March 2010
Cryptologists crack 200 year-old code contained in 1801 Jefferson letter.
Click here: :Jefferson's code finally broken.
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March 27, 2010, 2:30 P.M.
Historic Christ Church, Irvington
Sons of American Revolution and War of 1812 Society dedicate plaque and grave marking of patriots
The Richard Henry Lee Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 in Virginia Society, OFPA and DFPA will dedicate a plaque and grave marking at the
Historic Christ Church in Irvington, Lancaster County.
The commemorative plaque will list two founders and two Revolutionary War patriots and several War of 1812 soldiers buried there. One SAR grave marker and several 1812 markers will be unveiled as well as the plaque at the entrance to the church. Lunch will be served at noon at the Rappahannock Westminister Retirement Center at 132 Lancaster Drive, Irvington, VA. All ceremony attendees are invited. Following the ceremony, free tours of the church and it's museum will be offered. *******************************************************************************************
Feb. 27, 2010, 1-4 P.M.
Essex County Museum, Tappahannock VA
Living History:
The Leedstown Resolutions and Tappahannock Demonstration
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November 10, 2009, 7:00 PM
King George County Courthouse
PUBLIC HEARING on whether to allow gravel mining at James Madison Birthplace
Text of email from Elizabeth Lee, of the Historical Preservation Advisory Forum established by U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman:
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th, 7 pm, at the Revercomb Building, King George Courthouse, King George County, to discuss the use of historic Belle Grove lands for mining sand and gravel. Belle Grove is on the National Register as is Emmanuel Church which is beside it.
Belle Grove is the site of the birthplace of James Madison. Very little is known about the exact location of the house where he was born, except that it was on that property, which bothers me even more. The site of Port Conway which was laid off in the late 1700s and existed up into the 1930s is also part of this property, although I might add that the section I believe to be in danger was never developed as that which was nearer the Rappahannock River.
On a non-historical note, this property is on Route 301, the main north-south route through King George County, at the southern entrance to the county. What a disgrace to come into King George County to a gravel pit!
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November 14, 2009
Plots, espionage and double agents...
A joint George Washington Birthplace + NNVHS event!
Announcement from the National Park Service and GWBNM:
On Saturday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m. the peaceful setting of Washington’s Birthplace will be shaken up with talk of dead drops, invisible ink and secret codes. David Robarge, chief historian of the Central Intelligence Agency will be discussing Espionage in the Time of Washington in the Visitor Center auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, and our Northern Neck Historical Society and the George Washington Birthplace National Memorial Association join the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in sponsoring it.
In a 1776 letter, General Washington expressed his reliance on espionage:
The necessity of procuring good Intelligence is apparent & need not be further urged -- All that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon Secrecy, Success depends in Most Enterprizes of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned & promising a favourable issue.
"The word spy has such a shadowy connotation that we often forget that some of our greatest American heroes were spies for the cause of American independence," says George Washington Birthplace Superintendent Lucy Lawliss. "Think of Nathan Hale who had but one life to lose for his country and Paul Revere who used secret symbols to spread the word that the Redcoats were coming," she continued.
But many of the most interesting patriots have all been lost to history. James Armistead was a Virginia slave who helped Washington win the last battle of the American Revolution at Yorktown. Receiving 
leave from his owner, Armistead crossed enemy lines and convinced the British he was escaping. Planting him on the American side, the English thought they could get valuable intelligence. What they got was a false document delivered by the American loving Armistead. For his bravery, Armistead was awarded his freedom five years after he helped his nation receive its independence.
The mysterious Agent 355 was captured by the British shortly after Benedict Arnold became a traitor to the American cause. She gave birth on a prison ship, and neither her nor her child’s identity is known to this day.
David Robarge received his Ph.D. in American History from Columbia University. After teaching at Columbia and working for banker David Rockefeller and at the Gannett Center for Media Studies at Columbia, he joined CIA in 1989. Dr. Robarge was appointed Chief Historian of the CIA in 2005. He has taught intelligence history at George Mason University in Virginia and also has written a biography of Chief Justice John Marshall.
In recognition of Dr. Robarge’s talk, on November 14 only, the site’s bookstore will be offering 50% discounts on the book Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose and the children’s items George Washington, Spymaster by Thomas B. Allen and reproduction Revolutionary War spyglasses.
