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We have a now very limited number of these publications featuring lots of local photographs.

The soft cover booklets are from 1986 - 35 years ago. We have copies for $35 for a limited time. Due to recent postal mail increases, please add $10 s/h. Or , of course, pick one up!

Meeting Minutes from the old Pigg River Primitive Baptist Church! Lovingly edited by Lane Hash.

Here's a sample page. You'll find so much information about local people and the times. Copies are $29 each while they last - with $10 s/h or pick up. A good read even if your folks never set foot in this church!

 

NEW MOONSHINE T-SHIRTS - 2021!!

The Back

The front

The color is actually Vintage Heather Blue altho' this pictures shows darker. Each comes in a glass Mason jar with a label. Nice gift for you - or someone else! Here are the prices: medium/large/x-large - $16 each. 2xl are $18 each. 3xl are $19 each. 4xl are $20. Call if you'd like shipping prices.

Thanks to PurpleDog Promotions for another great design!

MORE STUFF YOU NEED

        We've got lots of books! Moonshine theme books - including The Second Oldest Profession by Jess Carr! in great condition - even some surplus rare collectibles - and brand new ones. All for sale. One of the latest published by us is Maple Grove United Methodist Church Cemetery Book 2020. (We're still at work on Volume 3 of our county-wide cemetery book but decided to publish this one right away since it includes so many people from the western end of the county.) This book features original art on the cover by Doug Minnix. Inside are hundreds of names of people and their burial information gleaned from tombstones in December 2020. The cemetery is on Henry Road about a half-mile off VA 40 West of Rocky Mount.

        Huge thanks to Doug Minnix with help from Alan Messenger in collecting the information. This is literally a community cemetery for this end of Franklin County. For a copy send $15 plus $8 s/h or give us a call 540-483-1890 to arrange pick up.

                                                                                              

 

Hill Project book - A Preservation Project by Franklin County Historical Society. This booklet features the Robert Hill family home - known as the Robert Hill Indian Fort - today on the campus of Christian Heritage Academy, Rocky Mount. Lots of family information and a chronicle of the effort to save the ruins of this important historic site. $15 a copy plus $8 s/h. Spiral bound, color cover showing Robert's journey from Pennsylvania to what would become Franklin County, VA.

          

This fully-indexed 231-page book (collector Vol. 1) features photos recalling the service of 422 of the more than 2,000 known Franklin County men who served in the Confederate military. Photos are in color. $35 plus $10 s/h or call us for curbside pickup. We'll be updating as more soldier photos are located - and other information becomes available.

 

                       A Moment in Time has been reprinted (December 2020) and now includes 500 soldiers identified with a photograph! New and interesting material was added along with a new index. Thanks to those who provided more photos. Next printing probably not until June 2021. If you've got photos of CSA veterans or their gravestones, let us know. The price remains $35 with $10 s/h or call to arrange pick up.

 

Callaway history. We're pretty proud to offer this! The "branding" is on a piece of tanned leather using the branding iron that belonged to James Steptoe Callaway. For all practical purposes he's the father of the Callaway community. The 1850s era branding iron will be displayed at the History Museum. It was donated by Heidi Callaway from the estate of her late husband Russell who is a son of Flanders B. Callaway Sr.

     The cowhide piece is for sale for $20 (we have a limited supply) and the wood piece showing the brand (yes, the 'S' is backwards) is $15. The back of the wood piece has the iron's history, thanks to Doug Minnix who actually did the branding. If shipped, please add $12 per item. If both are bought at the same time, postage of $18 will do it. Very limited supply. Our exhibit is in progress so no more will be made. Call if you're interested to be sure we still have one for you.

Microwave bowl holders! We've got lots of designs. These are great for microwave use as they're padded to save your hands when heating food. $12 each (add $5 s/h). Let us know which design you'd like. More selections are available. Thanks to our talented volunteer Shirley Dent for stitching up these useful items!

...And we have a supply of 'Tater Sacks' for cooking those Sweet or Irish potatoes in the microwave easily. Also works for corn on the cob. Pictured is a farm-theme sack plus a bowl holder.  The large 'Tater Sack' is $18 plus $5 s/h. Instructions on the sack. Call or email for a list of designs. (They're selling pretty fast, so we'll let you know what we have left.)

