CHAPTER III.

FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE VALLEY.

In the year 1732, Joist Hite, with his family, and his sons-in-law, viz. George Bowman, Jacob Chrisman and Paul Froman, with their families, Robert McKay, Robert Green, William Duff, Peter Stephens, and several others, amounting in the whole to sixteen families, removed from Pennsylvania, cutting their road from York, and crossing the Cohongoruton about two miles above Harpers-Ferry. Hite settled on Opequon, about five miles south of Winchester, on the great highway from Winchester to Staunton, now the residence of the highly respectable widow of the late Richard Peters Barton, Esq. and also the residence of Richard W. Barton, Esq. Peter Stephens and several others settled at Stephensburg, and founded the town; Jacob Chrisman at what is now called Chrisman's spring, about two miles south of Stephensburg; Bowman on Cedar creek about six miles farther south; and Froman on the same creek, 8 or 9 miles north west of Bowman. Robert McKay settled on Crooked run, 8 or 9 miles south east of Stephensburg. The several other families settled in the same neighborhood, wherever they could find wood and water most convenient. From the most authentic information which the author has been able to obtain, Hite and his party were the first immigrants who settled west of the Blue ridge. They were, however, very soon followed by numerous others.

In 1734,* Benjamin Allen, Riley Moore, and William White, removed from Monoccacy, in Maryland, and settled on the North branch of the Shenandoah, now in the county of Shenandoah, about 12 miles south of Woodstock.

In 1733, Jacob Stover, an enterprising German, obtained from the then governor of Virginia, a grant for five thousand acres of land on the South fork of the Gerandof river, on what was called Mesinetto creek.‡

Tradition relates a singular and amusing account of Stover and his

*Mr. Steenbergen informed the author that the traditionary account of the first settlement of his farm, together with Allen's and Moore's, made it about 106 years; but Mr. Aaron Moore, grandson of Riley Moore, by referring to the family records, fixes the period pretty correctly. Accor ding to Mr. Moore's account, Moore, Allen and White, removed from Maryland in 1734.

†This water course was first written Gerando, then Sherandoah, now Shenandoah.

Mesinetto is now called Masinutton. There is a considerable settlement of highly improved farms, now called "the Masinutton settlement," in the new county of Page, on the west side of the South river, on Stover's ancient grant.

G

*

grant. On his application to the executive for his grant, he was refused unless he could give satisfactory assurance that he would have the land settled with the requisite number of families within a given time. Being unable to do this, he forthwith passed over to England, petitioned the king to direct his grant to issue, and in order to insure success, had given human names to every horse, cow, hog and dog he owned, and which he represented as heads of families, ready to migrate and settle the land. By this disingenuous trick he succeeded in obtaining directions from the king and council for securing his grant; on obtaining which he immediately sold out his land in small divisions, at three pounds (equal to ten dollars) per hundred, and went off with the money.

Two men, John and Isaac Vanmeter, obtained a warrant from governor Gooch for locating forty thousand acres of land. This warrant was obtained in the year 1730. They sold or transferred part of their warrant to Joist Hite; and from this warrant emanated several of Hite's grants, which the author has seen. Of the titles to the land on which Hite settled, with several other tracts in the neighborhood of Stephensburg, the originals are founded on this warrant.

In the year 1734, Richard Morgan obtained a grant for a tract of land in the immediate neighborhood of Shepherdstown, on or near the Cohongoruton. Among the first settlers on this water course and its vicinity, were Robert Harper (Harpers-Ferry), William Stroop, Thomas and William Forester, Israel Friend, Thomas Shephard, Thomas Swearengen, Van Swearengen, James Forman, Edward Lucas, Jacob Hite,† John Lemon, Richard Mercer, Edward Mercer, Jacob Vanmeter and brothers, Robert Stockton, Robert Buckles, John Taylor, Samuel Taylor, Richard Morgan, John Wright, and others.

