USA > Virginia > Washington County > Washington County > History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 > Part 7
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On Boon's creek in East Tennessee was found a tree upon which was found the following inscription : "D. Boon cilled a bar on this tree in the year 1760"; and near Long Island in Tennessee a tree was found in recent years upon which was the following inscription : "D. Boon killa bar on this tree 1773."
A block containing the last inscription was taken from this tree and is now in possession of Mrs. James W. Preston, of Abingdon, and establishes the fact that Daniel Boone was upon the waters of the Holston as early as 1760, and again in 1773.
A treaty of peace was conchided between the French and English at Fontainbleau, in 1762, by which the English acquired Canada and that portion of the Mississippi Valley east of that river, but
Daniel Boone and Boone Trees.
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peace was not concluded with the Indians until the next year. The Indians had become accustomed to bloodshed and greatly detested the Anglo-American settlers. They were greatly exasperated by the cession of Canada to the English and at the French for deserting them.
The Indians detested the Anglo-American settlers for the very evi- dent reason that they asserted title to all the lands lying upon the western waters, were building forts at various places upon the fron- tiers and manning them with British troops, and because their set- tlers were occupying the favorite hunting grounds of the Indians. The Indians, being deprived of the more moderate counsel of their French allies, therefore became more brutal and savage in their con- duct towards the settlers, and so active and intelligent were the Indians in conducting their campaigns against the settlements that all the land lying along the waters of the Mississippi was depopulated by July, 1763, except a small settlement at Draper's Meadows, on New river. The condition of the country at that time is best de- scribed by a letter of Col. Wm. Preston, which letter is here pub- lished.
The letter is dated Greenfield, 27th July, 1763. The writer says : "Our situation at present is very different from what it was when we had the pleasure of your company in this country. All the valleys of Roanoke river and along the waters of the Mississippi are depopulated, except Captain English with a few families on the New river, who have built a fort, among whom are Mr. Thompson and his family, alone remaining. They intend to make a stand till some as- sistance be sent them. Seventy-five of the Bedford militia went out in order to pursue the enemy, but I hear the officers and part of the men are gone home, and the rest gone to Reed creek to help in the family of James Davis and in two or three other families there that dare not venture to travel.
"I have built a little fort in which are eighty-seven persons, twenty of whom bear arms. We are in a pretty good posture of defence, and with the aid of God are determined to make a stand. In five or six other places in this part of the country they have fallen into the same method and with the same resolution. How long we may keep them is uncertain. No enemy have appeared here as yet. Their guns are frequently heard and their footing observed, which makes us believe they will pay us a visit. My two sisters and their families
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are here and all in good health. We bear our misfortunes so far with * * * and are in hopes of being relieved I have a thousand things * Captain Christian can't wait * *
* I give you joy." (The asterisks indicate parts of the letter torn out.)
In the year 1760, a party of Indians, numbering eight or ten, crossed the Blue Ridge and murdered a number of people in Bedford county, took several women and children prisoners and returned by way of New river.
A man in the New river settlement, while searching for stray horses, discovered the Indians encamped about six miles from the New river fort, of which information was given to William Inglis, who gathered sixteen or eighteen men and proceeded to attack the Indians, about daybreak the next morning. A considerable battle followed, in which one white man and seven Indians were killed, the rest of the Indians making their escape. Capt. Inglis and his men secured all the provisions and plunder of the Indians.
The western settlements for ten years enjoyed comparative peace from the Indians. The only trouble they had to contend with was from parties of thieving Indians that occasionally visited the settle- ments. The British Government previously to 1763 claimed the lands lying west of the Alleghany mountains by right of the discov- ery of John Cabot made in 1497, and at no time recognized the claims of the Indian inhabitants to these lands.
In the treaty concluded with France in 1762, while France ceded to England all her rights in this territory, still no provision was made for extinguishing the Indian title thereto, and the Indians denied the right of France to cede England these lands.
In March, 1764, a company of Indians visited the home of David Cloyd, about five miles west of the present Fincastle, Va., and tomahawked Mrs. Cloyd, killed John Cloyd, destroyed the entire household, and carried off a large sum of money that belonged to David Cloyd. Mrs. Cloyd lived until the next morning and told all the circumstances connected with the raid. Before dying she told how an Indian had taken up a cob and wiped the blood from her temples, exclaiming "Poor old woman !"
