Larry, I'm sorry you won't continue the lists. The first one came through fine for me. Dorothy

> > You can access many frequently used genealogical terms at: > http://www.Genealogy.com/Glossary/glossary.html > Hello all, Genealogy.com , URL above is advertising Paul Drake's dictionary. This will help all of us find those Southside Virginia words that are driving us crazy. I don't know who owns Genealogy.com but I guess it is Rootsweb since they now own Ancestor.com and Family Tree Maker.com and just about all the online genealogy. Margaret

Hi, I have been trying to follow up on Sterling Cooper, after seeing some information on the DAR web site about him. I've emailed a few people with "Sterling Coopers" and got three replies. Only one sounded like a good match. I sent out this email to the entire list, in hopes that I'd get that last bit of information I need. Perhaps some of you descend from Abraham Andrews's family, and might know the answer. ----------- I appreciate the replies that I received about your Sterling Coopers. In return, I will send you some information from notes I made regarding Sterling Cooper from the pension file. Not sure if this will help any of you, but hopefully it will: Sterling Cooper. Rev.War Pension Application Mentions James D. Cooper, minor child of Sterling Cooper, deceased. Sterling was b. 20 June 1760, Amelia Co., VA. Entered service in Lunenburg Co., 1777 or 1778. Moved to Franklin Co., VA. Sterling d. ca. 9 Jan. 1836. Sterling left no widow. George Cooper, Guardian of J.D. Cooper. Children of Sterling Cooper: Frances, William Langston, George W., Sterling Herbert, Benjamin F., Louisa M., Charity M., Sarah R., and James D. A sworn statement of Elisha Arnold said he "met Sterling Cooper in the state of Maryland on his way to join the Continental Army at Valley Forge....." This statement was made in Franklin Co., VA. *end of notes I am interested in Sterling Cooper, who married Stacy Andrews. They lived in Lunenburg Co., VA. Will of Abraham Andrews: Lunenburg Co., Va. Will Book 4, page 258-A. Abraham's will names wife Ann Andrews; Children: Thomas Andrews, Sally Allen, Stacy Cooper, Benjamin Andrews, Peter Andrews, Lucreita W., Alexander Andrews, Haley Andrews, Rainey Cooper, Lowry Andrews, and Abraham Andrews. (Abraham d. 1799). Lunenburg Co. Deed Book 18, p. 157. Release of Dower by Stacy Cooper, wife of Sterling Cooper. Dated 18 Oct. 1798; recorded 13 Feb. 1800. These two pieces of evidence seems enough to prove that Stacy Andrews m. Sterling Cooper, although his name was not mentioned in the will. The dower release in the deed was also needed to prove Sterling's name. >From the pension application, we know that he entered service in Lunenburg Co., so the chances are looking good for these two men to be the same. But as you all know, sometimes we had men with the same names, living in the same areas. So, I would like to find some other supporting documentation from Franklin Co., to show that he's the one that married Stacy. The DAR Patriot Index web site has: Born: June 20, 1760. Died Jan. 9, 1836. Married #1 Stacy Andrews. #2 Eleanor Willis Do any of you know about Eleanor Willlis? Or is this another case of lumping together information regarding two different men? Would appreciate any information you might have that would help. Thanks Sue

Greetings, After carefully setting up page 1 of the LDS Virginia Birth info, I transmitted the page to myself to check out how it looked. When I received the page it was very close to the way I transmitted it. I then sent the page out to you guys, and when I received the page from the lists the page was a disaster. I don't know went wrong, but at this time it seems there is no reason to expect that the other pages will fare any better. For that reason, I will not be attempting to send the other pages to any list. If you have interest in any of the films listing County Birth information from the LDS, please contact me privately off the list, and I will send you the county film info you want ASAP. Larry

