Hello; I am looking for anyone realted to the following; I was in contact with Frances Marie Anderson Barrett in March 2000. I lost her somewhere along the line. Line Born and raised in Va since 1700's. Last address was Stephens City, Va in Mar 2000. Line down; Thomas Jefferson Brannon b 8 Nov/. 1870 d 3 Apr. 1957 and Frances Belle Largent b 31 Dec 1877 d 25 jan. 1945. dau. Dora Frances Brannon b 1913 Va. mar Richard Lester Anderson b 1908 Va. dau. Frances Marie Anderson b 1934 mar Charles Barrett. siblings of Frances Marie and other ch. of Thomas and Frances Belle are; Anderson surname at birth; Phyliss . 1933 ( Pittsnagle he d 1988) Ralph 1934 ,mar Beavers, Edgar . 1936 mar Butts. Faye 1941, mar Kursey. Shirely 1843 mar 1.Barron 2 Barron. Mary 1945 mar Silvrous( div.) Donna 1948 mar Barron. Harry 1951 mar Perkinsan ( div) Albert 1955 d 1955 (infant ) Anyone related please contact me. I am a 4th grt grandau of John Brannon b 1745 and Rebecca Baldwin b 1750. I have more info on this line . Will share. Maxine Baldwin Wilton ( I have 2 Baldwin connections) mom's and dad's. E mail New since contact in 2000 with Frances. [email protected]

I think the book has been available online in ebooks. Try searching Google. Shirley -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.298 / Virus Database: 265.6.4 - Release Date: 12/22/2004

Just curious if anyone might be privy or have this Book? I am certainly interested in the Wm Smethers listed? http://www.runningdeerslonghouse.com/webdoc38.htm The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 Undated 1607. List of first settlers at Jamestown Island, Virginia, in 1607 as noted by Captain John Smith: William Smethes

Hi all, Here are some more Letters to Santa. These are from "The Evening Leader," Richmond & Manchester, Va., Tuesday, December 11, 1900 issue, page 5. " Manchester, Va., Dec. 6, 1900, Dear Santa Claus-Please bring me these tools to fill up my tool-chest, a small supply of nails, about four pounds; wire nails are best. I want also very badly a live possum; two pairs of fantail pigeons; one pair of white rats, and a sled, if the winter is going to be snowy. Hoping that you see your way clear to bring me these things, I remain, Yours truly, HEINZ LOTTNER, 1413 Bainbridge Street, Manchester, Va." "Manchester, Va., Dec. 6, 1900, My Dear Santa,-I wish you a merry Christmas. I am going to get so many things from amamma. I wish you would bring poor little Ols a pair of shoes and stockings. She runs around barefooted all the winter. Please give Heinz the donkey at Myer's, and something nice to my mamma and Miss Brandis. I will buy papa something with the money in my bank. I am seven years old. Yours truly, HENRIETTA LOTTNER, 1412 Bainbridge Street, Manchester, Va." "Richmond, Va., Dec. 7, 1900, Dear Santa Claus-I will write you a few lines to tell you what I would like you to bring me. I have been a good boy. I would like a drum, a horn and a trunk to keep my clothes in, and some fire-works. I will go to bed early, because Grannie says if I dont you wont bring me a thing. Yours truly, GEORGE JOHNSTON, 1107 North Twenty-north Street, city." "Richmond, Va., Dec. 7, 1900, Dear Santa Tause-Me want you bring me some tandy, a drum, horn and a billy doat and dock in box and don't forget to bring Doodie more too. Dood by Santa Taus. Your little friend, JOHN S. JOHNSTON, 1107 North Twenty-ninth Street." "Dear Santa Claus-I want Christmas a man who plays the fiddle, wagon, books, candies, and nuts, don't forget me, Please. CHARLES PARKE WORD, 906 N 19th St." The writing is the way they were in the paper. Hope you enjoy these and I will post more soon. God bless, Beth [email protected]

Hope all of your wishes come true and all of your brick walls come tumbling down in the new year! Nancy This year's pages: Christmas Traditions in New Orleans: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Christmas_in_NewOrleans.html A Scottish Christmas: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Scottish_Christmas.html White Christmas: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/White_Christmas.html A Cowboy's Christmas: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/A_Cowboys_Christmas.html

