Dealer

Wilbur Alexander Croy, son of Andrew Jackson Croy, worked as a carpenter and house painter in the Blacksburg area. In 1901, Croy married Ellen Pauline (Ella) Dawson (1863-1938), the daughter of William and Rose Ann (Roseanna) Croy Dawson. The couple lived on the corner of Blacksburg's Roanoke and Wharton streets and had one child, Georgia (1902-2000). Ella's sister, Mary Dawson, married John Pepper, of Elliston, Virginia, in 1879.

For more on the Croy and related families, see 1889 Diary of Rosanna Croy Dawson, Blacksburg, Va. (F234.B5 D25 1972 Spec/Genealogy); 1890 Diary (F234.B5 D26 1979 Spec/Large); The Year of 1893 in the Life of Rosanna Croy Dawson of Blacksburg, Virginia (F234.B5 D28 1980 Spec/Large); and Blacksburg in 1898 (F234.B5 D3 Spec/Large). Selections from the diaries, together with other information on the family, may be found on the Blacksburg bicentennial page.

From the guide to the Croy Family Papers, 1859-1938, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Sue R. Preston was a middle-class woman born around 1885. She spent much of her youth in Detroit, Michigan, where she lived with her parents and sister, Mary. In late 1907, she enrolled as a nurse-in-training at Sarah Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, the forerunner to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Following her graduation from nursing school, she continued to to work at Sarah Leigh Hospital and was employed there as late as 1930.

From the guide to the Sue R. Preston Diary, 1907, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Charles Willis Cassell, farmer, businessman and Lutheran minister, was born--probably in Wythe County, Virginia--on March 25, 1871, to Michael Cassell (1827-1898) and Eliza Ann Rapass (1830-1909). Cassell married Helen Roberta Buchanan (1875-1958) in 1899; the couple had four daughters--Eliza Helen (1903-1906), Anna Catherine (1910-1912), Rebekah, and Mary Brown (1908-1979)--and one son, Joseph B. Cassell, who also later became a Lutheran pastor.

Cassell was a prominent member of the Lutheran Church and served as pastor in several parishes, including Bland County (1896-1898); Tazewell County (1898-1905); Augusta County (1918-1922); Page County (1922- ?); Rockbridge County and others. During his work in the Synod of Virginia, he also compiled and edited--along with W. J. Fink and Elon O. Henkel--the History of the Lutheran Church in Virginia and East Tennessee (1930).

Cassell died April 14, 1937. He and his wife are buried in Kimberling Cemetery in Wythe County, Virginia.

Sources

Cassell C. W., Fink, W. J. and Henkel, E. O. editors. History of the Lutheran Church in Virginia and East Tennessee. [Strasburg, Va., Shenandoah Publishing House, 1930.] (BX8042 V8 C3 Spec/Large)

From the guide to the Charles Willis Cassell Family Papers, 1883-1950, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Martha McDonald was a southern woman, presumably of North Carolina, and wife to a Confederate soldier, Lewis McDonald. Civil War service records show a Lewis McDonald who served in Company C, 55th North Carolina Infantry. The company's muster roll indicates that McDonald was a farmer, born in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He was promoted to corporal during the war and served through the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.

From the guide to the Martha McDonald Letter, 1862, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Alexander Welch Reynolds was born in Clarke County, Virginia in 1817 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1838. He served in the United States Army until Virginia seceded from the Union in early 1861. During the Civil War, he served as a Colonel in the 50th Virginia and of four Tennessee regiments, successively. In 1863 he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the 54th and 63rd Virginia, 58th and 60th North Carolina attached to Major General Carter L. Stevenson's Division, Hardee's Corps. He served in this capacity until he was wounded at New Hope Church in 1864 during the Atlanta campaign. Post-war, Reynolds served as a brigadier general in the army of the Khedive of Egypt until his death in 1876.

From the guide to the Alexander Welch Reynolds Letter, 1861, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Betty Belle Boone, a resident of Boones Mill, Franklin County, Virginia, was born on December 28, 1865 and died August 15, 1931. She married John M. Neely. The couple had one child, Mary Boone Neely.

From the guide to the Betty Belle Boone Diary, 1893-1894, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

No biographical or historical information is availabe.

From the guide to the J.T. Oglesby Account Ledger, 1885-1890, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

There is no biographical information available.