Limited supply of 2020 Calendars. Not that anyone needed a calendar for 2020! but this one is a collectible. Artist/historian Doug Minnix drew old stores from the Callaway community on the calendar pages and included a brief history of each plus a map for finding the sites. $20 each. Call if you'd like one shipped.

We've got 2020 moonshine T-shirts! Sold in glass Mason jars. Call for sizing and information. The 2020 theme -- Franklin County is for Moonshine Lovers -- shirts are limited but sizes are still available. Let us know if you need a gift - for yourself or a friend. (If you're a collector, we have some of the earlier years available. Call to see if we have your size.)

And altho' limited, we still have a selection of Cat's Meow Village pieces - our original Booker T. Washington's cabin - Welcome to Franklin County - Welcome to Rocky Mount - Franklin County Courthouse -Franklin County High School - and a few others .We also have wooden shelf-sitters: Robert Hill Fort, Franklin County Tobacco Barn - etc. Call for info and prices.

 

  

Very limited numbers still available for our replica of the Confederate monument on the Franklin County Courthouse green. Call for availability. The last of the offering of 150 numbered statues are $175 each but only for a limited time. Names of all the companies raised in Franklin County for the Confederate military are engraved on the statue base. Each statue stands 18 inches tall and weighs about 18 pounds.  A deposit of $50 holds your number. Balance due on pickup. Can be shipped - call for pricing.

                                    

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MORE BOOKS!

100 Proof - by  Henry Lee Law (who knows a little about makin' moonshine likker).  $19.95 (add $8 s/h). 'The Untold Stories of Notorious Franklin County Moonshiner Amos Law." Follows the 6-year career of Amos Law and includes some of Henry's exploits as well.  Photos and more. We've got Law-theme t-shirts and hats ($18 each). Call for shipping price. (The Hell's Holler brand of Henry's legal moonshine is on sale at the ABC store but we've got the label imprinted on t-shirts & hats!)

Franklin County Killin' Vol. 3. 'A few intriguing murders' - included are newspaper clippings, "True Detective" stories and more. You'll find the details on a death at the end of a party in Rocky Mount (1890) - a tale of two men, pistols and a deadly duel (1908) - a police killing and a trial that dragged on (1927) - and unrequited love and the deadly result (1936). $8 a copy at the History Museum. We'll mail a copy for an additional $6. (We have limited copies of Vol. 2 for $10 each - plus $6 s/h. This one lists all the county sheriffs and includes information about  several killings.)

Collectibles: The Second Oldest Profession by Jess Carr - Nite of Makin' Likker by Morris Stephenson - If Trouble Don't Kill Me by Ralph Berrier - and a whole lot more. Looking for something? Call us. We just may have it!

SANTAS FOR SALE. Hand-made, stuffed colorful holiday cloth - 6 1/4 inches long and 3 1/4 wide. Use as a holiday ornament, package tie-on -- or dangle one from your sun visor! All the money goes to our museum display projects.  $5 each at the History Museum (add $5 s/h - call for pricing on multiple orders). Sports teams, CSA, Coca-Cola, camouflage, doggie bones and more. Got 'em all year long! But as with many of our unique gifts, the selection is now limited.

                                   

                                                                    

Other books of note:

Sister Ora - Brother Goode by Charles D. Thompson Jr. (Stories of Miss Ora Harrison and Elder James Goode Lane Hash and the community in which they lived and served - many high quality photos, gleanings from personal interviews and research from the Endicott/Southwestern area of Franklin County.) Soft Cover. Very limited number available at $5 plus $5 s/h.

Dr. John Henry Pinkard - African American Legend of Franklin County and the Roanoke Valley by Michael E. Blankenship. Soft  cover. Quality reproductions of photos, medicine labels and more. (Known as "the yarb doctor," Pinkard rose to fame and fortune and down again as he befriended people from all walks of life and offered his brand of "cures" for their ills. His formulas for remedies were kept secret altho' the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 required him to list the active ingredients.) 220 pages. Indexed. $29.95 plus $10 s/h.

Still on hand and popular:

Spirits of Just Men - Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World by Charles D. Thompson Jr. (Paperback. Solid research. Photos, interviews. If you can buy just one book about making likker in Franklin County, this is the one to get. 269 pages. Indexed. The story of why locals made moonshine, its economic effects, the government's participation and more.) $23.95 plus $8 s/h.

