This is my Uncle Jim, my Dad's oldest brother. This is how I remember him looking.  His full name was James Gibson Alexander and he was born 20 Jan 1916 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. 

Yesterday, I discovered that his name was originally going to be James Lewis Alexander, after his father's uncle James Gibson.  But when my grandfather found out that James Gibson's middle name was Lindsay, he didn't want that for a middle name.  So they settled on Gibson. 

I discovered this tidbit from a letter written on 25 January 1916 by my great-aunt Josephine Fultz to her sister Draper.  She apparently was answering several "fool questions" that Draper had written asking about the new baby.  Draper Fultz was a nurse at Stuart Circle Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, at the time. 

Jo wrote that "Jimmie weighs 9 lbs." and "His face is exceedingly round, and at present sorta yellowish with several red specks on it".  She added that instead of describing his hair, she would send a sample of it.  And she did, pictured below. She said the sample looked "like a snake doctor with pink wings".

She also refers to herself as "Aunt Josie", a nickname I never heard anyone call her. Then she goes on to explain the name change.  She said everyone else except his father, John Addison Alexander, wanted him to be John A. Jr., but John Sr said John was so common. Funny thing is that their third son, my father, was named John A., Jr.  Maybe it just took a while for him to get used to the idea.

On 3 Apr 1860, this article appeared in the "Staunton Spectator".

William Cowper Alexander (1806-1874) was a son of the Archibald Alexander who was a famous Presbyterian minister at Princeton.  According to online sources, William C. Alexander graduated from Princeton and was admitted to the New Jersey bar.  However, it seems that he pursued a career in politics before settling down in the insurance business.

Alexander was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, which convened on 23 Apr 1860 and ended in a deadlock without choosing a Presidential candidate.  At a second convention in Baltimore in May 1860, Alexander allegedly received one vote for the Vice Presidency.  He later became President of Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York City. I have not found any indication that he ever married.

William Cowper Alexander was my second cousin five times removed.  

This is the kind of thing I find on Ancestry.com that I love. It is a copy of my Aunt Nannie's passport application dated 1923.

 

According to this, she was sailing on the ship Pan American to go sightseeing in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.  I barely new Aunt Nannie; and when I did, she was bedridden.  So I am glad to see that she got to have a little adventure in her life.  I assume she traveled with someone, but I don't know who.  This is the photo that accompanied the application:

Aunt Nannie was officially Nancy Belle Alexander (1878-1958), my dad's father's sister.  She also was a daughter of the James W. Alexander who died at the age of 37 about whom I recently blogged. 

She graduated in nursing from State Normal School for Women, now known as Longwood University, in Farmville, Virginia.  To be more precise, I have letters that she wrote home from Farmville and she was a trained nurse; so I assume that's where she was trained. 

Dated 28 Oct 1885, this death notice in the "Staunton Spectator" is for Ann Eliza Gibson Alexander, wife of Dr. John Alexander, daughter of John Gibson, mother of James William Alexander, and one of my great-great-grandmothers (and yours, too, Alec).  She and her husband are buried at Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church.  They have one of the prettiest tombstones, I think.  I may have posted it before.  Here it is:

I also have a "copy" of her death certificate from Virginia vital records. It is a transcript of a record of death and looks like this:

Again, continuing from yesterday, I found the obituary for James William Alexander in the Staunton, Virginia newspaper.

I hope you can read this article.  It was located on the page under an obituary for James's grandfather, John Gibson, who died 2 days before he did. How sad for the family. This says that James William Alexander was a modest man. He studied at Washington & Lee University, was in business, served as County Steward and Superintendent of the Poor.  He was only 37 when he died. 

As was the custom of the time, his wife, Sallie Gibson Alexander, had to petition the court to become guardian of her children.  Outrageous by today's standards, but progressive for that time.  About 30 years earlier, Sallie's father died while she was underage--he was about 50 years old.  Another male family member, not her mother, was appointed guardian for Sallie & her two brothers.  About 30 years later, my grandfather, Sallie's & James' son John Addison Alexander, died at the age of 38.  My grandmother apparently did not have to be appointed guardian of her children.  

