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For a limited time, The Heritage of Wise County and The City of Norton Vol.2 will be on sale for the price of  $35.00 plus $8.00 postage.

This wonderful book will make someone a nice Christmas present.

If you liked The Heritage of Wise County and The City of Norton, Volume I, You will LOVE Volume II. More History, more photos, more folklore, full of surprises! This book is a MUST for Wise County researchers, or if you have ties with Wise County whatsoever. It will intrigue you with its many stories of Wise County’s early days, its towns, communities and people who made it all happen. 1133 pages,  Regular Price: $65.00.   For a limited time $35.00 plus $8.00 p&p.

This book is a collector’s item and will be an heirloom one day. Contains 1133 pages, numerous photos, 9 x 12, hardbound, forest green with gold trim.
A MUST if you have roots in Wise County or the surrounding area.

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The Slemp Foundation has awarded the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth a $25,000 grant for a pictorial history of Wise County’s old one/two room school. All people with an interest in history — or knowledge of old schools — are welcome to participate in the project. The next committee meeting is slated for 6 p.m. Nov. 2. The committee hopes to have the book out by next spring.

There are schools for which no photos have been found so far. People with any information or photos from schools such as Coonseye, Darries, Maning, Bull Hill, Bull Run, Dale Ridge, Vicco, Bean Gap, Stormy Gap, Blair, Stoney Lonesome, Cincinnati, Banner, Dale Ridge, Herald and Virginia City are especially urged to share with the committee.

Please call Paul Kuczko at 276-523-5064 or email at info@lpoy.org if you have information.

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Ganell serves as the Associate Editor of the Appalachian Quarterly published by Wise County Historical Society and works tirelessly with the set-up and lay-out of the magazine. Ganell puts in many hours of hard work each month  putting material into page-maker, working with pictures and finally printing it out for final proof- reading.

Ganell was born in the Riverview section of Coeburn, Virginia.  She was married to the late Darvin Marshall,  They have two sons: Bill and John Marshall.  Ganell lives in the Sandy Ridge section where she and Darvin made their home.

Ganell has put in countless hours in building and helping maintain the Sandy Ridge Old Regular Baptist Church and the old school building.  She has taken on the responsibility of copying any old church records pertaining to the Old Regular Baptist  Church that can be found.  She has worked for about 40 years on her family history research.

Ganell has worked with crafts since 1960 making corn-shuck and apple-head dolls as well as serving as an officer in craft organizations.  She is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, past and present member  of Sandy Ridge Handicrafters; past member of Piedmont Crafts, Inc.; past member of the Blue Ridge Hearthside Crafts, as well as others.  Her work has been featured on White House Christmas trees several times; in the Smithsonian Museum; in national magazines and special exhibits across the country.  She and her husband Darvin, were active in the formation of the local community center at Fairview School on Sandy Ridge.

In addition to the Appalachian Quarterly, corn-shuck dolls, and everything else she does, Ganell enjoys helping others in  learning to  use the computer.

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The Wise County Historical Society

ALL 52 issues of  The Appalachian Quarterly and The Appalachian are in portable digital file format – pdf.

These files are available for purchase on cd’s. Each year’s cd will retail at $12.00 plus tax and shipping.

$150.00 plus $10.00 Shipping & VA tax for the whole set.

Appalachian Quarterly Issues

1996 – 3 issues, 1997 – 4 issues,  1998 – 4 issues,  1999 – 4 issues, 2000 – 4 issues,  2001 – 4 issues,  2002 – 4 issues,  2003 – 4 issues,  2004 – 4 issues,  2005 – 4 issues,  2006 – 4 issues,  2007 – 4 issues,  2008 -  3 issues,  2009 – 2 issues, April and October.

The Appalachian Quarterly and The Appalachian feature stories of the heritage and history of the Appalachian sections of the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. Stories such as the lineage of families of Daugherty, Wood, Lane, Porter, Lawson,  and many, many more.

Questions? Contact: awshucks35@yahoo.com, Wanda Rose: Subscription and Orders at  wandaatwise@yahoo.com or 276-328-6569, or fannie_steele@comcast.net

Send orders to: Wise County Historical Society

P. O. Box 368, Wise, VA 24293

wchs_133@yahoo.com

EDITOR

Rhonda S. Robertson

COVERING THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

KENTUCKY, NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE,
VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA

112 page magazine of genealogy and history. Published by Wise County Historical Society.

See Order Form & Postage Chart

LAYOUT and SETUP and Co Editor

Contains: Family and Area History, From the Hills of Appalachia, Reaching Out,  Children of the Appalachians,  Regular Features,  Special Focus,  Melungeon, On The Bookshelf

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Wanda proof reads the magazine, prepares it for mailing and mails it with help from her husband Stuart, volunteers Bill Porter, Mildred Hughes and Wanda Manicure, who helps package  the magazine for mailing and Bill Gobble who keeps a database of names and addresses of subscribers to the magazine  There are  many elements of preparing the magazine for shipment.

