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Tag Archives: Revolutionary War

Aracoma (Part 2)

14 Monday Nov 2022

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in American Revolutionary War, Logan, Native American History, Women's History

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American Revolution, Aracoma, Battle of Point Pleasant, Boling Baker, Chief Cornstalk, Circleville, Doris Miller, Edward Braddock, Fort Randolph, French and Indian War, Horsepen Creek, Horsepen Mountain, Huntington, Jim Comstock, Logan, Matthew Arbuckle, Native American History, Native Americans, Ohio, Pickaway Plain, Point Pleasant, Revolutionary War, Shawnee, Treaty of Camp Charlotte, West Virginia, West Virginian Women

Doris Miller (1903-1993), a longtime educator, historian, writer, and poet operating in the area of Huntington, West Virginia, composed this biography of Aracoma, a well-known Native American figure who lived in present-day Logan, West Virginia. This is Part 2 of her composition.

The father whose death was mentioned by Aracoma was the noted Shawnee sachem, Cornstalk, leader at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. After the treaty of Camp Charlotte was signed following that battle, Cornstalk appears to have been constant in keeping his promise to be a friend to the border Virginians. The American Revolution was then in progress, and Tory colonists strongly entrenched in Canada were using every influence they could bring to bear on the Indians to persuade them to harry western settlements of the colonies that were banded together in rebellion. In September, 1777, Cornstalk went to Fort Randolph, on the site of Point Pleasant, to warn the commander of the garrison, Colonel Arbuckle, of impending hostitlies from other Shawnees, incited by the British.

As a reward for his warning, Cornstalk was held with two companions as hostages. While Colonel Arbuckle waited for a messenger to reach the governor of Virginia and a reply to be received, two men from the fort crossed the Ohio to hunt venison and were waylaid by hostile Indians. One of the men was killed and scalped. Members of the garrison were so enraged that they killed Cornstalk and his companions in vengeance, defying officers who sought to restrain them from an act in violation of military ethics.

Aracoma’s husband was Boling (or Bowling) Baker, an English soldier who had come to America with General Braddock’s army. Though he had been called a deserter, he may have been captured by Indians lurking along the path of Braddock’s march or in the route which followed the English army’s disastrous engagement with the French and Indians on July 9, 1755.

Apparently Baker had been taken to Cornstalk’s town at Pickaway Plain, near Circleville, O., and had been made a member of the tribe. There he met the sachem’s young daughter and at some later time became her husband. Together they were leaders of the Indian settlement in present Logan County.

In addition to the town located on the island at Logan, the Indians apparently had a camping place on Horsepen Creek where the braves sometimes camped with whatever horses they might possess. The animals could be walled in here by steep mountain sides and with hickory withes wound from tree to tree. Still today Horsepen Creek and Horsepen Mountain bear the names first white settlers gave them for their connections with the earlier inhabitants.

At this time, land-hungry white settlers were pressing continually westward from eastern Virginia. it is said that scouting parties sent out after crops were gathered in the fall of 1779 found Indians encamped with a strong force on Horsepen Fork of Gilbert’s Creek and on Ben Creek and returned home to wait until after spring crops had been planted for another visit. Also, Indian depredations and the occasional massacre of a white settler’s family by stray bands of Indian hunters far from home kept the frontiersmen alert and distrustful of all Indians, however peaceful and friendly.

Tradition says that they Indians on the Guyandotte prospered until 1776, when their settlement was stricken by a great scourge. The pestilence may have been smallpox, measles, dysentery, or even some lighter disorder, for Indians have no immunity built up against diseases which beset the white men. Among the many who died were the children of Aracoma and Boling Baker.

As repeated countless times, the Aracoma legend varies in details. Some begin the story by telling of Boling Baker’s arrival as a captive in the Shawnee village. They say that Aracoma interceded with her father when the young Englishman was about to be made to run the gauntlet, just as Pocahontas protected John Smith. Though doubtless based on surmise, the story could be true, for captives who escaped from the Indian villages in Ohio told of having been forced to run the gauntlet. Some romanticists believe Baker’s love for the Indian maiden began with his gratitude that day, and that also could be true.

