Complete Genealogy Archive — Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina, Shenandoah Valley & European Origins
Every documented ancestor, every hypothesis, every gap. No shortcuts. No cheapouts.
This archive tracks four interwoven family lineages across 340+ years of documented American history, with potential European noble origins extending back to the 1500s. Every entry is tagged by verification status.
HYPOTHESIS — MEDIUM CONFIDENCE
Jane Rogers, sister of Robert Rogers (~1685), married into the Randolph family. Her daughter Jane Randolph (1720–1776) married Peter Jefferson (1707–1757) on October 3, 1739, in Goochland County, VA, probably at Dungeness, home of her father Isham Randolph. Their son Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743.
Key Evidence: Genealogical compilations (American Family History, The Rogers Family by Richard T. Martin) document this line. The Rogers and Randolph families were close — Isham Randolph was a brother-in-law and close friend of Robert Rogers.
Critical Gap: No primary source (parish record, deed, or family Bible) has been located definitively proving Jane Rogers married into the Randolph family. The connection relies on compiled genealogies and name proximity.
Additional clusters: McCormick County, SC; Calhoun County, MS (1880 census shows Isaac S. Rogers, 62, TN-NJ-NC, with wife Sarah R., 50, SC-SC-SC); Donegal, Ireland (immigrant origin point for some Rogers lines).
Status: UNCONFIRMED — HIGH PRIORITY
James Rodgers Jr. served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Family oral history (via Trey) suggests possible MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam — Studies and Observations Group) service. MACV-SOG was a joint service task force engaged in highly secret unconventional operations, reporting directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Critical Fact: Few MACV-SOG records are available to researchers. The only MACV-SOG records located consist of parts of the "MACV-SOG Documentation Study" among the Files of Sedgewick Tourison in the Records of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. Reports forwarded by MACV-SOG to JCS likely still exist but no paper records from the Vietnam era have been transferred by JCS to the National Archives.
Critical Finding: The surnames LOSH and ARLOSH are unique to Cumberland, England, particularly the parishes surrounding Carlisle. Early parish registers for St. Cuthbert's, Carlisle no longer exist, making pre-1700 connections difficult. However, documented records extend back to the 1400s.
Meaningful Landmarks: Staunton, VA — "old Lee high building" — documented family significance. The Losh presence in Augusta County is confirmed by cemetery records (Roger Lee Losh, 1945–2013, Staunton; Vanessa Losh Allison, 1963–2010, Augusta County; Christopher Lee Losh, 1967–2012, Augusta County).
The Losh migration pattern shows Pennsylvania → Virginia → West Virginia clusters, with Briery Branch (Rockingham County) and Augusta County as key Virginia anchor points. The name "Losh" appears in England exclusively in Cumberland, with documented records from the 1400s.
Three parallel research angles for the European origin of the Losh name:
McCormick County, South Carolina is the primary Cannady cluster. The county was formed in 1916 from parts of Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood counties. The Cannady/Canaday families appear in Edgefield and Orangeburg Counties in the 1700s, then concentrated in McCormick County by the 1800s.
Key Finding: The Canaday spelling variant appears in South Carolina records from the 1770s (Henry Canaday, Orangeburg County). The Cannady spelling dominates in McCormick County records from the 1800s onward.
Critical Finding: The name appears as both "Coiner" and "Coyner" in Augusta County records. The Scotch-Irish migration trail through Virginia is the geographic anchor. The Coiner family is heavily documented in Augusta County from the early 1800s.
Status: UNVERIFIED
The Coyner name appears alongside Rodgers in your research notes. The Coiner family is heavily documented in Augusta County, Virginia — the same county where your Losh ancestors (Leonard Earl Losh) are rooted in the Shenandoah Valley. This geographic proximity (Augusta County) is the strongest potential connection point.
Name Variants: Coiner, Coyner, Koiner, Koyner — all appear in Augusta County records. The Scotch-Irish migration trail brought these families through Pennsylvania into the Shenandoah Valley.
