Alleghany Historical-Genealogical Society, Inc.

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

President: Mildred Torney			
Vice President: Pauline Jolly
Secretary-Treasurer:  Elvira Crouse

Vol. 11, No.2	 	             	  June 1989			BULLETIN NO. 39

FROM THE PRESIDENT:

	We are happy to have some new members in our Society and we really appreciate the support of all our members.  We were very sad to lost Mrs. Vera Adams Neff who died May 1, 1989.  Our sympathy goes out to this family.

	Three months have rolled around and we have accomplished very little in our effort to collect folklore, old remedies, ghost stories, etc.  Please won't you help?  I'm sure there are old stories that have been passed down in your family that you would hate to see lost.  Lets make a collection for our children and grandchildren to enjoy!

	In this connection, Mary Harless has given us a sampling of such stories and sayings which you will find in this Bulletin.  Thanks, Mary.  Keep up the good work.  Maybe this will give others some ideas.

	We are still dreaming of a museum and if you have any suggestions as to how we can begin to make this dream come true, please let us know.

									Mildred Torney

	ITMES OF INTEREST TO ALLEGHANY CITIZENS:

	On April 30, 1989 there was a dedication ceremony on the law of the Independence, Virginia Courthouse sponsored by the Lt. David Cox Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the New River Mountain Men society of the Children of the American Revolution.  This ceremony was to dedicate a bronze plaque that was placed on back side of the Revolutionary War Monument. This plaque listed the names of 246 additional Revolutionary Militia and Patriots. Lou Reid Landreth participated in this ceremony as it was during her administration as Regent of the New River Pioneer Chapter DAR that the funds were raised for this project.

	Seeing this list of names is very impressive and of course, many of us will find the name of an ancestor. Be sure to go by the Monument when in Independence to take a look at this plaque.

FOLKLORE AND WISDOM by Mary Harless:

A stitch in time saves nine.
Apple of my eye.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Best foot forward.
Beat around the bush.
Barking up the wrong tree.
Chip off the old block.
Caught red handed.
Cut off one's nose to spite one's face.
Early bird gets the worm.
Early to be, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.  
Down (up) one's ally.
Diamond in the rough.
Foot in one's mouth.
Face the music.
Hungry as a bear.
Too many irons in the fire.
Jig's up.
Let the cat out of the bag.
Needle in a haystack.
Pull the wool over one's eyes.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Pretty is as pretty does.
Save for a rainy day.
Skeleton in the closet.
Steal one's thunder.
Turn over a new leaf.
Wise as an owl.
Wolf in sheep's clothing.

HORCE AND BUGGY TALE by Mary Harless

	Away back during horse and buggy days a preacher started to his church on Saturday morning.  As he drove down the old dirt road, he came upon a neighbor walking to the little store down the road.  He stopped, motioned to the man to get in the buggy with him, never uttering a word.  

	They peacefully rode on in silence until they came to a wooded area that was thick and dark.  As the preacher was studying his sermon he intended to give in a short time, he forgot about the man and with force he yelled “Prepare to meet you God.”

	This frightened the man, he jumped out of the buggy, dived into the wooded thicket and has not been heard from since!

Howard T. Lyon
(Picture should be above)

HOWARD TALMADGE LYON
August 23, 1912 – January 21, 1987

	Howard was a graduate of Glade Valley High School and later served on the Board of Directors, the Finance Committee, and President of the Alumni Association of this institution.  

	Then he graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with honors.  From there he attended the Bowling Green Business University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

	In 1935 Miss Rosalie Hoppers became his bride.

	Howard served his country during World War II for three years, tow of which were overseas.  After an Honorable Discharge, he and Rosalie established a home in High Point, North Carolina. He worked for Wachovia Bank and Trust Company for thirty-six years, retiring as Trust Officer and Administrator of the bank.

	In 1971 the Lyons moved back to Sparta, North Carolina, where they enjoyed sixteen years of retirement.
	
