The Mystery of My Grayson Family Heritage~ Will It Unfold or Be Untold?

Photo Courtesy: Darlene Cornett-Griffey (2012)

This past week has been all about making new contacts that would eventually help me in researching my Cornett ancestry and understanding exactly who they were. I found a connection and a book entitled, "Bicentennial Heritage Grayson County, Virginia 1793", which was published in 1995 by the Grayson County Bicentennial Foundation. This book is no longer in print, unless you are lucky enough to have a copy of it in your possession already.


My "connection" has sent to me, parts of this book as they relate to the Sutherland and Cornett families and to myself. Just scanning through these pages, I'm  thinking that my new "connection" might in actuality be related to me in some way, not just through the Sutherland lines, but also through the Cornett family too. How exciting is that? Finding a family member that has been researching the same families lineage that I am; I am super excited to read through these papers more. There are several pages of Cornett names and their ranks listed on both the American Revolutionary War and the Civil War pages. 


There is still the mystery that surrounds Alexander Sutherland (Southerland) and his wife, Margaret Elizabeth Bryan. Who were they really? What were their hobbies? Did Alexander like to hunt like most men back then? In what year did he move to Virginia from Scotland? What kind of life did they live? Will I ever find out who Alexander really was? So many questions, so few answers.


In my past posts, you've read about Alexander and his role in the British Army. I think I read somewhere that he was 2nd Lieutenant. But don't quote me on that just yet! He has been the most intriguing family member I have researched so far; probably because there are so many different views from so many other people, that the truth has yet to be documented. Alexander Sutherland is a true mystery; one that I hope I can solve one day.