SALUTATIONS

You know, folks, I have no idea what the last Issue number was for TALIAFERRO TIMES, so I’m starting from where I left off last July.

It was a pleasure hearing again from all of you again.  Codge (Wayne Rogers) was there waiting to see how he could help out, and came up with the best summary of the first American-born generations that I’ve seen.  The Phantom (who knows?) sent through another interesting observation to stimulate our brain cells.  Charleen Oerding contributed an apropos and cheery opener to get us all in a good mood. Lorette Choquette-Zale, and a couple of others, found a tale to share with us about a special apple and its famous owner.  Carol Clapshaw captured the ambience of Amherst County to share with us  - you’ll want to drop everything and go.  Two new members say hello and tell us about their families. Others sent wonderful messages and terrific information to get us started again!

Our Taliaferro Renaissance begins with 151 subscribers. Many, many thanks to each of you for your support in reviving TALIAFERRO TIMES.  I especially express appreciation to Elreeta Weathers who was willing to jump in and do something  -  anything!  -  to sustain this joint venture of ours as we search to learn about our heritage.

For the present, my judgment tells me to plan for distribution every other week.  If we receive enough information to maintain more frequent distribution, then we’ll do that.  It also occurs to me that some of you may wish to resubmit information that you felt may have fallen on deaf ears. Please reintroduce yourselves or ask your questions or submit some results from the research you have done.  We never know who we will benefit when we circulate information.  In fact, I’ve found that it’s sometimes the natural mistakes that we all make in this business that generate the most conversation.  So  -  go ahead  -  make your mistakes.  We’ll all learn more.

TOGETHER, MAY WE CONTINUE TO DISCOVER AND PRESERVE OUR UNIQUE HERITAGE!
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CHARLEEN OERDING (charco@pacific-ocean.com) sends a relevant smile for those of us who daily deal with the peculiarities of our language  -  past and present.

*****A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.  "In English," he said, "A double  negative forms a positive.  In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is  still a negative.  However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative." A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
 

LORETTE CHOQUETTE-ZALE (TwoZales@aol.com)  Those of us who visit Amherst
Courthouse can easily stop by Monticello to also visit the “Taliaferro Apple.” The two locations are probably less than fifty miles apart.  Wonder whose ancestor developed this special variety of apple.

*****Hello Joyce.  I was very glad to hear from you and so relieved to learn that the TALIAFERRO TIMES will rise again!  I found the below article at the Thomas Jefferson Monticello Website.  The article no longer appears at the site, as it has been revised; but I saved it and am sending it to you as it might be of interest to other TT readers.  Although the article will not help Taliaferro researchers as far as their genealogical lineage is concerned, TT readers may enjoy reading it.

TALIAFERRO, MONTICELLO'S MYSTERY APPLE

The Taliaferro (pronounced "Toliver") is Monticello's mystery apple, and it superseded the Hewes' Crab as Jefferson's favorite cider variety. Unprecedented quantities of this apple were planted by Jefferson in a select location in the southwest quadrant of the South Orchard,  beginning in 1778 when "96 Robinson apples from Major Taliaferro grafted" were set out. Jefferson praised the Taliaferro lavishly: it was "the best cyder apple existing," produced cider "more like wine than any other liquor I have tasted which was not wine," and was "the most juicy apple I have ever known, & is very refreshing as an eating apple."  Although the Taliaferro seems to have disappeared from cultivation, the enigma (and promise) of this extinct apple has established its stature as a lost treasure.

Boston pomologist William Kenrick provided the only published description of the Taliaferro in 1835:  "The fruit is the size of a grape shot, or from one to two inches in diameter; of a white color, streaked with red; with a sprightly acid, not good for the table, but apparently a very valuable cider fruit. This is understood to be a Virginia fruit and the apple from which Mr. Jefferson's favorite cider was made." Taliaferro was sold in Fredericksburg, Virginia, by the Stratchan & Maury nursery in 1799.

