USA > West Virginia > Marion County > History and progress of the county of Marion, West Virginia, from its earliest settlement by the whites, down to the present, together with biographical sketches of its most prominent citizens > Part 4
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
he halted, and making motions as if he observed some friends approaching from the other side, he shouted : "Come on ! come on-make haste ; here is one !" The Indian, supposing there were really some friends of Morgan ascending from the other side, turned and fled as precipitately as the latter had run from him. Levi, overjoyed at the success of his ruse, kept up the deception by shouting, "shoot quick, or he will get away !" hearing which the Indian seemed to redouble his exertions, and was soon out of sight. Morgan then hastened home, leaving his gun and coat for the savage. .
Sometime after this, Morgan attended the treaty of Au Glaize, and met with this same Indian, who still had his gun. After good-humoredly talking over the circumstance, Levi proposed that they test each other's speed in, a friendly race, to which the Indian assented and was beaten. Whereupon he rubbed his limbs and said, " stiff, stiff'; too old, too old." Morgan laughed, and replied, " Well, you got my gun by out- running me then, and I should have it back now for outrunning you," and he took it from the Indian, who yielded it cheerfully.
About this time (in the year 1791,) a small com- pany of settlers, including Horatio and Levi Morgan, Jacob and John Hayes, and several others made an expedition from here to an Indian town on Sunfish creek, in Ohio, for the purpose of destroying it. Ar-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
riving there they found the village deserted by the warriors, and the only remaining inhabitants a few women and children, and old men. They stole up to the outskirts of the town, where they could obtain a good view of the situation. Observing an old man sitting quietly smoking a pipe in the door of his wig- wam, Levi Morgan told the rest of the party to watch him exhibit his extraordinary marksmanship, and taking steady aim at the center of the old man's fore- head, fired. The ball did not vary a hair's breadth from the spot, and the Indian rolled over dead. This was a signal for the attack, and the men plundered the village and returned home, bringing with them several prisoners.
CHAPTER XI ..
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MURDER OF THE McINTIRES-END OF INDIAN DEPREDATIONS.
SHORT distance above Worthington, near the mouth of Bingamon creek, occurred the last of the depredations committed by the savages in this immediate neighborhood.
In May, 1791, as John McIntire and his wife were returning from a visit, they passed through the yard of Uriah Ashcraft. A few minutes afterwards, Mr. Ash- craft was startled by the growling of one of his dogs, and stepped to the door to see what had aroused him. He had scarcely reached the entrance when he espied an Indian on the outside. Closing the door he ascend- ed the stairs and attempted three times to fire from a window at the redskin, but his gun snapped. IIe then observed that there were other Indians close at hand, and he raised a loud shout for help, hoping that friends in the vicinity might hear and come to his relief. The Indians presently retreated, and shortly afterwards three brothers of MeIntire came up. 1.sh- craft explained the situation, and the four set out to
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
follow the trail of the savages. About a mile off they found the body of John McIntire, whom the Indians had overtaken, tomahawked, scalped and stripped ; and concluding that Mrs. McIntire, whom they knew to have been with her husband, was taken prisoner, they sent to Clarksburg for assistance to follow the murderers and recover the captive.
A company of eleven men, led by Col. John Hay- mond and Col. George Jackson, started shortly after- wards in pursuit of the Indians, and followed the trail to Middle Island creek, where it appeared fresh. Col. Jackson proposed that six men should be chosen, who would strip as light as they could, and go ahead of the horses. William Haymond, of Palatine, who was one of the number, in a letter to Luther Haymond, fifty years afterwards, thus gives an account of what followed .
