Mrs. Aileen Sellers Stroupe (1913 - 2009)

BESSEMER CITY - Mrs. Aileen Sellers Stroupe, 95, of St. Mark's Church Road, died Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, at Carolina Care Center. She was born on Sept. 21, 1913, a daughter of the late Cletus Andrew and Fannie Mauney Sellers. Aileen was a home maker, a lifetime member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church where she was chairman of the bereavement committee for 50 years, charter member of Cherryville Senior Citizens and a member of Shady Grove Senior Citizens.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Thamer Stroupe in 1993; an infant son ; two brothers, Ralph and Cline Sellers; an adopted grandson, Joey Ginn; and special friend and caregiver, Ann Ferrell.

Surviving are her loving son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Patsy Stroupe; several nieces and nephews; and her caregivers, Debra Prestwood and Janice Ballard.

A special thanks to the staff of Carolina Care Center, Dr. Thomas White, Cheryl Baxter and Hospice Cleveland County.

Visitation: The family will receive friends Friday, Aug. 28, 6 to 8 p.m., at Carpenter's Funeral Home and other times at the home of Patsy and Tony Stroupe.

Funeral: Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m., St. Mark's Lutheran Church

Burial: St. Mark's Lutheran Church Cemetery

Officiated by: The Revs. Marty Ramey and Lane Lavender

Memorials: St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1203 St. Mark's Church Road, Cherryville, NC 28021; or Hospice Cleveland County, 951 Wendover Heights Drive, Shelby, NC 28150

Funeral home: Carpenter's Funeral Home

Dean Emeritus Henry Stroupe dies

Dean Emeritus Henry Stroupe dies

Professor bridged old and new campuses and developed graduate school
By Kerry M. King ('85)Office of Communications and External RelationsPublished August 21, 2009

Henry Stroupe ('35, MA '37), the founding dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and one of the last surviving faculty members to have taught on the Old Campus, died on Aug. 20 in Winston-Salem. He was 95.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; two sons and their wives, Steve ('66) and Jane, and David ('68) and Kim; and two grandchildren, Stephen Christopher and Margaret Elizabeth ('97).
Stroupe joined the history faculty in 1937 and served as director and later dean of graduate programs from 1961 until retiring in 1984. He received Wake Forest's highest award for service, the Medallion of Merit, in 1998.
“He stands high in Wake Forest's history,” said Professor Emeritus of Religion Carlton Mitchell ('43), who had known Stroupe since he was a student at Wake Forest and Stroupe was just starting his teaching career. “He was very valuable in preserving and building the bridge between the old Wake Forest and the new Wake Forest. He represented the best of old Wake Forest, but he was determined that it should grow, as it did, and the graduate school was an important part of that.”
Stroupe and Mitchell played golf together for 50 years until health problems forced Mitchell to give up the game several years ago. But Stroupe, even into his 90s, continued to play several times a week and had shot his age just a few weeks ago, Mitchell said. Besides his passion for golf, Stroupe was also known for keeping the yard of his Faculty Drive home in meticulous condition. After he retired, he and his wife traveled extensively and visited all seven continents, saving Antarctica for last.
Friends remembered his unassuming nature and a quiet, steady manner of getting things done. “He had great integrity and was a very considerate man to work with,” Mitchell said. “He was a deeply caring person and a very insightful person.”
Edwin G. Wilson ('43) was provost for much of the time that Stroupe was dean of the Graduate School. “Henry Stroupe will be remembered as one of the founders of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem,” Wilson said. “Bringing with him the best and most enduring traditions of the Old Campus, where he had been both a student and teacher, he taught American history, chaired the history department during a lively period of growth and expansion, and became the first dean of the graduate school, overseeing the development of both MA and PhD programs. He always welcomed any assignment that would bring new strength to the University he loved.”
A native of Alexis, N.C., in Gaston County, and the son of a Baptist minister, Stroupe attended Mars Hill Junior College before coming to Wake Forest in 1933. He taught his first class as a senior in 1935 as a teaching fellow in social sciences before joining the faculty full time in 1937. He received his PhD in history from Duke University in 1942 and, after serving in the Navy during World War II, returned to Wake Forest permanently in 1946.
When Wake Forest moved to Winston-Salem in 1956, Henry and Elizabeth Stroupe, like many other faculty couples, built a house on Faculty Drive, and were the last of the original 23 homeowners on Faculty Drive. “I remember sitting out on the front porch late one evening in the first two or three days and it was so quiet. There was nobody else around,” Henry Stroupe recalled in a 2006 interview with Wake Forest Magazine. “I walked to campus most of the time. It took me seven minutes to walk to the library where the history department was first located.”
Stroupe was chairman of the social sciences department from 1954 to 1957 and chairman of the history department from 1957 to 1968. He was also director of evening classes from 1957 to 1961, when Wake Forest offered night classes to area residents. In 1961, he was named director of graduate studies and in 1967, dean of the newly created Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Stroupe taught classes on the history of North Carolina and researched and wrote extensively about the state's history and the history of North Carolina Baptists. He served as president of the North Carolina Historical Society in 1965 and president of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association in 1974.
In 1982, he received the Christopher Crittenden Memorial Award from the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association for his contributions to the advancement of North Carolina history. He was also interested in Wake Forest's history and helped relocate and restore the Calvin Jones house — now home to the Wake Forest Birthplace Museum — in the town of Wake Forest.

