USA > West Virginia > Pendleton County > A history of Pendleton County, West Virginia > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
APPAL. RM.
LIBRARY WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
F 247.P3M8 West Virginia University Libraries
History of Pendleton County, W aprm
3 0802 000824455 6
West Virginia University Library This book is due on the date indicated below.
MAR 2 2 1985
MAR 0 9 1989
68. ET VA
WISE
MAR 1 | 2002
AUG 2 RN989
AUG 1 0 APR 2 9. 1591. MRTURNED
RETURNED
OCT 1 9 165
OCT 15 93 OCT 15 33
1998
IIIA 2 7 1998
AUG
WISE
AUG 2005
MAY 07 20 AUG 3 1 200
5-31-20
MAR 2 7 2003
AUG 271'
AUG2 91997
WISE
MAY 1 9 2003
MAP OF
PENDLETON CO
-
North Fork
smoke hole
Cave Man. yth Mill (> Brusky Run Po
M.idie Mtx
South MI ??
Cr
Solidez
BraskyRun
1
LINE.1
Machtville
Hallow Aux
Hardy until
Kline
Cr.
di
/ Miles
1
Der · RUN
Spruce Knoló 4860ft
Rough Run
.
Hunting Ground
Fr
Oak Płat
FRANKLIN
-
Brandywine
Wes
Marks
Mccoy' will
Haw ..
Run
Knol
. High Knob
a Snowy Mta
BYANE
Creek
South
Blackthorn
. DO hme+ P.O.
Sugar
Grove
Story Kan
yearsying
Line of Augusta, 1997012
.Swedland. Hill __----- > Sweedland,Valley
Port Seydert
1
I Judy'Sup
-
Buffalo Hills
Mts
South Park
Mtx :...
ulemarMIM __
Pickle MIA
Pripit choreh
Shenandoah
ofanthet
." Eart Dry Run
Cassell Min.
North Fork M!".
.- Pracy_Hil] .-
<> Tract
Pragi's Run
Alleghany Range .....
Spruce_ _ Min
Tim ber_ Ridje_ _
Mouth
Brurky Run
seneca Cr.
Big Mi _ __
Greenawalt gap
South Fork
K
B., Rus
Smith C+
Jack MIX ..
whilethere
· Omega
-
A 1438 .
HISTORY
OF
PENDLETON COUNTY
WEST VIRGINIA
BY OREN F. MORTON
AUTHOR OF "UNDER THE COTTONWOODS". "WINNING OR LOSING?" "LAND OF THE LAUREL", "PIONEERS OF PRESTON COUNTY".
FRANKLIN, WEST VA. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR
1910
APPAL. RM. F247 . F3M8
Library West Virginia University
Copyright April. 1910 By OREN F. MORTON
All Rights Reserved
Printed by RUEBUSH-ELKINS CO. DAYTON, VA.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
PAGE
I Physical Geography of Pendleton
1
II Before the White Man Came
15
III America and Virginia in 1748 23
IV Period of Discovery and Exploration 28
V The Beginning of Settlement
33
VI Period of Indian War
39
VII A Time of Peace
52
VIII Pendleton Under Rockingham
60
IX Early Laws, Customs, and Usages 66
X Formation of Pendleton
85
XI Early Middle Period-1788-1818
92
XII Later Middle Period-1818-1861
96
XIII Slavery in Pendleton
103
XIV Period of Interstate War
107
XV Recent Period
117
XVI Church, School, and Professional His- tory 122
XVII The Town of Franklin
129
XVIII The Pendleton of To-Day
133
XIX A Forward Look .
