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Full text of "History of Tucker County, West Virginia : from the earliest explorations and settlements to the present time ; with biographical sketches of more than two hundred and fifty of the leading men, and a full appendix of official and electional history ; also, an account of the rivers, forests and caves of the county"

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HISTORY 


OF 


TUCKER  COUNTY, 

WES 7'    VIRGINIA, 

FROM  THE   E.\IILIEST   EXPLORATIONS  AND  SETTLE- 
MENTS TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME; 


WITH 


BIOGIiAPHICAL     SKETCHES    OF   M(J]tE    THAN    TWO     HUNDKED     AND 

ITFTY   OF  THE    LEADING   MEN,    AND    A   Fl'LI.   APPENDIX   OF 

OFFICIAL     AND     ELECTIONAL     HISTOltY;     ALSO,    AN 

ACCOUNT     OF     THE     PIVERS,    FORESTS     AND 

CAVES   OF   THE   COUNTY. 


By    HU    maxwell 


ILL  US  T  R  A  TE  I)     W  FT  If 


IWKNTY-KIOHT     PHOTOTYPES     OF     NOTKD     I'KKSOXS. 


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KINGWOOD,    W.    VA.: 

PRESTON      PUBLISHING     COMPANY 

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COPYRIGHT  BY 

JI  U    MAXWF.LL. 

1884. 


Press  of 
Journal    Printing    House 

KiNGAOOD.    W.    Va. 


AS    A 


SLIGHT,     BUT    8INCKRB    KXFKESSION    OF    GRATITCDK, 


AS    A   TOKEN    OP    RESPECT    FOR    mTEGRITY    AND    FIRMNKS.H 


IN   THE   CAUSE    OF   HISTOBICAL   KESEARCH, 


AS     A     MARK     OF     ESTEEM     FOR     NOBILITY     OF     PURPOS]« 


IN  ALL  THE  LESSER  AND  LESS-TRODDEN  PATHS  OF  LIFE, 


THE    AUTHOR 


DEDICATES     THIS     BOOK     TO     HIS     I'lJlJlXD, 


WILBUR  C.  BROCKUNTUR. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Had  some  things  been  different  from  what  they  were,  I 
believe  that  I  could  have  made  the  History  of  Tucker 
County  better  than  it  is.  The  labor  required  to  collect  and 
arrange  the  material  was  greater  than  would  be  supposed 
by  one  who  has  never  undertaken  a  task  of  similar  nature. 
No  previous  history,  covering  the  period  and  territory,  has 
ever  been  compiled,  and  I  had  to  enter  upon  original  and 
unexplored  fields  wherever  I  went.  There  was  no  scarcity 
of  subject-matter ;  but,  at  times,  it  was  not  easy  for  me  to 
decide  what  to  use  and  what  to  reject.  I  am  not  certain 
that  I  have  not  erred  seriously  in  one  thing — that  I  trusted 
more  to  the  whims  of  others  than  to  my  own  judgment. 
The  plan  of  the  work  would  have  been  quite  different  had 
I  followed  mv  own  inclination  to  make  the  whole  thinsj  one 
connected  storj'  instead  of  biographical  fragments,  as  it  is. 
l?et,  as  it  is,  it  will  please  more  people  than  it  would  if  cast 
in  the  mold  for  which  it  was  first  intended.  I  was  not  wri- 
ting it  for  myself,  but  for  others ;  and,  as  my  tastes  and  fan- 
cies differ  from  those  of  others,  I  thought  it  best  to  suit  the 
book  to  those  for  whom  it  was  intended. 

But,  as  I  said,  if  some  things  had  been  otherwise,  this 
book  might  have  been  better.  The  circumstances  under 
which  the  work  was  done  were  not  at  all  times  pleasant  or 
favorable.  I  commenced  it  in  1881,  and  devoted  to  it  only 
what  time  was  mine  after  devoting  twelve  hours  a  day  to 
school  work.  At  first  it  was  my  intention  to  publish  it  in 
the  Tucker  County  Pioneei\  as  a  serial  story;  but  this  was 
abandoned  when  it  was  seen  hf)w  unwise  it  was.     The  his- 


6  INTKODUCTION. 

toiy  as  it  was  then  was  less  than  half  as  large  as  now,  al- 
though it  devoted  more  spaot^  to  the  guerrilla  warfare  that 
was  carried  on  along  our  county's  borders  during  the  Civil 
War.  When  the  idea  of  publishing  it  in  the  newspaper  was 
abandoned,  it  was  next  proposed  to  bring  it  out  in  book 
form,  and  the  first  half-dozen  pages  were  actually  set  in 
type.  But,  I  was  not  pleased  with  it,  and  concluded  to  re- 
arrange the  whole  work,  and  the  printing  was  accordingly 
suspended  until  the  writing  should  be  completed. 

Meanwhile,  I  found  it  necessary  to  give  some  attention  to 
other  matters ;  for,  it  has  never  been  my  fortune  to  be  so 
situated  that  I  could  devote  my  whole  time  to  literary 
work.  Soon,  too,  I  grew  doubtful  if  it  was  worth  while  to 
do  anything  further  with  the  matter.  So,  it  was  allowed  to 
lie  idle,  while  I  found  more  agreeable  employment  in  other 
fields  of  history.  Thus,  nothing  was  done  till  the  winter  of 
1883-4.  I  was  then  in  California,  and  had  done  as  much  on 
a  new  history  ("  Conquest  of  the  Ohio  Valley  ")  as  I  could 
do  without  a  personal  visit  to  the  Library  at  Washington 
City,  and,  as  I  was  not  yet  ready  to  return  to  the  East,  I 
began  to  consider  whether  it  would  not  be  a  good  opportu- 
nity to  revise  the  musty  manuscripts  of  the  Tucker  History. 
I  was  the  more  inclined  to  do  this  because  I  did  not  like 
the  idea  of  having  commenced  a  thing  without  finishing  it. 
So,  I  sent  to  West  Virginia  for  the  manuscript  and  revised' 
it  by  the  time  I  was  ready  to  start  home,  in  April,  1884. 
Upon  my  arrival  at  home,  I  added  the  part  embraced  in  "Brief 
Biographies,"  and  sent  the  book  to  the  press  late  in  August. 

If  I  had  quieted  myself  to  this  task,  and  had  nothing  else 
to  lead  mv  mind  off  or  to  disturb  me,  I  could  have  done 
better.  I  could  have  better  interwoven  the  stories,  one 
with  another,  ar.d   made  of  them  one  continued  purpose. 


IXTKODUCTION.  7 

and  about  them  there  would  have  been  a  completeness 
which  I  am  conscious  that  they  do  not  now  possess.  But  it 
is  not  necessary  to  speculate  upon  such  things  as  might  have 
been.  The  book  is  as  it  is,  and  those  who  feel  troubled  at 
the  discovery  of  logical  errors  may,  if  they  will,  let  charity 
cover  what  is  best  concealed.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  un- 
dertake another  task  of  the  kind,  so  I  cannot  truthfully 
promise  to  profit  by  irregularities  that  may  be  pointed  out. 
But,  from  this,  it  should  not  be  inferred  that  I  look  upon 
my  labor  as  that  much  thankless  drudgery.  Far  from  it. 
The  people  of  Tucker  County  have  lent  their  aid  and  en- 
couragement to  me,  and  have  done  what  they  could 
to  assist  me,  and,  on  their  account,  if  for  nothing  else, 
the  work,  in  spite  of  its  many  discouragements  and  dif- 
ficulties, has  been  to  me  a  pleasing  one.  No  person  feels  a 
deeper  and  kindlier  interest  in  the  majestic  mountains,  the 
quiet  valleys,  the  green  meadows,  the  blooming  orchards, 
the  sweeping  streams  and  the  crystal  springs  of  our  little 
county,  than  I  do.  The  interests  of  the  people  are  mine, 
and  their  hopes  and  aspirations  are  in  unison  wdth  my  sym- 
pathy. The  whole  county,  from  the  wind-swept  crags  of 
the  Alleghanies  to  the  sugar-bloom  of  the  Seven  Islands,  is 
throbbing  with  the  pulse  of  universal  life.  The  past  with 
its  romance  is  lost  in  the  present,  and  the  present  is  newer 
and  beautifuller  than  the  past  ever  was.  Who  w^ould  not 
feel  a  pride  in  such  a  county  ?  If  I  have  done  anything  for 
it  in  the  present  undertaking,  I  am  glad  of  it ;  if  I  have  done 
nothing,  I  am  sorry,  for  I  have  not  done  my  duty. 

Some  of  the  history  has  been  wholly  neglected  or  only 
touched,  because  I  could  not  utilize  it  all.  What  I  have 
left  has  been  principally  romances  that  cling  around  old 
memories.     I  would  like  to  fling  history  aside  and  cast  my 


8  INTEODUCTION. 

lot  witli  them  for  a  season.  No  mountain  of  Scotland  has 
echoed  to  the  themes  of  more  beautiful  legends  that  our 
mountains  have.  The  temptation  to  me  was  great  as  I  was 
writing  the  history,  fori  wanted  to  turn  myself  loose  among 
such  landscapes  and  people  and  stories  as  my  fancy  could 
create  or  my  eyes  could  see  already  created.  Bat  I  held 
steadily  before  my  mind  the  fact  that  I  was  writing  history, 
and  I  did  all  I  could  to  weed  from  it  what  was  not  sober  and 
true.  I  have  given  nothing  that  I  do  not  believe  to  be  the 
truth.  I  am  able  to  rid  myself  of  all  partiality  when  it  is 
necessary  to  do  so,  and  in  this  case  I  have  done  it.  I  feel 
that  I  have  done  injustice  to  none.  If  I  have,  it  was  unin- 
tentional on  my  part.  It  has  been  necessary  to  write  of 
some  who  are  anything  but  my  personal  friends  ;  but  I  have 
done  it  without  one  shadow  of  desire  to  do  them  a  wrong 
or  to  let  them  suffer  by  neglect.  All  I  could  ask  of  any  man 
is  to  be  treated  as  fairlv  as  I  have  treated  mv  characters  in 
this  History  of  Tucker  County.  I  hold  that  no  man  should 
be  misrepresented  ;  but,  if  misrepresentations  be  tolerated, 
it  is  better  that  they  affect  the  dead  than  the  living.  I  would 
rather  harm  the  memory  of  a  dead  Wasliington,  although 
he  was  my  friend,  than  to  take  a  mean  advantage  of  a  living 
enemy — to  injure  him  in  a  manner  wherein  he  could  hot  de- 
fend himself.     Whether  right  or  wrong,  thus  I  believe. 

To  those  who  will  read  this  book  closely  enough  to  notice 
errata,  where  they  exist,  I  would  say,  bear  in  mind  that  the 
book  Avas  written  in  fragmentary  parts,  and  did  not  receive 
the  supt;rvision  that  all  histories  should  have.  However,  I 
feel  confident  that  the  serious  errors  are  few,  and  what  they 
are,  they  are  there  without  the  knowledge  of  the  author  at 

this  hour. 

Hu  Maxwell. 
Kingvjood,  Octoher  23,  1884. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

JAMES  PARSONS. 

Page. 

The  County  of  Tucker  defined.  First  visited  by  James  Par- 
sons. He  discovers  the  Horse  Shoe.  Passes  up  Horse  Shoe 
Run.  ThePringles.*  Simon  Kenton.  The  Indians.  Mound- 
builders.  Mound  in  tlie  Horse  Shoe.  Graves,  bones  and  ar- 
row points.  Captain  Parsons  and  his  brother  locate  lands 
on  the  River.     Chased  by  Indians 17 

CHAPTER  II. 

JOHN  MIXEAR. 

John  Minear.  Early  life.  Leads  a  colony  lo  the  Horse  Shoe. 
Builds  a  fort.  Trouble  with  the  Indians.  A  settler  chased 
from  the  Sugar  Lands.  Settlement  broken  up.  St.  George 
founded  in  1776.  Fort  Built.  Mill.  Prosperity.  Reverses. 
New  trouble  with  the  Indians.  The  small-pox  rages  in  Tuck- 
er. An  Indian  raid.  Sims  killed.  St.  George  besieged.  Am- 
buscade. Jonathan  Minear  killed.  Washburn  taken  priso- 
ner. Pursuit  of  the  Indians.  Skirmish.  Indians  defeated. 
Washburn  rescued.  A  rash  Indian.  Boy  taken  prisoner 
near  St.  George.  Killing  of  John  Minear,  Cooper  and  Came- 
ron. Escape  of  the  Millers  and  Goffe.  The  Indians  pass  into 
Randolph.  Routed  by  Jesse  Huglies.  Burial  of  Minear, 
Cooper  and  Cameron 34 

CHAPTER  in. 

MISCELLANIES. 

The  manners  and  customs  of  the  pioneers.  Moving.  Pack- 
horses.  Plunder.  Household  articles.  Bread  and  meat. 
Building  houses.  The  style  of  houses.  Clothing.  Mill  at 
St.  George,  177G.  Intoxicating  liquors.  Guns.  Tomahawks. 
Religious  worship.  The  customs  of  the  times.  Schools. 
Teachers.  Modes  of  unparting  instruction.  Singing  schools. 
Romance  of  Manassa  Minear  and  Lyda  Holbert 69 


10  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTKli  IV. 

MISCELLAXIES. 

Silent  History.  James  Goff.  His  peculiarities.  The  land  agent. 
The  supper.  The  Parsons  family.  The  Bonnifields.  Settle- 
ment of  Clover  District.  First  school-house.  The  Dumire 
family.  The  Losh  family,  William  Losh  and  two  friends  go 
to  Ohio.  John  Losh,  the  hunter.  Canada  :  the  bed  of  a  lake. 
Lost  in  the  woods.  Captures  cub-bears.  Crosses  the  river 
on  a  raft.  Old  settlers.  Greneology,  Nimrod  Haddix  breaks 
his  neck.     Ambrose  Lipscomb.     Adam  Harpei- 87 

CHAPTER  V. 

FORMATION  OF  TUCKER   COUNTY. 

Efforts  to  obtain  a  new  county.  Meeting  in  St.  George.  Com- 
mittee select  site  for  court-house.  William  Ewin  sent  to  the 
Legislature.  Judge  John  Brannon.  Name  of  the  county 
and  county-seat 121 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES. 

The  influence  of  schools  and  churches.  Should  be  co-workers. 
Growth  slow  but  permanent.  Common  schools  the  greatness 
of  the  country.     Home  supply  of  teachers 125 

CHAPTER  VIT. 

« 

MOUNTAINS  AND  CAA'ES. 

Mountains  of  Tucker.  Limestone  mountains.  Falling  Spring. 
Jordan's  Cave.     Blooming  Cave.     Subterranean  wonders 130 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

LUMBER   INTERESTS   OF  TUCKER   COUNTY. 

Primeval  forests.  Description  of  trees.  Sugar  making.  Saw 
mills.  Cheat  River.  Springs.  Wells.  The  blackness  of  the 
water  of  Cheat.  To  what  due.  History  and  description  of 
the  river.  Alum  Hill.  Job's  Ford.  Slip  Hill.  Turn  Eddy. 
Willow  Point.  St.  George  Eddy.  Miller  Hill.  Murder  Hole. 
Turtle  Rocks.  Seven  Islands.  Rafts  and  raftsmen.  Shin- 
gle mills.     Lumber  interests  opposed  to  farming 139 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  11 

CHAPTER  IX. 

WEST  VIRGINIA  CENTRAL    AND  PITTSBURGH    RAILWAY.  i 

General  view  of  the  subject.     Coal.     Railroad  plans  of  1856-  i 

1881.     Reports.     Wealth  of  the  company's  lands 167 

CHAPTER  X. 

MISCELLANEOUS    STATISTICS. 

The  value  of  statistics.     Various  lists  and  tables.     Reports  of  ■; 

County  Superintendents 173 

CHAPTER  XI. 

i 

NEWSPAPERS    OF  THE  COUNTY. 

First  paper  in  Tucker  County.  Founding  of  the  Pioneer.  The 
Democrat  comes  into  existence.     The  progress  of  the  two  i 

papers 190  ( 

CHAPTER  XII.  I 

* 

THE  ST.    GEORGE  BAR. 

Sketches  of  William  Ewin.  Rufus  Maxwell.  A.  B.  Parsons. 
Lloyd  Hansford.  L.  S.  Auvil.  W.  B.  Maxwell.  Philetus 
Lipscomb 198 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

TRAVELERS. 

Abe  Bonnifleld.  Starts  to  Missouri.  Joins  a  show.  Leaves  it. 
Joins  another.  Rumpus  with  Indians.  Goes  to  Canada, 
The  old  black  scalawag.  Returns  home.  Joins  the  Confed- 
erate army.  Fights  to  the  last.  A.  T.  Bonnifleld.  Goes  to 
California.  Returns.  Chased  by  a  tiger  at  Nicaragua.  Visits 
W.  Va.     Returns  to  California 306 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

TRAVELERS.  —(CONTINUED. ) 

Captain  Ezekiel  Harper.  Early  life.  Volunteers  to  g'o  to 
the  Mexican  war.  Starts  overland  to  California,  The  jour- 
ney. The  Humboldt  desert.  Harper  leaves  the  company. 
Proceeds  on  foot.  Crosses  stupendous  mountains.  Arrives 
at  the  gold  fields.  Digs  gold  to  buy  his  breakfast.  Various 
reverses    and   successes.     Indian     war.     Harper    leader    of 


12  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

the  iiiiuers.  Skiriiiishes  with  the  Indians,  Rescue  of  priso- 
ners. The  Indians  driven  from  the  country.  Harper  revis- 
its W.  Va.  Returns  across  the  plains  to  California.  Drives 
4000  sheep.  Jacob  Harper  dies  on  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Fortunes  and  reverses.  Harper  comes  back  to  W.  Va.  Re- 
turns to  California.  Terrible  storm  at  sea.  The  "Central 
America"  goes  down.  Letcer  from  Aspinwall.  Jerome  Har- 
per goes  to  Chili.  Insurrexion  there.  Prisoners  sent  to 
Patagonia.  Captain  Harper  starts  to  hunt  his  brother. 
Meets  him  at  Pataluma.  Returns  to  the  mines.  Comes  back 
to  W.  Va.  and  joins  the  Confederate  army.  Various  skirm- 
ishes. Taken  prisoner.  Carried  to  Camp  Chase  and  Rock 
Island.     Suffering.     Escape.     After  history 220 

CHAPTER  XV. 

TRAVELERS.  -(COXTIXUED.) 

Henry  Bonnifield.  Early  life.  Adventures.  Goes  to  Cali- 
fornia. Rides  wild  horses.  D&sperate  ride  over  Millerton 
Mountain.  Dragged  by  a  wild  horse.  A  wicked  mule.  In- 
vited to  ride  at  the  Centennial  at  Philadelphia.  Goes  to  Ar- 
izona. Haunted  house  of  Tulare.  A  lying  emigrant.  Mo- 
jave  Desert.  In  Arizona.  Sick.  Lost  in  the  desert.  Falls 
into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Passes  down  the  Colorado 
River.     Trouble  with  the  Indians.     Reacheshome 250 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

TRAA^ELERS.— (COr^TINUED.) 


The  Minears.  Farm  work.  School.  St.  George  Inn.  A.  P. 
Minear.  Works  on  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  Starts  to  California. 
Adventures  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Reaches  California. 
Takensick.  Kindness  of  E.  Harperand  Mr.  Buckelew.  Goes 
into  the   lumber  business.     Fails.     Goes  to   Oregon.     Sue-  j 

cesses  and  reverses.    John  W.  Minear  goes  to  California.    To  ' 

Oregon.     A.  C.  Minear  follows.     Letters  on   the  way.     Sol-  i 

omon  Minear  killed.  The  Minears  goto  Idaho.  Mining.  Fam- 
ine. Snow,  Storms.  Attempt  to  murder  A.  P.  Minear. 
Struck  by  sixteen  bullets.     Escapes.     Joins  a  railroad  enter-  j 

rpsie  in  Florida.  Fails.  Goes  to  New  York.  Returns  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  engages  in  mining.  A.  C.  Minear  in 
Idaho.  Fights  Indians.  Letters.  Returns  to  W.  Va,  David 
S.  Minear 273      \ 

I 
] 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  13 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  WAR. 

The  commencement  of  the  struggle  in  Tucker  County.  Cap- 
ture of  a  Confederate  flag  at  Saint  George.  Death  of  Lieut. 
Robert  McChesney.  Letters  bearing  on  the  subject.  Ad- 
vance of  Garnett.  Battle  of  Corrick's  Ford.  Confederates 
retreat.  Capt.  E.  Harper  pilots  the  flying  army.  Destruc- 
tion and  ruin  marked  the  way.  The  army  deserted  by  the 
cavalry.  Retreat  of  the  Union  forces  from  the  Red  House. 
E.  Harper  leads  the  scouts  up  Backbone  Mountain.  Escape 
of  the  army.  The  raids  of  Imboden.  Surrender  of  Hall. 
Paris.     Battle  of  St.  George.     Close  of  the  war 316 

BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES. 

In  this  department  the  subjects  are  treated  alphabetically 438 

APPENDIX. 
Biographical  sketch  of  the  author 511 

APPENDIX. 

POLITICAL  STATISTICS. 

Election  returns  of  the  county 532 

Index. 573 


ILLUSTRATION  S. 


Capt.  Ezekiel  Harper,     . 
W.   B.    Maxwell, 

Frontis} 

Page 

yiece. 

.     202 

A.  P.  Minear, 

.     272 

A.  T.  Bonnifield, 

.    482 

John  G.  Moore,   . 

.    512 

The  Maxwell  Brothers — a  group 

s 

.    176 

Tjieut.  Robert  McChesney, 

.    320 

Dr.  B.  Baker, 

.    368 

AVjraham  Bonnifield, 

.     512 

Eufus  Maxwell,    . 

.     450 

Capt.  Joseph  A.  Paris,     . 
Mrs.  Anna  Minear, 

.     320 
.      96 

Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Maxwell,  . 

.     176 

Mrs.  Elizabeth    Bonnifield, 

.      96 

Mrs.  Mary  J.  Minear, 

.     320 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Spesert,     . 
Mrs.  D.  A.  Lowther, 

.     196 
.     196 

George  A.  Mayer, 

.     368 

David  8.    Minear, 

.     320 

Jeff.  Lipscomb,    . 

.     482 

Hu  Maxwell, 

.     512 

Knoch  Minear,     . 

.       96 

Job  Parsons, 

.     482 

Dr.  A.  E.  Calvert, 

.     3G8 

kelson  D.  Adams, 

.     320 

Philetns  Li]iscomb, 

.     482 

Cyrus  H.  Maxwell, 

.     512 

Dr.  T.  M.  Austin, 

I 

.     368 

HISTORY 


OF 


TUCKER  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 

JAMES    PA  ESQ  XS. 

Tucker  County,  West  Yir^inia,  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Preston,  on  the  east  by  Maryhmd  and  Grant  County ; 
on  the  south  it  is  bounded  by  Kandolph,  and  on  the  west 
by  Barbour.  It  lies  along  the  valley  of  Cheat  Eiver,  and 
includes  the  triljutaries  of  that  stream  for  about  tliirty-tive 
miles  north  and  south,  and  twenty  east  and  Avest.  The 
area  of  the  county  would,  therefore,  be  about  seven  hun- 
dred square  miles;  but,  if  an  actual  measurement  were 
made,  the  area  would  prol)ably  fall  a  little  short  of  these 
figures. 

The  county  is  not  mentioned  in  history  prior  to  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  about  17G2.  Of  course,  it  is  un- 
derstood that  when  the  county  is  spoken  of  in  this  manner, 
reference  is  had  only  to  the  territory  now  included  in  the 
county  of  Tucker.  The  territory  so  considered  appears  to 
have  been  unknown  to  civilized  man  till  about  the  year 
1702  or  1703.     The    accounts   of  the    earliest   explorations 


18  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

are  vague  and  conflicting,  and  very  few  positive  statements 
can  be  made  on  the  subject.  However,  it  is  certain  tliat 
both  Preston  and  Randolph  were  visited  by  white  men  be- 
fore Tucker  was. 

Probably  the  first  white  man  in  the  county  was  Captain 
James  Parsons,  who  then  lived  on  the  South  Branch  of  the 
Potomac,  near  Moorefield,  in  the  present  county  of  Hardy. 
During  the  French  and  Indian  War,  the  Indians  often 
passed  from  beyond  the  Ohio,  across  the  Alleghany  Mount- 
ains, into  the  settlements  on  the  Potomac  Biver,  and  partic- 
ularly on  the  South  Branch.  They  killed  or  carried  away 
as  prisoners  everybody  they  could  catch.  On  one  of  these 
raids  they  captured  Capt.  James  Parsons."  They  carried 
him  with  them  all  the  way  to  Ohio,  and  kept  him  a  prisoner 
for  some  time.  At  length,  however,  he  managed  to  escape 
from  them  and  set  out  for  home.  He  knew  that  the  South 
Branch  was  in  the  east,  and  he  traveled  in  that  direction. 
He  guided  his  course  by  the  sun  by  da}'  and  the  moon  by 
night.  But,  as  it  was  often  cloudy,  he  wandered  at  times 
from  his  way.  In  this  manner  he  proceeded  many  days, 
and  from  the  length  of  time  that  he  had  been  on  the  road, 
he  thought  that  he  must  be  near  the  South  Branch.  He 
struck  a  small  river,  Avhich  he  thought  to  be  the  South 
Branch,  because  it  flowed  in  an  easterlv  direction.  He 
followed  it  until  it  emptied  into  a  larger  river,  which  flowed 
north.  This  stream  he  followed,  thinking  it  might  be  a 
branch  of  the  Potomac,  flowing  in  this  direction  to  pass 
around  a  moimtain,  and  that  it  would  turn  east  and  south 
again  in  the  course  of  a  few  miles.  With  this  impression 
he  followed  it.     But  it  did  not  turn  east,  and  showed  no 


*  It  is  now  a  question  wlietlier  it  was  Parsons  or  anotlier  man.    Tlic  best  autliorities 
say  Pai"sons. 


JAMES  PARSONS.  19 

sign  of  turning.  He  l3ecame  convinced  tliat  lie  was  on  the 
■wrong  river,  as  indeed  he  was.  The  first  river  followed  by 
liim  was  the  Buckhannon.  At  its  mouth  he  came  to  the 
Valley  Eiver,  and  down  it  he  had  traveled  in  liopes  that  it 
would  conduct  him  to  Moorefield. 

As  soon  as  he  was  satisfied  that  he  was  on  the  wrong 
river,  he  left  it  and  turned  eastward  across  the  mountains. 
He  passed  Laurel  Eidge  somewhere  near  the  head  of  Clover 
Eun,  and  came  to  Cheat  above  the  Holly  Meadows,  proba- 
bly near  the  farm  of  "Ward  Parsons,  Esq.  He  concluded 
that  this  must  certainly  be  the  South  Branch,  and  followed 
down  it.  AVhen  he  reached  the  Horse  Shoe  Bottom  he  was 
struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  country,  and  noticed  in  par- 
ticular the  great  forest  of  white  oak  trees  that  covered  the 
whole  bottom  land  of  the  river  from  the  Holly  Meadows  to 
the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Eun.  The  trees  w^ere  nearly  all 
of  the  same  size,  and  there  was  little  underbrush. 

Up  to  this  time  he  had  thought  that  the  river  must  be 
the  South  Branch ;  but,  now  he  began  to  doubt  it.  It  was 
too  large.  Already  it  was  larger  than  the  Branch  was  at 
Moorefield ;  and,  he  knew  that  he  must  still  be  far  above 
that  town ;  because  no  country  like  that  in  which  he  then 
was  could  be  found  near  his  home.  He  knew  that,  if  it  was 
the  South  Branch  at  all,  he  was  above  the  mouth  of  both 
the  Xorth  and  South  Forks,  or  upon  one  of  those  rivers. 
Neither  was  half  as  large  as  Cheat  at  the  Horse  Shoe. 
Therefore,  he  was  certain  that  he  was  not  on  a  tributar}"  of 
the  Potomac.  He  was  confirmed  in  this  conviction  when 
he  had  passed  round  the  high  point  of  land,  where  Judge 
S.  E.  Parsons  now  resides,  and  saw  that  the  river,  instead 
of  continuing  toward  the  north-east,  broke  away  toward  the 
west,  and  flowed  in  that  direction  as  far  as  he  could  see. 


20  HISTOEY   OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

He  could  not  divine  where  lie  was.  He  knew  of  no  river  of 
this  kind  anywhere  in  the  west.  For  the  first  time,  in  all 
his  wanderings,  he  became  confused,  and  knew  not  where 
to  go  next.  He  would  have  followed  down  the  river,  in  the 
hope  that  it  would  lead  him  to  some  settlement ;  but,  he 
felt  sure  that  it  must  em]otj  into  the  Ohio. 

After  pondering  over  the  matter  for  some  time,  he  re- 
solved to  continue  his  eastward  course.  He  saw  a  long 
valley  extending  east ;  and,  crossing  the  river,  he  was  at  the 
mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Run.  As  far  as  is  known,  he  was  the 
first  white  man  ever  in  Tucker  Count3\  However,  there  is 
a  tradition  that  a  band  of  Indians,  with  a  prisoner,  once 
halted  at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Run  ;  and,  leaving  their 
prisoner  tied  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  they  went  up  the  nin 
after  the  lead.  In  a  few  hours  iliej  returned  with  some. 
Whether  this  event,  if  it  happened  at  all,  was  before  or  after 
Captain  Parsons  was  there,  cannot  now  be  determined.  One 
account  saj's  that  the  prisoner  was  Captain  Parsons'  brother 
Thomas.  But,  all  accounts  of  the  subject  are  vague  and 
conflicting.  If  the  Indians  got  lead  in  that  manner,  it  was 
probably  some  that  they  had  hidden  on  a  previous  expedi- 
tion. There  are  not  known  to  be  any  lead  mines  in  that  vi- 
cinity ;  although  some  people  think  there  are.  It  was  a 
custom  among  the  Indians,  when  they  went  upon  an  expe- 
dition, to  hide  lead  along  the  road  so  that,  upon  their  return, 
they  might  have  a  supply  without  carrying  it  with  them 
during  the  whole  journe}-.  This  is  likely  wh}'  they  went 
up  the  run  to  get  that  article,  at  the  time  mentioned.  This 
probability  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  an  old  Indian 
war  path  crossed  Cheat  River  at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe 
Run ;  and,  if  lead  were  left  anywhere,  it  vrould  likely  be 
along  a  path. 


JAMES  PARSONS.  21 

When  Captain  Parsons  crossed  the  river  at  tlie  mouth  of 
Horse  Shoe  Pam,  it  was  with  the  intention  of  continuing 
toward  the  east.  This  he  did.  He  pursued  his  way  up  the 
stream  a  little  distance,  when  he  came  upon  a  large,  old 
path.  It  was  perhaps  an  old  Indian  trail ;  or  it  might  have 
been  made  by  animals.  Parsons  would  have  foUowed  this ; 
but,  it  turned  to  the  north,  and  he  left  it.  At  the  mouth  of 
Lead  Mine,  he  left  Horse  Shoe  Eun ;  and,  by  going  up  Lead 
Mine,  he  crossed  the  Backbone  Mountain  near  Fairfax. 

This  path  across  the  mountain  was  the  route  by  which 
nearl}^  all  of  the  first  settlers  of  Tucker  found  their  way 
into  the  county.  After  crossing  the  mountain,  Parsons 
struck  the  North  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  finally 
reached  home.  Of  the  Horse  Shoe  Bottom  he  gave  an 
account  that  filled  the  settlers  about  Moorefield  with  long- 
ings to  see  it.  But,  it  was  several  years  before  any  of  the 
people  from  the  South  Branch  again  visited  the  Cheat 
Eiver  lands. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  large  fort  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Monongahela  Pviver,  where  Pittsburgh  now  stands.  In 
1761,  four  of  the  soldiers  who  garrisoned  the  fort  became 
dissatisfied  and  deserted.  They  passed  up  the  Monon- 
gahela, and  at  the  place  where  Geneva,  Penn.,  now  stands, 
they  made  them  a  camp.  But,  they  did  not  like  the  place, 
and  moved  into  Preston  County,  and  made  them  another 
camp  not  far  from  Aurora.  No  one  then  lived  anywhere 
near  them,  and  for  a  3'ear  they  saw  no  trace  of  human,  ex- 
cept themselves.  But,  at  length,  one  of  them  found  a  path 
leading  south-east.  He  thought  that  it  must  go  to  Virginia, 
and  he  hurried  back  to  camp  and  told  his  companions  that 
they  ought  to  follow  the  path  and  see  where  it  would  lead. 
They  were  all  willing  for  this,  and  at  once  set  out  to  trace 


22  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

the  path.  It  is  not  now  known  who  made  tlie  path  or 
where  it  led  to  and  from.  But,  the  deserters  followed  it 
until  it  conducted  them  to  Lunej^'s  Creek,  in  Grant  County. 
Here  they  stumbled  upon  a  frontier  settlement ;  for,  the 
whites  Avere  just  then  colonizing  the  upper  part  of  the 
South  Branch,  and  the  adjacent  valleys.  This  was  near 
where  Seymoursville  now  stands,  and  was  not  more  than 
fifteen  miles  from  where  Captain  Parsons  lived,  near  Moore- 
field. 

This  was  in  the  vicinit}'  of  Fort  Pleasant,  where  Dr. 
Eckarh%  from  Preston  Countv,  had  been  arrested  on  sus- 
picion,  some  six  or  eight  3'ears  before.  They  suspected 
that  he  was  a  spy  from  the  Indians.  The  South  Branch 
was  evidently  a  bad  place  for  suspected  characters.  At  any 
rate,  the  four  deserters  from  Pittsburgh  had  been  there  but 
a  short  time  when  they  were  arrested  as  deserters.  How- 
ever, two  of  them,  brothers  named  Pringle,  made  their  es- 
cape, and  ran  back  to  their  camp  in  the  glades  of  Preston. 

In  the  course  of  a  few.  months,  a  straggler  named  Simp- 
son found  his  way  to  their  camp,  and  remained  with  them. 
By  this  time,  hunters  from  the  South  Branch  began  to  hunt 
frequently  in  the  glades  of  Preston ;  and  the  deserters  felt 
insecure.  The}*  determined  to  move  further  west.  Simp- 
son agreed  to  accompany  them.  The  three  men  broke  up 
their  camp  near  Aurora,  and  took  their  way  do'^ii  Horse 
Shoe  Run.  At  its  mouth,  they  crossed  into  the  Horse  Shoe. 
After  they  had  crossed  the  river,  they  fell  to  quarreling. 
The  two  Pringles  took  sides  against  Simpson,  and  drubbed 
him  oft*  to  himself.  He  crossed  to  the  Valley  River.  Not 
liking  the  country,  he  passed  on  to  Harrison  Count}^  and, 
not  far  from  Clarksburg,  built  him  a  camp.  He  made  that 
locality  his  permanent  home  until  the  country  about  him 


JAMES   PAKSOXS.  23 

began  to  "be  settled,  five  or  six  3'ears  later.  The  Pringles 
likewise  crossed  to  the  Yalle}^  River,  and  ascending  it  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Buckhannon,  passed  up  that  river  to  the 
mouth  of  Turkey  Eun,  in  Upshur  County,  where  they  made 
a  camp  in  a  hollow  sycamore  tree. 

We  have  no  account  of  any  other  persons  visiting  Tucker 
for  some  years.  The  only  occupants  were  wild  animals 
that  filled  the  woods,  or  wild  Indians  who  occasionally 
roamed  up  and  doAvn  the  valleys.  It  is  possible  that  Simon 
Kenton  was  on  the  river  at  the  Horse  Shoe  in  the  summer 
of  1771.  He  had  had  a  fight  with  a  man  in  Yirginia, 
and  thought  he  had  killed  him.  He  fied  westward  and 
reached  Cheat  Piiver.  It  may  have  l^een  at  the  Horse 
Shoe ;  but,  more  probably  it  was  in  Preston  County.  At 
that  time,  Kenton  was  onlv  sixteen  vears  old.  He  after- 
wards  went  to  Kentuckv  and  became  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious  characters  in  all  border  history'. 

TMien  first  visited  by  white  men,  there  were  no  Indians 
who  made  the  territory  of  Tucker  their  permanent  home. 
If  they  came  within  it  at  all,  it  was  only  to  pass  through, 
or  to  hunt  for  game.  Many  people  hold  quite  erroneous 
ideas  concernhig  the  Indians  who  used  to  kill  people  and 
do  all  manner  of  wickedness  in  West  Yirginia.  Some  sup- 
pose that  they  lived  all  over  the  valleys  and  mountains  like 
bears  and  panthers,  and  in  an  unguarded  moment  would 
run  into  a  settlement,  nnirder  all  the  people  they  could 
catch,  and  then  retreat  to  the  woods,  and  skulk  about 
through  the  brush  like  wild  animals  until  a  chance  came  of 
killing  somebody  else.  This  was  not  the  case.  No  Indians 
liave  made  Tucker  County  their  home,  so  far  as  is  known, 
since  l^efore  Columl)us.  Undoubtedh",  they  once  lived  here  ; 
but  they  had  long  been   gone    when  iirst  the  white  man 


24  HISTOEY   OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

came ;  and  nothing  but  graves,  remnants  of  ari^ows  and 
other  implements,  found  scattered  about  the  ground,  told 
that  they  had  ever  made  this  part  of  the  valley  of  Cheat, 
their  home.  Nor  was  the  land  between  the  Ohio  Eiver  and 
the  Alleghanv  Mountains,  now  West  Yirmnia,  the  country 
of  Indians  at  the  coming  of  the  whites.  A  few  scattered 
liuts  and  two  or  three  little  towns  Avere  all  that  our  state 
contained  of  the  living  Indian  race.  But,  in  earlier  times, 
they  had  lived  here,  as  their  remains  now  prove ;  and  there 
is  reason  for  believing  that  the  country  was  tolerably  thickly 
inhabited.  Why  thev  deserted  the  land,  or  what  became  of 
them,  is  a  question  that  none  now  can  answer.  It  is  useless 
to  put  out  theories  on  the  subject.  Of  all  specimens  of 
human  weakness,  a  mere  theory,  unsujoported  by  evidence, 
deserves  most  to  be  pitied.  We  know^  that  there  was  a  time 
when  West  Yir^nnia  and  Tucker  County  had  inhabitants, 
and  we  know  that  those  inhabitants  were  Indians;  biit 
further  than  this,  nothing  is  certain.  What  became  of  the 
tribes — whether  they  departed  for  a  better  country',  or 
whether  the}-  were  exterminated  b}'  some  stronger  nation, 
or  whether  some  plague  carried  them  off — we  do  not  pre- 
tend to  say.  Any  o]:)inion  on  the  subject  is  only  guesswork, 
because  no  man  knows. 

It  is  not  theory,  however,  to  say  that  before  West  Yirginia 
was  inhabited  by  the  Indians,  ,there  was  another  race 
of  people  living  here.  They  are  called  Jloimdbuilders, 
because  they  usually  l)uilt  mounds  in  countries  where 
they  lived.  There  ma}'  have  been  Indians  here  before  the 
Moundbuilder  came,  and  there  certainly  were  after  he  de- 
parted, but,  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  two  races  occu- 
pied the  same  country  at  the  same  time.  A  thousand  the- 
ories are  extant  concerniuGr  the  origin  and  fate  of  that  mys- 


JAMES   PAESONS.  25 

terions  race,  wliicli  Iniilt  the  ten  tliousand  mounds  and  for- 
tifications in  tlie  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Yalleys ;  but,  no  man 
knows  whence  tliey  came,  when  they  came,  how  long  they 
remained  or  when  or  why  they  left,  or  whether  they  were 
white  or  black,  or  what  was  their  religion  or  their  laws,  or 
who  they  were.  However,  it  is  tolerably  well  established 
that  they  ceased  to  be  a  ])eople  in  the  United  States  at 
least  nine  hundred  years  ago.  Indeed,  from  all  the  evidence 
in  the  case,  one  is  nearly  obliged  to  believe  that  the  mounds 
of  the  west  are  as  old  as  the  Tower  of  Babel. 

It  is  not  certain  that  the  Moundbuilders  ever  lived  in 
Tucker  ;  but,  there  is  a  little  ground  for  attributing  to  them 
the  small  mound  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  on  the  farm  of  S.  B. 
Wamsley,  Esq.  The  mound  in  question  is  about  forty  feet 
in  circumference  and  four  or  five  hi^h.  It  is  on  the  first 
terrace  above  the  river.  It  may  be  the  work  of  Indians ; 
but,  it  is  more  probably  the  remains  of  the  Moundbuilders, 
who  had  their  center  of  empire  in  Ohio,  and  extended  their 
frontiers  over  nearly  all  the  land  of  the  Mississippi  YaUey, 
east  of  Texas  and  Kansas.  Nobody  knows  what  the  mounds 
were  built  for.  They  were  constructed  of  earth  and  loose 
stones,  sometimes  of  sand,  and  occasionally  fragments  of 
wood  were  found  in  them.  Some  of  the  structures  seem  to 
Lave  been  used  for  fortifications,  some  as  churches,  or  rather 
temples,  and  some  ma}"  have  l)een  biiilt  as  tombs  lor  great 
men.  But,  this  is  not  a  settled  point.  In  some  of  them, 
altars  with  charred  human  l)ones  among  ashes  have  been 
found.  This  suggests  that  the  Moundbuilders  offered  hu- 
man sacrifice  to  their  idols,  as  the  Mayas  and  people  of 
Mexico  did.  Some  think  it  probable  that  the  Mound- 
builders were  originally  a  colony  from  Mexico.  Skeletons 
in  the  mounds  have  led  some  persons  to  conclude  that  the 


26  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

mounds  were  built  for  tombs.  It  would  be  as  reasonable  to 
conclude  that  a  stack  of  hay  was  built  for  a  rat  because  a 
rat's  nest  was  found  in  it.  Y^et,  doubtless,  some  mounds 
are  only  the  huge  graves  of  kings.  But,  no  doubt,  very 
many  of  the  bones  and  relics  found  in  mounds  and  hastily 
attributed  to  the  Moundbuilders,  are  only  the  old  carcasses 
of  Indians,  and  Indian  whimwhams.  It  is  a  known  fact 
that  the  Indians  often  buried  their  dead  in  the  mounds. 

Although  many  of  the  relics  taken  from  the  mounds  are 
counterfeit,  yet  some  are  surely  genuine.  From  these  we 
learn  that  the  Moundbuilders  were  not  much  larger  or  much 
smaller  than  the  average  Indians.  The  accounts  of  skele- 
tons of  giants  thirty  feet  long,  dug  out  of  the  ground,  are 
not  to  be  believed.  It  is  doubtful  if  a  race  of  people,  much 
larger  than  able-bodied  Englishmen  of  to-day,  has  ever  been 
in  existence. 

The  mound  in  the  Horse  Shoe  is  known  to  have  been  the 
burial  place  of  human  beings ;  but,  it  is  not  known  that  it 
was  built  for  that  purpose.  Ground-hogs  that  dig  their  holes 
in  it,  used  to  throw  out  pieces  of  human  bones.  But,  this 
is  no  evidence  that  the  bones  were  from  the  skeletons  of 
Moundbuilders.  In  fact,  there  are  many  reasons  for  be- 
lieving that  they  were  Indian  bones.  An  old  Indian  village 
stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  less  than  a  mile  above  the 
mound.  Indian  skeletons  have  been  found  in  other  places 
about  the  river,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  may  not 
have  buried  some  in  this  mound,  as  they  did  in  other 
mounds  whenever  they  had  an  opportunity  of  doing  so.  In 
early  days,  the  river  used  to  wash  bones  from  its  bank, 
where  stood  the  village.  Captain  Parsons  and  Samuel 
Bonnifield  once  found  a  jaw  bone  so  large  that  it  could  be 
placed  in  position  on  the  outside  of  their   faces.     A   thigh 


JAMES  PARSONS.  27 

bone,  also  enormous,  is  reported  to  have  been  pulled  out  of 
the  river  bank  at  the  same  place.  The  bone  was  said  to 
have  been  so  long  that  when  stood  on  the  ground  beside  a 
man  it  reached  up  under  his  arms.  This  magnitude  was 
probably  due  to  excited  fancy,  like  that  possessed  by  the 
Indian,  who  returned  from  traveling  and  reported  that  he 
had  seen  a  race  of  men  whose  ears  hung  down  to  their  hips. 

The  Moundbuilders  must  have  been  an  agricultural  peo- 
X^le ;  because,  a  population  as  dense  as  theirs  could  not  have 
lived  in  any  other  manner.  Then,  it  is  probable  that  the 
Horse  Shoe  was,  long  years  ago,  farmed  something  after 
the  manner  that  it  is  now.  But,  the  ancient  people  have 
left  no  trace  that  they  had  horses,  oxen,  any  iron  or  steel 
tools  or  any  kind  of  machinery,  except  such  as  they  could 
make  of  wood,  shells,  stone  and  copper.  But,  whether  or 
not  the  river  bottom,  from  the  Holly  Meadows  to  St.  George, 
was  once  a  thriving  settlement,  and  corn  fields  covered  it 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  yet  when  the  first  white  men  vis- 
ited it,  it  showed  no  sign  of  ever  having  been  tilled.  Noth- 
ing but  the  little  mound,  above  referred  to,  is  left  to  tell 
that  the  Moundbuilders  ever  lived ;  and,  this  mound  is  not 
conclusive  evidence  of  the  presence  of  that  ancient  race. 

But,  one  thing  is  certain  :  Tucker  County  was  once  the 
home  of  Indians.  The  Indians  of  America  seem  to  have 
belonged  to  one  general  race,  the  same  as  the  people  of  Eu- 
rope belong  to  one.  Tlie  Indians  are  divided  into  numerous 
tribes,  nations,  families  and  confederations.  These  differ  in 
language  and  customs.  How  the  Indians  got  to  America  is 
unknown  ;  and  it  is  only  wasting  time  to  offer  theories  upon 
the  subject.  There  is  about  as  much  reason  iov  believing 
that  the  old  world  was  peopled  from  the  new  as  that  the 
new  was  colonized  from  the  old.     Each  continent  mav  have 


28  HISTOEY  OP  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Lad  a  people  indigenous  to  itself.  The  Esquimaux  of  Alaska 
and  the  Siberians  are  known  to  cross  and  re-cross  Beliring 
Strait,  and  America  may  have  received  its  inhabitants  from 
Asia  in  that  manner.  The  islands  of  Polynesia  are  known 
to  be  sinking.  Some  of  them  are  believed  to  have  sunken 
ten  thousand  feet,  so  that  the  islands  now  above  water  are 
only  the  mountains  and  table  lands  of  a  submerged  conti- 
nent extending  from  the  coast  of  Asia  nearly  or  quite  to  that 
of  America.  Indians  may  have  come  from  that  continent  to 
America.  The  Telegraph  Plateau,  from  New  Foundland  to 
Ireland,  has  the  appearance  of  an  isthmus  that  once  con- 
nected Europe  and  America.  It  is  now  under  water,  but  so 
near  the  surface  that  icebergs  lodge  on  it.  This  may  have 
been  the  Island  of  Atlantis  that  some  of  the  old  heathen 
writers  sa}^  was  swallowed  up  in  an  earthquake.  If  so,  the 
tribes  of  America  may  have  come  from  Europe. 

It  is  useless  to  speculate  on  this.  It  can  be  proven  with 
equal  conclusiveness  that  the  Indians  are  mixed  with  Welsh, 
Japanese,  Norwegians,  Jews  and  Carthagenians.  It  is  un- 
known where  they  came  from  or  who  they  were  before  they 
came.     We  take  them  as  we  find  them. 

What  tribe  inhabited  Tucker  County  is  not  known.  Jef- 
ferson says  that  it  was  the  Massawomee.  It  may  have 
been;  and  for  all  the  difference,  we  may  consider  that  it 
was.  They  were  gone  when  first  the  white  man  came,  and 
nothing  but  graves  and  other  relics  told  that  they  were  ever 
here. 

AVe  cannot  tell  why  they  departed  from  this  part  of  the 
State ;  Init,  they  all,  except  a  few  little  towns,  left  for  some 
country  uidvuown  to  us.  We  cannot  tell  why  they  aban- 
doned the  country.  War  may  have  exterminated  them,  or 
^thcy  ma}'  have  gone  to  occupy  a   better  land.     Cusick,  an 


JAMES  PAKSONS.  29 

educated  Indian,  wrote  a  book  about  tlie  Indians,  and  said 
tliat  many  tribes  wanted  the  Monongahela  valley,  and  not 
being  able  to  agree,  tliey  held  a  council  and  decided  that  all 
should  leave  it.  But,  this  story  is  not  to  be  credited.  Cu- 
sick  did  not  know  any  more  about  it  than  he  had  read  in 
books  or  had  fabricated  himself.  The  Indians  knew  no 
more  of  their  history  than  the  white  people  knew — not  as 
much,  for  that  matter. 

The  Indians  who  killed  people  in  West  Virginia  generally 
came  from  Ohio ;  but,  some  came  from  Pennsylvania  and 
Indiana.  Ohio  was  full  of  Indians.  They  had  towns  on 
the  Muskingum,  Tuscarawas,  Hockhocking,  Scioto,  San- 
duskj^  Maumee,  Miami  and  all  through  the  intervening 
country.  The  meanest  Indians  were  those  on  the  Sandusky 
and  Scioto.  During  the  winter  they  did  not  often  bother 
the  settlements;  because  they  were  too  lazy  to  provide 
themselves  clothes  to  keep  them  from  freezing  in  cold 
w^eather,  and  had  to  lie  in  their  huts  by  the  fire.  But,  as 
soon  as  the  spring  came  and  the  weather  began  to  get 
warm,  they  crawled  from  their  dens,  and  fixed  up  their  guns, 
knives  and  tomahawks  for  a  raid  upon  the  settlements. 
They  traveled  aljout  twenty  miles  a  day,  unless  in  a  hurry. 
If  they  set  out  from  the  FScioto  River  on  the  first  of  Ma}', 
they  would  reach  the  Ohio  somewhere  between  Point 
Pleasant  and  Wheeling  in  from  four  to  seven  days.  They 
would  cross  that  river  on  a  raft  of  logs,  and  if  they  were 
aiming  for  Cheat  Paver  they  would  reach  it  in  from  four  to 
seven  days  longer,  provided  they  did  not  stop  on  the  way. 

When  the}"  came  into  a  settlement  they  would  hide  in 
fence  corners  and  in  Ijrier  thickets  until  they  saw  a  chance 
of  killing  somebody.  Then  they  would  leap  out  and  sieze 
their  victim.     They  sometimes  killed  and  sometimes  carried 


30  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

away  as  prisoners  those  whom  they  could  catch.  If  they 
carried  a  prisoner  off,  they  would  tie  his  hands  and  make 
him  walk  between  two  warriors.  If  they  had  plenty  to  eat, 
they  gave  the  prisoner  plenty ;  but  if  their  provisions  were 
scarce,  they  gave  him  very  little.  When  they  got  him  to 
Ohio  they  sometimes  turned  him  loose  in  a  field,  and  all  the 
Indians  got  after  him  with  clubs  and  rocks  and  pounded 
him  to  death.  Sometimes  they  tied  him  to  a  tree  and 
burnt  him ;  and  sometimes  they  adopted  him  into  their 
tribe  and  treated  him  well.  A  prisoner  never  knew  what 
fate  awaited  him,  and  always  tried  to  escape. 

But,  the  Indians  always  watched  so  close  that  a  prisoner 
seldom  got  away.  It  was  an  unlucky  thing  for  a  prisoner 
to  try  to  escape  and  fail.  It  made  the  Indians  mad,  and 
they  would  show  little  mercy  afterwards.  Indeed,  it  was  a 
perilous  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  at  any- 
time ;  and  many  people  would  be  killed  before  taken  cap- 
tive by  them.  If  they  got  a  grudge  against  a  prisoner,  he 
had  a  poor  show  of  ever  getting  away.  Simon  Kenton,  who 
was  on  Cheat  River  in  1771,  five  years  before  the  founding 
St.  George,  was  once  captured  by  the  Indians.  He  had 
stolen  seventeen  of  their  horses,  and  when  they  caught  him 
they  put  him  in  a  field  and  three  hundred  of  them  tried  to 
pound  him  to  death ;  but,  he  whipped  them  out  eight 
times  and  got  away.  They  tied  him  up  three  times  to 
roast  him  ;  but  he  still  got  away  and  escaped  to  Kentucky. 
But,  he  was  more  fortunate  than  the  most  of  prisoners ;  and, 
besides,  he  was  such  a  terrible  fi^^hter  that  thev  were  afraid 
of  him. 

The  Indians  in  Tucker  had  a  town  in  the  Horse  Shoe, 
opposite  the  lower  end  of  S^'camore  Island.  The  traces  of 
the  village  may  still  be  seen  in  summer  on  account  of  the 


JAMES  PAESONS.  31 

weeds  that  grow  larger  there  than  on  the  adjacent  lands. 
This  is  the  place  that  the  bones  are  washed  out  of  the  bank. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  one  mile  above  St.  George, 
are  nnmerons  Indian  graves.  It  nsed  to  be  reported  that 
there  were  five  hundred  graves  -wdthin  half  a  mile ;  but  the 
writer  took  the  pains  to  count  them,  and  could  not  find 
more  than  forty-six.  They  are  rude  heaps  of  stone,  and 
extend  along  the  side  of  the  hill  in  an  irregular  manner. 
Some  of  them  have  been  opened.  Nothing  was  ever  found 
in  them.  They  are  probably  very  old.  An  old  account  says 
that  a  battle  was  fought  there  between  two  tribes  of  Indi- 
ans ;  but  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  foundation  for  the  story, 
except  the  graves.  "Why  so  many  Indians  should  have 
been  buried  so  near  together  is  hard  to  account  for,  unless 
they  were  killed  in  battle,  or  by  some  other  violent  means. 
But  this  does  not  prove  that  a  battle  was  fought.  Probably 
there  was  a  town  near,  and  this  was  the  graveyard. 

The  Indians  used  arrows  tipped  with  flint.  Many  of 
these  flints  are  found  scattered  about  the  countrv.  Where 
the  Indians  got  the  material  from  which  they  made  them  is 
now  unknown.  The  making  of  the  arrow  points  was  a  pro- 
fession among  the  Indians.  Thev  had  men  who  made  it  a 
business.  One  of  these  factories  is  believed  to  have  been 
situated  on  Horse  Shoe  Pvun,  where  E.  Maxwell's  barn  now 
stands.  "When  the  ground  was  first  plowed  it  was  covered 
with  bits  of  flint  and  broken  points,  and  everything  indi- 
cated that  a  shop  for  manufacturing  flint  points  had  form- 
erly been  there. 

The  French  and  Indian  AVar  closed  in  17G4.  After  that, 
came  a  wonderful  immigration  to  the  West.  West  Virginia 
and  Kentucky  were  the  main  points  to  Avhich  settlers 
flocked.     West  Virginia  Avas  soon  s]X)tted  all  over  with  col- 


32  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

onies.  Within  six  3'ears,  settlements  were  on  all  tlie  prin- 
cipal rivers.  But  none  were  yet  in  Tucker.  Capt.  James 
Parsons  knew  of  tlie  Horse  Shoe  Bottom,  and  was  only 
waiting  for  a  suitable  time  to  lay  patents  on  tlie  lands. 
Sometime  before  1774,  probably  about  1772,  lie  and  liis 
brother  Thomas  came  over  to  Cheat  from  Moorefield,  to 
look  at  the  lands  and  select  them  favorable  places.  James 
chose  the  Horse  Shoe,  and  Thomas  all  the  land  from  the 
mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Eun  to  the  Holly  Meadows,  exclusive 
of  the  Horse  Shoe.  They  afterward  obtained  patents  for 
these  lands ;  and  James  bought  some  other  tracts,  among 
which  was  the  farm  since  owned  by  the  Bonnifields,  on 
Horse  Shoe  Eun.     This  was  originally  a  "  corn  right." 

These  lands  were  marked  out  at  the  time  of  their  selec- 
tion, but,  in  1774,  as  shall  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter,  a 
colony  from  the  South  Branch  built  a  fort  in  the  Horse 
Shoe,  and  cleared  some  of  the  land.  But,  in  two  years, 
John  Minear,  leader  of  the  colony,  removed  to  St.  George, 
on  land  of  his  own. 

When  the  Parsons  brothers  were  passing  back  and  forth 
between  Moorefield  and  the  Horse  Shoe,  there  was  not  any 
particular  war  between  the  white  people  and  the  Indians. 
But,  the  Indians  were  always  ready  to  kill  a  man  when  they 
could  find  him  by  himself  in  the  woods.  They  would  be 
still  more  likely-  to  do  this  if  he  had  a  good  gun  and  a  horse. 
These  were  articles  which  the  Indians  alwavs  vranted,  and 
they  would  plunder  a  ijian  of  these  whenever  they  got  a 
good  chance.  James  and  Thomas  Parsons  always  rode 
splendid  horses,  and  the  straggling  bands  of  Indians  who 
roamed  along  Cheat  Avere  very  anxious  to  steal  them.  They 
would  have  killed  the  riders  to  cret  the  horses. 

In  this  state  of  affairs  it  was  dangerous  for  two  men  to 


JOHN  MINEAK.  33 

come  alone  so  far  into  tlie  wilderness.  But,  in  spite  of 
clanger,  Captain  Parsons  and  his  brother  came  often  while 
tliey  were  surveying  and  locating  their  land.  They  crossed 
the  Backbone  and  Alleghany  mountains  near  the  Fairfax 
Stone.  In  order  that  they  might  the  more  successfully 
elude  the  Indians,  they  were  accustomed  to  put  the  shoes 
on  their  horses,  toes  behind,  so  that  the  Indians  would  be 
deceived  in  the  direction  in  which  the  horses  had  gone. 

On  one  occasion  Captain  Parsons  had  come  alone  from 
Moorefield.  He  had  visited  his  land,  and  had  just  crossed 
the  river  at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Run,  when  an  Indian, 
hidden  in  the  weeds  near  b}',  gobbled  like  a  turkey.  The 
savage  probably  thought  that  he  could  decoy  his  man  within 
gunshot;  but  in  this  he  was  mistaken.  Captain  Parsons 
was  too  well  posted  in  Indian  tricks  to  be  trapped  in  such 
a  manner.  Instead  of  going  to  kill  the  turkey,  he  put  spurs 
to  his  horse  and  reached  Moorefield  that  night,  a  distance 
of  near  seventy  miles.  The  path  was  through  the  woods, 
and  crossed  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  These  were  the 
first  locations  of  lands  in  Tucker  County.  The  next  chapter 
will  relate  to  the  settlement  of  these  lands,  and  of  others 
taken  up  near  the  same  time  by  John  Minear,  Bobert  Cuq- 
ningham,  Henry  Fink  and  John  Goffe. 

The  first  explorers  and  settlers  of  the  county  were  the 
Parsons  and  Minear  families.  The  main  part  of  the 
county's  history  has  been  enacted  by  the  representatives 
of  one  or  the  other  of  these. 

3 


CHAPTER  II. 

JOHN  MINE  An. 

As  NEARLY  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  Jolin  Minear  first 
•\isited  Tucker  Count}'  in  tlie  year  1773.  He  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  wliere  lie  was  born  about  1730.  It  lias  been 
said  that  lie  was  a  soldier  under  Frederick  the  Great ;  but 
the  truth  of  this  is  not  well  authenticated.  In  1767,  he 
came  to  America.  He  was  already  married,  and  brought 
with  him  a  small  family,  among  whom  was  David  Minear, 
then  twelve  years  of  age. 

John  Minear  bought  land  on  the  Potomac  River,  and 
lived  there  until  1774.  He  had  heard  the  reports  brought 
back  by  Capt.  James  Parsons,  and  he  determined  to  visit 
the  new  country  and  see  it  for  himself.  Whether  any  one 
accompanied  him  or  not,  is  not  stated  ;  but,  probably,  he 
was  not  alone  in  his  series  of  explorations,  which  he  made 
ill  1773.  He  visited  the  country  along  Cheat  Eiver,  from 
the  Holl}-  Meadows  to  Licking  Falls ;  and,  having  selected  a 
suitable  farm  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  he  returned  to  the  Poto- 
mac for  his  familv. 

So  great  was  his  influence,  and  so  general  was  the  desire 
for  emigration,  that  he  found  little  difficulty  in  gathering 
about  him  quite  a  company  of  farmers,  willing  to  risk  their 
fortunes  in  the  new  land.  He  was  the  leader  of  the  colony, 
and  all  placed  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  trust  in  his 
bravery.  His  education  was  in  advance  of  the  farmers  of 
his  time ;  and,  those  who  came  with  him  looked  upon  him, 
not  only  as  a  military  leader  in  expected  wars  with  the  In- 
dians, but  also  as  a  counselor  in  civil  aftairs,  in  the  settle- 


JOHN  MINEAE.  35 

ment  of  lands  and  the  deeds  and  riglits  appertaining:; 
thereto.  How  many  came  with  him  is  not  known.  The 
names  of  a  few  siirvive,  and  we  know  that  there  were  others. 
They  did  not  come  merely  to  explore  the  country  and 
speculate  in  lands ;  but,  they  brought  with  them  their  fami- 
lies, their  household  goods,  and  what  movable  property 
they  could,  and  had  no  other  intention  than  thut  of  making 
the  valley  of  Cheat  their  permanent  home. 

They  reached  their  destination  early  in  1774,  probably  in 
March.  They  spent  the  first  night  in  the  woods,  not  far 
from  the  crossing  at  Willow  Point.  The  men  at  once  com- 
menced work  on  a  fort,  which  they  built  as  a  defense 
against  the  Indians.  The  fort  was  nothing  more  than  a 
large  log  house,  with  holes  left  between  the  logs  through 
which  the  inmates  could  shoot  at  Indians.  The  building 
stood  on  or  near  the  spot  where  now  stands  the  residence 
of  S.  E.  Parsons.  It  was  used  as  a  fort  and  also  as  a  dwell- 
ing house  for  all  the  families.  It  was  made  large  enough 
to  give  room  for  all.  In  the  daytime,  the  men  went  to  the 
woods  to  clear  corn  fields,  and  left  the  woman  and  children 
in  the  fort.  If  any  alarm  was  given  of  Indians,  the  men 
would  run  to  the  fort,  and  bar  the  doors,  and  watch  through 
the  cracks  in  the  walls  for  the  coming  of  the  enemy.  They 
never  lay  down  to  sleep  without  locking  the  doors  to  keep 
the  Indians  out. 

For  awhile  ever3'thing  went  well  in  their  new  home.  As 
the  spring  came  on,  the  weather  got  warm  and  delightful, 
and  the  huge  oaks  and  gigantic  chestnut  trees  came  out  in 
leaf.  The  men  Avorked  hard,  and  soon  had  cleared  the  logs 
and  trees  fi-om  several  small  corn  fields,  which  they  planted 
as  soon  as  the  frost  was  all  out  of  the  ground.  The  settlers 
sometimes  were  out  of  bread  and  had  to  live  on  meat;  but, 


36  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Tenisou  and  bear  meat  were  plentiful,  and  tliere  was  no 
danger  of  starving.  ^AHiat  corn  and  wheat  they  had  was 
earned  on  pack  horses  from  the  Potomac  River. 

Early  in  the  summer,  new  danger  from  the  Indians  began 
to  be  feared.  Up  to  this  time,  there  had  been  no  actual 
hostility,  except  an  occasional  murder  of  an  Indian  by  a 
white  man  or  of  a  white  man  by  an  Indian.  Even  this  had 
not  disturbed  the  settlement  in  the  Horse  Shoe.  But,  with 
the  return  of  the  spring,  in  1774,  a  war  seemed  certain. 
Along  the  Ohio,  above  and  below  Wheeling,  several  murders 
were  committed,  both  by  white  men  and  by  Indians. 
Greathouse,  a  white  man,  fell  upon  a  camp  of  Indians  a 
few  miles  above  Wheeling,  and  killed  men  and  women.  This 
so  enraged  the  Indians  that  they  at  once  commenced  war 
upon  all  the  settlements  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
The  principal  settlements  in  West  Virginia  then  were  on  the 
Monongahela,  the  Valley  River,  the  West  Fork  and  on  the 
Greenbrier,  Kanawha  and  the  Ohio.  The  small  fort  in  the 
Horse  Shoe  cannot  be  reckoned  as  a  settlement.  But  the 
Indians  soon  found  it  out.  In  fact,  it  was  on  a  famous  war 
path  that  crossed  the  river  at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Run, 
and  the  Indians  who  would  walk  to  and  fro  along  this  path 
must  necessarily  find  the  fields. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1774,  Colonel  McDonald,  with  a 
few  hundred  men,  marched  into  Ohio  and  burnt  some  In- 
dian towns  on  the  Muskingum  River.  Nobody  but  Indians 
lived  in  Ohio  then,  and  they  were  furious  when  the  white 
men  burnt  the  to^^iis  and  cut  down  all  their  corn.  As  soon 
as  McDonald  left  the  country,  the  Indians  hurried  across 
the  river,  and  commenced  killing  people  and  burning  houses 
and  barns  in  revenge  for  the  treatment  received  at  his  hand. 
The  settlers  who  lived  nearest  the  Ohio  were  in  the  greatest 


JOHN  MINEAK.  37 

danger,  but  all  west  of  tlie  Allegliany  Mountains  were  un- 
safe.    Minear's  colony  in  tlie  Horse  Slioe  soon  found  occa- 
sion for  alarm.     Indian  tracks  were  discovered  not  far  from 
the  fort,  and  the  people  were  in  constant  fear  of  being  mas- 
sacred.    Nobody  went  beyond  the  reach  of  the  guns  of  the 
fort,  except  with  the   greatest  caution.     But,  they  had  to 
hunt  through  the  woods  for  venison  and  other  meat ;  for, 
the  corn  was  not  yet  ripe  enough  for  bread.     Sometimes  the 
hunters  were  chased  by  the  savages,  as  was  the  case  with 
one  of  the  men  who  went  to  the  Sugar  Lands,  on  the  Back- 
bone Mountain,  some  four  miles  east  from  the  fort.     He  was 
hunting,  and  looking  at  the  country,  vrhen  he  heard  strange 
noises  on  the  hill  above  him,  and  immediately  heard  an-  . 
swers  from  the  valley  below.     He  knew  at  once  that  it  was 
Indians  trying  to  trap  him,  having  nearly  surrounded  him 
already.     He   affected  not   to   notice    the  noises;  but,  he 
started  off  at  a  rapid  rate  down  a  cove  that  led  into  Coburn 
Eun.     ^'hen  he  passed  over  the  bliiff  in  his  descent  to  the 
run,  the  noise  of  the  Indians,  who  were  whistling  to  each 
other  and  gobbling  like  turkeys,  died  away  in  the  distance, 
and  for  some  time  he  heard  nothing  more  of  it.     However, 
he  did  not  slacken  his  speed,  but  hurried  down  the  rocky 
bed  of  the  run,  and  had  gone  nearly  two  miles  when  he  was 
suddenly  startled  by  a  hooting  like  that  of  an  owl,  on  the 
hill  near  above  him.     The  imitation  was  not  so  perfect  but 
that  he  could  detect  that  it  was  not  an  owl.     He  knew  that 
it  was  an  Indian.     He  was  yet  three  miles  from  the  fort,  and 
only  by  flight  could  he  hope  to  escape.     The  channel  of  the 
stream  was  rocky,  full  of  cataracts  and  falls,  and  trees  that 
had  lopped  "into   the   ravine  from  both  sides.     Over  and 
through  these  blockades  and  obstacles  he  ran  as  fast  as  he 
could,  and  with  as  little  noise  as  possible.     From  this  point, 


38  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

there  are  two  accounts  of  the  affair.  One  says  that,  as  he 
was  climbing  clown  over  a  fall,  an  Indian  came  sliding 
down  the  hill  within  a  few  steps  of  him.  The  Indian  was 
snatching  and  grabbing  at  brush,  and  seemed  to  be  doing 
his  best  to  stop  himself.  It  is  thought  that  he  had  tried  to 
run  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  which  was  very  steep,  and, 
missing  his  footing,  could  not  regain  it  until  he  slid  nearly 
to  the  run,  and  was  almost  under  the  hunter's  feet.  But 
the  hunter  saw  his  enemy  just  in  time  to  escape.  He 
wheeled  and  ran  under  the  falls  of  the  creek  into  a  dr^^  cav- 
ern beyond.  Then,  turning,  he  discharged  his  gun  at  the 
Indian ;  but,  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  shot  took  effect. 
The  Indian  seemed  to  think  that  the  white  man  Avas  shoot- 
ing at  him  from  under  the  water ;  and,  scrambling  and  claw- 
ing back  up  the  hill,  he  disappeared  in  the  weeds.  The 
hunter  made  use  of  the  opportunity  and  escaped  to  the  fort. 
The  summe'r  of  1774  was  passing  away ;  and  danger  from 
the  Indians  did  not  lessen.  It  is  not  recorded  that  any  of 
the  settlers  were  killed ;  but,  all  must  have  felt  that  the 
peril  of  the  colony  was  great ;  for,  late  in  the  summer  it  be- 
gan to  be  considered  whether  it  would  not  be  better  to 
abandon  the  fort  and  retreat  to  the  Potomac.  This  was 
about  the  time  that  Lord  Dunmore  and  General  Lewis  were 
organizing  their  army  for  a  general  campaign  against  the 
Indians  in  Ohio.  Probably  the  settlers  in  the  Horse  Shoe 
heard  of  the  gathering  strife,  and  knowing  that  hard  fighting 
was  at  hand,  thought  it  best  to  retire  beyond  the  Alleglia- 
nies  till  the  storm  should  pass  away.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
early  in  tlie  fall  of  that  year,  1774,  the  people  of  the  Horse 
Shoe  collected  together  what  they  could  of  their  property, 
and  fled  to  the  Potomac.  The  fort,  the  small  fields  and  all 
the  improvements  were  thus  abandoned;  and,  during  the 


JOHN  MINEAR.  39 

winter  of  1774-5,  tliere  "was  not  a  white  man  in  Tucker 
County,  so  far  as  is  now  known. 

Jolm  Minear  and  his  colony  remained  on  the  Potomac 
about  eighteen  months.  Whether  the}"  all  remained  to- 
gether, as  they  had  lived  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  can  not  now 
be  stated.  Nor  is  it  known  who  composed  the  colony,  fur- 
ther than  a  few  names.  But,  they  could  not  content  them- 
selves  to  give  up  the  valley  of  Cheat  forever.  They  were 
only  waiting  for  a  more  auspicious  season  for  founding  a 
permanent  settlement. 

The  next  we  hear  of  John  Minear,  he  was  again  on 
Cheat,  and  was  building  up  a  colony  on  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  St.  George.  For  some  reason,  he  did  not 
return  to  the  Horse  Shoe,  but  chose  St.  George  in  its  stead. 
What  influenced  him  to  this  choice  is  unknown.  But,  it  is 
probable  that  Capt.  James  Parsons  had  by  that  time  se- 
cured the  pre-emption  of  the  Horse  Shoe  lands ;  and 
Minear,  desirous  of  having  the  colony  on  his  ovm  lands, 
moved  three  miles  further  down  the  river,  and  located  at 
the  mouth  of  Mill  Bun,  where  the  county  seat  of  Tucker 
has  since  been  built.  It  cannot  be  ascertained  in  what 
year  Parsons  secured  his  grant  of  the  lands  above  St. 
George ;  but,  it  is  well  known  that  they  were  for  a  long 
time  in  dispute  between  him  and  Minear,  and  the  final  set- 
tlement at  the  land  office  gave  the  Horse  Shoe  lands  to 
Parsons.  The  greater  part  of  this  land  is  still  in  the  Par- 
sons familv,  liavini^  descended  in  an  unbroken  line  of  sue- 
cession  from  Captain  Parsons  to  its  present  owners,  Joseph 
and  S.  E.  Parsons. 

The  emigrants  which  Minear  led  to  St.  George  were  not 
identical  with  those  Avliom  he  conducted  to  the  county  in 
177^1:.     Some   who  had   come  in  tliat  year  did  not  return  in 


40  HISTOEY   or  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

177() ;  while  some  came  in  177G  for  tlie  first  time.  Kor  do 
we  know  the  number  of  those  who  came  in  1776.  In  addi- 
tion to  John  Minear  and  his  two  sons,  Da^dd  and  Jonathan, 
and  several  daughters,  and  other  women,  there  were  men 
named  Miller,  Cooper,  Goffe-  and  Cameron.  John  Minear's 
land  claim  Avas  along  the  north  side  of  the  riA^er,  from  St. 
George  down  the  river  two  miles.  On  the  other  side,  but 
not  extending  as  far  east  as  St.  George,  was  the  claim  of 
Jonathan  Minear,  John's  son.  Cooper's  land  was  two  miles 
further  down  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  Miller  Hill.  Cameron 
located  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Miller  Hill. 

John  Minear's  land,  like  that  of  James  Parsons,  has  con- 
tinued in  the  Minear  family  to  this  da3\  It  is  now  the 
propert}"  of  D.  S.  Minear,  Esq. 

During  the  early  3^ears  of  the  colony  at  St.  George,  there 
is  on  record  nothing  that  hindered  its  prosperity.  The 
first  step  of  the  settlers  was  to  build  a  fort  as  a  defense 
against  the  Indians.  This  fort  stood  on  the  ground  where 
now  stands  the  Court-house.  It  was  a  better  fort  than  the 
one  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  and  was  also  four  times  as  large. 
It .  w^as  composed  of  a  large  log  house,  surrounded  by 
palisades. 

The  logs,  of  which  the  house  was  built,  were  notched  and 
fitted  close,  one  upon  another;  and,  so  well  were  they 
placed  that  there  was  left  not  a  crevice  through  which  In- 
dians could  shoot.  But,  in  the  upper  story,  openings  were 
made  between  the  logs,  so  that  those  in  the  house  could 
shoot  at  approaching  Indians.  The  cliimne}-  ran  up  on  the 
inside.  This  was  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  getting  to  the 
roof  by  climl)ing  up  the  chimney.     There  were  no  windows 


•  This  name  ranst  not  t»e  confounded  with  that  of  James  GofT,  who  settled  on  the 
river  near  the  Preston  county  line. 


JOHN  MINEAE.  41 

in  tlie  fort.  Light  was  admitted  tlirougli  tlie  port-holes,  as 
the  openings  between  the  logs  Avere  called.  In  cold  weather, 
or  when  no  light  was  wanted,  blocks  of  wood  were  fitted  in 
the  port-holes.  The  door  was  made  of  split  boards,  so 
thick  that  bullets  would  not  go  through.  The  fort  was 
surrounded  by  palisades,  or  a  line  of  stout  posts  planted 
firmly  in  the  ground  side  by  side  and  fitted  closely  together. 
These  posts  were  about  twelve  feet  high.  The}'  resembled 
a  huge  paling  fence,  and  enclosed  over  one  fourth  of  an 
acre  of  gi'ound.  The  fort  stood  in  the  center  of  the  enclos- 
ure, which  was  higher  ground,  and  gave  the  inmates  com- 
mand of  the  neighboring  fields.  No  Indian  could  approach 
in  the  daytime  without  ninning  great  risk  of  being  shot. 

Among  the  first  improvements  in  the  colony  was  a  mill  at 
St.  George,  near  where  the  school-house  now  stands.  The 
mill-race,  and  some  of  the  old  timbers  of  the  dam,  are  yet  to 
be  seen.  The  mill  was  intended  only  for  gi'inding  corn.  At 
that  time,  no  wheat,  rye  or  buckwheat  was  grown  in  the 
county. 

During  the  first  four  years  the  settlement  prospered 
greatl}'.  New  emigrants  came  into  the  country,  and  brought 
horses,  cow«  and  domestic  animals  with  them.  But,  there 
was  constant  anxiety  lest  the  Indians  should  break  into  the 
settlement.  In  the  winter  there  was  not  so  much  fear,  be- 
cause the  half  clad  savages  did  not  travel  through  the  snow 
when  it  could  be  avoided.  They  would  be  in  danger  of 
freezing  to  death ;  and  they  preferred  to  remain  in  their 
huts  on  the  other  side  of  the  Ohio  Eiver.  But,  when  spring 
came,  all  the  wigwams  and  Shawanese  dens  poured  out 
their  warriors ;  and  West  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  western 
Pennsylvania  were  overrun  by  warlike  savages.  It  was 
thus  at  the  commencement  of  the  year  1780.     That  year 


42  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

will  ever  be  memorable  in  border  history  on  account  of  the 
raids  aud  murders  by  the  Indians  upon  the  white  people. 
But,  it  is  not  so  famous  in  that  respect  as  1777  and  1782. 
But,  so  far  as  Tucker  County  is  concerned,  the  years  1780 
and  1781  were  the  most  disastrous  in  the  Indian  Wars.  St. 
George  was  then  the  most  flourishing  settlement  on  Cheat 
River,  and  they  soon  learned  the  paths  that  led  to  the  new 
country.  It  may  be  borne  in  mind  that  Tucker  was  natur- 
all}^  one  of  the  most  secluded  localities  in  the  State,  being 
even  less  exposed  to  Indian  attacks  than  Preston  was. 
Randolph,  and  the  more  southern  counties  along  the  western 
base  of  the  Alleghanies,  were  well  known  to  the  Indians, 
who,  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  had  passed  to  and  fro 
through  them  while  making  raids  into  Virginia.  But, 
there  was  no  occasion  for  passing  through  Tucker ;  and,  if 
occasional  bands  of  Indians  did  so,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
capture  of  James  Parsons,  they  did  it  for  the  purpose  of 
hunting  or  making  explorations.  Not  so  with  the  counties 
along  the  Ohio,  and  on  the  Monongaliela  and  Kanawha. 
The  Indians  from  Ohio  could  cross  over  at  any  time,  and 
within  a  short  distance  find  a  thriving  settlement  to  plun- 
der. Before  they  could  reach  Tucker  or  Preston,  they 
would  have  to  pass  through  several  inhabited  counties, 
which  the  Indians  did  not  like  to  do,  because  the  settlers 
might  track  them.  But,  Tucker's  isolated  position  and  its 
high  mountain  defenses  did  not  exempt  it  from  its  full 
share  of  Indian  outrages.  The  first  of  these  was  in  the 
spring  of  1780. 

The  band  of  Indians  who  made  this  incursion  into  Tucker, 
were  remarkably  persevering  in  their  pursuit  of  wickedness. 
Very  early  in  the  spring  of  1780  thcj-  crossed  the  Ohio  in 
the  vicinity  of  Parkersburg,  and  made  their  way  unobserved 


JOHN  MINEAK.  43 

into  Lewis  Count j,  where  tliey  suddenly  appeared  before  a 
fort  on  Hacker's  Creek,  known  in  early  times  as  West's 
Fort.  There  were  only  a  few  men  in  the  fort,  and  they 
were  afraid  to  go  out  to  fight  the  enemy.  The  Indians  did 
not  make  an  attack  on  the  house,  but  lay  hid  near  about  in 
the  w^oods,  ready  to  shoot  any  one  who  should  come  out. 
The  people  thus  penned  in,  -were  on  the  point  of  starving, 
and  knew  not  whence  deliverance  was  to  come.  Buckhan- 
non  was  the  nearest  place  where  assistance  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  that  was  sixteen  miles.  One  in  going  there 
would  be  exposed  to  almost  certain  death,  for  the  Indians 
were  entirely  round  the  fort. 

One  of  the  inmates,  Jesse  Hughes,  was  a  man  who  shnmk 
from  no  duty  and  quailed  at  no  danger.  He  was  the  most 
successful  Indian  fighter  in  West  Virginia,  except  the  Zanes 
of  ^Mieeling,  Captain  Brady  and  Lewis  Wetzel.  He  had 
passed  through  scores  of  hair-breadth  escapes,  and  had 
fought  the  Indians  for  eleven  years  and  knew  their  nature 
well.  He  it  w^as  who  explored  the  country  \vestward  from 
Buckhannon.  He  discovered  and  gave  name  to  the  West 
Fork  River,  and  w^as  the  first  w^liite  man  who  stood  on  the 
site  of  Weston.  This  was  in  1769.  From  that  time  till  the 
close  of  the  Indian  wars,  in  1795,  he  was  ever  where  brave 
men  were  most  needed,  in  the  front.  To  him  Clarksburg 
almost  ow^ed  its  existence.  There  was  scarcely  a  settlement 
in  the  central  part  of  the  State  that  did  not  profit  by  the 
bravery  and  courage  of  Jesse  Hughes.  Even  St.  George, 
sixty  miles  distant,  had  occasion  to  thank  him,  although  his 
assistance  did  not  avert  the  disasters  which  are  now  to  be 
recorded. 

He  w^as  in  West's  Fort  Avlien  the  Indians  besieged   it. 
His  farm  was  almost  within  sight  of  the  fort,'  and  he  had 


U  HISTORY  OP  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

sought  shelter  there  iu  common  with  his  neighbors.  After 
the  place  had  been  invested  for  some  time,  and  the  inmates 
were  getting  short  of  provisions,  while  the  enemy  showed 
no  disposition  to  raise  the  siege,  it  began  to  grow  manifest 
that  something  must  be  done  to  procure  help  in  driving  the 
Indians  off,  or  the  place  must  fall.  The  plan  most  practi- 
cable seemed  that  of  sending  some  one  to  Buckhannon  with 
intelligence  of  the  distress,  and  bring  help  from  thence. 
Hughes  volunteered  to  go  ;  and,  on  a  dark  night,  he  slipped 
from  the  fort,  broke  by  the  Indians,  and  ran  to  Buckhan- 
non. He  collected  a  company  of  men  and  at  once  started 
back.  He  arrived  about  daylight,  and  it  was  thought  best 
to  abandon  the  fort.  This  w^as  done.  The  inmates,  men, 
women  and  children,  proceeded  to  Buckhannon.  On  the 
way  the  Indians  tried  to  separate  the  company  so  as  to  at- 
tack it,  but,  in  this  they  failed,  and  the  settlers  all  reached 
Buckhannon  in  safety. 

The  Indians  followed  on  to  Buckhannon  and  prowled 
about  the  settlement  a  few  days.  They  waylaid  some  men 
who  were  going  to  the  fort,  and  one  of  them  named  Curl 
was  shot  in  the  chin.  All  the  other  men,  five  in  number, 
started  to  run ;  but  Curl  called  to  them  to  stand  their 
ground,  for  they  could  whip  the  Indians.  But,  the  men 
were  some  distance  away,  and  a  powerful  Indian  warrior 
drew  a  tomahawk  and  started  at  Curl,  who  was  now  alone 
and  wounded.  Nothing  daunted,  he  raised  his  gun  to  shoot 
the  Indian.  But,  the  blood  from  his  wound  had  dampened 
the  powder,  and  the  gun  missed  fire.  Instantly  picking  up 
another  gun,  which  had  been  dropped  in  the  excitement, 
he  shot  the  savage  and  brought  him  to  the  ground.  The 
Indians  then  retreated. 

One  of  the  whites  ran  after  them  alone,  and  being  a  re- 


JOHN  MINEAR.  45 

markable  runner,  lie  quickly  overtook  them  and  sliot  an- 
other Indian.  The  other  Indians  got  behind  trees  ;  and,  in 
a  few  minutes,  the  rest  of  the  whites  came  up  and  renewed 
the  fight.  One  of  the  whites  was  shot  through  the  arm ; 
and,  a  third  Indian,  who  was  hiding  behind  a  log,  received 
a  bullet  which  caused  him  to  go  howling  away.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  whole  band  of  savages  took  to  flight,  and  night 
coming  on  put  a  stop  to  the  pursuit. 

Early  next  morning  fifteen  men  took  the  trail  of  the  In- 
dians and  followed  them  several  miles,  and  finally  found 
where  they  were  hidden  in  a  laurel  thicket.  As  they  ap- 
proached, one  of  the  whites  was  shot ;  but,  the  Indians  got 
aw^ay.  However,  the  settlers  found  several  Indian  horses 
with  their  legs  tied  together.  The  Indians  had  left  their 
animals  in  this  fix  to  keep  them  from  running  off.  The  set- 
tlers took  them  back  to  Buckhannon.  For  several  davs 
nothing  more  was  seen  of  the  Indians ;  and,  in  the  hope 
that  the  savages  had  left  the  country,  some  of  the  people 
returned  to  their  farms.  But,  the  enemy  were  not  gone. 
They  killed  a  man  and  took  a  young  lady  prisoner.  The 
people  fled  back  to  the  fort,  and  the  Indians  found  no  fur- 
ther opportunity  for  doing  mischief  at  that  time. 

Thus  far,  the  savages  had  raided  through  Lewds  and  Up- 
shur counties.  The}-  now  passed  into  Randolph,  where 
they  continued  to  murder  the  people  and  Inirn  property. 
They  first  made  their  appearance  in  the  up]:)er  end  of  Ty- 
gart's  Valley.  This  was  in  March.  A  man  in  passing  along 
the  path  saw  moccasin  tracks  in  the  mud.  He  stopped  to 
look  at  them,  and  while  doing  so  heard  some  one  in  the 
brush  whisper:  *'Let  him  alone;  he  will  go  and  bring 
more."  He  at  once  suspected  Indians;  and,  without  fur- 
ther examination,  he  hurried  to  Hadden's  fort  and  reported 


46  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  But,  lie  was  not  believed. 
There  was  a  party  of  men  from  Greenbrier  spending  the 
night  at  the  fort,  and  tlie}^  intended  to  start  home  in  the 
morning.  Their  road  home  led  by  this  place  where  the 
tracks  had  l)een  seen.  When  they  got  ready  to  go,  a  part}" 
of  citizens  volunteered  to  accompany  them  to  this  place, 
and  ascertain  whether  there  really  were  tracks  in  the  mud. 

The  men  proceeded  carelessly,  and  when  near  the  sus- 
pected hiding  place  of  the  enemy,  they  were  fired  upon  by 
Indians  in  ambuscade.  The  horsemen  sprang  into  a  gallop 
and  escaped ;  but  the  men  on  foot  were  surrounded  by  In- 
dians. The  only  means  of  escape  was  by  crossing  the  river 
and  climbing  a  steep  hill  on  the  opposite  side.  In  doing 
this  they  wei'e  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  several 
were  killed.  John  McLain  was  almost  to  the  summit  of  the 
hill  when  he  was  shot.  James  Bolston,  who  was  still  fur- 
ther, was  also  killed  at  the  same  instant.  James  Crouch 
was  likewise  ascending  the  hill,  and  was  nearly  to  the  top 
when  he  was  shot.  But  he  was  only  wounded,  and  the  next 
day  made  his  way  to  the  fort.  John  Nelson,  another  of  the 
party,  was  killed  at  the  water's  edge.  He  had  crossed  the 
river  with  the  rest,  and  would  have  ascended  the  hill  with 
them ;  but,  the}"  were  a  little  in  advance  of  him,  and  when 
they  fell,  he  turned  back,  and  tried  to  escape  by  running 
down  the  bank  of  the  river.  But  this  was  a  fatal  policy. 
A  fierce  Indian  leaped  upon  him,  and  a  desperate  fight  en- 
sued. No  white  man  saw  it  to  tell  how  it  went.  It  is  only 
knoA^ii  from  circumstances  that  it  was  a  hand-to-hand  fight, 
and  a  terrible  one.  The  breech  of  Nelson's  gun  was  split 
and  shattered,  and  from  appearances  he  had  pounded  the 
Indian  with  it.  His  hands,  still  clinched  although  he  was 
dead,  contained  tufts  of  Indian  hair,  and  gave  evidence  that 


JOHN  MINEAR.  47 

it  was  a  prolonged  figlit.  But  the  savage  got  off  victorious, 
and  Nelson  was  killed.  When  the  whites  visited  the  scene 
of  the  battle,  they  found  the  dead  man  where  he  fell.  The 
ground  around  him  was  torn  up,  as  though  a  long  struggle 
had  taken  place.  It  undoubtedly  was  a  dear  victory  for  the 
savage. 

In  a  feAv  days  the  Indians  fell  upon  the  family  of  John 
Gibson,  on  a  branch  of  Tygart's  Yalley  River.  The  family 
were  at  the  sugar  camp,  when  the  Indians  surprised  them 
and  took  them  prisoners.     Mrs.  Gibson  was  killed. 

With  this,  the  Indians  left  Randolph  County  and  pro- 
ceeded into  Tucker.  Of  course,  it  is  understood  that  these 
counties — Lewis,  Upshur,  Randolph  and  Tucker — are  called 
by  their  present  names,  and  not  by  the  names  by  which 
they  were  known  at  that  time.  Nor  is  it  absolutely  certain 
that  all  the  mischief,  narrated  and  to  be  yet  narrated,  was 
done  by  this  band  of  Indians.  It  requires  some  little  arbi- 
trary chronology  to  arrange  into  this  order  the  fragments 
and  scraps  of  history  and  legends  gathered  from  various 
sources,  but  principally  from  Withers'  Border  Warfare. 
But,  at  this  point,  Withers'  narrative  ceases  to  furnish  ma- 
terial for  the  account,  except  the  mere  mention  of  the 
killing  of  Sims  above  St.  George;  and,  for  the  rest  of  the 
raid,  and  the  murder  of  Jonathan  Minear  below  St.  George, 
and  the  captivity  and  rescue  of  Washburn,  this  account 
rests  upon  the  authority  of  private  papers  and  the  tradi- 
tions that  have  come  down  from  generation  to  generation. 
Unwritten  tradition  is  one  of  the  most  unreliable  sources 
from  which  to  gather  history.  Yet  in  the  absence  of  all 
other  means,  it  must  be  resorted  to.  However,  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  Indian  raid  through  Tucker  has  records 
for  authoritv,  and  tradition  furnishes  little  more  than  the 
minutia. 


48  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

There  is  queston  concerning  the  date  of  the  incursion ; 
but  contemporary^  facts  ought  to  settle  the  question,  and 
place  it  in  the  spring  of  1780.  Some  maintain  that  John 
Minear  was  killed  before  Jonathan  was,  and  that  the  mur- 
der of  the  latter  took  place  as  late  as  1795.  But  this  is  so 
plainly  a  gross  mistake  that  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to 
refute  it. 

It  was  in  March,  1780 ;  and  the  Indians,  after  their  am- 
buscade on  the  Tygart  River,  moved  over  Laurel  Hill  and 
down  Cheat  River  toward  St.  George.  That  had  been  a 
severe  winter  for  Minear's  colony.  In  addition  to  the  suf- 
fering from  want,  the  small-pox  broke  out  among  the  people, 
and  the  affliction  fell  heavily  upon  the  destitute  settlers, 
who  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  winter  without  bread 
or  salt.  One  thing  was  to  their  advantage,  and  that  was 
that  there  was  little  to  be  feared  from  Indians  during  the 
winter  months.  The  Indians  seldom  broke  into  settlements 
in  cold  weather  when  the  snow  was  on  the  ground. 

So,  the  colony  at  St.  George  pulled  through  the  winter 
the  best  they  could.  They  did  not  occupy  the  fort ;  but 
each  man  lived  on  his  own  farm,  and  worked  to  clear  fields 
in  which  to  plant  grain  the  coming  summer. 

It  was  customary  at  that  time  to  go  east  once  a  year  to 
lay  in  a  supply  of  such  things  as  must  be  had.  For  the  cen- 
tral part  of  West  Yirginia,  the  eastern  market  was  Win- 
chester. The  people  of  the  frontier  counties  carried  such 
produce  as  they  had  to  that  place  and  bartered  it  for  salt, 
iron,  ammunition  and  a  few  blacksmith  and  cooper  tools. 
With  the  first  appearance  of  spring,  the  colonists  at  St. 
George  prepared  to  send  their  plunder  to  market.  It  was 
the  plan  to  go  and  return  before  the  warm  weather  would 
bring  Indians  into  the  settlements.     The   principal   article 


JOHN  MINEAR.  49 

of  export  was  the  skins  of  bear  and  other  fiu'-bearing  ani- 
mals. "With  a  load  of  these  strapped  on  pack  horses,  the 
settlers  filed  away  through  the  woods  toward  Winchester. 
It  was  then  early  in  March,  and  they  expected  to  make  the 
trip  within  two  weeks. 

Intelligence  of  the  Indian  murders  in  Lewis  and  Upshur 
counties  had  reached  St.  George,  and  the  people,  not  know- 
ing whither  the  enemy  had  gone,  thought  it  best  to  leave 
their  farms  and  move  into  the  fort.  This  they  did.  But 
some  who  had  the  small-pox  were  excluded  from  the  fort. 
This  was  a  harsh  course  to  pursue ;  but  it  was  rendered 
necessary.  It  was  deemed  better  for  a  few  to  run  the  risk 
of  falling  a  prey  to  Indians  than  for  the  whole  colony  to  be 
stricken  down  with  the  small-pox.  Accordingly,  those  who 
had  that  disease  were  not  allowed  to  come  near  the  fort. 
Among  those  thus  excluded  was  the  family  of  John  Sims, 
who  lived  about  five  miles  above  St.  George  at  a  place  ever 
since  kno^m  as  Sims'  Bottom.  Sims'  Knob,  a  high  moun- 
tain overlooking  the  Horse  Shoe,  is  also  named  from  this 
man." 

"When  the  Indians  left  Tygart's  Yalley,  they  aimed  for 
St.  George ;  and,  by  passing  along  the  west  bank  of  Cheat 
Pviver  from  the  mouth  of  Pheasant  Eun,  they  had  arrived 
within  five  miles  of  the  fort,  when  tliev  came  into  the  clear- 
ing  of  Sims.  The  house  stood  on  the  bank  of  a  swamp  full 
of  brush  and  weeds.  The  Indians  made  their  way  unob- 
served into  this  thicket,  and  were  cautioush'  crawling 
toward  the  house  when  they  were  seen  b}'  a  negro  wench, 

*  Sims  was  brought  to  Cheat  by  C^aptaln  Parsons,  and  was  only  a  tenant  on  Parsons' 

land,    ne  had  been  placed  on  the  farm  where  he  was  killed,  to  ovei-see  the  upper  part 

of  James  Parsons'  land,  and  to  keep  Tliomas  Parsons'  cattle  from  crosslnjf  orer  Into 

the  Horse  Shoe.    The  sycamore  tree  behind  which  the  Indian  lay  was  still  to  be  seen 

a  few  yeaiN  ago. 
■4 


50  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

wlio  ran  to  the  door  and  gave  the  alarm.  Bernard  Sims 
caught  up  his  gun  and  ran  to  the  door.  He  was  just  recov- 
ering from  the  small-pox.  As  he  stepped  out  at  the  door, 
he  was  shot  by  the  Indians  and  fell  forward  in  the  yard. 
The  savages  leaped  out  from  the  brush  and  rushed  into  the 
yard  ready  to  tomahawk  and  scalp  the  dead  man.  But  as 
they  came  up  they  observed  that  he  had  a  disease,  to  them 
most  terrible ;  and,  instead  of  scalping  him,  and  killing  those 
in  the  house,  they  took  to  flight,  yelling  as  they  ran :  "Small- 
pox! Small-pox!" 

They  kept  clear  of  that  cabin  after  that,  although  they 
remained  in  the  neighborhood  several  days.  They  moved 
on  toward  St.  George.  The  people  there  discovered  that 
the  enemy  was  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  strictest  guard  was 
kept  night  and  day.  Nobody  left  the  fort  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. 

The  fort  stood  where  the  Court-house  now  stands,  about 
two  hundred  yards  from  the  river,  on  a  rising  ground.  The 
Indians  remained  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
concealed  themselves  on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  fort  and 
surroundings.  Here  they  remained  several  days.  There 
were  not  mauy  men  in  the  fort.  Some  had  been  kept  away 
on  account  of  small-pox ;  and  those  who  had  gone  to  Win- 
chester had  not  yet  returned.  The  garrison  well  knew  of 
the  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  knew  just  where  the  Indians 
were  hidden ;  yet,  they  affected  not  to  suspicion  that  an 
enemy  was  near.  But,  the  greatest  anxiety  was  felt,  lest 
the  Indians  should  make  an  attack  while  the  place  was  so 
defenseless.  The  concealed  foe  could  be  descried  crouch- 
ing under  the  thicket  of  laurel  on  the  bluff*  beyond  the 
river;  and  their  number  was  probably  overestimated,  al- 
though the  actual  number  coxild  not  have  been  much  less 


JOHN  MINEAE.  51 

than  fifty.  The  whites  expected  an  attack  any  hour.  If 
the  attack  had  been  made,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  place  could 
have  held  out ;  because  the  hill  near  by  would  have  given 
the  assailing  party  a  great  advantage. 

The  garrison  were  desirous  of  impressing  the  Indians 
with  the  idea  that  the  fort  contained  a  strong  force  of  men. 
To  this  end,  they  dressed  first  in  one  kind  of  clothes  and 
then  in  another,  at  each  change  walking  about  the  yard  in 
full  view  of  the  foe.  The  Indians,  who  were  all  the  time 
looking  on,  and  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away, 
must  have  been  led  to  believe  that  the  fort  was  stronger 
than  they  could  attack  with  safety.  At  any  rate,  they  made 
no  assault ;  and,  in  a  day  or  two  they  disappeared  from  the 
hill,  and  the  people  hoped  that  the  foe  so  much  dreaded 
had  indeed  left  the  country. 

However,  it  was  deemed  best  to  remain  in  the  fort  till  the 
return  of  those  Avho  had  gone  east.  This  was  not  long. 
The  men  returned  the  next  evening,  and  for  the  present 
little  fear  of  danger  was  entertained.  The  people  did  not 
remain  so  constantly  on  the  lookout.  When  they  began  to 
visit  their  cabins  near  about  the  fort,  it  was  found  that  the 
Indians  had  rummaged  them,  and  had  carried  off  what  they 
could,  and  had  destroyed  much  that  they  could  not  take. 
Still,  nothing  was  seen  to  indicate  that  the  enemy  was  yet 
in  the  country. 

Some  of  'the  men  took  their  families  to  their  cabins,  de- 
termined to  do  a  little  more  work  before  the  season  for  In- 
dian incursions — for  it  was  still  earlier  in  the  spring  than 
the  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  making  raids  into  the  set- 
tlements. Amonc:  those  who  left  the  fort  under  the  im- 
pression  that  the  red  men  were  gone  and  danger  for  the 
present  at  an  end,  was  Daniel  Cameron,  who  lived  opposite 


52  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Miller  Hill,  on  the  farm  since  known  as  the  Bowman  Plan- 
tation, by  the  nearest  road  some  three  miles  from  St. 
George.  He  removed  his  family  to  his  farm,  and  that  night 
they  locked  the  door,  as  was  usual  at  that  time.  Awhile 
after  dark,  a  noise  was  heard  like  the  rattle  of  a  charger 
against  a  powder-horn.  If  no  danger  had  been  feared,  this 
slight  incident  would  scarcely  have  been  noticed.  But,  at 
a  time  of  such  intense  anxiety,  it  at  once  aroused  suspicions. 
Presently  other  disturbances  were  heard,  and  it  became 
nearly  certain  that  Indians  were  prowling  about.  The  light 
in  the  house  was  extinguished,  and  the  family  crawled  out 
at  the  back  door,  and  hid  in  a  brush  heap  until  everything 
became  quiet,  when  they  made  their  way  to  the  fort,  and 
reported  what  had  taken  place.  But  the  people  were  not 
disposed  to  credit  the  story,  and  little  attention  was  paid 
to  it. 

A  day  or  two  more  pTissed,  and  nothing  further  was  seen 
or  heard  of  the  Indians.  But,  all  this  time  the  treacherous 
savages  were  lying  hid  on  the  hill  above  the  mouth  of 
Clover  Run,  in  a  field  near  the  present  residence  of  Hon. 
William  Ewin.  They  were  about  a  mile  from  the  fort ;  but 
still  in  sight  of  it.  They  had  abandoned  the  laurel  thicket 
opposite  the  fort,  because  they  suspected  that  the  garrison 
had  discovered  them.  They  selected  their  new  hiding 
place,  and  remained  in  it  during  the  day,  and  at  night  they 
prowled  about  the  settlement.  From  where  they  were  they 
could  see  all  that  went  on  in  and  about  St.  George,  and 
they  were  ready  to  fall  upon  any  stray  party  who  should  go 
out.     An  opportunity  for  this  soon  came. 

Jonathan  Minear's  farm  was  two  miles  below  St.  George, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  just  below  where  John  Auvil, 
Esq.,  now  lives.     Jonathan  Eun  is  named  from  him.     He 


JOHN  MINEAE.  53 

selected  this  site  at  the  same  time  that  his  father  selected 
the  one  where  St.  George  stands,  and  he  made  it  his  home, 
except  when  danger  compelled  him  to  remove  to  the  fort 
for  safety.  TMien  the  Indians  first  came  into  the  neighbor- 
hood, he  abandoned  his  farm  and  retired  to  St.  George, 
where  he  remained  until  he  considered  all  danger  at  an  end. 
But,  when  nothing  more  could  be  seen  of  the  enemy,  and 
nothing  heard,  except  vague  rumors,  of  which  there  always 
was  sufficient,  he  determined  to  visit  his  farm  and  look 
after  his  cattle.  His  brother-in-law,  Washburn,  volunteered 
to  go  with  him,  and,  at  daylight,  the  two  left  the  fort 
together  and  proceeded  to  the  ford,  about  half  mile  beloAV* 
Here  they  were  joined  by  Cameron,  who  was  afoot,  and 
was  on  his  way  to  his  own  farm.  His  way  was  along  the 
northern  bank  of  the  river,  while  Minear  and  Washburn's 
was  along  the  southern  bank.  They  talked  a  few  minutes, 
and  separated,  Minear  and  Washburn,  on  horseback,  cross- 
ing the  river  and  Cameron  proceeding  down  the  northern 
bank  on  foot. 

The  morning  was  clear  and  cold,  for  it  was  in  March  or 
early  in  April.  The  men  on  horseback  passed  very  near 
where  the  Indians  lay  concealed,  but  not  so  near  as  to  be 
shot.  However,  the  savages  probably  learned  from  their 
conversation  where  they  were  going,  and  running  on  ahead, 
hid  in  the  tall  dry  weeds  that  stood  thick  along  the  bank  of 
the  river  in  the  field  where  the  cattle  were.  The  men  rode 
leisurely  on,  thinking  little  of  danger.  When  they  got  to 
the  cabin  they  tied  their  horses.  Washburn  proceeded  to 
the  field  to  feed  the  cattle  fodder,  while  Minear  went  to  get 
corn  for  the  hogs.  With  a  shock  of  fodder  on  his  back, 
Washburn  was  passing  through  the  bars  when  some  Indians 
sprang  out  of  the  fence  corner  and  seized  him.     Immediately 


54  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

there  was  a  discliarge  of  guns,  and  Washburn  saw  Minear 
running  toward  the  river,  and  a  dozen  Indians  after  him. 
Minear  ran  as  though  Avounded,  and  the  savages  gained 
fast  upon  him,  and  overtook  him  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

He  had  been  shot  in  the  thicrh,  and  was  so  disabled  that 
he  could  not  escape.  When  he  reached  the  bank,  he  saw 
that  the  Indians  would  strike  him  with  their  tomahawks ; 
and,  to  avoid  the  blows,  for  him  the  last  resort,  he  ran 
round  a  beech  tree,  bracing  himself  against  the  tree  with 
one  hand  and  fighting  the  Indians  off  with  the  other. 

It  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Indians  that,  when  they  chase 
a  man,  as  thej  did  Minear,  the}'-  always  run  one  behind 
another,  and  do  not  try  to  head  off  the  object  of  their  pur- 
suit. Thus,  when  they  came  up  with  Minear  at  the  beech 
tree  and  he  ran  round  it,  instead  of  some  of  them  turning 
back  in  the  opposite  direction  to  head  him  off,  they  all  ran 
round  the  same  way,  round  and  round  and  round.  They 
wei'e  striking  at  him  with  their  tomahawks,  and  he  was  try- 
ing to  ward  ofi'  the  blows.  Several  times  they  missed  him 
and  struck  the  tree,  and  the  marks  of  their  tomahawks  are 
to  be  seen  on  the  tree  to  this  day.  Three  of  his  fingers 
were  cut  oft*  while  thus  defending  himself.  But  the  odds 
were  too  great  against  liim,  and  he  fell,  his  head  cleft  by  a 
tomahawk. 

All  this,  from  the  first  attack  on  Washburn  till  Minear 

fell  dead,  was  done  in  a  few  seconds  ;  and,  while  Washburn 

was  standing  with  the  fodder  still  on  his  back,  and  looking 

at  the  Indians  who  were  murdering  Minear,  Cameron  was 

also  an  eye  witness  from  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Wash- 
burn, in  his  anxiety  for  his  companion,  forgot  that  himself 

was  a  prisoner  ;  and,  not  until  ordered  to  do  so  by  the  In- 
dians, did  he  throw  down  his  fodder.    But  Cameron  realized 


JOHN  MINEAK.  55 

it  all  at  a  glance,  altlioiigli  lie  did  not  know  tlie  whole  truth. 
He  saw  Minear  overtaken  and  tomahawked,  and  supposed 
that  "Washburn  was  likewise  killed.  He  had  heard  the  dis- 
charge of  guns,  and  concluded  that  by  them  "Washburn  was 
killed.  Without  waiting  for  further  investigation — in  fact, 
further  investigation  was  not  possible — he  wheeled  and  ran 
with  all  his  speed  up  the  river  tovv'ard  the  fort. 

But  the  discharge  of  guns  had  been  heard  at  St.  George, 
and  the  wildest  excitement  prevailed.  The  men  mounted 
their  horses  in  hot  haste  and  galloped  off  down  the  river. 
They  did  not  cross  at  the  ford,  but  continued  dovai  the 
northern  bank.  This  probably  saved  them  from  a  bloody 
ambuscade ;  for  the  Indians  were  ready  for  them,  and 
would  have  cut  them  off  almost  to  a  man,  had  they  gone 
down  the  same  path  that  W^ashburn  and  Minear  had  taken. 
But  fortune  favored  them,  and  they  continued  down  the 
northern  shore. 

They  had  not  proceeded  more  than  half-way  when  they 
met  Cameron,  who  was  out  of  breath  from  running  and 
could  scarcely  speak  for  excitement.  He  told  them  that 
Minear  and  W^ashburn  were  killed.  The  party  halted,  and 
a  hasty  consultation  took  place.  If  the  men  were  already 
dead,  it  could  avail  them  little  to  be  avenged.  The  strength 
of  the  Indians  was  not  known ;  and  it  was  feared  that  they 
would  immediately  bear  down  upon  the  fort.  Under  the 
circumstances  it  was  thought  best  to  hurry  back  and  put  the 
place  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  defense.  This  wise 
resolution  was  immediately  carried  into  effect.  The  men 
rode  back,  carr3'ing  Cameron  with  them,  and  l)rouglit  the 
sad  intelligence  to  the  fort.  All  Avas  hurry  and  activity. 
There  was  no  time  for  lamentations.  A  supply  of  water  was 
provided,  so  that  the  inmates  might  not  suffer  from  tliirst 


&G  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

in  case  of  a  siege.  Ammunition  was  gotten  ready.  Large 
quantities  of  bullets  were  molded,  and  all  tlie  guns  were 
loaded  ready  for  an  attack  any  moment. 

Tlie  day  passed,  and  no  attack  was  made.  The  enemy 
had  not  appeared  in  sight.  But  the  anxiety  and  dread  were 
not  lessened ;  for  it  then  began  to  be  believed  that  the  In- 
dians were  j^robably  keeping  out  of  sight  in  order  to  throw 
the  garrison  off  their  guard,  and  that  an  attack  would  be 
made  that  night.  No  one  thought  of  sleep.  Every  man  was 
up  and  in  arms.  The  fort  was  not  defended  b}'  regular 
soldiers,  but  depended  for  defense  upon  those  who  took 
shelter  within  its  walls.  When  night  came,  and  the  addi- 
tional suspense  and  fear,  that  always  accompany  darkness 
and  silence,  fell  upon  the  people,  they  determined  to  put  on 
a  bold  front,  hoping  that,  by  doing  so,  they  could  strike 
terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  Indians  and  keep  them  at  bay. 

There  was  in  the  fort  a  gigantic  negro  named  Moats. 
Him  they  dressed  as  a  soldier,  and  had  him  march  round 
and  round  the  fort,  within  the  palisades,  beating  a  drum. 
This  was  to  cause  a  belief  among  the  Indians,  should  they 
be  skulking  near,  that  a  large  force  was  under  arms  in  the 
fort-yard,  and  that  this  martial  display'  was  a  legitimate 
manifestation  of  power.  This  was  kept  up  all  night,  and 
scarcely  an  eye  was  closed  in  slumber.  No  enemy  appeared. 
Whether  the  display  of  force  had  alarmed  the  Indians,  they 
did  not  then  know.  But,  when  the  morning  broke,  and  no 
enemy,  or  sign  of  an}-,  was  in  sight,  the  men  prepared  to 
visit  the  scene  of  the  tragedy  of  the  previous  day.  It  is 
not  now  known  how  many  men  were  in  St.  George  at 
that  time  ;  but,  judging  from  what  is  known  on  the  subject, 
there  must  have  been  between  twenty  and  thirty.   They  were 


JOHN  MINEAK.  57 

gathered  in  from  all  the  settlements  for  miles  around,  both 
above  and  below  St.  George. 

It  had  been  a  cold,  frosty  night.  Early  in  the  morning 
the  men  formed  in  a  body  and  marched  down  the  river,  on 
the  the  north  side.  "When  they  reached  a  point  opposite 
where  Minear  was  killed,  the  men  ranged  themselves  in 
line  of  battle  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  sent  Moats, 
the  negro,  across  the  river  to  see  if  the  Indians  were  any- 
w^here  about.  The  men  stood  ready  to  fire,  in  case  the 
enemy  should  put  in  an  appearance.  Moats  rode  over, 
searched  the  thickets  up  and  down  the  shore,  and  saw 
nothing  to  indicate  that  the  foe  was  hidden  anywhere 
around.  Then  the  men  crossed  over,  using  the  greatest 
caution  lest  they  should  fall  into  an  ambuscade.  They 
feared  that  the  Indians  were  hidden  in  the  weeds,  and 
would  wait  till  an  advantage  was  presented,  and  then  run 
out  and  attack  the  party. 

'W'hen  they  got  over  the  river  they  found  Minear  lying 
dead  where  he  fell.  The  Indians  had  killed  him  by  the 
beech  tree,  and  had  chopped  the  upper  part  of  his  head  off 
with  their  tomahawks.  They  then  broke  his  skull  into 
fragments  and  drove  the  pieces  into  a  stump  hard  by.  A 
dog  that  had  alwa^'s  followed  him  was  found  guarding  the 
dead  man. 

Search  was  then  made  for  Washburn.  It  was  not  known 
what  had  become  of  him.  Cameron  had  not  seen  him ;  but 
Le  supposed  that  it  was  at  him  that  the  guns  had  been 
fired.  Tlie  whites  explored  the  woods  and  the  corn  field, 
but  could  find  no  trace  of  him.  Nor  was  anything  seen  of 
Indians.  But,  finally  a  trail  was  found  leading  up  a  ridge, 
since  known  as  Indian  Point,  and  by  following  it  a  short 
distance  it  was  found   that  the  Indians  had  retreated   by 


58  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

tliat  vray  on  the  day  before.  It  was  also  discovered  that 
Washburn  was  carried  off  a  prisoner.  His  track  was  dis- 
tinguished from  those  of  the  Indians.  The  Indians  did  not 
always  kill  every  one  whom  they  caught.  Often  they  car- 
ried their  prisoners  into  captivity,  and  sometimes  they 
would  take  a  captive  with  them  hundreds  of  miles  into 
their  country,  and  then  burn  him  or  pound  him  to  death. 
At  times,  prisoners  were  well  treated ;  but,  it  was  generally 
considered  that  to  fall  a  captive  to  the  Indians  was  a  fate 
little  less  to  be  dreaded  than  death.  So,  vrhen  it  was  found 
that  Washburn  was  taken  prisoner  it  was  considered  that 
he  was  little  more  fortunate  than  Minear,  who  was  killed. 

It  was  resolved  to  follow  the  Indians  as  soon  as  Minear 
should  be  buried.  His  dead  body  was  taken  up,  bound  on 
a  horse  and  carried  to  the  fort.  He  had  stiffened  and  fro- 
zen as  he  fell.  His  arms  were  extended  wide,  and  he  was 
covered  Avith  coagulated  blood.  Thus  he  was  carried  to 
St.  George  and  was  buried.  No  one  now  knows  where  his 
grave  is ;  but  it  is  believed  to  be  under  a  chestnut  tree 
about  one  half-mile  east  of  the  town. 

The  next  morning  as  many  men  as  could  be  spared  from 
the  fort  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  They  trailed  them 
a  night  and  two  days.  Had  the  Indians  immediately 
shaped  their  course  for  the  Ohio  Elver  they  must  have  es- 
caped before  the  whites  could  have  overtaken  them.  But 
they  did  not  do  this.  They  seemed  to  be  hunting  for  set- 
tlements about  the  Valley  River,  and  by  spending  their 
time  in  this  manner  they  allowed  the  pursuing  party  to 
come  up.  The  Indian  camp  was  discovered  awhile  after 
dark  on  the  second  night.  David  Minear,  brother  to  Jona- 
than, crawled  up  near  enough  to  spy  out  the  position  of  the 
enemy,  and  to  see  that  Washburn  was  indeed  a  prisoner 


JOHN  MINEAE.  59 

with  tliem.  It  Avas  resolved  to  fall  on  tlie  Indians  at  once. 
Tlie  whole  party  of  whites  cautiously  approached  and  let 
the  Indians  have  it.  A  tumultuous  uproar  followed.  The 
savages  caught  up  what  plunder  they  could  snatch,  and 
bounded  away  into  the  woods,  while  the  whites  rushed  into 
the  camp  to  take  the  wounded  savages  prisoner.  Wash- 
burn was  found  unhurt.  Two  or  three  of  the  enemy  were 
shot.  While  the  whites  stood  round  the  fire  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  victory,  an  Indian  came  ramping  into  their 
midst,  snatched  up  a  pouch  of  something  from  the  ground, 
and  was  off  before  the  whites  recovered  enough  from  their 
surprise  to  capture  or  shoot  the  scoundrel.  It  was  thought 
that  the  pouch  contained  some  superstitious  concoction  of 
medicine. 

i^fter  this  skirmish,  when  it  was  certain  that  the  Indians 
were  gone  and  no  more  punishment  could  be  inflicted  upon 
them,  the  company  returned  to  St.  George.  The  Indians 
made  their  way  back  across  the  Ohio  Eiver  into  their  own 
country. 

About  the  colony  of  St.  George,  affairs  went  on  well 
enough  for  some  time.  The  people  were  very  careful  not 
to  expose  themselves  to  the  Indians.  Some  returned  to 
their  farms  and  underwent  all  risks ;  while  others  would  go 
to  their  plantations  during  the  day  and  repair  to  the  fort  at 
night.  Another  visit  was  made  by  the  Indians  about  this 
time.  The  date  is  not  certain,  but  it  is  believed  to  have 
been  in  1780.  A  small  band  of  Indians  carried  away  a  boy 
who  was  at  work  in  a  field  at  the  mouth  of  Clover  Euu, 
nearly  a  mile  from  the  fort.  Not  much  is  known  of  this 
event ;  but  it  is  said  that  when  the  Indians  took  the  boy 
prisoner  he  had  with  him  a  pet  crow,  and  it  followed  him 
nearly  to  the  Ohio  River,  where  the  Indians  killed  it,  be- 


60  HISTORY  OP  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

cause  tliey  tliought  it  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit.  It  is  not 
known  what  became  of  the  boy. 

The  year  1781  records  the  greatest  calamity  that  ever  be- 
fell the  St.  George  colony.  It  was  the  murder  by  Indians 
of  Daniel  Cameron,  Mr.  Cooper  and  John  Minear.  They 
were  the  three  foremost  men  of  the  settlement.  John  Mi- 
near  had  planned  and  founded  the  colony ;  and  to  him  more 
than  to  any  one  else  was  its  prosperity  due.  He  was  killed 
in  April,  1781. 

The  band  of  Indians,  by  whom  the  murder  was  commit- 
ted, made  a  raid  very  similar  to  that  of  the  gang  that  killed 
Jonathan  Minear.  Nearly  the  same  territory  was  overrun 
and  nearl}^  the  extent  of  wickedness  done.  The  savages 
first  appeared  in  Lewis  County,  on  the  head  of  Stone  Coal 
Creek,  where  they  waylaid  three  men  named  Schoolcraft, 
who  had  gone  there  from  Buckhannon  for  the  purpose  of 
hunting  pigeons.  The  Indian  shot  at  them  and  killed  one. 
The  two  others  were  taken  prisoner,  and  it  is  not  certain 
that  they  were  ever  again  heard  of.  But  it  was  believed 
that  they  joined  the  Indians,  and  afterwards  guided  parties 
of  the  savages  through  the  settlements  and  helped  them  kill 
white  people.  These  were  the  last  of  the  Schoolcraft  fam- 
ily. Fifteen  of  them  had  been  killed  or  carried  into  cap- 
tivity within  the  space  of  seven  years.  Their  fate  and  that 
of  the  Minears  seemed  connected.  It  is  thought  that  the 
party  that  killed  Jonathan  Minear  also  killed  Austin  School- 
craft and  took  prisoner  his  niece.  Then,  the  band  by  which 
John  Minear  was  killed,  the  next  year,  killed  and  captured 
three  Schoolcrafts,  making  five  in  all  that  fell  by  the  hands 
that  slew  the  Minears. 

After  this  depredation  in  Lewis  County,  the  Indians 
passed  over  to  the  Valley  Eiver,  in  Barbour  County ;  and  a 


JOHN  MINEAR.  61 

few  miles  below  Pliilippi  they  set  themselves  in  ambush  at 
a  narrow  place  in  the  road. 

About  this  time  commissioners  had  been  appointed  to 
adjust  land  claims  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  to ;  execute 
the  necessaiy  legal  papers  to  those  who  had  complied  with 
the  law  in  pre-empting  the  public  Iknds.  The  commissioners 
met  at  Clarksburg.  Land  claimants  went  there  from  all 
neighboring  parts  to  present  claims  for  consideration.  The 
people  of  St.  George,  in  common  with  those  of  other  settle- 
ments, sent  their  agents  to  Clarksburg  to  attend  to  the 
business  and  to  obtain  deeds  for  the  various  tracts  of  land 
claimed  by  the  different  settlers.  Those  whom  St.  George 
sent  were  John  Minear,  Daniel  Cameron,  two  men  named 
Miller,  Mr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Goffe.  They  had  proceeded  to 
Clarksburg,  attended  to  their  business,  and  were  on  their 
way  home  at  the  time  the  Indians  were  lying  in  their  am- 
buscade below  Pliilippi.  It  seems  from  the  circumstances 
that  the  Indians  were  looking  for  them. 

The  Indians  placed  themselves  in  a  position  commanding 
the  road,  and  hung  a  leather  gun-case  by  a  string  over  the 
path.  This  was  to  attract  attention,  cause  a  halt  and  give 
the  savages  an  opportunity  to  take  deliberate  aim.  The 
trap  was  well  set,  and  the  men  came  riding  along  the  path, 
thinking  nothing  of  danger.  The  path  was  so  narrow  that 
they  could  ride  only  in  single  file.  They  were  almost  under 
the  leather  decoy  before  they  saw  it.  They  instantly 
brought  their  horses  to  a  halt.  The  truth  flashed  into 
Minear 's  mind,  and  quickly  wheeling  his  horse,  he  exclaimed 
*'  Indians !"  The  whole  party  would  have  wheeled ;  but, 
instantly  a  discharge  of  guns  from  the  hidden  foe  threw 
them  into  the  wildest  confusion.  Horses  and  men  fell 
together.     Minear,  Cameron  and  Cooper  were  killed  on  the 


62  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

spot.  Gofle  and  one  of  the  Millers  sprang  from  tlieir 
horses  and  took  to  the  woods.  The  other  Miller  was  not 
unhorsed.  He  wheeled  back,  and  fled  toward  Clarksburg. 
The  savages  tried  hard  to  catch  him  ;  but  his  horse  was 
fleeter  than  they,  and  he  made  good  his  flight  to  Clarksburg. 

Miller  sought  to  escape  by  ascending  the  hill.  He  was 
on  foot,  and  two  or  three  Indians  started  in  pursuit,  armed 
only  with  knives  and  tomahawks.  He  had  the  start  of  them 
by  less  than  twenty  yards,  and  they  seemed  confident  of 
overhauling  him.  Indeed,  he  had  little  hope  of  escaping ; 
but  he  considered  it  better  to  make  an  efibrt  for  his  life. 
His  pursuers,  close  upon  his  heels,  called  continually  to  him 
to  stop,  and  told  him  if  he  did  not,  they  would  most  cer- 
tainly kill  him.  They  accompanied  their  threats  by  the 
most  violent  gesticulations.  Had  they  exerted  all  their  en- 
ergy in  the  pursuit  and  done  less  yelling,  thej  might  have 
sooner  terminated  the  chase.  As  it  was.  Miller  did  not  stop 
in  compliance  with  their  demand,  although  he  almost  de- 
spaired of  being  able  to  get  away.  The  hill  was  steep,  and 
his  strength  was  nearly  gone;  but  he  struggled  upward, 
reached  the  summit,  turned  down  the  other  side,  and  was 
out  of  sight  of  the  savages.  But  the  chase  was  not  done. 
The  Indians  followed  fast  after  him,  and  he  ran  through 
the  tangled  brush,  dodged  to  left  and  right,  and  finally 
avoided  them.  He  knew  not  but  that  he  was  the  onl}^  one 
who  had  escaped.  He  had  seen  the  others  fall,  and  thought 
them  killed.     But  it  was  not  entirely  so. 

While  Miller  was  thus  getting  away  from  his  pursuers  by 
a  long  and  desperate  race,  Goffe  was  making  a  still  more 
wonderful  escape.  "When  he  leaped  from  his  horse,  instead 
of  going  uj)  the  hill,  as  Miller  had  done,  he  broke  through 
the  line  of  foes  and  ran  for  the  river.     A  score  of  the  sav- 


JOHN  MINEAE.  63 

ages  started  in  pursuit,  as  confident  of  a  speedy  capture  as 
tliose  had  been  who  followed  Miller.  But,  in  spite  of  their 
efforts  to  catch  hiru,  Goffe  kept  his  distance.  He  looked 
back  as  he  reached  the  river  bank,  and  no  Indians  were  in 
sight.  He  threw  off  his  coat  to  swim,  and  leaped  down  the 
bank.  But  at  that  instant  he  heard  his  pursuers  tearing 
through  the  brush  almost  immediately  above  him.  He  saw 
that  it  was  impossible  to  escape  by  swimming ;  and,  on  the 
im23ulse  of  the  moment,  he  pitched  his  coat  in  the  water, 
and  crept  for  concealment  into  an  otter  den  which  happened 
to  be  at  hand. 

By  this  time  the  Indians  had  reached  the  bank  above  him. 
He  could  hear  them  talking  ;  and  he  learned  from  their 
conversation  that  they  thought  he  had  dived.  They 
expected  to  see  him  rise  from  the  water.  He  could  see  their 
images  mirrored  from  the  water  of  the  river  under  him.  He 
could  see  the  glittering  and  glistening  of  their  tomahawks 
and  knives  in  the  sunlight.  His  den  was  barely  large  enough 
to  conceal  him  ;  and  his  tracks  in  the  mud  would  lead  to  his 
hiding  place.  He  prepared  to  plunge  into  the  water  and 
take  his  chances  of  escape  by  diving.  But  the  Indians  had 
caught  sight  of  the  coat  as  it  was  floating  down  the  river ; 
and  they  began  to  move  off  to  keep  pace  with  it.  They 
supposed  that  Goffe  was  either  drowned  or  had  made  his 
escape.  They  abandoned  the  man  for  the  moment  and 
turned  their  attention  to  saving  the  coat.  How  they  suc- 
ceeded in  this  is  not  known  ;  for  Goffe  did  not  wait  to  see 
the  termination  of  the  affair.  He  crawled  from  his  den  and 
made  off,  leaving  them  a  hundred  3'ards  below.  He  started 
directly  for  St.  George,  which  he  reached  that  night. 

Severe  as  this  blow  was  to  the  Cheat  River  settlement,  it 
was  probably  lighter  than  it  would  have  been,  had   not  the 


64  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

attack  been  made  on  tlie  party  of  land  claimants.  This 
band  of  Indians  were  heading  for  St.  George ;  but,  when 
Goffe  and  the  Millers  escaped,  it  was  not  deemed  advisable 
to  proceed,  since  the  place  could  not  be  taken  by  surprise. 
Therefore,  the  Indians  turned  back  u-p  the  Yalley  River  to 
Tygart's  Valley,  where  they  fell  upon  settlements  unpre- 
pared for  them. 

Leading  Creek,  in  Randolph  County,  was  then  a  flourish- 
ing colony.  The  people  had  heard  of  the  presence  of 
Indians  in  the  more  western  counties,  and  were  busily  mov- 
ing into  the  fort.  While  thus  engaged,  the  savages  feU 
upon  them  and  nearl}"  destro3'ed  the  whole  settlement. 
Among  those  killed  were  Alexander  Rone}^,  two  women, 
Mrs.  Daugherty  and  Mrs.  Hornbeck,  and  a  family  of  chil- 
dren. They  also  took  several  prisoners,  among  whom  were 
Mrs.  Roney  and  Daniel  Daugherty.  Others  of  the  settle- 
ment made  their  escape,  and  carried  the  news  to  Friend's 
fort.  A  company  of  men  at  once  collected  to  hunt  down 
the  Indians  and  kill  them.  Col.  Wilson  led  the  pursuing 
party.  When  they  reached  Leading  Creek  they  found  the 
settlement  broken  up,  the  people  gone  and  nearly  all  the 
houses  and  barns  burned  to  the  ground.  The  trail  of  the 
Indians  was  soon  found,  and  a  swift  pursuit  was  made. 
The  savages  turned  westward,  and  seemed  to  be  aiming  for 
the  West  Fork  River.  Colonel  Wilson's  party  continued 
upon  their  track  for  some  time,  and  until  the  men  began  to 
grow  fearful  that  other  Indians  might  fall  upon  the  T3'gart's 
Yalley  settlements,  while  thus  deprived  of  so  many  of  its 
men.  Some  wanted  to  go  back,  and  onl}^  a  few  were  very 
anxious  to  continue  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  A  vote  was 
taken  to  decide  whether  or  not  the  party  should  proceed. 
Only  four,  Colonel  Wilson,  Richard  Kittle,  Alexander  West 


JOHN  MINEAK.  65 

ai)d  Joseph  Friend,  voted  to  go  on.  Consequently,  tlie 
"Wliole  party  turned  back. 

But,  the  savages  were  not  to  escape  thus.  The  settle- 
ments on  the  West  Fork,  about  and  above  Clarksburg,  were 
on  the  lookout  for  the  marauders.  Miller,  who  escaped 
when  Minear,  Cooper  and  Cameron  were  killed,  had  fled  to 
Clarksburg,  and  had  alarmed  the  country  so  that  a  close 
lookout  was  kept.  Spies  and  scouts  traversed  the  country 
looking  for  the  enemy.  At  length,  one  of  the  spies  discov- 
ered the  Indians  on  West  Fork,  and  Colonel  William 
Lowther*  collected  a  party  of  men  and  hurried  to  attack 
them.  When  he  got  to  the  place  where  the  Indians  had 
been  seen,  near  the  mouth  of  Isaac's  Creek,  they  were  gone. 
He  followed  after  them,  and  overtook  them  on  Indian  Creek, 
a  branch  of  Hughes'  River,  in  Doddridge  Count}'.  He  came 
in  sight  of  them  awhile  before  night.  It  was  thought  best 
to  wait  till  morning  before  making  the  attack.  Accordingly, 
Elias  and  Jesse  Hughes  were  left  to  watch  the  enem}',  while 
Colonel  Lowther  led  his  men  back  a  short  distance  to  rest 
and  get  ready  to  fall  upon  the  Indians  at  daybreak  in  the 
morning.  Nothing  of  note  occurred  that  night.  The  In- 
dians did  not  discover  their  pursuers. 

When  the  twittering  of  the  birds  announced  that  day 
was  at  hand,  the  whites  began  to  prepare  for  the  fight. 
They  crawled  forward  as  noiselessly  as  panthers,  and  lay 
close  around  the  camp  of  the  enem}*.  As  soon  as  it  was 
light  enough  to  take  aim,  a  general  fire  was  poured  into  the 
midst  of  the  savage  encampment.  Five  fell  dead.  The 
others  leaped  up  and  yelled  and  darted  oft*  into  the  woods, 
leaving  all  their  ammunition,  plunder  and  all  their  guns,  but 
one,  in  the  camp.     The  whites  rushed  forward  to  beat  down 

•  Colonel  William  Lowther  was  a  relative  of  Rev.  O.  Lowther,  well  known  In  Tucker 
County. 


C6  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER   COUNTY. 

those  who  were  trying  to  get  away.  It  was  then  found  that 
one  of  the  whites,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  in  Tj'gart's 
Yalley  and  Avas  in  the  Indian  camp,  was  killed.  He  had 
been  shot  b}"  the  whites  who  made  the  attack.  They  had 
been  very  careful  to  guard  against  such  an  occurrence. 
From  the  prisoners  who  were  retaken,  it  was  learned  that 
a  large  band  of  Indians  were  near,  and  were  expected  to 
come  up  soon.  On  account  of  this.  Colonel  Lovrther 
thought  it  best  not  to  follow  the  fugitive  Indians.  He 
buried  the  prisoner  whom  his  men  had  accidentally  killed, 
and,  with  the  guns  and  plunder  of  the  enemy,  he  returned  to 
the  settlements,  well  satisfied  that  the  Indians  had  not  got- 
ten off  without  something  of  merited  punishment.  The  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  affair  is  from  Withers'  Border  War- 
fare : 

As  soon  as  the  fire  was  oj)8ned  upon  the  Indians,  Mrs.  Roney 
(one  of  tlie  prisoners)  ran  toward  the  whites  rejoicing?  at  the  pros- 
pect of  deliverance,  and  exclaiming  :  "I  am  Ellick  Honey's  wife, 
of  the  Yalley,  I  am  Ellick  Honey's  wife,  of  the  Valley,  and  a  pretty 
little  vv'onian,  too,  if  I  was  well  dressed."  The  poor  woman;  igno- 
rant of  the  fa,ct  that  her  son  was  weltering  in  his  gore,  and  forget- 
ting 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  Daugherty,  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,  stojD- 
ping,  demanded  Avho  he  was.  Benumbed  by  the  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  toward  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, 
Daugherty  exclaimed  :  "Lord  Jasus  I  and  am.  I  to  be  killed  by 
wliite  paple  at  last  ?**  He  was  heard  by  Colonel  Wilson  and  his 
life  saved. 


JOHN  MINEAE.  67 

When  the  news  of  the  massacre  of  Minear  and  his  com- 
panions reached  St.  George,  the  excitement  was  little  less 
than  it  had  been  when  Jonathan  Minear  had  been  killed. 
The  dancfer  in  the  former  case  was  more  imminent  than  in 
the  latter.  But,  the"  blow  was  heavier,  and  was  more  sen- 
sibly felt.  The  loss  of  John  Minear,  in  particnlai-,  was 
irreparable.  He  was  the  central  mind  of  the  colony,  and 
to  him  all  looked  for  advice.  It  was  on  account  of  his  su- 
perior business  qualifications  that  he  was  sent  to  Clarks- 
burg to  attend  to  securing  deeds  for  the  lands. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  at  St.  George  that  he  was  killed, 
the  settlers  from  the  surroundino:  country  collected  and 
proceeded  to  the  Yalley  Eiver  to  bury  the  dead.  The  Avay 
thither  was  not  free  from  danger.  It  was  not  then  known 
Avhere  the  Indians  had  gone,  or  whether  they  had  gone. 
The  settlers  moved  with  the  extremest  caution,  lest  they 
should  fall  into  an  ambuscade.  But,  of  course,  there  was 
no  real  danger  of  this,  because  the  Indians  were  bv  that 
time  on  Leading  Creek,  in  Bandolph  County.  When  the 
scene  of  the  tragedy  was  reached,  Minear,  Cooper  and 
Cameron  were  found  dead  where  they  fell.  It  was  not  a 
time  for  unnecessary  display  at  the  funeral.  It  was  not 
known  at  what  moment  the  Indians  would  be  down  upon 
them,  and  the  funeral  was  as  hasty  and  noiseless  as  possible. 
A  shallow  grave  Avas  dug  on  the  spot,  and  the  three  men 
were  consigned  to  it. 

We  carved  not  a  line  and  we  raiised  not  a  stone, 
But  Ave  left  liini  alone  in  his  o^lory. 

Not  many  years  ago  a  party  of  road-workers  accidentally 
exhumed  the  bones  of  the  men.  A  very  old  man  was  pres- 
ent. He  had  been  personally  acquainted  with  them  and 
identified  them  by  their  teeth.    Two  of  Minear's  front  teeth 


68  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY, 

were  missing  at  the  time  of  his  death.  So  were  they  in  one 
of  the  skulls.  Cameron  used  tobacco,  and  his  teeth  being 
worn,  it  was  easy  to  tell  which  skull  belonged  to  him.  A 
peculiarity  of  teeth  also  distinguished  Cooper.  The  bones 
were  re-interred  near  b}^  in  a  better  grave.* 

This  was  the  last  time  the  Indians  ever  invaded  Tucker 
Count}',  so  far  as  is  now  known.  The  war  against  the  In- 
dians in  this  part  lasted  only  about  seven  years,  from  1774 
to  1781.  It  raged  nearly  fifteen  years  longer  about  Clarks- 
burg, Wheeling,  and  along  the  Ohio.  But  St.  George  was 
too  far  removed  from  the  frontier  to  be  open  to  attacks  from 
the  Indians. 

*  Conquest  of  tlie  Ohio  Valley,  by  Hu  MaxwelL 


CHAPTER   III. 

MIS  CEL  LANl  ES. 

The  clwelling-liouses  of  the  first  settlers  of  Tucker  County 
differed  somewhat  from  those  of  the  present  day.  The 
Lardy  pioneers  pushed  into  the  wilderness  with  little  of 
this  world's  goods.  But,  they  possessed  that  greatest  of 
fortunes,  health,  strength  and  honesty.  They  were  poor; 
but  the  Czars  of  Kussia  or  the  Chams  of  Tartary,  in  their 
crystal  palaces,  were  not  richer.  In  that  time,  manners 
were  not  as  they  are  now.  Necessities  were  plentiful  and 
luxuries  were  unknown,  except  such  luxuries  as  nature 
bestowed  gratuitously  upon  them. 

To  better  their  conditions,  the  people  who  came  to 
Tucker  had  sold  or  left  what  possessions  they  may  have  had 
in  the  more  thickly  settled  communities,  and  had  plunged 
boldly  into  the  wilderness  to  claim  the  rich  gifts  which  an 
all-bountiful  nature  w^as  offering  to  those  who  w^ould  reach 
forth  their  hands  and  take.  Besides,  there  was  something 
in  the  wild,  free,  unfettered  life  of  the  forest  that  was  allur- 
ing to  the  restless  spirits  that  breathed  liberty  from  the 
air  about  them.  The  ties  of  society  and  the  comforts  of 
opulence  were  willingly  exchanged  for  it. 

The  appearance  and  condition  of  the  county  when  first 
visited  by  white  men  has  been  told  in  the  first  chapter.  It 
was  an  unbroken  forest.  When  those  back-woodsmen  left 
their  home?  in  the  more  eastern  settlements  for  Tucker, 
they  did  not  have  any  roads  over  which  to  travel,  nor  any 
carts  and  wagons  to  haul  their   things  on.     They   loaded 


70  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

tlieir  plunder  on  pack-horses.  They  had  not  a  great 
variety  of  wares  to  move.  A  few  wooden  or  pewter  utensils, 
a  kettle,  a  jug  or  two,  and  a  bottle,  a  scanty  outfit  of  car- 
penter and  cooper  tools,  and  a  little  homespun  clothing 
formed  about  all  that  the  emigrant  of  that  day  carried  with 
him,  as  he  followed  the  star  of  empire  Avestward.  If  he 
had  a  cow  or  two,  and  a  calf,  they  were  driven  along  before 
the  pack-horses,  and  cropped  weeds  and  leaves  from  the 
woods  for  a  living  during  the  journey.  Indeed,  the  cattle 
lived  upon  this  kind  of  feed  principally  for  twenty-five 
years  after  reaching  Cheat  River.  If  the  emigrant  had 
children,  and  there  usually  were  six  or  eight,  the}'  were  got- 
ten along  in  the  best  available  manner.  If  one  was  quite 
small,  its  mother  carried  it  in  her  arms ;  if  a  size  larger,  it 
with  its  older  brother  was  placed  on  a  pack-horse.  Some- 
times two  baskets,  tied  together  like  saddle-pockets,  were 
slung  across  the  horse's  bony  back.  Then  a  child  was 
stowed  awa}^  in  each  basket,  so  they  would  balance.  Bed- 
clothes, iron-kettles,  dough-trays  and  other  household 
articles  were  stuffed  around  the  edges  to  hold  the  little 
urchins  steady.  Thus  loaded  with  packs  and  plunder,  the 
procession  moved  on,  the  larger  children  taking  it  afoot  to 
drive  the  cattle,  lead  the  horses  and  make  themselves  useful 
generally.  The  road,  if  any  at  all,  was  narrow  and  rough  ; 
and  the  horses  frequently  scraiied  their  loads  off  against 
overhanging  trees;  or  perchance  they  lost  tlieir  footing 
among  the  steep  rocks,  and  fell  floundering  to  the  ground. 
In  either  case  their  loads  of  plunder,  kettles,  children  and 
all  Avent  rolling,  tumbling,  rattling  and  laughing  into  the 
woods,  creating  a  scene  of  ludicrous  merriment: 

At  night,  when  it  was  necessary  to  halt,  the  horses  were 
unloaded  and  turned  loose  to  crop  a  supper  in  the  woods, 


MISCELLANIES.  71 

first  having  had  bells  put  on  them  by  which  they  might  be 
found  should  they  stroll  away.  Then  with  flint  and  steel 
a  fire  was  kindled,  and  the  movers  fell  to  cooking  their 
evening  meal,  consisting  of  bear's  meat,  venison  and  corn 
bread,  if  any  bread  at  all.  The  meat  was  roasted  on  coals, 
or  on  a  stick  held  to  the  fire.  The  bread  was  usually  baked 
in  an  oven  or  skillet,  which  invariably  had  a  piece  broken 
out  of  it.''*  The  wheaten  bread  was  often  baked  in  the  ashes, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  excellent.  The  beds  of  that  time, 
while  traveling,  were  blankets  and  bear  skins  spread  on  the 
ground.  They  slept  without  a  shelter,  unless  it  threatened 
to  rain.  In  that  case,  a  rude  shed  was  built  of  bark.  In 
the  morning  bright  and  early  they  were  up  and  on  their 
way  rejoicing,  singing,  laughing,  joking  and  making  their 
pilgrimage  glad  and  merry  as  they  went. 

When  they  arrived  at  their  place  of  destination,  their 
first  care  was  to  build  a  house.  This  was  done  with  the 
material  at  hand.  The  head  of  the  familv  v/itli  two  or 
three  of  his  oldest  boys,  some  of  the  neighbors,  if  any, 
with  sharp  axes  and  TN-illing  hands,  went  into  the  work. 
Logs  were  cut  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  feet  long.  Some- 
times the  logs  were  hewn,  but  generally  not.  The  ends 
were  notched  to  tit  one  upon  another ;  and  the  house  was 
commonly  one  story  high,  but  sometimes  two,  with  a  regular 
upstairs.  The  roof  was  of  shingles  four  or  five  feet  long, 
split  from  oak  or  chestnut,  and  unshaved.  They  were  called 
clapboards.  They  were  laid  upon  the  lath  and  rafters  so 
as  to  be  water  tight,  and  were  held  to  their  place  by  logs 
thrown  across  them.     No  nails  were  used. 

It  was  the  custom  at  that  time  to  build  the  chimney's  on 
the  inside  of  the  house.     While  the  house  was  building,  an 

•  Flnley. 


72  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

extra  log  was  tlirowu  across  some  six  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  three  feet  from  the  end  of  the  house.     From  this  log  to 
the  roof,  the  line  was  of  sticks  and  mortar.     The  fire  was 
directly  beneath,  and  tlie  smoke  and  sparks  thus  escaped 
through  the  wide  opening  of  the  chimney.     Wood  ten  feet 
long  could  be  throAvn   on  the  fire,  and,  when  burnt  off  in 
the  middle,  the  pieces  Avere  shoved  together.     The  floors 
were  of  thick,  rough  wooden  slabs;  or  often  the  ground 
w^as  the  floor.    James  Golf,  although  one  of  the  richest  men 
in  the  county,  had  a  house  with  a  ground  floor.    There  were 
no  windows.     Small  apertures  through  the  wall  served  the 
double  purpose  of  letting  in  the  light  and  furnishing  means 
of  shooting  at  Indians  when  they  should  come  near.    There 
was  seldom  more  than  one  door.     It  was  made  of  heavy 
upright  slabs,    held    together   by   transverse   pieces.     The 
whole  was  so  thick  that  it  was  bullet-proof,  or  nearly  so. 
In  times  of  danger,  it  was  secured  by  stout  bars,  fastened 
to  the  wall  by  iron  staples  on  either  side.     The  furniture  of 
these  normal  dwellings  was  simple  and  sufficient.    The  beds 
were  made  of  skins  from  forest  animals,  or  of  ticks  filled 
with  grass  or  straw.     The  bedsteads  were  rude  frames,  con- 
sisting  of    forks  driven  into   the    ground   and   poles   laid 
across ;  or  the  bedding  was   on  the   ground  or   floor.     An 
iron  ]:)ot,  the  broken  oven,  a  few  wooden  or  pewter  plates 
and   cups,  half  dozen  stools,  a  rough   slal)   on  pegs  for  a 
table,  a  shelf  in  the  corner  for  a  cupboard  and  pantry,  and 
the  furniture  was  complete. 

AVlien  the  first  people  came  to  Tucker,  they  had  not  the 
means  of  procuring  fine  clothes,  and  in  consequence,  their 
raiment  was  just  such  as  they  could  get  the  easiest.  Boots, 
were  not  to  be  had,  and  they  wore  moccasins.  Their  under- 
clothing was  of  linen,  at  times  of  calico.     Their  outer  gar- 


MISCELLANIES.  73 

ments  were  of  liusey  or  of  leather.  The  men  nearly  always 
wore  leather  breeches,  and  coats  called  hunting  shirts. 
These  coats  were  in  fashion  like  the  blue  overcoats  worn  by 
the  Union  soldiers  during  the  war.  The  edges  and  facing 
were  decorated  with  a  fringe,  made  by  cutting  the  border 
into  fine  strings,  leaving  them  hanging  fast  to  the  coat. 
They  were  frequently  stained  red,  blue  or  some  other  color. 
A  row  of  similar  fringes  extended  from  the  top  to  the  bot- 
tom of  each  leggin.  The  fastenings  were  either  leather 
strings  or  big  leaden  buttons  of  home  manufacture. 

The  moccasins  were  like  those  worn  by  the  Indians,  cut 
in  one  piece  and  closed  by  a  seam  on  top.  They  had  long 
flaps  to  the  top,  which  were  wound  about  the  upper  foot 
and  ankle  to  keep  out  the  briers  of  summer  and  the  snow  of 
winter.  Those  moccasins  were  a  poor  protection  to  the 
feet  in  wet  weather.  They  were  made  of  deer  skin,  and 
were  flimsy  and  porous.  In  wet  weather  the  feet  of  the 
wearer  were  constantly  soaked.  From  that  cause,  the 
early  settlers  were  su^bject  to  rheumatism,  which  was  about 
their  only  disease.  To  dry  their  feet  at  night  was  their 
first  care.  Their  moccasins  were  often  decorated  with 
fringes  to  match  their  other  clothing.  Stockings  were  sel- 
dom worn  in  the  earliest  times.  Frequently,  as  a  substi- 
tute for  stockings,  leaves  Avere  stuifed  in  the  moccasins. 

In  winter,  the  people  wore  gloves,  made  of  dressed  deer 
skin,  and  decorated  with  a  fringe  of  mink  or  weasel  fur.  In 
summer,  no  gloves  were  worn.  The  head-gear  was  a  fur 
cap,  made  from  the  skin  of  a  raccoon,  otter  or  fox,  with  the 
Lair-side  out.     The  tail  of  a  fox  hung  behind  like  a  tassel. 

The  women  dressed  then  as  now,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  bales  of  ribbon,  a  dozen  hanks  of  superfluous  lace,  a 
yard  of  bonnet,  and  some  other  paraphernalia,  best  left  un- 


74  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

mentioned.  But,  instead  of  alj^aca  and  the  finer  cloths, 
the  texture  of  their  dresses  was  deer  skin.  Their  other 
raiment  was  also  deer  skin,  but  sometimes  rough  woolen 
cloth,  or  tow  linen,  or  at  rare  times  cotton,  was  made  a  sub- 
stitute. The  children  dressed  as  their  parents.  The  men 
cropped  their  hair  and  shaved  their  beo.rd  about  three  times 
a  year. 

It  might  be  asked  what  the  early  settlers  in  Tucker 
could  find  to  eat  before  an3'thing  was  raised.  The}^  were 
not  here  long  before  the}'  raised  enough  corn  for  bread,  and 
some  potatoes,  cabbage  and  other  vegetables.  They  had 
an  easier  time  than  many  of  the  other  colonies  in  West 
Yirginia.  A  mill  was  built  at  St.  George  in  1776."  This 
provided  a  means  of  getting  the  corn  ground,  and  was  an 
advantage  not  enjoyed  by  many  early  settlers.  Often  at 
that  time  the  people  had  to  go  thirty  or  fort}^  miles  through 
the  woods  to  mill;  and,  as  this  was  such  a  hard  under- 
taking, many  preferred  to  do  without  bread,  and  eat  hominy. 
Hominy  was  made  by  pounding  corn  just  enough  to  mash 
the  hulls  ofi\  Or,  it  was  soaked  in  lye  for  the  same  purpose. 
Then  it  was  cooked  and  eaten. 

The  settlers  frequentl}^  ran  short  of  bread.  In  that  case 
they  lived  on  meat.     Fortunately^,  meat  was  always  plenti- 

*  There  was  long  a  question  as  to  wliere  the  mill  stood.  An  old  work,  having  the 
appearance  of  a  mill-race,  passes  through  the  school-house  lot  in  the  town,  and  It 
was  said  that  the  mill  was  just  below  where  the  school-house  stands.  But  this  was 
disputed,  and  what  was  said  by  some  to  be  an  old  mill-race,  was  claimed  hy  others  to 
be  only  an  ancient  channel  of  the  creelc.  Thus  the  matter  was  unsettled  for  seventy- 
Jive  years,  and  was  well  nigh  forgotten.  But,  in  1875,  a  tremendous  flood  came  down 
Mill  Run  and  cleaned  out  a  great  bar  of  gravel  that  had  accumulated  in  the  creelc 
ford.  When  the  water  had  subsided,  the  timbers  of  the  old  dam  were  laid  open  to 
view.  The  gravel  had  been  washed  off  of  tliem.  This  settled  the  question  that  the 
trench  througli  the  school-house  lot  was  indeed  the  mill-race.  The  old  timbers  of  the 
dam  are  still  to  be  seen  protruding  from  the  gravel  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek.  One 
hundred  and  eight  years  have  had  but  little  influence  in  causing  them  to  decay,  and 
they  seem  as  solid,  and  the  ax-marks  are  as  plainly  to  be  seen  as  when  thej'  had  beea 
there  only  a  year  or  two.  They  are  white  oak,  hewn  square,  and  may  be  seen  where 
the  road  leaves  the  water  and  passes  up  the  eastern  bank  of  Mill  Kun. 


MISCELK^^IES.  75 

fill,  and  might  be  liaci  for  tlie  trouble  of  killing.  Bear  meat 
and  venison  were  the  chief  dependence.  It  is  a  common 
saying  among  old  j)eople  that  the  flesh  of  the  bear  was 
the  bread,  and  venison  was  the  meat.  The  venison 
was  often  cut  into  slices  and  dried.  It  would  then  keep 
well  several  months.  Buffaloes  were  found  in  the  earliest 
years  of  the  St.  George  colony.  But,  they  never  were  as 
plentiful  as  they  were  along  the  Ohio  River,  and  about 
Charleston,  Clarksburg  and  Buckhannon.  Smaller  game, 
such  as  raccoons,  rabbits,  pheasants  and  turkej's  were,  of 
course,  plentiful.  Salt  was  not  often  to  be  had,  and  it  was 
thought  no  hardship  to  do  without  it.  It  cost  a  dollar  a 
peck,  and  had  to  be  carried  seventy-five  or  one  hundred 
miles.  Besides,  the  dollar  was  not  always  at  hand.  Coffee 
and  tea  were  unknown.  Whiskey  and  brandy  were  in 
nearly  every  house. 

Much  is  said  of  the  quantities  of  intoxicating  liquors  that 
were  drunk  in  early  times,  and  of  the  scarcity  of  drunkards. 
This  is  a  good  subject  for  theories  and  speculations  that 
would  be  out  of  place  in  a  county  history.  Besides, 
Tucker  County  is  not  and  never  was  a  land  of  drunkards. 
Many  of  the  people,  let  it  be  said  to  their  praise  and  honor, 
have  littlpy  idea  of  what  a  whiskey  saloon  is.  The  climate, 
habits  and  surroundings  of  the  people  are  not  such  as  pro- 
duce drunkards.  They  work  too  hard,  there  are  too  few 
places  for  idle  men  to  associate  together. 

It  is  hard  to  point  out  any  particular  harm  in  wliiske^^  as 
long  as  it  is  used  in  its  right  place ;  although  it  is  equally 
hard  to  tell  what  good  there  is  in  it.  In  earl}'  days,  when 
whiskey  and  brandy  were  in  every  house,  men  seldom  got 
drunk,  because  they  always  had  their  liquor  at  hand,  and 


76  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

there  was  no  excitement  or  novelty  to  lead  tliem  to  excess, 
in  wliicli  alone  there  is  harm. 

If  half  the  creeks  and.  springs  of  the  county  flowed  apple 
brandy  instead  of  water,  they  could  not  do  the  harm  of 
twenty  grog  shops  scattered  over  the  count3\  It  is  not  the 
taste  of  the  liquor  that  so  much  intices  men  as  it  is  the 
debauched  pleasure  which  they  feel  in  co-mingling  Tvdth 
idlers.  A  man  hardly  ever  gets  drunk  at  home.  The  most 
effectual  means  of  redeeming  drunkards  is  to  induce  them 
to  stay  at  home,  and  away  from  the  places  where  men 
associate  only  with  men.  But,  of  this  there  is  little  need  in 
Tucker  County.  Although  it  is  one  of  the  smallest  in  West 
Virginia,  it  is  yet  the  most  temperate.  No  county  can 
claim  pre-eminence  in  that  respect  over  Tucker  County. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  say  something  of  the  arms  used 
by  the  earl}^  colonists  on  Cheat  River.  The  main  depend- 
ence was  the  rifle.  It  was  the  surest  means  of  defense  and 
the  most  useful  weapon.  It  furnished  the  settler  with  game 
and  was  a  guard  against  the  Indians.  The  rifle  was  a  flint- 
lock, muzzle-loader.  In  addition  to  the  rifle,  a  tomahawk 
and  a  knife  were  usually  carried.  These  were  about  all  the 
implements  of  war  used  in  the  early  settlement  of  the 
country.  Pistols  were  seldom  used.  The  Indians  used  the 
same  kind  of  arms  that  the  white  people  used.  But  an  In- 
dian could  not  shoot  as  well,  because  Indians  can  not  do 
anything  as  Avell  as  a  white  man  can.  The}-  could  not  keep 
their  guns  in  order,  and  they  did  not  even  have  skill  enough 
to  take  their  guns  apart  and  clean  them  properly. 

During  the  first  years  of  the  county,  there  were  no 
churches.  Religious  meetings  were  held  in  private  houses. 
Once  in  a  while,  a  minister  visited  the  settlements  and  held 
a  meeting;  but,  such   meetings  were   not   frequent.     The 


MISCELLANIES.  77 

usual  order  was  for  some  pious  man  to  be  cliosen  as  class- 
leader  ;  and  all  tlie  other  people  wlio  pretended  to  be 
religious  would  join  in  the  exercise  and  help.  Such  meet- 
ings were  generally  held  in  each  settlement  once  a  month. 
The  settlers,  for  ten  miles  on  every  side,  would  come 
together  with  devotional  zeal,  and  sing  and  pray  and  exhort 
each  other  to  live  and  work  faithfully  in  the  cause  of  the 
church,  and  against  wickedness  and  sin. 

No  wagons  or  carriages  were  used.  The  people,  who 
went  to  church,  either  rode  on  horseback  or  walked.  They 
oftenest  walked.  Early  on  Sunday  morning,  especially  in 
the  spring  and  summer,  the  people  from  the  forest  cabins 
might  be  seen  wending  their  way  along  the  narrow  roads 
toward  the  place  appointed  for  the  service.  If  the  weather 
was  fine,  they  went  on  foot.  If  they  went  on  foot,  they 
generally  walked  barefooted,  carrying  their  moccasins  in 
their  hands.  This  was  because  they  did  not  want  to  wear 
their  shoes  out  with  so  much  walking.  A  few  ten-mile 
trips  would  put  through  a  pair  of  moccasins ;  while  the 
barefeet  were  not  at  all  injured  by  the  walk.  No  doubt, 
the  pioneers  enjoyed  their  Sunday  pilgrimage  to  church. 
Young  men  and  young  lasses,  who  went  the  same  road, 
found  each  other's  company  as  agreeable  then  as  young 
folks  do  now.  They  passed  the  time  talking  and  singing 
until  they  came  in  sight  of  the  meeting-house,  when  they 
stopped  to  put  on  their  shoes. 

The  religious  exercises  of  that  day  would  look  ridiculous 
to  a  city  church  member  of  the  present  time.  But,  *'the 
groves  were  God's  first  temples,"  as  it  is  said ;  and,  before 
all  temples,  He  doth  "  prefer  the  upright  heart  and  pure,'* 
as  Milton  believed.  So  we  must  not  judge  others,  nor  pre- 
scribe forms  and  bounds  for  the  manifestation  of    sacred 


78  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

devotion  ;  yet  we  may  believe  that,  before  Him  wlio  know- 
etli  tlie  secrets  of  all  hearts,  and  who  rewarded  not  him 
who  prayed  aloud  in  the  s^^nagogue  for  form's  sake,  the 
rude  pioneers,  in  their  sincerity  and  simplicity,  were  as  ac- 
ceptable as  those  are  who  kneel  on  velvet  cushions  and  read 
pra^'ers  from  Latin  books.  At  any  rate,  we  are  not  to  rid- 
icule the  unlettered  pioneers  of  the  last  centur3^  They 
worshiped  as  the}^  thought  best,  and  as  best  they  could. 
The  rude  log  hut,  where  a  dozen  were  met  together  to  wor- 
ship God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  was 
as  sacred  before  Him  as  is  St.  Paul's  or  St,  Peter's.  If  not, 
then  religion  is  a  fraud. 

There  ^yere  no  schools  in  the  earliest  years  of  Tucker 
County.  But  as  soon  as  the  people  were  firmly  settled,  and 
could  take  their  minds,  for  a  moment,  from  the  struggle  for 
existence,  the  subject  of  education  began  to  be  agitated. 
At  that  time  and  in  the  remote  frontiers,  there  was  no  pub- 
lic money  for  school  purposes.  Such  schools  as  coidd  be 
had  were  paid  for  from  private  pockets.  The  teachers,  as 
might  be  supposed,  were  qualified  to  teach  only  the  easiest 
branches.  Arithmetic  to  decimal  fractions,  the  spelling- 
book,  the  Testament  for  a  reader,  and  the  course  of  stud}' 
was  complete.  No  grammar,  geography,  or  history  was 
thouQ;ht  of.  The  teachers  could  not  instruct  in  such  diffi- 
cult  branches.  The  majority  of  the  schoolmasters  of  that 
time  did  not  believe  that  the  earth  was  round.  They  usu- 
ally taught  writing.  They  set  copies  for  the  pupils  to 
follow.  The}'  had  no  system  of  penmanship.  When  an 
apt  scholar  learned  to  write  as  well  as  the  teacher,  he  was 
regarded  perfect.  However,  this  was  seldom  the  case.  The 
people  held  a  schoolmaster  in  sacli  esteem  that  they  con- 


MISCELLANIES.  79 

siderecl  it  next  to  impossible  for  pupils  to  learn  to  write  as 
well  as  lie ;  and  tliere  was  always  room  for  a  little  more  im- 
provement. Tliis  manner  of  learning  to  write  would  be 
regarded  somewhat  antediluvian  were  it  to  be  revived  now  ; 
but  the  truth  cannot  be  denied  that  those  who  were  in- 
structed in  penmanship  by  following  written  copies  wrote  as 
well  as  those  do  now,  who  spend  live  3'ears  on  Spencer's, 
Scribner's  and  the  Eclectic  printed  plates. 

Educational  science  has  made  wonderful  strides  forv>'ard 
during  the  last  hunderd.  years ;  and  it  is  probable  that  no 
department  of  it  will  ever  go  back  to  what  it  was  then. 
But,  in  a  few  ]:)articulars,  the  systems  of  the  present  day 
fail  where  those  of  earlier  times  succeeded.  If  the  school 
children  of  to-day  should  attend  school  no  more  months 
than  they  did  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  receive  the  man- 
ner of  instruction  that  they  now  get,  at  the  end  of  their 
school  life  they  v^'ould  not  be  as  well  prepared  for  business 
as  those  of  that  time  were.  Of  course,  in  a  general  sense, 
the  educational  systems  of  to-day  are  in  advance  of  those 
one  hundred  years  ago;  but,  in  the  particular  subjects  of 
writing,  reading  and  spelling,  the  old  plan  accomplished  the 
most  in  a  limited  time.  The  child  of  the  present  time  goes 
to  school  nep.rlv  ten  times  as  much  as  those  did  of  a  century 
ago;  yet,  is  the  child  of  to-day  ten  times  as  well  educated? 
The  great  contention  among  modern  educators  is  to  find  the 
natural  method  of  imparting  instruction.  ^vVhen  one  looks 
at  the  A.  B.  C.  charts,  costing  ten  or  twenty  dollars,  over 
which  the  child  pores  for  four  or  five  months,  varying  the 
exercise  by  drawing  pictures  of  boxes,  flower-pots,  bugs  and 
birds,  and  similar  tomfoolery,  it  is  almost  time  to  stop  to 
ask  if  it  is  not  possible  to  lose  sight  altogether  of  the  so- 
called  natural  method  of  imparting  instruction,  and  wander 


80  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

off  with  tliose  who  spend  their  time  and  talents  in  telling  or 
listening  to  something  new. 

