Volume 22, Issue 4
Chronicle
October 2011
Campbell County Historical Society
P.O. Box 595 Rustburg VA 24588
Etta Elizabeth Winston Elliott
1910 – 2002
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Etta Elizabeth Winston Elliott
1,4
John Henry Organ
2
Early Supervisor / William H.
Wingfield’s Public Service
3
Campbell County in War Times
5-7
The Organs of War
7
Campbell County Historical
Society Calendar of Events
8
Special points
of interest:
Work is progressing on the
pictorial history of the
county, but we need photos
and information from the
Timberlake area and
southern parts of the county.
If you have original old
photos that we might scan
(pictures of a tobacco field,
old bridges, old schools, old
churches, old post offices,
old stores, old railroad
depots ...anything old),
please call Mary Gough at
434 846-8975 or e-mail her
at [email protected].
Our deadline is
approaching. Thanks so
much!
Part 1
Submitted by: Elizabeth Carter Elliott Williams, Mary Louise Elliott Wright and
Carter Smith Elliott, Jr.
Etta Winston Elliott
lived 92 years of
service to her family,
church and community.
Etta was born on March
11, 1910, on the Piney
Dell Farm on
Marysville Road in the
Altavista area of
Campbell County. She
was the first of thirteen
children born to George
Alexander and Maude
Garbee Winston. Piney
Dell was the home
place of her father. Her
grandmother Mary
Elizabeth Alexander
Winston and her aunt
EL (Elizabeth Lucy
Winston) lived in the
big house on the farm
and Etta and her parents
lived in a smaller house
in the yard. Her early
memories centered on
these two women who
took her under their
wings. By the age of
four, they had taught
Etta to read, write and
do simple needlework.
In her efforts to
embroider a piece to the
satisfaction of the older
ladies her hands
perspired so that she had
to hang the piece by the
fire to dry. At an early
age Etta learned the
wisdom of following
rules.
She had been taught by
her elders that little girls
should not go out into
the sun without bonnets
to shade their faces. Etta
had a brand new bonnet
of which she was very
proud. On one sunny
day she went out to the
well and failed to wear
her bonnet and was spied
by her grandmother who
immediately instructed
her to fetch her bonnet.
When Etta returned with
the bonnet, her
grandmother cut three
round holes in the back
of it. Then she divided
Etta’s hair into three
parts and pulled each
section of her hair
through one of the holes
which had been cut.
Then her grandmother
proceeded to braid Etta’s
hair with the bonnet on
her head. Etta was told
she had to wear the
bonnet all day as a
reminder of the broken
rule. Etta told this story
many times throughout
her life, always
emphasizing how badly
she felt that everyone
could see her shame
over breaking a rule.
There is little doubt that
these two women had a
profound influence on
the life of young Etta.
Reading, writing and
needlework took deep
root and she enjoyed
them all her long life.
(continued on page 4)
Etta W. Elliott with
Elizabeth, Carter, Jr.
and Mary Louise, 1945
Page 2
John Henry Organ
One hundred and fifty years ago, John Henry Organ
heeded the call for Campbell County men to join
the fight to protect Virginia. He joined the Clifton
Greys of Pigeon Run under the leadership of Adam
Clement in May 1861. The Clifton Greys became
Company C of the 11th Virginia Infantry. John
Henry Organ went from being a Campbell County
farmer to a Sergeant in the infantry. This 29 year
old farmer left home never to return.
John Henry Organ was the oldest son of James
Organ and a grandson of Major John Organ. His
mother was Mary Polly Robertson who died when
John Henry was barely three years old. When he
was about five years old his father married Elcy
Dews, and at seven years old, John lost his second
mother when his half-sister, Elcie Ann Organ was
born. His father married for a third time when John
Henry was ten years old. Elizabeth E. Keen raised
both John Henry and Elcie Ann. She also had five
children with James Organ.
For almost one hundred and fifty years descendants
of the Organs have treasured letters written by John
Henry Organ to his half-sister, Elcie Ann Organ,
during the time he served with Company C of the
11th Virginia Infantry. Those letters and many
letters written to John Henry by relatives and
friends from the time he was 18 years old provide
some insights into the man he was.