This company of Indians were pursued by a company of militia under Capt. James Montgomery, and one of the Indians was killed on John's creek about thirty miles from Cloyd's house, with £137 18s. on his person. A dispute arose among the militia as to the
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ownership of the money and it was deposited in the hands of Capt. James Montgomery until the matter should be decided.
We here insert a copy of the court records, which best explains the matter.
In Augusta County Court, August Term, 1766.
David Cloyd VS. Recover goods taken by Indians.
.Plaintiff,
James Montgomery, Defendant.
We agree that a party of Indians made an Irruption into the Colony, attacked the Plaintiff's House, rifled it and bore off up- wards of £200 in gold and silver and several household goods and negroes.
We agree that a party of the militia pursued the enemy and over- took them on John's creek, a branch of the James river, at the dis- tance of 30 or 35 miles from the Plaintiff's House, and attacked and killed one of the number.
We agree that upon searching the Indian's Budgett a quantity of gold, some dollars and pieces of small silver were found, which upon being weighed amounted to the sum of £137 18s.
We agree that the money found in the budgett of the Indians consisted of the same coins which the Plaintiff was known to have in his house when plundered by the Indians.
We agree that after the money was recovered from the Indians a dispute arose among the militia to whom the money of right be- longed, whether it should be delivered to the Pltff. who was deemed to have been the owner of it before it fell into the hands of the Indians, or whether the militia were entitled to it as having recov- ered it from them, upon which dispute that sum of money was lodged in the hands of the Defendant to be by him kept till that point should be settled.
We agree that the Plaintiff made an offer of 30 shillings to each of the men who had assisted in the pursuit of the Enemy.
We agree that a part of the Company of Militia made an offer to the Plaintiff of delivering up his negroes and household goods if he would allow them the money.
We agree that the Defendant paid the sum of money out of his hands to the Militia and that several of them returned their divi- dends to the Plaintiff amounting to the sum of £106.17.2.
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We agree that the Plaintiff paid to several of the captors who returned him their dividends the sum of 30s. the premium by him before offered for their service.
We agree that if the law be for the Plaintiff that Judgment be entered for him for the sum of £31.0.10, if the Law be for the Defendant we agree that Judgment be entered for him.
GABRIEL JONES, Atty. for Pltff. PETER HOGG, Atty. for Deft.
We have no further account of Indians invading Southwest Vir- ginia, until the year 1764, at which time a party of Indians came up Sandy and on to New river, where they divided, one party go- ing towards the settlements at Roanoke and Catawba, the other to the settlement on Jackson river. The company of Indians that went towards the Roanoke settlement were accidentally discovered by Captain Paul and a company of twenty men, at midnight, on the New river, near the mouth of Indian creek. Capt. Paul's men fired upon the Indians, killing three and wounding many others; the rest fled and escaped. It is hard to depict the effect of these terri- ble scenes upon the settlers of Western Virginia. Among the pri- soners rescued by Capt. Paul was a Mrs. Green, who knew Capt. Paul and recognized his voice. She was mistaken for an Indian squaw by one of Capt. Paul's men, who was in the act of tomahawk- ing her, when she called the name of Capt. Paul, which saved her alive.
She was asked why she made no resistance; to which she replied, "I would as soon die as not ; my husband is murdered, my children slain, my parents are dead ; I have not a relative in America, every- thing dear to me is gone. I have no wishes, no hopes, no fears. I would not rise to my feet to save my life."
The English Government was exceedingly anxious to secure peace with the Indians, and this year Col. Boquet published a royal proclamation forbidding the whites to settle or hunt west of the Alleghany mountains ; which read as follows: "And we do strictly enjoin and require all persons whatsoever, who have, either will- fully or inadvertently, seated themselves upon any lands within the Countries above described (West of the Alleghany mountains), or upon any other lands which not having been ceded to, or purchased by us, are still reserved to said Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to
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remove themselves from said settelments." This proclamation was issued in October, 1764, but it failed to accomplish the object in view, and thereupon, in the year 1765, two armed movements were made into the Indian Territory, the one to Lake Erie and the other to the Muskingum. Two treaties were made with the Indians in the autumn of this year, one at Niagara and the other at the Mus- kingum. The treaty signed at the Muskingum was negotiated by Col. Boquet with the Delaware and Shawnese Indians. At the time of the signing of this treaty, Col. Boquet received from the Indians two hundred and six prisoners, ninety Virginians from West Augusta and one hundred and sixteen Pennsylvanians.
