Personal: Welcome to Living in Asheville, North Carolina

Hello and welcome.

As the title indicates, I live in Asheville, NC. I have lived here, full-time, for nearly two years and find it a very unique place to live. I have lived across the US, from Dover, DE to San Diego, CA and many places between, and find Asheville unique as a small city with an interesting, progressive, and varied population. The City is progressive and contemporary, due in part to the influx of accomplished creative and technically-oriented people from across the United States and many other countries. However, Asheville also possesses a rich history which is most apparent to the casual visitor in the architecture of the City, local towns and rural dwellings. And, of course, the ubiquitous beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Why do I choose to write about Asheville? Well, writing about Asheville has been common in recent years, almost cool, as Asheville has gained national attention and experienced a renaissance of sorts. I have been influenced, in some ways, by the national rediscovery of Asheville but my attraction to Asheville and the local area is deeper and more substantial than simply fad or trend. My paternal ancestors were among the first Europeans to settle this area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hopefully, this brief overview of my "roots" will prove interesting and, hopefully, helpful to other descendants curious about their genealogy and ancestry.

The first of my ancestors to arrive in the area were Frances and Robert David Rogers, who were born in Ireland in 1744 and 1741, respectively. Frances died in 1828 at 81 years of age and is buried in Roger's Cemetery in Cullowhee, NC, about 50 miles from Asheville. Robert died in 1810 and his cemetery plot is thought to be on the Biltmore Estate. The couple had 10 children. One of these children, Hugh Rogers, was born in Philadelphia in 1761. Hugh and his parents relocated to this area and Hugh was one of the first settlers in the Fines Creek area, about 30 miles west of Asheville. Hugh served in the Revolutionary War as a young man. Eventually, he and his wife wife Nancy produced twelve sons.

My line derives from one of these sons, Robert Rogers, who was born in 1805. Robert settled what is known as Rogers Cove, just to the north of Lake Junaluska, in nearby Waynesville, NC. Several members of my extended family still live on land originally settled by Robert and the remnants of some of the original cabins can still be seen. Robert and two of his sons died within months of one another in late 1859. Robert and his sons George and Michael are buried at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Clyde, NC, about 20 miles west of Asheville. Robert's wife, Susanna (1810-1901), is also buried at this cemetery.

James K. Polk Rogers, a son of Robert, was born in 1846 and lived in the Rogers Cove area. He died in 1915 and is buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Waynesville. Also buried in that cemetery is his daughter, Callie Rogers Burress, who was born in 1874 and died 1929.

My great-grandmother, Millie Mae (Burress) Melton, was one of three daughters born to Callie and Samuel Pinkney Burress. Mille was born in 1896 and died in 1983. She is buried in Fulbright Cemetery at Rogers Cove. Her son and my grandfather, Robert Vinson Burress, for whom I am named, is buried near her. My grandfather was born in 1916 and died in 2001. My father, Dwayne Vinson Burress, is alive and thriving. He recently turned 73 and he and my mother celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in June of 2009.

So, if you're counting, you probably determined that I am the ninth generation to call this area home. As my father will be buried at the Fulbright Cemetery when his time comes, eight generations will be buried in a five relatively close cemeteries from Asheville to the Waynesville area. I am proud of this unique heritage which spans the life of our Nation. Yes, I find modern day Asheville a pleasant and interesting place to live but my attraction to this City and region is generations deep.

Thanks to my cousin, Cindy Burress Thurmond, whose genealogical research made this article possible.