YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Purchased from the income
of the bequest of
WILLL\M ROBERTSON COE
Honorary M.A. 1949, for
material in the field
of American Studies.

n

tZ/y-^

HISTORY

TUCKER COUNTY,
WJSST YIRGINTA,
PROM THE EARLIEST EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLE
MENTS TO THE PRESENT TIME;

BI0GK.4.PHICAL SKETCHES OF MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED AND
FIFTY OF THE LEADING MEN, AND A FULL APPENDIX OF
OFFICIAL AND ELECTIONAL HISTORY; ALSO, AN
ACCOUNT OP THE EIVERS, FORESTS AND
CAVES OF THE COUNTY.

By hu maxwell. Ill

ILLUSTBATED WITH
TWKNTY-EIGHT PHOTOTYPES OF NOTED PERSON'S.

KINGWOOD, W. VA.:
PRESTON PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1884.

COPTBIGHT BY
HV MAXWELL.
1884.

Press of
Journal Printing House
KiNowooD, W. Va.

AS A
8U0HT, BUT SINCKBS BXFBESSI3N OF GBATITDDE,
AS A TOKEN OF EESPECT FOE INTEGEITY AND FIEMNK83
LN THK CAUSB OP fflSTOBIOAL RESEARCH,
AS A MAEK OF ESTEEM FOE NOBILITY OF PUEPOSB
IN AtL THE LESSER AND LESS-TRDDDEN PATHS OF HFE,
THE AUTHOR
DEDICATES THIS BOOK TO HIS FEIF.XD,
WILBUE C. BKOCKUNIEE.

INTRODUCTION.

Had some things been different from what they were, I
believe that I could have made the History of Tucker
County better than it is. The labor required to collect and
arrange the material was greater than would be supposed
by one who has never undertaken a task of similar nature.
No previous history, covering the period and territory, has
ever been compiled, and I had to enter upon original and
unexplored fields wherever I went. There was no scarcity
of subject-matter; but, at times, it was not easy for me to
decide what to use and what to reject. I am not certain
that I have not erred seriously in one thing — that I trusted
more to the whims of others than to my own judgment.
The plan of the work would have been quite different had
I followed my own inclination to make the whole thing one
connected story instead of biographical fragments, as it is.
Yet, as it is. it will please more people than it would if cast
in the mold for which it was first intended. I was not wri
ting it for myself, but for others ; and, as my tastes and fan
cies differ from those of others, I thought it best to suit the
book to those for whom it was intended.
But, as I said, if some things had been otherwise, this
book might have been better. The circumstances under
which the work was done were not at all times pleasant or
favorable. I commenced it in 1881, and devoted to it only
what time was mine after devoting twelve hours a day to
school work. At first it was my intention to publish it in
the Tucker County Pioneer, as a serial story ; but this was
abandoned when it was seen how unwise it was. The his-

6 INTEODUCTION.
tory as it was then was less than half as large as now, al
though it devoted more space to the guerrilla warfare that
was carried on along our county's borders during the Civil
War. When the idea of publishing it in the newspaper was
abandoned, it was next proposed to bring it out in book
form, and the first half-dozen pages were actually set in
type. But, I was not pleased with it, and concluded to re
arrange the whole work, and the printing was accordingly
suspended until the writing should be completed.
Meanwhile, I found it necessary to give some attention to
other matters ; for, it has never been my fortune to be so
situated that I could devote my whole time to literary
work. Soon, too, I grew doubtful if it was worth while to
do anything further with the matter. So, it was allowed to
lie idle, while I found more agreeable employment in other
fields of history. Thus, nothing was done till the Avinter bf
1883-4. I was then in California, and had done as much on
a new history (" Conquest of the Ohio Valley ") as I could
do without a personal visit to the Library at Washington
City, and, as I was not yet ready to return to the East, I
began to consider whether it would not be a good opportu
nity to revise the musty manuscripts of the Tucker History.
I was the more inclined to do this because I did not like
the idea of having commenced a thing without finishing it.
So, I sent to West Virginia for the manuscript and revised
it by the time I was ready to start home, in April, 1884.
Upon my arrival at home, I added the part embraced in "Brief
Biographies," and sent the book to the press late in August.
If I had quieted myself to this task, and bad nothing else
to lead my mind off or to disturb me, I could have done
better. I could have better interwoven the stories, one
with another, and made of them one continued purpose.

INTRODUCTION. 7
and about them there would have been a completeness
which I am conscious that they do not now possess. But it
is not necessary to speculiUe upon such things as might have
been. The book is as it is, and those who feel troubled at
the discovery of logical errors may, if they will, let charity
cover what is best concealed. It is not my intention to un
dertake another task of the kind, so I cannot truthfully
promise to profit by irregularities that may be pointed out.
But, from this, it should not be inferred that I look upon
my labor as that much thankless drudgery. Far from it.
The people of Tucker County have lent their aid and en
couragement to me, and have done what they could
to assist me, and, on their account, if for nothing else,
the work, in spite of its many discouragements and dif
ficulties, has been to me a pleasing one. No person feels a
deeper and kindlier interest in the majestic mountains, the
quiet valleys, the green meadows, the blooming orchards,
the sweeping streams and the crystal springs of our little
county, than I do. The interests of the people are mine,
and their hopes and aspirations are in unison with my sym
pathy. The whole county, from the wind-swept crags of
the Alleghanies to the sugar-bloom of the Seven Islands, ia
throbbing with the pulse of universal life. The past with
its romance is lost iu the present, and the present is newer
and beautifuUer than the past ever was. Who would not
feel a pride in such a county ? If I have done anything for
it in the present undertaking, I am glad of it ; if I have done
nothing, I am sorry, for I have not done my duty.
Some of the history has been wholly neglected or only
touched, because I could not utilize it all. What I have
left has been principally romances that cling around old
memories. I would like to fling history aside and cast my

8 INTEODUCTION.
lot with them for a season. No mountain of Scotland has
echoed to the themes of more beautiful legends that our
mountains have. The temptation to me was great as I was
writing the history, fori wanted to turn myself loose among
such landscapes and people and stories as my fancy could
create or my eyes could see already created. But I held
steadily before my mind the fact that I was writing history,
and I did all I could to weed from it what was not sober and
true. I have given nothing that I do not believe to be the
truth. I am able to rid myself of all partiality when it is
necessary to do so, and in this case I have done it. I feel
that I have done injustice to none. If I have, it was unin
tentional on my part. It has been necessary to write of
some who are anything but my personal friends ; but I have
done it without one shadow of desire to do them a wrong
or to let them suffer by neglect. All I could ask of any man
is to be treated as fairly as I have treated my characters in
this History of Tucker County. I hold that no man should
be misrepresented ; but, if misrepresentations be tolerated,
it is better that they affect the dead than the living. I would
rather harm the memory of a dead Washington, although
he was my friend, than to take a mean advantage of a living
enemy — to injure him in a manner wherein he could not de
fend himself. Whether right or wrong, thus I believe.
To those who will read this book closely enough to notice
errata, where they exist, I would say, bear in mind that the
book was written in fragmentary parts, and did not receive
the supervision that all histories should have. However, I
feel confident that the serious errors are few, and what they
are, they are there without the knowledge of the author at
this hour.
Hu Maxwell.
Kingwood, October 23, 1884.

CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.
JAMBS PARSONS.
Page.
The County of Tucker deflned. First visited by James Par-
.sons. He discovers the Horse Shoe. Passes up Horse Shoe
Run. ThePringles. Simon Kenton. The Indians. Mound-
builders. Mound in the Horse Shoe. Graves, bones and ar
row points. Captain Parsons and his brother locate lands
on the River. Chased by Indians  17
CHAPTER II.
JOHN MINEAR.
John Minear. Early life. Leads a-colony to the Horse Shoe.
Builds a fort. Trouble with the Indians. A settler chased
from the Sugar Lands. Settlement broken up. St. George
founded in 1776. Port Built. Mill. Prosperity. Reverses.
New trouble with the Indians. The small-pox rageain Tuck
er. An Indian raid. Sims killed. St. George besieged. Am
buscade. Jonathan Minear killed. Washburn taken priso
ner. Pursuit of the Indians. Skirmish. Indians defeated.
Washburn rescued. A rash Indian. Boy taken prisoner
near St. George. Killing of John Minear, Cooper and Came
ron. Escape of the Millers and Goffe. The Indians pass into
Randolph. Routed by Jesse Hughes. Burial of Minear,
Cooper and Cameron  34
CHAPTER III.
MISCELLANIES.
The manners and customs of the pioneers. Moving. Pack-
horses. Plunder. Household articles. Bread and meat.
Building houses. The style of houses. Clothing. Mill at
St. George, 1776. Intoxicating liquors. Guns. Tomahawks.
Religious worship. The customs of the times. Schools.
Teachers. Modes of imparting instruction. Singing schools.
Romance of Manassa Minear and Lyda Holbert  69

10 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
MISCELLANIES.
Silent History. James Goff. His peculiarities. The land agent. '
The supper. The Parsons family. The Bonniflelds. Settle
ment of Clover District. First school-house. The Duinire
family. The Losh family, William Losh and two friends go
to Ohio. John Losh, the hunter. Canada : the bed of a lake.
Lost in the woods. Captures cub-bears. Crosses the river
on a raft. Old settlers. Geneology. Nimrod Haddtx breaks
liis neck. Ambrose Lipscomb. Adam Harper  87
CHAPTER V.
FORMATION OF TUCKER COUNTY.
Efforts to obtain a new county. Meeting in St. George. Com
mittee select site for court-house. William Ewin sent to the
Legislature. Judge John Brannon. Name of the county
and county-seat  121
CHAPTER VI.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
The influence of schools and churches. Should be co-workers.
Growth slow but permanent. Common schools the greatness
of the country. Home supply of teachers  135
CHAPTER VII.
MOUNTAINS AND CAVES.
Mountains of Tucker. Limestone mountains. FalUng Spring.
Jordan's Cave. Blooming Cave. Subterranean wonders  130
CHAPTER VIII.
LUMBER INTERESTS OP TUCKER COUNTY.
Primeval forests. Description of trees. Sugar making. Saw
mills. Cheat River. Springs. Wells. The blackness of the
water of Cheat. To what due. History and description of
the river. Alum Hill. Job's Ford. Slip Hill. Turn Eddy.
Willow Point. St. George Eddy. Miller HiU. Murder Hole.
Turtle Rocks. Seven Islands. ' Rafts and raftsmen. Shin
gle mills. Lumber interests opposed to farming  139

TABLE OF CONTENTS. 11
CHAPTER IX.
WEST VIRGINIA CENTRAL AND PITTSBURGH RAILWAY.
General view of the subjeet. Coal. Railroad plans of 1856-
1881. Reports. Wealth of the company's lands  167
CHAPTER X.
MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS.
The value of statistics. Various lists and tables. Beports of
County Superintendents  173
CHAPTER XI.
NEWSPAPERS OP THE COUNTY.
First paper in Tucker County, Founding of the Pioneer. The
Democrat comes into existence. The progress of the two
papers  190
CHAPTER XII.
THE ST. GEORGE BAR.
Sketches of WiUiam Ewin. Rufus Maxwell. A. B. Parsons.
Lloyd Hansford. L. S. Auvil. W. B. MaxweU. Philetus
Lipscomb  198
CHAPTER XIIL
TRAVELERS.
Abe Bonnifield. Starts' to Missouri. Joins a show. Leaves it.
Joins another. Rumpus with Indians. Goes to Canada,
The old black scalawag. Returns home. Joins the Confed
erate army. Fights to the last. A. T. Bonnifleld. Goes to
California. Returns. Chased by a tiger at Nicaragua. Visits
W. Va. Returns to California  208
CHAPTER XIV.
TRAVELERS.— (CONTINUED.)
Captain Ezekiel Harper. Early life. Volunteers to go to
the Mexican war. Starts overland to California. The jour
ney. The Humboldt desert. Harper leaves the company.
Proceeds on foot. Crosses stapendous mountains. Arrives
at the gold .flelds. Digs gold to buy his breakfast. Various
reverses and successes. Indian war. Harper leader of

12 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
the miners. Skirmishes with the Indians. Rescue of priso
ners. The Indians driven from the country. Harper revis
its W. Va. Returns across the plains to CaUfornia. Drives
4000 sheep. Jacob Harper dies on the Rocky Mountains.
Fortunes and reverses. Harper comes back to W. Va. Re
turns to CaUfornia. Terrible storm at sea. The "Central
America" goes down. Letter from Aspinwall. Jerome Har
per goes to Chili. Insurrexion there. Prisoners sent to
Patagonia. Captain Harper .starts to hunt his brother.
Meets him at Pataluma. Returns to the mines. Comes back
to W. Va. and joins the Confederate army. Various skirm
ishes. Taken prisoner. Carried to Camp Chase and Rock
Island. Suffering. Escape. After history  220
CHAPTER XV.
TRAVELERS. -(CONTINUED.)
Henry Bonnifield. Early life. Adventures. Goes to Cali
fornia. Rides wild horses. Desperate ride over MiUerton
Mountain. Dragged by a wUd horse. A wicked mule. In
vited to ride at the Centennial at Philadelphia. Goes to Ar
izona. Haunted house of Tulare. A lying emigrant. Mo-
jave Desert. In Arizona. Sick. Lost in the desert. Falls
into the hands of the Indians. Passes down the Colorado
River. Trouble with the Indians. Reacheshome  250
CHAPTER XVI.
TRAVELERS.— (CONTINUED.)
The Minears. Farm work. Sohool. St. George Inn. A. P.
Minear. Works on the B. & O. R. R. Starts to California.
Adventures on the Isthmus of Panama. Reaches California.
Takensick. Kindness of E. Harper and Mr. Buckelew. Goes
into the lumber business. Pails. Goes to Oregon. Suc
cesses and reverses. John W. Minear goes to California. To
Oregon. A. C. Minear follows. Letters on the way. Sol
omon Minear killed. The Minears go to Idaho. Mining. Fam
ine. Snow. Storms. Attempt to, murder A. P. Minear.
Struck by sixteen bullets. Escapes. Joins a railroad enter-
rpsie in Florida. Pails. Goes to New York. Returns to
the Pacific coast and engages in mining. A. C. Minear in
Idaho. Fights Indians. Letters. Returns to W. Va. David
S. Minear  .^.  273

TABLE OF CONTENTS. 13
CHAPTER XVII.
THE WAR.
The commencement of the struggle in Tucker County, (cap
ture of a Confederate flag at Saint George. Death of Lieut.
Robert McChesney. Letters bearing on the subject. Ad
vance of Garnett. Battle of Corrick's Ford. Confederates
retreat. Capt. E. Harper pilots the flying army. Destruc
tion and ruin marked the way. The army deserted by the
cavalry. Retreat of the Union forces from the Red House.
E. Harper leads the scouts up Backbone Mountain. Escape
of the army. The raids of Imboden. Surrender of Hall.
Paris. Battle of St. George. Close of the war  316
BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES.
In this department the subjects are treated alphabeticaUy  438
APPENDIX.
Biographical sketch of the author  511
APPENDIX.
POLITICAL STATISTICS.
Election returns of the county  632
Index  573

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Capt. Ezekiel Harper, .
W. B. Maxwell,

Page
Frontispiece. . 202

A. P. Minear,

. 272

A. T. Bonnifield,

. 482

John G. Moore, .

. 512

The Maxwell Brothers — a group,

. 176

Lieut. Eobert McChesney,
Dr. B. Baker,

. 320
. 368

Abraham Bonnifield,

. 512

Rufus Maxwell, .

. 450

Capt. Joseph A. Faris, .
Mrs. Anna Minear,

. 320
. 96

Mrs. Sarah J. Maxwell, .

. 176

Mrs. Elizabeth Bonnifield,

. 96

Mrs. Mary J. Minear,
Mrs. Mary A. Spesert, .
Mrs. D. A. Lowther,

. 320
. 196
. 196

George A. Mayer,
Da'vid S. Minear,

. 368
. 320

Jeff. Lipscomb, .
Hu Maxwell,

. 482
. 512

Enoch Minear, .

. 96

Job Parsons,

. 482

Dr. A. E. Calvert,

. 368

Nelson D. Adams,

. 320

Philetus Lipscomb,
Cyrus H. Maxwell,

. 482
. 512

Dr. T. M. Austin,

. 868

HISTORY

OF

TUCKER COUNTY.

CHAPTER I.
JAMES PARSONS.
Tucker County, West Virginia, is bounded on the north
by Preston, on the east by Maryland and Grant County ;
on the south it is bounded by Eandolph, and on the west
by Barbour. It lies along the valley of Cheat Eiver, and
includes the tributaries of that stream for about thirty-five
miles north and south, and twenty east and west. The
area of the county would, therefore, be about seven hun
dred square miles ; but, if an actual measurement were
made, the area would probably fall a little short of these
figures. The county is not mentioned in history prior to the
French and Indian War, about 1762. Of course, it is un
derstood that when the county is spoken of in this manner,
reference is had only to the territory now included in the
county of Tucker. The territory so considered appears to
have been unknown to civilized man till about the year
1762 or 1763. The accounts of the earliest explorations
2

18 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
are vague and conflicting, and very few positive statements
can be made on the subject. However, it is certain that
both Preston and Eandolph were visited by white men be
fore Tucker was.
Probably the first white man in the county was Captain
James Parsons, who then lived on the South Branch of the
Potomac, near Moorefield, in the present county of Hardy.
During the French and Indian War, the Indians often
passed from beyond the Ohio, across the AUeghany Mount
ains, into the settlements on the Potomac Eiver, and partic
ularly on the South Branch. They killed or carried away
as prisoners everybody they could catch. On one of these
raids they captiu-ed Capt. James Parsons.* They carried
him with them all the way to Ohio, and kept him a prisoner
for some time. At length, however, he managed to escape
from them and set out for home. He knew that the South
Branch was in the east, and he traveled in that direction.
He gtiided his course by the sun by day and the moon by
night. But, as it was often cloudy, he wandered at times
from his way. In this manner he proceeded many daj-s,
and from the length of time that he had been on the road,
he thought that he must be near the South Branch. He
struck a small river, which he thought to be the South
Branch, because it flowed in an easterly direction. He
followed it until it emptied into a larger river, which flowed
north. This stream he followed, thinking it might be a
branch of the Potomac, flowing in this direction to pass
around a mountain, and that it would turn east and south
again in the course of a few miles. With this impression
he followed it. But it did not turn east, and showed no

* It is now a aueaUou wlietlier It wiis Parsons or anotiier man. Tlie best .lutlioi-ltlcs
Efl.y Pttrsons.

JAMES PAESONS. 19
sign of turning. He became convinced that he was on the
wrong river, as indeed he was. The first river followed by
him was the Buckhannon. At its mouth he came to the
Valley Eiver, and down it he had traveled in hopes that it
would conduct him to Moorefield.
As soon as he was satisfied that he was on the wrong
river, he left it and turned eastward across the mountains.
He passed Laurel Eidge somewhere near the head of Clover
Eun, and came to Cheat above the Holly Meadows, proba
bly near the farm of Ward Parsons, Esq. He concluded
that this must certainly be the South Branch, and followed
down it. When he reached the Horse Shoe Bottom he was
struck with thcbeauty of the country, and noticed in par
ticular the great forest of white oak trees that covered the
whole bottom land of the river from the Holly Meadows to
the mouth of Horse Shoe Eun. The trees were nearly aU
of the same size, and there was little underbrush.
Up to this time he had thought that the river must be
the South Branch ; but, now he began to doubt it. It was
too large. Already it was larger than the Branch was at
Moorefield ; and, he knew that he must still be far above
that town ; because no country like that in which he then
was could be found near his home. He knew that, if it was
the South Branch at all, he was above the mouth of both
the North and South Forks, or upon one of those rivers.
Neither was half, as large as Cheat at the Horse Shoe.
Therefore, he was certain that he was not on a tributary of
the Potomac. He was confirmed in this conviction when
be had passed round the high point of land, where Judge
S. E. Parsons now resides, and saw that the river, instead
of continuing toward the north-east, broke away toward the
west, and flowed in that direction as far as he could see.

20 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
He could not dirine where he was. He knew of no river of
this kind anywhere in the west. For the first time, in all
his wanderings, he became confused, and knew not where
to go next. He would have followed down the river, in the
hope that it would lead him to some settlement ; but, he
felt sm-e that it must empty into the Ohio.
After pondering over the matter for some time, he re
solved to continue his eastward course. He saw a long
valley extending east ; and, crossing the river, he was at the
mouth of Horse Shoe Eun. As far as is known, he was the
first white man ever in Tucker County. However, there is
a tradition that a band of Indians, with a prisoner, once
halted at the mouth of Horse Shoe Eun ; ahd, leaving their
prisoner tied on the bank of the river, they went up the run
after the lead. In a few hours they returned with some.
Whether this event, if it happened at all, was before or after
Captain Parsons was there, cannot now be determined. One
account says that the prisoner was Captain Parsons' brother
Thomas. But, all accounts of the subject are vague and
conflicting. If the Indians got lead in that manner, it was
probably some that they had hidden on a previous expedi
tion. There are not known to be any lead mines in that vi
cinity ; although some people think there are. It was a
custom among the Indians, when they went upon an expe
dition, to hide lead along the road so that, upon their return,
they might have a supply without carrying it with them
during the whole journey. This is likely why they went
up the run to get that article, at the time mentioned. This
probability is strengthened by the fact that an old Indian
war path crossed Cheat Eiver at the mouth of Horse Shoe
Eun ; and, if lead were left anywhere, it would likely be
along a path.

JAMES PAESONS. 21
When Captain Parsons crossed the river at the mouth of
Horse Shoe Eun, it was with the intention of continuing
toward the east. This he did. He pursued his way up the
stream a little distance, when he came upon a large, old
path. It was perhaps an old Indian trail ; or it might have
been made by animals. Parsons would have followed this ;
but, it turned to the north, and he left it. At the mouth of
Lead Mine, he left Horse Shoe Eun ; and, by going up Lead
Mine, he crossed the Backbone Mountain near Fairfax.
This path across the mountain was the route by which
nearly all of the first settlers of Tucker found their way
into the .county. After crossing the mountain. Parsons
struck the North Branch of the Potomac, and flnally
reached home. Of the Horse Shoe Bottom he gave an
account that filled the settlers about Moorefield with long
ings to see it. But, it was several years before any of the
people from the South Branch again visited the Cheat
Eiver lands.
At that time there was a large fort at the mouth of
the Monongahela Eiver, where Pittsburgh now stands. Iu
1761, four of the soldiers who garrisoned the fort became
dissatisfied and deserted. They passed up the Monon
gahela, and at the place where Geneva, Penn., now stands,
they made them a camp. But, they did not like the place,
and moved into Preston County, and made them another
camp not far from Aurora. No one then lived anywhere
near them, and for a year they saw no trace of human, ex
cept themselves. But, at length, one of them found a paith
leading south-east. He thought that it must go to Virginia,
and he hurried back to camp and told his companions that
they ought to follow the path and see where it would lead.
They were all willing for this, and at once set out to trace

22 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the path. It is not now known who made the path or
where it led to and from. But, the deserters followed it
until it conducted them to Luney's Creek, in Grant County.
Here they stumbled upon a frontier settlement ; for, 'the
whites were just then colonizing the upper part of the
South Branch, and the adjacent valleys. This was near
where Seymoursville now stands, and was not more than
fifteen miles from where Captain Parsons lived, near Moore
field. This was in the vicinity of Fort Pleasant, where Dr.
Eckaiiy, from Preston County, had been arrested on sus
picion, some six or eight years before. They suspected
that he was a spy from the Indians. The South Branch
was evidently a bad place for suspected characters. At any
rate, the four deserters from Pittsburgh had befen there but
a short time when they were arrested as deserters. How
ever, two of them, brothers named Pringle, made their es
cape, and ran back to their camp in the glades of Preston.
In the course of a few months, a straggler named Simp
son found his way to their camp, and remained with them.
By this time, hunters from the South Branch began to hunt
frequently in the glades of Preston ; and the deserters felt
insecure. They determined to move further west. Simp
son agreed to accompany them. The three men broke up
tlieir camp near Aurora, and took tlieir way do-wn Horse
Shoe Eun. At its mouth, they crossed irito the Horse Shoe.
After they had crossed the river, they fell to quarreling.
The two Pringles took sides against Simpson, and drubbed
him off to himself. He crossed to the Valley Eiver. Not
liking the country, he passed on to Harrison County, and,
not far from Clarksburg, built him a camp. He made that
locality his permanent home until the country about him

JAMES PAESONS. 23
began to be settled, five or six years later. The Pringles
likewise crossed to the Valley Eiver, and ascending it to
the mouth of the Buckhannon, passed up that river to the
mouth of Turkey Eun, in Upshur County, where they made
a camp in a hollow sycamore tree.
We have no account of any other persons visiting Tucker
for some years. The only occupants were wild animals
that filled the Avoods, or wild Indians Avho occasionally
roamed up and down the valleys. It is possible that Simon
Kenton was on the river at the Horse Shoe in the summer
of 1771. He had had a fight with a man in Virginia,
and thought he had killed him. He fled Avestward and
reached Cheat Eiver. It may have -been at the Horse
Shoe ; but, more probably it was in Preston County. At
that time, Kenton was only sixteen years old. He after
wards went to Kentucky and became one of the most illus
trious characters in all border history.
When first visited by white men, there were no Indians
who made the territory of Tucker their permanent home.
If they came within it at all, it was only to pass through,
or to hunt for game. Many people hold quite erroneous
ideas concerning the Indians who used to kill people and
do all manner of wickedness in West Virginia. Some sup
pose that they lived all over the valleys and mountains like
bears and panthers, and in an unguarded moment would
run into a settlement, murder all the people they could
catch, and then retreat to the woods, and skulk about
through the brush like wild animals until a chance came of
killing somebody else. This was not the case. No Indians
have made Tucker County their home, so far as is known,
since before Columbus. Undoubtedly, they once lived here ;
but they had long been gone when first the white man

24 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
came; and nothing but graves, remnants of aiTOws and
other implements, found scattered about the ground, told
that they had ever made this part of the valley of Cheat
their home. Nor was the land between the Ohio Eiver and
the AUeghany Mountains, now West Virginia, the country
of Indians at the coming of the whites. A few scattered
huts and two or three little towns were all that our state
contained of the living Indian race. But, in earlier times,
they had lived here, as their remains now prove ; and there
is reason for believing that the country was tolerably thickly
inhabited. Why they deserted the land, or what became of
them, is a question that none now can answer. It is useless
to put out theories on the subject. Of all specimens of
human weakness, a mere theory, unsupported by evidence,
deserves most to be pitied. We know that there was a time
when West Virginia and Tucker County had inhabitants,
and we know that ^hose inhabitants were Indians; but
further than this, nothing is certain. What became of the
tribes — whether they departed for a better country, or
, whether they were Exterminated by some stronger nation,
or whether some plague carried them off — we do not pre
tend to say. Any opinion on the subject is only guesswork,
because no man knows.
It is not theory, however, to say that before West Virginia
was inhabited by the Indians, jthere was another race
of people living here. They are caUed MoumJbuilders,
because they usually built mounds in countries where
they lived. There may have been Indians here before the
Moundbmlder came, and there certainly were after he de
parted, but, there is no evidence that the two races occu-
j)ied the same country at the same time. A thousand the
ories are extant concerning the origin and fate of that mys-

JAMES PAESONS. 25
terious race, Avhich built the ten thousand mounds and for
tifications in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys ; but, no man
knows whence they came, when they came, how long they
remained or when or why they left, or whether they were
white or black, or what was their religion or their laws, or
who they were. However, it is tolerably well established
that they ceased to be a people in the United States at
least nine hundred years ago. Indeed, from all the evidence
in the case, one is nearly obliged to believe that the mounds
of the west are as old as the Tower of Babel.
It is not certain that the Moundbuilders ever lived in
Tucker ; but, there is a little ground for attributing to them
the smaU mound in the Horse Shoe, on the farm of S. B.
Wamsley, Esq. The mound in question is about forty feet
in circumference and four or five high. It is on the first
terrace above the river. It may be the work of Indians ;
but, it is more probably the remains of the Moundbuilders,
who had their center of empire in Ohio, and extended their
frontiers over nearly all the land of the Mississippi VaUey,
east of Texas and Kansas. Nobody knows what the mounds
were built for. They were constructed of earth and loose
stones, sometimes of sand, and occasionaUy fragments of
wood were found in them. Some of the structures seem to
have been used for fortifications, some as churches, or rather
temples, and some may have been built as tombs for great
men. But, this is not a settled point. In some of them,
altars with charred human bones among ashes have been
found. This suggests that the Moundbuilders offered hu
man sacrifice to their idols, as the Mayas and people of
Mexico did. Some think it probable that the Mound
builders were originally a colony from Mexico. Skeletons
in the mounds have led some persons to conclude tliat the

26 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
mounds were built for tombs. It would be as reasonable to
conclude that a stack of hay was built for a rat because a
rat's nest was found in it. Yet, doubtless, some mounds
are only the huge graves of kings. But, no doubt, very
many of the bones and relics found in mounds and hastily
attributed to the Moundbuilders, are only the old carcasses
of Indians, a.nd Indian whimwhams. It is a known fact
that the Indians often buried their dead in the mounds.
Although many of the relics taken from the mounds are
counterfeit, yet some are surely genuine. From these we
learn that the Moundbuilders were not much larger or much
smaller than the average Indians. The accounts of skele
tons of giants thirty feet long, dug out of the ground, are
not to be believed. It is doubtful if a race of people, much
larger than able-bodied Englishmen of to-day, has ever been
in .existence.
The mound in the Horse Shoe is known to have been the
burial place of human beings ; but, it is not known that it
was built for that purpose. Ground-hogs that dig their holes
in it, used to throw out pieces of human bones. But, this
is no evidence that the bones were from the skeletons of
Moundbmlders. In fact, there are many reasons for be
Ueving that they were Indian bones. An old Indian vUlage
stood on the bank of the river, less than a mUe above the
mound. Indian skeletons have been found in other places
about the river, and there is no reason why they may oiot
have buried some in this mound, as they did in other
mounds whenever they had an opportunity of doing so. In
early days, the river used to wash bones from its bank,
where stood the viUage. Captain Parsons and Samuel
Bonnifield once found a jaw bone so large that it could be
placed in position on the outside of their faces. A thigh

JAMES PAESONS. 27
bone, also enormous, is reported to have been pulled out of
the river bank at the same place. The bone was said to
have been so long that when stood on the ground beside a
, man it reached up under his arms. This magnitude was
probably due to excited fancy, like that possessed by the
Indian, who returned from traveling and reported that he
had seen a race of men whose ears hung down to their hips.
The Moundbuilders must have been an agricultural peo
ple; because, a population as dense as theirs could not have
lived in any other manner. Then, it is probable that the
Horse Shoe was, long years ago, farmed something after
the manner that it is now. , But, the ancient people have
left no trace that they had horses, oxen, any iron or steel
tools or any kind of machinery, except such as they could
make of wood, shells, stone and copper. But, whether or
not the river bottom, from the Holly Meadows to St. George,
was once a thriving settlement, and corn fields covered it
from one end to the other, yet when the first white men vis
ited it, it showed no sign of ever having been tilled. Noth
ing but the little mound, above referred to, is left to tell
that the Moundbuilders ever lived ; and, this mound is not
conclusive evidence of the presence of that ancient race.
But, one thing is certain : Tucker County was once the
home of Indians. The Indians of America seem to have
belonged to one general race, the same as the people of Eu
rope belong to one. The Indians are divided into numerous
tribes, nations, families and confederations. These differ in
language and customs. How the Indians got to America is
unknown ; and it is only wasting time to offer theories upon
the subject. There is about as much reason for believing
that the old world was peopled from the new as that the
new was colonized from the old. Each continent may have

28 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
had a people indigenous to itself. The Esquimaux of Alaska
and the Siberians are known to cross and re-cross Behring
Strait, and America may have received its inhabitants from
Asia in that manner. The islands of Polynesia are known
to be sinking. Some of them are believed to have sunken
ten thousand feet, so that the islands now above water are
only the mountains and table lands of a submerged conti
nent extending from the coast of Asia nearly or quite to that
of America. Indians may have come from that continent to
America. The Telegraph Plateau, from New Foundland to
Ireland, has the appearance of an isthmus that once con
nected Europe and America. It is now under water, but so
near the surface that icebergs lodge on it. This may have
been the Island of Atlantis that some of the old heathen
writers say was swallowed up in an earthquake. If so, the
tribes of America may have come from Europe.
It is useless to speculate on this. It can be proven with
equal conclusiveness that the Indians are mixed with Welsh,
Japanese, Norwegians, Jews and Carthagenians. It is un
known where they came from or who they were before they
came. We take them as we find them.
What tribe inhabited Tucker County is not known. . Jef
ferson says that it was the Massawomee. It may have
been ; and for all the difference, we may consider that it
was. They were gone when first the white man came, and
nothing but graves and other relics told that they were ever
here. We cannot teU why they departed from this part of the
State ; but, they all, except a few little towns, left for some
country unknown to us. We cannot tell why they aban
doned the country. War may have exterminated them, or
they may have gone to occupy a better land. Cusick, an

JAMES PAESONS. 29
educated Indian, wrote a book about the Indians, and said
that many tribes wanted the Monongahela valley, and not
being able to agree, they held a council and decided that all
should leave it. But, this story is not to be credited. Cu
sick did not know any more about it than he had read in
books or had fabricated himself. The Indians knew no
more of their history than the white people knew — not as
much, for that matter.
The Indians who killed people in West Virginia generally
came from Ohio; but, some came from Pennsylvania and
Indiana. Ohio was full of Indians. They had towns on
the Muskingum, Tuscarawas, Hockhocking, Scioto, San
dusky, Maumee, Miami and all through the intervening
country. The meanest Indians were those on the Sandusky
and Scioto. During the winter they did not often bother
the settlements; because they were too lazy to provide
themselves clothes to keep them from freezing in cold
weather, and had to lie in their huts by the fire. But, as
soon as the spring came and the weather began to get
warm, they crawled from their dens, and fixed up their guns,
knives and tomahawks for a raid upon the settlements.
They traveled about twenty miles a day, unless in a hurry.
If they set out from the Scioto Eiver on the first of May,
they would reach the Ohio somewhere between Point
Pleasant and Wheeling in from four to seven days. They
would cross that river on a raft of logs, and if they were
aiming for Cheat Eiver they would reach it in from four to
seven days longer, provided they did not stop on the way.
When they came into a settlement they would hide in
fence corners and in brier thickets until they saw a chance
of kilUng somebody. Then they would leap out and sieze
their victim. They sometimes killed and sometimes carried

30 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
away as prisoners those whom they could catch. If they
carried a prisoner off, they would tie his hands and make
him walk between two warriors. If they had plenty to eat,
they gave the prisoner plenty; but if their provisions were
scarce, they gave him very little. When they got him to
Ohio they sometimes turned him loose in a field, and aU the
Indians got after him -with clubs and rocks and pounded
him to death. Sometimes they tied him to a tree aud
burnt him ; and sometimes they adopted him into their
tribe and treated him well. A prisoner never knew what
fate awaited him, and always tiied to escape.
But, the Indians always watched so close that a prisoner
seldom got away. It was an unlucky thing for a prisoner
to try to escape and fail. It made the Indians mad, and
they would show little mercy afterwards. Indeed, it was a
perilous thing to fall into the hands of the Indians at any
time ; and many people would be killed before taken cap
tive by them. If they got a grudge against a prisoner, he
had a poor show of ever getting away. Simon Kenton, who
was on Cheat Eiver in 1771, five years before the founding
St. George, was once captured by the Indians. He had
stolen seventeen, of their horses, and when they caught him
they put him in a field and three hundred of them tried to
pound him to death ; but, he whijoped them out eight
times and got away. They tied him up three times to
roast him ; but he still got away and escaped to Kentucky.
But, he Avas more fortunate than the most of prisoners ; and,
besides, he Avas such a terrible fighter that they Avere afraid
of him.
The Indians in Tucker had a town in the Horse Shoe,
opposite the loAver end of Sycamore Island. The traces of
the vUlage may still be seen in summer on account of the

JAMES PAESONS. 31
Aveeds that grow larger there than on the adjacent lands.
This is the place that the bones are Avashed out of the bank.
On the other side of the river, one mile above St. George,
are numerous Indian graves. It used to be reported that
there Avere five hundred graves Avithin half a mile ; but the
writer took the pains to count them, and could not find
more than forty-six. They are rude heaps of stone, and
extend along the side of the liiU in an irregular manner.
Some of them have been opened. Nothing Avas ever found
in them. They are probably very old. An old account says
that a battle was fought there between two tribes of Indi
ans ; but there is not a shadow of foundation for the story,
except the graves. Why so many Indians should have
been buried so near together is hard to account for, unless
they were killed in battle, or by some other violent means.
But this does not prove that a battle was fought. Probably
there was a town near, and this was the graveyard.
The Indians used arrows tipped AA'ith flint. Many of
these flints are found scattered about the country. Where
the Indians got the material from AA-hich the}- made them is
now tmknown. The making of the arrow points Avas a pro
fession among the Indians. They had men aa^io made it a
business. One of these factories is believed to have been
situated on Horse Shoe Eun, AA'here E. Maxwell's barn noAV
stands. When the ground was first ploAved it Avas covered
Avith bits of flint and broken points, and everything indi
cated that a shop for manufacturing flint points had form
erly been there.
The French and Indian AVar closed in 1764. After that,
came a Avonderful immigration to the West. West Virginia
and Kentucky Avere the main points to Avhich settlers
flocked. West Virginia Avas soon spotted all over AA'ith col-

32 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
onies. Within six years, settlements were on all the prin
cipal rivers. But none were yet in Tucker. Capt. James
Parsons knew of the Horse Shoe Bottom, and was only
waiting for a suitable time to lay patents on the lands.
Sometime before 1774, probably about 1772, he and his
brother Thomas came over to Cheat from Moorefield, to
look at the lands and select them favorable places. James
chose the Horse Shoe, and Thomas aU the land from the
mouth of Horse Shoe Eun to the Holly Meadows, exclusive.
of the Horse Shoe. They afterward obtained patents for
these lands ; and Jaines bought some other tracts, among
which was the farm since owned by the Bonnifields, on
Horse Shoe Eun. This Avas originally a " corn right."
These lands were marked out at the time of their selec
tion, but, in 1774, as shall be seen in the next chapter, a
colony from the South Branch built a fort in the Horse
Shoe, and cleared some of the land. But, in tAVO years,
John Minear, leader of the colony, removed to St. George,
on land of his oaa'u.
When the Parsons brothers Avere passing back and forth
between Moorefield and the Horse Shoe, there Avas not any
particular war between the Avhite people and the Indians.
But, the Indians Avere alAvays ready to kill a man when they
could find him by himself in the Avoods. They Avould be
still more likely to do this if he had a good gun and a horse.
These were articles Avhich the Indians ahrays Avanted, and
they Avould plunder a man of these AA'henever they got a
good chance. James and Thomas Parsons always rode
splendid horses, and the straggling bands of Indians Avho
roamed along Cheat were very anxious to steal them. They
would have killed the riders to get the horses.
In this state of affairs it was dangerous for two men to

JOHN MINEAE. 33
come alone so far into the Avilderness. But, in spite of
danger, Captain Parsons and his brother came often while
they were surveying and locating their land. They crossed
the Backbone and Alleghany mountains near the Fairfax
Stone. In order that they might the more successfully
elude the Indians, they were accustomed to put the shoes
on their horses, toes behind, so that the Indians would be
deceived in the direction in which the horses had gone.
On one occasion Captain Parsons had come alone from
Moorefield. He had visited his land, and had just crossed
the river at the mouth pf Horse Shoe Eun, when an Indian,
hidden in the weeds near by, gobbled like a turkey. The
savage probably thought that he could decoy his man within
gunshot; but in this he was mistaken. Captain Parsons
was too well posted in Indian tricks to be trapped in such
a manner. Instead of going to kill the turkey, he put spurs
to his horse and reached Moorefield that night, a distance
of near seventy miles. The path was through the woods,
and crossed the Alleghany Mountains. These were the
first locations of lands in Tucker County. The next chapter
AvUl relate to the settlement of these lands, and of others
taken up near the same time by John Minear, Eobert Cun
ningham, Henry Fink and John Goffe.
The first explorers and settlers of the county were the
Parsons and Minear families. The main part of the
county's history has been enacted by the representatives
of one or the other of these.

CHAPTER II.
JOHN MINEAR.
As NEARLY as cau now be ascertained, John Minear first
visited Tucker County in the year 1773. He was a natiA'e
of Germany, where he was born about 1730. It has been
said that he was a soldier under Frederick the Great ; but
the truth of this is not well authenticated. In 1767, he
came to America. He was already married, and brought
Avith him a small famUy, among whom was David Minear,
then twelve years of age.
John Minear bought land on the Potomac Eiver, and
lived there until 1774. He had heard the reports brought
back by Capt. James Parsons, and he determined to visit
the new country and see it for himself. Whether any one
accompanied him or not, is not stated ; but, probably, he
was not alone in his series of explorations, which he made
in 1773. He visited the country along Cheat Eiver, from
the' Holly MeadoAvs to Licking FaUs ; and, having selected a
suitable farm in the Horse Shoe, he returned to the Poto
mac for his family.
So great was his influence, and so general was the desire
for emigration, that he found little difficulty in gathering
about him quite a company of farmers, AA'illing to risk their
fortunes in the ncAV land. He was the leader of the colony,
and all placed confidence in his judgment and trust in his
bravery. His education was in advance of the farmers of
his time; and, those who came with him looked upon him,
not only as a military leader in expected wars with the In
dians, but also as a counselor in ciA'il affairs, in the settle-

JOHN MINEAE. 35
ment of lands and the deeds and rights appertaining
thereto. How many came with him is not known. The
names of a few survive, and we know that there were others.
They did not come merely to explore the country and
speculate in lands ; but, they brought with them their fami
lies, their household goods, and what movable property
they could, and had no other intention than that of making
the valley of Cheat their permanent home.
They reached their destination early in 1774, probably in
March. They spent the first night in the woods, not far
from the crossing at Willow Point. The men at once com
menced work on a fort, which they built as a defense
against the Indians. The fort was nothing more than a
large log house, with holes left between the logs through
which the inmates could shoot at Indians. The building
stood on or near the spot where now stands the residence
of S. E. Parsons. It was used as a fort and also as a dwell
ing house for all the families. It was made large enough
to give room for all. In the daytime, the men went to the
woods to clear corn fields, and left the woman and children
in the fort. If any alarm was given of Indians, the men
would run to the fort, and bar the doors, and watch through
the cracks in the waUs for the coming of the enemy. They
never lay down to sleep without locking the doors to keep
the Indians out.
For awhile everything went well in their new home. As
the spring came on, the weather got warm and delightful,
and the huge oaks and gigantic chestnut trees came out in
leaf. The men worked hard, and soon had cleared the logs
and trees from several small corn fields, which they planted
as soon as the frost was all out of the ground. The settlers
sometimes were out of bread and had to live on meat ; but,

36 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
venison and bear meat were plentiful, and there was no
danger of starving. What corn and wheat they had was
carried on pack horses from the Potomac Eiver.
Early in the summer, new danger from the Indians began
to be feared. Up to this time, there had been no actual
hostility, except an occasional murder of an Indian by a
white man or of a white man by an Indian. Even this had
not disturbed the settlement in the Horse Shoe. But, with
the return of the spring, in 1774, a war seemed certain.
Along the Ohio, above and below Wheeling, several murders
were committed, both by white men and by Indians.
Greathouse, a white man, fell upon a camp of Indians a
few mUes above Wheelihg, and kiUed men and women. This
so enraged the Indians that they at once commenced war
upon all the settlements west of the AUeghany Mountains.
The principal settlements in West Virginia then were on the
Monongahela, the VaUey Eiver, the West Fork and on the
Greenbrier, Kanawha and the Ohio. The smaU fort in the
Horse Shoe cannot be reckoned as a settlement. But the
Indians soon found it out. In fact, it was on a famous war
path that crossed the river at the mouth of Horse Shoe Eun,
and the Indians who would walk to and fro along this path
must necessarily find the fields.
Early in the summer of 1774, Colonel McDonald, with a
few hundred men, marched into Ohio and burnt some In
dian toAvns on the Muskingum Eiver. Nobody but Indians
lived in Ohio then, and they were furious Avhen the white
men burnt the towns and cut down aU their corn. As soon
as McDonald left the country, the Indians hurried across
the river, and commenced killing people and burning houses
and barns in revenge for the treatment received at his hand.
The settlers Avijo lived uearest Wie Ohio were in the greatest

JOHN MINEAE. 37
danger, but all west of the AUeghany Mountains were un
safe. Minear's colony in the Horse Shoe soon found occa
sion for alarm. Indian tracks Avere discovered not far from
the fort, and the people were in constant fear of being mas
sacred. Nobody went beyond the reach of the guns of the
fort, except with the greatest caution. But, they had tp
hunt through the woods for venison and other meat ; for,
the corn was not yet ripe enough for bread. Sometimes the
hunters were chased by the saA'ages, as was the -tase with
one of the men who went to the Sugar Lands, on the Back
bone Mountain, some four mUes east from the fort. He was
hunting, and looking at the country, when he heard strange
noises on the hiU above him, and immediately heard an
swers from the vaUey below. He knew at once that it was
Indians trying to trap him, having nearly surrounded him
already. He affected not to notice the noises; but, he
started off at a rapid rate down a cove that led into Coburn
Eun. When he passed over the bluff in his descent to the
run, the noise of the Indians, who were whistUng to each
other and gobbUng like turkeys, died away in the distance,
and for some time he heard nothing more of it. However,
he did not slacken his speed, but hurried doAvn the rocky
bed of the run, and had gone nearly two miles when he was
suddenly startled by a hooting Hke that of an owl, on the
hiU hea/r above him. The imitation was not so perfect but
that hf! could detect that it was not an oavI. He knew that
it was.-an Indian. He was yet three miles from the fort, and
only by flight could he hope to escape. The channel of the
stre/im was rocky, full of cataracts, and falls, and trees that
had. lopped into the ravine from both sides. Over and
thi'ough these blockades and obstacles he ran as fast as he
ccjuld, and with as little noise as possible. From this point,

38 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
there are two accounts of the affair. One says that, as he
was climbing down over a fall, an Indian came sliding
doAvn the hiU within a few steps of him. The Indian was
snatching and grabbing at brush, and seemed to be doing
his best to stop himself. It is thought that he had tried to
run along the side of the hiU, which was very steep, and,
missing his footing, could not regain it until he sUd nearly
to the run, and was almost under the hunter's feet. But
the hunter saw his enemy just in time to escape. He
wheeled and ran under the falls of the creek into a dry cav
ern beyond. Then, turning, he discharged his gun at the
Indian ; but, there is no evidence that the shot took effect.
The Indian seemed to think that the white man was shoot
ing at him from under the water ; and, scrambUng and claw
ing back up the hill, he disappeared in the weeds. The
hunter made use of the opportunity and escaped to the fort.
The summer of 1774 was passing away ; and danger from
the Indians did not lessen. It is not recorded that any of
the settlers Avere killed; but, all must have felt that the
peril of the colony was great ; for, late in the summer it be
gan to be considered whether it would not be better to
abandon the fort and retreat to the Potomac. This was
about the time that Lord Dunmore and General Itewis were
organizing their army for a general campaign against the
Indians in Ohio. Probably the settlers in the Horse Shoe
heard of the gathering strife, and knowing that hard fighting
was at hand, thought it best to retire beyond the A.llegha-
nies till the storm should pass away. Be this as it may,
early in the fall of that year, 1774, the people of the Horse
Shoe collected together what they could of their property,
and fled to the Potomac. The fort, the small fields and all
the improvements were thus abandoned; and, during the

JOHN MINEAE. 39
winter of 1774-5, there was not a white man in Tucker
County, so far as is now known.
John Minear and his colony remained on the Potomac
about eighteen months. Whether they all remained to
gether, as they had lived in the Horse Shoe, can not now
be stated. Nor is it known who composed the colony, fur
ther than a few names. But, they could not content them
selves to give up the vaUey of Cheat forever. They Avere
only waiting for a more auspicious season for founding a
permanent settlement.
The next we hear of John Minear, he Avas again on
Cheat, -and was building up a colony on the site of the
present town of St. George. For some reason, he did not
return to the Horse Shoe, but chose St. George in its stead.
What influenced him to this choice is unknoAvn. But, it is
probable that Capt. James Peirsons had by that time se
cured the pre-emption of the Horse Shoe lands; and
Minear, desirous of having the colony on his own lands,'
moved three miles further down the river, and located at
the mouth of MUl Eun, where the county seat of Tucker
has since been built. It cannot be ascertained in what
year Parsons secured his grant of the lands above St.
George ; but, it is well known that they were for a long
time in dispute between him and Minear, and the final set
tlement at the land office gave the Horse Shoe lands to
Parsons. The greater part of this land is still in the Par
sons family, haAdng descended in an unbroken line of suc
cession from Captain Parsons to its present owners, Joseph
and S. E. Parsons.
The emigrants which Minear led to St. George were not
identical v?ith those whom he conducted to the county in
1774. Some who had come in that year did not return in

40 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
1776; whUe some came in 1776 for the first time. Nor do
we know the number of those who came in 1776. In addi
tion to John Minear and his two sons, David and Jonathan,
and several daughters, and other women, there were men
named MUler, Cooper, Goffe* and Cameron. John Minear's
land claim Avas along the north side of the river, from St.
George doAvn the river tAVO mUes. On the other side, but
not extending as far east as St. George, was the claim of
Jonathan Minear, John's son. Cooper's land was two mUes
further down the river, at the foot of MiUer HiU. Cameron
located on the opposite side of the river from MiUer HUl.
John Minear's land, like that of James Parsons, has con
tinued in the Minear family to this day. It is now the
property of D. S. Minear, Esq.
During the early years of the colony at St. George, there
is on record nothing that hindered its prosperity. The
first step of the settlers was to buUd a fort as a defense
against the Indians. This fort stood on the ground where
now stands the Court-house. It was a better fort than the
one in the Horse Shoe, and was also four times as large.
It was composed of a large log house, surrounded by
palisades. The logs, of which the house was buUt, were notched and
fitted close, one upon another; and, so well were they
placed that there was left not a crevice through which In
dians could shoot. But, in the upper story, openings were
made between the logs, so that those in the house could
shoot at approaching Indians. The chimney ran up on the
inside. This was to prevent the Indians from getting to the
roof by climbing up the chimney. There were no Avindows
* Tills name must not he conlounfled 'vrttli that ol James Goff, -who settled on tlie
river near tlie Preston County line.

JOHN MINEAE. 41
in the fort. Light Avas admitted through the port-holes, as
the openings between the logs were called. In cold weather,
or when no light was Avanted, blocks of wood Avere fitted in
the port-holes. The door Avas made of split boards, so
thick that bullets would not go through. The fort Avas
surrounded by palisades, or a line of stout posts planted
firmly in the ground side by side and fitted closely together.
These posts were about twelve feet high. They resembled
a huge paling fence, and enclosed over one fourth of an
acre of ground. The fort stood in the center of the enclos-
Tire, which was higher ground, and gave the inmates com
mand of the neighboring fields. No Indian could approach
in the daytime without running great risk of being shot.
Among the first improvements in the colony was a mill at
St. George, near where the school-house now stands. The
miU-race, and some of the old timbers of the dam, are yet to
be seen. The mill was intended only for grinding corn. At
that time, no wheat, rye or buckwheat was gro^n in the
county. During the first four years the settlement prospered
greatly. New emigrants came into the country, and brought
horses, cows and domestic animals Arith them. But, there
was constant anxiety lest the Indians should break into the
settlement. In the winter there was not so much fear, be
cause the half clad savages did not travel through the snow
when it could be avoided. They would be in danger of
freezing to death; and they preferred to remain in their
huts on the other side of the Ohio Eiver. But, when spring
came, aU the wigwams and Shawanese dens poured out
their warriors ; and West Virginia, Kentucky and western
Pennsylvania, were overrun by warUke savages. It was
thus at the commencement of the year 1780. That year

42 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE OOUNTY.
will ever be memorable in border history on account of the
raids and murders by the Indians upon the white people.
But, it is not so famous in that respect as 1777 and 1782.
But, so far as Tucker County is concerned, the years 1780
and 1781 Avere the most disastrous in the Indian Wars. St.
George Avas then the most flourishing settlement on Cheat
Eiver, and they soon learned the paths that led to the new
country. It may be borne in mind that Tucker was natur
aUy one of the most secluded locaUties in the State, being
even less exposed to Indian attacks than Preston was..
Eandolph, and the more southern counties along the western -
base of the Alleghanies, were well knoAvn to the Indians,
who, in the French and Indian War, had passed to and fro
through them whUe making raids into Virginia. But,
there was no occasion for passing through Tucker ; and, if
occasional bands of Indians did so, as in the case of the
capture of. James Parsons, they did it for the purpose of
hunting or making explorations. Not so with the counties
along the Ohio, and on the Monongahela and Kanawha.
The Indians from Ohio could cross over at any time, and
within a short distance find a thriving settlement to plun
der. Before they could reach Tucker or Preston, they
would have to pass through several inhabited counties,
which the Indians did not Uke to do, because the settlers
might track them. But, Tucker's isolated position and its
high mountain defenses did not exempt it from its full
share of Indian outrages. The first of these was in the
spring of 1780.
The band of Indians who made this incursion into Tucker,
were remarkably persevering in their pursuit of Avickedness.
Very early in the spring of 1780 they crossed the Ohio in
the vicinity of Parkersburg, and made their way unobserved

JOHN MINEAE. 43
into Lewis County, where they suddenly appeared before a
fort on Hacker's Creek, known in early times as West's
Fort. There were only a few men in the fort, and they
were afraid to go out to fight the enemy. The Indians did
not make an attack on the house, but lay hid near about in
the woods, ready to shoot any one who should come out.
The people thus penned in, were on the point of starving,
and knew not whence deliverance was to come. Buckhan
non was the nearest place Avhere assistance could be ob
tained, and that was sixteen miles. One in going there
would be exposed to almost certain death, for the Indians
were entirely round the fort.
One of the inmates, Jesse Hughes, was a man who shrunk
from no duty and quaUed at no danger. He was the most
successful Indian fighter in West Virginia, except the Zanes
of Wheeling, Captain Brady and LcAvis Wetzel. He had
passed through scores of hair-breadth escapes, and had
fought the Indians for eleven years and knew their nature
weU. He it was who explored the country westward from
Buckhannon. He discovered and gave name to the West
Fork Eiver, and was the first white man who stood on the
site of Weston. This was in 1769. From that time till the
close of the Indian wars, in 1795, he was ever where brave
men were most needed, in the front. To him Clarksburg
almost owed its existence. There was scarcely a settlement
in the central part of the State that did not profit by the
bravery and courage of Jesse Hughes. Even St. George,
sixty miles distant, had occasion to thank him, although his
assistance did not avert the disasters which are now to be
recorded. He was in West's Fort when the Indians besieged it.
His farm Avas almost within sight of the fort, and he had

44 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
sought shelter there in common with his neighbors. After
the place had been invested for some time, and the inmates
were getting short of provisions, while the enemy showed
no disposition to raise the siege, it began to grow manifest
that something must be done to procure^help in driving the
Indians off, or the place must fall. The plan most practi
cable seemed that of sending some one to Buckhannon Avith
intelligence of the distress, and bring help from thence.
Hughes volunteered to go ; and, on a dark night, he sUpped
from the fort, broke by the Indians, and ran to Buckhan
non. He collected a company of men and at once started
back. He arrived about daylight, and it was thought best
to abandon the fort. This was done. The inmates, men,
women and children, proceeded to Buckhannon. On the
way the Indians tried to separate the company so as to at
tack it, but, in this they failed, and the settlers aU reached
Buckhannon in safety.
The Indians foUowed on to Buckhannon and prowled
about fhe settlement a few days. They waylaid some men
who were going to the fort, and one of them named Curl
was shot in the chin. All the other men, five in number,
started to run; but Curl caUed to them to stand theu-
ground, for they could whip the Indians. But, the men
were some distance away, and a powerful Indian warrior
drew a tomahawk and started at Curl, who was now alone
and wounded. Nothing daunted, he raised his gun to shoot
the Indian. But, the blood from his wound had dampened
the powder, and the gun missed fire. Instantly picking up
another gun, which had been dropped in the excitement,
he shot the savage and brought him to the ground. The
Indians then retreated.
One of the whites ran after them alone, and being a re-

JOHN MINEAE. 45
markable runner, he quickly overtook them and shot an
other Indian. The other Indians got behind trees ; and, in
a few minutes, the rest of the whites came up and renewed
the fight. One of the whites was shot through the arm ;
and, a third Indian,, who was hiding behind a log, received
a buUet which caused' him to go howUng away. In a few
minutes the whole band of savages took to flight, and night
coming on put a stop to the pursuit.
Early next morning fifteen men took the traU of the In
dians and foUowed them several mUes, and finally found
where they were hidden in a laurel thicket. As they ap
proached, one of the whites was shot ; but, the Indians got
away. However, the settlers found several Indian horses
with their legs tied tpgether. The Indians had left their
animals in this fix to keep them from running off. The set
tlers took them back to Buckhannon. For several days
nothing more was seen of the Indians ; and, in the hope
that the savages had left the country, some of the people
returned to their farms. But, the enemy were not gone.
They kiUed a man and took a young lady prisoner. The
people fled back to the fort, and the Indians found no fur
ther opportunity for doing mischief at that time.
Thus far, the savages had raided through Lewis and Up
shur counties. They now passed into Eandolph, where
they continued to murder the people and burn property.
They first made their appearance in the upper end of Ty-
gart's VaUey. This was in March. A man in passing along
the path saw moccasin tracks in the mud. He stopped to
look at them, and while doing so heard some one in the
brush whisper: "Let him alone; he will go and bring
more." He at once suspected Indians; and, Avithout fur
ther examination, he hurried to Hadden's fort and reported

46 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
what he had seen and heard. But, he was not beUeved.
There was a party of men from Greenbrier spending the
night at the fort, and they intended to start home in the
morning. Their road home led by this place where the
tracks had been seen. When they got ready to go, a party
of citizens volunteered to accompany them to this place,
and ascertain whether there reaUy were tracks in the mud.
The men proceeded carelessly, and when near the sus
pected hiding place of the enemy, they were fired upon by
Indians in ambuscade. The horsemen sprang into a gaUop
and escaped ; but the men on foot were surrounded by In
dians. The only means of escape was by crossing the river
and climbing a steep hill on the opposite side. In doing
this they were exposed to the fire of the enemy, and several
were kiUed. John McLain was almost to the summit of the
hill when he was shot. James Eolston, who was still fur
ther, was also killed at the same instant. James Crouch
was likewise ascending the hill, and was nearly to the top
when he was shot. But he was only wounded, and the next
day made his way to the fort. John Nelson, another of the
party, was killed at the water's edge. He had crossed the
river Avitli the rest, and would have ascended the hUl with
them ; but, they were a little in advance of him, and when
they fell, he turned back, and tried to escape by running
down the bank of the river. But this was a fatal policy.
A fierce Indian leaped upon him, and a desperate fight en
sued. No white man saw it to tell how it Avent. It is only
known from circumstances that it was a hand-to-hand fight,
and a terrible one. The breech of Nelson's gun Avas split
and shattered, and from appearances he had pounded the
Indian Avith it. His hands, still clinched although he was
dead, contained tufts of Indian hair, and gave evidence that

JOHN MINEAE. 47
it was a prolonged fight. But the savage got off victorious,
and Nelson was kiUed. When the whites visited the scene
of the battle, they found the dead man where he fell. The
ground around him was torn up, as though a long struggle
had taken place. It undoubtedly was a dear' victory for the
savage. In a few days the Indians fell upon the family of John
Gibson, on a branch of Tygart's Valley Eiver. The family
were at the sugar camp, when the Indians surprised them
and took them prisoners. Mrs. Gibson was killed.
With this, the Indians left Eandolph County and pro
ceeded into Tucker. Of course, it is understood that these'
counties — ^Lewis, Upshur, Eandolph and Tucker — ^are called
by their present names, and not by the names by which
they Avere known at that time. Nor is it absolutely certain
that all the mischief, narrated and to be yet narrated, was
done by this band of Indians. It requires some little arbi
trary chronology to arrange into this order the fragments
and scraps of history and legends gathered from various
sources', but principally from Withers' Border Warfare.
But, at this point. Withers' narrative ceases to furnish ma
terial for the account, except the mere mention of the
kUling of Sims above St. George ; and, for the rest of the
raid, and the murder of Jonathan Minear below St. George,
and the captivity and rescue of Washburn, this account
rests upon the authority of private papers and the tradi
tions that have come down from generation to generation.
Unwritten tradition is one of the most unreliable sources
from which to gather history. Yet in the absence of all
other means, it must be resorted to. However, the foUow
ing account of the Indian raid through Tucker has records
for authority, and tradition furnishes little more than the
minutia.

48 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
There is queston concerning the date of the incursion ;
but contemporary facts ought to settle the question, and
place it in the spring of 1780. Some maintain that John
Minear was kUled before Jonathan was, and that the mur
der of the latter took place as late as 1795. But this is so
plainly a gross mistake that it is not deemed necessary to
refute it.
It was in March, 1780 ; and the Indians, after theu- am
buscade on the Tygart Eiver, moved over Laurel HUl and
down Cheat Eiver toward St. George. That had been a
severe Avinter for Minear's colony. In addition to the suf
fering from want, the smaU-pox broke out among the people,
and the affliction fell heavily upon the destitute settlers,
Avho had spent the greater part of the winter Avithout bread
or salt. One thing was to their advantage, and that was
that there was little to be feared from Indians during the
winter months. The Indians seldom broke into settlements
in cold weather when the snow was on the ground.
So, the colony at St. George pulled through the winter
the best they could. They did not occupy the fort ; but
each man lived on his own farm, and worked to clear fields
in which to plant grain the coming summer.
It was customary at that time to go east once a year to
lay in a supply of such things as must be had. For the cen
tral part of West Virginia, the eastern market was Win
chester. The people of the frontier counties carried such
produce as they had to that place and bartered it for salt,
iron, ammunition and a few blacksmith and cooper tools.
With the first appearance of spring, the colonists at St.
George prepared to send their plunder to market. It was
the plan to go and return before the warm Aveather Avoidd
bring Indians into the settlements. The principal article

JOHN MINEAE. 49
of export was the skins of bear and other fur-bearing ani
mals. With a load of these strapped on pack horses, the
settlers filed away through the woods toward Winchester.
It was then early in March, and they expected to make the
trip Avithin two weeks.
InteUigence pf the Indian murders in Lewis and Upshur
counties had reached St. George, and the people, not know
ing whither the enemy had gone, thought it best to leave
their farms and move into the fort. This they did. But
some who had the smaU-pox were excluded from the fort.
This was a harsh course to pursue;' but it was rendered
necessary. It was deemed better for a few to run the risk
of faUing a prey to Indians than for the whole colony to be
stricken down with the smaU-pox. Accordingly, those Avho
had that disease were not allowed to come near the fort.
Among those thus excluded was the family of John Sims,
who Uved about five miles above St. George at a place ever
since known as Sims' Bottom. Sims' Knob, a high moun
tain overlooking the Horse Shoe, is also named from this
man.-^" When the Indians left Tygart's Valley, they aimed for
St. George ; and, by passing along the west bank of Cheat
Eiver from the mouth of Pheasant Eun, they had arrived
within five miles of the fort, when they came into the clear
ing of Sims. The house stood on the bank of a swamp full
of brush and weeds. The Indians made their way unob-
servefd into this thicket, and were cautiously craAA'ling
toward the house when they were seen by a negro wench,
* Sims -was brought to Cheat by Captain Parsons, and was only a. tenant on Parsons'
land. He had been placed on the farm -where he -was killed, to oversee the upper part
of James Parsons' land, and to keep Thomas Parsons' cattle Irom crossing over Into
the Horse Shoe. The sycamore tree behind -which the Indian lay -was still to be seen
a few years ago.
4

50 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
who ran to the door and gave the alarm. Bernard Sims
caught up his gun and ran to the door. He was just recov
ering from the smaU-pox. As he stepped out at the door,
he was shot by the Indians and feU forward in the yard.
The savages leaped out from the brush and rushed into the
yard ready to tomahawk and scalp the dead man. But as
they came up they observed that he had a disease, to them
most terrible; and, instead of scalping him, and kiUing those
in the house, they took to flight, yeUing as they ran : "SmaU-
pox! SmaU-pox!"
They kept clear of that cabin after that, although they
remained in the neighborhood several days. They moved
on toward St. George. The people there discovered that
the enemy was in the vicinity, and the strictest guard was
kept night and day. Nobody left the fort under any cir
cumstances. The fort stood where the Court-house now stands, about
two hundred yards from the river, on a rising ground. The
Indians remained on the opposite side of the river, and
concealed themselves on a bluff overlooking the fort and
surroundings. Here they remained several days. There
were not many men in the fort. Some had been kept away
on account of smaU-pox ; and those Avho had gone to Win
chester had not yet returned. The garrison AveU knew of
the presence of the enemy, and knew just where the Indians
were hidden ; yet, they affected not to suspicion that an
enemy was near. But, the greatest anxiety Avas felt, lest
the Indians should make an attack while the place was so
defenseless. The concealed foe could be descried crouch
ing under the thicket of laurel on the bluff beyond the
river ; and their number was probably overestimated, al
though the actual number could not have been much less

JOHN MINEAE. 51
than fifty. The whites expected an attack any hour. If
the attack had been made, it is doubtful if the place could
have held out ; because the hill near by would have given
the assailing party a great advantage.
The garrison were desirous of impressing the Indians
with the idea that the fort contained a strong force of men.
To this end, they dressed first in one kind of clothes and
then in another, at each change walking about the yard in
fuU view of the foe. The Indians, who were all the time
looking on, and not more than a quarter of a mile away,
must have been led to believe that the fort wa's stronger
than they could attack with safety. At any rate, they made
no assault ; and, in a day or two they disappeared from the
hill, and the people hoped that the foe so much dreaded
had indeed left the country.
However, it was deemed best to remain in the fort till the
return of those who had gone east. This was not long.
The men returned the next evening, and for the present
little fear of danger was entertained. The people did not
remJiin so constantly on the lookout. When they began to
visit their cabins near about the fort, it was found that the
Indians had rummaged them, and had carried off what they
could, and had destroyed much that they could not take.
StUl, nothing was seen to indicate' that the enemy was yet
in the country.
Some of the men took their families to their cabins, de
termined to do a little more work before the season for In
dian incursions — for it was still earUer in the spring than
the Indians were in the habit of making raids into the set
tlements. Among those who left the fort under the im
pression that the red men were gone and danger for the
present at an end, was Daniel Cameron, who lived opposite

52 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
MiUer HUl, on the farm since known as the Bowman Plan
tation, by the nearest road some three miles from St.
George. He removed his family to his farm, and that night
they locked the door, as was usual at that time. AwhUe
after dark, a noise was heard like the rattle of a charger
, against a powder-horn. If no danger had been feared, this
sUght incident would scarcely have been noticed. But, at
a time of such intense anxiety, it at once aroused suspicions.
Presently other disturbances were heard, and it became
nearly certain that Indians were prowUng about. The Hght
in the house was extinguished, and the family crawled out
at the back door, and hid in a brush heap untU everything
became quiet, when they made their way to the fort, and
reported what had taken place. But the people were not
disposed to credit the story, and little attention was paid
to it.
A day or two more passed, and nothing further was seen
or heard of the Indians. But, all this time the treacherous
savages were lying hid on the hiU above the mouth of
Clover Eun, in a field near the present residence of Hon.
WiUiam Ewin. They were about a mile from the fort ; but
still in sight of it. They had abandoned the laurel thicket
opposite the fort, because they suspected that the garrison
had discovered them. They selected their new hiding
place, and remained in it during the day, and at night they
prowled about the settlement. From where they were they
could see all that went on in and about St. George, and
they were ready to faU upon any stray party who should go
" out. An opportunity for this soon came.
Jonathan Minear's farm was two miles below St. George,
on the south side of the river, just below where John AuvU,
Esq., now lives. Jonathan Eun is named from him. He

JOHN MINEAE. 53
selected this site at the same time that his father selected
the one where St. George stands, and he made it his home,
except when danger compelled him to remove to the fort
for safety. When the Indians first came into the neighbor
hood, he abandoned his farm and retired to St. George,
where he remained until he considered all danger at an end.
But, when nothing more could be seen of the enemy, and
nothing heard, except vague rumors, of which there always
was sufficient, he determined to visit his farm and look
after his cattle. His brother-in-law, Washburn, volunteered
to go with him, and, at daylight, the two left the fort
together and proceeded to the ford; about half mile below-
Here they -were joined by Cameron, who was afoot, and
was on his way to his own farm. His way was along the
northern bank of the river, while Minear and Washburn's
was along the southern bank. They talked a few rainutes,
and separated, Minear and Washburn, on horseback, cross
ing the river and Cameron proceeding down the northern
bank on foot.
The morning was clear and cold, for it was in March or
early in April. The men on horseback passed very near
where the Indians lay concealed, but not so near as to be
shot. However, the savages probably learned from their
conversation where they were going, and running on ahead,
hid in the taU dry weeds that stood thick along the bank of
the river in the field where the cattle were. The men rode
leisurely on, thinking little of danger. When they got to
the cabin they tied their horses. Washburn proceeded to
the field to feed the cattle fodder, while Minear went to get
com for the hogs. With a shock of fodder on his back,
Washburn was passing through the bars when some Indians
sprang out of the fence corner and seized him. Immediately

54 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
there was a discharge of guns, and Washburn saw Minear
running toward the river, and a dozen Indians after him.
Minear ran as though wounded, and the savages gained
fast upon him, and overtook him on the bank of the river.
He had been shot in the thigh, and was so disabled that
he could not escape. When he reached the bank, he saw
that the Indians would strike him Anth their tomahawks ;
and, to avoid the blows, for him the last resort, he ran
round a beech tree, bracing himself against the tree Avith
one hand and fighting the Indians off with the other.
It is a characteristic of the Indians that, when they chase
a man, as they did Minear, they always run one behind
another, and do not try to head off the object of their pur
suit. Thus, when they came up with Minear at the beech
tree and he ran round it, instead of some of them turning
back in the opposite direction to head him off, they aU ran
round the same way, round and round and round. They
were striking at him with their tomahawks, and he was try
ing to ward off the blows. Several times they missed him
and struck the tree, and the marks of their tomahawks are
to be seen on the tree to this day. Three of his fingers
were cut off whUe thus defending himself. But the odds
were too great against him, and he fell, his head cleft by a
tomahawk. AU this, from the first attack on Washburn tiU Minear
fell dead, Avas done in a few seconds ; and, while Washburn
was standing with the fodder still on his back, and looking
at the Indians who were murdering Minear, Cameron was
also an eye witness from the other side of the river. Wash
burn, in his anxiety for his companion, forgot that himself
was a prisoner ; and, not until ordered to do so by the In
dians, did he throw down his fodder. But Cameron realized

JOHN MINEAE. 55
it aU at a glance, although he did not know the whole truth.
He saw Minear overtaken and tomahawked, and supposed
that Washburn was likewise killed. He had heard the dis
charge of guns, and concluded that by them Washburn was
kiUed. Without waiting for further investigation — in fact,
further investigation was not possible^ — he wheeled and ran
with aU his speed up the river toward the fort.
But the discharge of guns had been heard at St. George,
and the wUdest excitement prevailed. The men mounted
their horses in hot haste and galloped off down the river.
They did not cross at the ford, but continued down the
northern bank. This probably saved them from a bloody
ambuscade; for the Indians Avere ready for them, and
would have cut them off almost to a man, had they gone
down the same path that Washburn and Minear had taken.
But fortune favored them, and they continued down the
northern shore.
They had not proceeded more than half-Avay when they
met Cameron, who was out of breath from running and
could scarcely speak for excitement. He told them that
Minear and Washburn were kUled. The party halted, and
a hasty consultation took place. If the men were already
dead, it could avaU them little to be avenged. The strength
of the Indians was not knoAvn ; and it was feared that they
would immediately bear down upon the fort. Under the
circumstances it was thought best to hurry back and put the
place in the best possible condition for defense. This AA'ise
resolution was immediately carried into effect. The men
rode back, carrying Cameron Avith them, and brought the
sad inteUigence to the fort. AU was hurry and activity.
There Avas no time for lamentations. A supply of water was
provided, so that the inmates might not suffer fi'om thirst

56 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
in case of a siege. Ammunition was gotten ready. Large
quantities of buUets were molded, and aU the guns were
loaded ready for an attack any moment.
The day passed, and no attack was made. The enemy
had not appeared in sight. But the anxiety and dread were
not lessened ; for it then began to be believed that the In
dians were probably keeping out of sight in order to throw
the garrison off their guard, and that an attack would be
made that night. No one thought of sleep. Every man was
up and in arms. The fort Avas not defended by regular
soldiers, but depended for defense upon those who took
shelter within its waUs. When night came, and the addi
tional suspense and fear, that always accompany darkness
and silence, fell upon the people, they determined to put on
a bold front, hoping that, by doing so, they could strike
terror into the hearts of the Indians and keep them at bay.
There Avas in the fort a gigantic negro named Moats.
Him they dressed as a soldier, and had him march round
and round the fort, within the palisades, beating a drum.
This Avas to cause a belief among the Indians, should they
be skulking near, that a large force Avas under arms in the
fort-yard, and that this martial display Avas a legitimate
manifestation of poAver. This was kept up all night, aud
scarcely an eye Avas closed in slumber. No enemy appeared.
Whether the display of force had alarmed the Indians, they
did not then know. But, AA'hen the morning broke, and no
enemy, or sign of any, was in sight, the men prepared to
visit the scene of the tragedy of the previous day. It is
not now known how many men were in St. George at
that time ; but, judging from what is knoAvn on the subject,
there must have been between tAventy and thirty. They were

JOHN MINEAE. < 57
gathered in from aU the settlements for miles around, both
above and below St. George. ,
It had been a cold, frosty night. Early in the morning
the men formed in a body and marched down the river, on
the the north side, When they reached a point opposite
where Minear was kiUed, the men ranged themselves in
line of battle along the side of the hiU, and sent Moats,
the negro, across the river to see if the Indians were any
where about. The men stood ready to fire, in case the
enemy should put in an appearance. Moats rode over,
searched the thickets up and down the shore, and saw
nothing to indicate that the foe was hidden anywhere
around. Then 'the men crossed over, using the greatest
caution lest they should fall into an ambuscade. They
feared that the Indians were hidden in the weeds, and
would wait till an advantage was presented, and then run
out and attack the party.
When they got over the river they found Minear lying
dead AA'here he fell. The Indians had killed him by the
beech tree, and had chopped the upper part of his head off
with their tomahawks. They then broke his skull into
fragments and drove the pieces into a stump hard by. A
dog that had ahvays followed him Avas found guarding the
dead man.
Search was then made for Washburn. It was not knoAvn
what had become of him. Cameron had not seen him; but
he supposed that it was at him that the guns had been
fired. The whites explored the woods and the corn field,
but could find no trace of him. Nor was anything seen of
Indians. But, finally a trail Avas found leading up a ridge,
since known as Indian Point, and by foUowing it a short
distance it was found that the Indians had retreated by

58 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
that way on the day before. It Avas also discovered that
Washburn was carried off a prisoner. His track was dis
tinguished from those of the Indians. The Indians did not
always kiU every one whom they caught. Often they car
ried their prisoners into captivity, and sometimes they
would take a captive Avitli them hundreds of miles into
their country, and then bum him or pound him to death.
At times, prisoners were AveU treated ; but, it Avas generaUy
considered that to fall a captive to the Indians was a fate
little less to be dreaded than death. So, when it was found
that Washburn was taken prisoner it was considered that
he was little more fortunate than Minear, who was kiUed.
It was resolved to follow the Indians as soon as Minear
should be buried. His dpad body Avas taken up, bound on
a horse and carried to the fort. He had stiffened and fro
zen as he fell. His arms Avere extended wide, and he was
covered with coagulated blood. Thus he was carried to
St. George and was buried. No one now knows where his
grave is ; but it is believed to be under a chestnut tree
about one half-mile east of the town.
The next morning as many men as could be spared fi-om
the fort went in pursuit of the Indians. They trailed them
a night and two days. Had the Indians immediately
shaped their course for the Ohio Eiver they must haA'e es
caped before the whites could have overtaken them. But
they did not do this. They seemed to be hunting for set
tlements about the VaUey Eiver, and by spending their
time in this manner they aUowed the pursuing party to
come up. The Indian camp was discovered awhile after
dark on the second night. David Minear, brother to Jona
than, crawled up near enough to spy out the position of the
enemy, and to see that Washburn was indeed a prisoner

JOHN MINEAE. 59
with them. It was resolved to fall on the Indians at once.
The whole party of whites cautiously approached and let
the Indians have it, A tumultuous uproar foUowed, The
savages caught up Avhat plunder they could snatch, and
bounded away into the woods, while the whites rushed into
the camp to take the wounded savages prisoner, Wash
burn was found unhurt, Two or three of the enemy were
shot. While the whites stood round the fire in the excite
ment of the victory, an Indian came ramping into their
midst, snatched up a pouch of something from the ground,
and was off before the whites recovered enough from their
surprise to capture or shoot the scoundrel. It was thought
that the pouch contained some superstitious concoction of
medicine. After this skirmish, when it was certain that the Indians
were gone and no more punishment could be inflicted upon
them, the company returned to St. George. The Indians
made their way back across the Ohio Eiver into their own
country. About the colony of St. George, affairs went on well
enough for some time. The people were very careful not
to expose themselves to the Indians. Some returned to
their farms and underwent aU risks ; while others would go
to their plantations during the day and repair to the fort at
night. Another visit was made by the Indians about this
time. The date is not certain, but it is believed to have
been in 1780. A small band of Indians carried away a boy
who was at work in a field at the mouth of Clover Eun,
nearly a mile from the fort. Not much is knoAvn of this
event ; but it is said that when the Indians took the boy
prisoner he had with him a pet crow, and it followed him
nearly to the Ohio Eiver, where the Indians killed it, be-

60 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
cause they thought it possessed of an evil spirit. It is not
known what became of the boy.
The year 1781 records the greatest calamity that ever be
fell the St. George colony. It was the murder by Indians
of Daniel Cameron, Mr. Cooper and John Minear. They
were the three foremost men of the settlement. John Mi
near had planned and founded the colony ; and to him more
than to any one else was its prosperity due. He was kUled
in AprU, 1781.
The band of Indians, by whom the murder was commit
ted, made a raid very similar to that of the gang that kiUed
Jonathan Minear. Nearly the same territory was overrun
and nearly the extent of wickedness done. The savages
first appeared in Lewis County, on the head of Stone Coal
Creek, where' they Avaylaid three men named Schoolcraft,
who had gone there from Buckhannon for the purpose of
hunting pigeons. The Indian shot at them and killed one.
The two others were taken prisoner, and it is not certain
that they were ever again heard of. But it was believed
that they joined the Indians, and afterwards guided parties
of the savages through the settlements and helped them kiU
white people. These were the last of the Schoolcraft fam
Uy. Fifteen of them had been kUled or carried into cap
tivity within the space of seven years. Their fate and that
of the Minears seemed connected. It is thought that the
party that killed Jonathan Minear also killed Austin School
craft and took prisoner his niece. Then, the band by which
John Minear was kiUed, the next year, killed and captured
three Schoolcrafts, making five in all that fell by the hands
that slew the Minears.
After this depredation in Lewis County, the Indians
passed over to the Valley Eiver, in Barbour County ; and a

JOHN MINEAE. 61
few miles below PhiUppi they set themselves in ambush at
a narrow place in the road.
About this time commissioners had been appointed to
adjust land claims in this part of the State, and to execute
the necessary legal papers to those who had complied with
the law in pre-empting the public lands. The commissioners
met. at Clarksburg. Land claimants went there from aU
neighboring parts to present claims for consideration. The
people of St. George, in common with those of other settle
ments, sent their agents to Clarksburg tp attend to the
business and to obtain deeds for the various tracts of land
claimed by the different settlers. Those whom St. George
sent were John Minear, Daniel Cameron, two men named
MiUer, Mr. Cooper and Mr. Goffe. They had proceeded to
Clarksburg, attended to their business, and were on their
way home at the time the Indians were lying in their am
buscade below Philippi. It seems from the circumstances
that the Indians were looking for them.
The Indians placed themselves in a position commanding
the road, and hung a leather gun-case by a string over the
path. This was to attract attention, cause a halt and give
the savages an opportunity to take deliberate aim. The
trap was weU set, and the men came riding along the path,
thinking nothing of danger. The path was so narrow that
they could ride only in single file. They were almost under
the leather decoy before they saw it. They instantly
brought their horses to a halt. The truth flashed into
Minear's mind, and quickly wheeling his horse, he exclaimed
"Indians!" The Avhole party would have wheeled; but,
instantly a discharge of guns from the hidden foe threw
them into the wildest confusion. Horses and men fell
together. Minear, Cameron and Cooper Avere kUled on the

62 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
spot. Goffe and one of the MiUers sprang from their
horses and took to the woods. The other MiUer was not
unhorsed. He wheeled back, and fled toward Clarksburg.
The savages tried hard to catch him ; but his horse was
fleeter than they, and he made good his flight to Clarksburg.
MUler 'sought to escape by ascending the hill. He was
on foot, and two or three Indians started in pursuit, armed
only with knives and tomahawks. He had the start of them
by less than twenty yards, and they seemed confident of
overhauling him. Indeed, he had Httle hope of escaping ;
but he considered it better to make an effort for his Hfe.
His pursuers, close -upon his heels, called continuaUy to him
to stop, and told him if he did not, they would most cer
tainly kill him. They accompanied their threats by tlie
most violent gesticulations. Had they exerted all their en
ergy in the pursuit and done less yeUing, they might have
sooner terminated the chase. As it was. Miller did not stop
in compliance Avith their demand, although he almost de
spaired of being able to get away. The hiU was steep, and
his strength was nearly gone; but he struggled upward,
reached the summit, turned down the other side, and was
out of sight of the savages. But the chase was not done.
The Indians followed fast after him, and he ran through
the tangled brush, dodged to left and right, and finaUy
avoided them. He knew not but that he was the only one
who had escaped. He had seen the others fall, and thought
them killed. But it Avas not entirely so.
While Miller Avas thus getting away from his__ pursuers by
a long and desperate race, Goffe was making a still more
wonderful escape. When he leaped from his horse, instead
of going up the hill, as Miller had done, he broke through
the line of foes and ran for the river. A score of the sav-

JOHN MINEAE. 63
ages started in pursuit, as confident of a speedy capture as
those had been who followed Miller. But, in spite of their
efforts to catch him, Goffe kept his distance. He looked
back as he reached the river bank, and no Indians were in
sight. He threw off his coat to swim, and leaped down the
bank. But at that instant he heard his pursuers tearing
through the brush ahnost immediately above him. He saw
that it was impossible to escape by swimming ; and, on the
impulse of the moment, he pitched his coat in the water,
and crept for concealment into an otter den which happened
to be at hand.
By this time the Indians had reached the bank above him.
He could hear them talking'; and he learned from their
conversation that they thought he had dived. They
expected to see him rise from the Avater. He could see their
images muTored from the water of the river under him. He
could see the glittering and glistening of their tomahawks
and knives in the sunHght. His den was barely large enough
to conceal him ; and his tracks in the mud would lead to his
hiding place. He prepared to plunge into the Avater and
take his chances of escape by diving. But the Indians had
caught sight of the coat as it was floating down the river ;
and they began to move off to keep pace with it. They
supposed that Goffe was either droAvned or had made his
escape. They abandoned the man for the moment and
turned their attention to saving the coat. How they suc
ceeded in this is not known ; for Goffe did not wait to see
the termination of the affair. He crawled from his den and
made off, leaving them a hundred yards below. He started
directly for St. George, Avhich he reached that night.
Severe as this blow was to the Cheat Eiver settlement, it
was probably Hghter than it would have been, had not the

64 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
attack been made on the party of land claimants. This
band of Indians were heading for St. George ; but, when
Goffe and the MiUers escaped, it was not deemed advisable
to proceed, since the place could not be taken by surprise.
Therefore, the Indians turned back up the VaUey Eiver to
Tygart's VaUey, where they fell upon settlements unpre
pared for them.
Leading Creek, in Eandolph County, was then a flourish
ing colony. The people had heard of the presence of
Indians in the more western counties, and were busUy mov
ing into the fort. While thus engaged, the savages fell
upon them and nearly destroyed the whole settlement.
Among those killed were Alexander Eoney, two women,
Mrs. Daugherty and Mrs. Hornbeck, and a famUy of chU
dren. They also took several prisoners, among whom were
Mrs. Eoney and Daniel Daugherty. Others of the settle
ment made their escape, and carried the news to . Friend's
fort. A company of men at once collected to hunt doAvna
the Indians and kill them. Col. Wilson led the pursuing
party. When they reached Leading Creek they found the
settlement broken up, the people gone and nearly all the
houses and barns burned to the ground. The traU of the
Indians was soon found, and a SAvift pursuit was made.
The savages turned westward, and seemed to be aiming for
the West Fork Eiver. Coloiiel Wilson's party continued
upon their track for some time, and until the men began to
grow fearful that other Indians might fall upon the Tygart's
Valley settlements, while thus deprived of so many of its
men. Some wanted to go back, and only a few were very
anxious to continue* the pursuit of the Indians. A vote was
taken to decide whether or not the party should proceed.
Only four, Colonel Wilson, Eichard Kittle, Alexander West

JOHN MINEAE. 65
and Joseph Friend, voted to go on. Consequently, the
whole party turned back.
But, the savages were not to escape thus. The settle
ments on the West Fork, about and above Clarksburg, were
on the lookout for the marauders. MiUer, who escaped
when Minear, Cooper and Cameron were kiUed, had fled to
Clarkssburg, and had alarmed the country so that a close
lookout was kept. Spies and scouts traversed the country
looking for the enemy. At length, one of the spies discov
ered the Indians on West Fork, and Colonel William
Lowther* coUected a party of men and hurried to attack
them. When he got to the place where the Indians had
been seen, near the mouth of Isaac's Creek, they were gone.
He foUowed after them, ,and overtook them on Indian Creek,
a branch of Hughes' Eiver, in Doddridge County. He came
in sight of them awhile before night. It was thought best
to wait tUl morning before making the attack. Accordingly,
EUas and Jesse Hughes were left to watch the enemy, while
Colonel Lowther led his men back a short distance to rest
and get ready to fall upon the Indians at daybreak in the
morning. Nothing of note occurred that night. The In
dians did not discover their pursuers.
When the twittering of the birds announced that day
was at hand, the whites began to prepare for the fight.
They crawled forward as noiselessly as panthers, and lay
close around the camp of the enemy. As soon as it was
light enough to take aim, a general fire was poured into the
midst of the savage encampment. Five fell dead. The
others leaped up and yelled and darted off into the woods,
leaving aU their ammunition, plunder and all their guns, but
one, in the camp. The whites rushed forward to beat doAvn
• Colonel WilUam Lowther was a relative of Kev. O. Lowther, well known In Tucker
County. 5

66 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
those who were trying to get away. It was then found that
one of the whites, who had been taken prisoner in Tygart's
Valley and Avas in the Indian camp, was kiUed. He had
been shot by the AA'hites Avho made the attack. They had
been very careful to guard against such an occurrence.
From the prisoners who Avere retaken, it was learned that
a large band of Indians AA'ere near, and Avere expected to
come up soon. On account of this. Colonel Lowther
thought it best not to foUoAV the fugitive Indians. He
buried the prisoner whom his men had accidentaUy kiUed,
and, Avith the guns and plunder of the enemy, he returned to
the settlements, vfell satisfied that the Indians had not got
ten off Avithout something of merited punishment. The fol-
loAving account of the affair is from Withers' Border "^ ar-
f are :
As soon as the fire Avas opened upon the Indians, Mrs. Roney
(one of the prisoners) ran toward the whites rejoicing at the pros
pect of deliverance, and exclaiming : "I am EUick Roney's wife,
of the Valley, I am EUiok Roney's Avife, of the Valley, and a pretty
little woman, too, if I Avas well dressed." The poor woman, igno
rant of the fact that her son Avas -weltering in his gore, and forget
ting for an instant that her husband had been so recently killed,
seemed intent only on lier owndeliA'erance fromthe savage captors.
Another of the captives, Daniel Da-ugherty, being tied down and
unable to move, was discoA'ered by the whites as they rushed
toAvards the camj). Fearing that he might be one of the enemy
and do them some injury if they adA'anced, one of the men, stop
ping, demanded Avho he Avas. Benumbed by the cold and
discomposed by the sudden firing of the whites, he could not
render his Irish dialect intelligible to them. The Avhite man raised
his gun and directed it toward him, calling aloud, that if he did
not make knoAA'n who he Avas, he should blow a ball through him,
let him be Avhite man or Indian. Fear supplying him with energy,
Daugherty exclaimed : "Lord Jasus ! and am I to be killed by
AVhite paple at last ?" He Avas heard by Colonel Wilson and his
life saved.

JOHN MINEAE. 67
When the news of the massacre of Minear and his com
panions reached St. George, the excitement was little less
than it had been when Jonathan Minear had been killed.
The danger in the former case was more imminent than in
the latter. But, the blow Avas heavier, and was more sen
sibly felt. The loss of John Minear, in particular, was
irreparable. He was the central mind of the colony, and
to him all looked for advice. It was on account of his su
perior business qualifications that he was sent to Clarks
burg to attend to securing deeds for the lands.
As soon as it was knoAvn at St. George that he Avas killed,
the settlers from the siirrounding country collected and
proceeded to the Valley Eiver to bury the dead. The Avay
thither was not free from danger. It was not then known
where the Indians had gone, or whether they had gone.
The settlers moved with the extremest caution, lest they
should fall into an ambuscade. But, of course, there was
no real danger of this, because the Indians were by that
time on Leading Creek, in Eandolph County. When the
scene of the tragedy Avas reached, Minear, Cooper and
Cameron were found dead where they fell. It was not a
time for unnecessary display at the funeral. It was not
known at what moment the Indians would be down upon
them, and the funeral Avas as hasty and noiseless as possible.
A shalloAv grave Avas dug on the spot, and the three men
were consigned to it.
"VVe carved not a line and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone in his glory.
Not many years ago a party of road-workers accidentally
exhumed the bones of the men. A very old man was pres
ent. He had been personaUy acquainted Avith them and
identified them by their teeth. Two of Minear's front teeth

68 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
were missing at the time of his death. So were they in one
of the skulls. Cameron used tobacco, and his teeth being
worn, it was easy to tell which skuU belonged to him. A
pecuHarity of teeth also distinguished Cooper. The bones
were re-interred near by in a better grave.*
This was the last time the Indians ever invaded Tucker
County, so far as is now known. The war against the In
dians in this part lasted only about seven years, from 1774
to 1781. It raged nearly fifteen years longer about Clarks
burg, Wheeling, and along the Ohio. But St. George was
too far removed from the frontier to be open to attacks from
the Indians.
• Conquest ol the Ohio Valley, hy Hu Maxwell.

CHAPTER III.
MIS GEL LANI ES.
The dwelling-houses of the first settlers of Tucker County
differed somewhat from those of the present day. The
hardy pioneers pushed into the wilderness Avith little of
this world's goods. But, they possessed that greatest of
fortunes, health, strength and honesty. They Avere poor;
but the Czars of Eussia or the Chams of Tartary, in their
crystal palaces, were not richer. In that time, manners
were not as they are now. Necessities were plentiful and
luxuries were unknown, except such luxuries as nature
bestowed gratuitously upon them.
To fetter their conditions, the people who came to
Tucker had sold or left what possessions they may have had
in the more thickly settled communities, and had plunged
boldly into the wilderness to claim the rich gifts which an
all-bountiful nature was offering to those who would reach
forth their hands and take. Besides, there was something
in the AvUd, free, unfettered life of the forest that was aUur
ing to the restless spirits that breathed liberty from the
air about them. The ties of society and the comforts of
opulence were wUlingly exchanged for it.
The appearance and condition of the county when first
visited by white men has been told in the first chapter. It
was an unbroken forest. When those back-woodsmen left
their homes in the more eastern settlements for Tucker,
they did not have any roads over which to travel, nor any
carts and wagons to haul their things on. They loaded

70 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
their plunder on pack-horses. They had not a great
variety of Avares to move. A few wooden or peAvter utensUs,
a kettle, a jug or two, and a bottle, a scanty outfit of car
penter and cooper tools, and a Httle homespun clothing
formed about aU that the emigrant of that day carried with
him, as he foUowed the star of empire Avestward. If he
had a cow or tAvo, and a calf, they Avere driven along before
the pack-horses, and cropped weeds and leaves from the
woods for a living during the journey. Indeed, the cattle
lived upon this kind of feed principaUy for twenty-five
years after reaching Cheat Eiver. If the emigrant had
children, and there usuaUy were six or eight, they were got
ten along in the best available manner. If one was quite
small, its mother carried it in her arms ; if a size larger, it
Avith its older brother was placed on a pack-horse. Some
times two baskets, tied together like saddle-pockets, were
slung across the horse's bony back. Then a child was
stoAved away in each basket, so they Avould balance. Bed
clothes, iron-kettles, dough-trays and other household
articles were stuffed around the edges to hold the Uttle
urchins steady. Thus loaded Avith packs and plunder, the
procession moved on, the larger chUdren taking it afoot to
drive the cattle, lead the horses and make themselves useful
generally. The road, if any at all, was narrow and rough ;
and the horses frequently scraped their loads off against
overhanging trees; or perchance they lost their footing
among the steep rocks, and fell floundering to the ground.
In either case their loads of plunder, kettles, children and
all went rolling, tumbling, rattling and laughing into the
woods, creating a scene of ludicrous merriment.
At night, when it Avas necessary to halt, the horses Avere
unloaded and ^turned loose to crop a supper in the woods,

MISCELLANIES. 71
first having had bells put on them by which they might be
found should they stroll away. Then with flint and steel
a fire was kindled, and the movers feU to cooking their
evening meal, consisting of bear's meat, venison and corn
bread, if any bread at all. The meat was roasted on coals,
or on a stick held to the fire. The bread was usually baked
in an oven or skillet, which invariably had a piece broken
out of it.* The wheaten bread was often baked in the ashes,
and is said to have been excellent. The beds of that time,
while traveling, were blankets and bear skins spread on the
ground. They slept without a shelter, unless it threatened
to rain. In that case, a rude shed was built of bark. In
the morning bright and early they were up and on their
way rejoicing, singing, laughing, joking and making their
pilgrimage glad and merry as they went.
When they arrived at their place of destination, their
first care was to - build a house. This was done with the
material at hand. The head of the family with two or
three of his oldest boys, some of the neighbors, if any,
Avith sharp axes and willing hands, went into the work.
Logs were cut from twelve to twenty-five feet long. Some
times the logs were hcAvn, but generally not. The ends
were notched to fit one upon another; and the house was
commonly one story high, but sometimes two, with a regular
upstairs. The roof Avas of shingles four or five feet long,
split from oak or chestnut, and unshaved. They were called
clapboards. They Avere laid upon the lath and rafters so
as to be water tight, and were held to their place by logs
thrown across them. No nails Avere used.
It was the custom at that time to build the chimneys on
the inside of the house. While the house was building, an
' Flnley.

72 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
extra log was thrown across some six feet from the ground,
and three feet from the end of the house. From this log to
the roof, the flue was of sticks and mortar. The fire was
directly beneath, and the smoke and sparks thus escaped
through the wide opening of the chimney. Wood ten feet
long could be thrown on the fire, and, when burnt off in
the middle, the pieces were shoved together. The floors
were of thick, rough wooden slabs; or often the ground
was the floor. James Goff, although one of the richest men
in the county, had a house with a ground floor. There were
no windows. Small apertures through the wall served the
double purpose of letting in the light and furnishing means
of shooting at Indians when they should come near. There
was seldom more than one door. It was made of heavy
upright slabs, held together by transverse pieces. The
whole was so thick that it was buUet-proof, or nearly so.
In times of danger, it was secured by stout bars, fastened
to the wall by iron staples on either side. The furniture of
these normal dwellings was simple and sufficient. The beds
were made of skins from forest animals, or of ticks fiUed
with grass or straw. The bedsteads were rude frames, con
sisting of forks driven into the ground and poles laid
across ; or the bedding was on the ground or floor. An
iron pot, the broken oven, a few wooden or pewter plates
and cups, half dozen stools, a rough slab on pegs for a
table, a shelf in the corner for a cupboard and pantry, and
the furniture was complete.
When the first people came to Tucker, they had not the
means of procuring fine clothes, and in consequence, their
raiment was just such as they could get the easiest. Boots-'
were not to be had, and they wore moccasins. Their under
clothing was of linen, at times of calico. Their outer gar-

MISCELLANIES. 73
ments were of linsey or of leather. The men nearly always
wore leather breeches, and coats called hunting shirts.
These coats were in fashion like the blue overcoats worn by
the Union soldiers during the war. The edges and facing
were decorated with a fringe, made by cutting the border
into fine strings, leaving them hanging fast to the coat.
They were frequently stained red, blue or some other color.
A row of simUar fringes extended from the top to the bot
tom of each leggin. The fastenings were either leather
strings or big leaden buttons of home manufacture.
The moccasins were like those worn by the Indians, cut
in one piece and closed by a seam on top. They had long
flaps to the top, which were wound about the upper foot
and ankle to keep out the briers of -summer and the snow of
-winter. Those moccasins were a poor protection to the
feet in wet weather. They were made of deer skin, and
were fiimsy and porous. In wet weather the feet of the
wearer were constantly soaked. From that cause, the
early settlers were subject to rheumatism, which was about
their only disease. To dry their feet at night was their
first care. Their moccasins were often decorated with
fringes to match their other clothing. Stockings were sel
dom worn in the earUest times. Frequently, as a substi
tute for stockings, leaves were stuffed in the moccasins.
In winter, the people wore gloA-es, made of dressed deer
skin, and decorated with a fringe of mink or weasel fur. In
summer, no gloves were worn. The head-gear was a fur
cap, made from the skin of a raccoon, otter or fox, with the
hair-side out. The tail of a fox hung behind like a tassel.
The women dressed then as now, with the exception of a
few bales of ribbon, a dozen hanks of superfluous lace, a
yard of bonnet, and some other paraphernaUa, best left un-

74 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
mentioned. But, instead of alpaca and the finer cloths,
the texture of their dresses was deer skin. Their other
raiment was also deer skin, but sometimes rough Avoolen
cloth, or tow linen, or at rare times cotton, was made a sub
stitute. The chUdren dressed as their parents. The men
cropped their hair and shaved their bea.rd about three times
a year. It might be asked what the early settlers in Tucker
could find to eat before anything was raised. They were
not here long before they raised enough corn for bread, and
some potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. They had
an easier time than many of the other colonies in West
Virginia. A mill was built at St- George in 1776.-* This
provided a means of getting the corn ground, and was an
advantage not enjoyed by many early settlers. Often at
that time the people had to go thirty or forty miles through
the woods to mill; and, as this was such a hard under
taking, many preferred to do without bread, and eat hominy.
Hominy was made by pounding corn just enough to mash
the hulls off. Or, it was soaked in lye for the same purpose.
Then it Avas cooked and eaten.
The settlers frequently ran short of bread. In that case
they lived on meat. Fortunately, meat was always plenti-
* There was long a question as to where the mill stood. An old work, ha-vlng the
appearance of a mill-race, passes through the school-house lot lu the town, and It
was said that the mill was ]ust below where the school-house stands. But this was
disputed, and what was said by some to be an old mill-race, was claimed by others to
be only an ancient channel of the creek. Thus the matter was unsettled for seventy-
live years, and was well nigh forgotten. But, In ISVB, a tremendous flood came down
MU Hun and cleaned out a great bar of gravel that had accumulated In the creek
ford. When the water had subsided, the timbers of the old dam were laid open to
view. The gravel had been washed off of them. This settled the question that the
trench through the school-house lot was Indeed the mlU-raoe. 'i'he old Umbers ot the
dam are still to be seen protruding from the gravel on the east side of the creek. One
hundred and eight years have had but little Influence In causing them to decay, anfl
they seem as solid, and the ax-marks are as plainly to be seen as when they had been.
there only a year or two. They are white oak, hewn square, and may be seen where
the road leaves the water and passes up the eastern banli ot Mill Eun.

MISCELLANIES. 75
ful, and might be had for the trouble of killing. Bear meat
and venison were the chief dependence. It is a common
saying among old people that the flesh of the bear was
the bread, and venison was the meat. The venison
was often cut into slices and dried. It would then keep
well several months. Buffaloes were found in the earliest
years of the Stv George colony. But, they never were as
plentiful as they were along the Ohio Eiver, and about
Charleston, Clarksburg and Buckhannon. Smaller game,
such as raccoons, rabbits, pheasants and turkeys were, of
course, plentiful. Salt was not often to be had, and it was
thought no hardship to do without it. It cost a dollar a
peck, and had to be carried seventy-five or one hundred
miles. Besides, the dollar was not always at hand. Coffee
and tea were unknown. Whiskey and brandy were in
nearly every house.
Much is said of the quantities of intoxicating liquors that
were drunk in early times, and of the scarcity of drunkards.
This is a good subject for theories and speculations that
would be out of place in a county history. Besides,
Tucker County is not and never was a land of drunkards.
Many of the people, let it be said to their praise and honor,
have little idea of what a whiskey saloon is. The climate,
habits and surroundings of the people are not such as pro
duce drunkards. They work too hard, there are too few
places for idle men to associate together.
It is hard to point out any particular harm in whiskey as
long as it is used in its right place ; although it is equally
hard to teU what good there is in it. In early days, when
whiskey and brandy were in every house, men seldom got
drunk, because they always had their liquor at hand, and

76 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
there was no excitement or novelty to lead them to excess,
in which alone there is harm.
If half the creeks and springs of the county flowed apple
brandy instead of water, they could not do the harm of
twenty grog shops scattered over the county. It is not the
taste of the liquor that so much intices men as it is the
debauched pleasure which they feel in co-mingling Avith
idlers. A man hardly ever gets drunk at home. The most
effectual means of redeeming drunkards is to induce them
to stay at home, and away from the places where men
associate only with men. But, of this there is little need in
Tucker County. Although it is one of the smaUest in West
Virginia, it is yet the most temperate. No county can
claim pre-eminence in that respect over Tucker County.
It may not be amiss to say something of the arms used
by the early colonists on Cheat Eiver. The main depend
ence was the rifle. It was the surest means of defense and
the most useful weapon. It furnished the settler with game
and was a guard against the Indians. The rifle was a flint
lock, muzzle-loader. In addition to the rifle, a tomahawk
and a knife were usually carried. These were about all the
implements of war used in the early settlement of the
country. Pistols were seldom used. The Indians used the
same kind of arms that the white people used. But an In
dian could not shoot as well, because Indians can not do
anything as well as a white man can. They could not keep
their guns in order, and they did not even have skiU enough
to take their guns apart and clean them properly.
During the first years of the county, there Avere no
churches. Eeligious meetings were held in private houses.
Once in a while, a minister visited the settlements and held
a meeting; but, such meetings were not frequent. The

MISCELLANIES. 77
usual order Avas for some pious man to be chosen as class-
leader ; and all the other people who pretended to be
reUgious would join in the exercise and help. Such meet
ings were generaUy held in each settlement once a month.
The settlers, for ten mUes on every side, would come
together with devotional zeal, and sing and pray and exhort
each other to Uve and work faithfully in the cause of the
church, and against wickedness and sin.
No wagons or carriages were used. The people, who
went to church, either rode on horseback or walked. They
oftenest walked. Early on Sunday morning, especially in
the spring and summer, the people from the forest cabins
might be seen wending their way along the narrow roads
toward the place appointed for the Service. If the M'eather
was fine, they went on foot. If they went on foot, they
generally walked barefooted, carrying their moccasins in
their hands. This was because they did not want to wear
their shoes out with so much walking. A few ten-mile
trips would put through a pair of moccasins ; while the
barefeet were not at all injured by the Avalk. No doubt,
the pioneers enjoyed their Sunday pilgrimage to church.
Young men and young lasses, who Avent the same road,
found each other's company as agreeable then as young
folks do UOAV. They passed the time talking and singing
until they came in sight of the meeting-house, when they
stopped to put on their shoes.
The religious exercises of that day would look ridiculous
to a city church member of the present time. But, " the
groves were God's first temples," as it is said; and, before
aU temples. He doth "prefer the upright heart and pure,"
as Milton believed. So we must not judge others, nor pre
scribe forms and bounds for the manifestation of sacred

78 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
devotion ; yet Ave may believe that, before Him who know
eth the secrets of all hearts, and Avho rewarded not him
who prayed aloud in the synagogue for form's sake, the
rude pioneers, in^their sincerity and simplicity, were as ac
ceptable as those are who kneel on velvet cushions and read
prayers from Latin books. At any rate, we are not to rid
icule the unlettered pioneers of the last century. They
worshiped as they thought best, and as best they could.
The rude log hut, where a dozen were met together to wor
ship God according to the dictates of their conscience, was
as sacred before Him as is St. Paul's or St. Peter's. If not,
then religion is a fraud.
There Avere no schools in the earliest years of Tucker
County. But as soon as the people were firmly settled, and
could take tlieir minds, for a moment, from the struggle for
existence, the subject of education began to be agitated.
At that time and in the remote frontiers, there was no pub
lic money for school purposes. Such schools as could be
had were paid for from private pockets. The teachers, as
might be supposed, were qualified to teach only the easiest
branches. Arithmetic to decimal fractions, the speUing-
book, the Testament for a reader, and the course of study
Avas complete. No grammar, geography, or history was
thought of. The teachers could not instruct in such diffi
cult branches. The majority of the schoolmasters of that
time did not believe that the earth AA'as round. They usu
aUy taught Avriting. They set copies for the pupils to
follow. They had no system of penmanship. When an
apt scholar learned to Avrite as well as the teacher, he Avas
regarded perfect. HoAvever, this was seldom the case. The
people held a schoolmaster in such esteem that they con-

MISCELLANIES. 79
sidered it next to impossible for pupils to learn to write as
well as he ; and there was always room for a little more im
provement. This manner of learning to write would be
regarded somewhat antediluvian were it to be revived uoav ;
but the truth cannot be denied that those who Avere in
structed in penmanship by foUoAving written copies wrote as
well as those do now, Avho spend five years on Spencer's,
Scribner's and the Eclectic printed plates.
Educational science has made wonderful strides forward
during the last hunderd years ; and it is probable that no
department of it will ever go back to what it was then.
But, in a feAV particulars, the systems of the present day
fail where those of earlier times succeeded. If the school
children of to-day should attend school no more months
than the}' did one hundred years ago, and receive the man
ner of instruction that they noAv get, at the end of their
school life they Avould not be as well prepared for business
as those of that time were. Of course, in a general sense,
the educational systems of to-day are in advance of those
one hundred years ago; but, in -the particular subjects of
Avriting, reading and spelling, the old plan accomplished the
most in a limited time. The child of the present time goes
to school nearly ten times as much as those did of a century
ago; yet, is the child of to-day ten times as well educated?
The great contention among modern educators is to find the
natural method of imparting instruction. When one looks
at the A. B. C. charts, costing ten or tAventy dollars, over
which the child pores for four or five months, varying the
exercise by drawing pictures of boxes, floAver-pots, bugs and
birds, and similar tomfoolery, it is almost time to stop to
ask if it is not possible to lose sight altogether of the so-
caUed natural method of imparting instruction, and wander

80 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
off with those Avho spend their time and talents in telHng or
listening to something new.
The child probably learns as much by the time it is three
years old— that is, learns as many things — as it does during
any ten years of its after life. It has learned everything
that it knows at three. It has learned to talk one language,
and knows by sight several thousand things, and by name
several hundred. All this was taught it by natural methods ;
because it was too young for artificial plans to be employed.
But, from that time on, its education is more and more ar
tificial, and ia less and less rapidly acquired. Old theories,
customs and plans must give way to the new, and it is right
that it should be so ; but it is meet that the new should be
so constructed as to include all the good that there was in
the old and something beside.
In early times, above and below St. George, the young
people were accustomed to meet together on Sundays and
have singing-school. The exercise had something of a re
ligious nature, inasmuch as none but sacred songs were
sung. It might be compared to a Sunday-school, except
that no instruction in the Testament or catechism was
given. The young folks met for the purpose of having a
moral and social time, injurious to none, and pleasant to aU.
Much of these societies is remembered loy the oldest inhab
itants of the county; and, from all accounts, the exercises
must have exerted a good influence over the community.
Indeed, the singing-school is not yet a thing of the past,
although it has changed some, probably for the better.
Incidentally connected with the singing-schools, about
the commencement of the present century, there was a ro
mance that at the time was the subject of much talk along
the river, and in all parts of the county. It also gives us

MISCELLANIES. 81
an idea of the spirit of the time, and hoAV the people then
compare with those of the present time.
It seems that Manassa Minear, son of David Minear, and
brother to Enoch Minear, of St. George, and to Mrs. Dr.
Bonnifield, of Horse Shoe Eun, had formed an attachment
for Miss Lyda Holbert, a beautiful girl, who lived on the
bank of Holbert Eun, four miles east of St. George. A
match betAveen the young people Avas in no manner objec
tionable to the Minears, only that Manassa Avas so young.
He was but eighteen; and Miss Holbert was sixteen.
Manassa fell into the habit of visiting his affianced rather
oftener than his father thought necessary ; and, the result
was a rumpus in the Minear family, and Manassa was told
to go a Httle less frequently. This did not discourage the
young man in the least. The next Sunday there was sing
ing-school in the Horse Shoe, and all the youngsters for
mUes around went as usual. Manassa and Lyda were there,
and between them they made it up that he Avas to accom
pany her home. His brothers and sisters tried hard to
persuade him not . to go, as the old gentleman Avould cer
tainly grumble. But, Manassa said, let him grumble, and
went ahead. Lyda also said, let him grumble, and they
two went off together, in company Avith the otlier young
people who went that way. But, the rest of the Minears
returned to St. George and reported what had taken place.
Mr. Minear Avas much put out of humor, and after studying
over the matter tAvo or three hours, he decided to go in
person and settle the matter.
Manassa and Lyda enjoyed the fine Avalk from the Horse
Shoe to Holbert Eun, about two miles. They had crossed
the river at the Willow Point in a canoe ; and, thence home,
the path was a pleasant one. It lay across the wide bottom
6

82 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
from the river to Loav Gap, then all Avoods ; and from the
LoAv Gap home Avas about a mile, and this, too, was nearly
aU Avoods. No doubt, the walk of two miles on that fine
June morning was a short one to them.
Tradition does not inform us Iioav the day, from noon till
evening was passed at the Holbert cabin ; but circumstan
ces justifj' us in supposing that all Avent merry and well.
It could not have been otherwise ; for, Manassa and Lyda
could not quarrel, and the old folks were glad to have Ma
nassa visit tlieir daughter, for he belonged to one of the first
families of the countj' and was, indeed, a promising young
man. Be this as it may, he AA'as there yet when the sun was
just sinking behind Jonathan Point. He and Lyda were
sitting alone in the yard, under a young Avalnut tree. The
dead frame of this tree still stands, although it is a big one
noAV, It might still be living but for a slight accident that
happened it some seventeen years ago. Tavo boys, Henry
Bonnifield, now of CaUfornia, and Wilson Maxwell, of St.
George, both little felloAvs then, tried to catch a red squir
rel that was on the fence by the tree. Wilson had a hoe
handle (they had been hoeing corn in a, field hard by) and
was trying his best to knock the squirrel as high as the
Pyramids of Egypt. But, Avhile going through gestures,
and SAvinging the hoe-handle to give it aU the force possi
ble, he skinned his knuckles on the old Avalnut tree. This
made him mad, and Avith an ax, Avhich lay near, he dead
ened the tree, and it died. The squirrel, in the meantime,
got aAvay.
The sun Avas just setting; and, no doubt, the Avorld looked
beautiful to Manassa and Lyda as they sat under that lit
tle walnut tree, with none near enough to hear what they
might say. The Avhole day had been pleasant; and, now so

MISCELLANIES. 83
fair an evening to terminate all, Avas truly delightful. But,
it was uot to be so. The evening which now looked so.
beautiful to the young couple, soon appeared to them the
ugliest they had ever seen. For, presently fpot steps were
heard approaching, and AA'hen Manassa and Lyda looked up
they saw the massive frame of David Minear coming up.
Manassa's heart sank Avithin him ; for, he knew what Avas at
hand. Lyda also looked scared. But, they said not a
word, and the old gentleman walked boldly up and com
menced flourishing a hickory withe, and uttered words to
the effect that he wanted the young man home early enough
Monday morning to go to hoeing potatoes when the other
boys did. Manassa making no movement toAvard starting,
the old gentleman with stiU more emphasis ordered him to
"skedaddle for home." He realized his situation ; and
casting toward Lyda one look, which seemed to say, good
bye, for the present, and receiving one of sympathy from
her, he bounded off down the hUl, with the old gentleman at
his heels woUoping him Avith the withe every jump. Poor
Lyda felt for Manassa, but she could not reach him. She
saw him dodging this way and that way to escape the
thrashing, and saAV him bound with extra buoyancy when
ever an extra swoop fell upon his shoulders. She also heard
some of the words which the old gentleman spoke, and
they fell heavily upon her ; for, he Avas telling Manassa that
just as many jumps as it took him to get home, that many
weeks it would be before he should come back. The young
man apparently realized the force of the argument, and was
trying to get to St. George Avith as few jumps as possible.
Indeejl, it looked to Lyda that he Avas going ten rods at a
bound. All the Avhile, the hickory was faUing across his
back Avith amazing rapidity. The scene v/as of short dura-

84 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
tion ; for, while she was stiU silently sitting under the tree
and looking toward them, they disappeared in the thicket,
and, after a little ripping and tearing through the brush, all
was stiU.
The scenes and conversations that followed at the Hol
bert cabin, as well as at Minear's, we can only imagine.
But, the result of the whole affair might plainly have been
foreseen. Thrashing the young man is not the proper way
to break him from waiting upon the girl of his choice. So
it proved in this case. Manassa resolved to marry the fair
young Lyda, no matter who should oppose. She was as
fuUy resolved to brave aU opposition in her attachment for
him. When two young people arrive at this conclusion, it
is useless for relatives or any one else to interfere. Such
opposition may delay but cannot prevent the final consum
mation of the lovers' plans. _ In this case, however, the
Holbert famUy did aU they could to assist the young couple,
so the opposition was aU on one side.
Manassa and Lyda laid plans to elope and get married.
But DaATld Minear knew nothing of it. He supposed that
the thrashing had broken up the affair, and that Manassa
would pursue his foolish course no further.
It was again on Sunday, and the young people of St.
George started to the singing-school in the Horse Shoe.
Manassa Minear started with the others ; but he had no
intention of the singing. It was now in the fall of the year.
His course of love, since it had been interrupted on that
summer evening, had not run as smoothly as a poetical
river. However, he had managed to see Lyda in the mean-
tin»e, and had arranged it Avitli her and the rest of the fam
ily that she should elope Avith him at any time he s'liould
call for her.

