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No description available.

The purpose of this study was to identify, through historic documents, the craftsmen of a specific region, Montgomery County, that may have contributed to the construction of area buildings between 1850 and 1900. Data from Population Census reports and Birth Registers were used to create a matrix of craftsmen names, their trade, location, and length of service. This list was used to place in perspective different kinds of craftsmen by attempting to relate various trades to one another, to area resources, and specific sites. For this well-timbered region, carpenters represented almost half (437.) of the craftsmen identified. The identification of 1,028 craftsmen and presence of apprentices indicated that skilled labor was available to residents and that some level of formal training did exist. Through the use of bills, receipts, and letters, the study also revealed individual and collaborative works as well as labor and material costs. Although these craftsmen were found throughout the county, the majority resided in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. / M.S.

Hyperparasitism of beneficial parasites of Pieris rapae was studied on Brassica crops in Montgomery County, Virginia. The goal of the study was to determine whether the hyperparasites attacking the larval parasites of P. rapae were capable of eliminating an introduced population of the larval parasite Cotesia rubecula (Marshall) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Pieris rapae was found to be active from April to November with possibly six generations per year in this region. It was attacked throughout this period by five generations of the larval parasite Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Although P. rapae larvae were twice as numerous on broccoli (var. Premium Crop) than on cabbage (var. Rio Verde), a higher proportion of P. rapae larvae was parasitized by C. glomerata on cabbage, indicating that C. glomerata preferred to forage for P. rapae in cabbage. In spring plantings, up to 36.9% of C. glomerata cocoon masses had been affected by the hyperparasite T. galaetopus (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: (Eulophidae) and 23.3% by the hyperparasite Spiloehaleis torvina Cresson (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). In the fall, 93.2% and 4.2% of the cocoon masses were affected by T. galaetopus and S. torvina, respectively. Tetrastiehus galaetopus activity was observed from May to November, but it was most active after mid July. Tetrastiehus ga/aetopus had little impact on the gregarious C. glomerata, and even though it could affect >90% of the C. glomerata cocoon masses for extended periods, 500/0 of the cocoons in each mass were unaffected. However, it's high reproductive capacity could adversely affect a solitary host such as C. rubecula. Spilochalcis torvina was observed as early as late May but it was most active during the mid summer months. It's reproductive activity ceased by early October even though hosts were abundant in the month which followed. Four generations were seen between June and October. Spilochalcis torvina's hosts were Cotesia orobenae Forbes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), C. glomerata, and Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), but the principal host was C. glomerata. However, the proportion of female S. torvina progenies was <31% from the Cotesia spp. hosts and 70% from P. xylostella hosts. Spilochalcis torvina typically hyperparasitized <4 pupae per Cotesia spp. cocoon mass in the field. In laboratory experiments, S. torvina hyperparasitized an average of <7 C. rubecula pupae daily, and the maximum number hyperparasitized was 12. Due to its apparently low reproductive rate in the laboratory, and its low rate of hyperparasitization on hosts in the field, it is unlikely that S. torvina is a danger to populations of parasites like C. rubecula. / Master of Science

This thesis has examined the fluctuations (or lack thereof) of bank deposits within Montgomery County, Virginia, during the years 1956 through 1966. The three major bank accounts chosen for this purpose were: Loans and Discounts; Time and Savings Deposits; and Demand Deposits. Fluctuations of deposits are of concern to bankers because, among other reasons, (1) the size of demand and time deposits determine the bank's primary and secondary reserves, and (2) the content and nature of the bank's investment portfolio will be affected by these variations in bank deposits. The objectives of this thesis were carried out by: (1) examining the daily financial statements of four representative banks of the county for deposit growth and deposit patterns; (2) searching banking literature for causes of deposit fluctuations; (3) overviewing the economy of the county and the Fifth Federal Reserve District for clues to variations in deposits, and; (4) interviewing county bankers in an effort to determine their thoughts concerning the fluctuations of deposits. The results indicated that there is little deposit variation within the county from year-to-year. This is because (1) the agricultural factor has played such a minor role during the time period; (2) the Radford Arsenal's production has played a stabilizing role in the county, especially since the early 1960s, and; (3) the continuing steady growth of the economy of the Fifth District has had an important effect upon the economy of Montgomery County, helping it to grow in a steady manner. / M.S.

