USA > Virginia > Tazewell County > Tazewell County > History of the Settlement and Indian Wars of Tazewell County, Virginia: With a Map, Statistical. > Part 6
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Inula helenium ... . Elecampane. Iris versicolor (sev-
eral species). .. Blue flag. Juglans cinerea .. . Butternut. Juniperus sabina. . Savin.
Kalmia latifolia. . . Broad leaf laurel.
" angustifolia.Narrow l'fed laurel.
Leontodon taraxa-
cum .. Dandelion. Lepidum virginic .. Wild peppergrass. Lilium (several spe-
cies) ........... Lily.
Linum usitatissim.Flax. Liriodendron tulip- ifera White poplar tree. Lobelia cardinalis. Cardinal flower.
" inflata ... . Indian Tobacco.
" syphilitica. ..
Lonicera caprifo-
lium Honeysuckle.
Lonicera flava.
. Yel'w honeysuckle
Macrotrys racemosa. Cohash-rattlew'd
Magnolia glauca ... Swamp laurel. " acuminata. Cucumber tree.
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SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.
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(LINK MAN DESIGNATION.) (COMMON NAMER.) . (LINKMAN DESIGNATION.) (COMMON NAME)
Magnolia tripetala. Umbrella tree. Malva rotundifolia.Low mallows.
Prunus virginiana. Wild cherry tree. domestica
(3 varieties) ..... Plum tree.
Marubium vulgare. Hoarhound. Melissa officinalis . Balm.
Pycanthemum in- canum ........ Mountain mint.
Mentha borealis. . . Horsemint.
" piperita. . . Peppermint.
" viridis .... . Spearmint.
Pyrola umbellata .. Wintergreen, or
pipsissiwa.
alatus. . . Sq. stemmed do. Morus nigra ....... Black mulberry. Nepeta cataria .... Catmint.
Nicotiana rustica. . Common tobacco.
Nyssa multiflora. . Black lynn.
ŒEnothera biennis. Primrose.
Quercus alba ...... White oak.
« tinctoria .. Black oak.
bannisteri Scrub oak.
Ostrya virginica. . . Hornbeam.
Panax quinquefolia. Ginseng.
Pelargonium triste. Mourning gera'm.
castanea. . Chestnut oak.
Phytolacca decan- dria Poke-weed.
Ranunculis acris .. . Crowfoot. Rhododendron mas
imum
.Wild rosebay.
" balsamea ..
.. American silver fir. Rhus glabrum.
Sleek sumach.
Plantago major. .. . Plantain.
" vernix.
Poison sumach.
" toxicodendron " ivy.
tatum . . . . . . .. May apple.
Polygala senega ... Seneca snake root. Polygonum avicu-
Ribes triflorum .... Wild gooseberry. Robinia pseudoac. . Locust tree. Rosa parviflora ... Wild rose.
" damascena .. . Damask rose.
"
canina ....
.Dog rose.
"
centifolia ... . Hundred leaf'd r'se.
Rubus occidentalis.Black raspberry.
Portulacca oleracea
Primula farinosa. . Primrose.
Prunella vulgaris. . Fine weed.
Pycanthemum lini- folium .......... Virginia thyme.
Mimulus ringens. . Monkey flower.
Pyrus coronaria .. Crab apple.
communis (many kinds) ... Pear.
Pyrus mallus (ma- ny kinds) ...... Apple.
Origanum vulgare .. Wild marjoram.
Orobanche uniflora. Cancer root.
rubra .... Red oak.
coccinea. . Scarlet oak.
Pinus canadensis. . Hemlock tree.
Podophyllum pel-
lare .. .Knot-grass.
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Malva Crispa .....
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SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.
(LINN MAN DESIGNATION.) (COMMON NAME.)
Rubus trivialis. ... Dewberry. " strigosus. . . Red raspberry.
Rumex ascetosellus. Field sorrel.
" pratense. Red clover. Trillium pendulum.Nodding wakero- bin.
" crispus .... Dock.
Salix viminalis ... Osier-bask't wi'w. erectum
" babylonica. Weeping willow.
flova. . Yellow weeping "
Tussilago farfara. . Coltsfoot. Ulmus americana. . White elm.
Sambucus canaden- sis. . Black berried alder.
fulva ..... Slippery elm.
Sambucus
pubes- '
cens .. . Red .€
Scabiosa stellata .. . Star scabious.
" atropurpurea.Sweet "
Verbascum thapsus. Mullein.
Verbena hastata .. . Vervain.
Scheuchzeria pal-
ustris Flowering rush.
Veronica officinalis.Speedwell.
Viola (nine species). ..
