BURKE COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - Early Settlers of Burke County, Part 3 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Martha Pearson Kapp KAPPSFISH@aol.com ==================================================================== Biographical Sketches from Burke County, NC from articles published in Newspaper in 1894 These sketches were originally written by Col Thomas George Walton (1815-1905). 1st published in the old Morganton Herald in 1894 Part 3 BALLEW - BOUCHELLE - CORPENING -FORNEY - RUTHERFORD families The CORPENING FAMILY "ALBERT CORPENING, a native of the Netherlands, settled in Pennsylvania and married a lady of German parentage, BARBARA PROPST. He removed to Burke County about the year 1777, purchased a large tract of land on John's River from the heirs of Gen. JOSEPH MCDOWELL, (KNOWN AS "Ash Hill), on which Gen. MCDOWELL lived at the time of his death in 1801. Mr. CORPENING was the ancestor of five sons, JOHN, GEORGE, JACOB, ABRAM, and DAVID CORPENING., all of whom were respected, industrious. Well-to-do farmers of ample means, owning good lands on the Catawba , Linville and John's Rivers and Lower Creek. All by the name of CORPENING of this county are descendants of these five brothers. Mr. ALBERT CORPENING had one daughter, MARY, who was the wife of Major FORNEY of Upper Creek. Mrs. Forney was known for all those good qualities...industry, thrift, hospitality and benevolence, characteristic of the better class of Germans." DAVID CORPENING "DAVID CORPENING, the youngest of the CORPENING family, married MARY PERKINS, a daughter of JOHN PERKINS, and inherited the John's River plantation from his father, ALBERT; a warm friend of mine, a man of sterling worth; remarkable for his strong common sense, high moral character, and was in my opinion, and in that of many others, one of the best and most skillful farmers of the county. I was guardian of two of his daughters. He was happily married to a lady, who was a helpmeet in the true sense of the word. I have attended many sales of the property of deceased persons in Burke County, but never one evincing so much order, care, thrift and prosperity as his; a house erected for the purpose, neatly kept and filled with cloth of home manufacture; flax, tow, and cotton; baskets and other useful utensils of the farm; gamon sticks of white oak, drawn and shaped by his own hand, ready for use at hog-killing time; every article, tool and implement used in the cultivation of land, clean, bright and in perfect order; a place for all, and all in it's proper place. Well, did he deserve the name of a model farmer?" The BALLEW FAMILY "The BALLEWs of Burke, old pioneers and ancestors of numerous descendants, now living in McDowell, Caldwell and Burke counties, were of French origin. The spelling of the name anglicized the original orthography, which was BALLOU. From this paternal and maternal ancestry have sprung the BALLEWs of Caldwell County, the RUTHERFORDs and RUSTs of Burke County and the CONNELLYs of McDowell County and Caldwell County. They were all, so far as I know and have been informed, good religious, moral, highly respectable citizens of this county previous to the forming of Caldwell and McDowell, sustaining in all the walks of life, those characteristics that make the good citizen. PETER BALLEW, the ancestor of the Caldwell County branch, was elected to the State Legislature in the commons of 1825 and to the Senate in 1835." JOHN RUTHERFORD (The Work of Dr. Abernethy) "JOHN RUTHERFORD, SR. of Bridgewater, married NANCY SUSANNAH BALLEW, by who he had five children, two sons and three daughters (being) JOHN, ROBERT, NANCY, CELIA, and JANE. JOHN RUTHERFORD JR., one of the wealthiest of Burke's citizens, was in many respects a remarkable man. He was somewhat quaint and eccentric. He was well-read in history and light literature. His place (home) was named after the Earl of Bridgewater, (not as many suppose , because he built a bridge crossing Muddy Creek, leading to his residence). With three maiden sisters, he lived a bachelor until he was 80 years old or more. Noted for his hospitality and benevolence, he endowed the college named for him, founded by it's successful president, R. L. ABERNETHY, who deserves credit, almost beyond words to express, for having given and continuing to give, an education to young men and women, fitting them for any vocation in life (so far as depends upon education), at a price so low as places almost within reach of all, and without , making large personal sacrifices. By his laudable philanthropic exertions, in this cause, he deserves an eulogy more enduring than this brief