Preserving Pocahontas

This portrait of the William Shinaberry Family was sent in by Priscilla Shields Waldman along with the following description:

For purposes of dating this photograph, the girl standing in the front, Genevieve Nettie Shinaberry (my maternal grandmother) was born November 3, 1899 in Driftwood, Pocahontas County. The picture features the William Shinaberry Family: Eva (tallest girl: back row); Albert (tallest boy standing; far left); William (seated; father); Corena (seated; mother); Mayme (girl standing behind Corena); Truda (girl standing beside Corena); Genevieve (girl standing in center with arm on William’s knee); Edgar (boy sitting on Corena’s lap) – missing from this picture is Hunter, the youngest child of William and Corena, who was not-yet-born when this picture was taken.

The village of Driftwood was originally named Seldom Seen because of the remote location. The village was renamed Driftwood during the logging boom. Logs were floated down the Greenbrier River from Cass and Dunmore to Ronceverte. There was a bend in the river at Seldom Seen where log jams frequently occurred and some of the logs lodged on the shore as driftwood. As more people were visiting the village, it was decided to change the name to Driftwood. In 1901 it was decided to change the name of the village to Stony Bottom. (Research on the town name-change was done by Eleanor Jane Shields Waggoner – daughter of Genevieve.) Courtesy of Priscilla Shields Waldman, ID: PHP002364

Access the “Preserving Pocahontas” Digital Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org or www.preserv ingpocahontas.org If you have historical records or photographs to be scanned for the county Historical Archive contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreser vation.org Prints of photographs are available.