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ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY VIRGINIA
MORTON
BERKELEY LIBRARY UNI . ERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
١
A HISTORY of ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY
VIRGINIA
By OREN F. MORTON, B. LIT.
Author of
"Under the Cottonwoods," "Winning or Losing?" "Land of the Laurel," "The Story of Daniel Boone," "A Practi- cal History of Music," "History of Pendleton County W. Va.," "History of Preston County, W. Va.," "History of Monroe County, W. Va." "His- tory, of Highland County, Va.," "An- nals of Bath County, Virginia."
Staunton, Virginia THE MCCLURE CO., INC.
1920
LOAN STACK Copyright, 1920 By THE MECIURI Co., INC. All Rights Reserved
F == 2
CONTENTS
PART ONE: GENERAL HISTORY
Chapter
Introduction V
I. The Local Geography 1
II. Scenic Features 6
III. The Ulsterman and the Pathfinder 12
IV. The Borden Land Grant 21
V. Early Pioneer Days 33
VI. Civil Government : 1737-1852
45
VII. Annals of 1737-1777
54
VIII. Strife with the Red Men 61
IX. Rockbridge County Established 76
X. The Calfpasture 83
XI. The War for Independence 92
XII. Middle Period 104
XIII. A Year of Suspense 111
XIV. The War of 1861 123
XV. Recent Period 136
141
XVI. The Negro Element
XVII. The Town of Lexington 147
XVIII. Buena Vista and Glasgow 153
XIX. Villages, Hamlets, and Summer Resorts 156
XX. Highways, Waterways, and Railways 161
XXI. Industrial Interests 168
XXII. The Churches of Rockbridge 172
XXIII. Temperance Societies and Other Fraternities 180
XXIV. Old Field Schools and Free Schools 183
XXV. Washington and Lcc University 188
XXVI. The Virginia Military Institute 199
586
XXVII. The Ann Smith and Other AAcademies 207
XXVIII. The Franklin Society 214
XXIX. Journalism and Literature 217
XXX. Old Militia Days 221
XXXI. A Rockbridge Hall of Fame 224
XXXII. Stonewall Jackson at Lexington 233
XXXIII. Robert E. Lee as a College President 238
XXXIV. Family Sketches and Biographic Paragraphs 244
XXXV. The MacCorkle Family 278
XXXVI. Rockbridge in the World War 293
XXXVII. Supplementary Items 2(x)
XXXVIII. Rockbridge Inventions 307
PART TWO: GLNLALOGIC MATERIAL
Introduction 337
Section 1. Given Names and Surnames 339
11. Conveyances in Borden Tract, 1741-1780 343
111. Early Patents Outside the Borden Tract 351
IV. Secondary Land Conveyances Prior to 1778 355
V. Tithables of 1778 365
VI. Taxpayers of 1782 370
V'Il. Taxpayers of 1841 378
VIII. Present Surnames 388
IX. Militia Officers Prior to 1816 300
X. Soldiers of the Revolution 402
X1. Rockbridge Artillery 405
XH1. Soldiers of the World War 44-4
450
X111. Various Lists
XIV. Miscellaneous Data 469
Appendices 547
Errata 568
Supplementary Items 560
FOREWORD
N THE summer of 1917 the writer visited Lexington to see if there was a practical desire for a history of Rockbridge. The encourage. ment was such as to lead him to undertake writing one, and the pres- ent volume is the result.
All the magisterial districts were visited. The public records of the county were attentively examined, as were also the early records of the parent counties, Orange, Augusta, and Botetourt. The archives in the capitol and the state library at Richmond were freely consulted, as were likewise various books in public and private collections. The files of the local newspapers yielded much valuable ma- terial. The documentary history of Rockbridge is practically continuous, and it proved necessary to make the utmost possible use of it.
County history is either general or genealogic. It is general, when it deals with the people of a county as a community. It is genealogic, when it deals with the same people as made up of families and attempts to trace lines of descent from the pioneer ancestors.
