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Shenandoah Valley One Place Study

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Contents

Shenandoah Valley One Place Study

Introduction

This is a One Place Study for the Shenandoah Valley region of the United States, located in the states of Virginia and West Virginia. This is a distinct cultural region that comprises of multiple localities (towns, villages), and multiple counties in two different States. See "Geography" below for the details.

Adding a Profile to the Study

To add a profile to the Study, copy the following code and paste it below the "== Biography ==" line on the profile:
{{OnePlaceStudy|place=Shenandoah Valley|category=Shenandoah Valley One Place Study}}

WikiTree Profiles that link here

Geography & History

The Shenandoah Valley is a valley in the eastern United States and straddles Virginia and West Virginia. It is located in these counties across the two states:

  • Virginia: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren
  • West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson

Shenandoah Valley is one valley among a series of valleys called The Great Appalachian Valley. Note that Shenandoah Valley is not a part of Appalachia, but just outside of it, to the east. This large valley system was often used as migration routes for various peoples and parts of it is often known as the Great Wagon Road or the Great Valley Road.

The Great Appalachian Valley. Shenandoah Valley is #8.

Shenandoah Valley was a part of this migration route and different groups of people came and stayed in the Shenandoah Valley. Two of these ethnic groups are the German Palatines and Scotch-Irish. Many migrants traveled to America by ship and landed in Philadelphia. They would then travel the Great Wagon Road through central Pennsylvania, turn south, go through a small strip of Maryland and then into Virginia through Shenandoah Valley.

Great Valley Road or Great Wagon Road

Many of the German Palatines would stay in central Pennsylvania and became known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch". Many Germans stayed in the Shenandoah Valley and became known as the Shenandoah Germans, Shenandoah Deitsch or the Valley Dutch.

U. S. Civil War

Confederate Army regiments from Virginia seemed to be organized by county. Below is a subset of Virginia Civil War units which are Confederate Virginia regiments from the Shenandoah Valley region. Note that this may not be a complete list. Links are to WikiTree Civil War categories.

If you know what county in Virginia or West Virginia that your ancestor lived in then it could potentially help you find him in a Confederate Army regiment.

Families & People

Family names or clusters in Shenandoah Valley:

Notables

Resources

Here is a list of various resources for your genealogy research into families found in the Shenandoah Valley.
  • Kerns, Wilmer L., Kerns Family Roots in Virginia
    • Available for purchase, here.
  • Publications by Daniel Bly (also a member of WikiTree), who is a history professor with a focus on German families in the Shenandoah Valley:
    • The Early Funkhouser Pioneers and the Descendants of Jacob Funkhouser Jr. Harrisonburg, VA (1974).
    • "German Records and Research Problems," Central Virginia Heritage, Fall 1990 Issue.
    • "Records of Indentures and Guardianships in Shenandoah County, Virginia, 1772-1830," (1985). special edition, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, VA.
    • From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Volume I, Baltimore, MD (1992).
    • From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Volume II, Baltimore, MD (1996).
    • From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Volume III, Baltimore, MD (2002).
    • Here to Stay, The Founding of a Jewish Community in the Shenandoah Valley, 1840-1900, Baltimore, MD (2016).

Sources





Images: 2
The Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley
Great Valley Road or Great Wagon Road
Great Valley Road or Great Wagon Road
Collaboration


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Categories: One Place Studies Project, Showcase | Community, Place Studies | One Place Studies | Virginia, Place Studies | West Virginia, Place Studies | Shenandoah Valley One Place Study