robertmackayclan

Michael I did look for another place on your site to post messages about our Sowers family but wouldn't find another place.

Hope to find more information about our McKay, Sowers, Mitchell & Kerfoot in the future from another look at film dealing with Warren Co. VA & Frederick Co. VA through our local public library near in Fairfax. I can get free !! (as you) microfilm of original records delivered at Fairfax Public Library.

On State of VA reel #8 Clarke Co. VA Book "A" Circuit Court page 101-104. Found my gr-gr-gr-grandfather Wm. Sowers will, also contained on this same film his estate inventory and trustee reports for his daughters & family of his son Wm. B.C. Sowers.

The family tale I had heard from my grandmother Daisy Love (McKay) Shipp, wife of Walter Eugene Shipp, was that her mother Etta Double Sowers born on 15 September 1863, was born the day one of her grandparent had died.

Through graveyard records knew that it wasn't John W. Sowers or his wife Mary Emily Mitchell. Which left her other set of grandparents: Wm. Sowers & Catherine Jenkins. According to the Clarke Co. Historical Society the Federals burned down Wm. Sowers' home, where is widow lived at the time. So I concluded Catherine was out, which left only Wm. Sowers. Now the tale could be true except for the fact the date of his estate inventory was on 17 Feb 1863, before the birth of Etta. So I must state that the family tale is not correct.

Wm. died sometime after 3 Sep 1858 before 17 Feb 1863.

In his will he named the twelve children that I have listed in my Sowers book. The last daughter Matilda "Tillie" Sowers (named Mary Matilda in his will) was alive in 1858 but F.J. Kerfoot did not file a trustee report for her; so Hunter B. McKay must have been given the correct information about her dying young. Hunter wrote "Tillie died at the age of 16, typhoid fever, at the same time that her mother & father died of the same disease. From census information she should have been born in 1842, she & her father could have died shortly after the will was written. But her mother lived through the Civil War.

More important to me is the location of Wm. Sowers' farm. He allotted 200a to his wife, adjoined the lands of Col. Morgan & John Burchell and the farm road lead to Berryville Turnpike Road and a field containing a burying ground. I would love to be able to locate this grave yard. I alway felt that he was buried on his land.

Michael does a road Berryville Turnpike Road in 1858 still run the same way today ?

All for now.

You didn't find any other forum because this is it. It's the forum for the entire website and is not limited to discussions on Robert Mackay. Basically it's for any aspect of the website and Sowers & Kerfoot et al. are definitely a major part of it.

Anyway, I'm hoping to put up a little piece called "Bethel History" by Alexander Mackay-Smith on the website in the near future. I need to contact the Clarke County Historical Association to see if it's ok with them first since it's part of their collections of writings.

I'll have to get back to you about the roads. It's possible that it could still run the same path but then again things could change. I have a map of Clarke County which shows the old roads and I know some of them don't exist anymore. One in particular is the old Newtown Road which ran near Bethel. Remnants of it now make up other roads. It was once the road which ran through to the old ford that ended up being replaced by Rt. 50 I believe. I've not seen anything left of it but my grandfather says he remembers the remains of it when he was young.

Got a response to my posting on Clarke Co. Web Site, researcher stated that Berryville Turnpike Road is Rt. 7, Col. Morgan place called "Hill & Dale" about 2 miles east of Route #7 and less than a mile south. Would be great find if I could locate Wm. Sowers' graveyard.

Will keep digging on our Sowers.

I would also like to know where that is. The map I have has listings of where cemeteries are located too. I'm not sure if this includes small farm plots or not.


Have you seen the page I have on other Churches and Cemeteries Relevant to the Robert Mackay Clan?


I have mentioned some of the places in the Frederick, Clarke, & Warren County areas that many of our McKay, Sowers & Kerfoot relatives were buried in addition to Bethel.


You can click here to go directly to it.

Some Other Churches and Cemeteries Relevant to the Robert Mackay Clan in the Shenandoah Valley

Is the Goose Run Meeting House the one on Loudoun Co. VA on Rt 15 on the way to Frederick Co. MARYLAND.

If it same one, pass it going to my Aunt Sandra in Frederick Co. VA. Believe the same one where our ancestor Jacob McKay married a member last wife Rebekah (Janney) Gregg.

Also the late Duane Borden compiled a listing of the graves in Green Hill Cemetery. I have heard his books are now totally out of print. People would always buy the book while the compiler is still ALIVE !!

I really appreciate that he compiled a listing of the graves of Prospect Hill Cemetery of Front Royal, Warren Co. VA.

I think my problem with Wm. Sowers' "field burying ground"--know it existed in 1858--has it been over run now--will the persons who owns the land now allow me passage.

In Mr. Stuart Brown's book he has other Sowers & Kerfoot houses, but fails to mention Wm. Sowers' house. I will check next time at the Public Library, believe he had a map of the houses he had in his book. Might also have marked sites of old houses. Worth a shot.

Later.

Thank you for your time.

Actually you are referring to Goose Creek Meeting House. Yes, it's the one in Loudoun County located in the little village of Lincoln just south of Purcellville. I'm not surprised Jacob's wife was from there. The Janneys are pretty prominent in that area. Next time you visit you might notice the former Janney's store next to the modern meeting house. Asa Moore Janney was one time owner of that store.

I would also like to know where that is. The map I have has listings of where cemeteries are located too. I'm not sure if this includes small farm plots or not.


Have you seen the page I have on other Churches and Cemeteries Relevant to the Robert Mackay Clan?


I have mentioned some of the places in the Frederick, Clarke, & Warren County areas that many of our McKay, Sowers & Kerfoot relatives were buried in addition to Bethel.


You can click here to go directly to it.

Some Other Churches and Cemeteries Relevant to the Robert Mackay Clan in the Shenandoah Valley

Believe that Mr. Brown has where Wm. Sowers' house was located. My problem is that I do not know who now has the property. I can't just go walking on someone else property !!!

I could go to the trouble to find it; and only to find the graves which are unreadable. Would still like to find the place.

I think I have a copy of his book. If it's the same one I'm thinking of he has info. on my Robinsons that's all wrong.

However, he does have good info. on other things.

Another researcher did not like his book for the same reason, forget which family she was talking about.

He has some information about the Sowers family that is not correct. But the picture are still nice to have.

I guess, Michael, you will just have to write your own book.

When it comes to the Steer Genealogy (which the Robinsons are part of) that's basically what I'm doing.

I haven't been at it for a while though but I've been updating the Steer Genealogy which was first published in 1891 by Isaac S. Russell.

If you are familiar, the family is Quaker like our Robert Mackay family. The two intermarry in some areas.

I've got Isaac's original book typed into computer files and I hope to have all the info. I have access to so far entered in as well. Perhaps once I get it printed up I can put a copy into our local library. Also, The Waterford Foundation is interested in the Steer family as well being that the Steer family was associated with Waterford.

Most of the info. I've collected comes from old Newspaper articles, Hopewell Friends History (family record section) & Hinshaw's Quaker Encyclopedia (six volumes).