******************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material 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 pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Copyright 1998 Dale Patterson. submitted this file for use in the WVGenWeb project. It may be freely copied, but may not be sold. ******************************************************************* JOSEPH RALSTON -- Several stories have come down to us concerning Joseph Ralston's early life, and until I'm sure of one version being true, I won't elaborate on his youth, however, we do know that Joseph came from Scotland and had within him a pioneer's heart. Joseph settled for a short time just east of the Allegheny mountains, but it wasn't long until the lure of the wilderness brought him and his young family to the Kings Creek area,(near present day Weirton). Joseph Ralston and his sons Joseph and Samuel staked out "tomahawk claims" along Kings Creek as early as 1775, making them some of the earliest settlers in the region. Joseph saw duty in the French and Indian War, and in Dunmore's War, and he and his sons served in the American Revolution. After the war, the Ralstons returned to their land on Kings Creek and expanded their farms and homesteads. Joseph built a grain mill on the creek which lasted for generations, the area around it becoming known as Ralstons Mill. Joseph and his wife lived to a good old age and were laid to rest at Three Springs Cemetery. Both sons married and raised large families, producing generations of Ralstons living in the Hollidays Cove, Kings Creek area to the present. Joseph married Ann McCready of Hookstown, Pennsylvania, and after her death, married Sarah Greer of Caroll County Ohio. Samuel married Martha Tucker, daughter of John Tucker, the founder of the Tucker M.E. Church in Hanover Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Joseph and his wives are buried at Three Springs Cemetery in Hollidays Cove,West Virginia, and Samuel Ralston and his wife Martha are buried at the Tucker Church Cemetery between Florence and Paris, Pennsylvania.