Recently, a resident of remote Highland County, Virginia, forwarded a box of apples to Tom Burford, a nurseryman and apple authority in nearby Amherst County. Among the varieties was a white, red-streaked apple renowned in local circles for its cider-making qualities. The Taliaferro is a mystery because the vague descriptions of its qualities make it impossible to positively identify; however, this Highland County apple may prove to be a worthy substitute and, possibly, if a better description of Jefferson's Taliaferro can be found, the clue to the  puzzle of Monticello's mystery apple.

Peter J. Hatch, Director, Monticello Department of Gardens & Grounds Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Inc.

 NEW MEMBERS

SUZANNE BROWN (SBrownBty@aol.com)  Suzanne has been a good “related” family member.  Read how she worked with her father-in-law to preserve the Taliaferro family history.  Welcome, Suzanne, we hope you’ll often join in discussions with information obtained from your father-in-law.  Sometimes our older relatives had access to information now long gone.

****I was on the Taliaferro Times E-mail list, but I am not sure if you have my address.  Have I missed any issues since New Year?

Most of my notes came from my late father-in-law, Edwin Rice Brown III. Born in 1903, he lived to be 91 and kept in touch with distant relatives all of his life.  He had been writing a narrative of his family history for years.  I still have his hand notes and I am trying to fill in the gaps and verify his recollections.  Among his papers we found a copy of a hand-drawn "tree" with nearly 300 names on it, 6 and 7 generations.  I don't know who drew it, but it was sent to my father-in-law by the widow of his second cousin.  It begins with Peachy Ridgeway Taliaferro b 6/9/1805 (s/o Richard Henry Taliaferro & Frances Walker Gilmer) who married 11/10/1825 Sarah Frances Adams b 6/5/1808 (d/o Thomas Boswell Adams & Judith Burnley).

Peachy Ridgeway & Sarah Frances (Adams) Taliaferro had 4 children:
       Richard Henry Taliaferro m 6/20/1852 Melissa Brown - 13 children
       Mary Peachy Taliaferro m 12/23/1847 Hezekiah George David Brown - 2 sons
Sarah Frances Taliaferro m 11/10/1859 Calvit Roberts - 4 children Charles Adams Taliaferro m 10/3/1865 Elizabeth Macon Rice - 7 children

Our Browns descend from Mary Peachy Taliaferro and Hezekiah George David Brown, the youngest of three brothers, Edwin Rice, Albert Gallatin, and Hezekiah.

Some of my notes lead me to believe that Hezekiah' older brother Albert was married (10/12/1835) to Peachy Ridgeway Taliaferro's sister, Elizabeth Taliaferro, who died 5 months later.  Two brothers married aunt and niece, making Mary Peachy Taliaferro Brown's uncle, Mississippi Governor Albert Gallatin Brown, also her brother-in-law.  I am still trying to find verification for the relationship between Elizabeth and Peachy, and the line of Peachy Ridgeway Taliaferro b 6/9/1805 (s/o Richard Henry Taliaferro & Frances Walker Gilmer) who married 11/10/1825 Sarah Frances Adams b 6/5/1808 (d/o Thomas Boswell Adams & Judith Burnley).

Also, I have run across a Taliaferro outline in my father-in-law's papers from the widow of his half-second-cousin, Laura (Mrs. Leonidas Theodore) Barrow in an entirely different branch of the family.  She seems to have been from another branch of the Taliaferros.  While rereading back issues of Taliaferro Times, I saw references to this couple and I remembered the note I found in my late father- in-law's papers.
 
She recounted the progression from:

      Richard Taliaferro  &  "Sarah Grymes".
                       \/
      Lt. Col. John Taliaferro  &  Sarah Smith
                        \/
      Richard Taliaferro  &   Rose Berryman
                        \/
      Charles Taliaferro  &   Isabella McCullock
                        \/
      Benjamin Taliaferro  &   Mildred Franklin
                        \/
      Lucinda Taliaferro (Apr 15,1797-Dec 16, 1857) "my great, great, great grandmother".

This family is connected to the Cabaniss, Graves, Barrow and Noble families of Virginia and Texas.

This is not a direct line in my husband's family but I thought someone might be able to use some of her information.