MISCELLANIES. 85
On that morning, instead of crossing the river at the
Horse Shoe Ford, as he should have done to have gone to
the singing, he continued up the north bank, unobserved by
his companions, who were some distance ahead of him. He
was on horseback this time. He went directly to Holbert's
and told Lyda to get on the horse behind him, and not to
loose much time. He explained the nature of the case.
She was a brave girl, and did not waste a moment in getting
ready. Her brother caught the only horse belonging to the
family, and was ready to accompany them. Lyda got on
behind Manassa, and they were off for Maryland. It was
not yet noon, but they did not wait for dinner. They knew
that the Minears would follow them ; and the success of the
undertaking depended upon speed. They foUowed the lit
tle path leading up Horse Shoe Eun. This they traveled
seven mUes, and then turned up Lead Mine, by the old trail
marked out by Capt. James Parsons. Thus they reached
Maryland, and were formally married.
When the young people who went to the singing returned
to St. George, they reported that Manassa had not been
there, nor Lyda either. It was at once suspected that he
had gone to Holbert's, and David Minear foUowed again,
determined to bring matters to a crisis. He went to Hol
bert's house, and not seeing Manassa, asked if he had been
there. They answered him that he caUed a few minutes,
but must be twenty mUes away by that time. Holberts
expected to see him fly into a passion at this disclosure ;
but they were disappointed. He questioned them closely
about the matter, and when the young couple was expected
back. When they had answered him, he said that if they
were married, it was aU right, as it was no use to make a
fuss about it. He left an invitation for them to come down

86 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
as soon as they returned, and with this he went home.
They were entirely successful, and got safely home the
third day.
If the memories of old people are to be credited in the
matter, the young couple did not find the course of married
life as poetical as they had expected. For, though Lyda
was young, she had a great deal of industry about her, and
she made Manassa work harder than he wanted to, and he
got tired of it, and, to keep from hoeing in the truck-patch,
he dug a hole under the fence in a weedy corner and toled
the hogs in. This did not mend matters much, for Lyda
found it out, and made him build new fences around every
lot on the place ; and, besides, made hirn buUd a pen for
the hogs, and then puU weeds all summer to feed them.

CHAPTER IV.
21 IS CEL L A NIES.
The material for a chapter on the history of Tucker
County for two score years next foUoAving the close of the
Indiffti troubles, in 1781, is meager in the extreme. Almost
nothing at aU, of an exciting nature, is left on record. The
Indian wars were at an end, and no massacres or exploits
or adventures are to be narrated. It was a silent epoch in
our history. But, as Carlyle teaches, these silent periods in
the history of a people are the most prolific of great things.
It is a time when everything is building. Every man is
attending to his own work. No great interference disturbs
the welfare of all. The AA'hole country is thriving together,
and there is no jar or collision to attract attention. It is
not the building up but the tearing doAvn that constitutes
the violent crashes in a people's annals. It has been rep
resented similar to a tree that groAvs noiselessly for a thou
sand years ; but, when the whirlwind overthrows it, it falls
with a crash. Thus a nation grows and groAvs for ages,
and if everything is prosperous, not a discord tells of exist
ence. But, Avhen commotions or rebellions overthrow it,
the fall is heard To Macedon and Artaxerxes' throne.
But, this digression is out of place in a county history.
However, this book is not meant to be a history of Tucker
County. It is designed only as a series of annals, and is not
intended to be a complete history. But, while this is the
case, nothing on the subject, deemed worthy to be remem-

88 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
bered, will be left untold. There is little material, of the
nature of Acts of the Legislature and railroad and turn
pike meetings and resolutions, from which to fill a book.
But, if there were tons of such, they would be given very
Httle attention by the Avriter of these pages. Tucker County
has never had any great movements on these subjects. All
of importance that the Legislature has ever done for Tucker
can be told in ten lines. The reports of road surveys, and
the meetings consequent thereon, can be dismissed. Avith
still less attention. Therefore, another class of material
must be had. The people of our county do not care about
the proceedings of Congress and the Legislature in matters
npw forgotten, that never were of much importance and are
now of none. This is, at best, a dry subject to aU, except a
very few, who, for some special reason, are interested
therein. But Tucker County possesses exhaustless stores of mat
ter that is of interest to her people. It is the biography of
her people ; an account of Avhat the people have done.
Each man has done something, or said something, or tried
to do something that his friends and neighbors Avould Uke
to know. Of course, every man cannot be represented in a
book of this size. Many who deserve a history must be
left out, because there is not room for all. It is a hard
thing to decide who shall be made the leading spirits for
the hundred years after the close of the Indian wars to the
present time. Before that, Capt. Jaines Parsons and John
Minear were clearly the most prominent men. But, since
then, there are a few individuals around Avhom the histoi-j'
of the county seems to cluster.
Those Avho have fought the most battles are not necessa
rily the greatest men. The laborers who dug out the grubs

MISCELLANIES. 89
from our vaUeys and hUls ; who planted our orchards ; who
built our churches and school-houses ; who made our roads ;
who improved the morals and intelUgence of the country
by their examples of honesty and industry ; Avho were ever
ready to lend a helping hand, to the unfortunate ; who never
hung back when a good cause needed friends ; who did to
others as they wished others to do to them — ^these are our
great men. Such are always great ; and Tucker, though
hemmed in by mountains and nearly excluded from other
parts of the world, has now, and has had from the first, just
such men. They are found everywhere upon her hills and
in her vaUeys. They are not all rich in this world's goods ;
but none of them are too poor to be honest. They have
not all held office ; they have not all fought battles ; they
have not all seen distant countries; but they have all been
upright citizens, and have done well what they have done.
Tucker County Ukewise has had and still has men who
have taken an active part in our wars, and in our times of
danger, were ever in the front. The history of James Par
sons and John Minear has been given. Since their day
there have been others none the less worthy to be remem
bered. During the civil war the struggle was intense and bitter
in this county. The two parties, north and south, were
nearly equal. The mountains and fastnesses were the
rendezvous for scouts and sharpshooters. The history of
the war, as it influenced this section of the county, wiU be
given at some length further on. No sides will be taken in
writing on that subject. Some of our best citizens took the
side of the South, and others equaUy good espoused the
cause of the North. The men who thus arrayed themselves
against each other in that deadly strife, were honest and

90 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
conscientious in what they did. They upheld and fought for
what they belived to be right. When a man risks his life
for a cause, he believes that the cause is right. This must
not be questioned. Some of our brave men joined the Fed
eral armies, and some the Confederate. Honor to the blue
and gray. The storm is now passed beyond the horizon ;
and, there is no occasion to recall those dark and bloody
times except to show that Ave had men then who did not
shrink from duty. Such men as Dr. Solomon Parsons
stood up for the Union ; and such as Dr. E. Harper cast
the fortunes into the cause of Confederacy. Both, and aU
like them, deserve a place in our county's history, no matter
whether they loved the stars and stripes or stars and bars.
But, this will come in at the proper time and place.
When the Indian trouble ended, about 1781, our county
had only a few people. The settlement did not extend far
from the river. The people worked hard, and took -few
holidays. They had to earn their bread by the sweat of
their brows, and no time Avas alloAved for idleness. The
heavy timber Avas removed from it only by excessive labor.
The farmers worked in their clearings during the late faU,
the winter and the early spring. When summer came they
were employed in raising their crop of corn. The people
generally ate corn bread. Wheat was nearly unknown in
the early years. A portion of the autumn was often spent
by the men in hunting deer and bear.
It is difficult to give particulars of individuals who lived
in the county in the latter part of the last century and the
first of this. Some are remembered ; but little more than
their names come down to us. James Goff seems to have
been one of the leading men in early times. He lived on
Cheat Eiver, near the Preston County line, and at one time

MISCELLANIES. 91
owned the greater portion of the land from the Minear
claim to Eowlesburg. He worked incessantly on his farms,
and always had corn to sell. His price was fifty cents a
bushel ; and, no matter what other people sold at, he would
take nothing more or less than his price. His house had
no floor, except the ground. They ate bread and meat at
his house. This diet was unvaried, except when a pot of
"greens" — a dish of some plant cooked — was substituted for
meat ; or a kettle of corn meal mush took the place of
bread. AU were Avelcome to the hospitalities of his cabin,
although a stranger might have thought the family rough
in manners. They did not mean to be rude. They were
open in their actions. Indeed, the eastern land agent, who
stopped there over night, must have thought so. He sat
by the fire talking and wondering where supper was coming
from. He could see no preparations for the evening meal,
except a big pot at one end of the fireplace, where Mrs.
Goff sat stu-ring the kettle's contents. At length it was
carried to the central part of the floor, and a gourd of milk
was emptied into it, and a dozen wooden spoons were
provided. While the hungry stranger was watching these proceed
ings, and wondering what the sequence would be, Mrs. Goff
announced that supper was ready. Mr. Goff sat a moment
and then dragged his stool up to the mush-pot, saying to
the visitor : " WeU, if you don't want any supper, you can
sit there." The children were already around the kettle,
scooping out the mush and milk with the large wooden
spoons, and seeming to enter with gusto into the repast.
Mr. and Mrs. Goff joined the circle ; and all fell to eating
Avith such voracity that no time was left for asking or an
swering questions. No cups or dishes were used. All ate

92 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
directly from the pot, and there was no Httle crowding from
those who feared that they might not get their fuU share.
The stranger got no other invitation to eat ; but, by this
time, he had come to see that he would get no supper un
less he should go boldly forward, seize a spoon and take his
chances with the rest. This he did. He puUed his stool
forward and commenced eating. Mr. Goff crowded a Httle
to one side, remarking with an oath: "By — , I thought
you'd come to it." The meal passed Anthout further inci
dent, and the next morning the land agent fled back to
Winchester with a story that no one there beUeved.
That same year there was a scarcity in the country.
Goff had corn, but hardly anybody else had. People came
from all parts to buy frota him. Two young men came
down from the Glades- in Maryland. One had been there
before ; but the other had not. The one who had been
there entertained the other, whUe on the road, by picturing
to him what a grand residence Goff's was, and admonished
him not to show himself iU-bred by undue staring about
the pictured waUs and carpeted floors. By the time they
drew near the plantation, the young man, who had beUeved
all that his companion had told him, was looking for a
splendid residence, and picturesque surroundings. Mark
his surprise when he came suddenly up to the front, and
only, door of the log cabin. He was immediately ushered
in at the opening. He was looking so wUdly about him
that he did not notice the log that formed the door-sUl;
and, stumbling over it, he feU headlong into the house.
Instead of landing upon Brussels carpet,, as he might have
expected, he found himself sprawling in the dust and ashes
of the earth-floor. Not tiU then did he realize that he had
been made the subject of a practical joke.

MISCELLANIES. 93
The land which Goff settled upon had previously been
occupied by a man named Jorden. It is not known when
Jorden left it or when Goff purchased it. But, Goff was
there in 1786. He was an untiring worker ; and, old men
stUl remember how he made his boys work. In the long
days of June, when daylight comes at four, he would be in
the corn-field before the first 'gleam of dawn. He never
caUed his boys to work, nor even waked them ; but, if any
one was not in the field as soon as it was light enough to
distinguish weeds from corn, that one got a sound thrashing.
Of course, by working so hard he made money. What
he made he saved. He would not spend a cent for any
thing, unless it was absolutely necessary. He kept his cash
in a buck-skin sack, and buried it in one corner of the dirt
floor. In the course of time, he came to be a considerable
money-lender. Those who came to borrow often marked
Avith surprise that he picked up a handspike which was used
as a poker, and dug deep into the ground-floor, and turned
out the foul sack, filled with silver and gold.
When James Parsons had obtained deeds for his lands in
the Horse Shoe, he divided them among his three sons —
Isaac, Solomon and Jonathan. Isaac lived where Joseph
Parsons, Esq., now resides. The farm now owned by Mr.
S. B. Wamsley, Avas given to Jonathan ; and Hon. S. E.
Parsons now oAvns the farm that was allotted to Solomon.
Thomas Parsons, brother of James Parsons, and partner
with him when they first purchased their lands, divided his
lands among his four sons — William, James, Isaac and
George., The descendants of these, as well as those of
James Parsons, still reside on these farms. Nicholas and
George Parsons, still living, are the sons of Isaac, and
grandsons of Thomas. The late W. E. Parsons, and An-

94 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
drcAv and Abraham Parsons, now of California, are sons of
James Parsons. Job Parsons, and Solomon Parsons were
sons of William Parsons.
The lands along the river, above St. George, have ever
since their first settlement been in the Parsons family. This
is the finest agricultural land in the county ; and those AA'ho
have owned it have alwaj'S belonged to the wealthy class of
our citizens. They have held nearly half the offices in the
county. They are not and never were all of one poUtical
j)arty. They have usually been nearly equally diA'ided.
Generally speaking, James Parsons' descendants have leant
toward the AVhig and Eepublican parties; while those of
Thomas voted the opposite ticket. At present, altogether,
there are more Democrats than Eepublicans. Judge S. E.
Parsons first voted in 1859, and cast his ballot for the
Whigs. Since then he has voted with the Democrats, and
has always been a strong Union man. The others of his
immediate relatives have not suj)ported the Democratic
ticket ; but nearly all the others of the name, including Jo
seph, Ward and Jesse Parsons, are Democrats.
The Bonnifield family came into notice very early in the
history of Tucker, though not so early as those of Parsons
and Minear. The first of that name in the county was
Samuel Bonnifield. He came to the Horse Shoe from
Eastern Virginia sometime before the commencement of the
present century. Not much is known of his ancestry, ex
cept that they Avere of French extraction. The name in
that country Avas Bonnifant ; but, being Anglicized, it Avas
as it now is. There are still different spellings for it. Eep-
resentatives of the family spell it Bonafield, as those in
Preston County. Others drop an "n" from it.
Where Washington City uoav stands Avas the old Bonni-

MISCELLANIES. 95
field homestead. Whether they owned the land or not is
unknoAvn. At any rate, they were engaged in cultivating
tobacco there ; and, there in 1752, Samuel Bonnifleld AA'as
born. His father's name was Gregory, and his grandfather's
was Luke.-"- Nothing of note occurred in Samuel's life
until he Avas moved to ramble, and left his paternal roof.
The next heard of him Avas in the summer of 1774. He Avas
then in Fauquier County, Virginia.
It was in that year that there broke out a trouble Avith
the Indians, called Dunmore's War. The Indians com
menced killing people along the frontiers. The only set
tlement in Tucker, that in the Horse Shoe, was broken up.
The GoA'ernor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, decided to raise
an army, march into the Indian country of Ohio, and burn
all the Indian toAA'iis, so that these hives from AA'hich the
savages swarmed, might be destroyed. Gen. Andrew Lewis
and Governor Dunmore each was to raise an army and

"While searching for other historical matter, at Brownsville, Ohio, In the spring ot
1884, 1 happened upon an old legend ot the Bonnifleld family, a little different from
that of the Tucker County tamlly. It Is certain that the Bonniflelds there and those In
Tucker, Preston and In the West, all belong to the same stock, and I am Inclined to
credit the Ohio legend, which narrates the flrst coming of the Bonniflelds to America.
The story runneth thus : Very early In the history of America, probably about the
close of the 17th century, three brothers named Bonnifleld became desfl-ous of leaving
England tor Amerlea. They belonged to the poor class, although Intelligent, and had
not money to pay their passage to our shores. At that time, It -was a custom among
those who had no money and who wanted to emigrate to the New World, to sell them
selves or mortgage themselves to the master of some vessel. He would theu bring
them over, and sell his claim upon them for enough ca.sh lu hand to pay him for their
passage. The emlgi-ants were then bound In servitude to the purchaser until thelr
wages amounted to the sum paid the master of the vessel. After that they were free.
The three Bonnifleld brothers came to America In that manner, and were sold In
Baltimore. One was carried to Virginia, one to Maryland and the third was purchased
by a speculator and was taken to Florida. Those In Maryland and A'irglnia each had
a family, and the families are still distinguished apart, and are nearly equal In the
number of representatives ; but of him who went to Florida no tidings has ever been
heard. Whether he died a victim to the fevers ot that sultry land, or whether In the
wars of the Spanish, French and Indians he was killed, or, whether his family Is now
blended with the population of Florida, Is unknown. All the Bonniflelds In America,
so far as Is known, are the descendants of the two brothers who settled In Vlrgmia
and Maryland. Samuel Bonnifleld belonged to the Maryland family, and those in
Ohio about Zanesville and Brownsville to the Virginia family.

96 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
proceed to the moutli of the Great KanaAvha, where they
would unite and invade the Indian country. Dunmore col
lected his troops in the northern part of Virginia, whUe
LcAris enlisted his from counties further south.
When Samuel Bonnifield reached Fauquier County, he
found the most ambitious young men enUsting in LcAvis'
Army. Although young Bonnifield was not a citizen of Vir-
giaia and had never seen war, yet he was no less ambitious
and no less adventurous than the young soldiers of Virginia;
and, he applied and obtained a place in the ranks as a
common soldier.
The army marched to Camp Union, now Lewisburg,
Greenbrier County, where it was joined by fifty men, under
Even Shelby, who had come all the way from North Caro
lina to fight in the Avar. General Isaac Shelby, the Gov
ernor of Kentucky and Secretary of War, was also in the
army, and with him Bonnifield formed an intimate acquaint
ance.* From Lewisburg, the army proceeded to Point
Pleasant. Some went on foot, and some made canoes at
the mouth of the Gauley Eiver and floated down the Ka
nawha to the Ohio. Bonnifield was among the latter.
On the evening of October 9, eleven hundred men were
encamped at Point Pleasant. That evening a large Indian
army crossed the Ohio not far above, and lay hid in the
woods, while some of the Indians gobbled like turkeys to
decoy the soldiers from camp. The plan succeeded ; and,
before day the next morning, some men went out to shoot
the turkeys. But, instead of turkeys, they found Indians,
and only one man got away. He ran back to camp and

* Evan Shelby was the father of Isaac Shelby, and was a great flghter. In General
Forbes' campaign against Fort Duquesne, he found an Indian spy sneaJclng around
the camp, and Immediately gave chase to the rascal. The Indian ran for his life, but
Shelby caught and killed him.

.VJ-l^'"

Mrs. Dr. Bonnifield.

Dr. a. Bonnifield.

Mrs. Enoch Minear '

Enoch Minear

MISCELLANIES. 97
said that he had seen three hundred thousand Indians; but
it is now thought that his estimate Avas three hundred
times too large.
In a few minutes the battle commenced, and Avas fought
hard all day. Bonnifield and Isaac Shelby fought side by
side, and at least one Indian, who kept bobbing his head
up from behind a log, got his eternal quietus from their
rifles. The Indians and .Avhite men fought behind trees and
logs, and it Avas the hardest and longest contested battle
ever fought with the Indians in America. But about sunset
the Indians found themselves grievously set upon by three
hundred soldiers who had crept through the weeds and got
in their rear. The Avliole Indian army fled, yeUing and
screaming. Bonnifield and some others ran after them and
saw them crossing the Ohio on logs and rafts. In this they
Avere not succeeding Avell ; for the logs kept rolling so that
they all fell off into the Avater and had to swim out.
The Virginian army crossed into Ohio and hurried on to
help kiU the Indians and burn the towns on the Scioto,
where Dunmore, who had crossed the Ohio at Parkersburo-.
then Avas. The Indians were so badly Avhipped that they
made peace without any more fighting. The Virginians lost
one-fifth of their men in killed and Avounded. The dead
were buried, and the Avounded Avere left in care of a com
pany of soldiers. Bonnifield Avas among those who took
care of the Avounded. He staid there all Avinter ; and Avhen
he Avas discharged in the spring, he and a companion started
home alone. They failed to kill any game; and came near
starving to death. While wandering about in Greenbrier
County, they came to a house where lived a man named
McClung, and whose descendants still live there. He gave
the famished soldiers all they Avanted, but stood by them to
keep them from eating themselves to death.
7

98 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Bonnifield had scarcely reached Virginia when the Eevo-
lutionary War came on, and he at once joined the American
army, and fought tlirough the whole war. At the battle of
Germantown he was with his old comrade of Point Pleas
ant, Gen. George Matthews. He was at the battle of Bran
dyAvine, and Avas near by when Lafayette was wounded.
He was at Yorktown, and saw General O'Hara surrender
the sword of Cornwallis. This ended his history as a
soldier. When the Eevolution came to an end, in 1781, Samuel
Bonnifield was tAventy-nine years old. He now turned his
attention to farming, having first married Dorcas James, a
young lady of a respectable family in Virginia, and a rela
tion of the James family now in Tucker. Soon after his
marriage, but in what year is unknoAvn, he came to Cheat
Eiver, and settled in the Horse Shoe. This was before the
commencement of the present century.
He farmed with success for some years, and while in the
Horse Shoe, in 1799, his son. Dr. Arnold Bonnifield was
born. About this time, the Horse Shoe was legaUy survey
ed, and it was then found that the land whereon Bonnifield
resided Avas not his, but belonged to James Parsons. With
this discovery, Bonnifield commenced looking for another
farm, and found one suitable at Limestone, and moved to it.
From this time on, he lived the life of a farmer, and
raised a large family, AA'hose descendants may now be found
in half the states of the Union. He ahvays manifested a
disposition to roam the woods and be alone ; and, in his old
age, he became more and more attached to a hunter's life.
He spent a large part of the fall and winter in the woods ;
and, though eighty years of age, he thought it no hardship
to sleep by his camp fire, when snow Avas a foot deep, and

MISCELLANIES. 99
his clothing was drenched from having waded creeks and
runs all day. He was smaU in stature; but his strength
seemed exhaustless. He died at the age of ninety -five, and
was buried on Graveyard Hill, near the present residence
of Dr. Bonnifield, on Horse Shoe Eun.
The descendants of some of his relations subsequently
found their way into Tucker County ; but none are there
now, all having emigrated to the West.
Dr. Arnold Bonnifield, a son of Samuel Bonnifield, has
always been a citizen of the county, and is now its oldest
resident, Avith the exception of George Long, of Dry Fork.
He was concerned in all the early history of the county,
after he became a man, until of late years. He was the
first clerk of the circuit and county courts of Tucker
County. But his greatest influence has not been as a politician or
soldier, but as a social reformer. From his earliest years,
he showed a strong desire to become a scholar ; but, during
his early years, hard work and few advantages made it a
hard thing for him to pursue his studies. Mathematics was
his favorite science ; and he became master of all the
branches of it, except the higher departments of the calcu
lus. The greater part of this was attained without the use
of books ; for a rude edition of arithmetic, and a few leaves
of algebra and geometry, were about all the instruction he
had until his twenty-fourth year, Avhen he attended a few
sessions of school at Clarksburg.
While a boy, he was accustomed to solve his problems
and demonstrate his theorems on a smooth stone, using a
gravel for a pencil. In this manner he gained the greater
part of his mathematical education. His early life was
spent on his father's farm at Limestone, Avhere he worked

100 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and studied until his twenty-fourth year. After his return
from school at Clarksburg, he again devoted himself to farm
work. At the age of twenty-six he married Elizabeth Mi
near, granddaughter of John Minear. Shortly afterwards,
he moved from Limestone to his present home on Horse
Shoe Eun. He took a course in medicine, and practiced
that profession until old age forced him to retire from it.
While he practiced, he stood pre-eminently above all other
physicians in the county.
He has been an extensive traveler, having visited the
eastern and western states. He was in Missouri at an early
day, and returned home on horseback, the journey from
there home occupying a month of time. His influence on
the destiny of the county has been exerted in a quiet way ;
but thai it has been material is to be seen in the fact that
none are more favorably known, and none are held in
greater esteem than he.
As late as 1840, there were very few settlements in the
county, except along the river, and in the narrow bottoms
of the larger creeks. The mountains were mostly unbroken
wildernesses. Here and there might be seen the cabin of a
settler who was opening up a farm among the hills. About
this time, or more exactly, in the faU of 1836, the region
about the head waters of Clover Eun began to be settled.
This is now Clover District. The first house, except imme
diately on the bottom land of Clover, Avas that built by
Isaac Phillips, father of Moses PhiUips, Esq. This was in
1836, when Moses Phillips was six years of age. The cabin
was Avithout " door, floor or chimney," as he has expressed
it. But it Avas the commencement of a settlement that now
contains a fair portion of our county's people. For as soon
as it became known that Phillips' cabin had been buUt

MISCELLANIES. 101
other settlers came into the neighborhood and took up lands
and went to work. Thus, by 1840, some five families, and
probably thirty chUdren, were in the neighborhood ; and
the dense forests as well as the dens of panthers and bears,
began to be broken up.
It was now felt that there ought to be some provision
made for educating the chUdren of the new settlement ; for,
although cut off from many of the conveniences of life, and
destined to unceasing hard work, the pioneers of Tucker
have never neglected the education of their chUdren.
Sometimes the advantages were few and far between ; but,
such as they were, they were made the most of. The
chUdren often got no more than ten months of schooling in
their lives. Moses Phillips got only nine, and that was at
the new school-house, which the five families built on
Clover Eun in 1840. One who attended there has thus
spoken of it: "It was built of round poles, chunked and
daubed. The earth inside, which composed the floor, Avas
completely leveled off. A few rocks, thrown up at one end,
on the inside, formed the chimney. A small hole was cut
in one side, and paper was fastened over it. This was the
window. The door was made of clapboards 
Some of the scholars went to this school barefooted with
out missing a day."
This short quotation is inserted because it is a faithful
description of the country school-houses of that day. They
were rude and would be laughed at now; but they an
swered their purpose, and have passed away only because
they so enlightened the country that better buildings were
demanded. Those who have aided in the settlement and
progress of the Clover District, can now see that they have
not labored in vain. From 1840, this region became an

102 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
important part of the county, and its history, and the
biography of its people AviU be given in the succeeding
chapters. Even before the settlements in the mountains west of St.
George were commenced, cabins were built in the eastern
part of the county. The Dumires seem to have taken the
lead in this quarter ; and, ever since, they have been in the
front, in the work of building up and improving the district
about the upper tributaries of Horse Shoe Eun. The famUy
is now numerous, and exercises much influence on the
county affairs.
The name is spelled in several ways ; but aU are traced
to the same source. Dumire and Domire are both now
used. Germany was the native country of this family, as
well as of the Minears. Einehart Dumire* spent his early
yi^ars at sea. He was born in 1765. He went to China
three times, and then joined a whaling ship and saUed for
the Arctic Ocean. Such a voyage is now laborious and
fraught with danger ; but it was far more so then, and none
but the stoutest constitutions could stand it. Dumire spent
three years among the frozen islands and drifting icebergs,
before he turned toward home. When he reached his
country, after such a trip, one Avould suppose that he would
not repeat the undertaking. But he again sailed for the
North, and was absent three years in the dark oceans
of eternal winter. A third time he went upon his danger
ous voyage to the North, and a third time was gone three
years. All in all, he had now spent twenty-three years on
the ocean. He had coasted along the shores of Europe,
Asia and Africa ; six times had he doubled the Cape of Good
' The name Einehart Is spelled In two ways. One as above and the other Bblnebart.
Being a proper name, the authority for Its speUlng rests upon those who use It most

MISCELLANIES. 103
Hope, crossed the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean,
and visited the spice islands of the South seas.
He was yet a young man, only thirty-four years of age.
This Avas in 1799. He resolved to emigrate to America.
With his family, he reached his destination and selected
him a home on Stemple Eidge, in Tucker County. This
may not have been the first cabin built in that section ; but
it was surely among the first. His sons, among whom were
John, Daniel, Einehart and Frederic, soon became men,
and each commenced a settlement of his OAvn. Meanwhile,
the progress of the county Avas going steadily forward. The
paths began to be Avidened into roads, and the people. built
better houses. The cornfields were enlarged, were better
'fenced aud better tilled. Schools Aver6 growing more nu
merous. The teachers were paid from private subscriptions
and the Avages Avere from five to ten dollars a month.
Churches Avere given some attention, and the people Avere
not unlearned in good behavior and morality. Eeligious
services were still held in private houses or in school-
houses. Old and young alike attended the meetings, and
the good influence of these associations had its effect
everywhere, in training the. young to refined ideas of lui-
man existence. The meetings Avere conducted by pious
men, called " class leaders," and regularly ordained minis
ters were few. But the people then were probably as good
as they are noAv.
Very early in this century, Stephen Losh came to Horse
Shoe Eun, and settled where Eufus Maxwell uoav lives.
A native of Germany, born in 1781, he lived a short time in
Maryland, and then moved to Tucker. He found Holbert's
house deserted and in ruins. Near about were a few little
fields, that Holbert had cleared. In one of these he found

104 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
an apple tree, and built his shanty under its branches.
Tbe hut which he erected Avas made of buckeye logs. He
improved the land around his cabin and planted a crop of
corn. Before long, he found that he was on the land of
Captain Par.sons, and accordingly began looking about for
another place. The nearest neighbor he had, lived at the
mouth of Eaccoon, about a mile distant, and Losh would
have selected a site just above him ; but, a quarrel having
meanwhile arisen betAveen them, Losh thought it best to get
farther from his troublesome neighbor. Accordingly, he se
lected him a site three miles further up Horse Shoe Eun ;
and in a short time, Michael Hansford took up the land on
Hansford Eun, Avhere Losh had thought of settling. This
land has ever since been known as the Hansford Place, and
the run as Hansford or Mike's Eun. He had a blacksmith
shop there, the remains of Avliich may still be seen, on the
farm of Arnold Bonnifield.
Stephen Losh Avas connected with the War of 1812, al
though he was not a regular soldier. He had something to
do Avith the Avagon trains ; and, in that capacity, he Avas in
South Carolina, and visited Charleston. When he turned
his attention to farming on Horse Shoe Eun, he built a grist
mill, and did a good business until his mill Avashed awaj".
About this time occurred the " rainy summer," so called by
the oldest citizens. It rained almost constantly' from th6
first of June tiU late in August. Crops Avere droAA-ned and
chilled so that the foUoAA'ing year Avas one of great scarcity.
Potatoes Avere made to ansAver fin- bread. Stephen Losh
died on Horse Shoe Eun, in 1874, at the age of ninety-
three. He left several children, notablj' among Avhom Avas
William Losh, Sr. He is still liA-ing, and lias been a re
markable raan. Fond of travel, he has gratified this pas-

MISCELLANIES. 105
sion. He has visited the Western States seA-eral times, the
last time after he was seventy-five years of age. He is
minutely acquainted with Ohio from Lake Erie to the Ohio
Eiver on the South. He first Avent there in 1825, in com
pany with Nicholas and George Parsons. They went on
foot, and explored thoroughly the country as they Avent. It
was in the spring of the year and the young men felt that
farmers ought to be at work. So, while passing through
Gilmer County, when they saw a lazy young granger lying
on the fence sunning himself, Avliile his ploAV team stood
idle in the furroAA-, they yelled at him : "Get up there, you
infernal fool, and go to Avork ; lounge around all spring, and
next winter you Avill trot over the country with a sack under
your arm, hunting something to eat." The young man lit
off the fence in the twinkling of an eye, and grabbing up a
hand full of rocks, commenced pelting the strangers, and
neglected not to heap upon them various vile epithets, and
caUed them all the ugly names he could think of. But they
passed on, and Avere presently overtaken by a man on
horseback, Avho wanted to know what they had done to the
young granger to put him in such a terrible rage. They
related Avhat they had seen, and what they had said to him.
The man asked if they Avere strangers in the country, and
they told him they Avere. " Well," said the man, " you hit
it exactly. That lazy scamp won't work in the summer, and
buys bread on credit in the Avinter." WiUiam Losh re
mained in Ohio a long time, and hauled freight from Lake
Erie to the Muskingum Eiver. But Nicholas and George
Parsons soon came back, and ever after remained where
they still live.
William Losh has always been a hard-working man.
But, after the fall work was done, it was always his delight

106 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
to spend a month or six weeks in the woods hunting. He
has been, beyond a doubt, the best and most successful
woodsman of Tucker County. The country beyond Back
bone Mountain, Canada, as it is called, has been his hunt
ing ground for years. No nook or corner of that uninhabi
ted wilderness is unknown to him; and deer and bear
innumerable have faUen before the deadly aim of his rifle.
In his younger days, no man was a better marksman than
he ; and, even now, though eighty-four years of age, very
few can equal him. He has always been a peaceable man ;
but no man ever imposed upon him Avith impunity. If
Tucker County has produced a man, that Avith training
could have pounded Slade or Sullivan, William Losh must
be the man.
The peculiarities and characteristics of all his ancestors
seem to have concentered in John Losh, son of William
Losh, born in Ohio about 1831. He was the eldest child,
and Avas a genius from his infancy. When he was a small
child his parents moved to Horse Shoe Eun, Avhere WiUiam
Losh, Jr., now Hves. This Avas John Losh's home as long
as he remained in Tucker. He spent his idle hours con
structing toys, curious traps and automatic flying machines,
and Avooden rats that Avould run across the floor, and
leather bumble bees that would buzz and hum. He was of
a Ught complexion, and had blue ejes.
When he became a man, he Avas as much of a rambler as
his father and grandfather. His time Avas spent in roaming
over the hills ; and Canada, beyond the mountains, was his
domain. Very feAV but him and his father had ever ven
tured into that Avilderness. It is a Avild country now ; but,
at that time, it Avas unexplored, and the country along
Black Fork, over one hundred square miles, had not tlie

MISCELLANIES. \ 107
home of a human being on it. From the head of Black
Fork to the Fairfax Stone was an unbroken forest. The
timber was primeval. No ax had scarred the trees that
stood so thick that their branches interlocked for miles, and
some of the soil beneath had not been touched by a sun
beam for ages. Vast beds of laurel, in places, were so
matted with the summers and storms of centuries that a
hunter, Avho would pass that way, must walk on the tops,
where the branches, that heavy snows had bent and pressed
together, formed a rough gnarly floor,' several feet above
the ground. Beneath the laurel, tliere were lairs and dens
of Avild beasts. Bears and panthers had broken tunnels
through the thickets in all directions; and what deadly
battles and mortal combats Avere fought there, when these
savage kings and tyrants of the wilderness crossed each
other's paths, ho human eye was there to witness.
At intervals, deep down under the laurel, streams of
water wandered through eternal shadows. But, the hunter
might pass and repass that way and never know that he
had crossed a stream, unless some accidental opening
through the net-work on which he trode should reveal to
him the flowing water. In the summer, the ground be
neath the laurel never got dry or Avarm. The country is
nearly as high as the Alleghany Mountains. June comes
before the ice and packed snow, that the winter has stored
away in the deep crevices of the rocks, and all over the
dank ground, begins to jdeld, in any considerable degree,
to the summer sunshine. The hidden brooks and rivulets
are nearly as cold as ice all summer. The ground is damp
and chill. The huge, cold rocks are constantly beaded with
drops of dew. During the summer, the more open parts of
the woods, where there is no laurel, become green with

108 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
plants, and weeds; but under the laurel there is little
difference betAveen summer and Avinter, except that in winter
the snow hides the desolation and in summer it does not.
The winters in Canada are longer and colder than along ,
the river. Snow lies on the ground from October till May.
It is often two or three and has been six feet deep. Such
snoAvs bury the laurel thickets so that one cannot weU dis
cern where they are. At such times, the wild beasts lie
hidden under snow, laurel and a,ll,~ until hunger compels
them to prey upon one another or come out to kUl deer and
smaU animals. The snow soon packs hard enough for them
to walk upon it. The deer get very poor during a hard
winter. There is a large kind of rabbits that live in Canada,
and no place else in the country round about. They are
said to be so swift that dogs can't catch them. They can
also climb a leaning tree. In early times there were wolves
and elks in Canada. The country was then all covered A\'ith
trees and impenetrable thickets. Not aU, for, in a few pla
ces, there were open patches, caUed glades or meadows.
These were smaU, and why they were not covered with tim
ber is unaccounted for, unless it be because the soil wUl not
nourish trees, or because the glades were recently lakes,
from which the water has been drained. Be this as it may,
the glades are treeless ; but the grass that grows on them
during the brief summer is immense in quantity. It is weU
suited for hay ; and, within recent years, it has been har
vested for that purpose. No weU directed efforts haA'e so
far been made to cultivate the glades, or, for that matter, to
cultivate any part of Canada. But it is the opinion of those
best qualified to judge, that corn, wheat and oats would not
flourish there. In the upper Canaan Valley, farming has
been tried with success, but everywhere grass does the best.

MISCELLANIES. 109
The forests of Canada, except the glades, were unbroken
when first the white man went there. The trees stood thick,
and seemed as grim and unchangeable as the very rocks
among which they stood. They seemed no older or no
younger than they had always been. Trees six inches in di
ameter looked as old as the giants five and six feet. All the
difference of appearance was in the size.
AU Canada and Canaan are essentially the same expanse
of country. The whole region is a basin, the rim of Avhich
is the Alleghany and Backbone mountains. The Alleghany
is on the east, and the Backbone on the west. The two
mountains thus surround the whole of Canada and Canaan,
except the narrow gap through Avhich Black Fork flows and
makes its escape from the valley. The length of this basin,
from its northern boundary to the upper end of Canaan, is
about twenty mUes, and its breadth five or six miles.
It is evident that this whole region was once a mountain
lake, Avith the AUeghany for its eastern and the Backbone for
its western and northern shore. There was then no river
flowing out of it ; for the gap which Black Fork has cut
through the mountain was then not there. It must have
been a beautiful lake, extending twenty miles one way and
five the other. High up, among the very summits of the
Alleghanies, the cool, bracing breezes of the mountains blew
softly along the tranquil waters ; and the Avaves, pure as crys
tal, washed the sandy shores for ages and ages, and no hu
man being Avas there to behold it. In the winter, when the
Avinds were wild and cold, fearful storms must have SAvept
over the lake ; and then, the waves rolled upon the beach,
freezing into huge drifts, and extending from the shore
inward, until the whole lake was frozen over.
This was thousands of ages ago. The rains of summer

110 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and the suoavs of winter, in the course of time, filled the
lake to overflowing. The water began to floAV out over the
lowest place in the mountain. That was at the north
western corner, where Black Fork breaks through Backbone
Mountain. Year by year, for centuries and millenials, the
channel wore deeper and deeper, and at last the water of the
lake was all drained off, and Canaan and Canada were left
dry land. Then trees began to groAv; and, in due time, for
ests covered the whole country, as they did when flrst the
white man found his way into that region.
This was John Losh's hunting ground. The story of his
adventures is known beyond Tucker County. Before he
was fully a man, he conxmenced making expeditions to
Canada, and seldom returned spoilless. He had two dogs
almost as famous as himself. He trained them himself, and
they were his companions in many a bear hunt. If they
once came up with a bear, it had little sIioav of getting away.
They fought it in such a manner that they wore it down.
One dog Avould lay it from the front while the other
knabbed it by the ham. It would turn to lay hold of the
rear dog, Avhen the other would sieze it by the other ham.
Again it Avordd Avlieel and give chase to the dog that bit it
last. This would give the flrst dog a chance to come up
and take another nip from behind. Thus, up and doAvn
tlirough the woods, the fight went on. The dogs would not
join in pitched battle Avith the bear; nor would they
alloAv it to escape, or to climb a tree. If it attempted to
cUmb, they -would puU it doAvn. In this manner, they
worried it and kept it at bay tUl their master could come up
and end the encounter by shooting bruin.
Such a scene Avas common ; but it Avas varied when, as on
an occasion, the bear cauglit one of the dogs. The other

MISCELLANIES. Ill
dog flew upon the beast and fought it, and both dogs fought,
but it could not be forced to slacken its hold upon the dog,
which must soon have been killed had not Losh come up at
that moment. He saw the situation and Avould have shot
the bear, but Avas afraid of hitting his dogs. But he would
not see them kiUed ; so, he drew his butcher knife, and run
ning up, leaped upon the bear and stabbed it to death.
That winter was very cold. The snow fell nearly con
stantly for several we eks, till it was six feet deep in Canada.
AU the rocks, logs and laurel were so entirely covered that
the whole country seemed one vast, unbroken plain of snow,
with the bare, black trees rising sheer out of it. After the
snow fell it packed hard enough to bear the Aveight of a
man. John Losh was soon in Canada. He took as a compan
ion his brother-in-law, James Evans, and they roamed over
the plains and hUls, a,nd passed above the vast laurel thick
ets, and had a smooth floor to walk on all the while. The
top of the snow was frozen into a crust, resembling ice ; and,
on this they must walk with care, where the ground was not
level, lest they should fall. But on level ground, they could
skate if they liked.
As they came into camp the third evening, Losh was
walking in front of Evans, and they talked as they pro
ceeded tiU at length Evans quit talking. Losh looked back,
and his companion was no where to be seen. He had sud
denly disappeared ; and Losh knew not but that he had
been taken off after the manner of Elijah the Tishbite.
However, he turned back to look for him, and shortly found
a hole through the snow and heard Evans yelling to be
helped out. He had broken through and had faUen into
the cave under a laurel thicket, where the snow could not

112 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
reach the ground by reason of the matted laurel branches.
Losh helped him out, and they proceeded to tlieir camp.
They caught more deer than they kncAV Avhat to do Avith,
The animals, in attempting to run, Avould stick fast in the
snow, and the men could walk up and kill them. After they
had killed as many as they wanted, they let the rest go,
having first marked them by cutting their ears. Thus em
ployed, they spent several days, and were on the point of
starting home when they became bewildered, and lost their
Avay. It is a singular thing that a lost person is so entirely
devoid of reason. Familiar objects are as strange to him
as those are Avhich he never saw or heard of. North of the
equator, a lost person goes round a circle, always bearing
to the left, while south of the equator it is said to be just
the reverse in direction — whirhvinds north of the equator
move to the left, and south of it they move to the right.
There seems to be some common laAv of nature that controls
both a lost man and a whirlwind.
When Losh and Evans first became bewildered, they
were carrying a deer wliich they had killed ; but after they
had described two or three circles they threw the deer
down, and ran on Avithout it. When night came on, their
situation became worse. It was cold, and the woods were
very dark. They might have built a fire had they not been
lost ; but a lost man builds no fires. They ran as fast as
they could all night, and Avent round and round a circle
without knowing it. When morning came they Avere stiU
running, although nearly starved, and scarcely able to keep
on their feet. If left alone, they never could have gotten
out. But they had already overstaid their time from
home, and their families had become uneasy. A company
of raen from Horse Shoe Eun went in search of them.

MISCELLANIES. 113
Their tracks were found, and then the deer, and finally the
men themselves. They were in the last stage of despair.
They had eaten nothing for several days, and Avere badlj'
frozen. They were walking round and round a tree, and
there they Avould probably have died, had not the relief
party come up. They were taken home, and they hunted
no more in Canada that winter.
But no sooner had the summer sun taken the suoav off,
than John Losh was again in Canada. This time he was
looking more for bear than deer, for bear were his chief ob
jects of hunting. As he passed through the woods, he saAv
three cub-bears playing. They were quite small, and had
not sense enough to run. He kept a sharp lookout for the
old bear, and cornered the cubs between tAvo logs and
caught them. It Avould have been an easy matter to have
killed them ; but he was like Wetzel, who dragged an Indian
a hundred mUes to shoAv the people in the settlement Avhat
a live, wild Indian was like. Losh preferred to carry the
bear-pups home alive. So he pulled off his drawers, tied
np the legs and put his three black prisoners into them.
They fought some, and sometimes they bit him; but he
slung them over his shoulder and toted them home. He
kept them about the house until they grew so large that
they bit the children and were continually doing acts of
violence. Then he made a stout cage and kept them in it.
This cage is still to be seen in William Losh, Jr,'s barn.
The bears were kept there awhile, and finally they broke
out and ran off; but, one Avas shot.
This experience did not satisfy the romantic hunter. He
again went to Canada and built bear-pens. Soon he cap
tured a bear, half-grown. He resolved to take it home, ten
miles through the woods and over mountains. It Avas too
8

114 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
heavy and fought too much for him to carry it. He tied it
by a short rope to the end of a long pole, and led and
pushed and coaxed and drove it till he got it home. When
it would get mnd and try to bite him, he would hold it off
with the pole. Thus, he got it home and put it in his cage ;
but, it Avas so Avild and incorrigible that it could not be
tamed. Losh n-ext made a new departure. He made him a com
plete suit of clothes from dressed bear skins, the fur outside.
Thus dressed, he Aveiit to Baltimore. From his oaa'u ac
count he must have '' attracted as much attention as the
President would haAe'done.
As an adventurer, he was fearless and rash. A consid
eration of danger never entered into his plans. That he
escaped unscathed from so many and so perUous under
takings, is marvelous. Indeed, sometimes his salvation
seemed miraculous, as Avlien he Ayas Avashed over a water
fall in the KanaAA'ha, and Avas held down and whirled over
and over by the Avater that fell upon him, and only got out
by seizing the rocks in the bottom and clinging to them as
he dragged himself from under the fall, whence he came to
the surface just'in time to save his life.
This time, 'he had not voluntarily placed himself in the
almost fatal* danger ; but, it Avould only have been in ac
cordance Avith his nature to have done so. For, once when
Cheat Eiver Ava.s overflowing its banks, and nearly all the
bottom lands frpm hill to hill Avere under AA'ater, he Avas in
tlie Horse Shoe and Avanted to go home. To do so lie must
cross the river. With a good canoe, the crossing of the
liver Avould have been exceedingly dangerous, and proba-
blj not another inan in the county, except in a case of life
and death, Avould have undertaken it. But Losh was de-

MISCELLANIES. 115 !
termlned to cross. The only canoe at hand Avas Wm. E.
Parsons' and the owner would not let Losh have it, because,
by so doing, it would seem that he was only hurrying the
rash man to his doom. But the want of a canoe did not
serve to change Losh's determination to cross the river.
He proceeded to the river, at Neville's Ford, and pulled
three or four rails and slabs from a drift, and tying them
together, made of them a raft on AA'hich he proposed to
cross the river. It Avould scarcely be^r his weight in still
water. But, nothing daunted, he pushed his fragile craft
fi'om the shore and was instantly borne off down the foam
ing torrent of the river. A piece of board Avas all he had
for an oar; and with it he rowed the best he could for the
opposite side of the stream. The river was some three or
four hundred feet wide exclusive of the overfloAved lands on
either side. The raft was so nearly sunken that those who
saAV Losh could see him pnly from his waist upward, and
could not discern that he was riding on anything but water.
But, all the time, he was rowing and made some progress
toward the desired bank. When he reached the Turn Hole,
where, at the moutli of Coburn Eun, the river turns to floAv
northAvard and then westward, the current beat strong fo
the eastern shore ; and, taking advantage of this, he "vv^s
able to come to shore. There is recorded only one instance r
wherein the riA'er has ever been crossed when so high. That
was during the Avar, and was done in a canoe by William
Harper, brother to Dr. E. Harper, to escape from a band
of guerrillas that Avere after him.
Daring as this feat of John Losh's was, he equaled it on
other occasions. He was a capital SAvimmer and relied cfn
his skill in many dangerous adventures. When he was
coming up from St. George, he found that Horse Shoe 'Eun

116 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
was over its banks. This stream is more dangerous than
the river. It is swifter, and the numerous drifts and un
dermined banks make it a formidable flood when deep. He
took off his outer clothing, hid it in a Avaste house and
plunged into the stream that ran with a velocity of more
than fifteen miles an hour. He crossed it safely, although
the chances were ten to one against him. The run when so
high, has been swum twice since. Once by James Hebb, in
1876, to win a bet of fifty cents. He swam it twice for good
measure, and was satisfied with the money thus won.
After the stormy adventures and romantic wanderings of
his earUer life had spent their novelty, John Losh settled
doAvn to married life in Marion County, and was Hving
there when the CiAdl War came on. He was a Union man,
which was different from the majority of his relations. As
a scout and a guerrilla leader, he would probably have be
come noted, had not his death ended the whole matter.
He died of the smaU-pox at Parkersburg early in the war.
His widow and children still Uve at Urbana, Ohio.
Among the old residents who helped to shape the desti
nies of the county, may be mentioned Job Parsons, Sr,,
Nathan, Enoch and Adam Minear, Thomas and D, C. Adams,
and the Goffs and Fanslers of Black Fork, All these, and
others, have lent their influence on the past and present of
our county. Job Parsons was a soldier of the War of 1812,
through which he served with honor. He held the oSa.ce of
Magistrate for many years, and was always a citizen of the
county. He died in 1883 at the age of ninety-four. We
shall find him prominently forward again during the Civil
War, in which he sympathized with the South, and Avas
never slow in expressing his sympathy.
The Minears, during the early part of tlie present century,

MISCELLANIES. 117
were principally noted as leaders in internal improvements.
None were more forward than they in settling up the coun
try and finding means to develop intrinsic wealth, and of
bringing outside wealth to our county. A mere outline of
the sub-diAisions of John Minear's family will sIioav to what
extent they pushed their farming interests ; and Avherever
they Avent they Avere ahvays respected citizens.
David Minear, son of John Minear, died at St. George in
1834, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. He left nine
children, who, some later and some earlier, began to emi
grate to different parts of West Virginia and to other
states. Manassa, as already narrated, created a romance in
his earUer days by eloping Avith Lyda Holbert. His son,
WUliam, went to Ohio when a young man, and his descend
ants are stiU living there. David Minear's daughter Nancy
married Eodham Bonnifield, a brother to Dr. Arnold Bon
nifield. They Avent to Illinois, and raised a family that has
exerted and still exerts a wide influence for good. One of
their sons, McKensie, is now a brilliant lawj'-er in Nevada ;
while William, another son, is a resident of Colorado, and
has held many offices of trust and honor. Allen, Gregory,
EUis and W. B. Bonnifield are other sons of Eodham Bon
nifield. Three of them made Iowa their home ; but Ellis is
a farmer at Beloit, Kansas. Gregory is also a farmer.
AUen is dead, but Avas Sheriff, and Clerk of the circuit
court. W. B. Bonnifield, an educated man, possessing fine
literary abilities, is connected with the First National Bank
of Ottumwa, IoA\'a. Samuel, a seventh son, is a cattle king
in the far West, and one of his sons is a lawyer and another
is a judge.
Nathan Minear, second son of DaA'id Minear, married the
widow of Gregory Bonnifield. Their children, for the most

118 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
part, did not go far from St. George. EmUy married Dr,
CaU, Sirena married Theodore Lipscomb and Elizabeth
married S. W. Bowman, late Sheriff of Tucker County.
Another, Mary, married Frank Tolbott, and lives in Iowa,
while Katie married Samuel Woodring.
William, one of David Minear's sons, lived in Harrison
County, West Virginia. Adam Minear, Sr., brother to
David Miner, Sr., made his home on the Valley Eiver, in
Barbour County ; and, his family became connected Avith
the Woodfords of that county, through the marriage of a
daughter of his Avith John Woodford. The Woodfords are
Avell knoAvn throughout West Virginia as cattle dealers.
Harvey, Isaac and Adam live in Barbour County, and Asa in
Lewis County, of which he Avas recently Sheriff. Hon.
Eeuben Davisson, for many years Sheriff of Taylor County
and often its representative in the Legislature, is also a de
scendant of the Minears.
One of David Minear's sons was droAvned in the Hock
Hocking Eiver, in Ohio. Enoch and Nelson Marsh, uoav of
Florida, are grandsons of Sarah Minear, David Minear's
daughter. Of his other children, Mary married WiUiam
Miller and Elizabeth, Dr. Arnold Bonnifield.
David Minear had a sister avIio married Nimrod Haddix.
He took delight in jumping into the mill-pond to scare his
wife, Avho never failed to become alarmed and to try to -puW
him out. But, he carried his sport too far, inasmuch as he
came down head first, and striking the bottom with great
violence, he broke his neck.
The immediate family of Enoch Minear, son of David
'Minear, might have done much for Tucker County, had
they staid in it. But, they Avere dissatisfied, and one by
one departed for the West, until David Avas the only one,

MISCELLANIES. 119
of a family of ten, left in the county. He chose the occu
pation of a merchant, and, for a fcAv years, Avas the leading
store-keeper of St. George. But he abandoned this busi
ness, and devoted himself AvhoUy to fa.rming and stock-
raising. His farm is the one taken up by his great grand
father, John Minear, in 1776, and Hes immediately below
St. George, on the north side of the river. Jt is a fine,
valuable and highly improved piece of property. . Of Enoch
Minear's ten children, seven went to California. Adam C.
Minear, the youngest, subsequently returned, and is now
Sheriff of Tucker County. He traveled extensively through
the West, and was for a long time in Idaho. John, Pool
and Mary are still in Idaho, Mary having married C. W.
Moore, a banker of Boise City. John's Avife Avas an educa
ted lady who had been a missionary in Japan. Pool has
been in the mining and railroad business in California and
Idaho for many years. He was once president of a Florida
railroad. He is uoav in Idaho.
Some of the members of this family shall be mentioned
more at length in other parts of this book. As said, if they
had staid in Tucker County, they might have exerted a very
controlUng influence upon its affairs ; for, they are men of
energy ; and, Avherever they have been, they have been in
the front of advancement. Enoch Minear still resides in
St. George and is its oldest citizen. He has been tAvice
married. About 1816, Ambrose Lipscomb, au old soldier of the
Eevolution, settled on the river, near the Preston County
line. His descendants are now numerous in the county, and
are all noted for great physical strength.
Adam Harper, father of Dr. E. Harper, came to Clover
Eun, from Pendleton County, in an early day. He lived to

120 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
an old age, and his family, though scattered far and wide,
have always possessed wonderful energy. Difficulties
and obstacles have been forced to yield before them in
whatever direction they turned their hands. His sons have
been great travelers. One died on the Eocky Mountains,
another at Santa Barbara, California, one still lives on the
Pacific Coast, and another. Dr. Harper, now lives in Tucker.
Of all of them, and particularly of the last, fuller mention
will be made in this book.

CHAPTER V.
FORMATION OF TUCKER COUNTY.
TucKEK County, West Virginia, Avas formed from Ean
dolph County, March 6, 1856. The people had long felt
the inconvenience of going so far to court, as BeA'eiiy was
then the seat of justice. From the " Biography of Abe
Bonnifield "* the foUoAving is taken :
Tucker County Avas, a few years ago, the northern end of Ran
dolph County; and Randolph was originally a part of Harrison,
and Harrison was a part of the great county of Augusta, Avhich
when flrst organized, included nearly all of West Virginia. It has
been divided and sub-divided. County after county was struck
off, till thirty or more counties have been formed out of the orig
inal territory. Randolph County was organized in 1810. It was a
large county, some seventy-five miles long, and the settlements
were separated by large tracts of woods, and the roads connecting
them were none too good. Thus it came to pass that, for many
years, the people of the northei-n part, now Tucker County, grew
dissatisfled that they had to go so far to attend court, which Avas
held at Beverly, then the county-seat. The subject of a neAv
county, to be taken from the northern end of Randolph, was re
peatedly agitated ; but no decisive step was taken, till in the Avin
ter of 1854, Avhen a general meeting was called at the residence of
Enoch Minear, in the old Stone House at St. George, t
A committee of some flfteen or twenty persons Avas chosen to
select a site for a court-house for the contemplated new county.
The committee selected a spot on Enoch Minear's farm, Avhere the
court-house Avas afterwards built. Petitions with numerous signa
tures, praying for a new county Avere sent to the Legislature at
*The biography of Abe Bonnifleld, from which the above Is taken, has never been
published. It was written by Prof. G. B. Selby, near thirty years ago. It wm prob
ably be published shortly, as preparations are making tor that purpose.
t St. George was then called Westerntord.

122 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Richmond. In the Avinter of 1855-6 Dr. Bosworth was the Dele
gate from Randolph; and, in addition to his influence, the inhabi
tants of the intended new county, chose Mr. William Ewin as a
Lobby Member to the Legislature. He labored Avith perseverenee
and skill, and succeeded in obtaining an Act of the Legislature
for organizing the new county, with the Seat of Justice on the site
selected by the coinmittee above referred to. The court was or
ganized in the following July, but, owing to several deficiencies, it
Avas attended with much difliculty. The new county was christ
ened Tucker, and the Seat of Justice St. Oeorge. Both names are,
I believe, in honor of the Clerk of the Senate of Virginia.*
*****
Tucker County chose its officers in May, 18.56. At this election
my fatherf was elected Clerk of the circuit and county courts;
Daniel C. Adams Avas elected county commissioner, + Rufus Max
well, commonwealth's attorney, Jesse Parsons, sheriff, and Solo
mon Boner, county surA'eyor. Thus Tucker County was fairly
set on foot; and, with becoming dignity as well as becoming mod
esty, she took her stand as one aaiong the one hundred and flfty
similar divisions of the Old Dominion.
In the session of the Virginia Legislature of 1855-1856,
Major A. G. Eeger AA'as our Senator and Dr. BosAVorth was
our Delegate. There Avere some fears entertained of failure
in getting an act for the ncAV county, as there were at that
time tAVO otlier ucav counties pressing their claims for for
mation. § Dr. BosAvorth Avas a friend to the new county of
Tucker, but he was not a Avire-Avorker and a driving maa at
such Avork, and remained too much silent AA'hen our county's
interests Avere at stake. It Avas Avith a knoAvledge of this
that William EavIii had been sent by our people to look
after our interests ; for it Avas knoAvn that he Avould leave
nothing undone to secure success.
Tliere Avas also another man in the Virginia Legislature

* This Is Incorrect, as to the county's name. t -Arnold Bonnifleld.
t Assessor. 5 Calhoun and Roane.

FOEMATION OF THE COUNTY. 123
at that time to whom we owe much of our success. This
man was Judge John Brannon, of LcAvis County, He was
then a member of the Legislature, and entered with enthu
siasm into our cause. He was a young man of rare ability
and ambition, and his labors were not confined to the
interests of his own county. Possessed of the soundest
poUtical views, his object Avas the building up of his State,
and his ambition Avas ever to be foremost in the Avork of ad
vancement and improvement, no matter whether in his OAvn
county or in some other county. In the Legislature, he
Avas respected by all, and Avas looked upon as a more scien
tific statesman than many of his colleagues, although they
Avere older in years than he. His opinion had Aveight,
because all knew that his opinion Avas not a mere collection
of ideas.
So, when the subject of the formation of a ucav county,
noAV Tucker, came before the Legislature, none Avere more
prompt to look into the merits of the case, and see that
tliere Avas reason and justice in Avhat was asked. This was
enough to secure his aid ; and, from that hour, he worked
unceasingly, in common Avith Mr. Ewin, for the county.
Senator Ewin, in speaking of Judge Brannon, in this con
nection, says that the bill for the new county " Avas success
fuUy carried througli upon his motion at every stage of its
progress."* Major Eeger, on account of sickness, Avas forced to be
absent from the Legislature while the bill for the new
county was before it; but, he did all he could for us. Of
him Senator Ewin speaks :
It is but just to say that Major Reger, although prostrate on a
sick bed at the time the bill was sent to the Senate, Avas a. warm
* See Tucker Covinty Pioneer, May 28, 1880.

124 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
friend to the bill, and expressed great regret at his forced absence.
He did all he could under the circumstances, by dictating notes to
a number of the most influential Senators, requesting their favor
able attention to the bill, which Avere kindly responded to as the
sequel proved.
Upon the motion of Judge Brannon the new county was
named Tucker in honor of Judge Tucker, and the county-
seat St. George in honor of St. George Tucker, the Clerk, at
that time, of the Virginia House of Delegates. Thus, in
brief, is a history of the county of Tucker. It is now larger
than it then was, having been increased in size by a strip
from Barbour. ¦'¦
* In this, as well as other subjects of our county's early hlstoiT, I am Indebted to
AVilllam Ewin, Jacob Dumire, D. K. Dumire, Moses PhUUps, E. Harper, S. E. Parsons
and others.

CHAPTER VI.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
Th-^t system of training and developing the mind of the
young, which calls out the hidden force of the intellect, has
not been neglected in Tucker County, although the unfavor
able circumstances under which we have been placed have
tended to keep us from advancing in the most rapid man
ner. A few years ago, the influence of the public schools
could hardly be felt among our mountains. The few and
feeble efforts that were made were done in the purest pur
pose, and were in all things sincere ; but so few and so in
effectual were they, that they passed out upon the wide,
wild country, and when the work was done and the whole
sum was placed together, the result for good was hardly to
be seen.
" Eome was not built in a day," as has been truthfuUy
said. Sometimes it seems that tremendous results are ac
complished almost instantly ; but, in reality, it has required
time. So it is and must be with the work bf education and
of the Churches, They act slowly, and ofttimes it is hard
to see wherein they advance at aU ; but still they go forward
and do weU what is done, and it is never to be done again.
The giant oak that endures for centuries, grows so slowly
that almost the lifetime of a man is required to notice that
it has grown at all. Bat, it has grown, and its growth has
been durable. No suddenness of expansion has left flaws
that storms can find. Solid from centre to circumference,
it stands a monument of strength and endurability, not to

126 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
be overthrown by opposing force, although at times to be
shaken by the Avinds and storms. But such opposition only
makes it take deeper root, and stand more flrmly than ever.
So, in a figurative sense, it has been with the reUgious
and educational development of our county. Surely there
has been no sudden or abnormal greatness talien place.
Passion and excitement' have not done a work ; or, if they
have, the Avork has passed aAvay and ceased to exist, as it
should do, and as it could not but do. The growth has
been permanent in every particular; and, though slow
enough to discourage the impatient, yet it has been sure
enough to satisfy the hopeful and far-seeing.
The common schools and the churches should not be
classed as institutions of the same kind; nor, can it be
maintained that they stand upon the same or similar foun
dations ; yet, so intimately are they related, and so broadly
does each rest upon the Avideness of public enlightenment
and national and social excellence that both may be con
sidered resting upon the same basis. Or, exactly the oppo
site ground in logic, but in reality the same, may be taken,
and it may be held that the aforesaid Avideness of public
enlightenment and social excellence depend upon religion
and education. Certain is it that both exist together and
cannot thrive apart. At least, all efforts to establish one
without the other has, in the past, been a signal failure.
Individual knowledge and CA'en Avisdom may be gained by
powerful minds, groping in the darkness of infidelity; but
the force thus acquired cannot be transmitted to others. It
lives brilliantlj' enough Avhile vitality lasts, but vitality is
mortal and must perish. When it dies, the poAver dies too.
It is not like the greatness of Washington or Luther or Da
vid or Abraham, Avhicli, upon the dissolution of the mortal

SCHOOLS AND CHUECHES. 127
part, Avent out into elements beyond to live on. Nations,
uneducated and grossly superstitious, cannot be what those
are Avhich are thriUed, fiUed and animated by that higher,
nobler and purer doctrine, which we knoAv to be good, as we
know that light is beautiful. Africa and England are not
the same. England is better than Africa. We know such
to be so.
The mysteries of philosophy and chemistry are not more
recondite than is that of the change .which knowledge causes
to take place in the indiA'idual man, and more so in the col
lective man or the community. It is undefinable, but is
needing no definition. It acts and. permeates through na
ture and characteristics ;tintil all are changed into conformity
with a neAV order.
Public education in Tucker County has never reached as
high a standard as should be. Circumstances have been
against it. The wild and undeveloped state of the country
has been a powerful drawback ; but the time is uoav coming
AA'hen this difficulty wUl be overcome. The people are thor
oughly in sympathy with the common school system, and it
must enter upon a better career than its past has been.
There is, in the county, no means of gaining a better
education than may be gained in the common schools. No
institutions of a higher order have been established ; and,
there would not, at this time, be sufficient support for any
thing of the kind. But the time cannot be far distant when
our youths, avIio have completed the narroAv bounds of our
common school education, will not be forced to go beyond
our borders in order to proceed further Avitli their course of
studies. The higher departments of learning must ever be the
channel through which the great shall reach their great-

128 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ness ; but, the comnion schools, bringing education for the
masses, is the broad foundation upon which rests the
national power of America. A great individual is a power
ful factor in a country's greatness ; but, a Nation's soUdity
and poAver is built upon those whose Common worth only
has been developed. The leaders of such a people as the
United States are leaders only by the consent of the gov
erned ; and, for the governed to kna^ whom tp appoint to
this position, and to rectify mistakes Avhen made, is aU that
there is in national greatness.
Ninety-nine per cent, of those who receive high school
educations have not the mental stability to profit by it or to
lend profit to others; but, of those whose training has
been in the common schools, not one per cent, fail to fulfiU
tlieir calHng. They do not aim at the stars. They seek
only that which they need and can find, and thus do not
seek in vain, as many do whose learning so exalts them that,
in their infatuation, they leave the object and grasp at the
shadow. The higher departments of learning are exercising a pow
erful influence upon science, but the education of the masses
is building the world. Aside from the Churches and their
associations, there is nothing better or greater than the
schools where the poor man's boy can gain that knowledge
which will give him control over the hardest problems of
life. The rich can command the means of acquiring this,
but the poor cannot, unaided by the public.
In Tucker County the improvement from year to year
has been marked ; and now it is so that our schools, or
at least, our county, is able to provide teachers at home
for the schools. The custom of employing teachers from
other counties is not without objection. Sometimes it is

SCHOOLS AND CHUECHES. 129
necessary to do so, when the home supply falls short of the
demand. But it is best to have the schools of the county
conducted by those AVho take a deeper interest in them than
merely to get the salary. A teacher who comes from an
other county is usuaUy one that is unable to get employment
at home, and is, consequently, unfit for employment abroad.
Of course, there are exceptions, and many exceptions ; but
stUl it is generaUy the case that a teacher worth anything,
settles down to work where he is known. If a county is
much overrun by outside teachers, it is a sign that it either
has not home talent sufficient to conduct its own schools, or
that it pays a higher salary than its neighbors and that the
teachers are gathered in to share in the advanced prosperity.
From the rude log huts, wherein the people one hundred
years ago congregated to worship, we have advanced stead
Uy untU our churches present a favorable contrast with the
rest of our improvements. They are sufficient for the ac
commodation of all who come together to worship. The
religious doctrine of the mass of our people has undergone
no material change in the last one hundred years. The
creed of the Methodist Church is . the prevailing one here.
The Presbyterians, Dunkards, Baptists, Lutherans, Catho
lics and Campbellites have a few representatives. The
Methodists are pretty evenly divided into three classes.
North and South and Protestant Methodists. The Presby
terians are of the Southern branch of that Church. The
Dunkards are identical with the German Baptists. Their
members are tolerably numerous, but they have no church
in the county. They preach in the houses of other denom
inations. Neither have the Baptists, Lutherans, Camp
bellites or Catholics any church. There are, at this time,
only two Catholics in the county.

CHAPTER VII.
MOUNTAINS AND CA YES.
The mountains of Tucker possess an interest for the
people of Tucker, although nothing special to the people of
the outside world. On our south-eastern border the great
comb of the Appalachian range extends like a barrier.
This, the Alleghany ridge, is the highest mountain in our
county, and the highest point is eastward from the upper
end of the Canaan Valley, about the meeting of the drain
age of New Creek and Eed Creek. The raia that faUs on
the summits of these ridges finds its way to the ocean,
either the Atlantic, through the Potomac, or the Gulf of
Mexico, through the Mississippi and its tributaries.
The Backbone is a spur of the AUeghanies, and is nearly
as high. It diverges from the Alleghanies at Fairfax and
trends to the north and Avest of Canaan. This mountain is
almost as rough as the main Alleghany. No farming of
much importance is done on it.
The rest of the mountains are broken up, and extend in
any and every direction Avithout system. Shafer's Mountain,
Green Mountain and others have some regularity in exten
sion ; and on the west Laurel Hill extends unbroken. It
divides the Avaters of Cheat Eiver from those of the East
Fork. No streams break through it, as through the Back
bone. It is not so high as the Alleghany or the Backbone
Mountain. Among the mountains of Tucker, the most interesting is
Limestone, standing a soUtary remnant of an earUer geolog-

MOUNTAINS AND CAVES. 131
ical age, when the flowing waters had not carried away the
high plains that then extended, rugged no doubt, from the
top of Limestone to the Backbone. Ages, centuries and
mUlennials of storms and floods have wrought their work of
ruin, and the torrents of winter, together with the cleaving
frosts and the dashing rains, have carried away the moun
tains, and the high plain exists only in its north and south
edges — the Backbone and Limestone. AU the intervening
plateau has been washed away, and probably now goes to
make up the plains of Mississippi and Louisiana, whither
the rivers have carried the debris.
The foUoAving is condensed from the Clarlesburg Register,
where it was pubUshed some thirty years ago :
LIMESTONE MOUNTAIN.*
This mountain is an isolated hill, rising abruptly from the western
bank of Cheat River, in Tucker County, and extends in a course
nearly north and south. The length of the mountain at its base is
about three miles, that of its summit less than two. Its width at
its base is something more than two miles, at its top from one-
fourth to three -fourths of a mile. Its greatest height is about two
thousand seven hundred feet above the river.t It receives its name
from the abundance of blue limestone that protrudes from the
surface of the ground. The western declivity is exceedingly steep
and rough, abounding in rocks as large as houses, while the eastern
slope is gentle and gradual, and, for the«most part, is covered with
beautiful grazing farms.
The grass of the mountain is of a superior quality, and is not
surpassed by any in the country. The soil around the slope, and
even to the summit, is exceedingly fertile, and produces vegetation
in the greatest luxurience ; and, every part that has not been
cleared abounds in forests of excellent timber. The different kinds
of oak, ash, chestnut, black and white walnut, sugar-, white maple
and hickory abound in ahnost every part. Nearly the whole

•It is supposed that this article was written by Professor Selby, a sohool teacher who
lived at Limestone many years ago.
tThls is an overestlmatlon.

132 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
mountain, together Avith a large tract on the eastern side, is OAvned
by William EAvin, Esq., an intelUgent, wealthy and enterprising
gentleman living in Tucker County, who is now converting the
whole into an extensive grazing farm.* A considerable number of
cattle and sheep have for several years been kept on it. When the
whole is put under improvement, a more beautiful prospect of
rural scenery wiU probably nowhere exist.
The summit of the mountain extends in a direct line, except that
it falls about two hundred feet not far fromthe northern end, form
ing a most romantic plateau of level land. Then rising again, it
continues one unbroken course to its southern extremity. At the
northern end there are several high and rocky peaks that overlook
the surrounding country to a vast extent. The prospect from
these points, especially in the summer season, is grand and beau
tiful in the extreme. The spectator appears to be elevated in the
blue firmament, far above the tops of ten thousand beautiful hUls,
that seem to roll in undulations as far as the eye can reach ; whUe
the meandering river shimmers Avith its bright waters far doAvn
below. On this prospect the eye dwells with a rapture that
must be enjoyed and wondered at before it can be understood.
Then passing southward along the brow of the mountain, you
soon descend to the table land, above aUuded to. This deUghtful
tract of level land on the top of the mountain would at once arrest
the attention of the observer. The soil is a darkish loam, in some
places mingled with gravel, well adapted to the production of
grain. It is shaded with groves of chestnut, hickory and sugar
maple, and covers almost seventy acres.
Leaving this, ina southern course, you climb a steep ascent, which
leads to the principal summit of the mountam. As you pass along
this part of the mountain you will observe trees deeply scathed by
lightning, affording unmistakable proof that the god of thunder
has rolled his fiery car over the mountain.
From this ridge, far on the left, beyond a thousand rolling hills,
you behold the principal ridge of the Alleghanies looming up as if
to gaze on the surrounding world. The eye may trace the course
of this ridge, broken by deep chasms and rounding summits, near

¦* Senator Ewlu stUl owns this land, as he did thirty yeare ago.

MOUNTAINS AND CAVES. 133
one himdred miles.* Toward the extremity of the vision the
mountains appear as if roUing in the distant waves of the blue
e'ther, and farther off they entirely disappear. Sometimes, of
course, from this elevation may be seen the black clouds of storms
hovering over the distant mountains. The loud rumbling of thun
der may be heard, and the vivid flashes of lightning, darting from
cloud to cloud, may be sesen. On such an occasion, the view is
awfuUy subUme. "What a scene for contemplation ! The mind of
the spectator, oppressed Avith a load of insupportable glory, invol-
untarUy faUs back upon its own insignificance and shrinks into
nothingness before the astounding display of Almighty Power.
Approaching the southern part of the mountain and turning
some distance to the right, there is a beautiful plateau of level
land, perhaps one hundred acres or more. Here Nature appears
to have reveled in the gratification of her own fancy, and formed
a Uttle detached world, purely her own. The soil exhibits great
fortuity, and is shaded by delightful groves of sugar, thinly
mingled with hickory and black walnut. Here are excellent springs
of pure water, gurgling from the rocks, and rolling over beds of
white gravel, or floAving beneath the shade of giant rocks which
overhang the course. Here are detached masses of rounded, gray
rocks, peering above the surface, and looking, from a dIstance,Uke
enormous elephants sleeping in the green shade.
About half mUe from this place, in a south-western course, is a
large pUe of huge rocks that entirely cover the surface of the earth
for a number of acres. This rocky pUe exhibits all the wUdness
that the imagination could desire. It is bounded on the south by
a stupendous pUe of massive bowlders, some of which are as large
as temples, and form frightful precipices.
This pUe of enormous rocks forms the south-western bend of the
mountain, and to a contemplative eye is equal in Interest to any
other part. A scene of greater -wildness, grandeur and sublimity
is not easily found. Here is everything to arouse the deep feeUngs
of the soul and drive it to profound meditation. The spectator,
seated upon these enormous rocks, while the rays of the burning
sun are reflected from their flinty sides, in mind involuntarUy runs
* This, again, is an overestlmatlon. The day must be exceedingly clear, m Tucker
County, U a mountain can be seen forty miles.

134 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
into a channel of serious andmelancholy contemplations, whUe far
around, the glory of Nature's works crowd themselves upon the
astonished vision. These huge, eternal rocks, covered with moss,
and grown gray with the flood of years, stUl repose in silence.
Though the stormy winds of heaven have battled against them
for thousands and thousands of years, yet they sleep on. Torna
does have rushed with ruin round, but these everlasting hills of
nature, secure m their OAvn immutable strength, regarded them.
not. Seasons have rolled and time has fled, but they remain un
moved, and seem to mock at the perishing glory of the world.
Monarchies have shaken the earth Avith the footsteps of their
power, and deluged it with blood, and, sunk away in their oavu
weekness and expired. Nations have arisen to greatness and
glory and then relapsed into eternal silence. .^But, these mighty
monuments of power, as if conscious of their own immutabUity,
regarded not the changing world around them. But, though they
sleep in silence, yet they are not ineloquent. Though they speak
not audibly, yet they have a language that cannot be misunder
stood. Their own eternal silence is eloquent, and their everlasting
stillness proclaims the truth. They carry the observer far back
through the dim vista of time to the period when they were throAvn
from the hands of their Creator. They speak eloquently of aU the
changes of succeeding ages since the beginning when God created
the heavens and the earth. They remind us of the mighty cities
and nations of the earth, once full of the schemes of human Ufe,
now sunk to rise r o more. They speak mockingly of kings and
conquerors, long since forgotten in the silence of the tomb. With
speechless language they seem to say: "Where now are the
mighty personages that once figured upon the stage of life, and
produced such wonderful commotions in the world ? Whose hand
grasped the sword of power, and the nations trembled before
them ? Every tongue was.eloquent in their praise, and every hand
ministered unto them. Yet they are gone with the swift revolving
years, and their places are fllled by others perishable, or yacant
forever. Time has spread his dark pavUion over them. Then-
monuments are broken down and their very tombs have decayed.
Where now is all the greatness, the pride and the glory of by-gone
generations ? They once lived, they flourished, and the pleasures

MOUNTAINS AND CAVES. 135
of life were sweet to them. But, all is gone ! Death has seized
upon them, and their greatness has vanished away, their pride has
fallen, and their glory has departed forever."
So speak the dead rocks, dead but eternal in their works, and
whUe they are eloquent in their allusions to the faded glories of
the past, they also deliver us a solemn lecture on the shortness of
our OAvn earthly existence. They remind us that, in a few more
days, the sun that shines so brightly upon the graves of past gen
erations, wUl shine with equal brightness upon ours. They ad
monish us that, in a few more years, the present generations, with
aU their boasted wisdom, wUl sink into the silence of the tomb;
and, with all who have gone before them, they, too, will be for-
gotton. And with the same noiseless, solemn eloquence we are re
minded of the time when the "ancient of days shall appear, whose
throne is like the flery flame and his wheels are burning fire."
"When the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat." "When the earth and all
the works that are therein shall be burned up." They seem to say:
"Proud man, thy tabernacle is built of clay ! thy body is flesh ;
therefore, thou shalt not endure. Thy days on earth are a hand's
breadth, and thy Ufe but a span. Though the fondness of life be
great, and the love of pleasure deeply fixed In thy soul, yet thy
stay on earth is transient as the morning cloud, evanescent as the
early dew that continueth not." They, Ukewise, point to the time
when they themselves, after they have stood in the majesty of
their strength for thousands of years, shall be dissolved by the
burning flame, and into smoke shall they vanish away.
Scores of mountains of Tucker have names given them by
local occurrences, or in way of distinction. Among these
are Old Andra, named, it is said,' from a man of that name
who used to follow wagoning along the road that passes
over it. One very cold night, while traveling the road, he
missed some article from his load, and went back to hunt
it, leaving his son, a small boy, in the wagon. He had fiir-
ther to go than he anticipated, and upon his return, found
his boy frozen to death. The circumstance Avas applied in

136 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
designating the place, and finaUy the mountain came to be
known as Old Andra, a name ever since retained by it. The
mountain is about seven mUes from St. George, on the road
to Aurora.
Sims' K7i6b was named from Bernard Sims, who used to
live at its base, and who was kiUed by the Indians. Lips-
coonVs Ridge receives its name from the Lipscomb famUy,
who settled there in an early day. Closs Mountain was
named from David Closs, a Scotchman who bought the
mountain many years ago, and stiU lives there. Shafer's
Mountain was named from Shafer's Fork, and Green Moun
tain from its verdure in summer. Pifer Mountain was
named from Andrew Pifer. Hog Bach, on the waters of
Horse Shoe Eun, is so named from its resemblance to a
hog's back. Locatio7i Ridge is so called because the loca
tion for a turnpike is there. Miller Hill, four miles below
St. George, on the road to Eowlesburg, is named from WU
liam MiUer.
If the subterranean wonders of Tucker County were bet
ter knoAvn, it would rank among the first counties of the
state in that respect. No caves as extensive as Mammoth,
of Kentucky, or Luray, of Virginia, have been discovered.
But there are natural wonders of this kind, some explored
and others almost unknown. They are found in the lime
stone formation.
Falling Spring. — On the Dry Fork road, some fifteen
miles from St. George, is a natural curiosity, called FaUing
Spring. Just above the road, where a little mountain stream
falls over a cataract, is an opening in the Umestone rock, in
an- oblong shape, about thirty feet deep, into which the
water falls as spray. There is no account that the pit has
ever been descended into. Viewing it from the top, it looks

MOUNTAINS AND CAVES. 137
as though from its bottom a cave may extend back into the
mountain. Probably it wiU some time be explored, and
then its true nature and extent can be known.
Jordan's Cave. — On the other side of the river, almost
opposite FaUing Spring, is a large cavern caUed Jordan's
Cave. We quote the foUowing from the Biography of Abe
Bonnifield :
On the west side of Dry Fork there is a cave, frequently oaUed
Jordan's Cave. This name is given on account of an ignorant
f eUow of that name who discovered it, and who pretended to have
remained there a considerable time and to have made' many dis
coveries in it. He wrote a book descriptive of it,* and claimed to
make knoAvn to the world many wonderful things. Jordan's book
is as destitute of elegance and correct composition as the narrative
which it contains is of truth. It would be but justice to his pam
phlet to say that for falsehood, nonsense and absurdity it has few
equals and no superiors. Reports say that Jordan has since gone'
crazy. 
Mr. Penn, who was Avith Jordan, says that the cave is, indeed, a
wonderful place, and thinks that they must have traveled several
mUes under ground, t He says that there appeared to be many
different apartments. Probably there is room here for much
further research, which would richly repay the geological visitor
for his pains.
The more recent explorations of Jordan's cave have more
and more confirmed Jordan's account of it, as it is remem
bered by those who have read his book. The cave is a suc
cession of haUs and rooms, one beyond the other, through
aU of which flows a stream of clear, cold water.
Blowing Cave, at the head of Elk Creek, is more of a cu
riosity than Jordan's Cave is, although not so extensive.
It is called Blowing Cave, because in warm weather a strong
* This book cannot now be found.
t The cave has since been explored by Buf us Maxwell, Dr. -(Vllllam Strln, David and
A. T. Boniilfleld, and they found It less than half a mile In extent.

138 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
current of cold air flows from it, and is sufficiently cool to
chUl one who remains in it a few minutes. This cave has
been explored to the distance of nine hundred feet, and is,
also, a succession of chambers and rooms, some of which
are fantastic and beautiful.
There are numerous other caves and caverns in the
county, some of which have been only partly explored. On
Limestone Mountain there is a cave said to be very exten
sive.

CHAPTER VIII.
LUMBER INTERESTS OF TUCKER COUNTY.
Nature bestowed upon Tucker County a splendid growth
of timber. When the old pioneers first visited the bottom
lands along the river, they found there the most gigantic
oaks, hickories, walnuts and other timbers. No woodsman's
ax had ever broken in on the solemn reign of these primeval
kings. Perhaps, near some beautiful spring, or on the
shaded bank of some mountain stream, the roaming Indian
had paused^ long enough in his pursuit of game to hack,
with his flinty hatchet, a few trees, or he may have stripped
them of their bark,_ Avith which to erect him a shelter against
the rains of the verdant summer or the snows that conie in
the vdnter time. Or, some savage, in the desire of his heart
to lift himself out of the dark depths of wildness and bru-
taUty, may have cleared away, Avith hatchet and fire, the
trees and rubbish from some fertile acre, and there built for
himself a better Avigwam than that of his more savage
neighbor ; and, on the Httle plantation of his own clearing,
there may have grown by his rude cultivation a few square
rods of grain or vegetables. But such an Indian, if he ex
isted, had more than mere forest or sultry summers or icy
winters against which to contend in his struggle to grow
better and to foster the germ of civilization which he felt
rising in his soul. Nature and nature's obstacles were hard
enough to be removed or triumphed over, and the inani
mate enemies to his advancement, that were all about him,
were enemies enough ; but, they were not the worst. His

140 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
own people, the tribes of his feUow-beings, would not rise
to a higher grade of existence, and they would not suffer
him to rise. The Httle field that he had cleared and tiUed
tmtU it was yielding him a sustenance, was the object of his
kindred's hatred. They raided upon it, and carried away
or destroyed what was growing, and the OAvner, in his dis
couragement and anger, flung down his wooden hoe and his
flinty hatchet, and declared that he would no more labor
where no profits would ever be gained. Thus, the Uttle
plantation was abandoned to its original Avilderness, and
soon the brambles covered it. The brambles grew into
trees, and again the land was an unbroken forest, and thus
it was when the white man's foot first pressed the soU.
There seems to have been as much timber in Tucker when
first visited by whites, as there ever was afterwards. The
amount that the trees grew in one hundred years, making
large trees of smaU ones, was coimteracted by the number
of large ones that died and feU doAvn in that time, so that
the amount of marketable timber in the county did not in
crease, and probably never wpuld have increased, had it
remained untouched by man forever. It is maintained by
some that at a period not very remote, the region west of
the Alleghanies, and among them, was treeless, as the west
ern prairies are. Such may have been the case, but there
is nothing in Tucker to warrant such a conclusion. As far
back as any account is had, the trees were as large and
stood as thick as they do in the unmolested forests of
to-day. Our history extends back only about one hundred
and twenty years ; and in that time nothing has transpired
to lead one to suppose that the general condition of our for
ests are undergoing a change.
The age of some of our trees, as indicated by their an-

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 141
nual rings, show that they were here before Columbus saw
San Salvador. The size of a tree is Httle by which to judge
its age. A sycamore one foot in diameter may be less than
ten years old ; whUe another tree of the same kind and size
may be one hundred. It depends upon where they stand,
whether in a place suitable for groAving or not. A pine tree
on the Fork Eidge of Pine Eun was thirty-nine inches in
diameter and one hundred and nineteen years old. An oak
tree three inches larger, cut by George Sypolt on Jlolbert
Eun, was five hundred and six years old. A sycamore that
formerly stood on John H. SAvisher's farm, on Horse Shoe
Eun, was over six feet across the hoUow Avithin. Of
course, its age could not be known, but hoUow trees are
of slow growth. A hoUow sycamore in the Horse Shoe
was said to have been ten feet across the hollow ; but, ita
exact size is not agreed upon by those who have seen it. A
red oak that formerly stood on Horse Shoe Eun below Bon-
nifield's, was sawed doAvn. It was soUd and over five feet
across. Its annual rings Av^re so thin that they could not
be counted. There were, however, hundreds of them, and
the tree must have been among the oldest in the county.
It was many years after the first settlements of the county
before its timber had any marketable value. There was no
place where it, could be sold, and it was counted as so much
rubbish — worse than nothing where the ground must be
cleared. The first settlers along the river were almost dis
couraged when they contemplated the time and labor that
would be required to remove the gigantic oaks that stood
thick all over the bottom lands. Some few of them were
made into rails ; but, further than this, they could be put
to no use ; and it became neccessary to destroy them with
ax and fire. The work required years and years, and was

142 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
completed within the memory of those stUl living. The
amount of timber thus destroyed must have been immense,
as we can judge by taking into account the extent of terri
tory so timbered, and the number and size of the trees.
But, it was aU destroyed before timber here had any value.
But, gradually, as the country began to develop, mde
saw-miUs were built, and a few plank houses took the
place of the primitive log cabins. This was the first use,
aside from rail fences, to which lumber was put in this
county. The demand was smaU, and the manufactories
were few.
The first caU for lumber to go out of the county was that
to build the bridge across Cheat, where the North-western
Pike crosses, five miles above Eowlesburg. A large part of
this lumber was sawed by Arnold Bonnifield, and after
being hauled to the river, was built into rude rafts, and
driven with the current to its destination.
The kinds of timber found in Tucker, having a marketa
ble value, are several : pine, including several kinds, white,
yellow, pitch, spruce and hemlock. The spruce and hem
lock are often confounded with each other, and what one
calls spruce another calls hemlock. Properly, the hemlock
does not really grow here ; but a species much like it is
found along deep hollows, and is noticeable for its smaU
leaves, from one-fourth to three-fourth of an inch long, and
the sixteenth of an inch wide, and for the symmetrical form
of the tree, Avhich grows in the form of a huge cone, taper
ing regularly from the first limbs to the top of the tree.
The knots of this tree are very'hard, brittle as glass, and
will break an ax that is not tempered in the best manner.
The Avood has firmness and strength, but is not susceptible
of a neat finish. It is less valuable than white pine. The

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 143
gram of its wood is coarse, and breaks in a zigzag manner.
White pine, all in all, represents and has represented the
greater portion of Tucker County's wealth of timber. It is
not a fine wood ; but, is durable, neat and substantial. It
is soft, thus being easy to work, and Hght, making it con
venient for hauling. It AviU receive a finish better than
hemlock, and next to that of poplar. It is the taUest tim
ber in the AUeghany Mountains.
Spruce pine, formerly caUed hemlock, grows on the sum
mits of our highest mountains, and has never yet been put
in market to any considerable extent. Its greatest abund
ance is on and beyond the Backbone Mountain, in the
Canada country. Its lowest limit of natural growth is not
less than fifteen hundred feet above the sea, although a few
trees may be found any altitude. The bark of the tree is
smoother than white pine, and the trunks are very round
and regular. The wood is harder than that of white pine.
In value next after white pine is that of poplar. It grows
in any locality and in any soil ; although it flourishes best
in rich land and toward a northern exposure. The trees
are taU, and generaUy carry a size nearly uniform from the
ground to the limbs, which are usuaUy crooked and clumsy.
and the flrst ones are about two-thirds of the distance from
the ground to the top of the tree ; and from that to the top
they are scattered at hap-hazzards. The wood is of a yellow
color, and is used in cheap furniture, and for building pur
poses. But, it is not suitable for either, when sawed into
thin boards, because it curls and warps when it becomes
dry. It can be dressed smoother than any pine, and pre
sents a harder surface, and is freer from knots.
Cherry and walnut are the two kinds of wood best suited
to furniture and highly finished carpenter work. They are

144 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
next to mahogany for this purpose. Walnut is the prefer
able of the two, because it warps less than cherry ; but
cherry is much used, and when properly worked and handled
is exceUent for tables, stands, and the finishing of doors,
windows and rooms. The tendency of cherry to warp is
partly compensated for in its harder quaUty and tough grain.
But walnut is the better in all cabinet work that is meant
for cUmates that change. No cherry should ever be used in
organs, bureaus or geared machinery. The supply of either
of these timbers in Tucker is limited. Walnut is found
thinly scattered over the whole country, and there is no
particular place where it is not found ; and the same is
partly true of cherry ; but, in Canaan, it is found most
abundantly. We have in Tucker two kinds of maple. One we call
sugar, and the other maple. They are quite different.
The latter is often called silver maple. Both are hard
wood, and make good wood-work of machinery. The maple
is used for furniture, and is really nicer than either walnut
or cherry, when properly dressed and varnished. Its wood
is waved in the most beautiful manner, and surpasses the
finest imitations that art can make. Knots, that in other
woods are blemishes, are in maple desirable, because they
produce the finest curves and undulations, that seem to ex
tend Hke waves over water, further and further until lost by
the gradual blending into the general surface of the wood.
Often the curves meet, coming from two knots, and, instead
of crossing each other, as they do on water, they seem to
check each other, and pile up, one on another, as though
trying to pass, but unable to do so.
Curved Hues and curved motions are the most pleasing
to the human eye ; and in nature almost everything is

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 145
found to be in accordance with this principle. Water moves
in curves, trees grow in curves, sound and Ught and heat,
with few modifications, move in curves, and in the atoms
about us, we have reason to believe that all motion is in
other than straight Unes, while we know that the planets
move about a center.
This truth of nature, that beauty of form is due to the
uniform variation of lines, is seen to perfection in the for
mation of the wood of the maple.
An industry of Tucker County, not of much financial
value, but still of value to the people, is the making of sugar
from the maple and sugar trees. All trees of this kind, in
the north, are called maple ; but here there is a local dif
ference. The sugar is understood to be one thing and the
maple another ; and the difference is as clearly defined as it
is between any kinds of wood. Sugar is made alike from
both. In February, March and April the trees are "tapped,"
as it is called, and the water that flows from them, after
being retained in a trough set for the purpose, is boiled in
kettles, and tliils the sugar is made. The Avater from the
maple tree is scarcely sweet to the taste ; but that from the
sugar tree is quite sweet. Strange as it may seem, the A\'a-
ter from the maple tree will pan out nearly as much sugar
as that from the sugar tree. There is a slight difference in
the taste of the sugar ; and that made from the maple is
browner than that from the sugar tree. The sugar season
lasts from the middle of February to the middle of April.
Ash, hickory and locust are the three hardest woods in
common use. Ash is the most like iron in durability and
strength. It is unyielding, and in the frame-work of ma
chinery it is not surpassed. Hickory is tougher than ash,
and will bend into all shapes before it Avill break. Its most
10

146 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
usual use is for handles. Locust is not often employed in
wood- work. It is very hard, but its hardness is not its best
quality. As posts for fences it lasts longer than any other
wood. Posts of it have been known to last nearly three-
four-ths of a century. On Horse Shoe Eun, near its mouth,
is a locust post that is believed to have been planted about
1817. It is still sound. It was planted top down, and has
ever since been used as a bar-post.
When exposed to the alternate action of dry and damp,
timber decays much sooner than when kept wet or kept
dry all the time. Timbers under the water, away from the
air, Avill last infinitely longer than Avhen the air can act upon
them, and the water, too, at the same time. The old miU-
dam timbers at St. George are good illustrations of this.
They Avere put in near 1776, and a fcAV years later were
covered several feet deep Avitli gravel, and there they re
mained until 1875, AA'hen the gravel was washed off, and the
timbers Avere left exposed to view. They were sound, and
are still sound, although for nine years they haA'e been ex
posed to both water and air. They are of oak wood, and
still plainly shoAv the marks of the ax. They are in the
ford of Mill Eun, on Main street, St. George.
When entirely in the dry, wood wiU last also a long time.
The interior timbers of houses seem to undergo no change
so long as they are kept entirely dry. In a cave of Grant
County, West Virginia, is a cedar log that Avas carried there
about 1754, and Avas used as steps (notches having been cut
in it) for getting down over a precipice, Avhen the settlers
fled there to escape from the Indians. The log is stiU
sound ; and Avhere the notches were cut, the marks of the
ax, and even the paths made by duU places in the. ax, are as
plainly seen as when the log Avas placed there. The log is

LUMBEE INTEEESTS.
ceda,r, of which wood Tucker County has a very limited
supply.
The mountains facing the river are covered with oak timbet^.
This has been much used for rails, in past years, and is still
used to a considerable extent. Oak in the market, com-
mands a good price, and is now rafted down the river in
large quantities ; but there are drawbacks in the way of
getting it to market. It is very heavy to haul, and, when
rafted, floats so deep that it is difficult and expensive to get
it to the railroad. Green red-oak will not float at all. Some
years ago Mr. N. M. Parsons cut a lot of rail timber, and
hauled it to the bank of the river, designing to float it down
to a suitable place for splitting it. It was placed on skid-
ways, sloping to the water, and when aU Avas ready, the
prop that held the first log was knocked out and the whole
skidfuU of logs went rolling into the river, sank instantly
to the bottom, and has not been seen from that day to this.
Sycamore is also heavier than water, and "will sink. It is
a worthless, or almost worthless Avood. It is coarse and
spongy, and from this county very little of it has ever gone
to market. It is twisted and will not split, and when saAvecl
can be used for such few purposes that it is an undeveloped
article ill our Avoods. Jt grows almost exclusively along the
river and the larger streams flowing into it, and is seldom
found on lands of any altitude. One tree grows on the
head of Hansford Eun, at the old GoAver Farm, and this is
probably the most elevated tree of the kind in the counfJ^
On the islands in the river, and in the damp bottoms on
both sides, the sycamore flourishes to perfection. When
young, the tree grows tall, stately and beautiful. Its slencler
trunk is as straight as a beam of light, and as graceful as
the fabled trees in the mythical forests of old. The color

148 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
of the bark changes Avith the seasons. At one time it is
dark brown, at another tinged toward red, then gray, then
spotted white and black and then white as snow. This is
due to the fact that the tree sheds its bark.
One thing might be noticed : Sycamore trees that grow
tall and regular never get very large. The enormous trunks
that have been seen, are ugly, crooked, twisted and seem to
have been dwarfed in their younger years. They are, also,
nearly always hollow, when above medium size. As the
outside grows, the heart decays, and the larger the tree the
thinner the shell of wood, until the gigantic sycamores are,
upon examination, found to be mere shells.
The seeds of the sycamore are contained in a light, yel
lowish ball, resembling cotton in texture and silk in color.
The seeds attach themselves to this substance, and are
bloAvn by the wind about over the country. The seeds of
the maple and sugar have a wing with which they fly
through the air, whirling round and so fast that they look
like wheels. Pine seeds are in the cones, and faU verti
cally to the ground, as do the- acrons of oaks and the nuts
of the hickory.
The beech timber of the county has never been much
sought after. It is of value only for a few purposes, such
as shoe lasts, toys and whimwhams. It groAvs in all parts
of the county, but best in Canada.
There are numerous kinds of semi-worthless timbers in
the county, such as birch, of which there are two kinds,
black and white, and lynn,. buckeye, elm, chestnut and
laurel. Chestnut is of much use in making rails, and of
some use for lumber.
The largest amount of our timber that has been taken out,
has gone to market in the log ; but, much of it has been

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 149
sawed and shipped as plank. The improvement in mills
has been gradual and steady. The first ones were hardly
worth the name. They were unscientific, would not do
good work and would cut only a few hundred feet a day.
They were run by water-power, and, of course, had vertical
saws, fastened to immense sashes, to lift which required
nearly enough force to do all the work of sawing, if rightly
applied. The wheels were only "flutter-wheels," which
wasted more power than they transmitted. But, these old
mills answered the purpose for which they were built, and
were displaced as soon , as the occasion demanded better
works. They often would not make eighty strokes a minute.
The sashes, much improved, are still found in the county.
They are well constructed, and average one hundred and
- ***
twenty strokes a minute, and do considerable work. One
man may saw and stack one thousand feet a day, which is
not far behind the per man average of larger mills, although
much less than that of some. Dr. Bonnifield's was an im
provement on any mill in the country at the time it was
built, but it was not what it should have been. It had three
times more power than it put to a good use ; and its sash
was enormously heavy. It did good work, and during the
thirty or forty years of its existence, it cut thousands of
feet of lumber. Some of it was sent down the river to build
the North-western Turnpike bridge, and some went other
places. One hundred thousand feet was washed off in a
freshet. It quit work about 1865.
N. M. and George M. Parsons had a mill of the same kind
that did a large amount of work, and sent a considerable
amount of lumber down the river in rafts. Mills of this
kind soon became numerous all over the county, wherever
there was water power to run them.

150 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
The first mill without a sash, a "muley miU" as it was
called, was built by Eufus Maxwell about 1865. It was an
improvement upon the sash miUs. The saw made over
three hundred strokes a minute.
When steam mills were introduced into the county, the
lumber business underwent a revolution. Or, rather, it
suddenly sprang into life. A steam mill was erected on
Black Fork, and was run by a company, but it did not
prosper. Taylor's miU on Shafer's Fork did good work.
Howe's mill, and Steringer's, and one in Canaan, all sawed
large bills of lumber.
The miU brought to the county by C. E. Macomber has
surpassed any of the others in the quantity of sawing done.
It was brought to the county about 1874, and was set at
the mouth of Wolf Eun. It remained there several years
and was moved to the farm of SUas E. Blackman, and was
kept there until 1880 when it was moved to Hansford Eun,
and remained there four years.
This lumber, and all the lumber of Tucker that ever
found its way to market, passed down Cheat Eiver, mostly
in rafts.
Cheat, although a small stream in comparison with others,
is a noted river, and it has a history worth knowing, if it aU
could only be known. But much of it never can, except in
part. Upon its banks and in its waters have been enacted
scenes of peace and war, and its waters have flowed red
with the blood of battles. Its shores have been shaded by
the groves and orchards, and there the wild Indian has
made his home.
The source of Cheat Eiver is not in Tucker County. The
river comes from a thousands rivulets and rills that trickle

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 151
over rocks and creep through the shade of overhanging
branches, and unite, and flow onward in larger streams, over
stony beds, through rocky channels, into caves and out,
down cataracts, where the crystal spray is gray in the
sombre shadows or pSnted by sunlight or moonlight or the
pale, soft light of stars into cascades of gorgeous rainbows
that come and go in the passing phases of the brightness
on, down, SAvifter or slower as the course is steeper or more
level, until, from the ten thousand fountain-heads, all the
springs and rills and brooks rush together with a murmur
of gladness and a Avhisper that teUs that they have met
before. The water that bubbles from the springs, far away in the
mountains, under the cliffs of hills, or low down in the mar
gins of quiet valleys, comes into the air Avith all the
purity of rain, falling from the sky. No diamond in the
crown of India's princes is more pure in the elements of
beauty. While in the crowded cities and market-places of
the east, or the north or west or soutli, the summer is sul
try, and the throngs of people pass to and fro, burning Avith
thirst, and have nothing but warm and unwholesome water
Avith which to quench it, far up among the green mountains
of Tucker are floAving and welling, free as the air and the
light, and stiU more pure, if possible, the never-failing
springs of clear, cold Avater, that floAvs forever, Avhether
human Ups are bathed by it or not.
Until recently, Avells were almost unknown in Tucker
County. Springs Avere so plentiful, and so much better
than wells, as they ahvays are, that people had on\j to look
around a little before building their houses, and they could
find a place where the water Avould be at their very door.
Besides, where there was a spring, there could be built a

152 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
good milk-house, a luxury to every family, and one that
cost less than almost any other luxury, and one that none,
who considered it in time, need be without. The spring,
the milk-house, with its fresh butter and cool milk, the open
fire place to purify the room by carrying away foul air, as
well as to lend a cheerfulness by its light and heat, and the
wholesome, Avell-done corn bread, rendered a doctor more
ornamental than useful a few years ago.
Some changes have taken place, and others must, of ne
cessity, follow as a consequence. Every family cannot or
does not now have a spring, a milk-house and an open fire
place. Springs are less plentiful and families more plenti
ful than they used to be, and some dig wells and keep milk
and butter in the cellar. As the land is cleared, there is a
tendency on the part of the springs to dry up when drouths
come upon the country. This is due to the fact that, while
the land is covered with trees and timber, the rain that falls
upon it is retained longer and is given time to soak into the
ground. When in the ground, it finds sloping strata, and
along them it floAvs until the surface of the ground is reached.
This forms a spring. But when the timber has been re
moved and there is no rubbish to hold the rain, it flows off
into the creeks and rivers, and but little sinks into the
ground to find the surface again in the form of springs.
Thus, as the land is cleared, the number and fioAv of springs
diminish, Avhile the actual annual discharge of the creeks
and rivers may increase.
This drying up of springs, so far, has had only a little
effect upon Tucker County. There are still enough springs
for each family to have a good one, and then be ten thousand
left to flow untouched. But manj' do not find it convenient
to live Avliere the sping is, so they build away from it and

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 153
dig a well. Wells are often very good, but they are never
as good as a good spring, and wiU become more or less im
pure in spite of all care.
The rills and brooks and rivulets that flow together to
form Cheat Eiver are as innumerable as are the trees of the
forest. They come from every muntain and every hill, and
every vaUey and vale sends down a supply. Some well
from the high crest of upland plains, and some from subter
ranean caves, and some from glades and some from valleys ;
but, all meet at last, and blend with the completeness of
chemical affinity.
Shafer's Fork and Dry Fork have their sources beyond -
our borders ; but we can claim Black Fork from source to
mouth as our OAvn. It heads, in its numerous branches, in
the Canaan Valley, around the base of the Alleghanies. It
is the outlet of the rain that faUs in that basin. The Alle
ghanies, the water-shed between the waters of the Atlantic
and those of the Gulf of Mexico, extend along the eastern
and north-eastern side of Canaan, and separate the fount
ains of the Ohio from those of the Potomac. The country
included between the Backbone on one side and the Alle
ghany on the other, was, in geological ages, a lake, which,
by the wearing away of the rim on the south-western side,
thereby forming a channel, was thus drained dry ; and the
water that falls there as rain and snow, still flnds an outlet
through the same channel. This is Black Fork.
It is formed by many streams. The head of the principal
one is in the southern end of the valley. This is fed by
Beaver, Little Blackwater, which gets its supply from Glady
Fork, Long Eun and from others, and by other streams
that floAV in from either side. By the time they all unite
and pass the gap in the Backbone, they form quite a river.