Source: West Virginia Women, Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock (1974), p. 7-9.

For more about Doris Miller, go here: https://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1284&context=sc_finding_aids

Civil War in the Kanawha Valley: Ruffner Memorial Park (2019)

29 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in African American History, American Revolutionary War, Cemeteries, Civil War

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22nd Virginia Infantry, Appalachia, Charleston, Confederate Army, Daniel Ruffner, French and Indian War, gas, George S. Patton, George Washington, Henry D. Ruffner, history, Holly Mansion, John McCausland, Joseph Ruffner, Kanawha County, Kanawha Riflemen, Kanawha River, Kanawha Street, oil, Revolutionary War, Richard Laidley, salt, Thomas Bullitt, United Daughters of the Confederacy, West Virginia

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Terry Lowry is THE authority on the Civil War in the Kanawha Valley. Stop 2 on his tour: Ruffner Memorial Park in Charleston, WV. 29 September 2019. Here is a link to Terry’s latest book, The Battle of Charleston (2016): https://wvcivilwar.com/now-available-the-battle-of-charleston/

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Kanawha Riflemen: “Hometown Boys in Gray.” 29 September 2019

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Kanawha Riflemen Memorial at Ruffner Memorial Park. In 1831, Joseph Ruffner deeded this cemetery to the city. In 1920, the site became a city park. Some graves were relocated but many are still here with their headstones buried beneath the surface. The UDC memorial was placed in 1922. 29 September 2019

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Thomas Bullitt grave. Ruffner Memorial Park. In 1776, George Washington wrote of him: “Bullet (sic) is no favourite of mine, & therefore I shall say nothing more of him, than that his own opinion of himself always kept pace with what others pleas’d to think of him—if any thing, rather run a head of it.” 29 September 2019

Peterstown, WV (2016)

02 Tuesday Oct 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in American Revolutionary War, Monroe County

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American Revolution, Appalachia, Christian Peters, Giles Fayette Kanawha Turnpike, history, Monroe County, Peterstown, photos, Revolutionary War, West Virginia

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Peterstown, Monroe County, WV. 6 August 2016.

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Peterstown, Monroe County, WV. 6 August 2016.

Jackson’s Mill (2015)

27 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in American Revolutionary War, Civil War, Lincoln County Feud, Native American History

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American Legion Mountaineer Boys State, American Revolution, Appalachia, Battle of Chancellorsville, Beverly, Blake G. Woodson, Blood in West Virginia, books, Brandon Kirk, civil war, Confederate Army, Edward Jackson, First Battle of Manassas, George Conrad, Harpers Ferry, Henry McWhorter, history, Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Academy, Jackson's Mill, Jonathan Arnold, Jonathan Jackson, Julia Beckwith Neale Jackson Woodson, Laura Ann jackson, Lewis County, Lincoln County Feud, log cabin, Mary Conrad, Mexican War, Native American History, Native Americans, New Jersey, Pelican Publishing Company, photos, Phyllis Kirk, Revolutionary War, Rutherford B. Hayes, Stonewall Jackson, U.S. Military Academy, Union Army, Virginia Military Institute, West Point, West Virginia, West Virginia 4-H Camp, West Virginia University Archives, William McKinley, William Rohrbough

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Years ago, I attended Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Academy (10th grade) and the American Legion Mountaineer Boys State (11th grade) here at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County, WV. 29 August 2015. Photo by Mom.

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Jackson’s Mill is the boyhood home of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. 29 August 2015.

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Jackson’s Mill. Original owned by West Virginia University Archives.

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Jackson’s Mill Historic Area Map. 29 August 2015.

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Mary Conrad Cabin/The General’s Store. William Rohrbough constructed the front in 1845; George Conrad constructed the back after 1855. 29 August 2015.

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Mary Conrad Cabin/The General’s Store. Future U.S. presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley reportedly visited the cabin at its original location. 29 August 2015.

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Mary Conrad Cabin/The General’s Store. Dove tail notching. 29 August 2015.

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Mary Conrad Cabin/The General’s Store. Love the dogtrot feature! 29 August 2015.

