USA > West Virginia > Randolph County > A history of Randolph County, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement to the present time > Part 19
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
The Vote of Randolph for State Capitol.
On the first Tuesday in August, 1877, there was held throughout the state an election on the question of the per- manent location of the state capitol. The places voted for were Martinsburg, Clarksburg and Charleston. In that con- test Randolph cast 859 votes for Clarksburg, 31 for Charleston and 2 for Martinsburg. The vote of the state was: Charles- ton, 41,243; Clarksburg, 29,942, and Martinsburg, 8,046.
Elections.
The vote of Randolph County, March 26, 1863, to accept or reject the amended constitution of the new state was as follows: For ratification 167, Against ratification 13.
In the election for state officials held May 22, 1863, Ran- dolph County cast 78 votes for F. H. Pierpoint for Governor, 76 for Daniel Posely for Lieutenant Governor, and 65 votes for James S. Wheat for Attorney General.
Members of the Legislature.
The following persons have represented Randolph County in the Legislature since the formation of the state:
Cyrus Kittle 1863
Jesse F. Phares 1865
Chas. W. Burke 1867
James W. Dunington
1868
John A. Hutton 1869
Lemuel Chenoweth
1871
John A. Hutton
1872
John Taylor 1873
Elihu Hutton 1877
C. J. P. Cresap 1881
A. B. Parsons 1883
Harmon Snyder 1885
J. F. Harding 1887
I. L. Kee 1889
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
J. B. Finley 1891
G. H. Daniels 1893
J. F. Harding 1895
T. P. R. Brown 1897
J. A. Cunningham 1899
W. G. Wilson 1901
Lew Greynolds
1903
Warwick Hutton
1905
J. F. Strader 1907
James W. Weir
1909
John T. Davis
1911
F. D. Talbott 1913
James W. Weir 1915
In the second Constitutional Convention held at Charles- ton in 1872, J. F. Harding was a delegate from Randolph and Tucker.
Beverly Threatened to Secede.
Prior to the adoption of the constitution of 1851, none but freeholders could participate in the elective franchise in Vir- ginia. All offices were appointive except members of the Leg- islature, overseers of the poor and town trustees. It was claimed that the territory west of the mountains received very unfair treatment in the distribution of power. The proposed constitution of 1830 gave one hundred and three members of the House of Delegates to the counties east of the mountains and thirty-one to the territory west of them. Randolph was much opposed to the new constitution and a public meeting was held at Beverly, March 10, 1830. In the discussion of the merits of the proposed constitution at that meeting, it was stated that in one company of seventy-four soldiers from a county of Virginia in the war of 1812, only two had the right to vote. The Beverly mass-meeting adopted the following res- olution :
Resolved, That we would sooner commit to the flames
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
the new constitution and vote for a division of the state than to vote for its adoption.
The opposition west of the mountains availed nothing and the constitution was ratified by a vote of 26,055 for and 15,563 against. However, the opposition of the people resulted twen- ty years later in the adoption of the constitution of 1851, which granted the right of suffrage to all white males of the state of more than 21 years of age, and made most offices elective instead of appointive.
Fined Four Hundred Pounds of Tobacco.
The first superior court for the territory west of the Alleghenies, under the Act of the Virginia Assembly of 1788, was to be held at Morgantown, May 4, 1789. This district embraced Randolph, Ohio, Harrison, and Monongalia Coun- ties. No court was held on that date owing to the attendance of an insufficient number of grand jurors. Robert Maxwell, Cornelius Bogard, Peter Cassedy, Edward Jackson, and George Jackson had been summoned from Randolph but failed to attend. The court fined each four hundred pounds of to- bacco. However, at the September term of the court these fines were remitted.
Tory Camp Run.
Big and Little Tory Camp Runs are the only two objects in Randolph that perpetuate memories of the Revolution. Lit- . tle Tory Camp Run is a tributary of the Dry Fork on the east side about a mile above the town of Harman. Big Tory Camp Run is a tributary of the same stream on the same side about two miles farther south and a short distance below the village of Job.
Tory was a term that designated one who favored the mother country. The revolutionist was called a Whig. The feeling between these two classes of citizens was very bitter during and for many years subsequent to the Revolution. Midnight raids of neighbor against neighbor in which murder and arson were the objects sought were frequent occurrences
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
in communities in which there was a division of sentiment.
