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Re: Mary Ellen Hanshaw

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2012-02-22 08:35:27Z

West Virginia Births, 1853-1930 for Mary Ella Hanshaw
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(fees may apply) Visit Partner Site Search collectionAbout this collectionName: Mary Ella Hanshaw
Birth Date: 19 Sep 1881
Birthplace: Clay County, West Virginia
Gender: Female
Father's Name: James Hanshaw
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Mary A. Hanshaw
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Christening Date:
Christening Place:
Paternal Grandfather:
Maternal Grandfather:
Paternal Grandmother:
Maternal Grandmother:
Death Date:
Death Age:
Film Number: 567453
Digital Folder Number: 4226918
Image Number: 108
Reference Number:
Source: County Records
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Re: Hanshaw Surname

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2012-02-22 06:28:58Z

Can you tell me your line starting with you and go back as far as you have info on please include wives & locations. HANSHAWRICHARD@aol.com. I have a few that were texas bound

Re: Hanshaw family Name

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2012-02-21 19:52:27Z

Hanshaw = American, Henshaw = English, Hinshaw = Irish.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 04:32:19Z

Braxton County, WV Biographies

From: History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia by John Davison Sutton 1919
Transcribed for Genealogy Trails by Marji Turner

History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia by John Davis Sutton, 1919

BIOGRAPHY

- F -

pg 374
James H Facemire was the son of Aaron Facemire, and the eldest of twelve children. Born in Kanawah county in 1831, moving to what is now Braxton county the following year, he grew up on the beautiful Elk and its tributaries. It was here that he learned the art of hunting and trapping. He married Caroline Stonestreet, by whom he had nine children. His family was of German descent.
Mr. Facemire has been a man of keen observation and great memory, and it is interesting to hear him talk of the past, and especially his exploits in the wilds of the forest. He remembers many of the older settlers of the county. He also remembers having seen the old war gun that red-headed Jesse Carpenter took from the Indians when he made his escape from captivity; with this gun, he killed an Indian by shooting across the Ohio river. The gun had been furnished by the French to aid the Indians in their war against the Americans.
He relates that ke killed two bears, over three hundred deer, and gives an account of one night's coon hunt on Skyles creek of the Big Birch river, in which he treed and killed nine coons, and the following night, killed five more. He gave part of the coons to some person as pay for carrying the others on a horse to his home on Two Lick run of the Little Birch.
He estimates that the number of bee trees that he has cut would run into the thousands; sometimes he cut as many as three in one day, often obtaining large quantities of honey. He said that at one time, he salted down sic hundred pounds of venison and severnty-five pounds of coon bacon. He killed wild cats, black foxes, hawks, owls, skunks, rattlesnakes, and was a terror to everything that was harmful and destructive to domestic animals or dangerous to man.
Squirrel hunting and fishing were tow of his most delightful sports. I have seen him bring down squirrels from the tallest twig on the loftiest hickory tree with his riffle offhand. His greatest day's hunt for squirrels was one hundred, around James A Ross' corn field, and the next day he killed forty-seven on Mr. Linger's farm. On Bug ridge, he killed fifty-six in one day. To be a successful hunter and trapper, one has to study the nature and habits of animals. A great day's catch of fish occurred one day while the old woodsman was waiting for his grist a the old Gillespie mill. He and Mr. Knight went to the shoal above the mill and saw a great school of fish. The river was very low, and they drove the fish to a little pool, build a rock dam below, and caught eighteen or twenty large fish, some measuring three feet long.
He was a man of great strength and endurance. His greatest weight was never over 148 pounds, but if he had been trained as pugulists are now trained, he great nerve, natural skill and generalship in battle would have made him one of the greatest middle weight pugulists of the world. He was never beaten in a fisticuff, though he met in single combat some of the best heavy-weights of the country. He would have been killed by Bill Meeks if the knife blade had not broken off in his skull, the point of which he has carried there for half a century or more; but he never fought a man unfairly, no matter how large or powerful his enemy.
We remember several coon hunts with this old veteran of the forest. It was the custom in those days to roast corn grown in the field from which you scared the coons and in the dry fall season when water was scarce, it was considered not unusual to burst the rind of a luscious melon while the dogs were out looking up the game.
James Facemire was a hard working man and a good neighbor. He had for a companion a noble woman, who never turned a hungry man way from their cabin. When we see his once fleet and active frame tottering on broken limb, leaning on his staff, with gun and traps, wending his way to the forest in his ever persistent pursuit of the wild game, we can image the blazing fires of energy that once animated the woodsman's unquenchable desire for sport, and realize the fleeting years that overtake us all.

Pg 379
Benjamin Franklin Fisher, son of William and Elizabeth Fisher, was born August 17, 1831, and died August 2, 1902. He was a prominent man in his county and represented Braxton county in the legislature sessions of 1881, 1882 and 1885. He inherited the large and valuable farm upon which he was reared, and by economy and good management he added other lands to his possessions. He married for his first wife, Margaret Sutton, daughter of Felix and Susan Skidmore Sutton.. She was born November 4, 1834, and died April 24, 1885; was noted for her kindness and benevolence. They had a family of nine children: William, who died in infancy, Felix R., John L., George B., Jake, and William. The girls were Susan, who married John Lloyd, Anna, who married A. L. Morrison and May, who married A. W. Berry; she died in 1901.
Mr. Fisher married for his second wife, Mrs. Susan Hopkins of Pendleton county, a woman of noble character, who is still living at an advanced age. He and his first wife are buried in the Fisher cemetery where rest three generations of the family.
Mr. Fisher's sons are prosperous farmers and stock dealers. Jake, who studied law in the offices of Flick and Westenhaver, Martinsburg, West Va., was educated at Washington & Lee University. He represented Braxton county in the legislature sessions of 1899, 1901, and as senator sessions 1905, 1907 and 1911. He was elected Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit in 1912, and resides in Sutton, W. Va.

Pg 378-79
William Fisher, born February 14, 1786, died March 11, 1853; Elizabeth Fisher, his wife, was born July 9, 1792, and died in 1861. Their children were William, born April 16, 1821, and died in Hardy county; Susannah Martha, born September 18, 1823, who was married twice, her first husband being Dr. Robert Newby, and her second husband Rev. Michael Lancaster; Jemima, born July 13, 1828, married Jonathan Koiner of Augusta county, Virginia; George B., born May 17, 1830, died young; Benjamin Franklin, born August 17,1831, died August 2, 1902; Adam Fisher, born August 31, 1834, and died May 29, 1837.
William Fisher moved from Hardy county, Virginia, to Braxton county, then Nicholas conty, about 1832, and settled on the head of Granny's creek. He was a farmer and stockman.

Pg 376
Fox Family
The earliest information on this family is that sometime before the Revolution, Samuel Fox came from England and settled in what is now Nelson county, Virginia, near Avon of that county. This is in the northern part of the county and near the main line of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Samuel Fox had seven children, namely, Samuel, Richard, Joseph, William, Jackson, Bartlett and Luey.
Of these children, Samuel, Richard and Joseph lived and died in Nelson county, Virginia, and Lucy married a Mr. Quick and moved to some point in what is now West Virginia. William and Jackson Fox moved to what is now Summers county, West Virginia. William Fox had several sons, one of whom was David Fox. David Fox had several sons, two of whom, B. F. Fox and John L Fox, moved to Braxton county. John L. Fox is dead. B. F. Fox lives near Frametown in this county. William Fox had a daughter, Ruth, who married Mary Lively who was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, about 1780. He married Mary Lively who was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, about the year 1800. Bartlett Fox was born in 1861 and his wife died November 5, 1878.
Bartlett Fox moved to what is known as the Lively place in Nicholas county, about the year 1835; he next moved to what is now the J. B. McLaughlin place near the mouth of the Birch river in 1840; he next moved to what is now the John L. Ballengee farm near the mouth of Strange Creek and next to the farm now owned by Troy Nottingham.
Bartlett Fox had eight children, namely, Samul, M. D., L. F., George W., Tiburtis, Henry, William, Jane and Mary. M. D. L. Fox lived on what is known as the David Evans farm on Leatherwood run; George W. Fox lived the greater portion of his life in the edge of Nicholas county and died on Carpenters Fork of the Little Birch near where John Brown now lives; Tiburtis Fox enlisted in the Confederate army in the begiining of the war between the states and was captured and died in prison in 1861; Henry and William Fox both died prior to the war; Jane Fox married Maxwell H. Frame, and Mary married John S. Nottingham.
Samuel Fox was born on the …. day of ………… 1817, and died the 1st day of October, 1892. He was twice married. His first wife was Susan Boggs, daughter of Benjamin L. Boggs, who died on the 18th of August, 1855, aged 23 years, 4 months and 20 days. There were two children born to this marriage, Camden Fox, on the 14th of December, 1854, and Rebecca Fox, a year or two prior to that date. She married G. R. Mollohan and now lives in California. Samuel Fox's second wife was Mary Dean who is still living. They were marrieda bout 1856.

Pg 377
Fred L. Fox, son of Camden and Caroline [McMorrow] Fox, was born at the mouth of the Big Birch river, Oct. 24, 1876. Samuel Fox and Dr. Job McMorrow were his grandfathers, both being prominent men in the lower end of the county. Mr. Fox was educated in Braxton county schools, taking a law course in the West Virginia University with a degree of L. L. B. in 1899. he began practice of law in Sutton in 1899, and was associated with Alex Dulin from 1901 to 1904, and with W. E. Haymond since 1904 in the law firm of Haymond & Fox. He was Chairman of the Democratic Committee in campaigns of 1902, 1908, and 1910; elected to State Senate in 1912, and re-elected in 1916; was Democratic leader in the State Senate in the sessions of 1915 and 1917.
Mr. Fox was married in 1900 to Anna Lee Frame of Sutton, daughter of James T. and Rebecca Byrne Frame, and their children are: Gordon Byrne, John Holt, George McMorrow, Agnes, Jane, Rebecca Ellen and Anna Jean.

Pg 377
Elmore Frame was born March 13, 1819, and died April 17, 1896. His wife Marcella Frances A. [Ray] Frame, was born May 4, 1829, and died March 28, 1909. They were married October 10, 1849, and names of their children are as follows: W. L., Jasper, Willis, Martha Y. T., David and Elmore W. Mr. Frame joined the M. E. church in 1839, and his wife joined a short time later. He was many years a class leader in this church, and was a Justice of the Peace for sixteen years.

Pg 377
David Frame, son of above mentioned parents, was born July 12, 1865, in Harrison county, and was married to May M. Mowrey, Aug 28, 1887. Names of their children are: Eddyth A., Harry E., Flora I., Ira Ray, Ella Ruth, David W., Jr., and Ruby L. Mr. Frame resides near Gassaway, and is engaged in farming. Mr. Frame was for several years a magistrate in Otter district, and is now Deputy Game and Fish Warden.

Pg 378
The Friend Family
The first account given of this most numerous and hardy pioneer family, is in Kerchival's History. He says that Israel Friend came from Maryland to the Valley of Virginia in 1730, in the company with fifteen others, and it was supposed that they came through the gap at Harpers Ferry. From there, the friends worked their way up the Potomac river and we find them scattered along through the South Branch valley and Randolph county, also as far west as Braxton and Nicholas counties.
A lonely Indian warrior, the only one of a northern tribe who escaped with his life in a battle with another tribe of Indians some where on the upper branches of the Potomac, was ferried across the Potomac by a man named Friend who lived on the Maryland side of the river, and to whom the Indian related the incidents of the battle, including an account of the massacre of his comrades. Therefore it is fair to presume that the early settlers of the Friends came to the Potomac Valley from Maryland. The Friends are of German descent.

Pg 378
Jacob Friend settled in Pendleton county before the Revolutionary war. He married Elizabeth Skidmore, sister of Andrew Skidmore. They had nine children, six boys and three girls. Three of his sons were drafted, and went to Norfolk in the war of 1812. Others of his children settled on the Elk river, near the mouth of Otter. The names of his children were: Andrew P., Jacob, Isreal, Thomas, Jonas, Jonathan, Margaret, Elizabeth and Catherine.

Pg 378
Joseph Friend married the daughter of Joseph and Rachael Skidmore and a sister of Captain John Skidmore. They had a son, Joseph, whose daughter married Wm. Arthur. Joseph Friend had valuable land in what is now Webster county, where he resided for many years and died there. Joseph Friend, the progenitor of the Friend family, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was Captain of Scouts.

Pg 379
D. J. Fury, son of Wm. O'Dell and Rebecca Fury, was born at West Milford, May 25, 1878. He was married August 10, 1906, to Nealie Esta Bailey. He has one daughter, Ruth Marie Fury. The family are members of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Fury is a railroad telegraph operator. The author has been the recipient of the friendship and hospitality of this family, and holds them in highest esteem.

-G-

Pg 384
Ira H. Greathouse, a son of Asa and Lydia Queen Greathouse, was born in Harrison county, April 27, 1860. On December 6, 1888, he was married to Mrs. Mary L. Morrison, and to this union were born five children, four of whom are now living. They are Charlie T., deceased, Asa Carl, Maggie, Mabel and Genevieve. Mr. Greathouse is a successful farmer, and a member of the M. E. Church, South. He was formerly a merchant in this county, and a lumberman, and was for one term a member of the County Court.

Pg 381
John Gibson, progenitor of the Gillespie family, came from Bath county about 1830, and settled in Hackers Valley for a short time, and then moved to upper Flatwoods where he lived several years prior to his death. He is buried on what is called the Wyatt farm where he lived, and his wife is buried at the old Morrison cemetery

[Transcriber note: It is unclear if the two listings are for the same John Gibson as each is subtitled. However, there are numerous typeset errors in this book.]

Pg 381
John Gibson came from Bath county, Va. His children were Wm., John, Adam and Tramel; Betsy married Paul Shaver, Becky married Lewis Perrine. The Wyatt and Gillespie familes settled on adjoining lands in upper Flatwoods

Pg 381-82
Rev. J. Y. Gillespie was born May 15, 1842, at Flatwoods. His parents, John Gillespie, was born in Bath county, Va., and mother, Ribera Morrison, in Greenbrier county, VA. He was married Jan. 20, 1875, to Miss Sarah J. Skidmore, and his children are Samuel L., Cora, Pat. C., Harry, Lena and Conde.
He was first married to Miss Naomi J. Hyer in 1868, and their only child, Naomi, died at about five years of age. Naomi was the fifth generation from Andrew Skidmore, but never saw her great, great grandfather.
Rev. J. Y. Gillespie was for several years a traveling minister in the Methodist Protestant church. He is a man of exemplary character, and served as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war. He now resides at Hyer, this county.

Pg 381
Morgan Gibson, son of Jacob and Eva (Lough) Gibson, was born in Braxton county, Dec. 18, 1827. He lived at home and worked with his father until he was eighteen years of age when his parents moved west, but he remained in Braxton county. He began lumbering, and about the time of his marriage added farming to his duties, and followed both until the war ruined both, leaving him with nothing except his family. After the war closed, he again returned to farming and grazing. He had one brother Nicholas G. Gibson who was a surgeon in the Confederate army during the entire war. He also had five brothers in the Federal army, William C., Jacob S., Irving, James M., and George W. All went from Illinois, enlisting early in the conflict, and served until its close.
Morgan Gibson married Elizabeth Jane Given, Feb. 1, 1849, and the following children were born: Arthur (died in infancy), Phebe E., Rebecca Jane, Millard Fillmore, Ruann (deceased), Viola Victoria, Luther H. and Eva M.

Pg 380
Benjamin Skidmore Gillespie, son of William S. and Mary Ann Skidmore Gillespie, was born in Sutton, September 19, 1869. He attended the best schools of the county, and after graduating from the schools at Sutton, he learned the printer's trade, working in the office of the Braxton Central and the Braxton Democrat, and by diligence he rose to the position of Assistant Editor and Manager. By his efforts very largely, the Democrat has attained its present high standard as a county journal. As a writer, Mr. Gillespie has no superior in central West Virginia. Congenial and affable in character, he is universally liked.
In 1912, he was elected Magistrate, and served four years, refusing a second election, to become again the assistant editor of the Democrat. May 22, 1907, he married Miss Lillian, daughter of Edward and Kitty Taylor Snopps. To this union have been born four children, two sons and two daughters. Their home is in North Sutton.

Pg 382
Jeremiah H. Gillespie, son of Adam and Nancy Morrison Gillespie, was born in Nicholas county, Virginia, October 13, 1835. Married Almira J. Posey. Their children were Benjamin F., deceased; James m. Allie (twins), John D. Delbert, Minnie, Lydia G. and Martha L.
His second wife was Elizabeth Post, widow of James Freil. They are living at an advanced age, members of the M. E. Church
Adam Gillespie, born in Bath county, Virginia, married Nancy Morrison. Their children were Mariah, Griffin, Jeremiah H., Cynthia, Mary, James P., William S., George W., John and Julia.

Pg 382
Given - We find the name of John Given mentioned as Captain of a company from Bottount, Augusta, or a company in the Revolutionary war. He served in Col. John Boyer's Regiment, Campbell's Brigade under Lafayette, and was with Colonel Boberton when Tarleton plundered Charlottville. We see another Captain Given mentioned as Captain and later a Colonel in the militia from Augusta in the war of 1812. His name was Alexander R. Given.
In an early day in the settlement of Braxton county, Wm. Given came from Bath county and settled on the Big Burch. His father was Irish, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His wife was a Miss Bratton. Whether he was the Captain John Given spoken of or not, we have no authentic account. John Given was the only Revolutionary soldier of whom we have a record.
James F. Given was the son of Wm. Given, his mother being a Miss Frame. He was born Sept. 20, 1818, and grew to manhood on his father's farm. He married Ruth Duffield who bore him thirteen children. For several years he worked on the farm and in the blacksmith shop. He was a man of sterling character, and a strong believer in the principles of Jefferson. In 1852-53, he represented Nicholas and Braxton counties in the Virginia Legislature, and was considered one of the strong men of that body. In 1866, he represented Braxton county in the W. Va. Legislature, and for many years, he was connected with the educational institutions of the county as president of the school board. He was one of the strong leaders and wise councilors of his party. Perhaps no man ever lived in the county who had more sincere friends than James F. Given or one in whom the people had greater confidence. He lived to be a good old age, and left many descendants.

Pg 383
David Given lived on Scotts Mountain about the year 1840. He married a Miss Lamastus of Nicholas county. Their family of seven children is as follows: Malinda married Joseph Duffield; Kashia married Tunis Davis; Charity married ………… Roberts; Becky Jane married Benjamin Roberts; Alemarinda went west and married ………… Roberts; Agnes married Frank Scott; and one son, Washington, went West

Pg 383
James Frame Given was born at Glendon on Oct. 18, 1864. His parents, James F. Given and Ruth Duffield, were born near Herold, this county. William Given was his grandfather, and a Miss Frame, his grandmother.
Mr. Given was married to Amanda B. Keener on March 28, 1895, and their children are Eunice, Hugh, Ethel and Bruce. Mr. Given is a devout member of the M. E. Church, South, and is a very industrious farmer near Frametown.

Pg 383
William Given, a son of Robert and Jane (Given) Given, was born Jan. 18, 1838, in Braxton county. He married Elizabeth a., daughter of Adam and Granville (Rose) Given, Oct. 6, 1864, and the following children were born: Robert A., Granville J., Ruina A., Benton H., Oscar L., Adam A., Jennie C., Blemie L. William Given died June, 1917.

Pg 383
George Goad was a Virginian, born in Carroll county, April 15, 1850, and a son of Andrew and Ellen J. (Ayers) Goad. His father entered the Confederate army in 1862, and served until the close of the war, when he returned to his farming in Carroll county. George Goad worked with his father until he was twenty-four years of age, and then began for himself. He commenced dealing in horses, locating in Braxton county in 1875, and lumbering, drifted and rafted timber and logs to Charleston. He added to his other business the conduct of a store of a store of general merchandise which he established at the mouth of Strange creek. He was married June 20, 1879, to Sarah A. Frame, and the following children were born: Nimmie (deceased), Nettie, and Norman who is a physician at Strange Creek at this time. George Goad represented this county in the State Legislature during the sessions of 1889, 1891, and 1893. He also served the people of this county as Sheriff. He died at his home at Strange Creek in July, 1917.

pg 379-80
John Andrew Grose was born on the Grose home farm, one mile south of Summersville, Nicholas county, April 17, 1865. His father was John McDowell Grose, son of Samuel Grose, whose wife was an Oliver. Samuel's father, Jacob Samuel Grose, setting in Nicholas county, on Line Creek, soon after the Mexican war, in which he was a soldier, moving from Virginia.
John Andrew's mother wa Melvina Hamilton Grose, daughter of John McKee Hamilton and Rebecca Robinson Hamilton, whose mother was a daughter of James Robinson and Betsy Lemasters, the latter a daughter of Benjamin Lemasters.
His mother died when he was eight years old and his father when he was fourteen years old. A very excellent stepmother, who, before marriage to his father, was the widow of Thomas McVey, she being a daughter of Jacob Koontz, remained with him and his younger brothers, William Rush Grose and David Oliver Grose, until the fall of 1881, when they "broke up" housekeeping. At this time he entered the Nicholas Chronicle office, where he began learning the printer's trade and the newspaper business, having attended the district schools previous to this.
He came to Sutton in September 1885, when he purchased an interest in the Braxton Democrat, then a 7-column folio, with 650 circulation.

-H-

Pg 385
John Hacker was born in the Valley of Virginia, and came to the Buckhannon settlement in 1768 or 1769. He located permanently in 1773 on Hacker's creek which was named for him. He held the office of Justice of the Peace, and bore a prominent part in the Indian wars of his neighborhood. It is said that he had served with General Clark's Vincennes Campaign. He died in 1821.

Pg 386-7
Col. John Haymond, the son of Mayor William Haymond, was born near Rockville, now in Montgomery county, Maryland, December 7, 1765, and came with his father to near Morgantown in 1773. He married Mary, the daughter of Colonel Benjamin Wilson, July 3, 1787, who then lived in Tygart's Valley near Beverly. The wedding party from Clarksburg on their way to the bride's home camped out all night under a cliff of rocks a short distance from Philippi on the Valley river. It was said that the bride and groom were the handsomest couple on the frontier.
John Haymond was clerk of the Board of Trustees of the Randolph Academy, Deputy Surveyor, Sheriff, Member of the Legislature from Harrison county, Member of the State Senate, an officer of Militia, took a prominent part in the Indian wars and was in many expeditions against them. In a skirmish with the Indians on Middle Island Creek, now in Doddridge county, a ball passed through a handkerchief which he had tied around his head.
He was a member of the Virginia Senate at the time of the passage of the celebrated resolutions of 1798, and in all phases of the parliamentary contest in that memorable struggle, his name is found as voting against them.
About the year 1807 he moved onto a large tract of land on the Little Kanawha river, in what is now Braxton county near Bulltown, built a mill and established a salt works. He built canoes and floated down the river to the Ohio and thence up to Pittsburgh, purchased kettles in which to boil salt water and returned with them by the same route, a long tedious and laborious journey.
He conducted a manufacture of salt for many years and died September 5, 1838. His descendants live in Braxton county.

Pg 387-8
John Haymond, a house carpenter and joiner, came from England to the Colonies, some time prior to 1740. He located in the Colony of Maryland. He had three sons, William, John and Calder, all of whom served in the Revolutionary war.
William, after the war, located near Clarksburg. John Haymond, called and known as Col. John the Indian fighter, was a son of William, and settled at Bulltown, on the Little Kanawha river. He reared a large family. William P. Haymond, whose name, by reason of his being a land surveryor and Commissioner of Delinquent and Forfeited Lands, is connected with more of our land titles than any other name, was a son of Col. John haymond. Wm. P. was the owner and proprietor of the mills at the Falls of the Little Kanwha, from an early day, until the time of his death, in 1869.
Thomas Haymond, a son of Col. John, was the father of Luther D. Haymond, who was Prosecuting Attorney of the county when the Civil war began. Luther D. Haymond joined the Confederate army, and was a Captain of a company from this county. After the war, he located in Virginia, and practiced law there, until the time of his death, in 1886.
Eugenus Haymond was a son of Thomas; and John Q. Haymond, who now lives near Falls Mills, and who was a Federal soldier, and Sarah J. Squires, wife of E. H. Squires, living at Flatwoods, are children of Thomas, and the only children of his large family now living.
All of the Haymonds in this county are descendants of Col. John, and many of his descendants are to be found in other counties of this state, and other states of the Union, especially westwardly.
W. E. Haymond, an attorney-at-law, was the son of Eugenus and Mary J. Berry Haymond, daughter of Benjamin Berry. He was reared on a farm, not far from Falls Mills. He attended the public schools of the neighborhood in the winter season, and labored on the farm in summer, and after acquiring a good common school education, he taught school for a few terms. Afterwards he read law in Weston, Lewis county, and was admitted to the Bar, in Sutton, in 1879. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Braxton county in 1884, and served in that capacity for eight years
Mr. Haymond married his first wife, Emma C. Hawkins, of Buckhannon. To this union were born two children, Gertrude and Nora. For his second wife he married Ethel Rhoades, of Lewis county.
Mr. Haymond was a candidate for Congress on the Democratic ticket in 1900. The District being Republican, he was unable to reduce the large majority that confronted him.
He has enjoyed a large and lucrative law practice, being chief council for E. D. Fulton, of New York vs. Geo. J. Gould, The Little Kanawha Syndicate and others, in which about 50,000 acres of coal land was involved, in Braxton and Gilmer counties. For his services in this suit he was paid $35,000.
Mr. Haymond has done more, perhaps, then any other citizen of his town, to promote such interests as would build up the town and community. It was through his influence that the Coal & Coke Railroad was extended from Gassaway to Sutton. It is through his efforts that the Government is locating an extract plant at Sutton, which will add greatly to this section of country.

Pg 388
Elijah Heater, son of Solomon and Betsey E. (Wilson) Heater, was born in this county in 1834. He enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, in Gilmer county, and served through the war. Among the battles in which he was engaged were: Laurel Hill, Droop Mountain, Bulltown, Beverly and Buchannon. At Droop Mountain, he was taken prisoner, and sent to Fort Delaware where he remained eighteen months at which time he was released and sent to Clarksburg.
March 1, 1874, Elijah Heater married Victoria Wyatt who was born in Randolph county, a daughter of Jacob and Kittie A. (Johnson) Wyatt. Their children were Al. B., Hayes P., Early S., Sarah I., and boy unknown.

Pg 388-9
John Heater was born July 5, 1818, and died at his home near Heater station, Dec 15, 1894. On Oct. 17, 1847, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth A. Berry, daughter of William and Caroline Berry, by which union they were blessed with seven children, three sons and four daughters; the eldest, William Wirt, died Dec. 4, 1882; Mardora J., wife of T. Cunningham, J. B. Heater, Leo A., wife of N. G. Singleton, Charles B. Heater, Sophrona Heater, wife of J. H. Long; and Rebecca, wife of Jacob Huffman died ………….

Pg 347
E. W. Hefner began in the merchandise business in 1890.
1902 --- Elected Clerk County Court of Braxton county, and in 1908 re-elected
1915 --- Entered the real estate business, and continued same to present time
1897 --- Married Mary Sue Hopkins, daughter of William Hopkins, of Pendleton county.
Children --- Charles, Samuel, Ernest Lyle, Virginia Lee, Mary Louise.
Son of Samuel C. Hefner and Sarah E. Hefner

Pg 386
Henry S. Hefner was born June 24, 1859, at Sutton. His father, Samuel C. Hefner, was born in Greenbrier county, W. Va., and his mother, Sarah E. Shaver, at Flatwoods. Mr. Hefner was married Sept. 1, 1886, to Sarah A. Stout, and their children are Ersie D., Effie L., and Sarah Rachel. He now resides at Barboursville, W. Va., and is engaged in farming and the real estate business.
Mr. Hefner's father served four years in the Confederate army, having enlisted in 1861, and was lieutenant at the close of the war. He soon afterwards moved to Glenville, living there seven years, then moved to the farm on Salt Lick near Burnsville where he spent the remainder of his life. His mother spent the latter part of her life at his home in Barboursville.

Pg 392
William S. Hefner, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Propst) Hefner, was born in Pendleton county, Nov. 20, 1817. He was twice married, Rachel McWallace being the former wife and Elizabeth (Morgan) Talbert, the latter. His former wife was mother of the following family: Hannah M. E., Rachel Evaline, Lyda C., Benjamin L., Samuel, Mott, Matthew W., William C., Edna, John B., and Rachel Me.

Pg 384
Homer A Holt, one of the most distinguished lawyers of West Virginia, was born in Lewis county, Virginia. When quite a young attorney, he came to Braxton county to practice his profession. He married Mary Ann Bryne, daughter of John B. Byrne, on Jan. 27, 1857.
Judge Holt continued his residence in Sutton until 1874, when he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court embracing the county of Greenbrier. He then removed to Lewisburg, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred at his home in Lewisburg in 1897.
Judge Holt was the son of Mathew Holt, a Methodist preacher. His children were John Homer Holt, of Huntington, Robert Byrne Holt and Mrs. Charles S. Dice, of Lewisburg. He was Judge of the Circuit court for 16 years, and in 18 …… he was elected a member of the Supreme Court of West Virginia, a position which he filled with ability. Mrs. Holt, wife of Judge Holt, died at Lewisburg, Feb. 3rd, 1914, in her 79th year.

Pg 384-5
John H Holt, son of Homer A. Holt and Mary Ann Byrne Holt, was born in Sutton, Braxton county. Virginia, August 10th, 1860. He attended the local schools, and subsequently took a course of two years at Randolph Macon College, Virginia, and studied law one year with his father, after which he took a summer course at the University of Virginia, under Dr. John B. M……. This was followed by a law course at George Town University, District of Columbia, where he was graduated with the degree of L. L. B. Mr. Holt then took the post graduate course of law at Yale, graduating with the degree of Master of Laws. He located at Wheeling and formed a partnership with M. T. Frame, and there spent three years. In 1890 he removed to Huntington, West Virginia, forming a law partnership with C. W. Campbell. On the retirement of his father from the Supreme Court of Appeals, he was nominated, in 1896, by the Democratic Convention, to succeed him, but was defeated, running 2,000 votes ahead of his ticket. In 1900 he was the standard bearer of his party for Governor, but was again defeated, running ahead of his ticket.
In 1886, at Wheeling, Mr. Holt was united in marriage with Effie Ewing. They have four children, Homer, Dorcas, Helen, and Klea.
As an attorney, and profound jurist, Mr. Hold has no superior in West Virginia. He practices in all the higher courts. His affable and congenial nature, together with his great ability, renders him one of the most popular men of the State.

Pg 389
Francis Hoover, brother of William Hoover, married Amanda Prince, daughter of Simon and Peggy (Sisk) Prince. They raised a large family. Mr. Hoover died in 1916.

Pg 385-6
John Hoover moved from the Valley of Virginia to Braxton county, at an early date, and settled on the mountain between the Elk and the Holly, for many years known as Hoover mountain. Mr. Hoover's wife's name was Esther. They had two sons, John and Paul. Their daughters were Sally, who married McKeever, and Eliza, who married Wm. Morrison. Mr. Hoover's family were born and reared in the Shenandoah Valley. He was one of a large family, said to be six brothers, that scattered and settled in Pennsylvania and other states.
John Hoover, son of John and Hester Hoover, married Lucinda Butcher; they lived for many years on Flatwoods Run, where they reared a family of six sons and one daughter. Their children were Jesse M., Asa, Wesley, William, Francis, Granville and one daughter, Caroline.
Paul, son of John and Esther Hoover, married Martha Short. Their children were Morgan, James, Thomas Benjamin and two daughters. The eldest married Morgan Simmons.

Pg 389
William Hoover, son of John and Cynthia Hoover, married Jerusha, daughter of Tunis McElwain who was born in Pendleton county in 1773. Mr. Hoover settled on the head of Birch shortly after his marriage which occurred in 1867. He was the father of eleven children, and two of his sons are prominent men of Webster county. Dr. Marshall Hoover is one of the leading physicians of his county. John Hoover is a lawyer, and enjoys a lucrative practice, and is the present Prosecuting Attorney. William Hoover died in 1890, and his wife died in 1909.

Pg 388
Andrew J Hopkins, son of Caleb and Mary A. (Cocke) Hopkins, was born in Goochland county, VA., Jan. 17, 1825, and came to Braxton county with his parents in 1842. On Dec. 16, 1851, he married Sarah, daughter of G. G. and Martha (Stout) Dennison. Their children numbered ten: Lucian M., Minerva C., Martha A., Matilda E., Lucy J., Narcissus W., Sabina C., Walter L., Alice V. and William J.

Pg 392-3
William Hudkins was born in Randolph county, Va., in 1805. He was the son of Bascal Hudkins. He came to Braxton when a young man, and married Polly, daughter of James and Becca Boggs. She was born in 1814. Mr. Hudkins died in June, 1877, and his wife died in Nov., 1886. Their children were Susan who married James Squires (son of Eligah), Hanson B., married Lyddia Squires, daughter of Eligah Squires; Caroline married H. A. Baxter, son of Wm. D. Baxter; one child died young; James P. married ……… Kizer. Mary married Thomas C. Meadows, Jane married Nelson McLaughlin, Francis B. son of Leonard Hyer; Minter and Lisa Link were twins; Minter married a Miss Young, and she having died, he married for his second wife ………. Lisa Link married ……… Gillespie

Pg 386
Benjamin Huffman was born in Barber county, Va., May 9, 1828. His father, Alexander Huffman, was a native of Virginia, and was said to be of German descent. His mother, Hannah Vanoy, was of Scotch-Irish descent.
The subject of this sketch was married to Drusilla Stump on Nov. 16, 1846, and their children are Granville, Henson, Daniel, Jacob, Ward, Ruhala Jane, and John. By occupation, Mr. Huffman has always been an industrious farmer, and is a faithful member of the Missionary Baptist church.

Pg 392
Rev. Levi J. Huffman, son of Alexander and Hannah (Vannoy) Huffman, was born in Calhoun county, June 9, 1839. On Nov. 17, 1860, he married Ruhala, daughter of Jacob and Jane (Boggs) Stump. Her birth was in Gilmer county, Oct. 3, 1842. Mr. Huffman was converted in 1860, and was ordained to the work of the ministry on July 23, 1866. Since that time, he was constantly and actively engaged in the work of his calling in the Baptist church until a few years ago when he closed out his fiftieth year in active ministry. Rev. Huffman was married Aug. 24, 1916, to Mrs. Lelia Belsches of Charleston, his former companion having deceased some years previous

Pg 393-4
Elias Hughes was born on the South Branch of the Potomac, his birth occurring sometime before Braddock' defeat in 1755.
He first appears on the public stage as a soldier, participating in the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, in which he took an active part. He was the last survivor of that conflict and lived seventy years after it was fought.
He next appears in Harrison county where for many years he was engaged as a scout, watching the Indian war parties and giving notices of their approach to the settlers of the Monongahela Valley, and in this capacity he was of great service to the frontier by his activity and knowledge of Indian warfare.
He pre-empted four hundred acres of land in 1770 on the West Fork river near the mouth of Hacker's creek.
Hughes' father, and others of his kindred, and a young lady to whom he was much attached were murdered by the Indians. These acts of barbarity made him ever after an unrelenting and merciless enemy of the Indian race, and he never spared one of them when opportunity occurred.
The Indian troubles having ceased by the treaty at Greenville in 1795, Hughes' services not being longer required, he entered into the employment as a hunter for a party of surveyors in Ohio, probably under the direction of John G. Jackson, Deputy Surveyor under Rufus Putnam, Surveyor for the United States Government.
Hughes was attracted by the fine appearance of the land on the Licking river, and concluded to locate on it. Accordingly in 1797, with his wife and twelve children, his nephew John Ratcliff with his wife and four children on foot and pack horses, started west and settled on what is called the Bowling Green on the banks of the Licking four miles east of the present city of Newark. This colony of twenty-one souls was the first permanent white settlement in the present county of Licking, State of Ohio.
In 1801, four horses were stolen by two Indians from Hughes and his neighbors. They were followed and overtaken, and though his companions endeavored to persuade Hughes to spare their lives, he strenuously objected, his old hatred for the race was too great to be overcome and the horse thieves paid the penalty.
Although about sixty years of age, he served in the war of 1812, as also did three of his sons, one of whom died from disease.
He died in 1844, at about the age of ninety years, and was buried with military honors.

Pg 394
Jesse Hughes, the noted border and Indian scout, was, it is supposed, born on the South Branch of the Potomac, and came to the West in 1770, and located his four hundred acres on Hacker's creek, adjoining lands afterwards owned by Colonel William Lowther.
He participated in many expeditions against the Indians, and was perhaps better known and had a wider reputation for daring than any other man on the upper waters of the Monongahela, and he did much to protect the settlers from the forays of the savages.
He had a fierce temper and bore an intense hatred to the Indians, and no one of that race was safe with him either in war or peace.
He lived to a great age and died at the house of his son-in-law, George Henshaw, in Jackson county, West Virginia, about 1830..

Pg 385
Dr. Andrew C. Humphreys was born March 13, 1810, in Greenbrier county, Virginia. He married Mary McQuain Hefner in 1832; she was born in Pocahontas county. Dr. Humphreys came with his family and settled in Sutton, West Va., in 1860, and practiced medicine until his death, which occurred September 15, 1866. Mrs. Humphreys died October 7, 1893; they are buried in the Skidmore cemetery. Their children were, Caroline J., Samuel A., Andrew J., Malinda A., Mary E., James W., Milton W., John C., Robert H., Sarah F., Daniel F., Houston B. His son, Milton W., graduated at Washington & Lee University, Berlin University and at the University of Leipsic. He is the author of many works of the highest merit; some of his text books are used in the best institutions of learning in America. He ranks as one of the great scholars of the world. Two sons are living in Sutton, Robert H. and James W. The latter has four sons in the U. S. Army.

Pg 394-5
Hutchinson
The name is Scotch and can be traced back as far as the days of Charles Stuart, first of the family that reigned as king of England, in his parliament was a Colonel Hutchison who was a faithful and efficient leader for the Stuart cause. However when Charles the first was beheaded and Oliver Cromwell became the same as king, all the assistants and sympathizers of Charles the first that did not seek safety in fight were put to death. As it happened Colonel Hutchison died at this time and certain ones of his descendants, his children to be exact, emigrated to the new world, with William Penn, and the Pennsylvania colonists. This was in the year 1682. Joseph Hutchison, settled somewhere near Chester, Pa. David Hutchison, son of Joseph Hutchison. Settled in Westmoreland county. In 1745 William, son of David, settled in the valley of Virginia where one of his daughters married Jacob Warwick and moved to Clover Lick, Pocahontas county. September 17, 1770, William, son of William, married Rebecca Warwick. (They were cousins.) In June, 1771, he took pneumonia fever and died. His wife went and lived with her father where on Oct. 17, 1771, she gave birth to three children, Rebecca, William and Jacob. Rebecca married David Hanna of Greenbrier county, William went to Ohio and was lost sight of, and Jacob married Hanna MacMillian June 27, 1797. Four children were born: John, May 4, 1798; William, May 6, 1800; Jacob, May 22, 1802; Joseph, July 23, 1804.

William and Jane MacMillian, daughter of Joseph and Jane MacMillian, were married February 6th, 1825. (They were cousins). For his second wife he married Elizabeth, daughter of William and Mary Bell; to this union no children were born. To the former marriage the following children were born:
Nathan MacMillian Hutchison, born Dec. 15, 1825
Daughter (not named), born Feb. 9, 1827. Died Feb. 10, 1827.
Hannah Jane, born March 6, 1828.
Joseph, born Sept. 22, 1829
Felix, born Feb 20, 1831. Died April 22, 1916
Virginia, born Nov. 8, 1832
Miles M., born Nov. 11, 1834
Ann, born March 9, 1838. Died Dec. 22, 1838
William Hutchison died May 16, 1866. His former wife died April 5th 1838.
Felix Hutchison married Ann E. Knicely, daughter of John and Nancy Knicely, Aug. 28, 1852, by the Rev. William Sisk. She was born May 23, 1832, and died Aug. 7, 1906. The children were:
William, born Sept. 12, 1853
Henderson B., born April 25, 1855
John R., born July 25, 1857
Elizabeth J., born Nov. 10, 1859
Ellis Lee, born March 27, 1862. Died Sept. 15, 1880.
Nancy F., born Aug. 9, 1864. Died Aug. 28, 1877
Clark, born June 5, 1868. Died May 12, 1869.
Winfield S., born April 7, 1870. Died March 17, 1872.

Pg 395
Charles L. Hutchinson was born June 4, 1887, at Gem, Braxton county. His father, H. B. Hutchinson, was born at Corley, April 25, 1855, and his mother, Sarah V. (Moyers) Hutchinson, was born at Cutlip, May 28, 1860. His grandparents, Felix Hutchinson and Ann (Knicely) Hutchinson, were born at Corley, in the years 1831 and 1832 respectively.
Charles L. Hutchinson was married Feb. 5, 1910, to Elsie D. Hefner. Mr. Hutchinson is a manufacturer of knit goods, and now resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pg 389
J. H. Hutchison was born Feb 13, 1884, at Flatwoods. His father, Wm. Hutchison, was born in this county, while his mother, Esther C. Jones, was born in Highland county, Va. His grandparents, Felix Hutchison and Anne Kniceley, were natives of Nicholas county.
Mr. Hutchison was married to Miss Blanche Mearns Dec. 25, 1906, and their children are Bernard Mearns and William Milton. He began teaching school in 1901, attending Glenville Normal in 1902 and 1903. He was elected County Superintendent of Free Schools in 1914. As a teacher and County Superintendent, he is very popular. When not engaged in school work, he cultivates his farm situated on the head of Salt Lick.

Pg 390
A. J. Hyer, son of Christian Hyer and Judy (Sirk) Hyer, was born in Braxton county Aug. 24, 1818. He married Hannah Rodgers, daughter of Levi and Naomi (Skidmore) Rodgers, and to this union were born Naomi J., Jacob S., Christian B., Julia, Mary E., Alice, Wm. G., George T.
By his second marriage with Hannah Morrison, widow of James Morrison, there were born three children, Joseph, Jackson and Flora. Mr. Hyer owned a good farm in Boling Green that he bought by his own industry and frugality. He was a model farmer and citizen, and for many years was a member of the M. E. church. He died December 10th, 1894, and was buried at the Hyer cemetery on his father's old farm near Flatwoods, by the side of the remains of his first wife.

Pg 392
Ellis Hyer, son of Christian and Judy Sirk Hyer, married Clara Wheeler. Their children were Sherman, L. D., John, and one daughter. Mr. Hyer was a farmer. He lived several years in Clay county and owned valuable land on O'Briens creek where he lived. He died some years after the Civil war, and was buried at his old home where rest the remains of most of his children who died in middle life.
In 1816, Isaac Shaver and Christian Hyer, brothers-in-law, moved from Rockingham county, Va., to Flatwoods, now Braxton county, and settled on lands, part of which is still in the hands of their descendants. They landed in October, bringing their goods in one wagon.

Pg 391
Jacob S. Hyer, son of Adam J. and Hannah Rodgers Hyer, was born in Braxton county, Jan. 10, 1849. He was reared on a farm until his thirteenth year. It was his industry and close application to business that induced his parents to send him to Weston where he could have better educational advantages. The opportunities thus afforded were very diligently improved. After he left school, he secured a position with George A. Jackson in the clerk's office, and later he entered the mercantile store of A. A. Lewis as a clerk.
After the close of the Civil war, Mr. Hyer came back near his old home, and went into the mercantile business at Flatwoods run, on the Elk, at a place now called Hyer. After successfully conducting the business there for a few years, he moved his store to Sutton where he expanded in business and soon became the principal merchant of the town. He helped organize the old Sutton Bank which was the first bank established in the country, and became its President, a position which he held until his death in 1903. He was a candidate on the Republican ticket for House of Delegates, and while the county was largely Democratic, he reduced the majority and lacked only a small number of votes of being elected. He was the nominee of his party in 1892 for the office of State Auditor, and once more reduced the majority in the sections where he had been best known for many years. Mr. Hyer was connected with school work in this town for many years. He was a member of the Masonic order, and the last few years of his life was a member of the M. E. church, and was liberal of his means. And active in promoting the interests of the church.
He married in 1878 a daughter of Charles E. Singleton, and after a short period, this highly esteemed lady was taken from his embrace, and he was left with two children, George Edwin and Charles J.
In 1886, Mr. Hyer married for his second wife, Mary C., the daughter of Wm. Hawkins of Buckhannon. By this union, he had the following children, Harry Jackson, Thomas Hawkins and Lulu Winifred
Mr. Hyer accumulated a large estate, and was considered one of the finest business men and financiers in the central part of the state. He died at his home in Sutton July 7, 1903, of typhoid fever, greatly beloved by his countrymen.

Pg 392
Jacob Hyer, son of Christian and Judy Sirk Hyer, born 1828, owned a farm on the Elk river near Hyer. He married Mary, daughter of Eliga Squires. She was born in 1837. They were married in 1849. Their children were Ellis, B. F. and Jacob.

Pg 390
Leonard W. Hyer, son of Christian and Judy (Sirk) Hyer, was born … …., 18… He married ………… McPherson and their children were James, Harvy. Mr. Hyer served through the Civil war in his brother's company. He owned a farm on Cedar creek, and was a carpenter as well as a farmer. Was a member of the M. E. church.

Pg 391
L. D. Hyer, son of Samuel E. and Clara J. (Wheeler) Hyer, was born in 1861. He married Clemna Riffle, and their children were: Victor, Minter, Porter, Dessie, Edgar, Carder, Hallie, Orile Otis and Oley Oris, the last two named being twins.
Mr. Hyer owned a good farm on O'Brions creek in Clay county where he resided. He was elected Sheriff of Clay county in 1908. He died May 4, 1911, and his son Porter finished his term of office.

Pg 389-90
Captain N. M Hyer. The founder of the Hyer family came from Germany at an early period of the country's history, and settled on the James river at or near Jamestown. He had two sons, one of who emigrated East, and the other moved to Rockingham county, Va., It was here that Leonard Hyer, grandfather of the deceased, was born about the year 1758. He was captured by the Indians at the age of thirteen, and kept in captivity for three years. After regaining his liberty, he joined General Washington's army, and served until the independence of the country was gained, then returning to Rockingham he married a lady by the name of Rohrbaugh and reared seven children. Two of these children, Christian and Mary, came to Harison county, now Braxton, and settled near Flatwoods about 1817; the other five emigrated to Ohio.
Captain Hyer was a son of Christian and Julia Hyer; his mother's name was Sirk; she was a niece of the celebrated Adam Poe. It was at the exemplary Christian home of his parents that he grew to manhood, and whence he received his early moral and religious training.
He married Elizabeth Jane, daughter of James W. Morrison, and their children are James M., Mary E., Nancy V., Emma T. and John W.
In 1862, when the struggle waged the fiercest and vast armies were struggling for supremacy, Mr. Hyer volunteered as a private in Company F, Tenth West Virginia infantry, and was shortly afterwards made 1st Lieutenant of the company, and then elected Captain, a position that he held until the close of the war. He was taken prisoner in 1863 and was sent to Libby and then to Charleston, S. C., from there he was sent to Savannah, Ga., remaining as a prisoner seventeen months and eleven days. He had as companions in Libby, Bishop C. C. McCabe, Neal Dow, the great temperance advocate of Maine, and others of national celebrity. His prison life was one of great privation and danger, and at the time of his release his life hung upon a very brittle thread.
Captain Hyer died at the age of seventy-five

-J-

Pg 395-6
John Jackson, the pioneer of the Jackson family in West Virginia, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, about the year 1719, his father removed to London when John was quite young, and there he learned the builders trade.
In 1784, he immigrated to Cecil county in the colony of Maryland and there married Elizabeth Cummins, an English woman, who according to tradition was a large, strong minded, energetic, courageous woman of great strength of character, which traits were inherited by her descendants.
This couple were the progenitors of a long line of able enterprising men who were distinguished in military and civil life and left their impress on the times in which they lived.
Several years after their marriage the young couple moved West and after several temporary locations, in 1769, crossed the mountains and located on the Buckhannon river at the mouth of Turkey Run. Jackson had under the guidance of Samuel Pringle explored the country in the year previous, 1768.
John Jackson did his share of pioneer work and took an active part in the Indian wars of the period. He was the father of George, who was distinguished above his brothers, the grandfather of John G., the able United States Judge and Congressman, and the great grandfather of Thomas J. (Stonewall) whose fame as a soldier is world wide.
He died at Clarksburg in 1804, age 85 years. His wife, Elizabeth, also died in Clarksburg in 1825 at the age of 101 years.

Pg 396
Jackson Family - Very early in the settlement of the country, Jesse, Robert and Abraham Jackson came and settled on the Birch. They were the sons of Robert Jackson who lived in Bath county, Va.

Pg 396
Abraham Jackson, son of Robert Jackson, came to Braxton county in an early day. His wife was Polly Ralph. They were married before coming to this county.

Pg 396
David M Jackson, son of Robert Jackson, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sarah Cuberly, and granddaughter of Andrew Skidmore, Sr. The children of Robert Jackson were William, David, Henry L., James (who died in the southern army), Washington, Clayton, Felix, Sarah, Mary and Eliza. Mr. Jackson built a mill about two miles below his brother Jesse's residence where he lived and reared his ability.

Pg 396
David M Jackson, son of Jesse and Rebecca (Skidmore) Jackson, was born Aug. 4, 1838, and was married to Sylvina Mary, June 10, 1865. Their issue consisted of sixteen children, of whom fourteen are living, including one set of triplets: Abigal, Sarah, George C., Edna J., Rebecca, Warder, Minter, Violet, Mariah, Lafayette, and one child who died unnamed. Mr. Jackson inherited the old home farm where he was born, and where he has reared his family. His land is underlaid with very fine coal seams, and the old mill still grinds and mainly supplies his bread

Pg 396
Jesse Jackson was born Sept. 18, 1811. He married Rebecca, daughter of Andrew and Margaret (Johnson) Skidmore. Their children were Polly, Robert, Sylvester, David M. and Abigal. His home was on the Little Birch where the turn pike road crosses the river. He build the first mill on the Little Birch, and it is still in use, being owned by his son, David M. Jesse Jackson died May 1, 1888.

.Pg 397-8
Governor Joseph Johnson of Harrison County, VA
Joseph Johnson was born in Orange county, New York, December 19, 1785, and came with his mother, a widow, to near Bridgeport about 1803, where he lived until his death February 27, 1877.
He was self educated, and was always an eager participant in the debating societies in his neighborhood. In 1811, he was appointed a constable, his first appearance in public life. He was captain of a Company of Riflemen from Harrison county in the war of 1812 with England and marched it to Norfolk.
He was elected to the Legislature in 1818. In 1823, he was elected to the 18th Congress, also the 19th; to the vacancy in the 22nd , occasioned by the death of Philip Doddridge, serving from January 21 to March 2, 1833; and to the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 29th Congress retiring in 1847. He was again elected to the Legislature in 1847 and in 1850 he was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention.
While serving in that body, he was elected Governor for a short term by the Legislature and thus it came to pass that Mr. Johnson was the first Governor of Virginia chosen by the suffrage of the people, and the only one who ever held the office living west of the Allegheny mountains.
In the war of 1861, Governor Johnson's sympathies were with the South, and during that period he left Bridgeport, and lived quietly inside of the Confederate lines in Virginia, and returned to his home in 1865 after the cessation of hostilities.
Governor Johnson was a medium sized man of agreeable manners, a persuasive stump speaker, and of great political popularity among the people.
When he was a candidate for Governor, he was opposed by George W. Summers of Kanawha county, who was a finished orator, and the idol of the Whigs in Western Virginia.
There were no joint debates during the campaign, and Johnson's political opponents charged that he would not dare meet Summers on the stump to discuss the issues of the campaign.
To this Johnson replied, "I do not shrink from meeting Mr. Summers, for have I not met the lion of the forest and shaken the dew drops from his mane?" This illusion is to Philip Doddridge who was perhaps the ablest man in the West, and had a reputation as a scholar, lawyer and orator, exceeded by none.
Governor Johnson was a good conversationalist, and having met all the prominent men of his time, his recollection of past events was exceedingly interesting.
He had the respect and admiration of the people of his county, and his private life was without reproach.

Pg 398
Okey Johnson was born Sept. 17, 1888, at Herold, W. Va. Both his father, L. N. Johnson, and mother, Malissa Isabel Johnson, were born at Herold. His grandfather, Wm. Johnson, was born in Monroe county, and his grandmother, Jane Given, was born in Braxton county. He was married April 30, 1913, to Miss Bessie Leigh Robertson of Petersburg, Va., and now resides in Charleston where he holds the position as Credit Man in the Abney-Barnes Co. of that city.

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 04:16:44Z

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 02:50:01Z

They have sent me this message 3 times, but thank you

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 01:27:26Z

History of Ritchie County
The following is taken from the book "History of Ritchie County" written
by Minnie Kendall Lowther, and published in 1910.
Transcribed by Janet Waite.

Chapter I
The Discovery of Ritchie County
As we look with so much pleasure and admiration upon the smiling valley and sunny hill-tops that
surround our rural homes, it sounds like a fairy-tale to be told that a little more than a
century and a quarter ago, this beautiful landscape was one vast unbroken wilderness--the lair
of wild beasts, and the home of the savage Red man. But--

"The Red man is no more, The pale-faced stranger stands alone, Upon the river's shore."

Tradition, as well as history, tells us that the first "pale-faced strangers" that ever trod the
"Little Kanawha" and Hughes river valleys and stood within the present bounds of Ritchie county,
were Colonel William Lowther and Jesse and Elias Hughes.

It was in the year 1772, when the glorious touch of autumn was on every bush and tree, that this
brave trio set out on their long and perilous expedition which was destined to result in the
discovery of what is now the prosperous little County of Ritchie.

Leaving the place where Clarksburg now stands, they steered their course up the West Fork of the
Monongahela river to its head waters, and, crossing over the dividing ridge near the present
site of Weston, pursued their journey down Sand creek to its confluence with the Little Kanawha.
Here they found a beautiful mountain river upon which the eye of civilized man had, perhaps,
never before rested, and being filled with delight at this discovery, and lured on by their
desire to explore, to penetrate this dense wilderness, and to find the destination of this river,
they followed its tortuous course, its meanderings like a "silver thread"- naming the
tributaries as they passed along.

The general course of the first one that appeared suggested a more direct route from the point
near Weston to the river they were exploring, than the one down Sand creek, and they named it
"Leading creek". Cedars adorned the banks of the next stream and they called it "Cedar creek".
Then one came out from beneath stately pines, and "Pine creek" was the name given to it. High
banks of yellow clay marked the mouth of another, giving rise to the name of "Yellow creek" -
which is to-day so far famed for its richness in oil. After this came a tributary "stretching
far away among the hills" - a long line of its course being visible, and the name "Straight
creek" was bestowed upon it. From toward the evening sun flowed another, which suggested the
name of "West Fork". And from the cool limpid waters of another, they quenched their thirst
and it has ever since borne the name of "Spring creek".

Little did these pioneers of civilization dream that before a century had passed away, this
region was destined to give birth to what is to-day one of the richest resources of our
Commonwealth. Scarcely less credible is the romancer's story of the powerful magic wand of
"Aladin's Lamp" than the one that historian has woven about "Burning Springs".

In August 1860, when the news went out from this place that the greatest petroleum-producing
field then known to the world had here been discovered, the population of this entire vicinity
was less than a score, and six months later, on that memorable April morn when the whole country
was startled by the firing on Fort Sumpter, it numbered not fewer than six thousand persons.
Capitalists and adventurers from every quarter of the globe flocked to this "Eldorado", and
immense fortunes came and went in a single day. This was the beginning of the oil industry in
our state. And though the population of this region once numbered eighteen thousand, it has now
almost returned to "its primitive wilderness".

After "Spring creek" came another tributary to which the name "Reedy" was applied. And at some
distance below upon the bank of a small stream, a huge stone was found standing erect, and
"Standing Stone creek" has ever since been familiar to the inhabitant of the Little Kanawha
valley.

Farther down a beautiful river united its "gently murmering tide" with the Kanawha, and Jesse
Hughes claimed the privilege of conferring his own name upon it. His companions made no protest
and the mane of "Hughes river" has ever since occupied a place on the maps of the "Little
Mountain State". In 1789, an effort was made to have the name changed to that of "Junius", but
the aged citizens still mindful of the debt of gratitiude that was due the brave discoverers,
refused to listen to such a change.

Up this river, whose name is so familiar to us all, and upon whose beloved banks so many of our
childish feet have loitered, "looking for the spring flowers wild", these weary travelers
continued their explorations, and soon a stream of some magnitude came to view in which flocks
of wild geese were bathing, and the name "Goose creek" at once suggested these were designated
as the North and the South forks of Hughes river; and as they proceeded up the South fork, they
discovered a small stream overhung by walnut trees, and it was called "Walnut creek" until 1784,
when Col. Lowther, with a company of men, surprised the Indians on this creek, and a battle
ensued in which five red men and a white boy were killed, and ever since that time it has been
known as "Indian creek". The only stream mentioned that does not retain its original name.

After the discovery of Indian creek, these explorers retraced their foot steps to the Kanawha
river and continued its descent, and 'ere long the mouth of a stream filled with slate rose
before their vision, and the name "Slate creek" was appropriated to it. And shortly after this,
the goal for which they had covered so many weary miles was in sight; the mouth of the river had
been reached, and this little band stood upon the bank of the bold Ohio, perhaps, among the
first Englishmen that ever set foot upon the site that is now marked by the interesting city of
Parkersburg; and from here the homeward march began, and in due time they reached the point from
which they had started, having made the way possible for the "settlements of the now beautiful
and populous valleys of these two rivers".

This little historical drama would hardly be complete without a word in regard to the identity
of the heroic actors who were instrumental in bringing it about, and of them we shall now speak:

THE LOWTHERS. - "Lowther" is a very old name in the land beyond the deep. It is supposed to be
of Norman or French origin, and its primitive spelling was "Loutre", or "Louthre" - meaning
otter or native; and in the ancient chronicles of the family (in the "Old World") it is said to
be frequently met with in this form to-day. But, however this may have been, they came over to
England with William the Conqueror, from Normandy in France, during the autumn of 1066, and have
ever since laid claim to Brittish soil, though (from here) they have scattered to Ireland and to
various other climes. They are distinctively connected with the North of England, where they own
large possessions to-day.

Sir William Lowther was the prime minister of William the III, about the year 1695, and was
subsequently created first Viscount of Lonsdale; and Sir James Lowther, a very well-known member
of the family, who married the daughter of Lord Bute (the first prime minister of George the III
), was made the first Earl of Lonsdale, near 1760, and the present Earl (of Lonsdale) in his
direct descendant.

Another head of the family, William, Earl of Lonsdale, was Postmaster-General and President of
the Council in the second Beaconsfield's first government in 1866; and the Honorable William
Lowther, who still survives at the age of eighty-eight years, occupied a seat in the House of
Commons, from Westmoreland county, for a quarter of a century, and his son, the Right Honorable
James William Lowther (to whom we are indebted for this information), has been in Parliament for
twenty-seven years, and is now th speaker of the House of Commons.

All down the centuries the name has been associated with the public affairs of Great Britain,
and John Langton Sanford and Meredith Townsend in their "Great Governing Families of England",
say: "The history of the Lowthers is that of immense and almost unbroken civil success. Though
they date from the earliest feudal period and possess to this time a power more nearly feudal
than that of any other family in England, except the Perceys and the Wynnes, they would be
defined on the continent as belonging rather to the peerage of "the robe" than the nobility of
the sword. A race of proud, sensitive, and singularly efficient men, they have filled high
offices as lawyers, battled bravely as politicians, and performed, once or twice, good service
as ministers of the State. From 1300, for five hundred years, there never sat a parliament which
was not attended by a Lowther or a Lowther's direct nominee".

The first record that we have of the family in the Western world is in the Pennsylvania colony,
on October 22 and 23, 1681, when William Penn granted five thousand acres of land to William
Lowther and his sister, Margaret, near "Simpson Tract". They were the son and the daughter of
Armstrong Lowther, of York county, England, and their mother was a sister of William Penn.
William married Kathrine Preston, and had a son, Thomas Lowther. Margaret became Mrs. Benjamin
Poole, and their daughter was Mrs. Richard Nicholson.

But Col. William Lowther was not a lineal descendant of this Pennsylvania family, as some
mistakenly think. His parents, Robert and Aquilla Reese Lowther, crossed to America
(from Ireland) near the year 1738, and settled in Albermarle county, Virginia. They later
removed to the South Branch of the Potomac river, in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of this
State, and finally to Hacker's creek, where their lives came to a close.(?)

They had quite a family of children, but only part of their names are at our command; viz. Thomas,
Henry, Jonathan, Joel and William.

Thomas and Jonathan were killed by the Indians. Henry returned to his home in Albermarle county,
after lending a hand in the erection of the early forts in Harrison county. Joel probably died
in Harrison county, where he settled, and William is the hero of this drama.

COL. WILLIAM LOWTHER was born in Albermarle county, Virginia, in 1742, not long after the arrival
of the family in the colonies; and in his early twenties, he was married to Miss Sudna Hughes,
sister of Jesse and Elias, the marriage taking place at the home of the Hughes, on the South
branch of the Potomac, in what is now Hardy county, near the year 1763; and here, not far from
the beautiful old town of Moorefield, they established their home and remained until they
removed to Harrison county, in June, 1773. The date of their removal being marked by the birth
of their fourth son, Jesse, who is said to have come upon the stage just six weeks after the
family reached their new home (in Harrison county), and his natal day was July 21, 1773.

Col. Lowther had, however, figured in the erection of Simpson's fort, near eight miles below
Clarksburg, and West's fort, near Jane Lew, before this time. He played an important part, too,
in the construction of the "Old Nutter" fort, near Clarksburg, ruins of which still mark the
site.

He soon became distinguished for his fearlessness as a frontiersman, and for his unselfish
devotion to the welfare of the colonists; was one of the most capable defenders of the settlement
in the war of 1774 (and subsequently) and many a successful expedition did he lead against the
enemy. He was the first Justice of the Peace in the district of West Augusta; the first Sheriff
of Harrison and Wood Counties, and was at one time a member of the General Assembly at Richmond,
Virginia. Having served in all the subordinate ranks of military life, he rose to that of Colonel.
(Was commissioned Major by General George Rogers Clarke in 1781) "Despising the pomp and
pageantry of office", he accepted it only for the good of his country.

On a balmy day in the latter part of October (28) 1814, he passed from earth at his old home near
West Milford. The old cabin that had sheltered him through so many eventful years was the scene
of his closing hours, and not far away on his own homestead he lies in his eternal sleep. He died
rich in love and esteem of the countrymen that he had so faithfully served, and it is said that
his name has been handed down to their descend "hallowed by their blessings".

A pathetic little incident that has been preserved in the family says that when he died his
devoted old darkey, "Tobe", was seen standing by the fence near the cabin weeping over his loss;
and that when this old servant was done with earth, he was laid at his master's feet and a dog-iron
was placed at his grave; and to this day this iron is in-tact and serves as a positive mark for
Col. Lowther's grave, whose inscription is no longer legible.

After his death, his wife, Sudna, came to this county and made her home with her son, Elias
Lowther, on the Flannahan farm, above Berea. Here, near the year 1829, she died, and in one
corner of the Flannagan burying-ground she lies at rest. Jonathan C. Lowther, her only surviving
grandson, remembers seeing her lowered here. He was born in 1819, and thinks that he must have
been a lad of near ten years at the time. He cannot recall her features, but says that she was
quite small in stature.

Their family consisted of five sons only; viz. Robert, Thomas, William, Jesse and Elias Lowther,
all of whom have a long line of descendants, which are scattered throughout the Union.

An heirloom in the form of an old land grant which was made to Col. Lowther, on June 8, 1785,
and signed by Patrick Henry, on November 14, 1786, while he was Governor of Virginia, is now a
cherished possession of the writer. This grant is written upon parchment and conveys two hundred
twenty acres to the Colonel on the West fork river, in Harrison county, "which includes his
settlement". (Hence our proof of his early settlement at Milford.)

What a mantle of historic interest clusters about these silent remnants of the past How sacred
they seem to us! As one gazes upon the signature of this renowned orator with a feeling of awe
and reverence, through the phonograph of years comes a voice of eloquence proclaiming the
immortal words that must ever be the sentiment of the true American heart, "Give me liberty or
give me death"!

Col. Lowther's military record is such as to admit his descendants to membership in the Sons and
Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Iva Lowther Peters, of Fishkill, New York, his grand-
daughter, several generations removed, and her brother, Earle, having been recently admitted to
these societies on his record.

Descendants of Col. Lowther. - Robert Lowther, the eldest son, whose natal day was October 1,
1765, married Miss Kathrine Cain, sister of John Cain, the Slab creek pioneer, and settled on
the portion of the old homestead, given him by his father. But at the death of Col. Lowther, he
inherited that part of the estate which included the "old cabin", and here, on November 16, 1832,
he came to his death by a fall from this cabin while engaged in re-roofing it. His wife, who was
born on October 27, 1766, died here on March 25, 1851, and side by side they lie at rest in the
old family burying-ground shown in the picture.

They were the parents of five sons and three daughters; William B., Jesse G., Robert, junior,
John, James K., Kathrine, Susan and Mary Lowther.

William B. married Miss Margaret Coburn, and was identified with the South fork settlers in this
county.

Jesse G., who settled near West Milford, was first married to Miss Nancy Swisher, and ten
children were the result of this union. His second wife was Miss Wady Knight, and the two
children of this marriage were: the late Dr. Jesse G. Lowther, a well known practitioner of
Wirt, Wood and this county; and the late Mrs. Nancy Lowther, of Wirt county. He died at West
Milford, on August 25, 1870, at the age of eighty years, and sleeps in the family burying-ground
there.

Robert, junior, married Miss Eliza Highland and settled on the old homestead, near West Milford,
where he reared three sons and two daughters.

John, who was a prominent medical practitioner, married Miss Elizabeth Pritchard, and lived and
died at Clarksburg; and the only child of this marriage was the late Evan Lowther, of that city,
who died without issue.

James K. married Miss Lydia Knight, and principally spent his life within the walls of the old
ancestral cabin, where he died at the age of niney-five years. He had two sons and three
daughters, and one of these daughters, Talitha, the last survivor of the family died (unmarried)
at the old home, on February 25, 1910.

Kathrine married Thomas Ireland, and they were the first settlers at the mouth of the Middle fork
on Highes river, in this county.

Susan became Mrs. Abraham Morrison, and principally spent her life on Brown's creek, in Harrison
county. Her family consisted of three daughters, who have all crossed the tide.

