USA > West Virginia > Ritchie County > History of Ritchie County, with biographical sketches of its pioneers and their ancestors, and with interesting reminiscences of revolutionary and Indian times > Part 24
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grimage. Side by side on the old homestead, he and his wife sleep. Their children were: James R., Mrs. Tamar (James) Frederick, Mrs. Ruhama (Archibald) Wyer, W. H. Goff. Benjamin, Granville, Mrs. Mary Riddel Valentine, and George, of Gilmer county. The last two only survive.
The Goff Ancestry .- The Goffs, like many of the other pioneers, have an interesting ancestral history, though two claims as to their origin in the "New World" are in our pos- session.
The first one is that the progenitors of the numerous families, of the name, scattered throughout West Virginia, are lineal descendants of Colonel William Goffe, the English parliamentarian and soldier, who was a member of that dis- tinguished Judicial body that signed the death warrant of Charles the I; and who, being compelled to flee from the vengance of Charles the II, sought refuge in the wilds of America, where he wandered about and lay in hiding in old mills, cliffs of rocks, and in caves, near New Haven, Connecti- cut, froin 1660-64, when he went to Hadley, Massachusetts. and found a friendly asylum with the minister of the parish until his death in 1679.
Almost every school-boy or girl is familiar with the story of the "strange, old man with long. white beard in ancient garb," that suddenly appeared upon the scene at the little chapel at Hadley, on that quiet Sunday morning when a band of devout worshipers were surprised by the Indians, and led them to victory -- then disappeared as mysteriously as he had come, leaving the astonished villagers to think that God had sent an Angel to deliver them from the dusky foe.
This "strange old man" was no other than Colonel William Goffe, the regicide, who had seen the approaching enemy from the window of the minister's house, and the same individual that is claimed by some to have been the antecessor of the Goffs of this county. But if Colonel Goffe had a family (and doubtless he had, as history tells us that his father-in- law, Edward Whalley, was the companion of his flight) he must have left them behind in England, as circumstances will not permit us to draw any other conclusion. But. while he could hardly have been the antecessor of the fore-fathers of
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the West Virginia families, it is not at all unlikely that they all belonged to the same race-the German : for people of this name are said to be scattered through various countries of Europe to-day, and it is not difficult to believe that they all may have sprung from the same parent-stem, when we re -- member that in olden-times the spirit of migration was eve- in evidence-sometimes from natural inclinations, but more often from more imperative reasons-religious or political persecutions, which drove thousands from their native lands. But be this as it may, John T. and Salathiel Goff, the two brothers who were the progenitors of the families that belong to this history, were natives of Germany, and of Teutonic birth : but, owing to the tyrannous hand of oppression in the Fatherland, they (with the Riddels, and the Hardmans, and. perhaps, the Springstons) migrated to England, and after a brief sojourn there, embarked to America, landing in Balti- more, shortly before the Revolution, where they remained twelve months before going to what is now Georgetown, in the District of Columbia.
John T. Goff married Miss Elizabeth Welsh, of Scotland, sister of Mrs. James Riddel, before' leaving the Fatherland, and when they removed from Baltimore, they established their home on the Maryland side, not far from Georgetown. where it is probable that Mrs. Goff died, not many years later ; for he was married to his second wife, Monacah Cerrico, as early as 1781. From there, after the Revolution, he removed to near Fredericksburg. Virginia, and later, to what is now Tucker county, West Virginia, where he, doubtless. sleeps on the banks of the Cheat river. From an old time-worn record, we learn that he bade his final adieu to earth, ou March 9, 1803; and that his wife, Monacah, died on December 27, 1815.
It will be noted in the beginning of this chapter, that his daughter, Tamar, figured in a runaway-marriage six months before his death, and that the scene of this little romance was on the Cheat' river. in what is now Tucker county ; hence this is conclusive evidence that his last hours were spent here.
