Welcome to
"One generation opens the road upon which
another generation travels."
- Chinese Proverb
WV Roadbuilders contains information
about the family history of the Bailey, Clay, Cook(e), Lockman, Lyons, Sizemore,
Stewart, Tabor, Thompson, and Worrell families of southern West Virginia. I hope you enjoy your visit and that you
will sign the Guestbook.
As with most internet genealogy pages, the information on this web site should be
used as clues for your own research, as not all has been proven. Information in the reports has come
from family members, other researchers, personal research and other web sites.
Please apply the same caution to any genealogy information received via e-mail -
use as a clue to complete your own research and documentation.
Special thanks to Henry T. Cook, Lt. Col. USMC (Ret.) and the many other people who have contributed to the information on this web site.
It's been two years since I've updated this web
site. I apologize for the delay. I've started
redoing the genealogy reports. I have two years worth of updating to
complete, so it will be several months before they are done. I will add
each report as it is completed and list the updates on the What's
New page. I will also be adding some new
pictures. I have already added an article - Retrieving History:
The
18th Century Mortuary - History of the Little Dutch Church, Halifax to the Documents
page.
This
article pertains to Leonard Lockman, but may be of interest to others.
Page Name |
What It Contains |
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Links to the Genealogy Reports |
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Biographies of John Cooke, Thomas Munsey Cooke and Thomas Boyd Cook |
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Written by the Poet Laureate of WV late 1930's or early 1940's |
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Poetry written by my mother under her maiden name |
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Many pictures taken by my father and an article about his hobby, model railroading |
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"Musings" written my Mr. Cook |
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Two Photo Albums, including "Unidentified" photographs |
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Letters written by Gordon Thompson to his wife during the Civil War |
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Copies of various vital records and pension files, including a copy of John Cooke's baptismal record and transcript of Ralph Stewart's Revolutionary War Pension file |
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Picture of Gordon Thompson and the poem "CSA" |
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E-Mail addresses of other researchers |
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Links to web sites I've found of interest or help |
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Guestbook entries from 11/08/99 through 12/31/01 |
The most interesting information about
our ancestors is contained in the details of their lives - their occupations, their military service, their
thoughts contained in their letters or diaries, their fame or notoriety, and the
stories about them which have been passed down through the generations.
These are the things that bring our ancestors to life.
As you read the genealogy reports and look at the photo album, let your imagination fly:
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Imagine the courage it must have
taken John Cooke and Nellie Pemberton to embrace their new life in America after
being shanghaied while on a boat trip on the Thames river. | ||||||||||
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Wonder if Ralph Stewart and his brothers ended up
hating the Indians for killing their father, James
Stuart. | ||||||||||
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What was the story behind the advertisement
William Mitchell Clay placed in the Virginia Gazette, about his wife Agnes.
This same William Mitchell Clay was the first
casualty of the Revolutionary War. | ||||||||||
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Experience the horror Mitchell Clay and his family
must have felt after the tragic deaths
of three of his children in an Indian attack. Their story is also the story of how many people died during Colonial
times. His family settled at Clover
Bottom in 1775 and thus became the first settlers of present day Mercer County, WV. | ||||||||||
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Imagine the changes Catherine Stewart
Cooke must have seen during her lifetime. Born just after the end of
the American Revolution, she lived to be ninety-nine.
From saving the lives of two of her brothers to hiding the family coffee supply
from Confederate raiders, I think she must have been a clever and courageous
woman. | ||||||||||
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The Civil War took many of our ancestors far away
from their families and homes. Most fought for the Union, but a few fought
for the Confederacy.
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If you know of any "stories" or details about the lives of our ancestors or have pictures of any of the ancestors, please send me an e-mail if you are willing to share them so that they can be included here.
Details of living persons are not included. However, if you are among those listed
and do not wish to be included, please let me know and I will remove your name.
All that said, I hope you enjoy your visit!
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This site is
generously |
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