"George Jackson, Benjamin Robinson, N. Carpen- ter, John Haymond, John Harbert and myself (the sixth,) were those chosen. We stripped ourselves as light as we could, tied handkerchiefs around our heads, and proceeded as fast as we could. The In- dians appeared to travel very carelessly, and as it was in May, and the weeds were young and tender, we could follow a man very easily. Arriving on a high bank, Jackson turned around and said, " where do you think they have gone ?" With that, he jumped down the bank, and we proceeded down on the beach a short distance, when suddenly we were fired upon by
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
one of the Indians. We started in a run and had gone ten or fifteen yards when the other three fired. John Harbert and brother John caught sight of them first running up the hill and fired at them. Robinson and myself ran and jumped upon the bank where the Indians left their knapsacks, and I fired the third shot, the savages then being about fifty yards distant. * * * The Indian I shot bled considerable, and we trailed him for about a quarter of a mile, where he had cut a stick, which we supposed was to stop the blood. We followed him for about a mile, but the men thought it dangerous to go farther, think- ing he had his gun with him, and would hide and kill one of us, and we returned. * * The other Indians we did not follow, but on arriving at the place of attack found all their knapsacks, a shot pouch, four hatchets and all their plunder, including the woman's scalp .* * * * I have since heard that one of the Cunninghamis, who was a pris- oner with the Indians at that time, on his return said that an Indian came home and said he had been with three others on Muddy river (West Fork,) and killed a man and a woman ; that they were followed; that they fired on the white men ; and that the white men fired on them and wounded three, one of whom died
*It was thus ascertained that Mrs. Mclutire had been murdered with her husband, and on the return of the party her body was found near where that of her husband had been.
HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY. 69
after crossing the second ridge at a run). We were on the second ridge and near the second run). If this account be true, and the Indians we followed the same, we must have shot well."
After the murder of the MeIntires, there were no more massacres by the Indians in, this vicinity, though it was not until the year 1795 that Indian hostilities ceased altogether in Northwestern Virginia -when the rapid increase of the white population, and the determined measures adopted by the govern- ment, soon put an end to the Indian wars, and drove the tribes further west.
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CHAPTER XII.
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PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION FROM 1785 TO 1819.
AFTER the close of the Indian hostilities, noth- ing of importance transpired for several years, except the rapid progress consequent upon the re- moval of all danger from attack by the savages.
Every month brought new comers who took up claims and began the work of clearing and fencing their farms. The population rapidly increased, and the counties of Monongalia and Harrison (which lat- ter county had been formed in 1784,) were developing into wealthy and thickly populated communities. In October, 1785, Morgantown had been regularly estab- lished upon the lands of Zackquell Morgan. Fifty acres of his land lying upon a beautiful bottom on the Monongahela river, was " vested in Samuel Hanway, John Evans, David Scott, Michael Kearnes, and James Dougherty, gentlemen, trustees, to be by them, or any of them, laid off in lots of half an aere each, with convenient streets, which shall be, and the same are hereby established a town by the name of Morgans- town."
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
At the same time an act was passed establishing the town of Clarksburg, in Harrison county. Wil- liam Haymond, Nicholas Carpenter John Myers, John McAlly, and John Davison, were appointed trus- tecs. These two towns were the only ones in this vi- cinity for some years, and they were made the mar- keting head-quarters for all the settlers of the sur- rounding country.
From time to time after this, other various improve- ments were made. Mills were erected along the riv- ers, the buildings constructed not so rough as those formerly put up, and stores began to be established.
On December 5th, 1793, an act was passed by the General Assembly providing for the clearing and ex- tending of the navigation of the Monongahela and West Fork rivers, in the counties of Monongalia and Harrison, and trustees were appointed to receive sub- scriptions for the purpose. This was the first move ever made towards the improvement of the Upper Monongahela. The act also directed that "any person who should ereet any dam across the said Monongahela or West Fork rivers, should at the time of making the same, erect a slope in or through the said dam, in such a manner as should admit the easy passage of fish ; and also erect a sufficient lock at such dam for the convenient passage of canoes, batteaus and flat- bottomed boats, at least twelve feet wide, and keep
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
the same in good repair." Such improvements as these after a while became more frequent.
Owing to the advances made in civilization, many of the inconveniences incident to pioneer life, began to disappear and better accommodations were found on every hand. The mail facilities, especially, were much improved, a regular route being established, which allowed the citizens to communicate with the outside world at least once a month! Previous to this there had been no regular mails, and the inhabi- tants of the new country were not made aware of what transpired away from home, save through the medium of travelers that would be passing, or some settler who had been away visiting, or upon business, and would bring with him on his return a budget of news- papers or letters.