Virginia enacted drastic laws against the Tories. Many left the country and sought protection under the flag of Great Brittain. A number from the counties of Hardy, Hampshire and Pendleton entered the wilderness and established camps in the eastern part of Randolph. A few years ago evidences of their encampments were still visible.
The First Settlement on Lower Middle Mountain.
The first man to make settlement on the lower Middle Mountain, below the Seneca Road, was Jacob W. Car. In 1874, he married Mary Ann Kerens and with his bride, for better or worse, to carve out their fortunes from the vir- gin forests, located many miles from human habitation. However, the fates favored their adventurous spirits and they have a large landed estate to transmit to their children in a community of churches, schools, stores and railroads. Twelve children have blessed their union, all living except one son, French, who died in his fifteenth year. Children living: James Il., Albert L., Asa Martin, Enos, Jacob, Job, John, Hulda Jane, Barbara E., and Eliza Jane.
Neighbors in Pendleton and Randolph.
The ancestors of several prominent families in Randolph were friends and neighbors in Pendleton. The Caplingers and Harpers who were pioneers in Randolph were close neighbors in Pendleton before locating in this county. These two fam- ilies have been on terms of neighborly intimacy in Randolph for a century. The same can be said of the Wards, the Col- letts and the Phareses. Representatives of these families were constables appointed by the Governor in the organization of Pendleton in 1787. They were Gabriel Collett. Johnson Phares and William Ward.
Abraham Springstone.
Springstone Run, emptying into Leading Creek about a
.
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
mile northwest of Kerenes, is supposed to have received its name from the fact that it has its source in the mountains, where the springs flow from stony beds. However, this sup- position is erroneous as it was named for Abraham Spring- stone, who settled on its banks in the pioneer period. Little is known of his antecedents or decendants. He married Mary, daughter of William Innis, in 1797.
Imprisonment for Debt.
Imprisonment for debt was a legal barbarity in vogue during the earlier years of the history of Randolph. The court records ran as follows :
Thereupon came A. B. and undertook for the said de- fendant in case he be cast in this suit, he shall pay and sat- isfy the condemnation of the court, or render his body to prison in execution for the same, or that he, the said A. B. would do it for him.
Trustees of Moorefield.
Moses Hutton, Johnathan lleath and Geo. Rennock were the trustees of the town of Moorefield in 1777. Moses Hutton was, perhaps, the son of Abraham, who was the first of the Hutton famly to come to America. Geo. Rennix was sheriff of Randolph in 1808 and captain of militia in 1798. Whether it was the same Geo. Rennix is not known. Ashael Heath was sheriff of Randolph in 1803 and lieutenant of militia in 1799. The name Rennock has been changed to Renix.
Early Church History.
In 1748, at Frederick, Md., a log church was built by the settlers who were German reformers. Among the members of this church were names of families identified with the settle- ment of Randolph County: Lingenfelders, Buckeys, Kuntzs, Witmans, now Whitman and Weiss, now Weese.
A Lutheran church was built at Monocacy, Md., in 1747. Among the members of this congregation were the Ebberts,
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Jenkins, Myers, and Conradts, afterward spelled Conrad ; Poes, Whites, Wilhides, Hedges, Wiers. William White moved from Monocacy, Md., to the Shenandoah Valley in 1734. Probably his decendants settled in the valley in the vi- cinity of Hadden's Fort.
Elkins Weather Bureau.
This station was established January 1, 1899. Albert Ash- enberger was in charge from that date until October 31, 1903. Louis Dorman succeeded him and was in charge until June 1, 1911, when he was succeeded by Harry M. Howell, who remained in charge until November, 1914, when upon his own request he was transferred to the Philadelphia station and later to Washington, D. C. Mr. H. H. Jones, of Tennessee, has been in charge of the station since the transfer of Mr. Howell. Mr. Jones is ably assisted by Jesse Robinson, a Ran- dolph County young man. Mr. Howell commenced as an as- sistant to Mr. Dorman and his promotion has been rapid. Be- sides his position as chief of the Elkins bureau and his pres- ent situation in Washington, D. C., he has held important positions in the service at Savannah, Georgia, and Louisville, Kentucky.
The Socialist Movement in Randolph.
The Socialist party was first organized in Randolph, March 5, 1908, when a few adherents of that economic philoso- phy met at the M. P. church in Elkins and organized a local. Dr. A. S. Bosworth was chairman of the meeting and W. G. Howell was secretary. An address was made by J. E. Kildow. Those who were present and became members of the local were : J. F. Kildow, Dr. A. S. Bosworth, A. R. Conoway, S. W. Hayden, Adam See, R. M. Stalnaker, W. G. Howell, Edward Tucker, and H. M. Howell.