Dr. Henry Stroupe

By John Hinton Journal Reporter
Published: August 21, 2009
Henry S. Stroupe, a founding dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Wake Forest University and a professor who served as the chairman of the history department, died Thursday. He was 95.Elizabeth Stroupe, his wife, said that husband died because of complications from a fall at his home on Faculty Drive in Winston-Salem."He was a loving husband for 67 years," she said. "He enjoyed our life being close to the campus."In 1984, Stroupe retired as dean of the graduate program. He received the university's highest award for service, the Medallion of Merit, in 1998.Carlton Mitchell, a WFU professor emeritus of religion, had known him since Stroupe had started his teaching career at the college's original campus in Wake Forest. "He was valuable in preserving and building the bridge between the old Wake Forest and the new Wake Forest," Mitchell said in the university's online profile of Stroupe.Stroupe was a native of Alexis in Gaston County. He attended Mars Hill Junior College two years before going to Wake Forest, where he received his bachelor's degree in history in 1935. He received his master's degree in history two years later and joined the faculty.Stroupe received his doctorate in history at Duke University in 1942. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to Wake Forest and then moved to Winston-Salem in 1956 when university moved to its present-day campus. The Stroupes were among the original homeowners on Faculty Drive near campus.In 1982, Stroupe received the Crittenden Memorial Award from the N.C. Literary and Historical Association for his scholarly work on North Carolina history.During their retirement, Henry and Elizabeth Stroupe attended WFU football and basketball games and concerts and plays on campus, Elizabeth Stroupe said. Stephen Stroupe, the couple's oldest son, said that his parents visited all seven continents, including a trip to Antarctica in 1999 when they were 85. His father also played golf in his 90s and was a photographer.Stephen Stroupe said that his father "enjoyed the vitality of life."David Stroupe, the couple's younger son, said that his father was an intelligent and patient man."He was loyal to everything that Wake Forest represented," he said.Henry Stroupe's funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Wait Chapel on the WFU campus. His burial will follow at Forsyth Memorial Park.

Anderson Stroupe

Anderson Stroupe was born Feb. 12, 1852 son of Solomon Leander Stroup and wife, nee Nancy Caroline Senter. Part of his farm at Hoyle's Creek had belonged to his father, who inherited or purchased part of the large farm of Philip Stroup, Sr. farm, Anderson’s great-grandfather, land that originally belonged to the Pioneer Jacob Stroup who had his first land grant in Nov. 1771.

FIRST WIFE MARGARET KEEVER
Anderson married first at age twenty on Dec. 29, 1872 Margaret Keever by whom he had one child, Margaret Caroline, but this wife either died in childbirth or when their child was small.