BOOK-REVIEWS      Fannie-Steele

On The Bookshelf: What’s new in book releases,  Articles on people, music, food, flora & fauna, culture, folklore, military and much more… anything pertaining to that which is uniquely Appalachian.

SPECIAL FOCUS EDITOR

Special Focus: highlighting *Appalachian legends & mysteries, Ghost Towns, Historic towns, Counties, Treasure stories, etc. * Special Features: Soldiers, women in history, recipes, Native Americans, archaeology sites, etc.

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Check out the New Books added to our Bookstore

More books are being added to the Bookstore daily

New Books have been added to all categories.

Click on the thumbnails to see the bookcovers.

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Two members of the Wise County Historical Society attended the Patriot’s Conference and Ball at the Train Station, Bristol, VA

Below are pictures of  the Ball

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Mountains in Southwest Virginia

1. Orange – 1734-1738
2. Frederick -   formed from Orange 1738-1772
3. Augusta  – formed  from Frederick 1738-1770 – Organized in 1745
4. Botetourt – formed from Augusta 1772
5. Fincastle – formed from Botetourt  1772-1776
6. Montgomery – was formed from Fincastle 1776
7. Washington – formed from Fincastle in 1776
8. Kentucky – from Fincastle 1776-1780
9. Smyth – from Washington  1832
10. Tazewell – from Washington 1799
11. Russell – from Washington 1786
12. Buchanan – from Washington 1758
13. Scott – from Washington 1814
14. Lee – from  Washington 1792
15. Wise -  from Lee, Scott and Russell 1856
16. Dickenson – from Wise, Buchanan & Russell  1880

Originally, all the land belonging to Virginia west of the Blue Ridge was embraced in the County of Orange.  In 1738, Orange county west of the Blue Ridge was divided into two counties, Frederick and Augusta; and Augusta included the territory now comprising Wise.  In 1769, Augusta County was divided and all the land southwest from Lexington was called Botetourt County, named in honor of the then governor of Virginia, Lord Botetourt; and all the extreme southwestern portion of the State as well as the whole state of Kentucky was then in Botetourt County.  Later Botetourt County was divided and Fincastle County, including all the Western Portion was cut off.  In 1777, Fincastle in turn was divided into three counties, Montgomery, Washington, and Kentucky.  Washington County, Virginia, is said to have been the first political unit ever named in honor of George Washington.  From Washington County were formed the following counties: Russell in 1786, Lee in 1792, and Scott in 1814.  Wise County was formed by taking parts of Russell, Lee and Scott Counties.  It had been estimated that the new county of Wise had but 3 percent of its land under cultivation; the remainder was in wilderness.

The above was taken from the book, The Story of Wise County, by Luther F. Addington.

I would like to add  that Dickenson County, “Virginia’s Baby” was taken from Wise, Russell and Buchanan Counties and named after W. J Dickenson. (F.S.)

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Nina Counts Mullins

Nina Counts Mullins

Born in the shadows of the mountains in Dickenson County, VA on a blustery March morning, Nina Ruth Counts emerged into a family of five children.  Nina being the oldest assumed responsibility at an early age.  Nina was married at age 19 to Cossie Mullins, Jr. and they began their married life in Clinchco, VA, then moved Scott Robinson Hollow Road where she has lived since.

Over the years , after caring for four elderly members of her husband’s  and her family and then Cossie who died of ALS she has dedicated her life to different organizations of service.  She has been a member of the Home Extension for 30 years and was elected Homemaker of the Year for two straight years.  She is a charter member of the Norton Community Hospital Auxiliary and has served as President for three years and current buyer and manager of the Helping Hands Gift Shop.

She is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Pound and is involved with feeding the elderly and disabled in the church community.  She is a charter member of the Wise County Historical Society and helps in whatever capacity she is needed. She is our best sales person traveling to various community activities and helping set up tables and attending them selling books for the Historical Society to help keep  it afloat.

Nina is a great cook, very good at entertaining and has had the Historical Society to her home for dinners and has catered certain social events presented by the Historical Society.

Above all she is a dedicated  mother of one daughter, Sheryl, three grandchildren and four great-grandsons and is always there for whoever needs her.

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Native American and Melungeon Museum at Best Friend Festival – June 1996 in Norton, VA

Phillip Trent Collection of Native American Artifacts - Trent Street in Norton was named for Phillip Trent

Phillip and Marlene Trent

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A Melungeon Gathering

At Clinch Valley College where over 1000 people attended.

Melungeon People are said to be a group of people with mixed White, Indian and  Negro and perhaps Asian  ancestry in the southern Appalachians.  They are of uncertain origin, however research is being done to find more information.  Note: If anyone has photos of this event and would like to share them,for this website,

please email them to fannie_steele@comcast.net

Some of the peoples names are unknown

Wanda Rose & Unknown

Melungeon Gathering

Melungeon- Union

Melungeon Union

Rhonda Robertson & Fannie Steele

Nina Mullins

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