From the guide to the Photograph of Unidentified Woman, n.d., (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

The Price family arrived in Southwest Virginia from Germany in the 1740s. James Bane Price (called "Gentleman Jim") was born on November 23, 1832, the son of Henry David Price Jr. and Anna Marie/Mary. He married Sarah Jane Winston in 1867, and they had six children: Lula Belle (b. 1869), Samuel Winston (b.1871), Maud (b. 1875), Daisy Winston (b.1883), Ferdinand (died young) and Clara Bane (b.1885).

It is unknown exactly when Price's general store was established, but tax records indicate that the store was built around 1871. (The oldest account book in this collection dates from 1871, but it refers in its first pages to an "old book.") It appears from the account ledgers that Price was not only a supplier of food and goods, but also of credit, as most of the transactions were made through either credit or barter. In addition to grocery products, Price sold such items as clothing, shoes, tobacco, coal, tools, and drugs. While operating as a merchant, Price also engaged in other business and in farming.

Price operated the store until his death in January 1896, after which the store was placed in the hands of his son, Samuel, who leased the store to others. In 1913, the property passed to the hands of Lula Belle, the first of J. B. Price's daughters. The store was later bequeathed by Lula to her niece Ethel Meisel (Daisy's daughter), and Ethel eventually sold the "home place property" (including the store) to Walter L. and Patricia Givens Johnson. The store closed many years ago, but the building is still standing today (2003) and is rented as a residence to Virginia Tech students.

Sources:

The James Bane Price Country Store at Price's Fork, Montgomery County, Virginia. [Prices Fork, VA: P. G. Johnson, 1983?]. (F232 .M7 J35 1983 Spec/Genealogy)

Price, H. L., Outlines of Montgomery County Families, Vol. 2. [Blacksburg, VA: s.n., 1940]. (CS69 .P75 Spec/Genealogy)

Yates, Anne Hayden and W. Conway Price, comp., Increase in Prices: Some descendants of David And Agnes (Hoffman) Price of 17th century Germany. Ridgecrest, CA: A.H. Yates, c1985. (CS71 .P946 1985 Spec/Genealogy)

From the guide to the James Bane Price Account Books, 1871-1897, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Due to the lack of provided surnames, no biographical information exists on the recipe book's bestower, "Helena," or its receiver, "Girlie."

From the guide to the "Cooking Recipes" Recipe Book, n.d., (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Rachel Louisa Sutton, daughter of John and Eliza Glasgow Sutton, was born in Pulaski County, Virginia, in 1849. During the late 1860s, she attended nearby Martha Washington College. On December 14, 1870, she married Pulaski County farmer David H. Martin (born c.1849). The couple had 10 or 11 children, including Walter B. (VPI class of 1909) and Lilly, born probably in 1871, who attended Hollins Institute (now Hollins University) in the early 1890s. Lilly later married James Porterfield Mason, and they became the parents of six children, including Elinor.

Elinor Mason, daughter of James P. and Lilly Martin Mason, was born, probably in Pulaski County, in 1910. During the 1940s, she was a federal employee, living in Williamsburg, Virginia. She later retired to Glade Spring, Virginia, where she died in 1996.

From the guide to the Sutton-Martin-Mason Family Papers, 1861-1968, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Alan Campbell Cameron, born around 1895, was a World War I fighter pilot of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois. He served as a first lieutenant in the 258th Aerial Squadron of the United States Air Service. Following the war, Cameron settled in San Pedro, California and went into business by leasing the Sanford Hotel. He moved back to Cook County by 1930.

From the guide to the Alan Campbell Cameron Papers, 1914-1922, (Special Collectionss, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Charles Wade Crush, Montgomery County judge, historian and civic leader, was born in Christiansburg, Virginia, around 1894; he earned his degree in law from Washington and Lee University in 1913. He later attended the University of Texas and practiced law in Texas for a short time before returning to Christiansburg. During World War II, Crush served with the 314th Machine Gun Battalion. (Crush's interest in military affairs would continue throughout his life, serving as commander of the Virginia Department of the American Legion and as an officer in Company 161 of the Virginia Reserve Militia.) From 1923 to 1935, Crush served as commonwealth's attorney. He later served as Christiansburg postmaster for 10 years and as judge of the county court from 1948 until his retirement in 1963. Crush died on March 18, 1970.

Judge Crush maintained an interest in local history and civic matters throughout his career. He wrote numerous articles on Montgomery County history for the county newspaper and served as chairman of the Montgomery County Jamestown Festival Committee in 1957. As a director of the Montgomery County branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, Crush was instrumental in the preservation of Smithfield Plantation. His interest in local history culminated in the publication of his book, The Montgomery County Story, 1776-1957; and is represented in the posthumous work Montgomery County, Virginia: the First Hundred Years (1982). Through the American Legion, Crush is also credited with the founding of Virginia Boys' State.

