Henry H. Brillhart Audio Book

This is a transcription for an audiobook titled "The Life and Times of Henry H. Brillhardt in Catawba Valley" by Jonathan Gregory Reid. The book explores the life of Henry Brillhardt, who was a mid-1800s settler in the eastern states of America. The author, who is a descendant of Henry, has gathered information from family history, records, and pictures to write this book. The book also discusses the Catawba Valley area, the Brillhardt family's religious history, and the history of the Brillhardt family. Henry Brillhardt was born in 1841 and raised in the German Baptist faith. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The book provides information about Henry's father, Daniel Brillhardt, who migrated from Pennsylvania and settled in Catawba Valley. It also includes a letter written by Daniel, describing his life on the farm. Henry became a teacher at a young age before being drafted into the army. The book includes a Audiobook of the Life and Times of Henry H. Brillhardt in Catawba Valley, by Jonathan Gregory Reid. This audiobook may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. All rights reserved. Copyright 2024. Registered with the Library of Congress. The Life and Times of Henry H. Brillhardt in Catawba Valley. Introduction. Henry H. Brillhardt is an example of the American dream realized by many early settlers throughout America's early history. He was not among the earliest settlers, but he is an example of a mid-1800s settler. The mid-1800s settlers throughout the eastern states did not experience the same dangers as the early settlers of the 1700s, but life was still hard for them. It was still very dangerous beyond the eastern mountain range. America was still in its infancy. It was men like Henry Brillhardt who paved the way for those living today. Whether from clearing land, setting up a homestead, raising a large family, or fighting in the war that divided our new nation, these men and women played a significant part in the America we know today. Why did I choose Henry Brillhardt? Because he was my second great-grandfather and because of the wealth of information I have regarding his life. I don't know everything about his life, but through putting together family history through word of mouth, family records, old family Bibles, and a trove of family pictures, I was in a better position than most to write this book. Not only will I discuss his life, but I will also discuss the Catawba Valley area of Virginia, the family's religious history, and the history of the Brillhardt family. The Brillhardt family name is unique because it was created by the joining of two families fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Everyone who carries the Brillhardt name is related to each other. Sit back and enjoy this book, The Life and Times of Henry H. Brillhardt in Catawba Valley. His Early Life. Henry was born January 8th in the year of Our Lord 1841. This was a period when the United States was still heavily debating slavery in the country and the same year that the United States Supreme Court ruled on the seizure of the slave ship Amistad. Henry's father, Daniel Brillhardt, as a young man, had migrated from York County, Pennsylvania, from a community of German Baptists near the same community Amish and Mennonites had settled. By 1881, they would be known as Old German Baptist Brethren or Old Lord Dunkards. Although Henry Brillhardt was born in Catawba, Virginia, he was raised in the German Baptist faith his father was raised in. The H initial in his middle name has always been a mystery to my family. My mother had told me she never knew his middle name, but I have seen pictures listing his name as Harry. So, I am assuming his middle name was Harry, but I have no official documents supporting that theory. One of my cousins said she had heard his middle name was Horatio. We may never know the answer to this question. On all documents, he is always listed as Henry H. Brillhardt. As a young man, Henry joined or was drafted into the Confederate Army like many young men of his age when the Civil War broke out. Much like the Mennonites, the German Baptists were against military service, but did not refuse if called upon. I will discuss how he was torn between his personal beliefs and being a loyal Virginian in the Civil War years chapter coming later. Henry's father, Daniel Brillhardt, was born in York County, Pennsylvania in 1789 and later moved to Rockingham County, Virginia with his parents in 1797 at the age of eight. Daniel worked hard on his father's farm in Rockingham County and received minimal schooling. The lack of education was common in those days because families depended on their children to help on the farm, both boys and girls. Although he lacked schooling, Daniel was able to learn the trade of blacksmithing and carpentry from his father. Daniel met his wife, Catherine Schultz, while living in Rockingham, and they married on October 23, 1813. Daniel wanted to start his own farm and moved with his young wife to Catawba Valley that same year by traveling westward on the Old Wagon Road. It had only been eight years earlier that the Lewis and Clark expedition began to open the western lands to the settlers. Catawba Valley had already been sparsely settled in the 1700s and the threat of Indian attacks was basically gone by the time Daniel bought 550 acres in Catawba, of which 350 acres were heavily timbered. Daniel worked hard to clear his land and pay for it by selling some of the timber. Daniel built a brick house for the family and a barn on his sprawling Hill Valley farm. It was a very rare thing to have a brick house because most homes were log cabins. In a letter written to one of his brothers, dated February 10, 1843, one and a half years before his death, he writes that he had already accumulated 40 head of cattle, 50 head of sheep, and six horses. The family was having a good life in Catawba Valley. In his 30 years of living in Catawba Valley, this was quite an accomplishment. Also, in that