Mary Lowther was married to her cousin, William J. Lowther (son of Jesse), and came to this
county and settled near Oxford.

Thomas Lowther (the second son of Col. William) was born on March 7, 1767, but his history is
rather obscure. However, he married Miss Mary Coburn, and settled on the land given him by his
father, near West Milford, and reared a small family. He is said to have died before he had
scarcely reached the meridian of life of a malady that the physicians of to-day would term
appendicitis; he having undergone a surgical operation without an anesthetic. Tradition says that
he was a snake-charmer, that he could wield such power over a poisonous reptile as to be able to
handle it without harm to himself. He, too, rests in the family burying-ground on the old
homestead.

He was the father of Jesse Lowther, the Cornwallis pioneer; of Elias, an early settler at Webb's
mill; of Robert, of Doddridge county; and of one daughter, Mary or Polly, who is said to have
married a man by the name of West, of near Jane Lew. (Another source of information says her
married name was White.)

Thomas' descendants in this county are not nearly so numerous as those of the other sons, but
they are not a few, however. Among them are Mrs. Matilda McGregor, of Cairo, a granddaughter;
Mrs. James Rexroad, Mrs. Emma Lee, the late Mrs. F.S. Moyer and the late Mrs. W.E. Hill, great
granddaughters.

William Lowther, the third son of Col. William, was born on the South branch of the Potomac river,
not far from Moorefield, on January 27, 1769; and when he was yet in the "frocks of babyhood",
his parents removed to Harrison county, and here in the "hot bed" of savage warfare, he grew to
manhood.

Though uneducated, he was a man of marked intelligence, and his memory was a veritable stor-house
of poineer lore, and of interesting reminiscences of Indian times; for ofter, when a lad, he
accompanied his father on his expeditions against the dusky foe, and was an eye witness to the
conflict (between the whites and the Indians), at the famous rock at the mouth of Indian run, in
1784, he being then but fifteen years of age. And in after life when listening to a recital of
these stirring days from the "Chronicles of Border Warfare," he would often stop the reader in
order to correct some misstatement of the historian, so clear, and so retentive was his memory.

At one time, near the year 1797, Mr. Lowther went to Ohio for the purpose of seeking a home, and
while on the Muskingham river, he helped to rear the first cabin where the City of Zanesville
now stands, but owing to the prevalence of "fever and ague" in this section, he returned to his
home satisfied to remain at West Milford.

Mrs. Lowther was a woman of devout religious character, a Presbyterian in faith, and her old
Bible, which was her daily companion, is now in the hands of the writer. It bears the date of
"1790", and is still held together by the old leather string that she ever kept about it.
Mr. Lowther never made a profession of religion, but his last audible words were a prayer, a most
earnest appeal to the Infinite Father of love and mercy. She passed away on May 13, 1850, and he,
on November 26, 1857. Both lie at rest in the Lowther burying-ground, near Holbrook, surrounded
by the dust of five generations of their descendants.

They were the parents of twelve children, six of whom reached the years of maturity. Five of them
married and four of that five were heads of pioneer families of this county.

Alexander, the eldest son (born January 14, 1791), married Miss Sarah Ireland, and was the pioneer
of Oxford.

Sudna (born on April 10, 1792), became Mrs. George Willard, and came to this county in pioneer
days. (See Middle fork chapter)

William (born on October 31, 1793) married Miss Melicent Maxwell and settled at Cairo.

Robert (born on May 24, 1795) settled in Jackson county.

Rebecca (born on December 20, 1802) died in 1885, unmarried.

Archibald (born on May 17, 1811) the youngest of the family) married Miss Charlotte Willard and
lived and died at Holbrook.

Mary (born December 12, 1797), Margaret (born September 27, 1806), Sarah (born September 3, 1800),
Elias (born Decembr 27, 1806), Kathrine (born September 21, 1809), all died in childhood; and
Jesse (born September 21, 1805) in youth.

Robert, the one member of the family (of William and Margaret Morrison Lowther) that did not
come to this county, married Miss Mary Hattabough, a native of Kent county, Delaware, who was
born on November 2, 1792. The marriage took place near the year 1809, and they remained in
Harrison county until some time in the thirties, when they removed to Jackson county, where they
died, and where many of their descendants still live. He was a lawyer by profession and was the
first resident barrister of Jackson county. He helped to survey the pretty town of Ripley, and
almost beneath its shadow his ashes lie. Mrs. Lowther died on July 1, 1851, and he followed her
to the grave on April 22, 1856.

Their children were as follows: the late Andrew H. Lowther (1810-1863), of Wirt county; Harriet
(1817-1845), the late Mrs. John H. Wetzel, of Ripley; William Wirt (1820), who died at the age
of eighteen years while attending college in Indiana; Agnes (B. 1822), who died in infancy;
Minerva (1823-1901), the late Mrs. Joseph Smith, of Ripley; Margaret (1826-1899) was the late
Mrs. Henry Harpold, of Baltimore; Mary (1828-1899) died at Baltimore, unmarried, and Edward
Duncan (1828-1899), who died at Ripley, unmarried.

The Morrison. - Margaret Morrison Lowther, as above stated, was a native of North Carolina.
Her father, Archibald Morrison, and his brother, who were of Scotch-Irish birth, emigrated from
England to America some time before the Revolution, and settled on the Yadkin river, in North
Carolina. Here he married a Miss Fooks, and at the breaking out of the war in 1775, when he
enlisted as a soldier in the Continental army, he became separated from his brother, and never
heard of him again. But near the year 1788, Archibald Morrison removed from North Carolina to
West Milford, in Harrison county, and here he and his wife sleep.

His sons were Alexander, John and William, who rest in Harrison county, where some of their
descendants live; Archibald, junior, lies in Ohio; Marshall Reese, in California; Margaret Lowther,
and Susan, whose married name is unknown to us, were two of the daughters.

Alexander married Miss Margaret Brake and settled on Hacker's creek in 1824. He was a soldier of
the war of 1812, and a curiosity in the form of a briar-root cane, which he brought from North
Carolina, and upon which he carved the head and face of a man, is still in the family.

Alexander Morrison's son, James Monroe Morrison, was commissioned Lieutenant-General of the U.S.
Militia by President Lincoln. He married Miss Sarah Jane Bennett, and they were the parents of
the Rev. U.W. Morrison, of the West Virginia Protestant conference.

Jesse Lowther (the fourth son of Col. William) was born on July 21, 1773, six weeks after the
arrival of the family in Harrison county. He is said to have been the first white male child born
on Harrison county soil.

Near the year 1790, when he was but a boy, he was married to Miss Mary Ragan, a rosy-cheeked
Dutch girl, who was born on December 25, 1770, and settled where West Milford now stands. Mrs.
Lowther was the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, and the sister of Mrs. Alexander Ireland,
senior. In 1797, they removed from Wes Milford to the Ohio river, and established a home on
Neal's Island, four miles below Parkersburg, but they returned to their old home at West Milford,
after a few years, where he died in October, 1854. After his death, his wife, Mary, came to this
county, and spent the closing years of her life with her daughter, Mrs. William Hall, at Pullman.
Here she fell asleep, in April, 1857, and in the Pullman churchyard she lies at rest. Her husband
sleeps in the family burying-ground near West Milford.

The writer now has a cane which was once the property of Jesse Lowther, and one which he
presented to his brother William. Upon this piece of antiquity is a silver plate which bears the
initials of his name "J.L.".

The children of this family were eleven in number; William, the eldest (born in 1791), married
his cousin, Mary or Polly Lowther, and settled at Oxford.

Mary Ann was the wife of William Hall, an early settler of the Oxford vicinity. Sallie married
William Norris, and resided on the South fork for a brief time in pioneer days, then removed to
Gilmer county.

Margaret married William L. Mitchell,and died at West Milford. She was the mother of Virginia,
the late wife of William I. Lowther, of Pullman; of Margaret, wife of Lewis Maxwell, junior,
formerly of this county, but now of Gilmer; of Mrs. Mary Hickman of the West; of William, Cyrus,
Madison B., Robert, and Lafayette Mitchell, all of whom have passed on, except Robert and
William.

Jesse, junior, who was a physician, went West, finally to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he died.
Uriah died in youth.

Dr. Robert married Mrs. Ellen Stringer Huffman, and located at Weston, and from there migrated
to Mississipppi, where he died after a nine days' illness of fever. His wife soon followed him
to the grave from a broken heart, and the half-brother brought the two little sons, aged four
and six years, back to their grandfather, Jesse, near the year 1839. Daniel was educated at
Lexington and West Point, and after finishing his college work, came to Harrisville, where he
opened a law office, and where he died a few months later, in 1856. William, who was also a
lawyer, went to Texas, where he met his death at the hands of a man that he had decided a case
against. Huffman, who was a colonel in the Confederate army, and who lost a leg in the cause,
died at Clarksburg, unmarried.

Sudna married Armstrong Maxwell and lived and died at West Milford. The members of this family
were: Marianne, who married Jesse Lowther (but we can't say what number), Mrs. Millie M. (John)
Racey, Mrs. Anna L. (Wm.) Stephens, Mrs. Sudna A. Mitchell, of Gilmer county; Marcellus Maxwell,
of Nelsonville, Ohio; and Irwin and William, who have passed on; and Miss Julia Maxwell, of West
Milford.

Elizabeth Lowther married Conrad Kester and died in Lewis county, where many of her descendants
live.

Drusilla became Mrs. Bradbury Morgan, of Zanesville, Ohio; and Millie was Mrs. Daniel Wyer, of
Woodsfield, Ohio.

Elias Lowther, who was born on Neal's Island, in 1801, during the residence of the family there,
was married to Miss Selina McWhorter, daughter of Thomas McWhorter, and spent his last hours at
Palestine, in Wirt county, though he resided at various other points in the state.

He was the father of the following named children: McDuffy and Calhoun (twins), Thomas W.,
Cammillius, Elias H., John M., who was killed at Elizabeth during the Civil War; Columbia V.
(Mrs. John Edwards), Mary M. (Mrs. P.W. Morgan, of Jackson county), all of whom have crossed the
tide; and Jesse and Granville S., of Braxton county; Henry M., of Kentucky; W.H. H., of
Parkersburg; Mrs. Celina J. (Amos) Lowther, Wirt county, are the surviving members, and they are
all well advanced in years. Mrs. J.E. Burns, of Auburn, belongs to this family, she being the
daughter of Jesse, and granddaughter of Elias.

Elias Lowther (the fifth and youngest son of Col. William) came upon the stage during the din of
the American Revolution. He was born in the old cabin, shown in the picture, on September 16, 1776,
and married Miss Rebecca Coburn, sister of his brother Thomas' wife, and remained in his native
county until 1820, when he came to this county and erected the first cabin of the Zimri Flannagan
farm, above Berea. He was at one time a member of the Richmond Legislature from Harrison county,
and was major in the militia. During the latter part of his life he lost his mind, and his last
years were spent in the insane hospital at Staunton, Virginia, where he was laid to rest near
the year 1845.

His wife, who was born in Harrison county, on December 11, 1779, died a few years later at the
home of her son, J.C. Lowther, at the mouth of Otterslide, and on the Flannagan homestead she
lies in her last sleep.

Their children were as follows:

Peggy died in youth; Decatur was drowned in the millpond at Berea.

Jesse M. married Miss Lucinda Hall, daughter of William Hall, and spent his last hours near Berea.
(See Hall family)

William went to Ohio. Sarah was Mrs. George Starkey, of Harrison county. Elizabeth married Robert
Hammond and went to Ohio. Mary was the wife of Thomas Pritchard, of Slap creek. (See later chapter).
Dorinda was Mrs. Zibba Davis of Otterslide; and Jonathan C. Lowther of Berea, the only survivor
of the family is the youngest son.

He is now (1910) ninety-one years of age,and is active as a boy, being able to jump up and crack
his heels together. He enjoys the distinction of being the only surviving grandson of Col.
Lowther. (See Otterslide for his family.)

The Hugheses. - The Hugheses are of Welsh origin. Family tradition tells us that they crossed
the deep with the Lowthers and settled in Albemarle county, Virginia; and that Thomas Hughes
removed from there to the South branch of the Potomac river, in what is now Hardy county, and
from thence to Harrison county, near the year 1772 or 1773, where he found a home on Hacker's
creek. One day during the latter part of April, 1778, while at work in the field, he and Jonathan
Lowther were shot down by the stealthy foe. The others who were with them managed in some way to
escape injury.

Thomas Hughes was the father of quite a family of children, among whom were Jesse, Thomas, junior,
Elias, Job, James, Charles, Sudna, Martha, and another daughter who married Joseph Bibbee, of
Jackson county.

Job Hughes married Miss Mary Harn, of Harrison county, in 1791, and later removed to Jackson
county, where he rests.

Thomas, junior, who was born in 1754, was lieutenant of a company of Indian spies, at one time.
He settled on the West Fork river, in Harrison county, in 1775, but afterwards removed to Jackson
county, where he died in October, 1837. He had one son, Thomas, and here our knowledge ends,
though there are doubtless many of his descendants in that part of the State to-day.

Of the history of James and Charles, we know nothing, other than that they figured in Indian
warfare, and James was among the party that encountered the savages at the time that Macfarlan
and Dutchman got their names.

Sudna was the wife of Col. William Lowther.

Martha married Samuel Bonnett, and lived and died on Hacker's creek, in what is now Lewis county.
Her sons were Lewis, the Rev. Henry Bonnett, of the Methodist Protestant church, and Elias Bonnett;
and one daughter, Susan, married a Wagner; another, a Hinzman.

Lewis Bonnett was married to Miss Margaret Means, daughter of Robert Means (and aunt of Robert Means,
of Calhoun county), and they were the parents of Henry Bonnett of Troy, and the grandparents of
U.G. Bonnett, of Burnt House.

Jesse Hughes, the eldest son, whose history is of more moment to us, was born in the "Old Dominion",
in 1750, and in early life, he was married to Miss Grace Tanner, sister of one of the pioneer
settlers of Roane county, and near the year 1772, he came to Hacker's creek in Harrison county.

Two years after the discovery of the river that bears his name, we find him engaged in the awful
struggle at Point Pleasant, but little else of value concerning his life is in our possession other
than that he was a confirmed Indian hater, an intrepid leader, and a prominent border scout.

He resided near Jane Lew, in Lewis county, at one time on the small stream that still bears his
name, "Jesse's run," and in a rural burying-ground in this section, strangers have been pointed
to a low mound which is said to cover his silent dust, but this is in error. He died at the home
of his son-in-law, George Hanshaw, at Ravenswood, in Jackson county, during the autumn of 1829,
and near this town he lies in his last sleep. After his death, Mrs. Hughes made her home with her
daughter, Mrs. Uriah Gandee, in Roane county, until her death, and in the Gandeeville cemetery,
she reposes.

They were the parents of two sons and seven daughters: viz., Jesse, junior, William, Rachel (Mrs.
William Cottrell), Martha (Mrs. Jacob Bonnett), Sudna (Mrs. Elijah Runner), Elizabeth (Mrs. James
Stanley), Lucinda (Mrs. Uriah Sayre), Nancy (Mrs. George Hanshaw), and Massie, who married Uriah
Gandee, the founder of Gandeeville, in Roane county. Mrs. Gandee was the last survivor of Jesse
Hughes' family. She diedd in 1883 at the age of one hundred four years, and was laid in the
Gandeeville cemetery by the side of her mother. James S. Gandee, of Higby, Roane county, her son,
still survives; and the Hon. Frederick Gandee, of that county, is her grandson.

One of these daughters was captured by the Indians, but was rescued the following year and lived
to a good old age, but we cannot say which one.

Jesse Hughes' name was ever associated with that of courage and daring, and he "lived many years
to enjoy the peace and quietude that the hardships of his early life had so dearly bought". And
the beautiful river that bears his name is a more fitting memorial than bronze or marble.

Elias Hughes was born on the South Branch of the Potomac river, in what is now Hardy county, West
Virginia, in 1757, and with his parents and the rest of the family, removed to Harrison county in
the early seventies.

He, too, served under the command of General Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant and was one of
the last survivors of this desperate conflict.

He had been born and reared in the midst of savage warfare, and his father and a young lady whom
he ardently admired having been killed by the ruthless hand of the dusky foe, he vowed vengeance
on the race, and the return to peace did not serve to mitigate his intense hatred.

In 1797, two years after General Wayne's treaty with the Indians, leaving his native hills
(with one John Radcliffe), he went to Ohio and settled on the Muskingum river, and became the first
settler in what is now Licking county; the scene of this settlement being in some old Indian
cornfields, near five miles below the present site of Newark, Ohio.

"One night in April, 1800, not long after his arrival here, two Indians stole his and Radcliffe's
horses from a small inclosure near their cabins and succeeded in getting away with them unobserved".
But finding them missing in the morning, they, well-armed, and accompanied by a man by the name
of Bland, set out in pursuit, following their trail in a northerly direction all day and camping
in the forest at night; but at the dawn of the next day, they came upon them fast asleep and all
unconscious of danger. Concealing themselves behind some trees, they waited until the Indians had
awakened and were making preparation for their departure, when they drew their rifles to fire upon
them; and just at that moment one of them, instinctively clapping his hands upon his breast, as
if to ward off the fatal ball, exclaimed in tones of dismay, "Me bad Indian! me no do so more"!
But the appeal was all in vain. "The smoke curled from the glistening barrels, the report rang out
upon the morning air, and the poor Indians fell dead"! Recovering their horses and securing what
plunder the savages had, they returned to their homes, swearing mutual secrecy for this violation
of the treaty laws.

But one evening some time afterwards, when Hughes was sitting quietly in his cabin, he was startled
by the entrance of two powerful and well-armed savages. Concealing his emotion, he bade them welcome
and proffered them seats. His wife, a large muscular woman, stepping aside, privately sent for
Radcliffe, whose cabin was near by; and presently Radcliffe, who had made a detour, entered with
his rifle from an opposite direction, as if he had been out hunting, and found Hughes talking with
his visitors about the murder with his scalping-knife and tomahawk in his belt, and his rifle, which
he deemed imprudent to try to obtain, hanging from the cabin wall. There all night long sat the
little party, mutually fearing each other, but neither being able to summon sufficient courage
to stir; but when the morning dawned the savages withdrew, shaking hands and bidding adieu to
their reluctant hosts, using every precaution in their retreat lest they should be shot by the
daring borderers.

Elias Hughes was captain of a band of scouts in Indian times, and was a soldier of the war of
1812. He married Miss Jane Sleeth, who, doubtless, belonged to the same family of Sleeths who
have a place in the Smithville chapter, and they were the parents of sixteen children.
Mrs. Hughes died in 1827, and he passed away near Utica, Ohio, on December 22, 1844, in the hope
of a "glorious immortality". Military honors and other demonstrations of respect were in evidence
at his funeral, and near Utica he lies at rest.

Two of his children died in youth, and the rest are as follows: Mrs. Margaret Jones, Mrs. Mary
Foster, Mrs. Susana Leach, Mrs. Sudna Martin, Mrs. Jane Hight, Mrs. Sarah Davis, and Kathrine,
who never married, were the daughters; and Job, Thomas, Henry, Elias, David, John and Jonathan
Hughes were the sons.

Note.- While our resources for this chapter have been principally traditional, parts of it are
already a matter of history, as the account of the "Explorations of the Streams" is to be found
in "Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia of the Virginias", and other parts in
the "Border Warfare" and the "History of Ohio", as mentioned in the foot notes.

To Josiah Hughes, of Roane county; Henry Bonnet, of Troy, and L.V. McWhorter, the historian of
North Yakima, Washington, we owe our thanks for valuable Hughes data.

Chapter II
First Settlers in Ritchie County

More than a quarter of a century had passed away after the discovery of Ritchie county before
the coming of the first settlers.

This period had been marked by one of the most important epochs in the hisory of our country.
The "Old Independence Bell had proclaimed liberty throughout the land to the inhabitants thereof;"
the tyrannous scepter of George III had been withdrawn; and the "White Dove of Peace" had spread
her downy wings "o'er a land of the free and the home of the brave".

A new era had dawned. Civilization had taken up a westward line of march, and near the close of
the 18th century, Ritchie county was brought into notice by the construction of a State road from
Clarksburg to Marietta, which for near forty years, was a leadingthoroughfare between the East
and the West; and along this road the pioneers erected their cabins, which served as "inns or
taverns" for the convenience of travelers.

The first one of these cabins that came within the present boundary of Ritchie county was built
by John Bunnell, near the beginning of the year 1800, on the site that is now marked by the
thriving town of Pennsboro. Hence the origin of the name of the stream near by, "Bunnell's run",
which serves as an enduring memorial, although we have been unable to learn "from whence he came
or whither he went".

Mr. Bunnell sold his possessions here to John Webster, of New England, who, early in the
nineteenth century, built the "Stone house" at the western end of Pennsboro, which became the
property of James Martin, in 1815, and remained in the hands of his heirs until the autumn of
1908, when it was purchased by A.J. Ireland.

Mr. Webster went to Texas and there met his death at the hands of the Indians.

Though the "tenement house" of the builder has long since been silent dust, this historic old
mansion has withstood the storms of a century, and still stands, in good preservation, as a
monument to his memory.

George Husher, whose settlement closely followed that of Bunnell, was the next settler in Ritchie
county, but his history will be found in the Bond's creek chapter.

Lawrence Maley. - During the early springtime of the year 1803, Lawrence Maley, a Scotch-Irish
Presbyterian, built the first cabin in what is now Union district, one mile east of Harrisville,
on the farm that is designated as the "Cannon," but better known to the older citizens, as the
Mrs. Ann Harris homestead.

Having a wife and eight children, the eldest, a son, twenty one years of age, and finding it
necessary to clear a cornfield at once, he built a rude shelter, by driving stakes in the ground,
and peeling popular bark for a roof, upon the bank of the river nearly oppositethe residence of
Grandison Wolfe, which served for a dwelling until the corn had been planted, when he erected a
better one, near the present site of the Cannon residence.

His nearest neighbor was then at Pennsboro, but others soon found their way into this wilderness,
and a settlement was formed, which, for forty years, was known as the "Maley settlement".

Mr. Maley was the paternal grandfather of Ritchie county's most distinguished son, the late
General T.M. Harris, and he was a native of Southern Ireland, the son of an Irish nobleman.

He, being one of the younger sons of the family, was committed to the care of his mother's brother,
a Catholic priest, to be trained, perhaps, for the priesthood; and finding life very unpleasant
under such circumstances, he ran away and came to America, near the close of the Revolutionary
war.

Landing in Philadelphia, he drifted into the counrty near by, where he became associated with a
family of Seceders by the name of Harper (The Seceders were one of a numerous body of Presbyterians
who seceded from the communion of the established church in Scotland in 1733), an association which
resulted in his marriage to Miss Agnes Harper, a little later.

Mrs. Maley inherited a small dowery from her father's estate, which she exchanged with a man in
Philadelphia, for a thousand acres in what is now the Harrisville vicinity, in 1795; and she and
her husband, with their family and possessions, started at once to take charge of this new
acquisition; but when they reached Harper's Ferry, after a long and perilous journey over the
mountains, learning of the hostility of the Indians in this section, they changed their course,
and went to the Shenandoah valley, where they remained, in Rockbridge county, until they came to
Ritchie, in 1803.

Mr. Maley did not long survive the hardships of this wilderness life, and in 1808, he filled the
first grave that was "hollowed out" in the old "Pioneer cemetery", on the Cannon farm, one mile
northeast of Harrisville. His wife rests by his side. Their children were as follows: William,
Thomas and Mrs. Mary McCoy, all of Illinois; Dr. Samuel, James and John, of Iowa; Mrs. Agnes
(John) Harris and Miss Margaret Maley, who lie sleeping in the Harrisville cemetery.

Mrs. Harris, widow, of the late General Harris, is a granddaughter of this distinguished settler.

The Stuarts and Wilkinsons. - The next pioneers in this vicinity were George and Joseph Stuart,
two brothers, and Joseph Wilkinson, son-in-law of the latter, who, with their families, came from
Harrison county, in 1805.

Mr. Wilkinson settled on the late Isaiah Wells homestead, Joseph Stuart, at the mouth of Stuart's
run, and George Stuart, on the farm that soon after passed into the hands of Thomas Harris, and
on which the beautiful town of Harrisville now stands.

Mr. Wilkinson only survived a few years after his settlement, and his remains filled the second
grave that was made in the "Pioneer cemetery". He married Miss Nancy Stuart, daughter of Joseph,
and was the father of three children: Elizabeth, the only daughter, died in youth, and the two
sons, Calvin and Ezekial, went to California.

After his death, Mrs. Wilkinson married Nicholas Shrader, and in the Indian creek Baptist church
yard, she sleeps.

JOSEPH STUART married Miss Margaret Sparks, of Harrison county, and was the father of ten children.
He lost his life by the falling off a lumber kiln, while erecting the first store house at
Harrisville, and he, too, rests in the "Pioneer cemetery" there. After his death, the family,
losing their land in this section, removed to Goose creek. His children were as follows:
Mrs. Nancy Wilkinson Shrader, Mrs. Elizabeth (Abel) Sinnett, Mrs. Margaret (Thomas) Stout, and
Belinda and Rachel, who died unmarried; and Stephen, John, George, Joseph and William Stuart,
all of Ritchie county, except for Stephen and John,who went West.

Among the grandchildren of this pioneer who are residents of the county at this time, are Mrs.
Lawson Hall, Auburn; Mrs. Lewis Hammer and Mrs. Belinda Hill, Washburn, and perhaps numerous
others.

GEORGE STUART married Miss Hannah Harris, daughter of Thomas Harris, and in the Harrisville
vicinity they both died. We have been unable to get a list of the names of their children, but
Mrs. Hannah Jones and Mrs. Sarah Calhoun of Oxford, are some of their descendants.

LEVI WELLS. - Shortly after the coming of the Stuarts, Ashabel Wilkinson made the first settlement
on the Dr. William M. Rymer estate; and this same year, 1805, brought Levi Wells with his wife,
three sons and two daughters, from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to the late George Sinnett
homestead. Soon after his arrival, the first marriage took place in the settlement, when his
daughter, Nancy, became the wife of William Maley.

In 1815, Mr. Wells changed his place of residence to the Pennsboro vicinity, and Patrick Sinnett
became the second owner of this farm, which is still in the hands of his heirs, it being the home
of his granddaughter, Miss Virginia Sinnett.

Mr. Wells later removed to the Kanawha river, and from him the Elizabeth Wellses are descended.

The Sinnetts - Patrick Sinnett, with his large family, came from Pendleton county, (West) Virginia.
He was a typical son of the "Old Erin", having been born there near the middle of the eighteenth
century. He had been one of the King's waiters for seven years before coming to America in his
young manhood; and finding such service very distasteful, he one day wandered down to the harbor
just as a vessle was ready to set sail for the Colonies, and without further deliberation, stepped
on board and turned his face toward the Occident. When he landed on these shores, he found himself
penniless in a land of strangers, and was sold for his fare, and was compelled to work for three
years to cancel the debt, so unjust were the laws, and so unmerciful were the executors at that
age of the world.

He served as a soldier in Lord Dunmore's war, being under the direct command of General Lewis at
the battle of Point Pleasant; and he also served as an American soldier in the Revolutionary war,
which closely followed.

He married Miss Kathrine Hefner, a German lady, and was the father of eleven children. He died
at the great age of one hundred five years, some time in the fifties, at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. Adam Cunningham, junior, on the farm that is now the estate of the late Charles Moyer, and
here, beside his wife, he sleeps.

His descendants in this county are a host, and, like he, many of them are remarkable for their
longevity.

His children were all born in Pendleton county, and were as follows: John, William, Seth, Abel,
Henry, Jacob, George, Elizabeth, Sarah, Kathrine, and Phebe.

William and Seth went to Ohio; Henry remained in Pendleton county; and the rest all came to this
county; but Kathrine and Phebe both married Chancellors and afterwards went West; Elizabeth became
Mrs. James Drake, and Sarah, Mrs. Adam Cunningham, junior, and they with their brothers, John,
Abel, Jacob and George, were all the heads of well known pioneer families of this county; but
their histories will be found in other parts of this work, all with the exception of George,
who succeeded his father on the old homestead.

GEORGE Sinnett was born in Pendleton county, on March 17, 1799, and with his parents came to this
county in 1815; and, near five years later, he was married to Miss Mary Rexroad, daughter of Henry
Rexroad, and on the old homestead, where he died in 1896, at the great age of ninety-seven years,
he spent his entire life.

Having given birth to six children, his wife, Mary, passed away, and in 1843, he was again married
to Miss Salome Heaton, daughter of John Heaton, senior, who was born in 1814; and three daughters
were the result of this union; viz., Harriet C., Virginia and Josephine. Harriet is the wife of
Sheriff John Hulderman, and Josephine is Mrs. "Vel" McDougal, and Virginia is single. The children
of his first marriage were: Catherine (born in 1822), who married Addison Rexroad; Samuel
(born 1824), of King Knob; Hulda (born 1926), who became the wife of John S. Porter and went to
some other State; Abel (born 1828), who went to Ohio; Elizabeth (born 1830) married John A.
Lowther, of Oxford, and after his death, she became Mrs. Jacob Allender. She still survives.
Mary T. (born 1832) became Mrs. Turner and went to Taylor county.

WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM. - The year 1806 was marked by the coming of William Cunningham, with his wife,
Susana Barbara Handyshel Cunningham, and their ten children, from Culpepper county, Virginia, to
the homestead of the late Noah Rexroad, now the property of E.C. Fox and S.M. Hoff.

Mr. Cunningham was one of the most noted pioneers of early days. He was born in Ireland on July
23, 1764, and when he was but a small boy, his parents emigrated to America and settled in
Culpepper county, Virginia. He was a first cousin of Thomas Cunningham of Indian fame, and their
fathers are said to have crossed the ocean at the same time. He served as a soldier during the
latter part of the American Revolution, being then but a mere youth, and was a member of the
victorious army at Yorktown, and a witness of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. And in honor of
this defeated chieftain he named the town of Cornwallis, where he resided when the stations along
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad were located.

When Harrisville was laid out for a town in 1822, he was suddenly seized with the idea of founding
a town of his own and forthwith proceeded to have one laid out on the ridge where A.O. Wilson and
D.B. Patton now reside, which he named "Williamsburg"; but Harrisville has long since swallowed up
most of this proposed village.

He changed his place of residence to Cornwallis near the year 1840, and here he bade adieu to earth
in 1863, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine years.

He gave the grounds for the Pioneer cemetery at Harrisville, and within its peaceful bosom his ashes
lie. His wife also sleeps here, she having passed on in 1843. (She was of German descent.)

This burying-ground is no longer "a neglected spot", as the historian of a quarter of a century ago
termed it, but it is now enclosed by an iron fence, the result of the late General Harris' labor
of love.

Many of the pioneers slumber here, and despite the hardships they endured, the inscriptions bear
silent testimony to the longevity of their lives.

William Cunningham's sons were: Elijah, James, William, junior, John, Isaac and Henry; and his
daughters Mrs. Phebe (Jesse) Lowther, Cornwallis; Mrs. Leah (Jacob) Wigner, Ellenboro; Mrs. Lydia
(Henry) Wigner, Cairo; Mrs. Susan (Robert) Parks, Ohio; and Mrs. Barbara (Nathaniel) Parks,
Ellenboro. Mrs. George B. Johnson, of Ellenboro, is a daughter of the last named Mrs. Parks.

W.H. Cunningham, of Husher's run; the late D.R. Wigner, of Pike, and Mrs. Matilda McGregor, of
Cairo, are other grandchildren of this pioneer; and the late Mrs. W.E. Hill, of Harrisville;
J.W. and Frank Elliott, of Indian creek; Thomas Elliott, of Pullman; Mrs. James Rexroad, of Den
run, and many others we might mention, are great-grandchildren.

WILLIAM WELLS was the first settler at the mouth of Bunnell's run. He was a brother of Levi Wells,
and he came from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1808, and took up his residence on the farm that
is now the home of Mrs. Bertha McDougal, and to the day of his death, his interests were identified
with this community.

The Wellses came from Wales to the Keystone State, near the middle of the eighteenth century, and
took up arms in defense of their adopted country in her struggle for independence.

William Wells was born in 1766, and married Miss Elizabeth Trump, who was of Dutch descent, and
they were the parents of one son and four daughters; Isaiah Wells, Rachel, Hester, Mary and Eleanor.

Rachel married Daniel Smith; Hester, John Heaton; Mary, James McCowan, and Eleanor died single.

Mrs. Wells died in 1850, at the age of eighty-seven years; and Mr. Wells, in 1851, at the age of
eighty-five years. Both rest in the Harrisville cemetery.

Mr. Wells was the owner of the first mill on Bunnell's run, and one of the first in the county,
but he sold this mill at an early day to John Whitney, who turned it into a horse-mill, and , in
1840, tore it down.

The Heatons. - This same year (1808) brought John Heaton, senior, from the Motherland to this
vicinity. He was born in sunny England, on April 28, 1774, and not long after his arrival here,
he was married to Miss Hester, Wells, daughter of William Wells, and took up his residence on
the late Dr. W.M. Rymer farm, he being the second owner.

He died on September 23, 1854, and Mrs. Heaton, on February 13, 1859, at the age of sixty-nine
one-half years.

Their family consisted of three sons and seven daughters; viz., John, Eli, William, Selvina,
Elizabeth, Jane, Sarah, Salina, Mary and Anne. The last two named died in childhood, and nearly
or quite all of the rest have now passed to the other side.

William died in the West; Selvina married Amos Culp; Elizabeth, William Wells; and Jane became
Mrs. Mussetter, and they, too, all went West; Sarah married George Martin and died in Gilmer
county, and years after, when her remains were disinterred for removal to Harrisville, they were found to be
petrified, coffin and all. Salina married George Sinnett and lived and died at Harrisville.

John and Eli Heaton, who were prominent figures in public affairs, spent their entire lives at
Harrisville.

John Heaton, junior, was twice married, his first wife being Miss Susana Wigner, and his second,
Miss Sarah Stevens. All died at Harrisville, and here they repose in the cemetery south of town.

Mr. Heaton was the father of seven children: Alcinda, the one child of the first union, became
Mrs. Henry Culp, and went West. Mrs. Dora (J.H. Lininger, Mrs. Lillie (J.M. Barbe, Mrs. Nerdie
(Chas.) Musgrave, the late John Heaton (the third), Will R., and one who died in infancy, were
the children of the second union.

Will R. is a well known newspaper man, he having long been identified with the Harrisville papers.

Eli Heaton's stay on earth was bery brief; he died suddenly on January 25, 1868, at the age of
forty-two years, while serving as sheriff of the county. His brother, John, succeeded him in
this office and finished his unexpired term.

He married Mrs. Sophia A.D. Zinn Davis, mother of the late T.E. Davis, of Harrisville, and was
the father of five children, three of whom died in childhood; viz., Adelaide, Grace and Pussy,
and Hallie, of the West; and the late Mrs. Hettie, wife of J.N. Pierpoint, were the two that
grew to the years of maturity.

Miss Linnie Peirpoint, of Harrisville, his granddaughter, is the only surviving descendant in
this county.

Mrs. Heaton died in 1867. Both sleep at Harrisville. Heaton has been one of the prominent names in
this county almost throughout its history.

The Skeltons. - This same year (1808) brought Edward Skelton, with his family, to the W.H.
Peirpoint farm. He was born and reared in England, and there he was married to Miss Sarah Walker
Gibson, a young widow, of London, who was, also, of English birth. And from England they
emigrated to New York City, where they established a home, but being driven from there by a
scourge of yellow fever, they came to Harrisville. Here Mrs. Skelton died, and after the home
was broken up Mr. Skelton went to Cairo, and spent the remnant of his days with his daughter,
Mrs. Jacob McKinney. Here he died, and in the old Pioneer burying-ground at Harrisville, beside
his wife, he sleeps.

He was the father of one son, Edward, and three daughters, Mary, Eliza and Anne.

Edward Skelton, junior, married Miss Hame McKinney. Mary became Mrs. Jacob McKinney.
(See McKinney family) Eliza married James Maley; and Anne, Henry Wigner.

Mrs. Skelton had one son, John Gibson, by her first husband.

James Mitchell was the next arrival in this vicinity. He came from the "Old Dominion" (1808),
bringing with him four or five slaves, the first that had ever been seen in this section, and
took up his residence on the Edward Cokeley farm; and in 1809, William Rogers became the second
owner of the Wolfe farm. He, too, came from the "Old Dominion", bringing his family of slaves.
His sons, Robert and Lewis, also found homes here at this same time.

Robert Rogers is said to have settled on the North fork of Hughes river, and Lewis, on Indian
creek; but we have been unable to learn anything of their subsequent history, other than that
Lewis was the father of the late John B. Rogers, of Smithville, and that all the Rogerses in
this and adjoining counties sprung from this family. (See South fork chapter for family of John
B. Rogers.)

And of the Mitchell family we know nothing farther, as it is evident that the Mitchells of this
county did not spring from this source, as they came from Barbour County at a much later day.

The Harrises. - During this same year, 1809, John Harris came from Harrison county, and made the first
settlement on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, John P. Harris. He was at this
time a single man, but the following year (1810) he was married to Miss Agnes Maley, daughter of
Lawrence Maley, and remained a prominent, useful citizen of this community until he was laid in
the Harrisville cemetery.

Mr. Harris' services to this county were of a high order, for more than thirty years he served
as justice of the peace of Ritchie and Wood counties. He was the father of eight children, all
of whom have crossed the tide. The late General Thomas M. Harris, whose interesting history
occupies another chapter, James and John P. Harris were the sons; and Hannah, Margaret, Anne,
Mary and Jane, the daughters.

James married Miss Anne Rutherford, daughter of Richard Rutherford, senior, and they were the
parents of two children, Miss Ella, of Concord, Ohio; and a son who died in infancy. He was laid
away on the old homestead, near Harrisville, many years ago, but his aged companion survived
until 1908, when she was laid by his side.

John P. Harris married Miss Margaret Rutherford, sister of his brother's wife, and lived and
died in New York City, near ten years ago, and at Harrisville, by the side of her husband and
eldest son, James, she reposes. Their surviving children are Richard R., who is a prominent
nurseryman, of Harrisville; Thomas G., a physician, of Weston; John, a railroad engineer, of
Weston' Agnes, who is the wife of the Rev. William B. Barr, of the Presbyterian church of New
Jersey; Mary, the wife of the Rev. Edward S. Littell, of the Presbyterian church of Pennsylvania;
and Annabel, who held a position as teacher in a college at Knoxville, Tennessee, became the
wife of the Rev. John T. Aikin, of the Presbyterian church of Rochester, PA, June 24, 1910.

Hannah, the eldest daughter of John and Agnes Maley Harris, married Samuel Blue and went to
Pennsylvania, and her two children, Agnes, a daughter, and a son, died in childhood.

Margaret Harris married T.F. Leech and lived and died at Harrisville. Mrs. R.R. Hall, of
Harrisville, is her only surviving child; another daughter, Martha E., having passed on in her
youth.

Anne Harris died in youth, and Mary and Jane, in childhood.

Thomas Harris' settlement here antedated that of his brother, John, by two years, he having
succeeded his son-in-law, George Stuart, on the land where Harrisville now stands, in 1807.

He married Miss Nancy Cunningham, sister of Elijah M. Cunningham, and with his family came from
Harrison county and remained here until his death; and in the old Pioneer cemetery, beside his
wife, he rests. He was the father of ten children; viz., John went to Illinois; James, to
Zanesville, Ohio; and Adam rests at Smithville; Effie became Mrs. John Chancellor and went to
Iowa; Margaret, who married William Stanley, lies at Harrisville; Hannah married George Stuart
and lived and died in this county; Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah and Mary, who remained single, also
died here.

From this pioneer Harrisville took its name, and is a most beautiful monument to his memory.

The Harrises are of Scotch-Irish origin. Two brothers came from Ireland before the Revolution,
landing in the City of "Brotherly Love". These brothers were separated, soon after their arrival,
Thomas going Southward, was never heard of again, and the other one (whose Christian name is
wanting) was the father of Thomas and John, the Ritchie county pioneers. He married a widow, a
Mrs. Miller, whose maiden name was Plummer, and near the year 1800, they came to Harrison county.
Besides the two sons mentioned they were the parents of four daughters, all of whom were the
wives of Ritchie county pioneers:

Margaret married Elijah M. Cunningham; Jane, Benjamin Starr; Anna, John Harris, and another
daughter was the wife of Nutter Webb, a pioneer of Goose creek.

The Chancellors. - The year 1809 was, also, marked by the coming of Thomas Chancellor, with his
family, form Culpepper county, Virginia, to the farm that for long years was the home of the
late Mrs. John Hawkins, but now the homes of Edward Wells and James Maxwell. He married Miss
Judith Gaines, a Virginia maiden of Welsh descent, she being his third wife, and they were the
parents of seven sons and one daughter.

Mrs. Chancellor was the niece of Edmond Pendleton, of Virginia, and a cousin of General Edmond
Pendleton Gains, of the United States army. Mr. Chancellor was a soldier of the Revolutionary
war, he having served in the Virginia infantry. He died not long after his settlement here, and
the family went to Wood county, where a number of the descendants still live.

The two eldest sons of these pioneers, Richard and James Chancellor, died at Norfolk, Virginia,
while serving as soldiers in the war of 1812, leaving no issue; Cooper and William sleeps in
Wood county. Benjamin went to Missouri, and finally to Mississippi, where he sleeps. John
emigrated to Missouri, and later to Arkansas, where he reposes. (He was the grandfather of
C. B. Chancellor, of the Chancellor Hardware Company of Parkersburg.) Rebecca, the only daughter,
who never married, also sleeps in Wood county; and Thomas, the sixth son, who was born in the
Old Dominion, in 1805, married Miss Prudence Rector, of Taylor county, and removed to Wood
county in 1838, where he died on July 4, 1872, at his home in Parkersburg. Here his family, who
are prominently known, still reside. To the late Hon. W.N. Chancellor, his son, we are indebted
to for this sketch; his other sons, Edmond P. and Alfred B., are also citizens of Parkersburg.

The Chancellors are of French origin, although they went from France to England in the eleventh
century (1066) with William the Conquorer, and subsequently removed to Scotland in the
fourteenth century. However, Richard Chancellor, the founder of the family in the United States,
came from England in 1682, and settled in Westmoreland county, Virginia. He had two sons,
William Cooper, and Richard Chancellor, junior (the hatter). William Cooper Chancellor married
a Miss Thomas, and removed to Culpepper county (Virginia), and here his son Thomas, the Ritchie
county pioneer was born.

Doubtless the town of Chancellorsville, in the Old Dominion, which was so far-famed during the
late Civil war, took its name from this family.

The Starrs. - Near the year 1810, John and Benjamin Starr, and Elijah Cunningham, with their
families, found homes in this wilderness. They all came from Harrison county, and were all the
uncles of General Harris.

Mr. Cunningham settled on land adjoining the Wolfe farm; Benjamin Starr, on the George Martin
farm, now the home of Mrs. Susan Rymer; and John Starr, on Indian creek, on the homestead that
is now the estate of his late son, James.

John Starr's wife was Miss Anne Harris, sister of John and Thomas Harris, and they were the
first settlers on Indian creek. Here they lived and died, and in the Harrisville cemetery they
lie at rest. He has been sleeping since 1846.

The children of the family were Mary, Elizabeth, Effie, Hannah, Moses, Benjamin, John and James
Starr.

Mary became the wife of Jacob Moats, senior, and spent her life in the Harrisville vicinity.
(See Moats family.)

Elizabeth Starr was married to Jacob Wigner, junior, and in this county she remained until death.
Her children were: Cathrine, Eliza, Elizabeth, Matilda, James, Harper, Nelson, Wilbur, Clarke
and George Wigner.

Effie Starr was the late Mrs. Henry Moats, of Addis' run. (See Moats family.)
Hannah Starr, with her husband, William Cokeley, settled at Mt. Zion, where she is now resting
in the churchyard. (See Chevauxdifrise chapter.)

Moses Starr was married to Miss Margaret Prince, and in Wood county he resided. His family
consisted of two daughters, Anne is the widow of Jacob Moats, junior, of Harrisville, and Jane
is Mrs. Sarber of Parkersburg.

Benjamin Starr died in youth.

John Starr was married to Miss Ellen Ayres, sister of John B. Ayres, formerly of this county,
but now of Spencer, and resided at different points in this county, before going to Addis' run,
where he died in 1875. His wife survived him until 1898.

Their children were: Miss Mary and Benjamin, Missouri; John, of Addis' run; Anne Mrs. G. W.
Hammer), Mrs. Frances Watson Foster, and Miss Hannah Starr, Harrisville.

James Starr and his wife, Mrs. Eliza Ayres Starr, (sister of his brother's wife) spent their
lives at the old homestead, on Indian creek. Here she passed from earth in 1891, and he on
February 25, 1901.

Benjamin Starr, senior, the pioneer, was married to Miss Jane Harris (sister of his brother's
wife)and, perhaps, remained here until his death, yet we have been unable to learn anything
definite concerning his subsequent history or that of his family, other than that he had two
children, Moses and Elizabeth Starr.

Elijah Morgan Cunningham was married to Miss Margaret Harris, he and Thomas Harris having traded
sisters,and in this vicinity they remained until they were borne to the old ""pioneer cemetery",
near Harrisville. He was a native of Harrison county, and a brother of Edward, a very early
settler on Husher's run.

His only son died in childhood, and his daughters were: Elizabeth (Mrs. Elijah Husher, of
Husher's run); Sarah (Mrs. Riddel, mother of David J. Riddel, of Riddel's chapel); Effie (the
late Mrs. James Riddel, of Roane county), and Rachel and Jane, who remained single. (Effie and
Jane were twins). All of whom have crossed to the other side.

This family were related to William Cunningham, of Revolutionary fame, and to Thomas, of Indian
times, they having been descended from the same Irish family, as the similarity of names would
suggest; but we have been unable to determine the exact connection, though circumstances point to the fact that
they were first cousins.

The Drakes. - During the year 1811, the Reverend John Drake, a minister of the Baptist church,
made the first improvement on the farm that is now the estate of the late Edward D. Lough.

He was the first minister in the settlement, and being licensed to celebrate the rites of
matrimony, took his matter from the hands of the Reverend Reese Wolfe, a lay minister of the
Baptist church faith, of Parkersburg, who had been performing this important service for the
little colony.

The Rev. Mr. Drake was a lineal descendant of Sir Francis Drake, the English Admiral and
explorer. His father, George Drake, came from England, some time during the last half of the
eighteenth century, and probably settled in the Virginia colony.

However, John Drake was born in 1775, and was one of the first missionaries to cross the
Allegheny mountains, to Western Virginia.

He was married twice, but the maiden names of both of his wives are missing. But the record
shows that he and his first wife, Isabel, were married on January 15, 1794; and that he was
married to his second wife, Elizabeth, on January 30, 1803, and with her he came to this county.

After a few years' residence at Harrisville, he removed to Smithville, and found a home at the
mouth of Leatherbrake, on land that is now owned by W. A. Flesher. Here he continued to reside
until August 3, 1826, when he was called to his heavenly reward; and in the Murphy graveyard,
on the John P. Kennedy farm, his ashes lie.

No imposing monument marks his resting place! Perhaps, not even a stone is there to distinguish
it from the many other early graves in the burying-ground, but the record of his hardships, his
noble deeds, his heroic self-sacrifice, is a memorial, sufficient - the Baptist church in this
county is a fitting and enduring monument to his memory.

His wife, Elizabeth, survived him by many years, dying on May 26, 1854, at the age of seventy-one
years.

Bible Record of the Family of Rev. John Drake - Children of John and Isabel Drake: James Drake,
born on March 15, 1795, married Elizabeth Sinnett, on September 25, 1815.

Jemima Drake, born on September 19, 1796, married John Earle on July 22, 1814.

Elizabeth Drake, born on March 21, 1799, and ---

Children of John and Elizabeth Drake: Susana Drake, born on February 26, 1804, died in 1810.

George Drake, born October 22, 1805, died in 1825.

Rachel Drake, born on January 4, 1808, married George Camp on April 13, 1826.

Mary Drake, born on October 20, 1809, married Seth Rogers, on March 9, 1854.

Agnes Drake, born on February 19, 1812, married Solomon Rexroad, on November 17, 1833.

John Drake, born on April 5, 1814, died in 1852.

David Drake, born on December 19, 1816 and ---.

Lavina Drake, born on August 15, 1820, died in 1852.

Noah Drake, born on March 16, 1823, died in 1851.

Aaron Drake, born on October 25, 1826, and ---.

Some of these sons went to Charleston and here their history ends, but James remained here and
his descendants among our well known citizens. (See South fork settlers.)

Adam Cunningham was another early pioneer in this section.

He was born the son of Adam, senior, and the nephew of Thomas Cunningham, and was a native of
this county, being born on the Hoff farm, below Smithville.

He married Sarah, the daughter of Patrick Sinnett, and settled on the old ridge road between
Harrisville and Smithville, on the farm that is now the estate of the late Charles Moyer; here
he passed from earth at a ripe old age, and here, with his wife, he sleeps.

His children were: Jacob, of Indian creek; Absolem, father of John, the Washburn artist; Mrs.
Millie (Wm.) Hoover, of Wood county; the late Mrs. Dolly (James) Webb, of Harrisville; Mrs.
Phebe (Ephriam) Cunningham, of Indian run; and the late Mrs. Sarah Ann Mullenax, of the same
vicinity.

The Moatses- Near the year 1819, George Moats and his wife, Eve, with their family, came from
Pendleton County, and took up their residence on the land that is now marked by the west end of
Harrisville.

They were the grandparents of Andrew Moats, of Harrisville, and the ancestors of all the families
of this name in the county, they being the parents of twelve children. Mrs. Moats was a native
of North Carolina, and both were of German descent.

They gave the grounds for the first Baptist church in the Harrisville vicinity, and near the
site of this old church, which stood just north of the present residence of Mrs. Wm. M. Rymer,
Mr. Moats met a tragic death, in 1844, by the falling of a tree under which he had sought
shelter from a storm. He was buried almost on the site where he was killed, but 60 years later,
his ashes were removed to the cemetery on the hill south of town. Mrs. Moats rests in the Inian
Creek Baptist churchyard.

Their sons were: Peter, Jacob, Henry and William; and their daughters, Christiana, Barbara,
Magdalene, Katherine, Elizabeth, Frances, Susan and Julia Moats, whose descendants are now a
host among the good citizens of the county.

These children in their turn were nearly all the heads of pioneer families.

PETER MOATS, the eldest son, was born in Pendleton County, in 1797, and there he was married,
at the age of nineteen or twenty years, to Miss Rachel Grogg, and with his parents, came to this
county and settled on one end of the old homestead, on the part that is now owned by the heirs
of the late Samuel Moats. Here he died, and in the Egypt Cemetery he sleeps. He was one of the
earliest blacksmiths in this vicinity.

His children were: Joseph, Jesse and Cathrine (Mrs. Wm. Godfrey), who went to Ohio; the late Wm.
P. and Mrs. Lucinda (Jacob) Cunningham, of Washburn; Mrs. Flora Eve (Kuhnrod) Mullenax, of
Missouri; the late Mrs. Elizabeth (James) Layfield, and Mrs. Susana (Salathial) Simmons, both of
Cairo.

JACOB MOATS, the second son, was born in 1799, and in 1823 he was married to Miss Mary, the
daughter of John Starr, senior, and on the old homestead, near Harrisville, where their son,
Jacob, died a few years since, they established their home. Here she saw the last of earth in
1873, and he in 1885, and both rest at Harrisville.

Their eldest daughter, Anne, was the late Mrs. Andrew Cokeley, and Susana was the late Mrs.
Isaac Cokeley, both of Harrisville; Mary became Mrs. Joshua Nest and went West; Elizabeth was
Mrs. Holland, of Tyler county; Margaret, Mrs. Robinson, of Wood county; Jane, the late wife of
J.R. Sigler, of Cairo; India is Mrs. William Gilbert, of Williamstown; Andrew has long been a
prominent merchant of Harrisville; and Benjamin and Jacob, junior, lie sleeping in the
Harrisville Cemetery.

HENRY MOATS, with his wife, Mrs. Effie Starr Moats, settled on the head of Addis' run, where his
son, Henry, now lives. He entered a large tract of twelve hundred acres of land in this section,
but his claim being contested, he purchased the entire tract, and obtained a title for it, and
it is divided into several homesteads (viz.; J.H. Hatfield's, John Starr's, George Layfield's,
Edward Cokeley's and perhaps others) besides what is owned by his heirs.
He, too, was a blacksmith by trade, and was the first one in this section. Here his last hours
were spent.

His children:

John went West, where he died; George and Manes lost thier lives in the defense of the Union in
the sixties; Henry resides at the old home; William is the owner and operator of the Moats mill
at Rusk; Kathrine married Thomas Martin, and she now lives with her son in New York; Hannah was
the late Mrs. David Shrader, of Cairo, and another daughter was Mrs. Hiram (?) Norman, of
Calhoun county.

WILLIAM MOATS married Miss Phebe Drake, daughter of James Drake, and settled on the old parental
homestead, he having succeeded his father there. Here he lived and died and at Harrisville he
rests.

After the death of his wife, Phebe, he married Miss Edna M. Cunningham, daughter of Enoch M.
Cunningham, of Smithville, and they were the parents of Pompey Moats, and Misses India and
Virginia, who reside at the old homestead near Harrisville.

The children of William and Phebe Drake Moats were the late James and Sinnett Moats, of Indian
creek, who were both soldiers of the Union army, and Cornelius of Harrisville. The other
children of this union died in childhood.

CHRISTIANA MOATS, the eldest child of George and Eve Moats, who was born in 1793, was married to
John Shrader and settled on Husher's run. Her sons were Nicholas, George and Wiliam Shrader, and
one of her daughters, Fannie, was Mrs. James Rolins of Ellenboro.

BARBARA MOATS became Mrs. Solomon Dick, and resided here and in the "Buckeye State". George
Dick, of Ohio, is one of her sons, but the names of the other members of the family are wanting.

MAGDALENA MOATS was the late Mrs. William Kibby, of Cornwallis, and Hezekiah Kibby, the ex-
assessor, of Grant district is her only heir.

KATHRINE MOATS was married to Absaolem Harpold, and from the Webb's mill vicinity, they went to
Indiana. Nicholas and George Harpold were two of her sons.

SUSAN MOATS was the late Mrs. Solomon Mullenax, of Missouri; ELIZABETH was the wife of John
Layfield, senior; FRANCES was Mrs. Harman Sinnett; and JULIA ANNE, Mrs. Ephriam Culp, all of
this county.

The Cokeleys. - Another family whose name belongs to this community, though not among the
earliest settlers, is that of Cokeley.

Jeremiah Cokeley came from Ireland near the year 1750, and settled in the Virginia colony. He
was the father of five sons; viz., William, Daniel, Edmund, Jeremiah and Elijah, and from his
son, Edmund, the Ritchie county Cokeley's are descended.

Edmund Cokeley was a Revolutionary soldier, he having taken up his sword in behalf of the
colonies.

In 1812, his son, Elijah, married Christiana Crofus, a German maiden, who, with her parents,
crossed to Virginia in 1790; and, in 1822, he passed from earth at his home in Virginia, and
here, near Cumberland, on the Virginia side, he sleeps.

In 1840, his widow, with her three sons and one daughter; viz., Edmund, Isaac, Andrew and Anne,
came to the Harrisville vicinity, and with them came Daniel Cokeley, a brother of Elijah, and
his family, and from these two brothers all the different families of this name in this, and
sister counties, are descended.

Edmund Cokeley, the eldest son of Elijah, married Miss Eliza Wagner, of Cumberland, Maryland;
and near the breaking out of the Civil war, with his family and his widowed mother, he removed
to Iowa, where he died but a few years since. His mother died in the early sixties, and lies at
rest in a rural cemetery near Vinton, Iowa.

His children were Jonathan, Edward, Asby, Christiana, Margaret and Martha.

Isaac Cokeley married a Miss Rexroad and lost his life in defense of the Union in 1863.

Anne Cokeley, the only daughter of Elijah Cokeley, became the wife of Jonathan Barksdale, of
Virginia, and after a brief married life, she died and her family went to Iowa.

Andrew Cockily, the younger son of the family of Elijah, was married to Miss Anne Moats,
daughter of Jacob Moats, senior, on April 15, 1841, and settled on the old homestead near two
and one-half miles West of Harrisville, where his heirs still reside.

He was the father of twelve children:

Jacob, of Williamstown; Edmund E., George, the late Andrew J., all of Harrisville; and Alvah, of
Cairo; Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, was the late Mrs. Aaron Friedly, of Spruce Grove; Mary
Jane was the late Mrs. William Moats, of Addis' run; Alcinda was the late Mrs. Henry Moats, of
Spruce Grove, the mother of the late F.M. Moats, editor of the Ritchie Standard; Susan L. was
the late Mrs. Jon Echard, of Five Forks; Melvina became Mrs. Jonathan Cokeley, and resides at
Vinton, Iowa; Margaret R. married Frank Griffin and died in 1877, leaving one son; Belle married
Everett Brake and resides at the old home.

Daniel Cokeley. - Daniel Cokeley, the pioneer, married Miss Elizabeth Crofus, sister of his
brother Elijah's wife, and came from Virginia in 1840, as above stated, and settled near two
miles from Harrisville, on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, Isaac. Here he died
in 1861, at the age of ninety-four years, six months, fifteen days.

His children were: Isaac, William, Mrs. Nancy Simmers, all of Harrisville; Mrs. Elizabeth Shock,
and Mrs. Sarah Robinson (mother of honored Sherman Robinson, of Harrisville), both of Calhoun
county. His daughter, Mary, married William Sharpneck, of Petroleum, and after her death her
sister, Margaret, married Mr. Sharpneck.

Isaac Cokeley married Miss Susana Moats, daughter of Jacob Moats, senior, and spent his life at
the old homestead near Harrisville.

His children: Daniel, of Devil Hole; Jacob, of Elm run, who have passed on; Isaac, of
Harrisville; Margaret late wife of John E. Simmons, of Spruce Grove; Luvina, late wife of Andrew
Simmons, and Miss Mary, who, with her mother, resides at the old homestead.

William Cokeley, son of Daniel, married Miss Hannah Starr, daughter of John Starr, senior, and
Mrs. Elizabeth Duckworth, of Mt. Zion, is the one child of this union. (See Mt. Zion chapter for
further history.)

Chapter III
South Fork Settled

After a four years' residence here, he removed to what is known as "Layfield's run", a tributary
of Goose creek, where he lived for many years, and where he buried his first wife, Mrs. Margaret
Crawford Layfield. He died on March 20, 1852, at the home of his son, Sanford, near Cornwallis,
and in the Egypt cemetery, by the side of his second wife, Mrs. Susan Douglas Layfield (widow of
John Douglas, of Scotland), he sleeps.

He was of Irish descent. His father, James Layfield, came from the "Emerald Isle", and settled
on the South branch of the Potomac river at Moorefield (West), Virginia, where he (William) was
born.

When he was but a lad, all the family, except him and one brother, were captured by the Indians,
and they were being hotly pursued by the dreaded foe when they were over taken by a violent
storm, from which they sought refuge under a tree. This tree was torn up by the roots, and
William escaped, but he never knew the fate of his brother; never heard of any of the family
agian, so the many families of this name in different parts of the country are descended from
him.

He was the father of six sons and one daughter: John, James, Ellison, Sanford, David and William,
junior, and Mary Ann, who became Mrs. Augusta Crane, and went West.

To the late venerable Henry Layfield, of Cokeley's, we are indebted for this interesting
reminiscence, which he has repeatedly heard from his grandfather's own lips.

The Murphys. - The Murphys were the second settlers on this river. Four brothers came from
Harrison county, in 1801, and found homes in the Webb's mill vicinity. Amiziah took up his
residence on what is now the Frederick Lemon estate, at Macfarlan; William, on the John P.
Kennedy farm; Samuel, on the late Alfred Scott estate; and John, ont he Reb. M. McNeill
homestead. Here these brothers passed from earth, and in the Murphy graveyard, on the John P.
Kennedy farm, and on the McNeill homestead, their ashes lie. After the older generation had
passed away, their heirs, having lost their lands owing to bad titles, went to Illinois, to
Washington county, Ohio, and to Wood county, this State, and consequently, little is known of
their early history, save the fact that they were Indian fighters.

Our settlers found homes in this wilderness in rapid succession, and for a number of years this
was known as the "Murphy Settlement" along the river from the mouth of Indian creek to the mouth
of Slab creek; and the memory of these pioneers is still kept green by the name, "Murphy
district".

Nutter Webb. - After the Murphys came Nutter Webb. He was a native of Harrison county, and the
first blacksmith in this vicinity. His old cabin stood on the south bank of the river just
opposite the present site of Webb's (Hardman's) mill, and here he resided until he was laid in
the cemetery that bears his name, in August 1833. A long line of his descendants still lay claim
to Ritchie soil.

He married Miss Anna Cunningham, daughter of Adam Cunningham, brother of Thomas, and was the
father of two sons and several daughters: Benjamin, whose history appears in a later chapter,
was one of the most prominent figures in the early history of this part of the county; William
was also a pioneer, he having made the first settlement on the Elias Valentine farm; Mrs.
Elizabeth Simms, Parkersburg; Mrs. Rebecca (John) Malone, Mrs. Margaret (Adam) Harris, Mrs.
Rachel (Wm) Stuart, mother of Robert Stuart, of Iris, were four of the daughters, and perhaps
all of them.

Adam Cunningham was another early settler in the Webb's mill vicinity, he having found a home
on the Hoff, now John S. Deem, farm. He was a brother of Thomas Cunningham, and here the
remainder of his life was spent, and in the Murphy graveyard he sleeps.

He was the father of twelve children, whose names in part are missing, but the following are
among them: Adam, the grandfather of John Cunningham, the Washburn artist; Edward and Elijah,
and Mrs. Rebecca Beard, Mrs. Drusilla Beard, Mrs. Rachel Nutter, Mrs. Hannah Harris and Mrs.
Nutter Webb.

William Stuart. - Contemporary with the settlements of the Murphy Brothers was that of William
Stuart, weinio, on the late John Byrd estate, near the old "State Ford", above Goff's. He was a
typical son of "Old Erin", having been born, reared and educated in the city of Belfast, Ireland.
Here he learned the trade of cabinet-maker and joiner; and here he was married to Miss Martha
Boyd, and English maiden, of Southampton; and from here they emigrated to America in 1789,
landing in the "City of Brotherly Love", where he worked at his trade, for a time, before
purchasing land in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, on the banks of the "blue Juniata river",
below the then little village of Huntingdon. Here they remained but a brief time; and from here
they came to Ritchie county, in 1801, and settled ont he Byrd rarm, where he died on March 13,
1809. His wife died in 1834. Both sleep on their old homestead, in the burying ground that is
now designated as the "Reeves graveyard". Their son, John, and daughter, Sarah B., who was the
victim of the first surgical operation in this county, also sleep here; Polly, and Martha, who
Married Benjamin Webb, rest in the Webb's cemetery; Jane married Enoch Cunningham, and at
Smithville she reposes; James died in Harrison county, and William, who was the father of Robert,
at Iris.

Among the grandchildren of this pioneer, who are citizens of this county, are Lewis Rogers, of
Lamb's run, P.J. Cunningham, of Pennsboro, James T. Smith of Burnt House; and B. F. Prince of
Cantwell, are great-grandsons.

Thomas Summerfield was the first settler on what is now the W.A. Flesher and the lateJohn Miller
homesteads. He afterwards moved across the river and made a settlement on the J.R. Westfall farm,
and finally went to Ohio.

Alexander Davidson. - In 1820, the Miller and Flesher farm became the property of Alexander
Davidson, wh continued to resied here until he was borne to the Smithille cemetery in 1837.

Mr. Davidson was of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, James Davidson, was born in Ireland, and
his mother, Mary Allen, in Scotland; and shortly after the Revolution they came to America and
settled in the valley of Virginia, near Winchester; here Alexander was born; and here he was
married to Miss Kathrine Kline, a German maiden, who was also a native of the "Old Dominion";
and after the birth of their third child, they removed to Parkersburg, where Mr. Davidson
engaged in the shoe-maker's trade for a time, before coming to the Harrisville vicinity, near
1816, where he remained until he came to Smithville.

He was the father of ten children; and after his death Mrs. Davidson and the family, having lost
their land here, emigrated to Illinois in a wagon. Here a number of them sleep.

He was the father of the venerable Israel Davidson, of Spruce creek, who is, perhaps, entitled
to the distinction of being the oldest (living) son of Ritchie county, he having passed his
ninetieth mileston;' and of the late Samuel, of Gilmer county; of the late Mrs. Eleven Riddle,
of Lawford; and the late Mrs. Edward Rogers, who sleeps in the Pioneer cemetery at Harrisville.

William Cline, early in the century, built the first house at Smithville, on the site that is
now marked by the hotel of M.A. Ayres. He was the father of Abraham and William Cline, whose
names will appear later; but in 1816, this improvement passed into the hands of James and
Benjamin Hardman, two brothers, who came from what is now Gilmer county. These brothers had
married the daughters of Thomas and Phoebe Cunningham, the first settlers in the Frederick's
mill vicinity (in 1807), whose interesting history occupies another chapter.

The Hardmans. - In the meantime, while these settlements were going on at Smithville, Peter,
Wolfe, of Harrison county, was making the first improvement ont he farm that is now the A.P.
Hardman estate, in the Frederick's mill vicinity; and he and James Hardman traded farms. Mr.
Wolfe moved to Smithville, where he died before the year 1830, and Mr. Hardman took up his
residence on the A.P. Hardman homestead, which he lost owing to a defective title; and he then
moved to the Satunton pike, and he became the first settler in the Hardman chapel vicinity, on
the farm that is now the estate of his late son, James S. Hardman. Here he passed from earth in
August, 1874. He was a lay minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he gave the grounds
for the cemetery and the church which bears his name, "Hardman Chapel", and beneath its shadow
his ashes lie. He was born in the "Old Dominion", on November 14, 1795, and, with his parents,
came to Gilmer county, to the Kanawha river, when he was but a small child. At the age of
eighteen years, he enlisted as a solider int he war of 1812, taking the place of his father, who
had been drafted, and served one year, until the close of the war. He was never engaged in
battle, but frequently witnessed the maneuvers of the enemy's vessels far out at sea. In 1816,
he was married to Miss Phebe Cunningham, who was born in Lewis county, on August 10, 1795, and
died at her home at Hardman chapel, on July 3, 1871.