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Mary Conrad Cabin/The General’s Store. BOOK MEETS LOG CABIN. I enjoy seeing the book with logs. 29 August 2015.

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McWhorter Cabin. Built after 1793 by Revolutionary War veteran Henry McWhorter of New Jersey, this 18′ X 24′ cabin offers an internal chimney as protection from attacks by Native Americans. It was used as a home, church, school, and post office. 29 August 2015.

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McWhorter Cabin. Note the square notching. 29 August 2015.

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McWhorter Cabin. 1793 pioneer cabin meets 1889 feud history. 29 August 2015. Photo by Mom.

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Jackson’s Mill. 29 August 2015.

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Jackson’s Mill, 1837. 29 August 2015.

“Holly Creek” John Mullins Grave in Clintwood, VA (2018)

03 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in American Revolutionary War, Big Harts Creek, Cemeteries

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American Revolution, Appalachia, cemeteries, Clintwood, Clintwood Baptist Church, Dickenson County, genealogy, Harts Creek, history, Holly Creek John Mullins, Jane Mullins, John Mullins, Logan County, Revolutionary War, Virginia, West Virginia

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Dickenson County Courthouse in Clintwood, VA.  THIS IS MULLINS COUNTRY. Placed at its front is a large plaque commemorating John Mullins, Sr. (father to “Holly Creek John”), who served in the Revolutionary War. 25 August 2018.

Holly Creek John Mullins Historic Marker

“Holly Creek John” received his nickname because he settled on Holly Creek, near the courthouse. Clintwood is located in the head of Holly Creek.

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Behind the Clintwood Baptist Church on High Street is the grave of “Holly Creek John” Mullins, son of John and Jane (Bailey) Mullins. There’s really no place to park along this narrow street, so you have to park at the Sleep Inn and Suites Hotel and walk back up the hill just a bit. 25 August 2018.

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Up this way! These steps literally connect to High Street — parking right here is not really an option! 25 August 2018.

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Straight ahead. For more information about the grave and cemetery, follow this link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64659784/john-mullins

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John and Ollie (Cox) Mullins grave, located in Clintwood, Dickenson County, VA. Their daughter Jane married Peter Mullins and settled on Harts Creek in Logan County, WV. 25 August 2018.

West Virginia Once Part of Iroquois Domain (1927)

21 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in American Revolutionary War, Native American History

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Andrew P. Price, Appalachia, Canada, Cayuga, Chillicothe, Cumberland River, Dekanawida, Five Nations, Great Lakes, Greenbrier Valley, Hiawatha, history, Iroquois, Jackson River, James Fenimore Cooper, Kanawha River, Lancaster, Logan Banner, London, Marlinton, Mingo Flats, Mohawk, New York, Ohio, Oneida, Onondago, Ototarha, Pennsylvania, Revolutionary War, Rio Grande River, Seneca, Seneca Trail, Shawnee, St. Lawrence River, Tennessee, Tuscarora, Virginia, Warrior's Road, West Virginia, Winchester

From the Logan Banner of Logan, WV, comes this bit of history about the Iroqouis and West Virginia dated October 7, 1927:

West Virginia Part of Iroquois Domain

Confederation of Five Nations, Pledged to Peace, Endured For Two Centuries — Hiawatha One of Founders — Vast Indian Drama Told By Andrew P. Price, “Sage of Marlinton.”

You keep hearing of the Shawnees who overran this country prior to the Revolutionary War, and you keep hearing of them to the east and then to the west. You know that when 72 men went from this (Greenbrier) valley to fight them at the mouth of Kanawha, that they were living in Chillicothe.

The mystery of the Shawnee being to the east and then to the west is explained as follows:

When the whites first began to record history the Shawnees were far to the south and were split into two tribes. One lived on the Atlantic seaboard, around Savannah, and the other west of the mountains in the Tennessee country. They were forced north by their enemies and they were sometime after that found with towns at Winchester, in the valley of Virginia, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and in other places in Pennsylvania, while those from the Cumberland basin in Tennessee came north into Ohio. The eastern tribe moved first and no doubt the communicating road between the settlements at Winchester and eastern Pennsylvania traversed West Virginia. They would have to cross Seneca Trail, or Warrior’s Road, and the military town of Mingo Flats lay in their line of travel and that is the occasion of the corrupting of that place and making the garrison traitor to the Five Nations.

