This is an important discussion, and therefore I have posted a little blurb on this to the Germanna Message Board, where I think it will have a slightly longer shelf life than this wonderful mailing list can offer in the day-to-day memory of most of us. As always, viewing content on the Germanna Message Board is free. To comment, you must be a member of the Germanna Foundation. The web site of the message board is: http://germanna.org/germana_message_board The main page to the new Germanna web site is: http://germanna.org/ If you haven't checked it out, please do. You won't be disappointed. Craig Kilby

Bromfield Parish >>>> Crooked creek at HY 29 , " James Mill area", south of Culpepper. North to area of ""FLINT HILL" just east of the blue ridge mts. South along the Blue Ridge Parkway area too Stone Mountain Meadows. Down the mountain along the south Madison County boundary, Eastward to Hood, Rhoda, etc. A lot of the Berry family lived on the East side of the Mountains near "Rag Top Mt. ", West of Criglersville, and Syria. One cannot appreciate Germanna, until you get your hands and feet dirty walking into the woods to touch the "Flat Stones" of long forgotten graves. Question????? How many of the readers have split wood for a wood stove to cook a meal. Milked a cow. Gathered eggs Sloped the Pigs Brought drinking water from a spring in the side of a hill. Went swimming in the cold water of the Robinson river at Criglersville. Walk in your ancestors steps and your armchair research has new meaning..

So true! In July 1999 or 2000, I was living in Florida and came up to visit family in the summer. I drove my mother out to Culpeper where we picked up Bessie (nee Compton; once married to a Bowen) Yancey and her daughter, Catherine Bowen Blantz, my cousin (daughter of my father's uncle, Edward Everheart Bowen). My mother conversed with Bessie and they spoke of when my dad would drive us (me & my sister Marlene, and mom) to Culpeper to visit some of his family. Bessie would always be among those visited (my dad was sort of anti-social, so if he took the time to visit you, he really liked you!). [Another aside: Bessie is one of the kindest, sweetest, people you could ever know and she maintained that through much tragedy & sadness. she also turned 100 last march and is residing in an assisted living facility in Madison.] We decided to go to see the old Nethers Mill homestead. Savilla Nethers is my great-grandmother (and Catherine's grandmother) & daughter of Arnold Nethers and Ellen Huffman (Germanna Huffman/Hoffman) and grew up in the shadow of old Rag mountain near Syria. We pull into the driveway and it was like riding into a Norman Rockwell painting! Two boys, about 8 & 10, were swimming in waters of the mill race. To the side of the stone retaining wall adjacent to the mill race, was a burlap bag containing a watermelon hanging into the water. We met the current owners (hope they still have it) and they were hoping to restore the old mill and have it registered as an historic site. There was a garden and lots of general farm and home work all around....didn't see a pigpen, though...think there may have been hens, so eggs... Catherine & bessie were in heaven reminiscing with the home owners and mom & I just took it all in...just one of those perfect days i will always remember fondly, especially since my mom and cousin Catherine have passed on. I also took Catherine by the Germanna Visitor's Center on a trip a year or so later and she was very impressed - she had not realized how much Germanna was in the family history... Kathleen Feb 12, 2009 at 1:20 PM, james <jpez0510@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > Bromfield Parish >>>> Crooked creek at HY 29 , " James Mill area", south of > Culpepper. > North to area of ""FLINT HILL" just east of the blue ridge mts. > South along the Blue Ridge Parkway area too Stone Mountain Meadows. > Down the mountain along the south Madison County boundary, > Eastward to Hood, Rhoda, etc. > A lot of the Berry family lived on the East side of the Mountains > near "Rag Top Mt. ", West of Criglersville, and Syria. > > One cannot appreciate Germanna, until you get your hands and feet dirty > walking into the woods to touch the "Flat Stones" of long forgotten graves. > > Question????? How many of the readers have split wood for a wood stove to > cook a meal. > Milked a cow. > Gathered eggs > Sloped the Pigs > Brought drinking water from a spring in the side of a hill. > Went swimming in the cold water of the Robinson river at Criglersville. > > Walk in your ancestors steps and your armchair research has new meaning.. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GERMANNA_COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- Kathleen Bowen Simons Falls Church, Virginia IMAGE - a No. VA Christian church whose mission is simple: Worship. Community. Service. www.thisisimage.com (click on the Audio icon to hear Pastor Chris' messages!) Listen to a beautiful song, "Feel the Ocean Calling," by Roderick C. Simons: http://www.myspace.com/roderickcsimons