The war of 1812 with Great Britain did not affect this part of the country. Indeed, the inhabitants might scarcely have known that the war was waging, so little were its effects felt by them. A few volun- teers, however, went from this region, but very few. The settlements here had furnished but few Revolu- tionary soldiers, owing to the fact that the men were all needed at home to defend their families from the savages just at that time, and now, in this second war, there was not so great a demand for volunteers ; besides, we were so far removed from the immediate scene of the difficulties.
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CHAPTER XIII.
THE TOWNS OF THE COUNTY.
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N the year 1819, Fairmont (then called Middle- town) was established and regularly laid out. . The people of this vicinity, feeling a need of a town, determined to locate one, and held a meeting to de- cide upon a site. The farm of Boaz Fleming was considered by them the roughest and poorest, and least adapted to farming purposes, and having little idea that the new town would ever be more than a small hamlet, they finally selected bis land. The new place was named Middletown, because it was about half way between the towns of Clarksburg and Mor- gantown, and served as a stopping place for travelers going to and fro between the two latter places. At that time much of Middletown was a laurel thicket, the only house being a log cabin occupied by Mr. Fleming, which stood near the corner of Jefferson street and Decatur Alley, or near where Mr. John Crane now resides. The old pear tree which stands in Mr. Crane's garden was planted by Mr. Fleming about the year 1800. A wolf trap stood near his house
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
at the time Middletown was laid out. The first house built after the laying off of the town was by Mr. Sam- uel Jackson, father of Messrs. Oliver and James R. Jackson, of Fairmont. The first child born in Mid- dletown was E. M. Conaway, who is now in his fifty- ninth year.
From this time on to the organization of Marion county there were no events worthy of note happened within the territory now embraced therein, save the occasional laying out of a town, as the increase in population, and the need of a headquarters, would make it necessary.
In 1837, Rivesville was laid out upon the land of Elisha Snodgrass, and named in honor of Hon. Henry C. Rives.
In the year 1833, there had been a postoffice estab- lished at Robert Reed's tavern, near the forks of Booth's creek, and named Boothsville, in honor of Cap- tain Booth, whose murder by the Indians is related in a former chapter, and in 1839 a small town was laid off by Reed, adjacent to the post office, and has since grown to be quite a flourishing village, with a popula- ยท tion of one hundred and fifty.
In 1838, Palatine was established opposite Middle- town on the east bank of the Monongahela river, when the land owned by William Haymond and John S. Barns, sr., who had jointly purchased it from Daniel and John Paulsley, the sons of Jacob Paulsley, who had
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
moved upon the land in 1793. The tract was originally purchased by William Haymond, sr., for $140. Pala- tine is now the second town, in point of size and pop- ulation, in the county. It contains at present about six hundred inhabitants, and is in a very flourishing condition. Here are located the Marion Machine Works, the oldest manufacturing establishment of any kind in the county. These works, over thirty years ago, manufactured the McCormick Reaper, the first reaping machine ever built for sale in the United States-a fact worthy of note. The Palatine Pottery is another very important branch of industry, which is located at this place. A large number of the male population of Palatine are employed in the several coal mines in the vicinity of Fairmont.
Fairview, one of Marion county's most flourishing villages, was laid off in the summer of 1845. The only houses now standing upon the ground embraced within the limits were those built by Isaac Cotton (now occupied by Dr. Enos Amos) and David Higgins. Fairview is about eleven miles northwest of Fairmont, and is a picturesque town of over one hundred and fifty inhabitants. It contains one of the largest steam flouring mills in this section of the State, and is the center of the trade of quite a large scope of sur- rounding country. Basnettsville is a small settlement lying about half a mile south of Fairview.
The third town in the county in population and
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
importance, and the second in point of wealth, is Mannington, lying eighteen miles west of the county seat, on the B. & O. R. R. It is also the youngest place, for previous to the year 1850 there were but few houses on the ground of what is now a beautiful and prosperous town. All the land upon which Manning- ton is built belonged to Geo. H. J. Koon and James Furbee, the descendants of whom constitute a large portion of the leading inhabitants. Mannington is one of the most prominent towns of this section of West Virginia, considerable business being done there. One of the most important branches of trade carried on is that of the manufacture of leather. Mannington sole leather received a prize at the Centennial Expo- sition at Philadelphia, in 1876. Quite a large lum- ber business is also carried on here.