The whole of the Appalachia Range of mountains was owned, policed and controlled by the Iroquois or Five Nations. This was the highest type of Indian north of the Rio Grande. For centuries they held a commanding position, their country extending from the mouth of the St. Lawrence river, west on both sides to the Great Lakes and turning there took all the mountain country as far south as Georgia, and they had at least 50 towns along the way from north to south. History deals more with the Mohawks around New York, but the westernmost part in which we live was occupied and kept by the Senecas. The list of the Iroquois or Five Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondago, Cayuga and Seneca. When the Tuscaroras came in in 1726 they were called the Six Nations.

Government Older Than Ours

This conference lasted for more than two centuries and was perhaps the most notable government ever set up by savages. They are the Indians that James Fennimore Cooper wrote about and they are entitled to every bit of praise that he gives them. They had a council that was noted for its dignity, faith, and ability. The kinds of Europe sent ambassadors to that council for many generations which made treaties, and it was well known in the London of that day as the American Congress is now. The Nations early agreed with the whites to allow the Europeans to settle and thrive on the Atlantic seaboard and they, the Five Nations, kept the mountains and western part of their countries.

Probably the first fraud practiced on the Five Nations was the Greenbrier Colony grant of 100,000 acres on waters that flowed into the Ohio, and this was held up for more than 30 years and only matured after the colonies had gained their independence. It is evident that it was first granted on the mistake of fact, that is, that the Greenbrier, like the Jackson River, flowed into the Atlantic.

Hiawatha an Organizer

The formation of the Five Nations was accomplished about the history the year 1750 and was the work of two Indians of great fame, Dekanawida and Hiawatha. The name of Hiawatha is famous by reason of Longfellow’s poem, but it does not contain a single fact of the history of Hiawatha. The two Indians posed as medicine men and magicians and spent their lives to bring about the league to promote peace and to end war. At the time they commenced their work, war was the religion of the tribes. Hiawatha was a Mohawk, and at times the Mohawks were cannibals. The two Indians traveled from council to council, proposing the scheme of the league to promote peace, and it was debated on the council fires, and it encountered the most bitter opposition. The name of the tyrant Ototarha comes down in history as the most formidable opponent to the peace makers.

The first success they had was to make it unlawful to prosecute family feuds and murders generally. For every murder the killer was required to pay the family of the dead man ten strings of wampum, as the value of a human life. Later the law was amended to require the payment of an additional ten strings of wampum, on the construction that the first payment was compensatory, and the second string to take the place of the life of the murderer which was forfeited under the old law to the blood kin of the slain man.

In time the confederation was formed. First by the Mohawk, Cayuga and Oneida. Then the Onondaga came in and last, the Senecas came in with reservations, and plenty of them. The Senecas refused to disband their armies and were thereupon made the police force of the Iroquois nations, and kept to themselves the department of war and foreign affairs. They gave up murder and cannibalism but clung to their military life.

The league got along pretty well until the introduction of fire-water and gunpowder. After that it was hard to keep the peace. The end of the league of the Iroquois came when they joined the British to fight the colonists. They came out of the Revolutionary War, doomed, and most of the survivors moved into Canada, though some are still to be found on the reservations in the State of New York.

Hezekiah Adkins (1759-1842)

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Cemeteries, Giles County, Harts, Native American History

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American Revolution, Appalachia, Beech Fork, Beech Fork State Park, Billy Adkins, Brandon Kirk, cemeteries, Continental Line, genealogy, Giles County, Harts, Hezekiah Adkins, Hezekiah Adkins Cemetery, history, Isaac Adkins, John Lucas, Lincoln County, Missionary Baptist, Molly Adkins, Montgomery County, Native Americans, New River, photos, preacher, Revolutionary War, Ronnie Adkins, tourism, Virginia, Wayne County, West Virginia, Winslow

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In 1990, Ronnie Adkins published THE definitive Adkins genealogy book. A great many researchers appreciated his work on Hezekiah Adkins’ line of the family. Hezekiah Adkins was born in 1759 in Virginia, served in the American Revolutionary War, moved from Giles County, Virginia, to present-day Wayne County, West Virginia, about 1810, and died in 1842. His grave markers are yet visible at Winslow on Beech Fork in Wayne County, WV. If you visit the grave site, you will find Hezekiah Adkins buried on the left and his wife Mary “Molly” buried on the right (unlike in this photo). Any Adkins researcher owes a great debt to Ronnie Adkins and his book. THANK YOU, RONNIE.