The  child  probably  learns  as  much  by  the  time  it  is  three 
years  old — that  is,  learns  as  many  things — as  it  does  during 
any  ten  years  of  its  after  life.  It  has  learned  everything 
that  it  knows  at  three.  It  has  learned  to  talk  one  language, 
and  knows  by  sight  several  thousand  things,  and  by  name 
several  hundred.  All  this  was  taught  it  by  natural  methods ; 
because  it  was  too  young  for  artificial  plans  to  be  em]:)loyed. 
But,  from  that  time  on,  its  education  is  more  and  more  ar- 
tificial, and  is  less  and  less  rapidly  acquired.  Old  theories, 
customs  and  plans  must  give  way  to  the  new,  and  it  is  right 
that  it  should  be  so ;  but  it  is  meet  that  the  new  should  be 
so  constructed  as  to  include  all  the  good  that  there  was  in 
the  old  and  something  beside. 

In  early  times,  above  and  below  St.  George,  the  young 
people  were  accustomed  to  meet  together  on  Sundays  and 
have  singing-school.  The  exercise  had  something  of  a  re- 
ligious nature,  inasmuch  as  noi^  but  sacred  songs  were 
sung.  It  might  be  compared  to  a  Sunday-school,  except 
that  no  instruction  in  the  Testament  or  catechism  was 
given.  The  young  folks  met  for  the  purpose  of  having  a 
moral  and  social  time,  injurious  to  none,  and  pleasant  to  all. 
Much  of  these  societies  is  remembered  by  the  oldest  inhab- 
itants of  the  county;  and,  from  all  accounts,  the  exercises 
must  have  exerted  a  good  influence  over  the  community. 
Indeed,  the  singing-school  is  not  yet  a  thing  of  the  past, 
although  it  has  changed  some,  probably  for  the  better. 

Incidentally  connected  v»ith  the  singing-schools,  about 
the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  there  was  a  ro- 
mance that  at  the  time  was  the  subject  of  much  talk  along 
the  river,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  county.     It  also  gives  us 


MISCELLANIES.  81 

an  idea  of  tlie  sjnrit  of  the  time,  and  liovv^  the  people  then 
compare  with  those  of  tlie  present  time. 

It  seems  that  Manassa  Minear,  son  of  David  ^linear,  and 
brother  to  Enoch  Minear,  of  St.  George,  and  to  Mrs.  Dr. 
Bonnifield,  of  Horse  Shoe  Run,  had  formed  an  attachment 
for  Miss  Lyda  Holbert,  a  beautiful  girl,  who  lived  on  the 
bank  of  Holbert  Eun,  four  miles  east  of  St.  George.  A 
match  between  the  young  people  was  in  no  manner  ol)jec- 
tionable  to  the  Minears,  onl}^  that  Manassa  was  so  3-oung. 
He  v/as  but  eighteen ;  and  Miss  Holbert  was  sixteen. 

Manassa  fell  into  the  habit  of  visiting  his  affianced  rather 
oftener  than  his  father  thought  necessary;  and,  the  result 
was  a  rumpus  in  the  Minear  family,  and  Manassa  was  told 
to  go  a  little  less  frequently.  This  did  not  discourage  the 
young  man  in  the  least.  The  next  Sunday  there  was  sing- 
ing-school in  the  Horse  Shoe,  and  all  the  youngsters  for 
miles  around  vrent  as  usual.  Manassa  and  Lyda  were  there, 
and  between  them  they  made  it  up  that  he  Avas  to  accom- 
pany her  home.  His  brothers  and  sisters  tried  hard  to 
persuade  him  not  to  go,  as  the  old  gentleman  would  cer- 
tainly grumble.  But,  Manassa  said,  let  him  grumble,  and 
went  ahead.  Lyda  also  said,  let  him  grumble,  and  they 
two  went  off  together,  in  company  with  tlie  other  young 
people  who  went  that  Ava}'.  But,  the  rest  of  the  Minears 
returned  to  St.  George  and  reported  what  had  taken  place. 
Mr.  Minear  was  much  put  out  of  humor,  and  after  studying 
over  the  matter  two  or  three  hours,  he  decided  to  go  in 
person  and  settle  the  matter. 

Manassa  and  Lvda  enioved  the  line  walk  from  the  Horse 
Shoe  to  Holbert  Bun,  about  two  miles.  Tliev  had  crossed 
the  river  at  the  Willow  Point  in  a  canoe ;  and,  thence  home, 
tlie  path  was  a  pleasant  one.     It  la}*  across  the  wide  bottom 

6 


82  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

from  tlie  river  to  Low  Gap,  tlien  all  woods ;  and  from  tlie 
Low  Gap  home  was  about  a  mile,  and  this,  too,  was  nearly 
all  woods.  No  doubt,  the  walk  of  two  miles  on  that  fine 
June  morning  was  a  short  one  to  them. 

Tradition  does  not  inform  us  how  the  day,  from  noon  till 
eyening  was  passed  at  the  Holbert  cabin ;  but  circumstan- 
ces justilj  us  in  supposing  that  all  went  merry  and  well. 
It  could  not  haye  been  otherwise ;  for,  Manassa  and  Lyda 
could  not  quarrel,  and  the  old  folks  were  glad  to  haye  Ma- 
nassa yisit  their  daughter,  for  he  belonged  to  one  of  the  first 
families  of  the  county  and  was,  iildeed,  a  promising  young 
man.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  was  there  yet  when  the  sun  was 
just  sinking  behind  Jonathan  Point.  He  and  Lj'da  were 
sitting  alone  in  the  yard,  under  a  young  walnut  tree.  The 
dead  frame  of  this  tree  still  stands,  although  it  is  a  big  one 
now,  It  might  still  be  living  but  for  a  slight  accident  that 
happened  it  some  seventeen  years  ago.  Two  boys,  Henr}' 
Bonnifield,  now  of  California,  and  AVilson  Maxwell,  of  St. 
George,  both  little  fellows  then,  tried  to  catch  a  red  squir- 
rel that  was  on  the  fence  by  the  tree.  Wilson  had  a  hoe 
handle  (they  had  been  hoein^f  corn  in  a  field  hard  by)  and 
was  trying  his  best  to  knock  the  squirrel  as  high  as  the 
PjTamids  of  Egypt.  But,  while  going  through  gestures, 
and  swinging  the  hoe-handle  to  give  it  all  the  force  possi- 
ble, he  skinned  his  knuckles  on  the  old  walnut  tree.  This 
made  him  mad,  and  with  an  ax,  which  lay  near,  he  dead- 
ened the  tree,  and  it  died.  The  squirrel,  in  the  meantime, 
c^ot  away. 

The  sun  was  just  setting;  and,  no  doubt,  the  world  looked 
beautiful  to  Manassa  and  Lvda  as  they  sat  under  that  lit- 
tie  walnut  tree,  with  none  near  enough  to  hear  what  they 
might  say.     The  whole  day  had  been  pleasant;  and,  now  so 


MISCELLANIES.    •  83 

fair  an  evening  to  terminate  all,  was  truly  deliglitful.     But, 
it  was  not  to  be   so.     The  evening   which   now   looked   so 
beautiful  to  the  3'oung  couple,  soon  appeared  to  them  the 
ugliest  they  had  ever  seen.     For,  presently  foot  steps   were 
heard  approaching,  and  when  Manassa  and  L^da  looked  up 
they  saw  the  massive  frame  of  David  Minear  coming  up. 
Manassa's  heart  sank  within  him ;  for,  he  knew  what  was  at 
hand.     Lyda   also  looked   scared.     But,   they   said   not   a 
word,  and  the  old  gentleman  walked  boldly  up  and  com- 
menced flourishing  a  hickory'  withe,  and  uttered  words  to 
the  effect  that  he  wanted  the  young  man  home  early  enough 
Monday  morning  to  go  to  hoeing  potatoes  when  the  other 
boys  did.     Manassa  making  no  movement  toward  starting, 
the  old  gentleman  with  still  more  emphasis  ordered  him  to 
"skedaddle   for   home."     He   realized   his   situation ;    and 
casting  toward  Lyda  one  look,  which  seemed  to  say,  good- 
bye, for  the  present,  and  receiving  one  of  sympathy  from 
her,  he  bounded  oft' down  the  hill,  with  the  old  gentleman  at 
his  heels  wolloping  him  with  the  withe  every   jump.     Poor 
L^'da  felt  for  Manassa,  but  she  could  not  reach  him.     She 
saw  him  dodging  this    way   and   that    way   to    escape   the 
thrashinfjf,  and  saw  him  bound  with  extra  buovancv  when- 
ever  an  extra  swoop  fell  upon  his  shoulders.     She  also  heard 
some  of  the  words   which  the    old   gentleman    spoke,    and 
they  fell  heavily  upon  her;  for,  he  was  telling  Manassa  that 
just  as  many  jumps  as  it  took  him  to  get  home,   that  many 
weeks  it  would  be  before  he  should  come  back.     The  young 
man  apparently  realized  the  force  of  the  argument,  and  was 
trying  to  get  to  St.  George  with  as  few  jumps  as  possible. 
Indeed,  it  looked  to  Lyda  that  he  was  going  ten  rods  at  a 
bound.     All  the  while,  the  hickory  was    falling    across    his 
back  with  amazing  rapidity.     The  scene  vas  of  short  dura- 


84  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE   COUNTY. 

tion ;  for,  while  she  was  still  silently  sitting  under  the  tree 
and  looking  toward  them,  they  disappeared  in  the  thicket, 
and,  after  a  little  ripping  and  tearing  through  the  brush,  all 
was  still. 

The  scenes  and  conversations  that  followed  at  the  Hol- 
bert  cabin,  as  well  as  at  Minear's,  we  can  only  imagine. 
But,  the  result  of  the  whole  affair  might  plainly  have  been 
foreseen.  Thrashing  the  }■  oung  man  is  not  the  proper  w^ay 
to  break  him  from  waiting  upon  the  girl  of  his  choice.  So 
it  proved  in  this  case.  Manassa  resolved  to  marry  the  fair 
young  L^^Ia,  no  matter  who  should  oppose.  She  was  as 
full}^  resolved  to  brave  all  opposition  in  her  attachment  for 
him.  When  two  young  people  arrive  at  this  conclusion,  it 
is  useless  for  relatives  or  aiiv  one  else  to  interfere.  Such 
opposition  may  delay  but  cannot  prevent  the  final  consum- 
mation of  the  lovers'  plans.  In  this  case,  however,  the 
Holbert  famil}'  did  all  they  could  to  assist  the  young  couple, 
so  the  opposition  was  all  on  one  side. 

Manassa  and  L3Tla  laid  ]:!lans  to  elope  and  get  married. 
But  David  Minear  kneAv  nothing  of  it.  He  supposed  that 
the  thrashing  had  broken  up  the  affair,  and  that  Manassa 
would  juu'siie  his  foolish  course  no  further. 

It  was  again  on  Sunday,  and  the  young  people  of  St. 
George  started  to  the  singing-school  in  the  Horse  Shoe. 
Manassa  Minear  started  with  the  others  ;  but  he  had  no 
intention  of  the  singing.  It  was  now  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 
His  course  of  love,  since  it  had  been  interrupted  on  that 
summer  evening,  had  not  run  as  smoothly  as  a  poetical 
river.  However,  he  had  manaofed  to  see  Lvda  in  the  mean- 
time,  and  had  arranged  it  with  her  and  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily that  she  should  elope  with  him  at  any  time  he  should 
call  for  her. 


MISCELLANIES.  85 

On  tliat  morning,  instead  of  crossing  the  river  at  tlie 
Horse  Shoe  Ford,  as  he  should  have  done  to  have  gone  to 
the  singing,  he  continued  up  the  north  bank,  unobserved  by 
his  companions,  who  were  some  distance  ahead  of  him.  He 
was  on  horseback  this  time.  He  went  directlv  to  Holbert's 
and  told  Ljda  to  get  on  the  horse  behind  him,  and  not  to 
loose  much  time.  He  explained  the  nature  of  the  case. 
She  was  a  brave  girl,  and  did  not  waste  a  moment  in  getting 
ready.  Her  brother  caught  the  only  horse  belonging  to  the 
family,  and  vras  ready  to  accompany  them.  Lyda  got  on 
behind  Manassa,  and  they  were  off  for  Maryland.  It  was 
not  yet  noon,  but  they  did  not  wait  for  dinner.  They  knew 
that  the  Minears  would  follow  them ;  and  the  success  of  the 
undertaking  depended  upon  speed.  They  followed  the  lit- 
tle path  leading  up  Horse  Shoe  Eun.  This  they  traveled 
seven  miles,  and  then  turned  up  Lead  Mine,  by  the  old  trail 
marked  out  b}'  Capt.  James  Parsons.  Thus  they  reached 
Maryland,  and  were  formally  married. 

When  the  3'oung  people  who  went  to  the  singing  returned 
to  St.  George,  they  reported  that  Manassa  had  not  been 
there,  nor  Lyda  either.  It  was  at  once  suspected  that  he 
had  gone  to  Holbert's,  and  David  Minear  followed  again, 
determined  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis.  He  went  to  Hol- 
bert's house,  and  not  seeing  Manassa,  asked  if  he  had  been 
there.  Tliev  answered  him  that  he  called  a  few  minutes, 
but  must  be  twenty  miles  away  by  that  time.  Holberts 
expected  to  see  him  fly  into  a  passion  at  this  disclosure ; 
but  they  were  disappointed.  He  questioned  them  closely 
about  the  matter,  and  when  the  young  couple  was  expected 
back.  "When  they  had  answered  him,  he  said  that  if  they 
were  married,  it  was  all  right,  as  it  was  no  use  to  make  a 
fuss  about  it.     He  left  an  invitation  for  them  to  come  down 


86  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

as  soon  as  tliey  returned,  and  Avitli  this  he  went  home. 
They  were  entirely  successful,  and  got  safely  home  the 
third  da}'. 

If  the  memories  of  old  people  are  to  be  credited  in  the 
matter,  the  young  couple  did  not  find  the  course  of  married 
life  as  poetical  as  they  had  expected.  For,  though  Lyda 
was  young,  she  had  a  great  deal  of  industry  about  her,  and 
she  made  Manassa  work  harder  than  he  wanted  to,  and  he 
got  tired  of  it,  and,  to  keep  from  hoeing  in  the  truck-patch, 
he  dug  a  hole  under  the  fence  in  a  weedy  corner  and  toled 
the  hogs  in.  This  did  not  mend  matters  much,  for  Lyda 
found  it  out,  and  made  him  build  new  fences  around  every 
lot  on  the  place ;  and,  besides,  made  him  build  a  pen  for 
the  hogs,  and  then  pull  weeds  all  summer  to  feed  them. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

MISCELLANIES, 

The  material  for  a  chapter  on  tlie  liistoiy  of  Tucker 
County  for  two  score  years  next  following  the  close  of  the 
Indian  troubles,  in  1781,  is  meager  in  the  extreme.  Almost 
nothing  at  all,  of  an  exciting  nature,  is  left  on  record.  The 
Indian  wars  were  at  an  end,  and  no  massacres  or  exploits 
or  adventures  are  to  be  narrated.  It  was  a  silent  epoch  in 
our  history.  But,  as  Carlyle  teaches,  these  silent  periods  in 
the  history  of  a  people  are  the  most  prolific  of  great  things. 
It  is  a  time  when  everytlnn^'  is  buildinijj.  Every  man  is 
attending  to  his  own  work.  No  great  interference  disturbs 
the  welfare  of  all.  The  whole  country  is  thriving  together, 
and  there  is  no  jar  or  collision  to  attract  attention.  It  is 
not  the  building  up  but  the  tearing  down  that  constitiites 
the  violent  crashes  in  a  people's  annals.  It  has  been  rep- 
resented similar  to  a  tree  that  grows  noiselessly  for  a  thou- 
sand years ;  but,  when  the  whirlwind  overthrows  it,  it  falls 
with  a  crash.  Thus  a  nation  grows  and  grows  for  ages, 
and  if  everything  is  prosperous,  not  a  discord  tells  of  exist- 
ence.    But,  when  commotions  or  rebellions  overthrow    it, 

the  fall  is  heard 

To  Maeedonaiid  Art.'ixerxes'  throne. 
But,  this  digression  is  out  of  place  in  a  county  history. 
However,  this  book  is  not  meant  to  be  a  history  of  Tucker 
County.  It  is  designed  only  as  a  serit;s  of  annals,  and  is  not 
intended  to  be  a  complete  liistory.  But,  while  tliis  is  the 
case,  nothing  on  the  subject,  deemed  wortliy  to  be  remem- 


88  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Lereil,  will  be  left  untold.  There  is  little  material,  of  tlie 
nature  of  Acts  of  tlie  Legislature  and  railroad  and  turn- 
pike meetings  and  resolutions,  from  wliicli  to  fdl  a  book. 
But,  if  there  were  tons  of  such,  they  would  l^e  given  very 
little  attention  ijy  the  writer  of  these  pages.  Tucker  County 
lias  never  had  any  great  movements  on  these  subjects.  All 
of  importance  that  the  Legislature  has  ever  done  for  Tucker 
can  be  told  in  ten  lines.  The  reports  of  road  surveys,  and 
the  meetings  consequent  thereon,  can  be  dismissed  with 
still  less  attention.  Therefore,  another  class  of  material 
must  be  had.  The  people  of  our  county  do  not  care  about 
the  j:)roceedings  of  Congress  and  the  Legislature  in  matters 
now  forgotten,  that  never  were  of  much  importance  and  are 
now  of  none.  This  is,  at  best,  a  dry  subject  to  all,  except  a 
ver}'  few,  who,  for  some  special  reason,  are  interested 
therein. 

But  Tucker  County  possesses  exhaustless  stores  of  mat- 
ter that  is  of  interest  to  her  people.  It  is  the  biography  of 
her  people  ;  an  account  of  Avliat  the  people  have  done. 
Each  man  has  done  something,  or  said  something,  or  tried 
to  do  something;  that  his  friends  and  nei^rhbors  would  like 
to  know.  Of  course,  every  man  cannot  be  represented  in  a 
book  of  this  size.  Many  who  deserve  a  history  must  be 
left  out,  because  there  is  not  room  for  all.  It  is  a  hard 
thing  to  decide  who  shall  be  made  the  leading  spirits  for 
the  hundred  3'ears  after  the  close  of  the  Indian  wars  to  the 
present  time.  Before  that,  Capt.  James  Parsons  and  John 
Minear  were  clearly  the  most  prominent  men.  But,  since 
then,  there  are  a  few  individuals  around  whom  the  history 
of  the  county  seems  to  cluster. 

TJiose  who  have  fought  the  most  battles  are  not  necessa- 
rilv  the  greatest  men.     The  laborers  who  du2f  out  the  gTu])S 


MISCELLANIES.  89 

from  our  valleys  and  hills  ;  ^vlio  planted  our  orcliards ;  wlio 
built  our  cburclies  and  scliool-liouses  ;  who  made  our  roads  ; 
who  improved  the  morals  and  intelligence  of  the  country 
by  their  examples  of  honesty  and  industry ;  who  were  ever 
read}'  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  unfortunate ;  who  never 
hung  back  when  a  good  cause  needed  friends ;  vrho  did  to 
others  as  the}'  wished  others  to  do  to  them — these  are  our 
great  men.  Such  are  always  great;  and  Tucker,  though 
hemmed  in  bv  mountains  and  nearly*  excluded  from  other 
parts  of  the  world,  has  now,  and  has  had  from  the  first,  just 
such  men.  They  are  found  everywhere  upon  her  hills  and 
in  her  valleys.  They  are  not  all  rich  in  this  world's  goods ; 
but  none  of  them  are  too  poor  to  be  honest.  They  have 
not  all  held  oince ;  they  have  not  all  fought  battles ;  they 
have  not  all  seen  distant  countries ;  but  they  have  all  been 
upright  citizens,  and  have  done  well  what  they  have  done. 

Tucker  County  likcAvise  has  had  and  still  has  men  who 
have  taken  an  active  part  in  our  wars,  and  in  our  times  of 
dano-er,  were  ever  in  the  front.  The  history  of  James  Par- 
sons  and  John  Minear  has  been  given.  Since  their  day 
there  have  been  others  none  the  less  worthy  to  be  remem- 
bered. 

Durinci'  the  civil  war  the  struj?2;le  was  intense  and  bitter 
in  this  county.  The  tvro  parties,  north  and  south,  were 
nearly  equal.  The  mountains  and  fastnesses  were  the 
rendezvous  for  scouts  and  sharpshooters.  The  history  of 
the  war,  as  it  influenced  this  section  of  the  county,  will  be 
given  at  some  length  further  on.  No  sides  will  be  taken  in 
wa'iting  on  that  subject.  Some  of  our  best  citizens  took  the 
side  of  the  South,  and  other?  equally  good  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  North.  The  men  who  thus  arrayed  themselves 
against  each  other  in  that  deadly  strife,  were  honest  and 


90  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

conscientious  in  what  tliey  did.  Tlie^^  upheld  and  fought  for 
what  they  belived  to  be  right.  When  a  man  risks  his  life 
for  a  cause,  he  believes  that  the  cause  is  right.  This  must 
not  be  questioned.  Some  of  our  brave  men  joined  the  Fed- 
eral armies,  and  some  the  Confederate.  Honor  to  the  blue 
and  gray.  The  storm  is  now  passed  beyond  the  horizon  ; 
and,  there  is  no  occasion  to  recall  those  dark  and  bloody 
times  except  to  show  that  we  had  men  then  who  did  not 
shrink  from  duty.  Such  men  as  Dr.  Solomon  Parsons 
stood  up  for  the  Union ;  and  such  as  Dr.  E.  Harper  cast 
the  fortunes  into  the  cause  of  Confederacv.  Both,  and  all 
like  them,  deserve  a  place  in  our  county's  history,  no  matter 
whether  they  loved  the  stars  and  stripes  or  stars  and  bars. 
But,  this  will  come  in  at  the  proper  time  and  place. 

When  the  Indian  trouble  ended,  about  1781,  our  county 
had  only  a  few  people.  The  settlement  did  not  extend  far 
from  the  river.  The  people  worked  hard,  and  took  few 
holidays.  They  had  to  earn  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of 
their  brows,  and  no  time  was  allowed  for  idleness.  The 
heavy  timber  was  removed  from  it  onl}^  by  excessive  labor. 
The  farmers  worked  in  their  clearings  during  the  late  fall, 
the  winter  and  the  early  spring.  "When  summer  came  they 
were  employed  in  raising  their  crop  of  corn.  The  people 
generally  ate  corn  bread.  Wheat  was  nearly  unknown  in 
the  early  years.  A  portion  of  the  autumn  was  often  spent 
bv  the  men  in  hunting  deer  and  bear. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  particulars  of  individuals  who  lived 
in  the  countv  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  centurv  and  the 
first  of  this.  Some  are  remembered ;  but  little  more  than 
their  names  come  down  to  us.  James  Goff  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  the  leading  men  in  early  times.  He  lived  on 
Cheat  River,  near  the  Preston  County  line,  and  at  one  time 


MISCELLANIES.  91 

owned  tlie  greater  portion  of  the  land  from  tlie  Minear 
claim  to  Rowlesburg.  He  worked  incessantly  on  Ms  farms, 
and  always  had  corn  to  sell.  His  price  was  fifty  cents  a 
bushel ;  and,  no  matter  what  other  people  sold  at,  he  would 
take  nothing  more  or  less  than  his  price.  .  His  house  had 
no  floor,  except  the  ground.  They  ate  bread  and  meat  at 
his  house.  This  diet  was  unvaried,  except  when  a  pot  of 
"greens" — a  dish  of  some  plant  cooked — was  substituted  for 
meat ;  or  a  kettle  of  corn  meal  mush  took  the  place  of 
bread.  All  were  welcome  to  the  hospitalities  of  his  cabin, 
although  a  stranger  might  have  thought  the  family  rough 
in  manners.  They  did  not  mean  to  be  rude.  They  were 
open  in  their  actions.  Indeed,  the  eastern  land  agent,  who 
stopped  there  over  night,  must  have  thought  so.  He  sat 
by  the  fire  talking  and  wondering  where  supper  was  coming 
from.  He  could  see  no  preparations  for  the  evening  meal, 
except  a  big  pot  at  one  end  of  the  fireplace,  where  Mrs, 
Goff  sat  stirring  the  kettle's  contents.  At  length  it  was 
carried  to  the  central  part  of  the  floor,  and  a  gourd  of  milk 
was  emptied  into  it,  and  a  dozen  wooden  spoons  were 
provided. 

While  the  hungry  stranger  was  watching  these  proceed- 
ings, and  wondering  what  the  sequence  would  be,  Mrs.  Goff 
announced  that  supper  was  ready.  Mr.  Goft'  sat  a  moment 
and  then  dragged  his  stool  up  to  the  mush-pot,  saying  to 
the  visitor :  "  Well,  if  you  don't  want  any  supper,  you  can 
sit  there."  The  children  were  already  around  the  kettle, 
scooping  out  the  mush  and  milk  with  the  large  wooden 
spoons,  and  seeming  to  enter  with  gusto  into  the  repast. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goft'  joined  the  circle ;  and  all  fell  to  eating 
with  such  voracity  that  no  time  was  left  for  asking  or  an- 
swering questions.     No  cups  or  dishes  were  used.     All  ate 


92  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

clirectl}'  from  tlie  pot,  and  there  was  no  little  crowding  from 
tliose  who  feared  that  they  might  not  get  their  full  share. 

The  stranger  got  no-.other  invitation  to  eat ;  but,  b}^  this 
time,  he  had  come  to  see  that  he  Avould  get  no  supper  un- 
less he  should  go  boldly  forward,  seize  a  spoon  and  take  his 
chances  with  the  rest.  This  he  did.  He  pulled  his  stool 
forward  and  commenced  eating.  Mr.  Goff  crowded  a  little 
to  one  side,  remarking  with  an  oath:  "By  — ,  I  thought 
you'd  come  to  it."  The  meal  passed  without  further  inci- 
dent, and  the  next  morning  the  land  agent  fled  back  to 
Winchester  with  a  story  that  no  one  there  believed. 

That  same  year  there  was  a  scarcity  in  the  country. 
Goff  had  corn,  but  hardly  anybody  else  had.  People  came 
from  all  parts  to  buy  from  him.  Two  3'oung  men  came 
down  from  the  Glades  in  Mar^dand.  One  had  been  there 
before  ;  but  the  other  had  not.  The  one  who  had  been 
there  entertained  the  other,  while  on  the  road,  by  picturing 
to  him  what  a  grand  residence  Goff 's  was,  and  admonished 
him  not  to  show  himself  ill-bred  bv  undue  starinf]r  about 
the  pictured  walls  and  carpeted  floors.  By  the  time  the}' 
drew  near  the  plantation,  the  young  man,  who  had  believed 
all  that  his  companion  had  told  him,  was  looking  for  a 
splendid  residence,  and  picturesque  surroundings.  Mark 
his  surprise  when  he  came  suddenl}^  u]3  to  the  front,  and 
only,  door  of  the  log  cabin.  He  was  immediately  ushered 
in  at  the  opening.  He  was  looking  so  wildly  about  him 
that  he  did  not  notice  the  log  that  formed  the  door-sill; 
and,  stumbling  over  it,  he  fell  headlong  into  the  house. 
Instead  of  landing  upon  Brussels  carpet,  as  he  might  have 
expected,  he  found  himself  sprawling  in  the  dust  and  ashes 
of  the  earth-floor.  Not  till  then  did  he  realize  that  he  had 
been  made  the  subject  of  a  practical  joke. 


MISCELLANIES.  93 

The  land  Avliicli  Gotf  settled  upon  had  preyionsly  been 
occupied  hj  a  man  named  Jorden.  It  is  not  known  when 
Jorden  left  it  or  when  Goff  purchased  it.  But,  Goff  was 
there  in  1786.  He  was  an  untiring  worker;  and,  old  men 
still  remember  hoAv  he  made  his  boys  work.  In  the  long 
days  of  June,  when  daylight  comes  at  four,  he  w^ould  be  in 
the  corn-field  before  the  first  ^gleam  of  dawn.  He  never 
called  his  boys  to  work,  nor  even  waked  them  ;  but,  if  any 
one  w'as  not  in  the  field  as  soon  as  it  w^as  light  enough  to 
distinguish  weeds  from  corn,  that  one  got  a  sound  thrashing. 

Of  course,  by  working  so  hard  he  made  money.  What 
he  made  he  saved.  He  would  not  spend  a  cent  for  any- 
thing, unless  it  w^as  absolutely  necessary.  He  kept  his  cash 
in  a  buck-skin  sack,  and  buried  it  in  one  corner  of  the  dirt 
floor.  In  the  course  of  time,  he  came  to  be  a  considerable 
monev-lender.  Those  who  came  to  borrow  often  marked 
with  surprise  that  he  picked  up  a  handspike  which  w^asused 
as  a  poker,  and  dug  deep  into  the  ground-floor,  and  turned 
out  the  foul  sack,  filled  with  silver  and  gold. 

When  James  Parsons  had  obtained  deeds  for  his  lands  in 
the  Horse  Shoe,  he  divided  them  among  his  three  sons — 
Isaac,  Solomon  and  Jonathan.  Isaac  lived  where  Joseph 
Parsons,  Esq.,  now  resides.  The  farm  now  ovned  by  Mr. 
S.  B.  Wamsley,  w^as  given  to  Jonathan ;  and  Hon.  S.  E. 
Parsons  now  owns  the  farm  that  was   allotted  to  Solomon. 

Thomas  Parsons,  l)rother  of  James  Parsons,  and  partner 
with  him  when  they  first  purchased  their  lands,  divided  his 
lands  among  his  four  sons — AVilliam,  James,  Isaac  and 
George.  The  descendants  of  these,  as  well  as  those  of 
James  Parsons,  still  reside  on  these  farms.  Nicliolas  and 
George  Parsons,  still  living,  are  the  sons  of  Isaac,  and 
grandsons  of  Thomas.     The  late  W.  11.  Parsons,   and   An- 


94  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK   COUNTY. 

drew  and  Abraham  Parsons,  now  of  California,  are  sons  of 
James  Parsons.  Job  Parsons,  and  Solomon  Parsons  were 
sons  of  "William  Parsons. 

The  lands  along  the  river,  above  St.  George,  have  ever 
since  their  first  settlement  been  in  the  Parsons  familv-  This 
is  the  finest  agricnltnral  land  in  the  county ;  and  those  who 
have  owned  it  have  always  belonged  to  the  wealthy  class  of 
onr  citizens.  They  have  held  nearly  half  the  oJBSces  in  the 
county.  They  are  not  and  never  were  all  of  one  political 
party.  They  have  nsuall}'  been  nearly  equally  divided. 
Generally  speaking,  James  Parsons'  descendants  have  leant 
toward  the  AVhig  and  Pe]:)ublican  parties;  while  those  of 
Thomas  voted  the  opposite  ticket.  At  present,  altogether, 
there  are  more  Democrats  than  Eepublicans.  Judge  S.  E. 
Parsons  first  voted  in  1859,  and  cast  his  ballot  for  the 
T\  higs.  Since  then  he  has  voted  Avith  the  Democrats,  and 
has  alwavs  been  a  stron<]f  Union  man.  The  others  of  his 
immediate  relatives  have  not  supported  the  Democratic 
ticket ;  but  nearly  all  the  others  of  the  name,  including  Jo- 
seph, A\  ard  and  Jesse  Parsons,  are  Democrats. 

The  Bonnifield  famil}'  came  into  notice  very  early  in  the 
liistor}'  of  Tucker,  though  not  so  early  as  those  of  Parsons 
and  Minear.  The  first  of  that  name  in  the  countv  was 
Samuel  Bonnifield.  He  came  to  the  Horse  Shoe  from 
Eastern  Virginia  sometime  before  the  commencement  of  the 
present  centur3\  Not  much  is  known  of  his  ancestry,  ex- 
cept that  they  were  of  French  extraction.  The  name  in 
that  country  was  Bonnifant  ;  but,  being  Anglicized,  it  was 
as  it  now  is.  There  are  still  difi'erent  spellings  for  it.  Piep- 
resentatives  of  the  family  spell  it  Bonafield,  as  those  in 
Preston  County.     Others  drop  an  "n"  from  it. 

AVliere  "Washington  Citv  now  stands  was  the  old  Bonni- 


MISCELLANIES.  95 

field  liomestead.      Whether  they   owned  the  hind   or  not  is 

unknown.     At  any  rate,  they  were  engaged  m  ciTltivatmg 

tobacco  there ;  and,  tliere  in  1752,  Samnel  Bonnifiekl  was 

born.     His  father's  name  was  Gregory,  and  his  grandfather's 

was   Lnke.""     Nothing   of    note    occurred  in    SamiTel's  life 
until  he  was  moved  to   ramble,  and  left  his  paternal  roof. 

The  next  heard  of  him  was  in  the  summer  of  1774.     He  was 
then  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia. 

It  w^as  in  that  year  that  there  broke  out  a  trouble  ^nth 
the  Indians,  called  Dunmore's  War.  The  Indians  com- 
menced killing  people  along  the  frontiers.  The  only  set- 
tlement in  Tucker,  that  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  was  broken  up. 
The  Governor  of  Yirginia,  Lord  Dunmore,  decided  to  raise 
an  army,  march  into  the  Indian  country  of  Ohio,  and  burn 
all  the  Indian  towns,  so  that  these  hives  from  which  the 
savaj^es  swarmed,  mij^jht  be  destroyed.  Gen.  Andrew  Lewis 
and   Governor  Dunmore    each  was  to   raise  an   armv  and 


*  Willie  searclilng  for  other  lilstorical  matter,  at  Brownsville,  Olilo,  In  the  spring  of 
1S84, 1  happened  upon  an  old  legend  of  the  Bonnifiekl  family,  a  little  different  from 
that  of  the  Tucker  County  family.  It  is  certain  that  the  Bonnifields  there  and  those  In 
Tucker,  Preston  and  in  the  West,  all  belong  to  the  same  stock,  and  I  am  inclined  to 
credit  the  Ohio  legend,  which  narrate3  the  tlrst  coming  of  the  Bonnifields  to  America. 
The  story  runneth  thus  :  Vei*y  early  in  the  history  of  America,  probably  about  the 
close  of  the  irth  century,  three  brothers  named  Bonnifield  became  desirous  of  leaving 
England  for  America.  They  belonged  to  the  poor  class,  although  Intelligent,  and  had 
not  money  to  pay  their  passage  to  our  shores.  At  that  time,  it  was  a  custom  among 
those  who  had  no  money  and  whoAvanted  to  emigrate  to  the  New  World,  to  sell  them- 
selves or  moitgage  themselves  to  the  master  of  some  vessel.  He  would  then  bring 
them  over,  and  sell  his  claim  upon  them  for  enough  cash  in  hand  to  pay  him  for  their 
passage.  The  emigrants  were  then  bound  in  sei-vitude  to  the  pui-chaser  until  their 
wages  amounted  to  the  sum  paid  the  master  of  the  vessel.    After  that  they  were  free. 

The  three  Bonnifiekl  brothers  came  to  America  in  that  manner,  and  were  sold  in 
Baltimore.  One  was  carried  to  Virginia,  one  to  Maryland  and  the  third  was  purchased 
by  a  speculator  and  was  taken  to  Florida.  Those  in  Maryland  and  Virginia  each  had 
a  family,  and  the  families  are  still  distinguished  apart,  and  are  nearly  e(iual  In  the 
number  of  representatives ;  but  of  him  who  Aveut  to  Florida  no  tidings  has  ever  been 
heard.  Whether  he  died  a  victim  to  the  fevers  of  that  sultry  land,  or  whether  in  the 
wars  of  the  Spanish,  French  and  Indians  he  was  killed,  or,  whether  his  family  is  now 
blended  with  the  population  of  Florida,  Is  unknown.  All  the  Bonnifields  In  America, 
so  far  as  is  known,  are  the  descendants  of  the  two  brothers  who  settled  In  Vli-glnia 
and  Maryland.  Samuel  Bonnifield  belonged  to  the  Maryland  family,  and  those  lu 
Ohio  about  ZanesvlUe  and  Brownsville  to  the  Virginia  family. 


96  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY.  - 

proceed  to  tlie  mon.tli  of  tlie  Great  Kauawlia,  Avliere  tliey 
would  unite  and  inyade  the  Indian  conntry.  Dunmore  col- 
lected  liis  troops  in  tlie  northern  part  of  Yirginia,  while 
Lewis  enlisted  his  from  counties  further  south. 

When  Samuel  Bonnifield  reached  Fauquier  County,  he 
found  the  most  ambitious  vouug;  men  enlistinc;  in  Lewis' 
Army.  Although  3^oung  Bonnifield  was  not  a  citizen  of  Yir- 
ginia and  had  never  seen  war,  yet  he  was  no  less  ambitious 
and  no  less  adventurous  than  the  vouno;  soldiers  of  Yircjinia; 
and,  he  applied  and  obtained  a  place  in  the  ranks  as  a 
common  soldier. 

The  army  marched  to  Camp  L'nion,  now  Lewisburg, 
Greenbrier  County,  where  it  was  loined  by  fifty  men,  under 
Even  Slielbv,  who  had  come  all  the  way  from  North  Caro- 
lina  to  fight  in  the  vrar.  General  Isaac  Shelby,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Kentucky  and  Secretary  of  Y'ar,  was  also  in  the 
army,  and  with  him  Bonnifield  formed  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance.''^ From  Lewisburg,  the  army  proceeded  to  Point 
Pleasant.  Some  went  on  foot,  and  some  made  canoes  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Gauley  Biver  and  floated  down  the  Ka- 
nawha to  the  Ohio.     Bonnifield  was  among  the  latter. 

On  the  evening  of  October  9,  eleven  hundred  men  were 
encamped  at  Point  Pleasant.  That  evening  a  large  Indian 
army  crossed  the  Ohio  not  far  above,  and  lay  hid  in  the 
woods,  while  some  of  the  Indians  gobbled  like  turkeys  to 
decoy  the  soldiers  from  camp.  The  plan  succeeded ;  and, 
l)efore  day  the  next  morninc:,  some  men  went  out  to  shoot 
the  turke3's.  But,  instead  of  turkeys,  they  found  Indians, 
and  only  one  man  got  awa}^     He  ran  back  to  camp  and 


*  Evan  Shelby  was  tlie  father  of  Isaac  Shelby,  and  was  a  great  fighter.  In  General 
Forbes'  campaign  against  Fort  Duquesne,  lie  found  an  Indian  spy  sneaking  around 
tlie  camp,  and  immediately  gave  chase  to  the  rascal.  The  IncUan  ran  for  his  iir<',  but 
Slielby  caught  and  killed  him. 


<.., 


^\ 


^^^B^ 


NIFIELD. 


lELD. 


'^A^ 


INEAR 


PMoroTYpc 


r.cuTCK.jf<ar 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


ASTOR,    LENOX   Af«D 
T1L0EN    FOWNPAT^ONS. 


MISCELLANIES.  1)7 

said  that  lie  had  seen  three  hiindrecl  thousand  Indians;  but 
it  is  now  thought  that  his  estimate  was  three  hundred 
times  too  large. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  battle  commenced,  and  was  fought 
hard  all  day.  Bonnifield  and  Isaac  Shell)}'  fought  side  by 
side,  and  at  least  one  Indian,  who  kept  bobbing  his  head 
up  from  behind  a  log,  got  his  eternal  quietus  from  their 
rifles.  The  Indians  and  white  men  fought  behind  trees  and 
logs,  and  it  was  the  hardest  and  longest  contested  battle 
ever  fought  with  the  Indians  in  America.  But  about  sunset 
the  Indians  found  themselves  grievously  set  upon  by  three 
hundred  soldiers  who  had  ci-^pt  through  the  weeds  and  got 
in  their  rear.  The  whole  Indian  armv  fled,  vellincf  and 
screaming.  Bonnifield  and  s'(»mie  others  ran  after  them  and 
saw  them  crossing  the  Ohio  on- logs  and  rafts.  In  this  they 
were  not  succeeding  well ;  for  the  logs  kept  rolling  so  that 
the}^  all  fell  off  into  the  water  and  had  to  swim  out. 

The  Virginian  army  crossed  into  Ohio  and  hurried  on  to 
help  kill  the   Indians  and  burn  the  towns  on   the  Scioto, 
where  Dunmore,  who  had  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Parkersburof. 
then  was.     The  Indians  were  so  badly  whipped  that  thev 
made  peace  without  au}^  more  fighting.     The  Virginians  lost 
one-fifth  of  their  men  in  killed  and  wounded.     The  dead 
were  buried,  and  the  wounded  were  left  in  care  of  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers.     Bonnifield  was  among  those   who  took 
care  of  the  wounded.     He  staid  there  all  winter;  and  when 
he  was  discharged  in  the  spring,  he  and  a  comj^anion  started 
home  alone.     They  failed  to  kill  any  game,  and   came  near 
starving  to  death.     AVhile  wandering  about  in  Greenbrier 
County,  they  came  to  a  house  where  lived  a  man  named 
McClung,  and  whose  descendants  still  live  there.     He  gave 
the  famished  soldiers  all  tliey  wanted,  but  stood  by  them  to 
keep  them  from  eating  themselves  to  death. 


93  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Bonnifield  had  scarcely  readied  Yirginia  when  the  Revo- 
lutionary AYar  came  on,  and  he  at  once  joined  tlie  American 
army,  and  fought  through  the  whole  w^ar.  At  the  battle  of 
Germantown  he  was  with  his  old  comrade  of  Point  Pleas- 
ant, Gen.  George  Matthews.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Bran- 
dywine,  and  was  near  by  when  Lafa3'ette  was  wounded. 
He  was  at  Y'orktoAvn,  and  saw  General  O'Hara  surrender 
the  sword  of  Cornwallis.  This  ended  his  histor}*  as  a 
soldier. 

When  the  Revolution  came  to  an  end,  in  1781,  Samuel 
Bonnifield  was  twentv-nine  years  old.  He  now  turned  his 
attention  to  farming,  having  first  married  Dorcas  James,  a 
.  young  lady  of  a  respectable  family  in  Yirginia,  and  a  rela- 
tion of  the  James  family  now  in  Tucker.  Soon  after  his 
marriage,  but  in  what  year  is  unknown,  he  came  to  Cheat 
Hiver,  and  settled  in  the  Horse  Shoe.  This  was  before  the 
commencement  of  the  present  century. 

He  farmed  with  success  for  some  years,  and  while  in  the 
Horse  Shoe,  in  1799,  his  son.  Dr.  Arnold  Bonnifield  was 
born.  About  this  time,  the  Horse  Shoe  was  legally  survey- 
ed, and  it  was  then  found  that  the  land  whereon  Bonnifield 
resided  was  not  his,  but  belonged  to  James  Parsons.  With 
this  discovery,  Bonnifield  commenced  looking  for  another 
farm,  and  found  one  suitable  at  Limestone,  and  moved  to  it. 

From  this  time  on,  he  lived  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and 
raised  a  large  famih^,  whose  descendants  may  now  be  found 
in  half  the  states  of  the  Union.  He  always  manifested  a 
disposition  to  roam  the  woods  and  be  alone ;  and,  in  his  old 
age,  he  became  more  and  more  attached  to  a  hunter's  life. 
He  spent  a  large  part  of  the  fall  and  winter  in  the  woods ; 
and,  though  eighty  years  of  age,  he  thought  it  no  hardship 
to  sleep  b}^  his  camp  fire,  when  snow  was  a  foot  deej^,  and 


MISCELLANIES.  99 

his  clothing  Avas  drenched  from  having  waded  creeks  and 
runs  all  day.  He  ^^'as  small  in  stature;  but  his  strength 
seemed  exhaustless.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninetj^-five,  and 
was  buried  on  Graveyard  Hill,  near  the  present  residence 
of  Dr.  Bonnifield,  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun. 

The  descendants  of  some  of  his  relations  subsequently 
found  their  way  into  Tucker  County ;  but  none  are  there 
now,  all  having  emigrated  to  the  West. 

Dr.  Arnold  Bonnifield,  a  son  of  Samuel  Bonnifield,  has 
always  been  a  citizen  of  the  county,  and  is  now  its  oldest 
resident,  with  the  exception  of  George  Long,  of  Dry  Fork. 
He  was  concerned  in  all  the  early  history  of  the  county, 
after  he  became  a  man,  until  of  late  years.  He  was  the 
first  clerk  of  the  circuit  and  county  courts  of  Tucker 
County. 

But  his  greatest  influence  has  not  been  as  a  politician  or 
soldier,  but  as  a  social  reformer.  From  his  earliest  years, 
he  showed  a  strong  desire  to  become  a  scholar ;  but,  during 
his  early  years,  hard  work  and  few  advanta£i;es  made  it  a 
hard  thing  for  him  to  pursue  his  studies.  Mathematics  was 
his  favorite  science ;  and  he  became  master  of  all  the 
branches  of  it,  except  the  higher  departments  of  the  calcu- 
lus. The  greater  part  of  this  was  attained  without  the  use 
of  books  ;  for  a  rude  edition  of  arithmetic,  and  a  few  leaves 
of  algebra  and  geometry,  were  about  all  the  instruction  he 
had  until  his  twenty-fourth  year,  when  he  attended  a  few 
sessions  of  school  at  Clarksburi'. 

While  a  boy,  he  was  accustomed  to  solve  his  jn-oblcms 
and  demonstrate  his  theorems  on  a  smooth  stone,  using  a 
gravel  for  a  pencil.  In  this  manner  he  gained  the  greater 
part  of  his  mathematical  education.  His  early  life  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm  at  Limestone,  wliere  he   worked 


100  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

and  studied  until  his  twenty-fourth  year.  After  his  return 
from  school  at  Clarksburg,  he  again  devoted  himself  to  farm 
work.  At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  married  Elizabeth  Mi- 
near,  granddaughter  of  John  Minear.  Shortl}^  afterwards, 
he  moved  from  Limestone  to  his  present  home  on  Horse 
Shoe  Run.  He  took  a  course  in  medicine,  and  practiced 
that  profession  until  old  age  forced  him  to  retire  from  it. 
While  he  practiced,  he  stood  pre-eminently  above  all  other 
physicians  in  the  county. 

He  has  been  an  extensive  traveler,  having  visited  the 
eastern  and  western  states.  He  was  in  Missouri  at  an  early 
day,  and  returned  home  on  horseback,  the  journe}^  from 
there  home  occupying  a  month  of  time.  His  influence  on 
the  destiny  of  the  county  has  been  exerted  in  a  quiet  way; 
but  that  it  has  been  material  is  to  be  seen  in  the  fact  that 
none  are  more  favorably  known,  and  none  are  held  in 
greater  esteem  than  he. 

As  late  as  1840,  there  were  very  few  settlements  in  the 
county,  except  along  the  river,  and  in  the  narrow  bottoms 
of  the  larger  creeks.  The  mountains  were  mostly  unbroken 
wildernesses.  Here  and  there  might  be  seen  the  cabin  of  a 
settler  who  was  opening  up  a  farm  among  the  hills.  About 
this  time,  or  more  exactly,  in  the  fall  of  1836,  the  region 
about  the  head  waters  of  Clover  Run  began  to  be  settled. 
This  is  now  Clover  District.  The  first  house,  except  imme- 
diatel}'  on  the  bottom  land  of  Clover,  was  that  built  by 
Isaac  Phillips,  father  of  Moses  Phillips,  Esq.  This  was  in 
1836,  when  Moses  Phillips  was  six  years  of  age.  The  cabin 
w^as  without  "  door,  floor  or  chimney,"  as  he  has  expressed 
it.  But  it  was  the  commencement  of  a  settlement  that  now 
contains  a  fair  portion  of  our  county's  people.  For  as  soon 
as  it  became  known  that   Phillips'    cabin  had   been   built 


MISCELLANIES.  101 

other  settlers  came  into  tlie  neighborhood  and  took  up  lands 
and  went  to  work.  Thus,  by  1810,  some  five  families,  and 
probably  thirty  children,  were  in  the  neighborhood ;  and 
the  dense  forests  as  well  as  the  dens  of  panthers  and  bears, 
began  to  be  broken  up. 

It  was  now  felt  that  there  onght  to  be  some  provision 
made  for  educating  the  children  of  the  new  settlement ;  for, 
although  cut  off  from  many  of  the  conveniences  of  life,  and 
destined  to  unceasing  hard  work,  the  pioneers  of  Tucker 
have  never  neglected  the  education  of  their  children. 
Sometimes  the  advantages  were  few  and  far  between ;  but, 
such  as  they  were,  they  were  made  the  most  of.  The 
children  often  got  no  more  than  ten  months  of  schooling  in 
their  lives.  Moses  Phillips  got  only  nine,  and  that  was  at 
the  new  school-house,  which  the  five  families  built  on 
Clover  Run  in  1810.  One  who  attended  there  has  thus 
spoken  of  it:  "It  was  built  of  round  poles,  chunked  and 
daubed.  The  earth  inside,  which  composed  the  floor,  was 
completely  leveled  off.  A  few  rocks,  thrown  up  at  one  end, 
on  the  inside,  formed  the  chimnev.  A  small  hole  was  cut 
in  one  side,  and  paper  was  fastened  over  it.     This  was  the 

window.     The  door  was  made  of  claj)boards 

Some  of  the  scholars  went  to  this  school  barefooted  with- 
out missinf]j  a  da  v." 

CI?  »> 

This  short  quotation  is  inserted  because  it  is  a  faithful 
description  of  the  country  school-houses  of  that  day.  They 
were  rude  and  would  be  laughed  at  now  ;  but  they  an- 
swered their  purpose,  and  have  ])assed  away  only  because 
they  so  enlightened  the  country  that  better  buildings  were 
demanded.  Those  who  have  aided  in  the  settlement  and 
progress  of  the  Clover  District,  can  now  see  that  they  have 
not    labored   in  vain.     From  1840,  this  region   became  an 


102  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

important  part  of  the  count}',  and  its  history,  and  the 
biography  of  its  people  will  be  given  in  the  succeeding 
chapters. 

Even  before  the  settlements  in  the  mountains  west  of  St. 
George  were  commenced,  cabins  Avere  built  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county.  The  Dumires  seem  to  have  taken  the 
lead  in  this  quarter ;  and,  ever  since,  they  have  been  in  the 
front,  in  the  work  of  building  up  and  improving  the  district 
about  the  upper  tributaries  of  Horse  Shoe  Eun.  The  family 
is  now  numerous,  and  exercises  much  influence  on  the 
counts'  affairs. 

The  name  is  spelled  in  several  ways ;  but  all  are  traced 
to  the  same  source.  Dumire  and  Domire  are  both  now 
used.  Germany  Avas  the  native  country  of  this  family,  as 
well  as  of  the  Minears.  Einehart  Dumire-  spent  his  early 
years  at  sea.  He  Avas  born  in  1765.  He  went  to  China 
three  times,  and  then  joined  a  Avhaling  ship  and  sailed  for 
the  Arctic  Ocean.  Such  a  voyage  is  noAv  laborious  and 
fraught  with  danger ;  but  it  was  far  more  so  then,  and  none 
but  the  stoutest  constitutions  could  stand  it.  Dumire  spent 
three  years  among  the  frozen  islands  and  drifting  icebergs, 
before  he  turned  toAA'ard  home.  AYhen  he  reached  his 
country,  after  such  a  trip,  one  Avould  suppose  that  he  Avould 
not  repeat  the  undertaking.  But  he  again  sailed  for  the 
North,  and  Avas  absent  three  years  in  the  dark  oceans 
of  eternal  winter.  A  third  time  he  Avent  upon  his  danger- 
ous voyage  to  the  North,  and  a  tliird  time  Avas  gone  three 
years.  All  in  all,  he  had  noAv  spent  tAvent3--three  years  on 
the  ocean.  He  liad  coasted  along  the  shores  of  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa ;  six  times  had  lie  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good 


•  The  name  l^lncliart  Is  spelled  in  two  ways.    One  as  above  and  the  other  Rhinehart. 
B?ing  a  proper  name,  the  authority  for  its  spelling  rests  upon  those  who  use  It  most. 


MISCELLANIES.  103 

Hope,  crossed  the  Avide  expanse  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 
and  visited  the  spice  ishmds  of  the  South  seas. 

He  was  yet  a  youii<2r  man,  only  thirty-four  years  of  aore. 
This  was  in  1791).  He  resolved  to  emigrate  to  America. 
A^  ith  liis  family,  he  reached  his  destination  and  selected 
him  a  home  on  Stemple  Eidge,  in  Tucker  County.  This 
may  not  have  been  the  first  cabin  built  in  that  section  ;  but 
it  was  surely  among  the  first.  His  sons,  among  whom  were 
John,  Daniel,  Rinehart  and  Frederic,  soon  became  men, 
and  each  commenced  a  settlement  of  his  own.  Meanwhile, 
the  progress  of  the  county  was  going  steadily  forward.  The 
paths  began  to  be  widened  into  roads,  and  the  people  built 
better  houses.  The  cornfields  v/ere  enlarged,  were  better 
fenced  and  better  tilled.  Schools  were  j^rowin^r  more  nu- 
merous.  The  teachers  were  paid  from  private  sul)Scriptions 
and  the  wages  Avere  from  five  to  ten  dollars  a  month. 
Churches  were  given  some  attention,  and  the  people  were 
not  unlearned  in  good  behavior  and  moralit3\  Eeligious 
services  were  still  held  in  private  houses  or  in  school- 
houses.  Old  and  young  alike  attended  the  meetings,  and 
the  good  influence  of  these  associations  had  its  effect 
everywhere,  in  training  the  3'oung  to  refined  ideas  of  hu- 
man existence.  The  meetings  were  conducted  by  pious 
men,  called  "  class  leaders,"  and  regularly  ordained  minis- 
ters were  few.  But  the  people  then  were  probably  as  good 
as  they  are  now. 

Very  earh^  in  this  century,  Stephen  Losh  came  to  Horse 
Shoe  Run,  and  settled  where  Rufus  Maxwell  now  lives. 
A  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1781,  he  lived  a  short  time  in 
Maryland,  and  then  moved  to  Tucker.  He  found  Holbt'rt  s 
house  deserted  and  in  ruins.  Near  about  were  a  few  little 
fields,  that  Holbert  had  cleared.     In  one  of  tliost'  lie  found 


101  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

an  apple  tree,  and  built  liis  slianty  under  its  brandies. 
The  but  wbicli  be  erected  was  made  of  bucke3'e  logs.  He 
improved  tbe  land  around  bis  cabin  and  ]:)lanted  a  crop  of 
corn.  Before  long,  be  found  tliat  be  was  on  tbe  land  of 
Captain  Parsons,  and  accordingly  began  looking  about  for 
anotber  place,  Tbe  nearest  neighbor  be  bad,  lived  at  tbe 
moutb  of  Raccoon,  about  a  mile  distant,  and  Losb  would 
have  selected  a  site  just  above  bim  ;  l)ut,  a  quarrel  having 
lueanwliile  arisen  between  them,  Losb  thought  it  best  to  get 
farther  from  bis  troublesome  neighbor.  Accordingly,  be  se- 
lected bim  a  site  three  miles  further  up  Horse  Shoe  Run  ; 
and  in  a  short  time,  Michael  Hansford  took  up  the  land  on 
Hansford  Run,  where  Losb  bad  thought  of  settling.  This 
land  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  Hansford  Place,  and 
the  run  as  Hansford  or  Mike's  Run.  He  had  a  blacksmith 
8hop  there,  the  remains  of  which  may  still  be  seen,  on  the 
farm  of  Arnold  Bonnifield. 

Stephen  Losb  was  connected  with  tbe  War  of  1812,  al- 
though he  was  not  a  regular  soldier.  He  had  something  to 
do  Avith  the  wagon  trains;  and,  in  that  capacity,  he  was  in 
South  Carolina,  and  visited  Charleston.  When  he  turned 
Lis  attention  to  farming  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  he  built  a  grist 
mill,  and  did  a  good  business  until  bis  mill  washed  away. 
About  this  time  occurred  the  "rainy  summer,"  so  called  b}' 
the  oldest  citizens.  It  rained  almost  constantlv  from  the 
first  of  June  till  late  in  August.  Cro])s  were  drowned  and 
chilled  so  that  tlni  following  vear  was  one  of  great  scarcitv. 
Potatoes  Avere  made  to  answer  for  bread.  Stephen  Losb 
died  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
three.  He  left  several  children,  notably  among  whom  was 
William  Losb,  Sr.  He  is  still  living,  and  has  been  a  re- 
markable man.     Fond  of  travel,  be  has  gratified  this  pas- 


MISCELLANIES.  105 

sioii.     He  lias  A'isited  tlie  Western  States  several  times,  tlie 
last  time  after  lie  "was  seventy-fiYe   years  of    a^e.     He   is 
minutely  acquainted  witli  Oliio  from  Lake  Erie  to  tlie  Ohio 
Hiyer  on  tlie  South.     He  first  Avent  there  in   1825,  in  com- 
pany with  Nicholas  and  George  Parsons.     The}'  went   on 
foot,  and  explored  thoroughly  the  country  as  they  went.    It 
was  in  the  spring  of  the   year  and  the  young  men  felt  that 
farmers  ought  to  be  at  work.     So,  while  passing  through 
Gilmer  County,  when  they  saw  a  lazy  young  granger  lying 
on  the  fence  sunning  himself,  while  his  plow  team  stood 
idle  in  the  furrow,  the}'  yelled  at  him :     "  Get  up  there,  you 
infernal  fool,  and  go  to  work;  lounge  around  all  spring,  and 
next  winter  you  will  trot  oyer  the  country  with  a  sack  under 
your  arm,  hunting  something  to  eat."     The  young  man  lit 
off  the  fence  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  grabbing  up  a 
Land   full  of  rocks,  commenced  pelting  the  strangers,  and 
neglected  not  to  heap  upon  them  yarious  yile  epithets,  and 
called  them  all  the  usrly  names  he  could  think  of.     But  they 
passed  on,   and   were   presently   oyertaken   by   a   man  on 
horsebt*ck,  who  wanted  to  know  what  they  had  done  to  the 
3'oung  granger  to  put  him  in  such  a  terrible   rage.     They 
related  what  they  had  seen,  and  what  tliej'  had  said  to  him. 
Tlie  man  asked  if  they  were  strangers  in  the  country,  and 
they  told  him  they  were.     "Well,"  said  the  man,  "you  hit 
it  exactly.     That  lazy  scamp  won't  work  in  the  summer,  and 
buys  bread  on   credit  in  the  winter."     William  Losh  re- 
mained  in  Ohio  a  long  time,  and  hauled  freight  from  Lake 
Erie  to  the  Muskingum  Eiyer.     But  Nicholas  and  George 
Parsons  soon   came   back,  and  ever  after  remained  where 
they  still  live. 

William     Losh   has   always  been    a    liard-working  man. 
But,  after  the  fall  work  was  done,  it  was  always  his  delight 


lOG  HISTORY   OF   TUCKER   COUNTY. 

to  spend  a  month  or  six  weeks  in  the  woods  hunting.  He 
has  been,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  best  and  most  successful 
woodsman  of  Tucker  Count3\  The  country  beyond  Back- 
bone Mountain,  Canada,  as  it  is  called,  has  been  his  hunt- 
ing  ground  for  3'ears.  No  nook  or  corner  of  that  uninhabi- 
ted wilderness  is  unknown  to  liim ;  and  deer  and  bear 
innumerable  have  fallen  before  the  deadly  aim  of  his  rifle. 
In  his  A'ounger  days,  no  man  was  a  better  marksman  than 
he;  and,  even  now,  though  eight3-four  3'ears  of  age,  very 
few  can  equal  him.  He  has  always  been  a  peaceable  man ; 
but  no  man  ever  imposed  upon  him  with  impunity.  If 
Tucker  County  has  produced  a  man,  that  with  training 
could  have  pounded  Slade  or  Sullivan,  William  Losh  must 
be  the  man. 

The  peculiarities  and  characteristics  of  all  his  ancestors 
seem  to  have  concentered  in  John  Losh,  son  of  AVilliani 
Losh,  born  in  Ohio  about  1831.  He  was  the  eldest  child, 
and  was  a  genius  from  his  infancy.  When  he  was  a  small 
child  his  parents  moved  to  Horse  Shoe  Run,  where  William 
Losh,  Jr.,  now  lives.  This  was  John  Losh's  home  as  long 
as  he  remained  in  Tucker.  He  spent  his  idle  hours  con- 
structing toys,  curious  traps  and  automatic  flying  machines, 
and  wooden  rats  that  Avoidd  run  across  the  floor,  and 
leather  bumble  bees  that  would  buzz  and  hum.  He  was  of 
a  light  complexion,  and  had  blue  eyes. 

Wlien  he  became  a  man,  he  was  as  much  of  a  rambler  as 
liis  father  and  grandfather.  His  time  was  spent  in  roaming 
over  the  hills ;  and  Canada,  beyond  the  mountains,  was  his 
domain.  Very  few  l)ut  liim  and  liis  father  had  ever  ven- 
tured into  that  Avildcrness.  It  is  a  wild  country  now ;  but, 
at  tliat  time,  it  was  unex])lored,  and  the  country  along 
Black  Fork,  over  one  liundred  s(piare  miles,  had  not  the 


MISCELLANIES.  107 

home  of  a  human  being  on  it.  From  the  head  of  Bhick 
Fork  to  the  Fairfax  Stone  was  an  unbroken  forest.  The 
timber  was  primevaL  No  ax  had  scarred  the  trees  that 
stood  so  thick  that  their  branches  interlocked  for  miles,  and 
some  of  the  soil  beneath  had  not  been  touched  by  a  sun- 
beam for  ages.  Yast  beds  of  laurel,  in  places,  were  so 
matted  with  the  summers  and  storms  of  centuries  that  a 
hunter,  who  would  pass  that  way,  must  walk  on  the  tops, 
where  the  branches,  that  heavj  snows  had  bent  and  pressed 
together,  formed  a  rough  gnarly  floor,  several  feet  above 
the  ground.  Beneath  the  laiu-el,  there  were  lairs  and  dens 
of  wild  beasts.  Bears  and  panthers  had  broken  tunnels 
through  the  thickets  in  all  directions;  and  what  deadly 
battles  and  mortal  combats  were  fought  there,  when  these 
savage  kings  and  tyrants  of  the  wilderness  crossed  each 
other's  paths,  no  human  eye  was  there  to  witness. 

At  intervals,  deep  down  under  the  laurel,  streams  of 
water  wandered  through  eternal  shadows.  But,  the  hunter 
might  pass  and  repass  that  way  and  never  know  that  he 
had  crossed  a  stream,  unless  some  accidental  opening 
through  the  net-work  on  which  he  trode  should  reveal  to 
him  the  flowing  water.  In  the  summer,  the  ground  be- 
neath the  laurel  never  got  dry  or  warm.  The  countr}'  is 
nearly  as  high  as  the  Alleghan}"  Mountains.  June  comes 
before  the  ice  and  jiacked  snow,  that  the  winter  has  stored 
awaj'  in  the  deep  crevices  of  the  rocks,  and  all  over  the 
dank  ground,  begins  to  yield,  in  any  considerable  degree, 
to  the  summer  sunshine.  The  liidden  brooks  and  rivulets 
are  nearly  as  cold  as  ice  all  summer.  The  ground  is  damp 
and  chill.  The  huge,  cold  rocks  are  constantly  beaded  with 
drops  of  dew.  During  the  summer,  the  more  open  parts  of 
the   woods,  where   there   is  no  laurel,  become  green  witli 


108  HISTOEY   OF  TUCKEE   COUNTY. 

plants,  and  weeds;  but  under  the  laurel  there  is  little 
difference  between  summer  and  winter,  except  that  in  winter 
the  snow  hides  the  desolation  and  in  summer  it  does  not. 

The  winters  in  Canada  are  longer  and  colder  than  along 
the  river.  Snow  lies  on  the  ground  from  October  till  May. 
It  is  often  two  or  three  and  has  been  six  feet  deep.  Such 
snows  hwry  the  laurel  thickets  so  that  one  cannot  well  dis- 
cern where  they  are.  At  such  times,  the  wild  beasts  lie 
hidden  under  snow,  laurel  and  all,  until  hunger  compels 
them  to  prey  upon  one  another  or  come  out  to  kill  deer  and 
small  animals.  The  snow  soon  packs  hard  enough  for  them 
to  walk  upon  it.  The  deer  get  very  poor  during  a  hard 
winter.  There  is  a  large  kind  of  rabbits  that  live  in  Canada , 
and  no  place  else  in  the  countr}^  round  about.  They  are 
said  to  be  so  swift  that  dogs  can't  catch  them.  They  can 
also  climb  a  leaning  tree.  In  early  times  there  were  wolves 
and  elks  in  Canada.  The  country  was  then  all  covered  with 
trees  and  impenetrable  thickets.  Not  all,  for,  in  a  few  pla- 
ces, there  were  open  patches,  called  glades  or  meadows. 
These  were  small,  and  why  they  were  not  covered  with  tim- 
ber is  unaccounted  for,  unless  it  be  because  the  soil  will  not 
nourish  trees,  or  because  the  glades  were  recently  lakes, 
from  which  the  water  has  been  drained.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
the  glades  are  treeless ;  but  the  grass  that  grows  on  them 
during  the  brief  summer  is  immense  in  cpiantity.  It  is  well 
suited  for  hay ;  and,  within  recent  years,  it  has  been  har- 
vested for  that  purpose.  No  well  tlirected  efforts  have  so 
far  been  made  to  cultivate  the  glades,  or,  for  that  matter,  to 
cultivate  any  part  of  Canada.  But  it  is  the  opinion  of  those 
best  qualified  to  judge,  that  corn,  wheat  and  oats  would  not 
flourish  there.  In  the  upper  Canaan  Valley,  farming  has 
been  tried  with  success,  but  everywhere  grass  does  the  best. 


MISCELLANIES.    •  109 

The  forests  of  Canada,  except  the  ghides,  were  nubroken 
when  first  the  white  man  went  there.  The  trees  stood  thick, 
and  seemed  as  grim  and  unchangeable  as  the  very  rocks 
among  which  thej  stood.  They  seemed  no  okler  or  no 
younger  than  they  had  alwaj's  been.  Trees  six  inches  in  di- 
ameter looked  as  old  as  the  giants  five  and  six  feet.  All  the 
difterence  of  appearance  was  in  the  size. 

All  Canada  and  Canaan  are  essentially  the  same  expanse 
of  country.  The  whole  region  is  a  basin,  the  rim  of  which 
is  the  Alleghany  and  Backbone  mountains.  The  xA.lleghany 
is  on  the  east,  and  the  Backbone  on  the  Avest.  The  two 
mountains  thus  surround  the  whole  of  Canada  and  Canaan, 
except  the  narrow  gap  through  which  Black  Fork  fiows  and 
makes  its  escape  from  the  valley.  The  length  of  this  basin, 
from  its  northern  boundary  to  the  upper  end  of  Canaan,  is 
about  twenty  miles,  and  its  breadth  five  or  six  miles. 

It  is  evident  that  this  whole  region  was  once  a  mountain 
lake,  with  the  Alleghany  for  its  eastern  and  the  Backbone  for 
its  western  and  northern  shore.  There  was  then  no  river 
flowing  out  of  it ;  for  the  gap  which  Black  Fork  has  cut 
through  the  mountain  was  then  not  there.  It  must  have 
been  a  beautiful  lake,  extending  twenty  miles  one  way  and 
five  the  other.  High  up,  among  the  ver}'  summits  of  the 
Alleghanies,  the  cool,  bracing  breezes  of  the  mountains  blew 
softly  along  the  tranquil  waters ;  and  the  waves,  pure  as  crys- 
tal, washed  the  sandy  shores  for  ages  and  ages,  and  no  hu- 
man being  was  there  to  behold  it.  In  the  winter,  when  the 
winds  were  wild  and  cold,  fearful  storms  must  have  swept 
over  the  lake ;  and  then,  the  waves  rolled  upon  the  beach, 
freezing  into  huge  drifts,  and  extending  from  the  shore 
inward,  until  the  whole  lake  was  frozen  over. 

This  was  thousands  of  ages  ago.     The  rains  of  summer 


110  HISTOEY   OF  TUCKEE   COUNTY. 

and  the  snows  of  winter,  in  tlie  course  of  time,  filled  the 
lake  to  overflowing.  The  water  began  to  flow  out  over  the 
lowest  place  in  the  mountain.  That  was  at  the  north- 
western corner,  where  Black  Fork  breaks  through  Backbone 
Mountain.  Year  by  year,  for  centuries  and  millenials,  the 
channel  wore  deeper  and  deeper,  and  at  last  the  water  of  the 
lake  was  all  drained  off,  and  Canaan  and  Canada  were  left 
dry  land.  Then  trees  began  to  grow;  and,  in  due  time,  for- 
ests covered  the  Avhole  country,  as  they  did  when  first  the 
white  man  found  his  way  into  that  region. 

This  was  John  Losh's  hunting  ground.  The  story  of  his 
adventures  is  known  beyond  Tucker  County.  Before  he 
was  fully  a  man,  he  commenced  making  expeditions  to 
Canada,  and  seldom  returned  spoilless.  He  had  two  dogs 
almost  as  famous  as  himself.  He  trained  them  himself,  and 
they  were  his  companions  in  man}'  a  bear  hunt.  If  they 
once  came  up  with  a  bear,  it  had  little  show  of  getting  away. 
They  fought  it  in  such  a  manner  that  they  wore  it  down. 
One  dog  would  lay  it  from  the  front  while  the  other 
^nabbed  it  by  the  ham.  It  would  turn  to  lay  hold  of  the 
rear  do<^,  when  the  other  would  sieze  it  bv  the  other  ham. 
Again  it  would  wheel  and  give  chase  to  the  dog  that  bit  it 
last.  This  would  give  the  first  dog  a  chance  to  come  up 
and  take  another  nip  from  behind.  Thus,  up  and  down 
through  the  woods,  the  fight  went  on.  The  dogs  w^ould  not 
join  in  pitched  battle  Avitli  the  bear;  nor  would  they 
allow  it  to  escape,  or  to  climb  a  tree.  If  it  attempted  to 
climb,  the}'  would  pull  it  down.  In  this  manner,  they 
worried  it  and  kept  it  at  bay  till  their  master  could  come  up 
and  end  the  encounter  by  shooting  bruin. 

Such  a  scene  was  common  ;  but  it  was  varied  when,  as  on 
an  occasion,  the  bear  caught  one  of  the  dogs.     The  other 


MISCELLANIES.  Ill 

(log  flew  upon  the  beast  and  fouglit  it,  and  both  dogs  fought, 
but  it  could  not  be  forced  to  slacken  its  hold  upon  the  dog, 
which  must  soon  have  been  killed  had  not  Losh  come  up  at 
that  moment.  He  saw  the  situation  and  would  have  shot 
the  bear,  but  was  afraid  of  hitting  his  dogs.  But  he  would 
not  see  them  killed ;  so,  he  drew  his  butcher  knife,  and  run- 
ning up,  leaped  upon  the  bear  and  stabbed  it  to  death. 

That  winter  was  very  cold.  The  snow  fell  nearly  con- 
stantly for  severol  weeks,  till  it  was  six  feet  deep  in  Canada. 
All  the  rocks,  logs  and  laurel  were  so  entirely  covered  that 
the  whole  country  seemed  one  vast,  unbroken  plain  of  snow, 
with  the  bare,  black  trees  rising  sheer  out  of  it.  After  the 
snow  fell  it  packed  hard  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  a 
man. 

John  Losh  was  soon  in  Canada.  He  took  as  a  compan- 
ion his  brother-in-law,  James  Evans,  and  they  roamed  over 
the  plains  and  hills,  and  passed  above  the  vast  laurel  thick- 
ets, and  had  a  smooth  floor  to  walk  on  all  the  while.  The 
top  of  the  snow  was  frozen  into  a  crust,  resembling  ice  ;  and, 
on  this  they  must  walk  with  care,  where  the  ground  was  not 
level,  lest  they  should  fall.  But  on  level  ground,  they  could 
skate  if  thev  liked. 

As  they  came  into  camp  the  third  evening,  Losh  was 
walking  in  front  of  Evans,  and  they  talked  as  they  \)Y0- 
ceeded  till  at  length  Evans  quit  talking.  Losh  looked  back, 
and  his  companion  was  no  where  to  be  seen.  He  had  sud- 
denly disappeared ;  and  Losh  knew  not  but  that  he  had 
been  taken  ofi'  after  the  manner  of  Elijah  the  Tishlnte. 
However,  he  turned  back  to  look  for  him,  and  shortly  found 
a  hole  through  the  snow  and  heard  Evans  vellinc^  to  be 
helped  oiit.  He  had  broken  through  and  had  fallen  into 
the  cave  under  a  laurel  thicket,  where  the  snow  could  not 


112  HISTOEY   OF   TUCKER   COUNTY. 

reach  the  ground  bj^  reason  of  the  matted  hinrel  branches. 
Losh  helped  him  out,  and  they  proceeded  to  their  camp. 
They  caught  more  deer  than  they  knew  what  to  do  with, 
The  animals,  in  attempting  to  run,  would  stick  fast  in  the 
snow,  and  the  men  could  walk  up  and  kill  them.  After  they 
had  killed  as  many  as  they  wanted,  they  let  the  rest  go, 
having  first  marked  them  by  cutting  their  ears.  Thus  em- 
ployed, they  spent  several  days,  and  were  on  the  point  of 
starting  home  when  they  became  bewildered,  and  lost  their 
way.  It  is  a  singular  thing  that  a  lost  person  is  so  entirely 
devoid  of  reason.  Familiar  objects  are  as  strange  to  him 
as  those  are  which  he  never  saw  or  heard  of.  North  of  the 
ecpiator,  a  lost  person  goes  round  a  circle,  alwaj's  bearing 
to  the  left,  while  south  of  the  ecpiator  it  is  said  to  be  just 
the  reverse  in  direction — whirlwinds  north  of  the  equator 
move  to  the  left,  and  south  of  it  they  move  to  the  right. 
'Oliere  seems  to  be  some  common  law  of  nature  that  controls 
both  a  lost  man  and  a  whirlwind. 

When  Losh  and  Evans  first  became  bewildered,  they 
were  carrying  a  deer  which  they  had  killed;  but  after  they 
had  described  two  or  three  circles  they  threw  the  deer 
down,  and  ran  on  without  it.  When  night  came  on,  their 
situation  became  worse.  It  was  cold,  and  the  woods  were 
very  dark.  They  might  have  built  a  fire  had  they  not  been 
lost :  but  a  lost  man  builds  no  fires.  Thev  ran  as  fast  as 
they  could  all  night,  and  went  round  and  round  a  circle 
without  knowing  it.  When  morning  came  they  were  still 
running,  although  nearly  starved,  and  scarcely  able  to  keep 
on  their  feet.  If  left  alone,  they  never  could  have  gotten 
out.  But  they  had  already  overstaid  their  time  from 
home,  and  their  families  had  become  uneasy.  A  comj^any 
of  men   from   Horse   Shoe  Eun  went  in  search    of    them. 


MISCELLANIES.  113 

Tlieir  tracks  were  found,  and  then  the  deer,  and  finally  the 
men  themselves.  They  were  in  the  last  staj^e  of  despair. 
They  had  eaten  nothing-  for  several  days,  and  were  badly 
frozen.  They  were  walking  round  and  round  a  tree,  and 
there  they  would  probably  have  died,  had  not  the  relief 
party  come  up  They  were  taken  home,  and  they  hunted 
no  more  in  Canada  that  winter. 

But  no  sooner  had  the  summer  sun  taken  the  snow  oif, 
than  John  Losh  was  again  in  Canada.  This  time  he  was 
looking  more  for  bear  than  deer,  for  l)ear  were  his  chief  ob- 
jects of  hunting.  As  he  passed  through  the  woods,  he  saw 
three  cub-bears  plaj'ing.  They  were  quite  small,  and  had 
not  sense  enough  to  run.  He  kept  a  shar]>  lookout  for  the 
old  bear,  and  cornered  the  cubs  between  two  logs  and 
caught  them.  It  would  have  been  an  easv  matter  to  have 
killed  them  ;  but  he  was  like  Wetzel,  who  dragged  an  Indian 
a  hundred  miles  to  sIioav  the  people  in  the  settlement  what 
a  live,  wild  Indian  was  like.  Losh  preferred  to  carry  the 
bear-pups  home  alive.  So  he  pulled  off  his  drawers,  tied 
up  the  legs  and  put  his  three  black  prisoners  into  them. 
They  fought  some,  and  sometimes  they  bit  him;  l)ut  ho 
slung  them  over  his  shoulder  and  toted  them  home.  He 
kept  them  about  the  house  until  they  grew  so  large  that 
thev  bit  the  children  and  were  continuallv  doing  acts  of 
violence.  Then  he  made  a  stout  cage  and  kept  them  in  it. 
This  cage  is  still  to  be  seen  in  AVilliam  Losh,  Jr.'s  barn. 
The  bears  were  kept  there  awhile,  and  finally  they  broke 
out  and  ran  oft';  bat,  one  was  shot. 

This  experience  did  not  satisfy  the  romantic  huntci-.  He 
again  went  to  Canada  and  l)uilt  bear-pens.  Soon  he  cap- 
tured a  l)ear,  lialf-grown.  He  resolved  to  take  it  home,  U^w. 
miles  through   the  woods    ;ni<l  over  mouutains.      It  was  too 

8 


lU  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

heavy  and  fouglit  too  mncli  for  liiin  to  carry  it.  He  tied  it 
by  a  short  rope  to  the  end  of  a  long  pole,  and  led  and 
pushed  and  coaxed  and  drove  it  till  he  got  it  home.  When 
it  would  get  mad  and  tr}^  to  hite  him,  he  would  hold  it  oft* 
TV'itli  the  pole.  Thus,  he  got  it  home  and  put  it  in  his  cage  ; 
hut,  it  was  so  wild  and  incorrigible  that  it  could  not  be 
tamed. 

Losh  next  made  a  new  departure.  He  made  him  a  com- 
plete suit  of  clothes  from  dressed  bear  skins,  the  fur  outside. 
Thus  dressed,  he  went  to  Baltimore.  From  his  ovrn  ac- 
count he  must  have  attracted  as  much  attention  as  the 
President  would  have  done. 

As  an  adventurer,  he  was  fearless  and  rash.  A  consid- 
eration of  danger  never  entered  into  his  plans.  That  he 
escaped  unscathed  from  so  many  and  so  perilous  under- 
takings, is  marvelous.  Indeed,  sometimes  his  salvation 
seemed  miraculous,  as  when  he  was  washed  over  a  water- 
fall in  the  Kanawha,  and  was  held  down  and  whirled  over 
anel  over  by  the  water  that  fell  upon  him,  and  only  got  out 
by  seizing  tlie  rocks  in  the  bottom  and  clinging  to  them  as 
he  dragged  himself  from  under  the  fall,  whence  he  came  to 
tlie  surface  Justin  time  to  saA^e  his  life. 

This  time,  he  had  not  voluntarily  placed  himself  in  the 
almost  fatal  danger;  but,  it  -Avould  only  have  been  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  nature  to  have  done  so.  For,  once  when 
Cheat  Eiver  was  overflowing  its  banks,  and  nearly  all  the 
bottom  lands  from  hill  to  hill  were  under  Avater,  he  was  in 
the  Horse  Shoe  and  Avanted  to  go  home.  To  do  so  he  must 
cross  the  river.  With  a  good  canoe,  the  crossing  of  the 
ri\er  Avould  have  been  exceedingly  dangerous,  and  proba- 
bly not  anotlier  man  in  the  county,  except  in  a  case  of  life 
and  death,  Avould  have  undertaken  it.     But  Losh  Avas  de- 


MISCELLANIES.  115 

termined  to  cross.  Tlie  only  canoe  at  hand  Avas  AVm.  R. 
Parsons'  and  the  owner  wonkl  not  let  Losli  have  it,  because, 
by  so  doing,  it  would  seem  that  he  was  only  hurrying  the 
rash  man  to  his  doom.  But  the  want  of  a  canoe  did  not 
serve  to  chani]fe  Losh's  determination  to  cross  the  river. 

He  proceeded  to  the  river,  at  Neville's  Ford,   and  pulled 
three  or  four  rails  and  slabs  from  a  drift,  and  tying  them 
together,  made  of  them    a  raft    on   which   he   proposed  '  to 
cross  the  river.     It  would  scarcely  bear  his   weight  in  still 
water.     But,  nothing  daunted,  he  pushed  his  fragile  craft 
from  the  shore  and  was  instantlv  borne  off  down  the  foam- 
ing  torrent  of  the  riv^r.     A  piece  of  board  was  all  he  had 
for  an  oar;  and  with  it  he  rowed  the  best  he  could  for  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream.     The  river  was  some  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  Avide  exclusive  of  the  OA'erfloAved  lands  on 
either  side.     The  raft  Avas  so  nearly  sunken  that  those  Avho 
saAv  Losh  could  see  him  only  from  his  Avaist  up  Avar  d,  and 
could  not  discern  that  he  Avas  riding  on  anything  but  Avater. 
But,  all  the  time,  he  Avas  roAving  and  made  some  progress 
toAA'ard  the  desired  bank.     When  he  reached  the  Turn  Hole, 
Avhere,  at  the  mouth  of  Coburn  Run,  the  river  turns  to  flow 
nortliAvard  and  then  AvestAvard,  the  current  beat  strong  to 
the  eastern  shore ;  and,  taking  advantage  of  this,  he  v>'as 
able  to  come  to  shore.     There  is  recorded  only  one  instance 
Avherein  the  river  has  CAcr  been  crossed  Avhen  so  high.  That 
Avas  during  the  Avar,  and  Avas  done  in  a  canoe  by  AVilliam 
Harper,  brother  to  Dr.  E.  Harper,  to  escape  from  a  band 
of  guerrillas  that  Avere  after  him. 

Daring  as  this  feat  of  John  Losh's  Avas,  he  equaled  it  on 
other  occasions.  He  Avas  a  capital  SAvimmer  and  relied  on 
his  skill  in  many  dangerous  adventures.  When  he  Avas 
coming  up  from  St.  George,  he  found  that  Horse  Shoe  Run 


11(3  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

was  over  its  banks.  This  stream  is  more  dangerous  than 
the  river.  It  is  swifter,  and  the  numerous  drifts  and  un- 
dermined banks  make  it  a  formidable  flood  when  deep.  He 
took  off  his  outer  clothing,  hid  it  in  a  waste  house  and 
plunged  into  the  stream  that  ran  with  a  velocity  of  more 
than  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  He  crossed  it  safely,  although 
the  chances  were  ten  to  one  against  him.  The  run  when  so 
high,  has  been  swum  twice  since.  Once  by  James  Hebb,  in 
1876,  to  win  a  bet  of  fift}^  cents.  He  swam  it  twice  for  good 
measure,  and  was  satisfied  with  the  money  thus  won. 

After  the  stormy  adventures  and  romantic  wanderings  of 
•his  earlier  life  had  spent  their  novelt}",  John  Losh  settled 
down  to  married  life  in  Marion  Count}-,  and  was  living 
there  when  the  Civil  War  came  on.  He  was  a  Union  man, 
which  was  different  from  the  majority  of  his  relations.  As 
a  scout  and  a  guerrilla  leader,  he  would  probably  have  be- 
come noted,  had  not  his  death  ended  the  whole  matter. 
He  died  of  the  smaU-pox  at  Parkersburg  early  in  the  war. 
His  widow  and  children  still  live  at  Urbana,  Ohio. 

Among  the  old  residents  who  helped  to  shape  the  desti- 
nies of  the  county,  may  be  mentioned  Job  Parsons,  Sr., 
Nathan,  Enoch  and  Adam  Minear,  Thomas  and  D.  C.  Adams, 
and  the  Gofts  and  Fanslers  of  Black  Fork.  All  these,  and 
others,  have  lent  their  influence  on  the  past  and  present  of 
our  county.  Job  Parsons  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812, 
tln'ough  which  he  served  with  honor.  He  held  the  office  of 
Magistrate  for  many  years,  and  was  always  a  citizen  of  the 
county.  He  died  in  1883  at  the  age  of  ninety-four.  We 
sliall  find  liim  prominently  forward  again  during  the  Civil 
War,  in  which  he  sympathized  with  the  South,  and  was 
never  slow  in  expressing  his  sympathy. 

Tlie  Minears;  during  the  earh*  part  of  the  present  century, 


MISCELLANIES.  117 

were  principally  noted  as  leaders  in  internal  improvements. 
None  were  more  forward  than  they  in  settling  up  the  coun- 
try and  finding  means  to  develop  intrinsic  wealth,  and  of 
brin<]^inf^  outside  wealth  to  our  county.  A  mere  outline  of 
the  sub-divisions  of  John  Minear's  family  will  show  to  what 
extent  they  pushed  their  farming  interests ;  and  wherever 
they  went  they  were  always  respected  citizens. 

David  Minear,  son  of  John  Minear,  died  at  St.  George  in 
1834,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  left  nine 
children,  who,  some  later  and  some  earlier,  began  to  emi- 
grate to  diiferent  parts  of  West  Yirginia  and  to  other 
states.  Manassa,  as  already  narrated,  created  a  romance  in 
his  earlier  days  by  eloping  Avitli  Lyda  Holbert.  His  son, 
William,  went  to  Ohio  when  a  young  man,  and  his  descend- 
ants are  still  living  there.  David  Minear's  daughter  Nanc}* 
married  Eodham  Bonnifield,  a  brother  to  Dr.  Arnold  Bon- 
nifield.  Thev  went  to  Illinois,  and  raised  a  family  that  has 
exerted  and  still  exerts  a  wide  influence  for  good.  One  of 
their  sons,  McKensie,  is  now  a  brilliant  lawyer  in  Nevada  ; 
while  William,  another  son,  is  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and 
Las  held  many  offices  of  trust  and  honor.  Allen,  Gregory, 
Ellis  and  W.  B.  Bonnifield  are  other  sons  of  Rodham  Bon- 
nifield. Three  of  them  made  Iowa  their  home  ;  but  Ellis  is 
a  farmer  at  Beloit,  Kansas.  Gregory  is  also  a  farmer. 
Allen  is  dead,  but  was  Sheriff,  and  Clerk  of  the  circuit 
court.  W.  B.  Bonnifield,  an  educated  man,  possessing  fine 
literary  abilities,  is  connected  with  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Ottumwa,  loAva.  Samuel,  a  seventh  son,  is  a  cattle  king 
in  the  far  West,  and  one  of  his  sons  is  a  lawyer  and  another 
is  a  judge. 

Nathan  Minear,  second  son  of  David  Minear,  married  the 
widow  of  Gregory  Bonnifield.     Their  children,  for  the  most 


118  HISTORY   OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

part,  dill  not  go  far  from  St.  George.  Emily  married  Dr. 
Call,  Sirena  married  Theodore  Lipscomb  and  Elizabeth 
married  S.  W.  Bowman,  late  Sheriff  of  Tucker  Comity. 
Another,  Mary,  married  Frank  Tolbott,  and  lives  in  Iowa, 
while  Katie  married  Samnel  Woodring. 

AVilliam,  one  of  David  Minear's  sons,  lived  in  Harrison 
County,  West  Virginia.  Adam  Minear,  Sr.,  brother  to 
David  Miner,  Sr.,  made  his  home  on  the  Valley  River,  in 
Barbour  County;  and,  his  family  became  connected  with 
the  AVoodfords  of  that  county,  through  the  marriage  of  a 
daughter  of  his  with  John  Woodford.  The  Woodfords  are 
well  known  througliout  West  Virginia  as  cattle  dealers. 
Harvev,  Isaac  and  Adam  live  in  Barbour  Countv,  and  Asa  in 
Lewis  Count}',  of  which  he  was  recently  Sheriff.  Hon. 
Reuben  Davisson,  for  many  years  Sheriff  of  Ta^dor  County 
and  often  its  representative  in  the  Legislature,  is  also  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Minears. 

One  of  David  Minear's  sons  was  drowned  in  the  Hock 
Hocking  River,  in  Ohio.  Enoch  and  Nelson  Marsh,  now  of 
Florida,  are  grandsons  of  Sarah  Minear,  David  Minear's 
daughter.  Of  his  other  children,  Mary  married  William 
Miller  and  Elizabeth,  Dr.  Arnold  Bonnifield. 

David  Minear  had  a  sister  vdio  married  Nimrod  Haddix. 
He  took  delight  in  jumping  into  the  mill-pond  to  scare  his 
wife,  who  never  failed  to  become  alarmed  and  to  tr^'  to  pull 
him  out.  But,  he  carried  his  sport  too  far,  inasmuch  as  he 
came  down  head  first,  and  striking  the  bottom  with  great 
violence,  he  broke  his  neck. 

The  immediate  family  of  Enoch  Minear,  son  of  David 
Minear,  might  have  done  much  for  Tucker  County,  had 
they  staid  in  it.  But,  they  were  dissatisfied,  and  one  by 
one  departed  for  the  West,  until  David  was  the  only  one, 


MISCELLANIES.  '  119 

of  a  faniil}^  of  ten,  left  in  the  county.  He  eliose  the  occu- 
pation of  a  merchant,  and,  for  a  few  years,  was  the  leading 
store-keeper  of  St.  George.  But  he  abandoned  this  busi- 
ness, and  devoted  himself  wholly  to  farminc;-  and  stock- 
raising.  His  farm  is  the  one  taken  up  by  his  great  grand- 
father, John  Minear,  in  1776,  and  lies  immediately  below 
St.  George,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  It»  is  a  tine, 
valuable  and  highly  improved  piece  of  property.  Of  Enoch 
Minear's  ten  children,  seven  vvent  to  California.  Adam  C. 
Minear,  the  3'oungest,  subsequently  returned,  and  is  now 
Sheriff  of  Tucker  County.  He  traveled  extensively  through 
the  West,  and  was  for  a  long  time  in  Idaho.  John,  Pool 
and  Mary  are  still  in  Idaho,  Mary  having;  married  C.  Y7. 
Moore,  a  banker  of  Boise  Cit3^  John's  wife  was  an  educa- 
ted lady  who  had  been  a  missionary  in  Japan.  Pool  has 
been  in  the  mining  and  railroad  business  in  California  and 
Idaho  for  many  years.  He  was  once  president  of  a  Florida 
railroad.     He  is  now  in  Idaho. 

Some  of  the  members  of  this  family  shall  be  mentioned 
more  at  length  in  other  parts  of  this  book.  As  said,  if  they 
had  staid  in  Tucker  County,  they  mio-lit  have  exerted  a  very 
controlling  influence  u]3on  its  affairs  ;  for,  they  are  men  of 
energy  ;  and,  wherever  they  have  been,  thc}^  have  been  in 
the  front  of  advancement.  Enoch  Minear  still  resides  in 
St.  Georii'e  and  is  its  oldest  citizen.  He  has  l)een  t'vice 
married. 

About  1810,  Ambrose  Lipscomb,  an  old  soldier  of  the 
Bevolution,  settled  on  the  river,  near  the  Preston  County 
line.  His  descendants  are  noAV  numerous  in  the  county,  and 
are  all  noted  for  great  ])ln'sical  strength. 

Adam  Harper,  father  of  Dr.  E.  Harper,  canu'  to  Clover 
Run,  from  Pendleton  County,  in  an  early  day.     He  lived  to 


120  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

nu  old  age,  and  liis  family,  though  scattered  far  and  a\  ide, 
have  ahvays  possessed  wonderful  energy.  Difficulties 
and  obstacles  have  been  forced  to  yield  before  them  in 
'whatever  direction  they  turned  their  hands.  His  sons  have 
been  great  travelers.  One  died  on  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
another  at  Santa  Barbara,  California,  one  still  lives  on  the 
Pacific  (?oast,  and  another,  Dr.  Harper,  now  lives  in  Tucker. 
Of  all  of  them,  and  particularly  of  the  last,  fuller  mention 
\^'\\\  be  made  in  this  book. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FOmiA  TWy  OF  TrCKER  CO  UNTY. 

TucKEE  County,  West  Yirginia,  Avas  formed  from  Eaii- 
dolpli  County,  March  6,  1856.  The  people  had  long  felt 
the  inconvenience  of  cfoinjjf  so  far  to  court,  as  Beverly  was 
then  the  seat  of  justice.  From  the  "  Biography  of  Abe 
Bonnitield  "'''  the  following  is  taken  : 

Tucker  County  was,  a  few  years  ago,  the  northern  end  of  Ran- 
dolph County:  and  Randolph  Avas  originally  a  part  of  Harrison, 
and  Harrison  was  a  part  of  the  great  county  of  xVugusta,  which 
Avhen  first  organized,  included  nearly  all  of  West  Virginia.  It  has 
been  divided  and  sub-divided.  County  after  county  was  struck 
off,  till  thirty  or  more  comities  have  been  formed  out  of  the  orig- 
inal territory.  Randolph  County  was  organized  in  1810.  It  was  a 
large  eourity,  some  seventy-five  miles  long,  and  the  settlements 
were  separated  by  large  tracts  of  woods,  and  the  roads  connecting 
them  were  none  too  good.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  for  many 
years,  the  people  of  the  northern  iDart,  now  Tucker  County,  grew 
dissatisfied  that  they  had  to  go  so  far  to  attend  court,  which  was 
held  at  Beverh'.  then  the  county-seat.  The  subject  of  a  new 
county,  to  be  taken  from  the  northern  end  of  Randolph,  was  re- 
peatedly agitated  ;  but  no  decisive  step  Avas  taken,  till  in  the  win- 
ter of  1854,  when  a  general  meeting  was  called  at  the  residence  of 
Enoch  Minear,  in  the  old  Stone  House  at  St.  George. t 

A  counuittee  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  persons  was  chosen  to 
select  a  site  for  a  court-house  for  the  contemplated  new  county. 
The  conunittee  selected  a  spot  on  Enoch  IMinears  farm,  where  the 
court-house  Avas  afterwards  ])uilt.  Petitions  with  numerous  signa- 
tures, praying  for  a  new  county  were  sent  to  the    Legislature    at 


*The  biography  of  Abe  Bonnifleld,  from  which  the  above  is  taken,  has  never  been 
published.  It  was  written  by  I'rof.  G.  V,.  Selby,  near  tliirty  years  ago.  It  will  prob- 
ably be  published  shortly,  as  preparations  are  making  for  that  purpose. 

t  St.  George  was  then  called  Westernford. 


122  HISTOPvY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Richinoud.  In  the  winter  of  1855-6  ])r.  Bosworth  was  the  Dele- 
gate from  Randolph:  and,  in  addition  to  his  influence,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  intended  new  county,  chose  Mr.  William  Ewin  as  a 
Lobby  Member  to  the  Legislature.  He  labored  with  perseverence 
and  skill,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  Act  of  the  Legislature 
for  organizing  the  new  county,  Avith  the  Seat  of  Justice  on  the  site 
selected  by  the  connnittee  above  referred  to.  The  court  was  or- 
ganized in  the  following  July,  but,  owing  to  several  deficiencies,  it 
was  attended  Avith  much  difficulty.  The  new  county  was  christ- 
ened Tac-kci\  and  the  Seat  of  Justice  St.  George.  Both  names  are, 
1  l)elieve,  in  honor  of  the  Clerk  of  the  Senate  of  Virginia.* 
***** 

Tucker  County  chose  its  officers  in  May,  lSo'3.  At  this  election 
my  father^  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  circuit  and  county  courts; 
Daniel  C.  Adams  was  elected  county  commissioner,  +  Ilufus  Max- 
well, eonnuonwealth's  attorney,  Jesse  Parsons,  sheriff,  and  Solo- 
mon Boner,  county  surveyor.  Thus  Tucker  County  was  fairly 
set  on  foot;  and,  Avith  becoming  dignity  as  Avell  as  becoming  mod- 
esty, she  took  her  stand  as  one  among  the  one  hundred  and  fifty 
similar  divisions  of  the  Old  Dominion. 

In  the  session  of  the  Yirgiuia  Legislature  of  1855-1856, 
Major  A.  G.  Eeger  Avas  our  Senator  and  Dr.  Bosworth  was 
our  Delegate.  There  were  some  fears  entertained  of  failure 
in  getting  an  act  for  the  neAv  county,  as  there  Avere  at  that 
time  tAvo  other  new  counties  pressing  their  claims  for  for- 
mation.^ Dr.  BosAvorth  Avas  a  friend  to  the  ncAv  county  of 
Tucker,  but  he  Avas  not  a  a\  ire-Avorker  and  a  driving  man  at 
such  Avork,  and  remained  too  much  silent  Avhen  our  county's 
interests  Avere  at  stake.  It  Avas  Avitli  a  knowledge  of  this 
that  William  Ewin  had  been  sent  by  our  people  to  look 
after  our  interests  ;  for  it  Avas  knoAvn  that  he  Avould  leave 
nothinir  undone  to  secure  success. 

There  Avas  also  another  man  in  the   Yirginia   Legislature 


*  This  is  incorrect,  as  to  the  county's  name.  t  Arnoitl  Bonnitlelcl. 

i  Assessor.  5  Calhoun  and  Roane. 


FOEMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  123 

at  that  time  to  whom  we  owe  much  of  our  success.  This 
man  was  Judge  Joliu  Brauuon,  of  Lewis  County.  He  was 
then  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  entered  with  enthu- 
siasm into  our  cause.  He  was  a  3'oung  man  of  rare  ability 
and  ambition,  and  his  labors  were  not  confined  to  the 
interests  of  his  own  county.  Possessed  of  the  soundest 
political  views,  his  object  w^as  the  building  up  of  his  State, 
and  his  ambition  was  ever  to  be  foremost  in  the  Avork  of  ad- 
vancement and  improvement,  no  matter  whether  in  his  own 
county  or  in  some  other  county.  Li  the  Legislature,  he 
was  respected  b}'  all,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  more  scien- 
tific statesman  than  many  of  his  colleagues,  although  they 
Vv'ere  older  in  years  than  he.  His  opinion  had  weight, 
because  all  knew  that  his  opinion  was  not  a  mere  collection 
of  ideas. 

So,  when  the  subject  of  the  formation  of  a  new  county, 
now  Tucker,  came  before  the  Legislature,  none  were  more 
prompt  to  look  into  the  merits  of  the  case,  and  see  that 
iliere  was  reason  and  justice  in  what  was  asked.  This  was 
enough  to  secure  his  aid ;  and,  from  that  hour,  he  worked 
unceasingly,  in  common  with  Mr.  Evrin,  for  the  county. 
Senator  Ewin,  in  speaking  of  Judge  Brannon,  in  this  con- 
nection, says  that  the  bill  for  the  new  county  "  was  success- 
fully carried  througli  upon  his  motion  at  ever}^  stage  of  its 
progress."^ 

Major  Reger,  on  account  of   sickness,  was  forced  to  be 

absent   from   the   Legislature   while  the   bill   for  the  new 

county  was  before  it ;  but,  he  did  all  he  could  for  us.     Of 

him  Senator  Ewin  speaks  : 

It  is  but  just  to  say  that  Major  Reger,  although  prostrate  ou  a 
sick  bed  at  the  time  the  bill  was  sent  to  the  Senate,  was  a  warm 


See  Tucker  County  Ploiiee*;  May  28,  ISBO. 


124  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

friend  to  tlie  bill,  and  expressed  great  regret  at  his  forced  absence. 
He  did  all  he  could  under  the  circumstances,  by  dictating  notes  to 
a  number  of  the  most  influential  Senators,  requesting  their  favor- 
able attention  to  the  bill,  which  were  kindly  responded  to  as  the 
sequel  proved. 

Upon  the  motion  of  Judge  Brannon  tlie  new  county  was 
named  Tucker  in  honor  of  Judge  Tucker,  and  the  county- 
seat  St.  George  in  honor  of  St.  George  Tucker,  the  Clerk,  at 
that  time,  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates.  Thus,  in 
brief,  is  a  history  of  the  county  of  Tucker.  It  is  now  larger 
than  it  then  was,  having  been  increased  in  size  by  a  strip 
from  Barbour."' 

*  In  tliis,  as  well  as  other  subjects  of  our  eountj^'s  early  liistoiy,  I  am  Indebted  to 
William  Ewin.  Jacob  Dumire.  D.  K.  Dumire,  Moses  Phillips,  E.  Harper,  S.  E.  Parsons 
and  others. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

SCHOOLS  AjVJ)  churches. 

That  system  of  training  and  developing  the  mind  of  the 
young,  which  calls  out  the  hidden  force  of  the  intellect,  has 
not  been  neglected  in  Tucker  County,  although  the  unfavor- 
able circumstances  under  which  we  have  been  i^iaced  have 
tended  to  keep  us  from  advancing  in  the  most  rapid  man- 
ner. A  few  3^ears  ago,  the  influence  of  the  public  schools 
could  hardly  be  felt  among  our  mountains.  The  few  and 
feeble  efforts  that  were  made  were  done  in  the  purest  pur- 
pose, and  were  in  all  things  sincere  ;  but  so  few  and  so  in- 
eftectual  were  they,  that  the}'  passed  out  upon  the  wide, 
wild  countrv,  and  when  the  work  was  done  and  the  whole 
sum  was  placed  together,  the  result  for  good  was  hardly  to 
be  seen. 

"  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,"  as  has  been  truthfully 
said.  Sometimes  it  seems  that  tremendous  results  are  ac- 
complished almost  instantly ;  but,  in  reality,  it  has  required 
time.  So  it  is  and  mufH  be  with  the  work  of  education  and 
of  the  Churches.  They  act  slowly,  and  ofttimes  it  is  hard 
to  see  wherein  they  advance  at  all ;  but  still  they  go  forward 
and  do  well  what  is  done,  and  it  is  never  to  be  done  again. 
The  giant  oak  that  endures  for  centuries,  grows  so  slowly 
that  almost  the  lifetime  of  a  man  is  required  to  notice  that 
it  has  grown  at  all.  But,  it  has  grown,  and  its  growth  has 
been  durable.  No  suddenness  of  expansion  has  left  flaws 
that  storms  can  find.  Solid  from  centre  to  circumference, 
it  stands  a  monument  of  stren£»th  and  endurabilitv,  not  to 


126  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

be  overtlirowu  by  opposing  force,  although  at  times  to  be 
shaken  by  the  winds  and  storms.  But  such  opposition  only 
makes  it  take  dee]3er  root,  and  stand  more  firmly  than  ever. 

So,  in  a  figurative  sense,  it  has  been  with  the  religious 
and  educational  development  of  our  county.  Surely  there 
has  been  no  sudden  or  abnormal  greatness  taken  place. 
Passion  and  excitement  have  not  done  a  work;  or,  if  they 
have,  the  work  has  passed  awa}'  and  ceased  to  exist,  as  it 
should  do,  and  as  it  could  not  but  do.  The  growth  has 
been  permanent  in  ever}*  particular;  and,  though  slow 
enough  to  discourage  the  impatient,  yet  it  has  been  sure 
enough  to  satisfy  the  hopeful  and  far-seeing. 

The  common  schools  and  the  churches  should  not  be 
classed  as  institutions  of  the  same  kind;  nor,  can  it  be 
maintained  that  they  stand  upon  the  same  or  similar  foun- 
dations ;  3'et,  so  intimately  are  they  related,  and  so  broadly 
does  each  rest  upon  the  wideness  of  public  enlightenment 
and  national  and  social  excellence  that  both  may  be  con- 
sidered resting  upon  the  same  basis.  Or,  exactly  the  oppo- 
site ground  in  logic,  but  in  reality  the  same,  may  be  taken, 
and  it  may  be  held  that  the  aforesaid  wideness  of  public 
enlightenment  and  social  excellence  depend  upon  religion 
and  education.  Certain  is  it  that  both  exist  together  and 
cannot  thrive  apart.  At  least,  all  efforts  to  establish  one 
without  the  other  has,  in  the  past,  been  a  signal  failure. 

Individual  knowledge  and  even  wisdom  may  be  gained  by 
powerful  minds,  groping  in  the  darkness  of  infidelity- ;  but 
the  force  thus  acquired  cannot  be  transmitted  to  others.  It 
lives  brilliantly  enough  while  vitalitj-  lasts,  but  vitality  is 
mortal  and  must  perish.  When  it  dies,  the  power  dies  too. 
It  is  not  like  the  greatness  of  "Washington  or  Luther  or  Da- 
vid or  Abraham,  which,  upon  the  dissolution  of  the  mortal 


SCHOOLS  AND  CHUECHES.  127 

part,  -went  out  into  elements  be3^ond  to  live  on.  Nations, 
uneducated  and  grossly  superstitious,  cannot  be  what  those 
are  which  are  thrilled,  filled  and  animated  by  that  higher, 
nobler  and  j^urer  doctrine,  which  we  know  to  be  good,  as  we 
know  that  light  is  beautiful.  Africa  and  England  are  not 
the  same.  Enc-land  is  better  than  Africa.  We  know  such 
to  be  so. 

The  mysteries  of  philosophy  and  chemistry  are  not  more 
recondite  than  is  that  of  the  change  which  knowledge  causes 
to  take  place  in  the  individual  man,  and  more  so  in  the  col- 
lective man  or  the  communitv.  It  is  undefinable,  but  is 
needing  no  definition.  It  acts  and  permeates  through  na- 
ture and  characteristics  until  all  are  changed  into  conformity 
with  a  new  order. 

Public  education  in  Tucker  County  has  never  reached  as 
high  a  standard  as  should  be.  Circumstances  have  been 
against  it.  The  wild  and  imdeveloped  state  of  the  country 
has  been  a  poAverful  drawback;  but  the  time  is  now  coming 
when  this  difficulty  will  be  overcome.  The  people  are  thor- 
oughly in  sympathy  with  the  common  school  system,  and  it 
must  enter  upon  a  better  career  than  its  past  has  been. 

There  is,  in  the  county,  no  means  of  gaining  a  better 
education  than  may  be  gained  in  the  common  schools.  No 
institutions  of  a  higher  order  have  been  established  ;  and, 
there  would  not,  at  this  time,  be  sufficient  support  for  any- 
thing of  the  kind.  But  the  time  cannot  be  far  distant  when 
our  youths,  Avho  have  completed  the  narrow  bounds  of  our 
common  school  education,  will  not  be  forced  to  go  beyond 
our  borders  in  order  to  proceed  further  with  their  course  of 
studies. 

The  higher  departments  of  learning  must  ever  be  the 
channel  through  which  the  great  shall  reach  their   great- 


128  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ness  ;  but,  the  common  schools,  bringing  education  for  the 
masses,  is  the  broad  foundation  upon  which  rests  the 
national  power  of  America.  A  great  individual  is  a  power- 
ful factor  in  a  country's  greatness ;  but,  a  Nation's  solidity 
and  power  is  built  upon  those  whose  common  worth  only 
has  been  develo]^ed.  The  leaders  of  such  a  people  as  the 
United  States  are  leaders  only  by  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
erned ;  and,  for  the  governed  to  know  whom  to  appoint  to 
this  position,  and  to  rectify  mistakes  when  made,  is  all  that 
there  is  in  national  greatness. 

Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of"  those  who  receive  high  school 
educations  have  not  the  mental  stability  to  profit  by  it  or  to 
lend  profit  to  others;  but,  of  those  whose  training  has 
been  in  the  common  schools,  not  one  per  cent,  fail  to  fulfill 
their  calling.  They  do  not  aim  at  the  stars.  They  seek 
only  that  which  they  need  and  can  find,  and  thus  do  not 
seek  in  vain,  as  many  do  whose  learning  so  exalts  them  that, 
in  their  infatuation,  they  leave  the  object  and  grasp  at  the 
shadow. 

The  higher  departments  of  learning  are  exercising  a  pow- 
erful influence  upon  science,  but  the  education  of  the  masses 
is  building  the  world.  Aside  from  the  Churches  and  their 
associations,  there  is  nothing  better  or  greater  than  the 
schools  where  the  poor  man's  boy  can  gain  that  knowledge 
which  will  give  him  control  over  the  hardest  problems  of 
life.  The  rich  can  command  the  means  of  acquiring  this, 
but  the  poor  cannot,  unaided  by  the  public. 

In  Tucker  County  the  improvement  from  year  to  year 
has  been  marked ;  and  now  it  is  so  that  our  schools,  or 
at  least,  our  county,  is  able  to  provide  teachers  at  home 
for  the  schools.  The  custom  of  employing  teachers  from 
other  counties  is  not  without    objection.     Sometimes   it   is 


SCHOOLS  AND  CHUECHES.  129 

necessary  to  do  so,  wlieu  tlie  home  supply  falls  short  of  the 
demand.     But  it  is  best  to  have  the  schools  of  the  connty 
conducted  by  those  who  take  a  deeper  interest  in  them  than 
merely  to  get  the  salary.     A  teacher  who  comes  from  an- 
other county  is  usually  one  that  is  unable  to  get  employment 
at  home,  and  is,  consequently,  unfit  for  employment  abroad. 
Of  course,  there  are  exceptions,  and  many  exceptions ;  but 
still  it  is  generally  the  case  that  a  teacher  worth  anything, 
settles  down  to  work  where  he  is  known.     If  a  county  is 
much  overrun  by  outside  teachers,  it  is  a  sign  that  it  either 
has  not  home  talent  sufficient  to  conduct  its  own  schools,  or 
that  it  pays  a  higher  salary  than  its  neighbors  and  that  the 
teachers  are  gathered  in  to  share  in  the  advanced  prosperity. 
From  the  rude  log  huts,  wherein  the  people  one  hundred 
years  ago  congregated  to  worship,  we  have  advanced  stead- 
ily until  our  churches  present  a  favorable  contrast  with  the 
rest  of  our  improvements.     They  are  sufficient  for  the  ac- 
commodation of   all  who  come  together  to  worship.     The 
religious  doctrine  of  the  mass  of  our  people  has  undergone 
no   material  change   in  the  last  one  hundred  years.     The 
creed  of  the  Methodist  Church  is  the  prevailing  one  here. 
The  Presbyterians,  Dunkards,  Baptists,  Lutherans,  Catho- 
lics  and   Campbellites    have   a   few   representatives.     The 
Methodists    are  pretty   evenly    divided   into  three  classes. 
North  and  South  and  Protestant  Methodists.     The  Presby- 
terians  are  of  the    Southern  branch  of  that  Church.     The 
Dunkards  are  identical  with  the  German  Baptists.     Their 
members  are  tolerably  numerous,  but  they  have  no  church 
in  the  couaty.     They  x)reach  in  the  houses  of  other  denom- 
inations.    Neither   have   the   Baptists,    Lutherans,   Camp- 
bellites or  Catholics  any  church.     There  are,  at  this  time, 
only  two  Catholics  in  the  county. 

9 


CHAPTER   VII. 
MO  UN  TAINS  AND  CA  YES. 

The  mountains  of  Tucker  possess  an  interest  for  the 
people  of  Tucker,  altliougli  nothing  si)ecial  to  the  people  of 
the  outside  Avorld.  On  our  south-eastern  border  the  great 
comb  of  the  Appalachian  range  extends  like  a  barrier. 
This,  the  Alleghany  ridge,  is  the  highest  mountain  in  our 
county,  and  the  highest  point  is  eastward  from  the  upper 
end  of  the  Canaan  Valley,  about  the  meeting  of  the  drain- 
age of  New  Creek  and  Eed  Creek.  The  rain  that  falls  on 
the  summits  of  these  ridges  finds  its  way  to  the  ocean, 
either  the  Atlantic,  through  the  Potomac,  or  the  Gidf  of 
Mexico,  through  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries.  r 

The  Backbone  is  a  spur  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  is  nearly 
as  high.  It  diverges  from  the  Alleghanies  at  Fairfax  and 
trends  to  the  north  and  west  of  Canaan.  This  mountain  is 
almost  as  rough  as  the  main  Alleghany.  No  farming  of 
much  importance  is  done  on  it. 

The  rest  of  the  mountains  are  broken  up,  and  extend  in 
any  and  every  direction  without  system.  Shafer's  Mountain, 
Green  Mountain  and  others  have  some  re^fularitv  in  exten- 
sion ;  and  on  the  west  Laurel  Hill  extends  unbroken.  It 
divides  the  waters  of  Cheat  River  from  those  of  the  East 
Fork.  No  streams  break  through  it,  as  through  the  Back- 
bone. It  is  not  so  high  as  the  Alleghany  or  the  Backbone 
Mountain. 

Among  the  mountains  of  Tucker,  the  most  interesting  is 
Limestone,  standing  a  solitary  remnant  of  an  earlier  geolog- 


MOUNTAINS  AND  CAYES.  131 

ical  age,  wlien  the  flowing  waters  liad  not  carried  away  the 
high  plains  that  then  extended,  rugged  no  doubt,  from  the 
top  of  Limestone  to  the  Backbone.  Ages,  centuries  and  ' 
millennials  of  storms  and  floods  have  wrought  their  work  of 
ruin,  and  the  torrents  of  winter,  together  with  the  cleaving 
frosts  and  the  dashing  rains,  have  carried  away  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  high  plain  exists  only  in  its  north  and  south 
edges — the  Backbone  and  Limestone.  All  the  intervening 
plateau  has  been  washed  away,  and  probably  now  goes  to 
make  up  the  plains  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana,  whither 
the  rivers  have  carried  the  debris. 

The  following  is  condensed  from  the  Clarhsljurg  Hegister, 
where  it  was  published  some  thirty  years  ago : 

lilMESTOXE    MOUXTAIX.* 

This  mountain  is  an  isolated  hill,  rising  abruptly  from  the  western 
bank  of  Cheat  River,  in  Tucker  Countv,  and  extends  in  a  course 
nearly  north  and  south.  The  length  of  the  mountain  at  its  base  is 
about  three  miles,  that  of  its  summit  less  than  two.  Its  width  at 
its  base  is  something  more  than  two  miles,  at  its  top  from  one- 
fourth  to  three  fourths  of  a  mile.  Its  greatest  height  is  about  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  t  It  receives  its  name 
from  the  abundance  of  blue  limestone  that  protrudes  from  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  The  western  declivity  is  exceedingly  steep 
and  rough,  abounding  in  rocks  as  large  as  houses,  while  the  eastern 
slope  is  gentle  and  gradual,  and,  for  the  most  part,  is  covered  with 
beautiful  grazing  farms. 

The  grass  of  the  mountain  is  of  a  superior  quality,  and  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  in  the  country.  The  soil  around  the  slope,  and 
even  to  the  summit,  is  exceedingly  fertile,  and  produces  vegetation 
in  the  greatest  luxurience  ;  and,  every  part  that  has  not  been 
cleared  abounds  in  forests  of  excellent  timber.  The  different  kinds 
of  oak,  ash,  chestnut,  black  and  white  walnut,  sugar,  white  maple 
and  hickory   abound  in   almost   every    part.     Nearly  the    whole 


*It  is  supposed  that  tliis  article  was  written  by  Professor  Selby,  a  scliool  teaclier  who 
lived  at  Limestone  many  years  ago. 

tTliis  is  an  overestimation. 


132  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

inoiintaiii,  together  A^'ith  a  large  tract  on  the  eastern  side,  is  owned 
by  WilUam  Ewin,  Esq.,  an  intelUgent,  wealthy  and  enterprising 
gentleman  living  in  Tucker  County,  who  is  now  converting  the 
whole  into  an  extensive  grazing  farm.*  A  considerable  number  of 
cattle  and  sheep  have  for  several  years  been  kept  on  it.  When  the 
whole  is  put  under  improvement,  a  more  beautiful  prospect  of 
rural  scenery  will  probably  nowhere  exist. 

The  summit  of  the  mountain  extends  in  a  direct  line,  except  that 
it  falls  about  two  hundred  feet  not  far  from  the  northern  end,  form- 
ing a  most  romantic  plateau  of  level  land.  Then  rising  again,  it 
continues  one  unbroken  course  to  its  southern  extremity.  At  the 
northern  end  there  are  several  high  and  rocky  peaks  that  overlook 
the  surrounding  country  to  a  vast  extent.  The  prospect  from 
these  points,  especially  in  the  summer  season,  is  grand  and  beau- 
tiful in  the  extreme.  The  spectator  aj^pears  to  be  elevated  in  the 
blue  firmament,  far  above  the  tops  of  ten  thousand  beautiful  hills, 
that  seem  to  roll  in  undulations  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  ;  while 
the  meandering  riv^er  shimmers  with  its  bright  waters  far  down 
below.  On  tliis  prospect  the  eye  dwells  with  a  rapture  that 
m.ust  be  enjoyed  and  wondered  at  before  it  can  be  understood. 
Then  passing  southward  along  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  you 
soon  descend  to  the  table  land,  above  alluded  to.  This  delightful 
tract  of  level  land  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  would  at  once  arrest 
the  attention  of  the  observer.  The  soil  is  a  darkish  loam,  in  some 
places  mingled  with  gravel,  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
grain.  It  is  shaded  with  groves  of  chestnut,  hickory  and  sugar 
maple,  and  covers  almost  seventy  acres. 

Leaving  this,  in  a  southern  course,  you  climb  a  steep  ascent,  which 
leads  to  the  principal  suuiiuit  of  the  mountain.  As  you  pass  along 
this  part  of  the  mountain  you  will  observe  trees  deeply  scathed  by 
lightning,  affording  unmistakable  proof  that  the  god  of  thunder 
has  rolled  his  fiery  car  over  the  mountain. 

From  this  ridge,  far  on  the  left,  beyond  a  thousand  rolling  hills, 
you  behold  the  principal  ridge  of  the  Alleghanies  looming  up  as  if 
to  gaze  on  the  surrounding  world.  The  eye  may  trace  the  course 
of  this  ridge,  broken  by  deep  chasms  and  rounding  summits,  near 

'  Senator  Ewln  still  owns  this  land,  as  lie  did  tlilrty  years  ago. 


MOUNTAINS  AND  GATES.  133 

one  hundred  miles.*  Toward  the  extremity  of  the  vision  the 
mountains  appear  as  if  rolling  in  the  distant  waves  of  the  blue 
ether,  and  farther  off  they  entirely  disappear.  Sometimes,  of 
course,  from  this  elevation  may  be  seen  the  black  clouds  of  storms 
hovering  over  the  distant  mountains.  The  loud  rumbling  of  thun- 
der may  be  heard,  and  the  vivid  flashes  of  lightning,  darting  from 
cloud  to  cloud,  may  be  seen.  On  such  an  occasion,  the  view  is 
awfully  subUme.  What  a  scene  for  contemplation  !  The  mind  of 
the  spectator,  oppressed  with  a  load  of  insupportable  glory,  invol- 
untarily falls  back  upon  its  own  insignificance  and  shrinks  into 
nothingness  before  the  astounding  display  of  Almighty  Power. 

Approaching  the  southern  part  of  the  mountain  and  turning 
some  distance  to  the  right,  there  is  a  beautiful  plateau  of  level 
land,  perhaps  one  hundred  acres  or  more.  Here  Nature  appears 
to  have  reveled  in  the  gratification  of  her  own  fancy,  and  formed 
a  httle  detached  world,  purely  her  own.  The  soil  exhibits  great 
fertility,  and  is  shaded  by  dehghtful  groves  of  sugar,  thinly 
mingled  with  hickory  and  black  walnut.  Here  are  excellent  springs 
of  pure  water,  gurgling  from  the  rocks,  and  rolling  over  beds  of 
white  gravel,  or  flowing  beneath  the  shade  of  giant  rocks  which 
overhang  the  course.  Here  are  detached  masses  of  rounded,  gray 
rocks,  peering  above  the  surface,  and  looking,  from  a  distance,hke 
enormous  elephants  sleeping  in  the  green  shade. 

About  half  mile  from  this  place,  in  a  south-western  course,  is  a 
large  pile  of  huge  rocks  that  entirely  cover  the  surface  of  the  earth 
for  a  number  of  acres.  This  rocky  pile  exhibits  all  the  wildness 
that  the  imagination  could  desire.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by 
a  stupendous  pile  of  massive  bowlders,  some  of  which  are  as  large 
as  temples,  a  nd  form  frightful  precipices. 

This  pile  of  enormous  rocks  forms  the  south-western  bend  of  the 
mountain,  and  to  a  contemplative  eye  is  equal  in  interest  to  any 
other  part.  A  scene  of  greater  wildness,  grandeur  and  sublimity 
is  not  easily  found.  Here  hs  everything  to  arouse  the  deep  feelings 
of  the  soul  and  drive  it  to  profound  meditation.  The  spectator, 
seated  upon  these  enormous  rocks,  while  the  rays  of  the  burning 
sun  are  reflected  from  their  flinty  sides,  in  mind  involuntarily  runs 

*  This,  again.  Is  an  overestlmatlon.  The  day  must  be  exceedingly  clear,  In  Tucker 
County,  If  a  mountain  can  be  seen  forty  miles. 


134  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

into  a  channel  of  serious  and  melancholy  contemplations,  while  far 
around,  the  glory  of  Nature's  works  crowd  themselves  upon  the 
astonished  vision.  These  huge,  eternal  rocks,  covered  with  moss, 
and  grown  gray  with  the  flood  of  years,  still  repose  in  silence. 

Though  the  stormy  winds  of  heaven  have  battled  against  them 
for  thousands  and  thousands  of  years,  yet  they  sleep  on.     Torna- 
does have  rushed  with  ruin  round,  but  these  everlasting  hills  of 
nature,  secure  in  their  owai  imnuitable  strength,  regarded  them, 
not.     Seasons  have  rolled  and  time  has  fled,  but  they  remain  un- 
moved, and   seem  to  mock  at  the  perishing  glory  of  the  Avorld. 
Monarchies    have   shaken  the   earth  with  the  footsteps  of  their 
power,  and  deluged  it  with  blood,  and,  sunk  away  in  their  own 
weekness   and  expired.     Nations  have  arisen  to    greatness    and 
glory  and  then  relapsed  into  eternal  silence.     But,  these  mighty 
monuments  of  power,  as  if  conscious  of  their  own  immutability, 
regarded  not  the  changing  world  around  them.     But,  though  they 
sleep  in  silence,  yet  they  are  not  ineloquent.     Though  they  speak 
not  audiblj^  yet  they  have  a  language  that  cannot  be  misunder- 
stood.    Their  own  eternal  silence  is  eloquent,  and  their  everlasting 
stillness  proclaims  the  truth.     They  carry  the  observer  far  back 
through  the  dim  vista  of  time  to  the  period  when  they  were  thrown 
from  the  hands  of  their  Creator.     They  speak  eloquently  of  all  the 
changes  of  succeeding  ages  since  the  beginning  when  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth.     They  remind  us  of  the  mighty  cities 
and  nations  of  the  earth,  once  full  of  the  schemes  of  human  life, 
now  sunk  to  rise  n  o  more.     They  speak  mockingly  of  kings  and 
conquerors,  long  since  forgotten  in  the  silence  of  the  tomb.     With 
speechless    language  they   seem    to  say:  "Where   now    are    the 
mighty  personages  that  once  figured  upon  the  stage  of  life,  and 
produced  such  wonderful  commotions  in  the  world  ?    Wliose  hand 
grasped  the   sword  of  power,    and  the   nations  trembled  before 
them  ?    Every  tongue  was  eloquent  in  their  praise,  and  every  hand 
ministered  unto  them.     Yet  they  are  gone  with  the  swift  revolving 
years,  and  their  places  are  filled  by  others  perishable,  or  vacant 
forever.     Time  has  spread  his  dark  iiavilion   over  them.     Their 
monuments  are  broken  down  and  their  very  tombs  have  decayed. 
Where  now  is  all  the  greatness,  the  pride  and  the  glory  of  by-gone 
generations  ?    They  once  liyed,  they  flourished,  and  the  pleasure  s 


MOUNTAINS  AND  CXYES.  135 

of  life  were  sweet  to  them.  But,  all  is  pfone  I  Death  has  seized 
upon  them,  and  their  greatness  has  vanished  away,  their  pride  has 
fallen,  and  their  glory  has  departed  forever." 

So  speak  the  dead  rocks,  dead  but  eternal  in  their  works,  and 
while  they  are  eloquent  in  their  allusions  to  the  faded  glories  of 
the  past,  they  also  deliver  us  a  solemn  lecture  on  the  shortness  of 
our  own  earthly  existence.  They  remind  us  that,  in  a  few  more 
days,  the  sun  that  shines  so  brightly  upon  the  graves  of  j^ast  gen- 
erations, will  shine  with  equal  brightness  upon  ours.  They  ad- 
monish us  that,  in  a  few  more  years,  the  present  generations,  with 
all  their  boasted  wisdom,  will  sink  into  the  silence  of  the  tomb; 
and,  with  all  who  have  gone  before  them,  the3%  too,  will  be  for- 
gotton.  And  with  the  same  noiseless,  solemn  eloquence  we  are  re- 
minded of  the  time  when  the  '"ancient  of  days  shall  appear,  whose 
throne  is  like  the  fiery  flame  and  his  wheels  are  burning  fire." 
"When  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the 
elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat."  "When  the  earth  and  all 
the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned  up."  They  seem  to  say: 
"Proud  man,  thy  tabernacle  is  built  of  clay  I  thy  body  is  flesh; 
therefore,  thou  shalt  not  endure.  '  Thy  days  on  earth  are  a  hand's 
breadth,  and  thy  life  but  a  span.  Though  the  fondness  of  life  be 
great,  and  the  love  of  pleasure  deeply  fixed  in  thy  soul,  yet  thy 
stay  on  earth  is  transient  as  the  morning  cloud,  evanescent  as  the 
early  dew  that  continueth  not."  They,  likewise,  point  to  the  time 
when  they  themselves,  after  they  have  stood  in  the  majesty  of 
then*  strength  for  thousands  of  years,  shall  be  dissolved  by  the 
burning  flame,  and  into  smoke  shall  they  vanish  away. 

Scoreg  of  mountains  of  Tucker  have  names  given  tliem  by 
local  occurrences,  or  in  way  of  distinction.  Among  tliese 
are  Old  Andra,  named,  it  is  said,  from  a  man  of  tliat  name 
who  used  to  follow  wagoning  along  the  road  that  passes 
over  it.  One  very  cold  niglit,  while  traveling  the  road,  he 
missed  some  article  from  his  load,  and  vrent  back  to  hunt 
it,  lea^Tiug  his  son,  a  small  boy,  in  the  wagon.  He  had  fur- 
ther to  go  than  he  anticipated,  and  upon  his  return,  found 
his  boy  frozen  to  death.     The  circumstance  was  applie<l  in 


136  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

designating  the  place,  and  finally  the  mountain  came  to  be 
known  as  Old  Andra,  a  name  ever  since  retained  by  it.  The 
mountain  is  about  seven  miles  from  St.  George,  on  the  road 
to  Aurora. 

Sivis'  Knol>  was  named  from  Bernard  Sims,  who  used  to 
live  at  its  base,  and  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  Liiys- 
coinh's  liulge  receives  its  name  from  the  Lij^scomb  family, 
who  settled  there  in  an  early  day.  Closs  Mountain  was 
named  from  David  Closs,  a  Scotchman  who  bought  the 
mountain  many  years  ago,  and  still  lives  there.  Shafers 
Mountain  was  named  from  Shafer's  Fork,  and  Green  Moun- 
tain from  its  verdure  in  summer.  P'lfer  Mountain  was 
named  from  Andrew  Pifer.  Hog  Bacl\  on  the  waters  of 
Horse  Shoe  Piun,  is  so  named  from  its  resemblance  to  a 
hog's  back.  Location  liidge  is  so  called  because  the  loca- 
tion for  a  turnpike  is  there.  Miller  Hill,  four  miles  below 
St.  George,  on  the  road  to  Rowlesburg,  is  named  from  Wil- 
liam Miller. 

If  the  subterranean  wonders  of  Tucker  County  were  bet- 
ter known,  it  would  rank  among  the  first  counties  of  the 
state  in  that  respect.  No  caves  as  extensive  as  Mammoth, 
of  Kentucky,  or  Luray,  of  Yirginia,  have  been  discovered. 
But  there  are  natural  wonders  of  this  kind,  some  explored 
and  others  almost  unknown.  They  are  found  in  the  lime- 
stone formation. 

Falling  Spring. — On  the  Dry  Fork  road,  some  fifteen 
miles  from  St.  George,  is  a  natural  curiosity,  called  Falling 
Spring.  Just  above  the  road,  where  a  little  mountain  stream 
falls  over  a  cataract,  is  an  opening  in  the  limestone  rock,  in 
an  oblong  shape,  about  thirty  feet  deep,  into  which  the 
water  falls  as  spray.  There  is  no  account  that  the  pit  has 
ever  been  descended  into.    Yiewing  it  from  the  top,  it  looks 


MOUNTAINS  AND  CAVES.  137 

as  though  from  its  bottom  a  cave  may  extend  back  into  the 
mountain.  Probably  it  will  some  time  be  explored,  and 
then  its  true  nature  and  extent  can  be  known. 

Jordan  s  Cave. — On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  almost 
opposite  Falling  Spring,  is  a  large  cavern  called  Jordan's 
Cave.  We  quote  the  following  fi'om  the  Biography  of  Abe 
Bonnifield : 

On  the  west  side  of  Dry  Fork  there  is  a  cave,  frequently  called 
Jordan's  Cave.  This  name  is  given  on  account  of  an  ignorant 
fellow  of  that  name  who  discovered  it,  and  who  pretended  to  have 
remained  there  a  considerable  time  and  to  have  made  many  dis- 
coveries in  it.  He  wrote  a  book  descriptive  of  it,*  and  claimed  to 
make  known  to  the  world  many  wonderful  things.  Jordan's  book 
is  as  destitute  of  elegance  and  correct  composition  as  the  narrative 
which  it  contains  is  of  truth.  It  would  be  but  justice  to  his  pam- 
phlet to  say  that  for  falsehood,  nonsense  and  absurdity  it  has  few 
equals  and  no  superiors.  Reports  say  that  Jordan  has  since  gone 
crazy 

Mr.  Penn,  who  Avas  with  Jordan,  says  that  the  cave  is,  indeed,  a 
wonderful  place,  and  thinks  that  they  must  have  traveled  several 
miles  under  ground,  t  He  says  that  there  appeared  to  be  many 
different  apartments.  Probably  there  is  room  here  for  much 
further  research,  which  would  richly  repay  the  geological  visitor 
for  his  pains. 

The  more  recent  explorations  of  Jordan's  cave  have  more 
and  more  confirmed  Jordan's  account  of  it,  as  it  is  remem- 
bered by  those  who  have  read  his  book.  The  cave  is  a  suc- 
cession of  halls  and  rooms,  one  beyond  the  other,  through 
all  of  which  flows  a  stream  of  clear,  cold  water. 

Blovnng  Cave,  at  the  head  of  Elk  Creek,  is  more  of  a  cu- 
riosity than  Jordan's  Cave  is,  although  not  so  extensive. 
It  is  called  Blowing  Cave,  because  in  warm  weather  a  strong 

*  This  t)ook  cannot  now  be  found. 

t  The  cave  has  since  been  explored  by  Rufus  Maxwell,  Dr.  William  Ewin,  David  and 
A.  T.  Bonnlfield,  and  they  found  it  less  than  half  a  nolle  in  extent. 


138  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

current  of  cold  air  flows  from  it,  and  is  sufficiently  cool  to 
cliill  one  who  remains  in  it  a  few  minutes.  This  cave  has 
been  explored  to  the  distance  of  nine  hundred  feet,  and  is, 
also,  a  succession  of  chambers  and  rooms,  some  of  which 
are  fantastic  and  beautiful. 

There  are  numerous  other  caves  and  caverns  in  the 
county,  some  of  which  have  been  only  partly  explored.  On 
Limestone  Mountain  there  is  a  cave  said  to  be  very  exten- 
sive. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

L  UMBER  INTERESTS  OF  TUCKER  CO  UNTY. 

Nature  bestowed  upon  Tucker  ^County  a  splendid  growtli 
of  timber.  When  the  old  pioneers  first  visited  the  bottom 
lands  along  the  river,  they  found  there  the  most  gigantic 
oaks,  hickories,  walnuts  and  other  timbers.  No  woodsman's 
ax  had  ever  broken  in  on  the  solemn  reign  of  these  primeval 
kings.  Perhaps,  near  some  beautiful  spring,  or  on  the 
shaded  bank  of  some  mountain  stream,  the  roaming  Indian 
had  paused  long  enough  in  his  pursuit  of  game  to  hack, 
with  his  flinty  hatchet,  a  few  trees,  or  he  may  have  stripped 
them  of  their  bark,  with  which  to  erect  him  a  shelter  against 
the  rains  of  the  verdant  summer  or  the  snov^'S  that  come  in 
the  winter  time.  Or,  some  savage,  in  the  desire  of  his  heart 
to  lift  himself  out  of  the  dark  depths  of  wildness  and  bru- 
tality, may  have  cleared  away,  with  hatchet  and  fire,  the 
trees  and  rubbish  from  some  fertile  acre,  and  there  built  for 
himself  a  better  wigwam  than  that  of  his  more  savage 
neighbor ;  and,  on  the  little  plantation  of  his  own  clearing, 
there  may  have  grown  by  his  rude  cultivation  a  few  square 
rods  of  grain  or  vegetables.  But  such  an  Indian,  if  he  ex- 
isted, had  more  than  mere  forest  or  sultry  summers  or  icy 
winters  against  which  to  contend  in  his  struggle  to  grow 
better  and  to  foster  the  germ  of  civilization  which  he  felt 
rising  in  his  soul.  Nature  and  nature's  obstacles  were  hard 
enough  to  be  removed  or  triumphed  over,  and  the  inani- 
mate enemies  to  his  advancement,  that  were  all  about  him, 
were  enemies  enough ;  but,  they  were   not  the  worst.     His 


140  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

own  people,  the  tribes  of  Lis  fellow-beings,  would  not  rise 
to  a  higher  grade  of  existence,  and  they  would  not  suffer 
liim  to  rise.  The  little  field  that  he  had  cleared  and  tilled 
until  it  was  yielding  him  a  sustenance,  was  the  object  of  his 
kindred's  hatred.  They  raided  upon  it,  and  carried  away 
or  destroyed  what  was  growing,  and  the  o^Mier,  in  his  dis- 
couragement and  anger,  flung  down  his  wooden  hoe  and  his 
flinty  hatchet,  and  declared  that  he  would  no  more  labor 
where  no  profits  would  ever  be  gained.  Thus,  the  little 
plantation  was  abandoned  to  its  original  wilderness,  and 
soon  the  brambles  covered  it.  The  brambles  grew  into 
trees,  and  again  the  land  was  an  unbroken  forest,  and  thus 
it  was  when  the  white  man's  foot  first  pressed  the  soil. 

There  seems  to  have  been  as  much  timber  in  Tucker  when 
first  visited  by  whites,  as  there  ever  was  afterwards.  The 
amount  that  the  trees  grew  in  one  hundred  years,  making 
large  trees  of  small  ones,  was  counteracted  by  the  number 
of  large  ones  that  died  and  fell  down  in  that  time,  so  that 
the  amount  of  marketable  timber  in  the  county  did  not  in- 
crease, and  probably  never  would  have  increased,  had  it 
remained  untouched  by  man  forever.  It  is  maintained  by 
some  that  at  a  period  not  very  remote,  the  region  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  and  among  them,  was  treeless,  as  the  west- 
ern prairies  are.  Such  may  have  been  the  case,  but  there 
is  nothing  in  Tucker  to  warrant  such  a  conclusion.  As  far 
back  as  any  account  is  had,  the  trees  were  as  large  and 
stood  as  thick  as  they  do  in  the  unmolested  forests  of 
to-day.  Our  history  extends  back  only  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  years ;  and  in  that  time  nothing  has  transpired 
to  lead  one  to  suppose  that  the  general  condition  of  our  for- 
ests are  undergoing  a  change. 

The  age  of  some  of  our  trees,  as  indicated  by  their  an- 


LUMBEK  INTERESTS.  141 

nual  rings,  sliow  that  tliey  were  here  before  Cohimbus  saw- 
San  Salvador.  The  size  of  a  tree  is  little  by  which  to  judge 
its  age.  A  sycamore  one  foot  in  diameter  may  be  less  than 
ten  years  old ;  while  another  tree  of  the  same  kind  and  size 
may  be  one  hundred.  It  depends  upon  where  they  stand, 
whether  in  a  place  suitable  for  growing  or  not.  A  pine  tree 
on  the  Fork  Eidge  of  Pine  Run  was  thirty-nine  inches  in 
diameter  and  one  hundred  and  nineteen  years  old.  An  oak 
tree  three  inches  larger,  cut  by  George  Sypolt  on  Holbert 
Run,  was  five  hundred  and  six  years  old.  A  sycamore  that 
formerly  stood  on  John  H.  Swisher's  farm,  on  Horse  Shoe 
Run,  was  over  six  feet  across  the  hollow  within.  Of 
course,  its  age  could  not  be  known,  but  hollow  trees  are 
of  slow  growth.  A  hollow  sycamore  in  the  Horse  Shoe 
was  said  to  have  been  ten  feet  across  the  hollow ;  but,  its 
exact  size  is  not  agreed  upon  by  those  who  have  seen  it.  A 
red  oak  that  formerly  stood  on  Horse  Shoe  Run  below  Bon- 
nifield's,  was  sawed  down.  It  was  solid  and  over  five  feet 
across.  Its  annual  rings  were  so  thin  that  they  could  not 
be  counted.  There  were,  however,  hundreds  of  them,  and 
the  tree  must  have  been  among  the  oldest  in  the  county. 

It  was  many  years  after  the  first  settlements  of  the  county 
before  its  timber  had  any  marketable  value.  There  was  no 
place  where  it  could  be  sold,  and  it  was  counted  as  so  much 
rubbish— worse  than  nothing  where  the  ground  must  be 
cleared.  The  first  settlers  along  the  river  were  almost  dis- 
couraged when  they  contemplated  the  time  and  labor  that 
would  be  required  to  remove  the  gigantic  oaks  that  stood 
thick  all  over  the  bottom  lands.  Some  few  of  them  were 
made  into  rails ;  but,  further  than  this,  they  could  be  put 
to  no  use ;  and  it  became  neccessary  to  destroy  them  with 
ax  and  fire.     The  work  required  years  and  3^ears,  and  was 


142  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

completed  witliin  the  memory  of  those  still  living.  The 
amount  of  timber  thus  destroyed  must  have  been  immense, 
as  we  can  judge  by  taking  into  account  the  extent  of  terri- 
tory so  timbered,  and  the  number  and  size  of  the  trees. 
But,  it  was  all  destroj'ed  before  timber  here  had  any  value. 

But,  gradually,  as  the  country  began  to  develop,  rude 
saw-mills  were  built,  and  a  few  plank  houses  took  the 
place  of  the  primitive  log  cabins.  This  was  the  first  use, 
aside  from  rail  fences,  to  which  lumber  was  put  in  this 
county.  The  demand  was  small,  and  the  manufactories 
were  few. 

The  first  call  for  lumber  to  go  out  of  the  county  was  that 
to  build  the  bridge  across  Cheat,  where  the  North-western 
Pike  crosses,  five  miles  above  Eowlesburg.  A  large  part  of 
this  lumber  was  sawed  by  Arnold  Bonnifield,  and  after 
being  hauled  to  the  river,  was  built  into  rude  rafts,  and 
driven  with  the  current  to  its  destination. 

The  kinds  of  timber  found  in  Tucker,  having  a  marketa- 
ble value,  are  several :  pine,  including  several  kinds,  white, 
yellow,  pitch,  spruce  and  hemlock.  The  spruce  and  hem- 
lock are  often  confounded  with  each  other,  and  what  one 
calls  spruce  another  calls  hemlock.  Properly,  the  hemlock 
does  not  really  grow  here  ;  but  a  species  much  like  it  is 
found  along  deep  hollows,  and  is  noticeable  for  its  small 
leaves,  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourth  of  an  inch  long,  and 
the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  wide,  and  for  the  symmetrical  form 
of  the  tree,  which  grows  in  the  form  of  a  huge  cone,  taper- 
ing regularly  from  the  first  limbs  to  the  top  of  the  tree. 
The  knots  of  this  tree  are  very  hard,  brittle  as  glass,  and 
will  break  an  ax  that  is  not  tempered  in  the  best  manner. 
The  wood  has  firmness  and  strength,  but  is  not  susceptible 
of  a  neat  finish.     It  is  less  valuable  than  white  pine.     The 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  143 

grain  of  its  wood  is  coarse,  and  breaks  in  a  zigzag  manner. 
White  pine,  all  in  all,  represents  and  has  represented  the 
greater  portion  of  Tucker  County's  wealth  of  timber.  It  is 
not  a  fine  wood ;  but,  is  durable,  neat  and  substantial.  It 
is  soft,  thus  being  easy  to  work,  and  light,  making  it  con- 
venient for  hauling.  It  will  receive  a  finish  better  than 
hemlock,  and  next  to  that  of  poplar.  It  is  the  tallest  tim- 
ber in  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

Spruce  pine,  formerly  called  hemlock,  grows  on  the  sum- 
mits of  our  highest  mountains,  and  has  never  yet  been  put 
in  market  to  anv  considerable  extent.  Its  greatest  abund- 
ance  is  on  and  beyond  the  Backbone  Mountain,  in  the 
Canada  country.  Its  lowest  limit  of  natural  growth  is  not 
less  than  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  although  a  few 
trees  may  be  found  any  altitude.  The  bark  of  the  tree  is 
smoother  than  white  pine,  and  the  trunks  are  very  round 
and  regular.     The  wood  is  harder  than  that  of  white  pine. 

In  value  next  after  white  pine  is  that  of  poplar.  It  grows 
in  any  locality  and  in  any  soil ;  although  it  flourishes  best 
in  rich  land  and  toward  a  northern  exposure.  The  trees 
are  tall,  and  generally  carry  a  size  nearly  uniform  from  the 
ground  to  the  limbs,  which  are  usually  crooked  and  clumsy. 
and  the  first  ones  are  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from 
the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  tree ;  and  from  that  to  the  top 
they  are  scattered  at  hap-hazzards.  The  wood  is  of  a  yellow 
color,  and  is  used  in  cheap  furniture,  and  for  building  pur- 
poses. But,  it  is  not  suitable  for  either,  when  sawed  into 
thin  boards,  because  it  curls  and  warps  when  it  becomes 
dry.  It  can  be  dressed  smoother  than  any  pine,  and  pre- 
sents a  harder  surface,  and  is  freer  from  knots. 

Cherry  and  walnut  are  the  two  kinds  of  wood  best  suited 
to  furniture  and  highly  finished  car]^enter  work.     They  are 


144  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

next  to  mahogany  for  tliis  purpose.  AValnut  is  the  prefer- 
able of  the  two,  because  it  warps  less  than  cherry ;  but 
cherry  is  much  used,  and  when  properly  worked  and  handled 
is  excellent  for  tables,  stands,  and  the  finishing  of  doors, 
windows  and  rooms.  The  tendency  of  cherry  to  warp  is 
partly  compensated  for  in  its  harder  quality  and  tough  grain. 
But  walnut  is  the  better  in  all  cabinet  work  that  is  meant 
for  climates  that  change.  No  cherry  should  ever  be  used  in 
organs,  bureaus  or  geared  machinery.  The  supply  of  either 
of  these  timbers  in  Tucker  is  limited.  Walnut  is  found 
thinly  scattered  over  the  whole  countr}^,  and  there  is  no 
particular  place  where  it  is  not  found  ;  and  the  same  is 
partly  true  of  cherry ;  but,  in  Canaan,  it  is  found  most 
abundantly. 

We  have  in  Tucker  two  kinds  of  maple.  One  we  call 
sugar,  and  the  other  maple.  They  are  quite  different. 
The  latter  is  often  called  silver  maple.  Both  are  hard 
wood,  and  make  good  wood-work  of  machinery.  The  maple 
IS  used  for  furniture,  and  is  really  nicer  than  either  walnut 
or  cherry,  when  properly  dressed  and  varnished.  Its  wood 
is  waved  in  the  most  beautiful  manner,  and  surpasses  the 
finest  imitations  that  art  can  make.  Knots,  that  in  other 
woods  are  blemishes,  are  in  maple  desirable,  because  they 
produce  the  finest  curves  and  undulations,  that  seem  to  ex- 
tend like  Avaves  over  water,  further  and  further  until  lost  by 
the  gradual  blending  into  the  general  surface  of  the  wood. 
Often  the  curves  meet,  coming  from  two  knots,  and,  instead 
of  crossing  each  other,  as  they  do  on  water,  they  seem  to 
check  each  other,  and  pile  up,  one  on  another,  as  though 
trying  to  pass,  l)ut  unable  to  do  so. 

Curved  lines  and  curved  motions  are  the  most   pleasing 
to  the   human  eye  ;    and   in    nature   almost    everything  is 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  145 

found  to  be  in  accordance  with  this  principle.  "Water  moves 
in  curves,  trees  grow  in  curves,  sound  and  light  and  heat, 
with  few  moditications,  move  in  curves,  and  in  the  atoms 
about  us,  w^e  have  reason  to  believe  that  all  motion  is  in 
other  than  straight  lines,  while  we  knoAv  that  the  planets 
move  about  a  center. 

This  truth  of  nature,  that  beautv  of  form  is  due  to  the 
uniform  variation  of  lines,  is  seen  to  perfection  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  wood  of  the  maple. 

An  industry  of  Tucker  County,  not  of  much  financial 
value,  but  still  of  value  to  the  people,  is  the  making  of  sugar 
from  the  maple  and  sugar  trees.  All  trees  of  this  kind,  in 
the  north,  are  called  maple;  but  here  there  is  a  local  dif- 
ference. The  sugar  is  understood  to  be  one  thing  and  the 
maple  another ;  and  the  difference  is  as  clearly  defined  as  it 
is  between  an^^  kinds  of  wood.  Sugar  is  made  alike  from 
both.  In  February,  March  and  April  the  trees  are  "tapped," 
as  it  is  called,  and  the  water  that  flows  from  them,  after 
being  retained  in  a  trough  set  for  the  purpose,  is  l)oiled  in 
kettles,  and  thus  the  sugar  is  made.  The  water  from  the 
maple  tree  is  scarcely  sweet  to  the  taste ;  but  that  from  the 
sugar  tree  is  quite  sweet.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  wa- 
ter from  the  maple  tree  will  pan  out  nearlj'  as  much  sugar 
as  that  from  the  sugar  tree.  There  is  a  slight  difference  in 
the  taste  of  the  sugar ;  and  that  made  from  the  maple  is 
browner  than  that  from  the  sugar  tree.  The  sugar  season 
lasts  from  the  middle  of  Fel)ruary  to  the  middle  of  April. 

Ash,  hickory  and  locust  are  the  three  hardest  woods  in 
common  use.  Ash  is  the  most  like  iron  in  durability  and 
strength.  It  is  unpelding,  and  in  the  frame-work  of  ma- 
chinery it  is  not  surpassed.  Hickory  is  tougher  than  ash, 
and  Avill  liend  into  all  shapes  before  it  will  break.     Its  most 

10 


146  HISTOKY   OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

usual  use  is  for  handles.  Locnst  is  not  often  employed  in 
wood-work.  It  is  very  hard,  but  its  hardness  is  not  its  best 
quality.  As  posts  for  fences  it  lasts  longer  than  any  other 
wood.  Posts  of  it  have  been  known  to  last  nearly  three- 
fourths  of  a  century.  On  Horse  Shoe  Run,  near  its  mouth, 
is  a  locust  post  that  is  believed  to  have  been  planted  about 
1817.  It  is  still  sound.  It  was  planted  top  down,  and  has 
ever  since  been  used  as  a  bar-post. 

When  exposed  to  the  alternate  action  of  dry  and  damp, 
timber  decays  much  sooner  than  when  kept  wet  or  kept 
dry  all  the  time.  Timbers  under  the  water,  away  from  the 
air,  will  last  infinitely  longer  than  when  the  air  can  act  upon 
them,  and  the  water,  too,  at  the  same  time.  The  old  mill- 
dam  timbers  at  St.  George  are  good  illustrations  of  this. 
They  were  put  in  near  1776,  and  a  few  years  later  were 
covered  several  feet  deep  with  gravel,  and  there  they  re- 
mained until  1875,  when  the  gravel  was  washed  off,  and  the 
timbers  were  left  exposed  to  view.  They  were  sound,  and 
are  still  sound,  although  for  nine  years  they  have  been  ex- 
X">osed  to  both  water  and  air.  They  are  of  oak  wood,  and 
still  plainly  show  the  marks  of  the  ax.  They '  are  in  the 
ford  of  Mill  Bun,  on  Main  street,  St.  George. 

AVhen  entirelv  in  the  drv,  wood  will  last  also  a  lon^]:  time. 
The  interior  timbers  of  houses  seem  to  undergo  no  change 
so  long  as  they  are  kept  entirely  dry.  In  a  cave  of  Grant 
C<mnty,  AVest  Virginia,  is  a  cedar  log  that  was  carried  there 
about  1751,  and  was  used  as  steps  (notches  having  been  cut 
in  it}  for  getting  down  over  a  j^i'^cipice,  when  the  settlers 
fl»^d  there  to  escape  from  the  Indians.  The  log  is  still 
sound  ;  and  where  the  notches  were  cut,  the  marks  of  the 
ax,  and  even  the  paths  made  by  dull  places  in  the  ax,  are  as 
plainly  seen  as  when  the  log  was  placed   there.     The  log  is 


LUMBEK  INTERESTS.  147 

cedar,  of  which  wood  Tucker  County  has   a   very  limited 
supply. 

The  mountains  facing  the  river  are  covered  with  oak  timber. 
This  has  been  much  used  for  rails,  in  past  years,  and  is  still 
used  to  a  considerable  extent.     Oak  in   the   market,   com- 
mands a  good  price,  and  is  now   rafted   down   the   river  in 
large  quantities ;  but  there  are   drawbacks   in   the   way  of 
getting  it  to  market.     It  is  very  heavy  to  haul,   and,   when 
rafted,  floats  so  deep  that  it  is  difficult  and  expensive  to  get 
it  to  the  railroad.    Green  red-oak  will  not  float  at  all.    Some 
years  ago  Mr.  N.  M.  Parsons  cut  a  lot   of  rail   timber,    and 
hauled  it  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  designing  to  float  it  down 
to  a  suitable  place  for  splitting  it.     It  was  placed   on   skid- 
ways,  sloping  to  the  water,  and   when   all  was   ready,   the 
prop  that  held  the  first  log  was  knocked  out  and  the  whole 
skidfull  of  logs  went  rolling  into  the   river,    sank   instantly 
to  the  bottom,  and  has  not  been  seen  from  that  day  to  this. 
Sycamore  is  also  heavier  than  water,  and  will  sink.     It  is 
a  worthless,  or  almost   worthless  wood.     It   is    coarse  and 
spongy,  and  from  this  county  very  little  of  it  has  ever  gone 
to  market.     It  is  twisted  and  will  not  split,  and  when  sawed 
can  be  used  for  such  few  purposes  that  it  is  an  undeveloped 
article  in  our  woods.     It  grows  almost  exclusively  along  the 
river  and  the  larger  streams  flowing  into  it,   and   is   seldom 
found  on  lands   of  any  altitude.     One    tree   grows   on  the 
head  of  Hansford  Eun,  at  the  old  Gower  Farm,  and   this  is 
probably  the  most  elevated  tree  of  the  kind  in  the  county. 
On  the  islands  in  the  river,  and  in    the    damp   bottoms    on 
both  sides,  the  sycamore   flourishes   to  perfection.     AVhen 
young,  the  tree  grows  tall,  stately  and  beautiful.     Its  slender 
trunk  is  as  straight  as  a  beam  of  light,  and   as   graceful  as 
the  fabled  trees  in  the  mythical  forests   of  old.      The  color 


148  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

of  the  bark  changes  "wdth  the  seasons.  At  one  time  it  is 
dark  brown,  at  another  tinged  toward  red,  then  gray,  then 
spotted  white  and  black  and  then  white  as  snow.  This  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  tree  sheds  its  bark. 

One  thing  might  be  noticed  :  Sycamore  trees  that  grow 
tall  and  regular  never  get  very  large.  The  enormous  trunks 
that  have  been  seen,  are  ugly,  crooked,  twisted  and  seem  to 
have  been  dwarfed  in  their  younger  years.  They  are,  also, 
nearly  always  hollow,  when  above  medium  size.  As  the 
outside  grows,  the  heart  decays,  and  the  larger  the  tree  the 
thinner  the  shell  of  wood,  until  the  gigantic  sycamores  are, 
upon  examination,  found  to  be  mere  shells. 

The  seeds  of  the  sycamore  are  contained  in  a  light,  yel- 
lowish ball,  resembling  cotton  in  texture  and  silk  in  color. 
The  seeds  attach  themselves  to  this  substance,  and  are 
blown  by  the  wind  about  over  the  country.  The  seeds  of 
the  maple  and  sugar  have  a  wing  with  which  they  fly 
through  the  air,  whirling  round  and  so  fast  that  they  look 
like  wheels.  Pine  seeds  are  in  the  cones,  and  fall  verti- 
cally to  the  gi'ound,  as  do  the  acrons  of  oaks  and  the  nuts 
of  the  hickory. 

The  beech  timber  of  the  county  has  never  been  much 
sought  after.  It  is  of  value  only  for  a  few  pui*]^)oses,  siich 
as  shoe  lasts,  toys  and  whimwhams.  It  grows  in  all  parts 
of  the  county,  but  best  in  Canada. 

There  are  numerous  kinds  of  semi-worthless  timbers  in 
the  count}^  such  as  birch,  of  which  there  are  two  kinds, 
black  and  white,  and  lynn,  buckeye,  elm,  chestnut  and 
laurel.  Chestnut  is  of  much  use  in  making  rails,  and  of 
some  use  for  lumber. 

The  largest  amount  of  our  timber  that  has  been  taken  out, 
has  gone  to  market  m  the  log;  but,  much  of  it  has  been 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  149 

sawed  and  shipped  as  plank.  The  improvement  in  mills 
has  been  gradual  and  steady.  The  first  ones  were  hardly 
worth  the  name.  Tliey  were  unscientific,  would  not  do 
good  work  and  would  cut  -  only  a  few  hundred  feet  a  day. 
They  were  run  by  water-power,  and,  of  course,  had  vertical 
saws,  fastened  to  immense  sashes,  to  lift  which  required 
nearly  enough  force  to  do  all  the  work  of  sawing,  if  rightly 
applied.  The  wheels  were  only  ''flutter-wheels,"  which 
wasted  more  power  than  they  transmitted.  But,  these  old 
mills  answered  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  built,  and 
were  displaced  as  soon  as  the  occasion  demanded  better 
works.     They  often  would  not  make  eighty  strokes  a  minute. 

The  sashes,  much  improved,  are  still  found  in  the  county. 
They  are  well  constructed,  and  average  one  hundred  and 
twenty  strokes  a  minute,  and  do  considerable  work.  One 
man  may  saw  and  stack  one  thousand  feet  a  day,  which  is 
not  far  behind  the  per  man  average  of  larger  mills,  although 
much  less  than  that  of  some.  Dr.  Bonnifield's  was  an  im- 
provement on  any  mill  in  the  country  at  the  time  it  was 
built,  but  it  was  not  what  it  should  have  been.  It  had  three 
times  more  power  than  it  put  to  a  good  use ;  and  its  sash 
was  enormously  heavy.  It  did  good  work,  and  during  the 
thirty  or  forty  years  of  its  existence,  it  cut  thousands  of 
feet  of  lumber.  Some  of  it  was  sent  down  the  river  to  build 
the  North-western  Turnpike  bridge,  and  some  went  other 
places.  One  hundred  thousand  feet  was  washed  ofl:'  in  a 
freshet.     It  quit  work  about  18G5. 

N.  M.  and  George  M.  Parsons  had  a  mill  of  the  same  kind 
that  did  a  large  amount  of  Avork,  and  sent  a  considerable 
amount  of  lumber  down  the  river  in  rafts.  Mills  of  this 
kind  soon  became  numerous  all  over  the  county,  wherever 
there  was  water  power  to  run  them. 


150  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

The  first  mill  "svitliout  a  sasli,  a  "inuley  mill"  as  it  was 
called,  was  built  by  Rufus  Maxwell  about  1865.  It  was  an 
improvement  upon  the  sash  mills.  The  saw  made  over 
three  hundred  strokes  a  minute. 

AVhen  steam  mills  were  introduced  into  the  county,  the 
lumber  business  underwent  a  revolution.  Or,  rather,  it 
suddenly  sprang  into  life.  A  steam  mill  was  erected  on 
Black  Fork,  and  was  run  by  a  compan}^  but  it  did  not 
prosper.  Taylor's  mill  on  Shafer's  Fork  did  good  work. 
Howe's  mill,  and  Steringer's,  and  one  in  Canaan,  all  sawed 
large  bills  of  lumber. 

The  mill  brought  to  the  county  by  C.  E.  Macomber  has 
surpassed  any  of  the  others  in  the  quantity  of  saA\dng  done. 
It  was  brought  to  the  county  about  1874,  and  was  set  at 
the  mouth  of  Wolf  Run.  It  remained  there  several  years 
and  was  moved  to  the  farm  of  Silas  R.  Blackman,  and  was 
kept  there  until  1880  when  it  was  moved  to  Hansford  Run, 
and  remained  there  four  vears. 

This  lumber,  and  all  the  lumber  of  Tucker  that  ever 
found  its  way  to  market,  passed  down  Cheat  River,  mostly 
in  rafts. 

Cheat,  although  a  small  stream  in  comparison  with  others, 
is  a  noted  river,  and  it  has  a  history  worth  knowing,  if  it  all 
could  only  be  known.  But  much  of  it  never  can,  except  in 
part.  Upon  its  banks  and  in  its  waters  have  been  enacted 
scenes  of  peace  and  war,  and  its  waters  have  flowed  red 
T^•ith  the  blood  of  battles.  Its  shores  have  been  shaded  by 
the  groves  and  orchards,  and  there  the  wild  Indian  has 
made  his  home. 

The  source  of  Cheat  River  is  not  in  Tucker  Countv.  The 
river  comes  from  a  thousands  rivulets  and  rills  that  trickle 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  151 

over  rocks  and  creep  tliroiigli  the  shade  of  overhanging 
branches,  and  unite,  and  flow  onward  in  larger  streams,  over 
stony  beds,  through  rocky  channels,  into  caves  and  out, 
down  cataracts,  where  the  crystal  spray  is  gray  in  the 
sombre  shadows  or  painted  by  sunlight  or  moonlight  or  the 
pale,  soft  light  of  stars  into  cascades  of  gorgeous  rainbows 
that  come  and  go  in  the  passing  phases  of  the  brightness 
on,  down,  swifter  or  slower  as  the  course  is  steeper  or  moro 
level,  until,  from  the  ten  thousand  fountain-heads,  all  the 
springs  and  rills  and  brooks  inish  together  with  a  murmur 
of  gladness  and  a  Avhisper  that  tells  that  they  have  met 
before. 

The  water  that  bubbles  from  the  springs,  far  away  in  the 
mountains,  under  the  cliffs  of  hills,  or  low  down  in  the  mar- 
gins of  quiet  valleys,  comes  into  the  air  with  all  the 
]ourity  of  rain,  falling  from  the  sky.  No  diamond  in  the 
crown  of  India's  princes  is  more  pure  in  the  elements  of 
beauty.  While  in  the  crowded  cities  and  market-places  of 
the  east,  or  the  north  or  west  or  south,  the  summer  is  sul- 
try, and  the  throngs  of  people  pass  to  and  fro,  burning  with 
thirst,  and  have  nothing  but  warm  and  unwholesome  water 
"with  which  to  quench  it,  far  up  among  the  green  mountains 
of  Tucker  are  flowing  and  welling,  free  as  the  air  and  tlie 
light,  and  still  more  pure,  if  possible,  the  never-failing 
springs  of  clear,  cold  water,  that  flows  forever,  whether 
human  lips  are  bathed  liy  it  or  not. 

