vthepresident
Full Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2007
- Messages
- 213
- Reaction score
- 7
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Detector(s) used
- White's DFX, White's Prism II, Tesoro Sand Shark
- #1
Thread Owner
In the spring, my father in law and brother in law and I hunted a farm in Virginia that had been in the owner's family since 1830. We had many interesting finds, including a 1794 silver pocket watch case. One of the finds I cared less about at first ( I thought it was a modern Zipper pull) turned out to be a Southern Cross of Honor. The Cross was awarded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to surviving Confederate Soldiers at around the turn of the century. Since I was already back in Alabama by the time I identified it, I could not readily return it. I was excited because I was confident that the owner would know who in his family would have owned it.
Finally, this past weekend, I was able to return to Virginia ( on a mission to tell my in laws that the First Lady and I are having our first child!). My father in law and I returned to the farm to hunt (in the rain), and I delivered the placque I had made with the information about the cross. The owner was very excited, and he showed many of his family members who were visiting for the weekend. He told me it surely belonged to his grandfather, who was a surgeon for the Confederacy. He returned to the farm and practiced medicine out of the house that still stands there. He also happened to be buried right there in the family cemetary on the property, and atop his tombstone is a larger version of the Southern Cross of Honor which was awarded with the medal. It was very rewarding to give back this piece of family history to its owners.
We managed to work in abou three hours hunting the property, and I came away with an eagle pin I posted in another thread and this modern blazer button. My father in law came away with an old crotal bell, a very old lead civil war toy soldier, and a nice old compact and fancy white glass jar.
It was a great place that I'll look forward to returning to. Thanks for looking.
V
Finally, this past weekend, I was able to return to Virginia ( on a mission to tell my in laws that the First Lady and I are having our first child!). My father in law and I returned to the farm to hunt (in the rain), and I delivered the placque I had made with the information about the cross. The owner was very excited, and he showed many of his family members who were visiting for the weekend. He told me it surely belonged to his grandfather, who was a surgeon for the Confederacy. He returned to the farm and practiced medicine out of the house that still stands there. He also happened to be buried right there in the family cemetary on the property, and atop his tombstone is a larger version of the Southern Cross of Honor which was awarded with the medal. It was very rewarding to give back this piece of family history to its owners.
We managed to work in abou three hours hunting the property, and I came away with an eagle pin I posted in another thread and this modern blazer button. My father in law came away with an old crotal bell, a very old lead civil war toy soldier, and a nice old compact and fancy white glass jar.
It was a great place that I'll look forward to returning to. Thanks for looking.
V
MR TUFF
