Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-03-02
LACK OF HISTORIC INTER
EST IN TAZEWELL. co.


Do we know the history of Taze.
we'll county? How many of MS can
answer in the affirmative If we do
not know it, from whence shall we
learn its We mechanically refer to
the various histories of our State for
such Information, but when we open
the volumes of Howison, Cooke,
Campbell and others,acd glance over
the indexes we are disappointed, my
even mortified, to find that our exist
ence is not even limited al!
DIR. Jno. Bell Henneman Historic
Element in Virginia Education and
Literary Effort. Cast glance upon
ho map of Virginia and you will noto
four distinct divisions, naturally and
industrial!y diverse. They are: Tide.
water, Southside, the Valley and the
Southwest These four divisions,
however similar today, were settled
by people of different origin under
varying interest, and environment.
Tidewuter was settled by the Eng
lish; Southside By the Trench Huge.
nots; the Valley by Germans and
principally by the Scotch-Irish. It is
with this element that we are most
interested, for they settled our South
west.
The Scotch-Tiish have ever been n
restless people. To trace the history
of the Scotch -Irishman we must po
back to time anterior to the Chris
tian era, when we find him occupying
the mountain businesses of Gallatia
in Asia-AIinor. His restless spirit
of adventure leads him through Italy,
Spain and France, and we finally find
him in Great Britain, where he is no
longer called u ''Gaul' but u "Celt."
In 1908 we read that the English
court has passed an ordinance for
transferring n large body of these
Celts, who by this time have inter
mingled with the Saxons and the
Danes, to Ulster, in Northern Ire.
land. Here they remain in compari
tive quiet and comfort until the fa.
nous siege OF Londonderry when
they so gallantly withstood the attack
of the royal forces for 105 days.
After this memorable event, the
old rowing spirit was revived by All
attack upon their liberty and relig-
ious views and they began TO cross
the Atlantic in search of new home
where they could enjoy political lib.
erty and worship God according to
the dictates of their own conscience.
The first settlements were nude in
Pennsylvania, bnt they gradually
drifted down the Appalachian sys.
tenn into Virginia. The beautiful
valley Of the Shenandoah engaged
their attention and numerous settle.
ments were made; the first being
made at the present site Of Stanton
by John Lewis (Jobn L.wis peyton:
history OF Augusta County, page 25)
II man of wonderful aciiyity and per
severance. Following The mountain
eAein thry gradually settled in the
vHiioas cp'.uties Of tiir Southwest.
Nlsh sach genr'ol fact, as these.
40 one ~ uiacqiainte,i; but We are
not satisfied with me.ely knowing
what great race of people first set
lied our county We wish to know
sonotliing of their local history; The
locations III their first settlements,
encounters with the natives, organiza
lion Of local government, schools,
churches, social life rs exempliiied by
our forefnthers To know ourselves
we must be thoroughly acquainted
with the life of tho early settler; we
must know the influence stamped up
on his character by his environment;
we must see him telling the prineval
forest, constructing his rough cabin
OF hewn logs, tilling his acres of corn,
contending with tho dreaded Shaw.
nees and undergoing all of the labors
ard dangers peculiar to pioneer life.
Society grows, it is not made, for
what is history but the licking to
gethtr of causes and effects?
1t is here we are met with almost
insnrmountable difficulties. We do
not know our local history, nor do
we know where to search for it. 1t
is true that in the earlier part of this
century Dir. Buckley, of Russell coun
ty, has written US a history of our
county, but who possesses a copy
and where can it be Ind? The various
publishing houses tell ns it is out of
print aud is exceedingly rare.
The future historian of Tazewell
county has serious task before him.
He will meet with disappointment
from the records in the County
Clerks office, for they are incomplete
and not full enough. Our forefathers
Sc am to have had no thought that
their deeds would be interesting 10
succeeding generations, and have lett
but trace of their existence
Thomas Nelson Puge says that the
preservation of records has been so
careless that were it demanded n
large proportion of the good people
OF the South would be unable to es
tablish the legal marriage of their