Until  recentlv,  wells  were  almost  unknown  in  Tucker 
County.  Springs  were  so  plentiful,  and  so  much  better 
than  wells,  as  they  alwa3'S  are,  that  people  had  only  to  look 
around  a  little  before  buildin<_r  their  houses,  and  thev  could 
find  a  place  where  the  water  would  be  at  their  ver}-  door. 
Besides,  where  there  was  a  spring,  there  could   be  Iniilt  a 


152  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

good  milk-liouse,  a  luxury  to  every  family,  and  one  that 
cost  less  than  almost  any  other  luxury,  and  one  that  none, 
who  considered  it  in  time,  need  be  without.  The  spring, 
the  milk-house,  with  its  fresh  butter  and  cool  milk,  the  open 
fire  place  to  purify  the  room  by  carrying  away  foul  air,  as 
^ye\\  as  to  lend  a  cheerfulness  by  its  light  and  heat,  and  the 
wholesome,  well-done  corn  bread,  rendered  a  doctor  more 
ornamental  than  useful  a  few  years  a^jfo, 

Some  changes  have  taken  place,  and  others  must,  of  ne- 
cessity, follow  as  a  consequence.  Every  family  cannot  or 
does  not  now  have  a  spring,  a  milk  house  and  an  open  fire- 
i:>lace.  Springs  are  less  plentiful  and  families  more  plenti- 
ful than  tliev  used  to  be,  and  some  dm  wells  and  keep  milk 
and  butter  in  the  cellar.  As  the  land  is  cleared,  there  is  a 
tendency  on  the  part  of  the  springs  to  drj'  up  when  drouths 
come  upon  the  country.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that,  while 
the  land  is  covered  with  trees  and  timber,  the  rain  that  falls 
■upon  it  is  retained  longer  and  is  given  time  to  soak  into  the 
ground.  AVhen  in  the  ground,  it  finds  sloping  strata,  and 
along  tliem  it  flows  until  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  reached. 
This  forms  a  spring.  But  when  the  timber  has  been  re- 
moved and  there  is  no  rubbish  to  hold  the  rain,  it  flows  oft' 
into  the  creeks  and  rivers,  and  but  little  sinks  into  the 
ground  to  find  the  surface  again  in  the  form  of  springs. 
Thus,  as  the  land  is  cleared,  the  number  and  flow  of  springs 
diminish,  while  the  actual  annual  discharge  of  the  creeks 
and  rivers  mav  increase. 

This  drying  up  of  springs,  so  far,  has  had  only  a  little 
eftect  upon  Tucker  County.  There  are  still  enough  springs 
for  each  fainilv  to  have  a  <>-ood  one,  and  then  be  ten  thousand 
left  to  flow  untouched.  But  many  do  not  find  it  convenient 
to  live  Avhere  the  sping  is,  so  they  build  away  from  it  and 


LUMBEK  INTERESTS.  153 

dig  a  well.  Wells  are  often  yery  good,  but  they  are  never 
as  good  as  a  good  spring,  and  will  become  more  or  less  im- 
pure in  spite  of  all  care. 

The  rills  and  brooks  and  rivulets  that  flow  together  to 
form  Cheat  Eiver  are  as  innumerable  as  are  the  trees  of  the 
forest.  They  come  from  every  muntain  and  every  hill,  and 
every  valley  and  vale  sends  down  a  supply.  Some  well 
from  the  high  crest  of  upland  plains,  and  some  from  subter- 
ranean caves,  and  some  from  glades  and  some  from  valleys  ; 
but,  all  meet  at  last,  and  blend  with  the  completeness  of 
chemical  affinity. 

Shafer's  Fork  and  Dry  Fork  have  their  sources  beyond 
our  borders ;  but  we  can  claim  Black  Fork  from  source  to 
mouth  as  our  ovm.  It  heads,  in  its  numerous  branches,  in 
the  Canaan  Talley,  around  the  base  of  the  AUeo'hanies.  It 
is  the  outlet  of  the  rain  that  falls  in  that  basin.  The  Alle- 
ghanies,  the  water-shed  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic 
and  those  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  extend  along  the  eastern 
and  north-eastern  side  of  Canaan,  and  separate  the  fount- 
ains of  the  Ohio  from  those  of  the  Potomac.  The  country 
included  between  the  Backbone  on  one  side  and  the  Alle- 
ghany on  the  other,  was,  in  geological  ages,  a  lake,  which, 
by  the  wearing  away  of  the  rim  on  the  south-western  side, 
thereby  forming  a  channel,  was  thus  drained  dry  ;  and  the 
water  that  falls  there  as  rain  and  snow,  still  finds  an  outlet 
through  the  same  channel.     This  is  Black  Fork. 

It  is  formed  by  many  streams.  The  head  of  the  principal 
one  is  in  the  southern  end  of  the  valley.  This  is  fed  by 
Beaver,  Little  Blackwater,  which  gets  its  supply  from  Glad}' 
Fork,  Long  Pain  and  from  others,  and  by  other  streams 
that  flow  in  from  either  side.  By  the  time  they  all  unite 
and  pass  the  gap  in  the  Backbone,  they  form  quite  a  river. 


154  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

The  name  Black  Fork  is  a  descriptive  one.  The  water  is 
of  a  dark  red  color.  Not  only  has  it  this  characteristic 
while  in  its  mountain  channels;  but  it  retains  it  after 
breaking  away  and  after  it  has  joined  the  clear  waters  of 
Shafer's  Fork  and  Dry  Fork.  The  whole  river  then,  from 
there  to  its  mouth,  and  even,  to  a  less  extent,  the  Monon- 
gahela  below,  has  a  reddish  black  tinge.  The  rocks  in  the 
bottom  of  the  river,  and  all  bodies  seen  under  its  surface, 
put  on  a  phantasmagorial  aspect.  The  color  of  the  water 
is  transmitted  to  them,  and  they  appear  darkly  red.  Even 
the  fish,  those  particularly  which  live  in  Black  Fork,  are 
colored  by  the  water.  Not  only  does  the  color  attach  to 
their  scales,  surface  and  fins,  but  their  flesh,  if  properly  so 
called,  is  colored  throughout. 

It  has  been  to  some  a  subject  of  wonder  why  the  water  is 
so  colored.  But,  it  ought  to  be  easily  observed  that  it  is 
due  to  the  decaying  leaves  and  roots  of  evergreens,  mostly 
pines.  One  unaccustomed  to  the  water  can  taste  the  pine 
in  it ;  and  a  few  minutes  of  experimenting  will  show  that 
the  hue  of  the  water  is  on  account  of  the  pine.  Where  it 
rises  from  springs,  unsurrounded  by  pines,  or  where  it  flows 
through  a  beech  forest  alone,  the  water  is  clear.  If  one 
will  drop  into  one  of  these  clear  springs  a  handful  of  de- 
caying pine  leaves,  he  may  at  once  observe  that  the  water  is 
colored  thereby. 

AVith  this  fact  understood,  it  is  apparent  that,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  more  generations,  the  dark  tinge  which  now 
characterizes  the  waters  of  Cheat,  will  be  seen  no  more,  and 
the  history  of  it  will  be  in  the  past.  When  the  country 
shall  become  settled,  and  when  farms  shall  have  taken  the 
place  of  the  laurel-beds  and  pine  forests,  then  the  waters  of 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  155 

the  river  will  be  cut  off  from  their  supply  of  decaying  ever- 
greens, and  ^\ill  flow  pure  and  clear. 

The  influence  which  man  wields  over  nature  is  greater 
than  the  unthinking  ever  think  of.  Not  only  can  he,  as  he 
soon  will  in  the  case  of  this  river,  change  the  color  of  water 
that  has  flowed  dark  from  time  immemorial,  but,  it  is  also 
in  his  power  to  control,  to  some  extent,  the  volume  of  water 
which  a  river  sends  out.  If  the  Canada  and  Canaan  Valley 
were  cleared  of  its  thickets,  and  all  its  swamps  drained  by  a 
thorough  system  of  underground  drainage,  Black  Fork 
would  carry  off,  in  the  course  of  the  year,  more  water  than 
it  does  now.  And  then,  when  heavy  rains  come,  it  would 
rise  to  a  greater  height  than  has  ever  yet  been  known. 

Dry  Fork  and  Black  Fork  unite  before  they  reach  Sha- 
fer's  Fork,  and  after  uniting  take  the  name  Black  Fork,  or 
Big  Black  Fork.  It  is  about  three  miles  from  the  conflu- 
ence of  Dry  Fork  and  Black  Fork  to  the  mouth  of  Shafer's 
Fork,  or  to  where  the  two  flow  together  to  form  the  river 
proper.  The  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford  was  fought  on  Sha- 
fer's Fork.  Just  below,  is  Alum  Hill,  a  mineral  formation 
of  alum,  from  which  the  mountain  takes  its  name.  The 
alum  comes  to  the  surface,  in  little  springs,  and  w^hen  at 
the  surface,  soon  dries,  and  partly  crystallizes.  The  alum 
is  tolerably  pure,  but  has  never  been  used  to  any  consid- 
erable extent. 

From  the  forks  of  the  river,  northward  to  the  Preston 
County  line,  the  river  has  various  names  at  different  places, 
or  rather,  certain  places  in  it  have  been  given  names,  which 
either  describe  some  feature  or  define  some  locality.  Job's 
Ford,  or  more  recentl}^  Callihan's  Ford,  is  a  river-crossing 
at  the  Holly  Meadows,  and  got  its  name  first  from  Job 
Parsons   who  used   to   live  on   the   north    bank,    and    <Tot 


156  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

its  second  name  from  S.  M.  Callihan,  who  more  re- 
cently lived  on  the  south  bank.  The  Holly  Meadows 
was  named  on  account  of  the  holly  trees  that  grew  and 
still  grow  there.  They  are  evergreen,  and  the  leaves 
have  a  fringe  of  thorns  on  them.  Formerly  they  stood 
thick  about  the  bottom  lands;  but  now  they  are  not 
so  plentiful.  At  Job's  Ford,  during  Garnett's  retreat,  Capt. 
E.  Harper  recommended  that  a  stand  be  taken  and  battle 
given.  The  stand  was  taken ;  but  the  failure  of  the  pursu- 
ing enemy  to  put  in  an  appearance,  rendered  a  battle  un- 
necessary. 

From  just  below  Job's  Ford,  the  river  sweeps  around  the 
base  of  the  mountain  to  Sims'  Bottom,  where  Sims  was 
killed  hj  the  Indians,  and  there  turns  toward  the  east.  In 
this  distance  there  are  several  deep  eddies.  After  passing 
Neville's  Ford,  where  some  of  the  Confederates  nearly 
drowned  during  Garnett's  retreat,  the  river  reaches  Wolf 
Hun,  where  there  is  an  island,  and  where  Macomber's  steam 
mill  was  for  several  years.  Soon  after  this,  Slip  Hill  is 
reached.  This  is  a  precipitious  mountain,  so  steep  that  the 
soil  has  slipped  into  the  river,  leaving  the  bare  rocks  exposed. 
A  road  has  been  dug  around  it,  and  is  never  entirely  safe. 
It  is  at  one  place  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  river,and 
the  bluff  below  is  almost  perpendicular.  A  bridge,  that 
looks  more  dangerous  than  it  really  is,  spans  a  deep  defile 
at  the  Avorst  place  in  the  road. 

Immediately  beneath  Slip  Hill,  a  few  years  ago,  a  man 
named  Moore  was  drowned,  while  in  swimming.  The  water 
is  deep  and  he  got  beyond  his  depth.  Half  mile  further  is 
the  Turn  Edd}^  as  it  is  called.  It  gets  its  name  from  two 
reasons.  First,  because  the  river  there  turns  from  its 
eastern  course  toward  the  north,  and   second,  because,   at 


LUMBEK  INTERESTS.  157 

that  place,  at  the  eastern  shore,  the  water  turns  back  and 
flows  up  stream.  A  log  thrown  into  the  water  at  that  place 
will  float  up  stream,  turn  and  swim  out  into  the  middle  of 
the  river.  This  is  one  of  the  best  places  on  the  river  for 
building  rafts,  and  there  have  been  made  large  numbers  of 
log,  lumber,  stave  and  shingle  rafts. 

One-half  mile  below  here  is  Willow  Point,  which  is  a  deep 
ford,  named  fi'om  a  thicket  of  willows  that  grow  on  the 
bank,  and  extend  somewhat  in  the  shape  of  a  wedge  into 
the  river.  It  was  here  that  David  Bonnifield  was  drowned. 
He  and  George  Gower  were  crossing  when  the  river  was 
deep  riding,  and  in  the  swiftest  place  theii*  horses  threw 
them.  Bonnifield  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  but  he  never 
reached  the  shore.  Gower  could  not  swim  at  all,  and 
got  out. 

One-half  mile  further  is  the  mouth  of  Horse  Shoe  Run, 
where  the  Pringles  and  Simpson  who  came  through  that 
country  in  1764,  crossed  the  river.  There,  too,  James  Par- 
sons crossed  when  escaping  from  the  Indians  near  the  same 
time,  and  there  he  crossed  later,  when  the  Indians  tried  to 

allure  him  into  an  ambuscade  by  gobbling  like  a  turkey. 

From  there  it  is  not  far  to  the  Island,  which  is  known  by 
that  name  over  all  the  country.  It  is  an  Island  near  half 
a  mile  in  length,  densely  timbered  ^nth  sycamores,  and  has 
been  a  famous  hiding  x^lace  for  deer,  pursued  by  dogs.  On 
one  side  of  it  is  Wild  Cat  Point,  a  sharp  cliff  jutting  from 
the  mountain,  and  on  the  other  is  the  Pond,  which  is  a  pond 
no  longer.  It  used  to  be  a  slough  or  bay  extending  into  the 
land ;  but,  in  a  freshet,  the  lower  end  was  washed  awa}^ 
forming  a  channel  through  to  the  river  a  mile  below,  and 
making  of  the  Pond  an  arm  of  tlie  river. 

Opposite  the  Island  is  a  small  island  of  about  one  acre. 
On  the  bank  by  this  small  island,  on  the  mainland,  is  the  site 


158  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

of  an  old  Indian  town,  and  there  have  been  exhumed  bones 
of  human  larger  than  those  of  ordinary  persons.  One- 
fourth  mile  below  this  is  Horse  Shoe  Ford,  and  half  mile 
further  is  the  mouth  of  Dry  Run,  where  the  river  is  very 
swift  and  raftsmen  must  know  the  channel  to  go  safely 
through.     This  passed,  the  St.  George  Eddy  is  reached. 

From  Sims'  Bottom  to  this  point  the  river  flows  round  the 
Horse  Shoe,  a  distance  of  six  miles.  But,  from  river  to 
river,  across  the  isthmus,  the  distance  is  scarcely  one-sixth 
that  far.  Could  a  canal  be  cut  across  this  neck  of  land,  it 
would  give  the  facilities  for  a  tremendous  water-power,  one 
sufficient  to  drive  ten  times  as  much  machinery  as  there  is 
or  probably  ever  will  be  in  the  county. 

The  Horse  Shoe  is  named  from  its  resemblance  to  the 
shoe  of  a  horse.  From  cork  to  cork,  so  to  speak,  the  dis- 
tance is  scarcely  more  than  one  mile,  while  around,  it  is  six. 

The  St.  Georpre  Eddv  extends  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Pond,  the  lower  end  of  the  Horse  Shoe,  to  Ewin's  Ford,  be- 
low St.  George,  and  is  about  one  mile  in  length.  It  is  per- 
haps the  most  picturesque  and  beautiful  portion  of  the 
river.  St.  George  stands  on  its  shore,  thus  lending  an  air 
of  life  and  civilization  to  the  rural  scenery  along  its  banks  ; 
while  on  the  south  side  (for  the  river  here  flows  westerly)  a 
steep,  forest-covered  mountain  rises  abruptl}^  from  the  wa- 
ter's edge,  as  a  blufl",  and  then,  after  gaining  a  certain 
height,  slopes  gradually  back  to  the  higher  summit  beyond. 
When  the  river  is  low,  as  it  generally  is  in  the  ?nmmer  time, 
St.  George  Eddy  is  remarkably  calm  and  placid.  The  wa- 
ter moves  slowly  and  silently,  and  its  surface  is  covered 
with  white  bubbles,  which  float  lightl}',  and  form  a  marked 
contrast  with  the  dark,  red  water  of  the  river. 

The  Rocks,  about  one-half  a  mile  above  the  town,  are  a 


LUMBEK  INTERESTS.  159 

nice  landing  for  skiifs;  and  pleasure  parties  often  go  on 
excursions  there.  Thick  trees  overshadow  it,  and  a  stream 
of  cold  water  dashes  down  the  steep  mountain  side,  and  is 
lost  in  the  sombre  river.  At  other  points  along  the  same 
shore,  above  and  below,  rivulets  come  down  the  hills  by 
cataracts  and  cascades,  until  their  final  leap  carries  them 
into  the  deep  water  of  the  river.  In  winter  these  rills  from 
the  mountain  fi'eeze,  and  the  ice  piles  thicker  and  higher, 
until  the  whole  face  of  the  hill  becomes  a  glacier,  and  re- 
mains so  until  the  warm  winds  of  spring  destroy  the  ice. 
But,  the  river  and  the  scenery  along  its  shores  are  seen  in 
all  their  beauty  only  in  the  summer,  when  the  trees  are  in 
full  leaf.  A  fringe  of  trees  lines  the  northern  shore,  and 
the  foliage  of  maples,  sugars,  sycamores,  beeches  and  other 
woods  are  blended  in  a  verdant  wall  of  quiet  freshness. 
Just  beyond,  but  seen  only  through  the  openings  here  and 
there  in  the  groves,  are  the  fields  of  farms,  where  the  plan- 
tations of  corn,  and  the  acres  of  small  grains  and  grasses  ex- 
tend furlongs  back  from  the  river,  and  separate  it  from  the 
steep  rise  of  the  mountains  beyond. 

In  the  summer  evenings  the  mountains  and  trees  cast 
their  shadows  over  the  river,  and  make  it  a  delightful  place 
for  boat-riding.  It  is  much  frequented  by  persons,  young 
and  old,  in  the  evening,  and  the  painted  skiffs,  Indian  ca- 
noes and  other  barks  may  be  seen  floating  placidly  upon  the 
water  or  passing  swiftly  to  and  fro. 

At  the  lower  end  of  the  St.  George  Eddy  is  Ewin's  Ford, 
named  from  Hon.  Wm.  Ewin  who  lives  upon  the  bank  of  the 
river  at  that  place.  This  is  at  the  mouth  of  Clover  Eun, 
and  here  the  road  to  Eowlesburg  crosses  the  river. 

The  next  feature  in  the  river,  worthy  of  note,  is  Anvil's 
Mill  Dam,  a  dam  built  by  John   Anvil  across   the   river   to 


160  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

turn  water  into  his  mill  race.  The  dam  is  a  difficult  place 
to  be  gotten  over  by  raftsmen,  and  afterward  it  is  a  hard 
channel  to  keep.  Rattlesnake  Ford  is  named  on  account  of 
a  den  of  rattlesnakes  that  were  formerly  there.  Jonathan 
Run  is  where  Jonathan  Minear  was  killed  by  the  Indians, 
and  is  a  considerable  rafting  wharf.  From  there  to  Miller 
Hill  the  river  is  straight,  and  the  raftsmen  steer  for  a  rock 
that  looks  white  in  the  summer  time  and  black  in  the  winter, 
when  there  is  snow  on  the  ground. 

When  the  river  ]3asses  the  mouth  of  Bull  Run,  and  trends 
off  toward  the  east,  it  is  washing  the  rugged  base  of  Miller 
Hill,  named  from  William  Miller,  who  lives  there.  The 
Rowlesbui'g  road  passes  around  the  hill,  and  from  it  the 
river,  dashing  over  its  rocky  way,  presents  a  scene  of 
romance  and  beauty.  AYhen  upon  the  river,  it  is  found  to 
be  unusually  narrow  and  swift,  and  it  so  bends  that  it  is  hard 
to  keep  rafts  from  running  upon  the  bowlders  that  have 
rolled  down  from  the  hill  and  lie  in  the  edge  of  the  water. 
The  waves  roll  high,  and,  some  years  ago,  when  the  Rowles- 
burg  Lumber  and  Iron  Company  run  boats  on  the  river  to 
carry  shingles  to  Rowlesburg,  this  part  of  the  river  was 
found  to  be  the  most  difficult  to  pass,  on  accoimt  of  the 
height  and  crestedness  of  the  waves. 

At  the  lower  end  of  Miller  Hill  the  river  strikes  fairly 
against  the  mountain,  and  turns  to  the  north.  Where  it 
makes  the  turn,  is  a  deep  hole  of  water,  with  the  dreadful 
name  of  "  Murder  Hole."  River  men  remember  it,  because, 
upon  entering  it  at  full  speed,  as  rafts  do  after  passing 
through  two  miles  of  swift  water,  the  oars  strike  dead  water, 
and,  by  sluing,  frequently  knock  the  men  into  the  river. 
There  are  different  accounts  as  to  how  this  eddy  got  its 
name.     One  is  that  wolves  once  killed  a  band  of  sheep  on 


LUMBER  INTEEESTS.  IGl 

the  bank  near  by,  an  J  anotlier  tliat  a  man  was  accidentlv 
drowned  tliere. 

Two  small  islands,  named  Pig  and  Macadonia,  are  soon 
passed,  and  the  river  is  drawing  near  Licking  Falls.  This 
is  another  rough  place,  where  the  river  falls  several  feet  in  a 
small  distance.  It  is  flowing  north  when  it  strikes  Lime- 
stone Mountain,  and  by  it  is  deflected  toward  the  Avest. 
Where  it  strikes  the  mountain,  the  rage  of  years  and  cen- 
turies of  floods  have  torn  out  rocks  from  the  earth,  and  the 
river  is  partlj^  blocked  up  with  them.  As  the  waters  are 
damned  up,  and  break  over,  they  form  Licking  Falls,  at  the- 
mouth  of  Licking  Creek,  and  near  where  Lieut.  Eobert 
McChesnev  was  killed. 

Turtle  Eocks  are  soon  passed.  These  are  several  large, 
angular  rocks,  rising  out  of  the  river  on  the  northern  or 
eastern  side,  where  the  water  is  deep.  In  the  summer  time 
large  numbers  of  clumsy,  lazy  turtles  may  be  seen  basking 
in  the  sunshine,  and  from  this  the  rocks  take  their  name. 

The  Seven  Islands  are  well  known  to  all  rivermen  ;  for,  if 
a  raft  can  pass  tliere,  its  way  to  Eowlesburg  can  be  de- 
pended upon.  The  islands  seem  to  have  been  seven  in 
number  when  they  got  their  name ;  but  the  number  is  not 
constant.  They  are  partly  sand  bars,  and  a  flood  in  tlie 
river  may  build  or  destro}'  several  of  them. 

The  river  now  passes  from  Tucker  into  Preston.  From 
where  it  first  enters  the  county  to  where  it  leaves  it,  follow- 
ing the  windings  of  the  river,  is  from  fort}"  to  sixty  miles, 
depending  upon  which  fork  is  measured.  It  does  not  flow 
with  a  uniform  rapidity  through  the  county.  At  times  it  is 
very  swift,  and  again  it  is  slow.  Among  the  mountains 
it  is  swifter  than  after  it  reaches  the  Hollv  Meadows.    Thirty 

miles,  the  distance  from  the  Turn  Eddy  to  EoAvlesburg,  has 
11 


1G2  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE   COUNTY. 

"been  run  in  live  hours  by  boats  on  a  good  stage  of  Avater. 
When  the  water  is  low,  of  course,  the  progress  is  less  rapid. 
Often  it  takes  twelve  hours  to  make  the  same  trip.  Eafts 
and  boats  go  onl}'  a  very  little  faster  than  the  current  of 
the  river. 

The  timber  that  is  sawed  into  lumber  in  Tucker  County 
and  is  taken  to  market,  goes  down  the  river  in  rafts  to 
Eosvlesburg.  A  large  number  of  log  rafts  go  down  annually. 
An  average  raft  contains  seventy  logs,  and  twenty-five 
thousand  feet.  The  logs  are  held  together  by  polls  fastened 
across  the  logs  b}'  staples.  Oars  from  twenty  to  fift}'  feet 
long  are  placed  on  the  ends  of  the  rafts  to  keep  them  in  the 
cliaiinel. 

Among  the  most  noted  log  raftsmen  who  have  been  along 
the  river  of  late  years,  may  be  mentioned  William  H.  Lips- 
comb, Thomas  F.  Hebb,  Baxter  Long,  S.  E.  Parsons,  Philip 
Constable,  Charles  Parsons,  Lloyd  Hansford,  Magarga  Par- 
sons, L.  E.  Goff,  Hiram  Loughry  and  Finley  T03'. 

Another  kind  of  rafts  is  that  of  planks  or  sawed  lumber. 
This  has  been  an  important  industry  in  the  county,  and  is 
stiil  largely  carried  on.  Planks  are  rafted  by  building  them 
into  platforms,  usuallj-  sixteen  feet  square,  and  twelve  inches 
thick,  and  then  lashing  the  platforms  end  to  end,  until  the 
raft  is  from  sixty-four  to  one  hundred  and  twentj'-eight  feet 
long.  Two  such  rafts,  side  by  side,  are  called  a  "double 
raft ;"  and  when  they  are  laden  with  lumber  until  the  plat- 
forms are_entirely  sunken,  they  contain  about  seventy-five 
thousand  feet.  The  most  extensive  lumber  rafter  of  Tucker 
Count}',  is  C.  E.  Macomber,  who  has  thus  taken  to  market 
millions  of  feet.  Others  who  have  rafted  extensivel}"  are 
A.  C.  Minear,  Finloy  Toy,  AV.  D.  Losh,  A.  H.  Bonnifield 
and  others.     The  largest  plank  rafts  have  four  oars. 


LUMBEE  INTEEESTS.  163 

An  industry  that  has  sprung  up  -^dthin  the  past  few  years 
in  Tucker,  and  one  that  brings  in  a  considerable  revenue,  is 
the  shingle  mills.  The  first  was  built  by  the  Eowlesburg 
Lumber  and  Iron  Company  at  John  Fansler's  on  Horse 
Shoe  Eun,  some  eight  miles  above  St.  George.  The  mill 
was  something  new  in  the  country,  as  its  steam  engine  was 
the  first  one  ever  in  the  county,  and  people  came  from  near 
and  far  to  see  it.  The  tram-road,  which  brought  logs  to 
the  mill  was  also  the  first  thing  of  that  sort  ever  in  the 
county,  and  its  trucks  were  looked  upon  with  a  wonder  sec- 
ond only  to  that  excited  bv  the  steam  en^^ine. 

The  mill  was  built  by  Balus,  a  mill-wright  from  Balti- 
more, and  the  machinery  was  set  up  by  Frank  Blanchard, 
who  sawed  the  first  shingle  ever  sawed  in  Tucker  County. 
He  was  and  is  one  of  the  best  machinists  in  the  State. 
When  the  mill  was  gotten  ready  to  run,  large  crowds  came 
together  to  see  the  fool  thing  start.  Some  said  that  it  was 
a  grand  thing  and  others  that  it  would  be  the  ruination  of 
the  countr}'.  However,  it  got  to  going,  and  worked  to  per- 
fection, cutting  eight  thousand  shingles  a  day.  They  were 
eighteen  inches  long  and  four  inches  wide.  Of  course,  some 
were  wider  and  some  not  so  wide ;  but,  this  was  what  was 
reouired   in   the   measurement.      Thev   were   packed   into 

J.  .J  L 

bunches  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  each,  and  were  hauled  to 
the  river  on  sleds,  in  the  winter  time  and  on  wagons  in  the 
summer.  Among  those  who  hauled  ^\'ere  Ward  Parsons,  C. 
L.  Parsons,  John  Closs,  B.  F.  Dumirc,  James  Knotts  and 
William  Losh.  The  mill  was  kepi  runijing  for  several  years, 
and  until  the  Eowlesl^urg  Lumber  and  Iron  Company  went 
into  bankruptc}'.  After  that  the  mill  Avas  run  at  intervals 
until  all  the  timber  in  the  vicinity  had  been  cut,  when  it 
was  removed.  The  most  prosperous  period  of  tlie  mill's 
existence  was  about  1870. 


164  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

The  next  sliingle-mill  in  the  county  was  that  built  by 
Eufus  Maxwell,  and  run  by  water-power.  In  its  after  mod- 
ifications, the  saw  ran  horizontal  instead  of  vertical. 

Abraham  and  Daniel  L.  Dumire  built  the  next  one  on 
Laurel  Run,  at  the  Lead  Mine  post-office.  This  mill  was 
sold  from  one  to  another,  until  the  controlling  interest  was 
in  the  hands  of  Cyrus  Dumire.  George  Auvil  built  the 
next  shingle  factory.  It  was  located  on  Mill  Run,  about 
two  miles  above  St.  George. 

David  Closs  built  the  next  mill.  It  was  on  Horse  Shoe 
Run,  four  miles  from  its  mouth.  This  completed  the  list 
of  five  shiuGfle  mills  in  Tucker  Countv.  The  first  one  ever 
in  the  county  met  an  untimely  end.  While  being  taken 
around  Horse  Shoe  Ford  Hill,  it,  wagon,  horses  and  all, 
rolled  dovm  the  precipice  into  the  river,  near  one  hundred 
feet.  None  of  the  men  or  horses  were  seriously  hurt,  but 
the  machinery  and  the  wagons  were  badly  wrecked. 

The  shook  business,  some  fifteen  and  twenty  years  ago, 
was  an  extensive  industry.  Joseph  Davis  was  the  principal 
manager  of  the  business,  and  the  shop  was  at  St.  George. 
It  did  more  for  the  town  than  anything  else  of  the  time.  It 
built  up  the  houses  that  were  going  to  pieces,  and  revived 
business. 

Although  Tucker  County  has  had  and  still  has  vast  timber 
resources,  and  its  thousand  mountains  are  covered  ^\'ith 
valuable  pines,  oaks,  poplars  and  hemlocks,  and  all  this  will 
bring  a  revenue  into  the  county  ;  yet  our  real  and  perma- 
nent wealth  is  not  in  our  timber.  Men  who  deal  in  it  and 
attend  closely  to  their  business  have  made  money  from  it ; 
but  such  is  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  The  large  con- 
tractors may  or  may  not  make  something  ;  but  the  laborer 
is  almost  sure  to  lose  when  it  comes  to  the  final  reckoning. 


LUMBER  INTERESTS.  165 

He  may  have  -worked  hard  from  Christmas  to  Christmas, 
and  his  family  may  have  lived  as  economically  as  decency 
and  comfort  ^vonld  permit,  yet  at  the  end  of  the  year,  when 
all  store  debts  and  doctor  bills  are  paid,  and  the  T\'ear  and 
tear  of  the  furniture  and  the  farm  property  has  been  made 
good,  all  the  spare  money  is  gone,  and  the  laborer  is  left  no 
richer  than  when  he  set  in  for  the  hard  year  of  work. 

The  reason  for  this  is  to  be  sought  in  the  fact  that  almost 
every  man  in  T\icker  County  is  a  farmer.  It  is  a  general 
truth  the  world  over  that  it  is  best  for  an  agricultural  man 
to  stick  to  agriculture  just  the  same  as  it  is  best,  in  usual 
cases,  for  an}-  man  to  stick  to  his  trade  or  profession.  It 
may  pay  at  times  for  a  man  to  carry  on  two,  three  or  a 
dozen  projects  at  a  time  ;  but  those  who  try  it  fail  oftener 
than  they  succeed.  Especially  is  this  true  with  farmers  any- 
where, and  the  more  so  with  those  of  Tucker  County.  A 
blacksmith  or  a  carpenter  may,  if  he  sees  fit,  abandon  his 
trade  one,  two  or  ten  years,  and  again  take  it  up  and  be  none 
the  loser,  unless  the  time  has  been  a  loss  to  him.  But  not 
so  with  him  who  digs  into  the  fertile  soil  for  his  bread  and 
his  fortune.  His  farm  needs  him  every  day  and  every  hour. 
If  he  leaves  it,  it  suffers  from  his  neglect.  If  he  engages 
as  a  laborer  in  the  lumber  business,  as  so  manv  of  the 
Tucker  farmers  are  doing  and  have  done,  he  fails  to  till  his 
land  as  he  should.  His  fences  go  to  ruin,  his  sheds  fall  to 
pieces  and  weeds,  briers,  thorns  and  brambles  fill  all  the 
nooks  and  corners  of  his  fields. 

Meanwhile,  the  man  may  be  getting  his  wages,  which  are 
in  ready  money  and  for  the  time  seem  greater  than  he 
could  make  on  his  farm;  but,  everything  his  family  uses 
must  be  paid  for,  and  the  expenses  eat  up  the  profits,  and 
he  works  on,  probably  for  years,  and  keeps  just  about  even. 


166  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Then  tlie  mill  on  wliicli  he  works  is  to  be  moved  to  find  a 
new  supply  of  timber,  and  lie  Aiust  either  follow  or  quit  the 
works. 

If  he  is  a  wise  man,  he  quits  the  bad  contract,  late,  but 
better  late  than  never,  and  goes  back  to  his  neglected  farm. 
Or,  if  he  follows  the  mill  to  its  new  site,  he  may  as  well  set- 
tle dow;i  to  a  permanent  rough  and  unprofitable  life,  drag- 
ging himself  and  family  about  from  place  to  place,  and 
living  only  a  little  better  than  the  Arabs  of  Egypt. 

If  he  goes  back  to  his  farm,  he  finds  it  grown  up  and  di- 
lapidated, far  Avorse  than  when  he  left  it,  and  he  finds  him- 
self no  richer  in  money  than  when  he  went  astray  in  the 
lumber  business.  Had  he  staid  on  his  farm  and  worked  as 
hard  as  he  did  in  the  woods,  he  would  have  owned  a  neat, 
comfortable  and  complete  home.  His  fences  would  not 
have  been  so  hidden  by  briers  that  they  were  no  longer  vis- 
ible, and  the  apple  trees  would  not  look  like  a  chaos  of 
sprouts  and  scions  growing  out  of  a  brush-heap.  Where 
the  plantain  and  smartweed  were  taking  possession  of  every- 
thing in  the  yard,  his  ^dfe's  bed  of  flowers  would  have  been 
in  full  bloom,  and  lilies  and  forget-me-nots  would  be  blos- 
soming instead  of  the  crash-leaved  burr-dock. 

He  will  then  learn,  as  others  must  learn  and  are  learning, 
that  the  little  farms  of  Tucker  must  be  cultivated  if  the  peo- 
ple expect  to  prosper.  The  farmer  who  raises  something  to 
sell  in  the  logging  camps  makes  more  than  the  man  who 
works  all  the  year  in  the  woods.  Our  real  wealth  is  in  our 
farming  land.  Let  the  lumber  be  cut  by  those  who  can  af- 
ford to  do  it.     The  farmer  cannot  aftbrd  to  lose  his  time. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  WEST  VIRGINIA    CENTRAL  AND  PITTS- 

B ITRGII  RAIL  WA  Y. 

The  opening  of  tliis  new  railroad  lias  been  and  promises 
still  to  be  a  permanent  improvement  to  our  county.  The 
object  which  pi'ompted  its  building  was  the  vast  resource  of 
timber,  coal  and  iron  which  abound  in  that  portion  of  our 
territory  which  lies  bevond  the  Backbone  Mountain,  on  the 
upper  tributaries  of  the  Black  Fork  of  Cheat  Eiver.  The 
knowledge  that  such  resources  existed  is  no  new  thing.  As 
epvrly  as  1856,  it  was  undertaken  to  build  a  railroad  up  the 
North  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  engineers  were  put  to 
work  on  it.  The  following  extract  is  from  the  Biography 
of  Abe  Bonnifield,  and  is  quoted  in  connection  with  the 
railroad,  and  also  as  a  description  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try at  that  time  : 

In  front  of  my  father's  door,  and  at  the  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles,  rises  the  principal  ridge  of  the  Backbone  Mountain.  From 
the  tops  of  the  neighboring  hills  the  course  of  the  ridge  can  be 
traced  to  a  vast  extent.  The  smnniit  of  the  mountain  in  this  region, 
is  covered  with  beautiful  groves  of  hemlock  pine,  sometimes  called 
yew  pine.  In  x^l^ces  their  branches  are  so  interwoven  that  they 
form  a  thick,  dark  shade,  which,  in  the  summer  season,  is  most  de- 
lightful, but  in  winter,  when  the  sombre  branches  are  drooping 
with  snow,  the  prospect  is  gloomy  beyond  description.  These 
hemlocks  are  as  straight  as  an  Indian  arrow,  and  fre(|uently  rise  to 
the  height  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  or  more.  This  timber 
is  valuable  for  building  purposes.  Square  timber,  plank  and  shin- 
gles made  from  it  are  of  the  very  best  quality;  and  the  (piantity  of 
this  timber  is  surprising.  From  thp  top  of  a  single  hill,  enough  of 
it  mav  be  seen  to  buihl  a  citv 


168  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY 

On  this  side  of  the  mountain,  just  opposite  my  father's  farm,  Ues 
a  hirge  body  of  rich  land,  which,  on  account  of  its  being  coA'ered 
with  sugar-maple,  is  called  the  Sugar  Lands.  The  annual  blooming 
of  this  large  grove  of  sugar  trees,  appearing  with  the  return  of 
each  successive  season,  afforded,  for  many  years,  a  picture  of  sur- 
passing beauty.  It  could  easily  be  seen  from  the  distance  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles.  Year  after  year  for  fifty  long  successive  years, 
had  the  older  inhabitants  gazed  upon  its  expanse  of  silvery  gray, 
tinged  with  yellow  and  white.  From  the  top  of  Stemple  Ridge,  a 
distance  of  some  eighteen  miles.  It  appeared  to  the  very  best  ad- 
vantage, and  gave  to  the  extended  landscape  a  soft  and  beautiful 
finish,  on  which  the  eye  lingered  with  peculiar  delight.  But,  alas  ! 
the  beauty,  though  it  lasted  long  and  gladdened  many  a  vernal 
scene,  has  passed  away  and  perished  forever. 

About  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  the  land  was  purchased  by  Wil- 
liam R.  Parsons,  and  the  sugar  trees  have  fallen  beneath  the  axes 
of  his  slaves.  But,  thank  kind  nature,  it  is  usually  the  case, 
when  one  beautiful  object  divsappears,  another  takes  its  place. 
Although  the  sugar  trees  are  gone,  the  ej^e  of  the  spectator  is  now 
greeted  with  green  pastures  and  charming  meadows,  while  the  ear 
is  saluted  with  the  tinkling  of  bells  and  the  lowing  of  cattle,  and 
this  delightful  Sugar  Lands  promises  fair  soon  to  be  the  richest 
grazing  plantation  in  Tucker  County. 

Some  miles  beyond  the  Sugar  Lands,  and  also  beyond  the  Back- 
bone, on  the  head  branches  of  Cheat  River,  there  is  an  elevated 
region  of  rich  land,  from  time  immemorial  called  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan. Here  there  is  a  body  of  some  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
land  unoccupied.  However,  it  has  quite  recently  come  into  mar- 
ket. The  soil  of  this  land  is  of  the  finest  quality,  both  for  grain 
and  pasture,  and  is  mostly  covered  with  extensive  forests  of  beech, 
sugar  and  i)ine.  There  are  also  several  other  large  unoccupied 
tracts  of  land  in  Tucker  Comity,  now  coming  into  market.  A  vast 
field  of  excellent  stone  coal  has  lately  been  discovered  on  these 
lands,  malving  them  an  object  of  peculiar  interest  to  speculators. 
From  Piedmont,  on  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  a  railroad  will  soon  be  built, 
whose  terminus  will  be  in  these  coal  lands. 

How  such  vast  bodies  of  waste  land,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
rich  settlements,  cimld  remain  so  long  unsold,  is  a  nroblem  that 


THE  AV.  Y.  C.  .i'  P.  EAILWAY.  169 

can  be  solved  only  by  the  consideration  that  the  tide  of  eniij^ration 
has  ever  rolled  its  waves  to  the  far  West,  without  stopping  to  ex- 
amine these  beautiful  little  islands  around  which  it  flowed.  The 
owners  of  these  lands  seem  anxious  to  sell,  and  it  is  probable  that 
bargains  may  be  obtained.  It  is  supposed  that  there  is  at  this  time 
[1857]  ijlenty  of  unoccupied  land  in  Tucker  County  for  the  accom- 
modation of  500  families. 

Tlie  coal  at  the  Sugar  Lands  was  discovered  about  1835. 
It  was  nearly  twenty  3'ears  before  any  similar  discoveries 
were  made  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  Bnt,  finally, 
the  true  wealth  of  the  country  began  to  be  known,  and  cap- 
italists saw  that  there  was  money  in  a  railroad  vvhicli  would 
carry  off  this  wealth.  The  work  of  surveying  was  well  ad- 
Tanced,  when  the  war  came  on  and  put  a  stop  to  everything, 
and  it  was  near  twenty  years  before  anything  further  was 
done  in  the  matter.  Then  a  new  company  took  it  in  hand. 
The  officers,  on  January  1,  1882,  were :  H.  G.  Davis,  Presi- 
dent; S.  B.  Elkins,  Yice-President.  Directors:  Alexander 
Shaw,  James  G.  Blaine,  S.  B.  Elkins,  William  Keyser, 
Thomas  B.  Davis,  Augustus  Schell,  AY.  H.  Barnum,  J.  K. 
Camden,  John  A.  Hambleton  and  T.  E.  Sickles.  A.  Ebert 
was  Secretar}',  C.  M.  Hoult,  Treasurer,  T.  E.  Sickles,  Chief 
Engineer,  and  W.  E.  Porter,  Superintendent.  The  offices 
were  at  Piedmont,  Y".  Ya.,  and  92  Broadway,  New  York 
City. 

The  company  was  organized  June  25,  1881,  under  a  char- 
ter of  the  State  of  Y^est  Yir^inia.  It  was  authorized  to 
construct  a  railroad  from  any  point  on  the  B.  c^'  O.  Pi.  E., 
along  the  waters  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Potomac  River, 
to  a  connection  with  any  other  railroad  in  the  State  of  Y'. 
Ya.  The  company  had  power  to  buy  and  sell  real  estate 
without  limit ;  and  it  was  authorized  to  manufacture  lumber, 
mine  coal  and  iron,  and  any  other  minerals.     The  following 


170  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

extract  is  from  tlie  President's  first  Report  to   the   stock- 

liolders  : 

The  present  intention  of  the  company  is  to  extend  its  railroad 
for  a  distance  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  in  all,  through  what  is 
known  as  the  "Cumberland  or  Piedmont  Coal  Basin;"  and  it  is 
ultimately  intended,  if  deemed  advisable  and  profitable,  to  extend 
its  line  southerly,  so  as  to  connect  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
with  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  the  Richmond  and 
Alleghany  Railroad,  and  other  railroads.  Also,  northerly  to  a  con- 
nection Avith  railroads  leading  to  Pittsburgh. 

Tlie  eiimneers  estimated  that  three  hundred  and  sixty 
millions  of  tons  of  coal  can  be  mined  from  the  company's 
lands.     The  coal  fields  which   must   be   developed   by  this 

compan}^  embrace  an  area  larger  than  the  aggregate  of  all 
other  bituminous  coal  fields  east  of  the  Alleghan}-  Mount- 
ains/"' embracing  an  area  of  170,000  acres.  The  capital 
stock  of  the  company  was  $6,000,000,  of  which  $5,000,000 
belong  to  and  remain  in  the  company's  treasury.'!'  The  rail- 
road Avas  computed  to  cost  not  more  than  $25,000  per  mile. 

The  average  out-put  of  coal  over  the  road  in  1882  was  es- 
timated to  be  700  tons  daily  for  three  hundred  days,  sum- 
ming for  the  year  210,000  tons.  The  com]:)any's  profit  was 
forty-five  cents  per  ton,  for  the  year  $94,500.  Profits  from 
other  sources,  $20,000.  Total,  $114,500.  The  interest 
paid  on  bonds  was  $50,000,  leaving  a  clear  profit  for  1882  of 
$64,500.     The  profit  for  1883  Avas  estimated  at  $197,000..!: 

The  President,  Vice-President,  Treasurer  and  Secretary 
charged  nothing  for  their  services  in  the  year  1882.  The 
company  at  that  time  owned  and  controlled  37,752  acres  of 
mineral  and  timber  lands. 

'  President  Davis'  first  report,  page  four.  t  In  1882. 

i  This  Is  merely  an  estimation,  made  in  1882  for  the  succeeding  year. 


THE  ^y.  Y.  C.  ct  p.  RAILWAY.  171 

Up  to  January  1,  1882,  thirteen  and  one-lialf  miles  of 
road  had  been  completed. 

In  Owen  PJordan's  Report  of  January  8,  1882  he  speaks 
as  follows  :"" 

I  hereby  submit  to  your  consideration  a  report,  with  accompany- 
ing map,  of  the  result  of  my  opening  and  working  of  coal  veins  in 
your  employment  since  June  1,  of  last  year  (1881). 

I  Avorked  on  a  portion  of  Grant,  Tucker  and  Pi-eston  Counties, 
W,  Va.  Commencing  at  the  Fairfax  Stone,  I  ox)ened  on  what  I 
call  the  "Fairfax  and  Dobbin  House  Region" — which  is  about  nine 
miles  long  and  eight  miles  wide — ten  different  veins  of  coal,  The 
thickest  being  eleven  and  the  smallest  four  feet,  measuring  in  ilie 
aggregate  fifty-two  feet  of  coal. 

These  veins  of  coal  are  of  different  quality,  some  gas,  some  bitu- 
minous and  one  vein  of  good  coking  coal.  They  are  so  situated, 
one  above  the  other,  that  any  one  of  them,  or  all  of  them  together, 
can  be  worked  Avithout  interfering  with  any  other. 

This  is  the  most  remarkable  coal  region  so  far  discovered  in  this 
or  any  other  country.  I  have  neither  seen  nor  read  in  the  reports 
of  any  other  person  of  a  coal  region  having  as  much  coal  in  it  as 
this  ;  and  the  whole  of  it  is  free  from  slate,  bone-coal,  or  any  other 
impurities.  This  is  neither  exaggeration  nor  delusion,  as  all  these 
veins  are  opened,  so  that  any  expert  can  examine  them.  He  will 
find  them  to  be  just  as  I  have  stated.  There  is  a  nine-feet  vein  of 
steam  coal  in  this  region  that  fully  equals  the  Cumberland  coal. 

We  opened  on  the  second  division  of  this  West  Virginia  Coal 
Fields — which  lies  between  the  Dobbin  and  Kent  roads  and  the 
mouth  of  Buffalo  Creek — eleven  different  veins  of  coal,  ranging  in 
thickness  from  three  to  six  feet.  This  coal  is  semi-bituminous  in 
quality,  except  one  vein  opened  at  the  head  of  Elk  Run,  of  cannel 
coal,  three  feet  thick.  The  coal  in  this  region  is  also  free  from  all 
impurities 

The  coal  area  is  a  thick  forest,  almost  covered  with  spruce  and 
hemlock,  the  trees  being  of  an  enormous  size,  and  good  quality, 
making  it  as  superior  in  its  timber  as  in  its  coal. 

*  See  the  President's  and  Engineer's  Reports  of  tlie  progress  of  the  Ilallroad,  of  Octo- 
Tdcf  17, 1882. 


172  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

In  the  President's  Annual  Report,  dated  January  9,  1883, 
tlie  net  earnings  of  tlie  road,  after  paying  expenses,  and  tlie 
interest  on  the  bonded  debt,  were  over  $87,000.  The  op- 
erating expenses  were  48f  per  cent,  of  the  gross  earnings. 
The  interest  paid  was  $32,600. 

On  page  4,  of  the  Report  of  January  9,  1883,  the  follow- 
ing is  found  : 

After  careful  surveys,  it  has  been  determined  to  make  Davis  the 
terminus  of  the  road  for  the  present.  It  promises  to  be  the  center 
of  a  great  mining  and  lumbering  interest,  being  near  the  junction 
of  the  Beaver  and  Blackwater,  both  of  which  drain  a  fine  timber 
country,  and  both  are  well  adapted  to  floating  logs  ;  besides,  the 
site  selected  and  vicinity  are  underlaid  with  the  veins  of  coal  of  the 
Upper  Potomac  Coal  Field. 

The  completion  of  the  line  to  Davis,  fifty-three  miles  from  Pied- 
mont, will  quadruple  the  capacity  of  the  Comx)any  for  doing  a  gen- 
eral transportation  business  ;  besides,  it  will  reach  and  pass  through 
the  Company's  coking  coal  and  fine  timber  lands  in  the  Upper  Po- 
tomac Coal  Fields  from  both  of  which  the  Company  expects  to  add 
largely  to  its  business.'' 

The  work  of  the  railroad  in  Tucker  County,  up  to  this 
time,  1881,  has  not  been  extensive,  as  the  main  work  has 
been  done  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountain.  The  grade 
across  the  mountain  does  not  at  any  point  exceed  eighty 
feet  per  mile,  which  is  the  lightest  grade  of  any  railroad 
crossing  the  Alleghanies. 

The  whole  Canaan  Yalley  must  soon  be  develoj)ed.  It  is 
just  opening  up  to  the  world,  and  in  a  few  years  it  will  no 
longer  be  a  wilderness. 


CHAPTER  X. 

2nSCELLANE0US  STATISTICS. 

I  DO  not  deem  it  best  to  over  load  a  County  Histoiy  witli 
statistics.     Enough  should  be  given  to  meet   the    wants  of 
the  general  reader,  and   no   more.     In   this   book   I  have 
pursued,  in  this  respect,  the  course  just  advocated.     I  have 
collected,  not  without  care,  a  few  tables  and  have   inserted 
them.     In  making  the  selections  and  in  the  arrangements  I 
have  not  followed  any  strict  plan.     In  fact,  I  found   it  im- 
possible, had  I  been  so  inclined,  to  make  out  entire   census 
tables,  even  from  1856  to  the  present  time.     Much   of  the 
data  that  would  go  to  make  up  such  tables,    does  not   exist 
in  any  official  manner ;  or,  at  least,  the  search  that  I  have 
made  has  failed  to  find  it.     I  give  what  this  chapter  contains 
and    offer   no    apology    for  its   incompleteness   or  for  its 
arrangement.     Had  I  considered  it  of  enough  importance, 
I  should  have  bestov/ed  more  time  and  attention  to  it.     I 
did  not  even  go  to  Randolph  to  examine  records  that  relate 
to  the  census  prior  to  1856.     AYliat  I  have  of  such,  is  all  I 
want ;  for,  I  will  repeat  that  it  is  not  my  aim  or  intention 
to  make  this  book  a  series  of  tables  and  statistical  figures. 
I  am  not  certain  but  that  I  have  given   more   space   to  the 
History  of  Elections  and  Officers  than  is  demanded  by  the 
jmblic  upon  whose  patronage  the  financial  success  of  this 
book  depends.     But,  this  latter  subject  will,  more  or  less, 
interest  every  reader,  while  the  former,  that  of  the  statistics, 
will  be  of  interest  to  so  few,  except  a  small  part  of  it,  that 
those  few   will   find   occasion   to   examine   for   themselves 


174  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

special  books  on  the  subject,  and  will  there  find  much  more 
satisfaction  than  could  possibly  be  given  in  a  Avork  of  this 
kind. 

As  remarked,  it  would  be  difficult  to  reduce  to  a  system 
the  statistics  relative  to  Tucker.  The  Census  Compendium 
of  1860  dismissed  the  county  with  a  foot-note,  saying  that 
no  returns  were  made.  Thus  I  had  to  look  elsewhere  for 
what  I  have  given  of  that  date.  The  Compendium  of  1870 
was  fuller,  but  it  all,  so  far  as  our  count}^  is  concerned,  is 
easily  told,  and  I  have  given  only  an  epitome  of  1860  and 
1870.  But  I  have  bestowed  more  attention  to  1880,  because 
I  consider  it  of  more  importance.  I  consider  that  our 
county  is  just  starting  into  life.  The  returns  of  ten  and 
twenty  years  ago  are  valuable  to  us  only  as  curiosities,  or  as 
comparisons.  They  do  not  tell  the  world  what  we  are,  or 
what  the  resources  of  our  county  vrere  at  that  time.  They 
do  not  exhibit  our  true  wealth— undeveloped  wealth.  This 
was  unknown  then,  and  there  should  be  no  pride,  and  surely 
is  no  policy,  in  publishing  to  the  world,  by  census  tables, 
how  little  we  had  and  how  weak  we  were  only  a  few  years 
ago.  True,  it  is  some  satisfaction  to  see  how  we  have 
grown ;  and  where  there  is  an  opportunity  for  exhibiting 
this  in  a  proper  manner,  it  has  been  done,  but,  in  such  mat- 
ters as  promise  no  good,  and  result  in  no  benefit,  we  have 
been  silent. 

Such  parts  of  the  past  as  is  history,  I  have  given.  What 
is  not  history,  romance,  biography  or  anything  of  that  kind, 
I  have  not  gone  to  extremes  to  bring  prominently  forward. 
I  have  endeavored  to  show  what  we  were,  so  far  as  we  Avere 
anvthincj,  and  what  we  are.  The  future  must  tell  what  we 
are  to  be.  But,  with  us,  the  future  is  more  than  the  past. 
This  age   is  using  the  past  only  to  judge  by  it  what  the 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  17: 


') 


future  will  be.  Great  minds  read  history  ouly  for  tliis. 
Tlie  past  is  notliing  to  us,  except  the  mere  satisfaction  of 
knowing  it.  There  are  greater  changes  going  on  in  the 
Avorld  to-day  than  ever  before.  History  did  not  prophesy 
them.  It  gave  no  hint  that  they  would  come.  The  loco- 
motive, the  steamship,  the  telegraph,  the  telephone,  and 
the  marvellous  machineries  that  work,  as  it  were,  with  more 
than  human  intelligence,  came  into  the  world  unheralded 
and  unexpected.  Not  even  a  star  guided  the  Magi  of  the 
present  to  them.  They  leaped,  as  Pallas,  armed  into  the 
world's  arena,  and  assuming  the  might  of  Achilles,  cleared 
the  fields  of  a  universal  Troy. 

Still,  I  cannot  think  that  history  is  useless  or  unneces- 
sary. There  is  still  something  to  be  learned  from  it ;  al- 
thoupfh,  I  verily  believe  that  there  is  more  to  be  gained 
from  Mathematics  and  Chemistry  than  from  History.  We 
cannot  judge,  and  depend  upon  it,  from  the  past  what  the 
future  will  be.  •  Because  no  nation  has  lived  forever,  is  no 
reason  why  none  ever  will.  Because  no  government  of  the 
people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  people  has  ever  stood 
firmlv  and  successfully  one  hundred  years,  is  no  grounds 
from  which  to  judge  that  such  a  thing  is  impossible.  It 
may  be  that  Confucius  thought  it  impossible  for  a  man  to 
travel  fifty  miles  an  hour,  because  his  experience  and  his 
old  books  gave  him  none  assurance  of  such  a  thing  in  the 
past.  No  doubt  Columbus  considered  it  out  of  the  ques- 
tion to  cross  the  Atlantic  without  sails  in  ten  days;  and,  he 
could  not  have  found  reason  for  thinking;-  so  had  he  read  all 
the  histories  burnt  at  Alexandria,  the  description  of  Hiero's 
engine  not  excepted.  Galilleo  or  Newton  or  Keplar  or  Ivant 
or  Hobbs  or  Tycho  Brahe  would  have  disbelieved  it  possi- 
ble to  send  a  letter  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  thousand 


176  HISTOllY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

miles  a  second,  xlrcliimedes  and  Copernicus  gave  nothing 
to  foreshadow  such  a  thing.  Nor,  Avould  those  okl  philoso- 
phers have  believed  that  the  voice  of  a  man  conld  be  heard 
over  a  •wire  forty  miles. 

Yet,  just  such  things  as  these  men  thought  impossible,  if 
they  thouglit  at  all,  are  tearing  the  world  upside  down  and 
building  it  anew,  on  a  firmer  basis  than  ever.  Mathematics, 
called  Philosophy,  and  Chemistr}^,  are  doing  it.  But  they 
are  inanimate,  and  work  only  by  the  directions  of  man. 
Why  then  could  not  man  curb  the  lightning,  and  know  and 
control  the  power  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  expanded  by 
heat  seventeen  hundred  times  its  bulk  when  cold — why 
could  not  this  have  been  done  two  thousand  years  ago  ?  or 
five  thousand,  for  that  matter  ?  Water  existed,  as  did  lire, 
and  iron  and  electricity  and  all  the  elements  that  now  exist ; 
why  then  could  not  Tubal-cain  build  a  steam  engine,  and 
an  ocean  telegraph  connecting  Eome  and  Carthage,  across 
the  sea,  that  they  thought  was  in  the  middle  of  the  world? 

This  question  was  hard  to  answer.  It  was  hard  be- 
cause the  answer  was  unknown.  Some  of  the  abstractest 
problems  in  calculus  are  easy  enough  to  understand  when 
the  answer  is  known  ;  but,  to  find  the  answer  caused  many 
a  brain  to  falter  and  ache  and  doubt  and  despair,  to  resolve 
again  and  finally  to  triumph.  Thus  with  the  subject,  why 
the  ancients,  or  even  the  moderns,  except  the  most  moderns, 
failed  to  accomplish  what  is  now  ])eing  done  by  men  with 
weaker  minds  than  that  of  Mulciber  or  Minos  or  Daedalus 
or  Plutarch  or  Quintilian  or  Euclid  or  Descartes  or  Benja- 
min Franklin.  It  seems  now  that  things  are  accomplished 
with  less  effort  than  Avas  formerly  exerted  to  no  good.  Surely 
our  inventors  do  not  study  more  intently  than  he  who  stood 
thirty-six  hours,  vrorking  mentally  on  a  sum    of  arithmetic. 


S.  J.  Maxwell 


Mrs.  0  LowTHER  Mrs  Wm  Spesert. 


W.  B.  Maxwell     C.  H.  Maxwell 
R.  R.  Maxwell.  L.  H.  Maxwell. 


J.  F.  Maxwell  T.  E.  Maxwell. 

C.  J  Maxwell  Hu  Maxwell. 

F.  GUTCKur.Sr  f  n:LAO'*. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 


ASTOR,    LENOX    AND 
TtLOEN   FOUNriATnjNiS.      I 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  177    , 

and  knew  nothing  of  the  heat  or  the  darkness  or  the  rain 
that  passed  by ;  or  more  intensely  than  he  who  was  so  ab- 
sorbed with  his  theorem  that  he  knew  not  that  an  army  with 
beating  drums  and  martial  music  passed  under  his  Avindow ; 
or  than  he  who,  when  the  Roman  soldier  rushed  into  his 
study  with  drawn  sword  to  kill  him,  cried,  "Wait  till  I  com- 
plete this  demonstration,"  and  when  it  was  completed,  died, 
as  Socrates  died,  like  a  philosopher. 

Physical  and  mental  efforts,  I  doubt  not,  were  as  power- 
ful, or  as  near  the  limit  of  human  possibilities,  thousands  of 
years  ago  as  the}^  are  to-day.  The  men  tried  as  hard  to 
solve  the  mysteries,  and  worked  as  hard,  on  their  plans,  and 
did  as  much  as  they  could,  and  moderns  can  do  nothing 
more.  But  the  ancients,  viewed  fi;Qm  our  stand-point,  made 
almost  no  advancement  at  all.  It  may  have  taken  them  a 
thousand  years  to  invent  the  bow  and  arrow.  It  seems  to 
us  that  anybody  could  manufacture  such  an  engine  with  a 
few  days  of  study. 

But,  we  must  not  forget  ourselves  in  approaching  this 
subject.  The  world  is  not,  or  man's  mind  is  not,  as  it  used 
to  be.  The  oldest  man  in  the  world,  at  the  age  of  nine  hun- 
dred, if  any  man  ever  really  lived  that  long,  did  not  know 
as  much  as  a  school  boy  of  to-day.  I  cannot  imagine  with 
what  feelings  Abraham,  the  Patriarch,  must  have  looked 
upon  the  phenomena  of  nature,  not  knowing  any  of  the 
reasons  for  what  he  saw.  But,  I  need  not  appeal  to  my 
imagination  in  a  case  of  this  kind.  His  feelings  upon  see- 
ing the  water  flow  down  hill  and  the  smoke  rise  skyward, 
must  have  been  as  mine  Avhen  I  contemplate  the  nature  of 
force  as  it  is  manifested  in  magnetism,  sunlight  and  the  dis- 
sociation of  atoms — things  which  are  blank  m3'steries  to  me. 


No,  the  histor}^  of  the  past  cannot  be   laid  aside.     I  am 

12 


178  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COU^^TY. 

firmly  of  the  belief  that  the  hiiman  race,  as  a  T\'hole,  im- 
proves from  the  experience  of  past  races,  just  as  an  incli- 
yidnal  grows  wiser  by  remembering  his  past  successes  and 
failures.  It  is  a  dark  subject  to  me ;  but,  so  far  as  I  can 
understand  it,  I  see  nothing  that  does  not  confirm  me  in  the 
belief  that  there  is  a  universal  mind,  or  spirit,  or  soul,  or 
nature,  or  something  not  exactly  expressed  by  any  word  in 
the  world,  that  is  composed  of  and  includes  all  the  minds 
in  the  world,  as  a  great  and  perfect  whole.  It  is  hard  to 
express  myself  on  this  subject.  Tennyson  in  Locksley  Hall 
does  it  for  me  better  than  I  can  do  it : 

Yet  I  doubt  not  through  the  ages  one  mcreasing  purpose  runs, 
And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  with  the  process  of  the  suns. 

When  one  generation  dies  from  the  world,  the  next  does 
not  have  to  commence  in  knowledge  where  its  fatheis  did, 
but,  in  a  measure,  Avhere  its  fathers  quit.  The  "  increasing- 
purpose  "  does  not  die  with  the  races  of  men.  It  lives  frOm 
generation  to  generation,  from  age  to  age  and  from  century 
to  century,  ever  stronger  and  stronger.  As  the  old  rocks 
from  the  cliffs  of  the  mountains  and  from  the  caves  of  the 
ocean  are  ground  into  powder  to  furnish  material  for  nev/ 
formations,  so  must  the  experience  of  the  past  be  picked 
apart  to  furnish  material  for  the  rebuilding  of  newer  and 
better  institutions.  So  must  history  be  used  in  the  present. 
So  must  we  build  by  the  ruins  of  the  past.  But  the  simile 
is  not  perfect,  for  the  intellectual  world  builds  grander  and 
better  and  finds  constantly  some  new  material  to  introduce 
into  the  work,  while  the  geological  world  constructs  from 
the  same  material  over  and  over  again,  and  the  new  work, 
although  newer,  is  in  reality  not  a  particle  better  than  the 
old. 

Scientists  disagree,  whether  intellectual  power  is  trans- 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  179 

mitted  from  generation  to  generation.  On  the  one  side  is 
arrayed  the  long  catalogue  of  illustrious  families,  the  splen- 
dor of  whose  talents  has  been  observed  for  generations,  and 
a  similitude  noticed  in  all.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  claimed 
that  a  savage  infant,  the  child  of  savage  parents,  may  be 
trained  to  civilzation  and  enlightenment  and  be  none  the 
less  refined  and  gifted  than  one  born  and  reared  An  all  the 
conditions  of  civilization.  There  are  two  sides  to  the  ques- 
tion, and  either  is  not  void  of  argument ;  but,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  parental  characteristics,  of  mind  as  well  as  body, 
are  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation.  How  else 
could  there  be  an  increasing  purpose  running  through  the 
ages,  as  there  surely  is  ?  Then  there  is  occasion  still  for 
learning,  and  from  the  past,  all  there  is  to  know  or  to  be 
known.  We  cannot  learn  from  the  future.  The  present  is 
only  the  twilight  of  the  past. 

As  the  world  stands  now,  there  is  more  benefit  to  man- 
kind  in  the  sermons   of  Talmao'e  than  in  the  histories  of 

o 

Gibbon.  The  times  are  turning.  There  is  greater  change 
in  one  year  now  than  there  was  in  a  century  some  thousand 
years  ago.  At  least,  this  is  true  so  far  as  we  can  tell ;  but 
if  we  could  see  as  things  were  seen  vrlien  Yirgil  sang  and 
Demosthenes  raved,  we  might  know  that  we  are  mistaken. 
They  laughed  at  Pythagoras  when  he  thought  that  the 
world  was  round.  Is  no  one  being  laughed  at  to-day  who 
will  be  remembered  when  the  deriders  are  forgotton?  Is 
there  not  extant  some  theorv  so  ridiculous  that  it  is  liardlv 
worth  laughing  at  ?  Who  knows  what  the  philosophers  two 
thousand  years  hence  will  say  of  it?  What  was  the 
woman's  name  who  laughed  at  JS^ewton  and  called  him  a 
simpleton  for  sitting  in  the  orchard  to  see  the  apples  fall  ? 
The  circumstance  alone  is  remembered,  and  that  because 


ISO  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

of  its  surroundings.  Too  many  people  are  like  the  young 
lord,  on  wliose  hand  the  king  leaned,  in  that  beleagured 
city,  where  the  famine  raged,  and  where  the  prophet  fore- 
told plenty,  and  to  whom  the  young  lord  answered  that 
such  a  thing  might  be  if  the  windows  of  heaven  should  be 
opened. 

In  1880,  there  were  in  Tucker  3,139  persons  of  American 
birth,  and  2,053  were  born  in  the  State :  936  were  born  in 
Virginia.  Of  the  remainder,  3  were  born  in  Ohio,  58  in 
Pennsylvania,  38  in  Maryland.  There  were  12  of  foreign 
birth,  of  whom  2  were  from  Ireland,  2  from  Scotland,  4: 
from  Germany  and  1  from  France.     The  rest  are  ungiven. 

Of  the  3,151  persons  in  the  county  in  1880,  1,625  were 
males  and  1,526  were  females.  From  the  age  of  five  to 
seventeen,  inclusive  of  both,  there  were  54:6  males  and  512 
females.  From  eighteen  to  forty-four,  inclusive  of  both, 
there  were  580  men.  There  were  618  men  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  or  over. 

In  1880,  Tucker  had  385  farms,  containing  19,632  acres  of 
imx^roved  land.  The  value  of  the  farms,  including  all  they 
contained,  fences  and  buildings,  was  $590,782.  The  farm- 
ing implements  and  machinery  were  worth  $23,661.  The 
value  of  stock  was  placed  at  $102,917.  The  building  and 
repairing  of  fences  cost  $18,223.  This  was  for  the  year 
1879.  The  value  of  fertilizers  purchased  was  $456.  The 
value  of  all  farm  productions,  sold,  consumed  and  on  hand, 
was  placed  at  $75,152. 

In  1880,  the  county  produced  5,784  bushels  of  buckwheat ; 
63,632  bushels  of  corn;  15,221  bushels  of  oats;  1,247  bush- 
els of  rye  ;  7,973  bushels  of  wheat.  The  value  of  the  or- 
chard productions  was  $7,581.  Of  Irish  potatoes,  there 
were  7,216  bushels  ;  sweet  potatoes,  56  bushels  ;  hay,  1,253 
tons  ;  tobacco,  2,061  pounds. 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  181 

In  1880,  Tucker  County  had  642  horses,  57  mules,  35 
working  oxen,  940  cows,  1,451  other  cattle,  3,535  sheep, 
3,655  hogs.  The  wool  produced  was  10,733  pounds,  which 
w^as  a  fraction  more  than  three  pounds  to  the  sheep.  The 
production  of  butter  was  40,592  pounds.  That  of  cheese, 
1,846  pounds. 

The  average  production  of  butter  for  each  farm  was  a 
little  more  than  105  pounds.  The  average  production  for 
each  cow  was  over  43  pounds.  The  average  for  each  per- 
son in  the  county  was  nearly  14  pounds.  There  was  one 
farm  to  about  every  eight  persons.  There  was  a  milch  cow 
to  every  three  and  a  third  persons.  There  was  a  fraction 
more  than  three  horses  to  every  farm,  and  two  and  two- 
fifths  cows  to  every  farm,  and  more  than  nine  sheep  and 
nine  hogs  to  every  farm.  There  was  less  than  five  pounds 
of  cheese  produced  for  each  farm.  To  each  farm  there  were 
15  bushels  of  buckwheat,  165  bushels  of  corn,  39  bushels  of 
wheat,  and  the  orchard  products  averaged  $19  to  each  farm. 

There  were  in  the  county  in  1880,  five  manufacturing 
establishments,  with  a  capital  of  $5,000,  and  giving  employ- 
ment to  ten  men,  with  an  aggregate  yearly  pay  of  $860. 
The  material  cost  $3,660  and  the  manufactured  goods  were 
worth  $5,608.  The  monthly  pay  of  the  men  was  $7.16  each. 
This  was  twenty-seven  and  a  half  cents  a  day.  The  manu- 
facturing of  the  raw  material  increased  its  value  $1,948. 
This  was  an  increase  of  value  on  the  first  cost,  of  53  per 
cent.  Each  man  earned  about  $9  ])er  month  above  what  he 
received  as  wages.  The  clear  gain  of  the  manufactures  was 
about  $1,000  per  year.  This  was  a  gain  of  20  per  cent,  on 
the  capital  invested. 

The  assessed  value  of  the  real  estate  in  Tucker  in  1880 
was  $418,703 ;  that  of  the  personal  property  was  $60,999, 


182  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

total,  $479,702.  The  State  tax  was  $2,035 ;  county,  |G,903  ; 
town,  village  and  school  district,  $2,297  ;  total,  $11,235.  In 
1880,  Tucker  was  in  debt  $118. 

If  the  tax  had  been  equally  divided  among  the  farms,  it 
would  have  been  $29  for  each.  It  was  $3.56  for  each  man, 
Avoman  and  child  in  the  county.  It  was  $18.21  for  every 
voter.     The  tax  was  $2.34  on  the  $100. 

It  ma}^  not  be  amiss  to  give  some  scattered  figures  rela- 
tive to  the  schools  of  the  county.  In  1882,  there  were  96 
trustees  in  the  county,  and  15  members  of  the  board  of 
education.  There  were  34  school  houses,  of  which  8  were 
made  of  logs  and  26  were  framed.  There  Avere  35  rooms  in 
all.  The  St.  George  school  had  two  rooms.  Of  the  35 
rooms,  all  had  desks  but  four,  and  altogether  there  were  117 
square  yards  of  black-board.  This  was  3 J  yards  to  each 
room.  All  the  school-houses  together  were  A'alued  at  $6,- 
144,  and  the  value  of  school  lands  was  $367.  The  average 
value  of  the  houses  was  $181.  The  school  furniture  was 
valued  at  $215,  and  the  apparatus  at  $262.  The  total  value 
of  school  property  was  $6,989. 

Between  the  ages  of  6  and  16,  there  were  422  hojs  and 
425  girls.  Over  16  and  under  21,  there  were  146  boys  and 
84  girls.  Total,  1,077.  Of  this  number,  817  attended  the 
public  schools.  The  average  daily  attendance  was  489. 
Three-fourths  of  the  children  in  the  county  attended  school. 
Of  those  enrolled,  59  per  cent,  attended  school  all  the  time 
during  the  term.  During  this  3'ear  (1882)  there  were  62 
boys  and  56  girls  enrolled  for  the  first  time.  The  boys 
were  tardy  75  times,  and  the  girls  63  times.  Among  tjie 
])03's  there  were  25  cases*  of  truancy,  and  among  the  girls, 
14.  The  number  whipped  was  62  boys  and  66  girls.  One 
girl  Avas  suspended  from  school,  and  no  boy.     Of  those  nei- 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  183 

ther  absent  nor  tardy,  there  were  33  boys  and  35  girls.  The 
average  age  of  the  boys  was  11  years,  of  the  girls  10  years. 
There  were  only  two  cases  in  which  teachers  were  absent 
from  their  schools.  Not  a  teacher  in  the  county  had  at- 
tended State  Normal  School.  Of  Tucker's  36  teachers,  27 
were  men  and  9  were  women.  The  men  taught  82  months,  the 
women  29  months.  The  average  length  of  term  was  69  days. 

In  Geography,  there  were  82,  Orthography,  36,  English 
Grammar,  80,  Arithmetic,  297,  History,  37.  Of  the  teachers, 
three  men  and  no  woman  subscribed  for  an  educational 
journal.  Seven  men  and  3  women  were  teaching  their  first 
term.  In  the  First  Reader,  there  were  93  pupils ;  Second 
Reader,  99 ;  Tliii'd  Reader,  81  ;  Fourth  Reader,  138 ;  Fifth 
Reader,  80;  Sixth  Reader,  109.  In  writing  there  were  281, 
and  in  spelling  6GQ.  The  County  Superintendent  made 
26  visits  to  the  schools.  The  members  of  the  board  of  ed- 
ucation made  70  visits,  and  the  trustees  99.  Other  persons 
visited  the  schools  277  times. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  school  year  (1881)  there  was  in 
the  treasury.  Teachers'  Fund,  $691.  The  levy  on  real  and 
personal  propert}^  was  $1,334.  From  the  State  School 
Fund  $841  was  received.  Total  receipts  from  all  sources 
for  Teachers'  Fund,  $2,868. 

In  1882,  the  teachers  holding  No.  1  certificates  received 
salaries  Avliich,  in  the  aggregate,  amounted  to  $787,  of  which 
the  men  got  $490  and  the  women  $297.  The  teachers  with 
No.  2  certificates  got  $1,203,  of  which  the  men  received 
$881  and  the  women  $322.  There  were  no  women  teaching 
on  No.  3  certificates.  The  men  on  No.  3's  were  paid  $162. 
The  Sheriff  received  $215  for  handling  this  money.  'Che 
total  expenditures  of  the  Teachers'  Fund  amounted  to 
$2,252,  and  there  was  in  the  treasurv  a  balance  of  $708. 


184  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Of  the  building  fund  at  the  commencement  of  1882,  there 
was  in  the  treasury  (from  the  ])receeding  year)  a  balance 
of  $157.  The  levy  on  the  total  value  of  the  property  was 
$1,292.  The  total  receipts  from  all  sources  were  $1,150. 
The  county  paid  $117  on  the  bonded  school  debt.  Other 
expenditures  were,  for  land,  $15  ;  for  houses,  $20  ;  for  fur- 
niture, $1.50  ;  for  apparatus,  $35  ;  total,  $189.  Paid  $10 
for  rent ;  $7.80  for  repairs  ;  $185  for  fuel ;  $11  as  interest. 
The  Sheriff's  commission  was  $82  ;  the  Secretaries  received 
$75.     The  total  cost,  from  the  Building  Fund  was  $809. 

The  Tucker  County  Institute  that  year  had  an  attendance 
of  forty-two,  of  whom  thirty-six  were  men  and  six  were 
women.  The  Institute  was  conducted  by  Prof.  A.  L.  Fike. 
There  was  in  attendance  one  teacher  who  had  taught  ten 
3'ears  or  more,  and  nine  who  had  taught  over  five  years. 
The  others  had  taught  shorter  terms,  1,  2,  3  and  1  years. 

At  the  commencement  of  1877,  Tucker  County  had  on 
liand  as  Teachers'  Fund,  $273,  and  received  from  the  State, 
$826,  from  the  levy,  $1,560,  from  other  sources,  $48  ;  total, 
$2,709.  Of  the  Building  Fund,  there  was  on  hand  a  balance 
of  $809.  From  the  levy  for  the  Building  Fund,  $1,228  was 
received  ;  total,  $2,037.  There  was  paid,  for  land,  $10  ;  for 
Louses,  $1,004  ;  for  repairs,  $81 ;  for  fuel,  $84  ;  for  furniture, 
$35  ;  for  apparatus,  $1.50  ;  for  interest,  $1.50  ;  for  commis- 
sions, $11  ;  for  enrollment,  $17  ;  the  Secretaries  of  boards 
of  education  were  paid  salaries  to  the  amount  of  $115  ;  the 
contingent  expenses  were  $59  ;  total,  $1,421. 

4 

In  1877,  Tucker  had  22  school-houses,  of  which  18  were 
frame  and  4  were  log.  Three  were  not  yet  completed,  and 
two  M'ere  coinpleted  that  year.  The  value  of  land  was  $227; 
that  of  the  school-houses  $6,257;  of.  the  furniture,  $119; 
apparatus,  $142  ;  total,  $6,745, 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATLSTICS. 


18 


o 


Li  the  county  in  1877,  tliere  were  1005  scliool  children, 
of  whom  there  were  526  boys  and  479  girls.  Six  of  these 
were  colored.  In  attendance  at  school  there  were  556,  of 
whom  296  were  boys,  and  260  were  girls. 

Tucker  had  that  year  30  teachers,  of  whom  25  were  men 
and  5  were  Avomen.  The  men  taught  78  months  and  the 
women  14  months ;  total,  92  months.  The  average  length 
of  the  schools  was  2.83  months.  The  average  age  of  the 
boys  at  school  was  lOJ  years,  of  the  girls  9f  years ;  general 
average,  10^  years. 

The  number  studying  in  each  branch  was  as  follows  :  Or- 
thography, 546  ;  Eeading,  385,  Writing,  298  ;  Arithmetic, 
234 ;  Geography,  43 ;  English  Grammar,  94 ;  History,  14 ; 
Other  branches,  44.  There  were  5  Secretaries  in  the 
county  ;  15  Commissioners  ;  and  25  Trustees.  The  County 
Superintendent  made  32  visits  to  the  schools.  Other  per- 
sons visited  the  schools  76  times ;  total,  108.  The  average 
cost  for  each  pupil,  in  1877,  was  $13.50. 

A  complete  list  of  the  teachers  of  the  county  from  its 
first  organization  to  the  present  time  would  prove  interest- 
ing to  so  few,  and  is  so  hard  to  compile,  that  it  is  omitted, 
and  in  its  stead  is  given  the  name  and  grade  of  each  teacher 
of  the  county  since  1876.  The  Superintendents  of  that  time 
have  been  AV.  B.  Maxwell,  L.  S.  Auvil  and  J.  M.  Shafer. 

LIST  OF  TEACHERS. 


1877. 

- 

NUMBER  ONE. 

C.  M.  Moore 

]viiss  M.  C.  Purkey 

:Miss  A^nes  Gilraore 

a.  W.  Day 

S.  L.  Stalnaker 

isiiss  Lizzie  Parkey 

L.  E.  Goff 

Lloyd  Hansford 

L.  S.  Poling 

R.  F.  Harris 

S.  N.  Swislier 

E.  C.  Moore 

Charles  Skidmore 

Miss  Jennie  MaxAvell 

J.  W.  Freeman 

I.  P.  Propst 

Mrs.  A-  T).  Adams 

J.  W.  Lambeit 

A.  G.  Lambert 

J.  P.  Call 

-Af.  C.  Feather 

Talhott  Ferguson 

J.  ?-I.  Shafer 

J.  W.  Moore 

NCMBEE  TWO. 

L>.  L.  Dumire 

NUMBER  THKEE, 

]Vliss  S.  C.  Liston 

J.  T.  Mason 

Miss  S.  v.  Garner 

G.  W.  Shirk 

NUSlBER  FOUR 

Thomas  Marsh 

A.  Hudkins 

J.  S.  Poling 

J.  G.  Uigman 

Miss  F.  L.  Mason 

186 


HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 


KCMBER  ONE. 

N.  D.  Adams 
S.  N.  Swisher 
J.  H.  Snyder 

Nl'MBKR  TWO. 

T.  G.  Danels 
L.  K  Gainer 
L.  E.G0IT 
E.  C.  Moore 
J.  T.  Mason 
J.  M.  Shafer 
L.  S.  Copper 
Mlas  Leile  Lynn 
G.  Y.  Day 


NUMBER  ONE. 

J.  M.  Rliafer 
Miss  A.  E.  Fansler 
Miss  7^L  A.  Gutlierle 
J,  A.  Swisher 
M.  L.  White 
D.  A.  Hooton 

NCMBEB  TWO. 

Isaac  Hetrie 
S.  C.  Baker 
G.  N.  Day 
I^  E.  Goff 


1878. 

J.  M.  Strahln 
J.  V.  Hoby 
A.  M.  stemple 

KUMBER  TITREB. 

J.  B.  Blackman 

A.  Moore 

S.  P.  Hayes 

O.  I^  Phillips 

J.  S.  Pollntr 

J.  S.  1).  Bell 

It  F.  Harris 

J.  F.  Jewel 

Miss  Lizzie  Pnrkey 

Miss  A.  G.  GUmore 

George  ^^'.  Wlilte 

1879. 

AV.  Bennett© 
<;,  W.  Shafer 
James  Poling 
J.  P.  Auvll 
J.  W.  Moore 
•  J.  IL  Snyder 
(i.  W.  Stalnaker 
J.  C.  S.  Bell 
F.  C.  Brartshaw 
J.  B.  Lambert 
(4.  W.  Shirk 
Miss  Lizzie  Purkey 
Miss  Agnes  Gllmore 
Miss  A.  F.  Bowman 
Mrs.  S.  V,  M ester 


S.  C.  Baker 
G.  W.  Shaffer 
J.  B.  Lambert 

NUMBER  FOUR. 

L.  W.  ILirrls 
}\  Y.  Runner 
J.  T.  Shaffer 
J.  H.  M  ester 
Frank  Ashby 
S.  P.  Hayes 
Talbott  Fesguson 
G.  W.  Shaffer 
Mary  James 
C.  S.  Watson 


NUMBER   THREE. 

J.  N.  Huffman 
J.  D.  Stalnaker 
li.  K.  Philips 
O.  L.  Watson 
I).  W.  Wright 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Class 
G.  Furguson 

NUMBER  FOUR. 

S.  F.  Hart 


NUMBER  ONE. 

J.  A.  Swisher 
M.  A-  Gutheile 
J.  B.  Cox 
J.  M.  Shafer 

NUMBER  TWO. 

H.  G.  Daniels 
J.  L.  Plfer 
P.  W.  Lipscomb 
S.  C.  Baker 


1880. 

H.  M.  Godwin 
Isabel  Parsons 
C.  W.  Long 
A.  C.  Dumire 
I^  W.  James 
( 'arrle  Parsons 
W.  B.  Jenkins 
q,  S.  Poling 
Alice  Hansford 
S,  S.  Roderick 
S.  IL  (iodwin 
J.  F.  Hunt 
G.  yy.  Sliaffer 


Vance  Graham 
S.  J.  Posten 
II.  G.  Hartley 
Lewis  Johnson 

NUMBER   THREE. 

T.  H.  Goff 
R.  R.  Philips 
F.  M.  Arnett 
J.  L.  Wince 
A.  E.  Poeling 
Mary  James 


NUMBER  ONE. 

A.  G.  Flke 
J.  A.  Swisher 
Stuart  Wil worth 
Julia  M.  P:vans 
Hu  Maxwell 
W.  C.  Parsons 
S.  Yorents 

NUMBER  TWO. 

G.  W.  James 
Eliza  Parsons 


NUMBER  ONE. 

IIu  Maxwell 


1881. 

Ozella  Hansford 
Alice  Hansford 
W.  B.  Jenkins 
P.  \^^  Lipscomb 
Carrie  Parsons 
D.  W.  Ryan 
C.  W.  Long 
Mary  James 
Kate  Dumire 
Isabel  Parsons 
A.  E.  Poling 
ii.  A.  (ioff 
H.  J.  Dumire 
G.  E.  Goff 

1882. 

Ivate  Dumire 
H  J  Dumire 
Cluirles  V.  Adams 


S.  C.  Barker 
James  Boner 
J.  H.  Snyder 
J.  F.  Hunt 
J.  s,  Cornwell 
A.  S.  Hough. 

NUMBER  THREE. 

S.  M.  Adams 
D.  W.  Wrtght 
F.  M.  Arnett 
J.  H.  cordray 
R.  R.  Philips. 


Carrie  Parsons 
C.  W.  Long 
Joseph  Selby 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS. 


187 


NUMBER  TWO. 

Ozella  Hansford 
Eliza  Parsons 
W.  J.  James 
P.  W.  Lipscomb, 
L.  H.  Goff, 
G.  w.  James, 
D.  W.  Ryan 


NUMBER  ONE. 

Jesse  G.  Vanscoy 
Carrie  Parsons 
Eliza  Parsons 
M.  J.  Fansler 
C.  H.  Streets 
C.  W.  Adams 
S.  "iiL  Adams 


Samantlia  Dumire 
A.  C.  Poling 
Alclnda  Sliafer 
J.  L.  PWUps 
S.  M.  Adams 
J.  E.  Mason 
Guy  P.  Schoonover 
John  F.  Hunt 


1883. 

E.  J.  Domlre 
R.  K.  Phillips 
J.  L.  Phillips 
J  H.  Moore 
W.  R  Shaffer 
J.  F.  Hunt 
W.  P.  Jett 

F.  M.  A.  Lawson 

C.  C.  Douglas 

G.  W.  Shirk 
G.  W.  Shafer 
Alclnda  Shafer 

D.  \V.  Wright 


Alice  Hansford 
W.  S.  Godwin 
L.  W.  Nester 
N.  C.  Lambert 
J.  B.  Lambert 
A.  Y.  Lambert 
W.  A.  Ault 
W.  B.  Ault 


Lizzie  Purkey 

NUMBER  THREE 

M.  J.  Harris 
A.  J.  Douglas 
I).  B.  Smith 
G.  B.  Skidmore 


NUMBER  TWO. 

David  Long 

Some  may  Unci  interest  in  looking  over  a  few  scraps  of 
statistics,  selected  at  random  from  old  reports. 

In  1867,  the  levy  for  the  Building  Fund  in  Tucker  was 
only  $250,  and  the  receipts  from  it  reached  only  $25.  Noth- 
ing was  received  fi*om  any  other  source.  Nothing  was  ex- 
pended. The  reports  detail  nothing,  if  there  were  any 
transactions  in  this  business.  The  County  Superintendent 
got  $108.33.     No  other  officers  got  anything. 

At  that  time,  1867,  Tucker  had  17  districts,  with  two 
frame  houses  and  ten  log  houses  for  schools.  The  average 
value  was  $92 ;  the  aggregate  value  $1,275.  There  were 
ten  schools  taught,  and  in  attendance  there  were  348  boys 
and  340  girls,  total,  688.  There  were  ten  teachers,  nine  of 
whom  were  men.  The  average  salary  of  the  men  was  $23 
per  month ;  the  woman  received  $18.  The  general  average 
of  the  wages  was  $22.5  per  month."^  There  were  sixteen 
applicants  examined.  Two  failed  to  get  certificates.  One 
person  got  a  No.  1  certificate ;  the  rest  got  lower  grades. 
From  the  general  school  fund,  in  1867,  Tucker  got  $733. 

As  documents  onl}^,  the  Keports  of  the  County  Superin- 


*  The  state  Superintendent's  Report  places  the  general  average  at  $-21;  and.  for  his 
deficiency  in  arithmetic,  he  may  stand  corrected. 


188  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK   COUNTY. 

tencTents  of  1867  and  1877  are  given.  A  decided  improve- 
ment during  the  intervening  ten  years  may  be  noticed ;  but 
tlie  school  interests  of  the  county  have  gone  forward  more 
since  1877  than  during  the  ten  years  next  preceding. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  some  to  see  side  by  side  the  Re- 
ports of  the  County  Superintendents  of  Tucker  for  two 
years.  For  this  purpose  the  Eeports  of  1867  and  1877  are 
given  as  follows  : 

TUCKER    COU^'TY.— 18G7. 

The  school  system  is  not  receiving  as  hearty  a  welcome  as  it  de- 
serves. There  are  many  who  are  bitterly  complaining  of  its  gen- 
eral principles ;  that  it  is  not  acceptable  to  the  rural  districts. 
The  country  is  very  thinly  settled,  and  the  school  districts  are 
very  large.  The  school-houses  are  few.  Taxation  is  oppressive, 
and  many  live  too  remote  from  the  school-houses  to  receive  any 
advantage  from  them.  They  have  their  proportion  of  the  tax  to 
pay,  and  their  children  are  wholly  deprived  of  schools.  These  par- 
ties should  of  right  be  exempt  from  the  school  tax.  Of  the  three 
townships  into  which  this  county  is  divided,  two  (Hannahsville 
and  Black  Fork)  levied  a  tax  sufficient  to  continue  the  schools  four 
months  or  longer.  St.  George  township  refused  to  make  any  levy 
for  school  or  for  building  purposes. 

The  schools  that  were  taught  last  winter  did  well.  In  the  winter 
of  1865-6  the  boards  of  education  in  their  respective  toAvnships  put 
in  operation  many  more  schools  than  the  funds  under  their  con- 
trol would  sustain,  thus  incurring  a  heavy  indebtedness  on  the 
townships.  This  i^olicy  was  a  bad  one,  and  produced  unfavorable 
results.  I  think  the  boards  are  guarding  against  this  evil  for  the 
future.  But  little  is  said  or  done  as  yet  in  the  way  ot  putting 
schools  in  operation.  Some  districts  are  beginning  to  move  in  that 
direction,  and  I  hope  for  favorable  results. 

A.  H.  BowMAX,  County  Sup'f. 

TUCKER  COUIS'TY.— 1877. 

In  submitting  this,  my  second  annual  report,  I  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  knowing  that  the  same  is  substantially  correct,  although 
there  appears  to  be  some  difference  between  the  columns  of  receipts 


MISCELLANEOUS  STATISTICS.  189 

and  expenditures  as  against  the  balances,  yet  this  rises  from  the 
fact  that  the  Secretaries  have  counted  as  balances  the  amount  in. 
the  Sheriff^s  hands  at  his  settlement  with  the  County  Court  at  the 
June  term,  1877  ;  whereas,  at  that  time  there  was  a  large  number 
of  orders  for  money  outstanding,  which  outstanding  oj-ders  were 
reckoned  by  the  Secretaries  as  expenditures.  The  boards  have  no 
means  of  knowing  what  claims  are  outstanding,  or  what  paid  only 
as  they  can  get  it  from  the  Clerk  of  the  County  Court ;  the  Sheriff 
of  this  county  having  hitherto  wholly  neglected  to  settle  with  the 
boards.  However,  this  will  be  remedied  by  the  late  amendments 
to  the  school  law. 

In  my  opinion,  the  report  required  of  Secretaries  might  be  made 
less  compUcated,  and  yet  contain  all  the  necessary  matter  required 
to  give  proper  date,  &c.  Our  county  imports  too  many  teachers 
from  other  counties,  and  even  from  other  states.  "When  we  have 
more  resident  teachers,  it  will  be  better  for  us. 

All  the  boards  of  education,  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year, 
passed  orders  that  they  would  allow  nothing  for  sweeping  and 
building  fires.  The  result  was  a  suit  in  which  the  court  decided 
that  as  the  boards  have  general  supervision  of  school  matters,  that 
such  an  order  may  be  made.  While  the  attendance  upon  our 
schools  the  past  year  has  not  been  as  large  as  might  have  been 
wished  for,  yet  it  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  our  county  is  thinly 
inhabited,  and  that  many  of  the  pupils  have  to  travel  three  or  four 
miles  to  get  to  the  nearest  school  house.  But,  regardless  of  this 
and  other  difficulties,  our  people  have  become  firmly  endeared  to 
our  school  system.  As  a  rule,  there  appears  to  be  a  steady  im- 
provement in  our  teachers  year  by  year. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

W.  B.  Maxwell,   County  Sap'L 


CHAPTER   XI. 
^NEWSPAPEBS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Ox  November  22,  1878,  appeared  the  first  copy  of  the 
Tucker  County  Ploneerr  It  was  edited  by  Charles  L.  Bow- 
man, and  Avas  printed  every  Friday  morning  at  St.  George. 
The  subscription  rate  was  one  dollar  per  year.  It  was  the 
first  paper  published  in  the  connt}^,  and  its  need  was  felt  by 
the  people.  The  paper  had  a  "  patent "  side,  printed  in 
Kew  York.  In  politics,  the  paper  was  independent.  It 
claimed  to  represent  the  best  interests  of  Tucker  County. 

The  first  issue  was  of  three  hundred  copies.  AVithin  a 
week  two  hundred  and  fifty  subscribers  were  obtained. 
Since  then,  the  subscription  has  ranged  from  three  hundred 
and  fifty  to  seven  hundred  names. 

During  the  remaining  weeks  of  1878,  and  the  year  1879, 
the  Pioneer  flourished,  with  nothing  to  interrupt  its  success. 
It  was  supported  by  Democrats  and  Republicans  alike  ;  and 
its  corps  of  correspondents  consisted  of  the  best  talent  in 
the  count}'. 

1880  was  an  election  year,  and  in  Tucker  County,  local 
politics  ran  high.  There  soon  became  room  for  contention, 
and  the  Democrats  split  their  party  into  two  factions,  one 
known  as  Independents   and  the  other   as  Conventionals. 

•As  long  ago  as  1869,  an  effort  was  made  to  start  a  newspaper  in  St.  George. 
W.  Scott  Garner,  of  Preston  County,  encleavorefl  to  forma  joint  stock  company  for 
tliat  purpose,  buttlie  amount  sulascribed  was  insufficient,  and  Mr.  Garner  returned 
to  Kingwood,  wliere  he  engaged  in  journalism,  and  established  a  "  Tucker  County 
Department "  in  his  paper.  Ilie  name,  Tuclcer  Countij  Piomer,  was  first  used  by 
Mr.  Garner,  in  connection  wltli  a  manuscript  paper  started  toy  him  in  tlie  winter  of 
1874-5,  while  teaching  the  White  Oak  School,  a  short  distance  above  St.  George.  1'his 
paper  was  read  everj-  Friday  afternoon,  during  the  regular  literary  exercises. 


NEWSPAPERS.  191 

Old  famil}-  feuds  were  probably  at  the  bottom  of  it  all ;  and 
this  family  quarrel  was  carried  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
became  incorporated  with  and  lost  in  the  political  issues. 

One  wing  of  the  Democrats  favored  a  convention  to  nom- 
inate county  officers,  while  the  other  wing  opposed  it 
as  unnecessar}'.  Contrariness  was  more  of  a  faction  in  these 
issues  than  real  policy ;  but,  still,  the  Conventionals  went 
ahead  in  their  plans  for  a  convention. 

The  Pioneer  was  opposed  to  the  convention  from  the 
very  first,  and  waged  an  uncompromising  war  against  it.  It 
claimed  that  there  was  no  occasion  for  it,  and  that  it  would 
excite  an  opposition  that  would  divide  the  Democratic 
party,  and  split  the  political  solidity  of  our  county  into 
fragments.  But,  there  was  much  room  for  difference  of 
opinion,  and  the  partisans  of  the  convention  went  forward 
in  their  work,  and  called  the  convention  together  on  the 
twenty-first  of  June,  1880.  They  put  their  ticket  in  the 
field.  The  forebodings  seemed  ominous  from  the  very  first; 
for,  a  murmur  of  dissatisfaction  went  up  from  every  part 
of  the  countv.  The  men  put  in  nomination  were  evidentlv 
not  the  choice  of  the  majority  of  the  people. 

The  convention  now  began  to  be  called  a  clique  or  ring.. 
The  Pioneer  o]:)posed  everj'  man  put  in  nomination ;  and, 
among  the  conventionals,  the  want  of  a  newspaper  began  to 
be  felt.  It  was  this  occasion  that  called  the  Tucl-er  Dem- 
ocrat into  existence.  On  August  12,  1880,  it  arrived  in  St. 
George,  having  been  removed  from  Tajdor  County,  West 
Yirginia,  where  it  had  been  in  existence  a  year  under  the 
name  of  the  I\ev^  Era,  owned  by  Messrs.  J.  P.  Scott  and 
M.  J.  Bartlett.  The  press  on  which  it  Avas  printed  was 
thought  to  be  the  oldest  in  the  State,  having  first  been  used 
in  Charleston.     Soon  after  the    arrival  of  the   press  at  St. 


192  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

George,  Scott  sold  his  interest  to  Lloyd  Hansford  and  L.  S. 
Anvil.  Tlie  paper  supported  tlie  convention  and  tlie  nomi- 
nees, and  was  supposed  by  its  supporters  to  be  Democratic. 
The  contention  between  the  two  papers,  and  the  two  fac- 
tions, grew  more  determined  each  day.  Never  in  the  history 
of  the  county  ho.d  a  campaign  been  fought  with  such  ani- 
mosity. A.  B.  Parsons  was  the  nominee  for  the  office  of 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  and  P.  Lipscomb  was  the  Independ- 
ent. William  E.  Talbott  was  the  nominee  for  sheriff, 
opposed  by  A.  C  Minear,  Lidependent.  The  hardest  fight 
Avas  for  these  offices,  but  the  contest  for  the  others  was 
bitter  in  the  extreme. 

The  Democrat  labored  under  disadvantages.  Its  outfit  of 
machinery  and  material  was  defective  and  incomplete,  and 
it  found  much  difficulty  in  its  press  work.  However,  it 
kept  steadily  at  work  for  a  cause  that  was  plainly  losing 
ground.  The  Pioneer^  under  the  editorial  management  of 
C.  L.  Bowman,  grew  in  circulation  and  influence.  Its  sub- 
scribers at  this  time  amounted  to  over  seven  hundred,  while 
that  of  the  Democrat  was  considerably  less  than  half  that 
number. 

As  the  election  drew  near,  the  excitement  rose '  to  fever 
heat,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  voter  in  the  county  who  did 
not  feel  a  personal  interest  in  the  contest.  Everybody 
seemed  waiting  and  anxious  for  the  final  struggle,  which,  as 
they  said,  must  decide  whether  the  convention  or  the  voters 
were  to  be  umpire  in  Tucker  Count}'.  AVe  are  to  judge  the 
justness  of  the  issues  by  the  result;  for,  in  a  republican 
country,  as  long  as  it  remains  a  republic,  the  majority  must 
rule. 

The  election  came  at  last ;  and  the  result  was  an  over- 
whelming victory  for  the  Independents,  the  party  of    the 


NEWSPAPERS. 


193 


Pioneer.  That  paper,  in  its  succeeding  issue,  carried  it8 
exultation  with  a  gi-eat  manifestation  of  triumph,  and  dis- 
played in  its  columns  cuts  and  representations  of  the  vic- 
tors and  the  yanquished.  There  were  a  number  of  cuts,  but 
the  following  reproduction  of  one  of  them  will  give  an  idea 
of  their  character : 


The  following  poem  was  written  for  the  occasion  by  some 
wag, 'and  found  its  wa}'  into  the  columns  of  the  Pioneer,  It 
represents,  in  an  allegorical  manner,  the  campaign  and  the 
defeat  of  the  modern  Hohenlinden  : 


13 


11 

i 

194  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY 

BATTLE  OF  ST.   GEORGK.  < 

Uxot'itur  vlamorque  virinn  alangorquc  tuharum. 

In  Tucker  wlien  the  sun  was  low, 

Beside  Mill  Run's  chub-breeding  flow,  . 

There  was  a  rather  ghostly  show,  \ 

A  show  of  dire  inniiensity.  ' 

For,  candidates  from  near  and  far 
Had  gathered  on  the  gravel-bar  ; 

Their  faces  were  as  black  as  tar  i 

With  hate  and  animosity.  j 

With  muttering  rage  they  seemed  to  choke. 
And  wildly  shrieked  "amoke  !  amoke  I* 

As  fierce  the  storm  with  fury  broke  \ 

Upon  the  vast  menagerie.         '  \ 

Soon  they  began  to  whooj)  and  tear, 

And  grab  each  other  by  the  hair  ' 

And  dash  them  on  the  ground  and  swear 

In  blood-emblazoned  revelry.  ] 

On  high  above  the  battle  plain 
The  gravel  stones  flew  up  amain 

As  thick  as  fell  the  iron  rain  j 

Upon  the  hills  of  Gettysburg.  * 

Then  Bowman  t  looking  from  his  den,  i 

Beheld  the  awful  mess  of  men,  ' 

And  wished  that  he  had  never  been 
A  Tucker  County  editor. 

He  gazed  about  the  field  of  gore 
Like  Neptune  gazed  the  ocean  o'er  : 
He  fainted  on  the  office  floor 

Like  Neptune's  nephew,  Mulciber. 

More  horrid  still  the  battle  grew. 
They  mauled  each  other  black  and  blue 
And  tore  the  very  sky  in  two 

With  veils  and  screams  and  bellowing? 


o^- 


Some  groveled  on  the  gory  ground 
Amid  the  thumping  thump  and  pound, 

And  some  went  spinning  round  and  round  | 

Like  crippled  flies  and  whirligigs.  J 


^  A  Kaffir  word  menniQg  "  kill."' 

t  C.  L.  Bowman,  editor  of  the  Pioneer. 


NEWSPAPERS.  195 

And  some,  the  little  ones  they  say, 
Got  kicked  in  that  fantastic  fray 
Up  nearly  to  the  Milky  Way, 
And  twice  as  high  as  Jupiter. 

And  some,  the  bigger  ones  'tis  said. 
Got  whacked  and  cracked  across  the  head 
With  broken  rails  and  slugs  of  lead 
Until  they  wailed  most  balefuUy. 

The  middle-sized,  the  story  runs, 
Went  whizzing  like  the  powder  tuns 
At  Shipka  Pass,  when  gattling  guns 
Belched  forth  their  iiitro-glycerine. 

Yet,  deeper  grew  the  dreadful  war, 
And  woe  betide  the  gravel-bar  I 
It  looked  like  Conkling  while  Lemar 
AVas  handling  him  at  Washington. 

"Twas  dug  and  heaved  in  mighty  x^iles. 
Like  Borneo's  volcanic  isles. 
They  heard  the  rumpus  many  miles. 
They  say  'twas  heard  in  Beverly. 

But,  Avhen  the  evening  sun  was  down 
No  candidate  was  left  to  frown 
In  Tucker  County's  only  town  ; 

They  all  had  perished  manfully. 

Their  blood  was  hot  and  they  were  brave  ; 
They  fought  their  pickled  pork  to  save  ; 
They  fought  for  office  or  their  grave 
And  perished  on  the  gravel-bar. 

Then  people  came  Avith  faces  blank 
And  hauled  them  like  a  load  of  plank 
And  dumped  them  o'er  the  river  bank 
While  Bowman  sang  their  obsequies. 

The  election  was  not  a  surprise ;  but,  it  set  heavily  upon 
the  defeated  candidates.  The  people  throughout  the 
county  seemed  to  feel  relief  that  it  was  past.  The  Pioneer 
came  out  with  a  "patent  side,"  and  the  Deiiiocrat  sus- 
pended publication,  and  got  out  a  paper  only  once  in  sev- 
eral weeks,  until  February  14,  1881,  when  William  M.  Cay- 


196  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ton  arnvecl  to  take  charge  of  it.  It  was  now  owned  princi- 
pally by  a  stock  company,  and  was  in  a  deplorable  condi- 
tion. Its  circulation  was  very  limited,  and  its  j^ress  and 
type  insufficient. 

W.  M.  Cayton  was  born  in  Upsliur  County,  West  Vir- 
ginia, 1862 ;  moved  when  very  young  to  Parkersburg,  and 
thence  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained  eight  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Harrison  County,  West  Virginia,  and  re- 
mained there  four  years,  part  of  the  time  in  the  office  of 
the  Clar'kslmag  Neios.  February  14,  1881,  he  came  to  St. 
George,  and  has  since  edited  the  Deiiiocrat,  and  has  built 
up  the  financial  condition  of  the  paper  to  some  extent. 
The  Democrat  has  passed  through  many  vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune. It  came  to  supply  a  need  that  was  not  extensively 
felt,  and  for  that  reason  its  support  has  not  been  as  exten- 
sive and  uniform  as  its  proprietors  could  wish.  At  times, 
too,  its  editorial  management  has  not  been  excellent,  for,  at 
times,  it  was  not  paying  property,  and  a  good  editor  would 
not  stick  to  it.  In  politics  it  claims  to  uphold  the  principles 
of  Democracy;  but,  its  extreme  views,  and  its  uncompro- 
mising opposition  to  all  who  differ  from  it,  have  had  a  ten- 
dency to  build  up  the  Republican  party  in  the  county,  and 
its  work  in  that  direction,  though  unintentional  on  its  part, 
has  been  greater  than  it  has  to  build  up  the  cause  of  the 
Democrats. 

The  party  which  it  represented,  the  conventionals,  car- 
ried the  election  of  1882,  and  the  victory  had  a  tendency  to 
build  up  the  cause  of  the  Democrat,  and  placed  it  on  a 
firmer  footing  than  it  ever  was  before. 

The  Pioneer  has  passed  through  no  such  vicissitudes. 
Since  its  first  issue  it  has  gone  steadily  forward,  or,  at  least, 
has  never  retrograded.     Its  financial  success  has  not  been 


NEWSPAPERS.  197 

immense  ;  but,  it  lias  always  been  able  to  keep  in  tlie  tiekl 
"without  tlie  aid  of  a  stock  company — except,  at  the  very 
first,  "svlien  it  received  some  support  from  individuals,  all  of 
which  was  paid  back  as  borrowed  money.  The  paper's  in- 
fluence in  the  county  has  been  permanent.  It  is  independ- 
ent in  politics,  and  has  aimed  principally  to  build  up  the 
county,  socially  and  financially. 

In  February,  1884,  it  was  bought  b}*  Hu  Maxwell,  Cyrus 
H.  Maxwell  and  Jeff  Lipscomb.  Within  a  few  weeks  Lips- 
comb sold  his  interest  to  the  other  members  of  the  firm.  In 
politics  it  still  represented  no  party  to  the  exclusion  of 
others. 

The  benefit  that  Tucker  County  has  gained  from  the  two 
papers  has  been  considerable.  Nearly  every  family  in  the 
county  reads  either  one  or  the  other  of  them,  and  the  influ- 
ence for  good  must  be  felt.  There  is  room  for  the  papers 
to  extend  their  influence,  and  they  surely  will  within  the 
course  of  a  few  more  years.  They  should  be  co-partners 
with  the  schools  and  churches  in  guarding  and  advancing 
the  public  good. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE  8T.  GEORGE  BAR. 

Although  we  have  no  forensic  eloquence  to  rival  Henry 
and  Cicero,  yet  our  county  has  its  legal  ability,  and  as  such 
it  is  not  afraid  or  ashamed  to  place  it  before  the  State  as  a 
competitor  in  the  courts  against  the  lawyers  from  any  part 
of  West  Virginia.  Our  little  Court-house  has  been  the 
scene  of  contention,  argument  and  debate,  in  which  not 
only  our  own  lawyers,  but  those  from  other  counties,  have 
met  at  the  bar,  and  fought  for  justice,  or  parleyed  over  legal 
technicalities.  It  is  not  more  than  is  due  these  gentlemen 
that  they  be  given  a  ])lace  in  history,  to  which  their  pro- 
fession and  labors  in  the  cause  of  right  so  undoubtedly  and 
so  justly  entitle  them. 

WILLIAM  EWIN. 

Hon.  William  Ewin,  of  Irish  nativity,  has,  for  nearly 
forty  years,  been  a  lawyer,  practicing  in  Tucker  since  its 
organization,  and  living  here  for  more  than  ten  years 
before.  His  ability  as  a  lawyer  has  long  been  recognized, 
not  only  in  his  own  county,  but  in  neighboring  counties, 
and,  in  a  measure,  throughout  the  State.  His  education 
and  general  intelligence  have  made  him  prominent  in  his 
profession,  and  he  has  ever  been  among  the  first  to  investi- 
gate new  subjects  and  to  acquaint  himself  with  them.  At 
the  bar,  he  would  not  condescend  to  unmanly  abuse  or 
resort  to  chicanery  to  gain  an  advantage  over  a  rival.  If 
he  could  not  succeed  by  fair,  honest  and  honorable  means, 
he  preferred  failure.     An  honest  defeat,  with  him,  was  bet- 


THE  ST.  GEORGE  BAR.  199 

ter  than  a  dishonest  victory.  Opponents  in  argnement  and 
debate  were  treated  with  all  the  respect  of  colleagues.  In 
this  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  his  success  as  a  law^^er.  It 
was  known  that  what  he  said  was  uninfluenced  by  prejudice 
or  partisanism,  and  he  was  taken  at  his  word. 

That  his  legal  ability  was  known  and  appreciated  by  the 
people  of  his  count}"  is  attested  by  the  confidence  which 
they  have  ever  placed  in  him.  They  have  bestowed  upon 
him  various  offices  of  trust,  feeling  fully  assured  that  no 
scheme  of  gain  or  no  party  preference  could  influence  him 
from  the  field  of  honor  and  duty.  Confidence  placed  in  him 
was  by  him  regarded  sacred  ;  and,  in  all  the  official  acts  of 
his  life  there  is  not  one  instance  where  he  departed  or  de- 
viated fi'om  the  course  marked  out  bv  his  sense  of  honor. 

If  every  bar  in  the  State  and  country  could  feel  the  influ- 
ence of  one  or  more  such  men  as  Senator  Ewin,  the  legal 
profession  would  soon  enjoy  an  elevation  above  that  which 
is  consequent  upon  a  scramble  and  contention  for  gain,  no 
matter  by  what  means  it  is  to  be  reached  ;  there  would  be 
one  more  step  gained  in  the  general  cause  of  advancement, 
which  is  marking  the  present  era  in  our  liistor}"  and  has 
marked  the  eras  of  the  j^ast ;  which  is  separating  dignity 
and  honor  from  infamy  and  fraud,  and  lifting  this  noble 
profession,  the  noblest,  perhaps,  of  the  world,  above  that 
baseness  to  which  the  tendencv  of  the  age  has,  at  times, 
seemed  disposed  to  lower  it. 

EUFUS   MAXWELL. 

In  the  earliest  years  of  Tucker  County,  Rufus  Maxwell 
v;as  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  bar.  He  had 
practiced  at  Weston,  in  Lewis  County,  before  that  time, 
and  had  there  cjuite  an  extensive  Inisiness.     "When  he  came 


200  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUKTY. 

to  Tucker,  it  ^vas  a  part  of  Ranclolpli,  the  separation  not 
yet  having  taken  place.  He  was  with  those  who  vrorked  for 
the  new  connt}^,  and  when  at  length,  on  March  G,  1856,  the 
Act  of  the  Legislature  creating  the  county  was  passed,  he 
was  material  in  assisting  to  organize  the  functions  of  gov- 
ernment and  justice  for  the  new  count}'.  Owing  to  some 
imperfections  in  the  Act,  this  was  a  difficult  task,  and  it  re- 
quired much  labor  from  those  who  had  undertaken  it  and 
who  had  it  to  do. 

Mr.  Maxwell  was  the  first  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Tucker 
County,  having  been  elected  in  1856.  He  held  the  office 
four  years,  and,  in  the  election  of  1860,  was  re-elected  over 
Thomas  Rummell,  who  was  at  that  time  a  well-known  law- 
yer of  our  count}'.  In  1861,  the  war  came  on,  and  the 
affairs  of  our  countv  were  in  a  bad  fix.  "We  were  often 
under  neither  Federal  nor  Confederate  government ;  but 
each  claimed  jurisdiction  over  us,  and  the  result  was  that 
at  times  we  were  under  rule  little  better  than  anarchic. 
Officers  had  no  power  to  execute  the  functions  of  their 
offices  ;  and,  rather  than  hold  a  trust  over  which  the}'  had 
not  jurisdiction,  many  of  our  county  officers  resigned,  and 
let  things  take  their  course,  as  they  would  anyhow.  Among 
those  who  thus  retired  was  Rufus  Maxwell.  He  retired  not 
only  from  the  office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney,  but  also  from 
the  profession  of  the  law.  It  had  grown  distasteful  to  him, 
and  from  that  time  he  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  it. 

A.    ]).    TAESONS. 

Hon.  A.  B.  Parsons  stands  before  the  people  principally 
as  a  land  and  criminal  lawyer,  although  in  chancery  practice 
his  business  is  extensive.  He  is  most  successful  before  a 
jury.  He  has  studied  well  the  modes  of  presenting  an  ar- 
gument in  the  most  forcible  manner,    and   in   this   he   has 


THE  ST.  GEOEGE  BAE.  201 

Lardly  an  equal  and  no  superiors  in  this  or  tlie  neighboring 
counties. 

In  his  early  Hfe  he  ^vas  a  farmer  and  school  teacher  ;  but, 
in  1870,  in  his  twenty-sixth  year,  he  commenced  reading 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  St.  George  in  1872.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  and  served  four 
years,  having  succeeded  Hon.  William  Ewin  in  the  office. 
In  1880  he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  Tucker  County.  In  1882  he  Avas  elected 
from  Tucker  and  Eandolph  to  the  Legislature,  by  sixty-eight 
majority  over  three  Democrats  and  a  prominent  Eepublican. 
The  several  offices  which  he  has  held  have  not,  in  a  great 
measure,  kept  him  from  his  legal  profession,  although  he 
has  filled  such  offices  with  honor  and  ability.  Scarcely  a 
case  comes  before  the  Court  in  which  he  is  not  a  counsel 
for  one  side  or  the  other.  His  practice  extends  through 
the  courts  from  the  bench  of  the  Justice  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Appeals  of  West  Tirginia. 

In  the  cause  of  the  State  against  Heath,  a  well-known  case, 
Mr.  Parsons  was  counsel  for  the  defendant,  and  gained  the 
suit,  which  was  taken  from  Tucker  to  Tavlor  County.  His 
first  case  commenced  before  a  Justice  and  vv'as  decided  in 
the  Circuit  Court.  In  the  Supreme  Court  his  practice  has 
been  extensive.  His  practice  extends  to  the  Circuit  Courts 
in  several  of  the  counties  of  "West  Yir£i;inia.''' 

LLOYD    HAXSFOrvD. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Hansford  has  only  a  short  record,  hav- 
ing so  recently  entered  the  profession.  But,  in  his  qualifi- 
cations he  starts  none  behind  his  competitors  and  col- 
leaQ-ues  at  the  bar.     A  scholar  of  finished  education,  he  be- 


'See  Brtel  Biographies. 


202  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

gins  witli  fewer  disadvantages  than  many  whose  educations 
are  more  limited.  He  is  the  only  graduate  in  Tucker 
County  from  the  State  Normal  School,  and  was  our  first 
graduate  from  an}^  State  school.  He  graduated  in  1879,  in 
his  twentj'-second  year. 

In  1880  he  went  to  Clarksburg  and  studied  law  under 
Caleb  Boggess.  After  six  months  he  returned  to  Tucker, 
but  still  continued  the  study  of  law,  and  at  regular  times 
returned  to  Clarksburg  to  recite  to  Boggess.  On  the  first 
of  January,  1884,  he  received  license  to  practice  law,  having 
been  examined  by  Judges  Boyd,  Jacobs  and  Fleming."^' 

^  L.  S.  AUVIL. 

As  a  law^^er,  L.  S.  Auvil  is  only  a  few  months  the  senior 
of  Lloyd  Hansford,  having  obtained  his  license  to  practice, 
in  May,  1883,  after  two  years  study  of  the  law.  He  was 
examined  before  Judges  Ice,  BojtT  and  Jacobs.  He  was  in 
his  twent^^-ninth  year  when  he  obtained  license  to  practice. 
He  had,  before  that  time,  served  several  years  as  County 
Superintendent  of  Tucker.  Since  he  entered  the  profession 
of  law,  he  has  been  successful  in  every  particular,  and  has 
been  counsel  in  several  important  cases.  He  was  at  one 
time  editor  of  the  Tucker  County  Democrat^  which  paper  he 
sold  to  William  Cayton,  and  turned  his  attention  wholly  to 
the  law.  t 

W.    B.  MAXWELL. 

On  August  31,  1871,  W.  B.  Maxwell  received  license  to 
]n"actice  law,  having  been  examined  before  Judges  C.  S. 
Lewis,  John  Brannon  and  J.  S.  Huffman.  He  had  been 
studying  law  three  years,  and  had  made  himself  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  forms  and  technicalities  of  the  law  be- 


*  For  a  lurtlier  sketcli  of  >!r.  Uansford  see  "  Brief  Biograpliies.' 
tSee  "Brief  Biographies." 


pkg:ctt;*< 


r.c.uttKu«iar 


W.  B.  Maxwell. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


ASTOft.    LENOX    aNO 


THE  ST.  GEOKGE  BAE.  203 

fore  he  presumed  to  entej:  into  tlie  profession.  He  liad 
spent  several  years  attending  school  at  Morgantown,  Weston 
and  Clarksburg,  and,  at  that  time,  was  regarded  as  the  most 
finely  educated  man  in  the  county. 

Having  gained  an  important  case  before  Justice  William 
Talbott,  at  the  first  of  his  professional  life — it  was  his  very 
first  case — he  established  or  won  a  reputation  at  once  as  a 
lawyer  of  ability.  His  practice  soon  became  considerable  ; 
and  he  followed  up  his  first  success  with  a  series  of  others, 
so  that,  ere  long,  he  had  gained  for  himself  a  permanent 
practice. 

He  has  never  particularly  studied  to  become  a  criminal 
lawyer.  It  is  not  to  him  the  most  desirable  branch  of  the 
profession ;  although,  in  numerous  cases  w^hich  have  been 
entrusted  to  him  he  has  proven  himself  possessed  of  the 
characteristics  that  go  to  make  up  a  criminal  lawyer  of  the 
first  class. 

The  main  set  of  his  inclination  is  toward  civil  cases  ;  and 
in  this  his  superior,  considering  his  age,  perhaps,  cannot  be 
found  in  "West  Virginia. 

To  understand  and  bring  into  practice  the  x^i'inciples  of 
the  common  law  seem  natural  to  him.  He  has  made  him- 
self the  master  of  Blackstone,  Kent,  Tucker,  Minor,  Jones, 
and  other  lawyers  who  have  penetrated  unexplored  fields. 

As  a  speaker  he  stands  pre-eminent.  None  of  his  col- 
leagues surpass  him  in  this.  With  a  clear  voice  and  a  dis- 
tinct articulation,  he  speaks  with  a  natural  earnestness  and 
force  that  surpasses  all  that  artificial  culture  could  do.  The 
juries  whom  he  addresses  forget  the  man  in  the  sul)ject, 
and  hear  not  the  words  so  much  as  the  meaning  that  is  in 
them.  He  never  appeals  to  passioft  or  depends  upon  mo- 
mentary excitement  for  success.     He  relies  upon  sober  rea- 


204  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

I 
son  to  decide  for  liim.     If,  in  the  course  of  an  address,  lie  J 

finds  that  his  jury  have  been  placed  under  the  influence  of.  , 
furor  or  undue  enthusiasm,  it  is  his  first  study  to  lead  i 
them  back  again  to  a  normal  mood,  then  to  appeal  to  their  ! 
natural  reason  and  understanding.  ' 
No  lawyer  of  Tucker  County  has,  or  ever  has  had,  a  more  j 
extensive  practice  than  he.  His  business  is  large  and  is  ; 
fast  increasing  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  j 
State.  In  chancery  practice  he  is  eminently  successful,  and 
at  such  business  he  has  no  peer  at  this  bar.  The  suits  of  ' 
the  large  laxid-hclders  are  placed  in  his  hands,  and  the 
party  who  can  secure  his  services  considers  himself  fortu-  j 
nate.  He  has  never  allowed  politics  to  interfere  with  his  | 
profession,  although  his  political  ability  is  scarcely  second  ■ 
to  his  ability  in  the  law.  At  the  age  of  thirty,  he  finds  him- 
self not  only  at  the  head  of  the  legal  profession  of  his  I 
count}',  but  also  well  established  in  neighboring  counties,  | 
and  recognized  throughout  the  State.  ; 

p.   LIPSCOMB. 

The  present  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Tucker  County  has 

built    for   himself  a   business   and   worked  himself  into   a  ' 

practice  that  speaks  plainly  of  his  success  in  the   law.     He  ' 

is  a  self-educated  man  ;  and,  by  his   own  exertions  he  has  i 

built  his  own  business.     He  first  filled  the  office  of  County  ' 

Superintt^ident  of  schools  for  Tucker  Countv,  and   reduced  i 

our  school  system  to  more  order  than  it  was  ever  in  before.  I 

.      .  .  .  1 

During  this  time  he  was  zealously  i^rosecuting  his  study  of  ] 

the  law,  and  was  making  good  progress.     But,  it  was   even 

several  years  before  this  that  ho  obtained  license  to  practice. 

He  established  himself  at  St.    George,    and  was   the    only  ' 

lawver  .there.     Mr.  Ewin  resided  near  the  town,  but  not  in  ! 

it.     The  town,  too,  was  then  much  smaller  than  it  is   now, 


THE  ST.  GEORGE  BAE.  205 

and  there  was  little  business  done.  But,  wlien  the  term  of 
Circuit  Court  came,  business  grew  more  lively,  and  the  law- 
yers found  more  to  occupy  them. 

Lipscomb  did  not  confine  his  practice  to  Tucker  County, 
even  at  the  first.  He  practiced  in  the  Maryland  Court,  at 
Oakland,  in  Garrett  County,  and  had  nearly  as  much  bus- 
iness there  as  in  his  own  county.  His  greatest  success  has 
ever  been  in  jury  practice.  He  well  understands  the  argu- 
ments that  will  persuade  and  convince,  and  he  knows  just 
to  what  men  each  order  of  argument  is  most  applicable.  In 
his  style  of  speech  he  is  more  practical  than  theatrical. 
He  speaks  to  the  point,  and  is  not  so  particular  as  to  the 
words  used.  He  never  fails  to  arrest  and  hold  the  attention 
of  a  jury. 

Of  course,  a  lawj^er  of  this  kind  will  be  more  or  less  suc- 
cessful in  criminal  practice ;  and,  a  criminal  case  seldom 
comes  before  the  court  that  is  not  represented  on  one  side 
or  the  other  by  Lipscomb.  In  the  memorable  campaign  of 
1880,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
and  held  the  office  four  years.* 


See  "  Brief  Biogi'apliies "'  for  additional  matter  on  the  lawyers  of  Tucker  County. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TEA  YELEBS. 

"Without  official  records  to  sliow  that  such  is  the  case,  it 
is  still  safe  to  say  that  no  county  of  West  Virginia  has,  in 
proportion  to  its  population,  furnished  more  emigrants  to 
the  western  country  than  Tucker  has  furnished.  The  rea- 
son of  this  may  be  two-fold.  If  the  first  would  argue  that 
our  county's  resources  are  not  such  as  invite  development, 
the  second  will  make  it  plain  that  our  people  are  possessed 
with  that  energy  and  industry  that  will  search  the  remotest 
corners  of  a  continent  for  the  most  favorable  openings  for 
labor.  The  hills  and  valleys  of  Cheat  have  furnished  scores 
and  hundreds  of  honest  men,  who  are  now  building  up  with 
the  West.  There  is  hardly  a  state,  probably  not  a  state, 
west  of  the  Ohio  Kiver  that  has  not  inhabitants  from 
Tucker.  These  and  their  descendants,  if  now  brought  back 
to  this  county,  would  probably  double  its  population  four 
times.  Recentl}^  at  the  golden  wedding  of  Abraham  Par- 
sons, Esq.,  in  the  Salinas  Valley,  California,  there  were 
present  one  hundred  persons  who,  or  whose  parents,  were 
from  Tucker.  Nearly  all  of  them  belonged  to  the  Parsons 
family,  and  had  left  Cheat  River  within  the  past  twenty 
3-ears.  Yet,  this  is  only  an  instance  that  could  be  equaled 
by  other  states. 

It  is  not  the  plan  of  these  chapters  to  deal  at  length  with 
Tucker's  people  now  in  distant  states  ;  but,  as  it  is  intended 
to  give  a  history  of  our  people,  it  seems  proper  to  make 
mention  of  those  who  liave  taken  up  their  residence  else- 
where.    But  such  mention  must  be  brief,  and  will  be  con- 


TKAYELEKS.  207 

fined  to  those  only  wlio  are  particularly  remembered  here, 
or  to  those  whose  travels  and  adventures  claim  especial 
attention.  It  is  clearly  to  be  seen  that,  as  travelers  and 
adventurers,  the  principal  characters  are  found  in  the  Mi- 
near,  Parsons,  Harper  and  Bonnifield  families.  It  will 
likewise  be  noticed  that  Tucker  County's  travelers  traveled 
for  the  most  part  over  the  Western  States  and  California  ; 
but  some  have  been  in  the  West  Indies,  Mexico,  South 
America  and  the  South  Sea  Islands,  as  well  as  in  British 
America  and  on  the  Alaskan  coast. 

Of  the  travelers  of  Tucker,  none  are  more  extensively 
known  than  Abe  Bonnifield.  He  has  been  a  traveler  all  his 
life,  although  he  has  never  been  in  foreign  countries  but 
once.  It  is  estimated  that  he  has  ridden  on  horseback 
seventv-five  thousand  miles.  More  than  enoup;h  to  take 
him  round  the  world  three  times.  He  was  born  in  1837,  on 
Horse  Shoe  Run,  and  has  considered  that  his  home  ever 
since.  As  is  well  known  to  all  who  will  be  likely  to  read 
this  book,  he  was  born  without  leo;s.  He  learned  self-loco- 
motion as  young  as  other  children  ;  and  when  he  was  quite 
small,  he  could  run  and  ride  and  swim  as  well  as  any  of  the 
boys  of  the  neighborhood.  His  early  life  ran  quiet  ;  and 
during  the  winter  he  attended  school,  and  in  the  summer 
trained  pet  crows  to  stand  on  one  foot,  and  harnessed  liz- 
zards  and  crawfish  together  to  see  which  could  pull  the 
hardest.  At  school,  he  led  his  classes,  particularly  in  math- 
ematics, in  which,  like  his  father,  Dr.  Arnold  Bonnifield,  he 
was  very  apt. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  to  give  a  lengthy  account  of  his  life ; 
since  he  has  been  for  3'ears  engaged  upon  his  autobiogra- 
phy, and  the  book  will  probably  be  published  soon.  These 
chapters  have  particularly  in  view  the  collecting  of  material 


208  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

tliat  seems  likely  soon  to  be  lost  or  forgotten  ;  and,  as  Mr. 
Bonnifield  will  publisli  all  that  relates  to  himself,  it  appears 
unnecessary  to  give  a  very  full  account  here.  He  has  given 
the  A^Titer  access  to  his  manuscripts,  and  from  them  the 
facts  here  given  have  been  mostly  taken. 

He  remained  at  home  till  his  twentieth  year,  except  an 
occasional  visit  through  the  eastern  and  western  counties 
of  West  Virginia.  He  began  to  be  moved  by  a  desire  for 
travel.  He  thought  of  Missouri,  then  considered  a  far 
western  country  ;  and  on  January  13, 1856,  he  left  the  home 
of  his  childhood  and  went  forth  into  the  wide  world.  His 
brother  David  accompanied  him.  They  went  to  Wheeliug, 
thinking  to  pass  down  the  Ohio  River,  thence  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri.  While  they  were  making  ar- 
rangements for  the  descent,  they  met  Mr.  A.  J.  Mayo,  who 
was  the  manager  of  a  traveling  show  that  was  famous  in  its 
day.  He  prevailed  on  the  two  Bonnifield  bo^^s  to  accom- 
pany him.  This  seemed  a  fair  chance  to  see  the  world,  and 
Bonnifield  accepted  it,  and  gave  up  the  project  of  going 
down  the  Ohio  River.  From  Wheeling,  the  show  went  to 
Zanesville,  and  from  Zanesville  to  Newark,  and  from  New- 
ark to  Columbus.  By  this  time  Bonnifield  began  to  get 
tired  of  being  hauled  about  in  truck  wagons.  Accordingly, 
he  deserted  the  show,  aad  spent  some  time  trapping  musk- 
rats  along  the  rivers,  and  was  nearly  down  to  Cincinnati 
on  the  Little  Miami.  But,  at  Columbus  he  joined  another 
show  and  was  read}-  for  more  trundling  about.  This  time 
he  was  with  Carbin  and  Denoon's  Indian  Troup.  He 
traveled  up  and  down  over  almost  every  nlile  of  Ohio,  and 
then  passed  into  Indiana,  and  visited  all  the  principal 
places  in  that  state.  He  was  not  favorably  impressed  with 
the  people  whom  he  met  there,  if  we  may  judge  from  his 


TRAVELERS.  209 

letters  and  journal  written  on  the  ground.  When  lie  got 
into  Michigan  he  began  to  be  more  favorably  impressed 
with  the  country  and  people. 

The  main  feature  of  the  show  was  the  Indians.  They 
soon  became  fast  friends  with  Bonnifield.  and  would  do 
whatever  he  told  them  to.  By  taking  advantage  of  this,  he 
created  a  big  disturbance  in  camp  one  night.  The  Indians 
were  lounging  about  on  their  blankets,  some  asleep  and 
others  not,  when  he  offered  three  cents  to  one  if  he  would 
bite  the  chief's  toe  off.  The  chief  was  asleep,  but  his  toe 
protruded  from  under  the  blanket.  The  Indian  snapped  it 
up  in  his  teeth,  and  probably  would  have  gotten  it  off  if  the 
chief  had  not  happened  to  awake  at  that  moment,  and  set 
np  a  terrible  yelling  and  flouncing  about  so  that  he  pulled 
loose  from  the  Indian's  teeth.  The  light  became  general, 
and  the  war-whoops  rang  through  the  toAvn  until  the  people 
thought  the  world  must  be  coming  to  an  end. 

He  passed  over  into  Canada,  and  wandered  up  and  down 
over  that  desolate  wilderness  of  pine  trees.  Canada  was  at 
that  time  a  great  rendezvous  for  negroes  v/ho  had  escaped 
from  slavery  in  the  United  States.  Small  colonies  uf  these 
runaways  were  found  at  intervals  throughout  that  country. 
It  was  a  bad  place  for  them.  The  land  was  poor  and  the 
winters  were  long  and  cold.  The  negroes  were  not  pros- 
pering. They  were  too  lazy  to  work  much,  and  were  trying 
to  make  a  living  by  manufacturing  soda  from  ashes.  They 
lived  in  miserable  log  huts,  and  poverty  and  forsakenness 
was  written  on  every  door,  and  was  visible  about  the  prem- 
ises everywhere.  "Hello  there!"  said  Bonnifield  to  an  old 
negro  who  was  trying  to  hoe  his  patch  of  corn,  that  was 
hardly  knee-high  at  the  middle  of  August.  "Hello  there! 
you  old  1^1  ack  scalawag,  doji't  you  v^isli  you  were  back  in 

14 


210  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

A^irginia  twisting  tobacco  for  your  grub?"  The  negro 
looked  up  and  seemed  to  be  startled  ;  then  leaning  lazily  on 
his  hoe-handle,  he  answered  with  a  sigh  :  ^^' Deed  I  does y 

Bonnifield  got  tired  of  show-life,  and  came  home.  His 
father  was  then  clerk  of  the  Circuit  and  County  Courts  of 
Tucker,  and  Abe  took  charge  of  the  office.  He  was  at  this 
employment  when  the  war  commenced.  He  sympathized 
'with  the  South ;  but,  he  remained  at  his  business  in  St. 
George  until  it  began  to  be  unsafe  there  for  a  southern  man 
who  made  no  secret  of  his  opinions.  On  Monday  morning, 
June  10,  1861,  just  after  da3dight,  about  forty  Yankees  came 
galloping  into  St.  George,  and  rummaged  through  the  town 
in  search  of  Rebel  flags.  They  found  one,  or  claimed  they 
did,  and  with  it  returned  in  triumph  to  Rowlesburg.  Bon- 
nifield was  charged  with  having  something  to  do  with  the 
flag,  and  he  was  warned  by  friends  that  he  was  not  safe. 
The  next  we  hear  of  him  he  was  in  the  South,  accompanied 
by  George  and  Bax  Kalar,  "William  Talbott  and  other 
Tucker  Countv  bovs. 

He  remained  in  the  war  till  the  last  gun  was  fired,  and 
then  did  not  surrender,  but  escaped  on  horseback  from  the 
Yalley  of  Virginia,  and  when  the  fighting  was  at  an  end  he 
came  home.  The  whole  four  years  that  he  was  in  the  army 
was  one  continued  succession  of  adventures  and  dashing 
marches.  He  was  regarded  as  among  the  very  best  riders 
in  the  Confederate  cavahy.  His  weight  was  about  seventy 
l^ounds ;  and  being  thus  light,  his  horse,  which  was  a  power- 
ful one,  was  about  the  last  to  give  out  when  it  came  to  a 
long  raid  or  a  long  retreat.  He  remained  for  the  most  part 
in  the  Valley  of  Virginia  ;  but  he  was  frequently  in  other 
parts.  He  accompanied  the  Imbodens  in  some  of  their 
memorable  raids.     As  he  was  always  in  the  very  front  in 


TEAVELERS.  211 

every  kind  of  adventure,  he  was  often  in  the  hottest  part  of 
the  battle,  and  in  the  foremost  rank  of  the  charging  col- 
umns. If  he  was  cut  off  from  his  men,  and  in  danger  of 
being  shot,  he  would  throw  himself  from  his  horse,  hang  by 
his  hand  to  the  horn  of  the  saddle  on  the  side  least  exposed 
to  the  enemy's  fire,  guide  his  horse  with  the  other  hand, 
and  thus  escape.  In  the  tumult  of  the  battle  the  foe  would 
not  notice  but  that  the  horse  was  riderless  ;  and  thus  he 
often  dashed  through  the  very  lines  of  the  enemy  unseen. 
Such  was  the  strength  of  his  arms  that  he  could  hang  by 
them  for  an  hour  without  very  great  fatigue. 

He  was  in  front  of  the  pursuit  that  chased  Hunter,  and 
was  among  the  few,  who,  after  a  terrible  night  of  marching 
through  the  wilderness,  got  in  front  of  the  flying  army,  and 
gave  them  the  check  which  well  nigh  resulted  fatally  to  the 
Federals. 

Bonnifield  was  not  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg ;  but  he 
joined  Lee's  army  in  its  retreat  before  it  reached  the  Poto- 
mac, and  was  with  it  a  few  days.  He  went  back  to  the 
Yalley,  and  was  there  when  General  Early,  who  had  been 
sent  to  Lynchburg  to  drive  Hunter  out,  came  down  the 
Yalley.  He  joined  Early,  and  the  fifteen  thousand  men 
moved  off  toward  the  Potomac,  and  chased  General  Sigel 
over  the  river  into  Maryland.  Early  set  out  for  Washing- 
ton, and  got  within  five  miles  of  the  city,  when  he  was 
obliged  to  retreat.  Thus,  Bonnifield  was  one  of  the  fifteen 
thousand  Rebels  who  got  near  enough  to  see  the  flag  on  the 
Capitol  at  Washington,  and  got  away.  He  escaped  back 
to  the  Yalley  of  Yirginia. 

When  the  war  ended,  Bonnifield  returned  to  Horse  Shoe 
Run,  w^here  he  has  lived  ever  since,  although  he  has  trav- 
eled some  since  then.     He  visited  Washington  a  few  years 


212  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ago  to  press  his  claim  for  payment  for  cattle  carried  off  by 
Union  soldiers  during  the  war.  He  spent  some  time  at  the 
National  Capital,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  how 
near  he  had  come  to  taking  it  during  the  war. 

He  has  a  horse  on  which  he  has  ridden  nearly  forty 
thousand  miles.  The  horse  is  still  living,  and  is  now 
(1884)  over  twenty  years  of  age.  This  horse  and  its 
rider  are  known  all  over  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  ;  and 
they  have  been  out  of  the  State  more  than  five  hundred 
times  in  the  last  twelve  years.  A  full  history  of  Abe  Bon- 
nifield  will  probably  soon  be  published ;  and  it  will  surely 
be  an  interesting  volume. 

Several  of  the  Bonnifields  have  been  extensive  travelers, 
although  their  most  beaten  path  is  to  and  from  California. 
Mr.  A.  T.  Bonnifield  and  his  two  sons,  Henry  and  William, 
are  not  now  residents  of  Tucker,  but  they  formerly  were, 
and  their  frequent  visits  to  their  old  home  make  them  well 
known  here.  They  have  been  not  only  extensive,  but  romantic 
travelers.  A.  T.  Bonnifield,  a  cousin  of  Dr.  Arnold  Bonni- 
field, as  well  as  a  namesake,  lived  on  Horse  Shoe  Run  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  "William  Corrick,  Esq.,  of  Corrick's  Ford,  after  whom 
the  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford  is  named.  In  1859,  the  Cali- 
fornia excitement  took  a  fresh  start  in  Tucker,  and  quite  a 
number  of  the  young  men  emigrated  to  the  new  State. 
Bonnifield  was  among  the  number.  With  his  wife  and  three 
children,  accompanied  by  John  Minear,  they  sailed  from 
New  York  for  Panama.  After  buying  his  tickets  for  San 
Francisco,  Bonnifield  had  just  fort}^  dollars  left.  This  was 
a  small  sum  with  which  to  go  into  a  strange  country ;  but 
it  would  have  to  do ;  and,  when  all  were  on  board,  the 
steamer  passed  from  the  harbor  out  into  the  Atlantic. 


TKAVELEES.  213 

The  ship  was  soon  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  then  came  on 
the  dreaded  sea-sickness,  which  none  can  understand  with- 
out experiencing.  The  first  night  was  probably  the  most 
terrible  to  the  emigrants  who  had  never  been  to  sea  before. 
They  lay  about  the  decks  as  helpless  as  dead  people ;  and 
no  doubt  some  would  nearly  as  lief  have  been  dead.  The 
officers  and  crew  of  the  ship  took  little  more  notice  of  the 
j)assengers  who  lay  retching,  than  to  roll  them  in  heaps  to 
get  them  more  out  of  the  way.  A  person  when  enduring 
sea-sickness  will  not  and  cannot  hold  up  his  head,  and  can- 
not help  himself.  For  this  reason  the  crew  of  the  ship  were 
much  bothered  to  drag  the  helpless  passengers  out  of  the 
way. 

Bonnifield  was  among  the  sickest.  He  lay  upon  the  deck 
in  great  agony  all  night.  Men  with  lanterns  came  to  him, 
and  dragged  him  to  the  end  of  the  ship  and  piled  him  up 
with  the  rest  of  the  sea-sick.  There  he  lay  till  morning. 
When  it  was  day,  he  roused  up,  and  thought  he  could  eat 
some  fruit.  He  felt  for  his  money.  It  was  gone.  He  had 
been  robbed,  probably  by  the  men  who  had  come  to  him 
with  the  lanterns. 

The  situation  in  which  he  found  himself  roused  him  from 
his  sickness,  and  he  told  his  wife  that  he  had  been  robbed 
of  every  cent.  He  was,  indeed,  in  a  hard  fix.  He  had  not 
enough  money  to  buy  a  dinner  when  he  should  land  in  San 
Francisco,  and  a  wife  and  three  children  were  on  his  hands. 
It  was  an  unpleasant  situation  to  be  placed  in ;  but,  he  did 
what  he  could  to  recover  his  money.  He  saw  a  sneaking 
looking  fellow  on  the  ship,  and  he  was  struck  by  the 
thought  that  the  fellow  had  his  money.  So  he  ran 
to  the  Captain  and  had  him  search  the  scoundrel,  who 
protested    that    he    never     robbed    anybody.      But    the 


214  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Captain    searched    liim.     Nothing    was    found    to    prove 
that  he  had  stolen  the  money,   and  he  was  tnrned   loose,    v 
Bonnifield  wanted  all  the  people  on  the  ship  searched ;  but 
the  Captain  would  not  do  it,  and  thus  that  part  of  the  mat- 
ter ended. 

Bonnifield  never  got  his  mone}^  However,  he  found 
means  of  making  some  money.  He  had  taken  on  board  a 
barrel  of  apples  at  New  Y'ork,  and  he  now  exposed  them  for 
sale  at  ten  cents  each.  The  people,  who  were  beginning  to 
recover  from  their  sea-sickness,  bought  the  apples  as  fast 
as  they  could  get  them.  They  brought  in  a  quantity  of 
change.  About  this  time  a  stand  of  bees  on  the  ship  got 
destroyed ;  and  Bonnifield  bought  the  honey,  and  peddled 
it  over  the  ship  for  twenty-five  cents  a  mouthful.  It  sold 
fast,  and  he  quickly  disposed  of  his  stock  and  realized  a 
handsome  profit. 

When  he  reached  San  Francisco  he  had  barely  enough 
money  to  pay  his  way  a  few  miles  into  the  country.  He 
went  to  work,  and  gradually  accumulated  money  enough  to 
buy  a  farm.  But,  the  farm's  title  not  being  good,  he  lost 
his  money.  However,  he  went  to  vrork  at  the  bottom 
again,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  was  again  com- 
fortably situated.  Thus  he  lived  for  seven  years.  His  wife 
having  died,  he  took  charge  of  his  children  and  kept  them 
together  for  several  j^ears. 

In  1867  he  determined  to  re-visit  West  Virginia.  He  em- 
barked at  San  Francisco  for  New  Y^ork.  Instead  of  cross- 
ing the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  he  crossed  through  Nicaragua, 
in  Central  America,  and  took  a  steamer  on  the  eastern  side 
for  New  York. 

When  the  ship  drew  near  the  shore  on  the  West  side  of 
Nicaragua,  a  cannon   was   fired   as   a   signal   of  approach. 


TKAVELEKS.  ^     215 

This  was  to  give  the  natives  notice  in  time  for  them  to 
bring  their  ponies  to  the  landing.  It  was  twelve  miles 
across  the  isthmus,  and  the  passengers  and  freight  had  to 
be  carried  by  land.  The  ship-company  paid  all  these  ex- 
penses. There  was  no  railroad,  as  there  was  at  Panama  ; 
but  there  was  a  good  wagon-road.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren were  carried  across  in  ambulances  that  were  formerly 
used  in  the  United  States  during  the  war,  but  had  been 
bought  by  the  ship-compan}^  and  taken  to  Nicaragua,  to  be 
used  as  stages.  '!Che  men  might  also  ride  in  these  coaches 
if  they  liked ;  but  they  were  given  their  choice  of  two 
modes  of  crossinc;.  Thev  mio-ht  ride  in  the  ambulances  or 
on  the  ponies  of  the  natives,  which  were  hired  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  majorit}'  of  them  chose  to  ride  on  the  ponies. 
The  natives  were  Indians,  and  kept  the  ponies  on  their 
ranches  near  about  the  harbor.  They  were  glad  to  make  a 
few  cents  by  hiring  their  ponies  to  the  ship-company  for 
the  use  of  the  passengers.  They  knew  about  what  day  the 
ship  would  be  there,  and  kept  their  animals  near  at  hand. 
Each  one  was  anxious  to  get  his  pony  used  in  crossing,  for 
if  he  did  not,  he  got  no  pay. 

So,  when  the  ship  was  approaching  the  shore,  the  cannon 
w^as  fired  to  call  the  Indians  down  to  the  beach.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  were  seen  coming  over  the  hills  from  the  north, 
south  and  east.  They  were  coming  in  a  sweeping  gallop, 
every  one  trying  to  be  first  at  the  landing,  to  be  sure  of 
getting  his  donkey  a  rider. 

When  the  ship  landed  at  the  dock,  the  Indians  were 
massed  around  it  like  a  besieging  army.  Each  one  was  en- 
deavoring to  impress  upon  some  passenger  the  necessity  of 
hiring  that  particular  pony,  and  the  jargon,  pow-wow  and 
chattering  was  entirely  characteristic  of  the  assembly. 


216  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

The  donkeys  were  white,  and  looked  not  much  larger 
than  sheep.  The  passengers  thought  it  impossible  that  an 
animal  so  small  could  bear  the  weight  of  a  man,  and  so 
were  not  much  inclined  to  accept  one  in  preference  to  the 
ambulance-carts.  But,  the  ojfficers  of  the  ship  assured  the 
passengers  that  the  ponies  would  carry  them  all  right,  and 
then  the  bargaining  began.  As  said,  the  ship-company  paid 
for  the  animals ;  so,  the  passengers'  only  care  was  to  select 
as  good  a  one  as  they  could.  Every  native  insisted  that  his 
was  the  best;  and  thus  the  trading  ran  high. 

Meanwhile,  Bonniiield  was  busy  getting  his  family  started 
off  in  the  ambulances ;  so,  when  he  turned  about  to  engage 
a  pony,  he  found  that  all  the  best  of  them  were  taken,  and 
that  none  but  poor  or  fractious  ones  were  left.  He  had  to 
take  one  of  these,  or  none.  He  took  one.  It  was  small, 
lean,  bony  and  looked  like  the  refuse  of  all  that  is  vile  and 
wretched  in  Central  America.  The  rest  of  the  men  were 
already  mounted  on  the  more  prepossessing  of  the  donkeys, 
and  were  ready  to  move  off  as  soon  as  the  word  of  com- 
mand should  be  given.  Bonnifield  took  in  the  situation  at 
a  glance  and  saw  that  he  was  in  danger  of  being  left ;  for  he 
was  certain  that  his  bony  beast  would  never  keep  up  with 
the  others.  But,  he  had  no  time  to  hunt  another,  and  all 
that  was  left  for  him  to  do  wa^  to  make  the  best  use  of  his 
means. 

So,  picking  wp  a  heavy  club,  he  mounted  the  pony,  ready 
to  start  with  the  others,  whether  he  could  keep  up  or  not. 
"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  club?"  yelled  the  In- 
dian who  owned  the  animal,  running  up  and  flourishing  his 
fist  as  though  about  to  strike.  "  I'm  going  to  knock  a  whole 
side  of  ribs  out  of  this  brute  if  he  don't  keep  up  with  the 
rest.     That's  what  I'm  going  to  do.     Do  yon  understand 


TEAYELEKS.  217 

tliat  ?"  Bonnifield  gave  tlie  Indian  this  answer,  and  told 
him  to  stand  in  the  background  or  he  would  get  a  little  to 
start  with. 

The  Indian  took  the  hint  and  retired ;  and  Bonnifield 
held  to  his  club,  for  he  was  determined  not  to  be  left  in 
that  wild  country,  and  was  not  in  a  yery  good  humor  any 
way.  His  donkey  was  so  small  that  the  rider's  feet  almost 
dragged  the  ground. 

The  word  to  start  was  given  just  as  the  sun  was  going 
down.  Immediately  the  whole  cavalcade  was  one  of  com- 
motion and  excitement.  The  two  or  three  hundred  ponies 
that  the  passengers  feared  would  not  be  able  to  carry  them 
across,  w^ere  now  plunging  up  the  road  at  a  sweeping  gallop, 
every  one  trying  to  lead  the  way.  The  smallest  and  most 
bony  seemed  more  fiery  and  impetuous  than  those  which 
had  been  first  chosen.  The  weakest  w^as  fully  strong  enough 
to  carry  a  man  as  fast  as  he  cared  to  go. 

Bonnifield  was  soon  convinced  that  he  had  no  need  of  a 
club.  His  donkey  was  so  impetuous  that  he  had  to  drop 
his  cudgel  and  sieze  the  bridle  with  both  hands. 

The  road  led  through  hills  and  vales,  covered  v»-itli  the 
luxurient  vegetation  of  the  Torrid  Zone.  Cocoanut  trees 
stood  thick  along  the  way  ;  and  bamboos  and  reeds  formed 
a  denSe  copse.  It  was  a  splendid  ride  that  evening.  The 
sun  went  down  before  they  had  gone  a  mile  ;  but  this  only 
increased  the  beauty  of  the  evening.  It  got  cooler,  and  the 
cavalcade  thundered  on  up  the  road.  At  times  they  halted 
by  the  wayside  to  buy  sugar,  fruit  and  nuts  of  the  natives, 
who  had  built  little  stores  every  mile  or  two.  Several  of 
the  store-keepers  were  negroes  who  had  come  from  the 
United  States,  and  had  settled  in  that  unhospitable  country 
for  the  pui-pose  of  trading  with  travelers. 


218  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

Bonnitield  rode  forward  with  the  others  till  awhile  after 
dark.  The  fruit  and  sugar  that  he  had  eaten  caused  such 
thirst  that  he  tried  at  each  store  to  get  a  drink;  but  no  water 
was  at  hand,  and  the  shop-keepers  were  too  busy  to  fetch 
an}',  so  he  rode  on.  Presently  the  road  turned  down  a  ra- 
vine, and  far  below  in  the  wilderness  and  darkness  the  rip- 
pling of  water  could  be  heard.  He  said  that  he  must  have 
a  drink,  live  or  die.  He  was  told  that  the  woods  were  full 
of  beasts  and  yenomous  snakes,  and  he  would  run  great  risk 
in  going  down  in  the  dark.  But  he  would  not  be  pursuaded. 

Giving  the  rein  of  his  pony  to  a  companion  to  hold,  he 
scrambled  down  the  hill.  He  could  hear  the  water  bubbling 
and  was  guided  by  the  noise.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  any- 
thing. The  weeds  and  thorns  were  so  thick  that  he  had  to 
part  them  with  his  hands,  and  scramble  over  the  tops,  and 
pitch  and  fall,  and  slip  and  slide  ;  but  at  last  he  reached  the 
water  and  lay  down  and  drank.  The  water  was  cool,  and 
when  his  thirst  was  allayed,  he  rose  up  with  satisfaction 
and  was  preparing  to  start  up  the  hill.  But  just  then  a  lion  ' 
sprang  out  the  thicket  and  roared.  Bonnifield's  hair  stood 
on  end  with  fright,  and  he  leaped  sheer  ten  feet  over  the 
tops  of  briers,  djrush  and  rocks,  up  against  the  bluff,  and 
thence  on  to  the  road  above,  where  he  mounted  his  donkey, 
and  bid  an  adieu  forever  to  the  wild  beasts  of  Central 
America. 

In  an  hour  longer  the  travelers  reached  the  Eio  San  Juan 
del  Sur,  where  boats  awaited  to  carry  them  down  to  the  sea 
coast.  The  passage  down  the  river  was  one  of  romance 
and  magnificence,  and  is  described  as  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  world.  The  banks  of  the  stream  were  covered  with 
groves  of  tropical  trees,  and  flowers  always  in  bloom. 
There  is  no  winter  there.     Birds  with  feathers  bright   as 


TEANELEES.  219 

gold  and  silver  fly  among  tlie  trees,  and  monkeys  chatter 
amid  the  thickets  of  bamboos.  Basking  in  the  sun  along 
the  water's  edge,  huge  alligators  could  be  seen  stretching 
their  ugly  carcasses.  It  was  along  this  river  several  years 
before  that  Capt.  E.  Harper  had  so  many  adventures  shoot- 
ing alligators  and  chasing  ^ild  beasts  and  fighting  the  wild 
Indians. 

AYhen  the  sun  was  risen  on  the  morrow,  the  passengers 
were  embarked  on  boats,  and  moved  gayly  off  down  the 
river  and  across  the  bay.  There  was  a  considerable  convoy, 
and  it  must  have  looked  like  an  army  to  the  Indians  who 
stood  on  the  shores  and  gazed  wonderingly  at  the  grand 
procession  of  boats  as  it  moved  peacefully  over  the  shining 
w^ater.  "Get  in  the  boat,  you  land-lubber!"  yelled  one  of 
the  sailors  to  Bonnifield  who  was  washing  his  feet  by  let- 
ting them  drag  along  through  the  water,  over  the  gunwale. 
"  Get  in  the  boat,  or  the  alligators  will  pepper  your  hash." 
Thus  warned,  he  hauled  his  feet  aboard ;  and  looking  into 
the  water,  he  could  see  hideous  monsters  swimming  along 
under  the  boat,  waiting  for  somebody  to  fall  overboard. 

When  the  deep  water  was  reached,  the  passengers  went 
aboard  a  steamship  and  stood  off  for  New  York.  The  pas- 
sage was  rough  ;  but  all  safely  landed  there,  and  Bonnifield 
soon  reached  Tucker.  He  remained  there  over  a  year,  vis- 
iting in  the  mean  time  Michigan,  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Illinois, 
while  his  children  attended  school.  He  owned  the  horse 
on  which  Abe  Bonnifield  has  since  ridden  tens  of  thousands 
of  miles. 

In  18G8,  he  returned  to  California,  having  married  in 
Tucker  a  daughter  of  Job  Parsons,  Esq.  In  1881  he  again 
visited  the  East,  and  spent  the  summer  in  West  Virginia 
and  Kentucky.     He  now  resides  in  California. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TEA  YELEBS— CONTINUED. 

Capt.  Ezekiel  Haepek  was  born  November  28,  1823. 
His  father  was  Adam  Harper  whose  sketch  has  been  given 
in  a  former  chapter.  Energy  and  adventure  is  a  character- 
istic of  the  family ;  and  of  none  more  than  of  the  subject  of 
the  present  sketch.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  home 
farm,  and  the  stir  and  commotion  of  the  wide  world  was  all 
a  blank  to  him.  The  narrow,  but  beautiful  valley  of  Clover 
was  the  field  of  his  youthful  adventures,  and  it  was  there 
that  he  grew  to  manhood,  every  inch  of  him  a  man.  His 
constitution  was  of  iron,  and  his  will  succumbed  only  to 
the  impossible. 

From  his  earliest  vears  he  was  an  attentive  and  extensive 
reader;  and  he  kept  himself  posted  on  all  political  ques- 
tions, and  on  all  the  issues  that  the  press  brought  before 
the  people.  "Wlien  he  became  a  man,  the  Yalley  of  Clover 
became  too  narrow  for  him,  and  he  began  to  think  of  new 
fields.  Thus  it  was  when  the  Mexican  War  came  on.  He 
had  always  had  a  desire  to  see  the  southern  and  western 
countries ;  and  this  seemed  the  best  opportunity  that  had 
been  presented. 

There  was  no  movement  made  in  Tucker  to  organize  a 
company;  but,  in  Barbour,  Col.  Henry  Sterms  mustered  a 
company  and  held  them  ready  for  service.  Harper  joined 
the  company ;  and  as  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  he  was 
the  only  man  from  Tucker  who  did. 

He  waited  anxiously  for  the  call  for  his  company  to  take 


TRAVELEKS.  221 

tlie  field.  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  accounts  from 
the  seat  of  war.  He  read  of  the  fight  at  Matamoras,  at 
Monterey ;  of  the  rout  of  Santa  Anna  from  the  gorges  of 
Buena  Yista,  of  the  fall  of  Einggold  at  Palo  Alto.  The 
battles  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Saltillo,  Cerro  Gorgo  and 
Contreas  passed  off,  and  still  no  orders  came  for  the  com- 
pany to  take  the  field.  The  President  had  called  for  fifty 
thousand  volunteers,  and  the  call  had  been  resj^onded  to  by 
over  three  hundred  thousand.  So,  there  were  many  men 
who,  like  Harper,  were  waiting  with  more  or  less  impatience 
for  a  call  to  arms.  The  war,  although  yet  waged  to  the 
extremest  limit  of  vengeance  and  national  hatred,  was  plainly 
drawing  to  a  close.  Mexico  was  going  down  ;  and  defeat 
on  defeat  and  rout  on  rout  hurried  her  doom.  The  roar  of 
the  cannon  had  died  on  the  field  of  Churusbusco ;  and,  the 
greatest  and  last,  the  storming  of  Chapultepec  ended 
the  war. 

Harper  was  uncalled.  It  was  a  disappointment ;  but  it 
came  on  him  gradually,  and  he  continued  working  on  the 
farm,  and  dealing  in  cattle. 

But  a  new  and  more  romantic  field  of  adventure  was 
opening  for  him.  Scarcely  had  the  Mexican  "War  closed, 
^when  the  discovery  of  gold,  at  Sutter's  Mills,  in  California, 
filled  the  country  with  excitement.  Those  who  can  remem- 
ber, know  how  the  land  was  filled  with  wild  stories  of  gold 
in  exliaustless  stores,  and  how  the  rumors  ran  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  and  adventurers  risked  everything  in  their  efforts 
to  be  first  and  foremost  on  the  ground.  Those  who  cannot 
remember,  probably  will  never  know.  It  was  an  epoch  in 
the  world's  history,  in  the  history  of  America,  and  in  the 
annals  of  Tucker  Count3^  It  did  not  work  such  lasting 
chanpfes  as  the  Crusades  or  the  French  Revolution  ;  but  its 


222  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

changes  and  results  have  left  a  stamp  on  the  chronicles  of 
America  that  will  endure  for  ages  to  come.  There  has 
never  been  in  the  world  anything  else  like  it. 

In  the  great  rush  for  the  gold  diggings,  people  came  from 
every  part  of  the  world.  Tucker,  although  a  small  territory, 
then  not  so  much  as  a  distinct  county,  sent  not  a  few. 
Perhaps  no  county  in  America,  of  not  a  greater  population," 
has  furnished  as  many  emigrants  to  California  as  Tucker 
has.  It  has  sent  them  from  the  very  first  ;  and  they  have 
generally  been  among  the  best  of  our  citizens.  Our  own 
wealth  and  resources  have  only  recently  become  known  ; 
and,  heretofore,  people  of  enterprise  could  see  in  our  nar- 
row valleys  and  rugged  hills  little  to  invite  exertion  or  to 
promise  return  for  capital  invested.  From  this  cause,  the 
most  ambitious  and  energetic  of  our  people,  in  former  days, 
looked  to  farther  and  wider  fields  in  which  to  contend  in 
fortune's  arena.  Our  timber  was  then  next  to  valueless, 
and  our  vast  coal  regions  were  then  not  supposed  to  be 
worth  the  taxes. 

It  was  on  account  of  this  that  so  many  men  of  ambition 
and  ability  went  west  and  south  and  north,  or  just  any 
place  where  there  was  encouragement  to  put  forth  exertion. 
The  tide  has  now  turned,  and  is  setting  toward  instead  o^ 
from  us.  Instead  of  the  poorest,  we  have  one  of  the  rich- 
est counties  in  the  State.  But  this  Avas  not  known  when  the 
rumors  from  California  were  alluring  away  so  many  of  our 
vounj:'  men. 

Gold  was  discovered  in  California  in  1848.  The  news 
soon  spread  from  state  to  state,  and  it  reached  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Tucker  County  the  same  year.  None  hailed  the 
news  more  gladly  than  Mr.  Harper,  who  still  remembered 
his  disappointment  in  not  getting   to   go   to  the   Mexican 


TRAYELEES.  223 

War,  and  was  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  try  something 
else  of  the  same  nature.  Not  a  day  was  lost.  He  and  A. 
P.  Minear,  of  St.  George,  were  the  first  to  go.  But  Harper 
was  the  first.  Minear  went  by  water  in  1849.  Harper 
started  in  1848,  and  wintered  in  Iowa.  So  anxious  was  he 
to  get  to  the  mines  that  he  braved  every  danger  in  crossing 
the  plains.  Iowa  was  then  on  the  frontier.  Between  there 
and  California  was  a  "wide,  desert  plain,  and  the  almost  im- 
passable Rocky  and  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  Then  it 
was  an  unknown  country.  A  few  explorers  and  adventurers 
had  crossed,  and  a  few  small  military  posts,  scattered  at 
immense  distances  apart,  served  as  the  only  evidence  of 
civilized  man.  Large  bands  of  wild  and  warlike  Indians 
infested  the  region  beyond  the  Missouri  River,  and  were 
ever  ready  to  fall  upon  any  who  should  come  into  their 
couniYj. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1849,  Harper  joined  a  train  of  ad- 
venturers and  passed  up  the  Platte  River,  and  crossed  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  A  full  journal  of  the  company,  with  all 
that  happened  from  day  to  day,  would  fill  too  much  space 
here.  Nothing  of  special  importance  took  place.  The 
routine  of  camp  life,  and  traveling  incidents  were  the  same 
or  similar  from  day  to  day.  They  drove  ox  teams,  hitched 
to  ponderous  wagons.  There  were  no  graded  roads.  On 
the  plains  they  needed  none  ;  but,  in  the  mountains  it  was 
often  next  to  impossible  to  proceed.  Sometimes  they  would 
let  their  wagons  down  mountains  by  ropes  and  pulleys.  Or, 
they  would  fell  trees,  tie  them  by  the  tops  to  the  hind  axle 
of  the  wagons,  and  the  stiff  limbs,  thus  plowing  in  the 
ground,  allowed  the  wagons  to  descend  slowh*. 