Greetings, What follows is some of the information I copied from a LDS FHC center of what's available through them for births in the state of Virginia. This is page one (1) of 8, --- one by one seven others pages will follow at about one page a day. Larry ============================================================= AUTHOR Virginia. Bureau of Vital Statistics. TITLE Birth records, 1853-1941; indexes, 1853-1950. PUBLICATION INFORMATION Salt Lake City Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996. FORMAT on 99 microfilm reels ; 35 mm. NOTES Microfilm of the original records at the Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia. CONTENTS The commissioner of the revenue registered births for the county and then turned over his books to the clerk of the County Court. The clerk made abstracts to send to the state auditor and would also preserve the books in his office. The index is made from birth registrations, by the state of Virginia through the Commissioner of the Revenue and cover the period of 1853 to 1896. A * star perceding the name indicates that the registration is that of a "Colored person". The name of place in parenthesis preceding number indicates the place birth occurred, by the State Bureau of Vital Statistics, State of Virginia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- PAGE 1 OF 8 FILM # Birth index, v. 1 (a-car) 1853-1865-----------------------------------------------2026327 v. 2 (cas-eze) 1853-1865 Birth index, v. 3 (fab-hyt) 1853-1866--------------------------------------------- 2026328 v. 4 (ian-lan) 1853-1866 Birth index, v. 4 (lan-mci) 1853-1866------------------------------------------------2026329 v. 5 (mck-rec) 1853-1866 Birth index, v. 6 (red-syr) 1853-1866---------------------------------------------- 2026330 v. 7 (tab-zwi) 1853-1866 Birth index, v. 8 (a-cyp) 1853-1866 ----------------------------------------------- 2026331 v. 9 (d-haz) 1853-1866 Birth index, v. 10 (hea-paz) 1853-1866 ------------------------------------------------2026332 v. 11 (pea-sz) 1853-1866 Birth index, v. 12 (tab-z) 1853-1866 ----------------------------------------------- 2026333 v. 13 (a-bly) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 14 (bo-cz) 1867-1879 ----------------------------------------------2026334 v. 15 (ca-co) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 16 (cra-dz) 1867-1879 ------------------------------------------------2026335 v. 17 (ea-fz) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 18 (gaa-har) 1867-1879 ---------------- ------- ------------------------ 2026336 v. 19 (har-iz) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 20 (ja-kz) 1867-1879 ---------------------------------------------- 2026337 v. 21 (la-me) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 22 (mi-pay) 1867-1879 ----------------------------------------------- 2026338 v. 23 (pe-rosc) 1867-1879 Birth index, v. 24 (rose-sti) 1867-1879 --------------------------------------------- 2026339 v. 25 (sto-wam) 1867-1879 PAGE 2 OF 8 COMING SOON

The metes and bounds method was adequate for most of our ancestors - using tree stumps and stakes for pointers - everyone knew each other. Today we don't often know our neighbors. Also, most of the errors in deed directions were made during copying by clerks (usually NW for NE or SE for SW) - the same thing we do with our checkbooks. If I have a good deed description from 1700, most of the time I can lay it out on a geo map and walk to within several feet of the old deed lines. By using tracing paper with the right dimensions, I can overlay current maps and often find the right location due to those nasty creek locations. Doesn't always work, but if you have the time and inclination - you may be surprised with the results. You will never forget a visit to where your ancestors lived 200-300 years ago. Who said, "You can't tell one blade of grass from another unless you know who walked there?" ----- Original Message ----- From: VA-SOUTHSIDE-D-request@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 9:20 PM To: VA-SOUTHSIDE-D@rootsweb.com Subject: VA-SOUTHSIDE-D Digest V01 #232 Content-Type: text/plain VA-SOUTHSIDE-D Digest Volume 01 : Issue 232 Today's Topics: #1 Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Land ["Paul Drake" <martee@citlink.net>] #2 Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Land measurem ["Paul Drake" <martee@citlink.net>] #3 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Re: VA-SOUTHSIDE- [ORCompton@aol.com] #4 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] (Baugh) Tithing v [jleehunt1@aol.com] #5 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Lynchburg, VA His ["Margaret Driskill" <mdriskill@wor] #6 Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Lynchburg, VA ["Brownie MacKie" <BMacKie1@compuse] #7 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Question ["Paul Drake" <martee@citlink.net>] #8 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Neglected ["Paul Drake" <martee@citlink.net>] #9 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Early Deeds, Surv [FTht98@aol.com] #10 [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] land measurements ["Mickey Fournier" <mfournier@atlan] #11 Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] How To Find/W ["Paul Drake" <martee@citlink.net>] Administrivia: To unsubscribe from VA-SOUTHSIDE-D, send a message to VA-SOUTHSIDE-D-request@rootsweb.com that contains in the body of the message the command unsubscribe and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. ______________________________