	He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in High Point serving as Deacon and Sunday School teacher.  After moving to Sparta he became a member of the Sparta Presbyterian Church where he served as Elder, Chairman of the Finance Committee and Clerk of the Session.

	As long as his health permitted he was active in several civic organizations, mostly volunteering his time and resources.

	On January 25, 1987, the funeral was held at the Sparta Presbyterian Church by Dr. James T. Frazier, with full military honors at the entombment in the Sparta Cemetery.  

The following article from the September 1988 SIMPLE PLEASURES, “A Bit of History” was submitted by Betty Bledsoe.  Although it is about Surry County folks, it will be of interest to many Alleghany County residents.

THE EDWARDS' WERE QUALITY FOLKS

	Just lak I tol you last month we in Surry had some quality folk.  We jist ain't in the habit of barggin'--we'd ruther you found out what we air like all by yerself.  But we did have some quality folk.  Take Gideon Edwards, he war quality from Furginny and he married a Perkins from Furginny what war quality too—she war the sister of Thomas Perkins who come down and named his plantation Mount Airy what the town got hit's name from.  

	Thar war others lak the Thompsons, the Oglivys, the Cunninghams, the Taliaferrors and the Franklins.  Most of them married the quality, them that lived around them.  That made most of them kin.  

	Now you heered about the Sonker Festival.  They give that at the house what Gideon Edwards built and whar his daughter's old man, Meshack Franklin, lived.

	Now Gideon he war a legislator and him and Jesse Franklin, they married Perkins.  And Meshack Franklin he married Gideon Edward's daughter—that's why he lived at Gideon Edwards' house—and he went to the legislature too.  Now that's three what went to the legislature, Gideon Edwards, Jesse Franklin, and Meshack Franklin—all sort of tied up together. But hit's the Franklins I aim to tell you about.

	Hit all begun with Bernard Franklin.  Some puts on airs about Bernard's name and tries to call it Ber-NARD—Frencified.   But that ain't the way Bernard hisself said hit.  He said hit like BARnard.  Want to know how we knowed?  Bernard went down to them thar Moravians in Salem to see a doctor about his old lady's face cancer and they writ his name down “Barnet.” (They couldn't do anything fur the cancer.)

	Now Bernard Franklin, he fust lived in Albemarle County, Furginny and he tuk a notion to come down to Surry.  So you know what he done?  He sent his boy Jesse—he warn't but sixteen or seventeen year old, this war around 1777-1778—to find him a place to move to.  And Jesse, he come down and picked the Mitchell River Valey, one of the purtiest places in all of Surry with the richest land—will grow anything, and Bernard, he moved his whole family down thar what Jesse picked without ever seeing hit himself.  Now that showed how smart Jesse war and how his pappy trusted him.

	So they built their log house—everybody up here had log houses then—and he and all his younguns they lived thar until the old folks died out.

	Now Bernard he war a Babtist—they think he started that Mitchell River Babtist Church only it war nearer to Kapp's Mill then—and he read the Bible.  He named his children names lake Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego and Jesse.  Now Shadrach, after his pa died, he went on a-livin in the Mitchell River Valley and thar he war buried—him and his pa and ma.  Jesse he built hisself a house up on Fish River, about five mile from whar Gideon Edwards lived—near Lowgap.  And Meshack, he went to live in Gideon Edwards' house to help take care of old Mrs. Edwards after her old man died; and Abednego, he got high up in the government.

	Now let me tell you about Jesse.  He war the one who war elected to the legislature in Raleigh—him and his brother, Meshack, and his brother-in-law, Gideon Edwards, lak I tol you—but then Jesse he war elected to the U.S. Senate.  Them U.S. Senators they thought a heap of Jesse because they made him president of the Senate—president pro tem the called it.  And then he war elected of Governor of North Carolina. That war in 1820.  And him jist a country boy with no much eddication—didn't have no chance to git one.  But he war smart and good.

