Saving Ephemeral Treasures in the Age of Environmental Change: The Riddle Family Bible, Roda, VA
The Family Bible as Archive
Lost & Found...and Lost Again
The Fragility of Physical Records
Preservation Tips for Flood Damaged Items
- If possible set up a staging area for the work
- Rinse photos, do not scrub
- Separate papers and lay flat near fans or dehumidifiers
- Wrap items in wax paper
- Cool items in freezer as soon as uncovered -below 40 degrees
- Consult a local specialist- call contractor or local university for advice
Digitization as a "Second Life"
Framing the Region's Resiliance - Appalshop's restoration projects, and others.
The "Why Archiving Matters" conclusion - Call to action. Urges readers to digitize their own family materials before "the next big one."
Images
Look Inside: Riddle Family History Saved in the Pages
By the Book: Riddle History of Family, Faith and Civic Duty
The Riddle family had a staunch work ethic rooted in religious and community service. This dedication is expressed throughout their activities in the Baptist Church, military service, and support for their friends and neighbors.
The photo above marks a graduation from religious schooling or "homegoing" event (possibly entrance into the Salvation Army?). The young woman (third from left)(Rosemary Riddle?), a former Bible School student, now in her formal occupation as a "Gospel Missionary" (my scan shows this pinned on her right lapel).
This group may be associated with bible study groups led for many years by Mary Elizabeth "Toddy" Collins, a legendary missionary from England who ministered from her arrival in 1905 to her death in 1947. She also taught sewing/embroidery, delivered babies, and checked in on the poor using horseback through the Appalachian Mountains. Note: This photo is not found in the book.
Two members of this possible "Toddy" bible study (5th and 10th from right) resemble two of the women (1st and 3rd from left) in the "graduation" photo below, a photo that was in the book.
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Mission students entered a period of training away from their hometown directly following graduation. If the photos above indicates formal religious service, this card may offer a clue about where that occurred, and with whom. One can also check local church or newspaper archives, or check in with the Virginia Baptist Historical Society for extensive records on Virginia Baptists.
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Successful training and exceptional military service in Korea for Rosemary's husband, Earnest Walker. Both are buried at Fayetteville, NC as per findagrave for Rosemary R. Walker (1941-1984).
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Family business - "Second Nite Open - Nov. 22, 1968" on back.
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A growing family, and two gone too soon.
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The book's eventual owner (Rosemary? Cynthia)? This photo, also in the book, features someone in the modern day who appears remarkably similar to the woman third from left in the "graduation" photo at top.
And More...
So much more, here, tucked away across family mementos and ephemera placed in the pages, stand-ins for things remembered and valued as the family grew and developed. Therein is evidence of love for a family pet, birth and death, proud family moments, photos, cards and receipts, employment documents, family papers, and dried flowers.
Roda History and Genealogy
The Riddles of Roda, VA
Riddle Family Names
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The Riddles mentioned in the Good Book above include patriarch Charlie Riddle, worker in the coal mine, his wife, Carrie Bess Waddell Riddle, and their children, Douglas, Jimmy (Ray), Bernice (?), and Rosemary and her husband (Earnest Walker). Also present is Rosemary's daughter Cynthia, and Cynthia's husband Cliff. More who may be family/friends/associates appear in small notes and phone numbers. Pages of detailed genealogical work follow at the close of the Book, rigorously traced using local municipal resources.
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The Context of Roda, Virginia
Roda is a small, unincorporated community in Wise County, Virginia, located near Appalachia and Big Stone Gap, deep in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields. Developed around 1903 by the Stonega Coke and Coal Company, Roda's story is the quintessential history of a 20th-century American "coal camp", and was one of the most significant "company towns" of its time in the region.
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The Coal Camp Life: Like many nearby settlements (such as Stonega, Derby, and Osaka), Roda was built specifically to house workers for the local mines. At its peak, Roda was a classic company town. The coal company owned nearly everything, including the houses, the local Methodist church, and the "commissary" (the company store).
