ridge.* Lewis Stephens, in the year 1756, built a stone house, the ruins of which are now to be seen at the old iron works of the late Gen. Isaac Zane. It will hereafter be seen that these several stone buildings became of great importance to the people of the several neighborhoods, as places of protection and security against the attacks of the Indians.

The subject of the early settlement of the valley will be resumed in my next chapter.

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CHAPTER IV.

FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE VALLEY-CONTINUED.

Tradition relates that a man by the name of John Vanmeter, from New York, some years previous to the first settlement of the valley, discovered the fine country on the Wappatomaka. This man was a kind of wandering Indian trader, became well acquainted with the Delawares, and once accompanied a war party who marched to the south for the purpose of invading the Catawbas. The Catawbas, however, anticipated them, met them very near the spot where Pendleton courthouse now stands, and encountered and defeated them with immense slaughter. Vanmeter was engaged on the side of the Delewares in this battle. When Vanmeter returned to New York, he advised his sons, that if they ever migrated to Virginia, by all means to secure a part of the South Branch bottom, and described the lands immediately above what is called "The Trough," as the finest body of land which he had ever discovered in all his travels.One of his sons, Isaac Vanmeter, in conformity with his father's advice came to Virginia about the year 1736 or 1737, and made what was called a tomahawk improvement on the lands now owned by Isaac Vanmeter, Esq. immediately above the trough, where Fort Pleasant was afterwards erected. After this improvement, Mr. Vanmeter returned to New Jersey, came out again in 1740, and found a man by the name of Coburn settled on his land. Mr. Vanmeter bought out Coburn, and again returned to New Jersey; and in the year 1744 removed with his family and settled on the land. Previous to Vanmeter's final removal to Virginia, several immigrants from Pennsylvania, chiefly Irish, had settled on the South branch.

*There is a tradition in this neighborhood that Col. Hite quarried every stone in this building with his own hands.

+Isaac Vanmeter, Esq., of Hardy, detailed this tradition to the author.

Howard, Coburn, Walker and Rutledge, were the first settlers on the Wappatomaka.*

William Miller and Abraham Hite were also among the early settlers. When the Indian wars broke out, Miller sold out his right to 500 acres of land, and all his stock of horses and cattle in the woods, for twenty-five pounds, and removed to the South fork of the Shenandoah, a few miles above Front Royal. The 500 acres of land sold by Miller lie within about two miles of Moorefield, and one acre of it would now command more money than the whole tract, including his stock, was sold for.

Casey, Pancake, Forman, and a number of others, had settled on the Wappatomaka previous to Vanmeter's final removal.

In the year 1740, the late Isaac Hite, Esq. one of the sons of Joist Hite, settled on the North Branch of the Shenandoah, in the county of Frederick, on the beautiful farm called "Long meadows." This fine estate is now owned by Maj. Isaac Hite, the only son of Isaac Hite deceased.‡

About the same year, John Lindsey and James Lindsey, brothers, removed and settled on the Long marsh, between Bullskin and Berryville, in the county of Frederick; Isaac Larue removed from New-Jersey in 1743, and settled on the same marsh. About the same period, Christopher Beeler removed and settled within two or three miles from Larue; and about the year 1744, Joseph Hampton and two sons came from the eastern shore of Maryland, settled on Buck marsh, near Berryville, and lived the greater part of the year in a hollow sycamore tree. They enclosed a piece of land and made a crop preparatory to the removal of the family.§

In 1743 Joseph Carter removed from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and settled on Opequon, about five miles east of Winchester. Very near Mr. Carter's residence, on the west side of the creek, was a beautiful grove of forest timber, immediately opposite which a fine limestone spring issued from the east bank of the creek. This grove was, at the time of Mr. Carter's first settlement, a favorite camping ground of the Indians, where numerous collections, sometimes two or three hundred at a time, would assemble, and remain for several weeks together. Mr. Carter was a shoemaker, and on one occasion two Indians called at his shop just as he had finished and hung up a pair of shoes, which one of the Indians seeing secretly slipped under his blanket, and attempted to make off. Carter detected him, and took the shoes from him. His companion manifested the utmost indignation at the theft, and gave Carter to understand that the culprit would be severely dealt with. As soon as the Indians returned to the encampment, information was given to the chiefs, and the unfortunate thief was so severely chastised, that Mr. Carter, from motives

*Communicated by William Heath, Esq.

Isaac Vanmeter, Esq. stated this fact to the author.

Maj. Isaac Hite, of Frederick county, communicated this information to the author.

(Col. John B. Larue and William Castlemen, Esq. gave the author this information.

of humanity, interposed, and begged that the punishment might cease. Maj. Isaac Hite informed the author that numerous parties of Indians, in passing and repassing, frequently called at his grandfather's house, on Opequon, and that but one instance of theft was ever committed. On that occasion a pretty considerable party had called, and on their leaving the house some article of inconsiderable value was missing. A messenger was sent after them, and information of the theft given to the chiefs. Search was immediately made, the article found in the possession of one of them, and restored to its owner. These facts go far to show their high sense of honesty and summary justice. It has indeed been stated to the author, that their travelling parties would, if they needed provisions and could not otherwise procure them, kill fat hogs or fat cattle in the woods, in order to supply themselves with food. This they did not consider stealing. Every animal running at large they considered lawful game.

