NY TIMES May 10, 2003 Tall Tales of Appalachiaa By JOHN O'BRIEN GREEN BANK, W.Va. CBS is developing a reality TV series modeled after "The Beverly Hillbillies," the 60's sitcom. A poor family from a remote corner of southern Appalachia will be transported to a California mansion, the ensuing comic antics shown to America. Well, as a West Virginia farmer might say, that's a load of fertilizer. Having spent virtually my entire life in West Virginia, I can say with some authority that the strange, woebegone place called Appalachia and the hillbillies who inhabit it are a myth - one devised a century ago to justify outsiders' condescension and exploitation. In the 1870's, there was no "Appalachia." At that time, this mountainous stretch of the country from West Virginia to northern Georgia was one of the most prosperous agricultural areas in America. The people here drew upon their English, German and Scotch-Irish roots to create a variety of vibrant, peaceful cultures. But in the 1880's that started to change. Outsiders came, ones who didn't care about the thriving farms. They wanted raw materials for their factories, and the mountains had them. Our mountains were covered with the largest and oldest hardwood forest that people had ever seen. The coal deposits were the richest in the world. Industrialization came here like a cyclone roaring through the mountains. People like my ancestors were bullied, threatened and cheated out of their land. By 1920, timber companies had cut the entire forest. Most of the profits left the state along with the timber and coal. As the mountains were denuded, the industrialists portrayed the families they were robbing as "backward people" and themselves as the prophets of progress. The missionaries who often accepted large donations from the industrialists exaggerated the "otherness" of these strange people. "Local color" writers made brief visits to the mountains, then wrote fanciful books about the queer, violent mountain folk. As realistic as Harlequin romances, local-color books like Mary Murfree's "In the `Stranger People's' Country" were read and reviewed as journalistic accounts. College professors began to use them as textbooks in sociology classes. The news media took its part with the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud in the 1880's and 1890's - a conflict that as Altina L. Waller wrote in her book "Feud," was not really a family feud, but a war between coal mining interests and local interests. Corrupt politicians took isolated incidents and described them as a hillbilly feud. Reporters from the big cities wrote about "white savages" and "West Virginia barbarians." (The New York Times, for example, said of people in eastern Kentucky: "They are remarkably good shots and effective assassins," adding that they "are so accustomed to murder that they do not look upon it with the horror with which it is regarded in civilized communities.") Then, in 1897, the president of Berea College in Kentucky, William Goodell Frost, desperately trying to raise money for his failing institution, created a fund-raising campaign based on the idea of saving the people in the Appalachians from themselves. In an Atlantic Monthly article, Frost described the southern Appalachians as our "contemporary ancestors" waking up from a Rip van Winkle-type sleep and in need of help in joining modern America. Frost's article made mythic Appalachia and its backward hillbillies a permanent fixture in America's imaginary landscape. Many in the southern Appalachians are certainly poor, but the poverty grew out of the vagaries of the coal market and outsiders' control of resources. Industrialists and others, however, blamed the people for their own poverty, and this myth continues because it is entertaining to the Americans beyond the mountains. Some of the region's middle-class writers continue to churn out Gothic hillbilly tales, the descendants of local-color stories. This mythology has even been accepted by the people living here. Not long ago, one of the student counselors at West Virginia University told me that the most persistent problem she encounters is a lack of self-esteem. Bright, capable, young men and women do not think they belong in college because they are hillbillies. I have taught at a small private college in West Virginia. Ninety percent of the students were from out of state. The few West Virginians on campus huddled together in their own corner of the student union. They had become marginal people in their own state. My own father spent his life backing up, apologizing for the space he took up in the world. He took the hillbilly stereotype to heart and all of his life believed that he was backward and inferior - a despair I, too, have been trying to escape all of my life. The reality show that CBS is considering not only exploits my part of the world, it also separates struggling Appalachians from the rest of the American poor. If a television network proposed a "real life" show treating poor African-Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asians or Jews as curiosities, they, and all Americans of good will, would be justifiably outraged.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/290.454 Message Board Post: I dont know how old this Elizibeth Lucas is but I have a siter who is Elizibeth Lucas.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1906 Message Board Post: looking for the st. johns cemetery in brook's co. its location and how to get to the cemetery. need to find the grave of honor (wells) and husband richard brown. Iam told that they are buried there. thanks

