| With genealogical notes on over 300 families. For nearly a century, iron manufacturing dominated the economic, social, and political fabric of Stafford County, Virginia. In the mid-1720s Principio Iron Company, the eighteenth- century leader in American iron production, built a charcoal-fired blast furnace on Accokeek Run in Stafford. Accokeeks furnace and store served customers within a six-county region. Employment opportunities at the furnace created a diversified economy and encouraged people from all walks of life to settle there. The late 1750s witnessed the creation of James Hunters Iron Works near Falmouth. Originally intended as a forge and multi-purpose milling facility, this operation quickly grew to be the New Worlds largest manufacturing center, producing a wide variety of consumer goods as well as quantities of weapons and supplies for Continental troops. Until now, little serious research has been conducted on these two important facilities. The roles they played in eighteenth-century Virginia have been overlooked or underestimated. In addition to exploring the scope of each business and its impact upon the region in which it existed, the author has identified hundreds of people involved with or employed by Accokeek Furnace and Rappahannock Forge. The only known surviving business ledger from Accokeek Furnace is included as a CD-ROM in the back of the volume. A vivid illustration of life at a colonial iron works, the ledger also provides family researchers with a wealth of genealogical information from a region sorely lacking in such material. - United States - Virginia - Stafford |
| Tucked between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers and being the uppermost part of Virginias historic Northern Neck, Stafford County has a wealth of historical sites and has been home to some of the nations most notable leaders; yet researching Staffords rich history has been daunting due to the loss of county records. This major new work not only fills the "research gap" but provides a delightful portrait of early life in Virginia, from 1600 until 1865. Here you can glimpse the early Stafford settlements; face lifes hardships with the lowland planters; track the movement toward independence from Mother England; experience the development of local industries (tobacco and iron paramount among them); discover the devastation of the county as a result of the Civil War; and understand the slow, tedious path back to prosperity. "The facts" are in all cases amplified by anecdotes of Stafford families, including stories of their celebrations and misadventures, and their Civil War experiences. Every passage is infused with the authors admiration and enthusiasm for the locations she discusses. The books chapters break Stafford County into regions, within which the estates are dealt with one by oneótracing owners, construction and destruction, communities and traditions through the years. The authors intention has been to catalog as many of Staffords historical sites as possible, and included in the volume are more than 100 buildings discussed in detail. Many related articles explain the historical significance of churches, ordinaries, roads, court houses, mills and industries. The book is founded on a wealth of heretofore untapped primary source material. Sources include wills, deeds, court and tax records, minutes of the House of Burgesses and the Council of Colonial Virginia, census figures, maps, church and cemetery records, business ledgers, insurance policies, contemporary newspaper accounts, letters, diaries and personal interviews. The volume is thoroughly indexed (everyname plus subject) and includes an extensive bibliography. The closing chapter focuses on five strong women of Stafford: Margaret Brent, Anne Thomson Mason, Anne Eliza Stribling Waller, Kate Waller Barrett and Miss Anne E. Moncure. In the pages of this exciting book, you can trace the steps of Staffords early residents from the comfort of your favorite armchair; or plan your own "sightseeing tour" with this as a guidebook! Read about Stafford land bought, sold and divided many times and, over time, forgotten. Seven regional maps allow readers to locate every place mentioned; a few other maps highlight specific locations. The history is enhanced by diagrams from insurance policies and twenty beautiful paintings (done from rare photographs) of Stafford homes and other buildings, many of which are long since lost. - United States - Virginia - Stafford |
