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MONROE COUNTY
WEST VIRGINIA
LIBRARY .. OF ...
Roy Bird Cook
Archives & Manuscripts Section · West Virginia Collection West Virginia University Library Morgantown, WV 26505
-
· Lewisburg
Wh to Sulphur Springs,
Howardi CT
SIN ANCHO37TY
Illrybany Stat/ 011
LDERSON
River
Flat Top Min
. GIATE
Greenbrier
Snake Run
Taleate
Lowell
Knob
Brad Run
South Fork
: \Core In
Back C
· Sweat Springs.
. -
. Patrick's Peak
Mouth of Bluestone
· Hillsdale
UNION
· Keenon
. Favore Hill
Paint Bank
Saly Sulphur Springs
1.1+74 Mt.M.
Second
CF
Greenville Laurel (+)
GA, Mins
Laurel Branch
W. now Bend
1799
of
. Fed Sulphur Springs
Hunter's Mills
. (TIME)
LIME
Propping ! !!
-Peter's Knob
. Bal and
Rock Champ
Ferry
Three High Pools
· Lindside
SymDI Gop
Saison
Stof
Love of Fineestle Co
1741
MONROE COUNTY
W. VA.
SCALE, FOUR MILES TO ONE INCH
Showing Portions Detached: Excepting a Corner in Extreme East
deet Springs Run
LIMe
MIT.
MIN
CAP
2.L' Ferry
indem's
dahaw's CT.
Back Co
Tur ørkry
Spring
PETERS
Potts Creek
TyIst
Armolde Knob
Wasteville
POTTS MTN
. Frt Spring
. Sinks Grove
· Pickaway
oppig ipog
. Hollywood
Cuve MIM
. Johnson'i X Foods.
Lo Becketti Kao?
Run
. Whetstone
- Sweet Chalyheale Springs
MOUNTAIN.
NEW FIVE
-
A HISTORY
OF
MONROE COUNTY
WEST VIRGINIA
By OREN F. MORTON, B. LIT.
Author of
"Under the Cottonwoods," "Winning or Losing?" "Land of the Laurel," "The Story of Daniel Boone," "A Practical History of Music," "His- tory of Preston County, W. Va.," "History tory of Pendleton County, W. Va.," "History of Highland County, Va.," "Pioneer Annals of Bath County, Va."
Staunton, Va. Published by THE MCCLURE COMPANY, INC. 1916
Copyright, 1916 BY OREN F. MORTON All Rights Reserved.
INTRODUCTION
HE archives in the capitol of Virginia and the public rec- ords of the parent counties of Monroe have contributed a very important share of the material out of which this volume is compiled. Several books touching more or less closely on this region have likewise been consulted, although it has not seemed necessary to consume space in enumerating their titles. Ac- knowledgment is freely and gladly extended to the writers of these Jooks, as well as to all persons whomsoever who have extended their courteous aid to the author during his field work. Throughout his tour- ing of Monroe he was treated with unfailing kindness and hospitality. His contact with the county and its people has been such as to render the preparation of this work a pleasure and not a task.
There are those to whom special mention is due. Had it not been for the liberality of Rufus K. Smith and his warm feeling for his native county, it is not probable that the author would have come to Monroe. He regrets that he never met Dr. Smith and that that gentleman did not live to see the completed volume. Even greater credit must be given to Albert Sidney Johnston for the un- selfish public spirit and boundless energy that carried forward to success the initial effort of Dr. Smith and steadfastly furthered the enterprise to the end. Judge A. N. Campbell and his daughter, Miss Nannie, have rendered very extensive and valuable assistance, par- ticularly in biographic matters. Isaac N. Ballard has taken a most lively and efficient interest in supplying information from the Green- ville region. John W. Boon has written up with much care and detail the history of Methodism in this county and a statement of the families of Springfield district. This is the more praiseworthy because a merchant has constant demands upon his time. Robert F. Fleshman has been particularly helpful in furnishing prehistoric data. The contributions of Cornelius S. Scott have been of much service with respect to the physical geography of Monroe and its
4
A HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
pomological interests. John H. Cook has contributed most freely of his long acquaintance with the Sweet Springs valley. And last, but by no means least, generous credit must be given to Hubert P. Tracy and Ashby A. Hodge for their financial assistance.
No two persons are ever precisely alike and writers on local history employ differing methods. It is now in order to call atten- tion to the plan on which this history of Monroe is constructed.