From this venerable couple, the many different families of the name in this county are descended.
Their two sruviving daughters are Mrs. Nancy (Asa) Dilworth, of Eatons; and Mrs. Julia (Ira S.)
Goff, of Walker. And their sons and daughters were Joseph, who died in childhood; Mrs. Leah
(John) Beall, Leatherbrake; Mrs. Harriett Fisher, Gilmer county; Mrs. Dorcas Beall, Weston; Mrs.
Barbara (George) Wells, Cornwallis; Mrs. Phebe (J.M.) McWhorter, of Buckhannon, who first
married Harrison B. Cunningham; George W., James S., and Asbury Poole, Hardman chapel; and
Thomas C. of Auburn.

Benjamin Hardman changed his place of residence from Smithville to the bank of the river at
Frederick's mill, he being the first settler here, and the builder of this mill; and from this
community, a number of years later, he went to Iowa, where he remained but a short time.
Returning to this State, he went to Roane county, and settled ofn the Middle fork of Reedy,
and from there, passed into the other world. He, too, was a lay minister of the Methodist
Episcopal church, one of the earliest in this wilderness. His wife was Sira Leah Cunningham, and
by his side she is sleeping, on the old homestead in Roane county.

Their children were; the late Thomas, of Gilmer county; William, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel,
Mrs. Emily Ingraham and Mrs. Argabrite, all of Roane county; Mrs. Phebe (Phillip) Frederick,
Burnt House; Mrs. Rebecca (Henry) Elliott, Calhoun county; Mrs. Sarah (Alexander) Burdett,
Missouri; and Mrs. Mary (Henry C.) McWhorter, Charleston; mother of Judge McWhorter, who stepped
down from a long term as judge of the Supreme Court of the State, in 1909.

The Hardmans have a very interesting ancestral history. Joseph Hardman was born in Germany not
far from the middle of the eighteenth century, and about the time he had reached manhood's
estate, he, leaving the Fatherland with an emigrant party, which included his sister, Margaret
Hardman (who may have been Mrs. Jeremiah Riddel at this time), James Riddel, John Goff and
Salathiel Goff, went to England; and from there, a year later, they all embarked to America,
landing in Baltimore a short time before the Revolution - perhaps in 1773 or 1774, where they
remained for twelve months before going to Georgetown, in what is now the District of Columbia.
Mr. Riddel and the Goffs being more advanced in years than Mr. Hardman, were the heads of
families, that they brought with them across the sea; and ere long, the fair face and charming
manner of Miss Dorcas Riddel completely captivated the affections of young Hardman, and they
were married; and upon the banks of the Patomac, within a neighboringdistance of the Washington
estates, they founded their home. And thus it was that Joseph Hardman came to know George
Washington, not only as a general, for he was a Revolutionary soldier, but as an intimate
friend. It is said that the ability and the judgment of the young German was of such an order
that he was, not unfrequently, called into council with other trustworthy pioneers, by General
Washington, to construct plans for the safety and protection of the inhabitants of certain
districts of Maryland and Virginia.

"The reminiscences of these stirring days, and his intimate acquaintance with the great General,
were ever dear to his heart", and to the close of his life "his deep blue eyes would sparkle and
radiate with a peculiar light", as his mind reverted to those heroic scenes. After a seven years'
residence at Georgetown, he, with the other families above mentioned, removed to Fredericksburg,
Virginia, where he engaged in the butcher business, and by strict economy soon accumulated a
sufficient amount of money to cause him to cast wistful glances to the land beyond the mountains;
so one morning in the early spring time, late in the century, he, with his beloved Dorcas and
three childern, Nancy, James and Thomas, and their belongings, set out in wagons for the great
Northwest; and after long weeks of peril and hardships, such as only pioneers of civilization
can know, they reached Randolph county, where they "pitched their tent" and sojourned for a time,
before coming to Cedar creek in Gilmer county, where they reared their humble dwelling and
remained for many years.

Shortly after they settled down here, another child was added to the family, which they called
"Benjamin", and in 1813, the fifth and last child was born, and his name was "George Washington",
for the fond parents declared that his very features were like none other than the great General.
He grew to the intelligent manhood that his early youth promised,a nd married Miss Rachel Goff,
granddaughter of Salathiel Goff, and settled five miles below Grantsville, on the little Kanawha
river, at what is know as "Hardman' Bend", and here, on the old homestead, beside his wife, he
quietly reposes. He was promoted to the rank of major in the Mexican war, and was a large land-
owner and stock-raiser, and from him the Hardmans, who are so prominently known in political
circles in the State, are descended. He being the father of the following named children:
Sylvester and Orlando, who have joined the throng over there, once occupied seats in the State
Senate; George W., late candidate for Congress on the Democratic ticket, who passed on in 1909;
Cassett, Marcellus, Jerome and Allen, who are all prominent farmers, stockmen and timbermen of
Roane county' Warren and Floyd, who died in infancy' the late Mrs. Dorcas (Levi) Ball, and Mrs.
S. Jane (Albert) Pearcy. C.C. Hardman, of Kyger, Roane county, the young instructor of Farmers'
Institutes, who recently formed the acquaintance of the people of this county, is the son of the
late Sylvester Hardman.

Nancy Hardman, the only daughter of Joseph and Dorcas Hardman, married a man by the name of
Parson, of Gilmer county, and he went to the war (of 1812) with James Hardman and died soon
after his return home. His wife, Nancy, then married a Mr. Kearns, of Stuart's creek, Gilmer
county, and there some of her descendants still live.

Thomas Hardman was married to Miss Rebecca Goff, daughter of John and granddaughter of Salathiel,
and settled at Reedyville, in Roane county. Here, at his home, Joseph and Dorcas Hardman died
and at Reedyville they lie at rest.

Some time after the Civil war, Thomas Hardman and his wife went to Parsons, Kansas, where they
spent the closing years of thier lives with their children, and there their ashes lie.

Their family consisted of the following named children: William, the eldest son, still survives
as a citizen of Roane county, though well advanced in years; Nancy was the late wife of Sandy
Board; Christena married Kellis Argabright; George, John, James, Salathial and Drusilla, who was
the wife of Captain Albert G. Ingraham, of the Confederate army. The late John's family live in
Roane county, as do other descendants, and some of them reside in the far West. Several of these
sons served as Union soldiers during the Civil war.

Peter Wolfe, as before stated, made the first settlement on the A.P. Hardman estate, and he,
trading farms with James Hardman, went from there to the M.A. Ayres farm at Smithville, where he
was laid to rest before the year 1830. He was born in Harrison county of German parentage, and
was of Indian fighting stock. He married Miss Maudlin Hanley, of Harrison county, and came to
this county early in the century. He was the father of Samuel Wolfe, who resided here in pioneer
days, but finally found a resting place in the west; of the late John Wolfe, of Gilmer county'
Susan, who married James Malone, junior, and sleeps at Harrisville; of the late Mrs. Elizabeth
(Righter) Cunningham, of Ohio; and the late Mrs. Mary Drimon, of Harrison county.

Mrs. John M. Brown of Hannahdale, is the great-granddaughter of this pioneer, and the
Wolfes, of Wolfe Pen, are also his descendants, besides not a few of them live in Gilmer county.

Valentine Bozarth was the successor of Mr. Wolfe on the Smithville farm. He and his wife, Mrs.
Rebecca Hall Bozarth, came from Harrison county and went to Iowa, here their brief history ends.
The Bozarths were brave Indian fighters, and their thrilling adventures with the red men are
recorded on the pages of "Border Warfare".

The Malones. - Contemporary with the settlement of Mr. Wolfe on the Hardman farm was that of
James Malone, senior, on the W.G. Lowther homestead, which joins it on the east.

Mr. Malone was of Irish descent, and along with Mr. Wolfe, he came from Harrison county, and
erected his cabin near the present site of the Lowther residence, which, though somewhat
modernized, was built more than three-quarters of a century ago by Samuel Wolfe, and is one of
the oldest landmarks in this section.

The location of this farm is one of the most beautiful along the river, and among its other
points of special interest are: an old Indian mound, which, though once visible for miles around,
is fast disappearing under the plowman's cultivator; and a lasting spring, which has quenched
the thirst of the children of men, the dusky face as well as the pale, for "thousands of moons",
and over its lucid waters bends the branches of a willow of hugh dimensions, the history of
which began less than forty-five years ago, when Miss Abigail Osbourne, eldest daughter of the
late William Osbourne, who was then a small girl, planted her riding switch there. The
circumference of this tree at the base now measures fifteen feet.

Mr. Malone removed (from here) to the Kennedy farm, at the mouth of Lamb's run, and here, he and
his wife, who was Miss Elizabeth Findlay, a descendant of the Dreake family, lie sleeping.

He was the father of James Malone, junior, of John, Mrs. Jane Cunningham (mother of Mrs. Israel
Davidson, of Spruce creek); and of the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Cornelius) Wyer, of Gilmer county.
His children were all the heads of pioneer families of this county.

John Malone married Miss Rebecca Webb, sister of Benjamin Webb, and was the first settler on the
E.R. Tibbs farm, at Goff's. He went from here to Bull creek, where some of his descendants still
live.

James Malone, junior, married Miss Susan Wolfe, daughter of Peter, and succeeded his father on
the Kennedy farm. He removed from there, early in the forties, to the farm that is now
designated as the William Flannagan homestead, near Hannahdale, and here he passed from earth,
in the early sixties, and in the Harrisville cemetery, beside his wife he sleeps.

He figured prominently in the early history of the county, as justice of the peace and as
representative in the legislature at Richmond.

He was the father of Alfred Malone, a lay minister of the M.E. church, who sleeps in Kansas;
James (the III), who died in the Union cause; Francis M., who rests at Lima, Ohio; the late
Samuel, of Nebraska; and Osbourne, who died at Weston; Fannie became Mrs. Broadwater, of
Hannahdale; Rebecca, Mrs. Jacob Trainer, of Riddel's chapel; Mary Jane, Mrs. William Maley, of
the same vicinity; Elizabeth was the late Mrs. John Clutter, of Iowa; Martha married and died in
St. Louis, Missouri; and Sarah, the only survivor of the family, is Mrs. Clutter, of Pittsburg,
Kansas.

Mrs. J.M. Brown, of Hannahdale, is the granddaughter of this pioneer.

Among the great-grandchildren of James Malone, senior, who are citizens of this part of the
county, are C.J. Valentine, of Fonsoville; S.A. Wyer, of Auburn; J.B. Valentine, of Macfarlan;
and not a few of the Wyers of Gilmer county.

John Wilson was the pioneer on the Kennedy farm, Mr. Malone having purchased his improvement.

Mr. Wilson and his wife, who was formerly a Miss White, went from here to Iowa, and we have been
unable to learn anything farther of their history, save that Francis Wilson, of Tanners, belongs
to this family, he being descended from a brother of John Wilson.

The Elliotts. - Not far from the time of the coming of the Malones, Jabez Elliott found a home
on the Eugene Barker farm, near the mouth of Lamb's run, and in this vicinity he spent the rest
of his days, and in the Smithville cemetery he found a final resting place.

The early history of this family is very meager, and what is in our possession cannot be
verified.

But they are of English origin and they probably first settled in the New England colonies,
where they were engaged in savage warfare. And we, also, find them in Ohio battling with the
Indians, during General Wayne's campaign.

Jabez Elliott is said to have been a native of the New England States and a soldier in the war
of 1812. He married Miss Elizabeth Wigner, daughter of John Wigner, senior, and sister of John,
junior, of Ellenboro, and came here from Harrison county. His venerable widow spent her last
days in an old cabin that stood near the present residence W.J. Burwell, in the vicinity of
Goff's. Here she passed to her reward in 1875, at the age of ninety-six years. She had been a
communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church for seventy-eight years, she being one of the
class that was organized in 1810. She rests in the Smithville cemetery by the side of her
husband.

Their children were as follows:

John, Jacob, Henry, Washington, Mrs. Elizabeth Lowther, Mrs. Sarah Howard and Mrs. Manly Collins,
all of this county; and Jabez, junior, of Calhoun. All have now passed to the other shore, but
their descendants in this county are not a few.

Among the grandsons are Frank and Wesley Elliott, of Indian creek; and Thomas Elliott, of
Pullman. Hayes Elliott the assistant cashier of the Pullman bank, is a great-grandson.

Manly Collins and his wife, Mrs. Mary Elliott Collins, were the first settlers on Lamb's run
after the Elliott family, they having built their cabin where Emery Tibbs now lives.

Mrs. Collins survived until a few years since, when she passed away at a ripe old age, and was
laid at rest in the Cunningham burying-ground near Mahone.

Mr. Collins was the son of Mrs. Mary Collins, who spent her last hours on Slab Creek, and a
brother of Chainey Collins of Smithville; of Mrs. Phebe Smith, the late wife of Aaron Smith of
Smith's chapel; and of John Collins, of Wirt county, all of whom have passed on.

The children of Manly and Mary Collins are as follows: Daniel, Benjamin, Mrs. Sarah Frederick,
and Mary and Louisa, who are dead.

After the death of Jabez Elliott his family had a dwelling erected, where Peyton Tingler now
lives, and for a number of years this cabin was occupied by the Elliott family.

This stream is said to have taken its name from a man by the name of Lamb, but we have been
unable to learn anything farther concerning his history.

The Wigners. - John Wigner, senior, succeeded William Layfield on the S.H. Westfall farm, above
Smithville. This old pioneer cabin stood on a rivulet, which still bears his name,
"Wigner's run".

Mr. Wigner was of German lineage, and he came here from near Philadelphia before the year 1810,
and here the remnant of his days was spent, and in some of the old burying-grounds in this
vicinity his ashes lie.

He was the father of John Wigner, junior, the first settler at Ellenboro; of Jacob, of Stuart's
run; of Henry, of Husher's run; Joseph and Daniel, of Ohio; Mrs. Elizabeth (Jabez) Elliott, of
Goff's; Mrs. Elijah Cunningham, Husher's run; Mrs. Barbara Newcome, and Mrs. Susan White, of
Gallipolis, Ohio.

John Cornell. - John Cornell was the first resident of the Martin Smith farm, above Smithville.
He and his wife, Mrs. Susan Park Cornell, came from "Maryland, My Maryland", and having twice
purchased this farm and lost it at law, removed to Pleasants county, in 1840, where he "laid
down the cross" in 1860. Seventeen years later his wife joined him on the other side, and in the
Rutman cemetery they both lie at rest.

Mr. Cornell was a Revolutionary soldier, and was the son of William Cornell, an Irishman. He
and his wife were the parents of twelve children - seven sons and five daughters, all of whom
reached the year of maturity: Benjamin resided at Buffalo, in Putnam county; Susan is Mrs.
William Ward, of Shultz; Mary is Mrs. Stephen Workman, of Huntington; Sarah is Mrs. William
Douglass, of Highland; William sleeps in Oregon; Harrison in the Dry Ridge cemetery; two sons
and two daughters, with the parents in the Rutman cemetery; one son. at Smithville, and one, in
Calhoun county.

John Cornell, of Calhoun county, is a grandson of the pioneer, as is J.A. Cornell, of Burnt
House. And Mrs. Freeman G. Barr, of Smithville, is a great-granddaughter.

Mrs. Douglass, while on a visit with her daughter, Mrs. A.D. Adams, at the M.E. church parsonage
at Smithville during the autumn of 1904, visited the place of her nativity, after an absence of
sixty-five years, and noted with interest the changes that had been wrought by the mighty hand
of "Father Time". Elias Lowther was another early settler in the Webb's mill vicinity. He was
the second blacksmith and the first gunsmith and powder maker in this section. He was the son of
Thomas and the grandson of Col. William Lowther, and like the other pioneers of this name, was
a native of West Milford. He removed to Wirt county near the year 1825, and here, fell asleep,
and here some of his descendants live. He had two sons, Andrew and Daniel, and perhaps other
children.

The Dyes. - Dennis Dye was the first settler on the farm which is still designated as the "Dye
farm", in the Webb's mill vicinity, though now owned by Martin Smith and son.

Mr. Dye was the son of Rueben and Mary Dye, who came from Prince William county, Virginia, at an
early day and settled in Wood county, and he was a brother of the late D. Dye, of Elizabeth;
John, of Ohio; and William and Benjamin, who started to Texas and were never heard of again.

Dennis Dye was born in 1801, and came to this county in his early manhood and married Miss Anna
Webb, daughter of Benjamin Webb, and took up his residence on the old homestead, above mentioned,
near the year 1825, where he remained until June 20, 1866, when he crossed to the other side.

His wife was born on July 14, 1809, and died in June, 1888. Both sleep in the Webb's mill
cemetery.

His children are as follows: Benjamin, David, William, Mrs. Julia (Adam) Laird, Mrs. Jane
(Daniel) Nicholson, of Calhoun county; and Mrs. Martha (Robert) Taylor, of Smithville; and Mrs.
Drusilla Gear, of Wirt county; who have all passed on; and Mrs. Harriet (Barnes) Smith, Burnt
House; Mrs. Nancy (Jacob) Cunningham, Smithville; Mrs. Mary (Barnes) Smith, Auburn; Mrs. Agnes
Haught, Wirt county; and Mrs. Elizabeth Nutter, Kansas, are the surviving ones.

Benjamin Dye, whose family are still identified with the Smithville vicinity, was born at the
old home at Webb's mill, on August 16, 1827, and though he resided across the Calhoun county
line, after his marriage to Miss Roena Petty, daughter of Rowland Petty, of Wirt county, on
January 10, 1860, his entire life was spent within the bounds of the Smithville vicinity. He
passed from earth on March 3, 1905, and Mrs. Dye followed him to the grave on May 30, 1909.
Both lie at rest in the Nicholas burying-ground, near the old home in Calhoun county.

They were the parents of the following named children: The one daughter died in childhood; and
their sons are: Dr. W.T.W. Dye, of Grantsville; Dr. James A. Dye, Minora; Rowland F. Dye,
Smithville; George W. and Judson B. Dye, Freed.

The Smiths. - John Every, of whose history we know nothing, erected the first dwelling on the
B.H. Wilson farm at Goff's, but this improvement passed into the hands of Barnes Smith as early
as 1810, and remained in his possession until near the year 1835, when he removed to Smithville,
where he passed from earth, on March 9, 1857.

In his honor the town was named and within the peaceful bosom of its cemetery his ashes lie.

Mr. Smith was of English lineage. His ancestors came to America in colonial days and settled in
Virginia, but he was born in Harrison county on May 18, 1782, and there he was married to Miss
Anne Earle, who was born on November 26, 1788, and died on October 14, 1855, and rests at
Smithville. Nine children were the result of this union:

Isaac and Barnes, junior, sleep at Smithville; Joshua, in Calhoun county; Levi J., in Boone
county, Iowa; Sarah, who married Samuel Davidson, in Gilmer county, near Tannersville; Katherine
(Mrs. Levi Smith), on Spruce creek; Hila (Mrs. Eli Riddel), near Goff's; Mary (Mrs. George Goff,
in Missouri; Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Goff), in Iowa.

Although these children were so widely scattered, their descendants in this county are a
multitude. Among the grandchildren are Martin Smith, Alvus Smith, Mrs. M.A. Ayres, and Mrs.
Alfred Barr, of Smithville; T.M. Goff, of Harrisville; the late Mrs. A.P. Hardman, Fonsoville;
Mrs. John White, S.B. and S.A. Smith, of Iowa.

Dr. J.M. Goff, of Harrisville, is a great-grandson.

[footnote](Several of these sons were among the pioneers of this county and the history of their
families will be found elsewhere.)

Aaron Smith, brother of Barnes, who was also a native of Harrison county, was the first settler
at Goff's, on the land that is now the homes of Abner Hatfield and E.C. Goff and the Reeves
estate.

His old cabin, which was built early in the century, stood near the present Hatfield residence,
and not far away, on this homestead, he lies in his last sleep.

He married Miss Hannah Drake, sister of the Rev. John Drake, who was born on April 17, 1778, and,
like his brother, has an innumerable line of descendants in this and adjoining counties.

After his death his widow married John Riddel, the Grass run pioneer, and in Roane county she
died on October 27, 1868.

Their children are as follows: Elijah, Levi, William, Elisha, Rebecca, Zilpah, Susan, Orpha,
Rhoda and Eda.

Elijah married his cousin, Miss Roana Smith, daughter of Squire Smith, of Harrison county, and
lived and died near the mouth of Smith's run, where his son, Aaron, still survives. He was also
the father of the late James, of Gilmer county; and of Mrs. Thomas D. Tibbs, of Lamb's run.

Levi married his cousin, Miss Kathrine Smith, daughter of Barnes, senior, and was one of the
Spruce creek pioneers.

William married Miss Susana Cain, daughter of David Cain, and went to Lee creek, where he died
in 1883, at the age of eighty-six years.

Elisha married Miss Martha Stuart, sister of Robert Stuart, and settled the Connolly farm, on
Leatherbrake, where he and his wife and several children, all died near the same time of fever.

Elisha, his eldest son, who was married, died at this time; and Levi, of Hardman chapel; and
Gilbert, of Long run' and Mrs. Lydia Ann Goff, wife of the late M.A. Goff, of Hazelgreen; and
mother of L.C. Goff, of Juna, have since passed on, leaving families; and James T. Smith, of
Burnt House; and Mrs. Sarah Jane (John) Goff, of Gilmer county; are the surviving members of the
family.

Rebecca Smith married Cornelius Cain, and lived and died in this county. Her children were the
late Mrs. Rosetta Moats, of Cairo; Mrs. Phillip Goff, of Juna; Mrs. Ruhama (Ephraim) Morehead,
Mrs. Louisa Chevrount, David, Cornelius H., Albert, James and Lemuel Cain.

Zilpah Smith married James Riddel and went to Gilmer county.

Susan became Mrs. Jacob Smith and went to Roane county.

Orpha was Mrs. Hill, of Clay county; Rhoda, Mrs. Board, of Roane county. Eda married Benjamin
Goff and became the head of a pioneer family of this county. (See later chapter.)She was the
last survivor of the family.

David Cain was the first settler on the late Wilson Prunty homestead, now the property of John
Gorrell.

He was of Holland descent. He married Miss Mary Cain, who was born in 1779, and he came here
from Ohio. He finally went to Lee creek, where he sleeps. His wife rests in the Egypt cemetery
at Cairo.

The Cain's run, on the south side of the river, took its name from a sugar camp that he owned,
which was located just below the John Wass residence.

Mr. Cain's children were as follows: Susana (Mrs. William Smith), of Lee creek; Mary (Mrs.
Joseph Wilson), of Slab creek; Cornelius Cain, of Cairo, and Jesse.

Jesse married a Miss Firth, of Barbour county, and settled on the north side of Hughes river, at
the mouth of the run, which still bears his name, "Jesse Cain's run" where Peter and Charles
Wass now live.

Quite a number of David Cain's grandchildren are still identified among the citizens of the
county.

Lemuel Wilson, of Smithville; Mrs. Phillip Goff, of Juna; the late Mrs. Rosetta Moats, of Cairo;
are among the number.

A family by the name of Belt made the first improvement at the forks of Hughes river, on the
farm that became the permanent home of the Jacksons, in 1830.

Thomas Cummins, another early settler, moved farther west in 1811, and the name of George Turvey
is also mentioned among the very early settlers, but we have been unable to learn anything of
his history or settlement.

Although many authentic dates are wanting, the great number of these settlers are said to have
come before the year 1810.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 01:26:05Z

William Hughes b. abt 1700 d. 1767 Hampshire Co VA
m. Mary "Sudrah/Sudna" Withers
* Hugh Hughes d. 1763
m. Susannah Hughes
* Jonathan Hughes b. Mar 25 1753 d. Sep 1849
Fought in Rev. War
m. Sarah Abigail Jackson b. 1765 d. 1842
* Nancy Hughes b. 1787 Harrison Co VA(WV), d. 1840 Harrison Co
m. Elias Stutler Jan 18 1816 Harrison Co
b. 1786 VA, d. Oct 17 1870 Harrison Co
Descendants of Nancy Hughes and Elias Stutler
* Anderson Hughes b. 1790 d. Feb 20 1874
m. Permilia Mathews
* Rebecca Hughes
m. Samuel Childers
m. William Roach
* Dudley Hughes d. May 14 1820
m. Asenath Davis
* Rachel Hughes b. May 2 1797 d. May 15 1843
m. William F "Flint Billy" Davis Nov 25 1813
* Elizabeth Hughes b. May 2 1797
m. William Waddell
* Martin Hughes b. Sep 25 1800 d. Apr 7 1855
m. Ann Davis Jun 22 1819
* Hannah Hughes b. 1805
m. Adam Ash Dec 23 1823
* Leah Hughes b. 1806
m. Robert Stutler May 1820, b. Feb 22 1798 d. Sep 23 1886
* Stephan Jesse Hughes b. Jun 15 1808 d. Jul 21 1882
m. Mary Westfall Sep 5 1833
* Martha "Patty" Hughes b. Apr 6 1809 d. Mar 15 1893
m. William B "Buckeye Billy" Davis
* Jackson Hughes b. Apr 22 1821
m. Lavinah Ash
* William Hughes
m. Ms Frye
* Thomas Hughes b. 1725 VA, d. May 4 1778 Hacker's Creek WV
Ambushed and killed by Indians
m. Mary Susannah Baker abt 1745
[d/o Charles Baker and Jane Baker]
* Sudna Hughes b. 1745 Augusta Co VA, d. 1829 Ritchie Co WV
m. William Beamer Lowther Jun 6 1763 Moorefield, Hardy Co VA
b. Dec 22 1742 Shadwell VA, d. Oct 28 1814 West Milford VA(WV)
Descendants of Sudna Hughes and William Lowther
* Sarah Hughes b. 1749 Jackson Co WV, d. Jun 15 1821
m. Col. Michael Stump Jr 1763
one source says he m. Sarah's sister, Sudna Hughes
* Jesse Hughes b. 1751 d. 1829
Jesse built his cabin on a tributary of Hacker's Creek
which became known as Jesse's Run. A famous pathfinder, scout and
Indian fighter of Western Virginia. After treaty of Greenville he
sold his land at Jesse's Run, moved to IN but soon returned to WV
and settled in Jackson Co. Gravesite unknown
m. Grace Tanner 1771, b. 1753 VA, d. Jan 18 1842 Roane Co VA(WV)
[d/o Edward Tanner]
* Martha Hughes b. 1773 d. 1834 Harrison Co VA
Captured by Indians Dec 1787, returned Dec 1790
m. Jacob Bonnett Mar 6 1791 Harrison Co VA(WV)
b. 1762 Cedar Creek VA, d. Jan 25 1847
Descendants of Martha Hughes and Jacob Bonnett
* Jesse Hughes Jr b. 1775
m. Susanna Mock 1800
* Thomas Hughes d. Jackson Co WV
* Massie "Mercy" Hughes b. Dec 1787 d. May 30 1883
m. Uriah Gandee Jr Jul 30 1806, b. Sep 2 1782 d. Oct 12 1854
Descendants of Mercy Hughes and Uriah Gandee Jr
* Susana "Sudna" Hughes b. 1780
m. Elijah Runner 1800
* Rachel Hughes b. 1777
m. William Cottrill 1794
* Elizabeth Hughes b. 1782
m. James Stanley 1800
* William Jonathan Hughes b. 1785
m. Rebecca Staats Jan 1805, b. 1788?
* Delilah Hughes b. Aug 14 1810 d. Jan 13 1879 IL
m. Benjamin Sayre Jan 1 1828 (one source says Jan 16 1828)
b. 1806 Jackson Co WV, d. abt Apr 1830
Descendants of Delilah Hughes and Benjamin Sayre
2nd wife of Delilah Hughes:
m. Solomon Hall Oct 24 1833
Solomon and Delilah moved to IL
* seven children
* Lourania Hughes b. 1803
m. Uriah Sayre 1825
* Nancy Agnes Hughes b. 1810
m. George Hanshaw/Henshaw
* Joseph Hughes
m. _ _
* Job Hughes buried Antioch Cem, Jackson Co WV
Donated land for the Cherry Grove Church and Cemetery
on Cow Run, Jackson Co WV
m. Anna King buried Antioch Cem
* William Hughes buried Creston Cem, Mason Co WV
m. Margaret Herdman buried Creston Cem
[d/o Peter Herdman and Nancy Flowers]
* Ella Bell Hughes b. 1868 d. Feb 25 1946 Jackson Co WV
buried Creston Cem, Mason Co WV
m. John Fox Oct 3 1888
b. Jun 6 1867 Germany, d. Nov 8 1948 1948 Jackson Co WV
Descendants of Ella Hughes and John Fox
* Thomas Hughes Jr b. 1754 d. Oct 1837 Jackson Co WV
* Jonathan Hughes
m. Sarah Abigail Jackson 1785
* Mary Hughes
m. Benjamin Cox 1795
* Edward Hughes b. 1755
m. Nancy Foster
* Elias (Ellis) Hughes b. 1757 d. Dec 22 1844
Moved to OH in 1797
m. Jane Sleeth abt 1780 Harrison Co VA(WV)
b. 1760 Harrison Co, d. 1827 Johnstown OH
[d/o John Alexander Sleeth and Mary Ann Wallace]
* Margaret Hughes
m. Mr Jones
* Thomas Hughes
* Mary Hughes
m. Mr Foster
* Susanna Hughes
m. Mr Leach
* Sarah Hughes
m. Mr Davis
* Sudna Hughes
m. Mr Marlin
* Elias Hughes
* Jane Hughes
m. Mr Hight
* David Hughes
* Jonathan Hughes b. Jan 14 1796 Harrison Co VA(WV)
m. Lavina Davis b. Jun 14 1800
* Clarinda Hughes b. Dec 7 1818
* Louisa Hughes b. Nov 17 1820
* James M Hughes b. Mar 31 1827
* Adaline N Hughes b. Dec 7 1829
* Job Hughes
* Henry Hughes
* John Hughes
* Kate Hughes
* Nancy Elizabeth Hughes
* Dinah Hughes
* James Hughes
m. Mary Hughes
* Charles Hughes
* William Hughes killed by Indians
* Deborah Hughes
m. William Radcliff
* Martha Radcliff b. Feb 5 1778 d. Sep 12 1855
m. Samuel Bonnett Jr Apr 5 1796 Hackers Creek WV
b. Apr 4 1770 d. Jan 24 1849 Hackers Creek
Descendants of Martha Radcliff and Samuel Bonnett Jr
* Susanna Radcliff b. 1765 d. 1840
m. Samuel Stalnaker II Feb 26 1788 Randolph Co VA
b. 1763 Hampshire Co VA, d. 1835
Descendants of Susanna Radcliff and Samuel Stalnaker II
2nd husband of Deborah Hughes:
m. William Bibbee Jan 7 1795
Lived on Lick Run, Jackson Co WV
* Susanna Bibbee
m. Joseph H Hughes Dec 29 1815
Bought 225 acres on Crooked Fork on Feb 23 1831
* William D Hughes
m. Malinda Rhodes and div.
m. Mary Jane Campbell
Mary m.1st Mr Giles
* Job E Hughes
m. Elizabeth Campbell
* Robert Hughes
m. Mary Rhodes
* Deborah Hughes b. Mar 5 1849
m. Joseph T Burns Oct 9 1870
* Elijah Hughes
m. Nancy _
* Josephus Hughes
m. Mary Ann Pilchard
* Isaac Hughes
m. Tabitha Jane Coe
* Louise Ellen Hughes
m. William H Lewis
* Jemima Hughes
m. Lebrand Pilchard
* John Hughes b. 1834 d. 1897
m. Mary Ann Radabaugh May 10 1858
b. 1827 d. 1897 Flatwoods WV in church
buried King Cem, near Ripley WV
Mary was widow of Rev. Eli H McLaughlin b. 1825 d. 1855 and
buried at King Cem. Their children: John L McLaughlin who
m. Nancy Hawk; Sidney McLaughlin m. George Flesher; Leverna
McLaughlin moved to KY; Rachel McLaughlin; Eli McLaughlin
m. Evaline Coe and moved to Wood Co OK. Mary had bought 60
acres in Flatwoods where she and her 2nd husband raised all
the children
* Joseph Hooker Hughes b. 1859 d. 1929
* Anise Barnhart Hughes b. 1861
* Arretha Stanley Hughes b. 1863
* Phillip Sheridan Hughes Sr
b. Aug 30 1867 Jackson Co WV
d. May 25 1923 Parkersburg WV
buried Flatwoods Cem, Flatwoods WV
Bought the family 60 acres from his siblings
m. Margaret Belle Bowland Feb 8 1898
b. Feb 13 1879 Hemlock WV, d. Feb 5 1932
buried Flatwoods Cem, Flatwoods WV
[d/o Andrew L Wilson and Ann Marie Bowland]
* Edith Cora Hughes
m. Charles F Dawson
* Etta Marie Hughes
m. Dewey Day
* Ruby Alice Hughes
m. Joseph Sheranko
* Esther Pearl Hughes never married
* Phillip Sheridan Hughes Jr
b. May 24 1907 Union Dist, Flatwoods WV
m. Edith Coe Feb 7 1929, b. May 11 1906
* Gwendolyn Hughes
m. Howard C Robinson
* Aloise Hughes
m. Charles J Bosworth
* Wayne W Hughes
m. Mary E McCoy
* Mary Helen Hughes d. young
* Blaine Y Hughes d. Nov 18 1978
buried Otterbein Cem, near Evans WV
m. Hazel Elva Casto 1940, b. Rockcastle WV
* Raymond E Hughes
m. Pauline Starcher
* Ralston R Hughes
m. Dorothy Ronayne
m. Bonnie Sue Maness
* Jona W Hughes b. 1869 d. 1870
buried Flatwoods Cem, Flatwoods WV
* Job (Jacob) Hughes b. 1770
one source says he m. Mary "Polly" Horn
m. Mary Hamm Aug 29 1791 Harrison Co VA
* Mary Jane Hughes b. 1806 d. 1891
buried Antioch Church Cem, Jackson Co WV
Maybe a d/o Job, one family tradition has her as a niece of
Jessie Hughes. She was a mid-wife, and known in the area as
Aunt Pop Hunt
m. Abijah Hunt Jun 15 1828 Jackson Co WV, b. PA, d. 1891
Descendants of Mary Hughes and Abijah Hunt

Contributor: Robin Lawrentz
Email: robltz@erols.com

From the WDC GenWeb Archives: Descendants of Jesse Hughes
and Grace Tanner, Deborah Hughes and William Bibbee

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 01:19:46Z

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-12-01 01:12:24Z

Families connected to Marks and Matheny of Central Illinois
Entries: 31794 Updated: 2011-11-29 19:59:10 UTC (Tue) Contact: Edd Marks

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This is a work in progress and all info should be verified before using.

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Index | Individual | Pedigree

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 1

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1. Ezra Dale Marks was born 11 OCT 1920 in Midland City, DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 23 FEB 1994 in Bloomington, McLean Co., Illinois. He was buried in Ft Morgan, Alabama. He was the son of 2. Alfred Edward Marks and 3. Alfa Maud Shields. He married Matheny 19 DEC 1943 in St Louis, Missouri, daughter of Ollie King Matheny and Winnie Inez Hull. She was born 20 JAN 1926 in Waynesville, DeWitt Co., Illinois.

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 2

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2. Alfred Edward Marks was born 7 DEC 1871 in Gandeeville., WVa, and died 17 SEP 1953 in Lincoln, Illinois at home. He was buried in McClimans Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois. He was the son of 4. Thomas Cain Marks and 5. Martha A Gandee.

3. Alfa Maud Shields was born 31 MAR 1883 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 6 JUL 1970 in Lincoln, Illinois. She was buried in McClimans Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was the daughter of 6. James Addison Shields and 7. Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels.

Children of Alfa Maud Shields and Alfred Edward Marks are:

i. Baby girl Marks was born 24 SEP 1913 in DeWitt Co, Ill, and died 24 SEP 1913 in DeWitt Co, Ill.
ii. Thomas Virgil Marks was born 25 JAN 1915, and died 24 OCT 1944 in Hines Hosp.
iii. Arna Buell Marks was born 1 NOV 1916 in Midland City, Barnett Twp., DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 24 JUL 1980 in Abraham Lincoln Mem Hosp., Lincoln, Illinois. He married Annabell Leevey 24 DEC 1947 in Decatur Grace Methodist Chapel, daughter of Clyde Walter Leevey and Ura Eva Duff. She was born 16 AUG 1928, and died living.
1. iv. Ezra Dale Marks was born 11 OCT 1920 in Midland City, DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 23 FEB 1994 in Bloomington, McLean Co., Illinois. He married Matheny 19 DEC 1943 in St Louis, Missouri, daughter of Ollie King Matheny and Winnie Inez Hull. She was born 20 JAN 1926 in Waynesville, DeWitt Co., Illinois.

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 3

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4. Thomas Cain Marks was born 27 JUL 1842 in Glenville, Lewis Co., Va (now Gilmer Co, WV), and died 2 OCT 1929 in Gay, Jackson Co, WV. He was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville, WV. He was the son of 8. Morgan Marks and 9. Sarah Cain.

5. Martha A Gandee was born 12 NOV 1846 in Jackson Co., Va, and died 5 NOV 1922 in Roane Co., WV. She was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville,WV. She was the daughter of 10. William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee and 11. Margaret Nancy Casto.

Children of Martha A Gandee and Thomas Cain Marks are:

i. Cornelius "Neil" D Marks was born 14 JAN 1867 in Spencer, Roane Co, WV, and died 5 MAR 1939 in Akron, Summit Co, Ohio. He married (Emma) Emeline Susan Westfall 9 OCT 1887 in Roane Co., WV, daughter of Jacob Westfall and Anne Elizabeth Wilson. She was born NOV 1858 in WV, and died 26 DEC 1945 in Summit Co, Ohio.
ii. Margaret Ann Marks was born 26 APR 1868 in Roane Co, WV, and died 14 FEB 1893 in Roane Co, WV. She married Sylvestor A (lil Ves) Wilson 17 MAR 1887 in Roane Co, WV, son of Jacob Wilson and Virginia Cox. He was born 11 APR 1865 in Roane Co., WV, and died 11 NOV 1948 in Waverly, Wood Co., WV.
iii. Lewis S Marks was born 9 DEC 1869 in Roane Co WV, and died 5 APR 1942 in Wadsworth, Medina Co, Ohio. He married Ollie (Sary O) Fletcher 29 SEP 1896 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of James Dudley Fletcher and Elizabeth C (Lizzie) Stalnaker. She was born 1 JAN 1872 in Lewis Co, WV, and died 8 MAY 1939 in Massillon State Hosp, Stark Co., Ohio.
2. iv. Alfred Edward Marks was born 7 DEC 1871 in Gandeeville., WVa, and died 17 SEP 1953 in Lincoln, Illinois at home. He married Alfa Maud Shields 29 JAN 1907 in Clinton, DeWitt Co., Illinois, daughter of James Addison Shields and Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels. She was born 31 MAR 1883 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 6 JUL 1970 in Lincoln, Illinois.
v. Amanda Belle Marks was born 26 DEC 1873 in Roane Co WV, and died 8 JUL 1951 in Jackson Co, WV. She married Spencer Clibert Stalnaker 1 OCT 1893 in Gandeeville, WV, son of Walter "Wat" Stalnaker and Rulinda S Waggoner. He was born 31 JUL 1871 in WV, and died 11 FEB 1952 in Gay, Jackson Co., WV.
vi. Ezra G Marks was born 8 APR 1877 in Roane Co, WV, and died 25 JUN 1945 in Wadsworth, Medina, Ohio. He married Donna C Lapp 1910-1920, daughter of Henry M Lapp and Eva A. She was born 7 DEC 1886 in Ohio, and died 5 OCT 1953 in Medina, Ohio.
vii. Wesley Cain Marks was born 4 JUN 1878 in Roane Co WV, and died 4 OCT 1949 in Gandeeville,WV. He married Lydia E Bird 25 OCT 1903 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of Edmund (Ned) Bird and Mary Francis Huffman. She was born 10 DEC 1884 in Kanawha Co, WV, and died 8 JUN 1914 in Akron, OH. He married Martha Edna (Mattie) Snyder 29 APR 1915, daughter of Alfred Snyder and May Hulda. She was born 28 FEB 1876 in Roane Co., WV, and died 5 DEC 1950 in Parkerburg, Wood Co., WV.
viii. Thomas Marks Jr was born 12 DEC 1880, and died BEF 1900.
ix. William Morgan Marks was born 5 APR 1882 in Roane Co WV, and died 3 FEB 1957 in Spencer, WV. He married Francis Mae Fletcher 31 AUG 1901, daughter of James Dudley Fletcher and Elizabeth C Lizzie Stalnaker. She was born 10 DEC 1878 in Calhoun Co, WV, and died 12 JUL 1949 in DePue Hosp.,. Spencer, Roane Co., WV.

6. James Addison Shields was born 7 MAR 1846 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 16 FEB 1911 in Midland City, Illinois in bed at home. He was buried in Old Union Cem., Barnett Twp., DeWitt Co., Illinois. He was the son of 12. William M Shields and 13. Mary Ann Beckwith.

7. Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels was born 9 FEB 1854 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 10 FEB 1920 in Clarion, Iowa at son's home. She was buried in Old Union Cem., Barnett Twp., DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was the daughter of 14. John Fielding Samuels and 15. Katherine Causey.

Children of Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels and James Addison Shields are:

i. Merritt Eligha Shields was born 1 MAR 1877 in Wapella, and died 9 MAR 1965 in Tuscola, Illinois, Jarman Hosp. He married Grace Williams 15 DEC 1897, daughter of Henry Morgan Williams and Louisa Rideout. She was born 15 AUG 1878 in Trowbridge, Shelby Co., Illinois, and died 15 MAY 1937 in Decatur, Macon Co., Illinois. He married Coila Lindsey 1950. She died 6 DEC 1960.
ii. infant Shields was born 17 FEB 1879 in Wapella, Illinois, and died 7 MAR 1879 in DeWitt Co., Illinois.
iii. William Addison (Add) Shields was born 6 AUG 1880 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 30 JUN 1939 in Goldfield, IA. He married Della Edith Henderson 21 FEB 1906 in Lincoln, Ill, daughter of George W Henderson and Emma Lura Blue. She was born 9 JUN 1887 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 25 MAY 1968 in Goldfield, IA.
3. iv. Alfa Maud Shields was born 31 MAR 1883 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 6 JUL 1970 in Lincoln, Illinois. She married Alfred Edward Marks 29 JAN 1907 in Clinton, DeWitt Co., Illinois, son of Thomas Cain Marks and Martha A Gandee. He was born 7 DEC 1871 in Gandeeville., WVa, and died 17 SEP 1953 in Lincoln, Illinois at home.
v. Lester Earl (Buster) Shields was born 10 AUG 1885 in Midland City, Illinois, and died 27 Oct 1965 2:45 a.m. in Decatur-Macon Co Hospital, Illinois. He married Blanche Meachum 12 JAN 1910 in Clinton., DeWitt Co., Illinois, daughter of William M Meachum and Cora Francis Davidson. She was born MAR 1889 in Hallsville, Ill, and died 11 APR 1968.
vi. Ida Irene Shields was born 26 AUG 1888, and died 12 Jan 1936 12:15 PM in Waynesville,Il 2 miles NE. She married Fredrick William Protz 12 MAR 1908 in Lincoln., Illinois, son of William F Protz and Anna Shildman. He was born 7 FEB 1878 in MO, and died 5 Sept 1956 3 AM in Charlotte, Mechlenburg Co., NC.
vii. Ina Elizabeth Shields was born 14 JUL 1891 in Midland City, Ill, and died 24 NOV 1975 in Bloomington, Illinois. She married Harrison Benjamin Lahr 2 MAR 1910 in Colome SD, son of David H Lahr and Emma Jane Aughenbaugh. He was born 20 FEB 1888 in Chesnut Logan County Il, and died 7 Nov 1959 3:10 a.m. in 206 N University (at home). She married Moore.
viii. Arna Bayliss Shields was born 14 JUL 1891 in Midland City, Illinois, and died 16 JAN 1956 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He married Honora Marguerite (Nora) Henely 12 JAN 1915, daughter of Martin Henely and Mary Ellen Haley. She was born 16 SEP 1892 in IA, and died 16 DEC 1971.

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 4

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8. Morgan Marks was born 11 AUG 1814 in Harrison Co., (W)VA, and died 29 MAY 1892 in Beech, WV. He was buried in Road Run Cem., Beech, Calhoun Co., WV. He was the son of 16. Thomas #2 Marks and 17. Sally or Sarah Jones.

9. Sarah Cain was born 8 MAY 1816 in Lewis Co.,WV, and died 1892 in Gandeeville, WV. She was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville, WV. She was the daughter of 18. Cornelius Cain and 19. Margaret Sleeth.

Children of Sarah Cain and Morgan Marks are:

i. Margaret Marks was born JUN 1841 in VA(WV), and died AFT 1920. She married John Wilson 20 NOV 1856 in Calhoun Co., WV, son of Joseph Wilson and Mary. He was born 1834, and died 2 MAR 1892 in Minnora, Calhoun Co., WV.
4. ii. Thomas Cain Marks was born 27 JUL 1842 in Glenville, Lewis Co., Va (now Gilmer Co, WV), and died 2 OCT 1929 in Gay, Jackson Co, WV. He married Martha A Gandee 1 FEB 1866 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee and Margaret Nancy Casto. She was born 12 NOV 1846 in Jackson Co., Va, and died 5 NOV 1922 in Roane Co., WV.
iii. Louisa Jane Marks was born 28 FEB 1844 in Calhoun Co, WV.
iv. Cornelius James Marks was born 16 JUN 1845 in Glenville, Gilmer Co, and died 9 MAR 1910 in Gandeeville, WV. He married Louisa Ann Hays 14 APR 1870, daughter of Jonathan Nichols and Sarah Nutter. She was born 26 JAN 1845 in Gilmer Co, VA, and died 24 NOV 1922 in Gandeeville, Roane Co, WV.
v. Philip Cox Marks was born 17 OCT 1846 in Cedarville, Gilmer Co., VA, and died 22 JUN 1922 in Arnoldsburg, WV. He married Angeline Gandee 28 AUG 1870 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of Samuel "Saul" Gandee and Mary "Mercy" Raines. She was born 29 MAY 1851 in WV, and died 2 MAR 1889 in Beech, WV. He married Emma Elizabeth Douglas 24 DEC 1893 in Calhoun Co., WV, daughter of Jacob Douglas and Sarah Holbert. She was born 13 MAR 1857 in Calhoun Co., VA, and died 6 APR 1924 in Calhoun Co., WV.
vi. John Wesley Marks was born 9 JUN 1848 in Kanawha Co, WV Walton, and died 10 FEB 1919 in Roane Co, WV. He married Rachel Ann Harper 3 JUL 1867 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of Asa Harper and Mary Jane Lowe. She was born 16 NOV 1852 in Kanawha Co, WV, and died 31 DEC 1946 in Charleston, WV.
vii. Mary Marks was born 16 APR 1850.
viii. William Clark Marks was born 8 MAR 1852 in Gilmer Co, Va, and died 1907. He married UNNAMED.
ix. Peregrine Perry G Marks was born 17 FEB 1855 in Kanawha Co, WV, Calhoun Co, and died 27 DEC 1903 in Wirt Co., WV. He married Hannah Jemima Sampson 13 APR 1879 in Wirt Co., WV, daughter of Harvey George Simpson and Anna Riggs. She was born 3 APR 1855 in Calhoun Co., WV, and died 5 JUL 1910 in Wirt Co., WV.
x. Catherine Marks was born 30 MAY 1856 in Calhoun Co, VA, and died 21 JAN 1935 in Arnoldsburg, WV.
xi. Sarah Ann Marks was born 21 NOV 1858 in Calhoun Co, VA, and died 1 JAN 1943 in Beech, Calhoun Co., WV.
xii. Elizabeth Marks was born 5 OCT 1861 in Walton Dist., Roane Co., WV, and died 20 MAY 1922 in Roane Co., WV. She married Nathaniel McDonald 26 MAR 1897, son of Mac McDonald and Lydia Birtcher. He was born 14 JUN 1845 in Barbour Co., VA, and died 12 DEC 1935 in Triplett, Roane Co., WV.

10. William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee was born 5 FEB 1813 in Old Town Flats, Gallia Co, Ohio, and died 13 JUL 1900 in Roane Co., WV. He was buried in Gandee Cem., Johnson Creek, Walton, WV. He was the son of 20. Uriah Gandee Jr. and 21. Mercy "Massie" Hughes.

11. Margaret Nancy Casto was born 17 Mar 1818 (24 May 1818) in Mason Co., WV, and died 6 NOV 1902 in Roane Co., WV. She was buried in Gandee Cem., Johnson's Creek, Walton, WV. She was the daughter of 22. William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr and 23. Martha "Patsy" Parsons.

Children of Margaret Nancy Casto and William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee are:

i. William C Gandee was born 11 DEC 1836 in VA, and died 20 SEP 1881 in Roane Co, WV. He married Martha C Canterbury 13 MAR 1861 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of Zadoc Canterbury and Marcina Snow. She was born 16 NOV 1841 in Greenbrier Co Va, and died 19 JUN 1903.
ii. Cynthia Ann Gandee was born 18 JUN 1838 in Kanawha Co., VA, and died 1908 in Jackson Co., WV. She married Henry S Patrick 17 JUN 1855 in Jackson Co., VA. She married Benjamin C Koon 19 FEB 1882 in Roane Co. WV.
iii. Uriah T Gandee was born 2 APR 1840 in Jackson Co., VA, and died 1 JAN 1844.
iv. Fredrick William Gandee was born 31 JUL 1842 in Jackson Co., VA, and died 30 NOV 1893 in Newton, Roane Co., WV. He married Carolyn Canterbury 2 FEB 1864 in Roane Co. WV, daughter of Zadoc Canterbury and Manerva Snow. She was born SEP 1843 in Monroe Co., VA, and died AFT 1900.
v. Olive D Gandee was born 1844.
vi. George Washington Gandee was born 13 JUL 1844 in Jackson Co., VA, and died 16 MAR 1936 in Clendenin, Kanawha Co., WV. He married Rachal Givens 21 DEC 1864 in Roane Co. WV, daughter of Adam Givens and Mary Ellen Schoonover. She was born 24 MAY 1844, and died 23 APR 1898. He married Sarah J Shouldis 9 DEC 1899. She was born 20 MAR 1854 in VA, and died 1 JAN 1923.
5. vii. Martha A Gandee was born 12 NOV 1846 in Jackson Co., Va, and died 5 NOV 1922 in Roane Co., WV. She married Thomas Cain Marks 1 FEB 1866 in Roane Co, WV, son of Morgan Marks and Sarah Cain. He was born 27 JUL 1842 in Glenville, Lewis Co., Va (now Gilmer Co, WV), and died 2 OCT 1929 in Gay, Jackson Co, WV.
viii. Jemima Gandee was born 9 MAR 1849 in Jackson Co., VA, and died 9 AUG 1906. She married Samuel Lee Jr 20 FEB 1868 in Roane Co. WV, son of Samuel Lee and Elizabeth Potts. He was born 1846 in VA, and died BEF 1900.
ix. Jacob Bonnett Gandee was born 30 MAY 1851 in Jackson Co., VA, and died 18 NOV 1930 in Roane Co. WV. He married Josephine Snodgrass 22 OCT 1872 in Roane Co. WV, daughter of Isaac W Snodgrass and Emily Curtis. She was born OCT 1855 in Wirt Co., VA (WV), and died 12 APR 1924 in Roane Co., WV. He married Sarah Damewood.
x. Abram F Gandee was born 11 MAR 1854 in Roane Co. VA, and died 12 DEC 1860 in Roane Co. VA.
xi. Eli Gandee was born 4 MAR 1856 in Roane Co. VA, and died 13 SEP 1860 in Roane Co. VA.
xii. James M Gandee was born 15 NOV 1858 in Roane Co. VA, and died 3 OCT 1860 in Roane Co. VA.
xiii. Levi J Gandee was born 30 APR 1860 in Roane Co. VA, and died 27 APR 1874 in Roane Co., WV.
xiv. Sarah Jane Gandee was born 30 APR 1860 in Roane Co. VA, and died DEC 1937. She married George W Damewood 21 SEP 1882 in Roane Co. WV. He was born 1861.

12. William M Shields was born 11 JUN 1818 in Lewis Co., KY, and died 1850-1856 in Breckenridge Co., KY. He was buried in possibly Oglesby Cem, Martin Cem., or Murray Cem., Cloverport, KY. He was the son of 24. William Shields and 25. Mary Morgan.

13. Mary Ann Beckwith was born 7 NOV 1824 in Breckenridge Co, Ky, and died 18 FEB 1881 in Midland City, DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was buried in Old Union Cem., Barnett Twp., DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was the daughter of 26. Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith and 27. Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey.

Children of Mary Ann Beckwith and William M Shields are:

6. i. James Addison Shields was born 7 MAR 1846 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 16 FEB 1911 in Midland City, Illinois in bed at home. He married Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels 16 JUN 1875 in Lincoln Christian Church T T Holton, daughter of John Fielding Samuels and Katherine Causey. She was born 9 FEB 1854 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 10 FEB 1920 in Clarion, Iowa at son's home.
ii. Alacif Adaline Shields was born 7 MAR 1846 in Breckinridge Co., KY, and died 17 Oct 1912 4:30 pm in Clinton, Illinois, John Warner Hosp. She married William C Niccum 13 MAR 1866 in Bloomfield, Ind,Greene Co, son of John Chestnut Niccum and Lavina Clark. He was born 11 SEP 1846 in Shelby Co., Indiana, and died 9 DEC 1931 in Elkhart, Elkhart Co., Indiana. She married Richard Thomas Parker 7 MAR 1876 in DeWitt Co, son of George Marshall Parker and Mary Ann Jones. He was born 29 APR 1834 in Harrison Co, Ky (Cynthiana), and died 15 NOV 1923 in Gardner, Grundy Co, Illinois.
iii. Gabriella L Shields was born 17 JAN 1848 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 11 MAY 1881 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. She married John Anderson Evans 12 MAY 1872 in Logan Co, son of Lemuel Evans and Rebecca Arnold. He was born 16 MAR 1851 in Atlanta, Ill, Logan Co, and died 6 JUL 1922 in Milwaukee, Wis.
iv. John William Shields was born 13 FEB 1850 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 21 FEB 1920 in at home, Texas Twp., DeWitt Co., Illinois. He married Mary Shirley V Bowles 9 AUG 1875 in Mt. Pulaski, Logan Co., Illinois, daughter of Joseph Bowles and Rebecca Green. She was born 22 DEC 1848 in Il Ky Va, and died 25 JUL 1889 in possibly Kansas.

14. John Fielding Samuels was born 29 FEB 1824 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 4 Nov 1915 4:45 p.m. in Goldfield, IA. He was buried in Mackville Cem., Atwood, Illinois. He was the son of 28. Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. and 29. Ellen Anderson.

15. Katherine Causey was born 28 FEB 1829 in Scott Co., KY, and died 11 Jul 1909, 7:30a.m. in Pierson, Ill, Piatt Co., Illinois. She was buried in Mackville Cem., Atwood, Illinois. She was the daughter of 30. William Causey and 31. Mary.

Children of Katherine Causey and John Fielding Samuels are:

i. Mary Ellen Samuels was born 29 JUN 1850 in Marion Co, Ind, and died 20 MAY 1920 in Pierson, Piatt Co., Illinois. She married unknown. She married Lyman M Pritchard 8 JAN 1880 in DeWitt Co, son of Albert Pritchard and Jane Phelp. He was born 12 MAY 1855 in Tacompsa, Sangamon Co, Il, and died 23 FEB 1933 in Unity Twp., Piatt Co., Illinois.
7. ii. Melvina Jane "Mina" Samuels was born 9 FEB 1854 in DeWitt Co., Illinois, and died 10 FEB 1920 in Clarion, Iowa at son's home. She married James Addison Shields 16 JUN 1875 in Lincoln Christian Church T T Holton, son of William M Shields and Mary Ann Beckwith. He was born 7 MAR 1846 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 16 FEB 1911 in Midland City, Illinois in bed at home.
iii. William R Samuels was born 15 FEB 1856, and died 5 MAY 1856.
iv. Rachel Emily (Emma) Samuels was born 11 JUN 1857 in Ill, and died 8 DEC 1868.
v. James Albert Samuels was born 15 NOV 1859, and died 17 JAN 1860 in DeWitt Co.
vi. Thomas Moran Samuels was born 15 MAY 1862 in Ill, and died 11 SEP 1895. He married Bessie (Sarah Elizabeth) Courson 23 JUN 1891 in Piatt Co., Illinois, daughter of Samuel Courson and Caroline Metts. She was born 10 JUL 1865 in Marion Co., Illinois, and died 16 SEP 1950 in Lake Co General Hosp., Lake Co., Illinois.
vii. Frank M Samuels was born 30 JUL 1864, and died 6 MAR 1865. He married UNNAMED.
viii. Amanda L Samuels was born 5 OCT 1867, and died 2 DEC 1867.

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 5

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16. Thomas #2 Marks was born ABT 1774 in Frederick Co., Md, and died APR 1867 in Harrison Co., Va (WV). He was the son of 32. David Marks and 33. Catherine.

17. Sally or Sarah Jones was born ABT 1787 in Harrison Co Va, and died 1839 in Gilmer Co WV. She was the daughter of 34. Richard Jones and 35. Sarah Howard.

Children of Sally or Sarah Jones and Thomas #2 Marks are:

i. Jonas Marks was born 1805.
ii. Hiram Marks was born 1809, and died ABT 1860. He married Sarah Wilst 15 FEB 1830 in Kanawha Co., VA. She was born 1809.
iii. Nancy Marks was born 1812 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV). She married Zepeniah John Nichols Jr BEF 1842, son of Zepeniah Nichols and Rebecca Davis. He was born 1808.
iv. Evan Marks was born 1813 in VA, and died 12 JUL 1875 in Gilmer Co., WV. He married Margaret Parsons 1832. She was born 1815 in Calhoun Co WV.
8. v. Morgan Marks was born 11 AUG 1814 in Harrison Co., (W)VA, and died 29 MAY 1892 in Beech, WV. He married Sarah Cain 22 AUG 1840 in Lewis Co WVa, daughter of Cornelius Cain and Margaret Sleeth. She was born 8 MAY 1816 in Lewis Co.,WV, and died 1892 in Gandeeville, WV.
vi. Mary Marks was born 1817, and died 11 JUL 1904. She married Joseph Wilson, son of Joseph Wilson and Mary Henley. He was born 1810, and died 16 APR 1885.
vii. Catherine Mary Marks was born 29 JUN 1818 in Harrison Co., VA?, and died 26 NOV 1883. She married Philip David Cox 21 SEP 1842. He was born 1819 in VA, and died 10 FEB 1860. She married John Elliot Greenleaf 7 DEC 1865, son of George Greenleaf and Nancy Barnes. He was born 1811.
viii. Hier Marks was born 1820, and died 1894. He married Permilia Edwards. She was born 1817-1819.
ix. Peregrine "Perry" Marks was born 1822 in Lewis Co, VA, and died 8 DEC 1864 in Camp Parole, MD. He married Mary Edwards 22 MAY 1855 in Gilmer Co, WV. She was born ABT 1825.
x. Calvin Marks was born 1824 or 1835 in Gilmer Co, WV. He married Elizabeth Cain 29 DEC 1850, daughter of Cornelius Cain and Margaret Sleeth. She was born 1837 in Gilmer Co, WV, and died 24 FEB 1915 in Cedar Creek, Gilmer Co., WV.
xi. Sarah A Marks was born 1825 in VA, and died BEF 1872. She married Solomon D Runner 10 AUG 1856 in Roane Co, WV, son of Elijah Runner and Margaret Bennett. He was born APR 1832 in VA, and died AFT 1900.
xii. Deborah Marks was born 10 APR 1830 in Gilmer Co, WV, and died 13 APR 1885 in Calhoun Co, WV. She married William Harrison Jarvis 1844, son of Thomas Figgens Jarvis and Ailsey Bentley Connolly. He was born 1824 in Lewis Co., VA, and died 13 OCT 1885 in Calhoun Co, WV. She married James A Goldsmith 15 SEP 1860 in Calhoun Co., VA, son of Robert Goldsmith and Alcinda Moore. He was born 1835 in Harrison Co., VA, and died 28 FEB 1899 in Piner,Kenton Co., KY. She married Wesley Brooks 26 FEB 1876 in Calhoun Co, WV. He was born 1826 in Braxton Co., VA.

18. Cornelius Cain was born 1773 in Harrison Co, VA, and died 1850-1860 in Gilmer Co, WV. He was the son of 36. Daniel Cain and 37. Susannah Custer.

19. Margaret Sleeth was born 1785 in Harrison Co, VA, and died AFT 1860 in Gilmer Co, WV. She was the daughter of 38. David Wallace Sleeth and 39. Catherine Carpenter.

Children of Margaret Sleeth and Cornelius Cain are:

i. John Madison Cain was born 1809 in Greenville, Ohio, and died 5 APR 1900. He married Elizabeth Kearns 2 MAR 1831 in Lewis Co., VA. She was born 1813. He married Amy Alice Denison ABT 1868.
ii. Joseph Cain was born 1812 in Monongahela C., VA, and died 26 NOV 1881 in Calhoun Co., WV. He married Amy. She was born 1807.
iii. Wallace S Cain was born 1814 in VA. He married Dorcas. She was born 1815 in VA.
9. iv. Sarah Cain was born 8 MAY 1816 in Lewis Co.,WV, and died 1892 in Gandeeville, WV. She married Morgan Marks 22 AUG 1840 in Lewis Co WVa, son of Thomas #2 Marks and Sally or Sarah Jones. He was born 11 AUG 1814 in Harrison Co., (W)VA, and died 29 MAY 1892 in Beech, WV.
v. James H Cain was born 1824 in VA. He married Christina. She was born 1823. He married Sarah O. She was born 1843.
vi. Alexander Cain was born 1828 in VA.
vii. Elizabeth Cain was born 1832 in VA. She married Calvin Marks 29 DEC 1850.
viii. Mary (Polly) Cain. She married Lemuel Cain.
ix. Nancy Cain was born 1820. She married John T Smith 20 JAN 1853.

20. Uriah Gandee Jr. was born 2 SEP 1782 in Randolph Co., VA, and died 12 OCT 1854 in Roane Co., WV. He was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville, WV. He was the son of 40. Uriah Gandee Sr and 41. Susannah Teter.

21. Mercy "Massie" Hughes was born 13 JUL 1787 in Hackers Creek, Harrison Co., VA, and died 31 MAY 1883 in Gandeeville, WV. She was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville, WV. She was the daughter of 42. Jesse David Hughes and 43. Grace Tanner.

Children of Mercy "Massie" Hughes and Uriah Gandee Jr. are:

i. Sarah "Sally" H Gandee was born 27 JAN 1807 in Mason Co, VA, and died 28 JAN 1883 in Roane Co, WV. She married Charles Droddy 1 MAY 1825 in Gandeeville, WV, son of William Droddy and Ruth Ellison. He was born 1793 in VA, and died 28 AUG 1865 in Roane Co., VA.
ii. Susannah Gandee was born 1807 in Ohio. She married William Allen 1829 in Ohio. He was born 1798 in NY.
iii. Jesse William Gandee was born 1809, and died 1846. He married Mary Daughtery 3 MAY 1829. She was born ABT 1807.
10. iv. William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee was born 5 FEB 1813 in Old Town Flats, Gallia Co, Ohio, and died 13 JUL 1900 in Roane Co., WV. He married Margaret Nancy Casto 13 FEB 1836 in Jackson Co Va, daughter of William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr and Martha "Patsy" Parsons. She was born 17 Mar 1818 (24 May 1818) in Mason Co., WV, and died 6 NOV 1902 in Roane Co., WV.
v. George Washington Gandee was born 30 MAR 1815 in Miegs Co., Ohio, and died 1886. He married Mary "Polly" Westfall 30 MAR 1835, daughter of Andrew Westfall and Mary Elizabeth Hyre. She was born ABT 1819, and died 1883.
vi. Cynthia Gandee was born 1820 in VA, and died AFT 1880. She married Henry Runnion Jr. 2 FEB 1839, son of Henry Runnion Sr and Sarah Staats King. He was born 1822 in VA, and died 9 MAY 1873.
vii. Harriet Gandee was born 1820. She married Mac D Ferrell.
viii. Grace Gandee was born 1823, and died BEF JUL 1849. She married Henderson Harper 20 DEC 1841 in Jackson Co., VA, son of Armstead Harper and Rachel Bishop. He was born 3 JUN 1819, and died 16 JAN 1910.
ix. Lucinda Gandee was born 1823 in VA, and died AFT 1910. She married Abraham Raines 1841. He was born 1823 in VA, and died 15 JUN 1890 in MN.
x. Samuel "Saul" Gandee was born 24 FEB 1824 in Gandeeville, WV, and died 16 FEB 1908 in Harmony, WV. He married Mary Etta "Mercy" Raines 29 JUN 1846 in Jackson Co., VA, daughter of John Marcellus Raines and Mary "Polly" Hinzman. She was born 13 JUL 1829 in Lewis Co,VA, and died 25 APR 1899 in Harmony, WV.
xi. Martha Gandee was born 1829. She married James Ferrell.
xii. James Stanley Gandee was born 27 JUL 1832 in Gandeeville, VA, and died 7 MAR 1925 in Ripley, Jackson Co., WV. He married Mary LeForce 24 MAR 1853 in Jackson Co, WV, daughter of Elijah LeForce and Mahala Hamon. She was born 1835, and died 9 SEP 1880 in Gandeeville, WV. He married Rachel Fields 5 NOV 1880 in Roane Co, WV, daughter of Thomas Fields and Matilda Kyser. She was born 11 DEC 1861 in Roane Co., WV, and died 15 AUG 1955 in Cicerone, Roane Co., WV.
xiii. Mary Gandee was born died at age 9. She married UNNAMED.

22. William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr was born 1790 in Fayette Co., Pa, and died 1884 in Jackson Co., WV. He was buried in Sinaiville Cem. near Staats Mill, WV. He was the son of 44. William M Casto Sr and 45. Hannah Bonnett.

23. Martha "Patsy" Parsons was born 9 JUL 1804 in Mason Co., VA, and died 1878. She was the daughter of 46. Charles Parsons and 47. Nancy Ann Flesher Sleith.

