2014 3.pdf Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 1
DAVIE DOSSIER
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
July 2014, Issue 3
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 2
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
President, Linda Leonard
Vice President, Pat Mason
Secretary, Pat Reilly
Treasurer, Marie Roth
Board of Directors, Claude Horn
Dossier Editor, Marie Roth
Webmaster, Marie Roth
Our Website, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com.com/~ncdavhgs has these features:
All the churches in Davie County
Cemeteries in Davie County with locations
Names on the War Memorial in Mocksville
Index to Bible Family Records at DCPL
Order blanks so you don’t tear up Dossier
History of nine newspapers in Davie County
Meeting Dates and Programs
Guardian Accounts, Davie Co., 1846 -1859
Apprentice Bonds, Davie Co., 1829-1959
1974 booklet about old schools in Davie
Branson’s NC Business Directories for Davie Co.
Sources for black family history
Another Website about Davie County genealogy and history:
http://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Davie_County%2C_North_Carolina
Meetings are on the fourth Thursdays at 7 pm at Davie County Library History Room.
DCHGS PROGRAMS IN 2014:
Jan. 23: Beginning Genealogy and Location of Research Materials in the History Room by Marie Roth
Feb. 17 (Monday): 6:30; Library Auditorium; Library-sponsored program by Adam Miller, folk singer and
autoharp player; songs and stories behind the songs; http://www.folksinging.org/
March 27: 6:30 book sale by Friends of the Library; 7:00: Civil War author, Brenda McKean, Blood and War at my
Doorstep; http://www.bloodandwaratmydoorstep.com/
April 26: 10:00 am, Field trip to Tyro Plantation
May 3: Come help with Daniel Boone Festival on the Square in Mocksville
June 26: Lynn Rumley, mayor of Cooleemee, history and future of Cooleemee
August 9, Saturday, in Winston-Salem, Annual Workshop of Yadkin Valley Historical Association; see description in
next section
September 25: Stan Clardy, songwriter, musician, playwright, actor and author from Statesville, North Carolina
presentation about the Confederate Submarine H. L. Hunley and his book, "TimeLight, a journey into the past"
October 23: Marcia Phillips, preserving heirlooms
November 20:
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU in 2014
Sat. August 9, 8-5, Yadkin Valley Historical Association Annual Workshop, Advent Moravian Church, 1514
Clemmonsville Rd., Winston-Salem; Theme Genealogy in the 21st Century: New Electronic and Digital Tools that
help us do Research and Publish Family History; Featured Speakers are Billy King of the Forsyth Library NC Room;
Cindy Green of the (Mormon) Family History Center; Nelson Weller on publishing wit h Family Tree Maker; Cindy
Green on Genograms; Bob Lockett on DNA; John Reynolds on Problems from DNA reports.
Fee $20 for preregistered, includes hot lunch made by church ladies-- walk ins on the day ($20) will not get lunch.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncyadvha/
July 26, One day workshop in Fletcher, NC (just south of Asheville)
http://www.ncgenealogy.org/component/content/article/25 -news/458-regional-workshop-tools-for-successful-research
August 27-30, Federation of Genealogical Societies, San Antonio TX; http://www.fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=43
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 3
JOHN AND MARIAH ELIZABETH NAIL MERTZ
A very interesting person from Mocksville was Mariah Nail, who was born in Mocksville on 8 May 1852. She
was the daughter of Alexander Savannah Nail and Margaret Fathey Locke Nail. Her siblings were Cloe Ann, John M.,
Abram M., Alexander Locke, Savannah, Jesse, Mary, Robert L., and Little Roy. Her siblings were normal height adults.
Mariah was only 36 inches tall as an adult. Her brother Abram was her manager and they traveled with the circus. She
met John Mertz, 46 inches tall, who was from Austria and also traveled with the circus. They were married in 1883 and
continued their circus careers. When they retired in 1911, they lived in Salisbury next to her family of her brot her, Jesse.
They were active members of Salisbury community. He was an honorary policeman.
