A good portion of us receive the newsletter by e-mail. We would like to cut costs and this would be possible if more people received the newsletter by e-mail. If you would like to help by receiving the newsletter by e-mail please send you information to us via our Contact.
Thank you!
Elizabeth Siebold
Newsletter Coordinator
To get to the park, take I-81 to Exit 47. Go left
into town. Follow signs to McDonald’s. Turn
right at the light. Follow route 16 to the park. At
the entrance to the park, tell the gate attendant
that you are with the Copenhaver reunion and he
or she can direct you to Shelter 1.
*There is a $7 parking fee when you enter the
park
Our family has been gathering each year for several decades for a reunion to celebrate our ancestors, meet new family and have great time! We make every effort to keep our expenses to a minimum and just to share, we are constantly updating our mail list by removing those where addresses are no longer valid, but we mail approximately 300 newsletters each year and with the cost of printing and postage (envelopes and stamps) it is still expensive.
We are excited to announce that our next Copenhaver Family Reunion will be on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, Virginia. This year’s celebration will commemorate the 290th year of our ancestors’ arrival in America in 1728. It’s fun to know that the Copenhaver family used to own the land where Hungry Mother State Park is located and that we can walk where our ancestors walked before us.
10:00a.m. Registration at Shelter #1 in
Hungry Mother State Park
11:00a.m. Call to order
12:00p.m. Family photo & lunch. (Please
bring a desert to share)
3:00-10:00 p.m. Shelter #1 is reserved all day and evening for the Copenhavers. Plans are for fellowship and to eat dinner at approximately 6:00p.m. Please bring your own dinner and s’more fixings.
The price will be $12 for adults and $6 for children. This will cover the cost of the food and other reunion expenses. We also ask that everyone brings a desert to share like last year.
Thank you for contacting us. We still need a little design work but our contact form is to the right which you can use temporarly.
The Copenhaver Family of Smyth County, Virginia, compiled by Mildred (Manton) Copenhaver and Robert Madison Copenhaver, 1981.
The Copenhaver Family in the Revolutionary War, Richard Thayer, 2003.
The Ancestors and Descendants of Judge John Alexander Kelly and Martha Matilda Peck Kelly and Related Families 1515-1959, compiled by John Kelly, edited by Roberta Copenhaver, 1994. AVAILABLE: Copies of this book are available for purchase for $55 (plus media shipping). Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to order your copy.
Soldier of Southwestern Virginia (the Civil War letters of Captain John Preston Sheffey), Edited by James I. Robertson, Jr., 2004.
Sherwood Anderson's Love Letters to Eleanor Copenhaver Anderson, edited by Charles E. Modlin, 1989.
Hungry Mother: History & Legends (50th Anniversary of Hungry Mother State Park), Mack H. Sturgill, 1986.
Library of Congress - History of Smyth County
https://archive.org/stream/generalresources00shef#page/n0/mode/2up
Here are some websites that are specific references to a Copenhaver name directly on the page.
http://www.ristenbatt.com/genealogy/shplst10.htm
http://ascc.artsci.wustl.edu/~stone/history/copenhaver.html
http://getafix.mathcs.wilkes.edu/lancaster/court/tax/1753Heidelberg.html
Some Links of Interest
http://www.iberian.com/links.html
http://www.surnameweb.org/registry/c/o/p/copenhaver.shtml
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/map_sites/hist_sites.html
MUSEUMS
Museum of the Middle Appalachians - Saltville, VA in an old mill
Two of Patrick Henry's sisters moved into the Saltville Valley in the 1780's and began the commercial production of salt. This production continued unabated for the next 200 years. Saltville was extremely important to the Confederacy during the Civil War because it was the primary source of salt for the South. The musum features five permanent exhibits, and a Picture Library
123 Palmer Ave Saltville, VA
Phone: 276-496-3633.
Tours: Contact Mr. Harry Haynes for guided tours. Also Mr. Charlie Bill Totten, 276-496-5342 will provide tours around the historic Saltville area.
