USA > Virginia > Highland County > Highland County > A history of Highland County, Virginia > Part 20
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It is not necessary that Highland keep on marking time indefinitely. The county has not by any means touched the limit of its resources. If these are developed Highland has a
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larger future in store for it. An inventory of its possibilities is full of suggestion.
First, there is the forest, which once covered the whole region and still covers more than half. The fact that very much of the soil is unsuited to profitable cultivation shows that this portion is designed by nature as a forest reserve. But between forest fires and the wasteful American manner of lumbering, a famine in building material lies not far in the future. With intelligent forestry the woodlands of Highland could be counted on to yield a regular and very considerable amount of lumber and fuel. It is not enough to keep out the woods fires and let the timber alone. Some trees are in the nature of weeds and should not be allowed to burden the ground. Under scien- tific forestry an acre of woodland yields three times what it does in a state of nature. This is because only useful trees are tolerated. These are felled as soon as mature, and others are started in their place. German and French forests growing on soil not particularly good afford a yearly income of $2.50 per acre and upward. At this rate, which is quite conservative, the woodlands of Highland could afford a yearly income of more than $300,000. Germany and Japan, in spite of a dense population, supply their own timber needs. America can do the same and will soon be compelled to adopt a similar course.
Forests have other uses than as a supply of timber. They regulate the flow of water in the rivers and they afford a cover for game. Highland had once plenty of game, but now almost none. The red man killed only for his own needs. The white man, as short-sighted as in the matter of lumbering, has slaugh- tered without restraint, using up principal as well as interest. If he were less fond of shooting small birds, there would be less damage from insects. The latter exact a yearly toll of $500,000,000 from the farms of America.
Next, there is the arable soil, which naturally is good. But except in a very limited degree Highland was never designed as a region of general farming. Its specialty of livestock, for which its limestone sod, its pure water, and its temperate air so well adapt it, is very logical. Yet with ready transportation the tillable lands could yield a large and profitable supply of
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crops which the farmer used to think had a place only in the orchard and house garden. But the growth of the cities has given these small crops a value comparable to that of any of the large staples. The yearly per capita value of farm produce in the United States is about $85. A proportionate share to Highland would be about $500,000; a mark very capable of attainment, notwithstanding the large area of forest.
Then there are the streams. The rivers never fail and their currents are swift. These can be harnessed to supply a large amount of electric power. The use of electricity has made it possible for certain forms of manufacturing to be carried on in small towns, provided transportation is convenient. But there is a still more evident use for the latent energy in the Highland rivers. It is to operate one or more lines of electric railway, these lines to carry freight as well as passengers. The advan- tage to Highland of such lines would be immense. They would provide a market for anything which may be grown. They would provide a cheap, speedy, and convenient means of get- ting from place to place, either within the county or outside of it. They would place many of the coveted advantages of the city within easier reach, and they would uncover a new source of income, in the form of a larger volume of summer travel. Furthermore, the electric energy would light the villages. As to a railroad operated by steam, its coming is very problemat- ical. It would come more for the iron ore than anything else, and so long as the Lake Superior ores hold out, others less easy to use will lie idle.
The superb summer climate is in itself a valuable asset, yet this remains comparatively dormant so long as it requires an entire day to reach the county seat from the nearer railroad points.
The massing of population in the valleys is paving the way to the coming of the centralized school. The little country schoolhouse is already a back number in America. It served its day, but its day is passing.
With a more complete utilization of its resources, Highland will be able to support in comfort a much larger population
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than at present. By becoming more accessible it will be a still better place in which to live.
And lastly, it is in every way probable that the descendants of the pioneers will continue "to dwell in the land." They are not likely to abandon it in favor of the alien stranger, and there is little inducement to the latter to come here.
Part II
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SECTION I
GIVEN NAMES AND SURNAMES
THE names given to people throw a world of light on customs and on forms of religious belief. Nearly all the pioneers of Highland were adherents of the Presbyterian or of the Reformed Church. In either case they were zealous Protestants, and in naming their boys and girls parents showed a marked preference for names taken from the Bible. Hence, in our early, and in a large degree also in our later annals, we find a host of men named Andrew, Jared, or Samuel, and a host of women with such names as Anna, Elizabeth, and Martha. A few other names, such as Christian, Paschal, Valentine, and Sophia, are associated with church history.
