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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Heatwole Family Papers, 1838-2001, SC 0252, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
The collection was donated by Heatwole family descendant Donald W. Stewart in June 2017.
Various trinkets and objects, many presumably related to Leonard Heatwole's service during WWI, were included in the initial donation, but were ultimately returned to the donor due to limited research value.
The collection was donated with basic groupings applied to materials (e.g. Trumbo family photographs were grouped together, Ella Heatwole Jacobson materials were grouped together, all postcards were grouped together regardless of recipient). The collection included several full newspaper issues that were collected for family obituaries. Those obituaries were photocopied and the original newspapers discarded. Other miscellaneous non-local newspapers were discarded.
The Virginia Heatwoles represented in this collection descended from David Heatwole (1767-1845) who was the eldest son of Johann Mathias Heatwole (1711-1776). David Heatwole, with his wife Magdalene and young family in tow, left Pennsylvania in the late-eighteenth century and settled near Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Heatwole family members documented in this collection are fourth and fifth generation descendants of David Heatwole and include Daniel Franklin "D. F." Heatwole (1854-1922) and Sarah "Sallie" Margaret Lineweaver Heatwole (1857-1939) and their children Leonard Charles Heatwole (1891-1969), Daniel Rufus Heatwole (1894-1957), Alvin Bruer Heatwole (1888-1983), Elmer David Heatwole (1885-1964), and Ella Catherine Heatwole Jacobson (1883-1918).
Daniel F. Heatwole was an older brother of Cornelius Jacob Heatwole (1868-1939), who was appointed the Head of the Department of Education at the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg. In 1893, Daniel F. Heatwole was appointed postmaster to Sparkling Springs in Rockingham County and in 1899, he was appointed by Judge Grattan to land assessor of the Linville District. He otherwise occupied himself with agricultural pursuits as a farmer.
Ella Heatwole Jacobson graduated from the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg in 1912 with a professional degree. While a student, Ella was a member of the Lee Literary Society and also served as chairwoman of the YWCA's bible study committee. Prior to marrying Anton Nikolai Jacobson on February 7, 1917 and moving to Cutbank, Montana, where her brother Elmer was also a resident, Ella taught school in Rockingham County, Virginia and was a member of the Singers Glen Baptist Church. She died August 21, 1918 in Montana from a complication of diseases. Her body was returned to Virginia in the company of her parents and her brother Elmer. She is buried at Cooks Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
David F. Lineweaver, Sallie Heatwole's father, is also well-documented in this collection. Daniel F. Heatwole, Sallie's husband, acted as the administrator of Lineweaver's estate.
Leonard Heatwole married Nora Ellen Trumbo Heatwole (1894-1987) on June 18, 1925. Leonard served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during WWI and was the registrar of the Mt. Clinton precinct for 35 years prior to retiring in 1967. Nora was born January 29, 1894 to John Riddle Trumbo and Sarah Fulk Trumbo of Fulks Run, Virginia. The collection descended through this line of the Heatwole family via Leonard and Nora's daughter Madeline Ann Heatwole Stewart (1926-2012) and her husband Donald William Stewart (b. 1920).
A full genealogy of the Heatwole family can be found in Harry Anthony Brunk's
The Heatwole Family Papers, 1838-2001, document descendants of David Heatwole (1767-1842) who moved to Rockingham County, Virginia from Pennsylvania in the late-eighteenth century. The collection documents the Heatwoles of Mt. Clinton and Dale Enterprise as well as the Trumbos of Fulks Run. Materials include correspondence, financial records, account books and ledgers, personal papers, photographs, recipes, and ephemera. The collection also documents branches of the Lineweaver, Fawley, Ritchie, and Bliss families.
The collection is arranged in five series. Series 1 is arranged into sub-series by type and further arranged chronologically. Series 2, 3, and 5 are arranged chronologically. Series 4 is arranged in the same groupings in which that type of material was received.
A copy of the
Series 1: Correspondence, 1891-1939, is comprised primarily of postcards, Christmas cards, and general correspondence sent to and between Heatwole family members. The correspondence is arranged primarily by recipient, but in cases where the recipient is unknown (e.g. non-specific salutations and greetings or lack of return address), the correspondence is filed by author.
Given that the bulk of this series is comprised of postcards and Christmas cards, the correspondence is generally chatty and newsy in tone. The contents often relates to family and community news and also includes sentiments of longing for correspondence in return. The postcards themselves portray local and national places of interest (and in some cases international places) as well as holiday imagery. General correspondence is more substantive and includes letters written by Leonard Heatwole to family members while he was serving in WWI.