154 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
The name Black Fork is a descriptive one. The water is
of a dark red color. Not only has it this characteristic
while in its mountain channels; but' it retains it after
breaking away and after it has joined the clear waters of
Shafer's Fork and Dry Fork. The whole river then, from
there to its mouth, and even, to a less extent, the Monon
gahela below, has a reddish black tinge. The rocks in the
bottom of the river, and all bodies seen under its surface,
put on a phantasmagorial aspect. The color of the water
is transmitted to them, and they appear darkly red. Even
the fish, those particularly which live in Black Fork, are
colored by the water. Not only does the color attach to
their scales, surface and fins, but their flesh, if properly so
called, is colored throughout.
It has been to some a subject of wonder why the water is
so colored. But, it ought to be easily observed that it is
due to the decaying leaves and roots of evergreens, mostly
pines. One unaccustomed to the water can taste the pine
in it ; and a few minutes of experimenting AviU show that
the hue of the water is on account of the pine. Where it
rises from springs, unsurrounded by pines, or where it flows
through a beech forest alone, the water is clear. If one
wUl drop into one of these clear springs a handful of de
caying pine leaves, he may at once observe that the water is
colored thereby.
With this fact understood, it is apparent that, in the
course of a few more generations, the dark tinge which now
characterizes the waters of Cheat, AS'ill be seen no more, and
the history of it will bq in the past. When the country
shall become settled, and when farms shall have taken the
place of the laurel-beds and pine forests, then the waters of

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 155
the river will be cut off from their supply of decaying ever
greens, and wUl flow pure and clear.
The influence which man wields over nature is greater
than the unthinking ever think of. Not only can he, as he
soon will in the case of this river, change the color of water
that has flowed dark from time immemorial, but, it is also
in his power to control, to some extent, the volume of water
which a river sends out. If the Canada and Canaan Valley
were cleared of its thickets, and all its swamps drained by a
thorough system of underground drainage, Black Fork
would carry off, in the course of the year, more water than
it does now. And then, when heavy rains come, it would
rise to a greater height than has ever yet been known.
Dry Fork and Black Fork unite before they reach Sha
fer's Fork, and after uniting take the name Black Fork, or
Big Black Fork. It is about three miles from the conflu
ence of Dry Fork and Black Fork to the mouth of Shafer's
Fork, or to where the two flow together to form the river
proper. The battle of Corrick's Ford was fought on Sha
fer's Fork. Just below, is Alum Hill, a mineral formation
of alum, from which the mountain takes its name. The
alum comes to the surface, in little springs, and when at
the surface, soon dries, and partly crystallizes. The alum
is tolerably pure, but has never been used to any consid
erable extent.
From the forks of the river, northward to the Preston
County line, the river has various names at different places,
or rather, certain places in it have been given names, which
either describe some feature or define some locality. Job's
Ford, or more recently Callihan's Ford, is a river- crossing
at the Holly Meadows, and got its name first from Job
Parsons who used to live on the north bank, and got

156 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
its second name from S. M. Callihan, whq more re
cently lived on the south bank. The HoUy Meadows
was named on account of the hoUy trees that grew and
still grow there. They are evergreen, and the leaves
have a fringe of thorns on them. Formerly, they stood
thick about the bottom lands; but now they are not
so plentiful. At Job's Ford, during Garnett's retreat, Capt.
E. Harper recommended that a stand be taken and battle
given. The stand Avas taken ; but the failure of the pursu
ing enemy to put in an appearance, rendered a battle un
necessary. From just below Job's Ford, the river sweeps around the
base of the mountain to Sims' Bottom, where Sims was
killed by the Indians, and there turns toward the east. In
this distance there are several deep eddies. After passing
Neville's Ford, where some of the Confederates nearly
drowned during Garnett's retreat, the river reaches Wolf
Eun, where there is an island, and where Macomber's steam
mill was for several years. Soon after this. Slip HUl is
reached. This is a precipitious mountain, so steep that the
soil has slipped into the river, leavingthe bare rocks exposed.
A road has been dug around it, and is never entirely safe.
It is at one place about two hundred feet from the river,and
the bluff below is almost perpendicular. A bridge, that
looks more dangerous than it really is, spans a deep defile
at the worst place in the road.
Immediately beneath Slip HiU, a few years ago, a man
named Moore Avas drowned, while in swimming. The water
is deep and he got beyond his depth. Half mile further is
the Turn Eddy, as it is called. It gets its name from two
reasons. First, because the river there turns from its
eastern course toward the north, and second, because, at

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 157
that place, at the eastern shore, the water turns back and
flows up stream. A log thrown into the water at that place
AvUl float up stream, turn and swim out into the middle of
the river. This is one of the best places on the river for
buUding rafts, and there have been made large numbers of
log, lumber, stave and shingle rafts.
One-half mUe beldw here is WiUow Point, which is a deep
ford, named from a thicket of wUIoavs that grow on the
bank, and extend somewhat in the shape of a wedge into
the river. It was here that David Bonnifield was drowned.
He and George Gower were crossing when the river was
deep riding, and in the swiftest place their horses threw
them. Bonnifield was an exceUent SAvimmer, but he never
reached the shore. Gower could not SAvim at all, and
got out.
One-half mUe further is the mouth of Horse Shoe Eun,
where the Pringles and Simpson who came through that
country in 1764, crossed the river. There, too, James Par
sons crossed when escaping from the Indians near the same
time, and there he crossed later, when the Indians tried to
allure him into an ambuscade by gobbling Uke a turkey.
From there it is not far to the Island, which is known by
that name over all the country. It is an Island near half
a mile in length, densely timbered Arith sycamores, and has
been a famous hiding place for deer, pursued by dogs. On
one side of it is Wild Cat Point, a sharp cliff jutting from
the mountain, and on the other is the Pond, which is a pond
no longer. It used to be a slough or bay extending into the
land ; but, in a freshet, the lower end was washed away,
forming a channel through to the river a mUe below, and
making of the Pond an arm of the river.
, Opposite the Island is a small island of about one acre.
On the bank by this small island, on the mainland, is the site

158 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
of an old Indian town, and there have been exhumed bones
of human larger than those of ordinary persons. One-
fourth mile below this is Horse Shoe Ford, and half mUe
further is the mouth of Dry Eun, where the river is very
swift and raftsmen must know the channel to go safely
through. This passed, the St. George Eddy is reached.
From Sims' Bottom to this point the river flows round the
Horse Shoe, a distance of six miles. But, from river to
river, across the isthmus, the distance is scarcely one-sixth
that far. Could a canal be cut across this neck of land, it
would give the facilities for a tremendous water-power, one
sufficient to drive ten times as much machinery as there is
or probably ever will be in the county.
The Horse Shoe is named from its resemblance to the
shoe of a horse. From cork to cork, so to speak, the dis
tance is scarcely more than one mile, while around, it is six.
The St. George Eddy extends from the mouth of the
Pond, the lower end of the Horse Shoe, to Ewin's Ford, be
low St. George, and is about one mile in length. It is per
haps the most picturesque and beautiful portion of the
river. St. George stands on its shore, thus lending an air
of life and civilization to the rural scenery along its banks ;
while on the south side (for the river here flows Avesterly) a
steep, forest-covered mountain rises abruptly from the wa
ter's edge, as a bluff, and then, after gaining a certain
height, slopes gradually back to the higher summit beyond.
When the river is Ioav, as it generally is in the summer time,
St. George Eddy is remarkably calm and placid. The wa
ter moves slowly and silently, and its surface is covered
with Avhite bubbles, which float lightly, and form a marked
contrast Avitli the dark, red water of the river.
The Eocks, about one-half a mile above the town, are a

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 159
nice landing for skiffs; and pleasure parties often go on
excursions there. Thick trees overshadow it, and a stream
of cold water dashes down the steep mountain side, and is
lost in the sombre river. At other points along the same
shore, above and below, rivulets come down the hills by
cataracts and cascades, until their final leap carries them
into the deep water of the river. In Arinter these rills from
the mountain freeze, and the ice piles thicker and higher,
untU the whole face of the hill becomes a glacier, and re
mains so until the Avarm winds of spring destroy the ice.
But, the river and the scenery along its shores are seen in
aU their beauty only in the summer, when the trees are in
full leaf. A fringe of trees lines the northern shore, and
the foUage of maples, sugars, sycamores, beeches and other
woods are blended in a verdant wall of quiet freshness.
Just beyond, but seen only through the openings here and
there in the groves, are the fields of farms, where the plan
tations of corn, and the acres of small grains and grasses ex
tend furlongs back from the river, and separate it from the
steep rise of the mountains beyond.
In the summer evenings the mountains and trees cast
their shadows over the river, and make it a delightful place
for boat -riding. It is much frequented by persons, young
and old, in the evening, and the painted skiffs, Indian ca
noes and other barks may be seen floating placidly upon the
water or passing swiftly to and fro.
At the lower end of the St. George Eddy is Ewin's Ford,
named from Hon. Wm. Ewin who lives upon the bank of the
river at that place. This is at the mouth of Clover Eun,
and here the road to Eowlesburg crosses the river.
The next feature in the river, worthy of note, is Anvil's
Mill Dam, a dam built by John Auvil across the river to

160 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
turn water into his mill race. The dam is a difficult place
to be gotten over by raftsmen, and afterward it is a hard
channel to keep. Eattlesnake Ford is named on account of
a den of rattlesnakes that were formerly there. Jonathan
Eun is where Jonathan Minear was kiUed by the Indians,
and is a considerable rafting wharf. From tliere to MUler
Hill the river is straight, and the raftsmen steer for a rock
that looks white in the summer time and black in the winter,
when tliere is snow on the ground.
When the river passes the mouth of Bull Eun, and trends
off toward the east, it is washing the rugged base of MiUer
Hill, named from William Miller, who lives there. The
Eowlesburg road passes around the hill, and from it the
river, dashing over its rocky way, presents a scene of
romance and beauty. When upon the river, it is found to
be unusually narrow and SAvift, and it so bends that it is hard
to keep rafts from running upon the bowlders that have
rolled down from the hill and lie in the edge of the water.
The waves roll high, and, some years ago, when the Eowles
burg Lumber and Iron Company run boats on the river to
carry shingles to Eowlesburg, this part of the river was
found to be the most difficult to pass, on account of the
height and crestedness of the waves.
At the lower end of Miller Hill the river strikes fairly
against the mountain, and turns to the north. Where it
makes the turn, is a deep hole of Avater, Avitli the dreadful
name of " Murder Hole." Eiver men remember it, because^
upon entering it at full speed, as rafts do after passing
through two miles of swift water, the oars strike dead water,
and, by sluing, frequently knock the men into the river.
There are different accounts as to how this eddy got its
name. One is that wolves once killed a band of sheep on

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 161
the bank near by, and another that a man was accidently
droAvned there.
Tavo smaU islands, named Pig and Macadonia, are soon
passed, and the river is drawing near Licking Falls. This
is another rough place, where the river falls several feet in a
small distance. It is flowing north when it strikes Lime
stone Mountain, ahd by it is deflected toward the Avest.
Where it strikes the mountain, the rage of years and cen
turies of floods have torn out rocks from the earth, and the
river is partly blocked up Avith them. As the waters are
damned up, and break over, they form Licking Falls, at the
mouth of Licking Creek,, and near where Lieut. Eobert
McChesney Avas killed.
Turtle Eocks are soon passed. Tliese are several large,
angular rocks, rising out of the river on the northern or
eastern side, where the water is deep. In the summer time
large numbers of clumsy, lazy turtles may be seen basking
in the sunshine, and from this the rocks take their name.
The Seven Islands are well known to all rivermen ; for, if
a raft can pass there, its way to Eowlesburg can be de
pended upon. The islands seem to have been seven in
number when they got their name ; but the number is not
constant. They are partly sand bars, and a flood in the
river may build or destroy several of them.
The river now passes from Tucker into Preston. From
where it first enters the county to where it leaves it, follow
ing the Avindings of the river, is from forty to sixty miles,
depending upon Avhich fork is measured. It does not floAV
with a uniform rapidity, through the county. At times it is
very SAvift, and again it is slow. Among the mountains
it is swifter than after it reaches the Holly MeadoAvs. Thirty
miles, the distance from the Turn Eddy to Eowlesburg, lias
u

162 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
befen run in five hours by boats on a good stage of water.
When the water is low, of coui;se, the progress is less rapid.
Often it takes twelve hours to make the same trip. Eafts
and boats go only a very little faster than the current of
the river.
The timber that is saAved into lumber in Tucker County
and is taken to market, goes down the river in rafts to
Eowlesburg. A large number of log rafts go down annually.
An average raft contains seventy logs, and twenty-five
thousand feet. The logs are held together by polls fastened
across the logs by staples. Oars from twenty to fifty feet
long are placed on the ends of tlie rafts to keep them in the
channel. Among the most noted log raftsmen Avho have been along
the river of late years, may be mentioned William H. Lips
comb, Thomas F. Hebb, Baxter Long, S. E. Parsons, Philip
Constable, Charles Parsons, Lloyd Hansford, Magarga Par
sons, L. E. Goff, Hiram Loughry and Finley Toy.
Another kind of rafts is that of planks or sawed lumber.
This has been an important industry in the county, and is
still largely carried on. Planks are rafted by building them
into platforms, usually sixteen feet square, and tweh'e inches
thick, and then lashing the platforms end to end, until the
raft is from sixty-four to one hundred and tAA'entj'-eight feet
long. Tavo such rafts, side by side, are called a "double
raft ;" and Avlien they are laden with lumber until the plat
forms are entirely sunken, they contain about seventy-five
thousand feet. The most extensive lumber rafter of Tucker
County, is C. E. Macomber, Avho has thus taken to market
millions of feet. .Others who have rafted extensively are
A. C. Minear, Finley Toy, W. D. Losh, A. H. Bonnifield
and others. The largest plank rafts have four oars.

LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 163
An industry that has sprung up Avithin the past few years
in Tucker, and one that brings in a considerable revenue, is
the shingle mills. The first was buUt by the Eowlesburg
Lumber and Iron Company at John Fansler's on Horse
Shoe Eun, some eight miles above St. George. The mill
was something new in the country, as its steam engine was
the first one ever in the county, and people came from near
and far to see it. The tram-road, which brought logs to
the mUl was also the first thing of that sort ever in the
county, and its trucks were looked upon with a wonder sec
ond only to that, excited by the steam engine.
The mill Avas built by Balus, a mill-wright from Balti
more, and the machinery Avas set up by Frank Blanchard,
who sawed the first shingle ever sawed in Tucker County.
He was and is one of the best machinists in the State.
When the mill was gotten ready to run, large crowds came
together to see the fool thing start. Some said that it Avas
a grand thing and others that it would be the ruination of
the country. However, it got to going, and Avorked to per
fection, cutting eight thousand sliingles a day. They Avere
eighteen inches long and four inches Avide. Of course, some
were Avider and some not so wide ; but, this Avas what was
required in the measurement. They Avere packed into
bunches of two hu.ndred and fifty each, and Avere hauled to
the river on sleds in the winter time and on wagons in the
summer. Among those who hauled were Ward Parsons, C.
L. Parsons, John Closs, B. F. Dumire, James Knotts and
WiUiam Losh. The mUl Avas kept running for several years,
and until the Eowlesburg Lumber and Iron Company Avent
into bankruptcy. After that the mill was run at intervals
until all the timber in the vicinity had been cut, Avhen it
was removed. The most prosperous period of the mill's
existence was about 1870.

164 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
The next shingle-mill in the county was that buUt by
Eufus Maxwell, and run by water-power. In its after mod
ifications, the saAV ran horizontal instead of vertical.
Abraham and Daniel L. Dumire buUt the next one on
Laurel Eun, at the Lead Mine post-office. This miU was
sold from one to another, until the controlling interest Avas
in the hands of Cyrus Dumire. George Auvil buUt the
next shingle factory. It was located on Mill Eun, about
two mUes above St. George.
Darid Closs built the ne?ct mill. It was on Horse Shoe
Eun, four miles from its mouth. This completed the Hst
of five shingle miUs in Tucker County. The first one ever
in the county met an untimely end. While being taken
around Horse Shoe Ford Hill, it, wagon, horses and aU,
rolled doAvn the precipice into the river, near one hundred
feet. None of the men or horses were seriously hurt, but
the machinery and the wagons were badly wrecked.
The shook business, some fifteen and twenty years ago,
was an extensive industry. Joseph Davis was the principal
manager of the business, and the shop Avas at St. George.
It did more for the town than anything else of the time. It
built up the houses that were going to pieces, and revived
business. Although Tucker County has had and still has vast timber
resources, and its thousand mountains are covered Avith
valuable pines, oaks, poplars and hemlocks, and all this will
bring a revenue into the county ; yet our real and perma
nent wealth is not in our timber. Men who deal in it and
attend closely to their business have made money from it ;
but such is the exception and not the rule. The large con
tractors may or may not make something ; but the laborer
is almost sure to lose when it comes to the final reckoning.

• LUMBEE INTEEESTS. 165
He may have worked hard from Christmas to Christmas,
and his famUy may have lived as economically as decency
and comfort would permit, ^et at the end of the year, when
aU store debts and doctor bills are paid, and the wear and
tear of the furniture and the farm property has been made
good, aU the spare money is gone, and the laborer is left no
richer than when he set in for the hard year of work.
The reason for this is to be sought in the fact that almost
every man in ^dicker County is a farmer. It is a general
truth the world over that it is best for an agricultural man
to stick to agriculture just the same as it is best, in usual
cases, for any man to stick to his trade or profession. It
may pay at times for a man to carry on tAvo, three or a
dozen projects at a time ; but those who try it fail oftener
than they succeed. EspeciaUy is this true with farmers any
where, and the more so Avith those of Tucker County. A
blacksmith or a carpenter may, if he sees fit, abandon his
trade one, two or ten years, and again take it up and be none
the loser, unless the time has been a loss to him. But not
so Arith him. AA'ho digs into the fertile soil for his bread and
his fortune. His farm needs him every day and every hour.
If he leaves it, it .suffers from his neglect. If he engages
as a laborer in the lumber business, as so many of the
Tucker farmers are doing and have done, he fails to tiU his
land as he should. His fences go to ruin, his sheds faU to
pieces and Aveeds, briers, thorns and brambles fill all the
nooks and corners of his fields.
Meanwhile, the man may be getting his Avages, which are
in ready money and for the time seem greater than he
could make on his farm; but, everything his family uses
must be paid for, and the expenses eat up the profits, and
he works on, probably for years, and keeps just about CA'en.

166 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Then the mill on which he works is to be moved to find a
new supply of timber, and he must either follow or quit the
works. If he is a wise man, he quits the bad contract, late, but
better late than nev^r, and goes back to his neglected farm.
Or, if he follows the mill to its new site, he may as well set
tle doAvn to a perinanent rough and unprofitable life, drag
ging himself and family about from place to place, and
living only a little better than the Arabs of Egypt.
If he goes back to his farm, he finds it grown up and di
lapidated, far worse than when he left it, and he finds him
self no richer in money than when he went . astray in the
lumber business. Had he staid on his farm and worked as
hard as he did in the Avoods, he would have owned a neat,
comfortable and complete home. His fences would not
have been so hidden by briers that they were no longer vis
ible, and the apple trees would not look like a chaos of
sprouts and scions growing out of a brush-heap. Where
the plantain and smartweed were taking possession of every
thing in the yard, his wife's bed of flowers would have been
in full bloom, and lilies and forget-me-nots would be blos
soming instead of the crash-leaved burr-dock.
He wUl then learn, as others must learn and are learning,
that the little farms of Tucker must be cultivated if the peo
ple expect to prosper. The farmer who raises something to
sell in the logging camps makes more than the man who
works all the year in the woods. Our real Avealth is in our
farming land. Let the lumber be cut by those who can af
ford to do it. The farmer cannot afford to lose his time.

CHAPTER IX.
THE WEST YIRGINIA CENTRAL AND PI.TTS-
B URGH RAIL WA Y.
The opening of this ucav railroad has been and promises
still to^^be a permanent improvement to our county. The
object whicli prompted its building Avas the vast resource of
timber, coal and iron which abound in that portion of our
territory which lies beyond the Backbone Mountain, on the
upper tributaries of the Black Fork of Cheat Eiver. The
knowledge that such resources existed is no ncAv thing. As
early as 1856, it Avas undertaken to build a railroad up the
North Branch of the Potomac, and engineers Avere put to
Avork on it. The foUoAving extract is from the Biography
of Abe Bonnifield, and is quoted in connection with the
railroad, and also as a description of the surrounding coun
try at that time :
In front of my father's door, and at the distance of three or four
miles, rises the prinoipal ridge of the Backbone Mountain. From
the tops of the neighboring hills the course of the ridge can be
traced to a vast extent. The summit of the mountain in this region
is covered Avith beautiful groves of hemlock pine, sometimes called
yew pine. In places their branches are so InterAvoven that they
form a thick, dark shade, which, in the summer season, is most de
Ughtful, but in winter, when the sombre branches are drooping
with snow, the prospect is gloomy beyond description. These
hemlocks are as straight as an Indian arroAv, and frequently rise to
the height of one hundred and tAventy feet, or more. This timber
is valuable for building purposes. Square timber, plank and shin
gles made from it are of the very best quaUty; and the quantity of
this timber is surprising. From the top of a single hill, enough of
it may be seen to build a city 

168 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
On this side of the mountain, just opposite my father's farm, lies
a large body of rich land, which, on account of its being covered
with sugar-maple, is called the Sugar Lands. The annual blooming
of this large grove of sugar trees, appearing Avith the return of
each successive season, afforded, for iiianj'- years, a picture of sur
passing beauty. It could easily be seen from the distance of flfteen
or twenty miles. Year after year for flfty long successive years,
had the older inhabitants gazed upon its expanse of sih-ery gray,
tinged with yellow and white. From the top of Stemple Ridge, a
distance of some eighteen miles. It appeared to the vei-A' best ad
vantage, and gave to the extended landscape a soft and beautiful
finish, on which the eye lingered with peculiar delight. But, alas !
the beauty, though it lasted long and gladdened many a vernal
scene, has passed away and perished forever.
About fifteen hundred acres of the land was purchased by Wil
liam R. Parsons, and the sugar trees haA'e fallen beneath the axes
of his slaves. But, thank kind nature, it is usually the case,
when one beautiful object disappears, another takes its place.
Although the sugar trees are gone, the eye of the spectator is noAV
greeted with green pastures and charming meadows, -while the ear
is saluted with the tinkling of bells and the lowing of cattle, and
this delightful Sugar Lands promises fair soon to be the richest
grazing plantation in Tucker County.
Some miles beyond the Sugar Lands, and also beyond the Back
bone, on tlie head branches of Cheat River, there is an eleA'ated
region of rich land, from time immeinorial called the land of Ca
naan. Here there is a body of some hundred thousand acres of
land unoccupied. HoAvever, it has quite recently come into mar
ket. The soil of this land is of the flnest quality-, both for grain
and pasture, and is mostly covered with extenslA-e forests of beech,
sugar and pine. There are also several other large unoccupied
tracts of land in Tucker County, now coming into market. A vast
field of excellent stone coal has lately been discoA'ered on these
lands, making them an object of peculiar interest to speculators.
From Piedmont, on the B. & O. R. R. a railroad will soon be built,
whose terminus will be in these coal lands.
How such vast bodies of waste land, surrounded on all sides by
rich settleiuents, could remain so long unsold, is a problem that

THE W. V. C. & P. EAILWAY. 169
can be soh'ed only by the consideration that the tide of emigration
has ever roUed its waves to the far West, Avithout stopping to ex
amine these beautiful little islands around which it flowed. The
owners of these lands seem anxious to sell, and it is probable that
bargains may be obtained. It is supposed that there is at this time
[1857] plenty of unoccupied land in Tucker County for the accom
modation of 500 famUies.
The coal at the Sugar Lands was discovered about 1835.
It was nearly twenty years before any similar discoveries
were made on the other side of the mountain. But, finally,
the true wealth of the country began to be knoAvn, and cap
italists saAV that there Avas money in a railroad Avhich would'
carry off this wealth. The work of surveying was Avell ad
vanced, when the Avar came on and put a stop to everything,
and it was near tAventy years before anything further was
done in the matter. Then a new company took it in hand.
The officers, on January 1, 1882, were,: H. G. Davis, Presi
dent; S. B. Elkins, Vice-President. Directors: Alexander
ShaAv, James G. Blaine, S. B. Elkins, William Keyser,
Thomas B. Davis, Augustus Schell, W. H. Barnum, J. N.
Camden, John A. Hambleton and T. E. Sickles. A. Ebert
was Secretary, C. M. Hoult, Treasurer, T. E. Sickles, Chief
Engineer, and W. E. Porter, Superintendent. The offices
were at Piedmont, W. Va., and 92 BroadAA'ay, NeAv York
City. The company was organized June 25, 1881, under a char
ter of the State of West Virginia. It Avas authorized to
construct a railroad from any point on the B. & O. E. E.,
along the waters of the North Branch of the Potomac Eiver,
to a connection with any other railroad in the State of W.
Va. The company had poAver to buy and sell real estate
without limit ; and it Avas authorized to manufacture lumber,
mine coal and iron, and any other minerals. The following

170 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
extract is from the President's first Eeport to the stock
holders :
The present intention of the company is to extend its raih-oad
for a distance of from flfty to sixty miles in all, through what is
known as the "Cumberland or Piedmont Coal Basin;" and it is
ulthnately intended, if deemed advisable and profltable, to extend
its line southerly, so as to connect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Avith the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and the Richmond and
Alleghany Railroad, and other railroads. Also, northerly to a con
nection Avith railroads leading to Pittsburgh.
The engineers estimated that three hundred and sixty
millions of tons of coal can be mined from the company's
lands. The coal fields Avhich must be developed by this
company embrace an area larger than the aggregate of aU
otlier bituminous coal fields east of the Alleghany Mount-
ains,'"- embracing an area of 170,000 acres. The capital
stock of the company Avas $6,000,000, of Avhich $5,000,000
belong to and remain in the company's treasury.t The raU-
road AA'as computed to cost not more than $25,000 per mUe.
The average out-put of coal over the road in 1882 was es
timated to be 700 tons daily for three hundred days, sum
ming for the year 210,000 tons. The company's profit was
forty-five cents per ton, for the year $94,500. Profits from
other sources, $20,000. Total, $114,500. The interest
paid on bonds was $50,000, leaving a clear profit for 1882 of
$64,500. The profit for 1883 was estimated at $197,000.$
The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary
charged nothing for their services in the year 1882. The
company at that time owned and controlled 37,752 acres of
mineral and timber lands.
' President Davis' nrst report, page four. t In 1882.
t This Is merely an estimation, made In 1882 for the succeeding year.

THE W. V. C. & P. EAILWAY. 171
Up to January 1, 1882, thirteen and one-half miles of
road had been completed.
In Oavcu Eiordan's Eeport of January 3, 1882 he speaks
as follows :*
I hereby submit to your consideration a report, with accompany
ing map, of the result of my opening and working of coal veins in
your employment since June 1, of last year (1881).
I worked on a portion of Grant, Tucker and Preston Counties,
W, 'V^a. Commencing at the Fairfax Stone, I oijened on what I
call the "Fairfax and Dobbin House Region"— which is about nine
miles long and eight miles Avide— ten different veins of coal, the
thickest being eleven and the smallest four feet, measuring in the
aggregate fifty-two feet of coal.
These veins of coal are of different quality, some gas, some bitu
minous and one vein of good coking coal. They are so situated,
one above the other, that any one of them, or all of them together,
can be worked without interfering with any other.
This is the most remarkable coal region so far discovered in this
or any other country. I have neither seen nor read in the reports
of any other person of a coal region having as much coal in it as
this ; and the whole of it is free from slate, bone-coaJ, or any other
impurities. This is neither exaggeration nor delusion, as all these
veins are opened, so that any expert can examine them. He Avill
flnd them to be just as I have stated. There is a nine-feet vein of
steam coal in this region that fully equals the Cumberland coal.
We opened on the second division of this West Virginia Coal
Fields — which Ues between the Dobbin and Kent roads and the
mouth of Buffalo Creek — eleven different veins Of coal. Tanging in
thickness from three to six feet. This coal is semi-bituminous in
quaUty, except one vein opened at the head of Elk Run, of cannel
coal, three feet thick. The coal in this region is also free from all
impurities 
The coal area is a thick forest, almost covered with spruce and
hemlock, the trees being of an enormous size, and good quaUty,
making it as superior in its timber as in its coal.
' See the President's and Engineer's Reports of the progress ot the Ealli-oad, of Octo
ber 17, 1882.

172 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
In the President's Annual Eeport, dated January 9, 1883,
the net earnings of the road, after paying expenses, and the
interest on the bonded debt, were over $87,000. The op
erating expenses were 48f per cent, of the gross earnings.
The interest paid was $32,600.
On page 4, of the Eeport of January 9, 1883, the follow
ing is found :
After careful surveys, it has been determined to make Davis the
terminus of the i-oad for the present. It promises to be the center
cf a great mining and lumbering interest, being near the junction
of the Beaver and Blackwater, both of which drain a flne timber
country, and both are well adapted to floating logs ; besides, the
site selected and vicinity are underlaid with the A'eins of coal of the
Upper Potomac Coal Field.
The completion of the line to Davis, fifty-three miles from Pied
mont, will quadruple the capacity of the Company for doing a gen
eral transportation business ; besides, it wUl reach and pass through
the Company's coking coal and fine timber lands in the Upper Po
tomac Coal Fields from both of which the Company expects to add
largely to its business."
The work of the railroad in Tucker Countj'-, up to this
time, 1884, has not been extensive, as the main work has
been done on the east side of the mountain. The grade
across the mountain does not at any point exceed eighty
feet per mile, Avliich is the lightest grade of any railroad
crossing the Alleghanies.
The whole Canaan Valley must soon be developed. It is
just opening up to the Avorld, and in a fcAV years it Avill no
longer be a wUderness.

CHAPTER X.
MISCELLANEQUS STATISTICS.
I DO not deem it best to over load a County History Avith
statistics. Enough should be given to meet the wants of
the general reader, and no more. In this book I have
pursued, in this respect, the course just advocated. I have
collected, not without care, a few tables and have inserted
them. In making the selections and in the arrangements I
have not followed any strict plan. In fact, I found it im
possible, had I been so inclined, to make out entire census
tables, even from 1856 to the present time. Much of the
data that would go to make up such tables, does not exist
in any official manner ; or, at least, the search that I have
made has failed to find it. I give what this chapter contains
and offer no apology for its incompleteness or for its
arrangement. Had I considered it of enough importance,
I should have bestowed more time and attention to it. I
did not even go to Eandolph to examine records that relate
to the census prior to 1856. Wli^t I have of such, is all I
want ; for, I wiU repeat that it is not my aim or intention
to make this book a series of tables and statistical figures.
I am not certain but that I have given more space to the
History of Elections and Officers than is demanded by the
pubUc upon whose patronage the financial success of this
book depends. But, this, latter subject will, more or less,
interest every reader, while the former, that of the statistics,
will be of interest to so few, except a small part of it, that
those few will find occasion to examine for themselves

174 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
special books on the subject, and Avill there find much more
satisfaction than could possibly be given in a Avork of this
kind. As remarked, it Avould be difficult to reduce to a system
the statistics relative to Tucker. The Census Compendium
of 1860 dismissed the county Avith a foot-note, saying that
no returns Avere made. Thus I had to look elseAA'here for
what I have given of that date. The Compendium of 1870
was fuller, but it all, so far as our county is concerned, is
easily told, and I have given only an epitome of 1860 and
1870. But I have bestoAved more attention to 1880, because
I consider it of more importance. I consider that our
county is jupt starting into life. The returns of ten and
tAventj' years ago are valuable to us onlj' as curiosities, or as
comparisons. They do not tell the Avorld AA'hat we are, or
what the resou.rces of our county Avere at that time. They
do not exhibit our true Avealth — undeveloped wealth. This
.was unknoAvn then, and there should be no pride, and surely
is no policy, in publishing to the Avorld, by census tables,
how little we had and Iioav weak Ave Avere only a few years
ago. True, it is some satisfaction to see how we haA'e
groAvn ; and Avhere there is an opportunity for exhibiting
this in a proper manner, it has been done, but, in such mat
ters as promise no good, and result in no benefit, aa'c haA'e
been silent.
Such parts of the past as is history, I have giA'en. What-
is not history, romance, biography or anything of that kind,
I have not gone to extremes to bring prominently forAvard.
I have endeavored to shoAV Avliat Ave were, so far as Ave Avere
anything, and Avhat Ave are. The future must tell what Ave
are to be. Bnt, with us, the future is more than the past.
This age is using the past only to judge by it AA'hat the

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 175
future will be. Great minds read history only for this.
The past is nothing to us, except the mere satisfaction of
knowing it. There are greater changes going on in the
world to-day than ever before. History did not prophesy
them. It gave no hint that they Avould come. The loco
motive, the steamship, the telegraph, the telephone, and
the marvellous machineries that work, as it Avere, with more
than human intelligence, came into the world unheralded
and unexpected. Not even a star guided the Magi of the
present to them. They leaped, as Pallas, armed into the
world's arena, and assuming the might of AchiUes, cleared
the fields of a universal Troy.
Still, I cannot think that history is useless or unneces
sary. There is still something to be learned from it ; al
though, I verily believe that there is more to be gaiiied
from Mathematics and Chemistry than from History. We
cannot judge, and depend upon it, from the past AA'hat the
future will be. Because no nation has lived forever, is no
reason why none ever Avill. Because no government of the
people, by tlie people and for the people has ever stood
firmly and successfully one hundred years, is no grounds
from Avhich to judge that such a thing is impossible. It
may be that Confucius thought it impossible for a man to
traA'el fifty miles an hour, because his experience and his
old books gave him none assurance of such a thing in the
past. No doubt Columbus considered it out of the ques
tion to cross the Atlantic Avithout sails in ten days ; and, he
could not have found reason for thinking so had he read all
the histories burnt at Alexandria, the description of Hiero's
engine not excepted. Galilleo or Newton or Keplar or Kant
or Hobbs or Tycho Brahe Avould have disbelieved it possi
ble to send a letter two hundred and eighty-eight thousand

178 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
miles a second. Archimedes and Copernicus gave nothing
to foreshadoAV such a thing. Nor, would those old philoso
phers have believed that the voice of a man could be heard
over a wire forty miles.
Yet, just such things as these men thought impossible, if
they thought at all, are tearing the world upside doAvn and
building it ancAV, on a firmer basis than ever. Mathematics,
called Philosophy, and Chemistry, are doing it. But they
are inanimate, and work only by the directions of man.
Why then could not man curb the lightning, and know and
control the power of oxygen and hydrogen, expanded by
heat seventeen hundred times its bulk when cold — -why
could not this have been done two thousand years ago ? or
five thousand, for that matter ? Water existed, as did fire,
and iron and electricity and all the elements that now exist ;
why then could not Tubal-cain build a steam engine, and
an ocean telegraph connecting Eome and Carthage, across
the sea, that they thought Avas in the middle of the world?
This question Avas hard to answer. It was hard be
cause the ansAver was unknoAvn. Some of the abstractest
problems in calculus are easy enough to understand Avhen
the answer is known ; but, to find the ansAver caused many
a brain to falter and ache and doubt and despair, to resolve
again and finally to triumph. Thus with the subject, why
the ancients, or even the moderns, except the most moderns,
failed to accomplish Avliat is now being done by men Avith
weaker minds than that of Mulciber or Minos or Dasdalus
or Plutarch or Q-uintilian or Euclid or Descartes or Benja
min Franklin. It seems noAv that things are accomplished
with less effort than Avas formerly exerted to no good. Surely
our inventors do not study more intently than he Avlib stood
thirty-six hours, working mentally on a sum of arithmetic.

S J, Maxwell

Mrs 0 Lowther Mrs Wm Spesert

W. B Maxwell C. H. Maxwell
R. R. Maxwell. L. H. Max'Well

.XWELL T. E. Maxwell
C. J Maxwell Hu Maxwell

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 177
and knew nothing of the heat or the darkness or the rain
that passed by ; or more intensely than he avIio was so ab
sorbed with his theorem ..that he knew not that an army Arith
beating drums and martial music passed under his window ;
or than he who, when the Eoman soldier rushed into his
study with drawn sword to kill him, cried, "Wait till I com
plete this demonstration," and when it was completed, died,
as Socrates died, Hke a philosopher.
Physical.and mental efforts, I doubt not, were as poAver-
ful, or as near the limit of human possibilities, thousands of
years ago as they are to-day. The men tried as hard to
solve the mysteries, and worked as hard on their plans, and
did as much as they could, and moderns can do nothing
more. But the ancients, viewed from our stand-point, made
a,lmost no advancement at all. It may have taken them a
thousand years to invent the bow and arrow. It seems to
us that anybody could manufacture such an engine Avith a
few days of study.
But, we must not forget ourselves in approaching this
subject. The world is not, or man's mind is not, as it used
to be. The oldest man in the world, at the age of nine hun
dred, if any man ever really lived that long, did not knoAV
as much as a school boy of to-day. I cannot imagine with
what feelings Abraham, the Patriarch, must have looked
upon the phenomena of nature, not knowing any of the
reasons for what he saw. But, I need not appeal to my
imagination in a case of this kind. His feeliijgs upon see
ing the water flow down hill and the smoke rise skyward,
must have been as mine when I contemplate the nature of
force as it is manifested in magnetism, sunlight and the dis
sociation of atoms — ^things which are blank mysteries to me.
No, the history of the past cannot be laid aside. I am
12

178 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
firmly of the belief that the human race, as a whole, im
proves from the experience of past races, just as an indi
vidual grows Ariser by remembering his past successes and
failures. It is a dark subject to me ; but, so far as I can
understand it, I see nothing that does not confirm me in the
belief that there is a universal mind, or spirit, or soul, or
nature, or something not exactly expressed by any word in
tlie Avorld, that is Composed of and includes aU the minds
in the world, as a great and perfect whole. It is hard to
express myself on this subject. Tennyson in Locksley Hall.
does it for me better than I can doit :
Yet I doubt not through the ages one increasing purpose runs,
And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns.
When one generation dies from the world, the next does
not have to commence in knowledge where its fathers did,
but, in a measure, where its fathers quit. The " increasing
purpose " does not die with the races of men. It lives from
generation to generation, from age to age and from century
to century, ever stronger and stronger. As the old rocks
from the cliffs of the mountains and from the caves of the
ocean are ground into powder to furnish material for new
formations, so must the experience of the past be picked
apart to furnish material for the rebuilding of ncAver and
better institutions. So must history be used in the present.
So must Ave build by the ruins of the past. But the simile
is not perfect, for the intellectual world builds grander and
better and finds constantly some new material to introduce
into the work, Avhile the geological world constructs from
the same material over and over again, and the ucav work,
although ncAver, is in reality not a' particle better than the
old. Scientists disagree, whether inteUectual poAver is trans-

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 179
mitted from generation to generation. On the one side is
arrayed the long catalogue of Ulustrious families, the splen
dor of whose talents has been observed for generations, and
a simUitude noticed in all. On the other hand, it is claimed
that a savage infant, the child of savage parents, may be
trained to civUzation and enlightenment and be none the
less refined and gifted than one born and reared in aU the
conditions of civUization. There are two sides to the ques
tion, and either is not void of argument ; but, it must be ad
mitted that parental characteristics, of mind as well as body,
are transmitted from generation to generation. How else
could there be an increasing purpose running through the
ages, as there surely is ? Then there is occasion stiU for
leaming, and from the past, all there is to know or to be
known. We cannot learn from the future. The present is
only the twUight of the past.
As the world stands now, there is more benefit to man
kind in the sermons of Talmage than in the histories of
Gibbon. The times are turning. There is greater change
in one year now than there was in a century some thousand
years ago. At least, this is true so far as we can tell ; but
if we could see as things were seen Avhen Virgil sang and
Demosthenes raved, we might know that we are mistaken.
They laughed at Pythagoras when he thought that the
world was round. Is no one being laughed at to-day who
¦wiU be remembered when the deriders are forgotten ? Is
there not extant some theory so ridiculous that it is hardly
worth laughing at ? Who knows what the philosophers two
thousand years hence will say .of it ? What Avas the
woman's name who laughed at Newton and called him a
simpleton for sitting in the orchard to see the apples fall ?
The circumstance alone is remembered, and that because

180 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
of its surroundings. Too many people are like the young
lord, on whose hand the king leaned, in that beleagured
city, where the famine raged, and where the prophet fore
told plenty, and to whom the young lord answered that
such a thing might be if the windows of heaven should be
opened. In 1880, there were in Tucker 3,139 persons of American
birth, and 2,053 were born in the State : 936 were born in
Virginia. Of the remainder, 3 were born in Ohio, 58 in
Pennsylvania, 38 in Maryland. There were 12 of foreign
birth, of whom 2 were from Ireland, 2 from Scotland, 4
from Germany and 1 from France. The rest are ungiven.
Of the 3,151 persons in the county in 1880, 1,625 were
males and 1,526 were females. From the age of five to
seventeen, inclusive of both, there were 546 males and 512
females. From eighteen to forty-four, inclusive of both,
there were 580 men. There were 618 men twenty-one years
of age, or over.
In 1880, Tucker had 385 farms, containing 19,632 acres of
improved land. The value of the farms, including aU they
contained, fences and buUdings, was $590,782. The farm
ing implements and machinery were worth $23,661. The
value of stock was placed at $102,917. The building and
repairing of fences cost $18,223. This was for the year
1879. The value of fertUizers purchased Avas $456. The
value of all farm productions, sold, consumed and on hand,
was placed at $75,152.
In 1880, the county produced 5,784 bushels of buckwheat ;
63,632 bushels of corn ; 15,221 bushels of oats ; 1,247 bush
els of rye ; 7,973 bushels of wheat. The value of the or
chard productions was $7,581. Of Irish potatoes, there
were 7,216 bushels ; sweet potatoes, 56 bushels ; hay, 1,253
tons ; tobacco, 2,061 pounds.

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 181
In 1880, Tucker County had 642 horses, 57 mules, 35
working oxen, 940 cows, 1,451 other cattle, 3,535 sheep,
3,655 hogs. The wool produced was 10,733 pounds, which
was a fraction more than three pounds to the sheep. The
production of butter was 40,592 pounds. That of cheese,
1,846 pounds.
The average production of butter for each farm was a
little more than 105 pounds. The average production for
each cow was over 43 pounds. The average for each per
son in the county was nearly 14 pounds. There was one
farm to about every eight persons. There was a milch coav
to every three and a third persons. There was a fraction
more than three horses to every farm, and two and two-
fifths cows to every farm, and more than nine sheep and
nine hogs to every farm. There was less than five pounds
of cheese produced for each farm. To each farm there were
15 bushels of buckwheat, 165 bushels of corn, 39 bushels of
wheat, and the orchard products averaged $19 to each farm.
There were in the county in 1880, five manufacturing
establishments, with a capital of $5,000, and giving employ
ment to ten men, with an aggregate yearly pay of $860.
The material cost $3,660 and the manufactured goods Avere
worth $5,608. The monthly pay of the men was $7.16 each.
This was twenty-seven and a half cents a day. The manu
facturing of the raw material increased its value $1,948.
This was an increase of value on the first cost, of 53 per
cent. Each man earned about $9 per month above what he
received as wages. The clear gain of the manu,factures was
about $1,000 per year. This was a gain of 20 per cent, on
the capital invested.
The assessed value of the real estate in Tucker in 1880
was $418,703 ; that of the personal property was $60,999,

182 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
total, $479,702. The State tax Avas $2,035 ; county, $6,903 ;
town, viUage and school district, $2,297 ; total, $11,235. In
1880, Tucker was in debt $118.
If the tax had been equally divided among the farms, it
would have been $29 for each. It was $3.66 for each man,
woman and child in the county. It was $18.21 for every
voter. The tax was $2.34 on the $100.
It may not be amiss to give some scattered figures rela
tive to the schools of the county. In 1882, there were 96
trustees in the county, and 15 members of the board of
education. There Avere 34 school houses, of which 8 were
made of logs and 26 were framed. There were 35 rooms in
all. The St. George school had two rooms. Of the 35
rooms, all had desks but four, and altogether there were 117
square yards of black-board. This was 3J yards to each
room. All the school-houses together were valued at $6,-
144, and the value of school lands was $367. The average
value of the^ houses was $181. The school furniture was
valued at $215, and the apparatus at $262. The total value
of school property was $6,989.
Between the ages of 6 and 16, there were 422 boys and
425 girls. Over 16 and under 21, there were 146 boys and
84 giris. Total, 1,077. Of this number, 817 attended the
public schools. The average daUy attendance was 489.
Three-fourths of the chUdren in the county attended school.
Of those enrolled, 59 per cent, attended school all the time
during the term. During this year (1882) tliere were 62
boys and 56 girls enrolled for the first time. The boys
Avere tardy 75 times, and the girls 63 times. Among the
boys there were 25 cases of truancy, and among the girls,
14. The number whipped was 62 boys and 66 "girls. One
girl was suspended from school, and no boy. Of tliose| nei-

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 183
ther absent nor tardy, there were 33 boys and 35 girls. The
average age of the boys was 11 years, of the girls 10 years.
There were only two cases in which teachers Avere absent
from their schools. Not a teacher in the county had at
tended State Normal School. Of Tucker's 36 teachers, 27
were men and 9 Avere women. The men taught 82 months, the
women 29 months. The average length of term was 69 days.
In Geography, there were 82, Orthography, 36, English
Grammar, 80, Arithmetic, 297, History, 37. Of the teachers,
three men and no woman subscribed for an educational
journal. Seven men and 3 women were teaching their first
term. In the First Eeader, there were 93 pupils ; Second
Eeader, 99; Third Eeader, 81 ; Fourth Eeader, 138; Fifth
Eeader, 80 ; Sixth Eeader, 109. In writing there were 281,
and in spelling 666. The County Superintendent made
26 visits to the schools. The members of the board of ed
ucation made 70 visits, and the trustees 99. Other persons
visited the schools 277 times.
At the close of the last school year (1881) there Avas in
the treasury. Teachers' Fund, $691. The levy on real and
' personal property was $1,334. From the State School
Fund $841 was received. Total receipts from all sources
for Teachers' Fund, $2,868.
In 1882, the teachers holding No. 1 certificates received
salaries which, in the aggregate, amounted to $787, of which
the men got $490 and the women $297. The teachers with
No. 2 certificates got $1,203, of which the men received
$881 and the women $322. There were no women teaching
on No. 3 certificates. The men on No. 3's were paid $162.
The Sheriff received $215 for handling this money. 'Che
total expenditures of the Teachers' Fund amounted to
$2,252, and there was in the treasury a balance of $708.

184 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Of the building fund at the commencement of 1882, there
was in the treasury- (from the preceeding year) a balance
of $157. The levy on the total value of the property was
$1,292. The total receipts from aU sources were $1,450.
The county paid $117 on the bonded school debt. Other
expenditures were, for land, $15 ; for houses, $20 ; for fur
niture, $1.50 ; for apparatus, $35 ; total, $189. Paid $10
for rent ; $7.80 for repairs ; $185 for fuel ; $11 as interest.
The Sheriff's commission was $82 ; the Secretaries received
$75. The total cost, from the BuUding Fund was $809.
The Tucker County Institute that year had an attendance
of forty-two, of whom thirty-six were men and six were
women. The Institute was conducted by Prof. A. L. Fike.
There Avas in attendance one teacher who had taught ten
years or more, and nine who had taught over five years.
The others had taught shorter terms, 1, 2, 3 and 4 years.
At the commencement of 1877, Tucker County had on
hand. as Teachers' Fund, $273, and received from the State,
$826, from the levy, $1,560, from other sources, $48 ; total,
$2,709. Of the Building Fund, there Avas on hand a balance
of $809. From the levy for the BuUding Fund, $1,228 was
received ; total, $2,037. There was paid, for land, $10 ; for
houses, $1,004 ; for repairs, $81 ; for fuel, $84 ; for furniture,
$35 ; for apparatus, $1.50 ; for interest, $1.50 ; for commis
sions, $11 ; for enrollment, $17 ; the Secretaries of boards
bf education were paid salaries to the amount of $115 ; the
contingent expenses were $59 ; total, $1,421.
In 1877, Tucker had 22 school-houses, of Avhich 18 AA'ere
frame and 4 were log. Three were not yet completed, and
two Avere completed that year. The value of land was $227;
that of the school-houses $6,257 ; of the furniture, $119 ;
apparatus, $142 ; total, $6,745.

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS.

185

In the county in 1877, there were 1005 school children,
of whom there Avere 526 boys and 479 girls. Six of these
were colored. In attendance at sqIiooI there were 556, of
whom 296 Avere boys, and 260 were girls.
Tucker had that year 30 teachers, of whom 25 were men
and 5 were women. The men taught 78 months and the
women 14 months ; total, 92 months. The average length
of the schools was 2.83 months. The average age of the
boys at school was lOJ years, of the girls 9J years ; general
average, lOj years.
The number studying in each branch was as follows :¦ Or
thography, 546 ; Eeading, 385, Writing, 298 ; Arithmetic,
234 ; Geography, 43 ; English Grammar, 94 ; History, 14 ;
Other branches, 44. There were 5 Secretaries in the
county ; 15 Commissioners ; and 25 Trustees. The County
Superintendent made 32 visits to the schools. ' Other per
sons risited the schools 76 times ; total, 108. The average
cost for each pupil, in 1877, was $13.50.
A complete list of the teachers of the county fi^om its
first organization to the jiresent time would prove interest
ing to so few, and is so hard to compile, that it is omitted,
and in its stead is given the name and grade of each teacher
of the county since 1876. The Superintendents of that time
have been W. B. Maxwell, L. S. Auvil and J. M. Shafer.
MST OF TEACHERS.

NUMBER ONE.
S. L. Stalnaker
Lloyd Hansford
S. N. Swisher
Miss Jennie Maxwell
Mrs. A. n. Adams
J. P. call
NUMBEB TWO.
J. T. Mason
Miss S. V. Garner
Thomas Marsh
J. S. Poling

1877.
C. M. Moore
Miss Agnes Gilmore
Miss Uzzle Parker
L. S. Poling
E. C. Moore
J. W. Freeman
J. W. Lambert
M. C. Feather
J. M. Shaler
NUMBER THKEE.
G. W. Shirk
A. Hudklns
J. G. Dlgman

Miss M. C. Purkey
G. W. Day
L. B. Goff
E. F. Harris
Charles Skidmore
I. P. Propst
A. G. Lambert
Talbott Ferguson
.1. W. Moore
D. L. Dumire
Miss S. C. Listen
NUMBEK FOUR
Miss F. L. Mason

186

HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.

NETjfBEE ONE.
N. D. Adams
S. N. Swisher
J. H. Snyder
NCMEEB TWO.
T. G. Danels
L. E. Gainer
L. E. Goff
E. C. Moore
J. T. Mason
J. M. Shafer
L. S. Copper
Miss Leile Lynn
G. Y. Day

NUMBER ONE.
.T. M. Shafer
Ml SS A. E. Pansier
Miss M. A. Gutherie
J. A. Swisher
M. L. AVhite
D. A Hooton
NUilBEK TWO.
Isaac Hetrle
S. C. Baker
G. N. Day
L. E. Goft

1878,
J. M. Strahln
J. C. Eoby
A. M. Stemple
NDMEEB THREE.
J. B. Blackman
A. Moore
S. P. Hayes
O. L. PhUUps
J. S. PoUng
J. S. D. BeU
E. F. Harris
J. P. Jewel
Miss Lizzie Purkey
MISS A. G. Glhnore
George AV. White 1879.
W. Bennette
G, W. Shaler
James PoUng
J. P. AuvU
J. W. Moore
J. H. Snyder
G. W. Stalnaker
J. C. S. BeU
F. 0. Bradshaw
J. B. Lambert
G. W. Shirk
Miss Lizzie Purkey
Miss Agnes Gilmore
Miss A. F. Bowman
Mrs. S. V. Mester

S. C. Baker
G. W. Shaffer
J. B. Lambert
NUMBER POUR.
L. W. Han-is
P. Y. Eunner
J. T. Shaffer
J. H. Mester
Frank Ashby
S. P. Hayes
Talbott Fesguson
G. W. Shatter
Mary James
C. S. Watson

NUMBER THREE.
J. N. Huffman
J. D. Stalnaker
R. K. Philips
C. L. Watson
D. W. Wi-ight
Mrs. M. M. Class
G. Purguson NUMBER FOUR.
S. p. Hart

NUMBER ONE.
J. A. Strtsher
M. A Gutherte
J. B. Cox
J. M. Shafer
NUMBER TWO.
H. G. Daniels
J. L. Pifer
P. W. Lipscomb
S. C. Baker

NUMBER ONE.
A. G. Flke
J. A. Swisher
Stuart Wilworth
Julia M. Evans
Hu Maxwell
W. C. Parsons
S. Yorents NUMBER TWO.
G. W. James
Eliza Parsons

NUMBER ONB.
Hu Maxwell

1880.
H. M. Godwin
Isabel Parsons
C. W. Long
A. C. Dumire
L. W. James
Carrie Parsons
W. B. Jenkins
(J. S. PoUng
Alice Hansford
S. S. Roderick
S. H. God-win
J. F. Hunt
G. W. Shaffer 1881.
Ozena Hansford
AUce Hansford
W. B. Jenkins
P. W. Lipscomb
Carrie Pai-sons
D. W. Eyan
C. W. Long
Mai-y James
Kate Dumire
Isabel Parsons
A. B. Poling
G. A. Goff
H. I. Dumire
G. E. Goff 1882.
Kate Dumire
H J Dumire
Charles V. Adams

Vance Graham
S. J. Posten
U. G. Hartley
Lewis Johnson
NUMBER THREE.
T. H. Goff
R R PhUips
F. M. Arnett
J. L. Wince
A. E. Poellng
Mary James

S. C. Barker
James Boner
J. H. Snyder
J. P. Hunt
J. S. Cornwell
A. S. Hough.
NUMBER THREE.
S. M. Adams
D. W. Wi-Ight
F. M. Arnett
J. H. Cordray
H. R PhlUps.

Carile Parsons
C. W. Long
Joseph Selby

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS.

187

NUMBER TWO.
Ozella Hansford
Eliza Parsons
W. J. James
P. W. Lipscomb,
L. H. Goff,
G. W. James,
D. W. Ryan

NUMBER ONE.
Jesse G. Vanscoy
Carrie Parsons
EUza Parsons
M. J. Pajisler
C. H. Streets
C. W. Adams
S. M. Adams

Samantha Diunire
A. C. PoUng
Alclnda Shafer
J. L. Philips
S. M. Adams
J. E. Mason
Guy P. Schoouover
John P. Hunt 1883,
E. J. Domh-e
K. K. PhUUps
J. L. PhUUps
J H. Moore
W..R Shaffer
J. P. Hunt
W. P. Jett
F. M. A. Lawson
C. C. Douglas
G. W. ShU-k
G. W. Shafer
Alclnda Shafer
D. W. Wright

Alice Hansford
W. S. Godwin
L. w. Nester
N. C. Lambert
J. B. Lambert
A. T. Lambert
W. A. Ault
W. B. Ault

Lizzie Purkey
NUMBER THREE
M. J. Harris
A. J. Douglas
D. B. Smith
G. B. Skidmore

NUMBER TWO.
David Long
/ Some may find interest in looking over a few scraps of
statistics, selected at random from old reports.
In 1867, the levy for the BuUding Fund in Tucker was
only $250, and the receipts from it reached only $25. Noth
ing was received from any other source. Nothing was ex
pended. The reports detail nothing, if there were any
transactions in this business. The County Superintendent
got $108.33. No other officers got anything.
At that time, 1867, Tucker had 17 districts, with two
frame houses and ten log houses for schools. The average
value was $92 ; the aggregate value $1,275. There were
ten schools taught, and in attendance there were 348 boys
and 340 girls, total, 688. There were ten teachers, nine of
whom were men. The average salary of the men was $23
per month ; the woman received $18. The general average
of the wages was $22.5 per month.-* There were sixteen
applicants examined. Two faUed to get certificates. One
person got a No. 1 certificate ; the rest got lower grades.
From the general school fund, in 1867, Tucker got $733.
As documents only, the Eeports of the County Superin-

* The state Superintendent's Report places the general average at $21; and, for his
deficiency In arithmetic, he may stand con-eoted.

188 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
tendents of 1867 and 1877 are given. A decided improve
ment during the intervening ten years may be noticed ; but
the school interests of the county have gone forward more
since 1877 than during the ten years next preceding.
It may be of interest to some to see side by side the Ee
ports of the County Superintendents of Tucker for two
years. For this purpose the Eeports of 1867 and 1877 are
given as foUows : TUCKER COUNTY.— 1867.
The school system is not receiving as hearty a welcome as it de
serves. There are many who are bitterly complaining of its gen
eral principles ; that it is not acceptable to the rural districts.
The country is very thinly settled, and the school districts are
very large. The school-houses are few. Taxation is oppressive,
and many live too remote from the school-houses to receive any
advantage from them. They have their proportion of the tax to
pay, and their children are wholly deprived of schools. These par
ties should of right be exempt from the school tax. Of the three
townships into which this county is divided, two (Hannahsville
and Black Fork) levied a tax sufficient to continue the schools four
months or longer. St. George township refused to make any levy
for school or for building purposes.
The schools that were taught last winter did well. In the winter
of 1865-6 the boards of education in their respective townships put
in operation many more schools than the funds under their con
trol would sustain, thus Incurring a heavy Indebtedness on the
townships.' This policy was a bad one, and produced unfavorable
results. I think the boards are guarding against this evil for the
future. But little is said or done as yet in the way of putting
schools in operation. Some districts are beginning to move in that
direction, and I hope for favorable results.
A. H. Bowman, County Sup't.
TUCKER COUNTY.— 1877.
In submitting this, my second annual report, I have the satisfac
tion of knowing that the same is substantially correct, although
there appears to be some difference betAveen the columns of receipts

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. 189
and expenditures as against the balances, yet this rises from the
fact that the Secretaries have counted as balances the amount in
the Sheriff's hands at his setblement Avith the County Court at the
June term, 1877 ; whereas, at that time there was a large number
of orders for money outstanding, which outstanding orders were
reckoned by the Secretaries as expenditures. The boards have no
means of knowing what claims are outstanding, or what paid only
as they can get it from the Clerk of the County Court ; the SherifE
of this county haAdng hitherto wholly neglected to settle with the
boards. However, this will be remedied by the late amendments
to the school law.
In my opinion, the report required of Secretaries might be made
less compUcated, and yet contain all the necessary matter required
to give proper date, &c. Our county imports too many teachers
from other counties, and even from other states. When we have
more resident teachers, it will be better for us.
All the boards of education, at the beginning of the school year,
passed orders that they would allow nothing for sweeping and
buUding fires. The result was a suit in which the court decided
that as the boards have general supervision of school matters, that
such an order may be made. While the attendance upon our
schools the past year has not been as large as might have been
wished for, yet it must be kept in mind that our county is thinly
inhabited, and that many of the pupils have to travel three or four
miles to get to the nearest school house. But, regardless of this
and other dUHculties, our people have become flrmly endeared to
our school system. As a rule, there appears to be a steady im
provement in our teachers year by year.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
W. B. Maxwell, Gourdy SupH.

CHAPTER XL
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY.
On November 22, 1878, appeared the first copy of the
TucTcer County Pioneer.* It was edited by Charles L. Bow
man, and Avas printed every Friday morning at St. George.
The subscription rate was one dollar per year. It was the
first paper published in the county, and its need was felt by
the people. The paper had a " patent " side, printed in
New York. In politics, the paper was independent. It
claimed to represent the best interests of Tucker County.
The first issue was of three hundred copies. Within a
week two hundred and fifty subscribers Avere obtained.
Since then, the subscription has ranged from three hundred
and fifty to seven hundred names.
During the remaining weeks of 1878, and the year 1879,
the Pioneer flourished, with nothing to interrupt its success.
It Avas supported by Democrats and Eepublicans alike ; and
its corps of correspondents consisted of the best talent in
the county.
1880 was an election year, and in Tucker County, local
politics ran high. There soon became room for contention,
and the Democrats split their party into two factions, one
known as Independents and the other as Conventionals.
•As long ago as 1869, an effort was made to start a newspaper in St George.
W. Scott Gamer, ot Preston County, endeavored to form a joint stock company for
that purpose, but the amoimt subscribed was Insufficient, and Mr. Garner returned
to Kingwood, where he engaged In Journalism, and estabUshed a " Tucker County
Department " in his paper. The name, Tucker County Pioneer, -was flrst used by
Mr. Garner, lu connection with a manuscript paper started by hhn lu the winter ot
1874-5, WhUe teaching the White Oak School, a sliort distance above St. George. This
paper was read every Friday afternoon, during the regular Uterary exercises.

NEWSPAPEES. 191
Old famUy feuds Avere probably at the bottom of it all ; and
this famUy quarrel, was carried to such an extent that it
became incorporated Avith and lost in the political issues.
One wing of the Democrats favored a convention to nom
inate county officers, while the other wing opposed it
as unnecessary. Contrariness was more of a faction in these
issues than real policy ; but, still, the Conventionals went
ahead in their plans for a convention.
The Pipneer was opposed to the convention from the
very first, and waged an uncompromising war against it. It
claimed that there was no occasion for it, and that it would
excite an opposition that Avould divide the Democratic
party, and split the political solidity of our county into
fragments. But, there Avas much room for difference of
opinion, and the partisans of the convention went forAvard
in their work, and called the convention together on the
twenty-first of June, 1880. They put their ticket in the
field. The forebodings seemed ominous from the very first;
for, a murmur of dissatisfaction went up from_ every part
of the county. The men put in nomination Avere CA'idently
not the choice of the majority of the people.
The convention noAV began to be called a clique or ring.
The Pioneer opposed every man put in nomination ; and,
among the conventionals, the want of a neAvspaper began to
be felt. It Avas this occasion that called the Tacker Dem-
ocixit into existence. On August 12, 1880, it arrived in St.
George, having been removed from Taylor Count}'-, West
Virginia, where it had been in existence a year under the
name of the New Era, owned by Messrs. J. P. Scott and
M. J. Bartlett. The press on Avliich it Avas printed Avas
thought to be the oldest in the State, having first been used
in Charleston. Soon after the arrival of the press at St.

192 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
George, Scott sold his interest to Lloyd Hansford and L. S.
Auvil. The paper supported the convention and the nomi
nees, and was supposed by its supporters to be Democratic.
The contention between the two papers, and the two fac
tions, grew more determined each day. Never in the history
of the county had a campaign been fought with such ani
mosity. A. B. Parsons was the nominee for the office of
Prosecuting Attorney, and P. Lipscomb was the Independ
ent. William E. Talbott was the nominee for sheriff,
opposed by A. C. Mihear, Independent. The hardest fight
was for these offices, but the contest for the others was
bitter in the extreme.
The Democrat labored under disadvantages. Its outfit of
machinery and material was defective and incomplete, and
it found much difficulty in its press work. However, it
kept steadily at Avork for a cause that was plainly losing
ground. The Pioneer, under the editorial management of
C. L. Bowman, grew in circulation and infiuence. Its sub
scribers at this time amounted to over seven hundred, whUe
that of the Democrat was considerably less than half that
number. As the election dreAv near, the excitement rose to fever
heat, and there Avas scarcely a voter in the county who did
not feel a personal interest in the contest. Everybody
seemed waiting and anxious for the final struggle, which, as
they said, must decide whether the convention or the voters
were to be umpire in Tucker County. We are to judge the
justness of the issues by the result; for, in a republican
country, as long as it remains a republic, the majority must
rule. The election came at last ; and the resiUt was an over-
Avhelming rictory for the Independents, the party of the

NEWSPAPEES.

193

Pioneer. That paper, in its succeeding issue, carried its
exultation with a great manifestation of triumph, and dis
played in its columns cuts and representations of the ric-
tors and the vanquished. There were a number of cuts, but
the foUowing reproduction of one of them will give an idea
of their character :

The foUoAring poem was written for the occasion by some
wag, and found its way into the columns of the Pioneer. It
represents, in an allegorical manner, the campaign and the
defeat of the modern Hohenlinden :

13

194 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
BATTLE OF ST. GEOBGE.
Exoritur elamorque virum clangorque tubarum.
In Tucker when the sun was low.
Beside MUl Run's chub-breeding flow,
• There was a rather ghostly show,
A show of dire Immensity.
For, candidates from near and far
Had gathered on the gravel-bar ;
Their faces were as black as tar
With hate and animosity.
With muttering rage they seemed to choke,
And wildly shrieked "amoke ! amoke !*
As fierce the storm with fury broke
Upon the vast menagerie.
Soon they began to whoop and tear.
And grab each other by the hair
And dash them on the ground and swear
In blood-emblazoned revelry.
On high above the battle plain
The gravel stones flew up amain
As thick as fell the iron rain
Upon the hills of Gettysburg.
Then Bowman t looking from his den.
Beheld the awful mess of men.
And Avished that he had never been
, A Tucker County editor.
He gazed about the field of gore
Like Neptune gazed the ocean o'er :
He fainted on the office floor
Lilce Neptune's nephew, Mulciber.
More horrid stiU the battle grew.
They mauled each other black and blue
And tore the very sky in two
Wii/h yells and screams and bellowings.
Some groveled on the gory ground
Amid the thumping thump and pound.
And some went spinning round and round
Like crippled flies and whirligigs.
* A Kaffir word meaning " kUl."
t C. L. Bowman, editor of the Pioneer.

NEWSPAPEES. 195
And some, the little ones they say.
Got kicked in that fantastic fray
Up nearly to the MUky Way,
And twice as high as Jupiter.
And some, the bigger ones 'tis said.
Got whacked and cracked across the head
With broken raUs and slugs of lead
UntU they wailed most balefully.
The middle-sized, the- story runs.
Went whizzing like the powder tuns
At Shipka Pass, when gattling guns
Belched forth their nitro-glycerlne.
Yet, deeper grew the dreadful war,
And woe betide the gravel-bar !
It looked like Conkling while Lemar
Was handling him at Washington.
'Twas dug and heaved in mighty piles,
Like Borneo's volcanic isles.
They heard the rumpus many miles.
They say 'twas heard in Beverly.
But, when the evening sun was down
No candidate was left to frown
In Tucker County's only town ;
They all had perished manfully.
Their blood was hot and they were brave ;
They fought their pickled pork to save ;
They fought for office or their grave
And perished on the gravel-bar.
Then people came Avith faces blank
And hauled them like a load of plank
And dumped them o'er the river bank
While BoAvman sang- their obsequies.
The election was not a surprise; but, it set heavily upon
the defeated candidates. The people throughout the
county seemed to feel relief that it was past. The Pioneer
came out with a "patent side," and the Democrat sus
pended publication, and got out a paper only once in sev
eral weeks, until February 14, 1881, when William M. Cay-

196 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ton arrived to take charge of it. It was now OAvned princi
pally by a stock company, and was in a deplorable condi
tion. Its circulation was very limited, and its press and
type insufficient.
W. M. Cayton was born in Upshur County, West Vir
ginia, 1862 ; moved when very young to Parkersburg, and
thence to Cincinnati, where he remained eight years. He
then returned to Harrison County, West Virginia, and re
mained there four years, part of the time in the office of
the Clarhsbuag News. February 14, 1881, he came to St.
George, and has since edited the Democrat, and has buUt
up the financial condition of the paper to some extent.
The Democrat has passed through many vicissitudes of for
tune. It came to supply a need that was not extensively
felt, and for that reason its support has not been as exten
sive and uniform as its proprietors could Arish. At times,
too, its editorial management has not been excellent, for, at
times, it was not paying property, and a good editor would
not stick to it. In politics it claims to uphold the principles
of Democracy; but, its extreme views, and its uncompro
mising opposition to all who differ from it, have had a ten
dency to build up the Eepublican party in the county, and
its work in that direction, though unintentional on its part,
has been greater than it has to build up the cause of the
Democrats. The party which it represented, the conventionals, car
ried "the election of 1882, and the victory had a tendency to
build up the ca|Use of the Democrat, and placed it on a
firmer footing than it ever was before.
The Pioneer has passed through no such vicissitudes.
Since its first issue it has gone steadily forward, or, at least,
has never retrograded. Its financial success has not been

NEWSPAPEES. 197
immense ; but, it has always been able to keep in the field
without the aid of a stock company — except, at the very
first, when it received some support from indiriduals, aU of
which was paid back as borrowed money. The paper's in
fluence in the county has been permanent. It is independ
ent in poHtics, and has aimed principally to build up the
county, sociaUy and financially.
In February, 1884, it was bought by Hu Maxwell, Cyrus
H. MaxweU and Jeff Lipscomb. Within a few weeks Lips
comb sold his interest to the other members of the firm. In
poHtics it stiU represented no party to the exclusion of
others. The benefit that Tucker County has gained from the two
papers has been considerable. Nearly every family in the
county reads either one or the other of them, and the influ
ence for good must be felt. There is room for the papers
to extend their influence, and they surely will within the
course of a few more years. They should be co-partners
with the schools and churches in guarding and advancing
the public good.

CHAPTER XII.
THE ST. GEORGE BAR.
AiTHOUGH we have no forensic eloquence to rival Henry
and Cicero, yet our county has its legal abiUty, and as such
it is not afraid or ashamed to place it before the State as a
competitor in the courts against the laAvyers from any part
of West Virginia. Our little Court-house has been the
scene of contention, argument and debate, in which not
only our own lawyers, but those from other counties, have
met at the bar, and fought for justice, or parleyed over legal
technicalities. It is not more than is due these gentlemen
that they be given a place in history, to which their pro
fession and labors in the cause of right so undoubtedly and
so justly entitle them. WILLIAM EAVIN.
Hon. WUUam Ewin, of Irish natirity, has, for nearly
forty years, been a lawyer, practicing in Tucker since its
organization, and liriug here for more than ten years
before. His abiUty as a lawyer has long been recognized,
not only in his own county, but in neighboring counties,
and, in a measure, throughout the State. His education
and general intelUgence have made him prominent in his
profession, and he has ever been among the first to investi
gate new subjects and to acquaint himself with them. At
the bar, he would not condescend to unmanly abuse or
resort to chicanery to gain an advantage over a rival. If
he could not succeed by fair, honest and honorable means,
he preferred failure. An honest defeat, with him, was bet-

THE ST. GEOEGE BAE. 199
ter than a dishonest victory. Opponents inj^^arguement and
debate were treated with all the respect of coUeagues. In
this was one of the secrets of his success as a lawyer. It
was known that what he said was uninfluenced by prejudice
or partisanism, and he was taken at his word.
That his legal ability was known and appreciated by the
people of his county is attested by the confidence which
they have ever placed in him. They have bestowed upon
him various offices of trust, feeling fuUy assured that no
scheme of gain or no party preference could influence him
from the field of honor and duty. Confidence placed in him
was by him regarded sacred ; and, in all the official acts of
his Ufe there is not one instance where he departed or de
viated from the course marked out by his sense of honor.
If every bar in the State and country could feel the influ
ence of one or more such men as Senator Ewin, the legal
profession would soon enjoy an elevation above that which
is consequent upon a scramble and contention for gain, no
matter by what means it is to be reached ; there would be
one more step gained in the general cause of advancement,
which is marking the present era in our history and has
marked the eras of the past ; which is separating dignity
and honor from infamy and fraud, and lifting this noble
profession, the noblest, perhaps, of the world, above that
baseness to which the tendency of the age has, at times,
seemed disposed to lower it.
RUFUS MAXWELL.
In the earliest years of Tucker County, Eufus Maxwell
was one of the most active members of the bar. He had
practiced at Weston, in LcAVis - County, before that time,
and had there quite an extensive business. When he came

200 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
to Tucker, it was a part of Eandolph, the separation not
yet having taken place. He was Arith those who worked for
the new county, and when at length, on March 6, 1856, the
Act of the Legislature creating the county was passed, he
was material in assisting to organize the functions of gov
ernment and justice for the new county. OAring to some
imperfections in the Act, this Avas a difficult task, and it re
quired much labor from those who had undertaken it and
who had it to do.
Mr. Maxwell was the first Prosecuting Attorney of Tucker
County, haA'ing been elected in 1856. He held the office
four years, and, in the election of 1860, was re-elected over
Thomas Eummell, who Avas at that time a weU-knoAvn law
yer of our count}'. In 1861, the war came on, and the
affairs of our county were in a bad fix. We were often
under neither Federal nor Confederate government ; but
each claimed jurisdiction over us, and the result was that
at times Ave Avere under rule little better than anarchic.
Officers had no power to execute the functions of their
offices ; and, rather than hold a trust over which they had
not jurisdiction, manj' of our county officers resigned, and
let things take their course, as they Avould anyhoAv. Among
those who thus retired was Eufus Maxwell. He retired not
only from the office of Prosecuting Attorney, but also from
the profession of the laAv. Ifc had grown distasteful to him,
and from that time he had nothing more to do with it.
A. B. PAESONS.
Hon. A. B. Parsons stands before the people principally
as a land and criminal lawyer, although in chancery practice
his business is extensive. He is most successful before a
jury. He has studied Avell the modes of presenting an ar
gument in the most forcible manner, and in this he has

THE ST. GEOEGE BAE. 201
hardly an equal and no superiors in this or the neighboring
counties. In his early Hfe he was a farmer and school teacher ; but,
m 1870, in his twenty-sixth year, he commenced reading
law, and was admitted to the bar at St. George in 1872. In
1876 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney and served four
years, haring succeeded Hon. WiUiam Eahu in the office.
In 1880 he was instrumental in the organization of the
Democratic party in Tucker County. In 1882 he was elected
from Tucker and Eandolph to the Legislature, by sixty-eight
majority over three Democrats and a prominent Eepublican.
The several offices which he has held have not, in a great
measure, kept him from his legal profession, although he
has filled such offices with honor and ability. Scarcely a
case comes before the Court in which he is not a counsel
for one side or the other. His practice extends through
the courts from the bench of the Justice to the Supreme
Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
In the cause of the State against Heath, a well-knoAvn case,
Mr. Parsons was counsel for the defendant, and gained the
suit, which was taken from Tucker to Taylor County. His
first case commenced before a Justice and was decided in
the Circuit Court. In the Supreme Court his practice has
been extensive. His practice extends to the Circuit Courts
in several of the counties of West-Virginia.*
LLOVD HANSFOED.
As a lawyer Mr. Hansford has only a short record, hav
ing so recently entered the profession. But, in his quaUfi
cations he starts none behind his competitors and col-
, leagues at the bar. A scholar of finished education, he be-
*See Brief Biographies.

202 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
gins Arith fewer disadvantages than many Avhose educations
are more limited. He is the only graduate in Tucker
County from the State Normal School, and was our first
graduate from any State school. He graduated in 1879, in
his twenty-second year.
In 1880 he went to Clarksburg and studied law under
Caleb Boggess. After six months he returned to Tucker,
but stiU continued the study of law, and at regular times
returned to Clarksburg to recite to Boggess. On the first
of January, 1884, he received license to practice law, haring
been examined by Judges Boyd, Jacobs and Fleming.*
ii. S. AUVIL.
As a lawyer, L. S. AuvU is only a few months the senior
of Lloyd Hansford, having obtained his license to practice,
in May, 1883, after two years study of the law. He was
examined before Judges Ice, Boyd and Jacobs. He was in
his twenty-ninth year when he obtained Hcense to practice.
He had, before that time, served several years as County
Superintendent of Tucker. Since he entered the profession
of law, he has been successful in every particular, aiid has
been counsel in several important cases. He was at one
time editor of the Tucker County Democrat, which paper he
sold to William Cayton, and turned his attention wholly to
the law. 'I' W. B. MAXWELL.
On August 31, 1874, W. B. Maxwell received license to
practice law, having been examined before Judges C. S.
Lewis, John Brannon and J. S. Huffman. He had been
studying law three years, and had made himself thoroughly
acquainted with the forms and technicalities of the law be-
* For a further sketch of Mr. Hansford see " Brief Biographies."
tSee "Brief Biographies."

W. B. Maxwell,

THE ST. GEOEGE BAE. 203
fore he presumed to enter into the profession. He had
spent several years attending school at Morgantown, Weston
and Clarksburg, and, at that time, was regarded as the most
finely educated man in the county.
Having gained an important case before Justice WiUiam
Talbott, at the first of his professional Hfe — it was his very
first case — he established or won a reputation at once as a
lawyer of abUity. His practice soon became considerable ;
and he foUowed up his first success Arith a series of others,
so that, ere long, he had gained for himself a permanent
practice. He has never particularly studied to become a criminal
laAvyer. It is not to him the most desirable branch of the
profession ; although, in numerous cases which have been
entrusted to him he has proven himself possessed of the
characteristics that go to make up a criminal lawyer of the
first class.
The main set of his inclination is toward civU cases ; and
in this his superior, considering his age, perhaps, cannot be
found in West Virginia.
To understand and bring into practice the principles of
the common law seem natural to him. He has made him
self the master of Blackstone, Kent, Tucker, Minor, Jones,
and other lawyers who have penetrated unexplored fields.
As a speaker he stands pre-eminent. None of his col
leagues surpass him in this. With a clear voice and a dis
tinct articulation, he speaks with a natural earnestness and
force that surpasses all that artificial culture could do. The
juries whom he addresses forget the man in the subject,
and hear not the words so much as the meaning . that is in
them. He never appeals to passion or depends upon mo
mentary excitement for success. He relies uppn sober rea-

204 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
son to decide for him. If, in the course of an address, he
finds that his jury have been placed under the influence of
furor or undue enthusiasm, it is his first study to lead
them back again to a normal mood, then to appeal to their
natural reason and understanding.
No lawyer of Tucker County has, or ever has had, a more
extensive practice than he. His business is large and is
fast increasing in the Supreme Court of Appeals of the
State. In chancery practice he is eminently successful, and
at such business he has no peer at this bar. The suits of
the large land-holders are placed in his hands, and the
party who can secure his services considers himself fortu
nate. He has never aUowed politics to interfere with his
profession, although his political ability is scarcely second
to his abiUty in the law. At the age of thirty, he finds him
self not only at the head of the legal profession of his
county, but also well established in neighboring counties,
and recognized throughout the State.
P. LIPSCOMB.
The present Prosecuting Attorney of Tucker County has
built for himself a business and worked himself into a
practice that speaks plainly of his success in the law. He
is a self-educated man ; and, by his oavu exertions he has
built his OAVU business. He first filled the office of County
iSuperintendent of schools for Tucker County, and reduced
our school system to more order than it was ever in before.
During this time he was zealously prosecuting his study of
the law, and was making good progress. But, it was even
several years before this that he obtained license to practice.
He established himself at St. George, and was the only
lawyer there. Mr. Ewin resided near the town, but not in
it. The town, too, was then much smaller than it is now.

THE ST, GEOEGE BAE. 205
and there was little business done. But, when the term of
Circuit Court came, business grew more lively, and the law
yers found more to occupy them.
Lipscomb did not confine his practice to Tucker County,
even at the first. He practiced in the Maryland Court, at
Oakland, in Garrett County, and had nearly as much bus
iness there as in his own county. His greatest success has
ever been in jury practice. He weU understands the argu
ments that AriU persuade and conrince, and he knows just
to what men each order of argument is most applicable. In
his style of speech he is more practical than theatrical.
He speaks to the point, and is not so patticular as to the
words used. He never fails to arrest and hold the attention
of a jury.
Of course, a lawyer of this kind AriU be more or less suc
cessful in criminal practice ; and, a criminal case seldom
comes before the court that is not represented on one side
or the other by Lipscomb. In the memorable campaign of
1880, he was elected to the office of Prosecuting Attorney,
and held the office four years.*
* see " Brief Biographies " for additional matter on the lawyers of Tucker County.

CHAPTER XIII.
Tra yelers.
Without official records to show that such is the case, it
is stUl safe to say that no county of West Virginia has, in
proportion to its population, furnished more emigrants to
the western country than Tucker has furnished. The rea
son of this may be two-fold. If the first would argue that
our county's resources are not such as inrite development,
the second will make it plain that our people are possessed
with that energy and industry that will search the remotest
corners of a continent for the most favorable openings for
labor. The hUls and valleys of Cheat have furnished scores
ahd hundreds of honest men, who are now building up with
the West. There is hardly a state, probably not a state,
west of the Ohio Eiver that has not inhabitants from
Tucker. These and their descendants, if now brought back
to this county, would probably double its population four
times. Eecently at the golden wedding of Abraham Par
sons, Esq., in the Salinas Valley, CaUfornia, there were
present one hundred persons Avho, or whose parents, were
from Tucker. Nearly all of them belonged to the Parsons
family, and had left Cheat Eiver witMn the past twenty
years. Yet, this is only an instance that could be equaled
by other states.
It is not the plan of ' these chapters to deal at length Avith
Tucker's people now in distant states ; but, as it is intended
to give a history of our people, it seems proj)er to make
mention of those who have taken up their residence else
where. But such mention must be brief, and will be con-

TEAVELEES. 207
fined to those only who are particularly remembered here,
or to those whose travels and adventures claim especial
attention. It is clearly to be seen that, as travelers and
adventurers, the principal characters are found in the Mi
near, Parsons, Harper and Bonnifield families. It wiU
likewise be noticed that Tucker County's travelers traveled
for the most part over the Western States and California ;
but some have been in the West Indies, Mexico, South
America and the South Sea Islands, as Avell as in British
America and on the Alaskan coast.
Of the travelers of Tucker, none are more extensively
known than Abe Bonnifield. He has been a traveler aU his
Hfe, although he has never been in foreign countries but
once. It is estimated that he has ridden on horseback
seventy-five thousand miles. More than enough to take
him round the world three times. He was born in 1837, on
Horse Shoe Eun, and has considered that his home ever
since. As is well known to all who will be likely to read
this book, he was born without legs. He learned self-loco
motion as young as other children ; and when he was quite
small, he could run and ride and swim as well as any of the
boys of the neighborhood. His early life ran quiet ; and
during the winter he attended school, and in the summer
trained pet crows to stand on one foot, and harnessed liz-
zards and cra'wfish together to see v/hicli could pull the
hardest. At school, he led his classes, particularly in math
ematics, in which, like his father. Dr. Arnold Bonnineld, he
was very apt.
It is not the purpose to give a lengthy account of his life;
since he has been for years engaged upon his autobiogra
phy, and the book will probably be published soon. These
chapters have particularly in view the collecting of material

208 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
that seems likely soon to be lost or forgotten ; and, as Mr.
Bonnifield vrill publish all that relates to himself, it appears
unnecessary to give a very full account here. He has given
the Avriter access to his manuscripts, ahd from them the
facts here given have been mostly taken.
He remained at home till his twentieth year, except an
occasional visit through the eastern and western counties
of West Virginia. He began to be moved by a desire for
travel. He thought of Missouri, then considered a far
western country ; and on January 13, 1856, he left the home
of his childhood and went forth into the Avide world. His
brother David accompanied him. They went to Wheeling,
thinking to pass down the Ohio Eiver, thence up the
Mississippi and Missouri. While they were making ar
rangements for the descent, they met Mr. A. J. Mayo, who
was the manager of a traveling show that was famous in its
day. He prevailed on the two Bonnifield boys to accom
pany him. This seemed a fair chance to see the world, and
Bonnifield accepted it, and gave up the project of going
doAvn the Ohio Eiver. From Wheeling, the show went to
Zanesrille, and from Zanesville to Newark, and from New
ark to Columbus. By this time Bonnifield began to get
tired of being hauled about in truck wagons. Accordingly,
he deserted the shoAv, and spent some time trapping musk-
rats along the rivers, and was nearly down to Cincinnati
on the Little Miami. But, at Columbus he joined another
show and was ready for more trundling about. This time
he was with Carbin and Denoon's Indian Troup. He
traveled up and down over almost every mile of Ohio, and
then passed into Indiana, and visited aU the principal
places in that state. He was not favorably impressed with
the people whom he met there, if Ave may judge from his

TEAVELEES. 209
letters and journal Avritten on the ground. AVhen he got
into Michigan he began to be more favorably impressed
with the country and people.
The main feature of the show Avas the Indians. They
soon became fast friends with Bonnifield, and would do
whatever he told them to. By taking advantage of this, he
created a big disturbance in camp one night. The Indians
were lounging about on their blankets, some asleep and
others not, when he offered three cents to one if he would
bite the chief's toe off. The chief was asleep, but his toe
protruded from under the blanket. The Indian snapped it
up in his teeth, and probably would have gotten it off if the
chief had not happened to awake at that moment, and set
up a terrible yelling and flouncing about so that he pulled
loose from the Indian's teeth. The fight became general,
and the war-whoops rang through the town until the people
thought the world must be coming to an end.
He passed over into Canada, and Meandered up and down
over that desolate wilderness of pine trees. Canada was at
that time a great rendezvous for negroes who had escaped
from slavery in the United States. Small colonies of these
runaways were found at intervals throughout that country.
It was a bad place for them. The land was poor and the
Arinters were long and cold. The negroes were not pros
pering. They were too lazy to AVork much, and were trying
to make a liring by manufacturing soda from ashes. They
lived in miserable log huts, and poverty and forsakenness
was written on every door, and Avas visible about the prem
ises everywhere. " Hello there ! " said Bonnifield to an old
negro who was trying to hoe his patch of corn, that was
hardly knee-high at the middle of August. " Hello there !
you old black scalawag, don't you wish you were back in
14

210 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Virginia tAvisting tobacco for your grub?" The negro
' looked up and seemed to be startled ; then leaning lazUy on
his hoe-handle, he answered with a sigh : "' Deed I does''
Bonnifield got tired of show-life, and came home. His
father Avas then clerk of the Circuit and County Courts of
Tucker, and Abe took charge of the office. He was at this
employment Avlien the war commenced. He sympathized
Avith the South ; but, he remained at his business io St.
George until it began to be unsafe there for a southern man
Avho made no secret of his opinions. On Monday morning,
June 10, 1861, just after daylight, about forty Yankees came
galloping into St. George, and rummaged through the town
in search of Eebel flags. They found one, or claimed they
did, and Avith it returned in triumph to Eowlesburg. Bon
nifield Avas charged Avith having something to do with the
flag, and he Avas warned by friends that he was not safe.
The next Ave hear of him he Avas in the South, accompanied
by George and Bax Kalar, AVilliam Talbott and other
Tucker County boys.
He remained in the war till the last gun was fired, and
then did not surrender, but escaped on horseback from the
Valley of Virginia, and when the fighting was at an end he
came home. The whole four years that he Avas in the army
was one continued succession of adventures and dashing
marches. He Avas regarded as among the very best riders
in the Confederate cavalry. His weight Avas about seventy
pounds; and being thus light, his horse, which was a power
ful one, was about the last to give out when it came to a
long raid or a long retreat. He remained for the most part
inthe VaUey of Virginia; but he was frequently in other
parts. He accompanied the Imbodens in some of their
memorable raids. As he Avas always in the very front in

TEAVELEES. 211
every kind of adventure, he was often in the hottest part of
the battle, and in the foremost rank ef the charging col
umns. If he was cut off from his men, and in danger of
being shot, he would throw himself from his horse, hang by
his hand to the horn of the saddle on the side least exposed
to the enemy's fire, guide his horse Arith the otlier hand,
and thus escape. In the tumult of the battle the foe would
not notice but that the horse was riderless ; and thus he
often dashed through the very lines of the enemy unseen.
Such was the strength of his arms that he could hang by
them for an hour without very great fatigue.
He was in front of the pursuit that chased Hunter, and
was among the few, who, after a terrible night of marching
through the wilderness, got in front of the flying army, and
gave them the check which well nigh resulted fatally to the
Federals. Bonnifield was not in the battle of Gettysburg ; but he
joined Lee's army in its retreat before it reached the Poto
mac, and was with it a fcAv days. He went back to the
VaUey, and was there when General Early, who had been
sent to Lynchburg to drive Hunter out, came down the
Valley. He joined Early, and the fifteen thousand men
moved off toward the Potomac, and chased General Sigel
over the river into Maryland. Early set out for Washing
ton, and got wi^in five miles of the city, when he was
obliged to retreat. Thus, Bonnifield was one of the fifteen
thousand Eebels who got near enough to see the flag on the
' Capitol at Washington, and got away. He escaped back
to the Valley of Virginia.
When the war ended, Bonnifield returned to Horse Shoe
Eun, where he has lived ever since, although he has trav
eled some since then. He visited Washington a few years

212 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
ago to press his claim for payment for cattle carried off by
Union soldiers during the war. He spent some time at the
National Capital, and had the satisfaction of seeing how
near he had come to taking it during the war.
He has a horse on which he has ridden nearly forty
thousand miles. The horse is still liring, and is now
(1884) over twenty years of age. This horse and its
rider are known all over the eastern part of the State ; and
they have been out of the State more than five hundred
times in the last twelve years. A fuU history of Abe Bon
nifield will probably soon be published ; and it AriU surely
be an interesting volume.
Several of the Bonnifields have been extensive travelers,
although their most beaten path is to and from California.
Mr. A. T. Bonnifield and his two sons, Henry and WiUiam,
are not now residents of Tucker, but they formerly were,
and their frequent risits to their old home make them well
known here. They have been not only extensive, but romantic
travelers. A. T. Bonnifield, a cousin of Dr. Arnold Bonni
field, as weU as a namesake, lived on Horse Shoe Eun until
he was twenty-one years of age. He married a daughter
of William Corrick, Esq., of Corrick's Ford, after whom
the battle of Corrick's Ford is named. In 1859, the CaU
fornia excitement took a fresh start in Tucker, and quite a
number of the young men emigrated to the new State.
Bonnifield was among the number. With his wife and three
children, accompanied by John Minear, they saUed from
New York for Panama. After buying his tickets for San
Francisco, Bonnifield had just forty dollars left. This was
a small sum with which to go into a strange country ; but
it would have to do ; and, Avhen all were on board, the
steamer passed from the harbor out into the Atlantic.

TEAVELEES. 213
The ship was soon out of sight of land, and then came on
the dreaded sea-sickness, which none can-linderstand with
out experiencing. The first night was probably the most
terrible ,to the emigrants who had never been to sea before.
They lay about the decks as helpless as dead people ; and
no doubt some would nearly as lief have been dead. The
officers and crew of the ship took Httle more notice of the
passengers who lay retching, than to roll them in heaps to
get them more out of the way. A person when enduring
sea-sickness wUl not and cannot hold up his head, and can
not help himself. For this reason the crew of the ship were
much bothered to drag the helpless passengers out of the
way. Bonnifield was among the sickest. He lay upon the deck
in great agony aU night. Men with lanterns came to him,
and dragged him to the end of the ship and piled him up
vrith the rest of the sea-sick. There he lay till morning.
AVhen it was day, he roused up, and thought he could eat
some fruit. He felt for his money. It was gone. ,He had
been robbed, probably by the men who had come to him
with the lanterns.
The situation in which he found himself roused him from
his sickness, and he told his Avife that he had been robbed
of every cent. He was, indeed, in a hard fix. He had not
enough money to buy a dinner when he shoiUd land in San
Francisco, and a wife and three children were on his hands.
It was an unpleasant situation to be placed in ; but, he did
what he could to recover his money. He saw a sneaking
looking feUow on the ship, and he was struck by the
thought that the fellow had his money. So he ran
to the Captain and had him search the scoundrel, who
protested that he never robbed anybody. But the

214 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Captain searched him. Nothing was found to prove
that he had stolen the money, and he was turned loose.
Bonnifield wanted all the people on the ship searched ; but
the Captain would not do it, and thus that part of the mat
ter ended.
Bonnifield never got his money. However, he found
means of making some money. He had taken on board a
barrel of apples at New York, and he now exposed them for
sale at ten cents each. The people, who were beginning to
recover from their sea-sickness, bought the apples as fast
as they could get them. They brought in a quantity of
change; About this time a stand of bees on the ship got
destroyed ; and Bonnifield bought the honey, and peddled
it over the ship for twenty-five cents a mouthful. It sold
fast, and he quickly disposed of his stock and reaUzed a
handsome profit.
When he reached San Francisco he had barely enough
money to pay his way a few miles into the country. He
went to work, and gradually accumulated money enough to
buy a farm. But, the farm's title not being good, he lost
his money. However, he went to work at the bottom
again, and in the course of a few years Avas again com
fortably situated. Thus he lived for seven years. His wife
having died, he took charge of his chUdren and kept them
together for several years.
In 1867 he determined to re-visit West Virginia. He em
barked at San Francisco for New York. Instead of cross
ing the Isthmus of Panama, he crossed through Nicaragua,
in Central America, and took a steamer on the eastern side
for New York.
When the ship drew near the shore on the West side of
Nicaragua, a cannon was fired as a signal of approach.

TEAVELEES. 215
This was to give the natives notice in time for them to
bring their ponies to the landing. It was twelve miles
across the isthmus, and the passengers and freight had to
be carried by land. The ship-company paid all these ex
penses. There was no railroad, as there was at Panama ;
but there was a good wagon-road. The women and chil
dren were carried across in ambulances that were formerly
used in the United States during the war, but had been
bought by the ship-company and taken to Nicaragua, to be
used as stages. ^Che men might also ride in these coaches
if they Hked ; but they were given their choice of two
modes of crossing. They might ride in the ambulances or
on the ponies of the natives, which were hired for the pur
pose. The majority of them chose to ride on the ponies.
The natives were Indians, and kept the ponies on their
ranches near about the harbor. They Avere glad to make a
few cents by hiring their ponies to the ship-company for
the use of the passengers. They knew about what day the
ship would be there, and kept their animals near at hand.
Each one was anxious to get his pony used in crossing, for
if he did not, he got no pay.
So, when the ship was approaching the shore, the cannon
was fired to call the Indians doAvn to the beach. Ih a few
minutes they were seen coming over the hills from the north,
south and east. They were coming in a sweeping gallop,
every one trying to be first at the landing, to be sure of
getting his donkey a rider.
When the ship landed at the dock, the Indians Avere
massed around it like a besieging army. Each one Avas en
deavoring io impress upon some passenger the necessity of
hiring that particular pony, and the jargon, pow-AvoAv and
chattering was entirely characteristic of the assembly.

216 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
The donkeys were white, and looked not much larger
than sheep. The passengers thought it impossible that an
animal so small could bear the weight of a man, and so
Avere not much inclined to accept one in preference to the
ambulance-carts. But, the officers of the ship assured the
passengers that the ponies would carry them aU right, and
then the bargaining began. As said, the ship-company paid
for the animals ; so, the passengers' only care Avas to select
as good a one as they could. Every native insisted that his
was the best ; and thus the trading ran high.
Meanwhile, Bonnifield was busy getting his family started
off in the ambulances ; so, when he turned about to engage
a pony, he found that aU the best of them were taken, and
that none but poor or fractious ones were left. He had to
take one of these, or none. He took one. It was small,
lean, bony and looked like the refuse of aU that is vile and
wretched in Central America. The rest of the men were
already mounted on the more prepossessing of the donkeys,
and were ready to move off as soon as the word of com
mand should be given. Bonnifield took in the situation at
a glance and saw that he was in danger of being left ; for he
was certain that his bony beast Avould ncA'er keep up with
the others. But, he had no time to hunt another, and aU
that was left for him to do was to make the best use of his
means. ,
So, picking up a heavy club, he mounted the pony, ready
to start Avith the others, whether he could keep up or not.
" What are you going to do with that club ?" yelled the In
dian Avho owned the animal, running up and flourishing his
fist as though about to strike. " I'm going to knock a whole
side of ribs out of this brute if he don't keep up with the
rest. That's what I'm going to do. Do you understand

TEAVELEES. 217
that ?" Bonnifield gave the Indian this answer, and told
him to stand in the background or he would get a little to
start with.
The Indian took the hint and retu-ed; and Bonnifield
held to his club, for he was determined not to be left in
that AvUd country, and was not in a very good humor any
way. His donkey was so small that the rider's feet almost
dragged the ground.
The word to start was given just as the sun was going
down. Immediately the whole cavalcade was one of com
motion and excitement. The two or three hundred ponies
that the passengers feared would not be able to carry them
across, were now plunging up the road at a sweeping gaUop,
every one trying to lead the way. The smallest and most
bony seemed more fiery and impetuous than those which
had been first chosen. The weakest was fuUy strong enough
to carry a man as fast as he cared to go.
Bonnifield was soon convinced that he had no need of a
club. His donkey was so impetuous that he had to drop
his cudgel and sieze the bridle with both hands.
The road led through hUls and vales, covered with the
luxurient vegetation of the Torrid Zone. Cocoanut trees
stood thick along the way ; and bamboos and reeds formed
a dense copse. It was a splendid ride that evening. The
sun went down before they had gone a mile ; but this only
increased the beauty of the evening. It got cooler, and the
cavalcade thundered on up the road. At times they halted
by the wayside to buy sugar, fruit and nuts of the natives,
who had buUt little stores every mile or two. Several of
the store-keepers were negroes who had come from the
United States, and had settled in that unhospitable country
for the purpose of trading with travelers.

218 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
Bonnifield rode forward with the others tiU awhUe after
dark. The fruit and sugar that he had eaten caused such
thirst that he tried at each store to get a drink; but no water
was at hand, and the shop-keepers were too busy to fetch
any, so he rode on. Presently the road turned down a ra
vine, and far below in the wilderness and darkness the rip
pling of water could be heard. He said that he must have
a drink, live or die. He was told that the woods were full
of beasts and venomous snakes, and he would run great risk
in going down in the dark. But he would not be pursuaded.
Giving the rein of his pony to a companion to hold, he
scrambled down the hiU. He could hear the water bubbling
and was guided by the noise. It was too dark to see any
thing. The weeds and thorns were so thick that he had to
part them with his hands, and scramble over the tops, and
pitch and fall, and slip and sUde ; but at last he reached the
water and lay down and drank. The water was cool, and
when his thirst was allayed, he rose up Arith satisfaction
and was preparing to start up the hiU. But just then a lion
sprang out the thicket and roared. Bonnifield's hair stood
on end with fright, and he leaped sheer ten feet oVer the
tops of briers, brush and rocks, up against the bluff, and
thence on to the road above, where he mounted his donkey,
and bid an, adieu forever to the wild beasts of Central
America. In an hour longer the travelers reached the Eio San Juan
del Sur, where boats awaited to carry them down to the sea
coast. The passage down the river was one of romance
and magnificence, and is described as one of the finest in
the world. The banks of the stream were covered with
groves of tropical trees, and flowers always in bloom.
There is no winter there. Birds with feathers bright as

TEANELEES. 219
gold and sUver fly among the trees, and monkeys chatter
amid the thickets of bamboos. Basking in the sun along
the water's edge, huge alligators could be seen stretching
their ugly carcasses. It was along this river several years
before that Capt. E. Harper had so many adventures shoot
ing alligators and chasing Arild beasts and fighting the wUd
Indians. When the sun was risen on the morrow, the passengers
were embarked on boats, and moved gayly off down the
river and across the bay. There was a considerable convoy,
and it must have looked Uke an army to the Indians who
stood on the shores and gaz^d wonderingly at the grand
procession of boats as it moved peacefuUy over the shining
water. "Get in the boat, you land-lubber!" yelled one of
the sailors to Bonnifield who was washing his feet by let
ting them drag along through the water, over the gunwale.
"Get in the boat, or the alHgators will pepper your hash."
Thus warned, he hauled his feet aboard ; and lookine into
the water, he could see hideous monsters swimming along
under the boat, waiting for somebody to fall overboard.
When the deep water was reached, the passengers went
aboard a steamship and stood off for New York. The pas
sage was rough ; but aU safely landed there, and Bonnifield
soon reached Tucker. He remained there over a year, vis
iting in the mean time Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and lUinois,
whUe his children attended school. He owned the horse
on which Abe Bonnifield has since ridden tens of thousands
of miles.
In 1868, he returned to California, haring married in
Tucker a daughter of Job Parsons, Esq. In 1881 he again
visited the East, and spent the summer in West Virginia
and Kentucky. He now resides in California.

CHAPTER XIV.
TRA YELERS— CONTINUED.
Capt. Ezekiel Haepee was born November 28, 1823.
His father was Adam Harper whose sketch has been given
in a former chapter. Energy and adventure is a character
istic of the famUy ; and of none more than of the subject of
the present sketch. His early life was spent on the home
farm, and the stir and commotion of the wide world was aU
a blank to him. The narrow, but beautiful vaUey of Clover
was the field of his youthful adventures, and it was there
that he grew to manhood, every inch of him a man. His
constitution was of iron, and his wiU succumbed only to
the impossible.
From his earUest years he was an attentive and extensive
reader; and he kept himself posted on aU poUtical ques
tions, and on aU the issues that the press brought before
the people. When he became a man, the VaUey of Clover
became too narrow for him, and he began to think of new
fields. Thus it was when the Mexican War came on. He
had always had a desire to see the southern and western
countries ; and this seemed the best opportunity that had
been presented.
There was no movement made in Tucker to organize a
company; but, in Barbour, Col. Henry Sterms mustered a
company and held them ready for service. Harper joined
the company ; and as far as can now be ascertained, he was
the only man from Tucker who did.
He waited anxiously for the call for his company to take

TEAAnElLEES. 221
the field. The newspapers were filled Arith accounts from
the seat of war. He read of the fight at Matamoras, at
Monterey ; of the rout of Santa Anna from the gorges of
Buena Vista, of the faU of Einggold at Palo Alto. The
battles of Eesaca de la Pahna, SaltiUo, Cerro Gorge and
Contreas passed off, and stiU no orders came for the com
pany to take the field. The President had caUed for fifty
thousand volunteers, and the call had been responded to by
over three hundred thousand. So, there were many men
who, Hke Harper, were waiting Arith more or less impatience
for a caU to arms. The war, although yet waged to the
extremest limit of vengeance and national hatred, was plainly
draAring to a close. Mexico was going down ; and defeat
on defeat and rout on rout hurried her doom. The roar of
the cannon had died on the field of Churusbusco ; and, the
greatest and last, the storming of Chapultepec ended
the war.
Harper was uncaUed. It was a disappointment ; but it
came on him graduaUy, and he continued working on the
farm, and dealing in cattle.
But a new and more romantic field of adventure was
opening for him. Scarcely had the Merican War closed,
when the discovery of gold, at Sutter's MiUs, in California,
fiUed the country with excitement. Those who can remem
ber, know how the land was filled with wild stories of gold
in exhaustless stores, and how the rumors ran from ocean
to ocean, and adventurers risked everything in their efforts
to be first and foremost on the ground. Those who cannot
remember, probably wUl never know. It was an epoch in
the world's history, in the history of America, and in the
annals of Tucker County. It did not work such lasting
changes as the Crusades or the French Eevolution ; but its

222 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
chapges arid results have left a stamp on the chronicles of
America that wUl endure for ages to come. There has
never been in the world anything else like it.
In the great rush for the gold diggings, people came from
every part of the world. Tucker, although a small territory,
then not so much as a distinct county, sent not a few.
Perhaps no county in America, of riot a greater popiUatiori,
has furnished as many emigrants to CaUfornia as Tucker
has. It has sent them from the very first ; and they have
generally been among the best of our citizens. Our own
wealth and resources have only recently become known ;
and, heretofore, people of enterprise could see in our nar
row valleys and rugged hiUs little to inrite exertion or to
promise return for capital invested. From this cause, the
most ambitious and energetic of our people, in former days,
looked to farther and wider fields in which to contend in
fortune's arena. Our timber was then next to valueless,,
and our vast coal regions were then not supposed to be
Avorth the taxes.
It was on account of this that so many men of ambition
and ability went west and south and north, or just any
place where there was encouragement to put forth exertion.
The tide has now turned, and is setting toward instead of
from us. Instead of the poorest, we have one of the rich
est counties in the State. But this was not known when the
rumors from California were alluring away so many of our
young men.
Gold was discovered in California in 1848. The news
soon spread from state to state, and it reached West Vir
ginia and Tucker County the same year. None haUed the
ncAvs more gladly than Mr. Harper, who stiU remembered
his disappointment in not getting to go to the Mexican

TEAVELEES. 223
War, and was waiting for an opportunity to try something
else of the s«me nature. Not a day was lost. He and A.
P. Minear, of St. George, were the first to go. But Harper
was the first. Minear went by water in 1849. Harper
started in 1848, and wintered in Iowa. So anxious was he
to get to the mines that he braved every danger in crossing
the plains. Iowa was then on the fi'ontier. Between there
and California was a wide, desert plain, and the almost im
passable Eocky and Sierra Nevada mountains. Then it
was an unknown country. A few explorers and adventurers
had crossed, and a few small military posts, scattered at
immense distances apart, served as the only evidence of
civUized man. Large bands of wild and warlike Indians
infested the region beyond the Missouri Eiver, and were
ever ready to fall upon any who should come into their
country. Early in the spring of 1849, Harper joined a train of ad
venturers and passed up the Platte Eiver, and crossed the
Eocky Mountains. A full journal of the company, with all
that happened from day to day, would fill too much space
here. Nothing of special importance took place. The
routine of camp life, and traveling incidents Avere the same
or similar from day to day. They drove ,ox teams, hitched
to ponderous wagons. There were no graded roads. On
the plains they needed none ; but, in the mountains it was
often next to impossible to proceed. Sometimes they would
let their wagons down mountains by ropes and pulleys. Or,
they would fell trees, tie them by the tops to the hind axle
of the wagons, and the stiff limbs, thus plowing in the
ground, aUowed the wagons to descend slowly.
Along the Humboldt it was a wUd, desert country. The
hills had no water, trees, grass or shrubs. The vaUeys be-

224 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
tween the hiUs were barren and lifeless, and were often
covered Arith salt and alkali. '
AVhen the emigrants reached this region, their progress
became slower than before. They could find little forage
for their cattle, and at times water was not to be had. The
Indians, too, were ever hovering over the way, and none
could feel safe, unless traveling in large companies. This
served to keep the trains together, and, of course, made it
harder to find things for the cattle to eat. It was probably
the most distressing portion of aU the journey ; and it was
there, amid the rocky hUls and alkaline plains, that many
an adventurous man has found the termination of his
wanderings. These delays and perplexities were not endureable to a
man of Harper's ambition and determination. He was too
anxious to be first upon the Californian gold fields to be
bothering with lazy ox teams and trundling carts, when the
bourne of his dreams was only three or four hundred mUes
away, was not his nature. He had staid back, and endured
the slow traveling until he reached the Sinks of the Hum
boldt Eiver, that mysterious land where a river sinks in
the sand, and aU trace of it is lost. Here he expressed his
determination to proceed in advance of the emigrants.
They tried to persuade him from it, and pointed out the
great dangers that would beset him if traveling alone through
that Avild and uncivUized country. But, like M'Cleland, he
said that he could take care of himself. He shouldered his
rifle and knapsack and struck forward alone into the rugged
hUls and snowy mountains. The huge crest of the Sierras
lay before him, towering white and ponderous toward the
sky, and presenting a wall against the world beyond. It
was a fatal region, and few men could have crossed it alone.

TEAVELEES. 225
The Indians had made paths through the ravines and
gorges, and bears and panthers had tramped a trail over the
ridges. These, the stars and sun, and a slight knowledge of
the geography of the rivers, were his only guides. At day
he plodded slowly along among rocks and bowlders, or over
wide plains, covered with a crust of salt, or alkaline dust,
and across desert prairies, where even the wild Indians sel
dom would venture. At night he would creep into a hole
in the rocks and sleep. Sometimes wolves would hoAvl at
him, and bears would stop to look at him ; but from mercy
or fear, they did not molest him.
The way up the Sierra Navadas was, like the Alps were
to Napoleon, "barely possible." He Avound his way from
ridge to ridge and from sumiriit to summit. Sometimes the
drifts of snow blockaded his path, or a deep ravine forced
him to go miles out of his way. But stUl he went forward,
and at last, after days of climbing and Avandering among the
rocks and snows of centuries, he reached the last summit,
and CaUfornia lay before him. Behind him, for hundreds
and hundreds of miles, stretched the dead plains of Nevada
and Utah, over which he had passed. It seemed that his
journey was almost over. He was on the borders of Cali
fornia, the Land of Promise to him. As he stood there, in
the bright sun and keen air of that afternoon, amid ever
lasting snows, he looked afar down upon the rolling hills
'and boundless plains that lay like an ocean before him, aud
¦ thought of the throngs that were then drifting thither from
all parts of the earth to share in the rich harvest of golden
sands. He was one of the most adventuresome of all. He
was a young man, buoyant with all the hopes and ambitions
of youth, and the ransacked Avorld had no impossibilities
for him. He would yield to none in the general race for
15

226 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
wealth and romance. He counted himself, as he stood
alone' on the bleak summit of that icy mountain, even then
a conqueror. And he was; for many a hero would have
failed where he had triumphed.
But the end of his journey was not yet. Down, down,
down, over mountains, compared with which the AUegha
nies are molehills, he must go before he would reach the
mines of gold.
He traveled nine days alone, and' ate only coffee and
crackers. At the end of that time he reached Placerville,
then a small mining camp called Hangtown. He came to
the camp late in the evening, without money or anything
to eat. He Avent without his supper because he had noth
ing Avith Avliich to buy it, and slept on the ground for the
want of a bed. The mines were just then opening, and
tliere v/ere not many miners in the country. He knew not
where to get his breakfast the next morning, and with that
problem perplexing him, he walked up and down the camp,
and came to a small creek where some Spaniards Avere dig
ging gold. He stopped to look at them. The gold was in
fine grains, mixed through the sand and gravel, and was
separated by Avashiug and shaking it. It was a simple
process, and when Harper had watched it awhile, he con
cluded that he could do it.
He Avent to the camp of a trader and borrowed a pick
and pan, and set to work digging gold to get money to buy
his breakfast. He succeeded so well that by nine o'clock
he thought he had enough to x^ay for some crackers, and
carried it to the trader AA'ho paid him six dollars for it, and
offered him his breakfast free. But the latter part of the
offer Avas declined hj Harper who paid for the meal from
the proceeds of his morning's work.

TEAVELEES. 227
He remained at Placeville only long enough to earn a
few hundred dollars, and then he proceeded to Colonra, on
the South Fork of American Eiver. Here he was offered
five thousand doUars to work on a saw-mill one year ; but
he decUned the offer, saying that he came to California to
dig gold, not to chop logs.
We next find him at Eectors, on the Middle Fork of
American Eiver. He and five others put in the first flume
ever built on that river for mining purposes. They took a
river claim that promised to yield abundantly, and made
extensive preparations to open their mines. But winter
was now at hand, and the annual rains commenced. They
worked some in the rain, and waited for it to cease ; but it
rained nearly constantly. The waters got so high that all
mining had to stop. He was now out of employment, and
began to wish that he had taken the contract on the mill.
But he would not be discouraged. He bought a rifle and
hunted deer to supply the miners with meat. This paid
very weU, since venison brought an enormous price in the
diggings. This was the upper camp on that river ; and
during the winter the Indians were troublesome. They
killed several men, and broke up some of the camps. The
miners organized for their defense, and a general frontier
war was the result.
Now commenced Captain Harper's record as a war scout.
He soon became known to be a skillful woodsman, and a
daring leader, and the camps placed him in command of
their fighting force. His band was small ; but the men
were picked from the chivalry of thirty states, and they
knew what it was to be brave. He had the confidence of
his men and he was not afraid to trust them. The Indians
came down from the mountains and killed people, and fled

228 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
back to their strong holds. It was difficult and dangerous
to pursue them and hunt them out, and they went unpun
ished for sometime. But when Harper took command of
the forces, the tables were soon turned. The Indians had
attacked three miners, and killed one. Two were wounded
and carried off as prisoners into the mountains.
Harper coUected his men as soon as he heard the rumor
of what had been done, and by daylight he was in hot pur
suit. The savages were making for the mountains to their
dens, where they had been accustomed to hide. They, no
doubt, expected to get away as they had done before ; but
they had a different man to deal Avith. Harper pressed
forward with all speed, and forced them upon a flying re
treat over the long, barren ridges that skirt the plains of
the American Eiver. They found that he did not turn back
for rocks and cUffs. They then shaped their course for the
stupendous mountains in the distance, where the snow lay
deep on the ground. They evidently calculated that he
would stop at the edge of the snow. But he had seen snow
before, and it was nothing more in his way than it was in
theirs. Eather, it was a help, for it enabled him to follow
them without spending time in searching out the traU.
They now realized what kind of man they had to deal
with, and they were at their wit's ends how to dodge him
or to draw him into an ambuscade. There was nothing
left for them but to run for their lives, and they had little
time to decide upon it. It was now late at night. The
pursuit had continued all day, Arith only rest long enough
to eat twice. The Indians, as near as could be ascertained,
had not eaten or rested at all. The snow was two feet
deep, but in riearly all places it would bear the weight of a
man. There was no difficulty in following the savages, and

TEAVELEES. 229
it could be noticed that something was being gained. The
fact was, they were the hardest put to it to keep away any
longer. They were never before pursued by a man who
hung on Arith such bull-dog determination. Others were
accustomed to foUow to the rocks, or probably to the snow,
but there they turned back. But there was no turn back
in the present case, and the Indians found it so to their
sorrow ; for late at night they left their prisoners, and sep
arated in as many ways as there were Indians, which, of
course, ended the pursuit.
The two wounded men were picked up, more dead than
aUve. The party returned to camp, which they reached the
next evening.
By this time Harper was considered the leading scout in
aU that country ; and he was kept constantly on duty. He
roamed among the hiUs and was sure to discover the traU of
any Indians who should go toward the mining camps.
They hated him, and would have kiUed him on sight, if
they had not been afraid to undertake it. He was a splen
did shot Arith a rifle, and it was risky work for the Indian
who would venture within two hundred yards of him. They
sometimes tried to sHp in at night ; but he would always
prevent it.
It had been a rainy week on the American Eiver, late in
the winter of 1849, and the miners had remained for the
most part in their tents, amusing themselves with cards or
other games. But the rain brought no rest for Harper.
He was kept on scout duty all the time. He soon had
searched the country for miles around ; and, in a deep val
ley, some seven mUes from the mining camps, he found the
den of the Indians. He reconnoitred and found them a
arge band. Toward sunset he started to camp to report,

230 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and as he proceeded, he fell upon a trail running in the
direction of his camps. The thought struck him that the
Indians meant mischief, and he determined to follow them
and hunt out their designs. He had not far to go till he
espied them huddling around their fire. He took another
path, and reached the mining camp about nine o'clock at
night. He found everything in uproar and confusion among the
miners. News had been received that the Indians had faUen
upon a camp of traders, near by but on the opposite side
of the river. The river was too much swoUen for safe cross
ing, and the traders on one side and the miners on the
other were accustomed to talk each day across the stream.
On that day, when the miners went down to the river to talk
across, they saAV no traders, but instead they saw a band of
Indians tearing down the traders' tents, and breaking
open their goods. When the news was carried to camp, it
threw all into excitement, and some were in favor of re
treating toward Sacramento and others wanted to fortify
the camp and fight it through.
In the midst of this commotion Harper arrived, and re
ported that he had seen a camp'of the enemy not far off.
He was in for an immediate attack, but some opposed him.
But he collected his thirty men, and armed them for a
double-quick march upon the camp of the enemy.
At midnight he started with his thirty men, and picked
his way through the tangled thickets of snow-brush and
manzanita that covered the hillsides. It was a dark night,
land the progress was slow and tedious. The Indian camp
was four miles distant, and so rough was the way that it was
not reached till day-break. Harper had planned to sur
round it so that none of the savage wretches could break

TEAVELEES. 231
away. He sent his men by several paths to come up on
different sides of the encampment ; and he went up directly
in front with four men. He got near enough to count five
Indians. He waited for the rest of his party to get into
position ; but when he had grown somewhat impatient with
waiting, he saw his party on a distant hill, l^hey had taken
the wrong path and had lost their way. He determined to
make the attack anyhow. He whispered to his men to fire
when he should have raised his gun. They did so. The
almost instantaneous report of five guns proclaimed that
five Indians were in eternity. None were left in the camp.
AU Avere kiUed. In the camp was found some of the plun
der taken from the traders. Harper's band then crossed
the river, and attacked the other gang of savages, and
utterly routed them, not even allowing them time to carry
off their plunder.
These skirmishes acted as" a damper upon the Indians.
They-found themselves unable to cope with the men of the
mines. Harper soon beset them in their camp seven miles
'away, in the hidden valley, and they were beaten out, and
chased pell-mell up and down the hills, and were given no
place to rest. They were kept upon the trot day and night,
and finally they broke up into small bands and fled to the
mountains of the North, far beyond the limits of the mines.
This ended the Indiar war of 1849, in that section.
In the spring of 1850, E. Harper's^ two brothers, Thad
deus and Jerome, arrived in California, and the three worked
in the mines that year. They then went to Santa Clara
VaUey and bought a farm. Thaddeus and Jerome re
mained on the farm ; but Ezekiel returned to the mines and
worked till December, 1851. He then sailed from San
Francisco for New York. He stopped in Central America,

232 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
and spent sometime hunting, and shooting alligators, liz-
zards and large snakes along the banks of El Eio San Juan
Del Sur. He arrived in New York, and soon after reached
home. He visited his parents, and early in the spring of
1852 again set out to cross the plains for California. This
time his brother Jacob accompanied him and they reached
Missouri without the occurrence of anything of note. There
they bought four thousand sheep, intending to drive them
to California. If an ox team was slow, a ]band of sheep was
slower. The progress was not encouraging. Five or six,
or at most ten miles a daj- was as much as could be made.
The Indians Avere not particularly troublesome at that time,
and by the commencement of summer the sheep had been
driven to the summit of the Eocky Mountains.
At that time the Asiatic cholera was raging on the plains,
and Jacob Harper did not escape. What Httle his brother
could do for him amounted to nothing, and he died on the
summit of the Eocky Mountains, and was buried by his
brother. His untimely death cast a shadow of gloom over
all, and it was with feeUngs of sadness that his companions
moved on, down the wild western slope, and left him to the
society of storms and tempests,
The Indian knows his place of rest
Deep in the forest shade.
The sheep were driven on to California, and were sold
with great profit. With the proceeds of these sales, to
gether Avith those of the teams and wagons, and also of the
farm in Santa Clara Valley, they built a block in San Fran
cisco. It Avas called the St. Charles. His brother remained
in San Francisco, but E. Haper went to Oregon, built a store
at Eaineer, and shipped produce to the other members of
the firm in the city.