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located on Route 204, 2 miles off of Route 3, 38 miles east of Fredericksburg, VA and 11 miles west of Montross, VA (see map here). Admission to the Memorial Area is $4 per visitor 16 and older. Admission to Dr. Robarge’s talk on Saturday is free.
Additional information about George Washington Birthplace National Monument is available by phone at (804) 224-1732 or on the web at www.nps.gov/gewa.
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October 14, 2009
Pics from Fall 2009 Membership Luncheon
Thanks to Bill Elliot for taking great photographs at our Fall Luncheon - click here to view them! Soon to be posted will be notes about the Luncheon's special guest lecture and membership-business session.
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NNVHS is day-trippin' again!
Sept. 12, 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Robert Carter III's Nomini Hall, Hague, VA
This promises to be a "can't miss" event. Founder Robert Carter III, the grandson of America's first millionaire King Carter, is the subject of this day trip to the younger Carter's Nomini Hall plantation. Robert "Councillor" Carter's descendants include United States Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison.
Following the death of his adored wife, Frances Tasker Carter, Robert Carter set out to right the injustice of slavery. In 1791, he began the manumission of nearly 500 slaves over his lifetime. This was the largest freeing of slaves prior to the Civil War. Carter's unusual story is complex with astonishing wealth, mystery, romance, enlightenment, metaphysics and rebellion.
NNVHS is delighted to announce a stellar line-up for the day. Professor Andrew Levy of Butler University, author of the critically acclaimed biography of Carter, will be a featured speaker along with Thomas Duckenfield, Harvard lawyer and dual descendant of slave families freed by Carter and Tommy Mitchell, owner of Nomini Hall, a gracious plantation whose periwinkle covers the final resting place of Robert Carter III and many other Lees and Carters. Admission is $30 per person and includes lunch. Mail your reservation to NNVHS at P.O. Box 716, Montross, VA 22520, or simply email us at nnvhs@live.com.
Levy's book THE FIRST EMANCIPATOR is available from Amazon. Buy it here.
Bring a copy and have it signed by the author. Thomas Duckenfield 's story of his genealogy was featured in the 2008 Magazine.
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July 20, 2009
Tax Credits for Historic Property Renovation
DVDs are now available at $25 from NNVHS
Here's a great opportunity to learn about how to obtain tax credits for the restoration of historic properties. The professionally recorded DVD is from the June 14 NNVHS-Preservation Virginia-Menokin program at Menokin featuring Julie Langan with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources which administers and coordinates projects with the federal government, Kathleen Frazier of Frazier Associates in Staunton, an historic architect who is currently working on the revitalization and restoration project in Warsaw's Historic Main Street, Sam Daniel of Daniel Construction Company in Richmond whose firm renovated the Virginia Governor's Mansion and the Main Street Station, and Gorham S."Rory"Clark, attorney with Clark & Allen in Leesburg.
This is a practical educational DVD that you will definitely find helpful if you are considering the use of tax credits to fund your restoration. Order yours now for $25 from NNVHS, P.O. Box 716, Montross, VA 22520.
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July 15, 2009
A new book from one of our erudite members, Thomas Katheder
Just Released: The Baylors of Newmarket: The Decline and Fall of a Virginia Planter Family
Available now from www.Amazon.com. From the book jacket:
In June 1764, a British merchant ship stuffed with luxury goods sailed up the muddy Rappa
hannock River to deliver its precious cargo to Virginia planters. None was more anxious for the ship’s arrival than Col. John Baylor III (1705-1772), the proud owner of the most expensive and fragile property on board: Fearnought, a strikingly beautiful bay thoroughbred that had cost him 1,000 guineas—a staggering sum that was twice what he told his tobacco merchant to spend. No one in colonial America had ever paid anything close to that amount for a horse.
Col. Baylor, the son of Virginia’s largest slave trader, fell in love with thoroughbreds at Newmarket, England’s fabled racing center, while he attended nearby Cambridge University. Returning to Virginia in the 1720s, Baylor named his 12,000-acre estate “Newmarket” after the racing course where he had spent so much of his time and money. Though he was politically active in the House of Burgesses and in Caroline County where he lived, Baylor’s dominant passion remained elite horseflesh, and he became one of the most important turfmen in eighteenth-century America. Col. Baylor’s close friend and former military commander, George Washington, sent his mares to Baylor’s legendary stud farm, and Thomas Jefferson’s favorite mount was a grandsire of Fearnought.