And thus was concluded at the end of ten years of hard fighting the French-Indian war, which began in 1754.
If the British Government was candid in the promulgation of the proclamation of 1763, she thereby admitted the claims of the Indians, and accomplished nothing as a result of the ten years' war with the French and Indians just closed.
After the publication of this proclamation, the citizens of the Colonies became criminals when they, in any way, trespassed upon any of the lands on the waters of the Mississippi. Nevertheless, the frontier hunters and the western settlers proceeded with their explorations as if that proclamation had never been issued, and some historians go as far as to say that even the leading public men of that day did not consider this proclamation binding, but as only intended to appease the apprehensions of the Indians, but in this opinion we cannot join.
Whatever may have been the intention of the proclamation, it is certain that its effect was to greatly retard the settlements of the lands west of the mountains.
The "Loyal Land Company" on the 25th day of May, 1763, peti- tioned the Governor and Council for a renewal and confirmation of the grant made to them for 800,000 acres of land by the Gov- ernor and Council of Virginia in 1749, but their petition was de- nied, upon the ground that they were restricted by his Majesty's instructions from renewing or confirming the grant. From this action of the Governor and Council of Virginia, it may be well said, all the surveys made upon the waters of the Holston and Clinch rivers by James Patton, Dr. Thomas Walker and others, and all the patents issued therefor were void, for the reason that
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the King of England had no right to grant to any of his subjects lands belonging to the Indians.
Nevertheless, Dr. Walker, agent for the "Loyal Land Company," and the devisees of Col. James Patton, immediately proceeded to survey and sell lands upon the waters of the Holston and Clinch rivers, under their grants, as if they had never been restrained from so doing by the proclamation of 1763 and by the action of the Governor and Council of Virginia, and by the 16th day of Decem- ber, 1773, Dr. Walker, as agent for the "Loyal Company," had actually surveyed and disposed of to purchasers 1,756 tracts of land containing 156,164 acres; and this, in addition to the lands sur- veyed in the years 1753-'54-making a total of 201,554 acres out of the 800,000 acres granted.
In the year 1766, Dr. Walker, as agent for the "Loyal Com- pany," caused advertisements to be distributed through several of the States, north and south, requesting all persons who had contracted for any of the company's land and were driven off their settlements in the former war, to return and claim the same or it would be sold to others. The Legislature of Virginia, in the fall of the year 1778, confirmed the acts of Dr. Walker in the premises to the extent stated, but declined to allow the company any fur- ther time or to survey any further lands under this grant. At the same session of the General Assembly of Virginia William Pres- ton and William Thompson, executors of James Patton, deceased, were authorized to complete the grant of 120,000 acres of land made by James Patton, under his grant, and to execute deeds to the purchasers therefor.
Nathaniel Gist, a noted Indian trader, in the year 1761, pur- chased from the Cherokee Indians the Great Island lying in the Holston river, known as Long Island, and claimed the same, under his grant from the Indians, and in the year 1777 he peti- tioned the Legislature of Virginia to confirm the title thereto to him. What action the Legislature took upon this petition cannot be ascertained, but it may be presumed that the Legislature de- clined his request, as on the 24th day of June, 1776, the General Assembly of Virginia, with the approval of the Governor, "Resolved, That no purchase of lands within the chartered limits of Virginia shall be made under any pretense whatever, from any Indian tribe or nation, without the approval of the Virginia Legislature."
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This island was a favorite resort of the Indians, and seemed to have been anxiously sought after by Richard Pearis and Na- thaniel Gist, probably two of the best Indian spies and hunters we read of in our early history. From the conclusion of the French- Indian war in December, 1764, until February 13, 1770, nothing of importance occurred beyond the visits of the Long Hunters and the surveyors for the land companies, a few settlements being made.
In the year 1765, John Campbell, who afterwards became clerk of the County Court of Washington county, visited the waters of the Holston with Dr. Walker, and purchased for his father, David Campbell, and himself, from John Buchanan, a large tract of land near the head waters of the Holston river, containing 740 acres, called "Royal Oak,"* and, being the same tract of land surveyed for John Buchanan on the 14th day of October, 1747.
