USA > Virginia > Augusta County > Augusta County > Annals of Augusta county, Virginia, from 1726 to 1871 > Part 8
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In a sketch of Mr. Robinson's life by the Rev. Dr. A. Alexander, it is stated that he came to Virginia ignorant or regardless of the law here against itinerant preachers, that he was arrested at Winchester and ordered by the magistrate to be conveyed to Williamsburg for trial, but released by the officer while on the way, and then pursued his journey up the Valley.
To show further how the Dissenters managed their affairs during colonial times, we mention that, in 1747, James Patton, John Christian, John Finley, James Alexander and William Wright, "chosen com- missioners and trustees," received a deed from William and John Thompson for one hundred and ten acres of land for the use of "the
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Presbyterian congregation of Tinkling Spring." Many years after- wards an act of the Legislature authorized the congregation to sell as much of the tract as they wished, and expend the proceeds in repair- ing their meeting-house, or in building a new one.
On March 23, 1746, the commissioners obtained judgment before Peter Scholl and James Montgomery, Justices of the Peace, against a member of the congregation for his subscription to the cost of building the meeting-house, amounting to {1, 4s., ($4). At the same time, judgment was given against another member for {1, 71/2 pence, "min- ister's steepends," (stipeuds). The commissioners were, however, not always successful in their prosecution of delinquent members, as wit- ness the following judgment rendered by the same Justices :
"Andrew Cowin being called before ns a member of sd. congrega- tion to pay twenty shillings steepend Dew for four years past. He having made oath yt Mr. Creage never visit nor examined him in that time nor done his duty as a pastral minister to him ye sd. Cowin our judgment is that ye sd Cowin pay nothing and ye MR. Craig give ye Com. Credit for sd Sume and seven pence halfpenny Costs of sute." Then follow several similar judgments. Signed March 25, 1747.
It is stated that, as early as 1748, Colonels Patton and Buchanan and others, with a number of hunters, made an exploring tour to the southwest. They discovered and named the Cumberland mountain and Cumberland river, so called in honor of the Duke of Cumberland, who had recently gained the battle of Culloden, in Scotland.
And now, in the year 1748, we come to the first mention of the town of Staunton. During that year William Beverley laid off the beginning of the town, within his manor, and at his "Mill Place." The surveying was done by Thomas Lewis, the county surveyor, and the plot is higlily creditable to the surveyor's skill. The number of town lots is forty-four, each, with a few exceptions, containing half an acre. The streets laid off and named are Beverley, Frederick and Johnson, running east and west, and Augusta, Water and Lewis, running north and south. A plot of twenty-five acres, east of Augusta street, and extending half a square north of Frederick street, was reserved for the use of the county. The inscription under the plot, signed by the surveyor, is as follows : "A plan of the town of Staunton, in Augusta county, each lot containing half an acre * * laid out in the year 1748, and since confirmed by an act of the last session of assembly."
The plan was produced in court by William Beverley, February 27, 1749, and ordered to be recorded. It may be found in Deed Book No. 2, page 410.
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It appears, however, that several streets and town lots were laid off by Thomas Lewis for Beverley, July 15, 1747, as we learn from the original plot which was not recorded. The number of lots was only thirteen, so moderate was the expectation in regard to the town ; but by the next year it was thought advisable to extend the dimensions of the embryo city, and thirty-one lots were added in 1748. In the di- visions of 1747, each lot contained half an acre, as in the plot of 1748. Lot No. I was between Spring Lane and the creek, west of Augusta street. The two squares north of Spring Lane and west of Augusta street were laid off, and each was divided into four lots. Lots 10, 11, 12, and 13 were west of Water street, and between Spring Lane and Frederick street, the north branch of Lewis' creek running through each of theni. Beverley retained (in 1747) lots 2, 10 and 11, and sold off the other lots ; Joseph Bell purchased No. 3 (southwest corner of Beverley and Augusta streets, on a part of which the Augusta Nation- al Bank now stands), for £5, or $16.6633. Robert McClanahan pur- chased two lots, No. 7 (southeast corner of Beverley and Water streets- Old Central Bank, &c. ), for £9, 15s., $32.50,* and No. 12 (northeast corner of Beverley and Water streets-Y. M. C. A. building, etc.), for £5. Other purchasers of lots were Samuel Wilkins, John Brown, William Lyndwell, Andrew Campbell, John Ramsey, David Stuart, and Patrick McDonal. In the plot of 1748, as recorded, the streets designated are named as at present ; in the original plot of 1747, Au- gusta was called Gooch street, Water was called William, and Bever- ley was called Cross street. Spring Lane was so called from the first, although now generally known as Irish Alley. The name Staunton was originally often written Stanton. It is generally supposed that Augusta and other parallel streets were intended to lie exactly north and south, but in the original plot those streets are represented as slightly departing from the meridian line.
