Dennis Partridge - Virginia Genealogy

The Vance Family of Opequon and the Holston River Valley

Members of the Vance family appear among the early settlers and public figures of several Virginia frontier communities during the eighteenth century. James Vance was established at Opequon by the 1730s and married into the Glass family, while David Vance participated in the organization of Frederick County government. Later, John and Joseph Vance appear among the Presbyterian settlers of the Holston River valley. The surviving account does not establish the precise relationship among these different Vance families.

The Glass Family of the Opequon Settlement

The Glass family was among the early Scotch-Irish families who settled along Opequon Creek in Frederick County, Virginia. Samuel Glass and his wife, Mary Gamble, came from County Down, Ireland, and established their home near the head spring of the Opequon in 1736. Their descendants remained closely associated with the creek valley, establishing homes at places known as Cherry Mead and Long Meadows, while other branches spread westward beyond the Allegheny Mountains.

The Hoge Family of Virginia

The Hoge family was among the early Presbyterian families associated with the Opequon settlement in the northern Shenandoah Valley. William Hoge, a native of Paisley, Scotland, came to America as a young man and eventually settled with his family in Virginia about 1735. From this early household descended several families prominent in the religious and civic history of Frederick County and elsewhere in Virginia. The following account brings together the Hoge family references scattered throughout William Henry Foote’s Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical, Second Series, arranging them by generation and family relationship.

Biography of Frank Armstrong, Jr.

Frank Armstrong, Jr., born December 24, 1900, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, has been with the National Fruit Product Company, Inc. since 1926, serving as treasurer since 1945 and president since 1950. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1922 and began his career with the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company. Armstrong is a director of the Shenandoah Valley National Bank and has been actively involved in various business and community organizations in Winchester, including the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. He married Margaret Tweltridge in 1927, and they have four children. The family resides in Winchester.

Biography of Judge Rose MacDonald Skoggs

Judge Rose MacDonald Skoggs of Berryville has had a distinguished career spanning authorship, librarianship, and public service. Born Rose Mortimer Ellzey MacDonald in Lexington, Virginia, she pursued education at Norwood Institute, Shepherd College, the University of Virginia, and William and Mary College. She served as the first female member of the Virginia State Board of Education and judge of Clarke County’s juvenile and domestic relations court. An accomplished author, her works include “Mrs. Robert E. Lee” and “History of Virginia for Boys and Girls.” She is a member of the Society of Colonial Dames and the Garden Club of Virginia. Married to J. Lewis Skoggs in 1947, they reside in Berryville.

Biography of Whitwell Wentworth Coxe

Whitwell W. Coxe, General Solicitor of the Norfolk and Western Railway, was born in Roanoke on April 24, 1884. Son of Joseph W. Coxe and Mary Keahlofer Syester, he earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1907. Coxe began his legal career with the firm Robertson, Hall and Woods, later partnering with prominent Roanoke lawyers. He became General Solicitor in 1936. Active in law and politics, Coxe served as president of the Roanoke and Virginia State Bar Associations and held various public offices. He was married twice and had six children.

Biography of Hollie Brockenborough McCormac, Jr.

Hollie Brockenborough McCormac, Jr., born December 19, 1916, in Winchester, Virginia, is a key figure in the Shenandoah Valley’s textile industry. He is president of both The Virginia Woolen Company in Winchester and Varel Mills, Inc. in Middleway, West Virginia. After graduating from Lehigh University, McCormac joined the family business, following in his father’s footsteps. He also serves as a director of the Shenandoah Valley National Bank and is active in several civic and fraternal organizations, including the Rotary Club and Delta Phi fraternity. McCormac married Evelyn Montgomery in 1941, and they have a daughter, Gertrude Montgomery, born in 1949.

Biography of Hollie Brockenborough McCormac, Sr.

H. B. McCormac, Sr., born in 1875 in Frederick County, Virginia, was a prominent figure in industry, banking, agriculture, and politics in the Shenandoah Valley. He served as president of The Virginia Woolen Company, the Berkeley Woolen Company, and the Union Bank of Winchester. McCormac was instrumental in founding the Winchester Chamber of Commerce and held leadership roles in various organizations, including the National Manufacturers Association and the Virginia Manufacturers Association. A dedicated civic leader, he chaired the executive committee of Winchester Memorial Hospital and the Liberty Loan and War Chest Committees during WWI. He passed away on December 11, 1937.

Biography of Colonel Morgan H. Hudgins

Colonel Morgan H. Hudgins, born December 4, 1878, in Portsmouth, Virginia, has been a pivotal figure in Virginia education, notably as superintendent of Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro since 1913. A Virginia Military Institute graduate, Hudgins joined Fishburne in 1901 as commandant of cadets, later becoming associate principal and then superintendent. He also served as mayor of Waynesboro for eight years and held roles during both World Wars. Under his leadership, Fishburne expanded significantly, becoming a top military school in the South. Hudgins married Elizabeth Milnes Austin in 1913.

Biography of Major General Richard Jaquelin Marshall

Major General Richard Jaquelin Marshall, born June 16, 1895, in Markham, Virginia, played a crucial role in the Southwest Pacific theater during World War II, culminating as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1915 and served in World War I. Post-World War II, he retired from the Army in 1946 after achieving the rank of major general. Marshall then became superintendent of VMI. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. He married Isabel Crum in 1935 and had two children and two stepchildren.