Lee's Excellent Genealogical Adventure

It started out as a modest visit to the local library and a random Google search. Who knew that a few months after beginning an exploration of my Stephenson roots, I would be darting through underbrush in the wilds of West Virginia, trying to stay out of sight from racetrack authorities?

Finding my ancestral home was fairly easy. I was able to plot it on Google Maps and the family who currently owns it has a Facebook page. What was more difficult was finding my ancestors' graves, even though my seven-times-great grandparents had five sons who fought in the American Revolution and two of them were decorated Colonels. One of the officers, Hugh Stephenson, was said to be buried with his parents at the "Bullskin Presbyterian Churchyard" according to Findagrave.com.

But where was this famed churchyard? I posted entreaties for help on Wikitree.com and several people weighed in. Two of them were members of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), West Virginia chapter. They gave what sketchy information they had and promised to visit the county land office, library, and historical museum.

According to an old newspaper clipping, the church and churchyard were 100 yards north of the head springs of the Bullskin Run, an ancient tributary of the Shenandoah River. On Google Maps, I located the head springs in a field. Going north, I encountered the local motor sports racetrack. Oh great, I thought. The famous Hugh Stephenson, after all his troubles to recruit one of the first regiments to fight in the Revolution is unceremoniously buried under a racetrack! 

But I didn't lose hope. It was winter, so going to the Appalachian Mountains to search was out of the question. When I finally came to West Virginia to hopefully end the story with my triumphant locating of the graves, I started with a visit to Kenneth McAlpine (as I'll call him). I found him in his garage, with a windbreaker on that indicated that he was an instructor at the racetrack!

He shared with me his research into the property at the racetrack. A small, 1-acre site, it had been added to a larger property in the past. We drove to the racetrack and McAlpine was able to get us in, and also phoned several employees who had expressed interest in the history. But, they weren't there that day and were unreachable. Sadly, we left without being able to get onto the property and look.

Abandoned house built on church foundation

The next stop was Bridget Brown's Wool Farm which has the Bullskin head springs on her property. A spunky, can-do lady, I think Bridget was just as excited about solving the mystery as I was. We gingerly tiptoed past her caged ram and found the quiet pool that was the head springs. Strolling beyond it down the road, we came to a thicket that was not fenced in. A few minutes later, I found myself walking up to an abandoned house, said to be built on the foundations of the old church!

It was a creepy looking place and I was glad of Bridget's company. The graves were supposed to be past the second outbuilding, near the trees. I tramped all over the area but it was uniformly covered with grass. No gravestones. McAlpine had said that there were 8 gravestones in all, some with the names of Throckmorten and Thomsom on them. Ducking down so I wouldn't be seen by whomever was in the racetrack offices, I searched the property again. Something just didn't add up. I hope to go back when I have more information and search again.

Back at the wool farm, I bought some raw wool for my daughter and checked out Bridget's farmhouse that was in process of construction. It was really amazing all that she was able to do just with her husband to help. I finished out the day with a visit to the Cool Spring Nature Preserve on the Bullskin Run, halfway between the farmhouse and the burial place. Even though my results were inconclusive, I felt happiness at visiting my ancestral lands. As I was leaving, I snapped a photo of this historic sign.

A Trip to West Virginia to Search for Phyllis's Ancestors

It has been three months since I wrote about the missing graves of my ancestors Richard and Honora Stephenson and one of their sons, Col. Hugh Stephenson. They are said to be buried at the Bullskin Presbyterian Churchyard, 100 yards north of the Bullskin head springs. To honor my mother, Phyllis Stephenson, and our ancestors, I am flying off to the DC area tomorrow with a compass and my measured pace to see what, if anything, I can turn up about their whereabouts.

Survey of R. Stephenson's property
by George Washington, 1750

If you've been following along, you know that Richard Stephenson acquired property on the Bullskin Run and had it surveyed by George Washington in 1750. That survey still exists, in the collection of the Boston Public Library (pictured below). The text reads: "Pursuant to a warrant from the appropriation office to Me directed, I have surveyed for Mr. Richard Stephenson a certain tract of waste and ungranted land situate in Frederick County between the North and South branches of Bullskin bounded as followeth: Beginning at two hickory saplings near a broken sopward I am Come to his patent land and turn thence S 07 east sbo paces for a small while  oak a corner of a former survey of his in Col. Fairfax's line thence with his line S 212~ paces to Col. Fairfax. The course continued and in all 326 paces to a white oak in a hazel bottom thence N or N_ 290 paces to a locust stand, in Grub's patent line thence with his line N 5 E to a dead hie of patent C and two red oaks hence with another line of this and patent S a r E 140 paces to me beg[inning]. Containing three hundred and sixteen acres this 9th of November, 1750. George Washington

cc: Robert Worthington, Henry Bradshaw, Lewis Thomas _____________

This may seem like a doomed endeavor, particularly as I know nothing about surveying, measuring land and mapreading. Complicating things even further, I will be looking for the headsprings of the Bullskin Run in order to locate the site of the churchyard, and I've found at least four headsprings! On the north branch of the Bullskin, there is a Head Spring Sheep Farm and also a spring house at White House Farm (Tavern). On the south branch, there is the Cool Spring Nature Preserve. There is also a head springs on the map on the property of the Summit Point Motorsports track!

Even though finding results is doubtful, I intend to have an adventure! Downgrade from all these headsprings is Burns Farm itself, my ancestral homeland, with several outbuildings built by Richard Stephenson himself, including the small barn at right.