Either of these two aspects of local history is the complement of the other. John Dee may be pleased to find that his great grandfather, Adam Dee, came into the county a hundred and fifty years before the date of his own birth, bought the John Smith farm, and reared ten children, nearly all of whom married and from whom have come grandchildren and great grandchildren. But John Dee should not assume that persons who are neither cousins nor near-cousins will grow enthusiastic in viewing the intricate branches of the family tree. To them it is little else than a dry network of names and dates, unless one or more members of the connection have done something that is a good deal out of the ordinary. But if we seek to know the times in which Adam Dee and his sons lived; to learn how they dressed, labored, and housed themselves, and what was the environment, physical, civil, and social, in which they were placed: we then have begun to put flesh and blood into the skeleton of names and dates, and have created a degree of living interest that is not confined to John Dee and his kins- folk. An interpretation to them becomes an interpretation to others.
This book is therefore divided into two sections. The one dealing with the general history of Rockbridge begins with a survey of the geographic and scenic features of the county, this being necessary to an adequate understanding of the development of the past two centuries. It then explains whence the pioneer families came and why they came, and in what manner they established them- selves in the wilderness. It attempts to trace the civic, social, religious, educa- tional, and industrial unfolding that has since taken place. It tells of the growth
of centers of population, and of the steady outflow of people that has been truc of this region from the start. So far as could conveniently be done, documents have been allowed to speak for themselves. In a word, this first portion of the volume aims to present the Story of Rockbridge since the beginning of white settlement in 1737. What took place between that date and the war of 1861 is rather un- familiar to the people who are doing the work of the county today. The sources of information for that long period are fragmentary and are tedious to consult. The compiler has therefore given special attention to the years that lic mainly or wholly beyond the practical recollection of any person now living.
Some explanation of the second or genealogie section of this book may be found in the introduction to Part Two.
As a subject of local history, the annals of Rockbridge are of much more than ordinary interest and value. The presentation of them in book form has been seriously thought of, at one time or another, by several of the native citi- zens. The matter was urged upon Captain J. D. Morrison in 1894. In the same year it was suggested that a club be formed to gather facts concerning the prominent names in Rockbridge history. But while, with respect to county his- tories in general, certain things are obviously in favor of the native historian. observation shows that he seldom gets down to the task. This is largely because he sees no end to the material which is constantly coming to light. He may give one, two, or five years to his task, and all the while he turning up fresh soil. But unless the undertaking is in every respect a labor of love, there is a limit to the time and expense which may be given. The historian who is a stranger is not beset with the antagonisms which are nearly sure to affect the labors of the native. The very fact that he is a stranger makes it the more easy to be judicial and to deal with his subject from a broad angle. Nevertheless, he starts in under a handicap of unfamiliarity with his chosen field. He is very much in need of a live cooperation on the part of the inhabitants. This cooperation needs to be active and not passive.
During a number of weeks, reading notices relating to the enterprise ap- peared in the newspapers of Lexington. The compiler hoped thus to come in touch with many persons who could supplement the data he was gleaning from the public documentary sources. The responses were few and not all the aid promised was forthcoming. Personal calls were made by him whenever they were asked. If the chapters on biography and family history, as well as certain tabulations, are here and there deficient, this paragraph will afford some ex- planation However, our country was at war while this work was being done. and the minds of the people were much engrossed by this circumstance.
If this book were to be offered at a "reasonable price." it had to be written within a certain limit of time and printed within a certain limit of cost. It was therefore necessary to be concise in statement. There was a sharp limit to the space which could be devoted to any given topic. The exceptions are where such space ha been paid for by specially interested individuals.
Several residents of Rockbridge have aided very materially by contributing oral or written information, donating or loaning books or other published ma- terial, or extending courtesies in hospitality or travel. Particular acknowledge- ment is thus due to William A. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Walter W. Dunlap, Frank T. Glasgow, Mr. and Mrs. William G. Houston, Mr. Henkle, of Buena Vista, Mrs. G. A. Jones, Harry O. Locher, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Lockridge, Joseph R. Long, James H. MeCown, Emmett W. McCorkle, Daniel W. McNeil, Mrs. Graham Montgomery, General E. W. Nichols, J. A. Parker, Earle K. Paxton, J. Sidney Saville, Dr. Henry Louis Smith, Harrington Waddell, and Hugh J. White. The McCormick portion of the chapter on Rockbridge is from the pen of Doctor J. H. Latane of Johns Hopkins University. The material for the sketch of the MeCorckle family has been contributed by William A. Mac- Corkle, ex-governor of West Virginia, and several other members of the MeCorkle connection. Other assistance from without the country has been given by J. J. Echols, O. C. Ruley, and Kate M. Jordan.