The first house I remember living in was, I believe, the house where James & Sallie lived with their children. I'll have to figure out where the grandfather lived one of these days.

This is the man in the closet.

It's a photograph of a painting of James William Alexander, my great-grandfather.  When I was a little girl and we lived "on the farm", this painting was in the back of a huge closet that was at the top of the stairs just outside my bedroom.  It's not small.  It's about 24 inches by 36 inches, including the chalk frame.  My sister says she remembers being spooked by the portrait.

James Alexander was born in 1853 and died in 1890, so this portrait is over 100 years old now.

I now own the portrait. And, yes, it's in my closet.

And now for something a little different.

My big sister introduced me to Middle Sister wines...because I AM the middle sister.  I just found out that the web site (http://www.middlesisterwines.com) lets you take a quiz to see what kind of middle sister you are!  Here's my result:

You're a Smarty Pants. Yeah, you know who you are. You were the first one to raise your hand, finish the test, and make a million. If only you weren't so tall, beautiful and well-dressed, we'd really hate you. Seriously, anybody would be lucky to have you as a friend. You complete us. Because you always have lots of Smarty Pants Chardonnay to share and if we ever travel abroad you speak five languages.




Well I can't say it's all true, but I am often the first to raise my hand and finish the test.

Continuing the family from yesterday....

Jennings Motley Jeffress married Susan D. Finch.  He actually had three wives and Susan was the middle one.  I didn't know about her until fairly recently.  I found Jennings Jeffress's will in which he gave his daughter Susan Emma Jeffress (my great-great grandmother) "her Mama's gold watch and all the silver spoons marked F".  That was the first hint that her mother's name began with "F".  The will was part of a chancery record that I reviewed at the Library of Virginia.

Then I found indexed marriage records for Jennings Jeffress.  He first married Margaret "Peggy" Moseley in 1812 in Charlotte County, second Susan D. Finch in 1812 in Charlotte County, and third Jane Pettus in 1841 in Mecklenburg County. His will mentions his wife Jane, which further supports  that she was his last wife.

During the past month, I was looking through a book that the Virginia Genealogical Society had published that indexed marriages from the Richmond, Virginia, papers. I was actually looking for a Jenkins and noticed the name Jennings.  That led me to the microfilms at the Library of Virginia where I found the following notice of the 21 November 1827 marriage of J.M. Jeffress and Miss Susan D. Finch, the only daughter of Thomas Finch, all of Charlotte Co.  This was published in the Richmond Enquirer on 22 December 1827.

Sadly, I also found in the Richmond Enquirer dated 25 February 1840, the obituary for Susan D. Jeffriess, wife of Capt. Jennings M. Jeffriess on 13 February 1840.

And, also the obituary for Capt. Jennings M. Jeffress appeared in the Richmond Enquirer on .
7 May 1852. He died suddenly on 22 march 1852 in Clarksville, Virginia.

 

Not a 5th-great grandparent, Thomas Jeffress was merely a 4th-great grandparent and this is his will.  The will was proven in Lunenburg County, Virginia, on 12 August 1822. Again, I obtained this copy from the Library of Virginia's microfilm, Lunenburg County Will Book 8 pages 241-242.  He mentions his "beloved wife" but does name indicate her name.

The will mentions children Lucretia, Jennings, Polly, James, Eliza, Nancy, Lucinda, and Jane, in that order.  Because he further mentions that Jennings and Lucretia will inherit land from their grandfather, I assume that they had a different mother than the other children.  At least one SAR application paper lists Jennings's mother as a Ms. Motley, which makes sense because his middle name was Motley.

Thomas Jeffress's son Jennings Motley Jeffress married Susan D. Finch, whose daughter Susan Emma Jeffress married James W. Love, whose daughter Mamie Elizabeth Love married John Graham Barnett Sr, whose son John Graham Barnett Jr married Gracie Allen Van Pelt, whose daughter Jean is my Mom.

