Explore Brief Biographies
Read posts relating to the lives of family members and other interesting local characters throughout the past. Collectively, these folks can put a face to the lesser-told histories that fueled the regional culture of the rural American narrative.
Note: There are not widely recognized generational labels for people born during the 18th and 19th century as there are for recent generations. Names and date ranges vary in usage among historians and scholars. These dates are chosen based on the contexts of this collection.
The Revolutionary Generation (1740-1783):
This generation includes people who were of the average age to serve during the American Revolution or were alive during some part of the war. They were the last to live during the colonial period under Great Britain.
Dr. Benjamin Jones
The Patriot Physician
(1752-1843)
Peter Hairston
Master of Sauratown Hill
(1752-1832)
John Pannill
1796 Estate Inventory
(1763-1795)
[Name]
(-)
The Founding Generation (1783-1815):
This generation includes people born after the American Revolution and prior to the closing of the War of 1812. They came of age during the Early National Period of the United States.
George S. Hairston Jr.
Old Rusty of Hordsville
(1784-1863)
Owen Sanford Adkins
Owen of All
(1785-1885)
[Name]
(-)
[Name]
(-)
Antebellum Generation (1815-1860):
This generation includes people who lived through the height of plantation agriculture and the events leading up to the American Civil War.
Hezekiah Ford Pigg
Pigg’s Mill on
Pudding Creek
(1823-1908)
Dr. Edward D. Withers
Confederate Physician
(1825-1917)
Dr. James Dabney Estes
of Cascade Village
(1836-1928)
Anthony H. Blunt
Photographic Artist
(1847-1912)
Delaware Watson Pruett
Letters from Grandmother
(1848-1915)
Tarpley White Jones
Jones Mill & Distillery
(1852-1907)
Dr. John C. Anderson Sr.
of Minneola and Dry Fork
(1852-1921)
[Name]
(-)
Reconstruction Generation (1861-1879):
Born during the American Civil War (1861-1865) into the late 1870’s, this generation lived through the period of Reconstruction and the gradual healing and rebuilding of the country.
John Christian Blair
Namesake of Blairs, VA
(1861-1942)
William Thomas Pruett
Letters from Uncle Willie
(1868-1945)
[Name]
(-)
[Name]
(-)
Lost Generation (1880-1900):
This generation includes people born prior to the Great War (World War I). Many people of this generation felt that the war had shattered traditional values and left them disconnected from the pre-war world. They were “lost” in the sense that many people struggled to find meaning and purpose in the aftermath of such a devastating conflict.
James M. Woodson
Woodson’s Farm Journal
(1880-1970)
Joseph E. Pruett
Tobacco Farmer
(1883-1916)
Charlie W. Grant
Legacy of Grant’s Store
(1883-1953)
Dr. John C. Anderson Jr.
Veteran Country Doctor
(1883-1958)
Mary Ida Pruett
Letters from Aunt Ida
(1886-1980)
Lillie Carr Pruett
Letters from Aunt Lillie
(1889-1959)
Lovick Schoolfield
(1890-1922)
& Bernard Pritchett
(1889-1955)
[Name]
(-)
GI Generation (1901-1927):
This generation includes people who came of age during the Great Depression and whose families were impacted during World War II. The term “Greatest Generation” is a common tribute that underscores their significant resilience, sacrifices, and contributions during hard times.
Rev. William T. Stowe
Dry Fork Pentecostal Holiness Church
(1895-1974)
Nettie Green Meadows
Aunt Nettie Gal
(1903-1997)
Oscar F. Meadows
Uncle Oscar’s Store
(1908-1986)
[Name]
(-)
Silent Generation (1928-1945):
This generation was born during the Great Depression or World War II, experiencing the economic and social uncertainties of these times during their formative years.
“Sheriff” Shelton
of Dry Fork
(1940-2000)
[Name]
(-)
[Name]
(-)
[Name]
(-)
Villages and Small Communities
Explore research about the notable rural Virginia communities and legacies in Pittsylvania County heritage.
Village of Chestnut Grove (Whitmell)
in 1850
Village of
Dry Fork
The Lost Community
of Wilmer
Town of Chatham
in 1896
The Communities of Museville and Pullens
The Village of
Bachelor’s Hall
[Name]
[Name]
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