[JB NOTE:  Lucinda Taliaferro married Mayo Davies of Bedford County VA. Mayo and Lucinda Taliaferro are my husband’s gggg grandparents.  I’ll submit information about her line in a later issue.  The ancient confusion about the names of first American generation is present in this lineage, as there was for many years.  The first American generation is now known to be Robert Taliaferro and Katherine Debnam.  Otherwise, it  appears that the lineage is correct.  Does anyone disagree? ]
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KERRY MOORE (a0023336@airmail.net) is an old-new member.  He’s been lurking around for a while trying to figure out who he really is.  A hearty welcome, Kerry.  We’re happy to get to know you, especially another Taliaferro-Moore, as I also am. We’ll have to compare notes as I suspect we may have some common lines.  Let’s see if we can help Kerry tie down his heritage.

**** I am a retired engineer/project manager and have lived in Dallas, TX all my life. Although I first subscribed to TT 7 months ago this is my first submission, the reason being that I first believed I had a firm Taliaferro link; but subsequent information obtained cast serious doubts. Perhaps an airing of this will find someone who knows for sure. My GGG Gfather was Zachariah Landrum who came to Texas in 1830 from NC? via GA & AL. Other Landrum descendants in TX claim he was the son of Samuel Landrum and grandson of Thomas Landrum whose will was probated in Wilkes Co., GA, 1814.

In this will Thomas mentions his wife, "Mary", and his grandson, "Zachariah, son of my son Samuel."  Thomas named Benjamin Taliaferro Executor of his will, and it was witnessed by Thomas Wortham. Others have claimed that Thomas Landrum's wife, Mary, was Mary Taliaferro, but this is not the Taliaferro link I first thought was mine.

My first information was that Samuel Landrum married Elizabeth ("Betsie") Wortham, daughter of Elizabeth Taliaferro and Thomas Wortham. This, however could not be the link when I discovered that they married in 1812 and my Zachariah was born in 1766!  However, since Thomas Landrum was born about 1714 and Samuel Landrum 1746, the Thomas>Samuel> Zachariah decendancy might be valid.

The question is: if Mary Taliaferro was Thomas Landrum's wife and Samuel's mother, she must have been born about 1720; who were her parents?

Finally, a word about the Landrums. They came from Scotland where the name was "Lendrum", as taken from the Lendrum forest in Aberdeenshire, where, in the 1300s, they sought refuge from the murderous reprisals of Robert the Bruce. He was intent on stamping out all members of the Comyn family who had a claim to the Throne of Scotland in order to secure his own. Thus a branch of the Comyns became Lendrum for safety's sake. Their ancestor, Richard de Comyn was a half brother to William the Conqueror, and was ceded vast lands in Scotland to begin the Comyn family power in Britain. In my search for both Landrums and Taliaferros, I have noted several marries between the families. I am somewhat puzzled that I have not seen such in the TT before.
 

QUERIES

LARI NAISMITH (LariN@aol.com)

*****This may be far-fetched but I'm going to toss it out in case it has some validity.  My maternal Grandmother's line was SISK and the first record I find on them is a Timothy, 1737,  in Orange Co VA (later Culpeper).  My 4th Great- grandfather, Bartlett Sisk, named his third son Toliver.  I just thought it was an unusual first name until I found in Barlett's sister's line the name is also used, so I began to think this might have been the maiden name of their mother.  I subscribed to the Taliaferro Times looking for clues, mainly an Elizabeth Taliaferro b. 1730-1740.  Nothing so far but recently I came across this deed.

Culpeper County Deed Book-Dated 13 Oct 1780 Timothy Sisk and wife Elizabeth deed home and 275 acres to their son Bartlett Sisk. Land lies in forks of Rappahannock & Hazel Rivers being same tract granted to John Tacquet by Lord Fairfax on 19 Nov 1756. Land lies on side of Hott Mountain, cornered buy Martin Harden and Col. Francis Thornton, deceased. Deed recorded 21 May 1781.

I understand that the mother of Col. Francis Thornton was Mary Taliaferro. My question: Did Col. Francis have a male Taliaferro cousin with a daughter Elizabeth?

Like I said, it's far-fetched but I'm grasping at straws.
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THE PHANTOM (VLTP@aol.com) as usual furnishes some information, then raises her question.  In more ways than one, The Phantom leaves us wondering. Thanks so much for this excellent observation and question.

