Robert, I'm slow, but I'm back. Thanks for everyones patience & their replies. Sorry, I'm no help with James Johnson or Sturgill. I'm just beginning on Johnson. Should I run across either, I'll certainly pass it on to you. Jean Brand seems to be the one with lots of information on Johnson/Johnston. The information she sent to me & the list 11/1/00 has a James Campbell Johnston listed as being married to Amanda Jane Fields. He's listed as the son of Campbell Johnston, also in this line is a grandson to Campbell Johnston, listed as, James Harmon Johnston, the son of William Johnston. I saw no mention of Sturgill. My great grandmother was Juline Johnson (JBrand gave correction Julia Johnston) (b) 1862, Scott County, VA (d) abt.1938, Lee County, VA. mar. 11-13-1878, Scott County, VA, James Bledsoe (b) 1855, Fairview, Scott, VA (d) March 13, 1933, St. Charles, Lee, VA. Their son, my grandfather, Evan Parkey Bledsoe (b) 1879 Lee County, VA (d) 1912 (Pennington Gap, VA, in mine explosion). mar. Nov. 11, 1907 Victoria A. Sprinkle (b) Nov. 19, 1877, Fairview, Scott County, VA (d) May 5, 1943, in Fairview, Scott, VA. parents of Victoria A. Sprinkle: Wesley C. Sprinkle (b) 12-5-1846 (d) 11-25-1943 married 12-26-1873 Lina Elizabeth Gilliam (b) 7-3-1857 (d) 11- 8-1928 (Thurs.) Fairview, Scott, VA Evan Parkey Bledsoe & Victoria A. Sprinkle had two children. The 1st was my Mother: Edith Gertrude Bledsoe (b) June 13, 1910, St. Charles, Lee, VA. (d) April 22, 1979, Houston, TX (buried Dallas, TX). mar. Oct. 17, 1926, Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, TN, Vivian Harris (b) Aug 8, 1906, Cleburne, Johnson County, TX. (d) Mar. 15, 1970, Dallas, TX Edith G. Bledsoe & Vivian Harris had six children. I am the 4th child. Mary Evelyn Harris (b) October 21, 1937, Roda (Happy Hollow), Wise, VA To answer your question dated 10/30/00: What families are you looking for in this line, of Johnsons, Gilliams and Bledsoe? I'll just focus here, on the children of James Bledsoe and Juline Johnson (Julia Johnston), as Jean Brand was also generous enough to give me ancestors in her notes of 11/1/00, for Bledsoe and Johnson/Johnston. Margaret L. Sopp has posted twice for me on Sprinkle, so I've got to get back to her. I'm searching for information about my grandfather, Evan Parkey Bledsoe's death. I was able to obtain a death certificate on his wife, my grandmother, Victoria Sprinkle, but VA vital records couldn't find his records. He had set a charge in the mines & went back after a delayed time, then it went off, sending a big boulder down on his head, killing him. This my parents told me. Grandmother Sprinkle and her family had passed this on to my Mother, Edith. We know that she was only two (2) years old, when he died. I have a receipt in the name, E.P. Bledsoe, dated Jan. 12, 1912 for money paid on assignment #269 and camp dues to Mar. 31, 1912 in Pennington Camp No 12332 M. W. of A., Pennington Gap, VA. That's the latest one I have. Most items show only E.P. Bledsoe. I do have a receipt where he signed it Parkey. It was from R. J. Wood & Sons store, in Pennington Gap, Va. He loved cigars, I know. I see where he bought them & Mama kept a few of the empty boxes, which I have. I also have receipts showing him in Coaldale, WV, from J.G. Lipford, General Merchant, Glatto, WV. His first wife was Martha J. Napier. They divorced in Mar. 1904 & he received custody of their two children, David & Ollie. He married my grandmother, Victoria A. Sprinkle in Nov. 1907 Mama also kept their love letters. She also kept her own and our Father's, which is a treasure to us, their children. I have a statement from Bondurant Coal and Coke Co. Inc. Exclusive Miners and Shippers of The Celebrated Virginia Blue Gem Coal, dated July 13, 1912, which reads: Recd of Victoria Bledsoe: Policy of Evans Park Bledsoe Benefit Certificate #2066304 for the amt. of 1000.00 signed: P.C. Zearly counsol, Pennington Camp #12332 MWA, Pennington, VA I would say that would be his death policy? In those days the women did not handle the business. I don't know what the