USA > Virginia > Frederick County > Frederick County > Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia. > Part 1
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Darbard College Library
HARVARD
TAS
I ROM THE GIFT OF
JAMES FREEMAN CURTIS Class of 1899
OF BOSTON
FOR BOOKS ON THE WESTERN I MILD STATES
GERCHOTA
TO
320 ACRES
Trval Property!
Interior of Frederick County Clerk's Office when first impression of the Washington Family seal was used (Copy of this picture on file in National Library collection.)
Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants
A History of Frederick County, Virginia ( ILLUSTRATED )
ICK
FRED
TR
Seal of Old County Court, Adopted 1758
From its Formation in 1738 to 1908
Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick
T. K. Cartmell Clerk of the Old County Court
US 12596.30
HANYA COLLEGE MAR 24 1914 LIBRARY Gift of James F. Curtis
COPYRIGHT
1909
By T. K. CARTMELL
Lit
PRINTED BY THE EDDY PRESS CORPORATION WINCHESTER, VA.
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PREFACE
The title of this volume should indicate to the reader, what he will find for his edification. Our County has never had her history published. Successive generations for one hundred and fifty years, were busy in their day making history; but no period produced the man who would turn aside from his daily avocations, to collate the facts and place them before the public in form for convenience and preservation. We had such men as Kercheval, Howe, Foote, Norris and several others, to publish many historical facts; but none of these writers ever gave us a history of Frederick County. Their treatment of histor- ical facts was so general in character, that we gather very little from their attractive style, that can be utilized as county history. Our County had useful history; her subdivisions have the same. Much of it has been gradually hidden away in the accumulation of old files and old records of the county and the nine counties em- braced in Old Frederick.
The State can best preserve her history through the labor and skill of the county his- torian. Some of the Virginia Counties have published histories, prepared by competent men.
The writer, many years ago, while County Clerk, discovered so much unpublished history of the Old County, that he was induced to adopt some plan to preserve its identity; and out of the multitude of memoranda, to secure a con- venient hand-book of reference for his office. He had no intention to publish a history; know- ing full well that much additional effort would be required to gather matter for a comprehen- sive history of the County. However, he hoped that some gifted son would appear and take up the matter, and in this way produce a volume of interesting facts. For twenty-five years he wait- ed; but no one seemed inclined to undertake the task. In 1904, the opinion was so decidedly ex- pressed that the Old Clerk was the proper one to use the matter collected, that he was induced to undertake the authorship of the volume he now presents to the reader. The descendants of the pioneers will find much to interest them; and the general reader will be astonished to see the valuable matter in easy form for his study. The author has avoided fiction, and traditionary history unless corroborated to his satisfaction.
He has given much from his personal knowledge of facts, as they occurred during his long inter- course with the people of his native county. The work has been intensely interesting to him, though one of great labor. In the course of study, he has spent much time in all the clerk's offices of the Valley and other parts of the State. The State Library and Land Office were syste- matically examined, as only an old clerk could, to obtain matter to settle long-disputed questions pertaining to the history of Royal and Minor Grants. Such evidence was required to deter- mine who were the pioneers and first settlers in the Valley. Old musty records were brought forth, that many had thought were destroyed in the evacuation of Richmond in the Spring of 1865; on which the author had spent several days in finding a clue, and then many more be- fore he found the record. (These valuable rec- ords are now being indexed and will be more accessible to students). The History Building at the Jamestown Exposition contained much to show who hundreds of the pioneers were, and whence they came. Several weeks were profit- ably spent there. This induced the author to visit Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, to follow clues. Ulster County, New York, has a mine of information concerning the early settlers in the Shenandoah. The Jerseys gave much that the author has used in various forms. From these sources, we have much mat- ter not heretofore published. National and State Libraries, through efficient officers, ex- tended rare courtesies. The War Department extended special privileges. Mt. Vernon was visited, where unusual privileges were given.