same letter, he mentioned that he believed Catawba to be the healthiest place in the United States, which I still believe today. Daniel Brillhardt's letter will be read in its entirety coming up. Daniel and Catherine's first son, Samuel, was born in 1814, followed by Abraham in 1817, Adam in 1820, Daniel in 1823, Jacob in 1825, and Henry coming much later in 1841. His mother was 45 years old when she gave birth to Henry. His oldest brother, Samuel, was already 27 years old and took a wife the same year Henry was born. Henry's father died just three short years after the birth of Henry, and it fell upon his older brothers to help raise him into manhood. Henry, being the youngest, received a formal education up to the age of 16 and even started teaching at that age. Being a teacher in those days did not require a degree like today's standards. Up until the early 1800s, all teachers were male. Gradually, women became teachers as the early to mid-19th century progressed. For your amusement, I am listing below a set of typical rules when Henry Brillhardt was a teacher. Teachers will fill lamps and clean chimneys each day. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly. After 10 hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity, and honesty. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of 25 cents per week in his pay, provided the Board of Education approves. For women teachers, you may ride in a buggy with a man if the man is your father or brother. Henry taught school for four years but had to stop at the beginning of his fifth term due to being drafted into the Confederate Army at the age of 20. As a young man, Henry learned a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson called The Sailor Boy. He probably repeated it many times to his students as a teacher. He became so familiar with it that he could recite it without reading it. John A. Brilhart writes in his book The Pictorial History of the Brilharts of America that Henry would recite it to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The Sailor Boy by Alfred Lord Tennyson He rose at dawn and fired with hope, Shot o'er the seething harbor bar, And reached the ship and caught the rope, And whistled to the morning star. And while he whistled long and loud, He heard a fierce mare maiden cry, O boy, though thou art young and proud, I see the place where thou wilt lie, The sands and yeasty surges mix, In caves about the dreary bay, And on thy ribs the limpet sticks, And in thy heart the scrawl shall play. Fool, he answered, death is sure, To those that stay and those that roam, But I will never more endure To sit with empty hands at home. My mother clings about my neck, My sisters crying stay for shame, My father raves of death and wreck, They are all to blame, they are all to blame. God help me, save I take my part, Of danger in the roaring sea, A devil rises in my heart, Far worse than any destiny. Dunkard, Mennonite, and Amish The purpose of this chapter is to get a complete understanding of these three groups, the Dunkards, the Mennonites, and the Amish. Why? Because it was these three groups that came out of the Anabaptist movement in the Netherlands that affected our forefathers and their mindset. Understanding these three religious groups will help you understand the values that Henry H. Brillhard inherited, the same values that tore at his conscience during his early life and that of participating in a civil war. The Dunkards, Mennonites, and Amish all came from the Anabaptist movement. This Protestant religious group believed in the freedom of conscience and religious freedom, unlike the Catholic Church at that time. The original Anabaptist Reformation group developed in the early 16th century. They believed baptism is only valid when people freely confess their belief and faith in Christ. Only then could they request baptism. The English Baptist and the German Baptist came from two different groups with different standards. As time passed, the German Baptists started accepting new ideas, such as more modern lifestyles and clothes. This was hard for some who stood firmly in following the founding principles originally established by the German Baptist movement. Because of this, the German Baptists split into three separate groups in 1881. The most conservative members of the original German Baptist broke away and formed the Old German Baptist group. This new movement only wanted to maintain some of the original principles of the faith. They would also become known as Dunkards or Tunkers. Tunker is the purest form of the German word meaning to dunk or immerse. Dunkard is a derivative of the German word mixed with English. The Dunkards or Old German Baptists wanted to maintain conservative views and strictly follow the New Testament. They did not believe in having music but only singing capella, making their voice the only instrument to worship God. They did not believe in Sunday school but in full-time worship of God. Extended meeting services for any other reason were not accepted. In other words, they did not have a Sunday school like most churches had adopted. They believed in only wearing plain clothes and maintaining a simple way of life. They were against worldly things that fed the flesh more than the spirit of man. In many of their meeting houses, you will only find single room buildings with plain furniture and two doors from which to enter, one for the men and one for the women. An excellent example of one of these meeting houses still stands in the Catawba Valley and is known as the Johnsville Meeting House. The next chapter is devoted to this historical building. As the Old German Baptists progressed into the late 19th and early 20th century, they began to accept electricity, automobiles, and more modern ways. The most conservative of the Anabaptists are the Mennonite and Amish groups, the Amish being the most conservative. The Mennonites sprung up from the Anabaptist movement in the 17th century. Later, the Amish were born from the Mennonites because the