Twenty-five acres heretofore referred to, were conveyed by Bev- erley to the justices of the peace for the use of the court house, etc., April 21, 1749.
Why Staunton was so called has been a question for many years. We long ago saw a statement in print somewhere, that the new town was named in honor of Lady Gooch, wife of the Governor, who, it was said, was a member of the English family of Staunton, but we do not vouch for the truth of the statement. There is a small town of the same name near Kendal, Westmorland county, England.
About one-half of this lot was sold at auction March 5, 1886, for $13,300, the value of buildings being hardly estimated.
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The inscription by the surveyor alludes to an act of assembly es- tablishing the town. No such act is found in Hening, but it appears from a proclamation issued by Governor Dinwiddie, April 8, 1752, that "An act for establishing a town in Augusta county, and allowing fairs to be kept there," was passed by the assembly in 1748. It was, however, for some unexplained reason, "disallowed" by King George II, and pronounced by the Governor "utterly void and of none effect." Thins the aspirations of Staunton were repressed, and the rising town had to wait thirteen years for a new king liberal enough to grant her a charter.
Governor Dinwiddie, a native of Scotland, trained to business in a West India custom-house, and recommended for promotion by his de- tection and exposure of some gigantic frauds practised by his official superiors there, arrived in Virginia early in 1752, and immediately gave offence by declaring the king's dissent to various acts which his predecessor had approved. The Assembly remonstrated against this exercise of the royal prerogative, but in vain. Dinwiddie was lieuten- ant-Governor, under the titular governor, Lord Albemarle, whose office was a sinecure.
The biographers of the celebrated Daniel Boone state that he came from Pennsylvania on an excursion to Augusta, about 1748-'9, with his cousin, Henry Miller. The latter returned to the county, and built on Mossy Creek the first iron furnace in the Valley.
From the proceedings of the vestry, August 22, 1748, it appears that John Lewis had contracted to erect the public buildings of the parish for {148, and it was ordered that he be paid £74 on "raising the said buildings, and the remainder on their completion." From a bond executed by Col. Lewis, with Robert McClanahan as security, at the date just mentioned, but not recorded till November 28, 1753, it appears that one of the buildings was a dwelling house for the parish minister. According to tradition, this was the old frame house which formerly stood on the southwest corner of Augusta street and Irish Alley. But such was not the fact, as that corner lot belonged in co- lonial times to Jolin Cunningham, father of Mrs. Margaret Reed. Tlie parsonage was probably in the alley, west of the corner.
We continue the extracts from the records of the court :
May 19, 1749 .- "Ordered that James Montgomery and Richard Burton, or any one of them, wait on the court of Lunenburg, and ac- quaint them that the inhabitants of Augusta have cleared a road to the said county line, and desire that they will clear a road from the court- house of Lunenburg to meet the road already cleared by the inhabi- tants of Augusta."
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Lunenburg and Augusta were therefore adjoining counties at that time .* It will be observed that here, as well as elsewhere, nothing is said about grading the road, -it was only "cleared." Till many years afterward, nothing else was attempted ; and it was not till the nineteenth century that our road surveyors could be persuaded that the distance was as short round a hill as over it.
November 28, 1749 .- "A commission to Robert McClanahan, t gent., to be sheriff of this county during his majesty's pleasure, was produced in court." Adam Breckinridge qualified as deputy sheriff.
Breckinridge committed some offence and left the couuty surrepti- tiously. A letter written by him to his brother Robert, without divulg- ing his place of refuge, is still extant, in which he acknowledges his offense, whatever it was, and says his family will never hear of him again. It appears, however, from the papers in the old suit of West- fall vs. Richardson, that he went to South Carolina.