The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 by T. Keister Greer. (Shrink-wrapped, 2 1/2 inches thick. The original. Hard back. Fully indexed and resourced. Photos. Written in question and answer form using courtroom testimony without the enhancement of opinion, the book effectively tells the story of the likker conspiracy in Franklin County, VA. Individuals are named, the trials and results are given and the wide government net is explained. Those accused included elected officials, business owners and operators, likker makers and transporters and even a mercantile business itself.  The un-indicted conspirators are as interesting as those who were indicted. The book is not without humor as the tales unfold in the courtroom. (A trial like this would not be possible in today's world.) $200 plus $20 s/h. Very limited.

Genesis of a Virginia Frontier - The Origins of Franklin County, Virginia, 1740-1785 by T. Keister Greer. (Shrink-wrapped.) Soft cover. Great resource. Includes the gradual evolution of Franklin from Brunswick, Lunenburg, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry and Bedford counties. Describes the east-west migration of Franklin County's earliest settlers. Greer writes, The Virginia Frontier is a fascinating study. Alive with the peculiar genius of the eighteenth-century Virginian, it resounds with the crash of falling oak, the bark of the long rifle, and the shout of the popular preacher." $20 plus $8 s/h

Heritage 2000 - Franklin County, Virginia - large 9x12 size - sewn, glued and hard bound. 271 pages. Hundreds of surnames, indexed by first and last names and story titles. Includes local history, family tales and photos. Blank family trees in the back for paternal and maternal information. Now very limited. $45 plus $15 s/h. Call for availability before ordering.

Family Books Available in the Research Library

Prices are included for convenience. Spiral-bound, most are collections by individual researchers, some are published works copied with permission. Credit is given to those researchers/editors known to us. Although not all books are indexed and not all include documentation of resources, these works provide clues and proofs to assist others researching the same families. A partial listing is provided.

Please call for ordering information including availability, most current shipping and handling charges, or to check on recent additions. Shipping and handling discount for multiples. NOTE: s/h has been increased recently due to additional costs to us. We normally ship USPS media rate, however, the Post Office advises us that this can take 10 - 14 days (as of October 2021) so we are using First Class postage for 3-5 day delivery unless you can wait. If you are ordering multiple copies, we are able to ship UPS and can get a price for the lot, if you wish. Just contact us.

Our info:

Mailing address: FCoHS, PO Box 905, Rocky Mount, VA 24151.

Email: fchistorical@yahoo.com

Telephone: (540) 483-1890   Leave a detailed message so that we can respond appropriately.

Franklin County Settlers Map - still just $8.50 shipped in a tube - add $8 s/h. We've got the original black and white and a smaller version now colorized. Color one is $10 plus $8 s/h.

FYI: Most family books listed here are spiral bound copies with protective covers. Some are softbound and noted.