Thomas Jeffress's other son James Jeffress married Nancy Moseley, their son Edwatd A. Jeffress married Sally E., and their son William Arthur Jeffress married fanny Dorsey Price, and their daughter Sarah Burton Jeffress married my Uncle Jim Alexander. I believe this is the case, but I haven't proven it beyond a doubt!

So Mom & Sarah were descended from half-brothers, but they were both 3rd-great-granddaughters of Thomas Jeffress.

James Robertson & Rachel Phair are another set of 5th-great grandparents.  This is James Robertson's will, which was proven on 13 December 1819 in Campbell County, Virginia.  James Robertson is a proven DAR patriot.  He provided "two beeves" in payment of taxes to the new government in 1782 in Bedford County (Campbell's predecessor).  I retrieved this copy of the will at the Library of Virginia from the microfilm copy of Campbell County's Will Book 4, pp. 219-220.

James and Rachel's daughter Isabell Robertson married John Gibson, their son John Gibson married Grace Taylor, their daughter Ann Eliza Gibson married John M. Alexander, their son James W. Alexander married Sally Belle Gibson (now I know it was really Sarah Isabella), their son, John Addison Alexander married Janet Fultz, and their son Jack was my Dad.  From John & Isabell Gibson on down to my Dad, the family lived in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

This is the beginning of the will of Samuel Downey.  The will was written 2 January 1773 and proven 17 August of the same year in Augusta County, Virginia.  The closeness of dates and the wording at the beginning of the will indicate that Samuel knew he was ailing and, thus, prepared his will.  Samuel bequeaths to his "loving wife" his "house biblle her sadle mare and sadle and a feather bed & furniture & spinning wheel & all her cloaths."  He also gives her two parts of his personal estate.  He gives the 500 acres on which he was living equally to his sons William and Samuel, but states that his wife will have the land during her lifetime.  And he named his loving wife as one of his executors of his estate.  In recording the will, the wife's name is given as Martha Downey.

Samuel Downey & his wife Martha are another set of my 5th-great grandparents. 

In addition to their sons William and Samuel, the will mentions daughters Margaret, Mary Ann, Janet, Rebeca, and Rachel (although not in that order). 

Their daughter Rachel was married in 1779 to John Willson, whose son Samuel Willson married Phoebe Tate in 1809, whose son Robert Tate Willson married Eliza Jane Ingles in 1843, whose daughter Ida Willson married Joseph Fultz in 1887, whose daughter Janet Fultz married John Alexander in 1913.  Janet & John's son Jack was my Dad.

Here are the other two pages of the will found in Augusta County Will Book #5 located on microfilm at  the Library of Virginia.

I was excited to find among my mother's picture, this photo of Archibald Douglas Van Pelt.  He was one of my great-grandfathers and he was captured at Gettysburg during the Civil War.  He was the only one of my great-grandparents for whom I did not have a photo.  So this completes the set! 

After the Civil War, he helped build the Big Bend Tunnel in West Virginia.  According to family legend, his wife, Annie Lettie Swain Van Pelt, returned to Richmond for the births of their children; but they lived in West Virginia or western Virginia for much of their lives.  They eventually returned to Richmond and are both buried in Oakwood Cemetery. Here is their tombstone (Kate was one of their daughters).

These are pictures of my Mom in her wedding gown in 1944.  The picture in which she is sitting appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch with the write-up of her wedding. And this is her wedding invitation. 

 

Considering that World War II was raging at the time, the picture, invitation, and wedding announcement in the paper seem incredibly normal. There were some differences, however.  For example, Dad requested some time off in-between duty stations to get married.  Actually, his file just shows that he was granted time off but doesn't say why.  And the wedding party consisted of those who were around--especially the groomsmen,  They were not necessarily the groom's closest friends. A special occasion nonetheless.