An act of Assembly, passed at Williamsburg in 1661, provided that no one should remove from the county in which he lived, till he had posted his purpose to leave, at the door of his parish church, for three successive Sundays, stating in the notice to what place he was going, and obtaining a certificate of the posting from the minister or reader of the parish. It further provided that any one assisting a per- son to go away without such a certificate, should be liable for the debts of the fugitive. Breckinridge was indebted to Westfall, and Richard- son having, as charged, aided the former to leave unlawfully, was sued by Westfall. The suit was, however, dismissed in 1751.
Robert McClanahan was a native of Ireland, and came to Augusta at an early day. A brother of his, Blair McClanahan, was a merchant in Philadelphia, a prominent politician and member of Congress after the Revolution. The wife of Robert McClanahan was Saralı Breckin-
* In 1752 Halifax county was formed from the southern part of Lunenburg, adjacent to Augusta ; and in 1753 Bedford was formed from the northern part, so that after 1753, for several years, Augusta was bounded on the east by the counties of Orange, Albemarle, Bedford and Halifax. New London, at first the county seat of Lunenburg, and afterwards of Bedford, is now in Campbell county.
+ Robert McClanahan, after living at various places in Staunton, removed to his farm, a mile south of town, now (1886), owned by Mrs. Gay and her chil- dren. This farm was conveyed to McClanahan, in 1748, by Robert Beverley, and was left by the former at his death, in 1791, to his executors, Alexander McClana- han and Alexander St. Clair, to do with it as they pleased. The terms imply a secret trust. At any rate, the executors conveyed the farm to Robert McClana- han, the third of the name, and grandson of the first. In 1808, the last named Robert sold the farm to John McDowell, who built the present bandsome brick dwelling on the hill, having lived in the meanwhile, as the first Robert McClana- 1.han had, in a small house near the Greenville road.
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ridge, (daughter or sister of Alexander), and his children were four sons and three daughters. Three of the sons, Alexander, Robert and John, were prominent in the Indian wars, and Alexander was a colo- nel during the Revolution. One of his daughters married Alexander St. Clair, who came from Belfast, Ireland, and was long a prosperous merchant at Staunton, and an active member of the County Court. Mr. St. Clair also represented Augusta in the State Senate in the years 1791-'3 and '4, and was Presidential Elector on the Federal ticket in I800.
The grand juries of the county were apparently determined to en- force the observance of the Sabbath day. In 1749, Andrew McNabb was presented for a breach of the Sabbatlı,-in what way is not stated; in 1750, Jacob Coger was presented "for a breach of the peace by driv- ing hogs over the Blue Ridge on the Sabbath ;" and in 1751, James Frame was presented "for a breach of the Sabbath in unnecessarily traveling ten miles."
The grand juries were equally determined to suppress other vices, as witness the following:
In 1746, Col. Thomas Chew and John Bramham were presented as common swearers. Chew was a lawyer and Bramham a deputy sheriff.
At the same term of the court another person was presented "as a distttrber of the common peace of the neighbors by carrying lies, and also as a common lyer." Valentine Sevier, father of the celebrated Gen. Jolın Sevier, was presented "for swearing 6 prophane oaths." Another presentment, in 1750, is equally unique, that of Samuel Hutts "for breach of the Sabbath in singing prophane songs."
In 1751, the lawyers attending the court were "not enough to go round." James Porteus had brought suit for Andrew Bird against Peter Scholl, and then died ; and when the cause came on for trial, Peter had employed Gabriel Jones and John Harvie, the only attor- neys on hand, and Bird was left unrepresented. He, however, formal- ly petitioned the court to require one of the said attorneys to appear for him, and Mr. Harvie was ordered accordingly.
At laying the county levy in 1750, allowance was made for two hundred and fifty-six wolf heads,-the entire head had to be produced. In 1751, allowance was made for two hundred and twenty-four heads. In 1754, William Preston obtained an allowance for one hundred and three heads. They were hardly all trophies of his own skill, but most, if not all of them, were probably purchased by him. Indeed, wolf heads constituted a kind of currency.
The court and grand juries were extremely loyal. In 1749, Jacob Castle was arrested "for threatening to goe over to and be aiding and
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assisting of the French ag'st his Majesty's forces." It 1751, Owen Crawford was presented "for drinking a health to King James, and re- fusing to drink a health to King George." The accused made his es- cape, and the presentment was dismissed.