In a letter written in 1850, a friend teases John
about “bucking up” to one of the neighborhood
girls taking her home from church on a Sunday.
Another friend takes John Henry to task about how
he and his friends had “cut out” his cousin. It
seems John Henry was a leader in youthful pranks.
Also noted was that he didn’t mind taking a drink
or two when the occasion arose. Hunting Possum
was another pastime he engaged in with his friends.
That John Henry liked the girls was evident in his
Chronicle
Submitted by Connie Fischer
letters back home when he would ask Elcie to “kiss all
the girls for me and [tell] them not to marry before I get
back.” John Henry wrote to Elcie Ann about camp life
before he was taken ill, “We have all kinds of music
here the fiddle – banjo – flute – guitars – jew’s-harps
and dancing every night until nine o’clock.” Gathered
from the many letters to John Henry and those from
him, he was a man who enjoyed wine, women, and
song – perhaps not wine, but Mr. Barleycorn would
more likely be his drink – and a good practical joke.
Friends and family alike felt a great affection for him.
After his death, his cousin wrote that John Henry had
risked his own health when recovering from the measles
to take care of others who he felt needed his help.
John Henry Organ was a good man and well-liked.
Judging by the letters he wrote, he loved his family and
had a close relationship with his half-sister, Elcie Ann.
Perhaps it was because they both lost their mothers at
young ages. His cousin, David O. Layne, wrote about
John Henry after he was taken to the hospital, “John
always felt like a brother to me … and if I never see
him again on earth I hope to meet him in heaven.” After
learning of John Henry’s death he wrote, “You don’t
know how bad it made me feel to think of my dear
cousin dead and gone.”
I have been working with
Revely B. Carwile, Jr. to get a
Confederate States Army
(CSA) headstone from the
Department of Veterans
Affairs erected for John
Henry Organ at the Mt.
Calvary Baptist Church
Cemetery. I think he would
be perplexed at something
happening almost one
hundred and fifty years after
his death, but maybe he too .
would be a little bit proud.
John Henry Organ
Chronicle
Page 3
EARLY SUPERVISOR / WILLIAM H. WINGFIELD’S PUBLIC SERVICE
Submitted by A. Lynette Lankford Merryman (great, great, great granddaughter of Captain Wingfield)
Captain William H. Wingfield was elected to the
Campbell County Board of Supervisors from
Falling River District to succeed Dr. William S.
Nowlin, in July 1886. Each member of the Board
of Supervisors at that time was overseer of the
poor and was responsible for the upkeep of the
roads in his particular district. Captain Wingfield
remained in this office, being re-elected a number
of times, until June 1901. Over the period of
fifteen years in which he served in this capacity a
review of the board minute book shows that he
was not absent more than five times.
He was evidently a modest man with more
appreciation of the opportunity to serve than of
the honor of the office. It was usually on his
motion that other members, some newly elected
and many years younger than himself, of the
board were elected to be chairman.
During his term of office the county was faced
with some unprecedented problems, which were
solved in a farsighted manner. In October 1886
the Board authorized the purchase of one
thousand shares, or $100,000.00 worth of capital
stock of the Lynchburg-Halifax and North
Carolina Railroad Company. In 1888 the Board
passed a resolution to get the General Assembly
of Virginia to give the Board the legal right to
exempt from taxation a cotton mill which was
proposed to be built in the county near
Lynchburg. An act of the General Assembly was
later passed vesting this power in the Board of
Supervisors. In 1889 a Zinc Furnace and Paint
Factory was exempt from taxation for a period of
fifteen years. The Board was of the opinion that
the location of the railroad and manufacturing
plants in the county would “benefit the county by
adding to the taxable value there of”. Like
exemptions in taxes were granted to a concern to
manufacture wagons in 1898 and a Hosiery Mill in
1899.
In 1896 the City of Lynchburg petitioned the
General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing
the extension of corporate limits of the city to
include the settlement known as Rivermont. The
county resisted this move on the part of the city of
Lynchburg with success for a number of years,
reasoning that heavy obligations had been made on
the county’s taxable property in reference to the
railroad development, which was for the common
good and the loss of this taxable property could not
be afforded.
