelling for this family.

Some entries are for -
Alice Cosby Quarles, the daughter of George and Nancy Cosby. She can be found on the 1920 Census at Avistown, Summers, at age 66, widowed, and the grandmother of Martin French (22) and on the 1930 Census at age 65, in Hinton, Summers County, with her son Alexander (45). She died on 11/12/1932 at Summers. In 1904 she appeared as the mother of Rosa B. Qualls who married George W. Scott. She can also be found on West Virginia Death Certificate # 1200 as the mother of Rosa Scott.

Doc/Lowry Qualls was the son of Matt & Polina Qualls. He appears on the 1900 census in Fayette at age 7 and is enumerated as Lowry. He died on 1/9/1939 in Pocahontas.

There is another "Doctor Quarles" who appears on the 1880 Census in Greenbrier at age 60, b. about 1820 in Va.

For more information on this family see BLACK RESIDENTS OF GREENBRIER, MONROE, POCAHONTAS, AND SUMMERS COUNTIES by Carol L. Haynes or contact me at chaynes704@aol.com.

Young boys

These little boys are unidentified. However, the photo came from the O. Dunsmore home on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, WV.

Toddler standing on chair.

This little boy is unidentified. However, the photo comes from the home of Overton Dunsmore, Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Blondish haired girl

This little girl is unidentified. Her coloring matches mine, however. The photo was taken from the home of Overton Dunsmore, Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, W.V. This is one of my favorite photos from his group of photos.

Women inside fence on farm

These two women are unidentified. However, the photo comes from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, WV.

I am assuming that both women are Black. The woman on the right looks like my grandmother, Dora Jane, who was Black - though this is not her. On the other hand, the female on the right could be a Caucasian woman. Though I doubt it.

Two ladies standing and one sitting.

These ladies are unidentified but the photo came from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Young boy - barefoot.

This little boy is unidentified. However, the photo came from the home of Overton Dunsmore of Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Overton Dunsmore's mother was "Jennet", the daughter of Socrates Haynes. Jennet, was my grandfather's first cousin. So these photos could include some of my family members. In fact, a photo of my grandmother and grandfather was found in the group of pictures as was a photo of my grandfather's sister. And "Jennet" raised my father's first cousin, Bertie. And, of course, the Payne and the Haynes family of this area are the same family (descended from Martha Ann Payne Haynes Jones).

Tintype - Two men

This is a tintype of two unidentified men. The tintype, however, comes from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Would love to hear from someone who knows about photo dating regarding the possible date of this photo.

Man with mustache wearing hat.

This man is not identified but the photo came from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Young men in boots & hats

These young men are not identified but the photo came from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, WV.
Note that when I blew the picture up I could see that they were not actually wearing boots but some other type of leg covering. Would love to receive a comment about what these are called.

Girls in doorway

These girls are unidentified but the photo came from the home of Overton Dunsmore on Brushy Ridge.

Girls sitting on chair

These girls are not identified but the picture came from Overton Dunsmore's home on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, WV.

Women on farm

These women are unidentified but the photo came from the Overton Dunsmore home on Brushy Ridge.

In his dissertation, (see citation in previous post), Earl C. Clay states, on page 92, that Greenbrier County residents "are essentially rural minded".

Earl Clay's dissertation - 1946

The ladies in this photo are unidentified at this point in time. However, the photo came from the Overton Dunsmore home on Brushy Ridge.


In his dissertation, THE NEGRO IN GREENBRIER COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - A SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND EDUCATIONAL STUDY, (1946) (A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Division of Graduate Studies of Virginia State College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Education) Earl C. Clay states, on p. 65:

"Picnics are the favorite outlets for recreation of Negroes in Greenbrier County"... "movies ... second" ..." followed by parties and dances" ... "while there are no pool rooms in the county, 123 persons indicate this as their favorite means of recreation".

Mary "Jennet" Haynes Dunsmore / Mrs. Frank Dunsmore

The back of this photo says "Mrs. Frank Dunsmore of Sinks Grove" and then it appears to have the directions to her home (... Ronceverte ... on road) but it is written and pencil and fading.

Mary "Janet"/"Jennette" Haynes Dunsmore was born on 7/6/1878. She was born to Socrates (Payne) Haynes (who was the brother of my greatgrandmother, Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Lewis) and Barbara Moore/Martha Moore Haynes. She was the wife of Frank Dunsmore and the mother of Ola and Overton Dunsmore. She was the adoptive mother of Bertie Constance Haynes (Dunsmore) Holmes. She was the granddaughter of Martha Payne Haynes (and possibly Burton Payne). She was the stepgranddaughter of Solomon Haynes and Peter Jones.