SECOND WIFE, REBECCA MORRIS
On Aug. 15, 1875 Anderson married Rebecca M. Morris, sister to Rev. John F. Morris who married Anderson’s sister Frances Catherine “Fanny” Stroup. Rebecca became stepmother to little Margaret, then bore nine children of her own between 1876 and 1893 when she also died.

THIRD WIFE, CALLIE JEANETTE STROUP
About 1908 Anderson married his cousin Callie Jeanette Stroup (13 Jul 1874, 19 May 1909) as his third wife. She was daughter of Bartlett Stroup, (who had also married as a cousin his third wife, Susannah, daughter of Solomon Stroup and Nancy Haskins.
Callie Jeanette had a daughter born 14 May 1909, an infant named Callie Viola Stroupe, but mother Callie died four days later on 19 May 1909, and was buried at Mt. Zion Baptist Church cemetery. The infant Callie was “wet-nursed” by a neighbor along with her own infant, and survived.
Although it's possible that Anderson married a fourth time, he apparently had no other children. He died at age 74 on June 22, 1926 and is buried in Alexis, NC.

ANDERSON STROUP'S CHILDREN
By 1st wife Margaret Keever:
1. Margaret Caroline Stroupe, b 24 Dec 1873-6 Feb 1920, m. Lawson Lafayette Smith. Children:
(1) Reid Smith.
(2) David Smith.
(3) Jesse Smith.
(4) John Beatty Smith.
(5) Benjamin Smith.
By 2nd wife Rebecca Morris:
2. Zany Stroupe, 1876.
3. James Vinson “Jim” STROUPE b 14 June 1879-28 Aug 1966. Married Edna Nora Rhyne, b 1888.
4. Elby Stroupe, (1877-1877) died infant.
5. Bessie L. Stroupe, b c1883, m. Esband Handsell. Children:
(1) George Handsell.
(2) John Handsell.
6. Mary H. Stroupe, b 16 Feb 1884-3 May 1953 buried Alexis Baptist Church m. Marvin Howard.
7. Minnie Stroupe, b 7 Jan 1887-2 Jan 1951, m Forney A. McAlister.
8. John F. Stroupe, b c1887.
9. Rev. Stephen Morris “Steve” Stroupe (20 June 1889 - 19 Sept 1974).
Steve M. Stroupe became a Baptist minister, serving church in Alexis, Mars Hill, Granite Falls, Connelly Springs. He married 1st, May 2, 1909 in York, S.C. Augie Virginia Lineberger, d/o Coleman Lineberger & Maggie Dellinger. Rev. Stephen Stroupe married second in 1950, Burke Co., N.C. to Minnie Huffman. Children: George Washington Stroupe, Martha Louise Stroupe, Henry Smith Stroupe.
10. Hattie Odell Stroupe (16 Aug 1891 - 2 May 1965), Dallas Twp; m Giles Augustus Rhyne (19 May 1886 - 14 Mar 1979). Both buried Alexis Baptist Church cemetery. Children: 1. Eva Mae Rhyne m. Robert Payne; 2. Pauline Rhyne m. L. L. “Fuzzy” Brown.
11. Thomas Anderson Stroupe (1 Nov 1893 - 10 May 1953), he married Birdie (Bertie) Iona Keever. Both buried at Alexis Baptist Church cemetery. Children: Mildred, Ralph, Virginia, twins Coy & Roy, Jack and Marjorie.
by 3d wife (cousin) Callie Jeanette Stroupe b 13 Jul 1874-19 May 1909:
12. Callie Viola Stroupe (14 May 1909 - 23 July 1993) m. Summy Leroy Hart (8 Apr 1906 – 2 Dec 1960); children: 1. Alice Jeanette Hart 1933; 2. Lacy Hart, b. Nov 11, 1934; 3. Macy Hart, twin to Lacy; 4. Elvy Elizabeth Hart, b. Nov 3 1936; 5. Lee Roy Hart (4 Apr 1937 - 3 May 1938); 6. Marion Anderson Hart, b 27 Mar 1938; 7. Doris Ann Hart, b. 14 Apr 1949; 8. Royce Dean Hart, twin & 9. Boyce Gene Hart, b. 16 May 1941; 10. Max Reid Hart b. Nov 9 1942; 11. Dollie Fay Hart, b. 23
½ Oct 1943; 12. Ruth Eve Hart b. 21 June 1946.