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Roda's Coal-Driven Economy: Most Roda families had an immediate family member working in the coal industry, usually in the mine itself. Roda was primarily known for the Roda No. 1 Mine, which tapped into the high-quality "Imboden" coal seam. The coal from this area was marketed as "Roda Gas Coal," prized for its use in manufacturing gas for lighting and heating in cities. To move the massive amounts of coal, the Interstate Railroad extended its tracks 12 miles specifically to reach this area and connect with the Norfolk & Western Railway.
Social Landscape
Life in Roda was shaped by the narrow "hollers" (hollows) of the mountains. Because space was limited, houses were often built up along the hillsides. Housing was often divided by social and professional status. Company officials lived in larger, two-story homes, while miners lived in smaller, four-room houses.
Like many Southern industrial towns of the era, Roda was segregated. The town once had a "Roda Colored School" for Black children; the school building was eventually sold in 1958 as the community changed.
Decline and Modern Day
The original mining operations at Roda lasted until 1957. While the mines were briefly reopened in the late 1960s through the 1980s, the town never returned to its former glory.
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Demolition: In the late 1960s, a large portion of the original coal camp was demolished to make way for strip mining (surface mining) operations. This removed many of the historic company houses and the original town layout.
- Current Status: Today, Roda is a quiet, sparsely populated community. Most of the original industrial structures are gone, though a few landmarks remain, such as the old Methodist church and some of the original company-built homes.
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Controversy: In 2002, the development of the Roda Resources surface mine sparked local controversy due to environmental concerns, specifically the burial of nearby streams like McHenry Fork.
Where to Find It
Key Ancestral Groups
- Family Origins: The Riddle family in Wise County predominantly descends from Asa Tyre Riddle (born c. 1790) and his son Isom (Isham) Riddle (born 1819). As early settlers, Isom Riddle and his wife, Sarah Joyce, moved from North Carolina to Wise County by the mid-1800s. Their descendants became a cornerstone of the local community, branching out into mining, farming, and local business
- Appalachian Settlers: Many families in the area have long histories in the region, with ancestors living in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee before the coal boom. Surnames in the broader Wise County area often reflect early American, often English or Scots-Irish, origins.
- European Immigrants: A significant number of families in Roda are descendants of immigrants from various parts of Central and Eastern Europe (e.g., Hungarian, Polish), who were rerouted from northern entry points like New York and Bridgeport to work in the expanding Virginia coal fields between the early 1900s and mid-century. Common immigrant surnames mentioned in local discussions include Skorupa and Auer.
Researching Roda Family Ancestry
- Family and Local Records: Start by gathering information from existing family members, including birth, marriage, death certificates, Bible records, and old photographs. Social media groups like those on Facebook dedicated to "Roda, VA" or "Wise County VA ancestry" can also provide anecdotal information and connections to distant relatives.
- Wise County Resources: Work on local, county resources first, then move to state level. Focus research first on Wise County, as Roda was a small, now largely surface-mined, company town. The FamilySearch Wiki for Wise County, Virginia is a "go-to" resource, listing available local records like death registers.
- Library of Virginia: The Library of Virginia (LVA) holds vast state archives, including a death index from 1853-1896, and offers free public access to select Ancestry.com content for Virginia citizens.
- Family and Local Records: Start by gathering information from existing family members, including birth, marriage, death certificates, Bible records, and old photographs. Social media groups like those on Facebook dedicated to "Roda, VA" or "Wise County VA ancestry" can also provide anecdotal information and connections to distant relatives.
- Wise County Resources: Work on local, county resources first, then move to state level. Focus research first on Wise County, as Roda was a small, now largely surface-mined, company town. The FamilySearch Wiki for Wise County, Virginia is a "go-to" resource, listing available local records like death registers.
- Library of Virginia: The Library of Virginia (LVA) holds vast state archives, including a death index from 1853-1896, and offers free public access to select Ancestry.com content for Virginia citizens.
Key Resources
The Mother Lode of Resources ------> Start Here. Wise County deed indexes, church, miltary, marriage, birth, death, and of course, taxes. Connect to the shared family tree.