Certain non-biblical names have been used from time immemorial in, both the British Isles and Germany. Among these are Edward, Frederick, George, and William, and Catharine, Jane, and Margaret. Conrad is more distinctly a German name, while Robert is Norman-French. Alexander, though it comes from the Greek language, is a characteristic name among the Scotch, as Patrick is among the Irish, and Evan among the Welsh. The strong influence of classical study in colonial days led to such names as Alcinus, Euphemia, and Lucinda.
Feminine names were not so generally taken from the Bible, largely because Biblical personages are more often men than women. Among other Scriptural names in great favor were Delilah, Esther, Magdalena, Mary, Rebecca, Sarah, and Susanna.
The names in common use did not comprise a large variety. The names of grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts, were given to the children, and were thus perpetuated from generation to generation, so that sometimes it is almost possible to trace a line of descent through the preferences in given names. And where many signatures occur on a paper, we almost surely find quite a number each of such appellations as John, George, and William.
Until within a century past, a middle name was seldom employed. When it did occur, it was most generally written in full. Among the Germans, the double name was usually a compound of two given names, while among the English-speaking people it was more commonly the entire name of some other person. In either case our ancestors were much inclined to put the two halves of the name on an equality and not to reduce the middle name to a mere initial.
We should not gauge the piety of our forefathers by their extensive use of Bible names. The practice had in great measure grown into a custom. Besides, the Bible names were not always well chosen. Some of the most unworthy characters in sacred history had many namesakes.
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As the annals of Highland progress, some of the names in use point to facts in national or state history. Later on, the names preferred are very suggestive of certain tendencies of the times.
The initials G. W. point almost unerringly to the Father of his Country. The initials T. J. and A. J. point with well-nigh equal certainty to Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the two heroes of American Democracy. When we come to the initials R. L., we are at once reminded of the great military leader of the Confederacy. When we first begin to notice H. C. for Henry Clay, we are in little doubt as to the political creed of the parent who bestowed the name. If the initials are J. W. the chances are that the parents are followers of John Wesley.
The practice of bestowing a double name began to be somewhat common in the opening years of the last century, and the practice gained ground with rapidity, so that it has long since become almost universal. This new fashion was very largely the result of naming children for military or civil heroes and other personages. The choice of the first name alone was not deemed sufficient. In default of a ready preference of this kind, it was but a further step to link two given names together, and thus preserve uniformity in the use of two names before the surname.
Because of state pride, girls are named Virginia. It is also worthy of note that names very common in one county may be very rare in another. In fact, it occasionally happens that a name is very local in its use. Loftus, originally a surname, is an heirloom in the Pullin family. McBride, in the Gum family, relates to a resident of Hardy with whom the pioneer Gum had business dealings. Peachy, as a given name, appears to have its origin in the upper Shenandoah Valley.
The fact that we of the present day are living in a new age becomes very evident when we observe the modern usage with regard to names. A cer- tain given name is less often perpetuated in a family. The variety of given names has greatly increased, and choosing is done with little regard to time-honored custom. Fewer children are named Hezekiah or Susanna, but many are still named James or Susan, all of which are Bible terms. Many of the old names, whether Biblical or not, will still remain standard. It is felt that a name of smooth sound, especially if short, is in harmony with the spirit of the age.
Along with the general increase in the variety of given names has come an increase in those which are unusual or peculiar. Such names soon appear in any recent list.
As to surnames, they have come into being in almost countless ways. Those of English origin are more than 40,000. When we reflect on the thousands derived from the other mother countries of the American people, we may cease to wonder at the multitude we find in the annals of the small county of Highland.
Formerly there was no recognized standard in the spelling of English. Each person was a law to himself. The same name would be spelled in differ- ent ways, partly because of personal whims and partly because of individual
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peculiarities of pronunciation. Some of these variations would acquire a fixed standing and pass current as entirely distinct names. Thus we have in Highland the forms Kincaid and Kinkead. Rexroad in Pendleton becomes Rexrode in Highland. Bodkin has become Botkin apparently through the German mode of pronunciation. Careless or slovenly pronunciation accounts for some variations, especially where there is a shortening of the word.
