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THE MOUNTAINEER

Thanks to the book by Hanibal Compton, Looking Back One Hundred Years.--Joel Church is now somewhat famous for being one of the first Mountaineers in the Dismal area of Buchanan County Virginia.--and the most unerring bee hunter that ever went into the forest.<<<>>> Joel Church was documented in North Carolina, census of 1810, Wilks Co. I have the index which only gives Head Of Household.<<<>>> In Floyd Co. Kentucky Census of 1820, there is a Joel Church, over 45 yrs old, with a wife (not named) between 25, and 45.>><< Two males 10, to 16,>><< and three females under 10.>><< The Lee County Virginia census for 1830 lists Joel Church as head of houshold, age 40,to 50. with 1 male 10-15>><><<1 female 10-15---and one female 50-60>><><>><<< In a 1840 census for Tazewell Co. Va. (later Buchanan Co.) Joel Church is listed, Age, 50-60.>><< With free white males, one between 5 and 10 yrs old.>><< and free white females, one between 30 and 40, years old,>><< one between 5, and 10,>><< and one under 5 years old.<<<<>>>> Joel Church is listed in Tazewell Co. Va. census for 1850, to be 75 years old.>><< ( He changed his age a lot)>><< with a wife Caroline. (She was also called Carolina)>><< Some people say that Caroline was a daughter of a man called Plesant Hobbs. <<<<>>>> I will list the children below.<<<<>>>> Joel, and Margaret must have married between 1795, and 1800, in Wilks Co, North Carolina.<<>> They moved to Floyd Co. Kentucky, and from there on to Tazewell Co, which later became Buchanan Co. Virginia.<<<>>> Joel was a trapper, and earned the money that he needed plying that trade.<<>> He also was a farmer.<<>> He took his family into a unsettled area they called Dismal, near a place that is now Whitewood Virginia.<<<>>> There is a small river that begins in that area, and Flows into The Little Levisa River, just a few miles before the Levisa flows past Grundy Virginia<<<>>> Joel built a Cabin in the mouth of a hollow called Sang Camp.<<>> Genseng Root was later dug, and sold as an herb, and the mountain people called it Sang.<<>> Somtimes they would go a long way to search for the Sang, and camp for a day or two.<<>> That is how this place most likely got its name. It was propably named later on, as there had been no white settelers in that area yet.<<>>Reguardless of how it is spelled, the old folks called it Gin Sang, and usually shortened it to sang.<<>> When they were going to hunt for the herb they would say "I am going sanging"<<>> I have been there, and done that.<<>> Later on, Joel bought property in this area, but when he first came he built what was caled<<<>>> "A temporary cabin"<<<>>>for his good old wife, and houndogs.<<<>>> The property that Joel bought was seven miles downriver from Sang Camp, on the Contrary side of The Pilgrams Knob Ford.<<>> This place is now called Bill Young Branch,(I don't know why,) but in the earlier days it was all a part of the Contrary Road, which connected the Dismal River area, to the Levisa River area, slightly upriver from Garden Creek, on the Levisa side,<<>>This was the location for the Virginia "Church Homested", Joel SR,and Caroline, was living there in 1860, with their children, "Thomas" (who some say was from Margaret) ?<> was according to my figuring Caroline's oldest. then came "Nancy", "Milly", "George", "Peggy"and last "James" who was short lived. Milton Ward,--- (somewhat wealthy)--- came into the area and bought about three thousand acres, extending from where the coke ovens later stood, up river to Sang Camp where Joel spent a season of Trapping during the winter of 1832-1833 <<<>>> Joels good old wife (Margaret) died, around 1833,and as the story go's, Joel got permission from Milton Ward to bury her in a certain place at the foot of Pilgrams Knob, behind Miltons house<<<>>> Joel sewed her up in a bed tick, and aided by Milton's slaves, loaded her on a horse and took her to the spot, and burried her.<<>> That grave began the Ward Cemetary that now occpies the hillside above the New Whitewood High School.>>>><><<<< George Church,--a son of Joel, and Carolina,--served in the Army Of The Confedeacy,---was captured by the Yankees, and paroled at Charleston in 1865...---He went on to marry--- (more than once)---and to father children,----one (Wilson) was my grandfather.------- Thomas never survived the war.-- A story carried down from his daughter "Nancy" tells that the Yankees came to the house in a small wagon,--arested Thomas, and hauled him off.--the family never saw him again.---Records in Baltimore Maryland, state that he died there in a military prison hospital in 1863.