#genealogy

Apple Picking in Madison VA!

Fall in Virginia means it’s time to enjoy the changing colors and pick apples! As a lifelong Virginia resident, I may be biased, but I think Virginia has THE BEST apple picking in the country. My favorite place to pick apples, eat apple treats, ride on a hayride and enjoy the fall weather is Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison. Each weekend through October 20, visitors can ride on a hayride, make their way through the hay bale maze, choose your own apple varieties and fill a bushel box and taste delicious funnel cakes topped with Graves Mountain’s own apple preserves and powdered sugar.

We started our day with lunch at The Bavarian Chef, an authentic German restaurant on Route 29 just south of the town of Madison. They had their Oktoberfest special menu, but we went with a mix of appetizers, the sausage sampler, a kid’s meal and a chicken entree. They have beer flights as well.

After lunch, we headed up Route 29, through the town of Madison and onto Route 231 towards Syria. Graves Mountain Lodge is located a few miles northwest of the town of Madison. The lodge itself is built into the side of the mountain, but the festival area is in a valley, so there are no winding, mountain roads to navigate. Parking is free and right across the road from the festival area.

There are plenty of local craft vendors, a coffee roaster and food from Graves Mountain Lodge itself, including hot dogs and lunch items and plenty of delicious desserts featuring apples and apple preserves. Clogging and musicians set the tone for the gorgeous backdrop of fall colors.

On the way home, we paid a visit to Hebron Lutheran Church, the oldest continually-operating Lutheran church in the country and the church home of some of our ancestors, who were members of the Germanna colony of colonial-era German immigrants to the area. The platforms surrounding the circa 1740’s church building were used to dismount from horses or disembark from carriages.

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If you’re planning a visit to pick apples at Graves Mountain, there are plenty of wineries, breweries and restaurants to check out nearby. Here are just a few:

Virginia Genealogy Tips

As a genealogy addict, I’ve spent countless hours researching my family’s history and have discovered that many branches of my family date to colonial America, with the vast majority coming to Virginia in the early to mid-1600’s. For those who have colonial Virginia ancestors, the Library of Virginia is a great resource in family history research. You can explore deeds, wills and other documents related to your colonial ancestors with a quick web search on their easy-to-use website.

If you have a colonial Virginia ancestor, you can click on the “Search the LVA catalog” link to access the catalog search. I recommend clicking on “Advanced Search” and entering the first name in the top field (where it says “any field” and “contains”), then entering the last name in the bottom field (where it says “AND,” “any field,” “contains”). This will only pull results where both names appear in the same phrase, which is helpful if you have an ancestor with a common name.

LVA Search Screen

Some records are available electronically for download. Others are physically housed at the Library of Virginia. You can create an account in order to request specific documents if you are local and can visit the library. They also regularly offer genealogy classes. Even if you are not local to Virginia, I have found that the records available electronically can be extremely valuable in obtaining a clearer picture of who your ancestors were and how they lived. Records on material assistance provided to the Revolutionary War effort, land grants by the King of England and family bibles and wills give so much context to the names and dates of ancestors.

Just as an example, I plugged in my ancestor Hance/Hans Hendrick’s (1660-1728) name and ran a search. Several documents showed up, including some land records available online. I discovered that on April 25, 1701, Hance Hendrick was granted 594 acres of land in King and Queen County, Virginia.

Hans Hendrick Land Grant

These types of records are ideal for placing an ancestor in a particular location at a particular time. If you have colonial Virginia ancestors in your tree, I’d highly recommend running some searches via the Library of Virginia’s website. I’d love to know what you find out!