Wise County Clerk's Office: For vital records (birth, death, marriage) and land/deed records. Standard strategy is to look first in local, then go to state level.
Virginia State Archives: Holds older county records and state-level documents (like county formation petitions).
Wise County Historical Society: Excellent for local history, photos, and genealogical assistance.
Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007How to Build Your Family Tree
Sources
General Region & Culture:
Effect of 2022 Flood on Research and Recordkeeping - Current Status of Projects and Resources 2026
- Cultural Archives Loss: Appalshop, a vital hub for Appalachian history and media in Whitesburg, Kentucky, saw its extensive film and media archives heavily damaged. Efforts to restore these pieces are ongoing but remain at risk due to potential federal grant cuts.
- Educational Records: Local school systems in eastern Kentucky reported the destruction of student records and educational materials, complicating administrative functions and student enrollment.
- Public Health Documentation: Researchers have highlighted the difficulty in tracking the "true" death toll, as long-term recordkeeping for disaster-related deaths (such as those from stress or drug relapse following the trauma) is inconsistent and often under-recorded.
- Mapping Inaccuracies: Research by groups like ReImagine Appalachia revealed that existing FEMA maps significantly underestimated flood risk in rural areas, with some maps being over 15 years old.
- Coal Mining and Runoff: Recent studies published in ScienceDirect and other journals have specifically investigated the role of anthropogenesis (human-caused factors), such as mountaintop removal mining, in increasing stormwater runoff and fatality risks during the 2022 event.
- Flash Flood Modeling: The National Science Foundation (NSF) invested $77.8 million into infrastructure and research to study flash flooding in headwater streams. This includes the use of sensors that provide hourly data to improve future prediction models.
- Coal Mining and Runoff: Recent studies published in ScienceDirect and other journals have specifically investigated the role of anthropogenesis (human-caused factors), such as mountaintop removal mining, in increasing stormwater runoff and fatality risks during the 2022 event.
- Mapping Inaccuracies: Research by groups like ReImagine Appalachia revealed that existing FEMA maps significantly underestimated flood risk in rural areas, with some maps being over 15 years old.
- Landslide Documentation: Earth scientists from the University of Kentucky have documented more than 3,000 landslides triggered by this single rain event, using it as a case study for how climate change is rendering historical hydrological research obsolete.
- Destruction of Cultural Archives: A major cultural hub, Appalshop in Whitesburg, Kentucky, experienced severe damage to its extensive media archive of Appalachian history and culture. This loss puts hundreds of thousands of dollars in national library and humanities grants at risk, some of which were intended for archive restoration. Appalshop, a vital hub for Appalachian history and media in Whitesburg, Kentucky, saw its extensive film and media archives heavily damaged. Efforts to restore these pieces are ongoing but remain at risk due to potential federal grant cuts.
- Film Reels (16mm and 35mm): Unlike other media, film reels had to be kept wet to prevent the emulsion layer from fusing to the base as it dried. They were rinsed in filtered water, sealed in plastic bags, and transported in refrigerated trucks to specialized labs for professional cleaning.
- Magnetic Media (Cassettes and Tapes): These materials were opened and dried using industrial-grade dehumidifiers. For highly damaged tapes, archivists at AV Geeks perform splice repairs and use repurposed tape decks to clean mud from the surface before high-resolution digitization.
- Photographic Negatives: More than 3,600 negatives from the "Picture Man" Mullins collection were stabilized by freezing to halt mold growth. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) later defrosted them, performed a water-ethanol bath rinse to disinfect and reduce spotting, and hung them to air-dry.
- Paper Records and Books: Saturated documents were bagged and stored in cold-storage trucks at -20°F. Many were later treated via vacuum freeze-drying, which sublimates ice directly into vapor to prevent further paper warping or ink bleeding.
- Iron Mountain Entertainment Services: This partner provided custom remediation and digitization infrastructure, helping to recover over 13,500 items by 2023.
- NYU-MIAP Workshops: To build local capacity, Appalshop hosted training workshops where students and staff practiced salvaging magnetic media by hand, successfully rescuing "priceless" recordings of Appalachian folk legends.
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