Col. Baylor’s bright but dreamy-headed son, John IV (1750-1808), also attended Cambridge, but was forced to end his studies early and return to Newmarket as his father lay dying in April 1772. Unhappy in Virginia, John Baylor IV returned to England to court his cousin Frances Norton, daughter of one of London’s most successful tobacco merchants, and then embarked on a mysterious sojourn in France, where he cavorted with American diplomats and foreign spies—all while buying trunk loads of fine books that would become one of the largest and most important personal libraries in the Chesapeake. Despite crushing debts, toward the end of his life John Baylor IV launched a quixotic scheme to replace his home at Newmarket with what would have been the largest and most elegant private residence in America, which his detractors soon called “Baylor’s Folly.” Baylor’s edifice of sublime madness was never completed, and he died, a beaten and broken man, in the same debtor’s prison his father helped build.
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Buy one Book? --Why not buy a few?
MBW Used Book Sale
October 22-24
Mary Ball Washington Library, Lancaster
Lots of discarded and duplicate genealogical and historical references!! Thurs-Fri 10-4 Sat 10-2. Members free. All others $2 admission. A good place to be to get "in the know...
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Quick and Lazy Summer Fun in the Northern Neck
Lancaster Tavern Grand Opening
July 11, 10 AM to 4 PM
Contact 804-462-0080 or go to www.lancastertavern.com. If you go to the Tavern, then you must stop by the Mary Ball Washington Museum for the latest of exhibition of pottery, bottles, bowls, etc. 
Thea Marshall, "Neck Tales: Stories from Virginia's Northern Neck"
July 13, 6:30 PM
Lancaster Community Library, Kilmarnock
Thea Marshall is a noted commentator and chronicler of life in the Northern Neck for National Public Radio.Her stories of life in the Neck appear in local magazines and publications. This will be a great opportunity to hear stories of the people and events of the region and get a signed copy for your shelves.
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July 4, 2009 8:30 a.m.
Author of Liberty Burnt House Field, Hague, VA
Each year the numbers in attendance grow. Cars line the dirt road through a sun-drenche
d cornfield in Hague to a brick enclosed graveyard where lie the remains of Richard Henry Lee. Words are spoken to remember a man whose words will never be forgotten. Flowers are strewn to remember the light of sweet liberty he cast upon the world.
A brief service follows at the colonial Yeocomico Church. And, then everyone breaks for Sandy Point along the shores of the Potomac where a traditional noisy hometown parade and barbecue epitomize the American traditions that bring a proud tear to the eye and a cool mug to the lips.
(To get there: Route 202 to Hague, if south, turn Left (if headed north, turn Right) at the Library. Drive past Mt. Pleasant Farm and turn Left on the Mt. Pleasant Road. Follow the cars...) It's okay to bring your well-behaved hounds...woof!
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June 11 and June 18, 2009
History and Architecture of the Colonial Church 
This two-session educational program will be held at Ameslee Hall on the grounds of Yeocomico Church near Kinsale from 10 a.m. – noon on successive Thursdays, June 11 and June 18. It will be taught by Robert Teagle, curator and education director of Historic Christ Church in Irvington. The event is free and open to all, but advance registration is requested through the NNVHS website (email: nnvhs@live.com) This seminar focuses primarily on the architecture and varying styles of early churches and will also discuss the history before and after disestablishment. Teagle has a visually interesting powerpoint presentation that will keep the attention of participants.
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June 14, 2009 Menokin
HISTORIC RESTORATION AND TAX CREDITS SEMINAR
Many residents of the Northern Neck own historic properties that could well qualify for federal and state historic credits if restored properly. Many local governments are finding this program to be a very useful economic development tool in restoring and redeveloping older downtown commercial areas. Other private property owners may also qualify for tax credits and designation on the Historic Registers.
To learn more about these programs, the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society, the Menokin Foundation and the Northern Neck Chapter of Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) are hosting a seminar on this topic on Sunday, June 14th, at the Menokin Center near Warsaw. The program will begin at 2:00.