Mennonites were not conservative enough. Even today, both these groups have branches that differ from the original. They commonly share the belief of adult baptism, non-resistance, not believing in fighting or wars, maintaining small family farms, community helping their neighbors, and dressing in simple, plain clothes. However, they differ because Mennonites accept more colorful clothes and use electricity and automobiles. The Amish and Old Order Mennonites still only use horses and buggies for transportation. The Amish and some of the Old Order Mennonites still speak in a German dialect, which is referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch language is unique in that it is German mixed with English, but there is a group in Indiana that speaks Swiss Amish. The Amish have separated themselves from the modern world, but a splinter group called the New Order Amish, like the Mennonites, use some modern conveniences. Having many branches of Anabaptist may seem confusing to many readers, but technically, they are no different than other Protestant groups, such as the Baptist, Methodist, etc. They all have developed splinter groups within their Protestant movement due to changing beliefs within each group. The Amish men will grow beards, but not mustaches, and the women will wear their hair in a bun, as do some Mennonites and Old German Baptist groups. If you can obtain a copy of John A. Brillhardt's book, A Pictorial History of the Brillhardts of America, you will see some old pictures where the men have beards without a mustache and the women have buns. In some of Henry H. Brillhardt's photos, you will see where he sometimes adopted the no mustache rule, but only a beard. Johnsville Meeting House Why a chapter on the Johnsville Meeting House? Because this was a place that became very important to many residents of Catawba Valley, who were of the Old German Baptist faith, and helped to keep Catawba a well-established community. Henry H. Brillhardt would attend services at the Johnsville Meeting House in his later years. Henry's daughter, Laura N. Brillhardt, married James Adam Garman, my great-grandparents, and their house was located next to the Johnsville Meeting House. The Brillhardt and Garman families were part of the Catawba Valley German community, and both families participated in services at the Johnsville Meeting House. In those early days, it was a dirt road that ran through the valley and was well-worn because of the wagons heading west. Today, the road is called the Blacksburg Road. As mentioned, the Old German Baptist believed in simplicity and no Sunday school, only worship time and singing. The Johnsville Meeting House in Catawba is an excellent example of German Baptist meeting houses in the late 1800s. It is a single-room building with a small basement for storage. Two doors were required so the men and women could enter separately and then sit separately. The windows on both sides of the building would be opened on hot days to let the breeze blow through for comfort. They had two wood-burning stoves in the wintertime to keep the occupants warm. Like the Mennonites and Amish, the men would wear wide-brimmed hats and hang them up once they entered the meeting house. The building was originally built sometime between 1871 and 1872 on land once owned by Griffith John. The building was first used in 1874 as the German Baptist Meeting House. It was named Johnsville in honor of the original builder. Griffith John's son, who had inherited his father's property, donated the land and the church building to the Old German Baptist in 1883. In those days, members would meet in different locations throughout the valley, so services did not happen every Sunday at this location. The Johnsville Meeting House probably only met one Sunday out of the month. Ministers and lay preachers would travel by horse or buggy to preach throughout the county and surrounding area. The Johnsville Meeting House is very similar to the Dunkard Meeting Houses built in the 19th century. Most were built by a single architect from Pennsylvania named John Holfinger. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the German Baptists split into three separate groups in 1881 due to those who wanted to keep the old ways and those who wanted more progressive ways. The Johnsville Meeting House was built 11 years before that split occurred. The split forced conservative members to differ from those leaning to the progressive side. The church members and the elders met in June of 1883 and voted to rename themselves Old German Baptists, as did some other meeting houses throughout the German Baptist community in the United States. The Johnsville Meeting House is one of only a few that still survive in its original state, unaltered over time. The Civil War Years Henry was still teaching school when the Civil War broke out and the state of Virginia called upon him to join the army. On May 14, 1861, he reported for service with the Ninth Infantry Regiment, a newly formed unit. Most all the men for this regiment were recruited from Roanoke County, Virginia, and surrounding counties. The men would receive minor military supplies and training before they paraded from the courthouse and marched to the railroad station, where they took the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad to Lynchburg, Virginia. Here, they would join other men from southwestern Virginia and were formed into Company A. He was able to come home for a short visit in the spring of 1862 and spend some time with family before he was required to report to Allegheny County on May 8, 1862, where he would meet up with his unit again. But this time, his unit was moved to an artillery unit called the Salem Flying Light Artillery. The Salem Flying Light Artillery was part of the Army of Northern Virginia under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee. He would remain with the Salem Flying Light Artillery for over two more years. In June, his unit was assigned to Brown's Battalion. This battalion was