****Just re-reading TT Vol l #3l dated 2/7/97 and wondering if Stonewall Jacksons' dislike of Warner B. Taliaferro may not have had a family connection????

Mary Taliaferro m Francis Thornton and their daughter, Ann Thornton, m Robert Jackson who died 1764.  Robert and Ann (Thornton) Jackson had 3 sons:
1.  John Jackson who died in London ca 1801 termed a lunatic
2.  William 1750-91 m Mildred Garnett d/o William & Ann (Rowzee)
3.  Richard (maybe) m Rebecca Rowzee

Now,  here’s the question:  Thomas Jonathan Jackson(Stonewall) 1824-63 was b in Clarksburg, Va now W. Va.   Remembering the story of how he buried his arm and the fact that he was mortally wounded by his own men makes one suspicious of another lunatic.  I was wondering if anyone had mentioned this before or looked into it.  Stonewall would be the next generation if he is one of those Jacksons.  Have not had much luck tracing this family of Jacksons which leads to flights of fancy, I guess.

RESPONSES

JUDY CANANT (AslanJ@aol.com) responded to my desire to keep alive the Hay discovery because it may have great relevance to the mother of our immigrant ancestor, Robert Taliaferro.  Thanks so much, Judy, for helping us resurrect this issue.  We first addressed this question in TT  No. 14, dated 19 Feb 1997, in which we learned - again with Judy’s help - that John Hay may actually have been John Gray who originated in Whitehaven, Co Cumberland, England.  If he was, does this mean that he was an English cousin of the Taliaferros?  Probably.  Can we find out? Probably.  If we apply ourselves.

This is one of the most important issues we contemporary descendants can address for it has implications at the very nest of our Taliaferro family in England.  Let’s work hard on this, folks.  Solving the Hay/Gray questions may be our greatest contribution to the Taliaferro heritage.

*****Descendants of John Hay
 
        1       John Hay        b: ABT  1670
-               +Mary Wade                              Father: Arminger Wade    Mother:  ?
        2       Robert Hay      b: ABT  1700
---             +Rachel                         Father:   ?    Mother:   ?
---     3       Elizabeth Hay   b: ABT  1735
------  +Francis Taliaferro     b: ABT  1730 in of "Epsom"Father: Lawrence Taliaferro, Mother: Sarah Thornton
====================
Descendants of Katherine Hay
 
1       Katherine Hay   b: in ?
-----+William Taliaferro, Col   b: ABT  1720 in Newington, near Orange Ct House, VA    d: Aft. November 10, 1760 in.  Was living Stratton Major Par bef 1735    Father: John, The Ranger, Taliaferro, Col  ,Mother: Sarah Smith
=======================
Descendants of George Hay, Judge
 
1 George Hay, Judge     b: in Richmond, VA
-+Elizabeth Monroe      b: Aft. 1786 in Paris, France  d: in France - b cemetery of Pere la Chaise in Paris.  Father: James Monroe, President U S  Mother: Elizabeth Kortright
------------------------------------------------
 I have some of these because my Gray family was kin to most of the Presidents of that era.  I have a Monoe gr-gr-gr-gr (some number grandmother) who married a Gray.

COLONIAL TALLIAFERROS

CONNIE SORENSEN (WMSP51B@prodigy.com)  Connie sends us an article which
demonstrates another (brief) spelling of Taliaferro.

*****I Just found this article if you want to use it.

Source:  "The Kentucky Explorer -- January, 1998 -- page 97 - Vol 12, No. 7

Taleafero Col. William and Mary, Daughter of Nicholas Battaile, of "Hay."  Caroline County.  Taleafero had issue: Nicholas, born October 30, 1757, died February, 1812, served in the Tenth Virginia regiment, married first, Annie, daughter of Col. John Taliafero, of "Dessington," secondly, Frances Blassinggame; John, born July 31, 1753, married  Ann Stockdell; Lucy, born December 15, 1755.

