--WebTV-Mail-23507-2278 Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit In October 2000 I had the opportunity to see Vol. II of the St. Michael's records. It was at the home of David and Sherry Wilfong near Sugar Grove. Mrs. Wilfong graciously allowed me to look through the book at my leisure. The records it contains start in 1898. Mrs. Wilfong told me that the first volume of the records has disappeared and no one knows where it is. She said a man named Elmer Smith "from the university" had come through there forty or fifty years ago and borrowed vol. I in order to translate it (it was written in German). They never saw the book again. She thought Smith was from James Madison University in Harrisonburg. When I contacted the university library, they searched their records and told me they had no information whatsoever about the St. Michael's Church records. I have since been told that a copy of the translation can be found at the Library of Virginia at Richmond, but I cannot verify that. I did find a copy of the translation last year at the Central West Virginia Genealogy & History Library at Horner, West Virginia. The organization is also know as Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants. Horner is in Lewis County near Weston. The library has a web site at www.hackerscreek.com and they may be contacted by e-mail at [email protected] The translation of vol. I of the church records was done in 1966 by a George M. Smith. No university affiliation is given. This volume covers the period 1807-1881. The Naomi Wilfong to whom you referred is/was a relative of the David Wilfong I mentioned above. She wrote a Wilfong family history that contains some background on St. Michael's Church. She said it was first built as a log structure in 1794 and was called the Wilfong Church. It was renamed St. Michael's about 1807. The log church burned down and was rebuilt on the same site in 1925. That pretty much covers what I know about the old records of St. Michael's Church. Bill Rexroad Hutchinson, Kansas --WebTV-Mail-23507-2278 Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Message/RFC822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit Received: from smtpin-2207.public.lawson.webtv.net (172.16.213.137) by storefull-2356.public.lawson.webtv.net with WTV-SMTP; Sat, 12 Apr 2003 19:13:56 -0700 (PDT) Received: from barry.mail.mindspring.net (barry.mail.mindspring.net [207.69.200.25]) by smtpin-2207.public.lawson.webtv.net (WebTV_Postfix+sws) with ESMTP id 0950FFE1A for <[email protected]>; Sat, 12 Apr 2003 19:13:56 -0700 (PDT) Received: from user-2ivf764.dialup.mindspring.com ([165.247.156.196] helo=ibm10953.mindspring.com) by barry.mail.mindspring.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 194X0F-00080q-00 for [email protected]; Sat, 12 Apr 2003 22:13:55 -0400 Message-Id: <[email protected]> X-Sender: [email protected] X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.0.9 Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 22:07:20 -0400 To: [email protected] (Bill Rexroad) From: Norma & Ron <[email protected]> Subject: St Michaels Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed X-Brightmail: Message tested, results are inconclusive Bill, Can you tell me more about the St Michael's records? I understood that the early records, the first book, had disappeared. I think Naiomi Wilfong has the second book, is that true? My Philip Eckard was among the original members of the church... Ron --WebTV-Mail-23507-2278--
Bill, Thank you for the most informative letter. Two suggestions on where to look for the missing George Smith and book. Bridgewater College at Bridgewater, VA, which was founded by the Church of the Brethren and is very near to James Madison. Their web site is at www.bridgewater.edu Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, is German Lutheran and Reformed and houses most of the Pennsylvania church records. www.fandm.edu Another possibility is the University of VA. Would someone volunteer to see if this missing church book can be located? Yes, a copy is available via the Virginia State Library. This is the listing in the online catelog. There are 2 different accession numbers and it would appear that there is a microfilm of the original and also a printed copy of the translation. The microfilm should give the location of the records that were filmed. Author <http://eagle.vsla.edu/cgi-bin/bible.gateway?searchtype=author&conf=010000++++++++++++++&searcharg=St.+Michael's+Lutheran+Church+(Pendleton>St. Michael's Lutheran Church (Pendleton County, W. Va.) Title <http://eagle.vsla.edu/cgi-bin/bible.gateway?searchtype=title&conf=010000++++++++++++++&searcharg=Records%2c+1807-1881.>Records, 1807-1881. Record Ser. <http://eagle.vsla.edu/cgi-bin/bible.gateway?searchtype=title&conf=010000++++++++++++++&searcharg=Church+records+collection%3b+Lutheran.