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: McIntire/McIntyre/McEntire/McEntyre/McIngtier/Hyatt/Hiatt/Hiett Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1899.1.1 Message Board Post: Gwen, this was not my story but information given by Isaac McIntire who was born abt 1841, died 1904 in Muskingum Co OH. He was great grandson of Robert McIntire who was an early resident of Ohio/Brooke Co VA having settled on Buffalo Creek by 1786. Isaac wrote an article for the Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum Co OH in 1902. This is his account of where his ancestors were buried. Also written in early 1900s was a book by William Wells, a descendent of Ephraim Wells and Margaret McIntire. He records that Margaret's parents, Robert and Ann Hyatt McIntire, were buried in the McIntire-Wilson Cemetery on McCord road. So. . .these two cemeteries are either the same or someone has the story wrong. Either way, those accounts are from the early 1900s and any one who knew the truth is probably long gone. It was an interesting story though and something to consider for further research. In the meantime, I would be interested in hearing from anyone who comes across the names, William, John, Cornelius, Robert, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Katherine or Ann McIntire. I am also looking for information about the Hyatt family of Brooke Co in that same time frame. Thanks so much for your help. God Bless, Janet Currie

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1899.1 Message Board Post: To my knowledge, and I have asked elderly citizens of that area. No one knows of this cemetery. I think you have TWO stories mixed together.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1905.1 Message Board Post: I do know there are RANGOS here in Brooke county In the phone book there is Charles Rangos, 607 Wabash Avenue, Follansbee, WV 26037 Try that???

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/1905 Message Board Post: I am looking for any information on William (Bill) Rangos from Tricala, Greece. His wifes name was Stella..maiden name,Chopoulos. I am not sure of the spelling of her last name. Any information would be greatly appreciated. You can e mail me at RPasfield@comcast.net

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/5519/FCC.2ACE/1510.1 Message Board Post: Hello, I was searching ancestry.com for relatives of my grandparents and I came across your message in ancestry.com. My name is Rachel Wesson. I am the the granddaughter of Martin Busatti and Rose Jelsomeno. I think Annie was his sister. Any info would be welcomed. Sincerely, Rachel Wesson

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society will present Dr. David Dixon in its Monthly Lecture Series at 7 p.m., Thursday, 10 April 2003 at the Carnegie Public Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Dixon's topic will be Men Used to the Woods: Colonel Bouquet's Scouts and the Battle of Bushy Run. This presentation will focus on the 14 men who served as rangers for Colonel Henry Bouquet's relief expedition to Fort Pitt during the Pontiac Indian Uprising of 1763. Dr. Dixon will begin with a discussion of the paucity of experienced frontiersmen available in the Pennsylvania back country, and of the British military's need for such individuals during the conflict. For the first time, the identity of these men will be revealed and their backgrounds and later lived will be discussed. Dr. Dixon is a professor of History at Slippery Rock University, and Curator of the Old Stone House State Historic Site. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council's Commonwealth Speaker Program, and recently completed a manuscript for publication by the University of Oklahoma Press entitled Never Come to Peace Again: The Pontiac Indian Uprising of 1763 to 1765. For additional information, visit www.wpgs.org or email ProgramChair: Marilyn Cocchiola Holt: HoltM@CarnegieLibrary.org. Feel free to share this lecture info with other Email Lists.

Hi! I was wondering if anyone had an index or abstract book for land deeds in Brooke Co? I am looking for the earliest county deeds mentioning surname: McIntire/McIntyre/McEntire/McEntyre/McIngtier first names: William, John, and Cornelius, and any mention of wives for these three. I know there was also a Robert, but I can wait on that information until I get to the courthouse this summer. Thanks so much for the help, Janet Currie

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/505.617 Message Board Post: I am working on Henry Vandine. I don't know if it is any relation but I have come across Charles and Walter many times and also trying to make a connection. Henry is found in the 1920 and the 1910 census. In 1920 he was 69 living with a William J. Osburn his son-in-law and daughter Mary. Henry is my great grandfather. He was married several times my great grandmother was Ellen Wilt. Let me know if this helps you and we can connect some place. Helen from Calif.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1904 Message Board Post: Announcing the new CLARK-WV Surname mail list! Topic: The CLARK-WV mailing list is for the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Clark surname and variations in the state of West Virginia pre-Civil War & post Civil War era. This will include the Clark families that resided also in the state of Virginia. Discussion on the history & genealogy of this surname is encouraged. CLARK-WV Surname List Home page: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/clark-wv-l.htm To subscribe, send only the word SUBSCRIBE to CLARK-WV-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com Or to the Digest write to: CLARK-WV-D-REQUEST@rootsweb.com

Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 20:57:32 -0500 From: espowell@juno.com Early Bird Special for discount registration for the National Genealogy Society's 100th anniversary conference to be held in Pittsburgh May 28 through 31 at the new Convention center ends on Monday, MARCH 17. This annual conference is held in different cities nationally and won't be in the east again until 2007 when it will be held in Richmond, VA. Please consider attending this very special and unique opportunity to hear national speakers and authors give you special advice and tips on your problem areas in genealogy. For more information visit www.ngsgenealogy.org and click on the link for conferences. You can see the conference program under "schedule at a glance" under the sidebar link. The exhibit hall will be open for public inspection of all goods genealogical. Try out some software or peruse new books and CDs. Click on the Exhibits on the sidebar to see who has registered as an exhibitor so far. - ----------------------------------------------- Come to the ERIE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 160 East Front St., Erie on Tuesday evening, March 18, at 7 p.m. and learn more about how to find your ancestor in the U. S. Federal Census which has been taken every 10 years since 1790. This is one basic resource that gives us so much information, clues and insights into our ancestors. "Dancing Around the Neighborhood with the Census Taker: Why Did He Always Miss My Ancestor?" presented by Elissa Scalise Powell, Certified Genealogical Records Specialist (CGRS). The Federal Census is a wonderful and basic tool for genealogists, after vital records, but finding the ancestor can be a challenge. This lecture shows what type of information is on each census and gives the tools for gaining access to the information. Techniques, aside from indexes, will also be shown to help the researcher through some of the pitfalls of the records. Internet sources and resources will be discussed. The 1930 census will also be discussed. This event is free and open to all. For more information call the library at 814-451-6900. - ---------------------------------------------- On Tuesday, March 18, 2003, 7 p.m., NORTH HILLS GENEALOGISTS at the Northland Public Library, 300 Cumberland Rd., Pittsburgh is pleased to present: Family History and Genealogy Resources at The Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center,by David Grinnell, Acquisitions Archivist, of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (HSWP) Library Archives Dept. The Library and Archives houses 500,000 photographs and thousands of other original records and publications which document the unique history of Western Pennsylvania. The meeting is free and open to the public. PRE-PUBLICATION sales for Pioneer Cemeteries of Pine and Richland Townships, Allegheny County, PAa 500 page headstone reading of every tombstone in those two townships and histories of each cemetery which will be available in May. It can now be ordered through April 30 at a special price. Please see details and order at our web site www.northhillsgenealogists.org . - ----------------------------------------------------------- SLIPPERY ROCK HERITAGE ASSOCIATION - 15th ANNUAL GENEALOGICAL WORKSHOP WHERE: GARDEN GATE RESTAURANT meeting rooms 1029 New Castle Road, Prospect, PA.(724-865-2051) WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2003 8:00AM - REGISTRATION (coffee shop will open at 7am) 8:45 am Welcome - Start of workshop 4:00 pm - Close of workshop Noon Hot Buffet Lunch (roast beef, baked chicken, pasta, redskins, mixed vegies, soup, salad, rolls, beverage) Door Prizes, Vendor Break Program: 5 sessions to help Expand Your Research 1) Rubik's Cube Genealogy: A New Twist on Your Old Data - How to use timelines, lineage society applications, writing the family history, and other aspects to view and re- view your data to pick up new holes and clues and find your family and the records in which they may have appeared. 2) Directories - The Treasures within - Discover the wealth of information that directories can provide about your ancestor. This lecture will provide an overview of the types of directories along with the ins and outs of using directories to your advantage when researching your ancestors.. 3) Even When There Is No Will There Is a Way: Examining Probate Records - Just because your ancestor did not leave a Will is no reason to not examine the records of the Probate office. The details surrounding the distribution of your ancestor's property at the time of his death may surprise you, or give you that clue that furthers your research. 4) Searching Old Books in New Ways - Electronic Text Searching - With the advent of electronic text, a new world has opened to researchers.Now researchers can go beyond simple surname look-ups when searching old books which have been converted to electronic text. This talk will present an overview of some of the electronic text resources and strategies for searching. 5) Time and Money Saving Tips for Attending the NGS Conference - The National Genealogy Society 's National Conference is in Pittsburgh, May 28-> 31, 2003. This session will be great for those who don't know if they want to go to NGS Pittsburgh or not. It also shows the tricks of how to get the most out of a conference, and what can be done if you can't go. (Save money - See www.ngsgenealogy.org for "Early Bird" registration by 17 March 2003.) Speakers: Elissa Scalise Powell, CGRS - Conducts seminars and classroom genealogy courses, frequent speaker, researcher Janet McFarland - co-founder of Retrospect Publishing which specializes in full text searchable electronic reprints of Pennsylvania genealogical and historical books on CD-ROM. ALSO AVAILABLE: Vendors; Surname Research Swap List for those pre- registering; Photographer to copy your old photos (deposit required) or give quotes on minor photo restoration from 9am-1pm; LDS Computer Database Search For more information http://www.geniespeak.com/flyer2003.htm or email Helen Staiger: hmstaiger@zoominternet.net - ------------------------------------------------------------ Monday, March 24, 7:30 p.m. JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, at the Holocaust Center - Jewish Community Center, Robinson Building, 5738 Darlington Road, Pittsburgh, PA Time and Money Saving Tips for Attending the National Genealogical Society Conference in Pittsburgh presented by Elissa Powell, CGRS. Learn about what wonderful things await you if you attend the NGS conference and how to take advantage of this opportunity if your time or money is limited. Meeting is free and open to all. For more information contact Marilyn at MNewman714 @AOL.COM. - ------------------------------------------------------------ OHIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY conference April 24-26 in Columbus, Ohio. Please see www.OGS.org for program and information on this quality conference with nationally-known speakers.