Along  the  Humboldt  it  was  a  wild,  desert  country.  Tlie 
hills  had  no  water,  trees,  grass  or  shrubs.     The  valleys  be- 


224  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

tween  tlie  liills  "svere  barren  and  lifeless,  and  were  often 
covered  with  salt  and  alkali. 

When  the  emigrants  reached  this  region,  their  progress 
became  slower  than  before.  They  could  find  little  forage 
for  their  cattle,  and  at  times  water  was  not  to  be  had.  The 
Indians,  too,  were  ever  hovering  over  the  way,  and  none 
could  feel  safe,  unless  traveling  in  large  companies.  This 
served  to  keep  the  trains  together,  and,  of  course,  made  it 
harder  to  find  things  for  the  cattle  to  eat.  It  was  probably 
the  most  distressing  portion  of  all  the  journey  ;  and  it  was 
there,  amid  the  rocky  hills  and  alkaline  plains,  that  many 
an  adventurous  man  has  found  the  termination  of  his 
wanderings. 

These  delays  and  perplexities  were  not  endureable  to  a 
man  of  Harper's  ambition  and  determination.  He  was  too 
anxious  to  be  first  upon  the  Calif ornian  gold  fields  to  be 
bothering  with  lazy  ox  teams  and  trundling  carts,  when  the 
bourne  of  his  dreams  was  only  three  or  four  hundred  miles 
away,  was  not  his  nature.  He  had  staid  back,  and  endured 
the  slow  traveling  until  he  reached  the  Sinks  of  the  Hum- 
boldt River,  that  mvsterious  land  where  a  river  sinks  in 
the  sand,  and  all  trace  of  it  is  lost.  Here  he  expressed  his 
determination  to  proceed  in  advance  of  the  emigrants. 
They  tried  to  persuade  him  from  it,  and  pointed  out  the 
great  dangers  that  would  beset  him  if  traveling  alone  through 
that  wild  and  uncivilized  country.  But,  like  M'Cleland,  he 
said  that  he  could  take  care  of  himself.  He  shouldered  his 
rifle  and  knapsack  and  struck  forward  alone  into  the  rugged 
hills  and  snowy  mountains.  The  huge  crest  of  the  Sierras 
lay  before  him,  towering  white  and  ponderous  toward  the 
sky,  and  presenting  a  wall  against  the  world  beyond.  It 
was  a  fatal  region,  and  few  men  could  have  crossed  it  alone. 


TEAVELEKS.  225 

Tlie  Indians  liad  made  paths  tlirougli  the  ravines  and 
gorges,  and  bears  and  panthers  had  tramped  a  trail  over  the 
ridges.  These,  the  stars  and  sun,  and  a  slight  knowledge  of 
the  geography  of  the  rivers,  were  his  only  guides.  At  day 
he  plodded  slowly  along  among  rocks  and  bowlders,  or  over 
wide  plains,  covered  with  a  crust  of  salt,  or  alkaline  dust, 
and  across  desert  prairies,  where  even  the  wild  Indians  sel- 
dom would  venture.  At  night  he  would  creep  into  a  hole 
in  the  rocks  and  sleep.  Sometimes  wolves  would  howl  at 
him,  and  bears  would  stop  to  look  at  him  ;  but  from  mercy 
or  fear,  they  did  not  molest  him. 

The  way  up  the  Sierra  Navadas  was,  like  the  Alps  were 
to  Napoleon,  "barely  possible."  He  wound  his  way  from 
ridge  to  ridge  and  from  summit  to  summit.  Sometimes  the 
drifts  of  snow  blockaded  his  path,  or  a  deep  ravine  forced 
him  to  go  miles  out  of  his  way.  But  still  he  went  forward, 
and  at  last,  after  days  of  climbing  and  wandering  among  the 
rocks  and  snows  of  centuries,  he  reached  the  last  summit, 
and  California  lay  before  him.  Behind  him,  for  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  miles,  stretched  the  dead  plains  of  Nevada 
and  Utah,  over  which  he  had  passed.  It  seemed  that  his 
journey  was  almost  over.  He  was  on  the  borders  of  Cali- 
fornia, the  Land  of  Promise  to  him.  As  he  stood  there,  in 
the  bright  sun  and  keen  air  of  that  afternoon,  amid  ever- 
lasting snows,  he  looked  afar  down  upon  the  rolling  hills 
and  boundless  plains  that  lay  like  an  ocean  before  him,  and 
thought  of  the  throngs  that  were  then  drifting  thither  from 
all  parts  of  the  earth  to  share  in  the  rich  harvest  of  golden 
sands.  He  was  one  of  the  most  adventuresome  of  all.  He 
was  a  young  man,  buoj^ant  with  all  the  hopes  and  ambitions 
of  youtli,  and  the  ransacked  world  had  no  impossil)ilities 
for  him.     He  would  yield  to  none  in  the  general  race   for 

15 


226  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

■wealth  and  romance.  He  counted  himself,  as  he  stood 
alone  on  the  bleak  summit  of  that  icy  mountain,  even  then 
a  conqueror.  And  he  was;  for  many  a  hero  would  have 
failed  where  he  had  triumphed. 

But  the  end  of  his  journey  was  not  yet.  Down,  down, 
down,  over  mountains,  compared  with  which  the  Allegha- 
nies  are  molehills,  he  must  go  before  he  would  reach  the 
mines  of  gold.  , 

He  traveled  nine  days  alone,  and  ixie  only  coffee  and 
crackers.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  reached  Placerville, 
then  a  small  mining  camp  called  Hangtown.  He  came  to 
the  camp  lato  in  the  evening,  v>-ithout  money  or  anything 
to  eat.  He  went  without  his  supper  because  he  had  noth- 
ing with  which  to  buy  it,  and  slept  on  the  ground  for  the 
want  of  a  bed.  The  mines  were  just  then  opening,  and 
there  were  not  many  miners  in  the  country.  He  knew  not 
where  to  get  his  breakfast  the  next  morning,  and  with  that 
problem  perplexing  him,  he  walked  up  and  down  the  camp, 
and  came  to  a  small  creek  where  some  Spaniards  were  dig- 
ging gold.  He  stopped  to  look  at  them.  The  gold  was  in 
fine  grains,  mixed  through  the  sand  and  gravel,  and  was 
separated  by  washing  and  shaking  it.  It  was  a  simple 
process,  and  when  Harper  had  watched  it  awhile,  he  con- 
cluded that  he  could  do  it. 

He  went  to  the  camp  of  a  trader  and  borrowed  a  pick 
and  pan,  and  set  to  work  digging  gold  to  get  money  to  buy 
his  breakfast.  He  succeeded  so  well  that  by  nine  o'clock 
he  thought  he  had  enough  to  pay  for  some  crackers,  and 
carried  it  to  the  trader  who  paid  him  six  dollars  for  it,  and 
offered  him  his  breakfast  free.  But  the  latter  part  of  the 
offer  was  declined  by  Harper  who  paid  for  the  meal  fi'om 
the  proceeds  of  his  morning's  work. 


TRAYELEKS.  227 

He  remained  at  Placeville  only  long  onougli  to  earn  a 
few  linndrecl  dollars,  and  then  lie  proceeded  to  Colonra,  on 
the  South  Fork  of  American  Eiver.  Here  he  was  offered 
five  thousand  dollars  to  work  on  a  saw-mill  one  year ;  but 
he  declined  the  offer,  sapng  that  he  came  to  California  to 
dig  gold,  not  to  chop  logs. 

We  next  find  him  at  Eectors,  on  the  Middle  Fork  of 
American  River.  He  and  five  others  jDut  in  the  first  flume 
ever  built  on  that  river  for  mining  purposes.  They  took  a 
river  claim  that  promised  to  yield  abundantly,  and  made 
extensive  preparations  to  open  their  mines.  But  winter 
was  now  at  hand,  and  the  annual  rains  commenced.  They 
worked  some  in  the  rain,  and  waited  for  it  to  cease  ;  but  it 
rained  nearly  constantly.  The  waters  got  so  high  that  all 
mining  had  to  stop.  He  was  now  out  of  employment,  and 
began  to  wish  that  he  had  taken  the  contract  on  the  mill. 

But  he  would  not  be  discouraged.  He  bought  a  rifle  and 
hunted  deer  to  supply  the  miners  with  meat.  This  paid 
very  well,  since  venison  brought  an  enormous  price  in  the 
diggings.  This  v/as  the  upper  camp  on  that  river ;  and 
during  the  winter  the  Indians  were  troublesome.  They 
killed  several  men,  and  broke  up  some  of  the  camps.  The 
miners  organized  for  their  defense,  and  a  general  frontier 
war  was  the  result. 

Now  commenced  Captain  Harper's  record  as  a  war  scout. 
He  soon  became  known  to  be  a  skillful  woodsman,  and  a 
daring  leader,  and  the  camps  placed  him  in  command  of 
their  fighting  force.  His  band  was  small ;  but  the  men 
were  picked  from  the  chivalry  of  thirty  states,  and  they 
knew  what  it  was  to  be  brave.  He  had  the  confidence  of 
his  men  and  he  was  not  afi-aid  to  trust  them.  The  Indians 
came  down  from  the  mountains  and  killed  people,  and  fled 


228  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEH  COUNTY. 

back  to  tlieir  strong  liolcls.  It  was  difficult  and  dangerous 
to  pursue  tliem  and  hunt  tliem  out,  and  tliey  went  unpun- 
ished for  sometime.  But  when  Harper  took  command  of 
the  forces,  the  tables  were  soon  turned.  The  Indians  had 
attacked  three  miners,  and  killed  one.  Two  were  wounded 
and  carried  off  as  prisoners  into  the  mountains. 

Harper  collected  his  men  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  rumor 
of  what  had  been  done,  and  by  daylight  he  was  in  hot  pur- 
suit. The  savages  were  making  for  the  mountains  to  their 
dens,  where  they  had  been  accustomed  to  hide.  They,  no 
doubt,  expected  to  get  away  as  they  had  done  before ;  but 
they  had  a  different  man  to  deal  with.  Harper  pressed 
forward  with  all  speed,  and  forced  them  upon  a  flying  re- 
treat over  the  long,  barren  ridges  that  skirt  the  plains  of 
the  American  River.  They  found  that  he  did  not  turn  back 
for  rocks  and  cliffs.  They  then  shaped  tlieir  course  for  the 
stupendous  mountains  in  the  distance,  where  the  snow  lay 
deep  on  the  ground.  They  evidently  calculated  that  he 
would  stop  at  the  edge  of  the  snow.  But  he  had  seen  snow 
before,  and  it  was  nothing  more  in  his  way  than  it  was  in 
theirs.  Bather,  it  was  a  help,  for  it  enabled  him  to  follow 
them  without  spending  time  in  searching  out  the  trail. 

They  now  realized  what  kind  of  man  they  had  to  deal 
with,  and  they  were  at  their  wit's  ends  how  to  dodge  him 
or  to  draw  him  into  an  ambuscade.  There  was  nothing 
left  for  them  but  to  run  for  their  lives,  and  they  had  little 
time  to  decide  upon  it.  It  was  now  late  at  night.  The 
))ursuit  had  continued  all  day,  with  only  rest  long  enough 
to  eat  twice.  The  Indians,  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained, 
had  not  eaten  or  rested  at  all.  The  snow  was  two  feet 
deep,  but  in  nearly  all  iDlaces  it  would  bear  the  weight  of  a 
man.     There  was  no  difficulty  in  following  the  savages,  and 


TKAVELERS.  229 

it  could  be  noticed  tliat  something  was  being  gained.  The 
fact  was,  they  were  the  hardest  put  to  it  to  keep  away  any 
longer.  They  were  never  before  pursued  by  a  man  who 
hung  on  with  such  bull-dog  determination.  Others  were 
accustomed  to  follow  to  the  rocks,  or  probably  to  the  snow, 
but  there  they  turned  back.  But  there  was  no  turn  back 
in  the  present  case,  and  the  Indians  found  it  so  to  their 
sorrow;  for  late  at  night  they  left  their  prisoners,  and  sep- 
arated in  as  many  ways  as  there  were  Indians,  which,  of 
course,  ended  the  pursuit. 

The  two  wounded  men  were  picked  up,  more  dead  than 
alive.  The  party  returned  to  camp,  which  they  reached  the 
next  evening. 

By  this  time  Harper  was  considered  the  leading  scout  in 
all  that  country;  and  he  was  kept  constantly  on  duty.  He 
roamed  among  the  hills  and  was  sure  to  discover  the  trail  of 
any  Indians  w^ho  should  go  toward  the  mining  camps. 
They  hated  him,  and  would  have  killed  him  on  sight,  if 
they  had  not  been  afraid  to  undertake  it.  He  was  a  splen- 
did shot  with  a  rifle,  and  it  was  risky  work  for  the  Indian 
who  would  venture  within  two  hundred  yards  of  him.  They 
sometimes  tried  to  slip  in  at  night ;  but  he  would  always 
prevent  it. 

It  had  been  a  rainy  week  on  the  American  Eiver,  late  in 
the  winter  of  1849,  and  the  miners  had  remained  for  the 
most  part  in  their  tents,  amusing  themselves  with  cards  or 
other  games.  But  the  rain  brought  no  rest  for  Harper. 
He  was  kept  on  scout  duty  all  the  time.  He  soon  had 
searched  the  country  for  miles  around  ;  and,  in  a  deep  val- 
ley, some  seven  miles  from  the  mining  camps,  he  found  the 
den  of  the  Indians.  He  reconnoitred  and  found  them  a 
arge  band.     Toward  sunset  he  started  to  camp  to  report, 


230  HISTOEY   OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

and  as  lie  proceeded,  be  fell  upon  a  trail  running  in  the 
direction  of  liis  camps.  Tlie  tliouglit  struck  him  that  the 
Indians  meant  mischief,  and  he  determined  to  follow  them 
and  hunt  out  their  designs.  He  had  not  far  to  go  till  he 
espied  them  huddling  around  their  fire.  He  took  another 
path,  and  reached  the  mining  camp  about  nine  o'clock  at 
night. 

He  found  everything  in  uproar  and  confusion  among  the 
miners.  News  had  been  received  that  the  Indians  had  fallen 
upon  a  camp  of  traders,  near  by  but  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  The  river  was  too  much  swollen  for  safe  cross- 
ing, and  the  traders  on  one  side  and  the  miners  on  the 
other  were  accustomed  to  talk  each  day  across  the  stream. 
On  that  dav,  when  the  miners  went  down  to  the  river  to  talk 
across,  they  saw  no  traders,  but  instead  they  saw  a  band  of 
Indians  tearing  down  the  traders'  tents,  and  breaking 
open  their  goods.  When  the  news  was  carried  to  camp,  it 
threw  all  into  excitement,  and  some  were  in  favor  of  re- 
treating toward  Sacramento  and  others  wanted  to  fortify 
the  camp  and  fight  it  through. 

In  the  midst  of  this  commotion  Harper  arrived,  and  re- 
ported that  he  had  seen  a  camp  of  the  enemy  not  far  off. 
He  was  in  for  an  immediate  attack,  but  some  opposed  him. 
But  he  collected  his  thirty  men,  and  armed  them  for  a 
double-quick  march  upon  the  camp  of  the  enemy. 

At  midnight  he  started  with  his  thirty  men,  and  picked 
his  way  through  the  tangled  thickets  of  snow-brush  and 
manzanita  that  covered  the  hillsides.  It  was  a  dark  night, 
and  the  progress  was  slow  and  tedious.  The  Indian  camp 
was  four  miles  distant,  and  so  rough  was  the  way  that  it  was 
not  reached  till  day-break.  Harper  had  planned  to  sur- 
round it  so  that  none  of  the  savage  wretches   could   break 


TKAYELERS.  231 

away.  He  sent  his  men  by  several  patlis  to  come  up  on 
different  sides  of  the  encampment ;  and  he  went  up  directly 
in  front  with  four  men.  He  got  near  enough  to  count  five 
Indians.  He  waited  for  the  rest  of  his  party  to  get  into 
position  ;  but  when  he  had  grown  somewhat  impatient  with 
waiting,  he  saw  his  party  on  a  distant  hill.  '!Ohey  had  taken 
the  wrong  path  and  had  lost  their  way.  He  determined  to 
make  the  attack  an^diow.  He  whispered  to  his  men  to  fire 
when  he  should  have  raised  his  gun.  The}^  did  so.  The 
almost  instantaneous  report  of  five  guns  proclaimed  that 
five  Indians  were  in  eternity.  None  were  left  in  the  camp. 
All  were  killed.  In  the  camp  was  found  some  of  the  plun- 
der taken  from  the  traders.  Harper's  band  then  crossed 
the  river,  and  attacked  the  other  gang  of  savages,  and 
utterly  routed  them,  not  even  allowing  them  time  to  carry 
off  their  plunder. 

These  skirmishes  acted  as  a  damper  upon  the  Indians. 
They  found  themselves  unable  to  cope  with  the  men  of  the 
mines.  Harper  soon  beset  them  in  their  camp  seven  miles 
away,  in  the  hidden  valley,  and  they  were  beaten  out,  and 
chased  pell-mell  up  and  down  the  hills,  and  were  given  no 
jDlace  to  rest.  They  were  kept  upon  the  trot  day  and  night, 
and  finall}^  they  broke  up  into  small  bands  and  fled  to  the 
mountains  of  the  Korth,  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  mines. 
This  ended  the  Indiar  war  of  1849,  in  that  section. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  E.  Harper's  two  brothers,  Thad- 
deus  and  Jerome,  arrived  in  California,  and  the  three  worked 
in  the  mines  that  year.  They  then  went  to  Santa  Clara 
Yalley  and  bought  a  farm.  Thaddeas  and  Jerome  re- 
mained on  the  farm  ;  but  Ezekiel  returned  to  the  mines  and 
worked  till  December,  1851.  He  tlien  sailed  from  San 
Francisco  for  New  York.     He  stopped  in  Central  America, 


232  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

and  spent  sometime  hunting,  and  shooting  alligators,  liz- 

zards  and  large  snakes  along  the  banks  of  El  Rio  San  Juan 

Del  Sur.     He  arrived  in  New  York,  and  soon  after  reached 

home.     He  visited  his  parents,  and  early  in  the  spring  of 

1852  again  set  out  to  cross  the  plains  for  California.     This 

time  his  brother  Jacob  accompanied  him  and  they  reached 

Missouri  without  the  occurrence  of  anything  of  note.     There 

they  bought  four  thousand  sheep,  intending  to  drive   them 

to  California.     If  an  ox  team  was  slow,  a  band  of  sheep  was 

slower.     The  progress  was  not  encouraging.     Five  or  six, 

or  at  most  ten  miles  a  day  was  as  much  as  could  be  made. 

The  Indians  were  not  particularly  troublesome  at  that  time, 

and  by  the  commencement  of  summer  the  sheep  had  been 

driven  to  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

At  that  time  the  Asiatic  cholera  was  raging  on  the  plains, 

and  Jacob  Harper  did  not  escape.     What  little  his  brother 

could  do  for  him  amounted  to  nothing,  and  he  died  on  the 

summit   of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  buried  by  his 

brother.     His  untimely  death  cast  a  shadow  of  gloom  over 

all,  and  it  was  with  feelings  of  sadness  that  his  colnpanions 

moved  on,  down  the  wild  western  slo23e,  and  left  him  to  the 

society  of  storms  and  tempests. 

The  Indian  knows  his  place  of  rest 
Deep  in  the  forest  shade. 

The  sheep  were  driven  on  to  California,  and  were  sold 
with  great  profit.  "With  the  proceeds  of  these  sales,  to- 
gether with  those  of  the  teams  and  wagons,  and  also  of  the 
farm  in  Santa  Clara  Yallej',  they  built  a  block  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. It  was  called  the  St.  Charles.  His  brother  remained 
in  San  Francisco,  but  E.  Haper  went  to  Oregon,  built  a  store 
at  Raineer,  and  shipped  produce  to  the  other  members  of 
the  firm  in  the  city. 


TEAYELEES.  23 


Q 


In  the  sj^ring  of  1855,  tlieir  property  in  San  Francisco 
was  burnt.  Tlieir  loss  was  great,  and  they  had  nothing 
left  when  they  had  paid  their  liabilities.  Captain  Harper 
returned  to  the  mines  and  worked  as  hard  as  he  had  done 
in  early  mining  days.  At  the  end  of  five  months  he  had 
saved  $2500.  The  next  winter,  1855-6,  he  sailed  on  the 
Golden  Age  for  Panama,  and  thence  to  New  York.  He 
visited  his  parents  in  the  Yalley  of  CloTer,  and  traveled 
over  nearly  all  the  Western  States. 

In  December,  1856,  he  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  steamer 
George  Law.  This  was  to  him  a  memorable  voyage,  and 
the  ship  has  since  become  memorable.  It  was  the  famous 
Central  America  that  sunk  the  next  year  in  the  Caribbean 
Sea.  This  voyage  of  Harper's,  in  December,  1857,  came 
near  being  the  final  one.  When  off  Cape  Hatteras  there 
came  on  a  terrible  storm.  That  Cape  protrudes  into  the 
stormiest  part  of  the  Atlantic,  and  a  ship  seldom  passes  it 
without  being  beset  with  hurricanes  and  waves.  Many  a 
stout  ship  has  succumbed  and  gone  down  there. 

As  the  George  Law  was  passing  that  point,  it  was  struck 
by  a  gale.  The  ship  was  old,  and  the  storm  was  a  dreadful 
one.  The  ship  was  thrown  on  its  beam  end,  and  lay  twen- 
ty-four hours  at  the  mercy  of  the  billows.  An  exrtact  from 
one  of  Harper's  letters  written  after  his  arrival  in  Aspinwall 
will  give  a  vivid  account  of  the  storm. 

Aspinwall,  January  18,  1857. 

It  came  without  warning.     I  was  standing  on  the 

hurricane  deck  when  I  noticed  that  the  clouds  were  flying  with 
uncommon  speed  and  in  different  directions.  They  seemed  to  boil 
up  out  of  the  ocean  and  roll  hither  and  thither,  up  and  down  the  sky, 
until  they  hid  everything  from  view,  except  the  water,  which  at 
that  time  was  calm  as  it  ever  is  in  that  part  of  the  sea.  The  clouds 
appeared  to  be  nearly  on  the  water ;  and  they  came  nearer  and 


234  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

grew  blacker,  till,  suddenly,  I  found  that  darkness  Avas  settling 
down  upon  us,  and  all  nature,  so  much  of  it  as  was  visible,  was 
changing  appearance,  and  was  assuming  an  ominous  aspect. 

So  intently  was  I  watching  the  transformations  going  on  in  the 
firmaments  about  me,  that  I  had  not  noticed  what  others  were  do- 
ing. In  all  my  travels  I  had  never  beheld  such  a  sight,  and  I  stood 
in  amazement  and  wonder,  at  an  utter  loss  to  divine  what  it  meant 
or  what  it  portended.  But,  at  this  point,  I  was  aroused  from  my 
reverie  by  a  sailor  who  seized  me  by  the  arm  and  ordered  me  to  go 
below.  I  now  saw  that  everj^thing  on  the  ship  was  in  conmiotion. 
The  captain  was  standing  by  the  generale  giving  orders,  and  the 
sailors  were  taking  in  sail  and  clearing  the  decks,  and  getting 
everything  in  readiness  for  the  w^orst.  The  passengers  were  nearly 
all  in  the  cabin  or  the  hold  ;  but  I  could  see  that  they  were  in  the 
greatest  consternation.  I  stood  where  I  was,  till  the  order  to  get 
below  was  repeated  with  a  threat.     I  then  started. 

Just  then  I  felt  the  first  breath  of  the  coming  storm.  A  whiflf  of 
wind  struck  my  face,  then  another,  and  another,  each  one  getting 
stronger  and  quicker,  till  they  became  a  strong  breeze.  There  was 
something  in  that  breeze  that  seemed  to  prophesy  what  was  coming. 
Perhaps  the  subsequent  storm,  or  probably  the  appearance  of  the 
elements,  or  the  commotion  on  the  ship,  left  the  impression  ;  but  I 
got  it  there,  and  when  that  breeze  struck  me,  I  felt  that  a  calamity 
was  at  hand. 

The  ship  was  now  rocking  and  plunging  in  a  dreadful  manner. 
The  waves  were  beating  over  her,  and  the  deluge  of  water  that 
was  poured  upon  the  deck  nearly  washed  me  from  my  feet  before 
I  could  get  below.  Just  as  I  did  so,  a  tremendous  wave  struck  the 
ship.  I  thouffht  the  whole  thing  was  flying  to  splinters.  The  tim- 
bers crashed  and  creaked,  and  the  vessel  rolled  helplessly  upon  her 
side  as  if  she  had  given  up  the  struggle  and  had  surrendered  to  her 
fate.  , 

The  scene  among  the  panic-stricken  passengers  at  that  awful 
moment  was  beyond  the  powers  of  language  to  describe.  Every- 
thing movable  rolled  to  the  lower  side  of  the  ship,  and  there  piled 
up  in  confusion  and  ruin.  I  seized  a  post  to  save  myself  from  fall- 
ing and  being  buried  in  the  common  wreck.     I  seized  the  post  with 


TKAYELEES.  235 

one  hand  and  with  the  other  caught  a  lady  who  was  falling.  She 
said:  "Are  we  lost  ?"  I  told  her,  "jS'o,"  and  she  seemed  to  place 
confidence  in  what  I  said,  although  I  had  no  idea  of  eA'^er  seeing 
the  sun  again.  I  could  hear  the  water  roaring  over  us ;  and  the 
groaning  of  the  timbers  and  the  crushing  of  the  braces  made  it  evi- 
dent that  it  would  soon  be  over  at  that  rate.  I  don't  belive  that  I 
was  excited  or  in  any  degree  lost  my  presence  of  mind.  I  reasoned 
as  clearly  as  I  do  now.  Around  me,  above  the  dash  and  roar  and 
thunder  of  the  ocean,  I  could  hear  the  poor  terror-stricken  passen- 
gers shriek  and  implore  ;  but  I  had  no  such  feelings.  I  have  looked 
upon  too  many  scenes  and  exhibitions  of  the  terrible  in  all  its  forms 
to  be  frightened  at  anything. 

I  felt  surprised  that  the  ship  did  not  go  to  pieces  and  sink.  I 
hung  to  the  post,  intending  to  do  so  to  the  last.  There  was  no 
change  in  the  situation  for  some  time,  till  the  ship  sprung  a  leak. 

4(  i|i  iK  *  *  4c  >K 

I  held  to  the  post  no  longer.  I  let  the  lady  take  care  of  herself. 
I  saw  that  there  was  something  to  be  done.  I  got  on  deck,  and 
held  to  the  rigging.  The  spray  flew  so  as  to  nearly  blind  me,  and 
also,  at  times,  strangled  me.  There  were  only  five  among  the  pas- 
sengers who  were  able  to  do  anything.  I  was  one  of  the  five.  We 
held  to  the  rigging  with  one  hand  and  pumped  water  Avith  the 
other.  Before  night  the  water  was  six  feet  deep  in  the  ship,  and 
all  the  pumps  were  working  to  their  utmost  capacity.  That 
was  a  terrible  night.  There  was  no  abatement  in  the  storm.  The 
ship  rolled  at  the  mercy  of  the 

Wild  waves  and  the  remorseless  dasli  of  billows. 
The  night  was  intensely  dark,  and  the  clouds  seemed  to  have  come 
down  upon  the  fierce,  black  ocean,  and  enshrouded  all  in  a  gloom 
as  thick  as  the  darkness  that  fell  as  a  plague  upon  Egypt.     It  was 
a  long  night.     I  think  it  was  the  longest  I  ever  knew. 

I  took  no  rest.  We  five  worked  unceasingly  at  the  pumps.  All 
the  rest  of  the  passengers  were  helpless  with  fatigue  and  sea  sick- 
ness, so  that,  in  addition  to  our  work  at  the  pumps,  we  had  to  pro- 
vide for  those  who  were  unable  to  do  anything  for  themselves. 

«  ^  j)»  «  «  4(  « 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  utter  exhaustion.  Before  morning  came, 
we  were  unable  to  do  anything  scarcely ;  for,  the  work,  and  hun- 


236  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

ger,  had  pulled  us  down.  Still  we  kept  at  the  pumps  and  did  the 
best  we  could.  We,  at  last,  began  to  hope  that  there  was  some 
chance  of  escape.  This  may  have  aided  us  to  struggle  on  ;  but,  at 
best,  it  was  little  we  could  do.  When  morning  broke,  it  found  our 
ship  in  a  deplorable  plight.  But  the  storm  soon  began  to  abate, 
and  at  length  we  considered  ourselves  out  of  immediate  danger. 
Wlien  all  became  calm  enough  to  permit  the  captain  to  take  the 
latitude  and  longitude  he  found  the  ship  only  twenty-four  miles 
from  where  it  had  been  at  the  commencement  of  the  storm.  This 
seems  proof  to  my  mind  that  the  wind  blew  from  various  directions. 
The  water  was  six  feet  deep  in  the  ship  when  we  got  into  this  har- 
bor.    It  has  been  a  miraculous  escape. 

This  slii23,  the  George  Laio,  has  an  after  history  worth 
mentioning.  It  was  taken  back  to  New  York  and  repaired 
and  named  the  Central  America.  Its  fate  is  known  the  world 
over.  It  sailed  from  Aspinwall  with  a  full  load  of  passen- 
gers. It  went  down  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  wdth  nearly  all 
on  board.  Poets  and  orators  have  told  the  story,  and  it  is 
a  sad  one.  There  were  about  twenty  of  Harper's  acquaint- 
ances on  board.  Tlie  passengers  were  on  their  way  from 
California,  and  many  of  them  carried  in  their  belts  the 
earnings  of  years.  When  it  was  found  that  the  ship  must 
go  do^Ti,  the  men  began  to  unload  themselves  of  the  gold, 
which  they  empted  from  their  belts  upon  the  deck,  until, 
according  to  an  eye  witnesss,  there  was  no  spot  from  one 
end  of  the  ship  to  the  other,  whereon  a  man  might  set  his 
foot,  that  was  not  covered  -with  gold.  But  it  did  no  good, 
and  the  ship  went  down  with  its  gold  and  its  human  beings 
and  the  ruthless  Caribbean  waves  rolled  over  all. 

Harper  returned  to  California  and  with  his  brothers  mined 
and  dealt  in  cattle.  The  business  prospered  well.  So  well, 
indeed,  that  they  conceived  the  plan  of  establishing  a  house 
in  Chili,  South  America.  The  few  Europeans  and  Americans 
who  had  gone  there  were  making  fortunes.     Jerome  Harper 


TRAYELEES.  237 

was  sent  there.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  insurrec- 
tion broke  out  in  Chili.  The  people  there  were  oppressed 
with  all  tyranny,  and  politics  were  in  a  deplorable  condi- 
tion. The  measure  was  full  of  risk  and  danger,  but  Jerome 
had  established  a  merchants'  commission  store  there.  He 
was  doing  a  large  business  when  the  rebellion  came  on. 
With  the  characteristics  of  his  family,  he  at  once  took  sides 
in  the  controversy,  and  in  so  doing,  he  gave  his  sympathy 
and  assistance  to  the  rebels.  The  war  raged  dreadfully  for 
awhile ;  but  the  Government  forces  were  the  most  powerful 
and  the  rebellion  was  crushed.  The  rebels,  as  fast  as  they 
could  find  transportation,  were  banished  to  Patagonia.  That 
country  then  was,  and  still  is,  among  the  least  civilized 
regions  on  the  globe.  It  was  the  Siberia  of  South  America; 
and  those  who  were  exiled  to  the  savage  hills,  where  it 
rains  or  snows  three  hundred  days  in  the  year,  met  a  fate 
as  dreadful  as  the  Nihilists  who  now  languish  in  the  icy 
prisons  of  Asiatic  Russia. 

E.  Harper  could  get  no  tidings  from  his  brother,  further 
than  that  he  sympathized  with  the  rebels.  When  the  news 
reached  California  that  the  rebels  were  conquered  and  were 
being  banished  to  Patagonia,  Captain  Harper  concluded 
that  his  brother  must  have  been  sent  to  Patagonia.  Time, 
with  no  tidings  from  Jerome,  convinced  him  more  strongly  of 
this ;  and,  with  an  ever  commendable  generosity,  he  deter- 
mined to  go  to  the  rescue  of  his  brother. 

Captain  Harper  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  U.  S. 
Minister  to  Chili,  and  through  his  interposition  hoped  to 
procure  the  release  of  his  brother.  The  property  in  San 
Francisco  and  in  the  country  was  sold  to  raise  funds  for 
that  purpose.  He  came  down  to  Pataluma,  near  San 
Francisco,  and  was   intending   to  make  the  sale  of  some 


HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

property  there,  and  tlien  proceed  in  person  to  Cliili  to  do 
what  he  could  for  Jerome.  But  when  just  on  the  eve  of 
departure,  he  got  intelligence  that  Jerome  had  arrived  in 
San  Francisco,  and  was  out  of  money.  Harper  sent  him 
twenty  dollars  on  which  to  come  to  Pataluma,  and  without 
awaiting  his  arrival,  returned  north  and  canceled  the  sales 
he  had  made.  Those  made  in  San  Francisco  and  Pataluma 
were  also  canceled,  so  that  there  was  no  great  loss  after  all. 

After  this,  Mr.  Harper  worked  some  mines  and  dealt  in 
cattle  till  1860.  At  that  time  his  parents  wrote  to  him  to 
come  home  as  they  needed  his  care.  He  closed  his  busi- 
ness and  returned  to  his  native  county. 

This  was  in  1860,  and  the  Civil  War  was  at  hand.  Har- 
per was  a  man  who  alwaj's  took  sides  one  way  or  the  other. 
If  he  v\^as  not  a  friend  he  Avas  an  enemy.  So,  when 
the  war  came  on,  he  joined  the  Confederates,  and 
threw  his  whole  energies  into  his  cause.  The  first  active 
service  he  saw  Avas  at  the  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford,  where  he 
acted  as  pilot  to  Garnett's  retreating  army,  and  led  it 
safely  through  mountain  paths  and  narrow  defiles  across 
the  Alleglianies.  TJie  particulars  and  a  full  account  of  this 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  book.  It  is  proposed  to 
give  here  only  such  of  his  history  as  is  not  connected  in  a 
general  way  with  other  county  matters. 

The  next  we  hear  of  him  he  was  in  Pendleton  County, 
actively  engaged  in  the  field.  That  ])art  of  the  State  vras 
then  held  by  the  Confederates.  There  v\'as  fighting  to  be 
done.  The  man  who  had  braved  the  dangers  of  mountain, 
plain  and  sea,  and  had  seen  duty  in  the  wildest  country  on 
earth,  was  sure  to  be  of  service  in  guerrilla  warfare  among 
the  steep  clifi's  and  narrow  defiles  of  Pendleton  County. 

It  was  not  long  before  there  was  plenty  of  fighting  to  be 


TKAYELERS.  239 

done.  The  Federals  were  advancing  into  the  country,  and 
Harper  was  sent  out,  with  a  company  of  others,  to  annoy 
them,  but  not  to  offer  battle,  unless  favored  by  great  odds. 
He  got  in  front  of  several  hundred,  and  saw  a  chance  to 
strike  them  a  telling  blow.  He  made  an  impetuous  charge, 
and  ^  drove  them  back  upon  the  main  body  and  captured 
two  horses.  But  he  had  advanced  too  far,  and  found  him- 
self in  danger  of  being  taken  prisoner.  The  Yankees  were 
on  three  sides  of  him.  He  had  a  good  horse,  and  it  was 
now  a  ride  for  life.  He  kept  his  distance  and  was  thinking 
himself  almost  beyond  danger,  when  a  ball  cut  through  his 
coat,  and  another  stuck  his  horse  in  the  neck  and  killed 
him  instantly.  Harper  ran  on  a-foot.  One,  a  tall  fellow  of 
the  enemy,  out-stripped  the  others  of  the  chase  and  came 
close  upon  him.  It  was  a  sad  risk  for  the  young  soldier, 
and  dearly  did  he  pay  for  it.  He  was  pressing  a  man  whom 
it  was  not  safe  to  press  in  a  case  of  that  time. 

Harper  got  beyond  range  of  the  enemy's  muskets,  and 
then  halted  to  collect  his  men.  He  could  find  onlv  two. 
But  with  these  he  made  a  stand,  and  having  greatly  the 
advantage  of  ground,  he  held  them  in  check  for  some  time, 
and  until  both  of  his  brave  comrades  fell  dead  at  his  side. 
He  then  continued  his  retreat  and  succeeded  in  making  his 
escape.  But,  the  two  captured  horses  were  retaken,  and 
he  got  back  to  the  Confederate  lines  without  a  horse.  This 
exploit  gave  him  a  name  in  that  country,  and  the  very  next 
day  he  was  elected  captain  of  a  company  of  rangers. 

This  was  duty  that  suited  him.  He  was  an  excellent 
woodsman,  and  understood  well  the  management  of  scouting 
parties.  He  and  his  brother  William  were  the  principal 
leaders  of  the  guerrilla  bands  in  that  region;  and  so 
dashing  and  rapid  were  they  in  their  movements,  and  so 


2^0  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

quick  to  understand  and  tliwart  any  effort  made  to  circiim- 
vent  tlieni,  that  tlie  Yankees  were  in  mortal  dread  when- 
ever in  that  region. 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  give  the  details  of  all  the  skir- 
mishes that  took  place  in  that  section.  That  belongs  to 
the  history  of  Pendleton  County ;  and  it  should  be  pre- 
served as  local  history. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  McDowell  fight  took  place. 
It  was  thought  proper  to  keep  the  Federals  in  Beverly  from 
aiding  in  the  fight,  and  with  this  in  view,  Captain  Harper 
was  ordered  to  make  a  movement  as  if  to  attack  Beverly, 
and  thus  keep  there  what  troops  were  in  it. 

He  immediately  fulfilled  his  orders.  He  selected  twenty 
of  his  most  trusty  men  and  came  down  from  the  mountains 
with  a  bold  front,  and  advanced  within  one  mile  and  a  half 
of  the  town.  Here  he  captured  a  store,  and  made  all  the 
display  of  his  forces  possible,  so  as  to  make  an  impression 
of  fear  upon  the  enem}'.  In  this  he  was  successful,  inas- 
much as  he  did  what  he  attempted  ;  but  he  met  misfortunes 
before  he  was  done  vdth.  it. 

The  people  on  Dry  Fork  were  principally  Union  men, 
and  had  organized  companies  of  their  own,  and  called  them 
Home  Guards.  Their  enemy  often  called  them  Swamp 
Dragons.  Sampson  Snider  was  one  of  the  most  noted 
leaders  of  the  Union  guerrillas  of  Dry  Fork.  When  Har- 
per made  his  raid  from  Pendleton  toward  Beverly,  he  forgot 
that  he  was  laying  himself  open  to  an  attack  from  Sn3"der, 
who  could  cross  over  from  Dry  Fork  and  assail  him  in 
flank.  When  he  had  made  all  the  display  in  front  of  Bev- 
erly that  was  deemed  prudent,  he  retreated  with  his 
twenty  chosen  men,  all  in  fine  spirits  and  superbly 
mounted,  to  Shafer's  Mountain. 


TRAYELEES.  241 

Here  lie  was  surprised  and  routed  by  Snj'der's  Company 
from  Dry  Fork.  He  lost  all  liis  guns,  but  saved  liis  men, 
and  making  a  forced  march,  camped  tliat  niglit  above 
Franklin.  The  next  morning  he  spied  out  the  Federal 
Army  and  counted  the  regiments.  There  were  tvrenty- 
seven.  He  learned  that  they  were  aiming  to  get  in  the 
rear  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  He  at  once  set  out  with  all 
speed  to  Staunton  to  convey  the  intelligence.  When  he 
stepped  into  Mayor  Hammer's  office,  he  found  him  pressing 
teams  into  service  to  send  to  Winchester  for  the  captured 
spoils.  Harper  told  him  to  stop  the  teams,  that  Fremont 
was  moving  in  the  rear  of  Jackson  with  twenty-seven  regi- 
ments. When  the  Mayor  heard  this  and  saw  Avho  was 
speaking,  he  ordered  the  teams  stopped  and  dispatched  to 
Jackson  what  the  situation  was.  He  did  not  even  ask  Har- 
per how  he  knew  whereof  he  spoke. 

Soon  after  this,  Harper  joined  the  regular  army;  but  he 
was  seldom  required  to  do  camp  duty.  He  was  a  good 
scout,  and  services  as  such  were  worth  more  than  as  a  sol- 
dier. When  Imboden  made  his  raids  into  this  section  of 
the  State,  he  was  piloted  by  either  Captain  or  William 
Harper.  Captain  Harper  led  the  party  that  crossed  the 
mountains  with  such  remarkable  speed  to  burn  the  Fair- 
mont bridge.  He  was  also  the  pilot  of  Imboden  at  his  first 
raid  into  Tucker  County.  William  Harper  was  the  pilot 
at  the  second  raid. 

In  November,  1808,  he  was  sent  through  to  learn  the  sit- 
uation of  the  enenw  in  Tucker  County.  He  came  over  the 
mountains,  and  passed  the  settlements  at  night,  till  he  ar- 
rived in  Tucker,  where  he  set  himself  to  work  searching  out 
the  designs  of  the  enemy.  His  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
counti'v  rendered  this  an  easv  task.     When  he  had  i^otten 

10 


242  HISTOKY   OF  TUCKER   COUNTY. 

the  desired  infonnatioii  lie  visited  liis  father's  house  to  bid 
his  parents  good-bye.  He  had  not  been  there  ten  minutes 
when  the  house  was  surrounded  by  Union  sokliers,  and 
citizens  of  the  neighborhood  who  had  a  spite  at  him  and 
hit  on  this  plan  to  take  vengeance.  He  saw  the  soldiers  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  started  to  escape  by  the  back  door. 
On  the  step  he  was  confronted  by  a  squad  of  soldiers  with 
juesented  gunr-.  They  ordered  him  to  surrender.  Seeing 
the  impossibility  of  escape  and  the  uselessness  of  resist- 
ance, he  com])lied.  He  unbuckled  his  belt  and  let  it  and 
his  pistols  fall  to  the  ground.     He  was  then  a  prisoner. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  to  follow  him  through  the  horrors 
of  his  prison  life,  except  in  the  briefest  manner.  He  saw 
and  endured  the  rival  of  Libby  and  Anderson ville.  Noth- 
ing but  his  unconquerable  will  and  his  iron  constitution 
enal)led  him  to  live  through  it.  Carthagenian  cruelty  was 
surpassed  on  him,  and  his  lot  was  worse  than  that  of  the 
Chillon  Prisoner. 

As  soon  as  he  surrendered,  some  of  the  men  wanted  to 
shoot  him,  and  would  have  done  so,  if  not  restrained  by  the 
ret;ular  soldiers.  They  carried  him  to  St.  George,  and 
threw  him  in  jail.  It  was  a  cold,  November  night,  and  he 
was  allowed  no  fire  or  blankets.  This  Avas  not  enough,  and 
the  next  morning  he  was  chained.  It  was  not  deemed  safe 
to  keep  him  in  St.  George,  because  his  friends  Avere  numer- 
ous and  might  set  him  at  libert}'.  Therefore,  he  was  taken 
to  liowlesburg  and  placed  under  the  directions  of  Captain 
Hall.  Hall  treated  him  kindly- ;  but  some  of  the  men 
thirsted  for  his  blood.  Several  plans  were  laid  to  kill  him ; 
but  he  and  Da'\ id  Lipscomb  succeeded  in  presenting  falling 
into  their  hands.  He  was  confined  in  the  guard-house, 
and  even  thou  his  enemies  tried  to  assassinate  him.     He 


TEAYELERS.  243 

always  spoke  liiglily  of  the  kindness  of  Captain  Hall  and 
of  most  of  tlie  men  of  Compan}*  F. 

It  was  soon  deemed  advisable  to  move  liim  from  Rowles- 
burg,  and  lie  was  taken  to  Clarksburg  and  put  in  prison. 
Great  crowds  of  people  came  to  look  at  him,  and  an  Irish- 
man exclaimed  in  surprise  :  "Faith!  and  he  is  a  little  man 
to  fire  a  salute  over  and  for  the  officers  to  get  drunk  over, 
when  he  was  captured."     He  attracted  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion at  Clarksburg.     The  people  had  ail  heard  of  him  and 
how   he   had   fleeced   the   Yankees    in   Pendleton.     From 
Clarksburg  he  was  sent  to  Wheeling,  and  Avas  there  chained 
to  a  post,  and  all  the  other  prisoners  were  ordered  not  to 
speak  to  him.     He  passed  the  time   as  well  as  he   could. 
The  officers  paid  considerable  attention  to  him,  and  seemed 
to  like  to  question  him  concerning  his  past  life.     He  com- 
municated  freely,   and   won   their   confidence.     They    ap- 
peared to  think  that  they  were  doing  him  a  great  honor  by 
condescending  to  talk  with  him.     But  he  gave  them  to  un- 
derstand that,  although  a   chained  prisoner,  he  was  not  a 
slave,  and   would   not   be   forced   to   praise  their  tyranny. 
For,  when   one  of  them  wanted   his  opinion  of  the  prison, 
expecting  him  to  brag  on  it  and  its  managers,  as  compared 
with  others,  Harper  replied  that   one  thing  seemed  to  be 
vranting  to  render  the  prison   ])erfect  in    every  particular. 
The  officer  wanted  to  know  what  that  was.     "A  picture  on 
the  Avail,  of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  in  chains,"  replied  Har- 
per, while    the    officer's   countenance    fell,    a]id    a    look    of 
shame  overspread  his  face. 

The  next  day  an  officer  came  in  and  requested  him  not  to 
make  so  much  noi.se  with  his  chains,  as  it  annoyed  them  in 
their  office.  Harper  felt  this  intentional  insult,  and  giving 
the  chain  a  shake  of  defiance,  he  said  it  annoyed  hi  in  too, 


244  HISTOEY   OF   TUCKER  COUNTY. 

and  if  tliey  did  not  like  to  hear  it  tliey  could  take  it  off. 
Witli  this  the  officer  flew  into  a  rage,  and  heaped  abvise  and 
calumniation  upon  the  ]3risoner,  and  charged  him  with 
causing  more  disturbance  on  the  frontiers  than  any  other 
tive  men.  He  tried  to  browbeat  the  prisoner  into  submis- 
sion ;  but,  in  this  he  '  failed.  Harper  defended  himself 
against  the  attacks  of  the  officer,  and  said  that  the  duty  of 
a  soldier  had  always  been  his  rule  of  action.  But,  if  they 
had  any  doubt  as  to  whether  or  not  he  was  a  coward  they 
might  pick  out  six  of  their  men  and  give  him  five  of  his  from 
the  prison,  and  they  would  settle  the  matter  on  an]^  terms. 
This  offer,  of  course,  was  not  accepted ;  and  Harper  then 
told  them  if  they  would  give  him  six  men,  he  would  take 
the  town  and  them  in  it.  He  said  it  was  only  their  coward- 
ice that  made  them  chain  him. 

This  controversy  had  a  bad  effect.  It  turned  the  officers 
against  him,  although  they  should  have  admired  such  a 
display  of  endurance  and  independence.  But,  after  that  he 
got  few  manifestations  of  kindness  from  them,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  was  carried  to  Camp  Chase.  Whether 
his  quarrel  had  anything  to  do  with  the  transfer  is  not 
certain. 

We  subjoin  an  extract  from  one  of  his  letters. 

I  staid  two  months  in  Camp  Chase.  I  am  told  that  there  were 
three  thousand  prisoners  there  ;  but  I  cannot  answer  for  the  num- 
ber, because  I  had  httle  opportunity  for  knowing.  I  know  how  I 
spent  my  time,  and  what  I  saw  and  suffered,  and  that  is  all  I  wish 
to  know  or  see  or  hear  on  the  subject.  I  have  read  many  stories  of 
prison  life  ;  and  I  am,  as  a  general  thing,  opposed  to  giving  them 
circulation,  since  they  arouse  a  feeling  of  hatred  and  vengeance 
that  can  do  no  good.  Many  of  them,  too,  certainly  are  exaggera- 
tions, although  many  are  not.  You  asked  me  if  I  thought  the 
Union  prisons  as  bad  as  the  Confederate.     I   cannot  answer  this 


TRAYELEKS.  245 

from  personal  experience,  for  I  Avas  never  confined  in  a  Confed- 
erate prison;  but  I  should  judge  that  they  were  about  the  same. 
The  Rebels  often  let  prisoners  suffer  because  they  had  no  food  or 
shelter  for  them,  and  thus  there  must  have  been  appalling  horrors 
in  the  Southern  prisons  late  in  the  war;  for  then  the  Rebels  often 
had  only  the  coarsest  rations  for  their  own  men  in  the  field.  Of 
course,  in  so  great  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  and  in  the  intense 
hatred  that  existed,  the  poor  soldiers  of  the  Union,  in  the  Confed- 
erate prisons,  must  have  suffered  from  hunger,  and  exposure  to 
the  weather.  You  know  that  my  sympathies  are  with  the  South 
and  always  have  been,  and  it  is  but  natural  that  I  should  try  to 
clear  them  of  the  charges  of  intentional  cruelty.  I  do  try  to  clear 
them.  I  know  the  Southern  people,  I  know  that  they  are  filled 
with  fire,  and  filled  with  generosity.  It  is,  therefore,  my  belief 
that  much  of  their  hard  treatment  of  Union  prisoners  Avas  of 
necessity,  and  if  they  could  they  would  have  been  better. 

But,  with  the  Union  prisons,  this  is  not  the  case.  They  could 
have  fed  and  clothed  and  sheltered  their  prisoners  if  they  would 
have  done  so.  Their  stores  were  filled  with  bread  and  meat;  and 
clothing,  even  if  it  must  be  the  worn-out  uniform  of  soldiers,  was 
abundant.  I  endeavor  not  to  let  prejudice  and  national  or  sec- 
tional hatred  influence  me  in  Avhat  I  say  of  the  war.  I  fought  for 
the  South,  and  I  Avanted  the  South  to  succeed  by  all  honorable 
means;  but,  since  it  was  not  to  be  so,  I  think  I  am  man  enough  to 
free  myself  from  all  prejudice,  and  to  consider  calmly  the  issues  as 
they  then  stood.  I  haA^e  no  doubt  but  that  much  of  the  barbarity 
in  the  IN'orthern  prisons  Avas  due  to  a  spirit  of  retaliation  and  re- 
venge. It  AA^as  modeled,  in  extent,  after  the  crueltj"  in  Southern 
prisons;  and  I  think  the  model  was  surj^assed.  I  can't  see  hoAV  it 
could  haA-e  been  otherAvise. 

i&  iif  ^  i^  -^  vp  w 

The  last  night  of  1S63  Avas  A^ery  cold,  and  we  Avere  not  alloAved 
any  fire.  But,  fifteen  men  disregarded  the  orders  and  kindled  fires 
in  their  stoA-es.  It  cost  them  their  lives  ;  for  the  guards  discovered 
the  fires  and  shot  and  killed  the  prisoners  as  they  sat  shiA'-ering 
round  the  fires  trying  to  get  Avarm.  I  suppose  that  they  Avere 
buried,  but  don  t  know.  I  know  that  there  was  little  hurry  in 
burving  those  that  died.     I  have  seen  them  lie  tAvo  or  three  days 


246  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

unattended,  and  Avhen  at  last  a  rough  box  was  brought  and  the 
corpse  placed  in  it,  the  box  an  1  all  was  often  used  a  day  or  two  as 
a  card-table  for  the  guard,  and  until  decomposition  rendered  it 
necessary  to  get  rid  of  it. 

I  soon  got  accustomed  to  such  scenes.  But  eyery  day  of  my 
prison  life  I  saw  something  new,  and  something  more  shocking 
than  1  had  ever  imagined.  We  know  but  little  of  what  is  in  this 
world ;  and  we  know  but  little  of  what  human  nature,  in  its  de- 
pravity, can  be  guilty  of ;  and  we  know  but  little  of  what  a  man  is 
capable  of  enduring.  I  had  come  to  look  upon  Camp  Chase  as  the 
Avorst  place  on  earth  ;  and  I  would  gladly  have  exchanged  it  for 
anything  but  death.  Wretched  as  was  my  condition,  I  still  wanted 
to  live,  and  it  was  nothing  but  the  stubborn  determination  to  live 
that  carried  me  through.  I  was  there  two  months  in  the  dead  of 
winter,  and  the  time  seemed  years.  I  suffered  from  cold  and  hun- 
ger and  sickness  all  the  time. 

Finally  word  came  that  we  were  to  be  removed,  and  we  hailed  it 
joyfully,  for  we  did  not  think  that  any  change  could  be  for  the 
w^orse.  We  learned  that  we  were  to  be  taken  to  Rock  Island 
Prison.  We  had  heard  of  it,  and  the  reports  had  been  bad  enough; 
but,  in  spite  of  all  we  heard,  we  were  glad  to  get  away  from  Camp 
Chase. 

In  February,  1864,  we  were  taken  to  Chicago  on  our  way  to  Rock 
Island.  We  had  to  walk  through  Chicago,  about  one  mile.  Nine 
out  of  every  ten  had  frozen  hands  or  feet,  and  some  were  so  frozen 
and  benumbed  with  the  cold  that  they  could  scarcely  walk.  The 
guards  here  seemed  the  meanest  set  of  men  I  had  seen.  They 
were  rough  and  brutal  to  the  prisoners,  and  beat  us  over  the  head 
and  pounded  us  when  they  fancied  we  Avere  not  doing  right.  Some 
of  our  men  were  so  cut  and  bruised  about  the  head  that  the  blood 
covered  them  from  head  to  foot,  and  often  their  hats  were  frozen 
to  ther  heads  Avith  the  ice  of  blood. 

*  *  *  ::ic  9|C  lie  it!  itf  # 

When  at  last  we  landed  at  the  Rock  Island  Prison,  the  horror  of 
horrors  awaited  us.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I,  like  Dante,  was  pass- 
ing down  through  the  realities  of  seven  hells,  and  that  I  was  now 
in  the  deepest  pit.  There  was  no  necessity  of  so  cruelly  treating 
us.     If  there  had  been.  I  would  be  the  last  man  on  earth  to  com- 


TEAVELEKS.  247 

plain.  But  there  was  no  necessity  for  it.  It  was  op»jn  and  v.  iiUiil 
determination  to  torment  us,  and  to  torture  us  with  iiunger  and 
cold  and  beatings  and  cursings,  and  everything  revolting  that 
could  be  used  against  us.  I  have  Avondered  if  the  Blackfeet  In- 
dians could  have  been  more  relentless  in  their  torture  of  ca,ptives. 
We  ate  everything  that  Avould  sustain  life.  Thf  prison  officers 
did  not  seem  to  care  how  many  of  us  starved  to  ilnath.  It  avouUI 
ha-ve  been  a  mercy  if  they  had  killed  us. 

******* 

I  saw  that  it  Avas  a  matter  of  life  and  death  Avith  nie.  I  Avas  Avil- 
ling  to  giA'e  anything  for  my  life.  Some  of  us  AN'ere  to  be  exchanged, 
but  the  lot  did  not  fall  on  me.  I  saw  a  tall  felloAv,  on  Avhom  the 
lot  had  fallen,  and  I  ap]3roached  him  for  a  trade.  I  hired  him  to 
assume  my  name,  and  I  Avent  in  his  jjlace,  I  gave  him  $7000  in 
money,  and  sent  him  enough  provisions  to  last  him  a  year.  AVhat- 
ever  became  of  him,  I  do  not  knoAv  ;  but  he  had  a  stout  constitu- 
tion, and  I  hope  he  endured  it  to  the  end  of  the  Avar,  and  at  last 
returned  to  freedom  in  the  Sunny  South. 

Captain  Harper  A\'as  taken  to  Point  Lookont.  There  he 
was  again  confined  in  a  prison,  only  a  little  better  tlian 
Rock  Island.  It  was  Avarmer  and  he  had  more  to  eat,  Avhich 
were  the  principal  changes  for  the  better.  The  prisoners 
were  kept  in  tents  where  the  mud  was  half  knee-deep.  They 
had  one  blanket  for  each  tAvo.  They  staid  only  tAvo  Aveeks, 
and  Avere  then  shipped  to  James  River  and  were  turned 
loose  within  sight  of  the  Confederate  lines. 

The  war  Avas  noAv  draAving  to  a  close.  There  Avas  great 
need  for  soldiers  in  the  Rebel  armies.  Tliey  had  been 
tliinned  by  a  thousand  pitched  battles,  and  fcAv  recruits 
came  in.  Worn  and  exhausted  as  he  was  bA^  his  dreadful 
suffering  and  exposure.  Harper  did  what  he  could  for  tlie 
cause  that  had  cost  him  so  much  ;  but  the  cause  Avas  ])eyond 
the  need  of  his  help.  The  Avar  Avas  over.  He  was  the  last 
man  to  bow  in  defeat ;  but,  Avhen  it  must  be  done,  lie  did  it, 
and  acknowledged  tlie  poAver  of  the  victor. 


248  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

He  was  not  a  man  to  contend  without  something  to  be 
gained.  It  will  be  seen  that,  in  all  his  exploits  and  under- 
takings, he  had  something  definite  in  view.  This  was  his 
nature.  So,  when  he  saw  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by 
hostility  to  the  North,  he  buried  all  his  antipathy,  and 
turned  his  energies  into  other  channels,  and  let  the  by- 
gones of  the  war  be  things  of  the  past. 

He  returned  to  private  life,  and  has  since  so  lived,  ex- 
cept when  called  upon  by  the  vote  of  his  countrymen  to 
take  office,  and  then  he  has  done  so,  and  his  record  as  such 
is  one  of  uprightness  and  honor.  Since  the  close  of  the 
war  he  has  been  once  to  California,  and  has  visited  nearly 
all  the  Western  States.  His  brothers,  Jerome  and  Thaddeus, 
remained  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Thaddeus  returned  on  a 
visit  to  West  Yirginia  in  1868,  and  remained  a  few  weeks. 
On  his  return  to  California  he  encountered  terrible  snow 
storms  in  crossing  the  mountains,  and  the  train  was  almost 
buried  in  the  drifts.  After  a  length  of  time  the  track  was 
cleared  of  the  snow,  and  he  arrived  in  California.  He  is  a 
business  man  of  great  success,  and  has  amassed  a  fortune. 
He  is  now  engaged,  among  other  things,  in  shipping  beef 
from  British  Columbia.  He  spends  his  summers  in  that 
countr}'  and  his  winters  in  San  Francisco,  at  the  Palace 
Hotel. 

Jerome  Harper  is  dead.  He  died  at  Santa  Barbara  sev- 
eral years  ago.  He  had  .long  been  an  invalid,  and  had 
traveled  over  many  parts  of  the  world  in  search  of  health. 
•  He  was  finally  taken,  by  E.  Harper,  to  the  hot  springs  of 
Santa  Barbara,  in  California,  and  there  he  died. 

The  further  history  of  Captain  Harper,  his  connection 
with  the  forces  of  the  Confederacy,  in  Tucker,  will  be  found 
in  the  chapter  on  the  war.     Since  the  war,  except  the  time 


TEAYELERS.  249 

spent  in  the  West,  lie  Las  lived  on  liis  farm  in  the  Valley  of 
Clover.  He  has  there  built  the  largest  dwelling  in  Tucker 
County,  and  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  landholders.  Of 
late  he  has  engaged  extensively  in  the  lumber  business. 

None  of  the  Hai-per  brothers,  who  went  to  California, 
were  ever  married.  They  have  always  been  men  of  influ- 
ence in  whatever  calling  they  have  chosen.  Captain  Har- 
per's record  as  an  officer  will  be  further  dealt  with  in  the 
chapter  on  public  officers. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

TRA  YELERS— CONTINUED, 

Henry  Boxxifield  is  a  native  of  Tucker,  altliongli  not 
now  a  resident.  He  is  a  son  of  A.  T.  Bonnifiekl,  and  a 
grandson  of  William  Corrick,  and  was  born  in  1855.  "While 
very  young  lie  manifested  a  tendency  to  be  foremost  in  all 
manner  of  daring  adventures.  Climbing  trees  that  other 
boys  feared  to  climb  and  wading  water  too  deep  and  swift 
for  other  boys  were  his  pastime  ;  and,  in  the  display  of  his 
belligerent  propensities,  no  lad  was  too  large  for  him  to 
tackle.  He  was  not  a  perfect  specimen  of  peacefulness  and 
resignation ;  but  his  forwardness  tended  only  to  romance 
and  adventure.  Indeed,  his  very  early  life  gave  sign  of 
what  his  after  nature  would  be.  He  would  never  be  second 
best  in  anything.  With  him  it  was  best  or  nothing.  His 
first  years  were  spent  in  the  Sypolt  House,  that  stood 
where  now  stands  the  Crawfish  Swamp  School-house,  near 
S.  N.  Swisher's.  From  there,  with  his  father,  he  moved  to 
Limestone,  and  lived  on  Wild  Cat  Ridge.  It  was  then  a 
hard  place,  and  neighbors  were  few  and  far  between.  But, 
there  were  trees  to  climb,  and  snakes  to  kill,  and  springs  to 
dabble  in,  and  other  mischief  to  claim  his  attention  until 
his  fifth  year. 

In  1859  his  father  took  him  to  California.  The  passage 
was  by  water,  and  was  long  and  rough ;  but  at  last  the 
Golden  Gate  was  reached,  and  the  emigrants  went  out  to 
try  their  fortunes  in  the  new  country.     Their  success  in 


TEAYELERS.  251 

general  lias  been  given  in  the  sketch  of  A.  T.  Bonnifield. 
Henry  grew  more  adventurous  every  year.  He  soon  com- 
menced breaking  wild  horses,  and  in  a  short  time  he 
became  a  skillful  rider. 

Before  his  fourteenth  year,  he  left  California  and  took 
passage  for  United  States  of  Colombia,  in  South  America. 
He  was,  also,  in  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  He  sailed  upon  the  Caribbean  Sea,  among 
the  "West  Indies,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  He  was  two  or  three  times  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York,  and  one  time  went  inland  through  Pennsylvania, 
New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Mar3^1and,  and  into  "West  Virginia, 
where  he  visited  the  home  of  his  nativity.  He  staid  a  year 
in  Tucker  County.  He  was  now  nearly  fourteen,  and  the 
spirit  of  adventure  was  in  him  as  strong  as  ever.  One  win- 
ter day,  when  the  snow  was  half  knee-deep,  he  pulled  off 
his  boots  and  climbed  barefooted  to  the  top  of  Shafer's 
Mountain,  because  some  boys  said  that  he  would  not  do  it. 
He  also  came  near  being  drowned  by  wading  in  water  that 
he  knew  to  be  over  his  head,  when  he  could  not  swim.  He 
attended  school  in  Tucker  a  few  months.  After  a  great 
deal  of  corporal  punishment,  the  teacher  gave  him  up  as 
incorrigible.  When  he  saw  that  all  opposition  had  ended, 
and  that  there  was  no  more  romance  in  being  obstreperous, 
he  settled  down  to  his  books,  and  from  then  to  the  end  of 
the  school  there  was  not  a  better  behaved  or  more  studious 
pupil  than  he. 

The  next  year  he  left  Tucker  and  sailed  from  New  York. 
He  visited  his  old  ports  in  the  West  Indias,  Mexico,  Central 
and  South  America,  and  the  next  we  hear  of  him  he  was  in 
California.  He  never  again  went  to  sea ;  but  he  now  turned 
his  attention  almost  exclusively  to  breaking  wild    horses. 


252  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Of  course,  lie  succeeded  in  this  as  well,  if  not  better  than 
anybody  else.  He  made  it,  from  that  time  till  1875,  his 
profession. 

Breaking  wild  horses  in  California  is^  dangerous  opera- 
tion, and  none  but  skillful  and  daring  men  can  do  it.  The 
animals  are  allowed  to  run  wild  until  their  third  or  fourth 
year.  By  this  time,  neyer  having  been  fed  or  tamed,  they 
are  little  less  wild  than  deer,  and  as  vicious  as  lions.  When 
an  owner  desires  to  break  his  horses,  he  collects  a  company 
of  men  on  horseback,  and  gives  chase  to  the  wild  herd. 
The  horsemen  carry  long  ropes,  at  one  end  of  which  is  a 
running  noose,  while  the  other  end  is  made  fast  to  the  rider's 
saddle.  This  noose,  or  lasso,  is  thrown  over  the  head  of 
the  wild  horse,  which  is  brought  to  the  ground  by  the  sud- 
den stopping  of  the  herdsman's  horse. 

The  horse  is  now  caught.  It  fights  like  a  tiger.  It  kicks, 
bites  and  strikes ;  but  the  men  keep  the  lassos  tight,  and 
the  mad  animal  is  soon  choked  into  temporary  submission. 
A  halter  is  now  forced  on  him,  and  a  saddle  is  firmly  strap- 
■ped  to  his  back.  Bridles  are  not  used  in  breaking  horses 
in  the  far  West.  The  saddles  are  very  strong,  and  cost 
from  twenty  to  one  hundred  dollars,  and  weigh  thirty  or 
forty  pounds.  The  stirrup  straps  are  strong  enough  to  bear 
five  hundred  pounds  each  ;  and  the  girth  is  much  stronger. 
It  is  made  of  hair  ropes  woven  together.  The  rider  wears 
large  spurs,  which  he  digs  into  the  girth  and  enables  him- 
self to  keep  his  seat  in  the  saddle. 

The  art  of  riding  these  untamed  mustangs  is  no  easy  one. 
It  is  easier  to  learn  the  management  of  a  locomotive.  No 
man  who  is  not  strong-breasted,  fearless,  active  and  perse- 
vering can  ever  hope  to  be  even  a  tolerable  rider  of  such 
horses.     Many  a  man  in  the  Eastern  States,  who  considers 


TEAYELEES.  ^  253 

himself  an  excellent  rider,  would  be  killed  in  ten  minutes  if 
l^laced  on  a  wild  mustang  of  California. 

Henry  Bonnifield  made  the  training  of  incorrigible  horses 
his  trade.  He  charged  five  dollars  a  day  for  his  service, 
and  was  seldom  out  of  employment.  Men  many  miles  away 
would  send  for  him  when  they  had  a  brute  that  other  men 
had  failed  to  conquer.  He  never  failed  when  he  had  once 
attempted  to  subdue  a  vicious  animal. 

On  the  San  Joaquin  Eiver,  in  California,  near  Fort  Mil- 
lerton,  was  a  horse  that  had  never  been  mastered,  but  had 
killed  more  than  one  brave  man.  It  was  a  large,  powerful 
beast,  and  had  strength  of  endurance  that  seemed  almost 
miraculous.  It  was  fierce,  relentless  and  had  come  to  be 
looked  upon  as  untamable.  Xo  rider  could  be  found  wil- 
ling to  undertake  again  to  ride  the  horse. 

Here  was  a  good  field  in  which  to  win  laurels ;  for  the 
fame  of  the  horse  had  gone  forth  over  the  whole  country 
round  about,  and  it  was  given  up  that  he  could  not  be  rid- 
den, Bonnifield  was  invited  to  undertake  it,  and  he  never 
declined  an  invitation  of  that  kind.  He  named  a  day  on 
which  he  would  ride  the  horse,  and  on  that  da}^  a  large 
crowd  of  stockmen,  jockeys  and  rancheros  came  together  to 
witness  the  performance. 

Bonnifield  was  a  man  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds 
weight,  light  complexion,  and  deep  blue  eyes,  and  heavy 
built  for  his  weight.  He  did  not  look  to  be  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  power ;  but,  not  two  men  in  a  thousand  of 
his  weight  could  equal  him. 

When  the  time  for  riding  had  arrived,  the  wild  horse  was 
lassoed  and  blindfolded.  The  halter  and  saddle  were  fast- 
ened on  him,  and  he  was  held  down  till  the  fearless  rider 


254  HISTOllY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

liad  mounted  him.     Tlien  the  blindfold  was  removed,  and 
he  was  turned  loose  upon  the  plains. 

He  at  first  tried  to  dismount  his  rider  by  the  ordinary 
process  of  plunging  and  kicking.  Leaping  high  in  the  air 
and  coming  down  stitf-legged,  or  "bucking"  as  it  is  called 
in  western  countries,  is  the  most  common  device  of  wild 
horses  to  get  rid  of  their  riders.  It  is,  too,  in  man}^  cases, 
and  among  the  inexperienced,  quite  efficient.  For,  at  times, 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  from  being  thrown.  The 
horse  throws  his  head  down,  leaving  nothing  but  the  saddle 
for  the  man  to  hold  to,  and  leaps  upward,  to  left  and  right, 
and  leaves  nothing  undone  to  get  the  rider  from  the  saddle. 
The  greatest  danger  is  not  that  of  being  thrown  to  the 
ground,  but  that  resulting  from  the  jolt  which  must  be  re- 
ceived when  the  horse  comes  doAvn  stifF-legged.  It  is  liable 
to  burst  the  rider's  blood-vessels,  causing  hemorrhage  and 
death.  To  avoid  this  as  much  as  ma}'  be,  the  stirrup-straps 
are  made  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  the  man  and 
he  throws  his  whole  weight  into  his  stirrups. 

When  Bonnifield  mounted  the  horse,  it  kicked  and  reared 
until  it  seemed  to  learn  that  he  was  not  to  be  gotten  off  in 
that  manner.  Then  it  circled  two  or  three  times  round  the 
field,  leaped  the  fence,  and  dashed  off  across  the  plains  with 
whirlwind  speed.  Bonnifield  was  powerless  to  stop  or  curb 
the  enraged  animal.  Fie  could  only  hold  on  to  his  saddle, 
and  go  where  the  horse  chose  to  go.  This  was  across  a 
plain  three  miles  to  the  foot  of  a  rugged  hill,  called  Miller- 
ton  Mountain.     No  rider  and  horse  had   ever  crone  up  its 

O  J. 

rugged  sides.  Such  a  feat  was  thought  to  be  impossible,  if, 
indeed,  it  had  ever  been  thought  of  at  all.  The  bluff  was 
bare  of  trees,  and  was  cut  up  with  steep  gullies,  some  of 
which  were  twentv  feet  from  side  to  side  and   twice   that 


TPvAYELERS.  255 

deep.  Ill  places  the  ground  was  strev.n  Avitli  rocks  and 
bowlders ;  and  at  others  the  hill  rose  almost  perpendicular 
for  hundreds  of  feet. 

Bonnifield  thought  that  the  horse  would  change  its  course 
when  it  reached  the  base  of  the  hill;  but  such  it  did  not. 
It  passed  up  the  rugged  slope  with  the  ease  and  rapidity  of 
an  eagle ;  nor  steepness,  nor  rocks,  nor  ravines,  nor  any- 
thing checked  the  speed  of  its  flight.  Before  it  could 
scarce!}-  be  realized,  the  summit  was  reached,  where,  before 
rider  and  horse,  extended  a  wild  and  broken  plain,  so 
thickly  strewn  with  bowlders  as  to  hide  the  ground.  Across 
the  plains,  among  the  rocks,  ran  deep  ravines,  which  the 
rains  and  floods  of  ages  had  worn  in  the  granite  formation. 
They  wound  zigzag  and  at  random,  and  Avere  invisible  until 
their  very  brinks  were  reached. 

ft. 

When  the  horse  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  plain,  he 
boomed  across  it  with  swiftness  that  increased  rather  than 
diminished.  The  rocks  were  nothing  in  his  way.  He  leaped 
from  one  to  another,  or  cleared  them  at  a  leap.  Scarcely 
might  one  observe  that  he  touched  the  ground.  He  was  a 
poA^erful  animal,  and  his  spirits  and  animosity  were  getting 
fully  aroused. 

Through  the  middle  of  the  plain  ran  a  dangerous  gully, 
so  hidden  that  it  could  not  be  seen  until  its  very  brink  was 
reached.  The  horse  knew  not  and  car(.>d  not  that  it  was 
there.  He  cared  not  for  anything ;  and  the  rougher  the 
way  the  more  reckless  he  ran,  and  the  more  vicious  were 
his  efibrts  to  unhorse  his  rider. 

Bonnifield  saw  the  ravine  just  as  the  horse  reached  its 
brink,  and  it  was  too  late  to  turn.  He  must  go  headlong 
into  it.  Xo  bottom  could  be  seen;  but  it  is  now  known 
that  it  was  over  forty  feet  deep.     As  the  fearful  leap  was 


356  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

made,  Bonuifield  threw  his  feet  from  the  stmaips,  ready  to 
spring  from  the  saddle  just  as  the  bottom  should  be  reached. 
This  Avas  to  avoid  being  caught  under  the  falling  horse  and 
crushed.  It  was  a  flight  through  the  air,  and  a  long  one ; 
but,  instead  of  going  to  the  bottom,  the  horse  cleared  the 
chasm,  and  slacked  not  his  speed.  Further  on  were  other 
ravines  equally  dangerous ;  but  none  were  wide  enough  or 
deep  enough  to  stop  the  horse  or  to  turn  him  from  his 
course.  He  reached  the  furthest  limit  of  the  plain,  and  was 
ready  for  the  descent,  if  descent  were  possible. 

It  looked  impossible.  The  plain  ended  on  the  brow  of  a 
bluff  which,  seen  from  above,  looks  perpendicular ;  but  it  is 
not  quite  vertical.  The  horse  had  now  run  five  miles,  yet 
showed  no  sign  of  stopping  or  of  giving  up.  He  turned 
obliquely  along  the  mountain  side,  and  thus  made  descent 
possible.  This  w^as  the  most  dangerous  j^art  of  the  course. 
The  jolting  started  the  blood  from  the  nose  and  mouth  of 
the  rider.  But  there  was  no  alternate  but  to  leap  from  the 
saddle,  which  probably  would  have  been  fatal.  So,  down, 
down,  down,  as  they  had  a  few  minutes  before  gone  up,  up, 
up,  went  rider  and  horse.  Rocks,  gullies  and  ravines  Avere 
passed,  none  know  how,  for  no  other  horseman  has  ever 
passed  them  and  lived.  It  looked  like  going  down  into  the 
Valley  of  Death. 

The  horse,  from  the  first,  had  been  beyond  control,  and 
by  the  time  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  again  reached,  he 
was  more  furious  and  curbless  than  ever.  The  halter, 
which,  at  best,  was  of  little  use,  was  now  broken,  and  one 
stirrup  was  torn  away.  Bonnifield  still  kept  in  the  saddle, 
although  it  was  doubtful  how  long  he  might  be  able  to  do 
so.  He  could  have  ridden  better  without  a  saddle  than 
with  a  broken  one.     He  crossed  the  plains  with  a  speed  that 


TRAYELEES.  257 

slackened  not.  Already  he  had  ridden  nine  miles,  and  the 
blood  was  flowing  fast  from  his  nose  and  mouth.  He  knew 
not  when  the  perilous  race  would  end. 

At  this  crisis  some  horsemen  came  to  his  rescue,  and  tried 
to  stop  the  runavr ay  animal ;  but  still  it  was  the  fleetest  on 
the  field  and  led  the  race  across  the  plains.  Finally,  a  man 
on  a  swift  horse  succeeded  in  getting  near  enough  for  Bon- 
nifield  to  seize  the  horn  of  the  saddle,  and  he  was  thus 
dragged  from  the  vvild  brute,  which  dashed  on  and  was  las- 
soed on  the  prairie  some  miles  away.  It  was  some  weeks 
before  Bonnifield  was  again  able  to  ride  ;  for  the  jolting  had 
seriously  injured  him,  and  he  has  never  fully  recovered 
from  it.  But  he  again  undertook  the  horse,  and  staid  with 
it  until  the  untamable  beast  killed  itself  bv  breakimr  its 
neck. 

This  was  Bonnifield's  lonpjest  ride  of  so  savaue  a  nature ; 
but  he  had  others  that  came  as  near  proving  fatal,  although 
he  lived  through  them  all. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  d  anger  connected  with  the  riding  of 
wild  horses  is  that  thev  vrill  throw  themselves  and  that  the 
rider  will  either  be  crushed  or  hang  in  the  stirrup  and  be 
dragged  when  the  horse  regains  its  feet.  About  a  year 
after  the  dash  over  Millerton  Mountain,  Bonnifield  met  a 
misfortune  of  this  kind.  The  horse  that  he  was  ridin"*  threw 
itself.  He  tried  to  spring  off  and  free  his  feet  from  the 
stirrups.  But  the  animal  fell  upon  him  and  he  was  held 
fast.  His  spur  was  driven  into  the  thick  girth,  and  when 
the  horse  sprang  up,  Bonnifield's  foot  hung  in  the  stirrup. 
It  was  a  perilous  situation,  even  with  a  tame  horse,  and 
much  more  so  with  a  wild  one. 

Such  riders  carry  a  long  rope,  one  end   of  which   is  tied 

17 


258  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

to  tlie  lialter,  and  tlie  other  is  rolled  into  a  coil  and  tucked 
under  the  rider's  belt.  This  is  for  the  purpose  of  holding 
the  horse,  if  the  rider  gets  off,  accidentally  or  otherwise. 
It  is  so  fixed  that  it  will  nncoil  without  endangering  the  man. 

As  soon  as  Bonnifield  saw  that  he  was  hanging  in  the 
stirrup,  he  seized  the  rope,  which  was  fast  to  the  horse's 
halter,  and  pulled  the  animal's  head  round  toward  him,  and 
held  him  there  with  an  iron  hand.  The  horse  ran  and 
plunged  and  kicked  and  fell,  and  tried  to  stamp  him,  and 
was  not  only  frightened,  but  was  enraged,  and  endeavored 
to  kill  him.  He  saw  that  his  only  hope  was  in  preventing 
it  from  trampling  upon  him.  He  was  thus  dragged  up  and 
down  the  field.  The  horse  was  so  held  that  it  could  run 
only  sidewise,  and  it  was  this  alone  that  saved  Bonnifield 
from  being  stamped  to  death.  Several  times  he  tried  to 
get  his  knife  to  cut  the  stirrup  strap,  but  as  often  failed  to 
do  so. 

A  man  half-mile  away  saw  the  wild  horse  galloping  up 
and  down  the  field,  dragging  the  unhorsed  rider  after  him ; 
and,  mounting  a  horse,  he  hurried  off  to  the  rescue.  But, 
when  he  came  \\p,  he  could  render  no  assistance,  because 
whenever  he  got  ahead  of  the  mustang,  it  would  turn.  But 
Bonnifield  finally  succeeded  in  getting  his  knife  from  his 
pocket,  and,  cutting  the  strap  of  the  stirrup,  set  himself  at 
libertv. 

He  did  not,  for  a  moment,  give  up  his  profession  of 
breaking  wild  horses.  He  was  sent  for,  and  Avas  paid  fabu- 
lous prices  to  ride  horses  that  no  one  else  could  ride.  At 
this  time  he  was  considered  one  of  the  very  best  riders  in 
California.  He  took  pride  only  in  doing  that  which  no  one 
else  could  do ;  and  for  that  reason  he  did  not  like  to  ride  a 
horse  that  anybody  else  had  successfully  ridden. 


TEAYELEES.  259 

It  was  about  tliis  time  that  lie  was  sent  for  to  ride  a  mule 
that  liad  baffled  several  good  riders.  He  went ;  and  when 
he  found  that  the  mule  was  a  miserable  little  runt,  hardly 
waist  hi^h  to  a  man,  he  thoup^ht  they  were  only  tryincj  to 
get  a  job  on  him.  He  considered  it  be^'ond  the  range  of  all 
probabilities  that  such  a  thing  as  that  should  be  unmanage- 
able. However,  when  they  insisted  that  it  was'  no  prank, 
lie  lit  his  pipe,  and  got  on,  still  with  some  misgivings  that 
all  was  not  right.  But  he  was  soon  cleared  of  doubt.  He 
has  always  frankly  acknowled2;ed  that  if  that  mule  had 
been  as  big  as  a  horse,  and  as  vicious  according,  he  could 
not  have  ridden  it.  As  it  was,  it  was  a  ridiculous  victory. 
It  bucked  without  a  pause  for  two  hours.  The  part  of  his 
pipe  stem  that  was  between  his  teeth  he  still  held;  the  rest, 
with  the  pipe,  was  jolted  off  and  gone.  All  the  buttons  of 
his  coat  were  jarred  off.  Everything  in  his  pockets  had 
been  spilt  out.  His  boot-heels  and  his  hat  were  gone ;  and 
nearly  every  seam  in  his  clothes  had  given  way.  He  was 
a  victor,  and  probably  felt  like  one  ;  but  he  looked  like 
somethins;  else. 

Much  hard  riding'  was  be^innini!;  to  tell  on  him.  His 
constitution  was  giving  way.  A  long  ride  on  a  runaway 
horse,  not  unlike  that  over  Millerton  Mountain,  was  the  last 
of  the  kind  that  he  ever  has  undertaken.  His  lungs  were 
so  injured  that  it  was,  long  before  the  hemorrhage  could  be 
checked ;  and  he  was  forced  to  ab;lndon  his  profession. 

This  was  about  1875,  his  twentieth  year.  His  fame  had 
gone  out  over  more  countries  than  one,  so  that,  when 
a  Centennial  commissioner,  in  1870,  visited  California  to 
procure  wild-horse  riders  to  exhibit  at  Philadelphia,  he 
was  directed,  lirst  of  all,  to  see  Henry  Bonnifield.  He  vis- 
ited  him,  and  was  fulh*  satisfied  that   there   had  been  no 


269  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

misrepresentation.  He  offered  liim  a  free  passage  to  and 
from  Pliiadeipliia,  to  bear  all  his  expenses  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  to  pay  him  fifty  dollars  a  month  besides.  Bonni- 
field  reluctantly  declined  the  offer,  because  his  weak  lungs 
would  not  endure  rough  riding.  Besides,  he  was  making  a 
hundred  dollars  a  month  at  other  business. 

California,  however,  was  getting  too  tame  for  him,  and  ha 
began  looking  about  for  a  more  romantic  field.  At  this 
time  Arizona  was  attracting  much  attention,  and  many 
adventurers  were  wending  thither  to  try  their  fortune  in  the 
half-explored  wilds  of  that  desert  country. 

In  the  summer  of  1877,  in  his  twenty-second  3^ear,  Avitli  a 
single  companion,  he  set  out  on  horseback  for  Arizona. 
They  started  from  Fresno,  and  that  night  camped  at  an 
old  mud  house  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Tulare.  The  house 
may  be  especially  mentioned  on  account  of  its  dark  legends. 
Part  are  no  doubt  myths  and  superstition,  but  part  are  too 
true  to  be  doubted.  The  house  had  been  a  tavern  in  early 
mining  days ;  and,  since  it  was  on  the  road  to  Owen's  River 
Mines,  and  was  twenty  or  thirt  v  miles  from  any  other  house, 
it  was  of  necessity  a  frequent  stopping  place  for  travelers. 
Many  are  the  dark  stories  told  of  murders  and  robberies 
there,  and  of  many  a  poor  miner,  whose  hard  earned  sav- 
ings of  5^ears  were  taken  from  him,  and  himself  murdered 
and  hidden  in  the  sand.  The  superstitious  people  of  the 
countrv  now  think  that  the  house  is  haunted  of  ghosts  and 
of  spirits  of  the  departed  who  died  of  violence,  and  hardly 
ever  does  anyone  venture  near  the  house. 

Bonnifield  and  his  friend  stopped  at  the  Haunted  House 
of  Tulare  partly  because  so  few  others  would  dare  do  it,  and 
partly  because  it  was  at  the  end  of  a  hard  da3''s  ride.  The 
next  day  the}"  proceeded  into  Kern  County,  and  shaped  their 


TKAYELEES.  261 

course  for  Walker's  Pass,  where  tliey  would  cross  the 
mountains  into  the  Mojave  Desert.  In  the  upper  part  of 
Kern,  a  few  farmers  were  trying  to  till  the  soil ;  but,  it  had 
been  dry  for  a  year,  and  the  never-ceasing  winds  had 
driven  the  sand  in  drifts  till  all  the  fences,  but  the  tops  of 
the  posts,  were  buried.  They  could  get  no  feed  for  their 
horses  at  noon;  and  late  that  evening  they  came  to  a 
small  lot  of  clover,  where  lived  a  frontier  emigrant  by  a 
stream  of  water.  They  wanted  to  stay  with  him  that  night, 
but  he  drove  them  away,  telling  them,  however,  that  they 
could  get  good  pasture  ten  miles  further.  They  rode  on 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  without  seeing  any  indication  of  pasture, 
but,  to  the  contrary,  the  country  got  drier  and  more  desert 
like.  About  dark  they  met  a  Mexican  who  told  them  that 
it  was  seventy  miles  to  the  nearest  point  where  feed  could 
be  had,  and  fifty  to  the  nearest  water.  Having  closely 
questioned  the  Mexican,  and  having  satisfied  themselves 
that  he  was  telling  the  truth,  they  determined  to  go  back 
and  feed  their  horses  on  the  lying  emigrant's  clover. 

This  they  did.  They  rode  back,  and  told  him  how  that 
he  had  dealt  deceitfully  with  them,  and  had  sent  them  and 
their  horses  hungry  into  the  desert  to  starve.  He  acknowl- 
edged all,  and  gave  one  and  another  excuse.  They  fed 
their  horses  on  his  clover,  and  the  next  morning  paid  him 
five  dollars  for  it. 

They  now  passed  through  the  mountains  and  struck 
boldly  across  the  wide,  sandy  plains  of  the  Mojave  Desert. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  alkali,  soda  and  salt,  and  in 
places  was  as  white  as  snow.  It  was  entirely  without  grass 
or  trees ;  but,  at  intervals  there  were  copses  of  thorny  sage- 
brush, and  in  other  places  were  groves  of  cactus,  of  a  won- 
derful and  peculiar  kind.     It  grew  from  ten  to  twenty  feet 


262  HI8T0KY   OF   TUCKER   COUNTY. 

]n<j}i,  with  a  trunk  a  foot  in  diameter.  This  is  covered  with 
scales  like  corn  husks,  and  at  the  top  is  a  bundle  of  long 
dry  leaves,  like  sole-leather. 

As  they  were  gallopin<2;  along  they  saw  a  carriage  coming 
to  meet  them.  When  it  drew  near,  they  observed  that  it 
contained  a  man,  a  woman  and  two  children.  Bonnifield 
and  his  friend  perhaps  would  not  have  remembered  the 
incident,  had  not  the  man,  when  he  saw  them  coming, 
stopped  his  team  and  taking  up  his  double-barreled  shot- 
gun, stood  b}'  the  road,  with  the  gun  cocked  and  ready  to 
fire.  He  did  this  fearing  that  they  were  robbers.  They 
passed  on,  and  he  resumed  his  way. 

It  was  a  hot  day,  and  not  till  they  had  ridden  fifty  miles 
did  they  find  water.  After  that,  the  same  day,  they  rode 
eiglity  miles  further,  making  for  the  entire  diij  a  ride  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  across  the  sandy  desert. 

They  crossed  the  Colorado  Eiver  near  Fort  Mojave,  and 
reached  Prescott,  in  Arizona.  It  was  a  mining  country  and 
all  mining  places  are  rough.  It  was  a  dull  time,  and  Bon- 
nifield could  do  no  better  than  to  drive  a  mule-team  for 
sixty  dollars  a  month.  He  had  three  train-wagons  and 
eighteen  mules,  all  in  one  team,  and  with  them  he  hauled 
quartz  from  the  mines.  The  country  was  dry  and  hot,  and 
the  work  was  very  hard.  He  kept  at  it  for  some  months,  and 
until  he  had  a  better  oft'er,  that  of  working  on  a  hay-farm, 
where  hay  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  ton.  He  accept- 
ed the  ofi'er,  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  At  this  he 
succeeded  well  for  a  while  ;  but,  he  got  sick,  and  was  unable 
to  fill  his  place  on  the  farm.  The  proprietor  discharged 
him,  and  turned  him  out  to  die.  He  lay  several  da3'S  in  the 
shade  of  the  cactus  trees,  in  hope  that  he  would  recover. 
But  he  got  no  better,  and  he  saw  that  he  must  die  if  he  re- 


TEAYELEE8.  2G3 

maiued  there,  for  no  one  came  near  to  bring  liim  water  or 
anything  to  eat. 

He  had  an  aqnaintance  in  a  mining  camp  abont  three 
hundred  miles  distant,  and  he  thought  if  he  coukl  reach 
there  he  could  get  medicine.  It  was  three  hundred  miles  by 
the  road,  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  across  the  desert  and 
over  the  mountains  where  there  was  no  road.  He  decided 
to  cross  the  desert,  and  thought  he  could  make  the  trip  in 
two  days  on  horseback. 

Early  the  next  morning  he  saddled  his  horse  and  started, 
with  two  canteens  of  water  tied  to  his  saddle,  and  a  few- 
pounds  of  oatmeal  and  salt  to  do  him  for  provisions  on  the 
journey.  He  struck  boldly  into  the  desert,  and  directed  his 
course  by  the  sun,  and  the  peaks  of  distant  mountains.  He 
was  too  weak  to  ride  fast,  so  that  he  had  proceeded  only 
forty  or  fifty  miles  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  There 
he  found  some  water  in  a  hole  among  the  rocks,  and  some 
dry  grass  in  bunches  here  and  there.  He  felt  exhausted, 
and  decided  to  rest  there  till  morning.  He  tied  his  horse 
by  a  long  rope  so  that  it  could  feed  on  the  dry  grass,  and 
hayinfij  eaten  his  dinner  of  oatmeal  he  lay  down  in  the  shade 
of  the  rocks  to  sleep. 

When  he  awoke,  it  was  dark.  He  got  up  to  see  about  his 
horse.  Scarcely  had  he  moved  when  the  whizzing  of  rattle- 
snakes about  him  admonished  him  of  his  danger.  The 
snakes  had  lain  hidden  in  their  dens  during  the  heat  of  tlie 
day ;  but,  when  night  came,  they  crawled  out.  There  is  in. 
that  country  a  species  of  snakes  known  as  "side-winders,'* 
because  they  cannot  crawl,  but  roll  along  sidewise.  They 
are  exceedingly  poisonous,  and  the  Indians  have  no  cure 
for  their  bite.  When  an  Indian  is  l)itten  by  one  of  them,  he 
sings  his  death  song,  wraps  himself  in  his  blanket  and  dies. 


264  HIJ^TOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY.  ^ 

AYlieu  Boniiiiield  awoke  and  heard  the  snakes  rattling 
about  him,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  struck  matches,  and  found 
his  way  to  his  horse,  which  had  not  been  bitten.  He  left 
the  place  as  soon  as  possible.  There  are  probabl}'  more 
rattlesnakes  in  Arizona  than  in  any  other  country  of  the 
world.  But,  they  are  not  as  apt  to  bite  as  they  are  in 
some  other  places. 

He  rode  on  in  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  direction. 
Prom  the  height  of  the  moon  he  judged  it  to  be  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  But,  after  traveling  an  hour  he  be- 
gan to  notice  that  instead  of  getting  lower,  the  moon  rose 
higher.  From  this  he  judged  that  it  must  be  about  ten 
o'clock.  Counting  from  this,  he  reasoried  that  he  had  got- 
ten turned  around  and  was  not  traveling  in  the  right  direc- 
tion. He  now  became  confused,  and  could  not  tell  which 
way  to  go.  It  was  worse  than  useless  to  ride  in  the  wrong 
direction ;  and  he  dismounted  to  wait  for  day.  Having 
found  a  spot  free  from  snakes,  he  lay  down  and  slept  and 
awakened  not  till  the  sun  was  shining  full  in  his  face.  He 
started  up  confused,  and  was  burning  Avith  a  high  fever.  He 
could  not  at  lirst  realize  where  he  was  or  whither  he  was 
going.  When  he  had  settled  this  in  his  own  mind,  he  looked 
for  the  mountains  that  had  <]fuided  him  the  day  before.     He 

CD  ^ 

could  see  mountains  everywhere,  but  could  not  recognize 
those  to  which  he  was  sioino:. 

He  decided  to  the  best  of  his  judgment  which  way  he 
should  go,  and  started.  In  about  two  hours  he  came  to  the 
brink  of  a  deep  canon,  of  which  no  crossing  Avas  visible. 
Such  ravines  there  are  called  Box  Canons,  and  the}'  may 
extend  a  hundred  miles  with  no  })lace  wliere  even  a  footman 
may  cross.  Their  sides  are  j^erpendicular,  and  are  some- 
times overgrown    with    thorns.     When   Bonnifield   reached 


TEAYELEES.  265 

the  edge  of  tlie  cliff,  lie  stopped  sliort,  for  lie  had  not  seen 
it  until  that  instant.  As  far  as  he  could  see  in  both  direc- 
tions extended  the  canon  like  a  deep  ditch.  After  a  mo- 
ment's consideration,  he  turned  to  the  right,  and  traveled 
along  the  chasm,  looking  for  a  place  to  cross.  Thus  he 
traveled  all  that  day  till  evening,  and  could  find  no  way  to 
pass  over. 

He  had  brought  two  canteens  of  water  with  him  from  the 
camping  place  of  the  previous  evening.  Of  this  he  had 
drank  all  he  wanted,  but  his  horse  had  had  none.  He 
emptied  one  of  the  canteens  into  his  hat  and  gave  his  horse 
to  drink,  and,  letting  him  pick  dry  grass  for  an  hour,  and 
having  eaten  his  OAvn  supper,  he  set  forward  again  along  the 
canon  to  find  a  crossing.  It  was  a  fruitless  search.  He 
rode  till  after  midnight,  when  from  the  exhaustion  of  him- 
self and  horse  he  was  obliged  to  stop.  His  horse  fed  on 
what  it  could  find,  and  he  slept  on  the  sand  till  morning. 
His  canteens  now  contained  no  water,  and  his  fever  and  the 
fatigue  of  travel  caused  a  violent  thirst,  while  his  horse 
seemed  famished  for  drink. 

It  was  death  to  stay  where  he  was  ;  so  he  traveled  on  all 
that  da3^,  not  seeing  any  animal,  bird,  bug  or  any  living 
thing,  except  his  horse.  Just  before  sunset  his  horse  gave 
out.  He  dismounted,  and  was  himself  barely  able  to  walk. 
But  he  saw  that  it  would  not  do  to  remain  there.  He  took 
off  his  saddle  and  turned  tlie  horse  loose  to  save  itself  if  it 
could.  '^Vith  his  canteens  over  his  shoulder,  he  set  forward 
on  foot.  He  found  a  place  where  he  could  get  down  into 
the  canon,  although  he  could  see  no  Avay  up  the  opposite 
side.  He  climbed  down  into  it,  about  three  hundred  feet, 
and  found  the  bottom  full  of  deep  holes,  like  wells.  He 
commenced  sounding  them  to  find  their  depths  and  to   see 


266  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUKTY. 

if  there  niiulit  not  be  water  in  some  of  tliem.  To  some  lie 
found  no  bottom,  and  others  he  found  dry  ;  but  he  contin- 
ued his  work  till  late  at  night,  and  until  the  moon  had  risen. 
In  one,  a  stone  let  fall  splashed  in  water.  Quick  as  possi- 
ble, he  fastened  a  canteen  to  a  twine,  and  tied  on  a  stone  to 
sink  it,  and  let  it  down  into  the  welL  He  drew  it  up  filled 
with  cool  water,  and  liavino;  satisfied  his  thirst  as  much  as 
he  thought'safe,  he  ate  his  sup]:)er. 

He  now  determined  to  go  back  and  get  his  horse.  He 
filled  his  canteens,  and  found  a  path  leading  up  the  cliff  close 
by  the  well.  When  he  reached  the  plain  above,  he  hung 
his  coat  on  a  rock  to  mark  the  place,  and  went  back  after 
his  horse,  about  four  miles.  He  found  the  animal  lying  by 
the  saddle.  He  poured  the  water  in  his  hat,  and  the  horse 
drank  and  got  up.  He  rode  to  where  his  coat  had  been  left, 
and  there  tied  him  and  carried  up  water  for  him  until  he 
was  satisfied.  By  this  time  it  was  breaking  day,  and  Bon- 
nifield  was  unable  to  walk  any  more.  He  fell  asleep  under 
the  rocks,  and  sle]:)thalf  the  day. 

AVhen  he  awoke,  he  carried  water  till  his  horse  was  again 
satisfied,  and  with  full  canteens  he  mounted  his  horse  and 
moved  on.  His  suppl}^  of  parched  oatmeal  was  getting  low, 
and  he  had  no  idea  when  he  would  get  out  of  the  desert. 
His  idea  was  to  cross  the  canon,  if  he  could,  and  if  not  fol- 
low it  to  the  Colorado  River,  if  it  went  there. 

The  plains  were  hot,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  life  about, 
until  he  passed  the  crest  of  a  low  hill,  when  just  in  front  of 
liim  he  saw  a  party  of  men  sitting  and  standing  among  the 
rocks.  At  first  sight,  he  thought  that  they  were  Indians, 
and  he  wheeled  his  horse  to  gallop  a^vay.  But  they  called 
to  him  in  English,  and  he  halted.  They  all  rushed  at  him, 
and  he  again  galloped  ofi',  feeling  certain  that  they  meant 


TRAYELEES.  267 

liim  no  good,  altlioiigli  lie  could  not  devine  what  tliey  really 
meant. 

Tliey  were  gold  hunters  who  had  penetrated  that  region 
in  search  of  mines.  They  lost  their  way,  and  had  wandered 
two  days  -^^ithont  water.  So  extreme  was  their  thirst  that 
they  had  opened  the  veins  of  their  arms,  and  were  sucking 
the  blood  when  Bonnifield  came  np.  They  were  crazy 
for  w^ater,  and  they  tried  to  surround  him  to  get  his  can- 
teens. He  soon  understood  their  purpose,  and  kept  out  of 
their  way.  He  would  have  given  them  the  water,  but,  he 
knew  not  where  he  was  to  get  more,  and  he  could  not 
starve  himself  for  them.  He  told  them  where  they  could 
find  water,  and  they  told  him  where  he  could  cross  the 
canon,  and  thus  the}^  parted. 

A  few  miles  further  he  found  the  path  across  the  ravine, 
and  before  dark  he  was  upon  the  further  side.  He  let  his 
horse  graze  a  few  hours,  and  again  he  proceeded  over  the 
crust}^  salt  that  covered  the  desert. 

He  found  no  more  water  that  night,  or  the  next  day.  At 
noon  he  gave  his  horse  the  contents  of  one  canteen,  and  he 
kept  the  other  for  himself.  On  all  sides  as  far  as  he  could 
see  was  a  waste  solitude  of  rocks,  sand,  salt  and  now  and 
then  a  clump  of  sage-brush,  or  cactus,  or  a  bunch  of  grass. 
The  land  seemed  entirely  void  of  lining  beings.  Not  even 
the  snakes  were  now  to  be  seen. 

In  the  evening  he  began  again  to  feel  the  pangs  of  thirst, 
and  his  horse  began  to  weaken.  But  there  was  no  water  at 
hand.  ^Mien  night  came,  he  did  not  stop  ;  for,  it  was  now 
a  matter  of  life  or  death.  To  stop  was  death.  He  urged 
his  horse  forward,  and  searched  among  all  the  rocks  and 
pits  for  water.  He  could  find  none.  The  landscape,  hov- 
ered over  b}^  the  shadows  of  night,  grew  more  weird  and 


268  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY 

desolate  than  ever ;  and  the  thick  crust  of  salt  that  cracked 
and  broke  under  the  horse's  hoofs,  was  all  that  produced  a 
sound  to  break  the  silence  of  the  desert.  He  was  not  wan- 
dering aimlessly,  although  he  knew  not  whither  he  was 
going.  Awhile  before  midnight  he  caught  the  glimpse  of  a 
fire  in  the  distance.  Nothing  but  men  builds  fires,  there- 
fore men  must  be  there,  and  he  spurred  forward  as  fast  as 
his  jaded  horse  could  carry  him.  The  fire  was  many  miles 
away,  and  he  was  a  long  time  in  reaching  it.  When  he 
drew  nearer,  he  could  discern  that  there  were  more  fires 
than  one. 

AVhen  he  came  up,  his  ears  were  assailed  by  whoops  and 
jells  and  howls  that  informed  him  that  the  fires  were  the 
encam23ment  of  a  large  band  of  Apache  Indians,  who  are, 
of  all  Indians,  the  most  blood-thirsty.  His  thirst  overcame 
his  fear,  and  he  rode  boldly  into  camp  and  addressed  them 
in  English.  They  started  up  and  gathered  around  him,  and 
one  or  two  who  could  speak  a  little  English  questioned  him 
as  to  who  he  was,  where  he  was  going  and  Avhat  he  wanted. 
He  gave  ready  answers,  and  made  himself  as  much  at  home 
as  he  could.  Still  he  could  see  that  they  looked  upon  him 
with  suspicion.  They  seemed  to  fear  that  there  was  a  large 
company  of  whites  near,  and  that  he  was  only  a  spy  sent 
into  tLe  camp.  Some  of  the  Indians  immediately  started 
ofi'  in  every  direction,  to  explore  if  there  was   any  danger. 

Bonnifield  dismounted  and  called  for  water,  which  they 
brought.  Then  some  of  them  took  his  horse  to  water  and 
pasture,  and  did  everything  they  could  to  make  him  feel 
welcome.  He  tried  to  feel  safe,  but  he  could  not.  However, 
he  talked  and  laughed,  and  hid  all  signs  of  fear.  He  divided 
his  tobacco  among  them,  and  they  brought  him  meat  and 
cactus-apples.     It  was  a  large  camp,  and  he  was  entirely  at 


TEAYELERS.  269 

the  mercy  of  tiie  savages.  But  tliej  did  liim  no  harm.  He 
slept  by  their  lire,  and  they  furnished  him  with  the  best 
they  had. 

The  next  morning  they  brought  his  horse,  well  fed  and 
watered,  and  gave  him  provisions  to  take  v>ith  him  on  his 
journey.  They  directed  him  wliere  to  find  the  camp  to 
which  he  was  going,  and,  vrith  an  improved  opinion  of  the 
W'ild  Apaches,  he  left  them. 

During  the  rest  of  his  journey  he  found  vrater  oftener, 
but  the  countrv  was  wild  and  desolate.  He  became  en- 
tangled  in  a  jungle  of  thorny  cactus,  and  suffered  much  be- 
fore he  could  free  himself.  The  cactus  is  covered  with  long, 
tough  briers,  which,  when  old,  curl  in  the  manner  of  fish 
hooks.  They  are  very  hard  to  break,  and  when  fixed  in  a 
man's  clothes,  he  is  firmlv  held.  Those  that  have  not 
curled,  are  very  sharp  and  straight,  and  are  so  barbed  that 
when  they  have  once  penetrated  it  is  hard  to  withdraw 
them.  Bonnifield  had  a  serious  time  in  the  jungle.  He 
was  torn  by  the  thorns,  and  one  entered  his  arm  so  deeply 
that  he  could  not  draw  it  out,  and  it  has  never  been  gotten 
out. 

At  the  end  of  seven  davs  he  reached  the  camp  to  which 
he  was  going.  He  was  only  a  walking  skeleton,  and  his 
horse  was  little  better.  Many  a  man  would  never  have  got- 
ten through ;  but  his  energy  and  perseverance  overcame  all 
he  met,  and  he  saved  his  life  by  it.  At  the  camp  he  found 
friends  who  gave  him  what  help  they  could ;  but  at  best  it 
was  not  the  care  that  his  broken  health  demanded.  He  re- 
covered slowly  from  the  fever  and  his  memorable  seven 
days'  ride. 

As  soon  as  he  Avas  able  to  travel,  he  determined  upon 
returning  to  California.     The  best  route  was  to  descend  the 


270  HISTOKY   OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Colorado  to  Fort  Mojave,  vrliere  lie  could  go  by  steamboat 
to  Fort  Yuma,  and  tlience  north  tlirougli  California  by 
railroad. 

The  Colorado  Eiver,  above  Fort  Mojave,  is  swift,  rough 
and  dangerous,  and  in  low  water  is  navigable  only  for  small 
canoes.  It  flows  hundreds  of  miles  through  a  deep  gorge, 
called  Grand  Canon,  whose  walls  are  of  solid  rock,  hundreds 
and  some  of  them  thousands  of  feet  high.  The  scenery  is 
beautiful  and  grand,  and  since  the  completion  of  the  Bow 
String  R.  E.  through  northern  Arizona,  many  tourists  go 
there  to  look  at  the  w^onders.  But  when  Bonnifield  was 
there,  it  w^as  all  in  the  remotest  corners  of  the  world,  and 
none  but  daring  explorers  and  reckless  adventurers  had  ever 
been  permitted  to  see  it. 

Bonnifield  visited  the  Indian  chief  who  claimed  that 
region,  and  bargained  for  guides  to  take  him  in  a  canoe  to 
Fort  Mojave.  The  Indians  tried  to  persuade  him  from 
undertaking  the  trip  at  that  season  of  low  water,  telling 
him  that  it  was  exceedingly  dangerous.  But  he  was  resolved 
to  go,  and  for  a  few  dollars  bought  two  of  them  to  take  him. 

[\!he  channel  of  the  river  is  filled  with  rocks,  around  and 
over  wdiicli  the  water  plunges  in  cataracts  and  wdiirlpools. 
One  must  be  acquainted  with  the  channel,  or  he  can  never 
get  through,  even  with  the  smallest  canoe.  The  Indians 
whom  Bonnifield  bought  claimed  that  they  knew  the  river, 
and  probabl}'  they  did  ;  but  they  were  treacherous  fellows, 
and  he  contracted  a  disliking  for  them  from  the  first.  Prob- 
ably the  feeling  of  antipathy  was  mutual,  for  they  manifested 
no  strong  affection  for  him.  The}-  watched  him,  and  he 
seldom  took  his  e^'es  oft'  of  them.  It  was  not  a  pleasant 
ride,  as  the  canoe  shot  down  the  rapids,  and  whirled  in  the 
eddies,  and  darted  through  clouds  of  spray    to    emerge  in 


TRAYELEES.  271 

the  sni]li<^lit  or  shadows  beyond.  One  Indian  stood  in  the 
bow  and  acted  as  pilot,  Avhile  the  other  steered  from  the 
stern.     The  pilot  gave  all  his  orders  by  motioning  his  hand. 

They  went  very  rapidly,  although  they  floated  only  with 
the  current,  except  when  a  short  space  of  still  water  was 
reached.  From  the  suspicious  conduct  of  the  Indians, 
Bonnifield  was  led  to  believe  that  they  were  plotting  to  kill 
him.  He  thought  it  best,  not  onlj'  to  be  on  guard,  but  to 
disarm  them.  They  each  had  a  gun.  AVlien  they  went  to 
shore,  on  an  island,  to  cook  their  suppers,  he  took  from 
them  their  guns  and  knives,  and  kept  them  in  his  posses- 
sion. Thev  raised  a  stormy  fuss  about  his  arbitrary  pro- 
ceedings  ;  but,  he  threatened  them  with  everything  horrible 
if  they  attempted  to  resist.  They  3-ielded  the  point,  and 
turned  to  getting  supper.  He  had  to  watch  them  more 
closely  than  ever;  because  the}*  now  had  occasion  to  kill 
him.  He  thought  this  bold  course  wisest.  He  slept  none 
that  night,  although  he  affected  to  do  so  to  test  whether 
they  would  fall  u]:)on  him  in  his  sleep.  He  thought  that 
they  would  not,  but  was  unwilling  to  risk  them. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  proceeded  down  the  river. 
He  arranged  a  plan  to  sleej)  without  letting  the  Indians 
know  it.  He  fixed  his  blankets  on  a  frame,  and  lay  under 
them.  He  punched  nail-holes  in  them,  so  that  he  could 
see  out,  but  the  Indians  could  not  see  in,  and  having  for- 
bidden them  on  pain  of  death  to  approach  him,  he  was 
tolerably  safe.  They  could  not  tell  whether  he  Avas  asleep 
unless  they  would  lift  the  blankets.  This  they  were  afraid 
to  do  lest  he  should  be  awake  and  shoot  them.  In  this 
manner  he  slept  some  ;  but,  his  slumbers  were  light. 

When  he  reached  Fort  Mojave  the  smoke-stack  of  the 
Government  steamboat  was  just  passing  out  of  sight  down 


272  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

tlie  river.  It  woiild  not  be  back  for  a  moiitli,  and  lie  would 
liave  to  remain  there  that  time.  He  discharged  his  Indian 
guides,  and  they  went  off.  He  spent  the  month  with  that 
impatience  known  or  imagined  only  by  those  who  know  the 
torment  of  waiting  only  a  few  hours  for  a  railroad  train  that 
is  behind  time.  Bonnilield  said  that  the  whistle  of  the 
steamboat,  as  it  came  up  the  river  toward  the  fort  after  its 
month's  absence,  was  the  joy  fullest  sound  that  man  or  na- 
ture has  ever  caused  to  greet  the  ears  of  mortal.  He  pur- 
chased passage  and  was  carried  to  Fort  Yuma,  whence  there 
were  railroad  connections  with  his  home  in  California. 

AYhen  he  reached  home,  he  turned  his  attention  to  busi- 
ness, and  discarded  his  romantic  ideas.  He  has  since  lived 
as  a  farmer,  and  raises  annuallv  from  three  hundred  to  one 
thousand  acres  of  wheat. 

His  wild  riding  and  many  hardships  have  told  materially 
on  his  constitution,  although  he  is  still  equal  to  almost  any 
man  of  his  weight.  He  still  refuses  to  be  surpassed  by  any- 
body, and  his  powers  of  endurance  are  as  remarkable  as 
ever.  A  few  years  ago  in  the  hurry  of  harvest,  he  fell  and 
broke  his  arm  ;  but  he  would  not  stop  work  an  hour.  He 
drove  the  header  for  three  da3's  with  the  most  stoical  indif- 
ference, and  until  inflammation  brought  on  a  fever,  and  for 
weeks  his  life  was  despaired  of.     He  finally  recovered. 

Although  he  fears  nothing,  and  has  passed  through  al- 
most everything  of  excitement  and  danger  all  his  life ;  yet 
so  tender  are  his  feelings,  that  he  will  not  drown  a  kitten. 
He  is  still  (1884:)  under  thirty  3'ears  of  age,  and  lives  in 
Fresno  County,  California. 


phototvpi 


*■  aurcKuf4E)r 


A.    P.    MiNEAR. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 


ASTOR,    LENOX    ANO 
TILOEN    F00NC>Ar(ONS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TEA  VELEBS—COXTIXUEI). 

The  energy  and  ability  of  tlie  founders  of  St.  George,  the 
old  Minear  family,  have  been  inherited  by  their  descendants 
ever  since.  Had  the  Minears  remained  in  Tucker  and 
devoted  themselves  to  its  development  as  they  have  to  the 
development  of  distant  states,  our  county  would  be  the 
better  off.  As  it  is,  the  influence  which  this  family  has  had 
upon  the  growth  and  prosperity  (^f  this  section,  not  only  of 
Tucker,  but  of  neighboring  counties,  has  been  not  a  little, 
and  of  the  most  permanent  kind.  But,  unfortunately  for 
their  native  count}^,  but  fortunately  for  other  counties,  they 
have,  of  late  vears,  sou<2jht,  their  fortunes  and  exerted  their 
influence  beyond  the  narrow  and  ruijjged  confines  of  Tucker. 

Of  Enoch  Minear's  nine  children,  only  one,  David  S. 
Minear,  has  made  Tucker  County  his  home  from  his  child- 
hood to  the  present  time.  Like  his  father,  his  grandfather 
and  his  ancestors  as  far  back  as  tradition  runs,  he  has  made 
a  business  of  agriculture,  and  has  tilled  the  old  farm  that 
his  fathers  had  tilled  for  a  hundred  3'ears  before  him.  On 
the  farm,  just  in  the  suburbs  of  the  village  of  8t.  George, 
and  the  oldest  house  in  it,  stands  the  grim  old  stone  house 
that  has  stood  the  storms  of  three-cpiarters  of  a  century, 
and  is  still  firm  and  dural)le.  For  generations  it  was  the 
homestead  of  the  Minear  famih',  although  it  is  deserted  of 
them  now.  Within  its  ponderous  walls  was  reared  that 
family  of  nine,  who  have  now  gone  forth  into  distant  lands, 
and  some  have  ii;one  whither  no  traveler  ever  returns.  The 
farm  on    wliich    tliov   lived   was    one    of  the   finest   in    the 

IS 


271  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

coiintj^  and  it  ^vas  kept  ii  model  of  neatness  and  pros- 
perity. Tlie  family  was  industrious,  and  no  idleness  "was 
tolerated.  Enoch  Minear,  the  head  of  the  family,  was  a 
liLird-v/orhinu'  man,  and  he  taught  his  family  the  same  be- 
lief.  Indeed,  in  the  hot  summer  and  in  hours  of  languid- 
iiess,  his  boys  used  to  imagine  that  they  were  kept  at  work 
more  than  was  good  for  their  health  and  enjoyment.  Early 
in  the  morning,  before  the  first  daAvn  of  day,  he  would 
thunder  on  their  room  doors  with  his  cane  and  call  to  them  : 
"Out  of  that  I  Kow's  the  time  to  hoe  corn  while  it 's  cool!'"" 
and  he  neyer  left  the  door  until  eyery  yawning  boy  was 
dressed  and  on  his  way  doAvn  stairs.  The  sleepy  youngsters 
filed  silently  to  the  barn,  harnessed  the  horses,  hitched  to 
old  shoyel  plows,  and,  v>'hile  some  tore  back  and  fortli  be- 
tween the  corn-rows,  phning  hayoc  with  the  weeds  and 
briers,  and  throwing  fresh  soil  to  the  young  corn,  others 
followed  with  broad-hoes  and  hacked  down  what  yreeds  the 
plows  had  missed,  and  straightened  the  stalks  which  the 
horses  had  trampled  down.  There  were  no  idlers  there. 
Each  one  had  something  to  do,  and  the  work  could  not  be 
slighted.  If  a  row  of  corn  was  not  well  hoed,  it  ys'as  a  sad 
settlement  to  be  made  with  the  one  in  fault. 

The  summer  days,  from  so  early  in  the  morning,  ys'ere  yery 
long.  From  the  first  dawn  till  noon  Avas  almost  equal  to  rni 
ordinary  da  v.  The  boys  worked  uiiceasin"-]y,  but  still  found 
time  to  watch  the  sun  and  to  take  note  of  the  maryelous 
sloAMiess  with  which  their  shadows  moyed  from  the  west  to 
the  north.  AVhen  the  shadow  pointed  north,  it  vras  noon. 
That  truth  of  astronomical  geography  is  well  knovrn  to  all 
the  farmer  boys  in  the  world,  and,  about  ten  o'clock,  when 
it  has  been  a  long  time  since  breakfast  and  is  still  a  long 
time  till  dinner,,  they  are  at  a  loss  to  discern  whether  the 


TEAYELERS.  275 

shadow  is  moving  at  all  or  not,  but  are  tempted  to  believe 
that,  like  old  Joslina  of  the  Scripture,  thej  have  enemies 
to  evercome,  and  the  sun  is  standing  still  to  allow  theia 
ample  time  for  the  performance  of  the  work. 

When  the  horn  blew  for  dinner,  the  tired,  liungrv  boys- 
forgot  their  troubles  and  went  trooping  home.  After  the 
horses  were  attended  to  thev  ate  their  own  dinners.  The 
bill  of  fare  was  that  of  the  farmer,  not  costlv  or  uncommon, 

but  sufficient ;  and,  it  is  doubtful,  if  in  all  their  travels,  these 
bovs  have  ever  found  anything  better  than  Avas  their  meal 
of  corn  bread,  pork,  butter,  milk  and  vegetables,  when  they 
come  in  at  noon  from  eight  hours  of  hard  work  in  the  swel- 
tering heat. 

"Now  boV'S,"  their  father  would  say  as  soon  as  thev  were 
done  eating  and  had  just  flung  themselves  down  in  the 
shady  yard  on  the  grass  to  rest,  "  now  boys,  now's  the  time 
to  hoe  corn  and  kill  the  weeds  while  it's  hot."  So,  up  he 
got  and  up  he  made  them  get,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes 
the  whole  procession  vras  moving  majestically  oft*  for  the 
corn-field  for  seven  or  eight  hours  more  work. 

Enoch  Minear  taught  industry  to  his  family  as  he  taught 
them  morality.  He  considered  it  necessary  as  a  part  of 
their  education.  They  learned  the  lesson,  and  were  never 
the  less  fortunate  for  it. 

The  subject  of  popular  education  in  Tucker  vras  now 
coming  more  before  the  people,  and  a  greater  interest  was 
taken  in  it.  As  yet,  there  vrere  no  public  schools.  This 
period  ma}-  be  supposed  to  extend  from  1845  to  18G0.  St. 
George  was  not  even  a  village  then,  at  least  not  in  18-15.  It 
did  not  contain  the  number  of  inhabitants  that  it  contained 
sixty  years  before. 

a. 

While  tliore  was  no  public  school,  yet  tlirre  was  always  a 


27G  HISTORY   OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

school  in  St.  George  during  the  winter.  The  teacher  was 
paid  from  private  purses,  and  several  pupils  came  from 
the  country  to  attend.  Sometimes  there  was  a  school  in 
the  summer  time.  In  1856  there  was  a  summer  school  that 
has  been  especially  remembered  by  those  who  attended. 

In  1859  the  St.  George  Inn  was  built.  It  was  managed 
for  nearly  twenty  years  by  Adam  Tate,  Esq.,  and  was  a 
model  tavern  of  the  kind.  Its  comforts  and  hospitality  were 
proverbial  the  country  over,  and  it  was  patronized  by  law- 
yers from  neighboring  counties,  by  cattle-dealers,  by  the 
traveling  public  and  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
tr3\  The  same  house  has  been  a  tavern  ever  since,  except 
for  a  year  or  two  while  it  was  owned  by  George  I.  Tucker, 
Esq.  It  is  now  the  property  of  Mr.  M.  V.  Miller,  and  has 
recently^been  refitted  and  refurnished  until  it  is  one  of  the 
best  houses  in  the  town. 

The  school  of  1856  was  taught  by  Prof.  George  E.  Selby ; 
and,  in  addition  to  the  pupils  in  and  about  St.  George,  others 
attended  from  a  distance.  Among  those  who  came  from 
the  country  were  Abe  Bonnifield,  A.  H.  Bonnifield,  S.  N. 
Swisher,  Edgar  Parsons,  C.  L.  Parsons  and  others.  In  this 
school  Abe  Bonnifield  took  the  prize  for  excelling  in  reading. 
The  school  has  always  been  remembered  by  those  who  at- 
tended it  as  one  of  great  thoroughness  and  completeness  ; 
and  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  claim  for  it  a  greater  influence 
for  good  than  that  of  an}^  other  school  ever  taught  in  the 
county.  It  was  taught  in  a  house  that  stood  and  still  stands 
just  back  of  the  present  school  house  of  St.  George.  The 
l)uilding  was  originally  a  saw-mill,  standing  some  two  miles 
below  the  town,  and  was  moved  to  its  present  site  and  re- 
Iniilt  by  Enoch  Minear.  To  him  was  due  the  first  school 
in  St.  George,. after  the  formation  of  Tucker.     He  paid  the 


TEAYELEES.  277 

teaclier  from  liis  own  pocket,  and  threw  open  the  doors  of 
school  to  all  who  would  make  use  of  it.  The  offer  was 
accepted  by  man^-,  and  before  the  commencement  of  sum- 
mer the  enrollment  was  as  large  as  it  has  ever  been  in 
St.  George. 

Enoch  Minear  then  kept  tavern  in  the  old  stone  house, 
and  many  of  the  pupils  boarded  with  him.  But  Abe  Bon- 
nifield,  A.  H.  Bonnifield  and  David  Bonnifield  boarded  at 
liome,  four  and  one-half  miles  distant,  and  S.  N.  Swisher, 
then  of  Hampshire  County,  boarded  with  them,  and  they  all 
came  to  school  together. 

Before  that  time,  and  several  years  before,  there  had  been 
schools  in  and  near  St.  George.  Enoch  Minear  had  alwa^'S 
been  a  liberal  patronizer  of  popiilar  education.  His  family 
received  the  benefit  of  the  best  instruction  the  country 
could  afford.  But,  even  at  this  time,  1856,  his  family  were 
not  all  vdih  him.  Some  had  gone  to  the  remotest  parts  of 
the  United  States  to  try  their  fortunes  there.  The  land  of 
California  had  attracted  theii'  notice  when  it  first  became 
known  to  the  w^orld  as  a  field  of  gold.  Capt.  E.  Harper, 
"who  started  to  that  region  early  in  1848,  was  the  first  of 
Tucker's  people  to  dare  the  dangers  of  the  land  of  adven- 
ture. But  others  in  a  very  short  time  were  to  follow,  and 
the  next  one  was  A.  P.  Minear,  Enoch  Minear's  oldest  son. 

On  Saturday,  March  10,  1849,  at  the  supper  table,  in  the 
old  stone  mansion,  Enoch  Minear  said  to  his  oldest  son: 
*'Pool,"  that  was  the  name  by  which  he  Avas  known,  "Pool, 
to-day  you  are  twent^'-one  years  of  age.  You  may  either 
stay  with  me  or  go  'root'  for  yourself,  as  you  like."  Now, 
for  the  first  time.  Pool  realized  that  he  was  fully  a  man,  and 
ought  to  depend  upon  himself.  He  was  always  a  whole- 
souled,  generous  boy,  who  was  respected  by  all,  and  by  all 


278  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

known  us  a  youth  of  intellect,  energy  and  ambition.  It  was 
plain  to  any  one  tliat  he  would  make  his  way  in  the  world, 
no  matter  in  what  field  he  should  seek  his  fortune.  On  the 
home  farm,  from  his  childhood,  he  had  been  a  leader  of  his 
brothers.  This  right  was  partly  due  him,  because  he  was 
the  oldest ;  but,  his  perseverance  and  his  ambition  gave  him 
this  position  more  than  was  given  by  his  age. 

At  the  supper  table,  on  that  Saturday  evening,  was  a 
neighbor,  Mr.  Jacob  See,  a  man,  as  has  been  said  of  him, 
whose  worth  was  unknown  until  he  was  gone.  He  heard 
what  had  been  said,  and  when  he  was  ready  to  go  home, 
Pool  accompanied  him  to  the  stable  for  his  horse.  As  they 
walked  along  he  offered  Pool  fifteen  dollars  a  month  for 
three  months  if  he  would  help  plow.  The  offer  was  ac- 
cepted. The  usual  wages  were  eight  dollars  a  month,  and  to 
be  offered  fifteen  was  such  an  inducement  that  Pool  had  no 
hesitation  in  accepting  it.  He  worked  for  Mr.  See  the  full 
time,  the  three  months,  and  received  his  forty-five  dollars. 
This  was  the  largest  sum  of  money,  entirely  his  own,  that 
he  had  ever  had. 

Mr.  See  having  no  further  Avork  for  him.  Pool  at  once 
went  to  the  B.  tt  O.  R.  R.,  then  building  through  the  coun- 
try, and  took  a  contract  of  clearing  the  way  of  timber  for  a 
certain  distance.  At  this  he  made  money,  as  he  alwa3'S  did, 
and  could,  without  doubt,  have  remained  a  contractor  on 
the  road  until  the  last  rail  was  laid,  had  he  chosen  to  do  so. 
But  rumors  of  gold  from  California  began  to  find  their  way 
into  the  mountains  and  valle^^s  of  West  Yirginia ;  and, 
among  the  adventurous  and  ambitious  souls  that  it  fired 
with  a  determination  to  try  the  realities  of  the  stories,  there 
was  none  among  all  the  3'outhful  mountaineers  more  en- 
thusiastic than  Pool    Minear.     His  friend,  E.  Harper,  was 


TEAVELEKS.  279 

iilread}"  gont^,  J^nil  at  tliat  time  '^vas  d-ariiig  the  dangers  of  tlie 
western  plains,  determined  to  be  among  the  first  upon 
the  golden  shore.  The  next  from  Tucker  was  to  be  Pool 
Minear.  He  might  have  been  the  first  or  with  the  first,  had 
he  possessed  the  financial  means  of  going  when  yonng 
Harper  went.  But,  if  he  could  not  accompany  his  friend, 
he  was  resolved  to  be  there  as  soon  as  possible. 

Having  finished  his  contract  on  the  railroad,  he  returned 
home,  and  announced  that  he  was  going  to  California. 
*' Where  is  California?"  his  father  asked  in  amazement,  as 
though  the  name  of  a  new  world  had  been  spoken.  Pool 
acknowledged  that  he  himself  had  only  vague  ideas  where 
the  mysterious  realm  was  situated;  but  others  had  gone 
there,  and  he  was  certain  that  he  could  fi.nd  it.  It  was  in 
the  AVest,  and  might  be  reached  either  by  land  or  vrater. 
This  was  the  substance  of  all  he  knew  concerning  it.  For, 
be  it  remembered,  that  the  science  of  Geography,  in  this 
part  of  West  Virginia,  was  then  known  or  partly  known 
only  to  a  privileged  few. 

But  the  uncertainty  concerning  the  latitude  and  longitude 
of  California  was  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  G-ettincr  there  ; 
and  Enoch  Minear  even  encouraged  his  bov  to  2:0,  and  cave 
him  three  hundred  dollars  to  help  bear  his  expenses  on  the 
wa.y.  This  was  December  23,  1849.  Four  days  later,  young 
Minear  left  his  home  for  the  far  West.  It  was  in  the  dead 
of  winter,  and  the  snow  Avas  more  than  a  foot  deep.  The 
nearest  railroad  station  was  Cumberland,  in  Maryland,  some 
seventy  miles  distant.  Solomon  Minear,  his  brother,  accom- 
panied him  on  horseback  to  the  Bed  House,  on  the  North- 
western turnpike,  some  twenty  miles  from  St.  George,  and 
there  set  him  dovrn  in  fifteen  inches  of  snow  to  make  his 
way  to  California  as  best  he  could,  and  there  left  him. 


280  HISTOIIY  OF  TUCXEK  COUNTY. 

He  had  ii  letter  of  introduction  from  Senator  Ewin  to 
Mrs.  lYjiinriglit,  of  New  York,  a  sister  of  Mr.  Ewin.  This 
was  all  he  carried  with  him  to  recommend  him  to  anybody 
in  the  great  world  of  strangers  into  which  he  was  burying 
himself.  The  undertaking  before  him  seemed  a  great  one, 
and  it  was  a  great  one  to  a  young  man  whose  life  had  been 
spent  almost  entirely  in  the  narrow  limits  of  Tucker  County. 
California,  the  bourne  and  the  goal  of  his  ambition,  was  a 
vague  realm,  of  which  he  possessed  only  the  merest 
knowledge,  and  to  him  it  seemed  only  as  an  ideal  land  be- 
yond the  ocean.  He  was  leaving  all  he  knew  behind  him, 
and  was  launching  boldly,  if  not  blindly,  out  upon  the  great 
ocean  of  the  wonderful  and  the  unknown. 

With  these  and  similar  thoughts  crowding  thickly  upon 
him,  he  stood  in  the  snow  on  that'  winter  day,  and  watched 
his  brother,  who  had  turned  back,  until,  hidden  by  the  fly- 
ing snow  and  the  roughness  of  the  country,  the  horse, 
rider  and  all  passed  from  sight,  and  Pool  was  left  entirely 
alone.     The  next  time  he  saw  his  brother  was  in  California. 

AYlien  the  last  ^jrrav  outline  of  his  brother's  overcoat  was 
lost  from  sight  in  the  distance,  A.  P.  Minear  turned  to  the 
east,  and  with  his  small  portmanteau  slung  across  his  shoul- 
der, he  plodded  onward  slowly  throiTgh  the  snow.  His 
journey  la}'  across  the  Backbone  and  the  Alleghany  moun- 
tains, through  a  region  fair  and  beautiful  in  the  greenness 
of  summer,  when  all  nature  from  the  lowest  forms  to  the 
highest  are  thrilled  with  passion  and  life ;  but,  a  region 
drear  and  bleak  when  the  fierceness  of  winter  is  upon  it, 
and  the  wild  storms  of  sleet  and  ice  and  snow  are  never 
weary.  Slowly  and  with  labor  the  young  man  climbed  the 
slope  of  tlje  Backbone,  and  at  last  stood  upon  its  desolate 
summit.     To  the  northward   and  westward  the  country  of 


TEAYELEES.  281 

tlie  ''Glades"  was  in  view;  and  as  tlie  AvLole  frigid  pano- 
rama burst  upon  liis  vision,  and  the  wLite,  snowy  fields  were 
interspersed  witli  darker  expanses  of  forest,  and  away  in 
tlie  distance  tlie  winding,  tortuous  course  of  the  Yougli- 
iogheny  could  be  traced  along  the  ancient  lake  beds,  whose 
water  it  had  carried  off  in  past  ages,  he  felt  that  the  under- 
taking was  to  him  a  momentous  one.  The  land  looked  lone 
and  desolate ;  but,  he  could  still  see  beauties  in  it,  and 
then  felt  that  it  was  his  home. 

But  he  was  too  impatient  to  remain  long  in  contemplation 
of  the  winter  scenery,  and  in  the  reverie  that  the  picture 
drew  upon  him.  That  dim,  but  not  phantasmal  land  of  gold 
and  romance  was  so  vividly  painted  in  his  mind  that  the 
brightness  of  its  colors  soon  surpassed  and  blotted  out 
those  of  the  white  hills  and  mountains  far  beneath  him ; 
and  with  but  one  thing  before  his  fancy,  and  that  the  Golden 
Shore  beyond  the  sea,  he  turned,  perhaps  forever,  from  the 
scene  at  his  feet,  and  with  his  portmanteau  on  his  back,  he 
pushed  forward  along  the  forest-lane  that  marks  the  line  of 
the  road  across  the  mountain,  and  soon  began  the  descent 
into  the  rugged  valley  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Potomac. 

The  country  was  only  thinly  inhabited.  Here  and  there 
was  the  cabin  of  a  mountaineer,  who  was  willing  to  live 
apart  from  the  rest  of  mankind  in  order  to  enjoy  the  luxur- 
ies of  a  forest  life.  Soon  Minear  turned  down  from  the 
high  plateau  of  the  Backbone,  and  the  snow  grew  less  deep 
and  he  walked  easier.  Where  Fort  Pendleton  now^  stands 
in  ruins,  was  then  only  a  field  and  a  forest ;  and  as  he  passed 
wearily  by,  on  the  steep  descent  of  the  way,  lie  had  noth- 
ing to  remind  him  what  scenes  of  history  would  sometime 
be  enacted  about  that  very  hill.  The  surrounding  silence 
gave  no  token  that  in  after  years  the  tramp  of  troops,  the 


282  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

trundling  of  train-wagons  and  the  deep  roar  of  ordnance 
would  shake  the  very  rocks  over  which  he  walked.  Nor, 
when  he  reached  the  roaring  river,  which  washed  the  mount- 
ain's feet,  and  plunges  and  raves  and  dashes  eternally,  did 
he  once  think  how,  in  time  to  come,  the  ponderous  iron  horse 
would  thunder  through  the  mountains  at  forty  miles  an  hour 
and  that  a  city  might  sometime  spring  up  where  was  then 
only  a  rough  bridge  and  a  dilapidated  tavern. 

But,  if  such  thoughts  came  not  to  him  in  the  whisper  of 
prophecy,  there  was  still  enough  to  occupy  his  mind.  He 
crossed  the  river,  and  the  next  day  crossed  the  Alleghanies, 
passed  over  the  little  river,  Difficult,  a  stream  of  legends 
and  myths,  and  crossed  the  rough  ravine,  called  Stony  River. 
At  Mount  Storm  he  was  on  the  summit  of  the  great  Alle- 
ghanies. The  name  is  suggestive  of  the  character;  for 
Mount  Storm  was  a  storm}^  mountain,  where  the  wind 
knows  no  rest  or  mercy ;  and  the  tornadoes  are  forever  raging 
around  the  bald  dome  which  marks  the  highest  point. 

From  there  the  road  led  down  toward  the  lower  valleys ; 
and  by  evening  Minear  was  so  far  on  the  plains  below  that 
he  could  look  back  and  upward  and  see  the  mountains  at 
intervals,  and  at  intervals  they  were  hidden  in  the  thick 
masses  of  clouds,  which  are  nearly  always  hovering  there. 

The  young  man  had  now  placed  between  himself  and  his 
home  one  range  of  hills,  one  sierra  of  snow}^  summits,  and 
he  felt,  at  one  time,  that  he  had  gained  a  victory,  and  at 
another  that  he  was  that  much  nearer  his  doom.  But  it 
was  no  time  to  think  of  either.  He  v\^as  going,  and  nothing 
could  or  should  discourage  or  dissuade  him.  The  excessive 
labor  of  walking  through  so  much  deep  snow  began  to  have 
an  efiect  on  his  body  but  none  at  all  upon  his  mind.  His 
limbs  were  tired ;  but  his  will  to  trium}-)!!,  his  determination 


TRAYELEPiS.  283 

to  push  on,  over  and  through  and  around  obstacles  and  dif- 
ficulties, was  not  diminished,  and  down,  down  still  nearer  to 
the  valley  he  took  his  way,  and  his  mind  that  dwelt  on  am- 
bition and  pictured  the  future  knew  no  weariness.  At  Cum- 
berland the  most  arduous  part  of  his  journey  would  be  at 
an  end,  and  to  that  was  due  the  fact  that  he  would  not  stop 
on  his  way  until  that  town  was  reached. 

From  Cumberland  to  New  York  it  was  onl}'  a  trip  by  rail, 
and  possessed  nothing  of  especial  interest.  Minear  reached 
New  Y^ork  and  Avas  kindly  received  by  the  family  to  whom 
he  was  presented  by  his  letter  of  introduction.  Mr.  Wain- 
right  had  a  son  and  daughter  about  Minear's  age,  and  as  he 
expressed  it  in  a  letter  written  afterward  : 

I  remained  there  a  week  and  had  a  splendid  time  with  these 
youno:  people,  who  took  me,  one  by  each  wing,  and  showed  me  the 
strange  Xew  York  sights. 

New^  Y^ork  was  the  first  vivid  impression  of  the  vastness 
of  the  world  and  its  human  inhabitants  that  he  had  ever 
received.  But  it  was  not  the  end  of  his  journey,  it  was 
really  only  the  beginning  of  it,  and  from  there  his  way 
w^ould  lead  through  lands  and  seas  still  stranger  than  any 
he  had  yet  seen. 

He  remained  in  the  metropolis  one  week  and  then  took 
passage  on  the  steamship  Eminre  City  for  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  That  w^as  the  principal  and  the  most  usual  route 
to  California  at  that  time.  The  other  routes  were  across 
Central  America  at  the  San  Juan  del  Sur,  and  by  Elizabeth 
Bay,  or  around  the  southern  extremity  of  South  America, 
at  Cape  Horn,  the  route  taken  by  some  who  went  from 
Tucker,  and  by  w^hich  the  distance  to  California  was  more 
than  half  the  distance  around  the  w^orld.  The  other  com- 
mon road  was  the  emigrant  trail  across  the  plains.     Capt. 


284  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

Harper   took  this  route  when  he  went  in  1848  and  1849. 

At  that  time  there  was  not,  as  there  now  is,  a  raiboad 
across  the  Isthmus.  Passengers  got  themselves  across  in 
any  and  every  possible  manner.  The  climate  was  hot  and 
unhealthful,  and  those  who  remained  on  the  Isthmus  any 
length  of  time  did  so  at  the  peril  of  their  lives.  However, 
many  were  obliged  to  stay  for  weeks,  and  sometimes  for 
months,  waiting  on  the  western  side  for  a  vessel  to  carry 
them  to  San  Francisco. 

When  Minear  reached  there,  he  found  only  the  rudest 
conve^'ances  to  carry  him  and  the  rest  of  the  passengers  to 
the  other  side.  A  portion  of  the  journey  was  in  canoes, 
manned  by  natives,  dressed  in  linen  as  white  as  snow.  It 
was  hot,  and  when  the  canoes  w^ere  fully  under  way,  the 
natives  threw  aside  their  costume,  and  for  the  rest  of  the 
way  were  clad  after  the  manner  of  Adam  and  Eve  while 
innocent  in  the  Garden  of  Eden.  The  remonstrances  of 
the  passengers  were  utterly  unavailing  in  causing  them  to 
dress  themselves,  and  so  they  proceeded  in  that  manner, 
although  some  of  the  passengers  were  ladies. 

The  natural  scenery  along  the  way  w^as  tropical,  and  con- 
tinually called  forth  words  of  admiration  from  the  passen- 
gers. They  stopped  at  times  and  bought  fruit  and  drank 
native  coffee,  and  after  a  series  of  adventures,  their  desti- 
nation was  reached.  In  a  letter  Minear  speaks  thus  of  one 
of  the  native  taverns : 

At  one  of  these  little  native  huts,  we  got  splendid  coffee  and,  as 
usual,  cream  or  luilk  in  it,  which  was  quite  a  treat  and  helped 
wash  down  the  crackers  and  cheese.  At  this  particular  place  I 
now  mention,  I  had  drank  one  cup  of  coffee  and  called  for  another. 
As  the  lady  took  my  cup  and  went  into  the  adjoining  hut  to  get 
the  coffee,  I  stepped  into  the  doorway,  or  open  space,  to  take  a 
look  into  the  other  room,  when  I  saw  her  with  my  cup  of  coffee  in 


TEAYELERS.  285 

one  hand,  streaming  the  cream  or  milk  from  her  breast  into  it  with 
the  other.  Just  then  I  had  finished  hinch  and  did  not  care  for  any- 
more coffee. 

He  reached  Panama  on  January  18,  1850  ;  and  the  very 
next  day  commenced  looking  about  for  something  to  do. 
There  was  no  prospect  of  getting  to  go  to  California  any 
time  soon,  and  it  was  his  purpose  to  save  all  the  money  he 
could.  It  was  a  hard  place  to  get  work,  and  the  best  offer 
he  could  find  Avas  that  of  one  dollar  a  day  in  a  pancake 
bakery.  This  was  better  than  nothing,  and  he  accepted  the 
offer  and  went  to  w^ork.  But  he  was  only  waiting  for  an 
opportunity  to  fall  in  with  something  better. 

A  few  days  later  he  thought  he  saw  a  chance  for  specula- 
tion, and  at  once  entered  into  it.  Twelve  miles  from  Pan- 
ama was  Taboga,  where  the  steamers  took  in  coal  and  water. 
He  saw  money  in  running  a  boat  from  Panama  to  that  place 
to  carry  the  passengers  who  would  want  to  go.  Accord- 
ingly, he  bought  a  whale  boat  for  eighty  dollars,  and  soon 
got  a  load  of  passengers.  He  had  a  "fair  wind  and  made  a 
splendid  run  ;"''^  and  his  passengers  were  safely  landed  at 
their  destination.  About  sunset  he  left  Taboga  in  his  boat, 
accompanied  by  his  two  seamen,  and  started  back  to  Pan- 
ama. But  the  winds  were  contrary  ;  and  the  boat  was 
driven  hither  and  thither  all  night,  and  not  till  the  next  day 
did  it  reach  Panama.  Minear  was  sea-sick,  and  entirely 
disgusted  with  his  speculation.  As  soon  as  the  boat  touched 
the  shore,  he  leaped  out,  started  for  the  town,  yelled  back 
to  his  men  that  thev  could  have  the  boat,  and  he  never 
looked  back, 

There  Avas  still  no  show  of  getting  a  ]3assage  to  California, 
and  he  commenced  lookinsr  about  for  somethinfir  else  to  make 

<_>  o 

*Letter  from  San  Francisco. 


286  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE   COUNTY. 

money  at.  He  rented  a  large  room  at  two  dollars  a  day, 
and  charged  ten  cents  a  niglit  to  eacli  person  wlio  spread 
Lis  blanket  and  slept  there.  He  made  some  money  at  this, 
and  thought  himself  more  fortunate  than  those  who  were  on 
continual  expense  and  were  making  nothing. 

As  soon  as  he  got  a  little  better  acquainted,  he  saw  an- 
other opening  for  speculation  in  passenger  tickets,  and  he 
entered  into  that  business  and  made  some  money  at  it. 

He  had  now  been  on  the  Isthmus  more  than  a  month,  and 
his  impatience  to  get  aw^ay  may  be  imagined.  Fortunately* 
for  him,  it  was  in  the  winter  time ;  for  had  it  been  in  the  hot 
season  of  the  year,  the  whole  collection  of  passengers  must 
have  fallen  by  feyer.  The  first  of  March  came,  and  they 
were  still  there  and  no  show  of  £>'ettino-  a^yay.  Some  wished 
they  had  stayed  in  New  Y^ork,  others  that  they  had  crossed 
the  plains,  and  still  others  that  they  had  the  opportunity  of 
going  back  home.  But  during  all  this,  Minear  was  making 
the  best  of  the  situation  and  was  looking  sharply  about  to 
take  in  all  the  loose  money  that  Avas  floating  around  among 
the  reckless  of  the  passengers.  In  this  he  was  successful, 
and  made  more  than  enough  to  balance  what  he  had  lost  in 
his  whale-boat  transaction. 

Early  in  March,  1850,  the  steamer  Panmaa  came  into 
port,  and  the  passengers  were  jubilant  at  the  prospect  of 
getting  to  leaye  that  feyer-plagued  coast.  On  March  5,  they 
departed  for  San  Francisco,  and  had  a  stormy  yoyage  of 
twenty-four  days  before  they  approached  the  Golden  Gate. 

As  the}'  were  coming  up  the  coast,  Minear  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  B.  E.  Buckelew,  Esq.,  who  had  gone  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1840,  but  had  been  east  with  liis  family  and  was 
just  returning  with  his  brother  Scott.  The  acquaintance 
y/as   a  fortunate    one  for  Minear,   wlio    was   totally    unac- 


"TRAYELEES.  287 

quaiiitt'd  with  any  one  iu  California,  except  Capt.  E.  Har- 
per, and  lie  knew  not  where,  in  all  that  wild  country,  to  find 
liim.  Mr.  Buckelew  soon  fonnd  that  young  Minear  had 
nc>thing  definite  laid  out  to  do,  and  accordingly  oftered  to 
furnish  him  a  shed  to  sleep  in  until  he  could  lind  something 
better.  Pool  felt  grateful  and  accepted  the  offer  ;  but  ho 
couldn't  help  thinking  that  in  West  Virginia  a  stranger  would 
not  have  been  ofiered  a  shed  to  sleep  in.  But  he  was 
learning  the  ways  of  the  new  Avorld,  and  he  had  no  hesi- 
tancy in  accepting  the  shelter  of  a  shed. 

They  landed,  and  Minear  Avas  shown  the  shant}';  and,  af- 
ter looking  about  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  as  night  came  on, 
lie  lay  down  upon  the  fioor  to  sleep.  He  was  not  in  imme- 
diate need  of  anything,  and  had  over  two  hundred  dollars  in 
money.  His  only  companion  was  an  Irish  bo}',  and  with 
this  company  he  lay  down  to  sleep  his  first  sleep  in  California. 

That  night  he  was  taken  sick,  and  in  the  morning  he  sent 
for  a  doctor.  He  grew  no  better,  and  the  doctor  visited 
him  regularly  for  tvv'o  weeks,  and  finally  got  him  on  his  feet. 
The  doctor's  bill  Avas  four  hundred  and  fiftv  dollars.  Pool 
had  not  money  enough  to  pay  it.  Mr.  BuckeleAv's  brother 
furnished  the  necessary  money,  and  the  doctor's  unreasona- 
ble bill  was  paid  off." 

As  soon  as  Minear  felt  able  to  Avork,  he  offered  his  ser- 
vices to  Mr.  Buckelew,  but  Avas  advised  not  to  attempt 
Avork  until  he  felt  stronger.     Accordingly^,  he  laid  olf  a  icav 

*  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  note  that  Captain  Harper  was  some  distance  from  San 
Francisco,  vrlien  lie  heard  that  Minear  had  arrived  and  was  sick.  Harper's  business 
was  such  that  he  could  not  get  away  to  visit  his  young  friend ;  but  he  did  not  neglect 
him.  On  a  bank  in  San  Francisco  where  he  had  money  deposited,  he  gave  Minear 
an  order  to  draw  all  he  wanted.  But  :\ir.  Buckelew-s  generosity  had  already  rendered 
this  unnecessary.  This  incident  is  mentioned  to  shovr  the  friendship  that  then  exist- 
ed between  these  two  young  AA'est  A'irginians,  in  the  strange  country.  The  kindly 
feelings  and  confidence  betweeen  them  never  grew  less,  and  in  then'  subsequent 
business  transactions  each  would  trust  the  other  further  than  he  would  trust  himself. 


288  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

clays  longer.  But  lie  felt  that  lie  must  be  doing  something, 
and  again  went  to  Buckelew  for  a  job.  This  time  he  was 
more  successful.  He  was  shown  a  ponderous  pile  of  bricks 
that  it  was  necessary  to  move  about  two  hundred  3'ards. 
Pool  did  this  with  a  wheelbarrow.  Mr.  Buckelew  was  so 
pleased  with  the  perseverance  and  pluck  of  the  young  man 
that  he  invited  him  to  his  own  house  and  kept  him  there  as 
long  as  he  had  anything  to  be  done.  Mr.  Buckelew  had 
several  city  lots  which  needed  leveling,  and  Minear  was 
given  the  contract.  He  soon  had  fifty  men  at  work,  and 
kept  at  it  until  every  lot  was  leveled,  and  his  employer  had 
nothing  else  for  him  to  do.  This  was  Aj^ril  15,  1851.  In 
their  settlement,  Minear  was  paid  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  a  month,  and  was  charged  with  no  lost  time. 

Minear  now  turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber  business, 
which  in  California  is  usually  a  paying  one.  There  is  money 
in  it  to  all  who  are  fortunate  ;  but,  it  is  risky  for  those  who 
are  not  used  to  the  business.  Minear  bought  two  ox-teams, 
and  went  to  hauling  logs  for  the  mill.  He  was  successful 
at  every  turn.  Every  stream  "was  bubbling  over  with 
luck,"  and  he  made  money  fast.  Soon  another  mill  near  by 
offered  him  greater  inducements,  and  he  went  to  work  for 
it,  and  was  still  as  successful  as  ever.  He  remained  with 
the  new  firm  that  bought  the  old  one  out,  until  in  the  fall  of 
1853.  But,  in  the  meantime  he  built  a  new  mill  for  the 
same  company.  Tlie^^  were  gradually  placing  in  his  hands 
the  whole  business,  and  he  was  not  back^vard  in  accept- 
ing it. 

In.  the  fall  of  1853  he  accepted  the  position  of  manager  in 
general  for  a  large  lumljer  establishment  and  had  the  entire 
control  of  the  business.  He  was  paid  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars a  month.     He  was  now  on  the  road  to  fortune,  and  was 


TRAVELERS.  289 

doinj^  u'ell  in  every  particular.  But,  in  April,  1854,  liis 
niontlily  payment  was  not  made.  This  did  not  make 
much  difference,  and  lie  continued  the  business,  paying  ex- 
penses from  his  own  pocket.  The  next  payment  was  not- 
made,  and  he  began  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  it,  but 
still  kept  the  business  going.  But,  in  the  midst  of  his 
investigations  the  company-  broke.  One  of  the  partners  left 
for  Mexico,  one  died  and  the  third  had  no  money.  Minear 
paid  up  the  indebtedness  of  the  mills  and  had  nothing  left. 
He  spent  forty  thousand  dollars  of  his  own  money  in  set- 
tling with  small  contractors  and  laborers.  He  considered 
that  he  could  afford  to  lose  all  he  had  easier  than  so  many 
could  give  up  their  all ;  and  so  he  paid  that  which,  by  law, 
lie  need  not  have  paid.  But,  it  broke  him  up,  tinancially, 
but  not  physically  or  mentally. 

Before  this  financial  failure,  Minear  had  sent  to  Iowa  for 
his  brother-in-law,  Henry  M.  Stemple,  and  famih',  and  they 
crossed  the  plains  to  join  him.  He  had  bought  them  a 
home ;  but,  before  they  got  to  it,  the  crash  came,  and  Mi- 
near left  California  on  horseback  and  went  to  Orecjon. 
But  Stemple  reached  the  farm,  and  lived  and  died  on  it, 
and  his  wife,  formerly  Eliza  Minear,  still  lives  on  the  prop- 
erty, some  miles  north  of  San  Francisco,  in  a  beautiful  and 
fertile  country. 

At  Rainier,  Oregon,  A.  P.  Minear  met  his  old  friend, 
Capt.  E.  Harper,  who  was  then  carrying  on  an  extensive 
mercantile  business  there.  As  Minear  was  out  of  employ- 
ment, and  had  not  an  extra  supply  of  money,  he  was  glad 
of  the  jn-esented  offer  of  going  into  partnership  with  Mr 
Harper.  For  a  while  after  this,  they  conducted  the  busi- 
ness together,  and  when  Harper  Avent  to  California,  Minear 
continued  the  trade. 

19 


290  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

About  this  time  Miiiear  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss 
Lucretia  Moody,  a  young  lady  from  New  Y^'ork,  who,  with 
her  father's  family,  and  other  friends,  had  crossed  the 
plains  to  the  Pacitic  coast.  They  were  soon  afterward 
married ;"'  and  they  continued  the  stores  at  Rainier  until 
some  time  in  1856,  when  the  business  was  brought  to  a 
close. 

AYitli  his  wife  he  now  returned  to  California,  and  lived 
that  year  with  Stemple,  his  brother-in-law  ;  but  did  not  en- 
gage deeply  ih  business.  Some  of  the  affairs  in  Oregon 
needed  looking  after,  and  he  returned  for  that  pur- 
pose. In  order  to  close  up  the  concerns  there,  he  found  it 
necessary  to  buy  and  sell  to  a  considerable  extent.  "While 
doing-  this,  he  found  that  he  was  making  money,  and  he  saw 
no  reason  Avhy  he  might  not  continue  it.  He  decided  to  do 
so,  and  went  to  California  for  his  wife.  In  Oregon  they 
carried  on  a  larcje  store  and  hotel.  Mrs.  Minear  assumed 
management  of  the  latter,  and  Mr.  Minear  of  the  former. 
Things  went  on  well,  and  they  made  money  at  every  turn  of 
the  wheel  of  fortune.     This  was  in  1857. 

In  1858,  a  Mr.  AVarren,  who  owned  a  saw-mill  at  that 
place  was  desirous  of  visiting  his  family  at  Boston,  and 
wished  Minear  to  look  after  his  lumber  interests.  This 
Minear  agreed  to  do,  and  added  two  or  three  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  improvements  to  the  mill.  But,  before  the 
return  of  Mr.  AYarren,  the  mill  burnt  down.  AYlien  AYarren 
got  back,  he  ofiered  Minear  the  burnt  machinery  as  pay  for 
the  service  done,  and  as  return  for  the  mone}'  invested  in 
improvements.  This  Avas  rather  poor  pay  ;  but  it  was  that 
much  better  than  nothing,  and  Minear  accepted  it.  He 
at   once   set  about  rebuilding   it,  using   such    of    the   ma- 


*  February  2^,  isnu. 


TEAYELEES.  .       291 

cliinery  as  was  available,  and  replacing  the  worthless   with 
neAv. 

To  rebuild  the  mill  cost  him  eight  thousand  dollars.  He 
got  it  ready  to  start  at  six  p.  m.,  and  made  arrangements  to 
commence  work  at  six  next  morning,  and  had  men  employed 
to  rim  it  night  and  day.  At  four  in  the  morning  it  burnt 
down.  He  rebuilt  it  at  the  same  cost,  run  it  six  days,  and 
it  again  burnt  down. 

These  reverses  would  have  bankrupted  him,  had  he  not 

been  making  large  sums  of  money  in  the  other  departments 

of  his  business.     He  built  the  mill  the  third  time ;  but,  the 

price  of  lumber  had  fallen  until  a  small  mill  would  not  pay. 

Meanwhile,  he  was  furnishing  money  and  supplies  to  a  man 

named  Fox,  who  was  building  a  water  mill  just  back  of  the 

town  of  Eainier,  for  the  purpose  of  sawing  cedar  lumber. 

By  the  time  his  mill  Avas  fairly  started,  he  owed  Minear  near 

seven  thousand  dollars,    and,  feeling  dubious  about  being 

able  to  make  that  much  out  of  the  mill,  he  offered  to  give  it, 

lumber  and  all,  to  him,  in  satisfaction  of  the  debt.     Minear 

accepted  the  offer.     Fox  made  him  a  deed  for  it,  and  the 

whole  matter  was  settled   and   the   mill,  property  and  all, 

were  in  Minear's  hands.     He  was  yet  standing  at  his  desk, 

having  just  signed  his  part  of  the  contract  when  the  savryer 

came  running  in  and  exclaimed:  "Mr.  Fox,  your  mill  is  on 

lire."'"     It  burnt    down,   and  was   the   third  mill  ^o   to   be 

destroyed  on  Minear's  hands.     He  now  thought  it  time  to 

get  out  of  the  mill  business,  and  sold  his  steam  mill,  that  he 

had  rebuilt  the  third  time,  for  one  thousand  dollars,   and 

never  fpjot  a  cent  of  the  monev. 

Althouo-h    uniformly   unsuccessful   in   the  mill    business, 
vet  with  his  hotel  and  store  he  made  money  very  fast.     His 


From  a  letter  wrltrou  afterward. 


292      •       HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

great  trade  was  with  tlie  Columbia  River  bottom-land  far- 
mers, wlio  bought  their  goods  one  year  and  paid  for  them, 
the  next,  when  their  crops  came  into  market.  This  was  all 
working  beautifully  until  1862,  when  a  great  flood  came 
down  the  Columbia,  higher  than  it  has  ever  been  known 
since  or  was  ever  known  before.  It  drowned  out  the  far- 
mers. Many  were  left  destitute,  had  nothing  to  pay  debts 
or  buy  bread.  The  land,  which  before  the  flood  was  valua- 
ble, was  now  worthless. 

The  depreciation  in  the  value  of  property  left  us  about,  on  a 
level  with  the  rest  of  the  people.  Our  hotel  and  store  were  worth- 
less.    I  paid  our  debts  and  had  very  little  left.* 

Meanwhile,  among  the  people  of  Tucker  there  was  still  a 
remnant  of  the  California  excitement.  The  Minears  seemed 
to  be  the  readiest  to  go.  Jacob,  Tliaddeus  and  Jerome 
Harper  had  followed  their  brother,  Captain  Harper,  to  Cal- 
ifornia, and  before  this  time,  wxre  scattered  along  the 
Pacific  coast  from  Chili,  in  South  America,  to  British  Co- 
lumbia. From  the  time  Pool  Minear  went,  until  1859,  ten 
years,  several  persons  had  gone  from  Tucker  County  to  try 
their  fortunes  in  the  Golden  State.  William  and  George 
Minear  had  gone  west.  George  settled  at  Killbourne. 
Iowa,  and  still  resides  there.  William  lives  at  Oakland, 
California,  just  across  the  Bay  from  San  Francisco. 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  quite  a  number  of  young  people 
in  and  about  St.  George  determined  to  go  to  California. 
Among  them  were  A.  T.  Bounifield  and  family,  and  John 
W.  Minear.  In  November  of  that  3'ear  they  left  West 
Yirginia  and  repaired  to  New  York,  where  they  took  the 
steamer  for  Panama.  The  journey  to  New  York  contained 
nothing  of  particular  interest,  and  the  stay  in  t]ie  cit}^  was 

*  Letters. 


TEAYELEES.  203 

of  import  only  to  tliose  wlio  enjoyed  it  and  took  in  tlie 
many  strange  sights  that  a  great  city  contained. 

They  secured  passage  on  a  fine  steamer  for  Panama,  and 
with  everything  propitious  they  swept  from  the  harbor  out 
upon  the  stormy  Atlantic.  The  novelty  of  the  new  life,  the 
change  of  scenery,  the  sea-sickness  and  the  absence  of 
everything  terrestrial,  kept  the  passengers  from  growing 
melancholy  with  the  monoton}-  of  the  surroundings.  In 
fair  weather,  they  stood  on  deck ;  but  when  it  was  stormy, 
they  remained  in  the  cabins,  or  down  below.  While  pass- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  an  incident  took 
place,  which  has  never  been  forgotten  by  those  interested. 
They  were  all  below ;  for,  in  passing  the  Gulf,  Cape  San 
Lucas  as  the  point  is  called,  the  wind  blows  a  gale  toward 
the  land,  and  passes  up  the  gulf  to  the  hot  region  about  the 
mouth  of  the  Colorado  Eiver.  John  Minear  was  below 
with  the  rest  ;  and,  desiring  to  go  on  deck,  and  not  seeing 
his  own  hat  at  hand,  he  picked  up  Bonnifield's  hat,  and 
proceeded  to  the  deck.  The  moment  he  protruded  his  head 
above  the  timbers  of  the  ship,  the  wind  swept  away  his  hat 
like  a  cannon  ball,  and  it  passed  out  to  sea,  and  its  fate  is 
unknown  to  this  day.  It  was  a  small  affair,  but  it  cast  a 
gloom  over  both  Minear  and  Bonnifield,  the  former  because 
he  had  lost  it,  and  the  latter  because  it  was  lost.  Bonni- 
field never  forgot  that  hat ;  and  he  often  wonders  whether 
it  was  eaten  by  a  shark,  or  whether,  like  Jonah,  it  was  swal- 
lowed b}^  a  whale,  or  whether  it  became  water-logged  and 
sank  into  the  fathomless  caverns  of  the  sea,  or  whether  the 
winds  and  waves  lashed  and  dashed  it  until  it  was  beaten  to 
pieces,  and  the  dissevered  fragments  were  scattered  and 
strewn  upon  the  rock}'  coasts  of  islands,  continents,  penin- 
sulas, isthmuses  and  capes.     In  all  probability  its  fate  will 


294  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

never  be  known  ;  but  it  lias  never  been  forgotten  by  Bonni- 
fielcl  who  had  to  go  into  port  and  step  upon  the  Golden 
Shore  bare-headed. 

