FORWARDED MESSAGE!! ----- Original Message ----- From: <CSCUNC@aol.com> To: <BEAVERS-L@rootsweb.com>; <KILGORE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2001 1:25 PM Subject: {not a subscriber} Castle's Woods: Frontier Virginia Settlement, 1769-1799 > Several months ago I offered to copy for interested researchers James W. > Hagy's thesis on the frontier settlement of Castle's Woods, Virginia. I had > searched for many long years before finding an actual copy of this work at a > rare book dealer in North Carolina. This thesis was presented to the Faculty > of the Department of History, East Tennessee State University in partial > fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, 1966. The > original thesis contained no copyright provision as did the 1979 Russell > County Historical Society printing which contained landowner maps and local > Russell county info. that did not appear in the 1966 version. This one > unfortunately can not be copied. I thought I was done with this > project but recently have received a number of additional requests for this > material so I have decided to make ONE more printing and then retire from > the copying business. For all of those folks who for one reason or another > failed to secure a copy of this work, this is the last chance. > > "This thesis is a narrative account of the frontier settlement of Castle's > Woods. The community is an interesting case study of the ideas of Frederick > Jackson Turner regarding the frontier. > > Castle's Woods in many ways fits the pattern of the typical frontier > community. Apparently first settled by a long hunter, Castle's Woods, like a > magnet, drew westward the classic frontier types, hunters, farmers, > speculators, surveyors, artisans, and preachers. Even some aristocrates > settled there. The usual frontier customs and activities were observed in > the community. These included a considerable amount of lawlessness. The > greatest problem for the settlers in Castle's Woods was the Indians who were > a menace from the time of the first settlement until nearly the end of the > eighteenth century. After the Indian problem had been eliminated, the > frontier stage quickly passed away...... > > A large amount of primary materials were used in this study. The most > important sources were county records, state archives, national archives, and > the Draper Manuscripts." > > The importance of Castle's Woods is twofold. First, it had its day of importa > nce as a stepping stone to the West. Secondly, it is important as a case > study of the American frontier. It was the first permanent settlement in > Russell County, Virginia, founded in 1769 and located on the Clinch River. > > Many of the early southwest Virginia families are discussed in detail > including Russell, Walker, Cowan, Porter, Moore, Campbell, Stuart, Houston, > Montgomery, Snoddy, Thompson, Robinson and many, many more. > > Detailed accounts of many of the Indian battles are described in great detail > and this research material makes interesting reading. If anyone would like > information on how to acquire a copy of this 140 page thesis please contact > me privately at cscunc@aol.com. > > > Regards, > Robert Cowan > 525 Harrogate Rd. > Matthews, North Carolina 28105 > >