notice." "Mr. RUTHERFORD was myopic, what is commonly called near-sighted; so much so that he could not distinguish by form or feature his most intimate acquaintances, and, when meeting them, would never call their names until they had spoken. From long practice, and from the well-known fact that if one of the organs of the body is defective, another is strengthened; correspondingly, he had become very expert in recognizing them either by tone of voice, or enunciation of those with whom he associated, and would soon after speak to them by name. His manner was such as led them to believe that he thought he had deceived them as to his eyesight being defective, and this attempt to deceive was practiced by his own family. In proof of this, one of his sisters was asked by my mother, "Miss C., why don't you induce your brother to wear spectacles? They would be so useful and relieve him from his nearsightedness." She replied." Oh! Mrs. Walton. I would not do so on any account for fear of offending him. He does not know or suspect that we are aware of this defect." W. B. RUST, Esq., a near neighbor and maternal uncle, who, himself was near-sighted and wore glasses, in speaking of this idiosyncracy of his nephew, told me that once being in the room where Mr. R. had been writing a letter at his desk, unfinished, he, RUTHERFORD, left the room. He concluded that if Mr. R. would only put on his (RUSTs) specks, being adapted to his eyes and seeing the great advantage they would be to him, he would forego his prejudice against the use of them. Taking off his glasses and laying them on the desk near the letter in such a way as to know whether they had been moved, he left the room and, after remaining out some time, returned. The letter was finished, sealed and directed, the spectacles untouched, lying as he had placed them. This unparalleled singularity was the cause of narrow escapes, "by flood and field", some of which I shall omit. Crossing the bridge, on one occasion, he made a misstep, plunging ten feet into the turbid creek, fortunately but little hurt. Struggling to reach the shore, his wig which was not worn on account of baldness, came off. He never wore another after the loss of this. At the marriage of the Hon. BURTON CRAIG to ELIZABETH ERWIN, oldest daughter of Col. JAMES ERWIN, there were a number of guests gathered from several counties. Mr. RUTHERFORD was one of them. He was fond of the ladies, and owing to his defective sight, when addressing them, usually brought his face very close to theirs. The wedding over, he took a seat near a belle from the valley of the Yadkin, extending his arms as though he purposed to embrace the fair one. Alarmed, she sprang to her feet, crossed the room to a vacant corner, he following close with his long arms extended. Lightly dodging under them, she made her escape, leaving the persistent pursuer, still with extended arms, moving until striking the wall of the house. He found the bird had escaped, and he was left standing, not cheered by the laughter of the merry crowd who had witnessed his discomfiture. Notwithstanding his eccentrics, he was possessed of so many good traits that he was held in the highest estimation by the best people of the county." The RUTHERFORD SISTERS "His (JOHN's) sisters, Misses NANCY, JANE, and CELIA, were pious, amiable, modest ladies. Miss CELIA, the youngest, having associated more with other refined ladies of her set, was not so peculiar or eccentric as her sisters, who wore old-fashioned, long hood-shaped bonnets, of dark green silk, without bows, possibly indicating that they did not want to catch beaux. However, this may be they were much attached to their bowless bonnets, which were certainly attached to them. In proof of this, I will give an incident. At home or abroad they were never seen without them. About the year 1829 or 1830, these good ladies made mother a visit, and concluded , at her solicitation,,, to spend the night. At the time there were several young girls of "sweet sixteen" boarding at my father's going to school. One of those was full of curiosity (not unusual with her sex) and mischief. ELIZA G. TATE of "Hickory Grove" got permission to sleep in the same room with the Misses RUTHERFORD, in which there were two beds, determined, as she said, to see whether they slept in their bonnets. The next day, she gave the following account of what she witnessed: "I went to bed before they came upstairs. The fire was burning low when they entered the room. They sat down near the fire with bonnets on, whispering in low tones. I thought they never would go to bed. Finally, the fire went out, they undressed, put on their night