Alleghany Historical-Genealogical Society, Inc.

P.O. BOX 817, Sparta, N.C. 28675

President: Wilma R. Foster			
Vice President: Peal Reeves
Secretary-Treasurer: Lou Reid Landreth

Vol. 6, No. 1	 	             	March 1984	 		BULLETIN NO. 18

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT:

	We can almost say that “Winter is gone”…..but not quite……there may be a few more snow flurries and a few cold days, but hopefully we’ll start getting the warm weather and sprouting buds that make us want to do great things.  We still have several things we need to do in the work of the Society.

	At the present time we are more or less standing by and waiting on something to develop to get us really started with the Museum again.  We can do nothing toward fund-raising until we secure space.  I do beg each of you to make every contact you think just might be a possibility for us and let the committee know if you come up with anything.  We certainly don’t want to give up on the great idea for a museum but we need to search out each and every lead.  Please! lets make this a top of the list project.

	We have had and are going to have in the future some very interesting programs for our meetings. If there is an area of special interest to you that you feel would be a possibility for a meeting, please contact Irene Wagner for getting it set up.

	Please remember that we need to invite new members into our Society, re-invite those members who may have not attended recently so that we may all get going for the Society.

	We appreciate the letters that have been coming in.  It is always nice to hear encouraging words from around the country as well as from here at home. 

	We do want to than the folks at Workman’s Federal for the use of the building for our meetings and we are grateful that the Alleghany Library has consented to let us use their fine new facilities for our meetings.

	To each of the committee chairmen, I want to encourage you to take a look at what you and your committee members want to do next and, of course, cal on the entire Society for help.  If you have a new project in mind, please share it with us at the next meeting.

	HAPPY SPRING-TIME AND LET’S REALLY GET TO WORK.

	As the President said, we are pleased with the letters we have received.  Member James R. Carico says he personally nominates ALLEGHANY COUNTY HERITAGE the Book of the Century!

	A special WELCOME to new members Marilyn J. Anderson, R.D. Bradshaw, Mrs. Ivan E. Gilbert, Mrs. Sherman G. Miller, Mrs. Rose Marie Rector, Mrs. Sharon Simons and Frank Woodruff.  REMEMBER!!! We’d like to have lot of new members.  Help us recruit.  If each member would recruit just one new member, we’d doubt our membership—just like that!

INQUIRIES:

	Please someone help me!! An old handwritten deed from Ashe County, North Carolina (looks like 1832) lists Jeremiah Willson.  He same partial land was held by Martin and Matilda Carrico Wilson after Alleghany was formed in 1859.  Is Martin a son of Jeremiah Willson, and does anyone know the lines both maternal and paternal of Martin and Matilda Carrico Wilson/Willson?  Please write James R. Carico, Maryville, TN.

	Would like to correspond with descendants of Martin Frances (Frankie) Williams.  What Parsons married Ava Williams?  Mrs. Louise S. Knight, Kamiah, Idaho.

	Mrs. Pauline Jolly furnishes the following list of people who are seeking genealogy data and have left their names at the Library:

NAMES				FAMILIES BEING RESEARCHED

Mildred B. Mineau			Stamper, Dickson, Dick, and McMillan.

Ruth M. Bruce				Dick, Dickson, Stamper and McMillan.

Howell Sellers				Brown, John – b. 1805 m. Elizabeth Stepp

Bill Shepherd				Shepherd, Cox, Williams and Jones.

Marillyn Cox Suzuki			Reynolds, Cox

Thomas F. Joines			Descendents of Ezekiel Joines

Bill Castevens				Descendents of Bealer and Little Holbrook Joines.

Harriet Dingman		Descendents of Jacob Waggoner and Pharoby Joines.

Mrs. Grace Sevick			Andres, Toliver, Holbrook, Fender, Crouse.

Glenn V. Joines			Interested about grandfather
					John William Joines b. 7-23-1832,
					m. Ruth Emeline Edwards, dau. of
					Wm. Perry Edwards.  Homesteaded 
					Cloud Co., Kansas 1870.

Rollin and Faye Dixon		Interested in great-grandfather,
					Zack Dixon, born 1832.  Also
					Mabes family 1800.

Rebecca Reedy Sisk			Anderson, Peak, Ross, Reedy

Ernest D. Nichols			Interested in obtaining info
					Re parents of Geo. Washington
					Nichols 3/12/1828 - 5/19/1895.
					Born in VA, parents born in NC.
					m. Mary Elizabeth Edwards b. in
					NC. 5/18/1821 - 11/22/1900.

HISTORY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY

By S.F. Thompson about 1912
The following is the third installment of a series running in this Bulletin.

ESTABLISHMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY

	Alleghany as established by an At of the Legislature session 1858-59 out of the eastern portion of Ashe County with the following boundaries, “BEGINNING” in Wilkes County line on top of the Blue Ridge at Mulberry Gap, running with the public road to Flint Hill. Then a direct line to the top of Franks Knob; thence to South Fork of New River at the mouth of Prathers Creek, then down the meanders of said River to the junction with the North Fork of said River; thence North to the Virginia line; thence East with the Virginia line to Surry County line; thence with the Surry County line to Wilkes County line; then with Wilkes County line to the beginning.