In the 1880 Census she appears in Monroe County, a mulatto female, age 3, daughter of Socrates Haynes (enumerated as Mary Jennett Haynes). In 1895, on May 17th, she married Frank Dunsmore at the Sinks Grove Baptist Church. The informant for the marriage was Lewis Nickell. The officiant was the Rev. O.T. Harris (enumerated as Janet). She appears on the 1900 Census in Monroe County, 2nd Creek, Black female, age 21, b. 7/1878, wife of Frank Dunsmore. She had one child, and that one child was still living. (enumerated as Jannett).

She appears on the 1910 Census in MC, 2nd Creek, as a black female, age 31, wife of Frank Dunsmore (she is enumerated as Mary J.).

She died on 8/19/1958 in Monroe County at Sinks Grove. She was 80y1m13d. By the time of her death she was a widow. Her death information indicates that she was the daughter of Socrates Haynes and Martha Moore. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage. She is buried at the Mt. Zion Cemetery (Sinks Grove/Neff Orchard Road). The informant was Overton Dunsmore of Sinks Grove.

In an interview with her relative, Mary/May Fay Dunsmore Johnson on 6/25/2002, she indicates that the true name of "Jennette" was Mary Jennet Haynes and that she may have had a brother named Edward. Ms. Dunsmore indicated that she had posession of a photo of Jennet with Edward in the corner.

Unidentified church - Unidentified Pastors

Hopefully someone will be able to identify this church and these pastors. I am assuming that it must be a church in either Monroe County - near second creek; but more likely in Greenbrier County.

Haynes family photo

This is a Haynes family photo, but, unfortunately, no one now living is able to identify who these ladies are.

Dunsmore photos #2

Unidentified baby.

Dunsmore photos

Unidentified girls.

Dunsmore / Haynes

This photo was owned by the family of Overton "Opie" Dunsmore. The family lived on Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County. Opie Dunsmore was the husband of Reona Douglass Dunsmore. He was the son of Frank and Mary "Jennette" Haynes Dunsmore. He was the grandson of Socrates (Payne) Haynes and Barbara/Martha Moore Haynes. He was the brother of Ola Dunsmore and the stepbrother of Bertie Constance Haynes Holmes*.
Socrates (Payne) Haynes was the older brother of my greatgrandmother, Elizabeth Jane (Payne) Haynes Haynes Lewis and they were the children of Martha Payne Haynes (wife of (1) Burton Payne; (2) Solomon Haynes; & (3) Peter Jones).
Overton took care of the Neff Orchard Road Cemetery until his death. Overton died around 1997.
This photo was part of a shoebox of photos given to me by Elaine Carter. The photos came out of the house at a time when the family was preparing to sell the house.

*Bertie was the daughter of Cora Haynes. Cora was my grandfather's sister. Cora was the daughter of Mansfield and Eliza Dawson Haynes.

ANNIE MATTHEWS PERKINS

These are two photos of the gravesite of Annie Matthew Perkins at the Old Colored Cemetery in Lewisburg, West Virginia.

Annie Matthews Perkins was the daughter of William M. Perkins and Adonia Avery Perkins.

She appears on the 1910 Census in Greenbrier, Lewisburg as an infant, daughter of William and Dona Perkins. She is enumerated as "Annie M.".

West Virginia Death Certificate # 12685 indicates that she died on 10/28/1928 at 19 years old at Fayette. She was a black female, single, a school girl, ? date of birth, daughter of William Perkins and Dona Perkins. Her usual residence was Lewisburg. The cause of death was - "C & O train # 101 struck car at Montgomery crossing. Fractured Skull. Shock." She was buried at Lewisburg on 11/1/1928.

An interview that I conducted with a Lewisburg resident on 1/10/2006 revealed that Annie was travelling with "Juanita's mother and Juanita's two brothers" to see a friend who was away at school. They were struck by a train and all were killed". Following this interview I did further research and found that Annie was in the car with Josephine Cooley Jackson (see WVDC # 12683) and her sons, Charles Walter Jackson, age 17 (WVDC # 12682) and Tearance B. Jackson, Jr., age 14 (WVDC #12684).

LEWIS SKIPPER

This is a photo that I took of Lewis Skipper's gravesite at the Old Colored Cemetery in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The cemetery is located behind Carnegie Hall.