situation was, but do know that she didn't receive any of the money. It went to Evan Parkey Bledsoe's father, James Bledsoe and she returned to her father's home, Wesley C. Sprinkle, with their two small children, Edith & Ressie & remained, until her death in 1943. My Mother Edith Gertrude Bledsoe had a great memory, kept in touch with lots of her cousins, aunts, & uncles and oh how I wished I had kept better notes & listened more. I'd be happy to exchange any of those letters with the relative on the receiving end, for ones my Mother wrote. Her grandparents, James Bledsoe & Juline Johnson (Julia Johnston) had six children: Evan Parkey Bledsoe Jeff Bledsoe Andrew Bledsoe Elizabeth Margaret Bledsoe William (Bill) Bledsoe Phronie Bledsoe I don't have a name of the wife or children of Jeff Bledsoe, my grandfather, E.P. Bledsoe's brother. Then, upon rereading papers, of the sale of the homeplace in 1975, to the cousin living there, I see one child, Hobert Bledsoe. I don't have a name of the 1st or 2nd wife of his brother Andrew. Edith talked a lot about his children Polly & Hassie and their half brother Conley Bledsoe. Older family members spoke of the second wife placing the girls in an orphanage, when Andrew died. I have nothing to varify this. I have photos of all three of them taken on Edith's visit in 1975 or the one in 1977. I see from letters that Polly married, Homer Stout and had a son & daughter. I see that Hassie married Elmer Lundy and their children are Ina Lee, Gail, & Deborah Lynn Lundy. I believe they also had a boy, but I don't have a name. I have a photo of Aunt Eliza, taken between 1960-1978. I believe this is Parkey's sister Elizabeth Margaret Bledse. I have two husbands listed for her. I have a Mr. Vandergriff and a daughter, Virgie Vandergriff. The other name I have is a Mr. Phillips. I believe their daughter is Estelle Phillips, who married Harold Fleenor. I know my Mother, Edith visited with them on the Bledsoe homeplace in St. Charles, Lee, VA in the 1970s, which she enjoyed greatly. I don't have anything on William (Bill) Bledsoe except a photo taken of him standing on his porch between 1960-1978. He was also mentioned in letters grandfather, E. Parkey Bledsoe, wrote to his wife, Victoria. I have a photo of Phronie Bledsoe with her three children, when they were small. I have she married a Mr. Wells. I don't know if he was kin to Claude Wells, who married Virgie Belle Sprinkle. One of my notes mentions, Odyett Wells and Idle Fair Wells. I sure have a lot of notes to clear up? Of the children from Evan Parkey Bledsoe's first marriage, David Felix Bledsoe (b) Dec. 22, 1902, St. Charles, Lee, VA (d) April 10, 1973 WV and buried London Cemetery, Kanawha County, WV. married Nov. 18, 1929, Wise, Wise, VA, a sister of my Father, Vivian Harris, so I have 12 half double cousins, I guess you'd say. His wife is Birdie Rachel Harris (b) Mar. 11, 1911, Roda, Wise, VA. She lives in Sutton, WV. Ten of their children live mostly in that area. I'll be happy to give those interested, all their children's names, births and grandchildren of what ever I have. Same for Edith's six children and her sister, Ressie. David's sister, Ollie Sophronie Bledsoe had no children. I believe she had a step daughter, last name Martin. I have photos of her step grandchildren. She spent time in my home of Irving, TX in 1959. Also more time visiting, in home of my parents in 1960s in Lancaster, TX. (near Dallas). She lived in Kansas. Oh yes, on the Gilliam side. I don't have a maiden name for that gg grandmother, only Martha Ann married to Thomas Gilliam. This was passed on from a great aunt, Annie May Sprinkle, who died July 26, 1981, Plano, Collin County, TX. (near Dallas). I have three sisters living and we keep copying for each other, whatever, large or small we have, our Mother left us. We also, all hope to make a trip back to Virginia next spring or summer together. I sure hope this is not too long. I've yet to learn how to list 1. 2.i. 3. ii and etc. I'm working on it. Thank you, Mary Harris Carey ([email protected])