Do You Know Any Taphophiles? Posted on March 11, 2026

• March 11, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

As I get older, I find that a lot of my friends who are interested in genealogy have become taphophiles. What could that possibly mean?

Does this mean that they like to munch on taffy? No, it means that they like to visit cemeteries. Cemeteries are often overlooked as sources of genealogical information, but they can be extremely helpful when trying to find ancestors. Tombstones or memorials give the names of the deceased, the year of their birth and death, and often, if you are lucky, the names of their spouse(s) and children.

Here is the tombstone of the Reverend David Kerr (1714-1804), first presiding professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. David is related to the Scott family through Margaret Graham Kerr Scott. UNC opened its doors on January 15, 1795 and the first student, Hinton James, arrived about a month later to begin classes. More students followed and as of today, enrollment exceeds 30,000.

After his service as presiding professor ended, David became Professor of Languages. Later, he resigned his position with the university and returned to ministry.

He is buried in the Alamance Presbyterian Church graveyard, located in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Photocredit: Find-a-Grave.

Tea with Margaret, Posted on March 3, 2026

• March 3, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

Sometimes a small object can tell a big story.  The silver spoons pictured here are made of silver, but they are not sterling silver. Rather, they are made of coin silver.

Coin silver is 90 percent silver; sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver.

What is the difference?

Before 1859 when the Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada, silver was hard to come by. If you wanted sterling silver, you would have to import it from another country, such as England. To save time and money (on tariffs), people who wanted objects made from silver would often save up a pile of silver coins. When they had enough of them, they would take the coins to a silversmith to have them fashioned into some other object or objects.

These two spoons were owned by Margaret Scott (1822-1892).  They were made by a silversmith named Thomas Nowlan who lived in Virginia.

How do we know this particular silversmith made these spoons? We know this because if you turn them over, Thomas Nowlan’s name is stamped on the back!

Not only were coin silver implements useful on a daily basis, having the stamps on the back was a form of security. If they were stolen, marked silver would be easier to identify and hopefully recover.

First Class Dentist, Posted on February 25, 2026

• February 25, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

Photo: Dr. Ludwig Gaston Scott, his wife Vivian, and their four children in his Model T Ford.

Ludwig Gaston Scott, pictured here with his wife Vivian and their four children was a doctor, but not a physician. His father and brothers were all physicians, but Lud as he was called, wanted to be a dentist.

That was a problem. North Carolina did not have a dental school! However, in 1949 the NC State Assembly voted to create a new school to address the dental care needs of the state. The reason? During World War II it was discovered that many recruits had such bad teeth, they failed the physical and could not serve.

 Dr. John Brauer was appointed as the first dean of the School of Dentistry. It was his job to establish the curriculum and faculty. The first faculty were brought up from Emory University in Atlanta to get the school going.

So, in September of 1950 the first class of UNC School of Dentistry began classes in two Quonset huts. It would not be until 1952 that classes would be held in a brick and mortal building. These first 40 were called trailblazers and or pioneers. Fifty years later, they held a reunion and Dr. Lud was there.

One of Dr. Lud’s hobbies was old cars. Although large for its time, this Model T only held 5 people. Hence the youngest child was perched on her mother’s lap.

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A Smile is Just a Smile, or is It? Posted on February 19, 2026

• February 19, 2026
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• Posted By: Scott Family Collection

Recently, I came across this photograph of Dr. S. Floyd Scott (1894-1972) and his wife Frances Somers Scott. What struck me was that I had never seen a photo of Dr. Floyd smiling. And not just smiling, he is actually beaming!

I knew this must be a special occasion, as Frances is wearing a corsage. And, Dr. Floyd’s older sister, Josephine Scott Hudson, then 89, (pictured on right) had traveled all the way from Raleigh to be with them. What could this be about?

At first, I thought it might be an important wedding anniversary, or birthday. You know the kind, the ones that end with a zero.

But no. I turned the photograph over, looking for clues. As it turns out, the photograph was taken on April 20, 1969, fifty years to the day that Dr. Floyd arrived in the community of Union Ridge. Although he was a native of North Carolina, Dr. Floyd was a stranger to the people of Union Ridge. By the end of his first day, however, he had found a place to live and had seen two patients. Which was a good thing as he had spent his last few dollars on some new shirts.

And of course, the rest is history, as the 6000 babies he delivered, and their descendants, can tell you.

Photo: Frances Somers Scott, Dr. Floyd Scott, The Reverend Winfred Bray, Josephine Scott Hudson, unidentified parishioners of Union Ridge Christian Church.