When  they  reached  San  Francisco,  Minear  went  to  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Stemple's.  As  soon  as  he  had  rested  a  little,  he 
began  looking  about  for  a  way  to  make  his  fortune.  He  had 
nothing  in  particular  laid  out  to  do  and,  in  consequence, 
commenced  looking  about  over  the  country  for  an  opening. 
He  rather  preferred  farming,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  find- 
ing a  piece  of  land  which  suited  him.  It  was  about  eighty 
miles  northward  from  San  Francisco,  in  the  heart  of  a 
countr}^  of  vrhich  he  thus  speaks  in  one  of  his  letters  : 

The  whole  country  is  as  one  flower  garden,  as  far  as  can  be  seen. 
The  low,  rolling  hills  and  the  level  plains  between  are  so  thickly 
covered  with  bloom  of  every  imaginable  color  and  dye,  that  the 
brightness  dazzles  the  eye,  and  one  must  turn  away  before  he  can 
fully  realize  how  splendid  and  magnificent  the  scenery  really  is. 
So  rich  in  perfume  are  the  flowers  that  if  one  walks  through  them 
his  clothes  will  retain  the  odor  for  hours  thereafter,  and  even  for 
days  I 

He  was  only  looking  at  the  country,  and  he  next  visited 
some  of  the  watering  places  and  fashionable  resorts  of  Cal- 
ifornia. But  he  saw  nothing  there  worth  taking  hold  of 
from  which  to  make  money.  He  then  went  into  the  mount- 
ains, and  explored  some  of  the  timbered  regions,   of  which 

he  thus  speaks  : 

Trees  ten  and  fifteen  feet  across  the  stump  are  nothing  unusual, 
and  are  so  often  seen  that  they  attract  no  attention.  They  are 
usually  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet  high  ; 
and  sometimes  are  nearly  two  hundred  feet  to  the  limbs. 

Thus,  by  moving  about  from  place  to  place,  but  doing 
very  little  work,  he  spent  the  year,  and  came  out  of  it  with 
less  money  than  he  had  at  the  beginning. 

He  was  now  pretty  well  satisfied  that  he  had  seen  all  of 


TEAVELERS.  205 

California  that  it  was  to  his  interest  to  see,  and  he  began  to 
contemplate  joining  his  brother  Pool  in  Oregon.  Accord- 
ingl}',  he  took  steamer  for  Portland,  and  arrived  there  in 
due  time.  He  found  the  land  along  the  Columbia  mostly 
new  country,  partly  timbered  and  partly  not.  Business 
seemed  more  brisk  than  it  had  been  in  California.  At 
least,  it  was  more  to  his  liking.  He  selected  the  lumber  as 
the  best  business  at  that  particular  time,  and  accordingly 
devoted  himself  to  the  pursuit  of  it.  Cedar  was  from  sixty 
to  eight}'  dollars  per  thousand  feet,  scpiare  measure,  and  at 
this  he  thousfht  himself  able  soon  to  make   a  fortune  and 

CD 

return  home  rich.  The  trees  were  eight  or  ten  feet  in  diam- 
ter,  and  were  usually  cut  that  high  from  the  ground,  by 
building  a  scaffold,  or  adjusting  a  board  in  a  notch  cut  into 
the  tree.  At  this  work  he  remained  two  years ;  but,  not 
getting  rich  as  rapidl}'  as  he  thought  he  ought  to,  he  quit  it, 
passed  on  a  steamer  two  hundred  miles  up  the  Columbia 
and  landed  in  AVashington  Territory,  where  he  again  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  trade,  but  this  time  in  cord-wood. 

Meantime,  in  1860  and  1861,  the  war  came  on  in  the  east, 
and  Tucker  County  was  between  two  fires.  The  Confeder- 
ates held  the  mountains  south  of  the  county,  and  along  the 
railroad  north  of  the  county  were  large  numbers  of  Union 
troops.  Piaids  were  frequent  into  Tucker,  and  many  per- 
sons felt  unsafe.  Among  those  were  Enoch  Minear  and  A. 
C.  Minear.  They  were  strong  supporters  of  the  Union 
cause,  and  they  imagined  that  they  were  in  danger.  They 
thought  it  best,  or  at  least,  well  enough,  to  remove  a  little 
from  the  seat  of  war.     Accordingly,  they  went  to  California. 

Adam  C.  Minear  was  born  at  8t.  George,  October  6,  18-15. 
St.  George  was  at  that  time  called  Western  ford.  A.  C.  was 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  ten ;  and,  being  young   was  no 


296  HI8T0EY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

doubt  all  tliat  prevented  liis  going  wlien  Lis  brothers  went. 
He  was  young,  only  seventeen ;  but  lie  felt  able  to  meet  the 
TN'orld  and  battle  it  for  all  it  was  worth,  and  risk  his  fortune 
on  the  issue. 

He  took  passage  from  New  York  to  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama on  a  splendid  ocean  steamer.  He  seemed  to  enjoy  his 
time,  and  found  something  each  day  to  interest  him  ;  for,  as 
Le  said  in  one  of  his  letters  : 

The  cry  of  "whale"  from  some  lunatic  Avould  seldom  fail  to  bring 
on  deck  evei-y  passenger  able  to  leave  his  state  room  ;  and  the  silly 
dunces  Avonld  stand  with  eyes  strained  and  mouths  open  in  their 
heroic  efforts  to  discern  the  whale's  stupendous  carcass  heave 
above  the  waters.  Of  course,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  or  nineteen 
times  out  of  twenty,  there  was  no  whale  to  be  seen.  In  fact,  I 
never  got  to  see  one  at  all.  But  it  seemed  that  the  passengers 
could  learn  nothing  by  experience.  They  Avere  always  ready  to 
rush  upon  deck,  and  be  made  the  fools  of  some  bigger  fool.  Some 
of  the  aristocracy,  who  have  more  imagination  than  brains,  looked 
through  their  long  spy-glasses,  any  declared  that  they  could  see 
whales  by  the  thousand  ;  but  I  noticed  that  thej^  could  see  just  as 
many  whales  Avith  their  glasses  pointed  toward  the  sky  as  Avhen  in 
any  other  quarter. 

*I*  ^iC  3jC  5jC  *^  3fC  3(C  rffC  pJC 

There  were  on  the  ship,  as  I  suppose  there  are  on  all  ships,  i^er- 
sons  who  had  often  before  been  over  the  same  route,  and  Avhose 
knowledge  of  it  enabled  them  to  point  out  something  of  interest 
or  some  historical  locality  ahnost  every  hour  of  the  day.  If  a  cape 
came  in  view,  they  knew  something  about  it,  by  whom  it  was  dis- 
covered, or  Avho  was  buried  there  ;  or  they  could  relate  some  geo- 
graphical fcict  connected  witli  it. 

Young  Minear  was  getting  his  eyes  opened  to  the  world, 
and  the  range  of  his  knowledge  was  growing  wider.  He 
was  a  good  scholar  for  his  age  and  chance.  His  education 
Lad  been  acquired  in  the  old  school-house,  of  the  school  of 
185(),  that  stood  on  the  bank   of  the  mill  race,   which  was 


TEAYELEES.  297 

dug  by  John  Miiiear  iu  1776.  A.  C.  had  gotten  to  be  a 
good  scholar,  and,  although  young,  he  was  prepared  to 
travel.  The  value  of  travel  to  him,  and  the  interest  which 
he  took  in  seeing  that  of  which  he  had  only  read  before, 
and  had  known  only  as  it  existed  in  school  geographies, 
may  be  judged  from  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his 
letters  : 

"When  I  passed  those  islands,  and  saw  the  capes  and  promonto- 
ries rise  above  the  sea,  uiy  mind  went  back  to  tlie  school  room,  and 
I  remembered  and  pitied  the  dumb  boys  Avho  used  to  stand  sneak- 
ing before  the  teacher,  because  they  could  not  tell  exactly  whether 
Cuba  was  at  Babylon  or  in  Cape  Hcitteras.  The  poor  scoundrels 
could  not  tell  ;  for,  I  have  been  there,  and  know  by  experience  how 
hard  it  is  to  remember  things  that  are  only  things.  I  thought  that 
I  pretty  well  understood  the  general  character  of  land  and  Avater; 
but  I  find  that  I  am  dumber  than  most  people  take  me  to  be.  Is- 
lands are  larger,  and  oceans  bigger,  and  storms  stronger  and 
mountains  rougher  than  one  can  get  any  idea  of  by  reading  books. 
In  our  debating  '  Rinkle '  we  used  to  discuss  which  would  teach  a 
man  the  more,  reading  or  traveling.  Some  of  us  Avere  always 
ready  to  express  opinions,  and  argue  on  one  side  or  the  other  ;  but 
none  of  us  had  ever  traveled  any,  and  had  no  means  of  knowing 
what  there  is  in  the  world.  For,  if  Ave  were  to  read  half  the  time 
for  ten  years,  we  could  not  learn  what  I  have  learned  in  coming 
from  ]S'e\v  York  down  here.* 

A  youth  who  thus  traveled  with  his  eyes  open,  and  who 
found  leisure  to  see  every  island,  inspect  every  cape  and 
promontor}',  and  to  despise  the  silly  people,  Avho,  in  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment,  could  turn  their  vSpy-glasses  sky- 
ward and  see  whales,  such  a  j'outh  was  getting  benefit  from 
his  traveling.  He  has  left  recorded  in  letters  and  in  his  di- 
ary a  journal  of  his  proceedings  southward  over  the  Atlan- 
tic, through  the  West  Indias,  and  across  the  Caribbean  Sea. 

*  Panama. 


298  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

When  lie  got  to  Aspinwall  lie  soon  had  made  up  his  mind 
concerning  it,  as  we  can  see  from  his  journal  : 

An  hour's  stroll  through  the  streets  of  this  ancient  town  is 
enough  to  convince  the  average  emigrant  that  it  is  not  the  safest 
place  on  the  globe,  although  one  has  at  his  command  all  the 
modern  means  of  self  defense.  It  looks  to  me  like  the  den  of  rob- 
bers and  the  habitation  of  wickedness  in  every  shape.  The  people 
seem  to  be  of  different  languages  ;  but  as  far  as  that  is  concerned, 
it  is  all  Dutch  to  me.  They  must  make  their  living  by  stealing  or 
robbing  ;  for  they  don't  appear  to  be  workini^  a  bit.  They  loaf 
around  the  corners  of  the  roads,  and  wait  for  people  to  come  along 
to  be  robbed.  At  least  it  looks  so  to  me.  I  can't  see  how  Pool* 
stood  it  on  this  Isthnms  two  or  three  months,  while,  if  I  have  to 
stay  here  that  many  hours  it  is  more  than  I  have  bargained  for. 

"When  he  had  crossed  the  Isthmus,  which  was   done  on 

the  cars  and  was  a  ride  of  forty  miles,  he  was  in  Panama,  of 

which  place  his  opinion  was  soon  made  np  and  expressed  : 

A  person  in  search  of  civilization  need  not  stop  here  very  long. 
He  will  soon  find  out  that  he  is  "barking  up  the  wrong  stump," 
for  it  is  worse  here  than  at  Aspinwall,  and  I  am  getting  tired  of 
the  surroundings.  If  a  ship  don't  soon  come  to  take  me  to  San 
Francisco,  I  will  be  tempted  to  make  my  way  on  foot  through 
^[exico.     The  weather  is  warm  here,  although  so  late  in  the  fall. 

A  ship  did  soon  come  from  San  Francisco  to  take  the  pas- 
sengers there,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  getting  aboard.  The 
passage  northward  was  the  same  old  story  of  a  sea  voyage. 
Some  things  were  getting  their  newness  worn  away.  The 
credulous  travelers  failed  to  see  such  multitudes  of  whales, 
and  there  was  less  excitement  when  a  report  of  any  kind 
actually  did  get  started.  In  passing  Cape  San  Lucas,  as  is 
always  the  case,  there  was  a  strong  wind,  and  the  sea  became 
boisterous.  Many  became  sea  sick,  but  the  Cape  w^as  passed 
and  all  became  quiet  again.     The   next   thing   of  note  w^as 


A.  p.  Mlnear,  ttrother  to  A.  C.  Mlnear. 


TRAVELERS.  299 

the    arrival   at   San    Francisco.     From    a   letter   of    A.  C. 
Minear's  the  following  is  taken  : 

At  Last  the  Golden  Gate  appeared.  A  sij^h  of  relief  went  up  from 
every  passenger  on  board.  I  coidd  not,  in  my  own  gladness,  re- 
frain from  thinking  how  many  thousands  of  sea  sick  mortals  have 
hailed  with  joy  this  same  harbor,  this  same  Golden  Gate  ;  and  how 
many  have  looked  back  over  the  long  way  of  waters,  the  ocean  of 
storms  and  the  domain  of  desert  seas,  and  then  cast  their  eyes  for- 
ward to  the  solid  shoi-e,  where  rest  Avould  be  found  at  last,  and 
where  sea  sickness  M'ould  not  be  dreaded.  The  scenery  was  beau- 
tiful, although  we  Avere  only  approaching  the  shore.  Except  the 
solitary  peaks  of  a  mountain  here  and  there  along  the  coast  to  the 
southward,  this  was  my  first  sight  of  California.  I  was  eager  to 
see  it,  and  leaned  against  the  gunwales  to  steady  myself  that  I 
might  the  better  scan  the  shore. 

As  we  drew  nearer,  I  noticed  that  the  mountains  were  not  as 
heavily  timbered  as  they  are  in  [West]  Virginia. 

I  have  never  read  much  of  the  past  of  California,  and  less  still  of 
this  harbor.  I  know  only  a  little  of  what  has  taken  place  here. 
But  I  felt  an  interest  in  the  things  about  me  ;  for  I  felt  that  it  was 
romantic  ground,  and  that  it  was  intermixed  with  strange  stories. 

As  soon  as  I  got  on  shore,  and  had  taken  a  hasty  survey  of  San 
Francisco,  I  began  to  feel  more  at  home.  But  I  find  that  it  is  hard 
to  get  acquainted  with  San  Francisco.  The  people  are  of  every 
nation  and  of  every  tongue. 

As  soon  as  A.  C.  Minear  had  looked  for  a  few  days  about 
the  country,  and  had  visited  his  relatives  in  California,  he 
set  out  for  Oregon,  where  his  two  brothers,  Pool  and  John, 
then  were. 

Solomon  Minear  had  been  killed  by  a  horse  after  his  arri- 
val in  California.  George  Minear  went  to  that  State,  but 
returned  to  Iowa.  William  lived  and  still  lives  in  Oakland, 
California.  Miss  Catharine  Minear,  a  daughter  of  Enoch. 
Minear,  and  a  sister  of  A.  C,  had  gone  to  California  with 


300  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

her  father,  and  had  married  C.  W.  Moore,  of  Idaho,  and 
still  resides  in  Boise  City,  in  that  Territor}'. 

A.  C.  Minear  passed  through  Oregon  and  "Washington 
Territory,  stopping  occasionall}'  on  the  Avay,  and  early  in 
1864  reached  Silver  City,  Owyhee  County,  Idaho.  The 
mines  had  only  recently  been  discovered,  and  the  first  who 
had  attempted  to  Avork  them  had  been  driven  out  with  loss 
hy  the  Indians. 

Meanwhile,  John  Minear  had  grown  tired  of  the  lumber 
business,  and  had  gone  two  hundred  miles  up  the  Columbia, 
into  Ty^ashin2;ton  Territorv,  where  he  took  a  contract  to  fur- 
nisli  two  thousand  cords  of  wood  at  ten  dollars  a  cord. 
He  strung  out  seven  3'oke  of  cattle  to  a  wagon  and  hauled 
seven  cords  of  wood  at  a  load.  He  made  money  at  this  ; 
and  just  as  he  was  finishing  his  contract,  came  the  rumors 
of  the  mines  in  Idaho,  to  Avhich  A.  C.  Minear  and  A.  P. 
Minear,  his  brothers,  were  already  on  the  vray. 

Teams  with  which  to  haul  goods  to  the  mines  were  in 
great  demand.  John  Minear  put  one  hundred  head  of  cat- 
tle on  the  road,  hitched  them  to  ponderous  wagons  loaded 
with  freight,  and  started  for  Idaho,  five  hundred  miles  away. 
Merchants  paid  fifty  cents  a  pound  for  hauling  their  goods 
into  the  country,  and  at  these  figures,  something  ought  to 
be  made  by  a  man  with  fifty  yoke  of  cattle.  He  had  with 
him  a  quartz  mill,  owned  by  his  brother,  A.  P.  Minear,  and 
was  taking  it  to  Idaho,  at  a  cost  of  sixty  thousand  dollars. 
In  September,  1864,  with  his  ox-teams,  John  Minear  reached 
Silver  City. 

After  the  flood  of  1862  swept  away  A.  P.  Minear's  fortune 
at  Eainier,  he  commenced  looking  about  for  something  else 
to  do.  He  took  seven  yoke  of  oxen  and  started  up  the 
river.     He  had  an  idea  of  engaging  in  the  cord-wood  busi- 


tra^t:leks.  301 

ness ;  but  it  was  not  liis  definite  purpose  to  do  so.  He 
told  liis  wife  that  lie  would  be  gone  six  months,  and  punctu- 
all}'  to  the  very  day  he  returned.  He  had  engaged  in  haul- 
ing cord-wood  for  the  Oregon  S.  N.  Co.,  and  had  cleared  ten 
thousand  dollars.  With  this  he  bought  several  large  teams 
of  oxen  and  heavy  wagons.  AVlien  his  contract  was  done, 
he  returned  home ;  but  he  left  another  contract  for  one 
thousand  cords  unfinished.  In  1863  he  returned  to  complete 
the  contract.  The  steamboats  got  into  a  war  with  each 
other,  and  the  overseer  of  the  wood  works  asked  Minear  if 
he  would  not  as  lief  wait  till  the  next  year  before  finishing 
the  contract. 

This  was  just  what  Minear  wanted.  He  had  heard 
rumors  of  the  new  C!:old  tindin^fs  in  Idaho,  and  he  was  de- 
sirous  of  visiting  the  country  and  seeing  it  for  himself.  He 
thought  it  Vv'ell  that  he  should  get  into  some  other  business. 
Accordingly,  he  agreed  to  postx)one  the  completion  of  his 
contract  till  the  next  vear,  and  returned  to  Portland  with 
twelve  large  ox-teams.  He  loaded  his  v/agons  with  a  large 
supply  of  provisions  for  the  men,  and  to  sell  when  they 
should  reach  Idaho.  It  was  a  long  procession,  and  may 
have  looked  like  the  moving  of  an  army  of  Egyptian  chariots. 

On  November  3,  1863,  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific  snow- 
storm, the  teams  arrived  in  Placerville,  Idaho.  The  country 
was  wild  and  almost  uninhabited,  and  there  was  scarcely 
any  feed  for  cattle  to  be  had  at  all.  What  hay  the  Minears 
could  get  they  paid  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  ton  for. 
The  cattle  were  so  crazy  and  fierce  with  hunger  that  it  was 
dangerous  to  go  near  them.  From  a  letter  of  A.  P.  Minear's 
the  follo^^ing  is  taken  : 

On  Friday  I  stored  my  goods  in  a  lai'ge  log  house  in  tlie  edge  of 
town.     Saturday  I  got  my  cattle  out  to  a  place  where  it  was  pos- 


302  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

sible  for  tlieiii  to  get  souie  little  to  eat.  Sunday  it  began  to  be 
noised  about  the  camps  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  edge  of  town 
who  had  goods  to  sell.  They  crowded  into  my  house  till  they  filled 
full  eyery  part  not  occupied  by  goods.  They  said  that  it  was  the 
custom  to  buy  one  Sunday  and  pay  the  next.  They  were  all 
strangers  to  me  ;  but  I  told  them  if  such  was  the  custom,  all  right. 
That  day  I  sold  them  on  credit  four  thousand  dollars  worth  of 
goods,  and  did  not  knoAv  a  man.  Thus  it  went  till  the  next  Sun- 
day, when  they  all  paid,  except  forty-six  dollars.  I  sold  all  my 
goods  in  this  manner,  and  cleared  nineteen  thousand  dollars  on 
them. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  lie  returned  to  Oregon,  linislied  liis 
wood  contract,  and  was  prepared  to  mttke  another  expedi- 
tion to  Idaho.  He  bought  a  quartz  mill,  loaded  it  on  his 
wagons,  was  joined  bj  J.  W.  Minear's  wagon  train,  and  they 
departed  for  the  Idaho  miaes.  They  had  their  wagons 
loaded  with  tools,  provisions,  and  everything  that  it  was 
supposed  they  would  need. 

He  had  no  particular  place  designated  to  which  to  go, 
and  Avhen  his  teams  were  fairlv  on  the  road,  he  left  them 
and  went  on  ahead  to  select  a  site  for  the  mill.  He  selected 
Silver  City,  Owvhee  County,  Idaho,  as  the  best  location  ; 
and  then  returned,  met  his  teams,  and  arrived  with  them  in 
Silver  City  in  July.  He  estimated  that  he  was  then  worth 
thirty-Mve  thousand  dollars.  He  put  from  forty  to  fifty  men 
to  work  erecting  the  mill,  and  on  the  l-ith  of  September 
that  year,  1864,  he  turned  out  the  first  silver  brick  of  Idaho. 
Ey  the  next  spring  he  ''was  forty  thousand  in  debt;  or 
that  much  worse  oil'  than  iiothing." '"' 

The  following  concerning  this  quartz  mill  is  taken  from  a 
letter  written  by  John  W,  Minear.  The  three  brothers,  A. 
P.,  J.  AV.  and  A.  C.  Minear  were  all  in  Silver  City  at  tliat 
time  : 


*  From  ti  letter  of  A.  V.  .AUnear's. 


TRAVELERS.  303 

Then  commenced  the  exciting  times  of  this  district.  The  men 
were  all  anxious  to  see  the  mill  start  and  to  get  their  ore  worked. 
They  would  take  their  ore  to  the  mill  to  get  it  crushed,  just  as  we 
used  to  take  our  corn  when  I  was  a  boy.  Everybody  was  rich  in 
mines,  although  not  a  dollar  in  pocket.  The  men  often  took  from 
the  mines  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  dollars  worth  of  silver  a  day. 

When  A.  P.  Minear  left  Rainier  in  1863,  his  Avife  com- 
menced closing  out  the  business,  and  sometime  that  sum- 
mer she  joined  him  where  he  was  delivering  the  cord-wood, 
and  where  he  had  built  her  a  neat  little  cottage  furnished 
nicelv. 

When  her  husband  went  into  business  in  Idaho,  she  sold 
out  again,  bought  a  fine  span  of  horses  and  a  light  wagon, 
a  ad  with  her  little  traps,  and  three  children  in  it,  set  out  to 
join  him.  It  was  live  hundred  miles,  and  the  road  lay 
through  a  wild  country,  filled  by  bands  of  hostile  Indians. 
She  camped  out  at  night,  and  finally  reached  her  husband 
in  safety. 

In  the  winter  of  1864-5  provisions  became  scarce,  as 
might  be  expected  in  a  country  untilled,  and  so  far  from 
civilization,  and  where  the  great  mass  of  the  people  had 
gone  there  with  nothing  but  a  shovel  and  pick.  Nearly  ev- 
ery one  of  the  two  or  three  thousand  people  then  in  camp 
got  short  of  things  to  eat.  Many  were  glad  to  get  beans 
cooked  "straight,"  as  it  was  called,  that  is,  without  salt  or 
seasoninfi;.  The  following- is  from  an  account  fj;iven  by  Mrs. 
Catherine  Moore,  a  sister  of  the  Miuears,  and  then  in  Idaho  : 

The  snow  buried  our  house  so  that  I  did  not  see  daylight  for  three 
Aveeks,  except  when  the  snow  was  shoveled  from  the  windows.  We 
had  flour  ;  but  many  of  the  people  had  not,  and  some  had  only 
beans,  and  some,  for  all  I  know,  may  not  have  had  that  much. 
Many  lived  on  beans  cooked  in  Avater,  Avithout  salt,  and  they  were 
glad  to  get  that.  In  one  camp,  a  feAv  miles  from  here,  the  men  had 
been  eating  this  kind  of  provisions  for  several  weeks,  and  grew  so 


304  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

tired  of  it  that  they  said  that  they  would  hunt  something  else.  So 
they  left  their  camp,  which  was  buried  in  the  snow,  and  they  could 
get  out  only  by  climbing  up  through  the  roof,  and  out  at  the  top. 
However,  they  got  out,  and  Avandered  off  over  the  snow  to  hunt 
some  place  where  flour  was  kept.  But  it  was  a  fruitless  search,  and 
after  strolling  about  for  two  or  three  daj'^s,  getting  lost  and  hungry 
and  cold  and  discouraged,  they  came  back  to  their  camp,  and  were 
entirely  Avilling  to  eat  beans. 

Meanwliile,  iu  the  camp  wliere  the  Minears  were,  rations 
were  running  fearfully  short.  From  a  letter  of  A.  P.  Mi- 
near's  we  learn  something  of  the  situation  and  of  the  coun- 

tr}'  at  that  season  of  the  3'ear : 

There  was  flour  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  about  twenty  miles 
distant ;  but  it  was  worth  almost  a  man's  life  to  make  the  trip  at 
that  time,  through  the  drifting  snow  and  terrific  wind  storms. 
However,  I  offered  to  go,  and  I  got  tAventy-f our  volunteers.  It  was 
only  twenty  miles  to  the  store  where  the  flour  was  kept ;  and  we 
thought  that  we  could  make  it  out  in  one  day.  But  we  learned 
our  mistake.  AVhen  night  came  on,  we  got  into  the  edge  of  the 
timber,  and  by  the  merest  accident  found  a  little  hut  where  six 
men  were  getting  out  boards. 

The  hut  was  so  small  that  the  thirty-one  of  us  could  barely 
squeeze  inside  of  it.  There  was  no  room  to  lie  down  or  to  sit  down; 
so  we  had  to  stand  up.  There  v\'e  stood,  tired  as  we  were,  all  night; 
while  outside  the  snoAv  flew  and  the  Avind  whistled  and  roared  over 
the  little  cabin.  The  next  morning  twenty-flve  of  us  started  for 
the  store  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  We  walked  hard  all  day 
through  the  ice  and  snow  drifts,  and  about  dark  reached  the  store, 
having  made  twenty  miles  in  tAvo  days. 

When  they  reached  the  store,  the  owners  refused  to  sell 
the  flour,  although  Minear  offered  them  the  money.  They 
Avould  not  eA'en  set  a  price  on  it.  It  was  their  ]:>urpose,  no 
doubt,  to  hold  on  to  it  until  the  miners  Avere  reduced  by 
hunger,  and  Avould  giA^e  an  enormous  sum  for  it.  Minear 
and  his  men  offered  them  everything  that  was  fair  and  right, 
but  Avere  flatly  refused  the  flour.    It  was  a  case  of  necessity 


TRAYELERS.  305 

witli  tliein,  and  tliey  would  have  it.     The  letter  goes  on : 

Finally  I  told  them  and  my  men  that  we  would  have  to  take  it. 
In  less  than  half  a  minute  every  man  had  shouldered  a  sack  and 
was  upon  the  road  home.  We  went  back  half  mile  or  so,  and  stop- 
ped in  a  willow  swamp.  By  hard  work  we  kept  our  fire  burninj^ 
all  nig:ht.  We  opened  one  sack  of  flour,  dipped  up  Avater  with  our 
hands  from  a  cow  track  in  the  swampy  ground,  and  by  that  means 
we  mixed  up  a  little  flour  and  water.  We  roasted  the  dough  by 
wrapping  it  around  a  stick  and  holding  it  to  the  fire.  This  we  kept 
up  till  morning,  when  we  started,  and  that  nighc  reached  the  little 
cabin  in  the  woods.     It  was  nine  or  ten  o'clock  before  all  got  in. 

I  was  so  tired  I  could  not  stand  up  in  that  cabin  all  night :  so  I 
went  out  in  a  snow-pit,  drew  my  coat  over  my  head,  and  lay  down. 
I  was  soon  ni-cely  covered  with  drifting  snow,  and  slept  soundly. 
The  next  morning  it  was  very  cold  ;  the  snow  Avas  flying  thick  and 
fast,  and  the  wind  Avas  blowing  like  fury.  Many  times  Ave  could 
not  see  tAventy  feet  in  any  direction  for  the  drifting  snow 

Before  leaving  the  hut,  I  he.d  each  man  to  split  up  some  boards 
into  small  sticks,  like  your  finger,  and  each  man  took  a  bundle  of 
them.  The  plan  Avas  to  stick  one  in  the  snoAv  every  feAv  feet,  so 
that,  should  Ave  get  lost,  we  could  trace  our  Avay  back  to  the  cabin. 
This  was  a  Avell-timed  expedient ;  for  AA^e  had  not  been  out  of  the 
timber  half  an  hour  until  Ave  Avere  all  lost  in  the  storm.  It  Avas  no 
use  trying  to  go  forAvard  ;  so  the  only  thing  that  Avas  left  Avas  for 
us  to  remain  Avhere  Ave  Avere  or  to  trace  our  Avay  back  to  the  cabin. 
AVe  decided  to  do  the  latter.  It  was  no  easy  undertaking.  The 
snoAV  had  coA^ered  some  of  the  stakes  Avhicli  Ave  had  stuck  in  the 
snoAV,  and  some  had  been  bloAvn  aAvay  by  the  Avind.  We  had  to 
kick  around  until  Ave  found  them,  and  then  leaA^e  a  man  at  the  last 
until  the  next  was  found.  By  this  means  we  got  back  to  the  hut 
in  the  timber,  AA'^here  Ave  took  another  stand  for  the  night. 

The  next  day,  the  fifth  of  our  journey,  Avas  clear  and  cold,  and  on 
that  day  all  but  tAVO  of  us  got  home.  That  tAvo  became  separated 
and  lost  and  did  not  get  in  till  the  seA'^enth  day. 

We  dealt  out  the  flour  by  the  tin  cup  full,  one  or  tAvo,  depending- 
upon  Avhether  it  Avas  a  family  or  a  single  man. 

A.  C.  Minear  was  then  in  this  part  of  Idaho,  and  from  a 
letter  written  by  him  somethne  after  this  scarcity  of   pro- 

20 


30()  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

visions,  some  new  features  may  be  seen  iu  tlie  camps.  It 
shows  to  what  extent  tlie  mininp;  Avas  carried  on,  and  wliat 
^\'ealtli  was  often  taken  from  the  mines.  The  letter,  after 
giving  an  account  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  when  flour 
^as  one  dollar  a  jjound,  runs  thus : 

The  famous  'Poor  Man's*  mine,  in  Owyhee  produced  nearly  pure 
silver.  Pieces  of  ore  weighing  one  thousand  pounds  were  found  to 
contain  nine  hundred  i)Ounds  of  silver.  The  '  Ida  Elmore '  and 
'Golden  Chariot"  mines  were  the  richest  in  gold  bearing  quart /,. 
Bullion  produced  from  them  was  worth  from  seven  to  ten  dollars 
per  oinice. 

In  these  two  mines  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  peculiar 
battles  ever  fought  in  the  Avorld.  The  mines  were  near  each  other, 
and  disputes  naturally  arose  concerning  the  ground  between  them, 
which,  upon  examination,  was  found  to  be  the  richest  of  all  in  gold. 
A  compromise  was  made,  by  which  it  Avas  understood  that  neither 
was  to  cross  a  certain  line  until  the  right  of  one  or  the  other  should 
be  established  by  some  legal  process. 

But,  tills  did  not  settle  the  quarrel.  As  the  ore  got  richer,  the 
two  companies  worked  toward  each  other,  and  paid  no  attention 
to  the  compromise.  In  the  course  of  time  they  came  together  six 
hundred  feet  under  ground,  and  the  battle  began.  At  first,  clubs, 
pieces  of  (piartz,  picks,  hammers,  knives,  pistols  and  guns  Avere 
used  by  the  belligerants.  But.  breastworks  Avere  built,  and  ore 
was  i)iie'l  up  for  fortifications,  and  the  tAvo  subterranean  armies 
lay  entrencheil  against  each  other.  Then  cannon  Avere  loAvered 
into  the  shafts,  and  a  terrific  cannonade  Avas  conniienced.  The  re- 
sults Avere  fearful.  In  the  confined  air  of  the  mine  the  roar  of  the 
artillery  surpassed  anything  eA'er  heard  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
Thv'  pilhirs.  colunnis  and  braces  Avere  shot  away,  and  fragments  of 
flying  (piartz  Avhistled  through  the  dark  caA'erns  of  the  mines.  The 
discharge  of  small  guns  could  be  heard  only  at  InterA'als,  betAveen 
the  discharges  of  the  heavier  ordnance.  Much  of  the  interior 
fc;tructure  of  the  'mines  w^as  ruined,  and  this  strange  battle  ended 
Avith  no  decisive  residts  for  either  side.  A  troop  of  soldiers  came 
up  and  by  threatening  to  block  up  the  mine,  put  an  end  to  the 
unnatin-al  tight. 


TPvAYELERS.  307 

Those  who  have  visited  Silver  City,  Idaho,  will  remember 
that  it  is  on  a  small  stream  called  Jordan  Creek,  whicli 
covers  over  with  snow  until  it  is  not  seen  from  fall  till 
spring.  In  the  spring,  when  the  snow  begins  to  melt,  where 
exposed  to  the  sun  on  the  south  hill  sides,  the  creek  rises, 
and  carries  away  the  snow  that  filled  its  channel  0,11  winter. 
Thus,  the  creek  is  open,  while  its  higli  banks  are  covered 
with  hard-packed  snow. 

A.  P.  Minear  lived  beside  this  creek,  about  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  above  the  town.  He  was  enf]fa2:ed  in  minimif  specu- 
lations  in  1868 ;  and,  in  one  of  his  trades,  had  incurred  the 
hatrrd  of  some  speculators,  v\'hom  he  had  defeated  in  their 
plans.  The}-,  therefore,  planned  violence  against  him.  and 
attempted  to  bring  their  plans  into  execution  on  the  night 
of  Mav  5,  1868.  It  was  a  most  cowardlv  assault,  and  also 
one  most  wicked  and  brutal.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  it,  taken  from  a  letter  of  his,  written  after  his  recoverv 
from  injuries  received : 

I  left  town  at  ten  o'clock  to  g-o  home,  traveling  along-  a  trail 
through  the  snow,  I  met  a  man,  spoke  to  him,  we  both  said  "good 
evening''  and  passed  on,  When  we  had  gotten  about  fifty  yard.s 
apart,  he  j^elled  like  an  Indian,  and  started  to  run  after  me,  1 
knew  that  I  could  run  to  the  house  before  he  could  catch  me  :  so  I 
was  not  the  least  alarmed.  When  I  had  run  about  twenty-five  steps, 
and  was  within  four  hundred  yards  of  my  house,  I  ran  over  a  small 
ridge,  and  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  gang  of  ten  or  twelve 
men,  who  lay  fiat  on  the  snow. 

Before  I  knew  of  their  presence,  they  were  all  upon  me.  They 
did  not  strike  me,  only  pressed  me  down  into  the  snow  by  force.  1. 
was  still  on  my  feet  :  but  was  down  as  though  sitting  on  a  stool 
four  or  five  inches  high  and  had  my  right  hand  extended  out.  By 
this  time,  the  man  whom  I  had  met  and  who  ran  after  me,  had 
come  up  and  had  gotten  in  front  of  me  Avith  drawn  pistol.  By 
f?ome  means,  he  dropped  his  revolver,  and  it  fell,  handle  first,  into 
my  right  hand,  just  as  you  would  hold  it,  if  going  to  shoot. 


308  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

I  said,  "men,  in  the  name  of  God,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
me  ?"  (well  knowing  that  it  meant  death).  When  I  said  that,  one 
of  the  men  said,  ''smother  him,  so  he  can^t  halloo,*'  another  said, 
"choke  him."  At  that,  a  man's  left  hand  went  round  my  throat.  I 
caught  with  my  left  hand  the  barrel  of  the  pistol  that  had  dropped 
into  my  hand,  and,  cocking  the  weapon,  fired  at  the  man  who  stood 
in  front  of  men.  I  intended  to  shoot  him  through  the  body,  but 
only  touched  his  thigh. 

At  the  crack  of  the  pistol  they  let  me  go,  struck  me  across  the 
head  with  something  like  a  revolver,  and  commenced  shooting  at 
met.  I  attempted  to  rise  to  my  feet  and  run  for  the  creek,  about 
forty  yards  distant  down  a  steep  hill ;  but  I  could  not  stand.  I 
fell  on  the  snow  ;  but  rolled  and  scrambled  until  I  reached  the 
creelv  bank.  I  shot  at  them  three  times  on  the  way.  I  v»^ent  over 
the  bank,  intending  to  crawl  under  the  snow  that  covered  the  creek 
at  that  particular  point. 

The  bank  of  the  creek,  together  with  the  snow,  was  a,s  high  as 
my  head.  I  landed  on  my  feet,  and  bj^  the  aid  of  the  bank,  I  was 
able  to  stand.  I  laid  my  pistol  on  the  bank,  took  deliberate  aim  at 
three  of  them,  who  were  about  ten  feet  from  me,  and  fired.  I  shot 
one  man  in  the  arm,  from  which  he  died,  and  shot  another  who 
also  died.  I  then  let  go  the  bank  to  hide  under  the  snow  and  ice. 
But  I  fell  over  in  the  creek,  where  the  water  was  two  or  three  feet 
deep. 

My  pistol  was  wet,  and  1  let  it  go.  I  could  not  get  under  the 
snow  and  ice,  because  it  had  settled  down  on  the  water.  So  I 
turned  on  my  back,  feet  foremost,  and  swam  like  a  duck  down  this 
stream,  which  from  there  dov.n  was  mostly  open,  at  race-horse 
speed.  Prett}''  soon  I  went  under  the  ice,  andjDresently  went  under 
it  again .  but  each  time  came  out  successfully.  The  third  place  I 
came  to  I  could  not  get  under  for  a  log  and  some  brush.  I  then 
turned  on  my  face,  quick  as  thought — no  time  to  consider — crawled 
over  that  place  and  into  the  creek  below  ;  and  went  on  down,  in 
all  two  hundred  and  eighty  yards.  There  I  came  to  a  place  where 
I  knew  that  I  must  go  ashore.  Below,  the  brush  hung  so  densely 
over  the  creek  that  I  could  not  hope  to  get  along  the  channel.  Be- 
sides, where  I  was,  should  I  get  out,  the  ground  was  bare  of  snow 
and  my  pursuers  could  not  see  me  as  easily  as  they  could   where 


TRAVELERS.  800 

there  was  snow,  I  lay  in  the  head  of  a  ditch  fully  one-fourth  of  an 
hour,  waitin*?  for  them  to  get  out  of  the  way.  I  remained  there 
until  I  found  that  I  must  get  out  of  the  icy  water  or  perish.  By 
the  greatest  effort  I  succeeded  in  getting  out,  and  on  my  hands  and 
knees,  for  half  a  mile,  I  crawled  over  the  frozen  granite  sand, which 
must  be  seen  before  it  can  be  understood,  over  rocks,  mahogany 
brush,  crystallized  snow,  sharp  as  needles,  until  I  wore  all  the  skin 
ofif  of  my  hands,  knees  and  shin  bones  from  my  knees  to  my  ankles '. 
I  finally  reached  a  mill,  where  I  made  myself  known  and  was  taken 
care  of.  As  soon  as  I  got  into  the  hands  of  friends,  I  became  un- 
conscious, and  remained  so  for  four  hours. 

This  was  a  most  wonderful  escape.  He  li^id  sixteen  bul- 
lets shot  tlirougli  liis  clothing.  One  ball  had  passed  through 
the  top  of  his  head,  and  laid  the  skin  open  to  the  skull  bone. 
One  bullet  broke  his  little  finger,  and  one  struck  his  thigh 
in  front,  ran  around  under  the  leaders,  back  of  the  knee, 
and  came  out  in  front  by  the  shin  bone.  Another  shot  struck 
him  in  the  calf  of  the  left  leg,  and  another  in  the  right  hip. 
One  flash  of  powder  left  the  burnt  marks  on  his  forehead. 
It  was  three  months  before  he  was  able  to  get  around.  He 
attempted  to  convict  the  desperadoes  who  assaulted  him ; 
but  he  could  not  do  it.  There  was  always  some  one  to  hang 
the  juries  who  tried  them. 

In  1868,  in  Idaho,  came  the  Indian  War,  in  which  A.  C. 
Minear  took  an  active  part ;  and  from  a  large  collection  of 
his  letters,  written  at  and  after  that  time,  a  great  amount  of 
history  may  be  learned.  A  few  extracts  are  given  to  show 
how  he  spent  his  life  while  there : 

The  Indians  are  continually  breaking  into  the  settlements  and 
driving  away  cattle.  They  are  not  even  content  with  this ;  but 
kill  people  whenever  they  get  an  opportunity  to  do  so.  They 
shoot  poisoned  arrows.  Pool  was  out  with  a  man  who  was  shot 
through  the  arm  with  a  poisoned  arrow.  Pool  drew  his  silk  hand- 
kerchief through  the  wound  and  Aviped  the  poison  out. 

The  Indians  have  been  at  their  deviltry  again.     They  think  that 


310  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

they  can  do  as  they  please.  But,  tlie  stockmen  are  organizing  for 
the  defense.  We  have  just  returned  from  a  campaign  into  their 
country.  Some  days  ago  a  company  of  stockmen,  about  forty  in 
number,  followed  a  band  of  Indians  about  one  hundred  miles 
south.  Nothing  was  heard  of  them  for  ten  days,  when  one  of  their 
number  came  into  camp  and  rejiorted  that  the  whole  party  of 
whites  were  surrounded  by  one  thousand  Indians,  and  that  battle 
had  been  raging  for  two  days  when  he  escaped.  He  had  gotten 
away  by  crawling  at  night  on  hands  and  feet  for  miles  through  the 
sage  brush.  The  ammunition  of  the  whites  was  nearly  exhausted 
when  he  left,  and  he  knew  not  what  fate  may  have  overtaken  them, 
ere  that  time.    ^ 

It  did  not  take  long  to  organize  a  large  force  to  go  to  the  rescue. 
In  a  few  hours  every  available  cayuse  [horse]  Avas  pressed  into  ser- 
vice, and  two  hundred  men,  well  mounted  and  armed,  were  upon 
the  road  leading  southward  in  the  direction  of  the  Indians. 

1  was  one  of  the  company.  "VVe  put  spurs  to  our  horses,  and  did. 
not  stop  for  anything.  In  ten  hours  we  had  marched  one  hundred 
miles,  surprised  and  routed  the  Indian  army  and  had  rescued  the 
stockmen  Avho  were  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  Many  of  the 
whites  had  been  killed  and  more  wounded.  Many  of  the  Indians 
had  been  killed.  They  had  retreated  into  the  lava  beds  whei-e  it 
was  impossible  to  follow  them. 

iK  He  3|e  9|c  i|c  lie  « 

The  Chinese  will  come  in  here  in  spite  of  the  Indians.  Some 
years  ago  [In  1864]  two  hundred  of  them  were  killed  in  one  drove 
by  Indians  in  Eastern  Oregon,  as  they  were  en  route  to  the  mines. 
Their  white  bones  lay  for  three  years  bleaching  among  the  sage 
brush,  and  were  finally  boxed  up  by  their  supersticious  brethren 
and  shipped  back  to  China,  to  await  the  grand  resurrection  of  the 
Celestials. 

A.  C.  Miiiear  remained  in  Idalio  till  tLe  close  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  engaged  in  several  kinds  of  business.  For  awliile 
lie  was  in  the  emplo3^  of  Wells,  Fargo  and  Co.'s  Ex]u*ess,  at 
a  salary  of  three  hundred  dollars  a  month.  "When  he  left 
Idaho,  he  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  Avas  interested  in 
some  mines  tliere.     From  there  he  returned  b}^  steamer  to 


TEAYELER8.  311 

New  York,  and  tlience  home.  He  made  tliree  otlier  trips  to 
California,  the  hist  in  1876.  One  trip  to  San  Francisco  and 
back,  from  Rowlesbnrg,  was  made  in  twelve  days.  With  the 
close  of  the  Centennial  Year  his  desire  for  wandering  seemed 
to  cease.  He  was  in  Philadelphia  at  the  Centennial,  and 
has  traveled  extensively  over  different  portions  of  the  west. 
After  all  his  travels  and  adventures,  he  snms  np  the  whole  : 
"  The  world  is  nearer  round  than  most  people  think  it  is." 

When  he  settled  permanently  down  in  Tucker,  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  country. 
He  had,  up  to  that  time,  engaged  to  some  extent  in  mer- 
chandising, during  his  stays  in  West  Yirginia.  When  he 
quit  this  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  had  several 
logging  camps.  For  awhile,  he  controlled  and  run  C.  R. 
Macomber's  steam  mill. 

In  1879  he  married  Miss  Yilla  Adams,  daughter  of  Clerk 
John  J.  Adams,  of  St.  George,  and  has  since  lived  here. 
His  son,  A.  C.  Minear,  Jr.,  is  a  lad  four  years  old. 

In  connection  with  Mr.  Finley  Toy,  A.  C.  Minear  took  a 
large  contract  of  lumbering  on  Shaffer  s  Fork,  and  comple- 
ted it  in  1884. 

He  took  part  in  county  politics  in  1880,  and  announced 
himself  as  a  Republican  candidate  for  Sheriff.  The  Demo- 
cratic Convention  nominated  William  E.  Talbott  for  that 
office,  and  the  campaign  was  one  of  the  hottest  ever  in  the 
county.  The  peculiar  mixing  and  fusion  of  parties  at  tliat 
time  vvill  be  fully  and  impartially  given  in  the  chapter  on 
Newspapers,  in  this  book.  It  was  a  stubborn  campaign, 
and  every  inch  of  ground  gained  by  either  was  by  the  other 
disjnited  to  the  extremest  point.  It  may  readily  be  su]^pos- 
ed  that  there  was  a  peculiar  mixing  of  parties,  when  it  is 
stated  that  a  Rej)ublican,  A.  C  Minear,  Avas  elected  to  office 


312  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

by  a  majority  of  oue  hundred  and  twenty-one,  over  the  reg- 
Tihir  Democratic  nominee,  a  good  man,  in  a  county  Demo- 
cratic b}'  about  two  hundred  majority. 

A.  C.  Minear  was  the  successor  of  Ward  Parsons,  Esq.,  as 
Sheriff  of  Tucker  Count}'.  He  made  a  good  officer,  and 
even  his  opponents  were  willing  to  admit  that  no  better 
Sheriff  could  be  found  to  fill  the  office. 

A.  C.  Minear  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  is 
ever  liberal  in  the  support  of  all  truly  worthy  undertakings, 
•\\diether  connected  with  the  Church  or  not.  He  has  done 
something  for  everj-  Church  that  has  been  built  in  the 
county  since  he  has  been  a  permanent  resident  of  St.  George. 
He  makes  no  distinction  between  the  different  branches  of 
the  Church,  althouQ-h  his  preference  is  for  his  own. 

'  Ox 

J.  W.  Minear  has  never  returned  to  Tucker  Count}^  to  be- 
come a  permanent  resident ;  but,  he  has  visited  his  old 
Lome,  and  remained  here  one  summer.  He  still  lives  amid 
the  scenes  of  his  early  mining  days,  at  Silver  City,  Idaho. 

In  December,  1875,  he  married  Miss  Laura  Frances  Harr, 
a  girl  twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  had  traveled  in  Japan. 
Their  children  are  three  in  number,  the  oldest,  Mabel  Mil- 
ler Minear,  the  next,  John  Edgar  Minear,  and  the  name  of 
the  youngest  is  George  Renard  Minear. 

The  family  of  five  live  in  their  comfortable  home,  on  the 
bank  of  Jordan  Creek,  in  the  distant  land  of  Idaho. 

In  1870  Mrs.  A.  P.  Minear  left  Idaho,  and  moved  with 
lier  children  to  San  Jose,  California.  Her  object  was  to 
educate  Iier  children.  Their  children  were  Asby  Pool,  Clara 
Corrinth,  John  Ingersoll,  Lucretia  Maria,  AVilliam  Charles, 
and  Frjink  Ssvift,  six  in  all;  the  oldest  and  3-oungest  are 
dead. 

In   1870,  A.  P.  Minear  left  Idaho  and  joined  his  wife  at 


TEAYELERS.  313 

San  Jose.  Reverses  had  again  overtaken  liim,  and,  he  had 
no  money.  As  he  has  said:  "Our  combined  capital  was 
only  seventy-five  cents."  A.  H.  Bonnifield  was  in  Califor- 
nia  at  that  time,  and  happening  to  be  at  Minear's,  he  gives 
the  followini?  account  in  one  of  his  letters : 

Mrs.  Minear  went  to  the  wardrobe  with  a  candle,  and  accident- 
ally set  the  clothes  that  were  in  there  on  fire.  I  grabbed  the  tea- 
kettle from  the  stove  and  ran  with  it  to  put  out  the  fire  ;  but  I  did 
not  arrive  in  time  to  be  of  any  service.  The  clothes  Avere  all 
burnt  up. 

And  to  this,  A.  P.  Minear  adds  in  his  journal : 

AVe  had  no  money  ;  and  while  in  that  fix,  Mrs.  Minear  went  into 
the  wardrobe  and  set  the  clothes  on  fire,  and  they  burnt  before  any 
could  be  saved.     This  left  us  with  only  the  clothes  we  had  on. 

But  reverses  liad  come  too  often  for  this  to  discourage  a 
man  of  his  resolute  spirit ;  and  he  borrowed  money,  moved 
to  San  Francisco  and  at  once  engaged  in  business.  He  was 
in  the  mines  again,  and  was  superintending  nine  mines  and 
"was  receiving  a  salary  that  aggregated  two  thousand  six 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month,  and  he  had  made  eighty 
thousand  dollars  besides.  !Nor  did  he  stop  until  he  had  run 
it  up  to  several  hundred  thousand  dollars,  making  or  losing 
a  fortune  every  year.  The  principal  part  of  his  mining  was 
done  in  Idaho,  although  he  operated  to  some  extent  in  the 
Comstock  mine,  in  Nevada. 

In  187G  Mrs.  Minear  and  her  children  visited  8t.  George, 
and  went  on  to  Philadelphia  to  attend  the  Centennial. 
The  next  year,  1877,  A.  P.  Minear  quit  mining  and  engaged 
in  a  railroad  enterprise  in  Georgia  and  Florida.  He  worked 
hard  for  three  years  on  that  railroad,  and  finally  failed  to 
succeed.  He  had  spent  on  it  all  the  money  he  had  or  could 
get,  and  he  was  left  without  money  and  out  of  business. 

He  then  turned  toward  New  York  City  to  engage  again 


814  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY 

in  ni  i:ing.  He  laiideil  there  witli  five  dollars  and  fifty  cents. 
He  spent  the  fift}^  cents, and  lost  the  five  dollars  in  the  street. 
This  left  him  in  a  strange  city,  entirely  without  raoney. 
However,  he  knew  the  tables  so  well  that  he  succeeded  in 
bm'ing  on  credit  a  half  interest  in  an  Arizona  mine  for 
tAvelve  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  He  traded  upon  it, 
and  realized  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  He 
put  some  of  it  back  in  the  same  mine,  and  put  ninety  thou- 
sand in  another  mine  and  lost  it  all.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  built  two  quartz  mills  in  Arizona,  the  scene  of  his  late 
gains  and  losses  in  the  mining  business. 

Then  he  tried  Idaho  again,  and  spent  the  3'ear  of  1882  in 
the  mines  of  Wood  River,  in  that  Territor}-,  and  there  he 
still   holds  property. 

Since  December,  1883,  he  has  been  traveling  in  search  of 
mines  through  Arizona,  Mexico,  California,  Nevada  and  Or- 
egon. The  following  is  from  a  letter  written  subsequent  to 
his  last  visit  to  New   Y^ork: 

On  uiy  arrival  in  New  York,  after  being  gone  more  than  twenty- 
eight  years,  I  at  once  sought  to  find  the  whereabouts  of  Mr.  Wain- 
right,  if  Uving.  I  soon  found  him  in  tlie  same  house  and  in  the 
same  business  where  I  introduced  myself  to  him  when  I  was  on  the 
road  to  California,  in  1849,  He  remembered  me  and  said:  "Oh 
yes,  you  are  the  boy  who  wanted  to  buy  that  big  red  apple,  and 
send  it  back  home."* 

David  S.  Minear  is  the  only  one  of  a  family  of  nine  who 
remained  at  home.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer,  and  has 
been  successful  as  such.  He  was  also  a  merchant  for  a 
number  of  j^ears.     On  December  31,  1867,  he  was  married 


*  While  in  New  York,  on  Ills  way  to  California,  he  saw  a  fine  red  apple  in  a  window, 
and  wanted  to  huy  it  and  send  it  back  to  his  friends  in  Virginia.  His  young  friends 
informed  him  that  tlie  apple  was  only  painted  wood.  This  was  tlie  apple  to  wliicli 
the  old  gentleman  referred. 


TRAVELERS.  315 

to  Miss  Mary  J.  Parsons,  dangliter  of  W.  R.  Parsons. 
Their  cliiklren  are  five,  Creed  W.,  Joseph  P.,  John  W.,  C* 
Bruce  and  Mary  Catharine. 

He  pays  especial  attention  to  improved  stock,  and  his 
farm  produces  fine  specimens  of  blooded  cattle  and  other 
domestic  animals.  The  most  improved  machinery  is  also 
used  in  his  fields,  and  an  appearance  of  thrift  and  industry 
is  seen  everywhere  about  his  premises.  The  fruit  of  his  , 
orchards  is  of  the  best  varieties. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   AYAB. 

The  great  Ciyil  War,  tliat  tlireateiied  for  a  while  to 
destroy  tlie  good  as  well  as  the  bad  of  American  institutions, 
was  felt  with  all  its  terrors  in  Tucker  County.  When  that 
might}'  struggle  came  on,  the  people  of  Tucker  County  were 
not  slow  in  choosing  which  side  they  would  espouse.  Be- 
tween the  North  and  South  they  were  nearly  evenly  divided ; 
or,  if  there  was  any  dijfference,  it  was  in  favor  of  the  South. 
On  Dry  Fork  the  Northern  men  were  in  the  majorit}^  and 
about  St.  George  the  Southern  men.  Early  in  1861  the 
lines  began  to  be  closely  draw^n,  and  the  different  factions 
assumed  hostile  attitudes  toward  each  other.  Neighbor  was 
against  neighbor,  and  people,  in  the  suddenness  wdth  which 
men  espoused  one  or  the  other  cause,  scarcely  knew  who 
was  a  fi'iend  and  who  was  an  enem3\  The  warlike  prepara- 
tions in  the  East  and  South  had  their  influence  among  the 
mountains  of  Tucker  sooner  than  one  would  be  apt  to 
suppose. 

Late  in  May,  1861,  a  Confederate  flag  was  raised  in  St. 
George,  under  the  superintendency  of  Abe  Bonnifield,  who 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  Confederate  cause  from  the  very 
first.  He  with  others  had  raised  the  flag,  and  had  kept  it 
floating  over  the  Court-house  by  day.  At  night  they  took 
it  down,  lest  some  of  the  Union  citizens  should  cut  it  down 
in  the  darkness.  It  was  viewed  with  jealousy  and  hatred 
b}-  the  Union  men,  of  whom  there  were  many  in  and  about 


THE  AVAE.  317 

St.  George,  but  not  enough  to  tear  clown  by  force  tlie  flag 
which  the  Southern  men  had  raised. 

Burning  under  the  insult,  which,  in  being  offered  to  their 
country  was  offered  to  them,  the  Union  party  sought  re- 
venge from,  outside  help.  They  sent  to  Kowlesburg,  where 
Captains  Miller  and  Hall  had  under  their  commands  a  body 
of  troops,  and  there  made  known  that  the  Confederate  flag 
was  floating  over  the  St.,  George  Court-house  and  asked 
that  soldiers  be  sent  to  cut  it  down.  The  promise  of  this 
w^as  readily  given  ;  and,  on  Sunday  evening,  June  9,  1861, 
Miller  and  Hall,  with  forty  men,  left  Kowlesburg  for  the 
purpose  of  falling  upon  St.  George  unawares.  They  did  not 
expect  to  meet  with  armed  resistance,  but.  it  being  in  a  time 
of  excitement,  they  thought  it  best  to  avoid,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, all  risk,  and,  therefore,  went  in  the  night. 

They  reached  St.  George  very  early  Monday  morning, 
a.nd  proceeded  to  arrest  several  persons,  v\"hom  they  sus- 
pected of  sympathizing  with  the  South.  They  found  no 
persoQ  inclined  to  oppose  or  harm  them,  and,  without  con- 
trovers}',  they  proceeded  to  search  for  flags.  They  found 
two  which  they  at  once  captured  Vfith  great  formality  and 
ado,  although  no  one  attempted  to  defend  the  flags  or  dis- 
pute the  right  to  take  them.  This  finished,  their  mission 
was  done ;  and,  when  they  had  liberated  the  prisoners  taken, 
they  were  ready  for  the  return.  None  of  those  captured 
were  held  to  answer  any  charges,  and  the  whole  affair 
ended  more  like  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  than  a  war- 
like demonstration. 

With  the  captured  flags,  which  Avere  flaunted  in  victory, 
the  troops  set  out  for  Eowlesburg.  On  the  way  they  found 
a  rattlesnake,  which  they  tied  to  one  of  the  flags,  and  fas- 
tened a  wildcat  skin  to  the  other.     Bedizzened  now  fully  to 


318  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

satisfy  tlie  exultations  of  cliildlike  triumpli,  the  forty  men, 
■with  their  leaders  in  front,  marched  grandly  into  Rowles- 
burg,  having  first  dispatched  a  special  messenger  to  an- 
nounce their  approach.  The  troops  marched  out  to  meet 
the  returning  heroes,  and  all  as  one  body  went  into  camp, 
ending  the  campaign  by  a  grand  trimuphal  entry  into 
Rowlesburg. 

Thus  ended  the  first  page  of  St.  George  and  Tucker 
County  in  the  war.  The  next  was  not  to  pass  so  lightly 
away.  By  this  time  large  bodies  of  Rebels  were  fortifjdng 
themselves  on  Laurel  Hill,  near  Belington,  in  Barbour,  and 
in  Randolph  were  large  numbers.  The  Yankees  had  strong 
forces  along  the  railroad,  at  Rowlesburg  and  elsewhere,tlius 
placing  Tucker  County,  in  a  measure,  between  the  two 
armies.  Several  of  Tucker's  citizens,  among  whom  were 
William  E.  Talbott,  E.  Harper  and  "William  Harper,  were 
now  in  the  Confederate  ranks.  The  two  Harpers  were  on 
scout  duty.  A\  illiam  Harper  was  in  Barbour  County,  watch- 
ing the  movements  of  the  Yankees,  while  E.  Harper  was  in 
Tucker  for  the  same  purpose.  Rebel  Home  Guards  had  also 
been  organized,  among  vrhom  were  David  and  Nelson  Par- 
sons, Hoy  Goff  and  others.  The  Union  cause  seemed  to  be 
losing  ground  in  Tucker,  although  there  were  manj-  still 
loyal  to  the  Union,  among  whom  might  be  mentioned  Dr. 
Solomon  Parsons,  Enoch  Minear,  William  Corrick  and  sev- 
eral others  of  our  most  respected  citizens. 

As  the  month  of  June  passed  by,  the  war-spirit  grew  more 
violent,  and  the  official  functions  of  our  coimty  were  pretty 
well  broken  up.  The  Union  side  were  desirous,  as  they 
should  be,  of  increasing  their  strength,  and  for  that  purpose 
were  proceeding  to  hold  elections  in  the  county. 

This  was  about  the  twentv-eighth  of  June,  18G1.     The 


THE  WAE.  319 

Rebels,  under  Garnett,  were  hovering  close  upon  tlie  county, 
having  thousands  of  men  within  a  day's  march  of  8t. 
George.  When  it  was  heard  in  the  Rebel  camps  that  the 
Yankees  were  holding  an  election,  Lieutenant  Robert 
McChesney  was  sent  into  Tucker,  partly  on  a  scouting  expe- 
dition and  partly  to  disturb  the  proposed  election.  On  the 
night  of  June  28,  he,  with  a  body  of  troops,  halted  at  the 
house  of  Job  Parsons,  in  the  Holly  Meadows,  and  staid 
over  night.  The  next  day  the  election  was  to  be  held,  and 
ver}'  early  in  the  morning  McChesney  and  his  men  departed 
for  St.  George,  live  miles  distant.  When  they  reached 
there,  they  found  that  no  move  had  been  made  toward  hold- 
ing an  election,  but  it  was  well  understood  that  at  Hannahs- 
ville,  eight  miles  down  the  river,  an  election  would  be  held, 
under  the  guard  of  Yankees  from  Rowlesburg.  Some  of 
McChesney 's  men  were  sent  into  other  parts,  and  some  of 
the  Home  Guards  joined  him,  and  he  proceeded  to  Han- 
nahsville.     The  following    letters,    relating  to  the  subject, 

were  furnished  the  author  b}^  Mr.  J.  Z.  McChesney,  of 
Charleston.  W.  Ya.,  a   brother  to  Lieutenant  McChesney. 

The   first  was  vrritten  by  Mrs.  Mary  A.  See,  a  Lidv  well  re- 

membered  here,  but  noAv  dead.     Her  letter  reads  thus : 

St.  Gkorcie,  Va.,  July  2,  18G1. 
My  Dear  Friend  : — Before  tlii»  reaches  you,  you  will  have  re- 
ceived the  mournful  intelligence  of  Lieutenant  McChesuey's  deatli. 
I  write,  because  >'Ou  will  wish  to  hear  every  particular.  On  Satur- 
day, June  29,  it  was  reported  that  the  Union  men  would  hold  an 
election  eight  miles  below  St.  George,  protected  by  a  large  guard 
from  the  Northern  armv.  Lieutenant  McChesnev  went  down  with 
a  party  of  ten  men  as  scouts.  When  ^vithin  half  a  mile  of  the 
house,  he  ordered  his  men  to  return.  Just  as  they  turned  their 
horses,  a  party  of  men,  who  were  Ijung  in  ambush,  rushed  out  and 
cut  off  their  retreat.  They  fired  on  each  othei-.  Part  of  our  men* 
dashed  up  the  mountain,  and  part  attempted  to  cut  their  Ava\' 

*  Tlie  Rebels. 


320  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

through  them.  Lieutenant  McChesney  was  killed  on  the  spot,  Mr. 
Paxton  badly  ^vounded,  and  two  others  wounded,  not  so  badly. 
Some  of  the  men  say  they  saw  him*  lying  dead,  the  horse  standing 

by  him,  and  the  bridle  in  his  hand.  Some  of  the  Northern  men 
requested  the  people  at  the  election  to  bury  him,  which  was  done 
that  evening. 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Talbott  went  down  to  see  if  the  body 
could  be  obtained,  as  his  brother  ofEcers  expressed  a  very  strong 
desire  to  obtain  it.t 

Sabbath  night  vre  hired  several  men;  to  go  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives  and  bring  him  here.  The  company  to  which  he  belonged  was 
to  come  here  to  take  him  away  ;  but  next  morning  an  express  was 
sent,  telling  us  to  bury  him  here.  He  had  been  brought  to  Mr. 
E  win's,  §  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  this  region.  We  would 
have  had  a  neater  coffin  made,  but  it  was  reported  that  the  enemy- 
was  aj)proaching,  and  a  good  workman  could  not  be  procured. 
Notice  had  been  privately  given,  and  ladies  came  five  miles  to  at- 
tend the  funeral.  Sentinels  were  placed  out  ;  a  few  of  the  Home 
Guards  attended  ;  twenty-four  guns  were  fired  over  his  grave,  and 

while  it  v/as  filling,  the  old  familiar  hymn  was  sung : 

When  I  can  read  my  title  clear. 
We  laid  him  in  a  retired  and  beautiful  spot,  shaded  by  several  fine 
trees,  and  commanding  a  beautiful  view  of  Cheat  River  and  the 
adjacent  village  of  St.  George.  It  was  a  spot  selected  by  Mr.  Ewin, 
for  a  family  burying  ground.  A  lovely  daughter  of  his  sleeps 
there. 

The  Lieutenant's  grave  was  surrounded  by  tender  and  sympa- 
thizing hearts ;  for  neai-ly  all  had  near  relatives  in  the  army,  and 
we  knew  not  how  soon  the  hand  of  the  stranger  would  lay  them  in 
their  last  resting  place,  A  musket  ball  had  penetrated  his  body  in 
the  left  side,  near  the  heart. 

Till  Chilst  sliall  come  to  rouse  the  slumherlng-  dead, 
Farewell,  pale,  lifeless  clay,  a  long  farewell : 
Sweet  be  thj'  sleep  heneath  the  green  tree's  shade, 
"Where  we  have  laid  thee  in  thy  lonely  cell. 

*  McChesney. 

t  From  the  circumstances  we  Infer  that  Mrs.  Talbott  was  not  successful  in  obtaining' 
permission  to  take  away  Lieutenant  McChesney'sbody. 
i  These  men  were  Abraham  Talbott,  Peter  Bohon  and  Jolin  Auvll,  Sr. 
?  Senator  William  Ewin. 


Lt.  Robt  McChesney 


Joseph  A.  Paris 


Mrs.  D.  S.  Minear. 


D^  S.  Minear. 


r.GUTEKuf.3T 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


ASTOR.    LEMOX    AND 
TILOEN    FOWWOATtOtxS. 


THE  WAK.  321 

My  dear  friend,  may  our  blessed  Savior  comfort  you  all,  particu- 
larly the  mother ;  and,  O,  that  he  may  sanctify  to  us  all  the  heavy 
afflictions  with  which  he  is  visiting  us. 

Your  Sincere  Friend,  Mary  A.  See. 

Tlie  following  is  a  copy  of  Colonel  Irvine's  letter,  wliicli 

lie  wrote  from  Oakland,  Jul}'  21,  1861.     Colonel  Irvine  liad 

command  of  the  troops  by  whom  McChesney  was  killed, 

and  his  letter  shows  him  to  have  been  a  brave  man,  for 

none  but  a  brave  man  could  deal  so  fairlv  and  so  honorably 

with  an  enemy  who  had  fallen  in  battle.     The  letter  reads 

thus : 

Headquarters  16th  Reg't,  Ohio  Vols..     > 
Oakland,  Maryland,  July  21,  1861./ 

To  the  friends  of  Lieut  Robert  McChesney^  \st  Lieut.  Va.  Cavalry  : 
Xo  opportunity  having  occurred,  giving  me  a  reasonable  hope  of 
reaching  you  before  this  time,  is  my  excuse  for  not  writing  you 
sooner.  You  have,  no  doubt,  learned  long,  before  this  of  the  time 
and  manner  of  Lieut.  McChesney's  death,  I  will,  therefore,  not 
speak  of  it  further  than  to  say  that  he  bore  himself  gallantly,  and 
juy  sympathies  were  greatly  enlisted  for  him  when  he  fell.  What 
should  have  been  our  common  country,  lost  a  brave  and  gallant 
man.  I  am  in  possession  of  his  personal  effects,  which  would  )je 
invaluable  to  you  ;  and,  it  would  afford  me  great  pleasure  to  know 
that  they  w^ere  restored  to  you.  If  you  will  indicate  to  me  the 
channel  through  which  I  shall  forward  them,  it  shall  be  done  im- 
mediately.    Amongst  other  things,  I  have  his  x^ocket-book,  % in 

money,  gold  shirt  buttons,  breast  pin,  several  papers  (of  no  value) 
and  some  other  little  articles,  not  now  remembered.  His  arms  will, 
of  course,  be  retained,  being  contrabrand.  My  term  of  service  is 
about  to  expire.     Please  write  me  at  Coshocton,  Ohio. 

Very  Respectfully,  James  Irvixi<:. 

Col.  ConuVg  16th  Reg't,  O.  M.  \. 
The  accounts  of  McChesney's  death  differ  a  little  in 
the  minutia.  One  account  says  that  he  was  killed  by 
Captain  Miller  with  a  pistol  wdiich  had  that  morning  been 
borrowed  from  John  A.  Peters,  of  Eowlesburg.  As  this 
story  runs,  Miller,  with  others,  heard  that  the  Confederates 

5J1 


S22  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

T\'ere  advauciiig,  and  liayiiig  dressed  tliemselves  in  citizens' 
clothes,  went  np  the  road  and  stood  by  the  wayside  as  if 
merely  looking  at  the  soldiers  pass.  McChesney  and  his 
men  passed  by,  not  suspecting  that  the  men  whom  they  saw 
W'ere  Union  soldiers  with  arms  hidden  nnder  their  clothes. 
Tvlien  the  Eebels  had  gone  a  little  further  down  the  road, 
they  found  themselves  confronted  by  Miller  and  his  dis- 
guised soldiers,  and  from  the  shot  of  Miller's  revolyer,  the 
brave  Lieutenant  was  killed."' 

Certain  it  is,  that  the  Confedrates  passed  a  squad  of 
Yankees,  seen  or  unseen,  and  shortly  after  were  attacked 
from  the  front  by  another  body  of  the  Union  forces,  and  in 
falling  back  found  themselves  hemmed  in  between  two  ene- 
mies.  Some  tried  to  escape  up  the  hill,  and  did  escape 
with  the  loss  of  horses,  guns  and  accoutrements.  One 
crossed  the  river,  and  escaped.  McChesney,  Paxton  and 
others  attempted  to  cut  their  wa}'  through  the  Yankees  who 
were  in  the  road  behind  liim.i"  A  great  many  guns  were 
£red.  The  Eebels  had  double-barrelled  shot  guns. J  One 
Yankee  Avas  shot  in  the  back  of  the  head  as  he  ran,  and  fell, 
mortally  wounded. § 

McChesney  v»'as  shot  through,  but  did  not  fall  from  his 
horse  until  the  horse  had  its  leo:  shot  nearly  oft"  when  both 
rider  and  horse  fell  together.  MeChesne}-  never  showed 
siG;ns  of  life  after  he  fell.     It   is    said   that   his   hand   still 


■*  Mr.  Daniel  K,  Dumire,  a  trustwortliy  citizen  of  Tiiclcer,  claims  to  have  seen  and 
Leard  the  substance  of  this  story.  lie  heard  IMiner  lioast  of  IdlliJig  iicChesuey  witliiu 
an  hour  from  the  time  it  happened.    He  also^aAv  the  fight. 

tit  is  said  that,  Avhen  he  saw  that  he  was  surrounded,  McChesney  drew  his  sword 
and  called  to  his  men :    "  We  must  cut  our  way  through  them  I " 

t  '!'he  barrels  of  one  of  those  guns  were  recently  found  near  the  battle-ground  and 
are  Mill  in  the  possession' of  C.  L.  Bowman,  of  St.  George,  W.  Va. 

§  His  comrades  placed  him  in  a  canoe  and  .started  to  Eowlesburg  with  him.  He  died 
jiiGt  before  reaching  there,  having  lived  five  or  .si.x  hours. 


THE  AVAR.  323 

grasped  liis  bridle  rein.     He  fell  upon  a  small  log,  entirely 
free  from  his  wounded  liorse. 

Paxton  succeeded  in  breaking  tlirougli  tlie  lines  of  the 
enemy,  but  was  shot  through  the  body.  He  rode  on  some 
distance,  when  he  became  so  weak  that  he  could  not  ride. 
He  dismounted  and  hid  near  the  road  and  remained  there 
till  night,  when  he  was  found  and  taken  to  St.  George  by 
William  Harper.  All  the  others  got  away,  and  two  of  them 
were  wounded. 

The  Home  Guards  and  the  soldiers  whom  McChesney  had 
left  about  St.  George  were  following  on  down.  AVhen  they 
passed  Miller  Hill  they  heard  of  the  skirmish  but  did  not 
learn  whether  any  or  how  many  of  the  men  had  been  killed. 
If  was  deemed  best  to  retreat,  and  all  did  so  but  AVilliam 
Harper.  He  expressed  his  determination  to  proceed  until 
he  learned  more  of  the  missing  men.  He  went  on  until  al- 
most in  siofht  of  the  battle  orround,  where  he  found  Paxton's 
liorse,  which  was  slightly  vrounded.  Concluding  that  the 
rider  must  have  been  killed,  Harj^er  caught  the  horse  and 
with  it  returned  to  St.  George.  Before  dark,  all  the  men 
came  in  but  McChesney  and  Paxton.  McChesney  had  been 
seen  to  fall,  but  Paxton  was  beyond  the  lines  when  last  seen, 
and  it  began  to  be  hoped  that  he  had  escaped.  After  night- 
fall, AVilliam  Harper,  a  braver  man  than  whom  never  liveJ, 
went  down  to  hunt  for  Paxton.  '  He  met  him  slowlj-  making 
his  way  on  foot  up  the  road,  badly  wounded.  Harper  car- 
ried him  to  tov.n,  and  there  he  was  taken  care  of. 

On  Sunday  night  John  Auvil,  Abraham  Talbott  and  Peter 
Bohon  v,ent  to  Hannahsville  and  l)rought  awav  the  dead 
bodv  of  McChesney.  Thev  went  in  a  sled,  in  order  that 
they  might  not  Ije  heard,  since  a  wagon  Avould  be  so  noisy. 
No  one  disturbed  them,  and  with  the  object  of  their  mission. 


324  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

they  readied  Mr.  Ewin's  before  day,  and  the  burial  took 
place,  as  is  described  in  Mrs.  See's  letter.  The  Rebels  then 
left  the  county,  going  back  to  the  main  body  of  soldiers  in 
Barbour  and  Randolph  counties.  As  they  went  they  took 
prisoner  Judge  S.  E.  Parsons  and  William  Hebb,  and  tying 
tliem  together,  carried  them  off. 

The  site  of  the  battle  of  Hannahsville  is  about  eight  miles 
below  St.  George  on  the  Rowlesburg  road,  and  may  still  be 
pointed  out.  The  thicket  of  brush  where  the  Yankees  lay 
hidden,  has  since  been  cut  do^\^l,  and  a  few  other  changes 
have  taken  place;  but  the  whole  is  yet  an  object  of  interest 
as  it  is  the  site  of  the  first  l)lood-shed  in  Tucker  County 
in  war  since  the  close  of  the  old  trouble  with  the  Indians. 
The  Union  forces  amounted  to  six  hundred  men.  McChes- 
ney  had  about  ten.  The  loss  in  killed  was  one  on  each  side. 
The  Yankee  "was  shot  in  the  back  of  his  head  as  he  was 
running. 

Lieutenant  Robert  McChesney  was  born  in  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia,  June  30,  1832,  and  died  June  29,  18(31, 
aged  twent3'-nine,  wanting  one  day.  He  had  a  good 
education  and  was  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  possessed 
the  finest  business  (jualifications.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig,  as  that  l)rancli  of  tlie  Republican  party  was  then 
called,  and  of  such  integrity  Avas  he  that  he  was  the  leader 
of  the  part}'  in  the  community  where  he  resided.  From 
early  life  he  manifested  a  strong  predilection  for  military 
pursuits,  and  while  yet  cpiite  young  Avas  elected  Lieutenant 
of  a  company  of  cavalry.  He  had  been  for  several  years, 
and  was  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  Adjutant  of  the 
regiment  of  militia  to  which  his  company  belonged.  His 
voice  was  loud,  clear  and  distinct.  His  commands  could  be 
plainl}'  heard  from  one  end  of  his  regiment  to   the  other. 


THE  WAR.  325 

Descending  from  a  long  line  of  ancestry  distinguislied  for 
their  patriotic  devotion  to  their  country  and  a  love  of  lib- 
ertv,  Lieutenant  McChesnev  ^vas  amonfc  the  first  to  offer 
his  services  when  the  Governor  of  Virginia  called  for  troops 
to  repel  invasion.  None  of  the  Mother  of  Presidents'  heroic 
sons  were  prompter  than  he  to  respond  to  the  call  for  aid. 

McChesney  was  a  man  whose  personal  appearance  would 
claim  for  him  notice  anywhere.""  His  frame  was  wiry  and 
well  knit,  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue ;  he  was  tall  in 
stature  and  of  a  commanding  mein,  and  was  one  among  the 
finest  riders  in  the  Rebel  army,  where  every  cavalryman  was 
a  splendid  horseman. t  He  was  quick  of  perception,  and 
had  the  eye  of  an  eagle.  He  Avas  generous  to  a  fault  and 
fearless  in  danger,  possessing  all  the  qualities  that  go  to 
make  a  dashing  cavalier,  and  had  he  not  been  so  suddenly 
cut  off  he  would  undoubtedly  have  written  his  name  beside 
those  of  Ashby  and  Stuart,  high  on  the  scroll  of  fame.  It  is 
said  by  one  who  knew  whereof  he  spoke  that  Lieutenant 
McChesney  was  the  only  cavalry  officer  who  attempted  to 
rally  his  men  or  bring  order  out  of  confusion  and  chaos  on 
the'day  of  the  Philippi  rout  and  retreat.  He  possessed  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  superior  officers,  and  the  love 
and  admiration  of  his  subordinates  and  equals.:]: 


*  I  once  met  a  lady  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  wtio  liad  seen  ]McCliesney  on  the  morning  of 
liis  death,  as  he  went  to  the  hattle,  and  she  spoke  repeatedly  of  the  splendid  appear- 
ance of  the  young  Lieutenant  on  horsehack,  and  how  dignified,  gallant  and  heroic 
tie  looked  as  he  led  his  men  to  the  battle.  She  said  that  his  horse  seemed  conscious  of 
the  worth  of  its  rider,  and  bore  itself  as  proudly  as  a  Saxon  war  hoi'se,  carrying  a 
knight  in  armor. 

+  Impartial  judges  state  that,  as  a  whole,  the  Eehel  cavalry,  dunng  the  War,  pos- 
sessed the  finest  riders  of  any  cavalry  in  the  world,  n  hey  rode  nearly  equal  to  the 
wild  horeemen  of  Texas  and  California. 

X  Col.  Irvine,  by  whose  regiment  :McChesney  was  killed,  afterwards  said  that  the 
young  Lieutenant  was  the  bravest  man  lie  ever  saw ;  and,  as  he  charged  down  so 
gallently  upon  the  Federals,  he  hoped  to  see  him  escape  the  hail  of  bullets  that  were 
showered  upon  hhn.  Even  his  enemies  in  war  expressed  sorrow  that  so  heroic  a  man 
should  meet  so  untimely  fate,  and  so  young. 


32G  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

But,  all  tlie  promise  of  renown  were  cut  off  and  destroyed 

Avlien  lie  fell   on   that   bright  summer   morning. 

(_)ii  the  bosom  of  his  Mother  State  Lieutenant  McChesney  offered 
up  his  hfe  a  martyr  to  hberty  and  State  Rights.  He  was  the  idol 
of  his  widowed  mother,  who,  though  doubly  widowed  by  his  tragic 
death,  sent  forth  her  two  remaining  sons  to  battle  for  her  beloved 
Southland.  Brave  son  of  a  Spartan  mother  I  the  sunny  Clime  of 
Ancient  Greece  never  produced  two  nobler  or  more  heroic  spirits. 
Some  may  accuse  hiui  of  rashness  ;  but,  during  three  years  in  the 
saddle  in  time  of  Avar  I  have  seen  quite  as  daring  feats  as  he  at- 
tempted, successfully  executed.* 

Had  his  men  followed  him  when  he  gave  the  command  to 
charge,  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  would  have  succeeded 
in  cutting  through  that  serried  phalanx  of  glittering  steel, 
and  added  fresh  laurels  to  Yirginia  power  and  glory.  He 
w'as  respected,  honored  and  loved  b}^  all  who  knew  him  in 
life.  By  his  brave  and  heroic  deatli  he  compelled  and  won 
the  respect  even  of  his  enemies.  He  filled  all  the  stations 
of  life  nobly  and  faithfullj'.     He  gave  his  life  for  his  country. 

Whether  or  not  his  cause  was  a  just  one  has  nothing  to 
do  in  the  consideration  whether  or  not  he  was  a  hero.  A 
belief  is  right  when  a  man  will  die  for  it.  No  vicious  pas- 
sion should  assail  a  man  who  is  willing  to  offer  up  his  life 
to  a  cause  which  he  advocates.  With  him  and  between  him 
and  the  eternal  tribunal  of  truth  and  justice  it  is  right. 
When  other  men  and  other  times  shall  come  to  judge  us  as 
we  were,  the  jealousy  and  prejudice  that  surrounded  us  in 
life  will  have  passed  away,  and  what  of  good  there  was  in 
us  will  then  be  seen,  not  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  clearly 
and  truly.  Generations  that  shall  come  centuries  hence, 
and  who  perchance  shall  ask  of  us,  will  not  inquire  who 
wore  the  blue  and  who  wore  the  gra}'.     It  is  little  we  care 


*  An  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  a  Confederate  officer. 


THE  WAR.  327 

Avlio  wore  the  Eed  Rose  and  wlio  tlie  Wiiite,  in  the  Avars  of 
York  and  Lancaster.  Less  still — for  times  are  changing — 
"will  those  who  come  after  us  care  who  wore  the  hlue  and 
who  the  J2;ray.  Men  and  results  will  be  all  that  vail  be 
asked  for  ;  and,  then,  all  ]:)assion  gone,  as  a  man  will  be 
named  Lieutenant  Robert  McChesnej. 

The  war  in  West  Yirmnia  was  now  fairly  bei2fun.  The 
Confederates  held  strong  positions  in  Barbour  and  Ran- 
dolph, and  McClellan  with  thirty  thousand  men  was  ad- 
vancing upon  them.  Garnett,  the  Confederate  General,  had 
between  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  men.  Tlie  odds 
were  seven  to  one  acfainst  him.  On  July  8,  1861,  was 
fought  the  battle  of  Laurel  Hill  or  Belington.  'Ohe  Confed- 
erates fell  back.  On  Jul_y  11,  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain 
was  fought,  and  the  Confederates  were  again  defeated.  In 
these  lights  very  few  men  were  killed,- and  Garnett  did  not 
fall  back  on  account  of  the  destruction  that  had  been  done 
his  army.  But  he  knew  how  much  strength  his  enemy  had, 
and  he  suspected  that  the  design  was  to  cut  him  off  from 
the  roads  leading  south,  and  then,  in  case  of  defeat,  to  com- 
pel him  to  surrender. 

A  mistake  on  the  part  of  some  of  his  scouts  strengthened 
the  belief,  and  brou^lit  on  disasters  which  micfht  have  been 
avoided.  His  scouts  reported  that  they  had  seen  Union 
troops  in  Beverly,  and  that  the  road  beyondt  was  blockaded. 
The  road  was  blockaded,  and  they  had  seen  troops  in  Bev- 
erly ;  but,  the  troops  were  Confederates,  and  the  road  had 
been  blockaded  by  Confederates.  Not  knowing  the  truth 
of  the  matter,  and  believing  that  he  was  being  rapidly  sur- 
rounded by  thirty  thousand  men,  Garnett  deemed  it  best  to 
retreat  while  he  could,  by  the  only  road  yet  open,  that  to 
St.  George,  thence  to  the  North-western  Turnpike,  and  by 


328  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

it  to  Mount  Storm,  tlie  summit  of  tlie  Alleglianies,  and 
from  there  tLrougli  Greenland  Gap,  back  to  Virginia.  Al- 
most immediately  after  forming  tliis  plan,  lie  found  part  of  it 
frustrated.  The  direct  road  to  St.  George,  that  down  Clo- 
ver Run,  Avas  so  open  to  attack  from  overwhelming  numbers 
of  the  Federals,  if  indeed,  it  Avas  not  already  in  their  hands, 
that  it  was  decided  uuAvise  to  retreat  by  that  route. 

The  only  Avay  still  open  for  the  artillery  and  wagons  Avas 
that  across  Laurel  Hill  at  the  head  of  Pleasant  Run,  doAA'n 
that  stream  to  Shafer's  Fork,  doAAii  it  and  the  riA^er  to  the 
Horse  Shoe,  and  thence  up  either  Mill  Run  or  Horse  Shoe 
Run  to  the  North-Avestern  Road.  This  Avas  a  hard  line  of 
retreat  for  an  army  lieaAdh^  encumbered  Avith  bao^asie  and 
stores;  but  there  Avas  no  other,  except  Dry  Fork,  and  that 
way  Avas  utterly  impassable  for  AA'agons  and  artillery. 

Misfortunes  were  thickening  around  the  Confederates. 
The  tAA'o  brothers,  ^Villiam  and  Ezekiel  Harper,  had  been 
sent  oif  as  scouts  to  see  if  the  Avay  Avas  open  at  all.  The 
former  had  been  scouting  in  Barbour  for  seA'eral  days,  and 
had  tAvice  approached  Avithin  a  mile  and  a  half  of  Philippi 
^diile  the  Union  forces  Avere  there.  E.  Harper  had  been 
watching  the  moA'ements  of  the  Federals  avIio  Avere  pushing 
eastward  along  the  North -Avestern  Pike  from  Grafton,  and 
had  fortified  themselves  on  Buffalo  and  at  AVest  Union 
(Aurora),  and  seemed  to  be  concentrating  their  forces  so  as 
to  strike  either  the  Mill  Run  or  the  Horse  Shoe  Run  road, 
whichever  one  the  Confederates  should  attempt  to  escape 
by.  Garnett  Avas,  indeed,  in  a  critical  situation,  and  a  de- 
lay of  a  few  days  Avould  prove  fatal.  He,  therefore,  decided 
to  retreat  at  once.  In  a  short  time  his  army  Avas  in  motion, 
the  cavalry  in  front,  and  then  the  long  train  of  ponderous 
wagons   and   infantrv.      The  Union   General  soon  learned 


THE  AVAR.  329 

that  the  retreat  had  commenced,  and  General  Morris  went 
in  pursuit  with  about  five  thousand  men. 

The  Confederates  encamped  the  first  night  on  Pleasant 
Bun.  The  next  morning,  as  their  rear  was  leaying  camp, 
the  Federals  came  up  and  fired  on  them.  A  slight  skirmish 
ensued,  and  the  Confederates  escaped  for  the  moment. 

Meanwhile,  E.  Harper,  who  had  gained  all  the  informa- 
tion he  could  concerning  the  position  of  the  Union  forces, 
w^as  on  his  way  to  Rich  Mountain  to  report.  When  he 
reached  Ward  Parsons',  on  Shafer's  Fork,  he  learned  that 
the  Confederate  arm}'  was  retreating.  He  knew  that  the 
road  along  the  hill  near  there  was  impassable  for  an  army 
with  wagons,  and  he  hurriedly  collected  a  score  of  men  with 
axes  and  commenced  cutting  a  road  through  the  bottom 
land.  He  left  the  men  to  complete  tliis  work,  and  he  pushed 
on  to  meet  the  army.  He  met  the  advance  near  the  mouth 
of  Pleasant,  and  the  officers,  when  they  learned  that  the 
Horse  Shoe  Run  road  was  the  only  one  open,  requested 
him  to  pilot  the  army  through  by  the  shortest  and  safest 
route.  Harper  insisted  on  turning  back  to  fight,  saying  that 
he  could  kill  more  Yankees  than  any  thirty  Rebels.  He 
was  reprimanded  for  his  rashness,  and  was  told  that  the  ob- 
ject was  not  to  kill  Yankees  but  to  get  that  army  out  of  its 
present  situation.  The  firing  in  the  rear  had  already  begun, 
and  the  intention  of  all  was  to  escape  as  soon  as  possible. 
He  accepted  the  position  of  pilot,  and  moved  forward  with 
the  van.  About  forty  of  the  Spotts3dvania  cavalry  were 
sent  over  the  mountain  under  the  guidance  of  J.  M.  Corrick, 
to  see  if  the  Federals  held  the  Clover  Run  road  ;  for  it  was 
feared  that  they  would  cross  from  Philippi  to  St.  George, 
and  cut  off  the  retreat  there.  Corrick  guided  the  detach- 
ment through  mountain  paths,  down  Clover  to  St.  George. 


330  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

He  found  tlie  v^ay  clear,  and  passed  up  tlie  river  to  Max- 
well's and  there  re-joined  tlie  main  army,  and  was  then  re- 
leased from  further  service. '"' 

Meanwhile,  the  light  at  Corrick's  Ford  was  in  progress. 
Below  the  mouth  of  Pleasant  Eun  it  was  seen  that  opposi- 
tion must  be  ofi'ered  to  the  pursuing  Federals.  Two  com- 
panies of  Georgians  were  placed  in  ambush  to  fall  upon  the 
tlank  of  the  Union  army,  while  the  main  body  of  the  Con- 
federates were  to  attack  from  the  front.  At  Corrick's  Ford 
the  Eebels  planted  their  cannon,  and,  as  the  front  of  the 
Union  army  came  down  to  the  water's  edge,  opened  on  them 
with  a  volley  of  grape-shot.  The  two  regiments  of  Georgia 
troo|)s  did  not  fire,  although  they  were  ready,  and  waited 
only  for  the  command.  The}'  were  cut  off  from  the  main 
army  and  escaped  up  the  mountain.  They  fell  in  with  James 
Parsons  who  piloted  them  to  Otter  Fork,  where  they 
camped  that  night,  and  the  next  day  crossed  to  Dry  Fork, 
and  by  that  route,  after  great  suffering  and  hardships,  they 
at  last  reached  the  Confederate  lines. 

The  front  of  the  Confederate  arm}'  had  crossed  Job's 
Ford,  four  miles  below  Corrick's  Ford,  when  the  firing  com- 
menced. It  was  expected  that  the  decisive  battle  would  be 
fought  there  ;  for  the  stand  at  Corrick's  Ford  was  meant 
only  to  check  the  enemy  momentarily.  Accordingly,  cannon 
were  wheeled  into  position  along  the  river  bank,  opposite 
Callihan's  store,  and  the  brush  were  cleared  from  the  bluff 
above,  ready  to  make  of  it  an  artillery  field. 

At  the  moment  the  Eebels  fired  at  Corrick's  Ford,  the 
road  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  was  full  of  Yankees, 
who  did  not  know  of  the  presence  of  Eebels,  except  a  few 


*  J.  M.  Corrick  was  a  son  of  William  Corrick,  after  whom  tlie  Battle  of  Corrick's 
Ford  was  named. 


THE  WAFi.  331 

stragglers  whom   tliey   did  not   tliiiik  worth  firing  upon." 

The  Confederate  cannon  had  been  concealed,  and  when 
thev  fired,  the  Federals  fell  as  one  man.  The  officer  in 
front  had  seen  the  guns  just  in  time  to  call :  "  Flat  to  the 
ground!"  and  his  men  threw  themselves  flat  in  the  road, 
and  thus  escaped  the  first  voile}'.  From  the  marks  on  the 
trees  it  is  supposed  that  the  first  fire  of  the  Rebels  was  fif- 
teen feet  above  the  Yankees.  But  the  other  vollevs  that 
followed  in  rapid  succession  were  not  too  high,  for,  a  log 
that  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  Yankees  had  in  it  114  bullet 
holes  when  the  battle  was  over.  The  firing  across  the  river 
was  rapid  for  a  few  minutes,  and  until  the  Union  forces  fell 
back.  The  Rebels  then  resumed  their  retreat.  Garnett,  at 
this  juncture,  came  back  with  his  staff  officers,  McClung  and 
others,  and  attempted  to  rally  his  men.  They  were  sitting 
on  their  horses  by  the  river  bank,  leaning  forwpcrd  in  order 
to  see  under  grapevines  and  limbs  that  grew  thick  there. 
Firing  had  again  commenced,  and  as  they  leant  forward  on 
their  horses'  necks,  a  bullet  shaved  the  mane  from  Garnett's 
horse,  close  to  the  rider's  face.  McClung  advised  him  to  get 
out  of  range  of  the  bullets.  The  General  replied  that  they 
might  get  away  if  they  liked,  leaving  it  to  be  understood 
that  he  would  not  get  away.  The  next  moment  a  ball  struck 
him,  and  he  fell  from  his  horse  mortally  wounded.  His 
army  was  now  in  full  retreat,  and  he  was  left  on  the  field. 
The  Federals  found  him  and  carried  him  into  the  house  of 
William  Corrick,  where  Morris  came  to  visit  him.  He  and 
Morris  had  been  class-mates  at  West  Point.  The  hatred 
that  existed  between  the  North  and  South  was  forgotten  by 

•  A  drummer  boy,  who  had  mounted  a  horse  behind  a  sick  soldier,  was  thrown 
from  his  horse  into  the  water  when  firing  commenced.  He  lay  under  water,  except 
his  face,  during  the  battle,  and  then  escaped  unseen  and  made  his  way  back  to  the 
army  of  Virginia. 


332  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

them,  and  after  Morris  had  done  all  that  could  be  done  for 
the  wounded  officer,  Garnett  died  in  the  Union  General's 
arms.  The  generous  and  magnanimous  Morris  showed  every 
respect  and  kindness  in  his  power  to  Garnett,  and  when  he 
was  dead,  he  dressed  him  in  his  own  blue  uniform  and  sent 
him  to  his  peoj^le  in  the  South. 

The  battle  field  was  now  clear  of  Confederates.  Those 
w^ho  could  had  fled,  and  the  wounded  and  dead  had  been 
carried  off.  Corrick's  house  was  made  a  hospital  and  a 
prison.  The  captured  Confederates  were  confined  in  the 
kitchen. 

The  number  of  killed  and  wounded  at  Corrick's  Ford  is 
not  and  probably  never  can  be  knoAvn.  No  official  reports 
can  be  found  ;  and  other  reports  are  as  various  as  the  per- 
sons are  who  make  them.  The  entire  loss  on  both  sides  is 
placed  all  the  way  from  fifteen  to  three  hundred.  It  was 
certainly  more  than  fifteen  and  certainly  less  than  three 
hundred.  Of  the  Rebels,  more  than  fifteen  are  known  to 
have  been  killed.  The  Yankees  would  not  acknowledge 
that  they  lost  emy  ;  but  the  evidence  against  this  is  too 
strong  to  admit  of  its  belief.  The  trees  and  brush  where 
the  soldiers  stood  thick  were  torn  and  splintered  by  grape- 
shot  and  bullets,  and  it  would  have  been  a  miracle  if  no  sol- 
dier was  struck.  Besides,  many  persons  claim  to  have  seen 
numbers  of  dead  Union  men.  It  is  claimed  that  they 
hauled  several  large  wagon-loads  of  dead  bodies  to  Ran- 
dolph, and  buried  them  in  the  entrenchments.  One  trust- 
worthy man  says  that  he  counted  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
dead  Union  soldiers.  The  Rebels  had  a  great  advantage  of 
ground,  and  made  good  use  of  it,  and  it  would  be  a  curious 
freak  of  chance  if  no  Union  soldier  was  killed. 

Be  this  as  it  ma}',  the  Rebels  failed  to  check  and  hold  in 


THE  WAR.  333 

check  the  Federals,  and  again  started  upon  a  retreat,  which 
now  became  a  ront  in  exerj  sense  of  the  word.  The  cannon 
and  baggage  were  gotten  from  the  field,  and  the  rout  began 
in  earnest. 

The  position  that  had  been  taken  at  Job's  Ford  was 
abandoned,  and  the  road  was  given  to  the  retreating  sol- 
diery. The  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  road  was  almost 
impassable  on  account  of  mud.  The  footmen  straggled 
along  as  well  as  they  could,  and  the  tired  horses  tugged 
heavily  at  the  ponderous  wagons. 

When  the  van  of  the  army  reached  White  Oak,  at  Jesse 
Parsons',  it  met  William  Harper,  who  had  come  that  morn- 
ing from  West  Union  (Aurora).  A  consultation  was  at  once 
had  with  him.  He  did  not  think  it  possible  to  get  the 
wagons  and  caanon  up  Horse  Shoe  Run,  and,  therefore, 
advised  the  retreat  to  be  made  up  Mill  Run,  at  St.  George. 
Pie  did  not  think  that  the  Union  forces  at  West  Union 
would  offer  material  resistance  to  the  arm}'.  But,  E.  Har- 
per, who  was  better  acquainted  with  the  position  of  the 
Union  army  on  Buffalo  and  along  the  North-western  Pike, 
and  also  fearing  that  forces  sent  from  Barbour  would  reach 
St.  George  in  time  to  cut  the  army  in  two,  still  urged  that 
the  Horse  Shoe  Run  road  be  taken,  and  it  was  taken.  Wil- 
liam Har]:)er  passed  on  to  the  rear  of  the  army,  and  was  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Alum  Hill  Pass  when  the  front  of  the 
Union  army  came  in  view.  He  fired  upon  them,  and  they 
halted,  probably  thinking  that  he  was  a  i:>icket  and  that  the 
whole  Rebel  army  was  still  at  Job's  Ford,  a  mile  beyond. 
This  one  man  checked  the  Federal  army  longer  than  Garnett's 
four  thousand  had  l)een  able  to  do ;  for  they  fell  back  be- 
hind Alum  Hill  and  remained  there  till  the  next  day. 

The  story  of  the  retreat  of  that  Rebel   army  is  a  sad  one 


334  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

to  relate.  It  resulted  partly  from  blunders,  but  is  hard  to 
say  to  whom  the  blunders  were  due.  However,  the  Rebels 
at  Rich  Mountain  must  have  been  defeated  sooner  or  later 
an^'way,  for  four  thousand  men  could  offer  but  little  resist- 
ance to  thirty  thousand. 

A  portion  of  the  Confederate  infantry  passed  round  Slip 
Hill;  but  the  wagons,  cannon  and  the  main  body  of  the 
army  crossed  the  river  at  Neville's  Ford,  wdiere  they  came 
near  drowning  some  of  their  men.  They  passed  through 
the  Horse  Shoe  to  Nick's  Ford  where  they  recrossed  and 
took  the  road  leading  up  Horse  Shoe  Run.  The  army  was 
halted  at  Low  Gap,  and  the  officers  consulted  whether  it 
would  not  be  better  to  fiijht  a  battle  there.  Some  of  the 
artillery  was  Avheeled  into  position  on  Holbert  Kill.  The 
pursuing  army  failed  to  ]:)ut  in  an  appearance.  It  was  in- 
tended to  open  hre  o]i  them  as  soon  as  they  came  within 


range. 


Vv^hile  halting  there,  word  came  tlnit  the  Union  forces 
were  fortifying:  at  the  Red  House  with  the  intention  of  cut- 
tin^-  off  retreat  by  that  route.  This  caused  a  chanoe  in  the 
plans.  It  now  became  the  object  to  escape  the  pursuing 
army  by  fliirht,  and  cut  throuQ;li  the  forces  at  the  Red  House. 
The  artillery  was  brought  u])  from  the  rear,  and  was  sent  to 
the  front.  Except  tlie  cavalry  and  artillery,  there  was  no 
longer  any  warlike  spirit  in  the  army.  Every  man  seemed 
to  think  only  of  saving  himself.  The  stores  and  goods  were 
thrown  from  tlie  wa2;on^<.  Mud  holes  were  bridi^red  with 
tents  and  blankets.  Trunks  were  broken  open  and  the  con- 
tents scattered  in  everv  direction.  Barrels  of  flour  and 
sugar  and  rice  and  molasses  were  roHed  from  the  wagons  to 
be  left  or  broken  into  bv  tiie  excited  and  famishini;-  soldiery. 
Guns  were  thrown  into  the  woods,  and  cartridge  boxes  were 


THE  WAE.  335 

flung  after  tliein.  Clotliing  was  scattered  on  every  side. 
Boxes  of  medicine  Avere  kicked  out  of  tlie  wagons  to  be 
trampled  under  foot.  The  soldiers  were  starving,  wliile 
stores  of  provisions  Avere  being  destroyed.  Boxes  of  crack- 
ers and  biscuits  Avere  broken  open,  and  lie  who  could 
helped  himself. 

The  exposure  and  the  hunger  since  breaking  camp  at 
Bich  Mountain  had  made  many  of  the  soldiers  sick,  and 
when  tliev  could  no  lon^jer  travel  thev  were  left  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Avhomsoever  they  might  or  die  vathout  atten- 
tion. There  was  no  room  in  the  wasons  for  the  sick.  A 
boy  with  his  foot  shot  off  got  on  a  cannon  and  rode  there. 
An  officer  dismounted  and  walked  in  order  to  let  a  sick  sol- 
dier ride.  The  spirit  of  Southern  generosity  Avas  not  dead 
— it  never  dies — but,  in  that  shameful  panic,  vrho  could 
attend  to  anything  but  himself?  There  Avas  plenty  to  keep 
tl^e  soldiers  from  starA'ing,  but  no  time  Avas  taken  to  deal  it 
out  to  them.  If  the  retreat  had  been  two  years  later  in  the 
Avar,  when  experience  in  such  unpleasant  performances  Avas 
more  mature,  there  -jH-obably  Avould  not  have  been  a  man  or 
a  wagon  lost.  But,  it  came  Avhen  it  did,  and  it  leaves 
nothing  for  the  historian  to  do  but  to  record  it  as  it  Avas. 

The  horses  suffered  no  less  than  the  men.  They  toiled  at 
the  heavy  Avagons  until  they  could  move  tliem  no  more.. 
"When  the  men  had  throAvn  out  the*loads,  the  tired  horses 
could  again  draw  the  empt}'  Avagons.  But  they  could  not 
long  remain  empty.  The  exhausted  soldiers,  who  had  fallen 
by  the  Avayside,  struggled  to  their  feet  and  climbed  into  the 
Avagons,  or,  perchance  Avere  helped  in  by  comrades,  and  the 
wagons  Avere  soon  overloaded.  It  Avas  useless  to  try  to  o:et 
them  along.  The  teamsters  cut  the  harness  from  the  horses, 
and  mounting  them,  fled.     Then  the  axle-trees  Avere  sawed 


336  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

in  two  and  tlie  spokes  cut  from  the  wheels,  and  tlie  road 
was  thus  blockaded  to  prevent  pursuit.  But  it  also  block- 
aded it  against  the  following  Confederates  who  came  up, 
and  being  unable  to  get  their  wagons  by,  had  to  cut  them 
to  pieces  and  leave  them. 

Every  mile  the  panic  became  more  deplorable.  Soldiers 
without  shoes  went  hobbling  and  limping  along,  their  feet 
cut  by  the  stones,  and  their  tracks  marked  with  blood. 
William  E.  Talbott  was  along,  as  was  M.  P.  Helmick  and 
many  others  still  living  in  the  county.  Few  pretended  to 
carry  arms.  In  the  front  some  order  was  kept,  but  in  the 
rear  the  sight  beggars  description.  Some  flung  themselves 
by  the  roadside,  and  refused  to  be  assisted  forward  by  such 
of  their  comrades  as  were  willino;  and  able  to  assist  them. 
The  sick,  who  could,  crawled  to  houses  and  lay  there  till 
the  pursuing  cavalry  came  up  and  took  them  prisoner. 
Some  attempted  to  hide  in  the  woods ;  but,  when  the  pur- 
suit came,  it  was  useless  to  attempt  concealment.  Some 
thought  to  pass  themselves  off  as  citizens  and  thus  escape 
the  Yankees.  But  their  woeful  looks  and  haggard  faces 
told  the  tale  on  them. 

The  rabble  extended  ten  miles.  Every  mile  and  every  rod 
Avas  marked  with  plunder  and  ruin.  When  night  came  on, 
the  scene  was  worse,  if  it  could  have  been  seen.  It  was 
dark  and  rain}^  and  the  remnants  of  the  once  splendid  army 
struggled  along  the  narrow  road,  not  knowing  when  the 
guns  of  the  pursuers  would  roai*  out  on  the  night.  The 
front,  too,  began  to  be  demoralized.  Reports  came  that  the 
road  at  the  Red  House  was  held  by  five  thousand  Federals 
which  was  just  ten  times  the  actual  number  there.  The  cav- 
alry (partly  excusable  from  the  excitement  of  that  awful 
night)  thought  that  the  army  was  beset   both  in  front   and 


THE  WAK.  337 

in  tlie  rear,  and  that  destruction  awaited  either  an  advance 
or  a  retreat.  From  Wotring's,  the  head  of  Horse  Shoe 
Run,  there  was  an  obscure  and  rugged  path  leading  across 
the  Backbone  Mountain  and  the  head  waters  of  the  North 
Branch  and  Stony  Eiver.  This,  to  the  cavahy,  seemed  the 
only  possible  avenue  of  escape,  and  it  was  barely  possible. 
Samuel  Porter  knew  the  path  and  acted  as  guide.  The  cav- 
alry thus  left  the  road,  unknown  to  the  main  army  and  the 
artillery,  and  crossed  the  mountain  by  this  path.  It  is  a 
mystery  how  that  cavalry  ever  made  that  march.  It  was  a 
narrow  foot-path,  traveled  by  mountaineers,  and  led  over 
bluffs,  mountains  and  ravines,  and  logs  and  rocks  filled  it  in 
every  part.  Besides,  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  the 
descending  torrents  of  rain  lent  additional  difiiculty  to  the 
undertaking.  Many  of  the  horses  were  unshod,  their  shoes 
having  been  pulled  off  in  the  clefts  and  crevices  of  the  rocks. 
The  path  was  a  rough  one  for  horses  shod  with  steel  and  in 
full  strength  and  spirit ;  and  it  was  far  worse  for  these  that 
were  hungry,  lame  and  exhausted. 

When  they  got  into  the  wild  region  about  Stony  Eiver, 
they  were  met  by  an  old  woodsman  who  mistook  them  for 
Yankees.  He  seemed  anxious  botli  to  gain  and  to  impart 
information.  They  saw  that  he  was  mistaken  and  told  him 
such  news  as  they  thought  he  would  like  to  hear.  And  he 
in  turn  told  them  that  he  was  captain  of  the  Home  Guards 
in  that  quarter,  and  that  his  one  hundred  men  could  "bush- 
whack Rebels  to  beat  the  nation."-  When  they  had  drawn 
from  him  all  the  information  they  wanted,  they  informed 
him  he  was  in  the  hands  of  Rebels.  The  old  fellow's  coun- 
tenance fell ;  but,  seeing  that  he  was  a  prisoner,  he  went 

*  Tliis  is  on  the  authority  of  McClung  of  Greenbrier  County,  -who  was  an  officer  and 
was  present. 
22 


338  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

quietly  along.  Toward  morning  they  came  to  a  tributary  of 
tlie  North  Branch,  and  the  horses  refused  to  leave  it.  They 
had  unshod  feet,  which  were  broken  and  feverish,  and  they 
preferred  to  bathe  them  in  the  cool  water.  But  at  length 
they  got  the  horses  from  the  water,  and  at  daylight  came 
into  the  North-western  Pike. 

The  artillery  and  the  infantry  did  not  know  that  the 
cavalry  had  left  the  road,  but  supposed  them  still  in  front 
and  that  they  would  give  notice  of  any  danger.  Thus  de- 
luded, the  army,  if  it  can  be  called  an  army,  advanced,  and 
the  artillery  was  in  the  very  front.  S.  E.  Parsons  and 
"William  Hebb,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  during  Mc- 
Chesney's  raid,  were  still  prisoners  in  Garnett's  army.  Near 
Wotring's,  Parsons  determined  to  attempt  an  escaj)e.  He 
sj^rang  from  the  guards,  and  leaped  down  a  bank.  A  dozen 
guns  were  fired  at  him,  but  he  escaped  unhurt,  hatless,  and 
the  next  morning  found  himself  beyond  the  Rebel  lines. 
On  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth  of  July,  five  hundred 
Federals  had  arrived  at  the  Red  House,  ready  to  dispute 
the  road  with  Garnett's  army.  They,  too,  had  heard  rumors, 
ill  common  with  the  Rebels.  They  heard  that  Garnett's 
army,  although  badly  shattered,  still  had  fifteen  thousand 
fighting  men.  However,  the^^  held  their  ground  until  the 
front  of  the  army  could  be  heard  advancing,  when  they 
started  in  full  retreat  toward  West  Union.  The  Rebels 
were  near  enough  to  hear  them  going. 

This  was  after  midnight,  probably  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  North-western  Pike  was  reached  at  last.  But  a 
new  danger  was  threatening  them.  It  was  said  that  a  body 
of  Union  troops  were  stationed  on  the  summit  of  Backbone 
mountain,  ready  to  hem  the  Confederates  in.  A  consulta- 
tion was  held,  while  the  soldiers,  as  fast  as  they  came  up. 


THE  WAR.  339 

flung  themselves  upon  tlie  ground  to  sleep.  There  was  no 
other  means  visible  by  which  the  army  could  be  gotten  out. 
It  was  known  that  armies  were  in  Oakland,  West  Union,  on 
Buffalo,  and  in  the  rear,  and  the  road  across  Backbone  and 
the  Alleghanies  was  all  that  remained  open,  if  it,  indeed, 
was  open.  It  was  thought  best  to  send  scouts  to  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  about  four  miles  distant,  to  see  if  an  enemy 
was  there.  In  an  army  of  four  thousand,  only  five  were 
found  willing  to  go.  They  were  E.  Harper,  Garrett  John- 
son, Dr.  William  Bland,  of  Weston,  and  two  cavalrymen. 
They  left  the  Bed  House  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  rode  to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Harper  said  that  he 
felt  more  fear  while  going  up  that  mountain  than  he  ever 
felt  before  or  since.  But  no  enemy  was  found,  and  they  re- 
turned to  the  Red  House  and  reported  that  the  way  was 
open.  This  was  just  at  daylight,  July  15.  The  army  at  once 
resumed  its  retreat,  and  before  noon  had  passed  the  North 
Branch  bridge,  which  it  burned.  From  that  point  it  was 
not  pursued.  The  wrecked  army  made  its  way  back  to  the 
South  and  was  recruited  and  again  placed  in  service.  The 
Union  army  made  no  pursuit  after  Alum  Hill  was  reached. 
The  troops  remained  about  the  country,  and  detachments 
went  foraging  on  the  trail  of  the  Rebels  to  pick  up  strag- 
glers  and  plunder  ;  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  overtake 
the  Rebels.  The  Union  army  went  to  St,  George,  and  thence 
to  Philippi  and  Belington.  Some  of  those  left  to  take  charge 
of  the  wagons  and  plunder  were  set  upon  and  shot  as  they 
were  going  up  Clover  Run.  This  was  the  largest  military 
movement  that  ever  took  place  in  Tucker  County.  The 
others  were  only  raids. 

After  Garnett's  army  retreated  from  the  county,  the  Con- 
federates had  little  hold  in  it.     The  Unionists  kept  forces  in 


340  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

the  county,  and  kept  down  any  manifestation  wliich  Kebel 
citizens  might  have  made.  On  Dry  Fork  the  guerrilla  war- 
fare between  the  Home  Guards  of  each  side  went  on  una- 
bated. 

In  September,  1862,  the  Federals  had  squads  of  men  in 
Tucker.  One  squad  w^as  stationed  at  Abraham  Parsons*. 
John  Luboden  had  heard  of  it,  and  determined  to  drive 
them  out.  With  William  Harper  as  guide  he  struck  across 
the  mountains,  intending  to  fall  on  the  Yankees  unawares. 
But  Jane  Snyder,  then  a  young  lady,  now  the  wdfe  of  Mart 
Bennett,  saw  the  Eebels,  and,  mounting  her  horse,  she  gal- 
loped off  dow^n  Dry  Fork  to  give  the  alarm.  She  reached 
the  Yankee  camp  just  in  time  to  save  them  ;  for,  scarcely 
had  she  gotten  avray  when  the  Eebels  came  up.  The 
Yankees  made  no  stop  or  stay  until  they  had  quit  the  coun- 
try. Imboden  then  returned  to  the  South,  and  the  Yankees 
returned  to  the  occupation  of  Tucker. 

Capt.  William  Hall  then  came  to  St.  George  with  twenty- 
nine  men,  and  took  up  his  headquarters  in  the  Court-house. 
This  was  in  November.  Some  of  the  Union  citizens  of  the 
county  sent  insulting  words  to  Imboden,  taunting  him.  He 
at  once  set  out  for  St.  George  with  some  small  cannon 
lashed  to  the  backs  of  mules.  He  came  dowai  Dry  Fork, 
where  there  was  then  only  a  small  path.  William  Harper 
was  guide.  The  way  was  ro*igh,  and  the  progress  could  not 
be  but  slow.  One  of  his  mules  that  carried  a  cannon 
slipped  over  the  bank  and  tumbled  a"  hundred  feet,  almost 
into  the  river.  The  men  followed,  and  when  they  took  the 
cannon  off,  the  mule  got  up  and  w^as  ready  for  traveling, 

Imboden  was  aiming  for  St.  George,  and  was  expecting  to 
fall  upon  the  Yankees  by  surprise.  In  this  he  w^as  success- 
ful.    He  approached  the  town  just  after  daylight,  and  had 


THE  WAK.  341 

the  Union  forces  surrounded  before  they  knew  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  Kebel.  Then  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  to  make 
a  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  forces.  The  man  who 
bore  the  flag  was  fired  upon  and  wounded  in  the  foot  by  a 
sentinel,  who  then  ran  to  the  Court-house  and  gave  the 
alarm.  Immediately  there  was  much  excitement  among  the 
Yankees.  When  Hall  learned  that  he  was  surrounded,  he 
cried :     *'Boys,  take  care  of  your  Captain  !" 

The  Eebels  who  had  passed  down  the  river  fired  a  few 
times  in  the  direction  of  the  Court-house,  but  without  effect. 
They  found  Enoch  Minear  feeding  cattle  just  below  town, 
and  took  him  prisoner  and  detained  him  an  hour  or  two. 

Meanwhile,  negotiations  for  the  surrender  of  the  town 
were  going  on.  Imboden  offered  honorable  terms  and  Hall 
accepted.  The  Yankees  were  to  be  parolled  and  allowed  to 
depart  in  peace  from  the  country.  On  these  terms,  St. 
George  was  surrendered.  James  Swisher  was  the  only  one 
who  escaped.  Finding  himself  some  distance  from  the 
Court-house  when  the  alarm  was  given,  he  took  to  his  heels 
and  got  off.  He  carried  the  intelligence  to  Eowlesburg, 
where  it  created  no  small  stir  among  the  soldiers. 

Captain  Hall's  headquarters  were  in  the  Clerk's  office. 
He  was  just  sitting  down  to  breakfast  when  the  alarm  was 
given.  When  the  surrender  was  made,  Imboden  and  his 
men  sat  themselves  down  around  the  table,  and.  with  char- 
acteristic Southern  hospitality,  invited  Hall  and  his  fellow- 
officers  to  join  them  at  the  board  and  help  eat  the  smoking 
breakfast.  All  sectional  and  national  hatred  was  now  for- 
gotten, and  Yankee  and  Rebel,  vanquished  and  victor,  sat 
side  by  side  and  eat  to  their  full  satisfaction.  Imboden's 
soldiers  joined  in  with  Hall's  and  all  in  common  sat  joking 
around  the  camp  fires,  and  cooked  and  ate  breakfast,  forget- 


342  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ting  that  a  war  of  death  had  so  lately  raged  between  them. 

.,  When  breakfast  was  done,  Hall  and  his  men  filed  sullenly 
out  of  their  comfortable  quarters  in  the  Court-house,  and  set 
forward  for  Rowlesburg.  There  came  near  being  a  difficulty 
regarding  the  shooting  at  the  man  who  carried  the  flag  of 
truce.  The  Rebels  demanded  that  he  be  given  up  to  be 
dealt  Avith  according  to  the  rules  of  war.  But  the  Yankees 
would  not  do  this,  and  in  their  turn  charged  the  Rebels  with 
violating  the  rules  of  war  by  advancing  Avith  their  army 
under  cover  of  the  flag  of  truce.  For,  as  was  claimed,  Im- 
boden  was  moving  his  men  down  the  bank  of  the  river  while 
his  truce-flag  was  being  carried  into  the  Yankee  camp. 
Both  sides  seemed  to  be  in  the  wrong,  and  they  knew  it ;  and 
after  much  parleying  and  contention,  it  was  agreed  that 
nothing  further  should  be  done  in  the  matter,  and  thus  it 
was  hushed.  James  Myers  is  now  known  to  be  the  picket 
who  fired  on  the  flag. 

Hall  surrendered  twenty-nine  men.  The  remainder  of  his 
company  was  not  in  St.  George  at  the  time.  The  Rebels 
numbered  several  hundred.  Hall  claimed  that  he  had  no 
ammunition,  or  he  would  have  fought ;  but  his  men  had  forty 
rounds  of  cartridges  each. 

As  Imboden  approached  town  Dr.  Solomon  Parsons,  who 
lived  half  mile  from  town,  and  who  was  extreme  in  his  sym- 
pathy with  the  North,  was  down  in  the  field  feeding  his 
cattle.  He  saw  the  Confederates  go  by,  and  suspicioned 
that  the}'  were  after  him.  He  fled  toward  the  river,  which 
he  waded  at  the  lower  end  of  Wamsley's  Island,  and  climbed 
the  mountain  beyond.  In  a  little  while  he  grew  uneasy ; 
and,  re-crossing  the  river,  he  ascended  Dry  Run,  wading 
along  its  bed,  for  the  snow  was  deep,  and  aimed  his  course 


THE  WAK.  343 

for  Cranberry  Summit.  The  Rebels  carried  away  some 
goods  from  his  store. 

"When  the  Rebels  had  cleared  St.  George  of  Union  sol- 
diers, they  immediately  retreated  back  the  way  they  came, 
passing  up  Dry  Fork,  and  over  into  Highland  County,  Vir- 
ginia. The  raid  was  a  dashing  one,  and  was  in  every  way 
successful  to  those  who  planned  and  executed  it.  But  in 
the  end  it  worked  great  harm  to  the  Rebel  citizens  of 
Tucker,  and  to  those  w4io  were  suspected  of  being  in  sym- 
pathy vdth  the  South. 

When  news  of  the  surrender  reached  Rowlesburg,  it  pro- 
duced gi'eat  commotion  there.  It  was  supposed  that  Im- 
boden  meant  to  establish  himself  at  St.  George,  and  ar- 
rangements were  at  once  made  to  expel  him.  A  large  body 
of  troops  was  sent  up  to  make  an  attack.  When  St. 
George  was  reached  it  was  found  that  the  Rebels  were  gone. 
The  Yankees  followed  up  to  Abraham  Parsons',  and  plant- 
ing their  cannon  there,  bombarded  the  w^oods,  trying  to 
scare  the  Rebels  out,  for  they  affected  to  believe  that  Imbo- 
den  was  hidden  among  the  neighboring  mountains.  But, 
really,  at  that  time,  Imboden  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
AUeghanies. 

While  the  Yankees  remained  at  Abraham  Parsons'  they 
were  wicked  in  their  depredations,  stealing  and  destroying 
almost  everything  they  could  find.  They  made  raids  into 
the  surrounding  country,  and  stole  plunder.  It  was  the 
most  thieving  band  of  soldiers  ever  in  Tucker  Count3\  One 
strippling  soldier  from  Ohio  stole  a  saddle  and  bridle  on 
Dry  Fork,  but  had  failed  to  get  a  horse.  He  came  back, 
lugging  his  pilfered  plunder,  and  stopped  at  Parsons'. 
There  was  a  line  horse  in  the  field,  and  he  concluded  that  it 
was  good  enough  for  him,  and  accordingly  caught  it  and  was 


3M  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

going  off  -vvlien  he  was  seen  from  the  house.  Parsons  was 
not  at  home.  His  daughter  Ninn  and  Job  Parsons'  daugh- 
ter Eebecca  conchided  to  capture  the  horse.  They  tried  to 
coax  the  fellow  to  give  it  up,  and  he  would  not,  and  they 
proceeded  to  take  it  by  force.  One  of  them  took  the  scoun- 
drel by  the  neck  and  hurled  him  heels  over  head  twenty 
feet  among  the  sawlogs  that  lay  in  the  mill  yard.  His  wrath 
was  terrible.  The  other  Yankees  raised  a  great  laugh  at 
him  and  cheered  the  girls,  and  that  made  him  madder  than 
ever.  He  swore  fearfully,  and  vowed  that  he  would  have 
the  horse  or  die  on  the  spot.  But  the  girls  led  the  horse 
into  the  yard,  and  when  the  determined  3'oung  Yankee  fol- 
lowed, they  caught  him  and  thrashed  him.  This  satisfied 
him  for  a  while  ;  but  at  length  he  returned  to  get  the  horse, 
and  they  pounded  him  again  and  chased  him  out  of  the 
yard.  Bv  this  time  the  Y^ankees  were  getting  ready  to  go, 
and  he  stood  at  the  gate  as  though  trying  to  decide  whether 
to  make  another  venture  or  to  give  up.  He  decided  to  try 
again,  and  came  up  with  the  grim  determination  that  he 
would  have  the  horse.  They  seized  him  again  and  gave 
him  an  unmerciful  wolloping,  and  he  got  out  of  the  yard  in 
a  hurry.  He  was  wlii])ped,  and  picking  up  his  saddle,  he 
sneaked  ofi'  and  appeared  no  more  on  the  arena. 

About  this  time  Kello"'"-  came  into  command  of  the  Union 
forces  in  Tucker,  and  instituted  a  kind  of  inquisition, 
known  as  the  "Assessment."  He  levied  a  tax  upon  all  sym- 
pathizers with  the  South,  and  applieil  the  money  to  pay  Dr. 
Parsons,  Enoch  Minear  and  others  who  had  lost  property  at 
the  hands  of  the  Eebels.  The  Assessment  was  a  most 
wicked  and  shameful  afiair.  The  world's  historv  can  liardlv 
show  tyranny  more  disgraceful.     It  is  not  just  to  charge  it 


THE  WAB.  345 

to  the  Union  men  in  general ;  for,  they  were  far  above  any- 
thing of  the  kind,  and  had  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

An  order  was  issued  to  tax  Kebel  citizens  to  pay  back 
what  Union  citizens  had  lost.  The  tax  was  not  levied  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  property  owned  by  the  party 
so  much  as  by  the  intensity  of  their  Southern  sympathy. 
Although,  of  course,  some  consideration  was  taken  of  the 
wealth  of  the  indi\ddual  and  the  amount  which  he  was  able 
to  pay.  Thus,  W.  D.  Losh  was  assessed  $8,  and  had  to  sell 
his  pants  to  raise  the  money.  Kufus  Maxwell  was  assessed 
$80 ;  Nick  Parsons,  $500 ;  W.  K.  Parsons,  $700 ;  Abraham 
Parsons,  $800,  and  others  in  proportion.  The  order  read 
thus  :^ 

You  are  hereby  notified,  tliat,  upon  an  Assessment,  you  are  as- 
sessed   dollars,  to  make  good  the  losses  of  Union  men.     If  you 

fail  to  pay  in  three  days,  your  property  will  all  be  confisicated, 
your  house  burned  and  yourself  shot. 

By  order  of  Brig.  Gen.  Milroy. 

Capt.  KelloGtO,  Comg.  123d  Ohio. 

Nearly  all  the  money  was  collected  and  paid  over  to  those 
who  claimed  it.  When  it  became  known  what  Kellogg  was 
doing,  his  superior  officers  set  about  undoing  his  work  ;  for 
the  Union  men  were  too  honorable  to  allow  such  work  to  be 
left  alone. 

Joseph  A.  Paris  was  sent  to  St.  George  to  stop  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Assessment  and  to  pay  back  the  money  where  it 
could  be  done.  He  found  the  Union  cause  here  in  a  bad 
condition.  The  t^-rannous  proceedings  of  the  past  few  days 
had  raised  a  storm  of  indignation,  not  only  among  the 
Southern  men  who  were  made  to  pay  the  Assessment,  but 

•  This  is  from  a  copy,  and  it  is  possible  tliat  it  contains  errors ;  but  it  is  believed  to 
1)6  correct  in  every  particular.  The  copy  is  furnished  by  Job  W.  Parsons,  of  Eich 
Mountain. 


346  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

also  among  nearly  all  the  Union  men,  who  had  any  feelings 
of  manhood  and  freedom  about  them.  For,  be  it  repeated 
that  the  Union  party  in  Tucker  County  were  in  no  measure, 
or  in  a  very  small  measure,  guilty  of  aiding,  abetting  or 
countenancing  the  Assessment  business.  They  hated  it  as 
intensely  as  they  hated  anything  that  was  bad,  and  they 
showed  no  favors  to  those  who  assisted  in  the  matter. 

So,  when  Faris  came  and  it  became  known  that  he  pro- 
posed to  conduct  his  proceeding  in  accordance  with  the  code 
of  honor  and  not  with  that  of  revenge  and  rancorous  hatred, 
he  at  once  received  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  best 
and  of  nearly  all  of  our  citizens.  In  him  they  recognized 
a  man  not  to  be  influenced  and  led  about  by  bitter  ani- 
mosities. He  had  a  high  sense  of  justice  and  right ;  and  no 
mutterings  among  his  own  party  or  threats  or  attempts 
among  his  enemies  could  influence  him  to  depart  from  what 
was  just.  In  the  time  of  war,  and  when  passion  ran  at  fever 
heat,  he  made  friends  among  Unionists  and  won  the  respect 
of  the  sympathizers  of  the  Confederacy.  No  one  doubted 
his  honor.  No  one  feared  that  he  would  take  a  mean  ad- 
vantage. No  one  believed  that  he  would  indorse  any  of  the 
infamous  proceedings  of  the  past  few  weeks.  Those  whose 
conscience  was  guilty  on  account  of  deeds  done,  received 
little  comfort  from  him. 

Our  people  remember  him  as  a  man,  and  not  as  a  war- 
time leader.  If  all  the  military  men  who  came  into  our 
county  had  been  such  as  he,  the  war  would  be  a  forgotten 
thing  with  us.  He  undid  what  wrong  he  could,  and  showed 
his  'willingness  to  undo  more.  The  confidence  of  our  peo- 
ple underwent  a  change  for  the  better,  as  regarded  man  and 
man.  For,  while  the  Assessment  was  in  progress,  only  a 
spark  would  have  sufficed  to  kindle  the  flame  of  war  among 


THE  WAR.  347 

our  mountains  and  valleys,  in  which  citizen  would  have 
fought  citizen  and  the  rage  of  revenge  would  almost  have 
depopulated  our  country.  Had  the  work  gone  on  a  little 
longer,  it  is  hard  to  tell  at  what  hour  the  torch  would  have 
been  applied  to  dwellings,  and  the  rifle  would  have  been  the 
arbiter  between  neighbors.  But,  the  storm  passed  just  in 
time  to  prevent  the  final  catastrophe." 

He  was  sent  to  St.  George  from  Rowlesburg  on  December 
27,  1862.  On  the  fifth  of  January  he  was  ordered  to  fall 
back  to  Rowlesburg.  John  Mosby  was  penetrating  the 
country,  and  it  was  thought  that  he  was  aiming  to  pick  up 
detached  squads  of  men  wherever  he  could  find  them. 
Faris  reached  Rowlesburg  safely. 

In  1863,  a  fight  occurred  in  St.  George  between  a  detach- 
ment of  Jones'  cavalry  and  Snyder's  Home  Guards.  No  one 
was  hurt,  and  Snyder  retreated  after  one  round. t 

•  Joseph  A.  Faris  is  now  a  citizen  of  Wlieeling,  and  has  established  himself  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  portrait  painter.  He  has,  however,  painted  historical  scenes,  and 
landscapes.  His  historical  painting-,  "  The  Last  Battle  of  the  Revolution,"  or  the  last 
siege  of  Fort  Henry,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country.  His  painting  of  Hon.  A.  W. 
Campbell  in  the  Chicago  Convention,  in  1880,  is  probably  his  best.  It  surely  is  a  mas- 
ter effort.  His  pictures  are  numerous,  and  show  a  fine  artistic  touch,  which  can  be 
traced  to  a  mental  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  and  art.  The  poetical  col- 
oring of  a  scene  are  depicted  by  his  brush  as  truly  as  by  Byron's  pen.  As  an  artist  of 
a  fine  order  West  Virginia  has  not  his  superior. 

t  A  fuller  account  of  the  war  would  be  given  in  this  chapter,  but  In  the  Brief  Biogra- 
phies it  would  be  repeated,  and  It  has  not  been  deemed  necessary  to  have  It  in  both 
chapters.  Those  who  wish  to  see  accounts  of  a  personal  nature  are  referred  to  Brief 
Biographies. 


BBIEF  BIOGRAPHIES. 

A. 

Nelson  D.  Adams  was  born  April  9,  1859,  on  Clieat  Elver, 
near  the  old  "  Pleasant  Yalley  Clinrcli,"  in  Preston  County, 
"W.  Ya.  His  father,  G.  W.  Adams,  removed  to  Limestone 
about  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War.  N.  D.'s  only 
recollections  of  the  war  were  seeing  his  nncle,  Samuel 
Martin,  return  from  prison,  and  of  seeing  soldiers  at  his 
father's  house.  The  first  school  attended  was  at  Limestone 
Church,  taught  by  Eli  Adams.  The  next  winter  he  was  sent 
to  his  grandfather,  Philip  Martin's,  near  Kingwood,  and 
attended  school  there.  After  that,  he  attended  several 
schools  at  Limestone  Church,  and  two  terms  at  White's,  on 
the  head  of  Mill  Kun.  Then  he  attended  four  terms  at 
Jacob  Dumire,  Esq.'s,  the  last  of  which  was  taught  by  L.  S. 
Auvil,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  commenced  the  study 
of  algebra.  He  was  very  studious,  and  devoted  every 
minute  of  his  spare  time  to  his  books.  He  lived  on  a  farm, 
and  a  Tucker  County  farmer  boy  has  none  too  good  oppor- 
tunities to  become  well  acquainted  with  books.  But  Adams 
was  ambitious,  and  surmounted  difficulties  and  removed 
obstacles,  and  when  the  Teachers'  Board  of  Examination 
met  at  St.  George  in  the  fall  of  1877,  he  was  an  applicant 
for  a  teacher's  certificate.  As  he  said:  "Entering  with 
fear  and  trembling  and  coming  out  all  right,  I  began  to 
think  that  I  stood  high  on  the  ladder  of  knowledge." 

He  taught  the  school  at  Limestone  Church  that  winter, 
and  in  the  spring  felt  encouraged  by  the  cash  in  his  pocket. 
He  worked  that  summer  on  the  farm,  and  began  to  compose 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  349 

poems,  which  betrayed  a  poetical  inclination,  not  dangerous, 
but  perceptible. 

The  next  fall,  1878,  he  thought  to  strike  a  higher  level, 
and  went  to  Preston  to  get  a  school.  He  passed  success- 
fully the  examination  at  Newburg,  and  shortly  afterwards 
set  out  to  hunt  himself  a  school.  His  success  was  about 
like  Simon  Kenton's,  who  was  trying  to  find  Kentucky  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  passed  it  in  the  night. 
He  could  find  no  school.  Clad  in  his  best  jeans  coat  and 
mounted  on  a  mule,  like  the  Mexican  at  El  Paso  Del  Mar, 
or  Don  Quixote  in  his  glory,  young  Adams  wound  his  way 
over  the  hills  and  vales  of  Preston  for  a  week,  taking  every 
road  but  the  right  one,  missing  all  roads  and  getting  lost, 
and  meeting  with  but  cold  encouragement.  At  the  end  of 
the  week  he  was  turning  back,  somewhat  disheartened, 
but  still  determined,  and  was  planning  an  attempt  in 
some  new  field,  when  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  light 
down  on  a  school  at  New  Salem,  Union  District,  Preston 
County.  He  taught  the  school  successfully,  and  in  the 
spring,  1879,  he  attended  the  Portland  (Terra  Alta)  school, 
taught  by  Professor  Fike.  He  attended  this  school  two 
terms,  and  in  the  winter  of  1879-80  he  taught  the  Freeland 
school,  near  Terra  Alta.  During  the  summer  of  1880  he 
again  attended  Professor  Fike's  school  and  graduated.  The 
winter  of  1880-81  he  taught  the  Fish  Creek  school  in  Pres- 
ton. In  the  spring  of  1881  he  was  appointed  a  cadet  in 
the  West  Virginia  University,  and  soon  afterwards  entered 
that  school.  He  remained  there  that  year.  In  the  winter 
of  1882-83  he  taught  at  Eighty  Cut,  in  Preston  County. 
He  spent  the  vacation  of  1881  in  Ohio,  canvassing  for  books. 
He  went  again  to  Ohio  in  1882  for  the  same  purpose,  and 


350  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

visited  Lancaster,  the  scene  of  M'Cleland  and  White's  ad- 
venture with  the  Indians. 

Eeturning  from  Ohio  after  two  weeks  he  devoted  himself 
to  farm  work  until  school  opened  at  the  University,  when  he 
again  returned  to  his  books.  The  year  1884  was  also  spent 
at  the  Universitv. 

ft/ 

During  his  leisure  hours  he  still  indulged  in  verse-making, 
and  contributed  to  the  newspapers,  the  principal  of  which 
were  TJie  Wheeling  Intelligencer  and  Tlie  Preston  County 
Journal.  He  is  deeply  read  in  the  classics,  ancient  and 
modern.  ^Che  Greek,  Latin  and  French  he  reads  in  the 
original  language.  Homer,  Herodotus  and  Cicero  are  his 
favorites  among  the  ancients ;  and  among  the  English  he 
shows  a  preference  for  Shakespeare,  Pope  and  Byron.  Fol- 
lowing are  selections  from  the  poetry  of  Mr.  Adams : 

THE  DREAMS  OF   LIFE.* 

We  are  sucli  stuff 
As  dreams  are  made  of,  and  our  little  Itf© 
Is  rounded  with  a  sleep.— STiafcespeare. 

From  the  dawning  of  life  to  its  last  faint  gleams, 
Where'ere  be  the  soul  it  will  bask  in  dream* — 
Sweet  dreams  of  the  memory, 

Dreams  of  futurity, 
Visions  ideal  to  gently  veil 
The  grim  and  the  real  that  oft  assail.  ^ 

They  soften  the  saddest  of  care  and  of  strife- 
Let  Heaven  be  praised  for  the  dreams  of  life  ! 

'  Neath  the  light  of  the  stars  in  the  silent  night 
There  muses  a  youth  with  a  glad  delight, 
Who  fain  would  in  reverie 

Fathom  Infinity. 
Never  a  cloud  nor  a  shadow  dark 
His  hopes  can  enshroud  or  his  joys  can  mark. 

•Written  for  r/ie  Preston  County  Journal. 


BRIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  351 

How  well  that  the  future  is  hidden  away  3  j 

That  the  dreamer  may  dream  of  a  better  day  !  -I 

On  the  banks  of  a  stream  in  a  morn  of  spring 

A  lad  and  a  maiden  are  wandering  \ 

And  dreaming  in  harmony 

Dreams  of  felicity 
Glowing  and  gleaming  with  love  divine —  '       | 

A  halo  beaming  from  heaven's  shrine. 
Oh  !  ever  are  angels  more  happy  above 
Than  those  who  are  dreaming  sweet  dreams  of  love  ?  | 

In  the  autumn  of  life  'neath  the  noonday  heat, 
All  weary  and  sad  with  a  life's  defeat, 
A  man  in  humility 

Toils  with  severity. 
Sad  is  the  real,  but  aye  anon 
A  beauteous  ideal  he  looks  upon — 
He  dreams  of  a  land  far  away  where  the  soul 
Shall  rest  while  the  ages  eternally  roll.  j 

With  a  faltering  step  and  with  silver  hair,  i 

While  listening  at  eve  to  an  old-time  air, 

A  man  reads  in  memory  .  ^ 

Lifelong  history.  ' 

Dwelling  and  dreaming  on  days  gone  by,  | 

His  spirit  is  beaming  in  ecstasy — 
The  friends  of  his  boyhood  in  phantasy  come 

To  cheer  as  of  vore  in  the  threshold  of  home  !  I 

1 

By  the  banks  of  a  river — by  Death's  cold  stream — 

There  lingers  a  man  in  whose  visions  gleam  j 

In  grandest  sublimit}''  ! 

Dreams  of  Eternity.  j 

Music  is  ringing  a  welcome  free  ' 

And  angels  are  singing  sweet  melody.  -\ 

He  wakes  from  the  dreams  that  have  cheered  him  so  long — 

A  real  is  gained  with  th'  eternal  throng  ! 


352  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

GRAFTON  NATIONAL  CEMETERY.* 

Along  the  clear  Valley  so  silently  flowing 
Its  crystal-bright  waters  'mid  beauty  aglow, 
Upon  its  green  bank  there  are  cypresses  growing 
And  patriots  fallen  are  slumbering  low. 
The  Stars  and  the  Stripes  still  above  them  are  flying 
As  proudly  as  o'er  them  they  waved  in  the  fray, 
While  softly  around  them  the  willows  are  sighing 
And  gently  the  breezes  in  symphony  play. 

They're  silently  sleeping  I  nor  ever  to  glory 
Shall  bugle  tones  call  them  from  this  their  last  rest  ; 
Their  conflicts  are  over  ;  on  battle  fields  gory 
They  fell  for  that  banner  so  dear  to  each  breast. 
The  Ughtnings  may  flash  and  the  thunder  may  rattle, 
They  heed  them  not — resting  so  free  from  all  pain  ; 
The  cannon  may  roar  in  the  storm  of  the  battle. 
But  never  can  w^ake  them  to  glory  again  ! 

And  over  the  graves  of  the  silently  sleeping. 

While  winter  and  summer  incessantly  fly  ; 

The  grave-stones  of  marble  a  vigil  are  keeping 

And  marking  each  spot  where  the  patriots  lie. 

There  often  around  them  do  silently  wander 

Those  blooming  with  youth  and  those  drooj^ing  with  age 

While  thoughtfully  over  the  sleepers  they  ponder, 

Recalling  some  thought  upon  memory's  page. 

The  deeds  of  some  brave  are  by  monuments  spoken — 
The  battles  they  fought  and  the  victories  won, 
Their  titles  and  ranks  and  their  trimuphs  unbroken 
And  bravery  shown  'mid  the  charge  of  the  gun. 
These  monuments  crumble,  but  lasting  forever 
Are  those  that  are  built  by  the  slumbering  brave — 
While  cycles  are  gliding  no  conflict  can  ses^er 
The  deeds  of  those  dying  their  country  to  save. 

Of  others  are  epitaphs  only  revealing 

The  names  of  the  warriors  now  silent  and  cold. 

*  Written  torTlte  Wheeling  LUelligencer. 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  353 

Their  homes  and  then*  regmients  in  memory  sealino^; 
Their  names  from  the  North  and  the  South  were  enrolled. 
Though  laurels  of  glory  may  never  have  crowned  them. 
Yet  garlands  are  woven  more  lasting  and  bright 
By  those  that  were  clinging  so  tenderly  round  them 
When  bidding  farewell  as  they  passed  from  their  sight. 

But  many  are  resting  with  marble  above  them 

That  tells  of  no  name  nor  the  deeds  that  were  done  ; 

No  record  is  shown  of  the  dear  ones  that  loved  them, 

But  humbly  is  written  the  silent  "unknown." 

Their  names  are  forgotten  !  yet  loved  ones  at  iDarting 

So  tenderly  clung  in  their  final  embrace 

"While  tears  in  their  sorrow  and  sadness  were  starting — 

"What  changes  of  time  can  such  parting  efface  I 

All  lonely  they''re  sleeping  I  but  glad  was  the  waking 
Of  bondmen  from  chains  and  from  slaverv's  night 
When  brightly  the  morning  of  Freedom  was  brealiing 
Resplendent  with  Liberty's  glorious  light. 
And  long  shall  the  freedmen,  relating  the  story, 
In  thankfulness  tell  of  these  patriot  dead, 
And  long  shall  they  cherish  the  honor  and  glory 
That  hallow  the  laurels  encircling  each  head. 

Their  battles  are  over  !  their  country  in  gladness 
Beholds  yet  her  banner  in  splendor  unfurled. 
Unsullied  by  conflicts,  disaster  and  sadness 
And  beaming  with  radience  over  the  world. 
They  died  for  that  banner  !  and  long  shall  the  Nation 
Enshrine  them  as  victors  for  truth  and  for  right. 
And  long  shall  she  reverence  the  sacred  relation 
She  bears  her  preservers  of  honor«and  might. 

Then  sleep  on,  ye  warriors,  so  free  from  all  sorrow  ; 
Your  battles  are  ended,  you've  entered  your  rest : 
Your  country  shall  live  through  each  fleeting  to-morrow 
Enjoying  the  peace  which  your  dying:  has  blest. 
May  light  from  the  heavens  in  beauty  descending 
Make  hallowed  your  tombs  while  the  ages  shall  flee, 


354  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

And  Liberty's  rays  like  the  sunlight  still  blending 
Illumine  each  heart  in  this  land  of  the  free. 

Then  scatter  your  flowers  o'er  the  graves  of  the  sleeping, 
And  tears  to  these  heroes  in  thankfulness  shed  ; 
Remember  the  pledges  they  gave  to  your  keeping 
And  cherish  the  freedom  for  which  they  have  bled. 
Blow  onward,  ye  breezes  ;  as  years  are  advancing 
Play  softly  through  willows  that  droop  o'er  their  graves  ; 
And  sweetly,  ye  birds,  with  your  notes  so  entrancing 
Keep  warbling  your  songs  o'er  the  slumbering  braves. 

Continue,  loved  banner,  in  grandeur  still  flying, 
While  breezes  thy  folds  shall  unceasingly  wave. 
To  honor  the  warrior  in  cheerfulness  dying 
Thy  stars  and  thy  stripes  so  unsullied  to  save. 
Fiow^  onward,  bright  river,  your  clear  waters  laving, 
Long  nuirniur  so  gladly  your  clear  crystal  steam  ; 
And  over,  ye  forests,  in  majesty  waving, 
Make  gentle  your  music  while  sweetly  they  dream. 

THE    WIXDI^Ti    RIVER    CHEAT. 
Fed  by  crystal  flowing  fountains 
Rising  'mong  the  rugged  mountains 

Towering  first  the  sun  to  greet, 
Flows  a,  rushing  Avinding  river 
On  whose  stream  the  moonbeams  quiver — 

'Tis  the  winding  River  Cheat. 

Hastening  toward  the  mighty  ocean 
Ever  onward  is  its  motion, 

Swee^Ding  like  the  Stream  of  Time  ; 
And  the  music  of  its  murmur 
Wafted  by  the  breeze  of  summer 

Floats  oVr  many  scenes  sublime. 

'Is'eath  the  winter  snows  descending 
Massive  pines  and  oaks  are  bending 

Down  to  kiss  its  waters  sweet ; 
'Neath  the  golden  sunlight  shining 


BEIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  .355 

Mirrored  landscapes  are  reclining 
On  the  winding  River  Cheat. 

Listening  to  its  music  swelling 
Peace,  Content  and  Love  are  dwelling 

In  this  grand  old  mountain  home  ; 
To  the  exile  wandering,  driven, 
Highest  earthly  boon  is  given 

Should  he  here  but  cease  to  roam. 

While  the  spring  sweet  flowers  is  bringing, 
Pictures  on  its  waves  are  clinging — 

Will  it  show  them  evermore  ? 
And  though  men  are  changing  ever 
And  oft  time  and  distance  sever,  *• 

Cheat  is  flowing  as  before. 

As  along  its  banks  I  wander, 
On  the  checkered  scenes  I  ponder 

Acted  in  the  play  of  life, 
When  the  Ked  Man  proud  in  story 
Sang  his  songs  of  war  and  glory — 

Victor  brave  in  many  a  strife  ; 

When  the  Pale  Face  nothing  daunted 
First  beheld  its  shores  enchanted 

Like  the  fahv  lands  of  old — 
Men  whose  daring  deeds  should  ever 
Roll  still  onward  as  this  river 

To  the  ages  yet  untold. 

Other  streams  may  flow  more  proudly, 
Other  scenes  be  praised  more  loudly. 

But  there's  none  so  dear  to  me  ; 
And  the  recollections  clinging 
Round  it,  pleasures  will  be  bringing 

Ever  to  my  memory. 

Be  yet  in  poetic  numbers 
Praised  its  heroes  when  the  slumbers 
Of  oblivion  veil  the  fame 


356             HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK   COUNTY.  ' 

That,  enwreathed  in  ivy  tender,  i 

Crowned  in  days  of  ancient  splendor  | 
Ajax'  and  Achilles'  name. 

When  the  grandeur  all  is  perished  j 
Isis  and  Osiris  cherished 

On  the  sacred  River  jN'ile  ; 

When  the  old  Euphrates  sweeping  j 
Midst  its  ruins  as  if  weeping 

Long  forgotten  splendor's  smile, 

And  the  yellow  Tiber,  flow^ing 

O'er  its  fields  with  crimson  glowing- 
Stained  with  War's  destructive  feet—  i 

See  their  legends  fast  declining, — 

Still  ,mid  scene's  o'er  memory  twining  j 

Proudly  roll  thou  winding  Cheat.  I 

Oh,  bright  crystal  murmuring  river,  j 

These  historic  streams  can  never  i 

Play  in  measures  half  so  sweet !  j 

Other  streams  in  beauteous  seeming  i 

Fade  beneath  the  sunlight  beaming  j 

On  the  winding  River  Cheat !  | 

A  FRAGMENT  FROM  THE  "SONG-  OF  THE  STUDENT."  ; 

1 

TRANSLATED   FROM  HOMER.  \ 

I 

With  pantaloons  threadbare  and  torn  i 

And  ej^elids  heavy  and  red, 

A  student  sat  in  unstudently  mien  - 

Cramming  his  obstinate  head. 

j 

Cram  I  cram  !  cram  I  ] 

In  misery,  anger  and  hate,  j 

But  he  wrathf  ully  closed  his  book  with  a  slam  , 
And  mentioned  the  town  of  old  Yuba  Dam 
As  he  thought  of  his  ill-omened  fate. 
Thomas  C.  Adams,  son   of  Daniel  C.  Aclams,  was  born  in 
1842,  and  married  in  18G3  to  Harriet  E.,  daughter   of  A.  H.      ; 

Bowman,  of    Eowlesburg.     He    is   a   farmer,  owning  400      j 


BKIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  357 

acres,  with  140  improYecl.  He  lives  on  the  Kowlesburg 
road  8  miles  from  St.  George.  Lieutenant  McChesney  was 
killed  within  a  few  rods  of  his  house,  and  on  his  farm,  and 
the  election  of  June  29,  1861,  was  held  at  his  house.  He 
was  not  in  the  army.  His  children  are,  Charles  U.,  Hannah 
S.,  Sida  M.,  Adam  D.,  Nora  B.,  Edna  E.,  and  Cranmer 
Adams. 

W.  H.  AuLT,  born  in  Kandolph  County,  in  1881,  the  son  of 
William  Ault,  is  a  farmer  and  school  teacher.  He  has 
taught  in  Canaan  and  at  Sapling  Ridge,  on  a  No.  2  certifi- 
cate. He  lives  twenty-five  miles  from  St.  George,  and  has 
been  in  Tucker  since  1866. 

SATd:uEL  McClellan  Adams,  born  1862,  son  of  G.  W.  and 
brother  of  N.  D.  Adams,  lives  four  miles  from  St.  George. 
He  attended  the  district  schools,  and  in  1883  attended  in 
Kingwood.  He  has  taught  the  following  schools :  Yv^hite's, 
in  Licking  district,  Sugar  Lands,  St.  George  district,  Fair- 
yiew,  same,  Macadonia,  Licking  district  and  No.  15,  Union 
district,  Preston  County. 

M.  C.  Athekton  was  born  1824  in  New  York,  married 
in  1859  to  Elizabeth  Holden.  Children  :  Byron  G.,  Grant 
S.  and  Laura  S.  He  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George,  in  Lick- 
ing District.     He  is  a  farmer. 

Thomas  B.  Ashby,  was  born  in  Preston  County,  in  1846, 
son  of  W.  F.  Ashby,  of  Irish,  French  and  German  descent. 
Married  in  1880  to  Martha  E.,  daughter  of  Levi  Lipscomb. 
He  is  a  farmer,  owning  220  acres,  with  60  acres  improved. 
He  has  been  in  the  county  since  1870,  and  lives  two  miles 
below  St.  George.  Children:  Agnes  Ann,  AYarner  E.,  and 
Stella  Hester. 


358  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

George  W.  x4.dams,  son  of  Daniel  C.  Adams,  and  father 
of  N.  D.  Adams,  was  born  in  1836,  and  is  of  English,  Irish 
and  German  descent.  He  was  married  July  4,  1858,  to 
Susan,  daughter  of  Philip  Martin,  of  Preston.  In  1874  his 
wife  died,  and  in  1875  he  married,  Lettie,  daughter  of 
David  Swisher,  of  Hampshire  County,  and  sister  of  S.  N. 
Swisher,  of  Tucker  County.  He  farms  150  acres  of  im- 
proved land,  and  has  250  acres  of  wild  land,  near  Limestone, 
4  miles  from  St.  George.  He  has  frequently  been  road  sur- 
veyor and  member  of  the  board  of  education.  His  children 
are.  Nelson  D.,  Samuel  M.,  Melvina  J.,  Philip  B.,  Stella  F., 
and  Ernest. 

GEOEaE  L.  AsHBY,  of  Irish,  French  and  German  descent, 
born  in  1856  in  Preston,  is  the  son  of  W.  F.  Ashby :  mar- 
ried in  1880  to  Charlotte  J.,  daughter  of  Hilory  Griffiith. 
He  lives  in  St.  George.  Children  :  Harry  Kirk  and  Maud 
S.  G. 

Charles  W.  Ashby,  brother  to  T.  B.,  and  G.  L.  Ashby, 
was  born  in  Preston,  in  1852,  and  came  to  Tucker  in  1870. 
In  1881  he  married  Virginia  C,  daughter  of  D.  K.  Dumire. 
His  child's  name  is  Eozelia.  He  lives  2  miles  below  St. 
George,  and  has  120  acres  of  land,  with  35  acres  improved. 
He  has  been  carrying  the  U.  S.  mail  several  years,  prin- 
cipalty  on  the  route  from  St.  George  to  Philippi. 

George  B.  Auvil,  son  of  John  Anvil,  of  English  and 
German  descent,  was  born  in  1851,  and  was  married,  in 
1875,  to  Malissa,  daughter  of  Margaret  White.  He  is  a 
farmer  living  2  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Mill  Eun.  His 
farm  of  150  acres  is  one-fifth  improved.  Children :  Harvey 
W.,  Margaret  C,  Charles  T.,  Carrie  V.,  and  Thomas  J. 

William  C.  Auvil,  son  of  John  Auvil,  was  born  in  1848 : 
married,  in  1870,  to  Louetta  E.,  daughter  of  John  White. 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  359 

Cliilclren :  Emma  Catharine,  George  W.,  Anna  Margaret, 
Frances  Melvina,  and  Pearl  W.  He  is  a  farmer,  but  lias 
worked  some  at  tlie  stone  mason  trade.  He  lives  4  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Mill  Piim,  and  his  farm  of  75  acres  has 
30  acres  improved.  He  is  a  teacher  of  vocal  music,  and 
has  had  some  successful  schools. 

J.  W.  Allexder,  born  in  1838,  in  Plampshire  County,  is 
is  a  son  of  George  Allender,  now  of  Randolph  Count}-.  He 
is  of  German  and  English  descent.  In  1874  he  married 
Ptebecca  Ann,  daughter  of  John  R.  Goff.  Children :  Ida 
Catharine,  Paden  Wade  and  Mary  Eunice.  He  lives  on 
Shafer's  Fork,  14  miles  from  St.  George  vrhere  he  owns  a 
farm  of  96  acres,  of  which  45  acres  is  under  tillage.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Tucker  since  1864. 

"Willia:^!  F.  Ashbt,  of  English  and  Welsh  descent,  was 
born  1821,  in  Preston  Count  v.  He  is  a  son  of  Thonas 
Ashby,  and  great  grandson  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who 
came  to  America  to  fight  the  Colonies,  but  deserted  to  them 
and  fought  the  British.  After  the  war  was  over,  he  settled 
near  Baltimore,  and  soon  after,  moved  to  the  Youghiogheny 
River,  where  he  fought  Indians  and  wild  animals  until  the 
country  became  settled  about  him.  His  son  Nathan,  grand- 
father of  William  F.,  vras  a  Colonel  in  the  v/ar  of  1812.  The 
Ashby  who  figured  so  prominent!}^  as  a  dashing  leader  dur- 
ing the  civil  war,  belonged  to  this  family. 

^  illiam  F.  Aslib}^  was  married  in  1843  to  Mary  C.  Wil- 
helm,  of  German  descent.  Children  :  Mary  E.,  Thomas  B., 
Winfield  S.,  Stephen  L.,  Charles  W.,  Susana  E.,  Samuel  L. 
and  George.     He  lives  two  miles  below  St.  George. 

John  J.  Adams,  sun  of  Daniel  C.  Adams,  of  English  and 
Irish  descent,  was  born  May  30,  1837,  at  Limestone.     In 


360  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

1858  lie  married  Elegan,  daiigliter  of  James  J.  Goff,  of  Pres- 
ton Count}^  His  wife  died  in  1863,  of  sx)otted  fever.  From 
the  1st  to  the  19th  of  April,  he  saw  laid  in  the  grave  his 
wife,  two  children,  one  sister,  his  mother,  two  of  his  wife's 
sisters  and  one  brother,  all  having  died  of  the  same  disease, 
except  his  mother.  At  sunset  they  would  be  as  well  as  ever, 
and  before  midnio^ht  were  no  more. 

In  his  early  life,  J.  J.  Adams  was  a  farmer.  During  the 
war  he  was  a  McCiellan  Democrat.  He  kept  store  in  St. 
George,  and  was  elected  Eecorder  (County  Clerk),  and  held 
the  office  two  vears  ;  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  w^as  re- 
elected  and  was  also  elected  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court ;  both 
of  which  offices  he  has  held  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
came  to  St.  George  in  1864.  September  11, 1865,  he  married 
Angelica,  daughter  of  Y»^illiam  Ewin.  Children:  Savillia, 
Carrie,  Addie,  Anna  Tilden,  Angelica  Ewin  and  Dove. 

T.  M.  AusTix,  M.  D.,  born  April  26,  1852,  in  Monongalia 
Count}^,  near  Laurel  Iron  Works.  His  mother  was  of  Irish 
descent,  and  his  father  of  English.  In  his  younger  da^'S,  at 
home,  he  showed  an  inclination  for  books,  and  devoted  his 
spare  moments  to  study.  Gradually,  he  fell  into  the  chan- 
nel of  medicine  and  commenced  acquainting  himself  with 
the  general  principles  of  the  science.  He  attended  the 
schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  made  progress  that  was 
more  gratifying  to  other  people  than  to  himself  ;  for,  he 
thought  himself  getting  along  slow,  because  he  was  not 
stud^dng  what  he  most  wanted  to  stud3\  When  he  was  old 
enouG;h — aiter  he  was  twentv-one  vears  of  age — he  entered 
the  Physio-Medical  College  of  Cincinnati,  and  in  1877  he 
graduated.  He  practiced  two  years,  and  also  studied  under 
Dr.  J.  B.  Scott,  of  New   Salem,  Pa.     Since  then   he   has 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  361 

practiced  nine  years  in  St.  George.  In  1883  lie  retired  from 
the  profession  in  order  to  get  a  year  or  two  of  rest.  His 
practice  was  harder  than  he  could  endnre,  and  his  physical 
powers  required  recreation.  In  1878  he  was  married  to 
Mollie  S.  Auvil,  daughter  of  John  Auvil.  Strandie  is  his 
child's  name. 

L.  S.  AuTiL,"^  son  of  John  Auvil,  was  born,  in  1853,  on 
Pifer  Mountain,  and  lived  there  eleven  years.  In  1876  he 
married  Anna,  daughter  of  Jacob  Dumire,  of  Limestone. 
His  wife  died  in  1877,  and  in  1879  he  married  Minnie  Comx)- 
ton,  of  Barbour  County.  His  children's  names  are.  Burton 
yr.  and  Boyd  M.  He  attended  only  country  schools.  The 
teachers  to  whom  he  went  w^ere  Margraret  See,  Rachel  Ka- 
lar,  Yrilliam  Hull,  Dr.  Sawyer,  Clark  Bowman  and  Josephine 
Trippett.  He  has  taught  eight  terms  of  school,  and  been 
county  superintendent  of  schools  three  terms.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  examiners  several  times. 
'\\"lien  the  TucJier  Democrat  was  called  into  existence,  he 
took  stock  in  it.  He  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  1881 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883.  He  resides  in  St. 
George. 

Petee  K.  Adams,  son  of  William  Adams,  was  born  in 
1862,  and  married,  in  1884,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jackson 
Roy.  B}'  occupation  he  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  10  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  the  head  of  Mill  Run. 

Samuel  M.  Adams,  born  in  1848,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  C. 
Adams,  and  was  married,  in  1868,  to  Ann  Amelia,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Wotring,  of  Preston.  Children  :  Savillia,  John, 
Dora,  Elihu,  Etta  and  bab}'.  Farmer  by  occupation,  and 
lives  at  Limestone,  8  miles  from  St.  George.  He  owns  130 
acres  of  land,  with  20  acres  improved. 


•  See  history  of  the  St.  George  Bar,  la  this  book,  for  further  account  of  L.  S.  Auvil. 


362  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Daxiel  C.  Adams,  son  of  Thomas  Adams,  of  Irish  and 
English  descent,  was  born  1814.  IJe  l^^as  born  and  raised 
and  died  on  the  same  farm,  which  is  on  Limestone,  ten 
miles  from  St.  George.  In  1835  he  married  Ruth,  daughter 
of  Abel  Kelly,  of  Eandoiph.  She  died  in  1863.  While  she 
was  lying  very  low,  and  expected  to  die  every  hour,  Eli 
Adams  arrived  from  Cami:)  Chase,  and  broTi2;ht  with  him  the 
Spotted  fever.  His  sister  took  it  and  died  in  a  few  hours. 
John  J.  and  George  W.  Adams  were  at  the  bedside  of  their 
mother  at  the  time,  expecting  her  to  die  an}-  hour.  John 
Adams'  wife  and  two  children  took  the  fever  and  died. 
Two  of  his  sisters  and  one  of  his  brothers  also  died.  George 
Adams  and  his  vrife  took  the  fever,  but  recovered. 

Daniel  C.  Adams  vras  assessor  8  years.  A  premium  of 
$25  had  been  offered  by  the  State  to  the  assessor  who 
would  send  in  the  neatest  and  best  kept  books.  The  money 
was  to  be  deducted  from  the  salary  of  the  one  who  sent  in 
the  worst  books.  Adams  got  the  premium  and  the  Ran- 
dolph assessor  had  to  pay  it. 

Adams  was  married  a  second  time,  in  1863,  to  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Phili]:>  Martin,  of  Preston  County.  She  died 
in  1866,  and  in  1867  he  married  Dorcas  A.  Bonnifield, 
daughter  of  Dr.  A.  Bonnifield.  Children :  George  W., 
John  J.,  Thomas  C,  Samuel  M.,  Margaret,  Jemima  and 
Maxwell. 

Adams  was  an  influential  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 
He  died  in  1880. 

W1X.LIAM  M.  Adams,  born  in  1833,  is  a  son  of  George  R. 
Adams,  of  Irish  descent,  and  was  married,  in  1854,  to  Mary 
M.  Wotring.  He  owns  787  acres  of  land,  with  235  acres 
improved.     He  lives  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  the  head 


BPJEF   BIOGEAPHIES.  363 

of   Mill  Eun.     Children  :    Peter  K.,  Hannali,  'William  F., 
Luther  L.,  Sarah  J.,  Daniel  J.,  and  Lewis  H. 

B 

JoHX  BuEXS,  son  of  William  Burns,  was  born  on  July  4, 
1849.  His  ancestry  were  German  and  Irish.  In  1868,  he 
married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Frederick  Davis.  He  lives 
8  miles  from  St.  George,  in  Licking  district,  on  a  farm  of 
259  acres,  30  of  which  is  improved.  He  was  constable  for 
6  years.  His  children  are,  James  A.,  Mary  Y.,  Charles  W., 
William  H.,  John  P.,  Noah  A.,  and  Eliza  Agnes. 

Eli  Bilee,  a  German,  was  born  in  1822,  and  was  married 
1845  to  Lvda  Susino-.  He  is  a  farmer  of  100  acres,  vrith  40 
acres  improved,  9  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover  Run. 
Children  :  Alpheus,  Ephriam,  Bobert  and  Jefferson. 

