Cousin Randy,

> 1 - New Market.  This is referred to a good bit, usually in regard to
going to load or
> meet the packet boat.  It must be somewhere down there on the James with
an hour or so of
> Norwood.

New Market is listed on page 241 of Martin's Gazetteer of VA (1835). The
following is an uncited excerpt from a history section on the James River
Batteau Festival web site (www.batteau.org), "New Market was a flouishing
shipping port on the James River Canal with the town close to the Tye River
entrance to the James."

>2 - Rockfish.  This is also referenced, usually as 'returning to Rock
fish'.  Where
> is/was it?

I would expect that they were referring to the confluence of the Rockfish
and James Rivers at Howardsville. If I can locate more I'll pass it along.

> 3 - Packet Boat.  There is a reference to killing and dressing four
chickens for the
> packet boat.  Did it serve meals and have sleeping accomodations for
passengers?  I assume
> it went between Lynchburg and Richmond.  How long did that trip take?

Yes, a packet boat had passengers and went from Lynchburg to Richmond.
Another quote from www.batteau.org, "The first passenger boat, the Harvey,
left Richmond on November 25, 1841 and covered the 147 miles to Lynchburg in
forty hours. During the next year a line of packet boats would leave
Richmond every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30am for a fare of eight
dollars. And two boats, the Joseph C. Cavell and the John Marshall would
leave alternately for Richmond. The packet boats took thirty to thirty six
hours to go from Richmond to Lynchburg, a remarkable savings in time over
the ten days consumed by a batteau."


W. Scott Breckinridge Smith
Lynchburg, Virga.
www.wscottsmith.com

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