Worthington, Glover's Gap, Farmington and Bar- rack ville are other villages of considerable importance which have sprung into existence.
Newport, Winfield, Forksburg, Valley Falls, Nu- zum's Mills, Texas, Benton's Ferry, Basnettsville, Bob- town, Houlttown and Barnesville may be classed among the smaller villages, some of them older than the coun- ty itself, but the majority are merely small stations upon the railroad which have been established since it was built.
Benton's Ferry takes its name from Mr. Benton, who keeps the ferry upon the Valley river at that
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
point. This ferry was established by Asa Bee, father of Ephraim Bee, of Doddridge county, who was suc- ceeded by a family of Pettijohns, who gave way to John Mellett, which gentleman's son-in-law, Thomas Veach, afterwards had charge of it until Mr. Benton took possession.
Valley Falls takes its name from the falls that are in the Tygart's Valley river at this point. The river is a beautiful winding stream of gentle current, but at these falls the river descends, principally by three or four perpendicular pitches, some seventy feet in about a mile. They were discovered by Jonathan Nixon, in the summer of 1785, while he was upon a hunting excursion.
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CHAPTER XIV.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-THE FIRST COURT-THE JAIL, COURT HOUSE, &c.
ARION County was formed in 1842 from parts of Monongalia and Harrison counties. From the time of the close of the Indian depredations the population had increased so rapidly that it was found necessary, for the conveniences of government to or- ganize a new county, and the people of the southern part of Monongalia and the northern part of Harrison counties accordingly petitioned the Legislature for the formation of what was afterwards called Marion county, in honor of General Francis Marion, of Revo- lutionary memory. The choice of this name eviden- ced that the projectors of the new county had not for- gotten their patriotism. Doubtless a foretaste of the ardent patriotism, so common about that time in Vir- ginia, and especially of the mode of giving vent to its pulsations, acted as a stimulus in those days in keep- ing alive the names of those who flourished conspicu- ously in the great War of Independence, and in caus- ing cities, towns and counties, as well as babies, both
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
black and white, to be named for them. At about that period there was no State in the Union had more burning patriotism than Virginia, and it usually manifested itself in feasting on ginger-bread and beer, hard cider and good whisky, at big musters and on Fourth of July occasions, and in naming children and corporations for great and renowned military men.
The delegate in the Virginia Legislature from this end of Monongalia county, in 1842, was William S. Morgan, and it was he who introduced the bill in the House. The measure met with considerable opposi- tion, especially from the other delegates from Monon- galia and one member from Harrison, but Mr. Morgan, assisted by Hon. William J. Willey, the State Sena- tor from this district, and John J. Moore, Esq., a lobby member, he finally conquered all opposition and se- cured the passage of the bill, January 14th, 1842. Middletown was made the county seat. A year or two afterwards the name of the town was changed to Fairmont. Name was
- given, Bre Chas Hamper a Lawyer who after as died in
On the 4th of April following, the first county Texas court was held at the house of William Kerr, father of E. C. Kerr, of Fairmont, which stood on the corner of Main and Jefferson streets. John S. Barnes, Sr., Thomas S. Haymond, Thomas Watson and William Swearingen, justiees of the peace, composed the court. John Nuzum, William J. Willey, Matthew. L. Fiem- ing, Isaae Means, Leonard Lamb, George Dawson, Le-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
ander S. Laidley, Elias Blackshere, David Cunning- ham, Abraham Hess, John S. Chisler, Absalom Knotts, Benjamin J. Brice, Albert Morgan, David Musgrave, Hillery Boggess, William T. Morgan, John Clayton, Thomas Rhea, William Cochran, John S. Smith, John Musgrave, William B. Snodgrass, William Bradley, Thomas A. Little, Jesse Sturm, John S. Barnes, Sr., and Henry Boggess were the justices of the peace of the county. Zebulon Musgrave was appointed erier of the court, and the following attorneys were permit- ted to practice in court : Gideon Camden, William C. Haymond, Burton Despard, Charles A. Harper, James M. Jackson, John J. Moore, George H. Lee, Waitman T. Willey, Moses A. Harper, and Eusebius Lowman. The court adjourned to meet in the Meth- odist Episcopal (the recently demolished Protestant Episcopalian) Church, where the future sessions of the court were held until the court house was built.