Scutellaria galericu- lata .. . Common scull cap. Vitis vulpina ..... Winter grape.
Silene virginica .. . Pink catchfly.
" æstivalis ... . Summer grape.
" labruscoides. Fox grape.
Sirea apulifolia .... Nine bark, or snow- Zanthoxylum frax-
ball.
ineum
Prickly ash.
Tanacetum vulgare. Tansy.
In this list the botanist will find many plants not generally supposed to grow in mountainous districts; while the medical gentleman will agree with me, that nature seems to have made this county the home of the most important medicinal plants in her materia medica. The following remarks, I quote from an address to the public, by the author, prefacing the consti- tution and by-laws of the Jeffersonville Historical Society, and published in 1851.
"The Botany of western Virginia is not surpassed by that
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Solidago bicolor .. White golden-rod.
(LINK RAN DESIGNATION.) (COMMON NAICH.)
Trifolium repens . White clover.
(several species).False wakerobin.
Uraspermum clay- toni ... .Sweet cicely. Veratrum viride . . . White hellebore.
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LIVE STOCK.
of any other section in the temperate zones. 'This region,' as Torrey says, 'may be called a garden of medicinal plants.'"
Ornamental, as well as medicinal plants, are here scattered with a profuse hand. To every disease of this region, nature seems to have furnished a remedy. If in any country botany can be studied with advantage, it is here; for flowers of the same class, genera, and species, are blooming for several months. Those in the valleys first, and those found upon the ascent of the mountains, later. Many have been the pleasant days which I have spent in botanical rambles on these moun- tains, where from frost till frost flowers are ever found.
CHAPTER VIII.
LIVE STOCK.
I HAVE not space to treat this subject at that length, which its importance demands, nor is it necessary to go into details, as the people of Tazewell seem awake to their interest, which is closely connected with this subject. When the stock markets of the east are dull, business is seriously affected in this county; the export of stock, constituting a principal source of wealth (see Commerce). The live stock of the county, is valued at 517,330 dollars, and it probably greatly exceeds that sum. My calculations are based upon the census returns for June 1850, since which time, a year and & half has passed, and, of course, has proportionally in-
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LIVE STOCK.
creased, so that if their valuation was now stated to be 600,000, dollars I should perhaps be within the bounds of truth. There is no subject more interesting to a majority of farmers, but want of space compels me to leave its perfect elucidation to others better qualified for the task.
HORSES.
Tazewell has long been celebrated for its fine horses. The principal breeds in the county, are the Tamoleon, Yorick, Packalet, Cooper, and Trueblue.
The Tamoleons are celebrated for their riding qualities, and when crossed with the cultivator, are, perhaps, equal to any in the United States. They are very docile, and easily kept in good order. They are sorrel, with flax mane and tail, and with the exception of a few small defects about the head, are fine specimens of the species.
The Yorick breed, are generally black, rather small, well muscled, fiery, and make excellent saddle-horses. They are remarkable for having sprung from Yorick, the bitter foe of the Indians (see History of Moore Family-Book, III).
The Packalet was introduced into Tazewell from Botetourt county, Va. Most of the fine grays, seen in our county, are of this stock. They are fine harness horses, and are not much inferior to others, if used under the saddle.
The Coopers and Trueblues are, also, quite numerous, and with many, are favorite breeds.
If we except the Arabians, no people are fonder of fine horses, than those of Tazewell. Boys, from an early age,
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LIVE STOCK.
manifest great partiality for them. They are generally good judges of a horse, and have them well used. From the character of the country, the labors of a horse are slavish. They bear a good price, first class horses selling from one hundred and fifty, to one hundred and sixty dollars, and second class selling from one hundred, to one hundred and twenty-five dollars. There are upward of 5,000 in the county : about 200 are annually driven south and east. , Much money is made by buying and selling in the county ; but those who drive them off, generally lose, prices being too high, at home, to admit of speculation, when driven to a distance.
MULES.
There are but few in the county, though their culture is beginning to engage public attention. Our climate and pastures seem every way calculated to produce as fine mules, as any part of Kentucky. They require little or no feeding, and will, therefore, yield greater profits than horses, which require more or less grain, during the entire winter. It seems difficult to convince the older farmers, that they are as able to perform the labors of the farm as the horse. Time will, however, convince them that this objection is futile. They should be raised for exportation, as they require as little care as cattle, and yield much greater profits.
CATTLE.
There is nowhere to be found, a country better adapted to grazing cattle than this county. The grass is said to be
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LIVE STOCK.
superior, both in abundance and quality, by all stock dealers. About 7,000 head are annually driven to market; but on which, like all other live stock, great losses are sometimes sustained. This could not be otherwise, while markets are at such a distance.