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, June 6, 1907 WILLIAM B. BARGER whose funeral was held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, and whose remains were laid away in the Chariton Cemetery, was born at Lexington, Virginia, and was 45 years of age at the time of his death.  The deceased removed from Virginia to this county with his parents when about thirteen years of age and continued to reside here the rest of his life.  He was a self-made man growing up on a farm and providing himself with such school advantages as he enjoyed.  For a time he was engaged in teaching school. Later he read law with the firm of Stuart Bros. & Bartholomew in this city and upon being admitted to the bar engaged in the practice of his profession first at Lucas in this county removing to Chariton in 1888, since which time he has been here in the practice of law. MR. BARGER was united in marriage with AMANDA LEWIS, sister of S.W. LEWIS of Derby and JOHN W. and W.R. LEWIS of Ottumwa.  The deceased is survived by his wife and three children, LEWIS, CELENE and WILFRED, also by his brothers D.B. BARGER of Leroy and C.S. BARGER of Albia, and two married sisters living in this county. W.B. BARGER will long be remembered as a forceful and original character. Upon being admitted to the bar he at once took high rank as an able and successful lawyer.  He has from the start held a large and profitable clientage and has been regarded as one of the most successful trial lawyers in this part of the State.  He served three terms as Mayor of Chariton, one term as County Attorney and was the successful candidate in his party primaries as Lucas County's choice in the judicial convention of this district on two occasions.  He was a leading spirit in organizing Company H.I.N.G., and served as captain of that company.  He was active and prominent in the lodge life of this city being an officer of the supreme lodge of Knights of Pythias at the time of his death. MR. BARGER was a positive character, outspoken as to his likes and dislikes, he was not always tactful or tolerant.  He aroused strong antagonisms and at the same time made equally strong friendships.  He was honest and upright in all his business engagements.  He will be sincerely mourned by a large circle of loyal friends, and the entire community will deeply sympathize with his excellent family in the loss of a generous and loving husband and father.  There is subjoined here extracts from a few of the numerous letters of tribute and condolence received by the family. Hon. F.W. Eichelberger says: "Mr. Barger was an able and successful lawyer, a generous and warm hearted friend.  He was true to his clients, throwing his whole soul into their cases." Judge M.A. Roberts says: "He was aggressive and fearless and ambitious in the line of his profession, an able advocate and a successful lawyer.  In his death the bar of this district has lost one of its most distinguished members." Judge C.W. Vermillion says: "I have just learned with sincere sorrow of the death of Mr. Barger.  I knew him to be a man whose traits of character arouse and sustain warm friendships.  As a lawyer his work was distinguished by great energy and vigor and brought to him a large success at the bar." Judge Robert Sloan writes: "He was an excellent trial lawyer.  He sought to impress the jury with the merits of his case.  He was pleasant and companionable, well informed in history and general literature.  A delightful conversationalist.  I knew him very well personally and as a member of the bar practicing in my court and I can hardly realize that his life has ended." The above sketch appeared in the Ottumwa Courier, of last Friday.      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                   'TRIBUTES PAID' MRS. W.B. BARGER has received many messages of condolence from friends of her late husband, over the State: F.L. Ferris, Grand Chancellor of the K. of P. Lodge, Sioux City, writes: "I met Brother Barger at Grand Lodge, a number of times and was so impressed with his high mindedness and judicial ability that it would not have surprised me at any time, had I learned that he had been elevated to a position for which his talents, prior to his affliction, so eminently fitted him." W.W. Epps, of Ottumwa, writing of his connection with the order says: "He did special good work for the order as chairman of the judiciary committee.  His deep insight into legislation and his judicial turn of mind rendered him a valued member of that committee.  He was especially instrumental in the construction and passage of the statute creating the grand charity fund for the poor and distressed." At his funeral here on Thursday his brother Knights buried him in the honors of the order, of which he had long been an influential member.  Rev. Webster Hakes, Pastor of St. Andrew's Parish, preached a sermon of sympathetic power and then the sad procession moved forward and deposited Knight Barger's remains in the silent city of the dead, after the beautiful ritual exercises of the brotherhood. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert December 20, 2004 [email protected] http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialucas/Main.htm posted at this site with Nancee's permissioin