• Allman. John Allman Family ($25 plus $8 s/h)
• Angle. Peter Angle ($25 plus $9 s/h)
• Arthur Saga 1923 - 1983 with miscellaneous info including John Arthur Sr. (1770-1835) and descendants of Gideon Turner. Compiled by Claude C. Arthur. $15 plus $8 s/h
• Blankenship, Descendants of Abraham Abram Blankenship ($20 plus $9 s/h)
• Bowman, Standeford, Watkins, Hill, Ferguson, Linus - Collection ($20 plus $8 s/h)
• Bridges Family ($35 plus $9 s/h)
• Brooks Family ($25 plus $8 s/h). Second offering, a smaller collection $12 plus $6 s/h
• Cavendar. Ancestry John Edward Cavendar ($20 plus $7 s/h)
• Eichenburg. Peter Eichenburg ($30 plus $9 s/h)
• Fisher. Joel Fisher ($25 plus $9 s/h)
• Flora. Jacob Flora ($35 plus $9 s/h)
• Hale Family & Others. Roots in Virginia. Spiral bound reprint. ($50 plus $12 s/h) Valuable resource for "old" Franklin County families inc. Taliaferro, Saunders, Hale, more.
• Hill, Descendants of Swinfield Hill ($12 plus $6 s/h). Unknown Hill ($12 plus $8 s/h). Robert Hill Blockhouse ($12 plus $9 s/h)
• Holland: "Recollections of a Private" - by William Preston Holland, Co. G. 11th VA Infantry CSA. Transcribed from the original by Linda Nezbeth with detailed notes on the subjects/places mentioned by Pvt. Holland. ($15 plus $8 s/h). Softcover. Humor mixed with stories of war. A must-have for collectors and those interested in the War as well as family researchers.
• Holland: John Henry Holland Family ($15 plus $6 s/h)
• Holland: John M. Holland Plantation ($6 plus $5 s/h)
• Holland: Letters from War ($10 plus $5 s/h)
• Holland: Miscellaneous No. 1 - collected by Claude Holland ($10 plus $5 s/h)
• Holland: Miscellaneous No. 2. Collected by Claude Holland ($20 plus $8 s/h)
• Holland: Rebellion Letters 1800s ($12 plus $8 s/h)
• Holland: Set of indexes Vol. 1-7 (mailed $13). Detailed index, identifying each entry in each book.
• Holland: Thomas J. Holland ($18 plus $6 s/h)
• Holland: Vol. 1 - 125 pages ($30 plus $7 s/h). Collected by Claude Holland, indexed by Martha Young. Index only ($2 mailed).
• Holland: Vol. 2 - 55 pages. Indexed ($12 plus $6 s/h). Collected by Claude Holland, indexed by Martha Young. Index only ($2 mailed).
• Holland: Vol. 3 - 140 pages ($32 plus $7 s/h). Collected by Claude Holland, indexed by Martha Young. Index ( $2 mailed).
• Holland: Vol. 4 ($15 plus $6 s/h). 55 pages Part I, 18 pages Part 2. Collected by Claude Holland, indexed by Martha Young. Index includes description of each entry – index ($2 mailed).
• Holland: Vol. 5 ($18 plus $5 s/h) 77 pages Part 1; 66 pages Part 2.. Collected by Claude Holland, indexed by Martha Young. Index ($2 mailed).
• Holland: Vol. 6 - 120 pages ( $20 plus $7 s/h). Collected by Claude Holland.
• Holland: Vol. 7 ( $25 plus $6 s/h). Collected by Claude Holland.
• Jamison. Descendants of John Jamison ($20 plus $6 s/h)
• Jamison. James Jamison ($30 plus $8 s/h)
• Jones. Aaron Jones ($15 plus $6 s/h)
• Joyce ($8 plus $3 s/h)
• Linus, Hill, Bernard Family Letters $12 plus $6 s/h
• Lumsden Family ($25 plus $7 s/h)
• Mann Collection Index ($15 spiral bound, $5 stapled sheets - add $2 s/h for sheets/$5 booklet)
• Mann, Gertrude Mann Collection Vol. 1 ($30 plus $8 s/h); Vol. 2 ($45 plus $8 s/h). Index to either $5 each. New collections of Mrs. Mann's papers donated by her daughter Karen Comet. Letters, research papers, notes. Valuable resource to researchers.
• McDaniel & Jordan Collection ($15 plus $6 s/h)
• Menefee through the Generations ($8 plus $4 s/h)
• Minnix. Charles Minnix Sr. ($50 plus $8 s/h) Scholarly work on the Minnix family. Sources carefully documented including German resources.
• Nowlan. Descendants of Hugh Donough Nowlan ($15, $7 s/h)
• Nowlin, John ($15 plus $7 s/h)
• Nowlin, Rakes, Radford Collection ($8 plus $6 s/h)
• Perdue. Twigs of the Tree ($12 plus $4 s/h) Research by Maxey Perdue
• Poff (George) - Furrow (Jacob), Luke-Stone-Waldron Collection ($20 plus $6 s/h)
• Prillaman. Mason Prillaman Family Collected Research ($15 plus $7 s/h)
• Pugh. Patrick Morris Pugh ($10 plus $6 s/h)
• Raney Collection Index ($5 plus $3 s/h) Useful tool for researchers.
• Saunders Family – Dry Fork, Bland, Franklin County ($15 plus $6 s/h)
• Shaon Family ($20 plus $6 s/h)
• Sloan ($8 plus $6 s/h)
• Speery Family ($10 plus $3 s/h)
• Stone/Parker Family ($10 plus $6 s/h)
• Tucker. James Andrew Tucker ($6 plus $6 s/h)
• Walker ($12 plus $6 s/h)
• Weddle ($12 plus $6 s/h)
• Willis ($12 plus $6 s/h)
• Wimmer. Jacob Mark Wimmer ($12 plus $6 s/h)

Call to check recent additions for other families.