Left: photograph taken in Boonton, New Jersey,
Wendt Photography Studio, from inquiry on
www.DeadFred.com
right: tombstone in Chestnut Hill Cemetery,
Salisbury, North Carolina
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 4
Article about Mariah Elizabeth Nail Mertz written in 1979
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 5
John and Mariah Mertz
Wedding Photo, 16 August
1883, in Louisville, Kentucky
This picture and description
are on page 59 of Images of
America MOCKSVILLE. A
photo of John is on the
following page.
There are two more
photographs on page 122 of
Images of America DAVIE
COUNTY.
On page 261, article #872 of
Davie County Heritage, there
is a short article written by a
relative.
Rowan County Museum, in
the old courthouse, has a
display about John and
Mariah.
Items included are a dress,
chairs in their size, and other
belongings.
His nickname was Major
because of his erect stature
and personality.
He was active in Knights of
Pythias:
http://www.pythias.org/
Want to know more about
circus in the past? See
http://www.circushistory.org/
John Sparks circus wintered in Salisbury. The area was at the fairgrounds, where the Veterans Administration campus is
now. One reason they chose Salisbury is because of the proximity of Spencer, where they could get trains and train cars
repaired in the offseason. Rowan County History Room has information about the history of the circus in that area.
Learn more about Spencer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Railway's_Spencer_Shops
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 6
EXTREMEGENES.COM PROGRAMS
FORENSIC GENEALOGY
On the Web site, www.extremegenes.com on episode 39, Claire Brissen-Banks is interviewed about her job as
Forensic Genealogist. This is at 11:21 on the 45 minute program.
Her work deals with
Adoption
Probate – determining who is actually next of kin when there is no will
Real estate heirs
Finding missing persons
Helping to recover military bodies from previous wars
She described the joy in bringing closure to families and also, in some cases, finding relatives they didn’t know
they had.
The organization is Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG). Web site is
http://www.forensicgenealogists.org/. In March of 2015, they will offer a three day – 20 hour class in Dallas Texas for
training in this area.
Repatriation is a special area for her. There is a military branch that specializes in finding bodies and returning
remains to the United States. Claire does the research of locating next of kin.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to
identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel
accounting efforts. See http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/Home.aspx for more information. There is an interesting video at the
right side of this Web page. Their headquarters is in Hawaii. When a military body is found, it is returned to the family
for a full military funeral, and the family receives a folder of information about the person and the recovery.
Claire described one repatriation 68 years after a plane crash on a mountain of 30,000 feet elevation. Since 1992,
the military has acquired DNA samples from each person and created a data base to speed up identification of missing
persons.
She also described an organization, Purple Hearts Reunited, in which military persons who have lost a Purple
Heart can receive another one. Their work is described on Facebook. Search for “Purple Heart Reunited”.
GENEALOGY AND LEGAL ISSUES
Another interesting talk on www.extremegenes.com was on episode 36. A Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell,
discussed what’s OK to copy or use in your own work. She mentioned the excellent table on the Web site done by Peter
B. Hirtle, http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm.
KEEPING UP WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY
This Web site also has discussions of new inventions: Blu-Ray, 3D Printers, and methods of backing up data.
See http://extremegenes.com/ep-38-in-search-of-dads-missing-war-stories-and-genealogical-cruises/ for discussion of
technology, dpi, Blu-Ray, etc. at position 34:24. This is episode 38.
YOU TUBE AND iTUNES
These programs can also be accessed on You Tube. For example, number 37 which has solutions for brick walls
is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9-fEKdZXCE . They are also available for free for download to your smart
phone or iPad through iTunes.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR ANCESTORS
On http://extremegenes.com/ep-49-researching-your-revolutionary-soldier-ancestors/ you can get suggestions for
researching your Revolutionary War ancestors.
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 7
ORDERING BOOKS AND MAPS (Out of state residents don’t pay state tax when ordering.)