Montgomery County, Virginia, is a southern Appalachian county founded in 1776. Throughout the county's antebellum history, as with most other regions of the South, four major population groups were visibly present. There were slaves, free blacks, white slaveowners, and white non-slaveowners. Little research has previously been conducted on the antebellum people of the Appalachian South. This work is a social history consisting of cross tabulations of data found in the county's manuscript census reports for 1850 and 1860. County court records also provide much useful information on the people and their activities before the Civil War. Together they form an invaluable source of information on antebellum mountain life as a forgotten segment of southern society. / Master of Arts

This thesis focuses upon the practice and realities of 19th century rural medical practitioners located throughout segments of southwestern Virginia. The study particularly examines the career of Montgomery County physician Robert T. Ellett, M.D. Despite opening a practice located far from his family home, Ellett's medical career gradually thrived despite operating within an arduous social and geographic environment. Initially Ellett's entrance into Montgomery County society depended solely upon his elite stature and adherence to their established "common interests." However, as time passed his identity became increasingly multidimensional. Ellett carefully crafted fruitful doctor/patient relationships by cautiously negotiating the domestic sphere. Patients and family members alike thought of Ellett as a healer and a "man of medicine." Meanwhile, Ellett sustained the financial growth needed to support his large family by holding numerous local patronage positions. Ironically, while Ellett's domestic relationships constructed his professional identity, that role was preserved by constantly manipulating positions gained through that trust. Therefore, country physicians depended upon much more than personal character in building their practices. Instead, successful practitioners in similar social environments achieved stability by balancing a multidimensional identity that ultimately subscribed to both local and personal interests. / Master of Arts

The Wilderness Road, starting in Big Lick (Roanoke today) was a primary route over the Allegheny mountains for travelers migrating to the Kentucky frontier. Ordinaries and taverns (referred to as public houses) were known to offer food and lodgings to travelers in the state capital city of Richmond, but little is known about what, if any, accommodations were available to these settlers headed westward through southwest Virginia. With the first stops along the Wilderness Road being in Montgomery County, this study sought to determine if public houses existed in this county between the years 1773-1823, and if so, where were they located and who operated them. Further, what was the typical design or plan of public houses and how would they have been furnished. What comparisons could be made between public houses in Richmond and on in southwest Virginia. County court records, including wills, appraisals, licensing records, and court order books revealed that public houses not only existed, but also there were often as many as 5 or 6 operating at one. A license had to be purchased each year from the court and names of proprietors were recorded. These listings also helped to identify structures standing today that once served as a public house. On site observations along with WPA (Work Projects Administration) reports and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources surveys documentation of historic houses in the county offered notable similarities in design and plan among five former houses selected for this study. Wills and appraisals provided some clues about furnishings. The result of this study adds an important chapter to the story of public houses in early Virginia history. / Master of Science

The research hypothesis of this study states that the springhouses of Montgomery County, Virginia, are part of an established, regionally specific, rural vernacular building tradition. Over the one-hundred and fifty-year period examined for this survey, the form and design of springhouses remained consistent, but the size, number, construction materials, and functions of springhouses changed, in response to economic, social, and technological developments. The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to document existing springhouses in Montgomery County, Virginia, using photographs and an evaluation form; and secondly, to provide analysis and interpretation of regional springhouse design, construction, and use, based on fieldwork. While springhouses appear to be relatively few in number in comparison with other farm structures, such as barns, many were adapted and maintained for decades, and some are still being used today. Their continued survival, however, may depend upon sympathetic property owners who recognize the significance of the springhouse to the rural landscape. This work will comment on the physical and material contexts of the springhouse as a building type; describe springhouse characteristics; and provide a catalog of fifty existing springhouses in Montgomery County, Virginia. / Master of Science

no abstract provided by author / Master of Science