1From the "Border Warfare" we learn that John T. Goff was one of the first settlers at "Horse Shoe Bottom," on this river.
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A complete and authentic record of the children of his first union is wanting, but he and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of five or more children: viz., William. John, James, Alexander, and Hannah ; and he and his wife, Monacah, had three daughters: Joanna, Tamar, and Luda Goff (the first two, Joanna and Tamar, evidently being twins, as the record shows that both were born in 1782, though the name of the month in one instance is missing).
James Goff .- Of the subsequent history of William and John, we know nothing, but James was twice married. The name of his first wife is unknown, but the second was a Miss Barnhouse. He came from the Cheat river with the other Goffs, and settled near the Big Bend in Calhoun county ; and from there went to Athens, Ohio, where he died at the home of his eidest son, John B. Goff, who was a soldier of the war of 1812.
The children of Jaines Goff were, John B., Robert, George L., William, Mary, Rebecca, and Libbie. Libbie married a man by the name of Lisson, and went to Ohio. George L. married Cathrine Phy, and was the father of Phillip Goff, of Juna,- who is the only survivor of the family ; James, William, and Susan, the other children, having passed on.
Hannah Goff (daughter of John T. Goff) married John Smith, and lived and died on Leading creek, in Gilmer county. Her children were seven in number: viz., George, John. Nathan, Jacob, Phebe (Mrs. John Davis), Luvina (remained single), and Mary (Mrs. William Patton).
Joanna Goff1 (daughter of John T. Goff) was born on August 4, 1782, and on October 8, 1803, she was married to her first cousin, George G. Goff, son of Salathiel Goff, and six children were the result of this union ; viz ..
John L. (born in 1804 and died 1805). George W., Hiram A., Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Brannon), Rachel (Mrs. Abra-
The record of this marriage, which was recently brought from its dust-covered hilling place, with its accompanying explanation that "Joanna Goff, daughter of John T. Goff, married her cousin, George G. Goff, son of Salathiel Goff," sets at rest the dispute concerning the rela- tionship of John T. and Salathiel Goff, and establishes the fact beyond cavil that they must have been brothers or half-brothers; for the younger generations remember having heard their grandsires say, repeatedly, that Joanna married her first cousin. These little things seem insignificant to the casual observer, but through them alone we establish facts, and settle controversies.
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ham Bush, of Gilmer county), and Nancy (Mrs. John Riddel, of Calhoun county). Joanna died in 1861.
Tamar Goff (daughter of John T. Goff) married John Riddel, and her family occupy the first place in this chapter.
Luda Goff married Jacob Springston, junior, and left a large line of descendants. (See later chapter.)
Alexander Goff (son of John T.), who was familiarly known as "Sauny." was the founder of the Ritchie county family. He was born, on October 16, 1773, during the sojourn of the family in England, and near the year 1799, he was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Riddel, sister of John Riddel, who was born in 1729. The marriage doubtless took place in what is now Tucker county (then Randolph), where they first established their home, and where they remained until after the close of the war of 1812, when they removed to Leading creek, in Gilmer county. Here they reared their large family, and here they resided until some time in the early fifties, when they came to this county and spent the remnant of their old age with their son, Strother, near Burnt House. Mr. Goff died in 1857, and, side by side, they lie at rest on the Strother Goff homestead.
Their family record is as follows :
John A .- born in 1800; Thomas, in 1806; Strother, 1809 : Benjamin, 1811 ; Dorcas, 1812 ; George, 1814; Elizabeth, 1815 ; Alexander, 1816; Joseph H., 1822; and James, who died in youth. Elizabeth, also, died in youth.
John A. Goff was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He married Miss Julia House, and came from Gilmer county, and settled on Long run, near Goff's post- office, where he died. He was the father of-Phillip, of Cal- houn county ; the late John W., of Gilmer county ; the late Alex., of Braxton : Lafayette and Thomas, who lost their lives in the Southern cause during the Civil war: and Mrs. W. O. Barnhouse.