In addition to these sources of information, the author has been assisted in the preparation of his work by a careful study of the works of Washington Irving and Sparks' Life of Wash- ington; Washington's Diary and Letters; Jeffer- son's Notes; Macaulay's History of England; Gabriel Muhlenburg's Life of General Muhlen- burg; Meade's History of Old Families, Minis- ters and Churches; Hawk's History of Episco- pal Church; Sprague's Annals of the Lutheran Church; J. F. Sachse's German Element of Penn- sylvania; Herman Schuricht's Germans of Penn- sylvania and Virginia; Max von Eelking's Ger-
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CARTMELL'S HISTORY
man Allied Troops, Hessians, etc .; (translated) ; Kirchner's History of Emmigrants; Bishop As- bury's Journal; Fithian's Journal; James R. Graham, D.D., Planting of Presbyterianism in the Northern Neck; Foote's Sketches of Vir- ginia and North Carolina; Popp's Journal, Re- lating to Hessian Soldiers in Virginia; Staple- ton's Huguenots; Bowman's History of the George Rogers Clark's Expedition; Hinke's Ger- man Reformed Colony in Virginia; W. T. Saf- fell's Records of the Revolutionary War, and 3rd Edition by Charles C. Saffell; Thirty Thous- and Names of Emigrants, 1727-1776, published by Leary, Stuart & Co., Philadelphia; John Lederer's Discoveries of Wild Countries in Vir- ginia and North Carolina; Hening's Virginia Statutes; Saml. Shepherd's List of Old Soldiers; W. G. and Mary M. Stanard's Colonial History; Keith's History of the Quakers; Calendar of Virginia State papers; Virgil A. Lewis' History of the Virginias; John P. Hale, Notes of Histor- ical Society, West Virginia; Rev. Christian Streit's Diary; Drs. Krauth & Gilbert's Church History; J. A. Waddell's Annals of Augusta; J. L. Peyton's History of Augusta; W. W. Scott's History of Orange County; Crozier's Vir- ginia Colonial Militia; Boogher, Nelson & Ro- maine, Genealogical Works in National Library; Henderson's Life of Stonewall Jackson; Dab- ney's Civil War; Col. William Allen on Valley Campaign; Alexander & Sorrell, Recollections of Staff Officers; Thomas Nelson Page's and J. Es- ten Cooke's Civil War Incidents; E. H. McDon- ald's Laurel Brigade; Generals Geo. H. Gordon & Carl Schurz, Histories and Sketches of Union Officers, Battles, c.c .; oldest newspapers publish- ed in the Valley, and those of subsequent per- iods; Holmes Conrad (of Martinsburg) Letters and Notes; William G. Russell's Notes; William H. English's Conquest of the Northwest; Prof. J. W. Wayland's The German Element of the Shenandoah Valley; Standard Histories of Ken- tucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Mis- souri, and North ~ olina.
The study of the u. ry of the Old County and movements of the Shenandoah Valley pioneers, has been fascinating. The Colonial homesteads have been visited; many have been familiar to the author for a half century; following the de- scendants through many stages of development to the present, was instructive. The author has personal acquaintance with thousands of the present population of the Great Valley. For thirty years, the citizens of every community of
Frederick County have been in close touch with him; he has enjoyed their friendship and confi- dence. This induced the numerous biographical sketches found in the volume. He is conscious of the fact that some families have been over- looked, as from his office-chair he scanned the County from memory.
The Old County, founded in 1738 once the home of the Redmen, with their tomahawk and scalping-knife, saw them subjugated; heard the tramp of Washington's and Morgan's men; wit- nessed the building of Fort Loudoun in the 18th Century, and the Star and other forts in the 19th, when she bared her breast for conflict be- tween the armies of the North and South, mar- shalled by Stonewall Jackson and his dauntless leaders on the one side, on the other, by Banks, Sheridan and hosts of others ;- witnessed the burning of the Valley by Hunter.
