I spent this past weekend surrounded by people with shared stories.
These were people from many states and many ages.
Most of them I had never met before, but we had a lot of shared history.
No, it was not WVWC Homecoming!
It was the 38th Annual Gathering of the Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants.
I have often heard people say that this area is different from other places and that WVWC is different from other schools, but that they can’t quite put their finger on why that is. Why do West Virginians stay connected even when they have moved far away – sometimes being drawn back to find their roots more than three generations later?
It may have something to do with explorers, pioneers, and settlers.
The characteristics and values of the people who came and endured hardships while building a region and state are still to be found here today:
- Independence
- Courage
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Someone who is an initiator
- Someone who is a groundbreaker
- Someone who sees potential and possibilities all around them
- Someone who pushes boundaries, advances a cause, or breaks records
- Someone who is dedicated and does not give up easily
Same Stories and Different Focus
As I read about WVWC, I find things about the Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants, about the history of the region, about the state of West Virginia, and about my family roots. It is all connected, and overlaps in strong ways.
On any given day, I am finding that these four areas of interest overlap and come into focus in different ways depending on my project.
Family : those ancestors whose DNA is literally part of me, the stories of their lives, the connections they had to others, their interests, skills, and passions make me who I am today.
Region: the beauty of the area, the rich natural resources, the rugged terrain, the events that happened here, the people who made them happen. This area in North Central West Virginia which was hard to find and settle, that which is not near the border of another state, that which has so much to offer in what may seem to the uninitiated as being literally in the middle of nowhere. This also includes the religious and educational history of the area, and in my particular case the history of the Methodist Church. Circuit riders and preachers run in my family. As far back as seven generations, there have been church leaders lurking in the family tree.
State of WV: the same as region, but including all areas of West Virginia including those along the Ohio River, bordering Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. The exploration, pioneer adventures, and settling of the only state to be born of the American Civil War. Even today, northern states consider WV to be a southern state while southern states consider WV to be northern. During the early years, WV was the Western Frontier. Now it is neither east nor west. We are a unique place whose people still can be characterized as independent. In fact, quite a few of those early qualities seem pretty familiar today as I look around the city, state, Methodist Conference, and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
WVWC: Founded in 1890, only 25 years after the state of West Virginia, WVWC was the culmination of a great deal of work by the Methodists in the area. In fact, without those people dreaming us into existence, we would not be here today. Our first trustees incuded both Union and Confederate soldiers and chaplains. Some were active in the act of secession. Some of them attended the first and second Wheeling Conventions in 1861 to determine the name of the state, the position on slavery, and to created the laws. The history of the state and the region can not be separated from the founding of WVWC.
Connections and overlapping stories. People who feature prominently in all of these categories. History is not about lists of names and dates — it is about the stories. And these are what set us apart.
Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants (HCPD)
John Hacker was the first permanent European settler in what is now Lewis County, WV. Following the Pringle Brothers, who remained in present-day Upshur County with the Jacksons and the Sleeths, he moved a bit further to the west. HCPD founder Joy Gilchrist (now DeFazio) wrote a book about these explorers and pioneers called, They Started it All. An excerpt about this group can be found here. Joy is one of the Founders of HCPD in 1982, and has been a tireless worker, cheerleader, storyteller, and tour guide.
The HCPD was formed in 1982, and moved locations several times until finding their permanent home in the old Hornor School in 1998. It is a busy place! On any given day you will find people asking questions, poring over volumes, finding some great information about someone who up until that time was just a name on a page. It gives an opportunity to discover what life was like in former times. The perspective of time gives us an opportunity to see both the good and bad parts of society that make up our own histories. (Pretty sure that I would have a hard time surviving in the late 1700s!!)
Pioneering still, this group of descendants gathers annually to study and research, to tell stories, to share pictures, and to delight in the company of others who understand the value of knowing their history. This year there were more than 50 persons gathered. Many were from West Virginia towns large and small from all over the state. There were people from California, Montana, Georgia, Virginia, Indiana, and Ohio. They gathered in the library in Hornor where there are more than 15,000 books, periodicals, obituaries, cataloged photographs, manuscripts, maps, drawings, yearbooks and memorabilia. And, they ate – this group knows how to cook! On Friday evening there was a slide show which included photographs of people no longer living, but who had been active in HCPD during their lifetimes. The stories multiplied!!
