Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia., Part 46

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.]
Number of Pages: 607

USA > Virginia > Frederick County > Frederick County > Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia. > Part 46

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Joseph, the youngest son of Joist Hite was born 1731. Old conveyances are executed by Joseph and Elizabeth, his wife. This is all that has been learned of his marriage, and as he and his wife died prior to 1758, leaving young chil- dren, this may be accepted as a good reason why his family record was not preserved. The will of his father is dated 1758, and Joseph is men- tioned as his deceased son, so this is conclusive; this will mentions but three of Joseph's children, though other records show that he had four, Joseph, Jr., being one, and he being the oldest child, inherited his father's estate and thus it is known that the children of Joseph and Elizabeth were Joseph Jr., born 1753, was Lieutenant of the 8th Virginia Regiment in 1778, resigned 1780; John, born 1754; William, born 1756, died 1828; Ann, born 1757. Joseph Jr. owned land in old Frederick County until 1815, when he removed to Kentucky. In 1761, Jacob Hite was appointed Guardian of Joseph, in 1774 Joseph Jr. made deeds for land to Thomas Hite, consideration 380 pounds; in 1776, he conveys land to John Hite, and also in 1778 when for the first time his wife joins in the deed. John Hite, second son of Joseph, was a merchant in Shepherdstown and a

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trustee in 1796. William, the third son, went to Kentucky and had a large family to survive him. No effort will be made to show who composed this family; this will be found in works of other writers on early settlers of Kentucky. Ann, the only daughter of Joseph Hite Sr., married Tho- mas Cartmell and moved to Kentucky. Joseph Hite Sr. and Jacob owned a large tract of land in the North end of Frederick County. Jacob con- veyed a large tract to Joseph in 1746; he was overseer of an important road in that section; on the 27th of Feb,. 1757, Joseph's widow and Jacob Hite were appointed by the Justices Court to administer on the estate of Joseph Hite "now recently deceased;" in the inventory of his estate returned by them to Court, they list : "two Dutch books-a bible, a psalter, testament, prayer-book, money scales, and 14 gallons of rye liquor": all these articles were used by this family doubtless just as the occasion demanded.

The Bowman Line

Having to a considerable extent given sketches of the sons of the elder Hite, as was stated in the preceding pages, there were three sons-in-law of Joist Hite who formed part of the first immi- gration, viz, Bowman, Chrisman and Froman, and a fuller mention would be given their families later on. Mary Hite, the eldest daughter of Joist and Anna Maria, married George Bowman prior to 1731, exact date not ascertained. He was be- yond any doubt a German; his signature appears among the old County records legibly written in German. Scribes for several years twisted it out of all appearance to the name popularly adopted by the family, to wit, Bowman. He chose for his homestead a heavily timbered section located on the North branch of the Sherando River; where he built a substantial house which con- tinued to be his home during his life. They reared a family of thirteen children, nearly all of whom grew to be men and women, and most of them were settled by their father on choice tracts of land, chiefly in Frederick and Dunmore Counties. Several went farther up the Valley, going as far as Augusta County (now Rocking- ham). The first child, John George Bowman, was born prior to their arrival in the new country. Joist, the applicant for his order to have the surveys made for the numerous families, men- tioned these married daughters and mentions the number composing the family to arrive. The Bowman's were accredited with one male child. Several statements have appeared that this first child was born in 1732 and died in 1749; the youngster may have arrived during the journey of the emigrant train at some point North of the Cohongoruta; at any rate, it must be accepted that he was a member of the family that his grandfather stated was to arrive and settle on his surveys. John Jacob, second son, born De-