The panel of experts on the panel are (1) Julie Langan with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in Richmond, which administers the program and coordinates projects with the federal government. She will discuss the qualifications and process of how the tax credit and register programs work; (2) Kathleen Frazier of Frazier Associates in Staunton, a historic architect who is currently working on the revitalization and restoration project in Warsaw's Historic Main Street; (3) Sam Daniel of Daniel Construction Company in Richmond whose firm renovated the Virginia Governor's Mansion and the Main Street Station. Daniel will discuss the realities of modern day building codes and what can and cannot be done in terms of the actual construction. He will also discuss the budgeting and time line aspects that will ensure a successful project; (4) Gorham S. "Rory" Clark, attorney with Clark & Allen in Leesburg, who will discuss the legal and accounting details of converting tax credits into cash to help fund your renovation project.
Questions and Answers will follow the four presentations. Seating is limited to 60 attendees and reservations are required. The price of admission is $20.The program will be followed with light refreshments.
For reservations, please contact Kat Shepherd at the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society at (804) 493-1862 or nnvhs@live.com. For directions to the Menokin Foundation Center, please contact Sarah Dillard Pope at (804)333-1776.
This forum is especially recommended for local town and county officials, owners of historic properties, developers, general contractors, sub-contracting artisans working with historic properties, real estate agents and attorneys working with clients on historic restoration projects.
This is a collaborative program brought to you by NNVHS, Menokin and Preservation Virginia (formerly APVA.)
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May 26, 2009
Congressman Rob Wittman Convenes First District Historic Preservation Advisory Forum to Promote and Preserve Heritage
Local and state officials, historic property owners, representatives from the National Park Service and representatives of historic sites and associations met with Congressman Rob Wittman on Tuesday morning to begin a dialogue to support historic preservation by appropriate reauthorization of federal preservation tax credit legislation and support of efforts to maintain and preserve the history of the area. As Rep. Wittman noted, the First Congressional District of Virginia is perhaps the most history-dense region of the nation as it includes Jamestown and the birthplaces of founding fathers and their ideas..
Rep. Wittman pledged to support communication and planning through "Constituent Services" at www.Wittman.house.gov .This is a great opportunity for the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society to have an active voice in preservation planning. Please share your ideas with Rep. Wittman and with NNVHS.
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June 4, 2009
"Virginia Horseracing: Triumphs of the Turf "
The Jessie Ball du Pont Authors Lecture Series
Kentucky may be the site of the world's most renowned horse race, but Virginia is no slacker
in the field, as Virginia C. Johnson and Barbara Crookshanks show in 'Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf'. The Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society and Westmoreland County Museum feature this book in their Jessie Ball duPont Book and Author Series.
The public is invited to be at the starting gate on June 4 at 6:30 PM at the Westmoreleand County Museum to meet the authors and hear stories of Virginia's equine enthusiasms.
Virginia, mother of presidents, is also the mother of American horse racing. From the very beginning, Virginians have risked it all on the track as eagerly as on the battlefield. Follow the bloodlines of three foundation sires of the American Thoroughbred through generations of rollicking races and largerthan- life grandees wagering kingly stakes, sometimes on horses not yet born. How did the horse nicknamed Damn His Eyes get protection money from other horse owners? What did it mean to tap the claret to break a neck-and-neck tie? Why was Confederate cavalry so much better than Union was it the riders, or was it the mounts? All these and many more stories of horsemanship on and off the track fill the pages of Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf.
The authors begin their story with the arrival of six mares and a stallion in Jamestown in 1611 and run through the opening of Colonial Downs in New Kent County. Along the way, they tell fascinating tales that will interest not only equine enthusiasts but also history buffs.
Johnson is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and is Web-content librarian at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Fredericksburg. Crookshanks, a freelance writer in Fredericksburg, has worked for the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star and as the longtime editor of Fredericksburg Times magazine. -- Jay Strafford --Richmond Times-Dispatch.
This is another collaborative event brought to you by NNVHS and the Westmoreland County Museum.
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June 1, 2009
The Price is Right:
Virginia Historical Society Offers Free Admission for Everyone This Summer
Special programs will focus on the Vietnam War era
Richmond, VA—The Virginia Historical Society (VHS) has always been a good value: being free to children under 18 daily, being free to everyone on Sundays, offering discounts to seniors and students, and costing only $5 for an adult admission. But this summer, the VHS will offer visitors even more bang for their buck. As a matter of fact, visitors will not even have to spend a buck.
Beginning June 6th and running through August 30th, the VHS will be free for all visitors every day the museum is open to the public.