The book that is classified as a local history is often a bulky vol- ume in an ornate binding and is sold at a very high price. There is a brief, sketchy outline of the general history of the county. The distinguishing feature is the biographical department, and it greatly overshadows the other. It is true enough that John Doe values the book for little else than the elaborate write-up for which he has paid a good price and which appeals to his pride and complacency. This sketch, which portrays John Doe as he wishes the world to view him and at the same time arouses the amusement and perhaps also the caustic comment of his neighbors, is in the nature of current biography and its permanent value is small. The book is primarily a money-maker and is written in response to an artificial demand.
The present writer is not in sympathy with the method just pointed out. He holds that if every well-informed American should know his country's history, he should also know his county's history. Patriotism begins at home, after the same principle that geography is best taught by beginning with the school district. If this view is correct, local history should be presented with a fullness comparable to that of national history. It will throw a light upon the latter and receive a light in return. It explains when, how, and why the county was settled and traces the various phases in its development. It enables the residents of today to comprehend the share in this development which has been taken by the preceding generations. And by better understanding the past of the county, they may become more of a force in contributing their share to its further uplift. The true purpose of local history is educational. This purpose is largely defeated if the price is beyond the reach of the average man, and if the book is designed and used as a parlor ornament. But if the price is to be reasonable the book cannot be large. It cannot be sold
5
INTRODUCTION
at so low a price as the books that circulate heavily in all the forty- eight states of the Union.
The views set forth in the above paragraph have governed the preparation of this volume. A large portion of the book is therefore devoted to the general history of the county. This feature interprets family history as well as local events, and it often presents facts relating to particular families. It is the one section of the book which is certain to convey a message to every inhabitant.
At the outset a volume of about 350 pages was contemplated. To present within this compass the annals of an area that has been occupied by white men a century and a half, and to give fundamental genealogic facts for a population of 13,000, it was necessary to be concise in statement and to omit details of small general importance. Elaborate biographic sketches were out of the question and they could not be inserted gratuitously. Biographic mention is given where it is plainly called for, but it does not usually attempt to go beyond statements of fact. What is known as complimentary mention is sparingly used.
There was found an unexpected wealth of material relating to the general history of the county and also a singularly large number of family names, both living and extinct. The number of pages has been increased. Even then it was found necessary to leave out a few chapters and also a few sections of several others. Although this was done with reluctance, these omitted portions will be pub- lished in the Monroe Watchman. Again, the very unusual diversity in family names and the comparative absence of very large family groups with a common surname have made it too inconvenient to follow the intended plan in arranging genealogic data.
To the individual reader what is related of his own kindred is esteemed as of peculiar importance. He is liable to feel aggrieved if the account is not written with the minuteness of an article in the local newspaper. Yet a little thought should make it clear that in a volume of limited size, and with a great deal of ground to cover, it is quite impossible to write some family sketches in great detail without crowding out many others whose claims to similar attention may be fully as good.
7
6
A HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
This volume does not assume to be a business and professional directory of Monroe county in 1916. The place for such an un- dertaking is a booklet or a newspaper supplement. A directory may be expected to vary from the actual fact even before it can come from the press. Within a few years the discrepancies are very noticeable. In ten or twenty years it reads almost like ancient history.
The reader of local history likes to familiarize himself with lines of ancestral descent. Such research is in the main commendable. A Greek historian well remarks that "both justice and decency require that we bestow upon our forefathers an honorable remembrance." In using the chapters of this book that contain genealogic material, the reader should give close heed to the explanatory notes which will be found in them.
Information as to genealogic and biographic facts and items of interest in other phases of local history were solicited during the progress of the work and much material along these lines was sent in. In nearly all instances it was of great help. The purpose of the author was not to publish it as original matter but to use it in such manner and to such extent as she might think best. As a rule this view seems to have been taken by the senders. Several of the sketches were written with great fullness and it was with regret that only a minor part could be used under the heading where it would nat- urally belong. But some portions of these sketches are interwoven with other chapters. As to the use that has been made of genealogic data, the reader is asked to read attentively the introductory para- graphs of Chapter XXXIV.