made up of the Powhatan Artillery Unit under Captain Willis Dance, the Richmond Howitzers Unit, the 2nd Company under Captain David Watson, the Richmond Howitzers Unit, 3rd Company under Captain Benjamin Smith, Jr., the Salem Flying Light Artillery Unit under Captain Abraham Hupp, and the Williamsburg Artillery Unit under Captain John Koch. During Henry Brillhardt's time serving with the Salem Flying Light Artillery, he saw action in most major campaigns in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The following is a list of battles Henry participated in. September 17, 1862, Battle of Sharpsburg, Antietam. The battery guarded the Potomac River from the Virginia side with two 12-pounder howitzers and two 6-pounder guns. October 1862, Captain Hupp resigned due to cancer and would die September 1863. Captain Charles Griffin resumed command. December 13, 1862, Battle of Fredericksburg. May 1 through 4, 1863, Battle of Chancellorsville. June 14 through 15, 1863, Second Battle of Winchester. July 1 through 3, 1863, Battle of Gettysburg. July 4, 1863, March to Hagerstown. October 1863, Bristow Campaign. November through December 1863, Mine Run Campaign. May 5 through 6, 1864, Battle of the Wilderness. May 8 through 21, 1864, Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. May 23 through 26, 1864, Battle of North Anna. June 1 through 3, 1864, Battle of Cold Harbor. June 1864, Battle of Petersburg. July 1864, Henry H. Brillhardt arrested and faked sickness. September 1864, Henry H. Brillhardt deserted and fled to Ohio. November 1864, officially listed as a deserter. Like many families during the Civil War, the Brillhardts fought on both sides. The Brillhardt family, like many Americans, found themselves fighting against their own northern cousins. If Henry H. Brillhardt had held out for another five months, he would have seen the end of his service honorably. His unit was at Appomattox, Virginia in April of 1865 when the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered. The Salem Flying Light Artillery would have the honor of firing one of the last artillery shots before the surrender. Sergeant James Walton of the Salem Artillery, who fired the last shot, has a marker at the location at Appomattox Courthouse. The entire unit was mustered out of service on April 9, 1865. But by 1864, Henry had had enough, and for unknown reasons, he was arrested and kept handcuffed for four days. The reason for his arrest is unknown, but more than likely over issues related to his refusal to fight anymore. As I mentioned, he was pulled between his German Baptist principles and being a loyal Virginian. Being raised in the German Baptist faith, which, like the Mennonites, did not believe in fighting or joining military service. After four days, he was sent to his commander in Richmond, Virginia. Once he arrived in Richmond, his commanders ordered him to return to the battlefront. Before he left Richmond, he pretended to be very sick. They had no choice but to send him to the military hospital located outside the city limits, which happened to be the famous Chimborazo Hospital. During the war, it is said Chimborazo treated up to 76,000 people with a death rate of up to 10%. This death rate was considered low compared to other military hospitals. After the war, Chimborazo Hospital became a refugee camp for formerly enslaved people. Henry was able to fake his sickness for a month before they decided to transfer him to a hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was able to remain in Lynchburg for almost another month, but realized he could not pretend sickness any longer. He told his doctors he was feeling well and asked if he could be transferred back to his unit, which was now in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, now serving under General Jubal Early. He had no plans to join up with his old unit, and with five other men, he fled to Ohio, having to cross enemy lines. They arrived in Ohio in September of 1864. It wasn't until November 15, 1864, that his unit reported him missing, and he was listed as a deserter. He stayed in Ohio until May of 1865, working as a farmhand. A month after the announcement of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, Henry would make his way back to Catawba Valley, Virginia. After his return to Catawba Valley, he met and married Elizabeth and Garmin on January 9, 1866, one day after turning 25 years old. Henry's mother, Catherine, passed away three years after his marriage to Elizabeth Garmin. Family Life in Catawba Henry and Elizabeth were married on January 9, 1866, in the home of Elizabeth's father, Peter Garmin. My third great-grandfather. After their marriage, the couple lived on the 550-acre farm started by Daniel and Catherine Brillhardt 53 years earlier in 1813. After Daniel died in 1844, Catherine remarried in 1846 to Mr. Martin Miller of Montgomery County, but he would die the same year of their marriage. The boys would help maintain the farm till Catherine's death in 1869. At this time, the estate was divided between the brothers and Henry received about 100 acres, which he and Elizabeth used to make their home. Elizabeth was a lifelong Methodist and both would attend the Shiloh Church in Catawba. Occasionally, Henry would attend the Johnsville Meeting House. Henry H. Brillhardt and Elizabeth would build their home in Catawba off the Newport Road section. His farm was divided by this road. Henry and Elizabeth would have nine children. Louvenia Jane Brillhardt, born in 1867. Laura and Annie Brillhardt, born in 1869. Texas Virginia Brillhardt, born in 1871. Emery H. Brillhardt, born in 1873. Tabitha Susan Brillhardt, born in 1873. Lucian Harrison Brillhardt, born in 1878. Minnie Mae Brillhardt, born in 1881. Marshall Mason Brillhardt, born in 1885. And Willis Walter Brillhardt, born in 1889. All were born in Catawba. The age range between the children was 22 years. Louvenia was 22 when Willis was born and would marry that same year. The land Henry had inherited was still heavily timbered. He