Welcome to Pittsburgh The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society invites each of you to participate in the 2003 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States. Help us celebrate the 100th birthday of NGS while attending lectures with nationally known speakers; visiting hundreds of vendors at the exhibit hall; and interacting with thousands of other genealogists. The Conference will be held at the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh 28-31 May 2003. Additional information on the conference and hotels can be found at < http://www.wpgs.org > Click on the riverboat for registration form and more information. Please share this invitation with all of your friends in genealogy. _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FCC.2ACE/1903 Message Board Post: Seeking any and all information on James Hawley, John Hawley, Joseph Hawley, and second John Hawley found in the 1870 Wellsburg Census. I have the Hawley lineage documented back to 1686 in Maryland. Will be most happy to share information OR conduct research on a surname in the Maryland Records in return for information from the Wellsburg, Brooke Co., W.Va., area. Laura Hawley laurahawley@msn.com

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/1334.1 Message Board Post: i would love it if you could send me any givens info. my grandfathers name was ernie givens.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/1860.2.1 Message Board Post: Am a direct descendent of John Campbell, so yes I am very interested in your Campbell information. Please contact me at jjohnson18@carolina.rr.com Jan

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/1860.2 Message Board Post: Hello, I have the John Campbell Family information if anyone is intrested. Thanks Barb

Thomas R. Kelly was born about 1791 in Maryland and later moved to Brooke County, (West) Virginia, where he died on April 10, 1855. Because of his close association with Baltimore families in Brooke County, WV, I believe that he was probably from the Baltimore area. From Brooke County wills and deeds, we know that Thomas had a brother named John who also lived in Brooke County. John was married to Mary (last name unknown) and in the 1830 census had two sons under the age of 5 and one daughter under the age of 5. Thomas appears to have had three wives: 1) Elizabeth (last name unknown) shows up in the will of John in 1830. 2) Casander Fowler, daughter of William Fowler, married Thomas on August 22, 1841 in Brooke County. They had one son, William Thomas Kelly, born March 15, 1844. Casander died March 19, 1844. 3) Jane Stansbury, daughter of Elisha Stansbury and Ruth Ensor, married Thomas on January 9, 1845. They had four children: a) McKendree Kelly, born January 10, 1846 b) Mary E. Jane Kelly, born July 22, 1848 c) John Abraham Kelly, born December 5, 1850 d) another infant who died at birth on January 22, 1854 Thomas was appointed as an exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church on APril 10, 1843. If anyone has any information regarding Thomas or who his parents might be, I would appreciate hearing from them. Doug Kelly

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: HENNIS Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/FCC.2ACE/1902 Message Board Post: Looking for info on and descendents of David Hennis who appears in the 1830 and 1850 Brooke Co census. Also looking for descendents of Jeremiah Hennis who appears in the Brooke Co censuses for 1840, 1860 and 1870. Jeremiah served with the 1st WV Calvary. Did either of these men have a son named George W. Hennis.