It all begins in Bedford County, Virginia. The area was originally settled by English, Scotts, and Irish. The county lies in western Virginia between Roanoke and Lynchburg. In 1752 the General Assembly of Virginia established the town of Liberty. This was a year subsequent to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. This is the first location in history to bear the name, LIBERTY. Another claim to fame is that Thomas Jefferson had a summer home in Bedford County. The primary occupations involved farming and timbering. Walter’s parents, Daniel and Mary Heuton, were both born in Bedford County as were their eleven children. Our patriot Walter Neal, born on 11-17-1752, was the oldest. He was a cooper by occupation. He married Winifred Wood in 1774 and they had thirteen children. His enlistment in the Revolutionary War can be found in Bedford County, Virginia, Order Book 5, May, 1778. He died of natural causes at 48 years of age (10-20-1801) and is buried in Bedford County, Virginia. At some point Winifred apparently moved to Gallia, Ohio, because that is where she is buried as are a number of her children. Rachel, the sixth child of Walter and Winifred, is our direct ancestor. She and her husband, Thomas Wray, are buried in Gallia. From Rachel, our ancestry line runs through two more women: Rachel’s daughter, Matilda, and Matilda’s daughter, Melinda. Then direct line returns to sons: Melinda’s son John William Hedrick and then John’s son, John Franklin Hedrick. Next the line runs through John Franklin Hedrick’s daughter, Melba, who is our mother.
There is much more we would like to know but have not yet discovered. Direct lines are harder to trace through women who often leave not only their immediate families but also their geographic roots to move with husbands. Records housed at The Daughters of the American Revolution Library indicate that thirty-eight women have verified Walter Neal as their patriot. Of those thirty-eight, five show the same direct line through his daughter, Rachel Neal Wray, and we are two of them. We continue to search for more details and hopefully our search will be productive.
Andrea Jeanne Fulford Costilow
Marcia Lynne Fulford Ellison