Anderson’s descendant through son Stephen b 1889; Henry Stroupe, Ph D., Prof. Emeritus Wake Forest Univ., m. Augie Virginia Lineberger of Iron Station.



SOURCES
1. Margaret Stroupe (Mrs. Craig) sent a large batch of material she collected, including: "Descendants of Solomon Stroup", with no author's name. "Stroup Genealogy", information from the meeting of a research committee at the home of Pauline Rhyne Brown, College St., Stanley, N.C.
Those present who combined their information included: Callie Viola Stroup Hart, Hattie Odell Stroup Rhyne (daughters of Anderson Stroup), and Giles August Rhyne. This Genealogy was typed by Maude Stroup Breidenthal, daughter of John W. and Orra Stroup. Other information has been added from census and cemetery records.
2. Lincoln & Gaston Co. census records, wills & deeds.

2009 Alexis Stroup Reunion Minutes

PROPOSED MINUTES (Pending approval at 2010 Reunion)
of
Stroupe Reunion
August 2, 2009

The 84th annual Stroupe Reunion was held on Sunday, August 2, 2009 in the gym of the Family Life Center of Alexis Baptist Church in Alexis, North Carolina. Approximately 90 people attended.

Group pictures were taken.

Steve Snyder gave the invocation.

Following the meal, Daphna Shelton welcomed those in attendance and led the business session.

The minutes for 2008 (which included the financial report for 2008) were read and, upon motion duly made and seconded, approved.

The second item of business was the election of officers to serve for 2009-2010. Upon motions duly made and seconded, the following officers were unanimously elected:

President - Nancy Quesada
Vice President - Mike Hipp
Secretary/Treasurer - Martha (Hipp) Daniel
Historian - Mike Stroupe (Rock Hill, SC)
Historian Committee - Sid Stroupe, Linda Ballard, Nancy Quesada
Set-up Committee - Mike Hipp, Ruth Hipp, Tim Stroupe,
Clean-up Committee - Everyone


The following twenty-three first time attendees were recognized:

John Bollman (Chapin, SC)
Carol Callanan (Bristol, VA)
Bryan and Zack Crenshaw (Philadelphia, PA)
Bill and Maxine Mintz (Iron Station, NC)
Mary Stroupe O’Malley (Marietta, SC)
Bill and Jacqui Randolph (Kirkland, WA)
Jesse & Jen Recinos (Austin, TX)
Margi & Paul Recinos (Newburyport, MA)
Josh and Sara Reese (Morganton, NC)
Rice and Cynthia Sexton (Raleigh, NC)
Barbara Anne Stegall (Matthews, NC)
Sondra Stroupe (Clover, SC)
Debbie Walsh (Knoxville, TN)
Jon and Gwendolyn Hanna Ward (Burnsville, NC)
Kathy Weathers (Travelers Rest, SC)

Recognition Certificates were awarded as follows:

Oldest Man (90) - Homer Orren
Oldest Woman (93) - Louise Groner
Youngest Boy (15 months) - Nathan Stroupe
Youngest Girl (4 years) - Virginia Keen
Greatest Distance Traveled - Bill and Jacqui Randolph (Kirkland, Washington)


Deaths reported were:

Mattie Marie Long Beal (January 2, 2009), Lincolnton, NC
- daughter of Julius and Eva Stroupe Long (both deceased)

Zana Parr Clippard (April 20, 2009), Alexis, NC
- daughter of Eural Collinsand Mary Parr Stroupe Clippard (both deceased)

Joe Daniel “Joey” Ginn (January 3, 2009), Cherryville, NC
- son of Joe Daniel “Dan” (Sr.) Ginn and Jo Ann McSwain Guin (deceased)
- husband of Pat Ginn
- nephew of Tony and Patsy Stroupe

Darthey Walker Hipp (September 18, 2008), Alexis, NC
- widow of Donald Clifton Hipp (who was the son of
Arthur Berry and Joanna Ellen Stroup Hipp (both deceased)
- mother of Michael, Stephen, Alan and Warren Hipp