Children of Martha "Patsy" Parsons and William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr are:

11. i. Margaret Nancy Casto was born 17 Mar 1818 (24 May 1818) in Mason Co., WV, and died 6 NOV 1902 in Roane Co., WV. She married William "Billy" (Wallace?) Gandee 13 FEB 1836 in Jackson Co Va, son of Uriah Gandee Jr. and Mercy "Massie" Hughes. He was born 5 FEB 1813 in Old Town Flats, Gallia Co, Ohio, and died 13 JUL 1900 in Roane Co., WV.
ii. John Casto was born 1819.
iii. Elias Casto was born 1821 in WV. He married Elizabeth Casto. She was born 1826 in WV.
iv. Telitha Jane Casto was born 31 JUL 1826 in VA, and died 17 JUL 1913. She married Nicholas Casto 7 AUG 1845, son of George Casto Sr and Sarah Aurs. He was born 19 OCT 1825 in VA, and died 31 JAN 1913.
v. Charles McComas Casto was born 1829 in WV, and died 22 JUN 1907. He married Martha E Bonnett 9 OCT 1848, daughter of William Bonnett Jr and Barbara Harpold. She was born 1828 in WV.
vi. William Martin Casto was born 23 NOV 1832, and died 29 NOV 1912 in Jackson Co., WV. He married Elizabeth Jane Johns 25 DEC 1854, daughter of William Johns and Lucinda Archey. She was born 12 SEP 1837 in WV, and died 20 MAY 1908 in Jackson Co., WV.
vii. Wiley P Casto was born JUL 1833 in WV. He married Mary Elizabeth Tolley. She was born 1838 in WV.
viii. Mary Casto was born 4 AUG 1836, and died 24 MAR 1902. She married Anderson Staats 6 MAY 1854. He was born 8 AUG 1834, and died 17 DEC 1907.
ix. David Casto was born JUN 1840, and died 1902. He married Mary Jane Staats. She was born 1 NOV 1838, and died 1900.
x. Sandusky Augustus Casto was born 1842 in Jackson Co., WV, and died 1861-1865 in Civil War. He married UNNAMED.
xi. Jacob B Casto was born 5 JAN 1845 in Jackson Co., WV, and died 7 JUN 1930 in Gay, Jackson Co., WV. He married Sofronia Bradley 2 JUN 1878, daughter of James Bradley and Nancy Rhodes. She was born 1843 in Rockbridge Co.,VA, and died 1928.
xii. Ann Casto.

24. William Shields was born 1740-1750, and died BEF 1850 in Fleming Co., KY.

25. Mary Morgan was born 1773 in VA, and died 13 FEB 1852 in Fleming Co., KY.

Child of Mary Morgan and William Shields is:

12. i. William M Shields was born 11 JUN 1818 in Lewis Co., KY, and died 1850-1856 in Breckenridge Co., KY. He married Mary Ann Beckwith 7 DEC 1843 in KY, daughter of Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith and Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey. She was born 7 NOV 1824 in Breckenridge Co, Ky, and died 18 FEB 1881 in Midland City, DeWitt Co., Illinois.

26. Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith was born 1800 in Baltimore, MD, and died 3 SEP 1870 in Greene Co., Indiana. He was buried in Terhune Cem., Wright Twp., Greene Co., Indiana. He was the son of 52. Benedict Beckwith and 53. H Pumphreys.

27. Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey was born 1802 in Baltimore, MD, and died 22 JUL 1854 in Breckenridge Co., Ky. She was the daughter of 54. Gabriel Demillian Pumphrey and 55. Nancy Ann Hamilton.

Children of Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey and Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith are:

13. i. Mary Ann Beckwith was born 7 NOV 1824 in Breckenridge Co, Ky, and died 18 FEB 1881 in Midland City, DeWitt Co., Illinois. She married William M Shields 7 DEC 1843 in KY, son of William Shields and Mary Morgan. He was born 11 JUN 1818 in Lewis Co., KY, and died 1850-1856 in Breckenridge Co., KY. She married Urijah G Hunter 10 MAR 1856 in Breckenridge Co Ky, son of Hiram Hunter and Margretha Ashenfelter. He was born 1810 in Pa, and died BEF 24 JAN 1861 in Breckenridge Co Ky.
ii. Minerva Jane Beckwith was born 1826 in Breckenridge Co., Ky, and died 3 JUN 1894 in Decatur, Macon Co., Illinois. She married George Washington Skinner 23 SEP 1852 in Breckinridge Co., KY. He was born 14 NOV 1811 in Logan Co., KY, and died 9 FEB 1889 in Mt Pulaski, Illinois.
iii. Elizabeth W Beckwith was born 6 MAY 1824 in KY, and died 14 FEB 1916 in Hanson Co., SD. She married Joshua Powell 7 JUL 1867 in Greene Co., Indiana, son of Jesse Powell and Mary "Polly" House. He was born 1825 in IN, and died 17 APR 1885 in Sullivan Co., Indiana.
iv. John Beckwith was born 1829 in KY.
v. Gabriel Pumphrey Beckwith was born MAY 1832 in Breckenridge Co., KY, and died 22 NOV 1907 in Speermoore, Harper Co., OK. He married Evaline Tribbett BEF 1857, daughter of James Tribbett and Sara Gibbons. She was born 26 AUG 1832 in Darlington, Montgomery Co., Indiana, and died 21 AUG 1897 in KS.
vi. William Beckwith was born 1834 in Breckenridge Co., KY, and died AFT 1880. He married Jennie (Virginia) Richardson 2 MAY 1861 in Breckenridge Co., KY, daughter of William Richardson and Mary Duff. She was born 22 NOV 1838 in Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY, and died 20 OCT 1911 in Joshua, Johnson Co., Texas.
vii. Nancy Beckwith was born 3 JUL 1835 in Breckinridge Co, Ky, and died 10 OCT 1921 in Decatur, Illinois. She married William Travis Hunter 25 SEP 1854 in Breckinridge Co, Ky, son of Urijah Hunter and Mary "Polly" Cannon. He was born 1 OCT 1832 in Breckenridge Co, Ky, and died 12 FEB 1890 in Hallsville, Illinois.
viii. Samuel O Beckwith was born 20 APR 1837 in Breckenridge Co., KY, and died 4 JUL 1911 in Greene Co., Indiana. He married Mary J Beach 20 JAN 1865 in Greene Co., Indiana, daughter of John Beach and Anna McClarren. She was born 4 AUG 1843 in Indiana, and died 13 AUG 1928 in Greene Co., Indiana.
ix. Artimethia Catherine Beckwith was born APR 1841 in Breckenridge Co., KY, and died 8 NOV 1920 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She married Joseph McBee 18 OCT 1858 in Logan Co., Illinois. He was born 7 APR 1836 in VA, and died 6 JUL 1901 in Sedgwick Co., KS.
x. Emily P Beckwith was born 21 AUG 1842 in KY, and died 15 AUG 1923 in Hanson Co., SD. She married William Balys Anderson 27 OCT 1864 in Greene Co., Indiana, son of William Anderson and Nancy Goben. He was born 12 SEP 1843 in Indiana, and died 12 AUG 1923 in Hanson Co., SD.

28. Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. was born 15 MAY 1796 in Culpepper Co., VA, and died 5 MAR 1873 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. He was buried in Alexander Barnett Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois. He was the son of 56. Robert Samuel Sr and 57. Catherine Triplett.

29. Ellen Anderson was born 13 NOV 1794 in Bourbon Co., KY, and died 5 DEC 1870 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was buried in Alexander Barnett Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois. She was the daughter of 58. Joseph Anderson and 59. Constance Peak.

Children of Ellen Anderson and Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. are:

i. Robert Giles Samuels was born 22 APR 1816 in Frankfort, KY, and died 14 APR 1899 in Wapella, Illinois. He married Rachel (Wealthy White?) Griner 11 JUL 1847 in Marion Co. Indiana, daughter of William Griner and Ann R Brooks. She was born 30 JUL 1830 in Bridgeton, Cumberland Co., NJ, and died 20 AUG 1920 in Elm Grove,Barnett Twp, DeWitt Co., Illinois.
ii. Mary Ann Lousiana P Samuel was born 1817 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 18 OCT 1855 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. She married John E Day 1 JAN 1839 in near Indianpolis, Marion Co., IN. He was born 29 APR 1817 in Clermont Co., Ohio, and died 14 JAN 1896 in DeWitt Co., Illinois.
iii. Eliza Jane Samuel was born 16 FEB 1819 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 31 MAR 1863 in Marion Co., Indiana. She married Isaiah Jackson 19 DEC 1836 in Indiana, son of James Jackson and Martha "Patsey" Chambers. He was born 7 DEC 1800 in Ashe Co., NC, and died 5 JUN 1867 in Marion Co., Indiana.
iv. Joseph Anderson Samuel was born 26 NOV 1821 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 8 JUN 1871 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. He married America Jackson 4 OCT 1846 in Marion Co., Indiana, daughter of Isaiah J Jackson and America Shay. She was born 25 OCT 1828 in Wayne Co., Indiana, and died 1 DEC 1902 in DeWitt Co, Illinois.
14. v. John Fielding Samuels was born 29 FEB 1824 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 4 Nov 1915 4:45 p.m. in Goldfield, IA. He married Katherine Causey 15 SEP 1849 in Hendricks Co., Indiana, daughter of William Causey and Mary. She was born 28 FEB 1829 in Scott Co., KY, and died 11 Jul 1909, 7:30a.m. in Pierson, Ill, Piatt Co., Illinois.
vi. Rebecca A Samuel was born 8 SEP 1825 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 30 SEP 1829 in Franklin Co., KY.
vii. Martha (Patsy) Samuel was born 12 MAY 1827 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 18 JUL 1860 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. She married Francis M Morrow 19 MAR 1846 in Marion Co., IN, son of Thomas Morrow and Nancy Mann. He was born 8 OCT 1820 in Ky, and died 10 NOV 1903 in Custer Co., SD.
viii. James A Samuel was born 17 MAR 1829 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 5 JUN 1851 in Marion Co., Indiana.
ix. William H Samuel was born 14 JAN 1831 in Marion Co. Indiana, and died 1 JUN 1898 in Clinton, DeWitt Co, Illinois. He married Elizabeth H Douglass 25 FEB 1852 in Marion Co. Indiana, daughter of Isaac Douglass and Margaret Reed. She was born 1 OCT 1832 in Butler Co., Ohio, and died 7 AUG 1915 in Pierre, South Dakota.
x. Charles Granderson Samuel was born 4 NOV 1833 in Marion Co., Indiana, and died 19 FEB 1902 in DeWitt Co, Illinois. He married Mary. She was born 1853.
xi. Thomas B Samuel was born 23 MAR 1836 in Marion Co, Indiana, and died 4 APR 1903 in Hallsville, Illinois. He married Elizabeth J Williams 3 FEB 1859 in DeWitt Co, Illinois, daughter of Simon Williams and Sarah B Spillman. She was born 23 JAN 1839 in Posey Co., Indiana Ky Ky, and died 19 JUL 1916 in Boswell, Indiana.
xii. Samuel was born 1837.
xiii. Marion Samuel was born 3 MAR 1839 in Marion Co., Indiana, and died 14 NOV 1892 in DeWitt Co., Illinois.

30. William Causey was born 1799 in Ky, and died bet 1860-1870. He was buried in probably Alexander Barnett Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois.

31. Mary was born 1794 in Ky, and died 1860-1870. She was buried in probably Alexander Barnett Cem., DeWitt Co., Illinois.

Children of Mary and William Causey are:

15. i. Katherine Causey was born 28 FEB 1829 in Scott Co., KY, and died 11 Jul 1909, 7:30a.m. in Pierson, Ill, Piatt Co., Illinois. She married John Fielding Samuels 15 SEP 1849 in Hendricks Co., Indiana, son of Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. and Ellen Anderson. He was born 29 FEB 1824 in Franklin Co., KY, and died 4 Nov 1915 4:45 p.m. in Goldfield, IA.
ii. Susan Causey was born 1832 in KY.

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Ahnentafel, Generation No. 6

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32. David Marks was born ABT 1750 in Fredrick Co, MD, and died AFT 1810 in Harrison Co., VA. He was the son of 64. William (speculation) Mark(s) and 65. unknown.

33. Catherine was born 1752 in MD, and died in MD.

Children of Catherine and David Marks are:

16. i. Thomas #2 Marks was born ABT 1774 in Frederick Co., Md, and died APR 1867 in Harrison Co., Va (WV). He married Sarah Queen 1803 in Md. She was born ABT 1781 in Gilmer Co, WV, and died 1839. He married Sally or Sarah Jones 12 MAR 1809 in Harrison Co, WV, daughter of Richard Jones and Sarah Howard. She was born ABT 1787 in Harrison Co Va, and died 1839 in Gilmer Co WV. He married Mary Starr ? 30 DEC 1855 in Gilmer Co, WV, daughter of Moses Starr. She was born 1775 in Harrison Co., VA.
ii. William Marks was born 1780 in MD, and died 1847-1850 in Athens, Ohio. He married Mary Jones 14 FEB 1804 in Harrison Co., VA (WV), daughter of Richard Jones and Sarah Howard. She was born 1785 in MD, and died AFT 1860.
iii. Sarah Marks was born 1783. She married George Taylor 11 APR 1804 in Harrison Co,VA.
iv. Mary Marks was born 1785 in Md. She married John Hyer (Hier) 25 MAY 1804.
v. Elizabeth Marks was born 1792 in Fredricks, Md, and died 1862 in Vinton Co, Ohio.

34. Richard Jones was born 2 MAY 1765 in Surry Co, Va, and died 1822 in Hasrrison Co., VA.

35. Sarah Howard was born ABT 1768 in Elberta, Surry Co, Va.

Children of Sarah Howard and Richard Jones are:

17. i. Sally or Sarah Jones was born ABT 1787 in Harrison Co Va, and died 1839 in Gilmer Co WV. She married Thomas #2 Marks 12 MAR 1809 in Harrison Co, WV, son of David Marks and Catherine. He was born ABT 1774 in Frederick Co., Md, and died APR 1867 in Harrison Co., Va (WV).
ii. Mary Jones was born 1786.
iii. Esther Jones.

36. Daniel Cain was born 1743 in Brock's Gap, Rockingham, Old Augusta Co, VA, and died AFT 1806 in Sugar Creek Twp, Ohio. He was the son of 72. Nicholas Kain and 73. Catrina Mann Mohn.

37. Susannah Custer was born JUL 1742 in Brock's Gap, VA, and died 12 SEP 1823. She was the daughter of 74. Arnold Kuster and 75. Bridget Strauder.

Children of Susannah Custer and Daniel Cain are:

i. Catherine Cain was born 27 OCT 1766 in Albermarle Co, VA, and died 25 OCT 1851. She married Robert Lowther 21 JAN 1787.
ii. John Cain was born 26 FEB 1769 in Brock's Gap, Rockingham, Old Augusta Co, VA, and died 27 JUN 1857. He married Nancy White 8 DEC 1796. He married Catherine Haverty 28 OCT 1826.
iii. James Cain was born 1771, and died 3 FEB 1853. He married Ruth Dodson 20 JUN 1822.
18. iv. Cornelius Cain was born 1773 in Harrison Co, VA, and died 1850-1860 in Gilmer Co, WV. He married Margaret Sleeth 5 JUN 1804 in Harrison Co.,VA, daughter of David Wallace Sleeth and Catherine Carpenter. She was born 1785 in Harrison Co, VA, and died AFT 1860 in Gilmer Co, WV.
v. Arnold Cain was born 1775, and died 1820. He married Elizabeth Tanner 12 JAN 1792.
vi. Mary Cain was born 26 FEB 1779, and died 19 FEB 1854. She married David Cain 16 AUG 1798.
vii. Hannah Cain was born 1 DEC 1779. She married Samuel Knight.
viii. Sarah "Sally" Cain was born 1781. She married Moses Shinn 15 JAN 1799.
ix. Temprance Cain was born 1788.

38. David Wallace Sleeth was born 18 MAY 1752 in Frederick Co, Va, and died 28 JUN 1839 in Harrison Co., Va (now Lewis Co WV). He was buried in Sleeth Cem. on Farnsworth Plantation, Gilmer Co, WV. He was the son of 76. John Alexander Sleeth Sr and 77. Mary Ann Wallace.

39. Catherine Carpenter was born 1764 in Red Stone Fort (now Brownsville, Pa) Frederick Co, MD, and died 17 JUN 1828 in Lewis Co,VA. She was buried in Farnsworth Plantation, Gilmer Co, VA. She was the daughter of 78. Nicholas Carpenter Sr and 79. Mary Wolfe.

Children of Catherine Carpenter and David Wallace Sleeth are:

i. Mary Sleeth was born 1780. She married Henry Waldeck 27 APR 1800 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).
19. ii. Margaret Sleeth was born 1785 in Harrison Co, VA, and died AFT 1860 in Gilmer Co, WV. She married Cornelius Cain 5 JUN 1804 in Harrison Co.,VA, son of Daniel Cain and Susannah Custer. He was born 1773 in Harrison Co, VA, and died 1850-1860 in Gilmer Co, WV.
iii. Nicholas C Sleeth was born 1795. He married Catherine Collins 16 MAR 1815.
iv. David W Sleeth Jr was born 25 DEC 1796. He married Nancy Lybrook MAY 1834. He married Elizabeth Prince 1845.
v. Alexander K Sleeth was born 28 FEB 1797. He married Katheryn Wolfe 8 JUL 1817 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).
vi. Henry Waldeck Sleeth was born 11 OCT 1800. He married Mary Wyant (Wiant) 18 NOV 1821 in Lewis Co, VA.
vii. Thomas Jackson Sleeth was born 12 JAN 1807, and died 3 MAY 1855. He married Susan Brindley 23 MAY 1831. He married Mary Whiting 15 JUL 1851.
viii. Nancy Sleeth was born 1813. She married Allen Simpson 3 NOV 1831 in Lewis Co, VA.
ix. Elizabeth Sleeth.
x. John Sleeth. He married Elizabeth Wolfe 28 OCT 1813 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).
xi. George Washington Sleeth. He married Rulina McWhorter MAY 1839 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).
xii. Catherine Sleeth. She married Samuel Brannon 12 JUL 1821 in Lewis Co, VA.
xiii. Sarah McCally Sleeth. She married Henry Wiant 20 JUN 1816 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).
xiv. Jane Sleeth. She married Henry Stallman 9 APR 1811 in Harrison Co Va (now Lewis Co WV).

40. Uriah Gandee Sr was born MAY 1753 in Philadelphia Pa, and died 1 JAN 1836 in Jackson Co., VA(WV). He was buried in Heinzman Hill Cem., Roane Co., WVa. He was the son of 80. Johann Georg Ganther and 81. Unknown.

41. Susannah Teter was born 1768, and died 1806-1823 in Old Town Flats, Gallia Co, Oh. She was the daughter of 82. George Jr Teter?.

Children of Susannah Teter and Uriah Gandee Sr are:

i. Margaret Mary Gandee was born ABT 1782, and died 18 FEB 1851. She married Andrew Vanvlara.
20. ii. Uriah Gandee Jr. was born 2 SEP 1782 in Randolph Co., VA, and died 12 OCT 1854 in Roane Co., WV. He married Mercy "Massie" Hughes 30 JUL 1806 in Wood Co, VA/WV, daughter of Jesse David Hughes and Grace Tanner. She was born 13 JUL 1787 in Hackers Creek, Harrison Co., VA, and died 31 MAY 1883 in Gandeeville, WV.
iii. Levi Teter Gandee was born 1794 in Randolph Co Va. He married Cynthia Bibbee. She was born 1814.
iv. Jesse Gandee (Gander) was born 1796 in Rockingham Co. He married Nancy Hutchinson 29 DEC 1814 in Wood Co, Va (WV).
v. Eli Gandee. He married Mary Bibbee 3 SEP 1812 in Gallia Co, Ohio.
vi. Esther Gandee was born 1784 in Rockingham Co. She married Amos Daily 30 JAN 1805 in Wood Co, Va (WV).
vii. Rebeka Gandee.
viii. Samuel Gandee.
ix. Jonathan Gandee. He married Betty Sharshillong 10 OCT 1823 in Gallia Co, Ohio.

42. Jesse David Hughes was born 1750 in West Augusta, Mononagahela, Harrison Co., VA, and died 10 JAN 1825 in Turkey Run (No of Ravenswood, WV). He was buried in near Ravenswood, WV. He was the son of 84. Thomas Hughes Sr and 85. Mary Susannah Baker.

43. Grace Tanner was born 1753 in Va, and died 18 JAN 1842 in Uriah Gandee's home Gandeeville, WV. She was buried in Gandeeville Cem., Gandeeville, WV. She was the daughter of 86. Edward Tanner and 87. Rachel.

Children of Grace Tanner and Jesse David Hughes are:

i. Martha Hughes was born 1773, and died 1834. She married Jacob Bonnett 1792.
ii. Jesse Jr Hughes was born 1775. He married Susan Mock 1800.
iii. Rachel Hughes was born 1777. She married William Cottrell.
iv. Susana "Sudna" Hughes was born 1780. She married Elijah Runner.
v. Elizabeth Hughes was born 1782. She married James Stanley.
21. vi. Mercy "Massie" Hughes was born 13 JUL 1787 in Hackers Creek, Harrison Co., VA, and died 31 MAY 1883 in Gandeeville, WV. She married Uriah Gandee Jr. 30 JUL 1806 in Wood Co, VA/WV, son of Uriah Gandee Sr and Susannah Teter. He was born 2 SEP 1782 in Randolph Co., VA, and died 12 OCT 1854 in Roane Co., WV.
vii. William Jonathan Hughes was born 1785. He married Staats.
viii. Lourania Hughes was born 1803. She married Uriah Sayre.
ix. Thomas Hughes.
x. Nancy Agnes Hughes. She married George W Hanshaw.

44. William M Casto Sr was born 12 JAN 1760 in Turkey Point, Cumberland Co., New Jersey, and died 11 NOV 1830 in Jackson Co., WV. He was buried in Windon Cem., Jackson Co., WV. He was the son of 88. David Casto and 89. Phebe Gandy.

45. Hannah Bonnett was born 1770 in Pa, and died 1810 in Va.

Children of Hannah Bonnett and William M Casto Sr are:

i. David W Casto was born 1784, and died 1854. He married Anne Cutright.
ii. James D Casto was born 1786-1789, and died 22 DEC 1866. He married Sudna "Sidney" Kessel.
iii. James Casto was born 1789, and died 22 DEC 1868.
22. iv. William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr was born 1790 in Fayette Co., Pa, and died 1884 in Jackson Co., WV. He married Martha "Patsy" Parsons 22 JUL 1817 in Va, daughter of Charles Parsons and Nancy Ann Flesher Sleith. She was born 9 JUL 1804 in Mason Co., VA, and died 1878.
v. Lucretia Casto was born 1792, and died 1846. She married Elijah J Rollins.
vi. Mary Ann "Nancy" Casto was born 27 MAY 1793, and died 28 JUN 1835. She married Nicholas Ours.
vii. Jonathan Casto was born 30 DEC 1794, and died 21 OCT 1851. He married Magdalene Wetherholt.
viii. Benjamin Casto was born 26 JAN 1797, and died 1 MAY 1882. He married Sarah Catherine Shinn.
ix. John G Casto was born 1801. He married Nancy Ann Parsons.
x. Rhoda Casto was born 1802, and died 1833. She married John M Pringle.
xi. Absolum Casto was born 1804.
xii. Phoebe Casto was born 1806. She married John Harpold.
xiii. Levi Casto was born 1 APR 1808 in Jane Lew, Lewis Co., VA, and died 17 JAN 1880 in Mill Creek, Jackson Co., WV. He married Hannah Carney. She was born 1 AUG 1813 in Jane Lew, Lewis Co., VA, and died 23 JAN 1891. He married Sarah "Polly" Woodruff.
xiv. Isaac S Casto was born 1810, and died BEF 1860. He married Elizabeth Parsons.

46. Charles Parsons was born 11 APR 1745 in Queen Anne's Co, MD, and died 4 NOV 1823 in Jackson Co, VA. He was buried in Frozen Camp, WV. He was the son of 92. William Parsons Jr and 93. Martha Hughes.

47. Nancy Ann Flesher Sleith was born 1761, and died 1859. She was the daughter of 94. Henry Fleisher and 95. Elizabeth Dehmer.

Children of Nancy Ann Flesher Sleith and Charles Parsons are:

i. Elias Parsons was born 1797 in Harrison Co., VA, and died 29 DEC 1849 in Jackson Co., VA. He married Sarah Delilah "Dollie" Mayhew. He married Sarah E Watson Graham.
23. ii. Martha "Patsy" Parsons was born 9 JUL 1804 in Mason Co., VA, and died 1878. She married William (Devil Bill) Casto Jr 22 JUL 1817 in Va, son of William M Casto Sr and Hannah Bonnett. He was born 1790 in Fayette Co., Pa, and died 1884 in Jackson Co., WV.
iii. Nancy Ann Parsons was born 25 JUN 1802, and died 17 JUN 1875. She married John G Casto. She married John Board 10 AUG 1821.
iv. Elizabeth Parsons was born 1804.
v. Charles Asbury Parsons Sr. was born 6 JUN 1805 in Mason Co., WV, and died 7 DEC 1875 in Jackson Co., WV. He married Rebecca Ann Wolfe 23 OCT 1826. She was born 1806 in Randolph Co., WV.
vi. Sarah Parsons was born 6 JUN 1812, and died 6 JUL 1862. She married James H Cunningham.

52. Benedict Beckwith was born 1776 in Frederick Co, Md, and died AFT 1822. He was the son of 104. William Beckwith and 105. Lucy Watson.

53. H Pumphreys.

Children of H Pumphreys and Benedict Beckwith are:

i. Samuel W Beckwith was born 1798 in Montgomery Co., MD, and died 1890 in Taylorville, MD. He married Sarah G Samones 22 MAR 1826 in Rockville, Montgomery Co., MD. She was born 1798 in MD. He married Carrie Mobley. She was born 1840 in MD. He married Julia A. She was born 1816 in MD.
26. ii. Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith was born 1800 in Baltimore, MD, and died 3 SEP 1870 in Greene Co., Indiana. He married Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey BEF 1824, daughter of Gabriel Demillian Pumphrey and Nancy Ann Hamilton. She was born 1802 in Baltimore, MD, and died 22 JUL 1854 in Breckenridge Co., Ky.

54. Gabriel Demillian Pumphrey was born 16 JAN 1769 in Ann Arundel Parrish, MD, and died 16 JUL 1854 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. He was buried in Mt Zion UMC Cem., Westview, Breckenridge Co., KY. He was the son of 108. William Pumphrey and 109. Elizabeth Kingsbury.

55. Nancy Ann Hamilton was born 1 JAN 1779 in Md, and died 21 JUL 1854 in Breckenridge Co., KY. She was buried in Mt Zion UMC Cem., Breckenridge Co., KY. She was the daughter of 110. John Hamilton and 111. Ruth.

Children of Nancy Ann Hamilton and Gabriel Demillian Pumphrey are:

i. Overton Pumphrey was born 10 MAR 1799 in Prince George Co. Md, and died 1867 in Jefferson Co, Ky. He married Sarah Richardson 21 DEC 1827 in Jefferson Co, Ky. She was born 1809 in PA.
27. ii. Carolyn Cornelia Pumphrey was born 1802 in Baltimore, MD, and died 22 JUL 1854 in Breckenridge Co., Ky. She married Greenberry Dorsey Beckwith BEF 1824, son of Benedict Beckwith and H Pumphreys. He was born 1800 in Baltimore, MD, and died 3 SEP 1870 in Greene Co., Indiana.
iii. William Pumphrey was born 1804 in Md, and died 1858 in St Mary's Parish, La. He married Isabella Garnier. She was born 1815 in MA, and died AFT 1880.
iv. Mary E Pumphrey was born 1806 in Md, and died 24 OCT 1870 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. She married Richard R Richardson. He was born JUN 1798 in MD, and died 4 JUN 1883.
v. Hamilton Mortimer Pumphrey was born 1807 in Montgomery Co, Md, and died 24 JUL 1854 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. He married Sarah Elizabeth Stallings. She was born in Washington Co., KY.
vi. Otho L Pumphrey was born 1810 in Montgomery Co, Md, and died 28 MAR 1881 in St Mary's Parish, La. He married Jane Sophronia Grimball 11 MAY 1848 in Chenyville, Rapides, LA, daughter of Paul Grimball and Esther Jaudon. She was born 21 MAR 1814 in SC or MS, and died 15 MAR 1889 in St Mary's Parrish, Lousiana.
vii. James Pumphrey was born 12 DEC 1812 in Montgomery Co, Md, and died 15 JUL 1854 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. He married Elizabeth Ann McDaniel. She was born 1828 in KY.
viii. Julia Ann Pumphrey was born 16 APR 1815 in Montgomery Co, Md, and died 9 JUN 1893 in Jefferson Co., KY. She married James Logan 15 DEC 1834 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. He was born 4 SEP 1805, and died 26 JUL 1879 in Jefferson Co., KY.
ix. Mortimer Demillian Pumphrey was born 2 AUG 1819 in Ky, and died 22 AUG 1902 in Breckinridge Co, Ky. He married Emily Skillman 7 AUG 1842 in Breckinridge Co., KY. She died 1 JUN 1848 in Breckenridge Co., KY. He married Mary Anna Stewart (Stuart). She was born 10 FEB 1830 in KY, and died 22 MAY 1903.
x. Adison Pumphrey was born 1820 in Breckinridge Co, Ky.

56. Robert Samuel Sr was born ABT 1776 in Va, and died 1810-1814 in probably Franklin Co., KY. He was the son of 112. Rueben Samuel.

57. Catherine Triplett was born BEF 1775, and died AFT 1820 in probably Franklin Co., KY. She was the daughter of 114. John Triplett and 115. Martha Landrum.

Children of Catherine Triplett and Robert Samuel Sr are:

i. Jesse Samuel was born 1791-1800 in VA. He married Martha Triplett FEB 1830 in Fleming Co., KY. She was born 1791-1800 in VA.
ii. John T Samuel was born 19 DEC 1792 in VA, and died 27 FEB 1868 in Hopkins Co., KY. He married Maria Douthit 28 FEB 1831 in Franklin Co., KY, daughter of Silas Douthit and UNNAMED. She was born 1811 in KY, and died AFT 1880.
iii. Betsey J Samuel was born 3 DEC 1792 in VA, and died 15 NOV 1856 in Hopkins Co., KY. She married Piersaul Douthitt 23 JUN 1823 in Franklin Co., KY, son of Silas Douthit. He was born 2 MAY 1799, and died 11 OCT 1855 in Hopkins Co., KY.
iv. Patsey (Martha) Samuel was born 1790 in VA.
28. v. Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. was born 15 MAY 1796 in Culpepper Co., VA, and died 5 MAR 1873 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. He married Ellen Anderson 20 JUN 1815 in Franklin Co., KY, daughter of Joseph Anderson and Constance Peak. She was born 13 NOV 1794 in Bourbon Co., KY, and died 5 DEC 1870 in DeWitt Co., Illinois.
vi. Nelly Triplett Samuel was born 14 FEB 1801 in VA, and died 22 JUN 1889 in KY. She married John H Triplett 20 OCT 1828 in Franklin Co., KY, son of Hedgeman Triplett. He was born 23 NOV 1798 in VA, and died 28 MAY 1879 in VA.

58. Joseph Anderson was born 1755 in Va, and died JUL 1826.

59. Constance Peak was born 1759 in Va, and died 1838. She was the daughter of 118. John Peak and 119. Jemima.

Children of Constance Peak and Joseph Anderson are:

i. Presley Anderson was born 1789. He married Sally Ross 18 MAY 1818 in Franklin Co., KY, daughter of Zachariah Ross.
29. ii. Ellen Anderson was born 13 NOV 1794 in Bourbon Co., KY, and died 5 DEC 1870 in DeWitt Co., Illinois. She married Robert Triplett Samuel Jr. 20 JUN 1815 in Franklin Co., KY, son of Robert Samuel Sr and Catherine Triplett. He was born 15 MAY 1796 in Culpepper Co., VA, and died 5 MAR 1873 in DeWitt Co., Illinois.
iii. Mildred Anderson was born 1795. She married Robert Yancey 11 APR 1821 in Franklin Co., KY.
iv. Rebecca Anderson was born 1797. She married Jacob West 26 APR 1824 in Franklin Co., KY.
v. Spencer Anderson was born 1802. He married Catherine Hicks.
vi. Sarah Anderson was born 1804.
vii. John Anderson was born 1806.
viii. Elijah Anderson was born 15 JAN , and died 18 JUL 1844. He married Rachel Downing 26 AUG 1810 in Franklin Co., KY.
ix. Sally Anderson. She married Thomas Smith 19 OCT 1828 in Franklin Co., KY.
x. Betsey Anderson. She married Bartlett Boots Jr 4 JUL 1810 in Franklin Co., KY.

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 21:22:39Z

Brutality on the Frontier
There have been several accounts of backwoodsmen and scouts upon the northwestern Virginia frontier. These accounts often tell of the lives and exploits of the “heroes” who saved the settlers of their respective areas from attacks from hostile Indians. These frontiersmen did contribute significantly to the safety and expansion of border settlements, but often did so by committing savage acts of brutality that showed they were little more then sadistic murderers.

Two of the most savage, yet notable Indian fighting frontiersmen were Jesse Hughes and Lewis Wetzel. These men gained prominence by killing Indians and boasting of their stories of brutality to settlers and friends who romanticized their exploits. They may have been heroes to the settlers, but their methods of assuring safety were quite gruesome. Had these men lived in the present day and committed these same acts, they would be labeled as deranged serial killers. They were able to get away with their sick indulgences because of the time and place in which they occurred. It was generally accepted on the frontier that Indians were going to be killed in order to secure white settlements. Hughes and Wetzel were pleased to kill as many Indians as possible.

John and Samuel Pringle were soldiers in the British army stationed at Fort Pitt during the French and Indian War. They apparently tired of military life, because in 1761 they deserted their post and settled for about a year near the south branch of the Potomac River. They also took with them two other deserters, William Childers and Joseph Linsey. The four deserters then moved to a settlement at Looney Creek, “but almost immediately Childers and Linsey were arrested.” The Pringle brothers then moved back to the area where they had spent the last year, staying until 1764.[1] In 1764 the brothers followed the right fork of the Buckhannon River. While following the River the brothers came across a large hollowed out sycamore tree at the spot that a small creek, that they named Turkey Run, meets the Buckhannon (near present day Buckhannon, West Virginia). They took up residence in this tree until 1767, when the need for powder and shot overcame their fear of being caught. John left his brother Samuel with the powder and shot for two loads and went in search of a settlement where he could attain necessities for a wilderness life. With his return he brought exciting news. Dunmore’s War was over. Since peace was found with the French and the Indians, and they were no longer criminals for desertion, they could once again rejoin society. In 1769 they returned to their home near the south fork of the Potomac, but Samuel soon returned to the area where they had lived in the sycamore on Turkey Run. He took with him a small group of prospective settlers, among them was a young man of nineteen years named Jesse Hughes. [2]

Jesse Hughes was born in 1750 on the south branch of the Potomac River in present day Grant County, West Virginia.[3] Hughes grew up on the borderland of the then western frontier of America. He spent most of his time in the woods surrounding his home and was known to be fierce young man. There are many accounts of Hughes’ mean nature. According to a woman who knew Jesse as a child, “Hughes’ countenance was hard, stern and unfeeling; his eyes were the most cruel and vicious I ever saw… His temper was fierce and uncontrollable, often finding vent in the abuse of his family.” The lady also went on to talk about Hughes’ clothing. She said, “When scouting, his dress consisted only of the long hunting shirt, belted at the waist, open leggings, moccasins, and a brimless cap; or a handkerchief bound about his head.” According to this lady, all of his clothing was dyed with “…the ooze made from the bark of the Chestnut Oak…” so that he may better be camouflaged in the woods.[4]

In 1769 at the age of 19, Jesse left his home at the Wappatomaka in search of new lands to explore.[5] He joined Samuel Pringle in settling the area around the Buckhannon River, where Samuel and his brother had lived earlier. Jesse Hughes married Grace Tanner in either 1770 or 1771 and settled into a cabin he built on Hackers Creek near West’s Fort and at the mouth of what was called Jesse’s Run.[6] Jesse Hughes was one of the most skilled frontiersmen of his time in northwestern Virginia (now north-central West Virginia). His hunting and scouting skills were unmatched by most in that area. It is said that his brother Elias Hughes was a better shot at long range, but Jesse was the better tracker and hunter.[7]

Hughes’ hatred of the Indians ran so deeply through him at this point in his life, that he lived for little else. His father was killed by Indians in 1778, but his extreme hatred of all Indians, friend or foe seems to have started much earlier in his life. There are many accounts that show Jesse Hughes to be nothing more then a cold blooded murderer, not a heroic protector of settlers.

One of the first accounts of Hughes’ savagery towards the Indians is given by McWhorter. Hughes arranged a meeting with a known friendly Indian of the area, so that they could go hunt together. He chose a place to meet that would require the Indian to come across Hackers Creek on a “foot-log,” or a log that has fallen across the creek. Hughes crept on silent feet well before the appointed meeting time to a thicket near the foot-log so that he would have a clear view. There he lay and waited until the Indian was in the middle of the foot-log, aimed and fired upon him. Hitting his mark, the Indian fell lifelessly into the creek.[8]

Hughes’ was also involved with a very important raid in June 1772. A group of Shawnees were passing near the Gauley River (what is now Braxton County, West Virginia) on their way to make war with the Cherokee Nation.[9] Upon coming to the Adam Stroud household, the Indians decided to exact revenge for a group of Shawnees that had been killed previously by settlers. Adam was away at the time of the massacre, but on returning found his entire family slaughtered and his cattle driven away. He immediately went for help in exacting his revenge against those who committed the atrocity. A group was assembled to follow the trail left by Indians driving the stolen Stroud cattle. The group was comprised of John Cutright, William Hacker, William White, an unnamed man, and Jesse Hughes. These settlers followed the trail in the general direction of Bull Town, although the trail never actually led to Bulltown.[10] They proceeded to Bull Town, killed every Indian in the village, and then threw their bodies in the river. The party did not find the Stroud cattle there, nor any sign of the cattle. Neither did they find any remnants of clothing or belongings of the Stroud family. The white men who committed the murders would never talk of what happened at Bull Town until 1852. At that time, laying on his deathbed at 105 years old, William Cutright admitted to the acts of cold blooded murder by the vigilante party at Bull Town.[11]

In late April, 1778 Jesses’ father, Thomas was shot by a Shawnee raiding party while he was helping tend the farm of a neighbor on Hackers Creek.[12] With the news of his father’s death, Jesses hatred for Indians increased. Jesse and his brother Elias made a vow “to kill Injuns as long as they lived and could see to kill them.”[13]

Yet another incident of Hughes’ cruelty towards Indians was shown when he and a group of scouts set out to recover settlers who had been taken by an Indian raiding party. Upon reaching the place the Indians were staying for the night, the scouts killed the Indians with their rifles. They then ran into the Indian camp and found that one of the wounded Indians was Captain Bull, the founder of Bull Town. Jesse, seeing that he was still alive, picked him up and dragged him into the coals of a freshly tended fire “while he was yet kicking.” This in itself was a cruel and sickening thing to do, but Hughes went even further. After the Chief had died, Hughes pulled out his knife and cut off pieces of his skin. He then used the skin to patch the holes in his moccasins, thinking it to be a joke. [14]

These are a few of the many accounts of Jesse Hughes’ savagery against Indians. He was said to have “…liked to kill an Indian rather than to eat his dinner.”[15] His never-ending hatred of Indians obviously caused him to cross a sometimes thin line between assuring security and committing brutal acts of murder. How Hughes’ hatred of the Indians began can be questioned, but the accounts of his brutality have been preserved.

The Indians and white settlers both lead a very tenuous life that required them to always be on guard. Both groups were constantly seeking to kill the other at any cost. The presence of Hughes may have been necessary to secure the settlement in which he lived due to his extraordinary abilities to survive in the woods. That does not excuse him from the fact that he was little more then a serial killer who happened to be in an environment conducive to his tendencies. If he were to commit such acts in the present day, he would probably be sitting on death row.

Jesse Hughes was not the only frontiersmen who had murderous and sadistic tendencies. Perhaps the most famous frontiersmen of northwestern Virginia in the 18th century also had these tendencies. His name was Lewis Wetzel.

Lewis Wetzel was born in August of 1763 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. He was the fourth of seven children by Captain John Wetzel and his wife, Mary Bonnet Wetzel. [16] John Wetzel moved his family from a civilized life in Lancaster County to a life on the frontier of northwestern Virginia in 1764. They settled near Wheeling Creek, present day Wheeling, West Virginia.[17] Lewis grew up, just as his four brothers did, learning the ways of the woods. They quickly became efficient at hunting, tracking, shooting, and eventually fighting. As Lewis grew up he began to distance himself in both physical prowess and mental agility from his brothers. Although it should be said that the whole of the Wetzel family was formidable woodsmen and Indian fighters, Lewis was exemplary. He became so feared by the Indians that they began to refer to him as “Old Deathwind.”[18]

Lewis Wetzel was later described (Aug. 26, 1789) as being a broad shouldered man who stood about five foot, ten inches tall. He had dark skin and a face that had marks from small pox. His hair was so long that it reached his calves when it was brushed. McKnight states that “He certainly had a rare scalp-one for which the savages would at any time have given a dozen of their best warriors.” His eyes were very fierce and indicated he was not a good person to upset.[19]

It can be assumed that Lewis’ hatred for Indians dates back to 1776, when he and his brother were captured by Indians. They shot Lewis in the doorway of his father’s home, but only landed a glancing blow that took with it part of his breast bone. The Indians then kidnapped Lewis and his brother Jacob, forcing them to keep up with them at the point of their father’s stolen gun. The boys waited until the two nights later, when the Indians became careless and forgot to bind the boy’s hands and legs. They then escaped the grasp of the Indians, but did not return home until Lewis made two trips back into the Indian camp. The first was to secure moccasins for himself and his brother, the second to take back his fathers rifle and powder horn.[20]

In June of 1780 age of sixteen, Wetzel had his first taste of Indian blood. A band of settlers recruited young Wetzel to help pursue a group of Indians who had stolen horses from the settlers. The whites soon came upon the Indians, who were resting at a spring near what is now St. Clairsville, Ohio. Upon seeing the settlers, the Indians ran off leaving the horses behind. Most of the group left for home, but Wetzel’s intentions were more ambitious than simply regaining the stolen animals. He pursued the Indians, taking his first three scalps before returning home. Wetzel gained enormous respect from the settlers after this feat and secured him a place as a scout for the assembly. [21]

Wetzel’s first official job as an Indian fighter and scout came during the Revolutionary War. The war raged throughout the colonies as Indians led raids on colonial settlements to secure supplies and cause confusion in the backcountry. The assembly sought volunteers to scout the settlements and kill any Indians whose path was crossed. Wetzel, being well suited for this job, quickly volunteered. He was paid only by the scalps that he took and the satisfaction gained from killing Indians.[22]

In 1781, Lewis and his brother Jacob were at Fort Wheeling when Col. Daniel Brodhead and his militia stopped for a time at the fort. While at the fort, Col. Brodhead received two friendly Indians who came to see him. Lewis recognized one of these Indians as being one of the two who had kidnapped him and his brother a few years before. Lewis immediately swore death upon both of the Indians even though Jacob said that the Indian in question was not one of the boy’s captors. Col. Brodhead was warned that the local inhabitants would kill the Indians if they were not taken care of, so the Colonel put them in the blockhouse and had them guarded. Lewis waited for the time when the Indians were fed. He slipped in with a tomahawk hidden under his shirt and drove the blade into the skull of the first Indian. He was kept from dealing the same fate upon the second Indian because his tomahawk was lodged in the head of the first Indian. Wetzel then took to flight to evade capture.[23]

In 1782, Wetzel came a cross a man named John Mills, who had left his horse at a spring near present day Claysville, Pennsylvania. Mills asked Wetzel to go with him to get his horse, so he may be better protected from Indian attacks. Wetzel agreed and they set off for the spring. Upon reaching the spring Mills ignored Wetzel’s warnings that they were walking into a trap. Mills walked up to his horse and was shot dead. Lewis ran away but was followed by four braves. Upon distancing himself somewhat from the braves he spun on his heel and shot the first brave, killing him. He then continued running from the remaining three as he loaded his rifle. After reloading, he spun again to shoot the next brave, but the brave was closer then he had thought. The brave caught the muzzle of his gun and the physical battle began. The scout and the brave fought for the gun, but Lewis was able to dispose of his enemy with little trouble upon wrestling the gun from the brave’s hands. The thrill of killing Indians must have been so great for Wetzel that he was willing to endanger his life in order to take a few more scalps.

According to De Hass, Wetzel “…slackened his pace, and even stopped once or twice, to give his pursuers an opportunity to face him.”[24] After loading once again while running, he turned and dispatched the foremost Indian on his trail. The last of the pursuing Indians upon watching the third Indian fall, said “No catch dat man, gun always loaded” as he ran away from certain death.[25] Loading a rifle while running is an extremely difficult endeavor, one in which Wetzel was said to have been very proficient. This ability undoubtedly saved his life on numerous occasions.

Lewis Wetzel, like all human beings, made mistakes. He once made the mistake of falling asleep in the woods, only to be awakened by a group of Indians. They were unwilling to kill him immediately, because they wanted to take him home so that everyone could help decide the fate of this feared Indian killer. The general consensus was that he should be burned at the stake. One old chief disagreed. The old Indian argued that Wetzel was such a brave fighter, that it would not be right to kill him. However, he did not prevail and Wetzel was to be burned at the stake the next day. That night the old chief crept into the hut that Wetzel was being kept, and cut the cords that bound him. He then led him to the Muskingum River and gave him a knife, ammunition, and his son’s rifle. The Indian said “Good-bye,” then turned to walk away. Wetzel raised his new gift to his shoulder and fired, killing the old chief.[26] This was an act that truly illustrated the cruel and savage nature of Lewis Wetzel. Killing a person who not only saved him from a certain death, but also gave him a rifle is beyond savagery, it is sadistic.

In 1786, a man was killed by Indians near the Short Creek Settlement, which was near where Wetzel lived. The settlers were unwilling to let the killing go unpunished. A group of about twenty men, including Wetzel, were assembled to exact the settler’s revenge. This party, under the command of Major McMahon, was offered one hundred dollars to the first man to bring in an Indian scalp.[27] On August, 5 1786 the party crossed the Ohio River and started towards the area around the Muskingum River, an area well noted for its Indian activity. An advance scouting party was sent out in front of the main body of frontiersmen with orders to locate Indians. The scouting party soon reported that the Indian camp had been found and the number of Indians greatly surpassed their own. Col. McMahon quickly made the decision to retreat back across the Ohio, and the group soon began to head home. However, Wetzel refused to go with them. He argued that he came out to kill Indians and nothing was going to stop him from doing so. He said, “I am determined to take an Indian scalp, or lose my own.” Two days later he took the scalp from an unsuspecting Indian and returned home in such haste to claim his reward that he was only one day behind the retreating party.[28]

In the fall of each year Lewis Wetzel would take a hunting trip into Indian country with the sole intention of taking scalps. On one of these trips he was said to have taken three Indian scalps, which was not uncommon for Wetzel. However, the fact that he traveled no less then one hundred and seventy miles to do so shows his singleness of mind when it came to killing Indians.[29]

In June of 1786, while returning home from a farm near Middlebourne, West Virginia, Lewis’ father and brother George were killed by Indians. They were buried by Lewis near Grave Yard Run, Marshal County, West Virginia. An inscription upon a stone over their graves read “J.W. 1787; G.W. 1787.”[30] The savagery towards Indians prior to his father and brother being killed was rivaled by few. After the deaths it was not purely for the love of killing, Lewis and his remaining brothers “vowed sleepless vengeance against the whole Indian race.”[31] This incident obviously didn’t start his brutality towards Indians, but definitely intensified it.

In the fall of 1785, General Harmar issued a proclamation asking all people, Indian and white, to lay down their arms so that peace talks might take place.[32] The talks were to be held at Fort Harmar, near Marietta, Ohio. When Lewis Wetzel and his friend Veach Dickerson heard of these talks, they decided to go to Fort Harmar in the hopes of killing an Indian going to the conference. Wetzel and Dickerson laid in ambush to the side of the trail between the Fort and the Indian camp waiting for a victim. They did not have to wait long before a large Indian on a horse came galloping through.[33] The ambushers tried to get the Indian to stop, but he could not hear them over the galloping hooves of his horse. They jumped up form their hiding spot and decided to take a shot at the Indian, even though he was galloping hard at quite a distance. They both shot, but the Indian didn’t fall. Fearing that the Indian would ride to the fort and bring back large numbers, they made a quick escape. They later found out that the Indian died later that

night from a shot through the belly and one through the hip.[34] This incident proved to be a very troublesome mistake for Wetzel. General Harmar would not let Wetzel get away with this murder. He was caught on two different occasions, the first time he escaped, the second he was tried and acquitted of the crime.

Jesse Hughes and Lewis Wetzel were highly regarded as prominent frontiersmen in their time. They were loved by the people in the settlements which they protected and were immortalized by generations after they lived. The romanticization of these men began when they were still alive and continues still today. Exaggerated stories were told about these men’s exploits, by them and settlers who witnessed their deeds. There have also been places named after and poems written about these men.

Hughes’ romanticization occurred largely through exaggerated stories told by settlers and authors. One such story told of Jesse Hughes killing an Indian who had lured settlers to him by using the call of a turkey. This story is told by many authors; in fact nearly every book with reference to Jesse Hughes relates this story. Mr. William Powers, a settler of the time, stated that the above incident with the Indian never occurred. A women who had known Jesse Hughes and his family stated that the story in question had occurred, but some of the facts were mistaken.[35] This story most likely had some basis in truth; however it is a good example of how facts can be miscued concerning a famous individual.

The wife of a descendant of Jesse Hughes, Susan Turner Hughes, took it as a point of pride that Jesse was said to have been born at a place that she had visited with her then late husband. She also gave an account of Hughes’ countenance, which seems to be highly romanticized. “Old Jesse Hughes had eyes like a painter [panther] and could see at night almost as well as one…He was as stealthy and noiseless as a painter…He was as savage as a wolf.”[36]

McWhorter tells a story of how Hughes ran from one besieged fort to another in order to secure help in lifting the siege. He inserts a portion of a poem in the story; “Fate judges of the rapid strife; The forfeit, death-the prize is life.” This serves only to heighten the drama associated with this already famous man. He also went on to compare Hughes to “the wild Seri, impervious to fatigue…”[37] McWhorter later refers to Jesse Hughes as “the greatest of the pathfinders of western Virginia.”[38]

Jesse Hughes’ name became known throughout all of north western Virginia and western Pennsylvania as a skilled woodsmen and a relentless Indian killer. Judge R. S. Brown talked about Jesse Hughes in his Centennial address on July 4, 1876. He was obviously enamored with Hughes’ deeds and did much to further his prominence. He referred to Hughes as a “hero” and said: “His name was a terror to the savage foe and a household word of comfort to the scattered settlers on the Buckhannon River, Hackers Creek, and elsewhere where he visited with the brave and chivalrous spirit of the knight-errant to ward off the savage blow.”[39]

Due to his explorative spirit and fame unrivaled by most frontiersmen, there have been many waterways named after him. Such waterways include, Jesse’s Run (near Buckhannon, WV), the Hughes River (flows through Doddridge Co., WV), and Hughes Fork (a small creek in central WV). [40]

The name Lewis Wetzel is often heard, along with other names such as Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton. The fame of Wetzel is rivaled by none in northwestern Virginia at his time and continues still today. Wetzel has been romanticized by generations of settlers and people of the present through story, verse, and namesake.

McKnight adds to the legend by drawing parallels between Wetzel and Hamlet, saying “Without him [Wetzel] the history of Northwestern Virginia would be like the ‘play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out.’ He then goes on to praise Wetzel as a “pillar of strength…” and a “celebrated Indian hunter of Western Virginia.”[41] McKnight inserts a portion of a poem when telling a story of Wetzel creeping into an Indian camp and slaughtering a superior number of Indians in their sleep. “Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave, Burning for blood, bony, gaunt and grim,” this serves only to enhance the drama and romanticized ideas of already famous frontiersman.[42] McKnight not only defends and praises the actions of the man, but defends his moral character as well. When talking about the morals of Wetzel, McKnight states; “His morals and habits…were quite exemplary.”[43] This comment obviously illustrates the point to which the author was enamored with Wetzel. He was so taken with the frontiersman that he was willing to overlook the moral implications of Wetzel’s deeds. The following is a poem by McKnight:

Lewis Wetzel

He Needs no guide in the forest,

More than the hunter bees;

His guides are the cool, green mosses

To the northward of the trees.

Nor fears he the foe whose footsteps

Go light as the summer air,

His tomahawk hangs to his shirt belt,

And the scalp-knife glitters there.

The stealthy Wyandotes tremble,

And speak his name with fear;

For his aim is sharp and deadly,

And his rifle’s ring is clear.[44]

In a book on Lewis Wetzel, Allman opens and closes the book with poems about the frontierman. The first is “Stout-Hearted Lewis Wetzel” by Flohus B. Pimpton and the other is “The Ballad of Lewis Wetzel” by Glen Baker.[45] Both of these poems serve to add to the mystique and dramatic view of Wetzel.

DeHass has high praise for Wetzel as well. He asks; “Who in the west, has not heard of Wetzel- the daring borderer,-the brave and successful Indian hunter; the Boone of North-Western Virginia?” He then goes on to say; “He threw into the common treasury a soul as heroic, as adventurous, as full of energy, and exhaustless of resources, as ever animated a human breast.” He then goes on to give Wetzel animal characteristics; “He was brave as a lion, cunning as a fox…” [46] Although Dehass is an esteemed historian of his day, he not only succumbed to, but helped to propel the exaggerated stories and overly dramatic hype surrounding the man that Lewis Wetzel was.

Other authors also helped to add to Wetzel’s romanticization by speaking with great praise and admiration of the man they believed him to be. Lambert said of Wetzel that “No other pioneer scout deserves to be known as a protector of the frontier more than Lewis Wetzel.”[47] Hartley said: “Lewis Wetzel was one of the renowned among the heros [heroes] who signalized their valor in the Indian wars of the Western country.”[48] What more could be said to add to the romanticization of a person than to label them a “hero.” There is little more that could add to an increasingly inaccurate, yet dramatic, view of such a famous man.

The Indians helped to add to the romance of Wetzel when they began calling him “Deathwind.”[49] However, there are many Wetzel namesakes around today. The 1937 session of the West Virginia legislature officially named state route 7, “Lewis Wetzel Trail.” Wetzel County, West Virginia was named after Lewis Wetzel.[50] There is a street in Morgantown, West Virginia that bares the name Wetzel upon it, as there are many others throughout West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.[51]

The impact these men had on the frontier of northwestern Virginia was unquestionably far reaching. The stories of their deeds have been told and retold for generations, to the point that these men have become part of the folklore of north western Virginia. These stories have added to the romanticized views of these already famous men. They will forever live as heroes of the frontier because they have been immortalized in story, verse, and in name. Their prominence on the frontier was assured by their sadistic love for killing Indians coupled with their extraordinary backwoods skills. The murderous tendencies of these men have solidified their stories in history. Since the time of their exploits, they have been romanticized in book, song, and verse. Upon hearing the details of some of the acts committed by these men, it is difficult to look upon them in the same light. Although these men were protectors of white frontier settlements, it is exceedingly obvious that they were cruel sadistic murderers.

Appendix

There is a little known story of Lewis Wetzel that occurred somewhere in northwestern Virginia, must likely near Wheeling. Wetzel once spent some time with a woman whose name has not been unearthed; however, it was most likely Lydia Boggs, a woman that Wetzel had a relationship with. He only visited her twice, but prior to his second visit he went out in search of an Indian to kill so that he might take his scalp. He did so successfully and returned to the home of the women who he had previously spent some time with. He gave the lady the recently procured scalp as a symbol of his devotion to her, and told her that one day he would return to claim the scalp and he would then take her hand in marriage. With that, she nailed the scalp over the mantel of the fireplace and told him it would stay there until he returned. Unfortunately for the women, Wetzel never did return for the scalp. However, she was faithful to him until the day she died some 80 years later. The people who later took residence in the home of the women took down the scalp and buried it, claiming that it haunted the house. Although the scalp was removed, there still remained a grease spot on the wall where the scalp had hung for nearly a century. Almost two hundred years later, the grease spot can still be seen. Although the grease spot has little relevance to the topic at hand, the fact that Wetzel viewed a scalp as a symbol of his intentions to marry is very troubling.[52]

Bibliography

Allman, C.B. Lewis Wetzel, Indian Fighter. New York, 1961.

De Hass’, Wills. History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia. Wheeling, 1851, 2000.

Doddridge, Joseph. Notes on the Settlements and Indian Wars. Pittsburgh, 1912.

Edgington, George. Further Materials of Lewis Wetzel and the Upper Ohio Frontier. Bowie, 1994.

Hartley, Cecil B. Life and Adventures of Lewis Wetzel. Philidelphia, 1860.

Payne, Dale. Indian Warfare and Massacres On the Virginia Frontier. Fayetteville, 2002.

Lambert, Oscar D. Camps and Firesides West of the Alleghenies. Charleston, 1941.

McKnight, Charles. Our Western Border. Philadelphia, 1876.

McWhorter, Lucullus V. The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia From 1768 to 1795. Richwood, 1973.

Spooner, Walter W. Back-Woodsmen or Tales of the Borders. Cincinnati, 1883.

Withers, Alexander S. Chronicles of Border Warfare. Cincinnati, 1920.

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[1] McWhorter Bord. Sett. pg. 31.

[2] De Hass Hist.Ind Wars WV pg. 76-77.

McWhorter Bord. Sett. pg. 33.

[3] Payne Ind.War.Masc. Pg. 1.

[4] Payne Ind.War.Masc. Pg. 2.

[5] The Wappatomaka was the Algonquian Indian name for the South Branch of the Potomac River. McWhorter Bord. Sett Pgs. 31 and 415.

[6] The records are unclear as to whether the year was 1770 or 1771 that the couple was married. McWhorter Bord. Sett Pg. 64-65.

[7] McWhorter Bord. Sett Pg. 41.

[8] McWhorter Bord. Sett Pg. 66.

[9] McWhorter Bord. Sett. Pg. 435.

[10] Bull Town was a village of friendly Delaware Indians located near present day Burnsville, in Braxton County West Virginia. The village was founded by an Indian named Captain Bull, and was very near the Stroud homestead. McWhorter Bord. Sett. Pg. 86.

[11] Withers Chron. Bord. War. Pg. 137.

[12] Withers Chron. Bord. War. Pgs. 240-241.

[13] McWhorter Bord. Sett. Pg. 59.

[14] McWhorter Bord. Sett. Pg. 135..

[15] McWhorter Bord. Sett. Pg. 59.

[16] Allman Wetzel pg. 5.

[17] Allman Wetzel pg. 17.

[18] Allman Wetzel pg 120.

[19] McKnight Our West. Bord. Pg. 339.

[20] De Hass Hist.Ind Wars WV pg. 347.

[21] Allman Wetzel pg. 34-38.

[22] Allman Wetzel pg. 41.

[23] Edgington Fur. Mat. Wetzel Ohio Front. Pg. 12.

[24] De Hass Hist.Ind Wars WV pg. 349.

[25] Doddridge Not. Sett. Ind. War pg. 231.

[26] Allman Wetzel Pg. 118-120.

[27] The first name of this officer could not be attained.

[28] De Hass Hist.Ind Wars WV pg. 350.

[29] McKnight Our West. Bord. Pg. 333.

[30] Allman Wetzel pg. 108-109.

[31] McMechen Leg. Vall. Pg. 43.

[32] General Harmar’s First Name could not be found.

[33] He was a very prominent Indian named George Washington. De Hass Hist.Ind Wars WV pg. 355.

[34] Hartley Lewis Wetzel VA Rang. Pg. 67-70.

[35] McWhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA. pg. 55.

[36] McWhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA.pg. 58-59.

[37] McWhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA pg. 132.

[38] McWhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA pg. 217.

[39] McWhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA pg. 216-217.

[40] Mcwhorter Bord. Sett. NWVA pg. 69,216, 180.

[41] McKnight West Bord.pg. 327.

[42] McKnight West Bord.pg. 332.

[43] McKnight West Bord.pg. 339.

[44] This is a poem by McKnight, however I found it in Camps and Firesides West of the Alleghenies by Lambert. I could not find it in McKnight’s Our Western Border.

Lambert Camps Fire. West Allegh. pg. 124.

[45] Allman Lew. Wetz. Ind. Fight. pg. xiv and 196.

[46] Dehass Hist. Sett. Ind. Wars.pg. 344-345.

[47] Lambert Camps Fire. West Allegh. pg. 125.

[48] Hartley Life Adv. Lew. Wetz.pg. 13.

[49] Allman Lew. Wetz. Ind. Fight. pg. 120.

[50] Allman Lew. Wetz. Ind. Fight. pg. xvi.

[51] It just so happens that I live on Wetzel Ave. in Morgantown, WV.

[52] This story was told to me by a dear friend named Robert Guthrie, who lives in Bayard, which is in Grant County West Virginia. He has spent his life researching the ways and lives of backwoodsmen of the area. He was told this story from the residents of the home in which the story took place and was able to see and touch the grease spot on the wall. Unfortunately, his memory is not what it used to be, which has caused some of the details of the story to be lost.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 21:12:07Z

Subject: Jesse Hughes Movie
Date Posted: 10/09/2009
Author: Art hughes
Art hughes's Email: pro4art@yahoo.com
Message:
As of Oct, 2009, an independant film co. is shooting a movie about Jesse Hughes, the noted Indian fighter and Scout. The next shoot is in Coonskin Park, near Charleston WV, Oct 18, 2009. Volunteers, both Whites and Indians with period costumes, are still needed, to finish the movie, which is about half finished. The movie will be avaiable in May 2010. Contact Ed Clevenger. 1-863-651-2145 Email jessehughesfilm@yahoo.com Ed is a native of WV, having been raised in Ravenswood, WV. His goal is to preserve an important part of WV's History.

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 21:05:54Z

Muzzle Blasts Online
April/May 2000 Volume 5, Number 2

Jesse Hughes: The Legend, the Man

by John Curry
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Click on image for enlarged view.
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The serious study of typical frontier figures such as Jesse Hughes enables us to gain credibility in our own portrayals.
Photo: Bob Hill
Remember the old saying "Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut"? Well, thanks to Dale Payne (my long-time trail partner from Fayetteville, West Virginia) I've stumbled into a pistachio farm! I had mentioned to Dale while we were encamped on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland that I was looking for information on an original longhunter named Jesse Hughes. Jesse was an early Virginia/Kentucky frontiersman, a great hunter, and a famous Indian fighter. Top-notch historian that he is, Squire Payne was kind enough to mail me a haversack full of fascinating accounts and descriptions regarding this venerable woodsman.
Hughes' lifestyle and his intense preoccupation with hunting and the unexplored wild places make him an excellent example for those of us who attempt to emulate the longhunter. Like other famous longhunters such as Elisha Walden, Henry Skaggs, and Thomas Sharpe Spencer, Jesse never farmed, but hunted exclusively for a living. Due to his extremely violent disposition toward all Indians, many historians look upon Jesse Hughes as the role model for the well known borderman Lewis Wetzel.

Fortunately, we have a wealth of information on the exploits, mind-set, and personal appearance of Jesse. One of the best and most specific descriptions of any Virginia/Carolina frontiersman I have ever seen comes from Lucullus V. McWhorter's The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia. The following quotes from pages 33 to 35 give us an excellent, intimate look at an actual 18th century wilderness explorer, longhunter, and Indian fighter:

"With (Samuel) Pringle's band of prospectors of 1769, came a youth of about nineteen - Jesse Hughes. He was of Welsh extraction, slight in his proportions, and light and active in his movements. He possessed a form as erect as that of an Indian, and had endurance and fleetness of limb that no man of his day surpassed. His height was about five feet and nine inches, and his weight never exceeded one hundred and forty-five pounds. He had thin lips, a narrow chin, a nose that was sharp and inclined to the Roman form, little or no beard, light hair, and eyes of that indefinable color that one person would pronounce grey, another blue, but which was both - and neither. They were piercing, cold, fierce, and as penetrating and restless as those of the mountain panther. He was of an irritable, vindictive, and suspicious nature, and his hatred, when aroused, knew no bounds. Yet it is said that he was true to those who gained his friendship.

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Henry Behr and Gordon Smith stand high above a rocky outcropping overlooking the Red River in the Daniel Boone National Forest of Kentucky.
Photo: John Curry
In an interview with an intelligent and reputable lady, who, in her childhood, had known Jesse Hughes, and had been intimately acquainted with some of his family, I was given this vivid description of the characteristics and personal appearance of the great Indian fighter:
'Hughes' countenance was hard, stern and unfeeling; his eyes were the most cruel and vicious I ever saw. He was profane and desperately wicked. He was very superstitious. His temper was fierce and uncontrollable. He never worked, but spent his time in hunting and scouting. His clothing was colored in the ooze made from the bark of the chestnut oak; he would wear no other color, this shade harmonizing with the forest hues and rendering him less conspicuous to game and Indians. When scouting, his dress consisted only of the long hunting shirt, belted at the waist, open leggings, moccasins, and a brimless cap; or a handkerchief bound about his head. Thus dressed, he was ever ready for the chase, or the trail of the Indian foe.'

His mode of dress as described above has been amply verified from other sources. When Indian incursions were expected, Jesse Hughes wore his hunting shirt both day and night, without regard to weather.

Of the pioneers who came with Pringle into the Buckhannon country, Withers says:

'The others of the party (William Hacker, Thomas and Jesse Hughes, John and William Radcliff and John Brown) appear to have employed their time exclusively in hunting, neither of them making any improvement of land for his own benefit. Yet they were of considerable service to the new settlement. Those who had commenced clearing land were supplied by them with an abundance of meat, while in their hunting excursions through the country, a better knowledge of it was obtained than could have been acquired, had they been engaged in making improvements.' "

Hughes was definitely a fine hunter and evidently enjoyed forays into the unknown and unexplored western forests. McWhorter further states; "Tradition on the Big Sandy River says that in previous times, Jesse Hughes scouted and hunted all over eastern Kentucky; that he was an associate of Matthias Harman, and that he was one of the famous 'Long Hunters'. On one occasion he swam Red River, holding his rifle and shot pouch high and dry in one hand. This was a tributary of the Kentucky River in eastern Kentucky. Red River is spoken of by the 'Long Hunters' who first came upon it in 1769." (The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia, p.212.)

