Shari Johnson, Publisher
Through information found on Wikipedia.org, it’s interesting to see how the ancestry of the United States has progressed since the Mayflower landed in New England, November 11, 1620. My Father’s family (Hardway) originated from Germany and my Mother’s family (Spencer) came from Ireland, which I reason is my love of plaid. It’s a matter that has always caused me great confusion when it comes to prejudice behavior; most people never stop to realize that at some point their family was the outsider. Unless you are a descendant of the Wampanoag Tribe, you may have had some kin at the first Thanksgiving dinner, but not those from the native soil.
I’m not one who studies ancestors, other than those of the biblical variety, but I do love to talk to people of different nationalities. I love “differences.” My love of missionaries has allowed me to meet a variety of people from foreign lands. My career path has allowed me to meet many people of socioeconomic diversity. Meaning the poor folk, the rich folk and more in between than the other. I’m comfortable with most all people because I have a very well planted grasp on the origination of all mankind. Those I’m uncomfortable with generally speaking are those that have put themselves on a higher plain than the rest of us. You know… those who have got above their raisin’.
Thanksgiving 2022 has me focused on the County I now reside.
Taken from information on WV.gov, Calhoun County was formed in 1856, and is located on the Allegheny Plateau. When Simon P. Stump platted the city of Grantsville in 1866 he personally named it for U.S. Grant, Civil War general and later president of the United States. Grantsville became the county seat in 1869, but only after a bitter struggle with Arnoldsburg, where the county offices were located at that time.
A struggle that continued to be felt for many, many years, up until, and perhaps through current times. There is the 655’ers and the 354’ers. Speaking of phone prefixes that define the northern and southern ends of the county. Another issue that I couldn’t comprehend because my Father was born at Nicut, the southern end of the county, and we lived at Mt. Zion, the northern end, so I had a respect for both sides and always felt I belonged to both sides. Such was not the case with everyone. I can understand the perspective of the city of Arnoldsburg being disappointed that the time and money they’d invested into their community did have an end result of them being the county seat, but none of us were there in the midst of the struggle. So it is left for us to continue to care for the land our ancestors fought for.
It was a worthy cause then, and it is for certain a worthy cause now.
It’s what drives me as Publisher of the Ridgeview News to cover the stories that effect the lives of the people in Calhoun. I believe that the next generation is every bit as worthy to fight for. If we do not consistently keep apprised of the condition of local government, it could one day reach a point where the ground people died on and for has little to no value because of it’s governmental caretakers. We can no longer let opportunity pass us by and the dereliction of duties, and disrespect of the people cannot be ignored. What we ignore, the next generation will accept as norm. I for one, want better for children and grandchildren. I believe you do as well.
Formed in 1856, Calhoun County was named in honor of John C. Calhoun, eminent South Carolina statesman. Our centrally located county is comprised of some 280 square miles. John C. Calhoun championed slavery and southern causes in the senate and later served as United States Secretary of State. That’s not something I’m proud of him for, but it was a part of our history that cannot be undone. It cannot be blamed on a new generation, nor should it be forgotten as detrimental to a race of people. But it should be a lesson learned that every person, regardless of their race and nationality is important and deserves to be heard by local government.
Calhoun is worthy of our efforts to put it on the map as a community of families proud of their heritage.
Below is the 2020 American Community survey that lists the 30 largest ancestry groups in the United States. I’m proud that each one of them are a part of my American family, and I choose to spend this Thanksgiving Day 2022 being grateful that God brought the Hardways and the Spencers together on Braxton County soil, and moved us to Calhoun County in 1971 (ish).
2020 American Community Survey
According to the 2015–2020 American Community Survey, the thirty largest ancestry groups in the United States were (see above for the OMB self-designation options):[111][112][113][114]
| Rank | Ancestry | Population | Percent of total population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | 42,589,571 | 13.04% |
| 2 | Black or African American(non-Hispanic) | 39,994,653 | 12.22% |
| 3 | Mexican | 36,537,028 | 11.19% |
| 4 | Irish | 31,518,129 | 9.65% |
| 5 | English | 25,213,619 | 7.72% |
| 6 | American | 19,364,103 | 5.93% |
| 7 | Italian | 16,549,022 | 5.07% |
| 8 | French (including French Canadian) | 9,372,988 | 2.87% |
| 9 | Polish | 8,936,002 | 2.74% |
| 10 | Puerto Rican | 5,699,150 | 1.75% |
| 11 | Scottish | 5,298,861 | 1.62% |
| 12 | Norwegian | 4,289,825 | 1.31% |
| 13 | Chinese | 4,151,009 | 1.27% |
| 14 | Asian Indian | 4,143,134 | 1.27% |
| 15 | Dutch | 3,692,889 | 1.13% |
| 16 | Swedish | 3,627,796 | 1.11% |
| 17 | West Indian (non-Hispanic) | 3,008,035 | 0.92% |
| 18 | Scotch-Irish | 2,937,156 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Filipino | 2,884,210 | 0.88% |
| 20 | Russian | 2,538,436 | 0.78% |
| 21 | Cuban | 2,332,584 | 0.71% |
| 22 | Salvadoran | 2,244,914 | 0.68% |
| 23 | Native American | 2,075,852 | 0.63% |
| 24 | Arab | 2,056,594 | 0.62% |
| 25 | Dominican | 2,042,360 | 0.62% |
| 26 | Vietnamese | 1,852,906 | 0.56% |
| 27 | Welsh | 1,851,256 | 0.56% |
| 28 | Guatemalan | 1,484,005 | 0.45% |
| 29 | Korean | 1,477,325 | 0.45% |
| 30 | Portuguese | 1,363,964 | 0.41% |
However, demographers regard the reported number of English Americans as a serious undercount, as the index of inconsistency is high and many if not most Americans from English stock have a tendency to identify simply as “Americans“[115][116][117][118] or if of mixed European ancestry, identify with a more recent and differentiated ethnic group.[47]