Nicholas had issue by his first marriage:
1.  Lucy Marie, born August 6,  1789, married Capt.  William Buckner, of
Augusta, Kentucky; 2.  John Champ, born October 12, 1784, married Susan Buckner;
3.  Matilda B., born September 3, 1787, married Martin Marshall of Kentucky;
4.  Mary Willis, born August 11, 1789, died January 25, 1797;
5.  George Catlett, born March 21, 1792, died March 23, 1823, married Mary King and had
 .      a.   Matilda Ann, born December 28, 1814, married Col. Alfred Soward;
.       b.   Dr. William T., born January 16, 1795, soldier of 1812, a distinguished physician, married Elizabeth Ramsey;
.        c.  Nicholas, born August 14, 18??;
.        d.   Marshall, born March 9, 1806.

John and Annie Stockdell Taleaferro had:
1.  Hay-John, who married and had a son who died young, and three daughters;
.     a.  Anne married Isaac Walters and had John L. George and Alfred;
.     b.  Lucy married James Bosnell and had several children;
.     c.  Mary married James Bosnell and had no issue.

Hope this helps someone.

RESEARCH

WAYNE ROGERS (hcfr@mindspring.com), well informed and always generous, has put together a series of summaries from cited resources to help those who are looking for additional information.  This was submitted in response to our plea for help in understanding the third and fourth Taliaferro generations. We will all benefit from this review.  This is undoubtedly the best and most logical summary of the early family that I’ve seen.  Unless someone has serious factual problems with it, we should all keep this review as our base history of the second and third generations.  Thanks so much, Codge, for this terrific Renaissance summation of the early Taliaferro families.

*****The best account of the Taliaferro family is by Henry G. Taliaferro of New York and found in The Virginia Genealogist v. 38, pp 163-189. It is entitled "Who was Catherine, the wife of Col. Cadwallader Jones of Virginia" and is meticulously documented. Robert Taliaferro and Catherine Debnam were parents of six children:   Francis, John, Robert, Richard, Charles and Catherine.

1.
Catherine Taliaferro was born about 1668 and died about 1690. She married John Battaile Sr who was born about 1658 and died 1 Feb 1707/08. She was the first of his three wives. Catherine Taliaferro and John Battaile had one known child, John Battaile Jr., born about 1690 and died 2 March 1732. John Battaile, Jr married his cousin Sarah Taliaferro, daughter of John Taliaferro d 1719 and Sarah Smith. Their daughter, Sarah Battaile born 23 Aug 1731 married 23 Oct 1746 to Henry Fitzhugh II 1723-1783 and they had 12 children. See Henry G. Taliaferro's article in The Virginia Genealogist v 36, No. 369, 1992 on the wives of Col. John Battaile.
 
2.
Charles Taliaferro was born about 1670 and died before 13 Jun 1735. His will may be found in the Grinnan Papers, Virginia Historical Society under "Caroline Co Wills derived from Court Records". The will mentions his wife Mary and his grand-daughters Mary, Sarah and Catherine. His only child, Charles Taliaferro Jr.,  predeceased his father. He married his cousin, Sarah Thornton, daughter of Col. Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro, daughter of John the Ranger d. 1719 and Sarah Smith. Sarah Thornton Taliaferro married, second, to Thomas Slaughter. Granddaughter Mary Taliaferro (ca 1725-after 1781) married her cousin Thomas Turner Jr., a grandson of Richard Taliaferro (see following) and, second, to a Thornton.  Granddaughter Sarah Taliaferro (1727-1784) married Francis Conway (1722-1761). Granddaughter Catherine left no records except the possible mention of her death in the Caroline County Court Order Books in 1776. See Nugent's "Cavaliers & Pioneers" for a record of Charles Taliaferro's land transactions.

3.
Richard Taliaferro died intestate in 1715 in Richmond County VA. He married about 1694 to Sarah Wingfield who died in 1718, the only child was Martha Wingfield who died testate in Boston MA in 1710 while a transient.  Richard and Sarah were parents of four children: Richard Jr born about 1700 and died without issue in 1721; Martha Taliaferro married Thomas Turner Sr. about 1714; Sarah Taliaferro married Thomas Turner Sr. about 1728 after her sister Martha died; Catherine Taliaferro 1706-1731 married Col. Rice Hooe and they had one child who died without issue. See George H S King's "Marriages of Richmond County" p 203 and the chart on page 266 for descendants of this line down to 1960.
 