The history now offered, gives organization of first courts in all the counties in the Lower Valley; origin of the towns; sketches of their growth; the ferries, when and where establish- ed on the Shenandoah and Potomac; old and new roads, when, where and by whom opened; turnpikes, their charters and when first used; railroads, data in full; old homesteads and fami- lies; personal sketches of men of all classes; history of the princely estate of Lord Fairfax in the Northern Neck; sketch of the Fairfax family; history of Winchester from formative period to date; the old market and public square, that caused litigation of rights between the coun- ty and city; history of the celebrated suit and results; Indian, French, and Revolutionary Wars; study of military engagements in the Shenan- doah Valley during the Civil War; location of battle-fields; dates of battles; lists of Valley Regiments; closing scenes at Appomattox; the John Brown raid; history of the churches, show- ing when and where the first was located West of the Blue Ridge; old courts, their officers, legal battles fought in their forums; history of the Fairfax & Hite suits, and many other nota- ble suits and criminal trials; gleanings from old courts from their first organization.
The author commends his effort to the stu- dent of history or casual reader, who will find it a store-house of information, and a hand- book of reference on all subjects pertaining to the counties of the Lower Valley.
"Ingleside," near Winchester,
December, 1908. T. K. C.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
PAGE
I. Shenandoah Valley Settled, How and by Whom. I
II. The Minor Grants. 10
III. Van Meter and Hite Grants. 12
IV. Old Frederick County, Organization of; Gleanings from Old Courts 17
V. Boundaries of Old Frederick County. 2
VI. Frederick County, Physical Features of
VII. Frederick County, Typography of.
VIII. Frederick County, Natural Points of Interest of. 44
IX. The Lower Valley; Old Frederick in the Early Days. 47 ¥
X. Old County Roads and Turnpikes. 50 !
XI. Railroads, Their Charters, etc. 59
XII. Public Ferries. 66 .
XIII. Mills and Other Developments. 69
XIV. Gleanings from Old Courts, Continued. 71
XV. The Indian and French War. 78
XVI. Gleanings from Old Courts, Succeeding Revolutionary War. 89
XVII. County Roads, List of, and Overseers, 1788-89, and Gleanings from Courts. 91
XVIII. Revolutionary War, Officers and Enlisted Men of. 98
XIX. Morgan and his Men; George Rogers Clark Expedition; List of Old Justices. 102
XX. The War of 1812-14 .. 106
XXI. Old Courts, Justices', District and Circuit; Notable Trials; Naturalized Aliens. 108
XXII. Valley Banks, Old and New .. II2
XXIII. Revolutionary War Heroes; Court Gleanings Continued up to Civil War. I14
XXIV. Justices' Courts, from 1862 to Underwood Constitution; County Court Judges and Officers; Criminal Trials. 117
XXV. The County Court, Continued; Lynching of Wm. Shorter. 122
XXVI. End of County Court System; Beginning of New. 124
XXVII. City of Winchester, 1743-1850. 126
XXVIII. Winchester, Water Supply of, Gas, Electricity and Manufactures; Criminal Trials .. 147 XXIX. Newspapers of Winchester, 1787-1908. 152