During 1899 and 1900 a number of improvements
were made to the county property, such as
fireproofing and insuring the county buildings. In
the latter year a purchase of a book typewriter was
ordered for the use of the clerk of the county court.
In the same year an important health measure was
taken. It was made compulsory for every resident
and person sojourning in the county over 7 years of
age to be vaccinated for smallpox. In order to cope
with an epidemic, smallpox guards were posted on
the public highways to direct travelers away from
infected places. Houses in the county in which
smallpox victims had been housed were ordered
disinfected under the supervision of Dr. Thomas
Terrell, who directed County Health Work.
Captain Wingfield last appears as a member of the
Board on June 10, 1901. He was succeeded by Mr.
Thomas Whately.
Excerpts from a 1946 Memorial Service at Patrick
Henry Library, Brookneal Virginia by Miss Ida
Gilchrist RN, granddaughter of Captain William
Henry Wingfield, C.S.A.
Page 4
Chronicle
Chronicle
Etta Elizabeth Winston Elliott 1910-2002
As the Winston family grew in number, they
moved in 1922 to Lone Oak Farm which is located
on Mortimer Drive off Colonial Highway near
Evington. Etta was eleven years old. By this time
she had assumed more duties in the home; meal
preparation was one of her responsibilities. At that
time, there were four toddlers in the home and
caring for them was about all her mother could do.
Consequently, it was Etta’s job to get up and
prepare breakfast for sixteen people. They
routinely made a gallon of flour into bread each
day. They packed lunches for eight people each
day. The children carried their lunches, which in
those times included biscuits, side meat and other
home grown foods, to school in old molasses tins.
George and Maude Winston made providing an
education for their children a priority. At first, the
Winston children had a teacher who lived in the
home and provided lessons for them in the parlor,
including piano lessons for those who wanted to
learn. The tutor was a necessity in 1917 because
the flu was “raging” and all the schools were
closed. Later Etta’s parents, along with the
Callahan family, felt the need for a community
school in order that their children could continue
their education. Mr. J. J. Fray, school
superintendent for Campbell County at the time,
promised that he would provide the teacher if the
families provided a building. The Callahan family
donated the land; George Winston gave the lumber
to build what became known as the Callahan
School. Six of the Winston children attended this
school. There were three different teachers the
first year at the Callahan School. Etta recalled that
everyone drank from a common dipper. The small
children sat near the stove, which was in a corner
rather than in the center of the room. The older
children, who sat away from the stove, “nearly
Continued from page 1
froze all day.” Etta especially loved recess, when
they played games such as “Drop the
Handkerchief”, “Jump, Jump, Jim Crow” and “Hide
and Seek.” Etta and her siblings wore dresses and
underwear to school made by their mother from old
feed sacks.
Etta was very close to her mother and admired her
greatly. She recounted proudly that she was raised
according to her mother’s standards and always
tried to abide by them, although “peer pressure”
occasionally intervened. When Etta was attending
the one room school as a thirteen year old, she
wanted to fit in, particularly with the sixteen-year
old girls. Everyone at the school, including the
older girls, attended school barefoot. Her mother
had told Etta that, at thirteen, she was supposed to
wear shoes to school. She obediently left home
with her shoes on. However, on the way to school
she removed her shoes and left them by the fence so
she could go barefoot like the other students. On
the way home from school, Etta retrieved the shoes
and her mother never knew the difference.
At the age of fourteen, Etta began attending
Rustburg High School. The first year there she rode
seven miles to school on horseback (side saddle)
each day. She rode the horse behind her brother,
whose presence shielded her from the cold and
wind. At lunchtime, she went to the stable with
corn to feed the horse. The next year she was able to
ride to school in a truck with her brother Ernest,
who was hauling rocks for the new highway 29
from Lynchburg to Altavista. She arrived at school
at 7:15 A.M. daily, often in darkness as the school
had no lights. Fortunately, the janitor and his wife,
Mr. and Mrs. Maddox, always had a lamp and table
in the boiler room where they allowed early arrivals
to study. Etta never forgot their kindness. (this
article will be continued in next issue)
Chronicle
Campbell County in War Times
Part 2 of a series
Monthly court dockets of 150 years
ago reveal assorted cases and orders
involving soldiers, slaves, free
Negroes, elections, communities,
ordinaries, and schools.