Have ya'll noticed that the majority of old estate inventories contained some surveying equipment? I'd say, Paul, they were probably smarter than us! Mildred "Mickey" Fournier PO Box 1967, Lake City, FL 32056 mailto:MFournier@atlantic.net

You might search the county deed records (or a published abstract of those) for any Martin or Rogers who was a landowner at that period. If so, their given names should appear in the deeds by which they BOUGHT and SOLD land (grantee index for purchases, and grantor index for sales). Then too, if extant, check the tax records of that county for that near period to see if either paid taxes on real property, particularly, and on personalty where their given names also likely might appear. Finally, check the wills and administrations for the county for the entire period. Either of them may have left the land to someone by will or through their intestate estates ....where I might search for land records for Giles Rogers and Mr. Martin? Thanks. > > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives Digital Maps Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/ > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry's Library - The best collection of family history > learning and how-to articles on the Internet. > http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library >

My g.g.grandfather and his father were both surveyors. It is something of a tribute to them that in the 1990s lawsuit, one of the younger man's surveys - of the Fisher Miller Colony in West Texas - was entered into evidence by the State of Texas. The court held that the survey, while not totally correct insofar as metes and bounds went, was off by only feet and done with adequate care and therefore not to be overturned. I guess this is the equivalent of winning by one point at the buzzer.

I should have added that there was present a measure of lackadaisical attitudeabout land descriptions brought about by the knowledge of all persons that where conflicts arose in the parishes controlled by the Church of England, the ever available "processioning" device was in place and available to all.

I was asked why, considering that our ancestors were every bit as intelligent as are we, there seem to be so many errors in deed descriptions of land. My answer was: deed problems are the usual, NOT the unusual and we still live with descriptive errors made LONG ago. There are many reasons that supplied error (none of which reflect lack of good sense) What with the two (or more) governments - colonial and that of the mother-country - granting land more than occasionally sight-unseen, the ever-presence of chicanery and "sharp" dealers, the lands being accurately surveyed only when those who were trained in that "art and mistery" were at hand, the near absence of accurate maps, the movements to and fro by streams, rivers and swamps (especially since clearing land forever changed drainage patterns), the creation of new roads on an almost weekly basis, the often nearly impenetrable thickets, swamps and great forests, and the lack of lawyers and government capable of cross-checking the works of all these folks NOT trained in the requirements of good title, all led to a mass of often honestly and innocently made errors. When compared to the problems of our early ancestors, we have a dream world in land titles and descriptions. Paul