There is further acknowledgement to Boutwell Dunlap, of San Francisco, who has heretofore furnished the compiler with some data for his histories of Bath and Monroe. He has opened to him all his manuscript material relating to Rockbridge. Mr. Dunlap's manuscript collections on the history and genealogy of the Valley of Virginia and Western Virginia are said to be the largest in America. His interest in this history of Rockbridge is in remembrance of his father, William Dunlap, a native of Rockbridge, a respected California pioneer of 1849, one of the largest landholders of the Sacramento valley, and a member of one of the most prominent family connections of the Valley of Virginia and the West. Mr. Boutwell Dunlap's aid has been especially helpful in affording material for chapters X, XXXI, and XXXIV, and Section XIV.
In making most grateful recognition to all the above named persons, the author does not mean to withhold his thanks from anyone else who has, even if in a small way, shown an active interest in the preparation of this history. This book is the first history of Rockbridge that has been written. It represents eighteen months of hard work. No statement has gone into these pages without a careful scrutiny. Yet it should be borne in mind that there is no claim for im- munity from error in statements of fact or in the spelling of proper names. The man or woman who can write a local history and escape censure is not to be found on this side of the millenium, even by the "efficiency engineer." Another crafts- man than the one who does write the book could probably do better in some one re- spect, or in several. The pertinent question is whether in the long run he could have done as well. The person who is keen in looking for flaws in a county his- tory will do well to remember that the reviewers often find glaring misstatements in works intended to be authoritative; and that Joseph E. Worcester, the lexi- cographer, said that no amount of care will render even an unabridged dictionary exempt from error.
When an omission or inaccuracy is noticed, one reader will at once denounce the entire book and excoriate the author. Another reader will write a correction on the margin of the page. Copies of the book thus annotated are more valuable than others, especially to the local historian of the future. And unlike the generality of books, the county history does not depreciate in financial value. It commands a higher price as it grows scarce. The owner of such a book has made a safe investment, and if he takes jealous care of his purchase posterity will thank him for doing so.
Staunton, Virginia. September 28, 1918.
OREN F. MORTON.
HISTORY OF ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VA.
I
THE LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
POSITION AND SIZE-BOUNDARIES-MOUNTAINS-LOWLANDS-STREAMS-GEOLOGY-SOILS-CLI- MATE-PLANTS AND ANIMALS-DIVISIONS-PLACE NAMES- NATURAL ADVANTAGES
There is but one Rockbridge County in the United States. The unique name is due to a great natural curosity within its limits.
The position of the county is nearly midway in the longer direction of the Valley of Virginia. The latitude-mostly to the south of the thirty-eighth par- allel-is that of the center of Kentucky, the south of Missouri, and the center of California. In Europe it is that of the south of Spain and the island of Sicily. In Asia it is that of central Asia Minor and central Japan.
In form, Rockbridge is an irregular rectangle, the longer direction being nearly northeast and southwest. The length of the county is nearly thirty-two miles, and the extreme breadth is nearly twenty-six miles. The area is officially stated as 593 square miles, which is considerably more than is true of the average county in Virginia.
The curving eastern boundary follows for forty miles the crest of the Blue Ridge, and is therefore a natural geographic line. The western line begins on Camp Mountain, and passes to North Mountain, then to Mill Mountain, and finally to Sideling Hill. The short lines by which the boundary crosses from one to another of these elevations are determined by valley-divides, so that the western boundary may likewise be regarded as natural. But the northern and southern boundaries of the county are straight lines, entirely artificial, and they set it off as a cross-section of the Valley of Virginia.
The Blue Ridge is not a single well-defined mountain range. Looking from the high ground along the Valley Railroad, there is seen in the cast a succession of bold elevations. The nearest are heavy foothill ridges. Beyond are the higher fragments of interior ridges, marked off from one another by depressions more or less deep. These intermediate heights afford only occasional glimpses of the central range. Consequently, the general appearance of the mountain wall is that of a labyrinth of long and short elevations occupying a considerable breadth of country. But on the western side of Rockbridge, the ranges are single and well-defined, and present sky-lines that are fairly regular. For several miles east of the axis of North Mountain, much of the surface is occupied by
2
A HISTORY OF ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA
short parallel ridges of much the same character as North Mountain itself. Some of these are the House mountains, Camp Mountain, Green Mountain, Little North Mountain, the Jump, and the Loop. The most eastern is the uplift known as the Short Hills. These break down rather abruptly near the course of Buffalo Creek, but beyond they reappear under the name of the Brushy Hills.