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, May 30, 1907 JOSEPHINE MILLAN, fifth daughter of HENRY and CAROLINE MILLAN, was born in Fairfax County, Virginia, near the District of Columbia, and died at her home in Chariton Sunday after a short illness with paralysis. In early childhood she moved with her parents to Palmyra, Mo., where she received her education. After the civil war the family came to Chariton, where she has since resided. JOSEPHINE was widely known, having been in the millinery business in this city for twenty-five years, retiring from business a few years since. She was a member of the Episcopal Church and a true Christian woman. By her many deeds of kindness and gentle manner she had endeared herself to a large circle of friends, by whom she will be sadly missed. She leaves three sisters, MRS. SUSANNA CUSTER, MISS MAGGIE MILLAN and MRS. POCAHONTAS HOOPER, and one brother, HENRY F. MILLAN, to mourn the loss of a loved and loving sister. Funeral services, conducted by Rev. Hakes, of the Episcopal Church, and Rev. Evans of the Methodist Church, were held at the home on, Tuesday afternoon, at 2:00 o'clock, and the remains laid to rest in the Chariton Cemetery. The sympathy of the community is extended to the bereaved ones. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert December 17, 2004 [email protected] http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialucas/Main.htm posted at this site with Nancee's permission

Hi all, It's time again for more of the old "Letters to Santa Claus" which I transcribe from some old Virginia newspapers for Christmas. The following are from "The Evening Leader," Richmond & Manchester, Va., Tuesday, December 11, 1900 issue, page 5. This section was called "Children Write to Santa Claus" back then.I typed them up the way the kids wrote them so if you see any spelling errors it is not mine this time :). Also I always spell Christmas the regular way not xmas. The first little fellow seems greedy! "Dear Santa Claus,-I want Xmas a drum, bicycle, a gun, a sled, a hook-and-ladder, a fire engine, a reel, a pair of reins, a bill goat and cart, a shovel, hoe, rake and pick, a plow, a donkey, a horse and wagon, a writing-desk, and pop-crackers, roman candles, sky-rockets and devil-chasers, candies, cakes and nuts a rat trap and evening leader. Good bye, WILLIAM E. WORD, JR. 8?06 N 10th st." "Dear Santa Claus,-I want you to bring me a Doll-trunk and a set of dishes and a set of doll-chairs and a wardrobe and some pop-crackers and a Devil Chaser a ring and bracelet and some nuts some candies and a gold pin. Good bye EVA SMITH 8?06 N 10th St Richmond Va" "Dear Santa Claus,-I want a nice doll all dressed in white. It must be a infant. And it must have lots of nice clothes. And a little trunk. And a cooking stove. And a nice machine. And a wardrobe. What time will you come. And a magic lantern. And bring papa a nice pair of gloves and a silk banchief and a mama a diamond ring and a nice hat pin Santa I think I am asking to much of you but I must have a set of dishes and a table and 3 table cloths and candy and nuts. I will close yours sincerely FRANCES SOUTHERN 2703 E Broad St. Richmond Va." "Dear Santa Claus,-I want Xmas a doll, go-cart, wind-mill, and heaps of good things. I am a little girl five years old. MARGARET WORD 8?06 North Tenth St" "Richmond Virginia December 8th, 1900 Dear Santa Claus,-This will be a very sad Christmas to me for last summer when mother and I were in the country my dear father died, and we miss him so much. I wish very much that you would bring me a nice pair of shoes, some nice story books, a sled, a nice large cocoa-nut cake and some nice candy. Please do not forget to bring my dear mother some nice presents. Yours truly CONSTANCE E. TINSLEY 106 North plum St Age 10 years" "Dear Santa Clause,-I am ten years old, I would like to have what I ask for, if possible could be gotten. I want a pair of stocking, a large doll, some pop-crackers, candy, some doll clothes, a work-box and a doll baby's carriage, large enough for the doll to get in. I recon you think I have asked for too much, but I don't. Please try to accomidate me. Yours truly, SADIE SELDEN 2804 E Grace Street, Richmond, Va." "Dear Santa Clause,-I want a wagon, a wheel-barrel, some Roman canels. And that is all I want. This letter is written by a little boy; so you must not expect it to be written very well. Yours truly, EDWARD SELDEN, 2804 East Grace Street." I will be posting more if you want. Also for some Letters to Santa for 1910 and 1912 please check my website: "Letters to Santa" at: http://vagenealogy.homestead.com/letterstoSanta.html Sorry you may get two postings of this e-mail as I forgot to sign my name the first time. God bless all, Beth [email protected]

