Photos for Galax &c

OK, we now have photos!

http://web.mac.com/goodlenora/iWeb/Site/Library%2015.html
(Library 15)

No photos this time. iWeb won't publish to the web. Sigh. And for whatever reason, I can't upload to the blog.

After getting little to no sleep at the hotel in Elkins/Jonesboro (or wherever) due to the freeway noise, we drove to Independence, VA the next morning. It turned out to be a short trip, and we could have easily done it the night before, and slept in a much quieter motel.

Anyhow, we got there before the Courthouse was open for business, so we wandered a bit, and then went back to the old Courthouse. While Kay talked to some folks in the Heritage dept, I wandered over to the gift shop. Then, we walked up to the NEW courthouse that is behind the old one, and Kay went through several records looking for, and finding, records of her family Isom. We then went to Grandma’s Restaurant for a cuppa and they let me go through their phone book, so I copied out 2 or 3 gazillion Isom names and phone numbers, and then we went to the Library where Kay did some more research, and I bought a hardback book, and a murder mystery at that! Kay researched, and I detected.

We drove around looking for, and finding, old cemeteries, but none with Isoms in residence and finally we stopped to do a bit of grocery shopping and to have lunch. By now, it was mid afternoon, and after not much sleep, I was beat, so suggested that if we got a hotel room in town (we were now in Galax, where 98% of the Isom family lives) she could call all those folks. Galax is pronounced: GAYlex

The first hotel we stopped at used something to clean the rooms, or had mold in the a/c, but as soon as we walked into the room, we walked out. My allergies kicked in big time. Needless to say, we didn’t stay there. On our way out of town, we saw a sign for Knight’s Inn. We followed the directions, and on a hillside overlooking the valley, was the motel. It’s an older, family operated one, all one level, and very long. The rooms were clean, and very, very quiet. We stayed the night and slept all the night through. The family who owns the motel are very friendly, the rooms clean and large, and should you make a trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains, I strongly urge you to plan a layover in Galax, and stay at Knight’s Inn!

Kay called one Isom, and that Isom gave her another Isom to call, who is the Keeper of Knowledge on the local Isoms. Wanda Jean gave Kay all sorts of information, including directions to the cemetery where a lot of Isoms are buried. The next morning, we found it—and solved a mystery at the same time.

Kay discovered, in her prowling of the records that the Isoms served in the Confederate Army, but not in any later wars—the cemetery is at Mountain View Friends (Quaker) Church. Apparently the Civil War was enough, and they all became Quakers. Enough was enough!

We left Galax and drove for quite a while until we came down off the Blue Ridge Mountains, then across Virginia to Emporia where we took a left and headed north. We got into Warsaw in the afternoon. I have a good friend who lives in Hague we will meet for lunch today, and another good friend who lives in Springfield who, if it rains there and cancels the softball game will come see us this evening.

At Danville, we found a Virginia Information stop, and had a lovely talk with Lisa, who generously posed for a photo with Ms. Flat Stanlietta. She gave Stanlietta a bookmark, some postcards, and a bumper snicker to take home.

Tomorrow, we head north, to Annapolis, going up the back side of DC, then across the river at Annapolis to Delaware where we’ll catch a ferry to Cape May, NJ to spend some time with my ‘twin’ Stephanie before heading up to Princeton to meet another friend also named Kay.