“We understand that families are paying very close attention to what they spend their money on right now and that many of them are going to forgo out-of-state vacations this summer to cut costs,” said Paul A. Levengood, President and CEO of the Virginia Historical Society. “We want to give back to the community by giving people somewhere to go that is enjoyable, educational, acomplimentary admission as a way to honor military personnel who served in the Vietnam War and their families.
Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam Era explores the issues, actions, reactions, and expressions of life and culture of African Americans as they were affected by the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Over 160 artifacts, photographs, audio recordings, songs, oral histories, and an original documentary on display in this award-winning exhibition show how events in the 1960s helped frame African American political and social perspectives that extended beyond civil rights. The roles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Colin Powell, Jimi Hendrix, and many others are explored, as well as the 9,000 women who served as nurses and in clerical and support positions during the war. Soul Soldiers was organized by the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam features a cache of Vietnam War soldier art of striking importance and poignancy. Soldiers and Marines on the ship USNS General Nelson M. Walker, bound for Vietnam in 1967, inscribed graffiti phrases and images on the bottom sides of canvas bunks in the troop compartments. Men wrote their name and hometown, the date they expected to leave the service, and kept day-by-day calendars to mark the progress of the voyage. Original graffiti-covered canvases—discovered in the process of scrapping the vessel in 2005—display messages of patriotism, politics, humor, anxiety, and love. Marking Time was organized by the Vietnam Graffiti Project in Keswick, Va.r John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Bring Paul Home: Phyllis Galanti and Vietnam War POWs is based on the collection given to the Virginia Historical Society by Richmond resident Phyllis Galanti. Her husband, Paul, was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy when his plane was shot down over Vietnam on June 17, 1966. Mr. Galanti was a Prisoner of War (POW) until February 12, 1973. Pictures, letters, pamphlets, buttons, and posters from the donated collection show Mrs. Galanti’s efforts, and those of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, to publicize the plight of their loved ones and to secure their release.
“I think these exhibitions will be of interest to visitors, especially those who lived through the 1960s and 1970s, because they will be able to personally relate to the topics covered in all three shows,” Levengood said. “It is the perfect opportunity for parents and grandparents to bring their children and grandchildren to learn about events that had a huge impact on American society, politics, and culture—and they can see it all for free!”
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May 25, 2009
Honor Our Heroes on Decoration Day
Throughout the Northern Neck from the Fredericksburg cemeteries to the Reedville Cemetery, there are plenty of heroes to remember and honor. Take a moment Monday and thank the fallen for their sacrifice.
The Memorial Day Order of 1868: I. The 30th day of May, 1868,is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
We are organized, Comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers sailors and Marines, who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead? We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security, is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
If other eyes grow dull and other hinds slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us.
Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledge to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon the Nation's gratitude—the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.
II. It is the purpose of the Commander in Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.
III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this Order effective.
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May 21, 2009
Diarist Fithian's life explored by author John Fea
The Jessie Ball duPont Virginia Authors Lecture Series
The Northern Neck of Virginia Historic Society and Westmoreland County Museum continue their lecture series with "The Way of Improvement Leads Home and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America" by John Fea. The book traces the short but fascinating life of Philip Vickers Fithian, one of the most prolific diarists in early America. Born to Presbyterian grain-growers in rural New Jersey, he was never quite satisfied with the agricultural life he seemed destined to inherit. Fithian longed for something more—to improve himself in a revolutionary world that was making upward mobility possible. While Fithian is best known for the diary that he wrote in 1773-74 while working as a tutor at Nomini Hall, the Virginia plantation of Robert Carter, this first full biography moves beyond his experience in the Old Dominion to examine his inner life, his experience in the early American backcountry, his love affair with Elizabeth Beatty, and his role as a Revolutionary War chaplain.
From the villages of New Jersey, Fithian was able to participate indirectly in the eighteenth-century republic of letters—a transatlantic intellectual community sustained through sociability, print, and the pursuit of mutual improvement. The republic of letters was above all else a rational republic. By showing how Fithian pursued the values of a cosmopolitan Enlightenment, in concert with the values of Presbyterian Christianity and American patriotism, his study reveals much about an enduring American tradition.
Mark your calendars for Thursday May 21st, 6:30-8:30 p.m.! There is no charge for this event, and copies of his book will be available for signing and sale. Reservations are suggested. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact the Museum at (804) 493-8440; wcmuseum@verizon.net.