Daniel F. Heatwole correspondence includes a draft letter to the Honorable Charles Triplett O'Ferrall regarding O'Ferrall's petition to change mail arrangements and an October 5, 1908 letter from Cornelius Heatwole in which "Corney" alerts Daniel that "I made my will before leaving Virginia, and in it, named you as my executor without consulting you about it." A letter from an unknown correspondent is included in which the author furnishes Daniel Heatwole with "some traditional history of our beautiful valley not generally known to the present generation."
A folder of correspondence related to Trumbo family genealogy is located in Series 5.
Series 2: Financial Files, 1848-1951, documents the financial dealings of various members of the Heatwole and Lineweaver families. Materials include promissory notes, deeds, tax and general receipts, account books, and checkbook stubs.
The account books and ledgers primarily document David F. Lineweaver and Daniel F. Heatwole's personal and business accounts. An unattributed shoemaker's account book is also included and documents the shoes made and repaired for specific individuals. Names of customers include D. B. Armentrout, B. B. Miller, William Henkle, Tomas H. Showalter, and Jonathan Wampler. David Heatwole (1767-1842), who was the first-born son of Johann Mathias Heatwole (ancestor of the Virginia Heatwole line), learned the shoemaking trade from his uncle Christian Hess of Cootes Store. He went on to construct his own shoemaker's shop near Harrisonburg. While the aforementioned shoemaker's account book post-dates David Heatwole, it is not unlikely that one of his descendants would have also picked up the trade.
Of particular interest are three folders of Transfers of Real Estate for the Central District of Rockingham County, 1884-1909. These transfers do not document the Heatwole family explicitly so it seems likely that a member of the family, perhaps D. F. Heatwole, was acting in some official capacity to facilitate the real estate transfers. These documents describe the two parties involved in the real estate transfer and a brief description of the tract of land with a monetary valuation. D. H. Lee Martz served as the Rockingham County Clerk during this time period. Additionally, materials related to the sale of Heatwole family land adjacent to the Mt. Clinton School to the Rockingham County School Board is included.
Series 3: Personal Papers, 1838-1969, contains legal documents, ephemera, recipes, a diary, school materials related to the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, and military records primarily created and collected by select Heatwole family members.
Ella Heatwole Jacobson's papers include a large selection of play bills for dramatic on-campus productions and other ephemera from her time as a student at the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg. Event invitations and a membership invitation to join the Lee Literary Society is also included. A daily schedule, program card, report card, diploma, and 1914 diary are also included. Ella's papers also contain a map and other material related to her time living in Montana.
Daniel F. Heatwole's papers are comprised of his 1893 appointment to postmaster at Sparkling Springs in Rockingham County and a published pamphlet of instructions to land assessors dated 1914.
Leonard Heatwole's papers include documents, blank postcards, and ephemera from his military service abroad during WWI. Some material is in French and German. Published material includes a
A ciphering book belonging to a Mary Homan is included. The book includes examples and rules related to liquid and dry measurements and currency. Geographical terms are also defined. Homan's relationship to the Heatwoles is unclear.
Of particular interest is David F. Lineweaver's 1861 medical exemption from serving during the American Civil War.
Unattributed materials include miscellaneous ephemera, undated recipes and newspaper clippings, and an undated and handwritten constitution and by-laws of farmers.
Series 4: Photographs, 1877-1965, primarily documents the Heatwole family of Mt. Clinton and the Trumbo and Fawley families of Fulks Run. The photographs are largely black-and-white with many of the subjects' identities inscribed on the backs of the photos. A selection of real photo postcards are also contained in this series.
The Trumbo family photographs comprise the bulk of the series. They are more candid in nature and depict groups of people and landscape. Brocks Gap and Chimney Rock are prominently featured as is the John Riddle Trumbo homestead. In addition to the Trumbos and Fawleys, the Byrd, Bliss, and Ritchie families are represented in these photographs. Persons depicted include Leonard and Nora Trumbo Heatwole (with her horse Queen), Sarah Ann Fulk Trumbo, Rebecca Fawley, Wayne Fawley, Madeline Heatwole, and John Riddle Trumbo.
The Heatwole family photographs are almost exclusively portraits with a few group and candid photographs. Persons depicted include Ella Heatwole Jacobson (including a copper plate on a wood block), A. B. Heatwole Jr., and Beverly Heatwole Smith.
A small selection of photographs and photocopied photographs is contained within Series 5.
Series 5: Genealogy and Research Files, 1901-2001, is comprised primarily of genealogical materials related to the Heatwoles as well as the Trumbos and Lineweavers. Correspondence between Madeline Heatwole Stewart of Winchester and Alva Trumbo Wood of Harrisonburg documents the Trumbo family tree and includes original and facsimiled photographs. A research file on the West Central School and Mt. Clinton School includes early photographs, newspaper clippings, and anniversary programs related to the schools.