S. L. Goff, of Lawford, is the son of Lafayette.
Dorcas Goff, the daughter of Alexander, senior, married Samuel Flemming, and shortly after their marriage they came to this county, and settled on Dry run of Spruce creek. where their son, John Fleming, now lives: and there they saw the
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last of earth. Their other children besides John, were as fol- lows : Benjamin, of Pennsylvania ; Alfred, who died in youth ; Mrs. Joanna (George) Stansbury, of Clarksburg; the late. Mrs. Mary (Jacob) Scott, of Mahone : and the late Mrs. Jane Connolly, of Gilmer county.
George Goff married Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Barnes Smith, senior, and sister of his brother, Thomas' wife, and settled in Wood county ; and from there removed to Mis- souri, where he died. His children were-John, Henry, George, Barnes, Elzaria, who all resided in the West and South; and Hila Ann, late wife of James S. Hardman, of Hardman chapel.
Henry lost his wife in the Confederate cause, and John is supposed to have been killed by the Indians, some place in the West.
Joseph H. Goff, who was also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, married Miss Angeline Davis, and resided in Braxton county for a time. Here Mrs. Goff died, after giving birth to five children; viz., Henry, of Spruce creek ; Charles and Theodore, who both died in youth ; Mrs. Joanna Davidson (widow of Israel Davidson, junior, of Tan- ners), of near Grafton; and the late Mrs. Mary McGill, of Spruce creek.
In 1865, Mr. Goff was married again to Miss Virginia Buzzard, sister of the late Henry Buzzard, and came to Spruce creek, from Pocahontas county (where the marriage took place), shortly after the Civil war ; and here his life came to a close on March 8, 1893. The children of this union are three in number ; viz., Floyd P., J. Warren Goff, and Mrs. Alice (Elmore) Summers, all of Hazelgreen. His wife still survives.
Thomas Goff married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Barnes Smith, senior.
Benjamin Goff married Miss Eda Smith, daughter of pioneer Aaron Smith.
Alexander Goff, junior, married Miss Mary Bush, daugh- ter of George Bush.
Strother Goff married his cousin, Miss Nancy Riddel, daughter of John and Tamar Goff Riddel, but the record of
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their families will all be found in other parts of this work. ( See Spruce creek for all, but Strother.)
Salathiel Goff's Line .- Salathiel Goff married Miss Eliza- beth L. Gray in the Fatherland and, as above mentioned, crossed to America with his brother, John T. Goff, after a brief sojourn in England ; and his wanderings in the Occident differ but little from those of his brother, and of the otlier families that crossed with them.
After leaving Baltimore, where they first stepped on American soil, Salathiel Goff went to Georgetown (with the rest of the immigrant party) and settled on the bank of the Potomac river, on the Virginia side. He is said to have re- moved to the vicinity of Fredericksburg, a little later, but however this may have been, he was a resident of Harrison county, (\'.) Virginia, in 1784; for on July twentieth of this year (1784), when William Haymond, the first principal sur- veyor of Harrison county, was qualified for this office. Salathiel Goff, Col. Benjamin Wilson, senior, Col. William Lowther, and Jacob Westfall were the Justices of the Peace of this new County of Harrison. (This comes from an old and authentic record.) But old papers found among the pos- sessions of his son, George G. Goff, which are now in the hands of WV. S. Goff, of Glenville, show that his last will and testament was made in what is now Tucker county. so doubt- less here his ashes lie. He is said to have died of cancer.
His children were Hiram, John, George G., Nancy Anne. Elizabeth, and Mary.