Hi all, It's time again for more of the old "Letters to Santa Claus" which I transcribe from some old Virginia newspapers for Christmas. The following are from "The Evening Leader," Richmond & Manchester, Va., Tuesday, December 11, 1900 issue, page 5. This section was called "Children Write to Santa Claus" back then.I typed them up the way the kids wrote them so if you see any spelling errors it is not mine this time :). Also I always spell Christmas the regular way not xmas. The first little fellow seems greedy! "Dear Santa Claus,-I want Xmas a drum, bicycle, a gun, a sled, a hook-and-ladder, a fire engine, a reel, a pair of reins, a bill goat and cart, a shovel, hoe, rake and pick, a plow, a donkey, a horse and wagon, a writing-desk, and pop-crackers, roman candles, sky-rockets and devil-chasers, candies, cakes and nuts a rat trap and evening leader. Good bye, WILLIAM E. WORD, JR. 8?06 N 10th st." "Dear Santa Claus,-I want you to bring me a Doll-trunk and a set of dishes and a set of doll-chairs and a wardrobe and some pop-crackers and a Devil Chaser a ring and bracelet and some nuts some candies and a gold pin. Good bye EVA SMITH 8?06 N 10th St Richmond Va" "Dear Santa Claus,-I want a nice doll all dressed in white. It must be a infant. And it must have lots of nice clothes. And a little trunk. And a cooking stove. And a nice machine. And a wardrobe. What time will you come. And a magic lantern. And bring papa a nice pair of gloves and a silk banchief and a mama a diamond ring and a nice hat pin Santa I think I am asking to much of you but I must have a set of dishes and a table and 3 table cloths and candy and nuts. I will close yours sincerely FRANCES SOUTHERN 2703 E Broad St. Richmond Va." "Dear Santa Claus,-I want Xmas a doll, go-cart, wind-mill, and heaps of good things. I am a little girl five years old. MARGARET WORD 8?06 North Tenth St" "Richmond Virginia December 8th, 1900 Dear Santa Claus,-This will be a very sad Christmas to me for last summer when mother and I were in the country my dear father died, and we miss him so much. I wish very much that you would bring me a nice pair of shoes, some nice story books, a sled, a nice large cocoa-nut cake and some nice candy. Please do not forget to bring my dear mother some nice presents. Yours truly CONSTANCE E. TINSLEY 106 North plum St Age 10 years" "Dear Santa Clause,-I am ten years old, I would like to have what I ask for, if possible could be gotten. I want a pair of stocking, a large doll, some pop-crackers, candy, some doll clothes, a work-box and a doll baby's carriage, large enough for the doll to get in. I recon you think I have asked for too much, but I don't. Please try to accomidate me. Yours truly, SADIE SELDEN 2804 E Grace Street, Richmond, Va." "Dear Santa Clause,-I want a wagon, a wheel-barrel, some Roman canels. And that is all I want. This letter is written by a little boy; so you must not expect it to be written very well. Yours truly, EDWARD SELDEN, 2804 East Grace Street." I will be posting more if you want. Also for some Letters to Santa for 1910 and 1912 please check my website: "Letters to Santa" at: http://vagenealogy.homestead.com/letterstoSanta.html

Hi, There was no Brooks County ever in Virginia as far as I can find. There was a Brooke County which later became part of West Virginia, perhaps that may be the county they mean? God bless, Beth -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: [email protected] > > The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa > Thursday, March 14, 1907 > > NANCY LINDSEY, was born in Brooks County, Virginia, Feb. 18, 1818, and died > at the home of her niece, MRS. WM. YOST, in the north part of the city, > Wednesday, March 13, at the age of 89 years and 23 days. She moved with her > mother to Fulton County, Ill., (*can't read) brother, ELISHA LINDSEY with > whom she had made her home after the death of her parents. They resided on > a farm near Russell, for several years. Since the death of MR. and MRS. > LINDSEY about ten years ago, she has made her home with her niece, MRS. YOST > She was a good Christian woman, quiet and beloved by all. > > Funeral services were conducted at the home at 10 o'clock by Rev. Evans and > interment made in Chariton Cemetery. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert > December 7, 2004 > [email protected] > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialucas/Main.htm > posted at this site with Nancee's permission > > > ==== VIRGINIA Mailing List ==== > To post to the Virginia list send a message to: > [email protected] > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, March 14, 1907 NANCY LINDSEY, was born in Brooks County, Virginia, Feb. 18, 1818, and died at the home of her niece, MRS. WM. YOST, in the north part of the city, Wednesday, March 13, at the age of 89 years and 23 days. She moved with her mother to Fulton County, Ill., (*can't read) brother, ELISHA LINDSEY with whom she had made her home after the death of her parents. They resided on a farm near Russell, for several years. Since the death of MR. and MRS. LINDSEY about ten years ago, she has made her home with her niece, MRS. YOST She was a good Christian woman, quiet and beloved by all. Funeral services were conducted at the home at 10 o'clock by Rev. Evans and interment made in Chariton Cemetery. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert December 7, 2004 [email protected] http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialucas/Main.htm posted at this site with Nancee's permission

