Abingdon Historical Society honors veteran volunteers

BY STEPHEN WOODWARD
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER
Visitors at the Abingdon Historical Society are almost guaranteed to discover something special about their ancestry.
And chances are they will be helped by longtime volunteers Anna Elliott and John Gregory, who each have been a part of the organization for nearly 40 years.
Both recall people making dramatic discoveries of their family’s ancestry.
“People expect royalty in their bloodline, but there are also horse thieves,” Gregory said, laughing. “But you never know what you’re going to find.”
“It’s sort of an exciting thing to do,” added Elliott. “You see so many people.”
She noted that she’s seen people from around the world in the Historical Society, and helped them research their bloodlines and local history.
In early May, Elliott and Gregory were honored with plaques at the annual Abingdon Historical Society dinner for their longtime service, along with other volunteers.
“John’s an invaluable volunteer, because he’ll do anything that’s needed. He’s worked hard on a lot of projects – a very fastidious worker,” said Melissa Watson, library manager at the Historical Society. “If you want to know anything about the Emory area, ask John. He’s the unofficial mayor of Emory.”
“Anna spearheaded the World War II history project. She compiled two volumes of research just for that war,” continued Watson, referring to the project that traces the military history of families in Washington County. “With so many veterans dying, we got that project done just in time.”
Before joining the Historical Society, Elliott served in the military for 4½ years during World War II.
After the war, and after retiring from the insurance business, she began volunteering for the Historical Society when it was still in the county courthouse.
Gregory has been retired from teaching English and history at Marion Intermediate School for 11 years, and has volunteered since. But before he started as a regular volunteer, he served as the group’s president in the 1960s, possibly the youngest of the Historical Society, Watson said.
They both describe being “caught” by the Society.
Elliott described crossing a street and being told that since she was recently retired, she could devote all of her time to volunteering. For her, 36 years later, it’s a decision she doesn’t regret.
Gregory describes himself as being “from the 18th century” and says he is unable to work the digital “toys” that were installed recently in the building. While he might not do research on computers, his real passion comes from helping people.
“When a person comes in to research their past, and they leave being successful, that’s the best reward you can get.”
Similarly, Anna has found that the people who dig up something interesting from their ancestry are the best part of volunteering.
“I still hear from one man in Ohio,” she said, adding he found her help so beneficial that he keeps in contact by sending Christmas cards.
The Historical Society has undergone dramatic changes over the years, which both Elliott and Gregory witnessed.
When the Historical Society was located in the courthouse, Gregory described the space as very small. Elliott corrected him, saying they only had a “table and a half” to work on.
Six years ago, the Society moved into bigger spaces at the train depot, with much more room to work and store records.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Gregory. “And we’ve got a lot more books than we ever had,” added Elliott.
“Our Historical Society has the highest membership of any one in Virginia,” Watson said about the group’s successes. “And that’s because of volunteers like Anna and John. I worry about what will happen if we can’t get more people like them.”