Samuel Crockett, Jr and Jane Steele are another set of my fifth-great grandparents.  Samuel is also one of my recently-verifed-by-DAR patriots.  The Virginia Publick Claims published by Abercrombie & Slatten indicates that Samuel "furnished supplies" to support the war effort, which counts as patriotic service.
Samuel Crockett was born 11 February 1740 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  He was the son of Samuel Crockett and Esther Thompson.  In 1757, he married Jane Steele.  Jane was born in 1737 in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and died in 1775 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.  Her husband outlived her by 20 years, dying in 1795.  I think he married a second time after Jane died.

I am descended from Samuel & Jane through their daughter, Margaret Crockett, who married John Ingles.  Margaret & John were from Wythe County, Virginia.  John's father, William Ingles, is another of my patriots.  I have talked about him before--he is more well known as the husband of Mary Draper Ingles. 

The maps below highlight Prince Edward County, Virginia, and Sullivan County, Tennessee.  Keeping in mind that northern Tennessee falls under Virginia's western counties, they didn't migrate as far as it sounds.  And if the next generation was in Wythe County, that's not that far away either.

 

My Dad took these two pictures about 1947 or 1948 when he was stationed in Japan after World War II.  He was with the Counterintelligence Corps in the U.S. Army.  The story as I remember it was that he happened to be at the train station when Emperor Hirohito arrived.  Dad seized the opportunity and took these two shots of the Emperor. 

I have seen these pictures all my life, but thought I would post them now because I just saw the movie Emperor last night.  I wish I could ask my Dad more about what he remembers about the Emperor while he was there. 

I did talk to my Mom, who joined my Dad in Japan and lived there from about 1947 to 1949.  She remembers that the Army headquarters was located close to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.  But she spent very little time in Tokyo--only one night.  So she didn't see much there. Mom says that Dad took these pictures before she joined him in Japan.  And she believes he was on duty at the time.

Mom also remembers Japanese people sleeping in the train stations because they had no where else to go.  And she said many towns had large areas that were destroyed.  Also, on a couple of train rides, they went through an area that had been hit by the atomic bomb and it was very devastated.  I assume she is referring to Hiroshima, because it is on the way to Yamaguchi and Fukuoka--two of the places they lived.

  

More treasure from Mom's attic.  This was folded and tucked into an old leather passport holder.  The original measures about 5 inches by 8 inches. It is a classic piece of German propaganda that I assume my Dad found in Italy during World War II. It was intended to demoralize British troups.

I found more on this particular piece of literature at http://www.psywarrior.com/DDTheme.html.  When you get to the page, serach (ctrl + F) for "AI-046-8-44".  That will take you down the page to this pamphlet.

In 1995, my Dad recorded about 2 hours of tapes about his childhood and his experiences during World War II. I recently had the tapes digitized and have uploaded them to Google Drive.  You can listen to them by following these instructions (I hope).

Tape 1 Side 1 - Early Fairfield 
Tape 1 Side 2 - Fairfield & Covington
Tape 2 Side 1 - Italy
Tape 2 Side 2 - Japan

Another set of 5th great-grandparents:  James Allen and Margaret Anderson Allen.

And, you guessed it, James Allen is another of my DAR-approved patriots.  James Allen was a Captain in the militia in 1756 and participated in the Battle of Point Pleasant. Also, as a member of the Augusta County militia, James Allen signed a petition in 1776 supporting independence and the actions of Virginia's General Assembly. 

James Allen was a member of the Augusta Stone Church in Augusta County for 64 years.  And he was 94 years old when he died in 1810.  Margaret lived to be about 75 years old. James & Margaret Allen had 14 children, one of whom was Rebecca Allen, my 4th great-grandmother.  

 

Another set of 5th great grandparents: William Ingles and Mary Draper Ingles.