	An act supplementary to the above act was enacted at the same session of the General Assembly, authorizing the Justices of the Pease to elect the following officers: Sheriff, Coroner, Register, Entry Taker and Surveyor.

	It was also enacted that a Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions be held at Shiloh Church, and that William Raleigh and Elijah Thompson of Surry County, James B. Gordon of Wilkes, Stephen Thomas and John F. Greer of Ashe County be appointed Commissioner to locate a county seat to be called Sparta.

	The act also directed the County Court at its first session to appoint five commissioners to lay out the lots of said town and after retaining such lots for public use as they might deem desirable to expose the residue of said lots to public sale.

	The bill creating the County and the other acts above mentioned were introduced in the Legislature by Col. Allen Gentry, the member of the House from Ashe.  Colonel Gentry lived in the territory to be included in the new County, his home being near Shiloh Church. In getting the bills through the Legislature he had the support in the Senate of Jos. H. Dobson of Surry.  At that time Surry and Ashe were in the same Senatorial District.

	In recent years the original boundaries as set in the act creating the County have been enlarged by legislative enactments.  These added to Alleghany certain territory that was formerly part of Surry and Wilkes.  J.H. Parks, David Landreth and David Evans donated fifty aces of land where the town of Sparta now stands and conveyed the same by deed to the Chairman of County Commissioners, which deed the record seems to have been destroyed by fir of Col. Allen Gentry’s house and another deed made in 1866.

	The County Court did at the first session proceed in accordance with the act and appointed the commissioners to lay off and make sale of the town lots, but failed to give instructions in what manner and at what time to make the sales, etc., and at the next term revoked the appointment and directed them not to proceed in the business.  Therefore an action was brought in the Superior Court of Ashe County, which court had jurisdiction of the case, asking for a mandamus commanding the Justices who constituted the County Court of Alleghany to discharge their duty or show good cause to the contrary.  The Justices claimed that the locating commissioners did not consult their own judgments in locating the county seat, but left it to a vote of the people of the new County, and that of the Clerk.  The Superior Court decided that objections were insufficient and ordered a preemptory mandamus to issue, from which the defendant William Lander, Solicitor vs. A.B. McMillan, et al, Justices of Alleghany County.”  Jones Law, Vol. VIII, Page 174.  The Supreme Court in its decision written by Barrle, Judge, said it found nothing to prevent the plaintiff from having a preemptory mandamus and the judgment of the Supreme Court to the effect was affirmed.

	At April term 1866 of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Session we find this order, “A majority of the Justices being present, F.J. McMillan, Robert Gambill, Sr., James H. Parkes, Morgan Edwards and S.S. Stamper are appointed Commissioners under the Act of the Assembly to lay off into suitable and salable lots the tract of land donated for a site for a court house and other necessary public buildings, and to sell out said lots in such manner and at such time as the Court may designate, and to superintend the erection of the needful public building, having due regard to economy, public convinces, etc.”
 
	At October term 1866 it was ordered that the above mentioned Commissioners advertise for bids for the erection of the court house, etc.

	At January term 1867 it was ordered that all proposals for building court house, etc., be rejected and that the Commissioners change the specifications for the public jail and let the same so as to make it suitable for holding courts therein.

	At the April term 1867 it was ordered that the Commissioners adopt their former specifications for a jail and a court house and let the same to the lowest bidders.

	At this same term Daniel L. Spurlin was fined $1.00 for standing on a bench.

	At July term 1867 it is ordered that Wm. C. DeJournette, be paid $25.00 for making survey of the County of Alleghany and for platting and locating center, during April 1859.  DeJournette was a well-educated Frenchman, who came from France early in 1880, lived in Wilkes and was the only man to take a French newspaper in this section.  H was a French soldier and served with Napoleon.  

	The January term 1868 was held at the Court House in Sparta for the first time in the history of the County.  At that time the Court was composed of the following Justices: John Gambill, Chairman, Morgan Bryan and Wm. L. Mitchell.  The courts before this had been held at Shiloh.  

	The first and second Court Houses built at Sparta were of frame construction.  They were situated on the southwest corner of Main Street and the road leading to Whitehead.  

Gap Civil

	Prior to the creation of the County and the establishment of the County seat, the principal place of activity was Gap Civil, two miles west of Sparta.  It was a voting place for a large territory.  It was a mustering ground where men were trained for service in the Confederate Army.  J.H. Parks had a store there and Dr. J.L. Smith had an office. Col. Vaughan, the County’s first lawyer, lived there.  For many years it was known as “The Gap” but on one occasion while a big fist fight was in progress, some wag yelled “The Gap is a civil place” and thereafter it became known as “Gap Civil”.  

*****to be continued*****