Alpheus  Bilee,  born  1848,  was  married  1876  to  Mrs.  E. 
Clark,  daughter  of  Isaac  Phillips.  He  is  a  farmer,  lives  9 
miles  from  St.  George,  has  51  acres  of  land,  5  acres  improv- 
ed, and  his  children  are,  John  E.,  Charles  W".,  James  C.  and 
Waiter. 

EPHEIA3I  Bilee  was  born  1853,  married  Angeline  Limbers 
and  lives  on  Clover  Eun  ,where  he  owns  2  acres  of  cleared 
land  and  has  8  acres  still  sleeping  in  the  shades  of  primeval 
forests,  9  miles  from  the  County-seat :  children  :  Mary  A., 
Eosa  E.,  Baily  X.  C.  and  Johnson  M. 

EoBEET  Bilee  owns  50  acres  of  land,  but  does  not  work 
it :  on  Clover,  9  miles  from  St.  George. 

Jeffeeson  Bilee,  born  1863,  has  no  land  or  trade  ;  he  lives 
on  Clover.     They  are  all  Eli's  boys. 

Seymoue  Boxee,  Solomon  B's  son,  T^as  born  in  1846,  and 
was  married,  in  1867,  to  Sophia,  daughter  of  Andrew  Fans- 


364  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ler.  His  wife  dying  in  1868,  he  married  two  years  later  to 
Maliala,  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  Cosner.  He  lives  25  miles 
from  St.  George  ;  he  taught  school  in  Randolph  with  a  No. 
5  certificate,  and  in  Tucker  with  a  No.  3 ;  he  has  killed  six 
bears,  and  is  a  wonderful  bee  hunter ;  he  follows  tliem  to 
their  trees  by  taking  the  course  of  their  flight  and  pursuing 
it.  His  children  are,  Stephen  A.,  Oliver  H.,  Sophia  B., 
Hattie  E.,  Mar3%  Antony  W.  and  baby. 

W.  E.  BoNEE,  son  of  William  Boner,  was  born  in  1855, 
of  English  descent ;  married  in  1878  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Marion  Hedrick.  Children :  John  and  Effie  C.  A  farmer, 
25  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dvj  Fork ;  farm  contains  75 
acres,  20  acres  improved. 

John  W.  Bonnifield,  was  born  in  1845  in  Preston  count}^ 
son  of  Thornton  Bonnifield.  Married  in  1877  to  Sarah  A. 
Baker,  daughter  of  Joseph  Baker.  He  is  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Thomas.     His  child's  name  is  Earl  G. 

Alpheus  Blanchaed,  was  born  in  Maine  in  1847.  Lives 
5  miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm  of  8  acres,  ^  acre  im- 
proved. 

Solomon  Bonee,  vras  born  in  Grant  County,  July  4,  1824, 
and  was  a  son  of  William  Boner,  of  German  and  Irish  de- 
scent. In  1846  he  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Bright,  of  Randolph  County.  His  v»'ife  died  in  1878,  and 
the  next  year  he  married  Sarah  J.  Yanmeter.  Children : 
Seymour,  Rebecca.  Archibald,  Mary,  James,  Martha,  Ann 
Jemima,  Yirginia  M.,  Sulpitius  G.,  and  Solomon  P.  He  is 
a  farmer  and  civil  engineer,  living  on  Dry  Fork,  30  miles 
from  St.  George,  where  he  owns  500  acres  of  land,  one-fifth 
improved.  He  was  count}^  survej^or  18  years,  and  was  the 
principal  man  in  locating  all  the  roads  above  Black  Fork.  The 
main  Dry  Fork  road  was  commenced  in  1863  and  has  just 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  365 

been  comi^leted.  The  first  settlers  on  Dry  Fork  were 
William  Boner,"  Eudolpli  Sliobe,  Daniel  Poffinbarger,  Jolm 
Carr,  Thomas  White,  Ebenezer  Flanagan, t  John  Wolford.'j: 
Henry  Fansler  was  the  first  man  to  move  his  family  into 
Canaan.  He  made  a  small  improvement,  and  left.  This 
was  abont  the  commencement  of  the  present  century ; 
but  the  exact  date  cannot  be  determined.  Some  think 
it  to  have  been  as  lon^  a^^o  as  1780.  There  is  cur- 
rent  a  story  that  the  first  settler  of  Dry  Fork  went  there 
during  the  Eevolutionary  War,  to  escape  service  in  the 
army.  But  this  is  not  sufficiently  well  authenticated  to  be 
accepted  as  history.  However,  it  is  certain  that  Dry  Fork 
was  settled  at  a  very  early  day.  Solomon  Boner  assisted 
in  running  the  line  between  Tucker  and  Eandolph.  He  has 
been  a  great  huntrr,  and  has  killed,  as  he  estimates,  50 
bears  and  500  deer.  He  killed  a  bear  on  Otter  Fork  that, 
when  dressed,  weighed  250  pounds,  and  Archibald  Boner 
and  James  Da^ds  caught  one  in  Abel  Long's  corn  field  that 
weighed,  neat,  325  pounds. 

Ja^ies  Buckbee  was  born  1832  in  Eandolph,  married  Mi- 
nerva Teter,  of  Pendleton.  Children  :  Martin  K.,  George 
W.,  Cora  E.  and  Samuel  C:  farmer,  living  in  Canaan,  25 
miles  from  St.  George. 

D.  J.  Bever  was  born  1829,  in  Maryland,  of  German  de- 
scent. Married  1852  to  Esther  A.  Turner.  Children : 
Naomi,  Zula,  Sarah  A.,  Clarissa,  Ida,  William  S.,  Isabel  and 
Edna  Alice  D.  He  is  a  foreman  on  the  West  Yirginia  and 
Pittsburgh  Eailway.  He  was  in  the  Union  Army  during 
the  war,  and  took  part  in  many  of  the  hottest  battles.     At 


'Grandfatlier  of  Solomon  Boner. 
tGreat-grandfatlier  of  Jacob  G.  Flanagan. 
^Grandfather  of  Deputy  Sheriff  Wolford. 


366  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Fair  Oaks  lie  went  into  the  tight  with  700  men  and  came  out 
with  less  than  one-tenth  of  that  number.  He  was  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and  at  Appamattox  Court-house. 

Maetin  Y.  BoxePv,  born  1863,  son  of  AY.  J.  Boner,  of  Ger- 
man and  Irish  descent,  liyes  on  Dry  Fork,  23  miles  from 
St.  GeorGje. 

J.  B.  Baee,  of  Monongalia,  was  born  1846,  of  German 
parentage,  married  1867  Mary,  daughter  of  Leonard  Metz. 
In  1872  his  wife  died  and  he  married  Susan  Eaber.  Chil- 
dren :  Brice  L.,  Mary  E.,  Charles  L.  and  Jennie.  He  has 
been  in  Tucker  since  1881,  and  liyes  two  miles  below  St, 
George,  near  the  spot  where  Jonathan  Minear  was  killed  by 
the  Indians. 

Bascom  Bakee,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Marion  Count}',  1852. 
In  his  younger  days  he  attended  the  country  schools  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  made  some  progress.  When  he  became 
a  young  man,  he  concluded  to  go  west,  which  he  did.  His 
fortune  there  was,  as  nearly  every  young  man's  is,  not  as 
good  as  was  hoped.  However,  he  succeeded  reasonably 
well.  He  got  to  Iowa,  and  there  spent  some  time,  mean- 
while attending  the  Normal  Institute  at  Indianola,  that 
State.  He  soon  became  satisfied  that  the  West  was  not  the 
best  place  for  him,  and  accordingly,  he  returned  home  and 
taught  school  for  some  time,  and  commenced  the  stud}'  of 
medicine  under  Dr.  Travhern.  Ylien  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted  with  the  rudiments  of  the  science,  he  entered  the 
Baltimore  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  gradua- 
ted in  March,  1882,  when  he  returned  to  his  practice  at 
St.  George  and  the  surrounding  country.  His  practice  is 
extensive  and  he  possesses  the  confidence  of  his  customers. 
He  was  married,  in  1883,  to  Isabel  Parsons,  of  Holly 
Meadows. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  367 

As  a  scliolar,  lie  stands  high  in  the  profession  of  West 
Virginia.  His  readings  have  been  extensive,  and  he  has 
ready  words  to  tell  what  he  knows.  He  takes  Huxley  and 
Darwin  as  authority  in  their  departments;  and  he  has  be- 
come well  acquainted  with  the  works  of  Tyndall,  Stahr, 
Koch  and  others. 

Geoege  F.  Bishoff  was  born  at  Cranberry  Summit, 
Preston  County,  of  German  descent ;  married,  in  1879,  to 
Anna  E.,  daughter  of  John  Auvil.  Children  :  Monnie  and 
Aloin  C.  By  trade  he  is  a  blacksmith,  and  came  to  St. 
George  in  1878. 

Jacob  AV.  Baughman  was  born  in  1853,  in  Hardy  County ; 
married,  in  1876,  at  Harper's  Ferrj^,  to  Analiza  F.  Stalnaker, 
of  Barbour  County ;  is  of  German  descent ;  children :  Mary 
±C.,  Marvin,  Claudius  T.  and  Ernest.  He  is  in  the  hard- 
ware business  at  St.  George. 

Peter  Bbnox  was  born  in  1839,  in  Preston  County  ;  is  a 
son  of  William  Bohon,  of  German  descent,  and  was  mar- 
ried, in  1868,  to  Emily  E.,  daughter  of  Yan  Goif.  B}^  occu- 
pation he  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  7  miles  below  St.  George. 
He  was  in  the  Union  army  three  years,  and  lost  the  use  of 
his  hand  in  the  service.  He  was  one  of  the  three  citizens 
who  carried  McChesney's  body  from  Kannahsville  the 
nip;iit  after  he  v/as  killed.  Bohon  was  at  St.  Georc-e  at  the 
time  of  Flail's  surrender,  and  in  parol  was  sent  to  Camp 
Chase.  His  children  are  Charles  B.,  Florence  B.,  James, 
Lonzo  T.,  Harry,  Hayes,  John  D.,  Rosy,  and  Georgia  D. 

Mathias  Bohon,  son  of  William  Bohon,  was  born  1831, 
married,  1860,  Delia  A.  Dumire,  and  after  her  death  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Gower.  Children  :  Sa- 
rah Jane,  Susana  C,  Dona  C,  Daniel  C.  and  Zora  Wade. 


368  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

By  occupation  lie  is  a  farmer,  meclianic  and  mill-Avriglit ;  lie 
lives  3  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Location  Ridge  ;  lie  lias  a 
farm  of  172  acres,  witli  one-tliird  improved.  For  seven  or 
eight  years  lie  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education, 
and  also  has  held  the  office  of  constable  :  was  in  the  Union 
army,  operated  along  the  Potomac,  and  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Keyser  by  General  Rosser,  and  remained  a  captive  only 
a  few  da3'S,  when  he  was  exchanged. 

James  H.  Bolyaed,  of  German  parentage,  was  born  1846 
in  Preston,  was  married  1868  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  Miller,  of  Limestone.  Children  :  Ida  Rebecca,  Anna 
Margaret,  Mary  Allen,  Verlinda  Susan  and  John  M.:  is  a 
farmer  of  250  acres,  one-fifth  improved.  In  the  LTnion  army 
he  had  a  diversified  experience :  he  was  one  of  those  Yan- 
kees whom  Ben  Wotring  and  Louis  Shaffer  captured  in 
Cumberland  and  carried  off  as  prisoners  of  war.  It  was  a 
most  wonderful  feat  on  their  part.  Bolyard  was  also  cap- 
tured at  Keyser  by  General  Imboden  ;  lay  3  months  in  jail 
and  was  then  parolled  and  after  two  months  was  exchanged. 
He  was  in  prison  in  Richmond  in  1864.  After  that  he  was 
sent  to  Nebraska  to  guard  the  mail  route  against  the 
Indians,  and  had  several  fights  ;  was  in  Dakota,  Wyoming, 
Kansas  and  several  other  western  States.  In  June,  1866, 
he  was  discharged. 

MoxTiviLLE  BiiiGHT  was  born  in  1850,  in  Randolph 
County,  a  son  of  John  Bright,  and  was  married,  in  1876,  to 
Millia,  daughter  of  Robert  Phillips.  Children  :  Alice  May, 
Lilie  Belle,  and  Malissa  Ann :  lives  on  Pleasant  Run,  13 
miles  from  St.  George,  and  has  50  acres  of  improved  land 
and  110  acres  of  wild  land.  Formerly  he  was  a  teamster, 
and  is  of  German  and  English  descent. 


Dr.  B.  Baker. 


George  A.  Mayer. 


Dr.  a.  E.  Calvert. 


Dr.  T.  M.  Austin. 


rouTcKuftar 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 


.    ASTOR,    LENOX    AND 
TILDEN    FO'JNOATIONS. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  369 

Henson  R.  Bright  was  born  1847,  in  Ranclolpli,  son  of 
Tliomas  Bright,  of  English  descent ;  married  1871  to  Abi- 
gail, daughter  of  Joab  Carr.  Children  ;  Christina,  John 
W.,  Thomas  H.  and  James  S.;  lives  15  miles  fi'om  St. 
George,  near  Shafer's  Fork  on  a  farm  of  100  acres,  one- 
fourth  improved.  He  says  that  Solomon  Townsend  was 
the  first  settler  on  Pleasant  Run. 

John  Bright,  son  of  Thomas  Bright,  was  born  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  1816,  of  German  descent,  and  was  married, 
in  1838  to  Lucinda  Gainer.  Children  :  Savina,  Manda  J., 
Harriet  E.,  Montiville,  J.  Catharine,  Alice  and  Margaret;  is 
a  farmer,  owning  150  acres  of  land,  one-fifth  improved,  13 
miles  above  St.  Georoje  ;  has  been  road  survevor,  overseer  of 
poor  and  constable.  At  19  years  of  age  he  was  made  lieu- 
tenant  of  militia  and  held  the  offiqe-  seven  years.  Of  many 
a  bear  fight  he  has  been  the  hero,  and  his  adventures  as 
such  approach  very  nearly  those  of  John  Losh.  The  first 
snow  of  the  season  had  fallen,  and  the  dogs  treed  a  bear  in 
the  thicket  on  the  hillside.  Hie  men  ran  out  to  see  what  it 
was,  and  passed  the  tree  without  seeing  the  beast.  No 
sooner  had  they  passed  than  it  thought  to  slip  away,  and 
so  came  sliding  down  the  tree.  The  dog,  that  knew  better 
than  the  men  did  where  the  bear  was,  hid  under  the  brush 
and  when  the  brute  reached  the  ground  ran  up  and  gnabbed 
it.  The  bear  was  scared  and  bawled,  but  the  dog  held  on, 
and  a  terrible  fight  ensued.  The  men  heard  the  uproar 
and  ran  back.  They  found  that  the  fight  was  under  an  old 
tree  top  and  that  the  bear  had  the  dog  down.  John  Bright 
ran  in  and  pulled  the  bear  out  by  the  hind  legs,  while 
Thomas  Bright  stabbed  it.  It  had  bit  the  dog's  nose  off, 
but  he  got  well. 

O.  C.  Beckner,  born  1837  in  Virginia,  of  Irish  descent, 

84 


370  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

was  married  1870  to  Margaret  E.,  daughter  of  Jolin  K.  Goff 
of  Black  Fork.  Children :  Kile  P.,  John  H.,  Elnora  and 
Dexter  Lloyd  :  lives  4  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Wolf  Enn, 
where  he  owns  a  farm  of  66  acres,  .with  25  acres  improved  ; 
lias  been  in  Tucker  since  1868  ;  was  in  the  Confederate  army, 
commissary  department,  under  N.  H.  Bell. 

Thomas  J.  Beight,  born  1820  in  Eandolph,  brother  of 
John  Bright,  of  German  and  English  descent,  was  married 
in  1824,  to  Sarah  Schoonover ;  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on 
Pleasant  Piun,  15  miles  from  St.  George ;  has  been  in 
Tucker  since  1849.  Children  :  Henson  K.,  Virginia  M.,  and 
Mary  J. 

Henry  Boner,  born  in  1857,  is  a  son  of  ^Y.  J.  Boner,  of 
Dry  Fork,  25  miles  from  St.  George  :  owns  37  acres  of  land 
with  20  acres  improved. 

Jesse  L.  Baughman  was  born  1860  in  Hardy  County,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  until  he  w^as  thirteen  vears  old,  and  then 
clerked  in  a  store.  Again  he  engaged  in  farming,  this  time 
at  Meadowville,  Barbour  Countv.  In  1883  he  came  to  St. 
George  and  is  a  partner  with  J.  Both  c^'  Co.  in  a  dry  goods 
establishment  at  Central  Exchange. 

Samuel  Boxer,  brother  of  Henry  Boner,  of  Dry  Fork, 
was  born  in  1851,  married,  1883,  to  Eebecca  E.,  daughter  of 
Perrv  Eains :  child's  name  is  Ida  Belle.  Owns  a  farm  of 
50  acre  and  one-half  is  improved :  lives  20  miles  from  St. 
George. 

John  W.  Baker  was  born  in  Marion  County,  of  English 
descent. ;  married  in  1866  to  Sarah  A.  E.,  daughter  of  Eob- 
ert  Johnson.  Children  :  Eobert  J,,  Alice  S.,  and  Fannie  B.: 
his  farm  of  80  acres  is  on  Drv  Fork,  12  miles  from  St. 
George. 


BEIEF   BIOGEAPHIES.  371 

John  Brimble,  born   in  1857,  of  German  descent,   lives 
12  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Hog  Back. 

Feank  J.  Blanchaed  was  born  in  Maine,  in  1835,  of 
American  descent :  was  raised  a  farmer,  but  lie  soon  mani- 
fested a  strong  inclination  for  machinery,  and  lie  turned  liis 
attention  to  tliat  channel,  and  soon  became  a  first-class 
mechanic.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  was  drafted,  and 
was  given  ten  days  in  which  to  appear.  When  the  ten  days 
were  out,  he  appeared  in  Canada.  He  traveled  to  a  consid- 
erable extent,  and  was  in  eleven  states  mthin  24  hours  ;  was 
in  the  West  as  far  as  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Missouri :  was 
married  in  1860  to  Elizabeth  Harrold,  of  Ireland.  His  wife 
died  and  in  1876  he  married  Emma,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Dumire.  Children :  John,  James,  Mary,  Edward  and 
William.  He  is  a  farmer,  liviug  five  miles  from  St.  George 
on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  where  he  owns  100  acres  of  land,  of 
which  18  is  improved.  By  him  was  manufactured  the  first 
sawed  shingle  ever  made  in  Tucker  County,  and  probably  in 
the  State.  Since  then  he  has  sawed  over  3,000,000  shingles 
in  Tucker  County ;  and  has  in  his  life  sawed  4,000,000  feet 
of  long  lumber,  of  which  3,000,000  feet  was  cut  on  Mac  em- 
ber's mill. 

John  Blanchaed,  son  of  Frank  J.  Elanchard,  was  born 
in  1863,  and  deserves  a  place  in  history  more  as  a  curiositv 
than  anything  else.  He  always  was  a  venturesome  boy.  In 
his  early  life  he  lived  in  Maine.  When  he  was  a  little  older, 
he  lived  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  where  he  became  the  best 
swimmer  in  all  the  region.  When  a  flood  came  down  the 
Connecticut  Biver,  he  swam  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
stream  and  attempted  to  take  a  ride  on  a  floating  hay  stack. 
But  it  sank  with  his  weight,  and  his  feet  sticking  fast  in  the 
hay,  he  was  pulled  under  the  water.     This  came  near  end- 


372  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

ing  his  adventures  forever ;  but  lie  wriggled  loose,  and  got 
to  the  shore. 

When  he  was  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  he  came  to  Eowles- 
burg,  and  soon  afterwards  to  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  where  he 
became  the  leader  of  the  boys  in  all  manner  of  deviltry. 
When  he  was  fourteen,  he  ran  off  from  home,  and  went  to 
work  for  S.  N.  Swisher,  at  $3  a  month.  He  remained  at 
this  and  in  the  neighborhood  until  he  was  seventeen,  when 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  back  to  Maine  and  search  out 
the  home  of  his  ancestors.  He  collected  all  the  money  left 
of  his  three  years'  wages,  and  had  $22.00.  A  ticket  from 
Oakland  to  the  point  in  Maine  to  which  he  was  going  cost 
over  $20,  and  with  this  small  margin,  he  struck  out,  with  a 
carpet-sack  on  his  back,  a  pair  'of  overalls  on,  held  on  by 
one  suspender,  and  a  hat  that  had  years  before  gone  to 
seed.  In  New  York  he  paid  $1.00  for  a  lunch,  and  had  no 
money  left.  However,  he  got  to  Maine,  and  chopped  cord 
wood  all  winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1881  returned  to  West 
Virginia  by  the  way  of  Boston,  Fall  Eiver  and  Long  Island. 
He  again  set  to  work  to  earn  more  money,  for  his  was  all 
gone.  He  Avorked  here  and  there,  every  once  in  a  while 
taking  a  wild  goose  chase  through  the  southern  or  eastern 
part  of  the  State,  and  as  soon  as  he  got  money  enough  he 
went  to  Michigan,  staid  there  a  few  days,  returned  to 
Tucker,  and  in  two  or  three  weeks  went  back  to  Michigan, 
and  in  a  short  time  returned  to  Tucker,  and  as  soon  as  he 
had  earned  enough  nione}^,  he  went  back  to  Michigan.  He 
staid  there  until  in  the  fall  of  1883,  Avhen  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia ;  staid  fifty-nine  days,  and  started  back.  He  got 
caught  in  the  floods  with  which  the  country  was  deluged, 
and  the  cars  ran  off  the  track  five  times  before  he  got 
through   to   Arizona.     He   passed   through    Texas,  Indian 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  373 

Territory,  back  to   Michigan,   and  has  never  since  been 
heard  of. 

De,  Arnold  BoNNiFiELD^was  born  in  1799,  August  23  ;  is 
a  son  of  Samuel  Bonnifield,  a  soldier  of  Dunmore's  war,  and 
the  war  of  the  Eevolution.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained, 
his  origin  is  French,  through  England.  In  France,  the 
name  was  spelled  Bonnifant,  or  Bonnifelt,  and  has  reached 
its  present  spelling  through  the  English.  Dr.  Bonnifield's 
mother  was  of  purely  English  descent,  belonging  to  the 
James  family.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
David,  sister  to  Enoch  and  granddaughter  of  John  Minear, 
the  founder  of  St.  George.  Their  children  are,  Katharine, 
who  married  David  Swisher,  of  Hampshire,  Samuel,  who 
died  of  consumption  when  a  young  man,  Dorcas,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  C.  Adams,  of  Limestone,  Sarah  J.,  who  married 
Bufus  Maxwell,  Abe,  the  only  one  now  unmarried,  Lettie, 
the  wife  of  S.  H.  Smith,  sheriff  of  Grant  County,  David, 
who  was  drowned  at  Willow  Point,  in  Cheat  River,  April  30, 
1871,  Allen  H.,  the  traveler,  who  married  Jane,  daughter  of 
A.  B.  Parsons  of  California,  and  John,  who  died  young. 

Dr.  Bonnifield  has  always  been  a  farmer  ;  but,  in  addition, 
he  has  paid  some  attention  to  the  practice  of  medicine.  He 
was  a  slaveholder,  but  never  sympathized  with  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery.  He  was  the  first  clerk  of  the  Circuit  and 
County  courts  of  Tucker,  and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
thirty  years. 

David  Bonnifield,  a  son  of  Dr.  Bonnifield,  was  drowned 
in  Cheat.  He  had  married  Margaret  Hessler,  of  Germany. 
His  children  are,  Mary,  Anna  M.,  Katharine  F.,  John  E., 
Samuel  A.  and  Margaret.     The}'  live  at  Beloit,  Kansas. 

*As  Dr.  Bonnineld  receives  notice  at  length  in  another  part  of  this  book,  it  is  not  re- 
garded necessarj'  to  give  full  biography  here. 


374  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

David  B.  was  a  farmer  and  dealer  in  cattle.  Being  a 
sympathizer  with  the  South  in  the  War,  he  was  much  har- 
assed by  the  opposing  side.  A  large  drove  of  cattle  were 
carried  ojff,  which  embarrassed  him  financially.  Soon  after, 
he  was  arrested  and  taken  to  Fort  Delaware  for  incarcera- 
tion. His  suffering  there  was  little  less  than  the  worst 
specimens  of  Andersonville,  Libby  or  Kock  Island.  When 
at  last  he  made  his  escape,  his  health  was  wrecked,  and  his 
property  was  gone.  From  that  time  until  his  death,  he 
lived  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  four  miles  from  St.  George. 

Allen  H.  Bonnifield,"^  son  of  Dr.  Bonnifield,  was  born 
1845.  Before  he  was  of  age,  he  left  home  and  started  over- 
land for  California.  When  he  reached  Iowa  he  learned  that 
the  Indians  were  hostile,  and  that  it  would  be  unsafe  to  ven- 
ture out.  Then  ho  turned  back  to  New  York,  took  a  steamer 
and  reached  San  Francisco  by  the  way  of  Panama.  He  re- 
mained four  vears  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  then  returned 
home.  Since  then  he  has  been  a  farmer  on  the  old  home- 
stead of  700  acres — including  wild  lands — four  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun.  In  1875  he  married  Jane, 
daughter  of  A.  B.  Parsons.  His  children  are,  Edna  F.,  Ber- 
tie M.,  Jennie  S.,  Anna  D.,  and  Luke  G. 

Abe  BonnifieldI",  son  of  Dr.  Bonnifield,  was  born  in  1837. 
He  traveled  extensively  over  the  west  and  over  British 
America.  When  the  v/ar  came  on  he  joined  the  Eebel 
army,  and  fought  to  the  end  of  the  war,  never  surrendering, 
but  dodging  when  the  troops  to  which  he  belonged  were 
dispersed,  and  coming  home  with  his  sword  strapped  on  his 


•  Notice  to  some  length  of  A.  H  Bonnifield  liavlng  been  given  in  a  former  part  of  this 
book,  a  full  biography  is  not  given  here. 

t  The  principal  events  in  Abe  Bonnifield's  biography  having  been  given  elsewhere  ia 
this  boolc,  only  a  biief  mention  is  here  made. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  375 

side.     His  weight  is  seventy  pounds,  and  liis  lieiglit  tliree 
feet. 

He  was  at  Lynchburg  wlien  Jnbal  A.  Early  defeated 
Crook  and  Hunter;  lie  was  at  McDowell  Avlien  Jackson 
routed  Milroy ;  lie  suffered  defeat  at  New  Hope,  when 
Hunter  scattered  Breckenridge's  troops ;  he  was  with  Im- 
boden  in  Hampshire,  and  saw  him  blow  up  the  armored 
gondolas  which  the  Federals  sent  down  the  railroad;  was 
at  the  battle  of  Frederick  City,  Md.,  and  witnessed  the 
whole  transaction ;  took  part  in  Early's  raid  on  Washing- 
ton, and  fought  nearly  all  the  time  for  three  weeks.  At 
Crab  Bottom  he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  escaped  in  less 
than  two  hours." 

S^uiUEL  W.  Boyolvin,  son  of  Adam  Bowmam,  born  in  1820, 
three  miles  below  St.  George ;  was  a  farmer  in  his  earlier 
years,  and  worked  hard  on  his  father's  land.  In  his  twenty- 
third  year  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Minear.  Children  : 
Virginia  C,  Lavina  S.,  Charles  L.,  and  John  C.  For  four 
years  he  was  deputy  sheriff  and  was  sheriff  four  years,  both 
of  which  positions  he  filled  honorably  and  with  ability. 
For  many  years  he  was  postmaster  at  St.  George,  and  was 
for  twelve  years  a  contractor  for  carrying  the  IT.  S.  mails, 
principally  from  St.  George  to  Rowlesburg  and  return. 
He  was  a  merchant  for  fifteen  years,  and  in  the  meantime 
built  the  Black  Water  House  in  St.  George,  the  largest 
hotel  in  the  county. 

During  the  war,  Mr.  Bowman  was  a  sympathizer  with  the 
South,  although  he  saw  best  not  to  enter  the  army.  Nev- 
ertheless he  was  considerably  annoyed  by  the  Union  sol- 
diers at  different  times,  but  was  never  seriously  interfered 


*Abe  Bonnlfield  has  lu  manuscript  a  biograpliy  of  himself,  partly  written  by  him- 
self and  partly  by  Prof.  G.  E.  Selby. 


376  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

with :  lias  always  been  a  Democrat  and  an  influential  man 
in  the  politics  of  the  county. 

Charles  L.  Bowman,  son  of  Samuel  W.  Bowman,  was 
born  at  St.  George,  Aug.  12,  1847 :  is  of  English  and  Ger- 
man descent :  lived  in  St.  George  until  he  was  a  man,  and 
spent  his  time  working  some  and  clerking  in  his  father's 
store.  Finally  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  was  de- 
creed that  he  should  go  to  the  West.  He  went,  and  had  a 
bitter  experience  of  it ;  got  sick  and  received  the  treatment 
which  sick  people  are  apt  to  get  on  the  frontiers  unless  they 
fall  into  unusual  hands.  Bowman  had  a  long  siege  of  the 
fever,  and  did  not  know  and  cared  little  whether  he  would 
get  well  or  not.  But  finally  he  recovered,  and  came  troop- 
ing back  home,  more  contented  to  try  his  fortune  in  Tucker. 
He  settled  down  to  business,  and  in  1874  married  Miss 
Susie  D.  Gray,  of  Lancaster,  Ohio.  Children :  Jesse  Clif- 
ton and  babv. 

Four  years  after  marriage,  he  started  the  Tuckei'  County 
l\oneer.  Previous  to  that,  he  had  run  a  job  press  to  some 
extent.  He  remained  in  the  newspaper  business  nearly  six 
years,  when  he  quit  it  and  turned  his  attention  to  merchan-- 
dizing.  He  now  owns  the  store  formerly  owned  by  his 
father  at  St.  Georize. 

o 

C 

>'''  Jo-VD  Caer,  a  German,  son  of  John  Carr,  was  born  in 
1823;  married  in  1846  to  Lucretia,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Bright.  He  farms  90  acres  and  has  110  acres  of  wild  land, 
on  Dry  Fork,  24  miles  from  St.  George.  He  taught  one 
school  and  killed  12  bears,  and  belonged  to  the  Home 
Guards.  Children:  Clorinda,  Abbie,  Enos  G.,  Margaret, 
Daniel  A.  D.,  Joseph  D.,  Joab,  George  B.  McClellan, 
Phoebe  E.,  Virginia  and  Archibald  S. 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  377 

Joseph  A.  Caee,  son  of  Joab,  was  born  in  1865 ;  married 
Elizabetli  Carr,  and  lives  on  Di}^  Fork,  25  miles  from  St. 
George.  He  has  one  child,  Flora.  He  is  a  farmer,  owning 
90  acres  of  wild  land  and  10  acres  of  tilled. 

Ja^ies  B.  Cake,  son  of  Solomon  Carr,  born  1828  in  Pian- 
dolph.  Married  in  1853  to  Jemima,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Bright.  Farmer,  owning  175  acres  of  land  on  Dry  Fork, 
20  miles  from  St.  George.  He  was  in  the  Home  Guards  two 
years.  Children  :  Adam  H.,  Enoch,  James  W.,  Margaret, 
Phcebe  C,  Elizabeth  and  xAlice. 

Enoch  Caee,  son  of  James  B.  Carr,  was  born  in  1858, 
lives  20  miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm  of  170  acres,  30 
acres  of  which  is  improved. 

Maeion  H.  Caee,  son  of  Solomon  Carr,  was  born  in  1840, 
in  Randolph  county.  Married  1861  to  Julia  Carr.  He  is  a 
farmer,  living  on  Dry  Fork,  20  miles  from  St.  George.  He 
was  in  the  Home  Guards  one  year.  Children  :  Marion  B., 
George  and  James  H. 

SoLo:vroN  W.  Cosnee.  One  of  the  most  widelv  known  men 
of  Tucker  County  is  Solomon  W.  Cosner,  the  Pioneer  of 
Canaan.  He  was  born  in  1826,  in  Haidy  County,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  Cosner,  and  of  German  descent.  In  1819  he 
married  Catharine  Shell,  daughter  of  Philip  Shell,  of  Hardy 
County.  His  Children  are :  H.  Harrison,  Armida  J.,  C. 
Columbus,  Elizabeth  Ann,  Emil,  Freylinghuysen,  Comodore 
Porter,  U.  S.  Grant,  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
lass. He  owns  850  acres  of  land  in  Canaan,  400  acres  of 
which  is  cleared  and  in  grass.  He  also  owns  625  acres  on 
Shafer's  Fork.  He  has  a  grist  mill  on  his  Canaan  proj)erty. 
He  lives  25  miles  fi'om  St.  George,  and  has  been  in  Canaan 
since  1864.     He  is  extensively  known  as  the  first  settler  in 


378  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

that  region.  His  house  has  long  been  the  stopping  place 
of  hunters,  adventurers  and  idlers  from  the  Eastern  and 
Northern  cities,  who  go  into  Canaan  to  spend  the  heated 
months  of  summer. 

When  he  went  into  Canaan,  in  1864,  there  was  no  one 
lining  in  that  region.  But  there  was  an  ancient  improve- 
ment, 80  or  90  years  old,  made  by  some  one  whose  memory 
only  remains,  but  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  ancestor 
of  S.  C.  Harness.  Cosner  left  Grant  County,  then  Hardy, 
and  cut  a  path  for  20  miles  across  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
1-1:  miles  from  his  present  home.  He  carried  all  his  goods 
and  plunder  on  horseback.  When  he  reached  Canaan,  he 
found  it  a  wild  country  filled  with  cattle,  horses  and  stock 
that  had  been  run  in  there  by  thieves  during  the  war. 
He  commenced  an  improvement  near  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful springs  in  Yv^est  Yirginia.  It  was  almost  out  of  the 
world.  ,  The  nearest  stores  were  at  St.  George  and  Mays- 
ville,  each  25  miles  distant,  and  from  one  or  the  other  of 
these  places  he  had  to  carry  his  groceries. 

It  was  five  or  six  years  before  any  other  family  moved 
into  that  region.  The  first  man  to  move  into  Canaan  after 
Cosner  was  John  Nine,  of  Preston  County.  He  settled  on 
a  farm  adjoining  Cosner's;  and  the  next  to  come  were 
James  and  Isaac  Freeland,  also  from  Preston.  Much  of 
the  bread  of  Canaan's  early  settlers  had  to  be  lugged  from 
settlements  fifteen  and  twenty  miles  distant.  The  land 
}produces  average  crops  of  grain,  and  does  remarkably  well 
with  buckwheat.  Potatoes  and  all  vegetables  that  grow  in 
the  ground  as  potatoes,  beets,  radishes  and  onions,  grow  to 
perfection.  The  country,  when  covered  -vnih  original  for- 
ests, is  swampy,  but,  as  soon  as  the  timber  is  removed,  the 
water  dries  up.     The   soil  is   of  a   dense   clay,   and   water 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  379 

stands  in  horse  tracks  in  the  woods.  Fern  is  a  nuisance  to 
deal  with.  Fire  kills  it,  and  the  timber  also,  when  it  be- 
comes dry  enough  to  burn.  Grass  grows  splendidly  as  soon 
as  the  timber  is  removed. 

Cosner  was  in  the  war,  but  his  record  is  not  of  special 
interest,  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  in  any  particular  engage- 
ments of  note.  His  principal  record,  aside  from  being  the 
pioneer  of  Canaan,  is  that  of  a  bear  hunter.  He  and  his 
boys  have  killed  over  half  a  thousand  bears  in  Canaan,  in- 
numerable deer,  two  panthers  and  one  wolf,  according  to 
their  account.  He  has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  which,  if 
collected,  would  more  than  rival  those  of  Finley.  As  a 
sample  of  his  exploits,  and  also  as  a  sample  of  his  style  of 
narrative,  we  append  a  story  of  his,  taken  down  in  writing* 
as  it  was  told,  by  a  visitor  who  knew  something  of  short 
hand  writing.     The  story  runneth  thus  : 

I  got  up  at  midnight  and  went  out  in  the  woods  with  a  dog,  gun, 
and  a  big  trap  "hunkered''  to  my  back.  Soon  the  dog  roared 
down  the  hill  hke  the  d — 1  breaking  tan-bark,  and  I  said  to  myself  : 
"thafs  a  bear."  I  ran  after  him,  and  soon  came  to  Avhere  the  dog 
had  treed  two  bear- whelps,  I  was  skirmishing  around  to  shoot 
them,  when  an  old  bear,  in  a  bunch  of  laurel,  five  or  six  feet  away, 
"hooved  "  up  on  his  hind  feet,  and  made  for  me,  I  tried  to  shoot, 
but  gun  failed,  I  got  out  a  cap  to  put  on  the  gun.  Just  then  the 
bear  lunged  at  me,  and  I  had  to  jump  six  or  seven  feet  high  to 
keep  from  getting  gnabbed.  The  bear  kept  snapping  at  my  feet, 
and  I  ran  behind  a  tree  to  hide.  The  bear  followed  me,  and  I  kept 
running  round  and  round  until  I  got  dizzy.  The  bear  probably 
got  dizzy  too,  and  quit  running  and  stopped  to  study  how  to  get 
me.  It  popped  its  head  round  one  side  and  then  the  other  of  the 
tree  and  tried  to  scare  me  so  that  I  would  jump  out.  But,  I 
laughed  at  it  and  it  seemed  to  get  madder.  All  at  once  it  slung  its 
paws  round  and  tore  my  pants  off.  This  made  me  mad,  and  I 
leaped  out  and  pounded  the  old  beast  with  my  gun,  and  had  a 
fearful   fight.     I    was    getting  tired   and  wanted   to    quit,    and 


380  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

just  then  my  dog  snapped  the  bear  and  it  turned  on  the  dog. 
I  thought  to  myself,  "Now's  my  time  to  take  a  tree,"  and  I  ran 
to  a  burnt  chestnut  snag  and  tried  to  eUmb  it ;  but  it  was  too  slick 
and  I  slipped  back  faster  than  I  could  climb.  I  saw  that  I  could 
not  climb  that  tree  and  was  looking  for  another,  when  the  bear 
came  bulging  through  the  brush  after  me,  and  I  went  up  that  slip- 
pery snag  in  a  hurry.  As  I  went  up,  the  bear  came  after  me  with 
renewed  energy  and  seized  my  foot,  and  tore  my  shoe  off.  I  scram- 
bled to  the  top  of  the  snag  and  sat  down  on  it.  The  bear  was 
trying  to  climb  too.  It  pawed  and  scraped  and  bawled  and  roared, 
and  made  the  mountains  ring.  It  was  the  ugliest  bear  I  ever  saw. 
It  kept  me  up  that  tree  until  I  got  awful  tired,  and  wished  that  I 
had  staid  at  home.  I  nearly  froze.  The  M^nd  whistled  against  me, 
and  I  said  to  myself,  "O,  if  I  onlj^  had  my  pants !''  The  bear  sat 
down  and  took  times  easy,  and  I  tried  to  scare  it  off  by  hitting  it 
with  pieces  of  bark  and  rotten  wood. 

It  got  daylight,  and  the  sun  came  up  and  got  warm,  and  I  felt 
better,  but  was  tired  and  numb,  and  the  bear  seemed  to  know  it. 
I  sat  there  in  despair  all  day.  It  was  the  longest  daj^  that  ever  I 
pulled  through.  About  sundown  one  of  the  j^oung  bears  com- 
menced coming  down.  This  was  balm  and  Gilead  to  my  weary 
back,  for  I  knew  that  the  old  one  would  leave  as  soon  as  the  young 
whelps  would  come  do^vn.  I  watched  it  patiently  and  kept  as  still 
as  I  could.  It  would  slide  down  a  foot  or  two,  and  then  stop  a 
while  to  study  about  it,  and  to  look  around  to  see  if  everything 
was  all  right.  Then  it  would  drop  down  a  few  inches  further,  and 
w^ould  go  through  the  same  maneuvers.  It  got  dark  and  the  moon 
came  up,  and  that  little  Avhelp  was  not  half  way  down.  I  was  try- 
ing to  be  patient.  Job  might  have  been  a  patient  old  citizen,  but 
he  never  sat  on  top  of  an  old  snag  twenty-four  hours  with  no  pants 
on.  Eternity  could  be  no  longer  than  it  took  that  young  bear  to 
reach  the  ground.  I  wished  that  an  earthquake  would  come  and 
shake  him  off.  But,  at  last  he  got  to  the  ground,  and  the  old  beast 
started  to  go  away,  walking  sidewise  and  looking  up  viciously  at 
lue.  When  I  got  down,  I  was  so  stiff  I  could  hardly  hobble  home. 
I  have  had  thousands  of  battles  with  bears,  and  have  stabbed  them 
to  death  and  pounded  them  to  death  and  kicked  them  to  death; 
but  this  scrape  made  me  feel  the  sneakingest  that  ever  I  felt. 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPKIES.  381 

Solomon  Cosner  is  a  man  of  giant  frame,  weighing  about 
200  pounds,  and  standing  6  feet  tall.  In  liis  earlier  days  lie 
was  probably  tlie  most  powerful  man  in  Tucker  County. 

F.  H.  CosxER,  son  of  Solomon  Cosner,  born  1861,  in 
Hardy  County,  married,  in  1882,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
John  Sears.  His  only  child  is  Olive  E.  His  farm  is  in 
Canaan,  30  miles  from  St.  George,  contains  6Q  acres  and 
has  10  acres  under  cultivation. 

C.  P.  Cosner,  brother  to  F.  H.,  born  1863,  in  Hardy 
County,  lives  with  his  father  in  Canaan. 

W.  H.  H.  Cosner,  another  son  of  S.  W.  Cosner,  born 
1849,  married  1875  to  Melissa  J.,  daughter  of  John  Nine. 
His  wife  died  in  1881  and  he  married  her  sister,  Margaret 
E.  Nine.  Children  are.  Harness  F.,  Ada  Bell  and  Lyda 
Ann.  He  owns  a  farm  of  100  acres,  one-half  improved,  in 
Canaan,  30  miles  from  St.  George.  In  his  time,  he  says^ 
he  has  killed  30  bears  and  300  deer. 

C.  C.  Cosner,  born  1853,  in  Lewis  County;  married  in 
1880,  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  Sears,  of  Grant  County. 
Children:  Gilbert  E.,  and  Lilly  Estella.  He  has  been  in 
Tucker  since  1864 ;  and  he  owns  a  farm  of  90  acres,  30  acres 
improved,  in  Canaan,  30  miles  from  St.  George. 

Emil  Cosner,  son  of  Solomon  Cosner,  born  1859  ;  married 
in  1880  to  L3Tlia  A.,  daughter  of  Gustavus  Muntzing,  of 
Grant  County.  Farmer,  83  acres,  40  acres  improved,  30 
miles  from  St.  George,  in  Canaan.  Children :  Ora  G.  and 
Ida  Anice. 

Felix  H.  Collins,  was  born  in  1852,  lives  on  rented  laud, 
on  Ked  Creek,  25  miles  from  St.  George. 

Henry  Cook,  born  in  Maryland,  in  1842,  of  German  and 
Irish  descent.     Married   Miss  Lyda  A.  Spencer  in   1864. 


382  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY, 

Children :  Mary  Kate,  Emma,  Ida  G.,  Thomas  W.,  Eobert 
E.,  Harriet  A.,  Clementine  and  Harry  O.  He  lives  at 
Thomas,  and  has  been  mining  for  20  years. 

Samuel  Coopee,  was  born  in  1826,  in  Grant  County, 
married  in  1849  to  Elizabeth  Wymer,  of  Pendleton  County. 
He  owns  413  acres  of  land  on  Eed  Creek,  25  miles  from  St. 
George ;  he  has  ISO  acres  of  improved  land ;  he  has  been 
in  Tucker  since  1874.  Children:  Mar}-,  Martha,  John  W., 
Job,  Mahala,  Melvina,  Daniel,  Elizabeth,  Melissa  Jane, 
Adam,  Eosetta  and  Abraham. 

JoAB  A.  Caee,  whose  father's  name  Avas  Abner,  was  born 
in  1844,  in  Eandolph  County,  and  was  married  in  1865  to 
Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Joseph  White,  and  is  of  English  and 
Irish  descent.  Children :  Yirginia  C,  Albert,  Sylvester  J., 
James  B.,  Sarah  E.,  Mary  A..  Alpheus,  Arthur  A.  and 
MoUie.  He  lives  on  a  farm  of  93  acres,  with  one-third  of 
it  improved,  on  Eed  Creek,  30  miles  from  St.  George ;  he 
w^as  in  the  Confederate  army  a  few  months  and  in  the 
Union  Plome  Guards. 

Heney  Cooper  was  born  in  1833,  in  Frederick  County, 
Ya.,  of  English  and  German  descent ;  married  in  1867  to 
Mary  M.,  daughter  of  George  Eandolph,  of  Hampshire 
County.  Children  :  Charles  H.,  George  F.,  Anna  M.,  John 
Eobert,  Mary  Catharine,  William  S.,  Frederick  A.,  and 
Hattie  May.  He  lives  in  Canaan,  33  miles  from  St.  George. 
He  owns  1,400  acres  of  land,  of  which  110  acres  is  im- 
X^roved  ;  has  been  in  Tucker  County  since  1882  ;  Ho  was  a 
scout  for  Lee  in  the  Confederate  army. 

Thomas  Caee  was  born  in  1857,  son  of  John  Carr  ;  married 
in  1877  to  Elizabeth  Pendleton  ;  lives  on  Dry  Fork,  23  miles 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  383 

from  St.  George;  a  farmer  and  owns  60  acres  of  land,  G 
acres  improved.     Children  ;     Martin,  Ursula  and  Ellen. 

Ja:.ies  L.  CoEriiCK  was  born  in  1861 ;  lives  at  Fairfax. 

James  Closs,  of  Scotcli  descent,  was  born  in  1851  ;  married 
in  1873  to  Margaret  Y.,  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  Mason; 
lives  on  the  railroad,  14  miles  from  St.  George.  Children : 
Duncan  McClure,  Charley  Eoss  and  Anna  Belle. 

William  M.  Caytox,  editor  of  the  Tucker  Democrat,  was 
born  in  1862,  in  Upshur  County,  came  to  St.  George  in 
1881 :  is  a  printer  by  trade.  For  further  sketch  see  the 
historv  of  the  Pioneer  and  Democrat,  in  this  book. 

W.  E.  Cupp,  born  in  Virginia  1856;  married,  1882,  to 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  C.  W.  Mayer,  of  Terra  Alta;  attended 
school  at  Kew  Haven,  and  commenced  clerking  when  he 
was  16  years  of  age.  He  resides  in  St.  George,  and  is  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  the  firm  of  Mayer  &  Cupp. 

A.  E.  Calvert,  M,  D.,  of  Guysville,  Ohio,  a  few  miles 
west  of  Parkersburg,  was  born  in  1862.  In  his  earlier  years 
he  attended  school  near  home,  and  put  in  his  time  to  good 
advantage.  When  he  was  twenty  years  old,  that  is,  in  1882, 
he  entered  P.  M.  College  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.  At  college 
he  was  noted  for  his  devotion  to  his  books  and  to  hard 
study.  He  was  a  read}^  vmter,  and  generali}'  had  a  book 
well  nigh  reproduced  in  notes  by  the  time  he  was  through 
with  it.  In  1884  he  graduated  with  honors,  after  having  de- 
voted two  years  of  intense  application  to  his  studies.  From 
college  he  returned  home,  and  after  a  short  visit  proceeded 
to  St.  George  and  took  up  the  practice  that  Dr.  Austin  had 
resigned.  As  a  doctor,  he  has  been  eminently  successful, 
and  his  support  is  of  that  kind  that  will  endure. 


384  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

John  W.  Cassady,  born  1856 ;  married  in  1876  to  Eliza- 
betli  James,  daugliter  of  Epliraim  James.  Five  acres  of  his 
53  are  improved,  3  miles  from  St.  George,  on  tlie  head  of 
Dry  Eun.     Children :  George  Harvey  and  Thomas  Q. 

D.  M.  CoRRiCK,  son  of  William  Corrick,  was  born  in  1830, 
of  German  descent ;  married  in  1855  to  Lonisa  Turner,  of 
Lewis  County.  Children :  Pasthena,  James  L.,  Mary, 
Georgiana  and  Virginia.  In  1867  his  wife  died  at  Newburg, 
where  he  then  lived,  and  he  married  Charlotte  Stone.  He 
lives  8  miles  above  St.  George  on  the  river,  where  he  owns  a 
farm  of  99  acres,  with  40  acres  improved. 

Seymour  Carr  lives  in  Dry  Fork. 

Marshall  Campfield  was  born  1841  in  Eandolph,  and 
married  in  1865  to  Lucina  J.  Day.  Their  children  are: 
Lyda  Grant,  Jesse  Colfax,  Albert  Isaac,  George  A.,  John  E., 
Hanning  F.,  Martha  Luvenia,  and  Noah  P.  He  is  a  farmer 
li\T.ng  fifteen  miles  above  St.  George  on  a  farm  of  300  acres, 
one-fifth  of  which  is  improved.  He  was  in  the  Union  army 
three  years  and  was  wounded  in  the  arm  by  a  Minie-ball. 

Willlam  Corrick,  was  born  in  1800,  in  Eandolph  County, 
and  died  in  1882 ;  son  of  John  Corrick,  of  German  descent, 
was  married  in  1825  to  Daborah  Martney,  of  Eandolph 
County.  Their  children  are:  Washington,  JeJfferson  M., 
Eunice,  Daniel  M.,  Martha  Jane,  John,  Francis  M.,  Jetson, 
Baxter,  Elizabeth  Ann,  Mar}^  Lucretia,  Anzina,  Eda,  Adam, 
Dow,  Joseph,  David  and  Elias.  His  farm  of  620  acres  had 
100  acres  of  improved  land  on  it ;  he  held  several  offices  in 
the  early  history  of  the  county.  The  battle  of  Corrick's 
Ford  was  named  from  him.  The  word  is  nearly  always 
wrongly  spelled.  It  should  be  Cc^rrick  not  Cccvrick.  His 
house   was   made   a   hospital  for   the   sick   and  wounded. 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  385 

The  kitchen  was  a  prison  for  the  captured  Confederates. 
Everything  on  the  farm  that  could  be  eaten  was  gone,  ex- 
cept a  few  potatoes  in  a  barrettn  the  garret,  and  one  old 
goose.  It  was  Corrick's  account  that  three  Union  and 
twelve  Confederates  were  killed.  * 

S.  M.  Callihan  was  born  in  1844,  in  Harrison  Countv,  of 
Irish  descent ;  married  in  1870  to  Virginia,  daughter  of 
Jacob  H.  Long.  Their  children  are,  Cora  M.,  Otho  C,  and 
Stanford  J.  S.  M.  Callihan  came  to  Tucker  County,  in 
1867,  to  build  E.  Harper's  house,  being  a  carpenter  by  trade 
and  having  the  contract  of  building  it.  After  that,  he  went 
into  the  merchant  business  at  Holly  Meadows,  6  miles  from 
St.  George,  and  subsequently  bought  90  acres  of  improved 
land  on  the  river  bottom  at  the  finest  part  of  the  Holly 
Meadows.  He  died  in  1884.  He  was  a  man  of  strictest 
honesty,  and  people  placed  in  him  the  most  unbounded 
confidence.  He  had  been  Justice  four  years,  county  com- 
missioner one  term,  and  president  of  the  county  court  one 
term.  He  was  just  fairly  entering  upon  a  life  of  usefulness, 
w^hen,  at  the  age  of  40,  he  was  suddenly  taken  off.  His  loss 
was  felt  throughout  the  county,  and  our  neighboring  coun- 
ties joined  together  to  extend  to  us  their  sympathy  for  our 
loss. 

He  was  a  man  who  never  was  neutral  on  anj^thing.  He 
had  an  opinion  on  every  subject  that  claimed  his  at- 
tention. In  the  war,  his  sympathies  and  support  were 
given  to  the  South.  He  entered  the  army  and  was  under 
Stonewall  Jackson  until  the  General's  death.  He  was 
soon  afterward  taken  prisoner  in  Highland  County,  Ya., 
and  was  sent  west.  At  Grafton  he  made  his  escape  by- 
jumping  from  the  train.     He  went  east  and  was  soon  retaken 

25 


386  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

and  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  wliere  lie  lay  a  whole  year,  and 
was  then  sent  to  Fort  Delaware.  His  sufferings  were  as  all 
prisoners  suffered  who  were  confined  in  those  bastiles. 

J.  R.  CoLLETT  was  born  in  1860,  son  of  H.  P.  Collett,  of 
Scotch  descent,  married  in  1883  to  Nora  M.,  daughter  of 
Garrett  Long.  Their  child's  name  is  Maury.  He  is  a 
mechanic  and  lives  at  Alum  Hill. 

L.  D.  CoEEiCK,  son  of  William  Corrick,  was  born  in  1845, 
at  Corrick's  Ford,  married  in  1874  to  Mary  J.  Messenger. 
Children:  "Walter  J.,  Adam  J.,  Otis  E.,  and  Ollie  B.  He  is 
a  farmer,  owning  250  acres  of  land,  with  100  acres  im- 
proved. 

William  Channel  was  born  in  Randoli)li  County,  in  1855, 
of  English,  Irish  and  German  descent,  married  in  1875  to 
Martha  E.,  daughter  of  Adam  Dumire.  Their  children  are : 
Albert  Tilden,  Icy  Margaret,  and  Edwin.  He  lives  at  the 
mouth  of  Wolf  Run,  3  miles  from  St.  George,  where  is  his 
farm  of  88  acres,  with  8  acres  improved. 

Philip  Constable  was  born  in  1835,  in  Preston  County, 
of  English  descent,  married  in  1859  to  Catharine,  daughter 
of  William  Calvert ;  he  is  a  farmer,  living  9  miles  from  St. 
George  on  Shafer's  Fork,  where  he  owns  63  acres  of  land, 
one-half  improved.  And  has  worked  to  some  extent  in  the 
shook  and  lumber  business. 

Sylvestee  Chan^^el  was  born  in  1813,  of  English  and 
Irish  descent,  was  ^^larrjp^  in  1867  to  Marsilla,  daughter  of 
James  R.  Parsons.  Their  children  are:  Robert  W.,  Irwin, 
Emma  Susan,  Mahala,  Harriet  and  Rachel  E.;  his  farm  of 
92  acres,  one-fourth  improved,  is  on  Shafer's  Fork,  15 
miles  fi'om  St.  George.     He  was  in  the  Union  Ai'my. 


BEIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  387 

G.  L.  Caedek,  not  a  citizen  of  Tucker,  but  a  preacher 
traveling  here  in  1884,  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  in 
1850.  In  1872  he  married  Martha  Fitzhugh :  his  child's 
name  is  Howard.  He  has  been  preaching  the  doctrine  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  four  years. 

Alexander  B.  Closs,  son  of  David  Closs,  born  1856,  was 
married  in  1882  to  Catharine,  daughter  of  Jacob  Dumire,  of 
Limestone ;  his  children  are,  Lizzie  Bell  and  James ;  he  is  a 
farmer,  living  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  7  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  the  old  Stephen  Losh  farm,  one  of  the  oldest  plantations 
on  the  Bun ;  he  also  is  partner  in  a  shingle-mill  and  sav/-mill. 

David  Closs  was  born  1823  at  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  where 
he  lived  until  he  was  a  man.  At  the  age  of  twenty -four  he 
married  Agnes  Furguson,  in  the  city  of  Glasgow.  He  was  a 
miner  by  trade.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  came  to 
America,  and  worked  three  years  in  the  Maryland  mines 
about  Lonaconing  and  New  Creek.  In  September,  1850,  he 
came  to  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  and  moved  into  John  Stephenson's 
loom  house,  near  where  J.  H.  Fansler  now  lives,  and  re- 
mained there  about  ten  days  until  he  could  build  himself  a 
house.  When  it  was  done,  he  moved  into  it.  It  stood  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  from  the  present  Pine  Grove  School- 
house.  He  lived  there  about  three  years,  and  then 
moved  up  on  the  mountain,  which  from  him  is  now  called 
"  Closs  Mountain."  His  experience  in  farming  was  enough 
to  discourage  almost  anybody  else.  He  planted  three  acres 
of  corn  and  got  only  six  bushels  of  ears ;  sowed  three  acres 
of  oats,  and  hauled  it  all  home,  straw  and  all,  on  a  one- 
horse  sled ;  went  to  the  Glades  and  bought  potatoes  at  87^ 
cents  a  bushel,  carried  them  home  on  horseback  and  planted 
them,  but  never  dug  them.     The  only  thing  raised  that  was 


388  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY, 

worth  anything  was  a  little  buckwheat  and  rye.  He  went 
back  to  work  in  the  mines  to  get  a  little  money  to  try  it 
over  again.  His  fortune  began  to  grow  better.  When  he 
got  on  top  of  the  mountain  he  raised  enough  to  do  him  a 
year ;  or  rather  his  wife  raised  it  while  he  was  working  on 
the  Glover  Gap  Tunnel,  on  the  railroad  to  "Wheeling. 

W'hile  clearing  his  land  on  the  mountain,  the  first  year, 
he  w^aded  through  snow  knee  deep,  and  when  he  would  eat 
dinner,  which  he  had  carried  with  him,  he  was  often 
obliged  to  keep  walking  while  eating  to  keep  from  freezing 
his  feet.  In  1864  he  worked  two  months  in  the  mines.  It 
was  war  times  and  wages  were  high.  In  one  month  he 
made  $157.43. 

He  has  been  a  hard-working  man  all  his  life.  Although 
he  lived  in  the  woods,  vet  he  never  killed  a  bear  or  a  deer. 
As  he  expressed  it :  "I  did  all  my  hunting  with  the  ax  and 
grubbing  hoe,  and  I  expect  I  am  as  well  off  as  if  I  had  trot- 
ted over  the  mountains  all  my  life  with  a  gun."  And  he  is. 
He  has  cleared  from  the  woods  a  fine  farm  of  225  acres,  and 
has  besides  378  acres  of  wild  lands.  He  has  given  good 
farms  to  his  children,  and  he  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  all  industrious  and  respected  citizens,  honest  and  well- 
to-do.  He  has  plenty  left  to  last  him  his  lifetime,  and  he 
can  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  ease.  His  life  and 
what  he  has  done  are  samples  of  what  perseverance  and  in- 
dustry will  do,  even  in  the  rough  mountains  of  Tucker. 
There  are  many  localities  better  than  the  one  which  David 
Closs  selected,  and  any  man  with  health  and  strength  might 
do  as  well  as  he.  The  great  trouble  is  that  there  is  not 
enough  energy  among  our  people.  There  is  a  wide  field  to 
work  in,  and,  although  there  are  few  opportunities  for 
amassing  fortunes,  yet  there  is  room  for  every  one  to  make 


; 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  389 


a  good  living,  have  plenty  to  eat  and  wear,  and  get  along 
well  in  the  world. 

His  children  are :  William,  John,  James,  Margaret,  Alex- 
ander, Sarah,  Isabel  and  Duncan.  John  lives  in  Marj-land, 
near  Oakland. 

David  Gloss  is  known  the  neighborhood  over  for  his  hos- 
pitality. No  one  in  need  was  ever  turned  from  his  door  un- 
cared  for.  No  one,  really  suffering,  ever  asked  him  in  vain 
for  a  favor.     He  is  a  steadfast  member  of  the  M.  P.  Church. 

Benjamin  Claek  was  born  at  Fort  Pendleton,  Md., 
(near  Grant  County,  W.  Va.)  in  1853,  son  of  John  Clark,  of 
Irish  and  German  descent ;  came  to  Tucker  in  1865.  He 
lives  at  Leadmine,  10  miles  from  St.  George ;  is  a  farmer  and 
is  a  partner  in  110  acres  of  land,  partly  improved. 

Maetin  Y.  Canan  born  1844,  in  Hampshire  County ;  mar- 
ried, 1865,  to  Catharine  Martin,  of  Mineral  County.  Chil- 
dren :  Fred,  Lewis,  William  N.,  Augustus  M.,  Elizabeth  Ann, 
Mary  T.,  Kosa  E.  and  Thomas  U.  Garfield ;  is  a  farmer,  liv- 
ing on  the  upper  waters  of  Horse  Shoe  Bun ;  he  was  in  the 
Union  army  and  was  stationed  at  different  places  along  the 
Potomac,  but  was  not  in  much  fighting.  He  came  near 
freezing  to  death  while  in  the  army. 

Enos  G.  Cake,  born  1850,  son  of  Jacob  Carr,  married  in 
1872  to  Angeline  Carr.  The  children  are,  Mary  Francis, 
Thomas  H.  M.,  James  B.,  Henry  S.,  Ella  Y.  and  Amos  G. 
He  owns  310  acres  of  land  on  Dry  Fork,  21  miles  from  St. 
George,  125  acres  of  which  is  improved. 

Sylvester  Carr,  born  1858,  son  of  Sylvester  Carr,  mar- 
ried in  1876  to  Martha  E.  Goldessen,  of  Grant  County. 
Children  :  Henry  and  Sylvenas.  By  occupation  he  is  a 
farmer  and  lives  30  miles  from  St.  George. 


390  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

Fisher  Carr  was  born  in  1864,  brother  of  Sylvester  Carr ; 
married  in  1883  to  Alice  Carr.  They  have  one  child,  named 
Wilford  C. 

George  W.  Cross,  born  1855,  in  Barbour  County.  His 
children  are  Flavins  B.,  Flora  A.  and  Ida  May ;  he  lives  on 
Clover  Run. 

Hugh  P.  Collett,  born  1825,  in  Beverly ;  is  of  French 
and  English  descent ;  married  in  1855,  to  Louisa,  daughter 
of  John  R.  Goff.  By  trade  he  is  a  carpenter,  but  owns  200 
acres  of  land,  one-forth  improved,  on  Black  Fork,  10  miles 
from  St.  George.  Children — Florence  E.,  Pleasant  O.,  John 
B.,  Jefferson  D.,  Perry  L.,  Sophionia,  Lycurgus,  Tazewell, 
Chesy  Lyon,  Homer,  Lettie  and  Clinton  M. 

John  C.  Cline,  born  1830,  in  Harrison  County ;  is  of  Lisli 
descent ;  he  was  married  in  1855  to  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Aaron  Loughry.  Children — Samuel  N.,  Charles  W.,  Miner- 
va J.,  Serena  and  George.  He  owns  299  acres  of  land  with 
50  acres  improved,  10  miles  from  St.  George ;  was  in  the 
Union  army  7  months,  under  Kelly. 

Frederick  Davis,  son  of  John  Davis,  born  1814,  in  Ohio ; 
was  married  in  1861  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  John  Robin- 
son. He  lives  8  miles  from  St.  George,  on  rented  land,  in 
Licking  District.  His  children  are,  Charles,  Frank  and 
Malissa. 

Charles  Davis,  son  of  Frederick,  was  born  in  1868.  Far- 
mer of  110  acres,  25  acres  improved;  lives  on  Licking,  8 
miles  from  St.  George. 

William  A.  Duling,  born  1852,  in  Mineral  County,  of 
German  descent,  is  doing  business  in  the  firm  of  ShiUing- 
burg  &  Duling,  at  Fairfax. 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  391 

Olh'er  Doiiee,  born  1855,  is  a  son  of  Stephen  Dumire, 
and  was  married,  in  1880,  to  Sophia  A.  Lansberrj.  He  is 
of  German  descent  and  follows  farming  principally.  Chil- 
dren :  Agretta,  Elizabeth,  and  Abraham  Orvis.  He  has 
lived  awhile  in  Pennsylvania ;  but  he  now  resides  on  Horse 
Shoe  Rim. 

William  Dumiee,  born  1833,  is  a  son  of  Charles  Dumire, 
and  was  married,  in  1863,  to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Pifer.  In  1875  his  wife  died,  and  he  married  Mary  Hibb. 
Children  :  James  M.,  Lucinda  R.,  Mary  Ann,  Ruth  J.,  Yir- 
ginia  F.,  John  L.,  and  William  E.  He  lives  6  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Mill  Run,  and  has  a  farm  of  48  acres.  He 
was  in  the  Union  army,  under  General  Kelly,  and  had  his 
ankle  injured  in  the  service. 

jA3rES  E.  DeMoss,  son  of  W.  W.  DeMoss,  was  born  in 
1849  in  Gilmer  County,  W.  Ya.,  married  in  1866,  to  Mary 
M.  Korman,  of  Doddridge  County,  W.  Ya.  Their  children 
are  Darul  and  Clarinda.  He  came  to  Tucker  in  1882 ;  he 
was  in  the  Union  army  two  years ;  part  of  the  time  under 
General  Harris,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek, 
Cross  Roads  and  Bull  Town ;  owns  a  farm  of  34  acres,  8 
miles  from  St.  George  on  Brushy  Fork. 

Daniel  K.  Doiiee  was  born  in  1831 ;  is  of  German  de- 
scent, and  the  history  of  his  ancestors  is  found  in  another 
chapter  of  this  book  ;  was  raised  on  Mill  Run,  near  St. 
George.  When  21  years  of  age,  he  married  Sarah  Ann 
Sell.  On  his  wedding  day  he  cradled  rye  till  noon,  and 
then  went  to  hunt  a  horse  to  ride  to  the  appointed  house. 
He  had  so  much  difficulty  in  finding  a  horse,  that  he  was 
two  hours  behind  time,  and  found  the  guests  very  impatient 
with  so  much  waiting.     However,  he  was  married,  and  set 


o 


92  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 


up  house-keeping  for  liimself,  with  little  of  this  world's 
goods.  He  was  a  schoolmate  of  A.  P.  Minear's,  at  St. 
George,  and  has  since  held  several  offices  in  the  county ; 
his  principal  business  has  been  farming  and  working  with  a 
saw-mill.  He  lives  on  Mill  Run,  1  mile  from  St.  George. 
Their  children  are  Malissa  J.,  Solomon,  Henry  J.,  (Col.), 
Yirginia  C,  Liza  A.,  Maggie  S.,  Laura  and  Wilson.  He 
was  at  Hannahsville  when  McChesney  was  killed,  and 
heard  Captain  Miller  brag  of  killing  him ;  he  owns  223  acres 
of  land,  of  which  55  acres  is  improved. 

Geoege  N.  Day,  of  Pleasant  Run,  son  of  Jesse  Day,  of 
English  descent,  was  born  in  1854,  and  was  married  in 
1878  to  Nancy  Coberly,  of  Randolph  County.  Children: 
Arthur  and  Mar}"  J.;  his  farm  of  173  acres  has  45  acres 
improved,  and  lies  13  miles  from  St.  George. 

A.  L.  DuMiEE,  born  1845,  son  of  Jacob  Dumire,  married 
in  1865  to  Anamelia,  daughter  of  John  M.  Miller,  of  Lime- 
stone; he  has  100  acres  of  land,  one-half  improved,  on 
Limestone,  six  miles  from  St.  George ;  he  was  16  months  in 
the  Union  army,  under  Kelley.  Since,  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education  and  road  surveyor.  Children : 
Jasper  F.,  Jacob  H.,  Yirginia  M.,  and  Anna  Elizabeth. 

Jacob  Dumire  was  born  in  1817,  son  of  John  Dumire,  of 
German  descent.'''  In  1842  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Emanuel  Pifer.  Their  children  are :  Andrew  L.,  Minerva 
J.,  John  W.,  Oliver  K.,  Anzaletta  C,  George  M.,  and  Flor- 
ence E.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  5  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Limestone  ;  his  farm  contains  150  acres,  of  Avhich  two- 
thirds  is  improved.  His  orchard  is  a  good  one,  and  he 
nearly  always  has  apples  and  cider  all  winter.     He  has  held 

*  For  a  fuller  history  of  the  Dumire  famllj-,  see  another  chapter  of  this  book. 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  393 

many  offices  in  tlie  county,  among  whicli  are  justice  of  tlie 
peace,  school  offices  and  deputy  sheriff  twice.  During  tlie 
war  lie  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Union  cause,  and  led 
many  Yankee  scouts  through  the  county. 

Alexander  Dice,  born  1845,  in  Scotland,  by  trade  a  miner, 
came  to  America  in  1866,  mined  11  years  in  Hampshire,  and 
came  to  Tucker  in  1882;  he  is  now  a  farmer,  owning 
116  acres  ^f    land,  with  improvements  on  twenty  acres. 

John  William  Dumiee  was  born  in  1836  and  married 
1857  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  P.  Gray;  he  has  90 
acres  of  improved  land  and  100  acres  unimproved,  on  Lime- 
stone, 9  miles  from  St.  George.  Nine  months  of  his  life 
were  spent  in  the  Union  army,  under  Kelly,  defending  the 
B.  &  O.  Railroad  from  Cumberland  to  Wheeling.  His 
children  are  :  Francis  P.,  Adaline  S.,  Harriet  Susan,  William 
S.,  Martha  N.,  Priscilla  and  John  D.  He  has  been  consta- 
ble, township  clerk,  and  secretary  of  the  board  of  education. 

Francis  Dumire,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in  1858,  lives 
on  Limestone,  9  miles  from  St.  George,  and  is  a  farmer. 

George  D.  Dumire,  son  of  Daniel  Dumire,  was  born  1857, 
married  1879  to  Anamelia  Shook ;  he  is  a  farmer  of  60  acres 
of  land,  one-half  improved,  and  lives  8  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Location.  Children :  William  A.,  Henry  H.  W., 
and  Clarinda  Fanny. 

Henry  W.  Dumire,  brother  of  George  D.,  was  born  1861, 
and  married  in  1880,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  David  Harsh; 
his  farm  of  60  acres,  25  acres  improved,  is  on  the  Location, 
8  miles  from  St.  George.     His  child's  name  is  Lulu  Virginia. 

John  H.  Deets,  of  Preston  County,  was  born  1844  and 
married  1866  Virginia,  daughter  of  Samuel  Bowman,  of  St. 


394  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

George ;  lie  lias  a  farm  of  366  acres,  with  150  improved,  two 
miles  below  St.  George ;  lie  w^as  six  years  constable.  His 
cliildren  are:  Lavina  F.,  William  E.,  Charles  L.,  George  S., 
Albert,  David  S.  and  Alice.  He  joined  the  Union  army  in 
1861,  and  was  in  St.  George  when  Imboden  swooped  down 
upon  the  place.  He,  with  the  other  prisoners,  was  paroled, 
and  was  sent  to  Camp  Chase.  There  were,  he  says,  40,000 
Union  soldiers  there  on  parole,  and  half  that  number  of 
Confederate  prisoners.  He  was  exchanged  in  1863  and 
came  back  and  helped  capture  Captain  Harper,  Michael 
Myers  and  George  Kalar. 

Ehinehart  Domire"^  w^as  born  in  1800,  in  Preston  County. 
The  history  of  his  family  has  been  given  in  another  chapter 
of  this  book.  In  1825  he  married  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Losh.  Their  children  are,  George  N.,  Stephen, 
Keuben,  Sarah,  Maria,  Rhinehart,  Mary  Ann,  John  W., 
Abraham  and  Savina.     He  died  in  1875. 

Abrahajm  Domire,  son  of  Rhinehart  Domire,  w^as  born  in 
1842,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run.  In  1864,  he  married  Ann  Sophia 
Shaffer,  of  Horse  Shoe  Run  P.  O.  Their  children  are : 
Edgar  J.,  William  S.,  Jennet  Catharine,  Melissa  Ellen  and 
Joseph  Pierce.  He  is  a  farmer  of  790  acres,  of  which  125 
are  improved,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  10  miles  from  St.  George. 
He  has  not  devoted  his  whole  time  to  farming,  but  has  paid 
attention  to  lumbering ;  worked  three  years  getting  out 
shingle  timber  for  the  Rowlesburg  Lumber  &  Iron  Co.,  and 
three  years  longer  as  partner  in  the  "  Domire  Shingle  Mill;" 
sawed  100,000  a  month,  and  sold  his  interest  to  George 
Shaffer  ;  has  been  road  surveyor  and  school  trustee.  la 
his  younger  days  he  killed  many  deer — was  only  15   years 

*  The  name  Domire  Is  spelled  in  two  ways.    Tlius :  Domire  and  Dionire.    It  is  said 
lie  name  originally  was  Toomire. 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  395 

old  when  lie  killed  the  first  one;  he  tried  to  take  it  home, 
but  it  bloated  before  he  got  it  there,  and  he  stuck  his  kinfe 
in  its  side  to  let  the  air  out,  thinking  that  would  help  it. 

Cyeus  F.  Dumire,  son  of  B.  F.  Dumire,  of  Preston  Coun- 
ty, was  born  in  1858 ;  is  a  young  man  of  much  enterprise, 
and  has  collected  property  to  the  amount  of  775  acres  of 
land,  with  40  acres  improved,  and  an  interest  in  the  "Do- 
mire  Shingle  Mill,"  besides  other  property,  and  has  made  it 
all  himself.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  has  super- 
intended steam  saw-mills  to  some  extent. 

Ehinehart  Domiee,  Je.,  son  of  Stephen  Domire,  was 
born  in  1856;  lives  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Horse 
Shoe  Run,  where  is  his  farm  of  176  acres.  In  1882  he  was 
married  to  Anna,  daughter  of  James  Evans,  of  Ohio. 

Samuel  R.  Dumiee,  born  in  1840  on  "Old  Andra,"  is  a 
son  of  Frederick  Dumire,  and  lives  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  6 
miles  from  St.  George;  his  farm  of  200  acres  is  one-fourth 
cleared;  has  worked  twelve  years  at  the  carpenter  trade, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  work  in  St.  George.  In  1866  he 
was  married  to  Sarena  Domire,  who  died  in  1880,  and  he 
married  Sarah  A.  O'Donnell,  of  Illinois.  The  names  of  his 
children  are,  Letta  May  and  Anna  Emma.  In  1876  he 
killed  two  bears  with  a  very  small  shot  gun,  and  filled  an- 
other's head  full  of  shot.  He  came  out  of  the  fight  with 
two  bears. 

Fredeeick  Domiee,  brother  to  Rhinehart  Domire,  Sr., 
was  born  in  1806,  and  married  in  1829  to  Mary  Ann 
Loughry,  of  Holly  Meadows.  Of  six  children,  two  only  are 
living,  who  are  Daniel  L.,  and  Samuel  R.  Frederick  Do- 
mire was  also  a  great  hunter  in  his  younger  days,  as  nearly 
all  the  Domires  were.     He  has  killed  many  a  deer  and  bear 


396  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

with  an  old  flint-lock  gun,  which  he  still  has  on  the  rack 
over  the  door,  just  as  hunters  used  to  keep  them.  He  is  a 
farmer  o-wTiing  16J  acres,  all  improved,  9  miles  from  St. 
George,  at  the  Leadmine  post-ofl&ce.  He  built  a  mill  there 
in  1842.  It  was  a  tub-mill,  and  ground  8  or  10  bushels  a 
day.  In  the  earliest  years  he  spent  there,  wild  animals 
were  plentiful.  In  8  years,  he  killed  160  deer.  He  sa3'S 
that  John  Grimes  was  the  first  settler  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun. 
He  lived  on  the  Bonnifield  farm.  Dr.  Chilcoat  lived  on 
the  Evan's  farm  about  the  same  time ;  and  John  Carrico 
and  John  Stephenson  were  the  next  settlers  (aside  from 
Stephen  Losh,  who  came  earlier  than  1818).  Frederick  Du- 
mire  was  postmaster  for  ten  years  before  the  war. 

Daniel  L.  Domiee,  son  of  Frederick  Domire,  was  born  in 
1834,  at  Limestone,  on  "  Old  Andra."  In  1858  he  married 
Susan  Spesert,  of  Horse  Shoe  Eun.  Children:  Margaret 
E.,  Mary  Isabel,  Edna  Agnes  and  Sarah  Alice.  When  he 
was  6  years  old  his  father  moved  to  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  and 
has  since  lived  there.  D.  L.  Domire  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm  principally  ;  but,  his  inclination  drew  him  toward 
mechanical  pursuits,  and  he  gave  considerable  attention  to 
the  carpenter  trade.  He  also  taught  school  twelve  years  on 
Horse  Shoe  Eun,  and  from  time  to  time  engaged  to  some 
extent  in  the  lumber  business.  His  chief  connection  in 
this  was  in  the  "  Domire  Shingle  Mill,"  in  which  he  was 
partner.  The  mill  would  average  1,000,000  shingles  a  year, 
when  steadily  attended  to.  He  owns  103  acres  of  land,  one- 
half  mile  from  the  Leadmine  post-office,  on  Laurel  Eun. 
He  pays  considerable  attention  to  bee  raising,  and  well 
understands  the  business.  He  helped  build  the  first  house 
that  was  built  in  St.  George  after  the  town  was  laid  out.     It 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  397 

was  the  "  St.  George  Inn,"  and  built  in  1859.  The  same  year 
he  helped  build  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  in  St.  George.  At 
that  time  Jesse  Parsons  was  sheriff,  and  Domire  wrote  all 
his  tax  receipts ;  he  has  several  times  been  member  of  the 
board  of  education. 

Col.  H.  J.  DuMiKE,  son  of  D.  K.  Dumire,  of  Mill  Run, 
one  mile  above  St.  George,  was  born  in  1860 ;  he  is  a  farmer 
and  school  teacher,  having  taught  five  schools,  all  on  No.  1 
certificates,  except  the  first ;  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
examiners  in  1882,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  senatorial, 
congressional  and  State  conventions. 

Feedeeick  R.  Dumiee,  brother  to  Rhinehart  Dumire,  was 
born  in  1863,  and  lives  with  his  brother  on  Horse  Shoe  Run. 

Saiipson  Day  was  born  1825,  in  Pendleton  County,  near 
the  mouth  of  Seneca ;  his  parents,  who  w^ere  of  English  and 
German  descent,  w^ere  noted  for  their  honesty,  and  their 
eight  children  received  a  pious  training.  Sampson,  the 
third  child,  went  to  school  one  month  each  year  for  eight 
years,  and  never  went  any  more.  In  1846  he  married  a 
Miss  Harman,  who  died  in  1866.  Day  staid  at  home  during 
the  war,  and  did  what  he  could  in  the  cause  of  peace.  He 
was  a  Union  man,  and  served  as  a  justice'of  the  peace.  In 
Pendleton  County,  strongly  Southern,  this  is  a  good  recom- 
mendation. He  decided  impartially  for  Union  and  Confed- 
erate. He  w^as  the  man  who  held  the  election  in  Pendleton 
County,  and  had  it  go  with  the  new  State.  He  bought  a 
farm  at  the  mouth  of  Red  Creek,  and  soon  afterward  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Waldren,  and  raised  a  family  of  nine  children. 
He  now  lives  on  Dry  Fork,  in  Tucker  County. 

E 

RoBEET  W.  Eastham,  a  native  Virginian,  born  in  Rappa- 
hannock County,  February  28,  1842,  is  the  son  of  Capt.  B. 


398  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

F.  Eastham,  and  is  of  English  descent.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  perfect  men,  physically,  in  the  county,  State,  or  the 
the  United  States.  Above  six  feet  in  height,  well  propor- 
tioned, deep  and  full  chest,  muscular  limbs,  and  erect  figure, 
he  presents  as  fine  appearance  as  ever  Sam  Houston  did. 
He  is  active  and  athletic,  walks  with  grace,  and  is  a  splen- 
did rider. 

He  has  had  a  history,  that,  so  far  as  the  war  and  conse- 
quent adventures  are  concerned,  hardly  has  a  rival  anywhere. 
Going  into  the  field  in  April,  1861,  he  fought  almost  every 
day  as  long  as  the  war  lasted,  and  fought  in  two  battles 
after  Lee  surrendered.  Being  a  supporter  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy  he  supported  it  from  principle ;  but  the  pros- 
pect of  excitement  and  adventure  had  not  a  little  to  do  in 
shaping  his  course.  He  is  of  a  disposition  that  likes  com- 
pany, and  he  is  seldom  seen  without  a  crowd  about  him. 
There  seems  to  be  some  attraction  in  him  for  other  people. 
In  ordinary  affairs,  he  is  quiet  and  sociable ;  but  when 
other  people  are  excited,  he  is  master  of  the  situation.  Fear 
has  no  part  in  his  nature.  Indeed,  his  bravery  may  at 
times  amount  to  rashness.  His  sense  of  honor  is  such  that 
he  will  not  do  aix  unmanly  act ;  or,  if  he  forgets  himself  for 
the  moment  and  errs  in  this,  he  is  ready  to  right  the  wrong 
so  far  as  apologies  have  power  to  do  it.  He  hates  a  lie  and 
cowardice  and  deceit  as  he  hates  everything  that  is  mean  ; 
and,  one  who  sins  in  this  particular  must,  before  again  gain- 
ing his  favor,  wipe  out  the  contamination  of  the  iniquity  in 
a  multitude  of  praiseworthy  acts. 

When  the  war  came  on,  in  1861,  Eastham  was  among  the 
very  first  to  respond  to  the  call,  when  Virginia  threw  her 
defense  and  her  honor  upon  the  heroism  and  manhood  of 
her  chivalrous  sons.     There  was  no  hesitation  as  to  which 


BKIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  399 

or  what  course  to  pursue.  His  first  ambition  was  to  sliow 
himself  a  man  in  repelling  assault  upon  principles  which  he 
believed  to  be  right.  The  intensity  of  Southern  passion 
reached  perfection  in  him ;  and,  at  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  knew  that  his  native  State  was  calling  for  protec- 
tion, he  hurried  off  to  the  front  to  offer  his  services  in 
whichever  department  of  the  defense  that  they  should  be 
most  needed. 

He  joined  Green's  company,  and  was  at  once  mustered 
into  service  and  was  quartered  at  "Winchester.  His  battles 
began  soon  after.  He  marched  to  Harper's  Ferry,  April  19, 
1861  ;  and  from  Harper's  Ferry  he  went  to  Alexandria.  The 
troops  that  were  with  him  were  the  first  and  last  and  only 
Confederate  troops  that  were  stationed  at  Alexandria  dur- 
ing the  war.  They  remained  there  until  they  were  shelled 
out  by  Pawnee. 

He  vv^as  attached  to  Field's  brigade,  and  Ewell's  division, 
and  was  soon  back  in  Winchester.  He  was  also  with  Jones 
and  Wheat,  and  when  Wheat  died,  Eastham  was  tendered 
his  place,  but  saw  fit  not  to  accept.  After  this,  he  was 
principally  on  scouting  duty  up  to  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
and  was  under  Jones  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 

His  adventures  and  escapes  were  thrilling.  Fifteen  thous- 
and dollars  was  ofiered  for  him,  dead  or  alive.  At  one  time 
in  battle,  he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  escaped  before  an 
hour.  He  was  hunted  by  the  Yankees  with  a  perseverance 
surpassed  only  by  the  perseverance  with  which  he  hunted 
them.  They  feared  and  hated  him,  yet  respected  him  for 
daring.  So  determined  were  they  upon  taking  him,  that 
large  numbers  made  that  their  special  aim.  He  rode  a  good 
horse,  and  they  had  no  show  of  overtaking  him  in  a  race. 
While  they  ransacked  the  country  for  him,  he  was  raking 


400  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

tliem  ill,  as  prisoners,  every  day.  After  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Kun,  thirty  miles  from  the  field,  Eastham  and  eleven 
companions  took  prisoner  sixty-five  Yankees,  whom  Jackson 
had  demoralized  and  driven  into  a  thicket  of  brush.  In  this 
skirmish,  Eastham  was  wounded  in  the  foot  by  a  Minie- 
ball.  He  was  not  in  the  Bull  Kun  fight,  but  was  on  the 
field  next  day.  In  another  skirmish,  a  bullet  passed  through 
the  horn  of  his  saddle,  one  perforated  his  belt  and  one  cut 
a  button  from  his  coat. 

In  battle,  he  never  used  a  saber.  It  is  told  of  him,  by 
those  who  were  eye  witnesses,  that,  when  going  into  a  fight, 
he  would  throw  down  his  sword  and  cut  a  stout  club,  and 
with  it  knock  right  and  left  every  one  who  came  in  his 
reach.  He  and  his  companions,  thirteen  in  all,  took  eighty- 
six  men  in  an  hour.  The  men  were  retreating,  by  a  road 
on  which  was  a  partly  destroyed  bridge.  The  Yankees  ran 
upon  the  bridge  and  could  not  get  over,  and  Eastham  made 
them  surrender.  At  another  time,  he  and  two  others  cap- 
tured thirty-six  horses  and  twenty-three  men  in  one  day. 
He  remained  with  Jones  until  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and 
Jones  was  sent  south.  He  made  a  special  request  that 
Eastham  be  allowed  to  accompany  him,  but  the  request  was 
not  allowed,  and  the  scout  was  left  to  scout  for  Yankees  in 
Virginia.  They  also  hunted  for  him  and  many  a  time  he 
had  to  save  himself  by  flight  or  concealment.  When,  on 
one  occasion,  he  had  been  out  all  day  hunting  for  them, 
and  had  not  seen  one,  he  was  coming  down  the  road  at 
dusk  of  evening  and  met  an  old  negro  whom  he  knew.  The 
old  fellow  exclaimed  in  wonder,  at  seeing  him  alive : 
"  Good  heavens !  massa,  de  whole  world  am  full  of  Yankees 
huntin'  foh  you."  At  that  moment  he  heard  galloping 
horses  in  the  distance.     He  took  a  grain-cradle  and  a  bas- 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  401 

ket  wliicli  the  negro  was  carrying,  and  climbed  tlie  fence 
into  the  field,  having  put  his  horse  out  of  sight.  He  threw 
down  a  sheaf  of  wheat  and  sat  upon  it.  The  soldiers  came 
by  and  saw  him ;  but  in  the  dusk  of  evening  they  did  not 
recognize  him.  He  watched  them  go  by,  and  then  mounted 
his  horse  and  struck  after  them.  He  followed  them  boldly 
into  town,  dismounted  and  entered  into  conversation  with 
them.  He  went  into  a  store  and  bought  him  some  tobacco, 
and  made  free  with  all  about  him.  None  recognized  him, 
until  a  little  negro  came  along.  The  little  scamp  knew  him 
and  yelled  out :  "  I  do  'clah !  tha's  Bob  Eastham  !" 

Immediately  the  whole  town  full  of  Yankees  started  up 
and  rushed  at  him.  He  sprang  on  his  horse  and  dashed 
through  them,  knocked  them  down  and  rode  over  them, 
and  finally  reached  the  edge  of  the  town.  By  this  time  the 
whole  body  of  the  enem}'  had  mounted,  and  horsemen  were 
galloping  in  every  direction  to  hunt  him  down  and  head 
'  him  off.  He  dashed  up  the  mountain  and  escaped.  So 
daring  was  he  that  no  Yankee  could  feel  safe  when  he  was 
in  the  country.  He  would  cross  the  lines  and  ride  through 
the  camp,  and  probably  carry  off  a  prisoner.  Once  he  went 
to  a  house  and  got  dinner,  when  the  house  was  full  of  Yan- 
kees, and  at  another  time  he  went  into  a  stable,  where 
several  Union  soldiers  were  sleeping,  and  took  away  the 
officers'  horses.  This  is  why  they  so  hated  him."  He  was 
u]3on  them  before  they  were  aware  of  it,  and  he  always,  or 
nearly  always,  came  out  best.  But,  sometimes  he  had  to 
hide  and  slip  about  in  the  quietest  manner  to  keep  from 
being  taken.  He  had  to  bury  himself  in  a  rail-pile,  and 
lie  flat  in  a  potato  patch  and  conceal  himself  under  a  stone 
fence,  while  they  were  all  around  him.  But,  he  always  es- 
caped, and  finall}^  came  to  believe  that  it  was  impossible 

26 


402  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

for  liim  to  be  Imrt.  With  this  belief  and  assurance  lie 
went  to  liis  father's  house  when  he  knew  that  Yankees  were 
thick  around  and  while  the  $15,000  reward  was  on  him. 
"While  he  was  in  one  room,  two  Y'ankee  officers  were  in 
another.  He  heard  them  talking  of  him,  and  how  much 
they  would  like  to  see  him.  But,  tlie}^  had  little  idea  of 
seeing  him  so  soon.  For,  he  kept  quiet  until  they  had  gone 
to  supper,  and  then  he  concluded  to  give  them  an  oppor- 
tunity to  take  him,  if  they  liked.  While  they  were  eating, 
and  seemingly  in  full  enjoyment  of  the  substantial  fare 
which  Virginian  hospitality  had  placed  before  them,  he 
walked  boldly  into  the  dining  room  where  the}"  sat  at  the 
table.  His  father  introduced  him  to  them  as  "My  son, 
Robert,  the  man  you  are  looking  for."  They  turned  and 
looked  at  the  tall  figure  before  them,  clad  in  full  Confeder- 
ate uniform,  and  armed  from  head  to  foot.  His  belt 
gleamed  with  the  hilt  of  a  saber  and  with  the  handles  of 
pistols.  The  officers  evidently  would  rather  have  been 
excused  from  making  new  acquaintances  that  evening ;  but, 
they  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  make  the  best  of  the  sit- 
uation. Thev  shook  hands,  and  he  sat  down  at  the  table 
with  them,  and  talked  two  hours.  They  made  no  attempt 
or  showed  no  disposition  to  capture  him,  and  he  was  al- 
lowed to  de]:>ai't  in  peace. 

He  was  Avith  Mosby  in  his  raids,  and  was  all  through  the 
Yalley  of  Virginia.  He  was  in  Jones'  Raid  in  June,  1863, 
through  Preston  County,  when  Rowlesburg,  Kingwood  and 
Morgantown  were  taken,  and  when  E.  Harper  piloted  the 
Rebels  that  burnt  the  Fairmont  bridge.  He  was  in  the  6th 
Virginia,  which  "  locked  sabers "  with  the  6tli  Xew^  Y^ork 
fourteen  times  during  the  war.  In  the  battle  of  Fairfield 
the  Xew  York  regiment  was  finally  overthrown. 


BKIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  403 

When  the  news  was  received  that  Lee  had  surrendered, 
Eastham  was  one  of  the  many  who  refused  to  believe  it,  be- 
cause he  did  not  want  to  belive  it.  He  remained  in  the 
field  and  refused  to  surrender.  He  fought  two  battles  after 
Lee  had  laid  dovrn  his  arms.  Eastham  never  surrendered. 
He  escaped  without  that  humiliation.  He  remained  with 
Mosby  until  that  guerrilla  leader  disbanded  his  men. 

After  the  war  was  over,  he  returned  to  the  farm  and  went 
to  work.  But  after  his  four  vears  of  war  he  could  not  feel 
satisfied  with  the  tame  existence  of  a  farmer  ;  so  he  sold  out 
and  went  South.  He  visited  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Tennessee,  and  finally  gre^v  tired  of 
roaming.  He  returned  to  Virginia,  and  married  Mary  C, 
daughter  of  Dr.  A.  W.  Eeid,  of  Rappahannock  County,  Ya. 
This  was  in  1869.  In  1876,  in  May,  he  came  to  Tucker  and 
bought  land  in  the  Canaan  Yalle}',  30  miles  from  St.  George. 
His  farm  of  276  acres  has  40  improved  and  in  grass.  He 
built  a  farm  house  and  other  buildings,  and  was  prospering 
well  enough  when  a  fire  in  the  woods  caught  his  house 
while  he  was  absent,  and  burnt  everything.  He  had  not  a 
dollar  left,  nor  even  a  coat  to  wear.  Everything  that  would 
burn  was  burnt,  except  two  horses,  a  cow,  a  dog  and  a  cat. 
His  financial  condition  Vv'as  not  flourishing.  However,  he 
borrowed  a  coat,  and  went  to  Oakland  and  bought  a  suit  on 
credit.  He  went  on  to  Eastern  Yirginia  where  he  had  a 
little  property.  He  came  back  to  St.  George,  where  the 
town  authorities  had  some  charge  against  him,  and  at- 
tempted to  arrest  him.  In  the  scufile,  Frank  and  Dock  Pi- 
fer  tore  his  coat  off  of  him,  and  some  one  else  got  his  hat, 
and  he  had  to  go  home  coatless  and  hatless. 

AVhen  he  went  to  Canaan  there  were  only  three  families 
there,  Solomon  Cosner,  John  Nines  and  James  Freeland. 


404  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Eastham  lived  there  till  1883,  and  farmed  and  raised  stock 
with  various  sncces.  By  that  time  the  W,  Va.  C.  &  P.  R. 
W.  was  coming  into  the  country,  and  was  no  longer  a  sub- 
ject of  speculation.  It  was  confidently  expected  that  it 
would  greatly  enhance  the  prosperity  of  Canaan. 

At  the  mouth  of  Bever  the  site  was  selected  for  the  ter- 
minus of  the  road.  The  contract  for  clearing  away  the 
timber  for  the  city  was  given  Eastham,  and  soon  after  he 
moved  there  with  his  family,  and  built  him  a  residence. 
This  was  the  first  house  built  in  a  city  which  is  to  be  called 
Davis.  As  yet,  there  is  no  city  there.  The  floating  popu- 
lation amounts  to  twenty  or  more.  But  a  town  must  be 
there  in  the  near  future,  and  Robert  Eastham  will  be  re- 
garded as  the  founder  of  it.  Under  his  supervision  all  the 
work  so  far  has  been  done.  In  consideration  of  this,  it 
would  be  no  more  than  justice  to  name  the  city  Eastham. 
It  is  a  genuine  English  name,  and  is  a  suitable  name  for  a 
town,  and  such  ought  to  be  its  name: 

In  1882,  Eastham  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  to 
be  elected  by  Tucker  and  Randolph  Counties.  Although  not 
elected,  he  ran  a  heavy  poll,  and  carried  his  own  district  by 
an  overwhelming  majority. 

John  H.  Evans  was  born  in  Hardy  Count}^  in  1841; 
married  in  1874  to  Maria  Michael,  of  Grant  County.  Chil- 
dren :  Cora  Anna,  Mary  E.,  Charles  W.  and  Mary  J.; 
farmer,  lives  in  Canaan. 

Samuel  H.  Ewin,  a  merchant  of  St.  George,  and  a  sou  of 
William  Ewin,  was  born  in  1836  in  Baltimore,  and  was 
married  in  1864  to  Sarah  A.  Kulin,  of  the  same  city.  He  is 
of  Irish  descent.  He  lived  in  Baltimore  from  185'2  to  1862, 
when  he  went  into  the  Union  army  and  remained  in  the 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  405 

service  nearly  three  years.  He  was  commissary  sergeant. 
He  was  at  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Bolivar  Heights,  Cedar 
Mountain  and  several  others.  He  is  a  painter  by  trade. 
He  came  to  St.  George  in  1882.     • 

William  Evans  was  born  in  1818,  died  in  1874,  on  Horse 
Shoe  Eun,  11  miles  from  St.  George.  He  married  Lyda 
Kitzmiller.  Children :  James  I.,  Solomon  A.,  John  Alex- 
ander, "William  Lewis,  George  A.,  "VVarner  B.,  David  C, 
Perry  J.,  Mary  A.  and  Lucy  Ellen.  He  came  to  Tucker  in 
1860,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  455  acres  and  had  140  acres 
under  improvement,  and  had  100  fruit  trees  in  bearing 
condition. 

David  C.  Evans  was  born  in  1857  in  Hardy  County ;  mar- 
ried in  1876  to  Ollie  Calhoun ;  of  German  descent.  His 
children  are  :  Eliot  F.  and  Abraham,  named  after  Abraham 
Bonnifield.  He  is  a  farmer  of  246  acres,  with*  sixty  acres 
improved  and  a  good  orchard  of  100  trees. 

Solomon  H.  Evans,  brother  to  David  C.  and  son  of 
William  Evans,  was  born  in  1843  ;  English  and  German 
descent ;  married  in  1871  to  Catharine  Shaffer,  of  Preston 
County.  Children :  Ama,  Stella,  Lewis.  Mollie,  Harry, 
John  and  DoUie.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  on  Horse  Shoe 
Eun,  ten  miles  from  St.  George.  He  owns  270  acres  of 
land,  of  which  40  acres  are  improved  and  the  rest  is  well 
timbered.  He  has  a  good  orchard.  He  followed  the  shoe- 
making  trade  12  years,  but  gave  it  up  for  farming. 

James  I.  Evans,  brother  of  Solomon  Evans,  was  born  in 
1842,  in  Hampshire  County ;  married  in  1874,  to  Emma 
C.  Whitehair,  of  Preston  County.  Children :  Florence 
May,  Jennie  Belle,  Cora  Etna  and  Ida.  He  is  a  farmer  and 
miller,  living  at  the  Lead  Mine  Post-office,  10  miles  from  St. 


40(3  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

George.  His  is  the  largest  and  best  mill  in  Tucker  County. 
It  is  on  the  site  of  Frederick  Domire's  tub-mill,  of  1842, 
and  is  where  Mason's  mill  used  to  stand.  It  has  a  set  of 
corn-rocks  and  a  pair  of  buhrs.  The  mill  grinds  about  6,000 
bushels  a  year,  rather  more  wheat  than  corn.  The  mill  is  a 
new  one,  having  been  rebuilt  in  1879.  He  also  owns  a  saw- 
mill that  will  cut  1,000  feet  a  day. 

James  Eyaxs,  brother  of  "William  Evans,  was  born  in 
Hampshire  County,  in  1832.  In  1855  he  was  married  to 
Lucinda,  daughter  of  William  Losh.  Children :  Evaline, 
John  William,  Mary  Jane,  Emaline,  Phoebe  Ann,  Lettie, 
Maggie  May,  Kellie  and  Eddie.  He  married  a  second  time 
in  1877,  to  Sarah  Carr,  of  Illinois.  In  1865  he  went  to  Indi- 
ana and  staid  4  years  ;  then  went  to  Illinois  and  remained  13 
years,  and  returned  to  West  Yirgiuia,  where  he  follows  the 

occupation  of  farming. 

r. 

Hamilton  Fink,  son  of  Elias  Fink,  of  Piockingham 
County,  Virginia,  of  French  and  German  descent,  was  born 
in  1842,  and  in  1869  was  married  to  Emeline  Ramsey,  of 
Barbour  County.  Children:  Ida  May,  Bashy  C,  Elias, 
Nancy  A.,  Cora  B.,  William  Arthur  and  Michael.  He  is  a 
farmer,  owning  112  acres  of  land,  of  which  32  are  improved ; 
spent  three  years  in  the  Rebel  army,  under  Lee  most  of 
the  time,  but  part  of  the  time  under  Imboden,  Brecken- 
ridge  and  Early,  and  was  in  nearly  every  battle  in  the  Yal- 
ley  of  Yirginia  for  two  3'ears,  and  was  in  the  battles  of 
Gettysburg  and  Williamsport.  He  was  in  both  of  Lee's  in- 
vasions of  the  North;  he  was  four  times  wounded,  and 
another  ball  broke  the  skin  on  his  nose.  He  was  never 
taken  prisoner,  but  came  near  falling  into  his  enemy's 
hands  at  Beverly.     He  was  passing  through  the  town  be- 


BRIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  407 

fore  it  was  fairly  liglit,  and  was  halted  by  six  men,  whom  he 
mistook  for  Eebels,  and  whom  he  told  that  he  was  no  Yan- 
kee. They  said  that  they  knew  it,  and  demanded  his  sur- 
render. He  said  that  he  had  surrendered,  and  when  thev 
put  down  their  guns,  he  sprang  behind  a  house  and  ran  off. 

John  E.  M.  Fitzwatee,  son  of  William  Fitzvrater,  was 
born  in  the  year  1859.  In  1879  he  married  Salina,  daughter 
of  Elihu  Phillips.  Farmer  of  51  acres,  15  improved,  6 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover  Pain.  Children :  Elihu  M. 
and  Pussel  I. 

T\  iLLLUi  Fitzwatee,  father  of  John  E.  M.,  and  son  of 
John,  of  German  descent,  was  born  1833,  and  married  in 
1852,  to  M.  M.,  daughter  of  Jacob  Shafer.  He  is  a  farmer, 
owning  176  acres,  50  of  which  is  farming  land,  8  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Texas  Mountain.  Children  :  Almeda,  Silas 
J.,  Manda  C,  Barbara  A.,  John  E.  M.,  Sarah  Y.,  Jacob  F., 
Judah,  Etta  May,  Ida  Olive  and  Savina  J. 

Bernard  W.  Fisher,  from  Augusta  County,  Ya.,  of  Ger- 
man descent,  was  born  in  1841,  and  married  in  1865  to  Mary 
L.  Hill,  of  Cumberland,  Md.  Children :  Lilly  S.,  May 
Belle,  Carl  C,  Edmund  H.,  Delia  Y.,  Zora  M.,  AYard  H., 
Otto  and  Nora.  By  occupation  he  is  a  farmer  and  carpen- 
ter ;  lives  on  a  farm  2  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover  Pvun ; 
has  been  in  the  county  since  1879.  He  was  in  the  Union 
army,  in  Hancock's  corps  at  Gettysburg;  he  Avas  also  in  the 
battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Bull 
Piun,  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor  and  about 
Bichmond.  At  Cold  Harbor  he  was  wounded  in  the  leg  by 
a  Minie-ball,  which  broke  one  bone ;  he  cut  the  bullet  out 
and  has  it  yet. 

Jacob  W.  Flanagan,  son  of  Jacob  Flanagan,  born  in  1848; 


408  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

was  maiTied  in  18G8  to  a  daugliter  of  Jacob  Fansler ;  far- 
mer, owning  130  acres  of  land,  30  improved ;  lives  12  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Black  Fork.  Children  :  Elizabeth  J. 
and  Thomas  W. 

F.  W.  S.  FoLLEY,  of  Irish  descent,  was  born  1852,  in  Grant 
County ;  married  in  187-4  to  Mary  High,  daughter  of  War- 
ner T.  High,  of  Hampshire  County.  Children  :  Bertha  P., 
Homer  D.  and  Michael  Marion  ;  clerk  at  Fairfax. 

Jesse  Flaxagax,  son  of  John  Flanagan,  of  Irish  and  Eng- 
lish descent,  was  born  in  1827,  and  in  1858  he  married 
Catharine  Carr.  In  1860  his  wife  died,  and  he  then  married 
Malinda  Eohrbaugh,  daughter  of  George  llohrbaugh.  He 
is  a  farmer,  living  28  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Bed  Creek. 

Archibald  B.  Flanagan,  born  1849,  son  of  Ebenezer  Flan- 
agan, of  Irish  descent,  was  married  in  1873,  to  Amanda  J., 
daughter  of  Solomon  Cosner,  of  Canaan.  Children  :  Solo- 
mon W.,  Elizabeth  A.  and  Hannah  C.  He  is  a  farmer,  with 
100  acres  of  cultivated  and  pasture  land,  and  211  acres  of 
land  in  woods  ;  lives  25  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dry 
Fork. 

X.  H.  Flanagan,  born  1860,  son  of  Alfred  Flanagan,  lives 
25  miles  from  St.  George  on  Dry  Fork. 

AY.  A.  Feely,  from  Shenandoah  County,  Ya.,  of  English 
and  Irish  descent,  was  born  in  1839,  and  married,  in  1882, 
Stella  F.,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Wilson,  of  Garrett  County, 
Md.  He  is  a  member  of  the  mercantile  tirm  of  Feely  Sz 
Y'ilsoii,  at  Fairfax. 

S.  L.  Fanslee,  born  1843,  son  of  Jacob  Fansler,  of  Ger- 
man descent,  married  in  1870  to  Mary  Ward,  daughter  of 
Peter  Ward.  Children :  Albert  G.  and  Arthur  D.  He  is  a 
farmer,  owns  568  acres  of  land,  and  has  200  acres  improved, 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  409 

on  Black  Fork,  11  miles  from  St.  George  ;  is  a  man  of  influ- 
ence, and  stands  tigli  in  the  estimation  of  all  wlio  know 
him.  His  ancestors  were  the  first  settlers  of  that  region. 
Henry  Fansler  settled  in  Canaan  in  1802,  it  is  supposed. 

H.  M.  Feeguson  was  bom  in  1854,  in  Randolph  County ; 
son  of  R.  M.  Ferguson,  and  of  Irish  descent;  married  in 
1880  to  Margaret  S.  Kalar.  Their  child's  name  is  Laird  D.; 
lives  near  Fairfax. 

George  'SV.  Faxsler,  son  of  Andrew  Fansler,  was  born  in 
1842,  and  married  in  1877  to  Mary  A.  R.  Domire,  daughter 
of  Washington  Domire ;  is  a  farmer  of  210  acres,  with  55 
acres  improved,  and  lives  14  miles  fr^om  St.  George,  on  Dry 
Fork;  has  been  road  surveyor  15  years.  Children:  Anna 
Tilden  and  Stark  Andrew. 

Alfred  Flanagan,  son  of  Ebenezer  Flanagan,  was  born 
in  1840 ;  married  in  1860,  to  Hannah  S.,  daughter  of  J.  H. 
Lambert.  Children  :  Nathaniel  H.,  James  H.,  Hannah  E., 
Alfred  K.  and  William  Hess ;  is  a  farmer  of  126  acres, 
with  20  acres  improved,  on  Dry  Fork,  26  miles  from  St. 
George ;  was  a  Home  Guard  during  the  war. 

J.  F.  Funk  was  born  in  1839,  in  Preston  County,  son  of 
Jonathan  Funk  ;  married  in  1870  to  Maggie  Eliot ;  is  a 
farmer  of  134  acres,  60  acres  improved,  nine  miles  below 
St.  George.  Children  :  James  John  William  Alonzo,  Susan 
Alberta  and  Cora  Analiza. 

John  H.  Fansler  was  born  in  1840  at  Black  Fork,  son  of 
Jacob  Fansler;  married  in  1861  to  Jemima  E.,  daughter  of 
Job  Parsons.  Children  :  Rufus  M.,  Althea  M.,  William 
T.,  Stephen  T.,  Clarence  S.,  Sarah  Ann.,  Job  P.  and  Ira  B. 
He  lives  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  8  miles  from  St.  George  ;  has 
lived  there  since  1863.     When  he  first  commenced  work  on 


410  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

the  farm,  there  was  ten  acres  improved.     Now  he  has  80 

acres  iinder  cultivation  and  582  in  the  woods,  well  timbered. 

The  Rowlesburg  Lumber  and  Iron  Company  ran  a  shingle 

mill  on  his  farm  and  made  2,500,000  shingles,  and  afterwards 

500,000  more  were  made.     His  farm  is  well  improved,  and  a 

church,  mill  and  school  house  are  at  hand.     He  is  of  German 

descent. 

G. 

N.  GoFF,  son  of  ARen  Goff,  born  1858,  married,  1882,  to 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  Gable,   of  Preston   County. 

By  occupation  he  is  a  laborer,  living  7  miles  from  St.  George, 

on  Licking.     Children  :  Rosalie,  Lilly  May,  Orlando  P.  and 

"William  Camden. 

David  W.  Gilmoee,  son  of  William  Gilmore,  born  1862 ; 
lives  3  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover  Run ;  is  a  farmer, 
owning  63  acres,  10  improved. 

P.  B.  Goff,  son  of  Jolm  R.  Goff,  was  born  in  1853 ;  is  of 
English  descent ;  is  a  farmer,  owning  250  acres,  100  of  which 
is  improved,  lying  on  Black  Fork,  10  miles  from  St.  George. 

James  D.  Geiffith,  born  1850,  in  Preston  County  ;  son  of 
Hillory  Griffith,  of  German,  Irish  and  English  descent; 
married  in  1876  to  Leonora  Hart,  daughter  of  David  Hart. 
Children :  Maud,  Harry  C,  Lloyd  F.,  David  C.  and  Sallie  ; 
farmer  and  carpenter,  owning  125  acres  of  unimproved 
land  ;  lives  3  miles  from  St.  George,  in  Holly  Meadows  ;  his 
father  died  in  the  Union  army. 

S.  D.  Gillespie  was  born  in  1850,  in  Pennsylvania,  of 
Irish  descent.  He  has  been  foreman  on  the  W.  Va.  C.  &  P. 
R.  W.  since  1880. 

Henry  J.  Goff  was  born  in  185-4,  son  of  Amassa  Goff,  of 
Scotch  descent ;  is  a  farmer,  living  5  miles  from  St.  George, 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  411 

in  Licking  District;  his  farm  of  165   acres,  is   one-fourth 
improved. 

Benja^iin  p.  Gowee  was  born  in  1857,  son  of  Daniel 
Gower,  of  German  descent.  In  1879,  lie  married  A.  S., 
daughter  of  John  U.  Chambers.  Children :  John  W.  and 
Eosa  Lee ;  is  a  farmer  and  miller,  living  4  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Mill  Eun. 

Joseph  Geey  was  born  in  1854,  son  of  John  P.  Grey,  was 
married  in  1880  to  Mary  C,  daughter  of  Aaron  J.  Loughry. 
Children :  Savilla  M.  and  Anna  M.  He  lives  3  miles  from 
St.  George. 

Isaac  A.  Gilivigee,  son  of  David  Gilmore,  of  Scotch  and 
German  descent,  was  born  in  1824  in  the  Horse  Shoe ;  was 
married  in  1843  to  Margaret  Skidmore.  In  1862  his  wife 
died,  and  he  married  Electa  C,  daughter  of  William  Miller, 
of  Licking  District.  Again  in  1866  his  wife  died,  and  he 
married  M.  J.,  daughter  of  John  S.  Hart,  of  Eandolph  ;  is 
a  farmer,  lives  14  miles  from  St.  George,  and  has  been  sev- 
eral times  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 

Nelson  A.  Gilmoee  was  born  in  1860,  son  of  D.  H.  Gil- 
more,  lives  14  miles  from  St.  George  on  Shafer's  Fork. 

Isaac  B.  GoD^^^N  was  born  in  1817,  in  Preston  County,  of 
Irish  and  German  descent.  In  1838  he  married  Mary  Coff- 
man,  of  Barbour.  He  lives  at  Limestone,  7  miles  from  St. 
George.  Children :  Lyda,  Eobert,  Jacob,  Sarah,  Barbara 
E.,  Mary  E.  and  Andrew. 

Geoege  F.  Geiffith,  brother  of  James  Griffith,  was  born 
in  1856.  In  1876  he  married  Sarah  Caroline  Harper.  His 
wife  died  in  1882.  For  a  second  wife  he  married  Laura 
Wolf,  of  Barbour.  He  is  by  trade  a  carpenter,  and  follows 
the   business  at   St.   George.     For   4  years  he    was  to^vn 


412  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

councilman.  His  father  died  at  Wheeling,  while  in  the 
Union  army,  and  his  brother  died  in  St.  George  from  the 
effects  of  a  gun-shot,  accidentally  received  while  hunting  on 
the  river  above  town. 

S.  W.  Geoghan  was  born  in  Barbour  in  1851,  of  Irish  de- 
scent ;  married  Eliza  P.  Poling  in  1871.  Children :  Cor- 
lista  B.,  Geneva  E.,  Patrick  M.,  Lyeton  L.,  Carrie  M., 
Orinetta  and  Staley  W.;  is  a  farmer  and  lumberman. 

H. 

W.  F.  Haesh,  son  of  Adam  Harsh,  was  born  in  1861.; 
married  in  1883  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  William  Godwin; 
lives  on  Texas  Mountain,  8  miles  from  St.  George. 

George  E.  HELisncK,  son  of  Mathias  Helmick,  born  in 
Pendleton  County  in  1853  ;  is  of  English  descent ;  married 
in  1872,  to  Phebe  Somerfield  ;  farmer,  owning  168  acres, 
35  improved,  7  miles  from  St.  George.  Children  :  Mathias, 
Manda  M.,  Isaac  H.,  Mary  E.,  Lenora  E.,  Eosetta,  Susan  P. 
and  Hulda  J. 

Geoege  I.  HovATTEE,  SOU  of  Christopher  Hovatter,  was 
born  in  1858 ;  married  in  1879  to  Olive,  daughter  of  E. 
Kiser,  of  Barbour  County ;  farmer,  37  acres,  3  acres  im- 
proved, 5  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Bull  Eun.  Tabitha  M. 
is  their  only  child. 

Da^id  Hovattee,  son  of  Christopher  Hovatter,  was  born 
in  1810 ;  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Hesakiah  Thomp- 
son ;  died  1881.  Children :  Hesakiah,  Malinai  J.,  Susan, 
Michael,  Henry,  David,  John,  lugaby  and  Elizabeth. 

Isaac  Hovattee.  of  German  descent,  son  of  William 
Hovatter,  was  born  in  1854,  in  Barbour  County  ;  married  in 
1881  to  Emily  C,  daughter  of  Theodore  B.  Lipscomb.  He 
lives  on  a  farm  of  102  acres,  60  acres  improved,  6  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Licking.     His  child's  name  is  Carrie  M. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  413 

George  M.  Hovatter,  brother  to  Isaac,  was  born  1846, 
married  1868  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Jacob  Nester.  His 
farm  contains  768  acres,  35  acres  of  which  is  improved.  He 
lives  6  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texas  Mountain.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Union  Home  Guard,  in  Barbour  County, 
during  the  war.  Children :  William  W.,  Milla  M.,  Salon 
B.,  Harriet  M.  and  Wade  H. 

David  Hovatter,  from  Barbour  County,  is  the  son  of 
David  Hovatter,  and  was  born  in  1853 ;  in  1877  he  married 
Tena  L.,  daughter  of  George  Shahan  ;  is  a  farmer,  owning 
72  acres,  10  of  which  are  improved  ;  lives  5  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Bull  Run.  Children :  Charles,  Lillie  C.  and 
Wilbert. 

John  W.  HEL:.riCK,  born  1860,  in  Pendleton  County ;  of 
English  descent;  married  in  1882,  to  Phebe  J.  Waybright; 
is  a  farmer,  living  in  the  Sugar  Lands,  five  miles  from  St. 
George.     They  have  one  child,  named  Sloma  C. 

Lloyd  Hansford,  son  of  W.  W.  Hansford,  of  Black  Fork, 
w^as  born  March  16,  1857.  In  his  younger  school  years  he 
attended  school  under  S.  R.  Dumire,  Miss  Jane  Parsons, 
V.  X.  Gribble,  A.  B.  Parsons  and  P.  Lipscomb.  This  was 
at  the  Mount  Pleasant  School.  Lloyd  entered  the  Fair- 
mont Normal  School  in  September,  1876,  and  graduated  in 

1879,  being  the  first  graduate  in  Tucker  from  any  of  the 
Normal  Schools  of  the  State.  While  in  the  Normal  School, 
he  served  awhile  as  instructor  in  the  mathematical  depart- 
ment, xlfterward  he  came  home  and  taucfht  a  select  school 
at  Alum  Hill,  and  from  his  school  sent  fourteen  applicants 
before  the  Board  of  Examiners,  and  they  were  all  granted 
certificates.     The  school  of  ten  weeks  closed  in  September, 

1880,  and  he  entered  into  a  stock   company   whose   object 


414  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

was  to  foster  the  Tucker  Democrat^  wliicli,  at  that  time,  was 
not  self-sustaining.  The  company  numbered  among  its 
members  Senator  Ewin,  A.  B.  Parsons,  L.  S,  Anvil  and 
others.  Hansford  was  elected  Editor ;  for,  it  seems  that 
the  paper  was  conducted  on  the  plan  of  those  religious  de- 
nominations that  elect  their  preacher  instead  of  selecting 
him,  or  allowing  him  to  select  himself.  Hansford,  with 
almost  no  experience  in  the  business,  was  elected  to  manage 
the  paper  the  first  year. 

On  the  19th  of  Sept.,  1880,  he  was  appointed  principal  of 
the  Fetterman  school,  with  two  assistants.  The  newspaper 
business  had  furnished  him  plenty  of  hardwork;  but  the 
pay  had  not  been  as  good  as  he  wished.  He  had  mean- 
while, been  studying  the  law,  under  Caleb  Boggess,  of 
Clarksburg."' 

In  1881  he  was  appointed  first  assistant  in  the  Piedmont 
Graded  School,  which  he  accepted.  He  then  took  con- 
tracts on  the  W.  Ya.  C.  &  P.  B.  W.  and  worked  just  one 
year,  at  various  kinds  of  work  and  with  different  crews  of 
men.  He  belonged  to  the  engineer  corps  that  located  the 
railroad  from  Fairfax  to  Bever.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
teacher  of  the  St.  George  school,  xlt  the  convention  of 
June  7,  1884,  he  received  the  nomination  for  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Tucker  County.  He  is  a  young  man  of  steady 
habits,  and  has  a  good  education. 

Albeet  Hovattee  was  born  in  1864,  son  of  Elton  Hovat- 
ter,  lives  on  a  rented  farm  four  miles  from  St.  George. 

Stephen  Harsh,  son  of  Andrew  Harsh,  of  German  de- 
scent, was  born  in  1851,  and  married  in  1874  to  Dortlia  E. 
Goff;  lives   6    miles  from   St.  George,    on    the   Limestone 


•  For  a  sketcli  of  Hansford  as  a  lawyer  see  "  Historj  of  tlie  St.  George  Bar,"  in  this 
l)00l<:. 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  415 

road ;  farm  of  95  acres  witli  40  acres  improved.  Cliildren : 
Cora  Ann,  Walter  McChire,  Josephine  Gertrude,  Samuel  S., 
Dora  May  and  Nora  Lee.  He  belongs  to  a  family  of  great 
physical  strength  and  power  of  endurance. 

Reuben  W.  Hebb,  son  of  John  Hebb,  was  born  in  1847, 
in  Preston  County;  married  in  1874,  to  Margaret  James. 
Children :  Jasper  L.,  Sarah  0.,  Harvey  D.  and  George  H.; 
is  a  farmer  and  lives  on  Location,  foiu'  miles  from  St. 
George. 

T.  F.  Hebb,  of  English  descent,  son  of  Thomas  Hebb,  was 
born  in  1823'- ;  marrie^l  in  1842  to  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Hiram  Sanders ;  his  wdfe  died  in  1853,  and  he  married  Mary 
Ann,  daughter  of  Levi  Lipscomb.  Children  :  Sarah  A., 
Thomas  F.,  John  C,  Joseph  H.  and  Martha  E.;  lives  5 
miles  below  St.  George  on  a  farm  of  175  acres,  of  which  75 
acres  are  im^Droved ;  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1876 ;  has 
held  several  offices  in  the  county ;  he  was  on  the  board  of 
supervisors  in  1866,  and  held  office  until  the  constitution 
went  out  of  force  ;  held  the  position  of  president  of  the 
board  of  education  for  12  years.  In  1861,  he  entered  the 
Union  army,  and  remained  in  it  until  1865  ;  was  at  Eowles- 
burg  when  Jones  made  his  raid  into  that  quarter  ;  was  in 
several  skirmishes  and  in  one  of  them  had  his  knee  thrown 
out  of  place,  from  the  effect  of  Vvliich  his  right  side  has  ever 
since  been  almost  helpless. 

John  Hebb,  son  of  T.  F.  Hebb,  born  1847,  married  1871, 
to  Marcilla,  daughter  of  David  H.  Lipscomb.  Children  : 
Maud  C,  Charles  W.,  Albert  T.,  Augusta  Lee,  Solomon  E., 

*T.  F.  Ilebb's  graudfatlier  was  sent  to  America  during  the  Kevolutionary  war,  as  a 
British  soldier.  After  he  landed  he  deserted  and  joined  the  Americans.  He  was  dis- 
charged from  service  before  the  close  of  the  war,  hut  when  Cornwall  is  raided  into 
Virginia,  he  again  took  the  field  in  common  with  the  Virginia  troops  and  was  present 
at  the  battle  of  Yorlctown,  which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  British. 


416  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Ira  C,  and  baby.     He  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  five  miles  below 
St.  George. 

David  B.  Hansford,  born  1863,  son  of  Wesley  Hansford ; 
lives  12  miles  above  St.  George,  on  a  farm  of  70  acres, 
one-tliird  improved. 

John  Hansford,  of  English  descent,  born  1832,  son  of 
Acra  Hansford ;  married,  1858,  to  Savana,  dangliter  of  John 
Bright.  Children :  Benjamin  F.,  Anzalina,  Florence  O., 
Cornelius  P.,  Jeremiah  A.,  Montiville  M.  G.,  Margaret  and 
Columbia  C.  He  owns  one-half  acre  of  land  on  Pleasant 
Run ;  was  John  Losh's  partner  in  hifnting  during  one  win- 
ter ;  lives  12  miles  above  St.  George. 

Joseph  H.  Hebb,  son  of  T.  F.  Hebb,  was  born  in  1849 ; 
lives  on  Limestone,  4  miles  from  St.  George  ;  married  in 
1879  to  Mary  E.  Goff.  Children  :  Eddy  May,  Lyda  M.  C. 
and  Bertha  E. 

Phillip  M.  Helmick,  son  of  Miles  Helmick,  of  Pendleton 
County,  was  born  in  1856,  and  married  in  1877  to  Nancy  R. 
daughter  of  Isaac  Parsons,  of  Cheat  River.  When  he  mar- 
ried he  was  21  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  was  66.  In  1883, 
his  wife  died,  and  the  same  year  he  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Mathias  Helmick ;  is  a  farmer,  owning  62  acres 
of  land,  35  acres  improved. 

xiBRAHAM  L.  Helmick  was  born  in  1864,  son  of  A.  B.  Hel- 
mick, of  English  descent,  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George  in 
the  Sugar  Lands ;  been  in  Tucker  since  1872. 

George  W.  Helmick,  brother  of  Philip,  born  in  1860.  In 
1878  he  married  Alice  Simmons.  Children  :  Nettie  Y.,  Wil- 
son and  Laura ;  lives  on  a  farm  of  7  acres  with  2  acres 
partl}^  improved,  6  miles  from  St.  George,  on  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  Sugar  Lands. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  417 

M.  P.  Helmick,  born  1838,  was  a  son  of  Miles  Helmick ; 
was  married  in  1858,  to  Elizabeth,  daiigliter  of  George  Hel- 
mick. She  died,  and  he  married  Susana  Davis,  of  Pendle- 
ton County.  Children:  John  W.,  James  B.,  Martha  L., 
Floyd  Y.,  Hendron  McClure,  Alfred  Hampton,  Becca  and 
Arthur;  is  a  farmer  of  160  acres  in  the  Sugar  Lands  ;  was 
in  the  Confederate  army  at  Garnett's  defeat  at  Corrick's 
Ford.  Afterwards  he  joined  the  Union  army,  and  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

Abr.aha^i  Helmick,  born  1842,  in  Pendleton  Count}*,  son 
of  Miles  Helmick ;  married,  1861,  to  Catharine  MuUennax. 
She  died  in  1877,  and  he  married  Prudence,  daughter  of 
William  Ware,  of  Randolph  County.  Children  :  xlbraham 
L.,  Georgiana,  x4.1bert,  Martin  Ploward  and  Effie  Huldy  ;  is 
a  farmer  of  116  acres,  with  50  acres  improved,  almost  every 
foot  of  which  he  has  cleared  himself  ;  has  a  large  part  of 
his  farm  sown  down  in  grass,  and  cuts  a  considerable 
amount  of  hay,  which  he  feeds  to  stock;  is  a  prosperous 
farmer,  and  lives  in  the  Sugar  Lands,  seven  miles  from  St. 
George.  He  joined  the  Confederate  army  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war.  At  Alleghany  he  was  shot  through 
the  shoulder  by  a  Minie-ball,  and  at  Laurel  Hill  he  was 
knocked  down  bv  a  shell ;  was  in  Garnett's  retreat.  In 
Virginia,  soon  after, he  left  the  Confederate  army  and  joined 
the  Union.  He  was  in  several  battles,  Gett3'sburg  among 
them,  and  was  also  in  several  skirmishes  along  the  B.  k  O. 
R.  R.,  notably  that  of  Paw  Paw  Tunnel  ;  he  fought  through 
the  entire  war,  and  lias  since  lived  on  a  farm.  Once  he 
came  near  being  killed  by  a  bear  which  he  had  caught  in  a 
trap.  It  tore  loose  and  tried  to  catch  him,  and  he  coidd 
only  spring  up  a  tree,  taking  his  gun  Avith  him.  Finally,  he 
fehot  the  bear. 

27 


418  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Mathias  Helmick,  born  1828,  son  of  George  Helmick,  of 
Handolpli  County,  married  Mehina  Yandevanter.  Children  : 
Sarali  C,  George  E.,  Eobert,  Charles  D.,  Sansom  D.,  Phoebe, 
Phillip  M.,  Mordicaai  P.,  Marj^  J.,  Martha  E.  and  Simon. 
Mathias  was  one  of  the  Dry  Fork  Home  Gnards,  and  had 
many  skirmishes. 

EoBEPiT  Helmick,  born  in  1855,  son  of  Mathias  Helmick ; 
married  Martha  Boner,  of  Dry  Fork,  daughter  of  Arch. 
Boner.  Children  :  Walter  F.  and  Simon  S.;  farmer,  7  miles 
from  St.  George,  in  Sugar  Lands. 

William  Hull,  of  English  and  Irish  descent,  was  born  in 
Hampshire  County,  in  1822  ;  married  Jemima  Tucker  and 
lives  on  a  farm  on  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  five  miles  from  St. 
George.  Children:  Mary  E.,  James  F.,  Thomas  M.,  Gib- 
son T.,  John  O.,  Upton  Seymour,  William  W.,  Yirginia  I. 
and  Harriet  Isabel. 

G.  T.  Hull,  son  of  William  Hull,  born  1852 ;  married  in 
1875,  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  George  Spesert,  of  Horse 
Shoe  Eun.  Children :  William  H,,  Mary  J.,  Alberta  and 
Lizzie  Delia  ;  he  liyes  in  St.  George. 

David  Haxsfoed,  son  of  Acra  Hansford,  was  born  in  1837, 
and  married  in  1865,  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Joshua  Yanscoy. 
Children:  Hamon  L.,  Perry  J.,  Columbus  B.,  Laverna  J., 
George  Harmon,  Margaret  C.  and  Delphia  May. 

Ekahmus  a.  Hammon,  born  in  1846,  in  Yirginia ;  married, 
1871,  to  Sarali  A.,  daughter  of  Abraham  Inlow  ;  owns  92 
acres  of  land,  with  25  acres  of  improvement.  Children : 
Ephriam  F.  and  Daisy  Ellen. 

E.  Haupeu.  a  full  history  of  E.  Harper  is  given  in  other 
parts  of  this  book,  therefore  it  is  not  cjiven  here.     He  lives 


BRIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  419 

four  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover  Run,  and  is  a  farmer 
and  doctor,  and  owns  4,500  acres  of  land. 

William  P.  Hebb,  son  of  John  Hebb,  was  born  in  1832 , 
and  was  married  to  Margaret  Lipscomb  in  1853.  Children  : 
Jemima  C,  Mary  E.,  James  A.,  Berlinda  J.,  Delia  Y.,  Mel- 
vina  M.,  William  H.,  Reuben  T.,  Daniel  K.,  Ida  M.,  Arthur 
Levi,  George  W.  and  Margaret  G.  His  farm  of  100  acres  is 
half  improved  ;  4  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Location.  He 
was  taken  prisoner  bj  the  men  who  came  into  Tucker  with 
McChesnej,  and  was  carried  to  Rich  Mountain  ;  was  a  pris- 
oner, tied  to  S.  E.  Parsons  in  Garnett's  retreat.  Parsons 
escaped  on  Hog  Back,  but  Hebb  Avas  carried  to  Petersburg, 
tried  and  liberated.  After  this  he  joined  the  Union  army, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  b}"  Jones  at  the  time  of  his  raid  on 
Rowlesburg,  but  was  kept  only  one  day. 

James  B.  Helmick,  son  of  P.  M.  Helmick,  born  in  1864 ; 
is  a  laborer  by  occupation. 

B.  F.  Haxsfobd,  son  of  J.  M.  Hansford,  was  born  in  1859, 
and  married  in  1877,  to  Barbara  M.,  daughter  of  Moses 
Phillips.  Children:  Ida  J.,  Harriet  D.  and  Lamiria  ;  farms 
7  acres  of  improved  land,  and  owns  40  acres  of  wild  land 
on  Clover  Run. 

J.  S.  Haet,  born  1853,  in  Penns3dvania  ;  married  Alice 
Stone  in  1875.  Children  :  Ida  P.  and  Walter  L. ;  is  a  far- 
mer of  33  acres,  with  20  acres  of  tilled  land,  on  Location,  5 
miles  from  St.  George. 

GeobCtE  Hopkins,  of  English  and  German  descent,  was  born 
in  Preston  County ;  married  Mary  E.  Spesert  in  1859,  and 
has  since  lived  in  Tucker  County,  and  been  a  farmer.  Chil- 
dren :  Ida  Ellen  and  Levi  AVesley ;  owns  68  acres  of  land,  ten 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  the  waters  of  Horse  Shoe  Run. 


420  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

Levi  Hile  was  born  about  1817,  in  Germany;  is  a  man 
peculiar  and  eccentric,  and  is  well  known  over  tlie  county, 
many  people  claiming  tliat  lie  lias  supernatural  power  in 
controlling  bees,  wasps,  yellow-jackets  and  stinging  insects. 
He  claims  tliis  power,  and  is  willing  to  take  a  good  stinging 
in  order  to  make  people  believe  tliat  tlie  bees  will  not  sting 
liim  ;  will  walk  into  a  liornet's  nest  and  claim  tliat  tliey  do 
not  liarm  liim.  They  do  sting  liim,  but  it  seems  tlie  effect 
is  sliglit  on  liim.  He  married  Nancy  Gower,  and  tlieir  cliil- 
dren  are,  Mary,  Anamelia  and  Samuel ;  is  a  farmer,  living 
on  Hile  Bun,  9  miles  from  St.  George. 

I. 

A.  J.  Irons,  son  of  Henry  Irons,  was  born  in  Maryland, 

in  1841  ;  is  of  German  descent,  and  was  married,  in  1862, 

to  Amanda,  daughter  of  John  Bright.     Children  :  Malinda, 

Seymour  G.,  Thomas  J.,  Margaret  D.,  Emma   T.,  Clara  D., 

Ara  B.,  Flossa  L.,  Henry  J.  and  Harlan  E.    His  farm  of  235 

acres,  100  improved,  is  on  Shafer's  Fork,  14  miles  from  St. 

George.     Mr.  Irons  is  road  survevor  and  a  member  of  the 

board  of  education. 

J. 

EuGENUS    Johnson,  son  of  Robert  Johnson,   of  English 

and  German  descent,  lives  on  Black  Fork,  11  miles  from  St. 

George,  where  he  has  75  acres  of  cleared  land  on  a  farm  of 

125  acres;  also  follows  the  blacksmith  business;  was  born 

in  1852  ;  was  once  elected  constable,  but  did  not  serve.     In 

1875,  he  married  Martha  A.,  daughter  of  Madison  Lambert. 

Children  :  Luther  M.,  Elizabeth  M.  and  Rosa  Belle.     In  his 

life  he  killed  9  bears. 

H.  J.  Johnson,  brother  to  Eugenus,  was  born  in  1842, 
and  married  in  1875,  to  Amanda,  daughter  of  Adonijah 
Phillips.     His  farm  contains  350  acres,  with  40  acres  under 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  421 

cultivation.  Children  :  Ezekiel  H.,  Harper  J.,  Jacob  C.  and 
Birdie  C.  He  lives  on  Dry  Fork,  12  miles  from  St.  George  ; 
was  in  the  Confederate  army  18  months,  and  was  with  Im- 
boden  on  his  first  raid  into  Tncker.  In  his  life  he  has  killed 
20  bears. 

Sampson  O.  Johnson,  son  of  E.  P.  Johnson,  was  born  in 
Eandolph  in  1852,  and  in  1869  married  Alice,  daughter  of 
Jesse  Davis,  of  Pendleton  County.  Children :  Stephen, 
Archibald  and  Benjamin  ;  lives  on  rented  land,  22  miles 
fi'om  St,  George,  on  Dry  Fork ;  was  married  at  17  years  of 
age. 

J.  M.  Jent?:ins  was  born  in  1831,  in  Preston  County.  In 
1855  he  was  married  to  Ann  C.  Houston,  of  Pennsylvania ; 
of  Welch  and  Irish  descent.  Children:  William  B.,  Sadie, 
Silas,  Frank,  Ella,  Delia,  Alverda,  Dessie  and  Delton. 
Stone  and  brick  mason;  been  in  Tucker  since  1874;  at 
present  lives  in  St.  George.  In  1882  he  was  a  candidate 
for  the  Legislature,  but  was  not  elected.  In  stone-work  he 
has  done  some  large  contracts  on  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
roads. 

E.  P.  Johnson  was  born  in  1821,  in  Pendleton  County,  of 
English  and  Irish  descent.  Married  in  1846  to  S.  A.  White, 
of  Eandolph.  In  1861  his  Avife  died,  and  he  married  Provy 
Watts;  he  lives  25  miles  from  St.  Geor<2fe  on  Drv  Fork. 
He  is  constable.  Children  :  Sampson,  Sarah  E.,  Elizabeth, 
Susan  and  Anna. 

Samuel  H.  James,  son  of  Isaac  James,  was  born  in  1854, 
of  English  descent.  Married  in  1877  to  Delia  Y.  Hebb, 
daughter  of  William  Hebb ;  he  lives  at  Limestone,  10  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  a  farm.  Children :  Berlinda,  Charles 
W.,  Bertie  B.  and  Stella  F. 


422  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Thomas  J.  Jones,  of  English  and  German  descent,  son  of 
Jolm  Jones,  born  1850,  was  married  in  1874  to  Virginia 
M.,  daughter  of  John  White.  He  farms  on  Limestone,  5 
miles  from  St.  George ;  his  farm  of  175  acres  of  land  has  11 
acres  improved.  Children :  John  U.,  Etta  Margaret  Tilden, 
Melissa  Eunice,  Marcilla  V.  and  McClnre  Burr. 

L.  W.  James  is  of  English  descent,  lives  at  Limestone ; 
born  1858,  and  has  taught  school  three  times  on  certificates 
No.  2  and  3. 

Geop.ge  W.  Jones,  son  of  Jolm  Jones,  born  1848,  in  Ean- 
dolph  Count}-  married,  1874,  Elvina  J.,  daughter  of  Theo- 
dore Lipscomb.  She  died  in  1879,  and  in  1882,  he  married 
Martha,  daughter  of  John  Stemple.  Children  :  Leonora  A., 
Arthur  C.  and  Lulu  Octavia ;  farmer,  lives  6  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Pifer  Mountain ;  owns  122  acres,  25  acres  im- 
proved ;  has  worked  considerably  at  the  carpenter  trade. 

Daniel  Judah,  of  Virginia,  was  born  1802,  and  is  of  Ger- 
man descent;  married  Judah  McCallister  in  1826,  whose 
name  then  became  Judah  Judah.  Judah  was  working  in 
the  harvest  field  on  his  wedding  day,  and  quit  work  at  the 
appointed  hour,  went  to  the  house,  was  married  and  re- 
tured  immediately  to  the  field.  Children:  Mar}^,  Nancy, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  Lvda.  He  came  to  West  Yircfinia  in 
1834,  and  lived  for  a  while  on  Stemple  Kidge,  and  he  then 
moved  to  the  farm  where  S.  N.  Swisher  now  lives.  After 
that  he  lived  nearly  every  place  on  Horse  Shoe  Run. 

Ephraim  H.  James,  born  1819,  of  English  descent,  was 
married  in  1849,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Dumire  ;  lives 
on  Location,  4  miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm  of  eleven 
acres,  with  four  improved.  His  wife  died  in  1879,  and  he 
married  Mrs.  Louisa  Weese,  who  died  in  1882,  and  he  then 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  423 

married  Mrs.  Eutli  Lipscomb.  Children :  Sarali  Jane, 
Elizabetli,  Catharine,  George  "W.,  S.  Loman,  Jacob  M.  and 
Ulysses  G. 

Samuel  L.  James,  born  1849,  son  of  E.  James ;  married 
in  1874,  to  Jemima,  daughter  of  AViliiam  Hebb  ;  lives  four 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  the  Location,  where  he  owns  a 
farm  of  152  acres,  with  70  improved  ;  is  a  road  surveyor  ; 
has  five  children  dead,  and  one,  John  F.,  living. 

John  Jones,  born  in  Mar3dand,  1821.  His  parents  were 
of  German  and  French  descent,  from  Rockingham  County, 
Va.  In  1840,  he  married  Unice  DeMoss,  of  Monongalia 
County.  Children :  George  W.,  Hannah  J.,  Martha  A., 
Thomas  J.,  Henry  C.  and  John  E.  He  is  a  farmer  and  has 
lived  within  a  few  miles  of  St.  Gero2;e  ever  since  he  was  16 
years  old.  He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  Tucker 
County  after  its  formation.  In  1865,  he  held  the  office  of 
supervisor,  and  in  1882  was  elected  county  commissioner. 
In  the  war  he  leaned  toward  the  South.  Latham  took  him 
prisoner  and  carried  him  to  Belington,  and  held  him  a  few 
days.  He  was  carried  to  Philippi  by  Capt  Holler,  and  was 
again  released.  He  was  a  captain  of  the  Confederate  Home 
Guards.  He  lost  a  son,  James  W.,  in  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice, who  was  taken  sick  of  a  fever  brouiilit  about  bv  over- 
work  as  a  carrier  of  dispatches,  and  died  near  Monterey,  on 
the  Huttonsville  road.  His  farm  of  150  acres  is  six  miles 
west  of  St.  George,  in  Clover  District. 

K. 

J.  M.  Knapp  was  born  in  1859,  in  Upshur  County,  AV.  Ya., 
of  Irish  and  German  descent.  Carpenter,  owns  100  acres 
of  land  on  Haddix  ;  been  in  the  county  since  1880. 

John   W.    Keisep^,  Avhose  father's   ]:>aptismal    nam.e   was 


42i  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Resin,  was  born  in  1858,  in  Barbonr  Connt}^  of  German 
descent ;  married  in  1880,  to  Tobitlia  C.  Phillips ;  Farmer 
of  113  acres,  30  acres  improved,  7  miles  from  St.  George  on 
Clover. 

William  A.  Knotts,  son  of  Robert  Knotts,  was  born  in 
1856.  Married  Clara  B.,  daughter  of  S.  R.  Fansler.  He 
lives  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  5  miles  from  St.  George,  and  is  a 
farmer.     Their  child's  name  is  Albert  C. 

RoBEiiT  K.  Knotts,  of  English  descent,  son  of  Robert 
Kotts,  born  in  Marion  Count}',  W.  Ya.,  in  1818.  Married 
in  1840,  to  Fanny,  daughter  of  Frederick  Harsh,  of  Preston 
County.  Children:  Martin  Luther,  Ellen,  John  A.,  James, 
Stephen  A.  and  AYilliam  A.  He  has  110  acres  of  improved 
land  on  a  farm  of  180  acres.  He  has  been  in  Tucker  since 
1852,  and  "has  held  no  office,  except  the  plow  handles." 

Mr.  Knotts  began  for  himself  with  but  little  on  which  to 
go,  except  health  and  industry.  He  commenced  in  the 
woods,  and  the  first  j-ear  raised  40  bushels  of  sound  corn, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  selling  corn  every  year.  The 
first  year  he  killed  21  deer  within  one  mile  of  the  house ; 
he  generally  killed  from  10  to  20  a  year  for  20  years.  He 
never  hunted  except  in  tbe  morning  before  breakfast. 
Often  he  would  kill  two  and  three  and  get  home  in  time  for 
breakfast;  he  sometimes  carried  venison  to  West  Union 
and  sold  it.  Bear  skins  were  worth  from  $1.50  to  $7  each. 
He  probably  had  the  most  remarkable  adventure  with 
panthers  that  was  ever  in  the  county  or  State.  One  Sunday 
morning  he  Avent  hunting  as  was  his  custom,  and  met  three 
panthers,  and  he  shot  one  dead  where  it  stood.  The  largest 
of  the  remaining  sat  down  and  watched  him  until  he  had 
reloaded.  He  shot  it,  but  it  ran  yelling  into  the  woods  and 
the  other  followed  it ;  he  reloaded  his  gun,  and  presently 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  425 

tlie  unliiii't  beast  came  galloping  back  to  look  for  its  partner. 
He  shot  it  dead.  The  one  that  was  wounded  also  died, 
making  three  panthers  that  he  killed  without  moving  from 
his  tracks.     This  was  his  last  hunting  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

M.  L.  Knotts,  son  of  K.  K.  Knotts,  was  born  in  1837,  in 
Preston  County.  In  1859  he  married  Margaret  E.,  daughter 
of  Enos  Sell,  of  Preston  County ;  he  lives  10  miles  from  St. 
George  on  Maxwell's  Piun,  where  he  owns  a  farm  of  168 
acres,  75  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  has  been  a 
hunter,  but  not  so  great  a  one  as  his  father ;  he  has  killed  8 
"bears  and  1  panther,  11  feet  long.  Children :  John  J., 
Enos.  E.,  Fanny  E.,  Mary  E.,  Susan  Adaline,  Jennie  E., 
Laura  Belle,  and  Stella  Maud. 

J.  Z.  T.  Keener  was  born  1817  in  Taylor  Count}^ ;  married 
in  1878  to  M.  A.,  daughter  of  James  Miller.  He  came  from 
Ireland,  where  his  father  v;as  drowned  when  the  son  was 
small.  He  keeps  a  boarding  house  at  Dobbin's  old  hotel,  in 
Canada,  and  lost  a  leg  by  a  wagon's  upsetting,  at  Mingo 
Flats. 

Joseph  Kepnee,  a  shoemaker  of  St.  George,  was  born  in 
Maryland,  1852.  In  his  3^ounger  days  he  lived  principally  at 
Oakland.  In  1876  he  married  Hellen  M.  Jones.  The  next 
year,  1877,  ho  came  to  St.  George.  Before  that  time  he 
had  worked  at  his  trade  in  New  York  and  Marvland.  Their 
children  are  :  Margaret  Jane,  Franklin  P.,  Harry  G.,  George 
M.,  Carrie  Adams  and  Enos  Duncan. 

Jasper  Kalak,  born  1852,  son  of  Jacob  Kalar,  of  German 
descent,  lives  on  Shafer's  Fork,  12  miles  from  St.  George ; 
married  1872  to  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Channel, 
of  Tavlor  Countv.     He  owns  201  acres  of  land,  one-fifth  of 


426  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

it  being  improved.  Cliildren :  Howard  D.,  Olive  Blanche, 
Stark  F.  and  Harriet. 

William  A.  Kalar,  born  1849,  brother  of  Jasper  Kalar ; 
married  1873  to  Martha,  daughter  of  Daniel  Hart,  of  Ran- 
dolph. Children :  Carrie  A.,  Delphia  A.  and  Albert  Blaine. 
He  is  a  farmer,  living  on  Shafer's  Fork,  12  miles  from  St. 
George,  and  owns  75  acres  of  land  with  40  acres  improved. 

John  Knotts,  son  of  R.  K.  Knotts,  was  born  in  1841; 
married  1862  to  Lettie,  daughter  of  George  Spesert.  Chil- 
dren :  Mar  J  I.,  George  William,  Sarah  Laverna,  Dora  Ann 
and  Lavina  Alice.  He  is  a  farmer  of  197  acres,  with  25 
acres  improved,  and  with  an  orchard  of  thirty-five  apple 
trees,  on  Hog  Back,  12  miles  from  St.  George.  He  has 
been  and  still  is  a  successful  hunter,  having  killed  many 
deer  and  bears. 

R.  W.  Knapp,  of  Pocahontas  County,  was  born  in  1831 
and  married  1851  to  Mar}^  Woodhull.  Children:  Delilah 
Margaret,  George  B.,  John  M.,  Elmira  F.,  Ida  E.  C,  Olive 
C,  Marietta  Y.,  Lorenzo  D.  He  is  a  farmer  of  152  sicres, 
with  10  acres  improved,  six  miles  from  St.  George,  and  was 
in  the  Union  army. 

William  E.  Kight,  born  1856,  in  Maryland ;  married,  in 
1880,  to  Harriet  M.  Welsh.  Children :  Elsie  Elizabeth, 
Edward  Garfield  and  a  baby ;  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  on 
Lead  Mine. 

Stephen  Knotts  lives  on  Closs  Mountain ;  born  1851; 
married  1870,  to  Christina  Spesert ;  is  a  farmer  of  118  acres, 
with  12  acres  improved. 

Isaac  Lipscomb,  son  of  Theodore  B.,  was  born  1858.  He 
is  a  farmer,  owning  53  acres,  and  lives  9  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Licking. 


BRIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  427 

J.oiES  KiSNEE,  born  1849,  iu  Maryland  ;  married  Eliza- 
beth White,  who,  dying,  he  married  Columbia  White,  in 
1867  ;  has  110  acres  of  wild  land,  and  70  acres  of  improved 
land ;  lives  6  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Limestone ;  has 
been  in  Tucker  since  1872. 

James  Kxotts,  born  1815,  son  of  R.  K.  Knotts ;  married 
in  1866,  to  Teena  M.,  daughter  of  Christian  Willis.  Chil- 
dren :  William  Arnold,  Amos  and  Mary  E.  He  farms  10 
acres  of  improved  land  and  has  85  acres  of  woodland  on 
Twelve  Mile  Creek,  13  miles  from  St.  George.  He  has  killed 
four  bears,  and  has  had  some  remarkable  fights  with  them. 

L. 

Stuart  S.  Lambert,  son  of  James  B.  Lambert,  born  1843, 
in  Pendleton  County;  German  descent;  married,  1862, 
Emily  Nelson,  widow  of  William  Nelson,  and  daughter  of 
Catharine  Bower.  Their  children  are,  Henry  C,  Susan, 
Emily  C,  U.  S.  G.,  James  B.,  Riley  and  Etta.  He  is  a  far- 
mer, owning  25  acres,  with  15  acres  improved,  on  Dry  Fork, 
24  miles  from  St.  George;  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1850. 
He  taught  one  school  on  a  No.  5  certificate ;  was  enumerator 
of  the  census  in  1880.  He  was  a  Union  man  during  the 
war,  and  was  in  the  troops  called  the  R.  R.  Guards,  under 
General  Kelly.  He  is  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church. 

James  B.  Lambert,  born  1854,  son  of  James  H.  Lam- 
bert; married  in  1876,  to  Alice  J.,  daughter  of  Solomon 
Boner.  Children  :  Laura  M.,  Yerna  Olive  and  Walter  W. 
He  owns  402  arces,  100  acres  improved,  24  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Dry  Fork.  He  taught  t^vo  schools  on  No.  2 
certificates,  and  was  constable  two  years. 

James  H.    Lambert,   born   1828,   in   Pendleton   County, 


428  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

brother  to  Stuart  S.,  married,  1852,  to  America  A.,  daiigliter 
of  Catharine  Boner.  Children :  James  B.,  Christopher  C, 
Lorenzo  D.,  Nathaniel,  Edward,  Prosy  Ellen,  Annie  May 
and  Floda  Y.  He  is  a  farmer  of  extensive  means ;  OAvns  952 
acres  of  land,  of  which  100  is  improved;  has  been  in  Tuck- 
er since  1876  ;  taught  several  terms  of  school  in  Randolph 
County ;  was  a  captain  in  the  Union  army,  and  spent  three 
years  in  the  service,  mostly  in  Tucker  County. 

Samuel  H.  Lewis,  of  Penns^dvania,  born  1861  ;  came  to 
Tucker  with  C.  R.  Macomber  ;  married  Ida  Harding,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Harding,  for  whose  murder  a  negro  was 
hanged  at  Oakland,  Md.,  in  1883.  Children  :  Edna  May 
and  Stella  Pearl ;  is  a  laborer  at  Thomas. 

Moses  Lipscomb,  son  of  James  Lipscomb,  born  1848,  in 
Preston  County  ;  of  English  descent ;  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Price  Montgomery,  in  1874.  Children:  James  R., 
Summers  M.,  George  P.  and  Zora  E.  C.  He  lives  8  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  a  farm  of  172  acres,  with  3  acres  im- 
proved ;  is  said  to  be  the  strongest  man  in  Tucker  County. 

David  P,  Long,  son  of  Jacob  H.  Long,  of  English  de- 
scent, born  1856,  married  in  1878  to  Ruth,  daughter  of  W. 
YV^.  Hansford.  Children :  Gertie  Lestie  and  Claudius  Wil- 
son. He  lives  at  Fairfax,  where  he  is  employed  on  the 
railroad. 

L.  T.  Lambert,  son  of  James  H.  Lambert,  was  born  in 
1863,  is  a  farmer  and  lives  24  miles  from  St.  George  on  Dry 
Fork. 

H.  C.  Lajvibeet,  born  1852,  son  of  Stewart  S.  Lambert, 
lives  20  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dr}"  Fork ;  he  has  taught 
two  schools  with  No.  2  certificates. 

A.  Y.  Lambeet,  son  of  James  H.  Lambert,  born  1853; 


BEIEF   BIOGKAPHIES.  420 

marriecl  1875  to  Perie,  daugliter  of  Jackson  Slioonover,  of 
Raudolpli  County.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  on  Dry  Fork,  23 
miles  from  St.  George ;  he  lias  tauglit  three  schools  on  No. 
2  certificates,  as  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  another  chap- 
ter of  this  book.     Children  :  Carrie  E.,  Flora  A.  and  Denver. 

Jeff  Lipscomb,  son  of  P.  Lipscomb,  prosecuting  attorney 
for  Tucker  County,  was  born  October  8,  1862,  at  Aurora, 
Preston  County,  and  is  of  German  and  English  descent.  He 
has  lived  in  St.  George  for  ten  years.  Soon  after  the  found- 
ing of  The  Tucker  County  Pioneer,  he  entered  that  office  as  a 
devil,  and  remained  at  it  through  storm  and  calm,  and  rain 
and  shine,  for  four  years.  He  then  went  into  the  Clerk's 
office  as  a  copyist  for  John  J.  Adams,  and  remained  at  that 
business,  though  not  so  steadily,  for  a  year.  He  attended 
school  at  odd  times  all  his  life;  he  went  to  Fairmont  with 
the  intention  of  entering  the  normal  school,  but  he  did  not 
like  the  looks  of  the  building,  and  returned  to  St.  George 
and  went  to  work  in  the  clerk's  office.  This  was  his  business 
until  January,  1884,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
H.  and  C.  H.  Maxwell,  and  bought  the  Pioneer,  and  acted 
as  editor  and  business  manager  until  May,  1884,  when  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  paper  to  Hu  Maxwell  and  retired 
from  the  business.  He  then  entered  business  with  Yan 
Dusen  <fe  Co.,  of  New  York,  as  agent  for  their  nurseries,  and 
in  that  work  has  since  been  employed. 

Eman'uel  C.  Lipscomb,  born  1858,  son  of  G.  W.  Lipscomb, 
of  English  and  German  descent ;  married  1884  to  Martha 
A.,  daugliter  of  William  Weaver,  of  Barbour  County.  He 
is  a  farmer,  living  on  Location,  7  miles  from  St.  George, 
with  a  farm  of  143  acres,  30  acres  in  tillage. 

William  Luzieb,  of  Penns3dvania,  born  1840,  and  mar- 


430  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

ried  1865,  to  Mary  A.  Wimer ;  came  to  Tucker  in  1880,  and 
lias  a  farm  of  150  acres,  with  5  acres  improved,  six  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Location  Eidge.  He  spent  one  year 
in  the  Union  army,  was  wonnded  at  Winchester  and  dis- 
charged from  the  service.  Children:  Alvin  Y.,  James  E., 
Theodore  H.,  William  E.,  Anna  E.,  Tabithia  O.,  Hestala, 
Charles  E.,  Sarenas  B.  and  Justice. 

Petee  ^y.  Lipscomb,  son  of  W.  H.  Lipscomb,  was  born  in 
1860,  and  was  married  in  1882  to  Florence,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Dumire,  of  Limestone.  Their  child's  name  is 
William  J.;  his  farm  of  117  acres  has  90  acres  improved,  10 
miles  below  St.  George,  on  the  river.  He  has  taught  three 
schools:  Macadonia,  No.  2,  Licking  District,  and  the  White 
school. 

Philetus  LirscoMB,^''  son  of  Fieldon  Lipscomb,  was  born 
in  Preston  County,  September  3, 1868.  He  is  of  Saxon  de- 
scent. The  Lipscombs  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Yirginia.  He  attended  nothing  but  common  schools,  never 
graduated  at  any  school.t  He  has  taught  twenty-one 
schools  in  Maryland  and  West  Yirginia,  nearly  all  under 
No.  1  certificates.  In  1862  he  married  Anamelia,  daughter 
of  John  Gower,  of  Garrett  County,  Md.  Children :  Jeff, 
Camden,  Howard,  Florence  M.  and  Lawrence. 

P.  Lipscomb  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  1871, 
and  the  next  year  was  granted  license  to  practice,  having 
been  examined  by  Judges  Dille  and  Berkshire.  He  never 
studied  under  or  recited  a  lesson  to  a  lawyer  in  his  life. 
As  a  lawyer  he  has  been  successful,  having  practice  not  only 
in  the  Circuit  and  Supreme  Courts  of  W.  Ya.,  but  also  in 


•  See  History  of  the  St.  George  Bar  In  tliis  book, 

tThe  Lipscombs  came  from  Europe  to  Virginia,  thence  to  Monongalia  County,  W. 
Va.,  and  thence  to  Tucker. 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  431 

Maryland ;  liis  cases  liave  been  numerous  in  tlie  Circuit 
Courts  of  Tucker  and  tlie  adjoining  counties.  His  ability 
sets  ratlier  toward  criminal  practice ;  and,  liis  influence  over 
juries  is  plain  to  be  seen. 

He  lias  been  an  officer  of  one  kind  and  another  nearly 
ever  since  lie  came  to  Tucker  County ;  lie  was  county  su- 
perintendent four  years,  prosecuting  attorney  four  years, 
commissioner  to  settle  with  the  sherift'  four  years,  besides 
several  minor  positions,  such  as  town  and  corporation 
offices  and  member  of  the  countv  board  of  examiners  for 
teachers.  His  war  history  is  not  of  special  importance  ;  he 
was  eighteen  days  a  prisoner  having  been  taken  by  Heed. 
He  owns  tracts  of  land  in  different  parts  of  the  county. 

William  H.  Lipscomb  is  of  English  and  German  descent, 
born  1829  in  Preston  County,  and  married  in  1857,  to  Han- 
nah B.,  daughter  of  George  E.  Adams.  Children  :  Peter 
AY.,  AVilliam  F.,  Arthur  G.,  Archibald  J.,  George  K.,  Alice 
E.,  Sarah  E.,  and  Amy  May.  William  H.  Lipscomb  and 
Thomas  F.  Hebb  are  the  two  best  lumbermen  and  raftsmen 
on  the  river.  They  have  made  it  their  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Lipscomb  has  been  logging  for  25  years,  but 
has  farmed  some  in  the  meantime.  Some  years  he  rafted 
to  the  railroad  at  Bowlesburg  over  a  million  feet. 
He  came  to  St.  George  in  1881,  living  in  property  bought 
from  H.  C.  Rosenberger.  In  the  war  he  had  many  narrow 
escapes,  although  he  was  not  a  regular  soldier,  being  a  mili- 
tiaman. He  was  shot  at  by  a  whole  regiment,  because  he 
had  reported  some  of  their  thievery ;  was  an  associate  in 
the  county  court,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education  two  terms  ;  is  still  following  his  occupation  of 
lumbering  on  the  river. 


432  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Gaeeett  J.  LoxGj  born  in  1834,  and  died  of  a  cancer, 
after  terrible  suffering,  in  1874.  He  was  the  son  of  James 
Long,  and  of  English  descent.  He  was  married  in  1856, 
to  Edith  Corrick,  daughter  of  William  Corrick.  His  chil- 
dren are,  Mary  Alice,  Sarah  Samantha,  Rebecca,  Nora,  So- 
phronia  Ann,  James,  Harriet  and  Joseph  Johnson.  His 
account  of  the  war  in  Tucker  County,  and  particularly  that 
relating  to  the  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford,  is  full  and  authentic. 
From  the  first,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  war ;  was  an 
ofiicer  of  the  Confederate  Home  Guards,  until  he  was  taken 
prisoner  by  Hooton,  of  Rowlesbnrg,  on  a  charge  of  treason 
against  the  United  States.  The  authorities  were  several 
times  petitioned  to  liberate  him ;  he  lay  in  prison  three 
months  at  T\  heeling,  and  never  recovered  from  the  injury 
which  his  prison  life  did  him.  In  1870,  a  cancer  made  its 
appearance  on  his  face,  and  four  years  after,  he  died. 

His  wife  saw  as  much,  perhaps,  of  the  battle  of  Corrick's 
Ford  as  was  seen  b}'  any  one  person;  her  father's  house 
was  made  a  hospital  for  the  sick  and  wounded  of  both, 
sides.  After  the  fight,  the  Rebel  prisoners,  thirty  or  forty 
in  all,  were  taken  to  the  field  of  battle  that  they  might 
identify  the  dead.  The  kitchen  was  the  prison  and  the 
hospital  for  the  Rebels  and  the  main  house  for  the  Yankees. 
General  Garnett  was  carried  to  the  house  and  laid  on  a  bed. 
He  was  visited  b}^  General  Morris,  the  Union  Commander. 
They  had  been  schoolmates  together  at  West  Point.  The 
Confederate  General  died  in  Morris'  arms.  One  wounded 
Rebel  tried  to  escape  in  woman's  clothes ;  but,  being  de- 
tected, he  went  back  to  bed,  and  remained  there,  affecting 
to  be  on  the  point  of  death.  After  twelve  days  the  Y'ankees 
left,  and  the  wounded  Rebel  got  up  and  went  home.  He 
was  a  Yirginian.     Another  Rebel  had  been  badly  wounded. 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  433 

and  they  had  carried  him  to  the  house.  He  was  so  con- 
trary that  he  woukl  have  nothing  to  do  with  anything  that 
a  Union  man  had  touched.  They  brought  him  a  Doctor ; 
but,  he  being  a  Yankee,  the  sick  Rebel  would  not  take  his 
medicine.  They  left  the  stubborn  man,  and  he  finally  got 
well.     He  was  from  Georgia. 

Garrett  Long  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
and  was  superintendent  of  the  Alum  Hill  Sunday-school. 
He  was  much  missed  in  this  field.  Since  his  death  there 
has  been  no  class-meeting  or  Sunday-school  at  Alum  Hill. 

J.  R.  LouGHriY,  son  of  Aaron  Loughry,  of  German  and 
Irish  descent ;  was  born  in  1846,  and  married  in  18G7,  to 
Nancy  E.,  daughter  of  A.  H.  Bowman,  of  Rowlesburg.  Chil- 
dren :  James  A.,  Alice  Y.,  Claudius  A.,  Maud  D.,  Y'alton 
H.  and  xlgnes  M.  He  is  a  farmer  and  merchant,  and  lives 
8  miles  below  St.  George  ;  owns  140  acres  of  land,  of  which 
40  acres  are  improved  ;  has  held  several  ofiices,  such  as 
township  registrar,  clerk,  member  of  the  board  of  education, 
justice  of  the  peace  and  postmaster. 