Digging it BY MARK ST. JOHN ERICKSON 247-4783 November 16, 2004 When the last bell rings at the end of the day, an impatient John Kravitz always puts on a burst of speed and sprints for the door. But these days the 17-year-old Kecoughtan High School student has a lot more on his mind after getting out of class than powering up his Xbox for a video game or busting a trick on his skateboard. Hopping in the car with his mom or dad, Kravitz rides to a corner near the old downtown Hampton waterfront, where he quickly says goodbye, jumps out and steps through a gap in a chainlink fence surrounding a hole-filled lot. There he picks up a heavy bucket of dirt, empties it into a screen-bottomed cradle laid across a wheelbarrow and begins his daily after-school grind of sifting meticulously through the soil. Bucket after bucket follows the first, interrupted only when the wheelbarrow fills and has to be pushed up and emptied at the top of an increasingly tall pile of spoils. But Kravitz doesn't seem to mind the monotony of his task, the physical demands it requires or the constant need to stay alert for signs of secrets lurking in the dirt. Just the other day he found an 18th-century military coat button, adding to a long list of artifacts that includes pipe bowls, animal bones, wine bottle fragments and pieces of pottery. And he knows that the only way to repeat the excitement of those discoveries is to keep sifting and paying attention. "Usually, I just hang around at home and play guitar and stuff - or I'll go outside and skateboard," says Kravitz, who now spends every weekday afternoon working as a volunteer at the downtown Hampton archaeological project. "But since the first day I came down here, I'd rather be doing this. The only thing that could keep me from coming here is two broken arms." Kravitz started working at the site nearly two months ago - after his mom and dad stopped by the dig on a walk through downtown Hampton. Ron Kravitz is an engineer. He's always had a strong interest in history. But Debbie Kravitz, who works as a preschool teacher at nearby First United Methodist Church, quickly saw something else as project archaeologist Hank Lutton talked to them about the excavation. "The whole time it kept going through my head - John would really love this!'" she says. "I've never been one to be bashful. So I just piped up and asked if they took volunteers." John's mom had good reason to believe that her son would jump at the chance to take a hands-on role in the excavation. When the boy was 2 years old, she says, she found him out in the backyard digging holes in the ground. He was imitating the archaeologists and paleontologists he had seen while watching the Discovery Channel with his dad. She also had heartfelt reasons for hoping that her son would experience the same kind of enthusiasm that had captured his imagination until he was about 5. Though John's intelligence test scores had always been high, his indifferent record at school showed the classic signs of an easily bored underachiever. He also struggled with a wavering concentration problem that was eventually diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. "He's a bright boy - a good boy. Except for his grades, I couldn't ask for a better son," Debbie says. "But we just didn't know what direction to point him in - and we've been praying for something like this to come along." Despite his mother's hope, the opportunity to work at the downtown dig could have been just as disappointing as almost every previous attempt to spark John's interest and imagination. Several other young people had already tried their hand at sifting for artifacts, Lutton says. And all but a few had quickly discovered that the work required a kind of attention that they weren't willing to give. "Screening for artifacts is like learning to walk. It's the baby steps of archaeology - and there are many days when it can be predictable and mundane," says Lutton, who supervises the dig for the James River Institute for Archaeology. "So if you're easily distracted or don't like working with details, it can probably be pretty mind-numbing. We deal with a lot of tiny pieces of information that have to be put together into something larger - and it's not for everyone." Nevertheless, the dig had another important characteristic that promised to connect with John's past interests. An avid baseball player, the teen had always enjoyed being part of a game in which long moments of waiting can be followed by intense bursts of excitement. And that's exactly the kind of experience that attracts many of the people who become archaeologists, Lutton says. "Archaeology is a lot like baseball. It's monotonous and repetitive most of the time - with lots of swings and misses," he explains. "But once you learn to play by the rules, there are times when you can see the tension building. And that's when things can start to happen very rapidly." Johns' first day of screening produced just such a reward in the form of an 18th-century tobacco pipe bowl. His second and third days included similar kinds of finds, beginning