>Church records collection; Lutheran. Quantity 1 reel. Quantity 1 v. (46 p.). Format Accession 29831, microfilm. Background St. Michael's Lutheran Church, generally known as Wilfong's Church or Wildfang's Church, was organized as early as 1807, and perhaps earlier. Summary Register, 1807-1881, containing baptisms, 1807-1859, in German until ca. 1825; and communicants and confirmations, 1815-1881, in German until ca. 1828. Most of the baptismal records are entered chronologically, though some are entered randomly. All entries are recorded in English beginning in the 1830's. Available only on microfilm. (Accession 29831; Misc. reel 419) Summary The Parish Register, St. Michael's (Wildfang's) Church, 1807-1842, Pendleton County, West Virginia. This volume is a translation and transcription of the baptisms through 1842 and the communicants through 1828, with the exception of some communicants lists, 1820-1825, recorded in Accession 26625, Register, 1807-1881. Compiled by George M. Smith, 1966. Not available on microfilm. (Accession 26625) Cite As St. Michael's Lutheran Church (Pendleton County, W. Va.). [cite specific record used and dates]. Accession [cite specific accession no. used]. Church records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219. Nedra At 11:59 AM 4/13/2003 -0500, you wrote: >--WebTV-Mail-23507-2278 >Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=US-ASCII >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit > >In October 2000 I had the opportunity to see Vol. II of the St. >Michael's records. It was at the home of David and Sherry Wilfong near >Sugar Grove. Mrs. Wilfong graciously allowed me to look through the >book at my leisure. The records it contains start in 1898. > >Mrs. Wilfong told me that the first volume of the records has >disappeared and no one knows where it is. She said a man named Elmer >Smith "from the university" had come through there forty or fifty years >ago and borrowed vol. I in order to translate it (it was written in >German). They never saw the book again. She thought Smith was from >James Madison University in Harrisonburg. > >When I contacted the university library, they searched their records and >told me they had no information whatsoever about the St. Michael's >Church records. I have since been told that a copy of the translation >can be found at the Library of Virginia at Richmond, but I cannot verify >that. > >I did find a copy of the translation last year at the Central West >Virginia Genealogy & History Library at Horner, West Virginia. The >organization is also know as Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants. Horner >is in Lewis County near Weston. The library has a web site at >www.hackerscreek.com and they may be contacted by e-mail at >[email protected] > >The translation of vol. I of the church records was done in 1966 by a >George M. Smith. No university affiliation is given. This volume >covers the period 1807-1881. > >The Naomi Wilfong to whom you referred is/was a relative of the David >Wilfong I mentioned above. She wrote a Wilfong family history that >contains some background on St. Michael's Church. She said it was first >built as a log structure in 1794 and was called the Wilfong Church. It >was renamed St. Michael's about 1807. The log church burned down and >was rebuilt on the same site in 1925. > >That pretty much covers what I know about the old records of St. >Michael's Church. > >Bill Rexroad >Hutchinson, Kansas > > >--WebTV-Mail-23507-2278 >Content-Disposition: Inline >Content-Type: Message/RFC822 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit > >Received: from smtpin-2207.public.lawson.webtv.net (172.16.213.137) by > storefull-2356.public.lawson.webtv.net with WTV-SMTP; Sat, 12 Apr > 2003 19:13:56 -0700 (PDT) >Received: from barry.mail.mindspring.net (barry.mail.mindspring.net > [207.69.200.25]) by smtpin-2207.public.lawson.webtv.net > (WebTV_Postfix+sws) > with ESMTP id 0950FFE1A for <[email protected]>; Sat, 12 Apr 2003 > 19:13:56 -0700 (PDT) >Received: from user-2ivf764.dialup.mindspring.com ([165.247.156.196] > helo=ibm10953.mindspring.com) by barry.mail.mindspring.net with > esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 194X0F-00080q-00 for [email protected]; > Sat, 12 Apr 2003 22:13:55 -0400 >Message-Id: <[email protected]> >X-Sender: [email protected] >X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.0.9 >Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 22:07:20 -0400 >To: [email protected] (Bill Rexroad) >From: Norma & Ron <[email protected]> >Subject: St Michaels >Mime-Version: 1.0 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed >X-Brightmail: Message tested, results are inconclusive > >Bill, >Can you tell me more about the St Michael's records? >I understood that the early records, the first book, had >disappeared. I think Naiomi Wilfong has the second >book, is that true? My Philip Eckard was among the >original members of the church... > >Ron > > > >--WebTV-Mail-23507-2278-- > > >==== WVPENDLE Mailing List ==== >Genealogy without documentation is mythology!