In 1771 Jesse was married to Miss Grace Tanner. He built their cabin on Hacker's Creek, near the site of an old Shawnee village at the mouth of a stream that has ever since been known as "Jesse's Run". Hardesty in his History of Gilmer County informs us of another landmark scout in which Hughes participated shortly thereafter:

"Jesse Hughes and his brother Elias Hughes, along with William Lowther made the first exploration of the Little Kanawha River... It was in the autumn of the year 1772 that these three daring adventurers, whose names are all illustrious in the annals of pioneer history, left the spot where Clarksburg now stands and traveled up the west fork of the Monongahela river. From there they crossed the dividing ridge, and journeyed down Sand Creek to its junction with the Little Kanawha River.

Here was a beautiful mountain river, upon whose rapid current the eye of civilized man had never before rested, and amid the surrounding hills the sound of his voice had never before been heard. But they must follow its tortuous course - its windings like a silver thread - to its junction with some other mighty river, they knew not what. So the journey was continued down the river and as they proceeded they bestowed the names upon its tributaries, which they have ever since borne...

...at the mouth of another stream were bluff banks filled with slate, and Slate Creek was left behind. But the mouth of the river down which they were journeying was now near at hand and soon the mighty La Belle Riviere of the early French voyagers was in sight, and our explorers stood upon its banks - probably the first Englishmen that ever stood upon the spot where the city of Parkersburg now stands."

These lengthy hunts and scouts into the unexplored, uninhabited regions of Northwestern Virginia and the "Dark & Bloody Ground" of Kentucky would tend to explain the confusing total absence of any information concerning Hughes during certain years (particularly in the early to mid-1770s), in contrast to numerous accounts of his exploits occurring both before and after those years. Apparently Jesse wasn't one to stick around the settlements for very long.

Jesse Hughes was, no doubt, one of the most successful Indian fighters who ever lived. The famous nineteenth-century historian Reuben Gold Thwaites observed, "Hughes was a noted border scout, but a man of fierce, unbridled passions, and so confirmed an Indian hater that no tribesman, however peaceful his record, was safe in his presence." (Chronicles of Border Warfare, p.137.)

Anything even approaching a thorough account of Hughes' activities against the natives would be far beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, I would like to pass along a few interesting, documented encounters...

"At a time of great danger from the incursions of the Indians, when the citizens of the neighborhood were in a fort at Clarksburg, Hughes one morning observed a lad very intently fixing his gun. 'Jim', said he, 'what are you doing that for?' 'I am going to shoot a turkey that I hear gobbling on the hillside,' said Jim. 'I hear no turkey,' said the other. 'Listen,' said Jim: 'there, didn't you hear it? Listen again.' 'Well,' says Hughes, after hearing it repeated, 'I'll go and kill it.' 'No you won't' said the boy, ' it is my turkey; I heard it first.' 'Well,' said Hughes, 'but you know I am the best shot. I'll go and kill it, and give you the turkey.' The lad demurred but at length agreed. Hughes went out of the fort on the side that was farthest from the supposed turkey, and passing along the river, went up a ravine and cautiously creeping through the bushes behind the spot, came in whence the cries issued, and, as he expected, espied a large Indian sitting on a chestnut stump, surrounded by sprouts, gobbling, and watching if any one would come from the fort to kill the turkey. Hughes shot him before the Indian knew of his approach, took off the scalp, and went into the fort, where Jim was waiting for his prize. 'There now,' says Jim, 'you have let the turkey go. I would have killed it if I had gone.' 'No' says Hughes, 'I didn't let it go,' and, taking out the scalp, threw it down. 'There take your turkey, Jim, I don't want it.' The lad was overcome, and nearly fainted to think of the certain death he had escaped, purely by the keen perception and good management of Jesse Hughes.' " (History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia; pp. 410, 411, Dr. Willis DeHass.)

The following event took place during an Indian attack on West's Fort in June of 1778:

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(L to R): Randy Kiddy takes aim as Ron Phelps and Mike Clemons back him up during a hostile scout in the mountainous Jefferson National Forest of western Virginia. A good basic understanding of the 18th century borderman helps these three to more correctly "step into" their time period with an absolute minimum of errors and guess work.
Photo: Dale Payne.
"The screams of the women alarmed the men in the fort; and seizing their guns, they ran out, just as Mrs. Freeman fell. Several guns were fired at the Indian while he was getting her scalp, but with no effect. They served however, to warn the men who went out, that danger was at hand; and they quickly came in.
Jesse Hughes and John Schoolcraft (who were out) in making their way to the fort, came very near two Indians standing by the fence looking towards the men at West's, so intently, that they did not perceive any one near them. They however, were observed by Hughes and Schoolcraft, who, avoiding them, made their way in, safely, Hughes immediately took up his gun, and learning the fate of Mrs. Freeman, went with some others to bring in the corpse. While there, he proposed to go and shew them, how near he had approached the Indians after the alarm had been given, before he saw them. Charles and Alexander West, Chas. Hughes, James Brown, and John Steeth, went with him. Before they had arrived at the place, one of the Indians was heard to howl like a wolf; and the men with Hughes moved on in the direction from which the sound proceeded. Supposing that they were then near the spot, Jesse Hughes howled in like manner, and being instantly answered, they ran to a point of the hill and looking over it, saw two Indians coming towards them. Hughes fired and one of them fell. The other took to flight." (Chronicles of Border Warfare; p.246, Alexander Scott Withers.)

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"Leaving the fort at night, he broke by their sentinels and ran with speed to the Buchannon fort."
Photo: Dave Clifton
Remember in the great 1939 Darryl F. Zanuck movie Drums Along The Mohawk, where Henry Fonda had to run from his besieged fort to another settlement and get help to save the fort from an Indian attack? Here's the real-life version:
"The frequent incursions of the Indians into this settlement, in the year 1778, had caused the inhabitants to desert their homes the next year, and shelter themselves in places of greater security; but being unwilling to give up the improvements which they had already made and commence anew in the woods, some few families returned to it during the winter, & on the approach of spring moved into the fort. They had not been long here, before the savages made their appearance, and continued to invest the fort for some time. Too weak to sally out and give them battle, and not knowing when to expect relief, the inhabitants were almost reduced to despair, when Jesse Hughes resolved at his own hazard, to try to obtain assistance to drive off the enemy. Leaving the fort at night, he broke by their sentinels and ran with speed to the Buchannon fort. Here he prevailed on a party of the men to accompany him to West's, and relieve those who had been so long confined there." (Chronicles of Border Warfare; p.288, Alexander Scott Withers.)

In regard to Jesse's skill, Willis Degas observes: "He was a great favorite, and no scouting party could be complete, unless Jesse Hughes had something to do with it." (History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia, p.412.)

Early in March of 1781 a party of Indians invaded the upper Monongahela river, inflicting much killing and bloodshed. Word was quickly passed and spies were sent out to watch for the enemy. Thwaites goes on to say:

"By some of these, the savages were discovered on the West Fork, near the mouth of Isaac's Creek, and intelligence of it immediately carried to the forts. A company of men, going in pursuit, came in view of their encampment, awhile before night, on a branch of Hughes' river, ever since known as Indian Creek. Jesse and Elias Hughes - active, intrepid and vigilant men - were left to watch the movements of the savages, while the remainder retired a small distance to refresh themselves, and prepare to attack them in the morning.

Before day Col. Lowther arranged his men in order of attack, and when it became light, on the preconcerted signal being given, a general fire was poured in. Five of the savages fell dead and the others fled leaving at their fires, all their shot bags and plunder, and all their guns, except one." (Chronicles of Border Warfare, pp. 311, 312)

One of the last accounts we have of Jesse Hughes' remarkable abilities and talent is contained, once again, in McWhorter's The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia (pp. 206 and 207). This heart- pounding incident took place in 1793, and reads like a fight scene from The Last of the Mohicans:

"The following fall, the Indians killed and devoured a cow that belonged to Jesse Hughes. They carried away with them the bell that the cow wore. One afternoon they rattled this bell on the mountainside above the fort. Some said to Jesse that his cow was coming home. He knew, however that she had been killed, and he replied that he would 'make the bell ring for something the next morning'. That night he hid himself on the mountain where he had heard the bell ringing that afternoon. As soon as it was light enough to see to shoot he heard the bell once again, and he cautiously made his way in the direction of the sound. Having gone but a short distance, he discovered two Indians, one large, one smaller in size. The big Indian was standing with his gun raised, ready for instant use, and the smaller one was going about on his hands and knees, with the bell on his neck, rattling it like a cow would if grazing in the woods. Hughes shot the big Indian and the small one ran. Jesse dropped his gun, grabbed the one belonging to the dead Indian and pursuing the other Indian, soon came up with him and shot him. The gun Hughes had taken from the fallen Indian was discovered as belonging to Benjamin Carpenter (killed by the same two Indians that spring) and it along with the powder horn and shot pouch were returned to the Carpenters."

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The author and John Evans passing the time of day inside Prickett's Fort near Fairmont, West Virginia. Jesse Hughes was a welcome and familiar face here.
Photo courtesy Prickett's Fort State Park.
Jesse left his place on Hacker's Creek in the fall of 1797. His eye fixed once again on the unsettled frontier, McWhorter says: "With his family, livestock, and his personal belongings he moved overland to that area around Vincennes, in the present State of Indiana." (The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia; p.211). Several years later he moved into eastern Kentucky and finally came back to West Virginia, where he died in the fall of 1829.
Jesse Hughes was a wonderful hunter, a great scout, a significant wilderness explorer, and a legendary Indian fighter. More importantly for us, he was also a common man -dressing, equipping and conducting himself in a manner appropriate to his time period, familiar and recognizable to the common people of the Virginia border lands. It is through the fascinating study of documented historic figures such as Jesse Hughes that we are able to become more realistic frontiersmen on our own scouts and forays into the wild, lonely places...

Bibliography

de Hass, Dr. Willis. History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia.
Hardesty. The History of Gilmer County.
McWhorter, Lucullus V. The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia.
Withers, Alexander Scott. Chronicles of Border Warfare.

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 20:59:35Z

Born 1750 South Branch of the Potomac, Hardy Co, WV LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Oct 1829 Ravenswood, Jackson Co, WV Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Married 1772 [1] Sealed S (LDS)
Father Thomas Hughes | F1439 Group Sheet
Mother Susannah [Mary ?] Baker | F1439 Group Sheet

Mother | Female
Grace Tanner

Born 1753 Hackers Creek, Va LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died 18 Jan 1842 Roane County, West Virginia Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Father Edward TANNER | F993 Group Sheet
Mother Rachel [Tanner] | F993 Group Sheet

Child 1 | Male
> Jesse Hughes, Jr

Born 1771 LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Yes, date unknown Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Susanna Mock | F1369
Married 22 Feb 1800 Crooked Fork Sandy, Harrison Co, WV Sealed S (LDS)

Child 2 | Female
> Martha Hughes

Born Dec 1773 LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Dec 1834 Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Jacob Bonnett | F1411
Married 6 Mar 1791 Harrison Co, WVa Sealed S (LDS)

Child 3 | Female
> Rachel Hughes

Born Abt 1775 Hackers Creek, Harrison Co, Va LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died 16 Jul 1860 Roane County, West Virginia Endowed (LDS)
Buried Cottrell Cemetery, Roane Co, WV Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse William Cottrell | F1412
Married 25 May 1794 Harrison Co, WVa Sealed S (LDS)

Child 4 | Female
> Sudna Hughes

Born Abt 1778 LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Bef 6 May 1823 Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Elijah Runner | F1413
Married 4 Oct 1800 Harrison Co , WV Sealed S (LDS)

Child 5 | Female
> Elizabeth Hughes

Born 1782 LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Yes, date unknown Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse James Stanley | F1414
Married 22 Feb 1800 Harrison Co, WVa Sealed S (LDS)

Child 6 | Male
> Thomas Hughes

Born Abt 1784 VA LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Yes, date unknown Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Elizabeth [Hughes] | F4198
Married Sealed S (LDS)

Child 7 | Male
> William Jonathan D Hughes

Born 13 Sep 1785 LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died 14 Jun 1847 Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Rebecca Staats | F1861
Married 25 Jan 1807 Wood County, West Virginia Sealed S (LDS)

Child 8 | Female
> Mercy 'Massie' Hughes

Born Abt 1790 Harrison Co, WVa LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died 30 May 1883 Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse Uriah Gandee, Jr | F1193
Married 30 Jul 1806 Wood County, West Virginia Sealed S (LDS)

Child 9 | Female
> Nancy Agnes Hughes

Born 1809 Harrison Co, WVa LDS Ordinances Date Place
Christened Baptized (LDS)
Died Yes, date unknown Endowed (LDS)
Buried Sealed P (LDS)
Spouse George W Hanshaw | F1220
Married 21 Oct 1818 Mason County, West Virginia Sealed S (LDS)

Notes ◦
Mason Co tax list
Jesse Hughes Sr 1805-06-07-09-10-11-12-13-14

1820 Mason, VA
Jesse Hughes
1m 0-10
1m 45+
3f 0-10
2f 10-16 Nancy
3f 16-26
1f 45+

~~
"Jackson County in the Wars"
Revolutionary Soldiers
Jesse Hughes, Sr. Although it is commonly believed that Hughes served in the Continental Army, no proof of such service is extant. He spent his most active years on Hacker's Creek, present Lewis County, where he was a leader in the warfare with the Indians. He is listed on the Kanawha county tax list for 1801 and on that of Mason county for 1805-1814. and the censuses of 1810 & 1820. On the Personal Property tax list for Jackson county in 1831. He died on Big Sandy Creek, Jackson County, 1829 and is buried in the Proctor Cemetery at Ravenswood.

The wife of Jesse Hughes Sr was Grace Tanner. Children: Martha (1773-1834) married Jacob Bonnett, 1792; Rachel, married William Cottrell; Sudna, married Elijah Runner, and died near Sandyville; Elizabeth married James Stanley, lived and died on Mud Run, near Sandyville; Massie (Massa) married Uriah Gandee Sr, who died in 1855, died in Roane county, May 30, 1883; Nancy Agnes, married George W Hanshaw and lived in Jackson co; Louraney, married Uriah Sayre and lived in Meigs county, OH; Thomas lived on the Ohio below Ravenswood; William, married Rebecca staats and lived near Ripley; Jesse, jr, married Susanna Mock in 1800 and lived in Jackson county - he was deceased in 1850.
~~

Jesse served in the Harrison County militia, was an Indian trader and became one of the most famous of the frontier scouts of his time. A payroll of Captain William Lowthers Company of VA militia credits Jesse with 132 days service in Lord Dunmore's Ohio Campaign in 1774.
In 1778, a party of Indians murdered Jesse's father, Thomas Hughes and in 1787, another party of Indians led by the white renegade, Leonard Schoolcraft, captured Jesse's daughter. Although Jesse was able to purchase his daughter's freedom the following year, the two incidents turned Jesse and his brother Elias into implacable enemies of the Indians.

~~~~
Harrison co marriages:
1794 - William Cottrall and Rachel Hughes
1795 - Benjamin Cox and Mary Hughes
1795 - William Bibby and Deborah Hughes
1800 - Jesse Huse and Susana Mock
1800 - James Stanley and Elizabeth Huse
1808 - Samuel Childers and Rebecca Hughes
1816 - William Childers and Nancy Hughes

~~~~
Pg. 25 Edward C.Smith's History of Lewis Co, WV
Jesse HUGHES chose a tract of land near mouth of Jesse's run (known as Jesse Hughes' run in early records) on his first visit to Hacker's creek in 1769, built cabin and settled there after his marriage to Miss Grace Tanner in 1770 or 1771. The records of Monongalia Co. court show that a grant was made to him in 1781 of "400 acres on Hacker's creek, to include his settlement made in 1770."

Sources 1.[S71] Judi Kenyon.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 20:49:17Z

Uriah Gandee, Sr., was born 1753, in Philadelphia, PA, and served in the Revolutionary War, 1776-1777, with the Pennsylvania Continentals. It is believed that after this period he moved to Randolph County where he became involved in a Tory uprising, was 'forgiven', became sheriff for two terms and in 1798 moved to Mason County. He was possibly the Uriah Gandee who operated a floating grist mill on the Ohio River off Buffington's Island 1800-1810. In 1833 he lived with a son on the Ohio River in Jackson County. Uriah, Jr. married Massie Hughes, on 30 Jul 1806 in Mason County and later, around 1824, settled in the area that became Gandeeville, Roane County.

Uriah Gandee, Jr., who was the pioneer settler of Gandeeville, was born 02 Sep 1782. His wife, Massie, was the daughter of Jessie Hughes, the famous Indian Scout. They had twelve children and it is told that Massie fought off a pack of savage wolves near her home. With them tearing at her flesh, she shot and clubbed them with torches. After this heroic deed, she lived 70 more years, dying when she was 107 years old. She lived to see a village spring up where her cabin stood. Massie also lived to see four of her sons fighting against each other in the Civil War before she died 30 May 1883 and was buried between her mother and her husband.

The James Stanley Gandee Family

Seated Left: JAMES STANLEY GANDEE (Age 86, son of Uriah and Massie Gandee)
Seated Right: FLOYD GANDEE (James' son)
Standing Left: OTMER GANDEE, SR. (James' grandson)
Child: OTMER THOMAS GANDEE, JR. (James' great grandson)

James Stanley Gandee was born 27 Jul 1832 and he first married Mary Leforce. They had ten children. After her death, he married Rachel Fields and to them were born ten children. He had filled many positions in Roane Co. from constable to sheriff. He died in 1925 at the age of 93. At his funeral 18 of his children were there. Rachel died in 1955 at the age of 96.

This picture taken in 1918 is a portion of the Floyd Gandee family. Floyd was the son of James Stanley Gandee.

Left to Right)...Eva Gandee (Wife of Floyd's son Otmer Sr.)
Margaret Fudge (Eva's mother)
Nancy Ufa Gandee (Floyd's daughter)
Floyd Gandee
Sarah (Vaughn) Gandee (Floyd's wife)
Mary Gandee (Floyd's daughter...She had a twin sister, Martha)

Photos submitted by Linda (Gandee) Sentelik
Historical Information from Roane County Family History 1989

The tradition in the Gandee family as confirmed by L. V. McWhorter, author of Border Settlers of North Western Virginia and The Life of Jesse Hughes, states that Martha, daughter of Jesse and Grace (Tanner) Hughes, was captured by Indians in 1787. Martha was fourteen years old and was kept as a prisoner for two years and nine months without any contact with her family. Believing that Martha was dead, another daughter was born to Jesse and Grace Hughes and they named this child Martha as a return of her that was gone. When the first Martha was restored to her parents, there were exclamations, "It is the mercy of God!". So the younger Martha was rechristened "Mercy", which, under the old Virginia manner of speech in which the "r" was suppressed and the "e" sounded as the "e" in they, the name "Massie" and hence was always so pronounced. This spelling is that given by McWhorter and others.

The third son of Uriah and Massie Gandee was William, born in Meigs County, Ohio in 1813 before the family moved to what is now Gandeeville, WV. around 1824. William married Margaret Nancy Casto and was for twenty-five years a prominent citizen taking part in all public affairs. He became a Justice of the Peace of the county, took part in formation and organization of Roane County, sitting as one member of the first County Court. On the outbreak of the Civil War, he was pro-Union and against secession, and became a captain of Home Guards, leading his men in defense of and keeping of legal authority in the county during the five years of that awful turmoil.

To Captain William Gandee and his wife were born four sons and three daughters; William, Jr., Cynthia, Frederick, George W., Martha, Jemima, and Jacob. Frederick Gandee was born 31 Jul 1842 and would marry Carolina Canterbury,daughter of Zadoc and Marcenia (Snow) Canterbury of Monroe County, Virginia. Frederick was a "Union sympathiser" during the "War of the Secessions"and was in the series of shooting and surrender in 1862 of Spencer. Frederick served in the regularly enlisted ranks of the Union army 1861 to 1864 and was in the battles of Charleston, Cloyd Mountain, New River Bridge, Lexington, Carter's Farm, Winchester, Hall Town, Martinsville, Berryville, Opequon and Fisher's Hill as a member of Company B, 9th West Virginia Infantry. After the war he was elected and served two terms as a Justice of the Peace of Walton District, was a Delegate for the County of Roane in the 18th Session in 1887 of the West Virginia Legislature.

Photo ca1880 of Frederick and Carolina Gandee

Photo submitted by Rev. Robert Cruikshank
Historical information from History of Roane County, WV 1774-1927 by William H. Bishop

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Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 20:46:30Z

Border Settlers, begun in 1896, has been written under adversity during such time as could be spared from keeping the traditional wolf from the door. The volume is a growth from an original design to write a biography of Jesse Hughes, the great Indian Scout of Western Virginia. Whatever its merits, it is the product of an incentive to place in tangible form some of the unpublished records, history and traditions of the pioneers of the most interesting region of our entire western border. In some instances widely scattered authorities have been drawn from, in the belief that a complete, though condensed history so far as practicable, was desirable. Comparatively, the printed record meagre; but the field was found rich in unchronicled lore.

Nowhere in the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the New World is there a territory so fraught with dramatic tragedy, personal prowess and adventure, as the Trans-Allegheny. For more than twenty years, embracing the Revolutionary struggle, amid the dark mazes of this mighty wilderness, the Red and the White warriors met in deadly conflict. It was a warfare cruel, fierce and unrelenting; where mutual wrongs and implacable race hatred ever whetted anew the murderous scalping knife and rendered unerring the aim of the deadly rifle. The sombre dales of the Monongahela and the deep glens of the Kanawhas' witnessed many a tragic scene. The set purpose to found new homes in the wilderness was met with a grim determination to maintain those homes long established to the westward, by holding, if possible, this natural barrier against the invader.

By instinct and training the contestants stood fairly matched. Baring the torture stake, the status of the "Advance guard of civilization," was scarce above that of the Red guard of barbarism. The isolation of the settlers' cabins was responsible for the many dreadful massacres of innocence; while the segregation of the Indians alone secured them from the ravages of a like warfare. When the opportunity afforded, entire families, bands and villages were ruthlessly destroyed. The wolf and the vulture ever hovered in the wake of the Red and the White forayer. The war whoop and the border yell were alike synonymous of death: - a call for the carrion creatures to assemble in feast.

The antipathy of the Indian for the "Long Knives" was well founded. Nowhere in the early annals can we find such reckless dare-devil bravery as displayed by the Virginia frontiersman; where every settler was a warrior. And nowhere has the chronicler dealt more unfairly with the memory of the forest ranger. If zeal in the extirpation of the Indian is to be considered a virtue, then many of these bordermen were entitled to canonization. Jesse Hughes and his two noted brothers: - the peers of Boone, Brady, Kenton, the McColloughs', Wetzels' and the Zanes', have but small space in the annals, while the names of others of scarce less ability are practically unknown. In the present work, many of the deeds of these scouts are, for the first time, made public.

Pathos and tragedy are the component parts of the early history of this region. Domestic life held but little cheer. The warrior-settler engaged so constantly in scouting and the chase, was not only necessarily improvident, but his meagre wages for military services were often in arrears. On the wife and the mother devolved the heavier burden of providing for the family. It was not enough that she spin and manufacture clothing, but the "corn patch" and the "truck patch" were usually the product of her toil, aided, perhaps, by the children. Unceasing danger and hardships were her portion, and her worth has never been appreciated.

A descendant of one of the oldest and most noted pioneer families of the upper Monongahela, writes me.

"In writing the record of the wilderness heroes, do not forget that it was our old grandmothers who cooked for all the people around open wood fires when they attended church in their cabin homes: that there were as many noble women as there were noble men, true heroines, who with but few pleasures to mitigate the monotony of their hard, arduous lives; they toiled without murmur or complaint. Their courage, industry, patience and self-denial, were the beautiful as well as the pathetic side of the pioneer life in those trying days. They were the real foundations of the great civilization of our land. Do not forget our grandmothers."

This is true; and the historian has failed to recognize the actual part of these grandmothers in the settlement and development of the Trans-Allegheny. When life in the boundless woods threatened to revert husband, father and son to hopeless barbarism, it was their influence which checkmated the seductive "call of the wild." PEACE TO THEIR MEMORY.

The following is a list of the names of men for whose military records search was made among the archives of the War Department, and the Pension Office, Washington, D. C. With the exception of a few soldiers of the War of 1812, which are so designated, all were for services during the Revolutionary War, either Continental Troops or State Militia; which latter included frontier scouts or rangers. Many of these never applied for pension; some dying before the pension laws covering their case were enacted. The prospect of a record through the widow's claim was an incentive for the examination. I am indebted to Laura Gertrude Rogers, of Washington City, for the splendid results obtained, which are fully set forth in the course of this volume. It was found that not a few of the bravest defenders of the border were left entirely without the pale of any pensioning legislation.

Baily, Capt. Minter; Bent, Belt or Broadbelt, James (War 1812); Biggs, Lieut. Joseph; Bonnett, Jacob; Bonnett, Lewis; Bonnett, Peter; Bozarth, Cap. John (War 1812); Bozarth, George (War of 1812); Brake, Jacob; Brown, John; Bush, Jacob; Bush, John; Butcher, Paulcene. Carpenter, Christopher; Carpenter, Jesse;

Carpenter, John; Connells, Col. John (War 1812); Cotteral, Thomas; Cutright, John; Cutright, Benjamin; Cutright, Peter.

Davisson, Hezekiah; Dorman, Timothy; Drennen, Thomas; Duval, John P. Flesher, Adam;

Flesher, Henry; Forenash, Jacob.

Green, George; Gregory, Capt. Joseph.

Hacker, John; Hacker, William; Hall, Joseph; Hess, Hezekiah (1776-1812); Hicks, Sotha; Hinzman, Henry; Hughes, Jesse (for widow's claim); Hughes, Elias; Hughes, Thomas; Hughes, Job;

Hughes, Charles, Hughes, Charles (War of 1812); Hughes, David (War of 1812); Hughes (any name Volunteer from Licking Co., Ohio. War 1812); Hurst, William; Hurst (any name); Hurst, John (War of 1812); Hurst, Daniel (War of 1812); Hurst, William (War of 1812).

Jackson, John; Jackson, George; Jackson, Edward; Jackson, Henry; Jenkins, Bartholomew.

One John Pringle was a settler on Chaplin's Fork, Kentucky, in 1780. He came with a fleet of three boats from the Wappatomaka, and in an encounter with the Indians, led by Simon Girty, Pringle's boat alone escaped. He married Rebecca Simpson, a sister to a John Simpson, from whom she inherited slaves in 1825.

Samuel Pringle settled permanently on the Buckhannon, and was prominent in the border wars. From sworn statements preserved in the Government Pension Office, it would appear that, Samuel Pringle was at one time during the Revolution, captain of a band of scouts, but as no claim for pension on account of his Revolutionary service was made, we find no actual record of his military career. His wife, Charity Cutright, was the daughter of Benjamin Cutright, and a sister of John Cutright, Jr., the noted scout of the Buckhannon. A family tradition has it that Samuel and Charity were married before the fugitive brothers made residence in the Sycamore, where Mrs. Pringle joined her husband in 1767, guided by a path blazed by John when he first sought the settlements. Another account says they were not married until after the return of the brothers to the Wappatomaka, although a warm attachment had sprung up between the young couple, while the deserters were at Looney's Creek in 1762. It is more than probable that the marriage was consummated during the brief stay of Pringle at Looney's Creek, and that the devoted wife actually traversed the wilderness path to her absent husband.

The children of Samuel and Charity were William, John, Samuel, Elizabeth and another daughter whose name is not recalled. Their descendants are numerous in the Buckhannon country, while some are scattered through sections of Ohio and Indiana.

The claim that the Pringles, as soldiers in the Royal Army, only came to America during the French and Indian wars, can not be accepted as fact. It is not probable that such men would have deserted and fled to a wilderness fraught with known dangers with which they were unqualified to cope. Border Colonial troops, as in the Patriot Army of the Revolution, chafed at restraint and discipline, and often deserted. The Pringles evinced a consummate skill in woodcraft, not attributable to the raw European soldier.

It is a remarkable coincidence that a William Pringle resided in Philadelphia, who had two sons named John and Samuel, born in 1728 and 1731 respectively.

It is not improbable that this family removed to the Virginia border and that the sons were identical with those of later renown.

Momentous events were destined to follow in the wake of these wilderness refugees. In the autumn of 1768, several adventurous and prospective settlers under the guidance of Samuel, visited the region of the Pringle refuge, and so well pleased were they, that the following spring they returned, selected lands, cleared small fields, planted crops and built cabins preparatory to bringing their families. After the crops were "laid by," the men returned to the settlements, and in the fall when they came back to harvest their corn, they found it entirely destroyed by buffaloes. This delayed the removal of the families, or at least a greater part of them, until the winter of 1770.

With Pringle's band of prospectors of 1769, came a youth of about nineteen - Jesse Hughes. He was of Welsh extraction, slight in his proportions, and light and active in his movements. He possessed a form as erect as that of an Indian, and had endurance and fleetness of limb that no man of his day surpassed. His height was about five feet and nine inches, and his weight never exceeded one hundred and forty-five pounds. He had thin lips, A narrow chin, a nose that was sharp and inclined to the Roman form, little or no beard, light hair, and eyes of that indefinable color that one person would pronounce grey, another blue, but which was both - and neither. They were piercing, cold, fierce, and as penetrating and restless as those of the mountain panther. Said one who knew him: "Hughes had eyes like a rattlesnake." It has been averred, and without contradiction, that Jesse Hughes, like the famed "Deaf Smith" of Texas, could detect the presence of an Indian at a considerable distance by the mere sense of smell. He was of an irritable, vindictive, and suspicious nature, and his hatred, when aroused, knew no bounds. Yet it is said that he was true to those who gained his friendship. Such was Jesse Hughes in character and appearance when he arrived in that country destined to become his future home, and where he became the noted hunter, the great scout and famous Indian fighter of Northwestern Virginia.

In an interview with an intelligent and reputable lady, now deceased, who, in her childhood, had known Jesse Hughes, and had been intimately acquainted with some of his family, I was given this vivid description of the characteristics and personal appearance of the great Indian fighter:

"Hughes' countenance was hard, stern and unfeeling; his eyes were the most cruel and vicious I ever saw. He was profane and desperately wicked. He was very superstitious, and a firm believer in witchcraft. He told horrible stories of how witches would crawl like spiders over the naked bodies of babies, causing them to cry out from pain and misery; and he would conjure to counteract the witches, and offer incantations to overcome their evil influence. His temper was fierce and uncontrollable, often finding vent in the abuse of his family. In a drunken brawl near West's Fort, he and a Mr. Stalnaker nearly killed lchabod Davis, his neighbor, leaving the unconscious victim for dead. Hughes fled from the settlement, but returned after Davis recovered. He never worked, but spent his time in hunting and scouting. His clothing was colored in the ooze made from the bark of the chestnut oak; he would wear no other color, this shade harmonizing with the forest hues and rendering him less conspicuous to game and Indians. When scouting, his dress consisted only of the long hunting shirt, belted at the waist, open leggins, moccasins, and a brimless cap; or a handkerchief bound about his head. Thus dressed, he was ever ready for the chase, or the trail of the Indian foe."

When further questioned as to his traits of character, the lady bluntly closed the interview by saying, "I would not tell all I know about Jesse Hughes for this much gold," designating the amount she could hold in her doubled-hands. "There are," she continued, "too many of his descendants living about here." Nor could she be induced to speak further on the subject.

His mode of dress, as above described, has been amply verified from other sources. When Indian incursions were expected, Jesse Hughes wore his hunting shirt both day and night, without regard to weather.

Mrs. Catharine Simms-Allman remembered that when she was a little girl, Jesse Hughes came to her father's house on Hacker's Creek, one mile below West's Fort, early one morning, and ordered them to run to the fort. Upon that occasion his dress consisted of the hunting shirt and moccasins only. He was riding a pony without a saddle, and mounted her mother behind him, and with one of the children in his arms, galloped to the fort. This incident occurred while Hughes lived at the mouth of Jesse's Run.

At the end of his cabin, Hughes erected a "lean-to," where at all times he kept his pony ready for instant use in case of an Indian alarm.

Of the pioneers who came with Pringle into the Buckhannon country, Withers says:

"The others of the party (William Hacker, Thomas and Jesse Hughes, John and William Radcliff and John Brown) appear to have employed their time exclusively in hunting, neither of them making any improvement of land for his own benefit. Yet they were of considerable service to the new settlement. Those who had commenced clearing land, were supplied by them with an abundance of meat, while in their hunting excursions through the country, a better knowledge of it was obtained, than could have been acquired, had they been engaged in making improvements.

"In one of these expeditions they discovered and gave name to Stone Coal Creek, which flowing westwardly, induced the supposition that it discharged itself directly into the Ohio. Descending this creek, to ascertain the fact, they came to its confluence with a river, which they then called, and has since been known as the West Fork. After having gone some distance down the river, they returned by a different route to the settlement, better pleased with the land on it and some of its tributaries, than with that on Buckhannon."

The hunters evidently returned to the settlement by way of Hacker's Creek. The Indian name for this stream signifies "Muddy Water."

It is astonishing when we realize how little there is recorded of the actual border life of Jesse Hughes, and other noted scouts of Northwestern Virginia. Especially is this true when we remember that Mr. Withers wrote his Chronicles of Border Warfare in the midst of the very scenes of some of the most daring escapades and bloody achievements of border strife; and

this, too, while many of the principal actors in the tragedies were still living. It is but natural that we should expect a reasonably complete record of local events; but, unfortunately we find the record as preserved for us woefully deficient. A careful perusal of the excellent work in question, reveals the fact that a greater part of that section of it which deals with local affairs is not so complete, nor are the events so carefully portrayed, as is that part which treat matters pertaining to more distant localities. It cannot be denied that the first part of the volume, which sets out the general history of the more distant settlements, is more complete, more concise, and far more minutely written than the latter portion, which is largely local. Dr. Thwaites recognized this deficiency. In the Editor's Preface to the revised edition he says:

"The weakness of the traditional method is well exemplified in Withers' work. His treatment of many of the larger events on the border may now be regarded as little else than a thread on which to hang annotations;***"

There must have been a cause for this deficiency, which becomes very apparent when we read Dr. Lyman C. Draper's Memoir of Withers, and the letter from Mr. Bond set out below. Dr. Draper tells us that:

" * * * Mr. Withers got nothing whatever for his diligence and labor in producing it [Border Warfare], save two or three copies of the work itself. He used to say that had he published the volume himself, he would have made it much more complete, and better in every way; for he was hampered, limited and hurried - often correcting proof of the early, while writing the later chapters."

The letter from Mr. Bond is in response to an inquiry, and

is as follows:

"LOST CREEK, W. VA., January 23, 1898.

Mr. L. V. MCWHORTER,

MASON, OHIO.

DEAR SIR:

"Your letter received, and in reply will say; I am a grandson of William Powers, one of the men who got up Border Warfare; William Hacker was the other. This work lay dormant in their hands for many years. Hacker passed away first. Powers purchased Hacker's interest in the work, and it lay in his hands until 1831, when Joseph Israel, an editor in Clarksburg, bought the manuscript and arranged for its publication by employing Alexander Scott Withers to prepare it for the press. Accordingly Mr. Withers took up the work, and after he had it about half completed some friend told him that he was likely to get nothing for his labor, and that Israel was poor and could not raise the amount of money agreed upon. Mr. Withers did not want to leave the work in that condition and said, 'I will dispose of it in some shape.' So he ran through the most notable and prominent features, leaving the balance entirely out.

"Now from this time on you and all others will see that the second part of Border Warfare is rather incomplete and scattered as compared to the first part of the volume.

"This is the history that my grandfather gave me of the work from his own lips. My grandfather lived on a farm adjoining Jane Lew [West Fort], about three miles from Withers' office, and was there several times while Withers was preparing the work, and he told me these things himself.

"I am the only man that can give this history, as I am the only one living who took any account of these things. I am now in my eighty-second year.

"In regard to Jesse Hughes, my grandfather told me that they had hunted Indians together, and were in the volunteer company pursuing the Indians on the Little Kanawha, when John Bonnett was killed; that Jesse was the best trailer among the whites and could trail with any Indian on the border. Jesse's brother Ellis was also a noted scout. While he could not trail with Jesse, he was the greater with the rifle, and could hit an Indian under any and all circumstances within the range of his rifle. He was a dead shot.

"When hunting, Ellis could get more game than Jesse at long range, but at the end of the day Jesse would have as much, but he would get it by slipping upon it unawares. In this, as in trailing Indians, he had no equal."

Yours truly,

LEVI BOND.

Here, then, we have the solution to the mystery of the incomplete and defective character of the history in question. This very apparent fault is lamentable. It is the incidental details that give interest to local history. There is little wonder that Mr. Withers became discouraged and lost interest in his noble but arduous task. A less energetic and patriotic man would have dropped the work entirely when it became apparent that there would be no compensation for his labor. All honor to Mr. Withers!

There is considerable mention of Jesse Hughes in the annals of Virginia, particularly in the early settlement of Northwestern Virginia, particularly those portions relating to the Indian wars of the period. But taken all together there is not enough to give the reader any accurate idea of Hughes and the important part he played in the settlement of the central regions of the present State of West Virginia. It will, however, aid the reader much when combined with what has been preserved herein and published for the first time. For this reason I have decided to reproduce in this chapter the extended reference to him found in the History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia, by Dr. Willis DeHass, Wheeling, 1851. Another reason for this quotation is that this work is so very rare that it cannot be consulted by the average reader. It is a work of high order and has been an authority for more than half a century. A few references to Hughes from other sources will be found in this

chapter.

JESSE HUGHES

"One of the most active, daring and successful Indian hunters in the mountain region of Virginia, was Jesse Hughes. He has not inappropriately been styled the Wetzel of that portion of the state, and in many respects, certainly was not undeserving of that distinctive appellation. Jesse Hughes possessed in an imminent degree the rare constituents of courage and energy. These qualities, so essential in those days of savage warfare, gained for him the confidence of the sturdy men for the post by whom he was surrounded, and often induced them to select him for the post of leader in their various expeditions against the enemy. Many are the tales of adventure which the people of West Fork and Little Kanawha relate of this notable personage. A few of these we have collected and now give.

"Hughes was a native of the region to which his operations were chiefly confined. He was born on the headwaters of the Monongahela, and grew to manhood amid the dangers and privations which the people of that section of Virginia endured during the long years of a border warfare. Early learning that the rifle and tomahawk were his principal means of maintenance and defense, he became an adept in their use and refused to acknowledge a superior anywhere. Passionately devoted to the wood, he became invaluable to the settlements as hunter and scout. A man of delicate frame, but an iron constitution, he could endure more fatigue than any of his associates, and thus was enabled to remain abroad at all seasons without inconvenience or detriment. Many were the threatened blows which his vigilance averted, and numerous lives of helpless settlers his strong arm reached forth to save. The recollection of his services and devotion is still cherished with a lively feeling of admiration by the people of the region with which his name is so intimately associated.

"The following incidents illustrative of his career, we derive from sources entitled to every credit. The one which immediately follows is from an old and intimate friend of Hughes (Mr. Renick of Ohio), to whom it was communicated by the hero himself, and afterwards confirmed by Mr. Harness, who was one of the expedition. The time of the incident was about 1790.

"'No Indian depredations had recently occurred in the vicinity of Clarksburg, and the inhabitants began to congratulate themselves that difficulties were finally at an end.

"'One night a man hearing the fence of a small lot, he had a horse in, fall, jumped up and running out saw an Indian spring on the horse and dash off. The whole settlement was alarmed in an hour or two, a company of twenty-five or thirty men were paraded, ready to start by daylight. They took a circle outside of the settlement, and soon found the trail of apparently eight or ten horses, and they supposed, about that many Indians. The captain (chosen before Hughes joined the company) called a halt, and held a council to determine in what manner to pursue them. The captain and a majority of the company were for following on their trail: Hughes was opposed, and he said he could pilot them to the spot where the Indians would cross the Ohio, by a nearer way than the enemy could go, and if they reached there before the Indians, could intercept them and be sure of success. But the commander insisted on pursuing the trail. Hughes then tried another argument: he pointed out the danger of trailing the Indians: insisted that they would waylay their trail, in order to know if they were pursued, and would choose a situation where they could shoot two or three and set them at defiance; And alarming the others, the Indians would out-travel them and make their escape. The commander found that Hughes was like to get a majority for his plan, in which event he (the captain) would lose the honor of planning the expedition. Hughes, by some, was considered too wild for the command, and it was nothing but jealousy that kept him from it, for in most of the Indian excursions, he got the honor of the best plan, or did the best act that was performed. The commander then broke up the council by calling aloud to the men to follow him and let the cowards go home, and dashed off full speed, the men ail following. Hughes knew the captain's remark was intended for him, and felt the insult in the highest degree, but followed on with the rest. They had not gone many miles until the trail ran down a ravine where the ridge on one side was very steep, with a ledge of rock for a considerable distance. On the top of this cliff two Indians lay in ambush, and when the company got opposite they made a noise of some kind, that caused the men to stop: that instant two of the company were shot and mortally wounded. They now found Hughes' prediction fully verified, for they had to ride so far round before they could get up the cliff, that the Indians with ease made their escape.

"'They all now agreed that Hughes' plan was the best, and urged him to pilot them to the river where the Indians would cross. He agreed to do it; but was afraid it might be too late, for the Indians knew that they were pursued and would make a desperate push. After leaving some of the company to take care of the wounded men, they put off for the Ohio river, at the nearest point, and got there the next day shortly after the Indians had crossed. The water was still muddy, and the rafts that they crossed on were floating down the opposite shore. The men were now unanimous for returning home. Hughes soon got satisfaction for the insult the captain had given him: he said he wanted to find out who the cowards were; that if any of them would go, he would cross the river and scalp some of the Indians. They all refused. He then said if one man would go with him, he would undertake it; but none would consent. Hughes then said he would go and take one of their scalps, or leave his own.

"'The company now started home, and Hughes went up the river three or four miles, keeping out of sight of it, for he expected the Indians were watching them to see if they would cross. He there made a raft, crossed the river, and encamped for the night. The next day he found their trail, and pursued it very cautiously, and about ten miles from the Ohio found their camp. There was but one Indian in it, the rest were out hunting. The Indian left to keep camp, in order to pass away the time, got to playing the fiddle on some bones that they had for the purpose. Hughes crept up and shot him, took his scalp and made the best of his way home.

"The following characteristic anecdote goes far to illustrate the great discernment and instantaneous arrangement of plans of this shrewd and skillful Virginia hunter.

"It is a general belief that the Indian is exceedingly cunning; unrivalled in the peculiar knowledge of the woods, and capable, by the extraordinary imitative faculties which he possesses, to deceive either man, beast or fowl. This is true to a certain extent; but still, with all his natural sagacity and quick perception of a native woodman, the Indian warrior falls short of the acquired knowledge of a well trained hunter, as the following case serves to illustrate. Jesse Hughes was more than a match at any time for the most wary savage in the forest. In his ability to anticipate all their artifices, he had but few equals, and fewer still, superiors. But, to the incident.

"At a time of great danger from the incursions of the Indians, when the citizens of the neighborhood were in a fort at Clarksburg, Hughes one morning, observed a lad very intently fixing his gun. 'Jim', said he, 'what are you doing that for?' 'I am going to shoot a turkey that I hear gobbling on the hillside,' said Jim. 'I hear no turkey,' said the other. 'Listen,' said Jim: 'there, didn't you hear it? Listen again.' 'Well,' says Hughes, after hearing it repeated, 'I'll go and kill it.' 'No you won't, said the boy, 'it is my turkey; I heard it first.' 'Well,' said Hughes, 'but you know I am the best shot. I'll go and kill it, and give you the turkey.' The lad demurred but at length agreed. Hughes went out of the fort on the side that was farthest from the supposed turkey, and passing along the river, went up a ravine and cautiously creeping through the bushes behind the spot, came in whence the cries issued, and, as he expected, espied a large Indian sitting on a chestnut stump, surrounded by sprouts, gobbling, and watching if any one would come from the fort to kill the turkey. Hughes shot him before the Indian knew of his approach, took off the scalp, and went into the fort, where Jim was waiting for his prize. 'There now,' says Jim, 'you have let the turkey go. I would have killed it if I had gone.' 'No,' says Hughes, 'I didn't let it go;' and, taking out the scalp, threw it down. 'There take your turkey, Jim, I don't want it.' The lad was overcome, and nearly fainted to think of the certain death he had escaped, purely by the keen perception and good management of Jesse Hughes.'

"Jesse Hughes, as we have already stated, was often of invaluable service to the settlements along the upper Monongahela, by advising them of the approach of Indians. On one occasion, a considerable body of the common enemy attacked a fort near Clarksburg, and but for the energy and fearlessness of Hughes might have reduced the frail structure, and massacred every one within it. This daring man boldly went forth for succor, and succeeded in reaching a neighboring station in safety. Immediately a company of men left to relieve the besieged, when the Indians, fearing the superior numbers, retreated in haste.

"Hughes' scouting expeditions were not always confined to the extreme upper regions of the Monongahela. He often visited the stations lower down, an spent much of his time at Prickett's fort, also at the stockade where Morgantown now stands, and many other settlements in the neighborhood. He was a great favorite, and no scouting party could be complete, unless Jesse Hughes had something to do with it. We regret that our limits will not allow us to give more incidents in his very eventful life."

Mr. Luther Haymond, who is still living at Clarksburg, says that William Powers, while on his death-bed, told him that the incident of Hughes and the turkey never occurred at Clarksburg; that he knew the settlement from the beginning, and that the story was a mistake. Powers had an impression that he had heard a similar story as occurring east of the mountains. Mr. Haymond says that Powers was well posted on events happening on the frontier after his arrival.

Mr. James Stanley Gandee, a son of Jesse's daughter Massie, often heard both his mother and his Aunt Rachel Cottrell tell the Hughes turkey story. There never was any doubt about its authenticity. As related by them, the occurrence was substantially the same as recorded by DeHass, but the place was West's Fort, instead of Clarksburg. The lad who first heard the turkey and who was preparing to go shoot it, was James Tanner, a brother to Jesse's wife, and was then some fourteen or fifteen years of age.

I was told by Mrs. Mary Straley, of Hacker's Creek, who had known Jesse Hughes and some of his family, that the boy who figured in the turkey story was Jim McCullough. Mrs. Straley seemed to have no doubts regarding the credibility of the story, but did not state where it occurred. She was well informed on the early history of the Hacker's Creek settlement, and was a woman of high integrity.

It must be borne in mind that Jesse Hughes never took up a residence at Clarksburg, although he spent much of his time about the fort there. His scouting expeditions extended all over the Virginia border and western Pennsylvania.

That William Powers should have heard a similar story east of the mountains cannot militate against the authenticity of the Hughes' story. Border lore abounds in such incidents. J. Lewis Peyton gives the following on Jesse Hughes, evidently epitomized from DeHass:

"One of the most active, daring and successful Indian hunters in the mountain region of Virginia was Jesse Hughes-sometimes styled the Wetzel of his portion of the State. He was born on the headwaters of the Monongahela, Va., about 1768, and early became skilled in the use of the rifle and tomahawk. He was a man of iron constitution, and could endure extraordinary privations and fatigue. Many anecdotes are told of his encounters with the red men and of the invaluable services he rendered to the white settlements on the Monongahela. Jesse Hughes was more than a match at any time for the most wary savage in the forest. In his ability to anticipate all their artifices, he had few equals and no superiors. He was a great favorite, and no scouting party could be complete unless Jesse Hughes had something to do with it."

Jesse Hughes is mentioned frequently in Withers' Chronicles of Border Warfare, referred to hereinbefore, and which will be duly noticed in the course of this history.

In Doniphan's Expedition, by William E. Connelley, there is a biographical sketch of Colonel John Taylor Hughes, a member of the expedition of Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan in the Mexican War. Colonel Hughes became the historian of the expedition. He was a gallant soldier, and was killed at the battle of Independence, Missouri, in the Civil War. Of Colonel Hughes, the biographical sketch says:

"His father was Samuel Swan Hughes, the descendant of Stephen Hughes and his wife Elizabeth Tarlton Hughes. Stephen Hughes came to Maryland from Wales, probably from Carnarvonshire, but possibly from Glamorganshire. The date of his arrival in America has not been preserved. His son Absalom moved to Powhatan County, Virginia, where he intermarried with the daughter of a planter whose name was also Hughes, and whose Christian name was either David or Jesse-most probably Jesse. He lived on Hughes Creek, in that county, and was a man of character and influence; many of his descendants live yet in Virginia and West Virginia, and some of them live in other parts of the United States. Joseph, the son of Absalom Hughes, married Sarah Swan. He moved to Kentucky about the year 1790, and settled in Woodford County. There his son, Samuel Swan Hughes, married Nancy Price, daughter of Colonel William Price, a Virginia soldier of the Revolution,"

Jesse Hughes, who lived on the stream then known as Hughes Creek, in Powhatan County, Virginia, was related by blood to Stephen Hughes, and had preceded him from Wales to America. The Hughes and Swan families were pioneer families in Virginia, and in their migrations they kept well together, members of them often intermarrying. And from the intermarriage of Stephen Hughes with his kinswoman, the daughter of Jesse Hughes, in Powhatan County, Virginia, Jesse Hughes, the famous pioneer and woodsman of Western Virginia, was probably descended.

The date of the birth of Jesse Hughes is not known to be of record, and cannot be fixed with accuracy; and the place is also uncertain. DeHass and Peyton agree as to the place; but Peyton alone gives the date. Evidently they are both in error. The citation heretofore made to the work of Withers shows that Jesse Hughes was an active hunter in the Buckhannon settlement in 1769. This was the first permanent settlement established on the waters of the upper Monongahela, and we find him there but one year later than the date given by Peyton as that of his birth. it is well nigh impossible that he should have been born on the waters of the Monongahela. The Blue Ridge marked the western frontier of Virginia as late as 1763. The few settlements scattered beyond that boundary towards the Ohio, the westernmost of which was on Looney Creek, a tributary of the James, were not permanent, and were almost all destroyed by the conspiracy of Pontiac.

Jesse Hughes was born about the year 1750. It might have been a year earlier or later, though it is not probable that it could vary a year either way from that date. As to the place of his birth, the evidence at hand indicates that it was east of the Allegheny Mountains, perhaps on the waters of the Wappatomaka of the Potomac. Susan Turner Hughes, the widow of George W. Hughes, a descendant of Jesse Hughes, told William E. Connelley, October 6, 1902, at Henry, Grant County, West Virginia, that: "Old Jesse Hughes was born right over here on Jackson's River, close to the Greenbrier county-line. I have passed the place myself, in company with my husband, who pointed out the place, which is in a fine river bottom. He was born in the winter, and the wolves were starving in the woods because of the deep now. The night he was born they came into the yard and fought the dogs and ran them under the house and fought them there, and were only driven out by burning gunpowder on the hearth." Mrs. Hughes could not give the date of his birth, but said he was "A right smart chunk of a lad at the time of Braddock's battle."

If Mrs. Hughes was right, Jesse Hughes must have been born in Allegheny County Virginia. Complete reliance cannot, however, be placed upon the information given by her; for some things which she related of Jesse Hughes, while they may be the local traditions of the country, could not be reconciled with known facts. Her description of the man and his cruel and bloodthirsty course towards the Indians coincides perfectly with what is known to be true. She said: "Old Jesse Hughes had eyes like a painter [panther] and could see at night almost as well as one. He could hear the slightest noise made in the forest at a great distance, and he was always disturbed by any noise he could not account for. He knew the ways of every animal and bird in the woods, and was familiar with the sounds and cries made by them. Any unusual cry or action of an animal or bird, or any note or sound of alarm made by either, caused him to stop and look about until he knew the cause. He could go through the woods, walking or running, without making any noise, unless the leaves were very dry, and then he made very little. He was as stealthy and noiseless as a painter, and could creep up on a deer without causing it any fright. And he could outrun any Indian that ever prowled the forest. He was as savage as a wolf, and he liked to kill an Indian better than to eat his dinner."

If Jesse Hughes was born on Jackson's River, the shiftings common on the disturbed border must have caused his parents to move to the Wappatomaka settlements, for he came into western Virginia with hunters from that region. Thomas Hughes, who was killed on Hacker's Creek by the Indians in April, 1778, was Jesse's father; but no record or tradition indicating that he had settled on this stream, has ever been found. In 1781 a certificate was granted "Edmund West, assignee to Thomas Hughes, Senr., 400 acres on Sicamore Lick run, a branch of the West Fork [Harrison County] opposite Thomas Heughs [Hughes] junr's land, to include his settlement made in 1773, with a pre-emption to 1,000 acres adjoining." This is the earliest record that I have found regarding the settling of Thomas Hughes, Sr. on the upper Monongahela waters. With some of the Radcliffs he settled on Elk Creek near Clarksburg, and his family still resided there in the fall of 1793. A family tradition has it that when the Indians ambushed and killed their father, who was then quite old and bald-headed," Jesse and Elias solemnly pledged themselves "to kill Injuns as long as they lived and could see to kill them." Most terribly was that awful pledge redeemed. It will be seen, however, that both had killed Indians before the tragic death of their father, which event intensified, if possible, their hatred of the Indians, but was not the cause in which this hatred originated.

I have not been able to find any printed record showing that Jesse Hughes was an enrolled Spy or Ranger on the border.

An inquiry to the Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D. C., elicited the reply that "a careful search of the Revolutionary War pension rolls fails to show a claim for any Jesse Hughes other than Survivor's File No. 9594." This was the Jesse Hughes, of Fluvanna County, Virginia, mentioned further on in this chapter.

Jesse Hughes, the scout, died prior to the Act of Congress, June 4, 1832, pensioning the soldiers of the Revolution, and if his services were pensionable, his widow, who survived him several years, never applied for same.

An inquiry made to the War Department failed to disclose any record of military enlistment by our Jesse Hughes. This, however, is true of others who were contemporary with Jesse, and who were known to have regularly enlisted in some branch of the military.

To a like inquiry to the Virginia State Library, Richmond, came the responses that, "neither the Muster Rolls of the State troops, nor the claims for Bounty Lands of that period, contain any record of the Jesse Hughes in question."

The Thomas Hughes who accompanied Pringle's Band of settlers to the Buckhannon, in 1769, was Jesse's younger brother, born about 1754. His inordinate passion for sport and adventure lured him to this Eldorado of the hunter. He afterwards settled on the West Fork River, and was the same Thomas Hughes whom we find on Hacker's Creek, and who hastened to the rescue of the Flesher family when they were attacked by the Indians in 1784, near where the town of Weston now stands.

The homestead register of Monongalia County shows that in 1781, Thomas Hughes was granted a certificate for "400 acres on the West Fork, adjoining lands of Elias Hughes, to include his settlement made in 1773." The records of 1780 show that Thomas Hughes assigned to Thomas John (?) his claim to 250 acres on Ten Mile Creek (Harrison County), "to include his settlement made in the year 1772." Whether this assignor was the senior or junior Thomas Hughes, is not known, but the logical inference is that it was the latter. The date of the assignment is not of record.

Although Thomas Hughes, Jr., was one of the most capable and persistent scouts on the Virginia frontier, the only reference that we find to him in history, is his connection with the Flesher occurrence in 1784.

In 1833 or 1834, Hughes applied for a pension, and we have a glimpse of his border life in the meagre record preserved in the government Pension Office at Washington. Hughes was illiterate and his name always appears with the customary "X." His original application, or declaration with accompanying papers, has been destroyed, but from the fragmentary record we learn that he was a resident on the West Fork of the Monongahela in 1774, and from that year until 1779 he was, every year, actively engaged in scouting from the West Fork to the Ohio River, under Captain William Lowther. His consummate skill in woodcraft, his bravery and caution, soon won for him a subaltern leadership. He was subsequently commissioned a Lieutenant of Indian Spies in Capt. Lowther's Company, a trust he did not resign until the spring of 1784. After this, he continued on ranging excursions to the different forts until the close of the Indian War in 1795. During this service, he was stationed at West's Fort, and at Richards' Fort on the West Fork.

In 1780, Lieutenant Hughes was riding a pathway about mid way between the West and Richards' Forts, when he discovered an Indian mounted on a horse, recognized to be that of Adam O'Brien's. The Lieutenant sprang from his horse and fired at the Indian wounding him, when he fled. Hughes was determined if possible to recapture the stolen horse, and in company with Alexander West pursued the Indian, tracking him by the blood. They found the tracks of several Indians, but lost the trail entirely at the West Fork River. It was supposed that the wounded Indian, perhaps dying, had been sunk in the river by his comrades.

In the affidavit of John Cartwright (Cutright), who in 1834 testified for Hughes, it would appear that Hughes was in some regular military expedition against the Indians, from which he returned in 1784. Cutright declares that after this, although he was stationed at the Buckhannon Fort, he and Hughes went spying and ranging together until 1795, and that Lieutenant Hughes lost much property through Indians.

William Powers, Alexander West and Adam Flesher also testified for Hughes in his claim for pension, while John McWhorter, J. P., vouched for the integrity of these witnesses.

W.G. Singleton, Special Pension Agent, who investigated Hughes' claim for pension, reported under date of January 2nd, 1835, "I understand from Hughes' Agent, James M. Camp, that his (Hughes) mind is entirely gone, and from other sources that he is a maniac and has been confined for years. Christopher Nutter, William Powers and others tell me that he did good service, but was in no regular service, so therefore is not entitled to pension." Hughes was refused a pension on the grounds that his service was rendered in the Indian Wars, and not in the War of the Revolution.

The munificence of an appreciative and "grateful country" is pitifully portrayed in its sentiment toward this time-wrecked veteran of twenty years of incessant warfare. As a scout Lieutenant Thomas Hughes was surpassed only by his two renowned brothers. The life of the wilderness spy was arduous, and fraught with constant danger. His wages were meagre and those who were thus employed throughout the long border wars, seldom laid up a sustenance for old age.

Lieutenant Hughes died in October, 1837, in Jackson County, West Virginia, where he moved, perhaps, soon after the treaty of Greenville in 1795. Mrs. Hughes died three months previous to the death of her husband. They left only one child, Thomas, whom it appears was still living in 1854, aged seventy-one years.

There is no family tradition that connects Charles Hughes who was engaged in the repulse of the Indians at West's Fort on Hacker's Creek in 1778, with the family of Jesse Hughes, though they were together in that engagement. It is quite probable that two Hughes families, closely related, were represented in the pioneers who settled on Hacker's Creek, and the name seems to have disappeared from the settlement in that beautiful valley at an early date.

In 1781, a certificate was granted "William McCleery, assignee to James Hughes, for 400 acres on Spring Creek [tributary to the Little Kanawha] to include his settlement made in 1774." I know nothing of the antecedents of this James Hughes.

In an early day one Edward Hughes, then a boy, came with some men from the Greenbrier settlements to the mouth of Morris Creek, since known as Hughes Creek, on the Great Kanawha. I know nothing of this lad's parentage. He seems to have been the only one of the name who came from Greenbrier with the party, who apparently were hunters. They built a small fort on a cliff by the creek, where they could reach the water by letting down a gourd with a grapevine. The boy experienced many hardships. At one time he was left alone for several days at the fort, and subsisted on parched corn, and a few fish that he caught in the creek. He was captured by the Indians while fishing on Peters Creek, a tributary of the Gauley River, now in Nicholas County, and was carried to the Indian towns on the Muskingum. He remained with his captors for more than two years, during which time he learned their language. He ascertained that the Great Kanawha joined the Ohio somewhere below where they then were, and determined to escape. He secreted a quantity of dried venison, and waited for a full moon. He then fled to the Ohio River, where he constructed a raft of dry timber, and floated down to the mouth of the Great Kanawha. During the voyage he never approached the shore, but when tired nature demanded a rest, he anchored his raft in mid-stream with a stone attached to a grape-vine.

He abandoned his raft, and following up the Kanawha, and after much suffering reached the little fort on the cliff. When he left the Indians he took with him a coat neatly made from a bear skin. The fore-legs formed the arms, and the neck and head formed the collar and head-covering. It was soft, pliable, and comfortable in the most stormy weather. Edward Hughes married and settled near where Summersville, in Nicholas County, now is. He never used intoxicants, and was devotedly Christian. He was buried on the mountain side, overlooking the site of the little fort in which he had spent so many of his solitary days.

In 1770, a Thomas Hughes, born in 1753, and who married Elizabeth Swan, settled on the west side of the Monongahela, near -the mouth of Muddy Creek, now Carmichaels, Green County, Pa.; but he was of another family, though perhaps a blood relation of Jesse's father. Thomas Hughes, of Carmichaels, had a brother John, who was a Captain of the Pennsylvania Rangers during the Revolution. He was killed by the Indians near Louisville, Kentucky, in 1780. This family also hailed from Virginia.

A Thomas Hughes resided in now Kanawha County, West Virginia, in 1791.

A Thomas Hughes was Paymaster of the 7th Virginia Regiment from January 1, 1777, to May 1, 1778. He received a military land bounty in 1783.

It may be of interest to note that the Jesse Hughes of Fluvanna County, Virginia, previously referred to, in the spring of 1776, at the age of twenty, enlisted as a private in Roger Thompson's company of minute men, which was attached to Meredith's Regiment in eastern Virginia , and then to Morgan's riflemen in western Virginia. In the fall of 1776, Hughes enlisted in William Pierce's Company of Harrison's artillery. He fought at Monmouth and Newport, was stationed at Providence, and was discharged in 1779. He volunteered as a lieutenant in Joseph Hayden's Company in 1780 and was at the battle of Camden. In 1781 he was drafted as a lieutenant of militia, but was seized with smallpox and did not join the army until the day after Cornwallis' surrender. He was, no doubt, closely related to the ancestors of Jesse Hughes of pioneer fame, for the locality from which he enlisted is very near the ancestral home of the Hughes family.

The Muster Rolls in the War Department at Washington show that one Jesse Hughes served as a matross in Captain William Pierce's company, first Artillery Regiment, Continental Troops, commanded by Colonel Charles Harrison. He was enlisted December 31, 1776, for three years, and was discharged December 20, 1779. Neither his residence nor the place of his enlistment is of record. This matross was the Jesse Hughes of Fluvanna County. In 1837, he was allowed a Bounty Land Warrant for three years' service as private in Continental line. The First Continental Artillery Regiment was assigned to the State of Virginia by Act of Congress approved October 3, 1780.

In 1778, a Jesse Hughes, a matross in Col. Charles Harrison's Virginia and Maryland Regiment of Artillery, Company No. I, was returned as "sick in Virginia," along with Sergeant John Hughes of the same company. There were several other Hughes among the Virginia troops, but they have no place in this story.

John Hughes, of Lancaster, Pa., under date of July 11, 1763, wrote to Colonel Bouquet an elaborate and detestable plan for hunting down the Indians with savage dogs, in the true Spanish way. While this man was perhaps no relation to our hero, the two would probably have been in complete accord on the manner of procedure in dealing with the Indian question.

In 1770 or 1771, Jesse Hughes was married to Miss Grace Tanner, and settled on Hacker's Creek, about one mile above where West's Fort was afterwards built, and at the mouth of a stream which has since been known as Jesse's Run. Here he built his cabin on the site of an old Shawnee village. This was embraced in a homestead certificate, issued in 1781 to "Jesse Hughes for 400 acres on Hacker's Creek, adjoining lands of Edmund West to include his settlement made in 1770."

In this lonely cabin, standing, as it did, on the western outskirts of the most western and remote settlement on the Virginia frontier, this young couple experienced many thrilling adventures incident to border life in the virgin wilderness. The wife possessed the sterling qualities of rugged and noble womanhood. Endowed with that fearlessness and energy of character which a life of constant peril on the border engendered, she was admirably fitted for the companionship of her half-wild, yet renowned husband, whose savage temper was not conducive to domestic happiness. It was in this cabin that they had a thrilling experience with a rattlesnake.

One night Jesse was awakened from a sound sleep by feeling a living creature trying to work its way upward between his throat and the close-fitting collar of his homespun shirt. The contact of a cold, whip-like body with his own, caused him to suspect instantly the nature of his bed-fellow, and fully aroused him to a sense of his danger. With that rare self-control and presence of mind that served him so well in more than one instance of deadly peril, he softly spoke to his wife, waking, and telling her of the threatened danger, and directing her to get out of bed with their child, and remove the bed-clothing. This she did so gently that the restless intruder, who was still endeavoring to force its broad flat head under the obdurate shirt-collar, was not disturbed. The covering removed, with a single lightning-like movement, Jesse bounded to the floor several feet away. A huge yellow rattlesnake fell at his feet. With an angry whir-r-r-r it threw itself into the attitude of battle, but was soon dispatched. The next morning Jesse went prospecting for snakes, and found in the end of a hollow log which was built into his cabin, five copperheads and one rattlesnake.

From his advent into the Buckhannon settlement in 1769 to the year 1778, we find no mention of the name of Jesse Hughes in border annals.

But it is not to be supposed that so restless and daring a man would remain inactive while such scenes of bloodshed were being enacted about him. His insatiate passion for Indian blood precludes this idea, and investigation proves the fallacy and adds strength to the statement of Mr. Bond, that the chronicle of Withers is but a partial and fragmentary history.

While living on Hacker's Creek, and within rifle-shot of his own door, Jesse consummated a deed, which, for needless and unprovoked treachery, was scarcely surpassed by the Indians in all their ravages of the Virginia border. He arranged a meeting with a friendly Indian for the ostensible purpose of spending a day in hunting. To reach the place of rendezvous the Indian had to cross Hacker's on a "foot-log," a tree felled across the stream to form a means of crossing. The time of meeting was appointed for an hour when the sun should reach a certain point above the treetops. Long before that time Jesse stealthily repaired to the spot and concealed himself in a position which commanded an unobstructed view of the foot-log, and there awaited the coming of his unsuspecting victim. At the appointed hour the Indian issued from the deep tangle of the valley forest. An eye gleamed along the barrel of the deadly rifle, the Indian reached the middle of the log, a report of the rifle reverberated through the valley, and the lifeless body of the Indian fell forward into the stream.

Hughes claimed that the Indian approached in a suspicious manner, wary and watchful, and that he felt justified in killing him. It is not at all probable that an Indian brought up amid the dangers of the wilderness, would traverse a forest path other than by with every faculty alert to hidden danger. His very training would preclude this and his caution was no evidence that he intended treachery. Had he meditated evil, he would more likely have followed the course pursued by Hughes.

Not only did Hughes engage in Indian killings not chronicled by Withers, but he was a leader in the terrible massacre of the Bulltown Indians, an account of which must form a separate chapter of this narrative.