TEAVELEES. 233
In the spring of 1855, their property in San Francisco
was burnt. Their loss was great, and they had nothing
left when they had paid their liabilities. Captain Harper
returned to the mines and worked as hard as he had done
in early mining days. At the end of five months he had
saved $2500. The next winter, 1855-6, he sailed on the
Golden Age for Panama, and thence to New York. He
risited his parents in the VaUey of Clover, and traveled
over nearly all the Western States.
In December, 1856, he sailed from New York on the steamer
George Law. This was to him a memorable voyage, and
the ship has since become memorable. It was the famous
Central America that sunk the next year in the Caribbean
Sea. This voyage of Harper's, in December, 1857, came
near being the final one. When off Cape Hatteras there
came on a terrible storm. That Cape protrudes into the
stormiest part of the Atlantic, and a ship seldom passes it
without being beset with hurricanes and waves. Many a
stout ship has succumbed and gone down there.
As the George Law was passing that point, it was struck
by a gale. The ship was old, and the storm was a dreadful
one. The ship was throAvn on its beam end, and lay twen
ty-four hours at the mercy of the billows. An exrtact from
one of Harper's letters written after his arrival in AspinwaU
wiU give a vivid account of the storm.
ASPiSfWALL, January 18, 1857.
 It came without warning. I was standing on the
hurricane deck when I noticed that the clouds were flying with
uncommon speed and in different directions. They seemed to boU
np out of the ocean and roll hither and thither, up and down the sky,
until they hid everything from view, except the water, which at
that time was calm as it ever is in that part of the sea. The clouds
appeared to be nearly on the water; and they came nearer and

234 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
grew blacker, tiU, suddenly, I found that darkness was settling
down upon us, and all nature, so much of it as was visible, was
changing appearance, and was assuming an ominous aspect.
So intently was I watching the transformations going on in the
firmaments about me, that I had not noticed what others were do
ing. In all my travels I had never beheld such a sight, and I stood
in amazement and wonder, at an utter loss to divine what it meant
or what it portended. But, at this point, I Avas aroused from my
reverie by a sailor who seized me by the arm and ordered me to go
below. I now saw that everything on the ship was in commotion.
The captain was standing by the generale giving orders, and the
sailors were taking in sail and clearing the decks, and getting
everything in readiness for the worst. The passengers were nearly
all in the cabin or the hold ; but I could see that they were in the
greatest consternation. I stood where I was, till the order to get
below was repeated with a threat. I then started.
Just then I felt the first breath of the coming storm. A whiff of
wind struck my face, then another, and another, each one getting
stronger and quicker, till they became a strong breeze. There was
something in that breeze that seemed to prophesy what was coming.
Perhaps the subsequent storm, or probably the appearance of the
elements, or the commotion on the ship, left the impression ; but I
got it there, and when that breeze struck me, I felt that a calamity
was at hand.
* *** * ****
The ship was now rocking and plunging in a dreadful manner.
The waves were beating over her, and the deluge of water that
was poured upon the deck nearly washed me from my feet before
I could get below. Just as I did so, a tremendous wave struck the
ship. I thought the Avhole thing was flying to splinters. The tim
bers crashed and creaked, and the vessel rolled helplessly upon her
side as if she had given -up the struggle and had surrendered to her
fate. The scene among the panic-stricken passengers at that awful
moment was beyond the powers of language to describe. Every
thing movable rolled to the lower side of the ship, and there piled
up in confusion and ruin. I seized a post to save myself from fall
ing and being buried in the common wreck. I seized the post with

TEAVELEES. 235
one hand and with the other caught a lady who was falling. She
said: "Are we lost?" I told her, "No," and she seemed to place
confldence in what I said, although I had no idea of ever seeing
the sun agaih. I could hear the water roaring over us ; and the
groaning of the timbers and the crushing of the braces made it evi
dent that it would soon be over at that rate. I don't belive that I
was excited or in any degree lost my presence of mind. I reasoned
as clearly as I do now. Around me, above the dash and roar and
- thunder of the ocean, I could hear the poor terror-stricken passen
gers shriek and implore ; but I had no such feelings. I have looked
upon too many scenes and exhibitions of the terrible in all its forms
to be frightened at anything.
I felt surprised that the ship did not go to pieces and sink. I
hung to the post, intending to do so to the last. There was no
change in the situation for some time, till the ship sprung a leak.
He ij4 3|e :j< Ije i{c «
I held to the post no longer. I let the lady take care of herself.
I saw that there was something to be done. I got on deck, and
held to the rigging. The spray flew so as to nearly blind me, and
also, at times, strangled me. There were only five among the pas
sengers who were able to do anything. I was one of the five. We
held to the rigging with one hand and pumped Avater with the
other. Before night the water was six feet deep in the ship, and
all the pumps were working to then- utmost capacity. That
was a terrible night. There was no abatement in the storm. The
ship rolled at the mercy of the
Wild -waves and the remorseless dash of hUlows.
The night was intensely dark, and the clouds seemed to have come
down upon the fierce, black ocean, and enshrouded all in a gloom
as thick as the darkness that fell as a plague upon Egypt. It was
a long night. I think it was the longest I ever knew.
I took no rest. We five worked unceasingly at the pumps. All
the rest of the passengers were helpless with fatigue and sea sick
ness, so that, in addition to our work at the pumps, we had to pro
vide for those who were unable to do anything for themselves.
There is such a thing as utter exhaustion. Before morning came,
we were unable t6 do anything scarcely ; for, the work, and hun-

236 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ger, had puUed us down. StUl we kept at the pumps and did the
best we could. We, at last, began to hope that there was some
chance of escape. This may have aided us to struggle on ; but, at
best, it was little we could do. When morning broke, it foimd our
ship in a deplorable plight. But the storm soon began to abate,
and at length we considered ourselves out of immediate danger.
When aU became calm enough to permit the captain to take the
latitude and longitude he found the ship only twenty-four miles
from where it had been at the commencement of the storm. This
seems proof to my mind that the wind blew from various directions.
The water was six feet deep in the ship when we got into this har
bor. It has been a miraculous escape.
This ship, the George Law, has an after history worth
mentioning. It was taken back to New York and repaired
and named the Central America. Its fate is known the world
over. It sailed from Aspinwall with a full load of passen
gers. It went down in the Caribbean Sea, with nearly all
On board. Poets and orators have told the story, and it is
a sad one. There were about twenty of Harper's acquaint
ances on board. The passengers were on their way from
California, and many of them carried in their belts the
earnings of years. When it was found that the ship must
go doAvn, the men began to unload themselves of the gold,
which they empted from their belts upon the deck, untU,
according to an eye witnesss, there was no spot from one
end of the ship to the other, whereon a man might set his
foot, that was not covered Arith gold. But it did no good,
and the ship went down with its gold and its human beings
and the ruthless Caribbean waves roUed over all.
Harper returned to CaUfornia and with hi? brothers mined
and dealt in cattle. The business prospered weU. So weU,
indeed, that they conceived the plan of establishing a house
in Chili, South America. The few Europeans and Americans
who had gone there were making fortunes. Jerome Harper

TEAVELEES. 237
was sent there. It was about this time that the insurrec
tion broke out in Chili. The people there were oppressed
with aU tyranny, and politics were in a deplorable condi
tion. The measure was full of risk and danger, but Jerome
had estabUshed a merchants' commission store there. He
was doing a large business when the rebeUion came on.
With the characteristics of his family, he at once took sides
in the controversy, and in so doipg, he gave his sympathy
and assistance to the rebels. The war raged dreadfully for
awhUe ; but the Government forces were the most powerful
and the rebellion was crushed. The rebels, as fast as they
could find transportation, were banished to Patagonia. That
country then was, and still is, among the least civilized
regions on the globe. It was the Siberia of South America;
and those who were exiled to the savage hills, where it
rains or snows three hundred days in the year, met a fate
as dreadful as the Nihilists who now languish in the icy
prisons of Asiatic Eussia.
E. Harper could get no tidings from his brother, further
than that he sympathized vdth the rebels. When the news
reached California that the rebels were conquered and were
being banished to Patagonia, Captain Harper concluded
that his brother must have been sent to Patagonia. Time,
with no tidings from Jerome, conrinced him more strongly of
this; and, with an ever commendable generosity, he deter
mined to go to the rescue of his brother.
Captain Harper was intimately acquainted with, the U. S.
Minister to Chili, and through his interposition hoped to
procure the release of his brother. The property in San
Francisco and in the dountry was sold to raise funds for
that purpose. He came down to Pataluma, near San
Francisco, and was intending to make the sale of some

238 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
property there, and then proceed in person to Chili to do
what he could for Jerome. But when just on the eve of
departure, he got intelligence that Jerome had arrived in
San Francisco, and was out of money. Harper sent him
twenty dollars on which to come to Pataluma, and without
awaiting his arrival, returned north and canceled the sales
he had made. Those made in San Francisco and Pataluma
were also canceled, so that there was no great loss after all.
After this, Mr. Harper worked some mines and dealt in
cattle till 1860. At that time his parents wrote to him to
come home as they heeded his care. He closed his busi
ness and returned to his native county.
This Avas in 1860, and the Civil War Avas at hand. Har
per was a man who always took sides one way or the other.
If he was not a friend he was an enemy. So, when
the Avar came on, he joined the Confederates, and
tlircAv his whole energies into his cause. The first active
service he saw was at the battle of Corrick's Ford, Avhere he
acted as pilot to Garnett's retreating army, and led it
safely through mountain paths and narrow defiles across
the Alleghanies. The particulars and a full account of this
will be found elseAvhere in this book. It is proposed to
give here only such of his history as is not connected in a
general way Avitli other county matters.
The next Ave hear of him he Avas in Pendleton Countj'-,
actively engaged iu the field. That part of the State was
then held by the Confederates. There Avas fighting to be
done. The man Avho had braved the dangers of mountain,
plain and sea, and had seen duty in the wildest country on
earth, was sure to be of service in guerrilla warfare among
the steep cliffs and narroAv defiles of Pendleton County.
It was not long before there Avas plenty of fighting to be

TEAVELEES. 239
done. The Federals were advancing into the country, and
Harper was sent out, with a company of others, to annoy
them, but not to offer battle, unless favored by great odds.
He got in front of several hundred, and saw a chance to
strike them a telling blow. He made an impetuous charge,
and drove them back upon the main body and captured
two horses. But he had advanced too far, and found him
self in danger of being taken prisoner. The Yankees were
on three sides of him. He had a good horse, and it was
now a ride for life. He kept his distance and was thinking
himself almost beyond danger, when a ball cut through his
coat, and another stuck his horse in the neck and killed
him instantly. Harper ran on a-foot. One, a tall fellow of
the enemy, out-stripped the others of the chase and came
close upon him. It was a sad risk for the young soldier,
and dearly did he pay for it. He was pressing a man AA'hom
it was not safe to press in a case of that time.
Harper got beyond range of the enemy's muskets, and
then halted to collect his men. He could find only two.
But with these he made a stand, and haA'ing greatlj- the
advantage of ground, he held them in check for some time,
and until both of his brave comrades fell dead at his side.
He then continued his retreat and succeeded in making his
escape. But, the two captured horses were retaken, ahd
he got back to the Confederate lines Avithout a horse. This
exploit gave him a name in that country, and the very next
day he was elected captain of a company of rangers.
This was duty that suited him. He was an excellent
woodsman, and understood well the management of scouting
parties. He and his brother William were the principal
leaders of the guerrilla bands in that region; and. so
dashing and rapid were they in their movements, and so

240 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
quick to understand and thwart any effort made to circum
vent them, that the Yankees were in mortal dread when
ever in that region.
It is not the intention to give the details of all the skir
mishes that took place in that section. That belongs to
the history of Pendleton County ; and it should be pre
served as local history.
It was about this time that the McDowell fight took place.
It was thought proper to keep the Federals in Beverly from
aiding in the fight, and with this in view. Captain Harper
was ordered to make a movement as if to attack Beverly,
and thus keep there what troops were in it.
He immediately fulfilled his orders. He selected twenty
of his most trusty men and came down from the mountains
Arith a bold front, and advanced within one mile and a half
of the town. Here he captured a store, and .made aU the
display of his forces possible, so as to make an impression
of fear upon the enemy. In this he was successful, inas
much as he did what he attempted ; but he met misfortunes
before he was done Arith it. .
The people on Dry Fork were principaUy Union men,
and had organized companies of their own, and caUed them
Home Guards. Their enemy often called them Swamp
Dragons. Sampson Snider was one of the most noted
leaders of the Union guerrillas of Dry Fork. When Har
per made his raid from Pendleton toward Beverly, he forgot
that he was laying himself open to an attack from Snyder,
who could cross over from Dry Fork and assail him in
flank. When he had made all the display in front of Bev
erly that was deemed prudent, he retreated with his
twenty chosen men, all in fine spirits and superbly
mounted, to Shafer's Mountain.

TEAVELEES. 241
Here he was surprised and routed by Snyder's Company
from Dry Fork. He lost all his guns, but saved his men,
and making a forced march, camped that night above
Franklin. The next morning he spied out the Federal
Army and counted the regiments. There Avere tAventy-
seven. He learned that they were aiming to get in the
rear of Stonewall Jackson. He at once set out with all
speed to Staunton to convey the intelligence. AVhen he
stepped into Mayor Hammer's office, he found him pressing
teams into serrice to send to Winchester for the captured
spoUs. Harper told him to stop the teams, that Fremont
was moving in the rear of Jackson with twenty-seven regi
ments. AVhen the Mayor heard this and saAV who was
speaking, he ordered the teams stopped and dispatched to
Jackson what the situation was. He did not even ask Har
per how he knew whereof he spoke.
Soon after .this. Harper joined the regular army; but he
was seldom required to do camp dufef. He was a good
scout, and serrices as such were worth more than as a sol
dier. When Imboden made his raids into this section of
the State, he was piloted by either Captain or AA''illiam
Harper. Captain Harper led the party that crossed the
mountains with such remarkable speed to burn the Fair
mont bridge. He was. also the pilot of Imboden at his first
raid into Tucker County. AVilliam Harper was the pilot
at the second raid.
In November, 1863, he was sent through to learn the sit
uation of the enemy in Tucker County. He came over the
mountains, and passed the settlements at night, till he ar
rived in Tucker; where he set himself to work searching out
the designs of the enemy. His intimate knowledge of the
country rendered this an easv task. When he had gotten
16

242 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the desired information he visited his father's house to bid
his parents good-bye. He had not been there ten minutes
when the house was surrounded by Union soldiers, and
citizens of the neighborhood who had a spite at him and
hit on this plan to take vengeance. He saw the soldiers in
front of the house, and started to escape by the back door.
On the step he was confronted by a squad of soldiers with
presented guns. They ordered him to surrender. Seeing
the impossibility of escape and the uselessness of resist
ance, he complied. He unbuckled his belt and let it and
his pistols fall to the ground. He was then a prisoner.
It is not the purpose to follow him through the horrors
of his prison life, except in the briefest manner. He saw
and endured the rival of Libby and AndersonvUle. Noth
ing but his unconquerable wiU and his iron constitution
enabled him to live through it. Carthagenian cruelty was
surpassed on him, and his lot Avas worse than that of the
Chillon Prisoner.
As soon as he surrendered, some of the men wanted to
shoot him, and Avould have done so, if not restrained by the
regular soldiers. They carried him to St. George, and
thrcAV him in jail. It Avas a cold, November night, and he
was allowed no fire or blankets. This was not enough, and
the next morning he was chained. It Avas not deemed safe
to keep him in St. George, because his friends Avere numer
ous and might set him at liberty.' Therefore, he Avas taken
to Eowlesburg and placed under the directions of Captain
Hall. Hall treated him kindly ; but some of the men
thirsted for his blood. Several plans Avere laid to kill him ;
but he and DaA'id Lipscomb succeeded in preA'enting faUing
into their hands. He was confined in the guard-house,
and even then his enemies tried to assassinate him. He

TEAVELEES. 243
always spoke highly of the kindness of Captain Hall and
of most of the men of Company P.
It was soon deemed advisable to move him from Eowles
burg, and he was taken to Clarksburg and put in prison.
Great crowds of people came to look at him, and an Irish
man exclaimed in surprise : "Faith! and he is a little man
to fire a salute over and for the officers to get drunk over,
when he was captured." He attracted a great deal of atten
tion at Clarksburg. The people had all heard of him and
how he had fleeced the Yankees in Pendleton. From
Clarksburg he was sent to Wheeling, and was there chained
to a post, arid all the other prisoners were ordered not to
speak to him. He passed the time as well as he could.
The officers paid considerable attention to him, and seemed
to Hke to question him concerning his past Ufe. He com
municated freely; and won their confidence. They ap
peared to think that they were doing him a great honor by
condescending to talk with him. But he gave them to un
derstand that, although a chained prisoner, he was not a
slave, and would not be forced to praise their tyranny.
For, when one of them wanted his opinion of the prison,
expecting him to brag on it and its managers, as compared
with others. Harper replied that one thing seemed to be
wanting to render the prison perfect in every particular.
The officer wanted to know what that was. " A picture on
the waU, of the Goddess of Liberty in chains," replied Har
per, while the officer's countenance fell, and a look of
shame overspread his face.
The next day an officer came in and requested him not to
make so much noise Avith his chains, as it annoyed them in
their office. Harper felt this intentional insult, and giving
the chain a shake of defiance, he said it annoyed him too,

244 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and if they did not like to hear it they could take it off.
AA'ith this the officer flew into a rage, and heaped abuse and
calumniation upon the prisoner, and charged him Arith
causing more disturbance on the frontiers than any other
five men. He tried to browbeat the prisoner into submis
sion ; but, in this he failed. Harper defended himself
against the attacks of the officer, and said that the duty of
a soldier had always been his rule of action. But, if they
had any doubt as to whether or not he was a coward they
might pick out six of their men and give him five of hia from
the prison, and they would settle the matter on any terms.
This offer, of course, was not accepted ; and Harper then
told them if they would give him six men, he would take
the town and them in it. He said it was only their coward
ice that made them chain him.
This controversy had a bad effect. It turned the officers
against him, although they should have admired such a
display of endurance and independence. But, after that he
got few manifestations of kindness from them, and it was
not long before he was carried to Camp Chase. Whether
his quarrel had anything to do with the transfer is not
certain. We subjoin an extract from one of his letters.
I staid two months in Camp Chase. I am told that there were
three thousand prisoners there ; but I cannot answer for the num
ber, because I had little opportunity for knowing. I know how I
spent my time, and what I saw and suffered, and that is all I wish
to know or see or hear on the subject. I have read many stories of
prison life ; and I am, as a general thing, opposed to giving them
circulation, since they ayouse a feeling of hatred and vengeance
that can do no good. Many of them, too, certainly are exaggera
tions, although many are not. You asked me if I thought the
Union prisons as bad as the Confederate. I cannot answer this

TEAVELEES. 245
from personal experience, for I was never confined in a Confed
erate prison; but I should judge that they were about the same.
The Rebels often let prisoners suffer because they had no food or
shelter for them, and thus there must have been appalling horrors
in the Southern prisons late in the war; for then the Rebels often
had only the coarsest rations for their own men in the field. Of
course, in so great a scarcity of provisions, and in the intense
hatred that existed, the poor soldiers of the Union, in the Confed
erate prisons, must have suffered from hunger, and exposure to
the weather. You know that my sympathies are with the South
and always have been, and it is but natural that I should try to
clear them of the charges of intentional cruelty. I do try to clear
them. I know the Southern people, I know that they are fUled
Avith iu-e, and fiUed with generosity. It is, therefore, my belief
that much of their hard treatment of Union prisoners was of
necessity, and if they could they would have been better.
But, Arith the Union prisons, this is not the case. They could
have fed and clothed and sheltered their prisoners if they would
have done so. Their stores were filled with bread and meat; and
clothing, even if it must be the worn-out uniform of soldiers, was
abundant. I endeavor not to let prejudice and national or sec
tional hatred infiuence me in what I say of the war. I fought for
the South, and I wanted the South to succeed by all honorable
means; but, since it was not to be so, I think I am man enough to
free myself from aU prejudice, and to consider calmly the issues as
they then stood. I have no doubt but that much of the barbarity
in the Northern prisons was due to a spirit of retaliation and re
venge. It was modeled, in extent, after the cruelty in Southern
prisons; and I think the model was surpassed. I can't see how it
could have been otherwise.
^ « ^, ^„ iiJ 'H: iii
The last night of 1863 was very cold, and we were not allowed
any fire. But, fifteen men disregarded the orders and kindled fires
in their stoves. It cost them their lives ; for the guards discovered
the fires and shot and killed the prisoners as they sat shivering
round the fires trying to get warm. I suppose that they were
buried, but don't know. I know that there was little hurry in
burying those that died. I have seen them lie two or three days

246 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
unattended, and Avhen at last a rough box was brought and the
corpse placed in it, the box and all was often used a day or two as
a card-table for the guard, and untU decomposition rendered it
necessary to get rid of it.
I soon got accustomed to such scenes. But eyery day of my
prison life I saw something new, and something more shocking
than I had ever imagined. We know but little of what is in this
world ; and we know but little of what human nature, in its de
pravity, can be guilty of ; and we knoAV but little of what a man is
capable of enduring. I had come to look upon Camp Chase as the
worst place on earth ; and I would gladly have exchanged it for
anything but death. Wretched as was my condition, I stiU wanted
to live, and it was 'nothing but the stubborn determination to live
that carried me through. I was there two months in the dead of
winter, and the time seemed years. I suffered from cold and hun
ger and sickness all the time.
Finally word came that Ave were to be removed, and we hailed it
joyfully, for we did not think that any change could be for the
worse. We learned that we were to be taken to Rock Island
Prison. We had heard of it, and the reports had beenbad enough;
but, in spite of all we heard, we were glad to get away from Camp
Chase. In February, 1864, we were taken to Chicago on our way to Rock
Island. We had to walk through Chicago, about one mUe. Nine
out of every ten had frozen hands or feet, and some were so frozen
and benumbed with the cold that they could scarcely walk. The
guards here seemed the meanest set of men I had seen. They
were rough and brutal to the prisoners, and beat ns over the head
and pounded us when they fancied we were not doing right. Some
of our men were so cut and bruised about the head that the blood
covered them from head to foot, and often their hats were frozen
to ther heads with the ice of blood.
When at last we landed at the Rock Island Prison, the horror of
horrors awaited us. It seemed to me that I, lUie Dante, was pass
ing down through the realities of seven hells, and that I was now
in the deepest pit. There was no necessity of so cruelly treating
us. If there had been, I would be the last man on earth to com-

TEAVELEES. 247
plain. But tliere was no necessity for it. It was open and Avillful
determination to torment us, and to torture us Avith hunger and
cold and beatings and cursings, and everything revolting that
could be used against us. I have wondered if the Blackfeet In
dians could have been more relentless in their torture of captives.
We ate everything that Avould sustain life. The prison officers
did not seem to care how many of us starved to death. It Avould
have been a mercy if they had killed us.
* « H« He * i(e *
I saw that it was a matter of life and death with me. I was Avil
ling to give anything for my Ufe. Some of us were to be exchanged,
but the lot did not fall on me. I saw a tall fellow, on whom the
lot had fallen, and I approached him for a trade. I hired him to
assume my name, and I went in his place. I gave hira $7000 in
money, and sent him enougli provisions to last him a year. What
ever became of him, I do not know ; but he had a stout constitu
tion, and I hope he endured it to the end of the war, and at last
returned to freedom in the Sunny South.
Captain Harper was taken to Point Lookout. There he
was again confined in a prison, only a little better than
Eock Island. It was warmer and he had more to eat, Avhich
were the principal changes for the better. The prisoners
were kept in tents where the mud was half knee-deep. They
had one blanket for each two. They staid only two Aveeks,
and were then shipped to James Eiver and were turned
loose Arithin sight of the Confederate lines.
The war was now drawing to a close. There Avas great
need for soldiers in the Eebel armies. They had been
thinned by a thousand pitched battles, and fcAv recruits
came in. Worn and exhausted as he was by his dreadful
suffering and exposure. Harper did what he could for the
cause that had cost him so much ; but the cause was beyond
the need of his help. The war was over. He Avas the last
man to bow in defeat ; but, when it must be done, he did it,
and acknowledged the poAver of the victor.

248 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
He Avas not a man to contend without something to be
gained. It wiU be seen that, in aU his exploits and under
takings, he had something definite in riew. This was his
nature. So, when he saw that nothing was to be gained by
hostiUty to the North, he buried aU his antipathy, and
turned his energies into other channels, and let the by
gones of the war be things of the past.
He returned to private life, and has since so lived, ex
cept when called upon by the vote of his countrymen to
take office, and then he has done so, and his record as such
is one of uprightness and honor. Since the close of the
war he has been once to California, and has visited nearly
all the Western States. His brothers, Jerome and Thaddeus,
remained on the Pacific Coast. Thaddeus returned on a
visit to West Virginia in 1868, and remained a few weeks.
On his return to California he encountered terrible snow
storms in crossing the mountains, and the train was almost
buried in the drifts. After a length of time the track Avas
cleared of the snow, and he arrived in California. He is a
business man of great success, and has amassed a fortune.
He is noAv engaged, among other things, in shipping beef
from British Columbia. He spends his summers in that
country and his Avinters in San Francisco, at the Palace
Hotel. Jerome Harper is dead. He died at Santa Barbara sev
eral years ago. He had long been an invalid, and had
traveled over many parts of the world in search of health.
He Avas finallj' taken, by E. Harper, to the hot springs of
Santa Barbara, in California, and there he died.
The further history of Captain Harper, ~his connedtion
with the forces of the Confederacy, in Tucker, will be found
in the chapter on the Avar. Since the Avar, except the time

TEAVELEES. 249
spent in the West, he has lived on his farm in the Valley of
Clover. He has there built the largest dweUing in Tucker
County, and is one of the most extensive landholders. Of
late he has engaged extensively in the lumber business.
None of the Harper brothers, who went to California,
were ever married. They have always been men of influ
ence in whatever caUing they have chosen. Captain Har
per's record as an officer AriU be, further dealt with in the
chapter on public officers.

CHAPTER XV.
TRA YELERS— CONTINUED.
Heney Bonnifield is a native of Tucker, although not
now a resident. He is a son of A. T. Bonnifield, and a
grandson of William Corrick, and was born in 1855. AVhUe
very young he manifested a tendency to be foreriiost in aU
manner of daring adventures. Climbing trees that other
boys feared to climb and wading water too deep and swift
for other boys were his pastime ; and, in the display of his
belUgerent propensities, no lad was too large for him to
tackle. He was not a perfect specimen of peacefulness aud
resignation ; but his forwardness tended only to romance
and adventure. Indeed, his very early life gave sign of
what his after nature would be. He would never be second
best in anything. With him it was best or nothing. His
first years Avere spent in the Sypolt House, that stood
where now stands the Crawfish Swamp School-house, near
S. N. Swisher's. From there, Avith his father, he moved to
Limestone, and lived on Wild Cat Eidge. It was then a
hard place, and neighbors were few and far between. But,
there were trees to climb, and snakes to kiU, and springs to
dabble in, and other mischief to claim his attention until
his fifth year.
In 1859 his father took him to California. The passage
was by -Water, and was long and rough; but at last the
Golden Gate was reached, and the emigrants went out to
try their fortunes in the new country. Their success in

TEAVELEES. 251
general has been given in the sketch of A. T. Bonnifield.
Henry grew more adventurous every year. He soon com
menced brealdng wild horses, and in a short time he
became a skiUful rider.
Before his fourteenth year, he left California and took
passage for United States of Colombia, in South America.
. He was, also, in Mexico, Central America, and the Isthmus
of Panama. He saUed upon the Caribbean Sea, among
the West Indies, on the GuLf of Mexico and the Atlantic
Ocean.., He was, two or three times in the harbor of New
York,; and one time Avent inland through Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and into West Virginia,
Avhere he risited the home of his nativity. He staid a year
in Tucker County. He was now nearly fourteen^ and the
spirit of adventure was in him as strong as ever. One win
ter day, when the snow was half knee-deep, he pulled off
his boots and climbed barefooted to the top of Shafer's
Mountairi,. because some boys said that he would not do it.
He also came near being droAvned by wading in water that
he knew to be over his head, when he could not swim. He
attended school in Tucker a few months. After a great
deal of corporal punishment, the teacher gave him up as
incorrigible. When he saw that aU opposition had ended,
and that there was no more romance in being obstreperous,
he settled doAvn to his books, and from then to the end of
the school there was not a better behaved or more studious
pupil than he.
The next year he left Tucker and sailed from New York.
He visited his old ports in the AVest Indias, Mexico, Central
and South America, and the next we hear of him he was in
California. He never again went to sea ; but he now turned
his attention almost exclusively to breaking Arild horses.

252 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Of course, he succeeded in this as weU, if not better than
anybody else. He made it, from that time tiU 1875, his
profession. Breaking wild horses in California is a dangerous opera
tion, and none but skillful and daring men can do it. The
animals are aUowed to run wUd until their third or fourth
year. By this time, never having been fed or tamed, they
are little less wUd than deer, and as vicious as Uons. When
an OAvner desires to break his horses, he coUects a company
of men on horseback, and gives chase to the Arild herd.
The horsemen carry long ropes, at one end of which is a
running noose, while the other end is made fast to the rider's
saddle. This noose, or lasso, is thrown over the head of
the wUd horse, which is brought to the ground by the sud
den stopping of the herdsman's horse.
The horse is now caught. It fights Uke a tiger. It kicks,
bites and strikes ; but the men keep the lassos tight, and
the mad animal is soon choked into temporary submission.
A halter is now forced on him, and a saddle is firmly strap
ped to his back. Bridles are not used in breaking horses
in the far West. The saddles are very strong, and cost
from twenty to one hundred dollars, and Aveigh thirty or
forty pounds. The stirrup straps are strong enough to bear
five hundred pounds each ; and the girth is much stronger.
It is made of hair ropes woven together. The rider wears
large spurs, which he digs into the girth and enables him
self to keep his seat in the saddle.
The art of riding these untamed mustangs is no easy one. -
It is easier to learn the management of a locomotive. No
man who is not strong-breasted, fearless, active and perse
vering can ever hope to be even a tolerable rider of such
horses. Many a man in the Eastern States, who considers

TEAVELEES. 253
himself an excellent rider, would be killed in ten minutes if
placed on a wUd mustang of California.
Henry Bonnifield made the training of incorrigible horses
his trade. He charged five dollars a day for his service,
and was seldom out of employment.. Men many miles away
would send for him when they had a brute that other men
had faUed to conquer. He never failed when he had once
attempted to subdue a vicious animal.
On the San Joaquin Eiver, in California, near Fort Mil-
lerton, was a horse that had never been mastered, but had
kUled more than one brave man. It was a large, powerful
beast, and had strength of endurance that seemed almost -
miraculous. It was fierce, relentless and had come to be
looked upon as untamable. No rider could be found wU
ling to undertake again to ride the horse.
Here was a good field in which to Arin laurels ; for the
fame of the horse had gone forth over the whole country
round about, and it was given up that he could not be rid
den. Bonnifield was invited to undertake it, and he never
decUned an invitation of that kind. He named a day on
which he would ride the horse, and on that day a large
crowd of stockmen, jockeys and rancheros came together to
witness the performance.
Bonnifield was a man of one hundred and sixty pounds
weight, light complexion, and deep blue eyes, and heavy
buUt for his weight. He did not look to be a man of more
than ordinary power ; but, not two men in a thousand of
his weight could equal him.
When the time for riding had arrived, the wild horse was
lassoed and blindfolded. The halter and saddle were fast
ened on him, and he was held down till the fearless rider

254 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
had mounted him. Then the blindfold was removed, and
he was turned loose upon the plains.
He at first tried to dismount his rider by the ordinary
process of plunging and kicking. Leaping high in the air
and coming down stiff-legged, or "bucking" as it is caUed
in western countries, is the most common device of vrild
horses to get rid of their riders. It is, too, in many cases,
and among the inexperienced, quite efficient. For, at times,
it is almost impossible to keep from being thrown. The
horse throws his head doAvn, leaving nothing but the saddle
for the man to hold to, and leaps upward, to left and right,
and leaves nothing undone to get the rider from the saddle.
The greatest danger is not that of being throAni to the
ground, but that resulting from the jolt which must be re
ceived when the horse comes down stiff-legged. It is liable
to burst the rider's blood-vessels, causing hemorrhage and
death. To avoid this as much as may be, the stirrup-straps
are made strong enough to bear the weight of the man and
he throws his whole weight into his stirrups;
When Bonnifield mounted the horse, it kicked and reared
until it seemed to learn that he was not to be gotten off in
that manner. Then it circled two or three times round the
field, leaped the fence, and dashed off across the plains with
whirlwind speed. Bonnifield was powerless to stop or curb
the enraged animal. He could only hold on to his saddle,
and go where the horse chose to go. This was across a
plain three miles to the foot of a i-ugged hill, called MiUer
ton Mountain. No rider and horse had ever gone up its
rugged sides. Such a feat Avas thought to be impossible, if,
indeed, it had ever been thought of at all. The bluff Avas
bare of trees, and Avas cut up Avitli steep gullies, some of
which Avere twenty feet from side to side and tAvice that

TEAVELEES. 255
deep. In places the ground Avas streAAu with rocks and
bowlders ; and at others the hill rose almost perpendicular
for hundreds of feet.
Bonnifield thought that the horse would change its course
when it reached the base of the hill ; but such it did not.
It passed up the rugged slope Avith the ease and rapidity of
an eagle ^ nor steepness, nor rocks, nor ravines, nor any
thing checked the speed of its flight. Before it could
scarcely be realized, the summit was reached, where, before
rider and horse, extended a wild and broken plain, so
thickly strewn with bowlders as to hide the ground. Across
the plains, among the rocks, ran deep ravines, which the
rains and floods of ages had worn in the granite formation.
They wound zigzag and at random, and were invisible until
their very brinks were reached.
When the horse arrived at the edge of the plain, he
boomed across it Arith svnftness that increased rather than
diminished. The rocks were nothing in his way. He leaped
from one to another, or cleared them at a leap. Scarcely
might one observe that he touched the ground. He was a
powerful animal, and his spirits and animosity Avere getting
fully aroused.
Through the middle of the plain ran a dangerous gully,
so hidden that it could not be seen until its very brink Avas
reached. The horse knew not and cared not that it Avas
there. He cared not for anything; and the rougher the
way the more reckless he ran, and the more vicious Avere
his efforts to unhorse his rider.
Bonnifield saw the ravine just as the horse reached its
brink, and it was too late to turn. He must go- headlong
into it. No bottom could be seen; but it is now known
that it was over forty feet deep. As the fearful leap Avas

356 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
made, Bonnifield threw his feet from the stirrups, ready to
spring from the saddle just as the bottom should be reached.
This was to avoid being caught under the faUing horse and
crushed. It was a flight through the air, and a long one ;
but, instead of going to the bottom, the horse cleared the
chasm, and slacked not his speed. Further on were other
rarines equally dangerous; but' none were wide enough or
deep enough to stop the horse or to turn him from his
course. He reached the furthest limit of the plain, and was
ready for the descent, if descent were possible.
It looked impossible. The plain ended on the brow of a
bluff which, seen from above, looks perpendicular ; but it is
not quite vertical. The horse h,ad now run five mUes, yet
showed no sign of stopping or of giving up. He turned
obliquely along the mountain side, and thus made descent
possible. This was the most dangerous part of the course.
The jolting started the blood from the nose and mouth of
the rider. But there was no alternate but to leap from the
saddle, which probably would have been fatal. So, doAvn,
doAvn, down, as they had a few minutes before gone up, up,
up, went rider and horse. Eocks, guUies and ravines were
passed, none know how, for no other horseman has ever
passed them and lived. It looked like going down into the
Valley of Death.
The horse, from the first, had been beyond control, and
by the time the foot of the mountain was again reached, he
was more furious and curbless than ever. The halter,
Avhich, at best, was of little use, was now broken, and one
stirrup was torn away. Bonnifield still kept in the saddle,
although it was doubtful how long he might be able to do
so\ He could have ridden better without a saddle than
with a broken one. He crossed the plains with a speed that

TEAVELEES. 257
slackened not. Already he had ridden nine miles, and the
blood was flowing fast from his nose and mouth. He kneAv
riot when ,the perilous race would end.
At this crisis some horsemen came to his rescue, and tried
to stop the runaway animal ; but still it was the fleetest on
the field and led the race across the plains. Finally, a man
on a swift horse succeeded in getting near enough for Bon
nifield to seize the horn of the saddle, snd he Avas thus
dragged from the wild brute, AA'hich dashed on and Avas las
soed on the prairie some miles away. It Avas some weeks
before Bonnifield was again able to ride ; for the jolting had
seriously injured him, and he has never fully recovered
from it. But he again undertook the horse, and staid with
it until the untamable beast killed itself by breaking its
neck. This was Bonnifield's longest ride of so savage a nature ;
but he had others that came as near proving fatal, although
he lived through them all.
Perhaps the greatest d anger connected AA'ith the riding of
Adid horses.is that they will throAV themselves and that the
rider wiU either be crushed or hang in the stirrup and be
dragged when the horse regains its feet. About a year
after the dash over MiUerton Mountain, Bonnifield met a
misfortune of this kirid. The horse that he was riding threw
itself. He tried to spring off and free his feet from the
stirrups. But the animal fell upon him and he was held
fast. His spur Avas driven into the thick girth, and Avhen
the horse sprang up, Bonnifield's foot hung in the stirrup.
It Avas a perilous situation, even with a tame horse, and
much more so Arith a wild one.
Such riders carry a long rope, one end of Avhich is tied
17

258 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
to the halter, and the other is rolled into a coil and tucked
, under the rider's belt. This is for the purpose of holding
. the liorse, if the rider gets off, accidentally or othervdse.
It is so fixed that it will uncoil without endangering the man.
As soon as Bonnifield saw that he was hanging in the
stirrup; he seized the rope, which was fast to the horse's
halter, and pulled the animal's head round toAvard him, and
held him there Avitli an iron hand. The horse ran and
plunged and kicked and fell, and tried to stamp him, and
was not only frightened, but Avas enraged, and endeavored
to kill him. He saw that his only hope Avas in preventing
it from trampling upon him. He was thus dragged up and
doAvn the field. The horse Avas so held that it could run
only sidcAvise, and it Avas this alone that saved Bonnifield
from being stamped to death. Several times he tried to
get his knife to cat the stirrup strap, but as often faUed to
do so.
A man half-mile away saw the wild horse gaUoping up
and doAvn the field, dragging the unhorsed rider after him ;
and, mounting a horse, he hurried off to the rescue. But,
when he came up, he could render no assistance, because
whenever he got ahead of the mustang, it would turn. But
Bonnifield finally succeeded in getting his knife from his
pocket, and, cutting the strap of the stirrup, set himself at
libertA'. He did not, for a moment, give up his profession of
breaking Avild horses. He Avas sent for, and Avas paid fabu
lous prices to ride horses that no one else could ride. At
this time he Avas considered one of the verA' best riders in
California. He took pride only in doing that which no one
else could do ; and for that reason he did not like to ride a
horse that anybody else had successfully ridden.

TEAVELEES. , 259
It was about this time that he was sent for to ride a mule
that had baffied several good riders. He went ;. and when
he found that the. mule was a miserable little runt, hardly
waist high to a man, he thought they were only trying to
get a job on him. He considered it beyond the range of all
probabilities that such a thing as that should be unmanage
able. However, when they insisted that it was no prank,
he lit his pijie, and got on, still Avitli some misgivings that
all was not right. But he Avas soon cleared of doubt. He
has ahvays frankly acknowledged that if that mule had
been as big as a horse, and as vicious according, he could
..not have ridden it. As it was, it was a ridiculous victory.
It bucked without a pause for two hours. The part of his
pipe stem that was between his teeth he still held ; the rest,
Arith the pipe, was jolted off and gone. All the buttons of
his coat were jarred off. Everything in his pockets had
been, spilt out. His boot-heels and his hat were gone ; and
nearly every seam in his clothes had given way. He was
a victor, and probably felt like one ; but he looked like
something else.
Much hard riding was beginning to tell on him. His
constitution was giving way. A long ride on a runaway
horse, not unlike that over MiUerton Mountain, Avas the last
of the kind that he ever has undertaken. His lungs Avere
so injured that it was long before the hemorrhage could be
checked ; and he Avas forced to abandon his profession.
This was about 1875, his twentieth year. His fame had
gone out over more countries than one, so that, Avhen
a Centennial commissioner, in 1876, visited California to
procure wild-horse riders to exhibit at Philadelphia, he
was directed, first of all, to see Henry Bonnifield. He vis
ited him, and Avas fully satisfied that there had been no

260 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
misrepresentation. He offered him a free passage to and
from Phiadelphia, to bear all his expenses during the sum
mer, and to pay him fifty dollars a month besides. Bonni
field reluctantly declined the offer, because his weak lungs
Avould not endure rough riding. Besides, he was making a
hundred dollars a month at other business.
California, however, Avas getting too tame for him, and he
began looking about for a more romantic field. At this
time Arizona was attracting- much attention, and many
adventurers were wending thither to try their fortune in the
half-explored wilds of that desert country.
In the summer of 1877, in his twenty-second year, Avith a
single companion, he set out on horseback for Arizona.
They started from Fresno, and that night camped at an
old mud house on the shore of Lake Tulare. The house
may be especially mentioned on account of its dark legends.
Part are no doubt myths and superstition, but part are too
true to be doubted. The house had been a tavern in early
mining days ; and, since it was on the road to Owen's Eiver
Mines, and was twenty or thirty miles from any other house,
it was of necessity a frequent stopping place for travelers..
Many are the dark stories told of murders and robberies
there, and of many a poor miner, whose hard earned sav
ings of 3'ears Avere taken from him, and himself murdered
and hidden in the sand". The superstitious people of the
country hoav think that the house is haunted of ghosts and
of spirits of the departed who died of violence, and hardly
CA'er does anyone venture near the house.
Bonnifield and his friend stopped at the Haunted House
of Tulare partly because so fcAV others would dare do it, and
partly because it was at the end of a hard day's ride. The
next day they proceeded into Kern County, and shaped their

TEAVELEES. 261
course for Walker's Pass, where they would cross the
mountains into the Mojave Desert. In the upper part of
Kern, a few farmers were trying to till the soil ; but, it had
been dry for a year, and the never-ceasing winds had
driven the sand in drifts till all the fences, but the tops of
the posts, were buried. They could get no feed for their
horses at noon; and late that evening they came to a
small lot of clover, where lived a frontier emigrant by a
stream of water. They wanted to stay with him that night,
but he drove them away, telling them, however, that they
could get good pasture ten miles further. They rode on
ten or fifteen mUes without seeing any indication of pasture,
but, to the contrary, the country got drier and more desert
like. About dark they met a Mexican who told them that
it was seventy , miles to the nearest point where feed could
be had, and fifty to the nearest water. Having closely
questioned the Mexican, and having satisfied themselves
that he was teUing the truth, they determined to go back
and feed their horses on the lying emigrant's clover.
This they did. They rode back, and told him how that
he had dealt deceitfully with them, and had sent them and
their horses hungry into the desert to starve. He acknowl
edged aU, and gave one and another excuse. They fed
their horses on his clover, and the next morning paid him
five doUars for it.
They now passed through the mountains and struck
boldly across the wide, sandy plains of the Mojave Desert.
The ground Avas covered with alkali, soda and salt, and in
places was as white as snow. It was entirely Avithout grass
or trees ; but, at intervals there were copses of thorny sage
brush, and in other places were groves of cactus, of a won
derful and peculiar kind. It grew from ten to twenty feet

262 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
high, Avith a trunk a foot in diameter. This is covered Arith
scales like corn husks, and at the top is a bundle of long
dry leaves, like sole-leather.
As they Avere galloping along they saAV a carriage coming
to meet them. AVhen it drew near, they observed that it
contained a man, a Avoman and two children. Bonnifield
and his friend perhaps would not have remembered the
incident^had not the man, when he saw them coming,
stopped his team and taking up his double-barreled shot
gun, stood by the road, with the gun cocked and ready to
fire. He did this fearing that they were robbers. They
passed on, and he resumed his way.
It Avas a hot day, and not till they had ridden fiftj- miles
did they find water. After that, the same day, they rode
eighty miles further, making for the entire day a ride of
one hundred and thirty miles across the sandy desert.
They crossed the Colorado Eiver near Fort Mojave, and
reached Prescott, in Arizona. It was a mining country and
all mining places are rough. It was a dull time, and Bon
nifield could do no better than to drive a mule-team for
sixty dollars a month. He had three train-wagons and
eighteen mules, all in one team, and with them he hauled
quartz from the mines. The country was dry and hot, and
the work was very hard. He kept at it for some months, and
until he had a better offer, that of AVDrking on a hay-farm,
Avliere hay sold for one hundred dollars a ton. He accept
ed the offer, and turned his attention to farming. At this he
succeeded well for a Avliile ; but, he got sick, and was unable
to fill his place on the farm. The proprietor discharged
him, and turned him out to die. He lay several days in the
shade of the cactus trees, in hope that he would recover.
But he got no better, and he saAv that he must die if he re-

TEAVELEES. 263
mained tliere, for no one came near to bring him Avater or
anything to eat.
He had an aquaintance in a mining camp about three
hundred mUes distant, and he thought if he could reach
there he could get medicine. It Avas three hundred miles by
the road, or one hundred and fifty across the desert and
over the mountains where there was no road. He decided
to cross the desert, and thought he could make the trip in
two days on horseback.
Early the next morning he saddled his horse and started,
with tAVO canteens of water tied to his saddle, and a fcAv
pounds of oatmeal and salt to do him for provisions on the
journey. He struck boldly into the desert, and directed his
course by the sun, and the peaks of distant mountains. He
was too weak to ride fast, so that he had proceeded only
forty or fifty mUes by the middle of the afternoon. There
he found some water in a hole among the rocks, and some
dry gi-ass in bunches here and there. He felt exhausted,
and decided to rest tliere till morning. He tied his horse
by a long rope so that it could feed on the dry grass, and
having eaten his dinner of oatmeal he lay down in the shade
of the rocks to sleep.
AVhen he awoke, it was dark. He got up to see about his
horse. Scarcely had he moved Avhen the whizzing of rattle
snakes about him admonished him of his danger. The
snakes had lain hidden in their dens during the heat of the
day ; but, when night came, they crawled out. There is in
that country a species of snakes knoAvn as " side-winders,"
because they cannot craAvl, but roll along sidewise. They
are exceedingly poisonous, and the Indians have no cure
for their bite. When an Indian is bitten by one of them, he
sings his death song, Avraps himself in his blanket and dies.

264 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ATheu Bonnifield awoke and heard the snakes rattling
about him, he sprang to his feet, struck matches, and found
his way to his horse, Avhich had not been bitten. He left
the place as soon as possible. There are probably more
rattlesnakes in Arizona than in any other country of the
world. But, they are not as apt to bite as they are in
some other places.
He rode on in what he supposed to be the direction.
From the height of the moon he judged it to be about three
o'clock in the morning. But, after traveling an hour he be
gan to notice that instead of getting lower, the moon rose
higher. From this he judged that it must be about ten
o'clock. Counting from this, he reasoned that he had got
ten turned around and Avas not traveling in the right direc
tion. He noAv became confused, and could not teU which
way to go. It Avas worse than useless to ride in the wrong
direction; and he dismounted to wait for day. Haring
found a spot free from snakes, he lay doAvn and slept and
awakened not till the sun Avas shining full in his face. He
started up confused, and Avas burning with a high fcA'er. He
could not at first realize where he Avas or whither he Avas
going, AA^ieii he had settled this in his oavu mind, he looked
for the mountains that had guided him the day before. He
could see mountains everywhere, but could not recognize
those to AA'hich he Avas going.
He decided to the best of his judgment Avhicli way he
should go, and started. In about two hours he came to the
brink of a deep canon, of Avliich no crossing Avas visible.
Such raA'ines tliere are called Box Canons, and they may
extend a hundred miles Avitli no place where even a footman.
may cross. Their sides are perpendicular, and are some
times overgroAvn with thorns. AVhen Bonnifield reached

TEAVELEES. 265
the edge of the cliff, he stopped short, for he had not seen
it until that instant. As far as he could see in both direc
tions extended the canon like a deep ditch. After a mo
ment's consideration, he turned to the right, and traveled
along the chasm, looking for a place to cross. Thus he
traveled all that day till evening, and could find no Avay to
pass over.
He had brought two canteens of water with him from the
camping place of the previous evening. Of this he had
drank aU he wanted, but his horse had had none. He
emptied one of the canteens into his hat and gave his horse
to drink, and, letting him pick dry grass for an hour, and
having eaten his own supper, he set forward again along the
canon to find a crossing. It was a fruitless search. He
rode tiU after midnight, Avlien from the exhaustion of him
self and horse he was obliged to stop. His horse fed on
what it could find, and he slept on the sand till morning.
His canteens now contained no water, and his fever and the
fatigue of travel caused a riolent thirst, while his horse
seemed famished for drink.
It was death to stay where he was ; so he traveled on all
that day, not seeing any animal, bird, bug or any living
thing, except his horse. Just before sunset his horse gave
out. He dismounted, and Avas himself barely able to walk.
But he saAV that it would not do to remain there. He took
off his saddle and turned the horse loose to save itself if it
could. With his canteens over his shoulder, he set forward
on foot. He found a place where he could get down into
the canon, although he could see no way up the opposite
side. He climbed doAvn into it, about three hundred feet,
and found the bottom full of deep holes, Uke wells. He
commenced sounding them to find their depths and to see

266 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
if there might not be water in some of them. To some he
found no bottom, and others he found dry ; but he contin
ued his work till late at night, and until the moon had risen.
In one, a stone let fall splashed in watet. Quick as possi
ble, he fastened a canteen to a twine, and tied on a stone to
sink it, and let it down into the well. He drew it up filled
with cool Avater, and having satisfied his thirst as much as
he thought safe, he ate his supper.
He now determined to go back and get his horse. He
filled his canteens, and found a path leading up the cliff close
by the well. When he reached the plain above, he hung
his coat on a rock to mark the place, and went back after
his horse, about four miles. He fouud the animal lying by
the saddle. He poured the water in his hat, and the horse
drank and got up. He rode to AA'here his coat had been left,
and there tied him and carried up Avater for him until he
was satisfied. By this time it was breaking day, and Bon
nifield was unable to walk any more. He fell asleep under
the rocks, and slept half the day.
When he awoke, he carried water till his horse was again
satisfied, and with full canteens he mounted his horse and
moved on. His supplj'- of parched oatmeal was getting low,
and he had no idea Avhen he would get out of the desert.
His idea was to cross the canon, if he could, and if not fol
low it to tlie Colorado Eiver, if it Aveiit there.
The plains were hot, and there Avere no signs of Hfe about,
until he passed the crest of a low hill, when just in front of
him he saw a party of men sitting and standing among the
rocks. At first sight, he thought that they were Indians,
and he wheeled his horse to gallop away. But they called
to him in English, and he halted. They all rushed at him,
and he again galloped off, feeling certain that they meant

TEAVELEES. 267
him no good, although he could not devine what they really
meant. They were gold hunters who had penetrated that region
in search of mines. They lost their way, and had wandered
two days vrithout water. So extreme was their thirst that
they had opened the veins of their arms, and were sucking
the blood when Bonnifield came up. They were crazy
for water, and they tried to surround him to get his can
teens. He soon understood their purpose, and kept out of
their way. He worUd have given them the water, but, he
knew not where he was to get more, and he could not
starve himself for them. He told them where they could
find water, and they told him where he could cross the
canon, and thus they parted.
A few mUes further he found the path across the ravine,
and before dark he was upon the further side. He let his
horse graze a few hours, and again he proceeded over the
crusty salt that covered the desert.
He found no more water that night, or the next day. At
noon he gave his horse the contents of one canteen, and he
kept the other for himself. On all sides as far as he could
see was a waste solitude of rocks, sand, salt and now and
then a clump of sage-brush, or cactus, or a bunch of grass.
The land seemed entirely void of Uring beings. Not even
the snakes were now to be seen.
In the evening he began again to feel the pangs of thirst,
and his horse began to weaken. But there was no water at
hand. When night came, he did not stop ; for, it was now
a matter of life or death. To stop Avas death. He urged
his horse forward, and searched among all the rocks and
pits for water. He could find none. The landscape, hov
ered over by the shadows of night, grcAV more weird and

268 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
desolate than ever ; and the thick crust of salt that cracked
and broke under the horse's hoofs, was all that produced a
sound to break the silence of the desert. He was not wan
dering aimlessly, although he knew not whither he was
going. AwhUe before midnight he caught the glimpse of a
fire in the distance. Nothing but men builds fires, there
fore men must be there, and he spurred forward as fast as
his jaded horse could carry him. The fire was many mUes
away, and he was a long time in reaching it. When he
drew nearer, he could discern that there were more fires
than one.
When he came up, his ears were assaUed by whoops and
yeUs and howls that informed him that the fires were the
encampment of a large band of Apache Indians, who are,
of all Indians, the most blood-thirsty. His thirst overcame
his fear, and he rode boldly into camp and addressed them
in English. They started up and gathered around him, and
one or two who could speak a Httle EngUsh questioned him
as to who he was, where he was going and what he wanted.
He gave ready answers, and made himself as much at home
as he could. Still he could see that they looked upon him
with suspicion. They seemed to fear that there was a large
company of Avhites near, and that he Avas only a spy sent
into the camp. Some of the Indians immediately started
off in every direction, to explore if there was any danger.
Bonnifield dismounted and called for water, which they
brought. Then some of them took his horse to water and
pasture, and did everything they could to make him feel
welcome. He tried to feel safe, but he could not. However,
he talked and laughed, and hid all signs of fear. He divided
his tobacco among them, and they brought him meat and
cactus-apples. It was a large camp, and he was entirely at

TEAVELEES. 269
the mercy of the savages. But they did him no harm. He
slept by their fire, aud they furnished him with the best
they had.
The next morning they brought his horse, well fed and
watered, and gave him provisions to take with him on his
journey. They directed him where to find the camp to
which he was going, and, with an improved opinion of the
Arild Apaches, he left them.
During the rest of his journey he found water oftener,
but the country was Arild and desolate. He became en
tangled in a jungle of thorny cactus, and suffered much be
fore he could free himself. The cactus is covered with long,
tough briers, which, when old, curl in the manner of fish
hooks. They are very hard to break, and when fixed in a
man's clothes, he is . firmly held. Those that have not
curled, are very sharp and straight, and are so barbed that
when they have once penetrated it is hard to withdraw
them. Bonnifield had a serious time in the jungle. He
was torn by the thorns, and one entered his arm so deeply
that he could not draw it out, and it has never been gotten
out. At the end of seven days he reached the camp to which
he was going. He was only a walking skeleton, and his
horse was little better. Many a man would never have got
ten through; but his energy and perseverance overcame all
he met, and he saved his life by it. At the camp he found
friends who gave him what help they could ; but at best it
was not the care that his broken health demanded. He re
covered slowly from the fever and his memorable seven
days' ride.
As soon as he was able to travel, he determined upon
returning to California. The best route was to descend the

270 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Colorado to Fort Mojave, where Ue could go by steamboat
to Fort Yuma, and thence north through California by
railroad. The Colorado Eiver, above Fort Mojave, is swift, rough
and dangerous, and in low water is narigable only for small
canoes. It flows hundreds of miles through a deep gorge,
called Grand Canon, whose walls are of solid rock, hundreds
and some of them thousands of feet high. The scenery is
beautiful and grand, and since the completion of the Bow
String E. E. through northern Arizona, many tourists go
there to look at the Avonders. But when Bonnifield was
there, it was all in the remotest corners of the world, and
none but daring explorers and reckless adventurers had ever
been permitted to see it.
Bonnifield visited the Indian chief who claimed that
region, and bargained for guides to take him in a canoe to
Fort Mojave. The Indians tried to persuade him from
undertaking the trip at that season of Ioav Avater, telling
him that jt was exceedingly dangerous. But he was resolved
to go, and for a few dollars bought two of them to take him.
[fhe channel of the river is filled Avitli rocks, around and
OA'er which the Avater plunges in cataracts and whirlpools.
One must be acquainted Avith the channel, or he can ncA'er
get through, even with the smallest canoe. The Indians
Avhom Bonnifield bought claimed that they kncAV the river,
and probably they did ; but they Avere treacherous felloAvs,
and he contracted a disliking for them from the first. Prob
ably the feeling of antipathy Avas mutual, for they manifested
no strong affection for him. They Avatched him, and he
seldom took his eyes off of them. It was not a pleasant
ride, as the canoe shot doWn the rapids, and Avhirled in the
eddies, and darted through clouds of spray to emerge in

TEAVELEES. 271
the sunUght or shadows beyond. One Indian stood in the
bow and acted as pilot, while the other steeifed from the
stern. The pilot gave all his orders by motioning his hand.
They went very rapidlj', although they floated only Avith
the current, except when a short space of still water was
reached. From the suspicious conduct of the Indians,
Bonnifield was led to believe that they were plotting to kiU
him. He thought it best, not only to be oh guard, but to
disarm theiri. They each had a gun. When they Avent to
shore, on an island, to cook their suppers, he took from
them their guns and knives, and kept them in his posses
sion. They raised a stormy fuss about his arbitrary pro
ceedings ; but, he threatened them with everything horrible
if they attempted to resist. They yielded the point, and
turned to getting supper. He had to watch them more
closely than ever; because they uoav had occasion to kiU
him. He thought this bold course Avisest. He slept none
that night, although he affected to do so to test Avhether
they would fall upon him in his sleep. He thought that
they would not, but Avas unwilling to risk them.
Early the next morning they proceeded doAvn the river.
He arranged a plan to sleep without letting the Indians
know it. He fixed his blankets on a frame, and lay under
them. He punched nail-holes in them, so that he could
see out, but the Indians could not see in, and having for
bidden them on pain of death to approach him, he Avas
tolerably safe. They could not tell whether he Avas asleep
unless they would lift the blankets. This they were afraid
to do lest he should be aAvake and shoot them. In this
manner he slept some ; but, his slumbers Avere light.
When he reached Fort Mojave the smoke-stack of the
Government steamboat was just passing out of sight down

272 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the river. It would not be back for a month, and he would
have to remain there that time. He discharged his Indian
guides, and they went off. He spent the month with that
impatience known or imagined only by those who know the
torment of waiting only a few hours for a railroad train that
is behind time. Bonnifield said that the whistle of the
steamboat, as it came up the river toward the fort after its
month's absence, was the joyfuUest sound that man or na
ture has ever caused to greet the ears of mortal. He pur
chased passage and was carried to Fort Yuma, whence there
were railroad connections with his home in California.
When he reached home, he turned his attention to busi
ness, and discarded his romantic ideas. He has since Hved
as a farmer, and raises annually from three hundred to one
thousand acres of wheat.
His wild riding and many hardships have told materiaUy
on his constitution, although he is still equal to almost any
man of his weight. He still refuses to be surpassed by any
body, and his powers of endurance are as remarkable as
ever. A few years ago in the hurry of harvest, he fell and
broke his arm ; but he Avould not stop work an hour. He
drove the header for three days with the most stoical indif
ference, and until inflammation brought on a fever, and for
weeks his life was despaired of. He finally recovered.
Although he fears nothing, and has passed through al
most everything of excitement and danger all his life; yet
so tender are his feelings, that he will not drown a kitten.
He is still (1884) under thirty years of age, and lives in
Fresno County, California.

A. P. Minear.

CHAPTER XVI.
TRA YELERS— CONTINUED.
The energy and ability of the founders of St. George, the
old Minear famUy, have been inherited by their descendants
ever since. Had the Minears remained in Tucker and
devoted themselves to its development as they have to the
development of distant states, our county would be the
better off. As it is, the influence which this family has had
upon the growth and prosperity of this section, not only of
Tucker, but of neighboring counties, has been not a little,
and of the most permanent kind. But, unfortunately for
their native county, but fortunately for other counties, they
have, of late years, sought, their fortunes and exerted their
influence beyond the narrow and rugged confines of Tucker.
Of Enoch Minear's nine children, only one, DaA'id S.
Minear, has made Tucker County his home from his chUd
hood to the present time. Like his father, his grandfather
and his ancestors as far back as tradition ruhs, he has made
a business of agriculture, and has tilled the ^old farm that
his fathers had tilled for a hundred years before him. On
the farm, just in the suburbs of the vUlage of St. George,
and the oldest house in it, stands the grim old stone house
that has stood the storms of three-quarters of a century,
and is stUl firm and durable. For generations it Avas the
homestead of the Minear family, although it is deserted of
them now. Within its ponderous waUs was reared that
family of nine, who have now gone forth into distant lands,
and some have gone whither no traveler ever returns. The
farm on which they lived Avas one of the' finest in th©
is

27i HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY
county, and it Avas kept a model of neatness and pros
perity. The famUy was industrious, and no idleness was
tolerated. Enoch Minear, the head of the family, was a
hard-Avorking man, and he taught his family the same be
lief. Indeed, in the hot summer and in hours of languid-
ness, his boys used to imagine that they Avere kept at work
more than was good for their health and enjoyment. Earlj'
in the morning, before the first dawn of day, he Avould
thunder on their room doors with his cane and call to them :
" Out of that ! Now's the time to hoe corn while it's cool! "
and he never left the door until every yaAA'ning boy Avas
dressed and on his way doAA'n stairs. The sleepy youngsters
filed silently to the barn, harnessed the horses, hitched to
old shovel plows, and, Avliile some tore back and forth be
tAveen the corn-rows, j)laying havoc Avitli the weeds and
briers, and throAving fresh soil to the young corn, others
followed AA'ith broad-hoes and hacked down Avhat Aveeds the
ploAvs had missed, and straightened the stalks Avhicli the
horses had trampled doAvn. There Avere no idlers there.
Each one had something to do, and the work could not be
slighted. If a roAv of corn was not well hoed, it was a sad
settlement to be made Avith the one in fault.
The summer days, from so early in the morning, were very
long. From the first dawn till noon was almost equal to an
ordinary day. The boj's AVorked unceasingly, but still found
time to Avatch the si-iii and to take note of the marvelous
sloAvness Avith Avhicli their shadoAvs moved from the Avest to
the north. When the shadoAv pointed north, it Avas noon.
Tliat truth of astronomical geography is Avell knoAvn to all
the farmer boys iu the Avorld, and, about ten o'clock, Avhen
it has been a long time since breakfast and is still a long
time till dinner, they are at a loss to discern AA'hethfer the .

TEAVELEES. 275
shadow is moA'ing at all or not^ but are tempted to believe
that, like old Joshua of the Scripture, they have enemies
to overcome, and the sun is standing still to allow them
ample time for the performance of the work.
When the horn blew for dinner, the tired, hungry boys
forgot their troubles and went trooping home. After the
horses were attended to they ate their own dinners. The
bUl of fare was that of the farmer, not costly or uncommon,
but sufficient ; and, it is doubtful, if in all their travels, these
boys have CA'er found anything better than was their meal
of corn bread, pork, butter, milk and vegetables, when they
come in at noon from eight hours of hard work in the SAvel-
tering heat.
" Now boys," their father woidd say as soon as they Avere
done eating and had just flung themselves down in the
shady yard on the grass to rest, " now boys, now's the time
to hoe corn and kill the weeds while it's hot." So, up he
got and up he made them get, and in a very few minutes
the whole procession was moving majestically off for the
corn-field for seven or eight hours more work.
Enoch Minear taught industry to his family as he taught
them morality. He considered it necessary as a part of
their education. They learned the lesson, and were never
the less fortunate for it.
The subject of popular education in Tucker Avas now
coming more before the people, and a greater interest was
taken in it. As yet, there AA'ere no public schools. This
period maj' be supposed to extend from 1845 to 1860. St.
George was not even a village then, at least not in 1845. It
did not contain the number of inhabitants that it contained
sixty years before.
While there was no public school, yet there was always a

276: HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
school in St. George during the winter. The teacher was
paid from private purses, and several pupUs came from
the country to attend. Sometimes there was a school in
the summer time. In 1856 there was a summer school that
has been especiaUy remembered by those who attended.
In 1859 the St. George Inn was buUt. It was managed
for nearly twenty years by Adam Tate, Esq., and was a
model tavern of the kind. Its comforts and hospitaUty were
proverbial the country over, and it was patronized by law- •
yers from neighboring counties, by cattle-dealers, by the
traveling pubUc and by the people of the surrounding coun
try. The same house has been a tavern ever since, except
for a year or two while it was owned by George I. Tucker,
Esq. It is now the property of Mr. M. V. MUler, and has
recently^been refitted and refurnished until it is one of the
best houses in the town.
The school of 1856 was taught by Prof. George E. Selby ;
and, in addition to the pupils in and about St. George, others
attended from a distance. Among those who came from
the country were Abe Bonnifield, A. H. Bonnifield, S. N.
Swisher, Edgar Parsons, C. L. Parsons and others. In this
school Abe Bonnifield took the prize for exceUing in reading.
The school has always been remembered by those who at
tended it as one of great thoroughness and completeness ;
and it may not be amiss to claim for it a greater influence
for good than that of any other school ever taught in the
county. It was taught in a house that stood and stUl stands
just back of the present school house of St. George. The
building was originally a saw-miU, standing some two miles
below the town, and Avas moved to its present site and re
built by Enoch Minear. To him Avas due the first school
in St. George, after the formation of Tucker. He paid the

TEAVELEES. 277
teacher from his own pocket, and thrcAV open the doors of
school to aU who Avould make use of it. The offer was
accepted by many, and before the • commencement of sum
mer the enroUment was as large as it has ever been in
St. George.
Enoch Minear then "kept tavern in the old stone house,
and many of the pupils boarded with him. But Abe Bon
nifield, A. H. Bonnifield and David Bonnifield boarded at
. home, four and one-half mUes distant, and S. N. Swisher,
then of Hampshire County, boarded with them, and they all
came to school together.
Before that time, and several years before, there had been
schools in and near St. George. Enoch Minear had always
been a liberal patronizer of popular education. His family
received the benefit of the best instruction the country
could afford. But, pven at this time, 1856, his family were
not all Arith him. Some had gone to the remotest parts of
the United States to try their fortunes there. The land of
CaUfornia had attracted their notice when it first became
known to the world as a field of gold. Capt. E. Harper,
who started to that region early in 1848, was the first of
Tucker's people to dare the dangers of the land of adven
ture. But others in il, very short time were to foUow, and
the next one was A. P. Minear, Enoch Minear's oldest son.
On Saturday, March 10, 1849, at the supper table, in the
old stone mansion, Enoch Minear said to his oldest son:
"Pool," that was the name by which he was known, "Pool,
to-day you are twenty-one years of age. You may either
stay with me or go 'root' for yoilrseU", as you like." Now,
for the first time. Pool realized that he Avas fully a man, and
ought to depend upon himself. He was always a whole-
souled, generous boy, who was respected by all, and by all

278 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
knoAvn as a youth of inteUect, energy and ambition. It was
plain to any one that he would make his Avay in the world,
no matter in Avhat field he should seek his fortune. On the
home farm, from his childhood, he had been a leader of his
brothers. This right was partly due him, because he was
the oldest ; but, his perseverance and his ambition gave him
this position more than was given by his age.
At the supper table, on that Saturday evening, was a
neighbor, Mr. Jacob See, a man, as has been said of him,
whose worth was unknoAvn until he was gone. He heard
what had been said, and Avhen he was ready to go home.
Pool accompanied him to the stable for his horse. As they
walked along he offered Pool fifteen dollars a month for
three months if he would help plow. The offer was ac
cepted. The usual wages were eight doUars a month, and to
be offered fifteen was such an inducement that Pool had no
hesitation in accepting it. He worked for Mr. See the fuU
time, the three months, and received his forty-five doUars.
This was the largest sum of money, entirely his OAvn, that
he had ever had.
Mr. See having no further work for him. Pool at once
went to the B. & O. E. E., then building through the coun
try, and took a contract of clearing the way of timber for a
certain distance. At this he made money, as he always did,
and could, Avithout doubt, have remained a contractor on
the road until the last rail was laid, had he chosen to do so.
But rumors of gold from California began to find their way
into the mountains and vaUeys of West Virginia; and,
among the adventurous and ambitious souls that it fired
with a determination to try the reaUties of the stories, there
was none among all the youthful mountaineers more en
thusiastic than Pool Minear. His friend, E. Harper, was

TEAVELEES. 27^
alread}'^ gone, and at that time Avas daring the dangers of the
western plains, determined to be among the first upon
the golden shore. The next from Tucker Avas to be Pool
Minear. He might have been the first or with the first, had
he possessed the financial means of going AA'hen young
Harper went. But, if he could not accompany his friend,
he was resolved to be there as soon as possible.
Haring finished his contract on the railroad, he returned
home, and announced that he was going to California.
" AVhere is California ? " his father asked in amazement, as
though the name of a new Avorld had been spoken. Pool
acknowledged that he himself had only vague ideas Avhere
the mysterious realm was situated; but others had gone
there, and he was certain that he could find it. It Avas in
the West, and might be reached either by land or water.
This was the substance of all he knew concerning it. For,
be it remembered, that the science of Geography, in this
part of West Virginia, was then known or partly knoAvn
only to a privileged few.
But the uncertainty concerning the latitude and longitude
of California was no obstacle in the way of getting there ;
and Enoch Minear even encouraged his boy to go, and gave
him three hundred dollars to help bear his expenses on the
way. This was December 23, 1849. Four days later, young
Minear left his home for the far West. It Avas in the de,id
of Avdnter, and the snow was more than a foot deep. The
nearest railroad station was Cumberland, in Maryland, some
seventy miles distant. Solomon Minear, his brother, accom
panied him on horseback to the Eed House, on the North
western turnpike, some twenty miles from St. George, and
there set him down in fifteen inches of suoav to make his
way to California as best he could, and there left him.

280 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
He had a letter of introduction from Senator Ewin to
Mrs. AVainright, of New York, a sister of Mr. Ewin. This
was all he carried with him to recommend him to anybody
in the great Avorld of strangers into which he was burying
himself. The undertaking before him seemed a great one,
and it Avas a great one to a young man whose life had been
spent almost entirely in the narrow limits of Tucker County.
California, the bourne and the goal of his ambition, was a
vague realm, of which he possessed only the merest
knoAvledge, and to him it seemed only as an ideal land be
yond the ocean. He was leaving all he knew behind him,
and Avas launching boldly, if not blindly, out upon the great
ocean of the wonderful and the unknoAvn.
AVith these and similar thoughts crowding thickly upon
him, he stood in the snow on that winter day, and watched
his brother, Avho had turned back, until, hidden by the fly
ing snow and the roughness of the country, the horse,
rider and all passed from sight, and Pool Avas left entirely
alone. The next time he saAV his brother Avas in California.
AVhen the last gray outline of his brother's overcoat was
lost from sight in the distance,^ A. P. Minear turned to the
east, and with his small portmanteau slung across his shoul
der, he plodded onward slowly through the snow. His
journey lay across the Backbone and the Alleghany moun
tains, through a region fair and beautiful in the greenness
of summer, when all nature from the lowest forms to the
highest are thrilled Avith passion and life ; but, a region
drear and bleak when the fierceness of winter is upon it,
and the wild storms of sleet and ice and snow are never
weary. SloAvly and with labor the young man climbed the
slope of the Backbone, and at last stood upon its desolate
summit. To the northward and Avestward the country of

TEAVELEES. 281
the "Glades" was in view ; and as the Avhole frigid pano
rama burst upon his vision, and the white, snowy fields were
interspersed with darker expanses of forest, and away in
the distance the winding, tortuous course of the Yough
logheny could be traced along the ancient lake beds, whose
water it had carried off in past ages, he felt that the under
taking was to him a momentous one. The land looked lone
and desolate ; but, he could stiU see beauties in it, and
then felt that it was his home.
But he was too impatient to remain long in contemplation
of the winter scenery, and in the reverie that the picture
drew upon him. That dim, but not phantasmal land of gold
and romance was so vividly painted in his mind that the
brightness of its colors soon surpassed and blotted out
those of the white hUls and mountains far beneath him ;
and -with but one thing before his fancy, and that the Golden
Shore beyond the sea, he turned, perhaps forever, from the
scene at his feet, and with his portmanteau on his back, he
pushed forward along the forest-lane that marks the line of
the road across the mountain, and soon began the descent
into the rugged vaUey of the North Branch of the Potomac.
The country was only thinly inhabited. Here and there
was the cabin of a mountaineer, who was wiUing to live
apart from the rest of mankind in order to enjoy the luxur
ies of a forest Ufe. Soon Minear turned down from the
high plateau of the Backbone, and the snow grew less deep
and he walked easier. AVhere Fort Pendleton now stands
in ruins, was then only a field and a forest ; and as he passed
wearily by, on the steep descent of the way, he had noth
ing to remind him what scenes of history would sometime
be enacted about that very hiU. The surrounding sUenoe
gave no token that in after years the tramp of troops, the

282 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
trundling of train-wagons and the deep roar of ordnance
would shake the very rocks over which he walked. Nor,
when he reached the roaring river, which washed the mount
ain's feet, and plunges and raves and dashes eternally, did
he once think how, in time to come, the ponderous iron horse
would thunder through the mountains at forty miles an hour
and that a city might sometime spring up where was then
only a rough bridge and a dilapidated tavern.
But, if such thoughts came not to him in the whisper of
prophecy, there was still enough to occupy his mind. He
crossed the river, and the next day crossed the Alleghanies,
passed over the little river, Difficult, a stream of legends
and myths, and crossed the rough ravine, called Stony Eiver.
At Mount Storm he was on the summit of the great AUe
ghanies. The name is suggestive of the character; for
Mount Storm was a stormy mountain, Avhere the wind
knows no rest or mercy ; and the tornadoes are forever raging
around the bald dome which marks the highest point.
From there the road led doAvn toward the lower vaUeys ;
and by evening Minear was so far on the plains below that
he could look back and upward and see the mountains at
intervals, and at intervals they were hidden in the thick
masses of clouds, which are nearly always hovering there.
The young man had now placed between himself and his
home one range of hUls, one sierra of snowy summits, and
he felt, at one time, that he had gained a victory, and at
another that he was that much nearer his doom. But it
was no time to think of either. He Avas going, and nothing
could or should discourage or dissuade him. The excessive
labor of walking through so much deep suoav began to haA'e
an effect on his body but none at all upon his mind. His
limbs were tired ; but his wiU to triumph, his determination

TEAVELEES. 283
to push on, over and through and around obstacles and dif
ficulties, was not diminished, and down, down stiU nearer to
the vaUey he took his way, and his mind that dwelt on am
bition and pictured the future knew no weariness. At Cum
berland the most arduous part of his journey would be at
an end, and to that was due the fact that he Avould not stop
on his way untU that town was reached.
From Cumberland to New York it was only a trip by rail,
and possessed nothing of especial interest. Minear reached
New York and was kindly received by the family to whom
he was presented by his letter of introduction. Mr. Wain-
right had a son and daughter about Minear's age, and as he
expressed it in a letter written afterward :
I remained there a' week and had a splendid time with these
young people, who took me, one by each wing, and showed me the
strange New York sights.
New York was the first vivid impression of the vastness
of the world and its human inhabitants that he had ever
received. But it was not the end of his journey, it was
really only the beginning of it, and from there his way
would lead through lands and seas still stranger than any
he had yet seen.
He remained in the metropolis one week and then took
passage on the steamship Empire City for the Isthmus of
Panama. That was the principal and the most usual route
to California at that time. The other routes were across
Central America at the San Juan del Sur, and by Elizabeth
Bay, or around the soilthern extremity of South America,
at Cape Horn, the route taken by some who went from
Tucker, and by which the distance to California was more
than half the distance arotmd the world. The other com
mon road was the emigrant trail across the plains. Capt.

284 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Harper took this route when he went in 1848 and 1849.
At that time there was not, as there now is, a railroad
across the Isthmus. Passengers got themselves across in
any and every possible manner. The cUmate was hot and
unhealthful, and those who remained on the Isthmus any
length of time did so at the peril of their lives. However,
many were obliged to stay for weeks, and sometimes for
months, waiting on the western side for a vessel to carry
them to San Francisco.
When Minear reached there, he found only the rudest
conveyances to carry him and the rest of the passengers to
the other side. A portion of the journey was in canoes,
manned by natives, dressed in linen as white as snow. It
was hot, arid when the canoes were fully under way, the
natives threw aside their costume, and for the rest of the
way were clad after the manner of Adam and Eve whUe
innocent in the Garden of Eden. The remonstrances of
the .passengers were utterly unavailing in causing them to
dress themselves, and so they proceeded in that manner,
although some of the passengers were ladies.
The natural scenery along the way was tropical, and con
tinually called forth words of admiration from the passen
gers. They stopped at times and bought fridt and drank
native coffee, and after a series of adventures, their desti
nation Avas reached. In a letter Minear speaks thus of one
of the native taverns :
At one of these little native huts, we got splendid coffee and, as
usual, cream or mUk in it, which was quite a -treat and helped
wash down the crackers and cheese. At this particular place I
now mention, I had drank one cup of coffee and called for another.
As the lady took my cup and went into the adjoining hut to get
the coffee, I stepped into the doorway, or open space, to take a
look into the other room, when I saw her with my cup of coffee in

TEAVELEES. 285
one hand, streaming the cream or milk from her breast into it with
the other. Just then I had flnished lunch and did not care for any
more coffee.
He reached Panama on January 18, 1850 ; and the very
next day commenced looking about for something to do.
There was no prospect of getting to go to California any
time soon, and it was his purpose to save all the money he
could. It was a hard place to get work, and the best offer
he could find was that of one doUar a day in a pancake
bakery. This was better than nothing, and he accepted the
offer and went to work. But he was only waiting for an
opportunity to faU in with something better.
A few days later he thought he saw a chance for specula
tion, and at once entered into it. Twelve miles from Pan
ama was Taboga, where the steamers took in coal and water.
He saw money in running a boat from Panama to that place
to carry the passengers who would want to go. Accord
ingly, he bought a whale boat for eighty dollars, and soon
got a load of passengers. He had a "fair wind and made a
splendid run ;"* and his passengers were safely landed at
their destination. About sunset he left Taboga in his boat,
accompanied by his two seamen, and started back to Pan
ama. But the winds were contrary ; and the boat was
driven hither and thither all night, and not till the next day
did it reach Panama. Minear was sea-sick, and entirely
disgusted with his speculation. As soon as the boat touched
the shore, he leaped out, started for the town, yeUed back
to his men that they could have the boat, and he never
looked back, ,
There was still no show of getting a passage to California,
and he commenced looking about for something else to make
•Letter from San Francisco.

286 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
money at. He rented a large room at two ' dollars a day,
and charged ten cents a night to each person who spread
his blanket and slept there. He made some money at this,
and thought himself more fortunate than those who were on
continual expense and were making nothing.
As soon as he got a Httle better acquainted, he saw an
other opening for speculation in passenger tickets, and he
entered into that business and made some money at it.
He had now been on the Isthmus more than a month, and
his impatience to get away may be imagined. Fortunately
for him, it Avas in the winter time ; for had it beeri in the^ hot
season of the year, the whole collection of passengers must
have fallen by fever. The first of March came, and thej'
were still there and no show of getting aAvay. Some Arished
they had stayed in New York, others that they had crossed
the plains, and still others that they had the opportunity of
going back home. But during aU this, Minear was making
the best of the situation and was looking sharply about to
take in all the loose money that was floating around among
the reckless of the passengers. In this he was successful,
and made more than enough to balance Avhat he had lost in
his AA'hale-boat transaction.
Early in March, 1850, the steamer Panama came into
port, and the passengers Avere jubilant at the prospect of
getting to leave that fever-plagued coast. On March 5, they
departed for San Francisco, and had a stormy voyage of
tAventy-four days before they approached the Golden Gate.
As they were coming up the coast, Minear made the ac
quaintance of B. E. BuckelcAv, Esq., Avho had gone to Cali
fornia in 1846, but had been east Avitli his family and Avas
just returning Avith his brother Scott. The acquaintance
Avas a fortunate one for Minear, avIio Avas totallv unac-

TEAA'ELEES. 287
quainted A^•ith any oiie in California, except Capt. E. Har
per, and he knew not Avliere, in all that Avild country, to find
him. Mr. Buckelew soon found that young Minear had
nothing definite laid out to do, and accordingly offered to
furnish him a shed to sleep in until he could find something
better. Pool felt grateful and accepted the offer ; but he
couldn't help thinking that in West Virginia a stranger would
not have been offered a shed to sleep in. But he was
learning the ways of the ucav world, and he had no hesi
tancy in accepting the shelter of a shed.
They landed, and Minear Avas shown the shanty ; and, af
ter looking about for an hour or two, and as night came on,
he lay down upon the floor to sleep. He was not in imme
diate need of anything, and had over two hundred dollars in
money. His only companion was an Irish boy, and Avith
this company he lay down to sleep his first sleep in California.
That night he Avas taken sick, and in the morning he sent
for a doctor. He grew no better, and the doctor visited
him regularly for tAvo Aveeks, and finally got him on his feet.
The doctor's bill Avas four hundred and fifty dollars. Pool
had not money enough to pay it. Mr. BuckelcAv's brother
furnished the necessary money, and the doctor's unreasona
ble bill was paid off.*
As soon as Minear felt able to Avork, he offered his ser
vices to Mr. Buckelew, but Avas adA'ised not to attempt
work until he felt stronger. Accordingly, he laid off a few
* It may not he amiss to note that Captain Harper was some distance from San
Francisco, when he heard that Mlnearhad an-ived and was sick. Harper's huslness
was such that he could not get away to visit liis young friend ; hut he did not neglect
him. On a bank In San Francisco where he had money deposited, he gave Mine ar
an order to draw all he wanted. But Mr. Buckelew's generosity had already rendered
this unnecessary. This incident Is mentioned to show the friendship that then exist
ed between these two young West Virginians, in the strange couutry. The khidly
feelings and confldence betweeen them never grew less, and in their subsequent
business transactions each would trust the other further than he would trust himself.

288 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
days longer. But he felt that he must be doing something,
and again Avent to Buckelew for a job. This time he Avas
more successful. He was shown a ponderous pile of bricks
that it was necessary to move about two hundred yards.
Pool did this Arith a wheelbarrow. Mr. Buckelew was so
pleased with the perseverance and pluck of the young man
that he invited him to his own house and kept him there as
long as he had anything to be done. Mr. Buckelew had
several city lots which needed leveling, and Minear was
given the contract. He soon had fifty men at work, and
kept at it until every lot Avas leveled, and his employer had
nothing else for him to do. This was April 15, 1851. In
their settlement, Minear was paid two hundred and fifty
dollars a month, and was charged with no lost time.
Minear now turned his attention to the lumber business,
which in California is usually a paying one. There is money
in it to all who are fortunate ; but, it is risky for those who
are not used to the business. Minear bought two ox-teams,
and went to hauHng logs for the mill. He was successful
at every turn. Every stream "was bubbling over with
luck," and he made money fast. Soon another miU near by
offered him greater inducements, and he went to work for
it, and was still as successful as ever. He remained with
the new firm that bought the old one out, until in the faU of
1853. But, in the meantime he built a new mill for the
same company. They were gradually placing in his hands
the whole business, and he Avas not backward in accept
ing it.
In the fall of 1853 he accepted the position of manager in
general for a large lumber establishment and had the entire
control of the business. He was paid tAventy thousand dol
lars a month. He was now on the road to fortune, and was

TEAVELEES. 289
doing well in every particular. But, in April, 1854, his
monthly payment was not made. This did not make
much difference, and he continued the business, paying ex
penses from his own pocket. The next payment was not
made, and he began to inquire into the cause of it, but
still kept the business going. But, in the midst of his
investigations the company broke. One of the partners left ,
for Mexico, one died and the third had no money. Minear
paid up the indebtedness of the mills and had nothing left.
He spent forty thousand dollars of his oavu money in set
tling with small contractors and laborers. He considered
that he could afford to lose all he had easier than so many
could give up their aU ; and so he paid that which, by laAV,
he need not have paid.. But, it broke him up, financially,
but not physically or mentally.
Before this financial failure, Minear had sent to loAva for
his brother-in-law, Henry M. Stemple, and family, and they
crossed the plains to join him. He had bought them a
home ; but, before they got to it, the crash came, and Mi
near left California on horseback and went to Oregon.
But Stemple reached the farm, and lived and died on it,
and his wife, formerly Eliza Minear, still lives on the prop
erty, some miles north of San Francisco, in a beautiful and
fertile country.
At Eainier, Oregon, A. P. Minear met his old friend,
Capt. E. Harper, who was then carrying on an extensive
mercantile business there. As Minear Avas out of employ
ment, and had not an extra supply of money, he was glad
of the presented offer of going into partnership with Mr
Harper. For a while after this, they conducted the busi
ness together, and when Harper Avent to California, Minear
continued the trade.
19

290 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
About this time Minear made the acquaintance of Miss
Lucretia Moody, a young lady from New York, Avho, with
her father's family, and other friends, had crossed the
plains to the Pacific coast. They were soon afterward,
married f' and they continued the stores at Eainier until
some time in 1856, when the business was brought to a
close. AVith his wife he uoav returned to California, and lived
that year Avith Stemple, his brother-in-law ; but did not en
gage deeply in business. Some of the affairs in Oregon
needed looking after, and he returned for that pur
pose. In order to close up the concerns there, he found^it
necessary to buy and sell to a considerable extent. WhUe
doing this, he found that he Avas making money, and he saw
no reason Avhy he might not continue it. He decided to do
so, and went to California for his wife. In Oregon they
carried on a large store and hotel. Mrs. Minear assumed
management of the latter, and Mr. Minear of the former.
Things went on AveU, and they made money at every turn of
the AA'heel of fortune. This AA'as in 1857.
In 1858, a Mr. AYarreii, who OAi'ued a saw-miU at that
place Avas desirous of Aisiting his family at Boston, and
wished Minear to look after his lumber interests. This
Minear agreed to do, and added tAVQ or three thousand dol
lars Avorth of improvements to the mill. But, before the
return of Mr. Warren, the miU burnt doAvn. When AVari'en
got back, he offered Minear the burnt machinery as pay for
the service done, and as return for the money invested in
improvements. This Avas rather poor pay ; but it Avas that
much better than nothing, and Minear accepted it. He
at once set about rebuUding it, using such of the ma-
-" February 28, 185(1.

TEAVELEES. 291
chiaery as was available, and replacing the Avorthless Arith
new. To rebuUd the mUl cost him eight thousand , doUars. He
got it ready to start at six p. m., and made arrangements to
commence work at six next morning, and had men employed
to run it night and day. At four in the rhorning it burnt
down. He rebuUt it at the same cost, run it six days, and
it again burnt down.
These reverses would have- bankrupted him, had he not
been making large sums of money in the other departments
of his business. He buUt the miU the third time ; but, the
price of lumber had fallen untU a small miU would not pay.
Meanwhile, he was furnishing money and supplies to a man
named Fox, who was building a water mill just back of the
town of Eainier, for the purpose of sawing cedar lumber.
By the time his mill was fairly started, he owed Minear near
scA'en thousand doUars, and, feeling dubious about being
able to make that much out of the mill, he offered to give it,
lumber and all, to him, in satisfaction of the debt. Minear
accepted the offer. Fox made him a deed for it, and the
whole matter was settled and the mill, property and all,
were in Minear's hands. He was yet standing at his desk,
having just signed his part of the contract when the sawyer
came running in and exclaimed : " Mr. Fox, your mill is on
fire."'"^ It burnt down, and Avas the third mill so to be
destroyed on Minear's hands. He now thought it time to
get out-of the mill business, and sold his steam mill, that he
had rebuilt the third time, for one thousand dollars, and
never got a cent of the money.
Although uniformly unsuccessful in the mill business,
yet with his hotel and store he made money very fast. His
' From a letter, written afterward.

292 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
great trade Avas with the Columbia Eiver bottom-land far
mers, who bought their goods one year and paid for them
the next, when their crops came into market. This was aU
working beautifully untU 1862, when a great flood came
down the Columbia, higher than it has ever been known
since or was ever known before. It drowned out the far
mers. Many were left destitute, had nothing to pay debts
or buy bread. The land, which before the flood was valua
ble, was now worthless.
The depreciation in the value of property left us about, on a
level with the rest of the people. Our hotel and store were worth
less. I paid our debts and had very little left.*
Meanwhile, among the people of Tucker there was stUl a
remnant of the California excitement. The Minears seemed
to be the readiest to go. Jacob, Thaddeus and Jerome
Harper had followed their brother, Captain Harper, to Cal
ifornia, and before this time, were scattered along the
Pacific coast from Chili, in South America, to British Co
lumbia. From the time Pool Minear went, until 1859, ten
years, several persons had gone from Tucker County to try
their fortunes in the Golden State. William and George
Minear had gone west. George settled at KiUbourne.
Iowa, and stiU resides there. William lives at Oakland,
California, just across the Bay from San Francisco.
In the summer of 1859, quite a number of young people
in and about St. George determined to go to California.
Among them were A. T. Bonnifield and family, and John
W. Minear. In November of that year they left West
Virginia and repaired to New York, where they took the
steamer for Panama. The journey to New York contained
nothing of particular interest, and the stay in the city was
' Letters.

TEAVELEES. • 293
of import only to those Avho enjoyed it and took inthe
many strange sights that a great city contained.
They secured passage on a fine, steamer for Panama, and
with everything propitious they swept from the harbor out
upon the stormy Atlantic. The novelty of the new life, the
change of scenery, the sea-sickness and the absence of
everything terrestrial, kept the passengers from groAving
melancholy with the monotony of the surroundings. In
fair weather, they stood on deck ; but when it was stormy,
they remained in the cabins, or down below. While pass
ing the mouth of the Gulf of California, an incident took
place, which has never been forgotten by those interested.
They were all below ; for, in passing the Giilf, Cape San
Lucas as the point is called, the wind bloAvs a gale toAvard
the land, and passes up the gulf to the hot region about the
mouth of the Colorado Eiver. John Minear was below
with the rest ; and, desiring to go on deck, and not seeing
his own hat at hand, he picked up Bonnifield's hat, and
proceeded to the deck. The moment he protruded his head
above the timbers of the ship, the wind swept aAvay his hat
like a cannon ball, aud it passed out to sea, and its fate is
unknown to this day. It was a smaU affair, but it cast a
gloom over both Minear and Bonnifield, the former because
he. had lost it, and the latter because it was lost. Bonni
field never forgot that hat ; and he often wonders Avhether
it was eaten by a shark, or whether, like Jonah, it Avas swal
lowed by a whale, or whether it became water-logged and
sank into the fathomless caverns of the sea, or whether the
Arinds and waves lashed and dashed it until it was beaten to
pieces, and the dissevered fragments were scattered and
strewn upon the rocky coasts of islands, continents, penin
sulas, isthmuses and capes. In all probability its fate will

294 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
never be known ; but it has never been forgotten by Bonni
field who had to go into port and step upon the Golden
Shore bare-headed.
AVhen they reached San Francisco, Minear went to his
sister, Mrs. Stemple's. As soon as he had rested a Uttle, he
began looking about for a Avay to make his fortune. He had
nothing in particular laid out to do and, in consequence,
commenced looking about over the country for an opening.
He rather preferred farming, and had no difficulty in find
ing a piece of land Avhich suited him. It was about eighty
miles northward from San Francisco, in the heart of a
country of which he thus speaks in one of his letters :
The Avhole country is as one flower garden, as far as oan be seen.
The low, rolling hills and the level plains between are so thickly
covered with bloom of every imaginable color and dye, that the
brightness dazzles the eye, and one must turn away before he can
fully realize how splendid and magnificent the scenery really is.
So rich in ]:)erf ume are the flowers that if one walks through them
his clothes will retain the odor for hours thereafter, and even for
days !
He was only looking at the country, and he next visited
some of the watering places and fashionable resorts of Cal
ifornia. But he saw nothing there worth taking hold of ~
from which to make money. He then went into the mount
ains, and explored some of the timbered regions, of which
he thus speaks :
Trees ten and fifteen feet across the stump are nothing unusual,
and are so often seen that they attract no attention. They are
usuaUy from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet high ;
and sometimes are nearly two hundred feet to the lunbs.
Thus, by moving about from place to place, but doing
very little work, he spent the year, and came out of it with
less money than he had at the beginning.
He Avas now pretty well satisfied that he had seen all of

TEAVELEES. 2^5
California that it was to his interest to see, and he began to
contemplate joining his brother Pool in Oregon. Accord
ingly, he took steamer for Portland, and arrived there in
due time. He found the land along the Columbia mostly
new country, partly timbered and partly not. Business
seemed more brisk than it had been in California. At
least, it was more to his liking. He selected the lumber as
the best business at that particular time, and accordingly
devoted himself to the pursuit of it. Cedar was from sixty
to eighty doUars per thousand feet, square measure, and at
this he thought himself able soon to make a fortune and
return home rich. The trees were eight or ten feet in diam-
ter, and were usually cut that high from the ground, by
building a scaffold, or adjusting a board in a notch cut into
the tree. At this work he remained two years; but, not
getting rich as rapidly as he thought he ought to, he quit it,
passed on a steamer two hundred miles up the Columbia
and landed in Washington Territory, where he again en
gaged in the lumber trad,e, but this time in cord-Avood,
Meantime, in 1860 and 1861, the war came on in the east,
and Tucker County was between two fires. The Confeder
ates held the mountains south of the county, and along the
railroad north of the county Avere large numbers of Union
troops. Eaids were frequent into Tucker, and many per
sons felt unsafe. Among those were Enoch Minear and A.
C. Minear. They were strong supporters of the Union
cause, and they imagined that they were in danger. They
thought it best, or at least, well enough, to remove a little
from the seat of war. Accordingly, they went to California.
Adam C. Minear was born at St. George, October 6, 1845i.
St. George was at that time called Westernford. A. C. was
the youngest of a family of ten ; and, being young was no

296 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
doubt all that prevented his going when his brothers went.
He Avas young, only seventeen ; but he felt able to meet the
world and battle it for all it was worth, and risk his fortune
on the issue.
He took passage from New York to the Isthmus of Pan
ama on a splendid ocean steamer. He seemed to enjoy his
time, and found something each day to interest him ; for, as
he said in one of his letters :
The cry of "Avhale" from some lunatic Avould seldom fail to bring
on deck every passenger able to leave his state room ; and the sUly
dunces would stand Avith eyes strained and mouths open in their
heroic efforts to discern the whale's stupendous carcass heave
above the waters. Of course, nine times out of ten, or nineteen
times out of twenty, there was no whale to be seen. In fact, I
never got to see one at all. But it seemed that the passengers
could learn nothing by experience. They Avere always ready to
rush upon deck, and be made the fools of some bigger fool. Some
of the aristocracy, who have more imagination than brains, looked
through their long spy-glasses, any declared • that they could see
whales by the thousand ; but I noticed that they could see just as
many whales with their glasses pointed toward the sky as when in
any other quarter.
***v* * * * *
There Avere on the ship, as I suppose there are on all ships, per
sons who had often before been over the same route, and whose
knowledge of it enabled them to point out something of interest
or some historical locality almost every hour of the day. If a cape
came in view, they knew something about it, by whom it was dis
covered, or Avho Avas buried there ; or they could relate some geo-,
graphical fact connected with it.
Young Minear was getting his eyes opened to the world,
and the range of his knoAvledge was growing wider. He
was a good scholar for his age and chance. His education
had been acquired in the old school-house, of the school of
1856, that stood on the bank of the mill race, which was

TEAVELEES. 297
dug by John Minear in 1776. A. C. had gotten to be a
good scholar, and, although young, he was prepared to
travel. The value of travel to him, and the interest which
he took in seeing that of which he had only read before,
and had known only as it existed in school geographies,
may be judged from the following extract from one of his
letters :
When I passed those islands, and saw the capes and promonto
ries rise above the sea, my mind went back to the school room, and
I remembered and pitied the dumb boys who used to stand sneak
ing before the teacher, because they could not tell exactly whether
Cuba was at Babylon or in Cape Hatteras. The poor scoundrels
could not teU ; for, I have been there, and know by experience how
hard it is to remember things that are only things. I .thought that
I pretty well understood the general character of land and water ;
but I find that I am dumber than most people take me to be. Is
lands are larger, and oceans bigger, and storms stronger and
mountains rougher than one can get any idea of by reading books.
In our debating ' Rinkle ' we used to discuss which would teach a
man the more, reading or traveling. Some of us were always
ready to express opinions, and argue on one side or the other ; but
none of us had ever traveled any, and had no means of knowing
what there is in the Avorld. For, if we were to read half the time
for ten years, we could not learn what I haA'e learned in coming
from New York doAvn here.*
A youth who thus traveled with his eyes open, and who
found leisure to see every island, inspect every cape and
promontory, and to despise the silly people, Avho, in the ex
citement of the moment, could turn their spy-glasses sky
ward and see whales, such a youth was getting benefit from
his traveUng. He has left recorded in letters and in his di
ary a journal of his proceedings southward over, the Atlan
tic, through the West Indias, and across the Caribbean Sea.
•Panama.

298 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY,
When he got to AspiuAvall he soon had made up his mind
concerning it, as we can see from his journal :
An hour's stroll through the streets of this ancient town is
enough to convince the average emigrant that it is not the safest
place on the globe, although one has at his command all the
modern means of self defense. It looks to me like the den of rob
bers and the habitation of wickedness in every shape.- The people
seem to be of different languages ; but as far as that is concerned,
it is all Dutch to me. They must make their living by stealing or
robbing ; for they don't appear to be working a bit. They loaf
around the corners of the roads, and wait for people to come along
to be robbed. At least it looks so to me. I can't see how Pool*
stood it on this Isthmus two or three months, while, if, I have to
stay here that many hours it is more than I have bargained for.
When he had crossed the Isthmus, which was done on
the cars and Avas a ride of forty miles, he was in Panama, of
which place his opinion was soon made up and expressed :
A person in search of civilization need not stop here very long.
He will soon flnd out that he is "barking up the wrong stump,"
for it is worse here than at Aspinwall, and I am getting tired of
the surroundings. If a ship don't soon come to take me to San
Francisco, I will be tempted to make my way on foot through
Mexico. The weather is warm here, although so late in the faU.
A ship did soon come from San Francisco to take the pas
sengers there, arid no time was lost in getting aboard. The
passage northward was the same old story of a sea voyage.
Some things were getting their newness worn away. The
credulous travelers failed to see such multitudes of whales,
and there was less excitement when a report of any kind
actually did get started. In passing Cape San Lucas, as is
always the case, there was a strong wind, and the sea became
boisterous. . Many became sea sick, but the Cape was passed
and all became quiet again. The next thing of note was
• A. p. Minear, brother to A. C. Minear.

TEAVELEES. 299
the arrival at San Francisco. From a letter of A. C.
Minear's the foUowing is taken :
At last the Golden Gate appeared. A sigh of relief Avent up from
every passenger on board. I could not, in my own gladness, re
frain from thinking how many thousands of sea sick mortals have
haUed with joy tliis same harbor, this same Golden Gate ; and how
many have looked back over the long Avay of waters, the ocean of
storms and the domain of desert seas, and then cast their eyes for
Avard to the solid shore, where rest would be found at last, and
where sea sickness would not be dreaded. The scenery was beau
tiful, although we were only approaching the shore. Except the
solitary peaks of a mountain here and there along the coast to the
southward, this was my first sight of California. I was eager to
see it, and leaned against the gunwales to steady myself that I
might the better scan the shore.
As we drew nearer, I noticed that the mountains -were not as
heavily timbered as they are in [West] Virginia.
I have never read much of the past of CaUfornia, and less still of
this harbor. I know only a little of what has taken place here.
But I felt an interest in the things about me ; for I felt that it was
romantic grourid, and that it was intermixed with strange stories.
¦* « « * y 'f, jj:- 'H * . *
As soon as I got on shore, and had taken a hasty survey of San
Francisco, I began to feel more at home. But I find that it is hard
to get acquainted with San Francisco. The people are of every
nation and of every tongue.
As soon as A. C. Minear had looked for a few days about
the country, and had visited his relatives in California, he
set out for Oregon, where his two brothers, Pool and John,
then were.
Solomon Minear had been killed by a horse after his arri
val in California. George Minear went to that State, but
returned to Iowa. WiUiam lived and still lives in Oakland,
California. Miss Catharine Minear, a daughter of Enoch
Minear, and a sister of A. C, had gone to California with

300 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
her father, and had married C. W. Moore, of Idaho, and
still resides in Boise City, in that Territory.
A. C. Minear passed through Oregon and Washington
Territory, stopping occasionally on the way, and early in
1864 reached Silver City, Owyhee County, Idaho. The
mines had only recently been discovered, and the first who
had attempted to work them had been driven out with loss
by the Indians.
Meanwhile, John Minear had grown tired of the lumber
business, and had gone two hundred miles up the Columbia,
into AVashington Territory, where he took a contract to fur
nish two thousand cords of wood at ten dollars a cord.
He strung out seven yoke of cattle to a wagon and hauled
seven cords of Avood at a load. He made money at this ;
and just as he was finishing his contract, came the rumors
of the mines in Idaho, to which A. C. Minear and A. P.
Minear, his brothers, were already on the way.
Teams with which to haul goods to the mines were in
great demand. John Minear put one hundred head of cat
tle on the road, hitched them to ponderous wagons loaded
with freight, and started for Idaho, five hundred mUes away.
Merchants paid fifty cents a pound for liauUng their goods
into the country, and at these figures, something ought to
be made by a man with fifty yoke of cattle. He had with
him a quartz mill, owned by his brother, A. P. Minear, and
was taking it to Idaho, at a cost of sixty thousand doUars.
In September, 1864, with his ox-teams, John Minear reached
Silver City.
After the flood of 1862 swept away A. P. Minear's fortune
at Eainier, he commenced looking about for something else
to do. He took seven yoke of oxen and started up the
river. He had an idea of engaging in the cord-wood busi-

TEAVELEES. 301
ness ; but it was not his definite purpose to do so. He
told his wife that he would be gone six months, and punctu-
aUy to the very day he returned. He had engaged in haul
ing cord-wood for the Oregon S. N. Co., and had cleared ten
thousand doUars. With this he bought several large teams
of oxen and heavy wagons. When his contract was done,
he returned home ; but he left another contract for one
thousand cords unfinished. In 1863 he returned to complete
the contract. The steamboats got into a war with each
other, and the overseer of the wood works asked Minear if
he would not as lief wait tiU the next year before finishing
the contract.
This was just what Minear wanted. He had heard
- rumors of the new gold findings in Idaho, and he was de
sirous of risiting the country and seeing it for himself. He
thought it well that he should get into some other business.
Accordingly, he agreed to postpone the completion of his
contract tiU the next year, and returned to Portland with
twelve large ox-teams. He loaded his wagons Arith a large
supply of provisions for the men, and to seU when they
should reach Idaho. It was a long procession, and may
have looked like the moring of an army of Egyptian chariots.
On November 3, 1863, in the midst of a terrific snow
storm, the teams arrived in Placerville, Idaho. The country
was wild and almost uninhabited, and there was scarcely
any feed for cattle to be had at all. What hay the Minears
could get they paid two hundred and fifty doUars a ton for.
The cattle were so crazy and fierce with hunger that it was
dangerous to go near them. From a letter of A. P. Minear's
the foUowing is taken :
, On Friday I stored my goods in a large log house in the edge of
town. Saturday I got my cattle out to a place where it was pos-

302 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
sible for them to get some little to eat. Sunday it began to be
noised about the camps that there was a man in the edge of town
who had goods to sell. They crowded into my house till they filled
full eyery part not occupied by goods. They said that it was the
custom to buy one Sunday and pay the next. They were all
strangers to me ; but I told them if such was the custom, all right.
That day I sold them on credit fpur thousand .dollars worth of
goods, and did not know a man. Thus it went till the next Sun
day, when they all paid, except forty-six dollars. I sold all my
goods in this manner, and cleared nineteen thousand dollars on
them. In the spring of 1864 he returned to Oregon, finished his
Avood contract, and was prepared to make another expedi
tion to Idaho. He bought a quartz mill, loaded it on his
Avagons, was joined by J. W. Minear's wagon train, and they
departed for the Idaho mines. They had their wagons
loaded with tools, provisions, and everything that it Avas
supposed they Avould need.
He had no particular place designated to Avhich to go,
and Avhen his teams were fairly on the road, he left them
and went on ahead to select a site for the mill. He selected
Silver City, Owyhee County, Idaho, as the best location ;
and then returned, met his teams, and arrived AA'ith them in
Silver City in Jul}'. He estimated that he Avas then worth
thirty-five thousand dollars. He put from forty to fifty men
to Avork erecting the mill, and on the 14th' of September
that year, 1864, he turned out the first silver brick of Idaho.
By the next spring he " was forty thousand in debt ; or
that much Avorse off than nothing." ¦¦¦'
The following concerning this quartz mill is taken from a
letter written by John AV, Minear. The three brothers, A.
P., J. AV. and A. C. Minear Avere all in Silver City at that
time :

' From 11 letter ot A. P. .Mliieai".s.