The space between the two mountain systems may be termed the Central Lowland. It runs the entire length of the county. On the east it is bordered by the bottoms along South and North rivers, and by Salling's Mountain, which is an outlier of the Blue Ridge, though lying to the west of the James. In the north the breadth of this lowland is more than ten miles. At the south it is scarcely half as much. It is by far the most populous area in Rockbridge.
In general the contour of the county is mountainous. The Blue Ridge section is interrupted only by such narrow depressions as Arnold's Valley and the valleys of Irish Creek and the Little Mary. The surface of the Central Lowland is heavily rolling. Between drainage basins it rises into divides of considerable altitude. Westward is the mountainous belt already mentioned. It includes a number of well populated creek valleys. In the extreme northwest is a section of the basin known as the Pastures. Southward it is prolonged into the wilderness drained by Bratton's Run.
The highest point in the Rockbridge section of the Blue Ridge appears to be Bluff Mountain with an altitude of 3250 feet. The northern point of the Short Hills has a height of 2505 feet. Adcock's Knob in North Mountain has a height of 3325 feet, and the Jump of 3190. Big House and Little House mountains are respectively 3612 and 3410 feet high, and seem to be the most dlevated ground in the county.
The entire area of Rockbridge lies in the basin of the James. This river courses ten miles through the southeast of the county. North River, which joins it immediately above Balcony Falls, flows not less than fifty miles within the confines of Rockbridge and drains seven-rights of its area. It rives in Shenandoah Mountain, and as the Great Calfpasture it flows southwardly to Goshen Pass, just above which it is joined by the Little Calfpasture, also running in the same direction. A little farther above are the months of Mill Creek and Bratton's Run. A mile below Goshen the river begins to flow squarely toward the Blue Ridge, and below its junction with the Little Calfpasture it becomes known as North River. After passing into the limestone region of the Central Low land, its course, which is now a succession of large loops, is first south- ward, then southeast ward, and finally southward again. The largest tributary is Buffalo Creek, which is itself entitled to be called a river. It rises near the southwest corner of Rockbridge, and has a broad, rapid course of about twenty- five miles. Hays Crock, the next largest affluent, rises in Augusta, and above
3
TIIE LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
New Providence is known as Moffett's Creek. Its largest tributary is Walker's Creek, which also rises in Augusta. South River, which hugs the foothills of the Blue Ridge and consequently pursues the same general direction, likewise has its source in Augusta. Irish Creek and the Little Mary, both heading in the Blue Ridge, are its only important tributaries. Kerr's Creek parallels the Buffalo, but has a much shorter course. Still smaller affluents of North River are Whistle Creek, Mill Creek, Back Creek, Woods Creek, Borden's Run, and Poague's Run. Below the mouth of North River are Arnold's and Cedar creeks, flowing directly into the main stream.
Small watercourses are rather many in Rockbridge, and even the Central Lowland is better supplied with running water than are some other limestone districts. And because its streams are geologically old, Rockbridge is without lakes or ponds.
The geological structure of Rockbridge is very ancient, although its rocks are not among the very oldest of the stratified formations. The age of the rocks renders it quite useless to expect to find coal, oil, or natural gas, although by the same token we do find the mountains well stored with that most necessary metal, iron. Other metallic and mineral riches are manganese, marble, kaolin, limestone, fireclay, gypsum, barytes, and even tin, a metal with which the United States is sparingly endowed.
The Central Lowland is preeminently the agricultural district of Rockbridge, and here the soil is a heavy loam, intermediate in color between the light and the dark shades, and resting on limestone strata. The rock formation is generally tilted to a considerable angle, and crops out in ledges or in rocky slopes, and an occasional sinkhole manifests its presence. The bottoms along the rivers and the larger creeks are variable in width, and have a soil which is dark in color and somewhat sandy in texture. Much more stony than other soils and the least desirable for general farming are those of the mountain slopes. No large inroad has been made into these, except where they merge into bench or bottoni lands.