spent his early years clearing the land and farming. Some of his income came from the timber but also from farming and cattle. He also served as a church leader and other minor roles in the Catawba Valley area. Henry H. Brillhardt would die at the age of 82 on July 13, 1923 in Catawba. In 1924, Elizabeth, nicknamed Betty, Garmin Brillhardt moved to Shawnee, Kansas to stay with her youngest daughter, Minnie Mae Brillhardt Gerber. She remained in Kansas until she died on May 30, 1934. Henry and Elizabeth are both buried in the Brillhardt Cemetery in Catawba, Virginia, which sits alongside the Newport Road. An interesting story for my readers. I have been a member of Ancestry.com for at least 20 years. I moved to California from Virginia in 2006. Around 2014, a gentleman from Kansas emailed me through my Ancestry site. He told me he had found a very old family photo album and asked if they were my family members. He saw names in the album that matched my family tree. He listed the names of Henry and Elizabeth Brillhardt. I told him they were my second great-grandparents. He said he found the photo album in a pawn shop and it was for sale. I immediately asked if he could return to the shop, purchase the album, and send it to me. I paid expenses, but he refused to take any more than that. There are still friendly people in the world. The photo album obviously belonged to Elizabeth, who had carried it to Kansas as she lived out her last days. The album was full of Brillhardt pictures, some of which are in the paperback version of this book. What were the odds of him seeing the album in a pawn shop and matching it to me because of my family tree on Ancestry.com? I give thanks to God every day for the small miracles. The children of Henry H. Brillhardt. 1. Lavernia Jane Brillhardt married Samuel Redmond Eakin on October 1, 1889. They would have six children. Willis Edwin Eakin, 1890-1974. Frank Everett Eakin, 1892-1954. Roy Redmond Eakin, 1894-1978. Annie L. Eakin, 1897-1979. Terry Black Eakin, 1906-2000. Trig Samuel Eakin, 1912-1997. 2. Laura and Doll Brillhardt married James Adam Garman on January 13, 1890. They would have seven children. Ruth Elizabeth Garman, 1892-1965. Harry V. Garman, 1894-1918, killed in World War I. Leslie Alfred Garman, 1897-1927. Lena Margaret Garman, 1899-1958. Mabel Clara Garman, 1901-1992. Klein Garman, 1904-1970. Helen Garman, 1906-2003, my grandmother. 3. Texas Virginia Brillhardt married Franklin Henry Bossman on December 1, 1908. They would have two children. Amy Annie Elizabeth Bossman, 1909-1993. Mary Catherine Bossman, 1911-2006. 4. Emery H. Brillhardt married Amelia Garber on December 29, 1909. They had one child. Roy William Brillhardt, 1910-1995. 5. Tabitha Susan Brillhardt married Joshua Grant Deeds on January 12, 1898. They had about nine to ten children. Vera Beatrice Deeds, 1899-1976. Kenneth Kent Swanson Deeds, 1901-1936. Gorda Goldie Hortense Deeds, 1903-1997. Beatrice Clara Deeds, 1905-1993. Lola Laurie Deeds, 1906-1997. Garwood Gilbert Deeds, 1909-1975. Grace Deeds, 1911-death unknown. Dale Deeds, 1915-2006. Warnetta Matilda Deeds, 1916-2002. 6. Lucian Harrison Brillhardt married Lula Catherine Crawford on July 18, 1910. They had one child. Verbena Crawford Brillhardt, 1910-1991. 7. Minnie Mae Brillhardt married August William Gerber and moved to Kansas. No children are listed. 8. Marshall Mason Brillhardt married Mary Ann James on March 6, 1912. They had one son. James Gordon Brillhardt, 1914-1999. 9. Willis Walter Brillhardt remained single, 1889-1985. Died in Kansas. Catawba Valley Not much is known about Catawba Valley's early days, but at one time, various Indian tribes occupied the valley. As a child, I remember spending time on my great-grandfather's James Adam Garmin old farm. It was later purchased and renovated by Park Dodd, Jr. The gentleman who owned the farm adjacent had an extensive collection of Indian arrowheads and other artifacts he would find each time he plowed his field. Like my great-grandfather's, his farm ran parallel to Catawba Creek on a slight slope. This would definitely be an excellent place for early native inhabitants to set up their village. Although the valley is called Catawba Valley, very few Catawba Indians lived in the area. It was mostly the Shawnees that had the larger presence in the valley. The Cherokee Indians would venture into the valley from the south and conflict with the Shawnees and the settlers. It wasn't until the early and mid-1700s that settlers started to appear in the valley. Most of the early settlers were Scotch-Irish, but soon were followed by German immigrants. Catawba, over time, was shared by several counties, but the majority lay in Botetourt County. Later, when Roanoke County was formed, it took most of Botetourt County's claim to the area. Daniel Brillhardt's farm in 1843 was listed as lying in Montgomery County. Early settlers had to deal with the unfriendly Cherokee in the early part of the 1700s. William Hall was reported to have built a cabin fort in the area. Supposedly, George Washington spent the night there when he was a young surveyor, and George Washington even recorded his stay there in his diary. Catawba, at this time, was considered the westernmost frontier, and a few early settlers to Catawba were killed by the unfriendly Indians who wanted to stop or slow down the settlers' further western expansion. The Hall family, famous for being some of the first settlers, were of Scottish descent. Both of my ancestors, the Garman and Brillhardt family, were of German ancestry. I am not able to list all the names of the families who settled in Catawba. Still, a few of those names include the All, Berry, Brickley, Brillhardt, Brunk, Burton, Crawford, Custer, Deeds, Eakin, Garman, Grisso, Hall, John, McDonald, Mitchell, Starkey, and many more families. Some of these names came in the 1700s and 1800s. Traveling in the early days was difficult. So many families in the valley would eventually marry neighbors and cousins. That is one reason most people from the