Indian Ring.
On Conrad Street in the village of Mill Creek can be seen what is called an "Indian Ring." It is about 50 feet in diame- ter. The ring was more distinct before the land was culti-
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
vated. Large trees originally grew on the spot, indicating many years since the ring was the scene of occupancy by the Red Man. The soil forming the elevation was about one foot high. The ring is too large to have been a wigwam and is in all probability the remains of an ancient palisade. In the adjoining county of Pendleton there is evidence of a ring en- closing almost an acre of ground.
Indian mounds exist on the farm of Will Harper, in Leadsville District and on the adjacent farm of Arch Lytle in Beverly District. From the mound on Lytle's farm stone hatchets have been taken. From the mound on the Currence farm, a mile south of Daily, two stone pipes and parts of a human skeleton were removed.
The Inter-Mountain.
The Inter-Mountain, the first Republican paper in Ran- dolph County, was established in 1892, in the town of Elkins. Professor N. G. Keim was its first editor under the manage- ment of a publishing company. Professor Keim remained in charge two years, when he was succeeded by M. S. Cornwell, of Hampshire County. Mr. Cornwell remained editor two years or until 1896, when he resigned on account of failing health. William S. Ryan edited the paper for a few months and was succeeded by Chas. E. Beans. Mr. Herman Johnson succeeded Mr. Beans in August, 1898. Mr. Johnson is still ed- itor and owner of the paper. A daily edition has been pub- lished since October, 1907.
Randolph Men in the French and Indian War.
Quite a few of the early settlers of Randolph had been soldiers in the French and Indian War of 1754-60. The fol- lowing is a partial list. However, in a few instances the de- scendants of these men, only, became residents of Randolph. Friend Jonas, Sergeant : Phares John, Corporal : Briggs Sam- uel, Conrad Ulrich, Coplinger George, Cunningham James, Cunningham Robert, Cunningham William, Eberman Jacob, Haigler Benjamin, Haigler Jacob, Harman George, Harper
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Adam, Harper Phillip, Hevener Michael, Kile George, Kile Valentine, Skidmore James, Skidmore Joseph, Ward William, Wise Jacob.
Population of Randolph.
The population of Randolph in 1790 was 951. The first ten years the population nearly doubled and in 1800 the cen- sus figures show Randolph to have had 1826 souls. The rate of increase in subsequent years was not so large, but in 1810 the population had increased to 2854. When we remember that the area of the county was so much greater than at pres- ent, we know that the population was sparse in 1820 when the census of that period gives the population of the county as 3357. The assessors for the year 1792 returned 87 white per- sons and 18 colored as proper subjects for poll tax in John Jackson's District. In John Hadden's District 57 whites and 4 colored. In the remainder of the county 15 white persons were eligible for poll tax; making in the entire county 159 whites and 12 colored, or 181 in all. John Hadden's District embraced very nearly the same territory that constitutes Randolph County today. In that district according to the estimate of five persons to each tithe, there was in the pres- ent territory of Randolph a population of 305 in 1792. There were 260 horses in Randolph county that year.
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From 1820 to 1910 the population of Randolph County has varied as follows :
1830
5,000
1840
6,208
1850
5,243
1860
4,990
1870
5,563
1880
8,102
1896
11,633
1900
₹: 1910
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Population of incorporated towns in Randolph County according to the census of 1910:
Beverly
438
Elkins
5,260
Harding
105
Harmon
149
Huttonsville
251
Mill Creek
740
Montrose
112
Whitmer
650
Womelsdorf
665
An Old Field School.
The building was a rude round log structure. A chimney made from split sticks cemented together with mud. A roof of clapboards held on by weight poles. Greased paper cover- ing an aperature caused by the removal of a log was substi- tuted for a window. No floor overhead and none beneath but the bare earth. Puncheon seats, no blackboard and few slates, goose quill pens : pupils reading or spelling aloud. A constant supply of hickory gads to enforce discipline. Such was the first school attended by the writer in Valley Bend District in 1866.
Swiss Colony at Alpena.