Among the settlers that came this year (1768) was Joseph Mar- tin, a daring and enterprising backwoodsman. He was accom- panied by a band of from twenty to thirty men, and led them to Powell's Valley, now in Lee county, Va., where they erected a fort upon the north side of a creek, near two fine springs of water, which fort and creek were thereafter called Martin's Fort and Martin's Creek. The shape of the fort was a parallelogram which enclosed about one-half an acre of ground. There were some five or six cabins built about twenty feet apart, with strong stockades between them, and in these stockades there were port-holes. Here they cleared the land and planted corn and other vegetables. In the latter part of the summer of this year the Indians broke them up, and the settlers returned to the waters of the Holston. Mar- tin's Fort was not occupied after the Revolutionary War.
Several years thereafter John and Arthur Campbell, accom- panied by their sister, Margaret, came out and settled at Royal Oak, and in the year 1769 David Campbell, the father, with his wife and sons, James, David, Robert and Patrick, and his daugh- ters, Mary, Martha, Sarah and Ann, came out and settled at the same place.
In the year 1766, a party of hunters visited the Clinch Valley, and two of their number, Carr and Butler, decided to remain. They built a cabin at a place afterwards known as "Crab Or-
*Near Marion, Va.
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chard," about three miles west of Tazewell Courthouse. In the year 1:69. Carr separated from Butler and settled on a beautiful piece of land two miles east of Tazewell Courthouse.
While many prospective settlers visited this section previously to 1769, but few permanent settlements were made because of the fact that the Indians claimed, and the English Government ad- mitted their right to all the lands lying west of the mountains. but the frontiers were lined with prospective settlers anxious for an opportunity to take possession of and settle the new land. Great numbers of emigrants were impatiently waiting along the fron- tiers for an opportunity to make a rush for new homes on the waters of the Mississippi.
The British Government recognized the fact that it could not much longer restrain the people and protect the Indians in their rights, and early in the spring of 1768 Sir William Johnson was directed by the home government to negotiate a treaty with the Delaware and the Shawnese Indians. John Stuart, the superintend- ent of Indian affairs, about the same time was directed to negotiate a treaty with the Southern Indians, extinguishing their rights to the much-desired land. Sir William Johnson, pursuant to order, appointed a Congress for the meeting of the Six Nations with the commissioners of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, at Fort Stanwix, near Oswego, New York, on October 24, 1768. The Con- gress met pursuant to order, and on November 5, 1768, a treaty was negotiated with the Indians, by which they conveyed unto the British Sovereign, Lord King George III, all of a certain tract of land situated in North America at the back of the British settle- ments, the deed being in the words and figures following, to-wit :
TO ALL to whom these presents may come, or may concern : We the Sachems & Chiefs of the Six United Nations and of the Shaw- nese. Delawares. Mingoes, of Ohio and other dependent Tribes. on behalf of ourselves and the rest of our several Nations, the Chiefs and Warriors who are now here convened by Sir William Johnson. Baronet. His Majesty's Superintendent of our Affairs, send greet- ing. Whereas His Majesty was graciously pleased to propose to us in the year 1765, that a Boundary line should be fixed between the English and us, to ascertain and establish our limits and prevent those encroachments of which we have so long and so loudly com- plained. and to put a stop to the many fraudulent advantages
-
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which had been so often taken of us in Land affairs, which Bound- ary appearing to us as a wise and good measure, we did then agree to a part of a line and promised to settle the whole finally whenso- ever Sir Wm. Johnson should be fully empowered to trade with us for that purpose. And whereas his said Majesty has at length given Sir William Johnson orders, Sir William Johnson has convened the Chiefs and Warriors of our respective Nations, who are the true and absolute proprietors of the lands in question and who are here now to a very considerable number, and whereas many uneasinesses and doubts have arisen amongst us, which have given rise to appre- hension that the line may not be strictly observed on the part of the English, in which case matters might be worse than before, which apprehensions together with the dependent state of some of our Tribes, and other circumstances which retarded the settlement and became the subject of some debate, Sir Wm. Johnson has at length so far satisfied us as to induce us to come to an agreement concerning the line, which brought to a conclusion. The whole being explained to us in a large assembly of our people, and before Sir William Johnson, and in the presence of his Excellency the Governor of New Jersey, the Commissioners for the Provinces of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and sundry other gentlemen, by which line, so agreed upon, a considerable tract of