a long list of trophies that now includes ceramics, metal, animal bones, oyster shells and glass dating from mid-1600s to Civil War. Even on days when nothing exciting emerges from the dirt, however, Kravitz goes home feeling like he's done something important. And he returns each weekday afternoon - and early in the morning on his days off from school - to make sure he doesn't miss the chance to do more. In addition to the job of picking up buckets and screening, he's learned to sort and package the artifacts according to their location on the site and the layer of ground from which they were recovered. He also keeps them organized by type of material and the care they require, making sure, for example, that he bags fragile objects separately from the site's constant crop of heavy oyster shells. He pitches in at the end of the day, too, providing a lot of extra muscle with his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame as the archaeologists struggle to lay down the heavy waterproof fabric and sandbags used to cover and protect the dig. "He always helps us clean up in the evening - when all the rest of us are pretty tired from working all day," Lutton says. "He must think we're pretty old." Kravitz hates for each day to end - and not just because of the thrill he feels whenever he rescues an artifact from the dirt. Very quickly, he learned to recognize the potential importance of such small, seemingly insignificant objects in piecing together the bigger picture of Hampton's past, he says - and in the process he's learned to slow down and focus his previously unpredictable powers of concentration. "It's not just stuff we're digging up. It's pieces of history," he says. "And it's awesome to find something that no one knew was under the ground and be able to hold it in your hands." Similar changes seem to be taking place at school, where Kravitz's grades have improved noticeably over the past two months. The report card he brought home last week showed unexpected and welcome progress in every class, his mother says - and it was the best that she and her husband had seen for years. "It's been all good since John started working at the dig. Something has clicked," Debbie says. "We've always known he was a great kid. But I don't think he's ever had this kind of self- confidence. We hope it's the break that we've been waiting for." ========================================================= HAMPTON ROADS, VA. December 2, 2004 Bone yields clues to Colonial surgery -More details emerge about the 400-year-old skull fragment discovered in Jamestown this summer. BY MIKE HOLTZCLAW [email protected] The first known surgical patient in America was a European male. They'll never know his exact identity, but forensic analysts have revealed some demographic details of a skull fragment discovered in a Jamestown excavation this summer. The 400-year-old section of human skull was considered to be the earliest known evidence of surgery and autopsy in 17th-century America. Douglas Owsley, a forensic osteologist at the Smithsonian Institution, and Ashley McKeown, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Montana, determined the bone belonged to a male of European descent. "They could tell it was a male based on the robustness of the bone, and European because of the heavy lead content that was detected in the bone," Jamestown Rediscovery curator Bly Straube said Wednesday. "The lead was more reflective of a European - drinking out of a pewter vessel, eating off of a pewter plate - than of an Indian who wouldn't have had any access to lead." The skull fragment, approximately 4 by 5 inches, was found in an archeological dig in June. It was uncovered from a moat outside the Jamestown fort and was dated to approximately 1610, three years after John Smith and 104 other colonists established the settlement. Markings on the bone - circular cuts and saw marks - suggest an attempt to relieve pressure from a severe head wound, and later, an attempt at autopsy. In a news release, Jamestown curators identified a medical tool that had been unearthed more than a year earlier as a portion of a terrabellum, used to extract bullets. Straube said she recognized the instrument while looking at a plate showing tools devised by London surgeon John Woodall in the 17th century. The terrabellum - along with previously identified tools such as a Spatula mundani, used to treat severe constipation, and pieces of apothecary jars used to contain medicines and herbs - provide further details about the state of surgery and medical treatment among the early settlers. "The person who performed the procedure did not appear to be terribly adept at it," Straube said. "The surgeons at that time were not academically trained; they learned the craft through apprenticeships. The surgeons who went to sea were working without much supervision, and it seems as though some of the surgeons who came here were apprentices of John Woodall. What we've found here represents that whole learning curve. "That's what's so interesting about all of this: The question of 'What can you learn?' "

