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. 

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And the Plot Thickens!

This past week, I've been researching and reading on my Cornett relatives even though I haven't been posting new articles as I go along. In the beginning of the week I received a book that I purchased on Amazon's web site, entitled, "Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures".
I found a few things about my family personally inside and a couple of photos also, which was very exciting. I can actually put a face to the name now. The book explains the history of Grayson County and how it came to be what it is today. 

Image Source

Grayson County, Virginia Map

Among the events that happened in the 1700's is a story, which caught my attention and it's the legend of Caty Sage. She was kidnapped at a young age and given to Indians. Caty's mother had been at the creek, and came back to get clothes for washing when she found her daughter was missing. Caty grew up among the Indians and even spoke their language, she even married a Chief of the tribe, so when she was eventually found some fifty years later, she needed an interpreter as she no longer knew the English language. The sad part of the story is that when she was about to be reunited with her mother, the mother was already in her elderly years, and died before she was able to set eyes on her beloved daughter. There is so much history regarding Grayson County as a whole; before white man settled here, it was the hunting ground of many different Indian tribes, not only was settling in Indian territory one of the events of the time but the families had to deal with the effects of war too. 


Today, I am still researching my Cornett family and just enjoying the time I get to spend learning about them, their hardships, their way of life, their occupations, the way they dressed and a little about how they raised their children back in the day. It is one never ending journey that I have been taking one day at a time! As a family historian, researching your ancestors will never, ever really be completed, no matter how hard you try. I can't imagine someone saying "I'm done with my family tree!" Ummm....really? That's nice, but HOW? I don't even consider that a possibility! There are so many people in your tree that could be studied and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings, for generations and generations. I just don't see it happening like that. I don't think my research will ever be complete, at least not in my lifetime! 

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