In April, 1879, a colony of about one hundred Swiss emi- grants settled at Alpena, on the eastern slope of the Shaver Mountain. In a strange environment, unaccustomed to the tillage of the crops suitable to this soil and climate, they be- came discouraged and all but about half dozen families aban- doned the country within the first year. About a half dozen families remained and prospered and constitute a valuable ac- quisition to our population. Those who became permanent residents of the county are Emiel Knutti, Jacob Ratzer, Chris- tian Herdig, Godfrey Herdig and John Herdig.
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
HENRY CLAY DEAN.
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
An Orator in Disguise.
Mark Twain, in his "Life on the .Mississippi," pub- lished in 1906, in referring to his visit to Keokuk, Iowa, relates an amusing incident in the life of Henry Clay Dean. An ac- count of Dean's relation to Randolph County is narrated in another chapter. Mark Twain says:
"Keokuk, a long time ago was an occasional loafing place of the erratic genius, Henry Clay Dean. I believe I never saw him but once, but he was much talked of when I lived there. This is what was said of him :
"He began life poor and without education, but he edu- cated himself on the curb stones of Keokuk. He would sit down on a curb stone with his book, careless or unconscious of the clatter of commerce and the tramp of the passing crowds, and bury himself in his studies by the hour, never changing his position except to draw in his knees now and then to let a dray pass unobstructed : and when his book was finished, its contents, however, abstruse, had been burned into his memory, and were his permanent possession. In this way he acquired a vast hoard of all kinds of learning, and had it pigeon-holed in his head where he could put his intellectual hand on it whenever it was wanted.
"His clothes differed in no respect from a 'wharf rat's' except that they were raggeder, more ill-assorted and in- harmonious (and therefore more extravagantly picturesque) and several layers dirtier. Nobody could infer the master mind in the top of that edifice from the edifice itself.'
"He was an orator by nature in the first place, and later by training of experience and practice. When he was out on a canvass, his name was a lode stone which drew the farmers to his stump from fifty miles around. His theme was always politics. He used no notes, for a volcano does not need notes. In 1862, a son of Keokuk's late distinguished citizen, Mr. Claggett, gave me this incident concerning Dean:
"The war feeling was running high in Keokuk in '61, and a great mass meeting was to be held on a certain day in the new Athenaeum. A distinguished stranger was to ad- dress the house. After the building had been packed to its
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
utmost capacity with sweltering folk of both sexes, the stage still remained vacant-the distinguished stranger had failed to connect. The crowd grew impatient, and by and by indig- nant and rebellious. About this time a distressed manager discovered Dean on a curb stone, explained the dilemma to him, took his book away from him, rushed him into the build- ing the back way and told him to make for the stage and save his country.
"Presently a sudden silence fell upon the audience, and everybody's eyes sought a single point-the wide, empty, car- petless stage. A figure appeared there whose aspect was fa- miliar hardly to a dozen persons present. It was the scare crow Dean in foxy shoes, down at the heels ; socks of odd col- ors, also down; damaged trousers, relics of antiquity and a world too short, exposing some inches of naked ankle; an un- buttoned vest also too short and exposing a zone of soiled, wrinkled linen between it and the waistband; shirt bosom open ; long, black handkerchief wound round and round his neck like a bandage ; bobtailed blue coat, reaching down to the small of the back, with sleeves which left four inches of the forearm unprotected; small stiff-brimmed soldier cap hung on a corner of the bump of whichever bump it was. This fig- ure moved gravely out upon the stage and with sedate and measured step down to the front, where it paused and dream- ily inspected the house, saying no word. The silence of sur- prise held its own for a moment, then was broken by a just audible ripple of merriment which swept the sea of faces like the wash of a wave. The figure remained as before, thought- fully inspecting. Another wave started-laughter this time. It was followed by another, then a third-this last one boisterous.
"And now the stranger stepped back one pace, took off his soldier cap, tossed it into the wing and began to speak with deliberation, nobody listening, everybody laughing and whispering. The speaker talked on unembarrassed, and pres- ently delivered a shot which went home, and silence and at- tention followed. He rivited their attention quick and fast with other telling things: warmed to his work and began
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
to pour his words out instead of dripping them ; grew hotter and hotter and fell to discharging lightning and thunder, and now the house began to break into applause to which the speaker gave no heed, but went hammering straight on : un- wound his black bandage and cast it away, still thundering : presently discarded the bobtailed coat and flung it aside, fir- ing up higher and higher all the time; finally flung the vest after the coat, and then for an untimed period stood there like another Vesuvius, spouting smoke and flames, lava and ashes, raining pumice stone and cinders, shaking the moral earth with intellectual crash upon crash, explosion upon ex- plosion, while the mad multitude stood upon their feet in a solid body, answering back with a ceaseless hurricane of cheers, through a threshing snow storm of waving handker- chiefs.
