S/V Wand'rin Star: From Brooklyn to Parisburg, Virginia July 2024

From Brooklyn to Pearisburg, Virginia July 2024

We caught an Uber after breakfast at the Bakers Daughter to La Guardia. Our last experience at La Guardia was so many years ago and it became the airport to avoid, however, it has been completely updated and it was the most simple and pleasant airport experience we have had in a long time. Should have taken some pictures but I guess we were so impressed about how smooth it was going through security and the very relaxed nature of the whole scene that we were just sort of taken aback. We took an American Airlines short 1 1/2 hr. flight to Roanoke, VA where again the airport experience was so simple. This airport only had 5 gates so it was a short walk to pick up our bags and a two minute walk to the rental car desk. We were on our way 10 minutes later to the Four Fillies Lodge in West Virginia. The Admiral had done all the research on finding a place for us to stay. Pearisburg, a town of 3,000. The choices were here and there and over there. We immediately learned that we would be driving about an hour away through the Shenandoah Valley and through the Blueridge Mountains to find the Four Fillies. We took the hilly highway slow to enjoy the scenery we were immediately surrounded by. Mountains, flowing rivers, winding up and down roads.

View from the plan shortly before landing in Roanoke, VA

As we neared our destination the road became a one lane gravel slow go road.

The Bait Shop converted into a lodging cabin was our home for the next 7 days. The admiral asked the person who booked the cabin for us about bears. She said they hadn't seen any bears in several days. The Admiral was concerned since the cabin is divided into two rooms, one with sleeping quarters the other bathrooms and a kitchen, but you have to go out the front doors from one to the other and at night it was a little spooky thinking a bear might be wondering around close by.
see: https://www.fourfillieslodge.com/baitshop-cabin

You could hear the running creek just across from the front porch of the Bait Shop.

We had some friendly neighbors who had rented the two adjacent cabins for a family get together.

Listen at

The main house where I assume they hold large gathers of sorts.

The next morning we drove to Pearisburg, VA where the Admirals Pearson ancestors emerged as a driving force for this community. Pearisburg was founded in 1808 when Giles County was established.^[6] It was named after George Pearis, a local landowner who donated a 50-acre (20 ha) tract to be used for a town that would grow up around the county courthouse. Pearis had operated a ferry on the New River at a settlement called "Bluff City", which is incorporated into the present boundaries of the town of Pearisburg.

Pearisburg is the County Seat for Giles County, this is the county court house where all the records are kept in the county clerks office.

Giles County Revolutionary War Soldiers

After walking into the front door of the court house you take a right down a short hall to the clerks office.

The Clerk was super friendly and brought us into the adjacent records room and pointed us around and set us free to do whatever.

Later I would venture down this dark hole to find more but dusty records, then I came right back up.

Turns out the Pearson name appears in many of these huge record books containing deeds or chancery records, they also had several computers where you could search their online inventory.

Simply find P and then Pearson was not far behind.

This plate map was the key to solving the puzzle, the street names had changed over the years but all we had to do was walk around the block adjacent to the courthouse to identify the lots owned by the Pearson's

The Admiral had made calls to the Giles county Historical Society during her research long before.

Suzy Banes Husband gave us a tour of the Andrew Johnston House that is still being restored small bits at a time when funds become available.

We found a very helpful Suzy Bane here in this small building crammed with shelves, boxes and tons of documents with just enough room for 3-4 humans to work,

The Suzy Bane's husband gave us a tour of the Museum.

View from the Museum's parking lot.

When Thomas Pearson was born on September 9, 1754, in Yorkshire, England, his father, Thomas, was 32 and his mother, Effie, was 31. He married Elizabeth Palmer in 1782 in Loudoun, Virginia. They had 11 children in 20 years. He died in 1835 at Bedford, Virginia, United States having lived a long life of 81 years. Down the line Thomas Jefferson Pearson was born on March 24, 1849, in Franklin, Virginia, his father, Benjamin, was 23 and his mother, Matilda, was 25. He married Nancy Haven Cecil and they had 11 children together. He also had one daughter with Mannie Pearson. He died on December 11, 1917, in Pearisburg, Virginia, at the age of 68, and was buried there. Thomas owned the Mercantile building you see here. The Pearson family members owned several lota on this block plus considerable farming lands off and on throughout the years around Giles County. The Admirals research along with her trusty assistant uncovered too many interesting stories to detail here, suffice it to say the Pearson's made a lasting impression in Virginia.

Clouds forming over Angels Nest Mountain that over looks Pearisburg

The Pearson Family Cemetery plot

Nancy E, A Daughter of the American Revolution

Prospectdale Rd. where we heard there was another family cemetery on a private farm. It is about 5 miles outside of Pearisburg. After driving up and down Prospectdale Rd. we stopped by a large colonial period home that matched a picture the Admiral had to try and find out where the cemetery was located. A man came to the door and told us the cemetery was on top of the hill just behind where we were standing. He said the property was owned by some folks in North Carolina and had leased out the land to a farmer to grow hay on. He sort of gave us permission to go up there to see the family cemetery.

We had to cross the highway, do a U-turn and drive down to this lane where we got out and walked the rest of the way.

The Admiral had been here with her cousin as a kid

We got to the gate to find shoulder high hay grazer growing to thick to venture into, in fact there are three deer standing just a few feet the other side of this gate, you cant see them can you? The family cemetery is under those trees you see in the center at the top of the hill.

Back at the Court House, I noticed the Giles County Democratic Party Office just across the street, Suzy Bane said this county is Heavily Red now.

I looked in the window but did not see anyone there.

Well where there are ancestors there are funeral homes, Unfortunately the records kept here do not go back far enough to be of any help to the Quest However the owner gave us a tour.

This lift is on the bottom floor of the funeral home. It is a very old lift that used to be in another commercial building to lift heave items two second floor. The owners father moved the lift to the funeral home so they could use it to lift coffins up to the first floor chapel. It uses a systeme of leveraged weights to lift, no electricity needed.

In the deeds it referred to more Pearson land where the mouth of Stony creek runs into the New River,
This picture shows that exact point where the waters of Walker Creek empty into New River. The land is all private and lined with homes along Stoney creek so we could not get to close. There are some Civil War moments that occurred at this intersection.

Walker Creek

We had a good time at the Happy Hog, Total Comfort food watch out!
You absolutely have to order Turnip Greens with whatever else you get here, Indescribably Good!

Angels Rest Mountain right there.

We heard about this church from Suzy so we drove by to take a look.

A covered bridge is not much further down the narrow winding hillside roads

Mountain Lake

The drive up to Mountain lake is a lengthy curvy mountain road. We considered staying here but im glad we did not since we were driving into Pearisburg every day and the daily drive up and down that mountain would have been a little to much. But if you just stay up there it would be nice.