The improved, are the long and short horned Durham and Devon. A majority of the cattle in the county are, however, of the unimproved, or native stock, which are less, and do not bear so good a price as the improved.
Three year old steers, are worth from twelve to sixteen dollars, according to the scarcity, and the reported demand in market. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 18,000 in the county. A part of those driven from the .county, are bought up in Kentucky and Tennessee during the fall, wintered and kept till September, when they are taken to market.
SHEEP.
There are only about 20,000 head of sheep in the county, and these suffered to run at large on the mountains, without shepherds, subject to the mercy of the wolves and dogs. It is no unusual thing for great numbers to be killed in the spring. The owners pay but little attention to them, and do not even make them as profitable as they might be made.
There are few improved flocks : but the small, unimproved, are here a superior sheep. About 25,000 pounds of wool are annually taken, and a major part exported. It is to be re- gretted, that our farmers have paid so little attention to wool
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COMMERCE.
growing. I am well convinced, that the same amount of capital invested in sheep, that is invested in cattle, would pay a much better profit. No county in the state is better adapted to the rearing of sheep, than this-a poor sheep being seldom seen.
HOGS.
There are 21,000 in the county, though not over 500 are annually driven to maket. 10,000 pounds are baconed, a portion of which is sold to the adjoining counties of Wash- ington and Smyth. Hogs do not seem to thrive so well here as formerly, owing, no doubt, to the uncertainty, and some- times scarcity of the chestnut and acorn crops. The markets are in Eastern Virginia. There are not goats sufficient to require notice. :
CHAPTER IX.
COMMERCE OF TAZEWELL.
CONSIDERING the population of Tazewell, its commerce is rather extensive. To give a correct idea of its growth I shall be compelled to turn back from the present to an early period. It has been elsewhere stated, that during the first years of settlement, all goods were brought from the east on pack- horses. The goods then imported were pottery, and hard- ware, consisting of axes, knives and forks, pocket-knives, hammers, saws, chisels, etc. Neither groceries nor dry
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COMMERCE.
goods, found a place on the list of importations. After the peace of 1783, the list was enlarged. Hitherto almost every- thing had been paid for in peltries, a currency much easier acquired by the frontiermen, and much less liable to depre- ciation, than the continental money then in circulation.
There being at this time, no roads over which wagons could pass, of course the task of importation was tedious, and sometimes uncertain. From all appearances, none thought it scarcely creditable, that in the short space of half a century, so great a change would have been made. An incident related to me by Mr. Samuel Witten, seems to the point :-
James Witten, one of the early settlers, whose keen judg- .ment had led him to expect that this county was, at some future time, destined to be the seat of a free, happy, and inde- pendent people, one day at a house-raising jocosely inquired of his comrades, what they would think, if in twenty-five years, wagons actually came into the county, and passed along the very valley in which they were at work? The rest of the company laughed at the idea, nor could the old man persuade them, that such a thing would take place even in fifty years. Yet, in a few years-much less than twenty-five, the road was made, and wagons passed over the very spot predicted by Mr. Witten, to the no small wonder of the older people, and terror of the children.
The road, however, was not what would now be expected by the name. From this time, the roads continued to im- prove, and the importation of goods to increase. They were
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COMMERCE.
then wagoned from Philadelphia, one wagon-load generally supplying the whole county. About the year 1800, a sack of coffee, for the first, time was brought into the county. It was kept by Mr. Graham, the merchant, a year and a half, and sent back as being altogether unsaleable. Yet the sons and daughters of these very people, now consume not far from 50,000 pounds in a single twelve-month.
The opening of the Fincastle and Cumberland Gap turn- pike in 183-, furnished another market to the merchant; goods were now purchased in the northern cities, and shipped to Lynchburg, and were thence brought to the county by wagons. About fifteen days is the usual time which elapses from the day of loading in Lynchburg, to the time of arrival in Jeffersonville. Freight is about two dollars and fifty cents per cwt. There is now brought into the county annually, dry goods and groceries to the amount of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The percentage on goods sold here is considerable, owing partly to the freight, and to the credit system which prevails.
Feathers, beeswax, ginseng, hides, tallow, butter, and wool, are usually bought by the merchants, or bartered for goods. We have no market for wheat, corn, potatoes, oats, hay, buckwheat, or barley.