Many prominent writers insist that Dunmore's War was inevitable; the actual beginning of the Revolution, and that hostilities were precipitated by the murdering propensities of the Indians alone. Not a few, however, charge that these conditions were created at the instance of Governor Dunmore and his lieutenant, John Connolly, who, for self-aggrandizement or as emissaries of the British Government, foreseeing the coming struggle, sought to engross the attention and resources of Virginia in a disastrous Indian War. Pages have been written in support of these accusations, and it would redound to the honor of the Virginias could they be verified. But it should be remembered that the conflict of 1774 was purely Virginia and Indian, waged on the Western Virginia border, and it is there that we are to look for the immediate, if not the primal, cause of the trouble. It is noteworthy that the long list of murders committed on peaceable tribesmen in the white settlements east of the mountains, prior to the outbreak, did not provoke the war. Roosevelt summarily settles the cause and status quo of the Dunmore War in a single paragraph.

"Nor must we permit our sympathy for the foul wrongs of the two great Indian heroes of the contest to blind us to the fact that the struggle was precipitated in the first place, by the outrages of the red men, not the whites; and that the war was not only inevitable, but was also in its essence just and righteous on the part of the borderers. Even the unpardonable and hideous atrocity of the murder of Logan's family, was surpassed in horror by many of the massacres committed by the Indians about the same time. The annals of the border are dark and terrible."

This sweeping attempt at vindication of the borderers, reeking with acrimony for the Indians, might be convincing, did it contain a single instance of a "massacre committed by the Indians about the same time," that even approached in horror the murder of Logan's family. Our Indian conquests have all been "just and righteous" in the eyes of the average white man. Prof. Maxwell in discussing this topic, says:

"* * * The first act of hostility was committed in 1773, not in West Virginia, but further south. A party of emigrants, under the leadership of a son of Daniel Boone, were on their way to Kentucky when they were set upon and several were killed, including young Boone. There can be no doubt that this attack was made to prevent or hinder the colonization of Kentucky. Soon after this, a white man killed an Indian at a horse race. This is said to have been the first Indian blood shed on the frontier of Virginia by a white man after Pontiac's War. In February 1774, the Indians killed six white men and two negroes; and in the same month, on the Ohio they seized a trading canoe, killed the men in charge and carried the goods to the Shawnee towns. Then the white men began to kill also. In March [1774] on the Ohio, a fight occurred between settlers and Indians, in which one was killed on each side, and five canoes were taken from the Indians. John Connolly wrote from Pittsburg on April 21, to the people of Wheeling to be on their guard, as the Indians were preparing for war. On April 26, two Indians were killed on the Ohio. On April 30, nine Indians were killed on the same river near Steubenville. On May 1, another Indian was killed. About the same time an old Indian named Bald Eagle was killed on the Monongahela River; and an Indian camp on the Little Kanawha, in the present county of Braxton, was broken up, and the natives were killed. This was believed to have been done by settlers on the West Fork, in the present county of Lewis. They were induced to take that course by intelligence from the Kanawha River that a family named Stroud, residing near the mouth of the Gauley River had been murdered, and the tracks of the Indians led toward the Indian camp on the Little Kanawha. When this camp was visited by the party of white men from the West Fork, they discovered clothing and other articles belonging to the Stroud family. Thereupon the Indians were destroyed. A party of white men with Governor Dunmore's permission destroyed an Indian village on the Muskingum River."

Here is a sinister array of aggressive crime on the part of the Indians, with justified retaliation by the whites. Unfortunately for its object however, the events are not given in chronological order. The killing of young James Boone and five of his companions, emigrants under the leadership of the elder Boone, had been preceded in Kentucky by desultory fighting between adventurous white men and Indians. It is significant that John Findlay who was the first to enter the wilds of Kentucky, was never disturbed by the red man. It was not until Boone, in company with Findlay and four others, in 1769, repaired to that region, and after spending several months in killing game, were they molested. Boone and Stuart were surprised and captured. Many writers insist that during their captivity, the camp of Boone and Stuart was broken up by Indians, and their companions killed, scattered, or returned home. But it would appear from the investigations of others, among them Dr. Thwaits, that the returning prisoners found the camp and its occupants unmolested. In the meantime they were joined by Squire Boone and Alexander Neely, whom Squire had found on New (Great Kanawha) River.

The famous Long Hunters had already invaded this primeval wilderness and were slaughtering its teeming game by the thousands. This wasteful destruction of their sustenance, a gift from the Great Spirit, enraged the Indians, and in consequence the aggressors, hunters and explorers met with armed resistance. The Long Hunters shot buffalo, elk and deer for their skins, and Indians for their scalps.

Boone and his party were in reality Long Hunters. During the summer of 1770 while encamped on the Red River, Alexander Neely killed and scalped two Indians whom he found at a Shawnee village on a tributary creek.

Stuart (also spelled Stewart) alone of the party was killed by the Indians, but whether prior or subsequent to the murder of the Shawnees by Neely, writers differ. Roosevelt declares that in the death of Stewart, "the Indians had wantonly shed the first blood." But the elucidation by Dr. Thwaits is conclusive that Stuart was killed after four of Boone's party had left for the settlement and that "Neely, discouraged by his [Stuart's] fate, returned home." This is positive evidence that Boone's party in reality "wantonly shed the first blood." It is obvious that Neely killed the two Shawnees before he "became discouraged and returned home."

The Indian killed at a horse race was a Cherokee, at Watauga, a settlement supposedly in Virginia, but located within the Cherokee lands, North Carolina. Watauga, like the early Trans-Allegheny settlements, was outlawed, so far as State or Colonial Government was concerned. The murder was committed at a friendly gathering of both Indians and whites, in celebrating the signing of a treaty between the Cherokees and the settlers of Watauga in 1772. This crime has been excused on the grounds that the men implicated had lost a brother in the attack on Boone's emigrants in 1773. This is error, the friendly Cherokee was killed a year previous to the Boone tragedy. In the face of these facts, who were the aggressors in Kentucky?

No serious trouble with the Cherokees resulted from the Watauga outrage; nor was that nation involved in Dunmore's War. It is averred, however, that the attack on Butler's trading canoe, near Wheeling, in February, 1774, containing three white men, in which one of the party was killed and another one wounded, was by a few outlaw Cherokees. If so, the act may have been provoked by the Watauga tragedy.

The other occurrences cited by Mr. Maxwell are well known to the reader of border history. Withers, states that the Bull Town Massacre occurred in the summer of 1772. The same authority fixes the death of Bald Eagle not only prior to this crime, but also to the Indian murder for which Capt. White was imprisoned at Winchester, and subsequently liberated by the infuriated populace. This last crime, Kercheval states, occurred in 1768. This places the murder of Bald Eagle, according to Withers, previous to the settling of the Upper Monongahela in 1769, which is error. The death of Bald Eagle evidently occurred between 1770 and the destruction of the Delaware Village on the Little Kanawha, in 1772, which was two years previous to the retaliatory and incipient outbreak of the few tribesmen on the Ohio. Then came the ill-timed warning of the fiery Connolly and the "planting of a new war post and a solemn declaration of war" by Creasap and his followers at Fort Henry. Immediately Creasap's band made two attacks on friendly Shawnees on the Ohio, killing three and wounding two others. The massacre of Logan's people swiftly followed, and the war was on.

West Virginia points with pride to the tenth of October, 1774, when at Point Pleasant was fought the "First Battle of the Revolution," wherein "was the first blood shed in defense of American Liberty," in a "just and righteous" war. This sounds well, but in reality the Dunmore War was one of conquest; its prelude a lurid chapter of aggressive wrong on the part of the whites which can reflect no halo of State or National glory.

The brutal murder of Bald Eagle is deserving of more than a passing notice. His status, not only with his own race, but with the whites was high, and in his death is reflected the true character of the lawless ruffians who overran the Trans-Allegheny at this time. Withers says of this crime:

"The Bald Eagle was an Indian of notoriety, not only among his own nation, but also with the inhabitants of the North Western frontier; with whom he was in the habit of associating and hunting. In one of his visits among them, he was discovered alone, by Jacob Scott, William Hacker and Elijah Runner, who, reckless of the consequences, murdered him, solely to gratify a most wanton thirst for Indian blood. After the commission of this most outrageous enormity, they seated him in the stern of a canoe, and with a piece of journey-cake thrust into his mouth, set him afloat in the Monongahela. In this situation he was seen descending the river, by several, who supposed him to be as usual, returning from a friendly hunt with the whites in the upper settlements, and who expressed some astonishment that he did not stop to see them. The canoe floating near to the shore, below the mouth of George's Creek, was observed by a Mrs. Province, who had it brought to the bank, and the friendly, but unfortunate old Indian decently buried."

Veech says that Bald Eagle was killed, perhaps, at the mouth of Cheat River; was found at Provance Bottom by Mrs. William Yard Provance, who had him buried on the Fayette (Pa.) shore.

The murder of Bald Eagle had a parallel of which the particulars were never chronicled.

One Ryan and Eli Morgan, brother of David Morgan of border fame, killed an Indian named Cat Eye, and thrusting a corn cob into his mouth, propped him up in his canoe and sent him adrift on the Monongahela. This crime was evidently one of the many committed by John Ryan, told by Withers:

"At different periods of time, between the peace of 1765, and the renewal of hostilities in 1774, three Indians were unprovokedly killed by John Ryan, on the Ohio, Monongahela and Cheat Rivers. The first who suffered from the unrestrained licentiousness of this man, was an Indian of distinction in his tribe, and known by the name of Capt. Peter; the other two were private warriors. And but that Governor Dunmore, from the representations made to him, was induced to offer a reward for his apprehension, which caused him to leave the country, Ryan would probably have continued to murder every Indian, with whom he should chance to meet, wandering through the settlements."

To this long list of recorded murders suffered by the friendly tribesmen at the hands of the borderers in the two years preceding Dunmore's War, must be added the massacre of the thirteen at Indian Camp. The summary is startling. If we allow but four to each of the five families destroyed at Bull Town, which is a very low estimate, then the grand total of peaceable Indians, including many women and children, who fell victims to white fury on the extreme western border of Virginia, from Bull Town to Wheeling in the time mentioned, is fifty-eight. This does not include those killed on the Wappatomaka by Judah, Harpold and others, nor the many slain throughout the settlements east of the mountains. This number I have carefully computed from the meagre accounts at hand; but it is hardly possible that the Indian Camp Massacre was a solitary instance of unchronicled slaughtering by the whites. It is significant that in every instance noted by the historian of the day, the killing was so open and flagrant that concealment was impossible.

There could be but one sequel to this wanton, drunken saturnalia of crime. The ties of blood and clan are very strong in Indian systems of kinship and government, and the law of retaliation arises from these ties. In addition to murder, the white settlers were constantly making inroads upon the lands of the tribes in utter disregard of treaty stipulations. In view of these facts, it is a matter of wonder that hostilities were not commenced long before the outbreak actually occurred. Surely were the Indians "slow to anger."

But they were at last aroused; though not until their people had been wantonly murdered in plain view and under their own eyes in more than one instance by Greathouse and others. Logan, "the friend of the white man," lost his entire family. Then the warriors took up the hatchet, and the Trans-Allegheny was compelled to drain the bitter cup of its own filling. For more than twenty years from the massacre of Logan's people, April 30, 1774, the border from Fort Pitt to the Falls of the Ohio suffered from Indian forays, the most sanguinary of which fell upon the Virginia frontier. There were brief respites during this period, but no year went by without the striking of a blow -in most cases by the fierce Shawnee. This warlike tribe was rendered still more implacable by the betrayal and brutal murder of their mighty leader Cornstalk (Keigh-taugh-qua) and three of his chiefs, his son Ellinipsico; Red Hawk and another whose name is unknown, at Point Pleasant in the "bloody year," 1777; and for which his avenging warriors swept with fire the wilderness settlements. In this long interval of strife, as usual in warfare, the innocent suffered far more than the guilty.

During this period, Jesse Hughes was the recognized chief of the Virginia scouts. He lived in the center of the field of the border strife; yet it was in the year 1778 that his name appears in the annals of this war for the first time. This, I believe, is the fault of the chroniclers rather than of inactivity on the part of Hughes. There is little or no doubt that he was constantly engaged in war-like enterprises during the whole of this period of the silence of the annals. A well-founded tradition says that he was in the Battle of Point Pleasant, which is more than probable. A man of his propensities would not ordinarily remain inactive at home while such an undertaking as the invasion of the Indian country was being executed. It is doubtful if any of the several expeditions against the Ohio Indians during the period mentioned was unaccompanied by Jesse Hughes.

An Indian alarm in June, 1778, sent the settlers on Hacker's Creek and the adjoining country into West's Fort. About the middle of that month, three women who were gathering greens in an adjacent field, were attacked by four Indians and a Mrs. Freeman was killed and scalped. The Indians fired but one shot, but this and the screams of the women brought the men from the Fort. Several ineffectual bullets were sent after the warrior who was scalping Mrs. Freeman. The Indians were driven off, and the firing gave warning to the men who were out of the fort at the time. Among the latter was Jesse Hughes, who for once, seemingly, was without his gun. The following account is from the work of Withers:

"Jesse Hughes and John Schoolcraft (who were out) in making their way to the fort, came very near two Indians standing by the fence looking towards the men at West's, so intently, that they did not perceive any one near them. They, however, were observed by Hughes and Schoolcraft who, avoiding them, made their way in, safely. Hughes immediately took up his gun, and learning the fate of Mrs. Freeman, went with some others to bring in the corpse. While there he proposed to go and show them how near he had approached the Indians after the alarm had been given, before he saw them. Charles and Alexander West, Chas. Hughes, James Brown and John Steeth, went with him. Before they had arrived at the place, one of the Indians was heard to howl like a wolf; and the men with Hughes moved on in the direction from which the sound proceeded. Supposing that they were then near the spot, Jesse Hughes howled in like manner, and being instantly answered, they ran to a point of the hill, and looking over it, saw two Indians coming towards them. Hughes fired and one of them fell. The other took to flight. Being pursued by the whites, he sought shelter in a thicket Of brush; and while they were proceeding to intercept him at his coming out, he returned by the way he had entered, and made his escape. The wounded Indian likewise got off. When the whites were in pursuit of the one who took to flight, they passed near to him who had fallen, and one of the men was for stopping and finishing him; but Hughes called to him, 'He is safe,--let us have the other,' and they all pressed forward. On their return however, he was gone; and although his free bleeding enabled them to pursue his track readily for a while, yet a heavy shower of rain soon falling, all trace of him was quickly lost and could not be afterwards regained."

The chagrin which Hughes felt for his failure to secure at least one of the two scalps that were almost within his grasp may be conjectured. That his aim was not deadly, and his allowing the fallen Indian to escape because of his zeal to capture the fleeing Indian who baffled his pursuers by doubling on his track like a fox, was most humiliating to the pride of this renowned woodsman and his skilled companions. There was a superstition rife among the early settlers to the effect that if, in loading his rifle, the hunter accidentally let fall the bullet, and had to pick it up from the ground to put in his rifle, it would certainly miss the object shot at, no matter how careful and true his aim. This was a common belief in the woods of Virginia and Kentucky as recently as thirty years ago. Perhaps Jesse dropped his bullet.

Owing to its isolation and weakness, the Hacker's Creek settlement was a favorite point of attack by the Indians during this period. Withers says:

"The settlement on Hacker's Creek was entirely broken up in the spring of 1779-some of its inhabitants forsaking the country and retiring east of the mountains; while the others went to the fort on Buckhannon, and to Nutter's Fort, near Clarksburg, to aid in resisting the foe and in maintaining possession of the country."

Again, speaking of the year 1780, he says:

"West's Fort on Hacker's Creek was also visited by the savages early in this year. The frequent incursions of the Indians into this settlement in the year 1778, had caused the inhabitants to desert their homes the next year, and shelter themselves in places of greater security; but being unwilling to give up the improvements which they had already made and commence anew in the woods, some few families returned to it during the winter, and on the approach of spring, moved into the fort. They had not been long here, before the savages made their appearance, and continued to invest the fort for some time. Too weak to sally out and give them battle, and not knowing when to expect relief, the inhabitants were almost reduced to despair, when Jesse Hughes resolved at his own hazard, to try to obtain assistance to drive off the enemy. Leaving the fort at night, he broke by their sentinels and ran with speed to the Buckhannon Fort. Here he prevailed on a part of the men to accompany him to West's, and relieve those who had been so long confined there. They arrived before day, and it was thought advisable to abandon the place once more, and remove to Buckhannon. On their way the Indians used every artifice to separate the party, so as to gain an advantageous opportunity of attacking them; but in vain. They exercised so much caution, and kept so well together, that every stratagem was frustrated, and they all reached the fort in safety."

From the foregoing it would appear that West's Fort was abandoned not only in the fall of 1779, but also in the spring of 1780. It was during one of these abandonments, perhaps the last, that the fort was burned by the Indians, and the settlers then built a new fort, but not on the site of the old. It was located some five hundred yards or more from West's Fort, and about seventy-five yards east of where the Henry McWhorter house now stands. It was erected on a high bottom, or "flat," which at that time was rather marshy, and covered with beech trees. The building was constructed entirely of beech logs, and was locally known as "Beech Fort,"

The daring feat of Jesse Hughes upon this occasion, so briefly alluded to by Withers, and doubtless referred to by DeHass, already quoted, was as follows:

A large force of Indians had invested the fort and gathered up all the live stock in the settlement. The despairing inmates could see the camp fires of the Indians, who, relying upon their superior numbers and the weakness of the garrison, failed to exercise that degree of vigilance and caution for which they are noted. However, they posted sentinels about the fort and the fords of the creek and other passes, while the main body of warriors regaled themselves around the camp fires. Hughes experienced great difficulty and much personal danger in breaking through the Indian investment. While gliding along a narrow path, he heard foot steps approaching. He stepped aside, when nine warriors passed in Indian file; "so close" said Hughes, "that I could have punched them with my ramrod."

When leaving the fort he told the inmates that if he succeeded in eluding the foe he would, upon gaining the hillside beyond the Indian encampment, "hoot like an owl." The hoot of the owl was a night signal in vogue with both Indian and scout. In crossing the creek Jesse was compelled to wade through a deep eddy about half-way between the fort and the mouth of Jesse's Run, near where he would strike the trail.

As time dragged, the forlorn and despairing band in the little fortress listened most eagerly for the signal of hope from the hillside. How they must have rejoiced when at last through the darkness from afar there came across the night-shrouded valley the melancholy cry of the bird of shadow and gloom. To them it meant succor and speedy rescue; but to the wily Indian it was ominous of approaching danger, and during the night they broke camp and disappeared. When Hughes returned with the rescuing party not a warrior could be seen.

The difficulty of this achievement can be better understood when it is known that the distance between the two forts was not less than sixteen miles, all a dense forest; and as the Indians were in the settlement in force, he must have avoided to some extent the beaten trail, thus making the passage far more laborious and hazardous.

The frightful dangers that beset the path of Jesse Hughes on this heroic night-run were not confined to the hostile Indians alone. The stealthy panther, noted for its fierce nature and proneness to unprovoked attack on human beings, lurked among the dense thickets on every hand. Packs of gaunt gray wolves – huge timber wolves - the scourge of the wilderness, prowled the forest. The Buckhannon or Hacker's Creek mountain at the point traversed by Hughes was infested with these savage brutes long after this incident.

Once during the Indian incursions into this region the settlers on Fink's Run, a tributary of the Buckhannon, took refuge in West's Fort. Why the settlers should, in this instance, have gone to West's Fort instead of the Buckhannon, which was only three or four miles distant, cannot be surmised, unless it was after the latter fort had been abandoned in 1782, when Captain William White was killed. So precipitate had been their flight that they left some young calves penned from their dams. This was not discovered until they had reached the fort, which was at least twelve miles from their homes, and was liable to lead to calamity, for should the stock escape the wasting hands of the Indians, the calves would starve and the cows be hopelessly ruined from inflamed udders. In this dilemma, Jesse Hughes came to the rescue. He volunteered to go and liberate the calves. This was courting death, but he successfully accomplished it.

On his return to the fort he crossed the mountain previously referred to, to the waters of the right fork of Buckhannon Run, now on the farm of the late G. W. Swisher. Here seeing a deer, the instinct of the sportsman overcame the caution of the scout, and he shot and killed it. Proceeding to flay it, he had just completed that work, when the report of a rifle rang through the forest, and the bullet passed through the crown of his coon-skin cap, scarcely missing his head.

Snatching up his rifle and the reeking deerskin, he sped down the valley, towards the fort. Reaching Hacker's Creek proper, the trail left the lowlands and striking the hill to the right, passed around the head of a small stream known as Redlick Run, and along the meandering ridge between Hacker's Creek and Jesse's Run. Hughes did not slacken his pace until he reached the low gap in the ridge where Mr. Eben Post now lives. Here the woods were open, and he paused and glanced back over the trail.

A quarter of a mile away three Indians were racing down the slope in hot pursuit. A very large warrior was in the lead. It was at this point in the race that Hughes first noticed that he was carrying the deerskin, showing that under certain circumstances the bravest may suffer from excitement and panic. The first impulse of Hughes was to secrete himself and shoot the big Indian when he came within range, for he felt he had nothing to fear from the remaining two. Being much more fleet of foot he could have reloaded and shot them at his leisure; for Jesse Hughes like his great contemporary, Lewis Wetzel, could load his rifle while running at full speed. This, however, was not an unusual feat among the Virginia bordermen. But fearing that the report of his rifle might draw others to the chase, and that he would be intercepted before he could reach the fort, he let discretion be the better part of valor, and again fled before his rapidly advancing pursuers. Out the long ridge like a hounded stag the scout stretched himself to the trail, followed by the grim avengers of a hundred wrongs.

"Fate judges of the rapid strife;

The forfeit, death--the prize is life."

There were yet several miles to be covered before the fugitive could hope to reach a refuge, and if other Indians should be lurking along the path his chances of escape were precarious in the extreme. Never before, perhaps, had the wonderful physical endurance of the veteran scout been put to such a test; and like the wild Seri, impervious to fatigue, onward he sped; and onward came his relentless pursuers. The hound-like tirelessness of the borderman enabled him to maintain the distance that was early established between him and the Indians. He gained the fort in safety, carrying the deerskin that had so nearly cost him his life.

The distance covered in this race for life was no less than nine miles, and it was over ground so rough that it must have taxed the endurance of the participants to the utmost. The course followed was an old Indian trail, which was also used as a bridle path by the pioneers. Few such races were run, even on the frontiers, and perhaps no other was so long and persistent; and winning it would alone entitle Jesse Hughes to a high rank in that host of pioneers who achieved fame on the border.

In 1781, we find that Jesse Hughes and his brother Elias were members of Colonel Lowther's Company, which went in pursuit of the Indians who had captured Mrs. Alexander Roney and her son, and Daniel Dougherty, all of Leading Creek, Tygart's Valley. The history of this foray and the incidents immediately preceding the connection of Jesse Hughes therewith, I quote from Withers:

"In the same month (April), as some men were returning to Cheat River from Clarksburg (where they had been to obtain certificates of settlement rights to their lands, from the commissioners appointed to adjust land claim, in the counties of Ohio, Youghioghany and Monongalia) they, after having crossed the Valley River, were encountered by a large party of Indians, and John Manear, Daniel Cameron and a Mr. Cooper were killed - the others effected their escape with difficulty.

"The savages then moved on towards Cheat, but meeting with James Brown and Stephen Radcliff, and not being able to kill or take them, they changed their course, and passing over Leading creek (in Tygarts Valley), nearly destroyed the whole settlement. They there killed Alexander Roney, Mrs. Dougherty, Mrs. Hornbeck, and her children, Mrs. Buffington and her children, and many others; and made prisoners, Mrs. Roney and her son, and Daniel Dougherty. Jonathan Buffington and Benjamin Hornbeck succeeded in making their escape and carried the doleful tidings to Friend's and Wilson's forts, Col. Wilson immediately raised a company of men and proceeding to Leading Creek, found the settlement without inhabitants and the houses nearly all burned. He then pursued after the savages, but not coming up with them as soon as was expected, the men became fearful of the consequences which might result to their own families, by reason of this abstraction of their defense, provided other Indians were to attack them, and insisted on their returning. On the second day of the pursuit it was agreed that

a majority of the company should decide whether they were to proceed farther or not. Joseph Friend, Richard Kettle, Alexander West and Col. Wilson were the only persons in favor of going on, and they consequently had to return.

"But though the pursuit was thus abandoned, yet did not the savages get off with their wonted impunity, When the land claimants, who had been the first to encounter this party of Indians, escaped from them, they fled back to Clarksburg, and gave the alarm. This was quickly communicated to the other settlements, and spies were sent out to watch for the enemy. By some of these, the savages were discovered on the West Fork, near the mouth of Isaac's creek, and intelligence of it was immediately carried to the forts. Col. Lowther collected a company of men, and going in pursuit, came in view of their encampment, awhile before night, on a branch of Hughes' River, ever since known as Indian Creek. Jesse and Elias Hughes-active, intrepid and vigilant men-were left to watch the movements of the savages, while the remainder retired a small distance to refresh themselves, and prepare to attack them in the morning.

"Before day Col. Lowther arranged his men in order of attack, and when it became light, on the preconcerted signal being given, a general fire was poured in upon them. Five of the savages fell dead and the others fled leaving at their fires, all their shot bags and plunder, and all their guns, except one. Upon going to their camp, it was found that one of the prisoners (a son of Alexander Roney who had been killed in the Leadin creek massacre) was among the slain. Every care had been taken to guard against such an occurrence, and he was the only one of the captives who sustained any injury from the fire of the whites.

"In consequence of information received from the prisoners who were retaken (that a larger party of Indians was expected hourly to come up), Col. Lowther deemed it prudent not to go in pursuit of those who had fled, and collecting the plunder which the savages had left, catching the horses which they had stolen, and having buried young Roney, the party set out on its return march home-highly gratified at the success which had crowned their exertions to punish their untiring foe."

To the foregoing, Withers adds the following note:

"As soon as the fire was opened upon the Indians, Mrs. Roney (one of the prisoners) ran towards the whites rejoicing at the prospect of deliverance, and exclaiming, 'I am Ellick Roney's wife, of the Valley, I am Ellick Roney's wife, of the Valley, and a pretty little woman too, if I was well dressed.' The poor woman ignorant of the fact that her son was weltering in his own gore, and forgetting for an instant that her husband had been so recently killed, seemed intent only on her own deliverance from the savage captors.

"Another of the captives, Daniel Dougherty , being tied down, and unable to move, was discovered by the whites as they rushed towards the camp. Fearing that he might be one of the enemy and do them some injury if they advanced, one of the men, stopping, demanded who he was. Benumbed with cold, and discomposed by the sudden firing of the whites, he could not render his Irish dialect intelligible to them. The white man raised his gun and directed it towards him, calling aloud, that if he did not make known who he was, he should blow a ball through him, let him be white man or Indian. Fear supplying him with energy, Dougherty exclaimed, 'Loord jasus! and am I to be killed by white people at last!' He was heard by Col. Lowther and his life saved."

Captain William White and John Cutright were with Colonel Lowther on this occasion. Christopher Cutright, son of John, gave me the following particulars of the affair, as received from his father.

The whites discovered the Indians in camp in the evening, and they hid in a ravine until the next morning. When it was about daylight, Mrs. Roney arose and replenished the fire, and at that moment the whites opened fire on the Indians, killing and mortally wounding seven of their number. Young Roney was killed, and Dougherty, in his frantic attempts to convey to the attacking party his identity, exclaimed, "Can't ye sae that I'm a while mon?" When the whites rushed upon the camp, one of the Indians struggling in the agonies of death was recognized as Captain Bull, the founder of Bull Town on the Little Kanawha. Jesse Hughes seized the dying chieftain and dragged him through the camp fire so recently replenished by Mrs. Roney, "While he was yet kicking." Not satisfied with this, he then flayed from the thigh of the dead chieftain pieces of skin, with which he repaired his own moccasins which had become badly worn during the pursuit. "Upon the return of the company to the settlements", said Mr. Cutright, "Hughes, as a joke, threw his moccasins with their ghastly patches into my mother's lap."

The body of young Roney was sunk in the river, or creek, near the scene of his death, which occurred close where the Indian Creek schoolhouse now stands.

Colonel Lowther was accompanied on this expedition by one of his sons, a lad about sixteen years old, who assisted in the attack on the Indian camp and its subsequent massacre. Boys of those days had early schooling in the savage warfare of the border.

On the evening before the Leading Creek settlement was destroyed, Alexander West was at Friend's Fort. Late in the evening, West and Joseph Friend were sitting on the porch and saw what West declared to be an Indian skulking near the fort. West started to get his gun, but Friend detained him and declared the figure to be one of his "yaller boys." "Yaller boy the mischief!" exclaimed West, "It's an Injun." West and Friend had each a very fierce dog, and not altogether satisfied as to the identity of the stranger, they attempted to set them on the slave boy or Indian. But the dogs flew at each other, and during the confusion that ensued, and while the men were engaged in separating the dogs, the unknown person whose mysterious movements had caused the uproar vanished into the nearby forest, and night coming on, the pursuit was abandoned.

West ever alert and cautious, wished to alarm the settlers that night, but Friend insisted there was no danger and that they wait until morning. West reluctantly acquiesced. That night or early the next morning occurred the Leading Creek massacre. Six families were destroyed. When the news of the disaster reached West he became furious, and condemned himself for not acting upon his own judgment. If he had, it is probable that the tragedy would have been averted.

From the date of the Leading Creek massacre and the killing of Captain Bull on Indian Creek, to 1787, a period of six years, no mention is made of Hughes by the historians of his time.

In 1787, we find the Indians again in the Hacker's Creek settlement. The eldest daughter of Jesse Hughes was taken captive, and several of the settlers were killed. This tragedy was only the sequel of that which directly preceded it, and so closely are the incidents connected that I give them both as set out by Withers.

"In September of this year, a party of Indians were discovered in the act of catching some horses on the West Fork above Clarksburg; and a company of men led on by Col. Lowther, went immediately in pursuit of them. On the third night the Indians and whites, unknown to each other, encamped not far apart; and in the morning the fires of the latter being discovered by Elias Hughes, the detachment which was accompanying him fired upon the camp, and one of the savages fell. The remainder taking to flight, one of them passed near to where Col. Lowther and the other men were, and the Colonel firing at him as he ran, the ball entering at his shoulder, perforated him and he fell. The horses and plunder which had been taken by the savages, were then collected by the whites, and they commenced their return home, in the confidence of false security. They had not proceeded far, when two guns were unexpectedly fired at them, and John Bonnett fell, pierced through the body. He died before he reached home.

"The Indians never thought the whites justifiable in flying to arms to punish them for acts merely of rapine. They felt authorized to levy contributions of this sort, whenever an occasion served, viewing property thus acquired as (to use their own expression) the 'only rent which they received for their lands;' and if when detected in secretly exacting them, their blood paid the penalty), they were sure to retaliate with tenfold fury, on the first favorable opportunity. The murder of these two Indians by Hughes and Lowther was soon followed by acts of retribution which are believed to have been, at least immediately, produced by them.

"On the 5th of December, a party of Indians and one white man (Leonard Schoolcraft) came into the settlement on Hacker's Creek, and meeting with a daughter of Jesse Hughes, took her prisoner. Passing on, they came upon E. West, Senr., carrying some fodder to the stable, and taking him likewise captive, carried him to where Hughes' daughter had been left in charge of some of their party. - Here the old gentleman fell upon his knees and expressed a fervent wish that they would not deal harshly by him. His petition was answered by a stroke of the tomahawk and he fell dead.

"They then went to the house of Edmund West, Jun., where were Mrs. West and her sister (a girl of eleven years old, daughter of John Hacker) and a lad of twelve, a brother of West. Forcing open the door, Schoolcraft and two of the savages entered, and one of them immediately tomahawked Mrs. West. The boy was taking some corn from under the bed, he was drawn out by the feet and the tomahawk sank twice in his forehead, directly above each eye. The girl was standing behind the door. One of the savages approached and aimed at her a blow. She tried to evade it, but it struck on the side of her neck, though not sufficient force to knock her down. She fell however, and lay as if killed. Thinking their work of death accomplished here, they took from the press some milk, butter and bread, placed it on the table, and deliberately sat down to eat, - the little girl observing all that passed, in silent stillness. When they had satisfied their hunger, they arose, scalped the woman and boy, plundered the house, - even emptying the feathers to carry off the ticking, - and departed, dragging the little girl by the hair, forty or fifty yards from the house. They then threw her over the fence, and scalped her; but as she evinced symptoms of life, Schoolcraft observed 'that is not enough', when immediately one of the savages thrust a knife into her side, and they left her. Fortunately the point of the knife came in contact with a rib and did not injure her much.

"Old Mrs. West and her two daughters, who were alone when the old gentleman was taken, became uneasy that he did not return; and fearing that he had fallen into the hands of savages (as they could not otherwise account for his absence), they left the house and went to Alexander West's, who was then on a hunting expedition with his brother Edmund. They told of the absence of old Mr. West and their fears for his fate; and as there was no man here, they went over to Jesse Hughes' who was himself uneasy that his daughter did not come home. Upon hearing that West too was missing, he did not doubt but that both had fallen into the hands of the Indians; and knowing of the absence from home of Edmund West, Jun., he deemed it advisable to apprise his wife of danger, and remove her to his house. For this purpose and accompanied by Mrs. West's two daughters, he went on. On entering the door, the tale of destruction which had been done there was soon told in part. Mrs. West and the lad lay weltering in their blood but not yet dead. The sight overpowered the girls, and Hughes had to carry them off. Seeing that the savages had but just left them, and aware of the danger which would attend any attempt to move out and give the alarm that night, Hughes guarded his own house until day, when he spread the sorrowful intelligence, and a company were collected to ascertain the extent of the mischief and try to find those who were known to be missing.

"Young West was found, - standing in the creek about a mile from where he had been tomahawked. The brains were oozing from his head, yet he survived in extreme suffering for three days. Old Mr. West was found in the field where he had been tomahawked. Mrs. West was in the house; she probably lived but a few minutes after Hughes and her sisters-in-law had left there. The little girl (Hacker's daughter) was in bed at the house of old Mr. West. She related the history of the transactions at Edmund West's, Jun., and said that she went to sleep when thrown over the fence and was awakened by the scalping. After she had been stabbed at the suggestion of Schoolcraft and left, she tried to recross the fence to the house, but as she was climbing up, again went to sleep and fell back. She then walked into the woods, sheltered herself as well as she could in the top of a fallen tree, and remained there until the cocks crew in the morning.

"Remembering that there was no person left alive at the house of her sister awhile before day she proceeded to old Mr. West's. She found no person at home, the fire nearly out, but the hearth warm and she laid down on it. The heat produced a sickly feeling, which caused her to get up and go to the bed, in which she was found. She recovered, grew up, was married, gave birth to ten children, and died, as was believed, of an affection of the head, occasioned by the wound she received that night. Hughes' daughter was ransomed by her father the next year, and is yet living in sight of the theatre of those savage enormities."

Jesse Hughes and William Powers were also on the expedition with Colonel Lowther when Bonnett was killed. They followed the Indians to the Little Kanawha River, where the two Indians were slain. Bonnett, in utter disregard of West's remonstrance, had stepped aside from the party to a spring and had knelt there to get a drink. As he rose, he received the fatal shot. The return march of the party was necessarily slow, encumbered with a dying man. It is not likely that Bonnett was buried any great distance from where he was shot.

Mr. Levi Bond heard his grandfather, William Powers, tell the incidents of this tragedy as follows: Three of the Indians were killed. When they were fired upon in camp, only one of those who escaped had a gun. The whites felt that on their retreat some one of their number would be shot by this Indian, and that the victim would in all probability be the one in lead of the party. Bonnett declared that he had just as well die as any of them and stepped to the front. Powers was placed at some distance in the rear, to guard against pursuit. When he heard the gun report, he knew that some one of their party had been fired upon, and possibly killed. He saw the fleeing Indian, but at too great a distance for a shot, so he gave chase. Powers was a swift runner and gained on the warrior, who resorting to strategy, dodged and hid from his enemy. After peace was declared, an Indian told of his shooting the white man at the

head of the party, and that he in turn was pursued by a "little white devil" and barely escaped. Powers said, that in this expedition, as in all others, Jesse Hughes led in the trailing.

The daughter of Hughes, who was captured at the time of the West tragedy, was his eldest child, Martha. She was then fourteen years old. When captured she was returning home from the house of John Hacker, where she had gone to get a pup. Hacker lived about four miles up the creek from where Hughes lived. Withers says she was "ransomed by her father the next year," but as a substance of fact she did not return home until 1790 and was a prisoner two years and nine months. Her father secured her release at Sandusky Plains after the treaty of Fort Harmer, January 9, 1789, which made it possible to secure the release of Indian captives.

There is a tradition current among Jesse's descendants in Jackson County, West Virginia, to the effect that another daughter, Nancy, was captured by the Indians and held in captivity three years. In this short time she became thoroughly Indianized, and her father failed to recognize her when he went to bring her home. Personal decoration, paint, rings on every finger and in her lip, a complete Indian dress, so changed her appearance that only the closest questioning in reference to the time and place of her capture enabled Hughes to determine her identity. This is merely a distorted and fanciful version of Martha's capture. Hughes recognized her as soon as he caught sight of her in the Indian country.

The name of the Hacker girl, who figured in this tragedy was Mary. Tradition says that she was stabbed seven times by an Indian, who was afterwards killed; his body ripped open, filled with sand and sunk in Hacker's Creek on the David Smith farm. Mary Hacker married a Mr. Wolf and settled on Wolf's Run in Lewis County. She never fully recovered from the effects of the scalping and her death was caused from a nasal hemorrhage.

Barring a few burnings at the stake, there is hardly a more pathetic tragedy in the annals of the border wars than the tomahawking at West's. The despairing appeal of the old man, who with advancing age, had lost much of the nerve and energy of hardy manhood, the utter helplessness of Mrs. West, the pulling from beneath the bed of the little boy and his brutal tomahawking, the ineffectual attempt of the little girl at concealment and her instinctive efforts to evade the murderous blow - all this makes a scene of pathetic woe. The long night of agony for the two little children cannot be fully imagined. Contemplation of the boy wandering aimlessly through the icy waters of the creek, with skull bared from scalping, his brains oozing from the ghastly wounds in his forehead, and chilled by the cold winds of December, is most heartrending. The little girl dragged by the hair, falling to "sleep" when thrown over the fence, her awakening from the excruciating torture of the process of scalping, the relentless thrust of the murderous knife, the feeble and unsuccessful attempt to reach the house, the going to "sleep" the second time, the piteous turning to the solitude of the woods for shelter, the arrival at the house and curling down upon the warm hearth, the sensation of sickness and the climbing into the lonely bed make up a story that fills the heart with sadness. It certainly must have been anything but comforting to Colonel Lowther, Elias Hughes and their followers, if they realized the situation, to reflect that to their over-zeal in protecting a few miserable horses by shooting two fleeing Indians, was this awful tragedy due. And the greatest pity of all, retaliatory vengeance fell upon the innocent and helpless.

We come again to a period of several years, in which we hear nothing of Jesse Hughes. This, however, is true of many of his noted contemporaries during the same interval.

Jesse Hughes went hunting for service berries near his home on Hacker's Creek, and at the same time, two Indians were hunting for Jesse. Finding a tree loaded with berries, he was soon ensconced among its branches regaling himself with the delicious fruit; when suddenly two warriors appeared under the tree and exultingly exclaimed that they "had him," and laughing at his predicament, called to him to "come down, give up; Injun no hurt." Realizing that he was trapped, and in order to gain time to formulate some plan of escape, he effected a nonchalant air, and requested that they would allow him to eat a few more berries before descending. At the same time he began to break off small branches ladened with berries and toss them to his captors. The Indians, desiring to take him prisoner, and wishing to show their good intentions towards him, complied, and were soon enjoying the rich fruit. The tree stood on the brow of a steep bluff, or deep gully, and Jesse, with every faculty alert, cautiously and slowly drew the Indians away from the tree by skillfully dropping the branches further and further down the declivity. At last getting them as far away as possible or prudence would allow, he suddenly leaped from the tree, landing in an opposite direction. Before the astonished braves could fire upon him, Jesse had vanished like a flash over the brow of the bluff, and was soon lost to sight in the deep forest. The Indians, knowing from experience the utter futility of pursuit, made no attempt to recapture him.

A Mrs. Straley, who lived near West's Fort, related that when she was a little girl she went to hunt some sheep that had strayed from home, and getting lost on the West Fork, she remained all night alone in the wilderness. Next morning, getting her bearings, she started home, and met Jesse searching for her.

Somewhere on the waters of the West Fork River, two Indians were fired upon by the settlers, and one killed. The other badly wounded, made off. A party went in pursuit, and found him lying in a tangle of brush. As they approached, he greeted them kindly, and the men were inclined to mercy, but Jesse Hughes who came up a little later, tomahawked and scalped the helpless warrior, accompanying his work with many profane expletives. This was a distinct incident from the Morgan Indian tragedy at Pricket's Fort in 1779, referred to elsewhere in this volume.

It was during this period that Jesse went very early one morning, to bring in a horse which had been in a pasture some distance from his cabin.

He arrived at the edge of the field just as day was breaking. Ever cautious, the wary scout paused to reconnoiter the premises before venturing into the open. Peering through his leafy screen, Jesse saw his horse, a spirited black, flying across the field pursued by a young Indian. The scout, who had on more than one occasion measured speed and endurance with fleet-footed warriors, was amazed and startled to see this Indian outstrip the frantic steed. But, owing to the dread in which the horse of the white man held Indians, this wild runner could not seize or fasten upon the coveted prize. It was yet too dark for Hughes to use his rifle with any degree of accuracy. So, from his place of concealment, he watched this chase in the dusk of the departing night. But the day grew, and soon the silence was broken by the crash of the scout's deadly rifle, and before the answering echoes had ceased to reverberate through the valley, the swiftest runner of the Monongahela was lying still in death.

One cannot but feel regret at the tragic death of this bronzed athlete, who was seemingly alone and bent on no bloody designs against the settlement. Like the untamed Highlander, he had merely come

"To spoil the spoiler as we may,

And from the robber rend the prey."

He was apparently trying to collect in his own way the poor tithe regarded as justly his from the robber-like usurpers of his country.

Indians sometimes came into the settlement alone. It was not uncommon for a young brave to go singly in quest of horses or scalps. If successful, his reputation as a warrior was assured. I have often heard the northwestern tribes narrate incidents of this nature. The one shot through the shoulder by West in the field just south of the old Henry McWhorter cabin, near "Beech Fort," was a straggler of this kind. This Indian, badly wounded made off, and as was afterwards learned by following his trail, he stopped at a spring on the hillside, on what is now the Nicholas Alkire farm, about two miles up Hacker's Creek, near the mouth of Life's Run, and bathed his wound.

This spring has since been known as Indian Spring. After dressing his wound, the Indian went perhaps a mile further, and crept into a cleft in the rocks, where his dead body was afterwards found. This ridge-cliff, known as "Indian Rock," is on the farm now owned by Jesse Lawson, on Life's Run, a branch of Hacker's Creek.

The settlers on the upper waters of the Monongahela often went in canoes and flat-boats to Fort Pitt, where they exchanged skins, furs, jerked venison, and other products of the wilderness for ammunition and necessaries. Jesse Hughes and Henry McWhorter made a trip together. One day they put ashore where a number of children were playing, among them a little Indian boy. The incident which followed I will give in McWhorter's own words.

"The instant that Jesse caught sight of the little Indian boy his face blazed with hatred. I saw the devil flash in his eye, as feigning great good humor, he called out, 'Children, don't you want to take a boat ride?' Pleased with a prospective glide over the still waters of the Monongahela, one and all came running towards the boat. Perceiving Hughes' cunning ruse to get the little Indian into his clutches, I picked up an oar, and gruffly ordering the children away, quickly shoved the boat from the bank. When safely away, I turned to Hughes and said, 'Now, Jesse, ain't you ashamed?' 'What have I done?' he sullenly asked. 'What have you done? why, you intended to kill that little Indian boy. I saw it in your every move and look, the moment you got sight of the little fellow.' 'Yes,' he said, 'I intended when we got into mid-stream to stick my knife in him and throw him overboard.' When I remonstrated with him about this, he said, 'Damn it, he's an Injun!' "

Brutal? Yes; but let us not deal too harshly with the memory of Jesse Hughes, whose only schooling was that acquired upon a bloody frontier. Naturally such a training was void of sentiment. It contained not the elements of charity or mercy. It was narrow, cramped and selfish. It saw only the smouldering ruins of the settler's cabin, its scalped inmates; the helpless swept into captivity, with visions of the gauntlet and the torture stake. The whites believed their own actions justifiable and in the interests of their civilization. The conquest of a country has always brought about the possibility of barbarous conditions, and but comparatively few of our frontiersmen have possessed the sturdiness of purpose to avoid the inhuman actions prompted by them.

But there were two sides. The Indians were cruelly wronged. They were deceived, defrauded and treacherously dealt with. Their lands were encroached upon, in gross violation of solemn treaty rights. Their game was destroyed. Friendlies were shot down without provocation, and entire families and bands of hunters were murdered, in the fastnesses of their own domain. There were schemes promulgated, and I believe employed, by those high in authority, for the indiscriminate destruction of the Indians, far more hellish than those ever dreamed of by the wilderness warrior. We should be just and place where they belong the various causes for the brutalities enacted on the border.

George Jackson was captain of the first military company organized in the Buckhannon settlement. The date of this organization and its object has been a matter of conjecture. It is thought by some to have originated at the call of Col. William Darke, when he recruited his "Hampshire and Berkeley Regiment" in the Spring of 1781. This was an emergency regiment raised to oppose the invasion of Virginia by the British. This regiment was at the siege of Yorktown and the surrender of General Cornwallis in the following October, and was one of the guard which conducted a contingent of the vanquished army to the prison barracks near Winchester, Virginia.

It is not probable that Capt. Jackson participated in the campaign against Yorktown. He recruited a company from the settlements in May, 1781, and joined General Clark at Fort Pitt in his attempted expedition against Detroit.

The first military company at Buckhannon was a band of Indian spies, organized in 1779. George Jackson was Captain of this body. He is said subsequently to have had general command of the various bands of spies in the settlements, and was succeeded in this rank by Col. Lowther. Later, Jackson was a Colonel in the militia, and is inseparably connected with the early history of the Upper Monongahela. He is mentioned by Withers on several occasions, and his memorable night run from Buckhannon to Clarksburg for assistance when some of the settlers were besieged in an out-house in 1782, was characteristic of the energy and daring courage that made him a leader among men.

He was a member of the First Virginia Assembly in 1788 which ratified the Federal Constitution. His long subsequent public career is of record and need not be repeated here. He was an associate of the Hughes, but could not vie with them in Indian woodcraft.

The two brothers of Jesse Hughes, Thomas and Elias, were both commissioned officers in Col. Lowther's Company of Rangers and Spies, and from the following story, which was gleaned from a source worthy of credence, it would appear that Jesse was also a subaltern officer in the same company.

Sometime in the early nineties, Colonel Lowther ordered Jesse Hughes to take such men as he deemed necessary and scout from the Buckhannon Fort by way of French Creek and the headwaters of the West Fork to the falls of the Little Kanawha; from which point, if no Indian sign was discovered, he was to proceed to the mouth of Leading Creek, up which stream he was to return to the settlements by way of Polk Creek. Usually the scouts would strike the Ohio River near Wheeling, there construct a raft by which to descend the Ohio to the site of Parkersburg, examining all the Indian trails leading to the settlements. If signs of Indians were discovered, they would immediately strike for the settlements and give warning of the threatening danger, but if none were found they would scout over the Indian warpath that followed up the Little Kanawha and Leading Creek on their return home. This more northern territory, on the occasion of which I write, was doubtless patrolled by other efficient scouts residing on the Upper Monongahela.

The route laid out for Jesse Hughes covered the several Indian trails leading from the Little Kanawha to the Upper Monongahela. The principal path was up Leading Creek and down Polk Creek to the West Fork. There were, however, a few less frequented and more secluded paths among the labyrinth of small streams flowing from the divide between the headwaters of the Little Kanawha and the West Fork. One of these led up Oil Creek from the Kanawha and passed down the small stream known as "Indian Carrying Run" on the opposite side of the divide to the West Fork. The distance between the headings of these two tributaries is only a few hundred yards and was known as "Indian Carrying Place." This was the only point where the Indians "portaged," or "carried" between the Kanawha and the Monongahela, hence the name. The "Carrying Place" is on "Indian Farm," where Arnold Station now is.

The war parties from Ohio, in their forays on the western Virginia border, never traveled by water. The topography of the country and the nature of its streams precluded the idea. By placing a few sentinels along the streams traversed, the settlers could have effectively guarded against surprise, and have easily intercepted the Indians in their flight. Canoe voyages were doubtless resorted to on some of these western streams by the Indians when raiding the settlements east of the Alleghenies, prior to the settling of the Upper Monongahela. At that period they were immune from pursuit west of the mountains, where the canoe would have been a safe and easy mode of travel. The Little Kanawha from its mouth to the "portage" referred to, afforded a direct highway of some fifty miles.

"Canoe Run," which flows into the West Fork about one-half mile below Roanoke, in Lewis County, derived its name from the scouts finding an Indian canoe moored under some willows in or near the mouth of this stream.

"Indian Cap Run," which enters the river from the east, between Jacksonville and Walkersville, took its name from an Indian cap, or head-dress, found on the western trail near its source.

In Walkersville, about one hundred and fifty yards from the forks of the river, and just above the road, a block of sandstone juts from the hillside, on which is carved "1780." The date is legible, though crudely executed. It was found there by the scouts, who attributed it to Simon Girty. But the handiwork could hardly be that of Simon Girty personally, who could neither read nor write.

In the scouting expedition referred to, Jesse Hughes thought that a small party would be sufficient, and selected Alexander West to accompany him. They traversed the route designated without finding an Indian sign. They reported at Clarksburg, and in general council it was apparent that no Indians were lurking on the border. Winter was fast approaching, and there was but little probability of further hostilities that Fall. Colonel Lowther commended the scouts highly for their celerity and faithfulness, and dismissed them for the season. Colonel George Jackson, who was present, also praised their splendid work.

While out, the scouts had noted that the beech mast in the bottoms and low hills about the head of French Creek was heavy, and that the region was full of bear. A hunt was planned by the two scouts and the colonels. Hughes and West then proceeded to West's Fort, and sent a dispatch to notify the Buckhannon settlement of the result of their scouting. Within a few days they were joined at West's by the two officers, and the next day the company left for the hunting grounds. The first night they stayed at an old Indian camp, known to Hughes only, who had been there on previous occasions. Here they saw an abundance of deer, which at that time held no attraction for them. The next morning they crossed the divide to French Creek, where they found all the bear sign reported by the scouts. The ground had been scratched over for miles, such as they had never seen before; but the sign was all old, and not a bear could be found. They had evidently gone to the rough mountainous regions of the Kanawha, the Holly, and the Buckhannon for winter quarters, as very few bear wintered in the more open hills of the West Fork.

Hughes and West desired to follow the bear, but it was necessary for Colonel Jackson to return home, and reluctantly they decided to accompany him. They recrossed the mountain and spent the night at their former camp. The deer, so unattractive the evening before, now engaged their attention, and they determined to spend the day shooting. They divided their party: Hughes and West were pitted against the two colonels. They were to hunt for a wager, the prize being all the deer skins taken. No fawns were to be counted, and if a shot failed to bring down the game it was to deduct one from the party who fired it. All bullets in the shot-pouches were counted, and for these the hunter must account at the close of the day. It was agreed that the two officers were to hunt below, while the scouts were to hunt above the camp.

Everything arranged, the hunt began, and in the evening when the game was tallied and the bullets all accounted for, the score stood nineteen for Hughes and West, and twenty-one for the colonels. The next morning the game was skinned, such venison selected as was desired, and the camp broken. It was then suggested that the stream, on a branch of which they were encamped, was yet unnamed, and it was unanimously agreed that it should be called "Skin Creek," in commemoration of their remarkable hunt. As Jesse Hughes had piloted them to the camp, and to him alone was known the sylvan retreat, they called this tributary "Hughes Fork." These names they still bear.

Afterwards, Joseph Hall, who came from England, and who was a corporal in Lord Dunmore's expedition in 1774, acquired title to a tract of land on Hughes Fork, including the camp site. Hall learned that Jesse Hughes also claimed this land by "tomahawk improvement." He met Hughes in Clarksburg and enquired regarding his claim, offering to pay him for any right he might hold to the land. Hughes replied, "I did have a claim to that land; I camped there two or three times, and had a great hunt. I marked some trees expecting to acquire a title to the land. But I have," he continued, "more of such claims than I have use for; and I hear, Joe, that you now have a wife, and will need the land." Hall told him that he not only had a wife, but also a little curlyheaded boy. Hughes rejoined, "In that case, I would give the land to the boy if I had a patent for it." He then described the old Indian camp - a spring, and a beautiful location for a house.

Joseph Hall's son, Jonathan, settled on this land in 1820. Ten years later he cleared the site of the old camp, near which he built a new residence. The fire hearths of the camp, three in number, were unearthed by the plow. They were about two rods apart, and in the form of a triangle. They indicated long use, the ashes and burned stone extending considerably below the surface. Nearby were two dark spots in the soil, each about sixteen feet in diameter. These proved extremely fertile, the corn growing much more luxuriantly there than on the surrounding soil. The unearthing of the old camp was witnessed by Jonathan Hall's sons, the youngest of whom, John Strange Hall, is still living, and occupies the ancestral homestead. To Mr. Hall I am indebted for most of the particulars contained in this chapter.

Alexander West's son, Charles, settled on Hughes Fork of Skin Creek, on land said to have been "tomahawked" by his father during this hunt.

Some time prior to the close of Indian hostilities on the border, Henry Jackson, the great land surveyor, who executed several of the large surveys in (now) central West Virginia, received warrants for thirty-five thousand acres, to be laid off in five thousand acre tracts. This was the celebrated Bank's Survey, destined in after years, like many others of that day, to figure prominently in the Courts.

A surveying party consisted of the surveyor, two chain-bearers, a "marker," and a cook, who helped as "packer;" also two hunters, who supplied the camp with meat and acted as scouts. Such an outfit was a recognized scouting party in time of Indian hostilities, and was often attended by regular Spies or Rangers employed by the State or Federal government.

Jackson selected a new field for his operations, and pitched camp on Leading Creek in (now) Gilmer County. He arrived there in the evening, and marked a black gum tree for a corner. He then set his compass and noted that the line determined on would cross the creek three times. After this he rested for the day. Supper over, Jesse Hughes, one of the hunters, announced that he and his comrade would go down the creek about two miles to a famous lick and kill a deer for breakfast. Before starting they heard the howl of a wolf. This was answered by another in the general direction of the lick, but apparently some distance apart. The calls were repeated occasionally and seemed to approach each other. Jackson declared these were Indian signals, and that they must return at once and alarm the settlements. Hughes rebelled. He would not "run from Injuns until he saw Injuns to run from." He then added that he could approach the lick from the bluff and see any object near it without danger of discovery. Jackson reluctantly permitted Hughes and his companion to go, but first exacted a promise that they would not fire, no odds how fair an Indian mark they might see. If the signals heard were from Indians it was evident that others were in the immediate vicinity, and it was of the utmost importance that the presence of the whites be kept secret. The scouts set out, and soon returned with the intelligence that two Indians were watching the lick, armed with bows and arrows. The whites returned to West's Fort that night, and spread the alarm.

The Indians evidently discovered signs of the surveying party and its hasty retreat, for they passed by the immediate settlements and committed depredations on Cheat River, carrying off some plunder. Colonel Lowther had his scouts and rangers out watching, and succeeded in intercepting the Indians in their retreat, killed a few of them and recovered the stolen property.

Jackson never went back to complete his work. In due time, however, the Bank's Survey was properly returned, neatly plotted, and showing the crossings of the chief streams. It was forwarded to the Governor, who issued the patent. In later years Lewis Maxwell became owner of the Bank's Survey, and spent years in search of Jackson's beginning corner. Finally the place was located where the three crossings of the creek were visible, but no marks of survey were ever found there. However, in following one of jackson's imaginary lines, a tree was found with an old "line mark." This, Maxwell claimed, had been placed by Jackson. In the meantime, later patents for the land had been discovered, and Maxwell brought suit for possession. The case was tried at Glenville, Gilmer County, and lasted two weeks, consuming the entire term of court. The main point involved was the identity of Jackson's beginning corner, although many other points were contested. The defense offered to prove that the mark found on "Jackson's line" was one of Jesse Hughes' tomahawk claims, antedating the Bank's Survey; but the Hughes' claim had never been carried into grant, and the court ruled against the introduction of such testimony. The case was decided for the defense.

Mr. J. S. Hall was present at the trial, and after the case was settled, Mr. Enoch Withers, an attorney for the defense, told Mr. Hall that there was an old veteran of Jackson's party still living, who could point out the exact spot of the gum tree corner, but it was not to the interest of the defense to divulge his name.

Henry Jackson told the particulars of the survey and scare by the Indians to his young nephew, George Jackson Arnold, a grandson of Col. George Jackson, who figured in the Skin Creek hunt.

When forts were built along the Ohio, Indian incursions into Virginia became less frequent. The garrisons of these forts and the settlers who gathered about them created a demand on the settlements on the Western Monongahela for beef and milk cows.

In 1791 we find Jesse Hughes with Nicholas Carpenter, in his ill-fated enterprise undertaken to supply this demand at Fort Harmer at the mouth of the Muskingum. The ensuing brief account of this occurrence is taken from Withers.

"In the month of September, Nicholas Carpenter set off to Marietta with a drove of cattle to sell to those who had established themselves there; and when within some miles from the Ohio river, encamped for the night. In the morning early, and while he and the drovers were yet dressing, they were alarmed by a discharge of guns, which killed one and wounded another of his party. The others endeavored to save themselves by flight; but Carpenter being a cripple (because of a wound received some years before) did not run far, when finding himself becoming faint, he entered a pond of water where he fondly hoped he should escape observation. But no! both he and a son who had likewise sought security there, were discovered, tomahawked and scalped. George Legget, one of the drovers, was never after heard of; but Jesse Hughes succeeded in getting off though under disadvantageous circumstances. He wore long leggins, and when the firing commenced at the camp, they were fastened at top to his belt, but hanging loose below. Although an active runner, yet he found that the pursuers were gaining and must ultimately overtake him if he did not rid himself of his encumbrance. For this purpose he halted somewhat and stepping on the lower part of his leggins, broke the strings which tied them to his belt; but before he accomplished this, one of the savages approached and hurled a tomahawk at him. It merely grazed his head, and he then again took flight and soon got off.

"It was afterwards ascertained that the Indians by whom this mischief was effected, had crossed the Ohio river near the mouth of the Little Kenhawa, where they took a negro belonging to Captain James Neal, and continued on towards the settlements on West Fork, until they came upon the trail made by Carpenter's cattle. Supposing that they belonged to families moving, they followed on until they came upon the drovers; and tying the negro to a sapling made an attack on them. The negro availed himself of their employment elsewhere, and loosening the bands which fastened him, returned to his master."

The following more elaborate description of the foregoing tragedy is given by Hildreth.

"The year 1791 was more fruitful in tragical events than any other during the war, in the vicinity of Marietta. After that period the attention of the Indians was more occupied with the troops assembled on the borders of their own country, or already penetrating to the vicinity of their villages. The United States troops stationed at the posts within the new settlements, drew a considerable portion of their meat rations from the inhabitants of the western branches of the Monongahela, about Clarksburg, especially their fresh beef. Several droves had been brought from that region of the country in 1790 and '91 and sold to Paul Fearing, Esq., who had been appointed Commissary to the troops. A considerable number of cattle, especially milk cows, were also sold to the inhabitants of Marietta. Among those engaged in this employment was Nicholas Carpenter, a worthy, pious man, who had lived many years on the frontiers and was well acquainted with a forest life. He left Clarksburg the last of September, with a drove, accompanied by his little son, ten years old, and five other men, viz: Jesse Hughes, George Legit, John Paul, Barns, and Ellis. On the evening of the 3rd of October, they had reached a point six miles above Marietta, and encamped on a run half a mile from the Ohio, and since called 'Carpenter's run.' The cattle were suffered to range in the vicinity, feeding on the rich pea vines that then filled the woods, while the horses were hoppled, the leaves pulled out from around the clappers of their bells, and turned loose in the bottom. After eating their suppers, the party spread their blankets on the ground and lay down

with their feet to the fire. No guard was set to watch the approach of an enemy. Their journey being so near finished, without discovering any signs of Indians, that they thought all danger was past.

"It so happened that not far from the time of their leaving home, a party of six Shawanese Indians, headed as was afterwards ascertained, by Tecumseh, then quite a youth, but ultimately so celebrated for bravery and talents, had crossed the Ohio river near Bellville, on a marauding expedition in the vicinity of Clarksburg. From this place they passed over the ridges to 'Neil's Station,' on the Little Kenawha, one mile from the mouth, where they took prisoner a colored boy of Mr. Neil, about twelve years old, as he was out looking for the horses early in the morning. It was done without alarming the garrison, and they quietly proceeded on their route, doing no other mischief; pursuing their way up the Kenawha to the mouth of Hughes' river, and following the north fork, fell on to the trail from Clarksburg to Marietta. This took them about three days. There was no rain, and the leaves so dry that their rustling alarmed the deer, and they could kill no game for food. Their only nourishment for that period was a single tortoise, which they divided among them, giving Frank, the black boy, an equal share. As he was much exhausted and discouraged, they promised him a horse to ride on their return. These circumstances were related by Frank after his escape.

"Soon after leaving the north fork of Hughes' river, they fell onto the trail of Carpenter's drove, and thinking it made by a caravan of settlers on their way to the Ohio, they held a short council. Giving up any further progress towards Clarksburg they turned with renewed energy and high spirits upon the fresh large trail, which they perceived had very recently been made. So broad was the track made by the cattle and four or five horses that they followed it without difficulty, at a rapid pace all night, and came in sight of the camp fire a little before daylight. Previous to commencing the attack, they secured Frank with leather thongs to a stout sapling on the top of an adjacent ridge. The trampling of the cattle and the noise of the horse bells greatly favored the Indians in their approach, but as there was no sentinel there was little danger of discovery. Tecumseh, with the cautious cunning that ever distinguished him posted his men behind the trunk of a large fallen tree, a few yards from the camp, where they could watch the movements of their enemies.

"At the first dawn of day Mr. Carpenter called up the men, saving they would commence the day with the accustomed acts of devotion which he had long practiced. As the men sat around the fire, and he had just commenced reading a hymn, the Indians rose and fired, following the discharge with a terrific yell, and rushed upon their astonished victims with the tomahawk. Their fire was not very well directed, as it killed only one man, Ellis from Greenbrier, and wounded John Paul through the hand. Ellis instantly fell, exclaiming, 'O Lord, I am killed!' The others sprang to their feet, and before they could all get their arms which were leaning against a tree, the Indians were among them. Hughes, who had been an old hunter and often in skirmishes with savages, in his haste seized on two rifles, Carpenter's and his own and pushed into the woods, with two Indians in pursuit. He fired one of the guns, but whether with effect is not known, and threw the other away. Being partly dressed at the time of the attack his long leggins were only fastened to the belt around his waist and were loose below, entangling his legs, and greatly impeding his flight. To rid himself of this a encumbrance he stopped for a moment, placed his foot on the lower end, and tore them loose from his belt, leaving his legs bare from the hips downward. This delay nearly cost him his life. His pursuer then within a few feet of him, threw his tomahawk so accurately as to graze his head. Freed from this impediment he soon left his foe far behind. Christopher Carpenter, the son of Nicholas, now living in Marietta, says he well remembers seeing the bullet holes in Hughes' hunting shirt after his return.

"In the race the competitors passed near the spot where Frank was concealed, who described it as one of the swiftest he had ever seen. John Paul, who had been in many engagements with the Indians, escaped by his activity in running. Burns, a stout, athletic man, but slow of foot, was slain near the camp after a stout resistance. When found a few days after his jack knife was still clasped in his hand, and the weeds trampled down for a rod or more around, showing he had resisted manfully for life. George Legit was pursued for nearly two miles, overtaken and killed. Mr. Carpenter, although a brave man, was without arms to defend him and being lame could not run rapidly. He therefore sought to conceal himself behind some willows, in the bed of the run. He was soon discovered, with his little boy by his side. His captors conducted him to the spot where the black boy had been left, and killed both him and his son. What led to the slaughter, after they had surrendered, is not known. He was found wrapped in his blanket, with a pair of new Indian moccasins on his feet, and his scalp not removed. It is supposed that these marks of respect were shown him at the request of one of the Indians whose gun Carpenter had repaired at Marietta the year before, and had declined any compensation for the service. He was by trade a gunsmith. This circumstance was told to C. Carpenter, many years after, by one of the Indians who was present, at Urbana in Ohio. It is another proof of the fact, that an Indian never forgets an act of kindness, even in an enemy.

"Tecumseh and his men, after collecting the plunder of the camp, retreated in such haste, that they left all the horses, which had probably dispersed in the woods at the tumult of the attack. They no doubt feared a pursuit from the rangers at Marietta and Williams' station, who would be notified by the escape of their prisoner, Frank, who in the midst of the noise of the assault contrived to slip his hands loose from the cords, and hide himself in a thick patch of hazel bushes, from which he saw a part of the transactions. After the Indians had left the ground, he crept cautiously forth, and by good fortune took the right direction to Williams' station, opposite to Marietta. A party of men was sent out the next day, who buried the dead as far as they could then be found. Frank returned to his master, and died only a few years since."

Colonel Joseph Barker assisted in burying the bodies of Carpenter and his men.

From the foregoing it would appear that Hughes had adopted the Indian mode of dress so popular with the half-wild hunters and scouts in the latter years of the Indian wars on the Virginia border. Tradition says that Hughes was surprised by the Indians near the Buckhannon Fort when entangled with loose leggins, and with difficulty effected his escape. Doubtless this story had its origin in the Carpenter occurrence.

A single instance illustrative of Hughes' wonderful fleetness and dexterity with his rifle will demonstrate to what a fearful strait he must have been reduced that he should in his flight cast aside a loaded gun. After he had moved from Hacker's Creek, and was an old man, he returned on a visit. A Mr. Bailey, of Freeman's Creek, then a lad, remembered seeing him and witnessing the feat at a house-raising on Broad Run, in what is now Lewis County. When the house was completed the assembled young men engaged in athletic sports, hopping, jumping and foot-racing, as was customary in those days. One athlete excelled all competitors in fleetness, and the old scout offered to run with him. The conditions of the race stipulated that Hughes with empty rifle in hand was to have ten paces the start of his adversary; and if successful in charging his piece before caught he was to be declared winner. Arrangements were accordingly made, and after the contestants had been properly placed, the signal was given and they sprang forward. One was an aged man, on whose visage the "shadows of the evening" were settling. The other, strong in the prime of youth, exulted in the mounting vigor of manhood. Swift was the race, but the chief of the Monongahela scouts proved himself. He charged his rifle, and whirling about, could easily have shot his rival before being caught.