country along several provinces is to be thus ceded to his Majesty which we are induced to and do ratify and confirm to his said Majesty, from the expectation and confidence we place in his royal goodness, and he will graciously comply with our humble request, as the same is expressed in the speech of the several Nations addressed to his Ma- jesty through Sir William Johnson, on Tuesday the first of the pres- ent month of November, wherein we have declared our expectations of the continuance of his Majesty's favor, and our desire that our ancient engagements be observed and our affairs attended to by the officer who has the management thereof, enabling him to dis- charge all these matters properly for our interest. That the lands occupied by the Mohocks around their villages, as well as by any other Nation affected by this our cession, may effectually remain to them and to their posterity, and that any engagements regard- ing property that they may now be under, may be prosecuted and our present grants deemed valid on our parts, with the several other humble requests contained in our speech. And whereas at the set-
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tling of the said line, it appears that the line described by his Majesty's order, was not extended Northward of Oswego, or to the Southward of Great Kanawha River, we have agreed to con- tinue the line to the Northward, on the supposition that it was omit- ted by reason of our not having come to any determination con- cerning its course at the Congress held in 1765, inasmuch as the "line to the Northward became the most necessary of any for pre- venting the encroachments at our very towns and residences, and we have given this line more favorable to Pennsylvania for the reasons and considerations mentioned in the treaty. We have like- wise continued it South to Cherokee River,"* because the same is and we do declare it to be our true bounds with the Southern In- dians, and that we have undoubted right to the country as far south as that River, which makes our cession to his Majesty much more advantageous than that proposed.
NOW THEREFORE KNOW YE, that we, the Sachems and Chiefs beforementioned, native Indians and proprietors of the lands here- inafter described, for and in behalf of ourselves and the whole of our Confederacy, for the consideration hereinbefore mentioned and also for and in consideration of a valuable present of the sev- eral articles in use and among the Indians, which, together with a large sum of money, amounting in the whole to the sum of £10,460 7s 3 pence, sterling, to us now delivered and paid by Sir William Johnson, Baronet, his Majesty's Sole Agent and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, for the Northern Department of America, in the name and on behalf of our Sovereign Lord, George Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, De- fender of the Faith, the receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge, we the said Indians have for us, our heirs and successors, granted, bargained, sold, released and confirmed, and by these presents, do grant, bargain, sell, release and confirm, unto our said Sovereign Lord, King George Third, all that tract of land situated in North America at the back of the British settlements bounded by a line which we have now agreed upon, and do hereby establish as the boundary between us and the British Colonies in America, begin- ning at the mouth of the Cherokee or Hogohegee River, where it empties into the River Ohio, and running from thence along the - Southern side of the said River to Kittanning, which is above Fort
*Holston river.
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Pitt, from thence by a direct line to the nearest fork of the West Branch of the Susquehanna, thence through the Alleghany Moun- tains along the Southern side of the said West Branch until it comes opposite to the mouth of a creek called Tiadgton, thence across the West Branch, and along the South Side of that creek and along the North side of the Burnett Hills to a creek called Awandae, thence down the same to the East side of that River to Oswego, from thence East to the Delaware River, and up that River to opposite where Tianadhera flows into the Susquehanna, thence to Tianahedra and up the West side thereof, and the West side of its West Branch to the head thereof, and thence by a direct line to Canada Creek, where it empties into the Wood Creek at the West End of the carrying place, beyond Fort Stanwix, and extend- ing Eastward from every part of the said line as far as the lands formerly purchased so as to comprehend the whole of the lands or settlement, except what is within the Province of Pennsylvania, to- gether with the hereditaments, and appurtenances to the same be- longing or appertaining in the fullest and most ample manner, and all the Estate, Right, Title, Interest, Property, possession, Benefit and claim and demand, either in law or equity, of each and every one of us, in and of the same, or any part thereof, to have and to hold, the whole lands and premises hereby granted, bargained, sold, released and confirmed as aforesaid with the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging, under the reservations made in the Treaty, unto our Sovereign Lord, King George Third, his heirs and successors to and for his and their behoof forever.
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