Title Author Non-NC NC No. Cost
Davie County.A Brief History, paperback James W. Wall, 128 pages $9.00 $9.39
The Boone Families in Davie County Wall, Howell Boone, Flossie Martin $8.00 $8.31
Davie County Marriages 1836-1900 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00 $26.55
Davie County Marriages 1901-1959 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00 $26.55
Davie County Cemeteries, a 2-volume set D.C. Historical/Gen. Soc. $55.00 $58.88
1850 Federal Census-Davie County Forsyth Genealogical Society $15.00 $15.68
1860 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00 $21.16
1870 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00 $21.16
Lagle Land Grant $8.00 $8.31
Hughes Historical, 1700's, drawn in 1977 $8.00 $8.31
J.T. Alderman, 1887 $6.00 $6.47
Wilson F. Merrell, 1928 $6.00 $6.47
POSTCARDS OF DAVIE CO. SCENES, (set of 8) $2.50 $2.50
CD of all issues Davie Dossier since 1987 $7.00 $7.39
TOTAL NUMBER AND COST
Davie County Heritage Book, non-NC resident cost is $45; NC resident cost is $48.10.
Make check to Davie County Heritage Book. Use DCHGS address below.
The Historic Architecture of Davie Co., non-NC resident cost is $30; NC resident cost is $31.94.
History of Davie County, hardback, by James W. Wall, 449 pages; non-NC resident cost is $30; NC resident cost is
$31.94. Make check to Davie County Public Library. Use DCHGS address below .
The Civil War Roster of Davie County by Mary Alice Miller Hasty and Hazel Miller Winfree incorporates
biographical and military service sketches of 1,147 Davie County Civil War veterans. Non-NC resident cost is $60. NC
resident cost is $64.26. Checks should be made out to M & M Books and sent to Mary Alice Hasty, 105 East Brick
Walk Court, Mocksville NC 27028.
Images of America, Davie County by Debra Dotson and Jane McAllister. 128 page book of old photos and
descriptions. Order from Jane McAllister, DCPL, 371 N. Main St., Mocksville NC 27028. Make check to Jane
McAllister. Non-NC resident cost is $26.99. NC resident cost is $28.69.
History of Davie County Schools, 318 pages, by Marie Benge Craig Roth has photos, locations, longitude/latitude,
names of students, and teachers. There is an 18 page index of 3,222 names. A chronology describes the evolution of the
school system in Davie. Make check to Marie Roth for $40.26 for non-residents and $43 for NC resident. Order: 27 6
Park Ave., Mocksville NC
Davie County in World War One by Marie Benge Craig Roth has 670 biographies of Davie men and women who
served, photographs, old letters, description of military bases, and extensive index. 400 pages. Make check to Marie
Roth for $42.47 for non-residents and $45 for NC resident. Order: 276 Park Ave., Mocksville NC 27028 .
Davie County Veterans’ Memorial, by Marie Benge Craig Roth has lists of all war deaths and biographies and photos
of WW2, Korean, Vietnam, and Beirut Bombing deaths. Tom Ferebee’s 32 minute talk at the dedication in 1987 is
included. $31.23 for non-resident and $33 for NC resident. Order: 276 Park Ave., Mocksville NC 27028.
Cana Connections, 201 pages, by Betty Etchison West; Life in Cana in the Thirties and Forties and Special People
with Cana Connections. There are many biographies and photos of people and buildings. Order from Betty West, 3532
NC Hwy. 801 North, Mocksville NC 27028. Make check to Betty West for $35, which includes tax and shipping.
Looking Back at Davie County II by Charles Crenshaw and Ron Smith. $45. Mail orders to Charles Crenshaw, 421
Park Avenue, Mocksville NC 27028
DCHGS, 371 North Main Street, Mocksville NC 27028
You are encouraged to send articles and queries to be published in this next issue.
Send to DCHGSList@gmail.com
Davie Dossier, July 2014 page 8
Davie county historical/genealogical society
371 North Main Street
Mocksville NC 27028
If you would like to receive your Dossier as a PDF attachment in an E-mail instead of a paper copy,
please send an E-mail message to the editor at dchgslist@gmail.com.
Please state “E-mail my Dossier instead of mailing a paper copy” and include your E-mail address. This
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Below is a registration form for your use; checks, payable to the Society.
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (DCHGS)
Davie County Public Library, 371 Main Street
Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
NAME ________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________________
E-MAIL ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________
Send my copy by E-mail instead of paper; yes, no