The following traditional sequel to the Carpenter tragedy is an extract from a manuscript by the late Mr. S. C. Shaw, of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Mr, Shaw spent considerable time in collecting traditions from old papers and the descendants of the border pioneers. He died only a few years ago.

"At the first volley from the guns of the Indians, Carpenter and three of his men fell dead. Hughes, the only one to escape death, was slightly wounded, but by his extraordinary activity and fleetness succeeded, after a long and at times close chase, in making his escape to Neal's blockhouse at the mouth of the Little Kanawha. The colored boy, Frank, whom the Indians had taken prisoner and tied to a tree with deer sinews during the attack, succeeded with his teeth in severing his bonds, and though closely pursued made his escape to the fort. When Hughes and the boy appeared at the blockhouse and told the story of savage cruelty and murder, Isaac Williams, a noted scout, immediately took charge of a party which started in pursuit of the Indians. Arriving at the scene of the tragedy, they found the body of Carpenter and his three men lying by their camp fire, scalped and mutilated. They buried their dead and struck the trail of the Shawnees leading towards the river. Owing to a heavy rain, they lost the trail somewhere near the point on which St. Mary's, the county seat of Pleasants County, now stands, and the pursuit was abandoned. Williams' party, consisting of Jesse Hughes, Malcomb Coleman, Elijah Pixley and James Ryan, now held a council of war and unanimously agreed to avenge the death of Carpenter and his party on the first Indians that fell in their way.

"Williams led his party of avengers across the Ohio at a ford near Willow Island and immediately took up their silent march towards the head of Shade River, where they learned from the scouts belonging to the Bellville blockhouse, a small party of Shawnees were encamped on a hunt. The scouts went into camp on the Little Hocking, early that evening, leaving one man on guard to be changed at midnight; and rested until two o'clock in the morning, when, after a hasty meal of dried venison and parched corn, they again took up the line of march. Arriving within three miles of where they had been told the Shawnees were camped, Williams and his party went into hiding beneath a mass of thick undergrowth lining a small stream between two wooded hills. Soon after being here ensconced the report of fire arms nearby startled them. Peering through the branches of their bushy canopy the scouts silently listened and waited. A few minutes later a large buck broke cover on the hillside and came bounding down the slope in a straight line for the thicket in which they were concealed. The scouts supposed that the Indians were in pursuit, and were fearful that the buck would bring about their discovery. Fortunately for them, while the game was fifty yards away, a rifle rang out on the still morning air, and the buck sprang high and fell dead. An instant later three Indians ran down the hill, and began dressing the carcass. From their head dress, and general appearance, the scouts recognized them as Shawnees, and knew that they were near the camp for which they were looking. The whites remained motionless and were undiscovered by the Indians, who, after completing their task, moved off with their spoils. The whites kept in hiding all day with one of their number constantly on the lookout.

"On the banks of the Shade River, three miles distant from the hiding place of the whites, was a small creek which emptied into the larger stream. A huge rock stood back fifteen or twenty yards from the bank, and in front, and between it and the river, stood four brush wigwams. The Indians had brought three of their squaws with them to cure the meat, and with them three Indian lads, ranging from four to eleven years of age. The band of warriors or hunters consisted of four men. That night about midnight the scouts approached within two or three hundred yards of the Indian camp when Jesse Hughes went forward to ascertain their exact number and location. Hughes soon returned with the information given above, having arrived at this knowledge from the number of lodges and the equipment about the lodges. When Hughes reported, Williams divided his forces, sending Hughes with two men to follow under the bank of the creek until opposite the camp; and then followed by the remaining hunter, Williams cautiously crept up until he was directly behind the rock referred to. The cry of the whippoor-will was Hughes' signal that his force was in position, and a minute later Williams and Pixley crept from behind the rock and up to the nearest wigwam. So silent was their approach that even the keen-eared Shawnees had no suspicion that an enemy was near. The moon was in the full and even under the shade of the trees objects were plainly discernable. Williams and Pixley waited near the first wigwam until they saw Hughes, Coleman and Ryan close up to another, then raising his hand as a signal, dashed into the wigwam with a fearful yell, and before the sleeping Indians could spring to their feet, they were upon them. The scouts had rushed with tomahawk in hand, and almost in a second two Indian warriors and a squaw were tomahawked. While this tragedy was being enacted, Hughes and his companions were holding another carnival of death within a few yards. Yells and cries of pain rent the air, and instantaneously the remaining Indians were out of their wigwams with weapons in their hands. Heretofore the whites had refrained from using their rifles, but after they had exterminated the occupants of two wigwams first attacked, they sprang out with their rifles, and before the panic-stricken Indians could recover their presence of mind, the rifles of the whites began to crack, and at each shot an Indian fell. Nine of the party were killed. The remaining Shawnee yelled with terror and fled to the forest. Fearing an ambuscade, the scouts quickly reloaded their guns and then looked over the field of battle.

"One little Indian boy, not over four years old, was discovered concealed under a pile of furs and hides in a corner of one of the wigwams, where he had crawled when the whites made their attack.

"Although doubtless frightened at the sight of the first white faces and heavy beards he had ever seen, the boy did not so much as whimper when Pixley picked him up and was about to dash him against a tree. Hughes, near Pixley at the time, begged him to spare the boy; but Pixley, whose brother and son had been killed and scalped by the Shawnees several months before, at first refused to spare him, but after a good deal of persuasion Hughes at last succeeded in getting possession of the lad.

"Four horses, a large amount of fresh meat, a lot of furs and three good rifles were found and taken possession of. The dead Indians were scalped, the horses loaded with the captured plunder, and then fastening the Indian boy securely to the back of one of them, the scouts began their retreat. They followed the banks of the Shade River to its mouth, at what is today the town of Murrayville. From that point, they travelled several miles up the Ohio to a ford where they crossed, and arrived at the Beliville blockhouse. The little Indian prisoner was taken away a few days later by Jesse Hughes, and an old manuscript says that he lived many years among the whites in a settlement called Builtown, dying at the age of nearly one hundred years, a devout Christian, greatly loved and respected in his community."

The date (1785) and some of the details as given in the original unabridged version of this tradition are so conflicting, and the story of Hughes saving the little boy, an act so foreign to his known nature, serve to cast doubt on the story. Some parts of it may be true; evidently much of it is untrue. It was published in the Pittsburg Post several years ago, and copied by the press, and is given for what it is worth.

It is said that the colored lad's name was Frank Wykoff, and that he was caught by the Indians one mile above Neal's Fort while fishing at the mouth of the Little Kanawha; that his captors tied his hands behind him, and packing a heavy load of food and utensils on his shoulders, compelled him to keep pace with them. But it is not probable that the Indians were encumbered with utensils or much food on a war expedition.

The companions of Jesse Hughes in this traditional expedition of revenge and plunder were well known on the Virginia frontier. In February, 1793, we find that Malcom Coleman, Elijah Pixley and James Ryan, accompanied by Coleman's son John, left the fort at Belleville, Ohio, in a canoe on a hunting trip up Big Mill Creek, in what is now Jackson County, West Virginia. They camped at or near where Cottageville now stands, and in a few days had all the venison and bear meat their canoe would carry. Their return home was delayed by the freezing of the creek.

Pixley and young Coleman returned overland to the fort for a small supply of flour or meal and salt, expecting to return in the forenoon of the third day. On that fatal morning, the elder Coleman and Ryan rose early and prepared breakfast. While returning thanks at the beginning of the meal they were fired on by a band of Indians in ambush, and Coleman was instantly killed.

Ryan was slightly wounded, but fled and in due time reached the fort. A party immediately returned to the camp, only to find Coleman scalped and stripped of his clothing and the camp plundered. This occurrence was strangely coincident with the Carpenter tragedy.

When the Waggoner family, on Jesse's Run, was massacred in May, 1792, it was Jesse Hughes who carried the news of the tragedy to West's Fort and alarmed the settlers. Colonel John McWhorter, then a lad eight years of age was out hunting the cows not far from his father's home near the fort, when hearing the rustling of underbrush and lancing up, he saw Jesse, rifle –in-hand, running towards the fort. As Jesse passed the astonished lad he ejaculated, "Heel it to the fort, ye little devil; Injuns after ye'!" The little fellow did "heel it," endeavoring to keep pace with the scout, but to no purpose. The fleet-footed trailer disappeared as suddenly as he came to view.

This raid on the Waggoner family by Tecumseh and his two warriors, with its subsequent history, and the story of the tragedy as told by the Indians in after years, dimly reveals an incentive to these border forays not usually attributed to the Indian by the historian. That these incursions were primarily of a partisan and revengeful nature, cannot be gainsaid, but that occasionally they were prompted by motives of a different character is also certain. The carrying into captivity of small children over long and dangerous wilderness paths by the fierce warrior, is significant. I have elsewhere spoken of the strong parental feeling which sways the Indian bosom. The vacant seat at the fireside of the wigwam was as deeply mourned as in any home on earth. A longing to repair the broken circle, often led to the adoption of a stranger by the bereaved family or tribe. Preferably the adopted one was a child, although often grown or matured parties were acceptable. To fill these vacancies, young children of likely appearance were kidnaped from the settlements. That these adoptions were successful, we need only refer to the pathetic scenes enacted at the several treaties where these captives were surrendered. Often it was necessary to force them from their foster parents. The grief caused by these separations was always mutual. The running of the gauntlet by the prisoner before his adoption was, to use their own phraseology, "like how do you do," a hearty but rough initiation into Indian society.

The last traditional account that we have of Jesse Hughes as defender of the border on the Upper Monongahela was in the fall of 1793. It was really the sequel of the following incident:

"In the spring of 1793, a party of warriors proceeding towards the headwaters of the Monongahela river, discovered a marked way, leading a direction which they did not know to be inhabited by whites. It led to a settlement which had been recently made on Elk river, by Jeremiah and Benjamin Carpenter and a few others from Bath county, and who had been particularly careful to make nor leave any path which might lead to a discovery of their situation, but Adam O'Brien moving into the same section of country in the spring of 1792, and being rather an indifferent woodsman, incautiously blazed the trees in several directions so as to enable him to readily find his home, when business or pleasure should have drawn him from it. It was upon one of these marked traces that the Indians chanced to fall; and pursuing it, came to the deserted cabin of O'Brien, he having returned to the interior, because of his not making a sufficiency of grain for the subsistence of his family. Proceeding from O'Brien's, they came to the house of Benjamin Carpenter, whom they found alone and killed. Mrs. Carpenter being discovered by them, before she was aware of their presence, was tomahawked and scalped, a small distance from the yard.

"The burning of Benjamin Carpenter's house, led to a discovery of these outrages; and the remaining inhabitants of that neighborhood, remote from any fort or populous settlement to which they could fly for security, retired to the mountains and remained for several days concealed in a cave. They then caught their horses and moved their families to the West Fork; and when they visited the places of their former habitancy for the purpose of collecting their stock and carrying it off with other property, scarce a vestige of them was to be seen-the Indians had been there after they left the cave, and burned the houses, pillaged their movable property, and destroyed the cattle and hogs."

The following traditional account is still preserved by the descendants of the Carpenters on Elk River.

Jeremiah Carpenter was born at Big Bend, Jackson River, in Bath County, Virginia, and was there taken prisoner by a band of Shawnees when but nine years old. He lived with the tribe at Old Town, opposite the mouth of the Great Kanawha until he was eighteen, when he was exchanged and returned to Jackson River. From that place he moved to Elk River, in what is now Braxton County, West Virginia, settling about a quarter of a mile above Dry Run. Into that region the Indians came every spring.

Adam O'Brien had blazed a trail from the site of the present town of Sutton to the Salt Spring, the name by which the white people spoke of the Indian Bull Town. O'Brien went there to make salt. Bull Town being on the old Indian war trail, a party of two Shawnee warriors followed the blazed path made by O'Brien, to Elk River, and there saw chips floating down the stream, which to them was proof that settlers had erected buildings above. They followed the river. There were two brothers, Benjamin and Jeremiah Carpenter. Benjamin's cabin was lowest on the river, at the mouth of Holly, twelve miles above Sutton. The two Indians, one large and the other small, came first upon the cabin of Benjamin. At the time, he was across the river burning logs in his clearing, assisted by his mother and little sister, who had come that day to visit him. His wife was sick in bed, and the Indians tomahawked her, making no noise. The big Indian took Carpenter's gun from the rack over the door, and seated himself in the corner of the cabin, the little Indian concealing himself on a bank above the house. Carpenter came across the river to assist his wife if she should want any aid, and also to prepare dinner. But he stopped at the river bank and took a deer skin from the water where it had been soaking in the process of dressing, and began work upon it. While about this business the little Indian shot at him and missed him. He ran to the house to get his gun, and as he reached up to take it down, the big Indian shot him in the side under the arm, and killed him. They then scalped Carpenter, took his gun, powder-horn and shot-pouch, and left that region. Carpenter's mother concealed her little girl in a hollow stump, and ran for her husband, but when he arrived at the cabin of his son, the Indians were gone.

The following fall, at a fort on the West Fork of the Monongahela, possibly at Clarksburg, the Indians killed and devoured a cow belonging to Jesse Hughes. They carried away with them a bell which the cow wore. One afternoon they rattled this bell in the woods on the mountain-side above the fort. Some said to Jesse Hughes that his cow was coming back. He knew, however, that she had been killed, and replied that he wouId "make that bell ring for something in the morning." That night he secreted himself in the woods on the mountain above the point where the bell had been heard the previous afternoon. As soon as it was light enough to shoot, he again heard the bell, and cautiously made his way towards it. He discovered two Indians, one large, the other small. The big Indian was standing up with his gun ready for instant use, and the little Indian was walking about on his hands and knees, with the bell on his neck, rattling it in imitation of a cow browsing in the woods. Hughes shot the big Indian, and the small one ran. Jesse threw down his empty gun, seized that of the dead Indian, pursued and soon came up with the little Indian and shot him. The gun carried by the big Indian and with which Hughes killed the little Indian, was the gun of Benjamin Carpenter. The gun, powder-horn and shot-pouch were returned to the Carpenter family.

The story of this occurrence, as told by the immediate descendants of Jesse Hughes, is as follows: Hughes was visiting his parents on Elk Creek, near Clarksburg. One evening the cow did not come home from the woods as usual, nor could she be found. The next morning Jesse's mother heard the bell in the woods, and told her daughter to go and bring the cow home. Jesse, hearing the order, stepped into the yard and listening attentively to the bell for a moment, told his sister that he would go and bring the cow. Taking his rifle, he went into the woods opposite to where the bell was still rattling, and making a circuit, came near the bell on the side furthest from the house. When getting near the object of his search, the odor of broiling meat was wafted to his nostrils. The Indians had killed the cow, and had been roasting the beef over the camp-fire. Cautiously advancing, he saw an Indian rattling the bell in such a manner as the noise produced by a belled cow when feeding. The Indians had gone some distance from their camp towards the house, and were waiting to see if anyone would come to get the cow. Hughes shot the Indian who was ringing the bell.

In this version no mention is made of Jesse killing more than one Indian, nor of the big and little Indian and Carpenter's gun. The last version is correct as to the place and circumstance of Jesse's exploit; but there is every reason to believe that the Carpenter version is correct in its relation to Carpenter and the two noted Indians.

Early in the nineties there were two Indians on the border who were well known to the rangers and scouts of Fort Harmer, and other posts on the frontier. Hildreth, says of these famous warriors:

"There were among these Indians two whose footprints were well known to the rangers. One of them left a track eleven inches long, the other not more than seven or eight. They were known as the big and little Indian. They were men of great subtlety and caution; often seen together by the spies, yet never but once within reach of their rifles. Joshua Fleehart, a noted hunter, and as cautious and cunning as any savage, got a shot at the big Indian as the two lay in camp below Bellville. The ball cut loose his powder horn, which Joshua took as a prize, and wounded him in the side, but he escaped."

It is probable that these were the warriors killed by Hughes. No mention of them is found in the border strife after this time.

The killing of Carpenter was cunningly planned and executed and they would have succeeded in their decoy with the bell, but for the keen discernment of Hughes. Instead, they met a tragic death at the hands of this renowned scout of the Monongahela.

We now come to the closing scenes of the turbulent career of Jesse Hughes. The swirling storms of threescore years had swept his path, leaving on his brow the heavy touch of time's relentless hand. His auburn locks were thin and grizzled. His lithe form was not so erect, nor his eagle eye so keen as in former years, when daring the dangers and fearful privations incident to border life, he traversed the deep forests of the Monongahela wilds, meeting and challenging the skill and endurance of the most wily of his hereditary foes. He had laughed at danger's toils, and played "toss up and catch" with death in a hundred daring adventure and always won. The great object of his life had been revenge. With death ever at his elbow, he had successfully run the gauntlet of war, striking down in his passage the warrior, mother, and the child. And now, as the shadows were falling to the east, they thickened and became black, and the sunset of life was overcast with bitter disappointment, gloomy reflections, sorrow and despair. Touching the pathetic ending of this remarkable borderman, judge R. S. Brown, in his Centenniel address delivered at Ravenswood, West Virginia, July 4, 1876, says:

"Jesse Hughes, brother of Thomas, before spoken of, was the son of Thomas Hughes who settled on the Monongahela River in 1776, and was soon after killed by the Indians, leaving a large and helpless family in the wilderness. Jesse grew up in the school of hardship to be a brave, handsome, active man. The stories of the murder of his father and other kindred and friends embittered him against the Red Man, and terrible was the retribution he visited upon them.

"His name was a terror to the savage foe and a household word of comfort to the scattered settlers on the Buckhannon River, Hacker's Creek, and elsewhere where he visited with the brave and chivalrous spirit of the knight-errant to ward off the savage blow. Always on the alert and courting danger at every point, he pursued the savage with the pertinacity of a bloodhound and never stopped short of his prey. Hughes' River, a large navigable stream north of us, was so named in honor of his exploits. He was justly regarded as the peer of the Zanes, McColloghs and Wetzels. A history of the deeds of this brave man in defense of his people would fill a volume. When the Indians fell back Jesse Hughes followed them, first to the Muskingum, and then to the Wabash, and only after their complete surrender to General Wayne did he make peace.

"He came back here and settled on the Sandy where Mr. J. S. Dilworth now lives near [Sandyville], where he obtained a patent for a piece of land. and made improvements. He was the first settler on that creek. He planted an orchard and cleared some land for a home in his old age; but after living there many years he found his land was long previously granted to John Allison, so Jesse Hughes, the hero of a hundred bloody battles in defense of his country and his race, like his great friends Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone, was a homeless wanderer at the age of seventy-nine years. He went to live with his son-in-law, George W. Hanshaw, on the farm now owned by Mrs. W. S. Proctor. Worn out with toil and exposure and stung with the ingratitude of his countrymen, he wandered one day with his gun in the woods, and there, alone in a leafy grove, just on the run near where we are met, he died. He was buried here on the bottom but no stone marks the spot where reposes the dust of the brave pioneer."

After the loss of their home, Jesse and his wife lived for a time with their son, Thomas, who resided on the Ohio just below Ravenswood. Afterwards they made their home with their daughter, Nancy Agnes Hanshaw, who lived at the mouth of Turkey Run, perhaps on the site of Jesse's former home. Here Jesse died, as narrated by judge Brown in the last of September or the first of October, 1829.

In his old age he became very childish, and at every noise imagined that Indians were around. Then, taking down his rifle, he would go out and look for them. It was, perhaps, in one of these sallies against an imaginary enemy, that the old scout met death in the lonely, silent woods. His death was a fitting one. He had spent most of his career in the wilderness - a part of the wild savage life about him. Oft had he heard the reverberating echo of his deadly rifle answered by the moaning cadence of the sobbing wind, wailing in the gloomy forest a sad requiem over the dying warrior who had fallen a victim of his vengeance. Again had he listened in superstitious awe to the demoniacal shrieking of the mighty Manitou whirling and crashing in fury through the deep fastnesses of the sombre mountains, as if in protest against the withering hand of the pale-face lifted so unremorselessly against the red children of his wooded domain.

At last, in the beauteous mellow of the Southern autumn day - in the dreamy haze of the soft Indian summer - there alone under the trees he loved so well, death came to the old woodsman.

The grimness of the irony of fate is reflected in the closing career of this, the greatest of the pathfinders of western Virginia. Of all the vast regions that he had been so active and ruthless in wresting from the rightful owners, not an acre did he possess. His very grave is lost to the second generation of his family. No one knows where Jesse Hughes was buried. I have tried through every available source to locate the grave of the renowned scout, but without success.

Jesse Hanshaw, his grandson and namesake (line of Nancy), was born in 1831, at the home where his aged grandfather had died two years before. The cabin in which Mr. Hanshaw was born stood on the present site of the residence of W. S. Proctor, who still owns the farm. The place at that time consisted of two cabins, and was known as "Beggar's Town." Mr. Hanshaw declared that his mother pointed out to him the place where his grandfather was buried, and that this was on their home-farm, now owned by Proctor, and above Turkey Run, on the upland in the old orchard. He believes that he might be able to locate the spot, though no stone marks the grave. In 1893, while digging a post-hole near his residence, Proctor found a human skeleton, which may have been that of Jesse Hughes. The location where this skeleton was found - on the high ground back of where the Hughes cabin stood - corresponds with that given by Mr. Hanshaw, as pointed out by his mother.

There is an old burial ground between the road and the river, on the lower part of A. J. Rolif's farm, which adjoins that of Mr. Proctor, where repose the remains of some of the oldest settlers of that region, and it has been suggested that Jesse Hughes might have been buried there. Another tradition says that he was buried near "Hughes' Eddy," below Ravenswood. But I am inclined to believe that Mr. Hanshaw is right in his location of the grave of the old scout. There is no doubt that Mrs. Hanshaw knew where her father was buried, and her son should know, within a reasonable degree of accuracy, the location of the grave.

After the death of Jesse Hughes, his wife lived with her daughter Massie, at Gandeeville, Roane County, (now) West Virginia, where she died in January 1842. She was buried at Gandeeville, and at this writing her grave is shown only by a crude stone. It is hoped that the numerous descendants of this pioneer mother will mark with an enduring and appropriate monument her last resting place, before it, like that of her renowned husband, is lost to the world forever.

A few years ago, the old rocking-chair that belonged to Mrs. Jesse Hughes was still preserved by some of her immediate descendants in Jackson County, West Virginia. What became of this chair is not known to me, but it is, in all probability, still in possession of some of the family in that region.

Mr. Samuel Alkire of Hacker's Creek, was once in possession of an old gun charger that belonged to his great-grandfather, Jesse Hughes. This charger was finely carved from a prong of the antler of a deer, and evidently measured out death to more than one Indian in the wilds of the Monongahela. Unfortunately, this interesting relic, perhaps the last memento of the great scout, was lost about thirty years ago, by a squirrel hunter, on lower Hacker's Creek, which had been the theatre of the most turbulent scenes in the wild life of Jesse Hughes.

THOMAS HUGHES, SENIOR -Settled on Elk Creek, in (now) Harrison County, (West) Virginia, and killed by Indians on Hacker's Creek in 1778. It is not known where he was born, but the evidence is cogent that the most of his life was spent on the border, and that his removal to the Upper Monongahela was from the Wappatomaka. The majority of the pioneers of the country in which he settled came from that region, and there is strong proof, in the birth of his son, Elias, that he resided there in 1757.

It is not certainly known whom Thomas Hughes, Senior, married. I have been unable to find any record touching that phase of his life. Some of the older descendants of his son Elias think that his wife's maiden name was Baker.

The number of children, their names, and the dates of their births, are not with certainty known. The names of some of them, however, are known.

JESSE HUGHES was born in 1750, settled on Hacker's Creek in 1771-72; married Miss Grace Tanner the year of his settlement there; became one of the most famous scouts and Indian fighters of all the west; moved to the Wabash in the fall of 1797 or 1798; moved thence to eastern Kentucky the following fall, exact location not known; moved thence to western Virginia in the following spring, and settled at the mouth of Turkey Run, in what is now Jackson County, West Virginia; afterwards settled on Sand Creek, same county, near where Sandyville was afterwards built; died at the mouth of Turkey Run, just above the town of Ravenswood, in the Autumn of 1829.

THOMAS HUGHES, JUNIOR, was born about 1754; settled on the West Fork about 1775; was an active scout during the entire border wars, and was Lieutenant of a Company of Spies. He afterwards settled in Jackson County, West Virginia, where he died in October, 1837. His wife died three months previous. Her name is unknown to me. They left one child, Thomas, born 1774, who was still living in 1854.

ELIAS HUGHES was born in 1757, in now Hardy County, Virginia. He was called "Ellis" Hughes by many of the early settlers, the name "Ellis" being applied as the result of the inattention of the pioneers to the exactness in speaking names. He came to Harrison County while only a boy and grew up to be a scout and Indian fighter second only to his brother Jesse. Was in Battle of Point Pleasant and subsequently commissioned a Captain of Spies. He married Miss Jane Sleeth. In 1797, moved to the Muskingum in Ohio, and the next year to Licking County, Ohio. Was Captain of Militia and commissioned Second Lieutenant, Col. Rennick's Regiment Mounted Ohio Volunteers, War 1812. Died near Utica, Ohio, December 22, 1844. His wife died in 1827.

SUDNA, daughter of Thomas Hughes, Sr., married Colonel William Lowther, who settled on Hughes' River, and was a pioneer in Northwestern Virginia, and active in the protection of the settlers from the attacks of the Indians.

JOB HUGHES -History of this son not known to me. He married Mary Hamm, 1791, in Harrison County, (West) Virginia. Died and was buried in Jackson County, now West Virginia.

ANOTHER SON was killed by the Indians. His name is not known, nor can it at this time be determined where or when the tragedy occurred, but it must have been on the western waters.

ANOTHER DAUGHTER, name not known to me, was married to Joseph Bibbee, who settled on the Ohio River below the present town of Ravenswood, in what is now Jackson County, West Virginia.

A marriage license was granted in Harrison County, Virginia, in 1795, to William Bibby and Deborah Hughes. William was a brother of Joseph Bibbee; Deborah may have been the daughter of

Thomas Hughes, Sr. Tradition among the descendants of William Bibby, or Bibbee, in Jackson County, West Virginia, says that the Bibbee brothers either married sisters or cousins. William Bibbee was a noted hunter and killed the last buffalo in now Jackson County, West Virginia.

In the same year (1795) Benjamin Cox and Mary Hughes were married in Harrison County, Virginia.

DESCENDANTS OF JESSE HUGHES.

MARTHA, born in December, 1773, captured by the Indians, December, 1787; returned from captivity, December, 1790; married Jacob Bonnett in 1792, a brother to John Bonnett who was killed on the Little Kanawha, and lived all her life near West's Fort, now Jane Lew, just below the main road and opposite the present Methodist Episcopal Church, where she died in December, 1834, and was buried at the old Harmony Church Cemetery on Hacker's Creek. Her grave is marked by a plain sandstone slab, on which is the following inscription:

MARTHA, DAUGHTER OF JESSE HUGHES

BORN DECEMBER, 1773

MADE PRISONER BY THE INDIANS DEC., 1787

RETURNED FROM CAPTIVITY, 1790

MARRIED JACOB BONNETT, 1792

DIED DEC., 1834

AGED 61 YEARS.

Martha left a long line of descendants on Hacker's Creek. Some of the best families of the valley, including the Bonnetts and the Alkires. To the late Elias Bonnett, a grandson of Martha, and to his son, Henry G. Bonnett, I am especially indebted for some of the incidents in the life of Jesse Hughes.

RACHEL, married William Cottrell; lived on Hacker's Creek near the mouth of Life's Run until the death of her husband, when she moved to Spring Creek, six miles from Spencer, Roane County, West Virginia, where she died; buried near Spencer. The old Cottrell cabin of hewed logs is still standing on Hacker's Creek, just below the pike, and near the bridge spanning the creek, on the road leading up Life's Run.

SUDNA, married Elijah Runner; lived and died near Sandyville on Big Sand Creek, Jackson County, West Virginia.

ELIZABETH, married James Stanley; lived and died on Mud Run, a tributary of Big Sand Creek, Jackson County, West Virginia.

MASSIE, born on Hacker's Creek, in 1786 or 1787; married Uriah Gandee; lived for a time near Sandyville, Jackson County; in 1824 moved to where Gandeeville now is in Roane County, West Virginia; her husband died in 1855, when she went to live with her son, J. S. Gandee, where she resided until her death, May 30, 1883. She was buried on the home farm near Gandeeville.

NANCY AGNES, married George W. Hanshaw; lived at the mouth of Turkey Run, above Ravenswood; later moved above the mouth of Straight Fork on Big Sand Creek, Jackson County.

LOURANEY, married Uriah Sayre; lived at the mouth of Groundhog Run, on the Ohio River, in Meigs County, Ohio.

THOMAS, lived on the Ohio River below Ravenswood, where he died. I do not know who he married.

WILLIAM, married a Miss Statts; lived and died on Mill Creek, three miles below Ripley, in what is now Jackson County, West Virginia.

JESSE, married Susana Mock in 1800. His history is unknown to me.

The above are the children of Jesse Hughes, the scout, ranger, pioneer, and famous Indian fighter.

It is said that in size, features and complexion, William Hughes was almost an exact counterpart of his noted father.

Massie, the daughter of Jesse Hughes, who married Uriah Gandee, had twelve children, to wit: Sarah, Jesse, William, George, Cynthia, Grace, Lucinda, Samuel, Mary (who died when nine years old), a child unnamed that died in infancy, Martha, and James Stanley. Of this family ten lived to maturity; but two are now living: Samuel, born February 24, 1824, and James Stanley, born July 27, 1832.

The Gandee children, like those of many other post-pioneer families of Northwestern Virginia, were reared in the woods without the advantages of education. James Stanley, the youngest, named for the husband of his Aunt Elizabeth, did not attend school more than ninety days all told. He learned to write, and the rudiments of arithmetic, after his first marriage. He was married twice, and true to the traditions of his forest clan, reared many children to the honor of his country -twenty-one in all- eighteen of whom are still living. Mr. Gandee has filled many positions of trust in his county, from constable to high sheriff, and was for several years president of his township Board of Education. He laid out the town of Gandeeville on the old home farm in Roane County, West Virginia.

To Mr. Gandee, more than any other person, am I indebted for facts and incidents connected with the life of Jesse Hughes. Pertaining to genealogy and family history, Mr. Gandee is the best informed of any of the immediate descendants of the celebrated scout. His opportunity for obtaining data regarding the biography of his grandfather was, perhaps, unsurpassed, by any person now living. His grandmother made her home with his parents from 1827 until her death, January 1842, and his mother resided with him during the last quarter century of her life.

DESCENDANTS OF ELIAS HUGHES.

ELIAS HUGHES Married Miss Jane Sleeth. I am unable to give the names of their children in the order of their ages, but will set them down as furnished by Mrs. Pansy Hall Thatcher, a descendant of Elias Hughes. The names are as follows:

Margaret (married Jones), Mary (married Foster), Susanna (married Leach), Sudna (married Marlin), Jane (married Hight) Sarah (married Davis), Kate (unmarried), Thomas, Henry, Job, Elias, David, John and Jonathan (the youngest). Two others died while quite young.

Mrs. L. Bancroft Fant, of Newark, Ohio, writes me that one daughter married ------ Ratliff.

Records in the U. S. Treasury Department show that the pension due Elias Hughes at the time of his death was paid to his children as follows: Susanna Leach, Margaret Jones, Sarah Davis, John, Elias and Jonathan Hughes, and Sudna Marlin.

JONATHAN HUGHES was born January 14, 1796, in Harrison County, Virginia, and came with his parents to Ohio in 1798. In 1815 he was apprenticed to a carpenter and joiner in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. On June 9th, 1817, he married Lavina Davis, who was born June 14th, 1800. They had five children: Clarinda, born December 7th, 1818; Louisa, born November 17th, 1820; James M., born March 31, 1827; Adaline N., born December 7th, 1829. James moved to Indiana.

Jonathan Hughes "never drank whiskey as a beverage, never tasted tobacco but once, never smoked a cigar, never voted the Democratic ticket but once, and that was for Jackson. Mr. Hughes is a strong prohibitionist."

Elias Hughes survived his two noted brothers, Jesse and Thomas, several years, and was among the last of the Virginia frontiersmen. As a scout, he excelled in some respects either of his two brothers. He rose to the rank of captain and was the recognized champion rifle shot on the western waters. Like many of his contemporaries, the border annals contain but little of his early life. Withers mentions him in connection with four incidents only; three of these are quoted in the preceding pages of this volume, and the other will be given in the course of this sketch. More is known of his subsequent life in Ohio, where he moved soon after the Treaty of Greenville.

In many instances historians have dealt confusedly with his personality. I have had occasion to mention that while his given name was Elias he was generally known as "Ellis." Under this double sobriquet he went through life to the grave and passed into history. For even a vague conception of the deeds of this great borderman, various historical works must be consulted, where the reader becomes mystified by this diversity in his name. Owing to these conditions, it has been deemed desirable to reproduce here in a concise form, all that could be gathered concerning his life. Lewis says:

"Belonging to General Lewis' army was a young man named Ellis Hughes. He was a native of Virginia, and had been bred in the hot-bed of Indian warfare. The Indians having murdered a young lady to whom he was very much attached, and subsequently his father, he vowed revenge, and the return of peace did not mitigate his hatred of the race. Shortly after Wayne's treaty with the Indians in 1795, he forsook his native mountains, and in company with one John Ratcliff removed north of the Ohio, where they became the first settlers in what is now Licking County, in that State. Hughes died near Utica, that County, in March, 1845, at an advanced age, in hope of a happy future, claiming and accredited by all who knew him, to be the last survivor of the battle of Point Pleasant. He was buried with military honors and other demonstrations of respect."

The following paragraph is found in connection with the Battle of Point Pleasant:

"The admittedly last survivor of those who personally participated in this memorable fight was Mr. Ellis Hughes, one of the remarkable family of border settlers and Indian fighters of that name. After Wayne's treaty, he and a neighbor, Radcliff, removed to Ohio, and were the first to settle in (now) Licking County. Hughes died in 1845, near Utica, aged in the nineties."

THE LAST SURVIVOR.

"It is admitted by all that the last survivor of the battle of Point Pleasant was Ellis Hughes, who died at Utica, Ohio, in 1840, aged over ninety years."

The Last Survivor of the Battle of Point Pleasant.

"The assertion has been made, and I have never heard it disputed, that the last survivor of the battle of Point Pleasant was Ellis Hughes who died in 1840, at Utica, Ohio. This is clearly a mistake. There was certainly a soldier in that battle who survived Ellis Hughes several years, and who died in February, 1848, in that portion of Randolph County which became Tucker County in 1856.

"Samuel Bonnifield was born April 11, 1752, where Washington City now stands.

"In the summer of 1774 Samuel Bonnifield went on a visit to Fauquier County, Virginia. At that time Governor Dunmore was preparing for a campaign against the Indians in Ohio, and Bonnifield joined the army, although he was not a citizen of Virginia. When the march began for the west, he found himself under General Lewis. They marched to Lewisburg in Greenbrier County. Here Bonnifield first met Isaac Shelby, with whom he formed an intimate acquaintance, and of whom he afterwards frequently spoke. The army proceeded to the mouth of the Gauley, and from that point a portion made canoes and went by water to the Ohio. Among these was Bonnifield. His reminiscences of the battle of October 10, contain a few minor details which I have never seen published. He relates that he and Isaac Shelby were behind the same log, and had, for some time, been trying to discover the spot from which occasional bullets had been coming which apparently had been fired at them whenever they showed themselves. Finally Bonnifield made the discovery; but at that moment his gun was empty, and he therefore pointed out the head and face of an Indian some fifty yards distant, protruding from behind a log. Shelby took careful aim, fired, and when the Indians yielded ground shortly after, they found the warrior lying behind the log, shot through the head.

"None of the published accounts of the battle which I have seen mention the fact that the retreating Indians were observed while in the act of crossing the Ohio. Bonnifield speaks particularly of seeing them crossing in large numbers. To him the sight seems to have furnished amusement; for he related with much merriment how a dozen or more Indians would set out from shore on a single log, how the log would roll and careen despite their efforts to steady it; how one by one they would fall off, and strike out swimming for the Ohio shore, while the log perhaps would float away without a passenger."

"Ellis" Hughes, of the foregoing citations, and Elias Hughes, the scout, were one and the same person. In the Census of Monongalia County, Virginia, 1782, he is listed as Elias Hughes at the head of a family of five. In the Census of Harrison County, Virginia, 1785, he appears as Ellis Hughes at the head of a family of six. Both enumerations included parents.

Elias Hughes came early to the western waters. The record of homestead entries in Monongalia County, 1781, shows that he was granted "400 acres on West Fork [river] adjoining lands of James Tanner, to include his improvement made in 1770." He assisted in the building of Nutter's Fort and was closely identified with the border wars, which intervened from the Battle of Point Pleasant to the Treaty of Greenville. We get a glimpse of his career during this period, from the evidence which he submitted with his claim for pension as a Revolutionary soldier, heretofore unpublished.

In his deposition, executed August 23, 1832, he states that as near as he could recollect he was then about seventy-five years old. He entered the service at the commencement of the war, and was commissioned a captain of spies under Col. Benjamin Wilson, and served as such for about two years. Col. Lowther then took command, and he was under him with the rank of captain for over a year; when it appears that Col. Lowther left the service. Hughes was under the impression that the colonel resigned, but was not positive. Col. George Jackson then took command of the scouts and Hughes continued in service until the close of the war.

Hughes states that when Col. Jackson assumed command, owing to some new arrangement in the disposition of the Indian spies, he did not retain his commission as captain. According to the then regulation, the services of the spies were no longer required in companies. They were separated in bodies of two, and boundaries assigned over which they were to scout. They met at certain points, reported their observations and carried any appearance of the enemy to the nearest stations.

In his petition, Hughes was vouched for by Jacob Riley and Stephen McDougal, but he was not granted a pension.

In 1834, Hughes made a second declaration, which is so fraught with historic interest that I give it in full:

"THE STATE OF OHIO

LICKING COUNTY

"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace within and for the County aforesaid, Elias Hughes, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and consequently loss of memory, he cannot minutely enter into a detail of his services in the Revolutionary War. Deponent saith, however, without fear of contradiction, that he served as a ranger and spy during the whole of the Revolutionary War, from the year 1775 to the year 1783, and also prior and subsequently thereto, that his first engagement against the Indians was at the battle of Point Pleasant on the Big Kanhawa in the year 1774, that his last services were performed in the year of Wayne's treaty with the Indians, in the year 1795 (as he thinks), in the neighborhood of Buchannon against a party of 22 Indians by pursuing them and giving the alarm to the settlement - that said Indians succeeded in getting off with Mrs. Bozarth (wife of John Bozarth) and two of the children as prisoners, who were delivered up to General Wayne after the treaty.

"Deponent saith that after the declaration of war in 1775, he volunteered in the service in the Virginia States troops (he thinks), under one Captain James Booth under whom, to the best of his recollection, he continued to serve up to the year (in the spring) of 1778, when his father Thomas was killed by the Indians on Hacker's Creek, Va. Deponent states that about that time one Stephen Ratcliff or Ratlift who held a commission as Captain (under Col. or Major Lowther) left the service and went back on to the south Branch of the Potomac. Deponent saith that he was then commissioned by Col. Benjamin Wilson as a captain to supply the vacancy occasioned by reason of the said Ratcliff leaving the service. Deponent states he well recollects that his commission was printed but by whom it was signed he cannot say, but under the impression that it was signed by the Gov. of Va. Deponent states as he has before stated in his original declaration that he served not less than three years as captain of the Rangers or spies, that he may perhaps be mistaken (from the great length of time which has elapsed and from loss of memory which he is sensible has failed him very materially), in the order and disposition of arranging Col. Benj. Wilson and Col. Wm. Lowther as officers of the Rev. at the time he was so engaged and serving under them as aforesaid, he is, however, satisfied that they were the two principal leaders in the commencement of the Revolution in West Augusta Co., Va., and whether they did or did not at that time hold commissions under the Government as Col. or Major he cannot say positively (they have at least subsequently acquired those titles); he is satisfied however that they either assumed or had in fact such authority delegated to them by the Government that they took upon themselves the organization and disposition of the troops in that section of the country and of paying off the soldiers, recommending the appointment of officers, etc., and that he did in fact hold a commission and served as a captain in the Rev. for not less than three years as before stated. (Deponent states on having his memory refreshed that he is mistaken in saying (as stated in his original declaration) that he was commissioned as captain at the commencement of the War, that it was not until the spring of 1778 (as he thinks).

"Deponent states that from his youth, he always had a fondness for his gun and that his principal occupation was that of hunting from the time he was able to carry a gun up to the time of the Rev., that a number of years before the time of the Rev. (does not recollect the year) he removed with his father in the neighborhood of Clarksburg, Va., together with several other families, John Hacker, Wm. Hacker, Samuel Pringle, Wm. Ratcliff, John Cutright & John Hacker with their families, that on the breaking out of war, his services being required, he of choice volunteered his services as he has before stated, that his name is mentioned in the Border Warfare, a work published by Alex. Withers, at Clarksburg, 1831, and in which a part of his services is detailed (though not generally or particularly). Deponent states that his services may be computed as follows, viz: as a private from the year 1775 up to the year 1778, as a captain, from 1778 up to the year 1781, and from the year 1781 up to the year 1783 as a private. Deponent states he has sent on to Virginia in order to prepare the testimony of witnesses who served with him and by whom he expected to be able to prove his services both as a private and as captain in the service, but in consequence of the death of Alexander West and the absence of David Sleith, his most important witness, he has not been able to establish his services as satisfactorily as he expected to be able to do. Deponent states positively from his own know ledge that he has actually served as above stated, that he did service faithfully during the whole of the Rev. War without any interruption, and that he also served after the peace of 1783 up to the year of 1795. Deponent states that he is unable to say whether he will be able to procure any further testimony in regard to his services than that which is attached to his original declaration, to wit, the testimony of Wm. Powers, Esq., and Jesse Lowther-that he does not know at this time of any person living within his knowledge (except David Sleith) whose testimony will be material. Deponent states that for three years past, he has been entirely blind and from his limited means he is unable to be at further expense in order to establish his services. He hereby proposes to submit to the Department his original and amended declaration with the testimony accompanying the same with a view that the same may be acted upon giving the department a discretionary power to grant him a pension as captain or private, as the evidence in the case may in their discretion seem to justify.

his

ELIAS X HUGHES

mark

"Sworn and subscribed to Dec. 5, 1834.

M. M. CAFFER, Justice of the Peace."

The foregoing declaration was followed by several lengthy testimonies among them one from Tarah Curtis, a clergyman, all speaking highly of Hughes as a man of veracity and whose statement could be relied upon. Some of these affidavits are of more than passing interest, of which a full synopsis is here given.

Under date of September 8, 1834, before John Mitchell, J. P., William Powers, of Harrison County, Virginia, states that he was then sixty-nine years old, and that he first became acquainted with Elias Hughes in 1774 at the building of Nutter's Fort, near where the town of Clarksburgh now is; that he thought Hughes was then seventeen years old, and resided with his father at a place now called Westfield, in Lewis County, Virginia. From that time to 1796, he was more or less acquainted with Hughes, and for a portion of the time participated with him in the scenes of warfare then going on between the whites and Indians on the western frontier of Virginia.

Powers could not state from personal knowledge of Hughes service from commencement of the Revolution, 1776 to 1783, as he was not in the same company of spies, but frequently met him in

connection with the discharge of his duties during that period. He states that he was present at one time in the spring of 1781, when Colonel Lowther with sixteen others, of whom Elias Hughes was of the number, returned to Clarksburgh with five Indian scalps, a great quantity of plunder and two prisoners, whom they had taken and rescued from the Indians. Powers further states that after the peace between Great Britain and the United States in 1783, the war with the Indians did not subside for a number of years; consequently a force was necessary to be kept up for their mutual defense against the Indians. He states that by this means he and Elias Hughes were thrown together on numerous occasions (from the year 1783 up to the year 1795), and he had an opportunity of forming a pretty good opinion of the character of Hughes as an Indian warrior; that he believes the country in those days did not contain a more vigilant, brave and efficient soldier; that from all that he had seen and heard of Elias Hughes, he was, when his services were needed to go on an expedition, at all times ready to go at a moment's warning.

September 10, 1834, Jesse Lowther, before John Davis, J. P. for Harrison County, Virginia, states that he was then sixty-one years old; born in Harrison County, Virginia, where he resided ever since, and was well acquainted with Elias Hughes from the time that he was capable of knowing any person, and the most that he could relate respecting said Hughes as an Indian warrior was information derived from his father, William Lowther, and others; that during the Revolution he was too young to participate in the scenes of warfare then going forward on the western frontier of Virginia. Lowther states that he well recollected at one time that Elias Hughes was engaged with his father, William Lowther, then a Major, in March 1781, with fifteen others pursuing a party of fourteen Indians, who were then retreating from Randolph County, where they had been murdering and plundering a number of inhabitants. His father and other men pursued the Indians from Arnold's Fort, sometimes called Lowther's Fort, to Indian Creek, a tributary of Hughes River, where they overtook and killed five of the Indians and returned with their scalps to said fort, having rescued two of the white prisoners, Daugherty and Mrs. Roney, whose son was accidentally killed during the attack on the Indians. Mr. Lowther well remembered that the plunder taken from the Indians at that time, when shared to each man, amounted to l4 pounds 17s. 5d.; that amongst the plunder taken were nine guns, six silver half-moons, one whole moon and one war club and spear, a number of "Tom Hawks" and scalping knives, silver arm bands, earrings and nose jewelry, one cap containing 44 silver broaches, a number of (as he thinks) Kowaknick pouches (of otter skins) and paint bags.

Lowther states that as far back as his recollection extends, and from information derived from his father and others, Hughes was from the first among the foremost to go forth against the Indians when his services were required, and understood that he was Captain of Spies, but at what period he could not tell. He further states that he has been at Hughes' house in Ohio since he left Virginia, and is satisfied that he is the same identical Elias Hughes mentioned in his original declaration made in Licking County, Ohio, August 23, 1832, now here exhibited No. 4776.

Mr. Davis, justice, adds that Jesse Lowther's statements are entitled to credit.

In an affidavit, February 25, 1842, before John Moore, J. P., Licking County, Ohio, General Thomas W. Wilson, son of Colonel Benjamin Wilson, deceased, who figured prominently in the border wars of western Virginia, states that he was then 38 years old, and up to the time he was twenty-two years of age he continued to reside with his father in Harrison County, Virginia. He had frequently heard his father relate many incidents relative to border warfare, in which Elias Hughes played part. His father always spoke of Hughes in the highest terms, as a brave and efficient soldier and spy, and in whom he had the most implicit confidence; that from his peculiar sagacity and knowledge of the Indian character combined with his personal activity, Perseverance and bravery he ranked him amongst the foremost of the Rangers and Spies of his day.

General Wilson stated that he had often heard his father say and Spies in that Hughes was appointed Captain of the Rangers in place of one Ratcliff, who was discharged, as he understood, on account of his cowardice; that it was necessary for the safety of the country that said Ratcliff be removed, and Hughes appointed in his place; that said Ratcliff was a careless, trifling, cowardly dog and not to be depended upon. Hughes received his appointment, as the General thought, on Sunday morning before daylight, and started upon the scout and pursuit of Indians, and thought it was the same trip that he returned with the scalps of seven Indians.

The General had heard many circumstances and anecdotes told of Hughes by those of his acquaintances, in relation to his encounters and exploits among the Indians in the time of the Revolution, and that from the character given him by all he was highly distinguished for his bravery, and must have contributed much to the defense of the country during the war of the Revolution.

The pursuit and defeat on Hughes River of the warriors who desolated the Leading Creek settlement in 1781 had no parallel on the western waters. The number of Indians killed has been variously estimated. Withers, as previously quoted, placed this loss at five, which number is confirmed by the testimony of Jesse Lowther, Gen. Wilson, who got his information from Col. Benjamin Wilson, states that the number slain was seven. This tallies with the report of John Cutright, who participated in the affair. The Indians were so adroit in their movements, that they were seldom anticipated, or punished in these border forays.

Comparatively few incidents in the Virginia frontier life of Elias Hughes have been preserved. I am indebted to Rev. Daniel G. Helmick for that which immediately follows:

Elias Hughes and one Brown, for whom Brown's Creek in Harrison County, West Virginia, was named, were hunting in the vicinity of Lost Creek near the West Fork River, when Hughes shot and wounded an elk, which made off. There was a rivalry between the two men as to their personal endurance; to settle which it was agreed that they give chase until the game was overhauled, or one, or both of the hunters ready to say "quit." They immediately started at a swinging trot, but the proverb that a "stern chase is a long chase" was to be amply verified. Hour after hour went by with no let-up to that relentless trot.

The quarry was finally overhauled on lower Turkey Run, or Peck's Run in (now) Upshur County. Hughes did not suffer materially from this remarkable run; but not so with Brown. The tendons of his lower limbs were badly strained, which contracting into corded knots, disabled him for several days.

The memory of Elias Hughes in later years is inseparably connected with that of his kinsman and associate, John Ratcliff, who accompanied him to Ohio. The following biographical sketch of these two bordermen is by Isaac Smucker:

OUR PIONEERS

Capt. Elias Hughes and John Ratcliff.

1798.

"Elias Hughes and John Ratliff were our first settlers, and closed their lives here, hence their names are as much interwoven with the history of Licking County as is the name of General Washington with the history of the United States, or as are the names of the Presidents, Lincoln and General Grant, with the history of the late rebellion. And to attempt the production of a history of our country without making Hughes and Ratliff prominent actors therein would manifestly issue in failure.

"Elias Hughes was born near the South branch of the Potomac, a section of country which furnished Licking County many of its early settlers and most useful citizens. His birth occurred sometime before Braddock's defeat in 1755. Of his early life little is known, until in 1774, we find him a soldier in the army of General Lewis, engaged in the battle of Point Pleasant. Gen. Lewis, you are aware, commanded the left wing of the army of Lord Dunmore, who was then Governor of the Colony of Virginia, and successfully fought the distinguished Shawanese Chief, Cornstalk, who had a large force of Indians under his command. One-fifth of Lewis' command was killed or wounded, but Elias Hughes escaped unhurt in this hard fought battle, which lasted an entire day. At the time of his death, which occurred more than seventy years after the battle, he was, and had been for years, the last survivor of that sanguinary conflict.

"We next find Hughes a resident of Harrison County, in Western Virginia, where his chief employment, during the 21 years that intervened between the battle of Point Pleasant and the treaty of Greenville in 1795, was that of a scout or spy, on the frontier settlements near to or bordering on the Ohio River. This service, which was a labor of love with him, he rendered at the instance of his State and of the border settlers that had been for a long time greatly harassed by the Indians, who had murdered many of the whites on the frontiers, their women and children included, under circumstances of atrocity but seldom paralleled. Hughes' father and others of his kindred, and also a young woman to whom he was betrothed, had been massacred by them. These acts of atrocious barbarity made him ever after an unrelenting and merciless enemy of the whole race of Red Skins, and in retaliation for their numerous butcheries his deadly rifle was brought to bear fatally upon many of their number in after years. It is but an act of simple justice to the memory of this veteran pioneer, who was well known as an Indian hater, and an Indian killer, that the provocations he had, be fully presented, and properly understood. Born and raised on the frontiers, among a rude and unlettered people, and untaught and wholly uncultivated and unenlightened as he was, it is not surprising that, under all these circumstances, considering, too, the horrid aggravation he had, he should have given rather full play to strong and malignant passions, and that he should have cherished, even to old age, the harsher and more revengeful feelings of his nature. His vindictiveness or sense of justice led him to keep accounts about balanced between the whole race of red men and himself. This he did fully, so long as the Indians maintained a hostile attitude towards the whites-perhaps a little longer. He owed them nothing at the final settlement.

"The treaty of Greenville, commonly called 'Wayne's Treaty,' made and ratified in 1795, terminated Indian hostilities, or rather the defeat of the Indians the previous year, by General Wayne, in the battle of the 'Fallen Timbers,' near the rapids of the Maumee, brought about that result, and hence scouts were no longer required. Elias Hughes, like the Moor in Shakespeare, when he reached the conviction that 'Othello's occupation's gone,' now finding his services as a scout no longer in demand, surrendered his commission of Captain of scouts, and directed his attention to more pacific and less hazardous pursuits. And here it may be stated that he had been commissioned by that distinguished frontiersman, Col. Ben Wilson, the father of our fellow citizen, Daniel Wilson, and of the late Mrs. Dr. John J. Brice, as a captain of scouts.

"In 1796 Hughes entered the service, as a hunter, of a surveying party, who were about to engage in running the range lines of lands lying in part, in what is now Licking County. The fine bottoms of the Licking were thus brought to his notice, and he resolved to leave his mountain home in the 'Old Dominion,' and locate himself and family on the uncultivated and more fertile lands of the Licking Valley, beyond the white settlements. Accordingly, in the spring of 1797, he gathered together his limited effects, and with his wife and twelve children started for the mouth of the Licking, most of them going on foot, and the remainder on pack horses. This point had been made accessible to footmen and horseback travelers by the location and opening in the year before, by Zane and others, the road from Wheeling to Maysville; and also of a road previously cut out from Marietta up the Muskingum River. John Ratliff, who was a nephew of Hughes, came with his wife and four children, with the latter, and in the same manner to the mouth of the Licking. Here they remained one year, and in the spring of 1798, both families, numbering twenty-one persons, moved in the same style to the 'Bowling Green,' twenty miles up the Licking from its mouth, and there made the first permanent white settlement in the territory now forming Licking County. They erected their cabins near the mouth of the Bowling Green Run, about four miles below Newark, on the banks of the Licking, and about half a mile, or less, apart. They found the 'Bowling Green' a level, unlimbered green lawn or prairie, and they at once proceeded to raise a crop of corn. Whether the 'Bowling Green' was a natural prairie, or had been cleared by the Indians or some white persons, remains an unsettled question. The nearest neighbors of Hughes and Ratliff, for two years, lived about ten miles down the Licking, one of whom was Philip Barrick, who, in 1801, moved up the valley and located near the 'Licking Narrows.'

"The Hughes and Ratliff colony subsisted mainly on the meat of the wild animals of the forest, and on the fish caught and 'gigged' in the Licking, although a considerable crop of vegetables and corn was raised the first and subsequent years. The elk and buffalo had disappeared, but bear, deer, wild turkeys and a great variety of the smaller game, as well as fish, were in such abundance as to supply the full demands of these early settlers. Berries, wild fruits, nuts and other spontaneous productions of the earth also contributed for many years, in no inconsiderable degree, to the subsistence of the pioneer settlers.

"Ratliff, in some particulars, was a different style of man from Hughes. He was much more given to the peaceful avocations of life, and for one reared on the frontiers, had not been largely engaged in border warfare; although he as well as Hughes, was considerably devoted to the chase, to fishing, trapping, bee hunting, as well as to the pursuit of the ferocious animals of the forest, and the birds of prey that tenanted this wilderness.

"In 1799, a son was born to Elias Hughes, and he was the only accession to the Bowling Green colony in that year.

"In the year 1801, an event of no inconsiderable importance transpired at the 'Bowling Green.' Two Indians came along one night and stole four horses. They belonged to Elias Hughes, John Ratliff, John Weedman, a recent emigrant (from Pennsylvania), and a Mr. Bland, who lived at the mouth of the Licking, but who was at that time visiting Hughes. In the morning after the horses were stolen, their owners determined to pursue and kill the thieves, feeling assured that they were Indians. Weedman backed out, but Hughes, Ratliff and Bland, being well armed, started in pursuit. They were enabled to follow the trail, readily tracking them through the grass and weeds. Overtaking them on Owl Creek, they shot them. Bland's flint did not strike fire, but Hughes' and Ratliff's did, and those Indians stole no more horses. When the Indians were overtaken and it was evident that the horses would be recovered, Bland and Ratliff relented, and feeling less sanguinary than when they started on the pursuit, they suggested to Hughes to let the thieves escape, after the horses were obtained, but the latter was not that style of man. He negatived their proposition in such emphatic terms, and in use of such forcible expletives of the profane order as were common among frontiersmen in those days, as to soon bring them to the determination with which they set out. When Hughes said a thing must be done, and he could do it, or cause it to be done, it was done. This was one of the cases--he had his way-they had agreed to kill the Indian horse thieves--and they did. Hughes knew them and believed them to have been engaged in stealing horses and then returning them to their owners for a compensation in skins and furs.

"This sanguinary transaction necessitated the erection of a blockhouse on the 'Bowling Green' as a means of protection against the infuriated friends of the defunct horse thieves, who were greatly incensed against those they suspected of killing them, but it never became necessary to defend it, the Indians finally deciding it inexpedient to assault it. One evening, however, after the excitement had nearly subsided, two well armed Indians entered Hughes' cabin, and in a menacing manner introduced the subject of killing those Indians. Mrs. Hughes seeing that trouble might be had with their visitors, quietly sent for Ratliff, who readily responded, rifle in hand. Hughes, in those days always carried a butcher knife in his belt, and he also had a rifle at hand. Bloody work seemed imminent, but the Indians, after remaining face to face with those veteran back-woodsmen all night, sometimes in rather spirited discussion, deemed it wise, in the early morning, to retire without any hostile act.

"In 1802, Elias Hughes was elected captain of the first company of militia raised within the present limits of our county. This company he commanded a number of years. They had to go to Lancaster to attend battalion drills. Captain Hughes had four children born to him after he settled at the 'Bowling Green,' making the sum total of his children sixteen. Jonathan is the only one of the Sixteen now living in Licking County. He was born in Harrison County, Virginia, in 1796, was brought to the mouth of Licking in 1797, and was two years old at the time of his father's removal in 1798 to the 'Bowling Green.' The older children had to walk, on their removal up the Licking, but Jonathan and his brother David (who also was too young to walk), were brought up in a salt sack thrown across a horse. Jonathan was put in one end of the sack and David in the other, openings being first cut in the sack for their heads to go through. The sack was then slung across the pack saddled horse, and a rider or two, with the other loading, put upon him and then started for the 'Bowling Green,' while the others walked or came up in a canoe. It would, indeed, be an interesting picture that gave us, on canvas, an accurate view of this original colony of emigrants while in motion. Jonathan,the salt sack boy of 1798, is now more than seventy-six years old, and is the oldest settler of our county - emphatically, our Pioneer.

"Ratliff's wife died in 1802, and was probably the first white adult person that died within the present limits of our county. Ratliff married again, his second wife being the daughter of a pioneer by the name of Stateler, who lived near the mouth of the Rocky Fork. He also raised a considerable family but none of them now live, if living at all, in our county. He had a son in the army during the War of 1812, who, after his return from the army, removed to Louisiana. He also had a daughter, Mary, who intermarried with a Mr. Evans. Some of the issue of this marriage, being grandchildren of John Ratliff, are still living in our county, principally, I learn, in Perry Township.

"Ratliff finally removed to the south side of the Licking near the mouth of the Brushy Fork, where he died about the year 1811. He, no more than Hughes, seems to have had much success in the acquisition of property. Indeed, it is not probable that either of them ever had much ambition in that direction.

"Capt. Elias Hughes, on all other subjects except Indian warfare, was generally of a taciturn disposition, but he was fond of relating his exploits and successes as a scout; sitting up whole nights, sometimes, to relate to willing interested listeners his hair-breadth escapes and adventures, and the thrilling stories, heroic acts and deeds of renown in which he had borne a part. He was unassuming, temperate, honest, mild-mannered, unpretending, unambitious, but firm, determined, unyielding, and some thought him vindictive. When he resolved on a certain line of conduct he commonly pursued it to success, or failed only after a vigorous effort. Fond of adventure, he displayed in border warfare, in battle, in pursuit of Indians, and in explorations of new countries, and in the pioneer settlement of them, the energy, bravery, self-sacrificing virtues, that so conspicuously distinguished the early pioneers of the Great West.

"In the War of 1812, Capt. Hughes, notwithstanding his age, volunteered for the defense of Fort Meigs. On the formation of a company for that service, he was elected to conduct the men to headquarters at Worthington for organization. At the election of company officers he was made a Lieutenant, the late General John Spencer being elected Captain. He was patriotic to the core and so were his sons, not less than three of them being engaged in the same war. One of them contracted disease while in the service of his country, of which he died.

"Elias Hughes lived many years on the North Fork, a few miles above Newark, and also for several years at Clinton, in Knox County, from whence he removed to Monroe Township, near Johnston. Here, in 1827, Mrs. Hughes died. She had the qualities which admirably adapted her to discharge the duties of a pioneer wife and mother. Her training had been in the Presbyterian faith, and the instruction to her children was in accord with it. Upon her death, most of his children having married and removed from the county, Capt. Hughes became a welcome inmate of the house of his son, Jonathan, who lived in Utica. He, you remember, was introduced to you as the salt sack emigrant of 1798.

"For many years Capt. Hughes was a pensioner, regularly receiving from his beneficent government the means to enable him to spend his declining years in the full enjoyment of all the blessings of life, kindly ministered unto by Jonathan and his family, with whom he spent the last seventeen years of his life.

"Capt. Hughes was the subject of more varied vicissitudes, adverse fortunes and experiences more diversified than usually fall to the lot of man, but he met them in the heroic spirit of those who are determined to encounter them successfully, and meet the stern realities of life like men. Enduring as he did, for the last sixteen years of his life, the terrible affliction of total blindness, he was, of course, deprived of the enjoyment afforded by views of the glory and grandeur of the Creator's works, but he was resigned to this afflictive dispensation of Providence, feeling disposed to endure all meekly, calmly, patiently, and to trustingly, hopefully 'bide his time.'

"In his declining years his attention was directed to religious subjects to which he gave much thoughtful and serious consideration, and for many years he cherished the cheering hopes of a happy future inspired alone by the Christian's faith. He died in December, 1844, and was buried with military honors and other demonstrations of respect. His age is not certainly known, but the best information obtainable makes him at the time of his death about ninety years old.

"Such was the life and, career, thus imperfectly sketched, of one of the most remarkable men that ever lived in our county. His was a life full of privations, adventures, hardships, toils, exposures, excitements, anxieties - a life providentially preserved through so many years of constant peril, and of exposures to unusual to hazards and dangers. It is one of our chief duties, as a Pioneer Society, to preserve from the oblivion the recollection of the heroic deeds and achievements of our pioneer settlers, and to keep fresh and green in our memories, and in the memories of those who are to come after us, the sufferings and noble deeds of the self-sacrificing men and women who first settled in these forests, erected cabins, cleared the land, and converted the wilderness into fruitful fields, and made comfortable and pleasant homes for their descendants, the men and women of the present generation. And none of all the meritorious pioneers of our county are better entitled to this service at our hands than Capt. Elias Hughes and John Ratliff, and their wives and children, who composed the colony of twenty-one that made the first settlement in the territory that now forms Licking County."

"In 1820 an Indian squaw of the Stockbridge tribe was shot near the county line, between Utica and Martinsburgh. She was taken to Mt. Vernon where she died. One McLane shot her, and was sent to the penitentiary for it. He and four others named McDaniel, Evans, Chadwick, and Hughes (not Elias) were engaged in chopping, when this squaw and others of the tribe came along and camped near them. The diabolical proposition was made and accepted that they should play cards, and that the loser should shoot her. McLane was the loser, and did the shooting. His confederates, or at least some of them, were tried and acquitted. In Norton's History of Knox County it is stated that 'Hughes shot this squaw, simply to gratify his hatred of the Indian race.' How an intelligent man, writing history could justify himself for making such a gross mistake, regarding a matter on which he could easily get correct information from a thousand residents of this county and of Knox, it is hard to conceive. Elias Hughes had neither part nor lot in the matter, directly or remotely, but condemned the outrage in unmeasured terms. He was not guilty, and this emphatic denial is deemed an act of simple justice to Mr. Hughes."

Howe says Licking County, Ohio,

"was first settled, shortly after Wayne's treaty of 1795, by John Ratliff and Ellis Hughes, in some old Indian cornfields, about five miles below Newark, on the Licking. These men were from Western Virginia. They lived mainly by hunting, raising, however, a little corn, the cultivation of which was left, in a great measure, to their wives."

Howe gives the following account of the shooting of the Indian horse thieves:

"Hughes had been bred in the hot-bed of lndian warfare. The Indians having, at an early day, murdered a young woman to whom he was attached, and subsequently his father, the return of peace did not mitigate his hatred of the race. One night, in April, 1800, two Indians stole the horses of Hughes and Ratliff from a little enclosure near their cabins. Missing them in the morning, they started off, well armed, in pursuit, accompanied by a man named Bland. They followed their trail in a northern direction all day, and at night camped in the woods. At the gray of the morning they came upon the Indians, who were asleep and unconscious of danger. Concealing themselves behind the trees they waited until the Indians had awakened, and were commencing preparations for their journey. They drew up their rifles to shoot, and just at that moment one of the Indians discovered them, and instinctively clapping his hand on his breast, as if to ward off the fatal ball, exclaimed in tones of affright, 'me bad Indian! - me no do so more!' The appeal was in vain, the smoke curled from the glistening barrels, the report rang in the morning air, and the poor Indians fell dead. They returned to their cabins with the horses and 'plunder' taken from the Indians, and swore mutual secrecy for this violation of law.

"One evening, some time after, Hughes was quietly sitting in his cabin, when he was startled by the entrance of two powerful and well-armed savages. Concealing his emotions, he gave them a welcome and offered them seats. His wife, a muscular, squaw-like looking female, stepped aside and privately sent for Ratliff, whose cabin was near. Presently Ratliff, who had made a detour, entered with his rifle, from an opposite direction, as if he had been out hunting. He found Hughes talking with the Indians about the murder. Hughes had his tomahawk and scalping-knife, as was his custom, in a belt around his person, but his rifle hung from the cabin wall, which he deemed it imprudent to attempt to obtain. There all the long night sat the parties, mutually fearing each other, and neither summoning sufficient courage to stir. When morning dawned the Indians left, shaking hands and bidding farewell, but in their retreat, were very cautious not to be shot in ambush by the hardy borderers.

"Hughes died near Utica, in this county, in March, 1845, at an advanced age, in the hope of a happy future. His early life had been one of much adventure; he was, it is supposed, the last survivor of the bloody battle of Point Pleasant. He was buried with military honors and other demonstrations of respect."

This was Elias Hughes of border fame.

The pursuit and shooting of the Indian horse thieves by Hughes, "Jack" Ratliff and Bland, is given by Norton and is practically the same as Howe's version, but not so elaborate, and closes with this statement:

"Our old townsman, Wm. Mofford, informs us that when improving his farm on Mile Run, Wayne Township, he was clearing off ground on which to build his house, and he then plowed up the two Indians killed by Hughes, and also a rusty gun barrel, brass guard and other pieces of a gun, which had not decayed. This was in 1835, and Jacob Mitchel now (1862) has the old relics.