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May 11, 2009
Society Launches Online Social Networking
Members and web visitors can now participate in the Society's activities online in "The NNbox," a new interactive space for sharing news, photos, genealogical discussions, historical research (questions or answers), and upcoming events in an active online calendar. The NNbox is a free set of web services, compatible with all Macs, PCs, and mobile web browsers. You can already post to the NNbox if you have a Hotmail, MSN, or Windows Live email account - or if not, simply register for a free Live account at this link. Coming soon: an integrated Facebook page for the Society! Come online and share the story of this special part of the world.
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Best-Selling Author Captivates Spring Luncheon Audience
New-York-Times best-selling author (and winner of the national Edgar Award) James L. Swanson addressed a standing-room-only audience at Stratford Hall, speaking about his book Manhunt: the 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. Historian Swanson followed the Spring Luncheon and Society official meeting with 90 minutes of stories outlining his remarkable creative process, the mythologization of anti-hero John Wilkes Booth, and the role of Northern Neck residents and locales in the chase and capture of the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Descendants of families who were key in the chase and capture were in the audience. At the conclusion, an audience member related the oral history "family story" of her great-grandmother as a child, excitedly announcing "The murderer's coming!" near Port Royal - only to be admonished by an adult that it was in fact Booth's dead body, being transported away from Garrett's Farm. (This only excited the child further of course.) James Swanson was able to corroborate that story's facts and added details - showing that NNVHS members are indeed "part of the story." Members had their own copies of Manhunt signed by the author and socialized following his remarks. Swanson spoke briefly about the upcoming HBO series based on Manhunt, and about his next book, which he's currently writing, on Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln. A big thank-you goes to the Society's volunteers for this event, and to James Swanson for a great day.
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March 28, 2009
Spring 2009 Newsletter Published
Our most recent NNVHS Quarterly Newsletter is now available online (click here for pdf version). Read about upcoming events including the May 6 Luncheon featuring best-selling writer James L. Swanson, the June 4 Author Series lecture on "History of Horse Racing in Virginia," the June 14 Historic Properties Tax Credits seminar, and the upcoming series on Colonial churches to be held on June 11 and 18 at Yeocomico Church in Tucker Hill.
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February 27, 2009
Society Celebrates the Leedstown Resolutions
The Society held its annual commemoration of the Leedstown Resolutions on Feb. 27, 2009 at historic Menokin, home of Leedstown signer Francis Lightfoot Lee (also a signer of the Declaration of Independence). As a special treat, the Rev. Charles Sydnor Jr. presented a wonderful paper on his ancestor Col. Moore FauntLeRoy (1716-1791), Leedstown signer. You can read the entire presentation at this link.
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February 24, 2009
NNVHS Moves Closer to Establishing Headquarters in Montross
On Feb. 24, a special meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors approved the $125,000 purchase of a 1932 Sears bungalow in downtown Montross for use as the NNVHS headquarters and library. The board also approved $40,000 in renovations to make the property handicap-accessible and for other desirable renovations suitable for the purpose.
Here are some new photos of the building by Bill Elliott, in the NNVHS Online Gallery. This is the culmination of three years of effort to obtain a facility for a society headquarters, library and research facility. The board met several times and inspected the property prior to the vote.
Check this space again for ongoing news on how you can get involved. Thanks to all our members who have supported the building campaign!
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January 18, 2009
Tea at Ditchley Honors Jessie Ball duPont
Dozens gather to remember the NNVHS Charter Life Member
Over 30 Society members and designated beneficiaries of the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation gathered at Ditchley, her Northern Neck home, for an Afternoon Tea to commemorate the 125th anniversary of her birth and to remember her life.
Hon. Albert Pollard of the Virginia House of Delegates attended, as did Ms. Ruby Lee Norris, writer and raconteur (seen at left). Paul Reber of Stratford Hall also attended; Jessie Ball duPont was instrumental in Stratford Hall's restoration. Martha Alsop Kent performed a delightful reading, in character as Jessie.
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Winter 2009 Newsletter Published
Our most recent NNVHS Quarterly Newsletter is now available online (click here for pdf version). Read about the Day Trip to King George, the First Annual Deed of Manumission Celebration, and an upcoming talk by best-selling author James Swanson.