Hello Everyone, I am trying to sort out some BAUGH information that I have come across in Accomac/Northampton Cos VA, more or less by accident. In brief, a John Baugh is a person for whom a headright is claimed by Richard Hill of Accomac in 1664 (and that John Baugh, could of course have ended up about anywhere, dead or alive). In 1663/4 a Rowland Baugh is a witness to the wills of Alice and Henry Armitrading (merchant) in Northampton Co. Then in 1671 or so William Baugh is mentioned in a court case as having sold two servants (actually married, but presenting selves as single as that was more lucrative..hence fornication case) first to Jacob Browne, then to "political incorrect" Edmund Scarborough, who gifted them to his mistress Ann Toft. So I figure that William Baugh has to be there at least for a couple of years. The only Tithe list he shows up for in Accomac is Captain Wallop's precinct in 1684, where he has no tithes (meaning he is OLD??). There is a court case a very few years later involving some property damage at his "fishing hole" in Accomac, but it is noted that he is dead. FYI, I confess to having found, but not gone through a tithe list book for Northampton Co, as it was unindexed and I ran out of time. I also do not have access to any land/deed information for Accomac Co., so I can't determine if he was a landowner. My question is, is it possible that William Baugh, who appears sporadically in court records from 1670 to 1684, could have owned land, therefore paid tax on it, but did not appear on tithe lists because he did not live there? Maybe he had a tenant. Maybe he is the William Baugh of Henrico Co, who does die in 1687? William had land in the Bermuda hundred and on the Appomatox near "Cobbs" and Point of Rocks. He and some of his local buddies could have easily had "hunting lodges" on the Eastern Shore (a pleasant days sail), to borrow a phrase for English lords and wealthy merchants vacation homes in the 1600s/1700s. Or of course maybe the tithe takers could have missed him. AND related to the transported John Baugh, is it possible that the probably elderly John Baugh of Henrico, bought himself a vacation retreat on the Eastern shore, and Richard Hill above "got credit" for it? Speaking of "hunting lodges", I am wondering if the tidewater marsh colonial equivalent was "fishing holes", as in a deed of sale by John Baugh 1773 to John Martin of his land "Cathole" just upstream of Point of Rocks, in Chesterfield Co, he carves out William Walthalls "fishing hole" from the boundary description. I'm trying to figure out if there was actually a separate Baugh family over there (a Joyce Baugh is also mentioned in court records), or just folks like those of us now who went over there. To the best of my knowledge no Rowland Baugh has shown up West of the Chesapeake, BUT this is a family name for these Baughs, and his presence as a witness to the will of a merchant suggests that perhaps he was there "on business", Because there is also no Joyce Baugh in any of the fairly extensive Baugh Henrico Co records, I still tend to think that a different branch was over there than William Baugh of Henrico, d. 1687...But, maybe William had a second family like Edmund Scarborough! Now wouldn't that be a fun skeleton to uncover:-) Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance. Janet (Baugh) Hunter

Dear friends, cousins and fellow researchers, Does anyone have the address for the Lynchburg Historical Society? My sister had a 1945 Catholic school newspaper she wants to donate to them. Thank you for your kind gift of time. Regards, Margaret Driskill mdriskill@att.net

Lynchburg Historical Foundation, Inc. 325 12th St. Lynchburg, VA 24504 P. O. Box 248 Lynchburg, VA 24505 There is no "Society" listed for Lynchburg in VA. There is, however, a museum system: Lynchburg Museum System P. O. Box 60 Lynchburg, VA 24505 address: 901 Court St. Lynchburg, VA 24504 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Margaret Driskill" <mdriskill@worldnet.att.net> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 1:08 PM Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Lynchburg, VA Historical Society > > Dear friends, cousins and fellow researchers, > > Does anyone have the address for the Lynchburg Historical Society? My sister had a 1945 Catholic school newspaper she wants to donate to them. > > Thank you for your kind gift of time. > > Regards, > Margaret Driskill > mdriskill@att.net > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > The USGenWeb Project http://www.usgenweb.org > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB >

I believe Lynch Crossing was the crossing of the James River near present U. S 29 at Lynchburg. Candler Mountain starts about 3 miles south of Lynch Crossing and continues about 5 miles southwest to the junction of Candler Mountain Road and US 29 near the intersection of US 29 and US 460.

