He wore the Gray, My Great Grandfather George Church.==== born in 1844,he was the right age to fight for Lee. He wasn't fighting to keep slaves, he, nor his dad ever owned slaves,<>he had uncles in North Carolinia who had slaves, but I don't know if he even knew about them.<> Mllton Ward lived close by,and when he first came to the Dismal area of VA.in 1833 he had perhaps a dozen slaves<> (Acording to the book LOOKING BACK 100 YEARS by HANABAL COMPTON) <> but there was only one black, and one of mixed blood in that area in 1860.<<<>>> I believe that this was a Housekeeper, and her husband who were slaves for Milton Ward before the war, but remained with him after the war,untill they died. They loved the old master.<<<>>> I think that the issue "Slavery" was not the cause that George was fighting for. He was fighting for hearth,and home. There was a threat on his home, and his way of life, and that threat wore a blue suit.---- We know now that there was a lot of insanity involved in the war, and in the choices that were made.---- which is the case anytime men decide to kill other men.---Lies, instigated by politicians might have been what set George on his course, as is the usual cause for such actions.<<<>>> I must state however, for fear that the reason for that war be mis-concieved, or forgotten.<<>> Slavery was the Issue. A thing that should never exist. <<>> Because of slavery there was a great unbalance of trade. The north could not compete with the south in the market place.<<>> I suppose that this really raises the question , was the war over slavery, or was it money ?? <<>> George was paroled in Charleston South Carolina in 1865. He came home to find that the Yankee's had (Arrested) Thomas a couple years back.<<<>>>George's pap, Old Joel,<<>> Joel jr, <<>> and Margrets family (The Mullins's,) were helping Margaret(Thomas,s wife,) keep food in the house <<<>>>. They were still hoping for Thomas's return. (He never returned) .<<<>>> Later Margaret re-married to William Grayson Osbourn, who was somewhat younger than her. They remained together many years,and produced several children. <<<>>> George was a lot like his dad. he loved the mountains. They say that he was as much a bee hunter as his dad was, and had a unique skill of picking chestnuts from their burr, without getting the spines in his fingers.<<>> In those days the forest in the area was full of Huge chestnut trees. They were native to the area, not the same as those you find here now. the ones here now have been imported, and according to my dad, "folks should have just left them in England, or where ever they got them from, cause they aint worth getting your fingers stuck." Dad said that the old native chestnuts had a much better taste<>(nuttier).<> When I was growing up in the fiftys, there were lots of the huge trees standing dead in the woods, and the farmers had used many of them for fence rails, as they would split out real good.---A Blight, (disease)-killed the Chestnuts. Their roots are still alive in the ground,and they are still trying to make a comeback, but one will grow ten, or twelve feet, and sometimes have a few nuts, then it will die.<<<>>> The census of 1870 show George married to Emeline Mullins.<<<>>> The census of 1880 show him married to Lizzy.(Elizabeth Deryberry).<<<>>>Elizabeth became a faith healer, of the kind that could stop bleeding,-- remove warts-- treat burns--(Draw fire)-- she must have been real good at it.-<<->>-According to stories I hear, some people thought that she was some kind of witch. Her son Wilson could do it too.-- So could my Mom.-- It is of a religious nature. and has nothing to do with witchcraft. It does have rules that apply, and silent incantation. This could lead people to think of witchcraft, but Gods name is being used in a positive way, not negative.<<<->>> How is it done. I can not say. It must be told in secret. Males can only tell females, and females can only tell males..-<<->>- Sounds a little like witchcraft huh.?<> I assure you that it is not.<-> I also assure you that it often works very well.-<<<->>>- I have been told that that George held life sort of sacred, and didn't like to kill, even for food. <<->> Perhaps something about the war made him that way.-<<->>- George lived out his life in the Hollow that his dad Joel sr. called Spruce Pine. Joel named it that after a place where he once had lived in North Carolina by that name.-<<<->>>- Joel jr, also lived somewhere in those nearby hills, he must have kept pretty much to himself. -<<<->>>- When Hanibal Compton mentioned Joel jr, he said"There was another old Joel Church living back in those Mountains". The hollow called Spruce Pine heads up on a Ridge called Compton Mountain,where there is a cementery there with some very old graves, marked only with native sandstone rocks. Some of the rocks have names and dates chisled in, many have no markings at all. This cementery is now called The Kelly cementery. Elizabeth is buried there. Her sandstone marker simply states "Lizzie Church" Died 1913, Age 65.>>><<< The grave beside it has a stone without markings, but surely it is George resting there. >>><<< From the grave of Lizzie,and George, there is a streight line of graves running babk down the ridge to a large oak tree. Among these graves is one marked O.E.C.Church, and I believe that this line of graves is likely to be all realatives of Lizzie,and George.<<..The graves are older as you go back toward the oak tree, and one stone is actually within the root structure of the oak.>>><<< There is a legend that the woman burried beneath the oak died during the Civil war when the men were all off fighting. With no men folk to build a coffin, the women had simply placed the body in a section of hollow log, and burried her here.>>><<< Joel's Caroline died of measles in 1862. All bee hunters kept sections of hollow logs on hand to use for beehives. I am sure that Joel did, I know that his g.grand son did.>><< It could very well be Caroline Burried beneath this oak.
GEORGE CHURCH 1844-1905? Va.
Wife #2 Elizibeth Derryberry