The climate of Lexington is a fair average for that of the county in general. The mean annual temperature of the county seat is fifty-four degrees, which is slightly below that of the city of Washington, the effect of a more southern latitude being more than offset by the very much greater altitude. With respect to the seasons, the mean temperatures are 34.5 in winter, 53.8 in spring, 72.2 in summer, and 55.4 in fall. The coldest month is February, with a mean of 33.5; the hottest is July, with a mean of 73.7. But during a period of twelve years, the mean of the coldest month varied from 26.4 degrees to 40.8, and that of the hottest month from 63.9 to 78. In the average year, the range of the thermometer is from a minimum of 1.5 degrees to a maximum of 96. But temperatures of 101 degrees above zero and sixteen below have been observed.
4
A HISTORY OF ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA
The yearly ramfall of forty inches is well distributed among the seasons, vet is heaviest in summer and lightest in the fall. June is ordinarily the wettest month and November the driest. The average period between killing frosts is from April 24th to October 15th.
Two inches of sleet in December, 1907. caused a rare beauty of "ice- scape." \ hailstorm on Colliers's Creek, June 8, 1902, completely destroyed all crops in its path and even killed fish in the stream. In the mountain hollows the huge pellets did not entirely disappear for several days.
But there are wide variations in the climate of Rockbridge. Frost has been known in every month except July, although one fall was so mild as to be without a killing frost till the end of November. In the winter of 1855-56. there was sleighing for six weeks, and the ice in the North River canal inter- rupted navigation for two months. Two years later, there was no ice in the canal worth mention until March 5th. Snow fell to a depth of eighteen inches. October 24, 1854. There was a heavy fall May 20, 1857, and it lay several days on the Blue Ridge. In the spring of 1859, trees were nearly in full leaf April 23, more than three weeks in advance of the usual time. Fires and warm clothing were needed during the third week of August, 1866. Rain fell to the depth of four and two-third inches. September 22. 1907, and in the Kerr's Creek valley the precipitation for the month was 15.9 inches. ligh winds are not unknown. Floods are sometimes very serious, as in 1870, 1877, and 1913. There is no proof of any material change in climate since the Rockbridge area* became known to white people. There was a severe drouth in 1758, and another about 1751. the carlier one cansing a local famine.
Since the surface is diversified, the drainage nearly perfect, and the average altitude not far short of 1500 feet, the air is bracing and health conditions are naturally very good. The annals of the county disclose many instances of long- evity. The ailments of most frequent occurrence appear to be those of the re- spiratory organs. Typhoid fever, a disease due to defective sanitation, has several times seriously interrupted the schools of Lexington. Smallpox has been an occasional visitor.
The sons of Rockbridge take kindly to a covering of grass, so that the county is well adapted to grazing as well as to the general farm crops. But where nature has her way, she everywhere covers the hills and valleys with a diversified forest growth. The prevailing wood is oak, chestnut, clm, hickory. walnut, poplar, sycamore, and other deciduous trees. Pine occurs in some localities and cedar is still more common. Among the numerous shrubs is the mountam laurel in the high, shaded hollows. The wild fruits inchide the black -
"By 'Rockbridge area" is meant the geographic space within the present funits of the conty, and as though such hnuts have existed for an indefinite func.
5
THE LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
berry, the common and the mountain raspberries, strawberries, huckleberries, mulberries, and pawpaws.
The animal life is of the kinds found in the Valley of Virginia. The buffalo and the elk disappeared soon after white settlement began. The puma and the wolf held their ground much longer, but are now extinct. The mountains shelter an occasional black bear and a few deer. Such predatory pests as wild- cats, foxes, and skunks still remain. Groundhogs, rabbits, and squirrels arc tolerably plentiful. Still other mammals are raccoons, opossums, otters, and mink. The wooded surface attracts birds in considerable variety, such as tur- keys, ducks, cranes, pheasants, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, pigcons, thrushes, crows, robins, partridges, larks, doves, catbirds, and redbirds. In the mountains are eagles, buzzards, and ravens. Fish would be more abundant but for the pollution of some of the streams by sawmilling and mining. There are the usual insects native to this part of America, but the mosquito is not a nuisance. In a single season, a few years ago, the bounty of fifty cents a head on chicken- hawks was paid on 469 of these birds of prey. They were about one-half of a flock that came from the west.
Rockbridge is bordered by the counties of Augusta, Nelson, Amherst, Bed- ford, Botetourt, Alleghany, and Bath. Its magisterial districts are six. Buffalo lies in the southwest, Natural Bridge in the southeast, South River in the north- east, Walker's Creek in the northwest. In the central west is Kerr's Creek, and in the center is Lexington District. The corporation of Buena Vista is a seventh political subdivision.
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