Virginia “Jenny” Stroupe Kiser (December 3, 2008), Shelby, NC
- daughter of Thomas and Birdie Keever Stroupe (both deceased)

Don Paul Shook (March 13, 2009), Moneta, Virginia
- son of Paul Emory (deceased) and Edna Stroupe Shook

Nancy Stroup (June 24, 2009), Waco, NC
- daughter of Arthur Boyd and Gladys Essie Sellers Stroup (both deceased)

Clara Delle Stroupe (October 6, 2007), Cherryville, NC
- daughter of Bert and Sudie Stroupe (both deceased)


Ernest Bright Stroupe (November 8, 2002), Rutherford College, NC
- son of Ephirm and Nora Dellinger Stroupe (both deceased)

James Walter Stroupe (March 8, 2009), Lincolnton, NC
- son of Annie Rhyne Stroupe (deceased)

Edna Absher Thompson (January 16, 2009), Cherryville, NC
- daughter of Julius Clyde and Carrie Stroupe Absher (both deceased)

Although the following deaths were not verbally reported at the reunion, their obituaries were received and are included herein:

Addie Estelle Bingham (March 26, 2008), Morganton, NC
- daughter of David Jackson Stroupe and Eliza Christine Mooney Stroupe
(both deceased)

Carmie Gene Stroupe (October 23, 2008), Morganton, NC
- son of Gerald and Katie Johnson Stroupe (both deceased)

H. Craig Stroupe (December 11, 2008), Morganton, NC
- son of Ralph Benjamin and Eva Beatrice Rhyne Stroupe (both deceased)
- husband of Margaret Stroupe Stroupe
- father of Ben C. Stroupe, Diane Stroupe Holbrook and Linda Stroupe Snyder


Marriages reported were:

Chad Michael Stroupe to Heather Malia Clippard (March 12, 2005), Alexis, NC
- bridegroom is the son of Mike Stroupe,
grandson of Jack and Helen Stroupe (both deceased), and
great-grandson of Thomas and Birdie Stroupe (both deceased)

Christopher Shawn Stroupe to Stephanie Sexton (May 23, 2009)
- bridegroom is the son of Ben and Connie Stroupe,
grandson of H. Craig (deceased) and Margaret Stroupe Stroupe


Births reported were:

Jordan Dean Reeves (June 2, 2009), Florida
- great grandson of Coy and Gloria Dean Stroupe (both deceased)
- grandson of Beverly Stroupe Ellis
- son of Amber Ellis and Ray Reeves

Mike Stroupe (Daniel Stroup descendent) (Rock Hill, South Carolina), Historian and chairman of that committee, gave the Historian Committee report. He welcomed Bill Randolph to the reunion and said Bill’s family were descendants of the Stroupes who were iron workers. Mike reported he has been going through the information he obtained from Ethel Stroupe’s research of 50 years. Among other facts, Mike shared that ancestor Leon Stroupe of Texas sang at the funeral of Bonnie and Clyde and that some of the land sold to the Vanderbilts for the Biltmore Estate was previously owned by Stroupes. He also spoke about the great military tradition of the Stroups.

Daphna Shelton announced that Jimmie Stroupe had made a sock-monkey doll and named it “Granny Catherine” for Jacob Stroup’s first wife. Jimmie donated the doll to be sold by auction at the reunion with the proceeds going to the reunion’s treasury. Bill Mintz was the auctioneer. After an energetic round of bidding, Margi Recinos was the highest bidder ($75.00).


Sid Stroupe (Daniel Stroup descendent) spoke briefly, thanking everyone for coming, and asking everyone to take a few minutes to view the large family tree posters, which highlighted four of Jacob Stroup’s 15 children (specifically, sons Adam, Philip, Daniel and Michael), all of whom were represented by descendents present at the 2009 reunion. He also advised that Mike Stroupe had made poster-sized copies of a photograph from the 1927 Alexis Reunion held at the home of David Choosey Stroup at Alexis surrounded by dozens of Model T cars parked in the field.