Constables were appointed at various times on the Roanoke and New rivers.
As heretofore stated, for more than twenty years after the first settlement of the Valley, there was no declared war between the In- dians and whites, but the latter were constantly annoyed by roving bands of savages who helped themselves to whatever movable proper- ty they took a fancy to, and sometimes burnt the cabins of settlers. On the 18th of May, 1750, William Harbison, a Justice of the Peace for Augusta county, certified that about the last week of April, 1749, a party of seven Indians robbed the house of Adam Herman, probably on New River, of 9 deer skins and i elk skin ; that the next day six Indians robbed the same house of 14 deer skins and 1 elk skin ; and that the day following, "a number of Indians" came and took away 73 deer skins. 6 elk skins, etc., etc. This shows also that game was abundaut, and that Herman was a famous hunter.
The first classical school west of the Blue Ridge was opened in I749, by Robert Alexander, two miles southwest of the preseut village of Greenville. The teacher was educated in Edinburgh, it is believed. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1736, and to the Valley in 1743. How long Mr. Alexander conducted the school we do not know. He was succeeded by the Rev. John Brown, and the school was removed first to Old Providence, then to New Providence, and shortly before the Revolutionary war to Mount Pleasant, near Fairfield. It was lat- terly under the care of Hanover Presbytery.
The next extract from the records of the court is of peculiar in- terest. Under date of August 29, 1751, we find the following :
"Ordered that the sheriff employ a workman to make a ducking stool for the use of the county according to law, and bring in his charge at laying the next county levy."
An act of Assembly, passed in 1705, in accordance with the old English law, prescribed ducking as the punishment for women convic- ted as "common scolds." The ducking stool was no doubt made as ordered, but we have searched in vain for an instance of its use "ac- cording to law." The failure to use it was certainly not because there were no scolding women in the county at that time; for soon after the machine was constructed, or ordered, one Anne Brown went into court and "abused William Wilson, gentleman, one of the justices for this county, by calling him a rogue, and that on his coming off the bench
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she would give it to him with the devil." Mrs. Brown was taken into custody, but not ducked, as far as we can ascertain. Nor was the failure to use the stool due to timidity or tender heartedness on the part of members of the court. They lashed women as well as men at the public whipping-post, and were brave enough to take Lawyer Jones in hand on one occasion for "swearing an oath." After thorough investigation and mature reflection, we have come to the conclusion that the making of the ducking stool was an "Irish blunder" on the part of our revered ancestors. Having provided a jail, stocks, whip- ping post, shackles, etc .- all the means and appliances necessary in a well-ordered community-they ordered a ducking stool without re- flecting that there was no water deep enough for its use within reach of the court-house.
Let us now refer again to the Rev. John Craig and his narrative. The territory occupied by his congregation was "about thirty miles in length and nearly twenty in breadth." The people agreed to have two meeting houses, expecting to have two congregations, as after- wards came to pass. The people of the Augusta, or stone church neighborhood, amongst whom Mr. Craig lived, "were fewer in num- bers, and much lower as to their worldly circumstances, but a good- natured, prudent, governable people, and liberally bestowed a part of what God gave them for religious and pious uses ; always unanimous among themselves." "I had no trouble with them," says Mr. Craig, . "about their meeting-house. * * They readily fixed on the place, and agreed on the plan for building it, and contributed cheerful- ly, money and labor to accomplish the work, all in the voluntary way, what every man pleased." But the people of the other section were, according to Mr. Craig's way of thinking, a stiff-necked and perverse generation. He says : "That part now called Tinkling Spring was most in numbers, and richer than the other, and forward, and had the pub- lic management of the affairs of the whole settlement ; their leaders close-handed about providing necessary things for pious and religious uses, and could not agree for several years upon a plan or manner, where or how to build their meeting-house, which gave me very great trouble to hold them together, their disputes ran so high. A differ- ence happened between Colonel John Lewis and Colonel James Patton, both living in that congregation, which was hurtful to the settlement but especially to me. I could neither bring them to friendship with each other, or obtain both their friendships at once, ever after. This continued for thirteen or fourteen years, till Colonel Patton was mur- dered by the Indians. At that time he was friendly with me. After his death, Colonel Lewis was friendly with me till he died."