Smyth County Historical and Museum Society - Marion, VA
The Smyth County Historical & Museum Society was founded in 1961 to preserve the County's heritage through the collection of artifacts, photographs and manuscripts and presentation of public programs and publications.
123 East Main Street, Marion, VA. 24354
Phone : 276-783-7286
Hours: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m and Saturdays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Directions
Located next to the Lincoln Theater
Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia - Atkins, VA
The purpose of the museum is to tell the story of the people who settled the mountainous southwest corner of Virginia and how its unique culture was developed. Visitors discover this as they move through the museum's Visitor's Center, 1890's School and Farm.
1322 Rocky Hollow Rd, Atkins, VA
Phone: 276-686-4401
Historic Crab Orchard Museum - Tazewell, VA
Nestled in the mountains approximately 27 miles north of Hungry Mother State Park, the Museum & Pioneer Park is a premiew cultural heritage center.
3663 Crab Orchard Rd, Tazewell, VA
Phone: 276-988-6755
William King Museum: Center for Art and Cultural Heritage, - Abingdon, VA
William King came to America from Ireland in 1784 and completed an apprenticeship in Philadelphia before continuing westward to Virginia’s frontier and settling in Washington County. Founded in 1989 and housed in a historic 1913 former school, the William King Museum has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Southwest Virginia and beyond for over 20 years, as well as a cherished destination for residents and visitors. Also includes a Library & Cultural Heritage Archive.
415 Academy Drive, Abingdon, VA
Phone: 276-628-5005
RECREATION
Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA
Located just off of route 16 near I-81, the park is noted for over 2,000 acres of woodlands and a beautiful large lake for fishing, boating, lakeside beach for swimming, picnicking, hiking and biking trails, camping, and a discovery center to learn about the area. It also is home to a log-style restaurant which is open seasonally, and has a conference center for special events and a variety of rental cabins that are available throughout the year.
Phone: 276 -781-7400
Burke's Garden - Tazwell, VA
Northeast of Hungry Mother State Park is the highest valley in Virginia that has been called "God's Thumbprint" and the "Garden Spot of the World." This bowl-shaped valley carved out of the top of a mountain offers the most breathtaking scenery this side of New Zealand, with verdant farmland, abundant wildlife, rare bird watching, peaceful biking, and adventurous hiking on the Appalachian Trail.
Mount Rogers Recreational Area
Hiking, horseback riding, camping, picnicking, and sight-seeing along the Mount Rogers Scenic Byway. Part of the USDA Forest Service, this is one of the premiere hiking spots in the Appalachian Mountains. Mount Rogers is the highest point in the state of Virginia. The Mountain and National Recreation Area are named after William Barton Rogers; the first Virginian state geologist and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Horseback riding, biking, picnic area. part With 33 miles of beautiful trails, it begins in Abingdon, runs through Damascus and ends at Whitetop Mountain. The trail follows a rail right-of-way that dates to the 1880s.
Hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding. The park is within the Jefferson National Forest, which adjoins the Mount Rogers Recreational Area.
ENTERTAINMENT
Lincoln Theatre, Downtown Marion, VA
Live performances, including “Song of the Mountains” which is aired on the Public Broadcasting System.
Phone: 276-783-6093
WohlfartHaus, Wytheville, VA
Dinner Theatre.
Phone: 888-950-3382
Barter Theatre Abingdon, VA (State Theatre of Virginia)
Stage plays. On June 10, 1933, Barter Theatre opened its doors, proclaiming "With vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh." The price of admission was 40 cents or equivalent amount of produce. Four out of five Depression-era theatregoers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products and livestock. The concept of trading "ham for Hamlet" caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter Company cleared $4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly, and a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.