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Here is a photo of my good friend and mentor Billy Adkins visiting the grave site in 1991. Years ago, Billy assisted Ronnie in gathering information about members of the Adkins family who settled in the Harts area of Lincoln County, WV.

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Here is Hezekiah’s grave as it appears today (left). His wife Molly is buried to the right.

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Hezekiah Adkins is my paternal great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather through his son, Isaac Adkins (1790-1854).

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Here is Molly Adkins’ grave as it appears today. She is my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.

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Hezekiah Adkins has a nice military marker positioned at his feet.

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I recently visited Hezekiah Adkins’ grave. 30 June 2017.

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A short distance from the cemetery, beside of the highway, is this great historical marker commemorating Hezekiah Adkins’ service in the Revolutionary War. Beech Fork State Park is less than five minutes away. 30 June 2017.

Henry Clay Ragland

04 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Civil War, Logan

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5th Virginia Cavalry, American Revolution, Appalachia, civil war, Confederate Army, Finch Ragland, genealogy, Henry Clay Ragland, Henry H. Hardesty, history, House of Delegates, John Ragland, Kentucky, Lawrence County, lawyer, Logan, Logan County, Logan County Banner, Louisa Ragland, Maryland, Point Lookout, R.A. Brock, Revolutionary War, Richmond, Thomas Eads, U.S. South, Virginia, Virginia and Virginians, Wales, War of 1812, West Virginia

From “Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Henry Clay Ragland, who resided at Logan, West Virginia:

Is of a family that has long been one of the most influential in the State. The founder of the family in America, John Ragland, came to this country directly from Wales, and settled in Virginia about the year 1630; his great-grandson, Finch Ragland, grandfather of the subject of the sketch, was a patriot of 1776 and fought through the Revolutionary war; his descendants have all inherited the spirit of patriotism, and have ever been foremost in enhancing the interests and defending the rights of their country. Thomas Eads, maternal grandfather of H.C. Ragland, was a soldier in the war of 1812. When the war between the States broke out in 1861 Henry Clay Ragland was among the first to volunteer his services in the cause of the South; he was a member of the 5th Va. Cav., was twice wounded, and was a prisoner at Point Lookout from Sept., 1864, to March, 1865. Since 1874 he has resided in Logan county, W.Va., where he is now editor of the Logan county Banner, besides has an extensive law practice in Logan and adjoining counties, being regarded as one of the leading lights in the profession. From 1886 to 1888 he was a member of the West Virginia legislature, in which he served with honor and distinction. His address is Logan Court House, W.Va. Mr. H.C. Ragland was born in Goochland county, Va., on the 7th of May, 1844; his wife, nee Miss Louisa Goings, was born in Lawrence county, Ky.; they were married at Logan Court House, W.Va., June 9, 1877.

Source: Dr. R.A. Brock, Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888 (Richmond, VA: H.H. Hardesty, Publisher, 1888), p. 836-837.

James Andrew Nighbert

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Civil War, Logan

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36th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Appalachia, civil war, Confederate Army, Elizabeth Nighbert, genealogy, George W. Nighbert, Germany, Henry H. Hardesty, history, James A. Nighbert, Knights of Honor, Logan, Logan County, Montgomery County, National Democratic Convention, R.A. Brock, Revolutionary War, Richmond, U.S. South, Virginia, Virginia and Virginians, West Virginia, Wythe County

From “Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for James Andrew Nighbert, who resided at Logan, West Virginia:

Is descended on his father’s side from German ancestors who many years ago settled in America. They were a family of patriots, and as bravely served in the defense of their adopted country as they had done in their Fatherland. Both paternal and the maternal grandfathers of the subject of this sketch were Continental soldiers in the Revolutionary war. George W. Nighbert and his wife, Elizabeth Scaggs, are the parents of James Andrew Nighbert; the father was born in Wythe county and the mother in Montgomery county, Va.; their son, James Andrew, was born in Montgomery county, Va., and moved to Logan county, same State, in 1844. Here he has since resided. He espoused the Southern cause during the civil war, and served as first lieutenant in Co. B, 36th Va. Inf., and was major in 1st regiment Va. State Line; was member of the Virginia Legislature from 1863 until 1865; President of the County Court, Logan county, from 1880 to 1888; was one of the delegates to the National Democratic Convention in 1888; at the present time he is the largest resident land owner in Logan county, in the management of which he is at present engaged. He is a large-hearted, generous citizen, thoroughly interested in the progress of his State and county, always ready to devote his time, talents, means and influence to aid a progressive movement, and has contributed largely to render Logan one of the leading counties in the State. Mr. Nighbert is a member of the Knights of Honor.

Source: Dr. R.A. Brock, Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888 (Richmond, VA: H.H. Hardesty, Publisher, 1888), p. 836.

Lorenzo D. Hinchman

04 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Wyoming County

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Appalachia, Cyclone, Elizabeth A. Hinchman, genealogy, Grace Hinchman, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Laura Hinchman, Logan County, Lorenzo D. Hinchman, Monroe County, R.A. Brock, Rebecca Hinchman, Revolutionary War, Richmond, Rosa Hinchman, timbering, U.S. South, Ulysses Hinchman, Virginia, Virginia and Virginians, Walter Hinchman, West Virginia

From “Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Lorenzo D. Chambers, who resided at Cyclone, West Virginia:

Son of Ulysses and Rebecca (McDonald) Hinchman, was born Dec. 25, 1833, in Logan county. W.Va. His father was born April 6, 1817, in Monroe county, W.Va., but was for many years an honored resident of Logan county, where he died March 7, 1882; his wife, and the mother of the subject of this sketch, was of one of the oldest and wealthiest families of this section; her father served with distinction six years in the Revolutionary war; she died April 3, 1887. Lorenzo D. Hinchman was married Jan. 25, 1870, to Elizabeth A. Chambers, who was born March 23, 1842, in Logan county, W.Va. They have issue: Laura, born Nov. 9, 1870; Grace, July 26, 1873; and Rosa, June 22, 1877; one son, Walter, was born Aug. 224, 1878. Mrs. Hinchman’s parents were both born in Monroe county, W.Va., and both died in Logan county; the father, born Aug. 2, 1790, died Jan. 14, 1876; and the mother, born Aug. 20, 1794, dying Sept. 9, 1876. Mr. Hinchman is engaged in the timber business in connection with farming: his post office is Cyclone, Logan county, West Virginia.

Source: Dr. R.A. Brock, Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888 (Richmond, VA: H.H. Hardesty, Publisher, 1888), p. 832-833.

Dr. Millard F. French

22 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Logan

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Annie French, Appalachia, Bland County, Carter County, Concord Normal School, Continental Army, David Eaton, Elizabeth French, Ella L. French, genealogy, Giles County, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Ireland, Isaac French, John Hoge, Kentucky, Logan, Logan County, Martha French, Mary Ann Wilburn, Mathew French, Millard F. French, Montgomery County, Patterson Wilburn, physician, R. Moss French, Revolutionary War, Rhoda French, Richmond, Richmond Medical College, Tazewell County, Thomas Pullion, U.S. South, Virginia, Virginia and Virginians, West Virginia, William Henderson French

From “Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Dr. Millard F. French, who resided at Logan Court House, West Virginia:

The French family in America was founded by one of that name who came to this country in the 18th century and settled in Virginia. He was the father of Mathew French, who was born Feb. 2, 1735; married in Montgomery county, Va., Jan. 20, 1758. He served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war, and died in 1810. His wife, whose maiden name was Annie Locke, was born in Montgomery county, Va., in 1739, dying at the age of 85. The issue of this union was Isaac French, born Nov. 20, 1770, in Montgomery county; was married Sept. 20, 1792, in Tazewell county, Va., to Elizabeth Stowers, who was born in that county Dec. 18, 1774; they passed from life in Giles county, Va., the husband Nov. 15, 1850, the wife Dec. 19, 1839, leaving a son, Isaac French, Jr., who was born in that county July 11, 1803, and died there June 28, 1876. He was married in Tazewell county April 24, 1824, to Rhoda Day, who was a native of that county, having been born Jan. 9, 1806, and died in Giles county, Va., on the anniversary of her marriage, 1869. Their son, William Henderson French, is father of the subject of this record. This gentleman was born in Giles county Feb. 2, 1828; was married to Martha Burton, of Bland county, Va., where she was born Oct. 9, 1830; their marriage was solemnized by Rev. John Hoge, Feb. 25, 1847. The mother died in Giles county June 13, 1885. Dr. Millard F. French was born in Giles county, Va., March 4, 1861; graduated at Concord, W.Va., Normal School July 22, 1881; in 1882 he entered Richmond, Va., Medical College, where he graduated in 1884, with the degree of M.D.; locating in Bland county, Va., he practiced there until Jan. 23, 1885, when he removed to Logan C.H. He is one of the most skillful young physicians in the State, and though he has been at his present home but a few years, he has built up a fine and extensive practice, not only his skill as a physician and surgeon has rendered him popular, but the amiability and generosity of his disposition, with his exemplary moral character, have won him a host of friends wherever he has lived. Aug. 19, 1884, Rev. Thos. Pullion officiating, he was united in marriage to Ella L. Wilburn, who was born in Carter county, Ky., Nov. 22, 1865; the ceremony was performed in Giles county, Va. Their only child, R. Moss French, was born Dec. 17, 1888. Mrs. French’s parents were born in Giles county, Va., and married there. Her father, Patterson Wilburn, was born Jan. 17, 1820, and died in Carter county, Ky., May 20, 1871; her mother, nee Mary Ann Eaton, was born Nov. 30, 1824; they were united in wedlock Sept. 19, 1850. The Eaton family of Giles county are descended from David Eaton, who came to Virginia from Ireland.

Source: Dr. R.A. Brock, Virginia and Virginians, 1606-1888 (Richmond, VA: H.H. Hardesty, Publisher, 1888), p. 829-830.

Caleb Headley 1

08 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Civil War, Fourteen

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154th Regiment, Appalachia, Caleb Headley, civil war, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Hardesty's History of Wetzel County, history, Lincoln County, Mexican War, Monongalia County, Nancy Ann Headley, New Jersey, Revolutionary War, Sarah Headley, Thomas Headley, Tyler County, U.S. South, Ward Adkins, West Virginia, Wetzel County, Will Headley

In the years following the Civil War, Caleb Headley migrated from Wetzel County, West Virginia to the Sulphur Spring Fork of Fourteen Mile Creek in Lincoln County, bringing with him a young wife and some degree of knowledge about medicine. Behind him were Pennsylvania roots, a soldier’s experience in the Mexican and Civil wars, as well as a failed marriage. About fifteen years later, he passed away and was buried on a hill near his home.

Today, Ward Adkins, an 81-year-old walking encyclopedia of Sulphur Spring history, is the best source on Dr. Headley’s life. He was partly raised by Headley’s son, Will, his step-grandfather, who told Adkins what little he knew about his father and eventually gave him a very important family heirloom: a geography book containing genealogical information in his father’s handwriting.

Caleb Headley was born on April 11, 1808, the first son and second child of Dr. Thomas and Sarah (Asher) Headlee, in Pennsylvania. Thomas was born around 1775 in New Jersey and was the son of a Revolutionary War veteran. Sarah was born around 1785 in Virginia.

Caleb had seven known or suspected brothers and sisters: Elizabeth Headley, born about 1807, Mary Headley (c.1811-1881), Anthony Headley (August 11, 1812 – January 1, 1894), Jerusha Headley (March 16, 1815 – May 16, 1884), Sarah Headley (August 22, 1817 – June 18, 1900), Elisha Headley (August 24, 1820 – August 2, 1895), and Nancy Headley, born about 1822.