TEAVELEES. 303
Then commenced the exciting times of this district. The men
were all anxious to see the mill start and to get their ore worked.
They would take their ore to the mill to get it crushed, just as we
used to take our corn when I Avas a boy. Everybody was rich in
mines, although not a doUar in pocket. The men often took from
the mines from sixty to one hundred dollars Avorth of silver a day.
AVhen A. P. Minear left Eainier in 1863, his wife com
menced closing out the business, and sometime' that sum
mer she joined him -where he was delivering the cord-wood,
and where he had built her a neat little cottage furnished
nicely. When her husband went into business in Idaho, she sold
out again, bought a fine span of horses and a light wagon,
and with her little traps, and three children in it, set out to
join him. It was five hundred miles, and the road lay
through a wild country, filled by bands of hostile Indians.
She camped out at night, and finally reached her husband
in safety.
In the winter of 1864-5 provisions became scarce, as
might be expected in a country untilled, and so far from
civilization, and where the great mass of the people had
gone there with nothing but a shovel and pick. Nearly ev
ery one of the two or three thousand people then in camp
got short of things to eat. Many were glad to get beans
cooked " straight, " as it was called, that is, Avithout salt or
seasoning. The following is from an account given by Mrs.
Catherine Moore, a sister of the Minears, and then in Idaho :
The snow buried our house so that I did not see daylight for three
Aveeks, except when the snow Avas shoveled from the windows. We
had fiour ; but many of the people had not, and some had only
beans, and some, for all I know, may not have had that much.
Many lived on beans cooked in water, without salt, and they were
glad to get that. In one camp, a few miles from here, the men had
been eating this kind of provisions for several Aveeks, and gre.Av so

304 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
thed of it that they said that they would hunt something else. So
they left their camp, which was buried in the snow, and they could
get out only by climbing up through the roof, and out at the top.
However, they got out, and Avandered off over the snow to hunt
some place where flour was kept. But it was a fruitless search, and
after stroUing about for two or three days, getting lost and hungry
and cold and discouraged, they came back to their camp, and were
entirely wUling to eat beans.
Meanwhile, in the camp' where the Minears were, rations
were running fearfully short. From a letter of A. P. Mi
near's we learn something of the situation and of the coun
try at that season of the year :
There Avas flour at the foot of the mountains, about twenty mUes
distant ; but it Avas worth almost a man's life to make the trip at
that time, through the drifting snow and terrific wind storms.
HowcA'er, I offered to go, and I got twenty-four volunteers. It was
only twenty miles to the store where the fiour was kept ; and we
thought that we could make it out in one daj'. But we learned
our mistake. When night came on, we got into the edge of the
timber, and by the merest accident found a little hut where six
men were getting out boards.
The hut was so small that the thirty-one of us could barely
squeeze inside of it. There Avas no room to lie down or to sit down;
so we had to stand up. There we stood, tired as we were, all night;
whUe outside the snow flew and the wind whistled and roared over
the little cabin. The next morning tAventy-flA'e of us started for
the store at the foot of the mountain. We Avalked hard all day
through the ice and snow drifts, and about dark reached the store,
having made twenty miles in two days.
When they reached the store, the owners refused to sell
the flour, although Minear offered them the money. They
would not even set a price on it. It was their pui-pose, no
doubt, to hold on to it until the miners Avere reduced by
hunger, and would give an enormous sum for it. Minear
and his men offered them everything that Avas fair and right,
but AA'ere. flatly refused the flour. It was a case of necessity

TEAVELEES. 305
with them, and they would have it. The letter goes on :
Finally I told them and my men that we would have to take it.
In less than half a minute every man had shouldered a sack and
was upon the road home. We went back half mile or so, and stop
ped in a willow swamp. By hard work we kept our fire burning
all night. We opened one sack of flour, dipped up water with our
hands from a cow track in the swampy ground, and by that means
we mixed up a little flour and water. We roasted the dough by
wrapping it around a stick and holding it to the fire. This we kept
up till morning, when we started, and that night reached the little
cabin ia the woods. It was nine or ten o'clock before all got in.
I was so tired I could not stand up in that cabin all night : so I
went out in a snow-pit, drew my coat over my head, and lay down.
I was soon nicely covered with drifting snow, and slept soundly.
The next morning it was very cold ; the snoAv was fiying thick and
fast, and the wind was blowing like fury. Many times Ave oould
not see twenty feet in any direction for the drifting snow 
Before leaving the hut, I had each man to split up some boards
into small sticks, like your finger, and each man took a bundle of
them. The plan was to stick one in the snow every few feet, so
that, should we get lost, we could trace our Avay back to the cabin.
This was a well-timed expedient ; for we had not been out of the
timber half an hour until we were all lost in the storm. It was no
use trying to go forward ; so the only thing that Avas left was for
us to remain where we were or to trace our Avay back to the cabin.
We decided to do the latter. It was no easy undertaking. The
snow had covered some of the stakes which we had stuck in the
snow, and some had been blown away by the wind. We had to
kick around until we found them, and then leave a man at the last
untU the next was found. By this means Ave got back to the hut
in the timber, where we took another stand for the night.
The next day, the fifth of our journey, was clear and cold, and on
that day all but two of us got home. That two became separated
and lost and did not get in till the seventh day.
We dealt out the flour by the tin cup full, one or two, depending
upon whether it was a family or a single man.
A. C. Minear was then in this plart of Idaho, and from a
letter Avritten by him sometime after this scarcity of pro-
20

306 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
visions, some new features may be seen in the camps. It
shows to what extent the mining AA'as carried on, and what
Avealth was often taken from the mines. The letter, after
giving an account of the scarcity of provisions, Avhen flour
was one dollar a pound, runs thus :
The famous ' Poor Man's ' mine, in Owyhee produced nearly pure
silver, Pi"eces of ore weighing one thousand pounds were found to
contain nine hundred pounds of silver. The ' Ida Elmore ' and
' Golden Chariot ' mines were the richest in gold bearing quartz.
Bullion produced from them Avas worth from seA'en to ten dollars
per ounce.
In these two mines "was the scene of one of the most peculiar
battles ever fought in the world. The mines were near each other,
and disputes naturali)' arose concei-ning the ground between them,
which, upon examination, was found tobe the richest of all in gold.
A compromise was made, by which it was understood that neither
was to cross a certain Une until the right of one or the other should
be established by some legal process.
But, this did not settle the quarrel. As the ore got richer, the
tAVO companies worked toward each other, and paid no attention
to the comioromise. In the course of time they came together six
hundred feet under ground, and the battle began. At flrst, clubs,
pieces of quartz, picks, hammers, knives, pistols and guns were
u.sed lj\' the belligerants. But, breastworks were built, and ore
was piled up for fortifloatipns, and the two subterranean armies
lay entrenched against each other. Then cannon were lowered
into the shafts, and a terrific cannonade was commenced. The re
sults were fearful. In the confined air of the mine the roar of the
artillery surpassed anj'thing CA'er heard on the surface of the earth.
The pillars, columns and braces were shot aAvay, and fragments of
flying quartz Avhistled through the dark caA'erns of the mines. The
discharge of small guns could be heard only at intervals, betAveen
the discharges of the heavier ordnance. Much of the interior
structure of thfe mines Avas ruined, and this strange battle ended
Avith no decisive results for either side. A troop of soldiers came
up and by thrfeatening to block up the mine, put an end to the
unnatural fight.

TEAVELEES. 307
Those who have risited Silver City, Idaho, will remember
that it is on a smaU stream caUed Jordan Creek, which
covers over with snow until it is not seen from fall till
spring. In the spring, when the snow begins to melt, Avherer
exposed to the sun on the south hiU sides, the creek rises,
and carries away the snow that filled its channel all AA'inter.
Thus, the creek is open, while its high banks are covered
with hard-packed snow.
A. P. Minear lived beside this creek, about three-fourths
of a mile above the town. He was engaged in mining specu
lations in 1868 ; and, in one of his trades, had incurred the
hatrpd of some speculators, Avhom he had defeated in their
plans. They, therefore, planned violence against him, and
attempted to bring their plans into execution on the night
of May 5, 1868. It was a most cowardly assault, and also
one most wicked and brutal. The following is an account
of it, taken from a letter of his, written after his recovery
from injuries received :
I left town at ten o'clock to go home, traveling along a trail
through the snow. I met a man, spoke to him, we both said "good
evening" and passed on. When Ave had gotten about flfty yards
apart, he yelled like an Indian, and started to run after me. I
knew that 1 could run to the house before he could catch me : so I
was not the least alarmed. When I had run about twenty-five steps,
and was within four hundred yards of my house, I ran over a small
ridge, and found myself in the midst of a gang of ten or tweh'e
men, who lay flat on the snow.
Before I kncAV of their presence, they Avere all upon ii)e. Thej-,
did not strike me, only pressed me down into the snow by force. I
was stiU on my feet ; but was down as though sitting on a stool
four or flve inches high and had my right hand extended out. By
this time, the man whom I had met and who ran after me, had
come up and had gotten in front of me with drawn pistol. By
some means, he dropped his revolver, and it fell, handle flrst, into
my right hand, just as youjvould hold it, If going to shoot.

308 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
I said, "men, in the name of God, what are you going to do with
me ?" (well knowing that it meant death). When I said that, one
of the men said, "smother him, so he can't halloo," another said,
/'choke him." At that, a man's left hand went round my throat. I
caught with my left hand the barrel of the pistol that had dropped
into my hand, and, cocking the weapon, flred at the man who stood
in front of men. I intended to shoot him through the body, but
only touched his thigh.
At the crack of the pistol they let me go, struck me across the
head with something like a revolver, and commenced shooting at
met. I attempted to rise to my feet and run for the creek, about
forty yards distant down a steep hUl ; but I could not stand. I
fell on the snow ; but rolled and scrambled untU I reached the
creek bank. I shot at them three times on the way. I went over
the bank, intending to crawl under the snow that covered the creek
at that particular point.
The bank of the creek, together with the snow, Avas as high as
my head. I landed on my feet, and by the aid of the bank, I was
able to stand. I laid my pistol on the bank, took deliberate aim at
three of them, who Avere about ten feet from me, and flred; I shot
one man in the arm, from Avhioh he died, and shot another who
also died. I then let go the bank to hide under the snow and ice.
But I fell over in the creek, Avhere the water was two or three feet
deep. My pistol Avas wet, and I let it go. I could not get under the
snow and ice, because it had settled down on the water. So I
turned on my back, feet foremost, and swam like a d-aok down this
stream, which from there dOAvn was mostly open, at race-horse
speed. Pretty soon I went under the ice, and presently went under
it again, but each time came out successfully. The third place I
came to I could not get under for a log and some brush. I then
turned on my face, quick as thought — no time to consider — craAvled
over that place and into the creek below ; and went on down, in
all tAVO hundred and eighty yards. There I came to a place where
I knew that 1 must go ashore. Below, the brush hung so densely
over the creek that I could not hope to get along the channel. Be
sides, Avliere I was, should I get out, the ground was bare of snow
and my pursuers could not see ine as easily as they could AA'here

TEAVELEES. 309
there was snow. I lay in the head of a ditch fully one-fourth of an
hour, waiting for them to get out of the way. I remained there
untU I found that I must get out of the icy water or perish. By
the greatest effort I succeeded in getting out, and on my hands and
knees, for half a mile, I crawled over the frozen granite sand, which
must be seen before it can be understood, over rocks, mahogany
brush, crystallized snow, sharp as needles, until I wore all the skin
off of my hands, knees and shin bones from my knees to my ankles ;
I finaUy reached a mill, where I made myself known and was taken
care of. As soon as I got into the hands of friends, I became un
conscious, and remained so for four hours.
This was a most wonderful escape. He had sixteen bul
lets shot through his clothing. One ball had passed through
the top of his head, and laid the skin open to the skull bone.
One bullet broke his little finger, and one struck his thigh
in front, ran around under the leg,ders, back of the knee,
and came out in front by the shin bone. Another shot struck
him in the calf of the left leg, and another in the right hip.
One flash of powder left the burnt marks on his forehead.
It was three months before he was able to get around. He
attempted to convict the desperadoes who assaulted him;
but he could not do it. There was always some one to hang
the juries who tried them.
In 1868, in Idaho, came the Indian War, in which A. C.
Minear took an active part ; and from a large collection of
his letters, written at and after that time, a great amount of
history may be learned. A few extracts are given to show
how he spent his life while there :
The Indians are continually breaking into the settlements and
driving away cattle. They are not even content with this ; but
MU people whenever they get an opportunity to do so. They
shoot poisoned arrows. Pool was out with a man who was shot
through the arm with a poisoned arrow. Pool drew his silk hand
kerchief through the wound and wiped the poison out.
The Indians have been at their deviltry again. They think that

310 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
they oan do as they please. But, the stockmen are organizing for
the defense. We have just returned from a campaign into their
country. Some days ago a company of stockmen, about forty in
number, foUowed a band of Indians about one hundred mUes
south. Nothing was heard of them for ten days, when one of their
number came into camp and reported that the whole party of
whites Avere surrounded by one thousand Indians, and that battle
had been raging for two days when he escaped. He had gotten
aAvay by crawling at night on hands and feet for miles through the
sage brush. The ammunition of the whites was nearly exhausted
Avhen he left, and he knew not what fate may have overtaken them
ere that time.
It did not take long to organize a large force to go to the rescue.
In a few hours every available cayuse [horse] was pressed into ser
vice, and two hundred men, well mounted and armed, were upon
the road leading southward in the direction of the Indians.
I was one of the company. We put spurs to our horses, and did
not stop for anything. In ten hours we had marched one hundred
miles, surprised and routed the Indian army and had rescued the
stockmen who were reduced to the last extremity. Many of the
whites had been killed and more wounded. Many of the Indians
had been kUled. They had retreated into the lava beds where it
Avas impossible to follow them.
*******
The Chinese will come in here in spite of the Indians. Some
years ago [In 1864] two hundred of them were killed in one drove
by Indians in Eastern Oregon, as they were en route to the mines.
Their Avhite bones lay for three years bleaching among the sage
brush, and were flnally boxed up by their supersticious brethren
and shipped back to China, to aAvait the grand resurrection of the
Celestials. A. C. Minear remained in Idaho till the close of the Ciril
AVar. He engaged in several kinds of business. For awhUe
he Avas in the employ of AVells, Fargo and Co.'s Express, at
a salary of three hundred dollars a month. AVhen he left
Idaho, he returned to San Francisco and Avas interested in
some mines there. From there he returned by steamer to

TEAVELEES. 311
New York, and thence home. He made three other trips to
CaUfornia, the last in 1876. One trip to San Francisco and
back, from Eowlesburg, was made in twelve days. With the
close of the Centennial Year his desire for wandering seemed
to cease. He was in Philadelphia at the Centennial, and
has traveled extensively over different portions of the west.
After aU his travels and adventures, he sums up the whole :
" The world is nearer round than most people think it is. "
When he settled permanently down in Tucker, he devoted
himself to the development and improvement of the country.
He had, up to that time, engaged to some extent in mer
chandising, during his stays in AVest Virginia. AVhen he
quit this he engaged in the lumber business and had several
logging camps. For awhile, he controlled and run C. E.
Macomber's steam mill.
In 1879 he married Miss ViUa Adams, daughter of Clerk
John J. Adams, of St. George, and has since lived here.
His son, A. C. Minear, Jr., is a lad four years old.
In connection with Mr. Finley Toy, A. C. Minear took a
large contract of lumbering on Shaffer's Fork, and comple
ted it in 1884.
He took part in county politics in 1880, and announced
himself as a Eepublican candidate for Sheriff. The Demo
cratic Convention nominated AVilliam E. Talbott for that
office, and the campaign was one of the hottest ever in the
county. The peculiar mixing and fusion of parties at that
time wiU be fully and impartially given in the chapter on
Newspapers, in this book. It Avas a stubborn campaign,
and every inch of ground gained by either Avas by the other
disputed to the extremest point. It may readily be suppos
ed that there was a peculiar mixing of parties, Avlien it is
stated that a Eepublican, A. C. Minear, Avas elected to office

312 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
by a majority of one hundred and twenty-one, over the reg
ular Democratic nominee, a good man, in a county Demo
cratic by about two hundred majority.
A. C. Minear was the successor of Ward Parsons, Esq., as
Sheriff of Tucker County. He made a good officer, and
even his opponents Avere Avilling to admit that no better
Sheriff could be found to fill the office.
A. C. Minear is a member of the M. E. Church, and is
ever liberal in the support of all truly worthy undertakings,
whether connected with the Church or not. He has done
something for every Church that has been built in the
county since he has been a permanent resident of St. George.
He makes no distinction between the different branches of
the Church, although his preference is for his own.
J. W. Minear has never returned to Tucker County to be
come a permanent resident ; but, he has visited his old
home, and remained here one summer. He stiU lives amid
the scenes of his early mining days, at Silver City, Idaho.
In December, 1875, he married Miss Laura Frances Harr,
a girl tAventy-two years of age, who had traveled in Japan.
Their children are three in number, the oldest, Mabel Mil
ler Minear, the next, John Edgar Minear, and the name of
the youngest is George Eenard Minear.
The family of fiA'e live in their comfortable home, on the
bank of Jordan Creek, in the distant land of Idaho.
In 1870 Mrs. A. P. Minear left Idaho, and moved Avith
her children to San Jose, California. Her object was to
educate her children. Their children were Asby Pool, Clara
Corrinth, John IngersoU, Lucretia Maria, William Charles,
and Frank Swift, six in all; the oldest and youngest are
dead. In 1870, A. P. Minear left Idaho and joined his wife at

TEAVELEES. 313
San Jose. Eeverses had again overtaken him, and he had
no money. As he has said: "Our combined capital was
only seventy-five cents." A. H. Bonnifield was in Califor
nia at that time, and happening to be at Minear's, he gives
the foUowing account in one of his letters :
Mrs. Minear went to the wardrobe with a candle, and accident
ally set the clothes that Avere m there on fire. I grabbed the tea
kettle from the stove and ran with it to put out the flre ; but I did
not arrive in time to be of any service. The clothes were all
burnt up.
And to this, A. P. Minear adds in his journal :
We had no money ; and while in that fix, Mrs. Minear went into
the wardrobe and set the clothes on fire, and they burnt before any
could be saved. This left us with only the clothes we had on.
But reverses had come too often for this to discourage a
man of his resolute spirit ; and he borrowed money, moved
to San Francisco and at once engaged in business. He was
in the mi^es again, and was superintending nine mines and
was receiving a salary that aggregated two thousand six
hundred and fifty dollars a month, and he had made eighty
thousand dollars besides. Nor did he stop until he had run
it up' to several hundred thousand dollars, making or losing
a fortune every year. The principal part of his mining was
done in Idaho, although he operated to some extent in the
Comstock mine, in Nevada.
In 1876 Mrs. Minear and her children visited St. George,
and went on to Philadelphia to attend the Centennial.
The next year, 1877, A. P. Minear quit mining and engaged
in a railroad enterprise in Georgia and Florida. He worked
hard for three years on that railroad, and finally failed to
succeed. He had spent on it all the money he had or could
get, and he was left without money and out of business.
He then turned toward New York City to engage again

314 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY:
in m inng. He landed there with five dollars and fifty cents.
He spent the fifty cents,and lo?t the five dollars in the street.
This left him in a strange city, entirely Arithout money.
However, he knew the tables so well that he succeeded in
buying pn credit a half interest in an Arizona mine for
tAvelve thousand five hundred dollars. He traded upon it,
and realized one hundred and fifty thousand doUars. He
put some of it back in the same mine, and put ninety thou
sand in another mine and lost it all. In the meantime he
had built two- quartz mills in Arizona, the scene of his late
gains and losses in the mining business.
Then he tried Idaho again, and spent the year of 1882 in
the mines of Wood Eiver, in that Territory, and there he
still holds property.
Since December, 1883, he has been traveling in search'of
mines through Arizona, Mexico, California; Nevada and Or
egon. The following is from a letter Avritten subsequent to
his last visit to New York:
On my arrival in New York, after being gone more than twenty-
eight years, I at once sought to find the whereabouts of Mr. Wain-
right, if living. I soon found him in the same house and in the
same business where I introduced myself to him when I was on the
road to California, in 1849. He remembered me and said: "Oh
yes, you are the boy who wanted to buy that big red apple, and
send it back home."*
David S. Minear is the only one of a family of nine who
remained at home. He has ahvays been a farmer, and has
been successful as such. He Avas also a merchant for a
number of years. On December 81, 1867, he was married

• While in New York, ou his way to California, he saw a flue red apple in a window,
and wanted to buy it and send it back to his friends in Virginia. His young friends
Informed him that the apple was only painted wood. This was the apple to whicli
the old gentleman referred.

TEAVELEES. 315
to Miss Mary J. Parsons, daughter of W. E. Parsons.
Their children are five. Creed W., Joseph P., John W., C-
Bruce and Mary Catharine.
He pays especial attention to improved stock, and his
farm produces fine specimens of blooded cattle and other
domestic animals. The most improved machinery is also
used in his fields, and an appearance of thrift and industry
is seen everywhere about his premises. The fruit of his
orchards is of the best varieties.

CHAPTER XVII.
THE WAR.
The great Civil War, that threatened for a while to
destroy the good as well as the bad of American institutions,
was felt with all its terrors in Tucker County. When that
mighty struggle came on, the people of Tucker County were
not slow in choosing which side they would espouse. Be
tween the North and South they were nearly evenly dirided ;
or, if there was any difference, it was in favor of the South.
On Dry Fork the Northern men were in the majority and
about St. George the Southern men. Early in 1861 the
Unes began to be closely drawn, and the different factions
assumed hostile attitudes toward each other. Neighbor Avas
against neighbor, and people, in the suddenness with which
men espoused one or the other cause, scarcely knew who
was a friend and who Avas an enemy. The warUke prepara
tions in the East and South had their influence among the
mountains of Tucker sooner than one would be apt to
suppose. Late in May, 1861, a Confederate flag was raised in St.
George, under the superintendency of Abe Bonnifield, who
was in sympathy with the Confederate cause from the very
first. He with others had raised the flag, and had kept it
floating over the Court-house by day. At night they took
it down, lest some of the Union citizens should cut it down
in the darkness. It was viewed with jealousy and hatred
by the Union men, of Vhom there were many in and about

THE WAU. 317
St. George, but not enough to tear doAvn by force the flag
which the Southern men had raised.
' Burning under the insult, which, in being offered to their
country was offered to them, the Union party sought re
venge from outside help. They sent to EoAvlesburg, Avhere
Captains MiUer and Hall had under their commands a body
of troops, and there made known thatthe Confederate flag
Avas floating over the St., George Court-house and asked
that soldiers be sent to cut it down. The promise of this
was readily given ; and, on Sunday evening, June 9, 1861,
MiUer and Hall, with forty men, left Eowlesburg for the
purpose of falling upon St. George unawares. They did not
expect to meet with armed resistance, but, it being in a time
of excitement, they thought it best to avoid, as far as possi
ble, all risk, aud, therefore, went in the night.
They reached St. George very early Monday morning,
and proceeded to arrest several persons, whom they sus
pected of sympathizing with the South. They found no
person inclined to oppose or harm them, and, without con
troversy, they proceeded to search for flags. They found
two which they at once captured with great formality and
ado, although no one attempted to defend the flags or dis
pute the right to take them. This finished, their mission
Avas done ; and, when they had liberated the prisoners taken,
they were ready for the return. None of those captured
were held to answer any charges, and the whole affair
ended more like a Fourth of July celebration than a Avar-
like demonstration.
With the captured flags, which Avere flaunted in victory,
the troops set put for Eowlesburg. On the way they found
a rattlesnake, which they tied to one of the flags, and fas
tened a wildcat skin to the other. Bedizzened now fully to

318 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
satisfy the exultations of chUdlike triumph, the forty men,
with their leaders in front, marched grandly into Eowles
burg, having first dispatched a special messenger to an
nounce their approach.- The troops marched out to meet
the returning heroes, and all as one body went into camp,
ending the campaign by a grand trimuphal entry into
Eowlesburg. Thus ended the first page of St. George and Tucker
County in the war. The next was not to pass so lightly
aAvay. By this time large bodies of Eebels were fortifying
themselves on Laurel Hill, near Belington, in Barbour, and
in Eandolph were large numbers. The Yankees had strong
forces along the railroad, at Eowlesburg and elsewhere,thus
placing Tucker County, in a measure, between the tAvo
armies. Several of Tucker's citizens, among whom were
William E. Talbott, E. Harper and William Harper, were
noAV in the Confederate ranks. The two Harpers were on
scout duty. A^ illiam Harper was in Barbour County, watch
ing the movements of the Yankees,, while E. Harper was in
Tucker for the same^purpose. Eebel Home Guards had also
been organized, among AA'hom Avere David and Nelson Par
sons, Hoy Goff and others. The Union cause seemed to be
losing ground in Tucker, although there , were many still
loyal to the Union, among whom might be mentioned Dr.
Solomon Parsons, Enoch Minear, William Corrick and scA'
eral others of our most respected citizens.
As the month of June passed by, the war-spirit grew more
violent, and the official functions of our county Avere prettj'
well broken up. The Union side Avere desirous, as they
should be, of increasing their strength, and for that purpose
Avere proceeding to hold elections in the county.
This Avas about the tAventy-eighth of June, 1861. The

THE WAE. 319
Eebels, under Garnett, Avere hovering close upon the county,
having thousands of men within a day's march of St.
George. When it was heard in the Eebel camps that the
Yankees Avere holding an election. Lieutenant Eobert
McChesney was sent into Tucker, partly on a scouting expe
dition and partly to disturb the proposed election. On the
night of June 28, he, with a body of troops, halted at the
house of Job Parsons, in the Holly Meadows, and staid
over night. The next day the election was to be held, and
very early in the morning McChesney and his men departed
for St. George, five miles distant. When they reached
there, they found that no move had been made toward hold
ing an election, but it Avas well understood that at Hannahs
ville, eight miles down the river, an election would be held,
under the guard of Yankees from Eowlesburg. Some of
McChesney's men were sent into other parts, and some , of
the Home Guards joined him, and he proceeded to Han
nahsville. The following letters, relating to the subject,
were furnished the author by Mr. J. Z. McChesney, of
Charleston, AV. Va., a brother to Lieutenant McChesney.
The first Avas written by Mrs. Mary A. See, a lady Avell re
membered here, but now dead. Her letter reads thus :
St. George, Va., July 2, 1861.
Mv Dear Friend : — Before this reaches you, you will have re
ceived the mournful intelligence of Lieutenant McChesney's death.
I Avrite, because j'ou will wish to hear every particular. On Satur
day, June 39, it was reported that the Union men would hold an
election eight mUes below St. Geprge, protected by a large guard
frpm the Northern army. Lieutenant McChesney Avent doAvn Avith
a party of ten men as scouts. When within half a mile of the
house, he ordered his men to return. Just as they turned their
horses, a party of men, who were lying in ambush, rushed out and
cut off then- retreat. They fired on each other. Part of our men*
dashed up the mountain, and part attempted to cut their Avay
* The Rebels.

320 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
through them. Lieutenant McChesney Avas kiUed on the spot, Mr.
Paxton badly wounded, and two others wounded, not so badly.
Some of the men say they saw him* lying dead, the horse standing
by him, and the bridle in his hand. Some of the Northern men
requested the people at the election to bury him, Avhich was done
that evening.
The next morning Mrs. Talbott went down to see if the body
could be obtained, as his brother officers expressed a very strong
desire to obtain it.t
Sabbath night we hired several ment to go at the risk of their
lives and bring him here. The company to which he belonged was
to come here to take him away ; but next morning an express was
sent, telling us to bury him here. He had been brought to Mr.
Ewin's, § one of the most prominent men in this region. We would
have had a neater coffin made, but it was reported that the enemy
Avas approaching, and a good workman could not be procured.
•Notice had been privately given, and ladies came five miles to at
tend the funeral. Sentinels were placed out ; a few of the Home
Guards attended ; twenty-four guns Avere fired over his grave, and
Avhile it was filling, the old familiar hymn was sung :
AVhen I can read my tiUe clear.
We laid him in a retired and beautiful spot, shaded by several fine
trees, and commanding a beautiful view of Cheat River and the
adjacent A'illage of St. George, It was a spot selected by Mr. Ewin,
for a family burying ground. A lovely daughter of his sleeps
there. The Lieutenant" .s grave was surrounded by tender and sympa
thizing hearts ; for nearly all had near relatives in the army, and
we knew not how soon the hand of the stranger would lay them in
their last resting place. A musket ball had i>enetrated his body in.
the left side, near the heart.
Till Chi-ist shall come to rouse the slumbering dead.
Farewell, pale, lifeless clay, a long farewell :
Sweet be thy sleep beneath the green tree's shade,
AVhere we have laid thee in thy lonely cell.
" McChesney.
t From the cli-oumstances we Inter that Mrs. Talbott was not successful in obtaining
permission to talce away Lieutenant McChesney's body.
t These men were Abraham Talbott, Peter Bohon and John Auvil, Sr,
5 Senator William Ewin.

Joseph A. Faeis,

Mes, D, S. Minear.

D S Minear.

THE WAE. 321
My dear friend, may our blessed Savior comfort you all, particu
larly the mother ; and, O, that he may sanctify to us all the heavy
afflictions with which he is visiting us.
Your Sincere Friend, Mary A. Seb.
The foUoAring is a copy of Colonel Irvine's letter, Avhich
he wrote from Oakland, July 21, 1861. Colonel Irvine had
command of the troops by whom McChesney was killed,
and his letter shows him to have been a brave man, for
none but a brave man could deal so fairly and so honorably
with an enemy who had fallen in battle. The letter reads
thus:
Headquarters 16th Reg't, Ohio Vols., !
Oakland, Maryland, July 31, 1861. |"
To the Friends of Lieut. Hobert McChesney, 1st Lieut. Va. Cavalry :
No opportunity having occurred, giving me a reasonable hope-of
reaching you before this time, is my excuse for not Avriting j'Ou
sooner. You have, no doubt, learned long before this of the time
and manner of Lieut. McChesney's death, I will, therefore, not
speak of it further than to say that he bore himself gallantly, and
my sympathies were greatly enlisted for hini when he fell. What
should have been our comnion country, lost a brave and gaUant
man. I am in possession of his personal effects, which would be
invaluable to you ; and, it would afford me great pleasure to know
that they were restored to you. If you will indicate to me the
channel through which I shall forward them, it shall be done im
mediately. Amongst other things, I have his pocket-book, $  in
money, gold shirt buttons, breast pin, several papers (of no A'alue)
and some other little articles, not nowi-emembered. His arms will,
of course, be retained, being contrabrand. My term of sei-A-ice is
about to expire. Please write me at Coshocton, Ohio.
Very Respectfully, JAMES Irvine,
Col. Comd'g 16th Reg't, O. M. V.
The accounts of McChesney's death differ a little in
the minutia. One account says that he Avas killed by
Captain Miller with a pistol which had that morning been
borrowed from John A. Peters, of Eowlesburg. As this
story runs, MUler, with others, heard that the Confederates

322 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
were advancing, and having dressed themselves in citizens'
clothes, Avent up the road and stood by the wayside as if
merely looking at the soldiers pass. McChesney and his
jnen passed by, not suspecting that the men Avhom they saAV
were Union soldiers with arms hidden under their clothes.
AVhen the Eebels had gone a little further down the road,
they fouud themselves confronted by Miller and his dis
guised soldiers, and from the shot of Miller's revolver, the
brave Lieutenant was killed.""'
Certain it is, that the ¦ Confedrates passed a squad of
Yankees, seen or unseen, and shortly after were attacked
from the fi-oiit by another body of the Union forces, and in
falling back found themselves hemmed in between two ene
mies. Some tried to escape up the hill, and did escape
Avith the loss of horses, guns and accoutrements. One
crossed the riA'er, and escaped. McChesney, Paxton and
others attempted to cut their way through the Yankees who
were in the road behind him.t A great many guns were
fired. The Eebels had double-barrelled shot guns.:j: One
Yankee Avas shot in the back of the head as he ran, and fell,
mortally wounded. §
McChesney Avas shot througli, but did not fall from his
horse until the horse had its leg shot nearly off, Avhen both
rider and horse fell together. McChesney ncA'er showed
signs of life after he fell. It is said tliat his hand still

• Mr. Daniel K. Dumire, a trustwortliy citizen ot Tucker, claims to have seen and
Jieard the substance of this story. He heard Miller boast of killing McChesney within
an hour from the tpp.6 it happened. He also^saw the flglit.
t Itis said that, when he saw that he was surrounded, McChesney drew his sword
and called to his men : " We must cut our way through them ! "
i The barrels ot one, pf these guns were recently found near the battle-ground and
are still in the possession ot C. L. Bowman, of St. George, W. Va.
§Hls comrades placed him In acanoe and started to Eowlesburg with him. He died
j-LBt before reaching there, Jiaving Uved flve or six hours.

THE AA^AE. 323
grasped his bridle rein. He fell upon a small log, entirely
free from his wounded horse.
Paxton succeeded in breaking through the lines of the
enemy, but was shot through the body. He rode on some
distance, when he became so weak that he could not ride.
He dismounted and hid near the road and remained there
tUl night, when he was found and taken to St. George by
"William Harper. All the others got aAvay, and tAvo of them
were wounded.
The Home Guards and the soldiers Avhom McChesney had
left about St. George were foUoAving on doAvn. When they
passed Miller Hill they heard of the skirmish but did not
learn whether any or Iioav many of the men had been killed.
It was deemed best to retreat, and all did so but William
Harper. He expressed his determination to proceed until
he learned more of the missing men. He Avent on until al
most in sight of the battle ground, AA'here he found Paxton's
horse, which Avas slightly wounded. Concluding that the
rider must haA'e been killed. Harper caught the horse and
with it returned to St. George. Before dark, all the men
came in but McChesney and Paxton. McChesney had been
seen to fall, but Paxton Avas beyond the lines Avhen last seen,
and it began to be hoped that he had escaped. After night
fall, AA'^iUiam Harper, a braver man than AA'hom never lived,
went down to hunt for Paxton. He met him slowly making
his way on foot up the road, badly wounded. Harper car
ried him to toAvii, and there he was taken care of.
' On Sunday night John AuA'ilj, Abraham Talbott and Peter
Bohon went to Hannahsville and brought aAvay the dead
body of McChesney. They went in a sled, in order that
they might not be heard, since a Avagon Avould be so noisy.
No one disturbed them, and with the object of their mission.

324 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
they reached Mr. EavIu's before day, and the burial took
place, as is described in Mrs. See's letter. The Eebels then
left the county, going back to the main body of soldiers in
Barbour and Eandolph counties. As they went they took
prisoner Judge S. E. Parsons and William Hebb, and tying
them together, carried them off.
The site of the battle of Hannahsville is about eight mUes
below St. George on the Eowlesburg road, and may stiU be
pointed out. The thicket of brush where the Yankees lay
hidden, has since been cut down, and a few other changes
have taken place ; but the whole is yet an object of interest
as it is the site of the first blood-shed in Tucker County
in war since the close of the old trouble with the Indians.
The Union forces amounted to six hundred men. McChes
ney had about ten. The loss in killed Avas one on each side.
The Yankee Avas shot in the back of his head as he was
running. Lieutenant Eobert McChesney was born in Eockbridge
County, Virginia, June 30, 1832, and died June 29, 1861,
aged tAventy-nine, Avanting one daj'. He had a good
education and was by occupation a farmer. He possessed
the finest business qualifications. In politics he was a
AVhig, as that branch of the Eepublican party was then
called, and of such integrity Avas he that he was the leader
of the party in the community Avhere he resided. From
early life he manifested a strong predUection for military
jjursuits, and while yet quite young Avas elected Lieutenant
of a company of cavalrj'. He had been for several years,
and Avas at the breaking out of the Avar, Adjutant of the
regiment of mUitia to AA'hich his company belonged. His
voice Avas loud, clear and distinct. His commands could be
j)lainly heard from one end of his regiment to the other.

THE WAE. 325
Descending from a Jong line of ancestry distinguished for
their patriotic devotion to their country and a love of lib
erty. Lieutenant McChesney was among the first to offer
his services when the Governor of Virginia called for troops
to repel invasion. None of the Mother of Presidents' heroic
sons were prompter than he to respond to the call for aid.
McChesney was a man whose personal appearance would
claim for him notice anywhere.* His frame was wiry and
well knit, capable of enduring great fatigue ; he Avas tall iri .
stature and of a commanding mein, and was one among the
finest riders in the Eebel army, where every cavalryman was
a splendid horseman.t He was quick of perception, and
had the eye of an eagle. He was generous to a fault and
fearless in danger, possessing all the qualities that go to
make a dashing Cavalier, and had he not been so suddenly
cut off he would undoubtedly have written his name beside
those of Ashby and Stuart, high on the scroll of fame. It is
said by one Avho knew whereof he spoke that Lieutenant
McChesney was the only cavalry officer, who attempted to
raUy his men or bring order out of confusion and chaos on
the day of the Philippi rout and retreat. He possessed the
confidence and respect of'his superior officers, and the love
and admiration of his subordinates and equals.:];
* I once met a lady on the Paciflc Coast, who had seen McChesney on the morning of
hls death, as he went to the battle, and she spoke repeatedly of the splendid appear
ance of the young Lieutenant on horseback, and how dignified, gallant and heroic
he looked as he led his men to the battle. She said that his horse seemed conscious of
the worth of its rider, and bore Itself as proudly as a Saxon war horse, carrying a
knight in armor.
t Impartial judges state that, as a whole; the Kebel cavalry, during the War, pos
sessed the flnest riders of any cavalry hi the world. They rode nearly equal to the
wild horsemen of Texas and California.
t Col. Irvine, by whose regiment McChesney was killed, afterwards said that the
young Lieutenant was the bravest man he ever saw ; and, as he charged down so
gaUently upon the Federals, he hoped to see him escape the hall of bullets that were
showered upon him. Even his enemies in war expressed sorrow that so heroic a man
should meet so untimely fate, and so young.

326 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
But, all the promise of renoAvn were ctit off and destroyed
Avhen he fell on that bright summer morning.
On the bosom of his Mother State Lieutenant McChesney offered
up his life a martyr to liberty and State Rights. He was the idol
of his widowed mother, who, though doubly widowed by his tragic
death, sent forth her two remaining sons to battle for her beloved
Southland. Brave son of a Spartan mother ! the sunny Clime of
Ancient Greece never produced two nobler or more heroic spirits.
Some may accuse him of rashness ; but, during three years in the
saddle in time of war I have seen quite as daring feats as he -at
tempted, successfully executed.*
Had his men foUoAved him when he gave the command to
charge, it is not improbable that they would have succeeded
in cutting through that serried phalanx of glittering steel,
and added fresh laurels to Virginia power and glory. He
Avas respected, honored and loved by all Avho knew him in
life. By his brave and heroic death he compelled and won
the respect even of his enemies. He filled all the stations
of life nobly and faithfully. He gave his life for his country.
Whether or not his cause Avas a just one has nothing to
do in the consideration AA'hether or not he was a hero. A
belief' is right when a man Avill die for it. No vicious pas
sion sliould assail a man who is willing to offer up his life
to a cause which he advocates. AVith him and between him
and the eterlial tribunal of truth and justice it is "right.
WJien other men and other times shall come to judge us as
Ave Avere, the jealousy and prejudice that surrounded us in
life Avill haA'e passed away, and what of good there Avas in
us Avill then be seen, not through a glass darkly, but clearly
and truly. Generations that shaU come centuries hence,
and who perchance shall ask of us, will liot inquire who
Avore the blue and Avho wore the gray. It is little Ave care
• An extract from a letter written by a Confederate officer.

THE AVAE. 327
wlio Avore the Eed Eose and who the AVhite, in the wars of
York and Lancaster. Less still — for times are changing —
AA'iU those who come after us care Avho Avore the blue and
Avho the gray. Men and results Avill be all that will be
asked for ; and, then, all passion gone, as a man will be
named Lieutenant Eobert McChesney.
The war in AVest Virginia Avas now fairly begun. The
Confederates held strong positions in Barbour and Ean
dolph, and McClellan Avith thirty thousand men Avas ad
vancing upon them. Garnett, the Confederate General, had
between four thousand and five thousand men. The odds
Avere seven to one against him. On July 8, 1861, Avas
fought the battle of Laurel Hill or Belington. 'Ohe Confed
erates fell back. On July 11, the battle of Eicli Mountain
Avas fought, and the Confederates were again defeated. In
these fights very fcAv men Avere killed, and Garnett did not
fall back on account of the destruction that had been done
his army. But he knew how much strength his enemy had,
and he suspected that the design Avas to cut him off from
the roads leading south, and then, in case of defeat, to com
pel him to surrender.
A mistake on the part of some of his scouts strengthened
the belief, and brought on disasters which might have been
avoided. His scouts reported that they had seen Union
troops in Beverly, and that the road beyond was blockaded.
The road was blockaded, and they had seen troops in Bev
erly ; but, the troops were Confederates, and the road had
been blockadecJ*' by Confederates. Not knowing the truth
of the matter, and believing that he Avas being rapidly sur
rounded by thirty thousand men, Garnett deemed it best to
retreat while he could, by the only road yet open, -that to
St. George, thence to the North-Avestern Turnpike, and by

328 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
it to Mount Storta, the summit of the Alleghanies, and
from there through Greenland Gap, back to Virginia. Al
most immediately after forming this plan, he found part of jft
frustrated. The direct road to St. George, that down . Clo
ver Eun, was so open to attack from overwhelming numbers
o^ the Federals, if indeed, it was not already in their hands,
that it Avas decided unwise to retreat by that route.
The only way still open for the artillery and Avagons was
that across Laurel Hill at the head of Pleasant Eun, down
that stream to Shafer's Fork, doAvn it and the river to the
Horse Shoe, and thence up either Mill Eun or Horse Shoe
Eun to the North-western Eoad. This was a hard line of
retreat for au army heavily encumbered with baggage and
stores ; but there Avas no otlier, except Dry Fork, and that
way was utterly impassable for Avagons and artillery.
Misfortunes were thickening around the Confederates.
The tAVO brothers, William and Ezekiel Harper, had been
sent off as scouts to see if the Avay Avas open at all. The
former had been scouting in Barbour for several days, and
had twice approached Avithin a mile and a half of Philippi
while the Union forces Avere there. E. Harper had been
watching the movements of the Federals aaIio Avere pushing
eastward along the Nortli-Avestern Pike from Grafton, and
had fortified themselves on Buffalo and at AVest Union
(Aurora), and seemed to be concentrating their forces so as
to strike either the Mill Eun or the Horse Shoe Eun road,
whichever one the Confederates should attempt to escape
by. Garnett was, indeed, in a critical situation, and a de
lay of a fcAV days would prove fatal. He, therefore, decided
to retreat at onco. In a short time his army Avas in motion,
the cavalry in front, and then the loug train of ponderous
wagons and infantry. The Union General soon learned

THE WAE. 329
that the retreat had commenced, and General Morris went
in pursuit with about five thousand men.
The Confederates encamped the first night on Pleasant
Eun. The next morning, as their rear was leaving camp,
the Federals came up and fired on them. A slight skirmish
ensued, and the Confederates escaped for the moment.
Meanwhile, E. Harper, Avho had gained aU the informa
tion he could concerning the position of the Union forces,
was on his way to Eich Mountain to report. When he
reached Ward Parsons', on Shafer's Fork, he learned that
the Confederate army was retreating. He kncAV that the
road along the hill near there Avas impassable for an army
vrith wagons, and he hurriedly collected a score of men Avith
axes and commenced cutting a road through the bottom
land. He left the men to complete this work, and he pushed
on to meet the army. He met the advance near the moutli
of Pleasant, and the officers, when they learned that the
Horse Shoe Eun road was the only one open, requested
him to pilot the army through by the shortest and safest
route. Harper insisted on turning back to fight, saying that
he could kill more Yankees than any thirty Eebels. He
was reprimanded for his rashness, and Avas told that the ob
ject was not to kill Yankees but to get that army out of its
present situation. The firing in the rear had already begun,
and the intention of all Avas to escape as soon as possible.
He accepted the position of pilot, and moved forward Avitli
the van. About forty of the Spottsylvania cavalry were
sent over the mountain under the guidance of J. M. Corrick,
to see if the Federals held the Clover Eun road ; for it was
feared that they Avould cross from Philippi to St. George,
and cut off the retreat there. Corrick guided the detach
ment through mountain paths, down Clover to St. George.

330 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
He found the Avay clear, and passed up the river to Max-
Avell's and there re-joined the main army, and Avas then re
leased from further service.*
MeauAA'hile, the fight at Corrick's Ford was in progress.
BeloAV the moutli of Pleasant Eun it Avas seen that opposi
tion must be offered to the pursuing Federals. Two com
panies of Georgians were placed in ambush to fall upon the
flank of the Union army, AA'hile the main body of the Con
federates were to attack from the front. At Corrick's Ford
the Eebels planted their cannon, and, as the front of the
Union army came down to the water's edge, opened on them
Avitli a volley of grape-shot. The two regiments of Georgia
troops did not fire, although they Avere ready, and waited
only for the command. They were cut off from the main
army and escaped up the mountain. They fell in with James
Parsons Avho piloted them to Otter Fork, where they
camped that night, and the next day crossed to Dry Fork,
and by that route, after great suffering and hardships, they
at last reached the Confederate lines.
The front of the Confederate army had crossed Job's
Ford, four miles beloAv Corrick's Ford, Avlien the firing com
menced. It Avas expected that the decisive battle would be
fought there ; for the stand at Corrick's Ford was meant
only to check the enemy momentarily. Accordingly, cannon
were wheeled into position along the river bank, opposite
Callihan's store, and the brush Avere cleared from the bluff
above, ready to make of it an artillery field.
At the moment the Eebels fired at Corrick's Ford, the
road on the other side of the river Avas.fuU Of Yankees,
who did not know of the presence of Eebels, except a few
* J. M. Con-lck was a son of AVilllam Corrick, after whom the Battle of Corrick's
Ford was named.

THE WAE. 331
stragglers whom they did not think worth firing upon.'^
The Confederate cannon had been concealed, and when
they fired, the Federals fell as one man. The officer in
front had seen the guns just in time to call: "Flat to the
ground!" and his men threw themselves flat in the road,
and thus escaped the first volley. From the marks on the
trees it is supposed that the first fire of the Eebels was fif
teen feet above the Yankees. But the other volleys that
followed in rapid succession were not too high, for, a log
that lay in the midst of the Yankees had in it 144 bullet
holes when the battle was over. The firing across the river
Avas rapid for a few minutes, and until the Union forces feU
back. The Eebels then resumed their retreat. Garnett, at
this juncture, came back with his staff officers, McClung and
others, and attempted to rally his men. They were sitting
on their, horses by the river bank, leaning forward in order

to see under grapevines and limbs that grcAv thick there.
Firing had again commenced, and as they leant forward on
their horses' necks, a bullet shaved the mane from Garnett's
horse, close to the rider's face. McClung advised him to get
out of range of the bullets. The General replied that they
might get away if they liked, leaving it to be understood
that he Avould not get away. The next moment a ball struck
him, and he fell from his horse mortally wounded. His
army was now iu full retreat, and he Avas left on the field.
The Federals found him and carried him into the house of
WilUam Corrick, where Morris came to visit him. He and
Morris had been class-mates at West Point. The hatred
that existed between the North and South was forgotten by
• A drummer boy, who had mounted a horse behind a sick soldier, was thrown
from his horse into the water when flrlng commenced. He lay under water, except
his face, during the battle, and then escaped unseen and made his way back to the
ai-my of Virginia.

332 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
them, and after Morris had done all that could be done for
the wounded officer, Garnett died in the Union General's
arms. The generous and magnanimous Morris showed every
respect and kindness in his power to Garnett, and when he
was dead, he dressed him in his own blue uniform and sent
him to his people in the South.
The battle field was now clear of Confederates. Those
who could had fled, and the wounded and dead had been
carried off. Corrick's house was made a hospital and a
prison. The captured Confederates were confined in the
kitchen. The number of killed and wounded at Corrick's Ford is
not and probably never can be known. No official reports
can be found ; and other reports are as various as the per
sons are who make them. The entire loss on both sides is
placed all the way from fifteen to three hundred. It was
certainly more than fifteen and certainly less than three
hundred. Of the Eebels, more than fifteen are known to
have been kUled. The Yankees Avould not acknowledge
that they lost any ; but the evidence against this is too
strong to admit of its belief. The trees and brush where
the soldiers stood thick were torn and splintered by grape-
shot and buUets, and it would have been a miracle if no sol
dier Avas struck. Besides, many persons claim to have seen
numbers of dead Union men. It is claimed that they
hauled several large Avagon-loads of dead bodies to Ean
dolph, and buried them in the entrenchments. One trust
worthy man says that he counted one hundred and fourteen
dead Union soldiers. The Eebels had a great advantage of
ground, and made good use of it, and it would be a curious
freak of chance if no Union soldier Avas killed.
Be this as it may, the Eebels failed to check and hold in

THE WAE. 333
check the Federals, and again started upon a retreat, which
now became a rout in every sense of the word. The cannon
and baggage were gotten from the field, and the rout began
in earnest.
The position that had been taken at Job's Ford Avas
abandoned, and the road was given to the retreating sol
diery. The rain fell in torrents, and the road was almost
impassable on account of mud. The footmen straggled
along as well as they could, and the tired horses tugged
hearily at the ponderous wagons.
When the van of the army reached White Oak, at Jesse
Parsons', it met AVilliam Harper, who had come that morn
ing from West Union (Aurora). A consultation was at once
had with him. He did not think it possible to get the
wagons and caanon up Horse Shoe Eun, and, therefore,
advised the retreat to be made up Mill Eun, at St. George.
He did not think that the Union forces at West Union
would offer material resistance to the army. , But, E. Har
per, who Avas better a,cquainted Avith the position of the
Union army on Buffalo and along the North-western Pike,
and also fearing that forces sent from Barbour would reach
St. George in time to cut the army in two, stiU urged that
the Horse Shoe Eun road be taken, and it Avas taken. WU
liam Harper passed on to the rear of the army, and was at
the mouth of the Alum HiU Pass AA'hen the front of the
Union army came in view, fie fired upon them, and they
halted, probably thinking that he was a picket and that the
whole Eebel army was stUl at Job's Ford, a mile beyond.
This one man checked the Federal army longer than Garnett's
four thousand had been able to do ; for they feU back be
hind Alum Hill and remained there till the next day.
The story of the retreat of that Eebel army is a sad one

334 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
to relate. It resulted partly from blunders, but is hard to
say to whom the blunders Avere due. However, the Eebels
at Eich Mountain must have been defeated sooner or later
anyway, for four thousand men could offer but little resist
ance to thirty thousand.
A portion of the Confederate infantry passed round Slip
Hill; but the Avagons, cannon and the main body of the
army crossed the river at NeA'ille's Ford, Avhere they came
near drowning some of their men. They passed through
the Horse Shoe to Nick's Ford Avhere they recrossed and
took the road leading up Horse Shoe Eun. The army was
halted at Loav Gap, and the officers consulted whether it
Avould not be better to fight a battle there. Some of the
artillery was wheeled into position on Holbert Hill. The
pursuing army failed to put in an appearance. It Avas in
tended to open lire on them as soon as they came Avithin
range. AVhile halting there, Avord came that the Union forces
were fortifying at the Eed House Avith the intention of cut
ting off retreat by that route. This caused a change in the
plans. It now became the object to esct^pe the pursuing
army hy flight, and cut through the forces at the Eed House.
The artillery Avas brought up from the rear, and Avas sent to
the front. Except the cavalry and artillerj-, there Avas no
longer any warlike spirit in the army. Everj' man seemed
to think only of saving himself. The stores and goods were
thrown from the Avagons. Mud holes Avere bridged Avith
tents and blankets. Trunks were broken open and the con
tents scattered in overy direction. Barrels of flour and
sugar and rice and molasses Avere rolled from the wagons to
be left or brokru iuto by the excited and famishing soldiery.
Guns Avere thrown into the Avoods, and cartridge boxes Averc

THE WAE. 335
flung after them. Clothing was scattered on every side.
Boxes of medicine were kicked out of the Avagons to be
trampled under foot. The soldiers Avere starving, while
stores of provisions were being destroyed. Boxes of crack
ers and biscuits Avere broken open, and he avIio could
helped himself.
The exposure and the hunger since breaking camp at
Eich Mountain had made many of the soldiers sick, and
when they could no longer travel they were left to fall into
the hands of whomsoever they might or die without atten
tion. There was no room in the Avagoiis for the sick. A
bo}' Avith his foot shot off got on a cannon and rode there.
An officer dismounted and walked in order to let a sick sol
dier ride. The spirit of Southern generosity Avas not dead
— ^it never dies — but, in that shameful panic, Avho could
attend to anything but himself? There Avas plenty to keep
the soldiers from starving, but no time was taken to deal it
out to them. If the retreat had been tAvo years later in the
war, when experience in such unpleasant performances was
more mature, there probably Avould not have been a man or
a wagon lost. But, it came when it did, aud it leaves
nothing for the historian to do but to record it as it Avas.
The horses suffered no less than the men. They toiled at
the heavy Avagons until they could move them no more.
When the men had thrown out the loads, the tired horses
could again draw the empty wagons. But they could not
long remain empty. The exhausted soldiers, Avho had fallen
by the Avayside, struggled to their feet and climbed into the
wagons, or, perchance were helped in by comrades, and the
wagons were soon overloaded. It Avas useless to try to get
them along. The teamsters cut the harness from the horses,
and mounting them, fled. Then the axle-trees Avere saAved

336 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
in two and the spokes cut from the wheels, and the road
was thus blockaded to prevent pursuit. But it also block
aded it against the following Confederates who came up,
and being unable to get their wagons by, had to cut them
to pieces and leave them.
Every mile the panic became more deplorable. Soldiers
without shoes went hobbling and limping along, their feet
cut by the stones, and their tracks marked Arith blood.
William E. Talbott was along, as was M. P. Helmick and
many others still living in the county. Few pretended to
carry arms. In the front some order was kept, but in the '
rear the sight beggars description. Some flung themselves
by the roadside, and refused to be assisted forward by such
bf their comrades as were willing and able to assist them.
The sick, who could, crawled to houses and lay there till
the pursuing cavalry came up and took them prisoner.
Some attempted to hide in the woods ; but, when the pur
suit came, it was useless to attempt concealment. Some
thought to pass themselves off as citizens and thus escape
the Yankees. But their woeful looks and haggard faces
told the tale on them.
The rabble extended ten miles. Every mile and every rod
Avas marked with plunder and ruin. When night came on,
the scene was worse, if it could have been seen. It was
dark and rainy, and the remnants of the once splendid army
struggled along the narrow road, not knoAring when the
guns of the pursuers would roar out on the night. The
front, too, began to be demoralized. Eeports came thatthe
road at the Eed, House was held by five thousand Federals '
Avhich was just ten times the actual number there. The cav
alry (partly excusable from the excitement of that awful
night) thought that the army was beset both in front and

THE WAE. 337
in the rear, and that destruction awaited either an advance
or a retreat. From Wotring's, the head of Horse Shoe
Eun, there was an obscure and rugged path leading across
the Backbone Mountain and the head waters of the North
Branch and Stony Eiver. This, to the cavalry, seemed the
only, possible avenue of escape, and it was barely possible.
Samuel Porter knew the path and acted as guide. The cav
alry thus left the road, unknown to the niain army and the
artUlery, and crossed the mountain by this path. It is a
mystery how that cavalry ever made that march. It was a
narrow foot-path, traveled by mountaineers, and led over
bluffs, mountains and ravines, and logs and rocks filled it in
every part. Besides, the darkness of the night, and the
descending torrents of rain lent additional difficulty to the
undertaking. Many of the horses were unshod, their shoes
haring been pulled off in the clefts and crevices of the rocks.
The path was a rough one for horses shod with steel and in
fuU strength- and spirit ; and it was far worse for these that
were hungry, lame and exhausted.
When they got into the wild region about Stony Eiver,
they were met by an old woodsman who mistook them for
Yankees. He seemed anxious both to gain and to impart
information. They saw that he was mistaken and told him
such news as they thought he would like to hear. And he
in turn told them that he was captain of the Home Guards
in that quarter, and that his one hundred men could "bush
whack Eebels to beat the nation."* When they had drawn
from him all the information they wanted, they informed
him he was in the hands of Eebels. The old fellow's coun
tenance fell; but, seeing that he was a prisoner, he went
* This is on the authority of McClung of Greenbrier County, who was an ofacer and
was present.

338 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
quietly along. Toward morning they came to a tributary of
the North Branch, and the horses refused to leave it. They
had unshod feet, which were broken and feverish, and they
preferred to bathe them in the cool water. But at length
they got the horses from the water, and at daylight came
into the North-western Pike.
The artUlery and the infantry did not know that the
cavalry had left the road, but supposed them stiU in front
and that they would give notice of any danger. Thus de
luded, the army, if it can be called an army, advanced, and
the artillery was in the very front. S. E. Parsons and
William Hebb, who had been taken prisoner during Mc
Chesney's raid, were stiU prisoners in Garnett's army. Near
Wotring's, Parsons determined to attempt an escape. He
sprang from the guards, and leaped down a bank. A dozen
guns were fired at him, but he escaped unhurt, hatless, and
the next morning found himself beyond the Eebel Unes.
On the evening of the fourteenth of July, five hundred
Federals had arrived at the Eed House, ready to dispute
the road with Garnett's army. They, too, had heard rumors,
in common with the Eebels. They heard that Garnett's
army, although badly shattered, stUl had fifteen thousand
fighting men. However, they held their ground untU the
front of the army could be heard advancing, when they
started in full retreat toward West Union. The Eebels
were near enough to hear them going.
This Avas after midnight, probably two o'clock in the morn
ing. The North-western Pike Avas reached at last. But a
new danger was threatening them. It was said that a body
of Union troops were stationed on the summit of Backbone
mountain, ready to hem the Confederates in. A consulta
tion Avas held, while the soldiers, as fast as they came up.

THE WAE. 339
flung themselves upon the ground to sleep. There was no
other means risible by which the army could be gotten out.
It was known that armies were in Oakland, West Union, on
Buffalo, and in the rear, and the road across Backbone and
the AUeghanies was all that remained open, if it, indeed,
was open. It was thought best to send scouts to the top of
the mountain, about four mUes distant, to see if an enemy
was there. In an army of four thousand, only five were
found wUling to go. They were E. Harper, Garrett John
son, Dr. WUUam Bland, of Weston, and two cavalrymen.
They left the Eed House about three o'clock in the morning
and rode to the top of the mountain. Harper said that he
felt more fear while going up that mountain than he ever
felt before or since. But no enemy was found, and they re
turned to the Eed House and reported that the way was
open. This was just at daylight, July 15. The army at once
resumed its retreat, and before noon had passed the North
Branch bridge, which it burned. From that point it was
not pursued. The wrecked army made its way back to the
South and was recruited and again placed in service. The
Union army made no pursuit after Alum Hill Avas reached.
The troops remained about the country, and detachments
went foraging on the trail of the Eebels to pick up strag
glers and plunder ; but no attempt was made to overtake
the Eebels. The Union army went to St. George, and thence
to PhiUppi and Belington. Some of tliose left to take charge
of the wagons and plunder were set upon and shot as they
were going up Clover Eun. This was the largest military
movement that ever took place in Tucker County. The
others were only raids.
After Garnett's army retreated from the county, the Con
federates had little hold in it. The Unionists kept forces in

340 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the county, and kept down any manifestation which Eebel
citizens might have made. On Dry Fork the guerriUa war
fare between the Home Guards of each side went on una
bated. ,
In September, 1862, the Federals had squads pf men ia
Tucker. One squad was stationed at Abraham Parsons'.
John Imboden had heard of it, and determined to drive
them out. With William Harper as guide he struck across
the mountains, intending to fall on the Yankees unawares.
But Jane Snyder, then a young lady, now the Arife of Mart
Bennett, saw the Eebels, and, mounting her horse, she gal
loped off down Dry Fork to give the alarm. She reached
the Yankee camp just in time to save them ; for, scarcely
had she gotten away when the Eebels came up. The
Yankees made no stop or stay until they had quit the coun
try. Imboden then returned to the South, and the Yankees
returned to the occupation of Tucker.
Capt. William Hall then came to St. George with twenty-
nine men, and took up his headquarters in the Court-house.
This was in November. Some of the Union citizens of the
county sent insulting words to Imboden, taunting him. He
at once set out for St. George with some small cannon
lashed to the backs of mules. He came down Dry Fork,
where there was then only a small path. William Harper
was guide. The Avay was rough, and the progress could not
be but slow. One of his mules that carried a cannon
slipped over the bank and tumbled a hundred feet, almost
into the river. The men followed, and when they took the
cannon off, the mule got up aud was ready for traveling.
Imboden was aiming for St. George, and was expecting to
fall upon the Yankees by surprise. In this he was success
ful. He approached the town just after daylight, and had

THE WAE. 341
the Union forces surrounded before they knew of the pres
ence of a Eebel. Then a flag of truce was sent in to make
a demand fpr the surrender of the forces. The man who
bore the flag was fired upon and wounded in the foot by a
sentinel, who then ran to the Court-house and gave the
alarm. Immediately there was much excitement among the
Yankees. AVhen HaU learned that he was surrounded, he
cried : " Boys, take care of your Captain ! "
The Eebels who had passed down the river fired a few
times in the direction of the Court-house, but without effect.
They found Enoch Minear feeding cattle just below town,
and took him prisoner and detained him an hour or two.
Meanwhile, negotiations for the surrender of the town
were going on. Imboden offered honorable terms and Hall
accepted. The Yankees were to be paroUed and allowed to
depart in peace from the country. On these terms, St.
George was surrendered. James Swisher was the only one
who escaped. Finding himself some distance from the
Court-house when the alarm was given, he took to his hefels
and got off. He carried the inteUigence to Eowlesburg,
where it created no small stir among the soldiers.
Captain HaU's headquarters were in the Clerk's office.
He was just sitting down to breakfast when the alarm was
given. When the surrender was made, Imboden and his
men sat themselves down around the table, and. with char
acteristic Southern hospitality, invited HaU and his fellow-
officers to join them at the board and help eat the smoking
breakfast. AU sectional and national hatred was now for
gotten, and Yankee and Eebel, vanquished and victor, sat
side by side and eat to their full satisfaction. Imboden's
soldiers joiued in with HaU's and all in common sat joking
around the camp fires, and cooked and ate breakfast, forget-

342 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ting that a war of death had so lately raged between them.
When breakfast was done, HaU and his men filed sullenly
out of their comfortable quarters in the Court-house, and set
forward for Eowlesburg. There came near being a difficulty
regarding the shooting at the man who carried the flag of
truce. The Eebels demanded that he be given up to be
dealt Avith according to the rules of war. But the Yankees
would not do this, and in their turn charged the Eebels Arith
violating the rules of war by advancing Arith their army
under cover of the flag of truce. For, as was claimed, Im
boden was moving his men down the bank of the river while
his truce-flag was being carried into the Yankee camp.
Both sides seemed to be in the wrong, and they knew it ; and
after much parleying and contention, it was agreed that
nothing further should be done in the matter, and thus it
was hushed. James Myers is now known to be the picket
who fired on the flag.
Hall surrendered twenty-nine men. The remainder of his
company was not in St. George at the time.. The Eebels
numbered several hundred. Hall claimed that he had no
ammunition, or he would have fought ; but his men had forty
rounds of cartridges each.
As Imboden approached town Dr. Solomon Parsons, who
lived half mile from town, and who was extreme in his sym
pathy with the North, was down in the fleld feeding his
cattle. He saw the Confederates go by, and suspicioned
that they Avere after him. He fled toward the river, which
he Avaded at the lower end of Wamsley's Island, and climbed
the mountain beyond. In a little while he grew uneasy ;
and, re-crossing the river, he ascended Dry Eun, wading
along its bed, for the snow was deep, and aimed.his course

THE WAE. 343
for Cranberry Summit. The Eebels carried away some
goods from his store.
When the Eebels had cleared St. George of Union sol
diers, they immediately retreated back the way they came,
passing up Dry Fork, and over into Highland County, Vir
ginia. The raid was a dashing one, and was in every way
successful to those who planned and executed it. But in
the end it worked great harm to the Eebel citizens of
Tucker, and to those who were suspected of being in sym
pathy with the South.
When news of the surrender reached Eowlesburg, it pro
duced great commotion there. It was supposed that Im
boden meant to establish himself at St. George, and ar
rangements were at once made to expel him. A large body
of troops was sent up to make an attack. When St.
George was reached it was found that the Eebels were gone.
The Yankees followed up to Abraham Parsons', and plant
ing their cannon there, bombarded the woods, trying to
scare the Eebels out, for they affected to believe that Imbo
den was hidden among the neighboring mountains. But,
really, at that time. Imboden was on the other side of the
AUeghanies. WhUe the Yankees remained at Abraham Parsons' they
were wicked in their depredations, stealing and destroying
almost everything they could find. They made raids into
the surrounding country, and stole plunder. It Avas the
most thieving band of soldiers ever in Tucker County. One
strippling soldier from Ohio stole a saddle and bridle on
Dry Fork, but had failed to get a horse. He came, back,
lugging his pilfered plunder, and stopped at Parsons'.
There was a tine horse in the field, and he concluded that it
was good enough for him, and accordingly caught it and was

344 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
going off when he was seen frbm the house. Parsons was
not at home. His daughter Ninn and Job Parsons' daugh
ter Eebecca concluded to capture the horse. They tried to
coax the fellow to give it up, and he wotdd not, and they
proceeded to take it by force. One of them took the scoun
drel by the neck and hurled him heels over head twenty
feet among the sawlogs that lay in the mill yard. His Avrath
was terrible. The other Yankees raised a great laugh at
him and cheered the girls, and that made him madder than
ever. He swore fearfully, and vowed that he would have
the horse or die on the spot. But the girls led the horse
into the yard, and when the determined young Yankee fol
lowed, they caught him and thrashed him. This satisfied
him for a whUe ; but at length he returned to get the horse,
and they pounded him again and chased him out of the
yard. By this time the Yankees were getting ready to go,
and he stood at the gate as though trying to decide whether
to make another venture or to give up. He decided to try
again, and came up with the grim determination that he
would have the horse. They seized him again and gave
him an unmerciful woUoping, and he got out of the yard in
a hurry. He was Avhipped, and picking, up his saddle, he
sneaked off and appeared no more on the arena.
About this time Kellogg came into command of the Union
forces in Tucker, and instituted a kind of inquisition,
knoAvn as the "Assessment." He IcAied a tax upon all sym
pathizers Avitli the South, and appUed the money to -pay Dr.
Parsons, Enoch Minear and others who had lost property at
the hands of the Eebels. The Assessment Avas a most
wicked aud shameful affair. The world's history can hardly
show tyranny more disgraceful. It is not just to charge it

THE WAK. 345
to the Union men in general ; for, they were far above any
thing of the kind, and had nothing to do with it.
An order was issued to tax Eebel citizens to pay back
what Union citizens had lost. The tax was not levied in
proportion to the amount of property owned by the party
so much as by the intensity of their Southern sympathy.
Although, of course, some consideration was taken of the
wealth of the indiridual and the amount which he was able
to pay. Thus, W. D. Losh was assessed $8, and had to sell
his pants to raise the money. Eufus Maxwell was assessed
$80; Nick Parsons, $500; W. E. Parsons, $700; Abraham
Parsons, $800, and others in proportion. TJ^e order read
thus :*
You are hereby notified that, upon an Assessment, you are as
sessed  dollars, to make good the losses of Union men. If you
faU to pay in three days, your property will all be confisicated,
your house burned and yourself shot.
By order of Brig. Gen. Milroy. Capt. Kellogg, Comg. 133d Ohio.
Nearly aU the money was collected and paid over to those
who claimed it. When it became known what Kellogg was
doing, his superior officers set about undoing his work ; for
the Union men were too honorable to allow such work to be
left alone.
Joseph A. Faris was sent to St. George to stop the collec
tion of the Assessment and to pay back the money where it
could be done. He found the Union cause here in a, bad
condition. The tyrannous proceedings of the past few days
had raised a storm of indignation, not only among the
Southern men who were made to pay the Assessment, but
* This Is from a copy, and It Is possible that It contains errors ; but It Is beUeved to
be correct th every particular. The copy Is furnished by Job W. Parsons, of Eich
Hountaln.

346 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
also among nearly all the Union men, who had any feelings
of manhood and freedom about them. For, be it repeated
that the Union party in Tucker County were in no measure,
or in a very small measure, guilty of aiding, abetting or
countenancing the Assessment business. They hated it as
intensely as they hated anything that was bad, and they
showed no favors to those who assisted in the matter.
So, when Faris came and it became known that he pro
posed to conduct his proceeding in accordance Arith the code
of honor and not with that of revenge and rancorous hatred,
he at once received the sympathy and support of the best
and of nearly all of our citizens. In him they recognized
a man not to be influenced and led about by bitter ani
mosities. He had a high sense of justice and right ; and no
mutterings among his own party or threats or attempts
among his enemies could influence him to depart from what
was just. In the time of war, and when passion ran at fever
heat, he made friends among Unionists and won the respect
of the sympathizers of the Confederacy. No one doubted
his honor. No one feared that he would take a mean ad
vantage. No one believed that he would indorse any of the
infamous proceedings of the past few weeks. Those whose
conscience A\'as guUty on account of deeds done, received
little comfort from him.
Our people remember him as a man, and not as a war
time leader. If all the military men who came into our
county had been such as he, the Avar would be a forgotten
thing with us. He undid what wrong he could, and showed
his wiUingness to undo more. The confidence of our peo
ple underwent a change for the better, as regarded man and
man. For, whUe the Assessment was in progress, only a
spark would have sufficed to kindle the flame of war among

THE WAE. 347
our mountains and valleys, in which citizen would have
fought citizen and the rage of revenge would almost have
depopulated our country. Had the work gone on a Uttle
longer, it is hard to tell at what hour the torch would have
been applied to dweUings, and the rifle would have been the
arbiter between neighbors. But, the storm passed just in
time to prevent the final catastrophe.*
He was sent to St. George from Eowlesburg on December
27, 1862. On the fifth of January he was ordered to fall
back to Eowlesburg. John Mosby was penetrating the
country, and it was thought that he was aiming to pick up
detached squads of men wherever he could find them.
Faris reached Eowlesburg safely.
In 1863, a fight occurred in St. George between a detach
ment of Jones' cavalry and Snyder's Home Guards. No one
was hurt, and Snyder retreated after one round.t
* Joseph A. Paris Is now a citizen of AVheeling, and has established himself a wide
reputation as a, noitralt painter. He has, however, painted historical scenes, ana
landscapes. Hls^lstorical painting, " The Last Battle of the Eevolution," or the last
satige Of mtt Heiiy, is one of the flnest in the country. His painting of Hon. A. W.
CampbeU Inthe Chicago Convention, m 1880, Is probably his best. It surely is a mas
ter effort His pictures are numerous, and show a flne artistic touch, which can be
traced to a mental appreciation of the beautiful in nature and art. The poetical col
oring of a scene are depicted by his brush as truly as by Byron's pen. As an artist ol
a flne order West Virginia has not his superior.
t A fuller account of the war would be given In this chapter, but to the Brief Biogra
phies It would be repeated, and it has not been deemed necessary to have It to both
chapters. Those who wish to see accounts of a personal nature are referred to Briar
BtograpJiies.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES. A.
Nelson D. Adams was born April 9, 1859, on Cheat Eiver,
near the old " Pleasant Valley Church," in Preston County,
W. Va. His father, G. W. Adams, removed to Limestone
about the commencement of the CivU War. N. D.'s only
recollections of the war were seeing his imcle, Samuel
Martin, return from prison, and of seeing soldiers at his
father's house. The first school attended was at Limestone
Church, taught by Eli Adams. The next winter he was sent
to, his grandfather, Philip Martin's, near Kingwood, and
attended school there. After that, he attended several
scheols at Limestone Church, and two terms at White's, on
the head of MUl Eun. Then he attended four terms at
Jacob Dumire, Esq.'s, the last of which was taught by L. S.
AuvU, and the subject of this sketch commenced the study
of algebra. He was very studious, and devoted every
minute of his spare time to his books. He lived on a farm,
and a Tucker County farmer boy has none too good oppor
tunities to become well acquainted Arith books. But Adams
was ambitious, and surmounted difficulties and removed
obstacles, and when the Teachers' Board of Examination
met at St. George in the fall of 1877, he was an applicant
for a teacher's certificate. As he said: "Entering with
fear and trembling and coming out all right, I began to
think that I stood high on the ladder of knowledge."
He taught the school at Limestone Church that winter,
and in the spring felt encouraged by the cash in his pocket.
He worked that summer on the farm, and began to compose ,

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 349
poems, which betrayed a poetical incUnation, not dangerous,
but perceptible.
The next faU, 1878, he thought to strike a higher level,
and went to Preston to get a school. He passed success
fuUy the examination at Newburg, and shortly afterwards
set out to hunt himself a school. His success was about
Uke Simon Kenton's, who was trying to find Kentucky and
came to the conclusion that he had passed it in the night.
He could find no school. Clad in his best jeans coat and
mounted on a mule, like the Mexican at El Paso Del Mar,
or Don Quixote in his glory, young Adams wound his way
over the hiUs and vales of Preston for a week, taking every
road but the right one, missing aU roads and getting lost,
and meeting Arith but cold encouragement. At the end of
the week he was turning back, somewhat disheartened,
but I still determined, and was planning an attempt in
some new field, when he had the good fortune to light
down on a school at New Salem, Union District, Preston
County. He taught the school successfully, and in the
spring, 1879, he attended the Portland (Terra Alta) school,
taught by Professor Fike. He attended this school two
terms, and in the Ariater of 1879-80 he taught the Freeland
school, near Terra Alta. During the summer- of 1880 he
again attended Professor Pike's school and graduated. The
winter of 1880-81 he taught the Fish Creek school in Pres
ton. In the spring of 1881 he was appointed a cadet in
the West Virginia University, and soon afterwards entered
that school. He remained there that year. In the winter
of 1882-83 he taught at Eighty Cut, in Preston County.
He spent the vacation of 1881 in Ohio, canvassing for books.
He went again to Ohio in 1882 for the same purpose, and

350 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
risited Lancaster, the scene of M'Cleland and White's ' ad
venture with the Indians.
Eeturning from Ohio after two weeks he devoted himself
to farm work until school opened at the University, when he
again returned to his books. The year 1884 was also spent
at the University.
During his leisure hours he stUl indulged in verse-making,
and contributed to the newspapers, the principal of which
were The Wheeling Intelligencer and The Preston County
Journal. He is deeply read in the classics, ancient and
modem. The Greek, Latin and French he reads in the
original language. Homer, Herodotus and Cicero are his
favorites among the ancients ; and among"^ the EngUsh he
shows a preference for Shakespeare, Pope and Byron. Fol-
loAring are selections from the poetry of Mr. Adams :
THB DREAMS OF LIFE.*
We are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our Uttle Ufe
13 rounded with a sleep.— Sftafcesjjeare.
From the dawning of life to its last faint gleams,
'Where'ere be the soul it will bask in dream*—
Sweet dreams of the memory.
Dreams of futurity,
Visions ideal to gently veil
The grim and the real that oft assaU.
They soften the saddest of care and of strife —
Let Heaven be praised for the dreams of life !
' Neath the light of the stars in the sUent night
There muses a youth with a glad deUght,
"Who fain Avould in reverie
Fathom Infinity.
Never a cloud nor a shadow dark
His hopes can enshroud or his joys can mark.
••Written for iffte Preston County Journal.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 351
How well that the future is hidden away 3
That the dreamer may dream of a better day !
On the banks of a stream in a morn of spring
A lad and a maiden are wandering
And dreaming in harmony
Dreams of fehcity
Glowing and gleaming with love divine—
A halo beaming from heaven's shrine.
Oh ! ever are angels more happy above
Than those who are dreaming sweet dreams of love ?
In the autumn of life 'neath the noonday heat.
All weary and sad with a life's defeat,
A man in humiUty
ToUs with severity.
Sad is the real, but aye anon
A beauteous ideal he looks upon —
He dreams of a land far away where the soul
Shall rest whUe the ages eternally roll.
With a faltering step and with silver hair,
¦WhUe Ustening at eve to an old-time ah-, ^
A man reads in memory
Lifelong history.
DweUing and dreaming on days gone by.
His spirit is beaming in ecstasy —
The friends of his boyhood in phantasy come
To cheer as of ypre in the threshold of home !
By the banks of a river — by Death's cold stream —
There Ungers a man in whose visions gleam
In grandest sublimity
Dreams of Eternity.
Music is ringing a welcome free
And angels are singing sweet melody.
He wakes from the dreams that have cheered him so long —
A real is gained with th' eternal throng !

i 352 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
GRAFTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.*
Along the clear VaUey so silently flowing
Its crystal-bright waters 'imd beauty aglow.
Upon its green bank there are cypresses growing
And patriots faUen are slumbering low.
The Stars and the Stripes still above them are flying
As proudly as o'er them they waved in the fray.
While softly around them the wiUows are sighing
And gently the breezes in symphony play.
They're silently sleeping ! nor ever to glory
ShaU bugle tones call them from this their last rest ;
Their conflicts are over ; on battle fields gory
They fell for that banner so dear to each breast.
The Ughtnings may flash and the thunder may rattle.
They heed them not — resting so free from all pain ;
The cannon may roar in the storm of the battle.
But never can wake them to glory again !
Ahd over the graves of the silently sleeping,
"While winter and summer incessantly fly ;
The grave-stones of marble a vigU are keeping
^ And marking each spot where the patriots lie.
There often around them do silently wander
Those blooming with youth and those drooping with age
"WhUe thoughtfully over the sleepers they ponder.
Recalling some thought upon memory's page.
The deeds of some brave are by monuments spoken —
The battles they fought and the victories won.
Their titles and ranks and their trimuphs unbroken
And bravery shown 'mid the charge of the gun.
These monuments crumble, but lasting forever
Are those that are built by the slumbering brave —
¦While cycles are gliding no conflict can sever
The deeds of those dying their country to save.
Of others are epitaphs only revealing
The names of the warriors now silent and cold.
" Written for Tlie wneeling Intelligencer.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 353
Their homes and their regiments in memory sealing;
Their names from the North and the Sputh were enrolled.
Though laurels of glory may never have crowned them.
Yet garlands are woven more lasting and bright
By those that were clinging so tenderly round them
When bidding farewell as they passed from their sight.
But many are resting with marble above them
That teUs of no name nor the deeds that were done ;
No record is shown of the dear ones that loved them,
But humbly is written the sUent "unknown."
Their names are forgotten ! yet loved ones at parting
So tenderly clung in their final embrace
"While tears in their sorrow and sadness were starting —
¦What changes of time can such parting efface !
AU lonely they're sleeping ! but glad was the Avaking
Of bondmen from chains and from slavery's night
When brightly the morning of Freedom was breaking
Resplendent with Liberty's glorious light.
And long shall the freedmen, relating the story.
In thankfulness tell of these patriot dead,
And long shall they cherish the honor and glory
That haUow the laurels encircling each head.
Their battles are over ! their country in gladness
Beholds yet her banner in splendor unfurled.
Unsullied by conflicts, disaster and sadness
And beaming with radience over the world.
They died for that banner ! and long shall the Nation
Enshrine them as victors for truth and for right.
Arid long shall she rev'rence the sacred relation
She bears her preservers of honor and might.
Then sleep on, ye warriors, so free from all sorrow ;
Your battles are ended, you've entered your rest ;
Your country shall live through each fleeting- to-morrow
Enjoying the peace which your dying has blest.
May light from the heavens in beauty descending
Make halloAved your tombs Avhile the ages shall flee,
23

354 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
And Liberty's rays like the sunUght still blending
Illumine each heart in this land of the free.
.Then scatter your flowers o'er the graves of the sleeping.
And tears to these heroes in thankfulness shed ;
Remember the pledges they gave to your keeping
And cherish the freedom for which they have bled.
Blow onward, ye breezes ; as years are advancing
Play softly through Avillows that droop o'er their graves ;
And sweetly, ye birds, with your notes so entrancing .
Keep warbling your songs o'er the slumbering braves.
Continue, loved banner, in grandeur stall flying,
While breezes thy folds shall unceasingly wave.
To honor the warrior in cheerfulness dying
Thy stars and thy stripes so unsullied to save.
Flow onward, bright river, your clear Avaters laving.
Long murmur so gladly your clear crystal steam ;
And over, ye forests, in majesty waving.
Make gentle your music while sweetly they dream.
THE WINDING RIVER CHEAT.
Fed by crystal flowing fountains
Rising 'mong the rugged mountains
Towering first the sun to greet.
Flows a rushing Avinding river
On Avhose stream the moonbeams quiver —
'Tis the winding River Cheat.
, Hastening toward the mighty ocean
Ever onward is its motion,
SAveeping like the Stream of Time ;
And the music of its murmur
Wafted by the breeze of summer
Floats o'er many scenes sublime.
'Neath the winter snows descending
Massive pines and oaks are bending
Down to kiss its waters sweet ;
'Neath the golden sunlight shining

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 355
Mirrored landscapes are reclining
On the -winding River Cheat.
Listening to its music swelling
Peace, Content and Love are dwelling
In this grand old mountain home ;
To the exile wand'ring, driven.
Highest earthly boon is given
Should he here but cease to roam.
While the spring sweet flowers is bringing.
Pictures on its waves are clinging —
Will it show them evermore ?
And though men are changing ever
And oft time and distance sever.
Cheat is flowing as before.
As along its banks I wander.
On the checkered scenes I ponder
Acted in the play of life.
When the Red Man proud in story
Sang his songs of war and glory —
Victor brave in many a strife ;
When the Pale Face nothing daunted
First beheld its shores enchanted
Like the fairy lands of old —
Men whose daring deeds should ever
Roll still onward as this river
To the ages yet untold.
Other streams may flow more proudly,
Other scenes be praised more loudly.
But there's none so dear to me ;
And the recollections clinging
Round it, pleasures will be bringing
Ever to my memory.
Be yet in poetic numbers
Praised its heroes when the slumbers
Of obUvion veU the fame I

356 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
That, enwreathed in ivy tender.
Crowned in days of ancient splendor
Ajax' and Achilles' name.
When the grandeur all is perished
Isis and Osiris cherished
On the sacred River Nile ;
When the old Euphrates sweeping
Midst its ruins as if weeping
Long forgotten splendor's smUe,
And the yellow Tiber, flowing
O'er its flelds with crimson glowing —
Stained with War's destructive feet —
See their legends fast declining, —
Still ,mid scene's o'er memory twining
Proudly roll thou winding Cheat.
Oh, bright crystal murmuring river.
These historic streams can never
Play in measures half so sweet !
Other streams in beauteous seeming
Fade beneath the sunlight beaming
On the winding River Cheat !
A FRAGMENT FROM THE "SONG OF THE STUDENT."
TRANSLATED PROM HOMBR.
With pantaloons threadbare and torn
And eyelids heavy and red,
A student sat in unstudently mien
Cra-mming his obstinate head.
Cram ! cram ! cram !
In misery, anger and hate.
But he wrathfuUy closed his book with a slam
And mentioned the town of old Yuba Dam
As hfr thought of his ill-omened fate.
Thomas C. Adams, son of Daniel C. Adams, Avas born in
1842, and married in 1863 to Harriet E., daughter of A. H.
Bowman, of EoAvlesbiirg. He is a farmer, oAvning 400

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 357
acres, with 140 improved. He lives on the Eowlesburg
road 8 miles from St. George. Lieutenant McChesney was
killed within a few rods of his house, and on his farm, and
the election of June 29, 1861, was held at his house. He
was not in the army. His children are, Charles U., Hannah
S., Sida M., Adam D., Nora B., Edna E., and Cranmer
Adams. W. H. Ault, born in Eandolph County, in 1864, the son of
WiUiam Ault, is a farmer and school teacher. He has
taught in Canaan and at Sapling Eidge, on a No. 2 certifi
cate. He lives twenty-five miles from St. George, and has
been in Tucker since 1866.
Samuel McClellajst Adams, born 1862, son of 'G. W. and
brother of N. D. Adams, lives four miles from St. Georges
He attended the district schools, and in 1883 attended in
Kingwood. He has taught the following schools : AVhite's,
in Licking district. Sugar Lands, St. George district, Fair-
riew, same, Macadonia, Licking district and-No. 15, Union
district, Preston County.
M. C. Atheeton was born 1824 in New York, married
in 1859 to Elizabeth Holden. Children : Byron G., Grant
S. and Laura S. He lives 7 miles from St. George, in Lick
ing District. ' He is a farmer.
Thomas B. Ashby, was born in Preston County, in 1846,
son of W. F. Ashby, of Irish, French and German descent.
Married in 1880 to Martha E., daughter of Levi Lipscomb.
He is a farmer, owning 220 acres, with 60 acres improved.
He has been in the county since 1870, and lives two miles
below St. George. ChUdren : Agnes Ann, Warner E., and
Stella Hester.

358 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Geoege W. Adams, son of Daniel C. Adams, and father
of N. D. Adams, was born in 1836, and is of English, Irish
and German descent. He was married July 4, 1858, to
Susan, daughter of Philip Martin, of Preston. In 1874 his
wife died, and in 1875 he married, Lettie, daughter of
David Swisher, of Hampshire County, and sister of S. N.
Swisher, of Tucker County. He farms 150 acres of im
proved land, and ^as 250 acres of wild land, near Limestone,
4 miles from St. George. He has frequently been road sur
veyor and member of the board of education. His chUdren
are, Nelson D., Samuel M., Melvina J., Philip B., SteUa F.,
and Ernest.
Geoege L. Ashby, of Irish, French and German descent,
born in 1856 in Preston, is the son of W. F. Ashby : mar
ried in 1880 to Charlotte J., daughter of Hilory Griffiith.
He lives in St. George. Children : Harry Kirk and Maud
S. G.
Chaeles W. Ashby; brother to T. B., and G. L. Ashby,
was born in Preston, in 1852, and came to Tucker in 1870.
In 1881 he married Virginia C, daughter of D. K. Dumire.
His child's name is Eozella. He lives 2 miles below St.
George, and has 120 acres of land, with 35 acres improved.
He has been carrying the U. S. mail several years, prin
cipally on the route from St. George to Philippi.
Geoege B. Auvil, son of John Auvil, of EngUsh and
German descent, was born in 1851, and was married, in
1875, to Malissa, daughter of Margaret AVhite. He is a
farmer living 2 mUes from St. George, on Mill Eun. His
farm of 150 acres is one-fifth improved. Children : Harvey
W., Margaret C, Charles T., Carrie V., and Thomas J.
William C. Auvil, son of John Auvil, was born in 1848 :
married, in 1870, to Louetta E., daughter of John White.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 359
ChUdren: Emma Catharine, George AA^., Anna Margaret,
Frances Melvina, and Pearl AV. He is a farmer, but has
worked some at the stone mason trade. He lives 4 miles
from St. George, on Mill Eun, and his farm of 75 acres has
30 acres improved. He is a teacher qf vocal music, and
has had some successful schools.
J. W. Allendee, born in 1838, in Hampshire County, is
is a son of George Allender, now of Eandolph County. He
is of German and English descent. In 1874 he married
Eebecca Ann, daughter of John E. Goff. Children : Ida
Catharine, Paden Wade and Mary Eunice. He lives on
Shafer's Fork, 14 mUes from St, George where he owns a
farm of 96 acres, of which 45 acres is under tillage. He
has been a resident of Tucker since 1864.
William F. Ashby, of English and Welsh descent, was
born 1821, in Preston County. He is a son of Thonas
Ashby, and great grandson of a Eevolutionary soldier, who
came to America to fight the Colonies, but deserted to them
and fought the British. After the war was over, he settled
near Baltimore, and soon after, moved to the Youghlogheny
Eiver, where he fought Indians and Avild animals until the
country became settled about him. His son Nathan, grand
father of William F., was a Colonel in the war of 1812. The
Ashby who figured so prominently as a dashing leader dur
ing the civil war, belonged to this family.
William F. Ashby was married in 1843 to Mary C. Wil-
helm, of German descent. Children : Mary E., Thomas B.,
Winfield S., Stephen L., Charles W., Susana E., Samuel L.
and George. He Uves two miles below St. George.
John J. Adams, son of Daniel C. Adams, of English and
Irish descent, was born May 30, 1837, at Limestone. In

360 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
1858 he married Elegan, daughter of James J. Goff, of Pres
ton County. His wife died in 1863, of spotted fever. From
the 1st to the 19th of April, he saw laid in the grave his
wife, two children, one sister, his mother, two of his wife's
sisters and one brother, all having died of the same disease,
except his mother. At sunset they would be as weU as ever,
and before midnight were no more.
In his early life, J. J. Adams Avas a farmer. During the
war he was a McClellan Democrat. He kept store in St.
George, and was elected Eecorder (County Clerk), and held
the office two years ; and at the end of that time was re
elected and was also elected clerk of the Circuit Court ; both
of Avhich offices he has held up to the present time. He
came to St. George in 1864. September 11, 1865, he married
Angelica, daughter of William Ewin. Children : Savillia,
Carrie, Addie, Anna Tilden, Angelica EavIh and Dove.
T. M. Austin, M. D., born April 26, 1852, in MondngaUa
County, near Laurel Iron Works. His mother was of Irish
descent, and his father of English. In his younger days, at
home, he showed an inclination for books, and devoted his
spare moments to study. Gradually, he fell into the chan
nel of medicine and commenced acquainting himself with
the general principles of the science. He attended the
schools of his neighborhood, and made progress that Avas
more gratifying to other people than to himself ; for, he
thought himself getting along slow, because he was not
studying Avhat he most Avanted to study. When he was old
enough — after he was twenty-one years of age — he entered
the Physio-Medical College of Cincinnati, and in 1877 he
graduated. He practiced tAvo years, and also studied under
Dr. J. B. Scott, of NeAV Salem, Pa. Since then he has

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 361
practiced nine years in St. George. In 1883 he retired from
the profession in order to get a year Or two of rest. His
practice was harder than he, could endure, and his physical
powers required recreation. In 1878 he was married to
Mollie S. Auvil, daughter of John AuvilC Strandie is his
child's name.
L. S. Auvil,^' son of John Auvil, was born, in 1853, on
Pifer Mountain, and lived there eleven years. , In 1876 he
married Anna, daughter of Jacob Dumire, of Limestone.
His wife died in 1877, and in 1879 he married Minnie Comp
ton, of Barbour County. His children's names are, Burton
W. and Boyd M. He attended only country schools. The
teachers to whom he went were Margaret See, Eachel Ka
lar, William Hull, Dr. Sawyer, Clark BoAvman and Josephine
Trippett. He has taught eight terms of sohool, and been
county superintendent of schools three terms. He has
been a member of the board of examiners several times.
When the Tucker Democrat was called into existence, he
took stock in it. He commenced the study of law in 1881
and was admitted to the bar in 1883. He resides in St.
George. Petee K. Adams, son of William Adams, was born in
1862, and married, in 1884, to Sarah, daughter of Jackson
Eoy. By occupation he is a farmer, and lives 10 miles from
St. George, on the head of Mill Eun.
Samuel M. Adams, born in 1848, is a son of Daniel C.
Adams, and was married, in 1868, to Ann Amelia, daughter
of Daniel Wotring) of Preston. Children : Savillia, John,
Dora, Elihu, Etta and baby. Farmer by occupation, and
lives at Limestone, 8 miles from St. George. He owns 180
acres of land, with 20 acres improA'ed.
* See history of the St. George Bar, in this book, foi; further account of L. S. AuvU.

362 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY. .
Daniel C. Adams, son of Thomas Adams, of Irish and
English descent, was born 1814. He was born and raised
and died on the same, farm, which is on Limestone, ten
miles from St. George. In 1835 he married Euth, daughter
of Abel Kelly, of Eandolph. She died in 1863. WhUe she
was lying very low, and expected to die every hour, Eli
Adams arrived from Camp Chase, and brought with him the
spotted fever. His sister took it and died in a few , hours.
John J. and George W. Adams were at the bedside of their
mother at the time, expecting her to die any hour. John
Adams' wife and tAvo children took the fever and died.
Two of his sisters and one of his brothers also died. George
Adams and his wife took the fever, but recovered.
Daniel C. Adams was assessor 8 years. A premium of
$25 had been offered by the State to the assessor who
would send in the neatest and best kept books. The money
was to be deducted from the salary of the one who sent in
the worst books. Adams got the premium and the Ean
dolph assessor had to pay it.
Adams was married a second time, in 1863, to Mary A.,
daughter of Philip Martin, of Preston County. She died
in 1866, and in 1867 he married Dorcas A. Bonnifield,
daughter of Dr. A. Bonnifield. Children : George W.,
John J., Thomas C, Samuel M., Margaret, Jemima and
MaxAvell. Adams Avas an influential member of the M. E. Church.
He died in 1880.
William M. Adams, born in 1833, is a son of George E.
Adams, of Irish descent, and was married, in 1854, to Mary
M. Wotring. He owns 787 acres of land, Avith 235 acres
improved. He lives 10 miles from St. George, on the head

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 363
of MiU Eun. Children: Peter K., Hannah, AViUiam P.,
Luther L., Sarah J., Daniel J., and Lewis H.
B
John Buens, son of William Burns, was born on July 4,
1849. His ancestry were German and Irish. In 1868, he
married Sarah A., daughter of Frederick Davis. He Hves
8 miles from St. George, in Licking district, on a farm of
259 acres, 30 of which is improved. He was constable for
6 years. His children are, James A., Mary V., Charles W.,
AA'illiam H., John P., Noah A., and Eliza Agnes. •
Eli Bilee, a German, was born in 1822, and was married
1845 to Lyda Susing. He is a farmer of 100 acres, with 40
acres improved, 9 miles from St. George, on Clover Eun.
Children : Alpheus, Ephriam, Eobert and Jefferson.
Alpheus Bilee, born 1848, was married 1876 to Mrs. E.
Clark, daughter of Isaac Phillips. He is a farmer, lives 9
miles from St. George, has 51 acres of land, 5 acres improv
ed, and his children are, John E., Charles W., James C. and
Walter. Epheiam Bilee was born 1853, married Angeline Limbers
and lives on Clover Eun ,where he owns 2 acres .of cleared
land and has 8 acres stiU sleeping in the shades of primeval
forests, 9 miles from the County-seat : children : Mary A.,
Eosa E., Baily N. C. and Johnson M.
Eobeet Bilee owns 50 acres of land, but does not work
it : on Clover, 9 miles from St. George.
Jeffeeson Bilee, born 1863, has no land or trade ; he Hves
on Clover. They are all Eli's boys.
Seymoub Boneb, Solomon B's son, was born in 1846, and
was married, in 1867, to Sophia, daughter of Andrew Fans-

364 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ler. His wife dying in 1868, he married two years later to
Mahala, daughter of Samuel H. Cosner. He lives 25 miles
from St. George ; he taught school in Eandolph with a No.
5 certificate, and in Tucker with a No. 3 ; he has killed six
bears, and is a wonderful bee hunter ; he follows them to
their trees by taking the course of their flight and pursuing
it. His children are, Stephen A., Oliver H., Sophia B.,
Hattie E., Mary, Antony W. and baby.
W. E. Bonee, son of William Boner, was born in 1855,
of English descent ; married in 1878 to Mary, daughter of
Marion Hedrick. Children : John and Effie C. A farmer,
25 miles from St. George, on Dry Fork ; farm contains 75
acres, 20 acres improved.
John W. Bonnifield, was born in 1845 in Preston county,
son of Thornton Bonnifield. Married in 1877 to Sarah A.
Baker, daughter of Joseph Baker. He is in the mercantile
business at Thomas. His child's name is Earl G.
Alpheus Blanchaed, was born in Maine in 1847. Lives
6 mile% from St. George, on a farm of 8 acres, ^ acre im
proved. Solomon Bonee, was born in Grant County, July 4, 1824,
and was a son of William Boner, of German and Irish de
scent. In 1846 he married Jane, daughter of Thomas
Bright, of Eandolph County. His wife died in 1878, and
the next year he married Sarah J. Vanmeter. Children :
Seymour, Eebecca. Archibald, Mary, James, Martha, Ann
Jemima, Virginia M., Sulpitius G., and Solomon P. He is
a farmer and civil engineer, living on Dry Fork, 30 miles
from St. George, where he owns 500 acres of land, one-fifth
improved. He was county surveyor 18 years, and was the
principal man in locating all the roads above Black Foit. The
main Dry Fork road was commenced in 1863 and has just

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. . 365
been completed. The first settlers on Dry Fork were
WiUiam Boner,* Eudolph Shobe, Daniel Poffinbarger, John
Carr, Thomas White, Ebenezer Flanagan,t John Wolford.'^
Henry Fansler was the first man to move his family into
Canaan. He made a small improvement, and left. This
was about the commencement of the present century ;
but the exact date cannot be determined. Some think
it to have been as long ago as 1780. There is cur
rent a story that the first settler of Dry Fork went there
during the Eevolutionary AVar, to escape service in the
varmy. But this is not sufficiently well authenticated to be
accepted as history. However, it is certain that Dry Fork
Avas settled at a very early day. Solomon Boner assisted
in running the line between Tucker and Eandolph. He has
been a great huntrr, and has killed, as he estimates, 50
bears and 500 deer. He killed a bear on Otter Fork that,
when dressed, weighed 250 pounds, and Archibald Boner
and James Davis caught one in Abel Long's corn field that
weighed, neat, 325 pounds.
James Buckbee was born 1832 in Eandolph, married Mi
nerva Teter, of Pendleton. Children : Martin K., George
W., Cora E. and Samuel C: farmer, living in Canaan, 25
miles from St. George.
D. J. Bevee was born 1829, in Maryland, of German de
scent. Married 1852 to Esther A. Turner. Children :
Naomi, Zula, Sarah A., Clarissa, Ida, William S., Isabel and
Edna Alice D. He is a foreman on the West Virginia and
Pittsburgh Eailway. He was in the Union Army during
the war, and took part in many of the hottest battles. At
•Grandfather of Solomon Boner. »
tGreat-grandfather of Jacob G. Flanagan.
tGrandJather of Deputy Sheriff Wolf ord.

366 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Fair Oaks he went into the fight with 700 men and came out
with less than one-tenth of that number. He was in the
battle of the Wilderness, and at Appamattox Court-house.
Maetin V. Bonee, born 1863, son of W. J. Boner, of Ger
man and Irish descent, Uves on Dry Fork, 23 mUes from
St. George.
J. B. Baee, of Monongalia, was born 1846, of German
parentage, married 1867 Mary, daughter of Leonard Metz.
In 1872 his wife died and he married Susan Eaber. ChU
dren : Brice L., Mary E., Charles L. and Jennie. He has
been in Tucker since 1881, and lives two mUes below St,
George, near the spot Avhere Jonathan Minear was kUled by
the Indians.
Bascom Bakee, M. D., was born in Marion County, 1852.
In his younger days he attended the country schools in his
neighborhood, and made some progress. When he became
a young man, he concluded to go west, which he did. His
fortune there was, as nearly every young man's is, not as
good as was hoped. However, he succeeded reasonably
well. He got to Iowa, and there spent some time, mean
while attending the Normal Institute at Indianola, that
State. He soon became satisfied that the West was not the
best place for him, and accordingly, he returned home and
taught school for some time, and commenced the study of
medicine under Dr. Trayhern. When he' had become ac
quainted with the rudiments of the science, he entered the
Baltimore College of Physicians and Surgeons, and gradua
ted in March, 1882, when he returned to his practice at
St. George and the surrounding country. His practice is
extensive and he possesses the confidence of his customers.
He was married, in 1883, to Isabel Parsons, of Holly
Meadows.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 367
As a scholar, he stands high in the profession of West
Virginia. His readings have been extensive, and he has
ready words to tell what he knows. He takes Huxley and
Darwin as authority in their departments; and he has be
come weU acquainted with the works of Tyndall, Stahr,
Koch and others.
Geoege F. Bishoff was born at Cranberry Summit,
Preston County, of German descent ; married, in 1879, to
Anna E., daughter of John Auvil. Children : Monnie and
Aloin C. By trade he is a blacksmith, and came to St.
George in 1878.
Jacob W. Baughman was born in 1853, in Hardy County ;
married, in 1876, at Harper's Ferry, to Analiza F. Stalnaker,
of Barbour County ; is of German descent ; children : Mary
E., Marvin, Claudius T. %,nd Ernest. He is in the hard-
A^are business at St. George.
Petee Bohon was born in 1839, in Preston County ; is a
son of William Bohon, of German descent, and Avas mar
ried, in 1868, to Emily E., daughter of Van Goff. By occu
pation he is a farmer, and lives 7 miles below St. George.
He was in the Union army three years, and lost the use of
his hand in the service. He was one of the three citizens
who carried McChesney's body from Hannahsville the
night after he was killed. Bohon was at St. George at the
time of HaU's surrender, and in parol was sent to Camp
Chase. His children are Charles B., Florence B., James,
LonzO T., Harry, Hayes, John D., Eosy, and Georgia D.
Mathias Bohon, son of WiUiam Bohon, was born 1834,
married, 1860, Delia A. Dumire, and after her death he mar
ried Sarah J., daughter of Daniel Gower. Children : Sa
rah Jane, Susana C, Dona C, Daniel C. and Zora Wade.

368 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
By occupation he is a farmer, mechanic and mill-wright ; he
lives 3 miles from St. George, on Location Eidge ; he has a
farm of 172 acres, with one-third improved. For seven or
eight years he was a member of the board of education,
and also has held the office of constable : was in the Union
army, operated along the Potomac, and was taken prisoner
at Keyser by General Eosser, and remained a captive only
a few days, when he was exchanged.
James H. Bolyaed, of German parentage, was born 1846
in Preston, was married 1868 to Harriet, daughter of Dr.
John Miller, of Limestone. Children : Ida Eebecca, Anna
Margaret, Mary Allen, Verlinda Susan and John M.: is a
farmer of 250 acres, one-fifth improved. In the Union army
he had a diversified experience : he was one of those Yan^
kees whom Ben Wotring and Louis Shaffer captured in
Cumberland and carried off as prisoners of war. It was "a
most wonderful feat on their part. Bolyard was also cap
tured at Keyser by General Imboden ; lay 3 months in jaU
and was then parolled and after two months was exchanged.
He was in prison in Eichmond in 1864. After that he was
sent to Nebraska to guard the mail route against the
Indians, and had several fights ; was in Dakota, Wyoming,
Kansas and several other western States. In June, 1866,
he was discharged.
MoNTiviLLE Beight was born in 1850, in Eandolph
County, a son of John Bright, and was married, in 1876, to
Millia, daughter of Eobert Phillips. Children : Alice May,
Lilie Belle, and Malissa Ann : lives on Pleasant Eun, 13
miles from St. George, and has 50 acres of improved land
and 110 acres of wild land. Formerly he was a teamster,
and is of German and English descent.

Dr. B. Baker.

Georok A, Mayer.

Dr a, E. Calvert

Dr T. M. Austin

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 369
Henson E. Beight was born 1847, in Eandolph, son of
Thomas Bright, of English descent ; married 1871 to Abi
gail, daughter of Joab Carr. Children ; Christina, John
W., Thomas H. and James S.; lives 15 miles from St.
George, near Shafer's Fork on a farm of 100 acres, one-
fourth improved. He says that Solomon Townsend Avas
the first settler on Pleasant Eun.
John Beight, son of Thomas Bright, was born in Ean
dolph County, 1816, of German descent, and was married,
in 1838 to Lucinda Gainer. Children : Savina, Manda J.,
Harriet E., Montirille, J. Catharine, Alice and Margaret; is
a farmer, owning 150 acres of land, one-fifth improved, 13
miles above St. George ; has been road surveyor, overseer of
poor and constable. At 19 years of age he was made lieu
tenant of militia and held the office seven years. Of many
a bear fight he has been the hero, and his adventures as
such approach very nearly those of John Losh. The first-
snow of the season had fallen, and the dogs treed a bear in
the thicket on the hillside. 'Che men ran out to see Avhat it
was, and passed the tree without seeing the beast. No
sooner had they passed than it thought to slip away, and
so came sliding down the tree. The dog, that knew better
than the men did where the bear was, hid under the brush
and when the brute reached the ground ran up and gnabbed
it. The bear w^is scared and bawled, but the dog held on,
and a terrible fight ensued. The men heard the uproar
and ran back. They found that the fight was under an old
tree top and that the bear had the dog down. John Bright
ran in and pulled the bear out by the hind legs, while
Thomas Bright stabbed it. It had bit the dog's . nose off,
but he got well.
O. C. Becknee, born 1837 in Virginia, of Irish descent.

370 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
was married 1870 to Margaret E., daughter of John E. Goff
of Black Fork. ChUdren : KUe P., John H., Elnora and
Dexter Lloyd : Hves 4 miles from St. George, on Wolf Eun,
where he owns a farm of 66 acres, with 25 acres improved ;
has been in Tucker since 1868 ; was in the Confederate army,
commissary department, under N. H. BeU.
Thomas J. Beight, born 1820 in Eandolph, brother of
John Bright, of German and English descent, was married
in 1824, to Sarah Schoonover ; is a farmer and lives on
Pleasant Eun, 15 miles from St. George ; has been in
Tucker since 1849. Children : Henson E., Virginia M., and
Mai-y J.
Henby Bonee, born in 1857, is a son of W. J. Boner, of
Dry Fork, 25 miles from St. George : owns 37 acres of land
with 20 acres improved.
Jesse L. Baughman was born 1860 in Hardy County, and
worked on a farm until he was thirteen years old, and then
clerked in a store. Again he engaged in farming, this time
at MeadoAyville, Barbour County. In 1883 he came to St.
George and is a partner with J. Eoth & Co. in a dry goods
establishment at Central Exchange.
Samuel Bonee, brother of Henry Boner, of Dry Fork,
was born in 1851, married, 1883, to Eebecca E., daughter of
Perry Eains : child's name is Ida Belle. Oavus a farm of
50 acre and one-half is improved: lives 20 miles from St.
George. John W. Bakee Avas born in Marion County, of English
descent. ; married in 1866 to Sarah A. E., daughter of Eob
ert Johnson. Children: Eobert J., Alice S., and Fannie B.:
his farm of 80 acres is on Dry Fork, 12 miles from St.
George.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 371
John Beimble, born in 1857, of German descent, lives
12 mUes from St. George, on Hog Back.
Feank j. Blanchaed was born in Maine, in 1835, of
American descent : was raised a farmer, but he soon mani
fested a strong inclination for machinery, and he turned his
attention to that- channel, and soon became a first-class
mechanic. When the war broke out, he Avas drafted, and
was given ten days in which to appear. When the ten days
were out, he appeared in Canada. He traveled to a consid
erable extent, and was in eleven states within 24 hours ; was
in the West as far as Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri : avus
married in 1860 to Elizabeth Harrold, of Ireland. His Avife
died and in 1876 he married Emma, daughter of Stephen
Dumire. Children : John, James, Mary, Edward and
WUliam. He is a farmer, living five miles from St. George
on Horse Shoe Eun, where he owns 100 acres of land, of
which 18 is improved. By him was manufactured the first
sawed shingle ever made in Tucker County, and probably in
the State. Since then he has sawed over 3,000,000 shingles
iu Tucker County ; and has in his life sawed 4,000,000 feet
of long lumber, of which 3,000,000 feet was cut on Macom
ber's mill.
John Blanchaed, son of Frank J. Blanchard, was born
in 1863, and deserves a place in history more as a curiosit}-
than anything else. He ahvays was a venturesome boy. In
his early life he lived in Maine. AVhen he was a little older,
he lived at Middletown, Conn., Avhere he became the best
SAvimmer in all the region. When a flood came down the
Connecticut Eiver, he swam out into the middle of the
stream and attempted to take a ride on a floating hay stack.
Hut it sank Avith his Aveight, and his feet sticking fast in the
hay, he Avas pulled under the Avater. This came near end-

372 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ing his adventures forever ; but he wriggled loose, and got
to the shore.
When he was ten or eleven years old, he came to Eowles- ,
burg, and soon afterwards to Horse Shoe Eun, where he
became the leader of the boys in all manner of devUtry.
When he was fourteen, he ran off from home, and went to
work for S. N. Swisher, at $3 a month. He remained at
this and in the neighborhood until he was seventeen, when
he made up his mind to go back to Maine and search out
the home of his ancestors. He collected aU the money left
of his three years' wages, and had $22.00. A ticket from
Oakland to the point in Maine to which he was going cost
over $20, and Avith this small mftrgin, he struck out, with^
carpet-sack on his back, a pair of overaUs on, held on by
one suspender, and a hat that had years before gone to
seed. In New York he paid $1.00 for a lunch, and had no
money left. However, he got to Maine, and chopped cord
Avood all winter, and in the spring of 1881 returned to West
Virginia by the way of Boston, Fall Eiver and Long Island.
He again set to work to earn more money, for his was aU
gone. He worked here and there, every once in a whUe
taking a wild goose chase through the southern or eastern
part of the State, and as soon as he got money enough he
Avent to Michigan, staid there a few days, returned to
Tucker, and in tAvo or three Aveeks went back to Michigan,
and in a short time returned to Tucker, and as soon as he
had earned enough money, he went back to Michigan. He
staid there until in the fall of 1883, Avhen he went to CaU
fornia; staid fifty-nine days, and started back. He got
caught in the floods with Avhich the country was deluged,
and the cars ran off the track five times before he got
through to Arizona. He passed through Texas, Indian

/ /

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 373
Territory, back to Michigan, and has never since been
heard of.
De. Aenold BoNNiFiELD*was bom in 1799, August 23 ; is
a son of Samuel Bonnifield, a soldier of Dunmore's war, and
the war of the Eevolution. As nearly as can be ascertained,
his origin is French, through England. In France, the
name was speUed Bonnifant, or Bonnifelt, and has reached
its present speUing through the English. Dr. Bonnifield's
mother was of purely English descent, belonging to the
James family. He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of
Darid, sister to Enoch and granddaughter of John Minear,
the founder of St. George. Their children are, Katharine,
who married Darid Swisher, of Hampshire, Samuel, who
died of consumption when a young man, Dorcas, who mar
ried Daniel C. Adams, of Limestone, Sarah J., who married
Eufus MaxweU, Abe, the only one now unmarried, Lettie,
the wife of S. H. Smith, sheriff of Grant County, David,
who was drowned at Willow Point, in Cheat Eiver, April 30,
1871, AUen H., the traveler, who married Jane, daughter of
A. B. Parsons of California, and John, who died young.
Dr. Bonnifield has always been a farmer ; but, in addition,
he has paid some attention to the practice of medicine. He
was a slaveholder, but never sympathized with the institu
tion of slavery. He was the first clerk of the Circuit and
County courts of Tucker, and was Justice of the Peace for
thirty years.
David Bonnifield, a son of Dr. Bonnifield, was droAA^ned
in Cheat. He had married Margaret Hessler, of Germany.
His chUdren are, Mary, Anna M., Katharine F., John E.,
Samuel A. and Margaret. They live at Beloit, Kansas.
*As Dr. Bonnifleld receives notice at length in another part of this book. It is not re
garded necessary to give full biography here.

374 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
David B. was a farmer and dealer in cattle. Being a
sympathizer with the South in the War, he was much har
assed by the opposing side. A large drove of cattle were
carried off, which embarrassed him financiaUy. Soon after,
he was arrested and taken to Fort Delaware for incarcera
tion. His suffering there was little less than the worst
specimens of AndersonviUe, Libby or Eock Island. When
at last he made his escape, his health was wrecked, and his
property was gone. From that time until his death, he
lived on Horse Shoe Eun, four miles from St. George.
Allen H. Bonnifield,* son of Dr. Bonnifield, was bom
1845. Before he was of age, he left home and started over
land for California. When he reached Iowa he learned that
the Indians Avere hostile, and that it would be unsafe to ven
ture out. Then he turned back to New York, took a steamer
and reached San Francisco by the way of Panama. He re
mained four years on the Pacific Coast, and then returned
home. Since then he has been a farmer on the old home
stead of 700 acres — including Avild lands — four mUes from St.
George, on Horse Shoe Eun. In 1875 he married Jane,
daughter of A. B. Parsons. His children are, Edna P., Ber
tie M., Jennie S., Anna D., and Luke G.
Abe BoNNiFiELDf, son of Dr. Bonnifield, was born in 1837.
He traveled extensively over the west and over British
America. When the war came on he joined the Eebel
army, and fought to the end of the war, never surrendering,
but dodging when the troops to which he belonged were
dispersed, and coming home with his sword strapped on his
* Notice to some length of A. H Bonnifleld having been gl ven m a former part of this
book, a full biography is not given here.
t The principal events In Abe Bonnlfleld's biography having been given elsewhere la
this book, only a brtef mention Is here made.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 375
side. His weight is seventy pounds, and his height three
feet. He was at Lynchburg when Jubal A. Early defeated
Crook and Hunter; he was at McDowell when Jackson
routed Milroy ; he suffered defeat at New Hope, when
Hunter scattered Breckenridge's troops; he was with Im
boden in Hampshire, and saw him blow up the armored
gondolas which the Federals sent down the railroad; was
at the battle of Frederick City, Md., and witnessed the
whole transaction ; took part in Early's raid on Washing
ton, and fought nearly all the time for three weeks. At
Crab Bottom he Avas taken prisoner, but escaped in less
than two hours.* -'^
Samuel W. Bowman, son of AdanwBowmam, born in 1820,
three miles below St. George ; was a farmer in his earlier
years, and worked hard on his father's land. In his tAventy-
third year he was married to Elizabeth Minear. Children :
Virginia C, Larina S., Charles L., and John C. For four
years he was deputy sheriff and was sheriff four years, both
of which positions he filled honorably and with ability.
For many years he was postmaster at St. George, and was
for twelve years a contractor for carrying the U. S. mails,
principaUy from St. George to Eowlesburg and return.
He was a merchant for fifteen years, and in the meantime
built the Black Water House in St. George, the largest
hotel in the county.
During the war, Mr. Bowman was a sympathizer Avitli the
South, although he saw best not to enter the army. Nev
ertheless he was considerably annoyed by the Union sol
diers at different times, but Was never seriously interfered
*Abe Bonnifleld has In manuscript a biography of himself, partly written by him
self and partly by Prof. G. E. Selby.