For those who are newcomers to our hobby, it has been said that 90% of the land on this continent was first described by the measurements called "metes and bounds"; that meaning by lines between monuments such as trees, piles of stones, creek banks, roads and prominet land features. Thus one of the boundaries to your tract might be "...from a giant oak in the ne corner of the land of Smith to the mill-house road, thence southeasterly along that road to Indian Creek....etc." The other (and usually sometime later) means of describing land that had NOT previously been platted was by "courses and distances." Such a description might read. From an iron pin in the northeast corner of the land known as the Peter Smith tract described in Deed Vol. 6, p 4., thence south 10 degrees west 183 feet to county road #650, then along the north side of that right-of-way a distance of 125 feet to the west edge of the Indian Creek...." As boundary questions arose, land was sold or mortgaged, and surveyors appeared at the edges of settlement, the old metes and bounds descriptions were reduced to courses and distances, and thus much more accuracy and precision came to all the settlers. Though such programs as AniMap do a great job in drawing "courses and distances" descriptions, they are MUCH less adaptable to "metes and bounds" since there, the direction in degrees is but seldom given. As someone said, if your part of the country has the wonderful USGS 7.5 minute Quadrangles ("topos";check with the Chamber of Comerce or any surveyor), by all means gain such of those as needed to include your ancestral tract. > Sometimes I think the old protractor and ruler method are better than computers. I did the same kind of drawing and land searches of neighbors several years ago and found several surprises and solved a 20 year old mystery. Surveyors using pole measurements were not stupid. One pole = 16.5 feet. One mile was 320 poles. So, to get the area in acres (if a rectangle) multiply one side by another (in poles) and divide by 160. If not a rectangle, use the old geometry and trig formulas. Use a dashed line to indicate creeks you can't figure, but with the math you can usually figure how much land is on the side with the creek. You may already know this, but if not, I hope it helps. > > Just out of curiosity - has anyone ever used any software for drawing up > tracts of land from deed/patent descriptions? I used a ruler and protractor > to try to draw it all to scale, but I found it really frustrating when the > descriptions included phrases like "down the creek as it meanders to the > beginning". How far was that? Where was that creek? Which way did it go? > It's not on any map. Oh, no! Not to a river where the line meanders down > that some indefinite distance too! How would software cope with something > like that? Can it use the estimated acres and the other surveyed lines to > mathematically estimate how long those vague meandering lines should be? > > > > Bob Jordan > jorbob@msn.com > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives Census Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/census/ > > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com >

Going back to 1777, does anyone know what the term "Bounty Land" means? Thanks. Debbie

Bounty Land = land granted by some arm of government by reason of service or contribution to that government, e.g., land granted to Rev. Vets by reason of their military service.

Sometimes I think the old protractor and ruler method are better than computers. I did the same kind of drawing and land searches of neighbors several years ago and found several surprises and solved a 20 year old mystery. Surveyors using pole measurements were not stupid. One pole = 16.5 feet. One mile was 320 poles. So, to get the area in acres (if a rectangle) multiply one side by another (in poles) and divide by 160. If not a rectangle, use the old geometry and trig formulas. Use a dashed line to indicate creeks you can't figure, but with the math you can usually figure how much land is on the side with the creek. You may already know this, but if not, I hope it helps. Just out of curiosity - has anyone ever used any software for drawing up tracts of land from deed/patent descriptions? I used a ruler and protractor to try to draw it all to scale, but I found it really frustrating when the descriptions included phrases like "down the creek as it meanders to the beginning". How far was that? Where was that creek? Which way did it go? It's not on any map. Oh, no! Not to a river where the line meanders down that some indefinite distance too! How would software cope with something like that? Can it use the estimated acres and the other surveyed lines to mathematically estimate how long those vague meandering lines should be? Bob Jordan jorbob@msn.com

The James River flows through the City of Lynchburg, Va.. Lynchs' Crossing was likely a ford where horses and wagons could cross the river.. and, yes. Candlers Mtn. road turns off Rt. 460 very near the intersection with Rt. 29.. I believe the mountain is North of 460 and east of 29 and is probably within the City Limits of Lynchburg.. Lynchburg is built on several large hills or small mountains.. Boats used to travel down the James to Richmond from Lynchburg. There were canals and locks in Richmond which allowed the boats to pass down the falls and into the lower James River where they could travel to the Cheaspeake Bay.. Part of the old canals can still be seen on canal St. in Richmond.. G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.