In Their Footsteps recounts the story of author Rody Johnson’s research of his family roots. He found explorers, warriors, capitalists, and politicians, representing two hundred years of American history. They pioneered a new land, fought Indians, served in the Revolutionary War, participated in the Lewis and Clark Expedition, dealt with John Brown, fought in the Civil War, helped develop a capitalistic economy, and one served as governor of West Virginia. Their roots lay in western Virginia, what became West Virginia after the Civil War. He found that these figures included pioneers John and Andrew Lewis, Captain John Avis (who was John Brown's jailer), Governor George W. Atkinson, and others. To record the journeys of these men, Johnson followed the paths of his ancestors through time, standing where they stood, getting to know the places from their past. He explored Charleston, Lewisburg, Point Pleasant, Sweet Springs, Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, and Wellsburg in West Virginia and Staunton in Virginia. To capture Gass’ journey, he visited parts of the Lewis and Clark Trail in Montana. The stories of these men are based on fact, as they were passed along orally and contained in eighteenth and nineteenth century writings. 272 pages.
