Preface
The original intent of this book was to republish and conduct additional research on the book my aunt, Nancy Louise Edwards Harris, wrote on our Edwards Family of King George County, Virginia. New information, however, has been discovered on the life of my great-great grandfather, John Arnold Edwards, since Nancy’s death in 2005; therefore, my focus has shifted to the short life of John Arnold Edwards.
We can never know precisely the events surrounding John Arnold’s final days, but further research provides an awareness of what he experienced. His story could not be told without including his family members who possibly influenced his life. Woven in his story are morsels of information our Edwards Family members may find fascinating. Many references are included that hopefully will lead to additional explorations for the generations that follow.
I am appreciative of Nancy for her preservation of our family records and her extensive research, all done before the advent of computers and the internet. I am appreciative of her son, Dr. Charles Harris, who encouraged me to take his mother’s research to a new level.
My first cousins, who live nearby, are holders of valuable Edwards artifacts and have been major supporters in this labor of love. Thanks go to Connie Harler Henderson, Dr. John A. Harler, Ellen Marshall, and W. Jeffery Edwards, Esq. I am especially appreciative of Cousin Robert “Bob” Baird, for the amazing amount of material he shared from the archives of his great grandmother, Margaret “Maggie” Edwards Harryman, sister of my great grandfather, George Arnold Edwards. Maggie and George were the only children of John Arnold and Rose Emma Edwards living to adulthood. They were our lifeline to future generations.
I am indebted to our Sommerville cousins, Connie Sommerville Jansen and Cathleen Shea Philip, for providing photographs and letters from their archives and preserving the treasured letters written by John Arnold’s parents, Rev. Dr. William Balthrop Edwards and Elizabeth Alexander Sommerville Edwards. The letters document their everyday lives, give us a glimpse into their souls, and provide confirmation that they were outstanding human beings and worshipped God no matter what tragedies and obstacles they faced.
I am grateful for the expert guidance and support of Dr. Jane Donovan, former historian of Dumbarton United Methodist Church and retired professor of religious studies at West Virginia University.
Above all, I am grateful to God, who has blessed the Edwards Family of King George County all the way to Generation 15 in America. May he continue to bless future generations of our magnificent Edwards Family.
—Cynthia Elizabeth King Miller