>>><><<< If Thomas was trying to defend his home, and family from the Yankees, he was only doing what any self respecting man would do.<<>>More honorable than anything Gen. Sherman Was praised for doing.<<>> Millie F Lousisa Church, daughter of Joel Sr. and Carolina.--- Married-- Henry Horn-- in 1859,--and in 1860 was living in a house between her dad, and Thomas.--She named a son after her dad.--- The copies of census reports that I find usually have Millie's name wrong.--- I guess the origanal was hard to read.--- They call her (Willa), and (Mills),---It was most likely spelled "Milly"--- My heart go's out to Milly, and to Peggy,---they were at home praying for their brother George,and Milly's new husband, Henry Horn,and also for Joel Jrs, boys, "Jacob", and "William", while they were away fighting Yankees. <<>> I don't have any information on Peggy,(Margaret) the younger sister, born 1846.-- or, on the baby brother Jos/Jas.-<<->>>- Joel Church Jr. was born to Joel, and Margaret, in 1814.<<>>He married Nancy J. Layne<<<>>> The census for Pike Co. Ky. 1850.<<>>(Thanks to "Susan Martucci" for doing lookups.)<<>>Joel Church, age 36, b Va, farmer<> Nancy Church, age 29, b NC.<> With the following children<> Abigal Church age 11,born in KY.<> William Church age 8, born in KY.<> Jacob Church age 7, born in KY.<> Sarah Church, age 4, born in KY..<> and David Church, age 1, born in KY.<<<>>> In the 1840 Pike County KY. Census Joel Church is listed as 1 male 20-30,<>with 1 female under 5,<> and 1 female 20-30.<<<>>>There were no Church familys listed in 1830, in Pike County KY.<<<>>>Joel Jr,moved to virginia.<<<>>> Jacob, and William fought for the South.<<>> I have not located Joel Jrs homeplace yet, however it was in the mountains not very far from Joel Sr's.I am sure.<<<<>>>> I have Cuzs out there who's relatives fought for the North. I respect the men on both sides who were fighting for what they believed in. I am against slavery 100 percent.<<<<>>>> Even at this late date some of us fail to realize that the real reason for that un-Civil war was the uneven condition of the Northern, and Southern market places.<<>> The Northern market could not compete with the Southern market place because of slave labor.<<>> This should have all been setteled in a civilized manner.<<>> Perhaps the Goverment could have bought the slaves from their owners, set them free, and passed laws against slavery.<<>> I know it was not that simple, but everything should have been tried before they started killing each other.!!!.-<<<>>>- At first I thought that Carolina,(or Caroline) Church was the wife that Joel burried at the foot of Pilgrams Knob, which started the Ward Cemetary,<>but Carolina died in 1862, she had daughters to serve her for burial. <<->> I have found where Caroline is burried. <> I believe that she is the woman of the legion, telling about a woman dieing during the Civil War, and there being no menfolk around, the women had placed her in a section of hollow log, and burried her. <<>> Joel was later burried beside her, and a large Hicory Tree grew on their graves. The wife that Joel sewed up in the bed tick died when there was no body in the area except the two of them, along with Milton Ward and the slaves he had building his house.<<<>>> I believe that Joel had simply come to the Sang Camp location in the fall of 1832, to spend a winter of trapping. I believe that Margaret was at home in Lee CO. Va, next door to her son Gabriel. <> I believe that someone, most likely Joel JR, came with him, helped him build a temporary Cabin, then returned to Lee CO. with the Horses. I don't think Joel SR, would try to keep horses at that location through the long winter months. I would be very hard to feed them, and he could get around his Trap Line area a lot better on foot, because of the thick underbrush in the area. <<>> In the spring, about the time that Milton Ward arrived, Joel JR, brought the horses back, and Margaret came with him.<> Joel JR, left heading home to Lee County, and Margaret remained with Joel SR, while he finished drying Furs, and whatever was last minuit details of breaking camp.<<>> Margaret died only a few days later of what was natural causes. <<>> The cabin at Sang Camp was never intended to be a permanent home.<<>>More than likely Milton Ward never brought his family there untill he had his home ready, because if there had been any women around they would have insisted on helping.<<>> Carolina could well <<>>be buried in The Ward Cemetary, but wasn't the first.<<>>

Joel Church Sr.1775-1870+ b, N.C.

Carolina Hobbs 1805-1862 Tenn-Va.