And William Ingles is another one of my DAR-proven patriots. He was a Major at the Battle of Point Pleasant and a Colonel in the Montgomery County militia.  He also was one of the signers of the Fincastle County Resolutions and was a member of the Committee of Safety for that County in 1776.  In 1777, he took the oath of allegiance as administered by William Preston.  In 1778, he was referred to as Colonel William Ingles, a position he held in the local militia until 1782. The Fincastle County Resolutions were one of many similar documents signed all over Virginia (and perhaps other states) that were precursors to the Declaration of Independence. 

However, I think it is ironic that his wife is more well known today than he is. You have to read my blog of 15 May 2012 to find out more about her...or just Google her.  I was taught her story as part of Virginia history in the fourth grade and my great aunts told me her story when I was a child.  But I didn't learn of William Ingles' patriotism until I researched it myself within the past couple of years.

The grave marker above is for one set of my 5th-great grandparents. The original tombstone is very worn and broken and lies in a cemetery in Augusta County that is on wooded private property.  but I trekked up to see it a couple of years ago with my sister and Crawford & Davidson cousins.

 

Patrick Crawford is also one of my DAR-proven patriots.  While the marker above says he was a Revolutionary War soldier, the service recognized by DAR is public service.  Specifically, according to the public claims index for Augusta County, Patrick Crawford furnished supplies to support the war effort.

 

Patrick & Sarah/Sallie Crawford had nine children, including a set of twins. I am a descendant of their sixth child and second son, John Crawford.

This is my Mom's high school diploma.  I just realized that the scan got a little funky at the bottom.  The colors are not on the original.  The copy center suggested that I get a color copy because it would better display the shades of gray.  Hmmmm. 

Anyway, John Marshall High School was located at 8th & Marshall Streets in downtown Richmond, Virginia.  The old school building has been torn down, but it was near where MCV is now just down from the John Marshall house, which has been preserved.  The enrollment number for 1938-1939, the year before Mom graduated was 3,717...and we think Fairfax County schools are big!

An interesting fact is that there were only 11 grades at that time.  So Mom was 17 when she graduated.  She went on to spend one year at the Richmond Professional Institute, better known now as Virginia Commonwealth University.  She said she signed up for biology & had to dissect a cat, which made her decide she had had enough of college.  So she went to work instead.  She worked in the old City Hall building, pictured below.

This is a beautiful building that is still in use today.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.  Here's an interior view.

Because I am watching ACC basketball right now, it seems fitting to post this artwork by my cousin Bob Alexander.  This was another gem we found rummaging in Mom's attic.  I didn't notice until after I scanned it that it is autographed by Allan Bristow (the one depicted as the Super Hokie) and Bobby Stevens (making the basket on the right).  And it features cousin Bob's signature mini-Bob caricature in the lower left corner.

Bobby was a talented artist and sports enthusiast.  So it was natural for him to combine the two passions.  In fact, he made a career out of publishing sports cartoons, mainly for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune in Massachusetts. He also published a book of cartoons in 1978 called Benchwarmer's Sports Trivia.

Bob would send creative Christmas cards and he drew other cartoons/caricatures.  Some were about current events, such as the lunar landing.  Others were political, such as his tricky Dick caricature of Richard Nixon.  If I can find & scan that one, it would make for an interesting post!  

You can read a short biography of Bob at http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hI1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7YUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2367%2C5667624.  Unfortunately, Bob passed away in 1999 at the age of 55.

Found this at my Mom's house in a cabinet and had it scanned at the local FedEx Office.  It is my Dad's Diploma from VPI dated March 1943. As you can see, his degree was a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics.  It also appears that the name & degree were manually written on the diploma. 

The original graduation date for this class was the usual May.  However, because the cadets were needed in World War II, the graduation was moved up to March.  And then it was cancelled entirely so that the graduates could join the service. At least that's what I've been told.

According to an online history of Virginia Tech, there were 523 bachelor degrees conveyed that year, a number that dropped to 97 in 1946 before rising again in 1947. In recent years, the number of degrees conveyed is about 10 times that number.  Also, when Dad was there, Burruss was a person, not a building--although I think Burruss Hall existed it just hadn't been named that yet.