Following the business session, door prizes were given. The grand prize of $50.00 was won by Jon Ward (a first-time attendee from Burnsville, NC). Cash prizes were won as follows: $20.00 by Isabelle Bollman; $10.00 by Anne Orren; $5.00 by Evan Stroupe, and $5.00 by Homer Orren. Additionally, two booklets entitled “History of Jacob Straub/Stroup”, written and donated by Mike Stroupe, were won by Zack Crenshaw and Diane Holbrook, and two booklets entitled “The Lincoln County Stroups During the Revolution”, also written and donated by Mike Stroupe, were won by Amy Snyder and Marlen Chappel.

The meeting was adjourned with plans to meet again on the 1st Sunday in August of 2010 at 1:00 in the gym at Alexis Baptist Church for the next reunion







_______________________________________
Martha Ellen (Hipp) Daniel, Secretary/Treasurer

Giles Preston Stroup Story

Here are some things I heard from Uncle Lee (Daphna and Margaret's older brother) in 1992 were that Gr-Grandpa Pres was short, chubby and "bald-headed". Grandpa Pres had what is called "night blindness". There are several causes of night-blindness, including cataracts, glaucoma or a vitamin A deficiency. Lee said Grandpa Pres carried a lantern with him everywhere, as he couldn't see after dark, or before dawn. He would make a kind of "whoo-ooopie" call as he walked around. He kind of made the rounds of the neighborhood each morning, cadging breakfasts whenever he could. He also never missed a "hog killing", as he was especially fond of freshly made sausage. He had a little carriage, and a mule. He was a farmer, trader, and peddler. He would go to High Shoals, and trade produce from the farm to the mill hands for old stale bread. He then fed the bread to his hogs on his farm. He timed his trips so that he had dinner (noon meal) at the general store in High Shoals. At the store, the crackers were free, and he bought cheese (called hoop cheese), and soda pop - this was all a big treat. Uncles William and Lee would go and spend the night with him fairly often when they were small boys. He would make them fried fish for breakfast, which Grandpa Pres ate bones and all, and he served the boys coffee.

The information came from my late Uncle (Ivey) Lee Stroupe, from Alexis. Uncle William was William Erley Stroupe, Jr.

Written by Nancy Quesada.

Sarah Emma Sadler

Sarah Emma Sadler was born Christmas Day 25 December 1863 in Gaston County, North Carolina. Sarah married Giles Preston Stroup in 1888 at the age of 25. Giles was known as “Press” Stroup. Press inherited the old Bartlett “Bart” Stroup home and farm. Press and Emma had 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls. Emma died 7 August 1919 and is buried at Christ Lutheran Church in Stanley, North Carolina.

Daphna Ruth Stroupe Shelton who is Emma’s Granddaughter provided the photo. I included a photo of Daphna so you can see the close resemblance. Daphna is the current outgoing Stroup Reunion Committee President. Daphna has done a wonderful job for all the Stroup family. She has also promised me a photo of her father William Erley Stroup.

2009 Stroup Reunion Photos

Important stuff comes first. We had several people that didn’t sign the register. The information is important because this is the mailing list we use for important notices, such as the reminder flyer for next years reunion plus any news that happens in-between. If you forgot to sign it or just want to get on the mailing list all you need to do is send an email to our secretary Martha Daniel with “Stroup Reunion” in the subject line then your mailing address in the text. You can email her at Shashamed@msn.com my Uncle Jim missed the reunion this year because he forgot to sign the register, so please let Martha know if you want to be added or your address has changed.

I put a few pictures on this post that Martha was kind enough to send me. First are Sid Stroupe and his sister, Barbara Anne Stroupe Stegall. You can see why Sid’s charts were the hit of the reunion. If you couldn’t read those, you need a seeing-eye dog.

Second is photo of all who were born Stroup/Stroupe. I count a total of 21. I would sure love to see that number go up next year. I can promise you that Sid and I will do our best to improve that number.

Third photo is a group photo of all that attended. Martha said the head count was 92. Which surprised me because of the poor economy. I would love to see 150 next year.

