Early Settlers of Brooke County File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Dale Patterson Norton750@aol.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material AND permission is obtained from the CONTRIBUTOR of the file. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. Copied from " History of the Panhandle, being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock, West Virginia". Compiled and Written by: J.H. Newton, G.G. Nichols, and A.G. Sprankle Published by: J.A. Caldwell, 1879, Wheeling, W. VA. EARLY SETTLERS: An effort has been made to obtain, as accurately as possible, a list of the first settlers in what is now Hancock County. The early heroes herewith appended are given from tradition by a few of the older people yet living in the different districts of the county, and it is thought by them to be nearly as correct in most every given date: John Eaton settled on King's Creek in the year 1792. John Cameron settled on the north fork of King's Creek in 1794. A Mr. Butler settled near King's Creek in 1790. Oliver Brown settled in the Cove in the year 1790, and was driven out by the Indians. John Harden settled on Harden's Run in about 1797. John Wiley settled in 1795. James Campbell settled on King's Creek, three miles from it's mouth in 1797. Alexander Morrow settled in what is now known as Butler District in 1798. Robert Campbell settled not far from the mouth of King's Creek in 1797. Joseph Ralston settled in Butler District in 1788. William Ledlie settled in the county in 1784 and his conveyance of land was from Patrick Henry, governor of Virginia. William Hamilton settled in 1795 and laid out Hamilton Town. Samuel Baxter settled in now Grant District in 1798. John Nessleroad settled about 1795. Jacob Nessly, near Tomlinson's Run in 1785. John Spivy settled on a farm now owned by his sonNicholas Spivy, in about 1794, and about the same time came the Cochrans, Jesse Ellis, Thomas Philson, John Greathouse, Robert Grafton, the Hamiltons, William Ryon, the Pattersons, who built the first grist mill in the county. And in 1800, or near that time, George Baxter, old Mr. Corey, and George Wilhelm migrated to the county. Alexander Scott settled on the farm now owned by J. C. Scott in 1802. W. W. Evans settled on the farm now owned by Jeremiah C. Evans. McCoys' settled in 1804 near New Cumberland. William Hutson settled near Hamilton Town in 1808. William Chapman settled near New Cumberland in 1785. Samuel Williams settled in Hilliday's Cove in 1800. William Murry settled where Murry's mill now stands in 1818. William Mercer settled in what is now Grant District in 1823. Robert Glass settled in 1813 one mile east of Fairview. John Huff settled on the farm now owned by his son, Wm. Huff, in 1802. Hosea Geer settled in 1808. John Gallagher settled in 1801. James Allison settled in 1780. R. Rodgers settled in 1819. Samuel E. Marks settled on the farm now owned by Alfred B. Marks in the year 1827. George Chapman settled on the farm now owned by his son Alfred in 1782. Samuel Carson settled on King's Creek in 1797. Hugh Pugh settled on a four hundred acre tract where Fairview is situated in 1800. James Allison settled on the farm now owned by Jonathan Allison, the grandson of James, on the road leading from Fairview to East Liverpool, in about 1800. Samuel Allison settled on the Wellsburg Road in about 1800. John Johnson settled on the north branch of Tomlinson's Run, in 1802. At this time there were a number of settlers here. James Danlins settled in 1800. Samuel Caruthers settled on the headwaters of Tomlinson's Run, in 1800, and there erected among the first still houses in what is now Hancock County. David Pugh also had a small still house the same run, from about 1804-1812. J. Bailey settled on the north branch of Tomlinson's Run, in 1800. Mr. -- Pittenger located here in 1798, settling on the road from Fairview to Liverpool. James Goddard and Jacob Neicewanger settled in Fairview in 1800. W. Rodgers settled in 1795. Thomas Bailey, John A. Johnson, John Lowe, David Work, and Richard Fowler were early settlers, whose dates of settlement are unknown. Christian Braneman settled in 1806. William Hewitt settled in 1801. Samuel Banting settled in 1828. William Langfitt settled in 1812. John Crawford settled on the farm now owned by W. L. Crawford in 1819. Andrew Young settled in 1809. Peter Tarr settled in about 1798. He was a partner in the old Brooke Furnace, located on King's Creek. William Griffith settled in the Cove, on a farm now owned by Benjamin Griffith in about 1782. He built a stone house in 1793, which is occupied as a dwelling. He kept government ammunition in the building for the use of settlers. Col. George Stewart settled in 1790, on the farm now owned by Franklin Stewart. Roland Rogers settled in 1819. John Edie, a soldier of the war of 1776, settled in now Butler District, in about 1792 or 1793. He was engaged in making nearly all the surveys for the government that were made in this section of the country for a number of years. Abraham Croxton settled on the farm now owned by Alexander Edie Sr. in about 1779 or 1780. A Mr. Holliday settled in about 1776 in what is now known as Holliday's Cove. Samuel and Joseph Ralston, with their father Joseph Ralston Sr., settled on King's Creek, near where the old Ralston mill stands, in about the year 1783 or 1784. In 1775, Philip Beall patented 1,000 acres, including a part of the Cove, and extending back to King's Creek. The land is now owned by thirteen different parties. William Logan settled on King's Creek in about 1785. Ephraim Brice settled in Hancock in 1818. Jacob Nessly settled on Tomlinson's Run in 1785, and owned all the land along the Ohio River for a mile back, and extending as far up as opposite Wellsville, a distance of five miles. His first improvement was on the farm now owned by Jacob N. Brown. The fight between Andy Poe and Big Foot was on Nessly's land at the mouth of Tomlinson's Run. Nessly built a blockhouse on his land for protection against the Indians. The government's blockhouse was built on his grounds, which was used as headquarters for the guards and spies who were engaged in watching the movements of the Indians. Isaac Mills, James Downing and George Folks, the latter of whom was captured and held as a captive by the Indians for a number of years and then made his escape, and with the above named two persons acted as spies. When Mr. Nessly made his settlement on the said tract, he improved it as fast as possible, at different places along the river, and planted orchards. A number of the fruit trees then planted by him, bear fruit nearly every season. He erected a distillery on his property in about the year 1803. The stone building used for his malthouse is still standing. Jacob J. Tope settled in Holliday's Cove in 1818. William Ledlie purchased a tract of land containing 719 acres from Abraham Edie, in 1784. Said tract is now owned by three different parties, namely, James M. Crawford, William S. Crawford and Thomas Anderson. It is located on King's Creek. The creek derived it's name from one King who was the first settler on said stream. It was formerly known and called Indian Creek, when in Youghiogheny County.