"When Dean came," said Claggett. "the people thought he was an escaped lunatic : but when he went, they thought he was an escaped archangel."
Stocks and Pillories.
In the pioneer period each court house yard was supplied with stocks and pillories. The pillories were for the punish- ment of a higher grade of crimes than the stocks. The court house grounds of Randolph County were provided with these primitive methods of penal punishment. At the February term 1794, an allowance of $10 was made for the construction of stocks and pillories. Next year Edward Combs was put in the stocks five minutes for contempt of court. Three years later St. Leger Stout was ordered to the stocks five minutes for the same offense. Stocks consisted of a framework of heavy timbers, having holes in which legs and arms were confined. Pillories were made of a wooden post and frame, fixed on a platform several feet above the ground, behind which the culprit stood, his head and hands being thrust through holes in the frame. so as to be exposed in front of it. The intention of setting a criminal in the pillory was that he should become infamous.
A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
251
"RANDOLPH CO. EXPRESS DELIVERING HUCKLEBERRIES TO HORTON WVA
A PRIMITIVE INDUSTRY.
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Marks and Brands.
For many years in the earlier history of this country no attempt was made to confine horses, cattle, sheep or hogs in enclosed fields. None except cultivated fields were put under fence. Horses, cattle and sheep were belled and turned loose to roam upon the range. Horses were branded and cattle, sheep and hogs were marked. Each individual owner selected a brand or mark of his own, which he had recorded with the court of the county. Proving this brand or mark was suffi- cient to recover stock in dispute. Recording ear marks and brands constituted a large part of the business of the court in those days. As an example of these marks, at the June term, 1794, it was ordered that the "ear marks of Jacob West- fall, which consists of a swallow fork in the left ear be admit- ted to record."
Arrow Heads.
Arrow heads are made from quartz of various colors. Some have been found in the country of such rare quality that it is not known where the Indians obtained the material from which they were made. A quantity of flint would be carried perhaps for many miles and handed down for generations as an inheritance. Maxwell's history says there is a ledge of flint near Brady's Gate in Mingo District. Sprawls are found in some localities, especially about the mounds, showing that the Indians stopped there long enough to replenish their sup- ply. A notable difference between some arrow heads and other arrow heads is that which distinguishes the point made for hunting game from that made for use in war. In the ar- row heads, made for hunting, at the base of the triangular part there is an indented portion, enabling the huntsman to fasten the point to the shaft with a thong, so that he could recover the weapon in its entirety. The war points, however, are perfect triangles or triangles with a concave curve at the base. The war points have thus not only one but three sharp points. The war arrow heads were not fastened to the shaft
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A HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
with thongs, but simply inserted in the split end of the shaft. When they struck and wounded a brave he pulled at the shaft, which became loose, but the pronged point remained in the flesh. The war points are long and narrow of design, well calculated to give a death blow to the stoutest warrior who did not know how to encase himself in armor, and was in fact ignorant of the use of iron or any other metal until he met the strangers across the sea. A battle-ax, made of stone, was found near the Indian mound on the Lytle place, about three miles south of Elkins.
Wooden Wagons.
Although the pack saddle was the pioneer's main depend- ence in matters of transportation, yet for local purposes he constructed a wagon entirely of wood. Therefore, the order of the court that wagon roads were to be constructed did not signify that wagons of modern design were in use. However, the first wagons, in the modern sense, used in this county were built by local workmen. The iron used was brought to the county by pack horses. In the first years of the settlement of the county, wagons constructed entirely of wood were in general use. The axles were made of hickory and wheels were sawed from the swamp gum tree. Harness, especially tugs and traces, were made from raw hide, buffalo skins being a favorite material for this purpose.
Bees and Birds.
The honey bee was inported from Europe to America by the first settlers. Its first home is supposed to have been in Asia. In pioneer days wild bees were found in great numbers far from human habitation. However, in the beginning they escaped from the settlers' apiary. Crows, black birds, and song birds also followed the advent of the white man. The English sparrow, the recent feathered nuisance, is an impor- tation into this country of the last few decades. The common house rat and the common house mouse which have played such an important role in the spread of contagious diseases,
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