XXX. Winchester, Educational Developments, Fire Companies. 158
XXXI. Winchester Old Taverns and Streets, Mayors from 1804. 162
XXXII. The Churches in the Lower Valley 165
XXXIII. Presbyterian Church 174
XXXIV. Episcopal Church 180
XXXV. Parish of Hampshire. 187
XXXVI. Lutheran Church 189
XXXVII. German Reformed Church.
197
XXXVIII. Methodist Episcopal Church. 201
XXXIX. Baptist Church 208
XL. Society of Friends. 211
XLI. Roman Catholic Church 216
XLII. The Cemeteries of Winchester 219
XLIII. Town and City Government; The Market Square Suit. 223
XLIV. Towns in Old Frederick County .. 228
XLV. Towns in Old Frederick County, Continued. 237
XLVI. Notabilities of Old Frederick, Fairfax. 244
XLVII. Notabilities of Old Frederick, George Washington 250
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CARTMELL'S HISTORY
CHAPTER PAGE
XLVIII. Notabilities of Old Frederick, Joist Hite, Pioneer 252
XLIX. Daniel Morgan, Life of. 270
L. Homesteads, Colonial and Others. 274
LI. Homesteads of Frederick County 282
LII. Homesteads and Biographical Notices. 286
LIII. Homesteads and Biographical Notices, Continued. 296
LIV. The John Brown Raid. 301
LV. The Civil War; Army at Harper's Ferry and First Manassas. 306
LVI. Jackson at Winchester; Bath Campaign; Loring and Jackson 321
LVII. Jackson's Evacuation of Winchester and Valley Campaign. 329
LVIII. Battle of Port Republic. 344
LIX. Battle of Winchester; Jackson and Banks. 335
LX. Jackson Reinforces General Lee at Chickahominy; 2nd Battle of Manassas; Battle of Sharpsburg; On the Rappahannock; Fredericksburg. 349 LXI. Emancipation Proclamation, Effect on Both Armies; The Campaign in Spring of '63; Death of Stonewall Jackson 374
LXII. The Valley Army After Jackson's Death. 384
LXIII. Gettysburg 388
LXIV. Army of Northern Virginia on the Rappidan, Winter Quarters; Genl. Early in the Shenandoah Valley 394
LXV. Battle of The Wilderness; Hunter, Early and Sheridan in the Valley; Battle of Winchester; Early's Retreat; Battle of Cedar Creek; Early Relieved of Command 398
LXVI. Fall of Richmond; Appomattox and Surrender. 407
LXVII. Biographical Sketches 411
LXVIII. The Pioneers of the Upper Valley. 508
LXIX. Frederick County at this Writing. 509
Appendix No. 1-House of Burgesses; House of Delegates; State Senate, from 1743-1908; List of Members of. 511
Appendix No. 2 Governors of Virginia, Colonial and State. 513
Appendix No. 3-Board of Supervisors, 1870-1908, List of Members of. 516
Appendix No. 4-Colonial Soldiers and Pensioners.
516
Appendix No. 5-Fairfax and Hite Suit.
518
Appendix No. 6-The Hessian Prisoners. 518
Appendix No. 7-James Rumsey and the First Steamboat 519
Appendix No. 8-The Negro. 520
L'Envoi
522
:
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
. Old Frederick County Clerk's Office and Clerk Frontispiece Home of Col. John Hite (Springdale) 253
·Hite's Fort
7
"Homespun," 1771 418
"Greenwood,"
415
Opecquon Memorial Church 169
""Old Chapel," near Millwood. 182
Ruins of Old Lutheran Church
194
Hopewell Meeting House.
211
"Cherry Hill," Dr. Robt. White's Home 441 Washington's Headquarters, 1755. 250
"Retirement," 1780.
423
The Court House, Winchester
138
The Old Market Square, Winchester. 223
Rouss City Hall, Winchester
227
.Cartmell Parish Church, England.
417
. Mountain House, Capon Springs
57
Pack Horse Ford, near Shepherdstown
31
Opeckon Churchyard.
168
- Handley Library
300
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CHAPTER I
How and by Whom the Shenandoah Valley was Settled
The first families to settle in the Lower Shen- andoah Valley, were generally known as the sixteen families who came with Joist Hite in 1732. None questioned this for many decades.
The Valley historian, Kercheval, and others following him, gave Hite credit as the first settler ; and from this standpoint we introduce him as such. Though it may appear in the study of this question, that he had contestants, their claims will be treated later on.
Hite and his colony crossed the Cohongoroota River, where a village was started named Meck- lenberg. Old records confirm this. The village bore this name for many years, until finally changed to Shepherdstown. Closely following Hite, Scotch-Irish Presbyterians began to settle in other sections within the boundaries of Old Frederick County, which then embraced all that is known now as Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Clarke, Jefferson, Berkley, Morgan, Hampshire and parts of Hardy and Rockingham Counties. The families who came with Hite, have caused untold trouble to the enquirer, as to who they were. Some have thought the record of their names and dates of arrival could be found in the records of Old Frederick County; and resorted to them, to be disappointed by not finding individual grants to these families. Hite held a grant to enter and locate twenty families, survey his tracts, and then give them his certificate, which the Colo- nial Council would ratify; and then, for the first time, the family name would appear. At the same time, just prior to 1734, we find many deeds to settlers who were not of the sixteen other families, who soon became landowners in the new settlements, as shown by court records. We may be pardoned in heading the list with the name of Fairfax as one of the actual inhabi- tants, though not the first.