Alexis 2009 Stroup Reunion

The reunion weekend is now completed. I must say it was a fun filled weekend. Met a lot of new cousins and went non-stop for 2 full days. I did get some new photos, which excited me beyond belief. I will be posting some of the older photos on the blog and will post ALL of them on our Ancestry tree. I’m not sure what info Sid got I will have to chat with him later and find out. We tried to spread ourselves out so everyone that had questions could get answers.

I’ll actually start with Friday. Bill Randolph and his wife flew in from Seattle, Washington and I felt that was a long expensive trip just to meet a few cousins, so I gathered up about 15 notebooks and folders on his line (Jacob Stroup 1771) and met them at the hotel in Charlotte on Friday evening. We chatted for a couple of hours then I left in order to let him start skimming through all those papers. Over the next 2 days we used almost a whole pack of paper to make copies of what Bill wanted to review. I just hope he got enough to make the trip worthwhile.

On Saturday morning we took off for Cowpens, SC to locate the iron furnace that Jacob II had built there. We had pretty good directions so we found the general area pretty quick. Our biggest problem was we were not sure this was the correct place. We had photos of the furnace, which were made in about 1980, and they didn’t match what we were seeing. After some time stomping through the woods and walking up and down the gravel road, I went back to what I thought was the site and started looking around on the ground lo and behold I started finding big clumps of slag. That is a sure sign a furnace was near by. At this point we decided we had seen about all there was to see, still not convinced we were in the right place. As we were leaving we saw a gentleman working in his yard, so we stopped and asked him about the furnace since he lived only a couple hundred yards away. He told us that yes that was where the furnace was located. He said vandals had destroyed it over the last 20 years. He said the state tried to preserve it but it was so remote they couldn’t monitor it very well. At that point we left Cowpens and headed back. Bill decided he wanted to go to Mt. Zion Cemetery in Cherryville and see Daniel Stroup’s marker. It was only a few minutes off our route back so we drove over there for a brief stop. We got back to Charlotte late afternoon so I headed home to start copying the papers Bill had selected from the night before. That gave Bill time to review the remaining papers he had.

The big day arrived early. Several of us met in Alexis at 10AM so we could visit 3 of the local cemeteries. Our group consisted of Bill Randolph and wife, Linda Ballard, Carol Callanan and her sister, Mary (Googie) O’Malley and her daughter, so we loaded into 2 cars and off we went. I must say Mary’s daughter was quite a “trooper”, she was not dressed for what we were about to undertake. She was wearing a very dress and flip-flop shoes. I must say she stomped through the mud and woods with a big smile on her face. Everyone got a lot of great photos of the Stroup markers. I did get a couple of fire ant stings on Solomon’s marker but luckily I didn’t get any poison ivy or the dreadful chigger bites. On our way back we stopped at the “Jackie Stroup Home place” and took photos. That is the home where the big 1927 reunion took place. We returned to the church just in time to clean up before things got started. Sid, Linda and I brought handouts, photos, CD’s and charts. I must say the Family charts that Sid brought were the hit of the reunion. He posted them on the wall and they were so large you could read them from 15 feet away. I got to meet Sid’s sister, which was quite a thrill for me. Every time I looked over there that wall had a crowd gathered who were trying to see where they fit on those charts. Linda Ballard spent her whole time trying to answer questions and assist people. I tried my best to chat with everyone that I had met online but there just was not enough time. Bryan Crenshaw was there and I only got to spend a few minutes with him and he has provided me with so much material. I really feel bad I didn’t spend enough time with him. The old saying applies here “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”.

I think everyone had a good time. The food was beyond description. It was spread out over 4-5 banquet tables and all types of food that you can think of. I did not eat much because I was too busy running my mouth. I am not going to cover the “official” business but will post it when Martha sends it to me. On thing I need to say is I did not take any photos, I was so busy visiting with cousins. I am hoping that some of those that took pictures will forward them to me. OH! There are about 90-100 people (75 last year) there, which kinda surprised me because of the economy. One person of note that wasn’t present was Dr. Henry Stroupe, I hope his health is good. I will post pictures when I get them. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR SUCH A GREAT STROUP REUNION!!!!