Alexandria National Cemetery was established by the Union Army in 1862. Of the 3,500+ soldiers buried here, more than 250 are African-American. Many were first buried at Freedmen's Cemetery (1001 S. Washington Street) but later re-interred at the National Cemetery. This database was created after a careful review of Volunteers for Freedom: Black Civil War Soldiers in Alexandria National Cemetery by Edward A. Miller, Jr., located in Local <>History/Special Collections. Miller's sources included -- but were not limited to -- pension files, military service records, and hospital records. He <>published earlier research on the topic in Historic Alexandria Quarterly (Fall 1998; Winter 1998). Arranged alphabetically by last name, the database includes information about the soldier's birth date, birthplace, condition/occupation at enlistment, date/place of enlistment, regiment/company, rank, date/place of discharge, post-military activities, and date of death/cause of death as reported by Miller. Wedding dates, names of wives, and names/birth dates of children are included when available. Researchers will want to examine Miller's volume for details that are highlighted in the "Notes" column. Photocopies of these biographical sketches are available. Contact the Library for details: Phone: 703.838.4577 ext.213; FAX: 703.706.3912. We are open: Monday-Thursday, 9 am - 9 pm; Friday, 9 am - 6 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm, Eastern. Please check the Alexandria Library's web page for holiday closures. The database may be viewed on <>our web site: www.alexandria.lib.va.us/lhsc_genealogy_resources/vols/vols.html <http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/lhsc_genealogy_resources/vols/vols.html> Leslie Anderson Morales, Reference Librarian Special Collections Alexandria Library 717 Queen Street Alexandria,VA 22314 (703) 838-4577 x207 http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/lhsc/special_collections_home.html