A German or French name, coming as it does from a foreign tongue with its strange sounds, is almost sure to undergo some change in pronunciation in order to accommodate itself to the English ear. This often leads also to a change in the spelling. In this process some foreign names assume forms which are the same as well-known names in our own tongue. Hull for Hohl and Simmons for Sieman are instances in point. Sometimes the foreign name has been turned into its English equivalent, as when Auge become Eye and Weiss becomes White. In other instances the modification of the foreign name has gone so far as to render its original form very obscure.
It may be added that modifying the form of a difficult foreign surname is a very proper thing to do. It relieves the name from an uncouth appear- ance, diminishes a tendency to mispronounce the word, and makes for the thorough Americanization of the person who bears it.
It is not easy to classify with certainty the pioneer names of an old settled county. As to Highland, we need be in no doubt that Byrd is Eng- lish, that Douglas is Scotch, that Jones is Welsh, that Mauzy is French, that Swecker is German, that Vandevander is Dutch, and that Maloy is Irish. Yet some names are common to England and Scotland, and even to all four of the countries of the British Isles, to say nothing of the German names which have assumed forms strictly English in appearance. The classifica- tion at the end of this chapter does not claim to be anything more than an approximation.
We do not attempt to classify the Scotch-Irish names, because, as else- where stated, the Scotch-Irish are by derivation a branch of the Scottish people.
Divergent spellings are given in parentheses.
Where capital letters follow a name, these refer to the distinct families of the same name, as given in Section V.
The German names are followed in consecutive order by the native form of the word, its pronunciation (in brackets), and by its meaning when known.
It is not possible in this book to show the precise pronunciation of the German and French names. Both languages contain sounds which do not occur in ours.
SCOTCH NAMES
Alexander.
Briscoe.
Cunningham.
Armstrong.
Callahan.
Curry.
Beathe.
Campbell.
Dinwiddie (Dunwoody).
Black.
Carlile (Carlisle). Douglas.
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Duffield.
Lamb.
Roby.
Ervine (Erwin).
Lewis.
Ruckman.
Estill.
Lockridge.
Samples.
Fisher.
Lunsford.
Shumate.
Gall.
Malcomb.
Sitlington.
Gibson.
McClung.
Smallridge.
Gilmer.
McCoy.
Stephenson.
Graham (Grimes).
McCrea (McCray).
Steuart.
Hansel.
McGlaughlin.
Strathy.
Helms.
McNulty?
Summers (Sommers).
Hicklin.
Middleton.
Tharp.
Hickman.
Miller.
Trimble.
Hook (Hooke).
Moore.
Vance.
Jack.
Naigley.
Wiley.
Jackson.
Peebles.
Whistleman.
Janes.
Pullen (Pullin).
Whitelaw.
Johnson.
Ralston.
Will.
Jordan.
Redmond.
Wilson.
Kinkead (Kincaid).
Revercomb.
Wooddell.
Killingsworth.
ENGLISH
Benson.
Cobb.
Morton.
Beverage.
Corbett.
Oakes.
Bishop.
Hicks.
Ryder (Rid
Bradshaw.
Hodge.
Rymer.
Brown (B).
Holcomb.
Terry.
Carroll.
Marshall.
Townsend.
Chestnut.
Masters.
Wade.
Chew.
May.
Woods.
IRISH
Corrigan.
Griffin.
Lowrey.
Doyle.
Houlihan.
Maloy.
Kelly.
WELSH
Blagg. Davis.
Gwin (Gwynn).
Price.
Johns.
Rogers.
Jones.
DUTCH
Vandevander. Wees.
ITALIAN
Brown - Bruno (Broo-no) Brown.
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FRENCH
Bussard - Boissard [Bwas-sar].
Dever - Devier [Duh-vee.]
Devericks - Devereux [Duh-ver-uh]
Matheny - Mathenee [Mah-tay- nay].
Mauzy - Mauzy [Mo-zee]. Mullenax - Molyneux [Mul-le-nuh].
GERMAN
Arbogast - Armenkast.
Bird - Vogel [Fo-gel] - Bird.
Burner.
Colaw - Kohler [Co-ler].
Deihl - Deihl [Dile].
Eagle [Eakle].
Evick - Ewig [Ay-vick] - Ever.
Fleisher - Fleischer [Fli-sher] - Flesher or Fletcher.
Fox [Folks] - Fuchs [Fooks] - Fox.
