A Chapter of the New River Historical Society
Incorporated 1966

Connelly's Branch School House

Excerpts from Anne Rebecca Radford Wharton's written recollections

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"... in the year 1849 ... At the time my story opens John Taylor [Radford] was aged 11 years and William Mosely [Radford] 9 years ...

Upon the banks of Connelly’s branch a tributary to New River a cabin made of hewed logs stood [on Dr. Radford’s land] and was used for the purpose of a school house. Several teachers among them Rev. Chas. A. Miller of Christiansburg, a Presbyterian Minister, labored fruitfully to instruct these boys as well as the neighboring farmers children. My mother used to tell the little boys who went to that school house that she wanted Statesmen and Presidents, Calhouns, Clays and Websters to emerge from its walls. Alas it only produced Martyrs.

The farming lands on one side of New River were owned by Dr. John Ingles, Col. Thomas Ingles, Doct. Radford and Major Hammet. In rear of their lands were other land owners - the
Gibsons, Turners, Wardens, Bells, Harmons, Havens and Kinzers. The children of nearly all these farmers attended the school at the log house. I have seen them all with Websters blue backed spelling book in their hands, diligently poring over its columns or with heads bent over their slates doing sums in arithmetic.

Mr Miller being desirous of studying for the Ministry decided to give up teaching and a very young man by the name of John Sullivan was engaged to teach in the neighborhood...

The three little girls [Rebecca, Jane and Elizabeth] began our education in the school house just as our brothers were quitting it for a higher school. I the oldest was only nine [1852]. We had to walk one quarter of a mile over a rocky road descending a long hill [to the log school]------Among the incidents of our early school was a whipping that Mr. Sullivan gave all three of us with a little switch for wading the branch in the beautiful clear cool water, it was worth the pain of the switching to have had the bliss of its refreshing touch on our little feet. Dear happy childhood whose joys have flown by like the limpid stream on whose banks I played. Mr. Sullivan, now a distinguished Divine only did his duty and should not be censured."


NOTES: John and William Radford later would attend "a higher school" in Bedford Co. and then the University of Virginia. They were both killed during the Civil War. Rebecca, the author of these recollections, in 1863 became the bride of Brig. Gen. G.C.Wharton. Jane Kent married Mr. W.F. Moore and died at the age of 22 years during childbirth. Elizabeth married Mr. R.H. Adams and lived at Arnheim, the Radford family home in Radford, Virginia, until her death in 1930. Minnie Adams Fitting, her granddaughter, supplied the text for this story.

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