Safe and happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Nancy http://www.geocities.com/twincousin2334/All_things_in_good_plenty.html

Hi all, The library at GenealogyBuff has a few entries for Virginia there including a large list of Alexandria deaths. Also, you can put your Virginia surname in the window on the main page at http://www.genealogybuff.com to get data from various databases, some obscure. Hope this helps. Bill

If anyone could help me try to locate where my Enoch is buried, I would appreciate any leads... this is his info Ashby Book Vol. 2, Lee Fleming Reese published in 1976. According to this book, Enoch Ashby b. ca 1744 pb VA d between 2 June 1790-1808 Fauquier Co., VA. his 2nd wife Sarah Henley would be my line of desc, thanks, Nena

LIFE-Digging it BY MARK ST. JOHN ERICKSON 247-4783 November 16, 2004 When the last bell rings at the end of the day, an impatient John Kravitz always puts on a burst of speed and sprints for the door. But these days the 17-year-old Kecoughtan High School student has a lot more on his mind after getting out of class than powering up his Xbox for a video game or busting a trick on his skateboard. Hopping in the car with his mom or dad, Kravitz rides to a corner near the old downtown Hampton waterfront, where he quickly says goodbye, jumps out and steps through a gap in a chainlink fence surrounding a hole-filled lot. There he picks up a heavy bucket of dirt, empties it into a screen-bottomed cradle laid across a wheelbarrow and begins his daily after-school grind of sifting meticulously through the soil. Bucket after bucket follows the first, interrupted only when the wheelbarrow fills and has to be pushed up and emptied at the top of an increasingly tall pile of spoils. But Kravitz doesn't seem to mind the monotony of his task, the physical demands it requires or the constant need to stay alert for signs of secrets lurking in the dirt. Just the other day he found an 18th-century military coat button, adding to a long list of artifacts that includes pipe bowls, animal bones, wine bottle fragments and pieces of pottery. And he knows that the only way to repeat the excitement of those discoveries is to keep sifting and paying attention. "Usually, I just hang around at home and play guitar and stuff - or I'll go outside and skateboard," says Kravitz, who now spends every weekday afternoon working as a volunteer at the downtown Hampton archaeological project. "But since the first day I came down here, I'd rather be doing this. The only thing that could keep me from coming here is two broken arms." Kravitz started working at the site nearly two months ago - after his mom and dad stopped by the dig on a walk through downtown Hampton. Ron Kravitz is an engineer. He's always had a strong interest in history. But Debbie Kravitz, who works as a preschool teacher at nearby First United Methodist Church, quickly saw something else as project archaeologist Hank Lutton talked to them about the excavation. "The whole time it kept going through my head - John would really love this!'" she says. "I've never been one to be bashful. So I just piped up and asked if they took volunteers." John's mom had good reason to believe that her son would jump at the chance to take a hands-on role in the excavation. When the boy was 2 years old, she says, she found him out in the backyard digging holes in the ground. He was imitating the archaeologists and paleontologists he had seen while watching the Discovery Channel with his dad. She also had heartfelt reasons for hoping that her son would experience the same kind of enthusiasm that had captured his imagination until he was about 5. Though John's intelligence test scores had always been high, his indifferent record at school showed the classic signs of an easily bored underachiever. He also struggled with a wavering concentration problem that was eventually diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. "He's a bright boy - a good boy. Except for his grades, I couldn't ask for a better son," Debbie says. "But we just didn't know what direction to point him in - and we've been praying for something like this to come along." Despite his mother's hope, the opportunity to work at the downtown dig could have been just as disappointing as almost every previous attempt to spark John's interest and imagination. Several other young people had already tried their hand at sifting for artifacts, Lutton says. And all but a few had quickly discovered that the work required a kind of attention that they weren't willing to give. "Screening for artifacts is like learning to walk. It's the baby steps of archaeology - and there are many days when it can be predictable and mundane," says Lutton, who supervises the dig for the James River Institute for Archaeology. "So if you're easily distracted or don't like working with details, it can probably be pretty mind-numbing. We deal with a lot of tiny pieces of information that have to be put together into something larger - and it's not for everyone." Nevertheless, the dig had another important characteristic that promised to connect with John's past interests. An avid baseball player, the teen had always enjoyed being part of a game in which long moments of waiting can be followed by intense bursts of excitement. And that's exactly the kind of experience that attracts many of the people who become archaeologists, Lutton says. "Archaeology is a lot like baseball. It's monotonous and repetitive most of the time - with lots of swings and misses," he explains. "But once you learn to play by the rules, there are times when you can see the tension building. And that's when things can start to happen very rapidly." Johns' first day of screening produced just such a reward in the form of an 18th-century tobacco pipe bowl. His second and third days included similar kinds of finds, beginning a long list of trophies that now includes ceramics, metal, animal bones, oyster shells and glass dating from the mid-1600s to the Civil War. Even on days when nothing exciting emerges from the dirt, however, Kravitz goes home feeling like he's done something important. And he returns each weekday afternoon - and early in the morning on his days off from school - to make sure he doesn't miss the chance to do more. In addition to the job of picking up buckets and screening, he's learned to sort and package the artifacts according to their location on the site and the layer of ground from which they were recovered. He also keeps them organized by type of material and the care they require, making sure, for example, that he bags fragile objects separately from the site's constant crop of heavy oyster shells. He pitches in at the end of the day, too, providing a lot of extra muscle with his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame as the archaeologists struggle to lay down the heavy waterproof fabric and sandbags used to cover and protect the dig. "He always helps us clean up in the evening - when all the rest of us are pretty tired from working all day," Lutton says. "He must think we're pretty old." Kravitz hates for each day to end - and not just because of the thrill he feels whenever he rescues an artifact from the dirt. Very quickly, he learned to recognize the potential importance of such small, seemingly insignificant objects in piecing together the bigger picture of Hampton's past, he says - and in the process he's learned to slow down and focus his previously unpredictable powers of concentration. "It's not just stuff we're digging up. It's pieces of history," he says. "And it's awesome to find something that no one knew was under the ground and be able to hold it in your hands." Similar changes seem to be taking place at school, where Kravitz's grades have improved noticeably over the past two months. The report card he brought home last week showed unexpected and welcome progress in every class, his mother says - and it was the best that she and her husband had seen for years. "It's been all good since John started working at the dig. Something has clicked," Debbie says. "We've always known he was a great kid. But I don't think he's ever had this kind of self- confidence. We hope it's the break that we've been waiting for."

Google Genealogy Search Engine http://www.searchforancestors.com/google/searcher.html Resourece Page, Genealogy Sleuth http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htm Genealogical Research online http://www.genealogysearch.org/ GenSource I-Found-It Web Directory (Caution-some other pages on site are pay) http://gensource.com/ifoundit/ Linkpendium http://www.linkpendium.com/ Happy searching! Nancy, Baldridge, Cain, Carmichael, Courtney, Curtis, Dawkins, Doty, Garmon, Garrett, Hanon, Jackson, McCormick, Matthews, Osborne, Sharp, Stampley, Stringer, Turrentine, Warren, Yancey www.geocities.com/twincousin2334 ; www.thepastwhispers.com

Colonial America http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/index.html American Colonist's Library: Primary Source Documents http://www2.pitnet.net/primarysources/ America's First Families http://www.linkline.com/personal/xymox/ .......and some good VA sites: Virginia Genealogy Webring http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=vagenring;action=list Nancy Baldridge, Cain, Carmichael, Courtney, Curtis, Dawkins, Doty, Garmon, Garrett, Hanon, Jackson, McCormick, Matthews, Osborne, Sharp, Stampley, Stringer, Turrentine, Warren, Yancey www.geocities.com/twincousin2334 ; www.thepastwhispers.com

Service records are available at the National Archives in Washington, D. C.