138
PART II
I
The Nature of Family-Group Histor- ies 143
II Illustrative Family-Group Sketch 150
III Given Names and Surnames 155
IV Index to Names of Pioneers and Sub- Pioneers 163
V Origin, Arrival, and Location of the Pioneers 165
VI Sketch-Histories of Existing Fami- lies 173
VII Certain Extinct Families 318
VIII Other Extinct Families 326
IX Recent Families 328
X Highland Families 332
641732
PART III
SECTION I-HISTORICAL
Edmund Pendleton 338
List of Pioneers of the Indian Period
338
Naturalizations of Pioneers
339
Form of Colonial Land Patent
340
An Apprenticeship Indenture
341
An Emancipation Paper and Other Forms
342
Washington's Visit to Pendleton 343
The Lincolns of Rockingham
343
Pendleton Journalism
344
The Masonic Order in Franklin
344
Law, Order, and Charities
345
Franklin in 1844
345
The County Buildings
347
A School of 1830
349
The Bennetts of Other West Virginia Counties
350
SECTION II-STATISTICAL
Population of Pendleton in Each Census Year 352
Postoffices
352
Prices for Entertainment at Ordinaries
353
Levies, Taxes, Salaries, and Fines
355
Bounties on Predatory Animals
357
Prices of Store Goods in 1820
358
Church Buildings and Ministers
359
County Officials before 1865
362
County Officials Under West Virginia
364
The School Districts of 1846
366
Educational Statistics
367
Abstracts from Census Reports
369
Pendleton Legislators
372
Pendleton Men in the Professions
374
County Finances
375
Surveys and Patents Prior to 1788
375
Some Conveyances of Land Prior to 1788 386
List of the Tithables in 1790
387
SECTION III-MILITARY
Supplies for Military Use, 1775 393
Supplies for Military Use, 1782 393
A Pension Declaration of 1820 394
Citizens Exempt From Military Service in 1794 395
Slaveholders in 1860 353
Militia Districts, Companies, and Officers 395 Muster Roll of Pendleton Militia in 1794 396 Pendleton Soldiers of the French and Indian War-1754-60 Pendletonians in Mililary Service between
1775 and 1861 401
Pendletonians in the War of 1861-Federal and State Service 402
Some Accounts of the Regiments of the Con- federate Service Containing Pendleton Men 406
The Battle of New Market 410
Roster of Pendleton Men in the Confederate Service 411
APPENDIX
Brief Sketch of the Author of the Book. 430
SIDELIGHTS ON HISTORICAL SUBJECTS
1. The Meaning of History. 2. America an Old World. 3. The Men Who Settled the Thirteen Colo- nies. 4. Appalachian America and the American Highlander. 5. A Landmark Year-1848. 6. Amer- ican Slavery. 7. The Disruption of Virginia. 8. The Mission of America. 9. American Tendencies. 10. An Interpretation in the War of 1861
LIST OF SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS ON PENDLETON HISTORY
CORRECTIONS
ILLUSTRATIONS
Map of Pendleton
An Indian Spoon
16
Summit of Spruce Knob
32
Site of Fort Seybert
48
A House of the Later Pioneer Period
80
A House of the Early Middle Period
96
A Group of Revolutionary Relics
112
View of Franklin
128
The Seneca Rocks 144
A House of the Modern Time 208
The Blue Hole: A Water-Gap on the South Branch 272
The Old Schoolhouse at Franklin 352
The Courthouse of 1817 336
The McCoy Mill 400
FOREWORD.
The public records of this region, beginning with the or- ganization of Augusta county in 1745, are almost wholly in- tact, and the examination of these was of very great service in verifying and filling out the statements given by our older people. But records are perishable, and it needs no argument to show that by the time the present people of middle age have become old, it might then be out of the question to present a satisfactory history of Pendleton.
It is still generally possible for our older people to follow the links which connect them with the pioneer ancestor. However, this can seldom be done in full detail, and some- times the result is quite imperfect. And as the pioneer an- cestor is usually the great-grandparent, it is very evident in the general absence of continuous family records, that the day is near at hand when it will be practically impossible to trace the line of descent.
It is true enough that if the present effort had been under- taken even no more than ten years since, it would have been decidedly easier to link the pioneer days to the present. But on the other hand an increasing sense of the remoteness of those days, and of learning the story they convey to us, has imparted to the people of this county a keener zest to know its history. It is also to be considered that a railroad and a consequent industrial readjustment are scarcely more than a question of time. An economic change is more or less un- settling, and on that account it is better that the history appear now, rather than later.
Pendleton has a good degree of historical perspective. There is an interesting background of legend relating to the days of pioneer privation, of a gradual subduing of the wild- erness, and of peril from the Indian. The men and women who were the real pioneers are strangers to the present gen- eration, and their ways of thinking and doing have a fresh- ness and interest to us of this new century. Moreover, the recent days of domestic war with their differing conceptions of duty, and their lessons of sacrificing obedience to these con- ceptions, will be to the future period what the pioneer period is to the present.
The person who imagines it is not worth while to give a second thought to the people of yesterday has no right to ex- pect that the people of to-morrow will give a second thought to himself. Such a creed is narrow, sordid, and selfish. It
VI
begets an indifference to the future as well as the past, and shirks the patriotic duty of helping to make to-morrow better than to-day. It is not wise to live as though one were in the past, yet the individual who neither knows nor cares what others have done before him has never really outgrown his childhood. Very true words are these of Jefferson : "History by apprising us of the past enables us to judge of the future; it avails us of the experiences of other times, and qualifies us to judge of the actions and desires of men." Equally true words are these of John Sharp Williams of Mississippi : "A country without memories is without history; a coun- try without history is without traditions; a country without traditions is without ideals and aspirations; a country with- out these is without sentiment, and a country without senti- ment is without capacity for achieving noble purposes, de- veloping right manhood, or taking any truly great place in the history of the world."