cember 2, 1733, was killed in battle at Remson's Mill June 20, 1780. He was prominent in Ken- tucky, not only for his encounters with the In- dians, holding the rank of Captain; but was the first County Lieutenant of Kentucky County be- fore it was made a State; he married Grizel Greenlee. Emma Maria Bowman, born 1735: Elizabeth Bowman, born 1737, married Isaac Ru- dell, an officer under Gen. George Rogers Clarke: Johannes Bowman, born 1738, Sarah Bowman, born 1741, Regina Bowman, born 1743; Rebecca Bowman, born 1745, married George Briscoe: George Bowman, ninth child, born 1747; Abraham Bowman, tenth child, born Oct. 16, 1742, was Colonel of the famous 8th Virginia Regiment, known as the German regiment in the Revolu- tionary War. Joseph Bowman, born 1752, Maj. and second in command to Gen. George R. Clarke in the Vincennes Expedition, died at Vincennes of wounds, Aug. 14, 1779. His important and inter- esting journal of this Expedition, is in possession of the Kentucky Historical Society, from which the writer has derived much information; Cathe- rine Bowman, born 1757, died 1826 (twin), Isaac Bowman, born April 1757 (twin) ; he was in the Clarke Expedition and captured by Indians in Nov. 1779, afterwards escaped and later on returned to the old Bowman home, near Stras- burg, Va. Many interesting incidents of his severe trials, told by himself, have been preserved and would find place here, but for want of space ; he married Elizabeth Gatewood, issue, Philip, married Isabelle Richardson, moved to Indiana and left a large family; Abraham married- Overall; Catherine married Dr. Henry Richard- son; Susan, married Dr. John Richardson, issue, of Isaac Bowman by his second wife, Mary Chinn, Joseph, married Elizabeth Bowman, a cousin; John, married Miss Williams; Eliza, married Jo- seph Fauntleroy, Isaac Sydnor Bowman, married Eleanor B. Hite (See Jacob Hite's line) ; George Bowman, married Elizabeth Hupp; Robert, mar- ried Phillippa Glasscock; Mary, married Dr. Brinker ; Washington, unmarried; Rebecca Bow- man, (See Jacob Hite's line).

The Chrisman Line

Magdalene Hite, daughter of Joist, was baptized at Kingston, N. Y., 13th Sept., 1713 (Age not given). She married Jacob Chrisman, a German, and it is highly probable that their bridal trip was a part of the emigrant train that the elder Hite headed for the Colony of Virginia, in 1730. It has been well established that his train com- posing about 20 families, were on the road from Schuylkill to the wild country West of the Great Mountains in Virginia; that they spent about one year near Shepherdstown, and awaited the order for Joist to have surveys made. When this order came, Jacob Chrisman had selected a tract

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for his survey at a great spring, which spring was known in 1735 as "Chrisman's Spring," and to this day is one of the land-marks of the county. A large body of land was surveyed for this home- stead and boundaries fixed, report made to the Governor and Council at Williamsburg and a grant ordered to be issued. References in old deeds, describe this tract as "the grass land, prairie." Boundaries are "on the no timber line"; and much more to prove that for several miles surrounding this Spring tract, there was no timber suitable for buildings. Chrisman pur- chased from George Bowman "some acres out of his large timber." Since that day, succeeding generations of this Chrisman family saw great forests spring from this treeless section; and ever on to this writing, this and all contiguous tracts of fine land have been well supplied from the new forests. Issue of Jacob Chrisman and Magdalene Hite, first Abraham, born October 15. 1733; Sarah, born Sept. 23, 1734; Ann Maria, horn 9, Nov. 1735; Isaac, born 9 Nov., 1736; Johannes, born 9 March, 1739; Jacob, George, Henry, Rebecca. Of this family much could be said of many of the children who survived the parents. The writer hopes to give more ex- tended sketches of several of the members who became prominent in the development of the old County. Consulting war records of the old Vin- cennes Expedition, the name of Henry Chrisman appears as a private in Capt. Joseph Bowman's company. The family record shows that a Chris- man married a daughter of Joseph McDowell of "Quaker Meadows," Frederick County, Va .. (She had a brother Gen. Charles McDowell who mar- ried Grizzie Greenlee, widow of Capt. John Bow- man). It is believed this Chrisman was Henry mentioned above; two sons of this marriage, Hugh and Joseph Chrisman, lived and died in Kentucky. The two sons seemed to be attached to the McDowell family, for it is shown that Hugh's daughter Betsy Chrisman married Samuel, son of Maj. John McDowell, and Joseph married a daughter of Caleb W. McDowell, of North Carolina. One daughter of Joseph married a son of Joseph McDowell Lewis, another daughter married Hon. Marcus Cruikshank of Alabama.

The family record grows confusing at this point. Doubtless the McDowell and Lewis fam- ilies have one that will enable them to trace their lines back to the emigrant.

Joseph's son, George, married Celia McDowell, daughter of Col. Joseph McDowell of "Quaker Meadows." A daughter by this marriage became the wife of Gov. L. E. Parsons, of Ala .; another married Jordan Scott, of Jasemine County, Ken- tucky; Lewis Chrisman married Miss Lyle of Fayette County, Ky., two sons of this marriage were prominent citizens of Jasemine County,

Ky. Polly Chrisman married Samuel McDowell, leaving a son and daughter, William and Sarah McDowell, well known residents of Jasemine County, Ky.

Paul Froman.