To recapitulate, the author has sought to produce a book for use rather than display, and with the highest attainable degree of permanent value. He has followed a topical method, so that the reader will not have to look through the whole book to find what properly belongs under a single caption. No general index of names could be appended, but the genealogical and biographic chapters are arranged in systematic order so as to facilitate use. The author has also endeavored to be equitable in the space apportioned among the various family groups. Some of these would have been given more space had there been more material to work with. A stranger is
7
INTRODUCTION
at some disadvantage in writing a local history, because the field is new to him and he cannot become thoroughly acquainted with it during the progress of his work. But on the other hand, he goes entirely out of his way if he allies himself with some particular local interest or social group.
The writer of local history is aware that so long as he remains at work new and more correct material is coming to light. But unless he is engaged in a labor of love, he cannot stand the expense of keeping at work indefinitely. And if he consumes very much time the interest of his patrons will wane.
No person this side of the millennium can write a local history that will please all its readers. It is usual for criticism to be quick and sharp as to any and all shortcomings. But the person who writes the book knows that the chance for error or deficiency to creep in is continually and persistently present. No amount of care will keep it entirely out. The real question, as to any book of this kind, is not whether some other craftsman would have done better. The real question is whether in the long run he would have done as well. Where an error is noticed the correction should be written legibly on the margin of the page. Posterity will thank the reader for do- ing so, and the later historian will be glad to have access to such an- notated copies.
OREN F. MORTON.
Sweet Springs, .W. Va., March 16, 1916.
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, W. VA.
I
LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
Position-Size-Boundaries-Mountains-Altitudes-Surface-Streams- Geology-Soils-Climate-Animals and Plants-Political Di- visions-Natural Advantages.
HE county discussed in this volume is one of the sixteen named in honor of the fifth president of the United States. The others lie in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illi- nois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The Monroe of West Virginia lies so far south in its own state that it lacks only 10 miles of reaching as far in that direction as McDow- ell, which is the southernmost county. The parallel of 37 degrees 30 minutes and the meridian of 80 degrees 30 minutes intersect about one mile eastward from Zenith. More than one-half of the United States lies in a more northern latitude.
The longest dimension of Monroe, from the northeast corner of Sweet Springs precinct to the southwest corner of Red Sulphur district, is 39 miles. The greatest breadth, measured from the north- west corner of Wolf Creek district to the east side of Potts Creek precinct is 25 miles. The area is given as 464 square miles, or 296,960 acres, and the population in 1910 was 13,055. The dis- tance around the county is about 116 miles. For about 60 miles of the way the boundaries are formed by watercourses and mountain ridges. By transportation lines the distances form the county seat to the capitals of West Virginia and Virginia are respectively 138 and 255 miles. Washington, the Federal capital, lies 266 miles northeast. New York and Chicago, the first and second cities of America, are 433 and 484 miles distant by airline.
The bordering counties are Greenbrier, Summers, Mercer, Alle- ghany, Craig, and Giles. The first three lie in West Virginia and the last three in Virginia.
DR. RUFUS H. SMITH Initiator of the Monroe County History
/
DR. JOHN J. SMITH Late President of the Senate of the State of Washington
ALLEN TAYLOR CAPERTON United States Senator from West Virginia
HON. FRANK HEREFORD United States Senator from West Virginia
9
LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
No other county in the state sends its waters partly toward the Atlantic and partly toward the Gulf of Mexico. It is within our bor- ders that the watershed between these two drainage areas leaves the Alleghany Front and passes from mountain to mountain by a succession of saddle-ridges until it joins the eastern arm of the Blue Ridge in Floyd county. It is because Monroe lies astride the Alleghany Front that the valleys and ridges of its eastern portion display the symmetry which is so characteristic of the main Alle- ghany and all the mountain ranges farther east. But the contour of the western portion shows the irregularity which is almost univer- sal throughout that part of West Virginia that drains into the Ohio.
The Alleghany Front enters Monroe as a group of six ridges run- ning very close to one another. The three on the west terminate on Second Creek. The next perseveres a few miles farther and touches the great bend in that stream. As close neighbors the other two keep on to the New River, but lessen in height as they approach it and they are much interrupted by watergaps. A little farther east, Peters Mountain, one of the handsomest and most uniform of the Appalachian uplifts, pursues its unbroken course from a gorge below Covington to the Narrows of New River. Beyond the former it continues as Warm Springs Mountain and beyond the latter as East River Mountain. South of the sources of Dunlap Creek Peters Mountain takes the place left vacant by the breaking down of the Alleghany Front. Still farther eastward, and forming for some distance the county boundary, is the almost equally massive Potts Mountain. The saddle joining it with Peters Mountain practitcally forms the southern line of Potts Creek precinct.