He could have added that local attachment and a true pat- riotism cannot exist apart from one another.
It was no small task in itself to examine the numerous pen-written volumes of public records which have accumu- lated in 165 years. Neither was it a light task to look up the information that could only be had by word of mouth. This led to a tour of the county, covering sixty-eight days and causing 593 miles of travel, nearly all on foot, and was followed by visits to Richmond and to the county seats of Augusta and Rockingham. But the reception of the writer by the people relieved this field work of a sense of drudgery. He was freely and cordially received in their homes, was piloted over footpaths, and farm work was ungrudgingly sus- pended to give him the information needed.
In a very true sense the gathering of material for a history is never done. A second tour of the county would have turned over no small amount of fresh soil. But the work achieved had to be done within a very limited time, and to a certain degree under much disadvantage. An expensive volume was out of the question.
It will be noticed that this volume touches lightly on the subject of current history, which is history only in the mak- ing. A writing up of the present men and present activities of a community is description and not true history, and be- gins to diverge from the actual fact as soon as the ink is dry. Neither is extended biographic mention a feature. This is a great money-making adjunct to the customary local history. But it is often criticized as singling out particular citizens whose biographies are bought and paid for, irrespective of the matter of personal service to the community. It is also
VIII
criticized as tracing ancestry in a single instead of a collect- ive line, and thus discriminating in favor of particular indi- viduals. In this volume, as a rule and so far as information permits, all the adult posterity of the pioneer ancestor are traced, and there are statements of fact with respect to per- sons who have rendered their county special service. This method is less showy, but has the merit of an attempt at completeness and impartiality.
In a work of this kind it is quite unavoidable that there shall be some omissions and some error of statement. No writer of history is infallible, and he can only do the best he can with the oftentimes incomplete, ill-arranged, and even contradictory material that comes to his hand. Some of the deficiencies of this book are not properly chargeable to the writer, and are due to an absence of needed information.
Owing to the need of sending the earlier pages of the man- uscript to the printer before the latter pages were written, it has not been possible to insure a complete harmony of the dates occurring in more than one place. But such dis- crepancies as had to remain are of no great importance.
If in the following pages is now and then a remark which some reader may think conveys a criticism, the remark is given with an entirely friendly spirit and purpose.
During the progress of the work it has been a pleasure and a great encouragement to note the constant expressions of kindly and substantial interest in the undertaking. Several citizens have in special ways rendered invaluable assistance, and without this aid the work could scarcely have succeeded.
While the greater part of the material for this work has been derived from original investigation, acknowledgement is made to the published histories and historical collections of Augusta, Rockingham, Hampshire, Tucker, and Randolph counties, and to various publications of broader scope, partic- ularly with reference to the Shenandoah Valley.
Franklin, West Va.,
OREN F. MORTON.
Feb. 23, 1910.
CHAPTER I
Physical Geography of Pendleton
History cannot be understood very fully without the help of physical geography. For example, the four states of Florida, Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia are strikingly unlike one another in position, surface. soil, climate and pro- ductions. Had they all been settled by the same kind of people their historical development would nevertheless have proceeded along four diverging paths. In each case the new soil and the new seasons would modify the style of farming. The new climate would modify the type of dwelling. New ways of doing things would spring up, and there would thus result a difference in customs and modes of thinking. The grandchildren of four brothers settling in the four states would recognize themselves as belonging to four distinct types of people.
In position Pendleton lies a very little way to the west, but considerably more to the north of the the center of Vir- ginia before the state was divided. Before its curtailment in 1846 i: lay between the parallels of 38 degrees 15 minutes and 38 degrees 53 minutes, and between the meridians of 2 degrees and 2 degrees and 42 minutes west longitude. The county is nearly midway between the extreme northern and southern confines of the United States. It lies in the middle distance between the extremities of the Appalachian High- land, a region as large as France or Germany; a region of forested hills, fertile valleys, wholesome air, and picturesque scenery: a region of which a noted economist has remarked that "nowhere else in the United States, in an equal area, is to be found such an opportunity for diversity of employment in agriculture, mining, metallurgy. or varied manufactures." From the county seat the airline distance to Richmond, and also to Charleston, is 131 miles. To Hampton Roads, the harbor of the old state, the distance on trade routes is 279 miles, and to Chicago, the metropolis of the Great West, the distance is 714 miles. New York, the commercial center of America, is 415 miles away, while Washington, the political center, is only 187 miles distant. In the mere matter of dis- tance to important points Pendleton is more highly favored than most counties of America.