376 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
with : has always been a Democrat and an influential man
in the politics of the county.
Chaeles L. Boayman, son of Samuel W. Bowman, was
born at St. George, Aug. 12, 1847 : is of English and Ger
man descent : lived in St. George until he was a man, and
spent his time working some and clerking in his father's
store. Finally he arrived at the conclusion that it was de
creed that he should go to the West. He went, and had a
bitter experience of it ; got sick and received the treatment
which sick people are apt to get on the frontiers unless they
fall into unusual hands. Bowman had a long siege of the
fever, and did uot knoAV and cared little whether he would
get well or not. But finaUy he recovered, and came troop
ing back home, more contented to try his fortune in Tucker.
He settled down to business, and in 1874 married Miss
Susie D. Gray, of Lancaster, Ohio. Children : Jesse Clif
ton and baby.
Four years after marriage, he started the TucJcer County
Pioneer. Prerious to that, he had run a job press to some
extent. He remained in the newspaper business nearly six
years, Avhen he quit it and turned his attention to merchan
dizing. He now owns the store formerly owned by his
father at St. George.

c

Joab Caee, a German, son of John Carr, was born in
1823; married in 1846 to Lucretia, daughter of Thomas
Bright. He farms 90 acres and has 110 acres of wUd land,
ou Dry Fork, 24 miles from St. George. He taught one
school and killed 12 bears, and belonged to the Home
Guards. Children : Clorinda, Abbie, Enos G., Margaret,
Daniel A. D., Joseph D., Joab, George B. McCleUan,
Phoebe E., Virginia and Archibald S.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 377
Joseph A. Caee, son of Joab, was born in 1865 ; married
Elizabeth Carr, and lives on Dry Fork, 25 miles from St.
George. He has one chUd, Flora. He is a farmer, owning
90 acres of Arild land and 10 acres of tilled.
James B. Caee, son of Solomon Carr, born 1828 in Ean
dolph. Married in 1853 to Jemima, daughter of Thomas
Bright. Farmer, owning 175 acres of land on Dry Fork,
20 mUes from St. George. He was in the Home Guards two
years. Children : Adam H., Enoch, James W., Margaret,
Phoebe C, Elizabeth and Alice.
Enoch Caee, son of James B. Carr, was born in 1858,
Hves 20 mUes from St. George, on a farm of 170 acres, 30
acres of which is improved.
Maeion H. Caee, son of Solomon Carr, was born in 1840,
in Eandolph county. Married 1864 to Julia Carr. He is a
farmer, living on Dry Fork, 20 miles from St. George. He
was in the Home Guards one year. Children : Marion B.,
George and James H.
Solomon W. Cosnee. One of the most Avidely knoAvn men
of Tucker County is Solomon W. Cosner, the Pioneer of
Canaan. He was born in 1826, in Hardy County, and is a
son of Henry Cosner, and of German descent. In 1849 he
married Catharine Shell, daughter of Philip Shell, of Hardy
County. His Children are : H. Harrison, Armida J., C.
Columbus, Elizabeth Ann, Emil, Freylinghuysen, Oomodore
Porter, U. S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Doug
lass. He OAVUS 850 acres of land in Canaan, 400 acres of
which is cleared and in grass. He also owns 625 acres on
Shafer's Fork. He has a grist mUl on his Canaan property.
He lives 25 miles from St. George, and has been in Canaan
since 1864. He is extensively known as the first settler in

378 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
that region. His house has long been the stopping place
of hunters, adventurers and idlers from the Eastern and
Northern cities, who go into Canaan to spend the heated
months of summer.
AVhen he went into Canaan, in 1864, there was no one
liring in that region. But there was an ancient improve
ment, 80 or 90 years old, made by some one whose memory
only remains, but who is supposed to have been an ancestor
of S. C. Harness. Cosner left Grant County, then Hardy,
and cut a path for 20 miles across the Alleghany Mountains,
14 miles from his present home. He carried all his goods
and plunder on horseback. AVhen he reached Canaan, he
found it a wild country fiUed with cattle, horses and stock
that had been run in there by thieves during the war.
He commenced an improvement near one of the most beau
tiful springs in AVest Virginia. It was almost out of the
Avorld. The nearest stores Avere at St. George and Mays-
ville, each 25 miles distant, and from one or the other of
these places he had to carry his groceries.
It was five or six years before any other family moved
into that region. The first man to move into Canaan after
Cosner was John Nine, of Preston County. He settled on
a farm adjoining Cosner's; and the next to come Avere
James and, Isaac Freeland, also from Preston. Much of
the bread of Canaan's early settlers had to be lugged from
settlements fifteen and twenty miles distant. The land
produces average crops of grain, and does remarkably well
Arith buckwheat. Potatoes and all vegetables that grow in
the ground as potatoes, beets, radishes and onions, grow to
perfection. The country, Avhen covered Arith original for
ests, is swampy, but, as soon as the timber is removed, the
water dries up. The soil is of a dense clay, and water

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 379
stands in horse tracks in the woods. Fern is a nuisance to
deal with. Fire kiUs it, and the timber also, when it be
comes dry enough to burn. Grass grows splendidly as soon
as the timber is removed.
Cosner was in the war, but his record is not of special
interest, inasmuch as he was not in any particular engage
ments of note. His principal record, aside from being the
pioneer of Canaan, is that of a bear hunter. He and his
boys have killed over half a thousand bears in Canaan, in
numerable deer, two panthers and one wolf, according to
their account. He has had many narrow escapes, which, if
collected, would more than rival those of Finley. As a
sample of his exploits, and also as a sample of his style of
narrative, we append a story of his, taken down in writing ^
as it was told, by a visitor who knew something of short
hand writing. The story runneth thus :
I got up at midnight and went out in the woods with a dog, gun,
and a big trap '"hunkered" to my back. Soon the dog roared
down the hiU like the d — 1 breaking tan-bark, and I said to myself :
"that's a bear." I ran after him, and soon came to where the dog
had treed two bear-whelps. I was skirmishing around to shoot
them, when an old bear, in a bunch of laurel, flve or six feet away,
"hooved " up on his hind feet, and^made for me. I tried to shoot,
but gun faUed. I got out a cap to put on the gun. Just then the
bear lunged at me, and I had to jump' six or seven feet high to
keep from getting gnabbed. The bear kept snapping at my feet,
and I ran behind a tree to hide. The bear followed me, and I kept
running round and round until I got dizzy. The bear probably-
got dizzy too, and quit running and stopped to study how to get
me. It popped its head round one side and then the other of the
tree and tried to scare me so that I would jump out. But, I
laughed at it and it seemed to get madder. All at once it slung its
paws round and tore my pants off. This made me mad, and I
leaped out and pounded the old beast with my gun, and had a
fearful fight. I was getting tired and wanted to quit, and

380 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
just then my dog snapped the bear and it turned on the dog.
I thought to myself, "Now's my time to take a tree," and I ran
to a burnt chestnut snag and tried to climb it ; but it was too sUck
and I slipped back faster than I could clunb. I saw that I could
not cUmb that tree and was looking for another, when the bear
came bulging through the brush after me, and I went up that sUp
pery snag in a hurry. As I went up, the bear came after me with
renewed energy and seized my foot, and tore my shoe off. I scram
bled to the top of the snag and sat down on it. The bear was
trying to climb too. It pawed and scraped and bawled and roared,
and made the mountains ring. It was the ugliest bear I ever saw.
It kept me up that tree until I got awful tired, and wished that I
had staid at home. I nearly froze. The wind whistled against me,
and I said to myself, "O, if I only had my pants !" The bear sat
down and took times easy, and I tried to scare it off by hitting it
Avith pieces of bark and rotten wood.
It got daylight, and the sun came up and got warm, and I felt
better, but was tired and numb, and the bear seemed to know it.
I sat there in despair all day. It was the longest day that ever I
puUed through. About sundown one of the young bears com
menced coming down. This was balm and GUead to my weary
back, for I knew that the old one would leave as soon as the young
whelps would come down. I watched it patiently and kept as still
as I could. It would slide down a foot or two, and then stop a
while to study about it, and to look around to see if everything
was all right. Then it would drop down a few inches further, and
would go through the same maneuvers. It got dark and the moon
came up, and that Uttle whelp was not half way down. I was try
ing to be patient, Job might have been a patient old citizen, but
he never sat on top of an' old snag twenty-four hours with no pants
on. Eternity could be no longer than it took that young bear to
reach the ground. I wished that an earthquake would come and
shake him off. But, at last he got to the ground, and the old beast
started to go away, walking sidewise and looking up viciously at
me. When I got down, I was so stiff I could hardly hobble home.
I have had thousands of battles with bears, and have stabbed them
to death and pounded them to death and kicked them to death;
but this scrape made me feel the sneakingest that ever I felt.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 381
Solomon Cosner is a man of giant frame, weighing about
200 pounds,. and standing 6 feet tall. In his earlier days he
was probably the most powerful man in Tucker County.
F. H. Cosnee, son of Solomon Cosner, born 1861, in
Hardy County, married, in 1882, to Elizabeth, daughter of
John Sears. His only child is Olive E. His farm is in
Canaan, 30 miles from St. George, contains 66 acres and
has 10 acres under cultivation.
C. P. Cosnee, brother to F. H., born 1863, in Hardy
County, lives with his father in Canaan.
W. H. H. Cosnee, another son of S. W. Cosner, born
1849, married 1875 to Melissa J., daughter of John Nine.
His Arife died in 1881 and he married her sister, Margaret
E. Nine. Children are. Harness F., Ada Bell and Lyda
Anu. He owns a farm of 100 acres, one-half improved, in
Canaan, 30 miles from St. George. In his time, he says,
he has killed 30 bears and 300 deer.
C. C. Cosnee, born 1853, in LeAvis County; married in
1880, to Mary J., daughter of John Sears, of Grant County.
ChUdren: Gilbert E., and Lilly Estella. He has been in
Tucker since 1864 ; and he owns a farm of 90 acres, 30 acres
improved, in Canaan, 30 miles from St. George.
Emil Cosnee, son of Solomon Cosner, born 1859 ; married
in 1880 to Lydia A., daughter of Gustavus Muntzing, of
Grant County. Farmer, 83 acres, 40 acres improved, 30
miles from St. George, in Canaan. ChUdren : Ora G. and
Ida Anice.
Felix H. Collins, was born in 1852, lives on rented land,
on Eed Creek, 25 miles from St. George.
Heney Cook, born in Maryland, in 1842, of German and
Irish descent. Married Miss Lyda A. Spencer in 1864.

382 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ChUdren : Mary Kate, Emma, Ida G., Thomas W., Eobert
E., Harriet A., Clementine and Harry O. He" Uves at
Thomas, and has been mining for 20 years.
Samuel Coopee, was born in 1826, in Grant County,
married in 1849 to Elizabeth Wymer, of Pendleton County.
He OAvns 413 acres of land on Eed Creek, 25 miles from St.
George ; he has 180 acres of improved land ; he has been
in Tucker since 1874. Children : Mary, Martha, John W.,
Job, Mahala, Melvina, Daniel, EUzabeth, Melissa Jane,
Adam, Eosetta and Abraham.
Joab A. Caee, whose father's name was Abner, was born
in 1844, in Eandolph County, and was married in 1865 to
Sarah C, daughter of Joseph White, and is of English and
Irish descent. Children : Virginia C, Albert, Sylvester J.,
James B., Sarah E., Mary A.. Alpheus, Arthur A. and
Mollie. He lives on a farm of 93 acres, with one-third of
it improved, on Eed Creek, 30 miles from St. George ; he
Avas in the Confederate army a few months and in the
Union Home Guards.
Heney Coopee was born in 1833, in Frederick County,
Va., of English and German descent ; married in 1867 to
Mary M., daughter of George Eandolph, of Hampshire
County. Children : Charles H., George F., Anna M., John
Eobert, Mary Catharine, William S., Frederick A., and
Hattie May. He lives in Canaan, 33 miles from St. George.
He OAvns 1,400 acres of land, of Avhich 110 acres is im
proved ; has been in Tucker County since 1882 ; He was a
scout for Lee in the Confederate army.
Thomas Caee was born in 1857, son of John Carr ; married
in 1877 to Elizabeth Pendleton ; lives on Dry Fork, 23 mUes

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 383
from St. George; a farmer and owns 60 acres of land, 6
acres improved. Children ; Martin, Ursula and Ellen.
James L. Coeeick was born in 1861 ; lives at Fairfax.
James Closs, of Scotch descent, was born in 1851 ; married
in 1873 to Margaret V., daughter of Thomas M. Mason;
lives on the railroad, 14 miles from St. George. Children :
Duncan McClure, Charley Eoss and Anna Belle.
William M. Cayton, editor of the Tucker Democrat, was
born in 1862, in Upshur County, came to St. George iu
1881 : is a printer by trade. For further sketch see the
history of the Pioneer and Democrat, in this book.
W. E. CuPP, born in~ Virginia 1856 ; married, 1882, to
Mary J., daughter of C. W. Mayer, of Terra Alta ; attended
school at New Haven, and commenced clerking when he
was 16 years of age. He resides in St. George, and is in
the mercantile business in the firm of Mayer & Cupp.
A. E. Calveet, M. D., of Guysville, Ohio, a few miles
west of Parkersburg, was born in 1862. In his earlier j'cars
he attended school near home, and put in his time to good
adA'antage. When he was twenty years old, that is, iu 1882,
he entered P. M. College at Indianapolis, Ind. At coUege
Jhe was noted for his devotion to his books and to hard
study. He was a ready writer, and generally had a book
well nigh reproduced in notes by the time he Avas through
with it. In 1884 he graduated with honors, after having de
voted two years of intense application to his studies. From
college he returned home, and after a short visit proceeded
to St. George and took up the practice that Dr. Austin had
resigned. As a doctor, he has been eminently successful,
and his support is of that kind that avUI endure.

384 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
John W. Cassady, born 1856 ; married in 1876 to Eliza
beth James, daughter of Ephraim James. Five acres of his
53 are improved, 3 miles from St. George, on the head of
Dry Eun. Children : George Harvey and Thomas Q.
D. M. Coeeick, son of William Corrick, was born in 1830,
of German descent ; married in 1855 to Louisa Turner, of
LcAris County. Children: Pasthena, James L., Mary,
Georgiana and Virginia. In 1867 his wife died at Newburg,
where he then lived, and he married Charlotte Stone. He
lives 8 miles above St. George on the river, where he oavus a
farm of 99 acres, with 40 acres improved.
Seymour Caee lives in Dry Fork.
Maeshall Campfield was born 1841 in Eandolph, and
married in 1865 to Lucina J. Day. Their children are:
Lyda Grant, Jesse Colfax, Albert Isaac, George A.., John E.,
Hanning F., Martha Luvenia, and Noah P. He is a farmer
living fifteen miles above St. George on a farm of 300 acres,
one-fifth of which is improved. He was in the Union army
three years and was wounded in the arm by a Minie-ball.
William: Coeeick, was born in 1800, in Eandolph County,
and died in 1882 ; son of Johu Corrick, of German descent,
was married in 1825 to Daborah Martney, of Eandolph
County. Their children are: Washington, Jefferson M.,
Eunice, Daniel M., Martha Jane, John, Francis M., Jetson,
Baxter, Elizabeth Ann, Mary Lucretia, Anzina, Eda, Adam,
Dow, Joseph, David and Elias. His farm of 620 acres had
100 acres of improved land on it ; he held several offices in
the early history of the county. The battle of Corrick's
Ford was named from him. , The word is nearly always
wrongly spelled. It should be Corrick not C«rrick. His
house Avas made a hospital for the sick and wounded.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 385
The kitchen was a prison for the captured Confederates.
Everything on the farm that could be eaten was gone, ex^
cept a few potatoes in a barrel in the garret, and one old
goose. It was Corrick's account that three Union and
twelve Confederates were kUled.
S. M. Callihan was born in 1844, in Harrison County, of
Irish descent ; married 'in 1870 to Virginia, daughter of
Jacob H. Long. Their chUdren are, Cora M., Otho C, and
Stanford J. S. M. Callihan came to Tucker County, in
1867, to buUd E. Harper's house, being a carpenter by trade
and haring the contract of building it. After that, he went
into the merchant business at Holly Meadows, 6 miles from
St. George, and subsequently bought 90 acres of improved
land on the river bottom at the finest part of the Holly
Meadows. He died in 1884. He was a man of strictest
honesty, and people placed in him the most unbounded
confidence. He had been Justice four years, county com
missioner one term, and president of the county court one
term. He was just fairly entering upon a life of usefulness,
when, at the age of 40, he was suddenly taken off. His loss
was felt throughout the county, and our neighboring coun
ties joined together to extend to us their sympathy for our
loss. He was a man who never was neutral on anything. He
had an opinion on every subject that claimed his at
tention. In the war, his sympathies and support were
given to the South. He entered the army and was under
StonewaU Jackson untU the General's death. He was
soon afterward taken prisoner in Highland County, Va.,
and was sent west. At Grafton he made his escape by
jumping from the train. He went east and was soon retaken
25

386 HISTORY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and sent to Camp Chase, where he lay a whole year, and
was then sent to Fort Delaware. His sufferings were as all
prisoners suffered who were confined in those bastiles.
J. E. Collett was born in 1860, son of H. P. Collett, of
Scotch descent, married in 1883 to Nora M., daughter of
Garrett Long. Their child's name is Maury. He is a
mechanic and lives at Alum Hill.
L. D. Coeeick, son of William Corrick, was bom in 1845,
at Corrick's Ford, married in 1874 to Mary J. Messenger.
Children : Walter J., Adam J., Otis E., and OUie B. He is
a farmer, owning 250 acres of land, Arith 100 acres im
proved. AVilliam Channel was born in Eandolph County, in 1855,
of English, Irish and German descent, married in 1875 to
Martha E., daughter of Adam Dumire. Their chUdren are :
Albert Tilden, Icy Margaret, and Edwin. He lives at the
mouth of Wolf Eun, 3 miles from St. George, where is his
farm of 88 acres, with 8 acres improved.
Philip Constable was born in 1835, in Preston County,
of English descent, married in 1859 to Catharine, daughter
of William Calvert; he is a farmer, liring 9 mUes from St.
George on Shafer's Fork, where he OAvns 63 acres of land,
one-half improved. And has worked to some extent in the
shook and lumber business.
Sylvestee ¦ Channel was born in 1843, of EngUsh and
Irish descent, was married in 1867 to MarsiUa, daughter of
James E. Parsons. Their children are : Eobert W., IrArin,
Emma Susan, Mahala, Harriet and Eachel E.; his farm of
92 acres, one-fourth improved, is on Shafer's Fork, 15
miles from St. George. He was in the Union Army.

BRIEF BIOGEAPHIES,. 387
G. ^4. Caedee, not a citizen of Tucker, but a preacher
traveling here in 1884, was born in Harrison County, in
1850. In 1872 he married Martha Fitzhugh : his chUd's
name is Howard. He has been preaching the doctrine of
the Methodist Protestant Church four years.
Alexandee B. Closs, son of David Closs, born 1856, was
married in 1882 to Catharine, daughter of Jacob Dumire, of
Limestone ; his children are, Lizzie BeU and James ; he is a
farmer, liring on Horse Shoe Eun, 7 miles from St. George,
on the old Stephen Losh farm, one of the oldest plantations
on the Eun ; he also is partner in a shingle-mUl and saw-miU.
David Closs was born 1823 at Ayrshire, Scotland, where
he lived untU he was a man. At the age of twenty-four lie
married Agnes Purguson, in the city of Glasgow. He was a
miner by trade. Soon after his marriage he came to
America, and worked three years in the Maryland mines
about Lonaconing and New Creek. In September, 1850, he
came to Horse Shoe Eun, and moved into John Stephenson's
loom house, near where J. H. Fansler now lives, and re
mained there about ten days until he could build himself a
house. AVhen it was done, he moved into it. It stood two
or three hundred yards from the present Pine Grove School-
house. He lived there about three years, and then
moved up on the mountain, which from him is now called
" Closs_ Mountain." His experience in farming was enough
to discourage almost anybody else. He planted three acres
of corn and got only six bushels of ears ; sowed three acres
of oats, and hauled it all home, straw and all, on a one-
horse sled;, went to the Glades and bought potatoes at 87^
cents a bushel, carried them home on horseback and planted
them, but never dug them. The only thing raised that was

388 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY,
worth anything was a Uttle buckwheat and rye. He went
back to work in the mines to get a little money to try it
over again. His fortune began to grow better. When he
got on top of the mountain he raised enough to do him a
year ; or rather his wife raised it while he was working on
the Glover Gap Tunnel, on the railroad to AVheeUng.
While clearing his land on the mountain, the first year,
he waded through snow knee deep, and when he would eat
dinner, which he had carried with him, he was often
obliged to keep walking while eating to keep from freezing
his feet. In 1864 he worked two months in the mines. It
was war times and wages were high. In one month he
made $157.43.
He has been a hard-working man aU his Hfe. Although
he lived in the woods, yet he never kiUed a bear or a deer.
As he expressed it : "I did all my hunting with the ax and
grubbing hoe, and I expect I am as weU off as if I had trot
ted over ,the mountains all my life Arith a gun." And he is.
He has cleared from the woods a fine farm of' 225 acres, and
has besides 378 acres of Arild lands. He has given good
farms to his children, and he has the satisfaction of seeing
them all industrious and respected citizens,. honest and weU-
to-do. He has plenty left to last him his Ufetime, and he
can spend the remainder of his days in ease. His Hfe and
what he has done are samples of what perseverance and in
dustry will do, even in the rough mountains of Tucker.
There are many locaUties better than the one which Darid
Closs selected, and any man with health and strength might
do as well as he. The great trouble is that there is not
enough energy among our people. There is a wide field to
work in, and, although there are few opportunities for
amassing fortunes, yet there is room for every one to make

BRIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 389
a good Hving, have plenty to eat and wear, and get along
weU in the world.
His children are : WUliam, John, James, Margaret, Alex
ander, Sarah, Isabel and Duncan. John lives in Maryland,
near Oakland.
Darid Closs is knoAvn the neighborhood over for his hos
pitaUty. No one in need was ever turned from his door un-
cared for. No one, really suffering, ever asked him in vain
for a favor. He is a steadfast member of the M. P. Church.
Benjamin Claek was born at Fort Pendleton, Md.,
(near Grant County,, W. Va.) in 1853, son of John Clark, of
Irish and German descent ; came to Tucker in 1865. He
Uves at Leadmine, 10 miles from St. George ; is a farmer and
is a partner in 110 acres of land, partly improved.
Maetin V. Canan born 1844, in Hampshire County ; mar
ried, 1865, to Catharine Martin, of Mineral County. Chil
dren : Fred, Lewis, WiUiam N., Augustus M., EUzabeth Ann,
Mary T., Eosa E. and Thomas U. Garfield ; is a farmer, liv
ing on the upper waters of Horse Shoe Eun ; he was in the
Union army and was stationed at different places along the
Potomac, but was not in much fighting. He came near
freezing to death whUe in the army.
Enos G. Caee, bom 1850, son of Jacob Carr, married in
1872 to AngeUne Carr. The chUdren are, Mary Francis,
Thomas H. M., James B., Henry S., EUa V. and Amos G.
He owns 310 acres of land on Dry Fork, 21 miles from St.
George, 125 acres of which is improved.
Sylvestee Caee, bom 1858, son of Sylvester Carr, mar
ried in 1876 to Martha E. Goldessen, of Grant County.
ChUdren : Henry and Sylvenas. By occupation he is a
farmer and Uves 30 mUes from St. George.

390 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
FiSHEE Caee was born in 1864, brother of Sylvester Carr ;
married in 1883 to Alice Carr. They have one child, named
WUford C.
Geoege W. Ceoss, born 1855, in Barbour County. His
children are Flavins B., Flora A. and Ida May ; he Uves on
Clover Eun.
Hugh P. Collett, born 1825, in Beverly ; is of French
and English descent ; married in 1855, to Louisa, daughter
of John E. Goff. By trade he is a carpenter, but oavus 200
acres of land, one-forth improved, on Black Fork, 10 mUes
from St. George. Children — Florence E., Pleasant O., John
E., Jefferson D., Perry L., Sophronia, Lycurgus, TazeweU,
Cliesy Lyon, Homer, Lettie and Clinton M.
John C. Cline, born 1830, in Harrison County ; is of Irish
descent ; he was married in 1855 to Margaret, daughter of
Aaron Loughry. Children — Samuel N., Charles W., Miner
va J., Serena and George. He owns 299 acres of land Arith
50 acres improved, 10 miles from St. George ; was in the
Union army 7 months, under Kelly.
d.
Feedeeick Davis, son of John Daris, born 1814, in Ohio ;
Avas married in 1861 to Mary A., daughter of John Eobin
son, He lives 8 miles from St. George, on rented land, in
Licking District. His chUdren are, Charles, Frank and
Malissa. Chaeles Davis, son of Frederick, was born in 1868. Far
mer of 110 acres, 25 acres improved; lives on Licking, 8
miles from St. George.
William A. Duling, born 1852, in Minerall County, of
Gernian descent, is doing business in the firm of ShUIing-
burg & Duling, at Fairfax.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 391
Olivee Dumiee, born 1855, is a son of Stephen Dumire,
and was married, in 1880, to Sophia A. Lansberry. He is
of German descent and follows farming principally. Chil
dren : Agretta, Elizabeth, and Abraham Orvis. He has
lived awhile in Pennsylvania ; but he now resides on Horse
Shoe Eun.
William Dumiee, born 1833, is a son of Charles Dumire,
and was married, in 1863, to Eebecca, daughter of Jacob
Pifer. In 1875 his wife died, and he married Mary Hibb.
ChUdren : James M., Lucinda E., Mary Ann, Euth J., Vir
ginia P., John L., and WUliam E. He lives 6 miles from
St. George, on Mill Eun, and has a farm of 48 acres. He
was in the Union army, under General Kelly, and had his
ankle injured in the service.
James E. DeMoss, son of W. W. DeMoss, was born in
1849 in Gilmer County, AV. Va., married in 1866, to Mary
M. Norman, of Doddridge County, W. Va. Their children
are Darul and Clarinda. He came to Tucker in 1882 ; he
was in the Union army two years ; part of the time under
General Harris, and was in the battle of Cedar Creek,
Cross Eoads and Bull ToAvn; owns a farm of 34 acres, 8
mUes from St. George on Brushy Fork.
Daniel K. Dumiee was born in 1831 ; is of German de
scent, and the history of his ancestors is found in another
chapter of this book ; was raised on Mill Eun, near St.
George. When 21 years of age, he married Sarah Ann
SeU. On his wedding day he cradled rye till noon, and
then went to hunt a horse to ride to the appointed house.
He had so much difficulty in finding a horse, that he was
two hours behind time, and found the guests very impatient
with so much waiting. However, he was married, and set

392 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
up house-keeping for himself, Arith little of this world's
goods. He was a schoolmate of A. P. Minear's, at St.
George, and has since held several offices in the county ;
his principal business has been farming and working Arith a
saw-mill. He lives on Mill Eun, 1 mile from St. George.
Their children are Malissa J., Solomon, Henry J., (Col.),
Virginia C, Liza A., Maggie S., Laura and WUson. He
was at HannahsviUe when McChesney was kiUed, and
heard Captain MiUer brag of kUUng him ; he owns 223 acres
of land, of which 55 acres is improved.
Geoege N. Day, of Pleasant Eun, son of Jesse Day, of
English descent, was born in 1854, and was married in
1878 to Nancy Coberly, of Eandolph County. Children'.
Arthur and Mary J.; his farm of 173 acres has 45 acres
improved, and lies 13 miles from St. George.
A. L. Dumiee, born 1845, son of Jacob Dumire, married
in 1865 to Anamelia, daughter of John M. MiUer, of Lime
stone; he has 100 acres of land, one-half improved, on
Limestone, six miles from St. George ; he was 16 months in
the Union army, under Kelley. Since, he has been a mem
ber of the board of education and road surveyor. Children :
Jasper F., Jacob H., Virginia M., and Anna EUzabeth.
Jacob Dumiee was born in 1817, son of John Dumu-e, of
German descent.* In 1842 he married EUzabeth, daughter
of Emanuel Pifer. Their children are : Andrew L., Minerva
J., John W., Oliver K., Anzaletta C, George M., and Flor
ence E. He is a farmer, and lives 5 mUes from St. George,
on Limestone ; his farm contains 150 acres, of which two-
thirds is improved. His orchard is a good one, and he
nearly always has apples and cider aU winter. He has held
* For a fuller history of the Dumire family, see another chapter of this book.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 393
many offices in the county, among which are justice of the
peace, school offices and deputy sheriff twice. During the
war he was a strong supporter of the Union cause, and led
many Yankee scouts through the cormty.
Alexandee Dice, born 1845, in Scotland, by trade a miner,
came to America in 1866, mined 11 years in Hampshire, and
came to Tucker in 1882; he is now a farmer, owning
116 acres of land, with improvements on twenty acres.
John William Dumiee was born in 1836 and married
1857 to Margaret, daughter of John P. Gray ; he has 90
acres of improved land and 100 acres unimproved, on Lime
stone, 9 miles from St. George. Nine months of his , life
were spent in the Union army, under KeUy, defending the
B. & O. EaUroad from Cumberland to Wheeling. His
chUdren are : Francis P., AdaUne S., Harriet Susan, WiUiam
S., Martha N., Priscilla and John D. He has been consta
ble, township clerk, and secretary of the board of education.
Feancis Dumire, son of the above, was born in 1858, lives
on Limestone, 9 mUes from St. George, and is a farmer.
Geoege D. Dumiee, son of Daniel Dumire, was born 1857,
married 1879 to Anamelia Shook; he is a farmer of 60 acres
of land, one-half improved, and lives 8 miles from St.
George, on Location. Children : WiUiam A., Henry H. W.,
ahd Clarinda Fanny.
Heney W. Dumiee, brother of George D., was born 1861,
and married in 1880, to Mary E., daughter of Darid Harsh ;
his farm of 60 acres, 25 acres improved, is on the Location,
8 mUes from St. George. His child's name is Lulu Virginia.
John H. Deets, of Preston County, was born 1844 and
married 1866 Virginia, daughter of Samuel Bowman, of St.

394 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
George ; he has a farm of 366 acres, with 150 improved, two
miles below St. George ; he was six years constable. His
chUdren are : Lavina P., WiUiam E., Charles L., George S.,
Albert, David S. and Alice. He joined the Union army in
1861, and was in St. George when Imboden swooped down
upon the place. He, with the other prisoners, was paroled,
and was sent to Camp Chase. There were, he says, 40,000
Union soldiers there on parole, and half that number of
Confederate prisoners. He was exchanged in 1863 and
came back and helped capture Captain Harper, Michael
Myers and George Kalar.
Ehinehaet Domiee* was born in 1800, in Preston County.
The history of his family has been given in another chapter
of this book. In 1825 he married Catharine, daughter of
Stephen Losh. Their children are, George N., Stephen,
Eeuben, Sarah, Maria, Ehinehart, Mary Ann, Johu W.,
Abraham and Savina. He died in 1875.
Abeaham Domiee, son of Ehinehart Domire, was born in
1842, on Horse Shoe Eun. In 1864, he married Ann Sophia
Shaffer, of Horse Shoe Eun P. O. Their children are :
Edgar J., William S., Jennet Catharine, Melissa Ellen and
Joseph Pierce. He is a farmer of 790 acres, of which 125
are improved, on Horse Shoe Eun, 10 miles from St. George.
He has not devoted his whole time to farming, but has paid
attention to lumbering ; worked three years getting out
shingle timber for the Eowlesburg Lumber & Iron Co., and
three years longer as partner in the " Domire Shingle MiU;"
sawed 100,000 a month, and sold his interest to George
Shaffer ; has been road surveyor and school trustee. In
his younger days he kUled many deer — was only 15 years
* The name Domire Is spelled In two ways. Thus : Domire and Dumire. It is said
he name originally was Toomlre.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 395
old when he kUled the first one; he tried to take it home,
but it bloated before he got it there, and he stuck his kinfe
in its side to let the air out, thinking that would help it.
Cyeus F. Dumiee, son of B. F. Dumire, of Preston Coun
ty, was born in 1858 ; is a young man of much enterprise,
and has coUected property to the amount of 775 acres of
land, with 40 acres improved, and an interest in the " Do
mire Shingle MiU," besides other property, and has made it
aU himself. He is a farmer by occupation, but has super
intended steam saw-miUs to some extent.
Ehinehaet Domiee, Je., son of Stephen Domire, was
born in 1856; lives 10 miles from St. George, on Horse
Shoe Eun, where is his farm of 176 acres. In 1882 he was
married to Anna, daughter of James Evans, of Ohio.
Samuel E. Dumiee, born in 1840 bn "Old Andra," is a
son of Frederick Dumire, and lives on Horse Shoe Eun, 6
miles from St. George ; his farm of 200 acres is one-fourth
cleared; has worked twelve years at the carpenter trade,
and was one of the first to work in St. George. In 1866 he
was married to Sarena Domire, who died in 1880, and he
married Sarah A. O'DonneU, of Illinois. The names of his
children are, Letta May and Anna Emma. In 1876 he
kiUed two bears with a very smaU shot gun, and filled an
other's head fuU of shot. He came out of the fight Arith
two bears.
Feedeeick Domiee, brother to Ehinehart Domire, Sr.,
was born in 1806, and married in 1829 to Mary Ann
Loughry, of Holly MeadoAvs. Of six chUdren, two only are
Uring, who are Daniel L., and Samuel E. Frederick Do
mire was also a great hunter in his younger days, as nearly
ali the Domires were. He has kilted many a deer and bear

396 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
with an old fiint-lock gun, which he still has on the rack
over the door, just as hunters used to keep them. He is a
farmer owning 16^ acres, all improved, 9 mUes from St.
George, at the Leadmine post-office. He built a mUl there
in 1842. It was a tub-mill, and ground 8 or 10 bushels a
day. In the earUest years he spent there, Arild animals
were plentiful. In 8 years, he killed 160 deer. He says
that John Grimes was the first settler on Horse Shoe Eun.
He lived on the Bonnifield farm. Dr. Chilcoat Hved on
the Evan's farm about the same time ; and John Carrico
and John Stephenson were the next settlers (aside from
Stephen Losh, who came earlier than 1818). Frederick Du
mire was postmaster for ten years before the war.
Daniel L. Domiee, son of Frederick Domire, was bom in
1834, at Limestone, on " Old Andra." In 1858 he married
Susan Spesert, of Horse Shoe Eun. Children: Margaret
E., Mary Isabel, Edna Agnes and Sarah Alice. When he
was 6 years old his father moved to Horse Shoe Eun, and
has since lived there. D. L. Domire was brought up on
the farm principally ; but, his incUnation drew him toward
mechanical pursuits, and he gave considerable attention to
the carpenter trade. He also taught school twelve years on
Horse Shoe Eun, and from time to time engaged to some
extent in the lumber business. His chief connection in
this was in the " Domire Shingle Mill," in which he was
partner. The mUl would average 1,000,000 shingles a year,
when steadily attended to. He owns 103 acres of land, one-
half mile from the Leadmine post-office, on Laurel Eun.
He pays considerable attention to bee raising, and weU
understands the business. He helped build the first house
that was buUt in St. George after the town was laid out. It

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 397
was the " St. George Inn," and built in 1859. The same year
he helped buUd the M. E. Church South, in St. George. At
that time Jesse Parsons was sheriff, and Domire wrote aU
his tax receipts ; he has several times been member of the
board of education.
CoL. H. J. Dumiee, son of D. K. Dumire, of MiU Eun,
one mUe above St. George, was born in 1860; he is a farmer
and school teacher, haring taught five schools, aU on No. 1
certificates, except the first ; was a member of the board of
examiners in 1882, and has been a delegate to senatorial,
congressional and State conventions.
Feedeeick E. Dumiee, brother to Ehinehart Dumire, was
born in 1863, and lives with his brother on Horse Shoe Eun.
Sampson Day was born 1825, in Pendleton County, near
the mouth of Seneca ; his parents, who were of EngUsh and
German descent, were noted for their honesty, and their
eight children received a pious training. Sampson, the
third chUd, went to school one month each year for eight
years, and never went any more. In 1846 he married a
Miss Harman, who died in 1866. Day staid at home during
the war, and did what he could in the cause of peace. He
was a Union man, and served as a justice of the peace. In
Pendleton County, strongly Southern, this is a good recom
mendation. He decided impartially for Union and Confed
erate. He was the man who held the election in Pendleton
County, and had it go with the new State. He bought a
farm at the mouth of Eed Creek, and soon afterward mar
ried a Miss Waldren, and raised a famUy of nine children.
He now lives on Dry Fork, in Tucker County.
E
Egbert W. Eastham, a native Virginian, born in Eappa
hannock County, February 28, 1842, is the son of Capt. B.

398 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
«
F. Eastham, and is of EngUsh descent. He is one of the
most perfect men, physicaUy, in the county. State, or the
the United States. Above six feet in height, weU propor
tioned, deep and fuU chest, muscular Umbs, and erect fjgure,
he presents as fine appearance as ever Sam Houston did.
He is active and athletic, walks with grace, and is a splen
did rider.
He has had a history, that, so far as the war and conse
quent adventures are concerned, hardly has a rival anywhere.
Going into the field in April, 1861, he fought almost every
day as long as the war lasted, and fought in two battles
after Lee surrendered. Being a supporter of the Southern
Confederacy he supported it from principle ; but the pros
pect of excitement and adventure had not a little to do in
shaping his course. He is of a disposition that likes com
pany, and he is seldom seen without a crowd about him.
There seems to be some attraction in him for other people.
In ordinary affairs, he is quiet and sociable; but when
other people are excited, he is master of the situation. Fear
has no part in his' nature. Indeed, his bravery may at
times amount to rashness. His sense of honor is such that
he will not do an unmanly act ; or, if he forgets himself for
the moment and errs in this, he is ready to right the wrong
so far as apologies have power to do it. He hates a lie and
cowardice and deceit as he hates everything that is mean ;
and, one who sins in this particular must, before again gain
ing his favor, wipe out the contamination of the iniquity in
a multitude of praiseworthy acts.
When the war came on, in 1861, Eastham was among the
very first to respond to the call, when Virginia threw her
defense and her honor upon the heroism and manhood of
her chivalrous sons. There was no hesitation as to which

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 399
or what course to pursue. His first ambition was to show
himself a man in repeUing assault upon principles Avhic^ \e
believed to be right. The intensity of Southern passion
reached perfection in him ; and, at nineteen years of age,
when he knew that his native State was calling for protec
tion, he hurried off to the front to offer his services in
whichever department of the defense that they should be
most needed.
He joined Green's company, and was at once mustered
into serrice and was quartered at Winchester. His battles
began soon after. He marched to Harper's Ferry, April 19,
1861 ; and from Harper's Ferry he went to Alexandria. The
troops that were with him were the first and last and only
Confederate troops that were stationed at Alexandria dur
ing the war. They remained there until they were sheUed
out by Pawnee.
He was attached to Field's brigade, and Ewell's division,
and was soon back in Winchester. He was also with Jones
and Wheat, and when Wheat died, Eastham was tendered
his place, but saw fit not to accept. After this, he was
, principaUy on scouting duty up to the battle of Gettysburg,
and was under Jones the greater part of the time.
His adventures and escapes were thrilling. Fifteen thous
and doUars was offered for him, dead or alive. At one time
in battle, he was taken prisoner, but escaped before an
hour. He was hunted by the Yankees with a perseverance
surpassed only by the perseverance with which he hunted
them. They feared and hated him, yet respected him for
daring. So determined were they upon taking him, that
large numbers made that their special aim. He rode a good
horse, and they had no show of overtaking him in a race.
While they ransacked the country for him, he was raking

400 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
them in, as prisoners, every day. After the second battle of
BuU Eun, thirty miles from the field, Eastham and eleven
companions took prisoner sixty-five Yankees, whom Jackson
had demoralized and driven into a thicket of brush. In this
skirmish, Eastham was wounded in the foot by a Minie-
baU. He was not in the Bull Eun fight, but was on the
field next day. In another skirmish, a bullet passed through
the horn of his saddle, one perforated his belt and one cut
a button from his coat.
In battle, he never used a saber. It is told of him, by
those who were eye witnesses, that, when going into a fight,
he would throw down his sword and cut a stout club, and
with it knock right and left every one who came in his
reach. He and his companions, thirteen in aU, took eighty-
six men in an hour. The men were retreating, by a road
on which was a partly destroyed bridge. The Yankees ran
upon the bridge and could not get over, and Eastham made
them surrender. At another time, he and two others cap
tured thirty-six horses and twenty-three men in one day.
He remained with Jones untU the battle of Gettysburg, and
Jones was sent south. He made a special request that
Eastham be aUowed to accompany him, but the request was
not aUowed, and the scout was left to scout for Yankees in
Virginia. They also hunted for him and many a time he
had to save himself by flight or concealment. When, on
one occasion, he had been out all day hunting for them,
and had not seen one, he was coming down the road at
dusk of evening and met an old negro whom he knew. The
old feUow exclaimed in wonder, at seeing him alive:
" Good heavens ! massa, de whole world am fuU of Yankees
huntin' foh you." At that moment he heard gaUoping
horses in the distance. He took a grain-cradle and a bas-

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 401
ket which the negro was carrying, and climbed the fence
into the field, having put his horse out of sight. He threw
down a sheaf of wheat and sat upon it. The soldiers came
by and saw him ; but in the dusk of evening they did not
recognize him. He watched them go by, and then mounted
his horse and struck after them. He followed them boldly
into town, dismounted and entered into conversation with
them. He went into a store and bought him some tobacco,
and made free with all about him. None recognized him,
until a little negro came along. The little scamp kncAv him
and yeUed out : " I do 'clah ! tha's Bob Eastham !"
Immediately the whole town full of Yankees started up
and rushed at him. He sprang on his horse and dashed
through them, knocked them down and rode over them,
and finally reached the edge of the town. By this time the
whole body of the enemy had mounted, and horsemen were
galloping in every direction to hunt him down and head
him off. He dashed up the mountain and escaped. So
daring was he that no Yankee could feel safe when he was
in the country. He would cross the lines and ride through
the camp, and probably carry off a prisoner. Once he Avent
to a house and got dinner, when the house Avas full of Yan
kees, and at another time he went into a stable, Avhere
several Union soldiers Avere sleeping, and took aAvay the
officers' horses. This is Avhy they so hated him. He was
upon them before they were aware of it, and he always, or
nearly always, came out best. But, sometimes he had to
hide and slip about in the quietest manner to keep from
being taken. He had to bury himself in a rail-pile, and
lie flat in a potato patch and conceal himself under a stone
fence, while they Avere all around him. But, he ahvays es
caped, and finally came to believe that it was impossible
86

402 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
for him to be hurt. With this belief and assurance he
went to his father's house when he knew that Yankees were
thick around and while the $15,000 reward was on him.
While he was in one room, two Yankee officers were in
another. He heard them talking of him, and how much
they would like to see him. But, they had little idea of
seeing him so soon. For, he kept quiet until they had gone
to supper, and then he concluded to give them an oppor
tunity to take him, if they liked. AVhile they were eating,
and seemingly in full enjoyment of the substantial fare
which Virginian hospitality had placed before them, he
walked boldly into the dining room where they sat at the
table. His father introduced him to them as "My son,
Eobert, the man you are looking for." They turned and
looked at the tall figure before them, clad in full Confeder
ate uniform, and armed from head to foot. His belt
gleamed with the hilt of a saber and with the handles of
pistols. The officers evidently would rather have been-
excused from making new acquaintances tha^ evening; but,
thej' had the presence of mind to make the best of the sit
uation. They shook hands, and he sat down at the table
Vvith them, and talked two hours. They made no attempt
or slioAved uo disposition to capture him, and he v,-as al-
loAvc-d to depart in peace.
He Avtis Avitli Mosby in his raids, and w.is all through the
A'^alley of 'A'irginiii. He was in Jones' Eaid in June, 1863,
tlirough Preston County, Avhen EoAvlesburg, KingAVOod and
MorgantoAvii Avere taken, and when E. Harper piloted the
Eebels that burnt the Fairmont bridge. He Avas in the 6th
Virginia, Avhich " locked sabers " Avith the 6th Ncav York
fourteen times during the war. In the battle of Fairfield
the NeAV York regiment Avas finaUy overthrown.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 403
When the news was received that Lee had surrendered,
Eastham was one of the many who refused to believe it, be
cause he did not want to belive it. He remained in the
field and refused to surrender. He fought two battles after
Lee had laid down his arms. Eastham never surrendered.
He escaped Arithout that humiliation. He remained with
Mosby until that guerrilla leader disbanded his men.
After the war was over, he returned to the farm and went
to work. But after his four years of war he could not feel
satisfied with the tame existence of a farmer ; so he sold out
and went South. He visited North and South Carolina,
Alabama, Georgia aud Tennessee, and finally grew tired of
roaming. He returned to Virginia, and married Mary C,
daughter of Dr. A. W. Eeid, of Eappahannock County, Va.
This was in 1869. In 1876, in May, he came to Tucker and
bought land in the Canaan Valley, 30 miles from St. George.
His farm of 276 acres has 40 improved and in grass. He
built a farm house and other buildings, and was prospering
well enough when a fire in the woods caught his house
while he was absent, and burnt everything. He had not a
dollar left, nor even a coat to wear. Everything that vifould
burn was burnt, except two horses, a cow, a dog and a cat.
His financial condition was not flourishing. However, he
borrowed a coat, and Avent to Oakland and bought a suit on
credit. He went on to Eastern Virginia Avhere he had a
little property. He came back to St. George, Avhere the
town authorities had some charge against him, and at
tempted to arrest him. In the scuffle, Frank and Dock Pi
fer tore his coat off of him, and some one else got his hat,
and he had to go home coatless and hatless.
AVhen he went to Canaan there were only three -families
there, Solomon Cosner, John Nines and James Freeland.

404 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Eastham lived there till 1883, and farmed and raised stock
with various succes. By that time the W. Va. C. & P. R.
W. was coming into the country, and was no longer a sub
ject of speculation. It was confidently expected that it
would greatly enhance the prosperity of Canaan.
At the mouth of Bever the site was selected for the ter
minus of the road. The contract for clearing away the
timber for the city was given' Eastham, and soon after he
moved there with his family, and built him a residence.
This was the first house built in a city which is to be caUed
Davis. As yet, there is no city there. The floating popu
lation amounts to twenty or more. But a town must be
there in the near future, and Eobert Eastham wUl be re
garded as the founder of it. Under his supervision all the
Avork so far has been done. In consideration of this, it
would be no more than justice to name the city Eastham.
It is a genuine English name, and is a suitable name for a
town, and such ought to be its name.
In 1882, Eastham was a candidate for the Legislature, to
be elected by Tucker and Eandolph Counties. Although not
elected, he ran a heavy poll, and carried his OAvn district by
an over Avhelming majority.
John H. Evans was born in Hardy County, in 1841;
married in 1874 to Maria Michael, of Grant County. Chil
dren: Cora Anna, Mary E., Charles W. and Mary J.;
farmer, lives in Canaan.
Samuel H. Eavin, a merchant of St. George, and a son of
WUUam Ewin, Avas born in 1836 in Baltimore, and was
married in 1864 to Sarah A. Kuhn, of the same city. He is
of Irish, descent. He lived in Baltimore from 1852 to 1862,
when he Avent into the Union army and remained in the

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES. 405
service nearly three years. He was commissary sergeant.
He was at the battles of Antietam, BoHvar Heights, Cedar
Mountain and several others. He is a painter by trade.
He came to St. George in 1882.
William Evans was bom in 1818, died in 1874, on Horse
Shoe Run, 11 miles from St. George. He married Lyda
KitzmUler. ChUdren : James I., Solomon A., John Alex
ander, WUUam Lewis, George A., Wamer B., David C,
Perry J., Mary A. and Lucy EUen. He came to Tucker in
1860, and purchased a farm of 455 acres and had 140 acres
under improvement, and had 100 fruit trees in bearing
condition. David C. Evans was born in 1857' in Hardy County ; mar
ried in 1876 to OUie Calhoun ; of German descent. His
children are : Eliot F. and Abraham, named after Abraham
Bonnifield. He is a farmer of 246 acres, ¦with sixty acres
improved and a good orchard of 100 trees.
Solomon H. Evans, brother to David C. and son of
WUliam Evans, was born in 1843 ; English and German
descent ; married in 1871 to Catharine Shaffer, of Preston
County. ChUdren : Ama, SteUa, Lewis. MoUie, Harry,
John and DoUie. He is a farmer, liring on Horse Shoe
Eun, ten mUes from St. George. He owns 270 acres of
land, of which 40 acres are improved and the rest is weU
timbered. He has a good orchard. He foUowed the shoe-
making trade 12 years, but gave it up for farming.
James I. Evans, brother of Solomon Evans, was born in
1842, in Hampshire County ; married in 1874, to Emma
C. Whitehair, of Preston County. Children : Florence
May, Jennie BeUe, Cora Etna and Ida. He is a farmer and
miUer, Uring at the Lead Mine Post-office, 10 miles from St.

406 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
George. His is the largest and best mill in Tucker County.
It is on the site of Frederick Domire's tub-mill, of 1842,
and is where Mason's mill used to stand. It has a set of
corn-rocks and a pair of buhrs. The miU grinds about 6,000
bushels a year, rather more wheat than corn. The mill is a
new one, having been rebuilt in 1879. He also owns a saw
mill that will cut 1,000 feet a day.
James Evans, brother of WUliam Evans, was born in
Hampshire County, in 1832. In 1855 he was married to
Lucinda, daughter of William Losh. Children : Evaline,
John William, Mary Jane, Emaline, Phoebe Ann, Lettie,
Maggie May, Nellie and Eddie. He married a second time
in 1877, to Sarah Carr, of Illinois. In 1865 he went to Indi
ana and staid 4 years ; then went to lUinois and remained 13
years, and returned to West Virginia, where he follows the
occupation of farming. F.
Hamilton Fink, son of Elias Fink, of Eockingham
County, Virginia, of French and German descent, was born
in 1842, and in 1869 wais married to EmeUne Eamsey, of
Barbour County. Children: Ida May, Bashy C, Elias,
Nancy A., Cora B., William Arthur and Michael. He is a
farmer, owning 112 acres of land, of which 32 are improved ;
spent three years in the Eebel army, under Lee most of
the time, but part of the time under Imboden, Brecken
ridge and Early, and was in nearly every battle in the Val
ley of Virginia for two years, and was in the battles of
Gettysburg and WiUiamsport. He was in both of Lee's in
vasions of the North; he was four times wounded, and
another ball broke the skin on his nose. He was never
taken prisoner, but came near falling into his enemy's
hands at Beverly. He was passing through the town be-

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 407
fore it was fairly light, and was halted by six men, Avliom he
mistook for Eebels, and whom he told that he was no Yan
kee. They said that they knew it, and demanded his sur
render. He said that he had surrendered, and Avhen they
put down their guns, he sprang behind a house and ran off.
John E. M. Fitzwater, son of William Fitzwater, Avas
born in the year 1859. In 1879 he married Salina, daughter
of Elihu PhiUips. Farmer of 51 acres, 15 improved, 6
mUes from St. George, on Clover Eun. Children : Elihu M.
and Eussel I.
AVilliam Fitzwater, father of John E. M., and son of
John, of German descent, was born 1833, and married in
1852, to M. M., daughter of Jacob Shafer. He is a farmer,
owning 176 acres, 50 of which is farming land, 8 miles from
St. George, on Texas Mountain. Children : Almeda, Silas
J., Manda C, Barbara A., John E. M., Sarah V., Jacob F.,
Judah, Etta May, Ida Olive and Savina J.
Beenaed W. Fishes, from Augusta County, Va., of Ger
man descent, was bpm in 1841, and married in 1865 to Mary
L. HiU, of Cumberiand, Md. ChUdren: LiUy S., May
BeUe, Cari C, Edmund H., DeUa V., Zora M.,' Ward H.,
Otto and Nora. By occupation he is a farmer and carpen
ter ; lives on a farm 2 miles from St. Geoifge, on CloA'^er Eun ;
has been in the county since 1879. He was in the Union
army, in Hancock's corps at Gettysburg; he was also in the
battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Bull
Eun, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor and about
Eichmond. At Cold Harbor he was wounded in the leg by
a Minie-ball, which broke one bone ; he cut the bullet out
and has it yet.
Jacob W. Flanagan, son of Jacob Flanagan, born in 1848;

408 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
was married in 1868 to a daughter of Jacob Fansler; far
mer, OAvning 130 acres of land, 30 improved ; lives 12 mUes
from St. George, on Black Fork. Children : Elizabeth J.
and Thomas AV.
F. W. S. FoLLEY, of Irish descent, was born 1852, in Grant
County ; married in 1874 to Mary High, daughter of War
ner T. High, of Hampshire County. ChUdren : Bertha P.,
Homer D. and Michael Marion ; clerk at Fairfax.
Jesse Flanagan, son of John Flanagan, of Irish and Eng
lish descent, was born in 1827, and in 1858 he married
Catharine Carr. In 1860 his wife died, and he then married
Malinda Eohrbaugh, daughter of George Eohrbaugh. He
is a farmer, living 28 miles from St. George, on Eed Creek.
Archibald B. Flanagan, born 1849, son of Ebenezer Flan
agan, of Irish descent, was married in 1873, to Amanda J.,
daughter of Solomon Cosner, of Canaan. Children : Solo
mon AV., Elizabeth A. and Hannah C. He is a farmer, with
100 acres of cultivated and pasture land, and 211 acres of
land in woods ; lives 25 miles from St. George, on Dry
Fork. N. H. Flanagan, born 1860, son of Alfred Flanagan, lives
25 miles from St. George on Dry Fork.
AV. A. Feely, from Shenandoah County, Va., of EngUsh
and Irish descent, was born in 1839, and married, in 1882,
Stella F., daughter of Jonathan Wilson, of Garrett County,
Md. He is a member of the mercantile firm of Feely &
Wilson, at Fairfax.
S. L. Fansler, born 1843, son of Jacob Fansler, of Ger
man descent, married in 1870 to Mary Ward, daughter of
Peter AVard. Children : Albert G. and Arthur D. He is a
farmer, owns 568 acres of land, and has 200 acres improved,'

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 409
on Black Fork, 11 miles from St. George ; is a man of influ
ence, and stands high in the estimation of aU who know
him. His ancestors were the first settlers of that region.
Henry Fansler settled in Canaan in 1802, it is supposed.
H. M. Feeguson was bom in 1854, in Eandolph County;
son of E. M. Ferguson, and of Irish descent; married in
1880 to Margaret S. Kalar. Their child's name is Laird D.;
Hves near Fairfax.
George W. Fansler, son of Andrew Fansler, was born in
1842, and married in 1877 to Mary A. E. Domire, daughter
of Washington Domire ; is a farmer of 210 acres, with 55
acres improved, and Hves 14 mUes from St. George, on Dry
Fork; has been road surveyor 15 years. Children: Anna
Tilden and Stark Andrew.
Alfred Flanagan, son of Ebenezer Flanagan, was born
in 1840 ; married in 1860, to Hannah S., daughter of J. H.
Lambert. Children : Nathaniel H., James H., Hannah E.,
Alfred K. and WilUam Hess; is a farmer of 126 acres,
vrith 20 acres improved, on Dry Fork, 26 miles from St.
George ; was a Home Guard during the war.
J. F. Funk was born in 1839, in Preston County, son of
Jonathan Funk ; married in 1870 to Maggie EUot ; is a
farmer of 134 acres, 60 acres improved, nine miles below
St. George. ChUdren : James John WUliam Alonzo, Susan
Alberta and Cora Analiza.
John H. Fansler was born in 1840 at Black Fork, son of
Jacob Fansler ; married in 1861 to Jemima E., daughter of
Job Parsons. Children : Eufus M., Althea M., WiUiam
T., Stephen T., Clarence S., Sarah Ann., Job P. and Ira B.
He lives on Horse Shoe Eun, 8 miles from St. George ; has
HA'^ed there since 1863. When he first commenced work on

410 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the farm, there was ten acres improved. Now he has 80
acres under cultivation and 582 in the woods, well timbered.
The Eowlesburg Lumber and Iron Company ran a shingle
mill on his -farm and made 2,500,000 shingles, and afterwards
500,000 more were made. His farm is well improved, and a
church, mill and school house are at hand. He is of German
descent. G.
N. Goff, son of AUen Goff, born 1858, married, 1882, to
Elizabeth, daughter of William Gable, of Preston County.
By occupation he is a laborer, living 7 miles from St. George,
on Licking. Children : Eosalie, Lilly May,, Orlando P. and
WiUiam Camden.
David W. Gilmore, son of WilUam GUmore, born 1862 ;
lives 3 mUes from St. George, on Clover Eun ; is a farmer,
owning 63 acres, 10 improved.
P. B. Goff, son of John E. Goff, was born in 1853 ; is of
English descent ; is a farmer, owning 250 acres, 100 of which
is improved, lying on Black Fork, 10 miles from St. George.
James D. Griffith, born 1850, in Preston County ; son of
Hillory Gi^iffith, of German, Irish and EngUsh descent;
married in 1876 to Leonora Hart, daughter of Darid Hart.
ChUdren : Maud, Harry C, Lloyd P., David C. and Sallie ;
farmer and carpenter, owning 125 acres of unimproved
land ; lives 3 miles from St. George, in Holly Meadows ; his
father died in the Union army.
S. D. Gillespie was born in 1850, in Pennsylvania, of
Irish descent. He has been foreman on the W. Va. C. & P.
E. W. since 1880.
Heney J. Goff was born in 1854, son of Amassa Goff, of
Scotch descent ; is a farmer, living 5 miles from St. George,

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES,. 411
in Licking District ; his farm of 165 acres, is one-fourth
improved. Benjamin P. Gowee was born in 1857, son of Daniel
Gower, of German descent. In 1879, he married A. S.,
daughter of John U. Chambers. ChUdren : John W. and
Eosa Lee ; is a farmer and miller, Hving 4 miles from St.
George, on MUl Eun.
Joseph Geey was born in 1854, son of John P. Grey, was
married in 1880 to Mary C, daughter of Aaron J. Loughry.
ChUdren : SaviUa M. and Anna M. He lives 3 miles from
St. George.
Isaac A. Gilmoee, son of David Gilmore, of Scotch and
German descent, was born in 1824 in the Horse Shoe ; was
married in 1843 to Margaret Skidmore. In 1862 his wife
died, and he married Electa C, daughter of WiUiam MiUer,
of Licking District. Again in 1866 his Arife died, and he
married M. J., daughter of John S. Hart, of Eandolph ; is
a farmer, lives 14 mUes from St. George, and has been sev
eral times a member of the board of education.
Nelson A. Gilmoee was born in 1860, son of D. H. Gil
more, Hves 14 miles from St. George ou Shafer's Fork.
Isaac B. Godwin was born in 1817, in Preston County, of
Irish and German descent. .In 1838 he married Mary Coff-
man, of Barbour. He lives at Limestone, 7 miles from St.
George. Children: Lyda, Eobert, Jacob, Sarah, Barbara
E., Mary E. and Andrew.
Geoege F. Geifpith, brother of James Griffith, was born
in 1856. In 1876 he married Sarah Caroline Harper. His
wife died in 1882. For a second wife he married Laura
Wolf, of Barbour. He is by trade a carpenter, and follows
the business at St. George. For 4 years he was toAvn

412 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
councUman. His father died at Wheeling, while in the
Union army, and his brother died in St. George from the
effects of a gun-shot, accidentaUy received while hunting on
the river above iovm,
S. W. Geoghan was born in Barbour in 1851, of Irish de
scent ; married EUza P. PoUng in 1871. ChUdren : Cor-
lista B., Geneva E., Patrick M., Lyeton L., Carrie M.,
Orinetta and Staley W.; is a farmer and lumberman.
H.
W. F. Haesh, son of Adam Harsh, was bom in 1861.;
married in 1883 to Mary J., daughter of WUUam Godwin;
Hves on Texas Mountain, 8 miles from St. George.
George E. Helmick, son of Mathias Helmick, born in
Pendleton County in 1853 ; is of EngUsh descent ; married
in 1872, to Phebe Somerfield ; farmer, owning 168 acres,
35 improved, 7 miles from St. George. ChUdren : Mathias,
Manda M., Isaac H., Mary E., Lenora E., Eosetta, Susan P.
and Hulda J.
Geoege I. Hovattee, son of Christopher Hovatter, was
born in 1858 ; married in 1879 to Olive, daughter of E.
Kiser, of Barbour County ; farmer, 37 acres, 3 acres im
proved, 5 mUes from St. George, on BuU Eun. Tabitha M.
is their only chUd.
David Hovattee, son of Christopher Hovatter, was born
in 1810 ; married Sarah A., daughter of Hesakiah Thomp
son ; died 1881. ChUdren : Hesakiah, MaUnai J., Susan,
Michael, Henry, David, John, Ingaby and EUzabeth.
Isaac Hovatter. of German descent, son of WUUam
Hovatter, was born in 1854, in Barbour County ; married in
1884 to EmUy C, daughter of Theodore B. Lipscomb. He
Hves on a farm of 102 acres, 60 acres improved, 6 mUes from
St. George, on Licking. His chUd's name is Carrie M.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 413
George M. Hovatter, brother to Isaac, was born 1846,
married 1868 to Mary J., daughter of Jacob Nester. His
farm contains 768 acres, 35 acres of which is improved. He
Hves 6 miles from St. George, on Texas Mountain. He be
longed to the Union Home Guard, in Barbour County,
during the war. Children : William W., Milia M., Salon
B., Harriet M. and Wade H.
David Hovatter, from Barbour County, is the son of
Darid Hovatter, and was born in 1853 ; in 1877 he married
Tena L., daughter of George Shahan ; is a farmer, owning
72 acres, 10 of which are improved ; Hves 5 miles from St.
George, on BuU Eun. Children : Charles, Lillie C. and
WUbert. John W. Helmick, born 1860, in Pendleton County ; of
English descent; married in 1882, to Phebe J. Waybright;
is a farmer, liring in the Sugar Lands, five miles from St.
George. They have one child, named Sloma C.
Lloyd Hansfoed, son of W. W. Hansford, of Black Fork,
was born March 16, 1857. In his younger school years he
attended school under S. E. Dumire, Miss Jane Parsons,
V. N. Gribble, A. B. Parsons and P. Lipscomb. This was
at the Mount Pleasant School. Lloyd entered the Fair
mont Normal School in September, 1876, and graduated in
1879, being the first graduate in Tucker from any of the
Normal Schools of the State. While in the Normal School,
he served awhile as i,nstructor in the mathematical depart
ment. Afterward he came home and taught a select school
at Alum HUl, and from his school sent fouirteen applicants
before the Board of Examiners, and they were aU granted
certificates. The school of ten weeks closed in September,
1880, and he entered into a stock company whose object

414 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
was to foster the Tucker Democrat, which, at that time, was
not self-sustaining. The company numbered among its
members Senator Ewin, A. B. Parsons, L. S, AuvU and
others. Hansford was elected Editor ; for, it seems that
the paper was conducted on the plan of those religious de
nominations that elect their preacher instead of selecting
him, or allowing him to select himself. Hansford, with
almost no experience in the business, was elected to, manage
the paper the first year.
On the 19th of Sept., 1880, he was appointed principal of
the Fetterman school, with two assistants. The newspaper
business had furnished him plenty of hardwork; but the
pay had not been as good as he wished. He had mean
while, been studying the law, under Caleb Boggess, of
Clarksburg.* In 1881 he Avas appointed first assistant in the Piedmont
Graded School, which he accepted. He then took con
tracts on the W. Va. C. & P. E. W. and worked just one
year, at various kinds of work and with different crews of
men. He belonged to the engineer corps that located the
railroad from Fairfax to Bever. In 1883 he was appointed
teacher of the St. George school. At the convention of
June 7, 1884, he received the nomination for prosecuting
attorney of Tucker CountA'. He is a young man of steady
habits, and has a good education.
Albert Hovattee Avas born in 1864, son of Elton Hovat
ter, lives on a rented farm four miles from St. George.
Stephen Haesh, son of AndrcAv Harsh, of German de
scent, Avas born in 1851, and married in 1874 to Dortha E.
Goff; lives 6 miles from St. George, on the Limestone
* For a sketch of Hansford as a lawyer see " History of the St. George Bar," in tills
book.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 415
road ; farm of 95 acres with 40 acres improved. Children :
Cora Ann, Walter McClure, Josephine Gertrude, Samuel S.,
Dora May and Nora Lee. He belongs to a family of great
physical strength and power of endurance.
Eeuben AV. Hebb, son of John Hebb, was born in 1847,
in Preston County; married in 1874, to Margaret James.
Children : Jasper L., Sarah O., Harvey D. and George H.;
is a farmer and lives on Location, four miles from St.
George. T. P. Hebb, of EngUsh descent, son of Thomas Hebb, was
born in 1823* ; married in 1842 to Catharine, daughter of
Hiram Sanders ; his wife died in 1853, and he married Mary
Ann, daughter of Levi Lipscomb. ChUdren : Sarah A.,
Thomas P., John C, Joseph H. and Martha E.; lives 5
mUes beloAv St. George on a farm of 175 acres, of which 75
acres are improved; has been in Tucker since 1876; has
held several offices in the county ; he Avas on the board of
supervisors in 1866, and held office until the constitution
went out of force ; held the position of president of the
board of education for 12 years. In 1861, he entered the
Union army, and remained in it until 1865 ; was at Eowles
burg when Jones made his raid into that quarter ; was in
several skirmishes and in one of them had his knee thrown
out of place, from the effect of which his right side has ever
since been almost helpless.
John Hebb, son of T. F. Hebb, born 1847, married 1871,
to Marcilla, daughter of David H. Lipscomb. Children :
Maud C, Charles AA^, Albert T., Augusta Lee, Solomon E.,
*T. F. Hebb's grandfather was sent to America during the Eevolutionary war, as a
British soldier. After he landed he deserted and Joined the Americans. He was dis
charged from service before the close of the war, but when CornwaUis raide'd into
Virginia, he again took the field in common with the Virginia troops and was present
at the battle of Yorktown, which resulted in the defeat of the British.

416 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Ira C, and baby. He is a farmer, and lives five mUes below
St. George.
David B. Hansford, born 1863, son of Wesley Hansford ;
lives 12 mUes above St. George, on a farm of 70 acres,
one-third improved.
John Hansfoed, of English descent, bom 1832, son of
Acra Hansford ; married, 1858, to Savana, daughter of John
Bright. Children : Benjamin P., Anzalina, Florence O.,
CorneUus P., Jeremiah A., MontiviUe M. G., Margaret and
Columbia C. He owns one-half acre of land on Pleasant
Eun ; was John Losh's partner in hunting during one win
ter ; lives 12 miles above St. George.
Joseph H. Hebb, son of T. F. Hebb, was born in 1849 ;
lives on Limestone, 4 miles from St. George ; married in
1879 to Mary E. Goff. ChUdren : Eddy May, Lyda M. C.
and Bertha E.
Phillip M. Helmick, son of Miles Helmick, of Pendleton
County, Avas born in 1856, and married in 1877 to Nancy E.
daughter of Isaac Parsons, of Cheat Eiver. When he mar
ried he was 21 years of age, and his wife was 66. In 1883,
his wife died, and the same year he married Elizabeth,
daughter of Mathias Helmick ; is a farmer, owning 62 acres
of land, 35 acres improved.
Abeaham L. Helmick was born in 1864, son of A. B. Hel
mick, of English descent, lives 7 miles from St. George in
the Sugar Lands ; been in Tucker since 1872.
Geoege W. Helmick, brother of PhUip, born in 1860. In
1878 he married Alice Simmons. Children : Nettie V., WU
son and Laura ; lives on a farm of 7 acres with 2 acres
partly improved, 6 miles from St. George, on the road lead
ing to the Sugar Lands.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 417
M. P. Helmick, born 1838, was a son of Miles Helmick ;
Vas married in 1858, to Elizabeth, daughter of George Hel
mick. She died, and he married Susana Davis, of Pendle
ton County. Children: John W., James B., Martha L.,
Floyd v., Hendron McClure, Alfred Hampton, Becca and
Arthur ; is a farmer of 160 acres in the Sugar Lands ; was
in the Confederate army at Garnett's defeat at Corrick's
Ford. Afterwards he joined the Union a,vvay, and Avas hon
orably discharged at the close of the war.
Abraham Helmick, born 1842, in Pendleton County, son
of Miles Helmick ; married, 1861, to Catharine MuUennax.
She died in 1877, and he married Prudence, daughter of
WiUiam Ware, of Eandolph County. Children : Abraham
L., Georgiana, Albert, Martin Howard and Effie Huldy ; is
a farnjer of 116 acres, with 50 acres improved, almost every
foot of which he has cleared himself ; has a large part of
his farm sown down in grass, and cuts a considerable
amount of hay, which he feeds to stock ; is a prosperous '
farmer, and Hves in the Sugar Lands, seven miles from St.
George. He joined the Confederate army at the com
mencement of the war. At AUeghany he was shot through
the shoulder by a Minie-ball, and at Laurel HiU he was
knocked down by a shell ; was in Garnett's retreat. In
Virginia, soon after, he left the Confederate army and joined
the Union. He was in several battles, Gettysburg among
them, and was also in several skirmishes along the B. & O.
E. E., notably that of Paw Paw Tunnel ; he fought through
the entire war, and has since lived on a farm. Oncfe he
came near being kiUed by a bear which he had caught in a
trap. It tore loose and tried to catch him, and he could
only spring up a tree, taking his gun with him. FinaUy, he
shot the bear.
27

418 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Mathias Helmick, born 1828, son of George Helmick, of
Eandolph County, married Melrina Vandevanter. ChUdren :
Sarah C, George E., Eobert, Charles D., Sansom D., Phoebe,
PhiUip M., Mordicaai P., Mary J., Martha E. and Simon.
Mathias Avas one of the -Dry Fork Home Guards, and had
many skirmishes.
Eobeet Helmick, born in 1855, son of Mathias Helmick ;
married Martha Boner, of Dry Fork, daughter of Arch.
Boner. Children : AA^alter F. and Simon S.; farmer, 7 miles
from St. George, in Sugar Lands.
AVilliam Hull, of English and Irish descent, was born in
HamxDshire Count}', in 1822 ; married Jemima Tucker and
lives on a farm on Horse Shoe Eun, five miles from St.
George. Children: Mary E., James P., Thomas M., Gib
son T., John O., Upton Seymour, William W., Virginia I.
and Harriet Isabel.
G. T. Hull, son of William HuU, born 1852 ; married in
1875, to Margaret, daughter of George Spesert, of Horse
Shoe Eun. Children: AVilliam H., Mary J., Alberta and
Lizzie Delia ; he lives in St. George.
David Hansfoed, son of Acra Hansford, was born in 1837,
and married in 1865, to Susan, daughter of Joshua Vanscoy.
Children : Hamon L., Perry J., Columbus B., Laverna J.,
George Harmon, Margaret C. and Delphia May.
Erasmus A. Hammon, born in 1846, in Virginia ; married,
1871, to Sarah A., daughter of Abraham Inlow ; oavus 92
acres of land, with 25 acres of improvement. Children:
Ephriam F. and Daisy EUen.
E. Haepee. A fuU history of E. Harper is given in other
parts of this book, therefore it is not given here. He lives

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 419
four mUes from St. George, on Clover Eun, and is a farmer
and doctor, and owns 4,500 acres of land. *
William P. Hebb, son of John Hebb, was born in 1832 ,
and was married to Margaret Lipscomb in 1853. Children :
Jemima C, Mary E., James A., Berlinda J., DeUa V., Mel
rina M., WUUam H., Eeuben T., Daniel K., Ida M., Arthur
Levi, George W. and Margaret G. His farm of 100 acres is
half improved ; 4 miles from St. George, on Location. He
was taken prisoner by the men who came into Tucker with
McChesney, and Avas carried to Eich Mountain ; was a pris
oner, tied to S. E. Parsons in Garnett's retreat. Parsons
escaped on Hog Back, but Hebb Avas carried to Petersburg,
tried and liberated. After this he joined the Union army,
and was taken prisoner by Jones at the time of his raid on
Eowlesburg,_ but was kept only one day.
James B. Helmick, son of P. M. Helmick, born in 1864 ;
is a laborer by occupation.
B. F. Hansfoed, son of J. M. Hansford, was born in 1859,
and married in 1877, to Barbara M., daughter of Moses
Phillips. Children : Ida J., Harriet D. and Lamiria ; farms
7 acres of improved land, and owns 40 acres of wild land
on Clover Eun.
J. S. Haet, born 1853, in Pennsylvania ; married Alice
Stone in 1875. ChUdren : Ida P. and Walter L. ; is a far
mer of 33 acres, with 20 acres of tilled land, on Location, 5
miles from St. George.
Geoege Hopkins, of English and German descent, was born
in Preston. County ; married Mary E. Spesert in 1859, and
has since lived in Tucker County, and been a farmer. Chil
dren : Ida Ellen and Levi AVesley ; oavus 68 acres of land, ten
miles from St. George, on the waters Of Horse Shoe Eun.

420 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Levi Hile was born about 1817, in Germany ; is a man
•peculiar and eccentric, and is well known over the county,
many people claiming that he has supernatural power in
controlling bees, wasps, yellow-jackets andstinging insects.
He claims this power, and is willing to take a good stinging
in order to make people believe that the bees will not sting
him ; will walk into a hornet's nest and claim that they do
not harm him. They do sting him, but it seems the effect
is slight on him. He married Nancy Gower, and their chU
dren are, Mary, Anamelia- and Samuel ; is a farmer, Hving
on Hile Eun, 9 miles from St. George.
I.
A. J. Irons, son of Henry Irons, was born in Maryland,
in 1841 ; is of German descent, and was married, in 1862, ,
to Amanda, daughter of John Bright. Children : Malinda,
Seymour G, Thomas J., Margaret D., Emma T., Clara D.,
Ara B., Flossa L., Henry J. and Harlan E. His farm of 235
acres, 100 improved, is on Shafer's Fork, 14 miles from St.
George. Mr. Irons is road surveyor and a member of the
board of education. i.
EuGENUs Johnson, son of Eobert Johnson, of English
and German descent, lives on Black Fork, 11 miles from St.
George, where he has 75 acres- of cleared land on a farm of
125 acres ; also follows the blacksmith business ; Avas born
in 1852 ; was once elected constable, but did not serve. In
1875, he married Martha A., daughter of Madison Lambert.
Children : Luther M., Elizabeth M. and Eosa Belle. In his
life he killed 9 bears.
H. J. Johnson, brother to Eugenus, was born in 1842,
and married in 1875, to Amanda, daughter vof Adonijah
Phillips. His farm contains 350 acres, with 40 acres under

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 421
cultivation. ChUdren : Ezekiel H., Harper J., Jacob C. and
Birdie C. He Hves on Dry Fork, 12 miles from St. George ;-
was in the Confederate army 18 months, and was with Im
boden on his first raid into Tucker. In his life he has kUled
20 bears.
Sampson O. Johnson, son of E. P. Johnson, was born in
Randolph in 1852, and in 1869 married AUce, daughter of
Jesse Daris, of Pendleton County. Children : Stephen,
Archibald and Benjamin ; lives on rented land, 22 miles
from St. George, on Dry Fork ; was married at 17 years of
age. J. M. Jenkins was bom in 1831, in Preston County. In
1855 he was married to Ann C. Houston, of Pennsylvania ;
of Welch and Irish descent. Children : WUliam B., Sadie,
SUas, Frank, EUa, DeUa, Alverda, Dessie and Delton.
Stone and brick mason; been in Tucker since 1874; at
present Hves in St. George. In 1882 he was a candidate
for the Legislature, but was not elected. In stone-work he
has done some large contracts on the Pennsylvania rail
roads. E. P. Johnson was born in 1821, in Pendleton County, of
EngUsh and Irish descent. Married in 1846 to S. A. White,
of Eandolph. In 1861 his wife died, and he married Provy
Watts; he lives 25 miles from St. George on Dry Fork.
He is constable. Children : Sampson, Sarah E., Elizabeth,
Susan and Anna.
Samuel H. James, son of Isaac James, Avas born in 1854,
of EngUsh descent. Married in 1877 to DeUa V. Hebb,
daughter of WUliam Hebb ; he lives at Limestone, 10 miles
from St. George, on a farm. Children : Berlinda, Charles
W., Bertie B. and SteUa F.

422 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Thomas J. Jones, of English and German descent, son of
John Jones, bom 1850, was married in 1874 to Virginia
M., daughter of John White. He farms on Limestone, 5
miles from St. George ; his farm of 175 acres of land has 11
acres improved. Children : John U., Etta Margaret Tilden,
Melissa Eunice, Marcilla V. and McClure Burr.
L. W. James is of English descent, lives at Limestone ;
born 1858, and has taught school three times on certificates
No. 2 and 3.
George W. Jones, son of John Jones, born 1848, in Ean
dolph County; married, 1874, Elvina J., daughter of Theo
dore Lipscomb. She died in 1879, and in 1882, he married
Martha, daughter of John Stemple. Children : Leonora A.,
Arthur C. and Lulu Octavia ; farmer, lives 6 miles from St.
George, on Pifer Mountain ; owns 122 acres, 25 acres im
proved ; has worked considerably at the carpenter trade.
Daniel Judah, of Virginia, was born 1802, and is of Ger
man descent; married Judah McCallister in 1826, whose
name then became Judah Judah. Judah was working in
the harvest field on his wedding day, and quit work at the
appointed hour, went to the house, was married and re-
tured immediately to the field. ChUdren: Mary, Nancy,
Elizabeth, Sarah and Lyda. He came to West Virginia in
1834, and lived for a while on Stemple Eidge, and he then
moved to the farm where S. N. Swisher now lives. After
that he lived nearly every place on Horse Shoe Eun.
Epheaim H. James, born 1819, of English descent, was
married in 1849, to Sarah, daughter of John Dumire ; lives
on Location, 4 miles from St. George, on a farm of eleven
acres, with four improved. His wife died in 1879, and he
married Mrs. Louisa AVeese, who died in 1882, and he then

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 423
married Mrs. Euth Lipscomb. Children : Sarah Jane,
EUzabeth, Catharine, George W., S. Loman, Jacob M. and
Ulysses G.
Samuel L. James, born 1849, son of E. James ; married
in 1874, to Jemima, daughter of William Hebb ; lives four
miles from St. George, on the Location, Avhere he owns a
farm of 152 acres, with 70 improved ; is a road surveyor ;
has five chUdren dead, and one, John P., living. ,
John Jones, born in Maryland, 1821. His parents Avere
of German and French descent, from Eockingham County,
Va. In 1840, he married Unice DeMoss, of Monongalia
County. Children : George W., Hannah J., Martha A.,
Thomas J., Henry C. and John E. He is a farmer and has
lived within a few miles of St. Geroge ever since he Avas 16
years old. He Avas the first justice of the peace of Tucker
County after its formation. In 1865, he held the office of
superrisor, and ih 1882 was elected county commissioner.
In the war he leaned toward the South. Latham took him
prisoner and carried him to Belington, and held him a few
days. He was carried to Philippi by Capt Holler, and was
again released. He was a captain of the Confederate Home
Guards. He lost a son, James AV., in the Confederate ser
vice, who was taken sick of a fever broiight about by over
work as a carrier of dispatches, and died near Monterey, on
the HuttonsvUle road. His farm of 150 acres is six miles
west of St. George, in Clover District.
K.
J. M. Knapp was born in 1859, in Upshur County, AV. Va.,
of Irish and German descent. Carpenter, owns 100 acres
of land on Haddix ; been in the county since 1880.
John W. Keisee, Avhose father's baptismal name was

424 - HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
Eesin, was born in 1858, in Barbour County, of German
descent; married in 1880, to Tobitha C. PhilUps; Farmer
of 113 acres, 30 acres improved, 7 miles from St. George on
Clover. William A. Knotts, son of Eobert Knotts, was born in
1856. Married Clara B., daughter of S. E. Fansler. He
lives on Horse Shoe Eun, 5 miles from St. George, and is a
farmer. Their child's name is Albert C.
Egbert K. Knotts, of English descent, son of Eobert
Kotts, born in Marion County, AV. Va., in 1818. Married
in 1840, to Fanny, daughter of Frederick Harsh, of Preston
County. Children : Martin Luther, Ellen, John A., James,
Stephen A. and WiUiam A. He has 110 acres of improved
land on a farm of 180 acres. He has been in Tucker since
1852, and " has held no office, except the plow handles."
Mr. Knotts began for himself with but little on which to
-go, except health and industry. He commenced in the
woods, and the first year raised 40 bushels of sound corn,
and since that time has been selling corn every year. The
first year he killed 21 deer Avithin one mile of the house ;
he generally killed from 10 to 20 a year for 20 years. He
never hunted except in tbe morning before breakfast.
Often he would kill two and three and get home in time for
breakfast; he sometimes carried venison to West Union
and sold it. Bear skins Avere worth from $1.50 to $7 each.
He probably had the most remarkable adventure with
panthers that Avas ever in the county or State. One Sunday
morning he went hunting as was his custom, and met three
panthers, and he shot one dead where it stood. The largest
of the remaining sat doAvn and watched him until he had
reloaded. He shot it, but it ran yelling into the woods and
the other followed it ; he reloaded his gun, and presently

BEIEF BIOGRAPHIES. 425
the unhurt beast came galloping back to look for its partner.
He shot it dead. The one that Avas wounded also died,
making three panthers that he killed without moring from
his tracks. This was his last hunting on the Sabbath day.
M. L. Knotts, son of R. K. Knotts, was born in 1837, in
Preston County. In 1859 he married Margaret E., daughter
of Enos SeU, of Preston County ; he lives 10 mUes from St.
George on Maxwell's Run, where he owns a farm of 168
acres, 75 of which is under cultivation. He has been a
hunter, but not so great a one as his father ; he has killed 8
bears and 1 panther, 11 feet long. Children: John J.,
Enos. E., Fanny E., Mary E., Susan Adaline, Jennie E.,
Laura BeUe, and SteUa Maud.
J. Z. T. Keener was born 1847 in Taylor County ; married
in 1878 to M. A., daughter of James MiUer. He came from
Ireland, where his father was drowned when the sdn was
smaU. He keeps a boarding house at Dobbin's old hotel, in
Canada, and lost a leg by a wagon's upsetting, at Mingo
Flats. Joseph Kepner, a shoemaker of St. George, was born in
Maryland, 1852. In his younger days he lived principally at
Oakland. In 1876 he married HeUen M. Jones. The next
year, 1877, he came to St. George. Before that time he
had worked at his trade in New York and Maryland. Their
children are : Margaret Jane, Franklin P., Harry G., George
M., Carrie Adams and Enos Duncan.
Jasper Kalar, born 1852, son of Jacob Kalar, of German
descent, Hves on Shafer's Fork, 12 mUes from St. George ;
married 1872 to Mary Jane, daughter of Jonathan Channel,
of Taylor County. He owns 201 acres of land, one-fifth of

426 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
it being improved. Children : Howard D., Olive Blanche,
Stark F. and Harriet.
William A. Kalar, born 1849, brother of, Jasper Kalar ;
married 1873 to Martha, daughter of Daniel Hart, of Ean
dolph. Children : Carrie A., Delphia A. and Albert Blaine.
He is a farmer, living on Shafer's Fork, 12 miles from St.
George, and owns 75 acres of land with 40 acres improved.
John Knotts, son of E. K. Knotts, was born in 1841;
married 1862 to Lettie, daughter of George Spesert. Chil
dren : Mary I., George William, Sarah Laverna, Dora Ann
and Lavina Alice. He is a farmer of 197 acres, vnth 25
acres improved, and Arith an orchard of thirty-five apple
trees, on Hog Back, 12 miles from St. George. He has
been and still is a successful hunter, having killed many
deer and bears.
E. W. Knapp, of Pocahontas County, was born in 1831
and married 1851 to Mary WoodhuU. ChUdren: DelUah
Margaret, George B., John M., Elmira P., Ida E. C, Olive
C, Marietta V., Lorenzo D. He is a farmer of 152 acres,
Avith 10 acres improved, six miles from St. George, and was
in the Union army.
William E. Kight, born 1856, in Maryland ; married, in
1880, to Harriet M. Welsh. ChUdren: Elsie EUzabeth,
Edward Garfield and a baby ; is a farmer, and Hves on
Lead Mine.
Stephen Knotts lives on Closs Mountain ; born 1851 ;
married 1870, to Christina Spesert ; is a farmer of 118 acres,
Arith 12 acres improved.
Isaac Lipscomb, son of Theodore B., was born 1858. He
is a farmer, owning 53 acres, and lives 9 miles from St.
George, on Licking.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 427
James Kisner, bom 1849, in Maryland ; married Eliza
beth White, who, dying, he married Columbia AVhite, in
1867 ; has 110 acres of wild land, and 70 acres of improved
land ; Uves 6 miles from St. George, on Limestone ; has
been in Tucker since 1872.
James Knotts, born 1845, son of E. K. Knotts ; married
in 1866, to Teena M., daughter of Christian WUUs. ChU
dren : William Arnold, Amos and Mary E. He farms 40
acres of improved land and has 85 acres of woodland on
Twelve Mile Creek, 13 miles from St. George. He has kiUed
four bears, and has had some remarkable fights with them.
L.
Stuart S. Lambert, son of James B. Lambert, born 1843,
in Pendleton County; German descent; married, 1862,
Emily Nelson, widow of WiUiam Nelson, and daughter of
Catharine Bower. Their children are, Henry C, Susan,
Emily C-, U. S. G., James B., Eiley and Etta. He is a far
mer, ovsming 25 acres, with 15 acres improved, on Dry Fork,
24 mUes from St. George; has been in Tucker since 1850.
He taught one school on a No. 5 certificate ; was enumerator
of the census in 1880. He was a Union man during the
war, and was in the troops called the E. E. Guards, under
General Kelly. He is a minister of the Gospel in the Chris
tian Church.
James B. Lambert, born 1854, son of James H. Lam
bert ; married in 1876, to Alice J., daughter of Solomon
Boner. ChUdren : Laura M;, Verna Olive and Walter W.
He owns 402 arces, 100 acres improved,, 24 miles from St.
George, on Dry Fork. He taught two schools on No. 2
certificates, and was constable two years.
James H. Lambert, bom 1828, in Pendleton County,

428 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
brother to Stuart S., married, 1852, to America A., daughter
of Catharine Boner. Children : James B., Christopher C,
Lorenzo D., Nathaniel, Edward, Prosy Ellen, Annie May
and Floda V. He is a farmer of extensive means ; OAvns 952
acres of land, of which 100 is improved ; has been in Tuck
er since 1876 ; taught several terms of school in Eandolph
County ; Avas a captain in the Union army, and spent three
years in the service, mostly in Tucker County.
Samuel H. Lewis, of Pennsylvania, born 1861 ; came to
Tucker with C. E. Macomber ; married Ida Harding, daugh
ter of Joseph Harding, for whose murder a negro was
hanged at Oakland, Md., in 1883. Children : Edna May
and Stella Pearl ; is a laborer at Thomas.
Moses Lipscomb, son of James Lipscomb, born 1848, in
Preston County ; of English descent ; married Mary, daugh
ter of Price Montgomery, in 1874. Children : James E.,
Summers M., George P. and Zora E. C. He Hves 8 mUes
from St. George, on a farm of 172 acres, with 3 acres im
proved ; is said to be the strongest man in Tucker County.
David P. Long, son of Jacob H. Long, of EngUsh de
scent, born 1856, married in 1878 to Euth, daughter of W.
W. Hansford. Children : Gertie Lestie and Claudius WU
son. He lives at Fairfax, where he is employed on the
railroad. L. T. Lambert, son of James H. Lambert, was born in
1863, is a farmer and lives 24 miles from St. George on Dry
Fork. H. C. Lambert, born 1852, son of Stewart S. Lambert,
lives 20 miles from St. George, on Dry Fork ; he has taught
two schools with No. 2 certificates.
A. Y. Lambert, son of James H. Lambert, born 1853;

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 429
married 1875 to Perie, daughter of Jackson -Shoonover, of
Randolph County. He is a farmer, living on Dry Fork, 23
miles from St. George ; he has taught three schools on No.
2 certificates, as may be seen by referring to another chap
ter of this book. Children : Carrie E., Flora A. and Denver.
Jeff Lipscomb, son of P. Lipscomb, prosecuting attorney
for Tucker County, Ayas born October 8, 1862, at Aurora,
Preston County, and is of German and English descent. He
has lived in St. George for ten years. Soon after the found
ing of The Tucker County Pioneer, he entered that office as a
devil, and remained at it through storm and calm, and rain
and shine, for four years. He then went into the Clerk's
office as a copyist for John J. Adams, and remained at that
business, though not so steadily, for a year. He attended
school at odd times all his Hfe; he went to Fairmont with
the intention of entering the normal school, but he did not
Hke the looks of the building, and returned to St. George
and went to work in the clerk's office. This was his business
until January, 1884, when he entered into partnership with
H. and C. H. Maxwell, and bought the Pioneer, and acted
as editor and business manager until May, 1884, when he
sold his interest in the paper to Hu MaxweU and retired
from the business. He then entered business Arith Van
Dusen & Co., of New York, as agent for their nurseries, and
in that work has since been employed.
Emanuel C. Lipscomb, born 1858, son of G. W. Lipscomb,
of English and German descent ; married 1884 to Martha
A., daughter of WUliam Weaver, of Barbour County. He
is a farmer, living on Location, 7 miles from St. George,
with a farm of 143 acres, 30 acres in tillage.
William Luzier, of Pennsylvania, bom 1840, and mar-

430 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ried 1865, to Mary A. AA''imer; came to Tucker in 1880, and
has a farm of 150 acres, with 5 acres improved, six miles
from St. George, on Location Eidge. He spent one year
in the Union army, was wounded at Winchester and dis
charged from the service. Children: Alvin V., James E.,
Theodore H., William E., Anna E., Tabithia O., Hestala,
Charles E., Sarenas B. and Justice.
Peter AV. Lipscomb, son of AV. H. Lipscomb, was born in
1860, and was married in 1882 to Florence, daughter of
Jacob Dumire, of Limestone. Their child's name is
AAlUiam J.; his farm of 117 acres has 90 acres improved, 10
miles beloAV St. George, on the river. He has taught three
schools : Macadonia, No 2, Licking District, and the White
school. Philetus Lipscomb,* son of Fieldon Lipscomb, was born
in Preston County, September 3, 1868. He is of Saxon de
scent. The Lipscombs were among the early settlers of
Virginia. He attended nothing but common schools, never
graduated at any school.t He has taught twenty-one
schools in Maryland and West Virginia, nearly all under
No. 1 certificates. In 1862 he married Anamelia, daughter
of John Gower, of Garrett County, Md. Children: Jeff,
Camden, Howard, Florence M. and Lawrence.
P. Lipscomb commenced the study of the law in 1871,
and the next year Avas granted license to practice, having
been examined by Judges Dille and Berkshire. He never
studied under or recited a lesson to a lawyer in his life.
As a lawyer he has been successful, having practice not only
in the Circuit and Supreme Courts of AV. Va., but also in
* See History of the St. George Bar in this hook.
t The Lipscombs came from Europe to A'irglnia, thence to Jronougalla County, W.
A'a., and thence to Tucker.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 431
Maryland; his cases have been numerous in the Circuit
Courts of Tucker and the adjoining counties. His ability
sets rather toward criminal practice ; and, his influence over
juries is plain to be seen.
He has been an officer of one kind and another nearly
ever since he came to Tucker County ; he was county su
perintendent four years, prosecuting attorney four years,
commissioner to settle with the sheriff four years, besides
several minor positions, such as town and corporation
offices and member of the county board of examiners for
teachers. His war history is not of special importance ; he
was eighteen days a prisoner having been taken by Eeed.
He owns tracts of land in different parts of the county.
William H. Lipscomb is of English and German descent,
born 1829 in Preston County, and married in 1857, to Han
nah B., daughter of George E. Adams. Children : Peter
W., WUliam F., Arthur G., Archibald J., George K.^' Alice
E., Sarah E., and Amy May. WiUiam H. Lipscomb and
Thomas F. Hebb are the two best lumbermen and raftsmen
on the river. They have made it their business for a num
ber of years. Lipscomb has been logging for 25 years, but
has farmed some in the meantime. Some years he rafted
to the railroad at Eowlesburg over a million feet.
He came to St. George in 1884, living in property bought
from H. C. Eosenberger. In the Avar he had many narrow
escapes, although he was not a regular soldier, being a mili
tiaman. He was shot at by a whole regiment, because he
had reported some of their thievery ; was an associate in
the county court, and has been a member of the board of
education two terms ; is stUl following his occupation of
lumbering on the river.

432 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Gaeeett j. Long, born in 1834, and died of a cancer,
after terrible suffering, in 1874. He was the son of James
Long, and of English descent. He was married in 1856,
to Edith Corrick, daughter of WiUiam Corrick. His chU
dren are, Mary Alice, Sarah Samantha, Eebecca, Nora, So
phronia Ann, James, Harriet and Joseph Johnson. His
account of the war in Tucker County, and particularly that
relating to the battle of Corrick's Ford, is full and authentic.
From the flrst, he took an active , part in the war ; was an
officer of the Confederate Home Guards, until he was taken
prisoner by Hooton, of Eowlesburg, on a charge of treason
against the United States. The authorities were several
times petitioned to liberate him ; he lay in prison three
months at AN heeling, and never recovered from the injury
which his prison life did him. In 1870, a cancer made its
appearance on his face, and four years after, he died.
His wife saw as much, perhaps, of the battle of Corrick's
Ford as was seen by any one person; her father's house
was made a hospital for the sick and wounded of both
sides. After the fight, the Eebel prisoners, thirty or forty
in all, were taken to the field of battle that they might
identify the dead. The kitchen was the prison and the
hospital for the Eebels and the main house for the Yankees.
General Garnett was carried to the house and laid on a bed.
He was visited by General Morris, the' Union Commander.
They had been schoolmates together at West Point. The
Confederate General died in Morris' arms. One wounded
Eebel tried to escape in Avoman's clothes ; but, being de
tected, he went back to bed, and remained there, affecting
to be on the point of death. After twelve days the Yankees
left, and the wounded Eebel got up and went home. He
was a Virginian. Another Eebel had been badly wounded.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 433
and they had carried him to the house. He was so con
trary that he would have nothing to do with anything that
a Union man had touched. They brought him a Doctor ;
but, he being a Yankee, the sick Eebel would not take his
medicine. They left the stubborn man, and he finally got
weU. He was from Georgia.
Garrett Long was a member of the M. E. Church, South,
and was superintendent of the Alum Hill Sunday-school.
He was much missed in this field. Since his death there
has been no class-meeting or Sunday-school at Alum HiU.
J. E. LouGHEY, son of Aaron Loughry, of German and
Irish descent ; was born in 1846, and married in 1867, to
Nancy E., daughter of A. H. Bowman, of Eowlesburg. ChU
dren : James A, Alice V., Claudius A., Maud D., Walton
H. and Agnes M. He is a farmer and merchant, and lives
8 miles below St. George ; owns 140 acres of land, of which
40 acres are improved ; has held several offices, such as
township registrar, clerk, member of the board of education,
justice of the peace and postmaster.
S. V. LouGHEY, brother of J. E. Loughry, was born in
1834, and married in 1873, to Jane, daughter of W. L. Biggs.
ChUdren: J. W. J., Nancy, Mary, Susan, OUve, Joretta,
Euth, Hiram, Sarah, Leonora, Victoria, Samuel P. and
George S. He is a farmer, living 6 miles below St. George ;
owns 244 acres of land, of which 40 are improved.
Adam H. Long, born 1818, the year that his father, John
H. Long, came to Cheat Eiver from Virginia ; is of English
and German descent, and was married in 1840, to Nancy
Hart. She is a daughter of John S. Hart, whose father,
John Hart, signed the Declaration of Independence.
Children : John H., Margaret Jane, George B., Susan W.,
88

434 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Cornelius, CarroU W. and Lacy L. He is a farmer, owning
131 acres of land, of which 87 acres are improved ; is presi
dent of the board of education.
According to Adam Long's account there were 16 Con
federates kiUed at Corrick's Ford. He thinks that the
Union loss was more ; he Avas arrested by General Kelly,
but his property was not molested. He also says that the
first settlers on the river were Capt. James Parsons, Sims,
Benjamin Euddle and Joseph Hardman. Parsons bought
Sims to the country, and the Indians kiUed him. Israel
Schseffer, father of Israel Schseffer, of Kingwood, first set
tled on Shafer's Fork, and from him it was named ; but, the
spelling has changed. Haddix Creek was named after the
first man who lived there. The Moores came to Tucker in
1820. Barney Kiearns, Fansler and Eush were the first
settlers on Black Fork. Brannon Eun, in HoUy Meadows,
was named after John Brannon (not Judge Brannon) who
was the first man to live there.
John H. Long, born 1843, son of Adam H. Long, married
1877 to Sara P. Musto, of Eandolph County. ChUdren:
Howard Clay, Wade and Joy Jane. He is a farmer, living 6
miles from St. George, on a farm containing 81 acres, one-
fourth improyed, and has traveled in the West.
Stephen M. Lipscomb, son of James Lipscomb, was born
1846, married 1875 to Margaret Lipscomb. ChUdren : Alex
ander D., George Amos and Lyda Catharine ; he is a farmer
of 70 acres, with 8 acres improved, on Drift Eun, 5 miles
from St. George.
William D. Lipscomb {AutoUography) : I was bom 1819,
in Preston County, am a son of James Lipscomb ; married
1861 to Eliza H. Biggs, of Garrett County, Md. I live on

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 435
the head of Hansford Run, and own the only grist-mill on
it. I haye kiUed fifteen bears. The biggest one I ever saw
piled on me. I plugged it to it four times with my butcher
^pife. It scratched my shoulders, but did not do much fur
ther injury. A short time afterward I knocked an old bear
4o'wn ¦with a "sang" hoe and took a cub away from her.
There were two others in a tree near by, but I could not
get them. I kjUed a ferocious big panther on Iiaurel HUl.
I -went to watch a " lick " for a deer. I lay in a root hole
and a log lay over me. The panther slipped along and got
on the log over me, not five feet avfay. 1 curied my gun up
and shot the whelp in the bosom. It jumped 90 feet, and
came down so hard that its feet ran in the ground a foot
deep, and it stuck fast untU I went up and whipped it to
death. I kiUed another .panther that had slain 17 dogs, and
the next day kiUed another with a little pistol. I killed a
rattlesnake 9 feet long on Laurel Hill. It had swaUowed
126 ground hogs. I kUled 160 rattlesnakes, on Laurel HiU,
in one day with a club 18 inches long. Another day I kUled
over 300 rattlesnakes with a club 10 inches long. One of
them had 60 rattles on, and another had 187. I am a curi
ous feUow. Whenever I tell a thing the truth has to come.
Jacob H. Long, son of John Long, of Randolph, was
bom in 1827 ; is of EngUsh and German descent ; married
Lucinda Parsons, daughter of David Parsons, who was
kUled by a faUing tree in 1853. Children : Virginia, David,
Sarah D., Albert, Thomas, Tazell, Minnie, Grace, Emma,
Maud, Blanche and Lulu. He is a farmer of 454 acres,
with 150 acres improved ; was a magistrate in this part of
Tucker before the formation of the county, and has held
that office two terms since ; was four years president ofthe
county court, and in 1875 M'as elected to the, Legislature,

436 HISTORY OF TUCKER COUNTY.
where he was when the capitol was removed from Wheeling
to Charleston ; was again, in 1880, elected president of the
county court by an overwhelming majority ; but the amend
ment to the constitution went into effect and did away Arith
the office ; was several years commissioner to settle with
the sheriff, and has been president of the board of educa
tion. During the war he was taken prisoner and was carried to
Wheeling, where he lay three months in jail. The charge
against him was treason ; he was sent to Clarksburg for
trial, and upon the petition of Captain Hall, got his liberty.
Pierpont had already appointed him justice of the peace.
His commission was, however, revoked in a week or two by
a plot of his enemies. Mr. Long says that a man named
Moore was the first settler in the Holly Meadows, and that
he lived on the Callihan farm.
William C. Lipscomb, son of Jacob Lipscomb, of English
and German descent, was born 1863, and is a farmer. In
1875 he had his back broken by a colt which threw him ; he
also had his arm broken by falling out of a peach tree, and
had his throat hurt by a limb against which he rode.
Aaeon Loughey, Sr., was born 1797 in Taylor County, of
Irish and English descent, and married Nancy Loughry ; he
was in the war of 1812 as a substitute ; he lives near Han
nahsville, 6 miles from St. George, and lias ten children, as
follows: Hiram T., Sarah, Aaron, Elizabeth, Margaret,
Samuel, Susan, Mary Ann, John and Nathan.
A. J. Loughey, born 1831, married 1853 ; he is a farmer of
35 acres, with 20 acres improved, 11 mUes below St. George.
Children: William H., Mary C, John W., Nancy S., Mel
vina, Charles, Cora, May, Berta Fay.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES. 437
Geoege Long, father of Abel Long, born 1796 in Pendle
ton County ; he was raised in the town of Franklin, and' his
origin is Irish and French ; married Winnie Nelson, who
died 1844, or near that time. Their children are Abel, Ab
salom, WiUiam, Elizabeth and Martha. His father came to
America irith Lafayette, and was with him five years and
seven months. George Long was in the war of 1812.
HiEAM T. Loughey was born in 1830 in Harrison County,
of Irish and German descent ; he is a son of Aaron Loughry.
John W. Luzier was born in 1864, in Pennsylvania, and
is of English descent ; his occupation is farming and lum
bering. C. C. Lambert, son of James H. Lambert, was born in
1856 ; he lives on Dry Fork, 23 miles from St. George, and
is a partner in the store of James H. Lambert & Co.
N. A. W. Loughry, son of Aaron Loughry, was born in
1844. In 1867 he married Catharine, daughter of David
MUler. His farm of 100 acres, 6 miles from St. George, has
16 acres of cleared land on it. He spent seven months in
the Union army the last year of the war. Children:
Nancy Ellen, Aaron D., Thomas A. and Charles R.
A. W. Love was born in 1839, in Upshur County. Mar
ried in 1866 to Sarah V. Bailes. Children: Cordona,
Lunda and Dorsey. He is a farmer, living on the Mason
Farm, five miles from St. George, on Location. He was
formerly a minister of the M. P. Church, and spent one
year on the St. George circuit. His farm contains 104
acres with 60 acres improved.
Chaeles E. Luzier, son of A. B. Luzier, Avas born in
1856; married Anna B., daughter of C. R. Macomber, in

438 HISTOEY GF TUCKeK COUNTY.
18S0. Chitefen : Agnes L., Ma B. aliid E. Burtdn'. KiW fk^in
of 240 acires is on MiU Rhin, 6 tiiUes trota St. Geotgfe',
with' 40 acres improved.
GeoSge a. Long, son of Abel Long, Hves on Dry Fork,
18 miles from St. George ; was born in 1849, and married ih
1871, to Mary C. Cunningham, df Randolph County. ChU
dren: Coi'a, Rebioe A., Thomas J. and SaUe. He is a
farmer. Jacob S. Lambert, son of M. G. Lambert, was born in
1863 ; married Margaret E., daughter of Daniel L. Dumire,
of Horse Shoe Eun, in 1884. He is a farmer and lives on
Maxwell's Eun, six miles from St. George.
William D. Losh, son of William D. Losh, was born in
1840 ; married 1863, to Sarah C, daughter of Leri Hopkins.
Children : John L., George S., Mary E., Darid AV., Cora A.,
Dolly M. and M. Jennie. He is a farmer, owning 80 acres,
40 acres of which he cultivates, ou Horse Shoe Eun, 6 mUes
from St. George. He joined the Confederate army, and was
at the second battle of Bull Eun, where he was taken pris
oner and carried to New York. In a few days he crawled
by the guards and escaped to Philadelphia, where he
worked a month, and then went to Pittsburgh ; thence to
AVheeling and home. In a little while he was taken by
Kelly, and was carried to Grafton and kept there three
weeks. A second time he escaped and came home. He is
a brother to John Losh, the great hunter, and has himself
killed a score of bears. He has made several journeys to
the West.
George W. Leatherman, of English and German descent',
and son of John Lewis Leatherman, was born in Hamp
shire County, W. Va., in 1835. He is one of three surviring

BEIEP BIOGEAPHIES. 439
chUdren. A brother and sister live in Missouri. In 1851
his father died, and he, \rith his brother, was left to take
care of the famUy. They worked hard, but did not prosper
as they thought they ought, and they determined to move
to the AVest. One of the boys went ahead to hunt a place
and the others foUowed with wagons loaded with the house
hold plunder. They were aiming for Missouri, and the
journey was frought with difficulties. It was in October,
and it rained and the roads were nearly impassable. Some
of the famUy took the ague, and the others had an addi
tional amount of work to do. They passed through Ohio,
Indiana into lUinois. It had rained nearly all the time ;
but when they reached lUinois, the weather became clear,
and they got along better. Just before they reached the
Mississipi Eiver, their horses broke down, and one of them
died. With the remaining they could advance but slowly ;
but finaUy they reached their destination.
After they reached Missouri, they had much sickness in
the family . The subject of this sketch lay an invalid all
Arinter, and nearly all the next summer. So, in the fall he
decided to return to W- Va., and sell the home farm ; he
came back, but failed to seU it. He remained in the
vicinity more than a year, and in that time came to the
conclusion, since he could not sell the land, that he would
get married and buy out the other heirs and live on the old
homestead, which, after all, he considered good enough.
Thus he^did. In 1857 he married Mary S. Whip.
They worked hard and got along well enough. When the
war came on, he was drafted for the Confederate army, but
it did not suit his inclinations to fight for that side, so he
Avent off in a hiirry for Indiana, and his wife followed him.
They did not like it in Indiana, and in the spring of 1862

440 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
determined to come back to W. Va., and risk the danger
from the Eebels who might be mad at him ; he came back to
his farm and was not molested.
His wife died, and left him with six children to take care
of ; he kept them together, and continued house-keeping
until 1877 when he married Catharine Thrush, and old
school-mate of his.
His children are : Warren W., John W., Zedekiah A.,
Mary Elizabeth, George S. and Emma Margaret.
In 1880 he moved his family to Canaan. He had ex
plored the country some time before, and had bought large
land interests. It was the work of nineteen days to cut a
road to get his wagons into the country.
Since then he has prospered in his undertakings, and is
now near the AV. Va. C. & P. E. W. He is a member of the
German Baptist Church, and is the ordained minister for
his neighborhood. M.
Joseph Maetin, son Of John V. M. Martin, born 1821, in
Preston County; married, 1845, Catharine, daughter of
John Squires ; farmer, renter, but owns 50 acres in Ean
dolph County; lives 7 miles from St. George on Texas
Mountain. Children: Mary A., Hiram, Sarah, Margaret
C, John T., Asbury, Albert and Samuel.
Michael Mitchell born 1826, is of English descent, and
was married in 1849 to Nancy ShaAV. They had, seven
children to die within three weeks, oi diptheria. Their
remaining children are Simon S. and Harvey. He is a far
mer OAvning 250 acres of land, 80 of which is improved ;
Hves on Texas Mountain, 7 miles from St. George.
Simon S. Mitchell, son of Michael M., born 1853, mar
ried jn 1883 to Mrs. E. C. Pitzer, daughter of WiUiam

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 441
Godwin. By occupation he is a farmer, owning 120 acres,
15 being improved; Hves 7 miles from St. George, on Texas
Mountain. Egbert F. Mubphy, son of Jonathan Murphy, was born
in Barbour County. In 1879 he married Keturah, daughter
of Andrew Pifer. Farmer, owns 40' acres, 15 improved,
Hves 4 mUes from St. George on Texas Mountain.
ChUdren : DeUa, Eay and Boyd.
John Moore, son of S. P. Moore, of EngUsh descent, was
bom 1847, in Barbour County; married 1876, to Esther C,
daughter of WiUiam Pitzer ; he is a farmer of 22 acres, 6
acres improved, 6 miles from St. George, on Texas Mountain.
ChUdren: Daniel B., EUey, Godfrey, Samuel P. and
Martha L.
Martina Myers, son of Adam Myers, was bom in Ean
dolph County, 1847 ; married 1868 to Euhama, daughter of
John M. Cross ; he is a farmer, 8 miles from St. George, on
Clover, and oavus 117 acres, with 30 acres improved.
Michael Myers, of German descent, son of Josiah Myers,
was born 1838 ; married 1872 to Amelia, daughter of John
AuvU. Children : Jehu W. and Annetta. His farm contains
900 acres, of which 100 is under cultivation ; he lives three
mUes from St. George on Clover, and is road surveyor ; hfe
served three years in the Confederate army under Imboden,
Wharton, Breckenridge and Early ; he belonged to the 62d
Va. Inf., but was mounted most of the time; he fought
twice at Winchester, and was in the battles of Cold Harbor,
New Market and others; he served principaUy in the VaUey
of Virginia, but was at Eichmond. In the war his fortunes
were varied, he being one of the soldiers that fought through
the war, and shared in defeats and rictories ; he suffered de-

^2 HISTOilY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
feat at 'Winchester, September 19, and shared a victory at
New Market. At Gettysburg he was under Early, and he
considers the battle of WiUiamsport, Md., a harder engage
ment in proportion to the n'ulnber engaged than that of
Gettysburg. Tliere were only four men in his compaiiy(E),
that were unhurt, and he A\'as one of them, although he was
in skirniishes alinOst every day. AVhen he came home on a
furlough he was betrayed into the hands of GaUion, and
was sent to Camp Chase, where he suffered as every one
suffered who got into that prison. Four months were spent
there and he got his liberty only at the close of the war.
He is a model citizen, and a man of influence in his neigh
borhood. Enoch Minear, son of Darid Minear, was born January
9, 1799, in St. George ; he has. been one of the prominent
men of the county since its flrst organization and a score of
years before. He, like his sons, has been an extensive
traveler, haring visited California several times, been
through Idaho, Oregon, Mexico, Central America, and
through several eastern states. He went there after he was
captured by Imboden, to escape the war, as did A. C.
Minear, also. He was there in 1859, 1861, 1864 and 1874.*
Absalom Mick was born in 1849 in Pendleton, married in
1868 to Jane Wyatt. Children : Martha, E., Joseph, Mary
J., Mahulda, Albert and !finoch ; he is a farmer and haS
been in Tucker since 1880; his farm contains 71 acres, Arith
15 acres itnproved, on Dry Fork, 20 mUes froin St. Gebrg^.
He belonged to the Home Gliiards during the war.
DaniSel Miller v?as born in 1856. In 1883 he married
* A full history of Bnpch Minear and the tamlly Is given In another chapter of this
book, and, for that reasdn, nothing more la given here.