The first settlers on the Wappatomaka (South Branch) were Coburn, Howard, Walker and Rutledge. This settlement commenced about the year 1734 or 1735. It does not appear that the first immigrants to this fine section of country had the precaution to secure titles to their lands, until Lord Fairfax migrated to Virginia, and opened his office for granting warrants in the Northern Neck. The earliest grant which the author could find in this settlement bears date in 1747. The most of the grants are dated in 1749. This was a most unfortunate omission on the part of these people. It left Fairfax at the discretion of exercising his insatiable disposition for the monopoly of wealth; and instead of granting these lands upon the usual terms allowed to other settlers, he availed himself of the opportunity of laying off in manors, fifty-five thousand acres, in what he called his South Branch manor, and nine thousand acres on Patterson's creek.

This was considered by the settlers an odious and oppressive act on the part of his lordship, and many of them left the country. These two great

*Stover's grant is described as being in the county of Spottsylvania, St. Mark's Parish. Of course, Spottsylvania at that period, i. e. 1733, crossed the Blue Ridge.

One of Joist Hite's sons.

William Heath, Esq. of Hardy, gave the author this information.

surveys were made in the year 1747. To such tenants as remained, his lordship granted leases for ninety-nine years, reserving an annual rent of twenty shillings sterling per hundred acres; whereas to all other immigrants only two shillings sterling rent per hundred was reserved, with a fee simple title to the tenant. Some further notice of Lord Fairfax and

his immense grant will be taken in a future chapter.

Tradition relates that a man by the name of John Howard, and his son, previous to the first settlement of our valley, explored the country, and discovered the charming valley of the South Branch, crossed the Allegany mountains, and on the Ohio killed a very large buffalo bull, skinned him, stretched his hide over ribs of wood, made a kind of boat, and in this frail bark descended the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, where they were apprehended by the French as suspicious characters, and sent to France; but nothing criminal appearing against them, they were discharged. From hence they crossed over to England, where Fairfax by some means got to hear of Mr. Howard, sought an interview with him, and obtained from him a description of the fertility and immense value of the South Branch, which determined his lordship at once to secure it in manors.* Notwithstanding this selfish monopoly on the part of Fairfax, the great fertility and value of the country induced numerous tenants to take leases, settle, and improve the lands.

At an early period many immigrants settled on Capon, (anciently called Cacaphon, which is said to be the Indian name,) also on Lost river.Along Back creek, Cedar creek, and Opequon, pretty numerous settlements were made. The two great branches of the Shenandoah, from its forks upwards, were among our earliest settlements.

An enterprising Quaker, by the name of Ross, obtained a warrant for surveying forty thousand acres of land. The surveys on this warrant were made along Opequon, north of Winchester, and up to Apple-pie ridge. Pretty numerous immigrants of the Quaker profession removed from Pennsylvania, and settled on Ross's surveys. The reader will have observed in my preceding chapter, that as early as 1738, this people had regular monthly meetings established on Opequon.†

The lands on the west side of the Shenandoah, from a little below the forks, were first settled by overseers and slaves, nearly down to the mouth of the Bullskin. A Col. Carter, of the lower country, had obtained grants for about sixty-three thousand aeres of land on this river. His surveys commenced a short distance below the forks of the river, and ran down a little below Snicker's ferry, upwards of 20 miles. This fine body of land is now subdivided into a great many most valuable farms, a considerable part of which are now owned by the highly respectable families of Burwells and Pages. But little of it now remains in the hands of Carter's heirs.

*Also related by Mr. Heath.

See Chaukley's letter to the monthly meeting on Opequon, 21st May, 1738, page 39.

Col. Robert Carter obtained grants in September, 1730, for sixty-three thousand acres.

Another survey of thirteen thousand acres was granted to another person, and lies immediately below and adjoining Carter's line, running a considerable distance into the county of Jefferson. This fine tract of land, it is said, was sold under the hammer at Williamsburg, some time previous to the war of the revolution. The owner had been sporting, lost money, and sold the land to pay his debt of honor. General Washington happened to be present, knew the land, and advised the late Ralph Wormley, Esq.* to purchase it. Wormley bid five hundred guineas for it, and it was struck off to him. It is also said that Mr. Wormley, just before or at the time of the sale, had been regaling himself with a social glass, and that when he cooled off, he became extremely dissatisfied with his purchase, considering it as money thrown away. Washington hearing of his uneasiness, immediately waited on him, and told him he would take the purchase off his hands, and pay him his money again, but advised him by all means to hold it, assuring him that it would one day or other be the foundation of an independent fortune for his children; upon which Wormley became better reconciled, and consented to hold on. And truly, as Washington predicted, it would have become a splendid estate in the hands of two orthree of his children, had they known how to preserve it. But it passed into other hands, and now constitutes the splendid farms of the late firm of Castleman & McCormick, Hierome L. Opie, Esq. the honorable judge Richard E. Parker, and several others. In truth, all the country about the larger water courses and mountains was settled before the fine country about Bullskin, Long marsh, Spot run, &c.