The Indians charge the white people with teaching them the knowledge of theft and several other vices. In the winter of 1815-16, the author spent some weeks in the state of Georgia, where he fell in with Col. Barnett, one of the commissioners for running the boundary line of Indian lands which had shortly before been ceded to the United States. Some conversation took place on the subject of the Indians and Indian character, in which Col. B. remarked, that in one of his excursions through the Indian country, he met with a very aged Cherokee chief, who spoke and understood the English language pretty well. The colonel had several conversations with this aged man, in one of which he congratulated him upon the prospect of his people having their condition greatly improved, there being every reason to believe that in the course of a few years they would become acquainted with the arts of civil life-would be better clothed, better fed, and erect better and more comfortable habitationsand what was of still greater importance, they would become acquainted with the doctrines and principles of the Christian religion. This venerable old man listened with the most profound and respectful attention until the colonel had concluded, and then with a significant shake of his head and much emphasis replied, That he doubted the benefits to the red people pointed out by the colonel; that before their fathers were acquainted with the whites, the red people needed but little, and that little the Great Spirit gave them, the forest supplying them with food and raiment: that before their fathers were acquainted with the white people, the red people never got drunk, because they had nothing to make them drunk, and never committed theft, because they had no temptation to do so. It was true, that when parties were out hunting, and one party was unsuccessful and found the game of the more successful party hung up, if they needed provision they took it; and this was not stealing-it was the law and custom of the tribes. If they went to war they destroyed each other's property this was done to weaken their enemy. Red people never swore,

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*The late Mr. James Carter gave the author this tradition, which he received from his father, who was a boy of 12 or 13 years old at the time, and an eye-witness of the fact. Opposite to this camping ground, on a high hill east of the creek, is a large Indian grave.

because they had no words to express an oath. Red people would not cheat, because they had no temptation to commit fraud: they never told falsehoods, because they had no temptation to tell lies. And as to religion, you go to your churches, sing loud, pray loud, and make great noise. The red people meet once a year, at the feast of new corn, extinguish all their fires, and kindle up a new one, the smoke of which ascends to the Great Spirit as a grateful sacrifice. Now what better is your religion than ours? The white people have taught us to get drunk, to steal, to lie, to cheat, and to swear; and if the knowledge of these vices, as you profess to hold them, and punish by your laws, is beneficial to the red people, we are benefitted by our acquaintance with you; if not, we are greatly injured by that acquaintance,

Το say the least of this untutored old man, his opinions, religion excepted, were but too well founded, and convey a severe rebuke upon the character of those who boast of the superior advantages of the lights of education and a knowledge of the religion of the Holy Redeemer.

From this digression the author will again turn his attention to the carly history of our country.

About the year 1763, the first settlements were made at or near the head of Bullskin. Two families, by the name of Riley and Allemong, first commenced the settlement of this immediate neighborhood. At this period timber was so scarce that the settlers were compelled to cut small saplings to enclose their fields.* The prairie produced grass five or six feet high; and even our mountains and hills were covered with the sustenance of quadrupeds of every species. The pea vine grew abundantly on the hilly and mountainous lands, than which no species of vegetable production afforded finer and richer pasturage.

From this state of the country, many of our first settlers turned their attention to rearing large herds of horses, cattle, hogs, &c. Many of them became expert, hardy and adventurous hunters, and spent much of their time and depended chiefly for support and money-making on the sale of skins and furs. Moses Russell, Esq. informed the author that the hilly lands about his residence, near the base of the North mountain, in the south west corner of Frederick, and which now present to the eye the appearance of great poverty of soil, within his recollection were cov

*Messrs. Christian Allemong and George Riley both stated this fact to the author.

+Mr. George Riley, an aged and respectable citizen, stated to the author that the grass on the Bullskin barrens grew so tall, that he had frequently drawn it before him when on horseback, and tied it before him.

The late Henry Fry, one of the early settlers on Capon river,, upwards. of forty years ago informed the author, that he purchased the tract of land on which he first settled, on Capon river, for which he engaged to pay either £200 or £250, the author does not recollect which sum, and that he made every dollar of the money by the sale of skins and furs, the game being killed or caught with his own hands.

H

ered with a fine growth of pea vine, and that stock of every description grew abundantly fat in the summer season.

Isaac Larue, who settled on the Long marsh in 1743, as has been stated, soon became celebrated for his numerous herds of horses and cattle. The author was told by Col. J. B. Larue, who is the owner of part of his grandfather's fine landed estate, that his grandfather frequently owned between ninety and one hundred head of horses, but it so happened that he never could get his stock to count a hundred.

The Hites, Frys, Vanmeters, and many others, raised vast stocks of horses, cattle, hogs, &c. Tradition relates that Lord Fairfax, happening one day in Winchester to see a large drove of unusually fine hogs passing through the town, inquired from whence they came. Being informed that they were from the mountains west of Winchester, he remarked that when a new county should be laid off in that direction it ought to be called Hampshire, after a county in England celebrated for its production of fine hogs; and this, it is said, gave name to the present county of Hampshire.

The author will only add to this chapter, that, from the first settlement of the valley, to the breaking out of the war, on the part of the French and Indians, against our ancestors, in the year 1754, our country rapidly increased in numbers and in the acquisition of property, without interruption from the natives, a period of twenty-two years.

In my next chapter I shall give a brief account of the religion, habits. and customs, of the primitive settlers.

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CHAPTER V.

RELIGION, HABITS AND CUSTOMS, OF THE PRIMITIVE

SETTLERS.

A large majority of our first immigrants were from Pennsylvania, composed of native Germans or German extraction. There were, however, a number directly from Germany, several from Maryland and New Jersey, and a few from New York. These immigrants brought with them the religion, habits and customs, of their ancestors. They were composed generally of three religious sects, viz: Lutherans, Menonists and Calvinists, with a few Tunkers. They generally settled in neighborhoods pretty much together.

*

*Simon Meno was one of the earliest German reformers, and the founder of this sect.