4.
Robert Taliaferro II died before 6 Jun 1688, soon after his marriage to Sarah Catlett. His only child was Robert Taliaferro III born about 1688 and died in 1768.  Robert Taliaferro III is of primary interest in Margaret Amundson's article "Who did Elizabeth Taliaferro, daughter of Robert Taliaferro and Margaret French, marry?"  This appears in the Virginia Geneaologist v. 41, No 1, 1997. He married, second, to Ann Pitman. No will for him has been found and no children have been proved other than two daughters: Ann and Elizabeth (Madison). Samuel Taliaferro of Albemarle County is assumed to be his son.

5.
John Taliaferro, known as “the Ranger” named most of his 11 children in his will, written in 1715 and of record in Essex County Will Book 3, pp 157-158.

Sons:
-- Lawrence (of Cedar Creek) 1684-1726
-- John (of Snow Creek) 1687-1744
-- Charles 1692-1719
-- Robert 1693-1727/8
-- Zachariah of the Golddenvale 1699-1722
-- Richard of Port Royal 1703-1748
-- William died 1760 of King and Queen
Daughters:
-- Mary (Thornton)
-- Elizabeth (Catlett),
-- Catherine 1696-1717.
-- Sarah 1695-1768 (who married John Battaile, Jr, see above)

6.
Francis Taliaferro married Elizabeth Catlett and died intestate but the will of his son Robert of Stafford 1698-1726, mentions his siblings living on 3 Dec 1725, the date of his will.  Robert’s brothers were: John (d 1763), William (d 1757),  Richard (1705-1779).   His sister: Elizabeth married Thos. Stribling (d 1765). Robert's will is printed in Essex Co Wills pp 155-56.

Deaths of two siblings before 1725 increase the number of Francis' children to seven, including Robert who died without issue. Sarah Taliaferro (married George Mason IV) died in Feb 1715/16 and Francis Jr who is mentioned in his uncle William Catlett's will in 1699 is assumed dead as he does not appear afterwards. Robert Taliaferro's will also mentions John (d 1755) and Francis (d 1768), nephews and sons of his brother John.

Many of the secondary sources that continue to be quoted are incorrect.

More from Wayne . . . . .

****I inadvertently sent my letter to you without some additional information:

The most recent addition to Taliaferro research is the article on William Debnam and his family, correcting me and everybody else.  It is in The Virginia Genealogist v. 41, No. 3, 1997 and is also essential research. It is by Rudolf Loeser of Concord MA and is entitled: "Katherine (____) (Debnam) Grymes and some Relatives."

Another important item is "The Taliaferro-French Connection" by Margaret Amundson, in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, v. 81 No. 3, 1995 and has primary evidence on Robert Taliaferro III (ca 1688-1768).

Robert Taliaferro and Catherine Debnam had six children and twenty-five known grandchildren, six of whom left no descendants.

Many thanks, Wayne  --  this is a wonderful review and referral for understanding our early Taliaferro family.

MISCELLANY

CAROL CLAPSHAW (spri@accessone.com) had a lovely visit in lovely Amherst last summer and shares her pleasure with us. Makes me want to jump in my car and spend a weekend there  -  in fact I may.  Amherst is a beautiful, peaceful, sedate landscape.  Enjoy, Taliaferros.

*****Last summer I had a genealogist’s dream vacation.  My husband's work called for a trip to the East Coast for a week I decided it was a perfect time to work in a trip to Virginia, never mind that his conference was in Florida and Amherst is in Virginia.

The roots of the paternal side of my family (Jopling, Taliaferro and Stevens) were solidly grounded in Amherst, Virginia.  Having never been to Virginia, I decided to do a net search for possible accommodation in or around Amherst. Amherst, I soon discovered, is not a thriving metropolis, but a quaint little village built in the middle of what once was Virginia tobacco country.

Our best bet, I suspected, would be to find a bed and breakfast.  I entered a search for “Amherst” and “Bed and Breakfast.”  And what to my eyes should appear but the vision of an incredible Italianate house smack dab in the middle of tobacco country.
 
Reading through the description the word “TALIAFERRO” jumped out at me. This was too good to be true.  Not only had I found a bed and breakfast in Taliaferro country, but I also found one that was built and designed by a Taliaferro.
 