Bi^Ei' BtiOGRAtHIES. Uti
Nancy A., diaughter 6f '^UUdm Arnold, 0^ Ii^arylahd.
Their chUd's naiiie is" Icy R.; he i'sa ikboirfer at Thomas.
Elias Metz, of G-erman descent, son of Peter Metz, of
Monongalia County, wds born 1826 and married 1848 to
Minerva J., daughter of John Brookhbver. Children : WU
Uam H., George L., Mary Jane, Lethia Ann, Jefferson D.,
Simon P., Acha Alide, Harriet, John, Leonora, and James
Ezra. A fami of 294 acres, 150 improved, one and one-half
mUes below St. George, belongs to him. This is the old
Marsh property, and is the farm owned by Jonathan Minear
at the time he was kiUed by the Indians. Metz was in the
Union serrice during the war, and has beeh in Tucker since
1880. J. W. Myers, son of Solomon Myers, born 1862, married
1884 to Loretta, daughter of Salathiel Phillips, lives 8 miles
from St. George, on Clover, and is a farmer of 40 acres, Arith
8 acres improved.
David S. Minear, son of Enoch Minear, of German de
scent, was born in St. George 1840, and has lived there aU
his life. AU the others of the family manifested a strong
passion for traveUng and speculation; but he remained
steadily at his work at home. In his life we have no stirring
stories of adventure, or no narrow escapes from foes and
storms and floods, as we have in the history of his brothers.
But, as a citizen, he has done his share for the good of his
county and State. His life has been that of a farmer, ex
cept seven years spent in the merch'andise business at St.
George. iCe has been an officer frequently. During the war
he was clerk of the county court. In 1867 he married Mary-
Jane, daughter of WiUiam R. Parsonsf Their chUdren are :
6ileeA'W.,J6^eph P., JohnW., C. Briice ahd MJary Catha-

444 HISTORY OF TUCKER COUNTY.
rine. He owns a large and valuable farm at St. George,
commencing at the town and extending down the river more
than a mUe. It is the land on which stood the fort at St.
George l\l''1776, and Arith the exception of S. E. Parsons'
farm, is the oldest improvement in the county, and is the
site of the first permanent settlement in the county. Mi
near was not in the regular army during the war, but had
experience in the fortunes of hostiUties, having been taken
prisoner by the Rebels, and escaped, after being shot at sev
eral times. The surroundings of his dwelUng are among
the most desirable in the county. A fine grove of fruit trees
and arbors of grapevines surround his house on every side,
making it in summer a scene of quietness and beauty, that
has all the advantages of town and the secludedness of the
country. WiLLiiM H. Myers, son of James Myers, was bom in
1856 at Tunnelton ; married in 1879 to Belle Dora Price, of
Preston County. Children : Bessie Anna, Herbert Clay and
Walter Henry ; he is of German descent, and is by trade a
blacksmith, and lives at St. George.
Benjamin Myers was born in 1813, in Pennsylvania,
Hves 1| mUes from St. George on Mill Eun. He is a far
mer. ChUdren: John, Josiah, Martha, EUen, Barbara,
Andrew, Benjamin, Henry, Hester and Morgan.
James Montgomery, son of Price Montgomery, of Irish
and German descent, was born in 1850. In 1878 he
married Sarah P., daughter of George Moon of Hampshire
County ; he is a farmer, and lives 6 miles from St. George,
on Lipscomb's Eidge. Children: Maud Elizabeth and
George Wade. ,
C. B. Mooee, born 1851, son of James Moore, Hves 10

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 445
mUes from St. George, on Shafer's Fork, and is of Irish
and EngUsh descent. His farm contains a certain number
of acres of land of which 33 J per cent, of ^ more than one-
haK is improved, and the unimproved is to 5-12 of the im
proved as ^ the difference between one-third of the un
improved and ^ of ^ of the improved is to 2 1-62 acres.
Joshua Messengee, born 1832, in Preston County, is of
English descent, and was married, in 1857, to Eebecca
Lewis, of Preston. Children : Mary J., James E., Sarah E.,
Nettie M. and Charles Albert ; he came to Tucker in 1866,
and is farming on Shafer's Fork, 9 mUes from St. George,
where he owns 319 acres of land, 6b acres improved. He
was in the Union army, but was in no battle.
William Maequis was bom in 1839, in Preston, of Irish
descent. In 1865 he was married to Sarah Mason, of Sandy
Creek, Preston County. Children : Charles, and Zora May.
He Hves on Location 5 miles from St. George, where he has
281 acres of land, with 75 acres improved ; he has been in
Tucker smce 1882.
John G. Mooee, son of James Moore, was born in 1841,
on Shafer's Fork, is of Irish and English descent ; married,
1873, to Anzina, daughter of George W. Faris, of Eandolph
County. Children: George Harmon, Larkin, Anna BeUe,
ArciUa May, E. W. Eastham and Etta Arina. He is a far
mer and stock man, liring on Shafer's Fork, 11 mUes from
St. George, and owns 225 acres of land, with 150 improved.
Stephen Muephy was born 1836, in Marion County, of
Irish descent ; married in 1857, to Charity Everit. Children :
Cleophas, Harbert J., Jirah, Louisa, Eunice, EUis and Ean
dolph. He lives 7 mUes from St. George.
J. D. Metz, son of Elias Metz, born in 1861, in Monongalia

446 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
County ; is a farmer, Hying two mil^s from St. George, on
the farm where the Indians kUled Jonathan Minear.
William Miller, son of James MUler, was born in 1854,
at Limestone ; married Mary, daughter of Sanford James ;
is of English desceut. He is a farmer, and Hves 10 mUes
from St. George, on Dogwood Flats. Children : Ira Blaine
and baby.
Albert Miller, sop of I?r. J. M. MUler, was born in 1849,
married Martha, daughter of WUUam White. They have
six chUdren.
J. T. Mason, son of Thomas Mason, was bom 1844. In
1877 he married Catharine Hart, pf Pennsylvania. They
have one chUd whose name is Margaret V. He is a farmer
of 93 acres, Arith 40 acres in tUlage, on Location, 5 mUes
from St. George ; he was deputy sheriff under his father,
and was several times member of the teachers' board of ex
aminers, and has taught nine terms of school, six of which
were at Fairview.
Jonathan Murphy, was bom 1834 in Marion County, of
Irish descent, and married Sarah Jane MitcheU in 1854.
Their chUdren are : Eobert, Alpheus, Isaac, Anzina E., Sa
rah AUce, and Martha Jane. He is a farmer of 100 acres,
three-fourths improved, in Clover District, 6 mUes from St.
George. Geoege A. Mayee, one of the leading merchants of Tucker
County, was born in Preston (Aurora) 1859, and is a son of
C. W. Mayer, of Terra Alta. In 1880 he was married to
Virginia Cox, of New Waterfqrd, Ohio. Their child's name
is Charles W. He aittended the district schools most conve
nient to his home, and had the benefit of a ten-month term
at the Piedmont high schpol. He taught three schools, the

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 447
first at WUliam Fansler's in Preston, the second at Eed Oak,
Kingwood District, and the third in Kingwood^ assisting
Prof. Fike in the normal school. When he quit teaching, he
went into the mercantUe business in the firm of C. W.
Mayer <fe Son, in 1879, and set up in St. George. In 1884
he dissolved partnership with his father, and went into busi
ness under the firm name of Mayer & Cupp, in which his
brother-in-law was his partner. When he came to Tucker
there was no mercantUe business of note carried on in the
county. Prices were high and uncertain,, and the trade was
very unsteady. He brought the prices down, and revolu
tionized the whole trade. In 1881 he buUt a large store
and ware rooms on Main street. In 1884 he was nominated
in the Democratic convention, at St. George, as a candidate
for clerk of the circuit court. He is a young man of stir
ring business qualities.
Eandolph Myees, son of Adam Myers, born 1849, was
raised by Mathew Wamsley, who lived six miles above Bev
erly, but who Avas taken to Camp Chase, and there died-
Myers was married, in 1873, to Vilena Wilt. He is a faj:-
mer Hving on the river, one mile from St. George. Chil
dren : Wilson, Eda Catharine, Lucy Ann and Edgar.
D. S. MiLLEE, son of William Miller, born 1842, married
in 1868 to AbigaU Wilt. His farm of 53 acres, with 25 im
proved, is 4J miles below St. George. Children, Truman C.,
Columbia A., Peter, Catharine, Llewella, William, Angeretta
and Stella.
Andeew j. Miller, brother of D. S. MUler is eight years
ol^er, and married four years sooner, and married a sister
of his brother's wife, Mary Wilt. He farms 40 acres and
has 57 acres of wild land, on the river 4 miles below St.

448 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
George. Children : Cora B., WUhelmina C, George C,
Agnes May and baby.
M. V. Miller, born 1845, in Maryland, of German descent,
his grand-parents coming from Europe. In 1867 he was
married to Sallie A. Griffith. Children : Oliver C, Thomas
M., Grace M., Lizzie Pearl, Jennie Gertrude and George
Lester. In his early life he was a farmer. When he was
sixteen years of age he joined the Union army. Did his
first fighting under Milroy and Fremont:' he was then
under Sherdian in the Valley of Virginia, and was in aU the
trouble about Harper's Ferry, and got the fuU benefit of it.
He was taken prisoner by Stonewall Jackson, together with
a large number of others. As he expressed it afterwards :
" Jackson fixed 20,000 bayonets' and charged us. It looked
like the day of judgment was coming." The next day they
were parolled and sent to Annapolis, Md., where they re
mained six months before they were exchanged.
After he was exchanged, his service was on the B. & O.
E. E., and through Virginia. He was in the battle of
Frederick Junction, under Lew AVallace, and against Early,
when he was raiding Maryland. Late in the day the Fed
erals gave ground and fell back to Baltimore. After this, he
was under Sheridan, and had numerous skirmishes. Sin
gular as it may seem, this command captured their captors,
who had taken them at Harper's Ferry, in 1862. The sol
diers of the two armies recognized each other.
From Virginia, Miller Avas removed to Buckhannon, Up
shur County, W. Va., where there was no fighting to do.
He remained there till the close of the war, 1865. He then
went to Aurora, Preston County, where he lived a year, and
came to St. George where he has since lived, foUoAring the

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 449
Avork of mechanic, clerk, merchant, hotel keeper and justice
of the peace.
G. T. MoTONY, of French and German descent, Avas born
in 1842, in Pocahontas County. While quite young, he
Avas carried by his parents into Pendleton County, and re
mained there till the commencement of the war. When
the hostiUties came on, he joined the Union army and
fought in a large number of battles, among Avhicli Avere
several in West Virginia. He remained in the army up to
the close of the Avar, and was in fifteen pitched battles, be
sides all the hard fighting in front of Petersburg and Eich
mond. He was preisent when Lee surrendered at Appa
mattox Court House. After the close of the Avar, he re
turned to Pendleton, and in 1866 married a daughter of A.
C. Nelson, of that county. Their children are, Maggie,
Eobert and Taliaferro. He came to Tucker in 1882, and
lives on a farm in Canaan, thirty-two miles from St. George.
Eufus Maxavell, son of Levi MaxAvell, of LcAvis County,
Avas boi-n in October 19, 1828. His ancestors have been in
America a long time ; but originally Avere from England
and Ireland. His father, Levi MaxweU, left Pennsylvania
in 1803, that is, Avhen he was fifteen years old, and settled
in Harrison and subsequently removed to Lewis County,
where he stUl resides, being now (1884) in his 97th year.
His wife was a daughter of Col. Johu Haymond, of Braxton
County, and grand-daughter of Col. Benjamin Wilson, the
Indian fighter. Colonel Wilson was an ancestor of the
present Benjamin Wilson, of Harrison County.
Eufus Maxwell worked on the farm in his boyhood, as
did his two brothers, John, afterward a CIa'U Engineer in
the location of the B. & O. E. E., and Edwin, uoav Judge
29

450 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Maxwell, of Clarksburg. His early education was in the
country schools, Avhich were then rather acquired poor
affairs. When he had finished the curriculum of these
rural acadmeis, he entered Eector College, and finished the
course in 1849, when he Avas 21 years of age.
While in attendance at Eector College he made the ac
quaintance of Miss Sarah J. Bonnifield, daughter of Dr. Ae
nold Bonnifield, and in 1852, June 1st, they were married.
Miss Bonnifield had also completed the high school course,
and Avas a regular contributor of poetry to the newspapers
of that time.
E. MaxAvell resided in Lewis County and practiced law
until June, 1856. In 1855 he was elected associate justice
of the county court of Lewis County. In 1856 he removed
to Tucker and assisted in the organization of the count}',
and the same year was elected prosecuting attorney. In
1860 he Avas re-elected to the same office and held it until
his Southern inclinations and the partisan warfare that was
carried on there rendered it impossible for him to perform
the duties of the office.*
Eufus MaxAvell has not a lengthy record as a soldier. He
was in neither army. He sympathized with the South, but
staid at home, an advocate of peace, to be gained by arbi
tration, if possible. i" AVhile the war AA'as going on, the mur-
* In June, 1881, Maxwell went to the Coui-thouse to attend what was then called
the Quarterly Court. The Clerk, two or three jurymen and a few other pei-sons
haying business, waited about the Court-house till late in the afternoon, when the
pi-esidlng Justice, George B. See, rode up into the Couit-yard with a gun on his
shoulder and followed hy a company of armed men, and said that there would be no
court that day, and probably there would be no more for a long time. This was a few
days alter the " Philippi Races," as was called the evacuation of that town, by the
A'li-gliila trooiis, when General Kelly came upon them with his terilble host of " Nlne-
t'- Day Men." The Quarterly Court of Tucker County has not since met, nor was
tueve any court of account in Tucker during the war. It was " between the Hues,"
and both parties seemed willing not to agitate the subject of resuming power. Ma.x-
well never resumed the practice of law.
t Earl.v in the war, before gun powder had been smelt in the county, some patriotic

Rufus Ma.xwell.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 451
der of citizens and the burning of property were of common
occurrence in our neighboring counties ; but, in Tucker it
was not so, although no county, except Pendleton, had a
fiercer guerriUa Avarfare than we had. So far as can be as
certained, not a drop of citizen blood Avas shed, or a shingle
burned, except in honorable fight. For part of this good
result, MaxAvell claims the honor. He advocated that the
safety of the community depended largely upon the con
duct of the people. Those who disturbed no one were not
apt to be disturbed. Y'ankees and Eebels lived as neighbors
and fear and respect kept down the rifle and the fagot.
Eufus MaxAvell's children are, Wilson B., Mary A., D.
Angelica, Hu, Cyrus H., Thomas E., John P., Levi H.,
Charles J. and Eobert E. He is a farmer living three miles
east of St. George, with 60 acres of improved and 1200 acres
of Avild lands. He has been county surveyor, county super
intendent of schools, and twice elected by Tucker and Ean-
jjolpli to the legislature. His election to the legislature
was in October, 1865, and he represented the delegate dis
trict composed of Eandolph and Tucker Counties. That
¦ legislature met in AAlieeling, January, 1866, and was prob
ably the most prescriptive legislature that ever met in AVest
Virginia. But Mr. MaxweU steadily opposed the prescrip
tive measures, and spoke and voted against the Eegistration
Act of that session. Only five members of the House voted
with him. They were, McCurdy,, of Jefferson, D. D. John
son, of Tyler, John Kellar, of Barbour, Capt. Darnell, of
Mason, and Mr. Cooper, of Hampshire. And later in the
session Mr. MaxAvell voted alone against "The Ninth Ju-
cltlzens bethought themselves to organize a "Home Guard." Not knowing exactly
what it meant, they advised Mr. Maxwell on the subject, and asked what was the
duty of a Home Guard. He replied: "Meet occasionally at some appointed place,
muster up and down the road, boast that you can whip all the men the enemy can
send against you, and when the enemy coines, run oil and hide."

452 HISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
dicial Circuit Bill," which provided that Judge Nat. Har
rison should fill all vacancies occurring in all offices in his
circuit, except members of the legislature. Maxwell says :
This act was as defiantly aggressive as the registration act, and
more dangerous to liberty; bsea-ase, without even a plausible
plea of necessity, it conferred absolute civil power upon a single
individual, a judicial offlcer who Avas not worthy to wear ermine,
being then under articles of impeachment, and who afterwards re
signed to avoid impeachment.
At the beginning of the session, there Avere fourteen
avowed Conservatives in the House, but when this " Circuit
BiU" came up on its passage. Maxwell Avas the only one
who Avas in the front opposing it. His course in the legis
lature met the approval of his constituents, but the Consti
tution of West Virginia, then in force, provided that
Tucker and Eandolph counties should together elect one
delegate, who for three terms should be a resident of
Eandolph County and for one term a resident of Tucker
County. The election being held annually, and Mr. Max*
well being a resident of Tucker, he was not eUgible to a
seat in the House again until 1869 ; and in October of that
year he Avas again elected by a large majority.
He took an active part in the campaign that year for the
election of members of the legislature. At that time there
had sprung up, in the state, a sort of third party of con- '
siderable strength called Let-up Eepublicans, who claimed
that the proper time had come for a modification of the
laws restricting the right of suffrage, &c., and more particu
larly the laAvs imposing certain civil disabilities. He
advised against holding a Democratic State Convention that
year, and insisted that the people of each county and dis
trict should conduct the campaign according to the con
ditions in each : that there was but one issue involved

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 453
that men always vote their sentiments and convictions if
left free to do so ; and that an aggressive organization of
the Democratic party at that time Avould have a tendency
to drive the Let-up Eepublicans back Avhence they came.
This plan of campaign was pretty generally carried out, and
was to the effect that.
Where the Democrats were sure of electing a Senator or a
member of the House of Delegates, they should quietly agree and
unite upon and rally in suppbrt of the best available Democrat ;
but, where there existed any reasonable doubt of the success of a
Democrat, they should withhold their candidate, and encourage
public discussion as much as possible between the Let-up Republi
cans and the Radical Republicans, so that the split betAveen them
might be widened and deepened, and the antagonistic feelings be
more intensified between the two wings of the Republican party ;
and finally, that the Democratic voters should, in such counties
and districts, rally and concentrate their votes upon the Let-up
candidate. The result was that, when the legislature met in January,
1870, the Eadical Eepublicans found themselves in a
minority, in the House of Delegates, for the first time in the
history of the State ; but they still, for a time, confidently
claimed the Senate. William M. Welch, a Let-up Eepubli
can, and delegate from Mineral County, was chosen speaker
of the House.
After the meeting of the legislature, Mr. Maxwell went
immediately to work to ascertain the views of the members
of the House and Senate with respect to the repeal or
modification of the various " Iron-clad Test Oaths," and the
repeal or modification of the Eegistration Law, and to other
reforms. In a few days he claimed toknow the opinions
of nearly all the typical members of both Houses. He
ascertained that the Eepublicans did not intend to make a
rigorous defense of their out-posts — the teachers,' attor-

454 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
neys' and suitors' test-oaths — but that they intended to
defend their citadel — the registration laws and officers'
test-oaths — to the last extremity.
It Avas found that the legislature Avas composed of five
distinct parties, as foUoAvs : Extreme Eadical Eepublicans,
Eadical Eepublicans, Let-up Eepublicans, Extreme Demo
crats and Moderate or "Policy" Democrats. None of these
parties or factions could be so clearly distinguished from aU
the others as to enable one to tell the precise personal
following of each. But, ex-Governor Pierpont was the type
aud apparent leader of the Extreme Eadlcals ; and Nathan
Goff, Sr., Avas leader of the more moderate Eepublicans,
AvhUe AV. H. H. Flick, Spencer Dayton and William M.
AA'^elch Avere the sachems and chief councilmen of the
Let-ups. John J. Davis and E. A. Summers were the only
members of the House that could be strictly classed as Ex
treme Democrats, although E. G. Cracraft and John Faris
A'oted Avith the Extreme Democrats and Eadical Eepubli
cans against the Flick Amendment. But they did it under
immediate pressure of a constituency that were looking
through smoked glasses. Among the Policy Democrats
Avere found, Daniel Lamb, Benjamin Smith, Henry G.
Davis, Henry Brannon, J. M. Jackson and others. But
they Avere AA'ithout any well recognized leader, and only
their unity of purpose led them to a unity of action. They
had no caucus after the House was organized, but often
consulted one with another.
Soon after the organization, Henry G. Davis* suggested that the
Let-ups should have the honor of bringing forward the reform
measures, and Rufus Maxwell added that they should also have the
honor of defending them, provided they do it in good time artd
' Then a member of the State Senate.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 455
shape. This unwritten aud Informal understanding on our part
required great dilligence to restrain zealous members from getting
ahead of their business, by taking the wind out of the Let-up sails.-
But the plan succeeded, at least with all the more important meas
ures. *********
"Policy Democrat" was a sort of pet-name among us. We got
the name thus : One evening Rufus Maxwell was conversing with
John J. Davis and remarked that the true policy of the Democrats
was to secure all the reforms possible, and not hazzard much
grasping after things we could not reach. To this Davis replied,
Avith sarcastic affability that he didn't go much on Policy Demo
crats! that Democracy Avas founded on eternal principles. 'When
this little incident Avas narrated to Daniel Lamb he laughed most
heartily and remarked, "Now is the time for Democrats to have
a policy and pursue it." This remark was true then with regard
to State politics and has ever since been a living truth Avith regard
to National'politics.
Wilson B. Maxwell,'* son of Eufus Maxwell, AVas born
April 17, 1853. In his younger days he possessed a most
prolific imagination. He could imagine anything. He
never Avent into the woods, or the orchard or beyond- the
yard-fence Avithout having wonders to relate of deer, lions,
hyenas and gigantic frogs that he had seen while gone.
Just before McChesney's skirmish it Avas rumored that
the Avar was to be one of extermination, and that sixtj'
thousand Yankees had been scattered along the B. & 0. E.
E. Arith instructions to sweep south and destroy evervthing
that should fall into their power. The country Avas much
agitated, and young MaxAvell, although only eiglit j'ears old,
seemed to enter into the general anxiety. So, Avhen his
mother sent him to the spring for a bucket of Avater he im
agined that he saw A^ankees. He ran to the house and re-

• See History of the St. George Bar in this book.

456 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ported that three soldiers had run down from the hill, stop
ped to load their guns, and then advanced toward the house.
His father was reading the newspaper ; but when he heard
this, he ran into the Avheat field and lay hid all day. It is
needless to say that there Avas probably not a soldier within
twenty miles.
During the Avar, farmers in Tucker did not work much,
because they did not knoAV at what time their property
might be destroyed. They aimed to raise only what they
could use. This seemed to give young MaxweU a distrust
of farm work ever afterward, and he did not like to buckle
np fairly and squarely to agricultural drudgery, and, in fact,
would not do it. Probably he thought that the war might
flare up again at some unguarded moment and consume the
Avork of the farmer, and, therefore, it Avould be as well to
wait aAvhile longer till things should become more settled
before expending much labor on the farm.
So, he waited, and along three or four years after the Avar,
his two brothers, next younger than him, came to be large
enough to do something. He assumed control of the farm
work, and seemed to think that the cruel Avar was indeed
over, and there Avould be no risk to run now in raising a
crop of corn. After a long siege of it, and not a little help,
he got the fields plowed, and by the first of June, every hUl
of coru Avas planted. Now came the ploAving and hoeing of
the corn. A long series of experiments has proven that
corn must be cultivated or it Avill throAv up the sponge and
quit growing. So, AA''. B. decide 1 that his corn must be
ploAved and hoed. It had rained a good deal, and the
fields Avere tolerabl}' lai-ge, and the corn was soon hidden
by the Aveeds. In such a case, three furrows should be run
for every row, to tear out the weeds, and make less AVork

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES, 457
for those who had the hoeing to do. But, young Maxwell
concluded that two furrows were plenty, and in short rows
one was enough.
He plowed, and put his two younger brothers, one eight
and the other six years old, to hoeing, and expected them
to keep up with the plow. The Httle rascals didn't half
work ; but, if they had worked their best, they could not
have' kept up with the plow. The sun was hot, and the
weeds were rank, and the coi-n was little, and the clodS
were hard, and, withal, the progress was slow, W, B.
would get to the field with the old white horse about nine
o'clock a. m., and by making the old horse bend to it he
woidd get a couple dozen rows ahead of the boys by the
time the hottest and laziest part of the afternoon came on.
Then he would tie the old beast up in the fence corner to
rest and chew weeds, and he would climb on the fence in
the cool shade of the butter-nut trees and sit there like the
lord of creation to watch the boys hoe corn.
The boys Avere little, and one Avas awfully freckled ; but,
in spite of this, they were full of energy and independence,
and would not ask for help as long as there was any hope of
puUing through without it : so, they would dig and hoe at
the weed-infested corn rows until they saAV that it was im
possible to get them all done before dark. Then they
would suggest to W. B., who had been resting for two
hours, that it wOuld not be altogether alien to their wishes
if he would lay hands on a hoe and lend a little assistance.
But, he would reply by encouraging them to persevere,
telling them that that was the way he got his start. Thus,
the sun would go down, leaving ten rows for them to hoe in
the morning while he was taking his morning nap ; for, he

458 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Avas conscientiously opposed to getting up before eight
o'clock. AVhen fall came, and the corn was cribbed, it looked like
a small aggregate; and AV. B. could not understand why
the crib Avas not fuller. However, he didn't expect to need
much of it, as he Avas going to school. He went to Morgan-
town to the AVest Virginia University, and there fell in with
J. J. Peterson, of AVeston, and there is no telling how-they
planned mischief. Mr. Peterson may have been innocent,
but it looks as if he had something to do Avith coaxing
Maxwell to run aAvay from Morgantown and go to Weston
to school. At any rate, he very suddenly appeared in
AVeston, and remained there a year or two, coming home
once or twice to give the boys some advice about, the
farming. AVhen he left Weston, he went to Clarksburg,
and attended a private school taught by a man named Tur
ner. When he left Clarksburg, he did the most of his
studying at home, out in the fields Avhere the other boys
Avere at work. He would repeat his old Latin Grammar,
moneo, moneas, moneat, and tell the boys it meant, "mow
weeds, mow grass, mow hay."
Thus the summer seemed to pass beautifully over him,
and he gained a great deal of agricultural knowledge from
his books. From the Georgics and Bucolics of Virgil he
learned how to trim apple trees, plant grape A'ines, take care
of horses and sheep, and he ahvays told the other boys how
to do it. From Horace, Juvinal and Quintilian he learned
how to arrange words in sentences, and he told the boys,
and it Avas a great encouragement to them as they dug away
at the Avork and listened Avith all the patience of Job for the
dinner horn.
AV. B. Maxwell's talents seemed to fit him better for the

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 459
profession of the laAv than for anything else, and accordingly,
he commenced reading in 1873. In 1874 he Avas examined
before Judges Lewis, Brannon and Huffman, and obtained
license to practice. He located in St. George, and has
since lived there, and has had a constantly groAving practice.
He is local counsel for the W. Va. C. & P. E. W. Co., the
managers of which are Henry G. Davis, James G. Blaine,
William AVindom, and others. He has been county
superintendent of Tucker.
In 1876 he was married to Miss Caroline HoAvell Lindsay,
of Madison, Indiana. Their children are Claud, Bessie
and Hu.
Hu Maxavell, (see Appendix).
Cyeus H. Maxwell, son of Eufus Maxwell; Avas -born in
1863. At the age of thirteen he Avent to Philadelphia to
get his first rudiments of education regarding the world at
large. After his return, the same year, he attended the
country school at Low Gap, where he manifested a predis
position to take exceptions to every species of instruction
that the teacher could devise or offer. His progress, hoAV-
ever, was Avell enough, and in 1879, at sixteen, he entered
the Weston Acadeiny, and commenced the studies of the
higher mathematics and Latin. In these his progress was
only tolerably rapid. He found Csesar and the Calculus
much harder than Geography and Spelling; and, after a
hard winter of study, and not many pages gone over to show
for it, he left Weston and returned home to work on the
farm. In the fall of 1880 he returned to Weston and again
set toward his studies. But, the next fall, some little
unpleasantness, for which, no doubt, he was mostly respon
sible, haring arisen in the school, and also partly influenced

460 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
by other considerations, he quit the Academy forever. He
taught school four months on Smith's Eun, in Lewis County,
and in the spring of 1882 went to the normal school at
Valparaiso, Indiana. Everything seemed to go against him
there. He got the diptheria and was laid up- awhile with
that. Then he got the mumps, and lost more time. Scarcly
was he able to be about when he was taken with the
measles, and had another hard time. To add to his calam
ities, some scamp stole his money, and he Avas left short in
that respect. He began to grow tired of the place ; and,
collecting together Avliat plunder he had left, he took the
train for Chicago, in search of a better land. He was now
nineteen years of age. His stay in Chicago was short, only
a few hours, and when next heard of he was harvesting in
the wheat fields of California. This work was too hard
to suit him, and he hunted a vacant school and taught
eight months, at $60 per month.
In the spring of 1883 he was joined in California by his
brother Hu, and a series of trampings and wanderings was
the result. They spent the summer Visiting and exploring
noted places on the Pacific coast, and places of wildness
and romance among the deserts and mountains. They
spent a month among the glades and snows of the Sierras,
and explored the mysterious abyss of Nihilvideo, a report of
which was published in The Wheeling Intelligencer. In
July they crossed the deserts about Lake Tulare, and passed
through the Avernal by night, having gone fifty-six mUes
over the burning sand without water, and reached the head
of the Cholame Eiver, in San Luis Obispo. After several
days the Pacific Ocean was reached at San Luis Bay. They
followed down the coast one hundred and ten miles to Santa
Barbara, visiting, in the meantime, the wonderful Gaviota

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 461
«
Pass, and Los Critas Eiver, that flows sulphur water. The
groves and gardens about Santa Barbara were the beauti-
fulest they had seen in California, except about Los Angeles.
But a spirit of adventure came near spoiling it all. Haring
hired a flshing-boat, " The Ocea'n King of San Diego," they
resolved to have a sail, and in company with Bob Shelton, a
young Kentuckian, two run-away boys from Iowa, one
Spaniard, Chromo, and an Italian, Larco, they set sail from
the Harbor of Santa Barbara, on the morning of August 4,
1883. It Avas a beautiful morning, and a gentle breeze was
blowing, as they stood from the harbor. They passed the
light-house some miles west of the city, and struck boldly
off across the ocean toward Japan. About noon a storm
came on and the boat was driven before it for six hours. The
ocean Avas very rough, and the boat Avas almost helpless,
and lay on its side. About six o'clock in the evening it Avas
driven on the Santa Barbara Islands, one hundred and flfty
miles from San Diego. The party reached the shore in a
skiff that had been tied on the deck of the flshing boat.
Only a Umited quantity of provisions had been gotten
ashore, and the wild foxes ran down from the mountains
and eat part of that, so the supply only lasted about one
meal. Two fish were caught and eaten and some cactus-
apples were picked along the cliffs. On the third day the
Spaniard caught a wild sheep among the mountains, and the
whole party feasted, except Hu Maxwell, who Avas too con
trary to eat mutton, and went without anything to eat until
a boat picked them up and carried them back to the Cali
fornia coast, on the third night. After this the three boys
went up the coast three hundred miles to Monterey, and
frbm thence passed up the Pajaro Eio and crossed the Coast
Mountains to San Luis Eancho and were again in the

462 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
San Joaquin VaUey, one hundred miles from Fresno,
the starting point. The Avay was mostly across a life
less desert, Avithout water, trees or grass. Soon the
horses gave out, and they were left in the care of the Ken
tuckian and the two MaxAvell bOys set forAvard on foot for
Fresno. They had as provision, two biscuits, three potatoes
and a quart of water in a canteen. They guided their course
at night by the north star, and at day by the sun. The way
was across a sandy desert, level as a floor, on which at day
the mirage hid every object from view, and the scorching
sun made the desert like a furnace. After two nights and a
day they reached their destination. The hot sand had burnt
their feet into blisters, and it was Aveeks before tlley recoA'-
ered from the effects of the tlirist, hunger and hardships of
the desert. It was many days before the Kentuckian got
out, but he saved the carriage and horses. The journey all
in all, from leaving Fresno till returning to it was over 1,000
miles, and more than 300 miles of it through deserts.
Not long after this, Hu left California, and C. H. MaxAveU
was again alone there. But he did not stay long. He
taught a school at $75 a month, and upon its close returned,
at the age of 21, to AVest Virginia, Avliere he 'and his brother
Hu bought the Tucker County Pioneer, and Avent into a part
nership to publish the History of Tucker Count}'.
The remaining five boys of Eufus MaxAvell's family are
young, the oldest, T. E. Maxwell being nineteen, and a
school teacher ; the next younger, John P., is a student at
Weston, and is a landscape painter. L. H. and C. J. are
school boys and printers, and E. E., the youngest, digs
weeds out of the garden. N
J. L. Nester, son of Nathaniel Nester, born 1802, mar-

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 463
ried, in 1882, to Sevana J., daughter of William Fitzwater.
By occupation he is a farmer, owns 30 acres of land, 10
acres improved, 4^ miles from St. George, on Bull Eun.
ChUdren : Icy V. and Minnie O.
Nathaniel Nestee, son of Samuel N., bom 1833, was
married, in 1861, to Melvina, daughter of J. W. S. Phillips.
First wife died in 1875, and as a second wife he married
Bede C, daughter of Moses PhiUips. By occupation he is
a farmer, owning 300 acres, 40 acres improved ; 4 miles west
of St. George. His children are : Isaiah L., Albert, E.,
Lemuel A. AV., BueiAa Vista, Sampson P.-, Dorcas F.,
Saberna and Walter.
Geoege M. Nester, son of David Nester, Avas born in 1818 ;
of German descent; married in 1848 to Eliza, daughter of
OUver Shurtleff. His wife died in 1871, and he married
Mrs. Lyda Hovatter, daughter of Isaac Godwin ; is a farmer, 4
miles from St. George, on Bull Eun ; has 70 acres of improved
land, on a farm of 142 acres. At the commencement of. the
war he Avas elected justice of the peace, but Avould not serve.
He was tAvice arrested by the Yankees. John, Samuel and
George Nester were the first settlers on Bull Eun. They
killed ten bears soon after they settled there. George Nes-
ter's children are Doctor L., Oliver D., Marcellus C, Mary
M., Herschel M., Claudius B. M., Sarah L., Byron AV. and
Lloyd W.
George H, Nester, of German descent, Avas born in 1840 ;
is a son of John D. In 1871 he married Jane, daughter of
Stephen E. Poling ; his Avife died in 1874, and four years
later he married Savilla V., daughter of Samuel Gainer, of
Preston County. Farmer and shoemaker, oavus 68 acres of
land, 20 of which is improved ; lives 8 miles Avest from St.

464 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
George ; his present wife taught schools No. 1 and 5, Lick
ing District, on a No. 2 certificate. Children : Simon P.,
John, Samuel and A. Macy.
John D. Nester, son of David Nester, was born in 1821 ;
married in 1843 to Margaret, daughter of George C. Goff;
is of German descent ; is a practical surveyor, and was
County Surveyor 10 years ; owns 206 acres of land, and has
60 under improvement, 5 miles west from St. George ; was
County Commissioner one year. Capt. Hall took him pris
oner and held him five weeks during the Avar; settled in
Licking District in 1855, and killed four bears in one day.
Children : David K., George G., Winfield Scott, Amacy S.
and Mary S.
D. S. Nester, son of Jacob Nester, Avas born in 1851, and,
like the rest of the name in that region, is of German de
scent and a farmer ; he owns 149 acres, 109 of which is wUd
land ; he lives on Bull Eun, 5 miles from St. George, and is
surveyor of roads. His chUdren are Ira P., Flora M. and
Lumma E.
John H. Nester, son of Samuel N., of Barbour county,
was born in 1841; married in 1865 to Margaret Sears.
Farmer of 70 acres, 40 acres improved ; lives 6 miles from
St. George, on Bull Eun. AVhen he was six years old he
killed a wild cat with a seng hoe. Children : Andrew J.,
E. Catherine, Lyda V., Martha J., Jasper E., Lavina P.,
Oscar, Solomon and Lawson.
Eli Nine, of German descent, son of John Nine, was born
in 1844, in Preston County ; married in 1872 to Margaret
Weaver, of Preston County. Children : Earnest and Ellis.
He is a farmer living in Canaan. His farm of 110 acres is
all Avild land but 9 acres. He has traveled to some extent.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 465
having risited NebraskaV Kansas; Indian 'Territory, Texas,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, ' Dakota, lUinois, Iowa, Missouri,
Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan
and Virginia. He practiced medicine in Missouri. He be
longs to the Homeopathic school.
Herschel M. Nester, son of G. M. Nester, born 1858,
and lived 4 mUes below St. George. In 1882 he married
Almeda Dumire, of Black Fork.
W. Scott Nester, born in 1851, is of German descent;
he ina,TTie6i Mary, daughter of Levi HiU, and his children
are : Jacob A., Ledora A., David W., Ida S., Martha A.
and James AV. He owns 700 acres of land on Hile Eun,
nine mUes from St. George. He is a farmer, carpenter,
blacksmith and surgeon. o
John O'Day, born in Ireland, 1856, and raised in London;
married Mary A. Healey, Texas, Md. Children : Andora
Alice and Margaret EUza. By trade he is a boiler-maker,
but is keeping a boarding house on the West Virginia Cen
tral and Pittsburgh EaUway.
J. S. Otes, Hving on the railroad near Thomas, was bom
1859, and is of German and Irish descent. By trade he is
a carpenter. p
Andrew S. Phillips, born 1857, son of Elijah Phillips ;
was married- in 1875, to Alice S. Nester, Their children
are PrissiUa, Sarah, Milia, Bedford and Dicy May ; owns a
farm of 96 acres, with 35 acres improved ; lives 10 miles
from St. George, on Indian Fork of Clover.
William S. Phillips, born 1852, son of J. W. S. Phillips ;
married in 1870 to Sarah M., daughter of Jacob J. Nester;

466 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
chUdren : Mathew B., Arnold W., Jacob J., Bertha J., Ji
Elwood and. baby; is a farmer owning 110 acres, -with 50
acres improved. He Hves 8 miles from St. George, on
Clover. Elijah Phillips, son of Isaac Phillips, born 1821, in
Barbour County. At the age of 20 he married Louisa H.,
daughter of John Valentine. Their children are, Isaac J.,
Absalom, Almarine, John W., Jane, Andrews, Sylvenas and
John. He has been a prominent man in the county since
its formation. He came to Tucker in 1830, and has since
been a farmer and merchant. He owns 212 acres of land
100 acres of which is improved. He lives on Brushy Fork,
10 miles from St. George.
Sylvenas Phillips, son of Elijah PhUlips; born 1859,
and married in 1880 to Mary J., daughter of E. T. Griffith.
Children : Florida, Cora May and Bertha. By occupation
he is a farmer and owns 162 acres of land, 50 acres ofwhich
is improved. He lives 10 miles from St. George.
.James E. Phillips, son of Eli PhiUips, born 1835, in
Barbour County, of English descent; married in 1859 to
Ellen, daughter of William Phillips. Children : Angerretta,
Franklin, Letcher, Truman and Cora. His wife died in
1871, and in 1872 he married Abagail, daughter of Waldo
J. Bennett, of Barbour County. He is a farmer of 41 acres
of land, with 30 acres improved ; been in Tucker County
since 1883. His second family of children are Burnetta,
Eobert D., Emerson, Eoxa N., Hider M. and Dora A.; lives
six miles from St. George, on Texas Mountain.
IsBAEL Phillips, son of John J. Phillips, bo.rn 1816, in Bar
bour County, of French and German descent; married in
1837 to Sarah, daughter of Moses Kittle, Elihu PhiUips

BBTEF BI©©EAEHIES. 467
istheir son. He is a farmer of 200 acreSj with - 70 acres im
proved ; Hves 7 mUes from St. George, on T6xas Mountain ;
was justice of the peace 4 years, sheriff 4 years, and has
been a member of the board of ediicationi
Elihu Phillips, bom 1838, married in 1858 to Martha
¦ Toakam ; lives on a farm 7 miles west of St. George ; was
postmaster for 30 years, and held the office of secretary of
the board of education. Children : Salina E., Mary A.,
Nancy E., Eachel A%, EUza O. and Sarah J.
Aenold Phillips, son of J. W. S. Phillips, of English de
scent, was married to Emily A. Yoakam. His farm of 131
acres, 60 of which is improved, is 9 miles from St. George,
on Brushy Fork. ChUdren : John L., Virginia, Jehu, Irwin,
Coleman B., Idela and SteUa J.
John L. Phillips, son of Arnold PhiUips, was born in
1863 ; owns 39 acres of land, 15 improved, 9 mUes from St.
' George ; is a school teacher, on a No. 2 certificate, having
taught schools Nos. 4, 5 and 7, Clover District.
Isaac Poling was born in 1860 ; married, 1883, to Eena
M., daughter of H. W. Shahan ; he is a farmer and lives on
Licking, 8 miles from St. George.
J. M. PiTZEE, son of J. M. Pitzer, was born 1853 in Bar
bour County ; married, in 1883, to Margaret C, daughter of
Joseph Martin ; lives 7 mUes from St. George, on Licking.
He has but one child, Lodema.
WiLLUM Plum, born 1848 in Preston County, of English
descent ; married, in 1871, to Sarah A., daughter of Martin
S. Stemple ; he is a farmer, blacksmith and carpenter ; his
farm of 137 acres is one-fifth improved ; lives 10 miles from
St. George on Long Eun. ChUdren : Martha A., Tabitha
E. and Harry M. He has been in Tucker since 1878.

468 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
D. S. PiFEE, son of Andrew Pifer, of German descent, was
born in 1855 ; married in 1875 to Sarah, daughter of Jacob
Shafer. In 1878 his wife died, and the next year he mar
ried Mattie, daughter of Joshua Shahan, of Preston County.
His farm is on Texas Mountain, 5 miles from St. George,
and contains 6§ acres, 50 of which is improved. Children :
Verna and Claudius.
CouETLAND PHILLIPS, SOU of Jchorah PhiUips, of Barbour
County, was born in 1842, and married in 1869 to Manda,
daughter of Simeon Harris. His children are, Loretta H.,
Gilbert L., Malissa O., Ginnie D., Ira E, and Icson J.; his
farm of 100 acres, with 15 acres improved, is 12 mUes from
St. George, on Haddix. He did four years of serrice in
the Confederate army, under Edward Johnson, StonewaU
Jackson and General Early. He was at Winchester at 'the
time of Banks' defeat, was in the battles of Cold Harbor,
Gettysburg (where he was wounded), was captured and
sent as a prisoner to David's Island, N. Y.; was sent home
on parole and exchanged. He was also in the fight at Fair
Oaks, Mechanicsville, Fredericksburg, Bull Eun, German-
town and Strasburg. He was twice a prisoner, and suffered
8 months imprisonment at Point Lookout, Md.
Wesley Phillips, son- of Elijah Phillips, born 1850; mar
ried in 1869 to Lucinda Yoakam ; is a farmer of 79 acres,
35 improved, 10 miles from St. George on Clover. Children :
John M. E., EUjah, Mary Ann, Uriah and Eliza.
Isaac Phillips, brother to Wesley, and 8 years older, and
married 7 years sooner to Melvina, daughter of Samuel Stal
naker, lives on Clover,^ 10 miles from St. George, on a farm
of 145 acres, 40 acres improved. Children : Truman A.,
Luisa Belle, Marietta, Sylvester, Almarine and Savilla.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 469
Marion Phillips, son of Moses Phillips, was born 1852,
and married at the age of 20 to Martha, A., daughter of John
Jones. He lives 4 mUes from St. George, on" Clover, and
has 25 acres of cleared land, and 50 acres of woods. He
was constable 8 years. ChUdren: Eunice L., Tasy C,
Henrietta, Joy D. and Zalma. i
Absalom Phillips, Elijah's son, was bom in 1844 ; mar
ried in 1868 to Louisa M., daughter of WiUiam Jefferies ;
farmer of 70 acres, 25 acres improved, on Clover, 10 mUes
from St. George ; also in the mercantUe business. MeHssa
is his only chUd.
Albert G. !I?hillips was, bom in Barbour County in 1841;
married in 1865 to Almarine, daughter of Elijah PhilUps.
ChUdren: Elijah, Jerome, CeHa, Dama and Martha J.;
farmer of 102 acres, 30 acres improved, 7 mUes from St.
George, on Clover. He was in. the Confederate army, and
passed through a number of battles unhurt, ^though his
clothes were cut seven times by buUets. He was with
Gamett at Corrick's Ford, and was in the battle of Gettys
burg and on James Eiver.
Hamilton Poling^ son of Samuel Poling, was born in 1840 ;
married EUzabeth, daughter of John Eamsey, of Barbour
County, 7 miles from St. George ; is a farmer of 100 acres,
¦with 20 of it in shape for farming. He has been in the
county since 1882. Children : Phillip, Martha, John W.,
Samuel E., Sarah F. and Margaret J.
Salathiel Phillips, son of Jacob P., of Barbour County,
was born in 1831, married in 1854, to Anice, daughter of
EH PhUlips. In 1864 his Arife died, and the next year he
married Elizabeth J. Hewit. Ten acres of his farm Of 73
acres is under cultivation, and is 7 miles from St. George,

^t^O HIST(mri OF ifiUOJO® ! OOXJNTY.
>«m -Clover Eon. Heoame ^o TtMsker -when jS ysaars -trf ,;35ge.
iGhildrenj Mary C, .Loietta- J., -SaviUa JR,.,fEmUy^.M., Jaines
iA., Eobext E. and -Margaret O,
Hobert Phhjjips, son of Jacoib EhJUipsy was boirri in 18S6,
lOf German descent. In- 1847 he mamed MalHssa, daughieor
of John Valentine, of Barbour County ; lives 6 mUes from
•St. 'George on Clover. His farm of 50 acres contains 47
raores of -wild land. He has ; been xoad surveyor 'SO years,
-meraber board of education 18 years. He kUled a bear
Triien he was only 1^ years 6ld, by shooting it in the thrOiat ;
has kiUed more than 200 deer. He was Captain trf
jniHtia before the war. Their chUdren are, ..^na, JVIette C,
Malinda J. and Joshn EUey.
Moses PniLLiPa, son of Isaac PhiHips, was bomiaBar-
bour Oouisty, January - 19, 1'830. iWhen he was 1.6 he came
Jto T,uciker,[«Bid liviad in;a'h0use ihat had iuo floor, door,
chimney oi* window. A log was out off, and the family
crept in at stMs h(Sle. , Jn- 1651 he married liamd-rajdaBghter
of WiUiaaoa -EhitUipg. Children: MariiDsn J-., Bede, Catharine,
Barbara M., Columbia J., Melvina, Lartusa E., AbrahamE.,
Adaline and M. 0. Bea:nard. He .owns a farm of 100 acres,
60 is cleared land, 6 mUes from St. George, on Texas Moiin-
tain. He was eight years justice of the peace. During the
war his sympathies leaned toward the South, and in McChes
ney's raid, Phillips was one of the fifty infantry that foUowed
toward Hannahsrille, but who did not arrive in time to take
part in the fight. He saw the battle of Corrick's Ford, but
was not in it.*
Isaac Phillips was born 1804 in Barbour County, was a
soji of Joseph PhiUips, and was of EngUsh and Dutch de-
<See pre-vious chapteis of this book for other matters relating to Closes {*iiilUp8.

BEIEF MOG(RAPHIES, 471
¦scent. He came to Tucker in 1836, and was the first siattler
on Oloveir District, He was in the Corrick's Ford battle,
•and siaw the whole af^ir. It was his opitiibn *bhalt many
Urii6n men were killed. He is one of the oldest citizens of
the county, and one of the ^pioneers. His children are :
Elijah, Enoch, Diana, Christina, Moses, Barbara, Aaron,
-George W., Samuel H., John and EUza Jane.
• P. J. Phillips, son of Jackson Phillips^ was born 1853,
married 1875 to Malinda J., daughter of Eobert Phillips.
He is a farmer irith 10 acres of cleared land on a farm of
'62 acres, 10 niiles from St. George, on Clover. His chUdrfen
are Nily M., Adaline F., Chiarles J., and Alba J.
Leonard Phillips, son of John W. S. Phillips, born 1845,
in Barbour County ; married 1865 to Hannah J., daughter of
Ji)hn Jones. Children: Larina Ann, Johh Jones W. S.,
fiaTy E., Eicha;rd C, Martha A., James M. and Thotaas W.
S.; Uves on Brushy Fbrk, 9 miles fronti St. George, on a farm
of 54 acres, ¦with 20 acres Iriiproved. He has been rpad Sur
veyor, overseer of the poor and president of the board of
education. He served two years in the Confederate army,
imder Imboden, Fitz Hugh Lee, Jackson and others. He
was in the battle of Gettysburg and WiUiamsport, At WU
Uamsport his regiment suffered terribly. Of 1100 who went
into the fight, only 250 could be found able to bear arms
when the battle was over. PhiUips became separated from
his men, and a company of cavalry charged on him. He
flung himself in a fence corner and opened fire on the ap-
"proaching enemy, who fired in return, knocking thousands
of Splinters from the rails all about him. He fired eight
femes, and held them in Check until reinforcements Came to
his rescue. At Gettysburg he Avas in the hottest fightj* and

472 • HISTOEY OF TUCKEE .COUNTY.
saw 600 wagons hauling wounded men to the rear. He was
with Imboden in some of his ihost daring raids. In theone
down Gauley Eiver, Phillips went six days Arith 'only one
meal, and that scanty. It rained on them at night, and PhU
lips lay on low ground with his blanket over him. So
fatigued was he that he did not awaken uhtU -the water was
nearly over him. Then he got up and sat qu a Iqg tUl morn
ing. In the war he never shrunk from an undertaking, no
matter, how hard or dangerous.
Magaega Paesons, son of Thomas S. Parsons, born 1858,
married 1883 to Florence E., daughter of Hu P. CoUet ; Hves
on a farm 11, miles from St. George, on Black Fork ; his farm
contains, 95 lacres, of, which 15 acres is improyed. He is
overseer of ppor.
Adonijah Phillips, bom' 1829, in Bai'bour County ; mar
ried 1849 to Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob. PhiUips ; lives
Oh a f ami 12 miles Up the river from St. George. ChUdren :
Mary, Samilel E., Minerva, Catherine^ Thomas J. and
Amanda.' ' '  \. . , . .
Nathaniel Pennington was bom 1829 in Pendleton
Co,unty, of English descent ; married 1861 to Susan, daughter
of Solomon Carr ; farmer of 200 acres, 50 acres improved ;
lives 14 miles from St. -George on Eed Eun; belonged to
the Home Guards during the war. Children : Solomon,
John, Nathaniel J., Esau, Adam, Eobert H., E. Elizabeth,
Catharine and Martin.
John Pennington, son of Nathaniel Pennington, was born
in 1860, was married in 1878 to Mary H., daughter of D. S.
Hern, of Greenbrier County;- ChUdren: Samuel S. and
Luqjla.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 473
Solomon J. Pennington, brother to John, born 1856,
married Phoebe C. Hartley, of Pendleton County, lives on a
farm 19 miles from St. George, on Dry Pork. ChUdren :
OUver, ZeUa, Mary and Martha.
HiEAM Phillips was ^bom in 1826, in Barbour, son of
WiUiam PhiUips ; lives on a farm of 165 acres, with 60
acres improved, on Black Fork, 7 miles from St. George ;
been in the county since 1849, and has caught two bears.
In 1849, he married Mary, daughter of Sarah Sargent, of
Preston County. ChUdren : Sarah M., Susan E., WiUiam
L., Henry G., James A., Harriett, Draper C, Teretha, Anna
F., Walter C, Ida J. and Haymond H.; he works in the
cooper business to some entent.
Samuel L. Phillips, son of Adonijah P^^ips, was born
1852 ; married 1877 to Minerva Weese, of Eandolph. He is
a farmer, Hving on rented land, 5 miles from St. George, on
Wolf Eun. ChUdren : Floyd, Plumber B., WiUiam Cayton
Democrat and OUve B.
A. J. Pase was bom in 1863, in Pennsylvania ; been in
Tucker since 1879 ; son of Jacob Pase, lives at Thomas, 15
mUes from St. George ; he is a laborer.
S. T. PuEKEY was born in 1848 in Barbour County, son of
L. A. Purkey, of German descent. Children : Frank,
Charles, Samuel Tilden and Lulu B. In 1871 he married
Sarah C. Ash; he was formerly a shoe maker, but is now a
farmer, living 6 miles from St. George, ou Location Eidge,
where he owns 185 acres of land, of which 35 acres is
under cultivation ; Hved ten years in St. George ; was ap
pointed and then elected constable, -was member of the
board of education, road surveyor and overseer of the
poor, and deputy sheriff under A. C. Minear. In his

%U HISTOKY OF TUCBaJE COUNTY.
younger -days he was passionately fond of driring cattle,
and in that occupation traveled over alarge poition of the
-State. S. J. Parsons was born in 1848, in the Horse Shoe, is a
son of James W. Parsons, of English descent. In 1869 he
married Emma Parsons, daughter of Squire Job Parsbrifi.
¦ChUdren : Prentis M., Hattie, Arthur Wilbur and Marvin;;
is a fatmCr, Hving one-half mile east of St. Geotge, and haS
100 acres of land Wellimproved, and 300 not so weU Culti
vated. He was one of the best hunters in the county, while
he 'followed the sport. He, C. L. and S. E. Parsons, HUefl
-31 deer in thefaU of 1870.
He met with an accident whUe hunting, arid WJiich came
near ending fataUy. He, Avith C. L. Parsons, was hrmting
'On the bluff near Sims' BottotU, and he accidently feU over
•a cliff; fell '85 feet at two faills, on sharp rocks, a'nd then
rolled WO feet further into the river. Be was 'uncon
scious from the first and has no recoUection of the
occurrence. C. L. Parsons, was born in 1841; married in 1877 to Sadie,
daughter of J. M. Jenkins. Children : Boyd M., Bcrtie E.
¦and Delton. He is a -farmer, living 3 miles from St. George,
on Jonathan- Eun, on a farm of 160 acres, of which 70 acres
is improved. He lost his left arm in 1874, in a threshing
machine. He was one of S. J. Parsons' comrades the faU
that 31 deer were killed. He was with him when he feU
over the cHff, -and he saved -him from drowning,
Joseph Passons, son of WiUiam E. Parsons, and owner of
the old Horse Shoe Farm, was borii in 1842 and lEaarried. ia
1872 to Margaret J., datighter of Adam H. Long. Childfe'Q :
WilUam E., Florence M., Minnie <and Bascom, Mr. Parsoitia

BEIEF ©lOtS'EAPHIES. *t75
ig-one of thermost eiftensive farmers in the county. He has
500 acres under improvement, and nearly 'that mudh uriim-
proved.; lives in the Hx>rse Shoe, three miles from St.
George, He attended the West Virginia University 8
jnontha, was county superintendent one term and county
surveyor two terms. During the war he was taken prisoner
by KeUy and carried to Wheeling, but was soon liberated.
He was a school teacher in his younger days.
* I. C. Poling was born in 1850 in Barbour County, son of
]krael PoHng.iof EngUsh, Irish and German descent ; married
•in 1870 to Anna, daughter of Eobert PhiUips. Children :
JFannie B., John W., Ida M. and Laura Etta ; is a farmer,
ovsming-fiS :acres, 7 acres improved, 6 mUes from St. Georgei,
on Clover Eun. He has been in Tucker since 1868.
Heney 'G. ' PHHiLiPS, son of Hiram PhiUips, was "born in
1855, married in 1881 to' Winnie A. Somerfield, Of Earidoilffli
<Gowa.ty. -ChUdren : tS-ranrille T. arid Hiram J. He "Hvias
lOimUeg from St. George, on Elaiek Fork.
William E. Phaees, was bom in 1854, son of J. W. Phares,
of Eandolph County, of Irish and German descent.^ married
in 1878 to Phcebe P., daughter of Solomon Ferguson. ChU-
^en: WUUaan H., J«^hn F. and Mary J.; farmer -of 150
acres, '30 %cres impi^oved, ^n -Cloyer Eun, 8 miles frOm St.
<G«orge. He has been in Tuicfcer «ince 1881.
JjEVi H. Pase, of Pennsylvania, was bom in 1857, son of
'5ac6?b Pase, of German descent ; • married, 1883, to ¦ Lizzie,
iftanghter df Joseph 'Milter ; be has one child, Wiffiam H.,
'vttd. Kves at Thoirias.
Geoege W. Pase, son of Jacob Pase, of Pennsylvania,
boxja, 18i56; B!tar]a^,'18Sl,'to Mai^aret Mnalleoax ; he Uvea

476 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY-
at Thomas, and is a laborer in the mines and on the raU-
road. Their chUd's name is Maud.
Frank Pifee, son of Andrew Pifer, was born 1852. He
is of German descent, and is a mechanic and farmer ; spent
several years in the city of Parkersburg, and in 1880 went
West to Kansas City and stayed a few days. He has trav
eled to a considerable extent over the States' east of the
Missouri Eiver.
A. B. Paesons,* son of W. W. Parsons, born 1844, of
English descent; married Eachael, daughter of W. E.
Parsons. In his early life he followed farming, then school
teaching and then the profession of the law. He has been
school commissioner, secretary of the board of education,
county surveyor and prosecuting attorney ; was a mem
ber of the St. Geprge town councU, and held other smaU
offices ; was elected prosecuting attorney in 1876. In
1882 he was elected to represent Tucker and Eandolph in
the legislature. Be is a Democrat, and is a prominent
leader of the factional politics of his county. He owns
property in different parts of the county, and has valuable
lots and houses in St. George, where he resides.
S. E. Phillips, born 1860, son of. J. U. S. PhUUps, of
English descent ; married, 1878, to Mary E., daughter of
Wesley Channel ; is a farmer, owning 47 acres of land.
Children : Hattie M., Eisse, Zona Jane, and James ElUott.
S. E. Paesons, son of J. W. Parsons, was born 1838 in the
Eorse Shoe where he now resides, near the site of the old
stockade fort of Indian times. Be is a descendent of the
ParSonses who first came to the Borse Shoe. Capt. James
* See History of the St. Oeorge Bar, In this book, tor further notice ot Mr. Parsons.

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 477
Parsons, the ancestor of one branch of the family, was mar
ried several times. The last marriage was when he was
near 80 years of age. Dr. Solomon Parsons was a son of
James Parsons by this last marriage. Dr. Solomon was the
grandfather of S. E. Parsons.
S. E. Parsons was married 1864 to Adaline Parsons. Bis
chUdren are: Etta Irene, Edgar J., and James M. Be is a
farmer and stockman. Bis Borse Shoe farm is the oldest
and one of the very finest in the county. Part of it has
been under cultivation over one hundred years. It contains
174 acres, of which 150 acres is highly improved. Bis resi
dence stands on an elevation overlooking the river bottoms
on three sides, and on the fourth side, half mile away, rises
the high ridge, called Sims' Mountain. The spot is one of
great beauty. The Borse Shoe is seen in all its greeness in
the summer time, and fine farms extend on every side.
Besides his Borse Shoe farm, he has nearly 4000 acres of
land, some wild and some improved, iri different parts of
the county. Be has always been a man of influence in the
county, haring been justice 7 years, commissioner of schools
several years, president of the county court four years, and
held other offices of trust and profit. In the war he was a
supporter of the Union cause. The men who came Arith
McChesney, took him prisoner as they returned, after Mc
Chesney had been killed. They took him to Eich Mountain,
and when Gamett retreated, he carried Parsons along, hav
ing tied him and AVUliam Bebb together. The night that
the army passed up Bog Back, Parsons untied himself and
leaped over a bank to escape. Several shots were dis
charged at him, but he escaped. Be belonged to no mUitary
organization during the war. Be lives three mUes from St.
George.

478 HISTOEX:OF TUCKEE. COUNTY.
C. S. Pabsons, brother of A. B. Piairsons,.of St. George,,
was born in 1845, and married in 1876 to Sarah E.. MUler,
daughter of Darid Miller. Children : Leland W. and
Hester A. Be is a f armet and lives four mUes from St.
George, on a farm of 67 acres, vrith 40 acres iriiproved.
Jesse Paesons, son of W. E. ParsonSj was born in 1825,
and in 1847 married Catharine, daughter of Solomon Par
sons. ChUdren : . WiUiam L. , Mary Samantha, EUza, George
T. and Melvin W. ; is a. farmer and owns 532 acres of. land,
vrith 80 acres improved, four miles above St. George, in the
lower part of the BoUy Meadows ; he was the first sheriff of
Tucker County, having been elected twice in the saine year
to that office. In the war he was southern in his incHna-
tions, and he was' taken prisoner by Nathaniel Lambert
and was carried to WheeUng on some pretended charge.
After he had lain in jail one day, he was sent home, to be
again arrested by Frank Purinton. This time he was taken
to Clarksburg, and had to lie in jail five days.
Job Paesons is a son of Solomon Parsons, and was born
in 1820. In 1841 he married Jemima Ward, daughter of
Adonijah Ward; his wife died in 1853 and he married
Eunice J., daughter of James Long, in 1872. ChUdren:
Analiza, Martha Jane, Solomon A., James W., Mary
Jemima, AUce, Ward and Perry. Be- lives in the BoUy
Meadows, 6 mUes from St. George, where he owns 700
acres of land, of which 160' acres is under cultivation. Be
has been a county officer and held office in Eandolph
before the formation of Tucker ; he says that quite a num
ber of wounded Union soldiers were in Washington Par
sons' house after the battle of Corrick's Ford, which goes
to substantiate the belief that their loss was greater than
their account makes it.

BEIHF BIOGEAPHEEa 47.9:
Ward Pabsons, born 1827, son of Solomon^. Parsons,
was married 1848 to Sarah H., daughter of. WiUiam E, Par
sons. ChUdren: Lloyd, Burnitte, Carrie, Elizabeth and
Lemuel W. Be is a farmer,:Hving on Shaffer's Fork,.8 miles
from St. George. Bis farm of 1000 acres has 375 acres im
proved. Bis personal property was all destroyed by Yan
kees during the war, and 100 of Latham's men tried to cap
ture him, shooting at him, and the baUs throwing sand over
him. Be was elected sheriff in, 1876.
Geoege M. Paesons, son of Isaac Parsons, was born in
1800. When he was 21 years of age he walked to Ohio
with WUUam Losh, Nicholas Parsons and Daniel Du
mire.* Be crossed the Ohio- at SistersviUe. Be remained
6 months, got the ague and came back. Be went again, on
horseback, in 1844. Be owns 1600 acres of land, Arith
400 acres improved. Be lives at the mouth of Coburn
Eun, 5 miles from St. George. Be and N. M. Parsons are
in partnership.
James D. Peopst, son of W. B. Propst, born 1852 in Green
brier County, of English and German descent ; married 1875
to Eliza A., daughter of Thomas J. Bright. Be owns
50 acres of land, half improved, 14 miles above St. George.
ChUdren : Austin B., and Eosa Dell.
Thomas Paesons, born 1834, died 1873, son of James Par
sons. Bis farm of 330 acres was in the BoUy Meadows,
5 mUes from St. George. ChUdren : Signora D., Magarga,
Isabel, Cyrus Baymond, Eufus Maxwell, Irona Jane and
Eebecca E.
James E. Paesons, born 1814, 4 mUes from St; George ;
married 1837 to Mahala, daughter of Joshua Mason. Chil-
* See another chapter of this book.

480 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
dren : Cornelius, Susana, MarsUla, Nancy, Luther, Joshua,
Thomas, Eobert, Barriet and Emily. Be is a farmer Hving
14 mUes from St. George on Shafer's Fork. Be owns 345
acres of land, of which 150 acres is improved. AVhUe Tucker
belonged to Eandolph he was justice four years and consta
ble eleven years.
William B. Peopst, of Bath County, Va., was born 1822,
and is of German and Irish descent ; married 1844 to EUen
Biser, of Greenbrier County. Children : Elizabeth, Jane,
Thomas P., James D., George L. P., Alfred F. and Charles
W. Be is a farmer of 75 acres, one -third improved, on
Pleasant Eun, 12 miles from St. George. Be was in the
service of the Southern Confederacy, in the shoemaking
department. Geoege L. P. Propst, son of William, was bom in 1859.
In 1876 he married Angelina, daughter of John M. Bans-
ford; he is a farmer, living 12 miles from St. George.
Children : Emma Catharine, Julia Ann, John B. and
Alonso B.
Thomas P. Propst was born in 1850, in Greenbrier
County. In 1877 he married Virginia M., daughter of
Thomas J. Bright. Children : Charles W., Mary E. and
James M. T.; he is a farmer and schoolteacher, and owns
109 acres of land on Pleasant Eun, and has taught three
schools. Thomas B. Parsons, son of James E. Parsons, was born
in 1849. In 1874 he married Bannah Channel, of Barbour
County. Children : Cornelius S., Jasper K. and Upton G.;
he is a farmer and blacksmith, with 400 acres of land, one-
fourth improved, on Shafer's Fork, 14 miles from St. George.
J. W. Pifer, son of Andrew Pifer, was bom in 1861 ; he
is a farmer and mail-carrier.

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 481
Nicholas M. Paesons was born in 1812, at the mouth,
of Coburn Eun, where he has ever since lived. Bis
ancestry were the same family who first came from Moore
field to Tucker; he owns about 1600 acres of land. In
1882 he married Eegana Teeter. Their child's name is
George J.
Lloyd Paesons, bom 1848, at Alum Bill; married, 1872,
to Anna C, daughter of William Bansford, of Black Fork ;
was constable at one time. Bis farm of 244 acres On Shaf
er's Fork, has twenty acres improved.
A. S. PiFEE, born, 1863, on Pifer Mountain, is a son of
Andrew Pifer, of German descent, and is a farmer and mail
carrier. Jacob Pennnigton, bom, 1849, in Eandolph County, of
German and Irish descent ; married iu 1869 to Mary J.,
daughter of John G. Johnson, of Lewis County. Children :
George W., Jarrstt B., Minnie, A. Bennett and Job Par
sons. Be worked at the silversmith trade in Weston, under
Er. Ealston, and also under Lambrach, of Cincinnati. Be
came to Tucker in 1880, and now owns a farm of 418 acres
on Eed Creek, 28 mUes from St. George.
Jacob Pase was born in Pennsylvania, and is of German
descent ; was married in Pennsylvania. Children : Geo.
W., Leri B., Ames M.,* John B., Andrew J., Jacob O.,
Amanda M., Lavina J., Eliza J. and Sarah S.; he lives at
Thomas, and his house was the first one there.
John. I. Peopst, of German descent, was born 1824 in
Highland County, Va., and was married in 1846 to Delila
McClung, of Greenbrier County. Be and his vsdfe were di-
•AmesM. Pase died 1883 of lock Jaw, caused by a severe cut on the foot, received.
with a broad-axe, whUe hewing logs for a house.
31

482 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Torced in 1850, and he married Elizabeth Furguson, widow
of EUis Furguson, of Eandolph County. His second Arife
died 1881 and he married Mary, Aridow of Samuel Kaler.
Children : Hiram, Clorinda C, and John E. He has been
rin Tucker since 1859, having come from Greenbrier County ;
lives 8 miles above St. George and has 139 acres of land,
one-half tilled ; is overseer of the poor and member of the
board of education. Be has killed eight bears. With one
he had a remarkable fight, hand to paw, and after shooting
the bear, and pounding it generally, it fledand left him mas
ter .of the field.
John E. Peopst, son of the foregoing, Hves 8 mUes from
St. George, near his father's. Be was born in 1859.
A. C. P.0WELL, born in 1849, of German descent, was
married in 1879 to EUzabeth, daughter of Johnson Goff.
Children: Sarah V., Mary A., Nancy F., Nettie, DeUie
May, Myrta and Eosa Lee. Bis farm of 30 acres, 8 miles
beloAv St. George, has 8 acres improved. Be was in the
Confederate army three years, and was in a battle where
old Ben Butler tried to storm the entrenchment, but faUed
to accomplish anything. After he left the Confederate army
he entered the Union army and served six months. Be was
in no general battle, but had a ball shot through his arm,
and his coat cut off by a saber.
Baymond B. Phillips was born in 1865. In 1882, at the
age of 17, he married Floyd Belmick, of the Sugar^Lands,
aged 15. They ran off to Maryland and got married.
I. W. Poling was born in 1864 ; is a son of Albert Poling ;
is a farmer and lives 4 miles from St. George on Clover Eun.
Job Paesqns, generally known by the name of "'Squire
Job," was born in Tucker County in 1789„ and died in 1883.

P, Lipscomb

Jeff Lipscomb

A. T Bonnifield

Job Parsons

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 483
He was a remarkable man in more ways than one. He
possessed a powerful constitution, and he seemed capable of
enduring almost anything. His weight was 250 pounds,
and there was not on him a pound of superfluous flesh. In
the War of 1812 he was a soldier, and was sent to the North
West to fight the Indians. He was at Fort Meigs and at
other posts throughout that country; and when the war
was over, he returned to his home in Tucker. His prin
cipal occupation was farming, although he engaged in
stock-raising, merchandising and in running a grist-mill.
He lived in the HoUy Meadows, and Job's Ford is named
from him. Bis farm was caUed the " Job Place," and is that
now owned by the Swisher Brothers.
As a second Arife, he married Sarah Losh, daughter of
Stephen Losh, and raised a large family of respected chil
dren. Bis house was open Avith its hospitaUties to all ;
and, the traveler whose good fortune brought him to that
door at night, was always received with welcome, and in
the morning, there was not a cent to pay. Parsons was a
great lover of hunting, and always kept a large pack of
hounds. It was his deUght to hear them cross the distant
mountains, deeply baying on the trail of a deer. Such
sport was formerly much indulged in by the people along
the river. Numerous hounds were trained to hunt down
the deer and chase them to the river, where they were shot
by hunters vnth long-ranged rifles. A deer-hunt was the
occasion for the manifestation of the fullest spirit of sport.
No sooner had
The deep-mouthed bloodhound's heavy bay
Resounded up the rocky way
Than the whole country along the river was in commotion,
horsemen mounting in hot haste and galloping off to inter-

484 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
cept the deer in its passage of the river. The whole time,
from the first cry of the hounds at early morn untU the
chase ended by the death of the deer, often at evening, was
one continuous train of excitement and pleasure, surely not
less than that of the high-born EngUshmen, who go Adid
over a fox chase, or kiU thousands of dollars worth of
horses to catch a hare.
But, the days of this kind of hunting in Tucker are about
numbered. The bay of the hounds is seldom heard any
more, and many of the old hunters are passed away, some
to distant countries and some to that mysterious realm
whence none ever return.
AVhen the civil war came on. Job Parsons was a warm
sympathizer with the South, and never let pass an opportu
nity of expressing his preference. In consequence, he was
much annoyed during the war, by such petty leaders as
Ball, Latham and KeUogg. Bis property was destroyed or
carried off, and himself was made to submit to indignities
from the guerrUla soldiery who boasted that they were sav
ing the Union. If saving the Union must be done by tor
menting as good a citizen as Job Parsons, it might be
questioned whether it deserved saring. The fact that his
house was open to aU was made a reason for persecuting
him. Be kept Eebels whenever they wanted to be kept,
and did the same for the Yankees, although it was hard to
extend to them as hearty a welcome. The last night of
Lieutenant McChesney's life was spent in Job Parsons'
house. After Imboden's second raid, the Union troops sent up
from Eowlesburg failed to find any of the Eebels who had
paroled Ball, and thought to get something of satisfaction
by carrying off the property of those citizens who sympa-

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 485
thized with the South. As Job Parsons was well known to
be southern in his proclirities, his property was not safe,
and he knew it. AVhen he learned that the Yankees were
coming, he caught up some of the best of his horses and
hurried them off to a hiding place, near the YeUow Eock,
along the river between Job's Ford and Alum BUl. Scarcely
had he reached the place of concealment when he was seen
by Yankees, who peered through spy glasses to search out
every nook and comer of the woods. They saw the horses
and started for them. Ee was by his property, and had his
old hunting rifle with him. When he heard the foot-falls of
some one passing over the rocks, he was on the alert, and
when the blue coats were seen filing up the path, he threw
his rifle to his shoulder, and in a stentorian voice, called :
" Halt !" The Yankees stopped and stood like cowards untU
he again spoke to them, when they mustered up courage
to ask him who he was. He told them, and they at once
took him prisoner and captured his horses. They disarmed
him, and made him walk before, whUe they rode the horses.
When they reached his home, they ordered dinner, and af
ter they had eaten, they proceeded to St. George, stiU car
rying away the horses and taking him as a prisoner.
Be walked in front of the soldiers, untU the indignities
which they heaped upon him became greater than he could
bear. Suddenly wheeling in the road, he poured upon them
a tirade of invectives, telUng them that he had fought the
British to make this country free, and now that freedom
was denied him. They were making light of his words,
when he showed himself in earnest by snatching up a stone.
They saw the movement, and leaped from their horses to
avoid it. Be advanced with deUberation and mounted one

486 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
of the horses and rode off, tearing the unhorsed man to tod
dle along on foot.
Job Parsons died in the winter of 1883, and was buried at
St. George. R.
Joshua Eobinson, son of John O. Eobinson, was born in
1834, and in 1864 was married to EUzabeth, daughter of
Jacob Spangler. ChUdren : Mary L., Sarah E., Jacob B.,
Noah A, Flora D., Manda J. and Laura A. Be is a farmer,
blacksmith and merchant ; lives 9 miles below St. George, on
Louse Camp, where he owns 50 acres of improved and 59
of unimproved land.
Be was in the BannahsriUe skirmish, where McChesney
was killed. Be was at the river on the morning of June 29,
1861, shooting fish, and was arrested by Captain MUler,
who was dressed in A. B. Bowman's "every-day" clothes.
Eobinson was pressed ihto service, and made to do duty as
a guard ; he was in the midst of the fight and saw one
man's brains shot out, but was himself unhurt.
G. W. Shoemakee, of Irish and English descent, son of
John Shoemaker, of Eandolph, was bom in 1861. In 1880
he married Barbara, daughter of Jacob Myers. ChUdren:
Annie E. and Benry C; lives 3 miles from St. George, on
Clover. Andeew Eosiee, born 1863, married 1882 to Catharine
Croston. Absalom Eosiee, born 1848, married 1874 to C. C, daugh
ter of John 0. Smith ; rents land 9 miles from St. George,
on Clover. Children : Thomas B., Lafayette, Mary and
Jennie. David E. Eoot, son of George Eoot, of Preston, of Ger-

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 487
man descent, bom 1847; married 1872 to Margaret, daughter
of Darid Closs ; Hves on a farm of 160 acres, of which 60
acres is improved, 10 miles from St. George on Closs
Mountam. Children : John, George E., Duncan, WUUam,
Darid and Agnes. He has been in Tucker since 1872, and
followed the blacksmith trade several years, but is now
a farmer. Owen Eiordan, whose name occurs in this book in the
history of the W. Va. and Pittsburg E, E., was born in the
County of Cork, in Ireland, 1826, and came to America in
1854. Be has spent the greater portion of his time among
the mines of Maryland, of which State he has been a resi
dent untU quite recently. Be now lives in Tucker County.
Be commenced as a coal digger, and raised from one posi
tion to another until he became inspection of mines. Be
was elected justice of the peace, and served one year ; but
a change in the politics of Maryland required all officers to
swear to support certain doctrine which Eiordan refused to
do, and resigned. Be was afterwards appointed justice and
served 12 years. In 1865, he was appointed Eegistrar of
votes, and in 1867 was made mine manager of the Atlantic
Company ; had charge of the inside works of mines for 12
years. In 1868 he was appointed mine inspector of Mary
land — a State office, and served two years. In 1880 he was
employed by Senator B. G. Davis to prospect the various
counties of West Virginia for minerals ; has been engaged
in this more or less since. In 1884 he was appointed Supt.
of the mines of the W. Va. C. and P. E. E.
In 1854 he married Bannah Sheehan, of Ireland. Child
ren : Mary, Michael, Ellen, Joseph, Eugene and Anna.
A. L. Eogers, of English descent, from Eockbridge
County, Va., was born in 1856. In 1877 he married Mattie

488 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Eobinson, of his native county. Children : Girtha M.,
Amos Ashby and Oscar U.; is a saA?yer on a steam-miU,
and owns 250 acres of land in Canaan.
William Eains, son of Gabriel Eains, was bom in 1826,
in Pendleton County, of Irish and English descent. In
1849 he married Malinda Bedrick, of Eandolph County.
Children: James E., Catharine, Margaret, Eobert L., Ida
Belle, AVilliam, Gilbert and Albert G. Be owns 100 acres
of land on Dry Fork, 26 mUes from St. George; has
been in the mercantile business five years, and has been
post-master at Eed Creek the same time ; has been in
Tucker since 1867, and has been a member of the board of
education, justice of the peace and county commissioner.
The latter office he held four years ; is a man of solid
business qualities, and exerts a good influence in his
neighborhood. C. E. Euffin was bom in 1857, in Albemarle County, Va.,
son of F. G. Euffin, and a lineal descendant of Thomas
Jefferson. The relation Avas on his mother's side ; was
raised AA'ithin four miles of Montecello, the place of Jeffer
son's residence. In 1879 he left Virginia, and went to
Illinois, where he remained till 1883, when he went to
Texas, the extreme N. AV. panhandle. Be Avas a vaquerro
on the ranch of Curtis and Atkinson. They carried 32,000
cattle on the Deamond Stem Eanch. They had other
ranches of, perhaps, as many cattle. Euffin returned to
Virginia the same year, and in October, 1883, came to
Canaan to look after the interests of the Canaan Valley
Blue Grass and Improvement Company, Avhose lands
aggregate 5,000 acres. The Company was organized in
October, 1883, by capitalists of Maryland and Virginia.

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 489
The object is to clear the timber from the whole ranch, and
make of it a cattle farm.
C. E. Euffin attended the Potomas Academy at Alexandra
two years, and the University of Virginia one year.
G. W. Eyan was born in 1855, in Eandolph County, is a
son of John J. Eyan, of Irish and German descent. In
1880 he married Burnette, daughter of Ward Parsons. Bis
regular business is house painter and paper hanger; for
merly lived in St. George, where he held various corpora
tion offices. At present he Hves on a farm two raUes from
St. George in the Borse Shoe.
D. W. Eyan, brother of G. W., was bom in Eandolph, in
1858. In 1882 he married Tabitha, daughter of W. W. Par
sons and sister of A. B. Parsons. Eyan lived in Eandolph
untU his 16th year, when he came to Tucker ; is a house
painter. Amby Eains was born in 1843, in Pendleton County,
brother to WilUam Eains. In 1868 he married Bannah,
daughter of Ebenezer Flanagan ; farmer, 25 miles from St.
George, on Dry Fork, 130 acres, 50 improved. ChUdren :
Gabriel, Jacob, Martin L., Martha L., Ada E., Carrie a*i
Harriet C.
Elijah Eoy, son of Simon K. Eoy, born 1859 ; married
1880, to Martha, daughter of WUUam Flanagan ; lives 28
miles from St. George, on Dry Fork. Children : J. Madison
and baby.
Simon K. Eoy, father of Elijah Eoy, of English descent,
was born 1827 ; married 1849 to Sidney, daughter of John
Pennington. Children : Melrina, Adam K., Simeon K.,
Elijah, MaHssa and Laura ; lives on a farm 28 miles from
St. George, on Dry Fork. He kiUed five pantKers at one

490 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
time, as he reports, and has killed more than a dozen al
together. Sdceon K. Eoy, son of the foregoing, born 1855 ; married
1883 to Edna, daughter of Columbus Wolford, and lives on
Eed Creek, 28 mUes from St. George, and oavus a farm of
110 acres, 30 acres of which is improved.
W. D. Eains, bom 1863 in Pendleton County, son of
Phoebe Belmick. Be is knoAvn by the name of " BiUy Bar
low," and he lives on the raUroad near Fairfax.
John W. Eichards was born 1843 in Barrison County,
son of WilUam ' M. Eichards, of English and Turkish de
scent ; married 1872 to Floried EUey. Children : Earl D.,
Earnest C, Everal W. and Flora.
Gabriel Eains, born 1808, in Pendleton County, son of
James Eains, of Irish and English descent ; married 1826 to
Margaret Lawrence. Children: WiUiam, Eli P., Amby and
Elizabeth ; he Hves on Eed Creek, 26 miles from St. George.
James W. Eunner, son of PhUip Eunner, was born 1849
in Preston County, and was married 1872 to Sarah, daughter
o^WiUiam Bovater. Children : Grant, MarceUus, Florence,
Clara A., Charles, Philip T. and Mary J ; is a farmer of
92 acres with 23 acres improved ; 8 miles from St. George.
T. A. EiDENOUR, born 1863 in Eowlesburg, son of Aaron
C. Eidenour ; is a rafter on the river, working princi
pally, with Thomas P. Bebb and William B. Lipscomb, the
two most noted rafters on the river.
Eli p. Eains, son of Gabriel Eains, was born 1829 in Pen
dleton, County, and married 1857 to Malinda AVhite. ChU
dren : Isaiah A. and Eebecca Susan ; owns 139 acres of
land with 50 acres tiUed, 20 miles from St. George, on Dry

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 491
Pork. He belonged to the Home Guards during the war.
John Both was born in Germany in 1819, and in 1833
saUed for America. After eight weeks on the ocean, he
landed in Baltimore. He worked at various occupations
the first years after he landed, untU, in 1842, he married
Maria Frederick, of Germany. ChUdren: Margaret Ann,
Martha Elizabeth, Louisa, Sophia, Sarah, Emma, Almeda
and WUUam; his Arife died, 1879, and in 1880 he was mar
ried to Mrs. EUzabeth, -widow of Andrew Pifer. He farmed
twenty-three years in the Glades, and then came to St.
George and opened a dry goods store.
s.
William F. Shahan was bom in 1852, in Preston County,
and married in 1879, M. L., daughter of Samuel Nester; has
bee'n in Tucker since 1872, and Hves on a rented farm in
Licking District, 9 mUes from St. George. Children :
Louisa C. C. and Sarah E.
John A. Stull, of German descent, and a son of James
StuU, was bom in 1851, and in 1873 he married Lyda,
daughter of Samuel Nester ; has 10 acres of cleared land on
a farm of 123 acres, five miles from St. George, on BuU
Eun. He has been in Tucker since 1871, and is road sur
veyor. Children : Sarah E., Florence B., Winfield C, E.
B., Sriver and Sabina J.
Andrew Shafer son of WiUiam Shafer, was born in 1853,
and married in 1877 to Martha A. Bolyard, of Preston County.
ChUdren : Olive, Walter, Nora, Beriha and Tasker. Far
mer, 81 acres, 50 acres improved, and lives 7 miles from St.
George, on Brushy Fork.
Jacob P. Shafer son of William P., was bom in 1847, in
Barbour Coimty. In 1868 he married Catharine J.,

492 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
daughter of John Varner. Farmer, 200 acres, 50 acres im
proved, Hves 9 mUes from St. George, on Brushy Fork,
ChUdren : Leonard, Isaac See, Sarah M. and WUUam S.
Adam Shafee, of German descent, son of Jacob, P., was
bom in 1822 on the ocean. Be was married in 1848 in
Preston County, to EUzabeth, daughter of John M. Pitzer;
130 acres of his 200-acre farm is improved. Be lives 7
miles from St. George, on Bmshy Fork. ChUdren : John
AV., Nancy E., Barbara S., George W., Jefferson D., Jenisa
Ann and WUliam E.
Benry Shafer was bom in 1833, son of J. P. Shafer, of
Barbour County ; was married in 1852 to Nancy E.,
daughter of J. M. Pitzer. Farmer, of 105 acres vnth 40
improved, on Texas Mountain, 6 miles from St. George.
Ee has been in Tucker since 1869 and was 2 years road
surveyor. Children : John M., William B. and Mathew M.
Be was in the Confederate army 12 days ; went home and
got his leg broken by a kick from a horse. Be was also a
prisoner 12 days in the Union army. Eis grandfather came
from Germany, and his father fought in the Avar of 1812.
J. E. Shafer, son of Jacob Shafer, was born in 1851. In
1874 he married Mary C, daughter of Benry Eigaway. Be
farms 30 acres of a 123-acre farm, 5 miles from St. George,
on Texas Mountain ; was in Missouri six months whUe
young, and after he came back, he worked six years on the
railroad. ChUdren : WiUard P., WiUis P., Nittie Sibble and
Paisy.* Jacob Shafer, son of John P., of Barbour County, was
born in 1822, and married in 1846 to Juda, daughter of John
Fitzwater ; is a farmer with 80 acres of cleared land and 28
? The peculiarity of these names Is worthy of local hlatoiy.

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 493
acres of woodland, 6 miles from St. George on Texas Mount
ain ; has been in Tucker since 1846 ; was at one time
captain in a company of mUitia ; is a member of the M. P.
Church, and is an exhorter. Children : John W., Mary C,
Jacob E., Martha S., Annie E., James M. and Albert M.
John M. Shafer was bom in 1856, son of Benry Shafer,
and is of German descent. In 1884 he married Anrina E.,
daughter of Jonathan Murphy. Be is a farmer and school
teacher. A Hst of his certificates may be seen by consulting
another chapter of this book.
In 1883 he was elected superintendent of schools of
Tucker County ; lives 6 mUes from St George on Texas
Mountain. D. N. Shafer, son of Daniel S., born 1860, married 1882
to Eliza BeUe, daughter of Isaac PhUlips. Mary E. is his
only child. Be owns 38 acres of land, 9 miles from St.
George, on Clover.
C. J. Schoonover, a farmer liring on Cheat Eiver, 14 miles
above St. George, was born in Eandolph County, 1839, being
a son of Thomas Schoonover. In 1865 he married Susan,
daughter of James E. Parsons, and she having died in 1870,
he married, in 1879, Eachael E. Bowman, daughter of Benry
V. BoAraaan, who was murdered by Yankees during the war.
ChUdren : Carl W., Barriet E., James T., Adaline C, A.
Ward and Sansom C. Mr. Schoonover lived two years Ayith
Dr. Bonnifield during the war.
Benry Snyder, of German and Irish descent, son of John
Snyder, born in Eandolph County, 1849; married,'1870, Mary
E., daughter of Solomon Boner ; has been in Tucker since
1877, and owns a farm of 314 acres, 155 improved, on Dry
Fork, 20 miles from St. George. Ee was in several. skir-

494 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
mishes during the war, but was unhurt, except by one of
his own men, and when a horse ran over him. Ee was
elected constable and resigned after one year. Children :
Clara B., Bulda Jane, John Solomon, PauHna, Martin V.,
Eiley B., and baby.
Isaac Smith, born 1843, in Pendleton County, and mar
ried, 1866, to Clorinda, daughter of Joab Carr. Ee is a
farmer, 250 acres, 50 acres improved, on Dry Fork, 24 miles
from St. George ; has been in Tucker since 1877, and has
been road surveyor ; he taught the Bonner school one term
on a No. 5 certificate. Children : George W., Sarah E.,
Daniel, Mary Jane, Ida, Margaret, Flora, Abraham L. and
Charles. Be was a soldier in the war, under Col. Latham.
Thomas E. Shillingburg, born, 1860, in Grant County, of
German descent, and son of J. AV. ShUlingburg, is in the
firm of Shillingburg and DuUng ; was married July 4, 1883,
to Lina Chisholm, of Garrett County, Md. Elmer P., is his
only chUd.
Lewis C. Shaffer, born, 1851, in Pi-eston County, son of
Jacob Shaffer, of German descent, married, 1878, to Sarah
J., daughter of David Closs. Children : Oscar C, Agnes
and Mary. Be foUowed the carpenter trade six years, and
then purchased a farm of 124 acres on Closs Mountain, and
has since resided there.
Jacob Shaffee, born; 1825, in Preston County, son of Te-
walt Shaffer, married, 1850, to Sarah Goff, of Maryland.
ChUdren : Lewis, George C, and Martha. Be is a carpen
ter and lives 10 miles from St. George, on Closs Mountain.
Charles E. Street, born, 1835, in Virginia, of English
descent ; married, 1853, to Catharine J. Bowman, of Virginia.
Children : William A., Carrie V., Susan M., Sarah M., and

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 495
George L.; has taught six schools in Tucker County, aU on
No. 1 certificates. Eis family live in Barbour.
George W. Shahan, of Irish descent, born in Preston,
1830, son of George Shahan. In 1851 he married Luisa
Boffman ; owns 111 acres of land on Licking, and has 20
acres improved, 8 miles from St. George. Be was in the
Confederate army under Gamett. Children : WUliam P.,
Minerva, Christiana, Mary C, George E., Eichard J., Olive
J. and Carolina.
Benry J. Shrader, son of Benry Shrader, of German de
scent, Avas born at Lead Mine, 1853. In 1881 he married
Sarah S., daughter of Garrett Long, of BoUy Meadows.
Children : Addie Alma and Lillie Alberta ; is the founder
of Fairfax, as Eastham is the founder of Daris ; moved to
Fairfax March 28, 1883. Ee is a contractor, overseer and
manager on the railroad.
William F. Shahan, born, 1852, son of George Shahan ;
married to Mitchel Nester in 1880. Children : Louisa and
Sarah M. Bis farm contains 111 acres, with 20 acres im
proved, 8 mUes from St. George, on Licking.
W. F. Stout, of Barrison County, born, 1859 ; married,
1883, to Barriet, daughter of Coleman Sdhoonover ; Hves
two miles below St. George, and follows lumbering as a
business. John A. Shaffer, of Preston Cpunty, of German descent,
was born in 1849 ; married in 1870 to Sophia, daughter
of John Eoth, of Garrett County," Maryland. ChUdren :
Boward C, Faith A., EthielE. and Lulu B. Be has fol
lowed the occupation df farming and merchandising, and is
by trade a carpenter and mechanic. Be is now keeping hotel
in St. George ; he was in the Union army during the war.

496 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
and for awhUe was stationed at Wheeling and at one time '
was ordered to Staunton, but never reached it.
S. N. Swisher, son of David Swisher, was bom in Bamp-
shire County in 1848 ; he is of German, French, Swiss and
EngUsh descent ; he gets his Swiss from the Svnshers and
his English from the Bonifields. In 1875 he married Mary
S., daughter of Jesse Parsons. Children : Minnie B. and
Scott N. Be has taught eleven schools — three in Bamp-
shire County, two in Mineral and six in Tucker ; he is a
number one teacher, but has now retired from the profes
sion and has turned his whole attention to farming ; he came
to Tucker in 1873 and bought a farm on Borse Shoe Eun,
five miles from St. George. It contains 80 acres of im
proved land and 94 acres of wUd land. Bis farm is in the
very best condition, and is a model of modern agriculture.
Besides his Borse Shoe Eun farm, he has a half interest in
the Job Parsons farm, in the BoUy Meadows, five mUes from
St. George. It contains 327 acres, Arith 120 acres improved.
In 1869 he was a brakeman on the B. & O. E. E. from Pied
mont to Grafton ; he followed this work a short time, and
then went west, visiting the States as far as Iowa, Missouri
and Kansas. Not being altogether pleased with it, as he
found it, he returned to West Virginia and bought him a
farin. Be has been on the teachers' board of examiners
and president of the board of education.
Augustus J. Stansbury, was bom in 1848, and married in
1864, at the age of 16, to Mary A. Montgomery, of Barbour
County. Children : Jonah, Benry, Polly Ann, Josiah, Eloy
and George Nelson.
Frank A. B. Spesert, of German descent, son of George
Spesert, of Borse Shoe Eun, was bom in 1853. Be is gen-

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 497
erally working on a farm, but occasionally he follows some
other business for the sake of change. Be is an excellent
worker and often gets much higher Avages than other labor
ers. Be seems to have been marked out for bad luck.
When he was a boy he split his ankle bone with an ax and
was helpless six months. Then, afterAvard, he had his leg
broken by a saw-log. Later, another log rolled over him
and mashed his head, cheek and jaw. It broke him of the
habit of chewing tobacco, for his jaw won't crush it.
Benry Sheadee, born in Germany 1809, died 1878. Be
came to America in 1838 and in 1848 was married in Cum
berland to Tracy Beadlough, of Germany. The next year
he came to Lead Mine, a branch of Borse Shoe Eun, and
commenced opening up a farm. Bis land, 139 acres, was
half under cultivation at the time of his death. Bis chil
dren are : Mary Jane, Benry, Crista, John, Lewis D., Teena
Margaret,Mary Louisa,Tracy Carolina and Sophia Elizabeth.
William Shafee, born 1857, son of Samuel Shafer, of
EngUsh and German descent^ was inarried, 1882, to Lizzie,
daughter of John C. Plum. Their child's name is Stranda.
Be is a farmer and lumberman, living three miles below St.
George. Thomas P. Spencee, born, 1833, son of Joseph Spencer^
married, 1858, to Catharine Lewis. Be farms 30 acres of
improved land, and has 95 acres of wild territory, on Loca
tion, 7 miles from St. George. Children : Sarah E., John
Thomas McClellan, Mary L. and James O. Be spent three
years in the Union army, and took part in Bunter's raid ;
Avas in several battles, and was wounded at Cedar Creek by
a Minie-ball which passed through his ankle. Be was per
manently disabled by the wound and now receives a pension.

498 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Geoege F. Spesert, born in Maryland, 1803, of German
descent, son of David Spesert, Avas married, 1842, to Clo
rinda I., daughter of David Gilmore, of Shafer's Pork.
Children : David B., Susan C, Mary E., Joseph W., Lettie
P., Christena Perlinder, Margaret C. S., George WiUiam,
Franklin A. B., Nicholas W. and Taylor. Bis farm of 82
acres, half improved, is partly in Tucker and partly in Pres
ton, on Borse Shoe Eun, 12 miles from St. George ; has been
liA'ing Avhere he iioav lives since about 1854.
L. AA". Shaffer, born, 1851, in Preston, son of Abram
Shaffer, a German, AA'as married in 1870 to Olive A. Stemple,
daughter of Major D. Stemple, of Preston. Children : Ar-
dilla B., Jessie Myrtle, Daisy Dean, Ora Eoss, Ethel Lee,'
Odessa. Be Ha'cs in Canaan, 31 miles from St. George, and
has four acres of improved land on a farm of 12 acres ; his
is the most commodious house in Canaan and probably iu
the count}-. He is foreman on his brother's land, Avhich
joins his oavu.
Geoege C. Shaffer, born at Eorse Shoe Eun P. O., Pres
ton County, 1856, son of Jacob Shaffer, of 'German descent. '
In 1883 he married Marv Belle Domire, of Lead Mine,
daughter of D. L. Domire. Ee is by trade a carpenter, and
has an interest in the "Dumire Shingle Mill."
Daa'id B. Spesekt, son of George Spesert, born, 1841, in
Maryland, came to Borse Shoe Eun in 1854 and tAventj'-
three years later he Avas married to Pererinda Frances,
daughter of Thomas M. Mason. Be lives on Eorse Shoe
Eun, 12 miles from St. George, and foUoAved the shoe
maker's trade 5 years ; he is uoav a farmer.
Daniel Spanglee, son of Jacob Spangler, bom 1850, of
German descent. In 1878 he Avas married to Mary A.,

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 499
daughter of Alexander Campbell. Their child's name is
WUliam A. By trade, he is a blacksmith, but of late he
has turned his attention to farming, and lives on Miller BiU,
5 miles from St. George.
John A. Swishee, son of David Swisher, of Bampshire
County, was born 1857 ; is of English and Swiss descent ;
was married in 1883 to EUa, daughter of E. AV. McGill, of
Bampshire County ; is a farmer of 150 acres, one half under
cultivation, ou Borse Shoe Eun, 5 miles from St. George ;
has also a half interest in the "Job Parsons" farm in BoUy
Meadows. Be attended the public schools of Bampshire,
and one term at Low Gap, in Tucker County, and attended the
Fairmont Normal School one year— 1878-1879 ; has taught
five schools, one in Bampshire and four in Tucker. Be
holds four No. 1 certificates in Tucker ; is a brother to S.
N. Swisher, and like him is a model farmer. Bis plantation
is tilled and kept in the best manner.
David L. Stevens, a native of Pennsylvania, came to
Tucker with C. E. Macomber, and has since lived here.
Be is of distant German descent. Bis farm on Wolf Eun is
four miles from St. George. Bis children are Giles, Susan,
David and Minta.
William M. Spesert, of English and German descent, was
born 1844. Be is a son of George Spesert and has lived all
his life on Borse Shoe Eun, except four years in St. George ;
is a farmer of 400 acres of land ; lives on the farm that for
merly belonged to AVilliam Losh, on Borse Shoe Eun, six
miles from St. George. In 1874 he Avas married to Mary
Maxwell, daughter of Eufus Maxwell ; his children are Jen
nie Miller, George Frances and AVillis MaxAvell.
T.
E. W. Thomas, born 1848, married Virginia Nutter, 1837,

500 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Eis wife died and he married Mary E., daughter of Joseph
Bawkins, of Monongalia County. Bis farm contains 118
acres, 4 miles from St. George on Clover. Children : Ida
Black, Isaac E., EusseU E., and Earnest C.
-I
AA'iLLLiM E. Talbott, son of P. D. Talbott, was born Feb
ruary 24, 1843, at the old Talbott farm, four mUes below St.
George. The Talbott family originaUy came from Mary-t
land, and seem to be of English descent, slightly mixed with
German. In 1865 he married Analiza Kalar,of Clover Eun.
Bis children are : Boward, Charles, Francis, and George B.
The history of AV. E. Talbott is one that is of interest to aU
who would know of the war, and how Tucker County's boys
fared in it. Be remained on his father's farm, hard at work,
all his life until he was seventeen years old. The old farm
is now about as it was then. The war and the lapse of
twenty-five or thirty years, have made little change in it,
and four miles below St. George it may be stUl seen about
as it was when young Talbott worked there, hoeing the com,
MUing the potatoes and repairing broken fences/that storms
had dilapidated or rampageous cattle had overthroAvn in
their rage for green com or young clover. To this Avork the
farmer boy, whose youthful days are fated to be spent in
Tucker, must get accustomed ; for, such it must be. When
the snoAvs of winter depart from the fields, and under the
influence of spring's first Avarm days the grass begins to get
green, the hungry cattle that have chewed dry fodder for
their lives during the snowy months, begin to roam up and
doAvn the plantations to find out the Aveak places in the en
closures, and to burst through them or to leap over, to fat
ten on the tender vegetation which is peeping through the
husky straAvs of last year, still lying like corpses upon the
ground, among the brier bunches, and against the banks aud

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 501
small hUls that front toward the southern warmness.
It may have been from his observations that those fields
that faced the south were the most sunny in springtime,
when sunshine was genial and beautiful, that, from his
earliest years he developed an admiration and sympathy for
the land of the South, and regarded it as bourn of aU that
was noble and patriotic. Be this as it may, he admired the
South, and in the arguments that came up when, the county
was dissevering into two parts, he never let an opportunity
to speak and uphold his choice pass unused. The wise
heads whose mental force shape, it may be, the course, if
not the destiny, of nations, saw not sooner than the country
boys where the storm of war would break. The elements
of tumult were mingled in affinity all through the human
composition of the United States, although more iu some
parts than in others, and statesmen could see no further
with all their models of past empires and past destinies
than the farmer lads knew by intuition, or by natural knowl
edge. The clash would be a war, and as such it Avould end
as chance ends its works. The boys saw this, and took part
as their fancy, principles or passions directed.
Such a boy was WUUam E. Talbott ; and such boys were
his neighbors, Cornelius and Nelson Parsons, Dock Long
and Eobert See, who now sleeps in his rock-walled grave
near the dreary shore of Owen's Lake, in the desert
domains of the Sierra Nevadas, in California. When the
war — which came slowly as a fire on a fuse, and flashed into
myriads of simultaneous explosions, as magazines of warlike
munitions ignited — had reaUy come. Tucker County's young
men caught up such arms as they had and started South —
nearly aU went South. Cornelius and Nelson Parsons and
Eobert See went in May, 1861, but Talbott did not go till

502 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
June. Be joined Garnett's army at ButtonsviUe, in Ean
dolph County, just in time to take part in the battles and
share in the defeats, routs and starvations. The boys found
it a rough beginning to the life of glory which they had pic
tured themselves about to enter.
The history of the battles at Laurel BiU, Eich Mountain
and Corrick's Ford, and the consequent retreat that resulted
so disastrously to Garnett's army, has been detailed to some
length in another chapter, and it is needless to repeat it.
Talbott was in it all and endured it all. Be found it harsh
usage to a boy of his years to be taken from the easy work
of a farm and placed in a crowded road of retreating sol
diers, and made to march to the music of their trundling
cannon, while the July rains pelted him and the July suns
scorched him, and Yankee scouts tormented him from the
rear, and rumors of Yankee cannon came in from the front
with grim dimensions. But the farmer boy of 18 years was
into it now, and he had to go through with the last ordeal
that lay in the Avay of that retreating army which fled from
Corrick's Ford July 14, 1861. AVith shoeless feet he hob
bled over the stony road, and waded the sticky mud," and got
no breakfast and fared the same at noon, and marched aU
night without his supper. About this time he was thinking
of the old farm four miles below St. George, where in the
early summer the strawberries look red in the fields, and the
dewberries grow wild along the river. But it was a dream
not to be realized for him to think of it then. Ee was
mixed in one of the most shameful routs of the war, and he
must go through with it.
At the Eed Bouse, at 2 o'clock in the morning of July
15th, he got a Httle rest, and got a few mouthfuls of beef,
the first food he had tasted for two days. This halt was

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 503
while Captain Barper and company Avere going to the
top of Backbone Mountain to see if the enemy were there.
The rest came good to the Avretched Eebels, who were tired
and starved nearly to death. The next day they reached
Petersburg, in Grant County. The citizens brought in
plenty of prorisions, and the army rested two days, and
then proceeded to Monterey, in Bighland County, Va.
From there it went into Greenbrier County.
The general fighting soon began. On October 3rd, Tal
bott was one of 120 who held in check for an hour and
twenty minutes, Milroy's 5000 men. AVhen the Confederate
pickets could hold the Federals in check no longer, they fell
back upon the Eebel c amp and the Yankees foUowed within
a short distance but did not attempt to cross the river.
There was some cannonading. The Eebels were commanded
by CoL Edward Johnson. In the September previous the
Eebels had made an attack on the Yankees at Cheat Mount
ain, and got thrashed. In November they, the Eebels, Avent
into winter quarters on the top of the Alleghany Mountains.
The Yankees uoav thought it their time to attack the Eebels,
which they did on December 13. The attack was made be
fore daylight in the morning and lasted until 2 p. m. The
restUt was that the Yankees got worse whipped than the
Eebels had been at Cheat Mountain in September. This
was a hard winter and the Eebels suffered very much. The
snow fell deep, and they had only the merest shelter
and some had none. Talbott often slept out in the snow,
Arith only a blanket around him. No doubt the return of
the spring was to them a welcome visitor. Whether the old
strawberry fields came into Talbott's mind, it is hard uoav to
say, but probably they did. But he had few spare moments
to think of or remember such things, for the war wa,s come

504 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
with more fury than ever, and the Eebels soon found it to
their advantage to fall back within six miles of Staunton.
About the last of May or first of June ihey attacked the
Federals at McDowell.
Now came on a series of battles. It was at this time that
Captain Barper rode to the Eebel headquarters and
notified them that the Federals were moring upon Jackson's
rear. Battles took place in rapid succession. Stonewall
Jackson swept everything before him. Talbott was taken
sick and was sent to the hospital. While there a band of
Yankees broke in and captured him, and carried him off.
Be received good treatment, and soon after was paroled,
with others Avho were taken at the same time. The com
pany to- which Talbott belonged was Cpmpany I, made up
in Lewis County, under Alfred Jackson, a cousin to
Stonewall. After he was paroled, Talbott never got back to the
army. When the war Avas over, he married and settled
down to the life of a useful and industrious citizen. Be is a
tanner by trade, and in connection Avith his tannery, he
runs a saddlery and harness shop. Be also opened a
hotel in St. George soon after he was married, but closed it
again. In 1880 he reopened it and has since kept it open
to the public. Be has held several offices, and Avas nom
inated in 1880 by the Democratic convention for sheriff of
Tucker Countj'. The old farm where he spent his boyhood
days is as famous a strawberry plantation as ever, and the
early sunshine of spring calls forth the grass as early as
ever, and tlje rampageous cattle break the fences as bad
as ever.
Finley Toy, born, 1854, in Armstrong County, Pennsyl
vania, son of James Toy, of Irish, English and German de-

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 505
scent. Ee has been in the lumbering business ever since
he could carry stove wood. Be is. partner in the firm of
Minear & Toy. Be is a pushing business man, arid has
friends wherever he goes. Mr. Toy married J. Almyra,
daughter of Capt. WiUiam EUiott, of KingAvood, Preston
County, on Tuesday, October 7, 1884.
V.
Isaac N. Vanscoy, son of John Vanscoy, of Barbour, bom
1854, married, 1879, to Margaret A., daughter of John
Bright, and lives 14 miles above St. George. Children:
Laura Dill and Bertha Ellen.
Benry L. Vanmeter, born, 1848, in Barbour County, son
of Benjamin F. Vanmeter, of German and English descent ;
married, 1872, to Mary E., daughter of WiUiam Weaver, of
Bari)our County ; is a farmer, living 7 miles above St. George,
with 24 acres of improved land and 42 acres of wUd land.
ChUdren : Alice Only, S. J. Tilden, Benjamin P., and Wes
ley B. Be came to Tucker in 1882.
Joshua Vanscoy, bom, 1827, in Eandolph County, son of,
Aaron Vanscoy, of German descent ; married in Eandolph
to Margaret Bayes, 1848. ChUdren : Susan Columbia and
Eebecca Jane. In 1875 his wife died, and two years later
he married Lavina C. Wilson ; is a farmer of 86 acres, with
40 acres improved, 15 mUes from St. George.
Jonathan Vabnee was bom in 1831 in Pendleton County,
of German descent. In 1850 he married Margaret Whis-
tleman ; she died in 1861, and he married Mary Puffin-
barger. Children : Elizabeth J., John, Benry B., WiUiam,
James, Madison, EmiUne, Martin, Teena, Eawley and
Sarah Ann.; is a farmer and miUer, Hving on Eed Creek, 27
mUes from St. George,

^M HISTOEY OF TUCKER COUXTY.
w.
George K. AVilt, son of Peter AVilt, born iu 1848. In
1870 he married Lucinda J., daughter of Elijah Phillips; is
a farmer, liA'ing 10 miles from St. George, on Brushy Fork,
A-vhere he owns 102 acres, Avitli 40 improved. Cliildren :
AndreAv, Ida, EUzabeth C, Almarine, Nora and Eliot.
Tho.aias AVilt, born in 1856, married in 1875, to Osee A.,
daughter of Daniel Ne.ster ; Ha'CS on rented land 1\ miles
from St. George, on Clover. Cliildren : Clarinda C, Colum-
Inis, Fanny F. and Jeeca.
AA^iLsoN AVilt, brother to Thomas and son of Peter Wilt,
AVcas born in 1848, and married in 1869 to Elizabeth Kiser.
Children : Louisa C, Cora, Sarah A. and AVilliam B.; has a
farm of 90 acres, with 40 acres improved, 10 miles from St.
George, on Brushy Fork.
Bunyon j. AVolfobd, son of Jacob AA^olford, Avas born in
1844. In 1870 he married Sarah E., daughter of E. P.
.Johnson ; lives on Dry Fork 25 miles from St. George and
OAvns 400 acres of land, 8 pev cent, of Avhich is under tillage.
Children : Eichard S., Sampson D., Mary Jane, James
Daniel and Ingiaby Etta.
Jacob C. AVolfoed, deputy sheriff of Tucker County, was
born in 1880, and is a son of John AVolford, of Bampshire
County, Avhere he Avas born in 1802. Be Avas a German ;
came to Red Creek early in the present century, and was
one of the first settlers of that region. Jacob AVolford is a
man of good business qualifications. Married Phcebe
Bright, of Eandolph County; has three children living:
Columbus J., Phoebe C. and Ursula. Be had four children
to die of diphtheria in 1863. Ee is a farmer, and has been
constable, overseer of the poor and deputy sheriff, under
A. C. Minear.

BEIEF BIOGEAPHIES. 507
A. I. Wilson was born in 1859 in Garrett County, Md.,
of Gernian descent, and son of J. H. WUson. Be is doing
business for the firm of Feely & WUson, at Fairfax.
Aaron Wolford, son of John Wolford, waS born 1856.
In 1875 he married EUzabeth, daughter of Eobert Flanagan.
Ee OAVUS 25 acres, and has 60 per cent, of it under cultiva
tion, 24 mUes from St. George on Dry Fork. Children :
James W., Phcebe J., Minnie Ann, Lottie EUen, Fanny and
MolUe. Abraham Wolford, brother to the above, Avas born in
1845 ; married, 1873, to Jennie Day ; Hves 24 mUes from St.
George, on Eed Creek. ChUdren: Cora E., John and Sal
lie ; is a laborer.
Columbus Wolfoed, son of John Wolford, was born in
1834. In 1855 he married Mary, daughter of William ^lan-
agan. Children : Christina, Edna, Malan, Columbia E.,
Claudius,, AmeUus, Mary, Alice and Florence J.; owned 250
acres of land on Eed Creek, 30 miles from St. George, and
had 100 acres improved. Be died in 1878.
Malan Wolfoed, son of Columbus Wolford, lives 30 miles
from St. George, on Eed Creek ; was born in 1862, and is a
farmer. John T. Wolford, son of John Wolford, was born in
1840 ; married Narissa, daughter of Gabriel Eains, in 1859.
His wife died in 1862, and he married Susanna, daughter of
Ebenezer Flanagan. He Hves in Canaan. Children : Fran
ces, J. B. Floyd, Bannah, Anderson, Narissa and Susanna.
Jacob J. White, son of AUen AVhite„ of Grant County,
was born in 1852 ; married Sarah C, daughter of Elizabeth
Thompson, in 1876. He is a farmer and lives On Eed

508 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Creek, 30 miles from St. George. Be owns 130 acres and
has only 5 acres under tillage; has been in Tucker
since 1877. Children : Ida, Benry C. and Owen L.
Joseph White, born, 1844, in Grant County, son of AUen
White, of Irish and EngUsh descent. In 1866 he married
Susan Willfong, a widow, daughter of Enos Belmick.
ChUdren: Abel, Amos, EUzabeth, AUen, Earness, Mary
Jane, Frank, Martin K., James B. and Fannie. Bis farm of
130 acres, is on Eed Creek, 30 miles from St. George ; has
ten acres improved ; served nearly four years in the Confed
erate army, part of the time under Imboden ; was in several
battles about and above Winchester, and in the battle of
Gettysburg ; came home on a furlough, four months before
the close of the war, and did not go back.
Thomas D. Wilson, of German extraction, bom, 1820 ;
married, 1849, to Margaret Nester. ChUdren : Andrew P.,
Henry M., Harriett and Elizabeth. Farmer, 263 acres, 9
acres improved ; 6 miles from St. George, west.
Thomas Williams, bom in Pennsylvania, 1819, of Welsh
descent ; never married ; has been in the mercantile business,
farming and stock-raising ; came to Tucker in 1879 for his
health and was so pleased vdth the country that he remained.
He has traveled considerably, and now Uves on Horse Shoe
Eun, 10 miles from St. George. -
William T. White, son of John White, of Garrett
County, Md., was bom 1825, and married in 1848 to Mary
Ann, daughter of John James. He is a farmer of 100 acres
with 60 acres improved, on Limestone, 7 miles from St.
George. He has been overseer of the poor, member of the
board of education and justice of the peace. ChUdren:
John P., Thomas E., WilUam P., Martha E. and Columbia.

