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Shrewsbury (Shrewsberry) Family & Friends!

Solesbury Monument Organization
www.SolesburyMonument2009.org

Dedicated to Raising a Monument to Jeremiah and Mary (Clay) Solesbury,
Clover Bottom-Spanishburg Pioneers and Progenitors of the
Shrewsbury (Shrewsberry) Families of West Virginia
 

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Mercer County Historical Society
908 Harrison Street
Princeton, WV 24740

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Help Raise A Monument
 Honoring
Jeremiah Solesbury
&
Mary (Clay) Solesbury
Progenitors of the
Shrewsbury (Shrewsberry)
Families of West Virginia

Maxey-Ferguson Cemetery
Nubbins Ridge Road
Spanishburg, WV 25922

Jeremiah Solesbury (Shrewsbury) Monument Planned
Report of Shrewsbury Family Gathering, Spanishburg, July 11, 2009
Princeton Times, July 17, 2009

Descendants whose lives have wandered, like branches on a tree,
but have roots that remain as one

The name is spelled many ways -- Solesbury, Shrewsbury and Shrewsberry -- but it is linked to the same family ties. The lineage of the Shrewsbury (Shrewsberry) families met at the Spanishburg United Methodist Church on Saturday July 11, to discuss plans for a "Help Raise a Monument and Road Sign" campaign.

Jeremiah Solesbury has a single field stone rock with his name and dates B-1755 and D-1809, and is linked by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Clay, to the first family that settled in what is now Mercer County, WV. Mary was born around 1755 and died in 1798. The lineage of Jeremiah, Mary, and their children -- daughters, Elizabeth (Betsy), Rhoda, Mary (Polly), Martha (Millie), Sarah (Sally), and sons, John, Philip, and Honour -- lives on both in the surrounding area and beyond the boundaries of West Virginia!

Jeremiah Solesbury is buried in the Maxey-Ferguson Cemetery at Nubbins Ridge (Spanishburg, WV). The church's Fellowship Hall was filled with photos and family history to be shared by all, including family histories and books. Registration was taken, and a family lineage for a time capsule was put in place.

To learn more about plans for this monument, write to Solesbury Monument 2009, c/o Jo Ellen Lagowski, 585 Tank Branch Road,  Glen Morgan, WV 25813, or visit them on the web at www.SolesburyMonument2009.org.

Help Spread the Word -- 'Raise A Monument' Poster & Flyers!
 

Jeremiah Solesbury
(Abt 1755-1809)

&

Mary Elizabeth (Clay)
Solesbury
(Abt 1755-1798)

Gone But Not Forgotten
By Descendants Whose Lives Have Wandered,
Like Branches on a Tree,
But Have Roots That Remain As One

Lineage That Survives Generations

Daughters

Elizabeth (Betsy)

Rhoda

Mary (Polly)

Martha (Millie)

Sarah (Sally)

Sons

Thomas

John

Philip

Honour

Jeremiah & Mary Solesbury
Monument Fund

2009 marks 200 years since the death of Jeremiah Solesbury (about 1755-1809), the patriarch of the Shrewsbury Family of West Virginia. With his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Clay) Solesbury, Jeremiah was among the earliest British and European pioneers to the Clover Bottom-Spanishburg area of Mercer County. At a time when the region was marked by the dangers of both wild beasts and Indians, the bounty of the land was enjoyed only after the considerable hardship of clearing the land, planting and harvesting crops, and providing shelter for one's family. But Jeremiah, Mary, and their offspring managed to prosper amid such dangers and hardships. Today, after 10 generations or more, their descendents are spread throughout West Virginia, and the greater United States.  

The grave of Jeremiah is marked by only a rough-hewn fieldstone in the small Nubbins Ridge Road Cemetery lying off of Beckley Road, Spanishburg.  The grave of his wife is unmarked but presumed nearby. In recent years, since the passing of John Maxey -- local resident, teacher, and family historian -- in 1994, the cemetery has fallen into some neglect and obscurity. 

To mark the 200th anniversary of Jeremiah's death, we propose to raise a small-scale monument honoring Jeremiah, Mary, and their children, at the Nubbins Ridge Road Cemetery, with an appropriate formal dedication of the monument to be held in Spanishburg when the funding is complete. 

As seen in the three-dimensional images above, the proposed monument is to be a prism-shaped stele standing 5-to-6 feet in height, set just behind Jeremiah's original grave stone and integrated with the original stone in order to better preserve and support the original stone. The monument will feature a commemorative inscription on its main face, and the inscribed names of the sons and daughters of Jeremiah and Mary on its other two faces. The monument stone will be cut from granite, and will weigh about two tons. 

The cost of the proposed monument stone and installing it at the Nubbins Ridge Road Cemetery is currently estimated at $8,000-to-$10,000. To raise this sum, we invite donations from Shrewsbury family members and other interested parties throughout West Virginia and the United States. Please send your donations to: 

Solesbury Monument 2009 Fund
c/o Jo Ellen Lagowski
585 Tank Branch Rd
Glen Morgan, WV  25813
(Please make checks payable to "JS Monument 2009 Fund")

Any excess funds raised by the Fund will be devoted to defraying the costs of the dedication, and/or upkeep and improvements to the Nubbins Ridge Road Cemetery. Also, the progress of the fund drive will be regularly reported on this, the Solesbury Monument 2009 web site (click here). We also invite you to join the new Solesbury Monument Organization Group on Facebook (see above).

            Please contact us with any questions or comments.
 

Sincerely,

Solesbury Monument 2009 Committee

Jo Ellen Lagowski, Glen Morgan, WV
Dean DeRosa, Arlington, VA
Glendle Belcher, Princeton, VA
Hollie Price, Winchester, VA (1970-2011)

E-Mail Contact
(You may also post public messages to the Committee using
the web site guestbook below)

Guestbook & Shrewsbury Family Links

Mercer County Historical Society  |  Clay Memorial Park Foundation (Mitchell Clay Family)