interviews
conducted by Judge Sutherland of the oldest residents of Dickenson
and surrounding counties much of our history would have been lost
forever. These interviews began in the 1920s and continued for
over forty years.This is a special tribute to
Judge E. J. Sutherland who was responsible for preserving much
of the history of Dickenson County and genealogy of its early
residents. Without the hundreds of personal interviews
conducted by Judge Sutherland of the oldest residents of Dickenson
and surrounding counties much of our history would have been lost
forever. These interviews began in the 1920s and continued for
over forty years.
Judge Sutherland's purpose in collecting the recollections was to preserve the history of our area and its people for the benefit of future generations - as well as for himself and his contemporaries. Beginning in 1948, he edited and ran some of these as a series in the county's weekly newspaper, "The Dickensonian," for some years. E. J. died July 9, 1964, but the data he collected prior was preserved by his wife, Hetty Swindall Sutherland.
At the insistence of friends, Mrs. Sutherland published the Judge's interviews in one large volume, entitled, "Pioneer Recollections of Southwest Virginia" in 1985. A few copies of that work is still available.
Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland have also been responsible for several other fine books, including, "Some Descendants of John Counts of Glade Hollow (Southwest Virginia) 1722-1977. You may order their books from this website http://www.sutherlandbooks.com .
Note: Mrs. Sutherland passed away at 102 years of age on June 6, 2004 at their home on Sunset Hill in Clintwood, Virginia.