Catawba Valley area are somehow related. Catawba is heavily forested on the hills with open farmland at the bottom. It is still a favorite hunting area due to the plentiful wild game such as deer, turkey, and bear. Early settlers reported that buffalo once roamed the valley. Letter of Daniel Brillhardt So many family records and pictures from families across America have been lost because of the lack of sharing. I wish more people would upload their photos and documents to Ancestry, MyHeritage, or any historical site, no matter how sensitive it may be for you or the family. I am including the following letter by Henry H. Brillhardt's father, Daniel Brillhardt. The letter is typed precisely, word for word. It consists of all spelling mistakes. It also includes the sensitive topic of buying an enslaved person. We must save all records for future generations, not to be judged but for learning. Yes, slavery is a subject that still burns a wound in the soul of America. I cannot judge my ancestors because they were raised with a different mindset than we have today, nor would I want future generations to judge us for what we do today. But this letter shows that slavery did occur in Catawba Valley. The letter is as follows. Montgomery County, Virginia. February 10, 1843. Dear Brother, I once more take the opportunity to write you a few lines to see if you will get them, letting you know that we are well at the present time, so thanks be to God for his mercies he bestowed upon us. I hope these few lines will find you all enjoying the same blessings. We are blessed with six children. Their names are Samuel, Abraham, Daniel, Adam, Jacob, and Henry. Henry was two years old on January 8th. Samuel was married to a Miss Stoudemire, a granddaughter of Mile Trott in Rockingham County. Perhaps you would wish to know how we are doing to make our living go. I now hold between 550 to 600 acres of good land. About 200 acres cleared. I have a good brick house, a good barn. I bought a Negro girl in August and paid $300 cash for her. We have plenty stock of all kinds. We are wintering about 40 head of cattle, 50 head of sheep, and 6 head of horses. We have plenty of old bacon yet. We killed about 2,000 weight of pork and about 1,500 weight of beef. We are clear of debt and have accrued money to go upon to answer our needs. Times are very hard on people in debt. Money is very scarce. We can't sell anything for cash at a fair price. Our nearest place of market or boating is at James River, which is about 37 miles from here. We can take our produce there and sell it or have it boated to Richmond and sold by the commission merchant. Wheat crops wasn't very good with us. About the time wheat was filling, we had about two weeks of study rain, which liked to spoiled our wheat. You wrote me in your letter to let you know how far it is to Petersburg. It is about 40 miles from us. There is no boat running new river that I know of. By what I can understand, boats don't run higher up than Charleston on the Kanaqua to carry passengers. It seems that it is the high fall in the river that prevents them from coming much farther, which is about 150 miles from us. Now, I must let you know a little more about myself, which I ought to have put in sooner, but didn't. What makes me more disabled to go about than I would be is my getting very fleshy and heavy. My weight about 12 months ago was 301 1⁄2 pounds, which makes very much against me going about. Catherine weighs about 200 pounds. I want you now if you receive this letter to write me as soon as it is convenient, for I will be very anxious to know whether you get this letter or not. I want you likewise to come and see us if it be possible, and that is soon as you could, because life is so uncertain that by putting it off, we may miss seeing each other. If I should have been more able to travel, I should have seen that country before now. But now I expect to end my days here, which I believe is one of the healthiest parts of the United States. So no more at this present time, but remaining your affectionate brother and well-wishing friend until death. Daniel Brillhardt The History of the Brillhardts As mentioned earlier, the Brillhardt name is unique, and all those with this last name are related. Most of the history I have related to the Brillhardt family comes from John A. Brillhardt's book A Pictorial History of the Brillhardts of America, published in 1926. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this historical account because John Brillhardt did not have a reference guide in his book. I am sure most of it was from word of mouth from various Brillhardt descendants and family Bibles. He mentions that his information came from transcripts, letters, old documents, and stories from Brillhardts, who was still living in 1926. Even he admitted not all the information could be confirmed at that time. John Brillhardt starts the known history of the Brillhardts in the year 1448 in Bavaria. But at that time, the family did not use Brillhardt as their last name. He mentions the suffering of Jews in that area of Europe during that period because of the Reformation. The Jewish people were being forced to convert to Roman Catholicism or put to death. Many either fled or perished. But also, during that time, there were groups of reformers who questioned the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, believed in freedom of conscience, and felt they could just as easily interpret the Word of God as that of the Church. During this time, no one but the Church was allowed to own a Bible or have the right to interpret it. It wasn't until the early 1600s, after the formation of the Church of England, that a Bible was published for the general public. John Brillhardt goes on to explain that our ancestors suffered torture and persecution during the Reformation, and they eventually fled Bavaria for a safer place in Europe. Our family in 1448 went by the name of Brill. In the city of Eichstätt, Brandenburg, Germany, was a man named Johannes Brill, one of