Central Rappahannock Heritage Center 

Newsletter

A place that loses its history loses its soul

On Monday, May 28, we celebrate Memorial Day, 2018. Sometime during the later years of the Civil War, groups, mostly comprised of women, began decorating the graves of their loved ones who had fallen in battle. This tradition spread from town to town, both in the north and the south, after the war and became known as Decoration Day. In 1882, the name of the holiday was changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. After World War I, the holiday was expanded to honor soldiers from all American Wars and, in 1971, President Richard Nixon declared the last Monday in May to be celebrated as a national holiday.

 

Historians acknowledge the role of the Ladies Memorial Association (LMA) and its chapters as playing a key role in preserving the tradition of honoring the Confederate dead in the south. The Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery, owned and maintained by the Ladies Memorial Association of Fredericksburg, was dedicated in May, 1870, to honor the 3,553 Confederate soldiers who perished in four area battlefields. The papers of the LMA of Fredericksburg, which include maps of the grave sites and lists of those buried there, can be found in the archives at The Center and make for interesting reading and research.

 

Meredith Beckett

Chairman, The Heritage Center   

 

The important preservation work of The Heritage Center would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers.

It is with sincere regret that we announce the passing of Diana Tansill, who died peaceably at her home on April 17, 2018, just shy of her 91st birthday. As many of you know, Diana was a long time member of The Heritage Center, as well as a former Board officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2004 to 2006. Nominated to the position by her friend, Mary Lou Dennis, she took the role of Board Chairman to heart and jumped right in, contributing greatly through her leadership to the mission of The Center to preserve our region's history.

 

Diana was a person with many and varied interests. She traveled, was a gourmet cook, a skilled needle worker and an avid reader. She was a member and secretary of the Literary Club of Fredericksburg, a board member of the Rappahannock Adult Activities, Inc., vice president of the American Needlepoint Guild and a volunteer at Mary Washington House and the Thurman Brisbane Homeless Shelter.

 

Diana truly embraced life in Fredericksburg, where she grew up and attended school and where she chose to retire after her long career in the government service. She will be remembered by her friends and family for her many accomplishments, as well as for her sense of humor, her generosity and her kindness.

Who cares?  The Heritage Center does.

People often believe that no one is interested in those little pieces of ephemera that reflect the daily lives of ordinary people. Most people believe history is for famous people, names we all know, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee and others. But history is made by all of us, every day.  That is why we encourage preserving those letters, photographs, notes and records. They give a clear and complete picture of what happened in the past.  May is Historic Preservation Month.  What better time to look around and see if you have any items that would help preserve the past of the Central Rappahannock Region?

The Heritage Center frequently gets inquiries from all across the country. Researchers and descendants looking for clues have found information in The Center's online database.  People realize that The Center may have that missing link, that photo of a great grandfather, that court record - something that will fill in the blanks.  Recently The Center had an inquiry regarding relatives of the Knox family, who are featured in our book The Circle Unbroken: The Civil War Letters of the Knox Family of Fredericksburg.  After meeting with the family, not only were we able to provide them with information, but they also provided us with a photograph of an individual from the book, a photo The Center did not have. We hope to exchange more information with this family in the future.

With the advent of online databases like Ancestry.com, G enealogy.com and FamilySearch.org, more people are looking for their roots. Add in the ability to do DNA testing, and the amount of information available for research is enormous.  Genealogists, researchers and family members are thrilled to find someone who has a letter, a photo, or an item that makes that connection.

So, before you toss aside an old letter or a photo, consider donating it to the The Heritage Center.  We care.

Beth Daly

Volunteer, The Heritage Center

Hours     Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday  10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. First Saturday each month  10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or by appointment

Location     900 Barton Street #111 Fredericksburg, VA 22401  (540) 373-3704