Teaching School in Buckingham County

slate river ramblings . . . .

Courtesy Library of Virginia

Following an enthusiastic response to yesterday’s initial list of White Teachers in Buckingham in 1894-1895 , here is page two of the “Census of White Teachers.”

If you recognize a teacher, please leave a comment. . . .

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Buckingham Churches: Maysville Presbyterian

This is the church that I believe my great grandmother, Sallie Bett BRANCH attended as a child, in Buckingham County.

slate river ramblings . . . .

photo by Joanne Yeck

Yet another of the nineteen churches in Buckingham enumerated in Thomas Baldwin’s Gazetteer of the United States (1854) is Maysville Presbyterian Church. In 1822, Rev. John W. Fulton, licensed by Hanover Presbytery, was sent to Buckingham County to establish a church. Two years later, Rev. John Holt Rice, D.D. organized the new church with nine members. By 1830, the congregation had grown to thirty-nine. The church building pictured here was completed in 1838 and is beautifully maintained today. Closely resembling the Buckingham Courthouse, it is located in the town’s Historic District. As would be expected in Buckingham, its roof is made of slate.

In 1997, Carl Coleman Rosen, Sr. wrote the comprehensive History of Maysville Presbyterian Church Buckingham Court House, Virginia, 1824-1996. In it, Rosen quotes from History of Maysville Church: 1824-1888, written in May of 1888, by Rev. Thomas D. Bell: “Being at the…

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Benbow’s Farmhouse and the Mormons

This past Spring, a friend of mine, Judy Z, gifted me with a piece from her David Winter Cottages collection. She gave me Benbow’s Farmhouse and described it as having a very interesting connection to the Mormon church.

Researching further, I found that Benbow’s Farmhouse by David Winter Cottages was made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival in 1837, to Britain, of the first missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1840, Apostle Wilford Woodruff of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon or LDS) stayed with John and Jane Benbow at Hill Farm (Benbow’s Farmhouse) in Castle Frome, Herefordshire, and baptised many converts to the new religion in the farm pond. John Benbow himself had became a member of the Church and was responsible for the first printing of the Book of Mormon in Great Britain.

The image, David Winter – Benbow’s Farmhouse, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Queen of the May

Maypole

Consider the Maypoles of olden days with floral vines and colorful ribbons woven around a towering pole, commanded by the Queen of the May.

The little country school in Maryland that I attended for my first primary grades presented a May Day celebration that has been etched in my memories these sixty-four plus years. Boy – girl, boy – girl, boys in white shirts and trousers, girls in pale pastels, paired around the Maypole, each holding a colorful ribbon of crepe. Oh how I was mesmerized by the Maypole dance. As the the music began so did the May Pole dance, each boy facing each girl, skipping and weaving, over and under…. over and under…. over and under…. until the towering pole was a brightly woven tribute to our Queen of the May!

The Chronicles of Narnia

I have just finished all seven of the books in “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis. I learned that there are many ways to enter that mystical land of our dreams. A lowly coat closet could be an entry point, or a train station. Be especially cautious when gazing at a portrait of a sailing ship hanging upon a wall. When the sea waters begin flooding about your feet, you will be swept to Narnia for an adventure of a lifetime … and beyond.

The image, Inn at Perry Cabin, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

St Johns Chapel on Tilghman Island

We came upon this 1891 chapel on Tilghman Island Road and I stopped to take pictures. Two months later this quaint country church became a Kennedy Clan glamor place when the wedding of William Kennedy Smith was performed here. He married his girlfriend Anne Henry on a May Saturday then treated busloads of wedding guests to a reception and fireworks display at his $1.1 million waterfront farmhouse.

William Kennedy Smith, an infamous nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was acquitted of rape and battery in a televised 1991 Florida Court Case.

The image, St Johns Chapel, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

Hillwood Gardens

“All my hopes rest in me.”

The image, Hillwood Gardens, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

The Way We Were in 1909

“Confederate Soldiers – Defenders of the Rights of the States” — “Love Makes Memory Eternal.”

Courthouse Square, Charlottesville, Virginia

The image, Confederate Monument, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

President Woodrow Wilson

President Woodrow Wilson spoke to us yesterday in honor of Presidents’ Day at the Lyceum in Alexandria. Wilson is considered one of our native Virginian presidents, hence the honor. Mr. Wilson mentioned that there is someone out there who is saying mean things about him – Glenn Beck. Ain’t that the truth? HA!

The Lyceum sent out this information:

“One of eight U.S. presidents to be born in Virginia, Woodrow Wilson visited Alexandria on several occasions. On December 18, 1915, President Wilson and his new bride, Edith Galt, secretly traveled to Alexandria’s Union Station to depart for their honeymoon, eluding reporters and disappointing spectators who had gathered at the railroad station in Washington, D.C. On May 30, 1918, President Wilson had the honor of driving the first rivet into the keel of the Gunston Hall, the first ship constructed at the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation yard at Jones Point. Decades later, the bridge spanning the Potomac River, connecting Maryland with Alexandria at Jones Point, would be named for President Wilson.”

Historian Brian K. Hilton performed excellently in the portrayal of Woodrow Wilson.

The image, President Woodrow Wilson, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

Flight of the Bumblebee

Some say that these bees should not be capable of flight, however … this bumblebee received his flying specs from the Master Engineer. As the old song says, … “farther along, we will know all about it.” For now, earthly engineers must continue to delve into the Master’s plans, and bit by bit human knowledge will be enriched.

The image, Flight of the Bumblebee, was originally uploaded by Edna Barney. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.