"George Conkie gathered up the bones and buried them, and the house was built on the spot-the old Peck Place on Mile Run bottom, where Mrs. Acre now lives. In early days there was a favorite camping ground for the Indians, about where these Indians were killed."

Norton states that Hughes died in March, 1845.

Among the Draper Manuscripts are the following communications from Col. Robert Davidson, in response to inquiries from Dr. Draper. They are here published for the first time.

"NEWARK, 10th March, 1850.

"MR. LYMAN C. DRAPER.

"DEAR SIR, Yours of 23d Nov last to Mr. William Van Buskirk requesting information as to the adventures of his father John Vanbuskirk and others in the border warefare along the Ohio River at an early day has been handed the subscriber (as an old acquaintance of his fathers) by Mr. Wm. Buskirk to reply thereto. Last week I placed in the postoffice directed to you the Granville Intelligencer containing a detailed report of the desperate conflict of Adam Poe, his brother Andrew, and others with the gigantic Indean, Bigfoot, and brothers, five in all July 1782 and next week look for the Newark Gazett of this place containing some notes of the adventures of Jno Van Buskirk written and published for your convenience and to do some justice to the memory of a very worthy man wom I always esteemed as one of the fronteere defenders when I was too young to defend my self.

"If you shall desire it, I can send you a more detailed account of Elias Hughes who at the age of 18 was in the battl at Point Pleasant October 10th, 1774 and continued from that, employed in hunting, spying, and killing Indeans until after Gen. Wains Treaty 1794 [1795].

"You will pleas excuse my friend Wm. Buskirk in not writing you. In the first place he thought the information would come with a better grace from one of the early aquantances of his father than from him He is a fine young man but reluctant to write would rather attend his saw mill a day than write an hour. If you shall wish for any more on the subject the border wariors write to him.

Very respectfully yours, &c

ROBT. DAVIDSON.

Mr. Lyman C. Draper Esq

Leverington

Philadelphia County, Pa."

"NEWARK, February 22, 1851

"I wrote some time past to know of jonathan Hughes where his father was born and to what religious denomination he entered But have not yet heard from him I presume he has been from home or by other means has not received my letter. As to Elias Hughes, it is something uncertain but he considered himself 18 [years] of age when in the battle of Point pleasant, Mouth of Kanawa, under Colo. Lewis - I am not positive as to the Religious denomination to which he inclined but think it was to the Methodist Episcopal Church. His daughter in law Mrs. Jonathan Hughes was my informant as to his vengeance disposition not long after his death I was then (in addition to what I knew) endeavoring to collect more knoledge of his life and adventures for the purpose of writing the obituary notice which soon after appeared in the Newark Advocate which I sent last year.

"When I saw Gen. Thomas Wedsday last, he enformed me that he would [be]in Philadelphia this winter and that he intended to do himself pleasure of calling upon you-

"If I shall soon hear from Mr. Jonathan Hughes I shall write again I should have remarked on the other side that I think Elias Hughes was born on the South branch of Potomac Va. and that his father at an early day moved thence to Harrison county, Va. and there was held [killed] by the Indeans.

"Although I have been acquainted with Dr. Coulter many years I[t] was but lately I learned that he knew any[thing] about Capt. Bready But have not the least of his statements

Very respectfully yours &c

ROBT. DAVIDSON."

"N. B. Since writing the foregoing Dr. Coulter informs me that he thinks Capt Bready was from 30 to 35 years of age when he died.

Lyman C. Draper Esq

Leverington

Philadelphia County, Pa."

"Died on the 22nd ult., Capt. Elias Hughes, aged ninety years, at the residence of his son, Jonathan near Utica, 0. He was buried with military honors by the military of the vicinity.

"At an early day Thomas Hughes & family moved from the South Branch of Potomac to Harrison County, North-Western part of Virginia, where his son, Elias, became one of those extraordinary, active and daring spies and soldiers of the day.

"At the age of eighteen, under the command of Col. Lewis, he was in the battle of Point Pleasant, which continued from early in the morning until near night before the Indians gave way, October 10, 1774. On returning home he joined a company of spies under Capt. Boothe, for the protection of the then exposed frontier settlements.

"At one time, being out spying with a comerade, they examined the localities near the steep bank of a run, under smoke of rotten wood to keep off the gnats & lay down upon their arms for the night, their moccasins tied to the breech of their guns. Some time after, hearing something like the snapping of a stick, & looking in the direction, saw at a distance three Indians approaching. Instantly the whites sprung to their feet, leaped down the bank and over the run. The Indians in pursuit, not knowing the place so well, fell down the bank. The whites, hearing the splash, stopped an instant, put on their moccasins, raised a yell & put off at full speed, leaving the Indians to take care of themselves.

"Capt. Boothe in time being killed by the Indians, Joseph Ratliff succeeded to the command, but lacking, as a soldier, the confidence of the men, left the country, and Hughes on a sudden emergency being appointed in his place, under Col. Lowther, put off in pursuit of Indians, found them, & returned with 6 or 7 scalps. (Date not known at present.)

"In June, 1778, three women were in the field near West's Fort picking greens, when they were fired upon without effect by one of a party of four Indians. The women screamed and ran for the fort, and one Indian in pursuit speared Mrs. Freeman. Being fired upon from the fort without effect, the Indians ran off in different directions. They were soon pursued by Jesse Hughes, Elias & others. After some time, at a distance they heard the howl like that of a wolf. They ran some distance in the direction and stopping at a suitable place, Jesse howled also. He was answered, and two Indians were soon seen advancing. An opportunity offering, Elias downed one, the other ran. The whites pursued, but he running into a small hazel thicket and they round on each side to take him in the outgoing, he watching them ran the back way and escaped. In the meantime he who had been shot recovered so much as to make off also, and a shower coming on prevented the pursuit by obliterating the blood on the track.

"In March, 1781, a party of 14 Indians, nearly depopulated the settlement upon Leading Creek (Taggart's Valley) and put off. They were pursued unsuccessfully by a party from Clarksburg, but in the meantime, Col. Lowther & Capt. Hughes, learning by spies that the Indians had been seen near the mouth of Isaac's Creek, put off with a party of 17, and on an evening, Hughes being alone in advance for the purpose, discovered the Indians on a branch of Hughes' River, coolly putting up for the night, apparently not apprehensive of pursuit at that distance.

"On the return to the party it became an object of interest, not to risk the lives of the prisoners, Mrs. Roney, her little son and Daniel Doherty; therefore, when it was thought the Indians might be sleeping, the Captain crawled near enough to discover the position of Mrs. Roney and Doherty, but saw nothing of the boy. Before day the whole party, in perfect order, crawled close & fired upon the Indians, one only escaping.

Mrs. Roney and Doherty were uninjured, but the boy, having been sleeping in the bosom of an Indian was killed by a ball after passing through the Indian's head. The plunder sold the 17th of the month, produced a dividend of 14L. 17s. and 5d. to each one of the seventeen.

"In September, 1785, Lowther, Hughes and others, in pursuit of a party of Indians who had stolen horses from near Clarksburg, slept near them on the third night, not knowing it. Next morning the whites parted, taking different routes. Hughes & party, soon discovered the Indians, and fired upon them, killing one. The rest ran off in various directions, and one coming near Lowther's party was shot by the Colonel as he ran. They then started for home, and before going far were fired upon, & John Barnet wounded so that he died before reaching home.

"At another time (date not known) Hughes and party discovering a party of Indians, fired upon them. The Indians ran in different directions: Hughes after one, was gaining upon him fast, in a piece of bottom land in which were no trees, when the Indian turning quickly about with loaded gun uplifted. Hughes' gun was empty, & no tree to spring behind. But instantly springing obliquely to the right and left, with a bound, & outstretched arm, flirted the muzzle of the Indian's gun one side, and the next moment had his long knife in him up to the hilt.

"After Gen. Wayne's treaty, Capt. Hughes & family settled upon the waters of the Licking, Ohio. The Indians having, at an early day, killed a young woman whom he highly esteemed, & subsequently his father, the return of peace did not eradicate his antipathy. In the month of April, 1800, two Indians having collected a quantity of fur on the Rocky Fork of Licking, proceeded to the Bowling Green, stole three horses and put off for Sandusky. The next morning Hughes, Ratliff and Blair, going out for the horses, and not finding them, did not return to apprise their families, but continued upon their trail, and at night discovered the Indians' fire on Granny's Creek, some few miles N. W. of where Mt. Vernon now stands; lay down for the night, and the next morning walked up to the Indians as they were cooking their morning repast. At first the Indians looked somewhat embarrassed, proposed restoration of the horses and giving part of their furs by way of conciliation, to which the whites did not dissent, but were thinking of the whole of the furs and future safety of the horses. It being a damp morning, it was proposed to shoot off all their guns and put in fresh loads. A mark was made, Hughes ostensibly raised his gun to shoot, which attracted the attention of the Indians to the mark, and was a signal. Ratliff downed one, Blair's gun flashed, but Hughes turning quickly around, emptied his gun into the other Indian's head, setting fire at the same time to the handkerchief around it. On returning, they kept their expedition a secret for some time. Many more interesting incidents might be related, but not with desirable accuracy of the present day.

"Capt. Hughes' memory failed him considerably the last three or four years. Previously his eyesight failed him entirely, but partially returned again. With patience he waited his coming end, firmly believing that his Redeemer lived, and that through him he should enjoy a happy futurity." - COMMUNICATED.

That Elias Hughes continued to murder Indians after going to Ohio is undeniable. He once returned on a visit to the settlements on the Upper Monongahela, and some of his old acquaintances noticing his restless movements and constant watching on every side, said to him, "Ellis, I see you're still hunting Injuns."

"Yes, and I'll hunt 'em as long as I live." "Have you had any luck since leaving here?" "Not much, but I know where there are fourteen guns hid in an old sycamore in my country."

Through the kindness of Mrs. Pansy Hall Thatcher a lineal descendant of Capt. Elias Hughes, I am enabled to give a personal description of the old scout, by two of his granddaughters, who were still living in Licking County, Ohio, in 1907.

Elias Hughes was small in size, of light build, small hands and could wear a woman's shoe. His hair was combed down smooth and cut off evenly at the shoulder. His hair showed no signs of grey, even at his death. His eyes were blue and his face was always clean-shaved. He was eccentric in his dress, at all times wearing a hunting shirt and refusing to wear a coat. This shirt was of blue trimmed in red, and with red fringe around the edge. He also refused to have a button on his hunting shirt, tying it with small pieces of tape.

A family tradition says, that "Elias Hughes was lying asleep in the house, when he dreamed that his children were in danger. When he awakened, a friend, who was in the same house, was loading his gun. Elias asked him what he was going to do. He said, "I hear a wild turkey; I am going to shoot it." Elias said, "I will get your turkey for you." He went out and returned in a few minutes with the scalp of an Indian, whom he had found in his cornfield near where his children were playing. The Indian had imitated the turkey's call in hopes of luring some one from the house."

This tradition may be the growth from Jesse Hughes' experience with the turkey at Clarksburg, and of David Morgan's remarkable dream and combat with the two Indians near Prickets Fort in 1779, cited elsewhere in this volume. It is probable that Elias Hughes was connected with the revolting sequel of Morgan's battle, which might account in part for the story.

In 1782, Elias Hughes had an adventure with Indians in a cornfield on the West Fork River, but with different results from that of the foregoing tradition.

"In August as Arnold and Paul Richards were returning to Richards' Fort, they were shot at by some Indians, lying hid in a cornfield adjoining the fort, and both fell from their horses. The Indians leaped over the fence immediately and tomahawked and scalped them.

"These two men were murdered in full view of the fort, and the firing drew its inmates to the gate to ascertain its cause. When they saw that the two Richards were down, they rightly judged that Indians had done the deed; and Elias Hughes, ever bold and daring, taking down his gun, went out alone at the back gate and entered the cornfield, into which the savages had again retired, to see if he could not avenge on one of them the murder of his friends. Creeping softly along, he came in view of them standing near the fence, reloading their guns, and looking intently at the people at the fort gate. Taking a deliberate aim at one of them, he touched the trigger. His gun flashed, and the Indians alarmed, ran speedily away."

It is claimed that Captain Hughes could read and write, although his signature appears in his declaration for pension and other statements with an "X." This, however, may have been on account of his blindness at that time. Like his brother, Jesse, Captain Hughes died in indigency. His life had been devoted to the trail and the chase; and his wants measured only by his present needs, were supplied from the forest and streams. For two-score years his supreme joy had been a saturnalia of blood, and not until the loss of his sight and when there were no more "Injuns to kill," did his thoughts turn to the "future life." Captain Hughes is buried near the center of the cemetery at Utica, Ohio. At the interment crossed cannons were discharged over his grave, which is yearly decorated with flowers. A gray, flat stone marks the last silent camp of the "Last of the Border Warriors."

All data contained above was taken exclusively, verbatim - with editing out of non pertinent information- from L. V. McWhorter's "Border Settler's of Northwestern Virginia", copy obtained from the San Diego branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints' Family History Center. The search for information on Jesse was long and difficult, but yielded excellent results. Much gratitude to McWhorter is owed by us all.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 19:35:35Z

General "taken from Internet" by a cousin
Genealogy research, as well as general history. Here's some of the things that I've come up with- The History of Mount Olive This was written in 1998. When people hear the name “Mount Olive”, they almost always identify it with the local prison. They seem surprised to find out that there is a community that surrounds the penitentiary. I am a resident of that community and have lived there my entire life. My family, the Fosters, have resided in the area since the 1840’s. In 1870, a portion of the land of Mount Olive was purchased by my great-great grandfather. This land is where my home stands to this day. I interviewed five residents for this community history study. The first was Rufus Simpson, who has spent his entire seventy years living on the mountain. Ruth Skaggs followed. The eighty-five year old became a resident when she was twenty. The third was Francis Tucker-Dorsey, a seventy-two year old, who has also lived on Mount Olive her entire life. Delmas Dunlap and my father, Richard Foster, were the final individuals interviewed and both are life-long residents. Also, I will refer to stories that my grandmother, Alice Cox-Foster, has told me in the past. She was a resident of Mount Olive for forty years, before fighting a brave battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. The land that is now known as Mount Olive was once occupied by many Native Americans. There are still remnants of what they left behind. Mr. Dunlap said that there is an unusual rock on his property, which has a hole in it. It was said that the Native American women would put grain in the hole and grind it to make flour. Also, he spoke about three mounds that are located on the mountain. He said that one is located near the mining strip next to the main road. He added, “When the Indians were on the mounds, they could see for miles, down and around hills, and back on the hills.” Mr. Dunlap also told me an interesting story about Native American ashes. He said that several years back, the community was digging a grave (before the 1970’s, the dead were buried by the neighbors). As the people were digging, they came upon a soft spot. At first, they were a little leery, but continued to dig. A short time later, ashes were unearthed. The community continued to dig and discovered several gallons. A member of the Clonch family took the discovery to West Virginia Tech to get it analyzed. When the process was finished, it was concluded that the ashes were several hundred years old. Soon after, the ashes were donated to Tech. Delmas’s great-grandfather was originally from Mason County. He was a cook on a boat, which traveled from Point Pleasant to Smithers (where the local high school stands today). The trip would take months to finish, so he found other things to occupy himself. He decided to pull coal out of the mines with a pony. He accumulated a large sum of money from this and was able to purchase some of the land on the mountain. In the late 1860’s, he traveled to Fayetteville (at that time, a trip from Mount Olive to Fayetteville would take several days) and made the purchase. He named his land, “Fox Hole Ridge”. However, he had to quickly change it. There were too many places named “Fox Hole”. The area went through a few more names before one was permanently decided upon. The final name was after the pioneer Dunlap’s wife, Olive. With this, Mount Olive came into existence. Delmas’s great-grandfather had a large amount of land, so he decided to sell portions of it. He would measure from tree to tree and charge twenty-five cents an acre. Sometimes, his calculations were off and the person would receive more land than they paid for. More and more people started purchasing land and soon, a community started to form. Mount Olive has been the home of two schools. The “Old School” sat across from where the main road lies now. It was the school where my grandfather, Rufus Simpson, and Francis Tucker-Dorsey attended. It was a large concrete building that had only two rooms. Two teachers taught at the school, one for each room. One teacher taught first through fourth grade. The other taught fifth through eighth grade. During this time, there were many children attending the school. There were usually twenty-five students per classroom. The children, according to Mr. Simpson, would have to walk from great distances to get to school. He had to walk nearly three miles in the wilderness to get to the building. After completing the eighth grade, the students had the decision of whether or not they wanted to continue their education. If the child decided to attend the ninth grade, they had to either walk to Dixie or Marting to catch the bus. If the child walked the four miles to Dixie, they could attend Gauley Bridge High School. If they walked the four miles to Marting, They could go to Montgomery High School. Needless to say, many children did not further their education. When the “Old School” was closed down, the “New School” was built. The “New School” is where the prison warden’s double-wide trailer is currently located. My father and Ruth Skaggs’ children attended this school. The building was considered a one-room house, though a kitchen was built onto it. A huge coal stove engulfed a section of the school. My father stated that there was only one teacher, who taught every grade, first through eighth. There were many children that attended school during this era. The families on the mountain would have at least seven children each. After my father finished fifth grade, the “New School” burnt down. Most of the students transferred to the school in Cannelton. After eighth grade, they went to Montgomery High School. Before the late 1930’s, the residents had Sunday school in the “Old School” building, according to Mr. Simpson. A bell was built on top, which was called the Wiseman Bell. When church was about to begin, someone would go up and ring the bell. In 1938, the community took up a collection to raise money for an actual church. With the help of the Cannelton Coal Company, a small white church was soon built. My grandmother served as a Sunday school teacher there. Some people did not like the church. Mr. Dunlap said that his family did not go because there were too many fights. Mrs. Tucker-Dorsey added, “Even thought it was suppose to be a community church, it was really a Baptist church.” She was of the Holiness religion, as were many other residents. These people of opposing religions would have church at their houses. Every Sunday, the residents traveled to one another’s homes for services. Late at night, according to Mr. Dunlap, a man would call out from house to house, “We’re getting’ ready to have church! Everybody come!” Most of the Mount Olive residents are of German, Scottish, or English descent. Only one African-American is known to have lived on the mountain. He was Allen Allstock, a freed slave that died in 1883. He was buried beside his Caucasian brethren at Wiseman Cemetery. Mrs. Tucker-Dorsey and the others pointed out that the Roat family lived at Mount Olive. They were believed to be Italian immigrants (I later disproved this through old obituaries). The community nicknamed the family, “Tallies”. Whether or not this term was used as a racial slur is unknown. My great-aunt, Edith Foster, married one of these “Tallies”. The residents often married their neighbors. They grew up, married, lived, and died at Mount Olive. Many, if not all, members of the community are related in some form. Mr. Dunlap spoke of a Native American Medicine Man that traveled through the mountains during the 1940’s and 1950’s. The residents had complete faith in this person. He traveled house to house and would diagnose the residents’ ailments. Mr. Dunlap continued, “He could take one look and automatically know what was wrong with the person. He would tell the sick individual that he would be back in a few hours and he would go into the forest. When the Indian came back, e would have an herbal paste with him. He would tell the person to put it on the afflicted area or drink it, and amazingly after a while, the person would be healed.” Mr. Dunlap told me a story about a woman from Belle Creek, whose skin was eaten away at her neck. The people waited for the Medicine Man to come through. Finally, he did, and he took one look at the woman. He was unsure if he could cure her, for the wound should have been taken care of months before. He quickly left and retrieved from the woods a day later. He fixed a potion and told the lady to put some on her wound everyday. In two days, she was already starting to heal. By a few months, her neck was in perfect condition. The only thing that the Medicine Man asked for, in return for his services, was a place to spend the night (the family barn) and some food. After several years, the Native American got into trouble for practicing medicine without a license and had to quit doing his good deeds. Throughout the years, most of the men of Mount Olive have been coal miners. My grandfather and great-grandfather, Mr. Simpson’s father, Mr. Dunlap’s father, and Mrs. Tucker-Dorsey’s father worked in the mines. Many of these men worked in Cannelton, but some had to work farther away. My grandfather had to travel to Cabin Creek. When he went to work, he was gone for a week at a time. He would lodge at someone’s home during his time away. Mr. Dunlap’s father met a terrible fate. He was crushed in a slate fall. A few of the people interviewed said the body was crushed to a mere six inches. My father added that another miner found the heart after the body was already buried. There have been three stores at Mount Olive. These stores were owned by the Copeland, Skaggs, and Dunlap families. Before the 1930’s, the Copelands got their products by train and wagon. After that time, they purchased a truck. With the truck, they hulled their merchandise from Charleston. These stores had only the basic necessities. The residents grew their own fruits and vegetables because they had their own farms. Almost all families, as some still do, raised chickens, hogs, cows, ducks, and goats. According to Mr. Simpson, going to the store was a difficult job. The heavy bags of groceries needed carried back through the hills. All three stores closed before the 1970’s. Many of those who lived on the mountain were impoverished. The children did not have the games and advancements that we have in today’s world. Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Simpson spoke of the “Tree-tag” game. The children would swing from tree to tree and whoever touched the ground would lose. They spent many hours in the trees where the prison now stands. Mrs. Tucker-Dorsey said that when she and her friends were growing up, they loved to find Sears catalogs. They cut out the pictures of models and make “paper families”. The children would pretend that an old shoe box was the “paper family’s” car. The children of the community often created things because their parents could not afford toys. In the past, transportation was often difficult for the residents. From September to April, those who had the privilege to own a car, had to park it near Marting. The mountain was too steep and even if the resident owned a chain, it was no use. They had to walk the rest of the way. Even when I was in high school (1994-1997), the bus was unable to make it up the road. On those days, any student from Mount Olive would not be counted absent from school. Sometimes, it snowed during school hours and the students would be stuck at the bottom of the hill. Before I was born, a dirt road was carved into the mountain. With this, it was easier for residents to leave Mount Olive and go into town. When the state built the prison, the road was finally paved. This was a great improvement. I remember riding down the dirt road, choking on the dust that flew through the windows. The community has not seen much violence. There have only been a few bouts with crime. According to Mr. Simpson, there was a doctor who lived where the strip mine is now. During the early 1900’s, he was shot and killed. They never found his murderer. My father mentioned that during the 1960’s, there were several instances of hoodlums stealing gasoline. The most recent crime is one that I remember very clearly. Mitchell Murphy was my grandmother’s pastor at the Cannelton Church of God. His daughter was close to my age and we often played together. My grandmother was very fond of Mr. Murphy and his family. During the 1980’s, he and one of my father’s distant cousins came to the mountain. They had a confrontation with Mr. Chapman over a piece of land. Mr. Chapman lost his temper and shot them both. He was sent to prison and was released after a few years. He now lives on the land where he murdered two men. At one point, Mount Olive had a hermit. His real name was Kermit Dunlap, but everyone called him “Kermit the Hermit”. He lived in a small shack where Mr. Dunlap lives now. He never left his home and would not speak to anyone. He was rarely seen at all. No resident can pin-point the year that Kermit died. No one bothered him, they just let him be. The prison was built at Mount Olive during the early 1990’s. The community had mixed views about it being here. Probably 65% of the residents were in favor of the penitentiary. I was no pleased with it being built, but my father was. I remember how the land looked before the prison was there. It was a vast wilderness. The community hunted squirrels and deer. It was so beautiful in autumn. The leaves were so many different colors. Then, the strip mining started. I remember thinking that the mountain looked bald. The blasts jarred the houses and sometimes pictures fell to the floor. There was a long debate on whether or not the prison would be built here. Many residents were fearful and others did not want things to change. A flood of promises came from all around. Soon, there was talk of building motels, restaurants, and malls on Mount Olive. Many were tempted when they read the articles in newspapers, stating that businesses would follow when the prison was built. At one point, there was a rumor about building a new high school where another strip mine was located. These rumors, in my opinion, shifted the community’s decisions. The thought of making Mount Olive popular again was very alluring. It was wonderful to imagine people coming back to the area and replenishing its dying supply of residents. My parents were excited over the chance that I may get a better education with a new, improved high school. I believe many parents had that dream. When the prison was finally built, my family moved closer to a cluster of homes. Everyone’s safety was a big issue. We had lived in a valley on the very top of the mountain, overlooking two ponds. My grandmother lived beside us and she was very fearful, too. People were afraid that if a prisoner escaped, they would come to the closest home to find a form of transportation, clothing, or maybe a hostage. So, we bought my grandmother a trailer and sat it beside our new home. With the building of the prison, our roads were paved and we received gas and city water. I was happy about the water, since I grew up using a well and spring. The well water often turned my hair a brassy red. However, there were no more promises filled after these. There were no new businesses. We did not even get cable, but the prisoners did. Out of the people interviewed, two were angered that the promises were not kept. Two others were satisfied with what happened and the fifth did not care (as long as it does not hurt her in any way). I was angry with the way that the officers treated the community. When the prison was first built, I admit that many people stopped to take a peak at the prison. However, the officers took it too far. It got to the point that if someone was caught looking towards the prison, a police car would soon stop and the resident would be told to leave. Sometimes, officers were stationed at the overlook. The overlook was the biggest problem. It was where the “New School” once stood. It was always a cleared off area. Many of the residents congregated there and it was common for the children to play on their four-wheelers. When I was little, it was where I learned to ride my bicycle. It was so nice to ride around in circles and enjoy my surroundings. When the prison was built, the overlook was taken over. It was roped off and it became a crime to trespass on the property. Now, it is the location of the warden’s mobile home. Today’s Mount Olive is definitely not the Mount Olive of yesterday. It was once a booming community, but no more. There are no stores or places of convenience. There is still a church house, but it is very different to the way it originally looked. Mr. Simpson stated, “The church still looks small, but it was only one room when it was first built. As time went on, they built onto it. They’ve added a few more rooms.” Almost every resident said they love Mount Olive because it is laid back. It is still surrounded by a great deal of nature. Mrs. Skaggs pointed out that there is rarely a crime committed on the mountain. She continued, “You may read in the paper about someone in a town near to here getting murdered or some crime going on, but how many times do you hear it happening at Mount Olive…the COMMUNITY of Mount Olive?” Hardly ever. That is what makes the citizens feel safer, even if there is a prison at their doorsteps. Everyone is so close-knit, everyone watches out for everyone else, and everyone is concerned for one another’s well-being.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 19:28:11Z

Andrew Lewis Dosier, passed away at the home of a daughter-in-law, Mrs. Josephine Dosier, at Marting on Saturday, February 10, after a long illness. Born in Nicholas County on January 17, 1851, the aged man saw as a lad the beginning and the end of the Civil War. He witnessed the advent of the first automobile and then the airplane. He saw warfare grow from more or less a physical struggle between men to a bloody massacre of soldiers and innocent people by giant machines which moved through the air, on land and under the ocean. Living through the struggle which welded together the nearly severed states of his own country, Mr. Dosier saw the struggle with Spain, with Mexico, and the first World War. He saw the development of the atomic bomb to make warfare even more a massacre, and its first use in World War II to add its horrors to world conflict. He saw also the development of many of the better things of life--the telephone, radio, television, the use of electricity to lighten the burdens and brighten the homes and lives of the people; the airplane to shorten the distances between the countries of the world; the development of drugs to add years to the lifespan of man, and to make his life a happier, healthier one. Perhaps he also witnessed the development of the fashions as we moderns see them, from the homespun woolens of his earlier days. He saw the construction of giant highways and bridges across the land and waters of the earth; he saw years of plenty and years of fasting. Surely the things that he saw caused him to marvel. It seems so cold just to say Andrew Lewis Dosier, 100, of Marting passed away Saturday. A lifetime is a century! Witnessing the many, many things that man's mind and ingenuity have builded into machines to produce for his profit, his maintenance and his pleasure. Mr. Dosier's funeral services were held Monday at noon at the Mt. Olive Community church with the Rev. Cecil Tucker officiating and interment was made in the Wiseman cemetery under the direction of the B.C. Hooper mortuary. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Jennie Withrow, of Chillicothe, Ohio, and Mrs. Ida Lenthecum of Rome City, Ind.; three sons, Luther of Asbury, Emmett and Glemmie of Rainelle. Also surviving are 50 grandchildren; 69 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Nicholas County Chronicle--1947 When Johnson Foster and his wife, Mary Hughes Foster, rejoiced at the birth of a son on May 8, 1848, they could hardly hope for that son to still remain a mentally active citizen of that locality ninety-nine years afterward, yet such is the case with Jonathan Foster of Belva, W.Va. Jonathan Foster whose picture appears above was born about two miles up Gauley River from Gauley Bridge. After he grew to manhood, he married Emily Cobb. They established their home a few miles farther up and across Gauley River not far below Belva. Uncle "Johnty" as he is familiarly known does not leave his room of recent years but his mind is remarkably good for his age and he takes quite an interest in things around him. He enjoys the company of his friends and is especially pleased when young people call to see him. His granddaughter, Ruby Stone and his two daughters, son-in-law Lud Dial and in fact all of the family seen to take especial good care of uncle Johnty Foster. So far as the writer knows he is the oldest citizen of Nicholas county, though there may be older ones. July 11, 1946 Wilbert Kincaid, 59, Killed By Train Gauley Bridge Man Fatally Hurt July 4 Wilbert Kincaid, 59, of Gauley Bridge, died last Thursday afternoon in the Laird Memorial hospital from injuries received when he was struck by a New York Central train that morning at Gamoca. He was a foreman employed by the New York Central railroad. State police said that Kincaid was sitting on the tracks and that the trainmen could not stop in time to avoid him. Funeral service was conducted at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Fred Ward of Gauley Bridge with the Rev. G.C. Musick officiating. Burial was in the family cemetery with the B.C. Hooper mortuary in charge. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Ida Kincaid; two other daughters, Mrs. Alfreita Dempsey of Fayetteville and Miss Elva Kincaid of Gauley Bridge; his father, G. B. Kincaid of Gauley Bridge; two sisters, Mrs. Minnie Miller, and Mrs. Rosa Phenix, both of Baltimore, Md.; three brothers, Clarence, Charley, and Walter Kincaid, all of Gauley Bridge. MURDERS ON MOUNT OLIVE (collection of articles) Two Men Dead After Fayette Shooting December 20, 1984 Two Fayette County residents of the Mount Olive area of Marting Mountain, who were father-in-law, and son-in-law, are dead following a shooting about 1:45 pm, Saturday, Dec. 15, according to officers of the Gauley Bridge State Police detachment. Dead are Mitchell Murphy, 32, of Longacre, and his father-in-law, Van B. Foster, 62, of Belva. According to Trooper H.T. Bennett, the two men were shot by James Chapman, 45, of Mount Olive, over a property dispute. Police report indicated that Murphy had purchased property and that both Murphy and Chapman had trouble over it. Trooper Bennett said that Chapman shot the two men with a large calibre handgun which belonged to Chapman, who then notified State Police. Mount Olive is located on Cannelton Road at Marting Mountain. He was taken to Fayette Magistrates Court where he was charged with first degree murder and lodged in Fayette County jail. At presstime, he was slated to appear before Fayette Judge Zane Summerfield for setting of bond. Checking with the Sheriff's Department at the jail, both Chapman and Cpl. R.A. Keaton of the Gauley Bridge detachment were still in court as of 4 pm Tuesday afternoon. Foster was a retired employee of Harewood Division of Armco Mines and a member of the UMWA. His service was conducted Tuesday, Dec. 18, at Combs-Pennington Funeral Home, Gauley Bridge, the Rev. Warren Shields in charge. Burial was in Restlawn Memory Gardens at Victor. Surviving Foster are: his widow, Mrs. Glendeen Foster; two sons, Steve of South Charleston and Mitchell of Belva; a stepson, Rod Canterbury of Charleston; a daughter, Jane Murphy of Smithers; a stepdaughter, Judy Lynn Arthur of Falls View; four brothers, Charles of Mount Nebo, Lionel of Glasgow, Warren of Belva, and Oval of Indianapolis, Ind.; a sister, Annie Ruby of Bradenton, Fla.; and eight grandchildren. Service arrangements for Murphy were not complete at press time. 2 Fayette men killed in shooting December 16, 1984 Gauley Bridge--Two Fayette men were shot to death Saturday following an argument in a rural area west of here, state police said. The victims were identified as Van Foster, 62, of Belva and Mitchell Murphey, 34, of Cannelton. State police Cpl. R.A. Keaton said the shootings occurred about 1:45 pm in the community of Mount Olive about 4 miles from Smithers. James Chapman, 46, of Mount Olive was charged with two counts of murder, Keaton said. The Gauley Bridge detachment of state police said Foster and Murphy were in the Mount Olive area of Marting Mountain, where one of the two men owns land. Authorities said the shootings stemmed from an argument outside Chapman's residence. Chapman was being held in the Fayette County Jail pending a bond hearing, Keaton said. Rev. Mitchell D. Murphy SMITHERS--Rev. Mitchell Dean Murphy, 32, of Smithers, Fayette County, died Saturday in Mount Olive, Fayette County, of a gunshot wound. He was 1980 graduate of WVUIT and a 1983 graduate of Victory Bible Institute in Tulsa, Okla. He was president and founder of New Touch Ministries, Inc. and was a former pastor and member of Assembly of God, Cannelton. He was a lifelong resident of the Montgomery area. Surviving wife, Jane Foster Murphy, daughters, Kandace Michelle, Krystal Jane and Kari Aynn, at home; son, Bryan Mitchell at home; father and stepmother, Everett and Rose Murphy of Charlton Heights; mother and stepfather, Ethel and Jim Howe of Montgomery; sisters, Cathy Darling of Montgomery, Joy Floyd of Hillsboro, NC; stepsister, Sharon "Beth" Persinger of Brooklyn, NY; brothers, Michael (twin) of Montgomery, Tim of Cleveland; stepbrother, Garrett Persinger of Elgood. Service will be at 1 pm Wednesday in Assembly of God Church, Cannelton, with the Rev. Claude Miller and the Rev. Irvin G. Steiding officiating. Burial will be in the Montgomery Memorial Park, London. Friends may call from 6 to 9 pm today at the BC Hooper Funeral Home, Montgomery, and one hour prior to service at the church. (This story was included in part of my report: The History of Mount Olive. The report can be found on this site) Register-Herald, Feb. 25, 1982 MISSING MAN'S BODY FOUND IN RURAL FAYETTE COUNTY The body of a Charleton Heights man, missing since November, was found Tuesday in rural Fayette County. Gauley Bridge state police responded to a call about 5 pm Tuesday which led to the discovery of the body of Michael Wayne Nasby, 21. The body was found over an embankment near secondary route 2 in an area known as Cannelton Hollow, according to state police officials. State police cancelled a missing persons report filed November 18 on Nasby affter the body was identified by State Medical Examiner Irvin Sopher. Cause of death is yet unknown, though both state police officials and Dr. Sopher said they thought foul play could be involved. "Foul play is certainly a prime consideration, " Dr. Sopher said. Determination of the cause of death may take up to a week because the body was so badly decomposed, he added. Cannelton Hollow was described as a "very isolated, very rural" area of Fayette County by a state police spokesman. The incident is still under investigation. Nasby was a former employee of the Cardinal Construction Co. of Wayne. He attended Boomer Baptist Church. He is survived by his parents, William and Joan Cantley Nasby, of Charleton Heights, and one daughter, Christina, of Montgomery. His funeral will be Friday at 1 pm at B. C. Hooper Funeral Chapel in Montgomery. Charleston Daily Mail, Feb. 25, 1982 DECOMPOSED BODY IS FOUND IN FAYETTE State Medical Examiner Irvin Sopher is investigating the cause of death for a 21 year-old Charleston native whose badly decomposed body was found Tuesday over an embankment in rural Fayette County near Cannelton Hollow, authorities said. Michael Wayne Nasby, 21, of Charlton Heights, formerly of Wayne, was found dead Wednesday on Marting Mountain. He had been missing since Nov. 13, 1981. State police canceled a missing person report, filed Nov. 18, after the body was found. Authorities won't speculate on the cause of death, but call fowl play a distinct possibility. Nasby was born in Charleston and was formerly employed by Cardinal Construction Co., Wayne. He attended Boomer Baptist Church. Surviving: daughter, Christina of Montgomery; parents, William and Joan Cantley Nasby of Charleton Heights; maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Cantley of Hansford. Service will be at 1 pm Friday in B.C. Hooper Funeral Home, Montgomery, with the Rev. Floyd Repass officiating. Entombment will be in the Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Prosperity. Friends may call from 6 to 9 pm today at the funeral home. Montgomery Herald, March 31, 1911 KILLED AT MARTING Full Charge of Shot Scattered Colored Man's Brains FAMILY QUARREL THE CAUSE WITH THE RESULT, ONE MAN IS DEAD AND THE OTHER IS AWAITING TRIAL FOR MURDER William Stewart, colored was given a preliminary hearing before T.J. Davis on Tuesday morning, and was held without bond and confined in the county jail at Fayetteville on the charge of murder of Robert Mills, at Marting, Monday night. The prisoner was taken to the county jail by constable J.L. Kincaid. The shooting occurred at the home of Stewart on Monday night and was the result of a quarrel between Stewart and Mills over some family matter. Mills was at the home of Stewart and a dispute arose in which Stewart called Mills a lair. Mills left the house for a purpose, as he said, of obtaining a witness to prove the truth of a statement he had made. As he returned, Stewart met him at the door and ordered him to stay away. Mills instated that he was coming into the house and have it out with Stewart and when he had taken a few more steps toward the door, the latter leveled a shot gun at his head and pulled the trigger. The contents of the gun went straight for the mark and Mills fell to the ground with half of the top of his head blown away and brains scattered in every direction about the entrance to the home of Stewart. The victim was dead in an instant. Stewart was later arrested and his preliminary hearing held before Squire Davis here Tuesday. Stewart's defense will be that Mills was approaching his house with a knife in his hand and that he ordered him away from the place several times before he fired the shot which took him life. Certain it is that he lost no chance in scaring the victim, for the first shot did the work.
Television
CSI, CSI: Miami, Sons of Anarchy, Psych, Modern Family, South Park, Nancy Grace
Books
The Unsolved Murder Mysteries of West Virginia I and II, as well as Civil War in WV.
Heroes
Here's some of the souls buried at Mount Olive's cemeteries- The Clonch Family Cemetery Transcribed by Kaci Helene Foster on March 17, 2005 1. Daniel Dunlap “United States Air Force Vietnam” 1946 – 1988 2. Violet Mae Copeland March 24, 1921 – August 26, 2000 3. Orville D. Copeland February 9, 1912 – July 23, 1934 4. Baby Girl Copeland April 17, 1931 – April 17, 1931 5. Robert William Copeland May 8, 1927 – May 9, 1927 6. Fred W. Copeland March 5, 1887 – November 19, 1964 7. Iva Mae Copeland February 12, 1897 – July 17, 1987 8. Carol Ruth Arbaugh 1938 – 1997 9. Ruth Opal Clonch 1913 – 1974 “Each Step I Take Just Leads Me Closer Home” 10. Baby Boy Clonch January 22, 1919 – January 22, 1919 11. Ada E. Clonch “Mother” 1895 – 1962 12. George W. Clonch “Father” 1895 – 1964 13. Earl L. Dunlap November 29, 1909 – March 29, 1965 14. Thella Mae Dunlap October 20, 1914 – May 29, 1985 15. Curtis Legg 1972 – 1972 16. Charles Weden Legg 1970 – 1970 17. Hazel E. Simpson February 4, 1916 – June 22, 1972 18. Stella Simspon April 10, 1924 – (Still Living) 19. Hesta B. Simpson July 13, 1891 – November 27, 1966 20. Rufus M. Simpson July 29, 1888 – October 31, 1948 21. Frances Dunlap April 30, 1885 – December 7, 1943 “She is not dead, but asleep in Jesus.” 22. Everett Dunlap “Our Darling” 1915 – December 23, 1916 “Gone to Rest” 23. Arlena Dunlap “Our Daughter” June 25, 1912 – June 25, 1912 24. Lallie P. Dunlap August 5, 1907 – January 12, 1910 “Sunshine of Our Home” 25. Arnold Dunlap “Our Darling” January 1909 – February 1909 26. Georgie Dunlap “Our Baby” February 24, 1908 – February 26, 1908 27. Rebecca Clonch Roop January 6, 1888 – February 26, 1950 28. Walter Farmer Roop April 16, 1883 – 1971 29. Piercie Roop (can not read dates) 30. Lacy Shelton Roop (no date given) 31. James Burman Simpson “SGT United States Army World War II” October 19, 1921 – 1989 32. Lewis Earl Cutlip June 30, 1951 33. Earl Holcomb Cutlip September 7, 1922 – July 14, 1994 34. Edythe Holbert December 29, 1920 – (Still Living) 35. Lewis Holbert October 23, 1887 – July 8, 1920 “Asleep in Jesus” 36. Ida Bell Auxier 1896 – 1981 37. Lewis Holbert, Jr. “Baby Boy” 1915 – 1916 38. Luverna Auxier “Baby Girl” 1935 39. Kester Graydon Auxier June 20, 1888 – December 18, 1958 “Asleep in Jesus” 40. Alex Clonch March 2, 1842 – June 9, 1910 41. Tobitha Cooley Clonch “His Wife” February 11, 1861 – December 16, 1913 42. Larry ??? (can not read the rest, only a half-destroyed marker) 43. Joseph H. Lykins “Baby” 1950 – 1950 44. Joseph Clonch December 20, 1872 – March 24, 1951 45. Jennie Clonch August 30, 1866 – February 10, 1957 46. Thelma I. Clonch 1900 – 1988 47. Eber J. Clonch 1902 – 1972 48. Michael Kinser December 9, 1885 – July 5, 1946 The Wiseman Cemetery 1. Carmie F. Gilbert January 8, 1934 -- May 2, 2001 2. John M. Gilbert March 29, 1919 -- December 6, 1996 3. Hubert Don Pinson March 8, 1943 -- December 7, 1985 4. Baby Meadows No Date Given 5. Charles Lee Meadows May 31, 1914 -- February 28, 1972 6. Flossie Meadows No Date Given 7. Alice Luellen Cox Foster July 3, 1919 -- December 9, 2004 8. Marilyn Gaye Foster August 28, 1940 -- October 11, 1945 9. Grace Pritt 1912 -- 1972 10. Nellie Foster July 9, 1921 -- March 18, 1972 11. Paul Foster “West Virginia Tec5 176 Field Arty Bn World War II” March 21, 1923 -- December 19, 1968 12. Danna Foster No Date Given 13. William M. Dorsey January 21, 1928 -- No Date (Still Living) 14. Nellie E. Dorsey September 28, 1944 -- November 8, 1998 15. Lilly Foster March 13, 1944 -- No Date (Still Living) 16. Ervin Foster March 5, 1943 -- May 29, 1998 17. America F. Foster September 16, 1881 -- March 1, 1938 18. James E. Foster 1883 -- 1959 19. Sylvanis A. Foster 1919 -- 1919 20. Rosa J. Foster No Date Given 21. Louie L. Roat “Dad” 1892 -- 1965 22. Edith E. Roat “Mom” 1909 -- 1996 23. Ervin Oiler No Date Given 24. M.F. Oiler No Date Given 25. Mary F. Foster April 2, 1930 -- May 20, 1935 26. Glendon R. Oiler January 31, 1926 -- February 16, 1990 27. Bertha L. Oiler April 3, 1933 -- No Date (Still Living) 28. Unknown Grave Marked With A Rock Outside Gate #1 There are many unknown graves, only marked with rocks. Two of these are the graves of William Goddard and Matilda Catherine Lemmons Goddard. 29. Allen Allstock Born January 1, 1839 Died April 6, 1883 “Man that is born of woman is of (unreadable) and full of trouble.” Note: *This is the only African-American buried at the Wiseman Cemetery.* 30. Mary Williams Was born March 1849 and Died March 1879 31. Okey Burnette 1906 -- 1921 “In Memory Of” 32. Blanche M. Burnette Garten 1900 -- 1942 “Loving Mother” 33. Joseph B. Burnette 1874 -- 1952 “A Generous Man” 34. Hubert Dosier 1927 -- 1997 Gate #2 35. Anna Chaffins February 1875 -- January 1926 36. Anna Laura Chaffins September 1930 -- October 1937 37. Marion Combs 1921 -- 1923 Gate #3 38. James Conley 1913 -- 2003 39. Mary Paterno Conley 1911 -- 1995 40. James Jr. Conley 1940 -- No Date (Still Alive) Outside Gate #3 41. Luther Wiseman “West Virginia Pvt. 112 Inf. 28 Div.” February 4, 1891 -- March 12, 1946 42. James A. Flint 1899 -- 1971 43. Ida M. Flint 1898 -- 1972 44. James A. Flint 1884 -- 1901 45. Annie Darlington Flint 1884 -- 1927 46. Emerson Malcolm Mease “Cox US Navy World War II” 1926 -- 1978 47. Rubert S. Flint 1883 -- 1939 48. Maxine Carol Flint No Date Given Gate #4 49. Mable Sadler 1887 -- 1947 50. James Sadler 1884 -- 1943 51. Fred Deporter 1865 -- 1936 52. Julia Deporter 1870 -- 1942

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 19:26:09Z

STANLEY FAMILY
Who John Stanley was, and when or whence he came to Sandy, I have been unable to ascertain, only that he was living in a cabin on the high plateau in the bend of the creek, across from John Haynes place, in 1822, when his daughter, Nancy was married to Joseph Anderson, of Big Bend, Ohio.

Who his wife was is equally in darkness, with his ancestry and date of his birth and death.

Probably he was of the same family as David Stanley, the Raveswood pioneer. His children were:

James (Jim) Stanley, married a Runner, and lived on the flats below Mud Run, in the forties.

William (Bill) Stanley married a Bibbee, died at Silverton.

Henry Stanley died unmarried.

Jonathan Stanley married first a Hanshaw, and second, Mazella Parsons, a daughter of George Parsons, on Trace Fork. They never owned land, but lived in different places on Sandy. The Parson record given his name as Noah Stanley.

Elias Stanley married a Runner (probably these girls were daughters of Elijah Runner.)

Noah Stanley, name only given.

Levi Stanley went off and never returned.

Nancy Stanley married Joe Anderson, and lived one and a half miles below her father's home, at the Haynes farm.

Besides these names, which were furnished by the late Joseph Anderson, Chris Stutler mentions:

Tom Stanley, who died at Silverton.

A daughter married "Zeke" Vernon.

Whether these were children of John Stanley, or of one of his sons, I cannot say.

A farm on the bend of the creek below Mike Boso's mill was at an early day known as "The Old Stanley Farm", from John Stanley having once lived there.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 19:22:53Z

JESSE HUGHES
Jesse Hughes, the renowned scout and Indian fighter, spent the last years of his life on the Ohio River, near the mouth of Big Sandy. He first bought land at Sandyville, but lost it through a former patent.

It would appear that Hughes came to this section a few years before the closing of Indian hostilities. He had three daughters, Nancy, Agnes, Massie and Luraine. Nancy and Massie were hunting cows on Turkey Run, which enters the river a mile above Ravenswood, when they were discovered by a party of Indians, who made a capture of the latter, and carried her off and kept her in captivity for two years. After the Treaty of Greenville brought peace to the border settlements, Jesse went in search of his daughter, but did not at first recognize her, as she was dressed in Indian fashion, with rings in her ears, mouth, and on all her fingers, her face and body smeared with paint, and she carried a bow and arrows.

Nancy Hughes married George W. Hanshaw, who lived in a cabin on the site of the house occupied a few years since by W.S. Proctor, on the old Proctor farm, above Ravenswood.

Jesse Hanshaw, who lived near the mouth of Mill Creek, was born there about 1830.

G.W. Hanshaw at one time owned the Blake, or Varner farm on Sandy.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-30 19:04:40Z

Thank you

Re: Hanshaw's

ssams163 — 2011-11-30 16:15:22Z

Richard here is the list of Hanshaw's in my family line
George Washington Hanshaw-GGGGF
Jesse Hanshaw-GGGF
william Alexander Hanshaw-GGF
William Warren Hanshaw-GF
George Franklin Hanshaw-F
Brenda hanshaw

Re: Hanshaw of w. virginia

ssams163 — 2011-11-28 22:48:22Z

Hello connie, I do have a little info. on Sarah Jane Hanshaw Dailey. She is my great aunt. Her brother William Warren Hanshaw is my gf. I can give give you her siblings and go back from there if you need it. Here is a listing of here siblings. Ida c. Hanshaw Dickerson b.1886, Martha J. Hanshaw Dailey b.1894, Malinda L. Hanshaw b.1896. William Warren Hanshaw b.1902, Josephine Melissa Anderson n.1906. Her parents was William Alexander Hanshaw b.1862 d.1935 mother was Mary Dooley b., Her grand father was Jessie Hanshaw b. 1831, grand motherm was Elizabeth Roseanna b. 1842, ggf was George Washington Hanshaw b.1784, ggm was Nancy Agnes Hughes b.1784. WELL HELLO FROM YOUR COUSIN BRENDA. email me when you get this reply.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-27 20:27:53Z

Richard Wayne Hanshaw 435-734-9307 3530 so. Hwy., 89, Apt. #1, Perry, Utah, 84302 HANSHAWRICHARD@aol.com Hello D/O Mother. I think George Was an Indian Agent for the B & O railroad, I seen an oll news paper clipping on line where he George and Nancy Got off the train somewere and never got back on I had a copy of it but lost it years ago when mp computer died.

Re: Hanshaw's

ssams163 — 2011-11-27 19:18:03Z

Hello! My mother (This is her daughter on her account)has been trying to find information on George Washington Hanshaw for YEARS, and you've just made her day. We only had his birthday and who he married, and this information opens up a whole new world for me and my family about my Great-Great-Great Grandpa(We're descended from Jesse Hanshaw). Thank you SO much for the information about our family and where to find it. Is there anyway in which we could correspond about our family trees? My mother would like to know more and it's hard to get all the information when no one else knows much about our family history.

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-11-27 06:31:27Z

I can send you all the branches to my treebut I'll need a e mail add. It would come to you in my heritage free software file form, about7,000 people if you like my add. is HANSHAWRICHARD@aol.com lots of info on this

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-10-12 20:25:54Z

To find info on George Washington Hanshaw search Jessie Hughes Indian Scout George Married his daughter Nancy Agnes Hughes, George was an Indian Agent also worked on B&O Rail Road as an Agent Jessie Was a Map maker for George Washington. ist. President, Francis Hanshaw wife Mary Ann Obiran her father was Another Indian scout Adam Obrian Indian scout, but I think her father was Adams Brother You can find George on the Hinshaw Family Association site on Francis Hanshaw my line ID:03555 James Marshal Hanshaw his father is Francis read down till you com to George Washington Hanshaw. JohnJacksonHanshaw res. Jack's Bend Is but a few miles from Where George and Nancy Lived. there are other Indian scouts related one way or another

Michael Simmons & Francis Hanshaw m. to Mary Ann O'Brien (1800's)

NiNe9805 — 2011-10-12 16:08:12Z

Hi, I'm looking for descendants of Michael Simmons or Francis Hanshaw, who were both married to Mary Ann O'Brien. Two of us who are descended from Francis Hanshaw through his oldest son John Jackson Hanshaw, have finally had a match after abt 5 yrs or so. It was to a Simmons. We know that in the 1850 Nicholas county, (W)VA census that Mary Ann's son Lemuel was listed as a Hanshaw but after that he is always listed as a Simmons, being the son of Michael and Mary Ann. His sister Elizabeth was listed as a Simmons in the same census.

I have asked the Simmons researcher to find another Simmons to test, and am looking for descendants of the brothers of John Jackson Hanshaw to test also. If any of the younger brothers match to JJH, then we'll be able to assume that JJH is the son of Francis, and that will keep us in the Hanshaw loop of looking for matches to the Hanshaw line. If JJH doesn't match his brothers and is in fact a Simmons, then we'll need the DNA of his brothers to continue following the parentage of Francis and who he is descended from.
We used the Family Tree DNA company to test, and have our results listed with the Hinshaw/Henshaw/Hanshaw DNA project.
Hoping others will want to take advantage of this wonderful tool in researching that opens and closes doors in a way that paperwork will never be able to do.
Thanks!
Neva Adams

Re: Hanshaw's

NiNe9805 — 2011-10-12 15:39:25Z

Hi, Out of all the responses on this thread, I picked yours because I would like to ask a favor, if possible. Two of us who are descended from Francis Hanshaw > John Jackson Hanshaw had direct male relatives to DNA test for us. There had been no matches till recently, and it was to a Simmons. The Simmons match & I upped the markers to 37 and are still matching. John Jackson is the oldest son of Francis Hanshaw. So today it hit me that perhaps JJH is actually a son of Michael Simmons & Mary Ann O'Brien who took the Hanshaw name since he was raised by Francis. With you being descended from Silas, would you be able to find a direct male Hanshaw descendant from him to DNA test with FTDNA? There is one other son Francis, who we should also find to test since he's between JJ & Silas. I have asked the Simmons researcher to be looking for another line of Simmons to test also, to help verify whether his line is really Simmons or Hanshaw. The 1832 (year JJH was born) to 1838 is a mystery to me for Francis's whereabouts, who he lived with, and all other details of his life. JJH does list Kanawha County, VA as his place of birth on his marriage license but Francis is not listed in the tax records that year there. No marriage record has been found, to my knowledge, for Francis & Mary Ann, though in Henry H. Hanshaw's pension records, Mary Ann lists Nov. 18, 1848, a month before the birth of Perry, the last child of Francis Hanshaw.

I have been out of the genealogy loop for a few years but had done some extensive research on Francis Hanshaw before I had to stop. I have my theory of who his parents were and where he came from, which I don't mind sharing with anyone who is willing to help work on it, BUT I do mind if that theory goes on the internet and becomes "FACT". Any info that appears on one family tree on the internet soon goes on to become real and factual, when in fact there are still many areas that are still circumstantial and could be changed with more research. It is so hard to change info that has been cemented in family trees on the net!
I have noticed the mention of George Washington Hanshaw - the only one I have in my tree is a grandson of Francis. Nowhere have I found a connection between another GWH and Francis as being the son of one. If anyone has documentation on their relationship, I hope you'll share. Thanks! Neva Adams - searching4dna@gmail.com

Hanshaw, Hulda J. (Cartright) 1925 - 2011

JeanKayMorse38 — 2011-04-18 15:29:27Z

Obit: Corning Leader, Corning, Corning, NY; Apr 15, 2011 @ 11:25 PM

Bath, N.Y. — Hulda J. Hanshaw, 85, of Bath, NY, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.

Hulda was born on November, 28, 1925 to Martin and Ruby (Foster) Cartright in Greenwood, NY.

Hulda met and married Albert I. Hanshaw and enjoyed 47 years of marriage. Her husband predeceased her in 1991.

Hulda and Albert had a son, Edward P. Hanshaw. Her son was a great joy in her life. He predeceased her while serving his country in Vietnam.

Hulda retired from Corning Glass and resided in Painted Post for many years before moving to Bath. She enjoyed spending the winter months in Florida.

To have known her was to love her. She will be remembered for her generosity, kind spirit, positive outlook and her contagious laughter. Hulda enjoyed spending time with her extended family. She enjoyed and adored her little “grandchildren”.

Hulda is survived by her sisters: Emma Goodridge of Tarpon Springs, FL, Alberta (Andrew) Blim of Watkins Glen, NY, and Wanda (Charles) Johns of Boca Raton, FL; brother: Floyd (Sheila) Cartright of Horseheads, NY; several nieces and nephews; and dear friends, Shirley, Veronica, Dorothy, Joe and Mary Rechichi and their extended family.

She was loved dearly and will be greatly missed.

In addition to her husband, Albert and son Edward, Hulda was predeceased by her parents, Martin and Ruby, sister, Betty Case, and by brothers, Clifford, Glee, and David Cartright.

Family and friends are invited to call at Carpenter’s Funeral Home, LLC, 14 E. Pulteney Street in Corning, NY on Monday, April 18, 2011 from 2pm to 4pm. Funeral services will follow there at 4pm after the conclusion of the calling hours.

Donations in Hulda’s memory may be directed to a charity of one’s choice

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2011-03-25 21:17:33Z

I studdied the locations of George and Francis they with John Jackson Hanshaw :Sailor Jack" Residence within 30 miles of each other Ravensood at one point you have to read Info on Georges Wife Nancy Agnes Hughes her dad Jessie David Hughes Indian Scout, Mary ann O'brian her father Adam O'brian Indian Scout, but I think her father was Adams brother If you go to the Hinshaw Family Association and on the first pag in the little white box type in 03555 you will see our family there and George Washington Hanshaw is listed there, all the land the lived on belonged to George Washington the Pres. Studying the family bact to 1750 or so you get a better over all look there were 3 other Indian scouts Involved by Marriage. I'm not sure of all this but It makes sence to me. your cuz, Richard Wayne Hanshaw HANSHRICHARD@aol.com

Re: Hanshaw's

wilmastewart40 — 2011-03-25 20:53:37Z

I am descendant of Lawrence E, John R, James L, Silas Smith, and Francis Hanshaw (Mary Ann Obrion). Where did George Washington Hanshaw Originate from? And is this the right track?

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2010-06-23 05:34:01Z

Try Hinshaw Family Association Input # 03553

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2010-06-23 05:24:24Z

Which State is your Hanshaws from in which year and names Richard Wayne Hanshaw HANSHRICHARD@aol.com

Re: Hanshaw of w. virginia

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2010-06-23 05:19:28Z

Hello, I Am Richard Wayne Hanshaw, I have alot of info for you My e mail is HANSHRICHARD@aol.com my address is 3530 so. Hwy. 89 Apt#1 Perry Utah 84302 my P# 435-734-9307, I also have a Daughter named Tammy.> ? Is your mom Wanda Fay, Is your sister Jen?. I am a Cuz. you are from francis Jr's line and Polly Ann. I am from the line of francis Jr.s brother. James Marshal Hanshaw. and my age is 61 in august, fell free to contact me

Re: Hanshaw's

HANSHAWRICHARD — 2010-02-11 11:01:12Z

Hi Carey "Bic" I'm From James Marshal Hanshaw's Line Brother to Andrew Perry, your Line. HANSHRICHARD@aol.com 435-734-9307 I would like to trade Info & Pictures, RICHARD WAYNE HANSHAW, 3530 So. Hwy 89 Perry UTah 84302, And Descendants of Frances Andrew Hanshaw & Mary Ann (O'brian)widow of Lum, may Contact me 17,507 In tree So far & yes I think The Father to Francis Is George Washington Hanshaw which would make Frances Ist born

Re: Hanshaw Family from Western WV and Southern Ohio

parman02 — 2009-08-27 02:46:10Z

My mom was Mary Hanshaw (Guinn} sister of Leonard Hanshaw. Her sister Nora married E.R. Wilcox.

Re: Jazz Singer(s) Annette Hanshaw??

kenmare2003 — 2008-11-04 16:15:04Z

Just noticed your inquiry from a long time ago. Sorry to advise that Annette Hanshaw did not have a sister, only one older brother, George, and a younger one, my father, Frank.

Re: Hanshaw-Burgess-Pickering

terriesnyder — 2008-08-24 15:36:58Z

hi my name is Terrie Ann Burgess and my family is from West Va. My aunt Dorothy Burgess married Tilden Hanshaw. If I can help please let me know.
Terrie Snyder

Re: Mary Ellen Hanshaw

LoriKnapp333 — 2008-06-10 23:01:23Z

I saw this post that is 8 years old but thought I would reply. Mary Ellen Hanshaw Pierce is a relative of mine. Would like to share info and pictures.

Burgess of West Virginia

terriesnyder — 2007-12-31 22:07:32Z

have been looking for grandmothers maiden name.
can't seem to find any info on her at all.her name is Dama Lucille Burgess,she married Clyde Burgess alittle before 1920 maybe in Roan,she had three kids. Clyde,Louis,Dorothy.
Dorothy June married Tilden Hanshaw.She died in the district of columbia while living with us in 1958.Any help would be GREAT!

Hanshaw Family from Western WV and Southern Ohio

TDLINDSEY — 2007-11-20 13:38:33Z

I am looking for information on the Leonard T. Hanshaw family. According to the census of 1910-1930 They include:
Leonard T Hanshaw b.11/25/1889 - d. 3/27/1964
Donnie or Dona ? b. 11/21/1891
Barbara Jean b. 10/22/1910 Putnam, WV,
Vernon b. 11/18/1913

Other Family Hanshaw names include:
Zella b. 8/30/1891
Minnie Cora Taylor Hanshaw b. 7/8/1871
Nora Victoria b. 11/18/1897 m. Emory Ralph Wilcox
Mary Agnes b. ? married Ed Gwinn maybe Guinn
John William b. 1/5/1866
John A Herber Hanshaw b. 3/27/1846

dlindsey@zoominternet.net

Re: Hanshaw of w. virginia

TDLINDSEY — 2007-11-20 11:09:15Z

Some of the names listed are whom I believe to be in the line of my GGGranduncle. If you are interested I would like to exchange info and put you in touch with a lady who is closer to this line than I am.

Thanks

David Lindsey

Re: Hanshaw information

chanshaw111 — 2007-09-13 22:54:19Z

Hi Brent

Would you believe I JUST NOW ran across your 1999 post asking for information about William Henry Hanshaw? William Henry was my husband's great-grandfather. He was born February 21, 1848, in Darke Co., OH, to Hezekiah Hanshaw (March 14, 1817 Botetourt Co., VA) and Jane Kern (abt. 1829 OH?). He married Juliet Sargent (March 27, 1853 Franklin, IL - September 1, 1920 MO or OR) on December 29, 1875 in Franklin, Morgan, IL. After his death on April 25, 1936 in MO, both William Henry and Juliet are buried in the Iantha Cemetery in Barton County, MO.

I'm sure we have information we could share with each other about our family members. I'll be anxious to hear from you.

Carol Hanshaw
Liberal, MO

Re: John and Nellie (Groover) Hanshaw

rtmosley912 — 2007-06-18 05:10:05Z

Hi
My name is Reginald Mosley. I too am a descendent of Aaron Munlin. I attend Banks Creek Primative baptist Church in Portal Georgia. Aaron Munlin founded and was the first pastor of the church.
Dr. Alvin Jackson @ alvinjackson@aol.com is an expert on the family and he can aswer any questiuons that you might have.

POW/MIA Korean War, HANSHAW

raysestak126 — 2007-02-11 15:38:11Z

I am searching for the family of a soldier who was killed in the Korea War. When he entered service he gave Greenbrier County, West Virginia as his home of record. His remains were never recovered.

Soldier: HAROLD CARMEL HANSHAW
Born: August 18, 1930, Caucasian
Date of loss: November 30, 1950, POW

When the Korean War ended the enemy never returned or accounted for over 8,000 of our servicemen. They died in their hands. That was over 50 years ago. Since that time DNA has been perfected and also they are recovering remains in North Korea. Our government is obligated to return those remains to the proper family. DNA samples have been obtained from most of the families of these missing soldiers. For various reasons some families have not been located. The Hanshaw family is one of those missing.

When the remains are recovered and identified they will be returned to the family for proper burial. I am just an old (76 years) Combat Veteran out of the Korean War and thankful that I did return. I consider this a very noble cause and I hope that you can help in some way to find this family. For more information on the project you may go to http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/. My part in the program is to match up the lost families with the proper agency.

I will be grateful for any assistance in locating this family.

Harold Davis
40th Infantry Division
Korea ’52-‘53
910-791-2333
hgdavis@bellsouth.net

Thomas HANSHAW b.Abt 1793 (England), mar Sarah Ann

billg246 — 2006-10-24 11:56:01Z

Seeking information and any links to the following people. The first named person Thomas HANSHAW is my GGGGGrandfather.
To save you time skimming this email, all the people involved are from ENGLAND, and there are no known links to any other countries.

1st generation:
HANSHAW, Thomas....b.Abt.1793, mar Sarah Ann.

2nd generation:
HANSHAW, Thomas........b.1813 Middlesex, Bishopsgate, mar Charlotte.
HANSHAW, James.........b.1815 Middlesex, Bishopsgate.
*HANSHAW, Sarah A....b.1817 Middlesex, Bethnal Green, mar William H STEPHENSON.
HANSHAW, William.......b.1820 Middlesex, Bethnal Green.
HANSHAW, Eliza.........b.1822 Middlesex, Bethnal Green.
HANSHAW, Mary..........b.1825 Middlesex, Bethnal Green.
HANSHAW, Caroline......b.1827 Middlesex, Bethnal Green.
HANSHAW, Ann...........b.1829 Middlesex, Bethnal Green.

I am descended from * above.

Bill Gudgeon
Fife, Scotland
bill@redcabinstudio.co.uk

Ames/Hanshaw connection to Missouri relatives

chanshaw111 — 2006-08-23 04:37:03Z

The Charles William Hanshaw, who was married to your distant cousin Phyllis Louise Ames, is my husband's cousin. Charles's grandfather, Joseph M. Hanshaw, and my husband's great grandfather were half brothers. I haven't been able to find much information relating to Ezra (Charles's father) and his family, so I would most definitely be glad to share information with you.

Robert Hanshaw

marjsmith031 — 2006-08-17 23:12:26Z

My grandfather was Robert Ellsworth Hanshaw born 10-21-1929 to Everette L and Hellen M Hanshaw. He had 4 brothers I believe. I am aware of Ken, James, Paul, and Frank. He had a 1/2 brother John Coleman. He died 9-7-1992. He was marred to Marjorie Elizabeth Doyal. I'm not sure of the spelling of the last name, or her exact birthdate. I talked to a lady some time ago...I mean year ago...about a class project we were doing. She had us related to Jesse James and the Hatfield and McCoy families. I think she said Jesse James's mother married a Hanshaw after he was born. I can't remember the person I talked to or even where she was from. If anyone has any idea as to branching this tree, please contact me at marjsmith03@yahoo.com

Re: curious

marjsmith031 — 2006-08-17 22:56:47Z

My mom was born a Hanshaw. Her father was Robert Ellsworth Hanshaw. He was born in PA in 1929. He has a few brothers. He was married to Marjorie Elizabeth Doyal. His parents were Everette Hanshaw and Hellen...I'm not sure of her maiden name. She was married to a Coleman at one point in time I think. They had a son Jon before she married Everette. That is about the farthest back I can go. I have spoke with someone in the past about it and she had the tree back to Jesse James and the Hatfields and McCoys. That was many years ago, and I can't even remember what her name was or where she lived. If we may be related, any info would be appreciated. You can contact me through email at marjsmith03@yahoo.com