Chords and Stories
Ron’s Song
by
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"The first Swindalls came to the headwaters of the Pound River region in what is now Wise County in the middle 1800s. John Wesley Swindall (1826-1900) and his wife Mary “Polly” Phipps Swindall (1834-1907) left Ashe County, North Carolina in about 1855. Traveling with them to the area were their sons, James, who was my great-grandfather, and his brother, John Calvin. They first settled on Camp Creek beside Pound River near Norland in Russell County. The actual location may be referenced by considering a route from highway #83 between Pound and Clintwood. When traveling to Clintwood on this road, a left turn on Camp Creek Road leads over a steep hill and eventually down to Pound River. The Wes Swindall family first settled on land in the community just before crossing the river. The homestead was located in a hollow on the right side of the road. This part of Russell County became Wise County in 1856, then Dickenson County in 1880. My Melvin Tennie Swindall grandparents lived in this same community later for a period, and my father was born there. There are many rich stories about John Wesley Swindall, who became one of the first Justices of the Peace in Wise County later in 1860. Wes chose to leave the South of the Mountain and move his family into Kentucky as the Civil War started. This was because he had no interest toward either side. Later, however, he became the only resident of the area to fight for the Union because of the way he was mistreated by rebel soldiers. When he brought his family back to Virginia after the war, he purchased land in the Osborne’s Gap area, where he was a postmaster after Dickenson County was formed and encompassed his community. This community can be located by traveling on further down the river on the Camp Creek Road, then turning left on the Osborne’s Gap Road. A few miles up a steep hill along this road leads to the last M.T. Swindall property just beside the road on the left. Up the hill a few more feet, the little Osborne’s Gap church/school sits on a ridge in front of the M.T. Swindall cemetery. About a quarter mile further on, the Wes Swindall family cemetery can be seen on the left side at the top of the hill. The “Flats” where Wes and Polly Swindall raised their children can be seen within a few hundred more yards. One of their children, Mahlon, built a home and stayed in this same community."
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About the Book
Ron Swindall looks back at a life spent teaching, coaching, playing music, and enjoying the great outdoors.
An ordinary guy from Indian Creek, near the little town of Pound, Virginia, he says there is no better place for him to call home. It was a small town, and he made lifelong friends there.
Most of his life has been spent in or around Wise County, Virginia, either in Pound, Norton, Wise, or Powell Valley near Big Stone Gap.
He’s been fortunate to enjoy a successful marriage, and he and his wife have three children. Together, they enjoy fishing, camping, and spending time outdoors—and he doesn’t regret a single day.
In his memoir, he traces his family ancestry as well as the history of the area his family has called home. He also looks back at his thirty-seven year tenure as a teacher with the Wise County, Virginia, school system.
He makes the case that we must all maintain and support the public education system, which will help us move toward a brighter future, and shares lessons learned over a well-spent life in Chords and Stories.
About the Author
Ron Swindall was born in Jenkins, KY. He attended elementary and high school in Pound, Virginia, and earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees at East Tennessee State University. He was an assistant football and basketball coach. He taught science, chemistry, physics, biology, and TV broadcast production during his 37 year tenure in the Wise County school system, where he worked at the high schools in Appalachia, Pound, and J.J. Kelly in Wise. He is a professional musician, and the former president, engineer and producer at Homestead Recordings, Inc. in Powell Valley. He is retired, and lives with his wife, Vickie, in Powell Valley.