Some grabbed my attention and give us a flavor of
the life and times of our county in the early Civil War
years.
The cases below represent a cross-section of social,
cultural, and political history. Court met once a
month, and the following were taken from Order
Book 28 in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. Each
case was reported just as it appeared, without my
covering up or dressing up any of the ugly details in
some of them.
9 September 1861
An inventory and appraisement of the estate of David
Hoffman was ordered to be recorded.1 Hoffman, an
enumerator of the 1850 Census in Campbell County,
was buried in the Samuel and Judith Moorman
Family Cemetery.2
David Hoffman’s signature on the 1850 Census
Richard G. Brown, Daniel Franklin, James D.
Cardwell, Thomas L. Arrington, and Sampson D.
Evans were appointed to divide the slaves belonging
to the estate of the late Jesse T. Burton.1 Brown was a
minister, Franklin a farmer, Cardwell a manufacturer,
Arrington a railroad agent, and Evans a farmer.3
Since James Wood, road surveyor, was serving in the
military, the Court appointed William W. Jones to
replace him. Jones was to be responsible for
surveying the road leading from Falling Bridge to
Shannon’s old field.1 James M. Wood enlisted in the
11th Virginia Infantry, Company C, in July 1861 and
was killed at the Battle of Seven Pines in July the
following year.4
Page 5
September – December 1861
Submitted by Amelia A. Talley
John Jackson appealed the judgment of George M.
Bruce, Justice of the Peace, that he receive ten stripes
“for using insolent language to a white lady.” The Court
affirmed the judgment and ordered that Jackson pay the
cost of the prosecution and receive ten stripes on his bare
back.1 Jackson was a free Negro born about 1827.5 He
was employed as a dining room servant in Lynchburg.3
The Justices appointed the following to list the free
Negroes residing in their respective districts: Thomas H.
Rosser, George W. Lee, Luke Wade, Ammon G.
Hancock, Robert Johnson, James Organ, C. Hubbard,
William M. Hamlet, Thomas H. Franklin, George M.
Bruce, and Thomas L. Arrington.1 Lee was a constable;
Hancock a tobacco manufacturer; Arrington a railroad
agent; and Wade, Johnson, Organ, Rosser, Hubbard,
Hamlet, Franklin, and Bruce farmers.3
14 October 1861
The Court ordered the appointment of Commissioners
and officers to conduct an election to be held on
Wednesday, November 6. Communities listed were
Courthouse, Paulett, Terry’s, New London,
Hazlewood’s, Burton’s Creek, Arnoldton, Marysville,
Falling River, Nowlin’s, Dinwiddie’s, Concord Depot,
Planter’s Ware House, and Friend’s Ware House.1
John Callahan and Henry Poole received licenses to
operate ordinaries.1 Callahan was a miller; Poole, born in
Ireland, a grocer.3
David P. Reese was elected as an overseer of the poor.
George W. Bruce was sworn in as deputy sheriff.1 Reese
was a blacksmith and Bruce a laborer.3
Pleasant Burns, a free Negro born about 1808 in
Charlotte County to a white woman, registered as a free
man.1 Burns was 6 feet tall.5 One of his descendants was
a former student of mine at William Campbell High
School.
School Commissioners appointed for the year were O. C.
Clark, Douglas B. Hancock, Thomas Betterton, Adam
Clement, Charles W. Cardwell (continued on page 6)
Page 6
Chronicle
Campbell County in War Times
Thomas L. Arrington, Josiah Shepperson, Holcomb
Organ, William T. Elliott, William. H. Tardy,
Littlebury Moon, Robert Hunter, James Russell, M.
C. Moorman, William. H. Lydrik, and A. Taylor.1
Continued from page 5
Pannell, William G. Clark, S. S. Hillsman, Thomas
W. Jones, A. E. Collins, William Whitlow, James L.
McCraw, and George Yuille.6
An account of Sally Puckett’s estate included “1
Negro man George (valued at nothing).”6
The Court ordered that the road leading from the old
Richmond road to the west of Cardwell Foundry be
changed to the east side of the foundry.1
Holcomb Organ’s tombstone
Boler Cocke, Robert Smith, James T. Hurt, and
William M. Hamlet were ordered to divide the
slaves of the estate of William B. Smith among his
children.
