Virginia Genealogy - Virginia Genealogy

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.

Biography of Frederick J. Kimball

Frederick J. Kimball, born in 1844 in Philadelphia, was instrumental in the development of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad and the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Starting as a rodman with the Pennsylvania Railroad, he gained extensive experience in railway engineering and management. In 1878, Kimball revitalized the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, completing it by 1882. As president of the Norfolk and Western, he expanded the rail lines into the rich coal fields of southwest Virginia, notably discovering the Pocahontas coal seam. Kimball pushed for a westward extension, culminating in a line to the Ohio River by 1892. He served as president until his death in 1903, leaving a lasting legacy in the rail industry.

Biography of General William Mahone

General William Mahone, born December 1, 1826, near Courtland, Virginia, was a Confederate general, railroad builder, and politician. He attended Virginia Military Institute and began his engineering career with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Mahone’s notable engineering feat was constructing the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad through the Dismal Swamp, completed in 1858. During the Civil War, he rose to major general after leading a key counterattack at the Battle of the Crater. Post-war, Mahone led the consolidation and rebuilding of Virginia’s railroads, forming the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad. He served as a U.S. Senator from 1879 to 1885 and died on October 8, 1895.

Biography of William Jackson Jenks

William Jackson Jenks, born March 21, 1870, in Wake County, North Carolina, is a prominent figure in the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, where he currently serves as chairman of the board of directors. Jenks began his career with the company in 1886 as a telegraph operator, advancing through various roles including train dispatcher, superintendent, and general manager. He served as vice-president in charge of operation from 1924 to 1936, then as president for a decade before becoming chairman in 1946. Jenks is also a director of several other companies and organizations and is a member of various clubs and societies in Roanoke, Virginia. He married Sallie C. Baldwin in 1891, and they have one daughter, Virginia Kyle Woods.