Hiram Goff, the eldest son, married Miss Margaret Rush, of Tucker county, and removed to Leading creek, in Gilmer county, shortly after the war of 1812. He was a thrifty farmer, and an extensive stock-raiser and cattle-merchant : and it was his custom to drive his large herds of cattle to Baltimore for market. And on one of these long trips across the mountains, after marketing a large drove, and being paid in gold. he was attacked by a band of robbers, only a few miles distant from Baltimore, and brutally beaten over the head with a club and robbed of his gold. From this cruel wound he became violently insane, and wandered aimlessly about over the surrounding country (in the vicinity of Balti-
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more) in a starving and deplorable condition, for several months before his family could locate him; but at length his identity became known, and his sons went and brought him back to his home, but he was never rational again; and, at times, he had to be confined in a strong room in his home. which had been constructed for this purpose. Some very pathetic stories have come down to his descendants concern- ing his irrational acts.
He was the father of John R. Goff, of Tucker county ; of William, who married a Miss Bush, and settled where Spencer now stands; of Dawson, who married Miss Rachel Brannon, of Gilmer county, and settled in Roane county ; of George, of Pomeroy, Ohio: Rachel, who was the late wife of George W. Hardman, senior, of Hardman Bend, in Calhoun county : Effie, wife of Jacob Springston; Elizabeth, who married Hiram Riddel, and went to Texas : and of Eda and Cyrus, who died unmarried.
Roane county is full of his descendants, Frank, Lee. Charles, Louis and Ira Goff, of Spencer, are his grandsons, they being the sons of Dawson Goff ; and Mrs. T. M. Goff, of Harrisville, is a granddaughter.
(For the families of Rachel Hardman, and Effie Spring- ston, see Hardman and Springston families.)
John Goff, the second son of Salathiel, was the first set- tler where Glenville now stands. Here his first wife, whose name is missing, died, and he married a Miss Richards for his second. He went to Kanawha county, in his old age. where he died. The children of his first union were as fol- lows: Salathiel, Drusa (Mrs. Parson, of Roane county), and Rebecca (Mrs. Thomas Hardman, of Roane county). The children of his last marriage were three in number, one daugh- ter and two sons.
George G. Goff, son of Salathiel, who was born on August 25, 1782, and died in July. 1862, married his cousin, Joanna Goff, daughter of John T. Goff. (See Family of John T. Goff for farther history.)
Nancy Anne Goff (daughter of Salathiel) married Ben- jamin Riddel. (See Riddel family.)
Elizabeth Goff (daughter of Salathiel) married William
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Stalnaker, and came from Tucker county shortly after the war of 1812. and settled on DeKalb, in Gilmer county. Their two children were Salathiel and Nathaniel Stalnaker, who both married and reared families in Gilmer county.
Mary Goff (daughter of Salathiel) married a man by the name of Mongold, and had one daughter, Mary. She is said to have died young.
CHAPTER XX
Leatherbarke
HIS stream, which flows into the South fork of Hughes river, below Smithville, took its name from the numerous growth of leather- barke upon its banks.
John Hill .- As so many dates are miss- ing, we have been unable to determine which was the first settler on this creek, but this distinction probably belongs to John Hill, who built his cabin on the Alfred Barr farm, at a very early day.
Mr. Hill was a native of Harrison county, having been born on February 8, 1790; and on April 25, 1816, he was mar- ried to Miss Keturah Cunningham, daughter of Edward, and niece of Thomas Cunningham, who was also a native of Har- rison county ; and from this vicinity, they went to Gilmer county, where Mr. Hill fell asleep, on March 17, 1885, and there on the George S. Bush homestead (now the John Elli- son farm), beside his wife, he sleeps.
Their children were as follows :
Celia, who became Mrs. Wm. Holbert ; Anna, Mrs. John . S. Holbert; Mary, Mrs. Hannibal B. Wilson; Daniel, who died in his youth, all of Gilmer county ; and the late Enoch R. Hill, of near Burnt House, this county. The family have all passed on, but among the grandsons and granddaughters of this pioneer are, Floyd Hill. and Mrs. Harriet Fling, Burnt House; Moses Holbert, Mrs. Phillip Engle, Mrs. William Reeser, and quite a number of others, of Gilmer county.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill were members of the first M. E. church organization in this county, and their descendants still cling to this faith.
