While summer allows teachers to pursue part-time work, hobbies and traveling, sixth-grade history teacher Beverly Belcher Woody is gearing up to release her debut book.
“Patrick Pioneers Part One” is a compendium of long-forgotten stories told through the eyes and experiences of Patrick County residents.
“It’s whatever strikes me,” Woody said of how she chooses what to write about. “A lot of times people will ask me to find out something or they will have a question. A lot of times I will be writing about one story and find out about something else.”
Woody lives in the Henry County community of Snow Creek, but her formative years were spent in Patrick County, and that’s where she discovered her love for storytelling.
“I’ve been crazy about history ever since I was a little girl,” Woody said. “I did my first interview for a school project when I was 10 years old. My parents took me to interview this elderly couple and I still have my little notebook from when I interviewed them. I have just always been fascinated by the older people, when they talk about their lives and their struggles. I always loved hearing their stories, especially in Patrick County.”
Although she grew up to be a teacher at Martinsville Middle School, telling the stories of the people she grew up with remained a lifelong passion. She had the opportunity to explore it thanks to the local newspaper, The Enterprise, which provided her with column space.
She used it to tell the stories of Patrick County residents, and after some time, she amassed a collection of stories that run the gamut of experiences, from family feuds to the tick infestation of the late 1800s. One of her stories dates all the way back to the Civil War.
“One of the saddest stories in my book is about the Rutledge family,” Woody said, describing a story in which a woman’s husband and children died from the Civil War and an epidemic.
Woody said she learns about the stories she writes about from reader suggestions, old documents and other sources. Woody said she first learned about this story from a cemetery marker in Patrick County that mentioned it.
“I found a marker at the Meadows of Dan Baptist Church Cemetery that states, ‘The eight children of James and Susannah Rutledge died from diphtheria.’ After I saw that marker, I knew I had to find out more,” Woody said.
Comparing her work to others who document local history, Woody said she deemphasizes wealthy and prominent community members. Instead she focuses on everyday residents.
“One thing that always annoys me is every history book I ever saw says ‘prominent families of Virginia.’ … It’s like saying if they didn’t have money they didn’t matter,” Woody said.
She said she was meticulous with each column. “A 600-word story always takes several hours, because I always double-check my records, talk to the family and check my resources.”
These columns served as the foundation for “Patrick Pioneers,” which compiles 100 of the most interesting stories. Tom Perry of Laurel Hill Publishing approached her with the idea for the book, hoping it would resonate with people in and outside of Patrick County.
“It’s for anyone who is interested in Patrick County history,” Perry said, adding that he has always been a fan of Woody’s column. He said he feels the book is important because it places an emphasis on local history.
“I always tell people to find the oldest people in your family and go talk to them,” Perry said. “You won’t regret it, I can tell you that.”
Woody said the book would serve two purposes.
“I thought this would be a good way to keep the memory alive of all these people,” Woody said, adding that proceeds from sales of the book will go toward the Perry Family Scholarship, an award for a Patrick County High School student who plans to major in history in college.
Slated for a July 28 release, “Patrick Pioneers Part One” is the first of a planned series of anthologies.
“Part two is already underway,” Woody said. “I already have about 30 stories written for it.”