BEIEF BIOGEAPBIES. 509
John T. White, son of WiUiam T. White, was born 1849;
married 1868, to EUza J., daughter of Thomas M. Mason.
Be is a farmer of 90 acres, with 70 acres improved, on MiU
Eun, 10 mUes from St. George. Ee was constable four
years. ChUdren : Virginia P., Arthur M., Elizabeth Anna,
Earl M., Maud L. and Clyde.
Thomas E. White, son of WilUam T. White, was born in
1853; married 1878 to Susan, daughter of Thomas M. Mason.
Be is a farmer of 100 acres of land, with 30 acres improved,
on MUl Eun, 10 mUes from St. George, Children : Florena
M., Maggie L., Edgar M. and Anna J.
Thomas W. Wilmoth, son of James M. WUmoth, of Ean
dolph County, was born in 1849. In 1875 he married
Clorinda C, daughter of Johu I. Propst. Children : Oscar
J. and Leon J. Be has a farm of 40 acres nearly all im
proved, on Baddix Eun, 10 mUes from St. George.
Samuel B. Wamsley was born in 1840, son of A. M.
Wamsley, of Scotch and Irish descent, was married in 1869
to Martha Crouch, of Eandolph. Eis wife died in 1875 and
the next year he was married to Elizabeth W., daughter of
Ward Parsons. Children: Berdie, Cletus Branch, Stark
and Ward. Bis farm in the Borse Shoe, two miles from
town, of 353 acres, has 140 acres improved.
Petee Wilt was born in 1819, in Maryland, of German
descent. In 1839 he married Catharine Wilson. Ee lives
on Clover two miles from St. George, and foUows farming
and saloon keeping, the only saloon in Tucker County.
ChUdren : John B., Mary M., Abogail, George K., Sarah J.,
Vilena, Thomas, Anzina and Wilson.
Jacob B. AVotring,* born, 1834, son of Peter Wotring,
Avas married in 1883 to Ellen, daughter of Eobert K. Knotts,
' This name is often written " Woodi-lng."

510 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
of Closs Mountain. Children: Benry J., Stella A., Fanny,
Jeckoliah and George Edgar. Ee is a farmer of 134 acres,
half cultivated, and has one hundred bearing apple trees,
and forty peach trees. Be came to Tucker from Preston,
1844, and settled near where Alexander Closs now Hves.
The next year he moved to his oavu farm about 12 miles
from St. George on Borse Shoe Eun. In one winter he
killed 7 panthers.
AV. M. West, born, 1842, in Baltimore, Maryland, is not a
resident of Tucker further than that in the capacity of a
minister of the M. E. Church ; he traveled in the county in
1884. Be was married in 1874 to EmUy M. Naylor, of
Maryland. Children : Florence V., Edward E., William N.
and baby.
Dennis Yoakum, of German descent, from Grant County,
son of Alfred Yoakum, born, 1852 ; married, 1884. Farmer,
28 miles from St. George on Dry Fork ; been in Tucker since
1882 ; owns 100 acres of land, 20 acres improved. Children :
Sarah Ann and Adam.
JohnW. 1''agee, born, 184-7, in Preston, German and Irish
descent; married, 1867, to Laverna Ganer, of Barbour
County. Children: Truman L., Coretta G., Emory J.,
Leaper A., Fernando C, Dorphretta A. and Effie C. Be is
a farmer of 160 acres, 45 acres improved, on Baddix Eun,
fourteen miles from St. George. Be is a preacher of the M.
E. Church South.
George AV. Yokum, born, 1847, in Missouri ; married, 1876,
to Elizabeth, daughter of William J. Flanagan. Bis farm on
Eed Creek, 30 miles from St. George, contains 153 acres,
half improved. Be belonged to the Eome Guards. Chil
dren : Cletis, Stella and Ferva.

APPENDIX.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR:-
Bu Maxavell Avas bom in Tucker County, Western Vir
ginia, September 22, 1860, of educated and respectable par
entage, — of English, German and Irish descent. Be is a
son of the Bon. Eufus MaxweU, of St. George, one of the
weU-knoAvn and influential citizens of Virginia.
In looking for facts concerning the early Hfe of young
Maxwell, we flnd in him but few traits not noticeable in the
average intelligent representative of Young America.
Be was reared on a farm. As a general rule, farmers'
boys have to work, and especially has this always been the
case in Tucker County. But young Maxwell Avas not partial
to manuel labor, and many were the deep schemes he laid to
avoid it. One of his favorite plans to escape work — then an
absolute torture to him — Avas, to get very sick and go with
out dinner, and then after the others of the family had gone
to their work, for him to pillage the pantry, and then stroll
off to build toy mills and construct mud mill-races. After
having tired himself at such work he Avould lie doAvn and go
* This sketch of Hu Maxwell was written by Henry Clay Hyde, Esq., a prominent
•lawyer of the Kingwood Bar, and a man of rare Uterary merits. He and Maxwell are
exactly the same height and weight, and nearly the same age, and possess tempera
ments nearly the same. Both are fond of travel and romance ; and their travels have
been over nearly the same grounds. Mr. Hyde, from his Intimate acquaintance with
the subject ot the sketch is well qualified for the undertaking Whiph he has accom
plished. He has dealt ImpartiaUy, as may be seen from his criticisms where there is
aught to criticise. He has had access to papers and memoranda of Maxwell which
lew pei-sons have had the privilege of seeing, and from them he has drawn where it
was necessaiT to do so.— Jas. W. White.

512 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
to sleep. No matter how often, or Iioav loud, his parents
would call for him, he would not ansAver them. If he was
asleep he had not heard them ; but if he was awake, and
within hearing, he was too busy to answer calls which did
not, in the least, concern him. More than once did his
parents have the whole neighborhood hunting for him —
caUing and searching everywhere — and, when discovered,
would be found watching, serenely and quietly, the move
ments of his anrious parents and friends, from some obscure
spot in the Avood-yard or through a crack in the paling fence
surrounding the garden.
Be differed from other boys in this : he had no associates
or playmates. Not a boy on Borse Shoe Eun associated
with him. It appears that he preferred to " associate Arith
himself " and roam through the forests and by the brook-
side, and commune with nature in the way which we then
appreciated her inspiring beauties, than to be in the lively
and frolicsome company of all the boys in the neighborhood.
Bis natural disposition appeared to be that of a consum
mate recluse, and as such, at the early age of eight years
we flnd him in his seclusion courting the muses. Be began
by extemporizing poetry — usually doggrel of four lines,
describing anything that would attract his attention or
strike his fancy. But he did not Avrite them down, for he
had reached his fourteenth year before he could Avrite. Ee
generally forgot them as soon as he saAV anything else which
suggested a subject upon which to exercise his poetical ge
nius. Bowever, he had remembered a few Avhen he learned
to write, and wrote them down, keeping them until 1880,
when, upon being appointed a cadet to the U. S. Naval
Academy, he burned all his poetry Avith the exception of a
few compositions.

Htj Maxwell.

0- H. Maxwell

Abe Bonnifield.

John Moore

APPENDIX. 513
One of the four-line doggrels composed bj' him Avhen
quite a small boy, it is not remembered at what age, Avas
preseved by him after learning how to write. The idea was
suggested by seeing some hogs rooting in a swamp. The
lines show a boy's ability to coin words if they possess rio
other merit. The lines ran thus :
All the hogs are digging deeper
After lizzards in the mud;
And their ears look like a vceper.
And their noses like a hud.
Immediately under this preserved effusion the author
afterwards wrote, "Avhat this means, I don't know;" and, in
aU probability, he is correct. But he must be given credit
for the possession of a virtue — in other words, a good
judgment — not usually possessed by those who engage in
versification at an early age: Although expressing his
thoughts in rhyme at the early age of eight years, — six
years before he was taught to Write — he was not known to
offer a single production to the public until he Avas twenty
years of age, at which time his occasional poems elicited
the very favorable criticism of the leading members of the
State press.
Bis education in the country schools Avas limited to a few
months, during Avhich time it Avas not observed by his
parents that he had made ordinary progress in the attain
ment of knowledge. Bis mother taught him about all he
knew until he reached his fifteenth year. Up to this time
he did not learn much ; for he did not know his letters at
eleven, and never got higher than the Third Eeader and the
rudiments of arithmetic during the time he attended the
country schools. Bowever — strange to say — at the age of
fourteen he was one of the very best geographers in West
33

514 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
A'irglnia — having taken a fancy to the study — which Avas
owing to the fact, no doubt, that he had been laughed at for
saying that Spain Avas iu the United States, confounding it
with Maine. This aroused his ambition — ^likely the first he
ever experienced. Be got Mitchell's geo.graphy and atlas
and AA'ent to Avork to learn the answer to every question in
it. Every spare moment Avas devoted to the old geography ;
and as he never made up his mind to do anything he did'
not do, in one month he could answer every question, nor
was his knoAvledge of the superficial kind. It was practical.
Now, he and his brother Cyrus put what money they had
together, and bought a newer and larger geogTaphy and
were not long in mastering it. Be has never studied geog
raphy more than a week since, and has ahvays passed nearly
perfect examinations in it.
Be had completed geography and Avas looking about for
something else when he hit upon history. Be got Ander
son's General Bistory and Avent to Avork on it. Events,
places and dates seemed to fix themselves naturally in his
mind, and he soon kneAv Anderson's Bistory almost as well
as Avell as Mitchell's Geography. Meanwhile his oldest
brother, Wilson B., Avas attending college. AVhen he came
home he Avas surprised to find that Bu was able to teach
him far more than he ever learned of geography and history.
Hu continued his reading — almost constantly, and read
scores of histories, ancient and modern ; and to perfect his
knowledge in ancient history, took a course in ancient
geography. When he had completed history he looked for another
book ; for it ahvays Avas, and uoav is, his nature and charac
teristic, not to attempt to do tAVo things at the same time.
Eo ahvays finishes one thing before beginning another.

APPENDIX. 515
While looking for a new book, he found a Davies' Algebra
and Adams' Latin Grammar — books which his mother had
learned from. Be was examining the algebra and grammar,
when he was told that he would save time by the study of
arithmetic, before that of algebra ; also, by learning some
thing of EngUsh grammar before beginning the study of
Latin. Be at once got a grammar (Kirkham's) and went
through it. Ee then went through Pinneo, Smith and Bar-
vey. Be learned the definitions, but did not understand
the science. Bowever, he Avas of the opinion that he did,
and knew no better untU J. J. Peterson, Esq., gave him his
first insight into the science some three years later.
AU this took place while he was under sixteen years of
age, and was at home trudging on the farm or at work on the
saAV-mUl. Bis knowledge of geography and history begat in him a
desire for travel. When the Centennial Exhibition came,
he was nearly sixteen, and wanted to go. Bis father took
him and his three next younger brothers. As it has been
expressed : " It was his first sight of terrestrial creation in
all its magnificence."
AA^'hen he returned from Philadelphia — in October — ho
was sent to Weston, AV. Va., to school.* Bis experience
there was about about Avhat every other boy's is at school,
except that he would confine himself to but one branch of
study at a time. Be recited in several branches ; but arith
metic got aU the study. Be got through Bay's Third Arith
metic and Avas turned back to go through it again ; for some
of the boys were lazy and others had to hang back on their
* The fli-st year Mr. Maxwell attended the Weston Academy, the school was taught
by Louis Bennett, now Prosecuting Attorney of le-wis County ; the second year it
was taught by J. J. Peterson, now editor of the Huntington Republican ; and in 1S7S-
19it was under the management of L. C. Cilppeu.

516 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
account. While he was going through arithmetic a second
time, he was making philosophy his special study.
When school was out in the spring of 1877, he went home
and Avorked on the farm that summer. Be now took up the
study of algebra.
In the fall he again returned to Weston and pursued his
studies. The text-books, from which he recited in the class
room, did not interest him, and he spent the greater part of
his time reading works on geology and astronomy. Be was
now in Bigher Arithmetic.
AVhen the term ended, he did not go home, but remained
with his grandfather, and worked a little on the farm.
Bere he took up his Bigher Arithmetic, and in three weeks
had Avorked every example in it, with but a single exception.
After the completion of the arithmetic he undertook the
study of Latin, and he met a warrior — though dead — not
easy to conquer. Ee thought he could learn the langua.ge
that summer, but he Avas mistaken.
In 1878-79 his progress was as rapid as usual and his
work no less incessant. Still clinging to the practice of
pursuing but one study to the exclusion of all others, he
took a fancy to Geometry, and went through the works of
several authors on the subject.
About this time the students of the Academy organized a
debating society. They had a debate every Friday evening.
Capital punishment Avas debated with great warmth and
enthusiasm, and the people of the town shared in the ex
citement. Mr. Maxwell was against capital punishment,
and so deeply did he rivet his conrictions, that to-day he is
uncompromisingly opposed to the death penalty. Eis
studies Avere Hkely neglected in order that he might throw
all his energies into the debates in which he engaged. The

AXPENDIX. 517
writer has heard him say : " My studying, then, was more
of a desultory character than most people thought." Be
was always studying something, but it Avas one thing at a
time, to the exclusion or neglect of everything else.
Be fell into the habit of reading biography, and usually
read forty pages a day. Ee v/ent through the whole curric-
xdum of English authors from Chaucer to Tennyson, and
did HkcAvise Avith the history of the naval and military men
of the world. Ee read everything of a biographical nature
that he could get possession of. Ee then returned to his
tories and read everything from Josephus to Peter Parley.
Ee could read an average-sized book in a day, and so re
markable was his memory that he could remember every
event, place and date in it. While he was doing this, of
course, other studies were more or less neglected.
In June, 1880, Mr. Maxwell graduated. Be Avas given a
diploma on twenty-one branches, six of which he had never
studied in school three days in his Hfe. But he passed his
examination on them, and passed well. Be had gained his
information from general reading. On the day before he
was to be examined on bookkeeping, he borrowed Duff's
"treatise on that subject, and read it that night. The next
day he answered every question asked him and Avas given
100 per cent, on the examination. Be never opened a work
on geology in the school room and yet never missed a ques
tion. Be had read probably a dozen books on the subject
— also on mineralogy and astronomy — so he had no need of
studying them in the school room.
Full one-half of the school-time study of his life Avas de
voted to Latin. Ee studied Greek for a short time but
never made much progress. Bowever, he studied it long
enough to be able to read a few sentences in Berodotus,

518 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Xenophon and Eomer, when he quit it — forever. Be had
not made up his mind to learn it. But in Latin it was dif
ferent. Be studied hard, and has often been known to take
the grammar and steal away from others and then, for
hours, dig like a Trojan to learn the conjugations. Ee was
afflicted with headache almost constantly, for two years,
Avliich Avas, no doubt, caused by constant study.
In school and out, Mr. Maxwell has read a pretty fuU
course in the Latin classics. Virgil, Livy and Caesar are his
favorites. Be can repeat several books of Virgil, nearly
entire, in the original language, and has Avritten a transla
tion of several chapters of Ctesar.
In English he has read nearly all the standard poets,
Shakspeare, Byron, Pope and Tennyson in particidar.
Byron is his choice, clearly, above all writers, ancient or
modern, and he has committed to memory nearly half his'
poems. As a student, Mr. MaxAA'ell has always been a too-close
one. Bis study at school was intense, but done in an irreg
ular manner. Everything was carried to extremes. During
the four years he spent at the Weston Academy, it is be
lieved that he read four times as much as any other student
there, and Avas always perfect in his recitations. It may
not be out of place to add here that he never read but one
novel'in his life.
In May, 1880, he Avas appointed a Cadet Engineer to the
United States Naval Academy, at Annapolis, Md.; but did
not go to Annapolis until the following September. The
summer of 1880 was a momentous one to him. Be did
more intense, devoted studying that summer than during
any other two years of his life, studying almost night and
daj'. Often a Aveek would pass Avithout taking more than

APPENDIX. 519
twelve hours sleep. Frequently, he would uot rest his head
on a piUow or disrobe himself for sleep twice in tAvo weeks.
Ee would study until after midnight, throw himself on the
floor, or rest his head on his stand, and sleep an hour or
tAvo, wake up excited and hurry to his books again. Be
Avas pi-eparing for the AnnapoHs examinations ; and, judg
ing fl-om what we know of him, he Avas determined that the
result of his study should be success or death. The Httle
sleep he got was no rest from study. Bis mind was as
hard at work while his body was asleep as when awake.
Algebra, geometry and philosophy were the subjects of his
dreams. Bow he endured it we cannot tell. But he broke
down at last. AVhen the time came to go to Annapolis, he
AA'as sick and nearly blind. BoAvever, he Avent and passed
the examination without trouble. Be called up all his re
serve strength and Avorked to remain in the Academy. From
day to day he got worse and his eyesight failed. Be knew
more than enough to haA'e remained, but his health was
broken down — he Avas bUnd and nervous. Be saw — ^in fact
he Avas told so— that it would be impossible for him to re
main, so he packed up his valise, took a steamer, and went
off on the Chesapeake Bay, and has not seen Annapolis
since. Bad Mr. MaxAvell been more moderate in studj', he might
have remained at the Academy ; but his tendency to carry
study to an extreme, caused the failure of his health. He
is now glad that he could not remain. Be believes that he
would have deserted anyhow within two years. Bis desire
to go to Colorado at that time Avould, no doubt, have led
him to arrive at such a conclusion.
All along, up to this time, he had written verses on almost
every imaginable subject. Some of the poems were of

520 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY. •
considerable length. On one he worked at odd times and
on Sundays for eight months, and averaged 1,000 lines a
month, or 8,000 in all. It was a metrical, blood-curdling
romance, written in the ineasure of Biawatha. The scene
was laid in Madagascar, and to /some extent in the adjacent
countries, and on the Indian Ocean. It contained one tre
mendous shipAvreck, and there Avas no end to the fights with
savages, Avild beasts and "chimeras dire." There Avas very
little original in the story. Be had gleaned the incidents
and episodes from Eastern stories, and from "Drury's Ad
ventures in Madagascar." But he found occasion for a fcAV
fancy touches, in addition, and had two or three exciting
thunder-storms iu the mountains. The manuscript escaped
the flames of September 12, 1880, Avhen he collected and
burnt 40,000 lines of verse, clearing up his past record iu
order to begin anew AA'hen he should enter the Naval
Academy. Another poem that escaped his Avantonness was
an allegorical pasquinade, representing a newspaper war
betwee-ri two editors, one of Weston aud the other of Buck
hannon. This poem contains 1,000 verses. . A fcAv shorter
poems Avere also spared.
AVhen Mr. Maxwell arrived at home from Annapolis he
was nearly blind. Be read but little during the following
year. He knew that the best thing for him to do was to
spend the Avinter as roughly as possible. He Avent into the
lumber business. He chopped logs and peeled trees and
did anything else that came along to be done. Be Avorked
in sunshine, snow and rain, nor missed a day. He carried
his dinner to the woods Avitli him, and in cold weather,
when mercury stood at zero, his bread aud bacon Avould
freeze and grit beneath his teeth; but it suited him. It
was romance and it Avas doing him good. Be grcAv stronger

APPENDIX. 521
every day and Avas soon able to stand almost anything. Be
did not bother his head with books. Be might have made
more money at easier work ; but he was rebuilding his con
stitution, and well did he succeed. No matter how cold
the raorning, if Borse Shoe Eun Avas not frozen OA'er, he
would pull off his boots and wade it. Once when it was
over its banks — and it is a dangerous stream — lieLpuUed off
his boots, coat and hat and swam it. The ice AA-as running
thick, and in the drift he was carried down the stream
. nearly a quarter of a mile. But he came out and walked
home, a half mile, barefooted, through the snow and ice.
Thus he spent the winter, and the spring found him Avith
a constitution like iron. Be could say then, as he can say
now, that, he can stand anything in the shape of ex
posure, fatigue or hardship, that any other man can stand.
About the only literary Avork of that winter Avas the writing
of two novels, "Eich Mountain" and " LlcAvellyn."
In the spring of 1881, Mr. Maxwell taught a graded school
at St. George. Be did good work there, but the school was
not a flnancial success. When his school was out he went
to Parkersburg and took part in an Institute which was in
progress there at that time. After visiting Blannerhassett
Island, and other points near Parkersburg, he went to Tay
lor County and engaged a school which he taught the fol
lowing winter.
The next summer he spent at home writing a history
called " Conquest of the Ohio Valley." Be had worked
on it some before that time ; and in the summer of 1881 he
had AiT-itten a history of Tucker County; but it was not
publis^ied until 1884. The "Conquest" is yet incomplete
and unpublished. Be has worked on it for two years, and

522 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
the preparatory reading and compiling of notes extended
back over several years.
In the fall of 1882 he Avas invited to deliA'er an address
at the Fort Benry Centennial, to be celebrated at Wheeling.
Be went and spoke. The address entire was published in
the Wheeling Sunday Register. It Avas characterized by the
State press as an eloquent and masterly effort.
In November of that year be went to Cincinnati in the
interest of his " Conquest." In returning he came up the
Ohio on the steamer Andes to Euntington, and thence
home, passing over to the KanaAvha, up it and New Eiver
and the Greenbrier to Lewisburg. Part of this distance he
went on the cars and Avalked jiart. From Lewisburg he
came across the country, home, a distance of 150 mUes. Be
slept by the roadside at night and had a general rough and
tumble time. For food he ate crackers exclusively. At
one time he Avalked eighty mUes without stopping any
place to rest over night. Be Avould walk untinie cotdd go
no longer, then He down and sleep a few hours, and then
up and pn again. Thus he Avalked over 200 mUes, aver
aging thirty-five or forty miles a daj'. Be came from the
Greenbrier Eiver to Mingo Flats Avithout stopping an hour
to rest or sleep. Late at night, above ButtonsviUe, Ean
dolph County, he lay down on the ground to sleep. It
rained and. he slept on until nearly day, when he awoke
and proceeded on his Avay. Soon his ankle began to pain
him, and when he had gotten within two miles of Beverly,
it gave away. Ee could not lift his foot from the ground,
and Avas in a sad plight. But he hit upon a plan that suc
ceeded. Be took a strap that was around his knapsack and
tied it to his foot, and at every step he would lift his foot
from the ground, and thus went hobbling into Beverly,

APPENDIX. 523
where he remained until his ankle got better Avhen he
proceeded home.
Ee spent the Avinter of 1882-83 at home in the lumber
business, and Avrote some and read a little at night. Early
in the following March he set out for a series of wanderings.
Be visited all the Southern States except Virginia, North
Carolina, ' South Carolina and Georgia. Be took up his
head-quarters for a short time at Ncav Orleans, and from
there made excursions into the surrounding country, pass
ing through some vast swamps filled with alHgators. Be
went to Texas and traveled over 1,000 mUes in that State.
Then he crossed into Mexico, and back to Texas again.
Be then went to New Mexico, and from there to Arizona —
that dread region of the dead universe. In New Mexico
he came near getting mixed up in the Indian Avar. General
Crook was then there, and Mr. MaxAveU was on the point of
starting to Silver City, but did not. The "company with
whom he would have gone was set upon by the Indians and
destroyed. Be went to Arizona and stopped a very short
time at Tucson, and a little longer at Yuma. From Yuma
it was only across the river to CaUfornia, and he soon had
crossed and had set his feet on the Golden Shore. That
waste soUtude looked to him little Hlse a paradise. The
morning he crossed the mercury stood 130 degrees in the
shade. Be passed into the Colorado Desert, one of the
hottest countries of the earth. It extends north-westward
from the Gulf of CaUfornia. Be visited that great wonder
of the Pacific Slope, the "BoUing Gulf," of CaUfornia, and
Avrote a splendid description of it for the columns of The
Wheeliny Intelligencer, from which we make the foUowing
extract :
Half smothered as we were, we climbed from the cars to the

624 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ground, and started on foot to the Boiling Gulf, whicli was only a
few minutes' walk distant. The crust of salt and coarse gravel
over which we walked was so hot that it burned the soles of our
shoes. This may sound unreasonable, but it is a fact. But that
was no detriment, and in a few minutes we were standing on the
brink of a formidable pit some ninety feet in circumference and ten
or twelve feet deep. This was the Boihng Gulf. It was nearly full
of black, mud, Avhich Avas blubbering and boiUng and hissing, like
that bottomless pit of fire and brimstone which we read of in
Dante, where the tormented spirits come up fromthe flerces depths
below to cool themselves. I said that the pit is ten or twelve feet
deep. I might as well say it is ten hundred feet deep, for nobody
knows its depth. The mud fills it to witliin ten feet of the top, and
what the depth of the mud is cannot be told. There is an intensely
nauseating odor coming up from the foul den. It savors strongly
of sulpliurretted hydrogen, and one turns dizzy to breathe it,
Some of us climbed down the bank and tested the temperature of
the foaming mud, and to our surprise we found it cold. The boiling
is not on account of the escape of caloric, but is due to the escape
of gasses from the lower regions. This is in reality a volcano,
although a small one. "What kind of an arrangement is connected
with it under the ground, of course we can only guess ; but it may
not be too wild a conjecture to predict a modern Vesuvius or .Sltna
there at some unexpected hour.
The surroundings were equally wierd and fantastic. The mirage
was most wonderfully distinct. Lakes and rivers could be seen in
every horizontal direction. Rivers seemed to flow among groves of
the most luxuriant trees and lalies outspread in calmness and ¦
beauty. Mr. Maxwell next stopped at Los Angeles. From there
he traveled north, passed through the Mojave Desert over
Tahachapa Pass into the basin of Lake Tulare. Be then
stopped at Fresno City and made that vicinity his head
quarters for some months, but he was seldom there more
than a day or two at a time.
It was now getting late in the spring. Be went to' the

APPENDIX. 525
mountains in company with his brother, Cyrus B. MaxweU,
to spend a few months. They took up their head-quarters
on the upper waters of the San Joaquin Eiver, about 5,000
feet above the sea. From there they made excursions into
the surrounding canons, wildernesses and mountains. One
of these excursions Avas to the Nihilvideo Abyss. Mr. Max
well Avrote up the excursion for the Eastern press, and from
his vivid description of the awful sublimity of the rocks,
crags and shadoAvs of this abysmal Avonder, we extract the
foUowing :
We were by this time drawing near to JNihil video ; everything
indicated that it was not far off. "We had rounded a curve in the
canon of Stephenson Creek, and the canon thence ran straight
about a half a mile, when we could see that there was a precipice,
because everything seemed to end tliere in abrupt nothing. "We
pressed forward over rocks, logs, brush or whatever was in our
path. We were growing enthusiastic. Each was ambitious to be
foremost. Our hands were cut on the rooks and bleeding, our faces
were scratched by thorns and our clothes were rent like Rip Van
Winkle's. It was now noon, on the SOth of May, and our eight
miles were at an end.
Nihilvideo ! 'What an impression the first sight made upon the
minds of my companions, I knew not: I scarcely knew what passed
through my own mind. Ten seconds were as momentous as ten
years among ordinary things. Never before had such a train of
swift visions passed before me. Never before had I beheld such a
manifestation of awful subUmity, the infinite and the eternal, and
never before had the frailty of man and the immensity of creation
burst upon me as it did then. Like the Austrian geologist, who
stood upon the crest of the Himalaya Mountains and watched the
morning sunshine light up the glaciers of the " Everlasting Valley,"
I could only stand mute and let rav thoughts and imaginations
whirl whither as ever they would. No language could paint that
panorama. I was looking down into an abyss thousands of feet
deep whose ragged sides yawned asunder, hungry to swallow the
world. I instinctively shrunk back. One moment everything was
clear, rocks, crags, shadows, depths, all was visible. The next, the

526 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
brain greAv dizzy, eA^erything was spinning around, nothing was
seen but the whirl of fading objects, and the mLst of deluded vision
which enshrouded everything.
It surpassed anything of the kind I had ever seen. I was once in
the midst of a thunder-storm on one of the highest peaks of the
Appalachian Mountains. The liglitning in vivid flashes filled the
air, and in quivering tints played on the rocks and pinnacles. The
dense clouds hid everything else. I thought that this was the
grandest display of nature possible; but this Nihilvideo surpasses
it— in all that raises the thoughts to a sense of the sublimity of
inorganic things.
Gradually tlie overwhelmed feelings recovered somewhat, and I
stepped forward to take a more practical view of what lay before
me. About a mile distant, and fully 3,000 feet below me, I saw the
San Joaquin River, like a narrow band of white running along its
gorge between perpendicular banks thousands of feet high.
Stephenson Creek had originally plunged over the bank directly
into the river ; but the wear of ages had cut away the rock half a
mile back from the river's edge, thus forming the deep abyss which
it Avas our mission to explore. Along each side of this gorge is a
Avail of rock, rising nearly perpendicular, and very rough in its
formation. This canon extends from the foot of the falls to the
river, a distance of— say a mile, although it may be much farther.
It varies in width from two hundred to one thousand feet, in differ
ent parts. Then, in substance, Nihilvideo is a pit 6,000 feet long,
500 feet wide, and from 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep. These calculations
are not founded upon any measurement at all, except the depth,
which I tried to estimate by the A'elocity of falUng bodies, the ve
locity of sound, and such other crude data as I had. Mr. Stephen
son calculated that the pit, from the foot of the falls to the river,
was 10,000 feet long ; but I guessed it to be about 6,000.
After a hasty survey of it in general, we began to look for a Avay
to get down into the abyss. Standing as we were on the brink, we
could not see the waterfall alter it passed OA'er the verge of tlie
precipice. But we could hear a confusion of sounds and echoes
coming up out of the depths. The bottom was almost constantly
hidden in fog and A'apor, especially near the foot of tire faUs, and,
at intervals, dense columns of mist rolled upAvard througli the
opening, like the smoke of a A'olcami.

APPENDIX. 527
We had come, not only to look into tlie gulf, but go into it.
We had expected to be able to climb doAvn the side, through
cracks and rift.s and thus reach the bottom. But now, with
the undertaking full in view% we began to AVeaken on the en
terprise. It was plainly an impossibility, unless we Avould
throw ourselves headlong down. The perpendicular walls of rock
offered no means of descent. There were a few jutting crags, but
these would be perilous footings, and one misstep would land us
into unknown worlds. We crept cautiously along the brink of tlie
overhanging cliff, to the eastward, and one hundi-ed yards from
the point Avhere the Avater goes over. We amused ourselves rolUng
rooks over the edge, and hearing them strike the bottom. The
time required in fallmg from our hands till Ave heard them strike
the flrst time was ten seconds. This, allowing one second for the
sound to reach us, Avas 1,396 feet, or thereabout. But Avhen thcA-
struck they Avere not at the bottom. They Avent bounding from
one cliff to another hundreds of feet further.
We found a boulder, Aveighing fully four tiiousand pounds, on
the very brink of the cliff, tottering on its frail support. By a
united effort, we puslied it off. For many seconds all was silent.
We held our breath and listened for it to strike. We could not see
it, but we knew it Avas still falling, and seconds seemed minutes.
At length, a jarring crasli and thousands of repeating echoes an
nounced that it struck terra firma. The echoes from the sides
rolled back and forth, dying away in rythmic undulations, almost
a.s regular as the vibrating chords of a musicaLiustrnment.
" The owlets started from their dreams.
The eagles answered with their screams."
And all Avas still, save the never-tiring fall and dash of the cata
ract. Passing on some flfty yards further to the east we discovered
a rough abutment of rock standing out from the main wall in bas
relief — Uke a chimney built up from the bottom of the cliff against
its side. It extended inore than one hundred feet from the verge
of tlie precipice and we Avalked out upon it, thinking it possible
that Ave might climb down its uneven side and thus reach the bot
tom. 'When I reached its outer edge, I found the chimney-like
structure composed of huge rocks, one upon another. AU Avere
overgrown with vines and shrubs. I found little difficulty in climb
ing down more than one liundred feet, and I believe that I could,

528 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
have gone further if my courage had not failed. But I looked be
low and saw the shelving rook on which I stood overhung the gulf
beneath, and should the rock give way, I would be precipitated
into the dark, yawning chasm, fully fifteeen hundred feet deep
from where I stood. 'With a shudder I looked up. The top of the
cliff was overhanging me. Tlien the thought of how I was to re
turn flashed upon me. The shelving rooks that had furnished me
footing coming down, now seemed a solid wall whose beetling
brow impended oyer me, with no crag or jutting stone to furnish
me a footing in climbing back. I knew from my feelings that I was
excited, and I sat down where I was and closed my eyes.
"When the confusion passed away, I looked around me. The flrst
cataract of the fall was in full view. So was the second, and part
of the third, but further than that I could not trace the course of
the Avater. Its channel was hidden by passing under the base of
the column on which, I sat. The creek was SAVoUen by the melting
snow, and poured a volume of water equal to a small river. The
first fall was about 800 feet high. A body of Avater feU in nine sec
onds. Allowing one-tliird for resistance of the air, this indicated
a distance of 864 feet. But there were other falls immediately be-
loAV the flrst. The water after passing over the flrst cataract struck
a rock, and from it bounded down a second precipice probably 500
feet high, struck another rock and passed over a third cliff, the
height of Avhich I oould not tell, since it was hidden by the column
on which I was sitting.
*******
I began my ascent of the cliff. It Avas a zigzag path. I cUmbed
from shelf to shelf, never turning my eyes downward, for I knew
too well what was below. I found it almost impossible to g'et
back, and I promised myself if I got out of that scrape I would be
slow in getting into another of the same kind. "When I at last
stood upon the summit again, I looked down into Nihilvideo, fully
resigned to let others reap the honors of its exploration. I was
satisfled. It looks as though one might get into it by following up
or down the San Joaquin ; but I never expect to do it. I have
seen Nihilvideo for the last time, so far as I know or care.
After his visit to Nihilvideo, Mr. Maxwell visited other
places of interest among the AVQnders of the mountains.

APPENDIX. 529
When he left the mountains he went to the plains and
worked a month in the harvest field. By this time it was
late in July, and the weather was very hot. Be and his
brother, and a young Kentuckian, procured a span of horses
and a spring wagon and set out for a thousand miles of
travel over the coast counties of California. They first
risited Lake Tulare, the largest lake west of the Mississippi,
the Great Salt Lake excepted. This lake is rapidly drying
up while the water of the Great Salt Lake is rising. After
spending a day studying the peculiarities of this wonderful
lake, they turned Avestward across the desert, — one of the
most desolate portions of America — got lost, and wandered
for twenty-four hours without finding water. The hills were
bare and gloomy. The night was Ht by the weird Hght of
the moon and the landscape looked like a desolate and neg
lected resting-place for the dead, where only sand-storms
and hot Arinds moaned mournfully their requiems. But
Maxwell and his two companions pushed on. At 2 o'clock
in the morning they reached Avernal Pass, where they got
water. The next day they reached the mouth of Cholame
Eiver, and camped,, with little to eat and no feed for their
horses. The next day they reached San Luis Obispo and
and staid there a few days, A'isited the beach, and, for the
first time looked upon the placid waters of the Pacific. It
is a wild, rugged coast about Avalda, and Maxwell and his
brother — the Kentuckian not goings— climbed the cliffs,
where probably no white man ever went before, and had a
splendid view of the ocean and the sea birds.
From San Ljiis Obispo they went south to Santa Bar
bara, whence they went off to the sea in a boat ; got
Avrecked on the Santa Barbara Islands, and came near star-

530 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ving.* After their return from the islands to Santa Barbara,
they went to Lom Poc, a community where "prohibition
prohibits." From Lom Poc they went to Monterey, where
they spent a few days ; thence north to the mouth of the
Pajaro Eiver, up that stream to San Juan, and over the
Coast Mountains to the San Joaquin VaUey. They then
i^arted to cross one hundred miles of desert to Fresno City.
Their horses gave out and they were left in charge of the
Kentuckian. Maxwell and his brother now proceeded afoot
»aid reached civilization after they had traveled two nights
«aid a day. During this time they had drunk a quart of
water, which they carried with them in a canteen, and eaten
a few raw potatoes and two biscuits. Their feet were so
chafed and burnt by the hot sands that it was weeks before
they recovered.
The remainder of Mr. Maxwell's stay in California was
chiefly devoted to a reA'ision of the " Conquest." Be spent
the winter there, and in the spring visited Sacramento, San
Francisco, some of the old mining country, and Eumboldt
Lake, in Nevada. Be then turned eastward, across the
Eocky Mountains, home, AA'hich he reached late in AprU,
1884, after an absence of more than thirteen months.
Since his return to West Virginia he has been engaged ia
editing the Tucker County Pioneer, in the publication of his
" Bistory of Tucker County," and other literary work.
He has written much, both in prose and verse, and his
v/ritings are always chaste and pure and of a high literary
order. In this sketch we have no space for extracts from
any of his poems, and but little for any of his Avritings for
the press describing the many exciting scenes witnessed
•ForafuUcraocouutof this voyage, see sketch of C. n. Maxwell, In "Brief Blogra-
Fhles," bcghinhis- on paau -109 of this book.

AXPENDIX. 531
during his extensive travel. We deem extensive extracts in
this case unnecessary, for the subject of this sketch, as a
writer, is known beyond the bounds of the circulation of a
single county history, and wiU soon be known more widely
than how, though we doubt if more favorably known.
Mr. Maxwell is a model of physical manhood and an in
defatigable worker. Ee drinks nothing but water and i^
master of his temper. It is impossible to excite him sp as
to make him lose his presence of mind. Ee never forgqts
a friend. Politically, Mr. Maxwell is a Democrat. Be believes
that the South had right on their side in the Civil A^ar.
But he does not tolerate a belief in the institution of
slavery. Ee hates it with a lasting and inappeasable
hatred. Ee believes that the white man is superior to
every other race of the earth.
Ee believes that a man merits honor only for what he
accomplishes — not for what he attempts to accomplish.
Be might try to build a world ; but he should have no
praise for trying unless he succeeds.
Mr. Maxwell is an advocate of the doctrine of Carlyle,
concerning social order and organization. Be is with
Emerson and Berbert Spencer. In science he is a fol
lower of Proctor, TyndaU, Euxley and Darwin. Be beUeves
that the Scriptures are inspired, and that the human soul
is immortal. Bis belief in the immortality of the soul is as
firm and unshaken as the rocks. Be believes nothing, avUI
hear nothing, and hate everything, that conflicts with this
one prime corner-stone of all his beliefs and creeds — that
which brings the pleasing, dreadful thought of eternity to
man.

POLITICAL STA2ISTICS.
After the formation of Tucker County, in 1856, the
officers which up to this time had been elected by Ean
dolph, including Tucker, Avere elected by Tucker alone.
The first election was held May 22, 1856, with the following
results : VOTE AT THE FIRST ELECTION.
* District No- 1- — County officers : For clerk of the cir
cuit court, Arnold Bonnifield received 12 votes ; WUliam
Ewin, 34 votes. For clerk of the county court, Arnold
Bonnifield, 13 votes ; William Ewin, 33 votes.'h For sheriff,
Jesse Parsons received 18 votes, William Corrick 7, and S.
W. Bowman 22. For commonwealth's attorney, Samuel P.
Wheeler, 31 votes, Eufus Maxwell 8 and John N. Bughes 7.
For commissioner of the revenue, Daniel C. Adams, 41
votes, Thomas Bright 5 and Job Parsons, Jr., 1. For sur
veyor of lands, Jacob W. See, 34 votes, David Wheeler 8,
and Solomon Bonner, 4. District Officers : Adam B. Bow
man, James W. Miller, John Jones and Jacob Dumire were
elected justices of the peace. James C. A. Goff, Adam
Dumire and William Lipscomb were candidates for con
stable. Goff was elected by tAvo majority over Lipscomb
and four over Dumire. Goff received 17 votes. Daniel K.
Dumire Avas elected by 7 majority over A. Loughry as over
seer of the poor.
XDistrict No. 2. — The election Avas held at Enoch Mi-
• Almost Identical with the present (18S4) Licking District.
t John Goft voted for Bonnifleld for county clerk and Ewm for circuit clerk.
t Almost Identical In territory with the present (1834) districts ot St. George and Clo
ver, except part of clover District which was taken from Barbour County and annexed
to Tuclccv, by act of the Legislature ot W. Va., passed February 7, 1871.

APPENDIX. 533
near's Stone Bouse.* For clerk of the circuit court Bonni
field and Ewin each received 44 votes ; but, for clerk of the
county court Bonnifield received 45 and Ewin 42.t For
sheriff, Jesse Parsons received 49 votes, William Corrick 24
and Samuel W. Bowman 14. For commonwealth's attor
ney, Eufus MaxAvell received 41 votes, John N. Bughes 26
and Samuel P. Wheeler 21. For commissioner of revenue,
Daniel C. Adams received 43 votes. Job Parsons, Jr., 33 and
Thomas Bright 12. For surveyor of lands, Solomon Bonner
received 44 votes, Jacob W. See 25 and David Wheeler 20.
District Officers : There were four justices of the peace to
be elected. There were nine candidates, and they received
votes as foUows : John Kaler 52, Israel PhiUips 43, F. D.
Talbott 43, John Yoakam 38, Samuel Eudolph 36, James W.
Parsons 30, W. E. Parsons 30, David Bonnifield 32, James
Long 11. Kalar, Phillips, Talbott and Yoakam were elected.
For constable, Alfred Phillips received 43 votes and N. M.
WUmoth 41. For overseer of the poor, Jonathan M. Par
sons received 49 votes and Washington A. Long 36.
District No. 3. — The election was held at the house of
Andrew Fansler.:]: County Officers : For clerk of the circuit
court, Arnold Bonnifield received 55 votes and WUliam
Ewin 2. For clerk of the county court it was the same.
For sheriff, Jesse Parsons received 25 votes, William Cor
rick 34, and S. W. Bowman none. For commonwealth's
attorney, John N. Bughes received 28 votes, Eufus Maxwell
27 and Samuel P. Wheeler 2. For commissioner of the
revenue. Job Parsons, Jr., received 32 votes, Thomas Bright
?This house stands near the present Court-house, and Is the old Minear Homestead.
t Samuel Minear voted for Bonnifleld for county clerk and for Ewin for circuit clerk.
F. n. Talbott voted tor Ewin for circuit clerk and did not vote tor any one tor county
clerk. t Near the confluence ot Black Fork and Dry Fork.

534 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
23 and Daniel C. Adams 1. For surveyor of lands, Solomon
Bonner received 48 votes, Darid Wheeler 7 and Jacob W.
See 1. District Officers : Four Justices of the peace were
elected. There were six candidates, who received votes as
follows: Jacob Kalar, 44; Jacob B. Long 51, Ebenezer
Flanagan 47, Enos Carr 31, John E. Goff 26, W. E. Parsons
17. Kalar, Long, Flanagan and Carr were elected. For
constable, Garrett J. Long received 29 votes, Eobert Flana
gan 19 and John Bright 8. Abraham Parsons was elected
overseer of the poor by 14 majority over John Wolford.
EECAPITULATION.
By a recapitulation it is seen that Arnold Bonnifield was
elected clerk of the circuit court by 31 majority and of the
county court by 36 majority. Jesse Parsons was elected
sheriff by 27 majoritj'. Eufus MaxweU was elected com
monwealth's attorney by 15 majority. Daniel C. Adams
was elected commissioner of revenue (assessor) by 19 ma
jority. Solomon Bonner was elected surveyor of lands by
36 majority. SPECIAL ELECTION, AUGUST 83, 1856.
A special election was held on August 23, 1856, to elect a
sheriff to hold office until the first day of January, 1857, it
haring been decided that the sheriff elected in May could
not hold office until January 1.* Jesse Parsons (the sheriff
elected in May) was chosen at this election without material
opposition. At the Presidential election held in November
of this year, the Buchanan electors received, in the county,
137 votes each, and the Filmore electors received 16 votes
each. Buchanan's majority was 121 votes. There was no
other ticket voted in the county, and no state, county or
district officers Avere chosen at this eleclion.

* Tucker County was organized in July, 1806.

APPENDIX. 535
ELECTION OF 1857.
An election was held in Tucker County on May 28, 1857*,
for an attorney general of Virginia, for a commissioner of
the board of public works of Virginia, for a member of con
gress, for a state senator and for a member of the House of
Delegates of the Legislature of Virginia. In Tucker Coun
ty 9,t this election, John Eandolph Tucker received 114
votes for attorney general. No other candidate was voted
for. Z. Kidwell received 117 votes for commissioner of the
board of public works. There was no other candidate.
For congress, Albert G. Jenkins received 94 votes, and John
S. Carlile 21. For senator, John Brannon received 116
votes. There was no opposition. For house of delegates,
Samuel Crane received 82 votes, Jacob Conrad 18, William
Hamilton 17, and Henry C. Moore none. At that time, and
ever since, in both states. Tucker and Eandolph together
composed a delegate district, and the race between Crane
and Conrad in the district was very close , but Crane got
the certificate of election, and Conrad contested his seat,
and after a protracted struggle in the house of delegates,
succeeded in ousting him. But Conrad did not venture to
be a candidate at the next election.*
A special election was held, December 14, 1857, in Dis
trict No. 2, for overseer of the poor, iu place of Jonathan
M. Parsons, at which election David Wheeler received 8
votes and Samuel Kalar 7.
SPECIAL ELECTION, ISCS.
A special election Avas held on the first day ol January,
1858, in District No. 1, to fill a vacancy in the office of over
seer of the poor, occasioned by the retirement of D. K. Du-

• Crane, Conrad, Hamilton and Moore were all citizens of E.andoliJh County, hut
Moore lived within what Is now wcrater County.

536 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
mire. •At this election Aaron J. Loughry was elected, hav
ing received 8 votes. BazU Moats received 1 vote.
GENERAL ELECTION, 1858.
A general election was held on May 27, 1858, for the pur
pose of electing a lieutenant-governor for the State of Vir
ginia, a clerk for the circuit court, a clerk for the county
court, a sheriff, commissioner of the revenue and surveyor
of lands. A constable was to be elected for each district.
In the county William L. Jackson,* a candidate for lieu
tenant-governor, received 126 votes.'!" Be had no opposi
tion. For clerk of the circuit court, Arnold Bonnifield re
ceived 54 votes and William Ewin 71. | For clerk of the
county court, Bonnifield received 73 votes and Ewin 70. For
sheriff, Jesse Parsons received 103 votes and William Corrick
16. Daniel C. Adams Avas elected without opposition to the
office qi commissioner of the revenue. For surveyor of
lands, David AVheeler§ received 86 votes and Nelson Par
sons 46. Solomon Boner, who was not a candidate, re
ceived 8 votes.
In District No. 1, James C. A. Goft' Avas elected constable
without opposition. In District No. 2, S. D. Kalar was
elected constable without opposition. In District No. 3,
John Bright Avas elected constable.
A special election Avas held in District No. 1, November 11,
1858,11 to fill a vacancy in the office of justice of the peace,
occasioned by the resignation of John Jones. At this elec-

» William L. Jackson has since become Imown by the name of " Mudwall Jackson."
t There was no poll opened for him in Dry Fork Precinct.
+ In Dry Fork Precinct no poll was opened for clerk of the cii-cult court.
5 In Black Forlc District David Wheeler lost votes from a In Ise report that he was not
a candidate.1 At Ihc- ri'sliloiHT 01' A. H. Bowman.

APPENDIX. 537
tion George M. Nester was elected without opposition, re
ceiving ten votes. SPECIAL ELECTION, 18;9, IN DISTRICT NO. 1.
A special election was held March 12, 1859, in District
No. 1,* to till the vacancy in the office of justice of the
peace, occasioned by the resignation of John Jones, at
which election Aaron J. Loughry received 8 votes and Geo.
M. Nester 6.t ELECTION OF 1859.
An election was held in Tucker County, May 26, 1859,
for the purpose of electing a governor, lieutenant-governor,
attorney general, congressman, and a member of the State
legislature. The following table shows the result :t-
•Thls election was held at the residence of A. H. Bowman.
tAn election had been held on ihe llth day ot November, 1838, to flll this vacancy,
and why it became necessary to hold a second election cannot be learned trom the
lecords, but such was the case.
t The poll books and returns tor congress and the legislature for the flrst district
are missing.

638 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.

,-, ca d q5 TO
d I o s o g IP
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. S||wSs | ^
OOVEBNOK. §"265^1 S
John Letcher,  27 95 32 22 176
W.L. Goggin,  3 9 2 3 17
LIEUTENANT-GOVBIINOR.
E. L. Montague,  26 92 30 7 155
W. T. AVilley,  4 11 4 16 35
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
J. E. Tucker,  27 96 32 24 179
Walter Preston  3 8 2 1 14
CONGRESS. ^
A. G.Jenkins,  96 32 24
J. M. Laidley,  7 2 1
i/BGISLATURB.
Wm. Ewin,  84 7 0
S. Crane,  19 27 24
Wm. Bamilton,  2 0 0
John Taylor,  .'  .-  0 0 0
E. C. Moore,  0 0 0
For the legislature, WiUiam EArin received a majority of
all the votes cast in Tucker County, but Eandolph County
gave a sufficient majority to Crane to elect him.
ELKCnON OF 1860.
A general election Avas held in Tucker County, on Thurs
day, May 24, 1860, for the purpose of electing a judge of the
21st circuit, and the foUoAring county and district officers :
Prosecuting attorney, sheriff, assessor ; four justices of the
peace, one constable and one overseer of the poor. The
following table shows the county vote by districts :

APPENDIX.

539

-1

»* oJ

m

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
DistrictNo A.H.Bowm 1
5-J
1
1
1
„ JUDOE.
G. D. Camden .
Wm. G. Brown . . ' ' '
39
47 14
S2 1
1719
20 2
I4S 38
-D,,,., -,. P'X'SECnTING AXTOKuisY.
Eufus MaxweU
11
33
22
30
85
¦ 102
Thomas B. Hummel .
30
31
?,
83
Abraham Parsons ....
14
16 34
*
t
WlUIam Corrick -
12
lu
20
Samuel W. Bowman
13
31
0
Daniel c. Adam^^^""^"""
Job Parsons, Jr. . . '
13
3223 8
82
12
23 1
21
8655
John White, Sr. . . . . '
81
13
0
43
*PoU books missing. t Abraham Parsons was elected.
In District No. 1, the vote stood as follows : For justice,
James W. Miller received 38 votes, G. M. Nester 35, A. B.
Bowman 32, J. C. A. Goff 32 and Jacob Dumire 29. MiUer,
Nester, Bowman and Goff were elected. For constable,
Andrew D. Moore received 21 votes, Joshua Eobinson 16,
and Johnson Goff 14. Moore was elected. John D. Nester
was elected overseei; of the poor. The other candidates
were J. W. Dumire, A. J. Loughry and John J. CHne.
In District No. 2 the vote stood as follows : For justice,
Stephen Domire 60, George B. See 52, Israel Phillips 29,
WiUiam E. Parsons 33, Andrew Pifer 32, Moses Phillips 32.
John AuvU 22, John Kalar 31, F. D. Talbott 29, S. D. Kalar
18. Stephen Domire, George B. See, William E. Parsons
and Andrew Pifer Avere elected. Aaron PhUlips Avas elected
constable without material opposition. D. K. Dumire was
elected overseer of the poor. The other candidates Avere
J. P. Fitzwaters and Andrew B. Parsons. Dumife's major
ity over Parsons was four, and over Fitzwaters, seven.
The election in District No. 3 was as follows : For justice,
Enos Carr received 57 votes: N. J. Lambert 55, J. B. Long
540 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
33, Jacob Kalar 27, Jacob W. Parsons 34, and James Moore
33. Carr, Lambert and Parsons were elected. Moore and
Long tied, and it cannot be determined from the records
which got the office. John Bright was elected constable
without opposition, and in the same manner Adam B. Long
was elected OA-erseer of the poor.
At the Presidential election held this year, in Tucker
County, the Breckenridge electors received 99 votes each.
The Douglass electors each received 23 votes, and the BeU
electors 22. ELECTION OP 1561.
From 1856 to 1861, the election returns of Tucker County
are meagre and out of place ; but from 1861 to 1865, they
are still more so. The war was then going on, and our pub-
He records were subject first to the pillage of one side and
then of the other. Some of such as can now be gotten to
gether are given in the following pages.
ELECTION FOE DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONJVL CONVENTION, FEB., 1861.
In January or February, 1861, an election was held for
the election of a member of the Virginia Convention that
passed the ordinance of secession ; at which election John
N. Bughes and Samuel Crane were candidates. Bughes
was chosen delegate to the convention, for the district com
posed of Eandolph and Tucker. But, there is on file in the
clerk's office at St. George no account of such an election.
ELECTION FOE MEMBEES LEGISLATURE, ETC., MAT, 1S61.
An election was held in Tucker County, in May, 1861*
for the election of a member of the Senate and of the Leg
islature, and for and against an amendment to the Consti
tution of Virginia, and for and against the ordinance of
secession, with the following results :
* The day of the month la uncertain.

APPENDIX. 541

d ^ o- i d I d & d g
AMENDMENT TO CONSTITUTION. ^I^S'^l^i^jS'l'
For  00 74 22 17 00 113
Against  00 2 0 9 00 11
SENATE.
John Brannon  19 61 9 18 7 114
B. Jackson  2 18 12 9 11 52
LEGISLATURE.
J.N. Bughes  19 58 9 16 6 108
Sam. Crane  2 15 12 10 12 51
ORDINANCE OP SECESSION.
For  6 ?
Against....  .. 10 ?*
* Brannon and Hughes were elected In their respective districts. The votes for and
agamst the constitutional amendment has not been found In the clerk's oftice at St.
George, further than above reported. The vote for and against the ordinance ot se
cession is missing for every precinct, except Dry Pork ; but, it Is well known that the
county gave a majority In favor of secession.
ELECTION UNDER REORGANIZED GOVERNMENT, JUNE 29, 186L
An election was held under military guard of the United
States forces, at the residence of Adam B. Bowman, Dis
trict No. 1, for the purpose of electing a delegate to repre
sent Tucker and Eandolph in the legislature of the Eeor-
ganized Government of Virginia (usuaUy called the Wheeling
Government). The election was held on June 29, 1861.*
At this election some fifteen or twenty votes were cast for
Solomon Parsons, of Tucker County. There was no other
poll opened in any other precinct in the two counties, and
no return Avas made from this. But Parsons was duly
elected according to the laws and exigencies of war times.t
* The exact date of this election Is arrived at by consulting the family records of
the McChesney family. They have It recorded that " Eobert McChesney was bom
June 30, 18-12, and died June 29, 18B1," and since he was killed here, the election must
have been on that day. There exist only the merest records ot this election, and
nothing ofQclah
tThls has come to be the most noted election ever held lu Tilcker County. It was
there that McChesney was killed, aud Paxton and Dock Loug were slightly wounded,
aud twenty voters elected an offlcer tor two counties, aud no offlolal return was ever
made of the matter.

S42 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ELECTION FOE COUNTY AND DISTRICT OPPICEES, DEC. 14, 1861.
Under the WheeUng authorities an election was held in
Tucker County, December 14, 1861. Polls were opened at
only two places in the county — St. George and at A. B.
Bowman's. The election was for a clerk for both circuit
and county courts, prosecuting attorney, sheriff and county
surveyor. Justices and constables for each district were to
be elected. The following table will show the result. It is
one of our county curiosities, and is, therefore, given in fuU.

NAMES OF

g .

sio

Ss

ti

a.-

JJ

a
VOTEES AT
A. H. bow
¦cult
0 ams, ¦aham.
aa
1
+3 03
§
i
SS
3 s
1
.EH
S d
i 1
.1 i
<2te S
man's, DIS-
TEICTNO.l.
ClerkCli D. C. Ad N.C.Gi
8?
Sri
6
o •
w<
II
ii
fl o
Constab Georgei IsacS.J
D. Wonderly . .
..1 0
1
0
1
0
'"l
0
1
0
1 1
1 0
Jho. Neville . . .
.1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1 0
1 0
J. B. Eobinson
..1 0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
1 1
1 0
M. Bohon 
..0 1
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
1 1
1 0
Eobert Jones .
..1 0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
1 0
0 1
G. W. Adams.
..1 0
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
10
0 1
Jacob Dumire.
..0 1
0
1
1
0
1
0
1
1
0 1
1 0
I. S. James. ..
..10
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1 0
1 0
W. T. White . .
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1 1
1 0
J.W. Miller..
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1 0
1 0
Jos. Neville*..
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
Itl
Itl
Jacob Pifer. . .
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1 1
1 1
Jno. White, Sr.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0 1
1 1
Enoch Minear.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1 1
1 1
John Dumire . .
. .1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1 1
11
John P. Gray.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0 0
0 0
S. E. Parsons.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1 1
1 0
D. K. Dumire.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1 1
1 1
S. B. Parsons.
..1 0
1
0
1
a
1
0
0
0
0 0
0 0
A. C.Scott....
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0 0
0 0
Wash. Corrick.
..1 0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0 0
0 0
19 2
IS
1 2
20 2
19 3
17
8
8 8
0 0
•Joseph Neville, and those named following him, are those who voted at St George,
District No. 2.
tJohn While and D. AVheeler were the candidates for Justice at St. George, and the
votes received by them are designated in this column.
JW. Thompson and S. E. Parsons were the candidates tor constable at St. George.
APPENDIX.

543

So stood the vote of Tucker County, December 14, 1861.
ELECTION ON RATIFICATION OF FIE8T CONSTITUTION OP WEST VIEGINIA.
On April 3, 1861, an election was held in all the precincta
of Tucker County, except that of Dry Fork, to vote upon
the ratification or rejection of the constitution of the .pro
posed new state of West Virginia. It was also to elect
justices, an overseer of the poor, and a constable for certain
districts of the county. The foUowing table shows the
result :

CONSTITUTION.

For.
Against 
FREE STATE.
For 
Against 

Dist. No. 1. Dist. No. 2. Dist. No. 3. TOtaL

JUSTICES.
Jacob W. Parsons . .
WiUiam E. Parsons.
Jacob Flanagan 
Jacob Kalar 
Frederick Dumire . .
J. M. L. Porter 
CONSTABLE.
I. S. James 
N. C. Graham 

OVEESEEB OF POOE.
WiUiam Marsh 
H. A. Linsey 
Adam White 

13

21*

2t

8

44

00

00

0

0

00

12

20

0

0

32

00

00

0 '7 1

0 67
1
6

00 6
71
: 6 7 1

4

4

7

25 9

7
25
* The votes In this column were east at St. George. t vote at Horse Shoe Eun.
tMembersof Company P, eth Va. regiment, voters ot Preston County, voted at St.
George, casting 25 votes tor the constitution and none against it, and 23 votes tor Free
State, and none against It. ELECTION OP MAT 22, 1862.
On May 22, 1862, an election was held in Districts Nos. 1
and 2 of Tucker County, for the purpose of electing a gov
ernor, lieutenant-governor and attorney general of the re
organized state of Virginia (West Virginia). The election
644 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
Avas also for the pui^ose of electing a clerk for the circuit
and county courts, sheriff, assessor, surveyor of lands, and
for constables and overseers of the poor. The' following
table shows .the result :
ELECTION HELD IN DISTEICTS NO. I /ND 2, MAT 22, 1862.
District No. 2
District court- Horse To-
GOVERNOR. No.1 House ShceKun tal
F.B. Pierpont  ...23 44 15 82
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
D. Polslev  22 44 16 82
John A. Dille  ,.  ,  00 00 .00 00
ATTORNET GENBRAt. ' '
James S. Wheat..  .....22 43 15 80
CLERK OF COUNTT AND CIRCUIT COURTS.
D.S. Minear  4 19 4 27
A. B. Bowman  20 19 5 44
John White, Jr  00 1 00 1
J. M.L. Porter  2 00 11 13
Isaac Painter  0 3 0 3
SHERIFF.
A. D. Moore  22 44 19 85
ASSESSOR.
William W. Parsons.....  13 3L 3 47
D.C.Adams  7 4 2 13
D.L. Dumire  4 6 15 25
W. W. Bansford  2 3 00 5
SURVETOR.
Solomon Bonner  24 36 15 75
E. Wilson  00 5 3 8
In District No. 1, I. S. James was elected constable over
N. C. Graham. 20 votes were cast for constable. In Dis
trict No. 2, Adam Dumire was elected constable, having no
opposition. Of 26 votes, Joseph Neville received 14 major
ity over Van Buren Goff, for overseer of the poor.
On June 28, 1862, a special election was held at the
Court-Bouse in St. George for the purpose of electing a
justice " to fill the vacancy of David Wheeler, resigned,"
and for electing a constable for District No. 2. The poU
and the names of the voters are given rather more as a
curiosity than anything else.

APPENDIX. 545
•^amck nt v/.f««^ JuBtlce Constable
T r'™?"' Voters. X. c. Scott A. Dumire K. PhUlips
John Dumire  0 1 1
Enoch Minear  1 o 1
D. S. Minear  0 1 1
Adam Dumire  0 0 1
DaA'id AVheeler  1 0 1
ELECTION OF MARCH 26, 186.3.
An election AA-as held in Tucker County on March 26,
1863, to take the vote for and against the amended consti
tution of the proposed State of West Virginia.* Polls were
opened at EannahsvUle (A. E. Bowman's), St. George and
Borse Shoe Eun, and the vote was as follows :
_ . , ; St. George Horse Shoe Run Hannahsville Total
For Amendment  27 3 15 45
Against "  00 0 1 1
GENERAL ELECTION, MAT 28, 1«6».
On May 28, 1863, an election was held in Tucker County,
and polls were opened at St. George, EannahsvUle, and at
Pine Grove Church, on Eorse Shoe Eun. The following
officers were to be voted for : governor, secretary of state,
treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and three judges for
the court of appeals, for the State op AVest ViEGiNiA.t
There were also to be elected a judge for the circuit court,
senators, members of the legislature (at Wheeling), clerk of
the circuifr court, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, surveyor of
lands, and recorder. The following table shows the result
of the vote as it was taken :

* There Is a tag attached to these poll books, urging the oflicers of election to make
prompt returns. At this time the admission of West A'irglnia as a State lu the Union,
was kept back for want ot the Amendment to the Constitution.
t This Is the first mention on the official records ot Tucker County of the State ot
West Virginia. Thl3 was May 28. Ou June 20, it was admitted luto the Union. It
was at flrst proposed to name It " New Virginia."
33

546

BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.

^ ¦ j5 ' g
3 tf s
¦¦'¦ .¦.¦<.. -  S ---S-:-;* J
3 ; , O ... 2 .'5
GOVKBNOR. K So K S
Arthur L Boreman,  16 17 4' 37
SKCBETABT OF STATE.
J.E. Boyer,  16 17 4 37
TREASURER.
CampbeU Tarr,.  16 17 4; 37
AUDITOR.
Sainuel Crane, .......... ^  17 16 4 37
ATTOBNBT OBNBRAj;!. , ,
A. B. CaldweU,..  J  16 17 4, 37
COURT OF APPBAIiS.
, E. L. Berkshire,  16 17 i 37
Wm. B. Barrison,  16 17 4 37
James E. Brown,.  16 17 4 37
CIRCUIT JUDGE.
John A. Dille,. .,......:....  15 15 4 34
SENATOR. :¦¦.:], .,.. :. •¦
D. a. Minear,*  0,1 0 1
Charles Burke,  14 16 0 30
 i)rummond,t  2 0 0 2
Cyrus Kittle.... .:.......... ...... 1 1 4 6
CLERK CIRCUIT COURT. ' ' i
A. E. Bowman  16 16 4 36
' ¦ ' ' ¦ ¦ SHERIFF. ¦ . ' '
Jacob Dumire, .... ::.  16i 16 0 32
A, D. Moore.,..  1124
PlibSKfetiTING ATTORBTET.
M. B: Bittterfield,. . . , . . >  17 , 8 I 26
J.C. ABroAvn,...,  ...,  0 8 3 11
SURVETOR OP LAHbsl
William Thompson,  ...,....,17  17 3 37
J. M. L. Porter,.  . .0,0 1 1
' RECORDER. ' ' ¦ ¦ • ¦
AdamTait,  ,  ,0 16 . 0,, 16
Adam B. BoAvman,  Ifi 14 21

•D. S. Mlhwr was not a candidate. ; , ., ,,.,.,,,,, ,. , ,• ! i , ;. .ii(..
t The first name of Drummond cannot be deciphered 'from -the books. His surnaihe
IS'all that is known in lAicker, and that only inasmuch as It Is oh the books.
ELECTION OP OCTOBER S2, 1«63.
The first election held in Tucker County after the for
mation of West A^rginist, Avas October 22, 1863. Polls were

APPENDIX. 547

¦I

opened at Hannahsville, St. George and Black Fork
(Abraham Parsons') . FoUoAving "is the result :
cTi>i«rAm»n lat DiatMct' 2na District -ara District
_. _ _, SENATOR. Hannahsville St. George Abraham Parsons'
D. D. Fainaworth,  9 24 0 ,
Fred Berlin,  . . 7
CONGRESS. ' '
W.G.Brown,  9 25 2
W. B. Zinn,...,..:  0 '^ 5
.liEGISI^TUBB.
Cyrus Kittle,.   8 9 1
Chstrles Burke,  1 15 a
ASSESSOR.
W.W. Parsons,..,  10 19 ,6
AdamTait,  1 , 1
SHBRIFF.
Jacob W. Parpons,  11 2 . .
ELECTION OF JANUART SS, 18e4.
In an election held in Tucker County, January 23, 1864,
S. E. Parsons was elected County Treasurer.
In BannahsriUe ToAvnship the vote stood a^ foUows'fdr
district officers :
For superrisor, AV. T. White received 8 votes, Jacob Du-
mhre 7 and D. C. Adams 7. For justice, James W. MiUer
received 21 votes. For constable. John W- Dumire re
ceived 20 votes. For township clerk, T. C. Adatos received
22 votes. For township treasurer, J. P. Gray received 19
votes. For inspector of elections, John O. Eobinson and
John NeriUe each received 20 vptes. For overseer of the
poor, WUliam Jones received 20 votes and Jehu Lipscomb 2.
St. George Township Officers.* — For supervisor, Andrew
Pifer received 29 votes and John White IL For justice of
the peace, D. S. Minear received 14 votes, I. Phillips 25,
John Kalar 1. For towDsliip clerk, Adam Tait received 42
votes. For county treasurer, D. K. Dumire received 35
votes. For ovei-seer of the poor, Adam Dumire received 3
• A poll was opened at the Court-house only.

548 BISTOEY OP TUCKEE COUNTY.
votes and Eobert PhilUps 35. For inspector of election, B.
Linsey received 3 votes and S. Dumire 32. For constablej
Solomon Kalar received 36 votes. . For sheriff, B. Moore
received 27 votes. '" , , ¦ f '• ¦ '
HANNAHSVILLE TOWNSHIP ELECTION, FEBRUART 13, 1864
At an election held in BannahsviUe Township, February
18, 1864, S. E. Parsons received 22 votes^for county treas
urer. Votes for the other offices were as foUoAfs : * Fori
supjervisoTi D. C. Adams 11, Jacob Dumire ll, For, justice ^
of the peace, J. W. Miller 20. For township treasurer,
John P. Gray 21. For toAvnship clerk, Thomks.C. Adams 21.
For constable, J. W. Dumire, Johnson Goff 5. For over
seer of the poor, WilUam Jones 18. For inspector of elec
tion,, John NeriUe 19, John Eobinson 16, Amassa Goff 2,
WiUiam Burns 1.
BLACK FORK TOWNSfflP ELECTION, FEBRUART 20,. 1884.
At an election held at Andrew Fansler's, for Black Fork
township,' February 20, 1864, the vote stood as foUows :
county treasurer, S. E. Parsons 23. Supervisor, W. W.
Bansford 17, Jacob B. Long 6. Treasurer, Abraham Par
sons, John G. C. Parsons and A. B. Long received one vote
each. Township clerk. Job Parsons 11, C. Parsons 6, G. J.
Long 6. Justice of the peace, WiUiam Corrick 12, Jacob
B. Long 11. Constable, Barrison Moore, 19. Overseer of;
poor, Adam E. Long 17, Edward ThornhiU 2;- Wiard Par-
sons^2, J. E. Long and Andrew Fansler 1 each.
ST. GEORGE TOWNSHIP ELECTION, APRIL 28, 1884.
At the township election held at St. George, April 28,
1864, the vote stood as foUoAvs: justice, Adam Tait, 16;
constable, Lloyd Pifer, 16; township treasurer, D. S.
Minear, 13 ; overseer of the poor, A. B. Linsey, 15 ; town
ship clerk, S. E. Parsons, 2.

APPENDIX. 549

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. | ^ p
I I S -J
GOVERNOR. « i i t
Arthur I. Boreman,  13 38 43 94
^ _ _ATTORNBt GENERAL. '
E,E.. HaU,  13 38 43 94
SECRBTART OP STATE.
G. D. HaU,. . ;  13 38 43 94
AUDITOR.
J: M. McWhorter,  13 38 43 94
TREASURER.
CampbeU Tarr,....  ..;.. 13 38 43 94
CONGRESS. I
Moses TitcheneU,  i  . . 12 8 0 20
George E. Latham,  2 9 25 36
 Smith,  2 0 2 4
WiUiam Zinn,  '.. 9 7 9 25
SENATE.
 Eolison,  13 5 3 21
 Cortey  .r. 0 10 3 13
LEGISLATURE. ,
 WUmoth,  0 5 4 9
Cyrus Kittle,  4 3 18 25
Chartes Burite,.   10 29 22 61
 Phares,  0 1 ,,|1 2
PROSECUTING ATTORNET.
Spencer Dayton,  8 3 22 33
Charges Hooton,  5 0 2 7
Moses B. Butterfield,  1. . 10 0 1*
 Brown,  0 31 2 33
G. Cresap,  0 0 17 17
COUNTT TREASURER.
S. E. Pairsons,.  15 38 33 86
RECORDER.
A. H. Bowman,.'.  ...6 10' 16 32
John J, Adams,  8 34 21 63
SURVETOR OP LANDS.
CorneUus Parsons,    0 26 16 42
Joseph Parsons,  0 4 10 14
WUliam Thompson,  ...;... 14 0 1 15
¦ ASSESSOR. , .
D.C.Adams,  14 26 2 42
WUHam E. Parsons,  1 19 25 45

• On the margin of the election retnms some one wrote, Just after ButterfleWs name :
" AVhere was Moses wben the Ught went out 1"

550 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
PRESroENTIAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 8, 1864.
. At an election held in Tucker County, November 8, 1864,
the Lincoln and Johnson electors received votes aS foUows:
Hannahsrille 7, St. George 31, Black Fork 18, tqtal in the
county 56. The McClellau electors received at Hannahs
rille 14 votes, at St. George 12, at Black Fork 10., Total in
the county 92, of which Lincoln had 20 majority,
TOAVNSHIP ELBCTIONS, APRIL 27, 1865.
At township elections held on AprU 27, 1865, the. .foUow-,
ing officers were elected :
Hannahsville Township. — Superrisor, D. C. Adams ; treas
urer, John P. Gray; clerk, Thomas C. Adams; overseer of
roads, Joseph B. Eobinson ; overseer of the poor, Joseph B.
Eobinson ; overseer of roads, 2nd district, George W. Adams;
inspector of elections, John J. CHne ; school commissioner,
Jacob Dumire ; constable, Thomas C- Adamis.
St. George Township.- — Supervisor and treasurer, Andrew
Pifer; clerk, John J. Adams; constable, Solomon Kalar;
overseer of the poor, John Jones ; overseer of roads, Eobert
PhilUps; inspector of elections, Stephen Dumire; school
commissioner, Stephen Dumire.
Black Fork Township. — Supervisor, W. W. Habsford;
treasurer, W. W. Parsons ; clerk, C. Parsons ; constable, A.
L. Corrick ; overseer of the poor, John Bright ; oA-erseer of
roads, Jacob W. Parsons and A. B. Long ; inspector of
elections, I. A. Gilmore ; school commissioner, Thomas
Bright. ELECTION OP OCTOBER 26, 1865.
On October 26, 1865, an election was held in all the
toAvnships of Tucker. The war was then over, and it was
the first election in time of peace for a long time ; but, even
then, so many of the voters were disfranchised on account

APPENDIX. 551
of their sympathy with the South, that the vote shows no
considerabte part of the voters. It stood thus :
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
• SENATF
E, J. O'Brien,. . .'.  Ham.||«ne st.<^rge BlaC^Portc Tota^
Jos^J'eter, . :  .' ." ." 15 7 g 30
J. H. Woodford,  I 7 0 8
Charles Burke,  i 2 5 8
LEGISLATUBE.
5"^« MaxweU,  19 25 ll 55
David Wheeler,....  18 13 ' 15 46
PBpSECUTnfG ATTORNEY.
Charles Hooton,..?  21 7 14 42
G. Cresap,.  13 1 13 27
Samuel Woods,  1 20 . . 21
SUBVETOB. ;
Solomon Bonner,.  30 13 22 65 '
Joseph Parsons,. .'.  .... 4 16 3 23
ELECTION OP MAT 24, 18«6.»
On May 24, 1866, an election was held in Tucker County,
and the vote stood thus : ,
CANDIDATES.,:
GO. SUPT. OP SCHOOLS. ' HannahSvlile St. Geoige Slack Fork Total.
A. H.Bowman........  22 51 35 108
Cornelius Parsons,,  20 22 16 58
Jacob Dumire,  4 0 0 4
Abraham Parsons,  0 0 7 7
For ratification constitution 19 13 9 41
Against " '" 29 61 51 141
A. B. Bowman's majority was 60. The ratification of the
amendment to the constitution was defeated by 100 major- j. .
ity. There is no record of a poll having been opened on
Horse Shoe Eun or Dry Fork. The election of Black Fork
Township was held at the residence of John E. Goff,
•Alter 1865 only the election of county, state and national officers wlU be given in
fulL It would require too much space even to mentloa the officers and candidates tor „
the district offices.

552 HISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
GENERAL ELECTION, OCTOBER 25, 18M.
On October 25, 1866, a general election, for state and
county officers, was held in Tucker County, with results
seen in the foUoAring table :
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
GOA^BNOB. Hannahsville St. George Black Pork Total
Arthur I. Boreman  24 14 10 48
Benjamin H. Smith  35 62 41 138
SECEETABY OP STATE.
Johns. Witcher,  24 14 10 48
John W. Kennedy,  35 62 41 138
AUDITOB.
J. N. McWhorter,  24 14 10 48
Peter DarneU,  35 62 41 138
TEEASUBEE.
J. B. Bristor,  24 14 10 48
J. S. Burdett,  35 62 41 138
ATTOENEY GENEEAL.
Thayer Melvin,  24 14 10 48
Nathaniel Eichardson  35 62 41 138
JUDGES SUPEEME COUBT.
Edwin Maxwell,  3 14 10 27
E. L. Berkshire,  56 62 41 159
CONGEESS.
B. M. Kitchen,  17 14 10 41
E. W.Andrews,  35 62 41 138
SENATOR, 6th DISTRICT.
Nathan B, Taft,  31 33 40 104
•Jiames C. McGrew,  6 0 6
WiUiam B. Zinn,  10 1
D. D. Farnsworth,  1 10 11
LEGISLATURE.
Charles W. Burk  35 55 40 130
James Druinmond,  20 13 10 43
CLEEK OF THE CIRCUIT COUBT.
A, B. Bowman  23 29 31 83
John J. Adams,.  29 46 19 94
SHEBIPF. »
Ward Parsons,  4 19 18 41
D.K. Dumire,  17 9 0 26
Andrew Pifer,  8 14 9 31
Israel PhUUps,  30 33 25 88

APPENDIX.

55S

(Continued.).
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
GOTOSTTY BECORDEE. ; Hannah§vllle St. George Black Fork Total
A. B. Bowman,  23 28 30 81
John J. Adams,  29 46 19 94
COUNTY TREASURER.
S. E. Parsons,  1 12 10 23
Arnold Bonnifield,.  40 56 39 135
Andrew Pifer,  0 1 0 1
A. E. Bowman,  0 1 0 1
• PROSECUTING ATTOENEY. :
Charles Booton,  15 7 10 27
G. Cresap,  30 48 33 111
Ji E. CarroU,  .12 16 9 37
surveyoe of lands.
Joseph Parsons,  47 65 41 153
WUUam Ewin,  0 1 0 1
A. Bonnifield,  0 1 0 1
ASSESSOB.
A. E. Long,.  0 4 18 22
John AVhite,  .35 49 25 109
D. C. Adams,  20 7 6 33
D. L. Dumire,  6 14 5 25
JUDGE CIECUIT COUBT.
John A. DiUe,  0 0 5 5
TOAVNSm-P ELECTIONS, MAY 23, 1867.
On May 23, 1867, township elections were held in Tucker
County, with results set forth in the following table :
HannahsviUe. St. George. Black Fork.
Man elected. Maj. Man elected. Ma]. Man elected. Ma].
FOE SUPEEVISOE.
T. F. Bebb, 4 John Jones, 9 Job Parsons, Jr., 30
JUSTICE.
J.W.Miller, .. S.E. Parsons, 23 M. Wolford, 1
CONSTABLE.
W. J. Sage, 4 Wm. Shaw, 11 John B. Long, 27
OVEBSEEfi OF THE POOE.
Wm. Jones, 40 Wm. Shaw, 20 Jacob Fansler, 21
CLEEK OF THB TOWNSHIP.
J. W. Dumire, 6 J. J. Adams, 12 Solomon Bonner, 33
TOWNSHIP TEEASUEEE.
J.P.Gray, 1 D. K. Dumire, 10 Thomas Bright, 1
INSPECTOE OF ELECTIONS.
J. J. Cline, 10 D. K. Dumire, 11 AVard Parsons, 3

554 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
(^Continued.)
HannahsviUe. St. George. Black Fork.
Man elected. Maj. Man elected. Ma]. Man elected. Ma].
SCHOOL COMMISSIONEE.
J. J. CHne, 21 Eobt.Phillips,10 W. D. Goff, 13
EOAD SUEVEYOE.
M.C.Atherton, 14 D. K. Dumire, 13 S. E. Fansler, 1
Geo. G. Adams, 1 Eobt.PhUlips,19 Thomas Bright, 1
E. Bovatter, 14 G.M.Parsons, 20 Solomon Bonner, 1
E. Flanagan, 3
ELECTION OF OCTOBER 24, 1867.
An election was held in Tucker County, October 24, 1867,
and the result runneth thus :
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
SENATE. HanuahsvUle St. George Black Fork* Total
E.J.O'Brien,  22 16 13, 51
W. J. Drummond,  19 9 8 36
LEGISLATURE.
F. M. White,  22 17 12 51
J. W. Dunnington,  19 8 0 36
SUPT. OP SCHOOLS.
Joseph Parsons,  18 17 11 46
A. B. Bowman,  7 4 11 22
COUNTY TEEASUEEE.
Andrew Pifer,  1 4 0 5
Jacob Dumire,  18 2 0  20
* The Black Pork election was held at the residence of Ward Parsons.
GENEEAL ELECTION, OOTOBBE 22, 1863.
There Avas an election, held for both State and county of
fices, October 22, 1868. The following is a summary of this
State election, as it stood in Tucker County :t
t The official returns from St. George are not Included in this table. They would
probably Increase the majorities of the Democratic candidates to 88 each. Tucker
County was now becoming decidedly Democratic. Durmg the war, and shortly after
the disfranchisement ot so many voters, on account of supposed sympathy with the
South, had allowed the EepubUcans to gain the rule. But, as soon as these war dls-
quallfloatlons were done away with, the Democrats returned to power stronger than
ever. The tyranny of their opponents served to strengthen what it was meant to
weaken, as it always does and always will do.

APPENDIX.

555

OFFICES AND

OFFICES AND
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES.
QOVEENOE.
vote.
Majority.
ATTOENEY GENERAL.
V0t«.
Majority
J. N. Camden, . . .
79
48
AV. T. WiUey,. . .
79
48
W. E. Stevenson 31
Thayet- Melvin,.
31
SECRETARY.
SUPEEME JUDGE.
S.V. Yan tis,....
79
48
M. Edmiston, . . .
79
48
J. M. Pifes, 
31
E. L. Berkshire, .
31
AUDITOR.
CONGEESS.
Daniel Mayer, . .
79
48
W. G. Brown, . . .
79
48
Thos. Boggess, . .
31
Jas. C. McGrew, .
31
TREASURER
SENATE.
Geo. L Walker,.
79
48
D. S. Peterson, . .
80
50
J. M. Macauley, .
31
D.D.T.Farnsworth30
It is a Httle remarkable that only one ticket was scratched
at this election, that of D. D. T. Farnsworth, of Upshur
County, in favor of David S. Peterson, of Lewis County.
ELECTION OF OCTOBEE 22, 1868.
At the county election held in Tucker County, October 22,
1868, the result stood thus :
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. 3
John A. Booton,  33
WiUiam Bennett,  7
EECOEDEE.
John J. Adams,  44
PBOSECUTING ATTOENEY.
G. Cresap,  33
Charles Booton,  14
COUNTY SURVEYOR.
Joseph Parsons,  35
ASSESSOE.
S. E. Fansler,  22
Jacob Dumire,  11
Abraham Parsons,  9
JUDGE CIECUIT COUET.
John J. BroAvn,  32
John A. DiUe,  16
o
tn
64
1
11
37
9
E-i
143
24
5
4
40
70
39
14
167
64
35
10
142
22
7
5
48
67
39
12
153
29
28
15
94
28
3
0
42
29
8
0
46
63
6
9
110
23
8
6
53
556 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
On the same day an election for EannahsvUle Township
resulted as follows :
For township clerk, Jojiu E. Loughry received 35 votes,
John W. Dumire, 4. Overseer of the poor, John J. Cline
received 23 votes, WiUiam Jones 17, John D. Nester 1, El
ton Bovatter 1, John Shaffer 1. Township treasurer, James
C. A. Goff 37, James W. Miller 1. Inspector of election,
Johnson Goff 1, John J. Cline 10, T. B. Lipscomb 4, Joshua
Eobinson 2. Eoad surveyor, 1st precinct, E. T. Loughry
27, W. H. Lipscomb 30 ; 2nd precinct, George Bovatter 19.
ST. GEOEGE TOWNSHIP ELECTION, OCTOBEE 22, 1868.
The township election at St. George, on October 22, 1868,
resulted as follows :
Supervisor, Eufus Maxwell 58, John Jones 29. Town
ship clerk, John J. Adams 69, no opposition. Overseer of
the poor, Andrew B. Parsons 65, no opposition. Treasurer,
S. E. Parsons 69, no opposition. Inspector of election, D.
K. Dumire, 36, Elihu PhiUips 28. Eoad surveyor, 1st pre
cinct, William Ewin 63, no opposition. 2nd precinct, Thos.
M. Mason, 60, Price Montgomery 17. 3rd precinct, John
W. Godwin 62, no opposition. 4th precinct, James P. Fitz
waters 62, no opposition. School commissioner, Stephen
Dumire 63, no opposition. Constable, Andrew L. Du
mire 5, no opposition.
BLACK FORK TOWNSmP ELECTION, OCTOBER 22, 1868.
The election in Black Fork Township on October 22,
1868, stood as foUoAvs :

APPENDIX. 557
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
-r 1 T-. ^^^^^^'ISOK. -Wm-a Pai-son's, Flanagans'. Total, Majority.
Job Parsons, Jr.,  34 4 38 23
AV. W. Bansford,  7 8 15
S. E. Fansler,  3 0 3
TOWNSHIP CLERK.
Solomon Bonner,  13 14 27
A. B. Parsons,  27 0 27
Adonijah B. Parsons,*.. 0 0 0
OVEESEEB OP THE POOE.
John Bright,  8 ¦ 9 17
Abraham Parsons,  32 0 32 15
TOAVNSHIP TEEASUEEE.
Thomas Bright,  13 9 22
J. B. Long,  1 0 1
Ward Parsons,  37 5 42 20
INSPECTOE OF ELECTIONS, t
Ward Parsons,  29 . . 29
J. I. Propst,  34 34 5
INSPECTOE OF ELECTIONS.:]:
James B. Carr,  3 3
Gabriel Eains,  6 6 3
SUEVEYOE OF EOADS.
S. E. Fansler, W. I. Fansler and Ward Parsons, in Black
Fork and, Alfred Flanagan, Solomon Bonner and George
Fansler in Dry Fork, were elected.
* This Is the flrst mention In the election returns of Tucker County of the name of
Adonijah B. Parsons.
t Black Fork. t Dry Fork.
PEESmENTIAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 3, 1868.
At the Presidential election§ held in Tucker County, No-
§ As a specimen of the tyranny and proscription existing as long after the close of
the war as 1888, we give the oath that was required to be taken by the officers. It was
not enough to have vanquished a brave enemy, but when he was powerless, the fires
ot persecution were kindled with more fury than ever. The toUowlng was the oath :
"State of West Virginia, County ot Tucker, ss.:
I,  , Supervisor ot Election, at  , in said County, do solemnly swear that
I will support the Constitution ot the United States and the Constitution of this State,
that I have never voluntarily borne arms against the United States, that I have vol
untarily given no aid or comfort to persons engaged In armed hostility thereto, by
countenancing, counseling or encouraging them tn the same, that I have not sought^
accepted or attempted to exercise the functions of any office whatevier, under any au
thority In hostility to the United States, that I have not yielded a voluntary support
to any pretended Government Authority, Power or Constitution within the United
States, hostile or Inimical thereto, and that I take this obligation freely, without any
mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And I further swear, that, In the election
about to be held, I will faithfully and Impartially discharge my duties to the best of
my skill and Judgment. So help me God."

69

i1

11
23

i
faoi
E 1

1
109

9

0

0

25

60

32

15

123

19

3

0

41

66

0
0
93
7
28
0
38
0
0
0
1
0
0
14
14
0
0
1
1
558 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
vember 3, 1868, the Democratic Electors received 130 votes
and the EepubUcans 54.*
ELECTION RETURNS OCTOBEE 28, 1869.
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. P
SENATE. . g
Spencer Dayton,  I6
Blackwell Jackson,  16
LEGISLATUEE.
Eufus MaxweU,  17
Joseph W. Davis,  19
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
Eufus Maxwell,  27
Joseph Parsons,  3
Job Parsons,  1
J. G. Flanagan,  0
William Bansford,  0
SUPEEVISOE OF ELECTION.
T. F. Bebb,  20
John D. Nester,  13
W. B. Lipscomb,  1
M. C. Atherton,  1
Eufus MaxweU,  32
John Jones,  27
John Auvil,  20
Job Parsons,  27
William Eains,  11
Gabriel Eains,  1
William Eains,  15
INSPECTOR OP ELECTIONS.
John J. Cline,  23
T. B. Lipscomb,  5
D. K. Dumire,  42
J. P. Fitzwaters,  16
John I. Propst,  32
James Parsons,  1 ,
Gabriel Eains,  10
James B. Carr,  5
• Hon. A. W. Campbell, Republican elector at large, received four votes more than
any other one on that ticket.
APPENDIX. 559
(Continued.)
OFFICES ANT) CANDIDATES. .§ & | I' g'
S S 2 i S _:
g a ^ £ I •S
OVEESEEB OP THE POOE. M S S ^ M I
Jacob Dumire,  17
Poor old Jones,*  1
D. K. Nester,  1
Nathan Loughry,  4
WiUiam Jones, .'  5
John M. Cross,  66
D. K. Dumire,  1
John Bright,  30
John I. Propst,  1
John Bright,  4
SCHOOL COMMISSIONEE.
J. W. Miller,.  17
John J. CHne,  1
Peter Sanders,  4
Darid Lipscomb,  1
J. C. Goff,  1
John Jones,  1
Adam Tait,  29
John J. Adams,  1
John Auvil,  31
WiUiam E. Long,  2
John I. Propst,  28
Solomon Bonner,  1
AViUiam E. Fansler,  3
TOAVNSHIP CLEEK.
M. C. Atherton,...  17
John AV. Dumire,  10
John E. Loughry, ...>... 8
D. L. Dumire,  1
John J. Adams,  72
A. B. Parsons,  19
Solomon Bonner,  9
S. E. Fansler,  9
Solomon Bonner,  15
John G. Moore,  1
TOWlSfSHIP TEEASUEEE.
M. C. Atherton,  17
* This 13 the name on the official election returns.

560 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
(Continued^

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. | I I S d
I s S ^ i d
fl o I n- I 5
m m « ;s H H
Elton Eavatter,  15
T. B. Lipscomb,  1
James Goff,  1
Sansom E. Parsons,  75
Thomas Bright,  30 10
CONSTABLE.
Peter Bohon,  1
Johnson Goff,  13
J. J. Cline,  5
W. B. Lipscomb,  2
Eobert Phillips,  36
Adam Tait,  1
Moses PhiUips,  15
James P. Fitzwaters, .... 1
Salathiel Phillips,  1
Jacob Wolford,  2
JUSTICE.
Jesse Parsons,  46
James P. Fitzwaters,  11*
* In this election there were two complete poll books and election returns from each
voting place. The test oath was stiU taken by the election officers.

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES ^o
03
GOVEENOR. g
John J. Jacob,  80
W. E. Stevenson,  21
SECEETABY OF STATE.
John M. Phelps,  80
James M. Pipes,  21
. AUDITOB OP STATE.
E. A. Bennett,  80
Thomas Boggess,  21
STATE TEEASUEEE.
John S. Burdett,  80
James A. Macauley,  21

;3 s
26

S
38

19

163

36

6

9

72

23

38

20

161

39

6

9

75

25

38

20

163

36

6

9

72

26

38

20

164

36

6

9

72

APPENDIX. 561
(Co7itinued,.)

OFFICES AND CANDIDATES t" | P iT
° « ^ S
ATTOENEY GENEEAL. ^ W I S |
Joseph Sprigg,  80 26 38 20 164
A. B. CaldweU,  21 36 6 9 72
JUDGE SUPEEME COUBT.
CRT. Moore,  80 26 38 20 164
^ames B. Brown,  21 36 6 9 72
CONGEESS.
O. D. Downey,  80 26 38 20 164
James C. McGrew,  21 36 6 9 72
STATE SENATE.
WUliam C. Carper,  79 20 37 20 156
D. D. T. Farnsworth,  15 00 0 3 18
LEGISLATUEE.
P. C. Barlow,  3 10 17 9 39
L. Chenoweth,  61 25 13 20 119
AViUiam Phares,  14 00 00 00 14
SHEBIPF.
T. M. Mason,. . .'  80 37 39 29 185
Jacob Dumire,  20 23 4 00 47
CLEEK CIRCUIT COUET.
John J. Adams,  94 59 36 28 217
EECOEDEE.
John J. Adams,  84
C. L. Bowman,  9
PBOSECUTING ATTOENEY.
WUUam Ewin,  65
Charles Booton,  14
SUEVEYOE OF LANDS.
Nige Parsons,  63 20 26' 6 117
ASSESSOE.
S.E. Fansler,  •.... 78
.James Parsons,  19
•Tames Miller,  3
Levi Bile,  1
.37

41

31

28

184

20

0

00

29

34

15

2

116

16

00

0

30

30

26

29

163

1

16

00

36

29

1

0

33

0

0

0

1

562 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
At this election there were polled votes as follows : Ban-
TiahsviUe, 40; St. George, 82; Black Fork, 38; Dry Fork.
16; total, 176. ELECTION OF OCTOBEE 26, 187L
An election was held in Tucker County, October 26, 1871 1
¦and the result stood thus :
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. & I | ti
o -S w o
S a ii f» -3
'^ a § >, S
STATE SENATE. S H S S §
George E. Morrison,  55 26 18 00 99
Boy McLean,  53 14 33 27 127
LEGISLATURE.
John A. Button,  90 28 49 00 167
John Taylor,  26 8 10 35 79
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
Philetus Lipscomb,  61 36 00 00 97
James Parsons,  16 00 39 00 55
Joseph Parson's,  9 2 . . 00 11
The foUoAving officers were elected in the districts:
Justice, St. George, William E. Talbott, 79. Bannahs
riUe, James W. Miller, 33. Black Fork, Jacob B. Long, 46.
Constable, St. George, John W. Carrico, 72. Bannahsville,
John T. White, 18. Black Fork, Daniel Flanagan, 37.
Whether to subscribe $25,000 to the stock of the Wash
ington and Ohio Eailroad was voted upon as follows :
St. George. HannahsviUe. Black Fork. Dry Fork. TotaL
For Subscription, 19 13 4 30 66
Against " 82 29 45 13 169
CONGEESSIONAL ELECTION, OCTOBEE 24, 1872.
B. P. Martin. J. Nelson Wisner. D. D. T. Farnsworth.
St. George,  33 1 4
Eannahsyille,  9 1 3
Black Fork,  28 0 0
Dry Fork,  12 0 1
Total,  82 . 2 8
Majority,  74

APPENDIX. 563
In the Presidential election of November 5, 1872, the
result stood thus in Tucker County :
St. George. HannahsviUe. Black Pork. Dry Pork. TetaL Majority:
Democrat, . '47 23. 40 ' 11 121-' 32 -
Eepublican, 35 29 12 1% '¦ S'S
ELECTION OF OCTOBER 13, 1874.
On October 13, 1874, an election was held in Tucker
County, with results as follows :
CONGEES?. St. George. Hannahsville. Black Pork. 'Ary %i-k. Total.
Chas. J. Faulkner, 42 -^ 19 40 -lOs '111
A. E, Boteler, .... 7 5 6 0 18
SENATE. •¦"' '''
David Goff,  42 19-. "40 5- l06
D.D.T.Famsworth, 0 00 6 1 "^7
LEGISLATURE. 'J '*' '
Jacob B. Long,.. 37 21 43 4 105
¦L J. Adams,  7 0 > 0 - -0. -T
E. Barper,  0 0 0 1 v" 1
A. B. Parsons,.... 0 .0  0 1 •¦¦" 1
No. of votes cast,. 49 24 46 'lO" -^129
GENEEAL ELECTION, OCTOBEE 11, 1870.
The general election on the second Tuesday in, October,
1876, summed up thus in Tucker County : , ':¦ ,

,564 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
___.r,_.-__ Votes received
GOVEENOE. In the county. Majorttr
Benry M. Matthews, Democrat,  341 208
Nathan Goff, Jr., Eepublican,  133
ATTOENEY GENEEAL.
Eobert White, Democrat,  344 215
John A. Butchinson, Eepublican,  129
AUDITOB.
Joseph Miller, Democrat,  343 213
C. M. Shinn, Eepublican,  130
TEEASUEEE.
Thomas J. AVest, Democrat,  344 214
Moses Frankenberger, Eepublican,.... 130
SUPT. OP SCHOOLS.
W. K. Pendleton, Democrat,  344 214
F. E. Crago, Eepublican,  130
JUDGES SUPEEME COUET, FULL TEEM.
Okey Johnson, Democrat,  343 213
A. F. Baymond, "  343 213
W. B. B. Flick, Eepublican,  130
E. L. Berkshire, "  130
JUDGE SU. COUBT, VACANCY.
Thomas C. Green, Democrat,  333 193
E. S. Brown, Eepublican,  '.  140
SENATE.
Charles Newlon, Democrat,  347 291
George A. Jackson, Eepublican,  56
LEGISLATUEE.
E.* Button, Democrat,  297 220
L. Cheowith, "  77
W. E. Taylor,  28
Total vote in the county,  474

APPENDIX.
COUNTT ELECTION, OCTOBEE 11, 1876.
- ,, d '-
OFFICES AND . S |' -i
CANDIDATES. | | |^ , | .
¦ SHEEIFP. ^ a m B i
A. H. Bonnifield,  33 " 47 14 19 4
Ward Parsons,  23 2 28 32 56
W. E. Talbott,  45 3 0 16 4
PEES. COUNTY COUET.
Eufus MaxweU,  37 42 9 11 2
S. E. Parsons,  38 8 26 3 42
George I. Tucker,  6 0 5 2 1
John Jones,  7 0 6 72 6
James W.Miller,  12 0 39 3 0
A. B. Parsons,  10 0 0 0
John Snyder,  0 0 0 0 16
PBOSECUTING ATTOENEY.
WUUam Ewin,  17 1 16 26 3
W.B.Maxwell,  38 29 29 25 12
A. B. Parsons,  43 19 40 44 49
ASSESSOE.
S. E. Fansler,  26 10 26 19 43
D.B.Hart,  12 0 1 18 13
S. N. Swisher,  7 36 5 9 0
P. Lipscomb,  48 6 46 25 5
D.S. Minear,  7 0 5 6 5
N. Nester,  0 0 12 17 0
COUNTY SUEVEYOE.
J. D. Nester,  64 41 64 69 43
Joseph Parsons,  14 0 0 0 10
P. Lipscomb,  6 0 13 0 0
Solomon Bonner,  1 0 1 2 0
The election for St. George District stood thus :

565

18

135

45

186

2

70

4

105

10

127

12

26

1

92

1

55

0

1

39

55

5

68

2

135

59

254

57

181

0

44

1

58

9

139

0

23

0

29

45

326

0

24

0

19

1

5

566 . BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
JUSTICE. St. George. Horse Shoe Eun. Majority-
M. Bohon,  4 0
M. V. Miller,.  41 21 20
Jacob Dumire,  11 4
J. M. Jenkins,  6 0
John Fansler,  24 18
William Auvil,  5 2
Benson Bebb,  4 0
CONSTABLE.
S.T. Purkey,  44 0 28
W. C. Auvii,  3 0
 Whannel,  16 0
J. S. Swisher,  4 0
D. K. Dumire,  2 0
L.S. Auvil,  3 0
W. B. Lipscomb,  2 0
D.B. Spesert,.  0 23 14
WiUiam Closs,  0 9
M. Bohon,  0 5

APPENDIX. 567
ELECTION IN CLOVEE DISTEICT.
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES.
JUSTICE. Votes received. Majority. ''
E. Barper  21
E. D. Murphy  18
Moses Phillips  22 1
J. P. FitzAvater  9
J. E. Nester  11
W. S. Godwin  12
CONSTABLE.
Marion PhUUps  49 30
B. F. Myers  19
M. Nester  1
J. Bright  2
J. Shoemaker  1
ELECTION IN LICKESG DISTEICT.
JUSTICE.
J. D. Nester  22
W. B. Lipscomb  52 30
J. C. B. Goff  8
CONSTABLE.
John Burns  26 13
N. E. W. Loughry  13
Joshua Eobinson  1
W. F. Statan  3
S. James  3
I. S. James  10
A. D. Goff  1
ELECTION IN BLACK PORK DISTEICT.
JUSTICE.
James E. Parsons  21
John I. Propst  16
S. M. Callihan  22 1
W. W. Bansford  5
CONSTABLE.
Lloyd Parsons  35 23
A. Furguson   12
The returns show that James B. Lambert was elected
constable in Dry Fork, and WiUiam Eains, justice.

568

BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.

GENEEAL ELECTION, OCTOBEE 12, 1880.

Oi'i'lCES AND CANDIDATES.

a

g

*S'

•g ^

GOVEENOE.

s'

1

i

a

-S,

1

§

Jacob B. Jackson, .

75

48

117

53

66

41

390

George C. Sturgiss, .

56

17

15

45

13

58

204

N. B. French, . . .

3

2

1

4

6

9

25

AUDITOB.

Joseph S. Miller,
77
48
117
53
66
41
J. S. Cunningham, .
54
17
15
45
13
58
TEEASUEEE.
Thomas O'Brien, . .
77
48
117
53
66
41
Eichard Burke,
54
17
15
45
13
58
ATTOENEY GENEEAL.
C. C. Watts, . . .
77
48
117
53
66
41
G.B.Caldwell, . . .
54
17
15
45
13
58
JUDGE COUET OF APPEALS.
Thomas C. Green, .
77
46
117
52
66
41
Edwin MaxweU, .
54
18
15
45
13
58
STATE SUPT. OF SCHOOLS.
1
B. Tl. Butcher, .
77
48
117
53
66
41
A. L. Purinton, .
54
17
15
45
13
58
JUDGE— OLD CIECUIT.
John Brannon, .
126
59
121
83
70
58
JUDGE — NEW CIECUIT.
WUUam T. Ice, . . .
77
49
116
57
65
35
James A. Brown,
56
17
15
41
14
63
SENATE.
T. J. Farnsworth, .
77
51
117
67
70
39
LEGISLATUEE.
C. J. P. Cresap, . .
61
2
39
18
23
17
J. W. Price, . . . .
37
6
7
13
14
19
G.B.Daniel, . . .
2
2
3
6
0
0
W.W.Price, . . .
2
0
0
0
0
0
M. Currence,
19
37
15
35
16
40
M. C. Lawson, . . .
1
6
31
6
14
3
APPENDIX. 569
COUNTT ELECTION, OCTOBER 12, 1880.-(Con«<n««<D.
OFFICES AND CANDIDATES. . *« , ^ '

K

SHEBIPF. ^2 2 2.S &oS
A. C. Minear, . . 82 46 68 46 27 89 358 121
W. E. Talbott, . . 51 20 20 85 48 13 237
Jacob Wolford, .. 1 0 6 4 9 2 22
PBOSECUTING ATTOENEY.
P.Lipscomb, . . 69 49 58 41 34 41 292 4
A. B. Parsons, . . 62 15 38 84 46 43 288
ASSESSOE.
Joshua Messenger, . 9 6 12 4 20 0 51
J. G. Flanagan, . . 58 34 24 21 13 88 238 139
J. T. Mason, .. 3 2 6 8 0 0 19
Nathaniel Nester, .17 9 23 48 2 0 99
D. S. Minear, . . 29 13 14 25 6 1 88
B. L. Nester, . .11 1 10 30 17 7 76
COUNTY COMMISSIONEES.
E. Barper, . . . 81 28 51 35 50 245*
T. F. Bebb, . . . 65 16 38 15 7 141
Leonard PhUlips, . 18 32 21 77 17 165
WUHam Eains, . . 113 52 36 19 54 274*
Jonathan Murphy, .32 7 31 51 14 135
Benry Goff, . . .13 0 23 32 1 69
S. M. CaUihan, . . 58 57 52 71 65 303*
John Felton, .. 7 0 24 9 2 42
PEES. COUNTY COUBT.
Jacob B. Long, . '. 105 60 74 67 70 72 448 320
John Jones, . . . 25 6 21 51 11 14 128
COUNTY SUEVEYOE.
E. W. Cross, . .98 7 55 77 13 250 106
John D. Nester, . . 15 50 22 43 14 144
8. C. Bak^r, . . .17 8 2 8 50 85 i
•Elected.

570 BISTOEY OF TUCKEE COUNTY.
ELECTION IN ST. GEORGE DISTRICT, OCTOBER 11, 1880.
Justice. — St. George : M. V. MiUer, 80 ; D. K. Dumire, 45.
Bannahsville : M. V. Miller, 37 ; D. K. Dumire, 20. Total
vote : Miller, 117 ; Dumire, 65 ; MiUer's majority, 52.
Constable. — St. George: John Deets, 77; WUHam C.
Auvil, 41. Bannahsville, John Deets, 50 ; WiUiam C.
Auvil, 9. Total vote, Deets, 127 ; Auvil, 50 ; Deet's major
ity, 77. ELECTION HELD OCTOBEE, 1880, AT BLACK FOEK.
Justice. — J. E. Parsons, 29 ; E. Baddix, 18 ; A. S. PhiUips,
3 ; Adam Fansler, 28 ; S. PhiUips, 7 ; L. Walker, 1. Par-
sons's majority, 1.
Constable. — ^J. Johnson, 12 ; Thomas Long, 1 ; Eugenus
Johnson, 35 ;  Furguson, 12. E. Johnson's majority, 23.
LICKING DISTEICT, OCTOBEE, 1880.
Justice. — John E. Loughry, 37; J. C. A. Goff, 34; J.
W. Miller, 26. Loughry's majority, 3
Constable.— 3. J. Cline, 9; D. E. Shafer, 36; W. F. She-
hon, 9; T. S. Jones, 11; N. A. W. Loughry, 13; J. W. Du
mire, 15 ; Benry Bovatter, 1. Shafer's majority, 21.
CLOVEE DISTEICT, OCTOBEE, 1880.
Justice.— ^oses. Phillips, 61; W. S. Godwin, 30; G. T.
Miller, 34. Phillips's majority, 27.
Constable.— K. L Phillips, 62; B. F. Myers, 39; Eobert
Murphy, 17. ' PhiUips's majority, 23.
DEY FOEK DISTEICT, OCTOBEE, 1880.
Justice. — J. W. Bonner, 53 ; J. E. Lambert, 40. Bon
ner's majority, 13.
Constable. — E. P. Johnson, 29; A. Flanagan, 7; Daniel
Carr, 27; F. B. CoUins, 7; S. I. Bonner, 22. Johnson's
majority, 2.

APPENDIX.

571

GENERAL ELECTION, OCTOBEE 10, 1882.

a
a

OFFICES iND CANDIDATES, i^

CONGRESS.
W. L. Wilson, .
J. W. Mason,
JUDGE SUP. COUET APPEALS.
Adam C. Snyder,
F. A. Gutherie, .
SENATE.
A. W. Woodford,
M. W. Cobun, .
LEGISLATUEE.
A. B. Parsons, .
S. M. CaUihan, .
Barmen Snyder,
E. W. Estham, .
J. M. Jenkins,
COUNTY COMMISSIONER.
John Jones,
T. F. Bebb,
W. W. Bansford,
Eobert Phillips, .
COUNTY SUEVEYOE.
Eufus Maxwell, .
John D. Nester, .

s

1

3

1

DryF( Total. MaJoH'

79

35

84

45

60

21 324 137

53

7

11

16

22

78 187 '

81

35

83

42

62

45

51

7

10

18

19

45

82

36

84

40

62

37

50

6

10

20

20

50

53

8

75

29

38

13 221

31

23

6

00

25

4 89

44

5

8

28

13

2 100

2

0

4

2

4

84 96

2

5

0

1

0

00 8

51

7

73

2

27

16 176 18

48

4

12

53

2

39 158

24

28

2

4

52

29 139

7

0

5

1

2

6 21

88

37

68

41

25

69 328 247

23

2

2

9

42

3 81

In Dry Fork, E. P. Johnson was elected constable. In
Licking, Johnson Goff was elected constable, and B. I. Fur
guson A»as elected in Black Fork.

INDEX.

This index extends only to page 348 of this book. The
matter foUoAring that is either arranged alphabeticaUy or is
tabular, and is, of itself, an index.
The figures in the following refer to the pages of the
book:

Adams, Daniel C, 116.
Alum HUl, 155.
AuvU's MIU Dam, 159.
Auvll's Shingle MUl, 164.
AuvU, L. S., 202.

Bonnifleld, Abe, 217.
Bonnifleld, A. T., 212-292.
Bonnifield, Samuel, 94.
Bonnifleld, Dr. Arnold, 98.
Bonnifleld, Henry, 250.
Blowing Cave, 137.
Black Fork. 163-155.
Bland, Dr. WUUam, 339.
C.
Contents, Table ot, 9-13.
civil War, 816.
Confederate Flag taken, 317
corrick's Ford, 330.
Clothing, 72.
Churches, 76.
" Canada," 107.
Cheat Elver, 150-154.
Closs Mountain, 136,
Closses' Shingle MUl, 164.
Coal, 169.
Cayton, W. M., 196.
Cameron, Daniel, 65-60. D.
Dedication, 3.
Dunmore War, 38.
Davis, 172.
Democrat, 191.
Dumire, Einehart, 102.
numire's Shingle Mill, 161.
Dry Fork, 153.

E.
Ewin, Hon. WUliam, 198.

Palling Spring, 136.
Parts, Joseph A., 345.
Fort m the Horse Shoe, 35>.
G.
Garnett, Gen. 319-327.
Green Mountain, 136.
Goff, James, 90.
Goffe, John, 40-62.
Guns, 76.

H.
Harper, Capt. Ezekiel, 220 to 248, 287, 289,
318, 328, 329, 339.
Harper, Adam, ll9.
Harper, Thaddeus, 332, 218, 292.
Harper, Jerome. 231, 236, 248, 282.
Harper, Jacob, 232.
Harper, WUliam, 318, 323, 328, 333, 3411.
Horse Shoe, 20-158.
Horse Shoe Eun, J 57.
Horse Shoe Ford, 158.
Hanstord. Lloyd, 201.
Houses, 71.
Holbert, Lyda, SO.
HaU, Capt. William, 340.
Hog Back, 136.

Imboden, John, 340.
"Island," 157.
Intoxicating Liquors, Ta.
Indians, 27-59.
Introduction, 5-8.
IUustratlons, List ot, 15.

574

INDEX.

Jordan's Cave, 137.
Job's Ford, 155.
Johnson, Garret, 339. K.
Kellogg, 341.
Kenton, Simon, 23-30.

Lead Mines, 20.
Lipscomb, Philetus, 204.
Lipscomb, Ambrose, 119.
Licking FaUs, 161.
Limestone Mountain, 131.
Lipscomb's Eidge, 130.
Location Eidge, i36.
Losh, Stephen, If 3.
Losh, WlUiam, Sr., 104.
Losh, John, 105. M.
Minears, The, 273.
Minear, A. P., 277, 300, 303, 307-312.
Minear, A. C, 29a, 305, 309.
Minear, John W., 292, 300, 312.
Minear, John, 32, 33, 60-67.
Minear, David, 33-117.
Minear, David S., 314.
Minear, Solomon, 299.
Minear, Manassa, 80, 117.
Minear, Jonathan, 52.
McChesney, Lieut. Robert, 319.
Morris, General, 331.
MUler HIU, 136-160.
Murder Hole, 160.
Moundbuilders, 24.
Mill at St. George, 41.
Maxwell, Eufus, 199.
MaxweU, W. B., 202.

N.

Neville's Ford, 150.

o.

Old Andra, 135.

P.
Parsons, A. B., 200.
Parsons. Capt. James, 18, 32, i
Parsons, Thomas, 32.
Parsons, Job, 116.
Parsons, S. B., 324, 338.
"Pond," 157.
Pringles and Simpson, The, 8S
Phillips, Moses, luo.
Pifer Mountain, i36.

Rich Mountain, 327.
" Eocks " 158.
Eattlesnake Ford, 160. S.
Schools, 79.
Shafer's Mountain, 136.
Sims' Knob, 136.
Sugar-making, 145.
Saw-Mills, 149.
Springs and Wells, 151.
Shafer's Fork, 153.
Sims' Bottom, 156.
Slip HUl, 156.
St. George Eddy, 158.
Seven Islands, 161.
Sims, Bernard, 49.
Small-Pox, 48.
St. George, Battle ot, 194.
Statistics, 180.
Sugar Lands, 168.
Shook, 164.
Shingle .MiUs, 163.
St. George, 39, 50, 124, 337.

Teachers, Ust of, 185.
Turtle Eocks, 161.
Tomahawks, 76.
Toy, Finley, 311.
Talbott, WlUiam, 318, 338.
Tucker County, 17, lii2, 124.
W.
W. Va. C. & P. Ewy, 167.
Washburn, 53.
WUlow Point, 157.
Wild Cat Pohit, 157.

The End.

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