All potential inter-family links, flagged by confidence level and evidentiary status.
Jane Rogers (sister of Robert Rogers, ~1685) → Jane Randolph (1720–1776) → Peter Jefferson (1707–1757) → Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826).
Evidence: Genealogical compilations (American Family History, Richard T. Martin's Rogers Family) document this line. Isham Randolph was a brother-in-law and close friend of Robert Rogers. William Randolph (1650–1711) referred to as "Adam and Eve of Virginia" for progeny's marital alliances.
Gap: No primary source (parish record, deed, or family Bible) definitively proving Jane Rogers married into the Randolph family. Connection relies on compiled genealogies.
James Rodgers Jr. (Norfolk Naval Base, d.1976) may descend from the Virginia Rogers line, but no documented bridge exists.
Action: Confirm James Rodgers Sr. as father of James Jr., then trace James Sr. back to Goochland/Albemarle County roots. The name spelling variation (Rodgers vs. Rogers) is common but complicates record linkage.
The name similarity between Losh (Shenandoah Valley) and Lösch von Hilgertshausen (Bavaria) is suggestive. However, the English records show "Arlosh" as the original form in Cumberland, England, dating to the 1400s. The "Losh" spelling appears by the 1500s.
Critical Finding: The Losh/Arlosh name is UNIQUE to Cumberland, England. No German or Czech origin has been documented. The "Lösch" and "Lichtenstein" angles may be red herrings — the English origin is far better documented.
Apollonius "Lone" Losh: The "Lone" variant remains the critical lead. If this refers to a German immigrant named "Lone" who anglicized to "Losh," the Palatine immigration records (1709–1750) are the best search target.
Coyner mentioned alongside Rodgers in research. Coiner family heavily documented in Augusta County, VA — same county as Losh presence (Roger Lee Losh, Vanessa Losh Allison, Christopher Lee Losh all in Augusta County).
Geographic Proximity: Both families in Augusta County/Shenandoah Valley area. Scotch-Irish migration trail common origin point.
Elizabeth "Liz" Cannady McCormick — the McCormick may be a married name, maiden name, or middle name. McCormick County, SC is named after Cyrus McCormick (inventor of mechanical reaper), but local McCormick families predate the county.
Action: Determine if McCormick is Liz's maiden name, married name, or middle name. Check McCormick County marriage records for Elizabeth Cannady born ~1940s–1950s.
Both families documented in Augusta County, Virginia. The Losh line (Roger Lee Losh, Vanessa Losh Allison, Christopher Lee Losh) and Coiner line (numerous entries from 1803–1943) share the same geographic cluster. No direct marriage or deed link has been found yet.
Staunton Connection: Roger Lee Losh died in Staunton (2013). Multiple Coiner families lived in Fishersville and Staunton area. Proximity suggests possible interaction but no documented kinship.
Every missing link, with concrete next steps to close it. Prioritized by impact on your family tree.