S.  Y.  Loughry,  brother  of  J.  R.  Louglny,  was  born  in 
1834,  and  married  in  1873,  to  Jane,  daughter  of  W.  L.  Biggs. 
Children :  J.  AY.  J.,  Nancy,  Mary,  Susan,  Olive,  Joretta, 
Ruth,  Hiram,  Sarah,  Leonora,  Yictoria,  Samuel  P.  and 
George  S.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  6  miles  below  St.  George ; 
owns  244  acres  of  land,  of  which  40  are  improved. 

Adam  H.  Long,  born  1818,  the  year  that  his  father,  John 
H.  Long,  came  to  Cheat  River  from  Yirginia ;  is  of  English 
and  German  descent,  and  was  married  in  1840,  to  Nancy 
Hart.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  S.  Hart,  whose  father, 
John  Hart,  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Children  :  John  H.,  Margaret  Jane,  George  B.,  Susan  AY., 

28 


434:  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

Cornelius,  Carroll  "\V.  and  Lac}^  L.  He  is  a  fanner,  owning 
131  acres  of  land,  of  wliicli  87  acres  are  improved  ;  is  presi- 
dent of  tlie  board  of  education. 

According  to  Adam  Long's  account  there  were  16  Con- 
federates killed  at  Corrick's  Ford.  He  thinks  that  the 
Union  loss  Avas  more ;  he  was  arrested  by  General  Kelly, 
but  his  property  was  not  molested.  He  also  says  that  the 
first  settlers  on  the  river  were  Capt.  James  Parsons,  Sims, 
Benjamin  Euddle  and  Joseph  Hardman.  Parsons  bought 
Sims  to  the  countrv,  and  the  Indians  killed  him.  Israel 
Sch?efter,  father  of  Israel  Sch?efFer,  of  Kingwood,  first  set- 
tled on  Shafer's  Fork,  and  from  him  it  was  named ;  but,  the 
spelling  has  changed.  Haddix  Creek  was  named  after  the 
first  man  who  lived  there.  The  Moores  came  to  Tucker  in 
1820.  Barney  Kiearns,  Fansler  and  Eush  were  the  first 
settlers  on  Black  Fork.  Brannon  Eun,  in  Holly  Meadows, 
was  named  after  John  Brannon  (not  Judge  Brannon)  who 
was  the  first  man  to  live  there. 

John  H.  Long,  born  1843,  son  of  Adam  H.  Long,  married 
1877  to  Sara  F.  Musto,  of  Eandolph  County.  Children : 
Howard  Cla}',  Wade  and  Joy  Jane.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  G 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm  containing  81  acres,  one- 
fourth  improved,  and  has  traveled  in  the  West. 

SxErHEX  M.  LirscoMB,  son  of  James  Lipscomb,  was  born 
1846,  married  1875  to  Margaret  Lipscomb.  Children :  Alex- 
ander D.,  George  Amos  and  Lyda  Catharine  ;  he  is  a  farmer 
of  70  acres,  with  8  acres  improved,  on  Drift  Eun,  5  miles 
from  St.  George. 

William  D.  Lipscomb  {AvtoMo(/r(fj)/nj) :  I  was  born  1819, 
in  Preston  County,  am  a  son  of  James  Lipscomb ;  married 
1801  to  Eliza  H.  Biggs,  of  Garrett  County,  Md.     I  live  on 


BKIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  435 

the  head  of  Hansford  Eun,  and  own  the  only  grist-mill  on 
it.  I  have  killed  fifteen  bears.  The  biggest  one  I  ever  saw 
piled  on  me.  I  plugged  it  to  it  four  times  with  my  butcher 
knife.  It  scratched  my  shoulders,  but  did  not  do  much  fur- 
ther injury.  A  short  time  afterward  I  knocked  an  old  bear 
down  with  a  "sang"  hoe  and  took  a  cub  away  from  her. 
There  were  two  others  in  a  tree  near  by,  but  I  could  not 
get  them.  I  killed  a  ferocious  big  panther  on  Laurel  Hill. 
I  went  to  watch  a  "lick"  for  a  deer.  I  lav  in  a  root  hole 
and  a  log  lay  over  me.  The  panther  slipped  along  and  got 
on  the  log  over  me,  not  five  feet  away.  I  curled  my  gun  up 
and  shot  the  whelp  in  the  bosom.  It  jumped  90  feet,  and 
came  down  so  hard  that  its  feet  ran  in  the  ground  a  foot 
deep,  and  it  stuck  fast  until  I  went  up  and  whipped  it  to 
death.  I  killed  another  panther  that  had  slain  17  dogs,  and 
the  next  day  killed  another  with  a  little  pistol.  I  killed  a 
rattlesnake  9  feet  long  on  Laurel  Hill.  It  had  swallowed 
126  ground  hogs.  I  killed  160  rattlesnakes,  on  Laurel  Hill, 
in  one  day  with  a  club  18  inches  long.  Another  day  I  killed 
over  300  rattlesnakes  with  a  club  10  inches  long.  One  of 
them  had  60  rattles  on,  and  another  had  187.  I  am  a  curi- 
ous fellow.     Whenever  I  tell  a  thing  the  truth  has  to  come. 

Jacob  H.  Long,  son  of  John  Long,  of  Eandolph,  was 
born  in  1827  ;  is  of  English  and  German  descent  ;  married 
Lucinda  Parsons,  daughter  of  David  Parsons,  who  was 
killed  by  a  falling  tree  in  1853.  Children  :  Virginia,  David, 
Sarah  D.,  Albert,  Thomas,  Tazell,  Minnie,  Grace,  Emma, 
Maud,  Blanche  and  Lulu.  He  is  a  farmer  of  454  acres, 
with  150  acres  improved ;  was  a  magistrate  in  this  part  of 
Tucker  before  the  formation  of  the  county,  and  has  held 
that  office  two  terms  since  ;  was  four  years  president  of  the 
county  court,  and  in   1875  was  elected   to  the  Legislature, 


436  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

where  lie  was  when  the  capitol  was  removed  from  Wheeling 
to  Charleston  ;  was  again,  in  1880,  elected  president  of  the 
county  court  by  an  overwhelming  majority  ;  but  the  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution  went  into  effect  and  did  away  with 
the  office ;  was  several  years  commissioner  to  settle  with 
the  sheriff,  and  has  been  president  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion. 

Daring  the  war  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  was  carried  to 
Wheeling,  where  he  lay  three  months  in  jail.  The  charge 
against  him  was  treason  ;  he  was  sent  to  Clarksburg  for 
trial,  and  upon  the  petition  of  Captain  Hall,  got  his  liberty. 
Pierpont  had  already  appointed  him  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  commission  w^as,  however,  revoked  in  a  week  or  two  by 
a  plot  of  his  enemies.  Mr.  Long  says  that  a  man  named 
Moore  was  the  first  settler  in  the  Holly  Meadows,  and  that 
he  lived  on  the  Callihan  farm. 

William  C.  Lipscomb,  son  of  Jacob  Lipscomb,  of  Eoglish 
and  German  descent,  was  born  1863,  and  is  a  farmer.  In 
1875  he  had  his  back  broken  by  a  colt  which  threw  him ;  he 
also  had  his  arm  broken  by  falling  out  of  a  peach  tree,  and 
had  his  throat  hurt  by  a  limb  against  which  he  rode. 

Aaron  Loughry,  Sr.,  was  born  1797  in  Taylor  County,  of 
Irish  and  English  descent,  and  married  Nancy  Loughry  ;  he 
was  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  substitute ;  he  lives  near  Han- 
nahsville,  6  miles  from  St.  George,  and  has  ten  children,  as 
follows:  Hiram  T.,  Sarah,  Aaron,  Elizabeth,  Margaret, 
Samuel,  Susan,  Mary  Ann,  John  and  Nathan. 

A.  J.  Loughry,  born  1831,  married  1853  ;  he  is  a  farmer  of 
35  acres,  with  20  acres  improved,  11  miles  below  St.  George. 
'Children:  William  H.,  Mary  C,  John  W.,  Nancy  S.,  Mel- 
vina,  Charles,  Cora,  May,  Berta  Fay. 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  437 

George  Long,  father  of  Abel  Long,  bom  1796  in  Pendle- 
ton County ;  lie  was  raised  in  the  to^-n  of  Franklin,  and  his 
origin  is  Irish  and  French;  married  Winnie  Nelson,  who 
died  1844,  or  near  that  time.  Their  children  are  Abel,  Ab- 
salom, William,  Elizabeth  and  Martha.  His  father  came  to 
America  with  Lafayette,  and  was  with  him  five  years  and 
seven  months.     George  Long  was  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Hiram  T.  Loughry  was  bom  in  1830  in  Harrison  County, 
of  L'ish  and  German  descent ;  he  is  a  son  of  Aaron  Loughry. 

John  W.  Luzier  was  born  in  1864,  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  of  English  descent ;  his  occupation  is  farming  and  lum- 
bering. 

C.  C.  LAiyiBERT,  son  of  James  H.  Lambert,  was  born  in 
1856 ;  he  lives  on  Dry  Fork,  23  miles  from  St.  George,  and 
is  a  partner  in  the  store  of  James  H.  Lambert  &  Co. 

N.  A.  W.  Loughry,  son  of  Aaron  Loughry,  was  bom  in 
1844.  In  1867  he  married  Catharine,  daughter  of  David 
Miller.  His  farm  of  100  acres,  6  miles  from  St.  George,  has 
16  acres  of  cleared  land  on  it.  He  spent  seven  months  in 
the  Union  army  the  last  year  of  the  war.  Children: 
Nancy  Ellen,  Aaron  D.,  Thomas  A.  and  Charles  R. 

A.  W.  Love  was  born  in  1839,  in  Upshur  County.  Mar- 
ried in  1866  to  Sarah  Y.  Bailes.  Children :  Cordona, 
Lunda  and  Dorsey.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  on  the  Mason 
Farm,  five  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Location.  He  was 
formerly  a  minister  of  the  M.  P.  Church,  and  spent  one 
year  on  the  St.  George  circuit.  His  farm  contains  104 
acres  with  60  acres  improved. 

Charles  E»  Luzier,  son  of  A.  B.  Luzier,  was  bom  in 
1856;  married  Anna  B.,  daughter  of  C.  E.  Macomber,  in 


438  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

1880.  Children :  Agnes  L.,  Ella  B.  and  E.  Burton.  His  farm 
of  240  acres  is  on  Mill  Run,  6  miles  from  St.  George, 
with  40  acres  improved. 

George  A.  Long,  son  of  Abel  Long,  lives  on  Dry  Fork, 
18  miles  from  St.  George ;  was  born  in  1849,  and  married  in 
1871,  to  Mary  C.  Cunningham,  of  Randolph  County.  Chil- 
dren: Cora,  Rebice  A.,  Thomas  J.  and  Salie.  He  is  a 
farmer. 

Jacob  S.  Lambert,  son  of  M.  G.  Lambert,  was  born  in 
1863  ;  married  Margaret  E.,  daughter  of  Daniel  L.  Dumire, 
of  Horse  Shoe  Run,  in  1884.  He  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on 
Maxwell's  Run,  six  miles  from  St.  George. 

William  D.  Losh,  son  of  William  D.  Losh,  was  born  in 
1840 ;  married  1863,  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Levi  Hopkins. 
Children:  John  L.,  George  S.,  Mary  E.,  David  W.,  Cora  A., 
DoU}^  M.  and  M.  Jennie.  He  is  a  farmer,  owning  80  acres, 
40  acres  of  which  he  cultivates,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  6  miles 
from  St.  George.  He  joined  the  Confederate  army,  and  was 
at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  where  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  carried  to  New  York.  In  a  few  days  he  crawled 
by  the  guards  and  escaped  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
worked  a  month,  and  then  went  to  Pittsburgh ;  thence  to 
Wheeling  and  home.  In  a  little  while  he  was  taken  by 
Kelly,  and  was  carried  to  Grafton  and  kept  there  three 
weeks.  A  second  time  he  escaped  and  came  home.  He  is 
a  brother  to  John  Losh,  the  great  hunter,  and  has  himself 
killed  a  score  of  bears.  He  has  made  several  journeys  to 
the  West. 

George  W.  Leathermax,  of  English  and  German  descent, 
and  son  of  John  Lewis  Leatherman,  was  born  in  Hamp- 
shire County,  W.  Ya.,  in  1835.  He  is  one  of  three  surviving 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  439 

cliildren.  A  brotlier  and  sister  live  in  Missouri.  In  1851 
his  father  died,  and  he,  with  his  brother,  was  left  to  take 
care  of  the  family.  They  worked  hard,  but  did  not  prosper 
as  they  thought  they  ought,  and  they  determined  to  move 
to  the  West.  One  of  the  bo3'S  went  ahead  to  hunt  a  place 
and  the  others  followed  with  wagons  loaded  with  the  house- 
hold plunder.  They  were  aiming  for  Missouri,  and  the 
journey  was  frought  with  difficulties.  It  was  in  October, 
and  it  rained  and  the  roads  were  nearly  impassable.  Some 
of  the  family  took  the  ague,  and  the  others  had  an  addi- 
tional amount  of  work  to  do.  They  passed  through  Ohio, 
Indiana  into  Illinois.  It  had  rained  nearly  all  the  time ; 
but  when  they  reached  Illinois,  the  weather  became  clear, 
and  they  got  along  better.  Just  before  they  reached  the 
Mississipi  Pviver,  their  horses  broke  down,  and  one  of  them 
died.  With  the  remaining  they  could  advance  but  slowly; 
but  finally  they  reached  their  destination. 

After  they  reached  Missouri,  they  had  much  sickness  in 
the  family  .  The  subject  of  this  sketch  lay  an  invalid  all 
winter,  and  nearly  all  the  next  summer.  So,  in  the  fall  he 
decided  to  return  to  W.  Ya.,  and  sell  the  home  farm ;  he 
came  back,  but  failed  to  sell  it.  He  remained  in  the 
vicinity  more  than  a  year,  and  in  that  time  came  to  the 
conclusion,  since  he  could  not  sell  the  land,  that  he  would 
get  married  and  buy  out  the  other  heirs  and  live  on  the  old 
homestead,  which,  after  all,  he  considered  good  enough. 
Thus  he  did.     In  1857  he  married  Mary  S.  Whip. 

The}^  worked  hard  and  got  along  well  enough.  When  the 
Avar  came  on,  he  was  drafted  for  the  Confederate  army,  but 
it  did  not  suit  his  inclinations  to  fight  for  that  side,  so  he 
went  off  in  a  hurry  for  Indiana,  and  his  wife  followed  him. 
They  did  not  like  it  in  Indiana,  and  in  the  spring  of  18G2 


UO  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

determined  to  coine  back  to  W.  Ya.,  and  risk  the  danger 
from  the  Rebels  who  might  be  mad  at  him ;  he  came  back  to 
his  farm  and  was  not  molested. 

His  wife  died,  and  left  him  with  six  children  to  take  care 
of ;  he  kept  them  together,  and  continued  house-keeping 
until  1877  when  he  married  Catharine  Thrush,  and  old 
school-mate  of  his. 

His  children  are  :  Warren  W.,  John  W.,  Zedekiah  A., 
Mary  Elizabeth,  George  S.  and  Emma  Margaret. 

In  1880  he  moved  his  family  to  Canaan.  He  had  ex- 
plored the  country  some  time  before,  and  had  bought  large 
Lind  interests.  It  was  the  work  of  nineteen  days  to  cut  a 
road  to  get  his  wagons  into  the  country. 

Since  then  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings,  and  is 

now  near  the  W.  Ya.  C.  Sc  P.  R.  W.     He  is  a  member  of  the 

German  Baptist  Church,  and  is  the  ordained  minister  for 

his  neighborhood. 

M. 

Joseph  Martin,  son  of  John  Y.  M.  Martin,  born  1821,  in 
Preston  County;  married,  1845,  Catharine,  daughter  of 
John  Squires ;  farmer,  renter,  but  owns  50  acres  in  Ran- 
dolph County;  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George  on  Texas 
Mountain.  Children:  Mar}^  A.,  Hiram,  Sarah,  Margaret 
C,  John  T.,  Asbury,  Albert  and  Samuel. 

Michael  Mitchell  born  1826,  is  of  English  descent,  and 
was  married  in  1819  to  Nancy  Shaw.  They  had  seven 
children  to  die  within  three  weeks,  of  diptheria.  Their 
remaining  children  are  Simon  S.  and  Harvey.  He  is  a  far- 
mer owning  250  acres  of  land,  80  of  which  is  improved ; 
lives  on  Texas  Mountain,  7  miles  from  St.  George. 

Si^iox  S.  Mitchell,  son  of  Michael  M.,  born  1853,  mar- 
ried in  1883  to  Mrs.  E.  C.    Pitzer,    daughter    of   William 


BRIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  441 

Godwin.  By  occupation  lie  is  a  farmer,  owning  120  acres, 
15  being  improved ;  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texas 
Mountain. 

BoBEET  F.  Murphy,  son  of  Jonathan  Murphy,  was  born 
in  Barbour  County.  In  1879  he  manied  Keturah,  daughter 
of  Andrew  Pifer.  Farmer,  owns  40  acres,  15  improved, 
lives  4  miles  from  St.  George  on  Texas  Mountain. 
Children  :  Delia,  Ray  and  Boyd. 

John  Mooee,  son  of  S.  P.  Moore,  of  English  descent,  was 
born  1847,  in  Barbour  County;  married  1876,  to  Esther  C, 
daughter  of  "William  Pitzer ;  he  is  a  farmer  of  22  acres,  6 
acres  improved,  6  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texas  Mountain. 
Children:  Daniel  B.,  Riley,  Godfrey,  Samuel  P.  and 
Martha  L. 

Martina  Myers,  son  of  Adam  Myers,  was  born  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  1847;  married  1868  to  Ruhama,  daughter  of 
John  M.  Cross ;  he  is  a  farmer,  8  miles  from  St.  George,  on 
Clover,  and  owns  117  acres,  with  30  acres  improved. 

Michael  Myers,  of  German  descent,  son  of  Josiah  Myers, 
was  born  1838 ;  married  1872  to  Amelia,  daughter  of  John 
Auvil.  Children  :  Jehu  W.  and  Aunetta.  His  farm  contains 
900  acres,  of  which  100  is  under  cultivation ;  he  lives  three 
miles  from  St.  George  on  Clover,  and  is  road  surveyor ;  he 
served  three  years  in  the  Confederate  army  under  Imboden, 
Wharton,  Breckenridge  and  Early ;  he  belonged  to  the  62d 
Ya.  Inf.,  but  was  mounted  most  of  the  time;  he  fought 
twice  at  Winchester,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor, 
New  Market  and  others ;  he  served  principally  in  the  Yalley 
of  Virginia,  but  was  at  Richmond.  In  the  war  his  fortunes 
were  varied,  he  being  one  of  the  soldiers  that  fought  through 
the  war,  and  shared  in  defeats  and  victories ;  he  suffered  de- 


442  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

feat  at  "Winchester,  September  19,  and  shared  a  victory  at 
New  Market.  At  Gettysburg  he  was  under  Early,  and  he 
considers  the  battle  of  Williamsport,  Md.,  a  harder  engage- 
ment in  pro])ortion  to  the  number  engaged  than  that  of 
Gettysburg.  There  were  only  four  men  in  his  company  (E), 
that  were  unhurt,  and  he  was  one  of  them,  although  he  was 
in  skirmishes  almost  every  day.  When  he  came  home  on  a 
furlough  he  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  Gallion,  and 
was  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  where  he  suffered  as  every  one 
suffered  who  got  into  that  prison.  Four  months  were  spent 
there  and  he  got  his  liberty  only  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  is  a  model  citizen,  and  a  man  of  influence  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. 

Enoch  Mixeae,  son  of  David  Minear,  was  born  January 
9,  1799,  in  St.  George ;  he  has  been  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  county  since  its  first  organization  and  a  score  of 
years  before.  He,  like  his  sons,  has  been  an  extensive 
traveler,  having  visited  California  several  times,  been 
through  Idaho,  Oregon,  Mexico,  Central  America,  and 
through  several  eastern  states.  He  went  there  after  he  was 
captured  b}^  Imboden,  to  escape  the  war,  as  did  A.  C. 
Minear,  also.     He  was  there  in  1859,  1861,  1864  and  1874.* 

Absalom  Mick  was  born  in  1849  in  Pendleton,  married  in 
1868  to  Jane  Wyatt.  Children:  Martha  E.,  Joseph,  Mary 
J.,  Mahulda,  Albert  and  Enoch  ;  he  is  a  farmer  and  has 
been  in  Tucker  since  1880 ;  his  |^rm  contains  71  acres,  with 
15  acres  improved,  on  Dr}^  Fork,  20  miles  from  St.  George. 
He  belonged  to  the  Home  Guards  during  the  war. 

Daniel  Miller  was  born  in  1856.     In  1883  he  married 

*  a  full  history  of  Enocli  Minear  and  the  family  is  given  In  another  chapter  of  this 
book,  and,  for  that  reason,  nothing  more  is  given  here. 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  US 

Nancy    A.,   daughter    of    William    Arnold,   of    Maryland. 
Their  child's  name  is  Icy  R.;  he  is  a  laborer  at  Thomas. 

Elias  Metz,  of  German  descent,  son  of  Peter  Metz,  of 
Monongalia  County,  was  born  1826  and  married  1848  to 
Minerva  J.,  daughter  of  John  Brookhover.  Children:  Wil- 
liam H.,  George  L.,  Mary  Jane,  Lethia  Ann,  Jefferson  D., 
Simon  P.,  Acha  Alice,  Harriet,  John,  Leonora,  and  James 
Ezra.  A  farm  of  294  acres,  150  improved,  one  and  one-half 
miles  below  St.  George,  belongs  to  him.  This  is  the  old 
Marsh  property,  and  is  the  farm  owned  by  Jonathan  Minear 
at  the  time  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  Metz  was  in  the 
Union  service  during  the  war,  and  has  been  in  Tucker  since 
1880. 

J.  W.  Myers,  son  of  Solomon  Myers,  born  1862,  married 
1884  to  Loretta,  daughter  of  Salathiel  Phillips,  lives  8  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Clover,  and  is  a  farmer  of  40  acres,  with 
8  acres  improved. 

David  S.  Minear,  son  of  Enoch  Minear,  of  German  de- 
scent, was  born  in  St.  George  1840,  and  has  lived  there  all 
his  life.  All  the  others  of  the  family  manifested  a  strong 
passion  for  traveling  and  speculation;  but  he  remained 
steadily  at  his  work  at  home.  In  his  life  we  have  no  stirring 
stories  of  adventure,  or  no  narrow  escapes  from  foes  and 
storms  and  floods,  as  we  have  in  the  history  of  his  brothers. 
But,  as  a  citizen,  he  has  done  his  share  for  the  good  of  his 
county  and  State.  His  life  has  been  tliat  of  a  farmer,  ex- 
cept seven  years  spent  in  the  merchandise  business  at  St. 
George.  He  has  been  an  officer  frequently.  During  the  war 
he  was  clerk  of  the  county  court.  In  1867  he  married  Maiy 
Jane,  daughter  of  William  R.  Parsons.  Their  children  are : 
Creed  W.,  Joseph  P.,  John  W.,  C.  Bruce  and  Mary  Catha- 


444  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

rine.  He  owns  a  large  and  valuable  farm  at  St.  George, 
commencing  at  the  town  and  extending  down  the  river  more 
than  a  mile.  It  is  the  land  on  which  stood  the  fort  at  St. 
George  in  1776,  and  with  the  exception  of  S.  E.  Parsons* 
farm,  is  the  oldest  improvement  in  the  county,  and  is  the 
site  of  the  first  permanent  settlement  in  the  county.  Mi- 
near  was  not  in  the  regular  army  during  the  war,  but  had 
experience  in  the  fortunes  of  hostilities,  having  been  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Rebels,  and  escaped,  after  being  shot  at  sev- 
eral times.  The  surroundings  of  his  dwelling  are  among 
the  most  desirable  in  the  county,  A  fine  grove  of  fruit  trees 
and  arbors  of  grapevines  surround  his  house  on  every  side, 
making  it  in  summer  a  scene  of  quietness  and  beauty,  that 
lias  all  the  advantages  of  town  and  the  secludedness  of  the 
country. 

William  H.  Myers,  son  of  James  Myers,  w^as  born  in 
1856  at  Tunnelton ;  married  in  1879  to  Belle  Dora  Price,  of 
Preston  County.  Children :  Bessie  Anna,  Herbert  Clay  and 
Walter  Henry ;  he  is  of  German  descent,  and  is  by  trade  a 
blacksmith,  and  lives  at  St.  George. 

Benjajviin  Myers  was  born  in  1813,  in  Pennsylvania, 
lives  1^  miles  from  St.  George  on  Mill  Eun.  He  is  a  far- 
mer. Children:  John,  Josiah,  Martha,  Ellen,  Barbara, 
Andrew,  Benjamin,  Henry,  Hester  and  Morgan. 

James  Montgomery,  son  of  Price  Montgomery,  of  Irish 
and  German  descent,  was  born  in  1850.  In  1878  he 
married  Sarah  F.,  daughter  of  George  Moon  of  Hampshire 
County ;  he  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  6  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Lipscomb's  Eidge.  Children:  Maud  Elizabeth  and 
George  Wade. 

C.  B.  MooRE,  born  1851,  son  of  James  Moore,  lives  10 


BKIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  445 

miles  fi'om  St.  George,  on  Shafer's  Fork,  and  is  of  Irish 
and  English  descent.  His  farm  contains  a  certain  number 
of  acres  of  land  of  wliicli  33J  per  cent,  of  ^  more  than  one- 
half  is  improved,  and  the  unimproved  is  to  5-12  of  the  im- 
proved as  i  the  difference  between  one-third  of  the  un- 
improved and  ^  of  J  of  the  improved  is  to  2  1-62  acres. 

Joshua  Messenger,  born  1832,  in  Preston  County,  is  of 
English  descent,  and  was  married,  in  1857,  to  Rebecca 
Lewis,  of  Preston.  Children  :  Mary  J.,  James  E.,  Sarah  E., 
Nettie  M.  and  Charles  Albert ;  he  came  to  Tucker  in  1866, 
and  is  farming  on  Shafer's  Fork,  9  miles  from  St.  George, 
where  he  owms  319  acres  of  land,  60  acres  improved.  He 
'was  in  the  Union  army,  but  was  in  no  battle. 

William  Marquis  was  born  in  1839,  in  Preston,  of  Irish 
descent.  In  1865  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Mason,  of  Sandy 
Creek,  Preston  County.  Children  :  Charles,  and  Zora  May. 
He  lives  on  Location  5  miles  from  St.  George,  where  he  has 
281  acres  of  land,  with  75  acres  improved ;  he  has  been  in 
Tucker  since  1882. 

John  G.  Moore,  son  of  James  Moore,  was  born  in  1841, 
on  Shafer's  Fork,  is  of  Irish  and  English  descent ;  married, 
1873,  to  Anzina,  daughter  of  George  W.  Paris,  of  Randolph 
County.  Children :  George  Harmon,  Larkin,  Anna  Belle, 
Arcilla  May,  R.  TV.  Eastham  and  Etta  Arina.  He  is  a  far- 
mer and  stock  man,  living  on  Shafer's  Fork,  11  miles  from 
St.  George,  and  owns  225  acres  of  land,  with  150  improved. 

Stephen  Murphy  was  born  1836,  in  Marion  County,  of 
Irish  descent ;  married  in  1857,  to  Charity  Everit.  Children : 
Cleophas,  Harbert  J.,  Jirah,  Louisa,  Eunice,  Ellis  and  Ran- 
dolph.    He  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George. 

J.  D.  Metz,  son  of  Elias  Metz,born  in  1861,  in  Monongalia 


446  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

County ;  is  a  farmer,   liAdng  two  miles  from  St.  George,  on 
the  farm  Avliere  tlie  Indians  killed  Jonathan  Minear. 

William  Milleu,  son  of  James  Miller,  was  born  in  1854, 
at  Limestone ;  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Sanford  James; 
is  of  English  descent.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  10  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Dogwood  Flats.  Children  :  Ira  Blaine 
and  baby. 

Albeet  Miller,  son  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Miller,  was  born  in  1849, 
married  Martha,  daughter  of  William  "White.  They  have 
six  children. 

J.  T.  Mason,  son  of  Thomas  Mason,  w^as  born  1844.  In 
1877  he  married  Catharine  Hart,  of  Pennsylvania.  They, 
have  one  child  whose  name  is  Margaret  V.  He  is  a  farmer 
of  93  acres,  with  40  acres  in  tillage,  on  Location,  5  miles 
from  St.  George ;  he  was  deputy  sheriff  under  his  father, 
and  was  several  times  member  of  the  teachers'  board  of  ex- 
aminers, and  has  taught  nine  terms  of  school,  six  of  which 
were  at  Fairview\ 

Jonathan  Murphy,  was  born  1834  in  Marion  County,  of 
Irish  descent,  and  married  Sarah  Jane  Mitchell  in  1854. 
Their  children  are :  Robert,  Alpheus,  Isaac,  Anzina  E.,  Sa- 
rah Alice,  and  Martha  Jane.  He  is  a  farmer  of  100  acres, 
three-fourths  improved,  in  Clover  District,  6  miles  from  St. 
George. 

George  A.  Mayer,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Tucker 
County,  was  born  in  Preston  (Aurora)  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
C.  "W.  Mayer,  of  Terra  Alta.  In  1880  he  was  married  to 
Virginia  Cox,  of  New  Waterford,  Ohio.  Their  child's  name 
is  Charles  W.  He  attended  the  district  schools  most  conve- 
nient to  his  home,  and  had  the  benefit  of  a  ten-month  term 
at  the  Piedmont  high  school.     He  taught  three  schools,  the 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  447 

first  at  William  Fansler's  in  Preston,  the  second  at  Red  Oak, 
Kingwood  District,  and  the  third  in  Kingwood,  assisting 
Prof.  Fike  in  tlie  normal  school.  When  he  quit  teaching,  he 
went  into  the  mercantile  business  in  the  firm  of  C.  W. 
Mayer  &  Son,  in  1879,  and  set  up  in  St.  George.  In  1884 
he  dissolved  partnership  with  his  father,  and  went  into  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  Mayer  &  Cupp,  in  which  his 
brother-in-law  was  his  partner.  When  he  came  to  Tucker 
there  was  no  mercantile  business  of  note  carried  on  in  the 
county.  Prices  were  high  and  uncertain,  and  the  trade  was 
A'ery  unsteady.  He  brought  the  prices  down,  and  revolu- 
tionized the  whole  trade.  In  1881  he  built  a  large  store 
and  ware  rooms  on  Main  street.  In  1884  he  was  nominated 
in  the  Democratic  convention,  at  St.  George,  as  a  candidate 
for  clerk  of  the  circuit  court.  He  is  a  young  man  of  stir- 
ring business  qualities. 

RANDOLrn  Myers,  son  of  Adam  Myers,  born  1849,  was 
raised  by  Matliew  Wamsley,  who  lived  six  miles  above  Bev- 
erly, but  who  was  taken  to  Camp  Chase,  and  there  died. 
Myers  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Yilena  Wilt.  He  is  a  far- 
mer living  on  the  river,  one  mile  from  St.  George.  Chil- 
dren :  Wilson,  Eda  Catharine,  Lucy  Ann  and  Edgar. 

D.  S.  Miller,  son  of  William  Miller,  born  1842,  married 
in  1868  to  Abigail  Wilt.  His  farm  of  53  acres,  Avitli  25  im- 
proved, is  4^  miles  below  St.  George.  Children,  Truman  C, 
Columbia  A.,  Peter,  Catharine,  Llewella,  William,  Angeretta 
and  Stella. 

Andrew  J.  Miller,  brother  of  D.  S.  Miller  is  eight  years 
older,  and  married  four  years  sooner,  and  married  a  sister 
of  his  brother's  Avife,  Mary  Wilt.  He  farms  40  acres  and 
has  57  acres  of  wild  laud,  on  the  river  4  miles  below  St. 


448  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

George.     Cbildren  :  Cora    B.,   "Willielmina   C,  George   C, 
Agnes  May  and  baby. 

M.  V.  Miller,  born  1845,  in  Maryland,  of  German  descent, 
liis  grand-parents  coming  from  Europe.  In  1867  lie  was 
married  to  Sallie  A.  Griffith.  Children  :  Oliver  C,  Thomas 
M.,  Grace  M.,  Lizzie  Pearl,  Jennie  Gertrude  and  George 
Lester.  In  his  early  life  he  Avas  a  farmer.  When  he  Avas 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  joined  the  Union  army.  Did  his 
first  fighting  under  Milroy  and  Fremont :  he  was  then 
under  Sherdian  in  the  Yalley  of  Yirginia,  and  was  in  all  the 
trouble  about  Harper's  Ferry,  and  got  the  full  benefit  of  it. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  by  Stonewall  Jackson,  together  with 
a  large  number  of  others.  As  he  expressed  it  afterwards  : 
"  Jackson  fixed  20,000  bayonets  and  charged  us.  It  looked 
like  the  day  of  judgment  was  coming."  The  next  day  they 
were  parolled  and  sent  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  where  they  re- 
mained six  months  before  they  were  exchanged. 

After  he  was  exchanged,  his  service  was  on  the  B.  &  O. 
B.  B.,  and  through  Yirginia.  He  was  in  the  battle  of 
Frederick  Junction,  under  Lew  Wallace,  and  against  Early, 
when  he  was  raiding  Maryland.  Late  in  the  day  the  Fed- 
erals gave  ground  and  fell  back  to  Baltimore.  After  this,  he 
was  under  Sheridan,  and  had  numerous  skirmishes.  Sin- 
gular as  it  may  seem,  this  command  captured  their  captors, 
who  had  taken  them  at  Harper's  Ferr}',  in  1862.  The  sol- 
diers of  the  two  armies  recognized  each  other. 

From  Yirginia,  Miller  was  removed  to  Buckhanuon,  Up- 
shur County,  W.  Ya.,  wdiere  there  was  no  fighting  to  do. 
He  remained  there  till  the  close  of  the  war,  1865.  fle  then 
went  to  Aurora,  Preston  County,  where  he  lived  a  year,  and 
came  to  St.  George  where  he  has  since  lived,  following  the 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  449 

\Tork  of  mechanic,  clerk,  merchant,  hotel  keeper  and  justice 
of  the  peace. 

G.  T.  MoTONY,  of  French  and  German  descent,  was  born 
in  1842,  in  Pocahontas  Count3^  While  quite  young,  he 
was  carried  b}^  his  parents  into  Pendleton  County,  and  re- 
mained there  till  the  comm3nceinent  of  the  war.  When 
the  hostilities  came  on,  he  joined  the  Union  army  and 
fought  in  a  large  number  of  battles,  among  which  were 
several  in  West  Virginia.  He  remained  in  the  army  up  to 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  in  fifteen  pitched  battles,  be- 
idis  all  the  InuJ  fighting  in  front  of  Petersburg  and  Rich- 
mond. He  was  present  when  Lee  surrendered  at  Appa- 
mattox  Court  House.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  re- 
turned to  Pendleton,  and  in  1868  married  a  daughter  of  A. 
C.  Nelson,  of  that  county.  Their  children  are,  Maggie, 
Robert  and  Taliaferro.  He  came  to  Tucker  in  1882,  and 
lives  on  a  farm  in  Canaan,  thirtj^-two  miles  from  St.  George. 

RuFUS  Maxwell,  son  of  Levi  Maxwell,  of  Lewis  County, 
w^as  born  in  October  19,  1828.  His  ancestors  have  been  in 
America  a  long  time ;  but  originally  were  from  England 
and  Ireland.  His  father,  Levi  Maxwell,  left  Pennsylvania 
in  1803,  that  is,  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  and  settled 
in  Harrison  and  subsequently  removed  to  Lewis  County, 
where  he  still  resides,  being  now  (1884)  in  his  97th  year. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  John  Haymond,  of  Braxton 
County,  and  grand-daughter  of  Col.  Benjamin  Wilson,  the 
Indian  fighter.  Colonel  Wilson  was  an  ancestor  of  the 
present  Benjamin  Wilson,  of  Harrison  County. 

Rufns  Maxwell  worked  on  the  farm  in  his  boyhood,  as 
did  his  two  brothers,  John,  afterward  a  Civil  Engineer  iu 
the  location  of  the  B.  tt  O.  R.  R.,  and  Edwin,  now  Judge 

2\) 


450  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Maxwell,  of  Clarksburg.  His  early  education  was  in  the 
country  schools,  which  were  then  rather  acquired  poor 
affairs.  "When  he  had  finished  the  curriculum  of  these 
rural  acadmeis,  he  entered  Hector  College,  and  finished  the 
course  in  1849,  when  he  was  21  years  of  age. 

While  in  attendance  at  Rector  College  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Miss  Sarah  J.  Bonnifield,  daughter  of  Dr.  Ar- 
nold Bonnifield,  and  in  1852,  June  1st,  they  were  married. 
Miss  Bonnifield  had  also  completed  the  high  school  course, 
and  Avas  a  regular  contributor  of  poetry  to  the  newspapers 
of  that  time. 

R.  Maxwell  resided  in  Lewis  County  and  practiced  law 
until  June,  1S5G.  In  1855  he  was  elected  associate  justice 
of  the  county  court  of  Lewis  County.  In  185G  he  removed 
to  Tucker  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  county, 
and  the  same  year  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney.  In 
1860  he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office  and  held  it  until 
his  Southern  inclinations  and  the  partisan  warfare  that  was 
carried  on  there  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  perform 
the  duties  of  the  office.'"" 

Piufus  Maxwell  has  not  a  lengthy  record  as  a  soldier.  He 
was  in  neither  army.  He  sympathized  with  the  South,  but 
staid  at  home,  an  advocate  of  peace,  to  be  gained  by  arbi- 
tration, if  possible.  !•     AYhile  the  war  was  going  on,  the  mur- 

*  In  June,  1801,  Maxwell  went  to  the  Court-house  to  attend  what  was  then  called 
-  the  Quarterl}-  Court.  The  Clerk,  two  or  three  jurymen  and  a  few  other  persons 
lia\1ng'  inislness,  waited  ahout  the  Court-house  till  late  In  the  afternoon,  when  the 
presiding  justice,  George  B.  See,  rode  up  into  the  Court-yard  with  a  gun  on  his 
shoulder  and  followed  by  a  company  of  armed  men,  and  said  that  there  would  he  no 
court  that  day,  and  probablj'  there  Avould  be  no  more  for  a  long  time.  This  was  a  few 
(lays  after  the  "  Phillppi  Ilaces,"  as  Avas  called  the  evacuation  of  that  town,  by  the 
Virginia  troops,  when  Cieneral  Kelly  came  upon  them  witli  his  terrible  host  of  "  Nine- 
ty nay  Men."'  The  Quarterly  Court  of  Tucker  County  has  not  since  met,  nor  -was 
there  any  court  of  account  in  Tucker  during  the  war.  It  was  "between  the  lines," 
and  both  parties  seemed  willing  not  to  agitate  the  subject  of  resuming  pow'er.  IVIax- 
well  never  resumed  the  practice  of  laAv. 

t  Early  In  the  war,  before  gun  powder  had  been  smelt  in  the  county,  some  patriotic 


PKOTOTTMt. 


r  --.uTCKoiiar 


PHiUAO'A. 


RuFus  Maxwell. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 


ASTOR,    LENOX  AND 
TILOEN    FOWNOATfONS. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  451 

der  of  citizens  and  the  burning  of  property  were  of  common 
occurrence  in  our  neighboring  counties ;  but,  in  Tucker  it 
was  not  so,  although  no  county,  except  Pendleton,  had  a 
fiercer  guerrilla  warfare  than  we  had.  So  far  as  can  be  as- 
certained, not  a  drop  of  citizen  blood  was  shed,  or  a  shingle 
"burned,  except  in  honorable  fight.  For  part  of  this  good 
result.  Maxwell  claims  the  honor.  He  advocated  that  the 
safety  of  the  community  depended  largely  upon  the  con- 
duct of  the  people.  Those  who  disturbed  no  one  were  not 
apt  to  be  disturbed.  Yankees  and  Rebels  lived  as  neighbors 
and  fear  and  respect  kept  down  the  rifle  and  the  fagot. 

Rufns  Maxwell's  childreii  :-ar,e,  AVilson  B.,  Mary  A.,  I). 
Angelica,  Hu,  Cyrus  H.,  Thomas  E.,  John  F.,  Levi  H., 
Charles  J.  and  Robert  R.  He^^s'a^.iarmer  living  three  miles 
east  of  St.  George,  with  60  acres  of  improved  and  1200  acres 
of  wild  lands.  He  has  been  county  surveyor,  county  super- 
intendent of  schools,  and  twice  elected  by  Tucker  and  Ran- 
dolph to  the  legislature.  His  election  to  the  legislature 
was  in  October,  1865,  and  he  represented  the  delegate  dis- 
trict composed  of  Randolph  and  Tucker  Counties.  That 
legislature  met  in  Trheeling,  January,  1866,  and  was  prob- 
ably the  most  proscriptive  legislature  that  ever  met  in  West 
Tirginia.  But  Mr.  Maxwell  steadily  opposed  the  proscrip- 
tive measures,  and  spoke  and  voted  against  the  Registration 
Act  of  that  session.  Only  live  members  of  the  House  voted 
with  him.  They  were,  McCurdy,  of  Jefferson,  D.  1).  John- 
son, of  Tyler,  John  Kellar,  of  Barbour,  Capt.  Darnell,  of 
Mason,  and  Mr.  Cooper,  of  Hampshire.  And  later  in  the 
session  Mr.  Maxwell  voted  alone  auainst  "The  Ninth  Ju- 


citizens  betlioiight  tnem.selves  to  organize  a  "Home  Guard."  Not  knowing  exactly 
what  It  meant,  they  advised  Mr.  ISlaxAvell  on  the  subject,  and  asked  what  was  the 
duty  of  a  Home  Guard.  He  replied  :  "  Meet  occasionally  at  some  appointed  place, 
muster  up  and  down  the  road,  boast  that  you  can  whip  all  the  men  the  enemy  can 
send  against  you,  and  when  the  enemy  comes,  run  oft'  and  hide.'' 


4o2  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

dicial  Circuit  Bill,"  Avliicli  provided  that  Judge  Nat.  Har- 
rison should  fill  all  vacancies  occurring  in  all  offices  in  his 
circuit,  except  members  of  the  legislature.     Maxwell  says : 

This  act  was  as  defiantly  aggressiv^e  as  the  registration  act,  and 
more  dangerous  to  libsrty ;  because,  without  even  a  plausible 
Ijlea  of  necessity,  it  conferred  absolute  civil  power  upon  a  single 
individual,  a  judicial  officer  who  was  not  worthy  to  wear  ermine, 
being  then  under  articles  of  impeachment,  and  who  afterwards  re- 
signed to  avoid  impeachment, 

At  the  beginning  of  the  session,  there  Avere  fourteen 
avowed  Conservatives  in  the  House,  but  when  this  "  Circuit 
Bill"  came  up  on  its  passage.  Maxwell  was  the  only  one 
who  was  in  the  front  opposing  it.  His  course  in  the  legis- 
lature met  the  approval  of  his  constituents,  but  the  Consti- 
tution of  West  Virginia,  then  in  force,  provided  that 
Tucker  and  Randolph  counties  should  together  elect  one 
delegate,  who  for  three  terms  should  be  a  resident  of 
Randolph  County  and  for  one  term  a  resident  of  Tucker 
County.  The  election  being  held  annuall}^  and  Mr.  Max- 
well being  a  resident  of  Tucker,  he  was  not  eligible  to  a 
seat  in  the  House  again  until  1869 ;  and  in  October  of  that 
year  he  was  again  elected  by  a  large  majority. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign  that  year  for  the 
election  of  members  of  the  legislature.  At  that  time  there 
had  sprung  up,  in  the  state,  a  sort  of  third  party  of  con- 
siderable strength  called  Let-up  Republicans,  who  claimed 
that  the  i^roper  time  had  come  for  a  modification  of  the 
laws  restricting  tlie  right  of  sufirage,  etc.,  and  more  particu- 
larly tlie  laws  imposing  certain  civil  disabilities.  He 
advised  against  holding  a  Democratic  State  Convention  that 
3^ear,  and  insisted  that  the  people  of  each  county  and  dis- 
trict should  conduct  the  campaign  according  to  the  con- 
clitic  iis  in   eacli  :  that  there  was  but  one  issue   involved 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  453 

that  men  always  vote  their  sentiments  and  convictions  if 
left  fi*ee  to  do  so ;  and  that  an  aggressive  organization  of 
the  Democratic  party  at  that  time  v^^onld  have  a  tendency 
to  drive  the  Let-np  Eepnblicans  back  whence  they  came. 
This  plan  of  campaign  was  pretty  generally  carried  out,  and 
was  to  the  effect  that, 

Where  the  Democrats  were  sure  of  electmg  a  Senator  or  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  they  should  quietly  agree  and 
unite  upon  and  rally  in  support  of  the  best  available  Democrat ; 
but,  where  there  existed  any  reasonable  doubt  of  the  success  of  a 
Democrat,  they  should  withhold  their  candidate,  and  encourage 
public  discussion  as  much  as  possible  between  the  Let-up  Republi- 
cans and  the  Radical  Republicans,  so  that  the  split  between  them 
might  be  widened  and  deepened,  and  the  antagonistic  feelings  be 
more  intensified  between  the  two  wings  of  the  Republican  party ; 
and  finally,  that  the  Democratic  voters  should,  in  such  counties 
and  districts,  rally  and  concentrate  their  votes  upon  the  Let-up 
candidate. 

The  result  was  that,  when  the  legislature  met  in  January, 
1870,  the  Eadical  Republicans  found  themselves  in  a 
minority,  in  the  House  of  Delegates,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  State ;  but  they  still,  for  a  time,  confidently 
claimed  the  Senate.  William  M.  Welch,  a  Let-up  Republi- 
can, and  delegate  from  Mineral  Count}",  was  chosen  speaker 

of  the  House. 

After  the  meeting  of  the  legislature,  Mr.  Maxwell  went 
immediately  to  work  to  ascertain  the  views  of  the  members 
of  the  House  and  Senate  with  respect  to  the  repeal  or 
modification  of  the  various  "Iron-clad  Test  Oaths,"  and  the 
repeal  or  modification  of  the  Registration  Law,  and  to  other 
reforms.  In  a  few  days  he  claimed  to  know  the  opinions 
of  nearly  all  the  typical  members  of  both  Houses.  He 
ascertained  that  the  Republicans  did  not  intend  to  make  a 
vigorous   defense    of  their   out-posts — the   teachers,'  attor- 


454  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

neys'  and  suitors'  test-oatlis — but  tliat  they  intended  to 
defend  their  citadel — the  registration  laws  and  officers' 
test-oaths — to  the  last  extremity. 

It  was  found  that  the  legislature  was  composed  of  live 
distinct  parties,  as  follows :  Extreme  Radical  Bepublicans, 
Radical  Republicans,  Let-up  Republicans,  Extreme  Demo- 
crats and  Moderate  or  "Policy"  Democrats.  None  of  these 
parties  or  factions  could  be  so  clearly  distinguished  from  all 
the  others  as  to  enable  one  to  tell  the  precise  personal 
following  of  each.  But,  ex-Governor  Pierpont  was  the  type 
and  apparent  leader  of  the  Extreme  Radicals  ;  and  Nathan 
Goff,  Sr.,  Avas  leader  of  the  more  moderate  Republicans, 
while  W.  H.  H.  Flick,  Spencer  Dayton  and  William  M. 
Welch  were  the  sachems  and  chief  councilmen  of  the 
Let-ups.  John  J.  Davis  and  E.  A.  Summers  were  the  only 
members  of  the  House  that  could  be  strictly  classed  as  Ex- 
treme Democrats,  although  E.  G.  Cracraft  and  John  Faris 
voted  with  the  Extreme  Democrats  and  Radical  Republi- 
cans against  the  Flick  Amendment.  But  they  did  it  under 
immediate  pressure  of  a  constituency  that  were  looking 
through  smoked  glasses.  Among  the  Policy  Democrats 
were  found,  Daniel  Lamb,  Benjamin  Smith,  Henry  G. 
Davis,  Henry  Brannon,  J.  M.  Jackson  and  others.  But 
they  were  without  any  well  recognized  leader,  and  only 
their  unity  of  purpose  led  them  to  a  unity  of  action.  They 
had  no  caucus  after  the  House  was  organized,  but  often 
consulted  one  with  another. 

Soon  after  the  organization,  Henry  G.  Davis*  suggested  that  the 
Let-ups  should  haA'^e  the  honor  of  bringing  forward  the  reform 
measures,  and  Ruf  us  Maxwell  added  that  they  should  also  have  the 
lionor  of    defending  them,  provided  they  do  it  in  good  time  and 

'  Then  a  member  of  the  State  Senate. 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  455 

shape.     This   unwritten  and  informal  understanding  on  our  part 
required  great  dilligence  to  restrain  zealous  laeiubers  from  getting 
ahead  of  their  business,  by  taking  the  wind  out  of  the  Let-up  sails. 
But  the  plan  succeeded,  at  least  with  all  the  more  important  meas- 
ures. 

4c:(c  ^i  :tt  4t  m  *  *  * 

''Policy  Democrat"'  was  a  sort  of  i)et-name  among  us.  We  got 
the  name  thus  :  One  evening  Rufus  Maxwell  was  conversing  with 
John  J.  Davis  and  remarked  that  the  true  policy  of  the  Democrats 
was  to  secure  all  the  reforms  possible,  and  not  hazzard  much 
grasping  after  things  we  could  not  reach.  To  this  Davis  replied, 
with  sarcastic  affability  that  he  didn't  go  much  on  Policy  Demo- 
crats! that  Democracy  was  founded  on  eternal  principles.  When 
this  little  incident  was  narrated  to  Daniel  Lamb  he  laughed  iiiost 
heartily  and  remarked,  "Now  is  the  time  for  Democrats  to  have 
a  policy  and  pursue  it."  This  remark  was  true  then  with  regard 
to  State  politics  and  has  ever  since  been  a  living  truth  wdth  regard 
to  National  politics. 

Wilson  B.  Maxwell,--  son  of  Eufiis  Maxwell,  was  born 
April  17,  1853.  In  liis  younger  days  he  possessed  a  most 
prolific  imagination.  He  could  imagine  anything.  He 
never  went  into  the  woods,  or  the  orchard  or  beyond  the 
yard-fence  without  having  wonders  to  relate  of  deer,  lions, 
hyenas  and  gigantic  frogs  that  he  had  seen  while  gone. 

Just  before  McChesney's  skirmish  it  was  rumored  that 
the  war  was  to  be  one  of  extermhiation,  and  that  sixt}' 
thousand  Yankees  had  been  scattered  along  the  B.  S:  O.  R. 
B.  with  instructions  to  sweep  south  and  destroy  everything 
that  shoukl  fall  into  their  power.  The  country  was  much 
agitated,  and  young  Maxwell,  although  only  eight  years  old, 
seemed  to  enter  into  the  general  anxiety.  So,  when  his 
mother  sent  him  to  the  spring  for  a  bucket  of  water  he  im- 
agined that  he  saw  Yankees.     He  ran  to  the  liouse  and  re- 


see  History  of  the  St.  George  Bar  In  this  book. 


406  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

ported  that  three  soldiers  had  rnii  down  from  the  hill,  stop- 
ped to  load  their  guns,  and  then  advanced  toward  the  house. 
His  father  was  reading  the  newspaper ;  but  when  he  heard 
this,  he  ran  into  the  wheat  field  and  lay  liid  all  day.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  there  was  probably  not  a  soldier  within 
twenty  miles. 

During  the  war,  farmers  in  Tucker  did  not  work  much, 
because  they  did  not  know  at  what  time  their  property 
might  be  destroyed.  They  aimed  to  raise  only  what  they 
could  use.  This  seemed  to  giye  young  Maxwell  a  distrust 
of  farm  work  eyer  afterward,  and  he  did  not  like  to  buckle 
lip  fairly  and  squarely  to  agricultural  drudgery,  and,  in  fact, 
would  not  do  it.  Probably  he  thought  that  the  war  might 
flare  up  again  at  so:33e  unguarded  moment  and  consume  the 
work  of  the  farmer,  and,  tlierefore,  it  would  be  as  well  to 
wait  awhile  lonj^jer  till  things  sliould  become  more  settled 
before  expending  much  labor  on  the  farm. 

So,  he  waited,  and  along  three  or  four  years  after  the  war, 
his  two  brothers,  next  younger  than  him,  came  to  be  large 
enough  to  do  something.  He  assumed  control  of  the  farm 
work,  and  seemed  to  think  that  the  cruel  war  v/as  indeed 
oyer,  and  there  would  be  no  risk  to  run  now  in  raising  a 
crop  of  corn.  After  a  long  siege  of  it,  and  not  a  little  help, 
he  got  the  fields  plowed,  and  by  the  first  of  June,  eyer^'  hill 
of  corn  was  planted.  Now  came  the  plowing  and  hoeing  of 
the  corn.  A  long  series  of  experiments  Ims  proven  that 
corn  must  be  cultivated  or  it  will  throw  up  the  sponge  and 
quit  growing.  So,  AV.  B.  decide!  that  his  corn  must  be 
plowed  and  hoed.  It  had  rained  a  good  deal,  and  the 
fields  were  tolerably  large,  and  the  corn  was  soon  hidden 
by  tlie  weeds.  In  such  a  case,  three  furrows  should  be  run 
for  every  row,  to   tear  out  the  weeds,  and   make  less  work 


BRIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  457 

for  those  who  had  the  hoeing  to  do.  But,  young  Maxwell 
concluded  that  two  furrows  were  jplentj',  and  in  short  rows 
one  was  enouorh. 

He  ploAved,  and  put  his  two  younger  brothers,  one  eight 
and  the  other  six  years  old,  to  hoeing,  and  expected  them 
to  keep  up  with  the  plow.  The  little  rascals  didn't  half 
work ;  but,  if  they  had  worked  their  best,  they  could  not 
Lave  kept  up  with  the  plow.  The  sun  was  hot,  and  the 
weeds  were  rank,  and  the  corn  Avas  little,  and  the  clods 
were  hard,  and,  withal,  the  progress  was  slow.  W.  B. 
would  get  to  the  field  with  the  old  white  horse  about  nine 
o'clock  a.  m,,  and  by  making  the  old  horse  bend  to  it  he 
w^ould  get  a  couple  dozen  rows  ahead  of  the  boys  by  the 
time  the  hottest  and  laziest  part  of  the  afternoon  came  on. 
Then  he  would  tie  tlie  old  beast  up  in  the  fence  corner  to 
rest  and  chew  weeds,  and  he  would  climb  on  the  fence  in 
the  cool  shade  of  the  butter-nut  trees  and  sit  there  like  the 
lord  of  creation  to  watch  the  boys  hoe  corn. 

The  boys  were  little,  and  one  was  awfully  freckled  ;  but, 
in  spite  of  this,  they  were  full  of  energy  and  independence, 
and  would  not  ask  for  help  as  long  as  there  was  any  hope  of 
pulling  through  without  it :  so,  they  would  dig  and  hoe  at 
the  weed-infested  corn  rows  until  they  saw  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  get  them  all  done  before  dark.  Then  they 
would  suggest  to  ^Y.  B.,  who  had  been  resting  for  two 
hours,  that  it  would  not  be  altogether  alien  to  their  wishes 
if  he  would  lay  hands  on  a  hoe  and  lend  a  little  assistance. 
But,  he  would  reply  by  encouraging  them  to  persevere, 
telling  them  that  that  was  the  way  he  got  his  start.  Thus, 
the  sun  would  go  down,  leaving  ten  rows  for  them  to  hoe  in 
the  morning  while  he  was  taking  his  morning  nap ;  for,  he 


45S  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

was  conscientiously  opposed  to  getting  up  before  eight 
o'clock. 

When  fall  came,  and  the  corn  was  cribbed,  it  looked  like 
a  small  aggregate ;  and  W.  B.  could  not  understand  why 
the  crib  was  not  fuller.  However,  he  didn't  expect  to  need 
much  of  it,  as  he  was  going  to  school.  He  went  to  Morgan- 
town  to  the  West  Virginia  Universit}^  and  there  fell  in  with 
J.  J.  Peterson,  of  Weston,  and  there  is  no  telling  how  they 
planned  mischief.  Mr.  Peterson  may  have  been  innocent, 
but  it  looks  as  if  he  had  something  to  do  with  coaxing 
Maxwell  to  run  away  from  Morgantown  and  go  to  Weston 
to  school.  At  any  rate,  he  ver}^  suddenly  appeared  in 
Weston,  and  remained  there  a  year  or  two,  coming  home 
once  or  twice  to  give  the  boys  some  advice  about  the 
farming.  When  he  left  AVeston,  lie  went  to  Clarksburg, 
and  attended  a  private  school  taught  by  a  man  named  Tur- 
ner. When  he  left  Clarksburg,  he  did  the  most  of  his 
studying  at  home,  out  in  the  fields  where  the  other  boys 
Avere  at  work.  He  would  repeat  his  old  Latin  Grammar, 
"iiioneo^  rnoneas,  raoneat,  and  tell  the  boys  it  meant,  "mow 
weeds,  mow  grass,  mow  ha3\" 

Thus  the  summer  seemed  to  pass  beautifully  over  him, 
and  he  gained  a  great  deal  of  agricultural  knowledge  from 
his  books.  From  the  Georgics  and  Bucolics  of  Virgil  he 
learned  how  to  trim  apple  trees,  plant  grape  vines,  take  care 
of  horses  and  sheep,  and  he  alwjiys  told  the  other  boys  how 
to  do  it.  From  Horace,  Juvinal  and  Quintilian  he  learned 
how  to  arrange  words  in  sentences,  and  he  told  the  boys, 
and  it  was  a  great  encouragement  to  them  as  they  dug  away 
at  the  work  and  listened  with  all  the  patience  of  Job  for  the 
dinner  horn. 

W.  B.  Maxwell's  talents  seemed  to  fit  him  better  for  the 


BKIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  459 

profession  of  the  law  than  for  anything  else,  and  accordingly, 
he  commenced  reading  in  1873.  In  1874  he  was  examined 
before  Judges  Lewis,  Brannon  and  Huffman,  and  obtained 
license  to  practice.  He  located  in  St.  George,  and  has 
since  lived  there,  and  has  had  a  constantly  growing  practice. 
He  is  local  counsel  for  the  W.  Ya.  C.  <fc  P.  R.  W.  Co.,  the 
managers  of  which  are  Henry  G.  Davis,  James  G.  Blaine, 
William  Windom,  and  others.  He  has  been  county 
superintendent  of  Tucker. 

In  187G  he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Howell  Lindsay, 
of  Madison,  Indiana.  Their  children  are  Claud,  Bessie 
and  Hu. 

Hu  Maxwell,  (see  Appendix). 

Cyrus  H.  Maxwell,  son  of  Rufus  Maxwell,  was  born  in 
1863.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
get  his  first  rudiments  of  education  regarding  the  world  at 
large.  After  his  return,  the  same  year,  he  attended  the 
country  school  at  Low  Gap,  where  he  manifested  a  predis- 
position to  take  exceptions  to  every  species  of  instruction 
that  the  teacher  could  devise  or  offer.  His  progress,  how- 
ever, was  well  enough,  and  in  1879,  at  sixteen,  he  entered 
the  Weston  Academy,  and  commenced  the  studies  of  the 
higher  mathematics  and  Latin.  In  these  his  progress  was 
onl}^  tolerably  rapid.  He  found  Ciesar  and  the  Calculus 
much  harder  than  Geograph}^  and  Spelling;  and,  after  a 
hard  winter  of  study,  and  not  many  pages  gone  over  to  show 
for  it,  he  left  Weston  and  returned  home  to  work  on  the 
farm.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  returned  to  Weston  and  again 
set  toward  his  studies.  But,  the  next  fall,  some  little 
unpleasantness,  for  which,  no  doubt,  he  was  mostly  respon- 
sible, having  arisen  in  the  school,  and  also  partly  influenced 


400  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

by  other  considerations,  lie  quit  tlie  Academy  forever.  He 
taught  school  four  months  on  Smith's  Bun,  in  Lewis  County, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1882  went  to  the  normal  school  at 
Valparaiso,  Indiana.  Everything  seemed  to  go  against  him 
there.  He  got  the  diptheria  and  was  laid  up  awhile  with 
that.  Then  he  got  the  mumps,  and  lost  more  time.  Scarcly 
was  he  able  to  be  about  when  he  was  taken  with  the 
measles,  and  had  another  hard  time.  To  add  to  his  calam- 
ities, some  scamp  stole  his  money,  and  he  was  left  short  in 
that  respect.  He  began  to  grow  tired  of  the  place ;  and, 
collecting  together  what  plunder  he  had  left,  he  took  the 
train  for  Chicago,  in  search  of  a  better  land.  He  was  now 
nineteen  years  of  age.  His  stay  in  Chicago  was  short,  only 
a  few  hours,  and  when  next  heard  of  he  was  harvesting  in 
the  wheat  fields  of  California.  This  work  was  too  hard 
to  suit  him,  and  he  hunted  a  vacant  school  and  taught 
eight  months,  at  $60  -per  month. 

In  the  spring  of  1883  he  was  joined  in  California  by  his 
brother  Hu,  and  a  series  of  trampings  and  wanderings  was 
the  result.  They  spent  the  summer  visiting  and  exploring 
noted  i^laces  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  places  of  wildness 
and  romance  among  the  deserts  and  mountains.  They 
spent  a  month  among  the  glades  and  snows  of  the  Sien-as, 
and  explored  the  mysterious  abyss  of  Nihilvideo,  a  report  of 
which  was  published  in  T/ie  ^Mleel^ng  Intelligencer.  In 
July  they  crossed  the  deserts  about  Lake  Tulare,  and  passed 
through  the  Avernal  by  night,  having  gone  fifty-six  miles 
over  the  burning  sand  without  water,  and  reached  the  head 
of  the  Cholame  River,  in  San  Luis  Obispo.  After  several 
days  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  reached  at  San  Luis  Bay.  They 
followed  down  the  coast  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  to  Santa 
Barbara,  visiting,  in  the  meantime,  the  wonderful  Gaviota 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  4G1 

Pass,  and  Los  Critas  River,  that  flows  sulphur  water.  The 
groves  and  gardens  about  Santa  Barbara  were  the  beauti- 
f ulest  they  had  seen  in  California,  except  about  Los  Angeles. 
But  a  spirit  of  adventure  came  near  spoiling  it  all.  Having 
hired  a  fishing-boat,  "  The  Ocean  King  of  San  Diego,"  they 
resolved  to  have  a  sail,  and  in  company  with  Bob  Shelton,  a 
young  Kentuckian,  two  run-away  boys  from  Iowa,  one 
Spaniard,  Chromo,  and  an  Italian,  Larco,  they  set  sail  from 
the  Harbor  of  Santa  Barbara,  on  the  morning  of  August  4, 
1883.  It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  a  gentle  breeze  was 
blowing,  as  they  stood  from  the  harbor.  They  passed  the 
light-house  some  miles  west  of  the  city,  and  struck  boldly 
off  across  the  ocean  toward  Japan.  About  noon  a  storm 
came  on  and  the  boat  was  driven  before  it  for  six  hours.  The 
ocean  was  very  rough,  and  the  boat  was  almost  helpless, 
and  lay  on  its  side.  About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  it  was 
driven  on  the  Santa  Barbara  Islands,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  San  Diego.  The  party  reached  the  shore  in  a 
skiff  that  had  been  tied  on  the  deck  of  the  fishing  boat. 

Only  a  limited  quantity  of  provisions  had  been  gotten 
ashore,  and  the  wild  foxes  ran  down  from  the  mountains 
and  eat  part  of  that,  so  the  supply  only  lasted  about  one 
meal.  Two  fish  were  caught  and  eaten  and  some  cactus- 
apples  were  picked  along  the  cliffs.  On  the  third  day  the 
Spaniard  caught  a  wild  sheep  among  the  mountains,  and  the 
whole  party  feasted,  except  Hu  Maxwell,  who  was  too  con- 
trary to  eat  mutton,  and  went  without  anything  to  eat  until 
a  boat  picked^them  up  and  carried  them  back  to  the  Cali- 
fornia coast,  on' the  third  night.  After  this  the  three  boys 
went  up  the  coast  three  hundred  miles  to  Monterey,  and 
from  thence  passed  up  the  Pajaro  Rio  and  crossed  the  Coast 
Mountains  to    San   Luis   Rancho    and  were    au'ain   in    the 


462  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

San  Joaquin  Valley,  one  hundred  miles  from  Fresno, 
the  starting  point.  The  way  was  mostly  across  a  life- 
less desert,  without  water,  trees  or  grass.  Soon  the 
horses  gave  out,  and  they  were  left  in  the  care  of  the  Ken- 
tuckian  and  the  two  Maxwell  boys  set  forward  on  foot  for 
Fresno.  They  had  as  provision,  two  biscuits,  three  potatoes 
and  a  quart  of  water  in  a  canteen.  They  guided  their  course 
at  night  by  the  north  star,  and  at  day  by  the  sun.  The  way 
was  across  a  sandj^  desert,  level  as  a  floor,  on  which  at  day 
the  mirage  hid  every  object  from  view,  and  the  scorching 
sun  made  the  desert  like  a  furnace.  Aitev  two  nights  and  a 
day  they  reached  their  destination.  The  hot  sand  had  burnt 
their  feet  into  blisters,  and  it  was  weeks  before  tliey  recov- 
ered  from  the  effects  of  the  thrist,  hunger  and  hardships  of 
the  desert.  It  was  mau}^  days  before  the  Kentuckian  got 
out,  but  he  saved  the  carriage  and  horses.  The  journey  all 
in  all,  from  leaving  Fresno  till  returning  to  it  was  over  1,000 
miles,  and  more  than  300  miles  of  it  through  deserts. 

Xot  long  after  this,  Hu  left  California,  and  C.  H.  Maxwell 
was  a2;ain  alone  there.  But  he  did  not  stay  lon<^.  He 
taught  a  school  at  $75  a  month,  and  upon  its  close  returned, 
at  the  age  of  21,  to  West  Virginia,  where  he  and  his  brother 
Hu  bought  the  Tucl-cr  County  Pioneer,  and  went  into  a  part- 
nership to  publish  the  History  of  Tucker  County. 

The  remaining  Ave  boys  of  Eufus  Maxwell's  family  are 
joung,  the  oldest,  T.  E.  Maxwell  being  nineteen,  and  a 
school  teacher;  the  next  younger,  John  F.,  is  a  student  at 
Weston,  and  is  a  landscape  painter.  L.  H.  and  C.  J.  are 
school  bo3-s  and  printers,  and  E.  E.,  the  youngest,  digs 
weeds  out  of  the  garden. 

X 

J.  L.  Neste]:,  son  of  Nathaniel  Nester,  born  1862,  mar- 


BPvIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  463 

ried,  in  1882,  to  Sevana  J.,  daughter  of  William  Fitz water. 
'By  occupation  lie  is  a  farmer,  owns  30  acres  of  land,  10 
acres  improved,  4^  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Bull  Eun. 
Children  :  Icy  Y.  and  Minnie  O. 

Nathaniel  Nesteh,  son  of  Samuel  N.,  born  1833,  was 
married,  in  1861,  to  Melvina,  daughter  of  J.  W.  S.  Phillips.  ■ 
First  Avife  died  in  1875,  and  as  a  second  wife  he  married 
Bede  C,  daughter  of  Moses  Phillips.  By  occupation  he  is 
a  farmer,  owning  300  acres,  40  acres  improved  ;  4  miles  west 
of  St.  George.  His  children  are :  Isaiah  L.,  Alljert  E., 
Lemuel  A.  ~SV.,  Buemi  Tista,  Sampson  F.,  Dorcas  F., 
Saberna  and  Walter. 

George  M.  Nesteb,  son  of  David  Kester,  was  born  in  1818  ; 
of  German  descent;  married  in  1848  to  Eliza,  daughter  of 
Oliver  Shurtleff.  Plis  wife  died  in  1871,  and  he  married 
Mrs.  Lvda  Hovatter,  dauG;hter  of  Isaac  Godwin  ;  is  a  farmer,  4 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  BullPiun  ;  has  70  acres  of  improved 
land,  on  a  farm  of  142  acres.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
Avar  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  but  Avould  not  serve. 
He  was  twice  arrested  by  the  Yankees.  Jolin,  Samuel  and 
George  Nester  were  the  first  settlers  on  Bull  Pun.  The}' 
killed  ten  bears  soon  after  thev  settled  there.  Georc-e  Nes- 
ter's  children  are  Doctor  L.,  Oliver  D.,  Marcellus  C,  Mary 
M.,  Herschel  M.,  Claudius  B.  M.,  Sarah  L.,  Byron  ^X.  and 
Lloyd  ^\. 

Geolge  H.  Xesteu,  of  German  descent,  was  born  in  1846  ; 
is  a  son  of  John  D.  In  1871  lie  married  Jane,  daughter  of 
Stephen  E.  Poling  ;  his  wife  died  in  1874,  and  four  years 
later  he  married  S*ivilla  Y.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Gainer,  of 
Preston  Countv.  Farmer  and  shoemaker,  owns  68  acres  of 
land,  20  of  which  is  improved  ;  lives  8  miles  west  from  St. 


464  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

George ;  his  present  wife  tauglit  schools  No.  1  and  5,  Lick- 
ing District,  on  a  No.  2  certificate.  Children  :  Simon  P., 
John,  Samuel  and  A.  Macy. 

John  D.  Nester,  son  of  David  Nester,  was  born  in  1821 ; 
married  in  1843  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  George  C.  Goff ; 
is  of  German  descent ;  is  a  practical  surveyor,  and  was 
County  Surveyor  10  years  ;  owns  206  acres  of  land,  and  has 
60  under  improvement,  5  miles  west  from  St,  George ;  was 
County  Commissioner  one  year.  Capt.  Hall  took  him  pris- 
oner and  held  him  five  weeks  during  the  war;  settled  in 
Licking  District  in  1855,  and  killed  four  bears  in  one  day. 
Children  :  David  K.,  George  G.,  Winfield  Scott,  Amacy  S. 
and  Mary  S. 

D.  S.  Nester,  son  of  Jacob  Nester,  was  born  in  1851,  and, 
like  the  rest  of  the  name  in  that  region,  is  of  German  de- 
scent and  a  farmer ;  he  owns  149  acres,  109  of  which  is  wild 
land ;  he  lives  on  Bull  Eun,  5  miles  from  St.  George,  and  is 
surveyor  of  roads.  His  children  are  Ira  F.,  Flora  M.  and 
Lumma  E. 

John  H.  Nester,  son  of  Samuel  N.,  of  Barbour  county, 
was  born  in  1841 ;  married  in  1865  to  Margaret  Sears. 
Farmer  of  70  acres,  40  acres  improved ;  lives  6  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Bull  Eun.  AVhen  he  was  six  years  old  he 
killed  a  wild  cat  with  a  seng  hoe.  Children:  Andrew  J., 
E.  Catherine,  Lyda  Y.,  Martha  J.,  Jasper  E.,  Lavina  F., 
Oscar,  Solomon  and  Lawson. 

Eli  Nine,  of  German  descent,  son  of  John  Nine,  was  born 
in  1844,  in  Preston  County ;  married  in  1872  to  Margaret 
Weaver,  of  Preston  County.  Children  :  Earnest  and  Ellis. 
He  is  a  farmer  living  in  Canaan.  His  farm  of  110  acres  is 
all  wild  land  but  0  acres.     He  has  traveled  to  some  extent. 


)  ! 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  465 

having  yisited  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Indian  Territory,  Texas, 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Dakota,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri, 
Indiana,  Ohio,  Arkansas,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Michigan 
and  Virginia.  He  practiced  medicine  in  Missouri.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Homeopathic  school. 

Herschel  M.  Nestee,  son  of  G.  M.  Nester,  born  1858, 
and  lived  4  miles  below  St.  George.  In  1882  he  married 
Almeda  Dumire,  of  Black  Fork. 

W.  Scott  Nester,  born  in  1851,  is  of   German  descent ; 

he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Le\T.  Hill,  and  his  children 

are:     Jacob  A.,  Ledora  A.,  David  W.,  Ida  S.,  Martha  A. 

and  James  W.     He  owns  700  acres  of  land  on   Hile  Run, 

nine  miles  from  St.  George.     He   is   a  farmer,  carpenter, 

blacksmith  and  surgeon. 

o 

John  O'Day,  born  in  Ireland,  1856,  and  raised  in  London; 
married  Mary  A.  Healey,  Texas,  Md.  Children  :  Andora 
Alice  and  Margaret  Eliza.  By  trade  he  is  a  boiler-maker, 
but  is  keeping  a  boarding  house  on  the  West  Virginia  Cen- 
tral and  Pittsburgh  Railway. 

J.  S.  Otes,  living  on  the  railroad  near  Thomas,  was  born 

1859,  and  is  of  German  and  Irish  descent.     By  trade  he  is 

a  carpenter. 

p 

Andrew  S.  Phillips,  born  1857,  son  of  Elijah  Phillips; 
was  married  in  1875,  to  Alice  S.  Nester.  Their  children 
are  Prissilla,  Sarah,  Milla,  Bedford  and  Dicy  May ;  owns  a 
farm  of  96  acres,  with  35  acres  improved  ;  lives  10  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Indian  Fork  of  Clover. 

William  S.  Phillips,  born  1852,  son  of  J.  W.  S.  Phillips  ; 
married  in  1870  to  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  Jacob  J.  Nester; 

30 


4m  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

cliildren:  Matliew  B!,  Arnold  W.,  Jacob  J.,  Bertlia  J.,  J. 
Elwood  and  baby ;  is  a  farmer  owning  110  acres,  with  50 
acres  improved.  He  lives  8  miles  from  St.  George,  on 
Clover. 

Elijah  Phillips,  son  of  Isaac  Phillips,  born  1821,  in 
Barbour  Connt}'.  '  At  the  age  of  20  he  married  Louisa  H., 
daughter  of  John  Valentine.  Their  children  are,  Isaac  J., 
Absalom,  Almarine,  John  "W.,  Jane,  Andrews,  Sylvenas  and 
John.  He  has  been  a  prominent  man  in  the  county  since 
its  formation.  He  came  to  Tucker  in  1830,  and  has  since 
been  a  farmer  and  merchant.  He  owns  212  acres  of  land 
100  acres  of  which  is  improved.  He  lives  on  Brushy  Fork, 
10  miles  from  St.  George. 

Sylvenas  Phillips,  son  of  Elijah  Phillips;  born  1859, 
and  married  in  1880  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  R.  T.  Griffith. 
Children:  Florida,  Cora  May  and  Bertha.  By  occupation 
he  is  a  farmer  and  owns  162  acres  of  land,  50  acres  of  which 
is  improved.     He  lives  10  miles  from  St.  George. 

James  E.  Phillips,  son  of  Eli  Phillips,  born  1835,  in 
Barbour  County,  of  English  descent;  married  in  1859  to 
Ellen,  daughter  of  Yrilliam  Phillips.  Children  :  Angerretta, 
Franklin,  Letcher,  Truman  and  Cora.  His  wife  died  in 
1871,  and  in  1872  lie  married  Abagail,  daughter  of  Waldo 
J.  Bennett,  of  Barbour  County.  He  is  a  farmer  of  41  acres 
of  laud,  with  30  acres  improved;  been  in  Tucker  Count}^ 
since  1883.  His  second  famil^^  of  cliildren  are  Burnetta, 
Robert  D.,  Emerson,  Eoxa  K.,  Hider  M.  and  Dora  A.;  lives 
six  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texa-s  Mountain. 


O^J 


IsEAEL  Phillips,  son  of  John  J.  Phillips,  born  181G,  in  Bar- 
bour County,  of  French  and  German  descent ;  married  in 
1837  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Moses  Kittle.     Elihu  Phillips 


BiRIEF  BIOGBAPHtES.  467 

is  their  son.  He  is  a  farmer  of  200  acres,  ^itli  70  "acres  im- 
proved ;  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texas  Mountain ; 
"was  justice  of  tlie  peace  4  years,  sheriff  4  years,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 

Elihu  Phillips,  born  1838,  married  in  1858  to  Martha 
Yoakam ;  lives  on  a  farm  7  miles  west  of  St.  George ;  was 
postmaster  for  30  years,  and  held  the  office  of  secretary  of 
the  board  of  education.  Children:  Salina  E.,  Mary  A., 
Nancy  E.,  Kachel  A.,  Eliza  O.  and  Sarah  J. 

Arnold  Phillips,  son  of  J.  ^Y.  S.  Phillips,  of  English  de- 
scent, was  married  to  Emily  A.  Yoakam.  His  farm  of  131 
acres,  60  of  which  is  improved,  is  9  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Brushy  Fork.  Children  :  John  L.,  Yirginia,  Jehu,  Irwin, 
Coleman  B.,  Idela  and  Stella  J. 

John  L.  Phillips,  son  of  Arnold  Phillips,  was  born  in 
1863 ;  owns  39  acres  of  land,  15  improved,  9  miles  from  St. 
George ;  is  a  school  teacher,  on  a  No.  2  certificate,  having 
taught  schools  Nos.  4,  5  and  7,  Clover  District. 

Isaac  Poling  was  born  in  1860 ;  married,  1883,  to  Piena 
M.,  daughter  of  H.  W.  Shahan  ;  he  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on 
Licking,  8  miles  from  St.  George. 

J.  M.  PiTZEPi,  son  of  J.  M.  Pitzer,  was  born  1853  in  Bar- 
bour County ;  married,  in  1883,  to  Margaret  C,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Martin  ;  lives  7  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Licking. 
He  has  but  one  child,  Lodema. 

A^  ILLIAM  PLu:.r,  born  1848  in  Preston  Count}-,  of  English 
descent;  married,  in  1871,  to  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Martin 
S.  Stempie ;  he  is  a  farmer,  blacksmith  and  carpenter ;  his 
farm  of  137  acres  is  one-fifth  improved ;  lives  10  miles  from 
St.  George  on  Long  Bun.  Children  :  Martha  A.,  Tabitha 
E.  and  Plarry  M.     He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1878. 


468  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

D.  S.  PiFER,  son  of  Andrew  Pifer,  of  German  descent,  was 
born  in  1855 ;  married  in  1875  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Shafer.  In  1878  liis  wife  died,  and  the  next  year  he  mar- 
ried Mattie,  daughter  of  Joshua  Shahan,  of  Preston  County. 
His  farm  is  on  Texas  Mountain,  5  miles  from  St.  George, 
and  contains  68  acres,  50  of  which  is  improved.  Children : 
Yerna  and  Claudius. 

CouRTLAND  Phillips,  SOU  of  Jeliorah  Phillips,  of  Barbour 
County,  was  born  in  1842,  and  married  in  1869  to  Manda, 
daughter  of  Simeon  Harris.  His  children  are,  Loretta  H., 
Gilbert  L.,  Malissa  O.,  Ginnie  D.,  Ira  E,  and  Icson  J.;  his 
farm  of  100  acres,  with  15  acres  improved,  is  12  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Haddix.  He  did  four  years  of  service  in 
the  Confederate  army,  under  Edward  Johnson,  Stonewall 
Jackson  and  General  Early.  He  was  at  Winchester  at  the 
time  of  Banks'  defeat,  was  in  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor, 
Gettysburg  (where  he  was  wounded),  was  captured  and 
sent  as  a  prisoner  to  David's  Island,  N.  Y.;  was  sent  home 
on  parole  and  exchanged.  He  was  also  in  the  fight  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Mechanicsville,  Fredericksburg,  Bull  Kun,  German- 
town  and  Strasburg.  He  was  twicer  a  prisoner,  and  suffered 
8  months  imprisonment  at  Point  Lookout,  Md. 

Wesley  Phillips,  son  of  Elijah  Phillips,  born  1850;  mar- 
ried in  1869  to  Lucinda  Yoakam ;  is  a  farmer  of  79  acres, 
35  improved,  10  miles  from  St.  George  on  Clover.  Children  : 
John  M.  E.,  Elijah,  Mary  Ann,  Uriah  and  Eliza. 

Isaac  Phillips,  brother  to  Wesley,  and  8  years  older,  and 
married  7  years  sooner  to  Melvina,  daughter  of  Samuel  Stal- 
naker,  lives  on  Clover,  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm 
of  145  acres,  40  acres  improved.  Children  :  Truman  A., 
Luisa  Belle,  Marietta,  Sylvester,  Almarine  and  Savilla. 


BRIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  469 

Marion  Phillips,  son  of  Moses  Phillips,  was  born  1852, 
and  married  at  the  age  of  20  to  Martha  A.,  daughter  of  John 
Jones.  He  lives  4  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover,  and 
has  25  acres  of  cleared  land,  and  50  acres  of  woods.  He 
was  constable  8  years.  Children :  Eunice  L.,  Tasy  C, 
Henrietta,  Joy  D.  and  Zalma. 

Absalom  Phillips,  Elijah's  son,  was  born  in  1844 ;  mar- 
ried in  1868  to  Louisa  M.,  daughter  of  William  Jefferies ; 
farmer  of  70  acres,  25  acres  improved,  on  Clover,  10  miles 
from  St.  George ;  also  in  the  mercantile  business.  Melissa 
is  his  only  child. 

Albert  G.  Phillips  was  born  in  Barbour  County  in  1841; 
married  in  1865  to  Almarine,  daughter  of  Elijah  Phillips. 
Children :  Elijah,  Jerome,  Celia,  Dama  and  Martha  J.; 
farmer  of  102  acres,  30  acres  improved,  7  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Clover.  He  was  in  the  Confederate  army,  and 
passed  through  a  number  of  battles  unhurt,  although  his 
clothes  were  cut  seven  times  by  bullets.  He  was  with 
Garnett  at  Corrick's  Ford,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg and  on  James  Piiver. 

Hamilton  Poling,  son  of  Samuel  Poling,  was  born  in  1840 ; 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Eamsey,  of  Barbour 
County,  7  miles  from  St.  George ;  is  a  farmer  of  100  acres, 
with  20  of  it  in  shape  for  farming.  He  has  been  in  the 
county  since  1882.  Children :  Phillip,  Martha,  John  W., 
Samuel  E.,  Sarah  F.  and  Margaret  J. 

Salathiel  Phillips,  son  of  Jacob  P.,  of  Barbour  County, 
was  born  in  1831,  married  in  1854,  to  Anice,  daughter  of 
Eli  Phillips.  In  1864  his  wife  died,  and  the  next  year  he 
married  Elizabeth  J.  Hewit.  Ten  acres  of  his  farm  of  73 
acres  is  under  cultivation,  and  is  7  miles  from  St.  George, 


470  HISTOEY  OF  TUCEEE  COUNTY. 

on  Clover  Kun.  He  came  to  Tucker  when  3  years  of  age. 
Children :  Mary  C,  Loretta  J.,  Savilla  E.,  Emily  M.,  James 
A.,  Eobert  E.  and  Margaret  O. 

Egbert  Phillips,  son  of  Jacob  Phillips,  was  born  in  1826, 
of  German  descent.  In  1847  he  married  Malissa,  daughter 
of  John  Valentine,  of  Barbour  County  ;  lives  6  miles  from 
St.  George  on  Clover.  His  farm  of  50  acres  contains  47 
acres  of  wild  land.  He  has  been  road  surveyor  20  years, 
member  board  of  education  18  years.  He  killed  a  bear 
when  he  was  only  12  years  old,  by  shooting  it  in  the  throat ; 
has  killed  more  than  200  deer.  He  was  Captain  of 
mihtia  before  the  war.  Their  children  are,  Anna,  Mette  C, 
Malinda  J.  and  John  Eiley. 

Moses  Phillips,  son  of  Isaac  Phillips,  was  born  in  Bar- 
bour County,  January  19,  1830.  When  he  was  16  he  came 
to  Tucker,  and  lived  in  a  house  that  had  no  floor,  door, 
chimney  or  window,  A  log  was  cut  off,  and  the  family 
crept  in  at  this  hole.  In  1851  he  married  Lamira,  daughter 
of  William  Phillips.  Children :  Marion  J.,  Bede,  Catharine, 
Barbara  M.,  Columbia  J.,  Melvina,  Laura  E.,  Abraham  P., 
Adaline  and  M.  C.  Bernard.  He  owns  a  farm  of  100  acres, 
60  is  cleared  land,  5  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Texas  Moun- 
tain. He  was  eight  years  justice  of  the  peace.  During  the 
war  his  S3^mpathies  leaned  toward  the  South,  and  in  McChes- 
ney's  raid,  Phillips  was  one  of  the  fifty  infantry  that  followed 
toward  Hannahsviile,  but  who  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  take 
part  in  the  fight.  He  saw  the  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford,  but 
was  not  in  it." 

Isaac  Phillips  was  born  1804  in  Barbour  County,  was, a 
son  of  Joseph  Phillips,  and  was  of  English  and  Dutch  de- 

•See  previous  chapters  of  this  book  for  other  matters  relating  to  Moses  Phillips. 


BHIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  471 

scent.  He  came  to  Tucker  in  1836,  and  was  tlie  first  settler 
in  Clover  District.  He  was  in  the  Corrick's  Ford  battle, 
and  saw  the  whole  affair.  It  was  his  opinion  that  many 
Union  men  were  killed.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  citizens  of 
the  county,  and  one  of  the  pioneers.  His  children  are: 
Elijah,  Enoch,  Diana,  Christina,  Moses,  Barbara,  Aaron, 
George  TV.,  Samuel  H.,  John  and  Eliza  Jane. 

P.  J.  Phillips,  son  of  Jackson  Phillips,  was  born  1853, 
married  1875  to  Malinda  J.,  daughter  of  Eobert  Phillips. 
He  is  a  farmer  with  10  acres  of  cleared  land  on  a  farm  of 
62  acres,  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Clover.  His  children 
are  Nily  M.,  Adaline  P.,  Charles  J.,  and  Alba  J. 

Leonard  Phillips,  son  of  John  W.  S.  Phillips,  born  1845, 
in  Barbour  County;  married  1865  to  Hannah  J.,  daughter  of 
John  Jones.  Children :  Lavina  Ann,  John  Jones  W.  S., 
Mary  E.,  Eichard  C,  Martha  A.,  James  M.  and  Thomas  W. 
H.;  lives  on  Brushy  Fork,  9  miles  from  St.  George,  on  a  farm 
of  54  acres,  with  20  acres  improved.  He  has  been  road  sur- 
veyor, overseer  of  the  poor  and  president  of  the  board  of 
education.  He  served  two  years  in  the  Confederate  army, 
under  Imboden,  Fitz  Hugh  Lee,  Jackson  and  others.  He 
was  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  TYilliamsport.  At  Wil- 
liamsport  his  regiment  suffered  terribly.  Of  1100  who  went 
into  the  fight,  only  250  could  be  found  able  to  bear  arms 
when  the  battle  was  over.  Phillips  became  separated  from 
his  men,  and  a  company  of  cavalry  charged  on  him.  He 
flung  himself  in  a  fence  corner  and  opened  fire  on  the  ap- 
proaching enemy,  who  fired  in  return,  knocking  thousands 
of  splinters  from  the  rails  all  about  him.  He  fired  eight 
times,  and  held  them  in  check  until  reinforcements  came  to 
his  rescue.     At  Gettysburg  he  was  in  the  hottest  fight,  and 


472  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

saw  600  wagons  hauling  wounded  men  to  the  rear.  He  was 
with  Imboden  in  some  of  his  most  daring  raids.  In  theone 
down  Gauley  Eiver,  Philhps  went  six  days  with  only  one 
meal,  and  that  scanty.  It  rained  on  them  at  night,  and  Phil- 
lips lay  on  low  ground  with  his  blanket  over  him.  So 
fatigued  was  he  that  he  did  not  awaken  until  the  water  was 
nearly  over  him.  Then  he  got  up  and  sat  on  a  log  till  morn- 
ing. In  the  Avar  he  never  shrunk  from  an  undertaking,  no 
matter  how  hard  or  dangerous. 

Magarga  Paesons,  son  of  Thomas  S.  Parsons,  born  1858, 
married  1883  to  Florence  E.,  daughter  of  Hu  P.  Collet ;  lives 
on  a  farm  11  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Black  Fork  ;  his  farm 
contains  95  acres,  of  which  15  acres  is  improved.  He  is 
overseer  of  poor. 

Adonijah  Phillips,  born  1829,  in  Barbour  County ;  mar- 
ried 1849  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Jacob  Phillips;  lives 
on  a  farm  12  miles  up  the  river  from  St.  George.  Children  : 
Mar}^  Samuel  E.,  Minerva,  Catherine,  Thomas  J.  and 
Amanda. 

Nathaniel  Pennington  was  born  1829  in  Pendleton 
County,  of  English  descent ;  married  1861  to  Susan,  daughter 
of  Solomon  Carr ;  farmer  of  200  acres,  50  acres  improved ; 
lives  14  miles  from  St.  George  on  Bed  Eun  ;  belonged  to 
the  Home  Guards  during  the  war.  Children :  Solomon, 
John,  Nathaniel  J.,  Esau,  Adam,  Eobert  H.,  E.  Elizabeth, 
Catharine  and  Martin. 

John  Pennington,  son  of  Nathaniel  Pennington,  was  born 
in  1860,  was  married  in  1878  to  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  D.  S. 
Hern,  of  Greenbrier  County.  Children :  Samuel  S.  and 
Luella. 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  473 

Solomon  J.  Pexxixgtox,  brotber  to  John,  born  1856, 
married  Phoebe  C.  Hartley,  of  Pendleton  County,  lives  on  a 
farm  19  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dry  Fork.  Children : 
Oliver,  Zella,  Mary  and  Martha. 

Hiram  Phillips  was  ^born  in  1826,  in  Barbour,  son  of 
William  Phillips  ;  lives  on  a  farm  of  165  acres,  with  60 
acres  improved,  on  Black  Fork,  7  miles  from  St.  George  ; 
been  in  the  county  since  1849,  and  has  caught  two  bears. 
In  1849,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Sarah  Sargent,  of 
Preston  County.  Children:  Sarah  M.,  Susan  E.,  William 
Ii.,  Henry  G.,  James  A.,  Harriett,  Draper  C,  Teretha,  Anna 
F.,  Walter  C,  Ida  J.  and  Haymond  H.;  he  works  in  the 
cooper  business  to  some  entent. 

Samuel  L.  Phillips,  son  of  Adonijah  Phillips,  was  born 
1852  ;  married  1877  to  Minerva  Weese,  of  Bandolph.  He  is 
a  farmer,  living  on  rented  land,  5  miles  from  St.  George,  on 
Wolf  Kun.  Children  :  Floyd,  Plumber  B.,  William  Cay  ton 
Democrat  and  Olive  B. 

A.  J.  Pase  was  born  in  1863,  in  Pennsylvania ;  been  in 
Tucker  since  1879 ;  son  of  Jacob  Pase,  lives  at  Thomas,  15 
miles  from  St.  George ;  he  is  a  laborer. 

S.  T.  PuEKEY  was  born  in  1848  in  Barbour  County,  son  of 
L.  A.  Purkey,  of  German  descent.  Children :  Frank, 
Charles,  Samuel  Tilden  and  Lulu  B.  In  1871  he  married 
Sarah  C.  Ash ;  he  was  formerly  a  shoemaker,  but  is  now  a 
farmer,  living  6  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Location  Ridge, 
where  he  owns  185  acres  of  land,  of  which  35  acres  is 
under  cultivation ;  lived  ten  years  in  St.  George  ;  was  ap- 
pointed and  then  elected  constable,  was  member  of  the 
board  of  education,  road  surveyor  and  overseer  of  the 
poor,   and   deputy    sheriff    under  A.    C.   Minear.     In    his 


474  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

younger  clays  lie  was  passionately  fond  of  drhing  cattle, 
and  in  that  occupation  traveled  over  a  large  portion  of  the 
State. 

S.  J.  Parsons  was  born  in  1848,  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  is  a 
son  of  James  W.  Parsons,  of  English  descent.  In  1869  he 
married  Emma  Parsons,  daughter  of  Squire  Job  Parsons. 
Children :  Prentis  M.,  Hattie,  Arthur  Wilbur  and  Marvin  ; 
is  a  farmer,  living  one-half  mile  east  of  St.  George,  and  has 
100  acres  of  land  well  improved,  and  300  not  so  well  culti- 
vated. He  was  one  of  the  best  hunters  in  the  county,  while 
he  followed  the  sport.  He,  C.  L.  and  S.  E.  Parsons,  killed 
31  deer  in  the  faU  of  1870. 

He  met  with  an  accident  while  hunting,  and  which  came 
near  ending  fatally.  He,  with  C.  L.  Parsons,  was  hunting 
on  the  bluff  near  Sims'  Bottom,  and  he  accidently  fell  over 
a  cliff;  fell  85  feet  at  two  falls,  on  sharp  rocks,  and  then 
rolled  200  feet  further  into  the  river.  He  was  uncon- 
scious from  the  first  and  has  no  recollection  of  the 
occurrence. 

C.  L.  Parsons,  was  born  in  1841;  married  in  1877  to  Sadie, 
daughter  of  J.  M.  Jenkins.  Children  :  Boyd  M.,  Bertie  R. 
and  Delton.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  3  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Jonathan  Run,  on  a  farm  of  IGO  acres,  of  which  70  acres 
is  improved.  He  lost  his  left  arm  in  1874,  in  a  threshing 
machine.  He  was  one  of  S.  J.  Parsons'  comrades  the  fall 
that  31  deer  were  killed.  He  was  with  him  when  he  fell 
over  the  cliff,  and  he  saved  him  from  drowning. 

Joseph  Parsons,  son  of  William  R.  Parsons,  and  owner  of 
the  old  Horse  Shoe  Farm,  was  born  in  1842  and  married  in 
1872  to  Margaret  J.,  daughter  of  Adam  H.  Long.  Children : 
William  R.,  Florence  M.,  Minnie  andBascom.     Mr.  Parsons 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  475 

is  one  of  tlie  most  extensive  farmers  in  the  county.  He  has 
500  acres  under  improvement,  and  nearly  that  much  unim- 
proved; lives  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  three  miles  from  St. 
George.  He  attended  the  West  Virginia  University  8 
months,  was  county  superintendent  one  term  and  county 
surve^^or  two  terms.  During  the  war  he  was  taken  prisoner 
by  Kelly  and  carried  to  Wheeling,  but  was  soon  liberated. 
He  was  a  school  teacher  in  his  younger  days. 

I.  C.  Poling  was  born  in  1850  in  Barbour  County,  son  of 
Israel  Poling,  of  English,  Irish  and  German  descent ;  married 
in  1870  to  Anna,  daughter  of  Robert  Phillips.  Children: 
Fannie  B.,  John  W.,  Ida  M.  and  Laura  Etta ;  is  a  farmer, 
owning  63  acres,  7  acres  improved,  6  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Clover  Run.     He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1868.  ^ 

Henry  G.  pHiLLirs,  son  of  Hiram  PhiUips,  was  born  in 
1855,  married  in  1881  to  Winnie  A.  Somerfield,  of  Randolph 
County.  Children  :  Granville  T.  and  Hiram  J.  He  lives 
10  miles  fi'om  St.  George,  on  Black  Fork. 

William  R.  Phaees,  was  born  in  1854,  son  of  J.  W.  Phares, 
of  Randolph  County,  of  Irish  and  German  descent ;  married 
in  1878  to  Phoebe  F.,  daughter  of  Solomon  Ferguson.  Chil- 
dren: William  H.,  John  F.  and  Mary  J.;  farmer  of  150 
acres,  30  acres  improved,  on  Clover  Run,  8  miles  from  St. 
George.     He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1881. 

Levi  H.  Pase,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  1857,  son  of 
Jacob  Pase,  of  German  descent ;  married,  1883,  to  Lizzie, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Miller ;  he  has  one  child,  William  H., 
and  lives  at  Thomas. 

George  W.  Pase,  son  of  Jacob  Pase,  of  Pennsylvania, 
born,  1856 ;  manied,  1881,  to  Margaret  Mullenax  ;  he  lives 


476  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

at  Tliomas,  and  is  a  laborer  in  the  mines  and  on  the  rail- 
road.    Their  child's  name  is  Maud. 

Frank  Pifee,  son  of  Andrew  Pifer,  was  born  1852.  He 
is  of  German  descent,  and  is  a  mechanic  and  farmer ;  spent 
several  years  in  the  city  of  Parkersburg,  and  in  1880  went 
"West  to  Kansas  City  and  stayed  a  few  days.  He  has  trav- 
eled to  a  considerable  extent  over  the  States  east  of  the 
Missouri  Eiver. 

A.  B.  Paesons,^  son  of  W.  W.  Parsons,  born  1844,  of 
English  descent;  married  Eachael,  daughter  of  W.  E. 
Parsons.  In  his  early  life  he  followed  farming,  then  school 
teaching  and  then  the  profession  of  the  law.  He  has  been 
school  commissioner,  secretary  of  the  board  of  education, 
county  surveyor  and  prosecuting  attorney ;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  St.  George  town  council,  and  held  other  small 
offices ;  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1876.  In 
1882  he  was  elected  to  represent  Tucker  and  Eandolph  in 
the  legislature.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a  prominent 
leader  of  the  factional  politics  of  his  county.  He  owns 
property  in  different  parts  of  the  county,  and  has  valuable 
lots  and  houses  in  St.  George,  where  he  resides. 

S.  E.  Phillips,  born  1860,  son  of  J.  U.  S.  Phillips,  of 
English  descent ;  married,  1878,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
Wesley  Channel ;  is  a  farmer,  owning  47  acres  of  land. 
Children :     Hattie  M.,  Eisse,  Zona  Jane,  and  James  Elliott. 

S.  E.  Paesons,  son  of  J.  W.  Parsons,  was  born  1838  in  the 
Horse  Shoe  where  he  now  resides,  near  the  site  of  the  old 
stockade  fort  of  Indian  times.  He  is  a  descendent  of  the 
Parsonses  who  first  came  to  the  Horse  Shoe.     Capt.  James 


•  See  mstory  of  the  St.  George  Bar,  In  this  book,  for  further  notice  of  Mr.  Parsons. 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  477 

Parsons,  the  ancestor  of  one  branch  of  the  family,  was  mar- 
ried several  times.  The  last  marriage  was  when  he  was 
near  80  years  of  age.  Dr.  Solomon  Parsons  was  a  son  of 
James  Parsons  by  this  last  marriage.  Dr.  Solomon  was  the 
grandfather  of  S.  E.  Parsons. 

S.  E.  Parsons  was  married  1864  to  Adaline  Parsons.  His 
children  are  :  Etta  Irene,  Edgar  J.,  and  James  M.  He  is  a 
farmer  and  stockman.  His  Horse  Shoe  farm  is  the  oldest 
and  one  of  the  very  finest  in  the  county.  Part  of  it  has 
been  under  cultivation  over  one  hundred  years.  It  contains 
174  acres,  of  which  150  acres  is  highly  improved.  His  resi- 
dence stands  on  an  elevation  overlooking  the  river  bottoms 
on  three  sides,  and  on  the  fourth  side,  half  mile  away,  rises 
the  high  ridge,  called  Sims'  Mountain.  The  spot  is  one  of 
great  beauty.  The  Horse  Shoe  is  seen  in  all  its  greeness  in 
the  summer  time,  and  fine  farms  extend  on  every  side. 
Besides  his  Horse  Shoe  farm,  he  has  nearly  4000  acres  of 
land,  some  wild  and  some  improved,  in  different  parts  of 
the  county.  He  has  always  been  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
county,  having  been  justice  7  years,  commissioner  of  schools 
several  years,  president  of  the  county  court  four  years,  and 
held  other  oflQces  of  trust  and  profit.  In  the  war  he  was  a 
supporter  of  the  Union  cause.  The  men  who  came  with 
McChesney,  took  him  prisoner  as  they  returned,  after  Mc- 
Chesney  had  been  killed.  They  took  him  to  Eich  Mountain, 
and  when  Garnett  retreated,  he  carried  Parsons  along,  hav- 
ing tied  him  and  William  Hebb  together.  The  night  that 
the  army  passed  up  Hog  Back,  Parsons  untied  himself  and 
leaped  over  a  bank  to  escape.  Several  shots  were  dis- 
charged at  him,  but  he  escaped.  He  belonged  to  no  military 
organization  during  the  war.  He  lives  three  miles  from  St. 
George. 


478  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEB  COUNTY. 

C.  S.  Parsoxs,  brother  of  A.  B.  Parsons,  of  St.  George, 
was  born  in  1845,  and  married  in  1876  to  Sarah  E.  Miller, 
daughter  of  David  Miller.  Children :  Leland  W.  and 
Hester  A.  He  is  a  farmer  and  lives  four  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  a  farm  of  67  acres,  with  40  acres  improved. 

Jesse  Parsons,  son  of  W.  E.  Parsons,  was  born  in  1825, 
and  in  1847  married  Catharine,  daughter  of  Solomon  Par- 
sons. Children :  William  L. ,  Mary  Samantha,  Eliza,  George 
T.  and  Melvin  W. ;  is  a  farmer  and  owns  532  acres  of  land, 
with  80  acres  improved,  four  miles  above  St.  George,  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  Holly  Meadov^^s ;  he  was  the  first  sheriff  of 
Tucker  County,  having  been  elected  twice  in  the  same  year 
to  that  office.  In  the  war  he  was  southern  in  his  inclina- 
tions, and  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  Nathaniel  Lambert 
and  was  carried  to  Wheeling  on  some  pretended  charge. 
After  he  had  lain  in  jail  one  day,  he  was  sent  home,  to  be 
again  arrested  by  Frank  Purinton.  This  time  he  was  taken 
to  Clarksburg,  and  had  to  lie  in  jail  five  days. 

Job  Parsons  is  a  son  of  Solomon  Parsons,  and  was  born 
in  1820.  In  1841  he  married  Jemima  Ward,  daughter  of 
Adonijah  Ward;  his  wife  died  in  1853  and  he  married 
Eunice  J.,  daughter  of  James  Long,  in  1872.  Children: 
Analiza,  Martha  Jane,  Solomon  A.,  James  W.,  Mary 
Jemima,  Alice,  Ward  and  Perr^^  He  lives  in  the  Holly 
Meadows,  6  miles  from  St.  George,  where  he  owns  700 
acres  of  land,  of  vv'hich  160  acres  is  under  cultivation.  He 
has  been  a  county  officer  and  held  office  in  Eandolph 
"before  the  formation  of  Tucker ;  he  says  that  quite  a  num- 
ber of  wounded  Union  soldiers  were  in  Washington  Par- 
sons' house  after  the  battle  of  Corrick's  Ford,  which  goes 
to  substantiate  the  belief  that  their  loss  was  greater  than 
their  account  makes  it. 


BEIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  47^ 

Ward  Pahsons,  born  1827,  son  of  Solomon  Parsons, 
was  married  1848  to  Sarah  H.,  dangliter  of  William  R.  Par- 
sons. Children :  Lloyd,  Burnitte,  Carrie,  Elizabeth  and 
Lemuel  W.  He  is  a  farmer,  living  on  Shafer's  Fork,  8  miles 
from  St.  George.  His  farm  of  1000  acres  has  375  acres  im- 
proved. His  personal  property  was  all  destroyed  by  Yan- 
kees during  the  war,  and  100  of  Latham's  men  tried  to  cap- 
ture him,  shooting  at  him,  and  the  balls  throwing  sand  over 
him.     He  was  elected  sheriff  in  1876. 

George  M.  Parsons,  son  of  Isaac  Parsons,  was  born  in 
1800.  When  he  was  21  years  of  age  he  walked  to  Ohio 
with  Yv''illiam  Losh,  Nicholas  Parsons  and  Daniel  Du- 
mire."  He  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Sistersville.  He  remained 
6  months,  got  the  ague  and  came  back.  He  went  again,  on 
horseback,  in  1844.  He  owns  1600  acres  of  land,  with 
400  acres  improved.  He  lives  at  the  mouth  of  Coburn 
Eun,  5  miles  from  St.  George.  He  and  N.  M.  Parsons  are 
in  partnership. 

James  T>.  Propst,  son  of  W.  H.  Propst,  born  1852  in  Green- 
brier Countv,  of  Enojlish  and  German  descent :  married  1875 
to  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  Bright.  He  owns 
50  acres  of  land,  half  improved,  14  miles  above  St.  George. 
Children  :     Austin  H.,  and  Rosa  Dell. 

Thomas  Parsons,  born  1834,  died  1873,  son  of  James  Par- 
sons. His  farm  of  330  acres  was  in  the  Holly  Meadows, 
5  miles  from  St.  George.  Children :  Signora  D.,  Magarga, 
Isabel,  C3aT.s  Haymond,  Rufus  Maxwell,  Irona  Jane  and 
Rebecca  E. 

James  R.  Parsons,  born  1814,  4  miles  from  St.  George  ; 

married  1837  to  Mahala,  daughter  of  Joshua  Mason.     Chil- 
f  

•  See  another  chapter  of  this  book. 


480  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  C6UNTY. 

dren  :  Cornelius,  Susana,  Marsilla,  Nancy,  Luther,  Josliua, 
Thomas,  Kobert,  Harriet  and  Emil3^  He  is  a  farmer  living 
14  miles  from  St.  George  on  Shafer's  Fork.  He  owns  345 
acres  of  land,  of  which  150  acres  is  improved.  ^Tiile  Tucker 
belonged  to  Eandolph  he  w^as  justice  four  years  and  consta- 
ble eleven  years. 

"William  H.  Pkopst,  of  Bath  County,  Va.,  was  born  1822, 
and  is  of  German  and  Irish  descent ;  married  1844  to  Ellen 
Hiser,  of  Greenbrier  County.  Children :  Elizabeth,  Jane, 
Thomas  P.,  James  D.,  George  L.  P.,  Alfred  F.  and  Charles 
W.  He  is  a  farmer  of  75  acres,  one -third  improved,  on. 
Pleasant  Eun,  12  miles  from  St.  George.  He  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  in  the  shoemaking 
department. 

Geoege  L.  p.  Peopst,  son  of  William,  was  born  in  1859. 
In  1876  he  married  Angelina,  daughter  of  John  M.  Hans- 
ford; he  is  a  farmer,  living  12  miles  from  St.  George. 
Children :  Emma  Catharine,  Julia  Ann,  John  H.  and 
Alonso  B. 

Thomas  P.  Peopst  was  born  in  1850,  in  Greenbrier 
County.  In  1877  he  married  Virginia  M.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  Bright.  Children  :  Charles  W.,  Mary  E.  and 
James  M.  T.;  he  is  a  farmer  and  schoolteacher,  and  owns 
109  acres  of  land  on  Pleasant  Eun,  and  has  taught  three 
schools. 

Thomas  B.  Paesons,  son  of  James  E.  Parsons,  was  born 
in  1849.  In  1874  he  married  Hannah  Channel,  of  Barbour 
County.  Children  :  Cornelius  S.,  Jasper  K.  and  Upton  G.; 
he  is  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  with  400  acres  of  land,  one- 
fourth  improved,  on  Shafer's  Fork,  14  miles  from  St.  George. 

J.  W.  PiFEE,  son  of  Andrew  Pifer,  was  born  in  1861  ;  he 
is  a  farmer  and  mail-carrier. 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  481 

XiCHOLAS  M.  Parsons  was  born  in  1812,  at  tlie  moutli 
of  Cobiirn  Run,  where  he  Las  ever  since  lived.  His 
ancestry  were  the  same  family  wlio  first  came  from  Moore- 
field  to  Tucker ;  he  owns  about  1600  acres  of  land.  In 
1882  he  married  Regana  Teeter.  Their  child's  name  is 
George  J. 

Lloyd  Parsons,  born  1848,  at  Alum  Hill ;  married,  1872, 
to  Anna  C,  daughter  of  William  Hansford,  of  Black  Fork; 
was  constable  at  one  time.  His  farm  of  244  acres  on  Shaf- 
er's  Fork,  has  twenty  acres  improved. 

A.  S.  PiFER,  born,  1863,  on  Pifer  Mountain,  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  Pifer,  of  German  descent,  and  is  a  farmer  and  mail 
carrier. 

Jacob  Pennnigton,  born,  1849,  in  Randolph  County,  of 
German  and  Irish  descent ;  married  in  1869  to  Mary  J., 
daughter  of  John  G.  Johnson,  of  Lewis  County.  Children  : 
George  W.,  Jarrett  H.,  Minnie,  A.  Bennett  and  Job  Par- 
sons. He  worked  at  the  silversmith  trade  in  Weston,  under 
Er.  Ralston,  and  also  under  Lambrach,  of  Cincinnati.  He 
came  to  Tucker  in  1880,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  418  acres 
on  Red  Creek,  28  miles  from  St.  George. 

Jacob  Pase  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  of  German 
descent ;  was  married  in  Pennsylvania.  Children  :  Geo. 
W.,  Levi  H.,  Ames  M.,"^  John  H.,  Andrew  J.,  Jacob  O., 
Amanda  M.,  Lavina  J.,  Eliza  J.  and  Sarah  S.;  he  lives  at 
Thomas,  and  his  house  was  the  first  one  there. 

John.  I.  Propst,  of  German  descent,  was  born  1824  in 
Highland  County,  Va.,  and  was  married  in  1846  to  Delila 
McClung,  of  Greenbrier  County.     He  and  his  wife  were  di- 

•  Ames  :m.  Pase  died  1883  of  lock  jaw,  caused  by  a  severe  cut  on  tlie  foot,  receirecL 

•wltli  a  broad-axe,  wlille  hewing  logs  for  a  house. 
31 


482  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Torced  in  1850,  and  he  married  Elizabeth  Furguson,  widow 
of  Ellis  Furguson,  of  Randolph  County.  His  second  wife 
died  1881  and  he  married  Marv,  widow  of  Samuel  Kaler. 
Children  :  Hiram,  Clorinda  C,  and  John  E.  He  has  been 
in  Tucker  since  1859,  having  come  from  Greenbrier  County  ; 
lives  8  miles  above  St.  George  and  has  139  acres  of  land, 
one-half  tilled  ;  is  overseer  of  the  j^oor  and  member  of  the 
board  of  education.  He  has  killed  eight  bears.  With  one 
he  had  a  remarkable  fight,  hand  to  paw,  and  after  shooting 
the  bear,  and  pounding  it  generally,  it  fled  and  left  him  mas- 
ter of  the  field. 

John  E.  Propst,  son  of  the  foregoing,  lives  8  miles  from 
St.  George,  near  his  father's.     He  was  born  in  1859. 

A.  C.  Powell,  born  in  1849,  of  German  descent,  Avas 
married  in  1879  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Johnson  Goff. 
Children :  Sarah  Y.,  Mary  A.,  Nancy  F.,  Nettie,  Dellie 
May,  Myrta  and  Rosa  Lee.  His  farm  of  30  acres,  8  miles 
below  St.  George,  has  8  acres  improved.  He  was  in  the 
Confederate  army  three  years,  and  was  in  a  battle  where 
old  Ben  Butler  tried  to  storm  the  entrenchment,  but  failed 
to  accom])lish  anything.  After  he  left  the  Confederate  army 
he  entered  the  Union  army  and  served  six  months.  He  was 
in  no  general  battle,  but  had  a  ball  shot  through  his  arm, 
and  his  coat  cut  off  by  a  saber. 

Hay.aiond  H.  Phillips  was  born  in  1865.  In  1882,  at  the 
age  of  17,  he  married  Floyd  Helmick,  of  the  Sugar  Lands, 
aged  15.     They  ran  oft'  to  Maryland  and  got  married. 

I.  W.  Poling  was  born  in  1864 ;  is  a  son  of  Albert  Poling-  • 
is  a  farmer  and  lives  4  miles  from  St.  George  on  Clover  Run. 

Job  Parsons,  generally  known  by  the  name  of  "  'Squire 
Job,"  was  born  in  Tucker  County  in  1789,  and  died  in  1883. 


p.  Lipscomb 


Jeff  Lipscomb. 


A,  T    BONNIFIELD, 


Job  Parsons 


rcuTCKur^r 


[the  new  YORK 

'public  library. 


ASTOR,    LENOX   AND 
TILC5EN    FOUNOATtONS. 


BEIEF  BIOGKAPHIES.  483 

He  was  a  remarkable  man  in  more  ways  than  one.  He 
possessed  a  powerful  constitution,  and  lie  seemed  capable  of 
enduring  almost  anything.  His  weight  was  250  pounds, 
and  there  was  not  on  him  a  pound  of  superfluous  flesh.  In 
the  "War  of  1812  he  was  a  soldier,  and  was  sent  to  the  North 
"West  to  fight  the  Indians.  He  was  at  Fort  Meigs  and  at 
other  posts  throughout  that  country;  and  when  the  war 
'  was  over,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Tucker.  His  prin- 
cipal occupation  was  farming,  although  he  engaged  in 
stock-raising,  merchandising  and  in  running  a  grist-mill. 
He  lived  in  the  Holly  Meadows,  and  Job's  Ford  is  named 
from  him.  His  farm  was  called  the"  Job  Place,"  and  is  that 
now  owned  by  the  Swisher  Brothers. 

As  a  second  wife,  he  married  Sarah  Losh,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Losh,  and  raised  a  large  family  of  respected  chil- 
dren. His  house  was  open  with  its  hospitalities  to  all ; 
and,  the  traveler  whose  good  fortune  brought  him  to  that 
door  at  night,  was  always  received  with  Avelcome,  and  in 
the  morning,  there  was  not  a  cent  to  pay.  Parsons  was  a 
great  lover  of  hunting,  and  always  kept  a  large  pack  of 
hounds.  It  was  his  delioht  to  hear  them  cross  the  distant 
mountains,  deeply  baying  on  the  trail  of  a  deer.  Such 
sport  was  formerly  much  indulged  in  by  the  people  along 
the  river.  Numerous  hounds  were  trained  to  hunt  down 
the  deer  and  chase  them  to  the  river,  where  the}'  were  shot 
by  hunters  with  long-ranged  rifles.  A  deer-hunt  Avas  the 
occasion  for  the  manifestation  of  the  fullest  spirit  of  sport. 
No  sooner  had 

The  deep-mouthed  bloodhound's  heavy  bay 
Resounded  up  tlie  rocky  way 

Than  the  whole  country  alon<^  the  river  was  in  commotion, 
horsemen  mounting  in  hot  haste  and  galloping  oft"  to  inter- 


484  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

cept  the  deer  in  its  passage  of  tlie  river.  The  whole  time, 
from  the  first  cry  of  the  hounds  at  early  morn  until  the 
chase  ended  by  the  death  of  the  deer,  often  at  evening,  was 
one  continuous  train  of  excitement  and  pleasure,  surely  not 
less  than  that  of  the  high-born  Englishmen,  who  go  wild 
over  a  fox  chase,  or  kill  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
horses  to  catch  a  hare. 

But,  the  days  of  this  kind  of  hunting  in  Tucker  are  about 
numbered.  The  bay  of  the  hounds  is  seldom  heard  any 
more,  and  many  of  the  old  hunters  are  passed  away,  some 
to  distant  countries  and  some  to  that  mvsterious  realm 
whence  none  ever  return. 

When  the  civil  war  came  on.  Job  Parsons  was  a  warm 
sympathizer  with  the  South,  and  never  let  pass  an  opportu- 
nity of  expressing  his  preference.  In  consequence,  he  was 
much  annoyed  during  the  war,  by  such  'peiij  leaders  as 
Hall,  Latham  and  Kellogg.  His  property  was  destroyed  or 
carried  off,  and  himself  was  made  to  submit  to  indignities 
from  the  guerrilla  soldiery  who  boasted  that  they  were  sav- 
ing the  Union.  If  saving  the  Union  must  be  done  by  tor- 
menting as  good  a  citizen  as  Job  Parsons,  it  might  be 
questioned  whether  it  deserved  saving.  The  fact  that  his 
house  was  open  to  all  was  made  a  reason  for  persecuting 
him.  He  kept  Rebels  whenever  they  wanted  to  be  kept, 
and  did  the  same  for  the  Yankees,  although  it  was  hard  to 
extend  to  them  as  lieartj^  a  welcome.  The  last  night  of 
Lieutenant  McChesney's  life  was  spent  in  Job  Parsons' 
house. 

After  Imboden's  second  raid,  the  LTnion  troops  sent  up 
from  Rowlesburg  failed  to  find  any  of  the  Rebels  who  had 
paroled  Hall,  and  thought  to  get  something  of  satisfaction 
by  carrj-ing  off  the  property  of  those  citizens  who  S3*mpa- 


BKIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  485 

thized  with  the  South.  As  Job  Parsons  was  well  known  to 
be  southern  in  his  proclivities,  his  property  was  not  safe, 
and  he  knew  it.  When  he  learned  that  the  Yankees  were 
coming,  he  caught  up  some  of  the  best  of  his  horses  and 
hurried  them  off  to  a  hiding  place,  near  the  Yellow  Eock, 
along  the  river  between  Job's  Ford  and  Alum  Hill.  Scarcely 
had  he  reached  the  place  of  concealment  when  he  was  seen 
by  Yankees,  who  peered  through  spy  glasses  to  search  out 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  woods.  They  saw  the  horses 
and  started  for  them.  He  was  by  his  property,  and  had  his 
old  hunting  rifle  with  him.  When  he  heard  the  foot-falls  of 
some  one  passing  over  the  rocks,  he  was  on  the  alert,  and 
when  the  blue  coats  were  seen  filing  up  the  path,  he  threw 
his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  and  in  a  stentorian  voice,  called  : 
"  Halt  !"  The  Yankees  stopped  and  stood  like  cowards  until 
he  again  spoke  to  them,  when  they  mustered  up  courage 
to  ask  him  who  he  was.  He  told  them,  and  they  at  once 
took  him  prisoner  and  captured  his  horses.  They  disarmed 
him,  and  made  him  walk  before,  while  they  rode  the  horses. 
When  they  reached  his  home,  they  ordered  dinner,  and  af- 
ter they  had  eaten,  they  proceeded  to  St.  George,  still  car- 
rying away  the  horses  and  taking  him  as  a  prisoner. 

He  walked  in  front  of  the  soldiers,  until  the  indignities 
wdiich  they  heaped  upon  him  became  greater  than  he  could 
bear.  Suddenly  wheeling  in  the  road,  he  j^oured  upon  them 
a  tirade  of  invectives,  telling  them  that  he  had  fought  the 
British  to  make  this  country  free,  and  now  that  freedom 
was  denied  him.  They  were  making  light  of  his  words, 
w4ien  he  showed  himself  in  earnest  by  snatching  up  a  stone. 
They  saw  the  movement,  and  leaped  from  their  horses  to 
avoid  it.     He  advanced  with  deliberation  and  mounted  one 


486  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

of  tlie  horses  and  rode  off,  leaving  the  unhorsed  man  to  tod- 
dle along  on  foot. 

Job  Parsons  died  in  the  winter  of  1883,  and  was  buried  at 
St.  George. 

R. 

Joshua  Robinson,  son  of  John  O.  Robinson,  was  born  in 
1834,  and  in  1864  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Spangler.  Children:  Mary  L.,  Sarah  E.,  Jacob  H., 
Noah  A.,  Flora  D.,  Manda  J.  and  Laura  A.  He  is  a  farmer, 
blacksmith  and  merchant ;  lives  9  miles  below  St.  George,  on 
Louse  Camp,  where  he  owns  50  acres  of  improved  and  59 
of  unimproved  land. 

He  was  in  the  Hannahsville  skirmish,  where  McChesney 
was  killed.  He  was  at  the  river  on  the  morning  of  June  29, 
1861,  shooting  fish,  and  was  arrested  by  Captain  Miller, 
Avho  was  dressed  in  A.  H.  Bowman's  "every-day"  clothes. 
Robinson  was  pressed  into  service,  and  made  to  do  duty  as 
a  guard ;  he  was  in  the  midst  of  the  fight  and  saw  one 
man's  brains  shot  out,  but  was  himself  unhurt. 

G.  "\Y.  Shoemaker,  of  Irish  and  English  descent,  son  of 
John  Shoemaker,  of  Randolph,  was  born  in  1861.  In  1880 
he  married  Barbara,  daughter  of  Jacob  Myers.  Children: 
Annie  E.  and  Henry  C;  lives  3  miles  from  St.  George,  on 
Clover. 

^  Andrew  Rosier,   born  1863,  married  1882  to  Catharine 
Croston. 

Absalom  Rosier,  born  1848,  married  1874  to  C.  C,  daugh- 
ter of  John  O.  Smith  ;  rents  land  9  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Clover.  Children  :  Thomas  H.,  Lafayette,  Mary  and 
Jennie. 

David  E.  Root,  son  of  George  Root,  of  Preston,  of  Ger- 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  487 

man  descent,  born  1847;  married  1872  to  Margaret,  daughter 
of  David  Closs ;  lives  on  a  farm  of  160  acres,  of  which  60 
acres  is  improved,  10  miles  from  St.  George  on  Closs 
Mountain.  Children:  John,  George  E.,  Duncan,  "William, 
Da^dd  and  Agnes.  He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1872,  and 
followed  the  blacksmith  trade  several  years,  but  is  now 
a  farmer. 

Owen  Riordax,  whose  name  occurs  in  this  book  in  the 
history  of  the  "W.  Va.  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  was  born  in  the 
County  of  Cork,  in  Ireland,  1826,  and  came  to  America  in 
1854.  He  has  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  among 
the  mines  of  Maryland,  of  which  State  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent until  quite  recently.  He  now  lives  in  Tucker  County. 
He  commenced  as  a  coal  digger,  and  raised  from  one  posi- 
tion to  another  until  he  became  inspection  of  mines.  He 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  served  one  year  ;  but 
a  change  in  the  politics  of  Maryland  required  all  officers  to 
swear  to  support  certain  doctrine  which  Riordan  refused  to 
do,  and  resigned.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  justice  and 
served  12  years.  In  1865,  he  was  appointed  Registrar  of 
votes,  and  in  1867  was  made  mine  manager  of  the  Atlantic 
Company ;  had  charge  of  the  inside  Avorks  of  mines  for  12 
years.  In  1868  he  was  appointed  mine  inspector  of  Mary- 
land— a  State  office,  and  served  two  years.  In  1880  he  was 
emplo3^ed  by  Senator  H.  G.  Davis  to  prospect  the  various 
counties  of  West  Virginia  for  minerals ;  has  been  engaged 
in  this  more  or  less  since.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  Supt. 
of  the  mines  of  the  AV.  Va.  C.  and  P.  R.  R. 

In  1854  he  married  Hannah  Sheehan,  of  Ireland.  Child- 
ren :     Mar}',  Michael,  Ellen,  Joseph,  Eugene  and  Anna. 

A.  L.  RoGEPiS,  of  English  descent,  from  Rockbridge 
County,  Va.,  was  born  in  1856.     In  1877  he  married  Mattie 


488  HLSTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

Ilobinson,  of  his  native  county.  Cliildren :  Girtlia  M., 
Amos  Asliby  and  Oscar  U.;  is  a  sawyer  on  a  steam-mill, 
and  owns  250  acres  of  land  in  Canaan. 

William  Rains,  son  of  Gabriel  Eains,  was  born  in  1826, 
in  Pendleton  County,  of  Irish  and  English  descent.  In 
1819  he  married  Malinda  Hedrick,  of  Randolph  County. 
Children :  James  E.,  Catharine,  Margaret,  Robert  L.,  Ida 
Belle,  William,  Gilbert  and  Albert  G.  He  owns  100  acres 
of  land  on  Dry  Fork,  26  miles  from  St.  George;  has 
been  in  the  mercantile  business  five  years,  and  has  been 
post-master  at  Red  Creek  the  same  time ;  has  been  in 
Tucker  since  1867,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education,  justice  of  the  peace  and  county  commissioner. 
The  latter  office  he  held  four  3'ears ;  is  a  man  of  solid 
business  qualities,  and  exerts  a  good  influence  in  his 
neighborhood. 

C.  R.  RuFFiN  was  born  in  1857,  in  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
son  of  F.  G.  Ruffin,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas 
Jefferson.  The  relation  was  on  his  mother's  side  ;  was 
raised  within  four  miles  of  Montecello,  the  place  of  Jeffer- 
son's residence.  In  1879  he  left  Virginia,  and  went  to 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  till  1888,  when  he  went  to 
Texas,  the  extreme  N.  W.  panhandle.  He  was  a  vaquerro 
on  the  ranch  of  Curtis  and  Atkinson.  Thev  carried  32,000 
cattle  on  the  Deamond  Stem  Ranch,  They  had  other 
ranches  of,  perhaps,  as  many  cattle.  Ruffin  returned  to 
Yirginia  the  same  year,  and  in  October,  1883,  came  to 
Canaan  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Canaan  Yalley 
Blue  Grass  and  Improvement  Company,  whose  lands 
aggregate  5,000  acres.  The  Company  was  organized  in 
October,    1883,   by   capitalists   of   Maryland   and   Yirginia. 


BKIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  489 

The  object  is  to  clear  the  timber  from  the  whole  ranch,  and 
make  of  it  a  cattle  farm. 

C.  E.  Ixiiffin  attended  the  Potomas  Academy  at  Alexandra 
two  years,  and  the  Uniyersity  of  Virginia  one  year. 

G.  ^y.  Ryan  was  born  in  1855,  in  Randolph  County,  is  a 
son  of  John  J.  Rj^an,  of  Irish  and  German  descent.  In 
1880  he  married  Burnette,  daughter  of  Ward  Parsons.  His 
regular  business  is  house  painter  and  paper  hanger;  for- 
merly lived  in  St.  George,  where  he  held  various  corpora- 
tion offices.  At  present  he  lives  on  a  farm  two  miles  from 
St.  George  in  the  Horse  Shoe. 

D.  ^y.  Ryax,  brother  of  G.  W.,  was  born  in  Randolph,  in 
1858.  In  1882  he  married  Tabitha,  daughter  of  W.  W.  Par- 
sons and  sister  of  A.  B.  Parsons.  Ryan  lived  in  Randolph 
until  his  16th  year,  when  he  came  to  Tucker ;  is  a  house 
painter. 

Amby  Rains  was  born  in  1843,  in  Pendleton  Count}-, 
brother  to  William  Rains.  In  1868  he  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  Flanagan  ;  farmer,  25  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Dry  Fork,  130  acres,  50  improved.  Children : 
Gabriel,  Jacob,  Martin  L.,  Martha  L.,  Ada  E.,  Carrie  and 
Harriet  C. 

Elijah  Roy,  son  of  Simon  K.  Roy,  born  1859 ;  married 
1880,  to  Martha,  daughter  of  William  Flanagan  ;  lives  28 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dry  Fork.  Children  :  J.  Madison 
and  baby. 

SiMOX  K.  Roy,  father  of  Elijah  Roy,  of  English  descent, 
was  born  1827 ;  married  1849  to  Sidney,  daughter  of  John 
Pennington.  Children :  Melvina,  Adam  K.,  Simeon  K., 
Elijah,  Malissa  and  Laura  ;  lives  on  a  farm  28  miles  from 
St.  George,  on  Dry  Fork.     He  killed  five  panthers  at  one 


490  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

time,  as  he  reports,  and  has  killed  more  than  a  dozen  al- 
together. 

Simeon  K.  Roy,  son  of  the  foregoing,  born  1855 ;  married 
1883  to  Edna,  daughter  of  Columbus  AVolford,  and  lives  on 
Red  Creek,  28  miles  from  St.  George,  and  owns  a  farm  of 
110  acres,  30  acres  of  which  is  improved. 

W.  D.  Rains,  born  1863  in  Pendleton  County,  son  of 
Phoebe  Helmick.  He  is  known  by  the  name  of  "  Billy  Bar- 
low," and  he  lives  on  the  railroad  near  Fairfax. 

John  W.  Richards  was  born  1843  in  Harrison  County, 
son  of  "William  M.  Richards,  of  English  and  Turkish  de- 
scent ;  married  1872  to  Floried  Riley.  Children :  Earl  D., 
Earnest  C,  Everal  W.  and  Flora. 

Gabriel  Rains,  born  1808,  in  Pendleton  County,  son  of 
James  Rains,  of  Irish  and  English  descent ;  married  1826  to 
Margaret  Lawrence.  Children:  William,  Eli  P.,Ambyand 
Elizabeth  ;  he  lives  on  Red  Creek,  26  miles  from  St.  George. 

James  W.  Runner,  son  of  Philip  Runner,  Avas  born  1849 
in  Preston  County,  and  Avas  married  1872  to  Sarah,  daughter 
of  William  Hovater.  Children  :  Grant,  Marcellus,  Florence, 
Clara  A.,  Charles,  Philip  T.  and  Mary  J ;  is  a  farmer  of 
92  acres  with  23  acres  improved ;  8  miles  from  St.  George. 

T.  A.  Ridenour,  born  1863  in  Rowlesburg,  son  of  Aaron 
C.  Ridenour ;  is  a  rafter  on  the  river,  working  princi- 
pally with  Thomas  F.  Hebb  and  William  H.  Lipscomb,  the 
two  most  noted  rafters  on  the  river. 

Eli  p.  Rains,  son  of  Gabriel  Rains,  was  born  1829  in  Pen- 
dleton, County,  and  married  1857  to  Malinda  White.  Chil- 
dren :  Isaiah  A.  and  Rebecca  Susan  ;  owns  139  acres  of 
land  with  50  acres  tilled,  20  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Dry 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  491 

Fork.     He  belonged  to  the  Home   Guards  during  tlie  war. 

John  Roth  was  born  in  Germany  in  1819,  and  in  1833 
sailed  for  America.  After  eight  weeks  on  the  ocean,  he 
landed  in  Baltimore.  He  worked  at  various  occupations 
the  first  years  after  he  landed,  until,  in  1842,  he  married 
Maria  Frederick,  of  Germany.  Children :  Margaret  Ann, 
Martha  Elizabeth,  Louisa,  Sophia,  Sarah,  Emma,  Almeda 
and  William ;  his  wife  died,  1879,  and  in  1880  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Andrew  Pifer.  He  farmed 
twenty-three  years  in  the  Glades,  and  then  came  to  St. 
George  and  opened  a  dry  goods  store. 

s. 

WiLLLUi  F.  Shahan  was  born  in  1852,  in  Preston  County, 
and  married  in  1879,  M.  L.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Nester ;  has 
been  in  Tucker  since  1872,  and  lives  on  a  rented  farm  in 
Licking  District,  9  miles  from  St.  George.  Children : 
Louisa  C.  C.  and  Sarah  E. 

John  A.  Stull,  of  German  descent,  and  a  son  of  James 
Stull,  was  born  in  1851,  and  in  1873  he  married  Lyda, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Nester ;  has  10  acres  of  cleared  land  on 
a  farm  of  123  acres,  five  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Bull 
Run.  He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1871,  and  is  road  sur- 
veyor. Children :  Sarah  E.,  Florence  B.,  Winfield  C,  R. 
B.,  Sriver  and  Sabina  J. 

Andrew  Shafer  son  of  William  Shafer,  was  born  in  1853, 
and  married  in  1877  to  Martha  A.  Bolyard,  of  Preston  County. 
Children  :  Olive,  Walter,  Nora,  Bertha  and  Tasker.  Far- 
mer, 81  acres,  50  acres  improved,  and  lives  7  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Brushy  Fork. 

Jacob  P.  Shafer  son  of  William  P.,  was  born  in  1847,  in 
Barbour    County.      In     18G8     he    married     Catharine  J., 


492  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

daughter  of  John  Yarner.  Farmer,  200  acres,  50  acres  im- 
proved, lives  9  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Brnshy  Fork. 
Children  :  Leonard,  Isaac  See,  Sarah  M.  and  William  S. 

Adam  Shafer,  of  German  descent,  son  of  Jacob  P.,  was 
born  in'  1822  on  the  ocean.  He  was  married  in  1848  in 
Preston  Count}-,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  M.  Pitzer ; 
130  acres  of  his  200-acre  farm  is  improved.  He  lives  7 
miles  from  St.  George,  on  Brushy  Fork.  Children :  John 
W.,  Nanc}^  E.,  Barbara  S.,  George  "W.,  Jefferson  D.,  Jenisa 
Ann  and  William  E. 

Hexey  Shafeu  was  born  in  1833,  son  of  J.  P.  Shafer,  of 
Barbour  County  ;  was  married  in  1852  to  Nancy  E., 
daughter  of  J.  M.  Pitzer.  Farmer,  of  105  acres  with  40 
improved,  on  Texas  Mountain,  6  miles  from  St.  George. 
He  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1869  and  was  2  years  road 
surveyor.     Children  :  John  M.,  William  B.  and  Mathew  M. 

He  was  in  the  Confederate  army  12  days ;  went  home  and 
got  his  leg  broken  by  a  kick  from  a  horse.  He  was  also  a 
prisoner  12  days  in  the  Union  army.  His  grandfather  came 
from  Germany,  and  his  father  fought  in  the  war  of  1812. 

J.  E.  Shafee,  son  of  Jacob  Shafer,  was  born  in  1851.  In 
1874  he  married  Mary  C,  daughter  of  Henry  Eigaway.  He 
farms  30  acres  of  a  123-acre  farm,  5  miles  from  St.  George, 
on  Texas  Mountain ;  was  in  Missouri  six  months  while 
young,  and  after  he  came  back,  he  worked  six  years  on  the 
railroad.     Children  :  Willard  P.,  Willis  P.,  Nittie  Sibble  and 

aisy." 

Jacob  Shafer,  son  of  John  P.,  of  Barbour  County,  was 
born  in  1822,  and  married  in  1846  to  Juda,  daughter  of  John 
Fitzwater ;  is  a  farmer  with  80  acres  of  cleared  land  and  28 


•  The  peculiarity  of  these  names  Is  •worthy  of  local  history. 


BKIEF   BIOGEAPHIES.  493 

acres  of  woodland,  6  miles  from  St.  George  on  Texas  Mount- 
ain ;  lias  been  in  Tucker  since  1846 ;  was  at  one  time 
captain  in  a  company  of  militia ;  is  a  member  of  the  M.  P. 
Church,  and  is  an  exhorter.  Children  :  John  W.,  Mary  C, 
Jacob  R.,  Martha  S.,  Annie  E.,  James  M.  and  Albert  M. 

John  M.  Shafer  was  born  in  1856,  son  of  Henry  Shafer, 
and  is  of  German  descent.  In  1884  he  married  Anzina  E., 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Murphy.  He  is  a  farmer  and  school 
teacher.  A  list  of  his  certificates  may  be  seen  by  consulting 
another  chapter  of  this  book. 

In  1883  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Tucker  County ;  lives  6  miles  from  St  George  on  Texas 
Mountain. 

D.  N.  Shafer,  son  of  Daniel  S.,  born  1860,  married  1882 
to  Eliza  Belle,  daughter  of  Isaac  Phillips.  Mary  E.  is  his 
only  child.  He  owns  38  acres  of  land,  9  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Clover. 

C.  J.  ScHOOXOTER,  a  farmer  living  on  Cheat  Biver,  14  miles 
above  St.  George,  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  1839,  being 
a  son  of  Thomas  Schoonover.  In  1865  he  married  Susan, 
daughter  of  James  R.  Parsons,  and  she  having  died  in  1870, 
he  married,  in  1879,  Rachael  E.  Bowman,  daughter  of  Henry 
Y.  Bowman,  who  was  murdered  by  Yankees  during  the  war. 
Children  :  Carl  W.,  Harriet  E.,  James  T.,  Adaline  C,  A. 
Ward  and  Sansom  C.  Mr.  Schoonover  lived  two  years  with 
Dr.  Bonnifield  durincr  the  war. 

Henry  Snyder,  of  German  and  Irish  descent,  son  of  John 
Snyder,  born  in  Randolph  County,  1849;  married,' 1870,  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Solomon  Boner ;  has  been  in  Tucker  since 
1877,  and  owns  a  farm  of  314  acres,  155  improved,  on  Dry 
Fork,  20  miles  from  St.  George.     He  was  in  several  skir- 


494  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

mislies  during  the  war,  but  was  unliurt,  except  by  one  of 
his  own  men,  and  wlien  a  liorse  ran  over  liim.  He  was 
elected  constable  and  resigned  after  one  year.  Children  : 
Clara  B.,  Hulda  Jane,  John  Solomon,  Paulina,  Martin  V., 
Riley  B.,  and  baby. 

Isaac  Smith,  born  1843,  in  Pendleton  County,  and  mar- 
ried, 1866,  to  Clorinda,  daughter  of  Joab  Carr.  He  is  a 
farmer,  250  acres,  50  acres  improved,  on  Dry  Fork,  24  miles 
from  St.  George  ;  has  been  in  Tucker  since  1877,  and  has 
been  road  surveyor  ;  he  taught  the  Bonner  school  one  term 
on  a  No.  5  certificate.  Children  :  George  W.,  Sarah  E., 
Daniel,  Mary  Jane,  Ida,  Margaret,  Flora,  Abraham  L.  and 
Charles.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war,  under  Col.  Latham. 

Thomas  E.  Shillingbueg,  born,  1860,  in  Grant  County,  of 
German  descent,  and  son  of  J.  W.  Shillingburg,  is  in  the 
firm  of  Shillingburg  and  Duling  ;  was  married  July  4,  1883, 
to  Lina  Chisholm,  of  Garrett  County,  Md.  Elmer  P.,  is  his 
only  child.    ' 

Lewis  C.  Shaffer,  born,  1851,  in  Preston  County,  son  of 
Jacob  Shaffer,  of  German  descent,  married,  1878,  to  Sarah 
J.,  daughter  of  David  Closs.  Children :  Oscar  C,  Agnes 
and  Mar3^  He  followed  the  carpenter  trade  six  years,  and 
then  purchased  a  farm  of  124  acres  on  Closs  Mountain,  and 
has  since  resided  there. 

Jacob  Shaffer,  born,  1825,  in  Preston  County,  son  of  Te- 
walt  Shaffer,  married,  1850,  to  Sarah  Goff,  of  Maryland. 
Children :  Lewis,  George  C,  and  Martha.  He  is  a  carpen- 
ter and  lives  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Closs  Mountain. 

Charles  H.  Street,  born,  1835,  in  Virginia,  of  English 
descent ;  married,  1853,  to  Catharine  J.  Bowman,  of  Virginia. 
Children  :     William  A.,  Carrie  V.,  Susan  M.,  Sarah  M.,  and 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  495 

George  L.;  has  taught  six  schools  in  Tucker  County,  all  on 
No.  1  certificates.     His  family  live  in  Barbour. 

George  W.  Shahan,  of  Irish  descent,  born  in  Preston, 
1830,  son  of  George  Shahan.  In  1851  he  married  Luisa 
Hofiman  ;  owns  111  acres  of  land  on  Licking,  and  has  20 
acres  improved,  8  miles  from  St.  George.  He  was  in  the 
Confederate  army  under  Garnett.  Children  :  AYilliam  F., 
Minerva,  Christiana,  Mary  C,  George  E.,  Richard  J.,  Olive 
J.  and  Carolina. 

Hexey  J.  ShPiAdeh,  son  of  Henry  Shrader,  of  German  de- 
scent, was  born  at  Lead  Mine,  1853.  In  1881  he  married 
Sarah  S.,  daughter  of  Garrett  Long,  of  Holly  Meadows. 
Children  :  Addie  Alma  and  Lillie  Alberta  ;  is  the  founder 
of  Fairfax,  as  Eastham  is  the  founder  of  Davis  ;  moved  to 
Fairfax  March  28,  1883.  He  is  a  contractor,  overseer  and 
manager  on  the  railroad. 

William  F.  Shahax,  born,  1852,  son  of  George  Shahan  ; 
married  to  Mitchel  Nester  in  1880.  Children  :  Louisa  and 
Sarah  M.  His  farm  contains  111  acres,  with  20  acres  im- 
proved, 8  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Licking. 

^y.  F.  Stout,  of  Harrison  County,  born,  1859  ;  married, 
1883,  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Coleman  Schoonover  ;  lives 
two  miles  below  St.  George,  and  folio vrs  lumbering  as  a 
business.. 

John  A.  Shaffer,  of  Preston  County,  of  German  descent, 
was  born  in  1849  ;  married  in  1870  to  Sophia,  daughter 
of  John  Roth,  of  Garrett  County,  Maryland.  Children  : 
Howard  C,  Faith  A.,  Etliiel  H.  and  Lulu  B.  He  has  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farming  and  merchandising,  and  is 
by  trade  a  carpenter  and  mechanic.  He  is  now^  keeping  hotel 
in  St.  George ;  he  was  in  the  Union  army  during  the  war, 


496  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

and  for  awhile  was  stationed  at  Wheeling  and  at  one  time 
was  ordered  to  Staunton,  but  never  reached  it. 

S.  N.  Swisher,  son  of  David  Swisher,  was  born  in  Hamp- 
shire County  in  1848  ;  he  is  of  German,  French,  Swiss  and 
English  descent ;  he  gets  his  Swiss  from  the  S wishers  and 
his  English  from  the  Bonifields.  In  1875  he  married  Mary 
S.,  daughter  of  Jesse  Parsons.  Children :  Minnie  B.  and 
Scott  N.  He  has  taught  eleven  schools — three  in  Hamp- 
shire Count}",  two  in  Mineral  and  six  in  Tucker  ;  he  is  a 
number  one  teacher,  but  has  now  retired  from  the  profes- 
sion and  has  turned  his  whole  attention  to  farming ;  he  came 
to  Tucker  in  1873  and  bought  a  farm  on  Horse  Shoe  Run, 
five  miles  from  St.  George.  It  contains  80  acres  of  im- 
proved land  and  94  acres  of  wild  land.  His  farm  is  in  the 
very  best  condition,  and  is  a  model  of  modern  agriculture. 
Besides  his  Horse  Shoe  Run  farm,  he  has  a  half  intere.st  in 
the  Job  Parsons  farm,  in  the  Holly  Meadows,  five  miles  from 
St.  George.  It  contains  327  acres,  with  120  acres  improved. 
In  1869  he  was  a  brakeman  on  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  from  Pied- 
mont to  Grafton ;  he  followed  this  work  a  short  time,  and 
then  went  west,  visiting  the  States  as  far  as  Iowa,  Missouri 
and  Kansas.  Not  being  altogether  pleased  with  it,  as  he 
found  it,  he  returned  to  West  Virginia  and  bought  him  a 
farm.  He  has  been  on  the  teachers'  board  of  examiners 
and  president  of  the  board  of  education. 

Augustus  J.  Stansbury,  was  born  in  1818,  and  married  in 
1864,  at  the  age  of  16,  to  Mary  A.  Montgomerj^,  of  Barbour 
County.  Children  :  Jonah,  Henry,  Polly  Ann,  Josiah,  Eloy 
and  George  Nelson. 

Frank  A.  H.  Spesert,  of  German  descent,  son  of  George 
Spesert,  of  Horse  Shoe  Run,  w^as  born  in  1853.     He  is  gen- 


BRIEF   BIOGEAPHIES.  41  »7 

erally  working  on  a  farm,  but  occasionally  lie  follo^A's  some 
other  business  for  the  sake  of  change.  He  is  an  excellent 
worker  and  often  gets  much  higher  wages  than  other  hil)or- 
ers.  He  seems  to  have  been  marked  out  for  bad  luck. 
When  he  was  a  bo}-  he  sjolit  his  ankle  bone  with  an  ax  and 
was  helpless  six  months.  Then,  afterward,  he  had  his  leg 
broken  by  a  saw-log.  Later,  another  log  rolled  over  him 
and  mashed  his  head,  cheek  and  jaw.  It  broke  him  of  the 
habit  of  chewing  tobacco,  for  his  jaw  won't  crush  it. 

Heney  Shrader,  born  in  Germany  1809,  died  1878.  He 
came  to  America  in  1838  and  in  1848  was  married  in  Cum- 
berland to  Tracy  Headlough,  of  Germany.  The  next  year 
he  came  to  Lead  Mine,  a  branch  of  Horse  Shoe  Eun,  and 
commenced  opening  up  a  farm.  His  land,  139  acres,  was 
half  under  cultivation  at  the  time  of  liis  death.  His  chil- 
dren are  :  Mary  Jane,  Henry,  Crista,  John,  Lewis  D.,  Teena 
Margaret, Mar}'  Louisa,Tracy  Carolina  and  Sophia  Elizabeth. 

William  Shafeu,  born  1857,  son  of  Samuel  Shafer,  of 
English  and  German  descent,  was  married,  1882,  to  Lizzie, 
daughter  of  John  C.  Plum.  Their  child's  name  is  Stranda. 
He  is  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  living  three  miles  below  St. 
George. 

Thomas  P.  Spexcei!,  l)orn  1833,  son  of  Joseph  S]iencer, 
married,  1858,  to  Catharine  Lewis.  He  farms  30  acres  of 
improved  land,  and  has  95  acres  of  wild  territor}',  on  Loca- 
tion, 7  miles  from  St.  George.  Children  :  Sarah  E.,  John 
Thomas  McClellan,  Mary  L.  and  James  ().  He  spent  three 
years  in  the  Union  army,  and  took  part  in  Hunter's  raid  ; 
was  in  several  l)attles,  and  Avas  wounded  at  Cedar  Creek  by 
a  Minie-ball  which  ])assed  through  his  ankle.  He  was  per- 
manently disabled  bvthe  wound  and  now  receives  a  pension. 


498  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

Geokge  F.  SPESEitT,  born  in  Maryland,  1803,  of  German 
cTescent,  son  of  David  Spesert,  was  married,  1842,  to  Clo- 
riiida  I.,  daughter  of  David  Gilmore,  of  Sliafer's  Fork. 
( -liildren  :  David  H.,  Susan  C,  Mary  E.,  Joseph  W.,  Lettio 
P.,  Christena  Perlinder,  Margaret  C.  S.,  George  William, 
Franklin  A.  H.,  Nicholas  W.  and  Taylor.  His  farm  of  82 
acres,  half  improved,  is  partly  in  Tucker  and  partly  in  Pres- 
ton, on  Horse  Shoe  Pun,  12  miles  from  St.  George  ;  has  been 
living  Avhere  he  now  lives  since  about  1854. 

L.  AV.  ShafI'EH,  born,  1851,  in  Preston,  son  of  Abram 
Bhaffer,  a  German,  was  married  in  1870  to  Olive  A.  Stemple, 
daughter  of  Major  D.  Stem  pie,  of  Preston.  Children  :  Ar- 
dilla  B.,  Jessie  Myrtle,  Daisy  Dean,  Ora  Eoss,  Ethel  Lee, 
Odessa.  He  lives  in  Canaan,  31  miles  from  St.  George,  and 
lias  four  acres  of  improved  land  on  a  farm  of  12  acres  ;  his 
is  the  most  commodious  house  in  Canaan  and  probably  in 
the  county.  He  is  foreman  on  his  brother's  land,  which 
joins  his  own. 

GeoPvGE  C.  Shaffer,  born  at  Horse  Shoe  Eun  P.  O.,  Pres- 
ton County,  1850,  son  of  Jacob  Shaffer,  of  German  descent. 
In  1883  he  married  Mary  Belle  Domire,  of  Lead  Mine, 
daughter  of  D.  L.  Domire.  He  is  by  trade  a  carpenter,  and 
lias  an  interest  in  the  "Dumire  Shingle  Mill. " 

David  H.  Speseut,  son  of  George  Spesert,  born,  1841,  '\i\ 
Itar viand,  came  to  Horse  Shoe  Eun  in  1854  and  twenty- 
three  years  later  he  was  married  to  Perezinda  Frances, 
daughter  of  Thomas  M.  Mason.  He  lives  on  Horse  Shoe 
Pun,  12  miles  from  St.  George,  and  followed  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  5  years  :  he  is  now  a  farmer. 

Daniel  Spaxgler,  son  of  Jacob  Spangler,  born  1850,  of 
German   descent.     In   1878   he   was  married  to  Mary  A., 


BEIEF   BIOGEAPHIES.  401) 

daugliter  of  Alexander  Campbell.  Their  cliikl'^  name  is 
IVilliam  A.  Bv  trade,  he  is  a  blacksmith,  but  of  late  Im 
lias  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  lives  on  Miller  Hill. 
5  miles  from  St.  George. 

John  A.  Swishee,  son  of  David  Swisher,  of  Hampshire 
County,  was  born  1857  ;  is  of  Englisli  and  Swiss  descent ; 
was  married  in  1883  to  Ella,  daughter  of  E.  ^X.  McGill,  of 
Hampshire  County  ;  is  a  farmer  of  150  acres,  one  half  under 
cultivation,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  5  miles  from  St.  George  ; 
Las  also  a  half  interest  in  the  "Job  Parsons"  farm  in  Holly 
Meadows.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Hampshire, 
and  one  term  at  Low  Gap,  in  Tucker  County,  and  attended  the 
Fairmont  Normal  School  one  year — 1878-1879  ;  has  taught 
five  schools,  one  in  Hampshire  and  four  in  Tucker.  He 
holds  four  No.  1  certificates  in  Tucker  ;  is  a  brother  to  S. 
N.  Swisher,  and  like  him  is  a  model  farmer.  His  plantaticm 
is  tilled  and  kept  in  the  best  manner. 

David  L.  Stevexs,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  t«> 
Tucker  with  C.  R.  Macomber,  and  has  sin^^.  lived  liere. 
He  is  of  distant  German  descent.     His  far  •  Wolf  Run  is 

four  miles  from  St.  George.     His  chihlr^D  lies,  Susan, 

David  and  Minta. 

AViLLiAM  M.  SPESEirr,  of  Englisli  and  German  descent,  ^\as 
born  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  George  Spesert  and  has  lived  all 
his  life  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  except  four  years  in  St.  Georgi'  : 
is  a  farmer  of  400  acres  of  land  ;  lives  on  the  farm  that  ftM- 
merly  belonged  to  William  Losh,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run,  six 
miles  from  St.  George.  In  1874  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Maxwell,  daugliter  of  Rufus  Maxwell;  his  children  are  Jen- 
nie Miller,  George  Frances  and  Willis  Maxwell. 

T. 

E.  W.  Thomas,  born  LS-i  :    >,.     - '  -d  Virginia  X;tter,  18  u. 


500  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

His  wife  died  and  lie  married  Mary  E.,  daugliter  of  Josepli 
Hawkins,  of  Monongalia  County.  His  farm  contains  118 
acres,  4  miles  from  St.  George  on  Clover.  Children  :  Ida 
Black,  Isaac  E.,  Russell  E.,  and  Earnest  C. 

\\  iLLLUi  E.  Talbott,  son  of  F.  D.  Talbott,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1843,  at  the  old  Talbott  farm,  four  miles  below  St. 
George.  The  Talbott  family  originally  came  from  Mary- 
land, and  seem  to  be  of  English  descent,  slightly  mixed  with. 
German.  In  18G5  he  married  Analiza  Kalar,of  Clover  Run. 
His  children  are :  Howard,  Charles,  Francis,  and  George  B. 
The  history  of  W.  E.  Talbott  is  one  that  is  of  interest  to  all 
who  would  know  of  the  war,  and  how  Tucker  County's  boys 
fared  in  it.  He  remained  on  his  father's  farm,  hard  at  work, 
all  his  life  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  The  old  farm 
is  now  about  as  it  was  then.  The  war  and  the  lapse  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  have  made  little  change  in  it, 
and  four  miles  below  St.  George  it  may  be  still  seen  about 
as  it  was  Avlien  young  Talbott  worked  there,  hoeing  the  corn, 
hilling  the  potatoes  and  repairing  broken  fences  that  storms 
had  dilapidated  or  rampageous  cattle  had  overthrown  in 
their  rage  for  green  corn  or  young  clover.  To  this  work  the 
farmer  boy,  whose  youthful  days  are  fated  to  be  spent  in 
Tucker,  must  get  accustomed ;  for,  such  it  must  be.  When 
the  snows  of  winter  depart  from  the  fields,  and  under  the 
influence  of  spring's  first  warm  da3'S  the  grass  begins ,  to  get 
green,  the  hungry  cattle  that  have  chcAved  dry  fodder  for 
their  lives  during  the  snowy  months,  begin  to  roam  up  and 
down  the  plantations  to  find  out  the  weak  places  in  the  en- 
closures, and  to  burst  through  them  or  to  leap  over,  to  fat- 
ten on  the  tender  vegetation  which  is  peeping  through  the 
husky  straws  of  last  3'ear,  still  lying  like  corpses  upon  the 
ground,  among  the  brier  bunches,  and  against  the  banks  and 


BEIEF  BIOGEAPHIES.  501 

small  liills    tliat    front    toward    the    soutlieru    warmness. 

It  may  have  been  from  his  observations  that  those  fields 
that  faced  the  south  were  the  most  sunny  in  springtime, 
when  sunshine  was  genial  and  beautiful,  that,  from  his 
earliest  years  he  developed  an  admiration  and  sympathy  for 
the  land  of  the  South,  and  regarded  it  as  bourn  of  all  that 
was  noble  and  patriotic.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  admired  the 
South,  and  in  the  arguments  that  came  up  when  the  county 
was  dissevering  into  two  jDarts,  he  never  let  an  opportunity 
to  speak  and  uphold  his  choice  pass  unused.  The  wise 
heads  whose  mental  force  shape,  it  may  be,  the  course,  if 
not  the  destinv,  of  nations,  saw  not  sooner  than  the  countrv 
bovs  where  the  storm  of  war  would  break.  The  elements 
of  tumult  were  mingled  in  affinity  all  through  the  human 
composition  of  the  United  States,  although  more  in  some 
parts  than  in  others,  and  statesmen  could  see  no  further 
with  all  their  models  of  past  empires  and  past  destinies 
than  the  farmer  lads  knew  by  intuition,  or  by  natural  knowl- 
edge. The  clash  would  be  a  war,  and  as  such  it  would  end 
as  chance  ends  its  works.  The  bo^'s  saw  this,  and  took  part 
as  their  fancy,  principles  or  passions  directed. 

Such  a  boy  was  William  E.  Talbott ;  and  such  boys  were 
his  neighbors,  Cornelius  and  Nelson  Parsons,  Dock  Long 
and  Robert  See,  who  now  sleeps  in  his  rock-walled  grave 
near  the  dreary  shore  of  Owen's  Lake,  in  the  desert 
domains  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  in  California.  When  the 
Avar — which  came  slowly  as  a  fire  on  a  fuse,  and  flashed  into 
myriads  of  simultaneous  explosions,  as  magazines  of  warlike 
munitions  ignited — had  really  come,  Tucker  County's  young 
men  caught  up  such  arms  as  they  had  and  started  South — 
nearly  all  went  South.  Cornelius  and  Nelson  Parsons  and 
Eobert  See  went  in  May,  18()1,  but  Talbott  did  not  go  till 


r>()2  HISTOPtY  OF  TUCKER  COVNTY. 

June.  He  joined  Garnett's  annj^  at  Hnitonsville,  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  just  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battles  and 
share  in  the  defeats,  routs  and  starvations.  The  boys  found 
it  a  rough  beginning  to  the  life  of  glor}^  which  the}'  had  pic- 
tured themselves  about  to  enter. 

The  history  of  the  battles  at  Laurel  Hill,  Rich  Mountain 
and  Corrick's  Ford,  and  the  consequent  retreat  that  resulted 
so  disastrousl}^  to  Garnett's  arm}^  has  been  detailed  to  some 
length  in  another  chapter,  and  it  is  needless  to  repeat  it. 
Talbott  was  in  it  all  and  endured  it  all.  He  found  it  harsh 
usage  to  a  boy  of  his  years  to  be  taken  from  the  easy  work 
of  a  farm  and  placed  in  a  crowded  road  of  retreating  sol- 
diers, and  made  to  march  ia  the  music  of  their  trundling 
cannon,  while  the  July  rains  pelted  him  and  the  July  suns 
scorched  him,  and  Y'ankee  scouts  tormented  him  from  the 
rear,  and  rumors  of  Y^ankee  cannon  came  in  from  the  front 
with  grim  dimensions.  But  the  farmer  boy  of  18  years  was 
into  it  now,  and  he  had  to  go  through  with  the  last  ordeal 
that  hi}'  in  the  way  of  that  retreating  army  which  fled  from 
Corrick's  Ford  Jul}^  14,  18G1.  AVith  shoeless  feet  he  hob- 
bled over  the  stony  road,  and  waded  the  sticky  mud,  and  got 
no  breakfast  and  fared  the  same  at  noon,  and  marched  all 
night  without  his  supper.  About  this  time  he  was  thinkinj^ 
of  the  old  farm  four  miles  below  St.  George,  where  in  tlie 
(.^arlv  summer  the  strawberries  look  red  in  the  fields,  and  the 
dewberries  c;roAV  wild  aloncr  the  river.  But  it  was  a  dream 
not  to  be  realized  for  him  to  think  of  it  then.  He  was 
jiiixed  in  one  of  the  most  shameful  routs  of  the  war,  and  he 
must  go  through  with  it. 

At  tlie  Reel  House,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July 
l.")th,  he  got  a  little  rest,  and  got  a  few  mouthfuls  of  beef, 
tlie  first  food  he    h;id  tasted  for  two  davs.     This   halt  was 


rAQ 


BRIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  oO 

while  Captain  Harper  and  company  were  going  to  the 
top  of  Backbone  Mountain  to  see  if  tlie  enemy  ^vere  there. 
The  rest  came  good  to  the  -wretched  Rebels,  who  were  tired 
Jind  starved  nearly  to  death.  The  next  day  tliev  reached 
Petersburg,  in  Grant  Count3\  Tlie  citizens  brought  in 
plenty  of  provisions,  and  the  army  rested  two  days,  and 
tlien  proceeded  to  Monterey,  in  Highland  County,  Ya. 
From  there  it  went  into  Greenbrier  County. 

ty 

The  general  lighting  soon  began.  On  October  3rd,  Tal- 
l>ott  was  one  of  120  who  held  in  check  for  an  hour  and 
twenty  minutes,  Milroy's  5000  men.  AVhen  the  Confederate 
}>ickets  could  hold  the  Fe:lerals  in  check  no  longer,  they  fell 
back  upon  the  Rebel  c  amp  and  the  Yankees  followed  within 
a  short  distance  but  did  not  attempt  to  cross  the  river. 
There  was  some  cannonading-.  The  Rebels  were  commanded 
by  Col.  Edward  Johnson.  In  the  September  previous  the 
Rebels  had  made  an  attack  on  the  Yankees  at  Cheat  Mount- 
ain, and  got  thrashed.  In  November  they,  the  Rebels,  went 
into  winter  cjuartei's  on  the  top  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 
The  Yankees  now  thought  it  their  time  to  attack  the  Rebels, 
wliich  they  did  on  December  13.  The  attack  was  made  be- 
fore daylight  in  the  morning  and  lasted  until  2  p.  m.  The 
result  Avas  that  the  Yankees  got  worse  whipped  than  the 
Rebels  had  been  at  Cheat  Mountain  in  September.  This 
was  a  hard  winter  and  trie  Ptebels  suttered  very  much.  The 
snow  fell  deep,  and  they  had  only  tlie  merest  shelter 
and  some  had  none.  T[dl)ott  often  slept  out  in  the  snow, 
with  only  a  blanket  around  him.  X(^  doubt  the  return  oi 
the  spring  was  to  them  a  welcome  visitor.  AVhether  the  old 
strawberry  fields  came  into  Talbott's  mind,  it  is  hard  now  to 
sa}',  but  prol)ab1y  they  did.  But  lie  had  few  spare  moments 
to  tliink  of  or  remember  sue!)  things,  foi'  tin;  ^ar  was  couie 


504  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

with  more  fiirj  than  ever,  and  the  Rebels  soon  found  it  to 
their  advantage  to  fall  back  within  six  miles  of  Staunton. 
About  the  last  of  May  or  lirst  of  June  they  attacked  the 
Federals  at  McDowell. 