Gum - Gumm [Goom].
Halterman - Haldemann.
Herring - Hering.
Hevener - Hefner.
Hidy - Heide [Hi-deh].
Hinegarner - Heingartner.
Hiner - Heiner [Hi-ner].
Hull - Hohl [Hole].
Keister - Keister or Geyster [Ki- ster or Gi-ster].
Kramer - Kraemer [Kra-mer].
Lantz - Lentz.
Life - Leif [Life].
Lightner - Lichtner [Liht-ner]. Michael.
Newman - Neumann [Noi-man] - New-Man.
Nicholas.
Peck.
Peninger.
Rusmisell.
Seig.
Seiver.
Seybert [Sivers] - Seifert [Si-fert].
Shaffer [Shaffier] - Schaefer [Sha- fer] - Shepherd.
Shinneberger.
Sipe - Seip [Sipe].
Siple - Seipel [Si-ple].
Siron.
Snyder - Schneider [Shni-der] - Taylor.
Sullenberger.
Swecker - Schwecker [Shveck-er].
Swope - Schwoop [Shvope].
Wagoner - Wagner [Vack-ner] - Wagoner. Waybright [Winebright] - Wein- brecht - Bright Wine.
White - Weiss [Vise] - White.
Yeager - Jaeger [Yay-ger] - Hunter.
Zickafoose - Zwickenfus [Zvick- en-foos] - Crippled Foot.
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History of Highland County
SECTION II
CLASSIFICATION OF HIGHLAND FAMILIES
T HE families of Highland may be classified as Pioneer, Sub-Pioneer, Recent, and Extinct. In the first we place those who arrived prior to 1815; in the second, those later families who came prior to 1865; and in the third, those who have come since 1865 and are thor- oughly identified with the county. In the fourth group we place those surnames which have disappeared from this region.
To find the number of our Pioneer, Sub-Pioneer, and Recent families is only a matter of patient inquiry. To find the total number of Extinct names is practically impossible. Neither is it at all im- portant to do so. Many families of this group were little more than birds of passage. Very often we find no evidence of intermarriage with other resident families. Many of these names are unknown to people now living, or survive only as the local designation of some field, spring, or other natural feature. But in some instances the name remained a long while, intermarried with families still here, and though the name itself is gone, there is quite sure to be some posterity in the female line. This section of the Extinct Group is slowly grow- ing larger at the expense of the other groups. During the compiling of this history one name went out, having for some time been repre- sented only by two aged people.
A little thought will explain this shrinking of the pioneer sur- names. Suppose A has two sons and two daughters, each of whom marries and has children in the same number and proportion. Let the same ratio be true of following generations. The two daughters lose the family name as soon as wedded. Of the children of the sons, a half are girls and they, too, lose the family name. Thus of the 16 grandchildren only 4 retain A's surname. Of the 64 great grand- children, only 8 retain the name, and in the next generation the pro- portion is 256 to 16. In practice, the disproportion may be even greater, and when emigration, celibacy, and childless couples are thrown into the scale, it will readily be seen that the surname may entirely fail, even after the lapse of a century or more. But when there is little emigration, much intermarrying of relatives of the same name, and often an excess of boys over girls, the family surname may become very frequent.
In any long-settled district the threads of relationship spread out in all directions. There are in Highland some persons of the seventh remove from the pioneer settler. As any individual has four grand-
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parents, it will be found, provided cousin-marriages are left out of account, that such person will have 64 ancestors within such period. By the close of another century, the average young Highlander of that day may not be able to show that any member of the Pioneer Group fails to come within his line of ancestry.
In a varying degree, illegitimacy is everywhere to be found, and it includes some of the most worthy members of a community. These broken links in the chain of family descent complicate the work of the local historian. He must recognize them in some allowable man- 11er or else ignore them altogether. Yet he does not wish to attach his label to such instances, any more than he wishes to make mention of crime, divorce, feeble-mindedness, or other matters related by his informants. These are facts over which the veil of charity should be drawn. Therefore no person of illegitimate birth is mentioned as such in the genealogic section of this book.
The posterity of a given pioneer is termed in this volume a group- family. It may include five, six, and even seven generations and com- prise persons of the fourth, fifth, or sixth degree of cousinship. As a rule, descent is counted only in the male line. A vast amount of repe- tition is thus avoided. The progeny of married daughters is to be sought in the group-families into which they marry. But in particular instances the issue is included with the male line.