| # | Gap | Priority | Action Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Rodgers Sr. as father of James Jr. Your grandfather's paternity is unconfirmed. This is the bridge between your living family and the documented Virginia Rogers line. |
CRITICAL |
• Ask Trey (James III) directly for any knowledge of his grandfather • Check Virginia birth certificates (1940s–1950s) for James Rodgers Jr. • Search Norfolk Naval Base personnel records for family contact information • DNA test (AncestryDNA or 23andMe) with known Rogers/Rogers matches • Check Virginia Department of Health Vital Records for birth certificate • Search Norfolk City marriage records for James Rodgers Sr. marriage license |
| 2 | Liz Cannady's parents Who are Elizabeth Cannady's parents? This is the gateway to the entire Cannady/McCormick line. |
CRITICAL |
• Search McCormick County, SC marriage records (1940–1960) for Elizabeth Cannady • Check 1940–1950 census for Cannady households in McCormick County • Contact McCormick County Probate Court for estate records • Search Ancestry.com for Elizabeth Cannady born ~1940s–1950s • Check South Carolina birth certificates (1940s–1950s) • Ask Trey if he has any memory of Liz's parents or siblings • Search McCormick County obituaries for Cannady family members |
| 3 | Apollonius "Lone" Losh The crucial European variant. If this is the immigrant ancestor, finding his origin unlocks the entire European line. |
CRITICAL |
• Search German parish registers in Gernsheim, Hesse (1600–1700) for Losh/Lösch/Lone baptisms • Contact Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt for emigration records • Check Palatine immigration lists (1709–1750) for "Lone" or "Lohne" entries • Search "Germans to America" series (Ira Glazier) for Losh/Lone emigrants • DNA test for Central European matches (German/Czech) • Check Pennsylvania German Society records for Losh/Lone arrivals • Search ship passenger lists (Philadelphia, 1720–1760) for Lone/Losh |
| 4 | James Rodgers Jr. MACV-SOG service Special operations unit membership unconfirmed. This is your grandfather's military legacy. |
HIGH |
• File SF-180 with National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), St. Louis, MO • FOIA request to U.S. Marine Corps Historical Division for unit assignment • Contact Textual Archives Services Division, NARA College Park, MD (301-837-3510) for RG 472 MACV records • Ask Trey for any service documents, photos, discharge papers (DD-214), unit patches • Check Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund database (vvmf.org) • Search TogetherWeServed.com for USMC Vietnam unit rosters • Contact MACV-SOG veterans associations (macvsog.org, sog.org) • Check NARA Reference Information Paper 90 for MACV-SOG record locations |
| 5 | Coyner/Coiner connection to Rodgers/Losh No solid documentation linking Coyner to your family. Geographic proximity in Augusta County is the only lead. |
HIGH |
• Search Augusta County, VA deed books (1740–1800) for Coiner/Losh land proximity • Check Presbyterian church records for baptisms/marriages in same congregations • Search 18th-century tax lists for Coiner and Losh in same districts • Check "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement" (Chalkley, 1912) for both names • Search AncestryDNA for Coiner/Coyner matches in Augusta County cluster • Examine "Early Western Augusta Pioneers" (Cleek, 1957) for Coiner references • Check Augusta County chancery records (Library of Virginia) for disputes involving both families |
| 6 | Jefferson connection verification Jane Rogers → Randolph line needs primary source confirmation. |
MEDIUM |
• Search Goochland County deed books (pre-1720) for Rogers-Randolph marriage • Contact Virginia Historical Society for Randolph family papers • Check "Virginia Magazine of History and Biography" for Rogers-Randolph references • DNA match with known Jefferson descendants (Thomas Jefferson Foundation) • Check "Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers" (1927) for Rogers-Randolph abstracts • Search Monticello archives for Jane Randolph monument inscriptions |
| 7 | Lösch/Lichtenstein bridge No proven link between American Losh and European nobility. English origin (Cumberland) is far better documented. |
LOW |
• Focus on English origin first — Cumberland parish records (St. Cuthbert's, Carlisle) • Search German noble genealogies for Lösch cadet branches • Check Czech archives for Lichtenstein-Losh connections • DNA test for Central European matches • Consult "Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels" (German nobility handbook) • Re-evaluate: the English Losh/Arlosh line (1400s) may be the true origin, not German |
| 8 | McCormick surname origin Is "McCormick" Liz's maiden name, married name, or middle name? This affects the entire Cannady line research. |
MEDIUM |
• Ask Trey directly about Liz's full name and maiden name • Search marriage records for "Elizabeth McCormick" or "Elizabeth Cannady McCormick" • Check if McCormick is a previous married name (Liz may have been married before James Jr.) • Search McCormick County records for McCormick families (the county is named after Cyrus McCormick, but families predate the county) • Check South Carolina marriage indexes for McCormick-Cannady unions |
Every documented event across Rodgers, Losh, Cannady, and Coyner lines, chronologically overlaid.
Every archive, book, website, and record set referenced in this research. Organized by family line.