those early reformers who believed in that freedom of conscience. It was from the German word evangelisch that we get the word evangelical. The German people were most instrumental in the birth of Protestantism. In the days of Johannes Brill, a person even talking about freedom of religious thought would be arrested and questioned. The Roman Catholic Church was in complete control of all of Europe. Johannes and some of his friends were eventually arrested and tried by a court. They were tortured, as was common in those days, by the Catholic Church, and all eventually were put to death. We don't know how Johannes met his death, but it was common to be burnt alive at the stake. Others would be drowned or beaten to death. Either way, it was a terrible death and suffering they endured. The Catholic Church then seized their lands and property and forced the remaining family members to fend for themselves. Johannes's widow and his four children fled the area, and she eventually met another man whose last name was Hart. Although he was now responsible for Johannes's four children, they adopted the name Brill Hart. In his book, John Brill Hart could not determine if this was a custom or a legal issue, but either way, all of Johannes Brill's children would then be known as Brill Hart. All the children between Mr. Hart and Mrs. Brill were also known as Brill Hart. Eventually, as the children grew up and started their own families, they combined the name into Brill Hart. We don't have records of all the children, but it is known that one of the boys, unknown name, had a son in 1479 named Abraham Brill Hart. In 1508, he had a son, Isaac Brill Hart. Continued prosecution from the Catholic Church finally caught up again to the family in the town where they had sought refuge. The family ended up joining others who were fleeing Germany and moving to Holland, Netherlands. Again, the church confiscated all their lands and livestock and left them with very little to carry with them. John Brill Hart writes that they saw devastation everywhere on their journey to Holland with their meager packs. Dead bodies everywhere. It was a terrible time in Europe. However, their faith in Protestantism provided them with strength and a purpose. In 1531, Isaac Brill Hart was married to a woman we only know as Wycliffe. They had four children together, one boy and four daughters. Their son, David Brill Hart, was born in 1546 in Holland. In the year 1571, David got married to a woman known only to us as Rachel. David and Rachel had a son whose name cannot be found in any record, but we know that Daniel and Rachel had a grandson named John Brill Hart, born around 1596 in Holland. John and his wife had a son named Jonathan Brill Hart, born around 1630 in Holland. Again, I only list the sons that led to Brill Harts in America. Each family had numerous children. Jonathan would be the fourth generation to live in the Netherlands, and most would marry girls whose families originated in that area. Jonathan and his wife had a son named Samuel Brill Hart, who was born around 1678. Samuel and his wife had a son named John Brill Hart, who was born in 1701. This is the Brill Hart whose family would start the Brill Harts of America. John and his wife Marie Rary would have three sons, John, born in 1721, Holland, Samuel, born in 1724, Holland, and Peter, born in 1726, Holland. These three brothers changed their names to Brill Hart when they immigrated to America. John and Marie learned that Pennsylvania offered 200 acres to every man with a family. If the family maintained the land given to them for at least three years, they would also receive four shillings for every 100 acres they had control of. For single men between the ages of 15 and 30 would receive 100 acres following the same terms of the family claim. They would get additional money if they showed land improvement and produced crops. Many families fleeing religious persecution in the Netherlands could not resist this offer. The Dutch had claimed land in the New World as early as 1631. At first, claiming land on the Delmarva Peninsula, which made up parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Eventually, spreading into Pennsylvania and parts of New York. By the early 1700s, the Dutch were competing against the English for land. William Penn, an English Quaker, was granted large tracts of land in Delaware and Pennsylvania and, at times, had conflict with the Dutch and Swedish settlers. The Dutch were outnumbered by the British and would quickly give up land rather than have a conflict. However, they maintained pocket settlements throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and many in South America and the Caribbean Islands. Many of the Dutch who came to settle in Pennsylvania came from German ancestry mixed with Dutch, as was the case with the Brillhardt family. Like all settlers in those days, the journey was dangerous and many would die on board the ships due to poor conditions and disease. Once in America, they had to work together to build log homes and clear their lands. If they survived all these perils, then they had to survive Indian attacks. John Brillhardt and his sons were probably Dunkards, which later became known as Old German Baptists. Dunkards co-mingled with the Mennonites and Amish people in Pennsylvania. Samuel Brillhardt eventually became a Mennonite and helped build a Mennonite church near Hanover, Pennsylvania, around 1746. The other two brothers, John and Peter, helped organize the Dunkard Church in Dunkard Valley, York, Pennsylvania, around the year 1758. As mentioned, the Dunkards were German Baptists. Dunkard comes from the German word for dunk, which refers to their belief in baptism by immersion. Like the Mennonites and the Amish, they believed in simple clothes and a simple lifestyle but accepted modern advancement. The year of their arrival in America is unknown, but we know it was in the early 1700s after all the boys were born. Records show they were all born in Holland, with Peter, the youngest, born