Museum of the Middle Appalachians

The Saltville Foundation was incorporated as a non-profit organization in October of 1991 with the goal of establishing a modern research and exhibit museum, outdoor interpretive trails and living history exhibits, and community outreach program that would encourage and facilitate the preservation, understanding, and appreciation of the natural and cultural heritage of the middle Appalachian region. This was primarily a grassroots effort that began many years before when it was realized that there was such a rich and distinctive history in the area.

To visit the Museum's web site: Click Here.

Bedford, Virginia

The Appalachian community of Bedford, Virginia suffered the highest per capita casualty rate of any locality in the United States during the storming of the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944. For that reason it was selected as the site of the National D-Day Memorial.

To visit the National D-Day Memorial online: Click Here.

To learn more about Bedford, Virginia: Click Here.

To visit the Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library: Click Here.

The First Charter of Virginia: April 10, 1606

JAMES, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. WHEREAS our loving and well-disposed Subjects, Sir Thorn as Gales, and Sir George Somers, Knights, Richard Hackluit, Clerk, Prebendary of Westminster, and Edward-Maria Wingfield, Thomas Hanharm and Ralegh Gilbert, Esqrs. William Parker, and George Popham, Gentlemen, and divers others of our loving Subjects, have been humble Suitors unto us, that We would vouchsafe unto them our Licence, to make Habitation, Plantation, and to deduce a colony of sundry of our People into that part of America commonly called VIRGINIA, and other parts and Territories in America, either appertaining unto us, or which are not now actually possessed by any Christian Prince or People, situate, lying, and being all along the Sea Coasts, between four and thirty Degrees of Northerly Latitude from the Equinoctial Line, and five and forty Degrees of the same Latitude, and in the main Land between the same four and thirty and five and forty Degrees, and the Islands "hereunto adjacent, or within one hundred Miles of the Coast thereof;

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Note how extensive Virginia's original boundaries were. Based on this, Virginia would at one point lay claim to all American lands north of Tennessee and west of Pennsylvania.

Sir Walter Raleigh's 1584 Charter

ELIZABETH by the Grace of God of England, Fraunce and Ireland Queene, defender of the faith, &c. To all people to whome these presents shall come, greeting.

Knowe yee that of our especial grace, certaine science, and meere motion, we haue given and graunted, and by these presents for us, our heires and successors, we giue and graunt to our trustie and welbeloued seruant Walter Ralegh, Esquire, and to his heires assignee for euer, free libertie and licence from time to time, and at all times for ever hereafter, to discover, search, finde out, and view such remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries, and territories, not actually possessed of any Christian Prince, nor inhabited by Christian People, as to him, his heires and assignee, and to every or any of them shall seeme good, and the same to haue, horde, occupie and enjoy to him, his heires and assignee for euer, with all prerogatives, commodities, jurisdictions, royalties, privileges, franchises, and preheminences, thereto or thereabouts both by sea and land . . .

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If nothing else, reading this charter will demonstrate that convoluted and well night incomprehensible legal language is not a recent invention.

Lat-Long.com

This site contains the exact latitude and longitude of more than two million places in the United States. This includes churches, schools, cemeteries, county seats, communities and other items of potential genealogical or historical interest.

For example, to see a list of Hancock County cemeteries extracted from Lat-Long.com: Click Here.

To visit Lat-Long.com: Click Here.

Hancock County 1860 Mortality Schedules

Mortality schedules were taken in addition to the regular census; they recorded any person that died within the year of when the census was taken. Note: The mortality schedules like a lot of information are only as good as the person who gave them. Some households may not have reported family deaths to the census taker.

To see the compiled 1860 mortality schedules for Hancock County: Click Here.

Who Were the Parents of the Mullins Children?

Submitted by MHS board member Katherine James

I have seen and heard many discussions on the “three” sets of children from the marriages of Nancy Gibson and Madison Mullins, etc. The following should clarify the confusion on these three sets of children.

I. Nancy Jane Gibson, daughter of Kenner Gibson and Hettie Collins married Elbert Mullins, son of John and Mehala Collins on July 20, 1871 (Taylor notes). The following sons were born to them:

1. Howard Mullins born 1873 .
2. Kinley Mullins born 1876
3. Thomas Mullins born 1879

Elbert Mullins , born 1851 married 2 nd Eliza Seals, daughter of John Seals from below Sneedville. They lived on the Panther Creek side of Newman’s Ridge. Nancy’s sister, Elizabeth Gibson married Elbert’s brother Rubin Mullins.

Madison was the son of Jimmy Mullins and Nance Collins. Jimmy was the son of “hairlip ” Jim and Nance was the daughter of Eva n Collins and Mehala Delp.

Madison Mullins was living in the household of Thomas Bell in 1870.

II. Nancy Gibson Mullins, daughter of Kenner and Hettie Collins Gibson, who had been previously married to Elbert Mullins then married Madison Mullins on January 20, 1879. The following children were born to them:

4. Keener Mullins born 1880
5. Brownlow Mullins , who married Maude Collins daughter of Conoway and Hannah Bell who was the daughter of Burdine Bell.
6. Hillary Mullins, born 1886

Madison Mullins married Eliza Mullins on July 15, 1888. Rev. Abijah Collins officiated.

III. Nancy Gipson Mullins Mullins (who had previously been married to Elbert Mullins and Madison Mullins) then married William Davidson on September 8,1889. The following children were born to them:

7. Marshall Davidson, born February 28, 1888 who married Orpha Collins, daughter of Rev. Lewis Collins (son of Silas who was the son of Solomon Collins and Orpha Collins, who was the daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Collins).

8. Luther Davidson , born May 8, 1892, died April 6, 1938 of pneumonia who married Flora Goins, daughter of Tennessee Goins and Kyra Collins Goins. Luther and his brother Garrett Hobert Davidson both died the same day of pneumonia.

9. Pearly Davidson, born, 1896 married Madison Oaks , son of

Bill and Martha Goodman Oaks.

10. (Garrett) Hobert Davidson, Was born November 6, 1898 and died April 6, 1938. He married Sallie Johnson of Harlan County, KY.

Hill Mullins is listed as born 1886 and stepson of Willie

Davidson on 1900 census for Hancock County, Tennessee . Also living with Nancy and Willie was her brother, Hilary Gibson, shown as a brother-in-law to Willie.

( Willie’s sister Cornelia (Neila) Davidson , married Nancy’s nephew, son of her brother Preston Gibson .)

That it was Nancy Gib(p)son Mullins who mothered the 11 children is further supported by the 1900 census where Nancy is married for 12 years to William (Willie) Davidson , son of Jeb “Gib Davidson and the mother of 11 with 10 still living. She very well could have had one child who was born and died in the 20 years between 1880 and 1900 and was not picked up on the census.

Willie Davidson’s 2 nd wife was Lindy Moore.

Note: Sarah Gibson was a first cousin to my great grandfather, Jarvis Gibson. Jarvis’ mother Mary and Nancy’s father Kenner were children of Joseph Fisher Gibson. Fisher’s children were Morning, Preston, Mary, Kenner, Zachariah and Jim. There are a number of marriages between the Mullins and Gibson families.