Nestled in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains within Rappahannock County lies the quaint village of Washington Virginia. Founded in 1796 by the Virginia General Assembly on land previously owned by George Calvert, James Jett Jr., and James Wheeler, the town proudly bears the name of the United States’ inaugural president. Recognized for its historical significance, the entirety of the village is enshrined on the National Register of Historic Places as the Washington Historic District.
David Shanks is descended from Thomas Shanks, who was living in Washington Township, York County, Pennsylvania by 1763 when he first appears on a land warrant there. The genealogy then deals with the descendants of David and Hannah Morrison Shanks of Amsterdam, Botetourt County, Virginia, the second son of said Thomas.
WILLIAM A. WETZELL. – The gentleman of whom we write was born in Washington, Virginia, on October 3, 1852. His parents are Jefferson and Catherine Wetzell, of good old Virginia stock. He lived with his parents in Virginia until 1861, when they moved to Farmer City, where William A. attended the public schools. At the early age of seventeen years he began teaching in the same. In 1876 he was admitted to the Illinois Wesleyan University, where he took an eclectic course, and was regarded as one of the brightest and most promising students of that institution. After finishing the … Read more