robes, bonnets 'status quo' on their heads; when, lo ! They blew the candle out and all was dark. I said to myself, 'Never mind, old gals; I'll catch you in the morning.' I waked early; it was hardly light, and behold! There they sat in their night gowns with their everlasting bonnets on." "Miss NANCY (RUTHERFORD) was twice engaged to be married. When her first engaged lover came prompt at the appointed time, a change had come "o'er the spirit of her dreams." She said to him, "I am not ready; the pockets of my wedding gown are still unmade." The quondam lover left disgusted, never to return. The second was not more fortunate than the first. ...When on reaching Morganton on his way to reach the abode of the intended bride on the evening of the day appointed for his wedding, he found it impossible to do so without risking his life by swimming the swollen waters of Silver and Muddy creeks. The next morning he hastened to explain and apologize. He found her in no fit mood to be appeased by explanations, apologies and regrets, but sent the crestfallen lover off with this parting thrust of the tongue: "If I am not worth the swimming of two small streams, I am not worth having." "Unless I am very much mistaken, a majority, if not all, of the fair sex, who honor the writer by reading these reminiscences of the olden time, will agree if either of these cold lovers' hearts had been pierced with cupid's darts he would have not been so easily repulsed, but enamoured, on bended knees, would have poured forth with suffused eyes, appeals of touching eloquence and fervidness, portraying the endless misery of his future life, caused by the cruel rejection of his proffered love. Her heart softened by these devotional appeals and by persistent perseverance afterward, the prospect for future success would have brightened, and possibly the dearest wish of his heart would have been realized." DR. THOMAS BOUCHELLE Dr THOMAS BOUCHELLE, one of Burke's oldest citizens, was of French descent. His name has become extinct in this county. His fist wife, MARY MOORE, was the mother of his five children, SLATER BOUCHELLE, BAYARD BOUCHELLE, ENSOR BOUCHELLE, MATTHIS BOUCHELLE, ELEANOR and ELVIRA. Dr. BOUCHELLE evinced his French parentage by his joviality, affability, politeness, and urbanity. He did the "honors of his house" with all the urbanity of his forefathers; was one of the most successful physicians this county ever had, rarely using, if ever, medicines concocted from mineral or poison substances, such as calomel, blue pill, strychnine, and opium, the last named, in a diluted form. He was my father's, as well as my own family physician. I attribute his wonderful success in curing the sick more to his cheerful manner, and persuading his patients to believe that they were not seriously sick. Instead of putting on a long face, holding watch in hand, counting the pulsations of the heart and whispering that the patient was a very sick man. BOUCHELLE would approach the sick ...saying "Oh, my dear fellow, there is nothing serious the matter with you..." and at the same time telling some humorous anecdote..... Dr. BOUCHELLE died suddenly ...while visiting a patient, universally regretted by all who knew him. He owned a beautiful bay horse , well cared for like her master. Dr. Bouchelle had a large bald head; he was asked if he did not suffer from the flies. "Why, no", he said, "my head is a first-rate fly trap; if one lights upon it, his heels are tripped up and his neck is broken." MAJOR JACOB FORNEY Major JACOB FORNEY,(Jr.) an old pioneer, was the son of JACOB FORNEY who came to the United States from the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. Landing in Pennsylvania, he moved to Lincoln County, North Carolina, then Tryon County, in 1754. He married a Swiss girl, MARIA BERGNER. By her he had three sons, JACOB, PETER and ABRAM. JACOB, the oldest son, was the owner of a splendid tract of land on Upper Creek, now divided and owned by his descendants. Major JACOB FORNEY, Jr., (born in 1754 and died in 1840) was one of the first settlers of Burke County, and married MARY CORPENING (born in 1788 and died in 1867), the eldest daughter of ALBERT CORPENING. His good wife, as well as himself, were much esteemed by the best people of the county. They lived happily together for many years, blest with a numerous family, enjoying life, and reaping the fruits of their probity and industry from their land, literally "flowing with milk and honey". At the time of his becoming a resident of Burke County, game of every species abounded. The buffalo, elk, deer, and the beaver had not been extinguished by the white man; and the