Lewis Skipper appears on the 1880 Census in Greenbrier County, Lewisburg District as a 36 y.o. black male, who works in a tan yard, b. in Virginia, with Mary (36), James (20), Hezekiah (7), Amelia (6), and domestic servant - Eliza Choice (45) & Hugh Pollack (2) (who was an other relationship).
He is listed in the 1880 MARSH index for Greenbrier County.
He is listed on the 1900 Census in Greenbrier, Lewisburg, no age given, with Melia/Amelia Lacy (25), Maggie Brown (20), Frances Brown (2), Robert Meadows (31). In this census he is enumerated as "Lewis Kippers".
Greenbrier County Death Records reveal that he died on January 28, 1903 at 56 years and that he was born in Fincastle.
West Virginia Death Certificate # 12967 reveals that he was the father of Amelia Lacy who died in Greenbrier County in 1922.

Shoveler, Shovler, Shuvler & Shuffler

In my compilation, BLACK RESIDENTS OF GREENBRIER, MONROE, POCAHONTAS, AND SUMMERS COUNTIES - WEST VIRGINIA by Carol Haynes, I "intermingle" like-sounding names because oftentimes individuals show up on different documents with their names spelled differently. One such name is Shoveler, Shovler, Shuvler; and Shuffler.

For instance:

GEORGE GOEN/GOIN SHOVELER

Mr. Shoveler was the husband of
(1) Mary J. Burk Shoveler &
(2) Ellen Shovler; and
(3) Caroline Bishop Shovler

On 9/9/1875, Goin Shovler married Mary J. Burk in Monroe County (MC). He was 22 and born in Summers. She was 21y. The informant was Houston Nickell of the Red Sulphur Springs District of Monroe County. The officiant was Rev. Baber. They were married at Nancy Burk's house. A permission slip by Mary's mother, , Mary J. Burk, inidcates that Goin Shuvler is 22 years old. (listed as Goin Shuvler).
He is listed on the 1880 Census, Summers County, FHD, as "Goins Shuffler". He is a Black Male, 26, farm laborer, with Ellen (24), Rosa (4), and with Nannie ?Goin (8).
On 6/14/1899, George Goen Shoveler married Caroline Bishop in Monroe County. He was 39, b. in Roanoke. She was 24, b. in Giles. The officiant was Rev. Baber and they were married in the Reverend's residence.
(note the difference in his stated birthplaces)
In the book MONROE COUNTY CEMETERIES - MT. CARMEL AT BALLARD (BLACK) - 1855 -1934, he is listed as G.G. Shoveler.
West Virginia Death Certificate #15323 indicates that he died on 11/20/1934 at 83y10m at Greenbrier County and that he was a black male, widowed, laborer, a cook, and the son of Goens Shoveler. The cause of death was organic heart disease.

The other "Shoveler's" that I have listed in my compilation are:
Annie Shovler Bowlinger, wife of John Bowlinger
Caroline Bishop Shoveler, wife of George Goen Shoveler
C.E. Shoveler
Ellen Shuffler
Ellie Burks Shoveler, wife of George C. Shoveler
George C. Shovler
George L. Shovler
Goens Shoveler (father of Goens Shoveler)
Henry Shovler
Henry E. Shovler
James Shovler
Jessie M. Shovler
Lula Shovler
Mary Elizabeth Shovler
Mary J. Burk Shovler
Rosa Shuffler
Sara Shovler
W.R. Shovler

William Henry Haynes

My dad was William "Bill" Henry Haynes and he was born in New Haven in 1926 after his parents, William "Hubert" Haynes and Dora "Jane" Kelly Knight Lee Haynes (photos below) moved there from Lewisburg (and Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County, West Virginia) to New Haven, Connecticut. He is the grandson of George Washington Haynes (photo below), who was from Sinks Grove, MC, and Brushy Ridge, GC and Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Haynes Lewis (who was from Fayette and then Brushy Ridge & finally Gallipolis, Ohio when she married her second husband, Sheridan Lewis).
http://sillyputtyhistory.blogspot.com/ is about my dad and his involvement with Silly Putty Marketing (New Haven, Connecticut).

Carol Haynes
New Orleans

New blog by this blogger

See http://sillyputtyhistory.blogspot.com/

My dad managed Silly Putty pretty much from its inception in 1949 to his death in 1976. His parents, William "Hubert" Haynes and Dora "Jane" Kelly Knight Lee Haynes Midder,were from Brushy Ridge, WV and Lewisburg, WV, and his sister still lives in Lewisburg, WV. This new blog is only very minimally related to the AA Genealogy WV blog (describes the lives of descendants of Greenbrier/Monroe counties). Nevertheless, come visit!!

Inspiration for this blog came from one of my followers. "Local is Global - Michael Marcus". Thanks Mike. I may not write a book about enslaved West Virginians but I can certainly write short blurbs about other things. Baby steps.

Thanks,

Carol Haynes