Elizabeth Hite, daughter of Joist Hite, married Paul Froman, who was known to belong to the Quaker society. They, like the Bowman and Chrisman sons-in-law, were married before the arrival of the Hite family in Virginia. The old Court records of Kingston, N. Y., show she was baptised on the 4th of Nov., 1711; the tradition of the family is such as to justify the statement that this daughter Elizabeth was the first Hite born in America. Paul Froman selected for his homestead a large tract of land on the North side of Cedar Creek. This tract of land embraced a large scope of country, extending down the Creek to what was afterwards Zane's Forge then extending far North, embracing what was known for many years as Winter Hill. The Brent homestead, in more recent years, the home of Mr. Casper Rinker. now that of his daughter, Mrs. N. B. Clagett. Froman chose for his home a point not far West of Winter Hill, where famous springs abounded, flow- ing from the base of rugged limestone ridges, which have been called the Little North Mountain. One of his first habitations was made in the form of a block house or fort, which was near the Creek as it flows through some low ground, two acres of which was enclosed by a stockade picket fence, all of which was intended as a place of safety for several other families, who had settled northward and further up the Creek. Froman gave to James Colville and William Bayliss a joint interest in the stockade, in consideration of their good service in rendering the same safe from roving Indians. This grant was understood later on to be an interest in the land, but Mr. Colville's heirs failed to make their claim good. This stockade and first block-house, was for many years the home of the Moss family, now owned by J. W. Cleaver. Froman built a substantial house later on at one of the springs mentioned. for his private use, which was his home in 1743. when he appears in Court and asks for "A road to be opened from the county seat to his house and the settlement on Froman's run-a branch of Cedar Creek." It will be seen in former pages. where and how this road was opened. Dr. Isaac Hite Baldwin owned this homestead and a rem- nant of the larger tract during his life-time. Since his death it has become the property of J. W. Cleaver. Family tradition fixes 1751 as the date when Froman built the mansion house, and that the house at the stockade was the house referred to in the Order of Court. If that be true, 1751 was an early day for the colonists to build

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stone houses. The records show that Joist Hite conveyed land to Froman-500 acres using this language, "To adjoin on the side of Froman's survey." This conveyance is recorded in the Orange County Court, before Frederick had a Court of record. Paul Froman and Elizabeth Hite had five children, viz, I. Sarah Jane, born Nov. 15, 1732. died about 1750; it is well estab- lished and claimed by the family that she was the first white child born in the Valley, the writer has vainly searched for evidence to disprove this. The statements made by others in newspaper articles, that two other families claim this dis- tinction, that their family records proved that a child of their family antedated this birth date by several years. They were called upon to prove their claim. One proved the date of one child in 1732, but could not show by any record where or when this child was born. Court records are silent as to whether this family were actual residents in the new territory at that date. It does appear that they were grantees in a deed for land in the North end of the County in 1736. (2) John Paul Froman, Jr., born Oct. 16, 1734; (3) Maria Christina, born March 1, 1736; (4) Elizabeth, born May 8, 1738, married Nathaniel Cartmell and died at their home, "Retirement," about four miles due West from Winchester, (See notes on Cartmell family) ; (5) Jacob Fro- man-no record of age-found he accompanied his father, Paul, and family when he removed to Pittsburg where he purchased land; the whole family seemed full of adventure, and were ever ready so seek some new land. Jacob proceeded to look for a better country, and floated down the Ohio on a raft, and landed on the Kentucky shore and became a prominent man in the new State; his brother, John Paul, Jr., soon followed; and the father, with a remnant of his family sold his property at an advance, and thus furnished with a considerable fund, removed to Kentucky ; and invested his money in such manner as to result in a wealthy estate for his family at his death. He died an old man. John Paul married a Miss Cartmell, daughter of one of the two brothers who had gone from Virginia to Ken- tucky; John Paul had the distinction as being on same jury with Daniel Boone, John Bowman and others at Lexington, Ky., in 1784, to decide whether Alexander McKee and John Conelly were British subjects, on inquest of Escheats, etc. Ja- cob Froman was a member of the Kentucky Con- vention in 1792. The name of Froman appears several times in the Journal of the General As- sembly of Kentucky, during the trying period of the new State. A daughter of Paul Froman Sr. married John Overall (see Overall sketch).