Cattle are driven to the north-eastern part of the state, and sold to speculators, who fatten and dispose of them in Balti- more, and the northern cities. Hogs are usually driven to the east and south-east part of the state. Horses are driven south and east-generally into North Carolina. Much of
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COMMERCE.
the live stock is bought on credit, and paid for upon the return , of the drovers. This accounts for the credit system of the county, The merchants have claims upon the people of the county, for upward of one hundred and forty thousand dollars, but this is a small sum, when we consider that the stock trade alone, brings to the county every year upward of one hundred and ten thousand dollars.
As soon as the Virginia and Tennessee railroad has been completed to Wythville (which will be during the year 1852), this over-balancing will be in favor of the farmer, in place of the merchant. The percentage on importations will not be so great, and the expense of exporting will likewise be lessened. The grains will find a market, and many farmers will buy most of their necessaries themselves. Instead of driving cattle to the N. E. counties of Virginia, they will, most likely, be driven to Saltville, slaughtered, pickled up, and sent to a different market. It is to be greatly lamented that efficient steps have not been taken to get a branch from the main road extending into Tazewell county. Could the central road pass us and go to the mouth of Big Sandy river, as it should, we should also find a market for our coal, which is exhaustless, and of the finest quality.
There is at no time over twenty thousand dollars, in active circulation in the county. Large amounts of small bills, issues of the Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington City, and North Carolina banks, are to be seen; and though it is a violation of the laws, to receive or pass them, no attention is paid to it, either by the people or the commonwealth
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HOME MANUFACTURES.
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HOME MANUFACTURES.
Linsey, jeans, tow-linen, flax-thread, hose, and carpeta, are the principal home manufactures of this county: tre- value of which, according to the census report, is twenty-five: thousand four hundred dollars. I have no data from which to estimate the amount of either, but am satisfied that jeans and linsey, stand first in valuation. Tow-linen, which sells for about ten cents per yard, does not cost the Tazewell manufacturer far short of thirty cents. A like statement might be made about the whole list.
These articles are manufactured at the houses of the farmers, their plantations supplying all the materials, except cotton, which is imported from North Carolina, spun and put up in bales. Wool is carded by machines in the county, and spun by hand. The weaving is done on the common hand-loom. House furniture, of nearly all kinds, is manu- factured in the county. Saddles, boots, shoes, iron-work, etc., is also done here. Lumber of the finest quality, may here be had, for the trouble of cutting it.
When speaking of the loss attending home manufactures I have been more than once told, that "this kind of work is done by women when they could do nothing else." To such, I again say, if I have made a correct statement, they had better cease labor. Beside, I have yet to find a woman who can do nothing else but weave and spin. Why send our children to school, if their mothers have time to educate them? We should at least save tuition fee. Let the educa- tion of our youths be intrusted to women, and I venture to
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HOME MANUFACTURES.
affirm, that they will become as learned and pious, as under the instruction of men. Woman is eminently qualified to instill christianity in the plastic minds of children; and her very nature fits her to enter into the sympathies of child- hood, when men disregard them. It is time that the yard- stick, tapestring, and rule, be transferred into their hands, and the masculine part of the race betake themselves to pursuits more manly, and better calculated to develop the talents God has given them.
I would not be called an advocate for petticoat government, but I would make woman my equal and restore to her, her natural rights. I would have her share, in common with man, the business transactions of life, and thus afford her fields of labor in which to develop her god-like faculties. To see a feminine, soft-handed clerk measuring lace, while a rosy-cheeked girl is chopping wood to make him a fire, induces me to think man has forgotten from whence he sprung.
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EDUCATION.
CHAPTER X. EDUCATION.
THE following article is the substance of a report made by Mr. Rufus Brittain, a competent teacher of this county, to the Jeffersonville Historical Society. It is so true that no apol- ogy is needed here for inserting it. I presume that few will be found who will dissent from his opinions.
Yet, I fear, few there are, as ready to act as Mr. Brittain. A thousand reasons might be adduced for properly educating the children of this county, and from signs now becoming vis- ible, it is to be hoped that many years will not elapse before Tazewell will be ranked foremost in this best of causes. To properly educate the children of the county between the ages of six and twenty years, we need upward of seventy school- houses. We have now about fifteen, which are better suited for barns than seats of learning.
The increased interest now manifesting itself for the cause of popular education, is mostly among the younger persons. The present generation must pass away before we can expect a general diffusion of knowledge.
Mr. Brittain says :
"This cause, so important to the best interests of every well-regulated community, has not heretofore, in this section, received that attention it deserves : and as a natural conse- quence of this neglect, we find the county sadly deficient in the 8
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EDUCATION.
means of training up the children of her citizens for stations of honor and usefulness.