John Earle was the first denizen on the late Eber Wilson homestead-now the home of Hugh Ayres. He was a brother
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of Mrs. Barnes Smith, senior, and was of Harrison county. He married Miss Jemima Drake, daughter of the Rev. John Drake, and after she was laid in the Murphy graveyard. he went to Ohio, but finally returned here and died.
Mrs. Susana Stuart Bush, of Iris, is a descendant of his.
Benjamin Horner was the second settler on the Wilson farm. He was an Irishman, having been born in "Old Erin." He married Miss Mary Murphy, sister of the four Murphy Brothers, and went from here to Roane county, where they both fell asleep. He had a son, Benjamin, by a former mar- riage, who went West with Valentine Bozarth.
John B. Rogers .- As these first settlers did not remain long, John B. Rogers came into possession of the Wilson farm at an early day. Here he remained for many years : and here his wife, Sarah Webb Rogers, daughter of Benjamin Webb, passed away ; after her death he removed to the Dr. A. M. Edgeil property, at Smithville, where his last moments were spent. At Smithville, beside his wife, he sleeps.
His descendants in the county are still quite numerous. His children were as follows: Robert H., the late A. I. (father of B. F .. of Harrisville), both of Calhoun county: the late Mrs. Edmonia Hardman (mother of Sherman Hardman, of Hardman chapel), the late Mrs. Taylor Glover (Drusilla .; mother of A. R. Glover, of Mt. Zion ; the late Mrs. Elizabeth (John) Elliott. the late Mrs. Martha (Frank) Elliott. James, who went West, and John, who met a tragic death at Webb's . mill, while serving as a Home-guard during the late Civil war.
This family are descended from the pioneer Rogers' fallì- ily of Harrisville.
The Rev. John Drake, whose interesting history will be found in a preceding chapter, was the pioneer at the mouth of this stream, on land now owned by W. A. Flesher.
William Stuart, junior, was the first settler at Iris, on the farm that is now the home of his son. Robert Stuart. He married Miss Rachel Webb, sister of Benjamin Webb, and came here from the Glover farm at Smithville, near the year 1831 : and here they both passed away in 1850, and in the \\'ebb's cemetery, they lie at rest.
Mr. Stuart was the son of William Stuart, who settled
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the Byrd farm, above Goff's, and he was a native of the "Key - stone state." He was the father of eleven children, all of whom have passed on, except Robert of Iris. Nutter and Joseph died in youth, William Webb, and Anna, later in life : John went West; James, Benjamin, Mrs. Martha (Elisha) Smith (mother of James T. Smith, of Burnt House), and Mrs. Elizabeth Westfall Hardin, remained citizens of this part of the county ; and Mrs. Lydia (John) Cain, lived on the North fork of Hughes river.
Robert Stuart is now the Iris post-master and merchant.
John Solomon Holbert, son-in-law of John Hill, was another early settler in the Iris vicinity. He went from here to Revel, Gilmer county, where he and his wife (nee Anna Hill) sleep ; and where his descendants live. Moses, Monroe. the late James, Mrs. Phillip Engle, and Mrs. William Reeser, all of Gilmer county, are his children. He died in 1901.
Wilson Benjamin Cunningham was the first denizen of the forest in the vicinity of Eva. He was the son of William and Rebecca Johnston Cunningham, his mother being a native of New Jersey, and the grandson of Thomas and Phoebe Cunningham. His father went from this county to Ohio, near the year 1811, and later became a prominent min- ister of the Ohio M. E. conference; and there, at Cadiz, on May 12, 18?2, Wilson B. was born. He was one of the early school-teachers of the county, and was an exhorter of the Methodist Episcopal church.
