A Gate to Nowhere

Gates open and close. They keep things in, or they keep things out. They often set boundaries which give definition to neighborhoods, or declare limits to traffic, public or private. Gates are all around us. They are built by man to imply that if you are on one side, you might want to get to the other. [All that green grass and stuff.]

The picture to the right shows a gate. It was taken after the destruction of a tornado that removed all boundaries. It was just about all that was left standing, blown open by the wind of an F-5 monster. An "act of God", some folks would call it.

Pretty useless this gate stands now. No boundaries, no landmarks, no anything that remains. A gate to nowhere I thought...have you experienced one?

Name That Creek

Two previous post discussed the methods of drawing and using maps in genealogical research. The map to the right shows the end product of such an endeavor. Pewmansend Creek remains outlined in yellow (first 3 miles), then the "north branch" in pink (roughly a 5 - 6 mile extension), and the "south" branch in green (4-5 mile extension). The landmarks of the day were creeks. [Used as street signs.] They are shown listed across the top starting with a) Port Tobacco Bay, b)Madam Lomx, c) Taliaferro's Creek, d) Roy's Warehouse, e) Presser's [Prosser] Creek, f) Passitank, g) Wier [Ware] Creek, h) Harrison's Creek, i) Conway's Warehouse, j) Snow Creek, and k) Nussopanax Run. A rough location of many of the early land owners are shown. Taliaferro, Buckner, Cattlett, Battialle, and Thornton are identified in the "freshes" along this section of Rappahannock River. Who was the first JONES? Was there a JONES along this Pewmansend Creek? Well indeed there was!