	Jesse, he fit in the Revolutionary War.  He war one of them mountain men what went down to King's Mountain and kilt that thar Ferguson what war a talkin so big about what he war a goin to do to the mountain men.  And they kilt so many that they jist about done them in.  And o you know who holped them do it? Jesse.  While the fightin was a goin on Jesse, he seed that everything was in a mess, the smoke hit being so thick and all. But he got all them men together and they whupped the British.  And that thar American colonel, he was so obliged to Jesse that he give him one of those British officer's swords and tol him he done it because he deserved it.

	Jesse, he fit down at Guilford Courthouse too.  In fact he almost got hisself kilt thar.  He and his best friend, Richard Taliaferro, they was a fightin hard and Jesse, he seed that it war time to quit and run and he tol Richards so.  But Richard, he said he aimed to git one more of them devils.  But instead, he got hisself kilt—got a sword run through him.  But Jesse he got away.  Jesse almost never got out of the war on account of another thing, too.  Jesse, he war a comin home to bring his folks some salt.  Now folks them days had to have salt to cure their meat.  But the Tories, they was a waitin for Jesse and tuk him.  They tuk his horse's bridle, tied one end around Jesse's neck and the other end around a tree and they was a goin to hang him.  Now Jesse, he said “If you hang me, my Uncle Ben will hunt ever one of you down like bloodhounds and hang ever one of you.”  Now Jesse's uncle as Ben Cleavland who never tuk no foolishness off the Tories.  He hung a lot of them.  

	But them Tories, they'd been a givin Jesse's pa Barnard a heap of trouble.  One time they grabbed a new hat off Bernard's head and put an old dirty on in hit's place.  And Bernard, he tuk it off and throwed hit on the ground and stomped hit.  And he said “I wish I could do that to every Tory in the country.”  

	Another time the Tories they raided Bernard's house a lookin fur gold.  Now some of the fine things Bernard had buried in a tator patch.  An old aunt what lived with them had a bag of gold hid under her apron. When the Tories come around they looked and looked but couldn't find nary a thing.  And all the time the old aunt she jist kep knitting away not sayin a word. 

	Now Jesse, as I tol you, after he got out of the war people thought so much of him they wanted him to the government.  And he done as I have tol you.  When Jesse war governor he thought of a lot of things what we are used to now.  He wanted the government to pay for public schools, and now hit does.  He didn't think it war right to chop off people's ears and brand them for doin something agin the law—thought the man wouldn't have much chance if he war branded or cut.  He war agin slavery although hit meant he would lost his slaves; he aimed to have a federal constitution lak we have now and what is a workin; he voted again givin them government people more money and hit would have give him more too.  He war just straight and everybody knowed hit and looked up to him.

	They wanted Jesse to run fur governor agin but Jesse he warn't well enough.  In two years he died, of dropsy it war.  But we in Surry fault Jesse for one thing. We do not know what he looked like because he wouldn't have no picture of him painted.  And folks says that he war a fine lookin man, straight and tall and weighed about 200 pounds.  But he jist did not believe in putin on no airs.  He would not wear lace on his coat sleeves like hit war the style—said he war just plain lak his country friends at home. 

	And when folks now is tryin to write about Jesse they can't find out much cause Jesse, he never made many speeches—he jist worked and got out and got things done without makin a lot about hit. He got along with everybody.  And everybody respected him and liked him and asked him things.  He jist done what he orta to have done and didn't make nuthin of hit.

	That's the way real folks of Surry is.
									RUTH MINICK

PUBLICATIONS:

	MY COX FAMILY AND ALLIED LINES OF GRAYSON COUNTY, VIRINGIA by Alice Cox Phillips.  Hard-bound , 230 pages, plus 125 pictures, several maps and a lineage chart.  This book is a completion of the work of four people and has extensive research on the Cox and Elliott families, with additional information on the Reeves, Hash, Sutherland, Osborne families, to mention a few.  The cost is $38.00 postpaid.  Order from Mrs. Alice Cox Phillips, Poquoson, VA.  

				

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