Crush's wife, Eliza Clay Allen Crush, was born in Bland County, Virginia, in 1898. She attended Virginia Tech, and later passed the Virginia bar exam. Like Judge Crush, Mrs. Crush also maintained an active interest in local affairs. She served as the Christiansburg correspondent for the Roanoke Times for 25 years and is credited with founding Girls' State at Radford College (now Radford University). She served as acting Christiansburg postmaster during World War II and as assistant Christiansburg postmaster for six years prior to her death in 1966.

From the guide to the Charles W. Crush Collection, 1796-1978, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Floyd Gray, civil servant and Bedford County Republican Committee chairman, was born in Bedford County, Virginia on September 25, 1867. The son of Mercer H. and Ann Jane W. Robertson Gray, Floyd Gray played an active role in local politics and became chairman of the county's Republican Party committee in 1896. Around 1903, Gray was appointed a general storekeeper-gauger, charged with overseeing the operation and taxation of distilleries in Virginia's sixth internal revenue district. Because his civil service position forbade an active role in politics, Gray resigned from the chairmanship of the county's Republican organization in 1904. He was succeeded as chairman by his brother, W. B. Gray, but apparently continued to be the driving force behind the party's county organization. Floyd Gray died in Bedford County on December 5, 1941 and is buried in Gray Cemetery.

From the guide to the Floyd Gray Papers, 1895-1908, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Born 12 October 1839 in Buckingham County, Virginia, William Stephen Moss became a member of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Moss served in the 4th Virginia Cavalry, Company B from Chesterfield, Virginia. Captured at Germana Ford on 19 September 1863 when scouting the Union Army, Moss was brought to Washington as a prisoner of war. Moss was quickly transferred to "Point Lookout" in Maryland. On 16 August 1864, Moss was again transferred to Elmira Prison in New York-a prison with a reputation for its unhealthy conditions and high rates of scurvy. On one occasion, as related in the biography of Moss written by his son, Moss attempted to escape by tunneling out of prison with common utensils; but, guards thwarted the plot. After the war, Moss opened a general store with his brother (James Knox Polk Moss) and married Cora A. Leadbetter. William Stephen Moss died in 1924.

Biographical information was obtained largely from the biography of Moss found within the collection.

From the guide to the William Stephen Moss Collection, 1863-1864, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

Anne "Annie" Carter Lee, born in 1839, was the fourth child of General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. She maintained a close relationship with her famous father. Anne suffered poor health throughout her short life, but nevertheless devoted much of her time to teaching slave children Bible scriptures and lessons at the Lee family residence, Arlington House. She died in 1862 of typhoid fever.

From the guide to the Anna Lee Letter, 1861, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)

George Stratton (1823-1910) married Mariette Robinson (abt. 1824-1865) in January 1845. They had six children, all born in Oxford, New York: William Avery (1845-1939), Edward L. (b. December 1847), Harvey J. (b. January 1850), Luke A. (1853-1862), Tracy Frink (b. June 1858), and Alice Robinson (b. February 1864). Some time between 1866 and 1870, George married his first wife's cousin, Maria A. Robinson. George and his four sons who survived to adulthood were all involved in dairy farming and lumber work at one time or another. Stratton seems to have worked in both business, probably in an office capacity, after mid-1881.

Although some details of Stratton's life are unknown, a great deal can be found in the letters. He spent much of his life in parts of Chenango County, New York. He never married. He went to the Oxford Academy, which continues to serve (in an expanded form), as the central school district for Oxford. Around 1866, he attended business college in Poughkeepsie, New York.

In 1870 and early 1871, Stratton seems to have been looking for work. After a brief trip to visit family and friends in Mississippi and Georgia in the spring of 1871, he settled in Washington, DC, having taken a clerk position with the Office of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department. In 1877, he left the Treasury Department and traveled in California and Oregon. Letters from his trip, as well as after, suggest he may be been looking to find work there. He was back in Oxford the next year, however. By the spring of 1879, Stratton was working for Lord and Taylor in New York City. In 1881, he moved to Othello, Mississippi. Some time after May 1881, he returned again to Chenango County. It is unclear if he remained with the family business(es) or found other work. He died in 1939. His sister, Alice, was his only sibling still alive at that time.

From the guide to the William Avery Stratton Correspondence, 1864-1940 (Bulk 1864-1880), (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)