One source of valuable and interesting facts, for which the author is indebted to Mr. Marion Bantz, concerning this family, is in his posses- sion. He has quite a treasury of antiquities, kindly placed at the writer's disposal, of what can be termed Lord Fairfax's papers. Mr. B., a resident of Winchester, was present during the demolition of the well-known house on Pic- cadilly Street in Winchester, in which had been
stored for many years relics of Fairfax's prop- erty. The new owner cared nothing for what he termed "rubbish;" and the original owner being long since dead, one of his surviving child- ren, who had occupied the house during her entire life and only left it because of changed conditions, gave Mr. B. permission to search through the old wasting papers; and out of the wreck, he found the original "patent for the Northern Neck," and many other papers not recorded in any office. From these relics, the author will avail himself in the proper place, under the subject head of the Fairfax Family.
Next we might add the name of Washington,- George being the first member, coming as a strip- ling sixteen years old, (1748) "to measure out plantations for Thomas Lord Fairfax, the reputed owner of the northern neck." It was due to a desire on the part of Thomas Lord Fairfax, that young Washington became identified with Frederick County; for we find it recorded that in 1748 he visited his estates in Virginia, which he desired to "explore and lay out plantations." Lord Fairfax was not the first Fairfax to come to Vir- ginia. Several of them lived in the section ad- jacent to the Mt. Vernon estate. An attachment between them was soon apparent to all; and none were surprised when his Lordship pro- posed to the stripling to undertake the work. Washington accepted, and together with an assist- ant, proceeded to Frederick County and took the buildings at Greenway Court for their headquart- ers, Lord Fairfax not yet having taken his abode at that historic and secluded place. His Lordship returned to England about this time, to prepare for his residence in the wilds of the new country; so we find him at Greenway Court in his mansion house in 1750, terming it " The Lord Proprietor's Office;" executing leases to many new settlers, and having same recorded in his own office.
The writer, in his experience among the old records of the County, found many traces to the history of the Northern Neck of Virginia. Many people have regarded the original grant for this proprietary, as from some crowned head in England to our Lord Fairfax, who bestowed upon him the title of Lord. We will have occa- sion to mention this more fully in a personal
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CARTMELL'S HISTORY
sketch of the Virginia Fairfaxes. The present object is simply to show where the family settled in Frederick County and what they settled on; to give the true history of this grant, and the reasons for Lord Fairfax's visit to England. His Lordship found his title in Virginia disputed by many persons, who produced what were distinguished as Minor Grants. He hoped to lay this matter before the Crown, and have his rights definitely settled.
The grant from King Charles II, March 12, 1664, to Lord Colepepper, was at an early day in the history of the Virginia Colony, and meant much for the settlers at Jamestown, and other places along and near the James, and York Rivers, and other streams that had confluence with the majestic Chesapeake. We are often asked, who was Lord Fairfax? Of course, the answer is promptly given: He was the proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia and Baron of Cam- eron in that part of Great Britain called Scot- land, which answer is not sufficient in many tases. To one who by his education and associa- tion with historical events is already informed, these notes perhaps will convey no new knowl- edge; but the compiler hopes to place before all readers, facts that will easily answer such ques- tions.
Lord Fairfax, as we will show later on, ar- rived in America for the first time in 1736, when he visited his agent, William Fairfax, who was located in the region later known as Mount Vernon, Virginia. William Fairfax, the agent, erected a house that became not only his resi- dence, but also the Lord Proprietor's Office. His Lordship spent nearly three years at this court, which the owner called Belvoir; and then re- turned to England to present his grievances to the Crown. He desired fuller definition of his grant. During his stay in England, he learned the conditions of the Colepepper Grant, which became one of the holdings of the Baron of Cameron.
Lord Fairfax was born in England. His fa- ther was Thomas Fairfax, who married Lady Catharine Colepepper, the daughter and only heir of Lord Thomas Colepepper, who was last surviving heir of the Lord Colepepper to whom King Charles granted "all of the country known at that time as the Colony of Virginia; except- ing therefrom such other grants theretofore made" and "other reservations," boundaries of which were set out and required to be entered in the record of the infant colony at Jamestown, and subsequently at Williamsburg. Though many of the old records were destroyed, the writer now has in his hands the original Colepepper
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