127 West Main Street, Abingdon, VA
Phone: 276-628-3991
Paramount Theatre, Bristol, VA
Stage plays and live entertainment. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Paramount is an excellent example of the art deco motion picture palaces built in the late 1920's and early 30's.Phone: 423-274-8920
MOVIE THEATRES
Marquee Cinemas, Wytheville, VA
Phone: 276-228-9875
Cinemall, Abingdon, VA
Phone: 276-676-0100
Tinsel Town, Bristol, VA
Phone: 276-669-2091
EVENTS
Hungry Mother Arts and Crafts Festival - Hungry Mother Park, Marion VA
Held annually, the third week of July – arts, crafts, food vendors & entertainment.
Phone 276-781-7400
Rich Valley Fair & Horse Show, Saltville, VA
Held annually late July or early August.
Phone 276-624-3263
Virginia Highlands Festival - Abingdon, VA
Abingdon, VA… artisians, crafts, entertainment
Phone: 1-888-489-4230
RESTAURANTS
Marion: Arbys, Burger King, Dip Dog (Hwy 11S), Four Seasons, Hardees, Hungry Mother Restaurant; LaPaloma (Mexican), Macado's, Pizza Perfect, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Sisters, Sonic, Subway, Wolfe's BBQ, Wooden Pickle, Yummy Yummy (Japanese)
Chilhowie: El Campestre (Mexican), Mc Donalds, Riverfront Restaurant, Subway, Taco Bell, Warrior Grill
On September 11, 1732, Wolfgang Koppenhofer (Copenhaver) arrived at the Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, Anna Marie Haffner, son Michael, and three daughters, Anna Barbara, Anna Rosina, and Anna Catharina. Wolfgang was the son of Jacob Koppenheffer of Rublingen Wuitternburg, Germany. Wolfgang had sold the family’s farm in Rublingen, Germany and traveled to America on the Pennsylvania Merchant. It must have been a long trip, because it usually took approximately three months to cross the Atlantic. Upon arrival, Wolfgang and his son Michael took the Oath of Allegiance to qualify for admission into the Colony of Pennsylvania. They settled in Heidelberg Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, near his eldest son Johann Thomas Copenhaver who had arrived in America four years earlier. Wolfgang and Anna Marie spent the rest of their lives in Heidelberg Township under the authority of King George III. Wolfgang dies in 1763.
Johann Thomas Copenhaver, son of Wolfgang Copenhaver, arrived in the colonies four years before his father and the rest of his family. Thomas arrived as a young man, at the age of 16, at the Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1728 on the James Goodwill. He, as his father and brother later did, took the Oath of Allegiance to become a member of the colony. In that same year, Thomas married his first wife, Anna Marie Zinn, and settled in Heidelberg Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania near the present town of Myerstown. The first of seven children was born in July 1729, Henry Copenhaver. In 1739, Thomas purchased the land where he had first settled in Heidelberg Township.
Sadly Anna Maria passed away in 1746, leaving her husband and seven children. Thomas went on to marry twice more. Next to Anna Elizabeth Holtzman in 1747, who died on June 2, 1748 at the age of 33. On January 25, 1749, Thomas meet Catherine Elizabeth Lehman and was soon married. They remained in Heidelberg Township where Thomas passed away in 1760. Just before his death, Thomas deeded his plantation in Heidelberg to his son Henry on June 10, 1758. Thomas left a total of 388.16.11 3/4 pounds to his wife Elizabeth, four sons Henry, Michael, Simon, and Thomas Jr. and three daughters Eva, Catherine, and Regina through her husband John Trice.
Thomas Copenhaver, son of Thomas and grandson of Wolfgang, was born in 1739 in Pennsylvania. At the age of 20, Thomas married Catherine Mosser of Bethel Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. They had five children together, Maria Catherine, Thomas, Christina, Frederick, and Elizabeth.
In July of 1764, Thomas purchased 137 acres from Jacob Moser (assumed no relation to Catherine) in Hanover Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Thomas and his family lived on their homestead for five years and on May 31, 1769, he sold the property for 149 pounds 8 shillings and 10 pence. However, no March 5, 1772, Thomas and Catherine appeared at the ‘Orphans’ court in defense of a land debt owed to the survivors of Jacob Moser.