Much the greater part of the country between what is called the Little North mountain and the Shenandoah river, at the first settling of the valley was one vast prairie,† and like the rich prairies of the west, afforded the finest possible pasturage for wild animals. The country abounded in the larger kinds of game. The buffalo, elk, deer, bear, panther, wild-cat, wolf, fox, beaver, otter, and all other kinds of animals, wild fowl, &c., common to forest countries, were abundantly plenty. The country now the county of Shenandoah, between the Fort mountain and North mountain, was also settled at an early period. The counties of Rockingham and Augusta also were settled at an early time. The settlement of the upper part of our valley will be more particularly noticed, and form the subject of a second volume hereafter, should the public demand it.

From the best evidence the author has been able to collect, and for this purpose he has examined many ancient grants of lands, family records, &c., as well as the oral tradition of our ancient citizens, the settlement of our valley progressed without interruption from the native Indians for a period of about twenty-three years. In the year 1754, the Indians suddenly disappeared, and crossed the Allegany. The year preceding,

*Mr. Wormly, it is believed, resided at the time in the county of Middlesex:

There are several aged individuals now living, who recollect when there were large bodies of land in the counties of Berkeley, Jefferson and Frederick, barren of timber. The barren land is now covered with the best of forest trees.

emissaries from the west of the Allegany came among the Valley Indians and invited them to move off.* This occurrence excited suspicion among the white people that a storm was brewing in the west, which it was sential to prepare to meet.

es

Tradition relates, that the Indians did not object to the Pennsylvanians settling the country. From the high character of William Penn, (the founder of Pennsylvania,) the poor simple natives believed that all Penn's men were honest, virtuous, humane and benevolent, and partook of the qualities of the illustrious founder of their government. But fatal experienee soon taught them a very different lesson. They soon found to their cost that Pennsylvanians were not much better than others.

Tradition also informs us that the natives held in utter abhorence the Virginians, whom they designated “Long Knife,” and were warmly opposed to their settling in the valley.

The author will conclude this chapter with some general remarks in relation to the circumstances under which the first settlement of the valley commenced. Tradition informs us, and the oral statements of several aged individuals of respectable character confirm the fact that the Indians and white people resided in the same neighborhood for several years after the first settlement commenced, and that the Indians were entirely peaceable and friendly. This statement must in the nature of things be true; because if it had been otherwise, the white people could not have succeeded in effecting the settlement. Had the natives resisted the first attempts to settle, the whites could not have succeeded without the aid of a pretty considerable army to awe the Indians into submission. It was truly fortunate for our ancestors that this quiescent spirit of the Indians afforded them the opportunity of acquiring considerable strength as to numbers, and the accumulation of considerable property and improvemants, before Indian hostilities commenced.

It has already been stated that it was twenty-three years from the first settlement, before the Indians committed any acts of outrage on the white people. During this period many pretty good dwelling houses were erected. Joist Hite had built a stone house on Opequon, which house is now standing, and has a very ancient appearance; but there are no marks upon it by which to ascertain the time. In 1751, James Wilson erected a stone house which is still standing, and now the residence of Mr. Adam Kern, adjoining or near the village of Kernstown.

Jacob Chrisman also built a pretty large stone house in the year 1751, now the residence of Mr. Abraham Stickley, about two miles south of Stephensburg. Geo. Bowman and Paul Froman each of them built stone houses, about the same period. The late Col. John Hite, in the year 1753, built a stone house now the dwelling house of Mrs. Barton. This building was considered by far the finest dwelling house west of the Blue

*Mr. Thomas Barrett, an aged and respectable citizen of Frederick county, related this tradition to the author.

On the wall plate of a framed barn built by Hite, the figures 1747 are plainly marked, and now to be seen.