by Pearl Osborne Wright
In 1970, my Great Aunt Pearl Osborne Wright wrote of her first memories of Damascus, Virginia. She was 80 years old at the time. The mountain communities of that part of Appalachia moved literally from a frontier environment to modern America in her lifetime. Her remembrances, now available at New River Notes on the web, capture the passing of the 19th Century.- Glenn N. Holliman
Please check with Ancestry.com for this series of stories in the Gallery of those listed here.
"The year was 1897. I was seven years old when my parents, George and Frances Wilson Osborne, left Boone, North Carolina to make their home on a farm near Blountville, Tennessee. Our furniture was packed in wagons. Father, Mother, Aunt Alta Osborne and her baby son Lawrence, and I rode in a beautiful black surrey, one of those that inspired the song, 'Surrey with the fringe on Top'." (Pearl omits the presence of her own baby sister, Mayme Torrence Osborne Stansbery.)
Below, not a surrey but an unknown young lady of Damascus, Virginia tries to pull a wagon and two other females. The lady in the black hat, I believe, is Pearl Osborne Wright. This picture may have been around 1910. Notice the light pole which carried electricity. Pearl's husband, David, was in charge of the local electric generator for the community.
"The trip was a lark for my five older brothers as they walked, ran along beside or sometimes rode the furniture-bearing wagons. I helped care for Baby Lawrence. He wore long white dresses and petticoats, all tucked and lace-trimmed. It kept us all busy keeping him happy on such a long trip. We travelled along with other wagons until we reached Damascus. Here our trail turned westward. My father was very impressed with the Damascus community, and I think he secretly planned to return there to live.
One of the highlights of our journey happened just north of Damascus. The Beaver Creek had to be forded at what was later known as Vail's Mill. The furniture laden wagons had gone ahead and were across the creek. Our horses had entered the water, slowly pulling the surrey. As we reached the half-way mark in the river, one of the wheels hit a large rock, and we could not move. After much splashing, wading, pulling and pushing, we reached the bank. The wheel was repaired and we were on our way again. The rest of the journey was uneventful.
After we had settled on the farm and had things going smoothly, my father bought and successfully operated a large mercantile store in Blountville."
Above, photographed is the George Washington and Frances Wilson Osborne family that made the wagon trek from Cave Cove, North Carolina through Damascus, Virginia to Blountville, Tennessee in 1897. This picture was made in that time period. Front row left to right: Bill Osborne (1892-1968, G.W. Osborne (1844-1927), Frances Wilson Osborne (1851-1940) and Mayme Osborne Stansbery (this writer's grandmother, 1896-1943). Back row: Bascom Wilson Osborne (1887-1970), Leroy Osborne (1879-1948) Pearl Osborne Wright (the author of these memories, 1890-1980)) and Bishop Osborne (1881-1965). Also on the trip but not pictured were Toby Osborne (1876-1951), his wife, Alta Holtsclaw Osborne (d 1933), and their son, Lawrence.
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