CRHC Logo 
 
thanksgiving_decoration.jpg

Central Rappahannock
Heritage Center Newsletter
 
A place that loses its history loses it soul
Volume 5, Issue 11
November 2015
In This Issue
Message From The Chairman
Welcome New Members
The Daughters of the American Revolution and thier Local Connections
Caroline County Records Prove DAR Patriot Lineage
Can you help identify these photos?
On Sale: The Circle Unbroken
Quick Links
 
The Heritage Center gladly provides research services.  Please contact the center for rates.
 

Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m., the first Saturday of each month, 9:00 a.m. to noon or by appointment
 

Location: 

900 Barton Street #111 Fredericksburg, VA  22401

(540) 373-3704
 
Make a donation
  
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

 

Amazon Wishlist 

 

Click here to join the CRHC mailing list and stay up to date with what is happening at the Center! 
 
Message From The Chairman
 
The 5th annual Rappahannock Repast was a success on all counts-beautiful weather, lovely surroundings, excellent food, drink, and music, engaging guests, and money raised. Thanks to our hosts, sponsors, donors, and ticket holders for ensuring that this fundraiser was worth the effort! Our intent is to find a different venue each year. We welcome your ideas for a possible spot next year.
 
Mount Olive Baptist Church in Stafford County just hosted an event to expedite a national volunteer effort to index names of freed African-American slaves recorded by the Freedman's Bureau after the Civil War. Names are being entered into computer databases so they may be searched electronically. The hope is that this phase of a larger project will be completed by the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in September 2016. Providing access to this treasure trove of information will enable many black families to trace their ancestors, fill gaps in their family records, and inform present and future generations of their heritage.
 
That same goal guides the work of volunteers at the Heritage Center. Our volunteers daily enter data into our Past Perfect database enabling electronic searches by names of individuals, businesses, churches, property, cemeteries, etc., in the Central Rappahannock area. This ongoing effort enlarges the index of documents and photos in our collections and makes the information available to researchers near and far. Check out our website, come to the Center, or contact us via phone or email if you need help!


Barbara Barrett, Chairman
Board of Directors
  

Welcome New Members

Ms. Lisa Ledbetter
 
CRHC memberships support the important work done by the Center.  The Center fills a unique role in the region:  the preservation of our people's history, which we make available for research.  We are a 100% all volunteer, non-profit organization.

Please join us as part of the Heritage Center's preservation team!  As a CRHC member, you will be helping to preserve our priceless local history.  Click here to become a member today! 


Thank you for your support,

The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center
 
The Daughters of the American Revolution and their Local Connections

First a little background. In this locale, it is not unusual to meet someone who is a member of the DAR, but what do you know about the organization? The DAR was founded in 1890 and chartered by Congress in 1896. This period in history was marked by a revival in patriotism. Currently the DAR is 177,000 members strong, with nearly 3,000 chapters in the United States and 14 foreign countries. Their motto is: God, Home and Country. Their objectives are historic preservation, education and patriotism. Any woman 18 years or older, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership.

Eugenia Washington, great grandniece of General George Washington is DAR Member Number 1 on the Grand Roll. Miss Washington was born in 1838 near Charles Town, Virginia, now West Virginia. She came to Falmouth with her family just before the Civil War. Robert Knox visited Falmouth and saw the Misses Washingtons. In June 1863, he wrote ". . .saw my old friends the Misses Washingtons & had a very pleasant time indeed out there. Found them well . . ." Federal forces, commanded by a General Hancock had made their headquarters in the Washingtons' yard. "They had so much respect for the name of Washington that they let the Young ladies go to Washington whenever they desired & off [sic] course they have everything. They were dressed well & delighted to see me." Robert's description aside, the Washington family lost everything during the War.

In 1867, Eugenia Washington accepted a job with the post office department in Washington, DC. There she and three friends, Mary Desha, Mary Smith Lockwood, and Ellen Hardin Walworth founded the DAR. When Miss Eugie, as she was known, died in 1900, she was buried on her sister's farm, Glencairne in south Stafford. This year on Founders' Day, October 11, DAR members from across Virginia assembled at Miss Eugie's grave, to pay homage the DAR's 125th anniversary.


Beth Daly

Caroline County Records Prove DAR Patriot Lineage
 
Since 1892 the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) has had its annual convention in Washington, DC. This year, President General Lynn Forney Young presided over the convention held June 24th - 28th. The NSDAR and convention is often referred to as the DAR Continental Congress.   

At the close of Continental Congress it is customary to present the President General with a thank you gift. This year, a small group of DAR members decided the President General might enjoy knowing more about her family tree and each additional patriot found among the branches. This is no easy task since DAR requires proof for the patriot's service, the link between every generation and every person in the linage, from the patriot to the present DAR member. Months ago, the members set about researching and preparing the necessary paperwork. The documentation for several patriots was sent to Washington for the Registrar General's Office to review and approve.

On Saturday, June 20th a DAR member in Florida was desperately trying to finalize one of these supplemental applications of a George B. Isbell for the President General but, had hit a snag. The Registrar General's Office in Washington was requesting additional information proving the link between the patriot and his daughter. An online search had located a significant file among the Historic Court Records held at the Fredericksburg Courthouse. The file contained Caroline County Circuit Court records from 1828 concerning the estate settlement for George B. Isbell, the patriot in question. Travis Walker, archivist at the Fredericksburg Courthouse had located the file containing over sixty original hand-written pages. Now careful research needed to be done to determine if it contained any proof of a daughter named Mary "Polly" Isbell Walden, wife of Richard Walden. The proof had to be absolute since there were two men named George Isbell in the same area at the same time.

Arriving at the Courthouse on June 23rd the slow process began of going through the papers, line by line. Finally one sentence was found to support the father-daughter relationship. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, attention turned to documents at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center. A quick website search revealed three Caroline County files containing references to George B. Isbell, George Isbell, Polly Isbell, Polly Walden and Richard Walden. Original chancery and marriage records found at the Center "sealed the deal," proving beyond any doubt the father-daughter relationship!

Copies of these original documents were e-mailed to the Florida member, who by this time was in a cab making her way through Washington traffic to DAR headquarters, where over 3,000 members were gathering to attend Continental Congress.

On the last day of Continental Congress 2015, a delighted Mrs. Young, President General, NSDAR, was presented with her verified supplement applications.

A special thank you goes out to Diane Ballman, of the Heritage Center, for her much appreciated assistance.
 
   
Mary West Rumora

Can you help identify these photos?
Everett Shelton Collection                

Unidentified photo from the Everett Shelton Family Collection. (click on photo to enlarge)

Dena Cooper Collection

Unidentified photograph from the Dena Cooper Collection. (click on photo to enlarge)
The Circle Unbroken: Civil War Letters of the Knox Family of Fredericksburg

On sale now at the Heritage Center 
$29.70 for members 
$33.00 for non-members 
You can also purchase the book online from the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation
                         (click on image to order online)