A.D.White Research Society

09/04/2026

This week’s A.D. White Wednesday is Issue 12 of The Quill from Summer 2006 and features a cover article by then then-President William N. Poelott, Jr., in which he describes “continuing to be astounded by the people of western Washington County and the Ohio Valley. They may not even realize it themselves but their interest in history, ancestry, and good stewardship of the legacy handed them by their forbears is well beyond the ordinary. They love their roots.”
A tribute to A.D. White written by Anthon Muzopappa fittingly tells the fascinating story of the Turney Grade School and its recurring reunions.
If you, too, love our roots, please consider donating to WCCF Gives now through Thursday, September 10. Visit WCCF Gives 2026 for more info!

09/02/2026

A 10-Gallon Milk Can, a Pot of Warm Soup, and the Hearts of Laura and A.D. White

Dear Friend,

If you or your family attended school in our local townships during the Great Depression, you might know the story of a very specific object now on display at our train station: a heavy, 10-gallon milk can.

Long before school lunch programs existed, times were lean across our valley. Seeing children arrive at school cold and hungry, A.D. White and his wife, Laura, took action. Every single school day morning, Laura woke before dawn to heat a massive pot of hearty soup made from last night’s leftovers and whatever was available in the garden. They filled that 10-gallon milk can to the brim, and A.D. carried it with him to school so that no child in his care had to sit through lessons on an empty stomach.

That milk can wasn't a formal teaching tool; it was an act of pure grace. It represented a quiet promise that our community takes care of its own.

In his writings on education, A.D. White reflected on the deeper duty a teacher owes to the youth of a community:

"Education is not merely the training of the mind to acquire facts; it is the building of character, the nurturing of purpose, and the passing of a torch from one generation to the next. What we teach our children in the quiet classrooms of today will shape the strength and integrity of our community tomorrow."

A.D. and Laura White passed that torch not just through textbook lessons, but through daily acts of shelter, kindness, and nourishment. Today, the A.D. White Research Society carries that same torch forward by preserving the history, artifacts, and memories of the very families they served.

Help Us Keep Their Spirit Alive

When visitors see that 10-gallon milk can at the train station today, they aren't just looking at old metal—they are standing before a tangible piece of our community’s heart.

We invite you to partner with the A.D. White Research Society to preserve this extraordinary legacy. Your support ensures that stories of unsung local heroes—like the school director and his wife who made sure no child went hungry during the darkest days of the Great Depression—continue to inspire generations to come.

Now through September 10, during WCCF Gives, the Washington Country Community Foundation is accepting donations and offering shares of the bonus pool made available through the generosity of WCCF donors – this year’s pool is twice that of last year!

Find out more about the donation window now through the Day of Giving on September 10 and the form you can download and complete and mail in.
https://www.wccfgives.org/

With gratitude,
Terry Ann Wiegmann
Board Member
A.D. White Research Society

Join me and give back!

09/01/2026

08/28/2026

Your Family Name is Written in Stone—Help Us Preserve the History Behind It

Dear Friends,

When you visit the grounds of the A.D. White Research Society at the Avella Train Station, you may see your family’s surname permanently etched into one of more than 100 memorial bricks.

Every engraved name represents a branch of our community’s story—a living connection to the pioneers, tradespeople, miners, laborers and leaders who built this valley.
Having your family name on a brick is a proud reminder of where you come from. But behind every single name on those stones is a deeper history waiting to be uncovered, preserved, and passed down.

That is why the A.D. White Research Society exists. The memorial bricks honor our families on the outside, but our archives safeguard their legacies on the inside.

Help Us Safeguard the Legacy Behind Your Name

As a family whose name is permanently woven into our physical grounds, you hold a unique stake in our mission. We ask you to partner with us today to ensure the documents and photographs that tell your family's story remain safe for generations to come.
This year, generous sponsors of WCCF, the Washington County Community Foundation, have doubled the bonus pool for qualified non-profits!

Please consider donating by check today through Thursday, September 10, or via credit card on Thursday, September 10. More details and the required form are available here: https://www.wccfgives.org/

Your tax-deductible gift directly supports:
• Archival Preservation: Protecting fragile family Bibles, land deeds, photographs, and historical records from wear and time.
• Research & Cataloging: Organizing and digitizing collections so children, grandchildren, and genealogists can trace their roots.
• Community Access: Keeping our facility open and publishing core local history texts for future generations.

Thank you for standing with us to keep our shared history alive.

With deep gratitude,

Terry Ann Wiegmann
Board Member, A.D. White Research Society

Join me and give back!