To fill the position left vacant by the resignation in
November of Charles H. Lynch, Ammon G. Hancock
was appointed to the committee formed to provide
for the needy families of the needy soldiers and the
needy volunteers in the Confederate service from
Campbell County.1
Casualties of War
Samuel Norman Carson, son of James M. and Martha
Jones Carson, died on September 28, 1861 in
Campbell of typhoid fever at age 24.7 He had enlisted
on April 23, 1861 in the 11th Virginia Infantry,
Company B.8 He was buried at Salem United
Methodist Church Cemetery. 12
William B. Smith’s tombstone:
11 November 1861
Charles H. Lynch, a member of the committee
appointed in May to take charge of and disburse the
money appropriated for the support of the families
of the volunteers, offered his resignation.1
9 December 1861
Lists of sales of the Negroes of Richard Perkins,
who had died on February 7, 18616, and of William
Whitten, deceased, were presented and ordered to
be recorded.1
Names of slaves were listed in many wills,
inventories, and accounts, including those of
Thomas H. Scott, Martha P. Green, Samuel
Samuel Norman’s Carson
Drury W. Hall, son of Drury C. and Ann Dudley Hall,
died on September 30, 1861 at Alum Springs at age 24.7
Another source reported that he died on November 4,
1861 at Rockbridge Alum Springs. He had enlisted in 42nd
Virginia Infantry, Company D, on May 31, 1861.8
Joseph A. Dobyns/Dobbins, son of Jonah and Deborah W.
Dobyns/Dobbins, died on October 12, 1861 in Campbell
of typhoid fever at age 20.7 He had enlisted in 2nd Virginia
Cavalry, Company B on May 13, 1861. He was buried 13
October 1861.9, 10 Where was Joseph buried? (continued
on page 7)
Page 7
Chronicle
The Organs of War
Campbell County in War Times
Continued from page 6
By Connie Fischer (aka Mary C. Fischer)
In May 1861, young men from Campbell County
joined the Clifton Greys and reported to
Lynchburg as part of the 11th Virginia Infantry.
Among them were two cousins, John Henry Organ
and David Orison Layne. Each was 29 years old,
John
was a farmer
and
David
was
carpenter.
By Connie
Fischer
(aka
Mary
C. aFischer
)
They were both schooled enough to write letters
home, and being in an environment unlike any they
had experienced before, they wrote letters home.
Elcie Ann Organ was John Henry Organ’s
stepsister and David Orison Laynes’ first cousin.
Both wrote to her.
The letters they wrote have been preserved for
almost 150 years. The information they imparted to
Elcie in their letters gives us insights into the lives
of foot soldiers in the first days of Virginia’s build
up towards the battle called, First Bull Run or First
Manassas. The Organs of War uses the letters of a
sergeant and a private in the 11th Virginia Infantry
to give you a glimpse into the lives of the people
who lived and died during an important historic
event in our Nation’s history. For example, John
Henry wrote to Elcie on May 23, 1861 that “We
have cloth tents to sleep in we are furnished a little
straw to spread on the ground to put our blankets
upon. We have all kinds of music here the fiddle Banjo - flute. Guitars Jewsharps & dancing every
night until nine oclock when the drum beats for the
roll call and every man has to go to bed. It there is
any out of the way they are reported to the officers
of the day who make them do double duty as
sentinel. There are ten companies of infantry in
camp and too more in town that will be in camp in
a day or too when there will be about one thousand
in camp beside the troop.”
The Organs of War is available from the author.
Make checks payable to Mary C. Fischer and mail
to 821 Leopard Trail, Winter Springs, FL 32708.
Each copy is $10.95 including postage. Please
indicate the name to be signed to, if you would like
a signed copy.
Rufus C. Clark died on October 20, 1861 in
Campbell County of typhoid fever at age 25.