in 1726. The family petitioned the Dutch government for permission to leave Holland for America in 1737. So, the best estimate for when they came is sometime between 1738 and 1740. It is recorded that they helped to build churches in Pennsylvania in 1746. Both John and Marie Brillhardt died in York County, Pennsylvania. Marie passed away in 1777, one year after America declared independence from England. John lived until 1804, seeing Independence won and the birth of a new nation called the United States. Many of John and Marie Brillhardt's grandchildren fought in the Revolutionary War for the American cause of freedom. The three brothers and their descendants, now using the name Brillhardt, would spread out in different directions in the new United States over time. The Three Brothers Like John A. Brillhardt in his book A Pictorial History of the Brillhardts of America, I will talk briefly about these three brothers, John, Samuel, and Peter. All Brillhardt descendants in America should be able to trace their ancestry to one of these brothers. The three brothers originally made their homes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a part that in 1749 became York County. John Brillhardt John Brillhardt was born in 1721 in Holland. John met and married Susan Diordorf in 1741. Susan was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, which was in the northwest area of Philadelphia. Together, they had five children, John, Susan, Daniel, Mary, and Samuel. John and Susan set up a homestead in a log cabin he built and started farming the land. Threats from Indian attacks were still an ongoing problem, especially tribes coming down from Canada and the New York area. This part of Pennsylvania was hilly and ran into the mountains of the Blue Ridge. Many stories are written about John's hunting experiences in the wilds of Pennsylvania and getting lost while learning his way around the new land. Being from a strong religious family, they often met in various family cabins for church services until a regular church could be built. As I mentioned earlier, John helped build a Dunkard church in 1758, 17 years after he married Susan. In 1790, after their five children's birth, John and Susan decided they wanted to go further south, where they heard there was more fertile land to farm. He took his family down through the Shenandoah Valley and settled in Rockingham County, Virginia, near Harrisonburg. It is said he became a prosperous citizen in Rockingham County, blacksmithing and making wagons. Both John and Susan died around 1800 and are buried there. John and Susan Brilhart are the Brilharts from whom I am descended. This side of the family lost track of the other two brothers, Samuel and Peter, due to the lack of regular mail and communication in those days. It wasn't until a large Brilhart reunion occurred in 1917 that all these families were again connected 127 years later. Samuel Brilhart Samuel Brilhart was born in 1724 in Holland. Samuel met and married Esther Smit, born in York County, Pennsylvania, around 1728. They had six children together, Esther, Joseph, Jacob, Samuel, Abraham, and David. As mentioned in a previous chapter, Samuel helped build a Mennonite meeting house in 1746 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, a town in York County. Today we refer to them as churches, but in those days they were required to be called meeting houses. Only churches under the Church of England could legally be called a church. All other denominations could only be referred to as a meeting house. This practice lasted years after the United States won its freedom from England. By then, it was just a tradition or habit to continue calling places of worship a meeting house. Samuel became a lay preacher and would preach throughout the surrounding counties. Peter Peter Brilhart was born in Holland in 1726. Peter met and married Mary Myers in 1745. Mary was born around 1726 in York County, Pennsylvania. They had a huge family of 11 children, Peter, Christian, Joseph, Barbara, Nancy, Annie, Jacob, Maria, John, Elizabeth, and Eva. Peter did not live in Holland with his other family, but in Switzerland. Why he was separated from the rest of his family is unknown. Still, once his family decided to move to America, he joined them in their venture and obtained land in Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Like his brothers, he was a strong man of faith and he helped his brother John build the Dunkard Church in 1758. It is now known as the Church of the Brethren. According to John A. Brilhart in his book, A Pictorial History of the Brilharts of America, like his father, he became a blacksmith and worked in timber, a hard profession in the early colonial days. To end this audiobook, I finish with a poem by Sally Deford. To those who came before me To those who came before me in seasons long ago To those who are the loved ones that I have yet to know To those whose noble names I bear Whose light within me burns To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned To those whose lives of courage prepared the way for me Whose works became my heritage Whose harvest I may reap Who left for me a legacy that I have yet to earn To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned To those who came before me in days and years long past To those who are the family that I shall know at last Who laid a sure foundation for the truth that I have learned To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned The author lives in Garden Grove, California, with his wife, Jeanette. His interest is writing historical biographies and science fiction novels. Other books by Jonathan Gregory read America's Sherlock Holmes, The Life and Times of William J. Flynn World War I, An American Story The Roanoke Boy, A World War I Diary A World War I Soldier's Story, as told by Bill and Charles Reed My Expression of My Christian Faith, Blue Ridge Values The Protector's Five Books, a Christian-based science fiction series The Protector's Pentalogy, full collection