A complete history of a group-family should cover the following items: the name of the pioneer, the full maiden name of the wife, the national derivation of both man and wife, the place that the couple moved from, the names of their descendants in like manner, genera- tion by generation, including the persons marrying into the family; also dates of birth, marriage, and death, and facts as to residence, oc- cupation, civil and military service, and other matters of interest.
But the annals of Highland reach back a century and two-thirds. Private family records, where they exist at all, are fragmentary. Until 1853, such public records as will be of help are the packages of mar- riage bonds that have not been lost, the generally incomplete mention afforded by wills, and the very casual shreds of information found in deed books and county order books. As to letters written during the first century of Highland, they are very rare. As to book publications bearing on our local family history, they afford little aid. As to the local newspaper, its age is too recent. The written sources of infor- mation are invaluable, so far as they go, but they do not go far enough.
The only other source is tradition. But in youth a person seldom realizes the importance or takes in the bearings of the items of family history as told him by the old people, if, indeed, the old people have told him anything in this line at all. These items, therefore, make small impression on him, and in his own old age he regrets that he can tell but little. Furthermore, the old person of to-day is likely to
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be the great grandchild of the pioneer ancestor. A knowledge of some particular occurrence is here and there passed along with a firm grasp. But the sum total of tradition, little as it is, includes matters which are confused and uncertain and sometimes quite untrustworthy. Very much of what we need to have is lost beyond recovery. Gaps in the records are almost sure to occur, and with respect to what is given as fact, the memory or judgment of the informant may deceive him. Oral information differs in quality. Sometimes it is quite strong and sure, yet here and there is found a person who can tell almost nothing of any value.
But where nothing else can be had, tradition must be followed for what it may be worth, except so far as evident inaccuracies appear in it.
By patient search in written documents, the local historian can in some degree find what he wants. What cannot be gleaned in this way must come through the slow process of going from house to house. It is of little use to think to gain time by writing letters. About five in every six of these are treated with inexcusable neglect. Even of those persons who promise to send information by mail, there are even fewer who make their word good.
All in all, therefore, it is out of the question in every case or even generally to reach the degree of completeness we mentioned in a pre- ceding paragraph. The compiler of a local history can only do the best he knows how with such information as he is fortunate enough to secure. Even then he has performed a somewhat thankless task. To collect his data he has had to be lavish of his time and of the num- ber of miles that he travels. He is criticized and held responsible for every manner of shortcoming in his book. But the opportunities for error to creep into his work are many and constant and in large de- gree unavoidable. Among the things to be considered in this line are personal peculiarities of pronunciation; the giving of only a part of a person's name; the giving of what are really nicknames; the placing of a name in a wrong list; the placing of names in miscellaneous order; and the omission or incorrect mention of names. It is slow and tedious to gather such data and then put it in the best possible shape. Among those who then criticize the result are persons too sluggish to volunteer the information they possess or without sound excuse for the extent of their ignorance concerning their kindred and neighbors.
It has turned out a physical impossibility for this writer to see all or most of the families. When it became necessary to cut short his field work because of his lameness, he sent out many inquiries with a view of supplying every possible deficiency. Invitations to the pub- lic to send information by letter were repeatedly given in the local newspaper as well as otherwise. Therefore he does not hold himself chargeable for all the shortages in the group-family sketches.
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History of Highland County
A few words might be added as to the real worth of family-group history. At first blush a genealogic list looks like a skeleton. It should be no skeleton at all to the interested local reader. Out of his familiarity with a given group-family he may fill in many a detail. Such details may relate to thrift, enterprise, educational attainment, professional, industrial, or commercial occupation, or to conformity with recognized standards of social or moral behavior. If in some particular instance this filling in of a record should bring regret at what has already taken place, it should be an incentive to better effort in the future. It is only in this very way that civilization is able to advance. Also, it is a matter of every-day observation that mental and moral fiber varies in different branches of the same family group and in different members of the same family circle. Threads of rela- tionship from the same source may lead on the one side to the judge's bench or the banker's desk, and on the other to the poorhouse or the state prison. To deny relationship in the face of evident facts is like the ostrich's driving its head into the sand to escape pursuit.
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