He was son of Pleasant and Nancy Paulette Clark.7 He had
enlisted in 11th Virginia Infantry, Company E on July 26,
18618. He was buried in Pleasant Clark Family
Cemetery.11
William B. and Mary Louisa Collins Morris lost two of
their sons, Micajah J. Morris and Robert C. Morris.
Robert C. Morris died on December 8, 1861 of typhoid
fever at age 20. 7 Another source reported that he died of
disease on November 27, 1861. 8 Both sons had enlisted
on May 31, 1861, served in the 42nd Virginia Infantry,
Company D, and died in Greenbrier County, West
Virginia.
Micajah F. Morris died in November 1861 of typhoid
fever at age 22.7 Another source reported that he died on
October 31, 1861 in Meadow Bluff.8
William H. Hobson was killed in battle on December 19,
1861 in Fairfax at age 37. He was son of Rowland
Lawson and Frances D. Wilson Hobson.7 He was buried
on December 23, 1861. Nathaniel Roland Hobson paid for
“Burial Services Box & Trip with Hearse.”9, 13 Were
William and Nathaniel brothers? Where was William
buried? See “Hobson Family Cemetery”14 and
“Betterton/Hobson Cemetery at Swinging Bridge.”15
The third installment in this series including events from
January through March 1862 will be published in
Chronicle in January 2012.
Footnotes:
1
Campbell County, Virginia, Order Book 28
2 Campbell County, Virginia, Family Cemeteries, vol. 9
3 1860 Census
4 William H. Morgan, Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-5
5 Free Negro Register: 1802-1864
6 Campbell County, Virginia, Will Book 12
7 Campbell County, Virginia, Death Records, 1861-1865
8 American Civil War Soldiers, Ancestry.com
9 Diuguid Burial Records, Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia
10 http://gravegarden.org/diuguid/images/books/05/D05_056.jpg
11 Campbell County, Virginia, Family Cemeteries, vol. 7
12 Campbell County, Virginia, Church Cemeteries, vol. 1
13 http://gravegarden.org/diuguid/images/books/05/D05_076.jpg
14 Campbell County, Virginia, Family Cemeteries, vol. 6
15 Campbell County, Virginia, Family Cemeteries, vol. 4
Photographs by Amelia A. Talley [email protected]
Page 8
Chronicle
Chronicle
Campbell County Historical Society Calendar of Events
October 23, the CCHS will meet on Sunday, at 3 pm in the basement of the Haberer Building. Guest speak is Bill Rowland
talking about Repatriation of Remains
November 4 First Friday
Museum is open FREE from 5 pm to 8 pm featuring a look at the many judicial courts of Lynchburg with historic images. A free trolley runs a loop in
Downtown Lynchburg with art galleries and shops also open.
November 11 Veteran’s Day
Museum and Point of Honor FREE to visitors 10 am - 4 pm
December 4 Christmas Open House at Point of Honor
Point of Honor, one of Lynchburg’s architectural jewels, will host its 29th Annual Open House. Decorated for Christmas in 1815, the home will feature
native greens, yule log, and customs of the day. Join us for period music, refreshments, and a special sale in our Gift Shop. Noon to 4 p.m. FREE
The Museum at 901 Court Street and Point of Honor at 112 Cabell Street are closed only on New Years’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and
Christmas Day. Open hours are 10 am to 4 pm Monday -- Saturday and noon to 4 pm Sunday.
Contact the Museum Educator for group tours and special programs: (434) 455-4424 or [email protected]
Visit us at www.lynchburgmuseum.org and www.pointofhonor.org or on Facebook.
About Our Organization…
Preserve the Campbell County Courthouse as an historical museum for the enjoyment of the citizens and visitors to the area.
 Collect and preserve manuscripts, artifacts and other materials pertaining to the history of Campbell County.
 Identify historical structures, cemeteries and other sites in Campbell County with appropriate documentation and file with the
Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission
 Provide quarterly educational programs to members and other interested parties.
 Research and publish dominant and minority racial and cultural histories.
 Stimulate the youth and adults of the County to appreciate and preserve their heritage.
The Campbell County
Historical Society
P.O. Box 595
Rustburg, VA 24588
or email
[email protected]
bell.va.us
Visit our web site @
http://www.myvirginiaheri
tage.com/cchs_home.htm