The information that I posted on the pension application for Giles Davidson came from another (excellent) researcher who has been doing genealogy work for 50+ years in VA (she is now in her 80s and lives in Baltimore, MD). I do not know, however, how much of that wording was taken directly from another/original source, versus if some of it was her "own words." While Giles Davidson was a member of my overall Davidson family (proven by DNA testing on some living family members), he was not a member of my "direct line." By the way, there were also other/unrelated Davidson/Davison families in the Buckingham, Appomattox and Campbell Co., VA areas in the 1700s-1800s, and at least one of them married into the Diuguid family. If anyone is interested in that information, I will be glad to supply it. There was also yet another Davidson/Davison family in Pittsylvania Co., VA in the late-1700s, and a member of that family married into the Shelton (sometimes shown as "Chilton") family there. I can also supply information on that. Bill Davidson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Oakett" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 11:12 PM Subject: Re: Hollows of the Dan River > On 11/18/11 8:22 AM, "marsha moses" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Bill, Do you have any additional information on: >> >>> Later he volunteered under Capt. Francis Shelton, of Henry, who was >>> raising a >>> force to put down the Tories, then causing alarm in the hollows of Dan >>> River, >>> on the North Carolina line. Shelton's men visited persons known to be >>> disaffected to the American cause and prevented injuries from tories. >>> The >>> headquarters was with a tory named McGowan, who lived in Henry >> >> Dates? Specific events? > > This bit quoted by Bill Davidson appears to be from the pension > application > of Giles Davidson, but is a little bit garbled as the Capt. Shelton > referenced here was Eliphaz, not Francis, Shelton. There are quite a few > pension applications that refer to service against the Tories in the > Hollows > area of then Henry Co., now Patrick Co.. I wouldn't call the McGowan farm > an > official "Headquarters" though. That kind of implies something it was not. > This was just a local tory sympathizer & community leader, not anything > official or government related. > >> My Silas Wooten says in his pension application that he enlisted in March >> 1781 >> at Boyd's Ferry. My own research shows that to be a Ferry across the Dan >> River about where the railroad tracks cross the river at New Boston. >> Silas >> says that this was on the Roanoke River. >> >> Silas called the Dan River the Roanoke. A variant name for the Dan is >> the >> South Branch of the Roanoke River. The question is: Was Silas a local? >> Was >> this river more often called the Roanoke in that time period than the >> Dan? > > Have you looked at the Fry-Jefferson map, from 1751? This map shows the > Roanoke river as the river downstream of the confluence of the Staunton > and > the Dan rivers. So Boyd's Ferry would have been on the Dan river, not the > Roanoke, but close to the Roanoke portion of the river. Maybe Silas was a > little confused on the exact location, easy to happen during wartime, or > so > many years later in his pension application, especially since this area > was > so close to where several rivers merge and the names of the rivers change. > > You can view the Fry-Jefferson map on the LOC web site & download a copy > for > yourself - > http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/gmd:@field(NUMBER+@band(g3880+ct > 000370)) > > The Fry-Jefferson map also has Johnson's & Lovill's Creeks marked. They > both > start at the SE side of the Blue Ridge & flow S. into the Ararat River, > which then empties into the Yadkin. This is the area known as the > "Hollows" > that was being referred to in those pension applications. Lovill's Creek > was > sometimes called Loving's Creek and is in present day Carroll Co.. > > Here's a map showing the general location of the Hollows, at the bottom of > this web page - > http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/ararathistory.htm > > I've seen "The Hollows" labeled in this same location on several late > 1800's > maps. It's the area around Willis Gap road, in VA, north of Mt. Airy, NC. > >> ... I am interested in knowing the time period >> that the Tories were particularly active in northern NC .....trying to >> recruit.....and other details to fill out my "story" in this time period. >> >> In addition my Salmons family and Hensley family would have been living >> in >> Pittsylvania/Henry area in this same time period. I have reason to be >> interested in any information about when and details of anything anyone >> has on >> these events. Marsha Moses > > There are quite a few pension applications of men who served from the > Henry > Co. area transcribed on the Southern Campaign web site. You can search on > names or keywords, places, etc. and find a lot more background information > in these records. > > http://southerncampaign.org/pen/#pensions > > There is also more background information in several local history books, > if > you haven't seen these before - > > "History of Patrick and Henry Counties, Virginia", by Virginia G. Pedigo, > Lewis Gravely Pedigo - which is in the Heritage Quest database & many > libraries. > > "A history of Henry County Virginia: with biographical sketches...", by > Judith Parks America Hill (on several pay web sites and many libraries). > > "Henry County: a proud look back" by Lela C. Adams, et al. > > There's also good background information in the Maude Carter Clements > books > on Pittsylvania Co. history. There are some excerpts here - > http://www.victorianvilla.com/sims-mitchell/local/clement/mc/index.htm > > And the New River Notes web site has Revolutionary War information too - > http://www.newrivernotes.com/nrv.htm > > C.Etter > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html