On June 4, 1774, a committee of nine was appointed to act on the behalf of the Hanover Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania of which Thomas Copenhaver, grandson of Wolfgang Copenhaver, was a part. The concern was the actions of the Parliament of Great Britain. The chairman of the committee, Colonel Timothy Green, stated, "In the event Great Britain attempting to force laws upon us by the strength of arms, our course we leave to Heaven and our rifles." Furthermore, on August 23, 1775, King George III issued a proclamation, declaring the colonies to be in a state of rebellion. Soon after in 1776, the revolutionary war began. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, announcing the birth of a new nation, though the war had not ended. This was also the year Catherine passed away.
Captain Thomas Copenhaver became the Captain of Militia in Colonel Timothy Green's Battalion in Hanover township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, August 12, 1776. His militia Battalion consisted of 35 private, 2 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 1 fifer, thier pay combined totaled 97 pounds. Then in 1777 he became captain of the first company in Colonel John Rogers' 6th Battalion. On August 30, 1777, his Battalion was stationed in Chester under Colonel Alexander Cowrey.
On May 9, 1778, Captain Thomas Copenhaver took the Oath of Allegiance to the new country; though the war did not officially end until September 1783. That same year he married his second wife, Elizabeth Miese. Finally, on October 19, 1781, after being trapped at Yorktown near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, Cornwallis surrendered his army of 8,000 British soldiers to the Americans. Two years later on September 3, 1783, Great Britain and its former colonies signed the Treaty of Paris. On September 17, 1787, after 16 weeks of deliberation, the finished Constitution was signed by 39 of the 42 delegates present. The Constitution was ratified on July 26, 1788.
In early 1780, having served his commitment in the Revolutionary War, Captain Thomas Copenhaver gave up his holdings in Hanover township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and joined the migrations to Virginia with his then wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, John and Mary Ann. On October 1, 1781, Thomas purchased a tract of land known as Radcliff’s March on Reed Creek in Christiansburg, Virginia. They had settled near Crockett, in the present-day Wythe County, Virginia. Thomas and Elizabeth had two more children in Virginia, Henry and Samuel. Sadly Elizabeth dies in 1783.
On August 2, 1783, Thomas purchased 310 acres on Montgomery count on the south branch of Reed Creek, expanding his property holdings. Then on April 13, 1784, Thomas married Julianna Seig in Montgomery County, Virginia. Captain Thomas Copenhaver passed away intestate in Wythe County in 1802. His estate was sold at public auction on March 4, 1803. Frederick, Samuel and Henry Copenhaver later sold 93 acres of the property located on Reed Creek for 450 dollars, on January 9, 1814.
Frederick Copenhaver was born in Hanover Township in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1770 to Captain Thomas and Catherine Copenhaver. In 1780, he traveled with his family to Southwest Virginia where he spent his life. In 1789, Frederick married Eve Phillippi in Wythe County, Virginia. They had 12 children, Henry, Christopher, John Christian, Magdelena, Elizabeth, Catharine, Sarah, Barbra, David Campbell, Christianna, Thomas A., and Samuel.
On June 8, 1801, Fred indentured 191 acres of land from Samuel McReynolds. In addition, on November 27, 1804, he purchased for $126.00 an additional 63 acres from McReynolds, totaling 254 acres; and by 1816 he owned 354 acres. He built a large log home on the farm for he and his family to live. Smyth County was established in 1832 when Wythe County and Washington County were combined. Fredrick passed away in his home on Jan 30, 1836. Frederick left his land to Thomas and Samuel and then divided the worth of his estate amongst his children and 3 grandchildren totaling 3,402.67.1/2 pounds.
Eleven of Frederick's twelve children remained in the Smyth County region of Virginia. They were primarily farmers or wives of farmers during the 1800's. The descendants of Frederick Copenhaver are the lines that the Southwest Virginia Copenhaver family follows. This is where the Southwest Virginia Copenhaver family’s history began.