A National Endowment for the Humanities blog post, February 6, 2017, gives the background of this organization. The article is titled 50 States of Preservation: Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants in Hornor, WV.
There is a lot of material! There is a lot of work to be done in processing even more collections. The beauty of it is that the 350 members from around the world are connecting and sharing and finding that their history matters a great deal. They also stay in contact with those far away through their website and Facebook page.
History is Relevant.
History Relevance
Starting as a series of conversations in 2012 about why
“children are not expected to learn it in schools, community leaders rarely look to it to inform today’s decisions, and national leaders select and distort facts to support their positions. Sure, some people visit historic sites and history museums; and many more watch history-based movies. For them, engagement in history seems to be an occasional pleasant pastime, not something especially relevant to their lives”.
The History Relevance Website was born.
History is Relevant
To Ourselves.
- Identity: History nurtures personal and collective identity in a diverse world. People discover their place in time through stories of their families, communities, and nation. These stories of freedom and equality, injustice and struggle, loss and achievement, and courage and triumph shape people’s personal values that guide them through life.
- Critical Thinking: History teaches vital skills. Historical thinking requires critical approaches to evidence and argument and develops contextual understanding and historical perspective, encouraging meaningful engagement with concepts like continuity, change, and causation, and the ability to interpret and communicate complex ideas clearly and coherently.
To Our Communities
- Vibrant Communities: History is the foundation for strong, vibrant communities. A place becomes a community when wrapped in human memory as told through family stories, tribal traditions, and civic commemorations as well as discussions about our roles and responsibilities to each other and the places we call home.
- Economic Development: History is a catalyst for economic growth. Communities with cultural heritage institutions and a strong sense of historical character attract talent, increase tourism revenues, enhance business development, and fortify local economies.
To Our Future
- Engaged Citizens: History helps people envision a better future. Democracy thrives when individuals convene to express opinions, listen to others, and take action. Weaving history into discussions about contemporary issues clarifies differing perspectives and misperceptions, reveals complexities, grounds competing views in evidence, and introduces new ideas; all can lead to greater understanding and viable community solutions.
- Inspires Leaders: History inspires leaders. History provides today’s leaders with role models as they navigate through the complexities of modern life. The stories of persons from the past can offer direction to contemporary leaders and help clarify their values and ideals.
- Legacy: History, saved and preserved, is the foundation for future generations. Historical knowledge is crucial to protecting democracy. By preserving authentic and meaningful documents, artifacts, images, stories, and places, future generations have a foundation on which to build and know what it means to be a member of the civic community.
We Are Who We Have Been Becoming
To find the explorers, pioneers, settlers, and others who have come before us, we need to gather in groups like I experienced this weekend.
We need to read and listen and be inspired.
We need to know where we have been to know who we are. Why do people think that our state, region, campus have something special? Because we are who we have been becoming.
We need to know who we are to know where we are going.
We need to know it ourselves, and to teach it to future generations.
If you would like to read more about these people, you can start with these great books which have been written by those who realized the importance of history and some pioneer has placed on the internet for you. If you would like to find more, there are some on the DreamersAndGiants.com website under Sources.
American Historical Society (1923). History of West Virginia Old and New, Volume 3 (West Virginia Biography) [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Chicago and New York.
Atkinson, G.W. & Gibbens, A.F. (1890). Prominent men of West Virginia: biographical sketches, the growth and advancement of the state,a compendium of returns of every election, a record of every state officer[electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Wheeling: W.L. Callin.
Atkinson, G.W. (1901). Public addresses, etc., of Geo. W. Atkinson, governor of West Virginia, during his term of office [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Charleston: The Public Printer.
Atkinson, G.W. (1919) Bench and bar of West Virginia [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Print copy available in Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library: WV 340.092 At54b
Bruce, T. (1894) Heritage of the trans-Alleghany pioneers, or, resources of Central West Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Nichols, Killam and Maffitt.
WE are all dreamers and giants and brick wall hitters. By that I mean we all want to have the knowledge of our forefathers on our fingertips. But that is not always possible. Some of us have had family members pass away before we can obtain the family ancestry. Or we have been told it is not important.
I love reading that others feel the way my husband and I do & that we feel refreshed whenever we find some one else interested in family ancestry and hearing their stories are terrific.
Brick walls are definitely a problem at times! Gathering together can sometimes be helpful because someone else may have a different piece of the puzzle. Sharing with each other (in person or from a distance) can help to bring out the whole picture. 🙂