S. Paul Peery
Orlando, Florida - March 20, 1995
Mr. Paul D. Peery
P.O. Box 58195
Salt Lake City, UT 84158
Dear Paul:
Enclosed is a little surprise for you. This is a copy of my JAMES PEERY
research. I hope you enjoy reading it. I have researched all the other
Peery brothers and my research continues on all. The amount of
information that I have on Thomas Peery more than doubles the amount of
James. I would guess it is almost three times the information.
I read, with interest, your sister's [Julina Peery Parker] comment on
Burke's Garden. I am attaching some additional information taken from
Louise Leslie's book TAZEWELL COUNTY. I know you will enjoy reading it.
Some of it concerns my ancestors on my mother's side of the family, since
most of my ancestors on her side lived in Burke's Garden. But, your
sister is incorrect on the one-way into Burke's Garden. To go to Burke's
Garden from Tazewell you follow U.S. Route 460 east to an area known
locally as Four-Way. Then you take State Route 61 east to a community
known as Gratton. Then take County Road 623 across Rich Mountain and
Garden Mountain to Burke's Garden. She is right, it is a winding, curving
road and my wife hates to travel it, so I don't get over there very often.
My grandmother (father's side) lived on the side of Rich Mountain for
many years, until she died at 98. She refused to have all the conveniences
of modern life and lived her own peaceful life.
In Burke's Garden, County Road 623 crosses the Garden but at Gose Mill
(Burke's Garden Dam). County Route 666 splits off C.R. 623 and goes east
to C.R. 625 which then goes back west until it returns to C.R. 623.
OR
You can enter Burke's Garden from Sharon Springs a community on State
Route 42 near Ceres, Virginia. (This is Bland Co.) At Sharon Springs,
you can pickup C.R. 623 and cross Brushy Mountain into Burke's Garden.
State Route 42 runs west off Interstate 77 which is the main Interstate
going North from Charlotte, North Carolina.
My other grandmother (mother's side) was raised in Ceres, Va. and
attended school there until she married my grandfather, Stephen Paul
Peery, who lived in Burke's Garden.
There are two other dirt roads available from Bland County, but I would
not recommend them for the average tourist trade. (Grin).
Your sister is correct in stating that the community of Burke's Garden is
small. It is--Burke's Garden itself is approximately 10 miles in length and
about 5 miles in width. It is made up of farms, a small store, post office
and good fishing and hunting. There used to be a high school there, but it
was discontinued a few years ago and the students are now bussed to
Tazewell High School in Tazewell.
As a teenager, I used to hunt with my father on Rich and Garden Mts. and
during trout season, would fish in the dam. We also used to pick wild
cherries from the side of the mountain but when cherry wood became so
valuable, they were all cut-down. My father also used to own a fuel
delivery truck and I would go with him into Burke's Garden to deliver
fuel to the various farms. When we would arrive at a farm at lunch time,
it was considered "rude" not to have lunch with them. Even, one time I
had a "blind date" in the Garden and when I arrived with some friends, my
date turned out to be a cousin. We still had a good time, even though she
continued to remind me of the fact.
Hope you enjoy the research work that I have done on James Peery.
This work consists of a small article on the Peery History, an Index of
the names in the research, the James Peery article, and at the end,
Sources of my information. As an example, if you would look at Major
David Peery (No. 36) you will see S73 beside his name. You can then go to
Sources No. 73 and obtain the source of my information.
The article on James Peery is by Generations. You can follow each
individual by [his/her] number.
Enjoy
Sincerely,
(s) S. Paul Peery
S. Paul Peery
Enclosure
Editor - Peery Family
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