Staunton Virginia

Staunton Virginia, situated in the Shenandoah Valley region, is a city steeped in history with a rich cultural backdrop, established in 1747. The city serves as the county seat of Augusta County, though it is an independent city, not governed by the county. Staunton’s formation was influenced by its strategic location at the crossroads of major Native American trails, which later became vital for colonial expansion and trade. Its name, pronounced “Stan-ton,” is attributed to Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife to the colonial governor of Virginia, Sir William Gooch, although the exact origins of this naming are somewhat apocryphal and debated. Staunton’s geography, characterized by its picturesque landscapes within the Valley, has made it a natural corridor for migration and commerce. The city has a notable history of educational and cultural development, being the birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson and home to the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, established in 1839.

Biography of Tams Bixby

When historians of the future write of the state of Oklahoma, or recite the romance of the American Indian, they needs must tell the story of Tams Bixby. Above his signature five great Indian nations ceased to be, one hundred and one thousand red-men foreswore allegiance to their tribal chieftains to become citizens of the United States and twenty-one million acres of Indian hunting grounds were made ready for admission to the Union. It was in 1897 that Tams Bixby left Minnesota, where he had gained national prominence as chairman of the Republican state central committee and came to Indian … Read more

Letter from John Crosby, Deputy Clerk, to Franklin D. Love

Staunton, Virginia, May 13th, 1903. Mr. F.D. Love, Georgetown, Texas. Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of the 14th, of April, last, addressed to the Clerk, which has been handed to me by him for reply. Our records run back to 1745, the records show the names of Robert, Samuel, Ephriam and Joseph Love, who came to this county from Pennsylvania about 1747, but as these old records are poorly indexed and some of them not indexed at all, it is quite a laborious task to look up matters of this character, and I could not undertake … Read more

Genealogy of the Lewis family in America

Free: Genealogy of the Lewis family in America, from the middle of the seventeenth century down to the present time. Download the full manuscript. About the middle of the seventeenth century four brothers of the Lewis family left Wales, viz.: Samuel, went to Portugal; nothing more is known of him; William, married a Miss McClelland, and died in Ireland, leaving only one son, Andrew; General Robert, died in Gloucester county, Va. ; and John, died in Hanover county, Va. It is Andrews descendants who are featured in the manuscript.

Biography of William Horner Cocke

With various corporate interests William Horner Cocke has been closely associated, these various business enterprises benefiting by the stimulus of his industry, keen sagacity and capable management. He has made for himself a most creditable position in business circles and since 1908 has been president and general manager of the Commercial Acid Company which in 1918 became the Southern Acid & Sulphur Company of St. Louis, while with various other concerns he is also associated as stockholder or official. He was born in City Point, Virginia, September 12, 1874. His father, Henry Teller Cocke, was born in Prince George county, … Read more

Biography of Rev. St. Michael Fackler

THE REV. ST. MICHAEL FACKLER. – The Reverend Mr. Fackler was the first clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church in Oregon. He was a native of Staunton, Virginia, first moved to Missouri, and then crossed the plains for his health in the year 1847. This was greatly improved by the trip; and he soon undertook such work as he could do, teaching and preaching as opportunity offered. For a short time he taught in the Methodist school at Salem, the progenitor of the present Willamette University. At an early day he secured a farm not far from Butteville, where he … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John McKinney

John McKinney, of Staunton, Virginia, served in the American army during the latter part of the revolution, and had his thigh broken by a musket ball, which lamed him for life. He settled at Lexington, Kentucky, where he taught school, and was elected Sheriff of the County. He married a Mexican woman, by whom he raised a large family. In 1805 he came to Missouri on a trading and prospecting tour, and in 1809 he moved his family here. When the Indian war began, he took his family back to Kentucky, to get them out of danger. His son Alexander … Read more

Biography of James W. Miller

Was born near Staunton, Augusta county, Virginia, May 14, 1823, where he lived with his parents, George M. and Margaret A. Miller, until his fourteenth year. He received a common school education, having attended the early subscription schools of his native county. Leaving home in 1836, he went to Lexington, Rockbridge county, Virginia, where he was employed as a clerk in the store of Moore & McCue, remaining with them until 1840, when he was employed in the same capacity by Samuel B. Finley, of the same place. From Lexington he went to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1842, and accepted a … Read more