Nathan Taliaferro was a Yankee doctor who came to Virginia to build his dream home in 1867.  The Italianate structure was built from bricks fashioned from the red earth surrounding the home.  On completion, Nathan Taliaferro, etched the following on a window pane, "Built in 1867 by Taliaferro, sold in 1887."

We were on our way . . . . I called immediately and spoke to Judy Noon the proprietor of "Fairview." Upon making our reservations I told Judy and her husband Jim about the purpose of our trip, to gather information on the Taliaferro family.  They told me about the Amherst Museum and helped us schedule our trip around the days that the museum would be open.
 
I will never forget the evening we arrived at Fairview.  It was dusk . . . to the West was the blue ridge of the mountains stretching out as far as we could see . . .  to the east was vast farm land dotted by an occasional farm house. Fairview was immediately recognizable from the road.  Its tall brick tower stood out majestically against the flat farm land that surrounded it.
 
Our first evening there we sat outside on the verandah with the Noons and watched the fireflies darting in and out of the grove of elm trees.  The Noons were incredibly welcoming and generous in helping us strategize our genealogical search for the days to come.
 
Our first full day in Amherst was a Monday.  The Amherst County Historical Museum is closed on that day, so we made our first stop the Amherst County Court House.  We had no problem finding the courthouse.  It is easy to find it, just past the Post Office on Business Hwy. 29.  The county court house was built in 1870 on the site of the earlier structure. It is an original Federal style building with several additions.  Parking is available by meter in front of the courthouse.

Once in the courthouse, the staff will direct you into a back room for research.  There are large ledgers that lead the way to wills, deeds and marriage bonds.  What amazed me about the marriage bonds is that they are kept loose in large folders organized by date.  It was almost beyond my comprehension that I was actually handling 200-year old original documents. Many of them were held together with straight pins.  I am sure that having access to such originals will soon be a thing of past, and I was reverent in handling them.
 
Allow plenty of time to go through these documents.  There are many in each date category, and they are not in any particular order.  I went into a copying frenzy, xeroxing every marriage bond that was even somewhat related to my family.  The staff was very helpful about showing me how to use the copy room, what they forgot to tell me was the price.  When I got ready to check out I found out that the copy fee was between one and two dollars a page! It is certainly worth the expense, but the price can add up quickly.
 
It was very easy to find wills, deeds and plat maps.  We even used one afternoon to find sites on the plat maps.  My husband's old survey skills were of helpful in this endeavor. I can not tell you the how exhilarating it is to find the land of your forebears and to stand where they stood.
 
The next day we visited to the Amherst County Historical Museum.  It is down the street from the courthouse and directly across from the Amherst Post Office on Business #29.  The Amherst County Historical Museum is housed in the Kearfott-Wood House.  It is a large Georgian Revival house that sets back off the road.  The current Director is Michael Morrell.  He has done an excellent job in bringing new life to this museum.  The ground floor contains Amherst historical artifacts and a bookstore. The research area of the museum is on the second floor.  There is a library and also a collection of family histories.  The museum staff was very helpful in instructing researchers on how to use the library.  A photocopy machine is available to make copies.
 
. . . . .  Xeroxing 10 cents a copy. (A donation to the museum would be a nice gesture.)

In planning your trip I would suggest going to the Museum first, it is open Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am to 4:30 PM.  Copies of some documents that you may want from the courthouse may already be on file at the museum.  It might be nice to drop off a copy of your genealogy while you are there.
 
There are two other sites for research in the Amherst that I did not have time to visit.  The public library at the south end of town and Sweet Briar College, which is just two miles outside of Amherst.  I am sure that both institutions hold materials that would be helpful for the researcher.
 
There are motels and other bed and breakfasts in Amherst, but we felt a special connection to Fairview.  Judy Noon, the proprietor, was very enthusiastic about our search for the Taliaferros.  She said that she would give a discount to anyone who can show a descendancy from the Taliaferros.
 
For anyone who is interested, the address of Fair View Bed and Breakfast:
2416 Lowesville Road (route 778)
Amherst, VA
Phone     (804) 277 8500