In 1822, according to Hardesty’s History of Wetzel County, Thomas Headley settled in Tyler County, (West) Virginia with his family where he taught young Caleb what he knew about doctoring prior to his death, which reportedly occurred around 1830 in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia.

On November 2, 1826, Caleb married Nancy Ann Wright in Pennsylvania. Nancy was born on October 15, 1808 in Virginia. Her parents were born in Maryland.

Caleb and Nancy had ten children: Charity Headley, born March 1, 1828; Elizabeth Jane Headley, born June 2, 1829; Thomas J. Headley, born November 23, 1831; Joshua Headley, born April 7, 1832; Sarah A. Headley, born December 8, 1833; Caleb Samuel Headley, born March 30, 1836 or 1837; George Washington Headley, born May 21, 1839; Benjamin Franklin Headley (May 31, 1841 – April 11, 1918), Anthony Headley, born June 3, 1844, and Elijah Headley, born August 1, 1850.

During the 1830s and ’40s, Caleb lived in Tyler County where he was, by his own admission, a practicing physician, member of the Methodist Church and for sixteen years a justice of the peace.

“I don’t think Caleb had any schooling to be a doctor,” Adkins said, in a 2003 interview. “As far as I know, the only thing he had as far as a medical education was studying under his daddy. His daddy was a doctor.”

In 1846, the portion of Tyler County occupied by Headley became Wetzel County.

Some time between 1846 and 1848, Headley reputedly served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War. While no military records have been located at the present time to verify his service, one of his sons made the claim that he had been an officer in the war.

“His son Will told me that he was an officer in a war with Mexico,” said Adkins.

In the 1850 Wetzel County Census, Caleb appeared in the Green District as a 40-year-old farmer (not physician) with $200 worth of real estate. His wife was 32 years old, while the children were listed as follows: Thomas (age 17, farmer, in school), Sarah (age 16, in school), Samuel (age 13, in school), Washington (age 10, in school), Franklin (age 9, in school), and Anthony (age 6).

In 1860, the Headleys maintained their residence in Green District.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Headley joined with most of his neighbors and sided with the North.

“Wetzel County, Virginia, was one of the counties which supported the Union during the War Between the States,” Mary Curtis, a genealogist, wrote in 1959. “The large majority of the settlers were from Pennsylvania and the Piedmont areas of Virginia where slaves were not common, so that their interests lay with the North.”

According to Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, Headley was captain of a company in the Union army. According to military records, he was captain of Company C, 154th Regiment.

“He was captain of a company in the Civil War,” said Adkins. “That’s in Hardesty’s. And Will said he was an officer. He didn’t know what rank, you know. I was told that he was shot in the back. His backbone was just barely hanging together. I think he was discharged in Ohio.”

Several of Headley’s sons fought for the North. Caleb Samuel, later a resident of Porters Falls in Wetzel County, “served a short time in the Union army as lieutenant,” according to Hardesty’s History of Wetzel County. Anthony, later a resident of Pine Grove in Wetzel County, “was a soldier with the Federal army, serving in Company I, 15th West Virginia Infantry, and he participated in all the fortunes of that regiment, engaging in its battles and witnessing the surrender of Lee at Appomattox.” His term of service was from August 24, 1862 until June 30, 1865.

In 1866, 50-something-year-old Headley settled in present-day Lincoln County and joined the Christian church. By that time, he had separated from his wife Nancy and was involved in an intimate relationship with 16-year-old Sarah Farley of Logan County. The two had their first child on May 1 then married on May 25 in Catlettsburg, Kentucky.

Headley’s separation from his first wife has been a hot topic of conversation among his local descendants.

“They had a rumor going that Dr. Caleb run off and left his first wife, but Will said it wasn’t so,” said Adkins. “I heard his wife died when their son Elijah was fifteen years old, which would have been around 1865.”

However, according to Wetzel County census records, Nancy was very much alive after the separation. In 1870 and 1880, she referred to herself in both census schedules as a widow.

Feud Poll 1

If you had lived in the Harts Creek community during the 1880s, to which faction of feudists might you have given your loyalty?

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