Volume vi
Volume VI - (1000 plus pages)
Summarizes the Claims of Brethren and Mennonite families who lived in Dayton, Harrisonburg, Hopkins Mill, Lacy Springs, Melrose, Tenth Legion, Timberville areas of Rockingham County, Virginia
John Heatwole writes in the Preface, "Without addressing the impact of the war on the civilian population the story of the Civil War is incomplete and one-dimensional. If we exclude this story, we run the risk of glorifying the war as a stage set with banners flying, bands playing, and troops moving grandly over a sterile landscape." Listed below are the names of the claimants in Volume VI.
Dayton
David Miller
Harrisonburg
Isaac G. Billhimer
Polly Blackwell
Thomas Branham
Henry Derrow, Estate
Nancy Faught
Theresa M. Heller
Jacob Hoover
Absalom W. Jones
John Kelly
Mary Lamb
Lewis Leopold
John J. Miller
Fannie Ralston
John Scanlon
Anna Shank
Adam Showalter
Maria Showalter
Elijah W. Sibert
Hopkins Mill
George Chrisman Estate
Lacey Springs
Abraham Huddle
Abram C. Long
Jacob Long
Jacob K. Mauzy
Abram C. Simmers
William C. Simmers
Simon P. Summers
Adam Thomas
Amanda Thompson
Samuel Zigler
Melrose
James Baker
Daniel Barr
John Huffman
Morrison Jones
Silem Sellers
John W. West
Mt. Clinton
W. R. Messick, Admin. of Gasner Messick
Tenth Legion
Emanuel Driver
John Harrison
Morgan Layton
Samuel Martz
Mathia Pickering
John B. Smith
Lewis Strickler
James W. West
Peter Wise
Curtis Yates
Peter Zette
Timberville
George H. Fetzer
Rockingham County businessmen Norman R. Wenger and David S. Rodes have researched the archival records of the Southern Claims Commission and compiled the claims these families submitted to the U.S. Government for compensation after the war. The claimants' stories, written by Emmert F. Bittinger, reveal physical hardship, struggles of conscience and fear of losing one’s life.
Editor Emmert Bittinger, Professor Emeritus of Bridgewater College, has prepared the numerous documents for publication and written an insightful introduction to Volumes I-V. His comments and claim summaries set each in context and help the reader to understand the claim and how the Claims Commission responded to it.
This series is co-published by the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center,
(formerly Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center)
P.O. Box 1563, Harrisonburg, VA 22803