On April 10, 1846. at Keokuk, Iowa, he was married to his cousin, Miss Nancy Hila Cunningham, daughter of Ben- jamin and Hannah Riddel Cunningham ; and two months later they returned to this county, and settled on the James Fred- erick farm, on Grass run ; and from there removed to Eva, to the farm that is now the home of their son, John C., in 1861. where both passed from earth-lie, on June 23, 1887 ; and she, on June 25. 1908. Both rest at Hardman chapel.
Their children: Columbus died in infancy ; Wade MI .. in 1875: Benjamin E., in '78; James W., in 1901 ; John C. re- sides at the old home ; and Theodore, near by : Mrs. Rebecca J. Elder, is of Iris ; and Mrs. Clara R. Wiseman, of Richwood.
William Cunninghanı-son of Benjamin-who is now a
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resident of Calhoun county, was another early settler at Eva. He married Miss Cathrine Cross, daughter of Nimrod, and was the father of four children: Sanford and Sheridan, Vic- toria, and Mrs. Minnie (George) Lowther, of Calhoun county.
John R. Cunningham-brother of William, who is now spending the eventide of his life with his daughter, Mrs. A. H. Cooper, in Gilmer county, was the first settler on the Hildreth farm, near the site of the "Old Pleasant Valley church." He gave the grounds for this church, which was built in 1870, and which was replaced by a frame structure in 1901-the site being moved farther up the creek.
Mr. Cunningham resided here until 1882, when he pur- chased the homestead that he continued to occupy until 1902. when it passed into the hands of W. M. Nutter. On May 26, 1905, death entered his home and carried away his beloved companion, Mrs. Frances J. Modisette Cunningham, who was the daughter of Augustus and Dorcas Modisette, of Iris. She sleeps at Hardman chapel.
His children: Asa L. resides at Columbus, and Mrs. Lillie B. Yates, at Center-Belpre, in Ohio; Mrs. Adaline V. (A. H.) Cooper, in Gilmer county ; A. C., at Parkersburg ; and Simpson J., at Eva ; one daughter died in infancy ; William S., Harrison G., and Archie D., in childhood-the last two men- tioned sleep in the same grave at Hardman chapel : Julia and Guy died in their young man and womanhood.
These brothers are natives of this county, and are the grandsons of Thomas and Phebe Cunningham.
George Washington Hardman was the first to settle the John R. Cunningham-now the W. M. Nutter-farm. He married Miss Mary Ann Lowther, daughter of Jesse, of Corn- wallis, and took up his residence here in the early fifties. He lived at various other points in the county, and finally died at his home below Burnt House, in 1890, and was laid at rest at Hardman chapel by the side of his wife, who preceded him to the grave by a number of years.
Their children: the late Mrs. Marietta (W. E. Hill). Harrisville: Mrs. Olive (James) Rexroad, Den run ; the late Mrs. Maggie (Wm.) Collins, of Cairo; Mrs. Emma Lee, Cairo : Mrs. Victoria Stanley, Clay county ; the late Mrs. Lillie
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(F. S.) Moyer, Fonsoville; the late Mrs. Phebe Cunningham Holstein, of Iris; the late Mrs. Thomas Johnson, and Jamies Hardman, of Cantwell.
After the death of his first wife, he married Miss Safronia Frederick, daughter of Philip Frederick, and four children were born of this union ; viz., Lloyd, Frank, George, and Belle. The second Mrs. Hardman has also passed on. This pioneer belongs to the Hardman family, whose ancestral history oc- cupies an earlier chapter.
Augustus Modisette .- Near the year 1849, Augustus Modisette and his wife, Mrs. Dorcas Wilson Modisette (sister of Archibald Wilson), with their family, came from Barbour county, and took up their residence near one mile from the present site of the Iris post-office. He was of Irish descent, and was an old time school-teacher. He died near the year 1874, and sleeps at Hardman chapel beside his wife, who was descended from the Wilson family, whose history appears with the South fork settlers.
They were the parents of four sons and four daughters :
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