In the west of the county are the short, irregular ridges known as Swope's Knobs, Flat Top, and Wolf Creek Mountain.
The general slope of the county is toward the west. The lowest altitude is the bank of the Greenbrier at the mouth of Wolf. At Alderson, a few miles above, the figures are 1372 feet above sea level. Scarcely higher is the angle where the county line touches New River. It is this low elevation toward the west that lends to Wolf Creek Mountain a rather pretentious effect. Its highest point, Whetstone Knob, a mile and a half south of the mouth of Wolf Creek, is 2810
10
A HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
feet high. Patrick's Peak is 2600 feet high. Bickett's Knob, the cul- minating point of Swope's Knobs, has an elevation of 3327 feet and Flat Top of 3375. In the central belt of the county the ridges appear lower than in the east or the west. Yet Eads Ridge, an outlier of the Alleghany, is 2,850 feet high, little exceeding the heights south of Union and beyond Turkey Creek. In Cove Mountain is a point 3,426 feet in elevation. But near Peterstown the Little Mountain range sinks to about 2,200 feet. Peters Mountain varies so little in its apparent altitude that local names have not become very firmly fastened to the more prominent points. Just south of Symm's Gap there is a height of 3,438 feet. Nearly opposite the head of Sweet Springs Run is a point 3,886 feet high. Near the source of Drop- ping Lick is Peters Knob with an altitude of 3,958 feet. But within three miles to the southward are three prominences that pass slightly above the line of 4,000 feet and are the loftiest in the county. Ar- nold's Knob in Potts Mountain is 3,929 feet high.
As to the plateau which extends through the middle of the county, very little of it has an altitude of less than 2,000 feet. The floor of the Potts Creek valley is about 1,800 feet high, and that of Wolf Creek a little less. Union, Sinks Grove, Sweet Springs, and Cash- mere all vary little from a height of 2,100 feet. Peterstown in its valley is 1,743 feet above sea and Greenville slightly less. Thus the mountain peaks lose somewhat of the imposing effect which the al- titude figures might seem to indicate. In fact the mean elevation of the county is scarcely less than half a mile above the sea. In the cen- tral tableland the general surface is not so very uneven. Its water- courses lie in deep narrow valleys. Bottom lands occur on all the con- siderable streams, but they are not continuous and the aggregate amount is quite small.
Since the great divide runs through Monroe, there are no large streams wholly within its limits. New River borders the county only one mile and the Greenbrier only three miles. Potts Creek precinct is drained by the upper course of Potts Creek, a tributary of Jackson's River. North of the series of saddles running westward from Peters Mountain are Cove and Back creeks and Sweet Springs Run, all which unite to form Dunlop Creek, another tributary of
11
LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
the same river. That part of the long valley between Peters and Little mountains, and south of the great divide, is cross-sectioned into several drainage areas, each with its watergap toward the west The northermost of these is the Gap Valley, drained by the three runs that unite to form Second Creek. The united stream then pen- etrates Gap and Middle mountains by passes only a mile from one another, and turning northwardly through the glades of the Lewis place, it soon becomes hemmed in by river-hills. For several miles it skirts the county boundary and then leaves it to flow into the Greenbrier. Within or above the passes in Little Mountain beyond Second Creek are the springs which form the sources of Indian, Turkey, Dropping Lick, Rock Camp, Hans, and Rich creeks. The first of these is the largest of the srteams belonging wholly or mainly to Monroe, and until 1871 it was entirely within the county. Where it finally crosses into Summers, a little way below Red Sulphur Springs, it is quite river-like in breadth and depth. Turkey, Drop- ping Lick, and Hans creeks are its more important tributaries. Rich Creek, and its affluent Brush Creek, drain the extreme south of the county. Scott's Run, another tributary, forms near Peterstown a part of the interstate boundary. Wolf Creek waters the basin west of Swope's Knobs.
In the deep valleys are some very bold springs. These mark the reappearance of the waters that fall on the limestone belts. The surface drainage sinks into the underground channels with which the limestone strata are honeycombed. Several of the streams of the central plateau lose themselves in the ground and reappear some dis- tance away. But in places a creek bed will be dry except in wet weather, although there may be running waters above as well as below. Small springs are not frequent except where limestone rocks do not prevail.
