Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-05-15
SHENANDOAH COUNTY
HAD FAMOUS SONS
Dr. Wayland Writes interestingly of
Its History-Historical Facts
Little Known

prove OF peculiar interest to the peo-
pie of Shenandoah County, who in
their proneness to look beyond the
borders of the county for historical
figures lose sight of the fact that
from this country went forth many
OF the makers of America
Writing to Miss Mary c. Grabill,
one OF the publishers of the Her.
aid, under date of May 5, 1925, DIR.
Wayland says:
Dear Miss Grabill:
l am finding so many interesting
things about Shenandoah County
and Woodstock that l have to won
der whether there is another county
or country town in the United States
that is more historic. The Mullen
berg incident of the Revolution gives
Woodstock unique distinction, and
has already made it the mecca of
poets and artists; but l had no idea
until recently how many other not
able persons and events are associ-
L
just been going over the journal of
the famous Methodist Bishop, Fran
els Asbury, who travelled all over this
country from 1872 till his death in
1916. founding churches and hold
ing conferences nd preaching
almost night and day | find that
he was in Shenandoah County eight
or ten times between 1890 and 1909;
that several times he lodged in
Woodstock over night. and on two
or three occasions he preached there.
The FIRST time he spoke of being there
was in August, 1890, when he re-
cords that he was permitted to
preach in the Episcopal Church.
1t was only recently that learned
that Thomas Marshall, the first clerk
of the county, was the father of John
Marshall. later the famous Chief
Justice of the United States Supreme
Court. You have discovered some
very interesting facts, l understand,
regarding the sojourn of ancestors
of the Hon. John W. Davis in Wood
stock 1t was only a short time ago, |
moreover, that / learned that Chas. l
B. Gatewood, who was so eminently
distinguished in the famous Geron-l
limo campaign in the Southwest, was
a native of Woodstock, and a grand
son of the man who printed the sec
ond edition of Kerchevals History
of the Valley, at Woodstock in 1850.
/ suppose that most people in the
town and county know something of
Benjamin West Clinedinst, one of
the most distinguished artists of this
country. His huge painting of the
V. M. I. Cadets in the battle of New
Market, which hangs just back of
the stage in the assembly hall at
v. NJ. 1, has probably been admired
by many of them; but probably some
of them do not know that Clinedinst
is native of Woodstock. Perhaps,
too. some of them do not know that
the leading high school textbook on
civil government in the United States
is a book entitled American Gov
eminent" and written by a Wood
stock boy, Frank A. Magruder
Many of them know Frank, of
course: but he is too modest to tell
his book
Letter From Clark
Not many days ago l came across
a letter which was written from the
Ohio Valley in January, 1873, by
George Rogers Clark, who in 1878
and 1873 became famous as the con-
queror OF the Northwest territory.
II was addressed to his older broth
er, Jonathan Clark, who was an Off
Ger in the famous German Regi-
ment" of the Revolution, partly re-
cruited at Woodstock by Mullen
berg Jonathan Clark was later a
major-general in the Virginia mill
tia; and in 1873 he was living at
Woodstock. 1t was there that he
was addressed in the letter above
mentioned; and it appears that he
made his home at Woodstock or in
the vicinity for ten years or more
He was a friend and associate of
Muhlenburg, ii is said; and he mar
ried a Miss Hite. of Shenandoah or
Frederick County.
/ suppose there is no doubt that
the old court house at Woodstock
erected in 1871. is by far the Oldest
court house now standing and in use
in Virginia, west of the Blue Ridge
Think of all the stirring times and
scenes this old stone building has
witnessed, II the stones had eyes
and ears and a tongue, what stories
they could tell,
In the days when the building wa.
new, Indians often passed, on theil
way to and from the Great Father
at Washington or Philadelphia
When it was built, there were hun
dreds of men in Woodstock ans
Shenandoah County who had Tough
in the Revolution, who had followes
Washington, or Muhlenberg. or Dan
lei Morgan, or George Rogers Clark
for one of Clark's companies. tn
one commanded by Joseph Bowman
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