In form the countv is a not very irregular rectangle. The greatest length is 32 miles and the greatest breadth is 24
2
miles. The diagonal distance between the northern and southern angles is 38 miles. The corners of Pendleton look toward the four cardinal points of the compass. The area is usually given as 650 square miles. But according to the books of the county surveyor, the true area is 707 square miles or more than 450,000 acres.
On two sides the boundaries follow natural lines. On the west the border follows the crest of the divining ridge of the Alleghany system. On the east it follows the crest of the Shenandoah Mountain. North and south the boundaries are artificial courses connecting the two ranges. The bordering counties are eight. They are Rockingham, Augusta, and Highland in Virginia, and Hardy, Grant, Tucker, Randolph, and Pocahontas in West Virginia.
The contour of Pendleton is typical of the whole eastern slope of the northern Alleghanies. In other words, it ex- hibits a succession of parallel ranges inclosing parallel valleys. These valleys are three in number, there being two continu- ous divides within the county. These divides are the North Fork Mountain toward the west, and the South Fork Moun- tain toward the east. The three valleys are watered by the South Fork of the Potomac and its two leading tributaries, the North Fork to the West and the South Fork to the east. The valley of the South Fork is a little narrower than either of the others, but in none of the three is there an open width of eight miles on the average. In each valley are minor ridges, sometimes short and sometimes long, all following the same general course of the divides. It thus follows that a river of Pendleton is sometimes closely bordered on one or both banks by a mountain wall of considerable height. Each ridge, whether primary or secondary, rather closely pre- serves its average elevation.
Shenandoah Mountain attains an altitude of 4200 feet to- ward the south, but the conspicuous point is High Knob, nearly opposite Brandywine. The western slope, four to five miles broad, is interrupted toward the South Fork by a very much lower ridge. This foothill range opens broadly in places to let through the streams flowing down the main mountain, and is relatively higher and more conspicuous to- ward the north, where for an unbroken distance of six miles it is known as Sweedland Hill.
The South Fork Mountain is less elevated than the Shenan- doah, and its eastern slope is not more than half as broad. This declivity is very rugged, heavy foothills rising from the very edge of the South Fork bottoms. Toward the west is a companion hill of almost equal height, not a watershed, how- ever, and between the two is a belt of table land, 3000 feet
8
above the sea and interrupted by deep lateral valleys opening toward the South Branch. Very close to that river is a foot- hill range.
The North Fork Mountain is higher than the South Fork Mountain and its eastern slope is not only twice as broad but is largely covered by a complex series of minor ridges and knobs, separated by narrow valleys. These elevations have local names, the most conspicuous. proceeding from south to north, being Ruleman, Cassell, Big and Cave mountains to- ward the west, and Simmons Mountain, Bob's Mountain. Pickle Mountain. Entry Mountain, Collett's Mountain, Sand Ridge, Tract Hill, and Little Mountain toward the east. Immed- iately to the east of the South Branch Jack Mountain enters from Highland and runs to the mouth of the Thorn. In the north Middle Mountain enters from Grant for a few miles, separating the two branches of Mill Creek. Toward the High'and line the North Fork Mountain loses the uniformity of height which is generally true of the ridges in Pendleton. It here towers up in several prominences, chief among which are Panther Knob and Snowy Mountain, 4500 feet high. The former was for a while supposed to be the loftiest peak in West Virginia.
The western slope of North Fork Mountain is in its gen- eral features similar to the corresponding side of Shenandoah Mountain. Like the latter it has a foothill range closely hugging the right bank of the North Fork. This elevation, which we will call the East Seneca Ridge, has a remarkable feature that will be mentioned farther on.
Beyond the North Fork, in the southwest of the county, a lofty mountain wall rises from the margin of the river bot- tom and is interrupted only by the valley of Deep Run. Below this tributary the expansive tableland known as the Hunting Ground begins at the brink of the mountain rampart and stretches west to the Alleghany divide on the border of the county. The latter is 4200 to 4500 feet high and without any deep gaps. Yet it appears low when viewed from the lofty Hunting Ground. Spruce Mountain runs from this plateau to the great bend in Seneca Creek, a distance of twelve miles. Spruce Knob. 4860 feet high, is the culmination of this ridge and the highest land in all West Virginia. Between Spruce Mountain and the North Fork is the low chain called Timber Ridge. As in the case of the East Seneca Ridge it opens here and there to make a passage for the streams from the west. Below the Seneca Creek the Alleghany divide bends eastward, coming within four miles of the river, and an arm is thrust southward to the mouth of the tributary. In this quarter the summit of the Alleghany
is broad, as in the case of the Roaring Plains at the head of Roaring Creek.