The geology of Monroe is very ancient, being of the later pre- carboniferous age. True coal does not occur except in the extreme west, and then only in a very thin seam. There is indeed a vein of black shale so closely resembling coal in color and appearance as to be spoken of as such. Yet it does not take fire and it requires fuel to make it hot. And as coal is practically absent, natural gas need
12
A HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
not be looked for. The existence of oil pools is very doubtful, owing to the age of the rocks and their crumpled condition. A thick for- mation of blue, massive limestone covers very much of the county, as may be observed from the frequent outcrops and the very numer- our sinkholes. Elsewhere the rock formation is usually of a sand- stone nature. From the rockbars in Scott's Run may be gathered a dozen varieties of stones differing greatly in color and texture.
The mineral resources of Monroe are not diversified. There is an abundance of rock for lime, for building purposes, and for the piking of highways. Some of the limestone is of so fine a grain as to resemble marble. Even the existence of lithographic stone has been reported. The mountains in the east contain much iron ore and some manganese. But to quote the words of the state geologist, "those who seek silver, copper, tin, or lead should waste no time in West Virginia."
The extensive limestone areas are covered with a clay loam emi- nently suitable for grass and for the usual field crops. But here and there the ledges rise to the surface to such an extent as to render it quite untillable. Paralleling some of the streams and valleys are slaty hillsides, where the thin covering of dry, rotten shale is of very slight agricultural importance. A blending of lime and slate results in a very fair soil. In the limited pockets of creek bottom is a darker, deeper, and better soil. The high uplands on Brush Creek have a yellowish, sandy covering, such as is observable southward of New River.
Exact weather records covering a long term of years do not seem to have been kept in Monroe. The elevation gives a cooler climate than is found in the same latitude on the seaboard or in the lowlands on the Mississippi. The yearly fall of rain and melted snow ap- pears to be about 45 inches. The mean temperature of the average elevations is not far from 52 degrees, varying from 32 degrees in winter to 71 in summer. The winter cold is seldom severe, and the summer heats are rarely oppressive. Extremes of 100 degrees above zero or 20 below are almost unprecedented, although a tem- perature of 102 was observed in Union in 1887. The first appear- ance of apple bloom varies from April 8 to May 10. The winter
13
LOCAL GEOGRAPHY
is least cloudy east of the great divide. The warmer months are particularly pleasant, and the air is pure and invigorating. High winds are infrequent, but the valley on the west side of Peters Moun- tain is subject to local winds of considerable force. Health condi- tions are naturally very good, longevity is frequent, and among sum- mer tourists the climate has long been held in deservedly high repute. The limestone areas are rather subject to typhoid fever, the under- ground drainage appearing to scatter the germs of the disease, which, however, is largely a preventable ailment. Certain localities, partic- ularly one in the vicinity of Bickett's Knob, were once subject to the malignant fever known as milk sickness, which attacks the do- mestic animals as well as man, and is thought to be induced by some poisonous herb.
Animal life is less varied and still less numerous than when the county was a wilderness. The last elk was shot by John Lewis of Sweet Springs, probably more than a century ago, and no buffalo has been seen in West Virginia since 1825. The deer, once very numerous, have all but vanished. The puma and the gray wolf were once great pests and have not long been extinct. The wildcat and an occasional black bear still haunt the mountains. Among other mammals are raccoons, otters, gray foxes, mink, weasels, skunks, opossums, beavers, woodchucks, cottontailed rabbits, muskrats, moles and bats. There are also fox, gray, ground, and flying squirrels, and the ferrydiddle, and wood and field mice. The gray rat and the house mouse are imported nuisances. The venomous serpents are the rattlesnake and the copperhead. The hog-nosed snake, or blowing viper, has the outward appearance of a poisonous snake, yet is entirely harmless and cannot be coaxed into using its miniature teeth. Its suspicious appearance and its hissing are some of the protective de- vices that nature often employs. Other serpents are two kinds each of blacksnakes and watersnakes, the gartersnake, the greensnake, the groundsnake, and the so-called housesnake. Other reptiles are the dry land terrapin, the mud turtle, the swift, the newt, land and tree toads, the bullfrog, and frogs of two smaller species. The principal fishes are blue and mud cats, trout, suckers, eels, chubs, sawfish and minnows. -
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