The author has unhesitatingly given Hite the credit of being the first white man to settle in

the Shenandoah Valley on the North and West side of the North branch of the Shenandoah River. This has been done deliberately after the most untiring effort to secure facts; fully aware that other historians have written fully on the subject, fixing the date so far in advance of the Hite settlement, that it became necessary to ex- haust every conceivable avenue of information to secure facts to prove the date of the first set- tlement. It soon appeared, however, that the Hite and VanMeter grants had priority over all others, so far as it related to that part of the Valley referred to; and the actual presence of Hite in the country on the Opecquon Creek with his requisite number of families in 1732, which is so well established. The records of the State, Legislative, Executive and Judicial, confirm this. As already stated, the records of the Council show that Hite had complied with the order is- sued in 1730, and had a record made of his sur- vey for thousands of acres of land, embracing the tracts settled on by the twenty families. The House of Burgesses mention it as a fact in its Journal, that Yost Heite had already made settle- ments beyond the Great Mountain, and the Gov- ernor directed the Minor Grants to be made to such settlers for the land that Hite had filed his surveys for in 1732; and as has been previously stated in these pages, when the Fairfax and Hite suit was pending in the Supreme Court. that judicial body entered an order, stating that it had been fully proven that Hite and a sufficient number of families were actual settlers in 1732; and there is no record evidence that any other person had settled in the Great Valley-certainly not in the Northern part, embraced in what was known in 1738 as Frederick County. Other writers give the names of families who lived at a very early date in the old Mecklenburg neigh- borhood near the Potomac River, and mention grants to certain families, ante-dating any given to Hite or even the order for Isaac VanMeter to make a survey. This doubtless was taken from tradition long drawn out. Descendants of such old pioneers as Morgan, Shepherd, Van Swearin- gen and others, could easily be misled in regard to dates. No doubt exists as to their early appear- ance along the Potomac, but they were not there prior to 1734; and no record from any source can be produced to prove any such claim. The writer, in order to satisfy an enquiry from one of the families who had faith in the tradition, made a second personal examination of every record relating to such incidents, that can be found in the State Library, Land Office, Judicial Reports at Richmond, and had the assistance of the ex- perienced officers in charge, who were eager to give the information for the work in hand. To Maj. John W. Richardson, Register of the Land

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Office, the writer and the reader of these in- cidents are under lasting obligations. His earnest desire to find matter relating to the early history of his State, that would finally determine this important question of the first settlement, coupled with his long experience and intellectual endow- ment, made it possible for the author to an- nounce who the first legal settler was in the country West of the Blue Ridge, and where he settled.

It must be kept in mind that the first order for settlement in old Frederick County, was issued to Isaac and John VanMeter in 1730, and others whose holdings will be treated later on; and that Hite purchased the. VanMeter right to enter and make survey. In 1732, he returned his surveys for numerous tracts; and the first actual deed or grant for land in the lower Valley was to Hite, August, 1734, which is more fully treated in former pages. The author in consideration of the patience of the reader of these pages, feels in- clined to close the matter; and only suggests to the student of history, that he will find publica- tions, full of romance, supported by such interest- ing tradition, founded on recorded facts, that he will be startled by such revelations, but warns him not to accept all such as actual historical fact, until the case is more fully proven. The writer had such startling sensations during the years of his study of this question, when called upon to read and study a carefully prepared paper placed in his hands by Dr. John P. Hale, Presi- dent of the West Virginia Historical and Anti- quarian Society. This paper was prepared for and became part of the records of that Society in 1899. Any student of history will justify the action of the writer regarding this paper. State- ments were made that seemed reckless to one whose only aim was to lay before future genera- tions simple facts, to establish beyond all question how, when and by whom this settlement was made. Dr. Hale's attention was called to apparent inaccuracies. His reply only heightened the writ- er's interest; giving, as he did, his sources of in- formation. He quoted familiar traditionary his- tory, long since disproven by available records ; the claim being that one John Smith was in the Shenandoah Valley in 1729, and that he secured a grant for 4,000 acres of land from Gov. Gooch and that there were no land titles until 1729, when Gov. Gooch inaugurated a scheme to give title to settlers. This sounds strangely, when presented as a historical fact. The records are full of grants from all the former governors for at least three-fourths of a century; while there is no record from Gov. Gooch, or any other governor, for land West of the Blue Ridge until 1734. If the numerous grants quoted by Dr. Hale, have no more foundation than this Smith