" By the returns of the last census, it is found that out of 3,317 persons in the county over twenty-one years of age, 1490 are unable to read and write. This is indeed a deplora- ble picture of the intelligence of our county, and might well cause every intelligent man in it to blush with shame, were it not that we find some excuse for this ignorance when we con- sider the situation of the greater portion of our population, scattered as it is over a wide extent of country, and labor- ing under great disadvantages for maintaining schools.
" The early settlers of this region had many difficulties to encounter in their efforts to procure homes for themselves and their children, and too frequently education appears to have been of but secondary importance in their estimation. Yet primary schools of some sort seem to have been maintained from an early date after its settlement, in those neighborhoods where children were sufficiently numerous to make up a school, and parents were able and willing to support a teacher. Instances, also, have not been wanting where families not situated so as to unite conveniently with others, yet appreciat- ing the advantages of a good school, have employed teachers to instruct their children at home, and thus afforded them privileges of which the children of their less enlightened neighbors were deprived. But of later years, since portions of the county have become more densely populated, and in various ways much improved, the cause of education here has not kept pace with that improvement, for even in those parts
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EDUCATION.
of the county best able to maintain schools, no permanent provi- sion has been made for their continuance : and in those schools that generally have been best supported, long intervals between sessions so frequently occur, that pupils forget much of what they had acquired during their attendance ; and thus the little time spent by many in school is spent under the greatest disadvan- tage for the proper development of their intellectual faculties. Teachers, as might be supposed, under these circumstances, together with the fact that their compensation is usually very moderate, are often incompetent for the task they have as- sumed, both as respects talents and acquired qualifications. And though under these circumstances good teachers are sometimes obtained, yet most generally in such cases the office is only assumed as an available stepping-stone to some other and more profitable pursuit. Indeed, it would be un- reasonable to expect persons to prepare themselves for the proper discharge of the onerous duties of a primary school- teacher, unless they hoped to receive some adequate reward for their services.
"Now in consideration of the state of our schools, and the deplorable ignorance in which the children of our county are in danger of growing up, it must be evident to all who think properly on these subjects, that we need to adopt and carry out some efficient school system, by means of which, our schools shall be made more permanent, and sufficient induce- ments be held out to command and retain the services of com- petent and well qualified teachers : and that the means of a good primary education be brought within the reach of every
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EDUCATION.
child in the community, and for those who desire it and excel in the branches taught in primary schools, that opportunities 'be afforded to acquire a knowledge of the higher branches of a good English and scientific education.
" These important objects, our schools, as now conducted, fail to accomplish, and the state school-fund for the education of indigent children, is in a great measure wasted, as by its regulations, it must depend chiefly on the schools as they now exist.
"But the legislature of the state has provided a Free School System, which if adopted and carried out with proper energy and in an enlightened manner, these noble objects, in a great measure, might be attained. In order to its adoption the law requires a vote in its favor of two-thirds of the legal votes of the adopting district or county. Such a vote, we fear, could not be obtained here, until some effort is made to enlighten our citizens on the subject of education and school systems ; and show them the advantages that would accrue to them- selves and their children by having the latter furnished with the proper means of moral and intellectual culture. There would also be a variety of difficulties to encounter in the exe- cution of this Free School System. In some portions of the county the population is quite sparse, and a sufficient number of children could not be included within a convenient school district. This difficulty, however, has no remedy under our present method of keeping up the schools, unless families thus isolated are able to employ teachers to instruct their children at home. But if schools were established in these thinly-set-
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EDUCATION.
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tled districts, by taking in boundaries large enough to furnish a sufficient number of children to each, and some efforts made to overcome the inconvenience of a distant school, by convey- ing the children to and from school in such a manner as could best be provided : the mere fact of a good school being kept up, would be a new inducement for persons to emigrate to those districts, and in a few years the population would so much increase that a school could be made up within conven- ient bounds. This system, also, being chiefly dependent on funds raised for its support by taxation, might meet with great opposition from those who have a higher appreciation of the value of money than they have of intelligence ; and, again, others who are possessed of large amounts of taxable property and few or no children to send to school, may think it op- pressive, unless convinced that it is the duty of every state or community to educate, or furnish the means to educate, the children of its citizens. In a republican government like ours, the permanence of which evidently depends on the vir- tue and intelligence of its citizens, it might be deemed unne- cessary to demonstrate the importance of every child being* properly instructed and furnished with the means of acquiring that knowledge which will fit him to perform the duties in- cumbent on a citizen of a free and enlightened country. Yet there are too many who are slow to perceive or acknowledge the importance of good schools, and the necessity of being at some trouble and expense to keep them up. Hence all patri- otic and intelligent members of the community who have tasted the blessings of an education, or felt the want of one,
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