The three rivers of the county and their leading affluents are bordered by considerable areas of bottom land. Along the North and South Forks these bottoms are fairly contin- uous, seldom broad, and in going up stream they become very narrow. The bottoms of the South Branch occur in broad, detached bodies, having the appearance of dried up lakes, and are more extensive. Around Upper Tract is an area of 2000 acres looking like the prairie land of the West. Considerable amounts of not very uneven land occur on the plateau of South Fork Mountain, in the broad, open expanse below Upper Tract, on the tilting plain between North Fork Mountain and East Seneca Ridge, on the Hunting Ground, and in the valley behind Timber Ridge. But in general the surface of the county is very uneven and abounds in steep hillsides and narrow gorges.
The South Branch of the Potomac rises at Hightown in Highland at the altitude of 3000 feet, flows eight miles to the Pendleton line, and courses 361-2 miles within the county. From an elevation of 2400 feet at the Highland line it sinks to 1300 at the Hardy line, a fall of 30 feet to the mile. Above Franklin the river falls twice as fast as it does below. It gathers volume rapidly, and in the more quiet reaches the breadth rises to 30 or 40 yards. Just below Upper Tract it turns aside from the natural direction down Mill Creek val- ley, flowing through a picturesque gorge between Cave and Little mountains into the canoe-shaped valley known as the Smokehole.
The Indians called the South Branch the Wappatomika, meaning "River of Wild Geese." This term went out of use a century ago. It is to be regretted that it gave way to the present long and clumsy designation, insomuch as no dis- tinctive Indian word has been retained to mark the many natural features of Pendleton. Wappatomika may seem a long word, yet it is perfectly easy to pronounce, quite as much so as Susquehanna, Rappahannock, and others of the numerous native names which have been retained on the sea- board.
Three miles above Franklin the South Branch receives its largest tributary, the Thorn, a stream nearly as large at the junction as the main river itself. The Thorn is formed of two large branches. the Blackthorn and Whitethorn, both rising close to the Highland line. The other feeders of the South Branch are small. On the east, passing from South to North, the chief ones are Trout, Deer, Poage, and Mal- low's runs. On the west they are East Dry Run, Hammer's
6
Run, Smith Creek, Friend's Run, Hedrick's Run, and Reed's Creek. Trout Run was formerly called Buffalo Run. Poage Run was Licking Creek, Mallow's Run was Shaver's Run, Friend's Run was Richardson's Kun, and Hedrick's Run was Skidmore's Mill Run.
The North Fork rises a little within the Highland line and is somewhat smaller than the South Branch. From a height of 2000 feet at Circleville it drops 459 feet in the 13 miles to Seneca. With four exceptions its tributaries are unimpor- tant. A few miles above Circleville it is joined by Big Run flowing from the Alleghany divide. The Seneca waters the narrow, elevated valley between the same divide and Spruce Mountain, and joined by Horsecamp Run, Brushy Run, and Roaring Creek, adds a large volume to the main river. Deep Spring Run is very short, but is an outlet of an immense spring which gathers the underground drainage of the lime- stone plateau to the east. West Dry Run rises between Panther Knob and Snowy Mountain.
The South Fork likewise takes its head in Highland and is similar in size to the North Fork. Its tributaries are small, and all the important ones flow out of Shenandoah Mountain. They are Brushy Fork, Little Fork, Hawes Run, Rough Run, and Lick Run.
Below Upper Tract North and South Mill creeks flow north into Grant and there join the South Branch. Otherwise the entire county is drained by the three river systems de- scribed, except that east of Jack Mountain is the source and possibly a mile of the headwaters of the Bullpasture, the parent stream of the James.
The courses of the three Pendleton rivers are remarkably direct. The bends are small with broad necks. Thus the loops of the South Fork add only three miles to the airline distance across the county. The course of the South Branch is somewhat less straight than in the case of the other riv- ers. This persistence in a given direction is due to the geo- logic structure of the county, as will hereafter be mentioned. It is true, however, that in the broader bottoms their chan- nels are not permanent. The streams now behave much like the rivers of the West. At one side the current will be eat- ing into the bank, and on the other a rockbar will be form- ing. A reach of swamp or stagnant pool will mark a re- cently abandoned course, while a still older one may be traced by a shallow depression wherein the rockbar has become hidden by a covering of soil and vegetation.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.