History A Scrap of Paper and a Bit of Trouble M Gwinn, December 30, 2025 “Nance got Pirty mad beause I Said it was your Chain” Well hello there, neighbors! I have been digging through the old archives again and I stumbled upon a little scrap of paper that feels like it is still warm from someone’s pocket. It is a hurried note from a… Continue Reading
History The Murder of Enos Gwinn: $100 REWARD! M Gwinn, December 30, 2025January 27, 2026 Well, howdy there, neighbor! Let’s talk about a murder that shook the good town of New Richmond back in 1872. It seems some folks were willing to pay serious money to set things right. The $100 Manhunt This notice, put out by Menifee Varner & Co., is a straightforward WANTED… Continue Reading
History Saving the Home Place: A Helping Hand from Lewisburg M Gwinn, December 29, 2025January 13, 2026 “I send enclosed a writing which if you get the heirs to sign so that I may file their answers to the bill we will save a great deal of cost.” Pull up a chair and take a look at this little piece of our local history. It’s a letter… Continue Reading
History A Seven-Dollar Handshake from 1886 M Gwinn, December 29, 2025 “The decree does direct the costs of the suit to paid out of the estate of John Gwinn to the plaintiffs Laban & Brackenridge – So I must look to you for my fees & you have recourse on the estate -“ Come on in and pull up a chair,… Continue Reading
Family History New (old) Book: “The Gwinn’s of Round Bottom” now on Amazon M Gwinn, December 28, 2025February 9, 2026 If you are a descendant of Laban, chances are good you may already know about “The Gwinn’s of Round Bottom” by Leona Gwinn Brown. If you don’t, it is THE definitive narrative of the family history. In it she tells the story of this family, preserving it against loss to… Continue Reading
History A Handshake and a Lined Page from 1885 M Gwinn, December 28, 2025January 17, 2026 “Be sure to meet me as I can not be there after Tuesday,” Pull up a chair, friends, and take a look at this little piece of West Virginia history from the spring of 1885. It is a simple letter written by J.C. Peters to Laban Gwinn, penned on April… Continue Reading
Civil War Era Coming Home to the High Ground: A Brotherly Call from 1865 M Gwinn, December 28, 2025December 30, 2025 “yess Laban leave that Horrible mud Hole and go to your farm In Virginia to a Country where corn matures and Wheat does not dround out” Gather ’round, neighbors, because I’ve got something special to show you today. It’s a letter from the summer of 1865, just as the dust… Continue Reading
History A Winter Word from Sewell Depot M Gwinn, December 27, 2025December 27, 2025 “Please so arrange as to let me have the amount due Wm Cook for timber at that time.” Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve found a real treasure tucked away in the archives. It’s a humble little letter, dated January 22, 1883, sent from Sewell Depot, West Virginia. A… Continue Reading
History A Breath of Fresh Air After the Storm: A Soldier’s Letter Home M Gwinn, December 27, 2025February 20, 2026 “The war is Over thank god and peace rains in Our land” Pull up a chair, friends, and take a look at this treasure I’ve found. It’s a letter from just after the Civil War, written on paper that’s turned the color of a dried corn husk. It’s got a… Continue Reading