grant, then the paper is valueless as history. The able and accomplished President of the West Vir- ginia Historical Society, referred the writer to two historians who had bestowed much time and effort to secure historical incidents for publication, and stated that he relied on their work for much he had given : One was J. E. Norris, who wrote the History of the Lower Valley in 1889, and Aler's History of Martinsburg; and stated that these gentlemen have fixed a very early period for the first settlement. The author was very familiar with the Norris history; but examined it again to see if it was possible to have proof of the claim made. Norris says that Mr. Howell Brown, surveyor of Jefferson County, informed him that Mecklenburg was settled in 1728; and this, Mr. Norris proclaims as a historical fact, that the old historian Kercheval's idea that the Valley was first settled in 1732 was an exploded idea. The writer has found in his effort to pro- duce facts, that it is safe to keep within the scope and sphere of the first Valley historian, who pos- sessed rare and valuable knowledge, and his state- ments have been verified by carefully collated facts in our records, so often referred to in this work. Norris says Mr. Brown said, Germans set- tled at the Pack Horse ford in 1728, and speaks of Richard ap Morgan as a German of means, ed- ucation and refinement, and with a large family. This was a mistake. Richard ap Morgan was a Welshman, and more than once he is referred to as a native of Wales. He grew wealthy and prominent in his section, and sold land to many families. This Morgan never had a grant from the government for land. Hite sold him part of his large Hopewell tract in 1735, then Morgan made conveyances-all of which show for them- selves. In 1734, grants were made to Morgan Mor- gan and Thomas Shepherd for land "upon the ap- plication and survey filed by Joist Hite." These last mentioned were part of Hite's original 100,000 acre grant, and not of the 40,000 acre grant, often mentioned in the Land Office as the Van- Meter survey. In deeds from Morgan and Shep- herd to others, this language is used several times that, "the land is part of the original survey," which meant the survey to Hite. The writer has in his possession a certificate from the Register of Land Office in Richmond, that there is no record or any other evidence, that the Morgan or Shepherd grants bear any dates prior to 1734. Mr. Aler's History of Martinsburg is of peculiar interest to that historic town. He does not in any way give proof of any settlement at Meck- lenburg in 1726 or 1727; he only writes from tra- dition. Mr. Holmes Conrad, for many years a resident of Martinsburg, and one of the best in- formed men concerning incidents of the Lower Valley in the long ago, wrote of this Morgan

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and others, as coming into the Valley "several years after Hite's Germans had opened the way for settlement." If this could convince the reader from the standpoint of Dr. Hale, and the brief references given by the author, to disprove the claim set out in Hale's paper, we could afford to rest the case, and not pursue a study of other proofs offered by Dr. Hale, to sustain a claim for a much earlier date than any ever offered; and this comes in such unique form, that it is well to give it place, and let it stand for what it is worth. This is popularly known as the "Tomb- stone incident." Dr. Hale carefully uses the fol- lowing language, and has it become part of the collected incidents for the Historical Society of which he was President. He says: "There is a tombstone in a churchyard at Duffields, five miles South of Pack Horse Ford, on which is inscribed the name of Catrina Bierlin, born 1687, died 1707." Then adds: "the inscription on which is still legi- ble, erected to the memory of a Christian woman, and bearing date 1707, must be taken as certain proof of a white settlement at that point at least as early as that date. The grave of a woman care- fully marked can mean no less." This, if true, would as a matter of course, be conclusive proof that Germans were on the ground prior to 1707; and there could be no end of speculation regard- ing the matter. The writer will show further on, the impossibility for white people to live in a country absolutely owned and rigidly guarded by savages. No friendly tribes dared go West of the Blue Ridge from the low lands of Virginia, nor come from the North and cross the Cohon- goruta into the forbidden country on hunting forays, knowing full well that such savage tribes as the "Shawanees" would either exterminate or be exterminated. John VanMeter is the only white person of whom there is any well founded evidence of entering the forbidden country prior to 1725. VanMeter accompanied the Delawares through the Lower Valley in quest of big game; they met the Catawbas coming from the South. Both tribes disputed the right of entry; a terri- fic battle occurred, the Delawares suffering a crushing loss. VanMeter barely escaped; the whole tribe would have been annihilated, had it not been for the return of the Shawanees from their big annual hunt on the South Branch of the Potomac. They encountered the Catawbas on Cedar Creek and overwhelmed them with such slaughter, as to gratify the remnant of the Dela- ware band; and John VanMeter's traditionary history of the battles and his venture, has been carefully preserved and handed down through succeeding generations. VanMeter saw no white people. The reader will observe that Dr. Hale dealt with circumstantial evidence to sustain his claim for an earlier settlement of the Valley; and

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Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia., Part 46

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920 Publication date: 1909 Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.] Number of Pages: 607

Author: Cartmell, T. K. (Thomas Kemp), 1838-1920
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: [Winchester, Va.] : [Printed by the Eddy Press Corp.]
Number of Pages: 607