McGrew - Hagans Memorabilia has been donated over the years by family descendents and community members and is on display for public viewing during various programs. One special feature in the collection is a cane that McGrew had made and presented to fellow statesman and kinsman William T. Willey.
Other special items are commemorative family pieces such as a child's cup inscribed from grandfather James to his grandson and namesake James II, donated by great-grandson Dr. John R. McGrew; an autograph book given by James to his grandson Edward Heermans; Mrs. McGrew's cap, and dresser scarf, all donated by McGrew's great-granddaughter Martha Heermans Tittl; an ink pot McGrew purchased while traveling in the Far East, donated by great-great-granddaughter Mary Ann Trotter Glenn; and Hagans' keepsakes, donated by great-great-great-grandson A. Hudson Glenn IV.
Also displayed are various portraits and letters as well as books from McGrew's library and an accounts ledger from the McGrew - Parks family store.
Hagans' Family Bibles
The McGrew Society gratefully acknowledges a singular addition to our collection of McGrew-Hagans memorabilia. Family descendant A. Hudson Glenn IV has donated two family Bibles which originally belonged to Persis Hagans McGrew's older brother George M. Hagans. Both have been beautifully preserved. The older of the two is an 1833 leather-bound King James Version that, according to the tender inscription just inside the front cover, was a gift from George to his betrothed, Martha Maria Randall, in 1838. Then George went on to provide a handwritten record of birthdates for his parents, Harrison and Jane McCollum Hagans, and each of his four younger brothers and five younger sisters. Sadly, George and Martha's marriage was short-lived; she died in 1842. Two years later, in 1844, George married Jane McGee. Their 1845 pulpit-sized family Bible has also been given to the Society and contains an impressive list of their children's births, marriages, and deaths from 1844 to 1971.
As any genealogist knows, having such first-hand documents is a treasured and invaluable resource. Not only is the mere survival of such material remarkable, but it can clarify lost or obscured details, such as the spelling of a name or the difference between the actual birth date and a church or headstone record of the date.
The Society expresses its deepest appreciation to Hudson for his continued generosity and faith in our efforts to preserve and share the McGrew-Hagans legacy.
As any genealogist knows, having such first-hand documents is a treasured and invaluable resource. Not only is the mere survival of such material remarkable, but it can clarify lost or obscured details, such as the spelling of a name or the difference between the actual birth date and a church or headstone record of the date.
The Society expresses its deepest appreciation to Hudson for his continued generosity and faith in our efforts to preserve and share the McGrew-Hagans legacy.
