Genealogy
by Joanne Cooper
Appalachia has no agreed-upon boundaries, nothing comparable to the Mason-Dixon Line or the 100th meridian or the Hudson River, boundaries that are widely accepted as demarcating clear separations between one American region and another. Appalachia is one of the oldest names on North American maps, dating from the early Spanish explorations of the southeastern United States. The name conveys the notion of a regional core somewhere in the highlands, but when we look closely at the natural region, the Appalachian mountain system, we find that its central feature is a trough — ”the Great Valley” — not a line of watershed peaks like those that mark the center of other famous mountain systems such as the Alps or the Rockies.
The first attempt to define Appalachia systematically was made in 1861 by a Minnesota newspaper. A series of articles published during the early months of the Civil War identified a region that the editor called "Alleghenia": 161 counties in the mountains of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. (http://www.ibiblio.org/uncpress/chapters/williams_appalachia.html) Appalachia: A History by John Alexander Williams
I am trying to get a picture in my mind of this family, my family, to imagine their struggles and difficulties and their small joys in life, living in Appalachia in North Carolina. The Waldroop family is of Scottish origin, tracing from Fifeshire, Midlothian (Edinburgh), and Glasgow. The name was derived from the office of The Royal Wardrobe, which included articles of clothing, furniture not in actual use, rare imported spices, and other articles deemed to be valuable by the royal family. The name has appeared in many variations, including deWardrob in 1210, DeWardroba in 1270, and deWarderoba in 1278.
James Wardrope left Scotland and lived in Virginia, then ventured south to North Carolina, where the Waldrops stayed for the next 100 years, before the railroad took them further south. Wardrope was said to have sold supplies to Patriots during the Revolutionary War and received his first land grant in 1746, in Wake County North Carolina. He may have had land along the James River in Chesterfield County, VA., mentioned in 1797. He may also be the "wealthy" Waldrop mentioned in the 1790 tax list in King William County, VA.
I can’t write about the Waldrops without mentioning the Melungeons. This is where the controversy comes in and opinion takes over. The Melungeons were a multiracial culture, possibly related to the Turks, the Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh, Gypsies or Native American/ African American/ Caucasian, but without argument, the Melungeons lived in the Appalachian Mountains. Some historical records indicate that Melungeons were living in Appalachia as early as 1567 and led a solitary existence because they were considered outcasts. Strange to many — and because of their mixed racial heritage, they were considered lower on the ladder of social acceptance than most. Not white, not black, not sure what they were, but names like Black Dutch, Black Irish, Mulattos, and Free Persons of Color were used to describe them. If they were to escape the prejudice, it meant leaving the homeland, changing their name in some way, and tweaking the family history to hide the shame.
Genealogy
by Joanne Cooper
I’ve heard the Appalachias was land no one else wanted, or it may have resembled the homeland. It was difficult for farming, isolated, home to many Native American tribes. No doubt they worked hard— a person was an old-timer if/when he reached his 40s or 50s. Women had a rough time; the only way to avoid pregnancy was to nurse the child until age three or four — not so effective as birth control. Women had 11 children, 13 children, more — most of them didn’t make it to adulthood. There are hillbilly myths: cousins marrying cousins, or worse, moonshining, shotgun toting, mistrust of strangers — these myths were fuel for cartoons and fictional stories.
James Wardrope seemed to do well for himself, considering his land ownership. His son, Edward, enlisted in the Revolutionary War, having served five tours of duty for a total of 18 months. One of Edward's sons, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, William Eli, “Black Bill” was said to be the offspring of a slave and her owner, Edward Waldroop — a free person of color but still in the family. Black Bill married an American Indian or Melungeon, and it was several generations of mixing the racial stew and many miles away from Appalachia before I was born white.
I guess you are what you know you are. Some folks are better off not knowing about the past, but I can't get enough of it. Your family history can give you a whole new perspective and understanding for getting along in life.
Joanne Cooper is a part-time genealogist, performer and museum guide (Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburg Vermont), and a full time wife and mother to three.