Thomas 1 .. Boggess was elected the first elerk of the county court, William C. Haymond was the first pros- ecuting attorney, and Benjamin J. Brice the first sheriff of the county.
The crier of the court was ordered to enter into a contract with Daniel M. Thompson for the upper room of his dwelling house for a jail. " provided said Thompson should make such improvements as would make it secure." The ient was five dollars per month and Thompson was appointed jailor. The prison was
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
a queer structure, to be sure. It was situated on Washington street, the same site whereon stands the dwelling now occupied by William E. Hough. It was a small log house, and the upper room, which the court ordered to be used as a jail, was only a half story ry high; had holes sawed out at the gable ends, giving it the appearance of an old fashioned Indian fort. Whether prisoners really stayed within the enclosure any longer than they were watched by sentinels from the outside is doubtful. Then, however, jails were mostly used for confining failing debtors, and it mat- tered but little whether they remained in or out of the enclosure of the jail. If they got out they were too poor to abscond. Some years afterwards, and when it had ceased to serve as a jail, the house was moved, and now stands some distance east on the same street-owned and occupied by James Murphy.
F. H. Pierpoint, attorney, was qualified at the May term of the court, and Dan'l M. Thompson was awarded the contract for building the court house for the sum of $3,150.75, which were the principal items of business transacted that term. The court house was considered a fine building when it was completed. It bore such a contrast to the other buildings in Fairmont at that time that it no doubt presented an imposing appear- ance. Since the recent improvements in the county seat, however, and the erection of so many handsome
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
business houses, the contrast is the other way. The court house, together with its grounds, occupies about one-third the space between Jefferson and Monroe streets, on the North side of Main, and is a large two story brick, surmounted by a cupola, containing a splendidly toned bell. Six heavy columns grace the front of the building and support the gable, which extends over a pavement in front of the door. In the first story are contained the county offices-that of the clerk of the county court on the right of the entrance, and the circuit court clerk's office on the left. On either side of the hall-way leading to the back of the building are various other offices. In the second story is the large court room, and.two jury rooms. In front of the building is a large yard, containing shade trees, and in the rear is the jail, with the sheriff's residence, which buildings are new, having been erected in 1877 at a cost of about $8,000. The business of the county has increased, and continues to increase, to such an extent that it will soon be found necessary to tear down the present court house and build a greater and more convenient one-which, it is hoped, will be more creditable to the county in point of architectural beauty, than the one now standing.
In those days everybody that could possibly make it convenient came to town during the sitting of the county court. Especially was this the case on the
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
first and second days of each term. They were set apart as general trading days. On these days, men, women and children came to town with their horses, cattle, grain, butter, eggs, chickens, and soap, and ex- changed them for such articles as supplied their de- mands and necessities. Court days, were famous, too, for ending disputations in fisticuffs and drinking whisky. All the quarrels and wranglings among the baser sort of the people of the county were referred to county court days for final adjustment, and they usually ended in knock-downs and bloody noses.
Thomas S. Haymond and John C. Clayton were the first representatives of the county in the House of Delegates, and William J. Willey in the Senate. Mon- ongalia, Preston, Randolph and Marion, composed the Senatorial district. Messrs. Haymond and Clayton were delegates of more than average ability; espec- ially is this merit accorded to Mr. Haymond.
Mr. Willey, the Senator, was a resident of the county ; was noted for his many cecentricities, and for his abilities as a legislator. He was by no means a handsome man, and for this reason was not called up- on to divide his time with the ladies of Richmond, but was enabled to devote himself solely to the best interests of his constituency, It is related of Mr. Willey that when he used to go to Richmond as a rep- resentative he was as fond of personating the pecu-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
liar style of dress of the people as he was of repre- senting their local interests in the Legislature. On one occasion he went to Richmond dressed in blue linsey breeches and brown linsey hunting shirt.
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