08/26/2026

Reconnecting with Our Roots: An Appeal to Our Pioneer Descendants

Dear Friends:

When A.D. White published "First Families and Forgotten Churches," he didn't just record regional history—he documented the living lineage of 13 foundational families who carved our community out of the early frontier.

If your family roots run deep in our region, you know how powerful it is to discover the exact thread connecting your life today to those early records.

Your donations to WCCF Gives now through September 10 will help fund of the A.D. White Research Society: we ensure the stories, sacrifices, and records of our First Families remain verified and preserved.

How You Can Help Preserve Our Shared Legacy

As a descendant or steward of local history, your support keeps these archives alive. A tax-deductible gift today directly funds:
• Archival Care: Safeguarding fragile 18th- and 19th-century land deeds, family Bibles, and legal records.
• Keeping Books in Print: Maintaining access to core historical texts like First Families and Forgotten Churches for schools and genealogists.
• Research Access: Funding archive operations so future generations can uncover their own family footprint.
Whether you give $25, $50, or $100, your contribution ensures our founders' names are never forgotten. And when criteria are met, will be eligible for a portion of the prize, which this year is double that of previous years! Just think of the stories that with your help, we can preserve and share!

See more information about WCCF Gives and donating online or by check here: https://www.wccfgives.org/

With gratitude,
Terry Ann Wiegmann
Board Member, A.D. White Research Society

Join me and give back!

08/21/2026

Preserving the Stories That Built Our Community—A Personal Appeal

Dear Friend of Local History,

When you hold a piece of local history, it ceases to be a distant story in a textbook. It becomes real, immediate, and deeply personal.

Just this past year, I uncovered the remarkable story behind the vintage wall-crank telephone on display at th Avella train station. At first, it seemed merely an artifact from a bygone era; only recently did I discover its true origin and my connection to it. The telephone originally hung in the shop of my great-grandfather, W. W. Wiegmann—and as the only telephone in town at the time, local tradition holds it was the very phone used to call the authorities on the turbulent night of the 1922 Cliftonville Mine Riot.

Delving deeper into the archives of the A.D. White Research Society revealed just how deeply my family was tied to that historic night.
Through preserved records and legal documents, I learned of the heavy dual burden my great-grandfather carried. As the local magistrate, he sat at the center of the legal aftermath of that night: signing the extradition papers for the accused and, as Avella's undertaker, he bore the somber responsibility of caring for the tragedy’s casualties.

Connecting those dots just months ago brought his quiet resilience and service to our community into sharp focus. It made me realize how many incredible family stories remain hidden in old records, waiting for someone to open, discover and share them.
That is the true mission of the A.D. White Research Society. We do not simply store artifacts. We preserve the quiet truths, the lost details, and the human experiences that shaped our region. Every cataloged paper, oral history tape, and historical volume in our care holds the potential to reunite a family with its heritage.

Preserving these irreplaceable records requires continuous effort, proper archival care, and community support. Today, I am asking you to join me in safeguarding our shared past.

Your tax-deductible gift to the A.D. White Research Society ensures that:
- Delicate historical documents and family records are properly archived and preserved.
- Local historical volumes remain in print and accessible to researchers and community members.
- Future generations can walk in, search the archives, and uncover their own family’s footprint in our history.

Making a donation during WCCF Gives amplifies your contribution; this year, th bonus pool is double what it was last year! While we are a qualifying non-profit, a minimum of 10 donors are required to receive a part of the bonus pool.

Whether you can give $25, $50, $100 or more, your support directly funds the preservation of the stories that define us. Please consider making a donation by printing, completing and mailing the form available here: chrome-extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://files.constantcontact.com/1996ccb0201/8497e5c5-a9b3-4d3d-9c96-9f74aeb0005f.pdf

Or go online https://www.wccfgives.org/ on September 10, 8 a.m.to 8 p.m.

Every town has a history, but not every town has a custodian to protect it. Thank you for ensuring ours is never forgotten.
With gratitude,
Terry Ann Wiegmann
Board Member, A.D. White Research Society

08/21/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/katrinapescador_museums-collectionsmanagement-museumcollections-activity-7486786539394592768-gbmL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABzOqMBre6DzWSlGAMCDUg4R7QGitM3xFk

“Maybe next year” sounds harmless. In museums, it can become a pattern. A shelving project is delayed. An inventory waits. Storage improvements are postponed. Catalog cleanup gets pushed behind more visible priorities. Each decision may seem temporary, but the work does not disappear. It accumul...

08/21/2026