Heritage Highlights | The “Sheriff” of Dry Fork | Notice

In the close-knit community of Dry Fork, Virginia, there was a man everyone knew as “Sheriff.” Born in 1940, Aurélian Guyard Shelton was first called “Relian”, which rhymed with billion. With deep roots in Pittsylvania County, he was the fifth child of Daniel Latane Shelton and Cassie Meadows Shelton. Cassie's sister, Louise M. Grant, was my great-grandmother. Relian grew up just steps from Grant's Store, where he was greatly influenced by the hospitality and kindness of Garland Grant, the owner. One fateful day around 1955, Relian went to the store and received the nickname “Sheriff”, which stuck with him for the rest of his life. About five years ago, during a visit with the late Garland Grant, he shared the charming story behind the nickname. I recorded the audio of our conversation to create the following transcript that conveyed Garland's dialect and personality as he told the story. Garland, who was around twenty-five years old at the time of the story, had just returned from the Korean War and was continuing his father's business. He remembered the events as if they had happened yesterday.

“Have you seen the headstone of his grave?” He asked me. “Did you see the fact that it says 'Sheriff' rather than his own name?” I gave it that name! » Relian had “a little star… a toy badge that you pin on, like a man. He pulled it out of a box of Cracker Jacks or something he'd bought at the store. He bought them and took them home first. He came back the next day and had this little star pinned inside his [jacket]— The sheriff was about 14 or 15 years old at the time. I looked…it was exposed somehow. I said, “Well, you're the sheriff around here, boy!” I say 'I think I'll call you sheriff.' I tickled him to death. And another day I brought it home and told Cassie. I say, 'Cassie, we have a new sheriff in town.' She says “Who is it?” I say “It’s you” my boy! Now his name is Sheriff. His mom was tickled to death and so was he – the whole family and it spread like wildfire. No one ever called him anything else and he loved it. He inscribed it on his stone at the top, “Sheriff.”

The sheriff worked at Grant's store for a time, helping unload bags of feed and seeds as well as other heavy goods like potatoes for customers. As an adult, the sheriff moved into Joe Lynch's old blacksmith shop, next to the house where his parents lived. He spent most of his time on the familiar roads of Dry Fork helping with community works. He was known for his willingness to lend a helping hand, embodying the neighborly spirit that defined the neighborhood. In the last years of his life, Sheriff visited Garland to thank him for everything he had done for him and gifted the little metal star who started it all. Sheriff died in 2000 and is buried at Emmanuel Pentecostal Holiness Church, surrounded by his friends and family. After Garland told me this story, he opened a drawer in a side table and carefully retrieved the old sheriff's star, held his hand out flat and said he would like me to have it. I view the star as an important artifact and memento of Dry Fork history, the influence of Grant's Store, and the charm of rural Virginia culture. Now the star is displayed in a ghost zone above my desk and every time I look at it, I am reminded of the lasting legacy of friendship and community.