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The feud between Colonel Lewis and Colonel Patton must have begun in 1741 or 1742. What it was all about, we do not know, but it probably related, in part, to the location of Tinkling Spring church. Mr. Craig himself was not a neutral nor lamb-like in that strife. He, and doubtless Colonel Lewis also, wanted the church built north of the site finally selected ; while Colonel Patton and most of the people in- sisted upon Tinkling Spring as the place. Mr. Craig at last appealed to Samuel Pilson, an aged man, to settle the controversy, and when the latter cast his vote for Tinkling Spring, the irate pastor is said to have exclaimed : "Are you too against me, Sammy ! Well, I am resolved that none of that water shall ever tinkle down my throat." And he kept his word.
It is said that Mr. Craig generally walked the five miles from his residence to the stone church. His morning service continued from 10 o'clock till after 12. The afternoon service lasted from 1 o'clock till sunset, and it was sometimes so late that the clerk found it difficult to read the last psalm. His only printed sermon is from 2 Samuel, xxiii, 5, and being in the old-fashioned, "exhaustive method," con- tains fifty-five divisions and sub-divisions. He was once sent by Han- over Presbytery to organize churches among the settlements on New River and Holston, and on his return reported a surprising number of elders whom he had ordained. Being questioned how he found suita- ble materials for so many, he replied in his rich idiom : "Where I cudna get hewn stanes, I tuk dornacks." He was regarded as very orthodox, but somewhat lax as to church discipline .- [Davidson's History of the Presbyterian Church in Kentucky, Page 24.]
Withers, in "Border Warfare," [page 48], gives the following account of the discovery and first occupancy of the Greenbrier country :
About the year 1749, there was in Frederick county a man sub- ject to lunacy, who was in the habit of rambling into the wilderness. In one of his wanderings he came to some of the waters of Greenbrier river. Surprised to see them flowing westwardly, he made report of it on his return to Winchester, and also the fact that the country abound- ed in game. Thereupon, two men, named Sewel and Martin, recently arrived from New England, visited the Greenbrier country, and took up their abode there. They erected a cabin and made other improve- ments, but an altercation arising, Sewel went off a short distance and lived for some time in a hollow tree. Thus they were found in 1751- Martin in the cabin and Sewel in the tree-by John Lewis and his son, Andrew, who were exploring the country. They were, however, by that time ou friendly terms. Sewel soon afterwards moved forty miles
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west, and fell a prey to the Indians, and Martin returned to the set- tlement.
After this brief excursion beyond the frontier, let us return to the county seat. We have several times alluded to the twenty-five acres of land conveyed by Beverley to the county, April 24, 1746. In 1750, the County Court employed Andrew Lewis as surveyor, to lay off the tract in town lots, extending several existing streets, and opening new ones. The first street opened by Lewis, east of and parallel with Au- gusta, was called New street. The four main squares, constituting the heart of Staunton, were fixed by this survey, each square contain- ing two acres, and being divided into four lots of half an acre each. Three lots, of forty-eight poles each, were laid off between Court-house street and the creek. The court retained for the use of the county only two of the lots-the half acre on which the court-house stood, designa- ted on the plat as No. 2, and the lot of forty-eight poles, immediately opposite, across Court-lionse street, where the county jail now stands, designated as No. 1. The court-house was at the southwest corner of the lot on which it stood, and the jail on the southeast corner of the same lot.
The court appointed Andrew Lewis, Robert McClanahan and Robert Breckinridge, commissioners, to convey the lots to purchasers. Thomas Paxton purchased three lots for £8, ($26.663/3), viz: the half acre at southwest corner of Beverley and New streets, the corres- ponding lot diagonally opposite, and the lot of forty-eight poles, south- east corner of New and Court-house streets. Alexander McNutt pur- chased for £3 the lot of forty-eight poles adjoining and east of the present jail lot, where the Bell Tavern afterwards stood. The half acre lot, southeast corner of Augusta and Frederick streets, was pur- chased by Joseph Kennedy for £3. Robert McClanahan purchased two half acre lots,-northwest corner of Beverley and New Streets, (where the Wayne Tavern afterwards stood), and the northwest cor- ner of Conrt-house and New streets-for {2, 10S.
In giving possession of these lots, the old English custom of "livery of seizin" was practised, the commissioners and purchasers going on the premises, and the former delivering to the latter a hand- ful of earth in token of the delivery of the whole.
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