Major would tell of his escape from a wounded buffalo by climbing a tree, rifle in hand, to a fork in the tree, and from this place of refuge, shooting the mad bull. I have seen well defined traces of beaver dams at Col. AVERY's place on the north Toe River, and have been told by him that within his recollection, the last beaver caught in Burke County was near this place, and the last elk was killed by JONAS DAVENPORT, on a ridge leading to the Roan or Yellow mountain, named from that fact, the "Elk Hollow Ridge." It's horns were so ponderous that they were never removed, and were seen for many years afterwards. Major FORNEY, by his wife, Mary, had seven sons and four daughters, THOMAS, NEWTON, HERVEY, ALBERT, MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE, BERGNER, DANIEL, FATIMA, MARY, SONORA, AND ONE OTHER WHO DIED IN CHILDHOOD. Although marrying late in life, he lived to see his children grown. They were both buried at the family homestead." DANIEL FORNEY "DANIEL, the youngest son of Major JACOB FORNEY, was the "bravest of the brave" I ever knew; giving evidence of this truth on more than one occasion during the late war. When the notorious KIRK captured Camp Vance in 1863, I was organizing a force of citizens to repel, as fast as could be done, his sacking the town. This he learned by some means. Hurriedly leaving the camp with his prisoners and plunder, he crossed the river made a beeline for Tennessee, by way of the SUDDERTH place. Sending a mounted part of 25 or 30 men and placing them under the command of Lieutenants FRANK CRAIG and THOMAS McENTIRE, who were here on a furlough from the army, I directed them to be governed by DANIEL FORNEY in endeavoring to get ahead of KIRK, and by ambuscade annoy and hold him in check until the footmen could overtake him. FORNEY, being familiar with the paths and nearcuts through the mountains, as well as the best points for attacking the enemy, succeeded in heading him at a gap on the south end of the Brown Mountain. FORNEY advised taking a position in a large cluster of alders, within 20 yards of the road, but the men without dissent, said there was great danger of their force (small as compared to KIRK's) being captured. KIRK's forces were estimated at two thousand. FORNEY, being overruled, the men took a position safer for them and nearer their horses. KIRK was marching at the head of the column. When fired upon, his men, panic stricken, left the road. KIRK was shot in the arm, and a number of the prisoners escaped. I was afterwards shown by Mr. . FORNEY where he had proposed to place his men. It looked to me hazardous, but he would have run the risk and, being so near, KIRK would have, in all probability, been killed. About the time of Gen. Lee's surrender, four raiders, said to belong to Vaughn's Tennessee command, were passing through the country taking the best horses and mules from the people by force of arms. Having robbed Mr. HUNT, who lived at Quaker Meadows at the time, they learned from some bad persons that DANIEL FORNEY had a fine mare. It was dark when they reached his house, which was enclosed by a plank fence. A large gate led to the stable. They rode up to the fence and hollered. FORNEY, coming out, asked what they wanted. "We want your mare", they replied. "You'll not get her", responded FORNEY. "If you attempt to go through that gate, some of you will be shot." Immediately they commenced firing at him with their revolvers. FORNEY never flinched, but returned fire with his double-barrel shotgun charged with buckshot. At length one of the marauders called out, "Oh, Lord! I am killed; don't shoot any more." Sending for his neighbor, DR. JOHN C. MCDOWELL, they went in pursuit and found the rascals at Cherry Fields, in an outhouse of Mrs. CALDWELL's. The wounded man, unable to ride, compelled them to stop. They were armed with Colt army revolvers, and had a considerable amount of greenbacks, the first I had ever seen. The wounded man had received eight or ten buckshot in the face and breast. I told DANIEL his gun was not good, or the man would have been killed. He said he could only account for it by it's having been loaded for a long time, and the powder had lost it's strength. I don't hesitate to say that there is not one man in ten, under all circumstances, that would not have surrendered the mare. It is an old saying that "blood will tell whether man or beast." In FORNEY's veins coursed the blood of his grandfather, JACOB FORNEY, Sr., who according to WHEELER's history, at one time kept at bay twelve or fifteen Indians for several hours, protecting his wounded friends until a fort two miles distant was safely reached."