Now  came  on  a  series  of  battles.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
Captain  Harper  rode  to  the  Rebel  headquarters  and 
notified  them  tliat  the  Federals  were  moving  upon  Jackson's 
rear.  Battles  took  place  in  rapid  succession.  Stonewall 
Jackson  swept  everything  before  him.  Talbott  was  taken 
sick  and  was  sent  to  the  hospital.  While  there  a  band  of 
Y'ankees  broke  in  and  captured  him,  and  carried  him  off. 
He  received  good  treatment,  and  soon  after  was  paroled, 
with  others  who  were  taken  at  the  same  time.  The  com- 
pany to  which  Talbott  belonged  was  Company  I,  made  up 
in  Lewis  County,  under  Alfred  Jackson,  a  cousin  to 
Stonewall. 

After  he  was  paroled,  Talbott  never  got  back  to  the 
army.  AYlien  the  war  was  over,  he  married  and  settled 
down  to  the  life  of  a  useful  and  industrious  citizen.  He  is  a 
tanner  by  trade,  and  in  connection  with  his  tannery,  he 
runs  a  saddlery  and  harness  sho]).  He  also  opened  a 
hotel  in  St.  George  soon  after  he  Avas  married,  but  closed  it 
again.  In  1880  he  reopened  it  and  has  since  kept  it  open 
to  the  public.  He  has  held  several  offices,  and  was  nom- 
inated in  1880  by  the  Democratic  convention  for  sheriif  of 
Tucker  County.  Tlie  old  farm  where  he  spent  his  boyhood 
days  is  as  famous  a  strawberry  i)lantation  as  ever,  and  the 
early  sunshine  of  spring  calls  forth  the  grass  as  early  as 
ever,  and  the  rampageous  cattle  break  the  fences  as  bad 
as  ever. 

FiNLEY  Toy,   burn,    1854,  in  Armstrong  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, son  of  James  Toy,  of  Iiish,  English  and  German  de- 


BRIEF   BIOGRAPHIES.  505 

scent.  He  has  been  in  the  lumbering  business  ever  since 
lie  could  carry  stove  wood.  He  is  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Minear  &  Toy.  He  is  a  pushing  business  man,  and  has 
friends  wherever  he  goes.  Mr.  Toy  married  J.  Almyra, 
daughter  of  Capt.  William  Elliott,  of  Kingwood,  Preston 
County,  on  Tuesday,  October  7,  1884. 

V. 

Isaac  X.  Yaxscoy,  son  of  John  Yanscoy,  of  Barbour,  born 
1854,  married,  1879,  to  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of  John 
Bright,  and  lives  1-4  miles  above  St.  George.  Children: 
Laura  Dill  and  Bertha  Ellen. 

HENitY  L.  Yanmeter,  born,  1848,  in  Barbour  County,  son 
of  Benjamin  F.  Yanmeter,  of  German  and  English  descent ; 
married,  1872,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  William  Weaver,  of 
Barbour  County  ;  is  a  farmer,  living  7  miles  above  St.  George, 
with  24  acres  of  improved  land  and  42  acres  of  wild  land. 
Children  :  Alice  Only,  S.  J.  Tilden,  Benjamin  F.,  and  Wes- 
ley B.     lie  came  to  Tucker  in  1882. 

Joshua  Yanscoy,  born,  1827,  in  Randolph  County,  son  of 
Aaron  Yanscoy,  of  German  descent  ;  married  in  Randolph 
to  Margaret  Hayes,  1848.  Children  :  Susan  Columbia  and 
Rebecca  Jane.  In  1875  his  wife  died,  and  two  years  later 
lie  married  Lavina  C.  Wilson  ;  is  a  farmer  of  86  acres,  with 
40  acres  improved,  15  miles  from  St.  George. 

Jonathan  Yarnee  was  born  in  1831  in  Pendleton  County, 
of  German  descent.  In  1850  he  married  Margaret  Whis- 
tleman  ;  she  died  in  1861,  and  he  married  Mary  PufHn- 
barger.  Children  :  Elizabeth  J.,  John,  Henry  H.,  William, 
James,  Madison,  Emiline,  Martin,  Teena,  Hawley  and 
Sarah  Ann.;  is  a  farmer  and  miller,  living  on  Red  Creek,  27 
miles  from  St.  George. 


r)0()  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

w. 
George  K.  Wilt,  son  of  Peter  AVilt,  boni  in   1848.     In 

1870  lie  married  Lucindti  J.,  daughter  of  Elijah  Phillips;  is 

a  farmer,  living  10  miles  from  St.  George,  on  Brushy  Fork, 

Avhere   he  owns  102    acres,  Avith  40   improved.     Children  : 

Andrew,  Ida,  EHzabeth  C,  Almarine,  Nora  and  Eliot. 

Thomas  AVilt,  born  in  1856,  married  in  1875,  to  Osee  A., 
daughter  of  Daniel  Nester;  lives  on  rented  land  IJ  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Clover.  Children  :  Clarinda  C,  Colum- 
bus, Fanny  F.  and  Jeeca. 

Wilson  Wilt,  brother  to  Thomas  and  son  of  Peter  Wilt, 
Mas  born  in  1848,  and  married  in  1869  to  Elizabeth  Kiser. 
Children  :  Louisa  C,  Cora,  Sarah  A.  and  William  H.;  has  a 
farm  of  90  acres,  with  40  acres  improved,  10  miles  from  St. 
(reorge,  on  Brushy  Fork. 

BuNYON  J.  WoLFORD,  SOU  of  Jacob  Wolford,  was  born  in 
1844.  In  1870  he  married  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  R.  P. 
Johnson  ;  lives  on  Dry  Fork  25  miles  from  St.  George  and 
OAvns  400  acres  of  land,  8  per  cent,  of  which  is  under  tillage. 
Children :  Richard  S.,  Sampson  D.,  Mary  Jane,  James 
Daniel  and  Ingiaby  Etta. 

Jacob  C.  Wolford,  deputy  sheriff  of  Tucker  County,  was 
born  in  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Wolford,  of  Hampshire 
(bounty,  where  he  was  born  in  1802.  He  was  a  German ; 
came  to  Red  Creek  early  in  the  present  century,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  region.  Jacob  Wolford  is  a 
man  of  good  business  qualifications.  Married  Phcebe 
Bright,  of  Randolph  County ;  has  three  children  living : 
(Columbus  J.,  Phoebe  C.  and  Ursula.  He  had  four  children 
to  die  of  diphtheria  in  1863.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  has  been 
constable,  overseer  of  the  poor  and  deputy  sheriff,  under 
A.  C.  Minear. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  507 

A.  I.  Wilson  was  boin  in  1859  in  Garrett  County,  Md., 
of  German  descent,  and  son  of  J.  H.  Wilson.  He  is  doing 
business  for  the  firm  of  Feely  S:  AVilson,  at  Fairfax. 

Aaeon  AVolfoed,  son  of  John  AVolford,  was  born  1856. 
In  1875  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Robert  Flanagan. 
He  owns  25  acres,  and  has  60  per  cent,  of  it  under  cultiva- 
tion, 24  miles  from  St.  George  on  Dry  Fork.  Children  : 
James  W.,  Phoebe  J.,  Minnie  Ann,  Lottie  Ellen,  Fanny  and 
Mollie. 

Abraham  AVolford,  brother  to  the  above,  was  born  in 
1845 ;  married,  1873,  to  Jennie  Day ;  lives  24  miles  from  St. 
George,  on  Red  Creek.  Children:  Cora  E.,  John  and  Sal- 
lie  ;  is  a  laborer. 

Columbus  Wolford,  son  of  John  AVolford,  was  born  in 
1834.  In  1855  he  married  Marv,  daughter  of  William  Flan- 
agan.  Children :  Christina,  Edna,  Malan,  Columbia  E., 
Claudius,  Amelius,  Mary,  Alice  and  Florence  J.;  owned  250 
acres  of  land  on  Red  Creek,  30  miles  from  St.  George,  and 
had  100  acres  improved.     He  died  in  1878. 

Malan  Wolfoed,  son  of  Columbus  Wolford,  lives  30  miles 
from  St.  George,  on  Red  Creek ;  was  born  in  1862,  and  is  a 
farmer. 

John  T.  Wolfoed,  son  of  John  Wolford,  was  born  in 
1840;  married  Narissa,  daughter  of  Gabriel  Rains,  in  1859. 
His  wife  died  in  1862,  and  lie  married  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Flanagan.  He  lives  in  Canaan.  Children  :  Fran- 
ces, J.  B.  Floyd,  Hannah,  Anderson,  Narissa  and  Susanna. 

Jacob  J.  White,  son  of  Allen  White,  of  Grant  County, 
was  born  in  1852;  married  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Elizabeth 
Thompson,   in   1876.     He   is   a  farmer   and  lives   on   Fved 


ryOH  HLSTOIIY  OF  TlK'KKll  (X)[JNTY. 

Crook,  'M)  miles  from  St.  (loorpjo.  Ho  owns  130  ucros  and 
lijis  only  r>  jicroH  nndor  tilla}:^*^;  has  hoon  in  Tucker 
Bincc  1H77.     Childron :  Ida,  Honry  C.  and  Owen  L. 

JosKi'ji  Wjii'IK,  born,  1841,  in  (}nint  County,  son  of  Allen 
IVliitc;,  of  Irish  and  isii^disli  dcscuuit.  In  l.SOi;  lu^  nnirried 
Susan  Willfon/^',  a  widow,  dau<^htor  of  J'Jios  Helniick. 
(yhildron:  Alu^l,  Amos,  J^llizjilxdh,  Alien,  llarn(;ss,  Mary 
Juno,  IVaidc,  Martin  K.,  James  Ji.  amlFannio.  .  His  farm  of 
I'JO  acres,  is  on  Hod  (.'rook,  '>()  mih/s  fiom  St.  George  ;  lias 
ten  acr(^s  improvcMl;  soivod  nearly  four  yi^ars  in  tlui  (N)nfod- 
erat(!  army,  part  of  the.  timo  under  imlxxlou  ;  Avas  in  several 
l)attlos  about  ajid  above  A\'in(-h(^st(!r,  and  in  the  l)attl(^  of 
(iottysbui-^;  oam<n)om(M)n  ;i,  riiil()ii«^h,  four  nu)nths  before 
the  close  of  the  wa,j-,  and  did  not  j-o  back. 


'i'lloMAH  1).  W'li.sox,  of  (Jeiiuan  (extraction,  boiii,  ISl^O  ; 
married,  I8il>,  to  Margaret  Nestor.  Children:  Andrew  F., 
H(;nry  ]\r.,  Hairiott  and  ]<lli/a,b(;th.  I'aiuH'r,  "HV.)  acres,  \) 
acres  improved  ;  ()  mil(;s  from  St.  (l(M)rg(^,  wc^st. 

Thomas  A\'ii.liaivis,  born  in  INuinsylvania,  181*.),  of  Welsh 
des(;ont  ;  miver  married  ;  has  been  in  the  mercantile  business, 
I'armijig  and  stock-raising;  (rame  to  M^u*ker  in  187'.)  for  his 
lunlth  and  was  so  ])1(mis(m1  with  the  country  that  In;  ronuiinod. 
He  has  travcded  (considerably,  jind  now  lives  on  Horse  Shoo 
Unn,  10  niih'S  fiom  SI-.  CJeorg(\ 

William  T.  WiiriK,  son  of  John  White,  of  (laiiott 
County,  Md.,  was  born  18*25,  and  manied  in  1818  to  Mary 
Ann,  dauglitor  of  John  Jajn(iS.  H<!  is  a  fanner  of  100  acres 
with  00  a(rros  im])r()ve(l,  on  liimestone,  7  miles  from  St. 
Cleojge.  H(!  has  been  overseer  of  tlu^  pool",  member  of  tho 
boai'd  of  odiu'ation  and  iusti(;o  of  th(5  j)eace.  ('hildi'on: 
John  v.,  ^Ihonuis  E.,  William  1*.,  Martha  K.  and  (yolujnbia. 


BRIEF  BIOGRAPHIES.  509 

John  T.  White,  sou  of  William  T.  White,  was  born  1849 ; 
marriecl  1868,  to  Eliza  J.,  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  Mason. 
He  is  a  farmer  of  90  acres,  with  70  acres  improved,  on  Mill 
Run,  10  miles  from  St.  George.  He  Avas  constable  four 
years.  Children:  Virginia  F.,  Arthur  M.,  Elizabeth  Anna, 
Earl  M.,  Maud  L.  and  Clyde. 

THo:\rAS  E.  White,  son  of  William  T.  White,  was  born  in 
1853;  married  1878  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  Mason. 
He  is  a  farmer  of  100  acres  of  land,  with  30  acres  improved, 
on  Mill  Run,  10  miles  from  St.  George,  Children :  Florena 
M.,  Maggie  L.,  Edgar  M.  and  Anna  J. 

Thomas  W.  WiL:\roTH,  son  of  James  M.  Wilmoth,  of  Ran- 
dolph County,  was  born  in  1819.  In  1875  he  married 
Clorinda  C,  daughter  of  John  I.  Propst.  Children  :  Oscar 
J.  and  Leon  J.  He  has  a  farm  of  40  acres  nearly  all  im- 
proved, on  Haddix  Run,  10  miles  from  St.  George. 

Samuel  B.  Wamsley  was  born  in  1840,  son  of  A.  M. 
Wamsle}",  of  Scotch  and  Irish  descent,  was  married  in  1869 
to  Martha  Crouch,  of  Randolph.  His  wife  died  in  1875  and 
the  next  year  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  W.,  daughter  of 
Ward  Parsons.  Children:  Berdie,  Cletus  Branch,  Stark 
and  Ward.  His  farm  in  the  Horse  Shoe,  two  miles  from 
town,  of  353  acres,  has  140  acres  improved. 

Peter  Wilt  was  born  in  1819,  in  Maryland,  of  German 
descent.  In  1839  he  married  Catharine  Wilson.  He  lives 
on  Clover  two  miles  from  St.  George,  and  follows  farming 
and  saloon  keeping,  the  only  saloon  in  Tucker  County. 
Children  :  John  H.,  Mary  M.,  Abogail,  George  K.,  Sarah.  J., 
Yilena,  Thomas,  Anzina  and  Wilson. 

Jacob  B.  Wotiiixg,"  born,  1834,  son  of  Peter  Wotring, 
was  married  in  1863  to  Ellen,  daughter  of  Robert  K.  Knotts, 

*  This  mime  is  often  written  "  Woodrln^r." 


510  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

of  Closs  MouutLiii).  Cliildren:  Henry  J.,  Stella  A.,  Fanny, 
Jeckoliali  and  George  Edgar.  He  is  a  farmer  of  134  acres, 
half  cultivated,  and  has  one  hundred  bearing  apple  trees, 
and  forty  peach  trees.  He  came  to  Tucker  from  Preston, 
1844,  and  settled  near  where  Alexander  Closs  now  lives. 
The  next  year  he  moved  to  his  own  farm  about  12  miles 
from  St.  Geor^'e  on  Horse  Shoe  Run.  In  one  winter  he 
killed  7  ]:>anthers. 

"\Y.  M.  West,  born,  184'2,  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  is  not  a 
resident  of  Tucker  further  than  that  in  the  capacity  of  a 
minister  of  the  M.  E.  Chui'ch;  he  traveled  in  the  county  in 
1884.  He  was  married  in  1874  to  Emily  M.  Naylor,  of 
Maryland.  Children:  Florence  Y.,  Edward  E.,  William  N. 
and  babv. 

Dennis  Y^oakum,  of  German  descent,  from  Grant  County, 
son  of  Alfred  Yoakum,  born,  1852 ;  married,  1884.  Farmer, 
28  miles  from  St.  George  on  Dry  Fork ;  been  in  Tucker  since 
1882 ;  owns  100  acres  of  land,  20  acres  improved.  Children  : 
Sarah  Ann  and  Adam. 

John  AY.  Yagek,  born,  1817,  in  Preston,  German  and  Irish 
descent;  married,  1867,  to  Laverna  Ganer,  of  Barbour 
County.  Children:  Truman  L.,  Coretta  G.,  Emory  el., 
Leaper  A.,  Fernando  C,  Dorphretta  A.  and  Effie  C.  He  is 
a  farmer  of  IGO  acres,  45  acres  improved,  on  Haddix  Run, 
fourteen  miles  from  St.  George.  He  is  a  preacher  of  the  M. 
E.  Church  South. 

Geouge  W.  Y'okum,  born,  1847,  in  Missouri ;  married,  187(», 
to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  J.  Flanagan.  His  farm  on 
Red  Creek,  30  miles  from  St.  George,  contains  153  acres, 
half  improved.  He  belonged  to  the  Home  Guards.  Chil- 
dren :     Cletis,  Stella  and  Ferva. 


APPENDIX. 


inOGRAPHlCAL    SKETCH   OF   THE  AUTIIOI!:'' 

« 

Hu  Maxwell  was  born  in  Tucker  County,  Western  Yir- 
ginia,  September  22,  1860,  of  educated  and  respectable  par- 
entage,— of  English,  German  and  Irish  descent.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  Hon.  Eufus  Maxwell,  of  St.  George,  one  of  the 
Avell-known  and  influential  citizens  of  Virginia. 

In  looking  for  facts  concerning  the  early  life  of  vounjjc 
Maxwell,  we  find  in  him  but  few  traits  not  noticeal)le  in  the 
average  intelligent  representative  of  Young  America. 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm.  As  a  general  rule,  farmers' 
boys  have  to  work,  and  especially  has  this  always  been  the 
case  in  Tucker  County.  But  young  Maxwell  was  not  partial 
to  manuel  labor,  and  many  were  the  deep  schemes  he  laid  to 
avoid  it.  One  of  his  favorite  plans  to  escape  work — then  an 
absolute  torture  to  him — was,  to  get  very  sick  and  go  with- 
out dinner,  and  then  aftei*  the  othei's  of  the  family  had  gone 
to  tlieir  work,  for  him  to  pillage  the  ])antrv,  and  then  stroll 
ofi' to  build  to V  mills  and  construct  mud  mill-races.  After 
having  tired  himself  at  such  work  he  Avould  lie  down  and  go 


*  This  sketch  of  Hu  Maxwell  Avas  Avrittenby  Henry  CUiy  Hyde,  Esq.,  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  the  Klngwood  Bar,  and  a  man  of  rare  literary  merits.  He  and  Maxwell  are 
exactly  the  same  height  and  weight,  and  nearly  the  same  age,  and  possess  tempera- 
ments nearly  the  same.  Both  are  fond  of  travel  and  romance ;  and  their  travels  have 
been  over  nearly  the  same  grounds.  Mr.  Hyde,  from  his  inthnate  acquaintance  with 
the  subject  of  the  sketch  is  well  (lualified  for  tlie  undertaking  which  he  has  accom- 
plished. He  has  dealt  impartially,  as  may  be  seen  from  his  criticisms  where  there  is 
aught  to  criticise.  He  has  had  access  to  papers  aud  memoranda  of  Maxwell  which 
few  persons  have  had  the  privilege  of  seeing,  and  fiom  them  he  has  drawn  where  it 
was  necessary  to  do  so. — Tas.  \\'.  Wiiitk. 


512  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

to  sleep.  No  matter  liow  often,  or  liow  loud,  liis  parents 
would  call  for  liim,  lie  would  not  answer  tliem.  If  lie  was 
asleep  lie  had  not  heard  them  ;  but  if  he  was  awake,  and 
within  hearing,  he  was  too  busy  to  answer  calls  which  did 
not,  in  the  least,  concern  him.  More  than  once  did  his 
parents  have  the  whole  neighborhood  hunting  for  him — 
calling  and  searching  everywhere — and,  when  discovered, 
would  be  found  watching,  serenely  and  quietly,  the  move- 
ments of  his  anxious  parents  and  friends,  from  some  obscure 
spot  in  the  Avood-yard  or  through  a  crack  in  the  paling  fence 
surrounding  the  garden. 

He  differed  from  other  boys  in  this  :  he  had  no  associates 
or  playmates.  Not  a  bo}^  on  Horse  Shoe  Run  associated 
with  liim.  It  appears  that  he  preferred  to  "  associate  with 
himself"  and  roam  through  tlie  forests  and  by  the  brook- 
side,  and  commune  with  nature  in  the  way  which  we  then 
appreciated  her  inspiring  beauties,  than  to  be  in  the  lively 
and  frolicsome  company  of  all  the  boys  in  the  neighborhood. 
His  natural  disposition  appeared  to  be  that  of  a  consum- 
mate recluse,  and  as  such,  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years 
we  find  him  in  his  seclusion  courting  the  muses.  He  began 
by  extemporizing  poetry — usually  doggrel  of  four  lines, 
describing  anything  that  would  attract  his  attention  or 
strike  his  fancy.  But  he  did  not  write  them  down,  for  he 
had  reached  his  fourteenth  year  before  he  could  write.  Hq 
generally  forgot  them  as  soon  as  he  saw  anything  else  which 
suggested  a  subject  upon  which  to  exercise  his  poetical  ge- 
nius. However,  he  had  remembered  a  few  when  he  learned 
to  write,  and  wrote  them  down,  keeping  them  until  1880, 
when,  upon  being  appointed  a  cadet  to  the  U.  S.  Naval 
Academy,  he  burned  all  his  poetry  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  compositions. 


Hu  Maxwell. 


C.  H.  Maxwell. 


Abb  Bonnifield. 


John  Moore. 


r.curcK^Tisr 


THE  NEW  YORK  ! 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY.' 


I 


ASTOR,   LENOX   AND 
TILOEN    FOUNDATIONS. 


APPENDIX.  513 

One  of  the  four-line  doggrels  composed  by  lihu  when 
quite  a  small  boy,  it  is  not  remembered  at  ^vliat  age,  was 
preseved  by  liim  after  learning  how  to  write.  The  idea  was 
suggested  b}'  seeing  some  hogs  rooting  in  a  swamp.  The 
lines  show  a  boy's  ability  to  coin  words  if  they  possess  no 
other  merit.     The  lines  ran  thus  : 

All  the  hogs  are  digging  deeper 

After  lizzards  in  the  luud; 
And  their  ears  look  like  a  vccper. 

And  their  noses  like  a  bud. 

Immediately  under  this  preserved  effusion  the  author 
afterwards  wrote,  "  what  this  means,  I  don't  know;"  and,  in 
all  probability,  he  is  correct.  But  he  must  be  given  credit 
for  the  possession  of  a  virtue — in  other  words,  a  good 
judgment — not  usually  possessed  by  those  who  engage  in 
versification  at  an  early  age :  Although  expressing  his 
thoughts  in  rhyme  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years, — six 
years  before  he  vras  taught  to  write — he  was  not  known  to 
offer  a  single  production  to  the  public  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  his  occasional  poems  elicited 
the  very  favoi'able  criticism  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
State  press. 

His  education  in  the  countrv  schools  was  limited  to  a  few 
months,  during  which  time  it  was  not  observed  by  his 
parents  that  he  had  made  ordinary  progress  in  the  attain- 
ment of  knoAvledufe.  His  mother  taught  him  about  all  he 
knew  until  he  reached  his  fifteenth  year.  I^p  to  this  time 
he  did  not  learn  much  ;  for  he  did  not  know  his  letters  at 
eleven,  and  never  got  higher  than  the  Third  Keader  and  the 
rudiments  of  arithmetic  during  the  time  he  attended  the 
country  schools.  However — strange  to  say — at  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  was  one  of  the  very  Ijest  geographers  in  AVest 


514  HISTORY  OF  TLX'KEII  COUNTY. 

Virginia — liaviiig  taken  a  fancy  to  the  study — ^vliicli  was 
owing  to  tlio  fact,  no  doubt,  that  he  had  been  hiughed  at  for 
saying  that  Spaiji  was  in  the  United  States,  confounding  it 
with  Maine.  This  aroused  his  and^ition — likely  the  first  he 
ever  experienced.  He  got  Mitchell's  geography  and  atlas 
and  went  to  Avork  to  learn  the  answer  to  every  question  in 
it.  Every  spare  moment  was  devoted  to  the  old  geography  ; 
and  as  he  never  made  up  his  mind  to  do  anything  he  did 
not  do,  in  one  month  he  could  answer  every  question,  nor 
w^as  his  knowledge  of  the  superficial  kind.  It  was  ]:>ractical. 
Kow,  he  and  his  l)rother  Cvrus  put  what  nionev  thev  had 
together,  and  bouglit  a  newer  and  larger  geography  and 
w^ere  not  long  in  mastering  it.  He  lias  never  studied  geog- 
r.aphy  more  than  a  week  since,  and  has  always  passed  nearly 
perfect  examinations  in  it. 

He  had  completed  geography  and  was  looking  about  for 
something  else  when  he  hit  upon  history.  He  got  Ander- 
son's General  History  and  went  to  work  on  it.  Events, 
places  and  dates  seemed  to  fix  themselves  naturally  in  his 
mind,  and  he  soon  knew  Anderson's  Historv  almost  as  well 
as  well  as  Mitchell's  Oeography.  Meanwhile  his  oldest 
brother,  Wilson  B.,  was  attending  college.  IVhen  he  came 
home  he  Avas  surprised  to  find  that  Hu  was  able  to  teacli 
liim  far  more  than  he  ever  learned  of  geography  and  history. 
ITu  continued  his  reading — almost  constantly,  and  read 
scores  of  histories,  ancient  and  modern ;  and  to  perfect  his 
knowledge  iii  ancient  history,  took  a  course  in  ancient 
^eogi'aphy. 

When  he  had  com})leted  history  he  looked  for  another 
book ;  for  it  always  was,  and  now  is,  his  nature  and  charac- 
teristic, not  to  attem]>t  to  do  two  things  at  the  same  time. 
Ko  ahvavs   finishes  one   tliin^i;  before   becrinninc:*   another. 


APPENDIX.  515 

While  looking  for  a  new  book,  lie  found  a  Davies'  Algebra 
and  Adams'  Latin  Grammar — books  wliicli  his  mother  had 
learned  from.  He  was  examining  the  algebra  and  grammar, 
TV'hen  he  was  told  that  he  would  save  time  by  the  study  of 
arithmetic,  before  that  of  algebra ;  also,  by  learning  some- 
thing of  English  grammar  before  beginning  the  study  of 
Latin.  He  at  once  got  a  grammar  (Kirkham's)  and  went 
thi'ough  it.  He  then  went  through  Pinneo,  Smith  and  Har- 
vey. He  learned  the  definitions,  but  did  not  understand 
the  science.  However,  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  he  did, 
and  knew  no  better  until  J.  J.  Peterson,  Esq.,  gave  liini  his 
first  insight  into  the  science  some  three  years  later. 

All  this  took  place  while  he  was  under  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  was  at  home  trudging  on  the  farm  or  at  a\  ork  on  the 
saw-mill. 

His  knowledge  of  geography  and  historj-  begat  in  him  a 
desire  for  travel.  When  the  Centennial  Exhibition  came, 
he  was  nearly  sixteen,  and  wanted  to  go.  His  father  took 
him  and  his  three  next  younger  brothers.  As  it  has  been 
expressed  :  "  It  was  his  tirst  sight  of  terrestrial  creation  in 
all  its  maejniiicence." 

When  he  returned  from  Philadeipliia — in  October — ho 
was  sent  to  Weston,  W.  Ya.,  to  school."'  His  experience 
there  was  about  about  what  every  other  bov's  is  at  school, 
except  that  he  would  confine  himself  to  but  one  l)ranch  of 
study  at  a  time.  He  recited  in  several  branches  ;  but  aritii- 
metic  got  all  the  study.  He  got  through  Eav\s  Third  Aritli- 
metic  and  was  turned  back  to  go  through  it  again  ;  for  s(jmo 
of  the  boys  were  laz}'  and  others  had  to  hang  back  on  thoir 


*  The  ttrst  year  '^W.  Maxwell  attended  i  he  Wes-ton  Academy,  the  school  was  tau^lit 
toy  Louis  Bennett,  now  I'rosecutlutf  Attorney  of  Lewis  County ;  the  second  year  it 
was  taught  by  J.  J.  Petci-son,  now  editor  of  the  iruntin.\'-tou  Republican;  rmdiu  ikt.S- 
'9  it  was  under  the  Uianajemeut  of  \..  C.  ("riiijifii. 


516  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

account.  While  lie  Avas  going  tlirougli  aritlimetic  a  second 
time,  he  was  making  philosophy  his  special  study. 

When  school  was  out  in  the  spring  of  1877,  he  went  home 
and  worked  on  the  farm  that  summer.  He  now  took  up  the 
study  of  algebra. 

In  the  fall  he  again  returned  to  Weston  and  pursued  his 
studies.  The  text-books,  from  which  he  recited  in  the  class- 
room, did  not  interest  him,  and  he  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  reading  works  on  geology  and  astronomy.  He  was 
now  in  Higher  xlrithmetic. 

When  the  term  ended,  he  did  not  go  home,  but  remained 
with  his  grandfather,  and  worked  a  little  on  the  farm. 
Here  he  took  up  his  Higher  Arithmetic,  and  in  three  weeks 
had  worked  every  example  in  it,  with  but  a  single  exception. 
After  the  completion  of  the  arithmetic  he  undertook  the 
study  of  Latin,  and  he  met  a  warrior — though  dead — not 
easy  to  conquor.  He  thought  he  could  learn  the  language 
that  summer,  but  he  was  mistaken. 

In  1878-79  his  progress  was  as  rapid  as  usual  and  his 
work  no  less  incessant.  Still  clinging  to  the  practice  of 
pursuing  l)ut  one  study  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others,  he 
took  a  fancy  to  Geometry,  and  went  through  the  works  of 
several  authors  on  the  subject. 

About  this  time  the  students  of  the  xlcadem}^  organized  a 
debating  society.  They  had  a  debate  every  Friday  evening. 
Capital  punishment  Avas  debated  with  great  warmth  and 
enthusiasm,  and  the  people  of  the  town  shared  in  the  ex- 
citement. Mr.  Maxwell  was  against  capital  punishment, 
and  so  deeply  did  he  rivet  his  convictions,  that  to-day  he  is 
uncompromisingly  opposed  to  the  death  penalty.  His 
studies  were  likely  neglected  in  order  that  he  might  throw 
all  his  (Clergies  into  the  debates  in  which  he  engaged.     The 


AXPENDIX.  517 

writer  lias  heard  liim  say:  "My  studying,  tlieii,  was  more 
of  a  desultory  character  than  most  people  thought."  He 
was  always  stud^-ing  something,  but  it  was  one  thing  at  a 
time,  to  the  exclusion  or  neglect  of  everything  else. 

He  fell  into  the  habit  of  reading  biography,  and  iisuall^' 
read  forty  pages  a  da}'.  He  went  through  the  whole  curric- 
ulum of  English  authors  from  Chaucer  to  Tennyson,  and 
did  likewise  with  the  history  of  the  naval  and  military  men 
of  the  world.  He  read  everything  of  a  biographical  nature 
that  he  could  get  possession  of.  He  then  returned  to  his- 
tories and  read  everything  from  Josephus  to  Peter  Parley. 
He  could  read  an  average-sized  book  in  a  day,  and  so  re- 
markable was  his  memory  that  he  could  remember  every 
event,  place  and  date  in  it.  While  he  was  doing  this,  of 
course,  other  studies  were  more  or  less  neglected. 

In  June,  1880,  Mr.  Maxwell  graduated.  He  was  given  a 
diploma  on  twenty-one  branches,  six  of  which  he  had  never 
studied  in  school  three  days  in  his  life.  But  he  passed  his 
examination  on  them,  and  passed  .well.  He  had  gained  his 
information  from  general  readinsr.  On  the  day  before  he 
was  to  be  examined  on  bookkeeping,  he  borrowed  Duff*s 
treatise  on  that  subject,  and  read  it  that  night.  The  next 
day  he  answered  every  question  asked  him  and  was  given 
100  per  cent,  on  the  examination.  He  never  opened  a  Avork 
on  geology  in  the  school  room  and  yet  never  missed  a  ques- 
tion. He  had  read  probably  a  dozen  books  on  the  subject 
— also  on  mineralonfv  and  astronomv — so  he  had  no  need  of 
studying  them  in  the  school  room. 

Full  one-half  of  the  school-time  study  of  his  life  was  de- 

« 

voted  to  Latin.  He  studied  Greek  for  a  short  time  but 
never  made  much  progress.  However,  he  studied  it  long 
enough  to  be  able  to  read  a  few  sentences   in    Herodotus, 


518  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

Xenophon  aucl  Homer,  wlieii  lie  quit  it — forever.  He  had 
not  made  up  his  mind  to  learn  it.  But  in  Latin  it  was  dif- 
ferent. He  studied  hard,  and  has  often  been  known  to  take 
the  grammar  and  steal  away  from  others  and  then,  for 
hours,  dig  like  a  Trojan  to  learn  the  conjugations.  He  was 
aitiicted  witli  headache  almost  constantly,  for  two  years, 
which  was,  no  doubt,  caused  by  constant  study. 

In  school  and  out,  Mr.  Maxwell  has  read  a  pretty  full 
course  in  the  Latin  classics.  Yirgil,  Livy  and  Ctesar  are  his 
favorites.  He  can  repeat  several  books  of  Yirgil,  nearly 
entire,  in  the  original  language,  and  has  written  a  transla- 
tion of  several  chapters  of  Cj^esar. 

In  English  he  has  read  nearl}^  all  the  standard  poets, 
Shakspeare,  Byron,  Pope  and  Tennyson  in  particular. 
Byron  is  his  choice,  clearly,  above  all  writers,  ancient  or 
modern,  and  he  has  committed  to  memory  nearly  half  his 
poems. 

As  a  student,  Mr.  Maxwell  has  always  been  a  too-close 
one.  His  studj^  at  school  was  intense,  but  done  in  an  irreg- 
ular manner.  Ever3'thing  was  carried  to  extremes.  During 
the  four  years  he  spent  at  the  Weston  Academy,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  he  read  four  times  as  much  as  anv  other  student 
there,  and  was  alwayr.  perfect  in  his  recitations.  It  may 
not  be  out  of  place  to  add  here  that  he  never  read  but  one 
novel'in  his  life. 

In  May,  1880,  he  was  appointed  a  Cadet  Engineer  to  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy,  at  Annapolis,  Md.;  but  did 
not  go  to  Annapolis  until  the  following  September.  The 
summer  of  1880  was  a  momentous  one  to  liim.  He  did 
more  intense,  devoted  studying  that  summer  than  during 
an 3^  other  two  years  of  his  life,  studying  almost  night  and 
day.     Oftt'u  a  week  woidd  pass  without  taking  more  than 


APPENDIX.  :)19 

twelve  Lours  sleep.  Frequently,  he  would  not  rest  his  head 
on  a  pillow  or  disrobe  himself  for  sleep  twice  in  two  weeks. 
He  would  study  until  after  midnight,  throw  himself  on  the 
floor,  or  rest  his  head  on  his  stand,  and  sleep  an  hour  or 
two,  wake  up  excited  and  hurry  to  his  books  again.  Ho 
w^as  preparing  for  the  Annapolis  examinations;  and,  judg- 
ing from  what  we  know  of  him,  he  was  determined  that  the 
result  of  his  study  should  be  success  or  death.  The  little 
sleep  he  got  was  no  rest  from  studN'.  His  mind  was  as 
liard  at  work  while  his  body  was  asleep  as  when  awake. 
Algebra,  geometr}-  and  philosophy  were  the  subjects  of  his 
dreams.  How  he  endured  it  we  cannot  tell.  But  he  broke 
down  at  last.  When  the  time  came  to  go  to  Annapolis,  he 
was  sick  and  nearly  blind.  However,  he  went  and  passed 
the  examination  without  trouble.  He  called  up  all  his  re- 
serve strength  and  worked  to  remain  in  the  Academy.  From 
day  to  day  he  got  worse  and  his  eyesight  failed.  He  knew 
more  than  enough  to  have  remained,  but  his  health  was 
l)roken  down — he  was  blind  and  nervous.  He  saw — in  fact 
lie  was  told  so — that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  re- 
main, so  he  packed  up  his  valise,  took  a  steamer,  and  went 
off  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  has  not  seen  Annapolis 
since.  ' 

Had  Mr.  Maxwell  been  more  moderate  in  study,  he  inight 
have  remained  at  the  Academj'' ;  but  his  tendency  to  carry 
study  to  an  extreme,  caused  the  failure  of  his  health.  Ho 
is  now  glad  that  he  could  not  remain.  He  believes  that  he 
would  have  deserted  anyhow  within  two  years.  His  desire 
to  go  to  Colorado  at  that  time  would,  no  doubt,  have  led 
him  to  arrive  at  such  a  conclusion. 

All  along,  up  to  this  time,  he  had  written  verses  on  almost 
every    imagin{d)le   subject.      Some   oi  the    poems  were   of 


520  HI8T0KY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

considerable  length.  On  one  Le  worked  at  odd  times  and 
on  Sundays  for  eight  months,  and  averaged  1,000  lines  a 
month,  or  8,000  in  all.  It  was  a  metrical,  blood-curdling 
romance,  written  in  the  measure  of  Hiawatha.  The  scene 
was  laid  in  Madagascar,  and  to  some  extent  in  the  adjacent 
countries,  and  on  the  Indian  Ocean.  It  contained  one  tre- 
mendous shipwreck,  and  there  was  no  end  to  the  lights  with 
savages,  wild  beasts  and  '"'chimeras  dire."  There  was  very 
little  original  in  the  storv.  He  had  gleaned  the  incidents 
and  episodes  from  Eastern  stories,  and  from  "Drury's  Ad- 
ventures in  Madagascar."  But  he  found  occasion  for  a  few 
fancy  touches,  in  addition,  and  had  two  or  three  exciting- 
thunder-storms  in  the  mountains.  The  manuscript  escaped 
the  flames  of  September  12,  1880,  when  he  collected  and 
burnt  40,000  lines  of  verse,  clearing  wp  his  past  record  in 
order  to  begin  anew  when  he  should  enter  the  Naval 
Academy-.  Another  poem  that  escaped  his  wantonness  was 
an  allegorical  pascpiinade,  representing  a  newspaper  Avar 
between  two  editors,  one  of  Weston  and  the  other  of  Buck- 
hannon.  This  poem  contains  1,000  verses.  A  few  shorter 
poems  were  also  spared. 

AVhen  Mr.  Maxwell  arrived  at  home  from  Annapolis  he 
was  nearlv  blind.  He  read  but  little  during  the  folloAving 
year.  He  knew  that  the  best  thing  for  him  to  do  was  to 
spend  the  Avinter  as  roughly  as  possible.  He  went  into  the 
lumber  business.  He  chopped  logs  and  peeled  trees  and 
did  anything  else  that  came  along  to  be  done.  He  worked 
in  sunshine,  snow  and  rain,  nor  missed  a  day.  He  carried 
his  dinner  to  the  Avoods  Avith  him,  and  in  cold  Aveather, 
Avlien  mercury  stood  at  zero,  his  bread  and  bacon  Avould 
freeze  anil  grit  beneath  his  teeth;  but  it  suiteil  him.  It 
Avas  romance  and  it  was  doin^  him  <^ood.     He  grcAv  stronger 


APPENDIX.  521 

every  da^-  aiul  was  soon  able  to  staiul  almost  aiiytliiiig.  He 
did  Dot  bother  Lis  head  with  books.  He  might  have  made 
more  mouej^  at  easier  work ;  but  he  was  rebuilding  his  con- 
stitution, and  Avell  did  he  succeed.  No  matter  how  cold 
the  morniijg,  if  Horse  Shoe  Pain  Avas  not  frozen  over,  he 
would  pull  ofi*  his  boots  and  wade  it.  Once  when  it  was 
over  its  banks — and  it  is  a  dangerous  stream — he  pulled  off 
liis  boots,  coat  and  hat  and  swam  it.  The  ice  was  running 
thick,  and  in  the  drift  he  was  carried  down  the  stream 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  But  he  came  out  and  walked 
home,  a  half  mile,  barefooted,  through  the  snow  and  ice. 

Thus  he  spent  the  winter,  and  the  spring  found  him  with 
a  constitution  like  iron.  He  could  say  then,  as  he  can  say 
novr,  that,  he  can  stand  anything  in  the  shape  of  ex- 
posure, fatigue  or  hardship,  that  any  other  man  can  stand. 
About  the  only  literary  work  of  that  winter  was  the  writing 
of  two  novels,  "Eicli  Mountain"  and  "Llewellvn." 

In  the  spring  of  1881,  Mr.  Maxwell  taught  a  graded  school 
at  St.  George.  He  did  good  work  there,  but  the  school  was 
not  a  financial  success.  When  his  school  vras  out  he  v»'ent 
to  Parkersburg  and  took  part  in  an  Institute  which  was  in 
progress  there  at  that  time.  i\.fter  visiting  Blannerhassett 
Island,  and  other  points  near  Parkersburg,  he  went  to  Tay- 
lor Countv  and  encjasfed  a  school  which  he  taucjlit  the  fol- 
lowing  winter. 

The  next  summer  he  spent  at  home  writing  a  history 
called  "  Conquest  of  the  Ohio  Valley."  He  had  worked 
on  it  some  before  that  time ;  and  in  the  summer  of  1881  he 
had  written  a  liistory  of  Tucker  County ;  but  it  was  not 
published  until  1884.  The  "Conquest"  is  yet  incomplete 
and  unpul)lished.     He  has  worked  on  it  for  two  years,  and 


522  HISTOllY  OF  TUCKEli  COUNTY. 

the  prepavatoiy  reaJhig  aiul  coiii])iliiim  of  notes  exteiiu«?«-l 
back  over  several  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1882  he  was  invited  to  deliver  an  address 
at  the  Fort  Henry  Centennial,  to  be  celebrated  at  "Wheeling. 
He  went  and  spoke.  The  address  entire  was  published  in 
the  Wheelinr/  Siiriday  Jieglster.  It  was  characterized  by  the 
State  press  as  an  eloquent  and  masterly  eifort. 

In  November  of  that  year  be  went  to  Cincinnati  in  tlie 
interest  of  his  "  Conquest."  In  returning  he  came  up  the 
Ohio  on  the  steamer  Andes  to  Huntington,  and  thence 
home,  passing  over  to  the  Kanawha,  up  it  and  New  River 
and  the  Greenbrier  to  Lewisburg.  Part  of  this  distance  he 
went  on  the  cars  and  walked  part.  From  Lewisburg  he 
came  across  the  country,  home,  a  distance  of  loO  miles.  He 
slejot  by  the  roadside  at  night  and  had  a  general  rough  and 
tumble  time.  For  food  he  ate  crackers  exclusivelv.  At 
one  time  he  Avalked  eighty  miles  without  stopping  any 
place  to  rest  over  night.  He  would  walk  until  he  could  go 
no  longer,  then  lie  down  and  sleep  a  few  hours,  and  then 
up  and  on  again.  Thus  he  walked  over  200  miles,  aver- 
aging thirty-five  or  forty  miles  a  day.  He  came  from  the 
Greenbrier  River  to  Mingo  Flats  witliout  stopping  an  hour 
to  rest  or  sleep.  Late  at  night,  above  Huttonsville,  Ran- 
dolph County,  he  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  sleep.  It 
rained  and  he  slept  on  until  nearly  day,  vrhen  he  awoke 
and  proceeded  on  his  w^ay.  Soon  ]iis  ankle  began  to  pain 
him,  and  when  he  had  gotten  within  two  miles  of  Beverly, 
it  gave  away.  He  could  not  lift  his  foot  from  the  ground, 
and  was  in  a  sad  plight.  But  he  hit  upon  a  plan  that  suc- 
ceeded. He  took  a  strap  that  was  around  his  knapsack  and 
tied  it  to  his  foot,  and  at  every  step  he  would  lift  his  foot 
from  the  ground,  and   thus   went   liobbling   into    Beverly, 


APPENDIX.  523 


where  be  remained  until  his  ankle  got  better  when  he 
proceeded  home. 

He  silent  the  winter  of  1882-83  at  home  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  wrote  some  and  read  a  little  at  night.  Early 
in  the  following  March  he  set  out  for  a  series  of  Avanderings. 
He  visited  all  the  Southern  States  except  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  He  took  up  his 
head-quarters  for  a  short  time  at  New  Orleans,  and  from 
there  made  excursions  into  the  surrounding  country,  pass- 
ing through  some  vast  swamps  filled  with  alligators.  He 
went  to  Texas  and  traveled  over  1,000  miles  in  that  State. 
Then  he  crossed  into  Mexico,  and  back  to  Texas  again. 
He  then  went  to  New  Mexico,  and  from  there  to  Arizona — 
that  dread  region  of  the  dead  universe.  In  New  Mexico 
he  came  near  getting  mixed  up  in  the  Indian  war.  General 
Crook  was  then  there,  and  Mr.  Maxwell  was  on  the  point  of 
starting  to  Silver  City,  but  did  not.  The  company  with 
Avhom  he  would  have  gone  was  set  upon  by  the  Indians  and 
destroyed.  He  went  to  Arizona  and  stopped  a  very  short 
time  at  Tucson,  and  a  little  longer  at  Yuma.  From  Yuma 
it  was  only  across  the  river  to  California,  and  he  soon  had 
crossed  and  had  set  his  feet  on  the  Golden  Shore.  That 
waste  solitude  looked  to  him  little  like  a  paradise.  The 
m'orning  he  crossed  the  mercury  stood  130  degrees  in  the 
shade.  He  passed  into  the  Colorado  Desert,  one  of  the 
hottest  countries  of  the  earth.  It  extends  north-westward 
from  the  Gulf  of  California.  He  visited  that  great  wonder 
of  the  Pacific  Slope,  the  "  Boiling  Gulf,"  of  California,  and 
wrote  a  splendid  description  of  it  for  the  columns  of  Tlvc 
Wlteeliny  Tntelligencer,  from  which  we  make  the  following 
extract : 

Half  smothered  as  we  were,  we   climbed   from   the   ears  to   the 


524:  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

j^round,  and  started  on  foot  to  the  Boiling  Gulf,  which  Avas  only  a 
few  minutes'  Avalk  distant.  The  crust  of  salt  and  coarse  gravel 
over  which  Ave  walked  was  so  hot  that  it  burned  the  soles  of  our 
shoes.  This  may  sound  unreasonable,  but  it  is  a  fact.  But  that 
was  no  detriment,  and  in  a  few  minutes  ^xe  Avere  standing  on  the 
brink  of  a  formidable  pit  some  ninety  feet  in  circumference  and  ten 
or  tAA-eh-e  feet  deej^.  This  was  the  Boiling  Gulf.  It  was  nearly  full 
of  black  mud,  Avhicli  Avas  blubbering  and  boiling  and  hissing,  like 
that  bottomless  pit  of  fire  and  brimstone  A'vhich  Ave  read  of  in 
Dante,  Avhere  the  tormented  spirits  come  up  from  the  fierces  depths 
beloAV  to  cool  themselves,  I  said  that  the  pit  is  ten  or  tAveh^e  feet 
deep.  I  might  as  Avell  say  it  is  ten  hundred  feet  deep,  for  nobody 
knoAvs  its  depth.  The  mud  fills  it  to  Avithin  ten  feet  of  the  top,  and 
Avhat  the  depth  of  the  mud  is  cannot  be  told.  There  is  an  intensely 
nauseating  odor  coming  up  from  the  foul  den.  It  saA''ors  strongly 
of  sulphurretted  hydrogen,  and  one  turns  dizzy  to  breathe  it, 

Somex^f  us  climbed  down  the  bank  and  tested  the  temperature  of 
the  foaming  mud,  and  to  our  surprise  Ave  found  it  cold.  The  boiling 
is  not  on  account  of  the  escape  of  caloric,  but  is  due  to  the  escape 
of  gasses  from  the  loAver  regions.  This  is  m  reality  a  A^olcano, 
although  a  small  one.  "What  kind  of  an  arrangement  is  connected 
"with  it  under  the  ground,  of  course  Ave  can  only  guess  ;  but  it  may 
not  be  too  Avild  a  conjecture  to  predict  a  modern  VesuAaus  or  ^tna 
there  at  some  unexpected  hour. 

The  surroundings  Avere  equally  Avierd  and  fantastic.  The  mirage 
was  most  AvonderfuUy  distinct.  Lakes  and  riA^ers  could  be  seen  in 
every  horizontal  direction.  RiA^ers  seemed  to  floAv  among  groves  of 
the  most  luxuriant  trees  and  lakes  outspread  in  calmness  and 
beauty. 

Mr.  MaxAvell  next  stopped  at  Los  Angeles.  From  tliere 
lie  traA^eled  north,  ])assecl  tlirougli  the  Mojave  Desert  OA^er 
Taliacliapa  Pass  into  the  basin  of  Lake  Tulare.  He  then 
stopped  at  Fresno  City  and  made  that  vicinity  his  head- 
quarters for  some  months,  but  he  was  seldom  there  more 
than  a  day  or  two  at  a  time. 

It  was  noAv  getting  late  in  the  spring.     He  went  to  the 


APPENDIX.  525 

mountains  in  conipan}^  with  liis  brother,  Cyrus  H.  Maxwell, 
to  spend  a  few  months.  They  took  up  their  head-quarters 
on  the  upper  waters  of  the  San  Joaquin  River,  about  5,000 
feet  above  the  sea.  From  there  they  made  excursions  into 
the  surrounding  canons,  wildernesses  and  mountains.  One 
of  these  excursions  was  to  the  Nihilvideo  Abyss.  Mr.  Max- 
well wrote  up  the  excursion  for  the  Eastern  press,  and  from 
his  vivid  description  of  the  awful  sublimity  of  the  rocks, 
crags  and  shadows  of  this  abysmal  wonder,  we  extract  the 
f  olio  win  o"  : 

o 

We  were  by  this  time  drawing  near  to  Xiliilvicleo  ;  everything 
indicated  that  it  was  not  far  off.  Vv'e  liad  rounded  a  curve  in  the 
canon  of  Stephenson  Creek,  and  the  canon  thence  ran  straight 
about  a  half  a  mile,  wliren  we  could  see  that  there  was  a  precipice, 
because  everything  seemed  to  end  there  in  abrupt  nothing.  We 
pressed  forward  over  rocks,  logs,  brush  or  whatever  Avas  in  our 
path.  We  were  growing  enthusiastic.  Each  Avas  ambitious  to  be 
foremost.  Our  hands  Avere  cut  on  the  rocks  and  bleeding,  our  faces 
were  scratched  by  thorns  and  our  clothes  were  rent  like  Rip  Van 
Winkle^s.  It  Avas  now  noon,  on  the  20th  of  May,  and  our  eight 
miles  Avere  at  an  end, 

Nihilvideo  !  What  an  impression  the  first  sight  made  upon  the 
minds  of  my  companions,  I  kneAv  not:  I  scarcely  knew  Avhat  passed 
through  my  own  mind.  Ten  seconds  Avere  as  momentous  as  ten 
years  among  ordinary  things.  NeA^er  before  had  such  a  train  of 
swift  visions  passed  before  me.  Never  before  had  I  beheld  such  a 
manifestation  of  awful  sulilimity,  the  infinite  and  the  eternal,  and  • 
never  before  had  the  frailty  of  man  and  the  immensity  of  creation 
burst  upon  me  as  it  did  then.  Like  the  Austrian  geologist,  Avho 
stood  upon  the  crest  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains  and  Avatched  the 
morning  sunshine  light  up  the  glaciers  of  the  ''  EA'erlasting  Valley," 
I  could  only  stand  mute  and  let  my  thoughts  and  imaginations 
Avhirl  Avhither  as  ever  they  Avould.  No  language  could  paint  that 
Ijanorama.  I  Avas  looking  doAvn  into  an  abyss  thousands  of  feet 
deep  Avhose  ragged  sides  yaAvned  asunder,  hungry  to  swallow  the 
Avorld,  1  instinctively  shrunk  back.  One  moment  everything  Avas 
clear,  rocks,  crags,  shadoAvs,  depths,  all  Avas  A'isible.     Tlie  next,  the 


52G  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

brain  grew  dizzy,  everything  was  spinning  around,  nothing  was 
seen  but  tlie  whirl  of  fading  objects,  and  the  mist  of  deluded  vision 
whieh  enshi'ouded  everything. 

It  surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen.  I  was  once  in 
the  midst  of  a  thunder-storm  on  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of  the 
Ai:>palachian  Mountains.  The  lightning  in  vivid  flashes  filled  the 
air,  and  in  quivering  tints  played  on  the  racks  and  pinnacles.  The 
dense  clouds  hid  everything  else.  1  thought  that  this  was  the 
grandest  display  of  nature  possible;  but  this  Nihilvideo  surpasses 
it — in  all  that  raises  the  thoughts  to  a  sense  of  the  sublimity  of 
inorganic  things. 

Gradually  the  overwhelmed  feelings  recovered  somewhat,  and  I 
stei)ped  forward  to  take  a  more  practical  view  of  what  lay  before 
me.  About  a.  mile  distant,  and  fully  3,000  feet  below  me,  I  saw  the 
San  Joaquin  River,  like  a  narrow  band  of  white  running  along  its 
gorge  between  perpendicular  banks  thousands  of  feet  high. 
Stephenson  Creek  had  originally  plunged  over  the  bank  directly 
into  the  river  ;  but  the  wear  of  ages  had  cut  away  the  rock  half  a 
mile  back  from  tlie  river's  edge,  thus  forming  the  deep  abyss  which 
ir  Avas  our  mission  to  explore.  Along  each  side  of  this  gorge  is  a 
wall  of  rock,  rising  nearly  perpendicular,  and  A-ery  rough  in  its 
formation.  This  canon  extends  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  to  the 
river,  a  distance  of— say  a  mile,  although  it  may  be  much  farther. 
It  varies  in  width  from  two  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet,  in  differ- 
ent parts.  Then,  in  substance,  iSTihilvideo  is  a  pit  6,000  feet  long, 
500  feet  wide,  and  from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  deep.  These  calculations 
are  not  founded  upon  any  measurement  at  all,  except  the  depth, 
Avhich  I  tried  to  estimate  by  the  velocity  of  falling  bodies,  the  ve- 
locity of  sound,  and  such  other  crude  data  as  I  had.  Mr.  Stephen- 
son calculated  that  the  pit,  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  to  the  river, 
was  10,000  feet  long  ;  but  I  guessed  it  to  be  about  0,000. 

After  a  hasty  survey  of  it  in  general,  Ave  began  to  look  for  a  way 
to  get  doAvn  into  the  abyss.  Standing  as  we  Avere  on  the  brink,  Ave 
could  not  see  the  Avaterfall  alter  it  passed  OA'er  the  A^erge  of  the 
precipice.  But  we  could  hear  a  confusion  of  sounds  and  echoes 
coming  up  out  of  the  depths.  The  bottom  was  almost  constantly 
liidden  in  fog  and  vapor,  especially  near  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and, 
at  intervals,  dense  colunms  of  mist  rolled  upAvard  through  the 
opening,  llkr  the  smoke  of  a  volcano. 


APPENDIX.  527 

AVe  luul  come,  not  only  to  look  into  the  t;ull',  but  j>o  into  it. 
We  liad  expected  to  be  able  to  climb  down  the  ^ide,  through 
cracks  and  rifts  and  thus  reach  the  ])ottoin.  But  now,  with 
the  untlertakinj^  full  in  view,  we  began  to  weaken  on  the  en- 
terprise. It  was  plainly  an  impossibility,  unless  we  would 
tliroAv  ourselves  headlong  down.  The  perpendicular  Avails  of  rock 
offered  no  means  of  descent.  There  were  a  few  jutting  crags,  but 
these  would  be  perilous  footings,  and  one  misstep  would  land  us 
inco  unknown  Avorlds.  We  crept  cautiously  along  the  brink  of  the 
overhanging  cliff,  to  the  eastward,  and  one  hundred  yards  from 
the  point  where  the  water  goes  over.  We  amused  ourselves  rolling 
rocks  over  the  edge,  and  hearing  them  strike  the  bottom.  The 
time  required  in  failing  from  our  hands  till  we  heard  them  strike 
the  first  time  was  ten  seconds.  This,  allowing  one  second  for  the 
sound  to  reach  us,  was  1,296  feet,  or  thereabout.  But  when  they 
struck  they  were  not  at  the  bottom.  They  Aveut  bounding  from 
oue  cliff  to  another  hundreds  of  feet  further. 

We  found  a  boulder,  Aveighing  fully  four  thousand  pounds,  on 
the  A'ery  brink  of  the  cliff,  tottering  on  its  frail  suT)port.  By  a 
united  effort,  Ave  pushed  it  off.  For  many  seconds  all  Avas  silent. 
We  held  our  breath  and  listened  for  it  to  strike.  AVe  could  not  see 
it,  but  we  kneAV  it  Avas  still  falling,  and  seconds  seemed  minutes. 
At  length,  a  jarring  crash  and  thousands  of  repeating  echoes  an- 
nounced that  it  struck  terra  flrma.  The  echoes  from  the  sides 
rolled  back  and  forth,  dying  aAvay  in  rythmic  undulations,  almost 

as  regular  as  the  A'ibrating  chords  of  a  musical  itistrument. 

"  Tlie  owlets  staitea  from  their  dreams, 

Tlie  eagles  answered  Avitli  tlieir  screams." 
And  all  was  still,  sa\'e  the  never-tiring  fall  and  dash  of  the  cata- 
ract. Passing  on  some  liftv  A-ards  further  to  the  east  we  discoA'ered 
a  rough  abutment  of  rock  standing  out  from  the  main  wall  in  has 
relief — like  a  chinniey  built  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  cliff  against 
its  side.  It  extended  more  than  one  hundred  feet  from  the  verge 
of  the  precipice  and  AS'e  Avalked  out  upon  it,  thinking  it  x^ossible 
that  Ave  might  climb  down  its  uneven  side  and  thus  reach  the  bot- 
tom. When  I  reached  its  outer  edge,  I  found  the  chinmey-like 
structure  composed  of  huge  rocks,  one  upon  another.  All  Avere 
overgroAvn  Avith  A'ines  and  shrubs.  I  found  little  difficulty  in  climb- 
iiiii' doAvn  more  thau  one  hundred  feet,  and  1   belieA'e  that  I   could 


528  HISTOIIY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

have  gone  further  if  my  courage  had  not  failed.  But  I  looked  be- 
low and  saw  the  shelving  rock  on  which  I  stood  overhung  the  gulf 
beneath,  and  should  the  rock  give  way,  I  would  be  precipitated 
hito  the  dark,  yawning  chasm,  fully  fifteeen  hundred  feet  deep 
from  where  I  stood.  "With  a  shudder  I  looked  up.  The  top  of  the 
cliff  was  overhanging  me.  Then  the  thought  of  how  I  was  to  re- 
turn flashed  upon  me.  The  shelving  rocks  that  had  furnished  ine 
footing  coming  down,  now  seemed  a  solid  wall  whose  beetling^ 
brow  impended  oyer  me,  with  no  crag  or  jutting  stone  to  furnish 
me  a  footing  in  climbing  back.  I  knew  from  my  feelings  that  I  was 
excited,  and  I  sat  down  where  I  was  and  closed  my  eyes. 

When  the  confusion  passed  avray,  I  looked  around  me.  The  first 
cataract  of  the  fall  Avas  in  full  view.  So  was  the  second,  and  part 
of  the  third,  but  further  than  that  I  could  not  trace  the  course  of 
the  water.  Its  channel  was  hidden  by  passing  under  the  base  of 
the  column  on  which  I  sat.  The  creek  was  swollen  by  the  melting 
snow,  and  poured  a  volume  of  water  equal  to  a  small  river.  The 
first  fall  was  about  800  feet  high.  A  body  of  water  fell  in  nine  sec- 
onds. Allowing  one-third  for  resistance  of  the  a.ir,  this  indicated 
a  distance  of  864  feet.  But  there  were  other  falls  immediately  be- 
low the  first.  The  water  after  passing  over  the  first  cataract  struck 
a  rock,  and  from  it  bounded  down  a  second  precipice  probably  500 
feet  high,  struck  another  rock  and  passed  over  a  third  cliff,  the 
height  of  which  I  could  not  tell,  since  it  was  hidden  by  the  column 
on  which  I  was  sitting. 

H:  *  Ha  *  *  *  * 

I  began  my  ascent  of  the  cliff.  It  was  a  zigzag  path.  1  climbed 
from  shelf  to  shelf,  never  turning  my  eyes  downward,  for  I  knew 
too  well  what  was  below.  I  found  it  almost  impossible  to  get 
back,  and  I  promised  myself  if  I  got  out  of  that  scrape  I  would  be 
slow  in  getting  into  another  of  the  same  kind.  When  I  at  last 
stood  upon  the  summit  again,  I  looked  down  into  ]N^ihilvideo,  fully 
resigned  to  let  others  reap  the  honors  of  its  exploration.  I  was 
satisfied.  It  looks  as  though  one  might  get  into  it  by  following  up 
or  down  the  San  Joaquin  ;  but  I  never  expect  to  do  it.  T  have 
seen  Nihilvideo  for  the  last  time,  so  far  as  I  know  or  care. 

After  his  visit  to  Niliilvideo,  Mr.    Maxwell   visited    other 
places   of  interest    among  the   wonders  of  the    mountains. 


APPENDIX.  r>29 

When  lie  left  tlie  mountains  lie  went  to  tlie  plains  and 
worked  a  month  in  the  harvest  field.  Bj'  this  time  it  was 
late  in  Julv,  and  the  weather  was  very  hot.  He  and  his 
brother,  and  a  young  Kentuckian,  procured  a  span  o£  horses 
and  a  spring  wagon  and  set  out  for  a  thousand  miles  of 
travel  over  the  coast  counties  of  California.  Thej  first 
visited  Lake  Tulare,  the  largest  lake  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  excepted.  This  lake  is  rapidly  drying 
up  while  the  water  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  is  rising.  After 
spending  a  day  studying  the  peculiarities  of  this  wonderful 
lake,  they  turned  w^estward  across  the  desert, — one  of  the 
most  desolate  portions  of  America — got  lost,  and  wandered 
for  twenty-four  hours  without  finding  water.  The  hills  were 
bare  and  gloomy.  The  night  was  lit  by  the  weird  light  of 
the  moon  and  the  landscape  looked  like  a  desolate  and  neg- 
lected resting-place  for  the  dead,  where  only  sand-storms 
and  hot  winds  moaned  mournfully  their  requiems.  But 
Maxwell  and  his  two  companions  pushed  on.  At  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning  they  reached  Avernal  Pass,  where  thev  j^fot 
water.  The  next  day  they  reached  the  mouth  of  Cholamo 
Eiver,  and  camped,  with  little  to  eat  and  no  feed  for  their 
horses.  The  next  day  they  reached  San  Luis  Obispo  and 
and  staid  there  a  few  days,  visited  the  beach,  and,  for  the 
first  time  looked  upon  the  placid  waters  of  the  Paf'ific.  It 
is  a  wild,  rugged  coast  about  Avalda,  and  Maxwell  and  his 
brother — the  Kentuckian  not  going — climbed  the  clifts, 
whercj  probably  no  white  man  ever  wont  before,  and  had  a 
splendid  view  of  the  ocean  aiid  the  sea  l)irds. 

From  San  Luis  Obispo  they  went  south  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara, whence  they  went  off  to  tin;  sea  in  a  l)oat ;  got 
wi-(^ck(Ml  on  tlio  SantM  Piarbnva  Islands,  and  came  near  star- 

84 


mo  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

ving."'"  After  tlieir  return  from  the  islands  to  Santa  Barbara, 
they  went  to  Loin  Poc,  a  community  wliere  "prohibition 
prohibits."  From  Lorn  Poc  they  went  to  Monterey,  where 
they  spent  a  few  clays ;  thence  north  to  the  mouth  of  the 
pAJaro  Eiver,  up  that  stream  to  San  Juan,  and  over  the 
Coast  Mountains  to  the  San  Joaquin  Yalley.  They  then 
started  to  cross  one  hundred  miles  of  desert  to  Fresno  City. 
Their  horses  gave  out  and  they  w^ere  left  in  charge  of  the 
Eentuckian.  Maxwell  and  his  brother  now  proceeded  afoot 
Hnd  reached  civilization  after  they  had  traveled  two  nights 
and  a  day.  During  this  time  they  had  drunk  a  quart  of 
water,  which  they  carried  with  them  in  a  canteen,  and  eaten 
*  'few  raw  potatoes  and  two  biscuits.  Their  feet  were  so 
chafed  and  burnt  by  the  hot  sands  that  it  was  weeks  before 
they  recovered. 

The  remainder  of  Mr.  Maxwell's  stay  in  California  was 
chiefly  devoted  to  a  revision  of  the  "  Conquest."  He  spent 
the  winter  there,  and  in  the  spring  visited  Sacramento,  San 
Fi'ancisco,  some  of  the  old  mining  country,  and  Humboldt 
Lake,  in  Nevada.  He  then  turned  eastward,  across  the 
Eocky  Mountains,  home,  which  he  reached  late  in  April, 
1C84,  after  an  absence  of  more  than  thirteen  months. 

♦Since  his  return  to  West  Yirginia  he  has  been  engaged  in 
editing  the  Tuclier  Covniy  Pioneer,  in  the  publication  of  his 
"  Historv  of  Tucker  Countv,"  and  other  literarv  work. 

fie  has  written  much,  both  in  prose  and  verse,  and  his 
writings  are  always  chaste  and  pure  and  of  a  high  literary 
order.  In  this  sketch  we  have  no  space  for  extracts  from 
any  of  his  poems,  and  but  little  for  any  of  his  writings  for 
the  press  describing   the  many  exciting  scenes   witnessed 

*For  a  fuller  account  of  tliLs  royajje,  see  sketch  of  C.  H.  Maxwell,  in  "Brief  Biogra- 
ptins,"  ueguiniug  ou  paj^c  i59  of  this  book. 


AXPENDIX.  531 

during  bis  extensive  travel.  We  deem  extensive  extracts  in 
this  case  unnecessary,  for  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  a 
writer,  is  known  bevond  the  bounds  of  the  circukition  of  a 
single  county  history,  and  will  soon  be  known  more  widel}' 
than  now,  though  we  doubt  if  more  favorably  known. 

Mr.  Maxwell  is  a  model  of  physical  manhood  and  an  in- 
defatigable worker.  He  drinks  nothing  but  water  and  is 
master  of  his  temper.  It  is  impossible  to  excite  him  so  as 
to  make  him  lose  his  presence  of  mind.  He  never  forgets 
a  friend. 

Politically,  Mr.  Maxwell  is  a  Democrat.  He  believes 
that  the  South  had  right  on  their  side  in  the  Civil  War. 
But  he  does  not  tolerate  a  belief  in  the  institution  of 
slavery.  He  hates  it  with  a  lasting  and  inappeasablo 
hatred.  He  believes  that  the  white  man  is  superior  to 
every  other  race  of  the  earth. 

He  believes  that  a  man  merits  honor  only  for  what  he 
accomplishes — not  for  what  he  attempts  to  accomplish. 
He  might  try  to  build  a  world ;  but  he  should  have  no 
praise  for  trying  unless  he  succeeds. 

Mr.  Maxwell  is  an  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  Carlyle, 
concerning  social  order  and  organization.  Ho  is  with 
Emerson  and  Herbert  Spencer.  In  science  he  is  a  fol- 
lower of  Proctor,  Tyndall,  Huxley  and  Darwin.  He  believes 
that  the  Scriptures  are  inspired,  and  that  the  human  soul 
is  immortal.  His  belief  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  as 
tirm  and  unshaken  as  the  rocki:^.  He  believes  nothing,  will 
liear  nothing,  and  hate  everything,  that  conflicts  with  ihis 
one  prime  corner-stone  of  all  his  beliefs  and  creeds — that 
which  brings  tin;  pleasing,  dreadful  tliought  of  eternity  to 
iiiiUi. 


POLITICAL  STA2ISTICS. 

After  the  formation  of  Tucker  County,  in  1856,  the 
officers  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  elected  by  Ran- 
dolph, including  Tucker,  were  elected  by  Tucker  alone. 
The  first  election  was  held  May  22,  1856,  with  the  following 
results : 

VOTE  AT  THE  FIRST  ELECTION. 

"^^ District  No.  1. — County  officers :  For  clerk  of  the  cir- 
cuit court,  Arnold  Bonnitield  received  12  votes ;  William 
Ewin,  3i  votes.  For  clerk  of  the  county  court,  Arnold 
Bonnifield,  13  votes;  William  Ewin,  33  votes.t  For  sheriff, 
Jesse  Parsons  received  18  votes,  William  Corrick  7,  and  S. 
W.  Bowman  22.  For  commonwealth's  attorne}^  Samuel  P. 
Wheeler,  31  votes,  Rufus  Maxwell  8  and  John  N.  Hughes  7. 
For  commissioner  of  the  revenue,  Daniel  C.  Adams,  41 
votes,  Thomas  Bright  5  and  Job  Parsons,  Jr.,  1.  For  sur- 
veyor of  lands,  Jacob  W.  See,  34  votes,  David  Wheeler  8, 
and  Solomon  Bonner,  4.  District  Officers  :  Adam  H.  Bow- 
man, James  W.  Miller,  John  Jones  and  Jacob  Dumire  were 
elected  justices  of  the  peace.  James  C.  A.  Goff,  Adam 
Dumire  and  William  Lipscomb  were  candidates  for  con- 
stable. Goff  was  elected  by  two  majority  over  Lipscomb 
and  four  over  Dumire.  Goff  received  17  votes.  Daniel  K. 
Dumire  was  elected  by  7  majority  over  A.  Loughry  as  over- 
seer of  the  poor. 

%District   JSIo.   2. — The  election  was  held  at  Enoch  Mi- 

'  Almost  identical  with  the  present  (18S4)  Licking  District. 

r  Jolin  Goff  voted  for  BounlQeld  for  county  clerk  and  Ewin  for  circuit  clerk. 

^  Almost  Identical  In  territory  vnilx  the  present  (18S4)  districts  of  St.  George  and  Clo- 
ver, exoept  partof  clover  District  ^vhlch  was  taken  from  Barhour  County  and  annexed 
to  Tucker,  by  act  of  the  Legislature  of  W.  Va.,  passed  February  7, 1871. 


APPENDIX.  533 

near's  Stone  House.^  For  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  Bonni- 
field  and  Ewin  eacli  received  44  votes ;  but,  for  clerk  of  tlio 
county  court  Bonnifield  received  45  and  Ewin  42. t  For 
sheriff,  Jesse  Parsons  received  49  votes,  William  Corrick  24 
and  Samuel  "\Y.  Bowman  14.  For  commonwealth's  attor- 
ney, Eufus  Maxwell  received  41  votes,  John  N.  Hughes  26 
and  Samuel  P.  Wheeler  21.  For  commissioner  of  revenue, 
Daniel  C.  Adams  received  43  votes.  Job  Parsons,  Jr.,  33  and 
Thomas  Bright  12.  For  surveyor  of  lands,  Solomon  Bonner 
received  44  votes,  Jacob  W.  See  25  and  David  Wheeler  20. 
District  Oflicers :  There  were  four  justices  of  the  peace  to 
be  elected.  There  were  nine  candidates,  and  thev  received 
votes  as  follows:  John  Kaler  52,  Israel  Phillips  43,  F.  D. 
Talbott  43,  John  Yoakam  38,  Samuel  Eudolph  36,  James  W. 
Parsons  30,  W.  Pi.  Parsons  30,  David  Bonnifield  32,  James 
Long  11.  Kalar,  Phillips,  Talbott  and  Yoakam  were  elected. 
For  constable,  Alfred  Phillips  received  43  votes  and  N.  M. 
Wilmoth  41.  For  overseer  of  the  poor,  Jonathan  M.  Par- 
sons received  49  votes  and  Washington  A.  Long  36. 

District  No.  3. — The  election  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Andrew  Fansler.:]:  County  Officers :  For  clerk  of  the  circuit 
court,  Arnold  Bonnifield  received  55  votes  and  William 
Ewin  2.  For  clerk  of  the  county  court  it  was  the  same. 
For  sheriff,  Jesse  Parsons  received  25  votes,  William  Cor- 
rick 34,  and  S.  W.  Bowman  none.  For  commonwealth's 
attorney,  John  N.  Hughes  received  28  votes,  Rufus  Maxwell 
27  and  Samuel  P.  Wheeler  2.  For  commissioner  of  the 
revenue.  Job  Parsons,  Jr.,  received  32  votes,  Thomas  Bright 


•Tills  house  stands  near  tlie  present  Court-house,  and  Is  the  old  Minear  Uomestead. 

t  Samuel  Minear  voted  for  Bonnifield  for  county  clerk  and  for  Ewlu  for  circuit  clerk. 
F.'  D.  Talbott  voted  foj-  Ewin  for  circuit  clerk  and  did  not  vote  for  any  one  for  county 
clerk. 

X  Near  the  confluence  of  Dlack  Fork  and  Dr>'  Fork. 


634  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEIl  COUNTY. 

23  and  Daniel  C.  Adams  1.  For  surveyor  of  lands,  Solomon 
Bonner  received  48  votes,  David  Wheeler  7  and  Jacob  W. 
See  1.  District  Officers :  Four  Justices  of  the  peace  were 
elected.  There  were  six  candidates,  who  received  votes  as 
follows':  Jacob  Kalar,  44;  Jacob  H.  Long  51,  Ebenezer 
Flanagan  47,  Enos  Carr  31,  John  R.  Goff  26,  W.  R.  Parsons 
17.  Kalar,  Long,  Flanagan  and  Carr  were  elected.  For 
constable,  Garrett  J.  Long  received  29  votes,  Robert  Flana- 
gan 19  and  John  Bright  8.  Abraham  Parsons  was  elected 
overseer  of  the  poor  by  14  majority  over  John  Wolford. 

RECAPITULATION. 

By  a  recapitulation  it  is  seen  that  Arnold  Bonnifield  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  by  31  majority  and  of  the 
county  court  by  36  majority.  Jesse  Parsons  was  elected 
sheriff  by  27  majority.  Rufus  Maxwell  was  elected  com- 
monwealth's attorney  by  15  majority.  Daniel  C.  Adams 
was  elected  commissioner  of  revenue  (assessor)  by  19  ma- 
jorit3^  Solomon  Bonner  was  elected  surveyor  of  lands  by 
36  majority. 

SPECIAL  ELECTION,  AUGUST  23,  1856. 

A  special  election  was  held  on  August  23,  1856,  to  elect  a 
sheriff  to  hold  office  until  the  first  day  of  January,  1857,  it 
having  been  decided  that  the  sheriff*  elected  in  May  could 
not  hold  office  until  Januaiy  1."^  Jesse  Parsons  (the  sheriff 
elected  in  May)  was  chosen  at  this  election  without  material 
opposition.  At  the  Presidential  election  held  in  November 
of  this  year,  the  Buchanan  electors  received,  in  the  county, 
137  votes  each,  and  the  Filmore  electors  received  16  votes 
each.  Buchanan's  majority  was  121  votes.  There  was  no 
other  ticket  voted  in  the  countv,  and  no  state,  county  or 
district  officers  were  chosen  at  this  eleclion. 


Tucker  County  was  organized  in  July,  1856. 


APPENDIX.  rm 

ELECTION  OF  18-')T. 

An  election  was  liekl  in  Tucker  County  on  Mav  28,  1857, 
for  an  attorney  general  of  Virginia,  for  a  commissioner  of 
the  board  of  public  works  of  Virginia,  for  a  member  of  con- 
gress, for  a  state  senator  and  for  a  member  of  tlie  House  cf 
Delegates  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia.  In  Tucker  Coun- 
ty a,t  this  election,  John  Randolph  Tucker  received  114 
votes  for  attorney  general.  No  other  candidate  was  voted 
for.  Z.  Kidwell  received  117  votes  for  commissioner  of  the 
board  of  public  w^orks.  There  was  no  other  candidate. 
For  congress,  Albert  G.  Jenkins  received  91  votes,  and  John 
S.  Carlile  21.  For  senator,  John  Brannon  received  116 
votes.  There  was  no  opposition.  For  house  of  delegates, 
Samuel  Crane  received  82  votes,  Jacob  Conrad  18,  Williaia 
Hamilton  17,  and  Henry  C.  Moore  none.  At  that  tiiDO,  and 
€ver  since,  in  both  states,  Tucker  and  Ptandolph  together 
composed  a  delegate  district,  and  the  race  between  Crano 
and  Conrad  in  the  district  was  very  close  ,  but  Crane  got 
the  certiticate  of  election,  and  Conrad  contested  his  seat, 
and  after  a  protracted  struggle  in  the  house  of  delegates, 
succeeded  in  ousting  him.  But  Conrad  did  /not  venture  to 
be  a  candidate  at  the  next  election.^ 

A  special  election  was  held,  December  11,  1857,  in  Dis- 
trict No.  2,  for  overseer  of  the  poor,  in  place  of  Jouathaii 
M.  Parsons,  at  which  election  David  AVIieeler  received  B 
votes  and  Samuel  Kalar  7. 

SPECIAL  KLECTKjN,   IS-'xS.  • 

A  special  electi(jn  was  held  on  the  hrst  day  <>f  January, 
1858,  in  District  No.  1,  to  lill  a  vacancy  in  the  olBce  of  over- 
seer of  tlie  poor,  occasioned  by  tlie  i-etireiu<'iit  of  1^.  K.  Du- 


*C'rano,  Conrad,  namllton  anrl  'Mooro  wr^re  all  rttlzonsnf  Ka)id<jl;!li  i  <.uuiy,  liut 
Mooro  li\o(l  \\ltlilQ  wluil  is  n^w  \\'('!isti'r  (ounly. 


536    •     HisToin:  or  tuckee  county. 

mire.     At  tins  election  Aaron  J.  Louiiiirv  was  elected,  hav- 
ing  received  8  votes.     Bazil  Moats  received  1  vote. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  185S. 

A  general  election  was  held  on  May  27,  1858,  i'or  tLe  pur- 
pose of  electing  a  lieutenant-governor  for  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, a  clerk  for  tlie  circuit  court,  a  clerk  for  the  county 
court,  a  sheriff,  commissioner  of  the  revenue  and  surveyor 
of  lands.     A  constable  was  to  be  elected  for  each    district. 

In  tlio  fount V  "William  L.  Jackson,"  a  candidate  for  lieu- 
tenant-governor,  received  12G  votes. t  He  had  no  opposi- 
tion. For  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  Arnold  Bonnifield  re- 
ceived 54  votes  and  AVilliam  Ewin  71. :j:  For  clerk  of  the 
county  court,  Bonnifield  received  73  votes  and  Ewin  70.  For 
sheriff,  Jesse  Parsons  received  103  votes  and  AVilliam  Corrick 
16.  Daniel  C.  Adams  was  elected  without  opposition  to  the 
office  of  commissioner  of  the  revenue.  For  surveyor  of 
lands,  David  AVheeler§  received  8G  votes  and  Nelson  Par- 
sons 4().  Solomon  Boner,  who  was  not  a  candidate,  re- 
ceived 8  votes. 

In  District  ^^jTo.  1,  .lames  (.'.  A.  (loll'  was  elected  constable 
■without  opposition.  In  District  Xo.  2,  S.  D.  Kalar  w^a8 
elected  ccuistable  Avithout  opposition.  In  District  No.  3, 
John  Bright  wns  elected  constable. 

A  special  election  was  held  in  District  Xo.  1,  November  11, 

1858,1;  to  till  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 

^occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  John  Jones.     At  this  elec- 


•Williaui  L.  Jiic'kson  lias  since  become  known  by  the  name  or  •' Mudwall  Jackson." 

t  There  wsis  no  poll  opened  for  him  In  Dry  Foi-k  Precinct. 

+  In  Dvy  Fork  Precinct  no  poll  was  opened  for  clerk  of  the  circuit  court. 

§  In  Black  Fork  District  David  Whet^ler  lost  votes  from  a  false  repoj't  that  he  was  not 
a  candidate. 
I  At  tlu"  rcisldf^K:*' of  A.  H.  J'ownian. 


APPENDIX.  537 

tion  George  M.  Nester  was  elected  witliout  opposition,  re,- 
ceiving  ten  votes. 

SPECIAL  ELECTION,  1859,  IN  DISTRICT  NO.  1. 

A  special  election  was  lield  March  12,  1859,  in  District 
No,  1,"^  to  till  the  vacancy  in  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  occasioned  bj  the  resignation  of  John  Jones,  at 
which  election  Aaron  J.  Loughrj  received  8  votes  and  Geo. 
M.  Nester  6.t 

ELECTION  OF  1859. 

An  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County,  May  26,  1859, 
for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  governor,  lieutenant-governor, 
attorney  general,  congressman,  and  a  member  of  the  State 
legislature.     The  following  table  shows  the  result :']: 


*  TWs  election  v^as  held  at  ttie  residence  of  A.  H.  Bowman. 

tAn  election  had  been  beld  on  the  lltli  day  of  November,  1838,  to  fill  this  vacancy, 
and  why  It  became  necessary  to  hold  a  second  election  cannot  be  learned  from  the 
records,  but  such  was  the  case. 

t  The  poll  books  and  returns  for  congress  and  the  legislature  for  the  first  dLstrlct 
are  missing. 


638  HTSTOEY  OF  TUCKEPv  COUNTY. 

•,-t    a    «     o    «^ 

O       g      O       s!       O       <n  ^ 

OFFICES   AND   CANDIDATES.  2^5121        ?  u. 

^    n    ^    ^    ^    ^       ^"         I 

y-^/-^-iTT7.r»-»T/-v-r.  CO        W         <«         2         M  «  K 

GOVER^-OR.  p<3Co5-»i        S  S 

John  Letcher, 27       05       32  22    176 

W.  L.  Goggin, 3        0        2     3      17 

LIEUTENANT-60YERX0R. 

R.L.Montague, 26      92       30     7    155 

W.  T.  AVilley, 4       11         4  16      35 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

J.  E.  Tucker, 27      96       32  24    179 

Walter  Preston 3        8        2     1      14 

CONGRESS. 

A.  G.  Jenkins, 96       32  24 

J.  M.  Laidley, 7         2     1 

LEGISLATURE. 

Wm.  Ewin, 84  7     0 

S.  Crane, 19  27  24 

Wm.  Hamilton, 2  0     0 

John  Tavlor, 0  0     0 

H.  C.  Moore, 0  0    0 

For  the  legislature,  William  Ewin  received  a  majority  of 
all  the  votes  cast  in  Tucker  County,  but  Randolph  County 
gave  a  sufficient  majority  to  Crane  to  elect  him. 

ELECTION  OF  1860. 

A  general  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County,  on  Thurs- 
day, May  24,  1860,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  judge  of  tho 
21st  circuit,  and  the  following  county  and  district  officers: 
Prosecuting  attorney,  sheriff,  assessor ;  four  justices  of  the 
peace,  one  constable  and  one  overseer  of  the  poor.  The 
following  table  shows  the  county  vote  by  districts : 


APPENDIX. 


539 


OFPTCES  AND  CANDIDATES. 


JUDGE. 

G.  D.  Camden  . 
Wm.  G.  hrown     . 

PHOSECUTING    ATTOBNET. 

Rufus  Maxwell 
Thomas  B.  Hummel 

SHEKIFF. 

Abraham  Parsons     . 
"William  Corrlck 
Samuel  w.  Bo\7man 

ass^ss:r. 
Daniel  C.  Adams 
Job  Parsons,  Jr.        .  .  , 

John  White,  Sr.     . 


SQ 

• 

•—1 

a 

es 

o 

^ 

« 

>. 

■1^ 

o 

'^ 

« 

%4 

rn 

B 

a 

< 

Z9 

2 

11 

yo 

14 

12 

13 

13 

6 

21 

o 

^     o 


O 


I  d  013 

€J2 


5 
O 


47 

22 

17 

20 

14 

1 

10 

2 

32 

22 

30 

8 

31 

2 

5 

31 

16 

2 

lu 

3 

2!> 

21 

4 

0 

32 

8 

12 

21 

23 

2 

1:3 

1 

s 

13 

1 

0 

145 
38 

102 

83 


86 
55 
43 


•Poll  books  missing.  t  Abraham  Parsons  was  elected. 

In  District  No.  1,  the  vote  stood  as  follows  :  For  justice, 
James  T^^  Miller  received  38  votes,  G.  M.  Nester  35,  A.  H. 
Bowman  32,  J.  C.  A.  Goff  32  and  Jacob  Dumire  29.  Miller, 
Nester,  Bowman  and  Goff  were  elected.  For  constable, 
Andrew  D.  Moore  received  21  votes,  Josliua  Robinson  16, 
and  Johnson  Goff  14.  Moore  w^as  elected.  John  D.  Nester 
was  elected  overseer  of  the  poor.  The  other  candidates 
were  J.  W.  Dumire,  A.  J.  Loughry  and  John  J.  Cline. 

In  District  No.  2  the  vote  stood  as  follows :  For  justice, 
Stephen  Domire  60,  George  B.  See  52,  Israel  Phillips  29, 
William  R.  Parsons  33,  Andrew  Pifer  32,  Moses  Phillips  32, 
John  Anvil  22,  John  Kalar  31,  F.  D.  Talbott  29,  S.  D.  Kalar 
18.  Stephen  Domire,  George  B.  See,  William  B.  Parsons 
and  Andrew  Pifer  were  elected.  Aaron  Phillips  was  elected 
constable  without  material  opposition.  D.  K.  Dumire  was 
elected  overseer  of  the  poor.  The  other  candidates  were 
J.  P.  Fitzwaters  and  Andrew  B.  Parsons.  Dumire's  major- 
ity over  Parsons  w^as  four,  and  over  Fitz  vaters,  seven. 

The  election  in  District  No.  3  was  as  follows  :  For  justice, 
Enos  Carr  received  57  votes:  N.  J.  Lambert  55,  J.  H.  Long 


540  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

33,  Jacob  Kalar  27,  Jacob  W.  Parsons  34,  and  James  Moore 
33.  Carr,  Lambert  and  Parsons  were  elected.  Moore  and 
Long  tied,  and  it  cannot  be  determined  from  tlie  records 
which  got  the  office.  John  Bright  was  elected  constable 
without  opposition,  and  in  the  same  manner  Adam  H.  Long 
was  elected  overseer  of  the  poor. 

At  the  Presidential  election  held  this  year,  in  Tucker 
County,  the  Breckenridge  electors  received  99  votes  each. 
The  Douglass  electors  each  received  23  votes,  and  the  Bell 
electors  22.  * 

ELECTION  OF  1^61. 

From  185G  to  1861,  the  election  returns  of  Tucker  County 
are  meagre  and  out  of  place ;  but  from  1861  to  1865,  they 
are  still  more  so.  The  Avar  w^as  then  going  on,  and  our  pub- 
lic records  were  subject  first  to  the  pillage  of  one  side  and 
then  of  the  other.  Some  of  such  as  can  now  be  gotten  to- 
gether are  given  in  the  following  pages. 

ELECTION    FOR    DELEGATES  TO   CONSTITUTIONAL   CONVENTION,  FEB.,  1861. 

In  January  or  February,  1861,  an  election  was  held  for 
the  election  of  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Convention  that 
passed  the  ordinance  of  secession ;  at  which  election  John 
N.  Hughes  and  Samuel  Crane  Avere  candidates.  Hughes 
was  chosen  delegate  to  the  convention,  for  the  district  com- 
posed of  Randolph  and  Tucker.  But,  there  is  on  file  in  the 
clerk's  office  at  St.  George  no  account  of  such  an  election. 

ELECTION    FOR    MEMBERS    LEGISLATURE,    ETC.,    MAY,    1S61. 

An  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County,  in  May,  1861* 
for  the  election  of  a  member  of  the  Senate  and  of  the  Leg- 
islature, and  for  and  against  an  amendment  to  the  Consti- 
tution of  Virginia,  and  for  and  against  the  ordinance  of 
secession,  with  the  following  results  : 


'  Tlie  day  of  the  montli  Is  uncertain. 


APPENDIX.  541 


«3  S3 

a      «      ^      CI      =!      CO  eo 


ri 


in 


AMENDMENT  TO  CONSTITUTION.      ^^Sa^S^oi^rt^' 

CO        I-,  CC         O  03         5         M        "^  r/?        ►^ 

For 00      74     22      17      00  113 

Against 00        2        0        9      00     11 

SENATE. 

John  Brannon 19   Gl   9   18    7  114 

B.  Jackson 2   18   12   9   11  52 

LEGISLATURE. 

J.  N.  HuiThes 19      58        9      16        0   108 

Sam.  Crane 2      15      12      10      12     51 

ORDINANCE  OF  SECESSION. 

For 6     ? 

Against 10     ?* 

•  Brannon  and  Huglies  were  elected  in  their  respective  districts.  The  votes  for  and 
against  tlie  const iuuional  amendment  has  not  been  found  in  the  clerk's  office  at  St. 
George,  further  than  above  reported.  The  vote  for  and  against  the  ordinance  of  se- 
cession is  missing  for  every  precinct,  except  Dry  Fork ;  but,  it  is  well  known  that  the 
county  gave  a  majority  in  favor  of  secession. 

ELECTION  UNDER  REORGANIZED  GOVERN :VIENT,  JUNE  29,  186L 

An  election  was  held  under  military  guard  of  the  United 
States  forces,  at  the  residence  of  Aclam  H.  Bowman,  Dis- 
trict No.  1,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  delegate  to  repre- 
sent Tucker  and  Randolph  in  the  legislature  of  the  Beor- 
ganized  Government  of  Virginia  (usually  called  the  Wheeling 
Government).  The  election  was  held  on  June  29,  1861.* 
At  this  election  some  fifteen  or  twenty  votes  were  cast  for 
Solomon  Parsons,  of  Tucker  County.  There  was  no  other 
poll  opened  in  any  other  precinct  in  the  two  counties,  and 
no  return  was  made  from  this.  But  Parsons  was  duly 
elected  according  to  the  laws  and  exigencies  of  war  times.f 

•Theexactditeof  this  election  is  arrived  at  by  consulting  the  family  records  of 
the  McC'hesney  family.  They  have  it  recorded  that  "  Robert  McChesuey  was  born 
June  30,  18?2,  and  died  Juae  29, 1861,"  and  since  he  was  killed  here,  the  election  must; 
have  been  on  that  daj'.  There  exist  only  the  merest  records  of  this  election,  and 
nothing  ofllcial. 

t  This  has  come  to  be  the  most  noted  election  ever  hold  in  Tucker  County.  It  was 
there  that  McChesney  was  killed,  and  Paxton  and  Dock  Long  were  slightly  wounded, 
and  twenty  voters  elected  an  officer  for  two  counties,  and  no  ofliclal  return  was  ever 
made  of  the  matter. 


542  HISTOBY  OF  TUCKEIl  COUNTY. 

ELECTION  FOR  COUNTS  AND  DISTRICT  OFFICERS,  DEC.  14,  1861. 

Under  the  Wheeling  authorities  an  election  was  held  in 
Tucker  County,  December  14,  18G1.  Polls  were  opened  at 
only  two  places  in  the  county — St.  George  and  at  A.  H. 
Bowman's.  The  election  was  for  a  clerk  for  both  circuit 
and  county  courts,  prosecuting  attorney,  sheriff  and  county 
surveyor.  Justices  and  constables  for  each  district  were  to 
be  elected.  The  following  table  will  show  the  result.  It  is 
one  of  our  county  curiosities,  and  is,  therefore,  given  in  full. 

NAMES   OF  §  .  §  .  g|  .  ^*  ^..  •§  a 

VOTERS  AT  g.'  I  ^..  I  <«  I  .  I  ^1  ^  i  a  Is 

A.  H.  BO\Y-  pg  -i  Si  -p  B^  g  §  J  S«  H  §  •§  |>     I 

man's,  DLS-  o<  ^^  --^  ^  o«  «  d^  g  ^§  II  %  Z  if-    ^ 

TEICTNO.l.  S^  "  S^  ^  g^  «  1^  §  £|  Ig  8  :!  |o     I 

D.  Wonclerly . . . .  1  01010      10      101110 

Jno.  Neville ....  1  0101010111010 

J.  B.  Robinson  ..  1  0     10     0   110     10   1110 

M.  Bohon 0  10110      0   1101110 

Robert  Jones...  1  0     10     10011      11001 

G.  W.  Adams... 1  0100   101111001 

Jacob  Dumire...O  1011010     1      10110 

I.  S.  James 1  01010      10      1      110      10 

W.T.  White.... 1  0     1010     10     101110 

J.W.  Miller.... 1  01010     10     111010 

Jos.  Neville '•....  1   0  1    0  1   0  1   0  1      0   It  1     IJl 

Jacob  Pifer 1    0  10  10  10  10   1111 

Jno.  White,  Sr. ..  1    0  10  10  10  10   0   111 

Enoch  Minear.  ..10  10  10  10  1      Oil      11 

JohnDumire....l   0  10  10  10  10   1111 

John  P.  Gray.  ..10  10  10  10  1      000     00 

S.  E.  Parsons... 1   0  10  10  10  1      Oil      10 

D.  K.  Dumire.  ..10  10  10  10  0      Oil      11 

S.  H.  Parsons...  1   0  1    0  1   0  1    0  0      0   0   0      0  0 

A.C.Scott 1   0  10  10  10  0      0  0  0     0  0 

Wash.  Coriick. . .  1   0101010  0      00000 


19  2    19  2    20  2    19  3  17      8  8  8     0  0 


*Josepli Neville,  and  those  namea  follovving  nim,  are  tliose  who  votea  at  St.  George, 
District  No.  2. 

tJohn  While  and  D.  Wheeler  were  the  candidates  for  justice  at  St.  George,  and  the 
Yotes  received  by  them  are  designated  in  this  column. 

iW.  Thoinpsoji  and  S.  K.  Tarsons  were  the  candidates  for  constahlc  at  St.  George. 


AI^PENDIX.  513 

So  stood  the  vote  of  Tucker  County,  December  14,  1861. 

ELECTION   ON    RATIFICAllON    OF  FIEST  CONSTITUTION  OP  WEST  VIKGINIA. 

On  April  3,  1861,  an  election  was  held  in  all  the  precincts 
of  Tucker  County,  except  that  of  Dry  Fork,  to  vote  upon 
the  ratification  or  rejection  of  the  constitution  of  the  pro- 
posed new  state  of  West  Yirginia.  It  was  also  to  elect 
justices,  an  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  a  constable  for  certain 
districts  of  the  county.  The  following  table  shows  the 
result : 

CONSTITUTION.  Dlst  No.  1.       DLst,  No.  2.       Dlst.  No.  3.       TotaL 

For 13    21"  2t    8     44 

Against 00    00   0     0     00 

FREE  STATE. 

For 12    20   0     0     32 

Against 00    00   0     0     00 

JUSTICES. 

♦Jacob  W.  Parsons . .        . .  6  6 

William  K.  Parsons ....  7  7 

Jacob  Flanagan . .        .  .  1  1 

Jacob  Kalar . .        .  .  6  6 

Frederick  Dumire , .         7  . .  7 

J.  M.  L.  Porter .  .         1  . .  1 

CONSTABLE. 

I.  S.  James 4  ..        ..  ..     ^  4 

N.  C.  Graham 7  . .        . .  . .  7 

OVERSEER   OP   POOR. 

William  Marsh 2       ..  ..  2^ 

H.  A.  Linsev 5       . .  . .  5 

Adam  White*' 9       . .  .  .  9t 


•  The  votes  in  this  column  were  cast  at  St.  George.       t  Vote  at  Horse  Shoe  Run. 

J  Members  of  Company  F,  6th  Va.  regiment,  voters  of  Preston  County,  voted  at  St. 
George,  easting  25  votes  for  the  constitution  and  none  against  It,  and  23  votes  for  Free 
State,  and  none  against  it. 

ELECTION  OP  MAY  22,  1862. 

On  May  22,  18G2,  an  election  was  held  in  Districts  Nos.  1 
and  2  of  Tucker  County,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  gov- 
ernor, lieutenant-governor  and  attorney  general  of  the  re- 
organized state  of  Virginia  (West  Yirginia).     The  election 


5M  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

was  also  for  tlie  purpose  of  electing  a  clerk  for  the  circuit 
and  county  courts,  sheriff,  assessor,  surveyor  of  lands,  and 
for  constables  and  overseers  of  the  poor.  The  following 
table  shows  the  result : 

ELECTION  HELD  IN  DISTRICTS  NO.  1  ^ND  2,  MAY  22, 1862. 

District  No.  2 
District     Court-  Iloree        To- 

GOVERNOR.  No.  1       House      Slice  Hun      tal 

F.  H.  Pierpont 23         44  15         82 

LIEUTENANT  GOVERNOR. 

D.  Polslev 22        44  16        82 

John  A.  i)ille 00         00  00         00 

ATTORNEY    GENERAL. 

James  S.  Wheat 22        43  15        80 

CLERK  OF  COUNTY  AND  CIRCUIT  COURTS. 

D.  S.  Minear 4  19  4  27 

A.  H.  Bowman 20  19  5  44 

John  White,  Jr 00  1  00  1 

J.  M.  L.  Porter 2  00  11  13 

Isaac   Painter 0  3  0  3 

SHERIFF. 

A.  D.  Moore 22        44  19        85 

ASSESSOR. 

WilHam  W.  Parsons 13  31  3  47 

D.  C.  Adams 7  4  2  13 

D.  L.  Dumire 4  6  15  25 

W.  AV.   Hansford 2  3  00  5 

SURVEYOR. 

Solomon    Bonner 24        36  15         75 

H.  Wilson 00  5  3  8 

In  District  No.  1,  I.  S.  James  was  elected  constable  over 
N.  C.  Graham.  20  votes  were  cast  for  constable.  In  Dis- 
trict No.  2,  Adam  Dumire  was  elected  constable,  having  no 
opposition.  Of  26  votes,  Joseph  Neville  received  14  major- 
ity over  Van  Buren  Goff,  for  overseer  of  the  poor. 

On  June  28,  1862,  a  special  election  was  held  at  the 
Court-House  in  St.  George  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a 
justice  "to  fill  the  vacancy  of  David  AVheeler,  resigned," 
and  for  electing  a  constable  for  District  No.  2.  The  poll 
and  the  names  of  the  voters  are  given  rather  more  as  a 
curiosity  than  anything  else. 


i->' 


APPENDIX.  545 

Justice  Constable 

Name  of  Voters.  A.  C.  Scott  A.  Dumlre    R.  Phillips 

John  Dumire 0  1  1 

Enoch  Minear 1  0  1 

D.  S.  Minear 0  1  1 

Adam  Dumire 0  0  1 

David  Wheeler 10  1 

ELECTION    OF  JdARCH    2ti,    1868. 

An  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County  on  March  26, 
1863,  to  take  the  vote  for  and  against  the  amended  consti- 
tution of  the  proposed  State  of  West  Virginia."  Polls  were 
opened  at  Hannahsville  (A.  H.  Bowman's),  St.  George  and 
Horse  Shoe  Run,  and  the  vote  was  as  follows : 

St.  George    Horse  Shoe  Run    Hannahsville    Total 

For  Amendment 27  3  15  -45 

Against     "  00  0  1  1 

GENERAL    ELECTION,    MAY    28,    1868. 

On  May  28, 1863,  an  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County, 
and  polls  were  opened  at  St.  George,  Hannahsville,  and  at 
Pine  Grove  Church,  on  Horse  Shoe  Run.  The  following 
officers  were  to  be  voted  for:  governor,  secretary  of  state, 
treasurer,  auditor,  attorney  general,  and  three  judges  for 
the  court  of  appeals,  for  the  State  of  West  ViRGiNiA.t 
There  were  also  to  be  elected  a  judge  for  the  circuit  court, 
senators,  members  of  the  legislature  (at  Wheeling),  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court,  sheriff,  prosecuting  attorney,  surveyor  of 
lands,  and  recorder.  The  following  table  shows  the  result 
of  the  vote  as  it  was  taken : 


•  There  Is  a  tag  attached  to  these  poll  books,  urging  the  officers  of  election  to  make 
prompt  returns.  At  this  time  the  admission  of  West  Virginia  as  a  State  In  the  Union, 
was  kept  hack  for  want  of  the  Amendment  to  the  Constitution. 

t  This  is  the  nrst  mention  on  the  official  records  of  Tucker  County  of  the  State  of 
West  Virginia,  This  was  May  2S.  On  June  20,  it  was  admitted  into  the  Union.  It 
was  at  fli'st  proposed  to  name  it  "  New  Virginia." 


54G  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEll  COUNTY 


a* 


•^  .0 

OFFICES    AND    CANDIDATES.  3^2 

G-OVERXOR.  K  3o  5^  H 

Artliur  I.  Boreman, 16       17        4       37 

SECRETARY  OF  STATE. 

J.  E.  Bover, .16       17        4       37 

TREASURER. 

Campbell  Tarr, 16       17        4       37 

AUDITOR. 

Samuel  Crane 17       16        4       37 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

A.  B.  Calchvell, 16       17        4       37 

COURT  OF  APPEALS. 

R.  L.  Berkshire, 16       17        4      37 

Wm.  H.  Harrison, 16       17        4      37 

James  H.  Brown, 16       17        4       37 

CIRCUIT  JUDGE. 

Jolm  A.  Dille, 15       15        4       34 

SENATOR. 

D.  S.  Minear,^- 0         1        0         1 

LEGISLATURE. 

Charles  Burke, 14       16        0       30 

Drummond,t 2         0        0         2 

Cyru?   Kittle 1         1        4        6 

CLERK  CIRCUIT  COURT. 

A.  H.  Bowman 16       16        4      36 

SHERIFF. 

Jacob  Dnmire 16       16        0       32 

A.  D.  Moore 1         1        2        4- 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

M.  B.  Biitteriield, 17         8        1       26 

J.  C.  A.  Brown, 0         8        3       11 

SURVEYOR  OF  LANDS. 

William  Thompson, 17       17        3       37 

J.  M.  L.  Porter, 0         0        1         1 

RECORDER. 

Adam  Tait, 0       16        0       16 

Adam  H.  Bowman, 16         1        4       21 

•  D.  S.  Minear  was  not  a  candidate.  ' ''" 

t  Tlie  first  name  ol  Drurnmond  cannot  be  decipbered  from  the  books.    His  surname 
IS  all  tbat  Is  known  In  l^icker,  and  that  only  Inasmuch  as  It  Is  on  the  books. 

ELECTION    OF    OCTOBER    22,    1S63. 

The  first  election   held  in  Tucker  County  after  the  for- 
mati(;u  of  West  Yirp;ii)iii,  was  October  22,  1863.     Polls  were 


APPENDIX.  547 

opened    at    Hannalisville,    St.    George    and    Black    Fork 
(Abraham  Parsons').     Following  is  the  result : 

1st  Distilct    2ncl  District       i3rd  District 
SENATOR.  nannatisville    8t.  George  Abraliam  Parsons' 

D.  D.  Farnsworth, 9  24  0 

Fred  Berlin, .  .  7 

CONGRESS. 

W.  a.  Brown, 9  25  2 

W.  B.  Zinn, 0  ..  5 

LEGISLATURE. 

Cjrus  Kittle, 8  9  1 

Charles  Burke, 1  15  6 

ASSESSOR. 

W.W.  Parsons, 10  19  6 

Adam  Tait, 1  1 

SHERIFF. 

Jacob   W.  Parsons, 11  2 

ELECTION  OF  JANUARY  23,  18M. 

In  an  election  held  in  Tucker  County,  January  2o,  1864, 
S.  E.  Parsons  w^as  elected  County  Treasurer. 

In  Hannahsville  Township  the  vote  stood  as  follows  for 
district  officers  : 

I^r  supervisor,  W.  T.  White  received  8  votes,  Jacob  Du- 
mire  7  and  D.  C.  Adams  7.  For  justice,  James  AV.  Miller 
received  21  votes.  For  constable^  John  W.  Dumire  re- 
ceived 20  votes.  For  township  clerk,  T.  C.  Adams  received 
22  votes.  For  township  treasurer,  J.  P.  Gray  received  19 
votes.  For  inspector  of  elections,  tTohn  O.  Ilobinson  and 
John  Neville  each  received  20  votes.  For  overseer  of  the 
poor,  William  elones  received  20  votes  and  Jehu  Lipscomb  2. 

St.  Georrje  ^oicnshi^)  Officers/'^ — For  supervisor,  Andrew 
Pifer  received  29  votes  and  John  White  11.  For  justice  of 
the  peace,  D.  8.  Minear  received  14  votes,  I.  Phillips  25, 
John  Kalar  1.  For  townsliip  .lerk,  Adam  Tait  received  42 
votes.  For  county  treasurer,  D.  K.  Dumire  received  35 
votes.     For  overseer  of  the  poor,  Adam  Dumire  received  3 

•  A  poll  was  opened  at  the  Court-liouse  only. 


548  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

votes  and  Eobert  Phillips  35.  .  For  inspector  of  election,  H. 
Linsey  received  3  votes  and  S.  Dumire  32.  For  constable, 
Solomon  Kalar  received  36  votes.  For  sheriff,  H.  Moore 
received  27  votes. 

HANNAHSVILLE  TOWNSHIP  ELECTION,  FEBRUARY  13,  1864. 

At  an  election  held  in  Hannahsville  Township,  February 
13,  1864,  8.  E.  Parsons  received  22  votes  for  county  treas- 
urer. Votes  for  the  other  offices  were  as  follows :  For 
super^-isor,  D.  C.  Adams  11,  Jacob  Dumire  11.  For  justice 
of  the  peace,  J.  W.  Miller  20.  For  township  treasurer, 
John  P.  Gray  21.  For  township  clerk,  Thomas  C.  Adams  21. 
For  constable,  J.  W.  Dumire,  Johnson  Goff  5.  For  over- 
seer of  the  poor,  William  Jones  18.  For  inspector  of  elec- 
tion, John  Neville  19,  John  Eobinson  16,  Amassa  Goff  2, 
William  Burns  1. 

BL.\CK  FORK  TOWNSHIP  ELECTION,  FEBRUARY  20,  1864. 

At  an  election  held  at  Andrew  Fansler's,  for  Black  Folk 
township,  February  20,  1864,  the  vote  stood  as  follows : 
county  treasurer,  S.  E.  Parsons  23.  Supervisor,  W.  W. 
Hansford  17,  Jacob  H  Long  5.  Treasurer,  Abraham  Par- 
sons, John  G.  C.  Parsons  and  A.  H.  Long  received  one  vote 
each.  Township  clerk.  Job  Parsons  11,  C.  Parsons  6,  G.  J. 
Long  6.  Justice  of  the  peace,  William  Corrick  12,  Jacob 
H.  Long  11.  Constable,  Harrison  Moore,  19.  Overseer  of 
poor,  Adam  H.  Long  17,  Edward  Thornhill  2,  Ward  Par- 
sons 2,  J.  H.  Long  and  Andrew  Fansler  1  each. 

ST.    C4E0RGE   TOWNSHIP    ELECTION,    APRIL  28,    1864. 

At  the  township  election  held  at  St.  George,  April  28, 
1864,  the  vote  stood  as  follows :  justice,  Adam  Tait,  16 ; 
constable,  Lloyd  Pifer,  16 ;  township  treasurer,  D.  S. 
Minear,  13 ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  A.  H.  Linsey,  15 ;  town- 
ship clerk,  S.  E.  Parsons,  2. 


APPENDIX.  549 


4> 

•—I 
«— • 

OFFICES    AND     CANDIDATES.  fe 

S3 

OOVERNOB.  g 

Arthur  I.  Boremaii, 13 

Al^ORNEY    GENERAL. 

E.  E.  Hall, 13 

SECRETARY    OF    STATE. 

G.  D.  Hall, 13 

AUDITOR. 

J.  M.  McWhorter, 13 

TREASURER. 

Campbell    Tarr, 13 

CONGRESS. 

Moses   Titclienell, 12 

George  R.  Latham, 2 

Smith 2 

William  Zinn, 9 

SENATE, 

Rolisou, 13 

Corley, 0 

LEGISLATURE. 

Wilmoth, 0 

Cyrus    Kittle, 4 

Charles  Burke, 10 

Phares, 0 

PROSECUTING    ATTORNEY. 

Spencer  Dayton, 8 

Charles   Hooton, 5 

Moses  B.  Bdtterfield, 1 

Brown, 0 

G.  Cresap, 0 

COUNTY    TREASURER. 

S.  E.  Parsons, 15 

RECORDER. 

A.  H.  Bowman, 6 

John  J.  Adams, 8 

^  SURVEYOR    OF    LANDS. 

Cornelius   Parsons, 0 

Joseph    Parsons, 0 

William    Thompson, 14 

ASSESSOR. 

D.  C.  Adams, 14 

William  li.  Parsons, 1 


O 

QQ 

o 

*-* 
O 

38 

43 

94 

38 

43 

94 

38 

43 

94 

38 

43 

94 

38 

43 

94 

8 

0 

20 

9 

25 

36 

0 

2 

4 

7 

9 

25 

5 

3 

21 

10 

3 

13 

5 

4 

9 

3 

18 

25 

29 

22 

61 

1 

1 

2 

3 

22 

33 

0 

2 

7 

0 

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1* 

31 

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17 

17 

38 

33 

86 

10 

16 

32 

34 

21 

63 

26 

16 

42 

4 

10 

14 

0 

1 

15 

26 

2 

42 

19 

25 

45 

•  On  the  miirerln  or  the  election  returns  some  one  wrote,  Just  after  Butterfleld's  name : 
*'  Where  wus  Moses  when  the  light  went  out  ?" 


650  HISTORY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION,  NOVEMBER  8,  1864. 

At  an  election  held  in  Tucker  County,  November  8,  1864, 
the  Lincoln  and  Johnson  electors  received  votes  as  follows : 
Hannahsville  7,  St.  George  31,  Black  Fork  18,  total  in  the 
county  56.  The  McClellan  electors  received  at  Hannahs- 
ville 14  votes,  at  St.  George  12,  at  Black  Fork  10.  Total  in 
the  county  92,  of  which  Lincoln  had  20  majority. 

TOWNSmP  ELECTIONS,  APRIL  27,  1865. 

At  township  elections  held  on  April  27,  1865,  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected : 

Ilaiinahsville  Tovmship. — Supervisor,  D.  C  Adams  ;  treas- 
urer, John  P.  Gray ;  clerk,  Thomas  C.  Adams ;  overseer  of 
roads,  Joseph  B.  Robinson  ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  Joseph  B. 
Robinson ;  overseer  of  roads,  2nd  district,  George  W.  Adams; 
inspector  of  elections,  John  J.  Cline ;  school  commissioner, 
Jacob  Dumire;  constable,  Thomas  C.  Adams. 

St.  George  7<?i6'/z^^2/).— Supervisor  and  treasurer,  Andrew 
Pifer;  clerk,  John  J.  Adams;  constable,  Solomon  Kalar; 
overseer  of  the  poor,  John  Jones ;  overseer  of  roads,  Robert 
Phillips;  inspector  of  elections,  Stephen  Dumire;  school 
commissioner,  Stephen  Dumire. 

Black  Fark  Township. — Supervisor,  W.  W.  Hansford; 
treasurer,  W.  W.  Parsons  ;  clerk,  C.  Parsons ;  constable,  A. 
L.  Corrick ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  John  Bright ;  overseer  of 
roads,  Jacob  W.  Parsons  and  A.  H.  Long ;  inspector  of 
elections,  I.  A.  Gilmore ;  school  commissioner,  Thomas 
Bright. 

ELECTION  OF  OCTOBER  20,  1865. 

On  October  26,  1865,  an  election  was  held  in  all  the 
toAvnships  of  Tucker.  The  war  was  then  over,  and  it  was 
the  first  election  in  time' of  peace  for  a  long  time;  but,  even 
then,  so  many  of  the  voters  were  disfranchised  on  account 


APPENDIX.  551 

of  their  sympathy  with  the  South,  that  the  vote  shows  no 
considerable'  part  of  the  voters.     It  stood  thus : 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 
^    ^    ^,^    SENATE.  Hannahsvllle   St.  George    Black  Fork   Total 

E.J.  O'Brien, 18  21  11  50 

Joseph  Teter, 15  7  8'  30 

J.   H.  Woodford, I  7  0  8 

Charles    Burke, 1  2  5  8 

LEGISLATURE. 

Bufus  Maxwell, 19  25  11         55 

David  Wheeler, 18  13  15         46 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

Charles   Hooton, 21  7  14         42 

G.  Cresap, 13  1  13         27 

Samuel  AYoods, 1  20  . .  21 

SURVEYOR. 

Solomon    Bonner, 30  13  22         65 

Joseph   Parsons, 4  16  3         23 

ELECTION  OF  MAY  24,  1866.  •  • 

On  May  24, 1866,  an  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County, 
and  the  vote  stood  thus  : 

CANDIDATES.  : 
CO.  8UPT.  OF  SCHOOLS.  Hannalisvllle    St.  George    Black  Fork   Total. 

A.H.Bowman, 22  51  35  108 

Cornelius  Parsons, 20  22  16  58 

Jacob   Dumire, .    4  0  0  4 

Abraham  Parsons, 0  0  7  7 

For  ratification  constitution  19  13  9  41 

Against   "                  ''  29  61  51  141 

A.  H.  Bowman's  majority  was  50.  The  ratification  of  the 
amendment  to  the  constitution  was  defeated  by  100  major- 
ity. There  is  no  record  of  a  poll  having  been  opened  on 
Horse  Shoe  Eun  or  Dry  Fork.  The  election  of  Black  Fork 
Township  was  held  at  the  residence  of  John  B.  Goff. 

"•After  1865  only  the  olectlonof  county,  state  and  national  officers  will  be  ?Iven  In 
full.    It  would  require  too  much  space  even  to  mention  the  officei-s  and  candidates  for . 
ilie  district  offices. 


552  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

GENERAL  Er.ECTION,  OCTOBER  25, 1868. 

On    October   25,  1866,  a   general  election,  for  state  and 

county   officers,  was  lield  in  Tucker  County,  with    results 
seen  in  the  following  table  : 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

GOVERNOR.                     Hannalisvine    St.  George  Black  Fork  Total 

Arthur  I.  Boreman, 24  14  10  48 

Benjamin  H.  Smith, 35  62  41  138 

SECRETARY  OF  STATE. 

John  S.  Witcher, 24  14  10  48 

John  W.  Kennedy, 35  62  41  138 

AUDITOR. 

J.  N.  McWhorter, 24  14  10  48 

Peter  Darnell, 35      '          62  41  138 

TREASURER. 

J.  H.  Bristor, 24  14  10  48 

J.  S.  Burdett, 35  62  41  138 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

Thayer  Melvin, 24  14  10  48 

Nathaniel  Jlichardson, 35  62  41  138 

JUDGES  SUPREME  COURT. 

Edwin  Maxwell, 3  14  10  27 

R.L.Berkshire, 56  62  41  159 

CONGRESS. 

B.    M.    Kitchen, ..     17  14  10  41 

E.  W.  Andrews, 35  62  41  138 

SENATOR,  6th  DISTRICT. 

Nathan   H.  Taft, 31  33  40  104 

James   C.  McGrew, 6  0  6 

William  B.  Zinn, 10  1 

D.    D.    Farnsworth, 1  10  11 

LEGISLATURE. 

Charles    W.   Burk, 35  ho  40  130 

James  Druminond, 20  13  10  43 

CLERK  OF  THE  CIRCUIT   COURT. 

A.     H.    Bowman, 23  29  31  83 

John  J.  Adams. 29  46  19  94 

SHERIFF. 

Ward    Parsons, 4  19  18  41 

D.  K.  Dumire, 17  9  0  26 

Andrew   Pifer, 8  14  9  31 

Israel  Phillips, 30  33  -  25  88 


APPENDIX.  553 

{Continued.) 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

COUNTY  EECOKDER.  Haimahsville    St.  George    Black  Fork    Total 

A.  H.  Bowman, 23  28  30  81 

John  J.  Adams, 29  46  19  94 

COUNTY   TKEASUREU. 

S.  E.  Parsons, 1  12  10  23 

Arnold  Bonnitield, 40  56  39  135 

Andrew  Pifer, 0  1  0  1 

A.  H.  Bowman, 0  1  0  1 

PROSECUTING   ATTORNEY. 

Charles   Hooton, 15  7  10  27 

G.  Cresap, 30  48  33         111 

J.  H.  Carroll, 12  16  9  37 

SURVEYOR  OF  LANDS. 

Joseph  Parsons, 47  65  41         153 

William  Ewin, 0  1  0  1 

A.  Bonnifield, 0  1  0  1 

ASSESSOR. 

A.  H.  Long, 0  4  18  22 

John  White, . 35  49  25  109 

D.  C.  Adams, 20  7  6  33 

D.  L.  Dumire, 6  14  5  25 

JUDGE  CIRCUIT  COURT. 

John  A.  Dille, 0  0  5  5 

TOWNSHIP  ELECTIONS,  MAY  23,  18(J7. 

On  May  23,  1867,  township  elections  were  held  in  Tucker 
County,  with  results  set  forth  in  the  following  table : 

Hannahsville.  St.  George.  Black  Fork. 

Man  elected.  Maj.  Man  elected.    Maj.  Man  elected.  Maj. 

FOR   SUPERVISOR. 

T.  F.  Hebb,       4         John  Jones,       9     Job  Parsons,  Jr.,  30 

TT^S'^I^TCF 

J.  W.  Miller,     .  .        S.E.  Parsons,  23     M.  AVolford,  1 

CONSTABLE. 

W.  J.  Sage,    4    Wm.  Shaw,   11  John  H.  Long,   27 

OVERSEER  OF  THE  POOR. 

Win.  Jones,      40         Wm.  Shaw,      20     Jacob  Fansler,      21 

CLERK  OF  THE   TOWNSHIP. 

J.  W.  Dumire,    6         J.  J.  Adams,    12     Solomon  Bonner,  33 

TOWNSHIP  TREASURER. 

J.P.Gray,  1         D.K. Dumire,  10     Thomas   Bright,     1 

INSPECTOPt  OF  ELECTIONS. 

J.  J.  Cline,        10         D.  K.  Dumire,  11     Ward  Parsons,        3 

.•JO 


554  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

[Continued^ 

IlannahsviUe.  St.  George.  Black  Fork. 

Manelectea.  Maj,  Man  elected.    MaJ.  Man  elected.  Maj. 

SCHOOL  COMMISSIONER. 

J.  J.  Cline,       21         Robt.Pliillips,10     W.  D.  Goff,  13 

EOAD  SURVEYOR. 

M.C. Atherton,  14         D.  K.  Dumire,  13     S.  R.  Fansler,  1 

Geo.  G.  Adams,  1         Eobt.Pliillips,19     Thomas  Bright,      1 

E.  Hovatter,     14         G.M.Parsons,  20     Solomon  Bonner,    1 

E.  Flanagan,  3 

ELECTION  OF  OCTOBER  24,  1867. 

An  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County,  October  24,  1867, 
and  the  result  runneth  thus  : 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

SENATE.  Ilannahsvllle    St.  George    Black  Fork*  Total 

E.J.  O'Brien, 22  16  13  51 

W.  J.  Drummond, 19  9  8  36 

LEGISLATURE. 

F.  M.  White, 22  17  12  51 

J.  W.  Dunnington, 19  8  0  36 

SUPT.  OF  SCHOOLS. 

Joseph  Parsons, 18  17  11  -46 

A.  H.  Bowman, 7  4  11  22 

COUNTY   TREASURER. 

Andrew  Pifer, 1  4  0  5 

Jacob  Dumire, 18  2  0  20 

*  The  Black  Fork  election  was  lield  at  tlie  residence  of  Ward  Parsons. 
GENERAL    ELECTION,    OCTOBER    22,    18G3. 

There  was  an  election  held  for  both  State  and  county  of- 
fices, October  22,  1868.  The  following  is  a  summary  of  this 
State  election,  as  it  stood  in  Tucker  County  :t 

t  The  official  returns  from  St.  George  are  not  Included  in  this  table.  They  would 
probably  increase  the  majorities  of  the  Democratic  candidates  to  88  each.  Tucker 
County  was  now  becoming  decidedly  Democratic.  During  tlie  war,  and  shortly  after 
the  disfranchisement  of  so  many  voters,  on  account  of  supposed  sympathy  with  the 
South,  had  allowed  the  Republicans  to  gain  the  rule.  But,  as  soon  as  these  war  dis- 
(lualiflcations  were  done  away  with,  the  Democrats  returned  to  power  stronger  than 
ever.  The  tyranny  of  their  opponents  served  to  strengthen  what  it  was  meant  to 
weaken,  as  it  always  does  and  always  will  do. 


APPENDIX. 


555 


OFFICES  AND 

CANDIDATES. 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

Vote. 

Majority 

AV.  T.  Willey,... 

79 

48 

Thaver    Melvin,. 

31 

SUPREME  .JUDGE. 

M.  Eclmiston, .  .  . 

79 

48 

R.  L.  Berkshire,. 

31 

CONGRESS. 

W.  G.  Brown, .  .  . 

79 

48 

Jas.  C.  McGrew, . 

31 

SENATE. 

D.  S.  Peterson, .  . 

80 

50 

D.D.T.FarnswortliSO 

•   • 

OFFICES  AND 

CANDIDATES. 
GOVERNOR.  Vote.     Majority. 

J.  N.  Camden, ...   79         48 
W.  E.  Stevenson  31 

SECRETARY. 

S.  V.  Yantis,....    79         48 
J.  M.  Pifes, 31 

AUDITOR. 

Daniel    Mayer, .  .   79         48 
Thos.  Bopfp^ess, .  .    31 

TREASURER. 

Geo.   I.  Walker, .    79         48 
J.  M.  Macaulej, .   31 


It  is  a  little  remarkable  tliat  only  one  ticket  was  scratched 
at  this  election,  that  of  D.  D.  T.  Farnsworth,  of  Upshur 
County,  in  favor  of  David  S.  Peterson,  of  Lewis  County. 

ELECTION  OF  OCTOBER  22,  LSfkS. 

At  the  county  election  held  in  Tucker  County,  October  22, 
1868,  the  result  stood  thus  : 


OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES.  | 

a 

LEGISLATURE.  5 

John  A.  Hooton, 33 

William  Bennett, 7 

RECORDER. 

John  J.  Adams, 44 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

G.  Cresap,  . 33 

Charles  Hooton, 14 

COUNTY  SURVEYOR. 

Joseph  Parsons, 35 

ASSESSOR. 

S.  Pi.  Pansier, 22 

Jacob  Dumire, 11 

Abraham  Parsons, 9 

JUDGE  CIRCUIT  COURT. 

John  J.  Brown, 32 

John  A.  Dillo Ki 


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53 

5o6  HISTORY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

On  the  same  day  an  election  for  Hannalisville  Township 
resulted  as  follows : 

For  township  clerk,  John  R.  Loughry  received  35  votes, 
John  AV.  Dnmire,  4.  Overseer  of  the  poor,  John  J.  Cline 
received  23  votes,  William  Jones  17,  John  D.  Nester  1,  El- 
ton Hovatter  1,  John  Shaffer  1.  Township  treasurer,  James 
C.  A.  Goff  37,  James  AY.  Miller  1.  Inspector  of  election, 
Johnson  Goft'  1,  John  J.  Cline  10,  T.  B.  Lipscomb  4,  Joshua 
Robinson  2.  Road  surveyor,  1st  precinct,  H.  T.  Loughry 
27,  W.  H.  Lipscomb  30;  2nd  precinct,  George  Hovatter  19. 

ST.    GEORGE   TOWNSHIP    ELECTION,    OCTOBER   22,    18G8. 

The  township  election  at  St.  George,  on  October  22, 1868, 
resulted  as  follows : 

Supervisor,  Rufus  Maxwell  58,  John  Jones  29.  Town- 
ship clerk,  John  J.  Adams  69,  no  opposition.  Overseer  of 
the  poor,  Andrew  B.  Parsons  65,  no  opposition.  Treasurer, 
S.  E.  Parsons  69,  no  opposition.  Inspector  of  election,  D. 
K.  Dumire,  36,  Elihu  Phillips  28.  Road  surve^^or,  1st  pre- 
cinct, William  Ewin  63,  no  opposition.  2nd  precinct,  Thos. 
M.  Mason,  50,  Price  Montgomery  17.  3rd  precinct,  John 
W.  Godwin  62,  no  opposition.  4th  precinct,  James  P.  Fitz- 
waters  62,  no  opposition.  School  commissioner,  Stephen 
Dumire  63,  no  opposition.  Constable,  Andrew  L.  Du- 
mire 5,  no  opposition. 

BLACK  FORK  TOWNSIUP  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  22,  1868. 

The  election  in  Black  Fork  Township  on  October  22, 
1868,  stood  as  follows : 


APPENDIX. 


557 


OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

SUPEPiYISOIi.  Ward  Parson's,    Flanagans'.    Total.    Majority. 

Job  Parsons,  Jr., 34  4  38        23 

W.  W.  Hansford, 7  8  15 

S.  E.    Fansler, 3  0  3 

TO^yNSHIP    CLERK. 

Solomon  Bonner, 13  14  27 

A.  B.  Parsons, 27  0  27         . . 

Aclonijali  B.  Parsons," .  .  0  0  0 

O^T:PtSEER  OF  THE  POOR. 

John   Bright, 8  9  17 

Abraham  Parsons, 32  0  32        15 

TOWNSHIP   TREASURER. 

Thomas    Bright, 13  '9  22 

J.  H.  Long, 1  0  1 

Ward   Parsons, 37  5  42        20 

INSPECTOR  OF  ELECTIONS. i' 

Ward   Parsons, 29  ..29 

J.  I.  Propst, 34  . .  34  5 

INSPECTOR  OF  ELECTIONS. t 

James   B.  Carr, .  .  3  3 

Gabriel  Rains, ..  6  6  3 

SURVEYOR  OF  ROADS. 

S.  R.  Fansler,  W.  I.  Fansler  and  Ward  Parsons,  in  Black 
Fork  and,  Alfred  Flanagan,  Solomon  Bonner  and  George 
Fansler  in  Dry  Fork,  were  elected. 

*  This  is  the  first  mention  in  the  election  retui'ns  of  Tuclcer  County  of  the  name  of 
Adonijah  B.  Parsons, 
t  Black  Fork.  t  Diy  Fork. 

PRESIDENTIAL    ELECITON,    NOVEMBER    3,    1868. 

At  the  Presidential  election§  held  in  Tucker  Conntv,  No- 


§  As  a  specimen  of  the  tjTanny  and  proscription  existing  as  long  after  the  close  of 
the  war  as  18<j8,  we  give  the  oath  that  was  required  to  be  taken  by  the  officers.  It  was 
not  enough  to  have  vanquished  a  hrave  enemy,  but  when  he  was  powerless,  the  fires 
of  persecution  were  kindled  with  more  fury  tlian  ever.    The  following  was  the  oath  : 

"State  of  West  Virginia,  County  of  Tucker,  sa: 

I, ,  Supervisor  of  Election,  at ,in  said  County,  do  solemnly  swear  that 

I  will  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Constitution  of  this  State, 
that  I  liave  never  voluntarily  borne  arms  against  the  United  States,  that  I  have  vol- 
untailly  given  no  aid  or  comfort  to  persons  engaged  In  anned  hostility  thereto,  by 
countenancing,  counseling  or  encouraging  them  in  the  same,  that  I  have  not  sought, 
accepted  or  attempted  to  exercise  tlie  functions  of  any  office  whatever,  under  any  au- 
thority in  hostility  to  the  United  States,  that  I  hiwe  not  yielded  a  voluntary  support 
to  any  pretended  (iovernment  Authority,  Power  or  Constitution  within  the  United 
States,  hostile  or  inimical  thereto,  and  that  1  take  this  obligation  freely,  without  any 
mental  reservation  or  purjwse  of  evasion.  And  I  further  swear,  that,  in  the  election 
about  to  be  held,  I  will  faithfully  and  Impartially  discharge  my  duties  to  the  best  of 
my  skill  and  judgment.    So  holj)  me  Ciod." 


558  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

\ember  3,  18G8,  the  Democratic  Electors  received  130  votes 
and  the  Eepublicans  54." 

ELECTION  RETURNS  OCTOBER  28,  1869. 


O) 


en 


OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES.  ^  5^,  i^  I  S, 

aj  oo  o  O  oo 

a  ^d  ^  S^  a  '-^ 

g  O  o  Pi  g  _g 

SENATE.  W  ^  K  ^^  ^  H 

Spencer  Dayton, 16       69  23         1     109 

Blackwell    Jackson, 16         9  0        0       25 

LEGISLATURE. 

Knfus  Maxwell, 17       60  32       15     123 

Joseph  W.  Davis, 19       19  3         0      41 

SUFERINTENDENT  OF   SCHOOLS. 

Knfus  Maxwell, 27  66  0  0  93 

Joseph  Parsons, 3  7  28  0  38 

Job  Parsons, 1  0  0  0  1 

J.  G.  Flanagan, 0  0  0  14  14 

"Winiam  Hansford, 0  0  0  1  1 

SUPERYISOE  OF  ELECTION. 

T.  F.  Hebb, 20 

John   D.  N ester, 13 

W.  H.  Lipscomb, 1 

M.  C.  Atherton, 1 

Enfus    Maxwell, 32 

John  Jones, 27 

John  Anvil, 20 

Job    Parsons, 27 

William  Eains, 11 

Gabriel   Kains, 1 

"William  Rains, 15 

INSPECTOR  OF  ELECTIONS. 

John  J.  Cline 23      . 

T.  B.  Lipscomb, 5 

D.    K.  Dumire, 42 

J.  P.  Fitzwaters, 16 

John   I.  Propst, 32 

James    Parsons, 1 

Gabriel   Eains, 10 

James  B.  Carr, 5 

*  Hon.  A.  W.  Campbell,  Republican  elector  at  large,  received  four  votes  more  than 
any  other  one  on  that  ticket. 


APPENDIX.  559 

{Continued.) 


3 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES.  |  & 


— ^ 


t» 


OVERSEEK  OF  THE  POOR. 


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Jacob  Dumire, 17 

Poor  old  Jones,"^* 1 

D.  K.  Nester, 1 

Nathan  Lougbry, 4 

William  Jones, 5 

John  M.  Cross, 66 

D.  K.  Dumire, 1 

John  Bright, 30 

John  I.  Propst, 1 

John  Bright, 4 

SCHOOL  COMMISSIONER. 

J.  W.    Miller, 17 

John  J.  Cline, 1 

Peter  Sanders, 4 

David  Lipscomb, 1 

J.  C.  Golf, 1 

John  Jones, 1 

Adam  Tait, 29 

John   J.  Adams, 1 

John  Auvil, 31 

William  E.  Long, 2 

John   I.  Propst, 28 

Solomon  Bonner, 1 

William    E.    Fansler, 3 

TOWNSHIP  CLERK. 

M.  C.  Atherton, 17 

John  AV.  Dumire, 10 

John    E-.    Loughry, 8 

D.  L.   Dumire, 1 

John    J.    Adams, 72 

A.    B.    Parsons, 19 

Solomon     Bonner, 9 

S.    K.  Fansler, 9 

Solomon    Bonner, 15 

John  G.  Moore, 1 

TOWNSHIP  TREASURER. 

M.    C.    Atherton, 17 


•  Tills  Is  the  name  on  the  official  election  returns. 


560  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

[Continned.) 

^  oj  -d  a  § 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES.  |  ^  I  g  ^ 

a  >^  -^  e:  *  « 

S  QQ  »  5^  54  H 

Elton   Havatter, 15 

T.    B,     Lipscomb, 1 

James  Goff, 1 

Sansom   E.  Parsons, 75 

Thomas  Bright, 30       10 

CONSTABLE. 

Peter     Bohon, 1 

Johnson     Golf, 13 

J.    J.    Cline, 5 

W.    H.     Lipscomb, 2 

Bobert     Phillips, 36 

Adam   Tait, 1 

Moses      Phillips, 15 

James     P.    Fitzwaters, ....  1 

Salathiel     Phillips, 1 

Jacob      Wolford, 2 

JUSTICE. 

Jesse  Parsons, 46 

James   P.  Fitzwaters, 11" 

*  In  tills  election  there  were  two  complete  poll  books  and  election  returns  from  eacn 
voting  place.    The  test  oath  was  still  taken  by  the  election  officers. 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES  ^  S  t  ^ 

5J  2  ;^  S  -: 

^  §  ^  >1  2 

GOYERNOR.  g  I  I  p  2 

John  J.  Jacob, 80        26       38       19     163 

W.  E.  Stevenson, 21        36         6         9       72 

SECRETARY  OF  STATE. 

John  M.  Phelps, 80        23       38       20     161 

James  M.  Pipes. 21        39         6         9       75 

AUDITOR  OF  STATE. 

E.  A.  Bennett, 80        25       38       20     163 

Thomas  Boggess, 21        36         6         9       72 

STATE  TREASURER. 

John  S.  Burdett, 80        26       38       20     164 

James  A.  Macaulej, 21        36         6         9       72 


APPENDIX.  561 

(Continued^ 


c3  '^  --■ 


OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES  |°  |  |  % 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL.  ^ 

Joseph   Sprigg, 80 

A.  B.  Caldwell, 21 

JUDGE  SUPREME  COURT. 

C.  p.  T.  Moore, 80 

James  H.  Brown, 21 

CONGRESS. 

O.  D.  Downey, 80 

James  C.  McGrew, 21 

STATE  SENATE. 

William  C.  Carper, 79 

D.  D.  T.  Farnsworth, 15 

LEGISLATURE. 

P.    C.    Barlow, 3 

L.  Chenoweth, 61 

William  Phares, 14 

SHERIFF. 

T.  M.  Mason, 80 

Jacob  Dumire, 20 

CLERK  CIRCUIT  COURT. 

John  J.  Adams, 94        59       36       28     217 

RECORDER. 

John  J.  Adams, 84 

C.  L.  Bowman, 9 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

William  Ewin, 65 

Charles  Hooton, 14 

SURVEYOR  OF  LANDS. 

Nige  Parsons, 63 

ASSESSOR. 

H.  K.  Fansler, 78 

James  Parsons, 19 

James   Miller, 3 

Levi   Hile, 1 


a 
a 
a 

W 

3 

26 

38 

20 

164 

36 

6 

9, 

72 

26 

38 

20 

164 

36 

6 

9 

72 

26 

38 

20 

164 

36 

6 

9 

72 

20 

37 

20 

156 

00 

0 

3 

18 

10 

17 

9 

39 

25 

13 

20 

119 

00 

00 

00 

14 

37 

39 

29 

185 

23 

4 

00 

47 

41 

31 

28 

184 

20 

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29 

34 

15 

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116 

16 

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0 

30 

20 

26 

6 

117 

30 

26 

29 

163 

1 

16 

00 

36 

29 

1 

0 

33 

0 

0 

0 

I 

•  1/ 


^62  HIsfOEY  OF  TUCKEK  COUNTY. 

At  this  election  there  were  polled  votes  as  follows  :  Han- 
nahsville,  40 ;  St.  George,  82 ;  Black  Fork,  38 ;  Dry  Fork. 
16 ;  total,  176. 

ELECTION  OF  OCTOBER  26,  1871. 

An  election  was  held  in  Tucker  County,  October  26, 1871 » 
and.the  result  stood  thus  : 


OFFICES   AND    CANDIDATES.                &  |  P  iS 

O  c5  "^  O 

^  '-i  j^  ta  —i 

^  I  I  ?1  2 

STATE  SENATE.                                So  a  S  «  H 

George    H.    Morrison, 55  26  18  00  99 

Hoy   McLean, 53  14  33  27  127 

LEGISLATURE. 

John  A.  Hutton, 90  28  49  00  167 

John   Taylor, 26  8  10  35  79 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS. 

Philetus    Lipscomb, 61  36  00  00  97 

James  Parsons, 16  00  39  00  55 

Joseph  Parsons, 9  2  . .  00  11 

The  followino-  officers  were  elected  in  the  districts : 


'» 


Justice,  St.  George,  AVilliain  E.  Talbott,  79.  Hannahs- 
ville,  James  "W.  Miller,  33.  Black  Fork,  Jacob  H.  Long,  46. 
Constable,  St.  George,  John  W.  Carrico,  72.  Hannahsville, 
John  T.  White,  18.     Black  Fork,  Daniel  Flanagan,  37. 

Whether  to  subscribe  $25,000  to  the  stock  of  the  Wash- 
ington and  Ohio  Railroad  was  yoted  upon  as  follows : 

St.  George.    Ilunnahsvllle.    Black  Fork.    Dry  Fork.    Total. 

For  Subscription,       19  13  4  30  6(\ 

Against       "  82  29  45  13         169 

CONGRESSIONAL    ELECTION,    OCTOBER    ^4,    1872. 

B.  F.  Martin.    J.  Nelson  Wisner.     1).  I),  T.  Farnswortl^. 

St.  George, 33  1  4 

Hannahsville, 9  1  3 

Black  Fork, 28  0  0 

Dry    Fork, 12  0  1 

Total, 82  2  8 

Majority 74 


APPENDIX.  563 

In  the   Presidential   election   of  November   5,  1872,  the 
result  stood  thus  in  Tucker  County : 

St.  George.   Hannahsville.   Black  Fork.    Dry  Fork,    T^tal.  •  Majority. 

Democrat,.      47  23-  40  H       12^       32 

Eepublican,      35  29  12  13        89 

ELECTION  OF  OCTOBER  13, 1874.  .       < 

On   October   13,  1874,  an   election  was   held   in   Tucker 
County,  with  results  as  follows : 

CONGRES?.  St.  George.    Hannahsville.   Black  Fork.   Dry  Fork.    TotaL 

Chas.  J.  Faulkner,      42'^^        19  40        '  lO'        111 

A.  E.  Boteler, ....        7  5  G  0  18 

SENATE.  •  ■ 

David  Goff, 42  19  "40       '     5'        106 

D.D.T.Farnsworth,        0  00  (J  1  '  "7 

LEGISLATURE.  •  *  ^ 

Jacob    H.Long,..  37  21  43  4'  105 

J.  J.  Adams, 7  0  D  '         0  /     f 

E.  Harper, 0  0  0  1   ■  \     1 

A.  B.  Parsons,....  0  0  0  1  "    I 

No.  of  votes  cast, .  49  24  46  '10  'l29 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  11,  187G. 

The  general  election  on  the  second  Tuesdfiij  in  October^, 
1876,  summed  up  thus  in  Tucker  County:  ■      '•     , 


Ti 


564  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKEE  COUNTY. 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

/^rkT-PT?xTrvT>  Votes  received 

GOVERNOR.  In  the  county.      Majority 

Henry  M.  Matthews,  Democrat, 341              208 

Nathan    Goff,   Jr.,   Eepublican, 133 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

Eobert    White,    Democrat, 344              215 

John  A.   Hutchinson,  Republican, 129 

AUDITOR. 

Joseph    Miller,    Democrat, 343              213 

C.    M.   Shinn,   Republican, 130 

TREASURER. 

Thomas    J.   West,    Democrat, 344              214 

Moses    Frankenberger,   Republican, ....  130 

SUPT.  OF  SCHOOLS. 

W.   K.   Pendleton,    Democrat, 344              2U 

F.   H.   Crago,   Republican, 130 

JUDGES  SUPREME  COURT,  FULL  TERM. 

Okey   Johnson,   Democrat, 343              213 

A.   F.   Haymond,        *'          343              213 

W.   H.   H.    Flick,    Republican, 130 

R.   L.   Berkshire,               "           130 

JUDGE  SU.  COURT,  VACANCY. 

Thomas    C.   Green,    Democrat, 333              193 

R.    S.    Brown,  Republican, 140 

SENATE. 

Charles   Newlon,   Democrat, 347               291 

George   A.   Jackson,   Republican, 5Q 

LEGISLATURE. 

E.   Hutton,  Democrat, 297              220 

L.  Cheowith,        "          77 

W.  E.  Taylor,                    28 

Total  vote   in   the   county, 474 


APPENDIX. 


565 


COUNTY  ELECTION,    OCTOBER    11,  1876. 

i  7 

OFFICES    AND                    .  S  §-  a< 

CANDIDATES.                    &  I  ^.-  ^ 

^  ^  is  ^  I 

SHERIFF.                         ^     .,     g  Kg  g  g 

A.   H.  Bonnifield, 33  47  14  19  4 

Ward    Parsons, 23  2  28  32  56 

W.   E.   Talbott, 45  3  0  16  4 

PRES.  COUNTY  COURT. 

Kufus    Maxwell, 37  42  9  11  2 

S.   E.    Parsons, 38  8  26        3  42 

George    I.   Tucker,....     6  0  5        2  1 

Jolin  Jones, 7  0  6  72  6 

James   W.  Miller, 12  0  39        3  0 

A.  B.  Parsons, 1  0  0        0  0 

John  Snyder, 0  0  0        0  16 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

William  Ewin, 17  1  16  26  3 

W.  B.  Maxwell, 38  29  29  25  12 

A.    B.  Parsons, 43  19  40  44  49 

ASSESSOR. 

S.    E.    Pansier, 26  10  26  19  43 

D.B.Hart,.. 12  0  1  18  13 

S.   N.    Swisher, 7  36  5        9  0 

P.     Lipscomb, 48  6  46  25  5 

D.  S.  Minear, 7  0  5        6  5 

N.    Nester, 0  0  12  17  0 

COUNTY  SURVEYOR. 

J.  D.  Nester, 64  41  64  69  43 

Joseph   Parsons, 14  0  0        0  10 

P.    Lipscomb, 6  0  13        0  0 

Solomon   Bonner, 1  0  1        2  0 

The  election  for  St.  George  District  stood  thus : 


18 

« 

1 

135 

45 

186 

2 

70 

4 

105 

10 

127 

12 

26 

1 

92 

1 

55 

0 

1 

39 

55 

5 

68 

2 

135 

59 

254 

57 

181 

0 

44 

1 

58 

9 

139 

0 

23 

0 

29 

45 

326 

0 

24 

0 

19 

1 

5 

566  HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

JUSTICE.  St.  George.    Horse  Shoe  Run.    Majority. 

M.    Bohon, 4  0 

M.  V.   Miller, 41  21               20 

Jacob    Dumire, 11  4 

J.    M.   Jenkins, 6  0 

John      Fansler, 24  18        ' 

William    Anvil, 5  2 

Benson  Hebb, 4  0 

CONSTABLE. 

S.  T.  Purkey, 44  0               28 

W.  C.  Anvil, 3  0 

Whannel, 16  0 

J.  S.  Swisher, 4  0 

D.  K.  Dnmire, 2  0 

L.  S.  Anvil, 3  0 

W.  B.  Lipscomb, 2  0 

D.  H.  Spesert, 0  23               14 

William  Closs, 0  9 

M.  Bohon, 0  5 


<< 


APPENDIX.  567 

ELECTION  IN    CLOVER   DISTRICT. 
OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 

JUSTICE.  Votes  received.    Majority. 

E.  Harper 21 

E.  D.  Murphy 18 

Moses  Phillips 22            1 

J.  P.  Fitzwater 9 

J.   H.  Nester 11 

W.  S.  Godwin 12 

CONSTABLE. 

Marion  Phillips 49           30 

B.  F.  Myers 19 

M.  Nester 1 

J.  Bright 2 

J.  Shoemaker 1 

ELECTION  IN  LICKING  DISTRICT. 
JUSTICE. 

J.  D.  Nester 22 

W.  H.  Lipscomb 52          30 

J.  C.  H.  Goff 8 

CONSTABLE. 

John  BurDs 26           13 

N.  H.  W.  Loughry 13 

Joshua  Bobinson 1 

W.  F.  Statan 3 

S.  James 3 

I.  S.  James 10     ' 

A.  D.  Goff 1 

ELECTION  IN  BLACK  FORK  DISTRICT. 
JUSTICE. 

James  B.  Parsons 21 

John  I.  Propst 16 

S.  M.  Callihan 22             1 

W.  W.  Hansford 5 

CONSTABLE. 

Lloyd  Parsons 35           23 

A.   Furguson 12 

The  returns  show  that  James  B.  Lambert  w-as  elected 

constable  in  Dry  Fork,  and  William  Bains,  justice. 


568 


HISTOEY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 


GENERAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  12,  1880. 


OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES. 
GOVERNOR. 

Jacob  B.  Jackson,  . 
George  C.  Sturgiss,  . 
N.  B.  French, 

AUDITOR. 

Joseph  S.  Miller, 
J.  S.  Cunningham,    . 

TREASURER. 

Thomas  O'Brien, 
Richard  Burke, 

ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

C.  C.  Watts,       .       .       . 
G.  B.  Caldwell,   .       .       . 

JUDGE   COURT   OF   APPEALS. 

Thomas  C.  Green,     . 
Edwin  Maxwell, . 

STATE   SUPT.    OF   SCHOOLS. 

B.  L.  Butcher,  . 
A.  L.  Purinton,  . 

JUDGE — OLD    CIRCUIT. 

John  Brannon,  . 

JUDGE — NEW   CIRCUIT. 

William  T.  Ice,  .  . 
James  A.  Brown, 

SENATE. 

T.  J.  Farnsworth, 

LEGISLATURE. 

C.  J.  P.  Cresap, 
J.  W.  Price,  .  . 
G.  H.  Daniel, 

>  W.  W.  Price,   .   . 
M.  Currence, 
M.  C.  Lawson,  . 


• 

1 

<v 
O 

75 

d 

48 

OI 

o 

117 

a 
3 

o 

53 

• 

o 

o 

eS 

f— • 

66 

• 

o 
Em 

b 
41 

390 

56 

17 

15 

45 

13 

58 

204 

3 

2 

1 

4 

6 

9 

25 

77 

48 

117 

53 

m 

41 

54 

17 

15 

45 

13 

58 

77 

48 

117 

53 

66 

41 

54 

17 

15 

45 

13 

58 

77 

48 

117 

53 

66 

41 

54 

17 

15 

45 

13 

58 

77 

46 

117 

52 

66 

41 

54 

18 

15 

45 

13 

58 

77 

48 

117 

53 

66 

41 

54 

17 

15 

45 

13 

58 

126   59  121   83   70   58 


77 
56 


\ 


49  116 
17   15 


57 
41 


65 
14 


35 
63 


77   51  117   67   70   39 


61 

2 

39 

18 

23 

17 

37 

6 

7 

13 

14 

19 

2 

2 

3 

6 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

19 

37 

15 

35 

16 

40 

1 

6 

31 

6 

14 

3 

APPENDIX. 

' 

569 

COUNTY    ELECTION,    OCTOBEB 

• 
^■4 

I  12,   1880.— {ContinueO). 

OFFICES  AND  CANDIDATES 
SHERIFF. 

A.  C.  Minear, 

hi 

O 
*i 

82 

o 

CO 

1 

46 

be 

a 

o 

68 

g 

46 

1 

27 

i 

89 

6 

I      I 
358  121 

W.  E.  Talbott,     .       . 

51 

20 

20 

85 

48 

13 

237 

Jacob  Wolford,    . 

1 

0 

6 

4 

9 

2 

22 

PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY. 

P.  Lipscomb, 

69 

49 

58 

41 

34 

41 

292 

4 

A.  B.  Parsons,     . 

62 

15 

38 

84 

46 

43 

288 

ASSESSOR. 

Josliua  Messenger,    . 

9 

6 

12 

4 

20 

0 

51 

J.  G.  Flanagan,   . 

58 

34 

24 

21 

13 

88 

238 

139 

J.  T.  Mason, 

3 

2 

6 

8 

0 

0 

19 

Nathaniel  Nester, 

17 

9 

23 

48 

2 

0 

99 

D.    S.  Minear,     . 

29 

13 

14 

25 

6 

1 

88 

H.  L.  Nester, 

11 

1 

10 

30 

17 

7 

76 

COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS. 

E.  Harper,     . 

81 

28 

51 

35 

50 

245^ 

T.  F.  Hebb,  .       .       . 

65 

16 

38 

15 

7 

141 

Leonard  Phillips, 

18 

32 

21 

77 

17 

165 

Williain    Kains,   . 

113 

52 

36 

19 

54 

274^ 

Jonathan  Murphy,     . 

32 

7 

31 

51 

14 

135 

Henry  Goff,  . 

13 

0 

23 

32 

1 

69 

S.  M.  Callihan,    ,       . 

58 

57 

52 

71 

65 

303^ 

John   Felton, 

7 

0 

24 

9 

2 

42 

PRES.  COUNTY  COURT. 

Jacob  H.  Long,  . 

105 

60 

74 

67 

70 

72 

448 

320 

John  Jones,  . 

25 

6 

21 

51 

11 

14 

128 

COUNTY  SURVEYOR. 

E.  W.  Cross,       .       . 

98 

7 

55 

77 

13 

250 

106 

John  D.  Nester,  . 

15 

50 

22 

43 

14 

144 

S.  C.  Baker,  . 

17 

8 

2 

8 

50 

85 

•  Elected. 


570  HISTOKY  OF  TUCKER  COUNTY. 

ELECTION    IN    ST.    GEORGE    DISTRICT,    OCTOBER    11,    1880. 

Justice. — St.  George  :  M.  V.  Miller,  80 ;  D.  K.  Dumire,  45. 
Hannahsville :  M.  V.  Miller,  37  ;  D.  K.  Dumire,  20.  Total 
vote :  Miller,  117 ;   Dumire,  65 ;  Miller's  majority,  52. 

Constahle. — St.  George :  John  Deets,  77 ;  William  C. 
Auvil,  41.  Hannahsville,  John  Deets,  50 ;  William  C. 
Auvil,  9.  Total  vote,  Deets,  127;  Auvil,  50;  Deet's  major- 
ity,  77. 

ELECTION  HELD  OCTOBER,  1880,  AT  BLACK  FORK. 

Justice. — J.  E.  Parsons,  29 ;  E.  Haddix,  18  ;  A.  S.  Phillips, 
3 ;  Adam  Pansier,  28  ;  S.  Phillips,  7  ;  L.  Walker,  1.  Par- 
sons's  majority,  1. 

Constahle. — J.  Johnson,  12  ;  Thomas  Long,  1 ;  Eugenus 
Johnson,  35 ;  Furguson,  12.     E.  Johnson's  majority,  23. 

LICKING  DISTRICT,  OCTOBER,  1880. 

Justice. — John  R.  Loughry,  37;  J.  C.  A.  Goff,  34;  J. 
W.  Miller,  26.     Loughry's  majority,  3 

Constahle.— ;5 .  J.  Cline,  9 ;  D.  E.  Shafer,  36 ;  W.  F.  She- 
hon,  9;  T.  S.  Jones,  11;  N.  A.  W.  Loughry,  13;  J.  W.  Du- 
mire, 15 ;  Henry  Hovatter,  1.     Shafer's  majority,  21. 

CLOVER  DISTRICT,  OCTOBER,  1880. 

Justice. — Moses  Phillips,  61;  W.  S.  Godwin,  30;  G.  T. 
Miller,  34.     Phillips's  majority,  27. 

Constahle.— 'hi.  I.  Phillips,  62 ;  B.  F.  Myers,  39 ;  Eobert 
Murphy,  17.     Phillips's  majority,  23. 

DRY  FORK  DISTRICT,  OCTOBER,  1880. 

Justice. — J.  W.  Bonner,  53  ;  J.  H.  Lambert,  40.  Bon- 
ner's majority,  13. 

Constahle. — E.  P.  Johnson,  29 ;  A.  Flanagan,  7 ;  Daniel 
Carr,  27 ;  F.  H.  Collins,  7 ;  S.  I.  Bonner,  22.  Johnson's 
majority,  2. 


APPENDIX. 


571 


GENERAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  10,  1882. 

a 


OFFICES   AND  CANDIDATES.     §> 

o 


a> 
o 

«-] 

02 
<D 

to 

Si 
O 


79 
53 


O 


bo 

o 

s 


o 
o 


35    84    45    60 
7     11    16    22 


s  ^ 

figs 

21  324  137 

78  187 


81  35  83  42  62 
51  7  10  18  19 

82  36  84  40  62 
50  6  10  20  20 


CONGRESS. 

W.  L.  Wilson,     . 
J.  W.  Mason, 

JUDGE   SUP.    COURT    APPEALS. 

Adam  C.  Snyder, 
F.  A.  Gutherie,    . 

SENATE. 

A.  W,  Woodford, 
M.  W.  Cobun, 

LEGISLATURE. 

A.  B.  Parsons,     . 
S.  M.  Callihan,     . 
Harmon  Snyder, 
R.  W.  Estham,     . 
J.  M.  Jenkins, 

COUNTY   COMMISSIONER. 

John  Jones, 
T.  F.  Hebb, 
W.  W.  Hansford, 
Robert  Phillips,  . 

COUNTY   SURVEYOR. 

Rufus  Maxwell,  . 
John  D.  Nester,  . 

In  Dry  Fork,  R.  P.  Johnson  was  elected  constable.  In 
Licking,  Johnson  Goff  was  elected  constable,  and  B.  I.  Fur- 
gnson  was  elected  in  Black  Fork. 


53  8 

31  23 

44  5 

2  0 

2  5 


75  29    38 

6  00    25 

8  28    13 

4  2      4 

0  10 


51 

48 

24    28 

7       0 


7     73      2    27 
4     12    53      2 


5 


4    52 
1      2 


88     37     68    41    25 
23      2      2      9    42 


45 
45 

37 
50 

13  221 

4    89 

2  100 
84  96 
00       8 

16  176     18 
39  158 
29  139 
6     21 

69  328  247 

3  81 


INDEX. 


This  index  extends  only  to  page  348  of  tliis  book.  The 
matter  following  that  is  either  arranged  alphabetically  or  is 
tabular,  and  is,  of  itself,  an  index. 

The  figures  in  the  following  refer  to  the  pages  of  the 
book: 


Adams,  Daniel  C,  115. 
Alum  Hill,  155. 
Auvtl's  Aim   Dam,  159. 
Auvirs  Shingle  Allll,  164. 
Auvll,  L.  S.,  202. 

Bonnlfleld,  A  be,  2''7. 
Bonnineld,  A.  T.,  212-292. 
Bonnlfleld,  Samuel,  94. 
Bonnlfleld,  Dr.  Arnold,  9!t 
Bonnlfleld,  Henry,  2JU. 
Blowing  i;ave,  13 r. 
Black  Fork,  '53-1.55. 
Bland,  Dr.  William,  339. 

C. 

Contents,  Table  of,  9-13. 
Civil  War,  816. 
Confederate  Flag  taken,  317. 
Corrlck's  Ford,  33:i. 
Clothing,  ;2. 
Churches,  V6. 
"  Canada,"  107. 
Cheat  River,  150-154. 
Closs  Mountain,  136, 
Closses'  Shingle  Mill,  164. 
Coal,  169. 

Cay  ton,  W.  M.,  196. 
Cameron,  Daniel,  55-60. 

D. 

Dedication,  3. 
Dunmore  War,  38. 
Davis,  172. 
Dfirio^ra',  191. 
Dumire,  Hlnehart,  102. 
Dumire's  Shingle  Mill,  164. 
Dry  Fork,  loi 


K 
Ewln,  Hon.  W^illiam,  19d. 

F. 

Falling  Spring,  13'x 
Faris,  Joseph  A.,  31.5. 
Fort  In  the  Horse  Shoe,  35. 

G. 

Garnett,  Gen.  319-327. 
Green  Mountain,  136. 
Goff,  James,  90. 
Go£fe,  John,  40-62. 
Guns,  76. 


H. 

Harper,  Capt.  Ezeklel,  220  to  5M8,  287,  289, 

318,328,  329,  339. 
Harper,  Adam,  119. 
Harper,  Thaddeus,  332, 248,  292. 
Harper,  Jerome.  231, 236,  248,  282. 
Harper,  Jacob,  232. 

Harper,  William,  318,  323, 328,  333,  34©. 
Horse  Shoe,  20-158. 
Horse  Shoe  Hun,  i57. 
Horse  Shoe  Ford,  158. 
Hansford.  Lloyd,  201. 
Houses,  71. 
Holbert,  Lyda,  80. 
Hall,  Capt.  William,  340. 
Hog  Back,  13G. 


Imboden,  John,  340. 
"I.^land,"  ir:7. 
Intoxicating  Liquors,  7jx 
Indians,  27-.59. 
Introduction,  5-8. 
Illustrations,  List  of,  15. 


^^ 


574 


INDEX. 


J. 


r* 


Jordan's  Cave,  137. 
Job's  Ford,  155. 
Johnson,  Garret,  339. 


K. 


Kellogg,  341. 
Kenton,  Simon,  23-30. 


Lead  Mines,  20. 
Lipscomb,  Pblletus,  204. 
Lipscomb,  Ambrose,  119. 
Licking  Falls,  161. 
Limestone  Mountain,  131. 
Lipscomb's  Ridge,  13(i. 
Location  Kidge,  iSK. 
Losb,  Stephen,  li  3. 
Losh,  William,  Sr.,  104. 
Losh,   John,   105. 

M. 

Minears,  The,  273. 
Minear,  A.  P.,  277,  300,  303,  307-312. 
Minear,  A.  C,  29o,  305,  309. 
Minear,  John  W.,  292,  300,  312. 
Minear,  John,  32,  33,  60-67. 
Minear,  David,  3 Ml 7. 
Minear,  David  S.,  314. 
Minear,  Solomon,  299. 
Minear,  Manassa,  80, 117. 
Minear,  Jonathan,  52. 
McChesney,  I  lent.  Kobert,  319. 
Morris,  General,  331. 
Miller  Hill,  136-160. 
Murder  Hole,  160. 
Moundbuilders,  2^. 
Mill  at  St.  George,  41. 
Maxwell,  Rufus,  199. 
Maxwell,  W.  B.,  202. 


Neville's  Ford,  1.56. 


Old  Andra,  135. 


N. 


O. 


Parsons,  A.  B.,200. 

Parsons.  Capt.  James,  18,  32,  93. 

Parsons,  Thomas,  32. 

Parsons,  Job,  116. 

Parsons,  S.  E.,  324,  338. 

"Pond,"  157. 

Pringles  and  Simpson,  The,  22. 

Phillips,  Moses,  luu. 

Piler  Mountain,  i36. 


R. 

Rich  Mountain,  327. 
"Rocks,"  15S. 
Rattlesnake  Ford,  160. 

S. 

Schools,  79. 

Shafer's  Mountain,  130. 

Sims'  Knob,  136. 

Sugar-making,  145. 

Saw-Mills,  149. 

Springs  and  Wells,  151. 

Shafer  s  Fork,  153. 

Sims'  Bottom,  156. 

Slip  Hill,  156. 

St.  George  Eddy,  158. 

Seven  Islands,  161. 

Sims,  Bernard,  49. 

Small-Pox,  48. 

St.  George,  Battle  of,  194. 

Statistics,  li^O. 

Sugar  Lands,  168. 

Shook,  ld4. 

Shingle  .Mills,  163. 

St.  George,  39,  50,  124,  337. 

T. 

Teachers,  list  of,  185. 
Turtle  Rocks,  161. 
Tomahawks,  76. 
Toy,  Finley,  311. 
Talbott,  William,  318,  335. 
Tucker  County,  17, 122, 124. 

I  W, 

W.  Va.  C.  &  F.  Rwy,  167. 
Washburn,  53. 
Willow  Point,  157. 
'  Wild  Cat  Point,  157. 


The  End. 


-unV 


i,: 


THE  NEW  YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

REFERENCE  DEPARTMENT 

This  book  is  under  no  circumstances  to  be 
taken  from  the  Building 

' 

• 

form  410